diff --git "a/articles/2020-11.json" "b/articles/2020-11.json"
--- "a/articles/2020-11.json"
+++ "b/articles/2020-11.json"
@@ -1 +1 @@
-{"title": ["Madrid explosion leaves three dead - BBC News", "UK and EU in row over bloc's diplomatic status - BBC News", "Coronavirus: French students promised one euro lockdown meals - BBC News", "Biden inauguration: Step forward after bumpy period - Boris Johnson - BBC News", "Food supply problems in NI clearly a Brexit issue - Coveney - BBC News", "Covid: Gavin Williamson hopes England's schools will reopen by Easter - BBC News", "Low-deposit mortgages return after Covid slump - BBC News", "Covid: House party-goers face £800 fines in England, Patel says - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: No more 'easy wins' for hospital staff - BBC News", "Storm Christoph in pictures - BBC News", "University tuition fees frozen at £9,250 for a year - BBC News", "Storm Christoph in North West England: Flooding and evacuations - BBC News", "Covid: How a £20 gadget could save lives - BBC News", "Birmingham mosque becomes UK's first to offer Covid vaccine - BBC News", "Uber: London cabbies plan to sue for damages - BBC News", "Storm Christoph flooding: Financial help offered to victims - BBC News", "Storm Christoph: Travel disruption as snow and rain sweep in - BBC News", "Troubles victims: Thousands of relatives call for action - BBC News", "Glastonbury 2021: Festival axed 'with great regret' - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Biden's inauguration speech calls for unity - it won't be easy - BBC News", "Saga cruises says all customers must be vaccinated - BBC News", "Amanda Gorman: Inauguration poet calls for 'unity and togetherness' - BBC News", "Kamala Harris becomes first female, first black and first Asian-American VP - BBC News", "Covid: Infections 'must be brought down' to help NHS - BBC News", "Covid-19: What might a 'tighter' NI lockdown look like? - BBC News", "Manchester sinkhole: Houses collapse in Gorton street - BBC News", "Covid: £800 house party fines to be introduced in England - BBC News", "Brexit: 'I was asked to pay an extra £82 for my £200 coat' - BBC News", "Storm Christoph: Homes evacuated as storm batters Wales - BBC News", "Fulham 1-2 Man Utd: Paul Pogba fires United back to the top of the Premier League - BBC Sport", "Full transcript of Joe Biden's inauguration speech - BBC News", "Covid: 'Too early' to say if lockdown will end in spring - Boris Johnson - BBC News", "Paddy McElhone: Farmer shooting by Army unjustified, inquest rules - BBC News", "Covid: Nine million people forced to borrow more to cope - BBC News", "As it happened: Biden presidency: Covid deaths 'likely to exceed' 500,000 by February - BBC News", "As it happened: Foster and O'Neill give coronavirus update - BBC News", "Covid: Young people asked how pandemic has affected them - BBC News", "Next pulls out of race to buy Topshop-brands - BBC News", "Liverpool 0-1 Burnley: Ashley Barnes scores winner as Reds' unbeaten run ends - BBC Sport", "Kamala Harris and a 1986 snapshot of that Howard generation - BBC News", "Storm Christoph: More than 2,000 homes in Manchester evacuated - BBC News", "Covid: Nearly 2m UK people got first Covid vaccine in last week - BBC News", "Covid: UK reports 1,820 deaths as Johnson warns tough weeks to come - BBC News", "Inauguration fashion: Purple, pearls, and mittens - BBC News", "Covid-19: Military to assist NI medical staff - BBC News", "Covid: 'Two-month' vaccine wait for housebound woman, 84 - BBC News", "Covid-19: Bridgwater Muller worker dies and 95 staff self-isolating - BBC News", "As it happened: Inauguration: Biden signs orders ending key Trump policies - BBC News", "Author Terry Pratchett's 'inspiring' house for sale - BBC News", "Covid-19: Unison 'not opposed' to military help - BBC News", "Elephants counted from space for conservation - BBC News", "Meghan letter: Royal aides 'won't take sides', High Court told - BBC News", "Covid-19: NI lockdown to be extended until 5 March - BBC News", "Covid: Assaults on emergency workers 'most common' virus-related crimes - BBC News", "Marmite maker Unilever to insist suppliers pay 'living wage' - BBC News", "President Joe Biden inauguration speech: 'Democracy has prevailed' - BBC News", "Dartford mother-of-three died after liposuction in Turkey - BBC News", "Biden inauguration in pictures - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: 'Patience and perspective' needed in Wales - BBC News", "Racism in ballet: Black dancer's 'humiliation' at racist comments - BBC News", "Lockdown children forget how to use knife and fork - BBC News", "Coronavirus: BMJ urges NYT to correct vaccine 'mixing' article - BBC News", "Edinburgh's giant pandas may 'return to China' over Covid losses - BBC News", "Families rescued in Peak District after getting trapped in snow - BBC News", "Covid: Liverpool's leaders call for new national lockdown - BBC News", "Covid-19: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine arrives at hospitals - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Scottish cabinet to consider further measures - BBC News", "Cold snap creates 'pop-up' ice hockey rink - BBC News", "Covid in Wales: Schools' phased return defended by first minister - BBC News", "Covid: Sweden official defends Christmas trip to Canary Islands - BBC News", "Irish Eurovision singer and Bagatelle frontman Liam Reilly dies - BBC News", "Zoe Davison: Racing trainer dies on same day two of her horses win at Plumpton - BBC Sport", "West Brom 0-4 Arsenal: Arsenal see off Baggies in ruthless display - BBC Sport", "Covid in Scotland: New strain of virus 'accelerating' spread - BBC News", "Coronavirus: India approves vaccines from Bharat Biotech and Oxford/AstraZeneca - BBC News", "Reading stabbing: Five teenagers arrested after boy, 13, dies - BBC News", "EuroMillions: Jackpot of more than £39m won by UK ticket-holder - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Covid: Not much room for lockdown changes, Wales' first minister warns - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Twelve fined for playing dominoes in Tier 4 breach - BBC News", "Boris Johnson says indyref vote should be once-in-generation - BBC News", "Liverpool FC anthem singer Gerry Marsden dies aged 78 - BBC News", "New Year snow flurries fall across England - BBC News", "Covid-19: New variant 'raises R number by up to 0.7' - BBC News", "Suspected Islamists kill dozens in attacks on two Niger villages - BBC News", "Covid: What could 'tougher' measures mean for us? - BBC News", "Pep Guardiola: Man City boss may stay in management longer than planned - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Anti-lockdown protesters arrested at Hyde Park demo - BBC News", "Benjamin Mendy: Man City 'disappointed' after defender breaches Covid-19 protocols - BBC Sport", "Ryan Garcia stops Luke Campbell after surviving knockdown in Dallas - BBC Sport", "County Antrim poultry flock to be culled after bird flu detected - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Restrictions 'could continue' amid rising cases - BBC News", "Hospitals across UK 'must prepare for Covid surge', senior doctor warns - BBC News", "Covid: Regional rules 'probably going to get tougher', says Boris Johnson - BBC News", "Covid: Cardiff Central MP Jo Stevens in hospital with virus - BBC News", "As it happened: Boris Johnson warns of tougher measures amid Covid surge - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Covid: Snowdonia National Park wardens 'getting abuse' during lockdown - BBC News", "Leicester City 2-0 Southampton: James Maddison and Harvey Barnes send Foxes second - BBC Sport", "Covid: Nurseries 'teetering on the edge' during pandemic - BBC News", "Archie Lyndhurst: CBBC star died in his sleep, says mother - BBC News", "SLS: Nasa's 'megarocket' engine test ends early - BBC News", "Covid-19: Protect us from unlawful killing charges - medics - BBC News", "Phil Spector: Pop producer jailed for murder dies at 81 - BBC News", "Covid-19: Man said he had travelled 100 miles 'for a McDonald's' - BBC News", "RAF veteran receives Covid jab at Salisbury Cathedral - BBC News", "Covid-19: France begins 6pm curfew - BBC News", "Liverpool 0-0 Man Utd: Alisson saves thwart leaders at Anfield - BBC Sport", "Chris Cramer: Tributes paid after former BBC and CNN journalist dies aged 73 - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: 'Patchy supply' hampering vaccine rollout - BBC News", "Covid-19: NI hospitals prepare for peak of latest virus surge - BBC News", "Branson's Virgin rocket takes satellites to orbit - BBC News", "Covid-19: Nisra records highest ever weekly deaths - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Parents' joy as free childcare resumes - BBC News", "Online clothes sellers targeted by 'creepy' messages - BBC News", "Covid-19: BBC's Fergal Keane revisits St Mary’s and Charing Cross Hospital 10 months on - BBC News", "Sudan's Darfur region: 'More than 80 killed' in clashes - BBC News", "Lai Chi-Wai raises HK$5.2m for charity climbing Nina Towers - BBC News", "Covid: Airport support scheme to open in England - BBC News", "As it happened: NHS England under extreme pressure, says NHS chief - BBC News", "Virtual library gives children in England free book access - BBC News", "Gerry Marsden: Funeral held for Pacemakers star - BBC News", "Covid: Church of England services hit by pandemic - BBC News", "Sri Lanka v England: Tourists wobble chasing 74 after Jack Leach takes 5-122 - BBC Sport", "Universal Credit: Benefit increase only 'temporary', says Raab - BBC News", "G7: UK to host Cornwall seaside summit in summer - BBC News", "Statues to get protection from 'baying mobs' - BBC News", "Home Office 'working to restore' lost police records - BBC News", "Eurostar: Government urged to 'safeguard' rail firm's future - BBC News", "Covid-19: Running a roadside van when a pandemic cuts traffic - BBC News", "Coronavirus: William and Kate hear from emergency workers - BBC News", "Covid: People broke lockdown rules in 200-mile drive to see friends - BBC News", "Covid-19: More mass jab centres, airport support and a virtual library - BBC News", "Covid-19: England delivering 140 jabs a minute, says NHS chief executive - BBC News", "Mount Semeru: Erupting volcano spews ash above Indonesia's Java island - BBC News", "Universal credit: MPs urge PM to keep £20 benefit 'lifeline' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Further 1,295 deaths recorded in the UK - BBC News", "Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia dies with Covid aged 70 - BBC News", "Covid-19: Bedworth Pokemon player fined for lockdown breach - BBC News", "Manchester Arena and Parsons Green bombers charged with prison officer attack - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Freeman targets 400,000 vaccinations every week - BBC News", "Lockdown Christmas hits: Lidl pink prosecco and takeaways - BBC News", "Covid-19: BBC's Fergal Keane revisits St Mary’s and Charing Cross Hospital 10 months on - BBC News", "'Discriminatory' mental health system overhauled - BBC News", "Fresh calls for NI mother and baby homes inquiry - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "Covid: Police cancel fine for couple visiting care home - BBC News", "Human remains found in search for missing cyclist Tony Parsons - BBC News", "Johnson: 24-7 Covid-vaccine hubs as soon as supply allows - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: The six new lockdown rules - BBC News", "Coronavirus: British tourist blamed for Lauberhorn ski race cancellation - BBC News", "Coronavirus: 'How long can we keep going like this? About a week' - BBC News", "Covid-19: We can make this the peak by following rules, says Hancock - BBC News", "Morrisons to be first UK supermarket to pay minimum £10 an hour - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: How do the rules compare to last year? - BBC News", "Edinburgh Woollen Mill rescue deal to save 2,000 jobs - BBC News", "Furlough fraud: I'm still registered as furloughed for a job I quit' - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Stricter rules within days - BBC News", "China: Senior Conservatives call for reset of UK policy - BBC News", "Media billionaire David Barclay dies, aged 86 - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Lockdown lifting 'unlikely' as deaths pass 5,000 - BBC News", "Huawei patent mentions use of Uighur-spotting tech - BBC News", "PMQs: Some food parcels are an 'insult to families' - PM - BBC News", "Earl of Strathmore admits sex attack at Glamis Castle home - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Sinovac: Brazil results show Chinese vaccine 50.4% effective - BBC News", "Covid-19: More than 100,000 vaccine doses administered in NI - BBC News", "Customs staff: Vaccinate us to keep trade flowing - BBC News", "Four arrested over 'public nuisance' at Redditch and Birmingham hospitals - BBC News", "Covid: Birmingham hospitals move 200 doctors to intensive care duties - BBC News", "Plastic bag charge to double to 10p from April in Scotland - BBC News", "Naomi Campbell's Kenya tourism role causes row - BBC News", "Heavy snow causes widespread disruption in Scotland - BBC News", "Covid-19: New test rule for England arrivals pushed back to Monday - BBC News", "David Attenborough to front government-funded 5G AR app - BBC News", "GCSE and A-level pupils could sit mini exams to aid grading - BBC News", "Covid-19: Lockdown measures 'starting to show signs of some effect' - PM - BBC News", "Covid-19: Alabama crowds ignore coronavirus to celebrate championship - BBC News", "Covid-19: New treatment, NHS staff struggles and free meals row - BBC News", "Trump impeachment process: Who are the key players? - BBC News", "Gurlitt's last Nazi-looted work returned to owners - BBC News", "Cramlington woman celebrates 100th birthday with covid jab - BBC News", "People's sonic boom surprise caught on camera - BBC News", "Libby Squire murder trial: Pawel Relowicz 'prowled streets for victim' - BBC News", "Battery lodged in baby's throat for four months - BBC News", "As it happened: Record number of daily deaths reported in UK - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Pfizer v Oxford AstraZeneca v Moderna - BBC News", "Covid-19: Special school staff want jab priority - BBC News", "Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Fulham: Ivan Cavaleiro earns a point for Premier League strugglers - BBC Sport", "Call for better coronavirus masks for all medical staff - BBC News", "Covid: Play your part in fight against virus, says Patel - BBC News", "YouTube suspends Donald Trump's channel - BBC News", "Covid: UK reports record 1,564 daily deaths - BBC News", "Mohamud Mohammed Hassan: Hundreds march over arrested man's death - BBC News", "Covid: Three Democratic lawmakers test positive after Capitol riot - BBC News", "Tesco, Asda and Waitrose ban shoppers without face masks - BBC News", "Trump impeached for second time - BBC News", "YFN Lucci: US rapper wanted in Atlanta for suspected murder - BBC News", "Covid: Many NHS staff 'traumatised' by first wave of virus, study shows - BBC News", "Duchess of York: From Budgie the Helicopter to Mills & Boon - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Who broke into the building? - BBC News", "Britain's Got Talent: Filming postponed due to coronavirus concerns - BBC News", "Boris Johnson condemns 'disgraceful scenes' in US - BBC News", "National Express to suspend all services - BBC News", "Fears schools will be overwhelmed by laptopless pupils - BBC News", "Trump allowed back onto Twitter - BBC News", "Trump auction for Arctic oil rights sees little interest - BBC News", "Reading stabbing: Three teenagers charged with murder after boy, 13, dies - BBC News", "Capitol riot: Biden says BLM protest would have been treated 'very differently' - BBC News", "Essex lorry deaths: Dad learned of son's fate on social media - BBC News", "As it happened: PM sets out Covid vaccine rollout plan - BBC News", "Teachers' grades to replace A-levels and GCSEs in England - BBC News", "Adrian Chiles confirmed in Emma Barnett 5 Live slot - BBC News", "Covid: Seven mass vaccination hubs announced for England - BBC News", "Capitol riots: World media see Trump ignite an 'insurrection' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: 'How long can we keep going like this? About a week' - BBC News", "Breonna Taylor: Two Louisville officers fired over roles in shooting - BBC News", "Stella Tennant: Family confirms model's death was suicide - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: 'Well over half' of care home residents vaccinated - BBC News", "Two more life-saving Covid drugs discovered - BBC News", "Capitol riot: What does a deadly day mean for Trump's legacy? - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Belfast Trust cancels urgent cancer surgeries - BBC News", "Capitol riots: How a Trump rally turned deadly - BBC News", "Capitol riots: A visual guide to the storming of Congress - BBC News", "Muted response as Clap for Heroes returns - BBC News", "Capitol riot: Five startling images from the siege - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Moment protesters storm US legislature - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Boris Johnson condemns Donald Trump for sparking events - BBC News", "Ryanair scraps most UK and Irish lockdown flights - BBC News", "Covid: UK travel curbs to keep out South Africa variant - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Pro-Trump protesters storm the US legislature - in pictures - BBC News", "'Mr Christmas' lights switched off for last time in Croxley Green - BBC News", "Inside one GP surgery's Covid vaccine roll-out - BBC News", "Covid-19: Baby's mother issues mottled skin warning - BBC News", "Trump’s Twitter downfall - BBC News", "ICU hospital staff: 'Scared, sad, petrified, worried' - BBC News", "Elon Musk becomes world's richest person as wealth tops $185bn - BBC News", "Capitol siege: Trump's words 'directly led' to violence, Patel says - BBC News", "Reading stabbing: Murder-accused teenagers appear in court - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "McDonald's pauses walk-in takeaways in lockdown - BBC News", "US Capitol riots: World leaders react to 'horrifying' scenes in Washington - BBC News", "'Show us it's safe' to be open, say nursery staff - BBC News", "Alex Rodda murder: Matthew Mason guilty of killing schoolboy - BBC News", "Covid-19: Boris Johnson makes daily jab pledge as Army helps rollout - BBC News", "Organ donor mum wishes she could help her children in need of kidneys - BBC News", "Meat factories warn Covid absences could hit supplies - BBC News", "Covid tests for Channel hauliers to continue 'until further notice' - BBC News", "Aston Villa plan to play youngsters against Liverpool in FA Cup after Covid outbreak - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Vaccine rollout widens as hospital pressure rises - BBC News", "Sainsbury's Christmas sales rise despite smaller turkeys - BBC News", "Analysis: Can lockdown stop the new coronavirus variant? - BBC News", "Covid: China places 11m under lockdown after outbreak in northern city - BBC News", "The Wanted's Tom Parker says brain tumour has 'shrunk significantly' - BBC News", "Lockdown: 'I've borrowed £4m just to remain closed' - BBC News", "Capitol siege: An eyewitness account from inside the House chamber - BBC News", "Asos frontrunner to buy Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge brands - BBC News", "Boohoo 'set to buy Debenhams brand and website' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Top adviser warns France at 'emergency' virus moment - BBC News", "Covid-19: Essex student helps 600 refugees out of 'period poverty' - BBC News", "Covid: Israel vaccinates 16 to 18-year-olds ahead of exams - BBC News", "Covid: School return in Wales 'unlikely' for all in February - BBC News", "Care home worker thought cancer misdiagnosis was a 'cruel joke' - BBC News", "Skewen flood victims could be out of homes for days - BBC News", "SpaceX: World record number of satellites launched - BBC News", "England in Sri Lanka: Tourists complete six-wicket win and take series 2-0 - BBC Sport", "Boeing 737 Max cleared to fly again 'too early' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Pressure on NHS front line 'relentless' - Hancock - BBC News", "Covid: Teachers 'not at higher risk' of death than average - BBC News", "Fraud epidemic 'is now national security threat' - BBC News", "Snow: Severe weather warnings in place across UK - BBC News", "Covid-19: MPs call for school reopening plan, and will France have a third lockdown? - BBC News", "Putin condemns Navalny protests as Western concern grows - BBC News", "Covid: 'Not a moment to ease measures,' says Matt Hancock - BBC News", "Robert Rowland: Former Brexit MEP dies in Bahamas diving accident - BBC News", "Pandemic prompts Super Bowl ad rethink in US - BBC News", "Covid: Schools will be told of reopening plans 'as soon as we can' - BBC News", "South Africa coronavirus variant: 77 cases found in UK - BBC News", "US police vehicle ploughs into crowd watching 'burnouts' - BBC News", "Barclaycard customers face higher minimum payments - BBC News", "Skewen flood: Is Wales' coalmining past behind home evacuations? - BBC News", "'Droves' of Pampas grass pickers at South Shields beach - BBC News", "Covid-19: Mansfield newlyweds, 90 and 86, in vaccination plea - BBC News", "'Knackered and confused.' That's just the parents - BBC News", "Covid: Call for long-term plan to help 'burnt-out' nurses - BBC News", "Heatwave sweeps Australian cities and raises bushfire danger - BBC News", "Dylan Freeman: Mother admits killing disabled son - BBC News", "'Running Man' robber jailed after nearly 13 years on the run - BBC News", "Travellers: Shocking lack of pitches for families, charity warns - BBC News", "Skewen flood victims face 'months' before returning home - BBC News", "Jenners: Building's owner says store 'will remain' despite Frasers move - BBC News", "PTSD: Eyes can reveal previous trauma, study reveals - BBC News", "Covid: 'More deadly' UK variant claim played down by scientists - BBC News", "Moderna vaccine appears to work against variants - BBC News", "Channel 4 Deepfake Queen complaints dropped by Ofcom - BBC News", "Debenhams shops to close permanently after Boohoo deal - BBC News", "Covid: Dutch curfew riots rage for third night - BBC News", "Gordon Brown: Trust has broken down in way UK is run - BBC News", "Q&A: Cwm Taf maternity problems - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Over-70 vaccine letters start but blue envelope delay - BBC News", "Cwm Taf maternity: Failings 'affected two-thirds of women' - BBC News", "Mastercard to push up fees for UK purchases from EU - BBC News", "Frank Lampard: Chelsea sack manager with Thomas Tuchel expected to replace him - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Mexican President López Obrador tests positive - BBC News", "Janet Yellen to be first female US treasury secretary - BBC News", "Covid: Hays Travel to close 89 shops as lockdown delays 'bounce back' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer self-isolates for third time - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Ways to 'accelerate' vaccine plans being examined - BBC News", "Welsh Valentine's Day: 'Why we mark St Dwynwen's Day' - BBC News", "Cwm Taf maternity: Mothers ignored and made to feel worthless - BBC News", "Keon Lincoln: Mother 'heard gunshots' that killed teen - BBC News", "Covid-19: Police investigate potential breaches at republican funeral - BBC News", "Skewen flooding: Villagers warned not to return to homes - BBC News", "Kickstart: Most job roles for youths not yet filled - BBC News", "Covid: Volunteers in Maesteg clear snow for vulnerable to get vaccine - BBC News", "Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool: Bruno Fernandes settles FA Cup thriller - BBC Sport", "Covid: Early years staff safety 'cause for concern' - BBC News", "Couple killed in Cameron House Hotel fire named - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Police support Crown probe into care home deaths - BBC News", "Covid: Sir Billy Connolly receives his first vaccine jab - BBC News", "Covid: Fire Brigades Union safety demands 'unworkable', says report - BBC News", "Shipping crisis: I'm being quoted £10,000 for a £1,600 container' - BBC News", "Covid: School return in Wales 'unlikely' for all in February - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Majority of discretionary self-isolation support applications rejected, Labour say - BBC News", "Festival season 'still possible' despite Glastonbury cancellation - BBC News", "Coronavirus: 'New variant may be associated with higher mortality' - PM - BBC News", "Inquiry uses legal powers to seek Salmond evidence - BBC News", "Bus driver jailed after passenger's death in Swansea crash - BBC News", "Covid: James Bond film No Time To Die delayed for third time - BBC News", "Covid: How a £20 gadget could save lives - BBC News", "Birmingham mosque becomes UK's first to offer Covid vaccine - BBC News", "Hotel quarantine for UK arrivals to be discussed - BBC News", "St Agnes Cold War bunker for sale - BBC News", "Covid: Side-by-side in a London mosque - funerals and a food bank - BBC News", "Brexit: Retailers warn they could burn goods stuck in EU - BBC News", "Skewen flood: Is Wales' coalmining past behind home evacuations? - BBC News", "Coronavirus: UK R number 'between 0.8 and 1' - BBC News", "Covid-19: 'Unrealistic' to expect NI lockdown to end on 5 March - BBC News", "From Sea Shanty TikTok to a record deal - BBC News", "Trump 'prank-called by Piers Morgan impersonator' - BBC News", "Keon Lincoln murder probe: Boy dies after Handsworth attack - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Thirteen residents die in Bishopbriggs care home - BBC News", "Covid-19: Ministers mull £500 Covid payment and retail sales suffer record annual drop - BBC News", "Covid: Museums and galleries 'fighting for survival', Art Fund says - BBC News", "Paula Badosa: Australian Open player 'sorry' after revealing she has Covid - BBC News", "Biden's inauguration speech calls for unity - it won't be easy - BBC News", "Your pictures of Scotland 15 - 22 January - BBC News", "Covid: Wedding party in Stamford Hill broken up by police - BBC News", "Covid-19: No plans for universal £500 self-isolation payment, No 10 says - BBC News", "Essex lorry deaths: Men jailed for killing 39 migrants in trailer - BBC News", "Covid: 'Significant failure' over handling summer exam grades - BBC News", "Covid: £800 house party fines to be introduced in England - BBC News", "Cyber criminals publish more than 4,000 stolen Sepa files - BBC News", "Covid: 'Too early' to say if lockdown will end in spring - Boris Johnson - BBC News", "Paddy McElhone: Farmer shooting by Army unjustified, inquest rules - BBC News", "Police arrest 320 dangerous UK child sex offenders - BBC News", "CCTV captures moment hotel fire takes hold - BBC News", "Chorley 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Vitinha's superb goal sees Wolves past non-league opponents - BBC Sport", "Cameron House: Fire caused by ash left in cupboard - BBC News", "Next pulls out of race to buy Topshop-brands - BBC News", "Coronavirus: UK variant 'may be more deadly' - BBC News", "Shoppers stuck at home shun new clothes in 2020 - BBC News", "Liverpool 0-1 Burnley: Ashley Barnes scores winner as Reds' unbeaten run ends - BBC Sport", "Brexit: Nissan commits to keep making cars in Sunderland - BBC News", "Detentions and warnings over Navalny protests - BBC News", "Skewen flood: Mine shaft 'blow out' may have flooded village - BBC News", "Australian Open 2021: Andy Murray's hopes of playing in tournament over - BBC Sport", "Cameron House: Mum 'tortured' by son's death in hotel fire - BBC News", "Cladding crisis: 'Delays could bankrupt us' - BBC News", "Covid lockdown rule breakers could 'make pandemic longer' - BBC News", "Beckhams pay themselves £21m despite business losses - BBC News", "Covid-19: Bridgwater Muller worker dies and 95 staff self-isolating - BBC News", "Covid-19: Couple in 'only chance' wedding in Milton Keynes Hospital - BBC News", "As it happened: Biden White House 'will tackle domestic extremism' - BBC News", "Covid-19: NI lockdown to be extended until 5 March - BBC News", "Mick Norcross: Towie star and businessman dies aged 57 - BBC News", "Covid-19: Two £10,000 fines for '150-person' funeral - BBC News", "Dartford mother-of-three died after liposuction in Turkey - BBC News", "Coronavirus: EU vaccine woes mount as new delays emerge - BBC News", "Manchester sinkhole: Houses collapse in Gorton street - BBC News", "Covid: Royal Glamorgan Hospital nurse felt 'overwhelming fear' - BBC News", "Meng Wanzhou: Bullets sent in mail to Huawei's finance chief - BBC News", "Covid-19: BBC's Fergal Keane revisits St Mary’s and Charing Cross Hospital 10 months on - BBC News", "BBC licence fee is 'least worst' option, says new chairman Richard Sharp - BBC News", "Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Does stylus spell end of the Note? - BBC News", "Covid: Infections levelling off in some areas - scientist - BBC News", "Fresh calls for NI mother and baby homes inquiry - BBC News", "Covid: Police cancel fine for couple visiting care home - BBC News", "Covid-19: Brazil hospitals 'run out of oxygen' for virus patients - BBC News", "Covid-19: South America travel ban and NHS 'crisis' warning - BBC News", "Past Covid-19 infection may provide 'months of immunity' - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: The six new lockdown rules - BBC News", "Covid-19: Packed hospitals raised death risk by 20% - BBC News", "Over-50s rush to book holidays as vaccine boosts confidence - BBC News", "Coronavirus: British tourist blamed for Lauberhorn ski race cancellation - BBC News", "Covid: Hospitals in Wales' hardest-hit area pause some urgent surgery - BBC News", "Covid-19: High Street chemists start vaccinations in England - BBC News", "Covid: Students' rent strike threat over accommodation - BBC News", "Covid: Asylum seeker camp conditions prompt inspection calls - BBC News", "TikTok level crossing stunt 'staggeringly stupid' - BBC News", "Armie Hammer: Actor pulls out of film over 'vicious' online abuse - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Twitter boss: Trump ban is 'right' but 'dangerous' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Insurance fears stop care homes taking patients - BBC News", "Covid-19: More than 100,000 vaccine doses administered in NI - BBC News", "As it happened: Travel from South America to UK banned - BBC News", "UK snow: Yorkshire ambulance service declares 'major incident' - BBC News", "Pimlico Plumbers to make workers get vaccinations - BBC News", "Coronavirus variants and mutations: The science explained - BBC News", "Cyberpunk 2077: We underestimated difficulties - BBC News", "Portishead mum mistakes pregnancy for lockdown weight gain - BBC News", "Marcus Rashford and top chefs demand free school meals review - BBC News", "Coronavirus: PM says UK 'taking steps' over Brazil variant - BBC News", "Covid-19: Passengers told to check train times as routes cut - BBC News", "Heavy snow causes widespread disruption in Scotland - BBC News", "Covid-19: New test rule for England arrivals pushed back to Monday - BBC News", "Covid-19: Schools get more time to decide on admission criteria - BBC News", "Brexit shellfish delays leave Scottish seafood rotting - BBC News", "Teen detained over 180mph stolen motorbike pursuit - BBC News", "Super Nintendo World opening delayed by Japan's virus outbreak - BBC News", "Covid-19: North-east England leads race to vaccinate over-80s - BBC News", "Covid: UK travel curbs to keep out South Africa variant - BBC News", "Tesco: Brexit disruption 'is a challenge not a crisis' - BBC News", "Bitcoin: Newport man's plea to find £210m hard drive in tip - BBC News", "Gurlitt's last Nazi-looted work returned to owners - BBC News", "Africa secures 270m Covid-19 vaccine doses - BBC News", "Covid-19: Surge leaves key hospital services 'in crisis' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Government's rough sleeping strategy 'out of step' - BBC News", "Row over half term free school meals plan - BBC News", "Americans react to historic second Trump impeachment - BBC News", "Covid-19: Belfast doctor warns oxygen supplies under 'extreme pressure' - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Covid-19: Brazil travel ban to be discussed over new variant - BBC News", "Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Fulham: Ivan Cavaleiro earns a point for Premier League strugglers - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Bracknell couple's 'final meeting' in hospital - BBC News", "Call for better coronavirus masks for all medical staff - BBC News", "Covid: WHO team probing origin of virus arrives in China - BBC News", "Covid: UK reports record 1,564 daily deaths - BBC News", "Patel: No new Covid rules 'today or tomorrow' - BBC News", "Sri Lanka v England: Dom Bess takes 5-30 as tourists dominate in Galle - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Guide dog delays like 'losing eyesight all over again' - BBC News", "Firms told to look out for domestic abuse signs - BBC News", "Australian Open: Andy Murray tests positive for coronavirus - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: NI to introduce international travel Covid tests - BBC News", "Trump impeached for second time - BBC News", "Siegfried Fischbacher: Member of magic duo Siegfried and Roy dies aged 81 - BBC News", "Richard Leonard quits as Scottish Labour leader - BBC News", "Primark refuses to go online despite £1bn lockdown loss - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: hospital numbers at new record high - BBC News", "Woman arrested after two men die at house in east London - BBC News", "Covid-19: Nurse isolating in caravan for nine months moves back home - BBC News", "Covid: Families 'devastated' by cancer surgery cancellation - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Company's apology after £5,000 vaccine offer - BBC News", "Online retailer Ocado warns of shortages as suppliers cut choice - BBC News", "Covid-19: Priti Patel defends police lockdown fines - BBC News", "Covid-19: Queen and Prince Philip receive vaccinations - BBC News", "Trump Twitter ban 'raises regulation questions' - Hancock - BBC News", "Covid-19: Drop 'absurd' 5% council tax increase - Starmer - BBC News", "Bench arrest video 'stage-managed by anti-lockdown protesters' - BBC News", "WW2's 'Spitfire Women': Eleanor Wadsworth, one of last female pilots, dies - BBC News", "Covid-19: Rapid tests for asymptomatic people to be rolled out - BBC News", "Covid: Aberfan survivor Bernard Thomas dies, aged 63 - BBC News", "Covid-19: Every adult to be offered vaccine by autumn says Matt Hancock - BBC News", "Covid-19: Hancock warns flexing of rules 'could be fatal' - BBC News", "Pakistan power cut plunges country into darkness - BBC News", "The 65 days that led to chaos at the Capitol - BBC News", "Storm Filomena: Spain races to clear snow as temperatures plunge - BBC News", "Crawley Town 3-0 Leeds United: Marcelo Bielsa's side suffer huge FA Cup upset - BBC Sport", "Pompeo: US to lift restrictions on contacts with Taiwan - BBC News", "Analysis: Can lockdown stop the new coronavirus variant? - BBC News", "Police arrest 16 at Clapham Common anti-lockdown protest - BBC News", "Covid-19: Fordingbridge farm chickens risk cull over egg demand - BBC News", "Cladding building owners told not to talk to press - BBC News", "Brexit: Edwin Poots warns of job losses and food shortages - BBC News", "Man Utd 1-0 Watford: Scott McTominay heads early FA Cup winner at Old Trafford - BBC Sport", "Coronavirus: Virtual Mass tour across Ireland for 107-year-old - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: ICU numbers rise amid tighter lockdown warnings - BBC News", "Storm Filomena: Spain sees 'exceptional' snowfall - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Wales has delivered 70,000 of 275,000 doses - BBC News", "Parler: Amazon to remove site from web hosting service - BBC News", "Covid: Protect family incomes, Starmer urges ministers - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Wales lagging behind rest of UK with rollout - BBC News", "Happy Mondays star Bez in bid to rival Joe Wicks with lockdown fitness classes - BBC News", "Indonesia landslide: Rescuers buried as they help victims - BBC News", "Covid: UK reports more than 80,000 deaths - BBC News", "NHS Covid-19 jab letters 'confusing over-80s' - BBC News", "'Status quo isn't working' for Scotland, says Starmer - BBC News", "Covid: Warnings 'blatantly ignored' as cars turned away - BBC News", "Covid: Boris Johnson set to announce new England lockdown - BBC News", "Schools to close and exams facing axe in England - BBC News", "New £5 coin to mark Queen's 95th birthday - BBC News", "Reading stabbing: School 'reeling' after boy, 13, dies - BBC News", "Colchester Hospital: Covid deniers removed from 'at capacity' hospital - BBC News", "Ecclestone burglary: Four cleared over £26m celebrity raids - BBC News", "Boris Johnson says indyref vote should be once-in-generation - BBC News", "Covid: Brian Pinker, 82, first to get Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Scots ordered to stay at home in new lockdown - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: First doses of Oxford vaccine administered - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Dr Radha's five mental health tips for lockdown - BBC News", "Covid: Sweden official defends Christmas trip to Canary Islands - BBC News", "Zoe Davison: Racing trainer dies on same day two of her horses win at Plumpton - BBC Sport", "Covid in Scotland: New strain of virus 'accelerating' spread - BBC News", "Covid-19: Oxford vaccine, schools row and the future of gyms - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Google workers form tech giant's first labour union - BBC News", "Nóra Quoirin: 'Misadventure' verdict for girl found in Malaysian jungle - BBC News", "Covid: 'No question' restrictions will be tightened, says Boris Johnson - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: New lockdown from midnight - BBC News", "As it happened: First week after Brexit trade deal poses big test - BBC News", "Covid in England: Professional sport to continue in national lockdown - BBC Sport", "Covid: Keir Starmer in 'back to March' lockdown call - BBC News", "Covid-19: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine rollout begins in Northern Ireland - BBC News", "Edinburgh's giant pandas may 'return to China' over Covid losses - BBC News", "Families rescued in Peak District after getting trapped in snow - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Scottish cabinet to consider further measures - BBC News", "Covid in Wales: Schools' phased return defended by first minister - BBC News", "Brexit: Call for urgent action over deliveries to NI - BBC News", "UK expats prevented from returning home to Spain - BBC News", "Reading stabbing: Five teenagers arrested after boy, 13, dies - BBC News", "Police arrest MP over 'Covid rule breach' - BBC News", "Covid: What could 'tougher' measures mean for us? - BBC News", "Woman's Hour: The Queen sends 'best wishes' to show on its 75th year - BBC News", "As it happened: PM announces new England lockdown in TV Covid address - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Restrictions 'could continue' amid rising cases - BBC News", "Niger village attacks: Death toll rises to 100 - BBC News", "Covid: Regional rules 'probably going to get tougher', says Boris Johnson - BBC News", "Tanya Roberts: Bond actress and Charlie's Angel dies at 65 - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Covid: Derby County players test positive for Covid-19 - BBC News", "England in Sri Lanka: Moeen Ali tests positive for Covid-19 - BBC Sport", "Zara Holland faces court for 'breaking Covid rules' in Barbados - BBC News", "Covid: New lockdowns for England and Scotland ahead of 'hardest weeks' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Extended period of remote learning for NI schools - BBC News", "Liverpool FC anthem singer Gerry Marsden dies aged 78 - BBC News", "Ladbrokes owner Entain receives offer from MGM Resorts - BBC News", "Covaxin: Concern over 'rushed' approval for India Covid jab - BBC News", "Co-op and Morrisons payment problems investigated - BBC News", "Covid: Highest weekly deaths in Wales since pandemic began - BBC News", "Covid: Shut schools 'like systematic neglect' to disadvantaged pupils - BBC News", "Harvey Weinstein: Court agrees $17m payout for accusers - BBC News", "Covid-19: Five days that shaped the outbreak - BBC News", "Covid deaths: 'Hard to compute sorrow' of 100,000 milestone - PM - BBC News", "Costa Book of the Year: 'Utterly original' Mermaid of Black Conch wins - BBC News", "Covid: UK virus deaths exceed 100,000 since pandemic began - BBC News", "Covid: Floella Benjamin receives first vaccine dose - BBC News", "HS2 protesters dig tunnel to thwart Euston eviction - BBC News", "Facebook News feature launches in UK - BBC News", "Beware fake Covid vaccination invites, NHS warns - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Cut jury size to clear courts backlog - Labour - BBC News", "Scientists address myths over large-scale tree planting - BBC News", "Covid home-schooling: Parents' 'nightmare' juggling work and teaching - BBC News", "Covid: Quarantine hotel plans set to be announced - BBC News", "Covid-19: PM 'deeply sorry' as UK deaths exceed 100,000 - BBC News", "Storm Christoph flooding: Financial help offered to victims - BBC News", "Covid: 'Not a moment to ease measures,' says Matt Hancock - BBC News", "Chris Grayling leads MPs' charge to save hedgehogs - BBC News", "Pandemic prompts Super Bowl ad rethink in US - BBC News", "Covid: Schools will be told of reopening plans 'as soon as we can' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Hotel quarantine expected to be announced, and UK unemployment rises - BBC News", "Covid: Oldham school to withdraw places for lockdown-breach pupils - BBC News", "Xbox sales boom as virus maintains grip on economy - BBC News", "Skewen flood: Is Wales' coalmining past behind home evacuations? - BBC News", "Manchester Arena operator denies 'sacrificing safety' - BBC News", "'Droves' of Pampas grass pickers at South Shields beach - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK deaths likely to come down slowly, Whitty warns - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Seafarers stuck at sea ‘a humanitarian crisis’ - BBC News", "Rape prosecution changes by CPS unlawful, court told - BBC News", "British Asian celebrities unite for video to dispel Covid vaccine myths - BBC News", "Covid-19: Met Police officers in haircut lockdown breach - BBC News", "Skewen flood victims face 'months' before returning home - BBC News", "Covid-19: Vaccine minister 'confident' of supplies amid production delays - BBC News", "Transfer test: RBAI to use primary school test scores - BBC News", "Covid deaths: Four stories in 100,000 - BBC News", "Covid: Cancel developing countries' debt, MPs urge - BBC News", "Covid: Dutch curfew riots rage for third night - BBC News", "UK government backs birth control for grey squirrels - BBC News", "Covid deaths: Why is the UK's death toll so bad? - BBC News", "Inquiry judge's media ban 'unlawful', Court of Session hears - BBC News", "Sport England to direct extra £50m for grassroots sport due to Covid - BBC Sport", "Coronavirus: AstraZeneca defends EU vaccine rollout plan - BBC News", "Storm Christoph: '18 months' for plans to repair Llanerch bridge - BBC News", "Frank Lampard: Chelsea sack manager with Thomas Tuchel expected to replace him - BBC Sport", "Janet Yellen to be first female US treasury secretary - BBC News", "Twitter pilot to let users flag 'false' content - BBC News", "Covid: School closures 'throwing children under the bus' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Five days that shaped the outbreak - BBC News", "Harriet Tubman: Biden moves to put anti-slavery activist on $20 bill - BBC News", "Covid: Hays Travel to close 89 shops as lockdown delays 'bounce back' - BBC News", "NI mother-and-baby home report to be published - BBC News", "Home-schooling: Parents of Welsh-medium pupils 'need more support' - BBC News", "Covid: Curfew stays despite 'scum' riots in Dutch cities - BBC News", "Covid: Teacher dies with virus on 25th birthday - BBC News", "100,000 Covid deaths: A grim milestone in an abnormal year - BBC News", "Covid-19: Police investigate potential breaches at republican funeral - BBC News", "Keon Lincoln: Mother 'heard gunshots' that killed teen - BBC News", "Covid vaccines: Over-80s target missed by Welsh Government - BBC News", "House delivers impeachment charge against Trump - BBC News", "Australia unlikely to fully reopen border in 2021, says top official - BBC News", "Alex Davies-Jones MP 'lost most of cervix after delaying smear' - BBC News", "BBC apologises for Phil Spector death headline - BBC News", "Covid: Paramedic questioned job after being spat at - BBC News", "Sheku Bayoh death: Witness says stamping attack ‘never happened’ - BBC News", "'I'm stranded at Madrid Airport' - BBC News", "Covid-19: 'Toughest week yet' of pandemic for NI hospitals - BBC News", "Covid: UK closes all travel corridors until at least 15 February - BBC News", "Phil Spector: Pop producer jailed for murder dies at 81 - BBC News", "Youngest person in UK convicted of terrorism offence can go free - Parole Board - BBC News", "Trampoline prices 'to soar 50% on shipping costs' - BBC News", "Sri Lanka v England: Tourists win first Test by seven wickets - BBC Sport", "Covid: Tesco staff pay tribute to colleague John Deacy - BBC News", "BT faces £600m lawsuit over 'overcharging' - BBC News", "Liverpool 0-0 Man Utd: Alisson saves thwart leaders at Anfield - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: NI hospitals prepare for peak of latest virus surge - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: 'Patchy supply' hampering vaccine rollout - BBC News", "Chris Cramer: Tributes paid after former BBC and CNN journalist dies aged 73 - BBC News", "Nóra Quoirin death: Girl's body 'placed in the jungle' - BBC News", "Branson's Virgin rocket takes satellites to orbit - BBC News", "Jonathan Peter Brooks: Doctor charged over plastic surgeon attack - BBC News", "Keelan Wilson: Four guilty of Wolverhampton boy murder - BBC News", "Covid: Brazil approves and rolls out AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines - BBC News", "'Relentless' dog attack on Richmond Park deer prompts police warning - BBC News", "M1 deaths: Coroner calls for smart motorway review - BBC News", "Lai Chi-Wai raises HK$5.2m for charity climbing Nina Towers - BBC News", "England: Phil Neville leaves Lionesses and joins Inter Miami - BBC Sport", "Covid: £9,000 for 'anxiety and stress' university degree - BBC News", "Github apologises for firing Jewish employee who warned about 'Nazis' - BBC News", "Eurostar: Government urged to 'safeguard' rail firm's future - BBC News", "Biden inauguration: Fortified US statehouses see some small protests - BBC News", "Covid-19: China's economy picks up, bucking global trend - BBC News", "Brexit: Fishing firms hold London protest over disruption - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Matt Hancock says more in hospital than any time in pandemic - BBC News", "Scots TV and theatre star Andy Gray dies aged 61 - BBC News", "Covid: Aberystwyth University tells students to stay home - BBC News", "London Ambulance Service: 'We take thousands of calls every day - it's tough' - BBC News", "Chip-shortage 'crisis' halts car-company output - BBC News", "Covid: People broke lockdown rules in 200-mile drive to see friends - BBC News", "Universal credit: MPs urge PM to keep £20 benefit 'lifeline' - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Covid-19: Critical care wards full in hospitals across England - BBC News", "Brithdir Nursing Home: Inquest into six residents' deaths opens - BBC News", "As it happened: Democrats plan to introduce Trump impeachment articles on Monday - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Who broke into the building? - BBC News", "Covid: Royal Glamorgan Hospital nurse felt 'overwhelming fear' - BBC News", "Stricter Covid supermarket rules being considered in Wales - BBC News", "IGCSE exams taken in private schools still going ahead - BBC News", "Loughton school hit-and-run: Terence Glover detained for killing Harley Watson - BBC News", "National Express to suspend all services - BBC News", "Hunt for fake vaccine fraudster who injected woman, 92, in Surbiton - BBC News", "Moderna becomes third Covid vaccine approved in the UK - BBC News", "Little Mix's Sweet Melody finally tops chart as Christmas songs vanish - BBC News", "Eurovision Song Contest 2021 to 'definitely' go ahead, Graham Norton says - BBC News", "Covid deaths in Scotland 'distressingly high' - BBC News", "Phone footage reveals chaotic scenes inside US Capitol - BBC News", "Michael Apted: TV documentary pioneer and film-maker dies aged 79 - BBC News", "'Racist and sexist' Hampshire police unit officers dismissed - BBC News", "Brexit: M&S temporarily cuts hundreds of products in NI - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Students pledge rent strike over unused uni rooms - BBC News", "As it happened: Moderna vaccine approved in UK for spring rollout - BBC News", "Dame Barbara Windsor's funeral held with 'Queen Peggy' tribute - BBC News", "Google Chrome browser privacy plan investigated in UK - BBC News", "Brexit: Edwin Poots warns of job losses and food shortages - BBC News", "Stella Tennant: Family confirms model's death was suicide - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Panel of Americans ‘shocked’ and ‘disgusted’ - BBC News", "Two more life-saving Covid drugs discovered - BBC News", "New Zealand: Woman dies in rare suspected shark attack - BBC News", "Capitol riots: A visual guide to the storming of Congress - BBC News", "Muted response as Clap for Heroes returns - BBC News", "Soaring house prices in 2020 likely to slow this year, says Halifax - BBC News", "COP26: Alok Sharma leaves business job to focus on climate role - BBC News", "Ambulance waiting times in parts of England 'off the scale' - BBC News", "Lockdown fashion: 'People are back in their pyjamas' - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Boris Johnson condemns Donald Trump for sparking events - BBC News", "Isle of Wight oil tanker 'hijacking' case dropped against seven men - BBC News", "Covid: UK travel curbs to keep out South Africa variant - BBC News", "US Capitol riot: Police officer dies amid pressure on Trump over inciting violence - BBC News", "Depop seller's crop top made from Chiltern Railways train seat cover 'violates terms' - BBC News", "Covid-19: 'Major incident' declared by London Mayor Sadiq Khan - BBC News", "Lockdown: Police get stuck in snow stopping rule-breakers - BBC News", "Hyundai's confusion over Apple electric car tie-up - BBC News", "Covid: Fines reviewed after women 'surrounded by police' - BBC News", "'Show us it's safe' to be open, say nursery staff - BBC News", "Covid-19: Boris Johnson makes daily jab pledge as Army helps rollout - BBC News", "Covid: Families 'devastated' by cancer surgery cancellation - BBC News", "Your pictures of Scotland 1 - 8 January - BBC News", "Climate change: 2020 in a dead heat for world's warmest year - BBC News", "Covid tests for Channel hauliers to continue 'until further notice' - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK sees highest daily toll of 1,325 deaths - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "Prince William talks about NHS and Covid with his children 'every day' - BBC News", "Salmond accuses Sturgeon of misleading parliament - BBC News", "The Wanted's Tom Parker says brain tumour has 'shrunk significantly' - BBC News", "Covid cases 'up almost a third in week after Christmas' - BBC News", "Ex-MP quits Labour ahead of sexual harassment disciplinary process - BBC News", "David Bowie remembered: Streamed shows, unheard songs and TikTok debut - BBC News", "Surge in pupils at school in lockdown sparks call for limit - BBC News", "Marion Ramsey: Police Academy and Broadway star dies at 73 - BBC News", "Schools to close and exams facing axe in England - BBC News", "Reading stabbing: School 'reeling' after boy, 13, dies - BBC News", "1.3 million in UK have had their Covid vaccine - BBC News", "Ecclestone burglary: Four cleared over £26m celebrity raids - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Scots ordered to stay at home in new lockdown - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: First doses of Oxford vaccine administered - BBC News", "US intelligence task force accuses Russia of cyber-hack - BBC News", "Cyclone Imogen: Downgraded storm brings flood warnings to Queensland - BBC News", "Singapore reveals Covid privacy data available to police - BBC News", "Covid-19: 1.3m in UK have received vaccine as cases soar - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Dr Radha's five mental health tips for lockdown - BBC News", "Proud Boys leader released after arrest for burning BLM flag - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "BBC to put lessons on TV during lockdown - BBC News", "Mexican fisherman 'dies after attack on Sea Shepherd conservationists' - BBC News", "Government offers firms new grants to survive lockdown - BBC News", "Covid: PM acted 'decisively' on England lockdown - Sunak - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: New lockdown from midnight - BBC News", "Covid in England: Professional sport to continue in national lockdown - BBC Sport", "Online schooling: Calls to cut data fees during Covid lockdowns - BBC News", "Covid-19: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine rollout begins in Northern Ireland - BBC News", "UK 'cannot duck' post-Covid inequalities, report warns - BBC News", "Brexit: Call for urgent action over deliveries to NI - BBC News", "UK expats prevented from returning home to Spain - BBC News", "'Let police fight crime with facial recognition' plea - BBC News", "Virgin joins Tui and Thomas Cook in cancelling holiday bookings - BBC News", "Covid: Sir Keir Starmer calls for 'round the clock' vaccinations - BBC News", "Police arrest MP over 'Covid rule breach' - BBC News", "Covid: Urgent cancer ops cancelled in parts of London - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK daily coronavirus cases top 60,000 for first time - BBC News", "Supermarket websites struggle amid new lockdown - BBC News", "Much is an echo of March - but a lot is different too - BBC News", "Conjoined twins Marieme and Ndeye settling at Cardiff school - BBC News", "Tanya Roberts: Bond actress and Charlie's Angel dies at 65 - BBC News", "Colin Bell: Manchester City great dies aged 74 - BBC Sport", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "TalkRadio: YouTube reverses decision to ban channel - BBC News", "Celtic in Dubai: Nicola Sturgeon says aspects of trip 'should be looked into' - BBC Sport", "Paperchase on the brink of administration - BBC News", "Call for better coronavirus masks for all medical staff - BBC News", "Buckingham Palace thief jailed for stealing medals and photos - BBC News", "Vocational exams allowed to go ahead in England - BBC News", "Reading stabbings: Man motivated by 'religious jihad' - BBC News", "Zara Holland faces court for 'breaking Covid rules' in Barbados - BBC News", "Covid: New lockdowns for England and Scotland ahead of 'hardest weeks' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Extended period of remote learning for NI schools - BBC News", "Topshop's flagship Oxford Street store up for sale - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: 'Stay at home' order comes into force - BBC News", "Strangling: Calls for a new non-fatal strangulation offence - BBC News", "Covid lockdown: Joe Wicks online PE classes to return next week - BBC News", "Boeing 737 Max cleared to fly in UK and EU after crashes - BBC News", "Insurers defend covering ransomware payments - BBC News", "Covid-19: Cough, fatigue, sore throat 'more common' with new variant - BBC News", "Covid hotel quarantine: 'It's the luck of the draw' - BBC News", "Covid deaths: 'Hard to compute sorrow' of 100,000 milestone - PM - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon says Boris Johnson visit 'not essential' travel - BBC News", "HS2 protesters dig tunnel to thwart Euston eviction - BBC News", "Covid: Floella Benjamin receives first vaccine dose - BBC News", "Philippa Day: Benefit errors 'predominant factor' in mum's death - BBC News", "US actress Jane Fonda to get Golden Globes' lifetime achievement award - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Cut jury size to clear courts backlog - Labour - BBC News", "Covid: Mum-of-five Karen Hobbs dies, aged 40 - BBC News", "Boris Johnson says independence debate 'irrelevant' to most Scots - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Boy sentenced for racist street attack - BBC News", "Covid-19: NI health and social care workers to get £500 payment - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Your tributes to those who have died - BBC News", "Contactless limit could rise to £100 - BBC News", "South Africa coronavirus variant: 77 cases found in UK - BBC News", "Footage shows officer 'rammed' off motorbike in Oldbury - BBC News", "Covid: English schools could return 8 March 'at the earliest' - PM - BBC News", "Covid-19: PM promises roadmap to 'steadily reclaim our lives' - BBC News", "100,000 Covid deaths: ‘I cursed the sterile white room where Ann died’ - BBC News", "Xbox sales boom as virus maintains grip on economy - BBC News", "Apple Christmas sales surge to $111bn amid pandemic - BBC News", "Spanish Armada maps 'saved for the nation' - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK deaths likely to come down slowly, Whitty warns - BBC News", "'Knackered and confused.' That's just the parents - BBC News", "Covid: Wrexham vaccine production resumes after suspect package - BBC News", "100,000 Covid deaths: ‘I cursed the sterile white room where Ann died’ - BBC News", "Covid-19: Met Police officers in haircut lockdown breach - BBC News", "Elliot Page: Juno actor to divorce Emma Portner - BBC News", "Chelsea Flower Show: Event moved to autumn for first time in history - BBC News", "Covid-19: Vaccine minister 'confident' of supplies amid production delays - BBC News", "Covid-19: 'Poor decisions' to blame for UK death toll, scientists say - BBC News", "Extinction: 'Time is running out' to save sharks and rays - BBC News", "Covid deaths: Four stories in 100,000 - BBC News", "Euston tunnel protesters: HS2 begins eviction - BBC News", "Covid: Scotland 'could go further' on quarantine rules - BBC News", "UK government backs birth control for grey squirrels - BBC News", "Leon Briggs inquest: Luton man who died said 'help me' amid police restraint - BBC News", "Covid deaths: Why is the UK's death toll so bad? - BBC News", "Covid-19: Basildon nurse meets her baby after months in hospital with virus - BBC News", "Coronavirus: AstraZeneca defends EU vaccine rollout plan - BBC News", "Covid: Wary Johnson careful not to raise hopes - BBC News", "Victims typically lose £45,000 each owing to investment scams - BBC News", "Jagtar Singh Johal: British man 'tortured to sign blank confession' in India - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Vaccinate teachers at half-term - Starmer - BBC News", "Covid-hit New Orleans turns homes into floats for Mardi Gras - BBC News", "PMQs: As it happened - 27 January - BBC News", "Covid: Teacher dies with virus on 25th birthday - BBC News", "Facebook apologises for Plymouth Hoe 'error' - BBC News", "100,000 Covid deaths: A grim milestone in an abnormal year - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update 27 January 2021 - BBC News", "Goldman Sachs boss gets $10m pay cut for 1MDB scandal - BBC News", "Cyclist Josh Quigley has multiple fractures in second serious crash - BBC News", "Boris Johnson promises plan next month for 'phased' easing of lockdown - BBC News", "Legal threat over bee-harming pesticide use - BBC News", "Global health insurance card to replace EHIC under new rules - BBC News", "Reading stabbings: Khairi Saadallah jailed for park murders - BBC News", "Sol Bamba: Cardiff City defender being treated for cancer - BBC Sport", "Irish 'laughing dad' goes viral - BBC News", "Covid: Women fined for going for a walk receive police apology - BBC News", "UK economy 'to get worse before it gets better' - BBC News", "Trump-Biden: Security fears cloud build-up to inauguration - BBC News", "Brexit: UK driver has ham sandwiches confiscated at Dutch border - BBC News", "UK's biggest union elects first woman leader - BBC News", "Covid: UK at 'worst point' of pandemic, says Hancock - BBC News", "James Brokenshire steps back from ministerial role for cancer surgery - BBC News", "Covid: Wrexham hospital stretched as cases rise rapidly - BBC News", "Online retailer Ocado warns of shortages as suppliers cut choice - BBC News", "Covid: All over-50s in Wales to be offered jab by spring - BBC News", "Marks & Spencer snaps up Jaeger fashion brand - BBC News", "SmartDot radiation-protection phone stickers 'have no effect' - BBC News", "Covid-19: UAE dropped from UK travel corridor list - BBC News", "Covid-19: Southend Hospital oxygen supply reaches 'critical' situation - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Sturgeon urges football not to 'abuse privileges' - BBC News", "Covid deaths: The emergency mortuary in a Surrey woodland - BBC News", "Covid-19: Vaccination hubs, Whitty's warning and lockdown learning - BBC News", "Bench arrest video 'stage-managed by anti-lockdown protesters' - BBC News", "Pupils in Scotland struggle to get online amid Microsoft issue - BBC News", "Covid-19: Rapid tests for asymptomatic people to be rolled out - BBC News", "Luke Evans: The Pembrokeshire Murders sees actor return to Wales - BBC News", "Covid-19: Hancock warns flexing of rules 'could be fatal' - BBC News", "Storm Filomena: Spain races to clear snow as temperatures plunge - BBC News", "Crawley Town 3-0 Leeds United: Marcelo Bielsa's side suffer huge FA Cup upset - BBC Sport", "Europe's slow start: How many people have had the Covid vaccine? - BBC News", "Analysis: Can lockdown stop the new coronavirus variant? - BBC News", "FA Cup draw: Manchester United to host Liverpool in fourth round - BBC Sport", "Inside Newcastle's Covid mass vaccination centre - BBC News", "'My spending has gone up, not down, in lockdown' - BBC News", "Sex and the City: New series announced but Kim Cattrall won't return - BBC News", "Cladding building owners told not to talk to press - BBC News", "Covid: 'I’m one of those people who’s been left out' - BBC News", "As it happened: New tech unveiled at CES 2021 - BBC News", "Croydon University Hospital doctor: Covid 'not fake news' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Boris Johnson criticised over bike ride seven miles from home - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Home schooling issues & vaccine rollout - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: All over-80s to be vaccinated by February - BBC News", "Terra Carta: Prince Charles asks companies to join 'Earth charter' - BBC News", "Covid: Dubai added to Scotland's travel quarantine list - BBC News", "Covid: Morrisons and Sainsbury's ban maskless shoppers - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: ICU numbers rise amid tighter lockdown warnings - BBC News", "Celtic 1-1 Hibernian: Depleted hosts denied win by injury-time strike - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "New strangulation law planned to tackle abusers, says justice secretary - BBC News", "Lisa Montgomery: Looking for answers in the life of a killer - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Wales has delivered 70,000 of 275,000 doses - BBC News", "Covid: Protect family incomes, Starmer urges ministers - BBC News", "Parler social network sues Amazon for pulling support - BBC News", "Indonesia landslide: Rescuers buried as they help victims - BBC News", "BBC Bitesize to be free for BT and EE customers - BBC News", "NHS Covid-19 jab letters 'confusing over-80s' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Hancock says UK at 'worst point' as vaccine brings hope - BBC News", "Covid: 'Most dangerous time' of the pandemic, says Prof Whitty - BBC News", "Biden Twitter account 'starts from zero' with no Trump followers - BBC News", "UK weather: Snow and ice warnings for England and Scotland - BBC News", "Toby Young: Telegraph coronavirus column 'significantly misleading' - BBC News", "TikTok level crossing stunt 'staggeringly stupid' - BBC News", "Covid-19: New test rule for England arrivals pushed back to Monday - BBC News", "Covid-19: Schools get more time to decide on admission criteria - BBC News", "Halam stabbing: Surgeon Graeme Perks 'fighting for his life' - BBC News", "Scottish fishermen 'sailing to Denmark to land catch' - BBC News", "Your pictures of Scotland 8 - 15 January - BBC News", "Covid lockdowns prompt fears over child obesity rise - BBC News", "Covid-19: Bracknell couple's 'final meeting' in hospital - BBC News", "Post-Brexit customs systems not fit for purpose, say meat exporters - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "Brexit: No plans to dilute workers' rights, minister says - BBC News", "Covid-19: South America travel ban begins and UK economy shrinks - BBC News", "Covid: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday - BBC News", "Sylvain Sylvain: New York Dolls guitarist dies aged 69 - BBC News", "Covid: UK's ban on South America and Portugal travellers comes into force - BBC News", "Covid-19: Nisra records highest ever weekly deaths - BBC News", "North Korea unveils new submarine-launched missile - BBC News", "Tory candidate Craig Ross dropped for 'unacceptable' remarks - BBC News", "Technical issue resolved after '150,000 police records lost' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Insurance fears stop care homes taking patients - BBC News", "BBC licence fee is 'least worst' option, says new chairman Richard Sharp - BBC News", "As it happened: Not the time for slightest relaxation, PM says - BBC News", "UK economy shrank by 2.6% in November as services suffered - BBC News", "'Being sectioned felt like a punishment' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Brazil hospitals 'run out of oxygen' for virus patients - BBC News", "Covid: Fake news 'causing UK South Asians to reject jab' - BBC News", "Covid-19: A-level and GCSE results planned for early July - BBC News", "Covid: 'Convalescent plasma no benefit to hospital patients' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Brazil virus already in UK ‘not variant of concern’, scientist says - BBC News", "Police probes compromised after computer records deleted - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Gwynedd pharmacy 'first in Wales to offer jab' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Early signs of lockdown restrictions working - BBC News", "Covid: Intensive care patients transferred from London to Newcastle - BBC News", "Dustin Diamond diagnosed with cancer - BBC News", "Part of rail bridge collapses near fatal Stonehaven derailment site - BBC News", "Covid-19: NI to introduce international travel Covid tests - BBC News", "Indonesia earthquake: Dozens dead as search for survivors continues - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Police describe a 'medieval battle' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Belfast doctor warns oxygen supplies under 'extreme pressure' - BBC News", "Wayne Rooney: Derby County confirm ex-England captain as manager - BBC Sport", "Covid: Man charged after woman, 92, given fake vaccine - BBC News", "Marcus Rashford and top chefs demand free school meals review - BBC News", "Richard Leonard quits as Scottish Labour leader - BBC News", "East West and Northumberland rail lines get £794m boost - BBC News", "Alexei Navalny: 'More than 3,000 detained' in protests across Russia - BBC News", "Covid-19: Doctors want less wait between jabs as EU struggles with supply - BBC News", "Covid-19: Futures of drinking Senedd members questioned - BBC News", "Cladding crisis: 'Delays could bankrupt us' - BBC News", "Covid: 'More deadly' UK variant claim played down by scientists - BBC News", "Coronavirus: 1,348 more deaths recorded in UK - BBC News", "Keon Lincoln murder probe: Second teenager arrested - BBC News", "Covid: Police injured breaking up Chelsea party with '200 people' - BBC News", "Covid: Number of patients on ventilators passes 4,000 for first time - BBC News", "National Guard: President Biden apologises over troops sleeping in car park - BBC News", "Covid: Rural GPs to run new vaccine hubs amid roll-out criticism - BBC News", "Shipping crisis: I'm being quoted £10,000 for a £1,600 container' - BBC News", "Paul Davies: An understated Tory Senedd leader - BBC News", "Up to 500 new cells to be built in women's prisons - BBC News", "Skewen flood victims could be out of homes for days - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Betsi Cadwaladr boss warns against queue jumping - BBC News", "Chorley 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Vitinha's superb goal sees Wolves past non-league opponents - BBC Sport", "Covid hand-outs: How other countries pay if you are sick - BBC News", "Covid-19: New variant 'raises R number by up to 0.7' - BBC News", "Covid: Peaky Blinders' Black Country Museum is vaccine hub - BBC News", "Covid: Four vaccine centres shut amid snow alert for Wales - BBC News", "Larry King: Veteran US talk show host dies aged 87 - BBC News", "Sri Lanka Minister who promoted 'Covid syrup' tests positive - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: 'No impact' on delivery after Storm Christoph floods - BBC News", "PM talks to Biden in first call since inauguration - BBC News", "Covid-19: Couple in 'only chance' wedding in Milton Keynes Hospital - BBC News", "Coronavirus: UK variant 'may be more deadly' - BBC News", "Wuhan marks its anniversary with triumph and denial - BBC News", "Covid: Wedding party in Stamford Hill broken up by police - BBC News", "Covid: Gap between Pfizer vaccine doses should be halved, say doctors - BBC News", "Covid-19: Nurses call for better masks to protect all staff - BBC News", "Cheltenham Town 1-3 Man City: Six-time winners avoid FA Cup shock - BBC Sport", "Essex lorry deaths: Men jailed for killing 39 migrants in trailer - BBC News", "Detentions and warnings over Navalny protests - BBC News", "Covid-19: Two £10,000 fines for '150-person' funeral - BBC News", "Hotel quarantine for UK arrivals to be discussed - BBC News", "Covid: Side-by-side in a London mosque - funerals and a food bank - BBC News", "Coronavirus: EU vaccine woes mount as new delays emerge - BBC News", "Coronavirus: UK R number 'between 0.8 and 1' - BBC News", "Covid in Wales: 'We've lost five patients in a single shift' - BBC News", "New Forest crash: Four ponies killed - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK reports a record 55,892 daily cases - BBC News", "Covid: Illegal New Year party at Essex church broken up - BBC News", "Brexit: Boris Johnson's father applies for French citizenship - BBC News", "Activists cheer as 'sexist' tampon tax is scrapped - BBC News", "Tokyo 2020: Olympics and Paralympics will go ahead, says Japan's PM amid rising infections - BBC Sport", "Covid: 'Nail-biting' weeks ahead for NHS, hospitals in England warn - BBC News", "The KLF's songs are finally available to stream - BBC News", "Newyear 2021: NHS and BLM celebrated in light display - BBC News", "Comedian John Bishop joins Doctor Who cast - BBC News", "Joe Anderson: Liverpool mayor in police probe will not seek re-election - BBC News", "Tommy Docherty: Former Man Utd and Scotland boss dies - BBC Sport", "Covid in Scotland: New strain of virus 'accelerating' spread - BBC News", "Manchester United 2-1 Aston Villa: Bruno Fernandes penalty puts Red Devils joint top - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: London's NHS Nightingale 'ready to admit patients' - BBC News", "Reward offered after Monmouthshire nativity scene destroyed - BBC News", "Police disperse crowd amid muted Hogmanay events - BBC News", "Covid: All London primary schools to stay closed - BBC News", "First Minneapolis police death since George Floyd captured on bodycam - BBC News", "As-it-happened: Hospitals under 'extreme pressure' as virus surges, NHS trusts say - BBC News", "Covid-19: New variant 'raises R number by up to 0.7' - BBC News", "Covid: Councils call for all London schools to stay shut - BBC News", "MF Doom: Hip-hop star dies aged 49 - BBC News", "New Year's Eve: UK sees in 2021 with fireworks and light show - BBC News", "Brexit: Are the borders ready? - BBC News", "Adieu to the single market created by the UK - BBC News", "Brexit: 'Plans in place' to minimise port delays in Wales - BBC News", "Covid vaccine rollout at 'very beginning' in Wales - BBC News", "Norway landslide: Body found as rescuers search Gjerdrum landslide - BBC News", "Ontario finance minister Rod Phillips resigns over Caribbean vacation - BBC News", "Covid: 12-week vaccine gap defended by UK medical chiefs - BBC News", "Brexit: First goods cross Irish Sea trade border - BBC News", "Brexit: New era for UK as it completes separation from European Union - BBC News", "In pictures: New Year, but not quite as we know it - BBC News", "The Archers: Radio 4 to mark 70th anniversary - BBC News", "Brexit: Gibraltar gets UK-Spain deal to keep open border - BBC News", "Omar Elabdellaoui: Norway star hurt by firework on New Year's Eve - BBC News", "Covid-19: England lockdown compliance 'more vital than ever' - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: hospital numbers at new record high - BBC News", "Kim Jong-un pledges to expand North Korea's nuclear arsenal - BBC News", "Covid: Fines reviewed after women 'surrounded by police' - BBC News", "Covid: 'I've relied on parents to keep my family afloat' - BBC News", "Capitol riots: A visual guide to the storming of Congress - BBC News", "Covid: Families 'devastated' by cancer surgery cancellation - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Company's apology after £5,000 vaccine offer - BBC News", "Covid: Royal Glamorgan Hospital nurse felt 'overwhelming fear' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Act like you've got the virus, government urges - BBC News", "Brexit: M&S temporarily cuts hundreds of products in NI - BBC News", "Covid-19: Queen and Prince Philip receive vaccinations - BBC News", "Stricter Covid supermarket rules being considered in Wales - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK sees highest daily toll of 1,325 deaths - BBC News", "Covid: Aberfan survivor Bernard Thomas dies, aged 63 - BBC News", "Covid-19: Hackney gym owners fined for breaching rules - BBC News", "Covid fine review welcomed by 'intimidated' women - BBC News", "Loughton school hit-and-run: Terence Glover detained for killing Harley Watson - BBC News", "Air disasters timeline - BBC News", "David Moyes: West Ham manager says footballers must not be 'picked on' for coronavirus breaches - BBC Sport", "Covid: Flintshire councillor dies month after mum's funeral - BBC News", "Pompeo: US to lift restrictions on contacts with Taiwan - BBC News", "Analysis: Can lockdown stop the new coronavirus variant? - BBC News", "Google suspends 'free speech' app Parler - BBC News", "Europe's slow start: How many people have had the Covid vaccine? - BBC News", "Police arrest 16 at Clapham Common anti-lockdown protest - BBC News", "Dame Barbara Windsor's funeral held with 'Queen Peggy' tribute - BBC News", "Covid-19: Fordingbridge farm chickens risk cull over egg demand - BBC News", "Prince William talks about NHS and Covid with his children 'every day' - BBC News", "Salmond accuses Sturgeon of misleading parliament - BBC News", "Covid-19: Praise as angling given lockdown go-ahead - BBC News", "Brexit: Edwin Poots warns of job losses and food shortages - BBC News", "Covid cases 'up almost a third in week after Christmas' - BBC News", "Trump’s Twitter downfall - BBC News", "Depop seller's crop top made from Chiltern Railways train seat cover 'violates terms' - BBC News", "Ex-MP quits Labour ahead of sexual harassment disciplinary process - BBC News", "Michael Apted: TV documentary pioneer and film-maker dies aged 79 - BBC News", "Eva Williams, 10, dies one year after brain tumour diagnosis - BBC News", "Storm Filomena: Spain sees 'exceptional' snowfall - BBC News", "Happy Mondays star Bez in bid to rival Joe Wicks with lockdown fitness classes - BBC News", "Covid-19: Lockdown needs to be stricter, scientists warn - BBC News", "Covid: UK reports more than 80,000 deaths - BBC News", "Covid-19: 'Major incident' declared by London Mayor Sadiq Khan - BBC News", "Covid: Warnings 'blatantly ignored' as cars turned away - BBC News", "Covid: UK records new daily high of 1,610 deaths - BBC News", "BBC apologises for Phil Spector death headline - BBC News", "Storm Christoph: Flood warnings in parts of England - BBC News", "Sheku Bayoh death: Witness says stamping attack ‘never happened’ - BBC News", "Government narrowly sees off Tory revolt over anti-genocide trade deal law - BBC News", "'I'm stranded at Madrid Airport' - BBC News", "UK and US fail to do mini-trade deal as Trump exits - BBC News", "Covid: Woman given vaccination on 108th birthday - BBC News", "Covid: How is Europe lifting lockdown restrictions? - BBC News", "Covid court delays: Weeds, leaks, and four-year waits for justice - BBC News", "Japan: One dead as snowstorm causes 130-vehicle pile-up - BBC News", "Schools may reopen region by region, says medical adviser - BBC News", "Duchess of Sussex claims privacy and copyright breached by paper group - BBC News", "Past Covid-19 infection may provide 'months of immunity' - BBC News", "Only 1% of UK university professors are black - BBC News", "'Lack of investment' behind delayed court cases - BBC News", "Will the UK really refuse trade deals over human rights? - BBC News", "Johnson 'glad' to see Trump go, says ex-Civil Service head Lord Sedwill - BBC News", "Brithdir Nursing Home: Inquest into six residents' deaths opens - BBC News", "Covid: Health secretary Matt Hancock self-isolating after app alert - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Your tributes to those who have died - BBC News", "Coal mine go-ahead 'undermines climate summit' - BBC News", "Covid-19: 'Toughest week yet' of pandemic for NI hospitals - BBC News", "Covid: Tesco staff pay tribute to colleague John Deacy - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Schools to stay closed as lockdown extended - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK deaths hit new daily high and Scotland extends lockdown - BBC News", "Brexit: Government considers scrapping some EU labour laws - BBC News", "Verbier: British skier killed in avalanche in Swiss Alps - BBC News", "Brexit: Fishing firms hold London protest over disruption - BBC News", "Parents' stress and depression 'rise during lockdowns' - BBC News", "Alex Davies-Jones MP 'lost most of cervix after delaying smear' - BBC News", "Manchester Arena attack: Man tried to comfort Saffie-Rose Roussos - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Lockdown until 'at least' mid-February - BBC News", "Trump: 'Movement we started only just beginning' - BBC News", "Stolen 500-year-old painting found in Naples cupboard - BBC News", "Covid: Cash refusal 'creeping into UK economy' - BBC News", "Peaky Blinders film confirmed following final TV outing - BBC News", "Motor neurone disease: Edinburgh scientists reveal breakthrough - BBC News", "Conservative rebel MPs pressure government over genocide clause - BBC News", "Epiphany: Orthodox Christians across Russia brave icy dip - BBC News", "Conquering K2 in winter 'together' - BBC News", "Theresa May: PM's foreign aid cut damaged UK's moral leadership - BBC News", "London Ambulance Service: 'We take thousands of calls every day - it's tough' - BBC News", "Universal credit: MPs urge PM to keep £20 benefit 'lifeline' - BBC News", "BBC Radio 4 - File on 4, Locked Up in Lockdown", "New legislation protects Scottish shop staff from customer abuse - BBC News", "Australia v India: Rishabh Pant & Shubman Gill lead tourists to stunning series win - BBC Sport", "Covid in Scotland: Sturgeon to announce outcome of lockdown review - BBC News", "Covid: Positive antibody tests doubled since autumn - BBC News", "M1 deaths: Coroner calls for smart motorway review - BBC News", "Covid-19: Highest UK deaths as Scotland extends lockdown - BBC News", "Covid self-employment income support scheme unfair say mothers - BBC News", "Covid-19: No vaccine postcode lottery in NI, say doctors - BBC News", "Covid: Marylebone rail workers 'held lockdown baby shower' at closed station patisserie - BBC News", "Depop: 'I felt so violated when my account was hacked' - BBC News", "HSBC to close 82 branches this year - BBC News", "Storm Christoph: Amber alert for northern and central England - BBC News", "Boris Johnson condemns 'disgraceful scenes' in US - BBC News", "Covid-19: West Midlands Ambulance Service records busiest day - BBC News", "Eric Jerome Dickey: Best-selling US author dies at 59 - BBC News", "1.3 million in UK have had their Covid vaccine - BBC News", "Former banker Richard Sharp to be next BBC chairman - BBC News", "UK new car registrations in 2020 sink to 30-year low - BBC News", "Greggs faces first loss for 36 years as lockdown bites - BBC News", "US intelligence task force accuses Russia of cyber-hack - BBC News", "Capitol riot: Biden says BLM protest would have been treated 'very differently' - BBC News", "Georgia Senate: ‘I've never seen this energy before' - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Deaths up by 68 as 33,000 more people get vaccine - BBC News", "Covid: Doctors call for rapid rollout of vaccines - BBC News", "Islington street robbery: Man left partially blind after attack - BBC News", "Lockdown: Clap for Carers to return as Clap for Heroes - BBC News", "JoJo Siwa: YouTuber denounces 'gross' board game bearing her image - BBC News", "Teachers' grades to replace A-levels and GCSEs in England - BBC News", "Dr Dre: Rap legend in hospital after brain aneurysm - BBC News", "Reading stabbings: Killer's interest in Islamic jihad 'fleeting' - BBC News", "Covid: Seven mass vaccination hubs announced for England - BBC News", "Coronavirus: 'How long can we keep going like this? About a week' - BBC News", "BBC to put lessons on TV during lockdown - BBC News", "Breonna Taylor: Two Louisville officers fired over roles in shooting - BBC News", "Nursery staff 'torn between duty and fear' - BBC News", "Neil Young sells song rights in '$150m' deal - BBC News", "Trump bans Alipay and seven other Chinese apps - BBC News", "Covid variant 'spreading rapidly through Wales' - BBC News", "Senate debate suspended as protesters enter Capitol - BBC News", "Covid-19: Lockdown latest, exams update and car sales slump - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Moment protesters storm US legislature - BBC News", "Covid: WHO team investigating virus origins denied entry to China - BBC News", "Georgia election: Trump voter fraud claims and others fact-checked - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Pro-Trump protesters storm the US legislature - in pictures - BBC News", "Covid: Sir Keir Starmer calls for 'round the clock' vaccinations - BBC News", "Fake NHS vaccine messages sent in banking fraud scam - BBC News", "Inside one GP surgery's Covid vaccine roll-out - BBC News", "Albert Roux: Chef and culinary 'legend' dies aged 85 - BBC News", "Netflix raises UK prices to cover cost of content - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK daily coronavirus cases top 60,000 for first time - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "Shoppers told not to buy more than normal - BBC News", "Conjoined twins Marieme and Ndeye settling at Cardiff school - BBC News", "Covid: Wuhan scientist would 'welcome' visit probing lab leak theory - BBC News", "UK records coldest night of the winter so far - BBC News", "Colin Bell: Manchester City great dies aged 74 - BBC Sport", "Alaska: Trump opens wilderness up for oil drilling - BBC News", "Baby death motorist admits dangerous driving in Kirkcaldy - BBC News", "Tanya Roberts: Bond actress and Charlie's Angel dies at 65 - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Julian Assange loses extradition bail bid - BBC News", "McDonald's pauses walk-in takeaways in lockdown - BBC News", "Cancelled GCSEs and A-levels in England must avoid 'shambles' - BBC News", "US Capitol riots: World leaders react to 'horrifying' scenes in Washington - BBC News", "TalkRadio: YouTube reverses decision to ban channel - BBC News", "'Deepfake porn images still give me nightmares' - BBC News", "Vocational exams allowed to go ahead in England - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Arrivals in UK could soon need negative test - BBC News", "Covid: New lockdowns for England and Scotland ahead of 'hardest weeks' - BBC News", "Analysis: Can lockdown stop the new coronavirus variant? - BBC News", "As it happened: MPs back England's new Covid lockdown - BBC News", "FTSE 100 chief executives 'earn average salary within 3 days' - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Medics concerned over 12-week gap between vaccine doses - BBC News", "Covid-19: Johnson warns England's lockdown won't end 'with a bang' - BBC News", "Covid: Hackney railway arch rave attended by '300 people' - BBC News", "Robert Rowland: Former Brexit MEP dies in Bahamas diving accident - BBC News", "Sturgeon: I did not mislead Scottish Parliament over Salmond - BBC News", "Asos frontrunner to buy Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge brands - BBC News", "Pike River: The 29 coal miners who never came home - BBC News", "Spanish flu: Anglesey search for New Zealand family of flu victim - BBC News", "Alexei Navalny: 'More than 3,000 detained' in protests across Russia - BBC News", "Firms planned record 800,000 redundancies last year - BBC News", "Boohoo 'set to buy Debenhams brand and website' - BBC News", "South Africa coronavirus variant: 77 cases found in UK - BBC News", "UK firms told 'set up in EU to avoid trade disruption' - BBC News", "Covid: 'More deadly' UK variant claim played down by scientists - BBC News", "Covid: Number of patients on ventilators passes 4,000 for first time - BBC News", "US police vehicle ploughs into crowd watching 'burnouts' - BBC News", "Covid: Israel vaccinates 16 to 18-year-olds ahead of exams - BBC News", "Smart motorways are dangerous, says Yorkshire police chief - BBC News", "Learning disability vaccine plea: 'Don't leave us to rot' - BBC News", "Covid: DVLA staff in Swansea 'scared to enter the workplace' - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Betsi Cadwaladr boss warns against queue jumping - BBC News", "Vaccine volunteers: 'It's felt good to fight back against Covid' - BBC News", "Covid-19: New variant 'raises R number by up to 0.7' - BBC News", "Covid: Four vaccine centres shut amid snow alert for Wales - BBC News", "Border poll would be 'absolutely reckless', says Arlene Foster - BBC News", "Larry King: Veteran US talk show host dies aged 87 - BBC News", "SpaceX: World record number of satellites launched - BBC News", "Sri Lanka Minister who promoted 'Covid syrup' tests positive - BBC News", "PM talks to Biden in first call since inauguration - BBC News", "Keon Lincoln murder probe: Three more arrested - BBC News", "Andrew RT Davies returns as Welsh Conservatives leader - BBC News", "McGregor v Poirier 2: Irishman shocked in UFC rematch at Fight Island - BBC Sport", "As it happened: Hancock says 75% of over-80s get first Covid jab - BBC News", "Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool: Bruno Fernandes settles FA Cup thriller - BBC Sport", "In pictures: Tens of thousands gather for pro-Navalny protests - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Over-70 vaccine letters start but blue envelope delay - BBC News", "Cheltenham Town 1-3 Man City: Six-time winners avoid FA Cup shock - BBC Sport", "Covid: Birmingham student party guests 'travelled 200 miles' - BBC News", "Snow: Severe weather warnings in place across UK - BBC News", "Covid: Vaccinated people may spread virus, says Van-Tam - BBC News", "China mine rescue: The moment a miner is rescued - BBC News", "Jim Haynes: A man who invited the world over for dinner - BBC News", "Global health insurance card to replace EHIC under new rules - BBC News", "Irish 'laughing dad' goes viral - BBC News", "UK economy 'to get worse before it gets better' - BBC News", "Covid: UK at 'worst point' of pandemic, says Hancock - BBC News", "Anita Rani to join Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour - BBC News", "20-year-old Covid patient couldn't tell parents 'I love you' - BBC News", "Covid: Stick with the rules during lockdown, says Patel - BBC News", "Inside Newcastle's Covid mass vaccination centre - BBC News", "As it happened: New tech unveiled at CES 2021 - BBC News", "John Lewis suspends click and collect due to virus safety - BBC News", "Reading stabbings: Father demands answers on Saadallah freedom - BBC News", "Royal Mail names areas hit by Covid postal delays - BBC News", "Reading stabbings: Khairi Saadallah jailed for park murders - BBC News", "Vogue editor defends cover photo of US Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris - BBC News", "Edinburgh Woollen Mill rescue deal to save 2,000 jobs - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Hundreds will be charged over violence - FBI - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Lockdown lifting 'unlikely' as deaths pass 5,000 - BBC News", "Sir David Attenborough receives Covid-19 vaccine - BBC News", "Covid-19: UAE dropped from UK travel corridor list - BBC News", "Earl of Strathmore admits sex attack at Glamis Castle home - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Covid: 'Loads of people without masks' in supermarkets - BBC News", "Covid-19: London's Nightingale hospital taking patients - BBC News", "Covid: Around half of intensive care patients in Wales are dying - BBC News", "Four arrested over 'public nuisance' at Redditch and Birmingham hospitals - BBC News", "Covid: Birmingham hospitals move 200 doctors to intensive care duties - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Boris Johnson criticised over bike ride seven miles from home - BBC News", "Retail sales in 2020 'worst for 25 years' - BBC News", "Covid: 2020 saw most excess deaths since World War Two - BBC News", "Eugene Goodman hailed for guiding Mitt Romney to safety - BBC News", "Naomi Campbell's Kenya tourism role causes row - BBC News", "Covid-19: Rule-breakers, eyesight warning and retail gloom - BBC News", "Covid-19: Rule-breakers 'increasingly likely' to be fined - Cressida Dick - BBC News", "Brexit: UK driver has ham sandwiches confiscated at Dutch border - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: NHS staff shortages 'major problem' - BBC News", "In pictures: Aurora Borealis lights up sky above Scotland - BBC News", "Covid: Gwynedd care home 'frightened' over vaccine delay - BBC News", "Covid: Johnson's bike ride 'didn't break rules' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Alabama crowds ignore coronavirus to celebrate championship - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Families remember loved ones lost to coronavirus - BBC News", "Covid rules: What could be done to tighten lockdown in England? - BBC News", "Cramlington woman celebrates 100th birthday with covid jab - BBC News", "People's sonic boom surprise caught on camera - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Pfizer v Oxford AstraZeneca v Moderna - BBC News", "Covid: Women fined for going for a walk receive police apology - BBC News", "Covid-19 deaths pass 5,000 mark in Wales - BBC News", "Covid: Eyesight risk warning from lockdown screen time - BBC News", "Covid: Play your part in fight against virus, says Patel - BBC News", "Bill Belichick: NFL coach turns down Presidential Medal of Freedom - BBC News", "Mohamud Mohammed Hassan: Hundreds march over arrested man's death - BBC News", "Europe's slow start: How many people have had the Covid vaccine? - BBC News", "Cuba placed back on US terrorism sponsor list - BBC News", "Covid-19: Williamson promises 300,000 extra laptops - BBC News", "Tesco, Asda and Waitrose ban shoppers without face masks - BBC News", "Croydon University Hospital doctor: Covid 'not fake news' - BBC News", "Covid: Morrisons and Sainsbury's ban maskless shoppers - BBC News", "Parler social network sues Amazon for pulling support - BBC News", "Covid: What next for restrictions as hospital cases rise? - BBC News", "Sonic boom heard over East of England as RAF intercepts civilian plane - BBC News", "Leicester City 2-0 Southampton: James Maddison and Harvey Barnes send Foxes second - BBC Sport", "Coronavirus vaccine: India begins world's biggest drive - BBC News", "Covid-19: Rise in suspected child abuse cases after lockdown - BBC News", "UK weather: Snow and ice warnings for England and Scotland - BBC News", "Archie Lyndhurst: CBBC star died in his sleep, says mother - BBC News", "Brexit: Irish hauliers 'bypassing Welsh ports', say bosses - BBC News", "SLS: Nasa's 'megarocket' engine test ends early - BBC News", "Storm Christoph: Homes evacuated as storm batters Wales - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: How a pilot ended up producing PPE - BBC News", "Joanna Lumley 'shocked' at claims disabled workers unpaid - BBC News", "Toby Young: Telegraph coronavirus column 'significantly misleading' - BBC News", "Halam stabbing: Surgeon Graeme Perks 'fighting for his life' - BBC News", "Boris Johnson says girls' education key to ending poverty - BBC News", "Coronavirus doctor's diary: Karen caught Covid - and took it home - BBC News", "Covid-19: Protect us from unlawful killing charges - medics - BBC News", "Scottish fishermen 'sailing to Denmark to land catch' - BBC News", "RAF veteran receives Covid jab at Salisbury Cathedral - BBC News", "UK weather: Disruption fears lift as snow moves on from UK - BBC News", "Covid: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday - BBC News", "Covid-19: France begins 6pm curfew - BBC News", "Covid-19: Nisra records highest ever weekly deaths - BBC News", "Covid: UK staycation boom predicted once lockdown lifts - BBC News", "Covid-19: BBC's Fergal Keane revisits St Mary’s and Charing Cross Hospital 10 months on - BBC News", "Covid-19: Travel industry 'crisis' and was there Christmas virus spike? - BBC News", "As it happened: Coronavirus: 37, 475 patients in UK hospitals - BBC News", "Sri Lanka v England: Lahiru Thirimanne leads hosts' fightback in Galle - BBC Sport", "Gerry Marsden: Funeral held for Pacemakers star - BBC News", "Home Office 'working to restore' lost police records - BBC News", "Armin Laschet elected leader of Merkel's CDU party - BBC News", "Covid: UK variant could drive 'rapid growth' in US cases, CDC warns - BBC News", "Covid-19: A-level and GCSE results planned for early July - BBC News", "Covid: 'Convalescent plasma no benefit to hospital patients' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: William and Kate hear from emergency workers - BBC News", "Police probes compromised after computer records deleted - BBC News", "Part of rail bridge collapses near fatal Stonehaven derailment site - BBC News", "Capitol riots: Police describe a 'medieval battle' - BBC News", "Covid: Man charged after woman, 92, given fake vaccine - BBC News", "Nóra Quoirin: 'Compelling evidence' of abduction - BBC News", "Mount Semeru: Erupting volcano spews ash above Indonesia's Java island - BBC News", "Covid-19: Further 1,295 deaths recorded in the UK - BBC News", "Covid: UK records new daily high of 1,610 deaths - BBC News", "Madrid explosion leaves three dead - BBC News", "Storm Christoph: Flood warnings in parts of England - BBC News", "Covid: UK records highest daily virus deaths - BBC News", "£80m for treatment services in drug crackdown - BBC News", "Biden inauguration: Step forward after bumpy period - Boris Johnson - BBC News", "Covid: Woman given vaccination on 108th birthday - BBC News", "PMQs: As it happened 20 January - BBC News", "Duchess of Sussex claims privacy and copyright breached by paper group - BBC News", "Low-deposit mortgages return after Covid slump - BBC News", "Donald Trump insists he has 'complete power' to pardon - BBC News", "Doris Hobday: Identical twin among UK's oldest dies with Covid - BBC News", "US election: Bannon Twitter account banned amid clampdown - BBC News", "Musicians 'failed by government' over EU touring, stars say - BBC News", "Biden Inauguration: What will Joe Biden do first? - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Your tributes to those who have died - BBC News", "The 65 days that led to chaos at the Capitol - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Schools to stay closed as lockdown extended - BBC News", "Biden inauguration: How the White House gets ready for a new president - BBC News", "Brexit: Government considers scrapping some EU labour laws - BBC News", "Biden's inauguration speech calls for unity - it won't be easy - BBC News", "Saga cruises says all customers must be vaccinated - BBC News", "Police records: Boris Johnson 'doesn't know' impact of deleted files - BBC News", "Joe Biden inauguration: 46th US president takes oath of office - BBC News", "Amanda Gorman: Inauguration poet calls for 'unity and togetherness' - BBC News", "Kamala Harris becomes first female, first black and first Asian-American VP - BBC News", "Covid smear-test delays prompt calls for home HPV tests - BBC News", "£23m support fund for struggling fishing firms - BBC News", "Lockdown: Police officers fined £200 for cafe meeting - BBC News", "Fulham 1-2 Man Utd: Paul Pogba fires United back to the top of the Premier League - BBC Sport", "Full transcript of Joe Biden's inauguration speech - BBC News", "Covid: Llangollen 'Pimm's and Hymns' reaches Brazil - BBC News", "Covid: 'No furlough because they shut the company' - BBC News", "Epiphany: Orthodox Christians across Russia brave icy dip - BBC News", "Scrapping £20 benefit could see Tories called 'nasty party' - Casey - BBC News", "Kamala Harris and a 1986 snapshot of that Howard generation - BBC News", "Storm Christoph: More than 2,000 homes in Manchester evacuated - BBC News", "NHS Tavistock child gender clinic rated 'inadequate' - BBC News", "Covid: UK reports 1,820 deaths as Johnson warns tough weeks to come - BBC News", "Theresa May: PM's foreign aid cut damaged UK's moral leadership - BBC News", "Biden cabinet: Does this diverse team better reflect America? - BBC News", "Joy Morgan: Murdered student 'may have been given drugs without knowing' - BBC News", "Steve Bannon: The Trump-whisperer's rapid fall from grace - BBC News", "New legislation protects Scottish shop staff from customer abuse - BBC News", "Trump presidency: A flashback through four turbulent years - BBC News", "Covid-19: Military to assist NI medical staff - BBC News", "BBC faces 'financial risk' over licence fee income, watchdog says - BBC News", "US historians on what Donald Trump's legacy will be - BBC News", "Rollout of daily testing of close contacts paused in English schools - BBC News", "Monklands ICU staff are 'physically and emotionally' drained - BBC News", "As it happened: Inauguration: Biden signs orders ending key Trump policies - BBC News", "Author Terry Pratchett's 'inspiring' house for sale - BBC News", "Supermarket delivery driver rescued from Westgate ford - BBC News", "Joe Biden: 'Middle Class Joe' vows to 'finish the job' - BBC News", "Covid-19: No vaccine postcode lottery in NI, say doctors - BBC News", "Meghan letter: Royal aides 'won't take sides', High Court told - BBC News", "Biden inauguration: Americans' hopes and fears for next president - BBC News", "Melania’s jacket and nine other defining images of Trump's presidency - BBC News", "Emotional Biden bids farewell to Delaware - BBC News", "President Joe Biden inauguration speech: 'Democracy has prevailed' - BBC News", "Storm Christoph: Evacuations and flood warnings in England - BBC News", "Biden inauguration in pictures - BBC News", "Natural wonder: Wing 'clap' solves mystery of butterfly flight - BBC News", "Burnley 1-1 Fulham: Clarets hit back to frustrate Cottagers - BBC Sport", "Coronavirus: BMJ urges NYT to correct vaccine 'mixing' article - BBC News", "New Forest crash: Four ponies killed - BBC News", "Covid: Illegal New Year party at Essex church broken up - BBC News", "Paris St-Germain: Mauricio Pochettino replaces Thomas Tuchel as head coach - BBC Sport", "Covid in Wales: Beauty spots 'busy' despite lockdown rules - BBC News", "Covid-19: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine arrives at hospitals - BBC News", "Tokyo 2020: Olympics and Paralympics will go ahead, says Japan's PM amid rising infections - BBC Sport", "Covid: 'Nail-biting' weeks ahead for NHS, hospitals in England warn - BBC News", "Comedian John Bishop joins Doctor Who cast - BBC News", "West Brom 0-4 Arsenal: Arsenal see off Baggies in ruthless display - BBC Sport", "Manchester United 2-1 Aston Villa: Bruno Fernandes penalty puts Red Devils joint top - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: London's NHS Nightingale 'ready to admit patients' - BBC News", "Covid: Metal detecting 'an escape from pandemic stress' - BBC News", "EuroMillions: Jackpot of more than £39m won by UK ticket-holder - BBC News", "Lisa Montgomery: Only woman on US federal death row to face execution - BBC News", "US election: Legal bid to get Pence to overturn results rejected - BBC News", "Covid: All London primary schools to stay closed - BBC News", "First Minneapolis police death since George Floyd captured on bodycam - BBC News", "France: More than 2,500 break virus restrictions at illegal rave - BBC News", "Thousands raised for East Horndon church 'trashed' by revellers - BBC News", "Covid-19: New variant 'raises R number by up to 0.7' - BBC News", "Covid and dementia: Rhondda woman, 51, feels 'lost' during lockdown - BBC News", "Covid-19: Anti-lockdown protesters arrested at Hyde Park demo - BBC News", "Norway landslide: Body found as rescuers search Gjerdrum landslide - BBC News", "Hospitals across UK 'must prepare for Covid surge', senior doctor warns - BBC News", "Tottenham: Jose Mourinho 'disappointed' after three players attend party - BBC Sport", "Irish Eurovision singer and Bagatelle frontman Liam Reilly dies - BBC News", "Bitcoin tops $34,000 as record rally continues - BBC News", "Suspected Islamists kill dozens in attacks on two Niger villages - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News"], "published_date": ["2021-01-21", "2021-01-21", "2021-01-21", 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deposit.", "People who attend house parties of more than 15 people will be fined, the home secretary says.", "Medics at Glasgow's QEUH are seeing the effects of people delaying healthcare during lockdown.", "The storm brought heavy rain, flooding and snow to parts of England and Wales.", "Tuition fees in England are being frozen for another year and ministers outline plans to reform post-16 education.", "Latest updates from North West England at Storm Christoph brings snow, rain, evacuations and disruption.", "Doctors say people should buy a pulse oximeter to monitor their oxygen levels at home.", "The imam, Sheikh Nuru Mohammed, hopes the centre will dispel false information about the vaccination.", "Thousands of the capital's taxi drivers have already signed up to the planned group legal action.", "Major incidents were declared in north and south Wales as Storm Christoph causes flooding.", "An amber alert has passed but yellow warnings for snow and rain remain in place across Scotland.", "Some 3,500 people sign an open letter, published in three newspapers.", "The Worthy Farm event has been scrapped for a second year running due to the global pandemic.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "'This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge' - the new president knows how daunting his task is.", "Holidaymakers in 2021 must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the travel firm says.", "The 22-year-old from LA is the youngest poet to perform at a presidential inauguration.", "Kamala Harris makes history as she is sworn in as US vice-president.", "Researchers warn that unless something changes, hospitals will continue facing significant pressure.", "With Stormont ministers extending the current lockdown, could other measures could be on the table?", "Investigations are ongoing into what caused the road surface to give way, United Utilities say.", "Fines of £800 will be handed to anyone attending a house party of more than 15 people from next week.", "Shoppers buying items from Europe now have to pay customs or VAT charges on those above a certain value.", "Heavy rain is causing flooding and travel disruption, with a warning for ice also forecast.", "Paul Pogba scores a superb winner as Manchester United reclaim top spot in the Premier League by coming from behind for a club-record equalling away win at Fulham.", "'This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge'. Read the 46th president's address in full.", "Boris Johnson says England's measures will be reviewed once the priority groups have had the vaccine.", "Paddy McElhone, 24, was shot in the back by a soldier near his home outside Pomeroy in August 1974.", "There is a \"widening financial gap\" between households because of the pandemic, says the ONS.", "The new president warned it could take months to turn things around.", "Northern Ireland’s coronavirus lockdown restrictions will be extended until 5 March.", "A survey is launched by the children's commissioner for Wales to help assess the impact on them.", "A consortium including the fashion chain will no longer bid to buy Topshop and Topman out of administration.", "Liverpool's 68-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League comes to an end as Ashley Barnes fires home a late winner from the penalty spot to secure a famous victory for Burnley.", "They are all laughing at the camera, but what are the stories of the women next to Kamala Harris?", "More than 2,000 properties in Manchester are affected as police warn some occupants will have Covid.", "Around 200 vaccines are being given every minute, the health secretary tells the Commons.", "A further 1,820 people die in the UK within 28 days of a positive test - another all-time high.", "With the world watching, who created fashion moments on inauguration day?", "The health minister asks the Ministry of Defence to help out, primarily at a number of hospitals.", "An immobile woman says she was told if she could not get to her GP surgery she would have to wait.", "Muller Milk & Ingredients in Somerset confirms 47 dairy workers have tested positive for Covid-19.", "President Biden inked 15 executive orders, moving to rejoin the Paris climate accord.", "His most famous Discworld novels were written in the house in Somerset, the estate agent says.", "Unison clarifies position on military personnel helping at hospitals after drawing criticism.", "Satellite imagery is being used to count elephants in a breakthrough that could aid conservation.", "The Duchess of Sussex is suing the Mail on Sunday over the publication of a letter to her father.", "The curbs may even continue until Easter in an attempt to drive down Covid-19 case numbers.", "Many coronavirus-related prosecutions involved police officers being coughed and spat on by suspects.", "Unilever says that by 2030 suppliers must pay staff enough to cover a family's basic needs.", "Joe Biden makes his inaugural address as the 46th president of the United States.", "Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose had been fed up with people asking if she was pregnant, an inquest hears.", "Images from Joe Biden's swearing-in and first day as the 46th US President.", "Wales has made a \"very good start\" on delivering jabs, a former chief medical officer says.", "Chloé Lopes Gomes says she has faced humiliating racial harassment while being a ballet dancer in Berlin.", "The pandemic has seen children slipping back in learning and social skills, Ofsted inspectors warn.", "The medical journal's editor says UK guidelines don't recommend giving different coronavirus jabs.", "Lockdown losses mean renewing the 10-year contract to lease Yang Guang and Tian Tian may be unaffordable.", "Police help dozens of motorists who became stranded after heavy snow fell in the Peak District.", "Council leaders say it is \"self-evident\" the tiers system is not containing the new strain of Covid.", "The first doses of the latest coronavirus vaccination to be approved are due to be given on Monday.", "Parliament will be recalled for Nicola Sturgeon to make an \"urgent statement\" as case numbers rise by 2,464.", "A farmer's field in Scotland has been transformed into a \"pop-up\" ice hockey rink.", "Schools in Wales given a flexible approach to ensure a \"safe return\", despite concerns by unions.", "Dan Eliasson, head of the civil contingencies agency, flew to the Canary Islands to see his daughter.", "The frontman, who found success with songs such as Summer in Dublin, \"passed away suddenly\" aged 65.", "Tributes have been paid to trainer Zoe Davison, who died from cancer on the same day two of her horses claimed wins at Plumpton.", "Arsenal continue their Premier League resurgence with a ruthless victory over strugglers West Brom at The Hawthorns.", "The first minister warns Scotland could be entering the most dangerous period since the outbreak began.", "It aims to inoculate some 300m people this year in one of the world's largest vaccination campaigns.", "Four boys and a girl are held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after the Reading attack.", "Just one ticket matched all seven numbers in the New Year's Day draw.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "Wales' first minister doesn't \"see much headroom for change\" ahead of a review of lockdown measures.", "Twelve people are caught playing the game in darkened backroom at an eatery in east London.", "Boris Johnson says the gap between referendums on Europe - 41 years - is \"a good sort of gap\" for independence referendums.", "The Gerry and the Pacemakers singer's number one hit became a football terrace anthem.", "Driving conditions on many roads will become \"hazardous\" next week, the Met Office warns.", "A study finds the new coronavirus variant is responsible for pushing the R rate above the crucial 1.0 mark.", "The government said soldiers had been sent to protect the area, close to Niger's border with Mali.", "After the PM hints at tighter measures in England, our science editor looks at what they could entail.", "Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he may stay in management much longer than he anticipated.", "Up to 300 people gather in London's Hyde Park to protest at Covid-19 restrictions.", "Manchester City say they are disappointed after defender Benjamin Mendy breaches Covid-19 rules by hosting a New Year's Eve party.", "Mexican-American Ryan Garcia gets up from the canvas to stop Britain's Luke Campbell with a body shot in Dallas, Texas.", "About 30,000 birds are to be culled at the farm near Clough in north Antrim.", "The latest government figures show a further 2,137 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Scotland on Friday.", "It comes as a further 57,725 people test positive for the virus, a new daily high.", "Boris Johnson says more areas may need tougher rules, as Labour urges England-wide curbs within 24 hours.", "Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer describes her as a \"dear friend and colleague\", and wishes her well.", "Boris Johnson says regional restrictions in England are \"probably about to get tougher\".", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "The decision to keep car parks open is under \"constant review\", says one national park.", "Leicester City edge a keenly contested Premier League encounter with Southampton to maintain their push for a top-four place.", "Calls are made for \"front-line\" nursery staff to be supported with funding and vaccines.", "CBBC star's mother, Lucy Lyndhurst, says his death has had a \"catastrophic effect\" on their family.", "A critical engine test for Nasa's new \"megarocket\" - the Space Launch System (SLS) - ends early.", "Health groups say NHS staff fear prosecution over decisions if hospitals are overwhelmed.", "Spector, who was jailed for killing actress Lana Clarkson, transformed pop music with his \"wall of sound\".", "He told police he drove to Devizes for a McDonald's even though the town does not have a branch.", "Louis Godwin, 95, said he was \"so pleased\" to get his Covid-19 vaccination at Salisbury Cathedral.", "Prime Minister Jean Castex said the measures would be in place for at least 15 days.", "Leaders Manchester United are thwarted by the second-half heroics of keeper Alisson in a goalless draw with title rivals Liverpool at Anfield.", "The \"fiercely competitive\" but \"kind, thoughtful and caring\" news executive has died aged 73.", "Doctors say the \"patchy supply\" of vaccine to GPs is slowing down efforts to deliver it to patients.", "Northern Health Trust chief says system is under \"huge pressure\" with patients waiting for beds.", "Sir Richard Branson's rocket company succeeds in putting its first satellites in space.", "Statistics agency Nisra says 145 deaths were registered last week, bringing its pandemic total to 1,976.", "Mother Sara Powell-Davies welcomes its return, but nurseries say they fear for the future.", "Women are sent sexually explicit messages and requests for \"worn\" garments.", "As the UK records its highest death toll, Fergal Keane has been to see the strain the NHS is under for the second time.", "Fighting erupted after a man was stabbed in a row between two men from different ethnic groups.", "Former climbing champion Lai Chi-Wai raised HK$5.2 million for spinal cord patients.", "The government is aiming to provide grants by April to mitigate the impact of Covid travel rules.", "Patient numbers have risen by 15,000 since Christmas, but infections are stabilising, says Sir Simon Stevens.", "Pupils in England can read works by popular authors online while schools stay closed in lockdown.", "The Gerry and the Pacemakers singer died from a blood infection at the age of 78.", "More than half of the Church of England's 14,000 parishes will not open for Sunday services later.", "England need 36 runs on the final day to win the first Test against Sri Lanka despite losing three wickets in a chaotic final session in Galle.", "A decision on whether to extend £20 Universal Credit rise is unlikely before March's Budget, minister says.", "The leaders of the US, France, Germany and other leading economies will meet in Cornwall in June.", "The government is planning new laws to stop England's monuments being removed \"on a whim\" by protesters.", "Hundreds of thousands of DNA and arrest records were deleted after a human error, the Home Office says.", "A group of London firms has written to ministers calling for financial support for the rail firm.", "With traffic down and more people working from home, what is the future for these lay-by businesses?", "Prince William says he \"really worries\" about the effect of the pandemic on front-line workers.", "Drivers from Scotland and Portsmouth caught breaking lockdown rules in north Wales.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Sunday.", "But Sir Simon Stevens says the health service has never been in a more precarious situation.", "Mount Semeru has erupted, pouring volcanic matter miles into the air and placing locals on alert.", "Pressure grows on PM after non-binding motion on universal credit top-up is passed by 278 votes.", "The latest death and case figures should be a \"bitter warning for us all\", Public Health England says.", "The Most Reverend Philip Tartaglia tested positive for the virus shortly after Christmas but the cause of his death is not clear.", "The man told police he had travelled 14 miles from his home to search for the fictional characters.", "Hashem Abedi and Ahmed Hassan are accused of assaulting an officer in HMP Belmarsh in May.", "Scotland's health secretary says 400,000 jabs could be administered every week by the end of February.", "Lidl, Just Eat and Asos say demand for fizz, takeaways and clothes all rose during December.", "As the UK records its highest death toll, Fergal Keane has been to see the strain the NHS is under for the second time.", "Black people are more than four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act in England.", "Amnesty International says the issue of forced adoptions also needs close scrutiny.", "Details and reaction to a briefing by Wales' chief medical officer and NHS Wales chief executive.", "Carol and David Richards had been fined £60 for driving 20 minutes to see her mother.", "Tony Parsons from Tillicoultry vanished more than three years ago during a charity cycle ride.", "The prime minister wants round-the-clock vaccination but adds supply is currently the limiting factor.", "Nicola Sturgeon announces the areas where restrictions will be tightened in Scotland from Saturday.", "The famous Lauberhorn ski event is cancelled after a spike in Covid-19 cases linked to one tourist.", "Staff at one of London's busiest hospitals say it's not going to take much for services to soon break.", "The health secretary urges people to follow rules, saying \"individual decisions\" make a difference.", "Rival supermarkets defend their pay, with Asda saying looking at hourly rates does not tell the whole story.", "Some restrictions have been tightened amid concerns the \"stay at home\" message has not had the same impact.", "Investors have agreed a deal to save the chain, along with Ponden Home and Bonmarché.", "Amid reports of mass furlough fraud the BBC hears from one worker who quit work but still gets furlough pay.", "First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says because of the \"precarious\" situation in relation to the pandemic more restrictions will be brought in.", "A report from a group of Tory MPs adds to internal pressure on the government to harden its stance.", "Together with his twin brother, Sir David built a business empire spanning hotels, retail and newspapers.", "Scotland's first minister says the current restrictions are \"very unlikely\" to be lifted at the end of the month.", "The company denies selling technology that can identify the ethnic group and plans to reword the patent.", "Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer challenged Boris Johnson over the provision of \"disgraceful\" food parcels.", "The Earl of Strathmore attacked a woman in her room during an event he was hosting at Glamis Castle.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "Latest results show Sinovac's Covid-19 vaccine is less effective in Brazil than previously suggested.", "The health minister says it is a \"strong start\" but there is more to do.", "One operator told the BBC his staff were working up to 16 hours a day to help traders.", "Earlier this month videos showing supposed empty hospitals were shared on social media.", "A leaked memo warns several Birmingham hospitals risk being \"overwhelmed\" by coronavirus patients.", "The increase is to further discourage shoppers from buying single-use plastic bags.", "Tweeters query why it has not been given to a prominent Kenyan like actress Lupita Nyong'o.", "A Met Office yellow weather warning for ice is in place after heavy snow caused road closures and travel disruption.", "A negative test had been due to be required from Friday, but ministers said people needed time to prepare.", "Sir David will showcase an augmented reality app as part of a drive to prove the uses of 5G.", "Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said this would help teachers to decide \"deserved grades\".", "But Boris Johnson does not rule out tougher restrictions in England, saying they are kept under review.", "Fans of the University of Alabama football team gathered in the streets of Tuscaloosa, ignoring social distancing.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning.", "These are the lawmakers with a big influence on the impeachment process against the former president.", "The last of 14 works identified as looted from Jewish collectors is returned to the owner's heirs.", "Isabella Curry said she now feels safe and will be able to go out and meet friends soon.", "An RAF aircraft breaking the sound barrier causes a loud bang in skies across the East of England.", "Pawel Relowicz committed \"sexually motivated\" burglaries before Libby Squire's death, jurors hear.", "Doctors believed 11-month-old Sofia-Grace Hill was rejecting food because she had tonsillitis.", "It comes as Boris Johnson is quizzed by MPs on the government's coronavirus response.", "Three vaccines have been approved in the UK - what are the differences between them?", "Parents of disabled children are calling for teachers in special schools to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.", "Ivan Cavaleiro's late header earns Premier League strugglers Fulham a hard-fought draw against Tottenham in their hastily rearranged London derby.", "Doctors leaders' want staff to be given the type of high-quality masks usually only worn in intensive care.", "The home secretary says she will back police to enforce virus rules, as another 1,243 die in the UK.", "The Google-owned service said the president had broken its rules over the incitement of violence.", "The prime minister warns there is a \"very substantial\" risk of intensive care being \"overtopped\".", "Mohamud Mohammed Hassan was arrested at home on Friday but released without charge on Saturday.", "The Democrats say they sheltered in a safe room alongside others who refused to wear masks.", "It follows similar moves by Morrisons and Sainsbury's, but those with medical reasons will be exempt.", "Ten members of his own party voted against the president over his role in the deadly riots at the US Capitol.", "Police in Atlanta want to question YFN Lucci, 29, over a fatal shooting in the city last month.", "More than 700 intensive care staff at nine hospitals were asked about their experiences for a study.", "Her novel Heart for a Compass is a fictional historical saga inspired by her great-great-aunt.", "There's speculation over who was involved in the protests and whether they belong to organised groups.", "Production was to begin later this month but filming and transmission will now be later than hoped.", "The PM leads UK politicians from all parties condemning the riot at the US Capitol building.", "The firm says tighter Covid restrictions and falling passenger numbers have prompted the decision.", "Allowing pupils without laptops into schools could limit the impact of the closures, say head.", "The president will be banned \"permanently\" if he breaks the platform's rules again.", "An Alaska state agency emerged as the main bidder at the sale, which was opposed by environmentalists.", "Two boys and a girl, all aged 13 or 14, are charged with murder after the death of Olly Stephens, 13.", "Joe Biden says it is \"totally unacceptable\" police showed more leniency in the Capitol riot than at anti-racism protests.", "Nguyen Huy Hung was one of 39 people who died in a container en route from Belgium to Essex.", "Boris Johnson has \"no doubt\" there is enough supply to vaccinate the first four priority groups by 15 February.", "Gavin Williamson will \"trust in teachers rather than algorithms\" in awarding this year's results.", "The broadcaster will be a part-time replacement for the new Woman's Hour host.", "The sites, including football stadiums and racecourses, will begin operations next week.", "Events in Washington spark dismay and criticism of America's politics and leader.", "Staff at one of London's busiest hospitals say it's not going to take much for services to soon break.", "The police officer who the FBI said fired the fatal shot is dismissed for breaching policy.", "Her family said the British model, who died in December aged 50, had been \"unwell for some time\".", "More than 113,000 Scots have now been given their first dose of a vaccine against Covid-19.", "The drugs, which save an extra life for every 12 intensive care patients treated, can be used immediately, say experts.", "The president is accused of inciting a riot with his divisive rhetoric - he's unlikely to stay silent.", "Health officials say it was the only option due to the demand for beds as a result of Covid-19.", "A ceremony meant to showcase a peaceful power transfer turns into a dark day. Here are the key moments.", "Breakdown of what happened when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol amid a key Senate vote.", "The weekly applause is back - but its founder distances herself from the initiative.", "News photographers captured extraordinary scenes as Trump supporters stormed the building.", "The US Capitol has gone into lockdown amid violent clashes between police and Trump supporters, who broke security lines and are inside the building.", "The UK prime minister also says the US president is \"completely wrong\" over his election fraud claims.", "The airline warns few, if any, flights will operate to or from Ireland or the UK from the end of January.", "Travellers from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana and Mauritius will be barred from entry.", "US lawmakers and staff are seen wearing protective gas masks as police draw guns on protesters.", "Dave Edwards lit up his home for 42 years but died before the recent festive season.", "At Fullwell Cross Medical Centre in north London, they are now vaccinating almost 1,000 people a week.", "George is recovering after spending three nights in hospital with coronavirus.", "How Trump's favourite social media site banned him - permanently.", "On Wednesday the UK recorded more than 1,000 daily Covid deaths and hospitals are struggling to cope.", "The Tesla and SpaceX owner replaces Jeff Bezos as the richest man on the planet.", "The home secretary says the US president fuelled the violence, as the PM condemns the \"disgraceful scenes\".", "Two boys and a girl are accused of murdering 13-year-old Olly Stephens in Reading.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Drive-through and delivery services will still be available while it reviews its safety procedures.", "Leaders from around the world call for peace and a peaceful transfer of power in Washington.", "Worried childcare staff call on ministers to prove it's safe for them to open in England.", "Matthew Mason beat 15-year-old Alex Rodda to death to stop their sexual relationship being revealed.", "Boris Johnson says the armed forces will use \"battle preparation techniques\" to help vaccinate millions.", "Sarah Bingham's son and daughter have the same rare illness and she is a donor match for both.", "Industry body calls for the early vaccination of workers to keep supply chains running smoothly.", "Lorry drivers will need a negative result to cross into France until further notice, the government says.", "Aston Villa are preparing to field a team of youngsters in Friday's FA Cup third-round tie at home to Liverpool.", "GPs in England receive doses of the Oxford Covid jab as medics warn of \"stretched\" wards.", "Families had smaller gatherings, but sales still rose 9.3% in the Christmas trading period, it says.", "There are concerns the new variant may spread too easily to be controlled by lockdown.", "Residents of Shijiazhuang are banned from leaving and will be tested en masse after an outbreak there.", "The Wanted member shares some good news with his fans, three months on from his cancer diagnosis.", "The new lockdown has pushed pubs and restaurants into yet more debt, some of which may never be repaid.", "Jamie Stiehm was in the House of Representatives press gallery when protesters smashed at the door.", "The online retailer wants to buy the brands, not their shops, suggesting any deal would cost jobs.", "The fast fashion retailer is not purchasing the stores or taking on its staff, the BBC understands.", "The head of France's scientific council suggests a third lockdown is needed amid spread of variants.", "Ella Lambert says the period pain she experiences inspired her to help others.", "Israel has vaccinated more than a quarter of its population and now high school students are eligible.", "Ministers have said schools would stay closed until half term unless Covid cases fall significantly.", "Janice Johnston had 18 months of needless chemotherapy, causing her numerous physical problems.", "Underground investigations are due to begin on Saturday after flooding linked to old mine shaft.", "Entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX company delivers 143 satellites to orbit on a single rocket flight.", "England complete a thrilling victory on day four of the second Test against Sri Lanka to take the series 2-0.", "A former Boeing manager says more investigations are needed on the plane, grounded after two crashes.", "Nearly 38,000 people are in hospital in the UK with coronavirus, the health secretary says.", "The highest-risk job roles were in restaurants, care work and manufacturing.", "From credit card fraud to benefit fraud, the problem costs the UK up to £190bn a year, a report says.", "Motorists are urged to take care with sub-zero temperatures forecast into Monday.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning.", "The crackdown on Alexei Navalny and his supporters fuels calls in the EU for tougher sanctions.", "The health secretary says it is \"difficult\" to put a timeline on when England's lockdown will be lifted.", "Tributes are paid to Robert Rowland following the accident near his home in the Bahamas.", "Budweiser will not advertise during the Super Bowl for the first time in 37 years.", "Boris Johnson says he understands parents' frustrations but the infection rate is \"still very high\".", "Ministers are due to meet on Monday to consider whether to tighten the UK's border restrictions further.", "Footage shows a police car apparently driving through a group at a street race in Washington state.", "The changes affecting some customers take effect as finances are squeezed by Covid and Christmas.", "A geologist says tens of thousands of old mine shafts must be monitored to help stop more flooding.", "An interior decor trend is blamed for the removal of the grass, which forms part of a wind defence.", "Geoff and Jenny Holland married in August after having to twice postpone their wedding.", "The lack of certainty about schools returning is fraying the exhausted nerves of parents.", "A Royal College of Nursing survey found almost 80% were more stressed because of the Covid pandemic.", "As temperatures continue to remain high, parts of Australia are facing their worst fire risk in a year.", "Three psychiatric reports found Olga Freeman was suffering from a severe depressive illness.", "Ambrose O'Neill disappeared after the first day of his trial in 2008.", "Only 18 out of 251 registered traveller sites have any available spaces, research from a charity suggests.", "Some will be able to return on Tuesday but others are urged to stay away due to safety fears.", "The building's owner vows it will continue as a department store despite the departure of current tenant, the House of Fraser.", "The eyes of people with PTSD behave differently when they see exciting images, researchers say.", "One says he is surprised Boris Johnson shared the early data when it is \"not particularly strong\".", "Laboratory tests suggest antibodies can recognise and fight the UK and South Africa variants.", "The media regulator decided not to pursue complaints about decency over the channel's satire.", "Online retailer Boohoo will buy the brand for £55m, but not its shops, putting 12,000 jobs at risk.", "Police describe it as the worst unrest in the Netherlands for decades, with more than 180 arrests.", "The UK's nations and regions are being treated as if they were \"invisible\", the former PM warns.", "What is behind the review of specialist care for mothers and babies in the south Wales valleys?", "Vaccination appointments for over-70s in Scotland will arrive on Monday as planned - but in white envelopes.", "A new report focuses on the experiences of pregnant women at Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board.", "The move sparks concerns that customers could see prices rise if merchants pass on the higher cost.", "Chelsea sack manager Frank Lampard after 18 months in charge, with former Paris St-Germain and Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel expected to replace him.", "Andrés Manuel López Obrador, 67, announces he is receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus.", "The Senate has confirmed Janet Yellen as first female treasury secretary in US history.", "The third national lockdown and travel ban meant the travel firm \"had to act\", a spokeswoman says.", "Sir Keir Starmer says he will be working from home until next Monday.", "A pilot programme for 24/7 vaccinations is among options being considered by the Scottish government.", "Why one family finds St Dwynwen's Day - the Welsh patron saint of lovers - more relevant to their heritage.", "Mothers speaking to the Cwm Taf maternity review \"overwhelmingly\" had distressing experiences.", "The mother of Keon Lincoln, 15, who was shot and stabbed, pleads for information about his death.", "Images circulated on social media show mourners at the funeral of an IRA man in Londonderry.", "First Minister Mark Drakeford earlier visited the site of the flooding which led to 80 people being evacuated.", "About 118,000 placements for young people are yet to be filled due to coronavirus lockdowns.", "Community spirit praised as helpers clear 7cm of snow so vulnerable patients could get Covid jab.", "Bruno Fernandes comes off the bench to fire Manchester United past fierce rivals Liverpool in a pulsating FA Cup fourth-round tie.", "Nurseries, pre-schools and childminders call for rapid testing and priority access to vaccines.", "The two men were guests at Cameron House Hotel on the shores of Loch Lomond when the blaze broke out.", "The force said its role is designed to inform prosecutors and does not indicate a crime has taken place.", "The 78-year-old Scottish comedian received his first dose of the vaccine near his home in Florida.", "A report criticises the union after it told its members not to volunteer due to safety concerns.", "A shortage of shipping containers, rising costs, and congestion at ports are holding back imports from China.", "Ministers have said schools would stay closed until half term unless Covid cases fall significantly.", "The majority of applications for the discretionary part of the test and trace grant are unsuccessful.", "Despite Glastonbury's cancellation, smaller festivals could still go ahead, experts say.", "Boris Johnson says it's more important than ever to be vigilant in following rules and staying home.", "The probe into the handling of harassment claims against Alex Salmond wants to see messages between SNP and government officials.", "Eric Vice, 64, was driving to Swansea University when he hit a bridge.", "The premiere of No Time To Die, Daniel Craig's final 007 outing, is pushed back again due to Covid.", "Doctors say people should buy a pulse oximeter to monitor their oxygen levels at home.", "The imam, Sheikh Nuru Mohammed, hopes the centre will dispel false information about the vaccination.", "Boris Johnson has not ruled out further action to secure the borders amid concerns over Covid variants.", "A bunker built during the Cold War is being auctioned with a guide price of £25,000.", "Worship has been suspended as burials average 15-a-day, yet still there is denial about the disease.", "UK retailers may abandon goods EU customers want to return because it is cheaper than bringing them home.", "A geologist says tens of thousands of old mine shafts must be monitored to help stop more flooding.", "The UK's chief medical adviser warns that \"a very small change and it could start taking off again\".", "Health Minister Robin Swann warns restrictions are likely to continue after latest extension.", "Scottish postie Nathan Evans has quit his job and signed to a record label after storming TikTok with sea shanties.", "The TV presenter says Mr Trump went on with the conversation, believing it to be Morgan.", "A 14-year-old boy is suspected of murder over \"inconceivable violence\" before Keon Lincoln's death.", "The Mavisbank care home in Bishopbriggs was recently rated \"weak\" by the care inspectorate for its Covid response.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday morning.", "A national charity renews its plea for donations to help museums hit by the coronavirus pandemic.", "Paula Badosa reveals she has the virus and apologises for making complaints about quarantine rules.", "'This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge' - the new president knows how daunting his task is.", "A selection of your pictures of Scotland sent in between 15 and 22 January.", "The chief rabbi has described the event as a \"shameful desecration of all that we hold dear\".", "A £500 payment is already available for those on low incomes who cannot work from home, No 10 says.", "Thirty-nine Vietnamese migrants suffocated in a sealed container en route to Essex in October 2019.", "A teachers' union says a review delivers a \"scathing\" verdict on how exams were handled in 2020.", "Fines of £800 will be handed to anyone attending a house party of more than 15 people from next week.", "Thousands of files hacked from Scotland's environment watchdog appear on the \"dark web\" after it rejected a ransom demand.", "Boris Johnson says England's measures will be reviewed once the priority groups have had the vaccine.", "Paddy McElhone, 24, was shot in the back by a soldier near his home outside Pomeroy in August 1974.", "Investigators have been targeting offenders who operate online since the first coronavirus lockdown.", "CCTV footage has been released showing fire breaking out in a hotel after a porter put a bag of ash and embers in a cupboard.", "Vitinha's superb goal sees Wolves into the fifth round of the FA Cup at the expense of non-league Chorley.", "Two people died in the blaze at the Cameron House hotel in West Dunbartonshire three years ago.", "A consortium including the fashion chain will no longer bid to buy Topshop and Topman out of administration.", "Evidence suggests the variant that emerged in the UK may be more deadly as well as faster-spreading.", "Clothing was the hardest-hit sector last year, seeing a 25% drop in sales overall.", "Liverpool's 68-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League comes to an end as Ashley Barnes fires home a late winner from the penalty spot to secure a famous victory for Burnley.", "The Japanese car maker has told the BBC its Sunderland plant is secure for the long term.", "Police hold aides to Putin critic Alexei Navalny as opposition activists start a string of rallies.", "Parts of Skewen remain underwater with people unable to return to their flooded homes.", "Andy Murray will miss the Australian Open after failing to find a \"workable quarantine\" solution following his positive test for coronavirus.", "Simon Midgley's mother says she still does not have answers about how her son died in the fire at Cameron House.", "Campaigners say a government fund to pay for the removal of dangerous cladding is woefully inadequate.", "The minority \"blatantly flouting\" restrictions will face enforcement action, a senior officer says.", "The couple paid themselves the sum despite heavy losses at Mrs Beckham's fashion brand.", "Muller Milk & Ingredients in Somerset confirms 47 dairy workers have tested positive for Covid-19.", "NHS staff rally to arrange a wedding for a couple as the groom's condition deteriorates in hospital.", "Many of those who took part in the Capitol riot are believed to have subscribed to extremist views.", "The curbs may even continue until Easter in an attempt to drive down Covid-19 case numbers.", "Stars of the Essex-based reality show pay tribute to a \"true gentleman\" and \"one of the good guys\".", "Under coronavirus restrictions a maximum of 30 people are meant to attend a funeral.", "Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose had been fed up with people asking if she was pregnant, an inquest hears.", "AstraZeneca is the latest company, after Pfizer, to warn of delivery issues, frustrating officials.", "Investigations are ongoing into what caused the road surface to give way, United Utilities say.", "As Covid patients waited at Royal Glamorgan Hospital the nurse had a fear of \"wanting to leave\".", "Under house arrest in Canada on bank fraud charges, Ms Meng has reportedly received death threats.", "As the UK records its highest death toll, Fergal Keane has been to see the strain the NHS is under for the second time.", "Richard Sharp says the BBC represents good value, but how it is funded \"may be worth reassessing\".", "The S21 Ultra's support for an S Pen will fuel speculation that the Note range's days are numbered.", "But the expert says the new Covid variant means any relaxation of rules will be a \"gradual process\".", "Amnesty International says the issue of forced adoptions also needs close scrutiny.", "Carol and David Richards had been fined £60 for driving 20 minutes to see her mother.", "Reports from Manaus say medical staff are begging for help in a critical situation due to Covid-19.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday evening.", "But researchers warn there is still a risk of catching and passing the virus on to others again.", "Nicola Sturgeon announces the areas where restrictions will be tightened in Scotland from Saturday.", "One in three trusts in England was running above safe levels of bed occupancy by the end of 2020.", "Tui, the UK's largest tour operator, says 50% of bookings on their website are currently by over-50s.", "The famous Lauberhorn ski event is cancelled after a spike in Covid-19 cases linked to one tourist.", "Some urgent procedures including cancer surgery are postponed in one health board area due to Covid.", "Six chemists have been chosen initially, with 200 more offering vaccinations in the next fortnight.", "Hundreds of students say it is not right they will have to wait months for rebates during Covid-19.", "Some housed in the military camp say the conditions are so bad it causes them psychological trauma.", "Police and rail bosses condemn a social media post featuring a car parked on a level crossing.", "Armie Hammer dismisses supposedly leaked messages and says he can now not be apart from his children.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "Jack Dorsey acknowledges that banning the president undermines the ideals of an open internet.", "Homes worry about being sued if people contract the virus while they are staying there.", "The health minister says it is a \"strong start\" but there is more to do.", "Arrivals from most of South America - and from Portugal - will be stopped from Friday.", "Dozens cancel Covid jabs and poor road conditions have a \"severe impact\" on Yorkshire's ambulances.", "Founder Charlie Mullins says it is a \"no-brainer\" that workers should get immunised.", "Scientists are racing to find out more about variants of the coronavirus that are spreading fast.", "The co-founder for Cyberpunk 2077's developer is explaining what went wrong with the launch.", "Samantha Hicks attributed her baby's kicking to sickness having been in hospital with Covid-19.", "The footballer joins celebrities and campaigners to call for action in a letter to the prime minister.", "The prime minister has suggested there could be restrictions on travel from Brazil to the UK.", "Services in England are being cut from 87% of normal levels to 72%, the Rail Delivery Group says.", "A Met Office yellow weather warning for ice is in place after heavy snow caused road closures and travel disruption.", "A negative test had been due to be required from Friday, but ministers said people needed time to prepare.", "Post-primary schools get extra time to decide how they will admit pupils after transfer tests are cancelled.", "A Scottish shellfish firm owner says he is on the brink of bankruptcy as EU customers desert his business.", "The 19-year-old mounted pavements and jumped red lights through London and three counties.", "Nintendo's first theme park, modelled on levels of its Mario games, was due to open on 4 February.", "More than 45% of this priority group has now been vaccinated, compared with about 30% in London.", "Travellers from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana and Mauritius will be barred from entry.", "New Brexit trade rules mean Britain's biggest supermarket faces problems importing some fruit, meat and ready meals.", "James Howells threw away a hard drive containing bitcoin - now worth £210m - by mistake in 2013.", "The last of 14 works identified as looted from Jewish collectors is returned to the owner's heirs.", "It tops up doses already promised as officials worry that Africa is at the back of the vaccine queue.", "England's cancer, critical care, A&E and routine treatments all hit as hospitals accommodate virus patients.", "Boris Johnson pledged to end rough sleeping by 2024, but a watchdog says plans need reviewing post-Covid.", "The government defends its plan to switch to a grant scheme to feed children at half term.", "Our voter panel is divided over the charge of incitement with Trump supporters warning it will deepen divisions.", "A respiratory doctor at the Mater Hospital warns that oxygen supplies are under \"extreme pressure\".", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Ministers could bring in possible measures after a new Covid variant was found in South America.", "Ivan Cavaleiro's late header earns Premier League strugglers Fulham a hard-fought draw against Tottenham in their hastily rearranged London derby.", "The couple, who both have coronavirus, were given \"precious\" time together, their daughter says.", "Doctors leaders' want staff to be given the type of high-quality masks usually only worn in intensive care.", "The scientists investigating the origins of the coronavirus have landed in the city of Wuhan.", "The prime minister warns there is a \"very substantial\" risk of intensive care being \"overtopped\".", "The home secretary says her focus is on enforcement but doesn't rule out tougher restrictions next week.", "Dom Bess takes 5-30 as a dreadful Sri Lanka batting display leaves England in control after day one of the first Test at Galle.", "A blind social media star could wait years for a new guide dog due to delays linked to the pandemic.", "The government wants bosses to do more to help victims as reports of domestic abuse soar in lockdown.", "Andy Murray is still hopeful of playing in the Australian Open despite not travelling to Melbourne after testing positive for coronavirus.", "On Thursday, 16 more deaths related to Covid-19 were recorded along with 973 new positive cases.", "Ten members of his own party voted against the president over his role in the deadly riots at the US Capitol.", "Illusionist Siegfried Fischbacher and partner Roy Horn were an institution in Las Vegas and beyond.", "Mr Leonard says it is in the best interests of the party if he stands down as leader immediately.", "The retailer insists it has no plans to move online, despite warning shop closures could cost it £1bn.", "A total of 1,596 patients are in Scottish hospitals with Covid as pressures on the NHS continue to build.", "The woman, who was Tasered by officers, is taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.", "Sarah Link lived in a caravan on her own drive so she could carry on working and protect her mother.", "Vincent Kane does not know when his operation will happen, having been delayed due to the pandemic.", "The property investment firm is accused of trying to \"jump the queue\".", "It said there may be \"an increase of missing items and substitutions over the next few weeks\".", "Officers \"will not hesitate\" to take action against those breaking the rules, home secretary says.", "The vaccines were administered on Saturday by a household doctor at Windsor Castle, a royal source says.", "Health Secretary Matt Hancock says social media giants are \"taking editorial decisions\".", "The Labour leader urges ministers to give councils more money instead to protect family budgets.", "Three people were arrested during an anti-lockdown protest, including the woman seen in the video.", "Eleanor Wadsworth flew hundreds of aircraft, including Spitfires and Hurricanes, to the front line in WW2.", "People who cannot work from home should be prioritised for rapid tests in England, the government says.", "Bernard Thomas was rescued from the rubble of Pantglas primary school on 21 October, 1966.", "But for now, people must stay at home during lockdown and alleviate 'serious' pressure on the NHS.", "Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the NHS is under \"very serious pressure\" and warns people to stay home.", "Electricity is gradually being restored after a huge outage triggered by a power station fault.", "The riots of 6 January took many by surprise, but to those tracking conspiracy and extreme right groups online, the warning signs were all there.", "Extra measures are taken to distribute Covid vaccines amid fears the snow could turn to ice.", "Crawley Town produce one of the FA Cup third round's most emphatic upsets as they stun Premier League side Leeds United.", "US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says contact between officials should no longer be \"shackled\".", "There are concerns the new variant may spread too easily to be controlled by lockdown.", "At least six police vans are deployed to Clapham Common where about 30 protesters gathered.", "The farm has been left with over 4,000 surplus eggs after schools suddenly closed to most pupils.", "The government says a draft agreement saying flat owners need its approval first is \"standard\".", "Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove says \"work is ongoing\" to improve trade from GB to NI.", "Scott McTominay celebrates captaining Manchester United for the first time with an early winner to see off Watford in the FA Cup third round.", "A 107-year-old woman from County Meath is attempting to attend a virtual Mass in every county.", "Increasing numbers of seriously-ill patients add to the pressure facing Scotland's health service.", "Four deaths are reported as Storm Filomena dumps snow and triggers floods across the country.", "A \"significant step-up\" in rolling out vaccines is promised by the health minister.", "If Parler fails to find a new web hosting service by Sunday, the entire network will go offline.", "The Labour leader calls for tougher coronavirus restrictions and says help for low earners must continue.", "Almost 50,000 people in Wales have been given a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.", "He hopes to beat his own lockdown bulge with his \"Get Buzzin' With Bez\" YouTube classes.", "Two landslides hit the same village in Indonesia within hours, leaving emergency teams trapped.", "Another 1,035 people have died, taking the total since the start of the pandemic to 80,868.", "Patients, many shielding, have been offered appointments miles away from their homes.", "The Labour leader rejects a second independence referendum but calls for other changes to devolution.", "More than 100 cars are turned away from a beauty spot in north Wales, police say.", "Boris Johnson will make a televised address at 20:00 GMT to outline further steps as virus cases rise.", "Lockdown measures will see schools closed until half term, and GCSEs and A-levels unable to go ahead as normal.", "The British coin collection will also mark the 75th anniversary of the death of novelist HG Wells.", "Four boys and a girl are held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after the Reading attack.", "An NHS chief executive says it 'beggars belief' people took pictures of empty corridors.", "Four people were accused of being a \"supporting cast\" for burglars who targeted west London homes.", "Boris Johnson says the gap between referendums on Europe - 41 years - is \"a good sort of gap\" for independence referendums.", "The PM says the number of vaccine doses will amount to \"tens of millions\" by the end of March.", "Mainland Scotland faces tougher restrictions from midnight, and schools will remain closed until February.", "The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine programme is being rolled out less than a week after it became the second approved in the UK.", "Dr Radha Modgil shares tips on staying mentally and emotionally well during the coronavirus lockdown.", "Dan Eliasson, head of the civil contingencies agency, flew to the Canary Islands to see his daughter.", "Tributes have been paid to trainer Zoe Davison, who died from cancer on the same day two of her horses claimed wins at Plumpton.", "The first minister warns Scotland could be entering the most dangerous period since the outbreak began.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "The group of more than 200 engineers say Google must live up to its 'Don't be evil' pledge.", "Nóra Quoirin's family say they are disappointed at the ruling and still think she was abducted.", "Boris Johnson warns of \"tough\" weeks ahead, as coronavirus infection rates continue to surge.", "The first minister says restrictions \"similar to March\" will come into force in mainland Scotland from midnight and schools will not re-open in January.", "The border crossings between the UK and the European Union face their first day of significant traffic under new rules.", "Professional sport in England will be allowed to continue behind closed doors, despite a new national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.", "The Labour leader calls for an immediate lockdown in England to get the virus \"back under control\".", "The Department of Health's aim is for all people older than 80 to receive a jab by the end of January.", "Lockdown losses mean renewing the 10-year contract to lease Yang Guang and Tian Tian may be unaffordable.", "Police help dozens of motorists who became stranded after heavy snow fell in the Peak District.", "Parliament will be recalled for Nicola Sturgeon to make an \"urgent statement\" as case numbers rise by 2,464.", "Schools in Wales given a flexible approach to ensure a \"safe return\", despite concerns by unions.", "Economy Minister Diane Dodds writes to Cabinet Office Secretary Michael Gove over the issue.", "UK nationals resident in Spain say they were wrongly turned back when their flight landed in Barcelona.", "Four boys and a girl are held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after the Reading attack.", "Rutherglen MP Margaret Ferrier is charged by police with \"alleged culpable and reckless conduct\".", "After the PM hints at tighter measures in England, our science editor looks at what they could entail.", "Her Majesty said the now 75-year-old show had \"played a significant part in the evolving of women\".", "Schools will close for most pupils from Tuesday as people are told to stay at home in new lockdown.", "The latest government figures show a further 2,137 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Scotland on Friday.", "The government said suspected jihadists ambushed the two villages near Niger's border with Mali.", "Boris Johnson says more areas may need tougher rules, as Labour urges England-wide curbs within 24 hours.", "The news comes following confusion after her death was prematurely announced on Monday.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "The Championship club said \"several first-team staff and players\" had tested positive.", "England all-rounder Moeen Ali tests positive for Covid-19 upon arrival at Hambantota airport in Sri Lanka.", "The Love Island star is alleged to have \"breached quarantine\" regulations on holiday in Barbados.", "Stay-at-home orders are issued in England and Scotland, as UK classrooms face further disruption.", "The executive also plans to give its stay at home message legal force, with new travel restrictions.", "The Gerry and the Pacemakers singer's number one hit became a football terrace anthem.", "The bid approach is the latest attempt by a casino operator to tap into the online gambling boom.", "The locally-produced Covaxin jab was approved on Sunday before completion of third stage trials.", "Supermarkets say card payment problems that led to long queues are resolved, but cause still unknown", "Total deaths involving Covid pass 6,000, including 467 in the week ending 15 January.", "A Cardiff head teacher says keeping schools closed affects disadvantaged pupils most severely.", "The money comes from the liquidation of a firm co-founded by the disgraced film producer.", "Before Wuhan was locked down in January 2020 officials said the outbreak was under control - but the virus had spread inside and outside the city.", "Boris Johnson says he takes \"full responsibility\" for the UK government's response to the pandemic.", "Trinidadian-born British writer Monique Roffey says she is \"pinching herself\" over her win.", "Another 7,700 registered with coronavirus on the death certificate brings the total to nearly 104,000.", "The 71-year-old Lib Dem peer says she is wearing her \"I've had the jab\" badge with pride.", "The tunnel is a danger to public safety, an HS2 spokeswoman told the BBC.", "The UK is the second market - after the US - to get Facebook's latest news feature.", "The NHS says any invitation which asks for vaccine payment or bank account details is a scam.", "The shadow justice secretary calls for seven-member juries to deal with cases delayed by the pandemic.", "Scientists propose 10 golden rules for restoring forests to maximise benefits for the planet.", "Parents reveal the perils of juggling teaching with work and family life.", "The new measures are likely to apply to British residents arriving in England from high-risk countries.", "Boris Johnson says he takes \"full responsibility for everything that the government has done\".", "Major incidents were declared in north and south Wales as Storm Christoph causes flooding.", "The health secretary says it is \"difficult\" to put a timeline on when England's lockdown will be lifted.", "Ex-cabinet minister wants \"Britain's favourite animal\" to get same protections as bats and badgers.", "Budweiser will not advertise during the Super Bowl for the first time in 37 years.", "Boris Johnson says he understands parents' frustrations but the infection rate is \"still very high\".", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning.", "Several pupils at the school admitted visiting other households, breaking Covid-19 lockdown rules.", "Demand for the video game and cloud computing services helped push Microsoft sales to a new quarterly record.", "A geologist says tens of thousands of old mine shafts must be monitored to help stop more flooding.", "Lawyers for SMG deny claims it was penny-pinching before the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.", "An interior decor trend is blamed for the removal of the grass, which forms part of a wind defence.", "There will be \"a lot more deaths\" before the effect of vaccines is felt, England's chief medical officer says.", "Crew are asking to be designated 'key workers' so they can go home without risking public health.", "Campaigners claim changes to the way decisions were made led to a \"shocking\" fall in cases going to court.", "Comedians Meera Syal, Romesh Ranganathan and Adil Ray make a video urging people to get the vaccine.", "The Met says it was a \"poor decision\" to hire a barber to give cuts to 31 officers in the workplace.", "Some will be able to return on Tuesday but others are urged to stay away due to safety fears.", "Nadhim Zahawi says supply is tight, but he expects the UK to meet its February target of 15 million doses.", "The Belfast grammar school says it will use \"other academic criteria\" in the absence of transfer tests.", "As the UK records its 100,000th death from Covid within 28 days of a positive test, Catherine Burns speaks to some of the people behind the figures.", "It comes as the foreign secretary says the UK will return to spending 0.7% of GDP on aid \"as soon as possible\",", "Police describe it as the worst unrest in the Netherlands for decades, with more than 180 arrests.", "The government gives its support to a project to use oral contraceptives to control grey squirrels.", "As the number of people who died reaches six figures, the factors that led to this terrible total.", "The BBC brought a judicial review over reporting restrictions in a now abandoned legal case against Scotland's child abuse inquiry.", "An extra £50m is being directed towards grassroots sport after a \"significant hit\" to activity levels amid the coronavirus pandemic.", "The pharmaceutical giant said the late signing of contracts limited time to sort out supply glitches.", "Part of the grade II-listed bridge over the River Clwyd was swept away during Storm Christoph.", "Chelsea sack manager Frank Lampard after 18 months in charge, with former Paris St-Germain and Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel expected to replace him.", "The Senate has confirmed Janet Yellen as first female treasury secretary in US history.", "The company acknowledges its \"Birdwatch\" idea could be \"messy\", but says it is worth trying.", "Parents and teachers are frustrated and worried about the impact of school closures on children.", "Before Wuhan was locked down in January 2020 officials said the outbreak was under control - but the virus had spread inside and outside the city.", "A plan to put the anti-slavery activist on the banknote was delayed under ex-President Donald Trump.", "The third national lockdown and travel ban meant the travel firm \"had to act\", a spokeswoman says.", "The Stormont-commissioned research examined institutions run by churches and other religious groups.", "English-speaking parents whose children go to Welsh-language schools say they struggle to help them.", "Three nights of rioting will not halt night curfews aimed at stopping coronavirus, say Dutch ministers.", "Claudia Marsh had recently qualified as a teacher and also volunteered for two charities.", "We must remember that every one of the lives lost during the pandemic leaves a legacy of sorrow.", "Images circulated on social media show mourners at the funeral of an IRA man in Londonderry.", "The mother of Keon Lincoln, 15, who was shot and stabbed, pleads for information about his death.", "The Welsh Government misses its target of giving 70% of over-80s the vaccine by last weekend.", "Leaders in the House have brought their article of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate.", "The border closure is likely to remain even with widespread vaccinations, a top official says.", "Alex Davies-Jones said \"like so many others\" she put off having a test for months.", "The convicted murderer and music producer was described as \"talented but flawed\" in an online story.", "The Welsh Ambulance Service boss warns that difficult weeks lie ahead in Covid-19 fight.", "An eyewitness speaks publicly for the first time about the 2015 death of a man being restrained by police.", "Lisbet Stone was turned away from her flight to London due to having an outdated Covid test.", "The number of people needing intensive care is expected to continue rising for at least two weeks.", "Passengers must also quarantine for up to 10 days following the closure of all UK travel corridors.", "Spector, who was jailed for killing actress Lana Clarkson, transformed pop music with his \"wall of sound\".", "At the age of 14, he sent encrypted messages inciting an Australian teenager to murder police officers.", "The owner of a toy retailer says high transport costs may mean larger toys become more expensive.", "Jonny Bairstow and Dan Lawrence help England seal victory over Sri Lanka on the final morning of the first Test in Galle.", "Ex-Marine John Deacy, 81, died with Covid-19 just two weeks after his last shift at the supermarket.", "A group of pensioners seek compensation for what they say was the excessive pricing of landlines.", "Leaders Manchester United are thwarted by the second-half heroics of keeper Alisson in a goalless draw with title rivals Liverpool at Anfield.", "Northern Health Trust chief says system is under \"huge pressure\" with patients waiting for beds.", "Doctors say the \"patchy supply\" of vaccine to GPs is slowing down efforts to deliver it to patients.", "The \"fiercely competitive\" but \"kind, thoughtful and caring\" news executive has died aged 73.", "Nóra Quoirin's parents do not accept the findings of an inquest into her death in Malaysia.", "Sir Richard Branson's rocket company succeeds in putting its first satellites in space.", "Jonathan Brooks is charged with the attempted murder of Graeme Perks, who was attacked in his home.", "Police have described the killers of 15-year-old Keelan Wilson as a \"pack of animals\".", "Brazil has the world's second-highest Covid death toll but has seen delay and discord over vaccines.", "A red deer had to be put down after being savaged by a red setter in London's Richmond Park.", "David Urpeth says smart motorways without a hard shoulder carry \"an ongoing risk of future deaths.\"", "Former climbing champion Lai Chi-Wai raised HK$5.2 million for spinal cord patients.", "Phil Neville leaves his role as manager of England's women and takes over at Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.", "Students call for more support as they continue their studies through another lockdown.", "The Jewish employee had warned co-workers about the danger of Nazis during the Capitol Riots.", "A group of London firms has written to ministers calling for financial support for the rail firm.", "Small armed groups gathered in several US cities but most state capitols were quiet amid high security.", "Annual growth of 2.3% puts China on course to be the only major economy to have expanded in 2020.", "Boris Johnson promises £23m in compensation for exporters which have lost orders due to delays.", "Someone is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus every 30 seconds, the health secretary says.", "The Perth-born actor was best known for screen roles including \"Chancer\" in City Lights and \"Pete Galloway\" in River City.", "Students at Aberystwyth are told not to return unless \"absolutely necessary\".", "Ambulance service staff in London explain the unique pressures of working during a pandemic.", "A shortage of computer chips is leading to car factories shutting down for days at a time.", "Drivers from Scotland and Portsmouth caught breaking lockdown rules in north Wales.", "Pressure grows on PM after non-binding motion on universal credit top-up is passed by 278 votes.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "There are very few spare beds for the most seriously ill patients in parts of the country, the NHS says.", "Police found evidence of sub-standard care at the Caerphilly home, an inquest hears.", "Democrats plan to start impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump on Monday, for inciting the invasion of the US Capitol, sources say.", "There's speculation over who was involved in the protests and whether they belong to organised groups.", "As Covid patients waited at Royal Glamorgan Hospital the nurse had a fear of \"wanting to leave\".", "The Welsh Government is in discussions with supermarkets about bringing \"more visible\" regulations.", "While GCSEs and A-levels are cancelled, IGCSEs, often used in independent schools, will continue.", "Terence Glover \"ploughed\" into a group of children in his car as they were leaving school.", "The firm says tighter Covid restrictions and falling passenger numbers have prompted the decision.", "The man charged the 92-year-old £160 and came back a week later asking for a further £100.", "Seventeen million doses have been ordered by the UK and are expected to arrive in spring.", "Sweet Melody becomes the band's fifth number one, and their first since Jesy Nelson left.", "But some performances may be pre-recorded if artists can't travel to Rotterdam.", "The deaths of a further 93 people have been recorded - with the number of patients in hospital at record levels.", "When Trump supporters stormed the Capitol they took out their cameras to record the chaos inside.", "He is remembered for the 7 Up documentary series which followed the lives of 14 children since 1964.", "Secret recordings revealed \"enough profanity, casual sexism and racism to last a lifetime\".", "Criticism of new Brexit trade rules is growing as firms warn of more bureaucracy, higher costs and delays.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "Students say they will refuse to pay for accommodation they cannot use during lockdown.", "It is the third vaccine to be approved for UK use, after the Pfizer and Oxford jabs.", "Ross Kemp and Christopher Biggins do readings at the funeral of the EastEnders and Carry On actress.", "The Competition and Markets Authority will explore whether Google is abusing its market dominance.", "Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove says \"work is ongoing\" to improve trade from GB to NI.", "Her family said the British model, who died in December aged 50, had been \"unwell for some time\".", "We asked people around the US how they responded to the chaotic scenes from the US Capitol.", "The drugs, which save an extra life for every 12 intensive care patients treated, can be used immediately, say experts.", "Shark attacks are rare in the country and it is thought to be the first such death since 2013.", "Breakdown of what happened when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol amid a key Senate vote.", "The weekly applause is back - but its founder distances herself from the initiative.", "The lender says it expects \"downward pressure on house prices\" in 2021 following annual rise of 6% last year.", "Business Secretary Alok Sharma becomes full-time president of November's COP26 conference in Glasgow.", "Data leaked to BBC News shows a rise in the number of hours before patients are offloaded.", "Marks & Spencer's clothes sales overall fall nearly a quarter, but pyjamas are back in fashion.", "The UK prime minister also says the US president is \"completely wrong\" over his election fraud claims.", "The men were detained when special forces stormed the Nave Andromeda off the Isle of Wight.", "Travellers from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana and Mauritius will be barred from entry.", "Top Democrats call for the president to be removed as he commits to an \"orderly\" transition of power.", "A London fashion student made the \"social distancing bandeau\" out of a Chiltern Railways seat cover.", "The mayor says in some parts of London 1 in 20 people has Covid-19, as he declares a \"major incident\".", "It comes as all of Wales has snow and ice warnings for the next few days.", "The Korean car company originally said it was in talks with the tech titan before backtracking.", "Two women were fined £200 after driving five miles to walk around Foremark Reservoir, Derbyshire.", "Worried childcare staff call on ministers to prove it's safe for them to open in England.", "Boris Johnson says the armed forces will use \"battle preparation techniques\" to help vaccinate millions.", "Vincent Kane does not know when his operation will happen, having been delayed due to the pandemic.", "A selection of your pictures of Scotland sent in between 1 and 8 January.", "Satellite data shows that 2020 and 2016 are essentially tied as the hottest years since records began.", "Lorry drivers will need a negative result to cross into France until further notice, the government says.", "A record 68,053 cases are also reported as a third vaccine is approved for use in the UK.", "Details and reaction as First Minister Mark Drakeford confirms an extended closure of schools.", "The Duke of Cambridge says he wants his three children to appreciate sacrifices made during Covid.", "He claims her evidence to an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against him was \"untrue\".", "The Wanted member shares some good news with his fans, three months on from his cancer diagnosis.", "Meanwhile almost half of people took advantage of Christmas bubble rules, a national survey suggests.", "Kelvin Hopkins has previously denied claims by a party activist of inappropriate physical contact.", "A series of streamed music events, shows and releases will mark five years since the singer's death.", "With attendance as high as 50% in some areas, heads call for pupil limits in England's lockdown schools.", "Ramsey was loved by fans for her role as Officer Laverne Hooks in the Police Academy film series.", "Lockdown measures will see schools closed until half term, and GCSEs and A-levels unable to go ahead as normal.", "Four boys and a girl are held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after the Reading attack.", "That includes some of the most vulnerable patients who should soon have \"significant\" protection against the virus.", "Four people were accused of being a \"supporting cast\" for burglars who targeted west London homes.", "Mainland Scotland faces tougher restrictions from midnight, and schools will remain closed until February.", "The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine programme is being rolled out less than a week after it became the second approved in the UK.", "President Trump initially accused China of the hack against US government agencies in December.", "The first cyclone of Australia’s season has been downgraded but continues to cause danger.", "Reversing earlier assurances, officials say tracing data can be used for criminal investigations.", "Boris Johnson tells a briefing that nearly a quarter of people over 80 have received a Covid-19 jab.", "Dr Radha Modgil shares tips on staying mentally and emotionally well during the coronavirus lockdown.", "Enrique Tarrio was detained as he entered the city ahead of a pro-Trump protest this week.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "BBC Two and CBBC will show content for primary and secondary pupils to watch without the internet.", "Sea Shepherd says the collision happened after it came under attack in the Gulf of California.", "Business groups welcomed the new help as a good start but said more aid and a clear plan would be needed.", "Boris Johnson made the decision on restrictions \"in the face of new information\", the chancellor says.", "The first minister says restrictions \"similar to March\" will come into force in mainland Scotland from midnight and schools will not re-open in January.", "Professional sport in England will be allowed to continue behind closed doors, despite a new national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.", "The children's commissioner for England and Labour's leader call on firms to help low-income families.", "The Department of Health's aim is for all people older than 80 to receive a jab by the end of January.", "A growing divide over education, jobs, and ethnicity threaten the fabric of society, says Nobel laureate's study.", "Economy Minister Diane Dodds writes to Cabinet Office Secretary Michael Gove over the issue.", "UK nationals resident in Spain say they were wrongly turned back when their flight landed in Barcelona.", "You may be happy to let your phone recognise your face - but what about the police?", "Virgin Holidays joins Tui and Thomas Cook in cancelling holidays after latest coronavirus restrictions.", "In a TV address, Labour's leader says millions of doses need to be given each week by the end of January.", "Rutherglen MP Margaret Ferrier is charged by police with \"alleged culpable and reckless conduct\".", "The cancellations, although rare, reflect the pressure some hospitals are under from Covid.", "Roughly one in 50 people in England has got the virus, Prof Chris Whitty says.", "Demand surges as shoppers rush to secure online delivery slots following news of another lockdown.", "In the tightening of restrictions across the UK there is much that's an echo of March - but a lot that's different too.", "It's been a \"Herculean achievement\" for Marieme and Ndeye, who survived against the odds.", "The news comes following confusion after her death was prematurely announced on Monday.", "Former Manchester City and England midfielder Colin Bell dies aged 74 after a short illness, the Premier League club announces.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "YouTube says the broadcaster posted banned Covid content, but it has decided to reinstate its channel.", "First Minister Nicola Sturgeon thinks Celtic have questions to answer on the grounds for their winter trip to Dubai and says the club's social distancing \"should be looked into\".", "The stationery chain which has 127 stores and around 1,500 employees says shop closures hit it hard.", "Doctors leaders' want staff to be given the type of high-quality masks usually only worn in intensive care.", "Former Buckingham Palace caterer Adamo Canto attempted to sell some items on eBay, a court hears.", "Vocational exams such as BTECs are not being cancelled by the lockdown like GCSEs and A-levels.", "A hearing will decide whether Khairi Saadallah was motivated by a religious or ideological cause.", "The Love Island star is alleged to have \"breached quarantine\" regulations on holiday in Barbados.", "Stay-at-home orders are issued in England and Scotland, as UK classrooms face further disruption.", "The executive also plans to give its stay at home message legal force, with new travel restrictions.", "The famous building on London's Oxford Street has been put on the market by administrators.", "Strict new Covid-19 restrictions come into force in Scotland, prohibiting people from leaving their homes.", "A fresh move to make non-fatal strangulation a specific criminal offence is under way.", "The personal trainer says he wants to \"give children structure\" during lockdown.", "Regulators say the plane is safe to resume service after two fatal crashes led to its grounding.", "Insurers reject claims that by covering ransomware bills they are funding organised crime.", "But loss of taste and smell may be less likely to affect those with the new strain, a study suggests.", "Travellers share their experiences of isolating in hotels, as the UK announces a similar scheme.", "Boris Johnson says he takes \"full responsibility\" for the UK government's response to the pandemic.", "Nicola Sturgeon says she is \"not ecstatic\" about reports the PM will visit Scotland on Thursday.", "The tunnel is a danger to public safety, an HS2 spokeswoman told the BBC.", "The 71-year-old Lib Dem peer says she is wearing her \"I've had the jab\" badge with pride.", "Philippa Day was found collapsed beside a letter rejecting her request for an at-home assessment.", "The 83-year-old Hollywood royalty is also known as an active climate change campaigner.", "The shadow justice secretary calls for seven-member juries to deal with cases delayed by the pandemic.", "Karen Hobbs' sister says she is in shock, and urges people to follow lockdown rules.", "Boris Johnson says most people in Scotland are focused on defeating Covid rather than another referendum.", "Images of Jonathan Mok's swollen eye were posted on Facebook and shared thousands of times.", "Robin Swann says all health workers are valued and have worked tirelessly during the pandemic.", "A collection of your tributes to some of the thousands of people in the UK who have died with coronavirus.", "The financial regulator will consult \"shortly\" on a rise from the current limit of £45.", "Ministers are due to meet on Monday to consider whether to tighten the UK's border restrictions further.", "Footage shows a banned driver in a stolen car drive into a police officer on his motorbike.", "The PM sets the date he hopes England's lockdown will begin to ease, but warns of a \"perilous situation\".", "Boris Johnson also says he shares the \"frustration\" of parents who want to get children back to school.", "Already 100,000 people in the UK have died with Covid. This is the story of one of them.", "Demand for the video game and cloud computing services helped push Microsoft sales to a new quarterly record.", "Families loaded up on the latest technology and sales increased in China.", "The maps depict the famous sea battle in which the English fleet was victorious in 1588.", "There will be \"a lot more deaths\" before the effect of vaccines is felt, England's chief medical officer says.", "The lack of certainty about schools returning is fraying the exhausted nerves of parents.", "The Army sends a bomb disposal unit to a site where the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is produced.", "Already 100,000 people in the UK have died with Covid. This is the story of one of them.", "The Met says it was a \"poor decision\" to hire a barber to give cuts to 31 officers in the workplace.", "The Oscar-nominated actor and his choreographer wife describe as \"difficult\" their decision to split.", "It is the first time the world-famous event will take place in the autumn.", "Nadhim Zahawi says supply is tight, but he expects the UK to meet its February target of 15 million doses.", "A \"legacy of poor decisions\" in 2020 and before the pandemic led to 100,000 deaths, scientists say.", "Scientists say sharks and rays are disappearing from the world's oceans at an \"alarming\" rate.", "As the UK records its 100,000th death from Covid within 28 days of a positive test, Catherine Burns speaks to some of the people behind the figures.", "Bailiffs move in to remove people who dug a 100ft tunnel to block the high-speed rail line.", "Nicola Sturgeon says she is concerned the UK's travel restrictions will not go far enough.", "The government gives its support to a project to use oral contraceptives to control grey squirrels.", "Leon Briggs was \"like a child crying out for a toy\" as he was held down by officers, a jury hears.", "As the number of people who died reaches six figures, the factors that led to this terrible total.", "Nurse Eva Gicain says when she held Elleana for the first time she \"didn't want to let go\".", "The pharmaceutical giant said the late signing of contracts limited time to sort out supply glitches.", "Has the PM effectively admitted we're heading for a full year of limits on our lives?", "Lockdown led to a surge in reports of fraudsters imitating genuine investment firms, regulator says.", "Jagtar Singh Johal has been held in an Indian jail without conviction for more than three years.", "Labour calls for key workers to be added to the first phase of the vaccination programme.", "Residents hit upon the idea after the annual street parade was cancelled because of the pandemic.", "Boris Johnson faced questions from MPs why the UK's coronavirus death toll is the highest in Europe.", "Claudia Marsh had recently qualified as a teacher and also volunteered for two charities.", "The social media platform removed posts after wrongly identifying the place name as offensive.", "We must remember that every one of the lives lost during the pandemic leaves a legacy of sorrow.", "Details from a briefing by the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser for health.", "David Solomon is being punished for the bank's involvement in the fraudulent Malaysian investment fund.", "Josh Quigley, from Livingston, suffered multiple fractures after coming off his bike at 40mph while training in Dubai.", "The “phased” lifting of restrictions will depend on data on hospitalisations, deaths and vaccinations.", "The government faces legal action over its decision to allow the use of a pesticide that harms bees.", "UK residents can apply for the new card to access emergency medical care when their EHIC card runs out.", "Khairi Saadallah murdered three friends in a Reading park in a \"ruthless and brutal” terror attack.", "Cardiff City defender Sol Bamba is undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer, the Championship club has announced", "County Mayo man howls with laughter while trying to record a birthday message for his son.", "Derbyshire Police apologises to two women fined £200 for driving five miles for a countryside walk.", "New Covid curbs are necessary but they will hit the economy, Chancellor Rishi Sunak warns.", "Thousands of National Guard troops are being deployed to bolster security in Washington DC.", "Dutch TV films officials confiscating ham sandwiches from UK drivers under new food import rules.", "Unison chooses Christina McAnea to replace Dave Prentis, who has been in the job for 20 years.", "Health Secretary Matt Hancock says 2.3 million people in the UK have now had a Covid-19 vaccine dose.", "James Brokenshire will take leave from his Home Office job during further surgery for lung cancer.", "Medical director warns Wrexham Maelor is under huge pressure as numbers of seriously ill patients rise.", "It said there may be \"an increase of missing items and substitutions over the next few weeks\".", "The new Welsh Government vaccine plan says all eligible adults will be offered a jab by the autumn.", "M&S is buying the brand out of administration, but not Jaeger's scores of shops and concessions.", "University of Surrey tests for BBC News found no evidence of any effect.", "The decision follows a rise in cases across the emirates in the past week, officials say.", "A document advises doctors that the minimum level of oxygen required in the blood is being reduced.", "Scotland's first minister says she has doubts about whether Celtic's trip to Dubai was \"really essential\".", "\"Numbers are increasing not decreasing\" - inside an emergency body storage facility in Surrey.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning.", "Three people were arrested during an anti-lockdown protest, including the woman seen in the video.", "A number of Scottish schools, pupils and parents report Microsoft Teams running slowly or not at all.", "People who cannot work from home should be prioritised for rapid tests in England, the government says.", "Luke Evans portrays the policeman who brought John Cooper to justice for two double murders.", "Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the NHS is under \"very serious pressure\" and warns people to stay home.", "Extra measures are taken to distribute Covid vaccines amid fears the snow could turn to ice.", "Crawley Town produce one of the FA Cup third round's most emphatic upsets as they stun Premier League side Leeds United.", "As countries look to quickly vaccinate people, BBC reporters explain what's happening across Europe.", "There are concerns the new variant may spread too easily to be controlled by lockdown.", "Manchester United will host Premier League champions Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup.", "Seven mass vaccination centres have opened across England to help deliver the Coronavirus vaccine.", "A study finds that the financial burden on poorer families has increased during the pandemic.", "The much-loved TV series is back with a new name but only three of the original four leads will star.", "The government says a draft agreement saying flat owners need its approval first is \"standard\".", "An industry group wants more state help for people like Jon Wilding, whose business is hit by the pandemic.", "Kitchen robots, new TVs, smart masks and a toilet that analyses your poo are among the new products.", "Doctors at the hospital say they're treating more younger patients than in the first wave.", "Boris Johnson was spotted at the Olympic Park on Sunday, despite government advice to \"stay local\".", "Nicola Sturgeon acknowledges technical problems on the first day the vast majority of pupils in Scotland begin the new term at home.", "About 560,000 people will have been vaccinated by the beginning of next month, the health secretary says.", "He wants businesses to do more to protect the planet as he marks 50 years of environmental campaigning.", "It comes after a Celtic player tested positive less than 48 hours after the squad returned from a training trip there.", "People refusing to wear face coverings who are not medically exempt will not be allowed to shop inside.", "Increasing numbers of seriously-ill patients add to the pressure facing Scotland's health service.", "Celtic's only regret about their Dubai trip was Chris Jullien contracting Covid-19, said coach Gavin Strachan, after the draw with Hibernian.", "Details and reaction to Health Minister Vaughan Gething's vaccination rollout plan.", "Justice Secretary Robert Buckland says too many abusers' sentences are not tough enough.", "Lisa Montgomery's lawyers argued she was a mentally ill victim of abuse who deserved mercy, but her victim's community said otherwise.", "A \"significant step-up\" in rolling out vaccines is promised by the health minister.", "The Labour leader calls for tougher coronavirus restrictions and says help for low earners must continue.", "The social network has hit back asking a federal judge to order it to be reinstated.", "Two landslides hit the same village in Indonesia within hours, leaving emergency teams trapped.", "The content will not count in a mobile data allowance to help keep costs of online learning down.", "Patients, many shielding, have been offered appointments miles away from their homes.", "The health secretary says UK vaccine rollout is on track but urges everyone to play their part by following Covid rules.", "The warning from England's chief medical officer comes as seven mass vaccination centres open.", "Joe Biden's presidential Twitter account launches with no followers transferred from President Trump.", "Some areas could see freezing temperatures and 5-10cm of snow on Saturday, the Met Office says.", "The Daily Telegraph must publish a correction over Covid claims, press regulator Ipso rules.", "Police and rail bosses condemn a social media post featuring a car parked on a level crossing.", "A negative test had been due to be required from Friday, but ministers said people needed time to prepare.", "Post-primary schools get extra time to decide how they will admit pupils after transfer tests are cancelled.", "Plastic surgeons express shock at the stabbing of \"highly respected\" Graeme Perks in his home.", "Red tape plus a \"poor\" Brexit deal mean fishermen fear for the future, says an industry body.", "A selection of your pictures of Scotland sent in between 8 and 15 January.", "In one health board, 30% of four and five-year-olds are overweight or obese.", "The couple, who both have coronavirus, were given \"precious\" time together, their daughter says.", "Even experienced exporters are struggling with the system, says the British Meat Processor Association.", "Details and reaction as First Minister Mark Drakeford promises more protection to shop workers.", "It comes after reports that protections including the 48-hour work week could be dropped.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday morning.", "Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the action is needed to protect against the risk of new Covid strains.", "He helped kick-start punk and new wave, and was an influence on the Sex Pistols and Guns N' Roses.", "Move follows concern over a new Covid variant which an expert says has already been found in the UK.", "Statistics agency Nisra says 145 deaths were registered last week, bringing its pandemic total to 1,976.", "The show of military strength comes days before the inauguration of Joe Biden as US president.", "Craig Ross was quoted as saying food bank users were \"far from starving\" and more at risk of diabetes.", "The Home Office says it is working to \"assess the impact\" of the issue, which has been resolved.", "Homes worry about being sued if people contract the virus while they are staying there.", "Richard Sharp says the BBC represents good value, but how it is funded \"may be worth reassessing\".", "Scientists warn UK deaths will continue to rise as the global death toll passes two million.", "Coronavirus restrictions in England affected services, with pubs and hairdressers badly hit.", "Antonio says he felt he was discriminated against because of his skin colour when he was sectioned.", "Reports from Manaus say medical staff are begging for help in a critical situation due to Covid-19.", "The NHS fears some communities are being targeted with misinformation, a leading doctor says.", "Replacement exam grades are likely to arrive earlier and be decided by teachers and a test.", "Donations of plasma from people who have recovered from the virus have been suspended.", "A variant that is thought to be more infectious has not been found in the UK, scientist says.", "A letter from police chiefs also says 213,000 records were lost - more than first thought.", "Pharmacist Llyr Hughes said 50 patients would be given the Covid vaccine at his pharmacy on Friday.", "The R number in the UK is officially estimated at 1.2-1.3 as a further 1,280 deaths are reported.", "Hospitals with large critical care capacity are taking patients from other areas to ease pressures.", "The Saved by the Bell actor became ill last week and was taken to hospital.", "Network Rail said a 24m section of side wall fell away from a bridge between Carmont and Stonehaven.", "On Thursday, 16 more deaths related to Covid-19 were recorded along with 973 new positive cases.", "The earthquake struck the island of Sulawesi on Friday, injuring hundreds and destroying a hospital.", "US police held back a mob for hours in a \"barbaric\" battle at the Capitol. Here are their stories.", "A respiratory doctor at the Mater Hospital warns that oxygen supplies are under \"extreme pressure\".", "Wayne Rooney is named as Derby County's new manager, with the ex-England captain also announcing his retirement from playing.", "David Chambers is accused of charging the woman £160 for a bogus jab.", "The footballer joins celebrities and campaigners to call for action in a letter to the prime minister.", "Mr Leonard says it is in the best interests of the party if he stands down as leader immediately.", "The government says the funding will connect \"left-behind\" communities.", "Tens of thousands of people join some of the largest rallies against President Vladimir Putin in years.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Saturday morning.", "It is claimed they were seen drinking on Welsh Parliament premises when a ban on its sale in pubs was in force.", "Campaigners say a government fund to pay for the removal of dangerous cladding is woefully inadequate.", "One says he is surprised Boris Johnson shared the early data when it is \"not particularly strong\".", "It brings the total number of deaths to 97,329.", "Keon Lincoln was attacked by a group of youths in the Handsworth area of Birmingham.", "Police uncover a string of late-night \"incredibly selfish\" parties in Kensington and Chelsea.", "Pressures on intensive care units are seeing one in 10 patients transferred to a different site.", "Photographs of National Guard members sheltering underground spark anger among lawmakers.", "Some elderly people have been told to travel miles to get the jab or face having to wait to get it.", "A shortage of shipping containers, rising costs, and congestion at ports are holding back imports from China.", "Presented as a safe pair of hands, he struggled to make himself heard during tumultuous times.", "Some will enable women to have overnight visits with their children, the Ministry of Justice says.", "Underground investigations are due to begin on Saturday after flooding linked to old mine shaft.", "Booking a jab by following a link in an email meant \"depriving someone else\" of a vaccine, he said.", "Vitinha's superb goal sees Wolves into the fifth round of the FA Cup at the expense of non-league Chorley.", "As the UK rejects £500 Covid pay outs, how are others countries getting people to stick to the rules?", "A study finds the new coronavirus variant is responsible for pushing the R rate above the crucial 1.0 mark.", "Injections are to be delivered at Black Country Living Museum where the series has in part been filmed.", "The vaccination centres temporarily closed in south Wales as a weather warning was extended.", "The popular US broadcaster conducted about 50,000 interviews, from Nelson Mandela to Lady Gaga.", "Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Sri Lanka's health minister, tested positive for Covid on Friday.", "Anybody struggling to get to an appointment will be able to rearrange, a health board says.", "Boris Johnson said he looked forward to \"deepening the longstanding alliance\" between the UK and US.", "NHS staff rally to arrange a wedding for a couple as the groom's condition deteriorates in hospital.", "Evidence suggests the variant that emerged in the UK may be more deadly as well as faster-spreading.", "In the city where the virus first emerged there is now an insistence that it came from elsewhere.", "The chief rabbi has described the event as a \"shameful desecration of all that we hold dear\".", "Delaying second Pfizer doses to give more people their first is \"difficult to justify\", says BMA.", "Inadequate PPE and a new variant may be putting the lives of nurses at risk, says nursing union.", "Manchester City score three times in the last 10 minutes to defeat League Two side Cheltenham and avoid one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup history.", "Thirty-nine Vietnamese migrants suffocated in a sealed container en route to Essex in October 2019.", "Police hold aides to Putin critic Alexei Navalny as opposition activists start a string of rallies.", "Under coronavirus restrictions a maximum of 30 people are meant to attend a funeral.", "Boris Johnson has not ruled out further action to secure the borders amid concerns over Covid variants.", "Worship has been suspended as burials average 15-a-day, yet still there is denial about the disease.", "AstraZeneca is the latest company, after Pfizer, to warn of delivery issues, frustrating officials.", "The UK's chief medical adviser warns that \"a very small change and it could start taking off again\".", "An intensive care doctor says medics are seeing \"unprecedented\" numbers of people dying.", "They were hit while licking freshly laid salt on a road which is a black spot for animal accidents.", "And another 964 people died within 28 days of a positive test, only slightly down on Wednesday's figure.", "Objects are thrown and officers threatened as they break up the New Year's Eve party in Essex.", "As the UK prepares to sever EU ties, Stanley Johnson says he has always regarded himself as French.", "Campaigners say cutting of the 5% VAT rate on tampons and sanitary towels ends a 'sexist' tax.", "Japan's prime minister says the delayed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will go ahead this summer despite concern over rising coronavirus cases.", "Doctors urge public to \"take it seriously\" and follow coronavirus restrictions amid rising cases.", "The British dance band make some of their biggest hits available for the first time.", "The new year celebrations featured a tribute to the NHS and a message from David Attenborough.", "Bishop, who recently tested positive for Covid-19, said boarding the Tardis was \"a dream come true\".", "Joe Anderson says Labour should pick another candidate while he seeks to clear his name.", "Former Manchester United and Scotland manager Tommy Docherty dies at the age of 92 following a long illness.", "The first minister warns Scotland could be entering the most dangerous period since the outbreak began.", "Manchester United move level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool as a Bruno Fernandes penalty seals victory over Aston Villa.", "NHS England says the facility is available to help the capital's hospitals as Covid-19 cases rise.", "The designer of the scene says it is not the first time it has been targeted.", "Several hundred people gathered at Edinburgh Castle despite warnings to stay away.", "Education Secretary Gavin Williamson drops plan to keep primaries open in 10 boroughs in the city.", "Footage is released of the first police-involved death in the US city since George Floyd's in May.", "Staff absences and the new Covid variant are creating a \"challenging situation\", NHS Providers warn.", "A study finds the new coronavirus variant is responsible for pushing the R rate above the crucial 1.0 mark.", "Primary schools in only 10 of London's boroughs are due to reopen next week.", "One of hip-hop's most influential MCs, masked rapper MF Doom died in October, his family confirm.", "It comes as most people heeded warnings to stay home - but police issued fines to those who didn't.", "With a Brexit deal done, we look at the challenges to come at British borders.", "The UK’s new single market is not as big as the country, it now needs to encompass the whole world.", "Some lorries heading for Ireland have already been turned away from Welsh ports over wrong paperwork.", "Health Minister Vaughan Gething urges \"patience\" as the vaccine programme steps up in Wales.", "Nine people are still missing, two days after a hillside collapsed due to flowing clay mud.", "The finance minister had visited the Caribbean while his province is under strict Covid lockdown.", "The UK will now leave a 12-week gap between both parts of the Covid vaccination, rather than 21 days.", "The trade border means most commercial goods entering NI from GB now require a customs declaration.", "Boris Johnson celebrates the \"freedom in our hands\" as the long Brexit process comes to a conclusion.", "Firework displays and some religious rituals go ahead, although Covid mutes celebrations.", "The station will reflect on the world's longest-running serial drama across its output on Friday.", "The deal - yet to become a treaty - enables Spanish workers to continue entering Gibraltar freely.", "Omar Elabdellaoui, who plays for Turkish club Galatasaray, suffers burns and is taken to hospital.", "A new campaign is launched to urge people not to become complacent about the Covid restrictions.", "A total of 1,596 patients are in Scottish hospitals with Covid as pressures on the NHS continue to build.", "Kim Jong-un calls the US his \"biggest enemy\" and says plans for a nuclear submarine are nearly complete.", "Two women were fined £200 after driving five miles to walk around Foremark Reservoir, Derbyshire.", "A self-employed father-of-three calls on UK government to be \"more flexible\" with its Covid support.", "Breakdown of what happened when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol amid a key Senate vote.", "Vincent Kane does not know when his operation will happen, having been delayed due to the pandemic.", "The property investment firm is accused of trying to \"jump the queue\".", "As Covid patients waited at Royal Glamorgan Hospital the nurse had a fear of \"wanting to leave\".", "Advertising campaign warning people not to get complacent comes as 1,325 deaths are recorded in the UK.", "Criticism of new Brexit trade rules is growing as firms warn of more bureaucracy, higher costs and delays.", "The vaccines were administered on Saturday by a household doctor at Windsor Castle, a royal source says.", "The Welsh Government is in discussions with supermarkets about bringing \"more visible\" regulations.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "A record 68,053 cases are also reported as a third vaccine is approved for use in the UK.", "Bernard Thomas was rescued from the rubble of Pantglas primary school on 21 October, 1966.", "The gym owners were given a £1,000 fine after three people were found inside on Friday.", "The friends said they were relieved people would not have to fear being fined for taking a walk.", "Terence Glover \"ploughed\" into a group of children in his car as they were leaving school.", "A timeline of international air crashes from 1998 to the present.", "West Ham manager David Moyes says footballers must not be \"picked on\" for breaching coronavirus guidelines.", "Councillor Kevin Hughes missed his mother's funeral after testing positive for coronavirus.", "US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says contact between officials should no longer be \"shackled\".", "There are concerns the new variant may spread too easily to be controlled by lockdown.", "Apple will also remove the social network from its App Store if it does not change its policies.", "As countries look to quickly vaccinate people, BBC reporters explain what's happening across Europe.", "At least six police vans are deployed to Clapham Common where about 30 protesters gathered.", "Ross Kemp and Christopher Biggins do readings at the funeral of the EastEnders and Carry On actress.", "The farm has been left with over 4,000 surplus eggs after schools suddenly closed to most pupils.", "The Duke of Cambridge says he wants his three children to appreciate sacrifices made during Covid.", "He claims her evidence to an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against him was \"untrue\".", "Thousands more people have taken up fishing during the pandemic, figures show.", "Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove says \"work is ongoing\" to improve trade from GB to NI.", "Meanwhile almost half of people took advantage of Christmas bubble rules, a national survey suggests.", "How Trump's favourite social media site banned him - permanently.", "A London fashion student made the \"social distancing bandeau\" out of a Chiltern Railways seat cover.", "Kelvin Hopkins has previously denied claims by a party activist of inappropriate physical contact.", "He is remembered for the 7 Up documentary series which followed the lives of 14 children since 1964.", "Eva Williams was unable to travel to the United States for treatment due to coronavirus.", "Four deaths are reported as Storm Filomena dumps snow and triggers floods across the country.", "He hopes to beat his own lockdown bulge with his \"Get Buzzin' With Bez\" YouTube classes.", "The new more infectious variant requires tougher measures to control the spread of Covid, say scientists.", "Another 1,035 people have died, taking the total since the start of the pandemic to 80,868.", "The mayor says in some parts of London 1 in 20 people has Covid-19, as he declares a \"major incident\".", "More than 100 cars are turned away from a beauty spot in north Wales, police say.", "The total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test during the pandemic is now above 90,000.", "The convicted murderer and music producer was described as \"talented but flawed\" in an online story.", "Police in Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire say they are expecting flooding in their regions.", "An eyewitness speaks publicly for the first time about the 2015 death of a man being restrained by police.", "Tory rebels hope to get another chance to outlaw trade deals with countries involved in mass killings.", "Lisbet Stone was turned away from her flight to London due to having an outdated Covid test.", "US tariffs on Scotch whisky and cashmere remain in place as UK fails to reach deal with Washington.", "Marion Dawson from Renfrewshire is the third oldest person in Scotland to be given the vaccine.", "Europe is gradually easing lockdown measures ahead of the tourist season.", "People accused of crimes in England and Wales - and alleged victims - wait years for a resolution.", "One person is killed and at least 10 are injured after vehicles collide on the Tohoku Expressway.", "Top medical adviser suggests schools in England may reopen region by region after lockdown.", "The Duchess of Sussex is suing the Mail on Sunday over the publication of her letter to her father.", "But researchers warn there is still a risk of catching and passing the virus on to others again.", "Out of 23,000 professors in UK universities only 155 are black, official figures reveal.", "Court cases face serious delays in the UK and lawyers say more investment in technology would help.", "The government is being scrutinised over trade deals with countries with poor human rights records.", "People who say Boris Johnson does not want Joe Biden as president are \"mistaken\", says Lord Sedwill.", "Police found evidence of sub-standard care at the Caerphilly home, an inquest hears.", "Matt Hancock says he will stay at home and urged others to do the same if \"pinged\" by the app.", "A collection of your tributes to some of the thousands of people in the UK who have died with coronavirus.", "The UK's push to secure a deal over fossil fuels is being undercut by a decision to allow a new coal mine, MPs warn.", "The number of people needing intensive care is expected to continue rising for at least two weeks.", "Ex-Marine John Deacy, 81, died with Covid-19 just two weeks after his last shift at the supermarket.", "Mainland Scotland and some islands to remain under toughest coronavirus rules until at least mid-February.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday evening.", "Labour accuses Kwasi Kwarteng of \"unpicking\" workers' rights, as minister confirms he will review rules.", "The unnamed man lived in Verbier, where the incident happened, police said.", "Boris Johnson promises £23m in compensation for exporters which have lost orders due to delays.", "Many parents struggle to meet their children's needs during the pandemic, say researchers.", "Alex Davies-Jones said \"like so many others\" she put off having a test for months.", "Paul Reid was the first person to reach Saffie-Rose Roussos, eight, after the bomb was detonated.", "Nicola Sturgeon says although there is \"cautious grounds for optimism\" on case numbers, the strictest rules will remain in place.", "Live updates from Trump's last hours in office before Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as president on Wednesday.", "The artwork has been returned to an Italian museum - whose staff were unaware it was missing.", "A survey by consumer group Which? raises concerns over coronavirus leading to more cashless stores.", "Creator of the BBC crime drama says he \"always wanted to end Peaky with a movie\".", "University of Edinburgh scientists are a step closer to being able to reverse the damage caused by MND.", "Tory MPs want Parliament to debate ending trade deals with countries deemed responsible for genocide.", "Orthodox Christians, Putin among them, take an icy dip to commemorate a special day.", "The BBC speaks to Nirmal Purja, from the team of the first climbers to reach the K2 summit in winter.", "The UK has not always \"lived up to its values\" under Boris Johnson, his predecessor Theresa May says.", "Ambulance service staff in London explain the unique pressures of working during a pandemic.", "Pressure grows on PM after non-binding motion on universal credit top-up is passed by 278 votes.", "Are court backlogs creating miscarriages of justice? Helen Grady investigates.", "The Protection of Workers Bill will make it a new specific offence to assault, abuse or threaten Scottish retail staff.", "India pull off an astonishing run-chase to inflict Australia's first defeat at the Gabba since 1988 and take one of the all-time great series.", "The first minister says her statement to MSPs will concern the duration of Scotland's restrictions.", "Some 10% of the UK population is showing signs of recent infection, a doubling since October, says ONS.", "David Urpeth says smart motorways without a hard shoulder carry \"an ongoing risk of future deaths.\"", "A further 1,610 people die with Covid in the UK as Scotland extends its lockdown to mid-February.", "Campaigners are bringing a judicial review for indirect sexual discrimination on Thursday.", "All practices will have their own rollout plan but they have to meet official targets, says GP committee.", "Staff say there was a Covid outbreak after the \"party\" in a shut patisserie at Marylebone station.", "Hackers are selling Depop app account details on the dark web for as little as 77p each online.", "The bank has named the branches that will close between April and September, but aims to avoid redundancies.", "Large parts of northern and central England are expected to face sustained heavy rain from Tuesday.", "The PM leads UK politicians from all parties condemning the riot at the US Capitol building.", "One hospital boss said a two-week \"lag\" meant things could get worse before they get better.", "He wrote 30 novels about relationships and adventures involving young African American characters.", "That includes some of the most vulnerable patients who should soon have \"significant\" protection against the virus.", "He will lead negotiations with the government over the future of the licence fee.", "New 2020 car registrations sink to a 30-year low and see biggest one-year drop since the Second World War", "The bakery chain says it does not expect profits to return to pre-Covid levels until 2022 at the earliest.", "President Trump initially accused China of the hack against US government agencies in December.", "Joe Biden says it is \"totally unacceptable\" police showed more leniency in the Capitol riot than at anti-racism protests.", "All eyes are on the Senate runoff in Georgia, a key race that could help define Biden's presidency.", "Latest figures show more than 90,000 people in Scotland had received a first vaccination by late December.", "But there are fears bottlenecks in the system may hamper how fast NHS can deliver vaccines.", "The 19-year-old suffered life-changing injuries during the \"vicious\" assault in north London.", "Founder Annemarie Plas says the initiative will return on Thursday under the new name of Clap for Heroes.", "The US star says she had \"no idea\" what questions were included in a game bearing her image.", "Gavin Williamson will \"trust in teachers rather than algorithms\" in awarding this year's results.", "The hip-hop star and producer says he is \"doing great\" and \"getting excellent care\".", "A hearing is deciding whether Khairi Saadallah was motivated by a religious or ideological cause.", "The sites, including football stadiums and racecourses, will begin operations next week.", "Staff at one of London's busiest hospitals say it's not going to take much for services to soon break.", "BBC Two and CBBC will show content for primary and secondary pupils to watch without the internet.", "The police officer who the FBI said fired the fatal shot is dismissed for breaching policy.", "The government closed schools to help reduce the virus spread but says nurseries should stay open.", "Investment company Hipgnosis buys a half share of 1,180 songs by the Canadian folk rocker.", "The latest executive order by the US president will only take effect after he has left office.", "Cases have fallen below England's but the new variant is spreading fast, the health minister says.", "As Trump supporters entered the US Capitol building, politicians halted debate inside.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning.", "The US Capitol has gone into lockdown amid violent clashes between police and Trump supporters, who broke security lines and are inside the building.", "The investigators were turned back, with Beijing saying \"there might be some misunderstanding\".", "President Trump and others have made unsubstantiated claims of fraud in two Senate election run-offs.", "US lawmakers and staff are seen wearing protective gas masks as police draw guns on protesters.", "In a TV address, Labour's leader says millions of doses need to be given each week by the end of January.", "One scam tells recipients they are \"eligible to apply for your vaccine\" with a link to a bogus NHS website.", "At Fullwell Cross Medical Centre in north London, they are now vaccinating almost 1,000 people a week.", "Gordon Ramsay remembers late chef Albert Roux as \"the man who installed gastronomy in Britain\".", "The streaming giant is criticised for \"unfortunate\" timing during the new lockdowns.", "Roughly one in 50 people in England has got the virus, Prof Chris Whitty says.", "Details and reaction to a briefing by Wales' chief medical officer and the head of NHS Wales.", "Stores seek to reassure shoppers that there is no need to bulk-buy in new lockdown.", "It's been a \"Herculean achievement\" for Marieme and Ndeye, who survived against the odds.", "A top Chinese scientist addresses claims the coronavirus leaked from her lab in the city of Wuhan.", "The overnight temperature plunged below -12C in the north west Highlands.", "Former Manchester City and England midfielder Colin Bell dies aged 74 after a short illness, the Premier League club announces.", "The Trump administration pushes ahead with first oil lease sales in an Arctic wildlife refuge.", "A driver, who caused a Fife crash that led to his passenger losing her baby, admits causing death by dangerous driving.", "The news comes following confusion after her death was prematurely announced on Monday.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Judge rules he has an incentive to abscond if allowed to leave jail before major appeal hearing.", "Drive-through and delivery services will still be available while it reviews its safety procedures.", "Head teachers warn replacement grades for GCSEs and A-levels must not repeat last year's \"disaster\".", "Leaders from around the world call for peace and a peaceful transfer of power in Washington.", "YouTube says the broadcaster posted banned Covid content, but it has decided to reinstate its channel.", "Poet Helen Mort is calling for a change in the law after images of her were edited with porn.", "Vocational exams such as BTECs are not being cancelled by the lockdown like GCSEs and A-levels.", "The government says it is considering the move to prevent the virus spreading \"across the UK border\".", "Stay-at-home orders are issued in England and Scotland, as UK classrooms face further disruption.", "There are concerns the new variant may spread too easily to be controlled by lockdown.", "The House of Commons approves the government's decision to impose tough restrictions across the country.", "FTSE 100 chiefs will by Wednesday have earned more this year than the average worker's annual wage.", "The BMA in Scotland says it is concerned about the potential impact of delaying the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.", "There will be a \"gradual unwrapping\" of England's lockdown, Boris Johnson tells MPs ahead of a vote later.", "Police say organisers padlocked the door from the inside to stop officers getting in.", "Tributes are paid to Robert Rowland following the accident near his home in the Bahamas.", "The first minister denies claims she knew about harassment allegations earlier than she told parliament.", "The online retailer wants to buy the brands, not their shops, suggesting any deal would cost jobs.", "It's been 10 years since New Zealand's Pike River mine disaster, and families of victims still feel raw.", "Philip Gannaway served in Wales in World War One and his grave lies thousands of miles from home.", "Tens of thousands of people join some of the largest rallies against President Vladimir Putin in years.", "Despite the furlough scheme, employers decided to cut a record number of jobs during 2020.", "The fast fashion retailer is not purchasing the stores or taking on its staff, the BBC understands.", "Ministers are due to meet on Monday to consider whether to tighten the UK's border restrictions further.", "Firms say they have been advised by officials to set up EU hubs, but the government says it is not policy.", "One says he is surprised Boris Johnson shared the early data when it is \"not particularly strong\".", "Pressures on intensive care units are seeing one in 10 patients transferred to a different site.", "Footage shows a police car apparently driving through a group at a street race in Washington state.", "Israel has vaccinated more than a quarter of its population and now high school students are eligible.", "The claim comes after a coroner ruled two deaths on the M1 motorway were avoidable.", "As high risk groups continue to be immunised there are growing concerns that people with learning disabilities have been missed out.", "Ministers are urged to intervene amid rising Covid infection numbers at the Swansea office.", "Booking a jab by following a link in an email meant \"depriving someone else\" of a vaccine, he said.", "Some of those leading the nation's vaccination effort have told of their experiences.", "A study finds the new coronavirus variant is responsible for pushing the R rate above the crucial 1.0 mark.", "The vaccination centres temporarily closed in south Wales as a weather warning was extended.", "A Sunday Times poll shows 51% of people in favour of holding a border poll in NI within five years.", "The popular US broadcaster conducted about 50,000 interviews, from Nelson Mandela to Lady Gaga.", "Entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX company delivers 143 satellites to orbit on a single rocket flight.", "Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Sri Lanka's health minister, tested positive for Covid on Friday.", "Boris Johnson said he looked forward to \"deepening the longstanding alliance\" between the UK and US.", "Keon Lincoln was attacked by a group of youths in the Handsworth area of Birmingham.", "He replaces Paul Davies who quit after drinking alcohol with other politicians in the Senedd.", "Conor McGregor is left stunned on his return to the UFC as Dustin Poirier wins their rematch at UFC 257 by technical knockout.", "The UK health secretary also says the UK has identified 77 cases of the Covid South Africa variant.", "Bruno Fernandes comes off the bench to fire Manchester United past fierce rivals Liverpool in a pulsating FA Cup fourth-round tie.", "Tens of thousands braved a police crackdown to show support for jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.", "Vaccination appointments for over-70s in Scotland will arrive on Monday as planned - but in white envelopes.", "Manchester City score three times in the last 10 minutes to defeat League Two side Cheltenham and avoid one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup history.", "Some guests were found hiding in cupboards when police raided student flats in Birmingham.", "Motorists are urged to take care with sub-zero temperatures forecast into Monday.", "England's deputy chief medical officer urges those who have had the jab to stick to lockdown rules.", "TV footage from China shows the first miner being brought to the surface, as emergency workers applaud.", "The extraordinary life of an American who invited hundreds of thousands to his Paris home for dinner.", "UK residents can apply for the new card to access emergency medical care when their EHIC card runs out.", "County Mayo man howls with laughter while trying to record a birthday message for his son.", "New Covid curbs are necessary but they will hit the economy, Chancellor Rishi Sunak warns.", "Health Secretary Matt Hancock says 2.3 million people in the UK have now had a Covid-19 vaccine dose.", "The Countryfile star will present the Friday and Saturday editions of the BBC Radio 4 programme.", "A 20-year-old man who spent a week in intensive care says many young people are in denial about Covid.", "Home Secretary Priti Patel says the \"horrifying\" death toll underlines the need to follow restrictions.", "Seven mass vaccination centres have opened across England to help deliver the Coronavirus vaccine.", "Kitchen robots, new TVs, smart masks and a toilet that analyses your poo are among the new products.", "Customers will only be able to collect from Waitrose stores following a \"change in tone\" from the government.", "The father of a Reading terror attack victim asks why the killer was not considered a danger.", "Deliveries may be delayed in 28 areas due to \"resourcing issues\", the postal group says.", "Khairi Saadallah murdered three friends in a Reading park in a \"ruthless and brutal” terror attack.", "Anna Wintour hit back at claims that the informal picture downplayed Ms Harris's achievements.", "Investors have agreed a deal to save the chain, along with Ponden Home and Bonmarché.", "Officials say 170 individuals involved in deadly Capitol riots have been identified, and many more will be.", "Scotland's first minister says the current restrictions are \"very unlikely\" to be lifted at the end of the month.", "The celebrated 94-year-old broadcaster is the latest celebrity to have a first dose of the vaccine.", "The decision follows a rise in cases across the emirates in the past week, officials say.", "The Earl of Strathmore attacked a woman in her room during an event he was hosting at Glamis Castle.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "A supermarket worker says door staff are facing abuse when they challenge those not wearing masks.", "The facility at the ExCeL Centre also has the capital's first mass vaccination centre on site.", "Overall, patients are now more likely to survive, but death rates are high in intensive care.", "Earlier this month videos showing supposed empty hospitals were shared on social media.", "A leaked memo warns several Birmingham hospitals risk being \"overwhelmed\" by coronavirus patients.", "Boris Johnson was spotted at the Olympic Park on Sunday, despite government advice to \"stay local\".", "A slump in demand for fashion and homeware during lockdown left many retailers struggling.", "Last year saw 697,000 deaths registered in the UK - 14% above what would be expected.", "Eugene Goodman was hailed for luring a mob away from the Senate - now new heroics have emerged.", "Tweeters query why it has not been given to a prominent Kenyan like actress Lupita Nyong'o.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning.", "People are still holding house parties, raves and gambling gatherings, the UK's most senior police officer says.", "Dutch TV films officials confiscating ham sandwiches from UK drivers under new food import rules.", "The increasing number of staff off work could prevent the NHS Louisa Jordan opening to Covid patients.", "The Northern Lights were visible overnight from Shetland, Moray and the Highlands.", "The manager of a care home says they were promised the jab on New Year's Eve - but none have arrived.", "Downing Street defends the PM, while the Met Police chief says he did not act \"against the law\".", "Fans of the University of Alabama football team gathered in the streets of Tuscaloosa, ignoring social distancing.", "We share the stories of some of the 12,000 people who have died with coronavirus in Scotland.", "There has been speculation over moves to make lockdown stricter, as infection rates remain high.", "Isabella Curry said she now feels safe and will be able to go out and meet friends soon.", "An RAF aircraft breaking the sound barrier causes a loud bang in skies across the East of England.", "Three vaccines have been approved in the UK - what are the differences between them?", "Derbyshire Police apologises to two women fined £200 for driving five miles for a countryside walk.", "Cwm Taf Morgannwg saw the highest number of weekly deaths and the highest number since April.", "More than a third of people using screens more in lockdown reported eyesight changes, a study suggests.", "The home secretary says she will back police to enforce virus rules, as another 1,243 die in the UK.", "New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick turns down Donald Trump's offer, citing the Capitol riots.", "Mohamud Mohammed Hassan was arrested at home on Friday but released without charge on Saturday.", "As countries look to quickly vaccinate people, BBC reporters explain what's happening across Europe.", "Donald Trump made the decision days before Joe Biden, who wants friendlier US-Cuban ties, takes office.", "The laptops and tablets will be delivered to schools in England to support disadvantaged pupils.", "It follows similar moves by Morrisons and Sainsbury's, but those with medical reasons will be exempt.", "Doctors at the hospital say they're treating more younger patients than in the first wave.", "People refusing to wear face coverings who are not medically exempt will not be allowed to shop inside.", "The social network has hit back asking a federal judge to order it to be reinstated.", "Ministers are reluctant to make the rules even tougher at the moment - but would never rule it out.", "A Typhoon aircraft \"safely escorts\" a civilian aircraft to Stansted Airport, an RAF spokesman says.", "Leicester City edge a keenly contested Premier League encounter with Southampton to maintain their push for a top-four place.", "Health and frontline workers are first in line for jabs at vaccination centres across the country.", "The number of incidents reported to the child safeguarding panel in England rose by a quarter.", "Some areas could see freezing temperatures and 5-10cm of snow on Saturday, the Met Office says.", "CBBC star's mother, Lucy Lyndhurst, says his death has had a \"catastrophic effect\" on their family.", "Sea port managers fear the shift may be part of a long-term trend to ship from the Irish Republic.", "A critical engine test for Nasa's new \"megarocket\" - the Space Launch System (SLS) - ends early.", "Heavy rain is causing flooding and travel disruption, with a warning for ice also forecast.", "Douglas Jones had been enjoying his dream job before the pandemic forced him to return home to southern Scotland.", "Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Joanna Lumley speak out about employees allegedly owed a total of £200,000.", "The Daily Telegraph must publish a correction over Covid claims, press regulator Ipso rules.", "Plastic surgeons express shock at the stabbing of \"highly respected\" Graeme Perks in his home.", "The UK prime minister wants girls' education in developing countries to be a key international focus.", "Everyone has heard about doctors and nurses catching Covid-19 but cleaners and porters have been worse hit.", "Health groups say NHS staff fear prosecution over decisions if hospitals are overwhelmed.", "Red tape plus a \"poor\" Brexit deal mean fishermen fear for the future, says an industry body.", "Louis Godwin, 95, said he was \"so pleased\" to get his Covid-19 vaccination at Salisbury Cathedral.", "People in parts of eastern England woke to a thick covering of snow on Saturday morning.", "Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the action is needed to protect against the risk of new Covid strains.", "Prime Minister Jean Castex said the measures would be in place for at least 15 days.", "Statistics agency Nisra says 145 deaths were registered last week, bringing its pandemic total to 1,976.", "Holiday firms are expecting a \"bumper year\" once lockdown restrictions are lifted.", "As the UK records its highest death toll, Fergal Keane has been to see the strain the NHS is under for the second time.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Saturday.", "The latest UK government data also shows a further 1,295 deaths with 28 days of a positive test.", "Lahiru Thirimanne's unbeaten 76 frustrates England as a spirited Sri Lanka rally on the third day of the first Test in Galle.", "The Gerry and the Pacemakers singer died from a blood infection at the age of 78.", "Hundreds of thousands of DNA and arrest records were deleted after a human error, the Home Office says.", "Centrist Armin Laschet is now in a good position to succeed Angela Merkel as Germany's chancellor.", "Health officials warn the highly contagious UK Covid variant could become the dominant strain in the US by March.", "Replacement exam grades are likely to arrive earlier and be decided by teachers and a test.", "Donations of plasma from people who have recovered from the virus have been suspended.", "Prince William says he \"really worries\" about the effect of the pandemic on front-line workers.", "A letter from police chiefs also says 213,000 records were lost - more than first thought.", "Network Rail said a 24m section of side wall fell away from a bridge between Carmont and Stonehaven.", "US police held back a mob for hours in a \"barbaric\" battle at the Capitol. Here are their stories.", "David Chambers is accused of charging the woman £160 for a bogus jab.", "A Belfast mother says there is \"compelling evidence\" that her daughter was abducted in Malaysia.", "Mount Semeru has erupted, pouring volcanic matter miles into the air and placing locals on alert.", "The latest death and case figures should be a \"bitter warning for us all\", Public Health England says.", "The total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test during the pandemic is now above 90,000.", "At least three people have died in a suspected gas blast that destroyed four floors of a building.", "Police in Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire say they are expecting flooding in their regions.", "Some 1,820 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours - surpassing yesterday's previous high.", "The package will also see police target dealers and health services help people with addictions.", "Congratulating Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the PM said it was a \"big moment\" for the UK and US.", "Marion Dawson from Renfrewshire is the third oldest person in Scotland to be given the vaccine.", "Boris Johnson faced questions on the UK's border policy, and the deletion of police records.", "The Duchess of Sussex is suing the Mail on Sunday over the publication of her letter to her father.", "There has been a fourfold increase in mortgage products for those offering a 10% deposit.", "The president responds to reports he is considering presidential pardons over alleged Russia collusion.", "Doris Hobday's family say they are \"totally heartbroken\" to lose her in this way.", "The big social networks are clamping down on threats of violence amid a tense wait for results.", "Some of the UK's biggest music stars sign an open letter demanding action over post-Brexit touring.", "The President-elect has a laundry list of priorities for his first 100 days in the White House.", "A collection of your tributes to some of the thousands of people in the UK who have died with coronavirus.", "The riots of 6 January took many by surprise, but to those tracking conspiracy and extreme right groups online, the warning signs were all there.", "Mainland Scotland and some islands to remain under toughest coronavirus rules until at least mid-February.", "Taking down pictures and clearing out desks is part of a huge operation readying for a new president.", "Labour accuses Kwasi Kwarteng of \"unpicking\" workers' rights, as minister confirms he will review rules.", "'This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge' - the new president knows how daunting his task is.", "Holidaymakers in 2021 must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the travel firm says.", "Boris Johnson calls it an \"outrageous\" error which officers are working \"round the clock\" to rectify.", "The new president is sworn into office by Chief Justice John G Roberts.", "The 22-year-old from LA is the youngest poet to perform at a presidential inauguration.", "Kamala Harris makes history as she is sworn in as US vice-president.", "Delays to smear tests in lockdown prompt cervical cancer charities to call for home-testing kits.", "It comes as industry workers warn their livelihoods are at risk due to Brexit border problems.", "Nine Met Police officers who broke lockdown rules have been asked to \"reflect on their choices\".", "Paul Pogba scores a superb winner as Manchester United reclaim top spot in the Premier League by coming from behind for a club-record equalling away win at Fulham.", "'This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge'. Read the 46th president's address in full.", "Online audiences for singalongs in the Llangollen church have \"exploded\", Father Lee Taylor says.", "Out-of-date tax systems mean people are falling through the cracks for help, MPs say.", "Orthodox Christians, Putin among them, take an icy dip to commemorate a special day.", "The ex-government adviser said the Tories would be seen as the \"nasty party\" by ending the top-up.", "They are all laughing at the camera, but what are the stories of the women next to Kamala Harris?", "More than 2,000 properties in Manchester are affected as police warn some occupants will have Covid.", "Services and waiting times must improve at the NHS's child gender-identity service, inspectors say.", "A further 1,820 people die in the UK within 28 days of a positive test - another all-time high.", "The UK has not always \"lived up to its values\" under Boris Johnson, his predecessor Theresa May says.", "The role of a president's inaugural cabinet goes beyond just policy - let's take a closer look.", "The body of Joy Morgan was found two months after a man was convicted of her murder.", "From \"the best talent in politics\" to \"Sloppy Steve\" and fraud charges - what went wrong for Steve Bannon?", "The Protection of Workers Bill will make it a new specific offence to assault, abuse or threaten Scottish retail staff.", "Donald Trump won a surprise victory in 2016 partly because he promised to shake things up. And boy, did he.", "The health minister asks the Ministry of Defence to help out, primarily at a number of hospitals.", "A National Audit Office report calls on the corporation to produce \"a long-term financial plan\".", "The last four years have been a whirlwind - we asked the experts to break down Trump's key moments.", "More work is needed to understand its benefits in schools in England given the new variant, health officials say.", "The BBC's James Cook returns to Monklands Hospital eight months on to find the staff struggling against the odds.", "President Biden inked 15 executive orders, moving to rejoin the Paris climate accord.", "His most famous Discworld novels were written in the house in Somerset, the estate agent says.", "Police say the van \"careered\" off the road and the man was rescued from the overturned vehicle.", "President Biden has said that democracy and 'freedom' are at stake in the upcoming 2024 election.", "All practices will have their own rollout plan but they have to meet official targets, says GP committee.", "The Duchess of Sussex is suing the Mail on Sunday over the publication of a letter to her father.", "Members of our voter panel all wish Joe Biden well, but they're divided over his chances of success.", "As Donald Trump prepares to leave office, here are some of the key moments of his presidency.", "A tearful President-elect Joe Biden says goodbye to his home state on the eve of his inauguration.", "Joe Biden makes his inaugural address as the 46th president of the United States.", "Parts of England prepare for widespread floods as Boris Johnson announces emergency Cobra meeting.", "Images from Joe Biden's swearing-in and first day as the 46th US President.", "The cupped clap of a butterfly's wings may be the key to their flying abilities and their survival.", "Relegation-threatened Fulham lose some of the momentum built up by their win at Everton but show battling qualities to claim a point at Burnley.", "The medical journal's editor says UK guidelines don't recommend giving different coronavirus jabs.", "They were hit while licking freshly laid salt on a road which is a black spot for animal accidents.", "Objects are thrown and officers threatened as they break up the New Year's Eve party in Essex.", "Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is named Paris St-Germain boss following Thomas Tuchel's sacking.", "People driving to visit beauty spots in Wales are breaking Covid rules, a Snowdonia park warden says.", "The first doses of the latest coronavirus vaccination to be approved are due to be given on Monday.", "Japan's prime minister says the delayed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will go ahead this summer despite concern over rising coronavirus cases.", "Doctors urge public to \"take it seriously\" and follow coronavirus restrictions amid rising cases.", "Bishop, who recently tested positive for Covid-19, said boarding the Tardis was \"a dream come true\".", "Arsenal continue their Premier League resurgence with a ruthless victory over strugglers West Brom at The Hawthorns.", "Manchester United move level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool as a Bruno Fernandes penalty seals victory over Aston Villa.", "NHS England says the facility is available to help the capital's hospitals as Covid-19 cases rise.", "New detectorist Owen Thomas says \"the link with a life that's gone\" appeals to him.", "Just one ticket matched all seven numbers in the New Year's Day draw.", "A court has ruled that Lisa Montgomery can be executed on 12 January, despite appeals from lawyers.", "A last-ditch attempt to overturn the result is overturned, days before the White House changes hands.", "Education Secretary Gavin Williamson drops plan to keep primaries open in 10 boroughs in the city.", "Footage is released of the first police-involved death in the US city since George Floyd's in May.", "The New Year's Eve event, held in a warehouse in a village in Brittany, was shut down on Saturday.", "Volunteers at All Saints Church in East Horndon have praised those who donated £8,700 for repairs.", "A study finds the new coronavirus variant is responsible for pushing the R rate above the crucial 1.0 mark.", "Amanda Quinn, diagnosed with rapid early onset dementia, says lockdown has been a \"scary\" time.", "Up to 300 people gather in London's Hyde Park to protest at Covid-19 restrictions.", "Nine people are still missing, two days after a hillside collapsed due to flowing clay mud.", "It comes as a further 57,725 people test positive for the virus, a new daily high.", "Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho says he is \"disappointed\" after three of his players breached coronavirus rules by attending a party over Christmas.", "The frontman, who found success with songs such as Summer in Dublin, \"passed away suddenly\" aged 65.", "The cryptocurrency's gain so far this year was almost $5,000 - after the value surged 300% in 2020.", "The government said soldiers had been sent to protect the area, close to Niger's border with Mali.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC."], "section": ["Europe", "UK Politics", "Europe", "UK Politics", "Northern Ireland", "Family & Education", "Business", "UK", "Glasgow & West Scotland", "In Pictures", "Family & Education", "Manchester", "Health", "Birmingham & Black Country", "Business", "Wales", "South Scotland", "Northern Ireland", "Entertainment & Arts", "UK", "US & Canada", "Business", "Entertainment & Arts", "US & Canada", "Health", "Northern Ireland", "Manchester", "UK", "Business", "Wales", null, "US & Canada", "UK", "Northern Ireland", "Business", "US & Canada", "Northern Ireland", "Wales", "Business", null, "US & Canada", "England", "UK", "UK", "US & Canada", "Northern Ireland", "Wales", "Somerset", "US & Canada", "Bristol", "Northern Ireland", "Science & Environment", "UK", "Northern Ireland", "UK", "Business", null, "Kent", "In Pictures", "Wales", null, "Family & Education", "UK", 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Video footage showed the aftermath of the deadly explosion\n\nAt least three people have died following an explosion that caused a building to partially collapse in centre of the Spanish capital, Madrid.\n\nA fourth person was missing and several others were hurt, officials said.\n\nCity officials said the blast, which destroyed four floors of the building, had been caused by a gas leak.\n\nMayor José Luis Martínez Almeida told reporters after the blast that a fire was raging inside the building, which belongs to the Catholic Church.\n\nThe blast happened shortly before 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) as gas workers were repairing a boiler at the back of the building in the central Puerta de Toledo area of Madrid.\n\nAn 85-year-old woman passer-by and two men were killed while a third man who had been working on the boiler was missing, Spanish media reported. One of the injured was in a serious condition and taken to hospital, according to officials.\n\nSpanish reports said the upper floors affected were being used to house local priests.\n\nRescue workers evacuated more than 50 people from a care home next-door to the building in Caille de Toledo, but a school on the other side was closed at the time of the blast.\n\nFour floors of the building were destroyed in the explosion, which could be heard in many areas of Madrid. Images shared on social media showed billowing smoke and debris strewn along the street.\n\nEmergency services said nine fire crews and 11 ambulances were at the scene and some of those caught up in the blast were treated on the street.\n\nFour floors of the building were destroyed in the explosion\n\nPolice officers cleared the area, closing it to all traffic and pedestrians, and appealed to local residents not to come near.\n\n\"The noise was very loud, very loud, really,\" Lorenzo Fomento, who was working from home at a nearby apartment, told AFP news agency. \"I never heard anything so loud before,\" he added.\n\nThe director of the nursing home, Antonio Berlanga, said all the elderly residents were fine and places were being found for them to spend the night.", "The EU has maintained its diplomatic mission in the UK after Brexit\n\nA diplomatic row has broken out between the UK and EU over the status of the bloc's ambassador in London.\n\nThe UK is refusing to give Joao Vale de Almeida the full diplomatic status that is granted to other ambassadors.\n\nThe Foreign Office is insisting he and his officials should not have the privileges and immunities afforded to diplomats under the Vienna Convention.\n\nIt is understood not to want to set a precedent by treating an international body in the same way as a nation state.\n\nAs it stands, the ambassador would not have the chance to present his credentials to the Queen like other diplomatic heads of mission.\n\nThe British decision is in marked contrast to 142 other countries around the world where the EU has delegations and where its ambassadors are all granted the same status as diplomats representing sovereign nations.\n\nJosep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, has written to the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, to express his \"serious concerns\".\n\nThe issue is expected to be discussed by EU foreign ministers next Monday when they meet for the first time since the post-Brexit transition period ended on 31 December.\n\nThe Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office wants to treat the EU delegation only as representatives of an international organisation.\n\nThis means EU diplomats would not have the full protection of the Vienna Convention, giving them immunity from detention, criminal jurisdiction and taxation.\n\nThe rights given to staff of international organisations are more ad hoc and less fixed.\n\nThe EU argues it is not a typical international organisation because it has its own currency, judicial system and the power to make law.\n\nIn his letter to Mr Raab last November, seen by the BBC, Mr Borrell says: \"Your service have sent us a draft proposal for an establishment agreement about which we have serious concerns.\n\nAmbassadors of nation states have certain privileges - including being able to present their credentials to the Queen\n\n\"The arrangements offered do not reflect the specific character of the EU, nor do they respond to the future relationship between the EU and the UK as an important third country.\n\n\"It would not grant the customary privileges and immunities for the delegation and its staff. The proposals do not constitute a reasonable basis for reaching an agreement.\"\n\nEU officials privately accuse the Foreign Office of hypocrisy because when the EU's foreign service - known as the External Action Service - was set up in 2010 as a result of the Lisbon Treaty, the UK signed up to proposals that EU diplomats be granted the \"privileges and immunities equivalent to those referred to in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 18 April 1961\".\n\nOne EU source said: \"It seems petty. This is not about privileges, it's about principle. What does it say about the UK, about how much the British signature is worth?\"\n\nSome in the EU also fear hostile states might copy the UK and downgrade the protections granted to EU diplomats in their own countries. This could open them up to being harassed and make them easier for them to be expelled.\n\nA European Commission spokesman said: \"The UK, as a signatory to the Lisbon Treaty, is well aware of the EU's status in external relations, and was cognisant and supportive of this status while it was a member of the EU.\n\n\"The EU has 143 delegations, equivalent to diplomatic missions, around the world. Without exception, all host states have accepted to grant these delegations and their staff a status equivalent to that of diplomatic missions of states under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and the UK is well aware of this fact.\"\n\nHe added: \"Nothing has changed since the UK's exit from the European Union to justify any change in stance on the UK's part.\n\n\"The EU's status in external relations and its subsequent diplomatic status is amply recognised by countries and international organisations around the world, and we expect the United Kingdom to treat the EU Delegation accordingly and without delay.\"\n\nA Foreign Office spokesperson said: \"Engagement continues with the EU on the long-term arrangements for the EU delegation to the UK. While discussions are still ongoing, it would not be appropriate for us to speculate on the detail of an eventual agreement.\"", "\"You need to take care of each other,\" President Macron told students in Paris\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron has promised all university students two meals a day for one euro (88p; $1.21) to help them cope during lockdown.\n\n\"We must be able to provide better support,\" he said at a meeting with students in Paris on Thursday.\n\nIt follows protests in which students called for more help to tackle loneliness and financial problems.\n\nFrance is currently under a 18:00-06:00 curfew, and coronavirus cases have risen steadily in recent weeks.\n\nMr Macron, who addressed students at Paris-Saclay university, also said the government would provide subsidies to pay for counselling and other mental health services.\n\nThe subsidies would take the form of a voucher which students can redeem if they feel the need to talk to a mental health professional, the president said.\n\nHe added that the discounted meals would be available from university canteens and other nearby outlets that are providing takeaways.\n\n\"We remain in a period of uncertainty,\" Mr Macron said. \"We will have a second semester that will have the virus and a lot of constraints.\"\n\n\"You need to take care of each other,\" he added.\n\nThe president spoke a day after students took to the streets to demand more attention from the government. They sought to raise awareness of the rising mental health problems many say they are suffering as a result of the pandemic.\n\nA combination of isolation, inactivity and concerns about the job market has left many students close to breakdown, according to university psychologists.\n\nRyan Kennedy says the French government is failing to take student issues seriously\n\n\"I've lived alone in a studio apartment since September - it's the first time I've ever lived alone,\" Ryan Kennedy, a 19-year-old law student in Montpellier, told the BBC.\n\nHe added: \"Not a day goes by without a friend calling me because they're struggling with their mental health.\"\n\nHeïdi Soupault, a political science student from Strasbourg, sent a letter to Mr Macron last week. \"I no longer have dreams,\" she said. \"If we have no hope or prospects for the future at 19, what do we have left?\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"Our mental health goes downhill in situations like this.\"\n\nMany of the protesting students are calling for a return to face-to-face teaching. Some first-year students will be able to return to the classroom from 25 January.\n\nBut, on Thursday, Mr Macron said all students should be allowed on campus once a week providing certain measures are in place.\n\n\"Given what your generation has already gone through, we cannot but take into account your right to some on-site presence, to exchange with your teachers, and to meet with other students,\" he said.\n\nFrance has had a curfew in place since December, but this was tightened on 16 January to the current hours of 18:00-06:00.\n\nBars, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and ski resorts remain shut. Schools, however, are open with extra testing in place.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Johnson: \"It's a big moment for us - we have things we want to do together.\"\n\nThe inauguration of President Joe Biden is a \"step forward\" for the United States, which has \"been through a bumpy period\", Boris Johnson has said.\n\nCongratulating Mr Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, the UK PM said it was a \"big moment\" for the UK and the US and their \"joint common agenda\".\n\nMr Johnson said he looked forward to working with the US on tackling climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nMaking his inaugural address, Mr Biden said \"democracy has prevailed\".\n\nHe promised to be a president \"for all Americans\" and said his \"whole soul is in putting America back together again\".\n\nOutgoing President Donald Trump, who has not formally conceded to Mr Biden, did not attend the ceremony.\n\nPresident Biden began work straight away on reversing a number of his predecessor's policies, including rejoining the Paris climate change agreement - gaining the praise of Mr Johnson.\n\nThe PM tweeted it was \"hugely positive news\", adding: \"I look forward to working with our US partners to do all we can to safeguard our planet.\"\n\nEarlier this week the former head of the civil service Lord Sedwill suggested Mr Johnson would be glad Mr Trump had not been re-elected for a second term as US president.\n\nWriting in the Daily Mail, Lord Sedwill said those who believed Boris Johnson would have preferred Mr Trump to win again were \"mistaken\".\n\nThe former cabinet secretary - who stepped down in September - said a second term for Mr Trump \"would not have been to the benefit of British or European security, to transatlantic trade, let alone the environmental agenda to which the prime minister is so committed\".\n\nBoris Johnson with Donald Trump at the G7 summit in 2019\n\nMr Johnson's public stance toward the former president has varied over the years.\n\nIn 2015, when he was Mayor of London, Mr Johnson accused Mr Trump of \"stupefying ignorance\" over his comments about violence in the city.\n\nBut as foreign secretary, following Mr Trump's election as president, he said there was a \"lot to be positive about\", and in 2019, praised his \"many good qualities\".\n\nFor his part, Mr Trump has appeared largely supportive of Mr Johnson, backing his flagship Brexit policy and at one point saying of the British PM: \"They call him Britain Trump.\"\n\nAnd echoing his predecessor, in 2019 Mr Biden described the UK prime minister as a \"physical and emotional clone\" of Mr Trump.\n\nAfter winning the presidential election Mr Biden phoned Mr Johnson ahead of other European leaders and expressed his desire to strengthen the historic \"special relationship\" between the two countries.\n\nSpeaking on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said it was the job of all UK prime ministers to have a \"good, close working relationship\" with US presidents but, right now, there were many things the two countries \"wanted to do together\".\n\n\"When you look at the issues which unite me and Joe Biden, the UK and the US right now, there is a fantastic joint common agenda,\" he said. \"For us and America, it is a big moment.\"\n\nHe said he hoped the UK could help the US commit to a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in the run up to the climate change conference COP 26, to be held in Glasgow this year.\n\nUK prime ministers like to consider American presidents as their best diplomatic friend.\n\nThat relationship, particularly when it comes to security and defence, is unusually close.\n\nWhen, as with Donald Trump, that friend has been unpredictable and unconventional, that has made for some very awkward political moments.\n\nSo for the government, this a really important and positive turning of the page.\n\nThe terribly over-used phrase the 'special relationship', which provokes neurotic behaviour on this side of the Atlantic, has meant the most when there has been a genuine personal chemistry between the two leaders - whether Thatcher and Reagan, or Bush and Blair.\n\nThere is nothing automatic about Mr Biden and Mr Johnson developing that kind of political friendship.\n\nBut in the words of one former senior minister, for the UK Biden means \"we will lose exclusivity but gain predictability: easier to work with, less cringeworthy and more dependable, but we may not be the only girlfriend on speed dial\".\n\nSpeaking to the Guardian, shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy described Mr Biden as \"a woke guy\".\n\nAsked if he agreed, Mr Johnson said: \"I can't comment on that. What I know is that he's a firm believer in the transatlantic alliance and that's a great thing.\"\n\nHe added that there was \"nothing wrong with being woke - I put myself in the category of people who believe that it's important to stick up for your history, your traditions and your values, the things you believe in.\"\n\nOpposition leader Sir Keir Starmer also sent his congratulations to the new president and vice-president.\n\n\"The US begins a new chapter in its history, one of hope, decency, compassion and strength,\" the Labour leader said, adding \"together, our two nations can build a better, more optimistic future for our world.\"\n\nAnd First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: \"Warm congratulations and best wishes to President Biden and Vice President Harris.\n\n\"Scotland and the USA share long-standing bonds of friendship and co-operation. We look forward to building on these in the years ahead.\"\n\nWriting in the Daily Mail, former UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Mr Biden's election presented the UK with a \"golden opportunity\" for Western democracies to reverse the trend towards \"absolutism\" - and a \"few strongmen facing off against each other\" - in global affairs.\n\nThe Queen sent a private message to Mr Biden before his inauguration, Buckingham Palace has said.", "Food supply problems into Northern Ireland from Great Britain are \"clearly a Brexit issue\", Ireland's foreign affairs minister has said.\n\nSimon Coveney said the shortages were \"part of the reality\" of the UK leaving the EU.\n\n\"Let's not pretend Brexit doesn't force that kind of change,\" he said, speaking on ITV's Peston programme\n\nOn Tuesday, the NI secretary said images of empty supermarket shelves had \"nothing to do with the protocol\".\n\nRather, Brandon Lewis argued the disruption caused by coronavirus before Christmas was responsible for the shortages of some food products.\n\nThe Northern Ireland Protocol between the UK and the EU requires health certifications on animal-based food products entering NI from the rest of the UK.\n\nMr Coveney said it meant \"very real change\" for some businesses, as there now had to be a \"certain number of checks\" on goods from Britain into Northern Ireland.\n\nHe said that some companies were not ready for this.\n\nMr Coveney said the Republic of Ireland would work with the UK and EU to \"make sure\" supermarket shelves were not empty in the future.\n\nHe said the Brexit divorce deal agreed with the EU by then-prime minister Theresa May would have caused less separation from Northern Ireland from the UK.\n\nAsked about Mr Coveney's comments, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the disruption had been \"down to both\" Covid and Brexit - but defended the situation.\n\nSpeaking on the Peston programme she said \"there was always going to be a period of adjustment for businesses\" and \"we are now seeing a more rapid flow of goods into Northern Ireland those supermarket shelves are being stocked\".\n\nMs Truss said the government would continue to support businesses, and that \"predictions of Armageddon haven't happened\".", "The education secretary has said he would \"certainly hope\" schools in England could reopen before Easter.\n\nGavin Williamson said he was \"not able to exactly say\" when pupils would go back but schools would be given two weeks' notice before reopening.\n\nPrimary and secondary schools remain closed, apart from to vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers.\n\nDowning Street said the prime minister wanted schools to open as quickly as possible but would follow the evidence.\n\n\"If we can open them up before Easter then we obviously will do but that is determined by the latest scientific evidence and data,\" the prime minister's official spokesman said.\n\nThe Downing Street spokesman was also less specific about the promise of two weeks' notice, saying: \"We want to give schools as much notice as possible.\"\n\nSchools have been closed to most pupils so far this term, with primary schools closing after one day back, in response to rising Covid levels.\n\nPupils have been told they will be learning at home until at least half-term in mid-February.\n\nBut Mr Williamson was pressed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme whether he could guarantee that schools would reopen at all this term, before the Easter holidays.\n\n\"I want to see them, as soon as the scientific and health advice is there, open at the earliest possible stage - and I certainly hope that would be certainly before Easter,\" said the education secretary, who's responsible for schools in England.\n\nHe said schools and parents would have \"absolutely proper notice\" of when children were going to return, which he said would be a \"clear two weeks\" for teachers and families to get ready.\n\nA lesson from the first lockdown was that it's much harder to reopen schools than to close them.\n\nParents and teachers have to be persuaded again it's safe to go back, families need advance notice to plan their work and childcare, schools need to organise their staffing.\n\nAnd there are other parents who will be pushing for schools to go back as soon as possible, in addition to the vulnerable and key workers' children already attending.\n\nFor Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, already under pressure, it means a high-stakes balancing act - and it clearly remains uncertain whether this will happen for all schools before the Easter holidays.\n\nWhat seems likely, from Mr Williamson and England's deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries, is that this could be a patchwork return beginning after half-term, rather than a single starting date, depending on local levels of the virus.\n\nThe biggest teachers' union, the National Education Union, said schools and parents needed certainty and not a \"stop-start approach\".\n\nLast week Mr Williamson indicated to the Commons education committee that schools in some parts of the country might stay closed at the end of the lockdown, with a return to the \"contingency\" arrangements, under which schools in areas of high infection would be shut.\n\nOn Tuesday, England's deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries also said schools might reopen region by region in a phased return after half-term.\n\nLabour has accused the education secretary of causing \"chaos and confusion\" and called on him to resign.\n\nParty leader Sir Keir Starmer said providing two weeks' advance notice of opening was \"good news coming from an education secretary who normally gives them about 24 hours' notice\".\n\nSir Keir said the government needed to \"give children the ability to learn at home now\" and \"get on with the blindingly obvious\" task of getting testing in place in schools.\n\nAsked about his own future, Mr Williamson said: \"Our focus is making sure that we get the very best of remote education out to all children across the country, making sure that we return schools at the earliest possible moment.\"\n\nIn terms of his own achievements, the education secretary said: \"I'll let other people do the grading.\"\n\nSchools have also been closed by other governments in the UK. In Scotland and Northern Ireland they will remain closed until at least the middle of February, while in Wales the next review of restrictions will be on 29 January.\n\nThe government has also paused plans to roll out rapid daily coronavirus testing in all but a small number of secondary schools and colleges, with health officials saying the new variant meant the risk of missing infections had risen.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Keir Starmer on Gavin Williamson: \"You would struggle... to find many people who would give him more than an F.\"\n\nBut Mr Williamson emphasised that mass testing in schools would continue, clarifying that it was the daily tests for those who had been in contact with a positive case which had been stopped.\n\nThe education secretary was also challenged on the fairness of setting tests as part of the replacement for cancelled GCSEs and A-levels, considering pupils will have missed different amounts of time in school.\n\nMr Williamson said the tests were only \"one element\" for deciding replacement results, which would be based on teachers' grades.\n\n\"That's why we're asking teachers to make a judgement in the round. We're asking teachers to look at the work they've been doing over the whole period of time they've been studying the course,\" he said.", "Low-deposit mortgages have made a return as the market emerges from a Covid-related slowdown.\n\nMortgage products for homeowners with a deposit of 10% of their property's value have risen more than fourfold compared with last summer's low.\n\nThe increase, based on figures from financial information service Moneyfacts, could offer some relief to first-time buyers.\n\nBut the cost of mortgages will remain an issue for many.\n\nIn early September last year, there were only 44 mortgage products available for those able to offer a 10% deposit. At the same time, first-time buyers putting money aside for a deposit were faced with pressures of poor savings rates and rising house prices.\n\nThat choice has now risen to 197 products, according to the Moneyfacts figures, with some big lenders returning in recent weeks.\n\nMortgage products for those able to offer a 15% deposit have also risen sharply, although the choice was already much greater.\n\n\"First-time buyers who may have been concerned that with record low savings rates and increasing house prices, their homeownership dreams may have had to be shelved, may have been pleased to note that we are now seeing some providers return products for those with 10% deposits,\" said Eleanor Williams, from Moneyfacts.\n\nLenders had been grappling with the practical effects that the coronavirus pandemic brought to their business.\n\nWhile some new businesses targeted first-time buyers on social media, many traditional lenders withdrew products from the market.\n\nStaff shortages, and employees working from home, meant they were unable to process applications as fast as they had before the pandemic.\n\nThere were also concerns among lenders that, despite strong activity in the housing market, riskier - and younger - first-time buyers could find it difficult to make mortgage repayments during an economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.\n\nResearch has shown that younger workers are more at risk of redundancy.\n\nAaron Strutt, from mortgage broker Trinity Financial, said lenders were now working more efficiently despite staff still being at home.\n\nHe said that some of the biggest mortgage lenders had returned to the market. Some of the mortgage rates they were offering were not as attractive as they had been, but competition would help push down costs.\n\n\"If you are planning to purchase a property and have a 10% deposit the mortgage rates are not as cheap as they used to be, but they are getting better,\" he said.\n\nMany thousands of existing mortgage-holders who had struggled to make their repayments during the pandemic had taken payment \"holidays\", which are deferrals on payments.\n\nThe latest figures from UK Finance, which represents lenders, show that 130,000 mortgage payment holidays were in place at the end of December 2020, down from a peak of 1.8 million in June last year.", "US President Joe Biden is now speaking from the White House about how his administration will tackle the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nHe says he has been meeting with his Covid response team, and it will “take months” to turn around the situation in the country.\n\nToday he is going to unveil a “national strategy” on Covid-19, he says, which is “comprehensive” and is based on “science and not politics”.\n\nThe plan, which consists of 198 pages, will start with an “aggressive, safe and effective” vaccination campaign.\n\nBut it will take months to protect everyone, he says, so in the meantime, \"mask up\", he tells the American people.\n\nWearing a mask, he says, is \"a patriotic act\".\n\nTo follow our coverage of his first day, head here.", "The emergency department at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is the biggest and busiest in Scotland.\n\nAmbulances keep arriving, bringing more patients. In a curtained cubicle, one man is explaining to the doctor that he's been in pain for days, but he put off coming in \"because of everything that's going on\".\n\nDr Alan Whitelaw, who runs the department, says that while there might be fewer patients coming through his door, there are no longer any \"easy wins\".\n\n\"Those that are coming are the sick people,\" he says. \"We are undoubtedly seeing the effects of people not seeking healthcare for six to 10 months.\n\n\"We are seeing disease that we wouldn't always see and we are seeing it further down the road.\n\n\"We are making more diagnoses that potentially would be made in primary care or outpatient clinics. On top of that we've got lots of Covid patients coming through the door.\n\n\"So it is those two things together that currently put the NHS under that significant pressure.\"\n\nAll over Scotland, hospitals are under severe pressure, with some treating significantly more coronavirus patients than they did during the first wave of the pandemic.\n\nPublic visitors are not allowed at the QEUH, but BBC Scotland was given special permission to film to highlight the impact of Covid and the importance of following lockdown rules.\n\nOn the day of the BBC's visit, there are 244 Covid patients. Critical care is running at capacity, and across the whole hospital it's a constant challenge to find space for new patients.\n\nDr Whitelaw says the level of unpredictability is extreme. His team has run out of spare beds.\n\n\"We are ten months into strange and difficult times. It's winter, no-one's had a holiday, no-one's had much downtime.\n\n\"Hospitals are fuller in winter, beds are tighter and patients are sick\".\n\nUpstairs, one ward that previously treated patients with infectious diseases like flu or norovirus, is now a Covid ward. All 28 beds are full.\n\nSome patients here are recently diagnosed, others are coming to the end of their isolation, while some have been stepped down from critical care, but need rehabilitation.\n\nSenior charge nurse Karen Paton says it feels like patients are now sicker for longer.\n\n\"We've had this going on for more or less a year now and staff are beginning to feel the emotional distress of it,\" she says.\n\n\"Having to deal with patients succumbing to coronavirus, and just having the emotions of all the patients not being able to have contact from their families.\n\n\"I think it's beginning to take its toll on everybody.\"\n\nCovid patient Gerry Gilroy says QEUH staff have been \"superb\"\n\nIn one room on the ward is Gerry Gilroy, who tested positive for Covid in late December. By 8 January, the day of his 66th birthday, he could barely get out of bed and couldn't eat.\n\n\"It just hit me and I knew there was something not right,\" he says.\n\n\"I know how serious it is. I never thought it would hit me. It's been a bit of an experience but thankfully I'm on the mend.\n\n\"The staff here are superb. When I get out of here, if I can do something for the NHS I'm going to. Doctors, cleaners, nurses, all top drawer.\"\n\nThe impact of Covid is being felt across the hospital. The acute receiving area used to be the first stop for people who needed urgent surgery.\n\nNow it's where medics like Dr Colin Perry assess Covid patients sent in by their GP or NHS 24. It's another area that's full.\n\n\"In the first wave our ICU was busy and it remains very busy, but during that period we had free beds,\" says Dr Perry.\n\n\"This time we have much more pressure on the downstream ward areas, so it is harder to manage the wider needs of the hospital and make room for patients to move through the system.\n\n\"The numbers are far higher than they were a year ago.\"\n\nRepurposing so many wards to treat coronavirus patients has meant some routine work had to be postponed, but staff are working to prioritise all different kinds of treatment.\n\nHelen Dorrance is a senior surgeon who specialises in bowel cancer at the QEUH. On the day the BBC visits she is operating on patients from another hospital to help relieve pressures there.\n\nDemand for critical care makes it difficult to operate some services, but cancer treatment is still running.\n\n\"We work together as a team across the region to make sure people who are the highest priority get dealt with,\" she says. \"But everyone gets their fair share and access to the care they need.\n\n\"It's not a choice, we do have to provide the best care we can for Covid patients and my critical care colleagues are stepping up to the mark.\n\n\"But the rest of us are making sure the rest of the service runs the way it should, so if you have your heart attack or stroke the right people are there to give you the best care.\"\n\nComing to hospital for any reason during the pandemic is a different experience, and services are stretched.\n\nBut the emergency department's Dr Whitelaw adds that no matter what happens, they will cope.\n\n\"We don't come to work to worry or be fearful, we come to work to do our best and to help,\" he says.\n\n\"I think there's an uncertainty about what the next two to three weeks look like.\n\n\"It might be very, very challenging but I have absolute faith that the staff here will continue to do everything that is required.\n\n\"I think the public should be reassured that no matter what is thrown at us we will definitely get through it.\"", "A council worker in Didsbury, Manchester, checks a bridge for damage, after heavy rainfall. On Thursday morning, there were more than 200 flood warnings in place across the country", "There is still no long-term decision on whether to cut fees as a review recommended\n\nUniversity tuition fees in England will be frozen at a maximum of £9,250 for the next academic year.\n\nThe Department for Education (DfE) said a longer-term decision on cuts to fees would be delayed until the next Comprehensive Spending Review.\n\nBut education sector groups said the government \"is wasting an opportunity\" to help university students.\n\nMinisters also set out plans to improve post-16 vocational education including student loans for adult learners.\n\nThe DfE also launched a consultation on changing the timetable for applying to university - to a so-called \"post-qualification admissions\" system.\n\nThis would mean admissions being based on the grades achieve by students, rather than not relying on predictions.\n\nThe government outlined its plans for higher education reforms for over-18s in response to a landmark review, commissioned by the government from finance expert Philip Augar. Its recommendations were published in May 2019.\n\nPlanned reforms include making £2.5bn available for technical qualifications for adult learners through the National Skills Fund, a lifelong student loan entitlement for up to four years of higher education and the prioritising of funding for STEM subjects.\n\nBut the Augar review's recommendations to reduce tuition fees to £7,500, alongside implementing reforms to minimum entry standards and foundation years at universities, were not addressed in this latest response.\n\nThe DfE said given the pandemic \"now is not the right time to conclude the review in full\".\n\nAny further reforms are expected to be announced at the next Spending Review.\n\nMr Augar also suggested the return of maintenance grants for poorer university students as part of his review, but there was not mention of this in the interim response.\n\nUniversity and College Union general secretary Jo Grady said: \"Sadly this interim response confirms that there will not be a radical change to the current system.\n\nThe Augar review recommended tuition fees should be cut to £7,500 and maintenance grants reintroduced\n\n\"The Westminster government is wasting an opportunity to make a real difference for students and institutions.\"\n\nProf Julia Buckingham, president of Universities UK , welcomed the prospect of lifelong loans, saying \"it is encouraging to see government's commitment to making lifelong learning opportunities more accessible to all\".\n\nHowever, Prof Buckingham said \"government should provide maintenance grants for those who need them the most, including those considering studying shorter courses on a modular basis\".\n\nAs part of its Skills for Jobs White Paper, published alongside higher education reforms, the DfE said it wanted to \"put an end to the illusion that a degree is the only route to success and a good job and that further and technical education is the second-class option\".\n\nA white paper is a policy document produced by the government to set out their proposals for future legislation.\n\nIn December, the government announced that tens of thousands of adults without an A-level or equivalent would be able to benefit from nearly 400 fully-funded courses from April.\n\nIt was the first major development in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Lifetime Skills Guarantee (LSG) scheme, which was launched in September.\n\nThe government wants to boost the status of vocational education\n\nMr Johnson said it would mean \"everyone will be given the chance to get the skills they need, right from the very start of their career\".\n\nEducation Secretary Gavin Williamson said: \"These reforms are at the heart of our plans to build back better, ensuring all technical education and training is based on what employers want and need, whilst providing individuals with the training they need to get a well-paid and secure job.\"\n\nBritish Chamber of Commerce director general Adam Marshall welcomed the plans to put the skills needs of businesses at the heart of further education.\n\n\"As local business leaders look to rebuild their firms and communities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it is essential to ensure that the right skills and training provision is in place to support growth,\" he added.\n\nBut organisations representing school and college leaders are also sceptical that there is enough funding for the further education sector to deliver on the proposals.\n\nIn November, an the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said FE colleges and sixth forms faced significant financial uncertainty.\n\nChief executive of the Association of Colleges David Hughes said: \"Colleges have been calling for this, after years of being overlooked and underutilised, but government has to not only recognise the vital college role, it also needs to increase funding.\"", "Video caption: David Olusoga learns the stories of the first inhabitants of the house in the 1840s-50s.\n\nDavid Olusoga learns the stories of the first inhabitants of the house in the 1840s-50s.", "One of the mysteries of Covid-19 is why oxygen levels in the blood can drop to dangerously low levels without the patient noticing.\n\nIt is known as \"silent hypoxia\".\n\nAs a result, patients have been arriving in hospital in far worse health than they realised and, in some cases, too late to treat effectively.\n\nBut a potentially life-saving solution, in the form of a pulse oximeter, allows patients to monitor their oxygen levels at home, and costs about £20.\n\nThey are being rolled out for high-risk Covid patients in the UK, and the doctor leading the scheme thinks everyone should consider buying one.\n\nA normal oxygen level in the blood is between 95% and 100%.\n\n\"With Covid, we were admitting patients with oxygen levels in the 70s or low-or-middle 80s,\" said Dr Matt Inada-Kim, a consultant in acute medicine at Hampshire Hospitals.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Inside Health: \"It was a really curious and scary presentation and really made us rethink what we were doing.\"\n\nDr Inada-Kim became the national clinical lead of the Covid Oximetry@home project.\n\nA pulse oximeter slips over your middle finger and shines a light into the body. It measures how much of the light is absorbed in order to calculate oxygen levels in the blood.\n\nIn England, they are being given to people with Covid who are over 65, younger but have a health problem, or anyone doctors are concerned about. Similar schemes are being rolled out across the UK.\n\nPeople measure and record their oxygen levels three times a day.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Health Education England - HEE This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nIf oxygen levels drop to 93% or 94%, then people speak to their GP or call 111. If they go below 92%, people should go to A&E or call 999 for an ambulance.\n\nStudies, which have not been reviewed by other scientists, have shown even small drops below 95% are linked to an increased risk of dying.\n\nDr Inada-Kim said: \"The point of this whole strategy is to try to get in early to prevent people getting that sick, by admitting patients at a more salvageable point in their illness.\"\n\nChris Harris, who is 70, was one of the first patients to benefit from the scheme.\n\nHe was being treated for a urinary infection in November last year, but then when he developed unexpected flu-like symptoms his GP sent him for a Covid test. It was positive.\n\n\"I don't mind admitting I was in tears, it was a very stressful, frightening time,\" he told Inside Health.\n\nHis oxygen levels dropped a couple of percentage points below the normal zone, so after a call with his GP, he went to hospital.\n\nAt this point he was still feeling fine, but things changed the day after he was admitted.\n\n\"My breathing started to get a little bit laboured, I had a high temperature as the days went on, [my oxygen levels] were progressively getting lower, they were in their 80s,\" he told me.\n\nChris was treated, did not need intensive care and has made a full recovery.\n\nHe said: \"I may have gone [to hospital] as the very last resort and that's the frightening thing. It was the oxygen meter that forced me to go, I would have just sat it out thinking I would recover.\n\n\"I am extremely lucky and very, very grateful.\"\n\nHis GP, Dr Caroline O'Keefe, says she has seen a massive increase in the number of people being monitored.\n\nShe said: \"On Christmas Day we were monitoring 44 patients, today I have 160 patients who I am monitoring daily. So we are certainly busy.\"\n\n\"We've had to quadruple the size of our team in the last two weeks.\"\n\nOverall, NHS England has supplied around 300,000 pulse oximeters for the home-monitoring scheme.\n\nDr Inada-Kim says there isn't definitive proof that the gadget saves lives and it could take until April to know for sure. However, the early signs are all positive.\n\n\"What we think we can see are the early seeds of a reduction in the length of stay after a hospital admission, an improvement in survival and a reduction in the pressures on the emergency services,\" he said.\n\nHe is so convinced of their role in tackling silent hypoxia that he said everyone should consider buying one.\n\n\"Personally I would, and I know a number of colleagues who have bought pulse oximeters to distribute to their loved ones,\" he said.\n\nHe advised checking they had a CE Kitemark and to avoid apps on smartphones, which he said were not as reliable.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA mosque has become the first in the UK to open as a Covid vaccination centre.\n\nThe Al-Abbas Islamic Centre in Balsall Heath, Birmingham is expected to vaccinate up to 500 people a day.\n\nThe imam, Sheikh Nuru Mohammed, said he hoped it would help dispel false information that the vaccine was forbidden in Islamic law.\n\nNHS England said it fears disinformation could be causing some in the UK's South Asian communities to reject the Covid vaccine.\n\n\"It will send a strong message to our Muslim brothers and sisters. We are doing this to say a big 'no' to fake news and a big 'yes' to the vaccine,\" Sheikh Nuru said.\n\n\"Muslim scholars advise us to get the vaccine because the sanctity of life is important in Islam.\"\n\nImam Sheikh Nuru Mohammed said he hopes the opening of the vaccination centre will help dispel false information\n\nDr Rizwan Alidina, a trustee of the mosque and member of the Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group said: \"The significance of the venue is obviously quite evident with particularly the Muslim community being one of the communities with a bit of a lower uptake than we would otherwise have expected.\"\n\nHe said there had been a good response to the opening of the centre at the mosque and hoped it would soon be carrying out between 300 and 500 vaccinations a day.\n\nNHS England regional medical director for London Dr Vin Diwakar told a Downing Street press conference some communities had \"legitimate and understandable concerns about the vaccines\".\n\nHe said despite it being a \"safe and effective vaccine\", for some Asian and black communities there were \"longstanding concerns\" that \"go back generations\".\n\nDr Diwakar said some people were \"told by their grandparents that experiments were done in the early part of the last century, that unethical experiments were done way back in the 60s\".\n\nSpeaking at the Downing Street briefing, Home Secretary Priti Patel also sought to counter disinformation targeted at people from minority ethnic backgrounds.\n\n\"This vaccine is safe for us all,\" she said.\n\n\"It will protect you and your family... So I urge everyone from across our wonderfully diverse country to get the vaccine when their turn comes to keep us all safe.\"\n\nOne of the first to get the jab at he Birmingham mosque, retired GP Dr Masud Ahmad, said his message to others in the local community was \"that it's quite safe to have it and they should have it\".\n\nOther places of worship, including Salisbury Cathedral and Lichfield Cathedral, opened as vaccine centres last week.\n\nThe Al-Abbas Islamic Centre is administering the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Thousands of London taxi drivers plan to sue Uber for damages alleging the ride-hailing firm operated unlawfully.\n\nThe planned group legal action could, if successful, hit Uber with a bill for millions of pounds.\n\nThe action, part of a planned anti-Uber campaign by black-cab drivers this year, claims it didn't follow private hire rules between 2012 and 2018.\n\nUber said it \"operates lawfully in London and these allegations are completely unfounded\".\n\nThe group action, which will be launched by law firm Mishcon de Reya, will allege that for six years Uber operated unlawfully in London.\n\nTaxi rules in London mean that people have to contact a centralised office for minicabs, whereas they can hail a black cab on the street.\n\nThe lawsuit will claim that between 2012 and 2018, Uber let people hail its drivers directly, contravening those rules.\n\nLitigation specialist RGL Management, which is also working with the cabbies to bring the case, said more than 4,000 had signed up so far.\n\nThere are about 5,200 further registrations being processed, with hundreds of enquiries per day, it said. The firm is funding a marketing campaign, and is looking to sign up as many as 30,000 eligible drivers.\n\nA full-time driver over those six years could claim about £25,000 in lost earnings, it added. The group action is aiming to bring a case to the High Court no later than the first quarter of 2022.\n\nThis is not the first time that London's black cabs have done battle with Uber, but today's announcement shows neither side have conceded defeat.\n\nThe proposed claim itself is huge - loss of earnings for up to 30,000 drivers for nearly 6 years - and comes at a time when London black cabs and private hire vehicle drivers are struggling for work after nearly a year of lockdowns and restrictions.\n\nUber might now have its licence back, but the black cabs aren't willing to give them an easy ride.\n\nAn Uber spokeswoman said: \"Uber operates lawfully in London and these allegations are completely unfounded.\n\n\"We are proud to serve this great global city and the 45,000 drivers in London who rely on the app for earnings opportunities, and are committed to helping people move safely.\"\n\nUber has had a torrid history in the UK capital including previous lawsuits.\n\nIn February 2019 cab drivers lost a legal challenge which argued that Uber's London operating licence was granted by a biased judge.\n\nUber then went on to lose its licence to operate in London in November 2019 after safety concerns.\n\nBut in September last year it was spared a London ban after a judge upheld an appeal against Transport for London's decision over safety.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Drone footage captures the extent of the damage the bridge over the River Clwyd\n\nFinancial help has been promised to those affected by serious flooding, the Welsh Government has announced.\n\nPeople have been forced to leave their homes and a major incident declared after Storm Christoph struck.\n\nAbout 80 people were evacuated during flooding thought to be related to mine works in Skewen, Neath, while 30 were evacuated in Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it would work with councils to deliver £500-£1,000 payments to affected households.\n\nEnvironment minister, Lesley Griffiths, said people across Wales were facing the \"twin problems\" of floods and the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nShe said: \"We will support people in these circumstances just as we did in the aftermath of storms Ciara and Dennis last year, by working with local authorities to make support payments of between £500 and £1,000 available for each household flooded.\"\n\nSevere flood warnings remain in place across Wales as river levels remain high.\n\nIn the Lower Dee Valley a severe flood warning remains in force, from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadow, and a major incident was declared in Bangor-on-Dee.\n\nWrexham council leader Mark Pritchard said teams worked to ensure the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, made on Wrexham Industrial Estate, was not lost in the floods.\n\nFirefighters in Skewen waded through water up to their thighs amidst reports of evacuated homes\n\nAbout 80 people were evacuated in Skewen, including residents of a care home, after at least eight streets were left under water.\n\nEmergency services said there were no injuries and all those evacuated had been found accommodation, but people are asked to avoid the area.\n\nIn Denbighshire, a bridge linking Trefnant to Tremeirchion over the River Clwyd collapsed in the storm. The council said it would be investigating the cause of the flooding, which forced road closures and evacuations.\n\nNatural Resources Wales (NRW) said the River Dee, which runs through Bangor-on-Dee, was at its highest recorded level since the water gauge became operational in 1996 - 16.45m (54ft).\n\nIt urged people across Wales to remain vigilant, with river levels not set to have peaked until late Thursday evening, adding they would remain high until Friday morning.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe Met Office said over the past two days Wales had the highest rainfall of the four UK nations.\n\nBetween 19 and 21 January, Aberllefenni in Gwynedd saw 188mm (7.5in) of rain, more than average rainfall for Wales for the whole of January, which is 156.89mm (63in).\n\nThat was followed by 180mm (7in) in Crai reservoir, Powys, 169.8mm (6.6in) in Treherbert, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and 166mm (6.5in) in both Maerdy, RCT, and Capel Curig, Conwy.\n\nLlechryd bridge in Ceredigion has been completely submerged by the River Teifi\n\nUp to 30 people were forced out of their homes in Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham\n\nNatural Resources Wales said the River Dee was at its highest level since the water gauge became operational\n\nThe flooding threatened the supply of the coronavirus Oxford vaccine, which is produced at Wrexham Industrial Estate.\n\nWrexham council leader Mr Pritchard said it had to work to \"make sure we didn't lose the vaccinations in the floods\".\n\n\"I've been up all night... it's a very difficult time for us,\" he added.\n\nNorth East Wales Search and Rescue helped people whose homes were flooded in New Broughton, Wrexham\n\nWockhardt UK, which manufactures the vaccine, said at about 16:00 GMT on Wednesday, excess water surrounded part of its buildings.\n\n\"The site is now secure and free from any further flood damage and operating as normal,\" it said.\n\nThe clean-up has begun in Ruthin\n\nA multi-agency statement described the situation in Bangor-on-Dee as a \"major incident\".\n\nIt said: \"As a severe weather warning indicates that there is a risk to life...\n\n\"The evacuation effort continues, with all routes in and out of the village currently closed to the public due to the flooding.\"\n\nEarlier, some residents in Ruthin were told to leave their homes - people have been told Covid rules allow them leave their homes in an emergency.\n\nMeanwhile, a man's body was recovered from the River Taff near Blackweir in Cardiff.\n\nDozens of ducks and chickens, and 12 huskies were rescued by the RSPCA from a flooded farm in Bangor, while they also took hay to two donkeys stranded by flood water in Mold.\n\nSome 12 huskies had to be rescued after their kennels flooded\n\nDave Brown said the flooding in his home in Broughton, Flintshire, was horrific and his mother-in-law was rescued by firefighters.\n\n\"You don't realise the damage water does and everything that floats - the sheer volume of water. I am 6ft tall and it almost took me out,\" he said.\n\nDave Brown's mother-in-law was rescued from their home in Broughton, Flintshire\n\nWrexham council said some of the people forced to leave their homes were with relatives, while it found others accommodation after having to initially seek refuge in a church hall.\n\nNine properties in Berse Road in New Broughton were also evacuated.\n\nThe situation in Ruthin, Denbighshire, overnight was \"horrendous\", town councillor Stephen Beach said.\n\n\"The whole of Ruthin was on edge,\" he said.\n\n\"Some people were accommodated at the leisure centre, and others were offered places to stay by local residents. The community was superb.\n\n\"It was the sheer volume of water that came down - there was no stopping it.\"\n\nA yellow weather warning for ice for Wales has been issued by the Met Office until 10:00 GMT on Friday, with concerns it could lead to travel disruption, slips and falls.\n\nNumerous flood warnings and alerts remain in place across Wales, including two severe flood warnings.\n\nThe agency said flood defences were being used and river levels at Holt, Wrexham, would remain high for some time.\"There is therefore a significant risk of localised flooding problems and due to that the severe flood warning will remain in place until the levels drop,\" Keith Iven of NRW said\n\nIn Monmouthshire roads were closed following flooding, and the council said while water levels at the River Usk were dropping, a \"second peak\" on the River Wye had been expected on Thursday night.\n\nThe council had warned people living in Riverside Park, Monmouth, may be impacted and council workers were prepared to offer support.\n\nRiver Tywi has burst its banks in Carmarthen, affecting nearby businesses\n\nMid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it had attended 98 flooding-related incidents\n\nIt said it deployed swift water rescue teams to rescue 13 people from vehicles in floodwater. It also winched vehicles from water and pumped water from properties.\n\nIn Cardiff, emergency services attended a crash involving a number of vehicles at about 07:40 on the A4232 between Culverhouse Cross and the M4.\n\nNo-one was seriously injured, but both carriageways were closed for just over an hour. The road has since reopened.\n\nIn Carmarthen, people were treated for the effects of fumes after using a generator to pump water from their homes.\n\nIn Knighton and Crickhowell in Powys, crews spent Wednesday night pumping out a number of properties.\n\nIn Borth, Ceredigion, floodwater hit the water treatment plant, an electrical substation and eight properties.\n\nOgwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team had to rescue a man from the roof of his car.\n\nIt said he had tried to drive through the river ford along the road from Llandygai to Bangor, in Gwynedd, but had become stuck in deep water and had climbed onto the roof. He was not injured.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Derek Brockway - weatherman This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nRhondda Cynon Taf council said it was aware of a minor landslip on the mountainside above Pentre.\n\nIt said an initial inspection determined there was no immediate threat to the area and a further detailed inspection would be carried out on Friday. It asked people to avoid the area.\n\nBangor-on-Dee has been badly hit by Storm Cristoph\n\nDozens of roads have been closed across Wales, and while Covid rules are in place stopping people from travelling apart from for essential reasons, people are being warned not to travel in affected areas due to widespread flooding.\n\nChris Lloyd from North Wales Mountain Rescue Association warned people to not visit flood-hit areas to view the damage.\n\nHe told BBC Radio Wales: \"People who are going out to look at the floods are not only putting themselves at risk, but putting additional people on the roads which professional emergency services don't want - we don't want any more incidents.\"\n\nDenbighshire council said Ysgol Bodfari in Denbigh and Ysgol Caer Drewyn, Corwen, which had been open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers, have been closed.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The A9 south of Inverness was among the worst affected routes\n\nHeavy snowfall during Storm Christoph has caused travel disruption in parts of Scotland.\n\nVehicles were stuck on the A9 south of Inverness and many roads in the Borders were affected by snow.\n\nThe Queensferry Crossing was closed for a time earlier due to the risk of falling ice before later reopening.\n\nAn amber alert for south-east Scotland was lifted at 08:00 but yellow alerts are in place in other parts of the country until Friday.\n\nTraffic was queued on the A9 after lorries and cars became stuck in snow between Tomatin and Carrbridge.\n\nTractors were used to tow lorries on to cleared stretches of the road.\n\nHeavy snow has also closed the main route to Applecross at the Bealach na Ba.\n\nThe Queensferry Crossing has been reopened after being closed earlier due to the risk of falling ice\n\nThe A939 Cock Bridge to Tomintoul road in Moray was closed after Police Scotland shut the snowgates due to the wintry conditions.\n\nSnow had also affected traffic on parts of the M8.\n\nOn the Highlands' Far North Line, a landslip between Fearn and Tain stations has affected services.\n\nNetwork Rail Scotland said a section of the railway was open with a 5mph speed restriction in place.\n\nChris Tracey, Bear Scotland's south east unit bridges manager, said the Queensferry Crossing was temporarily closed for the safety of bridge users.\n\nHe said: \"We had already mobilised additional ice patrols in response to the weather forecast and the bridge was closed at 04:00 when staff observed ice falling from the structure.\"\n\nThe bridge was reopened after the risk had passed.\n\nEdinburgh is one of the areas where heavy snow has fallen\n\nPolice Scotland has urged people to avoid travelling in the affected areas.\n\nChief Superintendent Louise Blakelock said: \"Government restrictions on only travelling if your journey is essential remain in place and with an amber warning for snow, please consider if your journey really is essential and whether you can delay it until the weather improves.\n\n\"If you deem your journey is essential, plan ahead and make sure you and your vehicle are suitably prepared by having sufficient fuel and supplies such as warm clothing, food, water and charge in your mobile phone in the event you require assistance.\"\n\nAvalanche debris on Turnhouse in the Pentland Hills photographed from Penicuik\n\nPeople heading for the Pentland Hills, south-west of Edinburgh, have been urged to be aware of potential avalanche risk after avalanche debris was spotted on Turnhouse Hill.\n\nTweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team said the \"full depth\" avalanche had enough snow to knock a person off their feet, or even bury them.\n\nTeam leader Dave Wright said avalanches in the Pentland Hills were unusual and walkers, skiers and snowboarders might not appreciate the potential risk.\n\nHe said there had been heavy snowfalls in the hills this week and the avalanche occurred at some point on Thursday afternoon.\n\nMeanwhile, the potential avalanche hazard in all six mountain areas covered by the Scottish Avalanche Information Service - Glen Coe, Lochaber, Creag Meagaidh, Torridon and Northern and Southern Cairgorms - has been classed as \"considerable\".\n\nThe amber weather warning for snow covered a slice of Scotland from south of Edinburgh to close to the Scotland-England border and was valid until Thursday morning.\n\nHowever, further alerts remain in place.\n\nA Bear NW Trunk Roads' tractor clears snow ahead of a lorry on the A9 at the Slochd\n\nIn north-east Scotland and Orkney, a yellow warning for heavy rain and potential flooding is in place until 04:00 on Friday.\n\nYellow warnings for snow and ice are also in place in parts of northern and western Scotland until 12:00 on Friday.\n\nTransport Scotland said it was \"closely monitoring\" the road network and a multi-agency response team would be operational during the weather warnings.\n\nA snow-covered car in Carlops, in the Scottish Borders\n\nDrivers woke up to snow-covered cars in Haddington, East Lothian\n• None In pictures: Scotland in the snow", "Last March, the government set out new thinking on dealing with Northern Ireland's past\n\nThousands of relatives of Troubles victims have signed an open letter calling for the British and Irish governments to fully investigate decades of violence.\n\nIt calls for the long-delayed set up of an independent team of detectives to pursue new prosecutions and other measures to recover information.\n\nThese are measures included in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement.\n\nThe letter is addressed to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and UK PM Boris Johnson.\n\nIt asks for their assurances that their \"human rights as victims will no longer be disregarded or denied\".\n\n\"The peace process has repeatedly failed to deliver on our rights to truth, justice and accountability,\" they said.\n\nThe letter, signed by 3,500 relatives, is being published in the Irish News, Andersonstown News, and US publication the Irish Echo.\n\nThe letter is being printed in several newspapers\n\nMore than 3,600 people were killed during the 30 years of Northern Ireland's Troubles and thousands more injured.\n\nThe UK government has pledged to \"intensify\" engagement with victims' groups in addressing the legacy of the past.\n\nThe Stormont House proposals included a new independent investigation unit to re-examine all unsolved killings and a separate truth recovery mechanism to enable families to gain answers in cases where prosecutions are unlikely.\n\nLast March, the government set out new thinking on dealing with the past, which radically departed from what had been proposed in the Stormont House Agreement.\n\nHe proposed that after a paper review exercise, most unsolved cases would be closed and a new law would be enacted to prevent the investigations from being reopened.\n\nMark Thompson, chief executive of Belfast-based lobby group Relatives for Justice, said about half of those who signed the open letter are 35 years and under.\n\nHe said the letter \"represents the current and future generations\" and that it \"underlines the ongoing trauma and intergenerational impact that the killing of a relative has also had on surviving families\".", "Glastonbury Festival has been cancelled for a second year running due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nThe news was announced on Thursday on the Worthy Farm event's Twitter page.\n\n\"With great regret, we must announce that this year's Glastonbury Festival will not take place,\" said festival organisers Michael and Emily Eavis.\n\n\"And that this will be another enforced fallow year for us. Tickets for this year will roll over to next year. Michael & Emily.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Glastonbury Festival This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIt comes in the same week that the future of UK music was up for debate at a DCMS inquiry into streaming, and in Parliament regarding post-Brexit music touring visas.\n\nThe full statement on the festival website read: \"In spite of our efforts to move heaven and earth, it has become clear that we simply will not be able to make the Festival happen this year. We are so sorry to let you all down.\"\n\nIt confirmed that as with last year, anyone with a ticket will now be offered the opportunity to roll their £50 deposit over to next year, when the festival will hopefully resume. It had been due to take place in June 2021.\n\n\"We are very appreciative of the faith and trust placed in us by those of you with deposits, and we are very confident we can deliver something really special for us all in 2022!\"\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden shared his \"disappointment\" at the lack of a Glastonbury 2021, on Twitter.\n\n\"This regrettable but understandable decision is recognition that public health comes first\" he posted, \"and that right now, getting 200k fans together in just a few months looks very difficult to make safe\".\n\nHe added: \"We continue to help the arts on recovery, including looking at problems around getting insurance. I'm Glastonbury will be back bigger and better next year.\"\n\nJulian Knight MP, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, said news of this year's cancellation was \"devastating\".\n\nSir Paul McCartney headlined Glastonbury in 2004, and was supposed to do so again in 2020\n\n\"We have repeatedly called for ministers to act to protect our world-renowned festivals like this one with a government-backed insurance scheme. Our plea fell on deaf ears and now the chickens have come home to roost,\" he said.\n\n\"The jewel in the crown will be absent but surely the government cannot ignore the message any longer - it must act now to save this vibrant and vital festivals sector.\"\n\nOn 5 January the government responded to a report by UK Music called Let the Music Play: Save Our Summer 2021, which outlined a range of measures that could help the industry get back up and running.\n\nThe government said: \"We know these are challenging times for the live events sector and are working flat out to support it.\n\n\"Our £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund has already seen more than £1bn offered to arts, heritage and performance organisations to support them through the impact of the pandemic, protecting tens of thousands of creative jobs across the UK, including festivals such as Deer Shed Festival, End of the Road and Nozstock.\"\n\nLast year's 50th anniversary Glastonbury was meant to be headlined by Sir Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar, but it was cancelled during the initial national lockdown in March 2020.\n\nMichael and Emily Eavis previously said that Glastonbury \"lost millions\" after cancelling in 2020\n\nLast month, organiser Emily Eavis told the BBC she hoped this year's festival could go ahead, despite the \"huge uncertainty\" surrounding live music in the pandemic.\n\n\"We're doing everything we can on our end to plan and prepare,\" she told the BBC, \"but I think we're still quite a long way from being able to say we're confident 2021 will go ahead.\"\n\nEavis said Glastonbury lost \"millions\" in 2020. Her father, Michael, has previously warned the festival \"would seriously go bankrupt\" if they had to cancel again next year.\n\nBut that scenario is unlikely \"as long as we can make a firm call either way in advance\", Eavis clarified to the BBC.\n\nNo line-up details had been confirmed for 2021. But just before Christmas, Sir Paul McCartney told the BBC the event was not in his calendar, as it would be a \"superspreader\".\n\nAt the start of January, MPs were told that some of the UK's biggest music festivals could be called off by the end of this month.\n\nThe festival normally welcomes 200,000 people to Pilton in Somerset every year\n\nEvents are \"rapidly approaching the determination point\", after which they'll have to pull the plug, said the Association of Independent Festivals.\n\nOrganisers will be in \"absolutely dire straits\" financially if the season is cancelled, added Anna Wade, of Winchester's Boomtown Fair.\n\nThey were speaking to MPs examining the plight of music festivals in the UK.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "At 12:01, in the midst of his inaugural address, Joe Biden officially became the 46th president of the United States.\n\nHe was already well into outlining exactly how daunting a task he - and the nation - have ahead in what he called its \"winter of peril\".\n\nAmerica is facing a devastating pandemic which has resulted in massive job losses and business closures, a threatened environment, urgent cries for racial justice and resurgence in \"political extremism, white supremacy and domestic terrorism\".\n\nHis speech was not a laundry list of proposals and solutions. Those were reserved for his first 17 executive actions as president - on immigration, climate change, transgender rights and public health, among others.\n\nThe Biden administration has also frozen all of Trump's last-minute regulations pending further review.\n\nInstead, Biden used his speech to offer hope - and to argue, at times forcefully, that the nation must be united in facing the challenges ahead; that it has to move past its current \"uncivil war\".\n\n\"Without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury,\" he said. \"No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos.\"\n\n\"This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge,\" he continued. \"And unity is the path forward\".\n\nAt times, Biden's speech seemed a direct rebuttal to his predecessor's administration, although he did not mention Donald Trump by name.\n\nWhere Trump frequently spoke of American greatness and glorified its founders, Biden noted that the nation's history has been a \"constant struggle\" between its ideals and sometimes harsh realities.\n\nWhere Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway spoke of \"alternative facts\" almost four years ago, Biden said: \"There is truth and there are lies - lies told for power and for profit.\"\n\nBiden wrapped up his inaugural address by warning that America must not \"turn inward\" - both as individuals retreating into \"competing factions\" and as a nation on the world stage.\n\n\"We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again,\" he said.\n\nRhetorically, Biden turned the page from Trump's days of \"America first\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe first 100 days of any administration are always important to a new president. What are his priorities? What will he try to accomplish when his political capital is at its highest?\n\nJoe Biden and his presidential team have had nearly three months to plan out his first actions upon taking the oath of office, but executive action is the (relatively) easy part.\n\nHis speech reflected the reality that he enters office with his top priorities already determined for him.\n\nHis government will be responsible for distributing the coronavirus vaccine in an efficient and equitable way. After that, he will have to focus on the societal and economic disruptions caused by the pandemic.\n\nThe virus has exacerbated income inequality and pushed many households to the brink of economic ruin. It's devastated the travel and hospitality industries and placed incredible strain on the finances of state and local governments.\n\nHis pledge to seek unity will be tested early, as he pushes a sharply divided Congress to pass another, massive round of pandemic stimulus aid. If he wants to enact it quickly, he will need Republican support in the Senate, and already there are signs that some on the right may be lining up in opposition to more spending.\n\nThen there's Trump's Senate impeachment trial, which will present yet another challenge to national unity. It will keep Trump's name in the news for weeks, as his defenders rally to his side and his detractors call for consequences for his actions.\n\nAfter that, Biden's potential political paths diverge. He has said he wants to improve healthcare in the US, address growing college debt, make new investments in infrastructure and tackle climate change.\n\nHe's pledged to push immigration reform legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented migrants - a political lightning rod that helped fuel Trump's first presidential run.\n\nWhat he prioritises, and how successful his first efforts are, could determine the overall success of his administration. To make lasting change - policies that can't be undone by future presidents - he will have to work with Congress.\n\nThe inauguration ceremony is over. But, as Biden noted in his speech, the American people face one of the most challenging times in their nation's history.\n\n\"We will be judged by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era,\" he said.\n\nBiden campaigned against Trump for the opportunity to face those crises. Now he has his chance.", "Anyone going on a Saga holiday or cruise in 2021 must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the tour operator has said.\n\nSaga, which specialises in holidays for the over-50s, said it wanted to protect customers' health and safety.\n\nThe firm said it would delay restarting its travel packages until May to give customers enough time to get jabs.\n\nPeople over 50 in the UK have been rushing to book holidays as vaccinations boost confidence.\n\n\"The health and safety of our customers has always been our number one priority at Saga, so we have taken the decision to require everyone travelling with us to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19,\" Saga said in a statement.\n\n\"Our customers want the reassurance of the vaccine and to know others travelling with them will be vaccinated too.\"\n\nThe firm's holidays were due to restart in March and its cruises in April after a long hiatus, but they will now both be delayed.\n\nSaga said that meant all trips before May would no longer go ahead as planned, acknowledging it would be \"a huge disappointment\" to customers.\n\n\"We will be contacting all guests affected to discuss their options,\" it said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Singapore's 'cruises to nowhere' set back by Covid scare\n\nThe firm said its vaccination policy added to stronger safety processes already planned for when its holidays resume.\n\nThese include requiring cruise passengers to have a Covid-19 test before their trip, as well as a full medical screening.\n\nCapacity on its ships will also be kept to a maximum of 800 people.\n\nThere were some severe covid outbreaks on cruise ships early on the pandemic, before coronavirus restrictions were imposed.\n\nBritish-registered ship the Diamond Princess, owned by the company Carnival, was quarantined for nearly a month in February in the Port of Yokohama in Japan.\n\nMore than 700 of its 3,711 passengers and crew were infected, and 14 died.\n\nThe UK has embarked on a mass vaccination programme as Covid-19 cases surge.\n\nPeople in England are being vaccinated at a rate of 140 jabs per minute, NHS England boss Sir Simon Stevens said this week.\n\nExperts believe in future that airlines, concert venues and restaurants could routinely ask customers to prove that they have been vaccinated.\n\nAnd last week, London plumbing firm Pimlico Plumbers said that all of its staff would be contractually obliged to get the jab.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Hill We Climb: Watch 22-year-old Amanda Gorman's poem reading at Joe Biden's inauguration\n\nAmanda Gorman has become the youngest poet ever to perform at a presidential inauguration, calling for \"unity and togetherness\" in her self-penned poem.\n\nThe 22-year-old delivered her work The Hill We Climb to both the dignitaries present in Washington DC and a watching global audience.\n\n\"When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade?\" her five-minute poem began.\n\nShe went on to reference the storming of the Capitol earlier this month.\n\n\"We've seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it, would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy,\" she declared.\n\n\"And this effort very nearly succeeded. But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.\"\n\nThe poet was applauded by Vice President Kamala Harris\n\nIn her poem, Gorman described herself as \"a skinny black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother [who] can dream of becoming president, only to find her self reciting for one\".\n\nAmerica's first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate did her job, which was to find the right words at the right time.\n\nIt was a beautifully paced, well-judged poem for a special occasion, but it will live long beyond the time and space of the moment.\n\nAmanda Gorman delivered her piece with grace, the words it contained will resonate with people the world over: today, tomorrow, and far into the future.\n\nThe writer and performer, who became the country's first National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017, followed in the footsteps of such famous names as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou.\n\n\"I really wanted to use my words to be a point of unity and collaboration and togetherness,\" Gorman told the BBC World Service's Newshour programme before the ceremony.\n\n\"I think it's about a new chapter in the United States, about the future, and doing that through the elegance and beauty of words.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nUS broadcaster and actress Oprah Winfrey tweeted that she had \"never been prouder to see another young woman rise\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Oprah Winfrey This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAlso on Twitter, Joanne Liu, the former head of aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières, described the poem as \"the most inspiring 5:43 minutes for the longest time\".\n\nFormer First Lady Michelle Obama praised Gorman's \"strong and poignant words\" adding: \"Keep shining, Amanda!\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Michelle Obama This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nUS politician and rights activist Stacey Abrams said the poem was \"an inspiration to us all\".\n\nFormer presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted that Gorman had promised to run for president in 2036 and added: \"I for one can't wait.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Hillary Clinton This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIllinois poet laureate Angela Jackson said the recitation was \"so rich and just so filled with truth\".\n\n\"I was stunned that she was so young and so wise,\" Jackson told the Chicago Sun-Times.\n\nGorman said she \"screamed and danced her head off\" when she found out she had been chosen to read at President Biden's swearing-in ceremony.\n\nShe said she felt \"excitement, joy, honour and humility\" when she was asked to take part, \"and also at the same time terror\".\n\nAnd she added that she hoped her poem, completed on the day supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, would \"speak to the moment\" and \"do this time justice\".\n\nGorman, pictured with actor Morgan Freeman in 2018, became LA's youth poet laureate at 16\n\nBorn in Los Angeles in 1998, Gorman had a speech impediment as a child - an affliction she shares with America's new president.\n\n\"It's made me the performer that I am and the storyteller that I strive to be,\" she said in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times.\n\n\"When you have to teach yourself how to say sounds [and] be highly concerned about pronunciation, it gives you a certain awareness of sonics, of the auditory experience.\"\n\nGorman became LA's youth poet laureate at 16. Three years later, while studying sociology at Harvard, she became National Youth Poet Laureate.\n\nShe published her first book, The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough, in 2015 and will publish a picture book, Change Sings, later this year.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Kamala Harris was sworn into office by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.\n\nKamala Harris has made history as the first female, first black and first Asian-American US vice-president.\n\nShe was sworn in just before Joe Biden took the oath of office to become the 46th US president.\n\nMs Harris, who is of Indian-Jamaican heritage, initially ran for the Democratic nomination.\n\nBut Mr Biden won the race and chose Ms Harris as his running mate, describing her as \"a fearless fighter for the little guy\".\n\nPrior to taking the oath at the US Capitol, Ms Harris paid tribute to the women who she says came before her.\n\n\"I stand on their shoulders,\" she said in a video.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Kamala Harris This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nEugene Goodman, the Capitol police officer who was hailed as a hero for steering a pro-Trump mob away from Senate chambers during the 6 January riot, escorted Ms Harris at the inauguration.\n\nMs Harris, 56, was born in Oakland, California, to two immigrant parents: an Indian-born mother and Jamaican-born father.\n\nKamala, left, as child with her mother and younger sister Maya\n\nShe went on to attend Howard University, one of the nation's preeminent historically black colleges and universities. She has described her time there as among the most formative experiences of her life.\n\nMs Harris says she's always been comfortable with her identity and simply describes herself as \"an American\".\n\nAfter four years at Howard, Ms Harris went on to earn her law degree at the University of California, Hastings, and began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.\n\nShe became the district attorney - the top prosecutor - for San Francisco in 2003, before being elected the first female and the first African American to serve as California's attorney general, the top lawyer and law enforcement official in America's most populous state.\n\nIn her nearly two terms in office as attorney general, Ms Harris gained a reputation as one of the Democratic party's rising stars, using this momentum to propel her to election as California's junior US senator in 2017. She was only the second black woman ever elected to the US senate.\n\nShe launched her candidacy for president to a crowd of more than 20,000 in Oakland at the beginning of 2019.\n\nBut Ms Harris failed to articulate a clear rationale for her campaign, and gave muddled answers to questions in key policy areas like healthcare.\n\nShe was also unable to capitalise on the clear high point of her candidacy: debate performances that showed off her prosecutorial skills, often placing Mr Biden in the line of attack, most notably criticising his praise for the \"civil\" working relationship he had with former senators who favoured racial segregation.\n\nShe dropped out of the presidential race in December 2019.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nBut Mr Biden chose her as his number two in August, calling her \"one of the country's finest public servants\".\n\nAfter Mr Biden was announced as the next president in November, Ms Harris tweeted a video of her congratulating her running mate.\n\n\"We did it, we did it Joe. You're going to be the next president of the United States!\" she beamed.", "Scientists tracking the spread of coronavirus in England say infection levels in the community may have risen at the start of the latest lockdown.\n\nInfections in 6-15 January were up by 50% on early December, with one in 63 people infected, Imperial College London's initial findings suggest.\n\nSwab tests from 143,000 people indicate 1.58% had the virus during in early January - up from 0.91% in December.\n\nMinisters say the report does not yet reflect the impact of the lockdown.\n\nThe latest round of results from Imperial College's React-1 infection survey - one of the country's largest studies into Covid-19 infections - are interim with the full set of results to be published in a week's time.\n\nBut Imperial College London's Prof Paul Elliott warned if the high prevalence continues \"more lives will be lost\".\n\nThe report also says there are \"worrying suggestions of a recent uptick in infections\" and Prof Elliott said the third lockdown - introduced on 6 January - was not having the same impact as the first, in April.\n\nLondon had the highest level in the January period - 2.8%, up from 1.21% in early December.\n\nProf Elliott old BBC Radio 4's Today programme the current R rate - which represents how many people an infected person will pass the virus on to - was \"around 1\".\n\n\"We're seeing this levelling off, it's not going up, but we're not seeing the decline that we really need to see given the pressure on the NHS from the current very high levels of the virus in the population,\" he said.\n\n\"To prevent our already stretched health system from becoming overwhelmed, infections must be brought down,\" Prof Elliot added.\n\nBefore the Covid rules were tightened, the restrictions faced by people in England varied depending on where they lived.\n\nThe researchers say the government's latest daily case figures, which show a slowdown, may reflect a drop in cases just after Christmas, which is only now being registered.\n\nAnd they suggest infection levels may have gone up in early January as a result of people's activity increasing after the Christmas holiday period.\n\nThey admit there is some uncertainty in their data amid a \"fast-changing situation\" but say it is more up to date than the daily government figures because it does not rely on those being tested developing symptoms and then waiting to have their infections confirmed by a laboratory.\n\nThe UK recorded another all-time high of daily coronavirus deaths on Wednesday. A further 1,820 people died within 28 days of a positive Covid test, according to government figures - taking the total number of deaths by that measure to 93,290.\n\nThe findings of the study are seemingly at odds with recent figures from NHS Test and Trace, which has been reporting recent decreases in daily infections and has prompted some experts to suggest that we might be beginning our journey out of the woods.\n\nThe researchers behind the study say the test and trace figures may be reflecting an initial drop in infections just after Christmas, which is only now being registered on the official figures.\n\nThe study's more up to date findings indicate that infection levels did not continue to fall in the first two weeks of January and may even have gone up. So why has this happened?\n\nData on people's movements has shown that there's been increased activity which the scientists involved say has kept transmission of the virus at a high level. The Department of Health says that the study does not yet reflect the impact of the lockdown in England.\n\nBut if this trend continues, say the scientists, the numbers admitted to hospital with severe Covid illness, will not fall in the short term, as some had hoped.\n\nThis is one set of figures over a short number of days so there might be a more optimistic picture when the study reports its full set of results in a week's time. But there is no getting away from the fact that ministers will be disappointed not to have seen a fall at this stage.\n\nUnless things change, even tougher measures will have to be considered.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said there will be \"tough weeks to come\" but he hoped there would be a \"real difference\" by spring as the vaccine programme accelerates.\n\nIt comes as another 60 NHS Covid-19 vaccination centres in England, including a mosque in Birmingham and a cinema in Aylesbury, will welcome their first patients later.\n\nMinisters have sought to reassure people in the top four priority groups for the Covid vaccination that they will get their jab by the government's mid-February target, following complaints from some GPs about unpredictable supplies.\n\nSome 4.6m people in the UK have now received the first dose of a Covid vaccine.\n\nFacebook mobility data, which tracks people's movements, suggested a fall in activity at the end of December but a rise at the start of the new year.\n\nAnd Prof Elliott said everyone should \"reduce their mobility as much as we can\".\n\nA new, more transmissible variant and the fact larger households and deprived communities were more likely to be affected, may also be factors.\n\nThe Imperial survey is one source of data used to estimate the UK's reproduction (R) number, along with other surveys, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for example, and figures on confirmed cases and hospital admissions.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said the React findings showed \"we must not let down our guard over the weeks to come\".\n\n\"It is absolutely paramount that everyone plays their part to bring down infections,\" he said.\n\n\"This means staying at home and only going out where absolutely necessary, reducing contact with others and maintaining social distancing.\"", "Police checkpoints have seen officers questioning people about whether their travel is essential\n\nNorthern Ireland has been in lockdown since 26 December, in a bid to control the spread of Covid-19.\n\nRestrictions had been eased in the run-up to Christmas, which led to a sharp spike in cases in January, causing severe pressure on the health service.\n\nMedically-trained military personnel will be deployed to help, but a union has questioned the move and said NI should have entered a stricter lockdown sooner.\n\nWith Stormont ministers extending the current lockdown, could other measures could be on the table?\n\nIt's worth bearing in mind that NI is already in tight lockdown restrictions and has been for almost a month.\n\nBut the current measures are now set to remain in place until at least 5 March.\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said health officials had not requested any other measures be toughened up at this time, given the duration and extent of the current rules.\n\nThe initial lockdown began last March, with non-essential retail not permitted to open again until 12 June.\n\nBy law people are required to stay at home during the lockdown unless they have a reasonable excuse, such as going out for exercise, medical or food needs.\n\nPeople are also required to wear face masks in shops and on public transport, with only a limited number of exemptions.\n\nThose who breach the rules can face fines, with businesses that break the law also able to be fined if they do not follow the rules.\n\nHowever, DUP minister Edwin Poots has expressed concern that not enough has been done by the PSNI to enforce the laws.\n\nIt is a difficult balance for the executive to strike.\n\nThey previously announced that \"Covid marshals\" would be deployed in the retail sector to ensure social distancing in queues and adherence to the rules.\n\nMinisters want to ensure as many people as possible follow the restrictions voluntarily while ensuring the PSNI has enough powers to manage the situation.\n\nHealth Minister Robin Swann has not ruled out revisiting whether the level of fines people can face should be increased, and said he would raise the matter with his executive colleagues.\n\nThe 2020 lockdown saw many businesses right across Northern Ireland forced to close, with retail and hospitality among them.\n\nThere was confusion over whether construction and manufacturing should stop, with the executive later clarifying that essential work on building sites could continue.\n\nIn the latest lockdown, the sector has been permitted to remain fully open.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, all non-essential construction has been ordered to stop during a fresh lockdown there.\n\nLike in the previous lockdown, people have again been told to work from home unless they cannot.\n\nBut it is worth pointing out many companies have had time to prepare since last March, making their workplaces Covid-secure to allow more staff to attend in person.\n\nThe executive has a defined list of essential businesses here.\n\nFace coverings in shops are mandatory in Northern Ireland's shops\n\nThere has also been confusion about what elements of the retail sector can operate.\n\nAll but essential retail shops were told to close on 26 December, and click-and-collect is only allowed for those essential retailers.\n\nBut concerns were later raised that some larger chains were \"gaming\" the regulations by selling non-essential items, with smaller independent shops who had to close arguing they were being treated unfairly.\n\nThe executive met with retailers last week to discuss this, but it seems unlikely it will act to define essential items in regulations.\n\nA similar situation in Wales last year led to criticism after supermarkets were told by law not to sell certain items.\n\nThe majority of pupils are in an extended period of remote learning until after half-term in February, but some children of key workers and vulnerable children are still permitted to attend the classroom.\n\nLast week it emerged that at least eight times as many pupils in Northern Ireland attended schools in the first week of term in 2021 compared to the first lockdown in 2020.\n\nThough part of this is due to special schools remaining open for all pupils, unlike in March to June last year.\n\nThe executive could potentially revisit the list of services it defines as meeting the \"key worker\" definition for childcare, if it wanted to reduce this further.\n\nIt is also possible schools could remain closed to most pupils for a longer period, in line with extending the lockdown to 5 March.\n\nThe executive says workers, builders, tradespeople and other professionals can continue to go into people's houses to carry out work such as repairs, installations and deliveries.\n\nBut it does not define further what this type of work should include.\n\nIt is possible ministers could tighten the circumstances in which work can be carried out in someone's home, but the guidance already specifies a limited number of exemptions for allowing others inside your home during the lockdown.\n\nHouse moves are also allowed under the regulations, although they were paused in the first lockdown.\n\nMusic lessons and private tutoring are permitted in someone's home, with mitigations.\n\nDuring the first week of lockdown from 26 December, people were told not to leave their homes between 20:00 and 06:00 every day - effectively amounting to a curfew.\n\nMinisters could decide to impose the measure again, if they felt that was necessary - but initially it was imposed to stop house parties over New Year's Eve.\n\nAll but essential travel is not permitted outside of Northern Ireland, and anyone entering Northern Ireland must self-isolate for 10 days on arrival or face a fine.\n\nHowever, there is no formal travel ban on passengers from Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland entering Northern Ireland.\n\nThe executive had voted by a majority before Christmas not to impose such a ban, despite calls from Sinn Féin for it to happen.\n\nOther parties argued that the public health advice did not propose a ban in law, and that travel from the Republic of Ireland to NI should be restricted as well due to its rise in cases.\n\nThe current guidance states that anyone coming into NI from within the Common Travel Area who is staying for more than 24 hours should self-isolate for 10 days, but there are exemptions for those who \"cross the border\" regularly for work or other essential reasons.\n\nThe executive also does not have a formal limit in law for travelling to exercise, unlike in the Republic of Ireland where it is 5km (3 miles).\n\nJustice Minister Naomi Long said there is an \"advisory limit\" of 10 miles for exercise in Northern Ireland.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nTwo houses have partially collapsed after a sinkhole measuring 10ft (3m) opened up on a Manchester street.\n\nFour homes were evacuated on Wednesday evening after the hole appeared on Walmer Street in Abbey Hey, Gorton.\n\nFire crews returned hours later after the front of two of the empty properties crashed to the ground.\n\nUnited Utilities said it was dealing with a collapsed sewer but was investigating all possible causes including the recent heavy rain.\n\nThe fire service was first called to Walmer Street just after 21:00 GMT on Wednesday to reports an unoccupied car had fallen down a hole in the road.\n\nA cordon was put in place and residents evacuated as a precaution, the fire service said.\n\nAfter leaving the scene four hours later, the fire service was alerted to the partial collapse of two houses at 11:00 on Thursday.\n\nNo-one was injured in either incident.\n\nEmergency services remain at the scene on Walmer Street\n\nNearby residents Maureen and Louise Kennedy spoke of their shock after the houses collapsed.\n\n\"You're just waiting for your world to crumble. It's not just the bricks and water, said Ms Kennedy.\n\n\"I've lived in there since I was three. It's the memories.\"\n\nResident Nathaniel OKeleafor said he was \"terrified\" when the sinkhole appeared in the street on Wednesday evening.\n\n\"This morning we are out. We are just trying to find somewhere to live,\" he added.\n\nUnited Utilities said it was dealing with a collapsed sewer on Walmer Street\n\nThe collapse comes as rising levels on the River Mersey in Manchester came \"within centimetres\" of breaching flood defences following heavy rain caused by Storm Christoph.\n\nStation Manager Andrew O'Brien, from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, praised firefighters who worked \"at the height of the stormy weather\".\n\n\"The safety of the public was our primary concern overnight and again today, and I'm pleased to say no-one has suffered any injuries,\" he said.\n\nUnited Utilities said: \"When it is safe for engineers to go back into the immediate area we will set up emergency drainage and water supply connections to restore services to the area and begin to assess how best to carry out repairs.\n\n\"It is not known what caused the sinkhole but this will be investigated.\"\n\nBBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Lancashire will be on air throughout Storm Christoph, bringing you all of the latest information and news updates\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Home Secretary Priti Patel says police have her \"absolute backing\" to enforce coronavirus restrictions\n\nFines of £800 for anyone attending a house party of more than 15 people will be introduced in England from next week, under new Covid measures.\n\nThese will double for each repeat offence to a maximum of £6,400.\n\nAt a No 10 news conference, Home Secretary Priti Patel said there remained a \"small minority that refuse to do the right thing\".\n\n\"To them my message is clear. If you don't follow rules then the police will enforce them,\" she said.\n\nCurrently in England the fine for those attending illegal indoor gatherings stands at £200 - or £100 if paid early.\n\nFines of up to £10,000 for holding large illegal gatherings of more than 30 people will still only apply to the organisers.\n\nPolice will continue to follow the strategy of engaging with the public, explaining the rules and encouraging compliance, but the Home Office has warned that in severe breaches of lockdown rules, offenders should expect to receive a fine.\n\nMs Patel said the government would \"not stand by while a small number of individuals put others at risk\".\n\nShe was joined at the briefing by NHS England regional medical director for London Dr Vin Diwakar, who compared breaking the rules to turning on a light in the middle of a blackout during the Blitz.\n\n\"It doesn't just put you at risk in your house, it puts your whole street and the whole of your community at risk,\" he said.\n\nWelcoming the fines announcement, Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said large gatherings were \"dangerous, irresponsible, and totally unacceptable\".\n\nHe added: \"I hope that the likelihood of an increased fine acts as a disincentive for those people who are thinking of attending or organising such events.\"\n\nOfficial figures will be released next week showing how many fines have been given out since the start of this latest national lockdown, Mr Hewitt said.\n\nHowever, he stressed that \"forces are telling us there has been a significant increase\" in recent weeks.\n\n\"That's reflecting the fact that we've had more officers out on dedicated patrols taking targeted action against those small few who are letting everybody down,\" he said.\n\nAccording to Mr Hewitt, three police officers were injured in Brick Lane, east London, last week, after more than 40 people were found cramped indoors at a house party.\n\nMeanwhile, more than 150 people were found at a party in Hertfordshire, complete with music equipment including mixing decks and amplifiers, and another officer was injured.\n\nHe said forces in England had issued 250 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to people organising large gatherings between late August, when regulations were introduced, and 17 January.\n\nIn some other recent examples of lockdown breaches:\n\nThe latest fines announcement comes after figures showed that assaults on emergency workers made up more than a quarter of Covid-related crimes prosecuted in the first six months of the pandemic.\n\nThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there were 1,688 such offences between 1 April and 30 September in England and Wales.\n\nThey were among almost 6,500 crimes related to coronavirus in that period.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSome 1,137 charges were brought for breaking coronavirus laws, according to the figures published by the CPS - which cover completed prosecutions.\n\nOn Thursday, it was reported that another 1,290 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK, bringing the total to 94,580.\n\nAnd a further 37,892 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus were announced, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 3,543,646.\n• None What powers do police have?", "\"I had no idea at all I was going to be charged any more for deliveries after Brexit. The extra costs were definitely a bit of a shock.\"\n\nEllie Huddleston, a 26-year-old Londoner, thought she would treat herself to some new work clothes in the January sales.\n\nHaving spotted a bargain, she placed an order for a coat and a number of blouses from two of her favourite clothes brands based in Europe.\n\nBut both deliveries were delayed, held up in customs checks for at least a week, she says.\n\nShe was surprised when she then received a text from courier company DPD, containing a link asking her to pay £58 in customs duties, VAT and additional charges for her £180 order.\n\nOn top of that, the UPS courier for the second parcel showed up at her door several days later, asking for an extra payment of £82 for her £200 coat.\n\nThese charges, imposed by new government rules, have to be collected by the courier firms on the authorities' behalf.\n\n\"I didn't even know when the parcels would be coming - so I sent both back without paying the extra fees and won't be ordering anything from Europe again any time soon,\" Ellie says.\n\nWhen the UK was part of the European Union's customs union, goods could move freely between the country and other member states without import taxes being charged.\n\nBut Ellie was one of the shoppers caught unaware of the fact that those rules have changed since the UK's official exit.\n\nEU retailers sending packages to the UK now need to fill out customs declaration forms. Shoppers may also have to pay customs or VAT charges, depending on the value of the product and where it came from.\n\nHowever, customs charges are the responsibility of the customer, not the retailer, who often has no idea of how much the eventual extra cost might be.\n\nThey cannot be paid in advance and are levied only when the item reaches the UK.\n\nAnother unhappy customer, Graeme from Manchester, paid £300 to buy two pairs of suede winter boots from a German firm online.\n\n\"You couldn't get them anywhere in the UK, so I had no choice but to order them from Europe,\" he told the BBC.\n\nThe next thing he knew, courier UPS had sent him a text message saying he had to pay £147 extra before the boots could be delivered. He paid up, but is still waiting for the goods to arrive.\n\n\"It was virtually impossible to find out what the charges would be beforehand,\" he says, \"so I had to take a shot in the dark.\n\n\"I didn't imagine that it would be half as much again.\"\n\nCourier companies are adding charges to some deliveries from the EU\n\nUnder the new rules, anyone in the UK receiving a gift from the EU worth more than £39 may now face a bill for import VAT - with many items charged at 20%.\n\nFor goods costing more than £135, customs duties may also apply, which can range from 0% to 25% of the product you're buying if they have not been paid by the sender already.\n\nThe extra charges are usually collected by the courier on behalf of the government, with customers asked to pay before they can pick up their package.\n\nSome specialist European retailers, such as bicycle part firm Dutch Bike Bits and Belgium-based Beer On Web, recently said that they would stop all deliveries to the UK because of the VAT changes, which came into force on 1 January.\n\nSome firms have started charging additional \"handling fees\" to shoppers to cover costs associated with extra customs checks and paperwork that must be filled out.\n\nRoyal Mail, for example, is charging an £8 fee it says \"reflects the cost of clearing items through customs and presenting them to Border Force\".\n\nMeanwhile, delivery firm DHL says it is charging UK customers 2.5% of the amount paid to clear customs, with a minimum charge of £11.\n\nMail and freight company TNT is also adding £4.31 on all shipments from the UK to the EU and vice versa. It has said this reflects the increased investment it has had to make in adjusting its systems to cope with Brexit.\n\nA spokeswoman for Logistics UK told the BBC that the handling fees were \"a commercial decision by individual businesses\".\n\nBut Michelle Dale, senior manager at accountants UHY Hacker Young, said that new charges could present a major problem for firms in the coming weeks.\n\n\"I think what we'll find is that a lot of trade with the EU from a business-to-customer perspective will come to a stop until some of these rules are eased,\" she said.\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"The new VAT model ensures goods from EU and non-EU countries are treated in the same way and that UK businesses are not disadvantaged by competition from VAT-free imports.\n\n\"The new system also addresses the problem of overseas sellers failing to pay the right amount of VAT when they sell goods in the UK. We anticipate this will bring in £300m in tax every year, to fund essential UK public services.\"\n\nThere is speculation the rules may change, but until they do, Ellie says she won't be buying from European firms.\n\n\"With all that uncertainty around things and whether or not these charges might change, I'd rather just avoid the hassle,\" she says.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHomes have been evacuated as Storm Christoph batters Wales with a three-day rainstorm.\n\nNorth Wales Police were called to help some residents in Ruthin who were being told to leave their homes.\n\nThey tweeted that \"people who do not live locally are driving to the area to 'see the floods'\".\n\nA rain warning issued by the Met Office is in place until midday on Thursday, with an ice warning for parts of north and mid Wales.\n\nSouth Wales fire crews pumped out water from homes in Pontypridd and Porth, in Rhondda, and roads were blocked in Powys and Flintshire.\n\nVehicles were pulled from floods by firefighters in Tenby, Llandovery, Llandeilo and Whitland, Mid and West Wales fire service said.\n\nUp to 20cm (8in) of rain is expected to fall, with the heaviest rain forecast for the north west of Wales.\n\nThere were flood warnings in 58 areas as forecasters warned heavy rain and melting snow could affect roads. There were also 57 flood alerts - meaning flooding is possible.\n\nA yellow warning for ice was issued for the north and parts of mid Wales, starting at 01:00 on Thursday and lasting until 10:00, as rain clears.\n\nA minor landslip was reported on the mountainside above Pentre in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Natural Resources Wales, who have responsibility for the land, said there is no immediate threat after an initial inspection, but the council urged residents to keep away from the area.\n\nThe River Taf at Llanglydwen in Carmarthenshire\n\nFlood warnings are in Carmarthenshire - the River Towy and isolated properties between Llandeilo and Abergwili, the River Gwendraeth Fawr at Pontyates and Ponthenry, the River Hydfron at Llanddowror and the River Taf at Trevaughan in Whitland.\n\nThe other flood warnings cover the River Ely at Peterston-Super-Ely in Vale of Glamorgan, the River Vyrnwy in the Meifod area in Powys, the River Rhyd Hir at Riverside Terrace in Gwynedd, two for the River Wye at Glasbury and Builth Wells, the Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows, the River Dyfi at Pont ar Dyfi, the River Usk from Brecon to Glangrwyne, two at the River Severn at Abermule to Fron and Aberbechan and the River Lower Clydach at Clydach Bridge, Swansea.\n\nIn River Aeron at Aberaeron, in Ceredigion, the River Loughor at Ammanford and Llandybie and the River Wye at Builth Wells, Powys, are also covered by the warning.\n\nA person had to be saved from a car stuck in floodwater in Corwen, Denbighshire, North East Wales Search and Rescue tweeted.\n\nRest centres have been opened in St Asaph and Ruthin after some localised flooding following heavy rainfall throughout the day. Denbighshire council invited affected residents to use the facilities at the towns' main leisure centres.\n\nAnd Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called to help a motorist whose vehicle had become stuck in 3ft of water in Machynlleth.\n\nThe waters lapped the doors of Ruthin's Ocean Pearl restaurant\n\nIn Broughton, Flintshire, Ray and Jacqui Littler said they and their daughter waited all afternoon for help at their flooded bungalow after emergency services told them they were \"flat out\".\n\nThey eventually decided to leave their home on Main Road, which was under 10 inches of water, to stay with friends.\n\nNeighbours blamed a blocked culvert on the fields opposite the road. Police closed the road at about 16:00 GMT and Flintshire council attended, after three houses were affected, with the gardens of two pensioners' bungalows also under water.\n\nOverflowing banks of the River Usk at Brecon\n\nSouth Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it had been called to two incidents overnight with reports of water entering properties in Pontycymmer in Bridgend and Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent.\n\nOn Wednesday morning, it dealt with flooding at properties in Tyfica Road, Pontypridd, and Trebanog Road in Porth, Rhondda, where a crew was helping residents divert and pump out water.\n\nFirefighters also had to rescue 46 sheep from land surrounded by water at Merthyr Road, Llanfoist, Monmouthshire.\n\nCrews from Abergavenny and Ebbw Vale were called to help the stricken animals near the River Usk.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service\n\nIn Rhondda Cynon Taf, there were also reports of flooding in properties at Pembroke Street, Aberdare and Clydach Vale, Tonypandy.\n\nA tweet from Pontypridd Plaid Cymru councillor Heledd Fychan showed fast-flowing water in the River Taff which runs through the town.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Heledd Fychan This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nWater in the grounds of Gwydir Castle in Llanrwst\n\nJudy Corbett, owner of 16th Century Gwydir Castle in Llanrwst, Conwy, which flooded last year, told BBC Radio Wales things were \"looking pretty dire here this morning\".\n\nShe said: \"We've been obviously monitoring the levels overnight so we've had another sleepless night worrying about the weather but the levels are rising and the water is very violent this morning and of course, we've got another a whole day ahead of us.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Sabrina Lee This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSeveral roads have been hit by flooding, including the B5106 between Llanrwst and Trefriw\n\nThe Met Office warned spray and flooding could lead to \"difficult driving conditions and some road closures\" and the downpours could cause delays.\n\nTraffic Wales said restrictions were in place on the M48 Severn Bridge where traffic is coming off eastbound at junction two or westbound at junction one before being directed back on to cross the bridge, which remains open.\n\nIn Flintshire, the A548 Coast Road has been closed at Tan Lan and Mostyn, the A5118 at Padeswood, the A541 between Llong to Pontblyddyn, Bagillt High Street and the B5101 between Treuddyn and Llanfynydd.\n\nThe A485 in Garreg is also closed from the Brondaw Arms to Pont Aberglaslyn.\n\nThe Dyfi Bridge near Machynlleth is closed\n\nIn Powys, the A487 over the Dyfi Bridge, near Machynlleth, is closed while the A458 at Llanfair Caereinion is blocked in both directions from Bridge Street to Guilsfield turn-off because of flooding.\n\nThe A483 in Builth Wells at the station is also closed along with the bridge over the River Wye.\n\nCapel Bangor in Ceredigion has temporary traffic lights on the A44 at Lovesgrove Roundabout due to flooding, which is affecting traffic between Aberystwyth and Llangurig.\n\nIn Bridgend, New Inn Road has been closed in both directions at The Dipping Bridge, affecting traffic between Ewenny village and the A48.\n\nSouth Wales Police warned people not to attempt driving through floodwater after the A4118 at Llanddewi on Gower became blocked.\n\nIn Gwynedd, the council tweeted that Ffordd Siliwen, Bangor, had been closed following a landslip.\n\nA section of the A470 Dolgellau Bypass has also been closed along with the A4085 at Garreg.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by South Wales Police Swansea This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nNational Rail said some lines between North Llanrwst, Conwy, and Blaenau Ffestiniog in Gwynedd were blocked due to heavy rain while services were also disrupted between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth in Powys.\n\nAlterative road transport will run in place of cancelled services, it said.\n\nThe Met Office said 56mm (2.2in) of rain had fallen at Capel Curig in Snowdonia by 18:00 GMT on Tuesday.\n\nA yellow warning for rain is in place for virtually the whole of Wales until Thursday\n\nForecasters also said fast flowing and deep floodwater \"could cause a danger to life\".\n\nThe Met Office warned flooding could lead to some communities being cut off and possible power cuts.\n\nStrong winds will also follow the torrential rain, with forecasters predicting this may cause \"travelling difficulties across areas higher and more exposed routes\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nPaul Pogba scored a superb winner as Manchester United reclaimed top spot in the Premier League by coming from behind for a club-record equalling away win at Fulham.\n\nIn what is becoming a familiar pattern for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side outside Manchester this season, they fell behind early in the game, with Ademola Lookman beating the offside trap before firing in an angled drive.\n\nBut for the seventh time away from Old Trafford in 2020-21, United found a winning response - taking their run to 17 games unbeaten away in the Premier League - courtesy of a gift from their opponents and a bit of magic from their French midfielder.\n\nGoalkeeper Alphonse Areola has been a good addition for the Cottagers but in dropping Bruno Fernandes' cross at the feet of Edinson Cavani, he gifted his former Paris St-Germain team-mate the simplest of equalisers.\n\nAnd on the hour mark, Pogba stepped up to decide the contest, firing a superb angled drive across the diving Areola and into the far corner from 20 yards.\n\nThe France international has come in for criticism at times this season but received nothing but praise from his manager after his winner.\n\n\"I am very happy with his performances,\" said Solskjaer.\n\n\"I know what he can do. He does everything. Now he is putting all the elements together in his performances and it is great to see.\n\n\"It was about getting him fit. He is enjoying his football, he is happy and physically in a good shape.\"\n\nThe win takes United to 40 points, two more than both Leicester and Manchester City, who had briefly taken top spot from the Foxes with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday.\n\nSolskjaer, though, was reluctant to get drawn into discussing his side's title credentials with so much of the campaign to go.\n\n\"It is always going to be talked about that when you are halfway through and top of the league, but we are not thinking about this, we just have to go one game at a time,\" he added. \"It is such an unpredictable season.\"\n\nFulham remain in the bottom three, four points behind 17th-placed Burnley.\n• None Man Utd or Man City to end day top? Cassia bassist Lou Cotterill takes on Lawro\n\nSolskjaer felt his side missed a big opportunity to fully assert their title credentials in failing to make the most of their chances in Sunday's 0-0 draw at champions Liverpool.\n\nUnited were clearly in no mood to repeat such a mistake at a wet and windy Craven Cottage on Wednesday against a less daunting and defining opposition, but one that is far more robust now than they were in the season's first month.\n\nThe visitors fell behind, but this is par for the course for this side, who once again did not panic, wrestled control of the game away from their opponents and took the win.\n\nIt is a handy trick for a title-challenging side to have in their locker, although one they would rather not have to repeatedly pull.\n\nIn truth, they should have won more handsomely.\n\nThey had the far greater share of possession and territory and were well ahead of their opponents on shots taken until a frantic finale in which the Cottagers threw in all they had in pursuit of a point.\n\nFred felt he should have had a penalty in the first half courtesy of being caught in the box by a loose challenge from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but both on-field and VAR officials disagreed.\n\nHarry Maguire twice headed wide from corners, the first from a far less forgivable, unmarked position than the second.\n\nEqually, though, it is a game that could have seen them drop points, especially in light of Fulham's late barrage, which saw David de Gea save superbly with his legs to deny Loftus-Cheek, and the ball pinballing around the United box on more than one occasion.\n\nThe Cottagers demonstrated that they are no pushover, but they are making of habit of being on the rough end of fine margins.\n\nFive straight draws followed by two defeats by a single goal suggests their battle against the drop will go right down to the wire.\n\n\"I'm really pleased but I'm disappointed at the same time, which shows how far we've come,\" said Cottagers boss Scott Parker.\n\n\"I saw a team today that looked threatening and tried their hardest to get back into the game, but we go again. The next challenge is to maintain where we are and don't let defeat sink us.\n\n\"No doubt we can win and operate in this division and we just need to push on and keep improving.\"\n\nUnited lead the way in early concessions\n• None No side has conceded more goals in the opening five minutes of Premier League games this season than Manchester United (4). Manchester United have won seven Premier League games having gone behind this season - only Newcastle in 2001-02 (10) and Man Utd themselves in 2012-13 (9) have done so more in a single campaign.\n• None Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 17 Premier League away games (W13 D4), equalling their longest ever unbeaten run on the road in top-flight history (17 between December 1998 and September 1999).\n• None This was the 41st different game in which Fulham had led in all competitions under Scott Parker, but the first time they had lost such a game (W34 D6).\n• None Edinson Cavani became the first Man Utd player whose first four Premier League goals for the club were all scored away from home.\n• None Since his return to the club in 2016, no Man Utd player has scored more league goals from outside the box than Paul Pogba (6).\n• None Ademola Lookman has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other Fulham player this season (6 - 3 goals, 3 assists).\n• None Bruno Fernandes has gone three Premier League games without a goal or assist for the first time since his Manchester United debut in February 2020.\n\nFulham's next game is in the FA Cup, against Burnley on Sunday (14:30 GMT). Their next league fixture, an away game on Wednesday, 27 January, is a big one. Opponents Brighton are two places and five points above them in the table.\n\nManchester United host Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday at 17:00, live on the BBC. They are also in league action the following Wednesday hosting the league's bottom club Sheffield United in a 20:15 kick-off.\n• None Attempt missed. Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Kenny Tete with a cross following a corner.\n• None Attempt blocked. Ademola Lookman (Fulham) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Mario Lemina.\n• None Offside, Fulham. Aboubakar Kamara tries a through ball, but Kenny Tete is caught offside.\n• None Attempt missed. Mario Lemina (Fulham) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Aboubakar Kamara.\n• None Attempt blocked. Joe Bryan (Fulham) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.\n• None Attempt missed. Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Fulham) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right following a fast break.\n• None Attempt blocked. Fred (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Harry Maguire with a headed pass. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None You can stream five fourth-round games live on the BBC this weekend, including Liverpool's trip to Manchester United. Find out more here.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThis is America's day. This is democracy's day. A day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause, a cause of democracy. The people - the will of the people - has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded.\n\nWe've learned again that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile and, at this hour my friends, democracy has prevailed. So now on this hallowed ground where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundations, we come together as one nation under God - indivisible - to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.\n\nAs we look ahead in our uniquely American way, restless, bold, optimistic, and set our sights on a nation we know we can be and must be, I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation, as does President Carter, who I spoke with last night who cannot be with us today, but who we salute for his lifetime of service.\n\nI've just taken a sacred oath each of those patriots have taken. The oath first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. On we the people who seek a more perfect union. This is a great nation, we are good people. And over the centuries through storm and strife in peace and in war we've come so far. But we still have far to go.\n\nWe'll press forward with speed and urgency for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibility. Much to do, much to heal, much to restore, much to build and much to gain. Few people in our nation's history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we're in now. A once in a century virus that silently stalks the country has taken as many lives in one year as in all of World War Two.\n\nMillions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice, some 400 years in the making, moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. A cry for survival comes from the planet itself, a cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear now. The rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism, that we must confront and we will defeat.\n\nTo overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy - unity. Unity. In another January on New Year's Day in 1863 Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper the president said, and I quote, 'if my name ever goes down in history, it'll be for this act, and my whole soul is in it'.\n\nMy whole soul is in it today, on this January day. My whole soul is in this. Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. Uniting to fight the foes we face - anger, resentment and hatred. Extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness, and hopelessness.\n\nWith unity we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs, we can put people to work in good jobs, we can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus, we can rebuild work, we can rebuild the middle class and make work secure, we can secure racial justice and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world.\n\nI know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal, that we are all created equal, and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism and fear have torn us apart. The battle is perennial and victory is never secure.\n\nThrough civil war, the Great Depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setback, our better angels have always prevailed. In each of our moments enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward and we can do that now. History, faith and reason show the way. The way of unity.\n\nWe can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbours. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. For without unity there is no peace, only bitterness and fury, no progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge. And unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America.\n\nIf we do that, I guarantee we will not failed. We have never, ever, ever, ever failed in America when we've acted together. And so today at this time in this place, let's start afresh, all of us. Let's begin to listen to one another again, hear one another, see one another. Show respect to one another. Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn't have to be a cause for total war and we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.\n\nMy fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. We have to be better than this and I believe America is so much better than this. Just look around. Here we stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome. As mentioned earlier, completed in the shadow of the Civil War. When the union itself was literally hanging in the balance. We endure, we prevail. Here we stand, looking out on the great Mall, where Dr King spoke of his dream.\n\nHere we stand, where 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. And today we mark the swearing in of the first woman elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris. Don't tell me things can't change. Here we stand where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace.\n\nAnd here we stand just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen, it will never happen, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Not ever. To all those who supported our campaign, I'm humbled by the faith you placed in us. To all those who did not support us, let me say this. Hear us out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart.\n\nIf you still disagree, so be it. That's democracy. That's America. The right to dissent peacefully. And the guardrail of our democracy is perhaps our nation's greatest strength. If you hear me clearly, disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you. I will be a President for all Americans, all Americans. And I promise you I will fight for those who did not support me as for those who did.\n\nMany centuries ago, St Augustine - the saint of my church - wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. Defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love, that define us as Americans? I think we know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honour, and yes, the truth.\n\nRecent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and a responsibility as citizens as Americans and especially as leaders. Leaders who are pledged to honour our Constitution to protect our nation. To defend the truth and defeat the lies.\n\nLook, I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand like their dad they lay in bed at night staring at the ceiling thinking: 'Can I keep my healthcare? Can I pay my mortgage?' Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you, I get it. But the answer's not to turn inward. To retreat into competing factions. Distrusting those who don't look like you, or worship the way you do, who don't get their news from the same source as you do.\n\nWe must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts, if we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we're willing to stand in the other person's shoes, as my mom would say. Just for a moment, stand in their shoes.\n\nBecause here's the thing about life. There's no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days you need a hand. There are other days when we're called to lend a hand. That's how it has to be, that's what we do for one another. And if we are that way our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. And we can still disagree.\n\nMy fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us we're going to need each other. We need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter. We're entering what may be the darkest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation, one nation. And I promise this, as the Bible says, 'Weeping may endure for a night, joy cometh in the morning'. We will get through this together. Together.\n\nLook folks, all my colleagues I serve with in the House and the Senate up here, we all understand the world is watching. Watching all of us today. So here's my message to those beyond our borders. America has been tested and we've come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances, and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday's challenges but today's and tomorrow's challenges. And we'll lead not merely by the example of our power but the power of our example.\n\nFellow Americans, moms, dads, sons, daughters, friends, neighbours and co-workers. We will honour them by becoming the people and the nation we can and should be. So I ask you let's say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives, those left behind and for our country. Amen.\n\nFolks, it's a time of testing. We face an attack on our democracy, and on truth, a raging virus, a stinging inequity, systemic racism, a climate in crisis, America's role in the world. Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with one of the greatest responsibilities we've had. Now we're going to be tested. Are we going to step up?\n\nIt's time for boldness for there is so much to do. And this is certain, I promise you. We will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era. We will rise to the occasion. Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children? I believe we must and I'm sure you do as well. I believe we will, and when we do, we'll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America. The American story.\n\nA story that might sound like a song that means a lot to me, it's called American Anthem. And there's one verse that stands out at least for me and it goes like this:\n\n'The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day, which shall be our legacy, what will our children say?\n\nLet me know in my heart when my days are through, America, America, I gave my best to you.'\n\nLet us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. If we do this, then when our days are through, our children and our children's children will say of us: 'They gave their best, they did their duty, they healed a broken land.'\n\nMy fellow Americans I close the day where I began, with a sacred oath. Before God and all of you, I give you my word. I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution, I'll defend our democracy.\n\nI'll defend America and I will give all - all of you - keep everything I do in your service. Thinking not of power but of possibilities. Not of personal interest but of public good.\n\nAnd together we will write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity not division, of light not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness. May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires us. And the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history, we met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch but thrive.\n\nThat America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forbearers, one another, and generations to follow.\n\nSo with purpose and resolve, we turn to those tasks of our time. Sustained by faith, driven by conviction and devoted to one another and the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and God protect our troops.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. PM: It's too early to give a lockdown end date\n\nIt is \"too early\" to say whether England's Covid restrictions will be able to end in the spring, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.\n\nOnce the four priority groups have been vaccinated, by mid-February, \"we'll look then at how we're doing,\" he said.\n\nNearly two million people in the UK have had their first dose of vaccine in the past week, government figures show.\n\nScientist Marc Baguelin, who advises the government, has said restaurants and bars should not reopen before May.\n\nEducation Secretary Gavin Williamson has said he \"certainly hopes\" schools in England can fully reopen before Easter, while Downing Street refused to be drawn on whether this would happen by then.\n\nA further 1,290 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test and there have been another 37,892 cases, according to the latest government figures.\n\nAnd almost five million people in the UK have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.\n\nSpeaking after a study suggested infections might have increased at the start of the latest lockdown in England, Mr Johnson said it was \"absolutely crucial\" that people observed the restrictions.\n\nReferring to figures from the Imperial College London survey, he said they showed the new variant of the virus was \"not more deadly but it is much more contagious and the numbers are very great\".\n\nFigures published by Public Health England show cases - meaning people who come forward to get tested while they are infected - have fallen across England since early January.\n\nWith the two sets of figures pointing in different directions, it will be some time before it is known for sure how long it will take for lockdown to relieve the pressure on hospitals.\n\nDr Baguelin, from Imperial College, who sits on a sub-group of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said the premature opening of the hospitality sector would lead to a \"bump\" in Covid-19 cases.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme even a partial reopening would generate \"an increase in the R number\". An R number above one means the epidemic is growing.\n\n\"Something of this scale, if it was to happen earlier than May, would generate a bump in transmission, which is already really bad,\" he said.\n\n\"So you have a lot of pressure on hospitals, you will have another wave of some extent. At best you will keep on having very, very unsustainable level of pressure on the NHS.\"\n\nNHS England figures show one in 10 major hospital trusts had no spare adult critical care beds last week.\n\nThis is a debate that is going to start to dominate public discourse.\n\nWith the vaccination programme under way, there is huge clamour to know what will happen once the most vulnerable are vaccinated, by mid-February.\n\nThe problem is there are still so many unknowns.\n\nFirstly, it is hard to predict by how much lockdown will have reduced infection levels, considering there is a new faster-spreading variant to deal with.\n\nThe level of uptake will also be crucial. Surveys suggest as many as one in five may not have the vaccine - although the older, more vulnerable groups tend to be the most willing to be vaccinated.\n\nAnd the fact that no vaccine is 100% effective means come February there could still be significant numbers of very vulnerable people who are not protected.\n\nAnother factor is whether the vaccine stops transmissions - so-called sterilising vaccination.\n\nTrials have shown the vaccines are good at stopping symptoms developing. But that does not mean someone who has received a jab will not pass on the virus.\n\nIf it does not, that, of course, has implications on how many control measures have to be kept in place. It will take us at least until spring to know the answer to this.\n\nAt this stage, it seems hard to see much beyond the possible reopening of schools come March.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was an \"impossible question\" to ask how long the lockdown would need to last.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons.\n\nThis includes for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, coronavirus lockdown restrictions will be extended until 5 March, BBC News understands.\n\nIn Scotland, lockdown has been extended until at least the middle of February, with most school pupils to continue learning from home.\n\nAnd in Wales health minister Vaughan Gething has said no \"significant easing\" of Wales' Covid restrictions should be expected when the current guidelines are reviewed this month.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSir Keir added that the coronavirus vaccines were \"really good news\" but \"should not mask the fact that we have still got a very serious problem\".\n\nThe government is aiming to offer a vaccine to all over-70s, the extremely clinical vulnerable and health and care workers by mid-February.\n\nSixty-five new vaccination centres are opening in England, including a mosque in Birmingham and a cinema in Aylesbury.", "Paddy McElhone was shot in the back by a soldier in 1974\n\nThe shooting dead of a man by the Army in County Tyrone in August 1974 was unjustified, a coroner has ruled.\n\nPaddy McElhone, 24, a farmer, was shot in the back near his home in Limehill, Pomeroy.\n\nAn inquest heard the shot was fired by a soldier from the First Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales.\n\nJudge Siobhan Keegan said Mr McElhone was an \"innocent man shot in cold blood without warning when he was no threat to anyone\".\n\nThe soldier, now deceased, had been cleared of murder but the circumstances were re-examined in a new inquest ordered by the Attorney General.\n\nPaddy McElhone's family said he was killed without justification, explanation or apology\n\nAfterwards, a statement issued by the McElhone family said it had been a \"very long road\" to reach Thursday's ruling and that the truth \"has been heard\".\n\nIt reads: \"Our family always knew that Paddy was an innocent young man, taken from his home and shot by a British soldier for no reason.\"\n\nEvidence presented to the inquest found Mr McElhone was not on any list associated with the IRA and was an innocent man from a humble background.\n\nThe family said Mr McElhone's parents \"went to their graves broken-hearted knowing that their innocent son had been killed, without justification, explanation or apology\".\n\n\"We feel that, today, Judge Keenan at this inquest has, at long last, exonerated Paddy in full,\" the statement continued.\n\n\"As a family we can grieve Paddy, and respect his memory as an innocent young man.\"\n\nThe inquest into Mr McElhone's death was the first in a series of coroners' investigations into deaths associated with Northern Ireland's Troubles.\n\nIt was held in Omagh courthouse in County Tyrone.", "Nearly nine million people had to borrow more money last year because of the impact of coronavirus, government figures show.\n\nSince June last year, the proportion of workers borrowing £1,000 or more had increased from 35% to 45%, said the Office for National Statistics.\n\nSelf-employed people were more likely than employees to borrow money.\n\nThere was also a large increase in the proportion of disabled people borrowing similar sums, the ONS added.\n\nThis was adding to a \"widening financial gap\" between households.\n\nOverall, young people and low earners have been worst hit by the pandemic, according to the ONS survey.\n\nThose aged under 30 and those with household incomes of less than £10,000 were about 35% and 60% respectively more likely to be furloughed than the population as a whole.\n\nMeanwhile, higher-paid workers were more likely to be on full pay if they were unable to work.\n\nThere has been much focus on a glut of savings ready to be unleashed into the economy when pandemic restrictions are lifted.\n\nThis ONS report shines a light on the reality of this for many ordinary Britons, having to borrow more, amid a hit to incomes during the recession.\n\nDisproportionately this has hit the low paid and the young, and this would have been far worse without the government's support package.\n\nMore homeowners and the over-30s by December expected to be able to save for the year ahead. Fewer renters and under 30s expected to be able to save.\n\nThough the analysis does not include the latest national lockdown, the economic impact of schools closure is also clear.\n\nEmployed parents were twice as likely to experience income loss, though that gap closed when schools reopened. The fear is that this trend will have returned over the past month.\n\nGueorguie Vassilev from the ONS said: \"Many people took a financial hit in the first months of the pandemic, either being furloughed or working fewer hours.\n\n\"What we are seeing now, though, is a widening financial gap between households, where some people are relying on savings or borrowing to make ends meet. Those hardest hit are people on low pay, young people and parents of dependent children.\"\n\nParents living with children were almost twice as likely to report a reduction in income as the rest of the population, the ONS added.\n\nThis gap gradually narrowed throughout the year as schools reopened. Parents were less likely to have a reduced income during the November lockdown than in the first lockdown, as schools stayed open.\n\nHave you needed to borrow a substantial amount of money because of the impact of the pandemic? Tell us your story by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Biden invited Taiwan's envoy to his inauguration - what does it mean?\n\nBiden’s inauguration was marked by many historic “firsts”, and one of them could be a sign of potential future clashes between Beijing and Washington. Bi-khim Hsiao, Taiwan’s top envoy to the US, was formally invited to the inauguration - the first time this has happened in more than four decades. A video shared on her social media shows her standing in front of the US Capitol ahead of the inauguration ceremony. “Democracy is our common language and freedom is our common objective,” Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the US said. China views the self-ruled island as part of its territory that it will eventually retake, by force if necessary. And the status of Taiwan has long been a thorny issue in US-China relations, as the US is by far Taiwan’s most important friend. Hsiao’s presence at the inauguration signals the US may continue to demonstrate strong support for Taiwan, despite the fact that many Taiwanese people are concerned that Biden will take a less confrontational stance towards Beijing compared with Trump. By contrast, it’s unclear whether China’s ambassador to the US, Cui Tiankai, attended Biden’s inauguration. Earlier today, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Cui had been invited, but did not confirm whether he was present in the ceremony. Hua reiterated China’s position of opposing official interactions between Taiwan and the US. It’s a long-running unspoken rule that Beijing and Taipei’s top diplomats in Washington do not attend the same event, because sharing a stage could be seen as Beijing acknowledging Taiwan as an independent sovereign country.", "Education Minister Peter Weir says that from an educational point of view, he wants \"to keep the extent to which they [children] are out of school to a minimum\".\n\nBut Mr Weir said that decisions about schools during the Covid-19 pandemic must \"be weighed up against the wider public health advice\".\n\nSpeaking on the BBC's Evening Extra programme after it was announced that current restrictions will be extended, Mr Weir said that \"nobody wants to see restrictions last longer than they have to\".\n\nHe said the decision to extend lockdown was taken \"very reluctantly but there is a broad consensus in the executive that these are necessary measures that have to be taken to ensure we remain on top of the virus\".\n\nMr Weir added that schools have operated on a slightly different timetable to the rest of the restrictions, and that next week's discussions will consider keeping them closed until 5 March, in line with decisions taken by ministers today.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. While some young people have found it hard at times, others have learnt new skills\n\nYoung people have been asked to share their experiences of how they have coped during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nChildren's Commissioner for Wales Sally Holland said her national survey was important because sometimes views of younger people can be \"surprising\".\n\nShe said the information provided would also help inform the Welsh Government ahead of some tough decisions it will need to make in the future.\n\nA similar survey was carried out in the first lockdown last year.\n\nA recent Prince's Trust Youth Index survey asked young people across the UK about their thoughts and feelings towards the pandemic.\n\nMore than 2,000 responded including 200 from Wales.\n\nIt found 63% of 16 to 25-year-olds said the pandemic had left them \"always\" or \"often\" feeling anxious - 64% said they were feeling like they were \"missing out on being young\".\n\nBBC Wales spoke to a number of children and young people about their thoughts on a variety of issues including home schooling, loneliness and finding out what they are doing to stay positive.\n\nAngel, 16, from Cardiff, is studying for her GCSEs.\n\n\"I've just been confused a lot of the time. All the information out there and it's really hard to process and get to a point where you're in a mindset where you know what's happening.\n\n\"There's such a high level of uncertainty you're constantly worried or actually doubting what's going to happen next.\n\n\"When you have goals for the future it's something to help you get through this but when you're in the circumstances we're in now, it's really hard to find the motivation and a purpose for what you're doing now.\"\n\nTo try and stay positive Angel has been trying to get out for walks during her school breaks or watch Netflix.\n\nShe said she has also tried to learn some sign-language during lockdown and attempted yoga.\n\nEmrys and Clara have been learning home skills\n\nEmrys, 11, from Bridgend, said he misses not having the structure of a school day and seeing his friends.\n\nHe added: \"I'm a social person. I have friends, I chat with them, I play with them, and it's hard not being with my friends but I mean the family will have to do.\"\n\nHe and his six-year-old sister, Clara, have enjoyed going for walks with their parents and have been learning some new skills including washing dishes, cooking dinner and baking cakes.\n\nMeanwhile, 11-year-old Sophie has found it difficult to not get bored during long periods of time in the house.\n\n\"I'd say I cope OK with it at some points, but then not okay with it at other points,\" she added.\n\nSophie said it can be hard sometimes to find things to do\n\nAlicia is studying for her A-levels and has friends who have dropped out of their studies this year because of the stress and anxiety caused by the uncertainty about exams and their futures.\n\nThe 17-year-old also said it was \"heart-breaking\" not being able to see many of her close friends for almost a year.\n\nShe added: \"My thoughts are, it's less of a luxury now, I need to be able to go out to see them and to work.\"\n\nBefore the pandemic, Sarah, 16, from Swansea enjoyed going to her local youth club and took part in a local drama group but it how now moved online, giving a different experience.\n\n\"It's quite sad because I used to enjoy being able to do those things whenever it was on, but I think I'm getting used to do everything online,\" she said.\n\nAs a person who does not cope very well with not knowing what will happen next, the pandemic has caused anxiety at times for Sarah.\n\n\"I am finding it quite scary but hopefully things will change and I'll be able to go back soon,\" she said.\n\n\"I think if you're really struggling with something, talking really helps so it would be nice to see people in person.\"\n\nChildren's commissioner Sally Holland conducted a survey of pupils in Wales during the first lockdown\n\nChildren's helpline MEIC Cymru said it had seen a 10% increase in the number of calls from young people, parents, and carers during the pandemic compared with previous years.\n\nStephanie Hoffman, Head of Social Action at Promo Cymru, the charity which runs the helpline, said: \"We're seeing what I'd say are many more substantive contacts, so a lot more contact dealing with really serious issues to do with social well-being, mental health and relationships, as opposed to what we might have seen more of in the past.\n\n\"Now we're dealing with situations which can be quite complicated.\"\n\nOf the survey, Ms Holland said: \"We've heard a lot from adults showing concern for children at the moment, such as parents, carers and professionals working with children about the potential impact of the lockdown on children.\n\n\"Those voices are important to hear, but it's also important we hear directly from children and young people because sometimes they can be surprising.\"\n\nWe know that Covid-19 vaccinations have been on people's minds in Wales - with many wanting to know when they or their loved-ones will receive theirs.\n\nIf you have a question about this issue, a story you'd like to share or a query about anything else related to coronavirus, you can sent it to us using the form below.\n\nIn some cases your question will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.\n\nIf you are reading this page on the BBC News app, you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question on this topic.", "Fashion chain Next has said it will no longer bid to buy Sir Philip Green's Arcadia retail brands Topshop and Topman out of administration.\n\nIt comes after a consortium including the fashion chain was named as frontrunner to buy the brands.\n\nIn a short statement, Next said the consortium had been \"unable to meet the price expectations of the vendor\".\n\nSome 13,000 jobs were put at risk when Arcadia, which also owns Burton and Dorothy Perkins, went bust in November.\n\nIt leaves a clutch of others in the race to buy the 440-store group, including Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, which owns House of Fraser and Sports Direct.\n\nAccording to reports, Authentic Brands, the US owner of the Barneys department store, and JD Sports have tabled a joint offer, while online retailers Asos and Boohoo are also said to be interested.\n\nAdministrators Deloitte have been looking for buyers for some or all of Arcadia, after a slump in sales caused by the pandemic triggered its collapse.\n\nNext, which has 550 UK shops and has weathered the pandemic well, was seen as a good fit to take over the group's assets.\n\nIt had been bidding in partnership with the US hedge fund Davidson Kempner, which was going to put up most of the money.\n\nNext said it wished \"the administrator and future owners [of Arcadia] well in their endeavours to preserve an important part of the UK retail sector\".\n\nExperts expect Arcadia to be broken up, with bidders taking on different parts of the business and brands potentially hived off from their stores.\n\nIn December, Australian collective City Chic said it would buy Arcadia's Evans brand, commerce and wholesale business for £23m but not its store network.\n\nLast year was the worst for the High Street in more than 25 years as the coronavirus accelerated the move towards online shopping, according to the Centre for Retail Research (CRR).\n\nNearly 180,000 retail jobs were lost, up by almost a quarter on the previous year, as shops faced strict curbs and prolonged closures.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nLiverpool's 68-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League came to an end as Ashley Barnes fired in a late winner from the penalty spot to secure a famous victory for Burnley.\n\nBarnes was tripped in the box by goalkeeper Alisson with seven minutes remaining and converted the spot-kick as Burnley won at Anfield for the first time since 1974.\n\nLiverpool's last league loss on their own ground came nearly four years ago, against Crystal Palace in April 2017, and they are now six points behind leaders Manchester United at the midway point in the campaign.\n\nDivock Origi was given his first start of the season and should have scored when he ran free on goal after pouncing on Ben Mee's error but struck the crossbar.\n\nThe hosts pushed to find the net in the second half but ran out of ideas, Nick Pope making a stunning save to deny Mohamed Salah and fellow substitute Roberto Firmino flicking an effort wide.\n\nBurnley's shock win lifts them up to 16th in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone.\n• None Klopp takes blame but what has happened to Liverpool?\n\nJurgen Klopp said before the game he was \"not worried\" by his side's poor run, but the latest setback means this has now turned into a real problem for the Liverpool manager.\n\nAfter 19 games, Liverpool are out of form and out of confidence, failing to find the net in their last 440 minutes of top-flight action and awaiting their first league victory of 2021.\n\nThey looked to be hitting their stride on 19 December when they took apart Crystal Palace 7-0, but have not won in the league since and scored just a solitary league goal in that time, against relegation strugglers West Brom.\n\nTheir drop-off from the same stage last season is extraordinary - after 19 games last term the Reds were 13 points clear at the top with 55 points, but they have 21 fewer points now.\n\nAside from Pope's save to thwart Salah and stops from Origi and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool did not look a side who were threatening to find the net.\n\nThey had 72% possession but much of it was slow and ponderous, and although they had spaces out wide and put 30 crosses into the box, the resolute Burnley defenders headed and hacked clear every ball that came in.\n\nLiverpool won 18 of 19 league games at Anfield as they cantered to the title last term.\n\nBurnley were the spoilers on that occasion - earning a 1-1 draw in July 2020 - and they bettered that showing here with another solid and well-organised display.\n\nCaptain Mee had 14 clearances and made two tackles, while centre-back partner James Tarkowski contributed five interceptions and won the ball back four times.\n\nBurnley are a well-drilled outfit and know their limitations, happy to sit back and soak up the pressure before looking to take their chances on the counter-attack.\n\nThey had sniffs on the break but were unable to get the final ball right and while Barnes forced an excellent save out of Alisson, the assistant referee's flag would have ruled it out.\n\nThey remain the lowest scorers in the league with just 10 goals - level with bottom side Sheffield United - but their defensive solidity means they will always pose a threat, even to the biggest teams.\n\n'We dealt with the basics' - manager reaction\n\nBurnley boss Sean Dyche to Match of the Day: \"Performance, we had to work very hard, as you do in these places, be diligent and do your jobs - shape was good, energy was good.\n\n\"We had a golden chance, kept searching, but you have to deal with the basics and we did that very well.\n\n\"We were close last year, you get a feel of a performance and I said 'you are used to playing against these players, working without the ball, there's always a chance and you have to take it'. Barnsey sticks it in there, gets a toe, it's a penalty and he sticks it away very well.\"\n• None This was Burnley's second Premier League win away against the reigning champions (also v Chelsea in August 2017). Indeed, since the 2017-18 season, Burnley are the only side with two away league wins over the reigning English champions.\n• None Liverpool have gone four league games without scoring for the first time since May 2000. The Reds have had a total of 87 shots since Sadio Mane's 12th-minute strike against West Brom, 25 days ago.\n• None This is the first time a Jurgen Klopp side has gone four league games without scoring since his Mainz side did so in the Bundesliga from November to December 2006.\n• None Liverpool have gone five Premier League games without a win (D3 L2) for only the second time under Klopp (also from Jan-Feb 2017).\n• None Liverpool have conceded two penalty goals at Anfield in this season's Premier League (also Sander Berge for Sheff Utd); they had only conceded two penalty goals at the ground under Klopp before 2020-21.\n• None Liverpool had 27 shots without scoring against Burnley, the most they have had in a single league match without finding the net since April 2013 v Reading (28), and most at Anfield since April 2012 v West Brom (30).\n• None Ashley Barnes' penalty for Burnley was his first away goal in the Premier League in 11 appearances on the road, since netting against Watford back in November 2019.\n• None Since the start of last season, no goalkeeper has made more saves against a single opponent in the Premier League than Burnley's Nick Pope against Liverpool (19). Pope has made 14 saves in his last two games at Anfield, including six tonight.\n\nLiverpool have another big game on Sunday against rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup. That game is live on the BBC (17:00 GMT). Burnley travel to Fulham in the same competition on the same day (14:30).\n• None Offside, Burnley. Dwight McNeil tries a through ball, but Chris Wood is caught offside.\n• None Attempt blocked. Takumi Minamino (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n• None Attempt missed. Dwight McNeil (Burnley) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Assisted by Ashley Barnes.\n• None Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold.\n• None Attempt missed. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Sadio Mané with a cross.\n• None Joel Matip (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for hand ball.\n• None Attempt blocked. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Sadio Mané.\n• None Goal! Liverpool 0, Burnley 1. Ashley Barnes (Burnley) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.\n• None Penalty conceded by Alisson (Liverpool) after a foul in the penalty area.\n• None Attempt blocked. Sadio Mané (Liverpool) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Andrew Robertson. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None You can stream five fourth-round games live on the BBC this weekend, including Liverpool's trip to Manchester United. Find out more here.", "There is a photograph of Kamala Harris, taken in 1986, while she was a student at Howard University.\n\nShe and two other friends, all shoulder pads and plaid, are smiling and laughing, a crowd behind them. It's a picture brimming with energy and hope.\n\nIt's been used a lot in telling the extraordinary story of her rise to become the first black and Asian American woman to be vice-president and the first person who attended one of America's HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to get to such a position.\n\nBut this is the story of the other women in the photograph, her two best friends - Valarie Pippen and Karen Gibbs - as well as of others who might have been milling about in the background there.\n\nThis was the 1980s, when the children of America's civil rights generation came of age. Being at Howard University, an HBCU at a time when solidarity with the global anti-apartheid movement was reaching fever pitch and at the height of Reaganism, was a formative experience for many of them.\n\nNow they are about to witness one of their own become vice-president. What have their journeys been like and what does this moment feel like?\n\nHistorically Black Colleges, like Howard University, were founded in order to educate African Americans who were otherwise prohibited from attending college, after slavery.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nAlthough that has now changed, a core part of the Howard message remains its focus on cultivating black leaders - it is not just about academic achievement, but social activism too.\n\nKamala Harris has made clear the influence Howard University had on her career and life goals. Last week, on the anniversary of her sorority's founding date, she posted on Instagram, paying homage to her Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and referring to her days at Howard, attending anti-apartheid marches and being part of the debate team: \"Howard taught me that while you will often find that you're the only one in the room who looks like you, or who has had the experiences you've had, you must remember: you are never alone.\"\n\nLike Ms Harris, I also went to Howard University and became a member of that same sorority decades later.\n\nI became intrigued by the stories of the other women and graduates who ventured out into the same world during the same time as Kamala.\n\nIn that photograph, Valarie Pippen is on the right and smiling with confidence at the camera.\n\nHer parents attended historically black colleges after moving north with the great migration, which was the movement over decades of millions of African Americans to the North from the South, where economic uncertainty and segregation prevailed. They settled in the Chicago region and forged successful careers.\n\nShe was led to Howard, specifically, after her older brother attended and brought home a yearbook that intrigued her.\n\nHoward had a festive celebratory atmosphere that the friends made the most of while they were there\n\n\"The culture was festive and lively yet focused on academic and cultural advancement of oppressed people,\" says Ms Pippen. \"We knew that our generation would make a difference with our success.\"\n\nMs Pippen says that at Howard University \"we all had more of a striving to do well, a striving to live with integrity and to make your mark on the world\".\n\nComing from a high-achieving and proud black family with high expectations of their children, she was brought up knowing that her college experience was going to be important.\n\nShe is now a healthcare consultant, and after graduating from Howard she attended medical school at Yale.\n\nShe recalls the commitment to academic excellence, the need to prove your worth out there in the world and how that also translated into many nights studying with her good friend Kamala.\n\n\"There was one year at Howard, we both stayed for summer school. We worked during the day, did night classes and we studied together afterwards. We did that for the whole summer and we had fun.\n\n\"She was born for the job. Her dedication - like mine - was to academics, being an all around good person and to integrity.\"\n\nIn the 1990s, 52% of black pharmacy recipients, 30% of dentistry degree recipients, and 27% of theology degree recipients were all educated at HBCUs.\n\nToday, the two oldest HBCU medical schools - Meharry Medical College and Howard University - are responsible for more than 80% of black doctors and dentists practising in the US.\n\nHBCUs have educated three-quarters of all black people holding a doctorate; three-quarters of all black officers in the armed forces; and four-fifths of all black federal judges, according to the US Department of Education.\n\nThe culture they fostered was hugely important for many ambitious and successful middle- and upper-class class black families going out into a world to become leaders in their field, within one generation of getting the right to vote.\n\nKaren Gibbs, pictured on the left in that photo, remains best friends with the vice-president elect and Valarie Pippen.\n\nShe is now an attorney and speaks of her time at Howard in the same way Kamala Harris has in the past.\n\nThere was \"a lot of black pride and a lot of black love\" in the Howard community, says Ms Gibbs.\n\n\"We had black professors who loved us. That was the beauty of going to Howard. They nurtured us, they groomed us. They were realistic to tell us what we would confront when we left Howard - but they equipped us to realise and achieve our dreams.\"\n\nThat environment was especially important as an escape from the realities of society.\n\n\"I was raised in a rural area in Delaware, and the people there were really racist. I had been called bad names by a lot of people, despite having a black family and smaller community filled with educators and proud of their roots,\" says Ms Gibbs.\n\nThat is one of the reasons that she wanted to attend Howard University, to become a civil rights lawyer. She made the move so that she could be surrounded by \"love\" and \"support\".\n\n\"It was never a matter if I would go to an HBCU,\" it was just a matter of which she would go to.\n\nMs Gibbs and Ms Pippen's experience at Howard University strikes a chord with others who were also there in the 1980s.\n\nThey speak of the open fostering of social awareness and political activism in movements happening off campus.\n\nBeing in the nation's capital, Howard in particular had a front-row seat to some memorable episodes in politics.\n\nThe debate team in 1981 at Howard University. Kamala Harris was one of the few women to join the club.\n\nDexter Cole, a Howard alumnus and now top executive at TV One, told the BBC that \"our parents actively participated in the civil rights movements and were at the forefront, and we came to Howard with a sense of commitment to not only improve the lives of ourselves, but others as well\".\n\nAcross the nation, HBCUs were training a generation who would have a large impact on the world, and the progression of the broader African-American community.\n\n\"We understood that we were agents of change.\"\n\nMr Cole explained that \"social unrest was very prevalent, but as a student body we knew that we had a seat at the table because of those we saw who went before us\".\n\n\"I remember marching on Capitol Hill on the National Mall. There was a group of students going to protest to make Martin Luther King Jr's birthday a national holiday, and now I look there is a memorial just where I marched.\n\n\"We knew what our rights were and we were determined to invoke our right. That's why there were so many of us active in the anti-apartheid movement - we saw it play out in the US,\" says Ms Gibbs.\n\n\"It was a time when a lot of people from the era transcended into important places in different parts of society,\" says Lita Rosario-Richardson.\n\nMs Rosario-Richardson is currently an entertainment lawyer. On campus, she recruited Ms Harris on to the debate team.\n\n\"The election of Kamala Harris has really made crystal clear that Howard prepares you for anything,\" she adds.\n\nAlthough it is no surprise to those who knew Kamala Harris that she is now the vice-president of the United States, it feels like a vindication for their own personal journeys and the philosophy they took forward with them into the wider world.\n\n\"It was instilled that with your education comes a responsibility to improve the world - specifically our own people. And, we see that that has benefited everyone in America.\n\n\"Kamala is a child of desegregation, like myself. Her nomination seemed historically fit, and she's the right person for it,\" Ms Rosario-Richardson adds.\n\nDexter Cole is now a top executive at TV One\n\n\"Alumni like Thurgood Marshall - the first black Supreme Court Justice - who attended Howard laid the framework.\"\n\nEven during their time as students, these alumni felt that they were connected to greatness and expected to make big strides in the world.\n\nIt was not a feeling confined to Kamala Harris. The stories of these women show many have become movers and shakers in their own fields.\n\n\"All this has come full circle,\" says Andrea Holmes, a graduate who is now a marketing executive.\n\n\"The vice-presidency is where she belongs. She is the role model of the world and to all women and little girls.\"\n\nThe original photograph of Kamala, Valarie and Karen was taken in 1986 at Howard University's famous Homecoming.\n\nAt most schools in the US, homecoming is an annual tradition marked by an American football game and partying. At Howard University, homecoming is marked by a football game as well as a week of events where all generations come back to meet and celebrate. Notable graduates as well as celebrities and artists come to perform, join discussions, and be part of the week.\n\nAs a graduate, I know Homecoming remains a highly anticipated annual event, an experience like no other. That picture captures the energy, friendship and ambition of a group of women, at Howard in an electric era, who felt capable of anything.\n\nValarie Pippen remembers the moment: \"The weekend was truly exhilarating, and you can see from the looks and smiles on our faces we were having the time of our lives.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMore than 2,000 homes in parts of Manchester are being evacuated due to flooding caused by Storm Christoph.\n\nThe Environment Agency (EA) has issued two severe flood warnings, which means danger to life, for the Didsbury and Northenden areas.\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey of Greater Manchester Police has warned some of those affected would \"be Covid-positive or isolating at home\".\n\nHe said the government was working to ensure it was \"totally prepared\" for floods \"in every part of the UK\".\n\nA major incident was earlier declared for the Greater Manchester area where up to 3,000 properties were feared to be at risk.\n\nMr Johnson urged people not to stay in their homes if they were told to evacuate.\n\n\"If you are told to leave your home then you should do so.\n\n\"People may think this is a minor issue at the moment, still relevantly minor by standards of previous floods, but never underestimate the suffering, the misery, that floods can cause people.\"\n\nUnder government restrictions due to the current national lockdown people are allowed to leave their homes to escape harm.\n\nIn an alert to those affected, ACC Bailey said: \"A basin at Didsbury to take water from the Mersey is full. It will over-top in the next few hours. As a result we will be issuing a flood warning to homes.\n\n\"This will be through texted flood alerts to some people, and police officers, PCSOs, firefighters, and volunteers will be knocking on doors.\"\n\nHe said police will be supported by North West Ambulance, the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance.\n\n\"I think it's important to stress that if you are contacted and advised to evacuate then we would strongly urge you to do so,\" he added.\n\nWater levels in the area were expected to peak at about 23:00 GMT on Wednesday.\n\nA major incident has also been declared in Derbyshire, where authorities believe a small number of evacuations are \"likely\" on Thursday morning, when the River Derwent is expected to peak.\n\nCounty council leader Barry Lewis said it could rival levels seen in November 2019, depending on the weather overnight.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The PM says the government is making sure it is “totally prepared in every part of the UK” for flooding after Storm Christoph.\n\nSpeaking after a Cobra emergency meeting on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said work was under way to ensure transport and energy networks, and local council services, were prepared.\n\nHe added that work was also taking place to ensure the necessary numbers of sandbags were available.\n\n\"We want to make sure that we are totally prepared in every part of the UK for flooding, because it is coming on top of the stress people are already under fighting Covid,\" he said.\n\n\"We looked at particularly Manchester, we've got a situation potentially developing there,\" Mr Johnson said.\n\n\"We are looking at a pattern of rainfall possibly not as bad at the end of this week, maybe worse next week.\"\n\nPeople in Greater Manchester have also been advised not to travel.\n\nStephen Rhodes, from Transport from Greater Manchester, said there was disruption across the network.\n\n\"Let's work together and not put our emergency services and the NHS - who are already working extremely hard due to the Covid-19 pandemic - under any more pressure,\" he said.\n\nIn Merseyside, the M57 has been closed in both directions between junction 6 and 7 due to flooding.\n\nThe Environment Agency has issued more than 100 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action required, while there are also more than 200 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.\n\nRiver levels have risen rapidly in parts of northern England\n\nThe North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands have been preparing for widespread flooding following the Met Office's amber weather warning for heavy rain until midday Thursday.\n\nThe Met Office said some isolated areas could see up to 200mm (7.8in).\n\nSandbags have been distributed as Storm Christoph batters parts of England\n\n\"Once again the government's response to inevitable flood events has been slow and uncoordinated,\" the Barnsley East MP said.\n\n\"We must ensure councils are supported to protect people, businesses, and local communities, and that all of the necessary precautions are also in place to protect those fighting the floods in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Sheila Evans was among those to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine at the Al Abbas Mosque in Birmingham\n\nNearly two million people in the UK have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine in the past week, government figures show.\n\nBy the end of Tuesday 4.61 million people had received their initial jab, up from 2.64 million the week before.\n\nBut Boris Johnson warned there were \"unquestionably going to be a tough few weeks\" while the vaccine was rolled out and urged people to observe lockdown.\n\nSpeaking during a visit to flood-hit Didsbury in Manchester, the prime minister said it was still \"too early\" to say when some lockdown restrictions could be lifted in England.\n\nHe said figures from an Imperial College London survey showed the new variant of the virus to be \"not more deadly but it is much more contagious and the numbers are very great\".\n\nThe study suggests there was a rise in infections in the community at the start of the latest lockdown in England.\n\nMeanwhile, NHS England figures show one in 10 major hospital trusts had no spare adult critical care beds last week.\n\nThe UK recorded another all-time high of daily coronavirus deaths on Wednesday. A further 1,820 people died within 28 days of a positive Covid test, according to government figures - taking the total number of deaths by that measure to 93,290.\n\nSixty-five new vaccination centres have opened in England, including a mosque in Birmingham and a cinema in Aylesbury.\n\nTwo million jabs a week are needed for the government to achieve its target of offering a vaccine to all over 70s, the extremely clinical vulnerable and health and care workers by mid-February.\n\nGiving a statement in the Commons, Health Secretary Mr Hancock said the country had an \"immense infrastructure in place that, day by day, is protecting the vulnerable and giving hope to us all\".\n\nDescribing this as a \"huge feat\", he said the government was making \"good progress\" towards its target.\n\nAsked about difficulties in getting vaccines to rural areas and whether the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine could be prioritised for these as it is easier to store, Mr Hancock said the challenge was that supply was \"lumpy\", with manufacturers working \"as fast as possible\".\n\nShadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said new variants of the virus showed vaccination needed to go \"further and faster\".\n\nHe asked if there was a contingency plan in place in case vaccines needed to be redesigned to contain mutations.\n\nMr Hancock said the early indications were that the new variant was dealt with by the vaccine \"just as much as the old variant\".\n\nHe also said 63% of residents in elderly care homes had now received a vaccine.\n\nFormer Conservative health secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is now chairman of the Common's Health Select Committee, asked about establishing \"quarantine hotels\" to combat new strains, as well as whether there should be further restrictions on household mixing outside bubbles and mandating FFP2 masks in shops and on public transport.\n\nMr Hancock said the clinical advice was that the current guidelines on personal protective equipment (PPE) were \"right and appropriate\" and said \"very significant measures\" had been brought in for international travel.\n\nIn Northern Ireland more than 160,000 people have received a first vaccine dose, while in Wales, where more than 175,000 people have received a jab, people waiting for theirs have been urged to show \"patience\" and \"perspective\".\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon insisted her country's vaccine programme was not lagging behind, during First Minister's Questions on Wednesday.\n\nIn England the rollout of the vaccine started with people aged 80 and over. In some regions where the majority of these have been vaccinated, the programmes are now moving on to the over 70s.\n\nHome Secretary Priri Patel, who will lead a Downing Street press conference later, said ministers were working to ensure police and other front-line workers are moved up the priority list, while Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told BBC Breakfast he hoped teachers and support staff could be moved up the list.\n\nMeanwhile, pumps and sandbags were brought in to protect supplies of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the risk of flood water at a warehouse in Wrexham, north-east Wales.\n\nYoung people in Wales have been asked to share their experiences of the pandemic in a survey by the nation's Children's Commissioner.", "Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned there will be \"tough weeks to come\" as the UK reported another all-time high of daily coronavirus deaths.\n\nA further 1,820 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test, according to government figures.\n\nIt means the total number of deaths by that measure is now 93,290.\n\nMr Johnson said there was now a \"race against time\" to vaccinate the vulnerable but he hoped there would be a \"real difference\" by spring.\n\nIn an interview with broadcasters, he said the high number of deaths was \"appalling\" and a reflection of the peak infection rates seen a couple of weeks ago.\n\nHe said: \"I must warn people there will be tough weeks to come, but as the vaccine goes in and that programme accelerates, there will be, I think, a real difference by spring.\"\n\nJust under half of the newly reported deaths occurred on Tuesday, while a further quarter took place on Monday or Sunday with the remainder last week or even earlier.\n\nThe previous highest number of daily deaths was the 1,610 reported on Tuesday.\n\nSome 4,609,740 people have now received the first dose of a vaccine - a rise of 343,163 from yesterday.\n\nThere were also a further 38,905 cases, with 3,887 more patients admitted into hospital.\n\nIt is the second consecutive day deaths have hit a new high.\n\nThat, sadly, was to be expected as it is a reflection of the surge in cases seen during December.\n\nIt takes a week or two from the point of infection for someone to become seriously ill - and they can then spend some time in hospital. The high number is also a result of delays reporting deaths - a quarter happened last week or even before.\n\nBut make no mistake the death toll is going up. If you look at the average over the course of a week, the numbers being reported at the moment are twice what they were just two weeks ago.\n\nHowever, we also know they should soon start coming down. Daily infections are falling, with signs lockdown is taking effect. For four days in a row new diagnoses have been below 40,000 - after averaging 60,000 at the start of year.\n\nIt could be another week or so before we start to see the impact of that in the death figures. The hope then would be that within a few weeks we could start seeing a more rapid fall as the impact of the vaccination programme begins to bite.\n\nBut before that happens the daily totals reported could, sadly, go even higher.\n\nNew coronavirus cases are down by 21.5% over the last seven days. But the number of patients being admitted into hospital in the same period has not yet fallen (up by 0.5%).\n\nThe prime minister said it looked as though infection rates across the country overall might now be peaking or flattening, but he cautioned that \"they're not flattening very fast\".\n\nAsked if daily deaths would continue to rise, he said it was \"difficult to predict\".\n\nHe added: \"We must hope that by getting the numbers of daily infections down in the way that perhaps has been happening since the lockdown that will feed through into a reduction in deaths as well.\n\n\"But I must stress that we have tough weeks to come now as we roll out the vaccine.\n\n\"The light will only really begin to dawn as we get those vaccination numbers up.\"\n\nEarlier, the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, told Sky News: \"This is very, very bad at the moment, with enormous pressure, and in some cases it looks like a war zone in terms of the things that people are having to deal with.\"\n\nHe said there was \"light at the end of the tunnel\" in the form of the vaccination programme.\n\nBut he said vaccines were \"not going to do the heavy lifting for us at the moment, anywhere near it\".\n\nMilitary personnel are going to be deployed to a number of hospitals to help staff cope with high numbers of cases, including in Northern Ireland and Exeter.\n\nAnd this week 10 hospital trusts across England consistently reported having no spare adult critical care beds.\n\nIn other developments, Home Secretary Priti Patel said ministers were working to ensure police and other frontline workers were moved up the priority list for the Covid vaccine.\n\nMr Johnson said the government must rely on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, but wanted front-line workers to be immunised \"as soon as possible\".\n\nHe also said the vaccination programme remained \"on track\" despite \"constraints on supply\".", "Politicians in pearls, the colour purple and warm woollen mittens - these are just a few of Washington's favourite things from the 2021 Inauguration.\n\nWith America's leaders in the spotlight on the inauguration - and world - stage, sometimes what they wear can say more than their speeches.\n\nDC-based fashion consultant Lauren Rothman says Americans have always taken an interest in what political leaders don for inaugural celebrations. And in 2021, with an ongoing pandemic and economic crisis as well as the swearing-in of the first female vice-president, things feel \"even more loaded\".\n\nIt's all about optics for the politically fashion-minded, says Ms Rothman, who helps style politicians for events including inaugurations past.\n\nSo let's see how outspoken this year's inauguration crowd really was, from the Bidens to Bernie Sanders - with a little help from some real fashion experts.\n\nVice-President Kamala Harris' purple ensemble has already made an impact.\n\n\"Symbolically, it's a bipartisan colour because it marries [Republican] red and [Democratic] blue,\" says Ms Rothman, noting a number of elected officials or spouses had opted for purple today.\n\nBut that's not the only reason purple has a special place for US women in politics. The suffragettes often wore the colour in the 1900s while campaigning for women's right to vote.\n\nProfessor Elka Stevens, coordinator of the fashion design programme at Howard University, also notes it's a colour of significance in the black community - one tied to the Christian experience as well. Ms Harris' pearl necklace also made reference to a tradition in her Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the oldest all-black sorority in the US.\n\nAdd it all up and Ms Harris' choice of pearls and a purple sharp-cut Christopher John Rogers coat was \"an excellent first building block on what the legacy is of how to look like a woman in power\", Ms Rothman says.\n\nBoth Mrs Biden and Ms Harris also took care to choose emerging US brands for their inaugural looks. Ms Harris' outfit, from head-to-toe, showed off African-American designers.\n\nAnd we can't forget Doug Emhoff either, America's \"first second gentleman\".\n\n\"He chose to do everything that he should, which is to not distract and perfectly fit in,\" says Rothman.\n\nWe can't discuss political fashion without bringing up Michelle Obama.\n\nHer purple Sergio Hudson sweater and palazzo pants plus coat look, along with perfectly curled hair, did not disappoint fans of the former first lady.\n\n\"It's a different dress code and different expectation for women who are first ladies versus people who aren't, like women who are elected,\" says Ms Rothman.\n\nFrom baring her arms to wearing both high-end and High Street fashion, Mrs Obama was \"legacy-making\" in a way that hearkened back to Nancy Reagan and Jackie Kennedy, Ms Rothman says.\n\nShe also put many \"independent and ethnic American designers\" on the map during her eight years in the White House.\n\nNewly former First Lady Melania Trump, too, had a clear style, often spotted in sleek looks from well-known brands (think Chanel, Hermès).\n\nOne of her favourite designers was French-American Hervé Pierre, but Prof Stevens also notes she faced a challenge dressing all-American as many US labels said they would not dress her.\n\nFor her final look of the day, Melania swapped out the all-black suit she left the White House in for a Gucci dress with a bold orange print.\n\n\"The curtain is down and she's onto the next phase of her life,\" says Ms Rothman of the sharp contrast. \"I think that's what she's using her clothing to signal: that DC is over.\n\nHe may not win the best-dressed award any time soon, but veteran Senator Bernie Sanders certainly won Twitter with his extra large mittens.\n\nMr Sanders' pair of eye-catching woolly mittens were given to him two years ago by a Vermont schoolteacher who made them from repurposed sweaters and recycled plastic bottles. Those, coupled with a snap of him alone in a crossed-arm pose, made for prime meme fodder.\n\n\"What we love about it is that it's so authentically Bernie,\" says Ms Rothman.\n\nWhen asked for his thoughts on all the stir his inauguration look caused, Mr Sanders simply said: \"In Vermont we dress warm...and we're not so concerned about good fashion. We want to keep warm. And that's what I did today.\"\n\nInauguration 2021 featured performances from Jennifer Lopez (in a crisp white ensemble) and Lady Gaga.\n\nBut it was Gaga's custom black-and-red Schiaparelli gown that stole the show or, more specifically, the large golden dove-shaped brooch she wore atop it.\n\nAside from the Hunger Games comparisons, the almost operatic outfit served another fun purpose in Ms Rothman's eyes.\n\n\"She brought the inaugural ball to the stage in a year where you're not going to get all of the dress up, the ball gowns that we have come to look at and adore and criticise.\"\n\nYouth poet laureate Amanda Gorman was another star on today's stage.\n\nThe self-described \"skinny black girl, descended from slaves and raised by a single mother\", touched on many heavy themes in her verses, but her outfit was a breath of fresh air.\n\nYellow is a colour of hope, energy, light. And her bright red Prada headband was a bold complement. To Prof Stevens, it was almost crown-like.\n\n\"It also honed attention on her hair, because no one else had that particular hairstyle. And we know that hair can be political as well.\"\n\nOur last noteworthy youthful garb of the day was Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter to the vice-president.\n\nHer dainty white collar atop a bejewelled plaid Miu Miu coat was particularly striking - or in the words of Teen Vogue, \"just *chef's kiss*\" - and to Prof Stevens, reminiscent of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.\n\n\"I really thought about our democracy, justice, the collars [Ginsburg] wore and the messages she would send. I think this was [also] an ode to femininity.\"\n\nAnd as for her brother Cole's look? Prof Stevens' takeaway was: \"You need some gloves, young man.\"\n\nAnd last but not least, let's consider the new president and first lady.\n\nProf Stevens says the political dress mirrored a desire to project comfort and to reassure the nation that US democracy is safe and its way of life is \"going back to something familiar\" despite Covid-19.\n\nThere may not have been anything ground-breaking in Mr Biden's Ralph Lauren suit; perhaps the more interesting aspect is the way he wore it.\n\n\"As a Washington insider he's been wearing suits for decades,\" says Ms Rothman. \"He showed that he knows what works.\"\n\nAlso notable with both Biden's ensembles today: the colour blue. Prof Stevens notes that blue is recognised as a colour of trustworthiness; of stability; of confidence, especially for men.\n\nAs for Jill Biden's custom-made, Swarovski-crystal-accented aquamarine coat from the up-and-coming New York Makarian label?\n\nBoth Prof Stevens and Ms Rothman say it signalled responsibility and modesty.\n\n\"We already know [the Bidens] are very united, but it signalled that they're here and ready to do the work,\" Ms Rothman says.", "More than 100 medically-trained military personnel will be deployed\n\nMembers of the military are to be brought in to help medical staff in Northern Ireland in the fight against Covid-19.\n\nHealth Minister Robin Swann has asked the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to help out, primarily at a number of hospitals across NI.\n\nMore than 100 medically-trained military personnel will be deployed.\n\nThose brought in will assist nursing staff and help on the wards in a move designed to ease the pressure on staff.\n\nIn the past, the use of the military in Northern Ireland has provoked controversy.\n\nWhile military help has already been used during the pandemic to transport equipment and patients, this is the first time military staff will be used in hospitals.\n\nIt is thought the first military staff will be made available as early as next week.\n\nMr Swann said it would have been an abdication of responsibility if he did not avail of help from the military.\n\nHe said while coronavirus cases were lower than two weeks ago, the challenge posed remained \"intense\" and intensive care pressures were expected to increase further in the next eight to 10 days.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Brandon Lewis This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nHe confirmed that a request for military assistance for NI's health service had been accepted by the MoD.\n\nThe health minister thanked the MoD for the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities agreement, which is being provided in other UK regions.\n\n\"The armed forces have provided invaluable support in this pandemic, including aeromedical evacuation, real-estate and ongoing logistical planning,\" he said.\n\n\"Our hospitals are under immense pressure and an additional staffing complement will be very welcome on the front line.\n\n\"This is a health decision and I am confident it will be supported on that basis.\"\n\nNI Secretary Brandon Lewis tweeted: \"Battling #COVID19 is a national effort. I'm pleased that 110 medically-trained personnel from our Armed Forces will support health and social care teams across Northern Ireland in their vital work on the frontline against coronavirus.\"\n\nThe move has been welcomed by the Democratic Unionist Party.\n\nWhen it was announced last April that the health minster had made requests for military help, Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill said Mr Swann had taken that decision unilaterally.\n\nHowever, she later said her party would not rule out any measure necessary to save lives.\n\nReacting to the latest request for help, Sinn Féin said its priority throughout the pandemic had been to save lives, keep people safe and protect the health service.\n\n\"The Minister of Health has made a request for staffing support from the British Ministry of Defence,\" the party said.\n\n\"We do not rule out any measures to do so, and any effort to make the threat posed by Covid-19 into a green and orange issue is divisive and a distraction.\"\n\nAs of Wednesday, there were 832 people in hospital in Northern Ireland with coronavirus, of whom 67 were in intensive care, with 57 ventilated.\n\nA further 22 people with coronavirus died, bringing the Department of Health's total to 1,671 while there were 905 new cases.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, 61 new Covid-19-related deaths were recorded on Wednesday, bringing the country's death toll to 2,768.\n\nA further 2,488 new cases of the virus were also confirmed by the Irish Department for Health.\n\nSpeaking at Stormont's press briefing on Wednesday, Mr Swann confirmed the executive would review the current lockdown regulations on Thursday.\n\nNorthern Ireland began a six-week lockdown on 26 December, in a bid to bring the virus under control.\n\nMinisters promised to review the regulations after four weeks.\n\nMr Swann said he would not pre-empt the outcome of Thursday's meeting but confirmed he would bring recommendations from his officials to the meeting.\n\n\"This is not the time to open floodgates or take premature decisions that would lead to another spike in cases,\" he added.\n\n\"We must stay the course.\"\n\nThe minister also provided the latest update on the number of vaccinations - 160,396 doses have now been administered in NI, with 21,690 of those second doses.\n\nHe said he understood the frustration of some people that they were still waiting to hear when their elderly or vulnerable relatives would receive their vaccine, but he urged patience.\n\n\"We cannot go faster than supplies allow,\" he said.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Relatives of some older people in Wales called the vaccinations \"poorly organised\"\n\nA housebound 84-year-old woman said she was told she may have to wait up to two months to have her coronavirus vaccine if she could not get to her GP surgery.\n\nStuart Wilson said his mother Julia was immobile and she required two people with a hoist to get her up.\n\nHe said her surgery in Sketty, Swansea, called on Tuesday offering a jab but they were told it would take time to arrange a house visit.\n\nWelsh Government said a mobile service could take a jab to the housebound.\n\nDr Chris Johns, from Sketty Medical Centre, said: \"I can give assurances that no housebound patient is being asked to wait this long for their vaccination.\n\n\"This is a massive undertaking by GPs and we would ask older patients, if they are mobile, to attend one of our vaccination clinics instead.\"\n\nHe said teams have already made close to 200 house calls to vaccinate those unable to come to the surgery and over the next few weeks GPs would continue to go to patients' homes \"where necessary\".\n\nMore than 175,000 vaccines have been administered across Wales so far.\n\nUnder Welsh Government plans, the goal is for everyone over the age of 70 to be offered a vaccination by mid-February.\n\nMr Wilson said the call left his mother \"concerned and distressed\" so with her permission he spoke to the GP surgery himself.\n\nShe has been with the surgery, which is the Sketty branch of Sketty and Killay Surgeries, for about five years, and they are familiar with her condition as she receives home visits for flu jabs.\n\n\"What I can't understand is how they can invite somebody for a vaccination and then turn around and say because you're housebound, they can't give it yet,\" he added.\n\n\"I'm not asking for preferential treatment; we're not asking to be bumped up the list. I was disgusted by the total lack of information.\"\n\nMr Wilson said he knew of three other cases where patients have been given the same information.\n\nHe said disabled people should receive equal treatment. He has also taken the issue up with the disability rights association, Disability Wales, who have been asked to comment.\n\nA Welsh Government spokesperson said: \"Those who cannot attend their appointment or cannot travel to the vaccination venue can let your health board know through the NHS booking system. They will then be offered another appointment on another day or at a more convenient location.\n\n\"There are also plans in place for people who are housebound and for care homes, which will mean the vaccine can be safely taken to them using a mobile service if they are unable to attend a GP surgery or mass vaccination centre.\"\n\nMeanwhile, the Welsh Government has been criticised over the speed of rolling out vaccines to the over 80s age group.\n\nSteve Hockridge's 92-year-old mother Sheila suffers from Alzheimer's disease and lives alone in Cardiff.\n\nHe contacted her surgery but was told they had \"no information\" about when she would receive a vaccine.\n\n\"My confidence in the Welsh Government has been knocked,\" he said.\n\n\"After all the clarity during this pandemic, with this area they seem to be very, very secretive, giving different messages [which are] quite often conflicting.\"\n\nIn Wrexham, Helen Field said her mother, Eileen, 94, was also still waiting to hear about her vaccine.\n\n\"Our relations over the border in the Wirral area who are in a similar age group of over 80s and 90s have all received their second vaccine,\" she said.\n\n\"The difference is quite alarming and I just want to know what's going on in Wales and why they are so slow in putting the vaccines out?\n\n\"Nobody can seem to give us any information and it seems to be so poorly organised.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government spokesperson said: \"Every day in Wales we are speeding up the vaccination programme.\n\n\"Thousands more people are receiving their first dose of the Covid vaccine and more clinics are opening with 45 vaccination centres operating or due to be operating shortly, and more than 250 GP surgeries being involved by the end of this month. As of 20 January, more than 175,816 people in Wales have been vaccinated.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The company said its milk processing was highly automated with no risk to the products caused by the virus outbreak\n\nOne worker at a dairy has died after contracting coronavirus and 95 others are self-isolating.\n\nMuller Milk & Ingredients said 47 staff members who work at the company's dairy near Bridgwater, Somerset, have tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nIt said it was now testing all 300 workers at its site in North Petherton.\n\nA spokesman for the firm said the safety of its products had not been affected by the outbreak at its factory.\n\nIt was working with Public Health England and the council to help with mass testing, he added.\n\nThe employee was taken to hospital but died. The firm said its thoughts were with the worker's family and friends.\n\nProduction has since been reduced at the site.\n\nThe spokesman added: \"It is important to stress that fresh milk processing is highly automated ensuring no risk to products, with our Bridgwater facility one of the most modern dairies in the UK.\n\n\"As we have done throughout the pandemic, we are placing the safety of our employees first and following best practice as set down by the Health and Safety Executive.\n\n\"Standard measures in place include the use of facemasks, distancing, enhanced deep cleaning and hygiene, underpinned by a programme of e-learning, information and audits to ensure compliance and awareness of the measures.\"\n\nSomerset County Council said it was working closely with Public Health England and the factory and that further testing was being done throughout Thursday.\n\n\"The [council's] rapid outbreak testing team is carrying out further workforce testing today, for workers who were not present on Monday shifts.\n\n\"The testing on Monday identified a number of staff who were positive but asymptomatic, who are now isolating,\" a spokesman said.", "Gabriel is an ardent 'Latino for Trump' who is active in New York Republican circles. He wishes the Biden/Harris administration well but doesn't believe Democrats really want unity and thinks they'll reverse a lot of good Trump policies.\n\nHow did Joe Biden's inaugural speech on unity sit with you?\n\nI caught bits and pieces of the inauguration, but I did not watch the speech. I'll give it a watch when I'm not as busy. Hopefully, his message is not like what we saw on 6 January, when he tried to lambast people as white supremacists for showing up at the Capitol, because that will just alienate people.\n\nThis country has come a long way in terms of race relations and, if we really want unity, let's regain the sense of what an American is. An American isn't white, black or Jewish; it is a person within the United States that takes part in our republic.\n\nWhat do you think of the executive actions he is taking today?\n\nI knew Biden would come out swinging while he stills holds the majority in the legislative branch. It's certainly a statement in the same vein as President Trump's first few days of office, but I think it's horrible. As someone of Hispanic descent, the idea of potentially granting 11 million immigrants citizenship is a slap in the face to everyone who came through the legal process.\n\nJoining the Paris climate agreement again is widely regarded as a farce, even by some ecologists, because nations that are members in the agreement didn't actually hit their targets. The removal of the Keystone Pipeline is not only going to cost people jobs but it could potentially increase our carbon footprint. When it comes to the WHO, they failed us during the Covid pandemic. It's all just smoke and mirrors to undo what President Trump did and stick it in the face of Republicans.", "The former Western Daily Press journalist lived in the property from 1970 until 1994\n\nAn \"inspiring\" house previously owned by fantasy writer Sir Terry Pratchett has been put on the market.\n\nThe creator of the Discworld series lived in the 18th Century property, called Gaze Cottage, in the village of Rowberrow, Somerset, from 1970 until 1994.\n\nSir Terry died aged 66 in 2015, eight years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.\n\nHe wrote more than 70 books during his career and completed his final book in 2014.\n\nAt the turn of the century, Sir Terry was Britain's second most-read author, beaten only by JK Rowling.\n\nIn August 2007, it was reported he had suffered a stroke, but the following December he announced that he had been diagnosed with a very rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.\n\nThe fitted kitchen is in the older half of the house\n\nRuth Treasure-Smith, from Robin King Estate Agent, said: \"He wrote most of his most famous novels in that house in the 80s.\n\n\"The house must have been inspiring. The current owner purchased the property from Terry Pratchett and has lived at the house since.\"\n\nShe said he had received letters to the house addressed to the \"Hogfather\", a quirky and satirical character from the Death collection in the Discworld series.\n\nThe sitting room has an inglenook fireplace complete with bread oven\n\nThe house is being sold at a guide price of £800,000\n\nThe first floor houses the master bedroom which overlooks the garden\n\nThe property has four bedrooms\n\nThe cottage sits on a plot comprising almost a third of an acre\n\nFollow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk", "More than 100 medically-trained military personnel will be deployed\n\nNI's largest healthcare union has said it has not objected to military personnel being brought in to help medical staff deal with Covid-19.\n\nHowever, Unison said it had questions over the move and there had \"disappointingly\" been no consultation.\n\nAn initial statement from the union on the subject was criticised by some politicians.\n\nUlster Unionist leader Steve Aiken described it as \"appallingly inappropriate\".\n\nA new statement issued on social media, from the union's regional secretary Patricia McKeown, said the first statement had been \"misunderstood\".\n\nSpeaking to Good Morning Ulster, she acknowledged the initial statement had caused \"stress and hurt\" to Unison members and apologised for that.\n\nHealth Minister Robin Swann has asked the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to help out, primarily at a number of hospitals across NI.\n\nMore than 100 medically-trained military personnel will be deployed.\n\nIn the union's initial statement, issued on Wednesday, it said it would ask Mr Swann for \"detailed reasons\" for the move.\n\nIt said this would include \"seeking information as to what other avenues of support have been sought, such as securing additional staffing from private sector healthcare providers\".\n\nHowever, following criticism, Ms McKeown said in a new statement on Thursday morning that the union was \"happy to clarify\" its position.\n\n\"To be absolutely clear, Unison has not objected to assistance from military personnel.\"\n\nShe added: \"In our experience the deployment of military personnel into public services is a decision taken as a last resort.\n\n\"We were immediately concerned that a request for aid of this nature indicates a crisis that is moving out of control.\n\n\"This is why it is important that we know in advance what options are being explored.\"\n\nThe union said it was important to get detailed information on how, when and where external personnel would be deployed and what the management and accountability structures will be in place for them.\n\nSteve Aiken described the first Unison statement as appallingly inappropriate\n\nSpeaking on Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster on Thursday, Ms McKeown said: \"We put a statement out last night, it said what we were going to do, but it didn't say why we were going to do it.\n\n\"That caused stress and hurt to our members and I am very, very sorry for that. That's why we corrected it.\"\n\nShe added that if military personnel were being brought in \"it means that all options have been exhausted, there's a big decision facing us now and that decision is a stronger lockdown\".\n\nThe earlier statement from the union, issued on Wednesday night, had been criticised by some politicians.\n\nUlster Unionist leader Steve Aiken said: \"Judging by the number of healthcare workers who have contacted me tonight they are absolutely incredulous at the Unison statement this evening.\n\n\"Getting help is what is needed - time for Unison to withdraw its appallingly inappropriate remarks.\"\n\nDUP assembly member Jonathan Buckley said: \"This statement from Unison is extremely disappointing and is out of step with both Unison's own members and the wider public.\n\n\"I have already been contacted by health service staff making clear that this does not represent their views.\"\n\nHis party colleague Paul Frew tweeted: \"Utterly appalling. A lot of anger tonight for a union that is supposed to support its membership.\"\n\nSpeaking on Good Morning Ulster, West Belfast People Before Profit assembly member Gerry Carroll said: \"We all recognise that we're in a really desperate situation, a really difficult situation.\n\n\"But people want to see the health service expanded permanently and not just a short-term fix which people have questioned on a number of grounds.\"\n\nHowever, Ulster Unionist Doug Beattie said nurses and doctors were exhausted.\n\n\"What we're really talking about here is a surge of some personnel in order to support out frontline nurses who are dead on their feet,\" he said.\n\n\"The here and now is about saving lives.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, Sinn Féin responded to Mr Swann's decision by saying it would not \"rule out\" any measures that help save lives and that \"any effort to make the threat posed by Covid-19 into an orange and green issue is divisive and a distraction\".\n\nThe chief executive of the Belfast Health Trust, Dr Cathy Jack, told Stormont's health committee that the move would ensure staff can continue to deliver care to as many patients as possible.\n\nShe said the military personnel are \"band 4 medically-trained technicians\" who will \"be working under normal management structures\".\n\n\"This is another group of highly-trained individuals that will support staff and I welcome this.\"\n\nDr Jack said discussions were \"ongoing\" about how private health care providers could help in this phase of the pandemic.\n\nShe said a small number of private lists were being used for surgeries with low-risk cancers and more would be freed up in March \"to allow us to try and catch up on the backlog\".\n\nThe Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) request means armed forces staff will assist nurses and help on the wards in a move designed to ease the pressure on staff.\n\nIt is thought the first military staff will be made available as early as next week.\n\nMr Swann said the Army has previously carried out pandemic roles in Northern Ireland with \"aeromedical evacuation, real-estate and ongoing logistical planning\".\n\nThe health minister added it would have been an abdication of responsibility if he did not avail of help from the military.\n\nHe said while coronavirus cases were lower than two weeks ago, the challenge posed remained \"intense\" and intensive care pressures were expected to increase further in the next eight to 10 days.\n\nAs of Wednesday, there were 832 people in hospital in Northern Ireland with coronavirus, of whom 67 were in intensive care, with 57 ventilated.\n\nA further 22 people with coronavirus died, bringing the Department of Health's total to 1,671 while there were 905 new cases.", "An algorithm is trained to pick out an elephant against a complex backdrop such as a forest\n\nAt first, the satellite images appear to be of grey blobs in a forest of green splotches - but, on closer inspection, those blobs are revealed as elephants wandering through the trees.\n\nAnd scientists are using these images to count African elephants from space.\n\nThe pictures come from an Earth-observation satellite orbiting 600km (372 miles) above the planet's surface.\n\nThe breakthrough could allow up to 5,000 sq km of elephant habitat to be surveyed on a single cloud-free day.\n\nAnd all the laborious elephant counting is done via machine learning - a computer algorithm trained to identify elephants in a variety of backdrops.\n\n\"We just present examples to the algorithm and tell it, 'This is an elephant, this is not an elephant,'\"Dr Olga Isupova, from the University of Bath, said.\n\n\"By doing this, we can train the machine to recognise small details that we wouldn't be able to pick up with the naked eye.\"\n\nAfrican elephants are listed as vulnerable to extinction\n\nThe scientists looked first at South Africa's Addo Elephant National Park.\n\n\"It has a high density of elephants,\" University of Oxford conservation scientist Dr Isla Duporge said.\n\n\"And it has areas of thickets and of open savannah.\n\n\"So it's a great place to test our approach.\n\n\"While this is a proof of concept, it's ready to go.\n\n\"And conservation organisations are already interested in using this to replace surveys using aircraft.\"\n\nConservationists will have to pay for access to commercial satellites and the images they capture.\n\nBut this approach could vastly improve the monitoring of threatened elephant populations in habitats that span international borders, where it can be difficult to obtain permission for aircraft surveys.\n\nThe scientists say it could also be used in anti-poaching work.\n\n\"And of course, [because you can capture these images from space,] you don't need anyone on the ground, which is particularly helpful during these times of coronavirus,\" Dr Duporge said.\n\n\"In zoology, technology can move quite slowly.\n\n\"So being able to use the cutting-edge techniques for animal conservation is just really nice.\"", "Four royal aides say they do not wish to \"take sides\" over a letter from the Duchess of Sussex to her father, the High Court has been told.\n\nIn a letter lawyers for the four said they believed their clients could \"shed some light\" on the letter's drafting but the four were \"strictly neutral\".\n\nMeghan is suing the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online publisher over articles that reproduced parts of the letter.\n\nShe claims her privacy and copyright were breached by the newspaper group.\n\nHer lawyers are asking for summary judgement - a dismissal of Associated Newspapers' (ANL) defence instead of a trial.\n\nThe five articles, published in February 2019, were a \"triple-barrelled invasion\" of the duchess's privacy, correspondence and family, the lawyers claim.\n\nShe is seeking damages from the newspaper group for alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement and breach of the Data Protection Act over the articles.\n\nANL claims Meghan wrote her letter \"with a view to it being disclosed publicly at some future point\" in order to \"defend her against charges of being an uncaring or unloving daughter\", which she denies.\n\nOn the second day of the hearing on Wednesday, ANL's barrister Antony White QC told the court that a letter from the so-called \"palace four\" showed that \"further oral evidence and documentary evidence is likely to be available at trial which would shed light on certain key factual issues in this case\".\n\nHe said it was \"likely\" there was also further evidence about whether Meghan \"directly or indirectly provided private information\" to the authors of an unauthorised biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Finding Freedom.\n\nThe four aides are: Jason Knauf, former communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Christian Jones, their former deputy communications secretary, Samantha Cohen, formerly the Sussexes' private secretary, and Sara Latham, their ex-director of communications.\n\n\"None of our clients welcomes his or her potential involvement in this litigation, which has arisen purely as a result of the performance of his or her duties in their respective jobs at the material time,\" their lawyers said in a letter sent on their behalf.\n\n\"Nor does any of our clients wish to take sides in the dispute between your respective clients. Our clients are all strictly neutral.\n\n\"They have no interest in assisting either party to the proceedings. Their only interest is in ensuring a level playing field, insofar as any evidence they may be able to give is concerned.\"\n\nTheir letter said that their lawyers' \"preliminary view is that one or more of our clients would be in a position to shed some light\" on \"the creation of the letter and the electronic draft\".\n\nIt also said they may be able to shed light on \"whether or not the claimant anticipated that the letter might come into in the public domain\" and whether or not the duchess \"directly or indirectly provided private information, generally and in relation to the letter specifically, to the authors of Finding Freedom\".\n\nBut Justin Rushbrooke QC, representing the duchess, said the letter from the four \"contains no information at all that supports the defendant's case on alleged co-authorship (of Meghan's letter), and no indication that evidence will be forthcoming that will support the defendant's case should the matter proceed to trial\".\n\nMeghan, 39, sent a handwritten letter to her father in August 2018, following her marriage to Prince Harry in May that year, which Mr Markle did not attend. The couple are now living in the US with their son Archie.\n\nThe full trial of the duchess's claim had been due to be heard at the High Court this month, but last year the case was adjourned until autumn 2021.\n\nAt the conclusion of the hearing on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Justice Warby reserved his judgement, which he said he would deliver \"as soon as possible\".", "Michelle O'Neill and Arlene Foster were advised restrictions may have to remain in place until after Easter\n\nCoronavirus lockdown restrictions in Northern Ireland will be extended until 5 March, the first and deputy first ministers have said.\n\nThe executive backed the health minister's proposal on Thursday and will review the move on 18 February.\n\nBut ministers were also told that restrictions may have to remain in place until after the Easter holidays.\n\nA lockdown closing non-essential retailers and encouraging employees to work from home began after Christmas.\n\nFamily gatherings are prohibited and people have been ordered to stay at home for all but essential reasons.\n\nSchools are closed to most pupils until after February's half-term but a paper looking at reopening will be put to ministers at next week's executive meeting.\n\nThe lockdown came in response to a spike in the number of cases of coronavirus, which followed a relaxation of some rules in the run-up to Christmas.\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster said extending the restrictions was an \"appropriate and necessary response\" to tackle the \"imminent threat\" posed by Covid-19.\n\nShe said she understood it would be difficult for many people to accept, given the uncertainty facing families and businesses, but added: \"To not press forward would risk all of the hard-won gains.\"\n\nThe first and deputy first ministers were right to state just how tough this decision will be for many people.\n\nBut there's an acceptance among the public that restrictions would have to be extended, given how bad things are in our hospitals.\n\nTheir decision also suggests politicians have perhaps learned from the last wave of the pandemic, when restrictions were turned on and off sporadically, and the impact that had both on cases and the messaging.\n\nThey're not alone in sustaining tough lockdown measures, with other UK nations and the Republic of Ireland also keeping their restrictions in place for several more weeks.\n\nBeyond that, it is thought health officials also want to ensure the vaccination programme is also \"well advanced\" before any restrictions are relaxed.\n\nThe hope is that, by spring, the picture will have improved significantly.\n\nUntil then the price we are paying for relaxations before Christmas looks likely to keep rising.\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she recognised the executive was asking a lot of everybody but insisted the measures were important.\n\n\"We don't know what will come after [5 March],\" she said.\n\nMs O'Neill said there was a commitment not to keep restrictions in place longer than necessary but decisions would have to be taken in line with the health advice and concerns about a new variant of the virus which is more transmissible.\n\nThe executive's decision comes as another 21 deaths were recorded by the Department of Health on Thursday.\n\nThe reproductive rate of the virus - known as the R-number - had risen to about 1.8 due to Christmas relaxations.\n\nBut the latest estimate from the Department of Health says it is sitting between 0.65 and 0.85 for cases within the community but is still above one for hospital admissions and intensive care.\n\nWhile some may wonder why are restrictions are being extended when the executive's policy has always been based on this rate of infection, the difference is that this time around there are three times as many people in Northern Ireland's hospitals than there were in last April's peak.\n\nDaily case numbers are still significantly higher too.\n\nWhile ministers have agreed to keep the current restrictions in place until March, Health Minister Robin Swann said it was possible they could be needed until Easter, which this year falls in the first week of April.\n\nMinisters say they understand the extension of the lockdown will be difficult for people\n\nIt is understood this plan is being discussed across the four UK nations but ministers will have to consider that in the review next month.\n\nMinisters were also warned that restrictions would be eased on a step-by-step basis in line with reducing pressures on the health service and ensuring the vaccination programme is \"well advanced\" before any relaxations are agreed.\n\nMrs Foster pleaded with people struggling with their mental health during the lockdown to \"please seek help\".\n\nMore than 100 medically-trained military personnel are to be deployed to help health staff deal with the pressure the latest phase of the pandemic is placing on hospitals.\n\nThe chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride said the \"sustained pressure on our health service\" would probably last for three to four weeks.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, 51 Covid-19 related deaths and 2,608 new cases of the virus were recorded on Thursday.\n\nSimon Hamilton, the chief executive of the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said the extension of the lockdown would be of \"little surprise to most businesses\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Simon Hamilton This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe Stormont executive has agreed how to allocate almost £300m to help businesses, education, tourism and transport during the next phase of the lockdown.\n\nA total of £100m is going towards the Local Restrictions Support Scheme, the grant for business premises forced to closed due to the restrictions.\n\nThere will also be £16m for tourism and hospitality, two sectors which have largely been unable to operate.\n\nIn addition, two more support schemes for the sector have been opened.\n\nOne aimed at large tourism and hospitality businesses is offering a pot of £26m, with the Department for Economy having identified 250 businesses that will be eligible.\n\nThe other is a £4m scheme to support those who provide bed-and-breakfast accommodation.\n\nMore money is being made available to help businesses affected by the lockdown\n\nJanice Gault from the trade body the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation said the schemes were a \"real lifeline for the sector\".\n\n\"Trading over the last year has been limited with reserves now severely depleted and businesses operating in survival mode,\" she added.\n\nAlso among those to receive the extra cash will be limited company directors, who had not received support since March.\n\nLast week, a scheme was announced to give directors £1,000 grants which one director described as a \"kick in the teeth\" given that he had little to no income for the past 10 months.\n\nBut that scheme is to be boosted with another £20m so the payments on offer will more than treble to £3,500.\n\nLocal newspapers will also benefit from 12 months of rates relief.", "Assaults on emergency workers made up more than a quarter of Covid-related crimes prosecuted in the first six months of the pandemic, figures show.\n\nThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there were 1,688 such offences between 1 April and 30 September in England and Wales.\n\nMany of these involved police officers being \"coughed and spat on\" by suspected rule-breakers, the CPS said.\n\nThey were among almost 6,500 crimes related to coronavirus in that period.\n\nAssaults on emergency workers, which were the most common prosecution, were \"particularly appalling\" and incidents were still taking place, said director of public prosecutions Max Hill.\n\nHe added: \"I will continue to do everything in my power to protect those who so selflessly keep us safe during this crisis.\"\n\nAccording to the figures published by the CPS - which cover completed prosecutions - there were 1,137 charges brought for breaking coronavirus laws.\n\nThese included a man who claimed 15 people having a party at his house in Manchester were part of his support bubble and another man in Wales caught travelling between counties to solicit the services of a sex worker.\n\nOverall, 2,106 defendants were prosecuted for 6,469 coronavirus-related offences, with a conviction rate of 90%, according to the CPS.\n\nOther crimes flagged as being coronavirus-related by the CPS, included 480 charges for public order offences, 466 for criminal damage and 464 for common assault.\n\nThese included offences such as coughing and spitting while threatening to infect another person with the virus, thefts of essential items and fraudsters taking advantage of the crisis.\n\nMr Hill added: \"The CPS has had to adapt to a raft of new laws and regulations intended to keep the public safe during the pandemic.\n\n\"Our guiding principle throughout has always been to support the police in ensuring the right person in charged with the right offence.\"", "Marmite is one of Unilever's many brands\n\nUnilever has said that by 2030 it will refuse to do business with any firm that does not pay at least a living wage or income to its staff.\n\nThe consumer goods giant defined a living wage as one that covered a family's basic needs \"and helped them break the cycle of poverty\".\n\nIt said it wanted to raise wages for people outside its own workforce in order to promote economic inclusion.\n\nUnilever is one of the first big companies to make such a commitment.\n\nOxfam called the move a \"step in the right direction\".\n\nUnilever, whose products include Marmite, Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Dove soap, said it was committed to helping to build \"a more equitable and inclusive society\".\n\n\"Our ambition is to improve living standards for low-paid workers worldwide,\" it said.\n\n\"We will therefore ensure that everyone who directly provides goods and services to Unilever earns at least a living wage or income, by 2030.\"\n\nThe wage should be enough to cover food, water, housing, education, healthcare, transport and clothing, and also include a provision for unexpected events, Unilever said.\n\nThe firm said it was working with partners to establish exact rates of pay in the 190 countries where it operates.\n\nHowever, Unilever's chief human resources officer Leena Nair said it would pay twice as much as the minimum wage in some countries.\n\nUnilever said it already paid its own employees at least a living wage, but it wanted to secure the same for more people beyond its workforce, specifically focusing on the most vulnerable workers in manufacturing and agriculture.\n\nWhile there is no doubting Unilever's desire to improve the lot of those who make its products, there is also a commercial reason for its living wage initiative.\n\nIt wants all of its suppliers to pay their staff a decent wage by 2030, a plan that has the potential, given Unilever's enormous size and global reach, to change the lives of millions of people.\n\nBut the company also believes the move will give it an advantage in the fierce battle to attract buyers.\n\nAlan Jope, Unilever's Scottish-born chief executive, says customers want to buy products with good credentials, and that this desire has only increased during the pandemic.\n\nMr Jope's comments suggest that the next consumer battlegrounds might not be price, convenience or range of product, but environmental and social considerations.\n\nUnilever wants to get ahead of that trend, and plans to do well by doing good.\n\n\"We will work with our suppliers, other businesses, governments and NGOs - through purchasing practices, collaboration and advocacy - to create systemic change and global adoption of living wage practices,\" it added.\n\nIt has more than 60,000 direct suppliers worldwide, from smallholder farmers to major companies.\n\nAll of them will be covered by its commitment, it said, with millions of people set to benefit.\n\nUnilever already audits its suppliers over climate change commitments, and will use these existing arrangements to make sure workers are being paid a living wage.\n\nSuppliers not willing to sign up may lose their contracts with the firm, Ms Nair said.\n\nAlso by 2030, Unilever said, it would equip 10 million young people with essential job skills.\n\nAdditionally, it committed to spending €2bn (£1.8bn) with suppliers owned and managed by people from under-represented groups by 2025 in an effort to improve diversity.\n\n\"The two biggest threats that the world currently faces are climate change and social inequality,\" said Unilever chief executive Alan Jope.\n\n\"The past year has undoubtedly widened the social divide, and decisive and collective action is needed to build a society that helps to improve livelihoods, embraces diversity, nurtures talent, and offers opportunities for everyone.\"\n\nUnilever chief executive Alan Jope says the firm wants to be a \"positive force in the world\"\n\nHe told the BBC's Today programme that Unilever wanted to be a \"positive force in the world in tackling this persistent and worsening issue of social inequality.\"\n\n\"Without healthy societies, we don't have a healthy business,\" he said.\n\nThe move is the latest in a series of ethical initiatives by Unilever, including promoting vegan food products and experimenting with a four-day working week.\n\nGabriela Bucher, executive director at Oxfam International, welcomed Unilever's announcement, calling it \"an important step in the right direction\".\n\nShe said: \"Unilever's plan shows the kind of responsible action needed from the private sector that can have a great impact on tackling inequality and help to build a world in which everyone has the power to thrive, not just survive.\"\n\nLaura Gardiner, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said commitments such as Unilever's show how some employers \"are leading the way in spreading the living wage through both their business networks, and across their global operations\".\n\nFood services giants Sodexo and Compass Group, which are on the Living Wage Foundation's list of recognised service providers, have made similar supply chain commitments in the UK.", "Joe Biden has been sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, at a low key inauguration ceremony outside the US Capitol in Washington DC.\n\nIn his maiden speech as president, Mr Biden said: \"We've learned again that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile, and at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.\"\n\nRead more: Joe Biden replaces Trump as US president", "Mr Olowo said his wife was \"as near perfection as it's possible to be\"\n\nA woman who died after having liposuction in Turkey had been fed up with people asking if she was pregnant, an inquest heard.\n\nAbimbola Ajoke Bamgbose, 38, of Dartford, Kent, died in August after having the treatment in Izmir.\n\nHusband Moyosore Olowo said he believed she was on holiday with friends until she called to say she was in pain.\n\nHe went to Turkey after she stopped calling and found she had been rushed to hospital for more surgery.\n\nMrs Bamgbose, who also had a Brazilian butt lift, died there two weeks later, the inquest in Maidstone heard.\n\nMr Olowo, a rail safety officer, said his wife paid £5,000 for the package with Mono Cosmetic Surgery as UK treatment was too expensive.\n\nDescribing why she wanted it, he said: \"When a woman is unhappy and getting feelings about her looks, the clothes she buys do not fit and people ask if she is pregnant because of her tummy, sometimes there is nothing we can do. We are powerless.\n\n\"I wasn't concerned. I told her 'you have three children'. I told her my tummy is bigger than hers.\"\n\nHe said his wife, a social worker who graduated with a first class degree, was \"as near perfection as it's possible to be\".\n\nMr Olowo said the medical director in Turkey \"confessed it had been a mistake\".\n\nAssistant coroner Alan Blundson recorded a narrative conclusion, and said: \"This is a tragic case, the more so because the surgery was elective cosmetic surgery.\n\n\"Whilst Mrs Bamgbose was determined to have it performed, her husband had not seen it in any way as necessary.\"\n\nA post-mortem examination found Mrs Bamgbose had a perforated bowel and her death was caused by peritonitis with multiple organ failure as a complication of liposuction surgery.\n\nMr Olowo has said he is suing Mono and the surgeon, Dr Hakan Aydogan, for £1m in the Turkish courts, claiming medical negligence.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Mr Biden took his oath on a Bible that has been in his family since 1893 and was also used each time he was sworn in as Delaware senator. The book itself is five inches (12.5cm) thick with a Celtic cross on the cover", "Wales' former Chief Medical Officer Dame Deirdre Hine thinks the vaccine targets are achievable\n\nPeople waiting for the Covid vaccine need to show \"patience\" and \"perspective\", Wales' former chief medical officer has said.\n\nDame Deirdre Hine said Wales had made a \"very good start\" on delivering jabs.\n\nAged 83, she needs the vaccine herself and accepted there was \"understandable anxiety\" for those still waiting, but said: \"I think we should all quieten down and wait.\"\n\nThere has been criticism of the speed of the roll-out in Wales.\n\nStuart Wilson said he was \"appalled\" his 84-year-old housebound mother had been told she may have to wait up to two months to have her coronavirus vaccine if she cannot get to her GP surgery.\n\nDame Deirdre is regarded as one of Wales' leading medical experts, having not only held the chief medical officer post, but being the woman who established the Welsh breast cancer screening programme.\n\nA past president of the British Medical Association and Royal Society of Medicine, she also oversaw the official inquiry into the 2009 swine flu pandemic in the UK.\n\nIt's not surprising that people are worried and concerned... but I would say to them, let's keep it in proportion, let's look at the perspective\n\nShe told BBC Wales the response from governments had moved forward since then.\n\n\"I can detect some lessons that have been learned from the previous pandemic, the one I reported on. Because, although we had a vaccine then, the arrangements for delivering it were very much less clear and much more protracted than it has been this time.\n\n\"The arrangements for the GPs to deliver, and now pharmacists to deliver, all of that is a tremendous improvement on what I saw at the last pandemic.\"\n\nIn September, Dame Deirdre accused successive governments across the UK of taking \"their eye off the ball\" and failing to prepare for a global pandemic.\n\nShe also correctly warned of the \"real danger\" of a damaging second wave of Covid and has remained critical of failures to get adequate testing and tracing capability up and running in the early stages of the pandemic.\n\nShe added: \"I would say the testing and tracing is another matter, and I think there has been justifiable criticism of that.\"\n\nDame Deirdre, who lives in Cardiff, said she was still \"waiting impatiently\" for her vaccine appointment, but called on people to see the bigger picture.\n\n\"Let's get it in perspective. This is a massive logistical exercise, together with a narrow pipeline of supply of the vaccine, and so I'm not a bit surprised that it's taking as long as it is to get round to everybody. But I have every confidence that they will.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government, along with other UK nations, has committed to vaccinating all four of the highest priority groups by the middle of February, including the over-80s.\n\nLatest figures on vaccination in Wales show that, as of 20 January, there had been 175,816 people to get a first dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.\n\nThis accounts for 5.6% of the population in Wales, while 7.1% have received a vaccination in England, 7.3% in Northern Ireland, and 5.7% in Scotland.\n\nHealth Minister Vaughan Gething has denied Covid-19 vaccines were being held back, following comments from First Minister Mark Drakeford that the supply had to last until February to prevent \"vaccinators standing around with nothing to do\".\n\nMr Drakeford later said on social media that \"nobody is holding back vaccines\" and Mr Gething added: \"We're rolling out the vaccination programme as quickly as possible.\"\n\nDame Deirdre said she believed the targets were achievable, but people's anxieties were \"understandable\".\n\nShe added: \"Some recent research by Imperial College shows that people in my age group, people over 70, are the people most worried about this pandemic and about their own safety.\n\n\"So it's not surprising that people are worried and concerned, dismayed, when they don't get the letter and then that turns to anger. But I would say to them, let's keep it in proportion, let's look at the perspective.\n\n\"If you'd asked me last May and June whether we would even have a vaccine, I would have been highly sceptical.\n\n\"Then once you've got the vaccine, there is the whole logistical exercise of the publicity, letting people know what's likely to happen, getting the personnel assembled to do that, getting the premises.\n\n\"And it's not easy, it's not easy to do all that very, very quickly.\"", "Chloé Lopes Gomes says she has faced racial harassment while being a ballet dancer.\n\nThe French performer is the first black female dancer at Berlin's principal ballet company Staatsballett.\n\nMs Gomes claims she was told she did not fit in because of her skin colour, and was asked to wear white make up so she would 'blend in' with the other dancers.\n\nThe company has responded by saying her allegation \"deeply moves us\" and an internal investigation is underway into racism and discrimination at Staatsballett.", "The pandemic has seen most children in England slipping back with their learning - and some have gone significantly back with their social skills, says Ofsted.\n\nA report from the education watchdog warns some young children have forgotten how to use a knife and fork or have regressed back to nappies.\n\nOlder children have lost their \"stamina\" for reading, say inspectors.\n\nThe Department for Education says it shows the need to keep schools open.\n\nOfsted has examined the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children, based on visits to 900 schools and early years providers this autumn - and found that it has been a very divided experience.\n\nThe chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, says there are three \"broad groups\" to describe what has happened:\n\nBut Ms Spielman says this did not divide along the lines of advantage and deprivation, but instead factors such as whether parents were able to spend time with children and families having what she described as \"good support structures\".\n\nAmong older children, Ofsted warns of a loss of concentration among those returning to school and that \"online squabbles\" that started on social media during the lockdown are now \"being played out in the classroom\".\n\nThere are also reports of a loss of physical fitness, while other pupils are showing \"signs of mental distress\", with concerns over eating disorders and self-harm.\n\nThere are concerns about pupils who have so far not returned to school - and in a third of schools there has been an \"increase in children being removed from school to be educated at home\".\n\nBut inspectors say schools are still \"firefighting\" practical problems about keeping going during the pandemic, with the challenge of operating bubbles and responding to Covid outbreaks.\n\nGeoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, said the report \"starkly shows the educational and emotional impact of school closures, and why we need to do everything possible to keep schools open\".\n\nBut he warned that it was becoming financially unsustainable to keep schools running, with the cost of safety measures and the need to pay for supply staff when teachers had to self-isolate.\n\nA Department for Education spokeswoman said: \"The government has been clear that getting all pupils and students back into full-time education is a national priority.\"\n\nShe said the £1bn catch-up fund, including support for tutoring, would help to make up for lost learning.", "The editor of the British Medical Journal has asked the New York Times to correct an article that says UK guidelines allow two Covid-19 vaccines to be mixed.\n\nThe US publication reported that UK health officials would allow patients to be given a second dose that is a different vaccine to their first.\n\nFiona Godlee pointed out in her letter to the NYT that it was not a recommendation.\n\nShe said the NYT's headline claiming UK guidelines say such substitutions \"may happen\" was \"seriously misleading\".\n\nThe UK has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab - but both require two doses which are now to be administered 12 weeks apart\n\nMs Godlee said the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) does not make any recommendation to mix and match - in other words, having a shot of one vaccine and then a different one 12 weeks later.\n\nDr Mary Ramsay, Public Health England's head of immunisations, said: \"We do not recommend mixing the Covid-19 vaccines - if your first dose is the Pfizer vaccine you should not be given the AstraZeneca vaccine for your second dose and vice versa.\"\n\nDr Ramsay added that on the \"extremely rare occasions\" where the same vaccine is unavailable or it is unknown which jab the patient received, it is \"better to give a second dose of another vaccine than not at all\".\n\nMs Godlee urged the New York Times to print a \"highly visible correction\" as soon as possible.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Princess Royal Hospital at Haywards Heath was among the hospitals receiving a delivery\n\nMeanwhile, health staff have criticised the paperwork needed to gain NHS approval to give the coronavirus vaccine, with some medics being asked for proof they are trained in areas such as preventing radicalisation.\n\nThe first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are due to be given on Monday after the jab was approved for use in the UK last week.\n\nThe Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first vaccine approved in the UK, and 944,539 people have had their first jab.", "Tian Tian arrived in Scotland, along with Yang Guang, from China in 2011\n\nEdinburgh Zoo's giant pandas may have to return to China next year because of financial pressures.\n\nYang Guang and Tian Tian cost about £1m a year to lease from China.\n\nThe zoo, which had hoped to breed the pair, is nearing the end of its 10-year contract with the Chinese government and may be unable to renew the deal.\n\nCovid lockdown closures led to a £2m loss for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park.\n\nDavid Field, chief executive of the society, said the charity would have to \"seriously consider every potential saving\", including its giant panda contract.\n\nMr Field said closures had had a \"huge financial impact\" on the charity because most of its income was from visitors.\n\n\"Although our parks are open again, we lost around £2m last year and it seems certain that restrictions, social distancing and limits on our visitor numbers will continue for some time, which will also reduce our income,\" Mr Field said.\n\n\"Yang Guang and Tian Tian have made a tremendous impression on our visitors over the last nine years, helping millions of people connect to nature and inspiring them to take an interest in wildlife conservation.\n\n\"I would love for them to be able to stay for a few more years with us and that is certainly my current aim.\"\n\nYang Guang was given a new enclosure in 2019\n\nThe zoo has already taken a government loan, furloughed staff, made redundancies and launched a fundraising appeal, but was not eligible for the UK government's zoo fund, which was aimed at smaller zoos.\n\n\"The support we have received from our members and animal lovers has helped to keep our doors open and we are incredibly grateful,\" Mr Field added.\n\n\"At this stage, it is too soon to say what the outcome will be. We will be discussing next steps with our colleagues in China over the coming months.\"\n\nThe zoo is part of a number of conservation projects, including one to reintroduce Scottish wildcats.\n\nWork to reintroduce Scottish wildcats in to the Highlands may also suffer from the Zoo's funding problems\n\nHowever, Mr Field said projects like that may also have to be scrapped because of Brexit and being unable to apply for grants from the European Union.\n\n\"We received a £3.2m grant from the EU Life programme to support our Saving Wildcats partnership project, which aims to restore wildcats in Scotland by breeding and releasing them into the wild.\n\n\"Wildcats are on the brink of extinction in Britain and this is the last hope for the species' survival.\"\n\nHe added: \"As we are no longer part of the European Union, our charity is no longer eligible to apply for funding from programmes like EU Life, which have proven critical for our wildlife conservation work and wider efforts to protect animals from extinction.\"\n\nEdinburgh Zoo's conservation genetics laboratory, which supports conservation projects around the world, has lost access to both funding and other researchers as a result.\n\nIt also faces challenges around moving animals, many of which are part of European endangered species breeding programmes.\n\nThe programme is currently about £900,000 short, meaning it may have to be cancelled.\n\nMr Field said: \"We still need to reduce costs to secure our future. It may be that some of our incredibly important conservation projects, including the vital lifeline for Scotland's wildcats, may have to be deferred, postponed or even stopped.\"", "Police rescued 22 people from the snow in Cheshire including a two-year-old child\n\nDozens of people, including a two-year-old child, had to be rescued when they became stranded on rural roads.\n\nPolice and volunteers came to the aid of people whose vehicles were stuck in the Derbyshire Peak District on Saturday.\n\nThere were similar scenes in Cheshire where 22 people, had to be rescued from stranded cars.\n\nThe wintry weather is set to continue with a Met Office warning for ice in the East Midlands and North East.\n\nAt around 20:00 GMT on Saturday, Derbyshire Police reported \"sudden snow\" had left dozens of vehicles and their occupants stranded in the Goyt Valley.\n\nSome visitors to the area were caught off-guard by how quickly the weather changed.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Adam White This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nDerbyshire Police posted on Twitter: \"We are shuttling people back to Buxton as quickly as we can.\n\n\"Sit tight and we will get to you.\"\n\nThe A57 Snake Pass - a road notorious for becoming dangerous in the snow - had been closed earlier in the day because of the weather.\n\nIn Cheshire, police spent three hours helping families stuck in their vehicles in the White Peak area.\n\nIn total 22 people, including eight children - the youngest of whom was two - were recovered from nine vehicles.\n\nCheshire Police Rural Crime Team said: \"The snow had well and truly caught them all out on the back roads.\n\n\"We were three miles (4.8km) from the nearest village, and the light was fading on us quickly.\n\n\"It was decided to get everyone out of their cars and so began a mile walk in the snow.\"\n\nThey were led to a nearby farm where they could be taken to safety in police vehicles.\n\nMost of those rescued from snow in Cheshire had travelled to the area despite coronavirus restrictions\n\nThe force was critical of the families for travelling into the area, that is under tier four coronavirus restrictions.\n\nIt said: \"All except one car was from out of Cheshire. We had people from Sale, Stockport and Salford with the closest being Congleton.\n\n\"Sadly these people have put all of us at risk today.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Liverpool City Council issued their call after local cases nearly trebled in the past fortnight\n\nLiverpool's leaders have called on the government to impose a new nationwide lockdown to halt the spread of the new variant of Covid-19.\n\nActing mayor Wendy Simon and the city council's cabinet said urgent action is needed because the rise in coronavirus cases had reached \"alarming levels\".\n\nThey said it was \"self-evident\" the tier system has not curbed the variant.\n\nIt had been concentrated in London and south-east England but is believed to be spreading north.\n\nCases in Liverpool have almost trebled in the past two weeks to 350 per 100,000.\n\nThis is despite the city successfully leading the national pilot for community testing, which resulted in it becoming the first city to be taken out of tier 3 and moved into tier 2.\n\nHowever, the recent rise in cases meant Liverpool returned to tier three on Thursday.\n\nWendy Simon is the acting mayor for Liverpool\n\nSpeaking to the BBC News Channel, Ms Simon said: \"I think the difficulty with this new strain of the virus is the speed at which it is infecting.\n\n\"What we have seen in these last weeks is that the tier system hasn't worked with this particular strain of the virus.\n\n\"The way the numbers are going, we're likely to go into tier four very, very quickly.\"\n\nMs Simon said officials wanted to \"pre-empt that catastrophe\" and \"recover the economy quicker\", adding: \"We feel these three things - the mass vaccination, the mass testing and certainly a lockdown for a period - is what we need to get the city up and running again.\n\n\"There's a responsibility on us all to act promptly and bring it under control as soon as we can.\"\n\nIn an earlier statement, Ms Simon joined officials at the Labour-run city council to urge the government to \"listen to those at the frontline, both in our hospitals and frontline services\".\n\n\"We as a nation can cope with a lockdown,\" the statement said. \"We have before and we can again.\"\n\nThe city's leaders also called for \"an additional package of welfare and economic support\" to address the \"pain for our retail and hospitality sectors\".\n\nA further 57,725 confirmed cases were announced by the government on Saturday.\n\nThe sharp rise in numbers is partly down to a lag in reporting over the holiday period but, according to Public Health England, is \"largely a reflection of a real increase\".\n\nAlthough the new variant is now spreading more rapidly than the original version, it is not believed to be more deadly.\n\nLiverpool launched the national pilot for community testing in November\n\nOn Sunday, the prime minister said regional restrictions in England were \"probably about to get tougher\".\n\nHe said possible changes included keeping schools closed, although this is not \"something we want to do\".\n\nBoris Johnson said the government was \"entirely reconciled to doing what it takes to get the virus down,\" and warned of a \"tough period ahead\".\n\nHe said increasing vaccination would provide a way out of restrictions and that he hoped \"tens of millions\" would be vaccinated in the next three months.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has started to arrive in hospitals, with the first doses due to be given on Monday.\n\nThe Princess Royal Hospital at Haywards Heath in West Sussex was one of the hospitals taking a delivery on Saturday.\n\nThe UK has ordered 100 million doses of the new vaccine - enough to vaccinate 50 million people.", "The Scottish cabinet will meet later to consider further measures to help tackle coronavirus, as 2,464 new cases are reported.\n\nThe Scottish Parliament will then be recalled for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to make an \"urgent statement\".\n\nMs Sturgeon said the \"rapid increase in Covid cases driven by the new variant\" was of \"very serious concern\".\n\n\"We are in a race between this faster spreading strain of Covid and the vaccination programme,\" she tweeted.\n\nShe warned on Friday that the next few weeks could be the most dangerous period for Scotland since March in the fight against Covid.\n\nThe latest government figures for coronavirus cases showed that 15.2% of Saturday's 17,328 tests were positive.\n\nIt is higher than the 2,137 cases reported on Friday, but still lower than Thursday's 2,539 positive results.\n\nFigures for hospital admissions and deaths over the holiday weekend will not be published until Tuesday.\n\nThe cabinet is likely to consider a further delay to the return of Scottish schools and restrictions that are closer to the stay-at-home lockdown in March.\n\n\"All decisions just now are tough, with tough impacts,\" Ms Sturgeon wrote on twitter. \"Vaccines give us way out, but this new strain makes the period between now and then the most dangerous since start of pandemic.\"\n\nThe Scottish government's emergency resilience committee heard on Saturday that \"quick and decisive action is needed\" as the new variant of the virus is becoming the dominant one in Scotland.\n\nA Scottish government spokesperson said: \"The even steeper rises and severe pressure on the NHS that is being experienced in some other parts of the UK is a sign of what may lie ahead in Scotland if we do not take all possible steps now to slow the spread of the virus, while the vaccination programme progresses.\n\n\"The strong message remains - people should stay at home as much as possible and avoid non-essential interaction with others.\"\n\nThis is just the fifth time the Scottish Parliament has been recalled and the second time within the last week.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Linda Bauld says Scots should be prepared a longer period living with level four restrictions\n\nPublic health expert Prof Linda Bauld, from the University of Edinburgh, has said Scotland should be prepared for Covid restrictions to be extended as infection rates continue to rise.\n\nShe said there were no signs yet that the infection rate was levelling off, having risen suddenly from a daily rate of fewer than 1,000 to more than 2,000 per day in recent days.\n\nShe told BBC Scotland: \"It definitely is a fragile situation and you can see that we have more cases than we would expect at the current time.\n\n\"We may be starting to see some of the impacts of the Christmas mixing, but also we know around four in 10 cases, from recent data, are of the new variant.\n\n\"I would imagine that the new variant is playing a role in these higher rates of infection and if these numbers continue to sit at where they are we are going to have more people in hospital in a week or two's time, and that is very worrying.\"\n\nThe new year offers new hope in the struggle against coronavirus with two vaccines now authorised for UK use - but it looks as if the situation will get worse before it gets better.\n\nMinisters are worried by the rapid spread of the new strain of coronavirus during a holiday period when the highest level of restrictions are already in place.\n\nThey think more needs to be done to suppress the virus, to give the vaccination programme a chance to accelerate and give increasing numbers of people protection.\n\nWhen the Scottish cabinet meets they are likely to consider tightening the current restrictions to something closer to the stay at home lockdown of March 2020.\n\nThat will almost certainly mean a further delay to the return of schools into February.\n\nMinisters will take decisions on Monday morning with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon expected to make a statement at Holyrood in the afternoon.\n\nDaily confirmed cases in Scotland reached record highs on the last three days of 2020, rising to to 2,622 on Thursday.\n\nMs Sturgeon warned last week there might be changes to the plans for reopening schools. Children start online learning from 11 January and are set to return to class by 18 January.\n\nThe education recovery group will meet on Monday.\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the situation was \"deteriorating and fast-moving\" but any decision to extend school closures should be clearly explained to parents and teachers.\n\nHe said: \"We have been here before so if schools remain closed, the Scottish government must show that it has learned from past mistakes in order to minimise disruption to education.\"\n\nScottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said the Scottish government should prioritise teachers and school staff as vaccines were rolled out.\n\nHe added: \"We must be honest and accept that most pupils, teachers and support staff cannot go back to schools until the situation is brought under control.\"\n\nScottish Labour leader Richard Leonard called for ministers to publish the evidence behind all of its decisions to ensure public consent and compliance.\n\n\"What is clear is that we need to see an acceleration of the vaccine rollout and a step-change in testing,\" he said.\n\n\"It is also clear that financial support from government has simply not been nearly sufficient to make up for the damage that lockdown measures have done to jobs, livelihoods and businesses. The SNP government must distribute additional funds to the frontline now.\"\n\nScottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: \"With tighter restrictions on movement and in schools comes a greater responsibility on the government to show its workings.\n\n\"If we are to restrict people's movement then we need to see what the benefit will be. We need an exit plan to give people hope, as well as to show them what is required to ease the restrictions on our freedoms.\"", "A farmer's field in Scotland has been transformed into a \"pop-up\" ice hockey rink.\n\nLocals in Bishopton, Renfrewshire, have been taking advantage of the clear skies and icy conditions.\n\nOne said the frozen rink had been playing host to skaters and hockey players of all ages and abilities, from six to 60.", "Some schools are due to reopen this week in Wales\n\nSchools are being given a flexible approach to ensure a \"safe return\", according to Wales' first minister.\n\nMark Drakeford said experts would be \"looking at all the evidence again early next week\".\n\nUnions have called for a national decision on reopening schools rather than leaving it to local councils.\n\nAccording to local authorities many secondary schools aim to return from 11 January, with some fully open on 6 January.\n\nA joint statement from nine unions called on the Welsh Government to give a \"centralised, coherent response\" regarding all educational settings \"rather than leaving decisions at local levels\".\n\nThe statement from ASCL Cymru, GMB, NAHT Cymru, NASUWT Cymru, NEU Cymru, Ucac, Unison, Unite and Voice continued: \"We are extremely worried that schools will be opening for face-to-face learning from next Monday, whilst Welsh Government continues to gather information about the nature and impact of the new variant of Covid-19...\n\n\"We strongly believe that we need to err on the side of caution and ensure, in advance, that we have the medical 'evidence and information' to ensure that any decisions are the correct ones.\"\n\nThe National Education Union Cymru has called for in-person learning to be delayed until at least 18 January.\n\nThe NASUWT has also threatened \"appropriate action in order to protect members whose safety is put at risk\", while head teachers' union NAHT Cymru said it had taken legal action.\n\nBut Mr Drakeford said: \"We reached an agreement with our local education colleagues that in Wales we will have a phased and flexible return to school.\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday parents should send their children to primary school as long as they are open in their area.\n\nMark Drakeford: \"No evidence that young people get the illness more severely as a result of the variant\"\n\nJackie Parker, head of Crickhowell High School in Powys, which reopens for some form years from Wednesday, said \"it would have been more sensible to have had a national decision for the time being until the 18th\".\n\nShe said it would have allowed time to see if cases of Covid had increased over the holiday period.\n\n\"People may have been together during the Christmas holiday,\" she said.\n\nFigures published by Public Health Wales on Sunday showed 56 new deaths from Covid and 4,011 new cases of the virus.\n\nWales has been in lockdown since 20 December with restrictions on people meeting others on all but Christmas Day when it was limited to another household and a person living alone.\n\nMr Drakeford said: \"There is no evidence that young people get the illness more severely as a result of the variant.\n\n\"Our technical advisory group will be looking at all the evidence again early next week.\n\n\"And, of course, we will continue to make decisions in the light of the best knowledge, research and information that's available to us at the time,\" he told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement.\n\nHe also said mass testing in schools would begin as planned this month, in a decision which has been criticised by NAHT Cymru.\n\n\"It will allow more children and more teachers to stay safely in the classroom without having to be sent home because another child or another staff member has tested positive,\" he said.\n\nThe joint unions' statement also said the Welsh Government's testing proposals were unworkable for most schools.\n\n\"Due to the chaotic and rushed nature of this announcement, the lack of proper guidance, and an absence of appropriate support, the Welsh Government's proposals will be inoperable for most schools and colleges,\" it said.\n\nThe statement continued: \"Any suggestion that schools can safely recruit, train and organise a team of suitable volunteers to staff and run testing stations on their premises by an as yet unspecified date in the new term is simply not realistic.\"\n\nSian Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru's education spokeswoman, said \"parents and teachers need to know what the plan is for the next few weeks\".\n\n\"We don't really know very much about this new variant in the way that it transmits within the school community,\" she said.\n\n\"And if it is becoming inevitable that schools will have to close, well, an early decision is better for everybody.\"\n\nWelsh Conservative education spokeswoman Suzy Davies said: \"We've had conflicting reports in the press and on social media about the effect of the new variant on younger children and their role in transmitting the disease - complete confusion reigns...\n\n\"The Welsh Government hasn't succeeded in reassuring teachers and in some cases parents as well.\"", "A top Swedish official involved in the coronavirus response has defended a Christmas holiday in the Canary Islands in the face of heavy criticism.\n\nDan Eliasson is head of the civil contingencies agency, which earlier in December had texted all Swedes urging them to avoid travel.\n\nHe was photographed in Las Palmas airport on the island of Gran Canaria.\n\nMr Eliasson insisted the trip was necessary \"for family reasons\".\n\nHe told Swedish media that he had \"given up a lot of trips during this pandemic\" but thought this one was necessary because he had a daughter living in the Canaries.\n\n\"I celebrated Christmas with her and my family,\" he told Expressen newspaper. He also said he had been worked remotely while in the Canaries.\n\nSweden has had 437,000 confirmed cases and 8,700 deaths - many more than its Scandinavian neighbours. The country has never imposed a full lockdown.\n\nHowever, alarmed by rising numbers of cases last month, the Swedish government reversed some of its guidance and sent a text message to all Swedes asking them to read updated guidelines.\n\nThe guidelines included asking Swedes to avoid unnecessary trips and not to make new contacts during a journey or at the destination.\n\nMr Eliasson was then photographed several times in Gran Canaria, including at the airport.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Expressen This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThere have been calls for Mr Eliasson, an experienced official who has worked at several important departments, to be fired.\n\nPrime Minister Stefan Löfven and other ministers have not yet commented, according to Swedish media.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. From the pandemic to measles, Smitha Mundasad looks at global health challenges in 2021", "Liam Reilly fronted Bagatelle for more than 40 years\n\nIrish Eurovision singer and frontman of the rock band Bagatelle, Liam Reilly, has died aged 65.\n\nA family statement confirmed that Mr Reilly \"passed away suddenly but peacefully at his home\" on 1 January.\n\nMr Reilly fronted Bagatelle for more than 40 years and they had success with songs including Summer in Dublin and Second Violin.\n\nHe also came joint second at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990 with the song Somewhere in Europe.\n\nThe song finished on 132 points, joint with France's entry sung by Joëlle Ursull, in the contest in Zagreb.\n\nMr Reilly, from Dundalk, County Louth, also composed Ireland's Eurovision entry for the contest in Rome in 1991, when Kim Jackson performed his song Could It Be That I'm In Love, which was placed 10th.\n\n\"We know that his many friends and countless fans around the world will share in our grief as we mourn his loss, but celebrate the extraordinary talent of the man whose songs meant so much to so many.\" the family statement added.\n\nJoe Gallagher, the band's promoter from Strabane, County Tyrone, told BBC Radio Ulster \"the talent that Liam brought to the music industry in Ireland is second to none\".\n\n\"Some of the songs that he has written are up there with some of the better songs written in Ireland,\" he said.\n\n\"He is one of the best singer-songwriters Ireland has ever seen or produced.\"\n\nMr Reilly also wrote songs for others, including The Wolfe Tones. The Irish group paid tribute to him on social media, describing him as \"a master songwriter\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by The Wolfe Tones 🇮🇪 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by The Wolfe Tones 🇮🇪\n\nStephen Travers, a member of the Miami Showband, said Mr Reilly was a \"national treasure\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Stephen Travers This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Horse Racing\n\nTributes have been paid to trainer Zoe Davison, who died from cancer on the same day two of her horses claimed wins at Plumpton.\n\nDavison, who had breast cancer for four-and-a-half years, died at her Shovelstrode Racing Stables in Sussex.\n\nBrown Bullet and Mr Jack, both trained at the family's stable, had raced to victory at the Sussex track on Sunday.\n\nSimon Clare, part-owner of Brown Bullet, said: \"Zoe was just the most wonderful human being imaginable.\"\n\nHer husband Andrew Irvine - who she married in 2018 - was by her side, along with family.\n\nHe said: \"She was the most wonderful, incredible person. I am blessed to have spent the last 24 years of my life with her.\"\n\nDaughter Gemelle Johnson, who was assistant to her mother, said: \"I just feel a bit numb inside because of everything.\n\n\"I'm a bit overwhelmed we've had a double for mum. Hopefully we have made her proud. It's surreal. Our team is a family business and we put everything into it. She will be thoroughly missed as she is the glue that holds us together.\n\n\"We've had a few winners around here and it is one of our local tracks. It means everything to us as we want to do her proud.\"\n\nDavison sent out the first of over 100 winners when Sails Legend, with AP McCoy in the saddle, won at Towcester in November 1997.\n\nShe enjoyed her best season with 15 winners in the 2017-18 campaign.\n\nJockey Page Fuller has a long association with the stable and should have ridden Mr Jack but had been stood down from an earlier fall.\n\nShe said: \"You couldn't have written it any better today. She was just a kind and genuine person who was a real horsewoman. She loved her horses and did her best by them.\n\n\"She has been struggling for a long time, but fortunately her strength has rubbed off on everybody else and they showed that by sending out the winners today.\n\n\"It has been a great team effort and it is great she has gone out like that. I don't know anybody who would have a bad word to say about her - she was just one of those really nice people.\"\n\nEd Arkell, ex-Fontwell clerk of the course and now at nearby West Sussex track Goodwood, said: \"Zoe was a huge part of the southern racing circuit. I'm so sorry for her family and she will be very much missed. She was a friendly, happy person who everybody loved.\n\n\"As a trainer, she ran a wonderful family operation. There are less of those these days. She supported her local tracks and became a big part of them.\"\n\nClare added: \"Zoe was the most talented horsewoman imaginable. What she didn't know about horses wasn't worth knowing.\n\n\"She is so incredibly well loved and will be desperately missed by everyone who knew her.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nArsenal continued their Premier League resurgence with a ruthless victory over strugglers West Brom at The Hawthorns.\n\nDefender Kieran Tierney's excellent solo run and curling finish put the Gunners in front in the first half, before the impressive Bukayo Saka rounded off a stunning passing move to make it 2-0.\n\nAlexandre Lacazette added the third and fourth goals after the break - smashing in a rebound from Emile Smith Rowe's shot before he was set up by Tierney.\n\nIt was Arsenal's third league victory in a row after they had failed to win their previous seven.\n\nWest Brom, playing their fourth match under new manager Sam Allardyce, remain second from bottom and six points from safety.\n• None Confidence? Youth? How have Arsenal turned relegation talk into European hopes?\n\nArsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he wanted his players to \"show confidence\" at The Hawthorns, and they certainly did that in a dominant and eye-catching display.\n\nHector Bellerin forced Sam Johnstone into a save within two minutes after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang broke down the left, and Saka tormented full-back Dara O'Shea on the opposite wing constantly during the opening half.\n\nIt was Saka's ball that fizzed past the back post, inches away from the toe of Aubameyang, after the 19-year-old had got the better of O'Shea and hit it straight at Johnstone.\n\nWest Brom were being suffocated and Tierney's burst of pace to get around Darnell Furlong, before bending it into the far corner, was the perfect way to open the scoring.\n\nSaka made it 2-0 by rounding off a slick, one-touch passing move that former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger would have been proud of.\n\nWest Brom could offer no response after the break either and Arsenal were 3-0 up on the hour when Lacazette eventually blasted in the rebound from a catalogue of errors by defender Semi Ajayi.\n\nThat was game over but Lacazette was allowed to add a fourth when he was left unmarked to divert Tierney's cross into the roof of the net four minutes later.\n\nArteta, knowing the job was done, was able to bring off Saka and Emile Smith Rowe following impressive performances from both youngsters, while Arsenal continued to create chances to round off a very enjoyable evening in the snow.\n\nAllardyce's first match in charge of West Brom - a 3-0 drubbing by Aston Villa after captain Jake Livermore had been sent off - was a sign of just how tough this job was going to be.\n\nThen that 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield provided hope. The Baggies were resilient, organised and tireless.\n\nBut heavy back-to-back defeats by Leeds United and now Arsenal at home have brought things back down to earth.\n\nWest Brom were overawed in defence, out-run in midfield and frustrated by a lack of opportunities in attack throughout this confidence-crushing defeat.\n\nTheir rare sniffs at goal came from a Granit Xhaka error in the first half - Matheus Pereira chipping it through to Matt Phillips who struck it straight at Bernd Leno - before Callum Robinson's finish was ruled out for offside in the second half.\n\nSubstitute Rekeem Harper's long-range strike deep in stoppage time was also comfortably turned behind by Leno.\n\nIt was West Brom's third home loss in three under Allardyce and they have conceded 12 goals with no reply in those games.\n\n'Everything looks much better' - what they said\n\nWest Brom manager Sam Allardyce: \"Another game gone by where we learn more about the players we have. We have learnt an awful lot about what we can and cannot do.\n\n\"We need to work out a way of not trying to be as sloppy as we have been at conceding goals. It appears when we try to open up we leave opportunities for the opposition and we cannot cope.\"\n\nArsenal manager Mikel Arteta: \"We had a big week, three games in seven days, and we managed to win them and everything looks much better. It was difficult conditions but the team looked sharp from the start. It's a big win.\n\n\"After the results we had before we had to lift things straight away. Now we have got some discipline back. We look more creative in the final third and we look solid at the back.\"\n\nThe best of the stats\n• None West Brom are the first side to lose consecutive home Premier League games by at least four goals since Wigan in August 2010.\n• None Arsenal have scored in all 25 of their Premier League meetings with West Brom, the best 100% scoring record by one side against an opponent in the competition's history.\n• None There were 20 passes in the build-up to Arsenal's first goal scored by Kieran Tierney - since Mikel Arteta's first game in charge on Boxing Day 2019, the Gunners have scored more goals following a sequence of 20+ passes than any other Premier League side (3).\n• None Tierney became the first Scottish player to score an away Premier League goal for Arsenal and the first to do so in the top flight since Charlie Nicholas against Ipswich Town in March 1986.\n• None Alexandre Lacazette has scored five away Premier League goals in 2020-21, his best such tally in a single season in the competition.\n\nWest Brom travel to Blackpool for an FA Cup third-round tie on Saturday, 9 January (15:00 GMT kick-off), before returning to Premier League action on Saturday, 16 January against Wolves (12:30 GMT).\n\nArsenal host Newcastle in their FA Cup match on the same day (17:30 GMT), before facing Crystal Palace at home in the league on Thursday, 14 January (20:00 GMT).\n• None Offside, West Bromwich Albion. Charlie Austin tries a through ball, but Kyle Bartley is caught offside.\n• None Attempt saved. Rekeem Harper (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Matheus Pereira.\n• None Attempt saved. Willian (Arsenal) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Dani Ceballos.\n• None Attempt missed. Joseph Willock (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Willian with a cross.\n• None Attempt saved. Conor Gallagher (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Callum Robinson.\n• None Attempt blocked. Charlie Austin (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Dara O'Shea.\n• None Dani Ceballos (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Attempt saved. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kieran Tierney.\n• None Attempt missed. Charlie Austin (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Matt Phillips. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None A special and exclusive one-off chat with the music icon\n• None How has their rise come to define our culture?", "Cases have reached record highs in the past week\n\nThe next few weeks could be the most dangerous period for Scotland since March in the fight against Covid, the first minister has warned.\n\nNicola Sturgeon said the new variant of the virus was \"accelerating spread\" across Scotland.\n\n\"If you first foot someone today, or hug/kiss/handshake them HNY, you are putting yourself, others and the NHS at risk,\" she tweeted.\n\nA further 2,539 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Friday.\n\nThe number is slightly down on Thursday's figure, but Ms Sturgeon said cases numbers were still \"worryingly high\".\n\nDaily confirmed cases have reached record highs on each of the previous three days, rising to to 2,622 on Thursday.\n\nThe percentage of positive cases also reached 14.4% on Wednesday - the highest it has been since the second wave of the pandemic began in the summer.\n\nMs Sturgeon tweeted: \"Today's case numbers are worryingly high again. The new variant is accelerating spread.\n\n\"PLEASE do not visit other people's homes just now, even today - if you first foot someone today, or hug/kiss/handshake them HNY, you are putting yourself, others & the NHS at risk.\"\n\nShe said the \"vaccine cavalry\" was on the way, offering \"real hope for 2021\", but she added: \"With this new variant, the next few weeks may be the most dangerous we've faced since Mar/April.\n\n\"We must act together to suppress it, to save lives and protect the NHS. Folded hands stick with it.\"\n\nThe number of daily confirmed cases has reached record highs this week\n\nA new study by London's Imperial College has found that the new variant of Covid-19 is \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version.\n\nIt concludes the new variant increases the Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.\n\nThe UK's latest R number has been estimated at between 1.1 and 1.3. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nThe Scottish government's most recent estimate of the R number in Scotland has put it between 0.9 and 1.1.\n\nEmma Thomson, a professor of infectious disease at the University of Glasgow, said it was important to get people vaccinated quickly.\n\nThe professor, who has been working on the sequencing of the new Covid mutation, told the BBC that lockdown was not controlling the infection \"on its own\".\n\n\"At least we come in armed into the new year with two vaccines which are highly effective at preventing severe disease. We have that,\" she said.\n\n\"We need to roll it out now to add to the public health measures.\"\n\nParties, traditional \"first-footing\" and social events were banned this Hogmanay, with all of mainland Scotland and Skye being under the highest level of Covid restrictions.\n\nAll official events were cancelled, but police had to disperse a crowds of people who gathered at Edinburgh Castle and Calton Hill to see in the new year.\n\nIt has also emerged that 32 people were charged with reckless conduct after police found them gathered at a rented property in Aberfoyle on 27 December.\n\nA Scottish government spokesperson said: \"As the first minister has pointed out, the sharp rise in cases is evidence that the new strain seems to be speeding up transmission.\n\n\"This is why we are asking people to please stay at home as much as possible and avoid non-essential interaction with others.\n\n\"There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we ask everyone to be patient as we work our way through the vaccination programme, and continue to follow FACTS to keep us all safe.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nIndia has formally approved the emergency use of two coronavirus vaccines as it prepares for one of the world's biggest inoculation drives.\n\nThe drugs regulatory authority gave the green light to the jabs developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University and by local firm Bharat Biotech.\n\nIndia plans to inoculate some 300 million people on a priority list this year.\n\nIt has recorded the second-highest number of infections in the world, with more than 10.3 million confirmed cases to date. Nearly 150,000 people have died.\n\nOn Saturday India held nationwide drills to prepare more than 90,000 health care workers to administer vaccines across the country, which has a population of 1.3 billion people.\n\nThe Drugs Controller General of India said both manufacturers had submitted data showing their vaccines were safe to use.\n\nHowever, opposition politicians and some doctors have criticised a lack of transparency in the approval process.\n\nDr Swapneil Parikh, an infectious diseases researcher based in Mumbai, told the BBC doctors were in a difficult position.\n\n\"I understand there is a need to go through the process quickly, remove regulatory hurdles,\" he said. \"However... [governments and regulators] have a duty to be transparent about the data they have reviewed and the process involved in making the decision to authorise a vaccine, because if they don't do this, it can affect the public's faith in the process.\"\n\nThe Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is being manufactured locally by the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer. It says it is producing more than 50 million doses a month.\n\nAdar Poonawalla, the company's CEO, told the BBC in November that he aimed to ramp up production to 100 million doses a month after receiving regulatory approval.\n\nThe jab, which is known as Covishield in India, is administered in two doses given between four and 12 weeks apart. It can be safely stored at temperatures of 2C to 8C, about the same as a domestic fridge, and can be delivered in existing health care settings such as doctors' surgeries.\n\nThis makes it easier to distribute than some of the other vaccines. The jab developed by Pfizer/BioNTech - which is currently being administered in several countries - must be stored at -70C and can only be moved a limited number of times - a particular challenge in India, where summer temperatures can reach 50C.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Adar Poonawalla This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe local vaccine, however, was approved despite the absence of data on how efficient it can be. It has yet to go through large-scale trials.\n\nThe Drugs Controller General, V.G. Somani, said Bharat Biotech's Covaxin was \"safe and provides a robust immune response\".\n\nMr Somani said it had been approved \"in public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, to have more options for vaccinations, especially in case of infection by mutant strains\".\n\nIndia, which makes about 60% of vaccines globally, plans to immunise about 300 million people by July 2021. It will prioritise health care workers, the emergency services, and those who are clinically vulnerable because of age or pre-existing conditions.\n\nIndia's existing vaccination programme already reaches about 55 million people a year, administering 390 million free jabs against a dozen diseases. It stocks and tracks the vaccines through a well-oiled electronic system.\n\nIndia immunisation programme is one of the largest in the world\n\nPfizer, whose vaccine has already been approved for use in jurisdictions including the UK, the US and the EU, is also seeking emergency authorisation in India.\n\nIn all, some 30 vaccine candidates are being developed in India.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Olly Stephens was pronounced dead in Bugs Bottom fields in Emmer Green, Reading\n\nFour boys and a girl have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after a 13-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Reading.\n\nOliver Stephens, known as Olly, was pronounced dead at Bugs Bottom fields, Emmer Green, on Sunday.\n\nThe five teenagers, all aged 13 or 14, remain in custody, according to Thames Valley Police.\n\nDet Supt Kevin Brown said: \"Our thoughts remain with Olly's family at this incredibly difficult time.\"\n\nHe added: \"This is a tragic and shocking incident which has resulted in the death of a young boy.\"\n\nThe victim's family are being supported by specially trained officers.\n\nFloral tributes to Olly have been left outside Highdown School\n\nHighdown School and Sixth Form Centre said it was \"reeling from the tragic news\".\n\nIn a statement, head teacher Rachel Cave said: \"This student was part of our community and many students and staff knew him well.\n\n\"For a life to be ended at such a young age is a total tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.\"\n\nThe school, in Emmer Green, said it was arranging counselling support for students and setting up an electronic book of condolence.\n\nThames Valley Police said a \"considerable police presence\" would be in place in the area for several days\n\nOfficers were called just before 16:00 GMT on Sunday following reports of an attack.\n\nOfficers are appealing for anyone who was in the area between 15:00 and 16:30 who might have taken photos or camera footage to contact them if they notice anything suspicious.\n\nDet Supt Brown said he believed there would have been witnesses to the \"dreadful incident\" as the area is popular with dog walkers.\n\nA man said his wife was walking their dog through the park on Sunday afternoon when she saw a boy on the ground with several people around him trying to give him first aid.\n\nAnother dog walker said she saw a group of young people standing in the woods in Bugs Bottom fields at about 15:30 and described it as \"slightly unusual\".\n\nReading East MP Matt Rodda has offered his \"deepest condolences\" to the boy's family.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Matt Rodda This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSt Barnabas Church in Emmer Green has invited residents to pray and light a candle in memory of the boy.\n\nFollow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A UK ticket-holder has started the new year by winning the EuroMillions jackpot of nearly £40m.\n\nOne ticket matched all five regular numbers and two lucky stars in the draw on Friday night to win the £39,774,466.40 prize.\n\nCamelot's Andy Carter, senior winners' adviser at the National Lottery, said: \"What an amazing start to 2021 for UK EuroMillions players.\"\n\nA ticket-holder has now come forward to claim their prize.\n\nCamelot, which operates the lottery, said checks were being made on the claim.\n\nMr Carter said: \"It is fantastic news that the jackpot winning lucky ticket-holder has now claimed this enormous prize. We will now focus on supporting the ticket-holder through the process.\"\n\nThe winning numbers were 16, 28, 32, 44 and 48 with the lucky stars 01 and 09.\n\nTen other ticket-holders each won £1m in the UK Millionaire Maker New Year's Day event.\n\nIn 2019, a UK ticket-holder won the full £170m EuroMillions jackpot, making them Britain's richest ever lottery winner.\n\nAnd last year, a £57m EuroMillions prize claim was validated just before the deadline. The ticket had been bought in South Ayrshire.\n\nThe winning ticket holder's newfound cash means they are now wealthier than former One Direction singer Zayn Malik, who is worth £36m, according to the 2020 Sunday Times Rich List.\n\nAnd if they have a bit more money in the bank, they could buy one of the UK's most expensive homes, which went on the market last year.\n\nNobody won the EuroMillons Hotpicks jackpot on Friday, which uses the same numbers as the main draw, but one winner scooped the Thunderball top prize of £500,000.\n\nThe Thunderball numbers were 13, 17, 30, 34, 35 and the Thunderball was 01.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "Wales went into a new lockdown on 20 December\n\nWales is likely to remain in lockdown for the rest of January as the first minister said he does not \"see much headroom for change\".\n\nMinisters are to review restrictions ahead of an announcement on Friday.\n\nBut Mark Drakeford said it was \"very hard to see where the room for manoeuvre is at the moment\" with the NHS \"under huge pressure\".\n\nWithout further changes, restrictions could be kept until the next three-week review at the end of January.\n\nMr Drakeford also said the Welsh Government was unlikely to tighten restrictions despite the emergence of a new more contagious variant of the virus.\n\nHe said there could be some tweaks \"at the margins\" but no wholesale changes because \"it's difficult to see what more could be done\".\n\nThe government introduced a new four-level system of Covid-19 restrictions on 20 December with people told to stay home and avoid all but essential travel.\n\nA study has found the new variant of Covid-19 to be \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version.\n\nThe Imperial College study suggests transmission of the new variant tripled during England's November lockdown while the previous version was reduced by a third.\n\nBut Mr Drakeford does not believe the Welsh Government needs to change the system of restrictions it introduced before details of the new variant emerged.\n\n\"We'll keep our plans under review but level four restrictions in Wales are very strict indeed and it's difficult to see what more could be done to them,\" he said.\n\n\"If they need to be tweaked at the margins to take account of the new variation that's what the cabinet here will consider.\"\n\nHe has dismissed calls by teaching unions to suspend the phased return of face-to-face teaching.\n\nThe government's cabinet will meet on Wednesday to review the current restrictions ahead of an announcement by the first minister on Friday.\n\nBut when asked whether he expected any changes, Mr Drakeford said: \"It's very hard to see where the room for manoeuvre is at the moment.\n\n\"Our health service remains under huge pressure and the coming weeks will be very difficult indeed with winter pressures on the one hand and growing numbers of people suffering with coronavirus in our hospitals on the other.\n\n\"We'll review it, as we said we would, but when I look at the figures I don't see much headroom for change.\"\n\nThe Welsh Conservatives have not criticised the decision to remain in lockdown, but have called for greater scrutiny.\n\nSuzy Davies, Member of the Senedd for South Wales West, said questions would remain \"about how legitimate the decisions of the Welsh Government are\" until MSs had the opportunity to question them in the Welsh Parliament.\n\nPlaid Cymru leader Adam Price said the announcement was unsurprising given the pressures on the NHS, but called on the Welsh Government to ensure a \"rapid rollout\" of the Covid vaccine.\n\nMr Price also called for financial support for people forced to self-isolate and businesses \"during the hardest winter of our time\".\n\nAfter Friday's decision, the next three-week review announcement is not expected until 29 January.\n\nA further 56 people have died after contracting coronavirus in Wales, along with 4,011 new cases, according to data published by Public Health Wales on Sunday.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A dozen people were fined in London for playing dominoes\n\nTwelve people have been fined after they were caught playing dominoes in a restaurant in east London.\n\nPolice officers found the group hiding in a dark room when they entered the building in Whitechapel on Tuesday.\n\nThe owner initially claimed those inside were workers, before admitting they were playing the game.\n\nTower Hamlets Council has been asked to consider issuing a fine to the owner of the restaurant for breaching tier four Covid-19 restrictions, the Met said.\n\nA video released by the Met shows the restaurant owner saying: \"They're playing dominoes.\"\n\nCh Insp Pete Shaw said: \"The rules under tier four are in place to keep all of us safe, and they do not exempt people from gathering to play games together in basements.\n\n\"The fact that these people hid from officers clearly shows they knew they were breaching the rules and have now been fined for their actions.\"\n• None Met breaks up more than 50 New Year's Eve parties\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Boris Johnson has reiterated his position that a Scottish independence referendum should be a \"once-in-a-generation\" vote.\n\nSpeaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme, the prime minister said the gap between referendums on Europe - the first in 1975 and the second in 2016 - was \"a good sort of gap\".\n\nHowever, Mr Marr suggested that now \"things had changed\" for Scotland.\n\nNicola Sturgeon wants to see an independent Scotland join the EU.\n\nAndrew Marr asked the prime minister what a voter in Scotland should do if they decided that a second independence referendum was now something they wanted, and what were the \"democratic tools\" to now do that?\n\nMr Johnson replied by saying: \"Referendums in my experience, direct experience, in this country are not particularly jolly events.\n\n\"They don't have a notably unifying force in the national mood, they should be only once-in-a-generation.\"\n\nAsked what the difference was between a referendum on EU membership being granted and one on Scottish independence being requested, he said: \"The difference is we had a referendum in 1975 and we then had another one in 2016.\n\n\"That seems to be about the right sort of gap.\"\n\nThe 2014 independence referendum resulted in a 55.3% vote against Scotland going alone.\n\nOn Hogmanay, Nicola Sturgeon said Europe should \"keep a light on\" as Scotland will be \"back soon\".\n\nThe first minister tweeted just after the Brexit transition period formally ended at 11:00 on 31 December 2020.\n\nScotland's trading and travel relationships with EU countries will now be governed by the agreement announced by the UK government on Christmas Eve.\n\nMs Sturgeon reiterated the SNP's call for an independent Scotland to join the EU.\n\nTweeting a picture of the words Europe and Scotland joined by a love heart, she wrote: \"Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Nicola Sturgeon This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSNP depute leader Keith Brown said: \"It may be a new year but it's the same old incoherent bluster from Boris Johnson. The prime minister pretends otherwise but he knows he can't keep on denying democracy.\n\n\"Even his American pal Donald Trump has learned that if you try to stand in the way of the democratic choice of a nation you get swept away.\n\n\"The people who will decide our future are the people of Scotland, not Boris Johnson and the Westminster Tories.\"\n\nFormer Labour prime minister Tony Blair said it was \"extremely difficult\" to challenge the SNP on independence when the party was \"virtually uncontested\" in Scotland.\n\nHe said: \"We had a referendum that rejected Scottish independence, but Brexit put it back on the agenda again. And it's going to require very careful management. The truth of the matter is it's still not in Scotland's interest to separate from England.\n\n\"There are huge economic and political reasons for the United Kingdom to stay the United Kingdom but we're going to have to examine whether there's different constitutional settlements.\n\n\"I also think it's incredibly important, the single most important thing politically to my mind, is that we get a really capable opposition in Scotland - which should be the Labour Party - that's capable of contesting the Scottish nationalist position in Scotland in a way that prevents them from doing what they do at the moment, which is govern Scotland but pretend they're in opposition.\"\n\nScottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said: \"Only the people of Scotland have the right to determine Scotland's future.\n\n\"Seventeen consecutive opinion polls have demonstrated majorities in favour of independence, with the most recent indicating a record 58% support.\n\n\"Whether it's the botched handling of the coronavirus crisis, the Brexit catastrophe or just the heartlessness of Tory governments we haven't voted for, it's clear that the UK isn't working for Scotland.\"", "Gerry Marsden was awarded an MBE in 2003 for services to Liverpudlian Charities.\n\nGerry and the Pacemakers singer Gerry Marsden, whose version of You'll Never Walk Alone became a football terrace anthem for his hometown club of Liverpool, has died at the age of 78.\n\nHis family said he died on Sunday after a short illness not linked to Covid-19.\n\nMarsden's band was one of the biggest success stories of the Merseybeat era, and in 1963 became the first to have their first three songs top the chart.\n\nThe band's other best known hit, Ferry Cross The Mersey, came in 1964.\n\nIt was written by Marsden himself as a tribute to his city, and reached number eight.\n\nMarsden was made an MBE in 2003 for services to charity after supporting victims of the Hillsborough disaster.\n\nAt the time, he said he was \"over the moon\" to have received the honour, following his support for numerous charities across Merseyside and beyond.\n\nGerry Marsden in 2009 on the Mersey ferry, which he made famous with his song Ferry Cross The Mersey, as he received the Freedom of the City in Liverpool\n\nMarsden's daughter, Yvette Marbeck, said he went into hospital on Boxing Day after tests showed he had a serious blood infection that had travelled to his heart.\n\nMs Marbeck told the PA news agency: \"It was a very short illness and too quick to comprehend really.\"\n\nHe died in hospital, Ms Marbeck said, adding: \"He was our dad, our hero, warm, funny and what you see is what you got.\"\n\nLiverpool FC posted on social media that Marsden's words would \"live on forever with us\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Liverpool FC This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nGerry and the Pacemakers worked the same Liverpool club circuit as The Beatles in the 1960s and were signed by the Fab Four's manager Brian Epstein.\n\nEpstein gave Marsden's group the song How Do You Do It, which had been turned down by The Beatles and Adam Faith, for their debut single.\n\nSir Paul McCartney described Gerry and the Pacemakers as The Beatles's \"biggest rivals\" on the Merseyside scene.\n\n\"I'll always remember you with a smile,\" Sir Paul said in his tribute to Marsden.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Paul McCartney This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAnd the other surviving Beatle, Sir Ringo Starr, sent \"peace and love\" to Marsden's family in a tribute on Twitter.\n\nWhile Marsden was a songwriter as well as a singer, his most enduring hit was actually a cover of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical number from 1945, which he had to convince his bandmates to record as their third single.\n\nIn many interviews over the years, he explained how fate played a part in his band ever recording the song. He was watching a Laurel and Hardy movie at Liverpool's Odeon cinema in the early 1960s and, only because it was raining, he decided to stay for the second part of a double feature.\n\nThat turned out to be the film Carousel - which featured that song on its soundtrack - and Marsden was so moved by the lyrics that he became determined that it should become part of his band's repertoire.\n\nIn a 2013 interview, Marsden told the Liverpool FC website how You'll Never Walk Alone was adopted by the club's fans as soon as it topped the chart in 1963: \"I remember being at Anfield and before every kick off they used to play the top 10 from number 10 to number one, and so You'll Never Walk Alone was played before the match. I was at the game and the fans started singing it.\n\n\"When it went out of the top 10 they took the song off the playlist and then for the next match the Kop were shouting 'Where's our song?' So they had to put it back on.\n\n\"Now, every time I go to the game I still get goose pimples when the song comes on and I sing my head off.\"\n\nSir Kenny Dalglish, who managed Liverpool at the time of the Hillsborough tragedy, tweeted that he was \"saddened\" by the news of Marsden's death, and that You'll Never Walk Alone was an \"integral part of Liverpool Football Club, and never more so than now\".\n\nLiverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram posted a tribute on Twitter, saying he was \"devastated\" by the news.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Steve Rotheram This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nGerry was an entertainer. He loved being an entertainer; he loved people seeing him in the street and asking him for his autograph and the like.\n\nHe had a very distinctive voice, and that is terribly important. You knew instantly it was him on those records. He was best on those ballads.\n\nI think he really did them very well indeed. You'll Never Walk Alone was a big show song that had been around for years and years, and lots of people had done it.\n\nJust before Gerry brought his version out, Johnny Mathis brought his out. If that version had been played on the Kop, I don't think the Kop would have taken to it because you couldn't sing along with Johnny Mathis - he had too big a range and too perfect a voice.\n\nBut Gerry sounded like everyman and it was absolutely perfect for the Kop. I think it's the greatest football anthem of the lot.\n\nAs well as being a Liverpool anthem, You'll Never Walk Alone has also been adopted by fans at both Celtic in Scotland and Borussia Dortmund in Germany.\n\nMarsden's career began at legendary live music venue, The Cavern Club, where The Pacemakers played nearly 200 times.\n\nThe club said on Twitter that Marsden was \"not only a legend, but also a very good friend of The Cavern\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by The Cavern Club This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post 4 by The Cavern Club\n\nGerry and The Pacemakers achieved nine hit singles and two hit albums between 1963 and 1965, before splitting up.\n\nMarsden pursued a solo career before the band reformed in 1974 for a world tour.\n\nIn 1985, Marsden was back in the pop spotlight when he was invited to be one of the vocalists of a charity version of You'll Never Walk Alone, which was released to raise funds for victims of a fire at a Bradford City match.\n\nIn doing so, Marsden set another chart record by becoming the first person to sing on two different chart-topping versions of the same song.\n\nSo when, after the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989, the other Pacemakers classic of Ferry Cross The Mersey was chosen to raise funds for its victims and a group of famous Liverpudlian singers was gathered, Marsden was again included and was back at number one once more for a cause he held dear for the rest of his life.\n\nMarsden was awarded the Freedom of Liverpool in April 2009, an occasion he marked by boarding a ferry across the Mersey and getting out his guitar to sing his famous hit which described the scene.", "A woman takes her dog for an early walk in Allendale in Northumberland\n\nMany parts of England have seen snow flurries accompany the arrival of New Year.\n\nAreas which welcomed in 2021 with several centimetres of snow included Northumberland, parts of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.\n\nThe Met Office has warned worse is to come with more wintry showers forecast.\n\nDriving conditions on many roads will become \"hazardous\" as the cold weather continues next week, it said.\n\nSeveral football matches were cancelled this weekend due to frozen pitches.\n\nGround staff at West Bromwich Albion were faced with heavy snowfall prior to their Premier League match with Arsenal at The Hawthorns on Saturday evening.\n\nGround staff clear snow from the pitch prior to the Premier League match at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich on Saturday\n\nFurther snow is predicted mainly inland and particularly over higher ground where above 200-300m a further few centimetres of snow is possible.\n\nThe chill in the air is due to high pressure to the north of the UK, which is dragging air from the east \"which at this time of year is cold\", the Met Office said.\n\nThe cold easterly winds are set to develop next week, bringing wintry showers - particularly around eastern parts - while hazardous freezing fog, frost and ice risks will all continue, forecasters said.\n\nSledging in the snow around Silverdale Country Park in Newcastle-under-Lyme\n\nTwo women looking out over the snow covered Huntcliff sea cliffs in Saltburn on the North Yorkshire coast\n\nMeteorologist Alex Burkill said: \"Obviously it's very cold and it's going to stay cold through this week.\n\n\"Whilst there will be some wintry hazards around, it's not really until the end of the week until we see any significant snow.\"\n\nColston Bassett in Nottinghamshire got a light dusting of snow on Saturday\n\nA buried garden Buddha after heavy overnight snow in Buxton in Derbyshire\n\nRAC Breakdown spokesman Simon Williams said: \"The message for those who have to drive is to adjust their speed according to the conditions and leave extra stopping distance so 2021 doesn't begin with an unwelcome bump and an insurance claim.\n\n\"Snow and ice are by far the toughest driving conditions, so if they can be avoided that's probably the best policy.\"\n\nA plough clears snow from the roads in Allendale, Northumberland\n\nA man takes his dogs for an early morning walk through the snow in Allenheads, Northumberland\n\nWaterfowl were still active at a snowy Chapel en le Frith in the Derbyshire Peak District\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Researchers have been tracking changes to the \"spike\" of the virus\n\nThe new variant of Covid-19 is \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version, a study has found.\n\nIt concludes the new variant increases the Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.\n\nThe UK's latest R number has been estimated at between 1.1 and 1.3. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nProf Axel Gandy of London's Imperial College said the differences between the viruses types was \"quite extreme\".\n\n\"There is a huge difference in how easily the variant virus spreads,\" he told BBC News. \"This is the most serious change in the virus since the epidemic began,\" he added.\n\nThe Imperial College study suggests transmission of the new variant tripled during England's November lockdown while the previous version was reduced by a third.\n\nCases of Covid-19 have begun to increase rapidly during the second spike, and the number of cases recorded in a single day reached a new high on Thursday.\n\nEarly results indicated that the virus was spreading more quickly among under-20s, particularly among secondary school age children.\n\nBut the very latest data indicates that it was spreading quickly across all age groups, according to Prof Gandy who was a member of the research team.\n\n\"One possible explanation is that the early data was collected during the time of the November lockdown where schools were open and the activities of the adult population were more restricted. We are seeing now that the new virus has increased infectiousness across all age groups.\"\n\nProf Jim Naismith, of Oxford University, said he believed that the new findings indicated that even tougher restrictions would soon be needed.\n\n\"The data from Imperial represent the best analysis to date and imply that the measures we have employed to date, would - with the new virus - fail to reduce the R number to below 1.\n\n\"In simpler terms, unless we do something different the new virus strain is going to continue to spread, more infections, more hospitalisations and more deaths.\"\n\nThe R number is the average number of people an infected person infects. If it is above 1 the epidemic is growing.\n\nThe most chilling finding from this piece of research is that the November lockdown in England, hard though it was for many people, would not have stopped the variant form of the virus spreading. The same severe restrictions that saw cases of the previous version of the virus fall by a third, would see a tripling of the new variant. This is why there has been such a sudden tightening of restrictions across the country.\n\nIt is unclear whether the current restrictions will be enough to control the spread of the virus. Given the fact that it has taken two lockdowns to stop the earlier version of the virus overwhelming the NHS, many scientists fear that further tightening will be necessary.\n\nInfection levels will begin to drop as enough people are vaccinated. But until then it is now more important than ever for people to follow social distancing guidelines, wear masks where required and to regularly wash their hands.\n\nThe new year brings with it hope of a more normal life in the next few months but also a new form of the virus that all of us will have to combat in the coming days and weeks.\n\nProfessor Lawrence Young, of Warwick University, said early indications suggested that vaccines would be effective against the new form of the virus.\n\n\"Variants virus have been around since the beginning of the pandemic and are a product of the natural process by which viruses develop and adapt to their hosts as they replicate.\n\n\"Most of these mutations have no effect on the behaviour of the virus but very occasionally they can improve the ability of the virus to infect and/or become more resistant to the body's immune response.\"\n\nFurther research is needed to understand why the variant is spreading so quickly. But early indications are that vaccines should be effective against it.\n\nThe new virus has been designated \"Variant of Concern 202012/01\" or VOC by Public Health England.\n\nIt was detected in November and thought to have originated in the south-east England in September.\n\nThere is no evidence to suggest that it is more deadly, but it will increase the number of cases which in turn will add further pressure on the NHS.\n\nThe variant can now be found across the UK, except Northern Ireland, but it is heavily concentrated in London, as well as south-east and eastern England.", "The aftermath of an attack in August in Niger, which has suffered a number claimed by jihadist groups\n\nSuspected Islamist militants have attacked two villages in Niger, with reports of dozens of civilians killed.\n\nAround 49 died and 17 were injured in the village of Tchombangou, while another 30 died in Zaroumdareye - both near Niger's western border with Mali, Reuters reports.\n\nThere have been several recent violent incidents in Africa's Sahel region, carried out by militant groups.\n\nFrance said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were killed in Mali.\n\nHours earlier, a group with links to al-Qaeda said it was behind the killing of three French troops in a separate attack in Mali on Monday.\n\nFrance has been leading a coalition of West African and European allies against Islamist militants in the Sahel.\n\nBut the region continues to be affected by ethnic violence, banditry, and human and drug trafficking.\n\nIn light of Saturday's attacks, Interior Minister Alkache Alhada said soldiers had been sent to the area, according to French outlet RFI. But Mr Alhada did not say how many casualties there had been across the two villages.\n\nA local official, quoted by AFP news agency, said many people were killed, and a local journalist spoke of up to 50 deaths.\n\nNiger's Tillabéri region, where the villages are situated, lies within the so-called tri-border area between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, which has been plagued by jihadi attacks in recent years.\n\nTravel by motorbike has been banned in the region for a year, as part of efforts to stop incursions by Islamic militants, who often launch attacks from the vehicles.\n\nAreas of Niger are also facing repeated attacks by jihadists from Nigeria, where the government is fighting an insurgency by Boko Haram.\n\nLast month, members of the group killed at least 27 people in Niger's south-eastern Diffa region.\n\nThe latest attacks in Tillabéri come amid national elections in Niger, as President Mahamadou Issoufou steps down after two five-year terms.\n\nElection officials announced provisional results on Saturday, showing a lead for Mohamed Bazoum - a former minister and a member of Niger's ruling party.\n\nA second round of votes is expected to be held on 21 February, once ballots have been validated by the country's constitutional court.", "The prime minister has said that tougher measures could be needed to help cope with a surge in coronavirus cases.\n\nHe has not yet said whether we will need school closures, or even overnight curfews like those imposed in France.\n\nBut clues about such measures to tackle the new more infectious variant come from the government's Sage advisory committee.\n\nThe headline is that whether we see a return to only being allowed one form of daily outdoor exercise, or stricter controls on travel around the country, we'll be hearing a lot more about something already very familiar: hand hygiene, social distancing, wearing masks and ensuring there is fresh air.\n\nThese may sound familiar but the advisers believe that because the new variant spreads so easily, the measures need to be applied with \"a step change in rigour\" - in other words, a lot more forcefully.\n\nThey suggest considering a return to the two-metre rule because it's more effective than the one-metre plus guidance adopted last year.\n\nMasks need to be made of three layers, not just one, and worn in more locations than now - including workplaces, schools and crowded outdoor spaces.\n\nThe key message is that it is vital to reduce social contact - being close to people, especially indoors for long periods of time, carries the highest risk of infection.\n\nSo expect tier four-type bans on visiting other households to become normal.\n\nThe advisers also say many people still do not recognise the key symptoms of Covid-19 - so ministers need to spell them out and help people understand why they should self-isolate.\n\nBut they also say it is essential to praise the efforts made so far, to recognise sacrifices and emphasise how they've kept infection numbers lower than they would otherwise have been.\n\nWhatever new measures are picked, the advice to ministers is to offer \"clear and convincing explanations\" to motivate people.\n\nThat could be a hint that the government's current \"hands, face, space\" slogan may need to make way for something stronger.", "Last updated on .From the section Man City\n\nManchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he may stay in management much longer than he anticipated.\n\nGuardiola, 49, has previously talked of limiting his time in football to pursue other interests.\n\n\"Before, I thought I was going to retire soon. Now I'm thinking I'm going to retire older. So, I don't know,\" Guardiola said.\n\nThe Spaniard signed a new two-year deal at City in November and has won six major trophies at the club.\n\nPrior to his arrival in Manchester, Guardiola, who turns 50 this month, spent four years as manager of Barcelona and three in charge of Bayern Munich.\n\n\"Experience helps you, especially the way I live my profession,\" he added.\n\nGuardiola's five-year stay at City represents the longest commitment he has made to a club in his management career.\n\nHe has won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and three League Cups since joining them in 2016.\n\nDespite going into Sunday's match at Chelsea on the back of a six-game unbeaten run and with two games in hand on most clubs around them in the table, he is cautious about talk of winning a third league title.\n\n\"If you think about what [can] happen in January, February - the two games [in hand], we can lose these two games and anything can happen,\" he said.\n\n\"So, in the Premier League, every game is so tough and it is better to be calm. The real Premier League, the people I spoke to before I landed here, said everyone can lose to everyone. I didn't see this until now.\n\n\"Now is the first time when I see in the Premier League, one team is able to lose or win seven, and after draw, and after lose. The results are unpredictable.\"\n\nAmong the challengers this season are arch rivals Manchester United, who City face in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.\n\nOle Gunnar Solskjaer's side have been rejuvenated in recent weeks, shrugging off the disappointment of a Champions League exit with some excellent domestic form.\n\n\"Ole is happier than me,\" said Guardiola, whose preparations have been affected by five players testing positive for Covid-19.\n\n\"But I am not much concerned about United. I am so busy with what we have to do and what we can do with the players.\n\n\"They are there because they deserve it. Since I arrived I expected them to be there all the time. Sometimes in the last seasons it has not been possible, especially in the Premier League.\"\n• None A special and exclusive one-off chat with the music icon\n• None How has their rise come to define our culture?", "Police made 17 arrests at the demonstration in Hyde Park\n\nPolice have made arrests at an anti-lockdown demonstration in central London.\n\nCrowds of between 200 to 300 people began to gather in Hyde Park, which is in a tier four coronavirus area, at about 13:30 GMT on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said.\n\nSeventeen people were arrested on suspicion of breaching public health regulations.\n\nMost demonstrators had left the park by 16:45, police said.\n\nThe Met tweeted: \"Officers continue to engage with groups of people who have gathered in the Hyde Park area.\n\n\"A number of people have been arrested under health protection regulations and taken into custody.\n\n\"We urge those in the area to leave immediately.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Metropolitan Police Events This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMore than two people are generally not allowed to meet in public under tier four rules.\n\nThe police force added: \"Officers will take enforcement action where we see clear breaches of the tier four rules.\n\n\"It's up to all of us to make the right choices and slow the spread of the virus.\"\n\nA group called The People's Lockdown, Stand For Your Human Rights, had said it was going to hold a event at Hyde Park on Saturday afternoon.\n\nIn an online post, it called on people to \"stand with your loved ones\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Man City\n\nManchester City say they are disappointed after defender Benjamin Mendy breached Covid-19 rules by hosting a New Year's Eve party.\n\nA spokesperson for the France international said the 26-year-old held a dinner party with guests from outside his household.\n\nThe mixing of households indoors is banned under the UK government's tier four restrictions.\n\nCity said they would conduct an internal investigation.\n\nMendy was named on the bench for City's Premier League game away to Chelsea on Sunday (16:30 GMT).\n\n\"While it is understood that elements of this incident have been misinterpreted in the reports [carried by newspapers earlier], and that the player has publicly apologised for his error, the club is disappointed to learn of the transgression and will be conducting an internal investigation,\" the club said in a statement.\n\nA spokesperson for Mendy said: \"Benjamin and his partner allowed a chef and two friends of his partner to attend his property for a dinner party on New Year's Eve.\n\n\"Ben accepts that this is a breach of Covid-19 protocols and is sorry for his actions in this matter. Ben has had a Covid test and is liaising with Manchester City about this.\"\n\nExplaining why Mendy was in his matchday squad on Sunday, manager Pep Guardiola told Sky Sports: \"First of all the club made a statement; second Benjamin already had Covid in the past - he's been tested every day like all of us and he's negative. He knows what he has done and he will learn in the future.\"\n\nMeanwhile, goalkeeper Ederson, forward Ferran Torres, and midfielder Tommy Doyle are among six City players out of the Chelsea game because of coronavirus.\n\nThe trio have tested positive for the virus, adding to the cases of Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus and Eric Garcia.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, defender Garcia became the sixth City player to test positive for coronavirus.\n\nGarcia, along with a member of staff who also returned a positive test, will now self-isolate.\n\nCity previously postponed their match against Everton on 28 December because of positive tests.\n\nThere have been a number of apparent coronavirus breaches by players at Premier League clubs in recent days.\n\nTottenham criticised three of their players after they attended a party over Christmas, while Fulham are looking into reports that striker Aleksandar Mitrovic allegedly broke coronavirus rules.\n\nCrystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson also apologised after midfielder Luka Milivojevic was pictured with Mitrovic at a gathering in London.\n\nFulham's match against Burnley on Sunday was postponed after an increase in positive cases at the club.\n\nCity also had to cancel their match against Everton on 28 December because of positive tests.", "Last updated on .From the section Boxing\n\nLuke Campbell's hopes of another world title shot suffered a severe blow as Ryan Garcia rose from the canvas to land a superb stoppage in Dallas.\n\nIn a gripping lightweight fight, Briton Campbell landed a left hook in round two to floor Mexican-American Garcia.\n\nSome asked how the much-hyped Garcia might respond to adversity and while he fought on emotion, he found answers.\n\nCampbell survived a tough attack in the fifth, but a well-placed body shot ended the contest two rounds later.\n\n\"You taught me a lot,\" Garcia, 22, told 33-year-old Campbell as the opponents embraced in the beaten man's corner at the American Airlines Center.\n\nThe jubilant reaction from Garcia's team - including gym-mate Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez - hinted at relief, but unquestionably emphasised the statement they knew their man had made.\n\nIn beating a fighter of Campbell's pedigree - and by rising from the canvas to do so - this win served up plenty of answers about Garcia, whose social media following led him to be identified as the world's 12th most marketable athlete in October.\n\n\"I think I showed a lot of people who I really am. I showed today I am special,\" he told DAZN.\n\n\"They wanted to show me as a social media fighter. Anybody who puts you down, remember you're not who people tell you who you are - you are who you choose to be. I chose to be a champion tonight.\n\n\"He caught me, I was like, 'I got dropped, this is crazy'. I've never been dropped in my life. I had to adjust. I knew I could beat him, I just had to get back up.\"\n\nGarcia is the first man to beat Campbell by stoppage. Shortly after the fight Campbell told Garcia in his dressing room that he punched harder than anyone he had ever faced. The London 2012 Olympic gold medallist then told his Twitter followers that Garcia has a \"massive future ahead\".\n\nThis stoppage win will add to the kind of hype that has led some American broadcasters to suggest Garcia's star status could bring new fans to the sport in the years to come.\n\nThe 1-3 bookmakers' favourite was carried to the ring on a throne while Campbell waited in the ring in Texas.\n\nBut within two rounds a heavy left hook put Garcia on his back and it is to his credit he got up, took the fight to his rival and won rounds in the aftermath.\n\nGarcia had only twice gone past round four, and his last two bouts had lasted less than 180 seconds in total. He carried a fizz in his punches throughout and a left hook-right hand combination in the fifth rocked Campbell and sent him into the ropes as the bell sounded.\n\nIn a contest that ebbed and flowed, Campbell found some poise after a relentless attack from Garcia when the action resumed at the start of the sixth.\n\nBut a round later, Campbell braced for an attack to his head only for Garcia to beautifully drive a left hand to the body that left him on all fours.\n\nGarcia's team raced into the ring, lifted their man and placed a crown on his head.\n\nHis 21st win in as many fights could earn him a world title shot next, or his preferred bout with American Gervonta Davis.\n\nFor now, it has justified the hype and underlined his threat. After the fourth loss of his career, Campbell will need to regroup if he is to attempt to win a world title for the third time.\n• None A special and exclusive one-off chat with the music icon\n• None How has their rise come to define our culture?", "A large poultry flock is to be culled in County Antrim, after an outbreak of bird flu.\n\nThirty thousand birds are to be destroyed as a precautionary measure at the farm near Clough.\n\nIt is the first time the disease has been detected in a commercial flock in Northern Ireland since 1998\n\nThe outbreak affected a business rearing young hens for egg production and it is understood there are other poultry farms in the area.\n\nIt will mean certain movement restrictions in 3km and 10km protection zones around the affected farm, with potential trade implications for other poultry businesses there.\n\nBird flu is a notifiable disease carried by migratory wild birds. It can spread quickly and rapidly causes death in affected flocks.\n\nRestrictions were put in place earlier in the winter in an attempt to prevent transmission to commercial flocks which make up a key part of Northern Ireland's important agri-food industry.\n\nSince 23 December there has been a requirement for all poultry flocks, no matter how small, to be housed.\n\nPublic health advice is that bird flu- or avian influenza - poses a low risk to human health and the Food Standards Agency advises that it does not present a food risk.\n\nPoultry is a £750m a year industry in Northern Ireland which employs 5,000 people. There are around 24 million birds on 650 farms, most of them in counties Tyrone and Antrim.\n\nThe disease has been detected in a number of wild birds in Northern Ireland this winter and in commercial flocks in both Great Britain and in the Republic of Ireland.\n\nIn the short term it will mean no movements on or off poultry farms in the area, with a licensing system being introduced in the coming days.\n\nPoultry products from outside the restricted zone can continue to be traded with EU member states and products from within the zones can be sold on home markets.\n\nOther countries will apply their own rules depending on their assessment of the situation.\n\nNorthern Ireland's chief vet Robert Huey repeated his message for poultry owners to apply rigorous biosecurity measures.\n\n\"Given the level of suspicion and the density of the poultry population around the holding, it is vital that as a matter of precaution, we act now and act fast,\" he said.\n\n\"I have therefore taken the decision to cull the birds as well as introduce temporary control zones around the holding in an effort to protect our poultry industry and stop the spread of the virus.\n\n\"An epidemiological investigation is under way to determine the likely source of infection and determine the risk of disease spread.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Linda Bauld says Scots should be prepared a longer period living with level four restrictions\n\nScotland should be prepared for Covid restrictions to be extended as infection rates continue to rise, a public health expert has said.\n\nThe latest government figures show a further 2,137 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Scotland on Friday.\n\nProf Linda Bauld described it as a \"fragile situation\", despite the rate dropping below Thursday's 2,539 cases.\n\nThe latest figures for hospital admissions and deaths will not be published until Tuesday.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned on Friday that the next few weeks could be the most dangerous period for Scotland since March in the fight against Covid as the new variant of the virus was \"accelerating spread\" across Scotland.\n\nDaily confirmed cases reached record highs on the last three days of 2020, rising to to 2,622 on Thursday.\n\nThe percentage of positive cases also reached 14.4% on Wednesday - the highest it has been since the second wave of the pandemic began in the summer.\n\nIt had dropped to 10.8% on Friday. A percentage of lower than 5% is needed to show the virus is under control, according to the WHO.\n\nProf Bauld, a public health expert at the University of Edinburgh, said there were no signs yet that the infection rate was levelling off, having risen suddenly from a daily rate of fewer than 1,000 to more than 2,000 per day in recent days.\n\nShe told BBC Scotland: \"It definitely is a fragile situation and you can see that we have more cases than we would expect at the current time.\n\n\"We may be starting to see some of the impacts of the Christmas mixing, but also we know around four in 10 cases, from recent data, are of the new variant.\n\n\"I would imagine that the new variant is playing a role in these higher rates of infection and if these numbers continue to sit at where they are we are going to have more people in hospital in a week or two's time, and that is very worrying.\"\n\nAll of mainland Scotland is under level four restrictions in an attempt to slow down the rate of virus spread\n\nThis would bring \"real challenges\" for hospitals, especially in the central belt, Prof Bauld said, adding that it was \"absolutely imperative that we do not see these number rise more than they are now\".\n\nShe said it would take some time to see the impact of level four restrictions introduced in mainland Scotland on Boxing Day.\n\n\"Mentally we just need to be prepared for the fact that we may be living with the level four restrictions for longer than the Scottish government currently plans,\" Prof Bauld said.\n\nShe said the new, more transmissible coronavirus variant would make it harder to get the R number below one in Scotland and schools may not be able to fully reopen on 18 January.\n\nThe government's education recovery group was preparing with schools for blended learning to go on longer if necessary, she added.\n\nAll of mainland Scotland is under level four restrictions in an attempt to slow down the rate of virus spread.\n\nA new study by London's Imperial College has found that the new variant of Covid-19 is \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version.\n\nIt concludes that the new variant increases the Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.\n\nThe Scottish government's most recent estimate of the R number in Scotland has put it between 0.9 and 1.1. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nThe government has described the vaccination programme as a \"light at the end of the tunnel\" and has urged people to stay at home as much as possible in the meantime.", "Hospitals across the UK are being told to prepare to face the same Covid pressures as the NHS in London and south-east England.\n\nSenior doctor Prof Andrew Goddard said the virus's highly infectious new variant was spreading nationwide.\n\nCase numbers were \"mild\" compared with where he expected them to be next week, he said, with doctors \"really worried\".\n\nIt comes as a further 57,725 people have tested positive for Covid - a new daily high.\n\nThis is the fifth day in a row new daily cases have been over 50,000 and brings the total number of cases to 2,599,789.\n\nAnother 445 deaths, of people who had tested positive within the previous 28 days, were reported on Saturday - bringing the total number of deaths to 74,570, according to government figures.\n\nThe UK-wide total for people in hospital with Covid has already passed the spring peak.\n\nHalf of the major hospital trusts in England are said to be dealing with more Covid-19 patients than at the worst point of the first wave in April, with the NHS facing its \"busiest winter ever\".\n\nProf Goddard, of the Royal College of Physicians, told BBC Breakfast: \"There's no doubt that Christmas is going to have a big impact, the new variant is also going to have a big impact, we know that is more infectious, more transmissible, so I think the large numbers that we're seeing in the South East, in London, in south Wales, is now going to be reflected over the next month, two months even, over the rest of the country.\"\n\nHe said: \"It seems very likely that we are going to see more and more cases, wherever people work in the UK, and we need to be prepared for that.\"\n\nPressure has been so great on hospitals in London and south-east England that some patients have been moved out of the area.\n\nLondon's weekly rate of coronavirus cases is 858 per 100,000 people, double the UK figure.\n\nDominic Harrison, director of public health for Blackburn and Darwen, said a decision on a new lockdown had to be decided \"in the next week\" - instead of waiting for the North to get to the same rates as the capital \"and 'call it late' which has been our pattern of response too often\".\n\nThe most recent UK-wide statistics, from 28 December, showed there were 23,823 people in hospital with Covid. That was already significantly higher than the spring peak, which saw 21,683 in hospital on 12 April.\n\nOnly English hospitals have released figures for the final three days of December - and these show that a further 2,302 Covid patients were occupying hospital beds on 31 December.\n\nLondon's Nightingale emergency hospital is ready to admit patients, the NHS has said, while other sites currently not in use are being readied.\n\nSorry, your browser cannot display this map\n\nProf Goddard said it was vital the public did not \"let their guard down\" and continued to follow government guidelines, including wearing a face mask, maintaining social distancing and washing hands.\n\n\"Until the vaccination hits and does its job - that's what our best defence is going to be,\" he said.\n\nDr Ami Jones, an intensive care consultant in Wales, told BBC Breakfast that \"hospitals are absolutely bursting\", adding that a quarter of her staff were currently off sick or self-isolating, making managing patients even more challenging.\n\n\"When we see the daily figures - we know that will sting us in about 10-12 days' time in the hospital,\" she said. \"We are not even at day 10 post-Christmas yet and it's already exceedingly busy.\n\n\"We are going to get to the point where we physically don't have the staff to look after people safely anymore.\"\n\nDr Jones also urged the public to \"please just obey the rules\", adding: \"Stop mixing with other households because it is spreading like wildfire - and we haven't got much more space in the hospitals left.\"\n\nDo you work in a hospital? Have you recently been treated in a hospital, or due to be treated? Email your experiences: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nRegional restrictions in England are \"probably about to get tougher\" to curb rising Covid infections, the prime minister has warned.\n\nBoris Johnson told the BBC stronger measures may be required in parts of the country in the coming weeks.\n\nHe said this included the possibility of keeping schools closed, although this is not \"something we want to do\".\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for new England-wide restrictions within 24 hours.\n\nSir Keir said coronavirus was \"clearly out of control\" and it was \"inevitable more schools are going to have to close\".\n\nIt comes as the UK recorded more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases for the sixth day in a row, with 54,990 announced on Sunday.\n\nAn additional 454 deaths within 28 days of a positive test result have also been reported, meaning the total by this measure is now above 75,000.\n\nSpeaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Johnson said he stuck by his previous prediction that the situation would be better by the spring, and he hoped \"tens of millions\" would be vaccinated in the next three months.\n\nBut he added: \"It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country. I'm fully, fully reconciled to that.\"\n\n\"And I bet the people of this country are reconciled to that because, until the vaccine really comes on stream in a massive way, we're fighting this virus with the same set of tools.\"\n\nThe PM added that ministers had taken \"every reasonable step that we reasonably could\" to prepare for winter, but \"could not have reasonably predicted\" the new, more transmissible variant of the virus that has emerged over the autumn.\n\nSpeaking after Mr Johnson's interview, Sir Keir said introducing new nationwide restrictions in England \"has to be the first step to controlling the virus\".\n\n\"There's no good the prime minister hinting that further restrictions are coming into place in a week or two or three,\" he told reporters on Sunday. \"That delay has been the source of so many problems.\"\n\n\"Let's not have the prime minister saying 'I'm going to do it, but not yet',\" he added.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Johnson defended plans for primary schools to reopen in most of England on Monday, amid opposition from teaching unions and some local councils.\n\nIt came after Amanda Spielman, the head of Ofsted, England's schools watchdog, said closures should be kept to an \"absolute minimum\".\n\nThe rapidly rising infection rates mean it should come as no surprise that tougher measures are being considered.\n\nInfection levels are nearly four times higher now than they were at the start of December - and that in turn has put more pressure on hospitals.\n\nThere are signs the restrictions have started slowing the rises in London, the East of England and the South East.\n\nBut that on its own is not enough. Ministers want to get cases down.\n\nSo what extra can be done? After all most of England is effectively in lockdown already with tier four in place. Those places not in tier four could, of course, follow.\n\nBut some public health experts are warning more needs to be done.\n\nThere is a determination to get primary school children back - they have among the lowest rates of infection if you look at symptomatic cases.\n\nBut infection rates are higher among secondary school age children. The government has bought itself time by delaying their return.\n\nA further 20 million people in England were added to tier four - \"stay at home\" - the toughest set of rules, on 31 December in a bid to stem a surge in Covid cases.\n\nIt means 78% of the population of England is now in tier four, under which non-essential shops are closed and people can only leave their homes for a certain number of reasons.\n\nThe Scottish government will meet on Monday to consider \"further action\" to limit the spread of the disease, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.\n\nAll of mainland Scotland is currently under its own level four restrictions - with only some islands under less stringent tier three measures.\n\nWales entered a nationwide lockdown on 20 December, with First Minister Mark Drakeford saying on Sunday it was \"difficult to see\" how the rules could be strengthened further.\n\nHe said Welsh ministers would consider whether restrictions could be \"tweaked at the margins\" at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.\n\nNorthern Ireland is in the second week of a six-week lockdown that began on Boxing Day. Stricter measures, including a \"stay-at-home curfew\", ended on Saturday.\n\nIn another development, an academic has said there is a \"big question mark\" over whether a vaccine developed at Oxford University will be as effective against a new variant of the virus that has emerged in South Africa.\n\nProf Sir John Bell, Regius professor of medicine at the university, said the team there were currently investigating this question \"right now\".\n\nHe added it was \"unlikely\" the variant would \"turn off the effect of vaccines entirely,\" and in any case it would be possible to tweak the vaccine in around 4-6 weeks.\n\n\"Everybody should stay calm - it's going to be fine,\" he told Times Radio.\n\n\"But we're now in a game of cat and mouse - because these are not the only two variants we're going to see.\"", "Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described Jo Stevens as a \"dear friend and colleague\"\n\nCardiff Central MP Jo Stevens is being treated in hospital for Covid-19.\n\nA statement was released on her Twitter account on Saturday night in which her team thanked people for their good wishes.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer described Ms Stevens as a \"dear friend and colleague\", and wished her well.\n\nOn New Year's Eve, her Twitter account said she had been \"laid low with Covid for a while\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Keir Starmer This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMs Stevens, who is Labour's shadow culture secretary, was elected as an MP in May 2015.\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford tweeted: \"All of our thoughts and best wishes are with Jo for a speedy recovery.\n\n\"Thank you to Jo's constituency team for continuing to support Cardiff Central constituents at this difficult time.\"", "The rapidly rising infection rates mean it should come as no surprise that tougher measures are being considered.\n\nInfection levels are nearly four times higher now than they were at the start of December – and that in turn has put more pressure on hospitals.\n\nThere are signs the restrictions have started slowing the rises in London, the East of England and the South East. But that on its own is not enough. Ministers want to get cases down.\n\nSo what extra can be done? After all, most of England is effectively in lockdown already with tier four in place. Those places not in tier four could, of course, follow.\n\nBut many public health experts are warning more needs to be done.That’s why we have seen so much debate about schools in recent days.There is a determination to get primary school children back – they have among the lowest rates of infection if you look at symptomatic cases.\n\nBut infection rates are higher among secondary school-age children. The government has bought itself time by delaying their return.\n\nIt looks like there is going to be a very difficult trade-off that needs to be made between the damage to education and wellbeing of children and the risk of further spread of the virus.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Police said a car which had been parked on a bend in the road in Snowdonia was an \"accident waiting to happen\"\n\nStaff looking after a car park in a Welsh national park have been \"getting abuse\" as crowds continue to gather at popular beauty spots.\n\nA spokeswoman for Snowdonia National Park said the decision to keep car parks open was under \"constant review\".\n\nShe explained closing them could lead to unauthorised parking and would exclude locals with mobility issues.\n\nWales is at alert level four, meaning non-essential travel is banned and exercise must start and finish at home.\n\nOn Saturday, North Wales Police said officers had \"turned away\" people who wanted to walk up Snowdon in breach of stay-at-home rules, including some some from Milton Keynes and London.\n\nA red Honda was towed away at Pen y Pass, near Llanberis, after police said it had been parked unsafely on a bend, in snowy conditions.\n\nAt the start of the first lockdown in March, campsites, caravan parks and tourist hotspots were closed by the Welsh Government after \"unprecedented\" crowds gathered at beauty spots.\n\nThe Welsh Government decided to close beauty spots during the first lockdown after scenes like this at Pen y Gwryd in Snowdonia\n\nSnowdonia National Park Authority said it had chosen not to close its car parks again because the areas remained open to people living nearby.\n\n\"Closing car parks can lead to unauthorised parking on roads, so we are keeping them open at the moment,\" a spokeswoman said.\n\n\"The mountains are open for people to be able to exercise from their front doors. Keeping car parks open allows people with mobility issues to exercise as well.\n\n\"We are working closely with police and Gwynedd council and we are reviewing it constantly.\"\n\nNorth Wales Police say beauty spots have been \"disappointingly busy\" since Christmas\n\nShe said its busiest car park, at Pen y Pass near Snowdon, had been overseen by wardens over the Christmas and New Year period, but in a more educational role than in previous years.\n\n\"Places like Pen y Pass are usually manned anyway but their role has changed slightly. They are getting some abuse, which is a shame,\" she continued.\n\n\"We are adopting a similar approach to police: engaging with people, asking what their plans are then educating them.\n\n\"The majority of the time people are going 'I misunderstood that', or people are saying 'I'm doing what I want anyway'.\"\n\nA breach of Covid rules can incur a £60 fine, which rises to £120 for a second breach.\n\nWales is in an alert level four lockdown\n\nPenny Brockman, of Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, called on people to help protect themselves and others, including rescue volunteers, by following government guidelines.\n\n\"It is important for people's well-being to walk, but there are probably lots of wonderful places in their own local areas,\" she added.\n\nSouth Wales Police tweeted a picture of Hamilton the police horse \"staying at home\" in his stable, urging people to be \"more like him\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by South Wales P❄️lice This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nLeicester City climbed to second in the Premier League as they won a keenly contested encounter with fellow top-four hopefuls Southampton at King Power Stadium.\n\nJames Maddison fired in from a tight angle after 37 minutes, the Foxes midfielder instructing his team-mates to stand back as he performed a socially distanced celebration, before Harvey Barnes added a second deep into second-half stoppage-time.\n\nVictory takes Leicester within one point of leaders Manchester United, who travel to third-placed Liverpool on Sunday, while Southampton are eighth, three points outside the top four.\n• None How Leicester followed guidance on celebrations - and others didn't\n• None Reaction to Leicester v Southampton, plus the rest of Saturday's Premier League action\n\nThe Saints dominated in the opening stages and created the first opening when Che Adams stretched the home defence on the counter-attack, while Leicester's Barnes' powerful drive forced Alex McCarthy into action with the game's first shot after 19 minutes.\n\nThe visitors, without talisman Danny Ings after the striker tested positive for Covid-19 last week, went close to a response through Ryan Bertrand and Will Smallbone either side of half-time but neither could find a way past Kasper Schmeichel.\n\nIn an entertaining conclusion, Stuart Armstrong rattled the Leicester crossbar with an excellent strike from the edge of the penalty area, while Jan Bednarek produced a superb goalline clearance to deny Barnes and the returning McCarthy saved from Jamie Vardy as both sides pushed for a late goal.\n\nIt took Leicester until the 95th minute to seal the three points, Barnes calmly slotting past McCarthy on the break.\n\nLeicester manager Brendan Rodgers challenged his side to \"disrupt the Premier League hierarchy\" after a 2-1 win over Newcastle in their last league outing maintained their top-four hopes.\n\nVictory in this stern test ensured they continue to do just that.\n\nEnjoying their longest unbeaten run of the season, their streak now at six matches in all competitions since defeat by Everton a month ago, Rodgers' side delivered an assured performance to remain firmly in contention at the top.\n\nDespite their lofty position as the halfway stage approaches, Leicester have struggled at home this campaign - their four defeats at King Power Stadium in 2020-21 is as many as they suffered in the entirety of last season.\n\nThough largely frustrated in the early exchanges as the visitors retained possession, Leicester's superior quality in attack eventually ensured that record was improved with Maddison turning sharply to meet Youri Tielemans' through-ball before drilling home.\n\nThe in-form Barnes once again impressed and eventually got the goal his performance deserved to equal his best season tally of 10 after just 24 games.\n\nUnlike last season's post-Christmas collapse, the Foxes are yet to show signs of falling away. Maddison - involved in six of Leicester's last 12 league goals - and Barnes are easing the pressure on Vardy to deliver every week and there appears the strength in depth to better maintain this challenge.\n\nThe only concern for Rodgers at the end of a pleasing night was the sight of Vardy appearing to limp off as he was replaced by Kelechi Iheanacho in the final minutes.\n\nWhen Southampton claimed victory in the corresponding fixture last January, the 2-1 win marked a remarkable short-term recovery from a club-record defeat by the Foxes less than three months earlier.\n\nOne year on, this match served as another reminder of how quickly the Saints are progressing under Ralph Hasenhuttl.\n\nThey were, however, unable to set a club top-flight record of seven consecutive away games without defeat in the absence of frontman Ings. That was despite their relative freshness, having not played for 12 days after their FA Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town was postponed last weekend because of a Covid-19 outbreak at the League One club.\n\nFollowing their impressive 1-0 victory over Liverpool on 4 January, a triumph which left Hasenhuttl with tears in his eyes, Southampton once again applied themselves with commendable determination but ultimately failed to produce in the final third.\n\nAdams ran out of space at the byeline after breaking clear from the halfway line in the game's first opening, and neither Bertrand nor Smallbone were able to place past Schmeichel as the equaliser their hard work perhaps deserved evaded them.\n\nAt the back, Bednarek produced the heroics to keep his side in the game and full-back Kyle Walker-Peters provided a regular outlet on the right, but Southampton, who named four teenagers on their bench because of an injury crisis, have now scored only once in five league games.\n\nThat is an obvious concern for Hasenhuttl as he looks to ensure his side do not fade after their promising start.\n\n'We took social distancing to the letter' - what the managers said\n\nLeicester boss Brendan Rodgers told BBC Sport: \"It's a very good win against a good team. We were too passive at the start, we took social distancing to the letter and didn't get close to them. After that we had some sustained attacks and ended up getting a brilliant goal.\n\n\"At half-time we had to reiterate the importance of fighting, you have to fight for every result and Southampton keep going. We were outstanding second half and should have scored more goals. We did the dirty work much better and Harvey Barnes showed again that he is a finisher now.\"\n\nOn Maddison's celebration: \"I said to them there is lots of negativity around it but see it as a positive and be creative. Supporters still want to see players celebrate, the happiness, so be creative with it.\"\n\nSouthampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: \"It's never nice to lose a game but we had chances. We hit the bar, we fought with everything we have. We are definitely a team that is never giving up. The quality of the opponent was better than ours today.\n\n\"The first goal, you don't shoot at goal like that every day, it was fantastic from Maddison. We had good chances but we couldn't finish and that was the difference.\n\n\"It doesn't look good at the moment, we have a lot of injuries and not many alternatives. The good news is we have 29 points and they don't take them away from us. We did our best with the options we have. We have nine injured but we are fighting for everything.\"\n• None Leicester earned their first home league victory against Southampton since April 2016, ending a run of four without a win against the Saints at King Power Stadium.\n• None Southampton's first 12 Premier League games in 2020-21 witnessed 41 goals (24 scored) at an average of 3.4 per game. Their past six games have seen just six goals (two scored).\n• None Jamie Vardy had seven shots for Leicester, his highest tally without scoring in a single Premier League match in his career.\n• None Vardy has faced Southampton seven times at home in the Premier League, more than any other side at King Power Stadium without scoring in the competition.\n• None James Maddison scored in consecutive Premier League games for Leicester for the first time since October 2019, matching his goal tally at home from each of the previous two campaigns (three).\n\nBoth sides return to action on Tuesday. Leicester host Chelsea in the Premier League at 20:15 GMT, while Southampton welcome Shrewsbury to St Mary's in their postponed FA Cup third-round tie (20:00).\n• None Goal! Leicester City 2, Southampton 0. Harvey Barnes (Leicester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Youri Tielemans following a fast break.\n• None Attempt missed. Stuart Armstrong (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right following a corner.\n• None Offside, Leicester City. Marc Albrighton tries a through ball, but Ayoze Pérez is caught offside.\n• None Attempt missed. Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Marc Albrighton.\n• None Attempt saved. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by James Justin.\n• None Attempt missed. Daniel N'Lundulu (Southampton) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Kyle Walker-Peters with a cross.\n• None Offside, Leicester City. Timothy Castagne tries a through ball, but Ayoze Pérez is caught offside.\n• None Attempt blocked. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ayoze Pérez with a cross.\n• None Marc Albrighton (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Attempt missed. James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Stuart Armstrong. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Hear how David Bowie always managed to stay ahead of his time\n• None Joe Wicks and guests are here to bring positivity to your day", "Nurseries have stayed open during the latest lockdown, unlike schools\n\nNurseries are \"teetering on the edge\" and will \"find it hard to survive with next-to-no funding\" as children are kept home in lockdown, an owner said.\n\nLittle Stars near Pontypool has seen numbers drop by 35% - and Emma Matthews says nurseries are \"running on empty\".\n\nUnlike schools, they have remained open and an industry association wants support so they are around to \"provide places for children in the future\".\n\nA Welsh Government spokeswoman said funding was available through councils.\n\nDescribing childcare workers as \"front-line\", the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Cymru also called for anxious staff to be made a priority for the Covid vaccine as they work with little protective equipment.\n\n\"We feel we have poured our heart into serving families and want acknowledgement for the early years and the vital part we play in the community,\" Ms Matthews said.\n\nLittle Stars furloughed some staff during the lockdown last March, with nurseries open for children of keyworkers only.\n\nLittle Stars nursery near Pontypool has seen numbers drop by more than a third\n\nThey reopened fully last summer and this has remained under Welsh Government guidance.\n\nHowever, many parents have decided not to send children - some because they are adhering to stay-at-home rules, are self-isolating, have lost their jobs and are struggling to pay bills, or are on furlough.\n\n\"The reasons are varied and valid why parents decide to pull children out,\" Ms Matthews added.\n\n\"The situation isn't great and some say 'we will wait and see next week'. It's very difficult to formulate a plan then or to furlough. We are teetering on the edge.\"\n\nLittle Stars is down the road from the new Grange hospital that opened in Cwmbran last November\n\nBefore coronavirus, the nursery looked after 65 children each day - but last week, 47 attended, made up of babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers.\n\nThere were also 11 babies due to start in January - but only one is attending because of reasons such as new mothers extending their maternity leave.\n\nMs Matthews believes facilities should be open for children of keyworkers only - allowing nurseries to access support for those not attending.\n\nA baby, a toddler and a staff member from Little Stars had coronavirus - and employees are worried for themselves and their families.\n\nIn Wales eligible children can access 30 hours of early-years education and childcare per week for 48 weeks of the year\n\nThey are unable to wear personal protective equipment because of their close contact with children, and describing workers as \"front-line\" who \"keep the economy going\", Ms Matthews said they should be in the priority group for the vaccine and weekly testing.\n\n\"Social distancing is the challenge,\" she added.\n\n\"Face, space and hands... we can only do hands. The others are impossible.\"\n\nThe facility received a grant of £10,000 at the start of the pandemic and a rate relief grant of £1,000, but Ms Matthews wants more support.\n\n\"It's about valuing the service,\" she said. \"It wasn't a very stable industry pre-Covid. But it's made it very fragile now.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government has been urged to give more help, allowing nurseries to survive and \"provide places for children in the future\" by NDNA Cymru.\n\nIt also said early years staff \"must be a priority for the vaccine to enable them to continue providing support for our youngest children and their families\".\n\nWhile nurseries were closed to all but keyworkers initially, they have been open since summer 2020\n\n\"We all know it's impossible to social distance from toddlers and babies who need close care from nappy changing to the contact and affection that supports their development and learning,\" added chief executive Purnima Tanuku.\n\nA Welsh Government spokeswoman said while the rates of coronavirus in Wales remain high, cases in children under five continue to be relatively low.\n\n\"Childcare providers have worked very hard to ensure settings are safe, with low numbers of children on site,\" she added.\n\nThe spokeswoman said funding is provided to councils, enabling them to help childcare settings experiencing financial difficulties and the Childcare Offer for Wales continues to be in place for all eligible children.\n\n\"We are following the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation about the people who should be vaccinated first - all those in the priority groups will be immunised as safely and as quickly as possible,\" she added.\n\nMost school children in Wales will learn from home until at least February half-term, unless there is a big drop in Covid cases\n\nChildren's commissioner Sally Holland said she\"empathises with the concerns of staff\" and thanked them for their work \"during an extremely difficult period\".\n\n\"Nurseries play a really important part in young children's wellbeing and development,\" she said.\n\n\"Any services that can remain open for children is to be welcomed due to the importance for their health and wellbeing.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "CBBC star Archie Lyndhurst, the son of Only Fools and Horses actor Nicholas Lyndhurst, died in his sleep from a brain haemorrhage, his mother has said.\n\nLucy Lyndhurst said a second post-mortem exam had revealed his death was caused by a condition called Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma/Leukaemia.\n\nShe described Archie as \"the most magical human being we have ever met\".\n\nThe 19-year-old's death on 22 September had had a \"catastrophic effect\" on their family, she wrote on Instagram.\n\nArchie with his father Nicholas and mother Lucy Smith in 2017\n\nLucy said she and husband Nicholas were assured by the doctor who explained the post-mortem results to them that there \"wasn't anything anyone could have done as Archie showed no signs of illness\". She said it was \"not leukaemia as we know it\" and that acute in medical terms meant \"rapid\".\n\nThe couple were \"utterly floored\" to think something like this could happen, she wrote, adding: \"It's very rare and around only 800 people a year die from it.\"\n\nShe said that just days earlier he had been celebrating his birthday with \"the love of his life Nethra\".\n\n\"Life is fragile, precious and sometimes incredibly cruel,\" Lucy wrote.\n\nShe also criticised some media outlets for attempting to garner information about how her son had died from the coroner, before they knew the results of the post mortem themselves.\n\n\"To have a coroner call you a few days after your child has died to say the press have been calling for the results of Archie's post mortem, I think stoops to an all time low for us,\" she noted.\n\n\"What gives the press the right to badger a coroner's office solely to find the cause of death before the parents? The complete lack of empathy is astounding. We released no information at the time as we had no idea what he had died from.\"\n\nNicholas appeared alongside his son in an episode of So Awkward in 2019\n\nArchie began his acting career at the Sylvia Young Theatre School at the age of 10 and was best known for playing Ollie Coulton in the CBBC comedy show So Awkward.\n\nHe appeared in the sitcom, which followed the lives of a group of friends in secondary school, from its first series in 2015.\n\nNicholas appeared alongside his son in a 2019 episode of the programme.\n\nArchie's other roles included recurring appearances as a younger incarnation of comedian Jack Whitehall in various TV programmes.\n\nThese included BBC Three sitcom Bad Education, in which he was seen as a younger version of Whitehall's Alfie Wickers character.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The four main engines were fired in unison for the first time, but had to be shut down early\n\nA critical engine test for Nasa's new \"megarocket\" has ended early, but the agency denied it amounted to a failure.\n\nShortly before 22:30 GMT (17:30 EST) on Saturday, the four engines ignited, burning for more than a minute before the event was aborted.\n\nThe core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) was being evaluated at Stennis Space Center, in Mississippi.\n\nThe engines were supposed to fire for eight minutes to simulate the rocket's climb to orbit.\n\nThe SLS is part of Nasa's Artemis programme, which aims to put Americans back on the lunar surface in the 2020s.\n\nWhen it makes its maiden flight - possibly later this year - the SLS will become the most powerful rocket ever to have flown to space.\n\nTeams at Stennis are still poring over the data to find out what happened. John Honeycutt, SLS program manager at Nasa's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, said there were \"a lot of dynamics going on\" when the engine shut down.\n\nThe engines' power levels were being throttled down and up again; they were also being prepared to pivot - or gimbal. This movement allows the rocket to be steered during flight.\n\nThe RS-25 engines are the same type that powered the space shuttle orbiter\n\n\"We did see a little bit of a flash come from around the interface between the thermal protection blanket on engine four at the time when we had initiated the gimbal,\" Honeycutt told reporters at a post-test briefing at Stennis.\n\nThe as-yet unknown problem triggered what Nasa calls a failure identification (Fid), followed by a major component failure (MCF). As a result of the fault, an onboard computer known as the engine controller sent a message to another computer called the core stage controller, which took a decision to shut down the vehicle.\n\n\"Any parameter that went awry on the engine could have sent that failure ID,\" said John Honeycutt.\n\nIt was the first time all four RS-25 engines had been ignited together, in a test known as a \"hotfire\".\n\nThe core stage of the rocket was anchored to a massive steel structure called the B-2 test stand on the grounds of the Stennis facility.\n\nTo prepare the core stage, engineers filled its tanks with more than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million litres) of super-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellant.\n\nThis was the eighth and final test in the Green Run, a programme of evaluation carried out by engineers from Nasa and Boeing - the rocket's prime contractor.\n\nAlthough the test was intended to run for eight minutes, engineers would have received all the data required to certify the rocket for flight after 250 seconds.\n\nThey wanted to iron out any problems before the core stage is used for the first SLS launch, in which it will send Nasa's next-generation Orion spacecraft on a loop around the Moon.\n\nNasa's outgoing administrator Jim Bridenstine declined to call Saturday's event a failure: \"This is why we test,\" he said, adding: \"Before we put American astronauts on American rockets, that's when we need it to be perfect.\"\n\nOfficials have not yet decided whether to re-run the hotfire, or proceed with shipping the core stage to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida to prepare it for the rocket's uncrewed maiden flight, a mission called Artemis-1.\n\n\"It depends what the anomaly was and how challenging it's going to be to fix it,\" said Bridenstine.\n\nNasa administrator Jim Bridenstine said perfection wasn't a realistic expectation for the first engine test\n\nAsked whether a launch this year was still feasible, he added: \"I think it's too early to tell. As we figure out what went wrong, we're going to know what the future holds.\"\n\nHowever, if one or more of the engines needs to be replaced, there are spares waiting to be used at Stennis Space Center.\n\nThe Artemis-1 mission will evaluate how both the SLS and Orion capsule perform prior to Nasa staging a repeat of this lunar loop with astronauts in 2023.\n\nThis will be followed by the first landing on the Moon by humans since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.\n\nThe SLS consists of the 65m (212 ft) -long core stage with two smaller solid rocket boosters (SRBs) attached to the sides. Engineers at KSC have begun stacking the individual SRB segments for Artemis-1.\n\n\"This powerful rocket is going to put us in a position to be ready to support the agency and the country in deep space missions to the Moon and beyond,\" John Honeycutt said during a media briefing on Tuesday.\n\nArtwork: The initial version of the SLS - known as Block 1 - during the climb to orbit\n\nOfficials have been planning to ship the core stage to Florida in February.\n\nIts engines are of the same type that powered the spaceplane-like shuttle orbiter - America's crewed space vehicle for 30 years from 1981-2011.\n\nNasa is re-using flown hardware: the RS-25 engines used in this test helped launch 21 shuttle missions. Two were used on the last shuttle flight - STS-135 in 2011.\n\nThe four RS-25s can generate 1.6 million lbs (7 Meganewtons) of thrust - the force that propels a rocket through the air.\n\nWhen the solid rocket boosters are added to the core stage, the combined system will produce 8.8 million pounds (39.1 Meganewtons) of thrust. This will make it 15% more powerful than the giant Saturn V rocket that sent astronauts to the Moon in the 1960s and 70s.\n\nPrior to Saturday's test, John Shannon, vice president and SLS program manager at Boeing praised teams at Stennis for keeping the Green Run on track despite the pandemic and this year's particularly active hurricane season.", "Doctors and nurses need protection from prosecution over Covid-19 treatment decisions made under the pressures of the pandemic, medical bodies have said.\n\nGroups including the British Medical Association have written to ministers saying medical workers fear they could be at risk of unlawful killing charges.\n\nIt comes as the UK's chief medical officers said the NHS could be overwhelmed in weeks.\n\nThe government said staff should not have to fear legal action.\n\nThe letter from the health organisations points out that the prime minister warned in November that the NHS being overwhelmed would be a \"medical and moral disaster\", where \"doctors and nurses could be forced to choose which patients to treat, who would live and who would die\".\n\nIt said: \"With the chief medical officers now determining that there is a material risk of the NHS being overwhelmed within weeks, our members are worried that not only do they face being put in this position but also that they could subsequently be vulnerable to a criminal investigation by the police.\"\n\nCo-ordinated by the Medical Protection Society (MPS), the letter was signed by the British Medical Association, the Doctors' Association UK, the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and Medical Defence Shield.\n\nIt calls for emergency legislation to protect doctors and nurses from \"inappropriate\" legal action when dealing with circumstances outside their control.\n\nExisting guidance for doctors and nurses on when to administer or withdraw treatment does not give legal protection, the letter says.\n\nIt also says the guidance does not consider the circumstances of the pandemic where demand for healthcare may outstrip supply.\n\n\"The first concern of a doctor is their patients and providing the highest standard of care at all times,\" the medical bodies said.\n\n\"We do not believe it is right that healthcare professionals should suffer from the moral injury and long-term psychological damage that could result from having to make decisions on how limited resources are allocated, while at the same time being left vulnerable to the risk of prosecution for unlawful killing.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What does it mean if the NHS is overwhelmed?\n\nThe medical organisations said no healthcare professional should be \"above the law\" and that the emergency legislation should only apply to decisions made \"in good faith\" and \"in circumstances beyond their control and in compliance with relevant guidance\".\n\nThey said the change in the law should be temporary and should apply retrospectively from the start of the pandemic.\n\nMedical staff in the NHS are protected financially from clinical negligence claims by indemnity schemes where the state pays the costs of claims.\n\nBut if someone dies as a result of a lack of treatment, doctors and nurses fear prosecutors could bring charges such as gross negligence manslaughter, which can carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.\n\nEarlier this month, a survey by the MPS of 2,420 of its members found that 61% were concerned about facing an investigation following a decision made in a high-pressure situation.\n\nAbout 36% were concerned about being investigated for a decision to withdraw or withhold life-prolonging treatment due to pressure on resources during the pandemic.\n\nA Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: \"Dedicated frontline NHS staff should be able to focus on treating patients and saving lives during the pandemic without fear of legal action.\"\n\nNHS staff have been told that existing indemnity arrangements will continue and will cover \"the vast majority of liabilities\", the spokesman said.", "Phil Spector pictured in court during his murder trial\n\nUS music producer Phil Spector has died at the age of 81, while serving a prison sentence for murder.\n\nSpector, who transformed pop with his \"wall of sound\" recordings, worked with the Beatles, the Righteous Brothers and Ike and Tina Turner.\n\nIn 2009, he was convicted of the 2003 murder of Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson.\n\nHis death was confirmed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.\n\n\"California Health Care Facility inmate Phillip Spector was pronounced deceased of natural causes at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at an outside hospital. His official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner in the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office,\" it said.\n\nSpector produced 20 top 40 hits between 1961 and 1965. His production methods influenced major artists including the Beach Boys and Bruce Springsteen.\n\nHis life was ultimately blighted by drug and alcohol addiction, and he all but retired from the music scene during the 1980s and 1990s.\n\nIn February 2003, actress Lana Clarkson was found dead at his house in Alhambra, California with a bullet wound to her head. Clarkson, who was known for her work in the sword-and-sorcery genre and starred in films including Barbarian Queen, had met Spector hours earlier at a nightclub.\n\nSpector claimed the shooting happened when Clarkson \"kissed the gun\" - but his trial heard from four women who claimed Spector had threatened them with guns in the past when they had spurned his advances.\n\nFollowing an initial mistrial, Spector was convicted of second degree murder and given a sentence of 19 years to life.\n\nLana Clarkson was an actress and model who starred in the film 1985 Barbarian Queen\n\nHarvey Phillip Spector was born in New York in 1939, to Russian-Jewish parents. His father killed himself when Spector was a boy, and his mother moved her family to Los Angeles.\n\nHe began his career in his teens as a performer, forming a band - the Teddy Bears - with three high school friends. They had a hit single in 1958 with a song that took its title from the wording on his father's gravestone: \"To know him is to love him.\"\n\nThe record went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, but the group split the following year.\n\nSpector founded his own record label, Philles, in 1961. He produced high-profile 1960s girl groups such as Crystals and the Ronettes, including on 1963 hits Be My Baby and Baby I Love You.\n\nHe also worked on The Righteous Brothers' hits You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' and Unchained Melody.\n\nSpector produced hits for The Ronettes, later marrying their lead singer Ronnie Bennett\n\nHis signature production technique, the \"Wall of Sound,\" involved layering several instruments, including strings, woodwind and brass, to give a lush, orchestral sound.\n\nIn the early 1970s, Spector collaborated with The Beatles on their final album Let It Be, as well as producing John Lennon's solo album Imagine.\n\nAs the decade progressed, the much-feted producer became reclusive and disturbing accounts of his behaviour became widespread. Spector is said to have held a gun to singer Leonard Cohen's head during sessions for his album Death of a Ladies' Man.\n\nRonettes lead singer Veronica \"Ronnie\" Bennett, who became Spector's second wife and divorced him in 1974, wrote in her 1990 autobiography that he subjected her to years of horrific abuse. She said he had threatened to kill her and display her body in a glass-topped coffin he kept in her basement.\n\n\"I can only say that when I left in the early '70s, I knew that if I didn't leave at that time, I was going to die there,\" Ronnie wrote of the time.\n\nWriting on Instagram after her ex-husband's death, Ronnie Spector said he had been \"a brilliant producer but a lousy husband\".\n\n\"When I was working with Phil Spector, watching him create in the recording studio, I knew I was working with the very best,\" she wrote. \"He was in complete control, directing everyone. So much to love about those days.\n\n\"Meeting him and falling in love was like a fairytale,\" she continued. \"The magical music we were able to make together was inspired by our love. I loved him madly, and gave my heart and soul to him.\n\n\"Unfortunately Phil was not able to live and function outside of the recording studio. Darkness set in, many lives were damaged.\"\n\nSinger Darlene Love, who sang on several songs Spector produced, said he \"changed the sound of rock 'n' roll\" but likened their relationship to \"a bad marriage\".\n\n\"The problem I have with Phil is that he wanted to control Darlene Love's talent,\" she told Variety. \"If he couldn't do that, he was going to do everything in his power to keep my talent from shining.\"\n\nWeeks before Lana Clarkson was shot dead, Spector gave a rare interview to British broadsheet The Telegraph.\n\n\"I would say I'm probably relatively insane, to an extent,\" he told the paper, adding that he had \"devils inside that fight me\".\n\nResponding to news of the producer's death, Blondie guitarist Chris Stein tweeted: \"When we went to Phil Spector's house in the 70s he came to the door holding a bottle of diet Manischewitz wine in one hand and a presumably loaded 45 automatic in the other. Long story.", "The man from Luton was fined £200 for travelling to Devizes and also had his car seized for having no insurance\n\nA man told police he had driven from Luton to Devizes to visit a McDonald's, even though the town does not have a branch of the burger chain.\n\nWiltshire Police called his actions a \"flagrant breach\" of lockdown regulations and fined the man £200.\n\nThe 34-year-old was stopped on Estcourt Street in Devizes, a distance of more than 100 miles (160km) from Luton.\n\nHis car was also seized for having no insurance, police added.\n\n\"The distance travelled across numerous counties to Devizes, which doesn't have a McDonald's restaurant, is a flagrant breach of the regulations currently in place.\n\n\"The majority of people across Wiltshire continue to act responsibly and we thank you for that, however, it is important to protect the NHS that we all stick to the rules,\" said police.\n\nThe man was stopped on Thursday evening.\n\nFollow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Louis Godwin said receiving the vaccine was \"no trouble at all\" and encouraged others to have it as soon as they could\n\nSalisbury Cathedral has been transformed into a vaccination centre with an RAF veteran being one of the first to receive the Covid-19 jab.\n\nFormer Flight Sergeant Louis Godwin, 95, gave a thumbs-up after being vaccinated in the cathedral, which dates back more than 800 years.\n\n\"I was so pleased to get it, especially in a setting like this,\" he said.\n\nOrganisers were aiming to vaccinate 1,000 people aged over 80 with the Pfizer/BioNTech jab on Saturday.\n\nPeople queuing to receive their vaccines at Salisbury Cathedral on Saturday\n\nMr Godwin, a great-grandfather of 12, joined the RAF aged 18 in 1943 and served as an air gunner during World War Two.\n\n\"I've had many jabs in my time, especially in the RAF. After the war, I was sent to Egypt and I had a couple of jabs which knocked me over for a week,\" he said.\n\n\"This one, the doctor said to me 'well that's done' and I thought he hadn't started. So it's no trouble at all and no pain.\"\n\nA health worker prepares the vaccine to be administered at the cathedral\n\nStella Bennett, 88, said she felt \"safer\" after receiving the jab.\n\n\"It was easy. I live on my own so it has been hard but I've managed. At least I'm at home and not in hospital with it,\" she said.\n\nDerek Burnett was also among those inoculated against the virus on Saturday.\n\n\"I feel unbelievably relieved as lockdown has been a big strain. It takes a big weight off my mind,\" said the 81-year-old.\n\nOrganisers hoped to vaccinate 1,000 people aged over 80 during the day\n\nThe Very Rev Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury described the vaccines as \"a real sign of hope for us at the end of this very, very difficult year\".\n\n\"I doubt that anyone is having a jab in surroundings that are more beautiful than this so I hope it will ease people as they come into the building,\" he said.\n\nThe Very Rev Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury, described hosting the event as \"absolutely wonderful\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The French government has imposed a nationwide curfew from 6pm - 6am to fight the surge in cases of coronavirus.\n\nWhile some departments were already under these restrictions, the majority of France was under an 8pm - 6am curfew.\n\nFrench Prime Minister Jean Castex said the measures would be in place for at least 15 days.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nManchester United \"missed an opportunity\" to beat Liverpool, said boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after his side stayed top of the Premier League with a goalless draw against the champions.\n\nIt was a game that failed to justify the pre-match anticipation and Solskjaer will know his side had the better chances to claim a statement victory at Anfield.\n\nLiverpool, without a recognised centre-back and with midfielders Jordan Henderson and Fabinho in defence, dominated possession in the first half but it was United who came closest when Bruno Fernandes' 20-yard free-kick curled inches wide.\n\nFernandes was then thwarted after the break by the outstretched leg of Liverpool keeper Alisson before Thiago Alcantara's long-range effort finally brought the previously unemployed David de Gea into action.\n\nAlisson was Liverpool's hero late on when he blocked Paul Pogba's drive from point-blank range.\n\n\"It was an opportunity missed with the chances we had but then again we were playing a very good side.\" Solskjaer told BBC Sport. \"I'm disappointed but, still, a point is OK if you win the next one.\n\n\"We have improved and progressed. It's not just the result we're disappointed with, it's some of the performance. I know these boys can play better.\"\n\nUnited are now two points ahead of Manchester City, who moved up to second by beating Crystal Palace 4-0, and Leicester City in third. Liverpool, who have scored just one goal in their past four league games, have dropped to fourth, a point behind the Foxes.\n\n\"The performance was good enough to win it but to win a game you have to score goals and we didn't do that, so that's why we had that result,\" said Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.\n\n\"We try not to not score. We obviously have to ignore the fact and hope it will be good again.\"\n• None 'From dejection to frustration in 12 months, Anfield draw underlines Man Utd progress'\n• None Lawro's predictions v You Me At Six drummer Dan Flint\n\nKlopp cut a frustrated figure pretty much from the first whistle, his voice booming around Anfield with a tone of displeasure, showing unhappiness with his own players and officials.\n\nThe German's team, so used to steamrollering all before them in recent times, are going through a very dry spell and barely created an opening worthy of the name here against a resolute Manchester United defence.\n\nToo often, Liverpool's approach play ended with a careless pass or an aimless cross and the longer this game went on the more United looked the most likely winners.\n\nIt was perhaps inevitable Liverpool would be unable to maintain their relentless style, but there will be concerns they have now gone four league games without a win since Crystal Palace were demolished 7-0 at Selhurst Park.\n\nBefore this draw, West Bromwich Albion left Anfield with a point, while Liverpool also had a goalless draw at Newcastle United and lost at Southampton.\n\nSadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are feeding off scraps, while Roberto Firmino's impact was so minimal that he was withdrawn near the end, even with the hosts chasing a goal.\n\nA team as good as Liverpool will not remain off the boil for too long, but there is no doubt they are struggling for form and spark. The fact this is their longest barren sequence in the league since February and March 2005 tells the tale.\n\nManchester United may have a taken a point before this game and there will be justified satisfaction that they subdued Liverpool so completely, created the game's best chances and remain top of the table.\n\nAnd yet there must also be disappointment that they could not cash in completely on an off-colour Liverpool, with reality dawning on them very late that they could take all three points.\n\nFernandes, despite being poor in general, almost unlocked Liverpool twice, while Solskjaer and his backroom team threw their hands up in frustration as other good positions were wasted late on.\n\nIn the final reckoning, however, there will be few complaints at this outcome, which leaves them three points ahead of Liverpool with the visit to Anfield negotiated without mishap.\n\nUnited were well organised and grew into the game after a poor opening half-hour and had real defensive heroes in captain Harry Maguire and left-back Luke Shaw, with the latter particularly outstanding.\n\nIt is a display that will give them increased confidence and belief as they lead the pack - although they might just look back and think a point could so easily have been three.\n\n'It was an opportunity missed' - reaction\n\nManchester United manager Solskjaer said: \"They are a good side and they have some injury problems but we didn't pounce on that.\n\n\"I felt we grew into the game and got stronger and stronger and were closer to winning.\n\n\"We were a bit disappointed in the performance, not just the result. We didn't do well enough to cause them problems in the first half but we defended well and they didn't create too many chances.\"But I think everyone was a bit disappointed with the way we started the game but that is a good feeling to have - that we were disappointed in the performance.\"\n\nLiverpool boss Klopp told BBC Sport: \"The performance was good and the first half was exceptionally good.\n\n\"With all the things that were said before the game - United are flying and we were struggling - and then to play this kind of game, I was happy with that.\n\n\"We tried in the second half again, but you cannot deny United over 90 minutes, not with the counter-attacking threat they have. So they had two really good chances, I have to say, but we had our chances in the second half as well.\n\n\"The way we understood the game, the way we felt the game, the way we read the moments were really good. But it is not exactly how it should be so we have space for improvement, absolutely. We will keep working on that.\"\n• None Liverpool and Manchester United have drawn 0-0 at Anfield in the league three times in the past five seasons, as many times as in the previous 48 top-flight campaigns.\n• None United are unbeaten in their past 16 away matches in the Premier League (W12 D4) - only once have they gone longer without a defeat on the road in the competition (17 games ending in September 1999).\n• None Liverpool are now unbeaten in their past 68 league games at Anfield, earning 178 out of a possible 204 points over this run.\n• None United are the first side to stop Liverpool scoring at Anfield in a Premier League match since Manchester City in October 2018 - this was Liverpool's 43rd home league game since then.\n• None Under Klopp, Liverpool are unbeaten in all seven of their Premier League games at Anfield when facing the side starting the day top of the table (W3 D4).\n• None Marcus Rashford was caught offside five times in this match, the most of any Premier League player this season and the most by a United player since Robin van Persie (six) against Spurs in January 2013.\n\nUnited are at Fulham in the league on Wednesday (20:15 GMT) and Liverpool host Burnley on Thursday (20:00). Next Sunday, Manchester United and Liverpool will meet again - at Old Trafford this time - in the FA Cup fourth round, a match you can watch live on BBC One and the BBC Sport website.\n• None Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Curtis Jones (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Offside, Manchester United. Paul Pogba tries a through ball, but Marcus Rashford is caught offside.\n• None Attempt blocked. Paul Pogba (Manchester United) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Luke Shaw with a cross.\n• None Attempt saved. Paul Pogba (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.\n• None Attempt missed. Thiago (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Georginio Wijnaldum. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Missed all the goals, highlights and talking points from Saturday's Premier League action? Match of the Day is streaming now", "Chris Cramer, a major figure in BBC News and later CNN International, has died at the age of 73 after a period of ill health. Former BBC director of news Richard Sambrook looks back at his life.\n\nChris Cramer's legacy will be the major change in attitudes and support for journalist safety he championed through the BBC and across the wider industry, as well as many achievements in newsgathering and international news.\n\nHe began his career as a teenager on the Portsmouth Evening News, moving to BBC Radio Solent when it launched in 1970.\n\nAfter a year's secondment in Brunei he found his way to the BBC TV Newsroom in the 1970s and developed his reputation as a highly competitive and effective news editor and field producer.\n\nIn 1980 he and a BBC team were in the Iranian Embassy in London collecting visas when it was seized by gunmen opposed to Ayatollah Khomeini. A standoff and siege followed, with Chris among 26 hostages.\n\nHe managed to feign serious illness and was released by the gunmen allowing him to give vital information to the authorities before the SAS stormed the embassy and rescued the hostages.\n\nAt a time when no-one understood or spoke of PTSD, it had a marked effect on his life.\n\nArmed police on the adjoining balcony to the Iranian Embassy during the siege in 1980\n\nMany journalists and crew subsequently spoke of his care and attention when they had difficult experiences and he went on to drive major changes in understanding and support for journalists' safety.\n\nWith BBC Safety manager Peter Hunter, Chris introduced the first hostile environment training courses, risk assessments and equipment for those covering conflicts.\n\nFormer correspondent Martin Bell recalls: \"From Vietnam to Croatia I had covered 10 wars without protection. Then in June 1992 we were shot up crossing the airport runway in Sarajevo in a soft-skinned vehicle. Within two weeks Chris had procured our first armoured Land Rover, the redoubtable 'Miss Piggy', and the body armour to go with it.\"\n\nHe later introduced the first confidential counselling service for news teams, recognising PTSD, and helped found the International News Safety Institute, which spearheaded safety across the news industry.\n\nDuring the 1980s he was at the forefront of organising and overseeing major news coverage, including Michael Buerk's reporting from the Ethiopian famine, coverage of the IRA Brighton bomb attack on the British government, the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, Kate Adie's reporting from Tiananmen Square, the fall of eastern Europe, the first Gulf War and many more major events.\n\nHis fierce competitiveness delivered a series of major exclusives and awards for BBC News.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Jeremy Bowen This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn the 1990s he oversaw major investment in BBC Newsgathering and the integration of radio and TV reporting - often against internal resistance. His managerial style could be uncompromising and tough, but he was also bitingly funny, shrewd and his hard exterior hid a warm-hearted and generous core.\n\nHe was crucial to establishing the integrated News division as it exists today.\n\nIn 1996 he left the BBC to move to Atlanta as managing director and executive vice-president of CNN International.\n\nThere he took his passion for news safety and his competitive news edge to develop the network into a greater global force.\n\nAs his former BBC and CNN colleague Tony Maddox has said: \"Among his many accomplishments Chris was a pioneer and innovator in field safety for journalists. He led the development of guidelines and practices now widely adopted across the industry.\"\n\nCramer moved to CNN after his time with the BBC\n\nHe was a larger-than-life figure who generated affection and respect in equal measure, often wielding a rapid and disarming wit.\n\nHe is also remembered for supporting women into senior and executive positions and helping them succeed.\n\nDirector of BBC News Fran Unsworth recalls: \"He was one of journalism's enormous characters and a legend in the television news industry. But the legend and the reported image always belied the man.\n\n\"He was immensely kind, thoughtful and caring underneath that image he sometimes projected.\"\n\nFormer deputy director general Mark Byford said: \"He was probably the greatest newsgathering executive ever in the broadcast news business and his organisational skills, competitiveness, eye for a story and steel were extraordinary.\n\n\"He was also, behind the facade, a gentle giant who cared for his people with amazing passion and love.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by John Simpson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"Many editors, correspondents and presenters in BBC News owe their success to his mentorship - myself included.\"\n\nAfter 11 years he left CNN and took up roles first with Reuters TV and then the Wall Street Journal, where his experience and expertise were used to develop their digital video services.\n\nHe leaves his wife, Nina, son Richard and daughter Nicolette and his daughter Hannah by an earlier marriage to Helen, a former BBC producer.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BMA Scotland GP chief says doctors \"can't plan\" for vaccines\n\nDoctors leaders say the \"patchy supply\" of vaccine to GP surgeries across Scotland is hampering the speed of delivery to patients.\n\nMinisters have pledged a first dose of the vaccine to 1.4 million of the most vulnerable Scots by mid-February.\n\nBut the British Medical Association in Scotland said inconsistencies in supply made it difficult to plan patient appointments to receive the vaccine.\n\nThey also said some GP surgeries had yet to receive any vaccine at all.\n\nThe Scottish government said it was working with health boards to resolve the issues.\n\nCurrently, about 16,000 vaccinations a day are being carried out in Scotland. However, that is expected to rise significantly as efforts to deliver the vaccine are scaled up.\n\nOn Sunday, 1,341 new cases of Covid-19 were reported - the lowest daily figure since 28 December. However, the numbers being admitted to hospital have continued to rise, reaching 1,918.\n\nNo new deaths were registered.\n\nHealth Secretary Jeane Freeman has pledged that the workforce and infrastructure will be in place to vaccinate 400,000 people each week by the end of February.\n\nThe government has already announced plans for large vaccination centres in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.\n\nIt comes after more than 5,000 front-line health and care staff were vaccinated at the NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow on Saturday.\n\nGP practices across Scotland are currently providing vaccination services to those aged over 80.\n\nAbout 16,000 vaccinations are currently being carried out a day in Scotland\n\nSpeaking on the BBC's Politics Scotland programme, Dr Andrew Buist, who chairs the British Medical Association's (BMA) GP committee in Scotland, said there was inconsistencies across the GP network.\n\nHe said the vaccine deployment plan was \"ambitious\" and so far \"good progress\" had been made in giving it to priority groups such as care homes residents and front-line health staff.\n\nHowever, he told the programme: \"The current problem lies with the next priority group, which is the 80-plus group, which GPs in Scotland are set to vaccinate because the supply of the vaccine so far has been quite patchy.\n\n\"Some practices have a good supply, some have had none so far.\"\n\nHe said his practice had received 100 doses of the vaccine for 600 patients over the age of 80, who all needed to be vaccinated by 5 February.\n\nHe added: \"I then have to do another 1,200 patients in the 70-plus group and the extremely clinically vulnerable by the middle of February, so we need to do 1,700 vaccines in the next four weeks.\n\n\"Now we can do that. We are used to providing large number of flu vaccinations and it is possible, we have our workforce in place, but we need the vaccine, otherwise we can't do it.\"\n\nWhen asked if his practice was running out of vaccine at the end of each day, Dr Buist said: \"Yes - we can't plan, that's the key thing. We can't send out appointments to patients until we're sure we have the vaccine in our fridge.\n\n\"We were given 100 doses on Monday. We used that all up by Friday. We don't want to send out appointments to patients until we know that we can definitively vaccinate them otherwise patients get very upset.\"\n\nVaccinators have reported being able to extract one additional dose from vaccine vials\n\nDr Buist said vaccinators were regularly managing to extract higher numbers of doses from vaccine vials despite claims that some doses were being wasted.\n\nHe said there was widespread experience of six doses being extracted from Pfizer vaccine vials, which were marketed as having five doses, while 11 doses were regularly being taken from AstraZeneca vials.\n\nBut Dr Buist criticised issues around the red tape some retired health professional had faced when volunteering to become vaccinators.\n\n\"I have reports that arrangement to get doctors and nurses back into the system have been quite bureaucratic and I think it's something we need to look at.\"\n\nThe Scottish government acknowledged that there had been delays in vaccine supplies reaching some GP surgeries.\n\nA spokeswoman said: \"GPs have a significant role to play in delivering the vaccine - and we thank them for their hard work and patience as we roll out more vaccines to those in the communities.\n\n\"We know there have been some initial delays in supply reaching some practices and are working with health boards to resolve this. Vaccines are being manufactured as quickly as possible and we will continue to explore all options available to increase supply.\"\n\nThe government said health boards were providing order information for their GP practices to National Procurement who in turn advised the distribution partner.\n\nThe spokeswoman added: \"Once stock is released for ordering, the distribution partner inputs the GP orders on to their ordering system. Once the order has been placed, GP practices will receive an automated email providing an indication of the delivery day.\n\n\"We too want to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible and are continually working hard to see if distribution can be made faster in any respect.\"", "Hospitals are preparing for the expected peak of the latest Covid-19 surge this week, the Northern Trust's chief executive has said.\n\nJennifer Welsh said there was \"huge pressure across the (healthcare) system\" with more intensive care admissions expected.\n\nThirty patients were awaiting admission to Antrim Area Hospital on Sunday morning, she said.\n\nThere were 25 more deaths linked to Covid-19 reported in NI on Sunday.\n\nThe total number of deaths recorded by the Department of Health since the start of the pandemic is now 1,606.\n\nIt was also reported that there had been 822 more positive cases, with 67 people in intensive care and 50 people on ventilators.\n\nThere are 840 patients being treated for Covid- 19 across Northern Ireland, according to the latest available figures with hospitals working at 93% capacity.\n\nMeanwhile, Northern Ireland has been continuing its vaccination programme having distributed 140,559 first doses and 20,174 second doses.\n\nThe total number of jabs administered in the UK, including both first and second doses, is 4,307,002 according to government data.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland on Sunday, there were 13 further deaths related to Covid-19, bringing the total number to 2,608 since the start of the pandemic.\n\nThere was also a further 2,944 positive cases, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 172,726.\n\nThe Republic of Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said the situation in the country's hospitals was \"stark\" and that people of all ages were being admitted and taken into intensive care.\n\nAt the beginning of January, Health Minister Robin Swann said that modelling indicated the \"peak of the third surge\" would hit in the third week of January.\n\nFrontline health staff have spoken to BBC News NI about their \"exhaustion\" and stress, as the pressure on the system continues to increase amid the surging number of cases.\n\nNorthern Ireland is currently in the third week of a six-week lockdown, with ministers scheduled to review measures next week.\n\nHowever, health officials have warned that an extension of the restrictions could be required to reduce pressure on the health service.\n\nNorthern Trust chief executive Jennifer Welsh said hospitals were \"coping but at great cost\"\n\nMs Welsh told BBC NI's Sunday Politics programme that the \"ICU surge is yet to come\" and that the Northern Trust - where two major hospitals, Antrim Area and Causeway, are located - has had to redeploy staff to prepare for the coming days.\n\nShe said both hospitals had been \"under significant pressure and have been for some time\".\n\nShe said 30 patients in Antrim Area's Emergency Department are waiting on a bed after a decision was made to admit them - 24 of those patients have been waiting longer than 12 hours.\n\nMs Welsh added that almost half of all patients in Antrim Area Hospital have tested positive for Covid-19.\n\n\"At the peak of the first wave in Antrim and Causeway the highest number of Covid positive patients was 73.\n\n\"In November, the highest number was 102 and we peaked on Thursday at 202. We have now dropped below that slightly.\"\n\nThe chief executive said the hospitals were \"coping but at great cost\", with many urgent surgeries cancelled.\n\n\"Emergency surgery is being done but we are not being able to do any other in the Antrim Area site.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by bbctheview This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"We have been able to deliver some red flag cancer surgery at Causeway but we would like to do more.\"\n\nDespite these emergency measures already in place, the worst of the current surge is only expected to arrive this week.\n\nShe added: \"We are not going to get out of this quickly. It's going to be a challenge for us as a system.\n\n\"It's been building from October.\"\n\n\"We're not yet at the peak of intensive care admissions and we expect that this week.\n\n\"Antrim has doubled its intensive care beds from seven to 14 in anticipation of the coming surge - 11 are already being used.\n\n\"All hospitals have doubled their ICU footprint. There are more than 160 inpatients in Antrim Area Hospital.\"", "Within seconds of being dropped, LauncherOne had ignited its engine\n\nSir Richard Branson's rocket company Virgin Orbit has succeeded in putting its first satellites in space.\n\nTen payloads in total were lofted on the same rocket, which was launched from under the wing of one of the entrepreneur's old 747 jumbos.\n\nSir Richard is hoping to tap into what is a growing market for small, lower-cost satellites.\n\nBy using a jet plane as the launch platform, he can theoretically send up spacecraft from anywhere in the world.\n\nIn reality, of course, his Virgin Orbit system has to be licensed in the locality where it is used, which at the moment is solely California. But there are well-advanced plans to bring the 747 and its rockets to Cornwall in south-west England, for example.\n\nSunday's success was a big fillip for Sir Richard's team who had tried and failed to launch a rocket in May last year. That effort was thwarted by a breached propellant line feeding liquid oxygen to the booster's first-stage Newton-3 engine.\n\nNo such problems occurred this time.\n\nThe modified 747, named Cosmic Girl, left its base in California's Mojave desert at 10:50 PST (18:50 UTC) to fly out over the Pacific Ocean.\n\nA little under 60 minutes later, and cruising at 35,000ft (10,500m), the jet banked hard to the right, dropping as it did so the 21m-long rocket that had been clamped to its underside.\n\nWithin seconds this booster, called LauncherOne, had ignited its engine and was climbing to space.\n\nCorrect deployment of the various spacecraft onboard at an altitude of roughly 500km was confirmed a couple of hours later.\n\n\"A new gateway to space has just sprung open,\" said Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart. \"That LauncherOne was able to successfully reach orbit today is a testament to this team's talent, precision, drive, and ingenuity.\"\n\nSir Richard has been trying to find the right solution to get into the satellite launch business since 2009. His concrete proposal was first put before the public at the Farnborough International Air Show three years later.\n\nThere is an emerging market for small, lower-cost spacecraft, whose developers are seeking more flexible and affordable ways of getting their assets above the Earth.\n\nSorry, we're having trouble displaying this content. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nVirgin Orbit is one of a number of companies now racing to meet this demand. Other contenders include the Rocket Lab outfit, which sends up its vehicles from a ground launch pad in New Zealand. But there are tens of other small rocket start-ups at various stages of maturation, and some of these plan to operate from the UK as well.\n\n\"Virgin Orbit has achieved something many thought impossible. It was so inspiring to see our specially adapted Virgin Atlantic 747, Cosmic Girl, send the LauncherOne rocket soaring into orbit,\" Sir Richard said.\n\n\"This magnificent flight is the culmination of many years of hard work and will also unleash a whole new generation of innovators on the path to orbit. I can't wait to see the incredible missions Dan and the team will launch to change the world for good.\"\n\nSir Richard presented the LauncherOne concept at Farnborough in 2012\n\nWill Whitehorn is the president of UKSpace, the trade body representing the space industry in Britain. He's also a former president of Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard's other space company which hopes soon to start flying fare-paying passengers above the atmosphere in a rocket plane.\n\nHe said Virgin Orbit's success on Sunday was hugely significant.\n\n\"This is a momentous day for the small satellite world, as we will be able to launch satellites responsively; and for the UK this event promises sovereign launch capability very soon,\" he told BBC News.\n\n\"I plan to push hard for a launch from Cornwall to coincide with the G7 meeting this year if at all possible!\"\n\nSunday's payloads were mostly shoebox-sized and developed by universities\n\nThe air-launched system has the flexibility to operate anywhere - in theory", "Northern Ireland's statistics agency has recorded its highest weekly Covid-19 related registered deaths since the pandemic began.\n\nNisra said 145 deaths were registered in the first week of 2021, although administrative delays over Christmas may have affected the number.\n\nThat brings the agency's death toll to 1,976 by 8 January.\n\nThe figures come as the chief medical officers from NI and the Republic issued a joint stay-at-home plea.\n\nDr Michael McBride and Dr Tony Holohan said they were \"gravely concerned\" about the \"unsustainably high level of Covid-19 infection\" across the island of Ireland.\n\nConcern was raised in the Republic of Ireland this week as figures showed it has the world's highest number of confirmed new Covid-19 cases per million people.\n\nOn Friday evening, the Irish Department of Health reported 50 further deaths with Covid-19 and 3,498 new cases of the virus. More than half (54%) of those newly diagnosed are under the age of 45.\n\nNorthern Ireland is in the third week of a six-week lockdown, with ministers scheduled to review measures next week.\n\nHowever, health officials have warned that an extension of the restrictions could be required to reduce pressure on the health service.\n\nOf the 2,019 deaths recorded by Nisra by 8 January, 1,247 (62%) occurred in hospital, 622 (31%) in care homes, 12 (0.6%) in hospices and 138 (7%) at residential addresses or other locations.\n\nPeople aged 75 and over account for just over three-quarters of all Covid-19 related registered deaths (77.6%) between 19 March 2020 and 8 January 2021.\n\nJust over a fifth (22.2%) of all Covid-19 related registered deaths have been of people with an address in the Belfast council area.\n\nMeanwhile, the Department of Health reported 26 further Covid-related deaths on Friday.\n\nFive of these deaths did not occur in the past 24 hours.\n\nThe Department of Health bases its figures on a positive test result being recorded, whereas Nisra figures are based on mentions of the virus on death certificates, so people may or may not have been confirmed to have contracted the virus prior to death.\n\nA further 1,052 individuals have tested positive for Covid-19 and 63 patients are being treated in intensive care units, 47 of whom are on ventilators.\n\nThe chief medical officers warned the high infection rate was having a \"significant impact\" on the health of the population and the \"safe functioning\" of the healthcare systems.\n\nThey said the public should avoid all unnecessary journeys, including cross-border travel.\n\nPointing out that many of the patients admitted to hospital in January have been younger than 65, they warned coronavirus could affect anyone, \"regardless of age or underlying condition\".\n\n\"It highlights the need for us all to protect one another by staying at home,\" said the medical officers.\n\nNorthern Ireland's spike in infections has been put down to an easing of restrictions over Christmas.\n\nAsked if he regretted being part of the decision to ease restrictions, Health Minister Robin Swann said the executive had tried to be balanced in its approach.\n\n\"I regret the pressures we see now in our hospitals, but let's remember it's caused by this virus, we have it in our power to bring it back under control and get us back to where we were in the summer,\" he told BBC News NI on Friday.\n\nMr Swann pleaded with people to follow the current restrictions.\n\n\"We're in the middle of a very tough six-week scenario, and how we come out of this will be a more graduated approach to make sure we get the benefits of what we've already done, and also the benefits of the vaccine.\"", "Sara Powell-Davies said she was lucky her nursery was able to open following lockdown\n\nA mother with two young children has said it was \"incredibly stressful\" trying to manage without free childcare during lockdown.\n\nThe Welsh Government's scheme was suspended in April, with funds redirected to pay for childcare for key workers' children.\n\nNow the offer, available to working parents of three and four-year-olds, has been reinstated.\n\nBut there are concerns many nurseries have been operating at a loss.\n\nWorking parents of three and four-year-old children are able to claim up 30 hours of early-years education and childcare a week for 48 weeks a year under the Childcare Offer for Wales.\n\nThose whose children become eligible in the autumn term, can apply from September.\n\nSara Powell-Davies, from Caerphilly, said it had been really hard to manage without the help during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThe mother to three-year-old Tirion and one-year-old Cadel said the free childcare saved the family about £200 a month.\n\n\"It does make a massive difference to our finances every month,\" she said.\n\nMrs Powell-Davies said, while she was lucky Cadel's nursery was open, after-school clubs would not run in September due to the coronavirus pandemic, which would make juggling childcare around work a challenge.\n\n\"It's incredibly stressful trying to manage this anyway,\" she said.\n\n\"We do rely on support like private nursery provision, after-school care [and] wraparound because we don't have any family that is able to support us.\n\n\"So, this is our lifeline.\"\n\nChildcare Offer for Wales gives those eligible 30 hours of early-years education and childcare per week for 48 weeks of the year\n\nChildcare providers are paid £4.50 per hour for every child who takes up a place through the childcare offer.\n\nBut the National Day Nurseries Association said many of its members were operating at a loss as fewer children had been attending and costs had gone up to comply with Covid-19 safety regulations.\n\nIts chief executive Purnima Tanuku called on the Welsh Government to set up a \"transformation fund to be able to support the sector until occupancy levels pick up and to really review the hourly rate to reflect the additional cost they've had to incur\".\n\nLyn Bourne, of Britannia Day Nursery, said nurseries were a \"forgotten industry\"\n\nBefore the coronavirus pandemic, around 70 children attended Britannia Day Nursery in Caerphilly - now there are about 40.\n\nOwner Lyn Bourne said the nursery was losing money every week, but was determined to keep going.\"It is hard financially and emotionally, but we decided we wanted to keep going so we've just done our best to do that,\" she said.Ms Bourne said she hoped the childcare offer would help some parents to bring children back, but said nurseries needed extra financial help from the government too.\"Nurseries are closing every week,\" she said.\"We seem to be a forgotten industry, but we're so important.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government confirmed that coronavirus guidance restricting children to groups of eight in childcare would be lifted.\n\nDeputy Minister for Social Care Julie Morgan said: \"Bringing the offer back will not only help parents, but it is crucial for providers too in supporting their businesses to recover after what has been a period of great uncertainty and anxiety for many.\"\n\nA Welsh Government spokesman said the hourly rate was under review and it was considering extending the offer to parents in education or training or \"on the cusp\" of returning to work.\n\nHe added: \"The childcare offer being restarted funded childcare for an average of 13,000 children per month before the pandemic, a significant investment in the Welsh childcare sector.\n\n\"We have also relaxed some of the regulatory requirements on childcare settings in the national minimum standards to make it easier for them to operate under the current restrictions.\"", "Women selling clothes online are being sent explicit messages, with requests for sex and \"worn\" garments.\n\nBoth businesses and private individuals have experienced the problem when advertising on mainstream platforms.\n\nWomen have been sent '\"creepy\" messages on Facebook, Instagram, eBay, and Depop, the BBC has learned.\n\nSome were asked for additional items including worn tights, explicit photos and used underwear.\n\nWhen inappropriate profiles were blocked or reported, some would reappear with a different account, sources told the BBC.\n\n\"During lockdown, the messages have gotten really creepy,\" said Sara Faye, who has sold her clothes on Depop for years.\n\n\"They always want to know how many times it has been worn and if it is dirty.\"\n\nMs Faye used to post images of herself in the clothes on the platforms but has now stopped because of the messages.\n\nWomen often model the clothing they're selling in the photos\n\n\"Don't message me on an innocent second-hand website, just because you can see a hot girl in the photos,\" she added. \"It feels like a violation, you should be able to sell your clothes online without getting harassed.\"\n\nSellers were sometimes offered additional money for used clothing or explicit images.\n\nJennifer Savin - a Cosmopolitan features writer, who recently investigated the topic - was offered ��5 for more than 50 intimate images after posting items on eBay.\n\n\"I think there are a lot of users out there, just trying their luck,\" she told the BBC. \"Who knows if they'd even pay up if they were to be sent the explicit content in the first place?\"\n\nOne online seller, who relies on the profits made on these platforms for a living, said \"it was a balance between feeling safe and needing the money.\"\n\nEstablished clothing brands have also reported receiving inappropriate messages and requests on Facebook and Instagram.\n\nLovely's Vintage Emporium sells vintage clothes and receives many such comments every week.\n\nLovely's Vintage Emporium says it receives many inappropriate messages every week\n\n\"I get a lot of messages about the model, especially if there are shirts with close-up images,\" said owner Lynnette Peck.\n\n\"I had a fetishist asking what [shoes] smelt like, who wore them and if I could take a photo of myself wearing them.\"\n\nShe has now stopped selling certain items on the website, after receiving explicit photographs through Facebook Messenger.\n\nNaomi Edmondson, who runs lingerie brand Edge o'Beyond, said the business was \"constantly bombarded with creepy comments from men\", often asking for sex.\n\n\"We get so many creepy messages and comments it's too time-consuming to report them all,\" she said. \"A few times I have felt concerned for safety.\n\n\"We create lingerie to empower women, we do not welcome the minority of men who think it's acceptable to send explicit pictures.\"\n\nSome of the women the BBC spoke to said they hadn't reported the messages because they were \"embarrassed\", \"ashamed\" or \"didn't want to risk losing their accounts\".\n\nFacebook, Instagram, Depop and eBay all said they take these kinds of messages seriously and would take action against those who violated policy.\n\nThey all urged users to report and block any accounts which break the rules.\n\nFacebook - which also owns Instagram - said it has built a \"global safety and security team as well as powerful technology\" to remove accounts as quickly as possible.\n\nDepop said it aims to respond to 95% reports of inappropriate behaviour within three hours, during business hours.\n\n\"The issue of women receiving creepy messages when selling clothes online is not a new phenomenon,\" said Jo O'Reilly, digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy.\n\n\"This is particularly concerning because to sell on most popular online selling platforms, including eBay and Depop, it is mandatory for users to provide a postal address - likely to be their home address.\"\n\nBut that is technically against the terms and conditions of most selling platforms.\n\n\"The very nature of selling second-hand clothes means that sellers will often post photos of themselves wearing the items,\" she says.\n\n\"That can, unfortunately, attract unwanted attention from buyers who might wish to buy worn clothes rather than just second-hand items.\"\n\nAlthough sites restrict the selling of certain used items, such as underwear, private messaging provides a \"loophole\", she added.", "Boris Johnson has said there is still a very substantial risk of intensive care units in hospitals being overwhelmed by the spread of the coronavirus.\n\nIt comes on a day when the UK has recorded the highest number of deaths in a single day in Europe.\n\nFergal Keane last visited the Imperial Healthcare Trust’s St Mary’s and Charing Cross hospital in London last April.\n\nHe's been back to see how they're coping.", "UN peacekeepers ended their mission in Darfur last month\n\nThe number of people killed in clashes between different ethnic groups in Sudan's West Darfur state has risen to 83, a medical body has said.\n\nThe fighting in the state capital, El Geneina, began on Saturday after a row in which a man was stabbed to death.\n\nA state-wide curfew has been imposed and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has sent a delegation to investigate.\n\nA conflict in Darfur that began in 2003 forced millions to flee and, despite a peace process, tensions remain.\n\nSaturday's violence comes less than three weeks after peacekeepers from the United Nations and African Union handed over security to the Khartoum authorities after 13 years there, reports the BBC's Youssef Taha.\n\nSimilar clashes in El Geneina last year, which saw Arab pastoralists fight with non-Arab groups, caused hundreds of casualties.\n\nThe most recent fighting was centred around a camp for people who had been displaced by the Darfur conflict. A deadly row between two men escalated into a fight involving armed militias, the AFP news agency reports.\n\nThe Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said the death toll had risen from 48 to 83, and the number of wounded from around 100 to 160.\n\nMembers of the armed forces were among the victims, it said.\n\nCasualties were likely to rise further as fighting was continuing, the medical body added.\n\nThe government said on Sunday that troop reinforcements would be sent to the area\n\nThe announcement was made after army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met top security officials to discuss the violence.\n\nA peace deal involving most, but not all, groups in Darfur was signed last year.\n\nThe Darfur conflict began under the presidency of Omar al-Bashir, who was overthrown in 2019 and is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and genocide in the region.\n\nJustice for the people of Darfur was a key rallying cry for civilian groups who backed the ouster of the president after nearly three decades in power.\n\nThe Sudanese Professionals' Association, which was at the forefront of the anti-Bashir movement, called for the current transitional government to deal with the \"unruly armed groups which have been freely moving and terrorising civilians since the collapse of the former regime\", Sudan's news agency reports.\n\nYou may also be interested in:\n\nLast year Mohanad Hashim visited Kalma camp where some of the millions of people who fled flighting ended up:\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The ongoing struggle for peace in Darfur", "A man has scaled a Hong Kong skyscraper in his wheelchair to raise money for spinal cord patients.\n\nLai Chi-Wai, who became paralysed after a road accident ten years ago, climbed 250 metres (820ft) of the Nina Towers building.\n\nBefore his accident, Lai Chi-Wai was a rock-climbing champion in Asia and eighth best in the world.\n\nHe said that \"knowing there was a possibility...that I could be a climber again, I found some direction in life\".", "A financial support scheme for airports in England will open this month, the government says, as the aviation sector faces new Covid travel curbs.\n\nAviation minister Robert Courts said the move was a response to the closure of all UK air corridors from Monday.\n\nThe aim was to provide grants by the end of this financial year, he said.\n\nIndustry groups had warned there was only so long airports could \"run on fumes\", following the announcement of the new quarantine rules.\n\nUnder the new rules beginning at 04:00 GMT on Monday, all travel corridors - which have been in place to allow arrivals from some countries to forgo quarantine - will close.\n\nAll arrivals to the UK after that time will need to isolate for up to 10 days, although the quarantine period can be cut short with a negative test after five days.\n\nPeople will also have to show proof of a negative test taken in the previous 72 hours before travelling.\n\nOn Sunday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also told the BBC'S Andrew Marr Show that Public Health England would also be stepping up checks on travellers who must self-isolate, while enforcement checks at borders would also be \"ramped up\".\n\nHe added that asking all arrivals to self-isolate in hotels was a \"potential measure\" the government was keeping under review.\n\nIn a tweet, Mr Courts said the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme \"will help airports reduce\" additional costs faced due to the pandemic and that further details would follow soon.\n\nThe scheme had first been announced in November, but without a set start date. It will involve grants of up to £8m per applicant, to be used to cover fixed costs, such as business rates.\n\nIn a statement at the time, the Airport Operators Association said the scheme would be a relief. However, it said support equivalent to business rates would only go so far and with the pandemic crisis deepening, a broader package of support was needed for all four nations, to see the sector through the next few months.\n\nAOA chief executive Karen Dee said the measures would \"provide much-needed support to many embattled airports, helping them through the challenging months ahead\".\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson announced the changes to the UK's travel rules at a Downing Street briefing on Friday, saying they would \"protect against the risk of as yet unidentified new strains\" of Covid.\n\nThe new rules will be in place until at least 15 February, he said.\n\nA ban on travellers from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde also came into force on Friday, having been imposed over concerns about a new variant identified in Brazil.\n\nNew variants causing concern have previously been identified in the UK and South Africa, with many countries imposing restrictions on arrivals from both nations.\n\nScientists fear the variants seen in South Africa and Brazil may interfere with the effectiveness of vaccines and evade parts of the immune system.\n\nThe government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance told the press briefing on Friday that some of the new variants may be able to \"get round\" the Covid vaccines but it was \"really quite easy\" to adjust the vaccines to deal with mutations in the virus.\n\nThe travel industry said closing the travel corridors was understandable due to the health emergency, but warned it would deepen the crisis for the sector.\n\nTim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said the system had been \"a lifeline for the industry\" last summer but \"things change and there's no doubting this is a serious health emergency\". He said he assumed the government would remove the latest restrictions as soon as it was safe.\n\n\"We've had no revenue now effectively for 12 months, give or take a few months in the summer last year. If we're going to have an aviation sector coming out of this we need to open up in the summer,\" he told the BBC.\n\nTravel operators had already been forced to cancel holidays before the latest restrictions were announced.\n\nEarlier this week, Jet2 suspended all flights and holidays until 25 March over \"ongoing uncertainty\" and budget travel provider EasyJet on Thursday began cancelling holidays up to and including 24 March.\n\nThe Department for Transport has said it is supporting the travel industry with an extension to the furlough scheme until the end of April, business rates relief and tax deferrals.\n\nWith all parts of the UK under strict virus rules amid high levels of infection, only essential travel is permitted.\n\nOn Saturday, another 1,295 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test were reported in the UK, and a further 41,346 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus.\n\nAre you due to travel back to the UK from overseas? Do you work in the travel industry? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Pilot Douglas Jones, 27, was enjoying his dream job, working for Aegean Airlines and living in Greece, when the pandemic began last spring - and borders began to close.\n\nFearing being stranded in Greece, he booked a flight home to Scotland and within a couple of weeks learned his job was gone.\n\nBack home, in the small Scottish town of Moffat, in Dumfries and Galloway, he found himself “desperate to do something”.\n\n\"When you have been used to living in Berlin and Athens and you move back to Moffat, living with your dad, it is a bit of slowdown,\" he says.\n\nIt was a relative of a friend who spotted south of Scotland firm Alpha Solway was hiring new workers to meet demand for personal protective equipment (PPE).\n\nIt certainly marked a change of pace – the nine-to-five office-based routine was difficult to adjust to for someone accustomed to navigating the skies of Europe – but Douglas says he was \"surprised\" by what parts of his old job he could bring to his new post.\n\n\"A lot in commercial aviation is about awareness - situational awareness - and a lot of that can be built into manufacturing as well,\" he says.\n\nWhile looking forward to returning to the skies one day, he adds: “I have learned a huge amount here.\n\n“There are good people here doing a good job and I am helping at least with that.\"", "Children in England will be able to access books online free during school closures via a virtual library.\n\nInternet classroom Oak National Academy created the library after schools moved to remote learning for the majority of pupils until February half-term.\n\nFormed with The National Literacy Trust, the library will provide a book a week from its author of the week.\n\nThe aim is to increase young readers' access to e-books and audiobooks, particularly the most disadvantaged.\n\nOak National Academy is funded by the Department for Education and has provided more than 28 million lessons since the start of the school term on 4 January.\n\nIn the last two weeks, 4.1 million pupils accessed its resources.\n\nThe latest lockdown has seen schools in England close except for children of key workers and vulnerable pupils.\n\nMatt Hood, principal of Oak National Academy, said: \"It's incredible to be able to add to our offer something vital for children's literacy and their mental wellbeing.\"\n\nJonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, said it was \"essential\" to enable as many children as possible to \"access a world of great literature\".\n\nHe added: \"Many children's literacy skills were profoundly affected by the first lockdown and school closures.\n\n\"We will do everything in our power to support children, families and teachers during this new lockdown period.\"\n\nDescribing the virtual library as a \"fantastic resource\", Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said learning and children's development must continue while schools remain closed.\n\nHe said: \"Reading is hugely beneficial not only for children's literacy skills, but also their mental health and wellbeing.\"\n\nThe first book to feature will be Dame Jacqueline Wilson's The Story Of Tracy Beaker, and will be available to access free for a week from 17 January.\n\nDame Jacqueline said with schools closed, the free online library is needed more than ever, adding: \"I think it's vitally important that every child should have an opportunity to access books.\"", "The funeral of Gerry and the Pacemakers singer Gerry Marsden has been held at a church near his beloved River Mersey.\n\nMarsden died, aged 78, in hospital on 3 January following a blood infection.\n\nAs the frontman in the band Gerry and the Pacemakers, his hits included Ferry Cross The Mersey and a cover version of You'll Never Walk Alone.\n\nEx-Liverpool boss Sir Kenny Dalglish was among the mourners at the funeral which had to remain small because of Covid restrictions.\n\nSir Kenny managed the club at the time of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, which led to the deaths of 96 fans who were attending an FA Cup game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.\n\nGerry Marsden sings You'll Never Walk Alone before an Anfield match in 2010\n\nSir Kenny said: \"You'll Never Walk Alone has huge meaning to the lives of Liverpool supporters around the world and is synonymous with the club.\n\n\"He will be sadly missed by those who knew him and the millions he never got to meet.\"\n\nYou'll Never Walk Alone became a football terrace anthem for Marsden's hometown club soon after it topped the charts in 1963.\n\nThe song was played during the funeral by a guitarist while a version of Marsden singing Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying, a song he wrote for his wife Pauline, also featured.\n\nShe said: \"We, his family, are totally devastated and have been so moved and amazed at the extent of the respect, love and affection received from all over the world.\n\n\"When the time is right and we have come out of this terrible pandemic we hope a fitting memorial can be held for him in the city he loved so much.\"\n\nGerry and the Pacemakers was one of the biggest British bands in the 1960s\n\nReferring to the lyrics from Ferry Cross the Mersey, close friend Arthur Johnson said: \"He lived close to the banks of the Mersey for all his life and as the words of his song say: 'This land's the place I love and here I'll stay'.\"\n\nLiverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram said: \"I feel privileged he let me into his life, although that makes his passing even more painful.\"\n\nIn 1962, Beatles manager Brian Epstein signed up Gerry and the Pacemakers and, a year later, they became the first band to have their first three songs top the charts - How Do You Do It, I Like It and You'll Never Walk Alone.\n\nA flag on the Royal Iris Mersey ferry flew at half mast after the death of Gerry Marsden\n\nThey were one of the successes of the Merseybeat era, with former Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney saying at the time of Marsden's death that: \"Gerry was a mate from our early days in Liverpool\".\n\n\"He and his group were our biggest rivals on the local scene.\"", "More than half of the Church of England's 14,000 parishes will not open for Sunday services later, as places of worship are hit hard by Covid-19.\n\nMany of the Church's clergy are shielding, while some parishes have decided it is not safe enough to admit worshippers.\n\nMost mosques in London did not open for Friday prayers.\n\nThe Catholic Church in England and Wales says parishes that are able to follow guidelines will still open.\n\nDespite coronavirus restrictions, places of worship in England and Wales can open - but many are struggling to do so safely.\n\nPlaces of worship remain closed throughout Scotland, while Northern Ireland's main church denominations are to cease public worship until early February.\n\nThe Church of England has told the BBC more than half of its parishes - including some cathedrals - will not open for communal prayer on Sunday. Many have moved their worship online.\n\nThe Church said some of its clergy were shielding, and all parishes were making their own decision.\n\nLincoln Cathedral took the decision to suspend in-person worship and move services online earlier in the week.\n\nRev Canon Nick Brown, Precentor of Lincoln, said the decision was taken \"with a very heavy heart\" but explained: \"To bring people together in worship is at the very heart of our purpose, but having considered expert advice we believe that the best way to help limit the spread of Covid-19 is to suspend public services for the time being.\"\n\nThe Catholic Church in England and Wales says it will keep its churches under review to make sure \"the highest standards of safety are maintained\". It is also organising online masses in many parishes.\n\nBritain's most senior Catholic, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, had criticised previous orders for churches to close.\n\nWith more than half of the Church of England's parishes closed for communal worship, thousands of Christians are being deprived of spiritual sustenance, at a time when many feel sorely in need of it.\n\nOther religions are also grappling with the issue and have worked hard to make their places of worship Covid-compliant by, for example, introducing strict booking and ticketing systems.\n\nMany church parishes have adapted by moving services online, a trend mirrored in some Jewish and Muslim denominations. These have been largely successful, and in some cases attracted new audiences from thousands of miles away. However, it's difficult to replicate the sense of community when people can physically and regularly meet up.\n\nOne Rabbi I spoke to last summer admitted he was worried some of his synagogue regulars, kept away by Covid-19, might never return.\n\nThere's also a financial aspect. Places of worship rely heavily on the generosity of believers. Weekly donations have been hit by church closures, and many revenue-generating schemes, such as hiring out church halls, have been cancelled. Many of the country's ancient cathedrals make much of their income from tourist admission fees.\n\nDifferent parts of the UK have taken different approaches, with all places of worship currently closed in Scotland, for example. Some Christian leaders, largely accepting of initial closures during the first lockdown, have gradually spoken out in favour of being able to make the decision themselves.\n\nBut with most shops and sporting facilities closed in England, some campaigners, such as the National Secular Society, have railed against what they say is \"a worrying deference to religious entitlement\".\n\nMeanwhile, the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board has told the BBC although most mosques in England and Wales did open for Friday prayers, the majority in London did not - and it says it has asked its members in areas where the infection rate is rising to work closely with Public Health England and local authorities.\n\nUnder the latest lockdowns in the UK, there are changes to usual practices for worshippers of all religions.\n\nIn the areas of the UK where communal worship is allowed, a number of measures are in place, such as carrying out services in the shortest possible time, and ensuring worshippers do not mingle with anyone not in their own household or support bubble.\n\nFaith leaders have accepted the need for restrictions.\n\nThe Muslim Council of Britain urges \"strong caution for mosques wishing to continue remaining open to the public for worship... and for tremendous care to be exercised\".\n\nMeanwhile, the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Sarah Mullally, who has been in charge of the Church of England's plans for resuming services, has said \"some may feel that it is currently better not to attend in person... Clergy who have concerns, and others who are shielding, should take particular care and stay at home\".\n\nHow have you been affected by the issues relating to coronavirus? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.\n• None What are the rules for places of worship?", "Last updated on .From the section Cricket\n\nEngland need further 36 runs to win\n\nEngland need 36 runs on the final day to win the first Test against Sri Lanka despite losing three wickets in a chaotic end to the fourth day in Galle.\n\nChasing only 74, the tourists slipped to 14-3 as Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley fell to left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya before captain Joe Root was run out after a mix-up with Jonny Bairstow.\n\nBairstow, who survived a run-out chance of his own, and debutant Dan Lawrence saw England to 38 without further loss before bad light ended play early.\n\nBairstow and Lawrence will resume on 11 and seven respectively at 04:15 GMT on Monday.\n\nEarlier, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 359, with Lahiru Thirimanne scoring 111 - his first century for almost eight years - and Angelo Matthews 73.\n\nJack Leach, playing his first Test since 2019, took 5-122 and Dom Bess 3-100 to finish with match figures of 8-130 and set up what should still be a comfortable England victory despite a wearing pitch.\n\nEngland won their most recent series in Sri Lanka 3-0, but their record in Asia - and playing spin - is poor and it reared its head again in a remarkable start to their fourth-innings chase.\n\nSibley, whom many feel is vulnerable against spin, was bowled for two not offering a shot, while Crawley, who was dropped on one, added only eight before a drive was superbly caught at gully by Kusal Mendis.\n\nEngland contributed to their own problems as captain Root, who scored a magnificent 228 in the first innings, was run out by a direct hit by wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella, colliding with bowler Dilruwan Perera after Bairstow called for a risky single.\n\nBairstow and Lawrence restored calm in a 24-run stand to steer England to stumps, and they remain firm favourites to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.\n\n\"If Sri Lanka had run Bairstow out just after Root it would have been very interesting,\" former England captain Michael Vaughan said on BBC Test Match Special.\n\nSri Lanka, whose first-innings effort of 135 in just 46.1 overs was described as \"one of the worse we've ever seen\", showed significantly more character and application in the second.\n\nOpener Thirimanne, 76 not out as the hosts resumed on 156-2, moved to his second Test century - 54 innings after his first, the third longest gap in Test history - with a cut for four off Bess.\n\nThe left-hander averaged 22 in 36 Tests before this match and his place was in serious doubt, only for captain Dimuth Karunaratne to be ruled out before the game with a thumb injury.\n\nAfter Thirimanne got a faint inside edge to the excellent Jos Buttler off Sam Curran, former captain Mathews played a dogged 219-ball innings containing only two fours to ensure Sri Lanka at least wiped out a 286-run first-innings deficit.\n\nWhen he edged Leach to Root at slip to be last man out, Sri Lanka were left wondering what might have been had they shown the same discipline first time round.\n\nBess, who took 5-30 in the first innings despite struggling with his length, improved throughout the second innings and took a wicket in the first over of his three spells on Sunday.\n\nHe had nightwatchman Embuldeniya caught by Sibley at short cover off the 12th ball of the day, before returning to have stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal held at slip by Root, and Dickwella caught behind as he attempted to guide the ball to third man.\n\nLeach, who has missed England's past 11 Tests - in part due to illness - yorked Dasun Shanaka and had the dangerous Wanindu Hasaranga superbly taken by Root at slip, before Perera became Buttler's first stumping in Test cricket.\n\nThe wicket of Mathews rounded off Leach's five-wicket haul, the first time two England spinners had achieved the feat in the same match since Derek Underwood and John Emburey in Sri Lanka in 1982.\n\n'It will only mean something if we win' - reaction\n\nEngland spinner Jack Leach on BBC Test Match Special: \"I wouldn't say I bowled well. It has been hard graft out there and I have certainly found I am probably a little rusty.\n\n\"At times I felt I could have done a better job, but the pleasing thing is I felt I bowled better as the game went on.\n\n\"We will come back tomorrow, knock these off and then I can be happy about my five wickets. It will only mean something if we win.\"\n\nFormer England captain Michael Vaughan: \"It has been an exciting day's play. Sri Lanka hung in there.\n\n\"Credit to Sri Lanka - we pelted them but on days three and four have shown they are a team that can compete in home conditions.\"\n\nFormer Sri Lanka all-rounder Russel Arnold: \"The start of England's innings was hectic. We saw panic from England, but Bairstow and Lawrence now look like they have it under control.\"\n• None Find all the resources you need to help with education at home\n• None The hilarious hit history podcast is back for a new series", "There are warnings more children could be plunged into poverty\n\nA decision on whether the £20 weekly rise in Universal Credit will be kept in place is unlikely before March's Budget, a top minister has indicated.\n\nCampaigners say the uplift, worth more than £1,000 a year, has been a lifeline for the vulnerable during the pandemic.\n\nLabour will use a Commons debate on Monday to add pressure on ministers to agree now to extend it beyond 31 March.\n\nBut Dominic Raab told the BBC it was a \"temporary measure\" and the Budget would spell out support \"in the round\".\n\nIn an interview with Andrew Marr, the foreign secretary confirmed that Conservative MPs would be told to abstain in Monday's debate, meaning Labour's \"opposition day\" motion will be approved.\n\nWhile the motion will not be binding on ministers and won't change policy, the BBC's Ben Wright said not opposing it represented an attempt by the government to \"neutralise\" the issue for the time being.\n\nIt showed, he added, how concerned ministers were about the prospect of a rebellion by Tory MPs - many of whom want an end to the uncertainty over the issue - if they had been asked to vote against it.\n\nThe standard Universal Credit allowance, which is claimed by more than 5.5 million households, was increased by £20 a week in April 2020 as part of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's early Covid economic response.\n\nWhile it was designed as a temporary response to help those unable to work or struggling due to the lockdown, opposition parties and charities say failing to extend will cause real hardship for hundreds of thousands of people.\n\nThe Joseph Rowntree Foundation has suggested about 16 million people will be directly affected, with millions of households facing an income loss equivalent to £1,040 a year.\n\nThe organisation has warned 500,000 more people will be driven into poverty, including 200,000 children, while a further 500,000 of those already in poverty will find themselves in even worse hardship.\n\nIts director Helen Barnard said a decision could not be delayed any longer.\n\n\"The chancellor has said the economy is going to get worse before it gets better and our evidence shows it is those with the least who are often suffering the most,\" she said.\n\n\"No one can seriously argue that cutting support for those on the lowest incomes in April will do anything other than weaken our already fragile economy.\"\n\nAsked whether the government should act now, Mr Raab said Monday's debate was a \"political\" move by the opposition and not about the government's overall financial support during the pandemic.\n\nHe promised to \"look at everything in the round\" to make sure support for the most vulnerable was available.\n\n\"Obviously in March there will be a Budget where again that holistic approach can be taken by the chancellor, but we've put that support in place to make sure that the most vulnerable communities can be protected at this very difficult time,\" he told Andrew Marr.\n\nThe government says it has injected an extra £7bn into the welfare system during the pandemic, including boosting Working Tax Credits by more than £1,000 a year for a 12-month period.\n\nLabour has urged the government to \"see sense\" on Universal Credit, saying that it would be both morally and economically wrong to \"take £1,000 a year from Britain's families\" at the peak of the unemployment crisis.", "The leaders of most of the world's biggest economies will get a brief taste of the English seaside this June as they gather for the G7 summit.\n\nCornwall's Carbis Bay, known for its sandy beach and clear waters, will be the venue for discussions on debt, climate change and post-Covid recovery.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson called it the \"perfect location for such a crucial summit\".\n\nThe UK, US, Germany, France, Canada, Italy and Japan make up the G7.\n\nLeaders from Australia, India, South Korea and the EU will also attend the event, from 11 to 13 June, as guests.\n\nVisit Cornwall estimates the county will make £50m, with the summit providing a boost to tourism and the area's international profile.\n\nBut the likes of US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are unlikely to enjoy an ice cream and a barefoot stroll through Carbis Bay's surf.\n\nG7 summits require security cordons, with anti-globalisation protests having affected several previous get-togethers.\n\nMeasures in place for the meeting in Biarritz, France, in 2019, saw the seaside resort likened to a temporary \"fortress\".\n\nThe Cornish meeting will be the first face-to-face G7 since the pandemic started. Last year's event - scheduled to take place at Camp David, Maryland - took place online instead.\n\nThe previous two UK-hosted meetings were at Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh, in 2013, and Gleneagles, Perth and Kinross, in 2005.\n\nBoris Johnson invoked the leading role of Cornwall's mining communities in the industrial revolution\n\nThis year, delegates will be put up - with Covid restrictions in place - at the Tregenna Castle Resort, overlooking nearby St Ives, and other locations.\n\nThe National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth will host international media.\n\nThe UK is hosting the summit as president of the G7 for the year.\n\n\"As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face,\" Mr Johnson said.\n\nHe added that leaders should approach the economic challenges of Covid \"by uniting with a spirit of openness to create a better future\".\n\n\"Two-hundred years ago Cornwall's tin and copper mines were at the heart of the UK's industrial revolution and this summer Cornwall will again be the nucleus of great global change and advancement,\" the prime minister said.\n\nVisit Cornwall chief executive Malcolm Bell said the summit would \"not only showcase the beauty of Cornwall but give us the opportunity to communicate our heritage, culture and the connections\".\n\nLocal leaders said it would provide a \"fantastic opportunity\" to showcase the county on the world stage.\n\nThe government said it would announce more of its plans \"in due course\".\n\nThe G7 meeting comes five months ahead of UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November.", "A statue of Edward Colston was thrown into Bristol Harbour last June, after being pulled down and rolled through the streets\n\nThe government is planning new laws to protect statues in England from being removed \"on a whim or at the behest of a baying mob\", Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has said.\n\nWriting in the Sunday Telegraph, he said generations-old monuments should be \"considered thoughtfully\".\n\nThe legislation would require planning permission for any changes and a minister would be given the final veto.\n\nIt will be revealed in Parliament on Monday.\n\nThe plans follow the toppling of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston last year and a wider discussion on the removal of controversial monuments.\n\nFour people were later charged with criminal damage over the removal of the Colston statue, and six people accepted conditional cautions over their involvement.\n\nIn the paper, the communities secretary said Britain should not try to edit or censor its past.\n\nMr Jenrick said any decision to remove heritage assets in England would require planning permission and a consultation with local communities, adding that he wanted to see a \"considered approach\".\n\nHe wrote: \"Our view will be set out in law, that such monuments are almost always best explained and contextualised, not taken and hidden away.\"\n\nMr Jenrick added that he had noticed an attempt to set a narrative which seeks to erase part of the nation's history, saying this was \"at the hand of the flash mob, or by the decree of a 'cultural committee' of town hall militants and woke worthies\".\n\nHe said: \"We live in a country that believes in the rule of law, but when it comes to protecting our heritage, due process has been overridden. That can't be right.\n\n\"Local people should have the chance to be consulted whether a monument should stand or not.\n\n\"What has stood for generations should be considered thoughtfully, not removed on a whim or at the behest of a baying mob.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Metropolitan Police say they are seeking to identify those responsible for the damage\n\nThe death of George Floyd while in the custody of police in Minneapolis sparked anti-racism protests across the world.\n\nDuring largely peaceful demonstrations in the UK, the controversial Colston statue was dumped into Bristol Harbour and a memorial to Sir Winston Churchill was vandalised with the words \"was a racist\".\n\nSpeaking in June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: \"The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country - and the whole of Europe - from a fascist and racist tyranny.\n\n\"It is absurd and shameful that this national monument should ... be at risk of attack by violent protesters.\n\n\"Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial.\"\n\nColston made his fortune in the slave trade and bequeathed his money to charities in Bristol, which led to many venues, streets and landmarks bearing his name.\n\nThe Society of Merchant Venturers, the Bristol charity which runs institutions named after Edward Colston, said it was right that the statue was removed, along with other memorials to \"a man who benefited from trading in human lives\".\n\nThey said it was part of acknowledging Bristol's \"dark past\" and building \"a city where racism and inequality no longer exist\".\n\nFollowing the toppling of the statue, Colston's Girls School changed its name to Montpelier High School and the city's Colston Hall music venue is now known as the Bristol Beacon.\n\nA statue of a Black Lives Matter protester was placed on the empty plinth without permission in July and was removed shortly afterwards.", "Work to restore hundreds of thousands of fingerprint, DNA and arrest records accidentally wiped from police databases is ongoing, the Home Office has said.\n\nAround 400,000 records were lost, according to The Times, which first reported the story.\n\nThe Home Office did not comment on how many records were likely to be restored, or how long it would take.\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel said the issue was \"a result of human error\".\n\nData was wiped from the Police National Computer (PNC) - which stores and shares criminal records information across the UK - after being inadvertently flagged for deletion.\n\nThe PNC is used in police investigations and provides real-time checks on people, vehicles and crimes, as well as whether suspects are wanted for any unsolved offences.\n\nThe coding that caused the problem was introduced in November 2020, and the deletions started earlier this week.\n\nInitially, it was thought some 150,000 records were lost, but it since has emerged the number could be significantly higher.\n\nCommenting on the error, Ms Patel said: \"Engineers continue to work to restore data lost as a result of human error during a routine housekeeping process earlier this week.\n\n\"I continue to be in regular contact with the team, and working with our policing partners, we will provide an update as soon as we can.\"\n\nEarlier, Labour shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds called on Ms Patel to take responsibility for the error and be clear about the impact it had had.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast, he described the situation as \"extraordinarily serious\", adding: \"Priti Patel will be responsible for criminals walking free.\n\n\"We're not going to be able to link suspects to crime scenes without the DNA and fingerprint evidence.\"\n\nThe National Police Chiefs' Council said the lost data had resulted in a couple of \"near misses\" for serious crimes when trying to identify an offender.\n\nPolicing minister Kit Malthouse insisted the affected records \"apply to cases where individuals were arrested and then released with no further action\".\n\nHe added: \"We are working to recover the affected records as a priority. While we do so, the Police National Computer is functioning and the police are taking steps to mitigate any impact.\"", "A group of London business leaders has written to the government calling for financial support for the struggling rail firm Eurostar.\n\nIn a letter to the Treasury and Department for Transport, they urge \"swift action to safeguard its future\".\n\nBosses of firms such as Fortnum & Mason signed the letter asking for access to government loans and business rates relief \"at the very least\".\n\nThe government says it is \"working closely\" with Eurostar.\n\nThe cross-Channel rail company is threatened by a large drop in passenger numbers due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions.\n\nIt reported in November that passenger numbers had been down 95% since March 2020.\n\nWith two trains an hour normally scheduled in peak hours, it now runs just two services a day from London to Paris and Brussels.\n\nThe letter, coordinated by business campaigning group London First and seen by the BBC, describes the firm as one that has \"fallen through the cracks\". Unlike some airlines, it has not been eligible for government-backed loans.\n\n\"If this viable business is allowed to fall between the cracks of support - neither an airline, nor a domestic railway - our recovery could be damaged,\" it says.\n\nCo-signed by 28 leaders, including the vice-chancellor of Middlesex University, the chief executive of West End property company Shaftesbury, as well as the boss of the ExCeL conference centre, the letter points out that the company currently employs 1,200 people in the UK.\n\nThe firm is 55% owned by French state rail firm SNCF. The UK government sold its stake in the business to private companies for £757m in 2015.\n\nThe letter also credits Eurostar with reducing carbon emissions. Since it launched in 1994, it has transported more than 190 million passengers between Britain and mainland Europe.\n\nA spokesman for Eurostar said: \"Without additional funding from government there is a real risk to the survival of Eurostar, the green gateway to Europe.\n\nHe described the current situation as \"very serious\".\n\nA spokesman for the Department for Transport said: \"We recognise the significant financial challenges facing Eurostar as a result of Covid-19 and the unprecedented circumstances currently faced by the international travel industry.\"\n\nHe added the government had been in contact with Eurostar \"on a regular basis\" since the start of the coronavirus crisis and would continue to work closely with the firm.\n• None How are travel rules being relaxed?", "Few people get as unique a take on the movement, mood and feelings of the public than the business owners that sit in its lay-bys.\n\nSince the start of lockdown they have juggled highs and lows.\n\nFrom supporting lorry drivers unable to stop at closed service stations to seeing their customers told to stay at home - and in turn not spend money with them.\n\nSome are now questioning their future and role in a workforce predicted to change its patterns and work from home more in the future.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Duke of Cambridge shared his own experiences of seeing \"death and so much bereavement\"\n\nThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been told the pandemic will leave many emergency workers \"broken\".\n\nMany police and NHS workers are too concerned with battling the pandemic to look after their mental health, they were told.\n\nInsp Phil Spencer from Cleveland Police said staff did not engage enough with counselling \"because we don't want to take anybody else's valuable time\".\n\nPrince William said he \"really worries\" about the effect on front-line workers.\n\n\"When you're surrounded by that level of intense trauma and sadness and bereavement, it really does, it stays with you at home, it stays with you for weeks on end,\" he said.\n\nInsp Spencer said emergency workers \"run towards danger, run towards a terrorist attack, we run towards the pandemic\".\n\n\"Perhaps further down the line when all this is gone we're going to have some broken police officers and emergency services staff, because we're too busy focusing on protecting the most vulnerable,\" he said.\n\nThe couple also spoke to counsellors from Hospice UK's Harrogate-based Just B support line for NHS staff, social care workers, carers and emergency services, which their foundation helps financially.\n\nThe prince said he feared \"you're all so busy caring for everyone else that you won't take enough time to care for yourselves\".\n\nHe and Catherine said the stigma surrounding seeking help for mental health issues must end.\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n• None The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Two drivers from Scotland were stopped by police on Anglesey going to see friends.\n\nPeople who drove more than 200 miles to visit friends in Wales and a group having a party in a garden shed have been caught breaking Covid rules.\n\nPolice forces in Wales have broken up parties, football matches and fined people for visiting beauty spots this weekend while Wales is in lockdown.\n\nTwo motorists were reported by North Wales Police in Anglesey after driving from Scotland to visit friends.\n\nWhile in Swansea, eight people were fined after a party was held in a shed.\n\nThe drivers from Scotland were stopped by police at Valley, near Holyhead, and reported for driving without insurance and breaching Covid travel restrictions.\n\nOfficers from North Wales Police on Saturday also stopped a car from Portsmouth as the driver was travelling to \"collect a front bumper\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by South Wales Police Vale of Glamorgan This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by South Wales Police Vale of Glamorgan\n\n\"Travelling nearly 300 miles for a piece of cosmetic plastic for your car is not essential at this time,\" said North Wales Police's Intercept team.\n\n\"The regulations have been broadcast far and wide. Please be mindful you will be reported if your journey is not essential.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Gwent Police | Caerphilly Borough Officers This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nEven though national parks have shut car parks in a bid to stop people visiting, North Wales Police said it received about 100 calls on Saturday about potential Covid breaches - and officers told people they need to take \"personal responsibility\" and \"stay home\".\n\nSouth Wales Police officers issued fixed penalty notices after finding people from \"all different households\" in a shed - which had been converted into a bar - in the Sketty area of Swansea all \"mixing together\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Mark Drakeford This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA further nine fixed penalty notices were given out in the Townhill area of the city after different households attended a baby reveal party on Sunday.\n\nFive people were warned about breaking laws in Neath Port Talbot after a group travelled to a field to play football, while four people were fined after a house party in Aberavon.\n\nUnder coronavirus rules people are only allowed to leave their homes for \"essential\" reasons, including to shop for food, get medical treatment and to exercise.\n\nWhile exercise is allowed, people are not allowed to drive to a spot for a walk, run or cycle, and the law means exercising with people you do not live with (or who are your bubble if you live alone) is banned.\n\nThose found to be in breach of Covid laws can be fined £60 for the first offence, with the penalties increasing up to £1,920. If prosecuted, however, a court can impose an unlimited fine.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid lockdown: 'This is why we say to you do not come out'\n\nUntil recently police had been using an education first approach, but the Welsh Government has repeatedly said it wants to see stricter enforcement of the rules.\n\nIn Powys, road officers from Dyfed-Powys Police stopped cars and turned around people driving to exercise.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Traffic Wales North & Mid #KeepWalesSafe This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn Port Talbot, two people sat on a bench drinking alcohol were fined by South Wales Police for \"leaving home without a reasonable excuse\".\n\nGwent Police officers broke-up a house party in Glyn-Gaer, Caerphilly county, on Friday evening and issued fines.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Sunday. We'll have another update for you on Monday.\n\nTen new mass Covid vaccination centres are to open in England from Monday, as the government bids to meet its target of offering 15 million people in the UK a dose by 15 February. Blackburn Cathedral and St Helens Rugby Ground are among the venues chosen to join the seven hubs already in use. NHS England said the new centres would offer \"thousands\" of jabs a week. It comes as another 324,233 vaccine doses have been administered across the UK, taking the total above 3.5 million. Check when you will be eligible for a jab.\n\nA financial support scheme for airports in England will open this month, the government says, as the aviation sector faces new Covid travel curbs. Aviation minister Robert Courts said the move was a response to the closure of all UK air corridors from Monday. The aim is to provide grants before the end of this financial year, he said. Industry groups had warned there was only so long airports could \"run on fumes\", following the announcement of the new quarantine rules. Under the new rules beginning at 04:00 GMT on Monday, all travel corridors - which have been in place to allow arrivals from some countries to forgo quarantine - will close.\n\nMore than half of the Church of England's 14,000 parishes will not open for Sunday services today, as places of worship are hit hard by Covid-19. Many of the Church's clergy are shielding, while some parishes have decided it is not safe enough to admit worshippers. It has also been revealed that most mosques in London remained closed on Friday, meaning Muslims had to make alternative arrangements for Friday prayers. Despite current coronavirus restrictions, places of worship in England and Wales can open - but many are struggling to do so safely. Places of worship remain closed throughout Scotland, while Northern Ireland's main church denominations are to cease public worship until early February. Remind yourself of the rules where you live for places of worship.\n\nChildren in England will be able to access books online free during school closures via a virtual library. Internet classroom Oak National Academy created the library after schools moved to remote learning for the majority of pupils until February half-term. Formed with The National Literacy Trust, the library will provide a book a week from its author of the week. The aim is to increase young readers' access to e-books and audiobooks, particularly the most disadvantaged. The latest lockdown has seen schools in England close to all but children of key workers and vulnerable pupils.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe Duke of Cambridge has expressed his pride at the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh for stepping up and having their Covid-19 vaccinations. In a video call with frontline workers, Prince William spoke about his grandparents after being told medics have witnessed \"vaccine hesitancy\" among some communities during the jab rollout. He praised NHS staff behind the rollout of the vaccine, and described the programme as \"tremendous\", saying it didn't \"just happen\". Staff joked they had been \"thinking and dreaming\" of vaccines all day and night with some describing working seven-day weeks.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. In a video call, the Duke of Cambridge said the vaccination programme was \"tremendous\"\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nAnd it's been almost a month since people in some parts of the UK were allowed to meet in Christmas \"bubbles\", so what impact did this have?\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The boss of NHS England reveals Covid-19 jabs are being done much faster than people are newly catching the virus\n\nPeople in England are being vaccinated four times faster than new cases of the virus are being detected, NHS England's chief executive has said.\n\nSir Simon Stevens told the BBC that 140 people a minute were now being given the jab, usually the first dose of two.\n\nBut he said the NHS had never been in a more precarious position, with 75% more Covid patients than at the April peak.\n\nIt comes as a further 298,087 people received their first dose of the vaccine on Saturday.\n\nThere were also 671 more deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test, and another 38,598 positive tests.\n\nSir Simon told the Andrew Marr Show some hospitals would open for vaccinations 24 hours a day, seven days a week on a trial basis in the next 10 days.\n\nHe said England was on course to deliver 1.5 million doses this week. Scotland has delivered a total of more than 224,000 first doses, Wales has given over 126,000 and Northern Ireland nearly 118,000 - although Scotland and Wales do not report figures at the weekend.\n\nHalf of all over-80s have now been vaccinated, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said. \"Each jab brings us one step closer to normal,\" he said.\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC that the UK was making \"good progress\" in ensuring every adult was offered a vaccine by September and \"if it can be done more swiftly, that's a bonus\".\n\nMore people have now been vaccinated than have had positive tests since the pandemic began, with 10 more mass vaccination sites due to open in England on Monday.\n\nSir Simon said hospitals and staff were under \"extreme pressure\", however. Asked if the NHS has ever been in a more precarious situation, he said \"no\", adding that the pandemic was a \"unique event\" in its 72-year history.\n\nSomeone was being admitted to hospital with coronavirus every 30 seconds, Sir Simon said, and since Christmas patient numbers had risen by 15,000 - the equivalent of 30 full hospitals.\n\nIt means there are 75% more Covid-19 patients in hospital than there were in the April peak, the NHS chief executive said.\n\nAlthough there were promising signs infection rates were falling, he said they were still too high and rising in some areas and age groups, including the over-60s.\n\nHe said the number of critical care beds had been increased by 50% since the first wave of the pandemic but a \"very small number\" of patients were still having to be transferred between regions when hospitals were full.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The foreign secretary said there would be increased UK border checks next week\n\nAsked about the ratio of nurses to patients in London intensive care units, Sir Simon said there were sometimes three patients for every nurse rather than the one-to-one ratio normally expected. But patients were receiving the \"highest quality care possible\".\n\nAbout 53,000 NHS staff are currently off work due to the virus, he added.\n\nSir Simon said the health service would only be able to maintain the vaccination rate and \"hold the line if people continue to do the right thing and prevent the transmission of coronavirus\".\n\nVaccinating priority groups by the spring would not mean that \"with one bound we are free\" of coronavirus restrictions, he said. But he added: \"I don't think we will have to wait until the autumn.\"\n\nHe said he suspected that there would be enough supply of the vaccine - \"the crucial thing\" - to begin lifting restrictions before then.\n\nSir Simon also warned that although starting with the most vulnerable groups reduced the risk of deaths, a quarter of hospital patients with the virus were currently under 55 - and therefore not a priority unless they have a medical condition that puts them at additional risk.\n\nAsked about suggestions that some vaccination centres were having to throw away leftover doses, he said: \"The guidance from the chief medical officer is crystal clear: every last drop of vaccine should be used.\"\n\nMany centres were finding they were able to get six doses out of a five-dose vial, and Sir Simon said they should keep a reserve list of staff and high-risk patients who could be contacted to receive a vaccination at short notice.\n\nDr Rosie Shire from the Doctors' Association UK told the BBC that as well as sometimes getting six doses out of the five-dose Pfizer vials, they had also got 11 or 12 doses out of 10-dose AstraZeneca vials.\n\nBut she said the uncertain dose count made it harder to know how many last-minute appointments to book in order to use up the supply.\n\nMr Raab said that he was not aware of any delays to supplies from manufacturers Pfizer and AstraZeneca and said he was \"confident we have the flexibility\" to deliver enough doses.\n\n\"It is an enormous challenge. We are meeting it,\" he said. \"But we take nothing for granted.\"\n\nThe foreign secretary said the risk that new variants could prove resistant to vaccines or more deadly meant the UK had to take the \"precautionary approach\" of requiring all travellers to quarantine on arrival from Monday, closing the travel corridors which previously been exempt.\n\n\"We don't want to find in two or three weeks time that our vaccine roll out is imperilled because we haven't taken the precautionary measures on travel corridors,\" he said.\n\nChecks by Border Force on the passenger locator forms filled out on arrival would be increased, Mr Raab said, as would the follow-up calls by Public Health England intended to ensure people were isolating for up to 10 days.\n\nAsked whether the UK would introduce quarantine hotels to ensure people maintained their isolation, he said all potential measures were under review but there was a challenge in the \"workability\" of the proposal.\n\nHow have you been affected by the issues relating to coronavirus? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Smoke rises from Mount Semeru, the highest volcano on the Indonesian island of Java\n\nIndonesia's Mount Semeru has erupted, pouring ash an estimated 5.6km (3.4 miles) into the sky above Java, the country's most densely populated island.\n\nNo evacuation orders have so far been issued, and no casualties reported.\n\nThe National Disaster Mitigation Agency (NDMA) warned villagers living on the mountain's slopes to be alert for ongoing volcanic activity.\n\nFootage showed ash from the 3,676m (12,060ft) volcano looming over homes.\n\n\"The villages of Sumber Mujur and Curah Koboan [in Lumajang municipality] are located in the trajectory of the hot clouds,\" local official Thoriqul Haq said on Saturday.\n\nResidents of the Curah Kobokan river basin have been urged to watch for possible \"cold lava\" mudflow, which can be triggered by intense rainfall combining with volcanic material.\n\nMount Semeru erupted at about 17:24 local time (10:24 GMT), authorities said.\n\nA picture from the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management shows ash rolling over the landscape\n\nIndonesia sits on the Pacific \"Ring of Fire\" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic activity as well as earthquakes.\n\nSemeru - also known as \"The Great Mountain\" - is the highest volcano in Java and one of the most active. It is also one of Indonesia's most popular tourist hiking destinations.\n\nThe volcano previously erupted in December, when about 550 people were evacuated.", "A non-binding Labour motion calling for the universal credit top-up to be kept in place beyond 31 March passed by 278 votes to none after a Commons debate.\n\nSix Tory MPs defied party orders to abstain and voted with Labour, adding to the pressure on the PM on the issue.\n\nThe prime minister said the government had provided £280bn worth of support during the pandemic but all measures would be kept under \"constant review\".\n\nThe motion, which will not automatically lead to a change in policy, was put forward by Labour as a way to put additional pressure on the government to continue the increase, worth £1,000 a year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Carl, a roofer, describes going from \"not having enough to barely having enough\" on universal credit.\n\nFormer Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb was among six Conservative MPs to rebel, along with Peter Aldous, Robert Halfon, Jason McCartney, Anne Marie Morris and Matthew Offord.\n\nAhead of the vote, Mr Crabb told the BBC that although there were \"difficult pressures on the chancellor\" extending the increase for 12 months was \"the right thing to do\".\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said there were dozens of Conservative MPs who were \"deeply uneasy\" about ending the £20 weekly increase to universal credit.\n\nShe added that it was also understood the cabinet minister with responsibility for benefits, Therese Coffey, was arguing that the uplift should not be dropped in April.\n\nCharities and anti-poverty campaigners are pleading with the government to keep the support in place, describing it as a lifeline for more than 5.5 million families who receive the standard universal credit allowance.\n\nFood poverty campaigner and chef Jack Monroe told the BBC that the £20 increase \"has been a lifeline\" for millions of people who have needed to top up their income or rely on universal credit payments in order to get by.\n\nSir Keir said the increase was a vital safety net for those who had lost their jobs, seen their working hours slashed or who were not eligible for the government's wage subsidy furlough scheme.\n\n\"If we don't give a helping hand to families through this pandemic, then we are going to slow our economic recovery as we come out it.\n\n\"We urge Boris Johnson to change course and give families certainty today that their incomes will be protected.\"\n\nSix billion pounds of the benefits bill - the difference between poverty or not for 1.2 million families, according to a think tank.\n\nThe £1,040 a year increase to universal credit is a very emotive issue.\n\nThere's even a battle over what to call it.\n\nTo the government, its introduction was a one-off boost to cope with a crisis. For Labour, taking it away is a cut.\n\nMinisters would prefer we looked at the overall level of support they've provided for workers and businesses during the pandemic. The opposition say the £20 a week boost is a powerful symbol of the state's willingness to help.\n\nEven the act of debating it today is disputed. Labour say they've got the right occasionally to set the agenda in Parliament. Boris Johnson said his MPs risk abuse from campaigners and protestors if they engage.\n\nThe Joseph Rowntree Foundation has suggested about 16 million people will be directly affected if the £20 is rolled back.\n\nIt says 500,000 more people will be driven into poverty, including 200,000 children, while a further 500,000 of those already in poverty will find themselves in even worse hardship.\n\nHowever, free market think tank the Institute for Economic Affairs has argued that \"across-the-board benefit increases are a wasteful use of taxpayers' money\" at a time when the government is borrowing \"a hair-raising amount of money\".\n\nUniversal credit is a single payment replacing old benefits such as housing benefit and child tax credits.\n\nYou can claim universal credit if you are on a low income or are out of work.\n\nThe standard allowance varies from around £340 to just under £600 a month, depending on your age or whether you are single.\n\nYou may be eligible to receive more money on top of the standard allowance if, for example, you have children or a health condition.\n\nSpeaking on behalf of the Northern Research Group, Conservative MP John Stevenson said the £1,000 increase had been \"a real life-saver for people throughout this pandemic\".\n\n\"To end it now would be devastating for the 6 million individuals and families who are already struggling to stay afloat,\" he added.\n\nWhile the vote is not binding, and will not lead to a change in policy, it will increase pressure on the government to keep the increase or come up with an alternative.\n\nLabour said the Conservatives' decision to abstain created \"unnecessary uncertainty\" but minister Nadhim Zahawi described the vote as \"a political stunt\".\n\nThe government says it has strengthened the welfare system with an extra £7bn of funding during the pandemic while families struggling with food and household bills can get help through the £170m Winter Grant Scheme.\n\nMinisters also point to extra support for housing costs, through an increase in local housing allowance for those on housing benefits and hardship payments worth £670m next year for those unable to pay their council tax bills.", "A further 1,295 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test have been reported in the UK, the third-highest daily total since the pandemic began.\n\nIt brings the total number of deaths by this measure to 88,590.\n\nThere have also been a further 41,346 lab-confirmed cases, and 4,262 more people have been admitted to hospital.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director for Public Health England, said the \"continuous rise in cases and deaths should be a bitter warning for us all\".\n\n\"We must not forget the basics,\" she added. \"The lives of our friends and family depend on it.\n\n\"Keep your distance from others, wash your hands and wear a mask.\"\n\nThe latest figures come ahead of Monday's change in travel rules for the UK, with all travel corridors closing, meaning arrivals from every country will have to quarantine.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson announced the changes at Downing Street on Friday, saying they would \"protect against the risk of as yet unidentified new strains\" of Covid.\n\nWhile daily figures can fluctuate due to delays in reporting, the seven-day average of Covid deaths in the UK has now risen slightly to 1,103.\n\nFor cases, however, there has been a drop in the seven-day average, with the figure now at 48,565.\n\nThere are currently 37,475 people in hospital with the virus, government figures show, while a further 324,233 people have received their first vaccine dose.\n\nThe government has promised all the over-70s, the extremely clinically vulnerable and front-line health and care workers - about 15 million people - will be offered a jab by mid February.\n\nCurrently, just over 3.5 million doses have been administered.\n\nThe government has also announced £120m in funds for the social care sector to be used by local authorities to increase staffing levels.\n\nStaff absence rates have risen in care homes and among home care staff, due to them testing positive or having to self-isolate.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said the money would bolster staffing numbers in a \"controlled and safe way, whilst ensuring people continue to receive the highest quality of care\".\n\nA further £149m funding was announced in December to support rapid testing of care home staff.\n\nSpeaking alongside the PM on Friday, England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said the number of patients being admitted to hospital with coronavirus was set to peak within the next 10 days, while the peak for deaths was also yet to come.\n\nHe added, however, that he hoped the peak in infections had already happened in the South East, East and London, where there was a surge in the new, more transmissible variant.\n\n\"The peak of deaths I fear is in the future, the peak of hospitalisations in some parts of the country may be around about now and beginning to come off the very, very top,\" he said.\n\n\"Because people are sticking so well to the guidelines we do think the peaks are coming over the next week to 10 days for most places in terms of new people into hospital.\"\n\nHowever, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance stressed it was a \"suppressed peak\" that would \"boil over for sure\" if controls were eased.\n\nHe said: \"This is not the natural peak that's going to come down on its own, it's coming down because of the measures that are in place.\n\n\"Take the lid off now and it's going to boil over for sure and we're going to end up with a big problem.\"\n\nMeanwhile, on Saturday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suggested he would back further coronavirus measures, as \"the tougher the restrictions now the quicker we get the virus back under control\".\n\nSir Keir said he was \"still worried\" by the number of infections, despite signs they are falling - and that the \"sense that we are through the worst\" of the third wave was wrong.\n\n\"Nobody likes restrictions but the tougher the restrictions now the quicker we get the virus back under control, the quicker we reduce the number of hospital admissions and the quicker we get that number of deaths, tragically, down,\" he added.", "The Archbishop of Glasgow, the Most Reverend Philip Tartaglia, has died suddenly at his home in the city.\n\nArchbishop Tartaglia had tested positive for Covid-19 shortly after Christmas and was self-isolating.\n\nThe Catholic Church said the cause of his death was not yet clear.\n\nHe was ordained a priest in 1975 and had served as leader of Scotland's largest Catholic community since 2012.\n\nA statement from the Archdiocese of Glasgow said: \"It is with the greatest sorrow that we announce the death of our Archbishop.\n\n\"The Pope's Ambassador to Great Britain, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, has been informed.\n\n\"It will be for Pope Francis to appoint a new Archbishop to succeed Archbishop Tartaglia, but until then the Archdiocese will be overseen by an administrator.\"\n\nScotland's Catholic bishops described Archbishop Tartaglia as a \"gentle, caring and warm-hearted pastor\".\n\nThey said in a statement: \"His loss to his family, his clergy and the people of the Archdiocese of Glasgow will be immeasurable but for the entire Church in Scotland this is a day of immense loss and sadness.\n\n\"He was a gentle, caring and warm-hearted pastor who combined compassion with a piercing intellect.\n\n\"His contribution to the work of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland over the past 16 years was significant and we will miss his wisdom, wit and robust Catholic spirit very much.\"\n\nArchbishop Tartaglia had been self-isolating at home after contracting coronavirus\n\nThe statement concluded: \"On behalf of the Bishops of Scotland, we commend his soul into the hands of God and pray that he may enjoy eternal rest.\"\n\nArchbishop Tartaglia was a lifelong Celtic fan and the club tweeted their tribute to him: \"We are saddened to hear of the death of Archbishop Philip Tartaglia who was a huge supporter of the club and regularly attended matches at Celtic Park.\n\n\"Everyone at Celtic offers their sincere condolences to Philip's family and Scotland's Catholic community at this sad time.\"\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the archbishop was \"a fine man who was much loved within the Catholic community and beyond\".\n\nMs Sturgeon tweeted: \"I always valued my interactions with him and he will be greatly missed. My thoughts are with his loved ones and wider community. May he rest in peace.\"\n\nThe leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross, tweeted: \"Tragic news about the sudden passing of Archbishop Philip Tartaglia. My condolences to his friends and family.\n\n\"His death will be keenly felt within the Catholic Church and across the wider community.\"\n\nThe leader of Glasgow City Council described the archbishop as \"a true Glaswegian\" who \"knew its people and the challenges faced by ordinary citizens, regardless of their faith or beliefs\".\n\nCouncillor Susan Aitken added: \"He was also unafraid to use his position to challenge deprivation, austerity and the ill-effects of welfare reform when he believed it was his duty to call them out.\"\n\nArchbishop Tartaglia was born in Glasgow on 11 January 1951 - the eldest son of Guido and Annita Tartaglia.\n\nAfter attending St Thomas' Primary in Riddrie, he began his secondary education at St Mungo's Academy before moving to the national junior seminary at St Vincent's College, Langbank.\n\nHe later attended St Mary's College, at Blairs, Aberdeen, before completing his ecclesiastical studies at the Pontifical Scots College, and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.\n\nOn returning to Scotland, he was an assistant and then parish priest at Our Lady of Lourdes, Cardonald, St Patrick's, Dumbarton, and St Mary's, Duntocher.\n\nArchbishop Tartaglia was ordained by then Archbishop Thomas Winning in the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Dennistoun, on 30 June 1975.\n\nHe was a leading opponent of proposals to legalise same-sex marriage in Scotland and also criticised ministers over anti-bigotry legislation.\n\nThe Archdiocese of Glasgow is the largest of Scotland's eight dioceses with an estimated Catholic population of about 200,000. It comprises 95 parishes and is served by about 200 priests.\n\nArchbishop Tartaglia was the eighth person to hold the office since the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in Scotland in 1878.\n\nHe followed Archbishop Mario Conti and Archbishop Thomas Winning, who later became Cardinal Winning.", "The player told police he had travelled from his home in Bedworth to hunt the characters\n\nA man has been fined for breaking lockdown rules after travelling 14 miles to play Pokemon Go.\n\nHe admitted to Warwickshire Police he had driven from his home in Bedworth to look for the characters in Kenilworth.\n\nHe was fined £200 for \"contravening the requirement to not leave or be outside the place they live without a reasonable excuse\".\n\n\"Everyone has a part to play in ensuring they slow the spread of the virus,\" a police spokeswoman said.\n\n\"We would like to remind people they must not leave or be outside their home unless they have a reasonable excuse.\"\n\nPokemon Go is a Japanese augmented reality game for smartphones. First launched in 2016, it allows players to hunt for characters that \"appear\" in real-life places.\n\nIt has been downloaded around the world more than one billion times.", "Hashem Abedi (left) and Ahmed Hassan are due to appear at Bromley Magistrates' Court\n\nThe Manchester Arena and Parsons Green bombers have been charged with assaulting a prison officer together, the BBC has learned.\n\nHashem Abedi, 23, and Ahmed Hassan, 21, are accused of assaulting an officer in HMP Belmarsh, south London, in May last year.\n\nAnother man who is awaiting sentencing for terror offences is also charged with assaulting the same person.\n\nThe three men are due to appear at Bromley Magistrates' Court on 7 April.\n\nAbedi, who was jailed in August for murdering the 22 victims of the May 2017 Manchester Arena attack, is also charged with assaulting a second prison officer during the same incident on 11 May.\n\nHassan, from London, whose Parsons Green tube bomb injured 51 people in September 2017, was jailed for attempted murder the following year.\n\nMuhammed Saeed, 22, from Manchester, is the third person charged. Last year, he admitted possessing terrorist documents.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Up to 400,000 people could be given the Covid-19 vaccine every week by the end of February, Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has told MSPs.\n\nHealth teams are ramping up the rollout of jabs, with 1,100 vaccination centres now open and using two vaccines.\n\nMinisters aim to vaccinate care home residents, NHS staff and over-80s by the first week of February.\n\nThey then hope to have completed the over-70 group by mid-February and over-65 and vulnerable groups by March.\n\nThis would see 1.4m people given the jab, and Ms Freeman said the government's \"priority is to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible\".\n\nHowever, the BMA Scottish GP Committee has warned the vaccine supply is \"stuttering\" and blamed \"bureaucratic hold-ups\" for delaying distribution.\n\nIn a statement at Holyrood, the health secretary said Scotland faces \"a more perilous situation than at any point in this pandemic\", with the new variant of coronavirus \"increasing in its dominance\" of infections north of the border.\n\nHowever Ms Freeman said there was hope in the form of the vaccination programme, which she said was \"scaling up rapidly\".\n\nA first dose of vaccine has now been given to just over 80% of care home residents and 55% of staff, along with 52% of frontline NHS staff.\n\nAnd in the eight days since 4 January, just over 2% of those aged 80 or over in the community have been given a first dose.\n\nMs Freeman said that age was \"the greatest risk factor for serious illness and death from Covid, and represents well over 90% of preventable mortality\".\n\nThe government is prioritising giving a first dose to as many people as possible, which Ms Freeman said provides \"very high protection\", with a second dose of the same vaccine then administered within 12 weeks.\n\nMs Freeman said that by the end of February, an average of 400,000 people should be getting a jab per week.\n\nJeane Freeman said the vaccine programme was \"scaling up rapidly\"\n\nThe government is also working to set up large vaccination centres in the community, which could handle up to 20,000 vaccinations a week in a single location.\n\nSites include the Event Complex conference centre in Aberdeen, Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in Motherwell, Queen Margaret University in Musselburgh and the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, and Ms Freeman said work was ongoing to secure more centres in the Glasgow area in particular.\n\nA total of 4.5m adults in Scotland are in line to be vaccinated.\n\nMs Freeman said she was aware that people would \"want to know when it will be their turn\", saying a national advertising campaign would be established to \"inform the public\".\n\nScottish Conservative health spokesman Donald Cameron said it was \"clear not enough people are being vaccinated each day and timetables are slipping\".\n\nHe also asked Ms Freeman whether there were delays to the creation of a national booking system, after speculation that it could hold up the start of mass vaccinations.\n\nThe health secretary said she did not believe it was the case that timetables were slipping, and said there were no delays to the national booking system - adding that it would be \"ready from the beginning of February to do its job\".\n\nMeanwhile Scottish Labour's Monica Lennon asked how quickly the country could move to a 24 hours a day rollout of vaccines.\n\nMs Freeman said this was \"entirely possible\" once the mass vaccination centres are open, saying she \"would anticipate that would be by the end of February or early March\".\n\nShe said: \"The will is there to do that, if that is what it takes, because the objective is to get as many people vaccinated as possible.\"\n\nThe BMA Scottish GP Committee has said practices \"don't know when their next supply is coming in\".\n\nIts chairman, Dr Andrew Buist, told BBC Scotland's Drivetime programme the Scottish government \"must do everything possible to ensure vaccine supply is as good as it can be\".\n\nHe said: \"I've spoken with the chief medical officer about this and emphasised we should remove any bureaucratic hold-up to the distribution of this vaccine.\n\n\"People are obviously very anxious to get it as soon as possible.\n\n\"We know what the priority groups are, we have the practices ready and running to give it to their patients. We just need to get the vaccine to them.\"\n• None All over-80s to be vaccinated by February", "More than six million glasses of pink prosecco were enjoyed by Lidl customers over the festive period as strict Covid rules prompted people to indulge.\n\nThe discount supermarket reported record total sales for the four weeks to 27 December with revenue up 18%.\n\nTakeaway firm Just Eat and online fashion retailer Asos have also reported stellar sales for the period.\n\nAll three benefited as restaurants and non-essential shops faced strict curbs or were forced to close.\n\nDemand was so strong, Lidl said it had shifted 7,000 glasses of mulled wine and almost 17,000 deluxe mince pies every hour in the run up to Christmas.\n\nIt also sold more than 2.7 million servings of panettone, the festive Italian cake.\n\nLidl continued to press ahead with its store expansion programme in the period, opening four new stores in December at a time when many businesses are closing down.\n\nBoss Christian Härtnagel said: \"Despite this Christmas being a difficult time for many across the country, we are pleased to have been able to help our customers enjoy themselves.\n\n\"As we look ahead to this year, we remain committed to our expansion and investment plans,\" he added.\n\nJust Eat said delivery orders in the UK surged 58% in the last three months of 2020 compared with the same period last year.\n\nThe takeaway firm, which operates around the world, said this had been its third consecutive quarter of growth, reflecting the huge demand for takeaway food as restaurants have faced curbs and closures.\n\nBoss Jitse Groen said the firm's progress in the UK was \"particularly exciting\" with demand up nearly five-fold in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.\n\nIts UK sales force has also doubled compared with last year.\n\nIt was a similar story for Asos, whose sales for the four months to 31 December rose 36% to £554.1m, something it credited in part to restrictions on non-essential shops.\n\nThe fashion retailer, which also operates across Europe and the US, said its active customer base was now 24.5 million, up 1.1 million on the same period last year.\n\nRichard Lim, head of analysts Retail Economics, said: \"Lockdowns, fewer opportunities to mix socially and cancelled Christmas parties have decimated the demand for new outfits this year.\n\n\"But what consumers did spend was focused towards casual-wear and channelled online where the retailer was well position to leverage this opportunity.\"", "Boris Johnson has said there is still a very substantial risk of intensive care units in hospitals being overwhelmed by the spread of the coronavirus.\n\nIt comes on a day when the UK has recorded the highest number of deaths in a single day in Europe.\n\nFergal Keane last visited the Imperial Healthcare Trust’s St Mary’s and Charing Cross hospital in London last April.\n\nHe's been back to see how they're coping.", "Plans have been announced to overhaul the mental health system - with the aim of making it less discriminatory towards black people.\n\nMinisters say changes to how people are sectioned in England and Wales will see them treated \"as individuals, with rights, preferences, and expertise\".\n\nBlack people are over four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act, relative to population.\n\nThe mental health charity Mind said the changes \"cannot come soon enough.\"\n\nPeople are detained under the mental health act - or sectioned - for their own safety, or the safety of others.\n\nHow long they are detained for varies - but once detained, they are immediately considered to be \"sectioned\".\n\nUse of the Mental Health Act has increased markedly - from 2005/6 to 2015/16, the number of people detained in hospital increased by 40%.\n\nNHS data for England shows there were at least 50,893 new detentions under the Mental Health Act in 2019/20 - but the overall total will be higher as not all providers submitted data.\n\nOf those detentions, 5,336 people were black or black British.\n\nThe data also shows that in 2019/20 there were 321 detentions per 100,000 population for people who were black or black British - while there were 73 detentions per 100,000 for white people.\n\nWith the act disproportionately used against black people, the reforms will see a Patient and Carers Race Equality Framework introduced across all NHS mental health trusts - which the government describes as a practical tool to improve the outcome for BAME communities.\n\nWhat ministers call \"culturally appropriate advocates\" will also be developed, so patients from all ethnic backgrounds can be supported.\n\n\"We need to bring mental health laws into the 21st Century,\" said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.\n\n\"I want to ensure our health service works for all, yet the Mental Health Act is now 40 years old.\n\n\"This is a significant moment in how we support those with serious mental health issues, which will give people more autonomy over their care and will tackle disparities for all who access services - in particular for people from minority ethnic backgrounds.\"\n\nThe reforms will also ensure that autism or a learning disability cannot be a reason for detaining someone under the act.\n\nIn future, a clinician will have to identify another psychiatric condition to order their detention.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What is it like to be sectioned?\n\nThe current Mental Health Act dates from 1983 and the aim of these reforms, which are widely supported, is to give people greater say over their care and to rebalance the system between the state and the individual.\n\nAmong the recommendations are plans to introduce statutory advance choice documents which will allow people to express their preferred treatment before they reach a crisis and need hospitalisation.\n\n\"This is just the beginning of what is now a long overdue process,\" said Sophie Corlett, director of external relations at the mental health charity Mind.\n\n\"At the moment, thousands of people are still subjected to poor, sometimes appalling, treatment, and many will live with the consequences far into the future.\n\n\"Our understanding of mental health has moved on significantly in recent decades but our laws are rooted in the 19th Century.\"\n\nThe recommendations, set out in a government White Paper, build on the proposals from an independent review of the act, which was ordered by then prime minister Theresa May in October 2017 and which published its conclusions in December 2018.\n\nMinisters intend to publish a Mental Health Bill in 2022, following a consultation on their plans.", "Amnesty says about 7,500 women and girls gave birth in the Northern Ireland homes,\n\nThere have been calls for an inquiry into mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland.\n\nIt comes as the Irish government is to apologise after an investigation found an \"appalling level of infant mortality\" in the Republic of Ireland's homes.\n\nAbout 9,000 children died in the 18 institutions under investigation.\n\nMothers and babies who were in similar homes in Northern Ireland want a full inquiry to be held in NI too.\n\nStormont commissioned research into whether or not there should an inquiry held into the homes which operated in Northern Ireland, is due to be published by the end of January.\n\nPatrick Corrigan from Amnesty International said the issue of forced adoptions also needs close scrutiny.\n\n\"We have had cases of mothers telling us that ultimately, many decades later, when they tried to track down their long-lost children they found adoption certificates where they said their signature had actually been forged,\" he said.\n\n\"So I think that there is criminality to investigate here and that it behoves the Northern Ireland Executive to set up the inquiry that has long been sought here and long been denied.\"\n\nIn 2017 research into infant mortality rates at former mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland had prompted initial calls for a public inquiry.\n\nBBC News NI previously spoke to Eunan Duffy who was 47 years old when he found out he was adopted from Marianvale mother and baby home in Newry, County Down.\n\nIt was one of a network of institutions in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which offered women the voluntary option, for those who were unmarried, to give birth in private and give their babies up for adoption\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Marian Vale was one of a network of mother and baby institutions in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland\n\nAmnesty says there were more than a dozen mother-and-baby institutions in Northern Ireland.\n\nIt said about 7,500 women and girls gave birth in the Northern Ireland homes, operated by both Catholic and Protestant churches and religious organisations.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, research into mother and baby homes and Magdalene laundries was commissioned three years ago and was initially expected to take 12 months.\n\nIt was completed in February last year, but was then sent to those facing criticism to give them an opportunity to reply.\n\nA Department of Health spokesperson said: \"A paper will be brought to the executive shortly for its consideration. Subject to executive approval, it is intended to publish the research report before the end of January 2021.\"\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, the commission that investigated the homes found that the number of children who died was about 15% of all those who were born in the institutions.\n\nTaoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Mícheál Martin said the report, which can be read in full here, described a \"dark, difficult and shameful chapter\" of Irish history.\n\nSolicitor Claire McKeegan, who represents the Birth Mothers for Justice group, welcomed the apology in the Republic of Ireland, but said mothers and children in NI had not received one.\n\n\"The crimes perpetrated on them have yet to be investigated,\" she said.\n\n\"Those perpetrators who forced them into arbitrary detention, hard labour and colluded in the forced adoption of their babies, remain unchallenged in this jurisdiction.\"\n\nMary O'Neill became pregnant when she was 18 and was sent to Marianvale in Newry in the late 1970s.\n\nThere she gave birth to a baby girl who was taken away from her almost immediately after the birth.\n\nShe wanted to keep the baby, but was not allowed and was told the baby would be put up for adoption.\n\nThe mother and baby scandal became an international news story when 'significant human remains' were found on the grounds of a former home in County Galway\n\nMs O'Neill told Good Morning Ulster she eventually tracked down her daughter after 40 years.\n\n\"It was a long search, everywhere you went you were up against a brick wall,\" she said.\n\n\"There was no help, the social workers didn't want to tell you anything.\"\n\nShe finally found out her daughter was living in America but was coming home for her 40th birthday.\n\nShe said when she met her it was like meeting a stranger.\n\n\"But thank God we have met and we have a good relationship. She's still keeping in touch,\" Ms O'Neill said.\n\n\"It means the world to me, because you always wondered where was she? Was she happy? Did she know about you?\n\n\"It was always in the back of your mind. It never went away, the tears and the heartache.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMs O'Neill said she was happy the victims in the Republic of Ireland were getting an apology, but wishes the homes in Northern Ireland could have been included.\n\nMechelle Dillon's mother was 21 and pregnant when she was sent to Marianvale in Newry in 1969.\n\nShe was placed in foster care a few months after her birth.\n\nHer mother returned to her home village and then moved to England. But she came back for Mechelle when she was around eight or nine-months-old.\n\nShe said she believed she was not adopted because she was born with a cyst on her mouth.\n\n\"I would have maybe been classed as a reject, if you want to put it that way,\" she said.\n\n\"It's the same as if you go to look for a little puppy and if the puppy doesn't feel right and you think 'Oh God, I'll have a lot of vet bills here, I don't want that puppy' - I would have probably been classed the same because I would have had that defect.\"\n\nSDLP leader Colum Eastwood said \"the executive should move quickly to publish the research report and then call a full public inquiry\".", "The numbers of care home residents and staff testing positive for Covid-19 have hit their highest levels.\n\nThere were 1,507 positive tests in care homes in Wales in the most recent week, a 78% rise on the week before.\n\nAcross Wales, 37,026 residents and staff were tested by either the NHS or the Lighthouse laboratories the week beginning 4 January, according to Public Health Wales.\n\nBroken down, 6,466 care home residents were tested in the most recent week and 582 (9%) were positive in results from NHS laboratories.\n\nAlso, 248 care home workers tested positive, with about 96% of tests negative.\n\nBut there were another 677 positive test results from Lighthouse labs, which do not distinguish between residents and care home staff.\n\nAll of these categories saw the highest numbers yet recorded.\n\nResidents and staff are supposed to be tested weekly at care homes in Wales.\n\nCare Home Inspectorate Wales also now publish separate figures around testing , which showed 137 care homes in Wales (13%) had notified one or more positive cases in staff or residents in the most recent week available and 31.8% within the last month.\n\nSwansea had 17 care homes which had notified at least one case in the week ending 1 January; Cardiff had 15 homes with at least one case and Bridgend was next with 13 care homes.", "Decima Minhinnick, pictured at her 90th birthday party, lives in a care home and has vascular dementia\n\nA couple who were fined £60 for driving 20 minutes to see a relative in a care home have had their fine cancelled by police.\n\nCarol and David Richards from Bridgend travelled seven miles to Porthcawl to visit her mother Decima Minhinnick, 94.\n\nOn Tuesday, police defended the fine, claiming the couple had broken lockdown rules.\n\nOn Wednesday, South Wales Police said it had \"since been reviewed and the notice has been rescinded\".\n\n\"The individual concerned has been notified\".\n\nIn a statement, it added: \"Wales remains at alert level four and South Wales Police will continue to patrol our communities to ensure the legislation, which has been enacted to slow the spread of coronavirus, is complied with\".\n\nMrs Richards has said she was \"mortified\" they were stopped by police while returning on Sunday from what she said was a compassionate visit.\n\nShe said on Tuesday she did not believe they breached lockdown rules.\n\nMrs Richards said the couple had arranged the visit to Picton Court Care Home in advance with the permission of staff, and spoke to her mother, who has vascular dementia, through the window of her ground-floor room from the car park.\n\nDavid and Carol Richards complained about the £60 fine\n\nShe told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that when she was issued with the fine it was like \"a sort of dystopian novel\", adding that the officer involved was \"pedantic and inflexible\".\n\n\"I was angry - she just would not listen to any protestations, and so she said 'you're going to be issued with a £60 fixed penalty fine'.\n\n\"It's not about the 60 quid, it's about the principle.\"\n\nThe home is just over seven miles from where the couple live", "Tony Parsons was last seen on 29 September 2017\n\nPolice have discovered human remains during a search for a man who went missing more than three years ago during a charity cycle ride.\n\nTony Parsons, from Tillicoultry, was last seen on 29 September 2017 outside the Bridge of Orchy Hotel.\n\nDetectives said the discovery was made during a detailed search of a remote site close to a farm near the A82 at Bridge of Orchy.\n\nPolice said that Mr Parsons' family have been made aware of the discovery.\n\nEfforts to recover the remains will continue over the coming days before a post mortem is held to establish their identity.\n\nTwo men, both aged 29, were arrested and then released pending further inquiries in December in connection with the disappearance of Mr Parsons.\n\nPolice have been carrying out searches in the area in recent days\n\nDet Ch Insp Alan Somerville said: \"This is clearly a significant development and extensive work is ongoing to recover the remains and confirm their identity.\n\n\"We have informed Mr Parsons' family, who are being supported by specialist officers.\n\n\"The thoughts of everyone involved in the investigation are with them at this difficult time.\"\n\nMr Parsons cycled through Glencoe village and was last seen at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel\n\nThe former navy officer, who was 63 when he went missing, was last seen outside the hotel at about 23:30. He then continued south along the A82 in the direction of Tyndrum but there were no more sightings of him after that.\n\nExtensive searches were carried out in the area, involving local mountain rescue teams, volunteers, Police Scotland dogs and the force's air support unit.\n\nMr Parsons had caught the train to Fort William on the day he was last seen with the intention of cycling the 104-mile (167km) journey home to Tillicoultry.", "Covid vaccinations will be offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week as soon as supply allows, Boris Johnson says.\n\nThe prime minister said the plan was to extend opening hours of vaccination centres - at the moment, most sites run from 08:00 to 22:00.\n\nThe 24-7 service will be piloted in a small number of places first - with NHS staff likely to be offered the option of overnight vaccinations first.\n\nBut Mr Johnson said supply was the limiting factor at the moment.\n\nThe NHS had just over a million doses available last week and used up most of them.\n\nThis week, there are thought to be more but not yet enough to vaccinate two million people - the weekly target the government is aiming to reach in the coming weeks.\n\nAt Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson said there would be 24-7 vaccination \"as soon as possible\".\n\nThe UK has access to two vaccines at the moment - the Pfizer-BioNTech jab and another produced in partnership by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.\n\nA third vaccine made by the US company Moderna has been approved but is not yet available to the UK.\n\nMr Johnson praised the work of the more than 200 hospitals and 1,000 GP-led NHS vaccination sites running at the moment.\n\n\"They are going exceptionally fast,\" he added.\n\nBy the end of Monday, 2.4 million people had received their first vaccine dose.\n\nThe government has promised all the over-70s, the extremely clinically vulnerable and front-line health and care workers - about 15 million people - will be offered a jab by mid February.\n\nThere is actually enough vaccine in the country to vaccinate all the highest at-risk groups.\n\nThe problem is that not all of it has been packaged into vials or passed through the final safety checks.\n\nThere should soon be two million doses available each week for the NHS to use.\n\nBut the key question once that is achieved is how quickly and by how much supply can increase from there.\n\nTo make full use of the network of vaccination centres - the ambition is to have 2,700 up and running - many millions of doses will be needed each week.\n\nThere is huge global demand for these vaccines.\n\nAnd while the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab is made in the UK, the Pfizer-BioNTech one is made abroad as is the Moderna vaccine.\n\nSupplies of the latter are not expected until the spring.\n\nThis is an issue the government is likely to be grappling with for some time.\n\nBut despite the concerns, it should also be recognised the UK has been quick out of the blocks.\n\nOnly two countries have vaccinated a larger proportion of the population than the UK.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was vital the government moved quickly.\n\nSpeaking about the planned 24-7 vaccination, he said: \"I obviously welcome that and urge the prime minister and the government to get on with this.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Nadhim Zahawi, the minister in charge of the vaccination programme, was also asked about supply, at an appearance before the Science and Technology Committee.\n\nHe said he had a \"clear line of sight\" for the expected numbers that would be available to the NHS for the next few months but refused to give any more detail.\n\n\"The more we show off about how many vaccine batches we're receiving, the more difficult life becomes for the manufacturers,\" he said.\n\nAstraZeneca vice president Sir Mene Pangalos said one of the issues the firm was facing was that infections among staff had begun to hinder production.\n\n\"I feel that it is critical that those who are working on vaccines are immunised because if you have an outbreak at one of the centres, which we've had actually or in one of the groups in Oxford that's working on new variants, or those working on the regulatory files everything stops.\"", "Changes to Scotland's lockdown restrictions have been announced. The tightening of the rules follows concerns the \"stay at home\" message is not having the same impact it did during last year's lockdown. The changes will come into effect on Saturday.\n\nThe availability and operation of click and collect services will be limited to retailers selling essential items such as clothes, footwear, baby equipment, homeware and books. Also, outlets that sell electrical goods; do key cutting; undertake shoe repairs, plus garden centres and plant nurseries can continue the collect service.\n\nFor qualifying businesses, staggered appointments will need to be offered to avoid any potential for queuing, and access inside premises for collection will not be permitted.\n\nCustomers in Scotland will no longer be allowed to go inside to collect takeaway food or coffee. Businesses will have to operate from a serving hatch or doorway.\n\nThe aim is to reduce the risk of customers coming into contact indoors with each other, or with staff.\n\nIt will be against the law in all level four areas of Scotland to drink alcohol outdoors in public.\n\nThis will mean that buying a takeaway pint and consuming on the street will not be permitted.\n\nIt is intended to underline the message that people should only be leaving home for essential purposes.\n\nThe Scottish government is strengthening the obligation on employers to allow their staff to work from home whenever possible.\n\nThe law already says that people should only be leaving home to go to work if it is work that cannot be done from home. This is a legal obligation that falls on individuals.\n\nHowever, statutory guidance is being introduced to make clear that employers should support employees to work from home wherever possible.\n\nThe Scottish government is strengthening provisions in relation to work inside people's houses.\n\nCurrent guidance says that in level four areas work is only permitted within a private dwelling if it is essential for the upkeep, maintenance and functioning of the household. This guidance is now being put into law.\n\nThe final change is an amendment to the regulations requiring people to stay at home.\n\nThis is intended to close an apparent loophole rather than change the spirit of the law. It will also bring the wording of the stay at home regulations in Scotland into line with the other UK nations.\n\nCurrently the law states that people can only leave home for an essential purpose.\n\nThe amendment will make it clear that people \"must not leave or remain outside\" the home unless it is for an essential purpose.\n\nThe Scottish government's full lockdown guidance is available here.", "The Lauberhorn course is the longest downhill run in the world (file image)\n\nA British tourist has been blamed for a spike in coronavirus cases that led officials to cancel Switzerland's famous Lauberhorn ski race.\n\nThe resort of Wengen, where the race is held, had recorded only 10 cases of the virus by mid-December.\n\nBut the number soon began to rise and many cases have since been linked to the new highly infectious variant of Covid-19 first identified in the UK.\n\nAt least 27 cases are connected to one British tourist, contact tracers say.\n\nThe tourist stayed in a hotel in Wengen over the holiday period.\n\nThe Lauberhorn course is the longest downhill run in the world, and racers can reach speeds of 160km/h (100 mph).\n\nOfficials desperately tried to save the race, shutting schools and offering to close off the resort to everyone but the competitors.\n\nSwiss health officials initially agreed with the plan, but a further jump in cases at the start of this week prompted them to pull the emergency brake and cancel the event.\n\nThe Lauberhorn track is 4,480m (14,700ft) long - and the race will now have to wait until 2022\n\nWengen is devastated. The Lauberhorn is one of the top competitions on the World Cup ski circuit. It is dearly loved by the Swiss, who have watched with delight as some of their own homegrown talent, such as Beat Feuz and Carlo Janka, have triumphed there.\n\nMoreover, the long love affair between Switzerland and British winter tourists has frosted over to some extent.\n\nIt was only last month that the vanishing Brits of Verbier, who reportedly fled Switzerland rather than accept the government mandated quarantine, triggered a flurry of negative headlines.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Italy's Foppolo ski resort was closed until 6 January and missed the all-important Christmas ski season\n\nNow the high point of Switzerland's skiing calendar has been abruptly cancelled, and some Swiss blame the British.\n\nOthers say Switzerland only has itself to blame.\n\nWhile neighbours France and Italy closed their resorts over the festive period, the Swiss government opted for a precarious balancing act. It kept its slopes open, but closed all bars and restaurants and limited ski lifts to two-thirds capacity.\n\nMost Swiss resorts are quiet, with just a few locals enjoying the runs. But still some tourists arrived and, as Wengen's experience shows, just one infected guest is enough to cause major damage.\n\nInstead of hosting a major ski race, Wengen officials are now racing to control the virus. Mass testing has already begun in the resort.\n\nSwitzerland's government has extended the closure of bars, restaurants, museums, and theatres until the end of February in a bid to control the new variant. It has also ordered non-essential shops to close and made working from home obligatory.\n\nAs for the Lauberhorn, Switzerland's oldest and fiercest skiing rival, Austria, will now host the postponed event. Nothing could have been calculated to upset the Swiss more.\n\nThe event was first moved to the Austrian ski resort of Kitzbühel, but an outbreak of coronavirus there has prompted another move, this time to Flachau, 100km to the east.\n\nThe cluster of cases in Jochberg near Kitzbühel broke out among a group of mainly British trainee ski instructors.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nI'm standing in what should be an operating theatre - but instead it's been converted into an intensive care unit for Covid-19 patients on ventilators.\n\nThis is the first time I have seen it full of patients like this. Normally this theatre would be busy with major cancer surgery, but that's been transferred to another building.\n\nA children's recovery area, still decorated with colourful stickers of cartoons, is once again filled with desperately sick adults. Every day, more wards are being transformed into ICU - ready for the next influx of patients.\n\nWe have been given access to University College Hospital, in central London. This is the same intensive care unit that I first visited in April, during the first peak.\n\nIt is one of the busiest hospitals in the capital and intensive care here is expanding across a hospital that is under pressure like never before, from a relentless rise in Covid admissions.\n\nI am struck by the toll the pandemic is taking on staff. It's immense - both physically and mentally. They are shell-shocked. \"My emotions are all over the place. Scared, sad, petrified, worried,\" one ICU nurse tells me.\n\nI asked one of the consultants who I've met several times in the last year, Dr Jim Down, how long they can keep going like this - and the answer was stark. \"At this rate, about a week. After that we really need to see it slow down or we're going to see the care we can deliver suffering.\"\n\nThey have got three times as many critically ill patients in the hospital as normal. The number of Covid admissions to London hospitals has doubled in just two weeks - they're more stretched now than at the peak last April. Senior staff are worried.\n\nDr Alice Carter compares it to an elastic band that is close to snapping. \"It gets to a point where you stretch so far it never returns back to its baseline. I think that's probably where we are now. It's not going to take much more for that elastic band to break, and that's the real fear for us at the moment.\"\n\nDr Alice Carter: 'It's not going to take much more for that elastic band to break'\n\nThat could have very serious consequences, she adds. \"If we get to that point, we can't offer anyone ICU, not just Covid patients, but anyone who has a traffic accident or a heart attack or a stroke - whatever it is, to take them in.\"\n\nFor 38-year-old Rachel Arfin, one of the three pregnant women in intensive care with Covid-19, treatment is more complicated. Her baby is due in five weeks and the staff have to monitor them both.\n\n\"They can't do anything that will harm the baby,\" she says. \"All the time [they are] checking, monitoring the baby.\" She is reassured by the \"beautiful sound\" of her baby's heartbeat.\n\n\"They are looking after two people in one. They're saving lives,\" says Rachel. But her children - she has seven - keep asking when she's coming home.\n\nRachel Arfin's baby is due in five weeks - both are doing well\n\nI've reported from here several times during the pandemic and am always struck by the professionalism and dedication of staff. It's always quiet and calm, but that belies what's actually happening. This is a system under strain like never before.\n\nThe warning signs are clear, the NHS is on the brink. Unless infection rates fall, soon it will have a serious impact. The pressure on staff is unrelenting. I saw two nurses in tears.\n\nCompared to when I visited in April, it's a lot busier. In some ways, it's more structured - they now know what they're dealing with. They've got new treatments, such as the drug dexamethasone, which they didn't have last time. And many of the staff have now had the first dose of the vaccine.\n\nBut other aspects don't get any easier, such as the emotional burden of breaking bad news over a telephone or video call. It is very different to being able to hold someone's hand.\n\nStaff say they don't know which patients to help first\n\nICU staff have incredibly high standards. They're used to doing everything meticulously and perfectly. And they're doing all they can. But sometimes they go home and feel guilty that they can't do more. The impact on nurses - the bedrock of care in intensive care - is visible.\n\nThe highly specialised staff are usually one-to-one with patients. Deputy sister Ashleigh Shillingford is looking after three or four ventilated patients at a time, with one other junior member of staff. It's emotional and often devastating work.\n\n\"We are so stretched we have to prioritise and prioritising care is not the NHS that I grew up in - we shouldn't have to choose which patient gets what care first.\" She says she's never had to make decisions like these before.\n\n\"You just don't know who to help first. The patients are losing their lives at a dramatic speed, we're not just getting old people,\" she says, \"these are young people that we're getting.\"\n\nGerald Williams, 58, is awaiting chemotherapy for lung cancer and had been shielding, but he still caught coronavirus. \"All of a sudden, out of the blue, Covid came knocking on my door and it's frightening - you don't know how you're getting your next breath,\" he says.\n\nGerald Williams had been shielding but he still caught coronavirus\n\nHe wants to get home to his daughters, the youngest of whom is 13. And he's annoyed at those who don't take it seriously. \"People are moaning and groaning. Even in A&E. They need to get a life. Don't be idiots, forget about meeting your mate, stay home. No-one is invulnerable.\"\n\nFor now the Trust is coping better than many others in London and is still taking Covid patients from other hospitals. But the next few weeks could be the biggest challenge the NHS has ever faced - and it will be its doctors and nurses who will bear the brunt for all of us.\n\nAs the BBC's medical editor, Fergus Walsh has been reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic and its immense impact on the UK.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Matt Hancock: 'Together we can make this the peak'\n\n\"We can make this the peak\" of the coronavirus pandemic \"if enough people follow the rules\", Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.\n\nHe told BBC Breakfast it was \"those individual decisions\" that determine the virus's spread and it \"comes down to the behaviour of everyone\".\n\nPeople \"shouldn't take the mickey out of the rules,\" he said.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons.\n\nThis includes for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nLatest figures show there are now more than 35,000 people in hospital with Covid - an increase on the spring peak.\n\nIt comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to be questioned by MPs on the vaccine rollout later.\n\nMeanwhile, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is also due to announce whether there will be any changes to lockdown restrictions later. Ministers have been discussing the possibility of tightening the current restrictions.\n\nWhen asked on BBC Breakfast if this was the peak of this wave of the pandemic, Mr Hancock replied: \"I want it to be, but that comes down to the behaviour of everyone.\n\n\"Together we can make this the peak if enough people follow the rules which are incredibly clear.\"\n\nMr Hancock said England's lockdown measures were \"always under review\", but he would be \"very reluctant\" to remove the rule of meeting one other person outside for exercise as \"it is a lifeline\" for some people, including those who live alone. Mr Hancock has already ruled out scrapping support bubbles.\n\n\"What I'd rather is that everybody follow that rule and doesn't stretch it or flex it,\" he said.\n\nOn the news that patients at a hospital in London are to be discharged early and sent to a hotel to help free up beds for critically ill coronavirus patients, Mr Hancock said moving patients to hotels \"isn't something we are actively putting in place\".\n\nKing's College Hospital said it would help to create space for the \"high numbers\" of new admissions and would \"temporarily accommodate mainly homeless patients who are ready to safely leave hospital and will benefit from further support from community partners\".\n\nThere are very early signs that infections may have peaked - although as always we should be careful about reading too much into a few days' worth of data.\n\nThe past two days have seen newly diagnosed cases hover around the 46,000-mark. Up to the weekend, the average was close to 60,000.\n\nThe drop has largely been driven by falls in new cases in London, the South East and East of England.\n\nThe national picture does mask some regional differences. Cases are rising in the North West, which is causing particular concern.\n\nIt is too early for the vaccination programme to be having any significant impact so a combination of the national lockdown on top of the tier four restrictions that were imposed in some areas before Christmas look like they may be beginning to have an impact.\n\nThere is also some evidence the new variant may not be quite as fast-spreading as first feared - a Public Health England study suggested rather than being 70% more transmissible it may actually be somewhere between 30% to 50%.\n\nAnd, if it does represent the start of a continuous fall, it is important to remember it will still take some time to translate into fewer hospital cases - people being admitted at the moment are those who would have caught the virus a week or two ago.\n\nBut after six weeks of pretty sustained rises, it is at least an encouraging sign.\n\nAsked about images of elite footballers celebrating goals with hugs, Mr Hancock said: \"I think elite sport is important because these are tough times, and being able to watch the football on the telly is really important because there's loads of things that you can't do.\"\n\nHe said the Premier League has \"special arrangements to ensure that players are safe\" as well as a testing regime.\n\nThe health secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine will accelerate over the coming weeks, saying they were \"on track\" to deliver it to 14 million people by mid-February.\n\nVaccines deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi later told the Commons' science and technology committee that he was \"confident\" of achieving this target.\n\nMore than 2.4 million people have now had a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 412,167 people have had a second dose. Mr Hancock said 40% of the 3.4m people over 80 in England had been vaccinated so far.\n\n\"We have the capacity to get that vaccine out. The challenge is that we need to get the vaccine in,\" Mr Hancock said.\n\n\"What I know is that the supply will increase over the next few weeks and that means the very rapid rate that we are going at at the moment will continue to accelerate over the next couple of weeks.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said it was \"pretty clear\" that because of the new strain the Covid-19 infection rate was not going to go down as quickly as it did during the first wave.\n\n\"It now looks like the peak for NHS demand may actually be in February,\" he said.", "Morrisons will become the first UK supermarket to pay at least £10 an hour from April.\n\nIt will increase its minimum pay for up to 96,000 workers from £9.20.\n\nRetail trade union Usdaw negotiated the £10 per hour basic rate which is 50p an hour above the voluntary Living Wage Foundation rate.\n\nHowever, other big supermarkets appear unlikely to follow any time soon, with Asda saying that just looking at hourly rates does not tell the full story.\n\nMorrisons said for the majority of its workers the pay increase will be approximately 9%.\n\nPart of the increase will result from changing the company's annual bonus scheme from a discretionary yearly payment into a guaranteed amount in workers' hourly rates.\n\nIt will boost the weekly pay of someone working 36.75 hours a week from £330.10 to £367.50.\n\nUnion members still need to approve the deal. The result will be announced on 12 February and, if accepted, the new rates will be paid from 5 April 2021.\n\n\"The new consolidated hourly rate is now the leading rate of the major supermarkets,\" said Joanne McGuinness, Usdaw national officer after the Morrisons announcement.\n\n\"It's been a tough time for food retail staff who have worked throughout the pandemic in difficult circumstances,\" said Ms McGuinness.\n\n\"They provide the essential service of keeping the nation fed and deserve our support, respect and appreciation. Most of all they deserve decent pay and this offer is a welcome boost.\"\n\nIn addition to the hourly pay increase, Morrisons will pay a higher London weighting.\n\nRates for inner London will be 85p and for outer London 60p per hour, up from 75p in inner London and 50p in outer London.\n\nDavid Potts, Morrisons chief executive said: \"It's a symbolic and important milestone that represents another step in rewarding the incredibly important work that our colleagues do up and down the country.\"\n\nMorrisons' move propels it to the top of the supermarket pay league, leapfrogging Aldi and Lidl. Will other big rivals follow suit?\n\nSupermarket staff have become frontline heroes in this pandemic and there's a new-found respect for the vital work they do in keeping us fed day-in day-out.\n\nMany consumers may welcome the idea of higher rewards for those staff.\n\nBut supermarkets have already taken on a lot of extra costs in ramping up their operations as well as recruiting thousands of extra staff.\n\nAnd there are no shortage of workers looking for jobs right now, which could keep a lid on pay.\n\nLidl has already announced plans to increase its hourly wage for staff from March, increasing the rate for 20,000 workers from £9.30 to £9.50.\n\nWithin London's M25 motorway boundary the rate has increased from £10.75 to £10.85 an hour.\n\n\"It is only right that we increase the income for our colleagues who are the backbone of our business.,\" said chief executive Christian Härtnagel.\n\n\"This is about recognising their hard work and dedication in keeping the nation fed during a year like no other.\n\nAsda, which pays £9.18 outside London and either £9.76 or £10.31 inside the capital, pointed out that it pays above National Living Wage rules and never employs on 'zero hours' contracts.\n\nAn Asda statement said: \"On top of a competitive wage structure, Asda colleagues also receive a host of benefits which contribute to their yearly earnings, these including colleague discount in our stores and online, special discounts for shops and a yearly performance-based bonus.\n\n\"So simply looking at the hourly rate doesn't tell the full story.\"\n\nSainsbury's basic hourly pay is £9.30, and a statement to the BBC made no mention of any immediate intention to raise the rate.\n\nA spokesperson said, \"Our colleagues do a brilliant job and we are so proud of how they continue to go above and beyond for our customers.\n\n\"We have made two thank you payments to frontline workers in recognition of this in the last year and regularly review colleague pay to make sure we offer leading rates.\"\n\nA Waitrose spokesperson said: \"Our hourly minimum starting pay across the UK for non-management Partners in Waitrose is currently £9.10 following a short induction period, with scope for higher pay according to performance.\n\n\"We review Partner pay annually each April and will do so again this year.\"\n\nM&S said their minimum pay for workers is £9.00 an hour, but pointed out that those that worked during the pandemic last April and May were handed a 15% pay reward on top of the rate.\n\nLatest available data suggests Aldi currently pays £9.40 an hour, Tesco £9.30 and Co-op £9.", "As Scotland's hospitals fill with Covid patients and the daily-registered death toll passes 5,000, there are concerns the \"stay at home\" message has not had the same impact it did during last year's lockdown.\n\nSome of the restrictions announced by Nicola Sturgeon in early January have now been tightened even further.\n\nHow do Scotland's current lockdown rules compare to those imposed last March?\n\nLast March outdoor exercise was allowed only if people were alone or with someone from the same household. It was initially limited to once a day, before this restriction was eased in May 2020.\n\nAll exercise had to be done close to home. No mixing with other households or other any outdoor relaxation was allowed.\n\nNow up to two people from separate households can meet for outdoor sport or exercise. Children under 12 years old do not count towards this number.\n\nThere is no limit on how many times you can go out to exercise each day, but you should still stay close to home and avoid crowded areas.\n\nProf Jason Leitch, Scotland's clinical director, says police enforcement is used as \"last resort\" against people who break the rules.\n\nThese rules are not expected to change in Scotland. However, the UK government has warned that exercise restrictions may be tightened after \"large groups\" have flouted their own two-person rule.\n\nLast March non-essential shops were ordered to shut along with cafes, bars, restaurants and cinemas. Supermarkets and pharmacies were among premises which could stay open.\n\nIn July a new law made it compulsory to wear a face covering in shops across Scotland.\n\nAll pubs, restaurants and cafes must remain closed in Scotland's level four areas - although they can still serve takeaway food. The definition of \"essential retail\" has also been narrowed, forcing homeware shops and garden centres to close once again.\n\nRules on click and collect will be tightened from 16 January. The service will be limited to retailers selling essential items and access inside premises for collection will not be allowed.\n\nTakeaway customers will also no longer be allowed inside premises for pick-up from 16 January. Businesses will have to operate from a serving hatch or doorway.\n\nSchools and nurseries were closed last March, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying there were too many absent staff to continue.\n\nMany teachers prepared homeworking packs and some online learning. Parents and pupils had to get used to home schooling.\n\nChildren of essential workers and vulnerable pupils were looked after by staff in childcare hubs.\n\nSchools began the January 2021 term largely via online and remote learning.\n\nAs before, only children of key workers and vulnerable children are allowed in classrooms - but this time there is more focus on learning than simply child care.\n\nThe number of pupils attending school is much higher than last year.\n\nProf Leitch suggests this may be because Scotland has \"too much open\" in the rest of society with working adults in greater need of childcare. He said a \"sweet spot\" needs to be found to keep children and adults safe.\n\nThe Scottish government hopes pupils can return to the classroom in February, but this plan is to be kept under review.\n\nSee where coronavirus case rates have been rising in Scotland with this interactive map.\n\nPeople were told to stay at home except for essential shopping for food or medicine, going out for their daily exercise, or to care for the vulnerable.\n\nEmployers were asked to make provisions for staff to work from home. Wearing of face coverings on public transport was not initially required, but became mandatory in Scotland in June.\n\nIt is a legal requirement not to leave home for anything other than essential purposes. A \"reasonable excuse\" can include essential shopping, exercise or caring responsibilities.\n\nPeople should only go out to work if it absolutely cannot be done from home. It is illegal to travel between Scotland and other parts of the UK unless the journey is essential.\n\nThere are no expectations of enhanced travel restrictions, as the rules are already \"pretty tight\" says Prof Leitch.\n\n\"We have a stay at home law, it is illegal to fly overseas, it is illegal to travel, it is illegal to leave your home without a reason to do so,\" he added.\n\nThe latest contact tracing figures from Public Health Scotland show that since November, shops have accounted for 19% of the places visited by people the week before their positive test.\n\nWhile these figures don't tell us whether people contracted the virus in a specific location, they do suggest the most likely sources.\n\nThe number of cases traced to shopping-related locations increased by 83% between 27 December and 3 January.\n\nOther large increases were seen when:\n\nIn March \"essential\" was the key word for all employers. Businesses were told they could only stay open if what they do was \"essential\" to the effort of tackling Covid or the wellbeing of society.\n\nNicola Sturgeon said building sites should close unless they involved work on an \"essential building\" such as a hospital. Visits from tradespeople were allowed only for \"essential repairs\".\n\nOutdoor workplaces, construction, manufacturing, veterinary services and film and TV production can remain open. Employers have been told to plan for the minimum number of people needed on site to operate safely and effectively.\n\nHome visits by tradespeople are still allowed for essential maintenance. This guidance is being put into law from 16 January.\n\nProf Leitch says the Scottish government continues to examine rules around what constitutes essential and non-essential construction.", "A deal has been agreed for the sale of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Ponden Home and Bonmarché chains, which were on the brink of closure.\n\nThe businesses went into administration last year after a collapse in sales due to the pandemic.\n\nAlmost 2,000 staff will be kept on but as many as 260 stores could close.\n\nThe buyers are a consortium of international investors who will inject fresh funds into the business, led by the existing management team.\n\nEdinburgh Woollen Mill, which sells mid-price knitwear and other clothing to older shoppers, is part of a stable of retail brands owned by billionaire businessman, Philip Day.\n\nIt is understood that Mr Day will effectively lend the group the money to buy the businesses which will be paid back over a number of years.\n\nThe deal also covers two other brands in the group, value retailer Bonmarché, and Ponden Home, an interiors chain based in the south east of England.\n\nThe new owners plan to operate 246 stores across both the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home brands, retaining 1,453 staff in those stores, the head office and distribution centres in Carlisle.\n\nHowever, 85 Edinburgh Woollen Mill stores and 34 Ponden Home stores have been closed permanently, with the loss of 485 jobs.\n\nWakefield-based Bonmarché will retain 72 of its stores and 531 staff including head office and distribution centre staff.\n\nThe majority of its stores, 148 outlets, remain under review with staff on furlough.\n\nAdministrators representing Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home said the deal represented the best chance to save stores and jobs, given the difficult outlook for UK retail.\n\n\"We regret that not all of Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home could be rescued,\" said Tony Wright, partner at FRP. \"This has resulted in a significant number of redundancies at a particularly challenging time of year and period of economic uncertainty.\"\n\nRetail has been particularly hard hit by measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. Even when shops have been open many shoppers stayed away, wary of the health risks.\n\nThe British Retail Consortium said consumers bought 5% less last year than the year before (not including food). Much of that custom switched from the High Street to online, making it harder for chains whose customers usually shop in person. Physical stores saw sales drop by a quarter, the BRC said.\n\nOther major brands including Topshop-owner Arcadia and Debenhams have also gone into administration, costing hundreds of jobs.\n\n\"Lockdowns have proved hugely damaging for mid-range fashion chains like Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Bonmarché whose traditional customer base has not adapted so quickly to online shopping as younger shoppers,\" said Susannah Streeter, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.\n\n\"The backers of this rescue deal clearly believe there is pent-up demand amongst core customers which will be released once the doors are flung open once more,\" she added.\n\nOn Monday, Marks & Spencer announced it was buying Jaeger, another brand that had belonged to Philip Day's portfolio.\n\nPeacocks, another High Street fashion brand in the EWM group remains in administration.", "Sally told the BBC she is still waiting for her P45 despite handing in her notice in November\n\nHairdresser Sally had a surprise when she looked at her tax record with HM Revenue and Customs: \"It said I'd still been getting furlough pay from a job I left in November.\"\n\nShe told BBC Radio 5 Live's Wake up to Money: \"That was a revelation - none of it had landed in my bank account.\"\n\nHers is among more than 21,000 reports of suspected furlough fraud currently being handled by HMRC.\n\nThe money is either due to fraudulent claims, or is being paid out in error.\n\nThe Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, commonly called the furlough scheme was launched in March 2020, at the start of the coronavirus crisis, to minimise unemployment. Under the scheme, the government pays 80% of employees' wages up to £2,500 a month.\n\nThe number of tip offs to the taxman has spiralled since last April, from 3,000 to 21,378 reports of suspect payments by early January.\n\nSally's former employer told the BBC she did not know Sally had resigned\n\nAt the peak of its use in early May, the scheme was supporting 8.9 million jobs.\n\nIt was extended in January until the end of April 2021 and now also applies to those who are unable to work due to caring responsibilities, or because they are clinically extremely vulnerable.\n\nThe scheme has been widely supported for its role in supporting employers and jobs during the pandemic, but it has been found to be open to abuse.\n\nTax lawyer Anita Clifford said at the 'extreme end' of furlough fraud were 'dormant companies being resurrected' and 'fake employees'\n\nSally believes her former employer broke the rules after she resigned from the salon last year.\n\nShe told the BBC she sent her resignation letter and returned her uniform to her employer in the post in November, but \"heard nothing back\". A client later contacted her asking if she was OK, as they had heard she was off work, \"sick\".\n\nSally started to get her paperwork together to register as self-employed but when she opened her online HMRC account, she noticed she was registered as receiving payments equivalent to those she was getting while on furlough - although the money was not reaching her account.\n\nShe left it a couple of weeks in case her resignation was taking a few weeks to be processed.\n\nTo date, Sally has still has not received a P45, and says she is still registered as being paid through the furlough scheme.\n\nHMRC has called on anyone concerned about suspected abuse of the team to get in touch with the department\n\n\"In the middle of the pandemic, where people are losing homes because they can't get any help, I think it's quite sickening,\" she said.\n\n\"It's wrong, and it makes a mockery of all those people who are suffering.\"\n\nThe BBC contacted Sally's former employer, who has denied the claims, saying she did not know that Sally had resigned, and had struggled to get in touch with her.\n\nTax barrister, Anita Clifford, from the firm Bright Line Law, said Sally's experience was \"a classic example\".\n\n\"Whether it's a mistake, or whether some actors are doing it deliberately, continuing furlough payments for former employees is a classic way of defrauding the system.\"\n\nHMRC has previously stressed that some employers may accidentally be committing furlough fraud.\n\nMs Clifford told the BBC that she was seeing businesses coming forward, \"worried about the mistakes that they've made\".\n\nBut she added examples of furlough fraud could be more extreme, where some businesses \"are seeking to claim money for completely fake employees\".\n\n\"In time to come, we'll certainly see enforcement activity, and people very worried about being on the receiving end of a criminal prosecution for some of these things.\n\n\"Certainly where you have dormant companies being resurrected, in order to claim money from the furlough scheme, you have fake employees... businesses being quite unscrupulous, you're not using the funds to pay salaries, I think those are the businesses you'll eventually see being looked at very seriously for criminal prosecution,\" she said.\n\nHMRC told the BBC: \"The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is part of the collective national effort to protect jobs. This is taxpayers' money and fraudulent claims limit our ability to support people and deprive public services of essential funding.\"\n\nNames have been changed to protect identities\n• None What happens when furlough ends?\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The Archbishop of Glasgow, Philip Tartaglia, has died suddenly at his home in Glasgow.\n\nA spokeswoman for the Catholic Church said that Archbishop Tartaglia had tested positive for Covid-19 shortly after Christmas and was self-isolating at home.\n\nThe cause of death is not yet clear.\n\nArchbishop Tartaglia, who was 70, was ordained a priest in 1975 and served as Archbishop of Glasgow since 2012.\n\nThe spokeswoman said it would be for Pope Francis to appoint a new archbishop, but until then the Archdiocese will be overseen by an administrator.", "Senior Conservatives have called for a \"reset\" in UK policy towards China, including sanctions against officials responsible for human rights abuses.\n\nThe Conservative Human Rights Commission demanded a rethink in relations after hearing evidence of abuses from torture to slavery.\n\nIt urged the UK to work with allies to respond to China's behaviour.\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab has said the UK plays a \"leading role\" in highlighting abuses.\n\nThe Commission made the recommendations in a new report endorsed by two former Conservative foreign secretaries, Lord Hague and Sir Malcolm Rifkind.\n\nIt adds to growing internal pressure on the government from Conservative circles to harden its line on China.\n\nThe Commission says it has heard first-hand evidence of human rights violations in China from dissidents, lawyers, and human rights campaigners.\n\nThis included violations of media freedom, clampdowns on Uighur Muslims, modern day slavery, and the establishment of an \"Orwellian surveillance state,\" it added.\n\nThe group said this showed the need for a \"comprehensive review\" of China policy across UK government departments.\n\nIt also called for the UK to diversify its supply chains to reduce \"strategic dependency\" on China and further efforts to highlight rights issues at the United Nations.\n\nMr Raab announced fines on Tuesday for UK firms doing business in China if they cannot show that their products aren't linked to forced labour in the country's Xinjiang region.\n\nIn December, the BBC revealed new evidence that China is forcing hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other minorities into hard, manual labour in the cotton fields of Xinjiang.\n\nMPs and peers are separately pushing for new laws to block trade deals with countries found guilty of genocide, something which for now the government is resisting.\n\nMr Raab told MPs the idea was \"well-meaning\" but it would be wrong to \"sub-contract\" the issue of when to break off trade talks to the courts.\n\nThe Conservative Human Rights Commission, established in 2005, aims to highlight human rights concerns and keep the issue high on the party's agenda.", "David (right) and Frederick Barclay receiving their knighthoods in 2000\n\nSir David Barclay, the co-owner of the Daily Telegraph newspaper, has died at the age of 86.\n\nSir David, together with his twin brother Sir Frederick, built up a business empire spanning hotels, retail and media.\n\nHis death was announced in the Telegraph, which reported that he died on Sunday after a short illness.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson, a former columnist for the paper, paid tribute to Sir David.\n\n\"Farewell with respect and admiration to Sir David Barclay who rescued a great newspaper, created many thousands of jobs across the UK and who believed passionately in the independence of this country and what it could achieve,\" he tweeted.\n\nThe Barclay brothers, who had an estimated wealth of £7bn according to the 2020 Sunday Times Rich List, were known for being media shy and rarely gave interviews.\n\nBorn in Hammersmith, west London, in 1934, Sir David was profoundly shaped by his childhood memories of war, and the death of his father when he was 12.\n\nHe and his twin Frederick - who was 10 minutes younger - started out as painters and decorators, before moving into property and eventually hotels.\n\nTheir success in property and hotels helped them take over Ellerman Lines, a shipping business with interests in brewing, in 1983.\n\nThis provided a launch pad from which they would become billionaires.\n\nAt various times, their hotel portfolio has included a number of trophy assets, including the Ritz Hotel in London, which they sold in March last year.\n\nIn 2012, the BBC’s Panorama reported that the Ritz had not paid any corporation tax since it had been taken over by the Barclays in 1995.\n\nAt the time, Sir David said they had “acted in a responsible way with regard to taxation and have never been involved in any tax avoidance scheme.”\n\nIn 2015, the twins sold off the hospitality group Maybourne, which included luxury hotels like Claridges.\n\nThe brothers first ventured into media ownership with their 1992 purchase of The European, a pan-European newspaper that shut down in 1998.\n\nThey also bought The Scotsman in 1995 and Sunday Business in 1997.\n\n“After these ventures in the publishing arena, the brothers had nurtured since the 1980s an ambition to own the Telegraph group,” The Telegraph said.\n\nThey acquired the Telegraph Group in 2004 for £665m from Canadian media magnate Conrad Black's Hollinger group.\n\nThe brothers also had a number of forays into retail, including Shop Direct, fashion retailer Very and delivery firm Yodel.\n\nThe pair were knighted in 2000 for services to charity. By this point their foundation was thought to have donated about £40m to charity and medical research.\n\nThe notoriously private twins' relationship was the subject of an extraordinary legal case last year, in which Sir David's three sons were accused by his brother of bugging conversations at the Ritz Hotel, which they previously owned.\n\nIn its obituary the Telegraph said Sir David had been a voracious reader, obsessed with newspapers, business, economics and politics, and had always said he had been educated at the \"university of life\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid in Scotland: Lockdown likely to extend to February\n\nScotland's first minister has said the country's current lockdown is \"very unlikely\" to be lifted at the end of the month.\n\nNicola Sturgeon was speaking as she confirmed that more than 5,000 people have now died after testing positive for the virus.\n\nA review of the current restrictions is due to be carried out at the end of January.\n\nMs Sturgeon said it was possible that there would be no easing at that point.\n\nA further 54 deaths have been recorded in the past 24 hours - bringing the total by that measure to 5,023.\n\nBut the most recent figures from the National Records of Scotland - which record all deaths registered in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate - put the total at 6,686.\n\nMs Sturgeon told her daily briefing that the figures were a reminder of the toll the virus had taken.\n\nAnd she said every death had caused heartbreak to friends, families and loved ones across the country.\n\nThe first minister also said Scotland's NHS would be under far greater pressure if the current restrictions had not been put in place on Boxing Day.\n\nAnd she urged people not to raise their expectations about what will be announced when the lockdown review is completed in a fortnight as wholesale lifting of the restrictions was \"very unlikely\".\n\nShe added: \"There may not even be any lifting of these restrictions as soon as the end of January - we will have to consider all of that carefully and set it out in due course.\"\n\nAll of mainland Scotland and some islands were placed into level four restrictions on 26 December, with schools remaining closed to most pupils until at least the end of the month.\n\nA further 1,875 positive cases of the virus were recorded on Monday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 153,423.\n\nThe number of people in hospital with the virus stands at 1,717 - an increase of 53 since yesterday and higher than the peak of about 1,500 in the first wave in April.\n\nOf these, 133 patients are intensive care units, with Ms Sturgeon saying that the virus was putting \"very acute pressure\" on hospitals.\n\nThe first minister also said that 175,942 people in Scotland had received their first vaccine dose by Monday.\n\nOpposition parties have claimed that the rollout of the vaccine has been \"sluggish\" in Scotland compared to south of the border - a charge that the government denies.\n\nAnd they have called for greater transparency over how many people are being given the jab every day.\n\nHealth Secretary Jeane Freeman said on Monday that the government was aiming to vaccinate about 560,000 people in Scotland by 31 January.\n\nNon-essential shops have been closed in Scotland since 26 December\n\nThe Scottish government has previously said it is concerned that too many people have not been following the \"stay at home\" rules that are in place across the whole of the mainland and some islands.\n\nMinisters have been discussing the possibility of imposing tougher rules on click and collect shopping and takeaway food, with an announcement expected to be made on Wednesday.\n\nRetail industry representatives have described click and collect services as a \"lifeline\" for struggling businesses amid the forced closure of all non-essential shops.\n\nAnd they said they had not been shown any evidence that click and collect was driving transmission of the virus.\n\nMs Sturgeon told her daily coronavirus briefing that the government may not stop click and collect services altogether.\n\nBut she added: \"If we are saying to people right now that you should not be out of your home for shopping unless it is essential, then do we need to have click and collect for non-essential services instead of having that for delivery?\"\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross told BBC Scotland that he did not want to see further restrictions put in place unless there was evidence that they would have the desired effect.\n\nHe also suggested that restricting click and collect would simply result in more people going back into supermarkets to do their shopping.\n\nThe Scottish government is also under pressure to lift the the current ban on public Sunday worship, with a group of 500 church leaders from across the UK - including 200 in Scotland - insisting that there is \"no evidence of any tangible contribution to community transmission through churches in Scotland\".\n\nIn a letter to the first minister, they claim that the ban may be unlawful and accuse the government of failing to understand that \"Christian worship is an essential public service, and especially vital to our nation in a time of crisis\".\n\nA Scottish government spokeswoman said: \"Test and Protect tells us where people were in their 48-hour infectious period.\n\n\"So we know that on one day last week the seven-day number for places of worship was 120, and data from yesterday shows the seven-day number for places of worship is 38, underlining the essential decision to require places of worship to close for public health reasons.\"\n\nMeanwhile, it has been confirmed that everyone arriving in Scotland from overseas will need to show proof of a negative test from Friday.\n\nThe test will need to be \"highly reliable\", the first minister said, and will need to have been from the previous three days - although young children may be exempt from the restriction.\n\nThose travelling from countries not on the quarantine exemption list will still need to self-isolate on arrival.\n\nThe new rules, which will also come into force in England, were first outlined last week.", "A Huawei patent has been brought to light for a system that identifies people who appear to be of Uighur origin among images of pedestrians.\n\nThe filing is one of several of its kind involving leading Chinese technology companies, discovered by a US research company and shared with BBC News.\n\nHuawei had previously said none of its technologies was designed to identify ethnic groups.\n\nIt now plans to alter the patent.\n\nThe company indicated this would involve asking the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) - the country's patent authority - for permission to delete the reference to Uighurs in the Chinese-language document.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nUighur people belong to a mostly Muslim ethnic group that lives mainly in Xinjiang province, in north-western China.\n\nGovernment authorities are accused of using high-tech surveillance against them and detaining many in forced-labour camps, where children are sometimes separated from their parents.\n\nBeijing says the camps offer voluntary education and training.\n\nChina's technology companies deny selling software that can be used to pick out Uighur people from the rest of the population by their appearance\n\n\"One technical requirement of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security's video-surveillance networks is the detection of ethnicity - particularly of Uighurs,\" said Maya Wang, from Human Rights Watch.\n\n\"While in the rest of the world, such targeting and persecution of a people on the basis of their ethnicity would be completely unacceptable, the persecution and severe discrimination of Uighurs in many aspects of life in China remain unchallenged because Uighurs have no power in China.\"\n\nHuawei's patent was originally filed in July 2018, in conjunction with the Chinese Academy of Sciences .\n\nIt describes ways to use deep-learning artificial-intelligence techniques to identify various features of pedestrians photographed or filmed in the street.\n\nIt focuses on addressing the fact different body postures - for example whether someone is sitting or standing - can affect accuracy.\n\nBut the document also lists attributes by which a person might be targeted, which it says can include \"race (Han [China's biggest ethnic group], Uighur)\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC News visited the camps where China’s Muslims have their \"thoughts transformed\", in 2019\n\nA spokesman said this reference should not have been included.\n\n\"Huawei opposes discrimination of all types, including the use of technology to carry out ethnic discrimination,\" he said.\n\n\"Identifying individuals' race was never part of the research-and-development project.\n\n\"It should never have become part of the application.\n\n\"And we are taking proactive steps to amend it.\n\n\"We are continuously working to ensure new and evolving technology is developed and applied with the utmost care and integrity.\"\n\nThe patent was brought to light by the video-surveillance research group IPVM.\n\nIt had previously flagged a separate \"confidential\" document on Huawei's website, referencing work on a \"Uighur alert\" system.\n\nIn that case, Huawei said the page referenced a test rather than a real-world application and denied selling systems that identified people by their ethnicity.\n\nOn Wednesday, Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the UK Parliament's Foreign Affairs Select Committee and leads the Conservative Party's China Research Group, told BBC News: \"Chinese tech giants supporting the brutal assault on the Uighur population show us why we as consumers and as a society must be careful with who we buy our products from or award business to.\n\n\"Developing ethnic-labelling technology for use by a repressive regime is clearly not behaviour that lives up to our standards.\"\n\nIPVM also discovered references to Uighur people in patents filed by the Chinese artificial-intelligence company Sensetime and image-recognition specialist Megvii.\n\nSensetime's filing, from July 2019, discusses ways facial-recognition software could be used for more efficient \"security protection\", such as searching for \"a middle-aged Uighur with sunglasses and a beard\" or a Uighur person wearing a mask.\n\nA Sensetime spokeswoman said the references were \"regrettable\".\n\n\"We understand the importance of our responsibilities, which is why we began to develop our AI Code of Ethics in mid-2019,\" she said, adding the patent had predated this code.\n\nMegvii's June 2019 patent, meanwhile, described a way of relabelling pictures of faces tagged incorrectly in a database.\n\nLike Huawei, Megvii now plans to withdraw the original version of its patent\n\nIt said the classifications could be based on ethnicity, for example, including \"Han, Uighur, non-Han, non-Uighur and unknown\".\n\nThe company told BBC News it would now withdraw the patent application.\n\n\"Megvii recognises that the language used in our 2019 patent application is open to misunderstanding,\" it said.\n\n\"Megvii has not developed and will not develop or sell racial- or ethnic-labelling solutions.\n\n\"Megvii acknowledges that, in the past, we have focused on our commercial development and lacked appropriate control of our marketing, sales, and operations materials.\n\n\"We are undertaking measures to correct the situation.\"\n\nIPVM also flagged image-recognition patents filed by two of China's biggest technology conglomerates, Alibaba and Baidu, that referenced classifying people by ethnicity but did not specifically mention the Uighur people by name.\n\nAlibaba responded: \"Racial or ethnic discrimination or profiling in any form violates our policies and values.\n\n\"We never intended our technology to be used for and will not permit it to be used for targeting specific ethnic groups.\"\n\nProtests have been held across the world to highlight China's treatment of Uighur people\n\nAnd Baidu said: \"When filing for a patent, the document notes are meant as an example of a technical explanation, in this case describing what the attribute-recognition model is rather than representing the expected implementation of the invention.\n\n\"We do not and will not permit our technology to be used to identify or target specific ethnic groups.\"\n\nBut Human Rights Watch said it still had concerns.\n\n\"Any company that sells video-surveillance software and systems to the Chinese police would have to ensure that they meet the police's requirements, which includes the capacity for ethnicity detection,\" Ms Wang said.\n\n\"The right thing for these companies to do is to immediately cease their sale and maintenance of surveillance equipment, software and systems, to the Chinese police.\"", "At Prime Minister’s Questions, Boris Johnson said that “the lockdown measures we had in place, combined with tier four measures, are starting to show some signs of effect.”\n\nLooking at cases of Covid-19 in England, the average for the week ending 1 January was almost 55,000 cases.\n\nThese people will have been infected before England’s lockdown came in on January 6, although much of the country was under very strict measures before then.\n\nSo, using publicly available data, it might be too early to make this assessment.\n\nAnd in the past month, we’ve seen that a couple of days of decline can quickly be followed by a sustained increase in cases.\n\nBut what is clear is that hospital admissions from coronavirus appear to be increasing (they usually peak up to a couple of weeks after high numbers of cases).\n\nThe latest seven day average (ending on January 7) saw 3,705 people admitted to hospital daily in England – that’s the highest throughout the entire pandemic.", "A Scottish earl has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman at his ancestral home in Angus.\n\nThe Earl of Strathmore, Simon Bowes-Lyon, forced his way into the sleeping woman's room during a weekend event he was hosting at Glamis Castle.\n\nHe repeatedly assaulted the 26-year-old victim and tried to pull off her nightdress during the 20-minute attack.\n\nBowes-Lyon, 34 - who is the Queen's first cousin twice removed - has been placed on the sex offenders register.\n\nHe was granted bail at Dundee Sheriff Court and sentence was deferred.\n\nSheriff Alistair Carmichael also ordered Glamis Castle be assessed for its suitability to house Bowes-Lyon while under a tagging order.\n\nThe court heard the woman fled the castle the morning after the attack on 13 February last year and flew home to report the matter to police.\n\nBoth Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police were involved in the investigation.\n\nGlamis Castle was the childhood home of the Queen Mother\n\nOutside court, Bowes-Lyon said he was \"greatly ashamed\" of his actions.\n\nHe added: \"Clearly I had drunk to excess on the night of the incident. I should have known better. I recognise, in any event, that alcohol is no excuse for my behaviour.\n\n\"I did not think I was capable of behaving the way I did but have had to face up to it and take responsibility.\n\n\"My apologies go, above all, to the woman concerned, but I would also like to apologise to family, friends and colleagues for the distress I have caused them.\"\n\nGlamis Castle, near Forfar, has been the seat of the Bowes-Lyon family since 1372.\n\nIt was the childhood home of the Queen Mother, and the Queen's sister Princess Margaret was born there.\n\nBowes-Lyon was a great-great nephew of the Queen Mother.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "The Chinese vaccine is one of two that the Brazilian government has lined up\n\nA coronavirus vaccine developed by China's Sinovac has been found to be 50.4% effective in Brazilian clinical trials, according to the latest results released by researchers.\n\nIt shows the vaccine is significantly less effective than previous data suggested - barely over the 50% needed for regulatory approval.\n\nThe Chinese vaccine is one of two that the Brazilian government has lined up.\n\nBrazil has been one of the countries worst affected by Covid-19.\n\nSinovac, a Beijing-based biopharmaceutical company, is behind CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine. It works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response.\n\nSeveral countries, including Indonesia, Turkey and Singapore, have placed orders for the vaccine.\n\nLast week researchers at the Butantan Institute, which has been conducting the trials in Brazil, announced that the vaccine had a 78% efficacy against \"mild-to-severe\" Covid-19 cases.\n\nBut on Tuesday they revealed that calculations for this figure did not include data from a group of \"very mild infections\" among those who received the vaccine that did not require clinical assistance.\n\nWith the inclusion of this data, the efficacy rate is now 50.4%, said researchers.\n\nBut Butantan stressed that the vaccine is 78% effective in preventing mild cases that needed treatment and 100% effective in staving off moderate to serious cases.\n\nThe Sinovac trials have yielded different results across different countries.\n\nLast month Turkish researchers said the Sinovac vaccine was 91.25% effective, while Indonesia, which rolled out its mass vaccination programme on Wednesday, said it was 65.3% effective. Both were interim results from late-stage trials.\n\nThe latest figures for China's coronavirus vaccine show just how difficult it is to compare vaccines.\n\nOn the face of it, the 50% effectiveness figure isn't as good as Oxford's 70% or Pfizer and Moderna's 95%. But trials are run very differently in different countries - the numbers of volunteers enrolled varies wildly, as do the criteria used to test how much protection the vaccines offer.\n\nA figure for efficacy is reached by looking at how many people developed Covid after being given the vaccine, compared with how many were affected when given a dummy injection. Normally, that is based on people developing obvious symptoms but in this Brazilian trial, people with no symptoms also appear to have been included.\n\nSo it's only when the full data from all trials of this vaccine are published that scientists can analyse its real efficacy, and compare like with like. Only limited data for this Sinovac vaccine is currently available - and experts say that is confusing the picture.\n\nIn the long term, many vaccines against Covid are needed to vaccinate the world and, inevitably, some will perform better than others - but giving as many people as possible some protection is the priority.\n\nThere has been concern and criticism that Chinese vaccine trials are not subject to the same scrutiny and levels of transparency as its Western counterparts.\n\nBoth the Sinovac vaccine and the vaccine developed by Oxford University and pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca have requests for emergency use authorisation pending with regulators in Brazil.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe latest news comes as Brazil is dealing with a major spike in cases. The country currently has the third highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world at over 8.1 million, just behind the US and India.\n\nThe BBC World Service's Americas editor Candace Piette says the country is suffering one of the world's deadliest outbreaks but as yet, has not announced when its vaccination programme will begin.\n\nThe delay has been caused in large part by the government's haphazard and divided approach to vaccination, says our correspondent.", "More than 100,000 Covid-19 vaccinations had been issued in Northern Ireland by Tuesday evening, Robin Swann has said.\n\nThe health minister said, of that figure, 91,419 people had received their first vaccine dose.\n\nHe added that 95% of care home residents had received their first dose and about 20% of those aged over 80 have received their first dose.\n\nIt comes as leading GP said the goal to begin a mass vaccine rollout by summer is \"achievable\" but hinges on supply.\n\nThe Department of Health published its plan to deliver vaccines in Northern Ireland on Tuesday.\n\nDr Alan Stout said the timeline was \"very sensible\" but was \"almost 100%\" dependent on getting enough of the vaccine.\n\nAt Wednesday's health briefing, Mr Swann said the programme had made a \"strong start\" but there was more to do.\n\nHe also said he has decided to issue tighter visiting guidelines for hospitals.\n\n\"I have ensured visiting will be permitted to hospices and care homes, but visits to general medical wards will no longer be permitted from this Friday\", he said.\n\nThe minister added that the measure would be kept under constant review.\n\nMr Swann also confirmed a new rapid test for Covid-19, which can return results in 12 minutes, would be used in emergency departments.\n\nHe said a pilot programme has been carried out using the LumiraDX nasal swab, which will enable health staff to \"very quickly identify patients who do not have Covid-19\".\n\nHe also repeated that the current lockdown restrictions were working and had helped to reduce NI's rate of infection, but warned the executive would still have \"difficult decisions\" to take in relation to decisions about whether to extend some restrictions in the coming weeks.\n\nOn Wednesday, a further 19 Covid-related deaths were announced by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.\n\nA further 1,145 new cases of the virus were also reported.\n\nMeanwhile, Northern Ireland's chief medical officer warned there was \"no doubt\" that levels of the new, more transmissible variant of coronavirus are rising in Northern Ireland.\n\nSpeaking at Stormont's executive briefing, Dr Michael McBride said that the new variant was making the job to contain it \"twice as difficult\".\n\nThe new variant is said to be up to 70% more transmissible, but there is no evidence it is more dangerous.\n\nThe first confirmed case of the new strain was detected in Northern Ireland on 23 December, but officials had said levels in Northern Ireland remained lower than in other areas of the UK.\n\nDr McBride said there would now be situations where the variant could spread, where previously it may not have.\n\n\"We need to be extremely cautious in the weeks ahead,\" he warned, adding that the virus would not \"magically disappear\" on 6 February, when the current lockdown is due to end.\n\nStormont ministers have to review the regulations on or before 22 January, with that scheduled for next Thursday.\n\nDr McBride said Northern Ireland had some distance to go before restrictions are lifted\n\nDr Stout, the chair of NI's GP committee, said practices needed another 22,000 doses to finish vaccinating people aged over 80.\n\nSpeaking to BBC's Good Morning Ulster, he said he was \"very confident\" the next doses would come through shortly.\n\n\"I have been overwhelmed by the desire of practices, the determination just to get going and the one thing we need to give them is vaccine - we need to get the supply in as quickly as possible.\n\n\"This is such a good news story that everybody wants the vaccine and everybody wants to give it.\"\n\nThe plan is for the vaccine to be given to the general population in summer 2021.\n\nGP clinics should have received their first delivery of the vaccine by Tuesday.\n\nResponding to reports in The Daily Telegraph that GPs administering the vaccine in England had been asked to \"slow down\" to let other regions \"catch-up\", Dr Stout said Northern Ireland had taken a different approach to how it rolled out vaccines to GPs.\n\nHe said vaccines were shared among all practices in Northern Ireland.\n\n\"We just don't have the full amount of vaccine in practice to give. We could have given all of the vaccine that a certain number of practices needed to start with but there were issues with inequality and discrimination ... so that's why an amount has gone to every single practice, so at least they have some.\"", "Customs operators have pleaded with the government to prioritise vaccinations for staff they insist are key front-line workers in the effort to keep vital supplies flowing into the UK.\n\nOne operator told the BBC his staff were working flat out - often up to 16 hours a day - to help traders comply with the new post-Brexit customs requirements.\n\n\"A Covid outbreak would be disastrous. Customs clearance staff should be identified as key workers and fast-tracked for vaccination.\"\n\nAnother said he had written to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and his local MP for Ashford, Damian Green saying any coronavirus-related staff shortages could force them to close.\n\n\"We have 14 staff. Two have already had to self-isolate, if we lose any more we would have to consider closing\".\n\nRod McKenzie of the Road Haulage Association supports the argument to accelerate vaccinations of port and customs staff.\n\n\"Customs agents are absolutely swamped, they are understaffed by tens of thousands and although volumes have been light thanks to pre-Christmas and pre-Brexit stockpiling, we are approaching a critical point:\"\n\nSteve Cock of logistics firm KGH said that volume would begin to build this week and described Friday as \"a moment of truth\" as volumes would be close to normal, imposing the first serious test of the system's capacity.\n\nThe government told the BBC that vaccination priorities were based on clinical vulnerability determined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.\n\nAlthough the government said it would be looking at key workers beyond the current priorities - like teachers - that would not come till after phase 1 of the current programme ends. That is not expected till late March at the earliest.\n\nAlthough the ports themselves have been running reasonably smoothly, that is because many traders aren't getting as far as the ports as their documentation is not complete.\n\nThe Dover-Calais crossing last week saw only 40% of its usual traffic for this time of year. Many foreign hauliers have been avoiding the UK for fear of getting stuck on the wrong side of the channel or raising their prices by as much as six times to compensate for the additional risks of congestion.\n\nCracks in the system have already started to show with large European delivery firm DPD cancelling road deliveries from the UK to the EU while Ocado, M&S, and Fortnum and Mason have cited problems delivering to customers in the EU and Northern Ireland.\n\nFish and seafood exports have been particularly hard hit.\n\nMany small traders who usually club together to share the cost of space on large lorries headed to their primary markets in the EU have hit serious roadblocks.\n\nProducts of animal origin now need Export Health Certificates signed off by veterinary professionals.\n\nThe burden of getting multiple certificates for single lorries has brought exports to the EU to a virtual standstill for some traders.\n\nThe focus in the UK is understandably primarily on food supplies into the UK and although there are some limited shortages being reported in fruit and vegetable supplies, shelves in the UK are showing very few gaps.\n\nThe problems are more acute in Northern Ireland, which for the purposes of trade is still part of the EU customs area. For that reason, what is happening to food exports from GB to Northern Ireland is perhaps a useful proxy for what is happening to UK food exports to the EU.\n\nThe last thing the UK-EU trade machinery can afford right now is for critical staff - caught in the crossfire of pandemic and Brexit - to be laid low.", "The men were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance at hospitals in Birmingham and Worcestershire\n\nFour men have been arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance at hospitals in the West Midlands.\n\nThe men, aged between 31 and 37, were held in relation to incidents in Birmingham and Worcestershire between 31 December and 9 January.\n\nEarlier this month, police said they were investigating after people posted videos of supposedly empty hospital corridors on social media.\n\nThe videos claiming Covid-19 was a hoax sparked an outcry from medical workers.\n\nWest Mercia Police launched a joint investigation with West Midlands Police, after incidents were reported at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Alexandra in Redditch.\n\nHospitals in Worcester and Kidderminster also featured, before the footage was deleted.\n\nThe West Mercia force confirmed it had arrested two men from Bromsgrove aged 31 and 34 as well as a 37 year-old man from Kidderminster and a fourth man, aged 34, from Droitwich.\n\nThey were also detained relating to incidents in a park in Bromsgrove as well as the town centre.\n\nAll four men have since been bailed with conditions not to enter any hospital in England unless they have a medical reason to do so.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Birmingham has one of the largest intensive care capacities in the whole country\n\nTwo hundred doctors will be redeployed to one of England's largest intensive care units amid fears it could be \"overwhelmed\".\n\nA leaked memo warned hospitals in Birmingham were \"in a position of extremis\" as Covid-19 cases rise.\n\nElective surgeries at the city's main Queen Elizabeth Hospital will stop as staff move to critical care duties.\n\nA spokesperson said the approach ensured \"the greatest good for the greatest numbers of people\".\n\nThe trust's decision to redeploy doctors was revealed in a leaked email to the Health Service Journal, which has been verified by the BBC.\n\nSent by consultant Peter Hewins, it said hospitals in Birmingham risked being \"overwhelmed\" amid a \"period of absolute emergency\".\n\nThe University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) said there were 873 patients with Covid-19 across its sites, with 125 in intensive care.\n\nThis was significantly more than in April 2020, it said, as it announced plans to double its intensive care capacity to more than 250 beds.\n\nTime-critical surgery, including cancer operations, will continue, the trust said, but elective procedures at the Queen Elizabeth will be paused, and reduced elsewhere.\n\nThere will also be a \"further reduction of outpatient activity\", a spokesperson said, adding: \"Every member of staff will be supported by the Trust in delivering the best care wherever they are working.\"\n\nThere are currently 873 Covid-19 patients being treated at the trust\n\nNeighbouring University Coventry and Warwickshire Hospitals Trust confirmed it had started taking Covid patients from Birmingham.\n\nUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) is one of the largest teaching hospital trusts in England.\n\nIt runs several hospitals, including Birmingham Heartlands, the Queen Elizabeth, Solihull Hospital and Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield. It also runs Birmingham Chest Clinic.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The minimum cost of carrier bags in Scotland is set to double to 10p from 1 April.\n\nThe Scottish government has said it is important to increase the charge periodically to encourage the use of reusable options instead.\n\nEnvironment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said the move was to deter the use of single-use plastic bags.\n\nThe 5p charge was introduced in 2014, with plastic bag usage dropping by 80% by the following year.\n\nMs Cunningham said: \"Thanks to the people of Scotland, the introduction of the charge has been successful in reducing the amount of single-use carrier bags in circulation.\n\n\"While the 5p bag charge was suitable when it was first introduced, it is important that pricing is updated to ensure that the charge continues to be a factor in making people think twice about using a single-use carrier bag.\"\n\nSome retailers have pledged to donate their carrier bag charges to good causes, with £2.5m raised in 2019.\n\nPrior to the charge being introduced in 2014, 800 million single use carrier bags were issued annually in Scotland.\n\nBy 2015 this fell by 80% with the Marine Conservation Society noting in 2016 that the number of plastic carrier bags being found on Scotland's beaches dropped by 40% two years in a row with a further drop of 42% recorded between 2018 and 2019.\n\nKeep Scotland Beautiful chief executive Barry Fisher said: \"Since 2014 the single use carrier bag charge has significantly helped reduce the number of bags being given out by retailers - saving thousands of tonnes of single use plastic realising a significant net carbon saving and reducing the chances of these items becoming littered.\n\n\"However, there is still an opportunity to challenge individual behaviours and improve consumer awareness which the doubling of the charge will help do.\n\nDue to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Scottish government is looking into creating an exemption on the bag charge for certain deliveries and collections, as was the case last year at the onset of the pubic health crisis.", "Naomi Campbell and Kenyan Tourism Minister Najib Balala sealed the deal over the weekend\n\nThe appointment of British supermodel Naomi Campbell as Kenya's tourism ambassador has caused a Twitter storm in the East African nation.\n\nMany queried why it had not been given to a prominent Kenyan like Hollywood actress Lupita Nyong'o.\n\nOthers leapt to her defence, saying the debate already justified her role.\n\nKenya's tourism sector has been badly hit by coronavirus, with visitor numbers down by 72% between January and October last year.\n\n\"The sector hence lost over 110bn Kenyan shillings [$1bn, £738m] of direct international tourists' revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic,\" Kenya's Tourism Research Institute reported last month.\n\nThe country is famous for its wildlife safaris and beach resorts.\n\nKenyan Tourism Minister Najib Balala said the deal with Ms Campbell was done over the weekend after he met the model, who is currently on holiday in Kenya.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife-Kenya This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife-Kenya\n\nThe 50-year-old style icon and philanthropist has been posting images of her stay on Instagram, where she has 10 million followers.\n\n\"We welcome the exciting news that Naomi Campbell will advocate for tourism and travel internationally for the Magical Kenya brand,\" Mr Balala said, without giving further deals of the contract.\n\nBut the statement, posted on Twitter on Tuesday, prompted instant outrage from some, and the supermodel's name has since been trending in the country.\n\nOne tweeter cited other Kenyan celebrities better suited to the ambassadorial role, including models Ajuma Nasenyana and Debra Sanaipei, as well as Nyong'o.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Syombua A. Kibue 🇰🇪 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOne tweeter said the backlash revealed an unhealthy attitude in Kenya: \"At the end of the day, it's all about who will get the job done. This mentality is what causes nepotism and tribalism in Kenyan institutions, it should be about the most suitable candidate not 'one of our own' thing.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMs Campbell's defenders praised her for visiting Kenya several times and said it was not only the model's social media following that made her the perfect appointment.\n\nHer circle of friends were equally important as she would attract wealthy tourists willing to spend money.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Mlolwa🐬 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe tourism industry usually contributes about 8.8% to Kenya's annual Gross domestic product (GDP), according to Kenya's East African newspaper.\n• None The supermodel and the warlord", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Large parts of Scotland woke up to a blanket of snow on Thursday, including in Rutherglen where conditions became challenging for drivers\n\nMotorists continue to face difficult conditions after heavy snow across parts of Scotland caused road closures.\n\nA Met Office yellow warning for ice will be in place overnight and for all of Friday for mainland Scotland.\n\nThe A9 at Dunblane was closed due to snow but has now reopened, while driving conditions on the M90 and M8 were reported as difficult.\n\nThere have also been problems in the Scottish Borders where up to a foot of snow fell overnight.\n\nTraffic Scotland has reported difficult driving conditions on the M77 at Fenwick, M80 around Cumbernauld and the A9 at Greenloaning.\n\nA woman walks through the snow in Braco near Dunblane\n\nThe impact of the overnight freeze on a hedgerow near Strathaven, South Lanarkshire\n\nIn the Borders several lorries got stuck on the A7 between Selkirk and Hawick, while difficult driving conditions were also reported on the A68 at the Carter Bar and Soutra.\n\nThere were also delays on the A83 Old Military Road diversion and the A82 at Tyndrum.\n\nMeanwhile, police have urged drivers to properly clear their car windscreens before setting off in the wintry conditions.\n\nOfficers in Dumfries and Galloway shared a picture of a driver they stopped and charged for failing to do this.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by DumfriesGPolice This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nPeople should only be leaving home to make essential journeys in parts of Scotland under level four Covid measures, under current Scottish government lockdown regulations.\n\nCh Supt Louise Blakelock, of Police Scotland, said: \"Government guidance on only travelling if your journey is essential remains in place and so with an amber warning for snow, please consider if your journey really is essential and whether you can delay it until the weather improves.\n\n\"If your journey really is essential, plan ahead and make sure you and your vehicle are suitably prepared by having sufficient fuel and supplies such as warm clothing, food, water and charge in your mobile phone in the event you require assistance.\"\n\nA motorist brushes snow off a car in Braco near Dunblane\n\nThe village of Bowden near Melrose woke up to snow\n\nA snowy scene at Fountainhall in the Scottish Borders\n\nPolice in Shetland have also warned of ice badly affecting roads on the islands.\n\nScotRail said its services could be affected, particularly on the Highland mainline.\n\nScottish Borders Council said the effects of the adverse weather could cause disruption into Friday morning.\n\nEmergency planning officer Jim Fraser said: \"With widespread snow and some freezing rain possible over the course of Wednesday and Thursday, there is the strong potential for disruption across our road network and communities.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Michael Matheson MSP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSome of the deepest snowfalls in recent weeks have been in the Highlands, including the Cairngorms.\n\nEarlier this month, the UK had its coldest night of the winter so far after a temperature of -12.3C was recorded in the north west Highlands.\n\nThe temperature was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch, near Garve, south of Ullapool in Wester Ross.\n\nThe record lowest temperature in the UK is -27.2C, which was recorded in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, in 1895 and 1982 and at Altnaharra in the Highlands in 1995.", "Pre-departure Covid-19 testing will now be required for everyone travelling to England from 04:00 GMT on Monday.\n\nThe rules had been due to come into force on Friday, but the government said people needed time \"to prepare\".\n\nThose arriving by plane, train or boat, including UK nationals, will have to take a test up to 72 hours before leaving the country they are in.\n\nAnyone arriving from places not on the UK's travel corridor list must still self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nThe Scottish government is planning to impose the same rules and has had to defer them coming into effect as a result of changes in England.\n\n\"This meant Scotland was also obliged to delay implementation as we need sight of their final regulations in order to properly draft and approve the relevant Scottish regulations,\" a spokeswoman said.\n\nIt is expected the requirement will come into force in Scotland at 04:00 GMT on Monday as well. Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to announce plans for pre-arrival testing in the coming days.\n\nAnnouncing the deferral on Twitter, Transport Secretary Mr Shapps said: \"To give international arrivals time to prepare, passengers will be required to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test before departure to England from Monday 18 January at 4am.\"\n\nHe also reminded travellers to fill out the Passenger Locator Form - used in track and trace - and added that those without proof of a negative test faced a fine of £500.\n\nProblems with testing availability and capacity mean some countries will initially be exempt.\n\nFor instance, the requirement will not apply to travellers from St Lucia, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda until 04:00 GMT on 21 January.\n\nTravellers from Falkland Islands, Ascension Islands and St Helena are exempted permanently.\n\nHauliers are exempt to allow the free flow of freight, as are air, international rail and maritime crew.\n\nThe government has said all forms of PCR test will be accepted, as will other forms of test with \"97% specificity, 80% sensitivity\".\n\nThe move comes as a further 1,564 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began.\n\nWednesday's figure brings the total number of deaths by that measure to 84,767.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said there had now been more deaths in the second wave than the first.\n\nMeanwhile on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was \"concerned\" about a new coronavirus variant that is believed to have emerged in Brazil.\n\nHe acknowledged it was not yet clear how effective existing vaccines would be against the latest new variant.\n\nMr Johnson said the UK was taking steps to make sure it was not brought into the country.\n\nA government Covid committee is meeting on Thursday to discuss the possibility of stopping flights from Brazil.\n\nArrivals from Brazil already have to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nAre you due to travel back to the UK from Brazil? Share your experience. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Sir David will appear in \"very high-resolution holographic video\"\n\nSir David Attenborough is to front an augmented reality app letting users see exotic plants and animals in their own surroundings, as part of a government drive to prove the uses of 5G.\n\nThe Green Planet AR app has been given £2.3m government funding as one of nine 5G test projects given a total of £28m.\n\nIt will be released alongside The Green Planet, Sir David's forthcoming BBC series that will show plants in detail.\n\nThe five-part documentary series is expected to be broadcast in 2022.\n\nAugmented reality superimposes virtual objects on to the world around us, meaning the app's users will be able to use their smartphones to see Sir David and \"meticulously detailed graphics of exotic plants and animals\" as if they were in front of them.\n\nThe app will help prove \"how new technology can reconnect us with the natural world whilst demonstrating the power of 5G to a huge new audience\", according to Minister for Digital Infrastructure Matt Warman.\n\nThe app will be available in \"set locations\" around the UK. Developer Factory 42 said it does not yet know how many locations, but they could include parks, visitor attractions like Kew Gardens and urban settings. Users will need a 5G-enabled device.\n\nThe other projects sharing the £28m funding include one to provide live, multi-angle HD video streams and replays on phones at sporting events; one to allow people to experience exhibits at The Eden Project in Cornwall from their own homes; and one to control the 113 cranes at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.\n\nThey follow nine other 5G trial projects that were awarded a total of £35m in February 2020.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Pupils are currently learning remotely from home\n\nA-level, AS and GCSE students in England could be asked to sit mini external exams to help teachers with their assessments after formal exams were cancelled last week.\n\nIn a letter to the exams regulator, Ofqual, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said this would help teachers to decide \"deserved grades\".\n\nHe promised not to use an algorithm which led to controversy last summer.\n\nHead teachers said the \"devil was in the detail\" for these plans.\n\nThe letter was published on Wednesday morning, as Mr Williamson appeared before the education select committee to answer questions on the impact of Covid-19 on education.\n\nIn the letter to Ofqual he said: \"A breadth of evidence should inform teachers' judgments, and the provision of training and guidance will support teachers to reach their assessment of a student's deserved grade.\n\n\"In addition, I would like to explore the possibility of providing externally set tasks or papers, in order that teachers can draw on this resource to support their assessments of students.\"\n\nMr Williamson's pledge not to use an algorithm to determine grades comes after thousands of A-level students had their results downgraded from school estimates last summer - before Ofqual announced a U-turn allowing them to use teachers' predictions.\n\n\"We have agreed that we will not use an algorithm to set or automatically standardise anyone's grade,\" the letter says.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Gavin Williamson: \"The top priority is for all those that work in schools\"\n\n\"Schools and colleges should undertake quality assurance of their teachers' assessments and provide reassurance to the exam boards. We should provide training and guidance to support that, and there should also be external checks in place to support fairness and consistency between different institutions and to avoid schools and colleges proposing anomalous grades.\"\n\nBut he added: \"Changes should only be made if those grades cannot be justified, rather than as a result of marginal differences of opinion.\n\n\"Any changes should be based on human decisions, not by an automatic process or algorithm.\"\n\nA consultation on plans for this year is being launched later this week.\n\nGeoff Barton, head of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the letter set out \"broad and sensible parameters\" for assessing GCSEs and A-levels after exams were cancelled.\n\n\"But, as ever, the devil will be in the detail of how this is turned into reality,\" Mr Barton said.\n\nHe welcomed confirmation that no algorithm would be applied this year \"following last summer's grading debacle.\"\n\nBut he questioned how any system of externally set assessment would work and how it could ensures fairness for students whose education had been heavily disrupted.\n\n\"It is vital that the final plans not only provide fairness and consistency but that they are also workable for schools, colleges and teaching staff who will have to put them into practice,\" he added.\n\nNational Education Union joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said: \"Had the government listened to the NEU and put in place a contingency plan sooner we would be in a better position now to make sure grades could be awarded reliably and without creating severe workload issues for education staff and students.\n\nShe said the union would continue to work with the Dfe and Ofqual, but they needed to see the full details of the plans as soon as possible to ensure grades are fair and the process is manageable for staff.\n\nTaking questions from MPs on the education select committee, Mr Williamson said he wanted to see schools re-opening at the earliest opportunity and that he would \"never apologise for being the biggest champion for keeping schools open\".\n\nHe said attendance rates of vulnerable and key worker pupils in schools since the start of term were higher than in the first lockdown.", "The prime minister has said lockdown measures are \"starting to show signs of some effect\", but he has refused to rule out extra restrictions in England.\n\nAt PMQs, Boris Johnson said measures were kept under \"constant review\" after Labour's Sir Keir Starmer said it was obvious more restrictions were needed.\n\nMr Johnson added that vaccine centres would move to 24-7 \"as soon as we can\".\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons.\n\nThis includes for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nLater, Mr Johnson told the Commons Liaison Committee there was a \"very substantial\" risk of intensive care capacity in hospitals being \"overtopped\", and appealed to people to follow lockdown rules.\n\nHe said the situation was \"very, very tough\" in the NHS and the strain on staff was \"colossal\".\n\nMeanwhile, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced new restrictions in Scotland from Saturday, including limiting click and collect services to essential items only and restricting takeaways.\n\nAt Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said stronger restrictions were needed in England and accused Mr Johnson of being \"slow to act\".\n\nHe asked the prime minister why restrictions were weaker in this lockdown compared with March.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson says the government acted \"within 24 hours\" of advice on the new Covid-19 variant\n\n\"We keep things under constant review,\" Mr Johnson replied. \"If there is any need to toughen up restrictions - which I don't rule out - we will of course come to this House.\n\n\"The lockdown measures we have in place combined with tier four measures that we were using are starting to show signs of some effect and we must take account of that too.\"\n\nHe added it was early days and urged people to abide by the rules.\n\nQuestioned by the liaison committee on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Johnson said it was \"far, far too early\" to say there could be any relaxation of the lockdown in the middle of February, and \"we've got to work very hard to achieve that\".\n\nHe acknowledged that it was a \"tragedy\" that so many children were missing face-to-face teaching at school and said reopening schools was \"the priority\".\n\nTier four - the highest level in England's tier system which bans households mixing indoors - was introduced on 21 December in parts of south-east England, including London.\n\nIt was then widened to include more of southern England on Boxing Day. England has been in a national lockdown since 5 January.\n\nMr Johnson also said the vaccination programme was going \"exceptionally fast\" but \"at the moment the limit is on supply\" of the vaccine.\n\n\"We will be going to 24/7 as soon as we can,\" he told MPs, saying Health Secretary Matt Hancock will set out further details \"in due course\".\n\nMore than 2.4 million people have had a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 412,167 people have had a second dose.\n\nScotland's Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said it was \"entirely possible\" to offer round-the-clock vaccinations in Scotland once mass sites were up and running by late February or early March.\n\nThere are very early signs that infections may have peaked - although as always we should be careful about reading too much into a few days' worth of data.\n\nThe past two days have seen newly diagnosed cases hover around the 46,000-mark. Up to the weekend, the average was close to 60,000.\n\nThe drop has largely been driven by falls in new cases in London, the South East and East of England.\n\nThe national picture does mask some regional differences. Cases are rising in the North West, which is causing particular concern.\n\nIt is too early for the vaccination programme to be having any significant impact so a combination of the national lockdown on top of the tier four restrictions that were imposed in some areas before Christmas look like they may be beginning to have an impact.\n\nThere is also some evidence the new variant may not be quite as fast-spreading as first feared - a Public Health England study suggested rather than being 70% more transmissible, it may actually be somewhere between 30% to 50%.\n\nAnd, if it does represent the start of a continuous fall, it is important to remember it will still take some time to translate into fewer hospital cases - people being admitted at the moment are those who would have caught the virus a week or two ago.\n\nBut after six weeks of pretty sustained rises, it is at least an encouraging sign.\n\nEarlier, Health Secretary Matt Hancock questioned whether there would be demand for a round-the-clock vaccination operation, saying: \"Most people want to get vaccinated in the daytime, and also most people who are doing the vaccinations want to give them in the daytime, but there may be circumstances in which that would help.\"\n\nHe said England's lockdown measures were \"always under review\", but he would be \"very reluctant\" to remove the rule of meeting one other person outside for exercise as \"it is a lifeline\" for some people, including those who live alone. Mr Hancock has already ruled out scrapping support bubbles.\n\n\"What I'd rather is that everybody follow that rule and doesn't stretch it or flex it,\" he said.", "Fans of the University of Alabama football team gathered in the streets of Tuscaloosa in Alabama, ignoring social distancing.\n\nThey were celebrating the university's third national championship in the past six years.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 BST.\n\nThe first Covid patients have begun receiving a new treatment it's hoped will prevent sufferers becoming seriously ill. The patients are part of a large-scale trial testing the effect of inhaling a protein called interferon beta which the body produces when it gets a viral infection. Developed at Southampton University Hospital and produced by biotech company, Synairgen, early findings suggest the treatment cuts the odds of severe illness by almost 80%. Find out more here.\n\nKaye Flitney is one of those enrolled on the clinical trial\n\nMany hospital staff treating the sickest patients during the first wave of the pandemic have been left struggling to cope, a new study suggests. Researchers at King's College London questioned 709 workers at nine units in England and nearly half reported symptoms of severe anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or problem drinking. Lead researcher Prof Neil Greenberg said it should be a \"wake-up call\" for managers about the need to provide more mental health support. Some staff are they're also facing abuse online and at protests from Covid sceptics and anti-lockdown activists.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nChildren's minister Vicky Ford says caterers must urgently improve the quality of food parcels being provided for low-income families. Catering company Chartwells has apologised after photographs of some parcels were shared online and heavily criticised. The packages - more on them here - are being sent to children who would normally receive free school meals in England. The row could well come up when Education Secretary Gavin Williamson faces MPs' questioning later. Our education correspondent looks closely at Mr Williamson - a man whose political obituary has been written so many times he must sometimes feel like the walking dead.\n\nTwitter user Roadside Mum complained about the parcel she received\n\nNurse Kate Fraser said administering the vaccination to Ms Curry had been \"emotional\"\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, Britain's top police officer, Dame Cressida Dick, says it's \"preposterous\" to suggest some people are not aware of what the lockdown laws now tell them to do. So how much do you know? Try our quiz.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Democrats, including Jamie Raskin (centre), voted to impeach President Donald Trump, as did 10 Republicans\n\nThe US House of Representatives has voted to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time over his alleged role in the 6 January deadly assault on the Capitol.\n\nHis impeachment for \"incitement to insurrection\" was approved by 232 representatives including 10 Republicans.\n\nDemocrats led the effort to charge Mr Trump with encouraging the riots.\n\nBut some Republicans had backed calls for impeachment.\n\nSo, who are these key players, and what do we know about them?\n\nWhen the impeachment charges go to the Senate for trial, the case for the prosecution will be made by a team of lawmakers, led by Mr Raskin, a Democratic representative from Maryland since 2017 and a former professor of constitutional law.\n\nThe impeachment of Mr Trump represents the continuation of an extremely challenging start to 2021 for Mr Raskin, 58.\n\nJamie Raskin (left) helped to draft the article of impeachment against President Trump\n\nThe congressman's 25-year-old son, Tommy Bloom Raskin, took his own life on New Year's Eve and was laid to rest in early January.\n\nA day after the funeral, Mr Raskin found himself hunkering down with colleagues, shielding from a violent mob that rampaged through the Capitol where lawmakers were meeting to certify November's presidential election result.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Rep. Jamie Raskin This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOn the day of the assault, Mr Raskin helped to draw up an article of impeachment against President Trump.\n\nSpeaking to the Washington Post, Mr Raskin said his son, who was studying law at Harvard University, would have considered last week's violence \"the absolute worst form of crime against democracy\".\n\n\"It really is Tommy Raskin, and his love and his values and his passion, that have kept me going,\" Mr Raskin said.\n\nIn total, nine Democrats, including Mr Raskin, have been named as impeachment managers. One is Representative Madeleine Dean, from Pennsylvania, who is one of three women on the team.\n\nMs Dean started her career in law, opening her own three-woman practice in Pennsylvania before teaching English at a university.\n\nHaving been active in state politics for decades, she was elected to the House in 2018, using her seat to champion women's reproductive rights, gun law reform, and healthcare for all, among other issues.\n\nMadeleine Dean has called for a quick trial of President Trump in the Senate\n\nIn an interview with MSNBC, Ms Dean, 68, said she favoured a \"speedy trial\" in the Senate if Mr Trump was impeached.\n\n\"This isn't about a party. This isn't about politics. This is about protection of our constitution, of our rule of law,\" Ms Dean said.\n\nAs the Speaker of the House, Ms Pelosi has been in the spotlight since the riots in the Capitol.\n\nMs Pelosi leads the Democrats in the lower chamber of Congress, so the 80-year-old had a huge influence over the decision to introduce an article of impeachment against Mr Trump.\n\nMs Pelosi had the House proceed with impeachment after former Vice-President Mike Pence did not invoked constitutional powers to force out Mr Trump, who was then president.\n\nMr Pence said at the time he believed such a move was against the country's interests.\n\n\"This president is guilty of inciting insurrection. He has to pay a price for that,\" Ms Pelosi said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The storming of the US Capitol\n\nMr McConnell, a 78-year-old Republican senator for Kentucky, is one to watch in the Senate.\n\nThe upper chamber's former majority leader remains the man at the helm of the upper chamber's Republican caucus.\n\nDubbed the \"Grim Reaper\" by Democrats, Mr McConnell was a thorn in the side of former President Barack Obama, often manoeuvring to frustrate his legislative agenda and judicial appointments.\n\nHe was also the driving force behind Mr Trump's acquittal in his first impeachment trial in 2019.\n\nIn his last few weeks as Senate leader, Mr McConnell also delayed Mr Trump's trial until after the former president left office, saying there was no time for a \"fair or serious trial\" ahead of Mr Biden's inauguration.\n\nMr McConnell has not publicly commented on whether he supports convicting or acquitting Mr Trump, but he has sent some mixed messages.\n\nMitch McConnell had been loyal to President Trump until the Capitol riots\n\nThough he spent the last four years in the president's corner, the minority leader said the rioters were \"provoked by\" Mr Trump and that he plans to hear out both sides in the trial.\n\nBut later on in January, he also joined the majority of Republican senators to vote for a motion to toss out the impeachment case as unconstitutional now that Mr Trump is no longer in the White House.\n\nMr McConnell may no longer have the final say on all things impeachment, but as Democrats need Republican support to convict Mr Trump with the required two-thirds majority, he still has a key role to play in the upcoming proceedings.\n\nWith just over a week to go before the trial, Mr Trump parted ways with his legal team, including attorneys Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier.\n\nThey were quickly replaced by David Schoen, a trial lawyer, and Bruce Castor, a former district attorney, who will lead the defence efforts for the former president.\n\nIn a statement, both attorneys said they didn't believe the push to impeach Mr Trump is constitutional.\n\nDavid Schoen, left, and Bruce Castor will lead the defence efforts for the former president\n\nMr Castor added: \"The strength of our Constitution is about to be tested like never before in our history.\n\n\"It is strong and resilient. A document written for the ages, and it will triumph over partisanship yet again, and always.\"\n\nMr Schoen has previously represented Roger Stone, former adviser to Mr Trump. Stone received a presidential pardon in December.\n\nThe lawyer also made headlines in the past for meeting with Jeffrey Epstein in his final days to discuss possible representation, and for later saying he did not believe the death of the US financier and sex offender was suicide.\n\nMr Castor, a former Pennsylvania district attorney, is known for declining to prosecute Bill Cosby for sexual assault in 2005. The comedian was eventually convicted on three counts of sexual assault in a 2018 retrial of his case.\n\nMs Cheney, 54, is third-highest-ranking Republican leader in the House. As the daughter of former Republican Vice-President Dick Cheney, she has a high profile in the party.\n\nSo, her support for impeachment is particularly significant.\n\nLiz Cheney has accused President Trump of inciting the attack on Congress\n\nMr Trump had \"summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack\", Ms Cheney said of the Capitol riots.\n\n\"There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,\" the Wyoming representative said.\n\nHowever, in a recent test of support for conviction on impeachment charges that Mr Trump incited his supporters to mount an insurrection at the US Capitol, 45 out of 50 Senate Republicans voted last week to consider stopping the trial before it even starts.\n\nMs Cheney survived a House Republican vote - 145-61 - to oust her from her leadership position after breaking ranks with other GOP lawmakers last month to impeach the former president.\n\nShe is also now facing a primary challenger for her Wyoming congressional seat after voting to impeach Mr Trump.\n\nBlocking Mr Trump from ever running for office again is one rationale that may motivate some Republicans to impeach the president.\n\nThat reasoning could be attractive to Republican senators like Mr Sasse, who is seen as a possible contender for the presidency in 2024.\n\nElected to the Senate in 2014, the 48-year-old has been an ardent critic of Mr Trump.\n\nBen Sasse refused to overturn the results of November's presidential election in Congress\n\nMr Sasse was firmly opposed to a Republican effort - cheered on by Mr Trump - to overturn the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's election victory in Congress.\n\nOn the question of impeachment, Mr Sasse said he would \"definitely consider whatever articles they might move\" in the House.\n\nA two-thirds majority would be needed to convict Mr Trump in the Senate, meaning at least 17 Republicans - including Mr Sasse - would have to vote for it.\n\nIn Mr Trump's first impeachment trial in 2020, it was Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts who presided over the proceedings.\n\nThis time, he declined to participate, handing the job over to the 80-year-old Vermont Democrat, who will take the gavel in this second impeachment trial.\n\nMr Leahy was first elected to the Senate in 1974, and is the longest serving lawmaker in the upper chamber.\n\nHe will be presiding in his role as the Senate's president pro tempore - a constitutional officer, responsible for presiding over the Senate in the absence of the vice-president.\n\nIn a statement, he said \"the president pro tempore takes an additional special oath to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws\" when presiding over an impeachment trial.\n\n\"It is an oath that I take extraordinarily seriously.\"", "Many of the works in Gurlitt's collection were in poor condition when they were discovered in 2012 (file photo)\n\nWhen a trove of 1,500 artworks hoarded by the son of a Nazi-era art dealer was discovered in 2012, an investigation began to find out how many were looted from Jewish owners.\n\nEventually only 14 were conclusively identified as looted, and now Germany has declared the last of those works has been returned to the owner's heirs.\n\nDas Klavierspiel (Playing the Piano) by Carl Spitzweg was owned by music publisher Henri Hinrichsen.\n\nHe was murdered at Auschwitz in 1942.\n\nGerman Culture Minister Monika Grütters said the return of the work sent an \"important signal\", and that while it could not make up for the deep suffering, it could \"make a contribution to historical justice and fulfil our moral responsibility\".\n\nThe 19th-Century work by Spitzweg was confiscated by the Nazis in 1939, the same year that Hinrichsen had bought it.\n\nDas Klavierspiel by Carl Spitzweg was seized by the Nazis in 1939\n\nIt was bought in 1940 by Hildebrand Gurlitt, a Nazi-era dealer who had been given the task by Adolf Hitler of dealing in art seized from Jewish collectors and of buying up so-called \"degenerate art\" removed from museums for a planned Führermuseum in the Austrian city of Linz.\n\nThe money for the Spitzweg work was paid into a blocked account, so Hinrichsen would never have received it.\n\nIn 2015, the piece was identified as looted, and it was handed over to the auctioneers Christie's on Tuesday, according to the wishes of Hinrichsen's heirs.\n\nAlthough his collection of 1,500 works, plundered from museums as well as individuals, was initially confiscated after the war by the Allies, Hildebrand Gurlitt eventually managed to get it back.\n\nGurlitt died in the 1950s and when German authorities approached his widow in 1961 in search of part of his collection, she claimed the works had been destroyed at the end of World War Two by Allied bombing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BBC's Stephen Evans was granted exclusive access to look at some of the long-lost masterpieces in 2014\n\nIt was only when tax investigators searched the Munich flat of his son Cornelius Gurlitt in 2012 that they found more than 1,400 of the works. Another 60 pieces were discovered at his Austrian home in Salzburg the following year.\n\nThe son died in 2014 with questions still hanging over the ownership of the collection - as he was protected by a statute of limitations.\n\nA court ruled that the works could be bequeathed to the Museum of Fine Arts in the Swiss capital Bern, as Cornelius Gurlitt had requested.\n\nWhile some of the works were deemed to belong to the family, the German Lost Art Foundation then tried to find out, with the Swiss museum, who were the rightful owners of the rest.\n\nFourteen pieces have now conclusively identified as belonging to Jewish owners and returned.\n\nAmong the many masterpieces in the collection was this work by Edouard Manet", "Isabella Curry urged others to get the jab and said it was just a little \"prick in the arm\"\n\nA woman has celebrated her 100th birthday by getting a covid vaccination at home.\n\nIsabella Curry, known as Ella, from Cramlington, was among some of the most vulnerable people in Northumberland to receive the vaccine.\n\nMs Curry, who lives alone, urged others not to be afraid to get the jab and said it was just a little \"prick in the arm\" and she now felt safe.\n\nHer birthday was also marked by the arrival of a card from the Queen.\n\nShe said: \"This vaccine means I'll be able to go out, meet my friends soon and feel safe.\"\n\nIsabella Curry's nephew Neil Curry thanked the \"army\" of helpers who cared for his aunt\n\nMs Curry's nephew, Neil Curry from Bristol, said he was delighted she had had the vaccination but sad the whole family could not get together for the milestone birthday.\n\n\"We had a family reunion for Ella's 90th - we all got together in Newcastle. We would have all got together again to mark this occasion, but we couldn't,\" he said.\n\nHe also said he wanted to thank the \"army\" of people who looked after his aunt including Noreen and Jim Hutchinson, who did her shopping and cut her grass.\n\nHe also thanked June and Peter Marshall and all the other people who collected her prescriptions and mobile library books.\n\nKate Fraser, the community nurse who administered the vaccination, said: \"It's been an emotional time being able to give Isabella her vaccination.\"\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.", "People's reaction to a sonic boom heard across the East of England has been caught on camera.\n\nIt happened after a Typhoon aircraft took off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire to escort a plane to Stansted Airport because it had lost communications at about 13:05 GMT.\n\nPeople in Cambridgeshire, Essex and parts of London posted videos on social media, with one person heard asking if it was thunder.\n\nHeather Eastlake, who was filming herself exercising near Cambridge, described her reaction as being like \"a deer in the highlights\".", "Libby Squire was not seen alive after travelling to Oak Road playing fields with Pawel Relowicz, a court heard\n\nA man accused of raping and murdering a student committed a string of \"sexually motivated\" burglaries in the months before her death, a court has heard.\n\nJurors heard \"trophies\" - underwear and sex toys - stolen from other women were found after his arrest.\n\nProsecutors claim he was \"prowling the streets\" of Hull's student area in search of a victim when he intercepted the \"extremely vulnerable\" Ms Squire.\n\nSheffield Crown Court previously heard the defendant drove Ms Squire - who had earlier been refused entry to a nightclub - to the Oak Road playing fields.\n\nOnce there, jurors were told, he subjected her to an \"act of sexual violence\" before he disposed of her body in the River Hull.\n\nHer remains were found in the Humber Estuary almost seven weeks later.\n\nProsecutor Richard Wright QC said Mr Relowicz would claim Ms Squire had \"instigated consensual sexual intercourse\", and he had left her \"safe and well\" on the fields.\n\nRichard Wright QC continued to outline the case against Pawel Relowicz on Wednesday\n\nHowever, Sam Alford, who lives nearby, reported hearing a woman's \"desperate screams\" coming from the direction of the river, the court heard.\n\nProsecutors allege the screams were Ms Squire's and a man seen \"emerging from the darkness\" and fleeing the area was the defendant.\n\n\"Libby was never seen again\", Mr Wright told jurors.\n\nThe screams, and scratches to the defendant's face were evidence Ms Squire had \"fought him off\", the court heard.\n\nMr Wright said the evidence established \"that she was raped by a man whose entire motivation for coming into contact with her that night was to take her away from safety to a remote area well known to him and there to subject her to his uncontrollable sexual urges\".\n\nThe prosecutor said a pathologist concluded he could not establish how Ms Squire died despite \"an obvious bruise\" to the inside of her right thigh.\n\nMr Wright told jurors a CCTV recording made after the last sighting of Ms Squire showed Mr Relowicz performing a sex act in the middle of a street.\n\nA condom found at the scene days later yielded a DNA profile matching the defendant, the court heard.\n\nIn the year leading up to Ms Squire's disappearance, Mr Relowicz exposed himself to women in public and watched them through windows as they changed or had sex, the court heard.\n\nHe also \"burgled their homes with the purpose of stealing their underwear and sexual toys or other objects,\" Mr Wright said.\n\nUniversity of Hull student Libby Squire was last seen in the early hours of 1 February 2019\n\nFollowing his arrest on 6 February, Mr Wright said, police recovered the pink holdall \"full of sex toys... and some photographs of young women and several pairs of women's knickers and thongs\".\n\nA statement made by Ms Squire's mother, Lisa Squire, was read out in court describing her daughter having battled mental health issues including an eating disorder, self-harming - cutting the top of her arms, legs and chest - and depression.\n\nShe said her eldest child had been afraid of water since she was young, to the point she would not go near a swimming pool when on holiday. She was also scared of the dark, jurors were told.\n\nStatements by Ms Squire's boyfriend Connor James-Pye were also read out, in which he described Libby as being \"a happy drunk\" and that she \"didn't understand moderation\".\n\nHowever, on the night she disappeared, the court heard Ms Squire \"didn't want to go out because she had a lecture the next morning, but she didn't want to let the girls down\".\n\nMr James-Pye last heard from his girlfriend at about 22:30 on 31 January, jurors heard.\n\nThe 21-year-old's body was recovered from the Humber Estuary on 20 March 2019\n\nFollow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The button battery was stuck in Sofia-Grace's throat for four months\n\nAn 11-month-old girl who was rejecting solid food had a button battery lodged in her throat for four months.\n\nDoctors thought Sofia-Grace Hill had tonsillitis or a viral infection until an X-ray revealed the battery the size of a 10p in her oesophagus.\n\nShe underwent a two-hour operation to remove it and is now on a liquid only diet.\n\nA surgeon said her survival may be due to the battery being old and without charge.\n\nDad Calham, from Swindon, first noticed something was wrong in January 2020 and had countless paramedic call-outs and visits to the GP and local hospital.\n\nShe had a two-hour operation to remove the battery\n\nHe was convinced there was something else going on as Sofia-Grace would only eat pureed food.\n\nAfter another hospital trip in May, she was given an X-ray which showed the battery lodged in her oesophagus was causing serious damage as it had corroded.\n\nMr Hill said: \"I was gutted when I saw it and angry at myself. I blamed myself, but now I realise there was nothing we could have done to know.\"\n\nThe button battery is the size of a 10p\n\nSofia-Grace had a feeding tube fitted to help her with food and to stop her throat from closing.\n\nEvery two weeks she has a general anaesthetic to stretch her oesophagus but faces the prospect of further surgery.\n\nMr Hill said: \"The damage has left a pocket in her oesophagus which needs to close but Sofia is improving week by week with regular dilations which is improving her oesophagus.\n\n\"But I know the chance of survival in the first weeks after this happens is very low so we are moving in the right direction.\"\n\nSofia-Grace is improving week by week, her dad said\n\nMr Hill is unsure how Sofia-Grace, now almost two-years-old, got hold of the button battery and warned parents about the dangers.\n\nHe said: \"Just get rid of them or lock them away and don't give your child car keys to play with. Always trust your instincts as a parent.\"\n\nJanet McNally, consultant paediatric surgeon at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, who is treating Sofia-Grace, said her survival may be because the battery was old and had lost its charge.\n\nShe said that without someone seeing a child swallow a battery or obvious symptoms it was not unusual for it to be missed.\n\n\"Clinicians and the government have been warning of the dangers of button batteries for a long time. But not all parents are aware of how dangerous they can be.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Brazil's variant: Two 'spike' changes flagged up\n\nAs MPs have been mentioning today - a coronavirus variant has been found circulating in the Amazonas state of Brazil, and was picked up in Japan in travellers from the region. It’s different from the UK and South African variants, but it contains common mutations - two changes to the virus’ \"spike\" in particular which have been flagged as potentially making the virus more infectious. This is not going to be the last mutation we hear about. At the moment changes are mainly being picked up in areas that do lots of genetic tracking of the virus - it’s almost certain there are other mutations already circulating unseen in other parts of the world. And the virus will continue to mutate - it’s just a question of how, how much and how fast. For now there’s no evidence the virus is becoming more dangerous - but if more people catch it then, left unchecked, more will potentially become ill or die. But the vaccines, which target several different areas of the virus’ spike, should still work - though that’s something that scientists the world over will be monitoring very closely.", "The three main Covid-19 vaccines are from Pfizer-BioNTech, the University of Oxford and Astra-Zeneca and Moderna.\n\nThe Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna vaccines each require two doses and you are not fully vaccinated until you have had both shots.\n\nBut there are many differences between them.\n\nThe BBC's Laura Foster looks at how much immunity they give, how they prevent infection and how they compare.", "Parents say teachers at special schools often provide medical care and should be treated like other front-line workers\n\nParents of children with special educational needs and disabilities are calling for teachers in special schools to be vaccinated against Covid-19.\n\nMany parents have been told their children cannot attend school because of safety concerns about the virus.\n\nNow they want staff in special schools to be prioritised for the vaccine and considered front-line workers.\n\nThe government said special schools should encourage pupils to attend.\n\nLaura cares for son Oscar alone and says their respite support collapsed during the pandemic\n\nStaff in special schools are often required to provide personal and medical care for pupils, such as clearing tracheotomies, on top of regular teaching responsibilities.\n\nThe schools also offer precious respite to many families of disabled children who require a lot of additional care.\n\nLaura Godfrey, 33, from Norwich, is mum to nine-year-old Oscar, who usually attends a school for children with complex needs. His return was delayed at the start of term, despite government advice for these schools to remain open.\n\n\"His school provision is essential to us as a family. Oscar's mental health suffered a lot in the first lockdown, as did mine. It was a very dark time.\"\n\nHe is currently attending school, but Laura worries it could be forced to close in the event of an outbreak.\n\nShe is calling for staff at special schools to be given PPE and access to the vaccine, to keep schools open and protect vulnerable pupils.\n\n\"They should be recognised and treated as front-line staff and afforded the same protections.\"\n\nLaura's calls have been echoed by Mark Powell, CEO of the Dorset-based Diverse Abilities charity which runs a special school in Poole.\n\nStaff at Langside School in Poole were provided with PPE at the start of the pandemic\n\nThe school bought its own PPE in order to remain open during the pandemic but said it was \"very difficult and extremely costly\".\n\nMr Powell described PPE as a \"wonderful barrier to prevent the spread of the virus\" but said it had also been \"a devastating barrier to the development and well-being of our pupils\".\n\n\"The fact we have nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists on site to form part of our children's school provision means that our school can be classified as a health setting, which are at the top of the list for priority vaccinations.\"\n\nThe Department for Education said the impact of being out of education \"can be greatest on vulnerable children and those with education, health and care plans\".\n\nIt said special schools should \"continue to welcome and encourage pupils to go into school full-time\" where possible and \"ensure pupils with Send can successfully access remote education\" if they are unable to attend.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nIvan Cavaleiro scored a late header to earn Premier League strugglers Fulham a hard-fought draw against Tottenham in their hastily rearranged London derby.\n\nThe Portuguese forward's finish cancelled out Harry Kane's first-half diving header and came just minutes after Son Heung-min hit the post in search of Spurs' second.\n\nCavaleiro sealed a remarkable turnaround for a side whose manager Scott Parker said it was \"scandalous\" to be given just two days' notice to face Jose Mourinho's men after Spurs' game at Aston Villa was postponed because of a Covid-19 outbreak in the Villa camp.\n\nTottenham boss Mourinho had little sympathy for the visitors as the derby itself was a rearranged fixture, having been called off three hours before kick-off when originally scheduled on 30 December.\n\nFor all the complications surrounding the fixture, the intensity from two sides at opposite ends of the table was high at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Fulham's fifth successive league draw a valuable point in their efforts to escape the relegation zone.\n• None Relive Tottenham v Fulham as it happened and analysis\n\nFulham made a bright start and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's fierce shot to test Hugo Lloris was a warning of what was to come from a side who remain 18th despite the draw.\n\nThe excellent Alphonse Areola twice denied Son in the first 45 minutes, first blocking a toe-poked effort before palming a header away.\n\nAreola could do nothing, however, to deny Kane the opener in the 25th minute, with the striker beating the Frenchman with a thumping diving header from an excellently-placed Sergio Reguilon cross.\n\nKane was off target with another header and Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kenny Tete threatened to respond for the visitors, who had the woodwork to thank for denying Son in the second half after the South Korean scuffed a shot past Areola.\n\nSubstitute Ademola Lookman was instrumental following his introduction, creating the equaliser for Cavaleiro seven minutes after coming off the bench.\n\nThe powerful finish extended Fulham's unbeaten run to five league matches, which is their longest such sequence in the top flight in three Premier League campaigns since 2012-13.\n\nThis latest draw highlights just how resolute Parker's men have become after a slow start to the campaign, in which they collected just one point from their first six matches.\n\nSpurs punished for reliance on Kane and Son\n\nWhile the Cottagers may be in the relegation places and had lost a record 13 successive top-flight matches to London rivals, they presented a significantly sterner test of Mourinho's men than non-league side Marine - a team made up of NHS workers, teachers and a refuse collector - which Spurs cruised past in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.\n\nThe prolific pair of Kane and Son, a duo that has now scored 23 of Tottenham's 30 league goals this term, were among 10 to return to Spurs' starting line-up.\n\nSon was an unused substitute on their trip to Crosby but Kane, along with Lloris, Eric Dier, Serge Aurier and Harry Winks came back from being rested.\n\nWhile Kane was clinical with the nodded finish, he reacted in frustration as he flicked another header off target.\n\nThat miss, as well as the wastefulness of Reguilon - who sent an early effort over - and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's tame strike, ensured Fulham were still in it at half-time.\n\nMoussa Sissoko also dithered in the box when an early second-half chance presented itself, allowing Tosin Adarabioyo to superbly block.\n\nSon's effort off the post, and their reliance on him and Kane for goals, ultimately proved costly as Cavaleiro ended the hosts' run of three clean sheets in January.\n\nAnd while Reguilon did have the ball in the back of the net again for Tottenham in the final minute, it was immediately disallowed for offside as Spurs missed the chance to move up to third in the table.\n\n'Some players had one day's training' - what the managers said\n\nTottenham manager Jose Mourinho, speaking to BBC Sport: \"In the first half Alphonse Areola made some impossible saves, a couple of others in the second, too.\n\n\"We have to kill a game and we didn't - but you have to keep a clean sheet, not make mistakes, so it was a very avoidable goal. The markers are there, there wasn't even an advantage in terms of numbers.\n\n\"Fulham were intelligent enough to understand the way they play, they change, they become more defensive and they are getting results. I thought they were a bit lucky but they were good.\n\n\"We have bad results and we should - and we could have - avoided these results.\"\n\nFulham boss Scott Parker, speaking to BBC Sport: \"I'm very proud of this team for what we've been through. There's a lot of talk around - everyone assumes about what happened. I know what we've been through the last two weeks.\n\n\"We had players out there today who had one day's training. What pleased me most was a desire and a passion and a real quality at times tonight.\n\n\"There's a real determination and hard work from this group of players. They've never shied away from anything.\"\n\nOn Monday's announcement of the game with Tottenham: \"We were told, in the end, at 9:30. It was put to me on Saturday, if there was a possibility, but I just batted it off thinking 'no chance'.\n\n\"This game was supposed to be scheduled 16 days ago - for 10 days some of these boys were locked up in their houses. I was surprised but it wasn't in terms of preparing for this game, we've prepared in two days for a game before, it was more just getting told of the consequences that you face.\"\n\nBest of the stats\n• None Tottenham and Fulham played out their first draw in the Premier League since December 2009, with Spurs winning 10 of the last 11 encounters (L1).\n• None Tottenham are unbeaten in their last eight London derbies in the Premier League (W3 D5), they've never gone longer without defeat against sides from the capital in the competition.\n• None Fulham have drawn five consecutive Premier League games, their longest such run since January 2007 (six games).\n• None Fulham have gained five points in their last four Premier League away games (W1 D2 L1), more than they collected in their previous 13 on the road in the competition (W1 D1 L11).\n• None Only Brighton (12) and Sheffield United (11) have dropped more points from winning positions than Spurs (10) in the Premier League this season.\n• None Tottenham's Harry Kane has become just the third player to score 25 Premier League goals with his head (25), his right foot (94) and his left foot (34) - after Robbie Fowler and Andy Cole.\n• None Ademola Lookman has been directly involved in five goals (two goals, three assists) in the Premier League this season, more than any other Fulham player.\n\nTottenham travel to Bramall Lane on Sunday (14:05 GMT) to face the Premier League's bottom side Sheffield United, who on Tuesday earned their first top-flight win of the season.\n\nFulham face Chelsea in another derby, hosting their west London rivals on Saturday (17:30 GMT).\n• None Offside, Tottenham Hotspur. Erik Lamela tries a through ball, but Son Heung-Min is caught offside.\n• None Attempt blocked. Antonee Robinson (Fulham) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Aboubakar Kamara. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Can the TV personality make it as a pro footballer?\n• None New drama brings the chilling crimes of Charles Sobhraj to life", "Doctors' leaders have called for urgent improvements in personal protective equipment for health workers.\n\nThe British Medical Association is appealing for a higher grade of face mask to guard against coronavirus infection.\n\nIt says there is 'growing evidence' that the virus is being spread through the air by aerosols.\n\nThese are tiny virus particles that can build up in stuffy rooms and they have been linked to outbreaks of Covid-19.\n\nThis follows an open letter from more than 1,500 health professionals for staff on general wards to be given the type of high-quality masks usually only worn in intensive care units.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) has issued guidance on what PPE staff in different settings require. It was last updated in October 2020.\n\nEarly in the pandemic, it was widely believed that to catch the disease you had to either be close to an infected person and hit by droplets from their coughs or sneezes or touch a surface they had contaminated.\n\nBut research during the course of last year highlighted how it is also possible for the virus to be carried in what are called aerosols, drifting and accumulating in the air.\n\nMost infections are thought to have occurred indoors in badly ventilated rooms, and many studies have shown that the 'airborne route' can be an important factor.\n\nAcross the UK, the guidance for hospital staff is to wear surgical masks in most areas.\n\nMore sophisticated masks - a type known as FFP3 that includes an air filter - are only required in intensive care or when certain procedures are carried out that are known to generate aerosols.\n\nIn their letter, the consultants, doctors and nurses say healthcare workers are three to four times more likely to become infected than the general population.\n\nBut they point out that staff in intensive care units, who have the best level of protection, have about half the risk of catching the virus than colleagues on general wards.\n\nThe letter states: \"It is now essential that healthcare workers have their PPE upgraded to protect against airborne transmission\".\n\nBarry McAree, a consultant surgeon in Northern Ireland, is one of many healthcare workers to be ill with Covid.\n\nHe is self-isolating at home right after his testing positive for the second time.\n\nA signatory to the letter, he says his hospital in Antrim followed the guidance about which type of masks should be worn in which areas, but he became infected nonetheless. It is not clear how and when he caught it.\n\n\"There's so much evidence that we are talking about an airborne infection that it has to be said that it is not appropriate just to wear FFP3 in environments when aerosol generating procedures take place.\"\n\nHe believes that with such high levels of the virus in the community and in hospitals, staff should be wearing the higher-grade masks whenever they're close to patients.\n\nSurgical masks can be bought online for about 10p each, while the FFP3 masks are far more expensive about £5.00.\n\nDr Barry Jones, a retired gastroenterologist and leading expert on aerosols, says that's nothing compared to the cost of a patient with Covid,\n\nHe points to data showing that roughly a fifth of people needing hospital treatment for Covid may have acquired the infection in hospital in the first place.\n\n\"We should do everything we can to reduce that possibility - it's the air we share that's killing us.\"\n\nA few hospitals have decided to break with official guidance.\n\nIt's understood that hospitals in Cambridge, Plymouth and Exeter have decided to equip staff with FFP3 masks if they face patients diagnosed with Covid or suspected of having it.\n\nOne consultant, who did not want to be named, said: \"When you realise patients are more infectious at an earlier stage of disease and are presenting at general wards with poorer ventilation than intensive care units and staff are wearing a poorer quality of PPE, you really want those in a position of leadership to listen and to act.\"\n\nRCN General Secretary Dame Donna Kinnair, said: \"Without delay, they must state whether existing PPE guidance is adequate for the new variant.\n\n\"While more research is carried out, we ask for the precautionary principle to be applied and staff to be given a higher level of PPE if working with suspected or confirmed cases.\"\n\nPublic Health England said this was a matter for NHS England to comment on.\n\nA Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: \"The safety of NHS and social care staff has always been our top priority and we continue to work tirelessly to deliver PPE that protects those on the frontline.\n\n\"UK guidance on the safest levels of PPE is written by experts and agreed by all four chief medical officers. Our guidance is kept under constant review based on the latest evidence and data.\n\n\"Emerging evidence and data, including on variant strains, will be continually monitored and reviewed, and the guidance updated accordingly if needed.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Home Secretary Priti Patel: \"Our selfless police officers... will enforce the regulations and I will back them to do so\"\n\nPeople have been urged to \"play your part\" and follow Covid rules by Home Secretary Priti Patel, who says she will back police to enforce laws.\n\nAt a No 10 briefing, Ms Patel said a minority were \"putting the health of the nation at risk\" by flouting rules.\n\nPolice are \"moving more quickly to issuing fines\", she added, with nearly 45,000 fixed penalty notices issued across the UK.\n\nAnother 1,243 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid.\n\nAnd there have been a further 45,533 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.\n\nMeanwhile, another 145,076 people have received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and 20,768 a second dose, bringing the totals respectively to 2,431,648 and 412,167.\n\nAt the briefing, Ms Patel said: \"My message today to anyone refusing to do the right thing is simple: if you do not play your part, our selfless police officers - who are out there risking their own lives every day to keep us safe - they will enforce the regulations.\n\n\"And I will back them to do so, to protect our NHS and to save lives.\"\n\nIt comes after the UK's most senior police officer said lockdown rule-breakers were more likely to be fined as Covid laws would be enforced \"more quickly\".\n\nMetropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said her officers had been forced to break up parties, despite hospitals in London struggling to cope with rising patient numbers.\n\nChairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council Martin Hewitt, who also spoke at the Downing Street briefing, said people should be asking themselves whether their reason for leaving home was \"truly essential\".\n\nHe stressed that police officers had been \"putting themselves at risk in order to keep people safe\", and said it had been \"disappointing\" to see some of the behaviour by rule-breakers.\n\nHe said examples of recent breaches included:\n\nMr Hewitt said he made \"no apology\" for police issuing fines, and warned people breaking rules - such as by organising parties or not wearing face coverings on public transport - to \"expect\" a fine.\n\nAsked if there needed to be more clarity on the guidance around exercise and staying local, Mr Hewitt said it would be wrong to put a \"particular distance\" on how far people could exercise from their home - as it would be too difficult for police to enforce.\n\nHe said it was right there was an exception to allow people to exercise, but insisted it was the public's responsibility to make sure they were doing so safely.\n\nThere is a big focus on adherence to lockdown rules. But what has almost gone unnoticed is the fact that cases may have actually started falling.\n\nThere has now been two consecutive days where newly diagnosed cases have hovered around the 46,000 mark. Up to the weekend, the average was close to 60,000.\n\nThe drop has largely been driven by falls in new cases in London, the south east and east of England.\n\nIn some regions, cases are still going up. The north west of England is causing particular concern.\n\nIt is too early for the vaccination programme to be having any significant impact, so a combination of the national lockdown on top of the tier four restrictions that were imposed in some areas before Christmas look like they may be beginning to have an impact.\n\nCare must be taken in reading too much into a couple of days' data.\n\nHospital cases are still rising - patients being admitted at the moment are the ones who were infected a week or so ago - but it does at least offer a glimmer of hope.\n\nLater in the news conference, NHS medical director for London Dr Vin Diwakar said the capital's Nightingale hospital has reopened and was admitting patients to help with the coronavirus spread.\n\nHe told reporters it was taking non-Covid patients to help free up beds in London's hospitals.\n\nDr Diwakar warned that if levels of hospitalisation in the capital continued to rise then more patients would need to be transferred out of London, adding that the NHS across the country was under pressure.\n\nIn Birmingham, 200 doctors are being redeployed to one of the country's largest intensive care units as it nears capacity.\n\nThe University Hospitals Birmingham Trust said there were 873 patients with Covid-19 in their hospitals, with 125 in intensive care.\n\nEarlier, crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse said people have a \"duty\" to make this lockdown \"the last one\".\n\n\"We are urging the small minority of people who aren't taking this seriously to do so now, and [we say] to them that, if they don't, they are much more likely to get fined by the police,\" he told BBC Breakfast.\n\nDame Cressida told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the move towards greater enforcement was \"common sense\" rather than a show of \"dictatorial policing\".\n\nFines start at £200 in England and Northern Ireland, and £60 in Wales and Scotland. Large parties can be shut down by the police, with fines of up to £10,000.\n\nEngland is currently under a national lockdown, meaning people must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar lockdown measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - all of which are in charge of deciding and enforcing their own coronavirus restrictions.\n• None Could I be fined for exercising?", "YouTube has become the latest social network to suspend President Trump.\n\nThe Google-owned service has prevented his account from uploading new videos or live-streaming material for a minimum of seven days, and has said it may extend the period.\n\nThe firm said the channel had broken its rules over the incitement of violence.\n\nThe president had posted several videos on Tuesday night, some of which remain online.\n\nGoogle has not provided details of what Mr Trump said in the video it banned, however the BBC has discovered it was a clip from a press conference he had given on Tuesday.\n\nThe move came hours after civil rights groups had threatened to organise an ads boycott against YouTube.\n\nPresident Trump's YouTube channel remains live but he cannot post new videos\n\nJim Steyer - who previously helped coordinate similar action against Facebook last year - had called on Google to go further and take the president's channel offline.\n\n\"We hope they will make it permanent. It is disappointing that it took a Trump-incited attack to get here, but appears that the major platforms are finally beginning to step up,\" he tweeted after the suspension.YouTube suspends Donald Trump's channel\n\nGoogle said that Mr Trump could still face his page being closed if he falls foul of its three-strikes policy.\n\n\"After review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to Donald J Trump's channel for violating our policies,\" it said in a statement.\n\n\"It now has its first strike and is temporarily prevented from uploading new content for a minimum of seven days.\n\n\"Given the ongoing concerns about violence, we will also be indefinitely disabling comments on President Trump's channel, as we've done to other channels where there are safety concerns found in the comments section.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Apple chief Tim Cook told CBS News that those involved with the riots on the US Capitol last week should be held accountable.\n\n\"Everyone that had a part in it needs to be held accountable. I think no one is above the law. We're a rule of law country.\"\n\nHe did not mention President Trump by name, but added: \"I don't think we should let it go. This is something we've got to be serious about.\"\n\nMr Trump had already been suspended by Facebook and Instagram following last week's rioting on Capitol Hill, until at least the transition of power to Joe Biden on 20 January.\n\nTwitter has gone further by imposing a permanent ban.\n\nAmazon's Twitch has also disabled his account on its platform. And Snapchat has locked his account.\n\nShopify, Pinterest, TikTok and Reddit have also taken steps to restrict content associated with the president and his calls for the results of the US election to be challenged.\n\nYouTube has often been behind its social media rivals when it comes to moderating user-posted content.\n\nOver the years it has come under fire from campaign groups and big advertisers for not acting swiftly.\n\nNow it has followed Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat in restricting Donald Trump's access to its platform.\n\nAnd as so often, there's a lack of transparency about exactly what prompted the President's suspension.\n\nIt's only saying that a video violated its policies on incitement to violence, but is indicating that the issue was the President's remarks to reporters on Tuesday where he refused to take responsibility for the attack on Congress.\n\nOf course, those comments were broadcast on TV channels, including the BBC, and are still widely available.\n\nIt's not long ago that the social media landscape was being described as the Wild West when it came to moderating content - now the platforms suddenly seem eager to appear more cautious than the mainstream media.\n\nIt's amazing what the threat of regulation can do.", "A further 1,564 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began.\n\nIt brings the total number of deaths by that measure to 84,767.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said there have now been more deaths in the second wave than the first.\n\nAnd the prime minister warned there was a \"very substantial\" risk of intensive care capacity being \"overtopped\".\n\nSpeaking to the Commons Liaison Committee, Boris Johnson said the situation was \"very, very tough\" in the NHS and the strain on staff was \"colossal\".\n\nHe appealed to the public to follow lockdown rules, which require people in England to stay at home and only go out for limited reasons, such as for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nA further 47,525 new cases have also been recorded.\n\nPerhaps the most distressing element about the latest Covid deaths is that the numbers are almost certainly going to rise from here.\n\nPeople who are dying now are likely to have been infected three or so weeks ago, around Christmas time.\n\nThat was at a point when infection rates were rising quite steeply, so in the coming days and weeks we should, sadly, expect to see more deaths than this being reported.\n\nToday's figures are affected by the weekend, which sees delays in reporting deaths that tend to translate into higher figures from Tuesday onwards.\n\nCurrently around 1,000 people a day on average are dying once you take this into account.\n\nBut the figures also provide some hope. For the third day in a row the number of newly diagnosed infections are well below 50,000.\n\nThere have been several days where they have exceeded 60,000.\n\nIf that trend continues, and the number of new cases keeps coming down, that will eventually translate into the number of deaths falling.\n\nBut it is going to take some weeks for that to happen.\n\nThese are, as many have been saying, the darkest days of the pandemic so far.\n\nEarlier, during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson said lockdown measures were \"starting to show signs of some effect\".\n\nLabour's Sir Keir Starmer called for tougher restrictions in England, asking why they were weaker in this lockdown compared with March.\n\nDuring the first lockdown, nurseries were closed to most children and it was not permitted to exercise with someone from another household.\n\n\"We keep things under constant review,\" Mr Johnson replied. \"If there is any need to toughen up restrictions - which I don't rule out - we will of course come to this House.\"\n\nHe stressed that it was early days, but said: \"The lockdown measures we have in place combined with tier four measures that we were using are starting to show signs of some effect.\"\n\nLater, asked by the Commons Liaison Committee whether schools could reopen after February half-term, Mr Johnson said: \"It is far, far too early for us to say [early signs of progress mean] we can go into any kind of relaxation in the middle of February, we've got to work very hard to achieve that.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson took questions from MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee\n\nThe prime minister also said on Wednesday that Covid vaccinations will be offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week as soon as supply allows.\n\nThe number of people in the UK who have received the first dose of a vaccine has risen to 2,639,309 - up by 207,661 from the day before.\n\nCommenting on the latest daily figures, PHE's Dr Doyle said: \"With each passing day, more and more people are tragically losing their lives to this terrible virus.\"\n\nShe added: \"It is essential that we stay at home, minimise contact with other people and act as if you have the virus.\"\n\nThe vast majority of the deaths reported on Tuesday happened over the past week. However, at least 100 were in 2020, with one death dating back to May.\n\nThe previous highest daily death toll was on Friday, when 1,325 people were reported to have died.\n\nThese government figures count people who died within 28 days of testing positive, but there are other ways of measuring the total number of deaths.\n\nWhen all deaths where coronavirus is mentioned on the death certificate are counted, plus deaths known to have occurred more recently, the number of deaths involving Covid in the UK is more than 100,000.\n\nAnother method is to count excess deaths - all deaths over and above the usual number at the time of year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Johnson: \"We are taking steps to ensure that we do not see the import of this new variant\".\n\nMeanwhile, the prime minister has said he is \"concerned\" about a new coronavirus variant that is believed to have emerged in Brazil. He acknowledged it is not yet clear how effective existing vaccines will be against the latest new variant.\n\nThe UK is taking steps to make sure it is not brought into the country, Mr Johnson said.\n\nA government Covid committee is meeting on Thursday to discuss the possibility of stopping flights from Brazil.\n\nArrivals from Brazil already have to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nAnd from Monday, anyone arriving into the UK from any country will have to present a negative Covid test. The new rule had been due to come into force this week but the government said it was being put back to give travellers more time to prepare.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHundreds of people have joined a march organised following claims a man died hours after being released by police in Cardiff.\n\nThe family of Mohamud Mohammed Hassan, 24, claim he was assaulted in custody.\n\nMore than 300 people took part in a march from the city centre to Cardiff Bay police station.\n\nSouth Wales Police said it found no evidence of excessive force. The police watchdog said initial tests showed Mr Hassan was not killed by any injuries.\n\nThe Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said toxicology tests were now being carried out and it was awaiting the full post-mortem results.\n\nEarlier, First Minister Mark Drakeford said the reports of Mr Hassan's death were \"deeply concerning\".\n\nMr Hassan was arrested at his Roath home on Friday on suspicion of breach of the peace but released without charge on Saturday morning.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMr Hassan's aunt Zainab Hassan told BBC Wales she had seen Mr Hassan within an hour of his release.\n\n\"He was released on Saturday morning with lots of wounds on his body and lots of bruises,\" she said.\n\n\"He didn't have these wounds when he was arrested and when he came out of Cardiff Bay police station, he had them.\"\n\nIn a virtual session of the Welsh Parliament on Monday, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said: \"Every effort should be made to seek the truth of what happened.\"\n\nHe said he wanted to know why Mr Hassan was arrested and what happened during his arrest.\n\nMr Hassan's aunt Zainab Hassan said she saw him after his release\n\n\"Why did this young man die?,\" he added.\n\nMr Price said any inquiry should not be prejudged, but asked if the first minister would \"help the family find those answers\".\n\nIn response, Mr Drakeford said reports of the story were \"deeply concerning\".\n\n\"Our thoughts must be with the family of a young man who was... a fit and healthy individual,\" the Cardiff West MS said.\n\nMark Drakeford said he was deeply concerned by the reports\n\nMr Drakeford, who said the death must be \"properly investigated\", said the first step in any inquiry would be to allow the IOPC to carry out their work, which he said he expected \"to be done rigorously and with full and visible independence\".\n\nHe added that if there were things the Welsh Government could do \"I will make sure that we attend properly to those\".\n\nProtesters on Tuesday afternoon chanted \"no justice, no peace\" and called for the police force to release CCTV of Mr Hassan's time in custody.\n\nProtesters on Tuesday afternoon marched from the city centre to Cardiff Bay\n\nIn a statement on Monday, South Wales Police said Mr Hassan was arrested at his home in Newport Road on Friday night and taken to Cardiff Bay police station.\n\nHe was released at 08:30 GMT on Saturday and officers returned to the property at about 22:30 following his death.\n\nIt added: \"As part of the South Wales Police investigation CCTV and body-worn video has already been, and will continue to be, examined.\n\n\"This will assist in establishing and understanding the events that took place.\n\n\"Early findings by the force indicate no misconduct issues and no excessive force.\"\n\nProtesters were heard chanting \"no justice, no peace\"\n\nCatrin Evans, the IOPC's director for Wales, said its investigation would focus on Mr Hassan's arrest, the journey in a police van to custody and his time at Cardiff Bay police station, including whether relevant assessments were made before he was released.\n\nShe said they would be \"urgently examining the extensive relevant CCTV footage and body-worn video\" and would be speaking to the officers involved as well as witnesses who saw his arrest on Friday evening and his movements the next day after leaving custody.\n\nShe added: \"I send my condolences to Mr Hassan's family and friends, and to everyone affected by his sad death.\n\n\"We are aware of concerns being expressed and questions being asked about use of force by police officers. We will look carefully at the level of force used during the interaction and I would urge people show patience while our inquiries, which will take some time, are made.\"\n\nMs Evans added: \"An interim report from a post-mortem examination is awaited.\n\n\"Preliminary indications are that there is no physical trauma injury to explain a cause of death, and toxicology tests are required.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Bonnie Watson Coleman is one of three Democratic lawmakers to have tested positive since the invasion of the US Capitol\n\nThree US lawmakers have tested positive for the coronavirus after sheltering for hours with colleagues during last week's deadly assault on the Capitol.\n\nHouse Democrats Bonnie Watson Coleman, Pramila Jayapal and Brad Schneider have announced their diagnoses.\n\nLast Wednesday they hunkered down in secure rooms, seeking refuge from an invasion of Congress in which five people died.\n\nSome Republicans were not wearing masks during the ordeal, footage suggests.\n\nVideo shared by Punchbowl News shows several lawmakers apparently refusing facemasks offered to them.\n\nHowever, CBS pictures from inside the chamber show Ms Jayapal was herself not wearing a mask at one point.\n\nMedical experts fear more lawmakers may have contracted the disease, potentially amounting to a super-spreader event at a time when coronavirus infections and deaths continue to rise in the US.\n\nThe US has recorded the highest number of coronavirus infections (22.6 million) and deaths (367,000) in the world, with no sign of the epidemic abating, despite the limited roll-out of vaccines.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. When a mob stormed the US capitol\n\nOver the weekend, top congressional doctor Brian Monahan told lawmakers and congressional staff who sheltered together from the riots to get tested.\n\n\"The time in this room was several hours for some and briefer for others,\" Mr Monahan said. \"During this time, individuals may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.\"\n\nMr Monahan did not say how many lawmakers were in the room, but called on them to observe social-distancing measures and wear masks.\n\nNew Jersey Democratic Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman was the first lawmaker to confirm she had tested positive on Monday. In a tweet, the 75-year-old cancer survivor said she was resting at home with \"mild, cold-like symptoms\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMs Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state, and Illinois congressman Mr Schneider revealed they had tested positive on Tuesday.\n\nAll three Democrats accused Republican lawmakers of refusing to wear masks as they huddled together for safety last Wednesday.\n\n\"Any member who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives,\" Ms Jayapal wrote, calling for mask transgressors to be fined.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Rep. Pramila Jayapal This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe wearing of masks has been an explosive political issue throughout the pandemic in the US, with some lawmakers openly refusing to don a face covering.\n\nA Republican congressman, Jake LaTurner of Kansas, tested positive for Covid-19 after participating in a House vote to reject Arizona's presidential election results on Wednesday.\n\nBut on Tuesday, Mr LaTurner's spokesperson told the Topeka Capital-Journal newspaper that he was not in the secure area of the Capitol building where multiple members have since tested positive.\n\nOn Friday Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), had warned that Wednesday's rioting would probably have significant health consequences.\n\n\"You have to anticipate that this is another surge event,\" he told the McClatchy news agency. \"You had largely unmasked individuals in a non-distanced fashion, who were all through the Capitol.\"\n\nCoronavirus has swept through the heart of the American political establishment during the pandemic. One notable outbreak happened in September last year, when an event was held at the White House to announce the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court justice.\n\nSoon after, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the virus, along with numerous other senior government officials.", "Tesco, Asda and Waitrose have become the latest supermarkets to say they will deny entry to shoppers who do not wear face masks unless they are medically exempt.\n\nIt follows a similar move by Morrisons, while Sainsbury's says it will challenge those who flout the rules.\n\nRetailers have been criticised for not doing enough to stop people breaking Covid rules as infections spread.\n\nBut enforcement of face coverings is officially a police responsibility.\n\nHowever, supermarkets can deny entry to their premises which is private property, and can call the police if someone refuses to follow the rules or becomes abusive.\n\nSenior police figures have reportedly said there is little officers can do to enforce the rules in shops because they are so busy.\n\nBut policing minister Kit Malthouse said that they would offer \"backup if things go seriously wrong\".\n\n\"What we hope is that in the vast majority of cases the enforcement, or the reminders if you like, put in place by the store owners will be enough,\" he told BBC News.\n\nA Tesco spokeswoman said the supermarket chain had decided to strengthen its policies.\n\n\"To protect our customers and colleagues, we won't let anyone into our stores who is not wearing a face covering, unless they are exempt in line with government guidance,\" she said.\n\n\"We are also asking our customers to shop alone, unless they're a carer or with children. To support our colleagues, we will have additional security in stores to help manage this.\"\n\nAn Asda spokesman said if customers had forgotten their face coverings, it would continue to offer them one free of charge.\n\nBut he added: \"Should a customer refuse to wear a covering without a valid medical reason and be in any way challenging to our colleagues about doing so, our security colleagues will refuse their entry.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How to wear your mask. Hint: it's not any of these three options\n\nAndrew Murphy, executive director of operations at Waitrose, said: \"We've listened carefully to the clear change in tone and emphasis of the views and information shared by the UK's governments in recent days.\n\n\"By insisting on the wearing of face coverings, over and above the social distancing measures we already have in place, we aim to make our shops even safer for customers.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, Sainsbury's told the BBC it did not have the power to deny entry to shoppers without masks. However, trials showed customers complied more when asked to wear masks by security guards at the door, it said.\n\nIn an interview with the BBC, Sainsbury's boss, Simon Roberts, said \"we are not going to ban customers\".\n\nBut he urged shoppers to wear a mask and shop alone.\n\n\"By doing that we will help keep everybody safe,\" he said.\n\nThe Co-op also said it would not ban shoppers without masks from entering, and instead urged customers to take responsibility for wearing a face covering when visiting its stores, as it was mandatory by law.\n\nBoss of Co-op Food Jo Whitfield said: \"We've increased our in-store messaging to remind customers and government guidance does state that the police can take measures if members of the public don't comply with this law.\"\n\nIceland said it would take a similar approach, adding the vast majority of its customers continued to shop in compliance with the law.\n\n\"In view of the rising tide of abuse and violence being directed at our store colleagues, we do not expect them to confront the small minority of customers who aggressively refuse to comply with the law,\" a spokesman added.\n\nIn England, the police can issue a £200 fine to someone breaking the face covering rules. In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, a £60 fine can be imposed. Repeat offenders face bigger fines.", "President Trump has just become the first sitting president to be impeached twice by the US House of Representatives.\n\nWe asked members of our BBC voter panel to weigh in as well.\n\nHere's what they said:\n\nQuote Message: Everything he has done is unconstitutional and, as a president, the number one thing he should be doing is upholding the Constitution. If not for him continually fighting the election results and claiming the election was stolen, if not for him holding that rally near the Capitol, if not for him talking about 'uprising', last week would very likely not have happened. Unfortunately it was completely predictable. from Melissa Dangaran 51, from Minnesota Everything he has done is unconstitutional and, as a president, the number one thing he should be doing is upholding the Constitution. If not for him continually fighting the election results and claiming the election was stolen, if not for him holding that rally near the Capitol, if not for him talking about 'uprising', last week would very likely not have happened. Unfortunately it was completely predictable.\n\nQuote Message: Unprecedented. He should not have been impeached at all. There is no justification, no legal basis, no constitutional basis for it. It's a rush to judgment for ulterior motives and a dark stain on our country. I'm concerned about the double standard and I'm afraid our Constitution is on its deathbed. Why would anybody who's rational think that our president meant for people to go break into the Capitol? from Belinda Noah 45, from Florida Unprecedented. He should not have been impeached at all. There is no justification, no legal basis, no constitutional basis for it. It's a rush to judgment for ulterior motives and a dark stain on our country. I'm concerned about the double standard and I'm afraid our Constitution is on its deathbed. Why would anybody who's rational think that our president meant for people to go break into the Capitol?\n\nQuote Message: It's more of a symbolic impeachment at this point because he'll be out soon, but it's necessary nonetheless. Not only is he a threat to our national security, but he doesn't condone white supremacy and other threats. It's deeply saddening to me. from Williams Morales 19, from Georgia It's more of a symbolic impeachment at this point because he'll be out soon, but it's necessary nonetheless. Not only is he a threat to our national security, but he doesn't condone white supremacy and other threats. It's deeply saddening to me.\n\nQuote Message: I was in DC at the rally - not near the Capitol - but I saw the president speak with my own eyes and he did not call for anyone to storm the building or cause harm. It's just a way to ensure he will not run in the next four years. It is political and it will create a bigger divide between left and right. All violence should be condemned fairly and justly. It was a very sad outcome, but I do not believe it was the most horrible day in our country's history. from Gabriel Montalvo 21, from New York I was in DC at the rally - not near the Capitol - but I saw the president speak with my own eyes and he did not call for anyone to storm the building or cause harm. It's just a way to ensure he will not run in the next four years. It is political and it will create a bigger divide between left and right. All violence should be condemned fairly and justly. It was a very sad outcome, but I do not believe it was the most horrible day in our country's history.", "US rapper YFN Lucci is wanted by police in Atlanta, Georgia, for his alleged involvement in the murder of a local man last month.\n\nTwo suspects have been arrested over the killing of the 28-year-old victim.\n\nAuthorities have appealed for help in locating YFN Lucci, 29 - whose birth name is Rayshawn Bennett.\n\nHe is wanted on suspicion of murder, aggravated assault and participation in criminal street gang activity, police told US media.\n\nThey say another man was wounded in the incident.\n\nLast month YFN Lucci released new material under the title Wish Me Well 3.\n\nIn 2018 rapper Cardi B was forced to defend her then-fiancé Offset against allegations of homophobia after he used a lyric by YFN Lucci that included the word \"queer.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Jasmina Alston This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Many hospital staff treating the sickest patients during the first wave of the pandemic were left traumatised by the experience, a study suggests.\n\nResearchers at King's College London asked 709 workers at nine intensive care units in England about how they were coping as the first wave eased.\n\nNearly half reported symptoms of severe anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or problem drinking.\n\nOne in seven had thoughts of self-harming or being \"better off dead\".\n\nNursing staff were more likely to report feelings of distress than doctors or other clinical staff in the anonymous web-based survey, which was carried out in June and July last year.\n\nVictoria Sullivan, an intensive care nurse at Queen's Hospital in Romford, said she often can't sleep because she's thinking about what is happening at the hospital.\n\nHer worst moment was breaking the news of a death on the phone, she said, adding that the screams from the patient's relatives \"will honestly stay with me forever\".\n\n\"Telling someone over the phone and all you can say is 'I'm really sorry', whilst they're crying their heart out, is quite traumatising,\" she said.\n\n\"Although you're saying how sorry you are, in the back of your mind, you're also thinking: 'I've got three other patients I've got to go and see, the infusions need drawing up, and meds need to be given and a nurse needs support'.\n\n\"The guilt is just too much.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nIn the study, which has been published online but has not yet been peer-reviewed:\n\nThe researchers say the findings are, in some ways, not surprising given the pressures ICU staff have faced.\n\nTheir workload has been relentless, caring for more patients than is ideal and under extremely challenging circumstances.\n\nLead researcher Prof Neil Greenberg said the findings should be a \"wake-up call\" for NHS managers.\n\nHe said: \"The severity of symptoms we identified are highly likely to impair some ICU staff's ability to provide high-quality care as well as negatively impacting on their quality of life.\"\n\nProf Greenberg said it was important to have \"occupationally focused\" mental health care to try to keep staff fighting fit or, where this was not possible, to ensure they got help to access the right sort of care.\n\nAnd he said that, while their work suggested things may have improved over the summer, there were signs the numbers experiencing mental health problems would rise in November and December.\n\nProf Partha Kar, diabetes consultant at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS trust, said it was \"really, really difficult seeing people battling through all sorts of odds\".\n\nHe added: \"We've got sickness rates high all around us and colleagues from all specialities, where they're not accustomed to seeing such ill patients, coming out and trying to help.\n\n\"Understandably the impact of that on everybody's mental health is not insignificant either... it's such a tough place to be in.\"\n\nPTSD is an anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.\n\nSomeone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks, and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt.\n\nThey may also have problems sleeping, such as insomnia, and find concentrating difficult.\n\nThese symptoms are often severe and persistent enough to have a significant impact on the person's day-to-day life.\n\nCauses of PTSD can include:\n\nAn NHS spokesperson said: \"This is an incredibly tough time for NHS staff working on the front line which is why we have invested £15m in support, including 38 local mental health and well-being hubs and a service for staff with complex mental health needs, such as trauma and addiction.\n\n\"The public can also help to support doctors and nurses by following the 'hands, space, face' guidance to reduce pressure on hospitals and save lives.\"\n\nIf you or someone you know has been affected by mental health issues, the organisations listed at this link might be able to help", "Sarah Ferguson has a long-held interest in history, especially that of the royals and the aristocracy\n\nSarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has written her first novel for adults, to be released by the leading romantic fiction publisher Mills & Boon.\n\nHer Heart for a Compass is based on the life of the duchess's great-great-aunt, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott.\n\nShe has previously written children's books, non-fiction about Queen Victoria, and her own memoirs.\n\nShe said: \"I am proud to bring my personal brand of historical fiction to the publishing world.\"\n\n\"It all started with researching my ancestry. Digging into the history of the Montagu-Douglas Scotts, I first came across Lady Margaret, who intrigued me because she shared one of my given names,\" she added.\n\n\"But although her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, were close friends with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, I was unable to discover much about my namesake's early life, and so was born the idea which became Her Heart for a Compass.\"\n\nThe story will include some real people and events and also draw on the duchess's own experiences but she said \"my imagination took over\".\n\n\"I have long held a passion for historical research and telling the stories of strong women in history through film and television,\" she added.\n\nFor the big screen, she conceived the idea for the 2009 movie Young Victoria, starring Emily Blunt and written by Julian Fellowes.\n\nShe was a producer on the film and her daughter, Princess Beatrice, had a minor part. The duchess also worked on a documentary about Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Prince Albert's mother.\n\nShe recently revived her children's book series, Budgie the Helicopter.\n\nHeart for a Compass was written with the collaboration of established Mills & Boon novelist Marguerite Kaye, who has created more than 50 novels for the imprint, set in a variety of eras.\n\nThe duchess's novel is a saga that takes in events at Queen Victoria's court and the grand country houses of Scotland and Ireland, and crosses into the slums of London and on to the bustle of 1870s New York.\n\nMills & Boon described the story as a \"fascinating journey of a woman, born into the higher echelons of society, who desires to break the mould, follow her internal compass (her heart) and discover her raison d'être - and falling in love along the way\".\n\nMills & Boon is the UK's top publisher of romantic fiction and says it sells one of its novels every 10 seconds.\n\nThe stories are \"written by women, for women, it has a romance for every reader promising a happily-ever-after ending every time\", it adds.\n\nOther well-known names to venture into the Mills & Boon world include Made in Chelsea and I'm A Celebrity star Georgia Toffolo, whose debut romance novel, Meet Me in London, came out last year.\n\nBest-selling authors have also created stories for Mills & Boon under a pseudonym, including Destiny writer Sally Beauman (Vanessa James) and The Shell Seekers author Rosamunde Pilcher (Jane Fraser). PG Wodehouse also contributed a story in 1912.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Who were the protesters that broke into buildings on Capitol Hill after attending a rally in support of Donald Trump?\n\nSome were carrying symbols and flags strongly associated with particular ideas and factions, but in practice many of the members and their causes overlap.\n\nImages show individuals associated with a range of extreme and far-right groups and supporters of fringe online conspiracy theories, many of whom have long been active online and at pro-Trump rallies.\n\nOne of the most startling images, quickly shared across social media, shows a man dressed with a painted face, fur hat and horns, holding an American flag.\n\nHe's been identified as Jake Angeli, a well-known supporter of the baseless conspiracy theory QAnon. He calls himself the QAnon Shaman.\n\nHis social media presence shows him attending multiple QAnon events and posting YouTube videos about deep state conspiracies.\n\nHe was pictured in November making a speech in Phoenix, Arizona, about unproven claims the election was fraudulent.\n\nHis personal Facebook page is filled with images and memes relating to all sorts of extreme ideas and conspiracy theories.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nAnother group spotted at the storming of the Capitol were members of the far-right group Proud Boys.\n\nThe organisation was founded in 2016 and is anti-immigrant and all male. In the first US presidential debate President Trump in response to a question about white supremacists and militias said: \"Proud Boys - stand back and stand by.\"\n\nThe individual on the right is Nick Ochs, who describes himself as a \"Proud Boy Elder\".\n\nOne of their members, Nick Ochs, tweeted a selfie inside the building saying \"Hello from the Capital lol\". He also filmed a live stream inside.\n\nWe haven't identified the individual standing on the left in the above image.\n\nMr Ochs' profile on the messaging app Telegram describes himself as a \"Proud Boy Elder from Hawaii.\"\n\nIndividuals with large followings online were also spotted at the protests.\n\nAmong them was the social media personality Tim Gionet, who goes under the pseudonym \"Baked Alaska\".\n\nTim Gionet, better known as \"Baked Alaska\", livestreamed himself from the Capitol on Wednesday\n\nHis livestream from inside the Capitol posted on a niche streaming service was watched by thousands of people and showed him talking to other protesters.\n\nA Trump supporter, Mr Gionet has made a name for himself as an internet troll.\n\nYouTube banned his channel in October after he posted videos of himself harassing shop workers and refusing to wear a face-mask during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nOther platforms that have previously shut down his accounts include Twitter and PayPal.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'Treason, traitors and thugs' - the words lawmakers used to describe Capitol riot\n\nA photo that went viral of a man who'd entered the office of senior Democrat politician Nancy Pelosi has been named as Richard Barnett from Arkansas.\n\nRichard Barnett left a message for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying \"we will not back down\"\n\nOutside Capitol Hill buildings, he told the New York Times that he took an envelope from the speaker's office and says left a note calling her an expletive.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Matthew Rosenberg This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nReacting to the New York Times interview, Republican congressman Steve Womack said on Twitter: \"I'm sickened to learn that the below actions were perpetrated by a constituent.\"\n\nLocal media reports say Mr Barnett is involved in a group that supports gun rights, and that he was interviewed at a 'Stop the Steal' rally following the presidential election - a movement that refused to accept Joe Biden's victory and supports the president's unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud.\n\nIn the interview at the rally organised by 'Engaged Patriots' he said: \"If you don't like it, send somebody out to get me 'cause I ain't going down easy.\"\n\nThe group associated with Mr Barnett held a fundraiser in October with proceeds going towards body cameras for the local police department, according to the Westside Eagle Observer local paper.\n\nAs the events were unfolding, many social media users, especially those associated with QAnon and supporters of President Trump, were claiming that agitators from the loose-knit left-wing group antifa were involved.\n\nThe implication was that these activists were disguised as Trump supporters to create disruption.\n\nA number of prominent Republican politicians, such as US Representative Matt Gaetz, claimed it was antifa masquerading as Trump supporters.\n\nOne widely-shared post claimed one protester had a \"communist hammer\" tattoo, as evidence that he wasn't a Trump supporter.\n\nOn closer inspection, the symbol is from the video game series Dishonored.\n\nThere have also been suggestions that Mr Angeli, the man wearing fur and horns, was a Black Lives Matter supporter, with users sharing an image of him at a BLM event in Arizona.\n\nMr Angeli was indeed at that event, but he was there as a counter-protester. In images taken there, he's seen holding a QAnon sign.\n\nAt least one of the rioters was holding a Confederate flag, which represented US states that supported the continuation of slavery during the American civil war. For this reason, it is considered by many to be a symbol of racism and there have been calls to ban it across the US. Others see it as an important part of southern US history.\n\nA protester carries the Confederate flag after breaching US Capitol security\n\nIn July it was announced that the flag could no longer be flown on American military properties because of a new policy to reject \"divisive symbols\".\n\nPresident Trump has defended the use of the Confederate flag in the past, saying: \"I know people that like the Confederate flag and they're not thinking about slavery...I just think it's freedom of speech.\"\n\nThere were also protesters holding aloft flags featuring a coiled rattlesnake on a yellow background, often accompanied by the phrase \"don't tread on me\". This is known as the Gadsden flag, harking back to the American revolution and the war to expel British colonialists.\n\nIt was adopted by libertarians in the 1970s, according to an article in the New Yorker, and more recently became a favourite symbol of conservative Tea Party activists.\n\nThe flag has been adopted by the right over the past couple of decades, says Prof Margaret Weir, a political science expert at Brown University.\n\nIt is also used by anti-government, white supremacist groups who embrace violence, she says.", "The Christmas Day special saw Ashley Banjo (r) sit in for Simon Cowell\n\nThe filming of the next series of ITV show Britain's Got Talent has been postponed due to coronavirus concerns.\n\nProduction on the show was due to begin later this month but will now start at a later date yet to be confirmed.\n\nITV said it had decided to move \"the record and broadcast\" of the show's 15th series\" to safeguard \"the well-being of everyone involved\".\n\nThe filming of the programme's audition shows typically involves hundreds of people congregating en masse.\n\nIt is understood this has been considered to be unviable due to lockdown restrictions currently in place.\n\nWriting on Twitter, ITV thanked viewers for their \"continued love and support\" for the long-running programme.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by BGT This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe filming of last year's Christmas special was also postponed after at least three crew members tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nThe Christmas Day programme saw former contestants return to perform again alongside the show's panel of celebrity judges.\n\nThe show saw Ashley Banjo sit in for Simon Cowell, who spent much of last year recovering from an electric bicycle accident.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned the \"disgraceful scenes\" in the US, after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed Congress and clashed with police.\n\nRioters breached the Capitol building where lawmakers met to confirm Joe Biden's presidential election victory.\n\nThe PM said it was \"vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power\".\n\nAnd Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was a \"direct attack on democracy\".\n\n\"The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power,\" Mr Johnson tweeted.\n\nScottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, meanwhile, called the events \"utterly horrifying\".\n\nFriend of President Trump and leader of Reform UK - formerly the Brexit Party - Nigel Farage tweeted: \"Storming Capitol Hill is wrong. The protesters must leave.\"\n\nThe US Congress has now reconvened after the violence - spurred on by Mr Trump's unproven claims of electoral fraud - to certify Mr Biden's victory in the US election in November\n\nHundreds of the president's supporters stormed the Capitol, and staged an occupation of the building in Washington DC.\n\nBoth chambers of Congress were forced into recess, as protesters clashed with police and tear gas was released.\n\nFour people died on Capitol grounds during the violence, including a woman shot by police and three others, who died as a result of \"medical emergencies\", local police said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police place US Capitol Building on lockdown after Trump supporters breached security lines\n\nUK MPs from across the political spectrum have criticised the events in the US.\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab said there was \"no justification for these violent attempts to frustrate the lawful and proper transition of power\", while Home Secretary Priti Patel called the scenes \"unacceptable and undemocratic\".\n\nShe added: \"There is no justification for this violence and Donald Trump must condemn it.\"\n\nHer Conservative colleague, and former Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt directly addressed President Trump for telling the crowd to march on Congress, tweeting: \"He shames American democracy tonight and causes its friends anguish - but he is not America.\"\n\nLabour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner said: \"The violence that Donald Trump has unleashed is terrifying, and the Republicans who stood by him have blood on their hands.\"\n\nAnd shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said the events were \"the legacy of a politics of hate that pits people against each other and threatens the foundations of democracy\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Boris Johnson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMeanwhile, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey has defended the prime minister's response to the rioting.\n\nAsked on ITV's Peston programme why Mr Johnson hadn't criticised Mr Trump, she said: \"The prime minister has been clear tonight that we need a peaceful and orderly transition.\"\n\nMs Coffey added that events in the US were a \"reminder that democracy is something precious - and will only continue to thrive as long as we protect institutions that make this country important and not demean each other when the majority of what we want to achieve is similar outcomes\".\n\nDonald Trump and Boris Johnson at a Nato summit in 2019\n\nMeanwhile, the SNP's leader in Westminster, Ian Blackford, said the end of Mr Trump's presidency \"cannot come quick enough\".\n\nHe tweeted: \"What a legacy the events of today are to his time in office. Shameful, shocking, an affront to democracy.\"\n\nLeader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, called the scenes \"absolutely horrendous\", while his party's foreign affairs spokeswoman, Layla Moran, said: \"The scenes coming out of Washington tonight are an attack on democracy.\"", "National Express has announced that it is suspending its entire national network of coach services from midnight on Sunday.\n\nThe firm said tighter Covid restrictions and falling passenger numbers had prompted the decision.\n\nIt added that it hoped to restart services in March.\n\nAll customers whose travel has been cancelled will be contacted and offered a free amendment or full refund, the company said.\n\nAll journeys before Monday 11 January will be completed to ensure any passengers making essential journeys are not stranded.\n\nChris Hardy, managing director of National Express UK Coach, said: \"We have been providing an important service for essential travel needs. However, with tighter restrictions and passenger numbers falling, it is no longer appropriate to do this.\n\nHe added that as the vaccination programme was rolled out and government guidance changed, the company would regularly review when services could restart.\n\n\"We plan to be back on the road as soon as the time is right and have put a provisional restart date of Monday 1 March in place,\" he said.\n\nNational Express first suspended coach services during the coronavirus crisis in April, then restarted in July.\n\nServices have been operating at half capacity, with strict cleaning and Covid protocols. As the tier structure came into operation, demand for services reduced.\n\nAs with the previous suspension, employees will be furloughed.\n\nFirms that transport passengers, including coach, rail and aviation businesses, have been under intense pressure during the coronavirus crisis.\n\nAvanti West Coast, the train operating company running services on the West Coast mainline, has confirmed it will cut its timetable from 18 January.\n\nAvanti says the new timetable will 'more closely reflect the current demand for our services whilst still allowing key workers, and those needing to make essential journeys, to travel with confidence'.\n\nDuring the first major lockdown in March, services on key intercity routes were reduced from three an hour to one. This included services from both Manchester and Birmingham to London.\n\nThe Department for Transport has been consulting with all train operators about service reductions during the latest lockdown.\n\nThe exact scale of reduction is still being worked on, but the DfT says service levels may fall to as low as 40% of the normal timetable by some operators.\n\nThe focus is to ensure essential workers can still make essential journeys.\n\n\"Following discussions with the Department for Transport we will be introducing a new timetable on Monday 18 January. This will more closely reflect the current demand for our services whilst still allowing key workers, and those needing to make essential journeys, to travel with confidence.\"\n\nOn Thursday, Ryanair also announced that it would make big cuts to its flight schedule from 21 January, with few, if any flights to or from the UK or Ireland until \"draconian travel restrictions are removed\".\n\nTrain services are expected to be reduced in lockdown, with some in the industry anticipating reductions of between 50% and 60% compared with normal service.\n\nIn the first national lockdown in England, services were reduced to almost half.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Work to get pupils connected in Wolverhampton is well under way\n\nThere are concerns some schools in lockdown could be inundated with pupils without laptops after a change to the vulnerable pupil list.\n\nPupils are learning remotely in England after schools were closed on Tuesday to all but children of key workers and those deemed vulnerable.\n\nBut those without laptops or space to study are now eligible to attend school, under government guidance.\n\nHeads' union, NAHT, said the move could reduce the effect of the shutdown.\n\nSchools were ordered to close to most pupils as a way of limiting the spread of the virus.\n\nNational Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman said demand for key worker and vulnerable places in schools had risen substantially since the last school shutdown.\n\nNearly a third of the 2,000 head teachers who joined an online union meeting on Wednesday afternoon reported having between 20 and 30% of pupils in school, the NAHT said.\n\nMr Whiteman said: \"It is critical that key worker child school places are only used when absolutely necessary to truly reduce numbers and spread of the virus.\n\n\"We have concern that the government has not supplied enough laptops for all the children without them and so has made lack of internet access a vulnerable criteria - only adding to numbers still in school.\n\n\"It is important that all vulnerable pupils have access to a school place, but the government must provide laptops and internet access for every pupil that needs one, so that they can access home learning to take some of the strain off the demand for school places.\n\n\"Nearly half of head teachers who we polled during a webcast on Wednesday evening said that had received fewer than 10% of the laptops they'd requested.\n\n\"It is essential that this is rectified immediately, so that we can keep school attendance figures at a level which will have the desired impact on getting transmission rates under control.\"\n\nJane Girt, head teacher of Carlton Bolling College in Bradford, said the rule change could leave her having to accommodate an extra 200 pupils on top of those already on the key worker and vulnerable children list.\n\nShe told BBC News that having so many pupils in school would \"defeat the object\" of closing amid the England-wide lockdown.\n\nMrs Girt said her secondary, which has more than 1,500 students, had received 261 laptops from the government since March but about 50% of pupils were sharing a device with another family member.\n\nThe prime minister told MPs on Wednesday that 560,000 devices had been given out to schools in 2020 and a further 50,000 so far this week.\n\nAnd Gavin Williamson reiterated that those without access to remote learning via digital devices could attend school.\n\nHe said: \"Schools are much better prepared to deliver online learning, with the delivery of hundreds of thousands of devices at breakneck speed, data support and high quality video lessons.\"\n\nBut Ofcom estimates there are up to 1.5m pupils without digital devices in their homes, on which they can learn.\n\nAmanda Bailey, director of the child poverty commission in north-east England, said pupils without internet access tended to be concentrated in disadvantaged areas and this meant some schools would be \"largely fully open\", she said.\n\n\"And we know that the most deprived communities are the ones most vulnerable to the health impact of the pandemic,\" she added.\n\n\"Our main concerns are that we're now nine months into this situation and we're still talking about families not having sufficient access to digital devices or data or the internet.\"\n\nLabour Councillor Beverley Momenabadi, Wolverhampton's champion for digital innovation, said the guidance massively expands the number of children who are entitled to go into school.\n\nShe said although plans to support those needing access while self-isolating in her city are at an advanced stage, with rental schemes being accessed and donations sought, the new lockdown changes the game completely.\n\nShe called for a national plan for the transition to remote learning.\n\nCouncillor Momenabadi said: \"Even after Gavin Williamson's statement in the Commons, children across the country are still waiting for that national plan.\n\n\"And even on the devices they've said will arrive; how will these be distributed, when will they arrive, will they arrive in time to ensure that no child misses out on their education?\"\n\nWill you have to send your child back to school because you are unable to supervise home learning? Or are you a teacher concerned about lack of equipment? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nUS President Donald Trump has been allowed to Tweet again, after being locked out of his account for 12 hours.\n\nPosting a more conciliatory message, he refrained from reiterating false claims of voter fraud.\n\nTwitter said that it would ban Mr Trump \"permanently\" if he breached the platform's rules again.\n\nThe move from Twitter puts clear water between it and Facebook, which suspended him \"indefinitely\" on Thursday.\n\nTwitter has instead given the outgoing president a final warning.\n\nEarlier on Thursday, the popular gaming platform Twitch also placed an indefinite ban on Mr Trump's channel, which he has used for rally broadcasts.\n\nMr Trump tweeted several message on Wednesday, calling the people who stormed Capitol Hill \"patriots\". He also said \"We love you.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. When a mob stormed the US capitol\n\nA spokesperson for Twitter said: \"After the Tweets were removed and the subsequent 12-hour period expired, access to @realDonaldTrump was restored.\n\n\"Any future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.\"\n\nEarlier in the day, the president was suspended from Facebook and Instagram. That suspension will be reviewed after the transition of power to Joe Biden on 20 January.\n\nThe social network had originally imposed a 24-hour ban after the US Capitol attack.\n\nFacebook's chief, Mark Zuckerberg, wrote that the risks of allowing Mr Trump to post \"are simply too great\".\n\nMr Zuckerberg said Facebook had removed the president's posts \"because we judged that their effect - and likely their intent - would be to provoke further violence\".\n\nThis Facebook post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Facebook The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Facebook content may contain adverts. Skip facebook post by Mark This article contains content provided by Facebook. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Facebook cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Facebook content may contain adverts.\n\nHe said it was clear Mr Trump intended to undermine the transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden.\n\n\"Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete,\" he wrote.\n\nMr Trump's favoured platform, Twitter, suspended the president for 12 hours on Wednesday.\n\nThe company said it required the removal of three tweets for \"severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy\".\n\nIt said the president's account would remain locked for good if the tweets were not removed.\n\nTwitter has now confirmed the offending tweets have been removed, and he is free to tweet again.\n\nSnapchat also stopped Mr Trump from creating new posts, but did not say if or when it would end the ban. YouTube also removed Wednesday's video.\n\nThe president's supporters stormed the seat of US government and clashed with police, leading to the death of one woman.\n\nThe violence brought to a halt congressional debate over Democrat Joe Biden's election win.\n\nIn the House and Senate chambers, Republicans were challenging the certification of November's election results.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"We will never give up, we will never concede\", Trump tells supporters\n\nBefore the violence, President Trump had told supporters on the National Mall in Washington that the election had been stolen.\n\nHours later, as the violence mounted inside and outside the US Capitol, he appeared on video and repeated the false claim.", "The controversy over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been ongoing since 1977\n\nThe Trump administration has held the first sale for rights to drill for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - but it drew no interest from major companies.\n\nAn Alaskan state agency emerged as the primary bidder at the auction, which has been heavily criticised by environmental groups.\n\nThe sale raised less than $15m (£11m) - far less than the government had hoped.\n\nThe tepid interest comes amid big changes in the energy industry.\n\nMajor companies, including oil giant Exxon, Shell and BP, have said they are focusing their spending on renewable energy, amid a huge slump in oil prices, in part triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nAdam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said the sale was an \"epic failure\" for the Trump administration and the Alaska Republicans, who had backed the move as a way to create jobs and reduce American dependence on foreign oil.\n\n\"After years of promising a revenue and jobs bonanza they ended up throwing a party for themselves, with the state being one of the only bidders,\" he said in a statement.\n\n\"We have long known that the American people don't want drilling in the Arctic Refuge, the [Alaska native] Gwich'in people don't want it, and now we know the oil industry doesn't want it either.\"\n\nThe refuge is home to more than 200 species of bird including the Northern shrike\n\nMr Kolton said his organisation would continue to fight in court to reverse the sale of the land, which is home to caribou, polar bears and millions of migratory birds.\n\nThe wildlife refuge is estimated to hold some 11 billion barrels of oil.\n\nOpening the wilderness for drilling and development has been a long-term priority for Alaska Republicans, but development was expected to be costly since the area has minimal roads and infrastructure.\n\nAfter decades of controversy, the sale was finally authorised by the US Congress in 2017 as part of a major package of tax cuts. The auction comes just weeks before Donald Trump is due to leave office on 20 January.\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden had vowed to protect the refuge and environmental groups have also challenged the sale, which they say threatens land that provides a vital home to wildlife.\n\nA federal court rejected arguments by environmental groups seeking to block the auction on Tuesday.\n\nPolar bears are particularly at risk of dying in oil spills\n\nAt Wednesday's auction, the Bureau of Land Management said it had received bids for 12 of the 22 tracts of land offered, covering more than 600,000 acres.\n\nThe Alaska Industrial Development and Industrial Authority, a state agency, was the sole bidder on at least eight of the 12 tracts.\n\nSome bids submitted were \"incomplete\", the bureau said.\n\nThe state agency has said it plans to work with private companies on development of the refuge, which encompasses more than 19,000 million acres overall.\n\nOn social media platform Twitter, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy called the sale \"historic for Alaska and tremendous for America\".\n\n\"Opening [Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] for responsible resource development could put more oil in our pipeline, put Alaskans to work, bring billions of dollars of investment to our state, support American energy independence, and provide critical revenues to our state and local communities,\" he wrote.\n\n\"Alaskans have waited two generations for this moment; I stand with them in support of this day.\"", "Olly Stephens was stabbed to death in Emmer Green in Reading on Sunday\n\nThree teenagers have been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm after a boy, 13, was stabbed to death in Reading.\n\nOliver Stephens, known as Olly, was pronounced dead at Bugs Bottom fields, Emmer Green, on Sunday.\n\nTwo boys, aged 13 and 14, and a girl, aged 13, will appear in Reading Magistrates' Court on Thursday.\n\nTwo other boys, also aged 13, have been released on bail, with strict conditions, until 1 February.\n\nThe girl has also been charged with perverting the course of justice.\n\nIn a statement, Oliver's family said: \"An Olly-sized hole has been left in our hearts.\"\n\nHis parents said their son was \"an enigma\", and having both autism and suspected pathological demand avoidance meant \"he became a challenge we never shied away from\".\n\nThe family described the ordeal as \"every parents' worst nightmare\".\n\nThey also sought to highlight those who helped at the scene, including \"a Good Samaritan that tried valiantly to save Oliver\", an off-duty doctor who offered help, and the emergency services.\n\nOfficers were called just before 16:00 GMT on Sunday following reports of an attack in fields on the boundary of Emmer Green and Caversham Heights.\n\nParents laying flowers at nearby Highdown School called the killing \"utterly senseless\" and said their children who attended school with Olly were \"devastated\".\n\nDet Supt Kevin Brown urged anyone with information to contact police and not to share any images or footage on social media.\n\n\"This continues to be a very difficult time for the family of Olly. Our thoughts remain with them,\" he said.\n\n\"The Stephens family appreciate all of the kindness shown to them but they have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time.\"\n\nFollow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.", "South Vietnam flags were seen during the unrest Image caption: South Vietnam flags were seen during the unrest\n\nOn Wednesday, as protesters gathered outside before swarming the Capitol building, the yellow flags of the old South Vietnam regime could be seen.\n\nIn fact, the yellow flags of the former South Vietnam are a common sight at pro-Trump rallies across the United States.\n\nVietnamese Americans, especially those of the older generation who fled Vietnam after Saigon fell in 1975, are known for their support for the Republican party and Donald Trump.\n\nA pre-election survey by the group Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote found that Vietnamese Americans are the only major East Asian ethnic community that favoured Trump over Biden . Trump’s anti-China and anti-communist rhetoric resonated greatly with the former refugees who risked their lives to escape communism.\n\nBut the support for President Trump has also become an increasingly divisive issue amongst the Vietnamese American community.\n\nHours after the Capitol riot, there are still calls on pro-Trump internet forums like the \"ABC Trump\" Facebook page for Vietnamese Americans to “take to the streets in support of President Trump” as “the battle continues”.\n\nBut there have also been condemnations.\n\n“This is embarrassing,” one young Vietnamese American wrote on Twitter, adding: “They’ve brought shame to the flag”.", "Nguyen Huy Hung was one of 39 people who died in a container en route from Belgium to Essex\n\nThe father of a 15-year-old boy who was one of 39 people to die in a lorry trailer said he learned of his son's death through social media.\n\nNguyen Huy Hung died in the sealed container en route from Belgium to Purfleet, Essex, in October 2019.\n\nHis father, Nguyen Huy Tung, said the family could not believe it until \"we saw his body by our own eyes\" at the hospital.\n\nEight men are being sentenced for their role in the people-smuggling operation.\n\nThe bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in a refrigerated trailer on 23 October last year\n\nThe 39 Vietnamese migrants, aged 15 to 44, were sealed inside the container for at least 12 hours.\n\nThe Old Bailey heard how it became a \"tomb\" as temperatures reached an \"unbearable\" 38.5C (101F).\n\nThe people trapped inside had used a metal pole to try to punch through the roof, but only managed to dent the interior.\n\nAt a sentencing hearing set to last three days in front of Mr Justice Sweeney, some of their final desperate phone messages were played in court.\n\nIn one message, a man spoke with ragged breaths as he apologised to his family.\n\n\"I can't breathe,\" he said. \"I want to come back to my family. Have a good life.\"\n\nIn the background, a voice could be heard pleading: \"Come on everyone. Open up, open up.\"\n\nProsecutor Jonathan Polnay read out statements from the victims' families, and the mother of another 15-year-old who died, Dinh Dinh Binh, said her family had \"not been able to get back to our normal life yet\".\n\n\"Our economic conditions and work are negatively affected,\" she said. \"We have had to sell some properties of the family to afford our life.\"\n\nThe 39 people who died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between Zeebrugge and the UK\n\nTran Hai Loc and his wife Nguyen Thi Van, both 35, were found huddled together in the trailer, and left behind two children, aged six and four.\n\nThe children's grandfather, Tran Dinh Thanh, said: \"At the moment their children are very small - this incident will affect their future.\n\n\"Every day, when they come home from school they always look at the photos of their parents on the altar. The decease of both parents is a big loss to them.\"\n\nThe moment lorry driver Maurice Robinson opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies inside was captured on CCTV\n\nPhan Thi Thanh, 41, had sold the family home and left her son with his godmother before setting off on the journey.\n\nHer son, who is now being looked after by his father in the UK, said he felt \"very heartbroken with mum not around\".\n\nHaulier boss Ronan Hughes, 41, of Tyholland, County Monaghan, Ireland, was described as a ringleader of the operation. He closed his eyes as the phone messages were played to the court. Other defendants hung their heads.\n\nBoth Maurice Robinson (l) and Ronan Hughes (r) admitted 39 counts of manslaughter in connection with the case\n\nHughes had previously admitted manslaughter, as had 26-year-old lorry driver Maurice Robinson, from County Armagh, who discovered the bodies in the trailer.\n\nEamonn Harrison, 24, of Newry, County Down, who dropped off the trailer at Zeebrugge port, and people-smuggler Gheorghe Nica, 43, were convicted of the same charge by a jury.\n\nThey will be sentenced alongside Christopher Kennedy, 24, from County Armagh, Valentin Calota, 38, from Birmingham, Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 28, of Hobart Road, Tilbury, Essex, and Gazmir Nuzi, 43, of Tottenham, north London, who were convicted for their role in the smuggling.\n\nGheorghe Nica and Eamonn Harrison were both found guilty of manslaughter\n\nMr Polnay said: \"These defendants were party to a sophisticated, long-running and profitable conspiracy to smuggle [mainly] Vietnamese migrants to the UK, in the back of lorries, in a deliberate and intentional breach of border control.\"\n\nThe fee was between £10,000 and £13,000 for each migrant, for the \"VIP route\", the court heard.\n\nMr Polnay said seven smuggling trips were identified between May 2018 and 23 October 2019, but there was \"an irresistible inference that there were more events than those that were fortuitously detected\".\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "It is inevitable that part of the politics of a pandemic is the perceived relative performance of different countries.\n\nYou can pick your metric to make your comparison, and plenty have.\n\nThe death toll in the UK, and the economic slump, have come in for particular criticism.\n\nBut the government has, for some time, sought to emphasise how the UK is ahead of the game on vaccinations.\n\nThe UK was considerably quicker than the EU, for instance, in licencing the first vaccine, from Pfizer-BioNTech.\n\nAt today's news conference, the Prime Minister has pointed out that the UK has already given more people a first jab for Covid than all the other countries in Europe put together.\n\nSir Simon Stevens, the Chief Executive of the National Health Service in England, added that the UK has jabbed four times as many people as Germany and 300 times more than France.\n\nBut he acknowledged the scale of the ongoing challenge - trying to vaccinate as many people in the next five weeks as normally happens in five months with the flu jab.\n\nOne final thought: ministers tend to suggest international comparisons are pointless or premature when the comparisons are less than flattering.\n\nThey're rather keener on them when the numbers look better.", "Teachers' estimated grades will be used to replace cancelled GCSEs and A-levels in England this summer, says Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.\n\nHe told MPs he would \"trust in teachers rather than algorithms\", a reference to the U-turn over last year's exams.\n\nFor primaries, he confirmed there would be no Year 6 Sats tests this year.\n\nMr Williamson promised parents it would be \"mandatory\" for schools to provide \"high-quality remote education\" of three to five hours per day.\n\nHe said this would be \"enforced\" by Ofsted, with inspections where there were \"serious concerns\" about what was provided for children now studying at home.\n\nLabour's Shadow Education Secretary, Kate Green, accused Mr Williamson of \"chaos and confusion\" - and said he had failed to listen to the \"expertise of professionals on the front line\".\n\nShe said he had given a \"cast-iron commitment\" that exams would go ahead - and Ms Green said: \"At that moment, we should have known they were doomed to be cancelled.\"\n\nMr Williamson, in a statement to the House of Commons, said there would be \"training and support\" for teachers in estimating grades, \"to ensure these are awarded fairly and consistently\".\n\nHe also told MPs there would be no Sats tests for those at the end of primary school.\n\n\"I can absolutely confirm that we won't be proceeding with Sats this year. We do recognise that this will be an additional burden on schools\n\nGeoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, said rather than a \"vague statement\" of how A-levels and GCSEs would be graded, ministers should already have a system ready in place - and it was a \"dereliction of duty\" that it was not already prepared.\n\nAnd he warned against repeating the \"shambles\" of last summer's cancelled exams.\n\nThe education secretary confirmed to MPs that GCSEs and A-levels are not going ahead - after this week's decision that it was no longer feasible with so much time lost in the Covid pandemic and the latest lockdown.\n\nThe exams watchdog Ofqual will draw up proposals for an alternative way of deciding results, for qualifications that could be used for jobs, staying on in school or university places.\n\nSimon Lebus, the watchdog's interim head, said evidence for replacement grades could include tests, homework, mock exams and teachers' observations - and would take into account how much of the syllabus had been covered.\n\nA consultation is expected to begin next week, with plans to be decided by the end of February or possibly sooner.\n\nLast year's attempts to find an alternative approach to exam results, which initially used an algorithm, descended into chaos - and eventually switched to using teachers' grades.\n\nAnd without any exam papers or standardised mock exams, the use of teachers' assessments, with some process of moderation between schools, will be used for this summer's candidates.\n\nOn vocational qualifications, Labour's Ms Green said the education secretary was \"failing to show leadership on exams in January\".\n\nVocational exams, such as BTecs, are carrying on, if schools and colleges decide to continue with them - but college leaders had complained that there needed to be a national decision to avoid confusion.\n\nIf students cannot take BTec exams this month as planned, they will still be awarded a grade, if they have \"enough evidence to receive a certificate that they need for progression\", says the awarding body Pearson.\n\nAn Ofqual spokeswoman said they would consider options for replacement exam results, academic and vocational, \"to ensure the fairest possible outcome in the circumstances\".\n\nThe exams watchdog's decisions will face much scrutiny - with the previous head of Ofqual resigning after last summer's U-turns over grades.\n\nMr Williamson's statement in the Commons came as all GCSE, AS and A-level exams in Northern Ireland were cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis.\n\nEducation Minister Peter Weir announced the decision in the Stormont assembly on Wednesday.\n\nScotland has already cancelled its Nationals, Highers and Advanced Highers.\n\nGCSEs and A-levels in Wales were scrapped in November.", "Adrian Chiles first joined 5 Live for its launch in 1994\n\nAdrian Chiles has been confirmed as the broadcaster who will replace Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 5 Live on Thursday mornings.\n\nNaga Munchetty now presents the same show from Monday to Wednesday.\n\nChiles has previously presented the same time slot on Fridays, along with the BBC's The One Show and Match of the Day 2, as well as ITV's Daybreak show.\n\n\"Adrian is a wonderful broadcaster who our audience trust and respect,\" said 5 Live controller Heidi Dawson.\n\n\"He has that unique ability to put listeners at ease and make them smile, whilst remaining relentless in his questioning of those in positions of power.\"\n\nChiles, who will present the show on Thursdays and Fridays, joined the station at its launch in 1994 and has featured regularly on shows like Wake Up To Money, and 5 Live Drive.\n\nFollowing his move to mid-morning, Chiles' Question Time Extra Time show will be replaced by a new programme, hosted by Colin Murray.\n\nBarnett, who has moved to BBC Radio 4 to host Woman's Hour, defended herself this week after a guest who was booked to appear on the BBC Radio 4 programme dropped out due to remarks the presenter made about her off-air.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Epsom Racecourse in Surrey will be one of seven mass vaccination hubs announced by the government\n\nSeven new mass Covid vaccination hubs across England have been announced by the government.\n\nCentres in London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Surrey and Stevenage are due to begin operations next week.\n\nVarious venues will be converted into regional centres in a bid to meet the government's target of vaccinating 14 million people in the UK by February.\n\nIt is expected the hubs will be staffed by NHS staff and volunteers.\n\nThe seven sites announced by Downing Street are:\n\nAshton Gate Stadium, home to Bristol City FC, will be used to help the government meet its vaccination target\n\nSupermarket chain Morrisons has confirmed car parks at its stores in Yeovil, Wakefield and Winsford would be used to drive-through vaccinations from Monday. It has also offered an additional 47 sites to the government.\n\nPremier League club Tottenham Hotspur has also offered the use of its stadium to the NHS as a venue to provide the coronavirus vaccine.\n\nThe sites across England will begin operations next week", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. US Capitol riots: How the world's media reacted\n\nShock and contempt for the violent storming of the US Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters is evident in many reports and commentary on the event from around the world.\n\nFrom Germany's Die Welt daily describing \"disturbing, sad, terrifying scenes\", to the Nigerian Tribune saying \"Trump supporters defile US democracy\", many criticise the outgoing president for what what they see as his role in degrading America's institutions and democracy.\n\nOne commentator in Argentina's leading daily Clarin called it \"the 'scorched earth' legacy of Donald Trump\".\n\n\"Narcissism prevailing over all dignity, he harasses institutions, tramples on democracy, divides his own camp,\" says an editorial in France's Le Figaro.\n\n\"In refusing to quit, Donald Trump exposes the fragility of the American system in a final destructive offensive,\" a columnist says in France's Le Monde. Another headline in the paper calls him \"the insurrectional president\".\n\nIn Turkey, the pro-government Turkiye paper notes: \"Trump's stubbornness stirred the US\".\n\n\"I expect Trump to be tried after this turmoil,\" said one pundit on Egypt's MBC Misr TV, adding that \"the US is no longer a superpower in the full sense of the word\".\n\nSeveral of America's adversaries seized the opportunity to portray the incident as an example of the country's structural weaknesses and what they see as its hypocrisy.\n\n\"@SpeakerPelosi once referred to the Hong Kong riots as 'a beautiful sight to behold' — it remains yet to be seen whether she will say the same about the recent developments in Capitol Hill,\" tweeted China's daily Global Times.\n\n\"Capital vandals show fragility of US democracy,\" claimed a headline in the paper.\n\nIn Iran, state TV and radio inaccurately reported that the mayor of Washington DC had imposed \"martial law\", instead of the 12-hour curfew on the capital, which is what actually happened.\n\nAnd in Russia, where the first day of the Orthodox Christmas is currently being celebrated, footage of Trump's supporters ransacking the Capitol dominates state TV.\n\nMorning bulletins have focused on the events in America\n\nRolling news channel Rossiya 24 has played scenes of the violence at length, with no comment other than the caption \"Attack on the Capitol\".\n\nSome channels have also shown sympathy for the pro-Trump supporters, suggesting that they had cause to feel \"cheated\" over November's presidential election, and talked up claims that the event represents a crisis for US and even Western democracy.\n\nRossiya 24 said they were \"dissatisfied with the most scandalous election in US history\", while Rossiya 1 said it was the US system of democracy that was \"to a large degree the cause of today's events\".\n\nEven for those not necessarily unfriendly to America, the incident shows serious rifts in society that Trump's departure won't address.\n\nIt is \"a spectacular demonstration of frustration that has been building in the USA for decades,\" says one commentator in Poland's conservative daily Rzeczpospolita.\n\n\"Behind the façade of plastered smiles… and phrases about 'the best country in the world' lies the drama of a gigantic income gap, society in which more and more people struggle to make ends meet, while the few do not even know how many billions they own.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nI'm standing in what should be an operating theatre - but instead it's been converted into an intensive care unit for Covid-19 patients on ventilators.\n\nThis is the first time I have seen it full of patients like this. Normally this theatre would be busy with major cancer surgery, but that's been transferred to another building.\n\nA children's recovery area, still decorated with colourful stickers of cartoons, is once again filled with desperately sick adults. Every day, more wards are being transformed into ICU - ready for the next influx of patients.\n\nWe have been given access to University College Hospital, in central London. This is the same intensive care unit that I first visited in April, during the first peak.\n\nIt is one of the busiest hospitals in the capital and intensive care here is expanding across a hospital that is under pressure like never before, from a relentless rise in Covid admissions.\n\nI am struck by the toll the pandemic is taking on staff. It's immense - both physically and mentally. They are shell-shocked. \"My emotions are all over the place. Scared, sad, petrified, worried,\" one ICU nurse tells me.\n\nI asked one of the consultants who I've met several times in the last year, Dr Jim Down, how long they can keep going like this - and the answer was stark. \"At this rate, about a week. After that we really need to see it slow down or we're going to see the care we can deliver suffering.\"\n\nThey have got three times as many critically ill patients in the hospital as normal. The number of Covid admissions to London hospitals has doubled in just two weeks - they're more stretched now than at the peak last April. Senior staff are worried.\n\nDr Alice Carter compares it to an elastic band that is close to snapping. \"It gets to a point where you stretch so far it never returns back to its baseline. I think that's probably where we are now. It's not going to take much more for that elastic band to break, and that's the real fear for us at the moment.\"\n\nDr Alice Carter: 'It's not going to take much more for that elastic band to break'\n\nThat could have very serious consequences, she adds. \"If we get to that point, we can't offer anyone ICU, not just Covid patients, but anyone who has a traffic accident or a heart attack or a stroke - whatever it is, to take them in.\"\n\nFor 38-year-old Rachel Arfin, one of the three pregnant women in intensive care with Covid-19, treatment is more complicated. Her baby is due in five weeks and the staff have to monitor them both.\n\n\"They can't do anything that will harm the baby,\" she says. \"All the time [they are] checking, monitoring the baby.\" She is reassured by the \"beautiful sound\" of her baby's heartbeat.\n\n\"They are looking after two people in one. They're saving lives,\" says Rachel. But her children - she has seven - keep asking when she's coming home.\n\nRachel Arfin's baby is due in five weeks - both are doing well\n\nI've reported from here several times during the pandemic and am always struck by the professionalism and dedication of staff. It's always quiet and calm, but that belies what's actually happening. This is a system under strain like never before.\n\nThe warning signs are clear, the NHS is on the brink. Unless infection rates fall, soon it will have a serious impact. The pressure on staff is unrelenting. I saw two nurses in tears.\n\nCompared to when I visited in April, it's a lot busier. In some ways, it's more structured - they now know what they're dealing with. They've got new treatments, such as the drug dexamethasone, which they didn't have last time. And many of the staff have now had the first dose of the vaccine.\n\nBut other aspects don't get any easier, such as the emotional burden of breaking bad news over a telephone or video call. It is very different to being able to hold someone's hand.\n\nStaff say they don't know which patients to help first\n\nICU staff have incredibly high standards. They're used to doing everything meticulously and perfectly. And they're doing all they can. But sometimes they go home and feel guilty that they can't do more. The impact on nurses - the bedrock of care in intensive care - is visible.\n\nThe highly specialised staff are usually one-to-one with patients. Deputy sister Ashleigh Shillingford is looking after three or four ventilated patients at a time, with one other junior member of staff. It's emotional and often devastating work.\n\n\"We are so stretched we have to prioritise and prioritising care is not the NHS that I grew up in - we shouldn't have to choose which patient gets what care first.\" She says she's never had to make decisions like these before.\n\n\"You just don't know who to help first. The patients are losing their lives at a dramatic speed, we're not just getting old people,\" she says, \"these are young people that we're getting.\"\n\nGerald Williams, 58, is awaiting chemotherapy for lung cancer and had been shielding, but he still caught coronavirus. \"All of a sudden, out of the blue, Covid came knocking on my door and it's frightening - you don't know how you're getting your next breath,\" he says.\n\nGerald Williams had been shielding but he still caught coronavirus\n\nHe wants to get home to his daughters, the youngest of whom is 13. And he's annoyed at those who don't take it seriously. \"People are moaning and groaning. Even in A&E. They need to get a life. Don't be idiots, forget about meeting your mate, stay home. No-one is invulnerable.\"\n\nFor now the Trust is coping better than many others in London and is still taking Covid patients from other hospitals. But the next few weeks could be the biggest challenge the NHS has ever faced - and it will be its doctors and nurses who will bear the brunt for all of us.\n\nAs the BBC's medical editor, Fergus Walsh has been reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic and its immense impact on the UK.", "Two US police officers linked to a notorious raid in which young black medic Breonna Taylor was fatally shot have been fired, authorities have said.\n\nDetectives Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes are the latest officers to be dismissed over the shooting in March last year.\n\nThe incident in Kentucky caused outrage, spurring protests against racism and police brutality.\n\nMs Taylor, 26, died when police raided her home in connection to a drug case.\n\nThe FBI said Mr Cosgrove fired the shot that killed Ms Taylor at her home in Louisville.\n\nLouisville police dismissed Mr Cosgrove for violating procedures for use of force and failing to use a body camera during the search, the Louisville Courier Journal reported on Wednesday.\n\nMr Jaynes, the newspaper said, was fired for violating the police force's policy for truthfulness and search warrant preparation.\n\nDuring the raid, Ms Taylor's boyfriend fired at the officers who he said he believed were attackers breaking into their home.\n\nPolice say they knocked on the door to announce their presence before breaking down the door with a battering ram.\n\nMs Taylor's boyfriend said police did not make their presence known, and he fired out of self-defence. Three officers returned fire with 32 shots, six of which hit Ms Taylor.\n\nMs Taylor's name became a global rallying cry as people demanded a thorough investigation into her death.\n\nBlack Lives Matter activists in the US have demanded that Louisville police take stronger action against the officers in the case and say that police too often escape unpunished after killing members of the public.\n\nBut despite the outcry against Ms Taylor's shooting, no criminal charges were sought relating to her death.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"Questions still aren't answered\": Breonna Taylor's family are worried about a \"cover-up\"", "Tennant was remembered as \"a beautiful soul\" and \"a sensitive and talented woman\"\n\nBritish model Stella Tennant took her own life after being \"unwell for some time\", her family has confirmed.\n\nIn a statement, her family said it was \"a matter of our deepest sorrow and despair that she felt unable to go on.\"\n\nTennant, who made her name in the early 1990s modelling for designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Versace, died in December five days after her 50th birthday.\n\nHer family said they were \"humbled by the outpouring of messages of sympathy and support\" they have received.\n\nTennant was \"a beautiful soul, adored by a close family and good friends, a sensitive and talented woman whose creativity, intelligence and humour touched so many\", they said.\n\n\"In grieving Stella's loss, her family renews a heartfelt request that respect for their privacy should continue.\"\n\nBorn in London on 1970, Tennant was known for her androgynous sultry looks and aristocratic heritage.\n\nShe shot to fame after being photographed for British Vogue at the age of 22 in 1993, going on to work with such designers as Alexander McQueen and Jean Paul Gaultier.\n\nTennant retired from the catwalk in 1998 but later returned. She also worked on campaigns to promote saving energy and reducing the environmental impact of fast fashion.\n\nShe had four children with French-born photographer David Lasnet. The couple married in the Scottish borders in 1999 and announced their separation last year.\n\nTennant with David Lasnet on their wedding day in 1999\n\nStella McCartney, Victoria Beckham and fellow model Naomi Campbell were among those to pay tribute after her death was announced last month.\n\nCampbell said she had been \"a class act in every way\", while Beckham remembered her as \"an incredible talent\".\n\nIf you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, information and support is available from BBC Action Line.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Medical staff are \"well over half way through\" vaccinating Scotland's care home residents with their first dose against Covid-19.\n\nThe first minister said this was \"extremely important\", as care homes accounted for more than a third of Covid-related deaths in the past week.\n\nBy Sunday more than 113,000 people in Scotland had been given their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nSome 1,100 vaccination centres are set to be operational within a week.\n\nThe government has set a target of giving a first dose to everyone over the age of 80 in Scotland within the next four weeks.\n\nScotland has about 30,000 residents living in care homes for older people.\n\nA further 78 deaths of people who had tested positive for Covid-19 were announced on Thursday, the highest daily number during the second wave of the virus.\n\nMeanwhile, the National Records of Scotland said the virus had been mentioned on 183 death certificates in the week to Sunday - with 63 of these deaths occurring in care homes.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon said this underlined the importance of rolling out the vaccine in care homes, saying it would hopefully start to significantly reduce the risk of residents dying due to coronavirus.\n\nAnd she said the government would start issuing a daily update on how many people had been given the jab from next week.\n\nThe first minister said: \"Vaccination ultimately is what will provide us with the route out of this pandemic, so we are absolutely determined to make sure as many people as possible are vaccinated just as quickly as it is possible to do so.\"\n\nAs of Sunday, a total of 113,459 people had been given their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Scotland.\n\nThe Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine began to be rolled out on Monday, and will be reflected in statistics from next week.\n\nA total of 36 people have had a second dose of the vaccine, with efforts now focused on giving a first jab to as many people as possible\n\nThis means that people will now not receive their second dose for up to 12 weeks rather than within 21 days - a move that has been criticised by some medics.\n\nBut Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith said the first dose gave \"substantial\" protection against the virus.\n\nThe vaccine is being rolled out to health and social care workers in the first instance, then care home residents and other over-80s.\n\nEventually everyone in Scotland over the age of 18 - a total of 4.4m people - will be given a jab, although the government has refused to set targets beyond the initial phase due to uncertainty over supplies.\n\nNicola Sturgeon has said Scotland is in a race between the vaccine and the virus\n\nThe UK government had already committed to publishing vaccination figures on a daily basis, and the Scottish Conservatives had been pushing for the Scottish government to follow suit.\n\nTory leader Douglas Ross said that \"publishing these numbers will increase transparency and give the public confidence that progress is being made in our fight against Covid-19\".\n\nThe MP told BBC Scotland that he had been getting inquiries from constituents about when they could expect to get a jab, saying people \"need to know roughly where they are on that list and when they can expect to receive that vaccine\".\n\nScottish Labour called on the government to backdate the statistics and to publish \"a detailed breakdown of how many people in each priority group has been vaccinated\".\n\nThe party's health spokeswoman, Monica Lennon, said: \"Quicker progress must be made on securing vaccinations sites and vaccinators, including the contribution that community pharmacy teams can make.\"\n\nAt her daily briefing, Ms Sturgeon said over-80s should not worry if they had not yet been contacted about a vaccine appointment.\n\nShe said these were being \"aligned with availability of supply\" in different local areas.\n\nThe first minister said there was \"no need to phone your GP\", and that people would be \"contacted with an appointment as soon as possible\".\n\nShe also said the government was considering \"as a matter of ongoing review\" whether tighter restrictions may still be needed.\n\nScotland has been in a new lockdown since Tuesday, and Ms Sturgeon said it was \"probably too early\" for this to be reflected in the number of new infections.\n\nHowever she warned that the number of interactions people are having needed to be \"radically\" cut in order to slow the spread of the virus.\n\nShe said shutting down construction, manufacturing and click-and-collect businesses was \"the kind of thing we need to look at if we have a concern that we are not sufficiently reducing the number of people who are out and about and interacting\".", "Two more life-saving drugs have been found that can cut deaths by a quarter in patients who are sickest with Covid.\n\nThe anti-inflammatory medications, given via a drip, save an extra life for every 12 treated, say researchers who have carried out a trial in NHS intensive care units.\n\nSupplies are already available across the UK so they can be used immediately to save hundreds of lives, say experts.\n\nThere are over 30,000 Covid patients in UK hospitals - 39% more than in April.\n\nThe UK government is working closely with the manufacturer, to ensure the drugs - tocilizumab and sarilumab - continue to be available to UK patients.\n\nAs well as saving more lives, the treatments speed up patients' recovery and reduce the length of time that critically-ill patients need to spend in intensive care by about a week.\n\nBoth appear to work equally well and add to the benefit already found with a cheap steroid drug called dexamethasone.\n\nAlthough the drugs are not cheap, costing around £500 per patient, on top of the £5 course of dexamethasone, the advantage of using them is clear - and less than the cost per day of an intensive care bed of around £2,000, say experts.\n\nLead researcher Prof Anthony Gordon, from Imperial College London, said: \"For every 12 patients you treat with these drugs you would expect to save a life. It's a big effect.\"\n\nIn the REMAP-CAP trial carried out in six different countries, including the UK, with around 800 intensive care patients:\n\nProf Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: \"The fact there is now another drug that can help to reduce mortality for patients with Covid-19 is hugely welcome news and another positive development in the continued fight against the virus.\"\n\nHealth and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: \"The UK has proven time and time again it is at the very forefront of identifying and providing the most promising, innovative treatments for its patients.\n\n\"Today's results are yet another landmark development in finding a way out of this pandemic and, when added to the armoury of vaccines and treatments already being rolled out, will play a significant role in defeating this virus.\"\n\nThe drugs dampen down inflammation, which can go into overdrive in Covid patients and cause damage to the lungs and other organs.\n\nDoctors are being advised to give them to any Covid patient who, despite receiving dexamethasone, is deteriorating and needs intensive care.\n\nTocilizumab and sarilumab have already been added to the government's export restriction list, which bans companies from buying medicines meant for UK patients and selling them on for a higher price in another country.\n\nThe research findings have not yet been peer reviewed or published in a medical journal.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"We will never give up, we will never concede\", Trump tells supporters\n\nThis is how the Trump presidency ends. Not with a whimper, but with a bang.\n\nFor weeks, Donald Trump had been pointing to 6 January as a day of reckoning. It was when he told his supporters to come to Washington DC, and challenge Congress - and Vice-President Mike Pence - to discard the results of November's election and keep the presidency in his hands.\n\nOn Wednesday morning, the president and his warm-up speakers set the whirlwind in motion.\n\nRudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, said the election disputes should be resolved through \"trial by combat\".\n\nDonald Trump Jr, the president's oldest son, had a message to members of his party who would not \"fight\" for their president.\n\n\"This isn't their Republican Party anymore,\" he said. \"This is Donald Trump's Republican Party.\"\n\nThen the president himself encouraged the growing crowd, which had chanted \"stop the steal\" and \"bullshit\" at the president's prompting, to march the two miles from the White House to the Capitol.\n\n\"We will never give up. We will never concede,\" the president said. \"Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.\"\n\nAs the president was concluding his remarks, a different kind of drama was playing out within the Capitol itself, as a joint session of Congress prepared to tabulate the state-by-state results of the election.\n\nFirst, Pence - disregarding the president's urging to throw out the results from contested states - released a statement that he did not have such powers and his role was \"largely ceremonial\".\n\nThen Republicans issued their first challenge, to Arizona votes, and the House and Senate began their separate deliberations on whether to accept Joe Biden's victory there.\n\nThe House proceedings were raucous, with both sides cheering as their speakers made their remarks.\n\n\"The oath that I took this past Sunday to defend and support the Constitution makes it necessary for me to object to this travesty,\" said newly elected Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, who had recently made headlines for insisting that she would carry a handgun with her in Congress. \"I will not allow the people to be ignored.\"\n\nProtesters gathered outside the Capitol as the joint session started\n\nIn the Senate, the debate was taking on a different tone. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, dressed in the kind of dark suit and tie that befits a funeral, was coming to bury Donald Trump, not praise him.\n\n\"If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral,\" McConnell said. \"We'd never see the whole nation accept an election again. Every four years would be a scramble for power at any cost.\"\n\nThe Kentucky senator, who will become the Senate minority leader as a result of his party's two recent defeats in Georgia, said that the chamber was designed to \"stop short-term passions from boiling over and melting the foundations of our republic\".\n\nHis words were practically still hanging in the air when the passions outside the Capitol boiled over, and the Trump supporters, perhaps inspired by the earlier speeches, stormed the building. They swamped the insufficient security in place and brought the proceedings to a grinding halt, as lawmakers, staff and media rushed to find shelter from the rioters.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How a Trump rally near the White House turned deadly at the Capitol\n\nThe drama unfolded in fits and starts. Television cameras broadcast images of protesters dancing and waving flags on the steps of the Capitol. Photos and snippets popped up on social media of rioters inside the building, attempting to break into the legislative chambers and posing in the offices of elected legislators; of security officers, guns drawn in the House of Representatives, behind barricaded doors.\n\nIn Wilmington, Delaware, President-elect Joe Biden scrapped a planned speech on the economy and condemned what he called an \"insurrection\" in Washington.\n\n\"At this hour our democracy is under unprecedented assault unlike anything we've seen in modern times,\" he said. \"An assault on the citadel of liberty, the Capitol itself.\"\n\nHe concluded his short remarks with a challenge to Trump: to go on national television to condemn the violence and \"demand an end to this siege\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Joe Biden: The scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect a true America, do not represent who we are\n\nMinutes later, Trump would offer his message to the nation - but it was not the one Biden suggested.\n\nInstead, sandwiched between his now familiar complaints about the election being \"stolen\", he told his supporters \"to go home, we love you, you're very special\".\n\nIt was the kind of kid gloves way the president has routinely responded to transgressions from his supporters - whether it was their violent treatment of protesters at his rallies, the \"very fine people on both sides\" statement after the clashes at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville or his \"stand back and stand by\" message to the far-right Proud Boys group during the first debate with Biden.\n\nTrump's tweet, and two subsequent ones which also praised his supporters, were flagged and then removed by Twitter, which took the unprecedented step of locking the president's account for 12 hours. Facebook followed suit, banning Trump for a full day.\n\nFor the first time in his presidency, for the first time in his long, intimate relationship with social media, Donald Trump had been silenced.\n\nIf this is the \"at long last, have you left no sense of decency\" moment for Donald Trump, it arrives as they're cleaning up blood and broken glass in the US Capitol.\n\nAs the afternoon stretched into the evening, and police finally secured the US Capitol, a growing chorus of voices - from the left and right - condemned the violence. It was not surprising that Democrats, like soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, laid the riots at the feet of the president.\n\n\"January 6 will go down as one of the darkest days in American history,\" he said. \"A final warning to our nation of the consequences of the demagogic president, the people who enable him, the captive media that parrot his lies and the people who follow him as he attempts to push America to the brink of ruin.\"\n\nMore noteworthy, however, were the Republicans who followed suit.\n\n\"We just had a violent mob assault the Capitol in an attempt to prevent those from carrying out our Constitutional duty,\" tweeted Congresswoman Lynne Cheney, a frequent Republican critic of the president's. \"There is no question that the president formed the mob, the president incited the mob, the president addressed the mob.\"\n\nThe condemnations were not limited to Trump's reliable intraparty critics, however. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who frequently sides with the president, also spoke out.\n\n\"It's past time for the president to accept the results of the election, quit misleading the American people, and repudiate mob violence,\" he said.\n\nFirst Lady Melania Trump's Chief of Staff Stephanie Grisham and Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Matthews both resigned in protest, and there are reports that more administration officials will head for the exits in the next 24 hours.\n\nCBS has reported that Trump administration Cabinet officials are discussing the 25th amendment to the US constitution, which outlines how the vice-president and a majority of the Cabinet can temporarily remove a president from office.\n\nWhether Pence and the Cabinet act or not, Trump's presidency will be over in just two weeks. At that point, Republican Party leaders will have to grapple with a future where it has lost control of the Congress and the White House and has a former president whose reputation is badly tarnished but who still has strong sway over a sizeable segment of the party's base.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Mitt Romney warns fellow Republicans not to be complicit in attack on democracy\n\nWednesday's events could presage a pitched battle for the direction of the party, as conservatives within the party attempt to wrest control away from Trump and his loyalists. McConnell, given his remarks earlier in the day, appears willing to chart such a course. Others, like Utah Senator Mitt Romney, a former Republican presidential nominee, may also take a leading role.\n\nThey will be challenged by others within the party who may be more interested in laying claim to Trump's populist mantle. It was notable that Josh Hawley of Missouri, the first senator to announce he would object the results of the election in the Senate, did not step away from his challenge even after the Senate reconvened following the violence in the Capitol.\n\nCrisis can bring political opportunity, and there are many politicians who will not hesitate to use it to gain advantage.\n\nMeanwhile, Trump - for now - is still in power. And while he may be chastened, he may be sitting in the White House residence watching television temporarily without his social media outlet, he will not be silent for long.\n\nAnd once he decamps for his new Florida home, he could begin making plans to settle scores and, perhaps, someday return to power and rebuild a legacy that, for the moment, lies in tatters.", "The Belfast Health Trust has said it has no other option but to cancel urgent cancer surgery.\n\nThese are known as red flag cancer cases where an operation is expected to impact on a person's recovery and even surviving the disease.\n\nThe Department of Health has confirmed to the BBC that it's estimated that one in 60 people in NI have Covid-19.\n\nIt is understood the trust expects \"many 100s\" of new Covid patients in the next three weeks.\n\nThe demand for bed space is described as \"highly significant\", while a source added that all is being done to \"find beds and staff\".\n\nThey continued: \"People in here are moving heaven and earth to find beds in anticipation of what is coming and that's why some cancer patients even those who have been told their case is urgent are having their surgery cancelled.\"\n\nEffectively the move means that choices are already being made within the health service about who should receive critical treatment.\n\nThe daughter of a 66-year-old woman who was told her surgery has been cancelled has described the move as \"deeply worrying\".\n\n\"Mummy was diagnosed with cancer of the lining of the bladder in November, it's since spread to the muscle wall of her bladder. She was told in December her surgery was urgent - but now it's been cancelled.\n\n\"She is so frightened, it is just horrendous and I'm sure mum is not alone.\"\n\nWhile a cancer patient might have been told their case is critical and that treatment is necessary within weeks, some Covid patients are also being told that in order to survive they require treatment immediately.\n\nWith the number of cases soaring this is worse than the first lockdown and according to health professionals there is worse to come.\n\nThe BBC understands that the health minister is expected to respond to the problem in the coming days.\n\nIt is hoped that he will announce a regional approach to tackling cancelled surgeries among the various health trusts.\n\nNorthern Ireland's other health trusts have also begun to cancel operations due to pressures created by coronavirus.\n\nThe Northern, Western, Southern and South-Eastern trusts have said they will be cancelling planned surgeries.\n\nHospitals have said they were facing a surge in coronavirus cases following Christmas.\n\nOn Thursday, 599 people were in hospital with Covid-19.\n\nThe Belfast Trust apologised for the \"distress\" caused by the cancellations.\n\n\"Belfast Trust has made the difficult decision to cancel all planned inpatient surgery this week due to rising numbers of Covid cases,\" a spokesperson said.\n\nThe trust said it was contacting those affected and \"will rearrange this surgery as soon as possible and we will do everything we can to ensure continuity of care throughout this challenging time\".\n\nThe Northern Trust said it had \"regrettably\" cancelled the majority of its planned or elective surgeries to \"both free up staff to support the significant COVID-19 surge experience in the Trust and to reduce the clinical risk to patients who are or may be exposed to the virus\".\n\nIt apologised and said it would contacting people.\n\nThe Western Trust said it is \"facing unprecedented pressures due to the escalating rate\" of Covid infections.\n\nDirector of Acute Hospitals, Geraldine McKay, said routine elective inpatient, outpatient and day case surgeries have now been postponed until further notice.\n\nShe said the decision was \"very regrettable, but necessary\".\n\n\"Red flag and some time critical procedures and clinics will continue, but will be reviewed daily,\" she said.\n\nShould the number of Covid patients further increase, she added, the trust will \"have no option but to move to perform emergency and trauma surgery only\".\n\nA spokesperson for the South Eastern Trust said it was still carrying out some planned surgery, but the majority would be cancelled by next week.\n\nThe Southern Trust said it had taken its decision in response to the \"very significant recent increase\" in the number of Covid-19 cases.\n\nIt said this had been compounded by an increase in trauma workload and recent icy weather.\n\nThe trust said it would continue to provide day surgery and endoscopy across its hospital sites.\n\nOf the 3,359 planned procedures scheduled across NI between 29 December 2020 and 4 January, 3,267 went ahead as planned, according to the Health and Social Care website.\n\nThere were 92 cancellations which amounted to about 3% of all surgeries.", "During a speech earlier in the day, President Trump had asked his supporters to march towards the Capitol in protest. They breached the building while Congress was certifying Joe Biden's win.\n\nProtesters made it all the way to the Senate floor and the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.\n\nHere are the key moments in a dark day for US democracy.", "The US is reeling after supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC on the day Congress was meeting to confirm Joe Biden's election victory.\n\nLawmakers were forced to take shelter, the building was put into lockdown and four people died in the chaos that followed a pro-Trump rally near the White House.\n\nHere's a breakdown of how events unfolded on Wednesday.\n\nJust before midday local time (17:00 GMT) thousands of people gather at the Ellipse, near the White House, to hear the president speak at a \"Save America\" rally.\n\nHe tells them: \"We're going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue... and we're going to the Capitol and we're going to try and give… our Republicans, the weak ones... the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.\"\n\nAs the speech ends, crowds start to drift towards the Congress building, about a mile and a half away, where they are met by police barriers.\n\nThe Capitol is home to the two chambers of the US government that make up Congress - the House of Representatives and the Senate.\n\nChanting crowds start to gather on both sides of the building at around 13:10, grappling with police at the metal barricades.\n\nTear gas and pepper spray are used to try to keep the protesters at bay.\n\nPolice officers struggle to maintain control of the situation as protesters advance on the building on multiple fronts.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police place US Capitol Building on lockdown after Trump supporters breached security lines\n\nOn the east side, the crowd force their way through barricades on the Capitol Plaza and move on the main entrance, quickly gaining access to the Great Rotunda.\n\nOnce inside, they head for the House and Senate chambers.\n\nIgor Bobic, a journalist for the Huffington Post, captures a group of men forcing a police officer to retreat up a set of stairs as they continue their advance.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Igor Bobic This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSenators are forced to abandon the process of confirming President-elect Biden's victory and the building goes into lockdown.\n\nThe doors of the House chamber are locked and a makeshift barricade is erected in front of them. Security officials guard the entrance, guns drawn.\n\nWithin an hour, protesters have also broken police lines on the west side of the Capitol, scaling walls to reach the building itself before smashing windows and forcing doors open.\n\nOther videos and images show rioters storming through the building's ornately-decorated corridors and chambers chanting \"USA!\" and \"Stop the steal\".\n\nShortly before 15:00, gunshots are reportedly heard inside the building.\n\nPhotos and video footage later show a female protester being shot as she tries to break through the barricaded doors of the Speakers' Lobby.\n\nDespite efforts by police and others at the scene to save her, she is later reported to have died.\n\nOn the other side of the building, protesters break into the Senate chamber, one taking seat in the Speaker's chair.\n\nAnother protester is photographed nearby sitting in Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, with his foot on the table.\n\nAfter growing condemnation of the riots, President Trump eventually calls for calm, telling the protesters to leave peacefully: \"Go home. We love you, you're very special.\"\n\nBy 17:40, the building is cleared and made secure ahead of the 18:00 curfew ordered by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.\n\nSeveral thousand National Guard troops, FBI agents and US Secret Service are deployed to help.\n\nMore than six hours after the storming of the building, senators return and resume the day's business of certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.\n\nAt 03:41 on Thursday, Congress confirms President-elect Joe Biden will succeed President Trump on 20 January.", "Young women clap for heroes outside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London\n\nA revived initiative to applaud the heroes of the pandemic has returned - but much more quietly than last year.\n\nIt comes after the founder of Clap for Carers distanced herself from its return after facing online abuse.\n\nAnnemarie Plas wanted to bring back the weekly applause under a new name of Clap for Heroes to lift spirits in the new lockdown but it fell a little flat.\n\nSome health workers have said they would rather people stay at home and wear a mask than clap for them.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he participated at 20:00 GMT on Thursday, but clapping \"isn't enough\".\n\n\"They need to be paid properly and given the respect they deserve,\" he tweeted., of the health workers.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The weekly clap returned but Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said clapping alone \"wasn't enough\"\n\nThe idea of clapping and banging pots from doorsteps originally began as a one-off to support NHS staff on 26 March - three days after the UK went into lockdown for the first time.\n\nAfter proving popular it was expanded to cover all key workers and continued every Thursday for 10 weeks last year, with millions of people across the UK taking part.\n\nMembers of the Royal Family and politicians including Prime Minister Boris Johnson also joined in with the show of support.\n\nHowever, the event faced criticism for becoming politicised, with some suggesting the NHS would benefit more from extra funding than applause.\n\nPeople in some streets stood on doorsteps and leaned out windows to clap for the pandemic's heroes, and landmarks in London were illuminated blue for the occasion - but reports suggested the applause was noticeably quieter than last year.\n\nAnnemarie Plas and her family were threatened online for her efforts\n\nOn Wednesday, Ms Plas, a 36-year-old mother-of-one, announced the return of the initiative, saying she hoped to \"lift the spirit of all of us\" including \"all who are pushing through this difficult time\".\n\nBut some NHS workers were less than enthusiastic. Ami Jones, an intensive care consultant from Wales, tweeted: \"No thanks. I'd rather you obey the rules, stay at home, wear masks and wash your hands.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Rachel Clarke 💙 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAnd palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke said: \"Please don't clap us. Just wear a mask, wash your hands and respect lockdown.\"\n\nIn a tweet posted hours before the weekly clap was due to return, Ms Plas, a Dutch national living in south London, said she had been targeted with personal abuse and threats against her and her family by \"a hateful few\" on social media.\n\n\"I have no political agenda, I am not employed by the government, I do not work in PR, I am just an average mum at home trying to cope with the lockdown situation,\" she said, in a statement.\n\nShe said the newly revived clap could and should still happen at 20:00 GMT.\n\n\"It's up to each person to decide how relevant or worthwhile they feel it is to participate,\" she said.\n\nThe fountains in Trafalgar Square were illuminated blue for the initiative on Thursday\n\nSome incorporated pots and pans during their weekly claps in warmer months", "As violent Trump supporters surged past barricades and into the US Capitol, news agency photographers - who were there to document the vote certifying Joe Biden's election win - captured extraordinary scenes.\n\nThe last time government buildings were breached in Washington was in 1814 and the invaders were British soldiers.\n\nBut in 2021 a Trump supporter, carrying the Confederate flag, is walking freely through the halls near the entrance to the Senate, encountering little resistance.\n\nThe Confederacy was the group of southern states that fought to keep slavery during the American Civil War. In this image, the oil paintings of political figures in the background emphasise this imagery of the past.\n\nThere have been renewed calls for the Confederate flag to be banned across the US following the anti-racism protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, a black man.\n\nHowever Mr Trump has defended use of the flag, calling it a matter of free speech.\n\nOne man in a Trump beanie here walks between the red guide ropes, as many visitors might do on a guided-tour to view the Crypt, the Statuary Hall and the Rotunda.\n\nBut this man is carrying a podium bearing the seal of the Speaker of the House, as he poses in front of a painting depicting the surrender of Gen Burgoyne in the war of independence.\n\nAnother man, identified as Jake Angeli, an ardent Trump supporter who has attended a number of the president's rallies, shouts as he makes his way to the Senate Chamber.\n\nHis incongruous garments set him apart from other protesters wearing black hoodies. These Trump activists stand by taking selfies, but he has clearly come here to be photographed by others.\n\nThe apparent lack of a security presence is in sharp contrast to other Washington protests where there is a highly visible presence of heavily armed security forces protecting US institutions.\n\nAnother Trump supporter, identified as Richard Barnett, sits with one boot disrespectfully on a desk that is at the very centre of power in Congress. It is in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.\n\nIn the scene, unimaginable days earlier, Barnett in his baseball cap and checked shirt resembles a raconteur regaling friends with tales of his exploits.\n\nThe image went viral as did pictures of the notes he and others left on Ms Pelosi's desk.\n\nThis dramatic image shows how the formal proceedings came to a violent halt as Capitol police officers drew their guns on doors being attacked by protesters intent on entering the House Chamber.\n\nMany commentators asked if they were watching a coup unfold as doors were barricaded and firearms brandished.\n\nThe composition is reminiscent of a scene in a Hollywood Western, the lawmen bracing for the doors to be breached.\n\nUS President-elect Joe Biden made an impassioned TV address describing the scenes as \"an assault on democracy\" - this chilling picture encapsulates what he meant.", "A Joint Session of Congress to certify the election of Joe Biden has gone into an unexpected recess, and the Capitol building into lockdown, after Trump supporters breached security lines.\n\nEarlier, President Trump addressed supporters at a rally outside the White House and encouraged them to protest the election result.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: \"I condemn encouraging people to behave in the disgraceful way they did in the Capitol\"\n\nDonald Trump was \"completely wrong\" to cast doubt on the US election and encourage supporters to storm the Capitol, Boris Johnson has said.\n\nThe UK prime minister said he \"unreservedly condemns\" the US president's actions.\n\nFour people died after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building in a bid to overturn the election result.\n\nMr Trump had urged protesters to march on the Capitol after making false electoral fraud claims.\n\nHe later called on his supporters to \"go home\", while continuing to make false claims - Twitter and Facebook later froze his accounts.\n\nThe president has now said there will be an \"orderly transition\" to President-elect Joe Biden, whose November election victory has now been certified by US lawmakers.\n\nBut he added that he continued to \"totally disagree\" with the outcome of the vote, repeating his unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud.\n\nOn Wednesday night, Mr Johnson condemned the \"disgraceful scenes\" and called for a \"peaceful and orderly transfer of power\".\n\nBut asked by the BBC's political correspondent Alex Forsyth if President Trump was directly responsible, he said: \"All my life America has stood for some very important things. An idea of freedom, an idea of democracy.\n\n\"As you say, in so far as he encouraged people to storm the Capitol, and in so far as the president has consistently cast doubt on the outcome of a free and fair election, I believe that was completely wrong.\n\n\"I believe what President Trump has been saying about that has been completely wrong and I unreservedly condemn encouraging people to behave in the disgraceful way that they did in the Capitol.\"\n\nThe PM, speaking at a Downing Street briefing, then welcomed the confirmation of President-elect Biden, saying \"democracy has prevailed\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHundreds of the president's supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday - where lawmakers were meeting to confirm Mr Biden's election victory - and staged an occupation of the building in Washington DC.\n\nBoth chambers of Congress were forced into recess, as protesters clashed with police and tear gas was released.\n\nA woman died after being shot by police, and three others died as a result of \"medical emergencies\", local police said.\n\nUK politicians from different parties have all condemned Mr Trump's actions in encouraging the storming of the Capitol.\n\nEarlier, Home Secretary Priti Patel said the president's comments had \"directly led\" to the events and he \"didn't do anything to de-escalate that\".\n\nShe added: \"He basically has made a number of comments yesterday that helped to fuel that violence and he didn't actually do anything to de-escalate that whatsoever... what we've seen is completely unacceptable.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Priti Patel says Donald Trump was wrong for not condemning the violence\n\nSpeaking on Thursday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Trump should \"take responsibility\" for what happened, calling it the \"culmination of years of the politics of hate and division\".\n\nSir Keir added he welcomed the outgoing president's agreement to an orderly handover, but told reporters \"he should have said it a long time ago.\"\n\nScottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Trump had been \"inciting insurrection in his own country,\" and called it a \"dark period\" in US history.\n\n\"What we witnessed last night is not that surprising. In some senses, Donald Trump's presidency has been moving towards this moment almost from the moment it started,\" she told ITV's Good Morning Britain.\n\nScotland's Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said the home secretary should \"give serious consideration\" to denying Mr Trump entry to the UK after he leaves office.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'Treason, traitors and thugs' - the words lawmakers used to describe Capitol riot\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab said certification of Mr Biden's victory was \"good to see\" after the \"shocking events\" on Wednesday, adding the UK condemned the violence \"unequivocally\".\n\nFormer Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, who shared time in office with Mr Trump, said there should be \"no place for the rule of the mob\".\n\nBut senior Welsh Conservative Andrew RT Davies has been criticised after comparing the rioting to politicians who supported a second referendum on Brexit.\n\nMr Davies, a member of the Welsh Parliament, later tweeted that \"violence must never be tolerated\".\n\nHis party colleague, the Conservative MP Simon Hoare, suggested Mr Trump could be sent to the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay:\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Simon Hoare MP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nCommons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has written to express his \"solidarity\" with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose empty office was broken into by protesters.\n\n\"Seeing your office trashed in that way and its occupation by one of the rioters was particularly outrageous. I am just so relieved you were not hurt,\" he wrote.\n\nTrump supporters left this note on the desk of Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.", "Ryanair is making big cuts to its flight schedule from 21 January in response to the latest Covid lockdowns.\n\nIt warned that few, if any, flights would operate to or from Ireland or the UK from the end of January until \"draconian\" restrictions were removed.\n\nCustomers hit by the cancellations will be advised by email of entitlements to free moves or refunds, it said.\n\nRyanair also cut its full year traffic forecast from currently \"below 35 million\" to 26-30 million passengers.\n\nThe airline said that new Covid restrictions could reduce traffic in February and March to as little as 500,000 passengers each month. It expects January traffic to fall below 1.25 million.\n\nIt said it did not expect these latest flight cuts and further traffic reductions to materially affect its net loss for the year to 31 March 2021, since many of the flights would have been loss-making.\n\nRyanair hit out at Irish and UK governments for the latest lockdowns.\n\n\"The WHO have previously confirmed that governments should do everything possible to avoid brutal lockdowns, because lockdowns 'do not get rid of the virus',\" Ryanair said in a statement.\n\n\"Ireland's Covid-19 travel restrictions are already the most stringent in Europe, and so these new flight restrictions are inexplicable and ineffective when Ireland continues to operate an open border between the Republic and the North of Ireland.\"\n\nIt called on the Irish Government to accelerate the rollout of vaccines.\n\n\"The fact that the Danish Government, with a similar five million population, has already vaccinated 10 times more citizens than Ireland shows that emergency action is needed to speed Covid vaccinations in Ireland.\"\n\nRival low-cost carrier Norwegian said its traffic figures had been hit heavily by the pandemic, with customer numbers down 94% compared to the same period the previous year.\n\nIn December, 129,664 customers flew with Norwegian, with the capacity and total passenger traffic both down by 98%.\n\n\"2020 has been a very challenging year and we now find ourselves fighting for survival,\" said Jacob Schram, chief executive of Norwegian.\n\n\"The vaccination is now being rolled out across the world and is good news for both the aviation industry and those who want to travel.\"", "Mauritius has been removed from the safe list\n\nTravellers from countries near South Africa are to be banned from entering England to stop the spread of the South African Covid variant.\n\nArrivals from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana, as well as island nations Mauritius and Seychelles, will be affected.\n\nThe rule will take effect on 9 January but there will be an exemption for British and Irish nationals.\n\nThey will need to follow existing quarantine procedures.\n\nA ban by visitors to the UK from South Africa started on 24 December.\n\nThe latest restriction brought in by the Department for Transport also affects travellers arriving from Eswatini, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho and Mozambique.\n\nIt will apply from 04:00 GMT on Saturday to people who have travelled from or through any of the specified countries in the last 10 days.\n\nIt is understood most flights from the affected countries arrive at airports in England, although it is expected the policy will be formally adopted by the other UK nations.\n\nThe measures will be in place for an initial period of two weeks.\n\nMeanwhile, Botswana, and the islands of Seychelles and Mauritius, are being removed from the UK list of safe travel corridors as there is a high frequency of travel between the islands and South Africa.\n\nThe new variant of coronavirus circulating in South Africa is already being seen in other countries, including the UK.\n\nThe variant, much like the new UK variant first seen in Kent, appears to be more contagious than previous ones.\n\nAnyone arriving into the UK from most destinations must quarantine for 10 days.\n\nBut there are a list of countries exempt from the rules, meaning returning travellers do not need to self-isolate, called the travel corridor list.\n\nUnder the latest announcement, the travel corridor with Israel will also end amid concerns about rising infection levels in that country.\n\nHowever, rules in place across the UK currently ban travel abroad unless for specific reasons.", "Protesters in support of US President Donald Trump swarmed the Capitol building, forcing officials to order lawmakers to shelter in place and halting debate in both the House and Senate. Congress was meeting to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's electoral college victory.", "Mr Christmas' light displays attracted thousands of visitors over the years\n\nThe family of a man known affectionately as Mr Christmas has turned off his festive lights for the last time.\n\nDave Edwards, 86, lit up his home in Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, with extravagant light displays for 42 years to raise money for charity.\n\nHe died from cancer on the eve of his annual switch-on in November.\n\nHis daughter Sharon Markham called on local residents to \"continue to light up Croxley every year\".\n\nMr Edwards started putting up the light display with his wife - who died three years ago - as a competition with a house across the street, and continued to build on the set over the years.\n\nDave Edwards was dubbed Mr Christmas due to the illuminations at his home in Croxley Green\n\nPeople would travel miles to see the festive lights\n\nMrs Markham said each year they raised about £5,000 for charity, but this year a \"record amount\" of more than £10,000 had been donated.\n\nWhen his family said the 2020 display would be the last due to Mr Edwards's failing health, people across the village rallied together by installing their own displays in his honour.\n\nSharon Markham said her parents were \"such amazing people but their light will always be shining\"\n\nResidents of Croxley Green placed a banner opposite Mr Christmas' home to thank him for his displays and fundraising\n\nTurning off the lights at 21:23 GMT on Wednesday, in an event filmed for the Mr Christmas Facebook page, Mrs Markham thanked the community for its support over the years.\n\n\"Without you we could not have achieved the things we have done,\" she said.\n\n\"I thought turning the lights on was hard enough but switching them off - this moment has been worrying me for months and now it's finally here.\n\n\"For now, though, we say goodbye and we thank Mr and Mrs Christmas for all the joy they have brought us all.\n\n\"We ask you all to continue to light up Croxley every year.\"\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Dr Anil Mehta, a GP at Fullwell Cross Medical Centre in North London, told the BBC that staff were working from 7 in the morning until 10pm at night during the three days of their weekly Covid-19 vaccine rollout, describing the process as a 'full team effort.\n\nDr Mehta was also keen to encourage people who might be nervous about the vaccine to take up the offer, emphasising that the evidence behind the vaccine 'was very strong'.\n\nThis message was echoed by Zahin Ahmed, whose grandfather Shafiquz Zaman has now received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine at the clinic. Mr Ahmed, who is from the Bangladeshi community, also said it was important that minority communities took up the offer of the vaccine when called upon to do so.", "George had mottled skin, swelling on his lips, a high temperature and could not keep fluids down\n\nThe mother of a baby who was treated in hospital for Covid-19 has urged parents to be alert to symptoms such as mottled skin and sickness.\n\nMyer Rudelhoff's four-month-old son George spent three nights in Basildon hospital, in Essex.\n\nHe had patchy skin, swelling on his lips, a high temperature and could not keep fluids down.\n\nShe said: \"I thought it was a sickness bug. I had no idea it was caused by coronavirus.\"\n\nDiarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal cramps in children can be a sign of coronavirus according to some researchers, but the officially recognised symptoms are a fever, cough and loss of smell or taste.\n\nMrs Rudlehoff, who lives in Basildon, noticed her son had a temperature on New Year's Eve but put it down to teething.\n\nGeorge began vomiting the following evening and on 2 January she called NHS 111, who told her to take him to hospital.\n\nShe said: \"I really did not want to go. I was so scared about him getting the virus there, I had no idea he had it.\n\n\"He got so poorly so quickly when we arrived and was really lethargic. They took a swab and, when they said he was positive, I burst into tears. It was such a shock.\"\n\nMyer Rudelhoff was scared to take her son to hospital but realised he was too poorly and needed treatment\n\nThe mother-of-two said she presumed it was not Covid-19 because he did not have a cough, though he did develop a mild one a few days later while in hospital.\n\nShe said the staff were \"amazing\" and she wanted to reassure parents \"not to be afraid to go to hospital\" if their children were ill.\n\nNurses told her they had treated several other children with the same mottled skin and sickness and asked her to share her story to raise awareness of these symptoms.\n\nMrs Rudelhoff's post on Facebook was shared nearly 7,000 times within three days.\n\nIn the post, she said she felt \"upset, angry and frustrated\" because she had taken the illness very seriously but George had still managed to catch it. He was the only member of the family who tested positive.\n\nGeorge was discharged from hospital and was making a good recovery at home, she said.\n\nGeorge is now making a good recovery at home and is being looked after by his big brother Stanley\n\nDr Kilali Ominu-Evbota, paediatric consultant at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: \"It's great to hear that George is now back home and on the road to recovery.\n\n\"George's family did the right thing and we encourage parents to seek medical advice with their GP or via the NHS 111 service in order to get the correct treatment for their child.\"\n\nBasildon has an infection rate of 1,265 cases per 100,000 people - compared to the average England rate of 606.9.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n• None 'Upset stomach' in children may be coronavirus\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The president says he hates Big Tech. Yet he has loved using Twitter.\n\nHe's used it as a way, for more than 10 years, to bypass the media and speak directly to voters.\n\nThe 280 characters fits neatly with his style of political engagement - broad brushstrokes rather than details.\n\nAnd Twitter has undoubtedly benefited from President Trump too, the place to go to hear the latest musings from the most powerful person on the planet.\n\nThat decade-long symbiosis has been ended with a shuddering halt.\n\nImmediately after the deadly riots, Twitter locked the President's Twitter feed and asked Mr Trump to delete three tweets for violations around its Civic Integrity policy., which he promptly did.\n\nAfter the suspension he tweeted as a new man, the nonsense claims of mass voter fraud replaced with a more conciliatory tone.\n\nPrivately though Twitter was pondering whether it had gone far enough. Facebook had already acted, banning Donald Trump \"indefinitely\".\n\nAfter more than 48 hours of consideration, Twitter acted. It made unquestionably the most important moderation decision in its history. It banned the president of the United States.\n\nSome have asked why he wasn't kicked off sooner.\n\nMr Trump or one of his associates appears to have deleted some of his most recent tweets\n\nWell, Twitter has very specific rules about world leaders.\n\n\"We recognise that sometimes it may be in the public interest to allow people to view tweets that would otherwise be taken down,\" Twitter's rules say.\n\n\"At present, we limit exceptions to one critical type of public-interest content - tweets from elected and government officials.\"\n\nChief executive Jack Dorsey had felt it was in the public interest to keep the account active, albeit with warning messages.\n\n\"No one is turning a blind eye,\" a senior source told the BBC before the ban.\n\nIn short, Mr Trump had been allowed to remain on Twitter - despite numerous breaches of its rules - because he is the president.\n\nWith less than two weeks to go of Trump's presidency, many social media companies have now decided enough is enough.\n\nCritics say the outgoing president's words on social media, for years, helped to incite Wednesday's storming of Capitol Hill.\n\nAll the big social media companies have made it clear that - as a private citizen - if you continually look to peddle conspiracy theories and promote extremism, you should expect to be kicked out. With just a few days of his presidency left, Mr Trump is already being held to a different standard - his privileges stripped.\n\nWhat's driving this? To be cynical, social media companies are acutely aware that President-elect Joe Biden believes Big Tech hasn't done enough to quell fake news and hate speech on their platforms.\n\nRioters broke into Congress after a speech by Mr Trump on Wednesday\n\nThey are now desperate to show that they can, in fact, police their own platforms without the need for stringent legal reforms.\n\nWhat better way to show you're serious than to act on Mr Trump's misinformation?\n\nWhat will Mr Trump do next? Well he's already said he's looking into the possibility of building his own platform in the future.\n\nBut for now he's consigned to the fringes of the internet. Can Trumpism survive without Big Tech? We're about to find out.\n\nJames Clayton is the BBC's North America technology reporter based in San Francisco. Follow him on Twitter @jamesclayton5.", "For the first since April the UK has recorded more than 1,000 daily Covid-related deaths – one of the highest figures of the pandemic.\n\nRight now, London is at the epicentre of this crisis. Hospitals now have more Covid patients being admitted every day than they did at the peak in April. Many doctors and nurses say they're reaching breaking point.\n\nThe BBC's medical editor Fergus Walsh has been allowed to film inside the intensive care unit at London's University College Hospital, which is one of the busiest in the capital.\n\nRead more: 'How long can we keep going like this? About a week'", "Elon Musk has become the world's richest person, as his net worth crossed $185bn (£136bn).\n\nThe Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur was pushed into the top slot after Tesla's share price increased on Thursday.\n\nHe takes the top spot from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who had held it since 2017.\n\nMr Musk's electric car company Tesla has surged in value this year, and hit a market value of $700bn (£516bn) for the first time on Wednesday.\n\nThat makes the car company worth more than Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, GM and Ford combined.\n\nMr Musk reacted to the news in signature style, replying to a Twitter user sharing the news with the remark \"how strange\".\n\nAn older tweet pinned to the top of his feed offered further insight into his thoughts on personal wealth.\n\n\"About half my money is intended to help problems on Earth, and half to help establish a self-sustaining city on Mars to ensure continuation of life (of all species) in case Earth gets hit by a meteor like the dinosaurs or WW3 happens and we destroy ourselves,\" it reads.\n\nThe tycoon's fortunes have been buoyed by politics in the US, where the Democrats will have control of the US Senate in the forthcoming session.\n\nDaniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities wrote: \"A Blue Senate is very bullish and a potential 'game changer' for Tesla and the overall electric vehicle sector, with a more green-driven agenda now certainly in the cards for the next few years.\"\n\nExpected electric vehicle tax credits would benefit Tesla, \"which continues to have an iron grip on the market today\", he added.\n\nMr Bezos is also using his personal wealth to fund space exploration\n\nMr Bezos has also seen his fortunes rise over the past year. The coronavirus pandemic has meant Amazon benefited from stronger demand for both its online store and cloud computing services.\n\nHowever, he gave a 4% stake in the business to his ex-wife MacKenzie Scott after they split, which helped Mr Musk overtake him.\n\nIn addition, the threat of regulation has meant Amazon's stock has not risen as high as it might otherwise have done.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Who is Elon Musk? Meet the meme-loving magnate behind SpaceX and Tesla...published in 2021\n\nThe owner of a business which has only just made its first annual profit and is still a minnow compared to the likes of Toyota - or Amazon - is now the world's richest person.\n\nIt is the fact that Tesla's share price has increased more than seven-fold in the past year that has sent Elon Musk's fortune rocketing past that of Jeff Bezos.\n\nTo believe the electric car-maker's worth could rise so rapidly in just 12 months is the ultimate example of irrational exuberance.\n\nIt means that Musk will have to show within the next five years that Tesla can make more profits than just about the whole of the rest of the motor industry combined to justify the valuation.\n\nMind you, his many fans will point out that the somewhat eccentric tycoon has constantly confounded the sceptics who bet that he would go bust.\n\nAnd of course 20 years ago another tech visionary was staring disaster in the face when the dot com bubble burst and big profits seemed a distant dream - but Jeff Bezos went on to make those who bet on Amazon very rich indeed.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Priti Patel says Donald Trump was wrong for not condemning the violence\n\nDonald Trump's comments \"directly led\" to his supporters storming Congress and clashing with police, Home Secretary Priti Patel has said.\n\nFour people have died after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building in a bid to overturn the election result.\n\nPresident Trump had urged protesters to march on the Capitol after making false claims of electoral fraud.\n\nMs Patel said the president's words had fuelled the violence and he \"didn't do anything to de-escalate that\".\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned the \"disgraceful scenes\" and called for a \"peaceful and orderly transfer of power\".\n\nOn Wednesday evening, President Trump later called on his supporters to \"go home\", while continuing to make false claims of electoral fraud.\n\nHe has been suspended from his Facebook and Instagram accounts for at least two weeks, and possibly indefinitely. Twitter has also frozen his account.\n\nThe president has now said there will be an \"orderly transition\" to Democrat Joe Biden, whose November election victory has now been certified by US lawmakers.\n\nBut he added that he continued to \"totally disagree\" with the outcome of the vote, repeating his unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud.\n\nHundreds of the president's supporters stormed the Capitol - where lawmakers were meeting to confirm Mr Biden's election victory - and staged an occupation of the building in Washington DC.\n\nBoth chambers of Congress were forced into recess, as protesters clashed with police and tear gas was released.\n\nMs Patel told BBC Breakfast the scenes were \"awful beyond words\".\n\nThe home secretary said: \"His comments directly led to the violence, and so far he has failed to condemn that violence and that is completely wrong.\"\n\nShe added: \"He basically has made a number of comments yesterday that helped to fuel that violence and he didn't actually do anything to de-escalate that whatsoever... what we've seen is completely unacceptable.\"\n\nA woman died after being shot by police, and three others died as a result of \"medical emergencies\", local police said.\n\nPoliticians across the UK's political parties lined up to condemn the scenes in Washington.\n\nSpeaking on Thursday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Trump should \"take responsibility\" for what happened, calling it the \"culmination of years of the politics of hate and division\".\n\nSir Keir added he welcomed the outgoing president's agreement to an orderly handover, but told reporters \"he should have said it a long time ago.\"\n\nScottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Trump had been \"inciting insurrection in his own country,\" and called it a \"dark period\" in US history.\n\n\"What we witnessed last night is not that surprising. In some senses, Donald Trump's presidency has been moving towards this moment almost from the moment it started,\" she told ITV's Good Morning Britain.\n\nScotland's Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said the home secretary should \"give serious consideration\" to denying Mr Trump entry to the UK after he leaves office.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police place US Capitol Building on lockdown after Trump supporters breached security lines\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab said certification of Mr Biden's victory was \"good to see\" after the \"shocking events\" on Wednesday, adding the UK condemned the violence \"unequivocally\".\n\nFormer Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, who shared time in office with Mr Trump, said there should be \"no place for the rule of the mob\".\n\nBut senior Welsh Conservative Andrew RT Davies has been criticised after comparing the rioting to politicians who supported a second referendum on Brexit.\n\nMr Davies, a member of the Welsh Parliament, later tweeted that \"violence must never be tolerated\".\n\nHis party colleague, the Conservative MP Simon Hoare, suggested Mr Trump could be sent to the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay:\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Simon Hoare MP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nFriend of President Trump and leader of Reform UK - formerly the Brexit Party - Nigel Farage tweeted: \"Storming Capitol Hill is wrong. The protesters must leave.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey has defended the prime minister's response to the rioting.\n\nAsked on ITV's Peston programme why Mr Johnson hadn't criticised Mr Trump, she said: \"The prime minister has been clear tonight that we need a peaceful and orderly transition.\"\n\nCommons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has written to express his \"solidarity\" with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose empty office was broken into by protesters.\n\n\"Seeing your office trashed in that way and its occupation by one of the rioters was particularly outrageous. I am just so relieved you were not hurt,\" he wrote.\n\nTrump supporters left this note on the desk of Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.\n\nIt is a truism of British diplomacy that every occupant of 10 Downing Street has to get on with every occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, regardless of their politics or character.\n\nPersonal consideration is pushed aside. What matters is the national interest and staying close to one of Britain's closest allies.\n\nThus even now, even after Donald Trump's incitement of the Capitol mob, even though there are less than two weeks until the inauguration, even as close Republican allies jump ship, Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab were reluctant to criticise the president by name in their initial response overnight.\n\nYes, they condemned the violence. But of Mr Trump, not a word. This caution was matched by the Prime Ministers of fellow so-called Five Eyes intelligence allies, Australia and New Zealand, both of whom also both failed to mention Mr Trump in their condemnatory tweets.\n\nIn contrast, European leaders were quick to blame the president personally.\n\nIt was only this morning that a British minister, Home Secretary Priti Patel, felt able to follow suit in strong terms.\n\nSo was this natural and sensible diplomatic caution in the midst of a febrile crisis?\n\nOr was this, as some Labour figures are already claiming, a function of the closeness between the current UK government and the Trump administration?\n\nIt was only a few weeks ago that Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told The Sun that he would miss Donald Trump because he was a good friend to Britain.\n\nWhatever one's views, it is certainly the case that the British government is seen on the international stage by some has having ideological proximity to Mr Trump.\n\nChanging that reputation is seen by many diplomats as a priority in the months ahead, a task made more urgent by events overnight.", "Olly Stephens was stabbed to death in Emmer Green in Reading on Sunday\n\nThree teenagers accused of murdering a 13-year-old boy who was stabbed to death have appeared in Crown Court.\n\nOliver Stephens, known as Olly, was pronounced dead at Bugs Bottom fields, Emmer Green in Reading, on Sunday.\n\nTwo boys, aged 13 and 14, and a 13-year-old girl have been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.\n\nThey have all been remanded in youth detention custody and a provisional trial date has been set for 21 June.\n\nThe three teenagers, who cannot be identified because of their ages, had appeared at Reading Youth Court earlier on Thursday before the Crown Court hearing.\n\nThe defendants only spoke at the youth court to confirm their names, ages and addresses.\n\nThe court heard the girl has also been charged with perverting the course of justice.\n\nThe Crown Court hearing was told a potential trial was estimated to last five or six weeks.\n\nPolice were called just before 16:00 GMT on Sunday following reports of an attack in fields on the boundary of Emmer Green and Caversham Heights.\n\nOlly was pronounced dead at the scene.\n\nIn a statement released on Wednesday, his family said: \"An Olly-sized hole has been left in our hearts.\"\n\nHis parents said their son was \"an enigma\", and having both autism and suspected pathological demand avoidance meant \"he became a challenge we never shied away from\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "McDonald's is pausing walk-in takeaway services in the UK as new lockdown restrictions come into force.\n\nDine-in meals and walk-in takeaways will not be available temporarily while it reviews safety procedures, it said.\n\nIts UK boss said it will be testing \"additional measures that may further enhance the safety of our takeaway service.\"\n\nRival food chains Burger King, Subway, KFC and Pret A Manger are still offering takeaways in-store.\n\nMcDonald's UK and Ireland chief executive Paul Pomroy said that safety measures across the firm's 1,300 restaurants will be reviewed by an independent health and safety body.\n\nHe added that customers would be kept updated via the restaurant's app and its website. Drive-through and delivery services across the fast food chain will remain open.\n\nUnder new lockdown restrictions which came into force in England and Scotland this week, hospitality firms are allowed to offer takeaways and deliveries.\n\nBut rules which previously allowed takeaways or click-and-collect services for alcoholic drinks have been scrapped.\n\nWales and Northern Ireland were already in lockdown, which meant that pubs, restaurants and cafes were restricted to takeaway-only too.\n\nAfter the first nationwide lockdown in March, many chains including McDonald's, Burger King and Pret closed their doors to hungry customers.\n\nThey gradually reopened with additional safety measures in place, such as plastic screens in front of the tills, hand sanitiser dispensers and restrictions on the number of customers allowed in at any one point. Some also pared back the number of dishes on offer.\n\nA Burger King spokesperson said that takeaway was still available in some branches and that it would continue to offer click-and-collect and delivery services \"in line with guidance issued\".\n\nSandwich chain Pret A Manger told the BBC that it is keeping some outlets open for both takeaways and delivery, but it would keep the number under review in the coming months.\n\n\"Last year we shifted our business to focus on delivery and expanded our delivery platform partnerships, to make Pret available to a wider customer base\", a spokesperson said.\n\n\"Since then, we have seen a significant increase in the use of delivery.\"\n\nSubway and KFC also confirmed that they remain open for in-store takeaways, deliveries and click-and-collect orders across the UK.\n\nFast food firm Leon, which has 65 outlets, said that 28 of their sites will remain open for takeaways and deliveries.\n\n\"We will continue to keep as many restaurants open as possible, as we did in the previous two lockdowns in line with government guidelines,\" a spokesperson said.\n\nDespite adapting their business models, many casual dining chains have been forced to make job cuts in the last year as lockdown restrictions hit sales. Pret, for example, announced 3,000 job cuts in August, while Greggs made 820 job cuts at the end of 2020.", "Supporters of US President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday\n\nWorld leaders have condemned violent scenes in Washington after supporters of US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday.\n\nThe riot forced the suspension of a joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden's electoral victory.\n\nMany leaders called for peace and an orderly transition of power, describing what happened as \"horrifying\" and an \"attack on democracy\".\n\n\"The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power,\" he wrote on Twitter.\n\nOther UK politicians joined him in criticising the violence, with opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer calling it a \"direct attack on democracy\".\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel told the BBC that Mr Trump's comments \"directly led\" to his supporters storming Congress and clashing with police.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Home Secretary Priti Patel says Donald Trump was wrong for not condemning the violence\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that the scenes from the US Capitol were \"utterly horrifying\".\n\nIn Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said those who stormed the US legislature were \"attackers and rioters\" and that she felt \"angry and also sad\" after seeing pictures from the scene.\n\nShe told a meeting of German conservatives: \"I regret very much that President Trump has still not admitted defeat, but has kept raising doubts about the elections.\"\n\nChina meanwhile attempted to draw comparisons between the rioters who entered Congress to try and subvert the US election result and pro-democracy protesters who stormed Hong Kong's Legislative Council last year.\n\nForeign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying claimed events in Hong Kong were more \"severe\" than those in Washington but \"not one demonstrator died\".\n\nThe comparisons between the two incidents has caused outrage among Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists and their supporters.\n\nRussia blamed the \"archaic\" US electoral system and the politicisation of the media for Wednesday's unrest in Washington.\n\n\"The electoral system in the United States is archaic, it does not meet modern democratic standards, creating opportunities for numerous violations, and the American media have become an instrument of political struggle,\" foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.\n\nElsewhere in Europe, a chorus of leaders condemned the scenes in Washington as an attack on democracy.\n\nSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said: \"I have trust in the strength of US democracy. The new presidency of Joe Biden will overcome this tense stage, uniting the American people.\"\n\nIn a video on Twitter, French President Emmanuel Macron said: \"When, in one of the world's oldest democracies, supporters of an outgoing president take up arms to challenge the legitimate results of an election, a universal idea - that of 'one person, one vote' - is undermined.\n\n\"What happened today in Washington DC is not American, definitely. We believe in the strength of our democracies. We believe in the strength of American democracy\" he added.\n\nSwedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven described the incident as \"worrying\" and said it was \"an assault on democracy\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by SwedishPM This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTop EU leaders have also made their views known. European Council President Charles Michel said he trusted the US \"to ensure a peaceful transfer of power\" to Mr Biden, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she looked forward to working with the Democrat, who \"won the election\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Charles Michel This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nLike many other global figures, the Secretary-General of the Nato military alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said that the outcome of the election \"must be respected\".\n\nFor his part, UN Secretary-General António Guterres was \"saddened\" by the events at the US Capitol, his spokesman said.\n\nThe events also shocked America's close ally and neighbour to its north. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadians were \"deeply disturbed and saddened by the attack on democracy\".\n\n\"Violence will never succeed in overruling the will of the people. Democracy in the US must be upheld - and it will be,\" he wrote on Twitter.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. When a mob stormed the US capitol\n\nFrom New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, tweeted that \"democracy - the right of people to exercise a vote, have their voice heard and then have that decision upheld peacefully - should never be undone by a mob\".\n\nMeanwhile Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia - another close US ally - condemned the \"distressing scenes\" and said he looked forward to a peaceful transfer of power.\n\nIn India, the world's largest democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi - who has enjoyed a good relationship with President Trump - said he was \"distressed to see news about rioting and violence\" in Washington.\n\n\"Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue,\" he tweeted.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Narendra Modi This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTurkey, an ally through Nato, said it invited \"all parties\" to show \"restraint and common sense\".\n\nThe Venezuelan government, which the US does not recognise as legitimate, said \"with this regrettable episode, the United States suffers the same thing that it has generated in other countries with its policies of aggression\".\n\nIn statements on Twitter, Argentina's President Alberto Fernández and Chile's President Sebastián Piñera also condemned the scenes in Washington. Mr Piñera said Chile \"trusts in the solidity of US democracy to guarantee the rule of law\".\n\nIn Japan, one of America's closest allies and partners, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the government hoped for a \"peaceful transfer of power\" in the United States.\n\nFrom Fiji, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who led a coup in 2006, also expressed outrage at the events that took place.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Frank Bainimarama This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAnd in Singapore, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said he had watched as the \"shocking\" scenes took place, adding: \"Its a sad day.\"", "Nursery staff are not advised to wear face coverings\n\nChildcare organisations are demanding to see evidence that it is safe for them to remain open while schools and colleges have closed to most pupils.\n\nStaff have close contact with children and babies daily, when they change nappies and receive them by the hand from parents, for example.\n\nMinisters have insisted early years settings are safe as young children have very low rates of the virus.\n\nNurseries argue the evidence cited is based on data about old variant Covid.\n\nEngland's three main nursery organisations, the Early Years Alliance, the National Day Nurseries Association and childminders' group, Pacey, have joined together to mount a #ProtectEarlyYears campaign.\n\nThey want the government to provide clear scientific evidence on the risks to early years staff of staying open, particularly in light of the increased transmissibility of the new variant of Covid-19.\n\nSue Cardy, owner and manager of Ready Teddy Go Pre School, in Shoeburyness, Essex said: \"There isn't anyone who has asked: 'Is it 100% safe for us to remain fully open? No one can see the virus and staff may be asymptomatic, and so we all run an element of risk of catching or spreading it.\"\n\nShe added: \"Staff have families and are not all young... 50% of my staff are over 50 and some have underlying medical conditions.\"\n\nVicky, the manager of a church pre-school in Cheshire West and Chester said she could potentially have 30 children plus 10 staff in a church hall, with no PPE recommended, and limited social distancing.\n\n\"As an early years provider, I am increasingly worried about the safety of both staff and children, yet if we chose to partially close, we could be financially penalised.\"\n\nAnd Georgie Morrell from Brighton and Hove said: \"Since re-opening, I have had four households tell me. they are Covid positive.\n\n\"This is clearly very close to home and yet we have been given no choice or support but to remain open and carry on.\"\n\nNeil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: \"It is simply not acceptable that, at the height of a global pandemic, early years providers are being asked to work with no support, no protection and no clear evidence that is safe for them to do so.\n\n\"We know how vital access to early education and care is to many families, but it cannot be right to ask the early years workforce to put themselves at risk. That is why it is vital that the government takes the urgent steps needed to safeguard those working in the sector, particularly mass testing and priority access to vaccinations.\n\nNursery providers are calling for staff to be tested, priority for vaccination and for state funding lost due to lower numbers during the pandemic, to be replaced by government.\n\nPurnima Tanuku, chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association, said nurseries were determined to support families during the current lockdown.\n\nBut, she added: \"Time and again, whether it's on PPE, cleaning costs, testing or staffing, early years providers have been overlooked by the Department for Education.\n\n\"Now, they are the only part of the education sector fully open to all children and must be given priority.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, vaccines minister Nadim Zahawi said there was very little risk to younger children.\n\n\"The nursery sector has taken tremendous care in making sure the premises are also Covid safe. It is the right thing to do.\"\n\nThe Department for Education is yet to comment on the #ProtectEarlyYears demands.", "Matthew Mason will be sentenced later this month\n\nA man who killed a schoolboy after paying him to stop their sexual relationship being revealed has been found guilty of murder.\n\nMatthew Mason admitted bludgeoning 15-year-old Alex Rodda with a wrench in Ashley, Cheshire, in 2019.\n\nThe 19-year-old paid Alex more than £2,000 after he contacted his then girlfriend about \"flirty\" messages, Chester Crown Court heard.\n\nMason, of Ash Lane in Ollerton, will be sentenced on 25 January.\n\nLawyers acting for Mason, who denied murder, had claimed the killing was the result of self-defence or a loss of control.\n\nBut the jury rejected this and found him guilty of murdering Alex by a majority of 10 to two.\n\nAs the verdict was returned, Mason appeared to be crying in the dock.\n\nMembers of Alex's family were also in tears. In a statement, they said they had \"never come across a more selfish, cold and calculating person\" as Mason.\n\n\"Mason has attempted to blame Alex and discredit his name throughout this trial and thankfully the jury were able to see through his web of deceit,\" they said.\n\nSpeaking outside the court, Alex's father Adam Rodda said the trial had been \"very difficult\" for the family and they were relieved Mason had been found guilty of murder.\n\n\"We wouldn't have accepted anything else, we would have been distraught if any other verdict had been given. We prayed and we are obviously delighted that justice has been done,\" he said.\n\nAlex Rodda was killed in woodland in Cheshire\n\nOn the evening of 12 December, Mason said he had picked Alex up from his home and drove him to a remote area of woodland where he told him he could not afford to give him any more money.\n\nThe agricultural engineering student, who was the son of a farmer, told the court he had taken the wrench with him to \"scare him\".\n\nHe claimed that, once in the woods, Alex had threatened to ruin his life \"financially or socially\" and pushed him to the floor, grabbing the wrench and hitting Mason with it.\n\nMason said he managed to get the wrench from Alex and recalled hitting him with it twice, although the court heard evidence of further blows.\n\nAlex, a pupil at Holmes Chapel High School, was struck at least 15 times to the head and his body was found by refuse collectors the next morning.\n\nEvidence showed Alex had been struck at least 15 times with the wrench\n\nThe jury heard Mason had paid Alex more than £2,000 to stop him reporting their \"intimate sexual relationship\".\n\nIn the month before the murder, Alex contacted Mason's girlfriend to tell her that her boyfriend had been messaging him \"in a flirty way\" and had sent an explicit photo and video.\n\nMason denied the claim but began making payments to the 15-year-old's bank account.\n\nBy the time of Alex's death, Mason had transferred more than £2,200 and was asking friends and family to borrow money, the court was told.\n\nGiving evidence, Mason, who lived with his family on a farm near Knutsford, admitted having sex with Alex but said he thought it was \"wrong\".\n\nHe told the court he did not believe his friends would accept him if he was gay or bisexual.\n\nIn the week before Alex's death, Mason made internet searches for phrases including \"what would happen if you kicked someone down the stairs\", \"everyday poison\" and \"the mysteries of Cheshire unsolved deaths of missing people\".\n\nBut he told the court he had been searching the terms because he was suicidal.\n\nAlex's body was found in woodland by refuse collectors\n\nAfter killing Alex, Mason had a drink with friends in the Red Lion pub in Pickmere and The Golden Pheasant pub in Plumley, Cheshire Police said.\n\nHe later returned to the woods and the prosecution believe he dragged Alex's body to the side of the road and attempted to put him inside his car.\n\nAfter failing to do this, he drove away. But a witness had taken a photo of his Renault Clio car parked on the track and reported this to police.\n\nMason was identified as the owner and arrested the next day.\n\nPolice said Mason had dried blood on his hands and there was a bin bag in his boot with a blood-stained fleece, the wrench and Alex's jacket in it.\n\nDet Insp Nigel Reid said: \"Mason had murder on his mind as he drove Alex to his death under the pretence of sexual activity.\n\n\"He chose a secluded place to kill him in cold blood, a place he believed he would go unseen and his crime undetected.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The coronavirus vaccine rollout is a national challenge requiring an unprecedented effort - involving the armed forces - Boris Johnson says.\n\nThe PM confirmed almost 1.5 million people in the UK have now received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine.\n\nMore than 1,000 GP-led sites in England will be able to offer a total of \"hundreds of thousands\" of jabs each day by 15 January, he said.\n\nThe Army will use \"battle preparation techniques\" to help achieve that goal.\n\nIt came as a further 1,162 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported on Thursday - the second consecutive day of more than 1,000 recorded fatalities - and 52,618 new cases.\n\nAnd as Simon Stevens, head of the NHS in England, warned 10,000 patients with Covid had been admitted to hospital since Christmas Day.\n\nSpeaking at a Downing Street news conference, Mr Johnson said there would likely be \"lumpiness and bumpiness\" in the rollout of vaccines.\n\nHe said: \"Let's be clear, this is a national challenge on a scale like nothing we've seen before and it will require an unprecedented national effort.\n\n\"Of course, there will be difficulties, appointments will be changed but... the Army is working hand in glove with the NHS and local councils to set up our vaccine network and using battle preparation techniques to help us keep up the pace.\"\n\nAlongside GPs, there will be 223 hospital sites and seven \"giant vaccination centres\" - as well as an initial 200 community pharmacies - offering jabs, Mr Johnson said.\n\nEveryone will have a vaccination centre within 10 miles of their home, he added, with a \"full vaccination deployment plan\" to be published on Monday.\n\nHe also said there would be a national booking system for vaccinations - but did not give any more details.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Brigadier Phil Prosser said his task was to ensure everyone in England had equal access to the vaccine\n\nBrigadier Phil Prosser, commander of military support to the vaccine delivery programme, told the news conference his team was \"embedded\" with the NHS.\n\nHe said his \"day job\" is to deliver combat supplies to UK forces in time of war, \"at speed in the most arduous and challenging conditions\".\n\nThe government has set a target to offer vaccination slots to 15 million in the top four priority groups - including all over-80s - by 15 February.\n\nAnd Mr Johnson said that, with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine available, he could pledge one of those groups - care home residents - would all receive their jab by the end of January.\n\nThe widespread rollout of the vaccine has begun in earnest with the first doses delivered during the day to family doctors for distribution.\n\nBut there were concerns from some GPs over supplies, as Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the levels of vaccine supply was the \"rate-limiting\" factor as jabs would be delivered as quickly as stock is available.\n\nIt comes as some hospitals in England are at risk of becoming Covid-only sites, with rising admissions for the virus forcing trusts to cut back on other services.\n\nThe latest NHS statistics also show that there were 30,370 patients with Covid in UK hospitals on Tuesday, a much higher figure than the first peak in the spring of 2020.\n\nHospital leaders have warned medics are becoming increasingly stretched with \"untrained staff\" used to fill gaps.\n\nAt 20:00 GMT, people in some streets stepped out onto doorsteps to clap for the heroes of the pandemic, following a weekly initiative which gained popularity during the UK's first lockdown.\n\nHowever, Thursday's clap for heroes was more muted than those seen last year, perhaps reflecting criticism the initiative had become politicised.\n\nLots of detail has been given about how the NHS - working hand-in-hand with the military - will be able to deliver the vaccines.\n\nThere will be more local vaccination centres, hospital hubs and even mass vaccination at sports stadiums.\n\nThousands of extra vaccinators have already been trained - and thousands more are waiting in the wings.\n\nBut the biggest hurdle the UK faces is vaccine supply.\n\nIf it is not available, it cannot be put in arms no matter how good the vaccination network is.\n\nIn the long-term, supply is not likely to be a problem - but in the coming weeks it could be tight.\n\nThere is enough vaccine in the country to offer all those at highest risk a jab by mid-February.\n\nBut it is not yet all ready for the NHS to use, either because the final safety checks have not been done or the vaccine has not been put into vials.\n\nThe former depends on lab work by the medicines regulator, while the latter is the job of a plant in Wrexham.\n\nEach stage takes some time. The target is achievable, but a lot has to go right.\n\nSir Simon Stevens said there were 50% more coronavirus patients in England's hospitals now compared to the peak last April, affecting every region across the country.\n\nHe said: \"That number is accelerating very, very rapidly... the pressures are real and they are growing.\"\n\nIn Northern Ireland, the Belfast Health Trust has said it has no other option but to cancel all of its urgent cancer surgery amid \"highly significant\" demand for bed space.\n\nThe cancelled operations will affect those patients for whom surgery could impact recovery and even survival, the trust said.\n\nBoris Johnson said all parts of government would be throwing everything at the vaccination effort \"round the clock\"\n\nIn one positive development for hospitals, two more life-saving drugs that can cut deaths by a quarter in patients who are sickest with Covid have been cleared for widespread use, with immediate effect.\n\nThe anti-inflammatory medications, given via a drip, save an extra life for every 12 treated, researchers said, following NHS trials.\n\nElsewhere, the UK has implemented restrictions on travellers to England from countries near South Africa to stop the spread of the South African Covid variant.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Johnson and Sir Simon were asked about persistent social media claims that coronavirus does not exist - and that reports of packed hospital wards of people being treated are just a myth.\n\nSir Simon said that such misinformation was an \"insult\" to hard-working critical care staff.\n\n\"There is nothing more demoralising than having that kind of nonsense spouted when it is most obviously untrue,\" he said.", "Sarah Bingham said she is a match donor for her daughter Ariel and eldest son Noah (far right)\n\nA mother with two children who need kidney transplants said she wishes she could help both of them, but can only donate one organ.\n\nSarah Bingham's son Noah, 20, and daughter Ariel, 16, have the same rare genetic condition.\n\nMrs Bingham, 48, is a donor match for her children and said her maternal instinct is to donate to both of them.\n\nBut her organ was always due to go to her daughter and two family friends are matches for her son.\n\nHer husband Darryl, 49, is not a match, so cannot be a donor for their children.\n\nBoth Noah and Ariel have nephronophthisis, which causes inflammation and scarring to the kidneys.\n\nMrs Bingham, of Hexham, Northumberland, said although her son is \"very poorly\", he undergoes regular dialysis and is in a stable condition.\n\nHer daughter's kidney function \"has been deteriorating more in the last year\" and she will probably need a transplant first.\n\nMrs Bingham said: \"I was all set to give a kidney to my daughter and then my son went into renal failure and he also needs a kidney. Obviously, I've only got one that I can donate.\n\n\"The renal teams don't push you [to make a decision], because you're putting yourself on the line to donate a kidney.\n\n\"You have to make that call yourself, but obviously as a mum when you've got two children who both need kidney transplants and you've expected to give your kidney to one, and suddenly the other one needs one as well, you feel this dilemma.\"\n\nNoah Bingham is in a stable condition thanks to regular kidney dialysis\n\nProblems began in 2016 when Ariel started to feel constantly tired.\n\nHer fatigue was initially put down to exam stress, but tests at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary found she had the kidney condition.\n\nMrs Bingham was told she would be a suitable donor for Ariel when the time came.\n\nThen, in 2019, Noah became ill and was diagnosed with the same condition.\n\nHe is stable, but would need to put on weight to undergo a transplant.\n\nThe couple have another son Casper, 12, who is being tested to see if he also has the condition.\n\nDarryl Bingham is not a suitable match for his two eldest children\n\nProf John Sayer, a kidney specialist at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital who is treating Noah, said nephronophthisis affects about one in 100,000 people.\n\n\"There's clearly a dilemma because there's a shortage of donors for patients needing kidney transplants.\n\n\"But kidney failure itself is not rare. There are 4,500 people across the country waiting for a transplant.\"\n\nHe added patients often face a \"gruelling and terrifying\" wait of about three years for a donor organ.\n\nIn December, Mr Bingham completed the challenge of walking 12,000 steps every day for 12 days to raise money for Kidney Research UK, which has supported the family.\n\nMrs Bingham said that if Ariel's condition was to deteriorate first she would get her kidney\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Some supermarkets faced issues over the festive period due to ports disruption\n\nThe UK meat industry has called for the early vaccination of workers to keep food supplies running smoothly during the coronavirus crisis.\n\nIt warned that absences during the pandemic, coupled with disruption at ports, could hit food supply chains.\n\nAn early vaccination call for supermarket staff was also made by the boss of Sainsbury's on Thursday.\n\nThe government said the food industry remains \"well-prepared\" to make sure people have the food they need.\n\nThe British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) said coronavirus and disruption at ports due to new systems brought in after the Brexit transition period were \"a severe challenge to the industry and to the smooth running of the nation's food supply chain\".\n\nIt argued frontline workers in meat factories should get early vaccinations due to the risk of a rapid spread of the new strains of the virus among key workers.\n\nThe government has set out who will get vaccinated first, which starts with care home residents and the oldest and most vulnerable people.\n\nBut Nick Allen, chief executive of the BMPA, said it would be logical to also prioritise key workers in the food industry.\n\n\"As the new coronavirus variant takes hold across the whole of the UK, we are hearing widespread reports of rapidly rising absences in the food supply chain,\" he said.\n\nSome firms supplying supermarkets \"are seeing a tripling of staff having to take time off work through illness or enforced self-isolation\", he added.\n\nPressures on staff during the lockdown include illness, having to self-isolate, and childcare while some schools are closed under England's lockdown.\n\nDue to the specialised nature of meat production, if even a few key factory personnel such as the foreman or managers are absent, production can stop, Mr Allen said.\n\nEarly vaccinations should not be restricted to the meat industry, according to Mr Allen. All key workers in the food industry should get early vaccinations, he said.\n\nEven supermarkets themselves are having problems with absences, he suggested.\n\n\"The key food supply chains ought to be prioritised,\" he said. \"All food industry key workers should be prioritised [for vaccination]\".\n\nThe government is advised on vaccinations by a group of experts called the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).\n\nProfessor Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 Chair for the JCVI, said the committee's advice on vaccine prioritisation \"was developed with the aim of preventing as many deaths as possible.\"\n\n\"As the single greatest risk of death from Covid-19 is older age, prioritisation is primarily based on age,\" he said.\n\n\"It is estimated that vaccinating everyone in the priority groups would prevent 99% of deaths, including those associated with occupational exposure to infection,\" the professor added.\n\nSainsbury's boss Simon Roberts also called for early vaccinations for key workers on Thursday.\n\n\"My view is that priority has to be given to those that need it first,\" he said. \"Those on the frontline should be part of that as and when capacity becomes available.\"\n\nAbsence rates for Sainsbury's staff are lower than at the peak of the crisis, but are rising, and have stepped up in the last few days, he said.\n\nThe Sainsbury's absence rate is currently 8%. The business has 172,000 employees.\n\nAsda said that it had seen an increase in employees self-isolating and shielding in line with the rising UK infection rate.\n\nHowever, it said that absence rates were still lower than at the peak of the pandemic.\n\n\"We are taking proactive steps to manage colleague absences by retaining temporary colleagues hired over the Christmas period and are bringing in additional temporary colleagues in those stores that need them the most,\" and Asda spokesman said.\n\nTesco has asked clinically vulnerable staff to stay at home.\n\nMorrisons, meanwhile, is also seeing more absences, but the rate is still more than half that of the peak of the pandemic. It is also a bigger business having taken on 26,000 extra staff during the crisis.\n\nAndrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium said: \"While absence rates are currently rising, retailers are closely monitoring the situation in stores and distribution centres and supply chains continue to run smoothly.\n\nA spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs said: \"As we have seen in recent months, the UK has a large, diverse and highly resilient food supply chain.\n\n\"We continue to closely monitor the situation and are working closely with the food industry on the workforce and absence related challenges presented by the pandemic.\"\n\nThey added that the food industry remains \"well-prepared\" to make sure people across the country have the food they need.\n\nUK ports have seen disruption due to the effects of coronavirus on trade and new systems brought in after the Brexit transition period.\n\nMr Roberts of Sainsbury's said that, so far, the flow of goods from Europe is in decent shape, but there had been some problems in sending food to Northern Ireland.There is still some backlog in general merchandising, he added.\n\nHowever, Scottish seafood exporters warned on Thursday that they had been hit by the \"perfect storm of Brexit disruption\".\n\n\"Weakened by Covid-19, and the closure of the French border before Christmas, the end of the Brexit transition period has unleashed layer upon layer of administrative problems, resulting in queues, border refusals and utter confusion,\" said Donna Fordyce, chief executive of Seafood Scotland.\n\nShe said IT problems in France meant consignments were diverted from Boulogne-sur-Mer to Dunkirk, \"which was unprepared as it wasn't supposed to be at the export frontline.\"\n\nThere have also been IT issues on the UK side with HMRC, she added.\n\n\"These businesses are not transporting toilet rolls or widgets,\" she said. \"They are exporting the highest quality, perishable seafood which has a finite window to get to markets in peak condition. If the window closes these consignments go to landfill.\"\n\nThe National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations also warned of delays to fish exports due to \"a brick wall of bureaucracy\".", "Lorry drivers crossing the Channel will continue to need a recent negative Covid test result \"until further notice\", the UK government has said.\n\nHauliers have been required to prove they have tested negative since the border with France reopened last month.\n\nThe decision to continue testing comes from the French government, the Department for Transport said.\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps urged \"all hauliers to get tested before getting to the border\".\n\nThe decision comes as the introduction of new trading rules between the UK and European Union prompts disruption for some businesses and hauliers.\n\nMr Shapps said the government was \"offering support to businesses to set-up testing facilities at their own premises, assisting the smooth passage of trucks and good across the border, as well as setting up testing at information and advice sites around the country\".\n\nDrivers and crew of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), drivers of large goods vehicles (LGVs) and van drivers are advised to obtain a negative test before arriving in Kent or at other Channel crossing points.\n\nThere are now 34 testing sites for hauliers situated in key \"stopping spots\" across the UK, with further sites being set up, the DfT said.\n\nTests must be authorised and taken 72 hours before entry into France.\n\nIn addition to a negative Covid test result, some hauliers require a new 24-hour permit to enter Kent since the introduction of the new UK-EU rules.\n\nFrance reported 21,703 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, while the UK reported 52,618.\n\nLast month, the border crisis saw France refuse arrivals from the UK for 48 hours between 20 and 22 December due to a new virus variant initially discovered in Kent.\n\nPassenger ferries and lorry freight bound for France were suspended from Dover, Portsmouth and Newhaven.\n\nAn emergency procedure devised as part of post-Brexit preparations allowed lorries to be \"stacked\" - leaving thousands of foreign drivers stranded throughout southern England.", "Last updated on .From the section Aston Villa\n\nAston Villa are preparing to field a team of youngsters in Friday's FA Cup third-round tie at home to Liverpool after a \"significant\" Covid-19 outbreak at the club.\n\nA final decision on whether the game will take place at all will be made on Friday.\n\nVilla manager Dean Smith, his coaching staff and the rest of the club's first-team squad will not be involved after the outbreak forced the closure of the club's Bodymoor Heath training headquarters on Thursday.\n\nThe club is in discussions with the Football Association and want to fulfil the fixture (kick-off 19:45 GMT) but final confirmation on whether the tie is played is still on hold pending the results of further testing on the young players who are now being considered for selection.\n\nMark Delaney, Villa's under-23 coach, is scheduled to take charge in the absence of Smith and his backroom staff. He will be accompanied by a doctor, physiotherapist and kit staff.\n\nThe game was thrown into doubt when Villa confirmed the shutdown of the training ground after \"a large number of first-team players and staff\" returned positive Covid-19 results after being tested on Monday.\n\nThose affected went into isolation and a second round of tests was carried out immediately, which produced more positive results on Thursday.\n\nVilla are keen to play the game against Jurgen Klopp's Premier League champions, who they thrashed 7-2 earlier this season. Manager Smith had planned to rest several stars for the game but the Covid-19 outbreak has thrown the club's plans into chaos.\n\nThey will now be hoping the additional Covid-19 testing returns a clean bill of health with Villa liaising closely with the FA in the hope of getting the game played on Friday night.\n\nThe meeting between in-form Villa and Liverpool is one of the most attractive ties of the third round, even if both managers were set to field unfamiliar line-ups.\n\nIt also remains to be seen whether Villa's scheduled Premier League home game against Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on Wednesday goes ahead.\n• None What sport has been hit by Covid-19 this weekend?\n\nElswhere, Southampton's FA Cup third-round game against Shrewsbury on Sunday was called off on Thursday after a significant number of Shrews players and staff tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nWayne Rooney and Derby's first-team squad will miss their FA Cup tie at Chorley on Saturday following a Covid-19 outbreak which closed their training ground on Monday.\n\nThe Rams' team for the game at Victory Park will be made up of under-23 and under-18 players.\n\nVilla will be doing all they can to ensure Friday's tie goes ahead but the Covid-19 outbreak could also have Premier League ramifications.\n\nVilla are scheduled to face fourth-placed Spurs at Villa Park on Wednesday and they currently stand only three points behind Jose Mourinho's team.\n\nThere must now be question marks over whether that game will take place.\n\nIf the game is off it will only add to the fixture congestion both clubs are likely to face in an already crowded calendar this season.\n\nVilla, even though they planned to leave out several established first-team players against Liverpool, still had high FA Cup ambitions and would have wanted to maintain the momentum that has given them such an impressive start to the season after only surviving in the top flight on the final day of last season.\n\nThey will hope the latest testing brings no further complications in the FA Cup context - then attention will turn to what has the potential to be a hugely significant game on Wednesday.\n• Stream eight live FA Cup third-round games this weekend on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app. Find out more here.", "GPs in England are receiving doses of the Oxford Covid jab as medics warn about overstretched hospitals.\n\nThe rollout of the Oxford vaccine is part of the NHS's biggest-ever effort and aims to offer jabs to 13 million by mid-February - including all over-80s.\n\nBirmingham's NHS said there are enough supplies with more to come as politicians warned doses may run out.\n\nSome hospitals in England are at risk of becoming Covid-only sites, with rising admissions for the virus forcing trusts to cut back on other services.\n\nAnd hospital leaders have warned medics are becoming increasingly stretched with \"untrained staff\" used to fill gaps.\n\nIt came as a further 1,162 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported on Thursday - the second consecutive day of more than 1,000 recorded fatalities - and 52,618 new cases.\n\nThe latest NHS statistics also show that there were 30,370 patients with Covid in UK hospitals on Tuesday.\n\nThe rollout of the Oxford vaccine to GPs will help increase vaccinations among the top four priority groups who are first in line to receive doses.\n\nThe Department of Health said 1.3 million people in the UK, including almost a quarter of those aged over 80 in England, have received at least one dose so far.\n\nWriting to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, the Birmingham political leaders criticised communication around the vaccination programme in the city.\n\n\"We acknowledge that the vaccination rollout is in its early days, but we have also learned today that Birmingham has not yet been supplied with any AstraZeneca stock, while current Pfizer stocks are scheduled to run out on Friday this week with currently no clarity on when further supplies will arrive.\"\n\nThey added \"it remains unclear who is responsible for overseeing the vaccination programme in Birmingham, and whom we should hold accountable for progress and delivery\".\n\nThe letter is signed by Labour leader of Birmingham City Council, Ian Ward; Liam Byrne MP, Labour's candidate for the West Midlands mayor, and by Conservative MP and ex-minister Andrew Mitchell.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Liam Byrne This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nBut NHS Birmingham and Solihull told the BBC: \"Thousands of people in Birmingham and Solihull have already been vaccinated and this continues at pace.\n\n\"We have sufficient supplies and more will be coming.\"\n\nWest Midlands mayor Andy Street said he has been assured supplies of the Oxford vaccine will be delivered to Birmingham on Friday.\n\nElsewhere, Gillian McLauchlan, deputy director of public health at Salford Council, described \"teething\" issues with the vaccine rollout there.\n\nShe told councillors at a local scrutiny committee: \"We have no control over vaccine supplies. We are told literally two days in advance 'your next lot of vaccines are coming'.\"\n\nEngland's vaccination programme is described as the biggest in NHS history, with an aim to offer jabs to most care home residents by the end of January and the most vulnerable by mid-February.\n\nOfficials leading the vaccination programme are adamant rollout is going to plan - and are cautioning against judging performance too early.\n\nOf course, there will be teething problems, but the fact remains the UK has vaccinated more per head of population than any other country apart from Israel and Bahrain.\n\nWhile rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine started on Monday, it was actually only being used at the hospital hubs up to Thursday.\n\nDeliveries are now being made to hundreds of local vaccination centres. There are 17 in the Birmingham region so they should start to receive doses imminently.\n\nThat should mean there is a vaccine available if they do run out of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.\n\nAlthough disruption to the rollout of the programme in the city may still happen as local centres are warning they cannot book patients in until they know they have stock available.\n\nBut the fact the city's leaders felt compelled to write to the health secretary to warn about this is an illustration of the pressure in the system at the moment.\n\nGiven the high level of infections and current lockdown, there is a desperation in all quarters to get the most at-risk vaccinated as quickly as possible.\n\nAnd until the nation sees that translate into significant numbers of people getting vaccinated - 2 million a week is the goal - people will remain on edge.\n\nThe Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for emergency use on 2 December but requires specialist storage unsuitable for most GP practices, with doses largely delivered in hospitals.\n\nThe Oxford-AstraZeneca jab was approved on 30 December and does not require specialist storage. It was first rolled out on Monday to hospitals and to GPs in England from Thursday.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. One medical centre in London is now vaccinating almost 1,000 people a week\n\nMr Hancock visited a GP surgery in London to promote the roll out earlier - but staff there said delivery of the Oxford vaccine had been delayed.\n\nThe health secretary said he was \"delighted\" care home residents would begin receiving their first Oxford jabs from GPs this week.\n\n\"This will ensure the most vulnerable are protected and will save tens of thousands of lives,\" he said.\n\nGP Ammara Hughes, a partner at Bloomsbury Surgery, told broadcasters its first delivery of the Oxford jab had been pushed back 24 hours to Thursday.\n\nShe said: \"It's just more frustrating than a concern because we've got the capacity to vaccinate. And if we had a regular supply - we do have the capacity to vaccinate three to four thousand patients a week.\"\n\nMr Hancock described supply of vaccine as a \"rate-limiting\" step.\n\nHe said: \"For the first three days with the Oxford vaccine we did it in hospitals to check that it was working well and it's working well so now we can make sure that it gets to all those GP surgeries that like this one can do all the vaccinations that are needed.\n\n\"The rate-limiting step is the supply of vaccine. We're working with the companies - both Pfizer and AstraZeneca - to increase the supply.\"\n\nMore than 700 local vaccination sites will administer jabs, with the government announcing a further seven mass vaccination sites across England.\n\nAnother 180 GP-led sites, 100 new hospital sites and a pilot scheme involving local pharmacies will open this week.\n\nMeanwhile, nearly 19,981 second doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab - which was the first to be approved for emergency use in the UK last month - were administered between 29 December and 3 January, NHS England said.\n\nIt came as Rupert Pearse, professor of intensive care medicine and a consultant at the Royal London, said his own intensive care staff are having to care for far more sick patients.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there would usually be a ratio of one fully-trained intensive care nurse for each patient in a unit but staff are becoming increasingly stretched.\n\n\"Right now we are diluting down to one [intensive care] nurse to three [patients] and filling those gaps with untrained staff and in some instances doctors helping nurses deliver their care... and we're even facing diluting that further to one in four,\" he said.\n\nAll of the UK is now under strict virus curbs, with Wales, Northern Ireland and most of Scotland also in lockdown, and vaccinations are progressing across the devolved nations.", "Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has reported a bumper Christmas, with sales up 9.3% for the festive trading period.\n\nMore customers bought their food online than ever before, it said.\n\nIn the 10 days leading up to Christmas, it delivered 1.1 million online orders, twice last year's number.\n\n\"Many customers had to change their Christmas plans at the last minute and we sold smaller turkeys and more lamb and beef than normal,\" said chief executive Simon Roberts.\n\nSainsbury's Christmas trading period covered the nine weeks from 1 November 2020 to 2 January 2021.\n\nFor the 15 weeks to 2 January, like-for-like sales, which strip out the impact of new store openings, were up 8.6%.\n\n\"We now expect, after forgoing business rates relief of £410m, to report underlying profit before tax of at least £330m in the financial year to March 2021,\" the supermarket said.\n\nThat is down from the previous year's figure of £586m.\n\nSainsbury's has delivered bumper festive sales. It's invested heavily in boosting online capacity to keep up with the soaring demand.\n\nSupermarkets have struggled to make money from doing online deliveries, but Sainsbury's says its operation has become more efficient and profitability has improved. As volumes have increased, there are more orders in every van delivering to a smaller radius of customers.\n\nClick-and-collect is a lot cheaper to do than home deliveries. And this accounted for about a quarter of online sales in the final week.\n\nArgos generated more than half its sales from online well before the pandemic. More than 300 Argos counters are now inside Sainsbury's supermarkets, making it easy for people to pick up goods and gifts. Its fast-track delivery service can deliver to customers' homes and collection points within hours and this has seen growth of 62%.\n\nThis is a business that's been well placed to benefit from the huge shift to digital this Christmas.\n\nChristmas and New Year celebrations were constrained by coronavirus restrictions, which limited the number of people and households allowed to meet up.\n\nSainsbury's said that while people had smaller gatherings, they still treated themselves, with sales of the supermarket's premium Taste the Difference range up 11%.\n\nPremium champagne sales were up 52%, it added, echoing similar findings by rival Morrisons.\n\n\"People did more home baking than usual, with mincemeat sales up 24%. Customers still wanted New Year's Eve at home to feel special and we sold a record number of steaks,\" Sainsbury's said.\n\nSales of groceries, general merchandise and clothing were stronger than expected throughout the quarter, particularly since the start of England's second national lockdown, it added.\n\nClothing benefited from better-than-anticipated full-price sales, driven by customers shopping earlier for Christmas and changes to the supermarket's Black Friday trading strategy.\n\nSeparate figures issued by discount retailer B&M indicated that it too had a good Christmas, with like-for-like revenues at its UK stores up 21.1% year-on-year in the 13 weeks to 26 December.\n\n\"With our combination of exceptional value and convenient out-of-town locations, we are confident that our business model will prove highly relevant to the needs of customers in 2021,\" said chief executive Simon Arora.", "Lockdowns have worked before, but can we expect the new one to do the same?\n\nIt feels like we are back in March or April last year, when the strict controls on all our lives led to a fairly quick decline in levels of coronavirus.\n\nBut one of the crucial differences this time is the new variant, which is thought to spread between 50 and 70% faster than previous forms of the virus.\n\nExperts warn there are now no guarantees that lockdown will be enough to bring the variant under control.\n\n\"It still would not have been easy, but it would have been a much easier situation if it had not been for the new variant,\" Prof Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, told Inside Health.\n\n\"That really pushes the bounds of our ability to control the spread of the virus, even with measures that were previously relatively quite effective.\"\n\nThe coronavirus spreads when we come into contact with each other so moving classrooms online, telling people to stay at home and closing shops breaks many of those opportunities for human contact.\n\nIf we consider the R number - the average number of people each infected person passes the virus on to - it was about 3.0 in the run up to the first lockdown and anything above 1.0 means cases are climbing.\n\nR fell to 0.6 during the first lockdown.\n\nThen every 1,000 infected people passed the virus on to 600 others, who passed it on to 360 others and so on.\n\nBut if the new variant is 50% more transmissible then the R number, in the same lockdown conditions, would be about 0.9.\n\nThen 1,000 infected people would pass the virus onto 900 others, then 810 and so on.\n\nAs you can see this leads to far slower decline.\n\nAnd that assumes lockdown can get R down to 0.9 in areas where the new variant has become the most common form of the virus.\n\nIf, as some studies suggest, the variant is about 70% more transmissible then R may stay above 1.0 and cases may not fall at all.\n\n\"We'd at best flatten the curve, keep numbers at a roughly constant level, and that's frankly why there is so much emphasis on getting vaccine into people's arms as quickly as possible,\" said Prof Ferguson.\n\nIt is hard to lock down even harder as there are some parts of society - hospitals, supermarkets - that need to be kept open.\n\nWhat happens to the number of cases over the coming weeks will be closely monitored. If this lockdown is less effective then we will have to live with it for longer.\n\nThere have been some encouraging signs over the Christmas break, which was a bit like a lockdown due to school holidays and other restrictions.\n\n\"We are in a very difficult situation here, but my initial assessment of the last few days is that the rate is slowing which is good news,\" Prof John Edmunds, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the BBC.\n\nHe added: \"It looks likes those restrictions should be sufficient to stop the increase, whether they will be sufficient to bring cases down sufficiently we are yet to see.\"\n\nEventually the vaccine will give people immunity so we do not need the same controls on our lives.\n\nNow more than ever this is a race between the virus and the vaccine.", "Shijiazhuang authorities have started mass-testing residents following an outbreak in the city\n\nChina has placed 11 million people in the northern city of Shijiazhuang under lockdown after more than 100 new Covid cases were confirmed there.\n\nResidents are banned from leaving the city and schools have also been closed.\n\nMore than 5,000 testing sites have been set up so every resident can be tested.\n\nThe new figures are the highest China has seen in more than five months. The country has been able to contain such outbreaks by immediately taking tough action.\n\nThis has involved consistently using mass testing when new clusters of cases appear, even if they seem relatively small.\n\nHebei province, where Shijiazhuang is located, reported 120 new cases on Thursday and all but one of those infections was in the city. Elsewhere in the country, 22 new cases were confirmed.\n\nThe virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 before spiralling into a global pandemic.\n\nThursday's lockdown comes just weeks ahead of Chinese New Year, a time when people in China travel en masse to spend the holiday with their families.\n\nBut residents in the Gaocheng district of Shijiazhuang, considered to be the epicentre of the outbreak, are now not allowed to leave their local area. Other residents are banned from leaving the city.\n\nIn terms of transport, bus travel has been halted and many flights have been cancelled.\n\nResidents have been banned from leaving the city\n\nIn a sign of just how seriously the authorities see the situation, even the postal service in and out of Shijiazhuang has been suspended for three days. And the restrictions are being tightly enforced - police were photographed in protective hazmat suits guarding the entrance to an expressway.\n\nThree officials in Shijiazhuang's Gaocheng district have been punished for \"negligence\", according to the state-run China Daily newspaper.\n\n\"Villages should identify, report, isolate and treat cases as early as possible, so as to cut off the transmission,\" Wu Hao, a national health official, was quoted as saying.\n\nFive hospitals in Shijiazhuang have been cleared for Covid-19 patients, with three others standing by, the city's Vice-Mayor Meng Xianghong said.\n\nThursday's lockdown comes just weeks ahead of Chinese New Year - a time when families gather\n\nIt is not the first time China has locked down a city in response to a cluster of cases since the outbreak in Wuhan.\n\nIn October, all nine million residents of the Chinese city of Qingdao were tested in five days after a dozen cases were confirmed. The cases were linked to a hospital treating coronavirus patients arriving from abroad.\n\nThe same month, authorities in Kashgar, in Xinjiang, tested around 4.7m people after an outbreak there.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Many businesses in Beijing say that customers are still staying away", "The star thanked fans for their messages of support\n\nThe Wanted's Tom Parker has told fans he is \"responding well\" to treatment for his brain tumour.\n\nThe singer praised the NHS as he wrote on Instagram: \"Significant reduction: These are the words I received today and I can't stop saying them over and over again.\"\n\nSharing a picture with his wife Kelsey Hardwick and their two children, he added: \"Today is a good day.\"\n\nThe 32-year-old was found to have an inoperable brain tumour last year.\n\nThe diagnosis came after he suffered two seizures last summer. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, his wife was not allowed in the hospital during three days of tests and he received the news alone.\n\nAt the time he vowed to fight the cancer \"all the way\". Two weeks later he became a father for the second time after Hardwick gave birth to a baby boy.\n\nThe singer shared a photo of his young family alongside the latest update on his health\n\nSharing an update on his condition on Thursday, Parker said: \"I had an MRI scan on Tuesday and my results today were a significant reduction to the tumour and I am responding well to treatment.\n\n\"I can't thank our wonderful NHS enough,\" he continued. \"You're all having a tough time out there but we appreciate the work you are all doing on the front line.\"\n\nThe star also thanked his wife, calling her \"my rock\", and thanked fans for their support. \"Your love, light and positivity have inspired me,\" he wrote. \"Every message has not been unnoticed they have given me so much strength.\"\n\nParker achieved fame in the early 2010s as part of The Wanted, reaching number one with the singles All Time Low and Glad You Came.\n\nSince the band went on hiatus in 2014, he has played Danny Zuko in a touring production of Grease and reached the semi-finals of Celebrity Masterchef.\n\nHe married Hardwick, an actress, in 2018. As well as Bodhi, the couple have an 18-month-old daughter.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Just when the hospitality sector thought things couldn't get any worse, it has been hit by another lockdown.\n\nLast year's rolling closures forced Martin Wolstencroft to borrow £4m just to ensure the survival of Arc Inspirations, a bar chain with 17 venues across the north of England that he has spent the last two decades building into a successful business.\n\nAnd the latest lockdown has forced Mr Wolstencroft to ask his bank to lend him another £1m.\n\nHe is far from alone. UK Hospitality says the closure of pubs, restaurants and hotels is costing business owners such as Mr Wolstencroft a total of £500m a month, even allowing for any government support. And that has led to a huge rise in debt.\n\n\"The money that we are borrowing is really just to stand still,\" Mr Wolstencroft said.\n\n\"We'll be coming out of this in a far worse position with far greater debt and it totally reduces our ability to grow our business for the future.\n\n\"And all of this has been brought about through no fault of our own.\"\n\nHe reckons the debt he has taken on so far will take the business six years to pay back, which leaves him facing some difficult decisions.\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a package of grants worth up to £3,000 a month per property to keep retail, hospitality and leisure businesses afloat until the spring.\n\nBut Mr Wolstencroft, who pays rents of more than £16,000 a month on some of his bars, described the grants as a \"mere drop in the ocean\".\n\nThe effect of taking on huge debts with no prospect of reopening soon is a major threat to millions working in the hospitality sector.\n\nMore than 1,600 restaurants closed last year, costing 30,000 jobs, says property adviser Altus.\n\nWhen bars, hotels and other hospitality businesses are included, almost 300,000 jobs were lost last year as a result of the pandemic, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.\n\nAnd that figure is expected to more than double in the first three months of this year alone.\n\nKate Nicholls, the boss of UK Hospitality, predicts the total will hit 660,000 by the end of March.\n\nUK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls is calling for further support for the industry\n\n\"The longer that these restrictions are in place, the more rapidly businesses will simply run out of cash and be unable to to remain open,\" she said.\n\nA survey of the trade body's members revealed that 80% of businesses did not have enough cash to make it through to April. \"It's going to be unbelievably brutal in the first quarter,\" Ms Nicholls said.\n\nThe latest lockdown follows a bruising Christmas period for the hospitality sector, which typically depends on a busy December to tide it over during January, traditionally a quiet month for pubs and restaurants.\n\n\"It's obviously very worrying for our industry,\" says Tim Hughes, who runs the Plough pub at Sleapshyde in Hertfordshire.\n\n\"They have banned takeaway sales of alcohol from pubs, but off-licences and supermarkets can carry on selling it,\" he said.\n\nBetween them, Mr Hughes, his brother and his father run three pubs in the St Albans area. They have already borrowed £350,000 and Mr Hughes says the latest lockdown will force them to take on even more debt just to survive.\n\nMonthly fixed costs at each of the pubs run to £9,500 and only one of their venues qualifies for the full £3,000 grant, so Mr Hughes says the Treasury's support \"doesn't touch the sides\".\n\nIt's the fourth time Mr Hughes has been forced to close the doors to the Plough - and each time it has cost him about £5,000.\n\nThis time, he also had to give away £4,000 worth of jumbo pork, vegetarian and vegan Bavarian bratwursts, bought to give 2,000 customers a substantial meal in the pub's \"winter garden\" during the festive period.\n\nThat was before an unexpected decision to put St Albans into tier three forced him to close the pub. He cancelled those bookings and refunded customers their £16,000.\n\nThe Plough's \"winter garden\", which was booked up for the Christmas period, stands empty\n\nRalph Findlay, the boss of Marston's, which has 1,700 pubs across the country and employs 14,000 people, said some pubs that had been forced to close their doors because of the lockdown would never reopen.\n\nHalf of Marston's employees are under 25, he said. \"I really worry about the impact of this on their employment prospects in places where it's very difficult to find employment.\"\n\nHe has called for pubs to be given more time before they are required to pay business rates again, which will leave pubs facing an £800m bill as soon as the current rates holiday expires in March, according to the British Beer & Pub Association.\n\nThat would force landlords, including Mr Hughes, to foot a bill that works out at £25,000 a pub.\n\n\"We are kidding ourselves if we think that more debt upon more debt is going to be sustainable,\" said Stephen Welton, executive chairman of the Business Growth Fund.\n\n\"Past recessions have shown very clearly that it's coming out of a recession - when companies are short of working capital - that they fall over.\"\n\nFor Mr Hughes at the Plough, he is looking for all the support he can get to avoid being put into a \"bigger black hole\".\n\nA Treasury spokesman said: \"\"We've taken swift action throughout the pandemic to protect lives and livelihoods.\"\n\nHe said the grant scheme would continue to support businesses and jobs through to the spring.", "Jamie Stiehm is a US political columnist who was in the Capitol building in Washington DC when it was stormed by pro-Trump rioters. Here's what she saw from the press gallery in the House of Representatives.\n\nI had told my sister earlier: \"Something bad is going to happen today. I don't know what, but something bad will happen.\"\n\nOutside the Capitol, I encountered a group of very boisterous supporters of President Donald Trump, all waving flags and pledging their allegiance to him. There was a sense that trouble was brewing.\n\nI went inside to the House of Representatives and up into the press gallery, where we were assigned seats, looking down at the rather sombre gathering. Speaker Nancy Pelosi was holding the gavel, and keeping people to their five-minute statements.\n\nAs we went into the second hour, all of a sudden we heard breaking glass. The air began getting fogged. An announcement from the Capitol Police said, \"An individual has breached the building\". So everyone looked around and then it was business as usual. But after that, the announcements kept coming. And they were getting more and more urgent.\n\nThey announced that the intruders had breached the rotunda, which is under the famed marble dome. The sacred house of democracy was under fire.\n\nMany of us are hardened journalists - I've seen my share of violence covering homicides in Baltimore - but this was very unpredictable. The police didn't seem to know what was happening. They weren't coordinated. They locked the chamber doors but at the same time, they told us we would have to evacuate. So there was a sense of panic.\n\nI was afraid. I'll tell you that. And I've spoken to other journalists who said they were a little ashamed of themselves for feeling afraid.\n\nThere was a sense of \"nobody's in charge here, the Capitol Police have lost control of the building, anything can happen\".\n\nIf you think back to the September 11 attacks in 2001, there was one plane that went down and didn't hit its target. That target was the Capitol. There were echoes of that. I made a call to my family, just to let them know that I was here and it was a dangerous situation.\n\nThere was a shot. We could see there was a standoff in our chamber. Five men were holding guns at the door. It was a frightening sight. Men were looking through a broken glass window and looked like they could shoot at any second.\n\nThankfully there was no gunfire inside the chamber. But for a while there, it felt like it would be a real possibility. Because things were going downhill very fast.\n\nWe had to crawl under railings to get out of the way. I was not dressed to do that. A lot of women were dressed up, wearing heels, because they had come for a formal ritual.\n\nI sheltered in the House cafeteria alongside others. I'm still shaking now.\n\nI have seen a lot as a journalist, but this was something more. This was the collective public sphere being undermined, assaulted, degraded. And I think this was why the Speaker wanted to return and hold the gavel again and go on.\n\nAfterwards I had to decide whether I was going to go back to the chamber too. I decided l probably would, because the message that is sending is: \"You can incite a mob, but we're going to go on\". I think that is a very important political message.", "Asos says it is in \"exclusive\" talks to buy Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands out of administration.\n\nBut the online retailer said it only wanted the brands, not their shops, suggesting any deal would cost jobs.\n\nThe current owner of the brands, Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group, fell into administration last November putting 13,000 jobs at risk.\n\nAsos said it was \"a compelling opportunity\" to buy \"strong brands that resonate well with its customer base\".\n\n\"However, at this stage, there can be no certainty of a transaction and Asos will keep shareholders updated as appropriate,\" it added.\n\nLast week, a consortium including fashion chain Next dropped its bid to buy Topshop and Topman because it could not meet the price tag.\n\nOthers interested in some or all of Arcadia - which also owns Dorothy Perkins and Burton - include Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, a consortium including JD Sports, and the online retailer Boohoo.\n\nIn addition, the Issa brothers, who recently bought supermarket chain Asda, and Chinese fast fashion giant Shein are said to have made bids for Topshop.\n\nAsos has seen strong sales in the pandemic and is already one of the biggest wholesalers for Topshop, Topman, Burton and Miss Selfridge.\n\nAdministrators from Deloitte requested that final bids be submitted last Monday, with the auction expected to conclude at the end of January.\n\nSir Philip Green is under pressure to use his own money to plug an estimated £350m hole in Arcadia's pension fund, which has about 10,000 members.\n\nLast year the retail tycoon had an estimated fortune of £930m, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.\n\nArcadia employed about 13,000 people and had 444 shops at the time of its collapse.", "Boohoo is set to buy the Debenhams brand and website, the BBC understands.\n\nHowever, the fast fashion retailer will not be taking on any of the company's remaining 118 High Street stores or its workforce.\n\nThe announcement could come as early as Monday morning.\n\nThe 242-year-old chain is already in the process of closing down, after administrators failed to secure a rescue deal for the business, with the likely loss of 12,000 jobs.\n\nA closing down sale at 124 Debenhams stores began in December, as administrators continued to seek offers for all, or parts of the business.\n\nIn the last week or so, the company announced that six shops would not reopen after lockdown, including its flagship department store on London's Oxford Street.\n\nBoohoo has already bought a number of High Street brands out of administration. It snapped up Oasis, Coast and Karen Millen, but not the associated stores.\n\nDebenhams has struggled for years with falling profits and rising debts, as more shopping has moved online. It called in administrators twice in two years, most recently in April.\n\nMike Ashley has bought other struggling businesses including House of Fraser and Evans Cycles\n\nHowever, its position became untenable during the coronavirus pandemic as non-essential retailers were forced to close for prolonged periods.\n\nThe firm had already trimmed its store portfolio and cut about 6,500 jobs since May, as it struggled to stay afloat.\n\nBusinessman Mike Ashley, who founded Sports Direct and also owns House of Fraser, had already made an offer for Debenhams after it was initially put up for sale in April.\n\nHowever the takeover offer, thought to be in the region of £125m, was rejected as being too low, leaving JD Sports as the last remaining bidder.\n\nMr Ashley had previously built up a 29% stake in the chain, but saw his £150m holding wiped out in 2019, when the company fell into administration and then ended up in the hands of its lenders - a consortium led by hedge fund Silverpoint.\n\nIn early December, the Frasers Group confirmed that it was working on a possible last minute rescue of Debenhams.\n\nThe announcement came five days after staff were informed and liquidators moved in to Debenhams' stores to start clearing stock, after a potential rescue deal with JD Sports fell through.\n\nBut Frasers said there was \"no certainty\" it could save the chain.\n\nOne of the biggest issues, it said, was the collapse into administration last week of another High Street giant, Arcadia, which is the biggest concession holder in Debenhams department stores.", "More than 26,000 are now in hospital with the virus, according to government data\n\nFrance's top medical adviser said on Sunday that a third national lockdown would probably soon be needed to combat coronavirus in the country.\n\nA strict curfew was implemented last weekend, but cases continue to climb.\n\nProf Jean-Francois Delfraissy, head of the scientific council that advises leaders on Covid-19, said \"there is an emergency\" and this week was critical.\n\nHe called for swift government action, amid rising concerns about the spread of new variants of the coronavirus.\n\nProf Delfraissy said data showed a new more transmissible variant first detected in the UK now makes up between 7-9% of cases in some French regions and will be hard to stop.\n\nHe said the country was in a better situation than others in Europe, but described the new variants as the \"equivalent of a second pandemic\".\n\n\"If we do not tighten regulations, we will find ourselves in an extremely difficult situation from mid-March,\" the advisor warned during an interview with BFM television.\n\nThe French government is expected to meet on Wednesday to decide if further measures are needed.\n\nOfficials have so far resisted implementing a third national lockdown, preferring an overnight curfew system which allows schools to stay open.\n\nBut daily infection numbers are rising - with the seven-day moving average now above 20,000 despite the 18:00 curfew.\n\nFrench Prime Minister Jean Castex previously said restrictions could be imposed \"without delay\" if the situation deteriorated further.\n\nThe country's virus death toll topped 73,000 on Sunday, as the country tightened restrictions on arrivals into the country.\n\nUnder new rules anyone entering from inside the EU by air or ferry must now present a negative Covid-19 test result within 72 hours of travel. Those entering France from the EU by road, including cross-border workers, will not be required to take a test.\n\nPresident of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said last week that all non-essential travel \"must be strongly advised against\" but EU nations have so far agreed to keep borders open.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police in Paris ensure shops close at 6pm as France begins a new curfew to tackle Covid-19", "Ella Lambert had never sewn before but borrowed a friend's machine to learn how to make sanitary pads made from cloth\n\nA student whose \"terrible period pains\" inspired her to start a reusable sanitary pad project has helped 600 refugees get out of \"period poverty\".\n\nElla Lambert, 20, from Chelmsford, Essex, started The Pachamama Project during the first coronavirus lockdown.\n\nShe said she wanted to help women who were unable to buy period products.\n\nNearly 2,500 pads sewn by 150 volunteers have been sent to camps in Greece and Lebanon.\n\nWomen are given four pads each, which are washable and can be reused for about five years, she said.\n\nThe pads are distributed to women in refugee camps\n\nMs Lambert said: \"In March I had terrible period pain, I was being sick, it was awful, and it made me think, I know I'm not the only person going through this.\n\n\"The people I want to help, in these camps, they're experiencing period pain and having to use random tissue paper, cardboard, socks, scraps of material and even leaves - whatever they can get hold of.\"\n\nThe University of Bristol languages student set up her not-for-profit group in March and launched her sanitary product - Pacha Pads - in August, with the help of charities and groups in the two countries to distribute them.\n\nThousands of pads have been made by hundreds of volunteers since August\n\nIt started when she put appeals for material on community groups, she said.\n\nVolunteers from all over the UK came forward to make the products after she developed a pattern, created a guide and explained how to source material for free.\n\nThe products are then sent back to her to be posted abroad, after quality checks.\n\nSome of the sewers came from groups formed to make scrubs for NHS workers during the first lockdown, and who still wanted to be useful, she said.\n\nAlice Corrigan, from The Free Shop of Lebanon, said the project helped with the \"fight against period poverty in Lebanon\"\n\nAlice Corrigan, founder of The Free Shop Lebanon, which hands out the products for free in its shop, said: \"Sustainable menstrual products are very new to many Lebanese and in particular Syrian women.\"\n\nShe added it is not common for them to talk about menstrual activity, so it was important they could be helped to understand its importance and accept it as part of their routine.\n\nKaty Chadwick, technical adviser at the charity ActionAid UK, said: \"For too many women and girls and people who menstruate a lack of access to products impacts on their ability to move freely and to access education and other opportunities.\n\n\"It's encouraging to see new initiatives to support the most marginalised women and girls access sustainable products.\"\n\nAll the sanitary pads are washable so they can be reused for up to about five years\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "It is hoped that vaccinating teenagers will allow them to sit exams\n\nIsrael has started vaccinating 16 to 18-year-olds against Covid-19, in an effort to enable them to sit exams.\n\nMore than a quarter of Israel's population of nine million have received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine since 19 December, its health ministry says.\n\nIt started with the elderly and others at high risk, but people aged 40 and over can also now get the jab.\n\nIsrael hopes to start reopening its economy in February.\n\nThe inclusion of 16 to 18-year-olds - with parental permission - is meant \"to enable their return (to school) and the orderly holding of exams\", an education ministry spokeswoman said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe matriculation exams that Israeli students sit at the end of high school play an important role in deciding where they will go to university. Their results can also affect their placement in the military, where many young Israelis do compulsory service.\n\nThe education ministry has said it is too early to say whether schools will reopen next month.\n\nIsrael started its rapid vaccination drive - the fastest in the world - on 19 December, reaching 10% of its population by the end of 2020.\n\nIsrael has recorded more than 596,000 cases and 4,392 deaths with Covid-19, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.\n\nOn Sunday, the government said it would ban passenger flights in and out of the country from Monday night for the rest of January, in an effort to halt the spread of new virus variants.\n\n\"Other than rare exceptions, we are closing the sky hermetically to prevent the entry of the virus variants and also to ensure that we progress quickly with our vaccination campaign,\" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.\n\nForeigners have largely been blocked from entering Israel during the pandemic.", "All schools moved to online learning before Christmas, following concerns from unions over the new coronavirus variant\n\n\"Wholesale\" return of pupils to school after February half term is \"unlikely\", Wales' first minister has said.\n\nMark Drakeford said there were \"intermediate positions between where we are today, with very few children in school, and everybody being back\".\n\nPreviously, ministers said schools would stay closed to most until February half term unless Covid cases fell significantly.\n\nThose preparing for qualifications and very young children may return first.\n\nMr Drakeford told a coronavirus briefing on Friday he had recently chaired a meeting of the teaching unions and local education authorities.\n\n\"We all agreed that we would work purposefully together to find ways of bringing more young people back into the classroom,\" he said.\n\n\"Does that mean that we will see a wholesale return of every child in every classroom, every day of the week across Wales? I do think that that is probably unlikely.\n\n\"But there are intermediate positions between where we are today, with very few children in school, and everybody being back.\"\n\nHe said there had been \"practical, creative, imaginative\" proposals put forward which could mean some children being back in the classroom for some of the week.\n\nMinisters previously said schools would stay closed until half term unless Covid cases fell significantly\n\nThese could include \"children preparing for qualifications [and] very young children for whom online learning really isn't a genuine possibility\".\n\n\"I certainly don't rule out making some of those things happen after the February half term, but I do think it's unlikely in the way you said that we would see every child back full-time in every classroom in the way that we would ideally wish to do,\" he added.\n\nAll schools and colleges moved to online learning before Christmas, following concerns from unions over the new coronavirus variant.\n\nThey have remained open for children of critical workers and vulnerable learners, as well as for learners who needed to complete essential exams or assessments.\n\nEarlier this month, when Education Minister Kirsty Williams said schools and colleges would stay closed to most pupils until the February half term, unions welcomed the news, saying the health and safety of pupils and staff \"had to be a priority\".\n\nBut, they added, teachers must now be given the vaccine as a priority, and pupils and staff must be protected before talks about reopening schools could begin.\n\nTeachers are still not on the priority list for immunisation, and have to wait to get the jab dependent on their age and if they have a medical condition.\n\nAt the time, Laura Doel, director of The National Association of Headteachers Cymru, said: \"Any plan that sees school staff return to face-to-face learning should be afforded as much protection as possible against the virus.\n\n\"Once these issues have been addressed, then we can discuss the orderly return to school we all want.\"\n\nOpposition parties have called for clear plans on how schools would return and for support to make sure pupils from poorer backgrounds did not fall behind due to a \"digital divide\".\n\nPlaid Cymru's education spokeswoman Sian Gwenllian said: \"The Welsh Government must plan now for the gradual and safe reopening of schools, putting in place safety measures, and should lay out plans for a vaccination programme for schools staff.\"\n\nWelsh Conservative education spokeswoman Suzy Davies called for the Welsh Government to publish evidence on its reasons for closing schools, bring forward vaccines for teachers, and said money must be made available for all pupils to access laptops for online learning.", "Janice Johnston says doctors who misdiagnosed her \"took so much away from me\"\n\nA care home worker who was wrongly diagnosed with cancer said she thought it was a \"cruel joke\" when she was told doctors had made a mistake and she did not have cancer at all.\n\nMum-of-four Janice Johnston said her \"world crumbled\" when she learned she had a rare form of blood cancer at Kent and Canterbury Hospital in 2017.\n\nShe had 18 months of oral chemotherapy treatment, during which she experienced weight loss, nausea and bone pain, and had to give up her job as an auxiliary nurse.\n\nWhen the treatment did not appear to be working, she says, medics upped the dosage.\n\nIn 2018, she sought alternative treatment at Guy's Hospital in London. It was there a specialist told her she did not have cancer at all but a different condition.\n\nMrs Johnston was awarded £75,950 in damages after East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability. Staff at the hospital had failed to do the necessary ultrasound scan and bone marrow biopsy before diagnosing her.\n\nMrs Johnston, 53, said: \"The cancer diagnosis was an absolute shock. They said my life span would be shortened.\n\n\"I was at high risk of a fatal stroke or heart attack and I could drop down at any minute. It was heartbreaking and devastating.\n\n\"It didn't sink in until I saw the haematologist. I was in a room with people having serious chemotherapy who looked incredibly ill. I thought: 'I'm like them'.\"\n\nMrs Johnston says doctors told her she would need chemotherapy for life.\n\nThe side-effects led to her feeling \"wiped out\", her hair thinning, her teeth becoming loose and her gums receding.\n\nShe says occupational health told her that her immune system was jeopardised and she could pick up infections easily. That meant she was forced to resign from her job.\n\n\"Giving up work was horrible,\" Mrs Johnston says.\n\nShe was also worried she would not get to see some of her daughters get married or her grandchildren grow up.\n\nThe trust admitted failing to carry out vital tests before diagnosing Mrs Johnston\n\nAfter searching on the internet to find out more about the blood cancer she was told she had - Polycythaemia vera (PV) - she learned that Guy's Hospital offered a different type of chemotherapy and asked her consultant for an appointment there.\n\nMrs Johnston recalls: \"The specialist at Guy's looked over my blood counts and said: 'I don't think you have blood cancer'.\"\n\nThe doctor told Mrs Johnston she had a different condition called secondary PV which is not cancer.\n\n\"She asked if I'd had a bone marrow test and scan of the spleen to confirm the diagnosis - I hadn't had either. My husband thought it was fantastic but I was angry.\n\n\"I thought it was a cruel joke on me. It didn't sink in. My husband couldn't understand why I wasn't jumping for joy - but it had taken my life.\"\n\nOne of the hardest things to cope with for Mrs Johnston was thinking she had been a \"fraud\".\n\n\"I'd been doing some fundraising to try and have something positive to focus on. Cancer Research UK asked if I'd be guest of honour at a charity run in Margate. I stood on stage in front of 3,000 women saying I had cancer.\n\n\"I'm mortified that people will think I made it up. It has made me feel awful and like I have lied to everyone,\" she said.\n\nMrs Johnston now has severe anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).\n\n\"I still get flashbacks to it,\" she says. \"It was two years of my life. They took so much away from me.\"\n\nShe says she wants to \"raise awareness\" about her experience, and for \"anyone that does get diagnosed with it, to ask questions and learn as much as they can about it and if they feel any doubt, to get a second opinion\".\n\nA spokesperson for East Kent Hospitals said: \"A misdiagnosis of this kind is exceptionally rare and we wholeheartedly apologise to Ms Johnston.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Teresa Dalling says a river of orange water rushed through the village on Thursday\n\nFlood victims will not be able to return to their homes until their safety can be assured, a council leader has said.\n\nThe Coal Authority has said initial checks suggested water built up in a mine shaft causing a \"blow out\" that flooded properties in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot.\n\nAbout 80 people were evacuated as water rushed through the village on Thursday.\n\nCouncil leader Rob Jones said it was unlikely residents could return Monday.\n\nHe said underground investigations would begin on Saturday and the work could take two to three days.\n\n\"Safety is the paramount concern for us,\" he said.\n\n\"Because we can't guarantee the site safety - that's the reason why people will remain away from their properties until such time as we can give the all clear.\n\n\"We don't know what the water has done underground.\"\n\nThe fire service said on Saturday morning the pumping operation was \"making good progress\".\n\nMr Jones told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast people may be able to return next week but \"did not want to raise hopes\" it will be Monday.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHe said the flooding was \"more than likely\" related to old mine workings with six mines known about in area. He said the industry dated back 300 years.\n\nSkewen resident John Thomas returned home from a funeral with wife Lynne on Thursday to find their house had turned into \"a lake\".\n\nHe said: \"The water was around the level of the bottom of the doors so we couldn't go in, so we just had to stand there and watch this orange-coloured water just piling up and up and up.\n\n\"Other people who were evacuated had the chance to move things upstairs, I didn't have a chance to do that because I couldn't get in to it.\"\n\nAt least 80 people had to leave their homes in the village after flooding\n\nLocal MP Stephen Kinnock said affected residents were staying in \"lots of different places\" across the region.\n\nAnd he praised the \"extraordinary\" generosity of the community and the support of the Salvation Army with donations of food, clothing and toiletries.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stephen Kinnock This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nNatural Resources Wales (NRW) said officers were continuing to look at how to minimise the risk of pollution to nearby rivers, and investigating any impacts on the River Neath.\n\nThe Coal Authority, which manages the effects of past coal mining, is investigating the incident.\n\nChief executive Lisa Pinney said equipment, due on site on Saturday, would be used to drill into mine workings to \"fully investigate what has happened\".\n\n\"The blow out is likely to have been caused by a blockage underground which has caused water to back up and to break out using the easiest path,\" she said.\n\n\"The excessive rainfall of the past few days and the prolonged rainfall this winter, will have put additional pressure on the system.\n\n\"We know that people will want to get back to their homes and we will continue to progress these works as soon as possible, but public safety has to come first.\"\n\nThere are a number of historical mine workings in Skewen dating back beyond 1850.\n\nOn Saturday, Mr Jones said water was still pouring out of the affected site so workers were diverting it, while machines cleared gulleys and drains to give the water the chance to enter drainage systems.\n\nA residents' incident support centre has been set up at Abbey Primary School to offer help and information over the weekend, between 09:00-17:00 GMT.\n\nThe council has asked residents to be \"patient as the investigation continues\" and has set up a helpline. Tel. 01639 686868.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA new world record has been set for the number of satellites sent to space on a single rocket.\n\nThe 143 payloads, of all shapes and sizes, rode to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon rocket that launched out of Florida.\n\nThe number beats the previous record of 104 satellites carried aloft by an Indian vehicle in 2017.\n\nIt's further evidence of the major structural changes taking place in space activity that are allowing many more actors to get involved.\n\nThis shift is the result of a revolution in robust, miniaturised, low-cost components - many taken direct from consumer electronics such as smartphones - that mean pretty much anyone can now build a capable satellite in a very small package.\n\nAnd with SpaceX offering to transport those packages to orbit for just $1m, the commercial opportunities will continue to open up.\n\nGuatemala's Santa María volcano: Planet is imaging the entire Earth daily with its Dove satellites\n\nSpaceX itself had 10 satellites on the Falcon - the latest additions to its Starlink telecommunications mega-constellation, which is going to deliver broadband internet connections around the globe.\n\nSan Francisco's Planet company had the most satellites of all on the flight - 48.\n\nThese were another batch of its SuperDove models that image the Earth's surface daily at a resolution of 3-5m. The new spacecraft take the firm's operational fleet now in orbit to more than 200.\n\n\"Internet of things\": SpaceBees will connect to all manner of objects on the ground\n\nThe SuperDoves are the size of a shoebox. Many of the other payloads on the Falcon rocket were little bigger than a coffee mug, however; and some were smaller even than a paperback book.\n\nSwarm Technologies is rolling out what it calls the SpaceBees. They're just 10cm by 10cm by 2.5cm.\n\nThey'll act as telecommunications nodes to connect devices that are attached to all manner of objects on the ground, from migrating animals to shipping containers.\n\nThe satellites were mounted on a dispenser that ejected them in sequence\n\nSome of the larger items on the Falcon rocket were suitcase-sized. Among these were several radar satellites. Radar has been one of the major beneficiaries of the revolution in componentry.\n\nTraditionally, radar satellites were big, multi-tonne objects that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to fly, which essentially meant only the military or major space agencies could afford to operate them.\n\nBut the adoption of new materials and compact \"off the shelf\" parts have dramatically shrunk the size (to under 100kg) and price (a couple of million dollars) of these spacecraft.\n\niQPS artwork: The radar satellites unfurl large antennas once they are in space\n\nIceye from Finland, Capella from the US, and iQPS of Japan all took the ride to orbit on Sunday. These start-ups are establishing constellations in the sky that will return rapid, repeat imagery of the Earth.\n\nRadar has the advantage over standard optical cameras of being able to pierce cloud, and to sense the Earth's surface whether it is day or night. We're entering an age when any change on the planet, wherever it happens, will be picked up almost immediately.\n\nThe Falcon carried the 143 satellites into a 500km-high path that runs from pole to pole. This is one of the drawbacks of a big rideshare mission: you go where the rocket goes, and for some that might not be ideal.\n\nA number of satellite missions will want an orbit that's higher or lower in the sky, or on a different inclination to the equator.\n\nThis can be achieved by mounting the satellites on \"space tugs\" which, after coming off the top of the rocket, modify the final parameters for their \"passengers\" over the course of several weeks. Sunday's Falcon carried two such tugs.\n\nBut for some missions a bespoke ride is going to be the only satisfactory solution. It's why we're now witnessing a rush to produce small rockets that can run dedicated flights.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket blasts its way to space\n\nThese smaller rockets will not be able to compete on cost with the big vehicles, such as SpaceX's Falcon-9, but they should attract the custom of those with very specific or urgent needs.\n\nDan Hart, the CEO of Virgin Orbit, which has developed a small rocket that can be launched from under the wing of a Boeing 747, says the start-ups are becoming more discerning.\n\n\"These small satellites used to be points of fascination and interest, and it was a case of finding the cheapest way possible to get into space,\" he explained.\n\n\"That's rapidly changing. These are now businesses with critical missions that risk losing revenue if they have to wait on others or go into an unsuitable orbit. And that's why you're going to see people who will pay that little bit more to get to where they want to go when they absolutely need to go there,\" he told BBC News.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Will Marshall: \"Our satellites 'phoned home' and they are healthy\"\n\nWith the roll call of satellites going into orbit now accelerating rapidly, the issue of traffic management is becoming a hot topic.\n\nFull-on collisions are currently rare, but a surprisingly large number (10%) of satellites will even now experience sudden, unexpected momentum changes, most probably the result of being hit by some small fragment from a previous mission.\n\nThe space sector needs to find smarter ways to track objects in orbit and to command timely avoidance manoeuvres, otherwise certain altitudes could ultimately become unusable because of the presence of dangerously dense debris fields.\n\nJonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is a noted historian of astronautics.\n\nHe commented: \"There are now over 3,000 working satellites in orbit. The number of satellites launched last year at over 1,200 is over twice as many as in any previous year. And the ones launched today - that used to be the number you'd launch in a whole year. So it's getting really crowded up there.\"\n\nWill Marshall, the CEO of Planet, said his company, and indeed all of the companies on Sunday's flight, were accutley aware of the issue.\n\n\"We are seeing crowded areas in certain orbits,\" he told BBC News.\n\n\"Most of the crowded piece that is in danger of what they call Kessler Syndrome (runaway collisions) is quite high up. So one of the tricks that all of these satellites that were launched today use is to just stay really low where there's still a lot of atmospheric drag and eventually those satellites just come down.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Cricket\n\nSecond Test, Galle (day four of five)\n\nEngland completed a thrilling victory on day four of the second Test against Sri Lanka to take the series 2-0.\n\nChasing a tricky 164, England were 89-4 on a turning pitch but opener Dom Sibley hit 56 not out to lead them to a six-wicket win.\n\nSibley, who had not reached double figures in the series, put on 75 with Jos Buttler, who made 46 not out.\n\nEarlier, England capitalised on reckless batting to dismiss Sri Lanka for 126 in their second innings.\n\nDom Bess and Jack Leach took four wickets each and the hosts would have been dismissed even more cheaply but for 40 from number 10 Lasith Embuldeniya, who finished with match figures of 10-210.\n\nResuming on 339-9 in their first innings, England conceded a first-innings deficit of 37 when Jack Leach was dismissed with only five runs added.\n\nSri Lanka were favourites at that point but England completed a turnaround on a dramatic day when 15 wickets fell.\n\nThe series win is England's fourth in a row and they are also unbeaten in 10 successive Tests under Joe Root's captaincy, going into a difficult series in India which starts on 5 February.\n\nEngland are fourth in the World Test Championship table, 0.5% behind third-placed Australia.\n• None Root urges England not to 'stand still'\n• None TMS podcast: What does England's series win mean for India tour?\n\nThis was also England's fifth consecutive away Test win, the first time they have achieved that feat since World War One. They are developing an impressive winning habit.\n\nSri Lanka's batting, perhaps spooked by the turning pitch, was inept and their effort in the field lacklustre, but England were clinical.\n\nBess and Leach bowled well - far better than their wicketless showing in the first innings - while James Anderson took a brilliant high catch and Zak Crawley two excellent grabs at short leg.\n\nSri Lanka were leading only by 115 when their eighth wicket fell, before Embuldeniya, who had a remarkable game in defeat, dragged them to a score.\n\nThe target looked competitive - the hosts were possibly even favourites - but the manner England in which overhauled it was mightily impressive.\n\nThere was a wobble when Jonny Bairstow was trapped lbw for a useful 28-ball 29, Root - the dominant player in the series - was bowled for 11 and Dan Lawrence edged behind with a further 85 needed.\n\nHowever, Sibley played the anchor role while Buttler provided impetus in his typically attacking style.\n\nSibley, so at sea in his previous three innings, calmly nudged singles into the leg side. Buttler played thumped drives to the extra-cover boundary, smacked a reverse sweep through point and launched a slog sweep through mid-wicket.\n\nIn the end, England won with ease, Sibley sealing a fine win by tapping for one.\n\nSri Lanka threatened better in this match, having been convincingly beaten by seven wickets in the first.\n\nThey batted well in the first innings and in Embuldeniya they have a fine spinner, playing only his ninth Test.\n\nBut their fourth-day performance was abysmal. Their batting was akin to their performance on day one of the series when they were bowled out for 135.\n\nThe dismissals of captain Dinesh Chandimal - skying a slog sweep to Anderson at mid-on having hit a four a ball earlier - and Niroshan Dickwella, who drove Bess to extra cover two minutes before lunch, were the worst of a series of needlessly aggressive shots.\n\nSri Lanka also disappointed in the field. They were a little unfortunate that Sibley survived three tight lbw reviews, all of which were umpire's call, but their tactics were baffling.\n\nChandimal set the field back and allowed an accumulator in Sibley to tick along as he wished.\n\nThis tour, while important for points in the World Test Championship, always felt like the warm-up act in a huge year for England's Test team.\n\nNext they face a far bigger challenge in India before a summer against New Zealand, top of the Test rankings, India again, and an Ashes series in Australia the winter.\n\nThe biggest plus of this series has been the emphatic run-scoring of Root. He did not score a century in 2019 but made 228 and 186, albeit against a poor Sri Lanka. The skipper amassed 426 runs at an average of 106.50 in the series.\n\nBess and Leach were by no means perfect - they bowl too many bad balls - but finished the series with 12 and 10 wickets respectively.\n\nThe match-winning fifty for Sibley is also a significant boost going into the four Tests in India. Having been dismissed by Embuldeniya in every innings on tour previously, he showed he can grind out a score.\n\nEngland's veteran bowlers, Anderson and Stuart Broad, proved once again they can perform in unhelpful conditions.\n\nThere are question marks, however, about opener Crawley, whose top score in four innings was 13.\n\nThe issues at the top of the order are complicated by the fact Bairstow, who has done well at number three, has been rested for the first two Tests in India.\n\nEngland opener Dom Sibley on Test Match Special: \"I didn't think I'd left any stone unturned with regards playing spin, but then you go back to your room in the evening and think 'maybe I'm not up to this' and have those doubts.\n\n\"It is about accepting those and just believing. It just feels like pure relief at the moment.\"\n\nSri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal: \"We were outplayed today. We have done all the hard work in the last three days but as a batting unit we made the same mistakes of the first Test. There are no excuses for the batsmen and we've got to learn how to bat like Joe Root.\"\n\nFormer England captain Michael Vaughan: \"A really, really strong performance from England. If you look down from one to 11, most people have contributed.\n\n\"They will have to bowl better in India. But the confidence that this will do for the team, and for Joe Root at the start of a huge year, is huge.\"", "A former senior manager at Boeing's 737 plant in Seattle has raised new concerns over the safety of the company's 737 Max.\n\nThe aircraft, which was grounded after two accidents in which 346 people died, has already been cleared to resume flights in North America and Brazil, and is expected to gain approval in Europe this week.\n\nBut in a new report, Ed Pierson claims that further investigation of electrical issues and production quality problems at the 737 factory is badly needed.\n\nRegulators in the US and Europe insist their reviews have been thorough, and that the 737 Max aircraft is now safe.\n\nIn his report, Mr Pierson claims that regulators and investigators have largely ignored factors, which he believes, may have played a direct role in the accidents.\n\nHe explicitly links them to conditions at the company's factory in Renton, near Seattle at the time. Boeing says this is unfounded.\n\nInvestigators believe both accidents were triggered by the failure of a single sensor. It sent inaccurate data to a piece of flight control software, called MCAS.\n\nThis automated system then repeatedly forced the nose of the aircraft downwards, when the pilots were trying to gain height. Ultimately each aircraft was pushed into an unrecoverable dive.\n\nEfforts to make the 737 Max safe have focused on redesigning the MCAS software, and ensuring it can no longer be triggered by a single sensor failure.\n\nFor Ed Pierson, this does not go nearly far enough. A US Navy veteran, who had a senior role on the 737 production line from 2015-2018, he was a star witness during congressional hearings into the disasters involving the Max.\n\nHe told lawmakers he had become so concerned about conditions at the factory, he had told his bosses that he was hesitant about taking his own family on a Boeing plane.\n\nEd Pierson (centre), seated next to his attorney Eric Havian (right), at a House Transportation Committee hearing on oversight of the Boeing 737 Max certification, on 11 December 2019\n\nHe testified that during 2018, the factory was in a \"chaotic\" and \"dysfunctional\" state as, he claimed, staff there struggled under pressure from managers to build new planes as quickly as possible.\n\nNow, he is worried that these issues have been overlooked in the rush to get the 737 Max back in the air.\n\nHis report draws on material from the official investigations. It claims that both of the crashed aircraft suffered from - what he believes were - production defects, almost from the moment they entered service.\n\nThese included intermittent flight control system problems and electrical anomalies that occurred in the days and weeks before the accidents.\n\nHe claims these may have been symptoms of flaws in the aircrafts' highly complex wiring systems, which could have contributed to the erroneous deployment of MCAS.\n\nHe also points out that sensor failures contributed to both accidents and asks why such failures were happening on brand new machines.\n\nIn the case of the Lion Air plane, a faulty sensor was replaced with another part that was not properly calibrated.\n\nAll signs, Mr Pierson says, \"point back to where these airplanes were produced, the 737 factory\".\n\nHowever, he insists that the possibility of production defects playing a role in the accidents has not been addressed by regulators.\n\nHe claims this could lead to further tragedies, involving the Max or even a previous version of the 737.\n\nMr Pierson's concerns are supported by the celebrated aviation safety campaigner Captain Chesley Sullenberger.\n\nBest known as \"Sully\", one of the pilots who safely ditched a crippled and engineless Airbus plane in the Hudson river off Manhattan in 2009, he too believes that modifications to the Max do not go far enough.\n\nHe believes changes are needed to warning systems aboard the plane, which were carried over from a previous version of the 737 and are \"not up to modern standards\".\n\nCaptain Chesley \"Sully\" Sullenberger (centre) testifies during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on the status of the grounded Boeing 737 Max in June 2019\n\n\"Ed Pierson's report is very disturbing, about manufacturing issues in the Boeing factories that go well beyond just the Max, and also affect… the previous version of the 737,\" says Capt Sullenberger.\n\n\"There are many critically important unanswered questions that must be answered.\n\n\"Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must finally become more transparent, and begin to provide information and data, so that independent experts can determine the worthiness of the work that's been done.\"\n\nThe BBC has also spoken to a former senior inspector with the UK's Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB), who now works as a safety specialist. He warns that Mr Pierson's findings should be viewed in a wider context.\n\nThe report, he says, does make some \"valid observations\" about the pressures on Boeing's production line and quality control, and concerns about specific components.\n\nHowever, he adds that \"taking the limited information in any accident report… and making fresh interpretations of it, is not the same as conducting a new investigation\".\n\nThe issues highlighted, he adds, \"may have been investigated and dismissed already, for good reason\".\n\nThe FAA, meanwhile, insists it only approved the return to service of the Max, following a \"comprehensive and methodical safety review process\".\n\nA worker stands by a Boeing 737 Max plane on the tarmac at the Boeing Renton factory in Washington\n\nIt adds: \"None of the many investigations of the two accidents produced evidence that a production flaw played a role\", and emphasises that \"every aircraft leaving the factory is inspected by a team of FAA inspectors before it is cleared for delivery\".\n\nBoeing itself will not comment on whether the electrical and flight control problems highlighted by Mr Pierson may have played a factor in the two accidents, on the grounds that this is a matter for the investigating authorities.\n\nIt has, however, described suggestions of any link between conditions at Renton and the two accidents as \"completely unfounded\", emphasising that none of the authorities investigating the crashes has found any such link.\n\nPatrick Ky, the head of Europe's aviation safety agency, EASA, has previously told the BBC he is \"certain\" the plane is safe to fly.\n\nBut relatives of those who died aboard ET302 are continuing to urge the agency not to allow the 737 Max to operate in Europe, \"until continuing concerns about the aircraft's safety have been fully and openly addressed\".", "People in Lebanon are living under one of the world's strictest lockdowns. Under the round-the-clock curfew, citizens who are not \"essential workers\" have been barred from leaving their homes since 14 January.\n\nLaila, 12, is in Beirut trying to study while her family works from home.\n\n\"We all have our own work to do and when we have meetings we hear each other. It can be a real distraction and stop you from finishing your work on time,\" she says.\n\n\"Sometimes I can't study well because I get stressed with all the work they're giving us. It is definitely not the same studying online as it is in the physical world.\"\n\nFor hairdresser Walid Kanaan this year has been \"extremely difficult psychologically and economically\".\n\n\"I own my shop but still I cannot afford it. I pay the workers' salary so I am really broke,\" says the 45-year-old.\n\n\"It is hitting hard. You can't go out at all or do anything. My wife works in a bank and she is also collapsing. She doesn't know if she will still have her job or not.\n\n\"We don't trust the government that if they bring a vaccine it will be safe to take it. We can only pray for God to protect us.\"\n\nRead more stories from people in lockdown in Lebanon here.", "Teachers were not at significantly higher risk of death from Covid-19 than the general population, Office for National Statistics figures suggest.\n\nRestaurant staff, people working in factories and care workers had among the highest death rates, followed by taxi drivers and security guards.\n\nNurses were more than twice as likely as their peers to die of coronavirus.\n\nSecondary school teachers may have been at slightly, but not measurably, higher risk than the average.\n\nThe ONS looked at death rates from coronavirus in England and Wales between 9 March and 28 December 2020.\n\nIt found 31 in every 100,000 working-age men and 17 in every 100,000 working-age women had died of Covid-19.\n\nThis equated to just under 8,000 deaths among 20-64-year-olds.\n\nBut care workers, security guards and people working in certain manufacturing roles died at more than three times the rate of their peers.\n\nTwo-thirds of deaths were among men.\n\nAs well as being more likely to be male, working-age people who died of Covid last year had other things in common: they were much more likely to work in jobs where they were either regularly exposed to known Covid cases or working in close proximity with other people more generally.\n\nMany of the highest-risk jobs were also relatively low paid and may be more likely to be casual or insecure, without sick pay, including hospitality, care work and taxi driving.\n\nAmong teachers, there were 18 deaths per 100,000 among men and 10 per 100,000 among women.\n\nBreaking that down by role, secondary school teachers appear to have a very slightly elevated risk at 39 deaths per 100,000 people in men and 21 per 100,000 in women.\n\nPer 100,000 men aged 20-64, 31 died in the population as a whole compared with:\n\nPer 100,000 women aged 20-64, 17 died in the population as a whole compared with:\n\nThese are illustrative examples, not an exhaustive league table.\n\nThe ONS calculated the rate by dividing the number of deaths by the number of workers in each job role.\n\nBecause the numbers for secondary teachers were comparatively small - 52 deaths in total - it's difficult to be certain about their exact risk, but any increase there might be compared with the general population was not considered statistically significant.\n\nHowever, while teachers were not at higher risk than the average, they did appear to be at higher risk than some other professional job roles, which have seen very few or no deaths.\n\nThe ONS excluded from its analysis any occupation that had seen fewer than 10 deaths, and the average death rate for the whole population masks this variation.\n\nThe study also covers periods where there were limited numbers of children attending school.\n\nBut the figures do tell us teachers didn't have an elevated risk of the magnitude faced by health and care staff and by lower-paid manual and service workers.\n\nOther groups of staff studied with higher death rates, including hospitality and some factory and construction workers, also had their usual work paused for similar chunks of that period.\n\nWhile these figures tell us the death rates in each occupation group, they do not tell us the jobs are themselves causing more infections.\n\nThe ONS looked at age and sex but did not adjust for ethnicity, health or socioeconomic status which might influence an individual's risk.\n\nONS analyst Ben Humberstone said: \"As the pandemic has progressed, we have learnt more about the disease and the communities it impacts most. There are a complex combination of factors that influence the risk of death; from your age and your ethnicity, where you live and who you live with, to pre-existing health conditions.\n\n\"Our findings do not prove that the rates of death involving COVID-19 are caused by differences in occupational exposure,\" he added.\n\nThis also just refers to deaths, not infections which may result in serious illness.\n\nSome earlier ONS data suggested certain types of teacher may have an increased risk of catching coronavirus, although again the body did not consider this to be statistically significant.\n\nDirector of policy for the Association of School and College Leaders teachers' union, Julie McCulloch, said: \"When trying to understand rates of coronavirus-related deaths, there are likely to be many complex factors and we need to be careful not to jump to conclusions about the relative risks of different workplaces.\n\n\"What we do know is that, when schools are fully open, education staff are asked to work in environments that are inherently busy and crowded. In order to give them reassurance, and to minimise the disruption to education, it is vital that they are prioritised for vaccination as soon as possible.\"\n\nWhether teachers should be prioritised for vaccines has been a matter of debate.\n\nAt the moment the programme is being rolled out based on what will save the most lives and prevent the most severe illness.\n\nAfter the oldest age groups, people with health conditions and frontline staff who are regularly exposed to the virus, the government will have to publish a new raft of priorities.\n\nVaccines minister Nadim Zahawi has indicated more people could be prioritised on the basis of their job role, including teachers, shop workers and police officers.", "Fraud has reached epidemic levels in the UK and should be seen as a national security issue, says think tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).\n\nThe scale of credit card, identity and cyber-fraud makes it the most prevalent crime, costing up to £190bn a year.\n\nUK intelligence agencies should play a greater role in responding, the RUSI argues in a report.\n\nPolicing should be better resourced, working more closely with the private sector, it adds.\n\nThe report argues that the scale of fraud against the private sector has an impact on the reputation of the UK as a place to do business.\n\nMeanwhile, the amount lost by the government in fraudulent claims represents a \"heist\" on the public purse, undermining faith and trust, it says.\n\nIt is the crime UK citizens are most likely to fall victim to, but the failures in responding risk undermining public confidence in the rule of law.\n\nThe Crime Survey for England and Wales found 3.7 million reported incidents in 2019-20 of members of the public being targeted by credit card, identity and cyber-fraud.\n\nThe private sector takes the biggest financial losses. One estimate from 2017 put the cost of fraud to businesses at £140bn.\n\nFraud against the public sector, including benefit, tax credit and student loan fraud, is estimated to cost £31-48bn a year, the upper figure larger than the UK's annual defence budget.\n\nThe losses go beyond the financial, the authors say.\n\n\"Fraud has the potential to disrupt society in multiple ways, by psychologically impacting individuals, undermining the viability of businesses, putting pressure on public services, fuelling organised crime and funding terrorism,\" they add.\n\nThe report cites evidence that terrorist groups and lone actors turn to fraud in order to finance their activities.\n\nIn one case, eight supporters of the Islamic State group were convicted of defrauding UK pensioners out of more than £1m, which was alleged to be used in part to fund travel from the UK to Syria.\n\nThe men carried out a type of courier fraud in which they pretended to be police officers, telling victims that their bank accounts had been compromised and needed to be transferred.\n\nBut despite the growing scale of the problem, there is no national strategy for tackling the issue, while the police response is underfunded and lacking focus.\n\nThis makes fraud \"everyone's problem but no-one's priority\", according to the report, written by RUSI experts Helena Wood, Tom Keatinge, Keith Ditcham and Ardi Janjev.\n\nThe digitisation of everyday life - accelerated by Covid - has only increased the risks, with organised crime groups showing increased sophistication in their tactics.\n\n\"The UK has become a target destination for global fraudsters,\" the RUSI argues.\n\nBut the extent to which international criminals focus on the UK is hard to gauge, because intelligence agencies have not traditionally focused on the issue.\n\nOne senior fraud professional interviewed by the researchers said that despite 30 years of investigating fraud, they still had no idea what proportion of the threat emanated from overseas.\n\nClassifying fraud as a national security issue would help ensure the right level of resourcing and prioritisation, the authors argue.\n\nThey also recommend more focused intelligence direction from the National Security Council, including greater tasking for GCHQ as well as the National Crime Agency to understand the issue.\n\nThey call for better information-sharing and use of data analytics, as well as more money and attention from police forces to address what they call a \"responsibility vacuum\".", "People made the most of the snowy slopes of Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset\n\nSevere weather warnings are in place across much of the UK after large parts of the country saw heavy snowfall.\n\nThe blanket of snow drew people outside for sledging and winter walks, but motorists have been warned to take extra care on icy roads with sub-zero temperatures forecast overnight.\n\nSeveral coronavirus vaccination and testing centres were closed in England and Wales due to the conditions.\n\nPolice reminded the public to keep to lockdown rules while out in the snow.\n\nOfficers in Wandsworth, south-west London, encouraged people with gardens to play in the snow at home.\n\nAnd police in Rutland, Leicestershire, were among several forces questioning why people were leaving their homes to go sledging.\n\nContinuing coronavirus lockdowns across the four UK nations mean most of the population must stay at home, except for a limited number of reasons.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. For cats Bonny and Freddy, the snow is a chance to explore. Credit: Rachel Prew\n\nAs well as four vaccination centres in Wales, six Covid testing centres in the West Midlands had to close due to heavy snow on Sunday.\n\nHighways England warned that the snow had caused collisions on the M3, M27 and M25 in southern England, with the agency urging drivers to only travel if absolutely necessary.\n\nThose using the roads for essential journeys have been urged to allow plenty of extra time for their travel and pedestrians and cyclists are also advised to be cautious.\n\nThe Met Office put a yellow weather warning for snow in place on Sunday, stretching from coast to coast in southern England and ending just south of Manchester.\n\nIt is also in place for western and northern areas of Scotland, most of Northern Ireland and all of Wales apart from Anglesey.\n\nAn amber warning for snow in Nottingham and Stoke meant travel disruption and power cuts were likely on Sunday evening.\n\nYellow weather warnings for ice are in place until 11:00 GMT Monday for all of Wales and Northern Ireland, northern and eastern Scotland and much of southern England and the Midlands.\n\nMany people swapped their usual daily bout of exercise for sledging on Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath, north London, but police urged people to stay at home\n\nGritters leapt into action near Touchen-end in Berkshire\n\nIn Wales, appointments at the Bridgend, Rhondda, Abercynon and Merthyr Tydfil coronavirus vaccination centres were rescheduled for safety reasons, the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board said.\n\nUp to 1in (3cm) of snow was forecast to fall in most areas of Wales, with 4-6in (10-15cm) expected in the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia.\n\nIn the West Midlands, coronavirus testing centres at Castle Vale Stadium, the Arcadian Centre and Maypole Youth Centre were closed, Birmingham City Council said.\n\nFacilities in Moat Street, Coventry and The Place in Oakengates in Shropshire also closed, along with one in Lichfield, Staffordshire, local MP Michael Fabricant said.\n\nAnd in Devon, a gritting lorry overturned on Dartmoor. Devon County Council urged people to avoid travel unless it was absolutely essential and not to travel to find snow.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Devon County Council This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMet Office forecaster Simon Partridge said a band of hail, sleet, snow and rain moved in through Wales and south-west England in the early hours before sweeping across the UK and stalling over the Midlands, which saw some of the heaviest snow.\n\nColeshill, near Birmingham, had seen had 3.5in (9cm) by Sunday lunchtime.\n\nThe snow clouds eased away on Sunday evening but overnight temperatures could be as low as -4C to -6C (25F to 21F) for a lot of the south of the UK, the forecaster added.\n\n\"Some localised spots, likely in the Midlands, could see it as low as -10C (14F),\" he said.\n\nSnowmen popped up in the grounds of Guildford Castle, Surrey\n\nAs shown on the M1 in Bedfordshire, the wintry showers have caused hazardous driving conditions\n\nChris Fawkes of BBC Weather said some stretches of the M4 and M5 had been completely covered in snow at some points on Sunday morning.\n\nHe said this was partly because traffic has been low due to lockdown restrictions - and vehicles are needed to help grit mix into snow to make it melt.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning. We'll have another update for you this evening.\n\nMost pupils across the UK have not been in school since before the Christmas holidays - and now Tory MPs are calling for a \"route map\" for the reopening of schools in England. Pupils have been told they will be learning from home until at least the February half-term holidays. And Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says schools will be given at least two weeks' notice to reopen - which he \"hopes\" will happen before Easter. So, with no firm timetable, the chairman of the education select committee, Robert Halfon, has called for a plan to be laid out to MPs. He has asked for an urgent question in the Commons - if granted, Mr Williamson must respond. No part of the UK has yet announced a firm date for schools' reopening - you can read about the different nations' plans here.\n\nThe UK must reform how it is governed or risk becoming a \"failed state\", former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown has warned. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he says Covid has exposed \"tensions\" between Whitehall and the nations and regions. Recent polls have suggested rising support for Scottish independence - and a potential border vote in Northern Ireland. \"The complaint is that Whitehall does not fully understand the country it is supposed to govern,\" says Mr Brown.\n\nFrance's top medical adviser says a third national lockdown will probably soon be needed to combat Covid-19. Prof Jean-Francois Delfraissy says \"there is an emergency\", adding that the \"UK variant\" now makes up between 7-9% of cases in some French regions. A strict curfew was implemented last weekend but cases continue to climb. You can see police enforcing the 6pm shutdown below.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police in Paris ensure shops close at 6pm as France begins a new curfew to tackle Covid-19\n\nRiot police in the Netherlands have clashed with protesters who are angry at new coronavirus restrictions. Officers used water cannon and tear gas to clear demonstrators in Eindhoven. They had gathered in defiance of a new 9pm curfew. Some protesters threw fireworks, looted supermarkets and smashed shop windows. There were smaller demonstrations in the capital, Amsterdam.\n\nAustralia has suspended a travel bubble with New Zealand - after NZ's first Covid case in months was confirmed to be the South African variant. The infected patient had served 14 days in quarantine and tested negative twice before developing symptoms later. Travellers coming from New Zealand to Australia in the next 72 hours will now have to go through hotel quarantine. Health Minister Greg Hunt said the suspension was done out of an \"abundance of caution\".\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page. This explainer looks at various questions - including whether the vaccine stops you spreading the disease.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Supporters of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny protest against his arrest across Russia\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin has condemned as \"illegal and dangerous\" the mass rallies in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.\n\nTens of thousands defied a heavy police presence to join the rallies across Russia on Saturday. More than 3,500 were detained, monitors say.\n\nEU foreign ministers discussed the protests on Monday, but did not agree on further sanctions on Russia.\n\nIn Moscow riot police were seen beating and dragging away demonstrators.\n\nThe foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are demanding \"restrictive measures against Russian officials responsible for arrests\".\n\nPoland's President Andrzej Duda also urged the EU to step up sanctions on Russia following the arrest of Mr Navalny. A week ago he was sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating parole conditions - a case he condemns as fabricated.\n\nMr Navalny, President Putin's most high-profile critic, called for protests after he was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, on arrival from Berlin on 17 January.\n\nDemonstrations were held on Saturday in about 100 cities and towns from Russia's Far East and Siberia to Moscow and St Petersburg.\n\nFrench Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the arrests as a \"slide towards authoritarianism\" and called for further sanctions against Russia.\n\n\"Change is in the air in Russia,\" declared Lithuania's new Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, as he arrived for his first meeting with EU counterparts.\n\nBut he soon discovered that change is not always in the air in Brussels.\n\nA couple of years ago, one seasoned Spanish politician lamented the meetings of the 27 EU foreign ministers as being \"more a valley of tears\" than a place for decision-making: \"We express our condolence and concern… but no capacity for action comes out of it.\"\n\nUnfortunately for that same politician - Josep Borrell - he's now the man who chairs these gatherings.\n\nThe EU has already imposed sanctions on six senior Russian officials - including the head of the FSB security service - over the nerve agent attack on Mr Navalny last August.\n\nBut MEPs are urging the EU to go further and hit Mr Putin's administration \"where it really hurts - the money\".\n\nIn December, the EU unveiled a tougher sanctions regime, including asset freezes and travel bans for foreign individuals accused of human rights violations. It puts the bloc alongside the US and UK, which adopted so-called Magnitsky Acts.\n\nThey take the name of the lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Moscow prison in 2009 after reporting massive fraud by Russian tax officials. The EU version does not bear his name, to avoid alienating Russia-leaning member states.\n\nAgreeing on EU sanctions is always tough, as it requires all 27 countries to agree and we're told no concrete proposal was discussed by foreign ministers today.\n\nObservers say the scale of the Russia-wide demonstrations was unprecedented for recent years, and the Moscow protest was the capital's largest in almost a decade.\n\nThey appeared to enjoy widespread passive support, with trolley bus passengers waving to the crowds and large numbers of car drivers beeping their horns.\n\nProtesters, like these in St Petersburg, braved freezing cold to rally for Mr Navalny\n\nThe protests were also notable for the high proportion of young Russians who turned out. Opposition rallies have attracted more young people since Mr Navalny began releasing online investigations into alleged government corruption.\n\nMany protesters said they were angered by the findings of that report, and chants of \"Putin is a thief!\" were heard during Saturday's demonstrations.\n\nSocial media also played a key role in driving young people - many of whom have only ever known a Putin-led Russia - to take to the streets. Posts promoting the demonstrations were viewed hundreds of millions of times on TikTok.\n\nThe flood of videos prompted Russia's official media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, to demand the app take down any information \"encouraging minors to act illegally\".\n\nMr Putin has said no underage children should take part in the protests: \"One must under no circumstances push forward underage people. After all, it is terrorists who act like that, when they drive in front of them women and children. The emphasis is slightly different, but essentially, this is the same thing.\"\n\nPolice should also act within the law, he said.\n\nNo-one should seek to advance \"their ambitious objectives and goals, particularly in politics\" through protests, he added, in an apparent reference to Mr Navalny.\n\nMr Navalny's video report into this Black Sea resort has been viewed 85 million times\n\nOn Sunday Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticised a message from the US embassy in Moscow warning people to avoid the demonstrations, branding the warning an \"interference in our domestic affairs\".\n\nThe embassy said such warnings were a \"common and routine practice\".\n\nMeanwhile, the Russian embassy in the UK also accused Western nations of using their embassies to encourage the protests.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Russian Embassy, UK This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Health Secretary Matt Hancock says lifting restrictions can only happen when \"facts on the ground\" show it is safe\n\nIt is \"difficult to put a timeline\" on when England's lockdown could be lifted, Matt Hancock has said.\n\nThe health secretary said there were \"early signs\" the measures were working but it was \"not a moment to ease up\".\n\nHe said there were 37,000 people in hospital with coronavirus in the UK and \"more people on ventilators than at any time in this whole pandemic\".\n\n\"The pressure on the NHS remains huge and we've got to get that case rate down,\" he said.\n\nThe number of coronavirus cases in the UK has been falling, but the number of people in hospital remains high, as does the UK's daily death numbers.\n\nA further 592 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test and another 22,195 cases have been recorded, according to Monday's government figures.\n\nThe are 4,076 people in hospital on ventilators.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons.\n\nThis includes for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nAt Monday's Downing Street press briefing, Mr Hancock said: \"I understand the yearning people have to get out of this.\n\n\"The thing is that we have to look at the facts on the ground and we have to monitor those facts.\n\n\"And of course, everybody wants to have a timeline for that, but I think most people understand why it is difficult to put a timeline on it because it's a matter of monitoring the data.\"\n\nHe set out the factors the government would take into account when reaching decisions over lifting the restrictions, including: the death rate, the number of people in hospital, whether there were new coronavirus variants and the success of the vaccine rollout.\n\nAlmost four in five of the UK's over-80s have had the vaccine, Mr Hancock said, with nearly 6.6m people in total having had their first dose.\n\nThe falling numbers of infections being reported and the rising rate of vaccination are incredibly promising - even if the drop in infections reported on Monday may have been partly an artefact of fewer people coming forward for a test because of the snow.\n\nBut that does not offer any guarantees of a rapid lifting of lockdown.\n\nWhat is concerning ministers are the high numbers in hospital.\n\nThe number of new admissions seems to have plateaued - but at a very high rate.\n\nClose to 4,000 patients a day are being admitted to hospital.\n\nTo put that in context, that is four times the total number of all types of respiratory admissions the NHS would normally see in winter.\n\nIt means the numbers in hospital are at nearly twice the level they were at the peak in the spring during the first wave.\n\nWith better treatments available, patients are spending longer in hospital.\n\nSo come mid-February the pressures in hospital are likely to be very high, leaving ministers little wriggle-room to relax restrictions.\n\nThe big unknown, however, is what impact and how quickly vaccination will have an effect on admissions.\n\nThere is encouraging early news from Israel that hospitalisation really starts to drop three weeks after the first dose.\n\nIf that is repeated here, the picture could quickly change.\n\nBut until that happens the government - in the words of Health Secretary Matt Hancock - is urging the country to hold its nerve.\n\nSpeaking at the Downing Street press conference, Jenny Harries, deputy chief medical officer for England, warned: \"We are not out of this by a very long way.\"\n\nShe said current coronavirus rates were still causing concern, patience was needed about the vaccination programme and the NHS still faced its usual winter pressures.\n\nSusan Hopkins, from Public Health England, said the UK need to see the death rate \"fall much lower\" before any decision to ease measures.\n\nShe said teams were currently studying the impact on the UK's vaccine programme of the variant first identified in South Africa.\n\nBut she added the \"consensus view\" from four UK laboratories suggested that \"the current vaccine works against the variant that was first discovered in the UK\".", "Former Brexit Party MEP Robert Rowland was described as a larger than life character\n\nA former Brexit Party MEP has died in a diving accident near his home in the Bahamas.\n\nRobert Rowland, 54, represented the south east of England at the European Parliament from July 2019 until January 2020.\n\nNigel Farage paid tribute to the \"larger than life character\" and \"enthusiastic\" Brexit supporter.\n\nHe announced the death of his former colleague in a statement on Sunday.\n\nThe Royal Bahamas Police Force said it had \"received reports of a drowning incident\" on Saturday and was \"conducting inquires\".\n\nMr Farage said: \"It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of Robert Rowland, after a diving accident near his home in the Bahamas.\n\n\"Following a successful career in the City, Robert was an enthusiastic Brexit Party MEP and larger than life character.\"\n\nHe said he wished to extend his \"sincerest condolences\" to Mr Rowland's family, including his wife and four children.\n\nFormer Brexit Party MEP David Bull said he was \"beyond devastated,\" adding: \"Robert was a wonderful friend and colleague.\"\n• None Farage's Brexit Party officially changes its name\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Budweiser has said it will not advertise its beer during the Super Bowl this year, joining a growing number of big brands sitting out the annual American football championship.\n\nThe event remains one of the most-watched in the US each year, drawing more than 100 million viewers in 2020.\n\nThe advertisements are often as much a conversation-starter as the game itself, sometimes sparking controversy.\n\nFirms say the virus has made finding the right message especially difficult.\n\nOthers are grappling with financial hits caused by the pandemic, which has dampened spending on many items, while also casting more than 10 million Americans out of work, resurfacing racial and economic inequalities and sharpening political divisions.\n\nBudweiser's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, said it planned to reallocate the money it would have spent on a 30-second Budweiser spot during the game to support an Ad Council campaign promoting coronavirus vaccination.\n\nIt is the first time the flagship brand will not make a game-time appearance in 37 years.\n\n\"This commitment is an investment in a future where we can all get back together safely over a beer\", it said, adding that it would still promote some of its other brands, such as Bud Light, during the game.\n\nOn Monday, Budweiser released a full 90-second Super Bowl ad on YouTube entitled \"Bigger Picture\", which showed US citizens overcoming pandemic challenges together and aimed to raise awareness about Covid-19 vaccines.\n\nCoke, Pepsi and Hyundai are among the other major names also planning to forego airtime during the broadcast.\n\nCoca-Cola said it had made the \"difficult choice\" to \"ensure we are investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times\". The firm did not advertise during the 2019 game either.\n\nHyundai cited \"marketing priorities\" and the timing of upcoming vehicle launches.\n\nPepsi has also said it would not promote its flagship soda during the game. Instead, it is spending money on an advert airing to promote the Super Bowl halftime show it has sponsored for almost a decade.\n\nThe Super Bowl boasts some of the most expensive advertising slots all year\n\nGiven all the economic, political and health questions of 2020, companies may have felt it was prudent to pull back - especially several months ago, when they would have had to start planning for such a high-profile night, said Kimberly Whitler, professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business\n\n\"It's the biggest night of TV watching and so they have to plan it months in advance,\" she said. \"There was so much uncertainty that to go and invest in a Super Bowl ad might have actually felt or seemed frivolous at the time.\"\n\nThe decision goes \"beyond finances\", she added. \"It's also, 'How do we identify the right tone that will match the moment'.\"\n\nThis year's Super Bowl will see star quarterback Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against reigning champions the Kansas City Chiefs on 7 February.\n\nLast year, firms spent an average of $5.25m (£3.8m) for a 30-second spot during the championship, driving Super Bowl ad spending to a record $450m, according to Kantar consultancy.\n\nThe firm has said its research suggests Super Bowl ads are \"typically 20 times more effective\" in changing a brand's perception than a normal advert.\n\nAnheuser-Busch, an official sponsor of the National Football League, is typically one of the night's top spenders, so the absence of its flagship brand may create its own buzz, said Satya Menon, a Chicago-based managing partner of of ROI practice at Kantar.\n\nChipotle's very first Super Bowl commercial is entitled, \"Can a burrito change the world?\"\n\n\"Budweiser in particular is a very established brand ... so for them, it's all about generating love and goodwill and maybe this is another way,\" she says.\n\n\"They do have a lot of pre-game advertising out there. When people have the expectation that they wil be there and then they don't see the brand, they'll start thinking why are they not.\"\n\nMeanwhile, the sports showdown still seems to be finding plenty of firms ready to fill spots left by the stalwarts. Names of newcomers include Chipotle and Fiverr, a freelance platform that has seen business soar during the pandemic.\n\n\"It doesn't get any bigger than the Super Bowl from a branding and marketing perspective,\" said Fiverr's chief marketing officer Gali Arnon. \"We believe this is a major opportunity for us to introduce the world to Fiverr in a unique and creative way.\"\n\nMany of this year's advertisers are firms coming from the e-commerce sector, which have benefited from the pandemic, Ms Menon said.\n\nAnd though audience numbers for NFL games have slipped this year, for those firms making their game-night debuts, Ms Menon says she still expects ads to have a big impact - even if the pandemic puts a damper on the traditional Super Bowl parties and other festivities, which can make championship feel like an unofficial national holiday.\n\n\"There isn't very much going on in life, so it will always have that great reach,\" she says. \"Some of that excitement may not be there, but watching will definitely be there.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson says teachers and pupils will be told “as much as we can, as soon as we can” about reopening schools\n\nThe government will tell teachers and parents when schools in England can reopen \"as soon as we can\", the prime minister has said.\n\nMPs have called on the government to set out a \"route map\" for reopening amid concerns for children's education.\n\nBoris Johnson said he understood why people wanted a timetable but he did not want to lift restrictions while the infection rate was \"still very high\".\n\nHe would not guarantee schools would reopen before April's Easter break.\n\nMr Johnson said: \"We've now got the R [reproduction rate] down below 1 across the whole of the country, that's a great achievement, we don't want to see a huge surge of infection just when we've got the vaccination programme going so well and people working so hard.\n\n\"I understand why people want to get a timetable from me today, what I can tell you is we'll tell you, tell parents, tell teachers as much as we can as soon as we can.\"\n\nHe said the government would be \"looking at the potential of relaxing some measures\" before mid-February, with Downing Street clarifying that this meant looking at the data to decide \"what we may or may not be able to ease from 15 February onwards\".\n\nA further 592 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test and another 22,195 cases have been recorded, according to Monday's government figures.\n\nAt Monday's Downing Street press briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said almost four in five of the UK's over-80s have had the vaccine, with nearly 6.6m people in total having had their first dose.\n\nBut he said the NHS continues to be under \"intense pressure\", with Jenny Harries, deputy chief medical officer for England, saying there are \"twice the number of people in hospital than we had in the first wave\" of the pandemic.\n\nRobert Halfon, chairman of the education select committee, told BBC Breakfast there was \"enormous uncertainty\" and called for the government to set out what the conditions needed to be for pupils to return to schools.\n\nThe Conservative MP for Harlow suggested the government could consider tighter restrictions in other parts of society and the economy, in order to enable schools to open.\n\nTory MPs were enraged by reports over the weekend that schools might not re-open fully until after the Easter holidays.\n\nMinisters say it's the progress of the pandemic that will determine their decision rather than a pre-agreed timetable.\n\nYet whenever the government speaks, parents hear dates. Whether it's that the situation will be reviewed at half-term. Or a pledge to give two weeks' notice when classes will come back.\n\nMPs are now pushing for more transparency from the government about how they'll assess the data, and for some ideas between school being mostly closed or totally open.\n\nThis issue is a perfect metaphor for the situation facing the entire country. Too much hope breeds disappointment, but living with uncertainty is just as hard. And you can come up with a plan but it might have to be junked if the virus has other ideas.\n\nChildren's Commissioner for England Anne Longfield joined the call for clarity and told the BBC: \"Children are more withdrawn, they are really suffering in terms of isolation, their confidence levels are falling, and for some there are serious issues.\"\n\nEducation Secretary Gavin Williamson said the government wanted to \"see all children back at the very earliest moment\".\n\nSchools in England have been closed to most pupils since the national lockdown began on 5 January due to high levels of Covid transmission in the community.\n\nThere have been calls for teachers to be vaccinated sooner, although it is not clear if that would allow schools to reopen earlier.\n\nThe majority of pupils in England are learning from home with schools only open to the children of key workers, vulnerable children and those who cannot learn at home\n\nCovid death rates among educational professionals are not \"statistically significantly different\" to those in the general population, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, but secondary school teachers appeared to have an elevated risk compared particularly with people working in office-type jobs.\n\nAmong secondary school teachers Covid death rates were 39.2 deaths per 100,000 males, compared with 31.4 for all males aged 20 to 64, and 21.2 per 100,000 females, compared with 16.8, but the ONS said these were \"not statistically significantly different than those of the same age and sex in the wider population\".\n\nSchools will remain closed in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales until at least the February half-term - with the Welsh first minister saying it is \"unlikely\" all pupils will return after the break.\n\nGemma Cocker with her children Charlie and Lyla\n\nGemma Cocker from Brighton is one of the many parents struggling to balance childcare, home learning and work.\n\nShe says she's having to share her work laptop with her son, who has already missed learning time after the family moved home and did not have internet access. \"We didn't have any internet. The school said they had reached their limit so couldn't take him,\" she says.\n\nAnd because her children are young, she says: \"They're never just going to watch a classroom by themselves, you have to be with them the whole time.\"\n\nKitty Jones, 11, is in her last year of primary school and she says home learning is \"tricky\" because she is not used to using different remote platforms like Google Classroom and she wants to return \"as soon as possible\".\n\n\"I still think that I'm learning a bit, but I don't think I'm learning as much as I would be in person,\" she tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.\n\nHolly Agbukor, 18, is studying for her A-levels, says it is \"quite stressful\" learning at home, as it is a \"different environment, so it is not as easy to be fully present in the lessons\".\n\nBut, she says, while is it \"difficult\" working at home, \"I don't think it is worth the cost of reintroducing the virus into society and making things worse overall\".\n\nHow has home-schooling been going for your family? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The UK has identified 77 cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa, the health secretary has said.\n\nCases are linked to travellers arriving in the UK, rather than community transmission, Matt Hancock added.\n\nHe told the BBC's Andrew Marr cases were under \"very close\" observation and enhanced contact tracing was under way.\n\nMinisters are due to meet on Monday to consider imposing tougher restrictions on people arriving from abroad.\n\nScientists have said there is a chance the South African variant may harm the effectiveness of current vaccines.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Hancock said that \"three quarters of all the 80-year-olds in the country and a similar number of care homes\" have received their first doses of the vaccine.\n\nBoth the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines require two doses, and figures so far reflect those given the first dose.\n\nMr Hancock said that it was \"far too early to say\" what proportion of the population needed to be vaccinated before lockdown restrictions could be eased.\n\nAll viruses, including the one that causes Covid-19, mutate, and variants have been first located in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.\n\nThe South Africa variant has been found in at least 20 other countries, including the UK.\n\nMr Hancock said that all the South Africa variant cases in the UK were linked to travel.\n\n\"That's why we have got such stringent border measures in place against movement from South Africa,\" he added.\n\nThe UK closed all travel corridors last week until at least 15 February, with almost all travellers arriving in the country now required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test to be allowed entry.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has not ruled out bringing in tougher measures at UK borders, telling a Downing Street news conference on Friday: \"We don't want to put that (efforts to control Covid) at risk by having a new variant come back in.\"\n\nMinisters are set to discuss whether to tighten border restrictions further, including the possibility of hotel quarantines for travellers.\n\nMr Hancock said: \"We have got to be cautious at the borders.\"\n\nAsked for a date on when lockdown restrictions might end, Mr Hancock said it was \"one of the many things that we don't yet know the answer to\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Matt Hancock on easing restrictions: \"We don't know the answer\"\n\nGovernment data on 14 January showed there were 35 confirmed cases of the South Africa variant identified in the UK, and a further 12 \"probable\" cases.\n\nMr Hancock said nine cases of the Brazil variant had been found in the UK, adding \"we are monitoring each and every one very closely\".\n\nShadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that Labour had been \"pushing the government to take tougher measures at the border since last spring\".\n\nShe said: \"We would fully expect the government to bring in tougher quarantine measures, we would expect them to roll out a proper testing strategy and we would expect them as well to start checking up on the people who are quarantining.\n\n\"Only three out of every hundred people who are asked to quarantine when they arrive into the UK actually face any checks at all - that's just simply not sufficient.\"\n\nOn Friday, Mr Johnson said there was \"some evidence\" the UK variant may be associated with \"a higher degree of mortality\".\n\nThe UK government's chief scientific officer, Sir Patrick Vallance, said there was \"a lot of uncertainty around these numbers\" but that early evidence suggested the variant could be about 30% more deadly.\n\nThe PM said on Friday that there was evidence that both the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine and Oxford-AstraZeneca jab were effective against the variant first detected in the UK.\n\nSir Patrick has warned that the variants in South Africa and Brazil might \"have certain features which means they might be less susceptible to vaccines\".\n\nBut he said \"there is no evidence\" that the two variants have transmission advantages over those already in the UK and so having cases here doesn't mean \"they will take off\".\n\nMeanwhile, England's deputy chief medical officer warned that people who have received a Covid-19 vaccine could still pass the virus on to others and should continue following lockdown rules.\n\nWriting in the Sunday Telegraph, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam stressed that scientists \"do not yet know the impact of the vaccine on transmission\".\n\nHe said vaccines offer \"hope\" but infection rates must come down quickly.\n\nIt's a key question but the fact is that no one can be sure.\n\nThat's because the trials of the vaccines explored the safety of the drugs and how well they prevent people from becoming ill - with good results for both.\n\nBut they did not investigate whether vaccination also stops infection and therefore whether people who've been immunised can still spread the virus to others.\n\nIf a vaccinated person did become infected, they probably wouldn't realise because they wouldn't have any symptoms. That's why health officials and ministers are so concerned.\n\nIt's possible that the antibodies boosted by the vaccine suppress the effects of the virus but don't eliminate it from the upper airway.\n\nMany scientists are cautiously hopeful that in this scenario, the amount of virus would be reduced but they're waiting for the results of studies under way now.\n\nAnd until there's an answer, it's difficult to calculate how and when it's safe to ease restrictions and allow people to mix again.\n\nA further 610 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported in the UK on Sunday - down from 671 deaths last Sunday - in addition to 30,004 new infections.\n\nThe number of positive cases has fallen for the fourth day in a row and is the lowest figure since before Christmas.\n\nThe death figures tend to be lower on a Sunday and Monday because of weekend lags in reporting of the data.\n\nMeanwhile, more than six million people have had their first dose of a Covid vaccine - with the figure now standing at 6,353,321.\n\nNadhim Zahawi, the minister responsible for the vaccine rollout, said on Twitter that 6,353,321 of the \"most vulnerable and frontline heroes\" had received a first dose of the vaccine, but there was still \"much more to do\".\n\nThere were 4,076 Covid patients in mechanical ventilation beds in UK hospitals as of Friday, according to government data.\n\nThat is higher than during the first wave, when the peak was 3,301 on 12 April.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Video filmed in Tacoma, Washington, shows a police car apparently ploughing through a crowd of people\n\nA police officer is under investigation in the US after his vehicle ploughed into a group of people, running over at least one, in Tacoma, Washington.\n\nNobody was killed in the incident, although one person was rushed to hospital with injuries.\n\nA video shows a large group of people surrounding the police car as it revs its engine in an apparent effort to drive off.\n\nThe group refuses to move, and police say people started hitting the car.\n\nThe police officer then speeds through the group, hitting numerous people. One person is dragged under the car.\n\nTacoma Police Department said multiple vehicles and approximately 100 people were blocking an intersection when officers arrived on the scene. The group was apparently watching street racers doing \"burnouts\".\n\n\"During the operation, a responding Tacoma police vehicle was surrounded by the crowd. People hit the body of the police vehicle and its windows as the officer was stopped in the street,\" police said in a statement.\n\n\"The officer, fearing for his safety, tried to back up, but was unable to do so because of the crowd,\" it said.\n\n\"While trying to extricate himself from an unsafe position, the officer drove forward striking one individual and may have impacted others,\" it said.\n\nThe person who was run over was rushed to hospital. Their condition is as yet unclear.\n\nThe Pierce County Force Investigation Team is investigating the incident, the statement said. The police officer has not been identified.\n\n\"I am concerned that our department is experiencing another use of deadly force incident,\" Interim Police Chief Mike Ake said in the statement.\n\n\"I send my thoughts to anyone who was injured in tonight's event, and am committed to our department's full co-operation in the independent investigation and to assess the actions of the department's response during the incident.\"\n\nThe incident comes at a time of rising anger over the use of excessive force by police in the US.\n\nPeople across the world took to the streets last year to demonstrate their anger at the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis, and to demand an end to police brutality and what they see as systemic racism.", "Some Barclaycard customers will see their minimum repayments rise from Tuesday, at a time when finances are already stretched owing to Covid and Christmas.\n\nThe new requirements are tailored to each customer, although some may see a significant rise in demands.\n\nBut the changes will also see charges for exceeding a credit limit scrapped.\n\nJanuary is a pinch point for many in debt and borrowers are being urged to seek help if they are in trouble.\n\nBarclaycard signalled the changes to their pricing structures in November, although some borrowers may have missed the notice, which was titled \"changes to your terms and conditions\".\n\nThe new repayment rates will affect those with Platinum, Initial, Freedom, Forward, Cashback, Littlewoods, Rewards and Hilton Honors cards, but not Premier or Woolwich cards.\n\nFor cardholders who started using their cards in the last decade, the minimum repayment each month has been calculated as the highest of 2.25% of the full balance, 1% of the balance plus interest, or £5. This differed slightly for longer-standing customers.\n\nThe new charges mean minimum repayments will be the highest of between 2% and 5% of the full balance, between 1% and 3% of the balance plus interest, or £5.\n\nThis means some people could see the minimum repayment rise, although some other charges - such as the late payment fee - will be limited.\n\nThe exact percentage depends on the customer and would have been outlined in the November message.\n\nA Barclaycard spokesman said: \"We are increasing minimum payments for some customers to help them pay off debt quicker and reduce the overall interest they pay.\n\n\"This is part of our ambition to ensure that no Barclaycard customer gets into persistent debt - where they pay more in interest and charges than reducing their debt and take a long time to pay this debt off - and is being put in place to support our customers.\"\n\nSara Williams, who writes the Debt Camel blog, said that the higher minimum payment may well come as a \"nasty shock\".\n\n\"January is always the tightest month for money for most people. December pay is often early, so the money has to stretch further, and if you put any Christmas presents or expenses on your Barclaycard, this month's bill will be high anyway,\" she said.\n\n\"For people who were hardly managing before, the increase to the minimum payments may tip the bill over into being unaffordable.\"\n\nDebt charities had already warned that the coronavirus pandemic meant the UK was \"sleepwalking into a debt crisis\".\n\nThe government-backed Money and Pensions Service - which offers free guidance - said it was expecting a call about debt at least every four minutes throughout January.\n\nBarclaycard said the timing of the changes - which coincide with lockdown and many people on a reduced furlough income - was unintentional and had been signalled some time ago.\n\nAny borrowers who feel the new repayment levels are unaffordable are being asked to contact the company.\n\nMore broadly, anyone struggling to make debt repayments of any kind is being urged to face their difficulties and seek help.\n\n\"Financial worries negatively affect our 'cognition', which are the thinking processes that support and maintain our mental health. When in a poor state, financial worries cause stress and our cognition fails,\" said Keiron Sparrowhawk, a cognition expert from the Being Well Group, which runs the MyCognition app.\n\nThis could lead to depression and hasty, ill-thought-out decisions, he said.\n\n\"Together, depression and anxiety are distressing and disabling, causing us to spiral out of control and enter a pit of hell,\" he said.", "The water is warmer than the air and is creating a mist along Dynevor Road\n\nThe coalmining heritage of Wales has been implicated in flooding of homes - but what has happened in Skewen?\n\nAbout 80 people were evacuated from the Neath Port Talbot village, with at least eight streets left under water.\n\nCouncil leader Rob Jones says the flood appears to be related to mine works - but the volume of water involved has hampered a full assessment so far.\n\nThe Coal Authority is investigating how \"historic underground mining features\" in the area exacerbated the problem.\n\nA geologist says there are tens of thousands of old mine shafts across the former south Wales coalfield and it is \"incredibly difficult\" to monitor them all.\n\nSkewen lies within an old coal mining hotspot, with several former colliery sites near the village that operated in the 19th and early 20th Century.\n\nThere were colliery sites near what is now Drummau Road, in the north of the village and another close to Old Road, near Neath Abbey.\n\nSkewen was part of a collection of collieries that stretched between Neath and Llanelli on the western side of south Wales' coalfield.\n\nGraham Levins, secretary of the Welsh Mines Preservation Trust, said old mines often contain groundwater which can flood in heavy rain.\n\nHe said: \"A lot of them go very, very deep down, much below the local water level and that's why they had all the big wheels to pump the water out.\n\n\"It fills up with water and will find a way out. Normally rainfall you get it doesn't cause a lot of problems but when you get really heavy rain, the water drains down through the ground and builds up.\"\n\nStreets were turned into rivers in Skewen\n\nGeologist Tom Backhouse said water was coming out of an area near the junction of Goshen Park and Drummau Road, where there is a record of a mine shaft dating from the turn of the 20th Century.\n\nIt then started \"rushing down\" Drummau Road, causing the flooding that forced evacuations.\n\n\"What we can expect to have happened is that the water level in the mines rose to a point where it's burst out of that entry point from the mine workings below.\n\n\"Also, there are images of very ochre like orange-coloured water and again, that may well be issuing from the mine workings on the highlands to the east of the property on the hill behind.\n\n\"That may be where the shallow workings have flooded.\"\n\nHe said old mine working across the former coalfield area hold water at a certain depth, but when an event such as Storm Christoph drops \"a huge amount in a small area\", the levels rise quickly.\n\n\"As it gets closer and closer to the surface, it basically looks for an escape, the pressure builds up,\" he continued.\n\n\"What it looks like has happened on the junction of Goshen Park and Drummau Road, where the mine shaft is recorded, is that pressure has built up at that point and then burst out through the shaft which is very likely to have been capped with wood or something like that.\n\n\"Where you've got those mine shafts, which ultimately are vertical tunnels down into the mine workings below, the water has literally forced itself up through that shaft, and the pressure is obviously so great it's caused this devastating flash flood.\"\n\nAs well as properties, vehicles were submerged in water\n\nThere are about 13 shafts recorded within about 820ft (250m) of the one in Goshen Park, so Mr Backhouse said it is possible more than one may have burst.\n\nThere are tens of thousands in south Wales and he said it was \"incredibly difficult\" to check them all, but there were \"tell tale signs\" as to why they may collapse such as age or what type of developments are around them.\n\nThe clean up has continued on Friday morning\n\n\"Not to try and fear-monger or anything but of course this sort of thing can happen again,\" he said.\n\n\"If another event like Storm Christoph happens, the water levels in the mine rises as quickly as it did, there's absolutely nothing to say that it wouldn't happen again in the future.\n\n\"And obviously as climate changes and we have many more events like Storm Christoph, they are going to increase in frequency, they are going to be much more severe.\n\n\"The Coal Authority will have to consider the risk in places like Skewen, and they'll have to understand how it will affect residents and proactively manage that and look at how to reduce the risks for residents.\"", "Pictures of the Pampas grass on social media are thought to have made the area in South Shields popular\n\nA boom in the popularity of Pampas grass with interior decorators has led to \"droves\" of people picking the plant which grows wild near a beach.\n\nThe grass, near Littlehaven Beach in South Shields, forms part of a wind defence to stop sand blowing onto roads and helps protect the coastline.\n\nSouth Tyneside Council warned anyone found removing it could be prosecuted.\n\nCouncillor Ernest Gibson said while the grass may look \"beautiful in vases\" people were \"damaging the environment\".\n\nThe grass, which was popular in the 1970s, can sell for up to £40 a bunch and has proved a popular addition to people's homes.\n\nIt is thought that photographs on social media sites such as Instagram may have influenced people turning up and taking it, Mr Gibson added.\n\n\"Pampas grass is quite expensive to buy if you went to a florist. It's cheaper to come to South Tyneside and take it away,\" he said.\n\n\"But what we are doing is urging people not to come here and take it away, it's there for a reason.\"\n\nPampas grass and Marram grass form part of a defence along the coast at South Shields\n\nThe Pampas grass helps to bond poor soils found at the coast, while Marram grass helps to prevent erosion in the dunes.\n\nSigns are to be erected warning people not to pick the grass because it is already in need of replenishment, the council said.\n\n\"Through Covid, we have a massive amount of people coming to the coastal town, it's Benidorm without the sunshine,\" he added.\n\n\"It's great to see people at the seaside enjoying it [the grass] and that's what it's part of. It's there for everybody to view.\"\n\nGarden designer George Wright said Pampas grass was \"very popular\" and he had seen demand increase two or three times at his nursery in West Boldon. He also expressed concern for the area.\n\n\"Once they take the flower heads themselves they take the seeds. Eventually this will become very much a patchy area and they will all start to decline.\n\n\"Pampas grass is becoming more and and more popular at the moment and I think a lot of it is people are starting to extend their houses into the garden so they want something nice in there, and also it's being used for interior decoration in houses.\"\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Geoff and Jenny Holland married in August after two previous attempts to wed were delayed by the pandemic\n\nTwo newlywed pensioners are urging everyone to get vaccinated as they were among the first to receive a dose at a new centre.\n\nGeoff Holland, 90, and 86-year-old wife Jenny married in August after meeting at Town View independent living centre in Mansfield.\n\nThe pair tied the knot after being forced to postpone their nuptials twice due to the pandemic.\n\nThey both received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.\n\nThe couple made their vaccination plea as a centre at an old DIY store on Chesterfield Road South, in Mansfield, opened on Monday.\n\nIt has joined 31 other new sites opening across England this week, with anyone aged 75 and over who lives within a 45-minute drive encouraged to book their injections.\n\nMrs Holland praised staff at the vaccination site for the care she and her new husband received.\n\n\"We've been well looked after while we've been here,\" she said.\n\n\"People have worked long and hard to get this vaccine so I think people ought to have it.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Time-lapse footage shows how a DIY store was transformed into a vaccine centre in three weeks\n\nMr and Mrs Holland said they both tested positive for coronavirus a couple of months ago after Mr Holland reported feeling unwell.\n\nBoth managed to recover without developing major symptoms.\n\nDespite the delay to their wedding and the ongoing after-effects of the pandemic, Mrs Holland said married life was turning out to be \"brilliant\".\n\n\"Hopefully, one day soon, we'll be able to have a get together and celebrate with our family and friends who couldn't be there on the day,\" she said.\n\nKathryn Turner, Mr Holland's daughter, said the family was thrilled the pair received their jabs.\n\n\"It's fantastic that they are getting the vaccine so their love story can continue,\" she said.\n\n\"Hopefully this will help us all get back to some sort of normality.\"\n\nThe Hollands met in the summer of 2019 and were engaged the following New Year's Eve\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n• None COVID-19 Vaccination in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire - NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Parents are struggling with the sense of uncertainty, says psychologist\n\nHome schooling can be tough. It's difficult to concentrate, there's emotional exhaustion, boredom, a lack of motivation and it's really hard not going out to see friends. And that's just the parents.\n\nThis winter lockdown is taking its toll on families, now struggling even more on the black ice of uncertainty as no-one can say when schools in England are going to reopen for most pupils again.\n\n\"There's a sense of fatigue,\" says Jacqueline Smallwood, who is at home with three secondary-school children. She says her own \"concentration levels have fallen dramatically\".\n\n\"It's so repetitive that it just makes you feel tired,\" she says of the latest lockdown and the \"silent struggle\" facing both parents and their children to try to get motivated.\n\nHome school shows no sign of coming to an early end\n\nThere might have been some guilty enjoyment at the start of the year when the school term was initially delayed, not having to get up and out on cold January mornings.\n\nUntil it dawned on them that this was becoming something much longer than a few weeks.\n\nIt's morphed from early January to half term in mid-February and now maybe Easter in early April or even later. And Jacqueline says, as a matter of \"respect\", parents need to know what's happening about schools.\n\nThe confusion over a return date seems to have further frayed the nerves of parents.\n\nThe mother, who lives outside Canterbury in Kent, says she worries about the pressures building up on young people.\n\nFor teenagers like her sons, she says this \"should be a pivotal time in their lives,\" when they're beginning to get some independence and when social lives are hugely important - but instead they're stuck inside with their parents.\n\n\"We can't live like the Waltons forever,\" she says, referencing the US TV series of a folksy family relying on each other.\n\nJacqueline says families are finding this latest lockdown tougher than the spring or summer\n\nThe first lockdown created an unexpected sense of togetherness, an \"enforced bonding\" that she says turned out to be a \"massive positive\".\n\nBut Jacqueline, who works as a writer, sees no such upside to the latest lockdown. There is a collective frustration - and she says it has been made even worse by the confusion about when schools will go back.\n\nThe online home-schooling seems to be working, she says, with teachers trying to boost the enthusiasm levels, but it's no real substitute for being in school. And she wants much more clarity about when they will go back.\n\n\"I've tried not to be political about decisions being made, but you can't help but feel disappointed. They don't seem to understand how real people are living,\" she says.\n\nShe says when politicians say maybe schools will or won't be back by Easter, they don't realise how much that uncertainty affects families trying to plan for what comes next.\n\nEducational psychologist Dan O'Hare says the \"key word is 'uncertainty'\".\n\nLiving on a laptop can take its toll on parents having to work and home school their children\n\nNot knowing what is coming next adds to the pressure, he says, and children out of school are already facing big unknowns such as what's going to happen about exams or when will they see their friends and teachers.\n\n\"It's really stressful for children and their families,\" says Dr O'Hare, who is co-chair of the British Psychological Society's division for educational and child psychology. \"They need a sense of a plan.\"\n\nThis lockdown is also in the depths of winter - and he says employers need to think about making sure staff working from home are able to take a break in daylight hours, so that families can get outside.\n\nIt's no use asking parents to answer work emails all day and expect them to go out when it's dark.\n\nSchools have been providing more online lessons in this lockdown\n\nFor some families it has got very difficult.\n\n\"It's affected her emotionally a lot,\" says Dave in Bolton, who is worrying about his six-year-old daughter, who has been crying because she misses her friends.\n\n\"It's awful, you can't put a positive spin on it. She's at that age where she's enjoying her friends, becoming more socialised,\" he told BBC 5 Live.\n\n\"She's quite a confident little girl and I can't help worry that being stuck at home is going to impact her in the longer term.\"\n\nThe father says many of her classmates are still going into school - and that makes it even harder when she sees her friends on school Zoom calls.\n\nEmployers should make sure that parents' working hours allow them to get out in daylight, says psychologist\n\nJen Locke in Newcastle makes the point that women can often be \"the most adversely affected by the decision to keep schools closed\".\n\nShe says home schooling has \"fallen squarely on my shoulders\", helping her children in the day and then shifting her work with an IT company into the evening, so it's an early start through to a very late finish.\n\n\"It's a huge mental strain… I'm knackered from it all,\" she says, right down to trying to get children to bed who aren't tired because they're not going out.\n\nA lockdown weariness seems to be out there, despite the best efforts of schools.\n\nSimon Armstrong in Bristol, whose son is in secondary school, says: \"Virtual lessons, no matter how well delivered, are a woeful substitute for real lessons.\"\n\n\"I am at the end of my tether,\" he says.\n\nThe Department for Education said: \"We are committed to reopening schools as soon as the public health picture allows, and will inform schools, parents and pupils of plans ahead of February half term.\"\n\nBut Labour has accused the government of causing \"chaos and confusion\" for parents and schools.\n\nThe National Association of Head Teachers said: \"Now is the moment for calm heads to decide on a sustainable return to school, not another chaotic and last-minute set of decisions that could easily result in a yo-yo return to lockdown.\"", "Of 2,000 Welsh members of the Royal College of Nursing who took part in a survey, 75.9% reported increased stress over the past year\n\nA long-term plan is needed to help nurses cope with post-traumatic stress resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, union officials have said.\n\nLast year the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) ran a survey looking at its impact on front-line staff and how it had changed nurses' lives.\n\nOf 2,000 Welsh members who took part, 75.9% reported increased stress and 52% were worried about their mental health.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it recognised the pressures on NHS workers.\n\nCarol Doggett, senior matron at Swansea's Morriston Hospital, said nurses were often becoming patients' \"next of kin\" during the pandemic, due to the \"absence of family, particularly at end of life\".\n\n\"Which we would do anyway, naturally, but in the absence of family it's far more profound than supporting them in a holistic way if they were present with us,\" she said.\n\nSenior matron Carol Doggett says the extreme pressure experienced in intensive care had been felt throughout the hospital\n\nMs Doggett said the extreme pressure experienced in intensive care had been felt throughout the hospital.\n\n\"Patients are coming in through [the emergency department]. They are sicker. The number of sicker patients has definitely increased,\" she said.\n\n\"That results in them having an extended period in hospital. They can stay beyond Covid. They continue to suffer with those conditions that present themselves as a result of Covid.\"\n\nOn Sunday, Ms Doggett's colleague, Morriston intensive care consultant John Gorst, said as many as five patients are dying with Covid during a single 12-hour shift.\n\nNicky Hughes, associate director of nursing at RCN Wales, said: \"The Welsh Government needs to set a long-term plan in place to deal with post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues amongst nurses as a result of the pandemic.\n\n\"Nurses are exhausted, stressed and nearing burnout. Every day they tell us that they feel that they have nothing left to give and feel devalued.\"\n\nAlmost a year on from the start of the pandemic nurses have had to find \"ever more physical and emotional strength\" to cope with Covid-19, said Ms Hughes.\n\nMental health charity Mind Cymru agreed with the RCN that a \"coherent long-term strategy\" was needed to help front-line workers deal with the pandemic's effect on their mental health.\n\n\"We urge Welsh Government to factor this in to their plans and take the necessary steps to give people the support they need,\" said Simon Jones, Mind Cymru's head of policy.\n\n\"Nursing staff and other healthcare professionals have played, and continue to play, a vital role in combatting the pandemic, often putting their own health and wellbeing at risk.\n\n\"Even before the outbreak, we heard from many healthcare professionals struggling with the mental health impact of things like long working hours without breaks, unsociable shift patterns, and dealing with traumatic events.\"\n\nA mental health support hotline for front-line NHS staff in Wales - Health for Health Professionals (HHP) Wales - has been set up by Cardiff University and has received Welsh Government funding.\n\nThe hotline's director Prof Jonathan Bisson said he was \"encouraged\" by the Welsh Government's investment in HHP Wales along with Traumatic Stress Wales, which helps people who have experienced traumatic events.\n\n\"These two initiatives are taking a long term strategic approach to support health workers exposed to traumatic events,\" Prof Bisson said.\n\n\"HHP Wales offers access to mental health support for any member of NHS staff in Wales and has linked with Traumatic Stress Wales to provide evidence-based treatment to health workers who are experiencing post traumatic stress disorder as a result of traumatic experiences related to the pandemic and other causes.\"\n\nPlaid Cymru said the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on health and care workers \"mustn't be underestimated\".\n\n\"The Welsh Government must demonstrate that they're taking this seriously with a robust workforce strategy that takes into account the mental health needs of workers, including sufficient down time after the pandemic, and addresses the need to retain and recruit more staff,\" said Plaid's health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth.\n\nThe Welsh Government called the \"commitment and tireless hard work\" of nurses across Wales \"truly remarkable\".\n\nA spokesman said: \"We recognise the pressures the NHS workforce is experiencing and have worked closely with NHS employers and trade unions to create a comprehensive wellbeing package to help support them, which includes a dedicated and confidential Samaritans listening support helpline.\n\n\"We have also expanded our Health for Health Professionals Wales service which offers psychological and mental health support, as well as a number of free-to-access health and wellbeing support apps.\"\n\nRCN Wales said it was glad the Welsh Government was backing projects supporting health workers.\n\nIt said it encouraged the continued development of a \"long-term strategy to deal with the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our nursing workforce.\"", "A heatwave sweeping south-east Australia has sent temperatures soaring in the nation's biggest cities and escalated the threat of bushfires.\n\nA large blaze has been contained in Adelaide, South Australia after it burned through 2,500 hectares.\n\nNeighbouring Victoria state is facing its worst fire risk in a year.\n\nTemperatures in those states have started to cool but New South Wales and Queensland will see their heatwave continue into Tuesday.\n\nSydney recorded temperatures of above 40C by Monday afternoon.\n\nHealth officials have urged people to stay inside and to avoid physical activity, and for those near bushfires to avoid inhaling smoke.\n\nThe blaze in the Adelaide Hills has been contained but is expected to continue to burn for the next few days, local media reports.\n\nIt is believed to have destroyed several houses but has not caused injuries.\n\nThe blaze has burned through more than 2,500 hectares\n\nPeople in the area have been warned to take care.\n\n\"Smoke will reduce visibility on the roads and there is a risk of trees and branches falling,\" a statement from SA police said.\n\nImages taken on Monday show smoke over Adelaide obscuring parts of the city skyline and prompting some residents to wear face masks.\n\nAdelaide was blanketed by smoke on Monday\n\nAfter the hot spell began on Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology (Bom) issued heatwave warnings for South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland.\n\nOn Monday, Victoria's state capital Melbourne recorded temperatures of 41.5C at 12.40pm (01.40 GMT).\n\nPeople in Victoria have been urged to be careful when in water after the state recorded seven drownings over the past 10 days, ABC News reports.\n\nPeople in Sydney flocked to beaches at the weekend seeking relief from the heat\n\nThe heat is expected to linger until mid-week as the hot air mass tracks east across the country.\n\nAfter extreme bushfires and heatwaves a year ago, Australia's summer this year has so far been cooler and wetter. Meteorologists say the conditions are influenced by a La Nina phenomenon.\n\nAustralia has warmed on average by 1.4C since national records began in 1910, according to its science and weather agencies.\n\nThat's led to an increase in the number of extreme heat events, as well as increased fire danger days.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Hell to high water: Australia’s summer of extremes in 2019-20\n\n\"In summer we now see a greater frequency of very hot days compared to earlier decades,\" said BoM and the national science agency, CSIRO, in their 2020 State of the Climate report.\n\nThe same report noted that 2019 - Australia's hottest year on record - had 33 days where the national maximum temperature exceeded 39C. That surpassed the total number of days over 39C in the previous six decades.\n\nHeatwaves are Australia's deadliest natural disaster and have killed thousands more people than bushfires or floods.", "Police found Dylan Freeman in his mother's bed surrounded by toys\n\nA woman has admitted suffocating her severely disabled son after suffering a breakdown.\n\nDylan Freeman's body was found in Acton, west London, on 16 August with a sponge in his mouth.\n\nHis mother Olga Freeman pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.\n\nThree psychiatric reports said Freeman was suffering from a severe depressive illness with psychotic symptoms at the time of the killing.\n\nFreeman attended Acton Police Station to report herself following the killing.\n\nOfficers later found Dylan in his mother's bed surrounded by toys.\n\nDylan had autism, Cohen syndrome - which is linked to abnormalities in many parts of the body - and significant difficulties with language and communication.\n\nIn the week leading up to the killing, Freeman had spoken about saving the world and being a Messiah, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.\n\nOlga Freeman had booked flights abroad the night before Dylan's body was found\n\nFreeman appeared by video-link to enter her plea and will be sentenced on 11 February.\n\nSpeaking after the hearing, the CPS's Kristen Katsouris described the death as \"tragic\".\n\nShe added: \"Olga Freeman had loved and cared for Dylan for many years, but the strain and pressures of her son's severe and complex special needs had built up and that, combined with her impaired mental health, led to heart-breaking consequences.\"\n\nA post-mortem examination at Great Ormond Street Hospital recorded Dylan's cause of death as upper airway obstruction.\n\nThe Met Police said Freeman had spoken to friends about struggling with the responsibility of caring for Dylan.\n\nOn the night before his body was found, Freeman booked two seats on a flight to Tel Aviv and told her friend not to go into Dylan's room.\n\nThe body of Dylan was found at a house in Cumberland Park, Acton\n\nAt the time of his death, his father, celebrity photographer Dean Freeman, was in Spain.\n\nHe described his son as \"a beautiful, bright, inquisitive and artistic child who loved to travel, visit art galleries and swim\".\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Ambrose O'Neill was sentenced in his absence in 2008\n\nA violent robber who went on the run for nearly 13 years has finally been caught and jailed.\n\nAmbrose O'Neill - dubbed \"The Running Man\" due to his ability to evade capture - skipped his 2008 trial over an attack on an antiques dealer.\n\nHe was sentenced to eight years in prison in his absence but spent years at large, until police got a tip-off he was in hiding in Lincolnshire.\n\nThe 42-year-old was arrested on Friday and is now beginning his sentence.\n\nNottinghamshire Police said in 2007, O'Neill, of Ludgate Close in Arnold, knocked on his victim's front door in Seagrave, Leicestershire, posing as a pizza delivery man.\n\nWhen his victim opened the door, O'Neill pushed him over, punched him in the face and demanded he open a safe, threatening to kill him.\n\nBut he ultimately left empty-handed and was later arrested.\n\nO'Neill attended the first day of his trial at Leicester Crown Court but then went on the run.\n\nPolice said they launched Operation Gladiolus in December 2020 in a bid to track him down.\n\nPC James Gill, from Nottinghamshire Police's \"wanted squad\", said: \"We knew he had changed his appearance and lived in an area where people do not know him and he had an assumed identity,\" he said.\n\n\"He was laughing at the police, so we were determined to do everything to find him.\"\n\nA major breakthrough came from an anonymous tip-off suggesting O'Neill may be living with a woman in the Wyberton area, in Lincolnshire.\n\nPolice narrowed it down to a house in Causeway and arrested the \"surprised\" O'Neill in the early hours of Friday.\n\nPC James Gill worked in his free time to bring O'Neill to justice, Nottinghamshire Police said\n\nOfficers also arrested a 41-year-old woman on suspicion of assisting an offender. She remains in custody.\n\nO'Neill is due to appear at Leicester Crown Court on 29 January, where his sentence could be extended, the force added.\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Bethany and her two children have been on a waiting list for more than a year\n\nThere is a \"shocking\" lack of places for traveller families to live in England, according to a charity.\n\nOnly 18 out of 251 registered traveller sites have any spaces available, research from Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) suggests.\n\nIt says the government must \"do more\" to identify land for the community to live on.\n\nThe government says councils are \"best placed\" to assess the local need for permanent traveller sites.\n\nIn October, FFT wrote to all local authorities and private registered site providers in England to ask how many pitches they had available.\n\nIt received responses relating to 251 out of 266 traveller sites - which represented 3,482 permanent pitches and 304 transit pitches.\n\nA transit pitch is a short-term place where people can stay for a set period of usually up to three months.\n\nBethany says she's near the bottom of the waiting list for a pitch in her local area\n\nBethany Rose, 26, and her two children have been on a waiting list for a pitch in West Sussex for more than a year.\n\nShe is currently staying with her parents in their caravan on a registered traveller site. But this is against the rules of their tenancy contract and she will have to move out once the coronavirus pandemic is over.\n\nBethany has a health condition which means she can often be paralysed from the waist down and she needs to be close to her mum who is her carer.\n\n\"It's frustrating, annoying, aggravating, I feel let down,\" she says. \"I'm disabled. I'm homeless and I have two kids.\n\n\"For anyone normally it would just be like, 'Boof, there you go, there's a property, go and live there'. But I can't do that. I can't even get a house, I can't buy a plot of land, I can't do anything.\"\n\nBethany and her children are currently living with her parents on a traveller site in West Sussex\n\nIt's estimated about 1.1 million households are on local authority housing waiting lists, but Bethany believes it would be easier for her to get a home if she wasn't a traveller.\n\nShe says being a traveller is a huge part of her identity and she wants to live on a site so she can continue to be connected to her heritage.\n\n\"A whole community is there if you need something or something happens,\" she said. \"If you fall or you go to hospital, you can guarantee your neighbour will watch the kids until you come back. If you need a cup of sugar, you can just go round.\"\n\nThe research from FFT comes as MPs were due to debate a petition on Monday against government proposals to criminalise trespassing. However, this has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThe new measures could see travellers facing a fine or prison if they set up unauthorised encampments - currently it's a civil offence.\n\nIn a consultation paper published in 2019, the Home Office said there had been \"long-standing concerns\" about the distress they caused to local communities.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sarah Tanner posted a video saying she was \"disgusted\" by mess left by travellers in Dorset\n\nIn June 2020, residents in Dorset complained about mess left by travellers on a local park - which included a car being abandoned in the middle of a cricket pitch, rubbish dumped in green spaces and human waste deposited in the pond and lake.\n\nFFT says councils are failing to provide enough sites for travellers to live on.\n\nIn January 2019, plans to spend £5m on new traveller pitches in Milton Keynes were put on hold after a \"heated\" meeting with local residents.\n\nBethany believes councils are not doing more to provide extra sites because of discrimination towards travellers.\n\n\"They're building 50,000 new houses in West Sussex, not one of those places is having a site,\" she said. \"So you've got the Nimby (Not In My Back Yard) culture attached to that.\n\n\"For every 50 houses, they could put a site of five which is a whole little community that they can get used to and go, 'Yeah, OK, they're not as bad as people say.'\n\n\"That also means we're not pulling up the side of the roads. We're not being moved off. We're just trying to live like everyone else.\"\n\nMilton Keynes Council changed its plan to build a new traveller site after listening to residents\n\nWest Sussex County Council says when a vacancy comes up on a permanent site all those who have expressed an interest in that location are considered for the pitch.\n\nThe FFT wants the government to reintroduce pitch targets and a statutory duty on local authorities to meet the assessed need for Gypsy and traveller sites.\n\nIt also calls on the government to abandon its proposal to criminalise trespassing.\n\nSarah Sweeney, policy and communications manager at FFT, said: \"It is deeply unfair that while the government is dramatically failing to identify enough land for Gypsy and traveller families to live on, the home secretary is working to create laws to imprison, fine and remove the homes of families living on roadside camps for the 'crime' of having nowhere else to go.\"\n\nThe Local Government Association says it wants the government to publish \"better data\" on the scale of unauthorised encampments and the availability of authorised sites to help councils in England meet their planning obligations.\n\nA spokeswoman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: \"Unauthorised encampments cause distress and disruption for many people across the country so it's right we are giving the police the powers they need to address this issue.\n\n\"Councils are best placed to assess the local need for permanent traveller sites and decide where they should be, and can apply for funding through our Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme to help build them.\"", "At least 80 people had to leave their homes in the village after flooding\n\nPeople whose homes were flooded after a \"blow out\" at a mine shaft are said to be \"devastated\" as they face months before they can return home.\n\nSteve Morris said his son Gareth and his girlfriend's home in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, was inundated by \"orange\" flood water containing sewage.\n\nBut some will be allowed back to their properties on Tuesday.\n\nResidents of Goshen Park and Sunnyland Crescent who have yet to contact Neath Port Talbot council are urged to do so in the next 24 hours.\n\nThe council said access to these properties would continue to be affected beyond 26 January and the Coal Authority wished to have early discussions with them.\n\nMr Morris told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that his son called him on Thursday to say his house was about to be flooded.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Teresa Dalling says a river of orange water rushed through the village on Thursday\n\n\"I live about half a mile away... and by the time I got to his address I could see the water levels were rising rapidly up the road,\" he explained.\n\n\"Then it was so quick - the water came through his rear patio doors firstly, then the gardens and then the drains couldn't cope on the main road and came through the front door, then the side door.\n\n\"His ground floor was four feet under water, and it was this orange coloured water. There was sewage in the house, so his ground floor needs totally gutting.\"\n\nMr Morris said Gareth and his girlfriend are staying in a hotel as they wait to be allowed back to assess the damage.\n\nHe hopes their insurance firm will pay to rent a home for them, adding: \"I can honestly see them being out of their house for between six and 10 months.\n\n\"They are obviously devastated - they have only been in there for 12 months so everything was near enough brand new.\"\n\nCerys Thomas was at her mother's house with her son, in Goshen Park, when she saw water coming through the front door.\n\nThe stairs at the home of Cerys Thomas' parents were left caked in mud\n\nShe said: \"I said to my mother to get my son and herself out and up toward the street. I phoned the police then, because I could see it was going to be an emergency, and within minutes my parents' conservatory doors just blew through.\n\n\"The pressure of the water just blew through the house and the water, within minutes, was up to my waist.\n\n\"Trying to get out of the house was very scary because the pressure of the front door was getting pushed back.\"\n\nShe said the street was under water \"within seven minutes\".\n\n\"It was something you would see in a movie,\" she said.\n\nWithin minutes of water entering the house Ms Thomas was up to her waist in water\n\nMeanwhile, the Coal Authority said it has identified the cause of the \"blow out\".\n\nChief executive Lisa Pinney told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: \"Firstly, I just want to say our thoughts are with everyone affected by this flooding and we are genuinely sorry people have been affected in this way.\n\n\"What we know so far is the blow out was caused by a blockage underground which caused water to break out, basically to find the easiest path, and there's no doubt the excessive rainfall in the days before was also a factor in that.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMs Pinney said crews had been able to find the site of the collapsed mineshaft which had caused the flooding, and the authority had started to \"develop options\".\n\n\"We really understand people want to get back into their homes, they want to collect things, they want to know what the next steps are,\" she continued.\n\n\"We are working as fast as possible to make that happen and we hope to be able to provide some more information in the next day or so, but you will understand that we have to be sure for public safety.\"\n\nMs Pinney said there are almost 300 mine shafts or entries across the Skewen mine works, which covers an area of about 12 sq km (7.6 sq miles).\n\nShe added: \"We have checked all recorded shafts in the immediate area and we are doing continued checks over the coming days. We have found no problems. They are all safe.\"", "Jenners department store in Edinburgh has been at the site since 1838\n\nThe owner of the Jenners building in Edinburgh has promised that it will remain a department store - despite the departure of its current tenant, the House of Fraser.\n\nFrasers Group said it would cease trading at the site on 3 May, with the loss of 200 jobs.\n\nThe building is owned by Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen.\n\nA company spokesman said it would continue as a store and that \"advanced\" talks were taking place with operators.\n\nThe Jenners building has occupied a prime location on Princes Street for 183 years.\n\nIt was bought by Mr Povlsen - who is one of Scotland's biggest landowners - in 2017, reportedly for £53m.\n\nThe store is currently operated by the Frasers Group, which owns the commercial rights to the Jenners trading name.\n\nIt said it would be quitting the site in May after the two sides were unable to come to an agreement.\n\nA Frasers spokesman claimed that the landlord had not been able to \"work mutually on a fair agreement\".\n\nHe said this had led to \"the loss of 200 jobs and a vacant site for the foreseeable future, with no immediate plans.\n\n\"Our commitment to our Frasers strategy remains but landlords and retailers need to work together in a fair manner, especially when all stores are closed.\"\n\nAnders Holch Povlsen is one of Scotland's biggest landowners\n\nHowever, Anders Krogh Vogdrup - the director of AAA United, which owns the Jenners building - said it had given Frasers a substantial rent reduction and rent-free periods to cover the lockdowns.\n\n\"Frasers has made the decision that it does not wish to continue in occupation,\" he said.\n\n\"This will see the end of the 16-year association between House of Fraser and this building, but not of the 180 years of Jenners department store.\"\n\nMr Vogdrup told BBC Scotland that it had bought the Jenners building \"out of passion for its architecture and history\".\n\n\"We have been sad to read on social media that we are to close the department store, as that is not the case,\" he said.\n\n\"We fought to keep the current tenant and we are now in advanced talks with other partners.\"\n\nHe said their \"first priority\" was to keep it as a department store, while there were also plans to turn some unused parts of the building into a hotel.\n\n\"The Jenners department store and building is the jewel in the crown of Edinburgh,\" he added.\n\n\"We are not turning it into a hotel. It will remain a department store.\"\n\nHe also expects the Jenners name will remain on the side of the building.\n\nMr Povlsen, whose parents set up Scandinavian fashion company Bestseller, is believed to be worth £4.5bn. As well as owning Bestseller he is a major shareholder in online retailer Asos.\n\nHe has previously revealed plans to use parts of the Princes Street building for a hotel, with the rest reserved for retail.\n\nThe plans included the restoration of the building's Victorian facade and central atrium, which is a three-storey, top-lit grand saloon. A rooftop restaurant and bar would overlook nearby St Andrew Square.\n\nMr Vogdrup said the plans to refurbish the store were now on hold due to the current economic climate.\n\nJenners has dominated Edinburgh's main shopping thoroughfare since the mid-19th Century.\n\nIt was opened in 1838 by local drapers Charles Jenner and Charles Kennington, who found themselves out of work after being sacked for taking a day off to go to the races in Musselburgh.\n\nInitially called Kennington & Jenner, the boutique store proved popular for keeping the people of Edinburgh in fine silks and linen, which could normally only be found in London.\n\nBy 1890 the shop had changed name to Charles Jenner & Co and had expanded to adjoining buildings, making it one of the biggest stores in Scotland.\n\nBut just two years later fire destroyed the shop and ambitious plans - backed by the local council - were launched for a new look Jenners.\n\nCelebrated architect William Hamilton Beattie, who also designed the Balmoral and Carlton Hotel, was brought in for the redesign.\n\nCharles Jenner died in 1893 before the work was completed in 1895.\n\nIn 1911 the popular store was given a Royal Warrant.\n\nAfter struggling in the the 21st Century, the Jenners brand was sold to rivals House of Fraser for £46m in 2005.\n\nIn 2018, House of Fraser was bought by Mike Ashley's Sports Direct group.", "The pupils of someone with PTSD have an exaggerated response when viewing exciting or dangerous images, the study found\n\nA person's pupils can reveal if they have suffered a traumatic experience in the past, according to new research.\n\nThe joint Swansea and Cardiff universities study found the eyes of people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) behave differently.\n\nIt found their pupils have an exaggerated response when viewing exciting or dangerous images.\n\nThose behind the study said it could be useful in diagnosis, treatment and in bench-marking progress.\n\nNormally pupil size fluctuates with changing light levels, but it can also alter when a person is scared, excited, or even concentrating hard.\n\nShocking or surprising images can cause pupils to enlarge, however the researchers discovered this reaction was highly exaggerated in people who have experienced a traumatic event.\n\nThree groups of people were tested - some with diagnosed PTSD, others who had experienced a traumatic event but had no PTSD, and a control group of people with no previous issues.\n\nProf Nicola Gray, of Swansea University, co-authored the study with Prof Robert Snowden of Cardiff University.\n\nShe said: \"The pupil normally shows a fast constriction when the person sees a new image, but then the pupil gets bigger - especially if the picture is arousing, such as a scary image of, for example, fierce animals or weapons.\n\n\"However, the patients with PTSD behaved differently in both phases. First, their pupil did not constrict much when shown a new picture, and then it expanded more to the scary images than for people without PTSD.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Could virtual reality help treat PTSD in veterans?\n\nOne man with PTSD who wished to remain anonymous described how, after his time in the Army, he was left unable to drive at night because his pupils could not contract sufficiently in response to street lights and on-coming headlights, leaving him dazzled and unable to see properly.\n\nThe research found the PTSD group showed enlarged pupils to images which were positive and exciting.\n\n\"When we displayed exciting scenes, such as a sporting triumph or an image of a person sky-diving, these images elicited the same enhanced pupil response in the PTSD group as the frightening pictures,\" Prof Snowden said.\n\n\"The subjects weren't frightened by these images, but the images were arousing. Once again, the people with PTSD showed a far greater response, indicating that they were even more aroused by these images than the other participants\".\n\nAccording to Prof Gray this finding could help to develop new therapies for PTSD.\n\n\"If exciting, but non-threatening, images elicit the same response, then it may be possible in the future to use them to gradually reduce the arousal levels of people experiencing PTSD.\"\n\nPTSD is an anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.\n\nSomeone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks, and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt.\n\nThey may also have problems sleeping, such as insomnia, and find concentrating difficult.\n\nThese symptoms are often severe and persistent enough to have a significant impact on the person's day-to-day life.\n\nCauses of PTSD can include:\n\nThe pupil is the opening in the middle of the iris\n\nProf Gray said the research may also be useful from a diagnostic perspective.\n\n\"PTSD comes in many forms, from people who have experienced a one-off sudden event like a car crash, to those who have gone through many traumatic events over a period of months or years via abuse.\n\n\"Sometimes people struggle to express these thoughts, or might even play them down in order to please the therapist.\n\n\"Having a more objective method to look for these signs of hypervigilance and hyperarousal may be useful in order to obtain a more accurate benchmark of how the person is progressing.\"", "Scientists say signs a new coronavirus variant is more deadly than the earlier version should not be a \"game changer\" in the UK's response to the pandemic.\n\nBoris Johnson has said there is \"some evidence\" the variant may be associated with \"a higher degree of mortality\".\n\nBut the co-author of the study the PM was referring to said the variant's deadliness remained an \"open question\".\n\nAnother adviser said he was surprised Mr Johnson had shared the findings when the data was \"not particularly strong\".\n\nA third top medic said it was \"too early\" to be \"absolutely clear\".\n\nAt a Downing Street coronavirus news conference on Friday, the prime minister said: \"In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant - the variant that was first identified in London and the South East - may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.\"\n\nSpeaking alongside the PM, the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said there was \"a lot of uncertainty around these numbers\" but that early evidence suggested the variant could be about 30% more deadly.\n\nFor example, Sir Patrick said if 1,000 men in their 60s were infected with the old variant, roughly 10 of them would be expected to die - but this rises to about 13 with the new variant.\n\nThe announcement followed a briefing by scientists on the government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) which concluded there was a \"realistic possibility\" that the variant was associated with an increased risk of death.\n\nBut one of the briefing's co-authors, Prof Graham Medley, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"The question about whether it is more dangerous in terms of mortality I think is still open.\"\n\n\"In terms of making the situation worse it is not a game changer. It is a very bad thing that is slightly worse,\" added Prof Medley, who is a professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.\n\nAnother 1,348 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported in the UK on Saturday, in addition to 33,552 new infections, according to the government's coronavirus dashboard.\n\nThere is huge uncertainty in the evidence on how lethal the variant is.\n\nThe scientific experts that reviewed the data used a precise phrase saying it was a \"realistic possibility\" the new variant is more deadly.\n\nThat means there's a roughly 50-50 chance it will turn out to be true.\n\nWith time, and sadly more deaths, the picture will become clearer.\n\nWhile people debate the uncertainties though, we already know this variant has the ability to kill more people than the old ones.\n\nA virus that spreads faster (this one is 30-70% faster) will infect more people, more quickly, putting a greater strain on hospitals and leading to a sharper spike in deaths.\n\nIt is why viruses becoming more transmissible can be a bigger problem than ones becoming more deadly.\n\nNervtag's chairman Prof Peter Horby defended the government's \"transparency\" in making the announcement.\n\n\"Scientists are looking at the possibility that there is increased severity... and after a week of looking at the data we came to the conclusion that it was a realistic possibility,\" he said.\n\n\"We need to be transparent about that. If we were not telling people about this we would be accused of covering it up.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Patrick Vallance: \"There is evidence that there's an increased risk for those who have the new variant\"\n\nBut Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of Sage subgroup the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M), agreed it was too early to draw \"strong conclusions\" as the suggested increased mortality rates were based on \"a relatively small amount of data\".\n\nHe told BBC Breakfast he was \"actually quite surprised\" Mr Johnson had made the early findings public rather than monitoring the data \"for a week or two more\".\n\n\"I just worry that where we report things pre-emptively where the data are not really particularly strong,\" Dr Tildesley added.\n\nPublic Health England medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle also said it was not \"absolutely clear\" the new variant was more deadly than the original.\n\n\"There is some evidence, but it is very early evidence. It is small numbers of cases and it is far too early to say,\" she told the Today programme.\n\nMeanwhile, senior doctors are calling on England's chief medical officer to cut the gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nThe British Medical Association told Prof Chris Whitty an extension to the maximum gap between jab from three weeks to 12 weeks, to get the first dose to more people, was \"difficult to justify\".", "Moderna's Covid vaccine appears to work against new, more infectious variants of the pandemic virus found in the UK and South Africa, say scientists from the US pharmaceutical company.\n\nEarly laboratory tests suggest antibodies triggered by the vaccine can recognise and fight the new variants.\n\nMore studies are needed to confirm this is true for people who have been vaccinated.\n\nThe new variants have been spreading fast in a number of nations.\n\nThey have undergone changes or mutations that mean they can infect human cells more easily than the original version of coronavirus that started the pandemic.\n\nExperts think the UK strain, which emerged in September, may be up to 70% more transmissible.\n\nCurrent vaccines were designed around earlier variants, but scientists believe they should still work against the new ones, although perhaps not quite as well. There are already some early results that suggest the Pfizer vaccine protects against the new UK variant.\n\nFor the Moderna study, researchers looked at blood samples taken from eight people who had received the recommended two doses of the Moderna vaccine.\n\nThe findings are yet to be peer reviewed, but suggest immunity from the vaccine recognises the new variants.\n\nNeutralising antibodies, made by the body's immune system, stop the virus from entering cells.\n\nBlood samples exposed to the new variants appeared to have sufficient antibodies to achieve this neutralising effect, although it was not as strong for the South Africa variant as for the UK one.\n\nModerna says this could mean that protection against the South Africa variant might disappear more quickly.\n\nProf Lawrence Young, a virus expert at Warwick Medical School in the UK, said this would be concerning.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC health and science journalist Laura Foster compares the three different Covid-19 vaccines\n\nModerna is currently testing whether giving a third booster shot might be beneficial.\n\nLike other scientists, the company is also investigating whether redesigning the booster to be a better match for the new variants will be beneficial.\n\nStephane Bancel, chief executive officer of Moderna, said the company believed it was \"imperative to be proactive as the virus evolves\".\n\nUK regulators have already approved Moderna's vaccine for rollout on the NHS, but the 17m pre-ordered doses are not expected to arrive until Spring.\n\nThe vaccine works in a similar way to the Pfizer one already being used in the UK.\n\nMore than 6.3 million people in the UK have already received a first dose of either the Pfizer or the AstraZeneca vaccine.", "Media regulator Ofcom has decided not to take any action over Channel 4's use of a \"deepfaked\" video of the Queen.\n\nThe \"alternative Christmas message\" attracted 354 complaints about decency after it aired on Christmas Day.\n\nIt showed an AI-generated version of the Queen, who made jokes about the Royal Family and the prime minister, and danced on top of a table.\n\nBut after assessing things, Ofcom decided not to pursue the complaints about disrespecting the monarch.\n\n\"In our view, Channel 4 made clear that the images were deliberately manipulated as a device to question societal trust in what we see online,\" a spokeswoman for the regulator said.\n\n\"We also consider that the satirical tone of the film was in keeping with audience expectations of this broadcaster,\" it added.\n\nThat decision is similar to Channel 4's own defence of the satire, in which it argued that the parody left viewers \"in no doubt that it was not real\".\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Channel 4 This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nIt also argued the message of the video as a whole was a warning about the importance of trust, and how easily convincing fake images and video can be created - even uploading a behind-the-scenes video about its creation.\n\nAfter airing on national television in the UK, the video has spread widely online, racking up nearly two million views on YouTube alone.\n\nIt has not, however, been universally popular - on top of the formal complaints to Ofcom, it has a poor ratio of likes-to-dislikes on YouTube - with more than 19,000 likes, but nearly 5,000 dislikes.\n\nDeepfakes work by training a computer to draw a person's face by showing it thousands of photographs of that person, ideally from many different angles and in different lighting conditions.\n\nThe computer can then draw that person's face on top of another actor's performance.\n\nThe more varied and numerous the images used in training the model, the better the result - which is why it is almost universally used to fake the appearance of celebrities, who already have hours of available film or television footage available.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nBut there are other limitations on the technology, too.\n\nThe similarity in facial structure, size, and appearance of the actor whose face is being replaced affects the realism of the finished deepfake. It is also far easier to produce a convincing result if the person remains still, as movement can often reveal the artificial nature of the animation.\n\nThe voice must also be replaced by an impersonator and the entire process is incredibly demanding, even for high-end computers, often taking many days of computation.\n\nHowever, the technique is advancing rapidly, and the results are becoming more convincing with each passing year, with major film firms such as Disney actively exploring the technique and developing their own variants.", "Fashion retailer Boohoo has bought the Debenhams brand and website for £55m.\n\nHowever, it will not take on any of the firm's remaining 118 High Street stores or its workforce.\n\nBoohoo said it was a \"transformational deal\" and a \"huge step\". But the deal means that up to 12,000 jobs at the department store chain are set to go.\n\nThe 242-year-old Debenhams chain is already in the process of closing down, after administrators failed to secure a rescue deal for the business.\n\nIn a separate development, Asos says it is in \"exclusive\" talks to buy the Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands out of administration.\n\nBut the online retailer said it only wanted the brands, not their shops, suggesting any deal would cost jobs.\n\nThe current owner of the brands, Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group, fell into administration last November putting 13,000 jobs at risk.\n\nA closing-down sale at 124 Debenhams stores began in December, as the administrators continued to seek offers for all or parts of the business.\n\nThe company announced recently that six shops would not reopen after lockdown, including its flagship department store on London's Oxford Street.\n\nThe administrators of Debenhams UK, FRP Advisory, said they had undertaken a \"thorough and robust process\" to achieve \"the best outcome for Debenhams' stakeholders\".\n\n\"This transaction will allow a new Debenhams-branded business to emerge under strong new ownership, including an online operation and the opportunity to secure an international franchise network that will operate under licence using the Debenhams name,\" they added.\n\nBoohoo has already bought a number of High Street brands out of administration. It snapped up Oasis, Coast and Karen Millen, but not the associated stores.\n\nIts executive chairman, Mahmud Kamani, said: \"This is a transformational deal for the group, which allows us to capture the fantastic opportunity as ecommerce continues to grow. Our ambition is to create the UK's largest marketplace.\n\n\"Our acquisition of the Debenhams brand is strategically significant as it represents a huge step which accelerates our ambition to be a leader, not just in fashion ecommerce, but in new categories including beauty, sport and homeware.\"\n\nBoohoo said Debenhams was expected to relaunch on Boohoo's web platform later this year.\n\nIn the meantime, Debenhams will continue to operate its website for an agreed period.\n\nBoohoo's fast-fashion model has come under scrutiny\n\nBoohoo has recently come under fire over workers' pay and conditions and its ultra-low pricing.\n\nAs well as facing questions about the environmental impact of its fast-fashion business model, there have been accusations of widespread abuse of employment law at some of Boohoo's suppliers in Leicester.\n\nInvestigations last year suggested workers were being paid below the minimum wage.\n\nAfter an independent review of the claims found a series of failings, Mr Kamani said last month that the firm was working to fix the problems, adding: \"We will make a better Boohoo.\"\n\nWhile online retailers have been whittling away at their High Street rivals for years, few could have predicted how quickly bricks-and-mortar stalwarts have collapsed. The pandemic has fatally undermined their already parlous finances. Businesses that appeared to have a chance of survival just a year ago have been wiped out and their brands bought by online players.\n\nThe scale of the change is profound: when Debenhams listed on the stock exchange in 2011, investors valued it at £1.6bn. Boohoo, which was founded only in 2006, already has a stock market value of £4.4bn. Asos, a bit player two decades ago when Sir Philip Green's Arcadia group was riding high and toying with a bid for Marks & Spencer, is now valued by the stock market at £5bn.\n\nNeither Boohoo or Asos see any value in the Debenhams or Topshop High Street estates. Instead, they will concentrate on development of the brands and the associated customer data. This is bad news for the 19,000-odd people who work in the branches of Debenhams and Topshop, and will leave councils around the country wondering how they will fill town centres that were based on retail.\n\nBut just as canny entrepreneurs and private equity companies are gearing up to buy struggling pub chains, in the hope of a recovery once lockdown restrictions are eased, so will some investors be wondering what next for the High Street. The British love affair with shopping will not end overnight and a well-placed punt now could have big rewards.\n\nDebenhams has struggled for years with falling profits and rising debts, as more shopping has moved online. It called in administrators twice in two years, most recently in April.\n\nHowever, its position became untenable during the coronavirus pandemic as non-essential retailers were forced to close for prolonged periods.\n\nThe firm had already trimmed its store portfolio and cut about 6,500 jobs since May, as it struggled to stay afloat.\n\nBusinessman Mike Ashley, who founded Sports Direct and also owns House of Fraser, had already made an offer for Debenhams after it was initially put up for sale in April.\n\nHowever, the takeover offer, thought to be in the region of £125m, was rejected as being too low.\n\nMeanwhile, one of House of Fraser's flagship outlets, the Jenners department store in Edinburgh, is to leave its Princes Street home after 183 years. It will close on 3 May with the loss of 200 jobs.\n\nThe building's owner, Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, announced in November 2019 that he intended to convert the site, replacing Jenners with a hotel, cafes, a rooftop restaurant and luxury shops.\n\nHowever, a spokesperson for Frasers Group said it had been \"unable to reach an agreement\" with Mr Povlsen and that the closure of Jenners would leave \"a vacant site for the foreseeable future with no immediate plans\".\n\nDo you work for Debenhams? Has your job been affected? Please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dutch police have described it as the worst unrest in four decades\n\nMore than 180 people were arrested in 10 Dutch cities as protesters defying a curfew clashed with riot police for a third night running.\n\nShops in Rotterdam were looted and police used water cannon, as rioters resisted latest Covid restrictions.\n\nPrime Minister Mark Rutte condemned \"criminal violence\" and the justice minister said the curfew would remain.\n\nThe Dutch chief of police said the riots no longer had \"anything to do with the basic right to demonstrate\".\n\nThe Netherlands has had nearly one million confirmed Covid cases since the start of the outbreak, with more than 13,500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US, which is tracking the pandemic.\n\nThe government recently introduced a night-time curfew which runs from 21:00 (20:00 GMT) to 04:30. Anyone caught violating it faces a €95 (£84) fine.\n\nThere were further violent scenes in many towns and cities. Riot police clashed with protesters in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, as well as Amersfoort, Den Bosch, Alphen and Helmond.\n\nSome of the worst disturbances were in the south of Rotterdam where police said 10 officers were hurt. Across the country 184 people were arrested. Amsterdam's mayor appealed to parents to keep young people indoors.\n\nSeveral cities have vowed to introduce emergency measures in an effort to prevent more disturbances\n\nThe windows of some shops were smashed in Rotterdam\n\nFires were lit on the streets of The Hague, where police on bicycles attempted to move small clusters of men who threw stones and fireworks. There was violence in the southern city of Den Bosch, where rioters set off fireworks, broke windows, looted a supermarket and overturned cars.\n\nA woman living near Den Bosch train station told Dutch radio that masked youths had left a trail of destruction in the city centre. \"I saw windows smashed and fireworks going off. Really crazy, just like a war zone,\" the woman said. Roads into the city were closed to stop people joining the rioters and Mayor Jack Mikkers imposed an emergency order banning gatherings on Tuesday.\n\nThe ignition of discontent has rocked the core of Dutch society.\n\nIn the absence of any legitimate way to socialise, is this simply an outlet for young men to feel part of something, their masks concealing their identities and enabling them to violently channel their frustrations?\n\nThere are more sinister influences at play. Messages on social media, overt and covert, have whipped up anger. Misinformation has even been spread by some politicians.\n\nSome of the worst violence was in Rotterdam\n\nSome feared a curfew would be a tipping point, as Dutch restrictions tighten while some neighbouring countries relax their rules. The vast majority of people in the Netherlands are peacefully observing the curfew.\n\nThe unrest was initially seen as a response to the first \"stay-at-home\" order imposed since Nazi occupation during World War Two. That notion has been dismissed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who said the rioters were simply criminals and would be treated as such.\n\nBut there are simmering anxieties in Dutch towns and cities, and with less than two months before a general election, voters are vulnerable and the streets volatile.\n\nThere has been widespread shock at the violence. In Rotterdam, where police used water cannon during clashes with rioters, Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb signed an emergency decree, giving police broader powers of arrest. He reacted furiously to shops being looted in the south of the city, condemning \"shameless thieves, I can't call it anything else\".\n\nThe prime minister said the police had the government's full support: \"The riots have nothing to do with protesting or fighting for freedom.\"\n\nRotterdam shop-owner Emrah Köker said he had no words for what he had seen. \"How can this happen in the Netherlands?\" he asked Dutch daily newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhuis challenged anyone to explain what looting a shop had to do with coronavirus.\n\nThe mayor of Den Bosch said police had struggled to respond to the violence because they were needed in other nearby towns.\n\nFootball fans of the Willem II club took to the streets of Tilburg to \"protect their city\" against rioters, news site Brabants Dagblad reports.\n\nMayors in several cities have vowed to introduce emergency measures in an effort to prevent more disturbances.\n\nThe Dutch prime minister has condemned the violence\n\nThere has been widespread shock in the Netherlands over the violence", "The public's trust in the way the UK is run is breaking down, former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown has warned.\n\nHe said Covid-19 had exposed \"tensions\" between Whitehall and the nations and regions, who were often treated by the centre as if they were \"invisible\".\n\nMr Brown is urging Boris Johnson to set up a commission to review how the country is governed and powers shared.\n\nBut the PM said his focus was on the pandemic, stressing the benefits of the union could be \"seen everywhere\".\n\nMr Brown's intervention comes amid a looming clash between Mr Johnson and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has demanded the UK agree to another Scottish independence referendum if the SNP wins a majority in May's Holyrood elections.\n\nThe Court of Session is hearing arguments about whether Holyrood can legislate to hold one even if the UK government continues to object.\n\nWriting in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Brown - who advocates a federal system with more power for nations and regions - says the pandemic has \"brought to the surface tensions and grievances that have been simmering for years\" between Downing Street and the various parts of the UK.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Conservatives election win was not 'a signal that the country is at ease' warns Brown\n\nHe points to \"bitter disputes\" over issues such as lockdown restrictions and furlough and said unless underlying tensions were resolved, the UK risked becoming a \"failed state\".\n\nIn an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today, he said at a time \"when all should be pulling together and intensifying co-operation across the UK\" there was division and claims by the leaders of Scotland and Wales and the English regions that they were not being properly consulted.\n\nLast year there were rows between the government and local authorities over coronavirus tiers, with the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, objecting to plans to put the region into the strictest level of restrictions.\n\nMr Brown told Today that while he was \"confident\" that Scotland would still be part of the UK in ten years time, the way the UK was governed had to change.\n\n\"I think the public are fed up. I think in many ways, they feel they are being treated as second class citizens, particularly in the outlying areas, that they are invisible and forgotten.\"\n\n\"Something has broken down in trust and has to be repaired.\"\n\nMr Brown is advising the Labour Party on its devolution strategy - but has also held talks with government ministers including Michael Gove in recent weeks.\n\nGovernment sources say they are focused on taking tangible steps to demonstrate the value of the UK.\n\nThe idea of a fundamental review of the UK's power structures has been suggested as one possible way to counter support for Scottish independence ahead of May's Holyrood election.\n\nBut a series of polls now suggest support for independence is higher than support for the union - and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will demand another referendum if, as seems likely, her party - the SNP - wins in May.\n\nHe is calling on Boris Johnson to immediately set up a commission on democracy to review how the UK is governed, something the Conservatives promised in their manifesto before the last general election.\n\nIn his Telegraph article, he suggests it would find that the UK needs a Forum of the Nations and Regions, citizens' assemblies, and a greater focus on the benefits of cooperation in areas such as the NHS and the armed forces.\n\nThe current Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer also supports devolving more powers from Westminster but opposes another Scottish independence referendum.\n\nThe SNP said last week that there would be a \"legal referendum\" after the pandemic if May's Holyrood election returned a pro-independence majority.\n\nAsked if he would stand in the way of this, Mr Johnson said what the British public wanted was for its political leaders to focus on beating coronavirus, adding that the advantages of the UK's four nations working together \"spoke for themselves\".\n\n\"I think people can see everywhere in the UK the visible benefits of our wonderful union,\" he said.\n\n\"A vaccine programme that is being rolled out by a National Health Service, a vaccine that was developed in labs in Oxford and is being administered by the British Army.\"\n\nBut the SNP said the Scottish people, not Westminster-based politicians, should decide the country's future.\n\n\"No amount of constitutional tinkering from Labour would protect Scotland from Brexit or the Tory power grab - only independence can do that,\" said Kirsten Oswald, the party's deputy Westminster leader.\n\n\"The Scottish people will see right through this attempt to deny their democratic right.\"\n\nA poll commissioned by the Sunday Times in Northern Ireland found 51% of people wanted a referendum on Irish unity in the next five years.\n\nDUP leader and Northern Irish First Minister Arlene Foster said such a vote would be \"absolutely reckless\".\n\nNumbers supporting Wales breaking away from the UK also appear to be rising. The pro-independence campaign group Yes Cymru has said membership swelled from 2,000 at the start of 2020 to more than 17,000.\n\nPlaid Cymru has also promised to hold an independence referendum if it wins the next Senedd election.\n\nResponding to Mr Brown's intervention, the party's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts said: \"It's been clear for many years that the UK doesn't work for Wales - I'm glad that the Labour Party are starting to see that.\"", "Prince Charles Hospital now has an expanded special care baby unit and six en-suite delivery rooms\n\nIt followed concerns that emerged in late 2018 that women and babies may have come to harm because of staff shortages and failures to report serious incidents.\n\nThe review by experts from two royal colleges was in addition to the health board's own investigation. Maternity services in Cwm Taf are now in special measures and an independent panel was set up to drive improvements.\n\nHow many incidents are we talking about?\n• None 150cases from 2016-2018 reviewed so lessons can be learnt\n\nThe health board's own investigation looked at 43 cases, including 25 serious incidents. Of these initial cases, 20 were at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant and 23 at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil. The serious incidents include eight stillbirths and five deaths shortly after birth, all between January 2016 and last September.\n\nThey came to light after concerns were raised that staff had not been reporting serious incidents.\n\nThe health board said it faced \"extreme\" staff shortages and was urgently trying to make improvements.\n\nBut the review team cast doubt on the ability of the health board to make changes, without more support. It said it was \"dismayed\" that an internal report, written by a consultant midwife, highlighting many safety concerns last September was not acted upon, \"thereby continuing to expose women to unacceptable risks\".\n\nA consultant midwife also identified 67 stillbirths, going back to 2010, which had not been reported by the health board.\n\nThe independent panel decided to widen its scope to look at 350 cases of women who were transferred out of the health board area.\n\nIn October 2019, the panel said it was looking at a total of 150 cases between 2016 and 2018 - including the 43 cases initially investigated. There is still scope to look back at further years.\n\nWho has been investigating?\n\nThe health minister Vaughan Gething ordered an \"independent external review\" by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology and the Royal College of Midwives last October.\n\nIts findings, published in April 2019, were damning and found services \"under extreme pressure\" and \"dysfunctional\", while mothers had distressing experiences in how they were treated.\n\nCwm Taf's maternity services were placed in special measures and the independent panel overseeing changes has indicated as well as looking back in detail at past cases it wanted to ensure improvements were robust and to look at lessons that could be learned across Wales.\n\nHave any changes been made?\n\nThe royal colleges review team ordered urgent action after visiting hospitals in January 2019 - finding \"a number of immediate quality and safety concerns\".\n\nMeasures included more cover by doctors, strengthened processes for flagging up problems and more support for junior doctors. Cwm Taf now says these have all been completed.\n\nThe latest progress report from the independent panel in January 2020 found the most urgent improvements had been made.\n\nStaffing levels and training had improved, there was a better system for flagging up complaints and surveys found \"high levels of satisfaction\" from women using Prince Charles Hospital.\n\nThe panel was \"cautiously optimistic\" that long term improvements would be made.\n\nChioma Udeogu, who has moved back home to Nigeria\n\nThe review's parallel report on how families were dealt with was perhaps the most powerful testimony on the problems at Cwm Taf.\n\nMothers were said to have been ignored or made to feel worthless.\n\nThey spoke of being ignored or patronised.\n\nOne mother said: \"I want having a baby to be a good experience. It's ruined it.\"\n\nThere was the case of Sarah Handy, who was sent home from hospital in pain with laxatives, before giving birth prematurely at home. Her daughter died.\n\nChioma Udeogu's daughter was delivered stillborn after failings in her care at the Royal Glamorgan hospital in January 2017. An internal investigation has already found midwives failed for 12 hours to carry out antenatal checks on Mrs Udeogu, an engineering student at the University of South Wales at the time.\n\n\"I believe that if I was properly monitored in the hospital I wouldn't have lost her,\" she said.\n\nJessica Western, from Rhoose, in the Vale of Glamorgan, said she was not listened to when she could not feel her baby move in the month before the birth.\n\nJessica Western says she was not listened to at different points before and after the birth of her baby\n\nHer daughter Macie died in March 2018, 19 days after she was born.\n\n\"I'm only young and I do want to have more kids eventually, but I'm not prepared to put myself through a pregnancy if this could happen again,\" she said.\n\nAnother, Monique Aziz, from Coedely, Rhondda Cynon Taff, whose baby son died days after leaving hospital, said: \"I just want to know if he would have still been here if things had been done differently.\"\n\nWhat else has been happening?\n\nIn the background, there have been long planned changes in how maternity services are organised.\n\nFrom March 2019, doctor-led care for mothers in labour or for babies needing specialist neonatal care is now only provided on one site - Prince Charles Hospital. The Royal Glamorgan still has a 24-hour midwife unit for less complicated births and will continue to provide all antenatal services, clinic appointments, scans and tests during pregnancy.\n\nThe changes follow long-standing concerns that specialist maternity staff had been spread too thinly. The health board says those changes will help address challenges, including over staffing.\n\nAfter the critical report, the health board's chief executive went on sickness leave and then resigned in August 2019.\n\nStress and sickness absence was reported to be an issue among midwives, in the aftermath of the review.\n\nHow far back to those concerns go?\n\nThe fragility of maternity services in the area can be traced back for at least a decade. In a review in 2011 the Wales Audit Office raised concerns about staffing, skill mix and absences and the health board's ability to deliver maternity services on two sites.\n\nConcerns about the quality of maternity care were also at the heart of a controversial plan in 2014 to centralise some specialist services in fewer hospitals along the M4 corridor. It recommended moving doctor-led care for mothers and children (along with A&E) from the Royal Glamorgan hospital.\n\nCwm Taf health board initially rejected the plan and several months of wrangling followed.\n\nFour years later, the proposals on maternity services are only now being finally implemented.\n\nWhat is the independent panel doing?\n\nThe chairman Mick Giannasi - who has a track record going into troubled organisations, like Anglesey Council and the Welsh Ambulance Service - brings clinical expertise. He is also setting up a system so families can be involved and kept fully informed.\n\nIn the first progress report in October 2019, the panel said there had been progress - around a third of the action points in the improvement plan had been delivered - but a \"significant amount of work\" still needed to be done.\n\nThere had been \"significant\" progress by January 2020 although with more than two thirds of recommendations it was still \"work in progress\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Vaccination appointments for people aged 70-79 are being delivered from Monday - but plans to use distinctive blue envelopes in some parts of the country have been delayed.\n\nThe aim is to have this group receive their first dose by mid-February.\n\nOn Sunday morning, the Scottish government said some letters would be sent out in blue envelopes and given Royal Mail priority.\n\nBut in a statement published later it said the envelopes were not yet ready.\n\nIt added that the change has no impact on the vaccination programme timetable.\n\nVaccinations for over-80s are continuing, with Nicola Sturgeon revealing on Sunday that about 40% of this age group had received a first dose of the vaccine.\n\nAll appointments will initially be sent out in white envelopes which will have a window and a black NHS logo on the right hand side.\n\nThe blue envelopes were due to be sent out in Fife, Forth Valley, Ayrshire and Arran, Lanarkshire, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Lothian as part of a new booking system.\n\nUnder the system, patients are scheduled in order of priority and more boards are expected to make use of the technology as the vaccination programme expands.\n\nA Scottish government spokesman said the blue envelopes would be introduced \"as quickly as possible\".\n\nHe added: \"The blue envelopes we hoped to use were not ready in time for the first tranche of vaccine appointment invitations so distinctive NHS branded white envelopes are being used as a temporary measure.\n\n\"The absolute priority remains the roll-out of vaccinations and this temporary change to the envelope colour has absolutely no impact to our timetable.\n\n\"We continue to strongly urge everyone in the 70-79 age group to check all their post in the coming weeks and take up the offer of the vaccine when it is received,\" he added.\n\nAccording to the Scottish government's vaccine deployment plan, the 470,000 people aged in the 70 and 79 age bracket should receive their first dose by mid-February.\n\nSome patients may receive a phone call from their local health board as part of the appointment process.\n\nAnd all patients aged 75 to 79 in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will be invited via phone.\n\nA Royal Mail spokesman said \"clearly marked envelopes\" would be used to make it easier for the postal service to identify and prioritise this mail during sorting and delivery process.\n\nHe added: \"We are poised to make these letters even more noticeable in the coming weeks as we have agreed.\"\n\nMeanwhile, the Scottish government has said it is on track for all those aged 80 and over to have received their first dose of the vaccine by the end of the first week in February.\n\nThis age group are being contacted by telephone or another form of letter.\n\nMinisters have faced criticism over the pace of the vaccine rollout, and accusations that Scotland is \"lagging behind\" England on the vaccine roll-out.\n\nOpposition parties say vaccines are not being supplied to GPs' surgeries fast enough.\n\nAnd they point to the latest official figures which show that 13% of over 80s in Scotland had their first dose by Sunday 17 January, while 56.3% of same age group had been vaccinated in England.\n\nMs Sturgeon told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that, a week on, the figure had reached about 40%.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nicola Sturgeon says the over 70s are to receive their vaccine date\n\nThe UK government Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Andrew Marr on Sunday that 75% of over-80s and three-quarters of UK care homes had received a first Covid vaccine in England.\n\nAbout 95% of Scottish care home residents have received their first dose, Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish government briefing on Friday.\n\nShe said the over-80s roll-out has been slower because the Scottish government has \"very deliberately\" concentrated on vaccinating care home residents first, which is \"more time consuming and labour intensive\".\n\nThis was designed to target the most vulnerable and was in line with the priority list compiled by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises on vaccine rollout across the UK, she said.\n\nScotland's national clinical director Prof Jason Leitch has defended the plan, which has been challenged by the British Medical Association (BMA) for not getting second doses out quickly enough.\n\nProf Leitch told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: \"The difficulty with the BMA's position is that we would have to de-prioritise another group, either care home residents or the over-80s, in order to give a second dose to younger people.\n\n\"And that's what the Joint Committee on Vaccination have told us not to do.\n\n\"They have told us in very clear terms - give the first dose to as many vulnerable people as you can and that gives us the best chance of saving the most lives.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Deputy First Minister John Swinney told Politics Scotland that the Scottish government was \"actively exploring\" the possibility of stricter rules around facemasks.\n\nHe said the issue was being \"looked at\" after new rules announced in Germany last week required people to wear medical-grade facemasks on public transport and in shops.\n\nMr Swinney said progress was being made in reducing cases but hospitals were still under \"enormous pressure\" and it would be \"foolish\" to rule out strengthening restrictions further in the future.", "Concerns emerged in late 2018 that women and babies may have come to harm because of staff shortages and failures to report serious incidents\n\nTwo-thirds of women at the heart of a review into maternity services at a Welsh health board could have had very different outcomes if they had received better care, a report has found.\n\nThe Independent Maternity Services Oversight Panel (Imsop) focused on the experiences of pregnant women at Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board.\n\nIts maternity services have been in special measures since \"serious failings\" were found two years ago.\n\nConcerns emerged in late 2018 that women and babies may have come to harm because of staff shortages and failures to report serious incidents.\n\nThis sparked a major independent review, which gave a damning verdict on maternity services in the health board area that covers about 450,000 people living in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Bridgend and Merthyr Tydfil.\n\nPublished on Monday, the Imsop report focuses on the care of 27 women, most of whom were admitted to an intensive care unit during 28 \"episodes of care\" between January 2016 and September 2018.\n\nIt found that 19 reviews of maternal care (68%) revealed at least one factor where \"different management would reasonably have been expected to alter the outcome\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Kayden was born with severe brain damage following mistakes in his mother's maternity care\n\nThe panel's chairman, Mick Giannasi, said: \"These findings will be concerning and potentially distressing for the women and families involved, and it will be difficult for staff.\n\n\"Of the 28 episodes of care, we concluded that in 27 of them, our independent teams who reviewed the care would have done something differently. Put simply, what went wrong, might not have gone wrong if things had been done differently.\"\n\nTwo further reviews of stillbirths and neonatal mortality and morbidity will follow later this year. In total, all three independent reviews will looks at 160 cases.\n\nImsop's findings reinforce those of the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.\n\nThe royal colleges' 2019 investigation found mothers faced \"distressing experiences and poor care\" at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant and Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, with maternity services deemed \"dysfunctional\".\n\nFour key areas have been identified by Imsop as factors which contributed to poor care. These are:\n\nWales' Health Minister Vaughan Gething said the latest report recognises things are moving in the right direction for the health board, but more needs to be done.\n\n\"The report highlights that women weren't always at the centre of their care and that women weren't always listened to, and that led to harm that could have been avoided,\" Mr Gething told reporters at the latest Welsh Government press briefing.\n\n\"Nothing will be able to change what these women and their families experienced at these two hospitals or the outcome for those families whose babies died or came to harm.\n\n\"I am deeply sorry for everything that happened.\"\n\nVaughan Gething says he is \"deeply sorry\" women and their families were not listened to\n\nHe said he hoped \"families can take some comfort\" from the reviews that have provided answers to questions they were asking.\n\n\"My thoughts are with everyone affected by this report today and those who are still awaiting the outcome of their reviews,\" Mr Gething added.\n\nCwm Taf Morgannwg health board said it has been \"working with the panel and families\" to put in place a \"comprehensive maternity and neonatal improvement programme\".\n\n\"It has been a period of reflection during which we have examined the regrettable failings in maternity services of the former Cwm Taf University Health Board and we acknowledge the fact that we still have some way to go,\" said Greg Dix, the health board's executive director of nursing and midwifery.\n\n\"We will never forget the tragedies suffered by women, their families and our staff, and the learning from these cases is a key corner stone on which we are building our improvement plans.\"", "Credit card giant Mastercard is to raise the fees it charges EU merchants when UK cardholders buy goods and services from them online by fivefold.\n\nIt has sparked fears that consumer prices could rise if merchants choose to pass on those costs, especially on items not available from UK retailers.\n\nTransactions with airlines, hotels, car rentals and holiday firms based in the EU could all be affected.\n\nMastercard attributed the move to the UK's decision to leave the EU.\n\nIt said that only online sales would be affected and that \"in practice\" UK consumers would not notice the change.\n\nThe change affects the \"interchange\" fees Mastercard sets on behalf of big banks, so that its customers can use their payment networks.\n\nFrom October, Mastercard said it would increase these fees to 1.5% on every transaction, up from 0.3%.\n\nThe EU introduced a cap on such fees in 2015 after concerns they pushed prices up for consumers and unfairly burdened companies.\n\nBritish customers makes tens of billions of pounds of purchases every year from European merchants on credit cards alone - and the hike in fees from Mastercard will affect the majority of those.\n\nThe increase may be relatively small but it's significant, coming at a time when retailers may face extra paperwork and checks - higher costs - for goods coming into the UK.\n\nWith Covid restrictions bringing their own challenges, businesses, especially smaller ones, may be compelled to pass on the costs to consumers.\n\nAnd it's not just items crossing borders. The payments for most items bought on Amazon in the UK are processed via its Luxembourg headquarters.\n\nWith the increase not coming in for several months, international companies may look at ways to reclassify UK sales, to avoid the charges.\n\nMastercard is implementing the rises simply as it's no longer bound by the restrictions imposed by the UK being in the EU. The banks which receive the fees have said in the past that they are invested in areas such as card security and innovation. This time, however, the trade body which represents them has declined to comment on the rises.\n\nBut Mastercard said that since the end of the Brexit transition period, the cap no longer applied to many payments between the UK and European Economic Area (which also includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).\n\n\"As a result of the UK leaving the EEA, Mastercard will adapt interchange rates on UK cards to the commitments it gave the European Commission in 2019 for non-EEA card transactions,\" the company said.\n\n\"In practice, only EEA merchants making e-commerce sales to UK cardholders will see a change.\"\n\nKevin Hollinrake, chair of the parliamentary group on Fair Business Banking, told the Financial Times, which first reported the story, that the move \"smacks of opportunism\".\n\nAnd Callum Godwin, chief economist at CMSPI, the global payments consultancy, said airlines, hotels, car rentals and travel groups would be hit.\n\n\"[This will happen] anywhere the consumer is in the UK and the merchant is in the EU,\" he said.\n\nHe added that many firms in these industries were already struggling due to the pandemic.\n\nVisa, Mastercard's larger rival, has not announced plans to change its fees but told the FT it was keeping the issue under review.\n\nCompanies in the UK and EU are already facing added costs and delays due to post-Brexit trade rules brought in on 1 January.\n\nSome EU exporters have already stopped deliveries to the UK because of new VAT related charges.\n\nMeanwhile, UK consumers who have bought goods from firms based in the bloc have found themselves facing hefty charges to cover customs duties, taxes and administration.", "Chelsea have sacked manager Frank Lampard after 18 months in charge, with former Paris St-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel expected to replace him.\n\nLampard, 42, leaves with the club ninth in the Premier League after last week's defeat at Leicester City, having won once in their past five league matches.\n\nHis final game was Sunday's 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win against Luton.\n\nLampard was appointed on a three-year contract when he replaced Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge in July 2019.\n• None Watch Monday Night Club: Is Tuchel right man for Chelsea?\n• None 'Lampard had seen enough Chelsea managers go to know the score'\n• None Why Tuchel will be a popular appointment in the Chelsea dressing room\n• None Tuchel set to come in after Lampard sacking - reaction\n\nIn a statement released on Monday night, Lampard said he was \"disappointed not to have had the time to take the club forward\" and added that it had been a \"huge privilege and an honour\" to manage the club.\n\n\"When I took on this role I understood the challenges that lay ahead in a difficult time for the football club,\" he continued.\n\n\"I am proud of the achievements that we made, and I am proud of the academy players that have made their step into the first team and performed so well. They are the future of the club.\"\n\nChelsea are hopeful that new manager Tuchel will be on the bench for Wednesday's Premier League game against Wolves at Stamford Bridge.\n\nHe will not be exempt from coronavirus quarantine.\n\nBut if Tuchel tests negative on entry to the United Kingdom and then negative again in order to enter a Premier League club's bubble, he will be granted an exemption by the Football Association for attending matches and training.\n\nHe will still have to serve a quarantine period outside of those environments, which will last five days.\n\nFormer Chelsea midfielder Lampard guided them to fourth place and the FA Cup final in his first season in charge, and a 3-1 win against Leeds in early December put the club top of the Premier League.\n\nHowever, the Blues have suffered five defeats in their past eight league games, as many as they had in their previous 23.\n\nIn a statement, Chelsea said: \"This has been a very difficult decision, and not one that the owner and the board have taken lightly.\n\n\"We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as head coach of the club. However, recent results and performances have not met the club's expectations, leaving the club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement.\n\n\"There can never be a good time to part ways with a club legend such as Frank, but after lengthy deliberation and consideration it was decided a change is needed now to give the club time to improve performances and results this season.\"\n\nOwner Roman Abramovich said Lampard's status as an \"important icon\" of the club \"remains undiminished\" despite his dismissal.\n\n\"This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him,\" said Abramovich.\n\n\"He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.\"\n\nLampard did not sign a single player during his first season as the club were operating under a transfer embargo, but spent more than £200m on seven major signings last summer, including £45m on Leicester's Ben Chilwell and £71m on midfielder Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen.\n\nIt is the most Chelsea have spent in one summer, eclipsing the £186m they invested at the start of the 2017-18 season.\n\nLampard is Chelsea's all-time record scorer, with 211 goals for the club between 2001 and 2014, and is also joint-seventh on the list of most capped England players, having made 106 appearances for his country over 15 years from 1999.\n\nDuring his 13 seasons as a player at Stamford Bridge, he made 648 appearances and won 11 major trophies - including four Premier League titles and the 2012 Champions League.\n\nHis first managerial job was at Derby. In his one season in charge, they reached the Championship play-off final, where they lost to Aston Villa.\n\nLampard became the 10th full-time manager appointed by Abramovich since the billionaire bought the club in 2003.\n\nAccording to football finance journalist Kieran Maguire, Abramovich had spent £110m on sacking managers before Lampard's dismissal.\n\nHaving finished with 66 points last season after 20 wins and 12 defeats, Chelsea have lost six times in their opening 19 league games this season.\n\nLampard's points-per-game average of 1.67 is the lowest of any permanent Chelsea manager in the Premier League. During the Abramovich era, only Andre Villas-Boas (47.5%) has a worse win rate than Lampard's 52.4%, in all competitions among permanent Chelsea bosses.\n\nIn contrast, Jose Mourinho's win rate in all competitions during his first spell in charge was 67.03%, while Sarri, Antonio Conte, Avram Grant, Carlo Ancelotti and Claudio Ranieri all had win rates over 60%.\n\nAnalysis - lack of confidence among squad key to sacking\n\nLampard was sacked because the club could not see him reversing a slide in form.\n\nAfter qualifying for the Champions League last season and spending more than £200m on players in the summer, the aim this campaign was to close the gap on the leaders, but that has not been achieved.\n\nAlthough links will be made between Tuchel's heritage and the poor form of fellow Germans Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, the change was made because of the lack of confidence among the whole squad.\n\nIt is hoped that Tuchel can rejuvenate a team that is five points outside of the top four, and an announcement could be made within 24 hours.\n\nThe decision to sack Lampard was very difficult for Abramovich, who has never made a statement when changing Chelsea managers previously.\n\nIn the end, Lampard paid for his relative inexperience as a manager, which cannot be said of Tuchel.\n\nBest of reaction to Lampard sacking\n\nManchester City boss Pep Guardiola: \"People talk about projects and ideas. They don't exist. You have to win or you will be replaced. I am not judging Chelsea's decision. I respect their decision. But our world is to win as much as possible.\n\n\"I hope to see Frank soon and go to a restaurant with him when lockdown is finished.\"\n\nTottenham boss Jose Mourinho: \"It is the brutality of football. Anything can happen in football now, every time somebody loses their job it is sad news but he is a big boy, [with] a strong personality and strong mentality.\n\n\"I am pretty sure he will be back when he wants to be back and his career will be good. I hope so.\"\n\nWest Ham boss David Moyes: \"I'm disappointed for Frank as I saw him as one of the most up and coming young English managers in the country.\n\n\"It's a big thing we try to encourage our own British managers into the big leagues, if we can. I'm sure he'll come back and learn from it.\n\n\"He did a great job last year - he did a really good job with so many youngsters coming through the academy. It seemed a little bit harder for him this year. I'm sure he'll take time off, come back and get better.\"\n\nLeicester boss Brendan Rodgers: \"Clearly I'm really sad for Frank and his staff. I know how much the club means to him.\n\n\"Looking at the squad and how young they are, they need time. He hasn't been given that time. I really feel for him. He did great at Derby.\n\n\"He had the courage to step out of an amazing career and could have taken an easier route. It was a job he couldn't turn down, even though he didn't have a lot of experience.\n\n\"Results haven't been what he would have wanted, but I feel it's a job that needed time.\"\n\nCrystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson: \"It saddens me. I thought he did an excellent job last season. I was rather hoping that the idol of the fans and Chelsea legend that he is, he'd get a longer shot than 18 months.\n\n\"Managers who have had short stays at Chelsea have gone on to have good careers elsewhere. When you're sacked for the first time, it is a devastating blow. There's no doubt he has a pedigree to be a very good manager.\"\n\nFormer Chelsea striker Chris Sutton speaking on BBC 5 Live's Monday Night Club: \"It is 52 days since Chelsea were top of the Premier League and 48 days ago that Chelsea had been on an unbeaten run of 17 games.\n\n\"So in the space of 48 days the owner has decided to write Frank Lampard off. How are we ever going to know if Frank Lampard is a good manager? You only every really learn about people and their characteristics and traits when they go through a little bit of adversity and Frank has gone through a little bit of adversity.\n\n\"Frank has basically been sacked for the owner's expectations. I feel sorry for Frank because he is a club legend.\n\n\"They are five points off fourth place, but the bottom line is that the owner wants to win the Premier League and that was always going to be the pressure.\n\n\"Chelsea should have been more loyal. We know the owner's track record - he is ruthless, he is brutal and guillotined Frank.\"\n\nScott G: Been a Chelsea fan since Nevin, Speedie and Dixon and admit I've enjoyed all the success money has brought us over the last 20 years. However, there's a sadness about that decision. Some things money can't buy. #SuperFrank\n\nFil Harris: Isn't the whole point of appointing a younger manager to give him time to build and develop? Craziness from Chelsea to sack Lampard after such a short time.\n\nSimon Kirk: Been a Chelsea fan since 1969 and have never been so annoyed at a sacking of a Chelsea manager. He needed at least another 18 months. Shame on you Abramovich and the Chelsea board for supporting such a decision.\n\nRyan Howard: I find it such a weird sacking - a month or so ago Chelsea were in a nice groove, Zouma and Silva were scoring and keeping clean sheets, now after one bad run he gets sacked. Chelsea could be a world-class club if they just gave a manager proper time to build a team.\n\nPeter Josi: Chelsea are totally right to sack Lampard, he lacked the experience or coaching prowess to lead the side. The next phase should start with an investigation into our transfer policy and how our last two record signings turned out to be flops.\n\nThomas Wilson: Why are people surprised Lampard was sacked? Chelsea have been ruthlessly successful for 15 years. They are not going to suddenly resort to being generously unsuccessful because of a club legend being at the helm.\n• None All the goals, highlights and drama from Sunday's fourth-round ties are", "The leader says he is \"optimistic\" and is recieving medical treatment\n\nMexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced he has tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nThe 67-year-old said on Twitter that his symptoms were mild and that he was \"optimistic\" following the diagnosis.\n\nThe development comes as Mexico grapples with an upsurge in infections, with deaths nearing 150,000.\n\nMr López Obrador says he will continue working from home, including speaking to President Vladimir Putin about acquiring a Russian-made vaccine.\n\nIt was announced earlier on Sunday that a call between the two leaders will take place on Monday to discuss their bilateral relationship and the possible supply of Sputnik V jabs.\n\nThe Mexican president said last year he would try and acquire 12 million doses of the Russian-made vaccine if it proved effective.\n\nMexico has not yet approved the jab for use, but officials want to expand the country's vaccination program for the population of 128 million people amid delivery delays from Pfizer-BioNTech.\n\nSputnik V has already received authorisation in a number of other countries, including Brazil and Argentina. Hungary became the first in the EU to give it the green light this week.\n\nJosé Luis Alomia Zegarra, a senior health official, described Mr López Obrador's condition as stable and told a news briefing that \"a team of medical specialists\" were attending to the president.\n\nMexico has recorded more than 1.75m virus cases since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University tracking.\n\nThe nation's confirmed death toll of 149,614 is one of the highest in the world - behind only the US, Brazil and India.", "Janet Yellen has been confirmed as the first ever female US treasury secretary in a Senate vote.\n\nMs Yellen, who headed the US central bank from 2014 to 2018, earlier won bipartisan support from members of the Senate Finance Committee.\n\nShe will be responsible for guiding the Biden administration's economic response to the pandemic.\n\nThe US is struggling to rebound economically from the hit caused by the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nAt her confirmation hearing on 19 January, Ms Yellen urged Congress to approve trillions more in pandemic relief and economic stimulus, saying that lawmakers should \"act big\" without worrying about national debt.\n\nIn response, Republican senators warned the former Federal Reserve head this was not the time for \"a laundry list\" of liberal reforms.\n\nMs Yellen disagreed, highlighting the fact that many families whose incomes have fallen were not reached by jobless programmes. She argued that plans to raise taxes must be seen in the context of financing bigger investments necessary to make the US economy competitive.\n\n\"The focus now is not on tax increases. It is on programmes to help us get through the pandemic,\" she stressed.\n\nJanet Yellen was previously chair of the US Federal Reserve. She was known for focusing more attention on the impact of the central bank's policies on workers and the costs of America's rising inequality.\n\nBefore then-President Barack Obama named her to lead the Fed in 2014, she had served as one of its board members for a decade, including four years as vice-chair.\n\nJanet Yellen speaking at a press conference in 2017 as US Federal Reserve Chair\n\nDonald Trump bucked Washington tradition when he opted not to appoint Ms Yellen to a second four-year term at the Fed.\n\nHowever, her climb to the top of the economics profession had made her a feminist icon in the economics world.\n\nWhen she left the Fed in 2018, many paid tribute to her leadership by imitating her signature look of a blazer with a popped collar.\n\nMs Yellen is seen as someone able to satisfy both progressive and centrist members of Mr Biden's Democratic party. Her nomination to lead the Fed in 2014 won support from some Republicans.\n\nHer focus on employment, rather than inflation, gave her a reputation of favouring low interest rates, which spur economic activity by making it less expensive to borrow money.\n\nBut under her leadership, the Fed raised interest rates for the first time since 2008 - albeit less aggressively than some more conservative commentators supported.\n\nHer stewardship of that process has won praise on Wall Street, even as it remains hotly debated.", "Sunderland-based Hays Travel took over Thomas Cook's stores and staff in 2019\n\nTravel firm Hays Travel is to close 89 of its 535 shops following a review into its take over of Thomas Cook.\n\nThe Sunderland-based firm bought the collapsed company in October 2019 and deferred a review into the performance of its shops until 2021.\n\nA Hays Travel spokeswoman said the third national lockdown and travel ban meant \"the company had to act\".\n\nShe said 388 staff affected by the closures would be offered \"alternative work options\" to minimise redundancies.\n\nChief operating officer Jonathon Woodall said the \"first priority\" was to \"look after our customers\" and ensure \"the highest standards of customer service\".\n\nHe added that the firm was \"continuing with our robust two-year business plan and continue to be ready for the bounce back when it comes\".\n\nDame Irene Hays said business had not bounced back as had been hoped\n\nDame Irene Hays, owner and chair of the Sunderland-based firm, said it was \"always our intention to review the performance of our shops at the end of the licence period\".\n\n\"We had hoped the business would bounce back in January and it has not,\" she said.\n\n\"We have done everything we could to safeguard jobs and the business thus far, and we have come up with a range of options for those at risk of redundancy to help as many colleagues as we can.\"\n\nOptions for staff include working from home or filling vacancies in other shops.\n\nThe spokeswoman said the firm employed about 7,700 people, many of whom were \"working from home taking bookings for holidays for 2021 and beyond\".\n\nThe company has yet to confirm which of its locations will be affected.\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Sir Keir Starmer is isolating after a contact tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer is self-isolating for the third time, after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nHe said he would be working from home until next Monday after being notified of the contact earlier.\n\nSir Keir confirmed on Twitter that he had no symptoms.\n\nThe Labour leader last self-isolated in December after a member of his staff tested positive for Covid-19, but he never showed any symptoms of the virus.\n\nHe also self-isolated in September after a member of his family showed symptoms - but they later tested negative, allowing Sir Keir to get back to Westminster.\n\nIf you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus, you have a legal obligation to self-isolate.\n\nYou then have to stay at home, not going out for any reason, for 10 days from the time you last saw the contact.\n\nIf you don't stick to the rules, the police can issue you with a fine, starting at £1,000.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Keir Starmer This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nFor Sir Keir, he needs to stay indoors until next Monday and cancel all his upcoming plans for the week.\n\nHe will still be able to take part in Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday via video link.\n\nThe current list of MPs set to question Boris Johnson, shows that only one will now physically be in the Commons with the PM.\n\nA number of politicians have had to self-isolate during the pandemic, including the prime minister.\n\nThe latest was Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who got a notification from the NHS app to stay at home.\n\nHe had the virus last March, but said self-isolation was \"perhaps the most important part of all the social distancing\" and urged others to do the same if contacted.\n\nMr Hancock's isolation period was due to end on Sunday, so he is expected back in Whitehall this week.", "Health and social care staff have been vaccinated at the NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital in Glasgow\n\nThe Scottish government is \"looking at all sorts of ways\" to accelerate its Covid-19 vaccine programme, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.\n\nThe government is considering a pilot of 24/7 vaccine arrangements, chiefly aimed at younger age groups.\n\nA total of 46% of over-80s in Scotland have now had a first dose, along with 95% of older care home residents.\n\nMs Sturgeon said the programme was \"picking up pace\" and \"on track\" to reach all over-70s by mid-February.\n\nShe said the government was \"looking at all options\" to get the vaccine out to people as quickly as possible.\n\nThe government aims to have the top priority groups - including care home residents and staff, frontline health workers and all those aged over 80 - given a first dose by the end of the first week in February.\n\nFrom Monday, letters are being sent out to people aged 70 to 79 inviting them to receive their first doses. Ms Sturgeon says the programme is \"on track\" to having this group complete by the middle of February.\n\nThere has been some criticism of the speed of the rollout in Scotland, with a greater proportion of over-80s having already received a jab in England.\n\nHowever Ms Sturgeon said the programme was \"making good progress\" and said any differences with the rest of the UK were because of an early focus on vaccinating older care home residents - 95% of whom have now had their first dose.\n\nShe said she was \"absolutely confident\" that the government would hit its targets.\n\nAnd the first minister said consideration was being given to how to speed up the programme further, saying her government is \"looking at all sorts of ways to accelerate things\".\n\nShe said: \"We are looking at piloting 24/7 arrangements so that when we get into wider groups of the population, people will have choices about the time they turn up for vaccines.\n\n\"There's been debate about whether people will want to turn up in the middle of the night to get vaccinated - some will and some won't. If that sort of thing is going to add to what we are able to do, it is likely to have the greatest impact when you get down into the relatively younger age groups.\n\n\"If we think it is appropriate there may be some things we try just to see if they would work, and if they don't we won't continue with them.\n\n\"We are looking at all of these options to make sure that as the supply increases, we can get it to people as quickly as possible.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon said there was \"some early evidence\" that lockdown was reducing the number of new Covid-19 cases, although she said the government would take a \"cautious\" approach to restrictions - which are currently due to run into mid-February at the earliest.\n\nShe also voiced some \"cautious grounds for optimism\" that admissions to hospital are starting to \"tail off slightly\", although she warned that pressure on the NHS would remain \"acute\" for some time.\n\nOpposition leaders called for the vaccine programme to be accelerated and for support to be targeted at key workers.\n\nA mass vaccination centre is being set up at the P&J Live Arena in Aberdeen\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: \"People are talking about a 24/7 approach here in Scotland - I think based on the figures so far we need to focus just on a seven day approach, because we are not vaccinating people quickly enough.\n\n\"We are not making the progress we need to, to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible.\"\n\nScottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said the vaccine programme \"needs to be accelerated as fast as possible\"\n\nShe said: \"We are all behind this vaccine being rolled out - but it has to be as soon as possible, because people are getting nervous.\n\n\"Whether it's police staff, construction staff, care staff who have been worried for weeks - the vaccine has got to be the top priority, along with the test and trace so we can monitor the impact on the ground and get targeted support to people.\"\n\nScottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said Scotland was \"slipping further and further behind England\" and added: \"The first minister's excuses on the rollout of the vaccine are wearing very thin.\"", "The Francis family said they would be exchanging cards and having a special meal for their lockdown St Dwynwen's Day\n\nIt may not be as well-known as Valentine's Day but St Dwynwen's Day is a special time for some in Wales.\n\nSian and Trystan Francis from Rhiwbina in Cardiff do not celebrate Valentine's Day but on Monday will exchange St Dwynwen cards and have a special meal.\n\nMr Francis, 40, said: \"It's just a part of my culture - I didn't know about Valentine's Day until about Year 6.\n\n\"My parents didn't celebrate Valentine's Day at all but they did send cards on Santes Dwynwen.\"\n\nSian and Trystan Francis perform as Do Re Mi Canu\n\nThe Welsh patron saint of lovers St Dwynwen - or Santes Dwynwen in Welsh - was a 4th Century princess who lived in what is now the Brecon Beacons National Park.\n\nThe story goes she was unlucky in love, became a nun and went on to pray for true lovers to have better luck than she did.\n\nMrs Francis, who grew up in Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said her family did not speak Welsh but she went to a Welsh medium school and her mother learnt the language as an adult.\n\nMrs Francis, 38, said: \"I think if you're going to celebrate anything that says that you love your partner, then this one is loads more relevant to us because it's part of our heritage and our culture - Valentine's Day is not really that much to do with us.\"\n\nThe family have been busy organising cards and treats for their children, Jac, two, and Mimi, seven.\n\n\"I bought a card for Mimi from a mystery person and that's being delivered tomorrow,\" she said.\n\nShe added Covid had meant the celebration was a bit more low-key this year.\n\n\"I bought some cupcakes but we would normally go out for food and stuff,\" she said.\n\nMenna Llinos and her family celebrated with heart-shaped pizza in Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan\n\nThere was a time when they also marked Valentine's Day before they had a change of heart, she said.\n\n\"Over time we just went, 'actually, it's a bit irrelevant to us',\" she said.\n\n\"And you can never get a restaurant [on Valentine's Day],\" Mr Francis added.\n\nCarys Ingram from Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan, has been making heart-shaped cookies with her children\n\nMr Francis, who grew up speaking Welsh at home, said their choice was not unusual among their friends.\n\n\"My friends, people within the Welsh-speaking community definitely, celebrate Santes Dwynwen,\" he said.\n\n\"There is a subculture within Wales that does exist within Welsh-speaking communities so I would say Santes Dwynwen is part of that.\"\n\nMrs Francis said it meant they were able to avoid the commercialisation of the better-known celebration.\n\n\"Santes Dwynwen isn't particularly commercialised because it is so niche,\" she added.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jessica Western says she is still fighting to find out why her daughter Macie died\n\nThe full extent of the problems with maternity services at two hospitals in the south Wales valleys rings out when the voices of women and families are listened to.\n\nAs one said: \"I want having a baby to be a good experience. It's ruined it.\"\n\nWomen repeatedly stated they were not listened to and their concerns were not taken seriously or valued.\n\nThey spoke of being ignored or patronised while being cared for at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant and Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil.\n\nOften, their suspicions and concerns were found to have reflected a genuine problem that emerged later, but at the time they were dismissed when they tried to voice their concerns.\n\nA major independent review has found Cwm Taf health board's maternity services were \"under extreme pressure\" and the health minister has ordered them be put into special measures.\n\nIt was prompted by 25 serious incidents, including eight stillbirths and four neonatal deaths, between January 2016 and last September.\n\nThe independent review team has released a separate, damning 78-page report, which shares the views of 140 family members, including mothers about their experiences at the hospitals.\n\nNearly two thirds of women questioned felt they had not had good quality care during their pregnancy.\n\nThe review said: \"Many women had felt something was wrong with their baby or tried to convey the level of pain they were experiencing but they were ignored or patronised, and no action was taken, with tragic outcomes including stillbirth and neonatal death of their babies.\"\n\nOne woman said she felt worthless, adding: \"I'm broken from the whole experience, the lack of care and compassion.\"\n\nOn the care itself, repeatedly the review team heard from mothers who did not always believe the right level of skills and expertise were available at the right time.\n\nThere was a failure to seek a second, more senior opinion, and to escalate concerns, especially with women with complex pregnancies.\n\nOne mother said: \"He told me there was no point calling the consultant on a Sunday as no one would come.\"\n\nAnother said: \"I never saw the same consultant. They didn't know me, and they didn't want to know me. I was pushed in and out of rooms with all sorts of people.\"\n\nMothers faced too many variables in the service offered - from the time of day they used it, to staffing levels and the communication skills of the staff they met.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'We picked the wrong day to be ill'\n\nSarah Handy's experience is highlighted in the report as illustrating a number of serious issues.\n\nIn pain, she was begging to see a doctor when she arrived in hospital in April 2017 and was left for nearly three hours without examination before being told it was constipation.\n\nMs Handy, 33, was sent back home to Merthyr Tydfil with laxatives and pain relief and that evening her baby Jennifer was delivered prematurely by her husband and mother-in-law.\n\nDespite their efforts to give CPR to save her life, Jennifer died.\n\nThe review said it showed:\n\nMs Handy said after the report came out: \"Today it's been proven in black and white that we were right to highlight our concerns and push for further investigation into our Jennifer's death.\n\n\"We just wish that this report will now do what it promised and improve the quality of care so that no other family has to go the traumatic experience we went through.\"\n\nOn communication, although individual staff were spoken of as excellent, many women felt during their care this aspect was extremely poor.\n\nWhen concerns were raised, there was a \"significant dissatisfaction\" with how they were dealt with, with dismissive attitudes.\n\nMany women were not listened to or taken seriously, one saying she was \"laughed at\" when she expressed concern.\n\nOther responses included: \"I was never asked, never believed.\n\n\"If only they had asked the right questions.\n\n\"Most importantly, we were not listened to. By the time we were it was too late.\"\n\nThe review said women reported an \"almost callous and brutal use of language\" and disregard for feelings.\n\nWhen one mother was concerned that she may be losing her baby she was told to \"prepare for the worst - it could be a miscarriage\" and then told to go home as \"there wasn't a lot she could do.\"\n\nYounger mothers in particular often felt their concerns were dismissed, which became an \"emerging theme\" for the review team.\n\nThere were failures to apologise, lack of access to notes and comprehensive investigations over concerns.\n\nWith high risk pregnancies, one woman interviewed believed that there was a lack of expertise and that \"anything different from the norm, they didn't seem set up to deal with it\".\n\nAnother described the antenatal clinic as being \"like a cattle-market\".\n\nWhen babies were lost, \"many women and families received no bereavement counselling or support and continue to experience emotional distress\".\n\nOne mother talking about the demand on midwives and doctors in the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, said it was \"no way a reflection on them\".\n\n\"They would always spend as much time as possible with me but unfortunately when needs must I was left with some questions but again this was due to staff shortages,\" she said.\n\nAnother said: \"There were so many jobs for one midwife to do and then people wonder why mistakes get made. They are human and are exhausted\".\n\nThe review published two parallel reports into Cwm Taf maternity services and the experiences of mothers\n\nThe review team said it was disappointing that lessons had not been learnt from a review of Furness General Hospital services four years ago.\n\nProf Jean White, chief nursing officer, said: \"It should be a joyous occasion giving birth to a child. Many of the women who shared their stories had care well below the standards we expect and that's not right.\n\n\"I think over time there appears to be a culture that has developed rather than an open culture where people are encouraged to say what's gone wrong, there is a blame culture.\"\n\nIn the words of another parent: \"Listen to women and families and believe what they tell you when they are in pain.\"\n\nThe review team concludes: \"The strong message heard from women and families in Cwm Taf is that they don't want their experiences to happen to anyone else and the importance to them that the organisation learns from these experiences to ensure that improvement and change occurs.\"\n\nCwm Taf chief executive Allison Williams said she was deeply sorry, is taking the findings very seriously but recognised \"significant work\" was still needed.\n\n\"Some of the feedback we have received from patients is extremely distressing and their experience in our maternity service has been totally unacceptable,\" she added.\n\nIf you have been affected by stillbirth, the following organisations might be able to help:", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe mother of a 15-year-old boy attacked by a group of youths said she heard the gunshots that killed him.\n\nKeon Lincoln was \"set upon\" at about 15:30 GMT on Thursday on Linwood Road in Handsworth, Birmingham, and died later in hospital, police said.\n\nIn an emotional appeal, Sharmaine Lincoln pleaded with the local community to \"help us understand why this has happened\".\n\nFive teenage boys have so far been arrested over his death.\n\nA post-mortem examination revealed Keon was shot and stabbed to death.\n\nKeon Lincoln's mother said not a day would go by when she would not hear her son's \"unbelievable\" laugh\n\nRemembering that afternoon, Ms Lincoln said: \"I heard the gunshots and my first instinct was, 'Where's my son?'\n\n\"A few minutes went by, we heard somebody was in the road and it was my boy.\"\n\nWest Midlands Police arrested three teenagers over the weekend on suspicion of Keon's murder - a 14-year-old boy from Birmingham and two others, aged 15 and 16, at an address in Walsall.\n\nThis is in addition to two 14-year-old boys arrested on Friday, one of whom remains in custody and the other released under investigation.\n\n\"The community needs to step up and put themselves in the shoes of the family,\" police say\n\nDet Ch Insp Alastair Orencas, from West Midlands Police, said the attack on Keon was \"the most pointless use of extreme violence I've witnessed in my 24 years in the police force\".\n\n\"The level of violence has not just caused shock to the family, but to hardened police officers,\" he said. \"It was an absolutely pointless attack, one I can't clear my mind of.\"\n\nThe force is appealing for information and Det Ch Insp Orencas said the community response was \"not where it should be\".\n\n\"These are multiple offenders in broad daylight. I simply don't believe there's not information out there that can help me with the inquiry,\" he said.\n\nKeon Lincoln was attacked on Linwood Road, a residential street in the Handsworth area of Birmingham\n\nMs Lincoln remembered her son as a joker, cheeky - a \"loving child with a jolly spirit\" whose \"unbelievable laugh\" would echo daily around her home.\n\n\"It doesn't make sense, the type of person Keon was, it doesn't make sense as to why someone would want to harm him or take his life in such a brutal way,\" she said.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Pictures of the funeral have led to criticism from unionists\n\nPolice have begun an investigation into potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations at the funeral of an IRA man in Londonderry.\n\nEamon McCourt, 62, who reportedly died with Covid-19, was buried on Monday.\n\nUnder current Covid-19 restrictions funerals in Northern Ireland are limited to 25 people.\n\nThe police said a \"significant number of people\" had gathered, in a manner \"likely to be in breach\" of the coronavirus regulations.\n\nPSNI Ch Supt Darrin Jones said anyone found in breach of public health regulations would be reported to the Public Prosecution Service.\n\nHe said police had \"engaged with representatives of the family of the deceased, the local church and local political representatives\", prior to the funeral.\n\n\"As a result, police were given a number of assurances as to the conduct of the funeral, and that people would seek to pay their respects to the deceased from outside their homes rather than gather at the funeral.\"\n\nPictures of the leading republican's funeral show men in white shirts and black ties flanking the cortege and dozens of others behind them.\n\nCh Supt Jones added: \"Regrettably at the funeral on Monday morning, a significant number of people gathered as part of the cortège, in a manner likely to be in breach of the health protection regulations.\"\n\nUnionist politicians had called on the police to act after images circulated online of mourners.\n\nDUP MLA Gary Middleton said those who had abided by Covid-19 restrictions would view the scenes from the funeral \"with dismay\".\n\nHe said it was \"hard to put into words the sheer recklessness of those involved\".\n\n\"Within republicanism it seems that certain individuals are viewed as being more important than public health regulations,\" Mr Middleton said.\n\n\"In those minds the reality of Covid-19 has not been brought home, or at the very least it is viewed as less important than having a public display at a funeral.\n\n\"Such sights are most painful for relatives who have recognised the need for such painful restrictions to be put in place and have abided by them.\"\n\n\"Eamon 'Peggy' McCourt who passed away on Saturday morning was buried from his family home in Creggan, a right accredited to us all.\n\n\"However, it was evident that social-distancing measures and permitted mourner numbers were completely ignored by those in attendance.\n\n\"Again, the majority of people in Northern Ireland who have followed lockdown measures since March 2020 are asking themselves why can republicans do whatever they like?\"\n\nHe called on the police to explain why such \"a large funeral procession was permitted to take place and what actions will follow\".\n\nIn a statement, Sinn Féin said: \"Everyone has a responsibility to follow the public health guidelines.\n\n\"Sinn Féin held its own tribute to his memory online.\"\n\nIn June last year, about 1,800 people attended the funeral of leading IRA member Bobby Storey in west Belfast.\n\nAmong them was Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, the Sinn Féin vice-president, who later admitted the public health message had been undermined.\n\nIn May, Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said there had been social-distancing breaches at funerals in Northern Ireland in both the unionist and nationalist communities.\n\nThis story was amended on 27 January 2021 to remove the phrase 'IRA veteran'. Whilst referring to Mr McCourt's long history in republicanism, we accept the phrase was open to misinterpretation.", "The first minister visited the site of the flooding, where 80 villagers were evacuated from their homes\n\nResidents have been urged to stay away from homes flooded after a \"blow out\" at a mine shaft following reports some had returned against advice.\n\nEighty people had to be evacuated from Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, on Thursday and the Coal Authority is investigating the cause of the flooding.\n\nOn Sunday First Minister Mark Drakeford visited the village.\n\nSpecialists said mine shafts in the area were stable, but villagers were told it was not safe to return home.\n\nNeath Port Talbot Council tweeted on Sunday afternoon that some evacuated residents had ignored the warnings.\n\nIt said: \"We are getting reports that some residents who have been evacuated are returning to their homes.\n\n\"Investigations are ongoing at the site, including safety checks by utility companies. They have asked us to reiterate the request for residents to stay away and that it is not safe to return today or tomorrow.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Mark Drakeford This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIt is not known how many residents were thought to have returned to their flooded homes or how long they were there for.\n\nBigger equipment is being brought in to \"understand in detail what has caused the blow out\", according to Coal Authority chief executive Lisa Pinney.\n\nThe Coal Authority, which manages the effects of past mining on communities, said it believed the \"blow out\" was likely to have been caused by a blockage underground which caused water to back up before breaking out.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Teresa Dalling says a river of orange water rushed through the village on Thursday\n\nCouncil leader Rob Jones warned residents it was unlikely that they could return home by Monday.\n\nMs Pinney said a hand-drilling crew \"determined the precise location and extension of the collapsed mine shaft\" on Saturday.\n\nThe village was flooded after a mine shaft \"blow out\"\n\n\"This now allows us to bring in larger equipment to investigate the wider mine workings and drainage channels in the area around it, so we can understand in detail what has caused the blow out,\" she said.\n\n\"We have checked all recorded shafts in the immediate area and found them all to be safe.\n\n\"We will be checking over a wider area in the days ahead.\"\n\nDuring his visit to the village Mr Drakeford was shown the sinkhole which had opened up on Thursday, leading to the flooding.\n\nOn Friday the Welsh Government confirmed financial support would be made available to people affected by the floods, up to £1,000 per household.\n\nMr Drakeford said on Sunday: \"Particularly for families who have no insurance, this is a devastating event.\n\n\"They will know that the Welsh Government is there to help and we will do that through the local authority which has been here very visibly, helping people in the last couple of days.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Rishi Sunak: 'We’re throwing absolutely everything at it'\n\nFewer than 2,000 young people have so far started new roles under the government's £2bn Kickstart jobs scheme, data shows.\n\nThe programme, which launched in September, has created 120,000 temporary jobs to date.\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak told the BBC coronavirus restrictions were making it harder for more young people to get started.\n\nHowever, he expected the number to rise once restrictions are lifted.\n\n\"Obviously because of the lockdowns and restrictions, that hampers businesses' ability to bring people into work,\" said Mr Sunak,\n\n\"What we can look forward to, as the restrictions ease, is more of these young people starting those placements.\n\n\"But taking a step back, we announced this scheme first week of July, it went live the first week of September and here we are, just a few months later, with 120,000 jobs having being vetted, funded and created.\"\n\nThe Chancellor insisted that the government had moved at an \"enormous pace\" to set up the programme, which targets youths at risk of long-term unemployment.\n\n\"I've always said my priority through this crisis is to protect, support and create as many jobs as possible, and young people in particular have been at the forefront of my mind,\" said Mr Sunak.\n\n\"We know that they're most likely to work in affected sectors, they're twice as likely to be furloughed, and the ones leaving college are entering a really difficult labour market.\"\n\nYouth unemployment rose to 14.5% between August to October 2020, with 597,000 people aged 16 to 24 unemployed, up from 11% in the same period in 2019.\n\nLatest data from the Department of Work Pensions shows that as of 15 January, 1,868 young people had begun their placements.\n\nHayden Finlayson, recipient of a Kickstart work placement with Whistl in Bedford\n\nHayden Finlayson, 24, is one of them. He was made redundant from a retail job last summer.\n\nLooking for work during the pandemic proved difficult: \"You start thinking about things - whether you're going to find work again.\"\n\nHe has secured a Kickstart placement at a Whistl distribution centre in Bedford, an opportunity for which he is grateful.\n\n\"I gave it a go. It's a new experience and I want to do new things,\" he said. \"[I'm learning] different skills every day, things I've never done before.\"\n\nBusinesses apply to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to create Kickstart places, which are then vetted for suitability.\n\nYoung people aged between 16 and 24 who are on Universal Credit are matched to roles by their job centre work coaches.\n\nThey are then interviewed by the prospective employer, which decides whether to take them on.\n\nFor each successful placement, the government covers the National Minimum Wage for a six-month period, at 25 hours per week.\n\nA further £1,500 grant is available per placement to help cover setup costs and assist in the development of employability skills. The current £2bn budget allows for around 250,000 roles.\n\nFSB's Craig Beaumont says the decision to allow small firms offer placements through a faster, more direct process is four months late\n\nFollowing criticism from small businesses, firms who wish to create just a handful of roles will have the option of applying direct to the Department for Work and Pensions.\n\nPreviously, small firms who wanted to create fewer than 30 Kickstart jobs had to group together, or use a \"gateway\" provider as an intermediary.\n\nMore than 600 gateways have now been approved, but small businesses complained that they found the process slow and difficult.\n\n\"The decision should have been made in September,\" said Craig Beaumont, chief of external affairs at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).\n\n\"There is now a backlog of cases of people who've been appointed through intermediaries, who've not been able to access that work yet. So we need a real focus from the government to clear that.\"\n\nAsked if the scheme would need extending because continuing restrictions could prevent its aims being achieved this year, Mr Sunak left the possibility open.\n\nAnna Szymanowska runs Fighter Shots, which makes ginger-based remedy drinks. She is keen to create three digital marketing Kickstart roles as soon as possible.\n\nHowever, she says her application - which was done in a pool with other businesses - took a long time.\n\nSmall business owner Anna Szymanowska would like to hire three young people for digital marketing roles\n\n\"It was a little bit lengthy, because the first time I heard of the scheme was July or August,\" she told the BBC.\n\n\"We applied within a month [of hearing about it], and just yesterday we received a contract to sign. So it was lengthy but otherwise well managed.\"\n\nThe Chancellor told the BBC that the changes hadn't been made earlier because Kickstart had been set up \"at speed\". He pointed out other interventions aimed at supporting young people's jobs, including investment in employment support schemes, training and apprenticeships.\n\nTracy Fishwick is the managing director of Transform Lives Company, a social enterprise which helps people into work.\n\nShe believes that the young people chosen to have Kickstart placements will be very important.\n\n\"The young people who really probably would already get a job with a little bit of help - we don't want all the Kickstart jobs going to those young people,\" said Ms Fishwick, who previously worked with the Future Jobs Fund - a scheme for young people created by Labour in 2009.\n\n\"We need to be able to put things in place to support those young people who were already unemployed before Covid.\"", "Volunteers responded to an appeal on social media on Saturday night\n\nVolunteers helped to clear up to 7cm of snow at a community hospital so Covid-19 vaccines could be given to about 300 vulnerable patients.\n\nMore than a dozen people cleared the car park at Maesteg community hospital in Bridgend county on Sunday where the Pfizer-BioNtech jab is being given.\n\nPeople with brushes and shovels came to the rescue after a Facebook appeal and Bridgend council provided a plough.\n\nOne local councillor said their community spirit \"knows no bounds\".\n\nThe Maesteg area had been at or near the top of Wales' Covid case rate chart for a few weeks before Christmas - with an infection rate of more than 1300 cases per 100,000 at its height.\n\nVaccinations were delayed for about an hour on Sunday and Maesteg West councillor Ross Thomas, who helped organise the clear-up, said it would have been a \"disaster\" to have cancelled the appointments.\n\nCovid jabs at four other locations in south Wales had to be cancelled after snow cause widespread disruption across the UK.\n\nAnd Mr Thomas praised the local community for preventing their centre from also falling victim to the weather.\n\n\"With a few Facebook call-outs we had a dozen or so volunteers within the hour together with surgery staff, a number of the GPs,\" Mr Thomas told BBC Radio Wales.\n\nCouncillor Ross Thomas said there would be some aching backs on Monday morning\n\n\"The grounds of the hospital are not small by any stretch of the imagination. It was a valiant effort over two-and-a-half hours to ensure we could allow access to Maesteg community hospital.\n\n\"It's thanks to them that 300 more people in the 80 and over priority group in the Llynfi valley received their jab yesterday.\"\n\nAnother 40 vulnerable patients will receive their Covid jabs on Monday.\n\nMr Thomas said the spirit in his community \"knows no bounds\" and added: \"People rally round, it's a sense of belonging, its genuinely instilled in our DNA in Maesteg and it was on show.\n\n\"Not only did people want to help, I think it's clear there's anxiety in the community about the virus.\n\n\"Ahead of Christmas some local wards here in the Llynfi valley had the highest case rates in Europe.\n\n\"There was the realisation yesterday that it wasn't just shovelling snow out of the way, it was about getting on top of this virus and ensuring the most vulnerable people in this community have a fighting chance moving forward.\"", "Last updated on .From the section FA Cup\n\nBruno Fernandes' superb 78th-minute free-kick gave Manchester United victory in a thrilling FA Cup tie with old rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford.\n\nLiverpool led a fantastic contest through Mohamed Salah, who then equalised after Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford had struck for the hosts either side of the break.\n\nBut in a game which had everything last week's drab stalemate between this pair at Anfield lacked, Fernandes came off the bench to have the final word after Fabinho had fouled Edinson Cavani on the edge of the area.\n• None Don't worry about us, says Reds boss Klopp\n\nFernandes might have been slightly off the pace in recent games but when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needed his £47m inspiration to come up with another special moment, the Portuguese delivered, bending his shot round the wall and beyond Allison's reach.\n\nThe victory earns United a home meeting with an in-form West Ham side managed by former boss David Moyes in the fifth round.\n\nBut the search for form goes on for Liverpool, whose only win in seven games since that seven-goal hammering of Crystal Palace came against Aston Villa's kids in the last round, and who have a meeting with Jose Mourinho's Tottenham looming on Thursday.\n• None Watch all the goals from the FA Cup fourth round\n\nIt was not quite the ending Solskjaer served up when he won a previous fourth-round meeting between these sides but, as in 1999, they had to come from behind.\n\nAnd while Fernandes applied the devastating finish, that goal should not be allowed to overshadow Rashford's contribution to United's victory.\n\nSo much has been said about the England forward as a social crusader it is sometimes easy to forget he also needs to be judged as a footballer.\n\nAt only 23, he is still a long way off his prime but he is developing into an outstanding forward, with vision to match his speed and finishing ability.\n\nThe pass that created Greenwood's equaliser was superb. Taking possession just inside his own half, Rashford delivered a 60-yard pass with such accuracy all Greenwood needed to do was take one touch to control with his chest before drilling low into the far corner.\n\nRashford's raw pace put Liverpool's defence under constant stress and the delicate touch that took him past Rhys Williams by the touchline in a move that ended with Paul Pogba curling wide was sensational.\n\nAnd then there was his goal, which needed a perfectly-timed run to go beyond the Liverpool defence and reach Greenwood's through ball, and then a cool head to apply the finish.\n\nAt that point, it seemed United had the game under control. It did not quite work out that way and once again, Fernandes, who has won four Premier League player of the month awards out of the seven he has been eligible for since leaving Sporting Lisbon less than 12 months ago, underlined his credentials as English football's most influential player at present.\n\nSalah's effort was the first time Liverpool had been ahead at Old Trafford since January 2017, since when Liverpool have won both the Champions League and Premier League, a clear indication that whatever issues Jurgen Klopp is wrestling with at the moment, they are not insurmountable.\n\nThe finish for the striker's 18th goal of the season did not hint at a lack of confidence as he raced on to Roberto Firmino's precise through ball, having escaped the attentions of Victor Lindelof, and lifted his shot beyond the reach of Dean Henderson.\n\nEvidently, what Klopp needs is to find a solution in defence. Williams was shaky and at fault for Rashford's goal, while Fabinho was exposed by United in this game and Cavani exploited the Brazilian's defensive inexperience to earn the free-kick that won the game.\n\nEven so, after Salah equalised from close range after United had lost possession to James Milner and never recovered their position after working their way up-field from a short goal-kick, the visitors did have chances to win it themselves.\n\nBut Dean Henderson saved from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah before Fernandes struck - so Liverpool's wait for a first FA Cup win since 1921 at Old Trafford, and Jurgen Klopp's for a first win at United full stop, goes on.\n\nManchester United are next in action against Sheffield United in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Wednesday, 27 January (20:15GMT). Liverpool play at Tottenham on Thursday, 28 January (20:00GMT).\n• None Manchester United have eliminated Liverpool from the FA Cup proper for the 10th time; in the competition's history, only Liverpool themselves (12 v Everton) have knocked a particular side out more times (including finals).\n• None Liverpool have won just one of their past 15 matches at Old Trafford in all competitions (D4 L10), and are winless in their last eight at the ground (D4 L4).\n• None Manchester United have won each of their past eight home games in the FA Cup; only from 1908 to 1912 have they had a better winning run on home soil in the competition (9 games).\n• None Liverpool are the first reigning Premier League champion to be eliminated from the FA Cup as early as the fourth round since Manchester City in 2014-15.\n• None Liverpool have lost back-to-back games in all competitions for the first time since March 2020.\n• None Roberto Firmino has assisted Mohamed Salah for 18 goals in all competitions for Liverpool, the most any player has set up another for the Reds under Jurgen Klopp. Since they first played together in 2017-18, this is the most one player has assisted another for all Premier League sides in all competitions.\n• None Mason Greenwood scored his first goal for Man Utd in 11 appearances in all competitions, ending his longest run of games without a goal for the club. Aged 19 years and 115 days, he was the youngest Man Utd player to score against Liverpool since Wayne Rooney in January 2005 in the Premier League (19y 83d).\n• None Marcus Rashford has scored more goals at Old Trafford against Liverpool than he has against any other opponent on home soil for Manchester United (4).\n• None Since his Man Utd debut in February 2020, Bruno Fernandes has scored more goals than any other player for Premier League clubs (28).\n• None No player has scored more goals for Premier League clubs in all competitions this season than Salah for Liverpool (19, level with Harry Kane).\n• None Attempt missed. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) left footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the right following a set piece situation.\n• None Paul Pogba (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Victor Lindelöf (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Edinson Cavani (Manchester United) hits the right post with a header from the centre of the box. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes with a cross.\n• None Attempt saved. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Aaron Wan-Bissaka.\n• None Goal! Manchester United 3, Liverpool 2. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None All the goals, highlights and drama from Saturday's fourth-round ties are", "Early years educational providers in England have been told to remain open\n\nMany staff at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders \"don't feel safe at work\", says the Early Years Alliance.\n\nThe group, representing early years providers, wants staff in this sector to be a higher priority for Covid testing and vaccinations.\n\nNurseries and settings for young children in England have been told to remain open during lockdown.\n\nThe government said the under-fives were \"unlikely to be playing a driving role in transmission\".\n\nThe Early Years Alliance received more than 3,500 responses in a survey of staff in nurseries or childcare settings and said these suggested widespread concerns - with half of those who replied saying they did not feel safe at work.\n\nNeil Leitch, chief executive of the group, said the safety worries were \"a cause for serious concern\".\n\nHe called on the government to implement rapid coronavirus testing among early years staff \"as a matter of urgency\", adding they should be \"given priority access to vaccinations in phase two of the rollout\".\n\nThere are currently no confirmed plans for lateral-flow testing in nurseries and pre-schools.\n\nBut the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is looking at whether some high-risk professions should be prioritised for vaccination.\n\nAnd Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told the BBC's Breakfast programme he would \"very much like to see it\" once the most vulnerable groups had received their jabs.\n\nA Department for Education (DfE) spokesman said: \"Keeping nurseries and childminders open will support parents and deliver the crucial care and education for our youngest children.\n\n\"Current evidence suggests that pre-school children are less susceptible to infection and are unlikely to be playing a driving role in transmission.\"\n\nThe Early Years Alliance survey also found concerns that staff shortages would make it difficult for some nurseries and pre-school settings to stay open.\n\nDr Amelia Massoura, who runs Stepping Stone pre-school, in Sittingbourne, Kent, said: \"Out of six members of staff, four have contracted Covid-19.\n\n\"Fortunately, all have recovered well.\"\n\nVanessa Linehan, manager of Sandbrook Community Playgroup in Hackney in London, said: \"We are happy to stay open to support our families.\n\n\"But we want our staff to have testing and vaccinations as a priority.\n\n\"We encourage local authorities to prioritise appropriate testing for early-years staff through their community testing programmes,\" said the Department for Education spokesman.\n\nThe Department for Education says the under-fives are \"unlikely\" to drive up coronavirus transmission\n\nHowever, Labour's shadow education minister Tulip Siddiq accused the government of \"incompetence and neglect\", saying early-years staff \"deserve... proper access to testing\".\n\nShe questioned why \"the government has refused to publish the scientific basis for keeping early-years settings open in lockdown\" and called on it to \"urgently pull back from the brink of funding changes that could lead to viable early-years providers going bust\".\n\nThe government changed the funding formula for the early years sector in December, basing it on current attendance rather than pre-pandemic levels.\n\nAccording to the DfE, early years attendance is at 54% of the usual daily level, as of 14 January, leading to a shortfall in revenues.\n\nIn primary and secondary schools, which are open to vulnerable children and children of key workers only, average attendance levels have fallen to just 14%.\n\nRoughly half of nurseries and pre-schools and a third of childminders expect to be operating at a loss by the end of the spring term, based on current levels of government support, according to the survey.\n\n\"Early years providers are the only part of the education sector that the government has asked to remain open to all families,\" said Mr Leitch\n\n\"It is surely not too much to ask for the protection - both practical and financial - needed to ensure that we can continue to do so.\"", "Richard Dyson and Simon Midgley were thought to be on a winter break in Scotland\n\nTwo men who died when a fire tore through a luxury five-star hotel on the shores of Loch Lomond have been named.\n\nSimon Midgley and Richard Dyson, believed to be from London, were staying at Cameron House Hotel when the blaze broke out on Monday morning.\n\nPolice have not confirmed the identity of those who died, but relatives have paid tribute on social media.\n\nThe hotel's director has praised the actions of the emergency services in preventing further tragedy.\n\nFirefighters who brought a couple and their baby to safety from an upper floor have been hailed as \"heroes\".\n\nA baby was rescued by firefighters from an upper floor of the hotel\n\nAndrew and Louise Logan, and their son Jimmy, from Worcestershire, were taken to hospital after being brought to safety, but were later discharged.\n\nMore than 200 guests were evacuated from the building when the blaze broke out. A joint investigation into the cause of the fire is under way.\n\nSocial media posts suggested that Mr Midgley and Mr Dyson were on a winter break in Scotland.\n\nA post on Mr Midgley's Instagram account on Saturday showed pictures of Cameron House Hotel and said: \"Home for the weekend.\"\n\nRelatives have been expressing their shock at news of the couple's deaths.\n\nMr Midgley's sister posted a picture of her brother and his partner on Facebook, while another relative wrote: \"I'm beyond heartbroken.\"\n\nKate Baxter wrote on Twitter: \"Such unbearably sad news.. RIP @SimonMidgleyPR, a shining star in our wonderfully close-knit industry.\"\n\nAccording to his Facebook page, Mr Midgley was a freelance journalist at the London Evening Standard and ran his own PR company, while Mr Dyson is believed to be a TV producer.\n\nPolice and firefighters remained at the scene on Tuesday morning, with the scale of the damage becoming more apparent.\n\nBBC Scotland's Andrew Black was allowed on site and said: \"The damage to the building is pretty extensive, especially the upper floors. There's a smell of burning wood and we could hear a fire alarm from part of the building still going off.\"\n\nThe BBC understands that a wedding due to take place at Cameron House hotel this weekend has been moved to another luxury hotel.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Drone footage from above Loch Lomond shows the extent of the damage at Cameron House\n\nIn a new statement, Cameron House's director, Andy Roger, praised the \"very swift actions of the emergency services\".\n\nHe said: \"Everyone associated with Cameron House Hotel is still coming to terms with the events of yesterday and we are all hugely conscious that two people tragically lost their lives in the fire.\n\n\"Their families and friends are foremost in our thoughts as we co-operate fully with the investigation teams to try to establish the circumstances surrounding this terrible incident.\n\n\"The emergency services were on the scene long into the night and I cannot praise their efforts highly enough. They are true heroes. The firemen bringing out a couple and their young child by ladder from a second-floor room was a heart-stopping moment for all those who witnessed it.\n\n\"We're also enormously grateful for the many, many offers of practical support and good wishes from the UK hospitality industry and also from the local community, which has rallied around to help. It's been a humbling experience, but we are a small, tight-knit community on Loch Lomond and a response like that is typical of our many friends and neighbours.\"\n\nMr Roger said the hotel had made arrangements for the vast majority of the guests to travel home or continue with their breaks and he thanked them for their patience and \"good spirits\".\n\nHe also paid tribute to the staff at Cameron House who he said had shown \"an enormous degree of care and teamwork throughout the last two days\".\n\nLocal people have been speaking of their shock and sadness at what happened at the hotel.\n\nOne woman told BBC Scotland: \"We are just very sad for all the families involved and so sorry for the people who work there.\"\n\nAnother added: \"It's absolutely horrific. I think the local community really feels it.\"\n\nReverend Ian Miller, a retired minister who lives locally and was called in to offer guests support in the aftermath of the fire, said those affected \"fell into two groups\".\n\n\"There were those in the side bedrooms which weren't really touched and they just realised they had escaped something terrible,\" he said.\n\n\"But for those in the main building then there were degrees of trauma. Some had escaped with virtually nothing.\n\n\"One man came out in his underwear. Another woman told me she just grabbed her baby, change bag and moved out.\"\n\nThe Scottish Fire and Rescue service remained at the scene on Tuesday morning\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, John Gow, from forensic investigations firm IFIC, said: \"There will be a number of strands to this investigation, running in tandem.\n\n\"Obviously, sadly, there is the death investigation due to the fatalities that occurred.\n\n\"There is the origin and cause investigation which is establishing how the fire started and spread throughout the property.\n\n\"It is also likely there will be an investigation to establish if the fire precaution measures were adequate and operated as they should.\"\n\nCameron House, an 18th Century mansion, was converted into a luxury hotel and resort in 1986.\n\nIt is a popular wedding venue and houses the Michelin-starred Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond restaurant.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Covid-19 has been reported in 60% of Scotland's care homes\n\nPolice Scotland has confirmed it will support the dedicated Crown Office unit which has been set up to investigate Covid-19 deaths in care homes.\n\nThe force said its involvement does not indicate that crimes have been committed but is designed simply to inform prosecutors.\n\nCases of the virus have been reported in 60% of Scotland's care homes, with a total of 5,635 residents affected.\n\nThe first minister described the impact on the sector as \"heartbreaking\".\n\nEarlier this month Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC announced the new unit and said it would help determine if Fatal Accident Inquiries were to be held into the deaths.\n\nThe outbreaks across Scotland include one on Skye which is under police investigation.\n\nOfficers are looking into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of three women - aged 84, 86 and 88 - at Home Farm in Portree.\n\nOn Friday police outlined the support officers will provide to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) review.\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Duncan Sloan said: \"We understand the significant public anxiety caused by reports of deaths among those being cared for and staff in the health and care sectors as a result of coronavirus.\n\n\"This is a matter of great concern for us all.\"\n\nMr Sloan said COPFS is working with a number of agencies and asked the force to gather \"additional information\".\n\nHe added: \"Our involvement does not necessarily indicate that crimes are being investigated and the information we gather on behalf of COPFS will help inform its decision on whether further action is required.\n\n\"These are challenging times for everyone but Police Scotland will continue to work with COPFS and other partner agencies to maximise public safety, to support and protect the vulnerable in our communities and to support the work of colleagues in the health and care professions.\"", "The comedian's wife shared a picture online of the 78-year-old after he received the vaccination\n\nSir Billy Connolly has received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.\n\nThe comedian's wife Pamela Stephenson shared an image on social media of the 78-year-old wearing a mask with a plaster on his left arm.\n\nAlongside the picture, Ms Stephenson wrote: \"Thank God... Billy had his first Covid vaccine today!\"\n\nSir Billy, who lives in Florida, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2013 and announced he was \"finished with stand-up\" last year.\n\nHe said at the time: \"The Parkinson's has made my brain work differently and you need to have a good brain for comedy.\"\n\nSir Billy now lives in Florida with his wife Pamela Stephenson\n\nSir Billy joins famous faces including actress Dame Judi Dench, broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and actor Sir Ian McKellen in receiving the vaccine.\n\nHollywood star and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also shared a video of him receiving the jab earlier this week.", "The Fire Brigades Union has held back firefighters from efforts to tackle the pandemic in England with \"unreasonable\" safety demands, a report claims.\n\nIn it, the fire service watchdog says the union has insisted on \"unworkable\" rules for testing and self-isolation.\n\nThousands of firefighters assisted health and emergency services last year but in December, as vaccinations began, the FBU asked members not to volunteer.\n\nThe union says it cannot be sure its members will be safe if they do.\n\nThat is because councils and fire chiefs have pulled out of an agreement on health protection measures, it added.\n\nFor most of last year the agreement allowed firefighters to perform a range of additional duties, including delivering meals, driving ambulances and transporting bodies.\n\nFirefighters returning from roles in potential contact with Covid victims would spend several days self-isolating and being tested to show they were not infected.\n\nBy December, when there was the prospect of firefighters helping with vaccinations, a row over the deal resulted in the union giving new advice to members\n\nThe FBU said in message on 9 December: \"At this time, members are asked not to volunteer and to suspend any expression of interest that they have registered until such time as satisfactory arrangements can be secured that allow a national agreement to be reached.\"\n\nOn 13 January, local councils, which employ firefighters, decided the agreement with the union \"was no longer sustainable or appropriate\", partly because of the requirements for staff to have tests and self-isolate.\n\nThey said these made it impossible to run the fire service flexibly. Fire chiefs argued that police officers and paramedics did not have to isolate and await test results.\n\nThe union says it cannot be sure its members will be safe if they volunteer\n\nThe FBU general secretary, Matt Wrack, told the BBC he still was not able to advise firefighters about additional Covid-related duties because the union did not know what the safety risks would be locally.\n\n\"I'm not prepared to ask people to volunteer if there aren't safety measures in place,\" he said. \"I don't want to see a deadly virus brought into workplaces when we have measures in place which have avoided it in the past several months.\"\n\nThe fire minister, Lord Stephen Greenhalgh, said: \"Brave firefighters have been prevented from stepping up to support the pandemic response because of the actions of the Fire Brigades Union.\"\n\nZoe Billingham, an inspector at Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Fire and Rescue Services, said many firefighters had contributed to the effort during the Covid crisis, but much more could have been done.\n\nShe described the union's position as \"deeply regrettable\" and \"not what the public would expect of a fire service\".\n\nThe inspectorate has released several reports calling for the modernisation of fire service working practices and criticising the FBU.\n\nLancashire Fire and Rescue Service said it had begun testing its staff twice a week\n\nAccording to this one, the dispute between firefighters and their employers has held up vital work to protect lives.\n\nIn Greater Manchester requests to the fire service to help with NHS Track and Trace were delayed by 12 weeks.\n\nIn Cleveland, the fire and rescue service had to use non-operational support staff, rather than firefighters, to carry out temperature testing for the local authority.\n\nIn Suffolk and South Yorkshire, there were delays to plans for firefighters to help get into properties where residents were suffering from Covid.\n\nThe FBU says it was not given an opportunity to respond to these claims before the report was published. Mr Wrack dismissed it as poorly-sourced and politically-motivated.\n\nSome fire services have reached agreements with local branches of the union instead so that they can volunteer for the vaccination effort.\n\nLancashire Fire and Rescue Service said it had begun testing its staff twice a week and those giving vaccinations had also received them first.", "Helen White's lighting business is struggling to absorb a six-fold increase in freight costs.\n\n\"We were paying £1,600 per container in November, this month we've been quoted over £10,000,\" says Helen White.\n\nThe founder of start-up Houseof.com, which imports lighting from China, says the rise in shipping costs means she's making a loss on what she sells.\n\nShe's one of many UK importers facing soaring freight costs amid a global shipping crisis that may last months.\n\nA shortage of empty shipping containers in Asia and bottlenecks at the UK's deep sea ports are behind the problems.\n\nIt was hoped the backlogs could be cleared during the Chinese New Year holiday in February, but instead a coronavirus outbreak in China is adding to the uncertainty facing firms.\n\nIn the UK the difficulties in international shipping have coincided with problems faced by businesses trading with the EU after Brexit.\n\nOne Manchester-based freight forwarder said the logistics industry is facing the most challenging conditions he's seen in the 17 years he's been in the business.\n\nCraig Poole from Cardinal Maritime said during lockdowns, people have been turning to online shopping, and that's causing a surge in demand for goods from China.\n\nFreight forwarder Craig Poole says the logistics industry is facing hugely challenging conditions\n\nBut some companies can't absorb the skyrocketing freight costs that shipping lines are charging. That could lead to higher prices for consumers or businesses having to close.\n\n\"The really unfortunate thing is, the small businesses who can't afford to pay those rates are going to go under as a result,\" Mr Poole said.\n\nHelen White's lighting range is designed in the UK and manufactured in Guangzhou, China.\n\nShe said the six-fold increase in shipping costs is hard to take, especially when getting hold of a container \"is like gold dust\".\n\n\"It's really hard for a small business to absorb those costs. We'll be making a loss on the goods we're selling.\"\n\nLighting seller houseof.com is struggling to import stock from China\n\nAt the other end of the supply chain, Chinese manufacturers and logistics firms say they are equally frustrated.\n\nJohnny Tseng is the owner and director of Hong Kong-based J&B Clothing Company Ltd., which manufactures garments for some of the UK's most popular fashion sites including Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing.\n\nHe's been supplying clothes to British retailers for more than 40 years, but he says his family-run firm won't be able to absorb inflated shipping rates for much longer.\n\n\"To be honest I don't even know how we can survive if we carry on shipping things at this kind of cost.\"\n\nJohnny Tseng says sky-high shipping rates are putting his business at risk.\n\nHe says he's now being quoted $14,000 to ship a container to the UK, when the usual price is $2,500.\n\nThe shortage of empty containers in China and congestion at UK ports caused some of his stock to miss the busy Christmas trading period. Now some customers are holding orders for their Autumn-Winter collections until next year.\n\n\"It's chaos,\" he said. \"We are making a loss. We take it as a loss leader and keep our fingers crossed it will go back to normal after Chinese New Year, but it is a major issue if it persists this way.\"\n\nUsually during the Chinese New Year holiday, factories in China shut down for two weeks. There were hopes the pause in production would give UK ports a chance to clear the backlog of ships waiting to dock, and encourage shipping lines to move more empty containers back to Asia, which is a less profitable journey.\n\nChinese workers usually travel home for the Chinese New Year holiday.\n\nBut rising numbers of coronavirus cases have prompted the Chinese authorities to stagger factory closing dates so that not all workers are travelling to their home regions at the same time. A worsening outbreak could lead to travel restrictions, in which case some factories may not stop production at all.\n\nCraig Poole says some companies have been caught out by factories closing earlier than planned.\n\n\"A lot of businesses that can't get those goods away are delaying orders until after Chinese New Year, so this situation could continue 'til March,\" he said.\n\nPatrick Lee from the Hong Kong-based Unique Logistics International said it could be even longer than that.\n\n\"Middle of the year at the earliest is what we're hearing from end customers in the UK, and also from some of our people in the industry. Some of the carriers as well,\" he said.\n\nMr Lee has called on the shipping lines to add more ships to help ease the backlog of stock orders building up at warehouses across China.\n\n\"They are increasing sailing but can increase a lot more. There are idle ships out there that they can reactivate without too much difficulty,\" he said.\n\nThe disruption could last for several months, according to logistics specialist Patrick Lee\n\nBut a spokeswoman for the World Shipping Council said carriers are using all available capacity.\n\n\"The demand for transportation service far exceeds supply. As in any free market, this puts upward pressure on rates,\" she said.\n\nShipping lines have been trying to drive down demand from British importers by charging a premium for deliveries to the UK, or bypassing the country's ports altogether.\n\nOne shipping line recently offered freight rates of $12,050 for a 40ft container from China to Southampton, but charged just $8,450 for the same container to travel from China to Rotterdam, Hamburg, or Antwerp.\n\nThe UK's largest container port at Felixstowe has been experiencing long delays since October. Congestion has also been a problem at the Port of Southampton, albeit to a lesser extent.\n\nThe bottlenecks were initially caused by a surge in imports as business activity picked up after the first wave of the pandemic. Huge shipments of PPE and the usual Christmas rush added to container volumes and ports struggled to cope.\n\nThe UK's largest container port at Felixstowe has been experiencing bottlenecks for months\n\n\"Most of the carriers just don't want UK cargo because of the issues when the vessels dock, so mainly they're favouring European ports and we are having to truck containers over,\" said freight forwarder Craig Poole.\n\nHe said that adds a cost of up to £2,000 per container, and takes an extra seven to ten days to reach the delivery point in the UK.\n\nFor business-owners like Helen White, the difficulties affecting the shipping industry can't be solved quickly enough.\n\n\"Lots of little start-ups are really hurting,\" she said. \"It has been paired with logistical nightmares across Europe as well. It just feels like logistics is falling apart at the moment. It's hard to see where the resolution is.\"", "All schools moved to online learning before Christmas, following concerns from unions over the new coronavirus variant\n\n\"Wholesale\" return of pupils to school after February half term is \"unlikely\", Wales' first minister has said.\n\nMark Drakeford said there were \"intermediate positions between where we are today, with very few children in school, and everybody being back\".\n\nPreviously, ministers said schools would stay closed to most until February half term unless Covid cases fell significantly.\n\nThose preparing for qualifications and very young children may return first.\n\nMr Drakeford told a coronavirus briefing on Friday he had recently chaired a meeting of the teaching unions and local education authorities.\n\n\"We all agreed that we would work purposefully together to find ways of bringing more young people back into the classroom,\" he said.\n\n\"Does that mean that we will see a wholesale return of every child in every classroom, every day of the week across Wales? I do think that that is probably unlikely.\n\n\"But there are intermediate positions between where we are today, with very few children in school, and everybody being back.\"\n\nHe said there had been \"practical, creative, imaginative\" proposals put forward which could mean some children being back in the classroom for some of the week.\n\nMinisters previously said schools would stay closed until half term unless Covid cases fell significantly\n\nThese could include \"children preparing for qualifications [and] very young children for whom online learning really isn't a genuine possibility\".\n\n\"I certainly don't rule out making some of those things happen after the February half term, but I do think it's unlikely in the way you said that we would see every child back full-time in every classroom in the way that we would ideally wish to do,\" he added.\n\nAll schools and colleges moved to online learning before Christmas, following concerns from unions over the new coronavirus variant.\n\nThey have remained open for children of critical workers and vulnerable learners, as well as for learners who needed to complete essential exams or assessments.\n\nEarlier this month, when Education Minister Kirsty Williams said schools and colleges would stay closed to most pupils until the February half term, unions welcomed the news, saying the health and safety of pupils and staff \"had to be a priority\".\n\nBut, they added, teachers must now be given the vaccine as a priority, and pupils and staff must be protected before talks about reopening schools could begin.\n\nTeachers are still not on the priority list for immunisation, and have to wait to get the jab dependent on their age and if they have a medical condition.\n\nAt the time, Laura Doel, director of The National Association of Headteachers Cymru, said: \"Any plan that sees school staff return to face-to-face learning should be afforded as much protection as possible against the virus.\n\n\"Once these issues have been addressed, then we can discuss the orderly return to school we all want.\"\n\nOpposition parties have called for clear plans on how schools would return and for support to make sure pupils from poorer backgrounds did not fall behind due to a \"digital divide\".\n\nPlaid Cymru's education spokeswoman Sian Gwenllian said: \"The Welsh Government must plan now for the gradual and safe reopening of schools, putting in place safety measures, and should lay out plans for a vaccination programme for schools staff.\"\n\nWelsh Conservative education spokeswoman Suzy Davies called for the Welsh Government to publish evidence on its reasons for closing schools, bring forward vaccines for teachers, and said money must be made available for all pupils to access laptops for online learning.", "Three quarters of applications for a £500 discretionary grant, which aims to help those on low incomes self-isolate, have been rejected, figures suggest.\n\nEmployed or self-employed people in England who do not qualify for the Test and Trace Support Payment because they do not receive benefits can apply.\n\nData obtained by Labour and shared with BBC Newsnight suggests just 12,069 of 49,877 applications were successful.\n\nThe government said it was assessing how the scheme is supporting people.\n\nThe cumulative figures obtained by Labour suggest that between October and December last year, 35,252 applications to local authorities in England for the discretionary part of the test and trace support payment scheme were rejected, while 12,069 were granted.\n\nThe government introduced the Test and Trace Support payment in late September as a way of topping up any benefits or Statutory Sick Pay a person receives.\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care says it is a targeted scheme designed to help people on low incomes.\n\nThere is a list of specific criteria applicants must meet for the grant, but those who do not qualify for this payment and who are on a low income or may face financial hardship as a result of self-isolating, can apply for a discretionary payment.\n\nLocal authorities in England oversee the entire support scheme, with the qualifying criteria set by the government. They blame overly strict criteria and inadequate government guidance for people being rejected who feel they should qualify for a grant.\n\nThe Local Government Association, which represents councils in England as well as the London boroughs, said some councils were having to turn down applications for the discretionary support because \"people are ineligible or have failed to provide the evidence needed\".\n\nLast month, the self-isolation period for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus was shortened from 14 to 10 days after the time of exposure.\n\nPeople who are contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told to self-isolate, face fines of up to £10,000 if they fail to comply. Those who don't self-isolate risk spreading the virus to others.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nDr Nishant Joshi, a GP trainee working at a practice in Luton, says he meets, on a daily basis, people who are faced with what he calls a \"Sophie's choice\".\n\nHe says: \"People come to me with essentially a Sophie's choice situation - I know I have to isolate but also I don't have enough money to put food on my table.\n\n\"If I say to somebody who comes to me with a health problem, you need to take a couple of weeks off work, I've had patients who have come to me and they're in tears.\"\n\nRachel, a shop worker from East London with a disabled son, tested positive in early January and was left in a desperate situation after having to self-isolate.\n\nShe says: \"I didn't have a hot meal for 10 days. I had two bowls of cornflakes and a hot dog. I was hungry. I was petrified\".\n\nShe adds: \"It's been probably the worst two weeks of my life. On a personal level I knew I had no choice but to isolate to keep my son safe.\n\n\"Had I not been in that position I can't guarantee that I would have done the whole self isolation thing because you get desperate.\"\n\nHer local councillor eventually dropped off a hot meal. Rachel was fortunate and received a £500 grant at the end of her isolation.\n\nJosie Tothill said missing two weeks of work \"could be the difference between feeding your kids or not, or paying rent or not\"\n\nJosie Tothill from Manchester didn't qualify for the scheme, even though her job, as a personal assistant to a woman who needs mental health support, means she is on a low income.\n\nShe had to self-isolate in October after her sister tested positive. But she did not receive a call from Test and Trace despite being a contact. Only people with a Test and Trace number are eligible.\n\nJosie says: \"It was difficult, but I got by. But for a lot of people, especially if you work in care, you are already on poverty wages, so to miss two weeks of work - that could be the difference between feeding your kids or not, or paying rent or not.\n\n\"So you can see, for some people, it's impossible to do that isolation, so it's much harder to control the virus.\"\n\nThe Labour Party, which obtained the figures from local authorities under the Freedom of Information Act, says the government must make sure everyone can afford to self isolate.\n\nShadow communities secretary Steve Reed said it was vital that people who self-isolated were not \"punished for doing the right thing\".\n\nHe told the BBC: \"The problem is the government established a fixed pot of money and, in some cases, councils have eked it out so much that many people applying for the funding haven't received it.\n\n\"In other cases councils have used up all the money because they have more people applying than were expected.\n\n\"So, we end up with a postcode lottery, if you live in one area you might get the funding, if you live in another area you might not.\"\n\nAnalysis of the figures by the BBC shows that of the applications to the discretionary scheme:\n\nWhile most of councils that responded rejected the majority of applications to the discretionary scheme, a smaller number bucked the trend.\n\nLambeth granted 77% of applications, Haringey and Wakefield 75%, and Solihull 64%.\n\nWhile it's impossible to rule out that applications may be coming from people who are taking a chance, it's also clear that some councils are apparently more flexible about the criteria used on the discretionary scheme.\n\nThe government is putting £70 million into funding the scheme. It said: \"Local authorities are responsible for decisions when it comes to making additional discretionary payments to people who fall outside the scope of the main scheme and are facing financial hardship as a result of having to self-isolate.\n\n\"We continue to work closely with the 314 local authorities in England to assess how the scheme is supporting people experiencing financial difficulties.\"\n\nThe Local Government Association said the government \"needs to ensure its £500 self-isolation payment support scheme is available to those in need of financial support\".\n\nIt says it is \"good\" that councils will receive extra government funding \"to support people on low incomes who do not meet the strict criteria for this main scheme, but who may face financial hardship because of the requirement to self-isolate\".", "Because of its scale, work on Glastonbury's site must begin earlier than most festivals\n\nMusic festivals are \"still possible\" this summer, despite the cancellation of Glastonbury, says the head of the Association of Independent Festivals.\n\nPaul Reed said Glastonbury \"is a different beast to most festivals and most likely ran out of time due to the size and complexity of the event\".\n\nSmaller events could still happen if the government ensures organisers can access cancellation insurance, he said.\n\n\"For most festivals, the cut-off point is more likely the end of March.\"\n\nOn Thursday, Glastonbury organisers Michael and Emily Eavis called off their festival for the second year in a row because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\n\"In spite of our efforts to move Heaven & Earth, it has become clear that we simply will not be able to make the festival happen,\" they said in a joint statement. \"We are so sorry to let you all down.\"\n\nTickets for the festival, which normally attracts 200,000 people and was due to take place in June, will roll over to 2022.\n\nGlastonbury is the UK's biggest music festival, but it was not the only event to cancel its plans on Thursday. The Country To Country festival, which was due to take place in March, also said its 2021 edition would not happen.\n\nThe three-day event, which attracts some of country music's biggest names to indoor venues in London, Dublin and Glasgow, said it had pulled the plug due to the \"current restrictions on mass gatherings and international travel\".\n\nThe announcements came as coronavirus deaths soared in England, with more than 8,500 deaths recorded in the past week. On Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was \"too early\" to say whether England's Covid restrictions would be lifted by the spring.\n\nStormzy has already been announced as a headliner for August's Reading and Leeds festivals\n\nGlastonbury's cancellation has raised fears for other music festivals this summer. However, the organisers of Glasgow's TRNSMT said there was \"reason to be optimistic\" that it could go ahead in July, with headliners Lewis Capaldi, Liam Gallagher and the Courteeners.\n\n\"Glastonbury is the biggest festival in the world and it's sad to see that, due to its enormous scale and taking several months to get the city-sized festival site ready, it's unable to go ahead this year,\" boss Geoff Ellis told Scotland's Daily Record.\n\n\"By comparison, TRNSMT is a much smaller city centre event with no camping. As such it takes us days rather than months to build TRNSMT. Therefore, we will continue to listen to and follow the advice from the government and remain positive about events later in the summer.\"\n\nHis comments were echoed by Bestival co-founder Rob Da Bank, who tweeted that \"festival season will happen in the UK this summer\", adding: \"Sadly Glasto is such a mammoth beast to plan it ran outta time.\"\n\nSacha Lord, co-founder of Manchester's Parklife festival, added that Glastonbury's cancellation was \"yet another blow\" to freelancers who work in the live music sector.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Breakfast on Friday, Mr Reed said the UK was at a \"serious point in the pandemic and festivals only want to return when it is safe to do so\".\n\nHe added that festivals were currently struggling to get insurance for coronavirus-related cancellations. Last week, MPs from the House of Commons culture select committee wrote to the chancellor, urging him to launch a Covid-19 insurance scheme to protect live music.\n\nThe appeal was backed by more than 100 industry figures, including organisers of the TRNSMT and Parklife festivals. \"We do need government to intervene in this issue,\" said Mr Reed.\n\nIn a tweet on Thursday, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden expressed his regret at Glastonbury's cancellation and said the government was \"looking at problems around getting insurance\".\n\nA government spokeswoman said on Friday they are in \"regular dialogue\" with public health experts to \"agree a realistic return date for festivals and other large events\". They added they were still helping festivals with the £1.5bn Culture Recovery Fund, \"with many already receiving this support\".\n\nLatitude Festival has been held at Henham Park, near Southwold, since 2006\n\nOther European countries, including Austria and Germany, have launched schemes to cover events that cannot be rescheduled, including music festivals. At present, England has a scheme protecting film and TV shoots, but not music.\n\nHowever, some festivals have been given support by the government's £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund, including Womad, End of the Road and Nozstock.\n\nMelvin Benn, whose company Festival Republic organises the Latitude, Download and the Reading & Leeds festivals, said that without an insurance scheme, other events would be left \"staring into the same barrel that Glastonbury stared into\".\n\n\"People can't afford to take that financial risk,\" he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nThe government is holding \"early stage talks\" with insurers, confirmed Tim Thornhill of Tyser's Insurance, which counts Glastonbury amongst its clients.\n\n\"We have helped to put in place the film and TV restart scheme, which the chancellor explained saved 14,000 jobs,\" he said. \"So if we can do something for events, that would be welcome across the industry\".\n\nWhile there is \"no guarantee\" that insurance could be provided, he said there was \"significant urgency\" to finding a solution \"within the next few months\".\n\n\"It's really important that the government supports the industry,\" added Radiohead's Colin Greenwood. \"And they need to start thinking about that now, and not when we reach that point - say in October this year - when there are enough people vaccinated for [live music] to become safe.\n\n\"Nobody wants to go to anything, or take part in anything, that's going to turn into a super-spreader event,\" he said.\n\n\"But obviously there has to be a way out of this, through vaccination. And I think we need to make sure that systems are in place so we can get back into doing what we love.\"\n\nJulian Knight MP, chair of the culture select committee, said the government was working on insurance plans, because of the importance of festivals to British culture and the economy.\n\n\"I've been in to see the chancellor,\" he told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat. \"Finally I think there is some movement. I understand that they are dropping some of the objections that they may have had, and that we may end up with an insurance scheme.\n\n\"However, there's a danger that it's too little too late.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "PM: We are enforcing lockdown with increasing toughness\n\nSky News's Sam Coates asks whether, if the new variant is more dangerous, it is right that more people are \"out and about\" during the current lockdown than the first one last year. The PM says that \"we are enforcing the law very strictly with increasing toughness\", meaning increased fines to dissuade risky behaviour. \"It depends on everybody doing the right thing and avoiding transmission,\" he says, adding that is what will be more effective than police action. On why the new variant may be transmitting more readily, Sir Patrick Vallance says it is not believed the new variant has a higher viral load, meaning people \"shed more virus\". He suggests it may be other factors that make it more transmissible. On the current infection rate, Chris Whitty says that while infections are slowly going down \"it is at a very, very high level\". He says that among some age groups - including those 20 to 30 - infections may still be increasing. And on hospitalisations, he says that they are \"broadly flat\" for the UK as a whole, but there are variations between regions. \"That peak is not yet definitely going down yet,\" he says. Deaths will be delayed further with the peak expected in the future, he adds. Video caption: Infection level 'very, very high' and 'extremely precarious' - Prof Whitty Infection level 'very, very high' and 'extremely precarious' - Prof Whitty", "The Holyrood inquiry into the handling of harassment claims against Alex Salmond is using legal powers to seek documents from the Crown Office.\n\nThe documents include messages between SNP officials, civil servants and advisers relating to Mr Salmond's legal challenge to the complaints process.\n\nIt is the first time MSPs have issued such a formal request in the history of the Scottish Parliament.\n\nConvener Linda Fabiani said the action was necessary to continue its work.\n\nThe committee was established in the wake of a judicial review court case where the Scottish government admitted its internal investigation of two harassment complaints against Mr Salmond had been unlawful.\n\nThe government had to pay out more than £500,000 in legal expenses to the former first minister, who was later acquitted of 13 charges of sexual assault in a separate criminal trial.\n\nThe notice, formally issued by Holyrood chief executive David McGill, states that the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) \"may hold documents relevant and necessary for the committee to fulfil its remit\".\n\nThe committee is seeking the release of documents detailing text or WhatsApp communications between SNP chief operating officer Susan Ruddick and Scottish government ministers, civil servants or special advisers between August 2018 and January 2019, that may be relevant to the inquiry.\n\nIt also wants to see any documents linked to the leaking of complaints to the Daily Record newspaper in August 2018.\n\nMs Fabiani said: \"Throughout this inquiry, the committee has been determined to get as much information as possible to inform its task.\n\n\"This is a step that hasn't been taken lightly, and is a first for this Parliament, but which the committee felt was needed as it continues its vital work.\"\n\nThe Crown Office has been given until 17:00 on 29 January to respond to the notice.\n\nNever before in Holyrood's history has it attempted to use this legal power of compulsion.\n\nSection 23 of the Scotland Act makes it possible to force a witness to give evidence in person or - as in this case - to hand over documents.\n\nIt sounds straightforward but lots of legal terms and conditions apply.\n\nThat's especially true in this case where MSPs are trying to compel the Crown Office - in charge of prosecutions and headed up by the Lord Advocate.\n\nThe Lord Advocate has potential get-outs if he considers releasing documents would \"prejudice criminal proceedings\" or otherwise be \"contrary to the public interest\".\n\nThat public interest test could be key.\n\nClearly, MSPs think social media messages and other material held by the Crown Office could be relevant to their inquiry and should be released.\n\nThe Crown Office has argued that disclosing evidence gathered in a criminal case for other purposes risks undermining confidence in the police and prosecutors.\n\nThe Lord Advocate has a big call to make - has the prosecution service (which he runs) or the parliament (to which he is answerable as a minister) got the better sense of where - on balance - the public interest lies?\n\nIn other developments, Mr Salmond has been given a deadline by which to appear before the committee.\n\nThe former SNP leader has been given the option of giving evidence to the committee either in person in the Parliament or by appearing remotely on a number of dates in the first week of February.\n\nMs Fabiani said if this was not possible then the \"committee regrets that it will not be able to take oral evidence from you\" although he would be free to submit further written evidence.\n\nMr Salmond's lawyers had said he was only available in the second week of February.\n\nIn a letter to the committee, the former first minister said this was because he had still to complete two further submissions but the process had been \"hampered\" by the Scottish government's \"failure\" to release its legal advice and the ongoing bid to recover documents from the Crown Office.\n\nMr Salmond's appearance is much anticipated following his written submission earlier this month in which he alleged that Nicola Sturgeon misled parliament.\n\nMs Sturgeon, who \"entirely rejects\" his claims, is expected to give evidence in the coming weeks and has said she is looking forward to putting her side across.\n\nMeanwhile, the committee has once again written to the Scottish government urging it to waive legal privilege and release the advice it received from lawyers regarding the case.\n\nA Crown Office spokesman said: \"COPFS has received the correspondence from the committee and will respond in early course.\"\n\nA Scottish government spokeswoman said: \"We will consider the committee's letter - but the Scottish government has already taken unprecedented steps to provide the committee with access to relevant information to allow it to fulfil its remit.\n\n\"The government has, exceptionally, provided the committee with access to a summary of the legal advice on the judicial review on a confidential basis.\"", "Eric Vice, 64, was on his way to Swansea University when he crashed into a bridge\n\nA bus driver who crashed his double-decker bus into a bridge, killing a passenger, has been jailed.\n\nJessica Jing Ren, 36, died 11 days after the bus, which was going to Swansea University, hit a bridge on Neath Road on 12 December 2019.\n\nEric Vice, 64, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving at Swansea Crown Court.\n\nHe was sentenced to two years and six months.\n\nMs Ren had been on the front row of the upper deck of the bus and was on her phone at the time of the crash, the court heard.\n\nShe was a visiting academic at the university's accounting and finance department from Huanghuai University in China, where she had a five-year-old son with her husband, who is also a lecturer.\n\nProsecutor Carina Hughes said the crash left trapped passengers covered in debris and forced to crouch down in the flattened upper deck while they waited to be rescued.\n\nOlympic gold medallist and 400m hurdles world record holder Kevin Young, who was studying at the university, saw Ms Ren hit the front windscreen.\n\nEric Vice is \"consumed with guilt\" his defence barrister said\n\n\"Mr Young says that she was slowly trying to mouth some words to him, but it was inaudible.\n\n\"He described that he held her hand to try and comfort her until the police and paramedics arrived.\"\n\nMs Hughes said Ms Ren had been unconscious when cut out of the bus by firefighters 90 minutes later and was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, with spine injuries, leg fractures, lacerations and a severe brain injury.\n\nAerospace engineering student Richard Thompson, 20, was seriously injured in the crash and required facial reconstruction. Mr Young suffered a head wound and two broken ribs.\n\nThe court heard passenger statements saying the bus appeared to be running late and the driver had been waving passengers on to the bus without scanning their tickets.\n\nMs Hughes said when Vice encountered traffic between Swansea University's Singleton campus and its Swansea Bay campus, he decided to take a different route, one he had taken several times before when driving a single-decker bus.\n\nShe said 21 passengers has been on board, 13 of whom were on the top deck.\n\nMs Hughes said Vice had driven past two height restriction warnings on the route.\n\nThe bus went under the stone arch of the railway bridge, but hit the lower steel bridge.\n\nIan Ibrahim, defending, said it had been \"without doubt a catastrophic error of judgement.\"\n\nHe added: \"He is consumed with guilt - he's been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and severe depression.\"\n\nJessica Jing Ren was a visiting academic at Swansea University from Huanghuai University in China\n\nJudge Geraint Williams said: \"That fatal error of yours resulted in the death of a promising young academic.\n\n\"Following the crash you stayed at the scene where you witnessed first-hand the carnage you had created.\n\n\"I can't think of a word short of carnage to describe the scene on the upstairs of that bus - but it could have been many, many times worse.\n\n\"The stark reality in this case is that your impatience that day robbed you of the care which ordinarily you applied to your professional driving.\"\n\nThe scene inside the bus after it crashed into a railway bridge in Neath Road, Swansea\n\nAt the time of her death, Ms Ren's family said in a statement: \"Jessica was the loving wife of Wenquang Wang, a devoted mother to five-year-old Yushu Wang and the cherished Daughter of Mingqi Ren.\n\n\"A much loved and talented academic, Jessica will be deeply missed by her family and her friends both in China and in Swansea and will leave a great void in their lives.\"\n\nIn a statement released after Ms Ren died, Swansea University said: \"We are deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Jessica Jing Ren.\n\n\"Our thoughts are with Jessica's family at this time and we extend our deepest condolences at their tragic loss.\"", "Daniel Craig with director Cary Joji Fukunaga on the No Time To Die set in 2019\n\nThe release of the next James Bond film has been delayed for a third time because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nNo Time To Die had already been pushed back twice, and will now debut globally on 8 October, an announcement on the film's website said.\n\nIt had originally been due to hit screens in April 2020.\n\nThe film is the 25th instalment in the Bond franchise, and marks Daniel Craig's final appearance as British secret service agent 007.\n\nIt also features Lea Seydoux and Rami Malek.\n\nThe delay will come as a further blow to cinemas that have been forced to shut for months at a time because of lockdowns.\n\nEarlier this week, leading film-makers including Danny Boyle and Sir Steve McQueen wrote to the UK Government, calling for financial support for cinema chains because \"UK cinema stands on the edge of an abyss\".\n\nCineworld said in October, when No Time To Die was pushed back for the second time, that delays to big budget releases meant the industry was \"unviable\".\n\nBond's latest move sparked a flurry of other delays to major releases. Sony has pushed back Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Peter Rabbit 2, Jared Leto's Morbius, Tom Holland's Uncharted and Cinderella, which will star singer Camila Cabello; while Universal has moved Tom Hanks' Bios from April to November.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by James Bond 007 This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nThe UK Cinema Association said the decision to postpone No Time To Die again, \"while clearly disappointing, is at the same time not surprising given the current situation around Covid-19 in the UK as well as the US and other major film territories\".\n\nThe postponement of Daniel Craig's swansong and other films \"underlines the need for ongoing support for the UK cinema sector\", the trade body's chief executive Phil Clapp said.\n\nThe association is calling on the government to provide \"direct funding\" to chains, which represent 80% of ticket sales.\n\nOne of the major chains, Vue, said the delay was \"understandable\", and that the continuing attempts to release the film in cinemas \"is further testament to our shared belief in a bright future for the big screen\".\n\nHowever, the latest postponement could stoke speculation that the film may ultimately skip cinemas and be released on a streaming platform.\n\nMajor Disney titles like Pixar's Soul and its live-action remake of Mulan bypassed cinemas, premiering instead on the Disney+ streaming service.\n\nWonder Woman 1984, meanwhile, was made available in the US on the HBO Max streaming service on the same day it received a limited cinema release.\n\nLast year, Warner Bros announced its 2021 titles - including sci-fi epic Dune and The Matrix 4 - would all adopt a similar dual release pattern, escalating tensions between Hollywood and US movie theatres.\n\nRami Malek plays the villainous Safin in the thrice-delayed film\n\nThe Dig, a new historical drama starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan, was due to be released in selected UK cinemas this month. Now, the film will only be available on Netflix from 29 January.\n\nAsked whether No Time To Die might go down the same route, Fiennes - who will reprise his role as M in the film - recently told BBC News: \"That's a good question and I'm not really in a position to answer it.\n\n\"I would love the idea that people could go to the cinema and have the full effect of the big-screen energy behind the Bond, but I'm sure it's something the people who make these executive decisions are probably considering.\n\n\"I really hope we come through this so people can go to the cinema. Maybe they just have to hold their nerve. But of course we don't know, and there may be financial reasons or imperatives that [mean] they have to put it on a streaming system.\"\n\nIf No Time To Die is indeed released in cinemas in October, it will arrive a full six years on from the release of its 2015 predecessor Spectre.\n\nThat won't be far behind the six years and four months that separated the release of Licence to Kill in summer 1989 and GoldenEye in late 1995 - the biggest gap between two Bond films.\n\nThe last Bond film, 2015's Spectre, took almost $900m (£690m) at worldwide box offices.\n\nOther blockbusters to have been delayed by the pandemic include action sequel Top Gun: Maverick and Marvel's Black Widow.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "One of the mysteries of Covid-19 is why oxygen levels in the blood can drop to dangerously low levels without the patient noticing.\n\nIt is known as \"silent hypoxia\".\n\nAs a result, patients have been arriving in hospital in far worse health than they realised and, in some cases, too late to treat effectively.\n\nBut a potentially life-saving solution, in the form of a pulse oximeter, allows patients to monitor their oxygen levels at home, and costs about £20.\n\nThey are being rolled out for high-risk Covid patients in the UK, and the doctor leading the scheme thinks everyone should consider buying one.\n\nA normal oxygen level in the blood is between 95% and 100%.\n\n\"With Covid, we were admitting patients with oxygen levels in the 70s or low-or-middle 80s,\" said Dr Matt Inada-Kim, a consultant in acute medicine at Hampshire Hospitals.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Inside Health: \"It was a really curious and scary presentation and really made us rethink what we were doing.\"\n\nDr Inada-Kim became the national clinical lead of the Covid Oximetry@home project.\n\nA pulse oximeter slips over your middle finger and shines a light into the body. It measures how much of the light is absorbed in order to calculate oxygen levels in the blood.\n\nIn England, they are being given to people with Covid who are over 65, younger but have a health problem, or anyone doctors are concerned about. Similar schemes are being rolled out across the UK.\n\nPeople measure and record their oxygen levels three times a day.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Health Education England - HEE This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nIf oxygen levels drop to 93% or 94%, then people speak to their GP or call 111. If they go below 92%, people should go to A&E or call 999 for an ambulance.\n\nStudies, which have not been reviewed by other scientists, have shown even small drops below 95% are linked to an increased risk of dying.\n\nDr Inada-Kim said: \"The point of this whole strategy is to try to get in early to prevent people getting that sick, by admitting patients at a more salvageable point in their illness.\"\n\nChris Harris, who is 70, was one of the first patients to benefit from the scheme.\n\nHe was being treated for a urinary infection in November last year, but then when he developed unexpected flu-like symptoms his GP sent him for a Covid test. It was positive.\n\n\"I don't mind admitting I was in tears, it was a very stressful, frightening time,\" he told Inside Health.\n\nHis oxygen levels dropped a couple of percentage points below the normal zone, so after a call with his GP, he went to hospital.\n\nAt this point he was still feeling fine, but things changed the day after he was admitted.\n\n\"My breathing started to get a little bit laboured, I had a high temperature as the days went on, [my oxygen levels] were progressively getting lower, they were in their 80s,\" he told me.\n\nChris was treated, did not need intensive care and has made a full recovery.\n\nHe said: \"I may have gone [to hospital] as the very last resort and that's the frightening thing. It was the oxygen meter that forced me to go, I would have just sat it out thinking I would recover.\n\n\"I am extremely lucky and very, very grateful.\"\n\nHis GP, Dr Caroline O'Keefe, says she has seen a massive increase in the number of people being monitored.\n\nShe said: \"On Christmas Day we were monitoring 44 patients, today I have 160 patients who I am monitoring daily. So we are certainly busy.\"\n\n\"We've had to quadruple the size of our team in the last two weeks.\"\n\nOverall, NHS England has supplied around 300,000 pulse oximeters for the home-monitoring scheme.\n\nDr Inada-Kim says there isn't definitive proof that the gadget saves lives and it could take until April to know for sure. However, the early signs are all positive.\n\n\"What we think we can see are the early seeds of a reduction in the length of stay after a hospital admission, an improvement in survival and a reduction in the pressures on the emergency services,\" he said.\n\nHe is so convinced of their role in tackling silent hypoxia that he said everyone should consider buying one.\n\n\"Personally I would, and I know a number of colleagues who have bought pulse oximeters to distribute to their loved ones,\" he said.\n\nHe advised checking they had a CE Kitemark and to avoid apps on smartphones, which he said were not as reliable.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA mosque has become the first in the UK to open as a Covid vaccination centre.\n\nThe Al-Abbas Islamic Centre in Balsall Heath, Birmingham is expected to vaccinate up to 500 people a day.\n\nThe imam, Sheikh Nuru Mohammed, said he hoped it would help dispel false information that the vaccine was forbidden in Islamic law.\n\nNHS England said it fears disinformation could be causing some in the UK's South Asian communities to reject the Covid vaccine.\n\n\"It will send a strong message to our Muslim brothers and sisters. We are doing this to say a big 'no' to fake news and a big 'yes' to the vaccine,\" Sheikh Nuru said.\n\n\"Muslim scholars advise us to get the vaccine because the sanctity of life is important in Islam.\"\n\nImam Sheikh Nuru Mohammed said he hopes the opening of the vaccination centre will help dispel false information\n\nDr Rizwan Alidina, a trustee of the mosque and member of the Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group said: \"The significance of the venue is obviously quite evident with particularly the Muslim community being one of the communities with a bit of a lower uptake than we would otherwise have expected.\"\n\nHe said there had been a good response to the opening of the centre at the mosque and hoped it would soon be carrying out between 300 and 500 vaccinations a day.\n\nNHS England regional medical director for London Dr Vin Diwakar told a Downing Street press conference some communities had \"legitimate and understandable concerns about the vaccines\".\n\nHe said despite it being a \"safe and effective vaccine\", for some Asian and black communities there were \"longstanding concerns\" that \"go back generations\".\n\nDr Diwakar said some people were \"told by their grandparents that experiments were done in the early part of the last century, that unethical experiments were done way back in the 60s\".\n\nSpeaking at the Downing Street briefing, Home Secretary Priti Patel also sought to counter disinformation targeted at people from minority ethnic backgrounds.\n\n\"This vaccine is safe for us all,\" she said.\n\n\"It will protect you and your family... So I urge everyone from across our wonderfully diverse country to get the vaccine when their turn comes to keep us all safe.\"\n\nOne of the first to get the jab at he Birmingham mosque, retired GP Dr Masud Ahmad, said his message to others in the local community was \"that it's quite safe to have it and they should have it\".\n\nOther places of worship, including Salisbury Cathedral and Lichfield Cathedral, opened as vaccine centres last week.\n\nThe Al-Abbas Islamic Centre is administering the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Ministers will discuss at a meeting on Monday whether to tighten restrictions at UK borders - including the possibility of hotel quarantines for travellers, the BBC has been told.\n\nAt a Downing Street news conference on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not rule out taking further action.\n\nIt comes amid increased concerns over the spread of new coronavirus variants.\n\nUnder current travel curbs, almost all people arriving in the UK must test negative for Covid to be allowed entry.\n\nThe test must be taken in the 72 hours before travelling and anyone arriving without one faces a fine of up to £500.\n\nAll passengers are also required to quarantine for up to 10 days, although the isolation period can be cut short with a second negative test after five days in England.\n\nThe only people not subject to the conditions are children under 11, hauliers, air, international rail and maritime crew, and passengers from the Common Travel Area - comprised of the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man\n\nScotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own quarantine rules, which differ slightly.\n\nAs of Monday, travel corridors, which exempted passengers arriving from some countries from quarantine, were suspended throughout the UK.\n\nAsked whether the government would bring in further measures at UK borders, Mr Johnson said: \"I really don't rule it out, we may need to take further measures still.\n\n\"We may need to go further to protect our borders.\n\n\"We don't want to put that [efforts to control Covid] at risk by having a new variant come back in.\"\n\nOne more infectious variant , which was first identified in Kent, has already spread widely across the UK.\n\nAnd, at the briefing, the prime minister announced that early evidence suggests this variant may be more deadly.\n\nOther new variants causing concern have been identified in South Africa and Brazil in the weeks since the Kent variant was discovered.\n\nThose discoveries led to direct flights to the UK from all South American countries and several southern African countries being suspended.\n\nScientists fear these variants discovered in other countries may interfere with the effectiveness of vaccines and evade parts of the immune system.\n\nWhile those travelling into the UK are asked to abide by the 10-day isolation and told they can be subject to checks, London mayor Sadiq Khan is among those who have called for the UK to adopt the use of enforced quarantine in hotel rooms.\n\nThe policy is among the measures in Australia that has limited the country to just 28,750 positive cases during the entire pandemic, fewer than the UK currently has every day.\n\nTravellers who choose to go to Australia have to pay for their rooms at one of a number of selected quarantine facilities - and have all their meals delivered to their room throughout a stay of at least 14 days. They get tested twice for Covid during that period and if they test positive their quarantine is extended for a further 14 days.\n\nMeanwhile, passengers arriving into London's Heathrow airport this week have complained of queues at passport control and what they described as poor social distancing, after the latest travel restrictions - requiring travellers to show proof of their negative Covid tests - came into force.\n\nOn Friday, former British ambassador Peter Westmacott posted a picture on Twitter of long queues at the airport.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Peter Westmacott This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA government spokesman said people \"should not be travelling unless absolutely necessary\".\n\nThe statement added: \"You must have proof of a negative test and a completed passenger locator form before arriving.\n\n\"Border Force have been ramping up enforcement and those not complying could be fined £500.\n\n\"It's ultimately up to individual airports to ensure social distancing on site.\"\n\nWith all parts of the UK under strict virus rules amid high levels of infection, only essential foreign travel is permitted in the current advice from the Foreign Office.\n\nA further 40,261 cases, and 1,401 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported on Friday in the UK.", "The bunker is in a rural location near St Agnes, Cornwall\n\nAn \"eerie\" underground bunker built during the Cold War has been put up for sale with a guide price of £25,000.\n\nThe former monitoring post near St Agnes, Cornwall was built in 1961 and is accessed down a 14ft (4.2m) ladder.\n\nSellers have suggested \"a variety of uses\" for the \"out of the ordinary\" property, subject to planning permission from Cornwall Council.\n\nIt was used in the Cold War to monitor aircraft and any potential nuclear threats, said auctioneer Adam Cook.\n\nThe auction will be held online in February\n\nThe bunker was manned by volunteers and consists of an access shaft, a toilet and a monitoring room.\n\nIt is being auctioned online as part of a triangular piece of land on 18 February.\n\nThe site was first opened in 1961 and closed in 1991 and is accessed down a \"rustic vehicular track\", according to the online advert.\n\nMr Cook said it is a former Royal Observer Corps Monitoring Post \"but people love calling it a nuclear bunker\".\n\nHe said the bunker would have been one of around 1,500 monitoring posts built in coastal regions in the UK between the 1960s and 1990s.\n\nOld bunk beds remain in the bunker\n\nAccessed by a hatch, Mr Cook described the reinforced concrete bunker as \"a little bit eerie when you're there on your own\".\n\n\"I'm glad I've been down there...[to have] half a chance of explaining it to customers.\"\n\nHe said there was still a sense of what it used to be with an \"old bunk bed\" and a toilet \"which I don't think you'd fancy using but it certainly gives you the atmosphere\".\n\nMr Cook explained it is \"difficult to pigeon hole it onto any one kind of purchaser\" and said the buyer could be anyone from a history enthusiast to a landowner.\n\n\"All kinds could be interested and we're already getting lots of calls about it.\"\n\nFollow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your comments and story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.\n• None Cold War bunker up for sale for £25,000", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Some of the volunteers are working to prepare bodies for burial\n\nA mosque in east London has closed for all communal prayer. Instead it is serving two purposes - providing funerals and feeding the local community. Michael Buchanan finds a team of volunteers there battling to deal with the pandemic.\n\nThe family shuffled quietly past a crate of milk cartons. They came through the small porch, towards the open coffin. Inside was a woman - a loved one - who died of Covid two days ago. The coffin sat feet away from tins and packets to be distributed by the local food bank. The milk was the latest delivery.\n\nIt is impossible to capture the enormous consequences of the pandemic. But last Saturday lunchtime, this tragic image - one of grief and hardship coming together - came close, for me at least.\n\nCovid-19 has made extraordinary demands of so many different people, but what is currently happening at the Masjid Ibrahim and Islamic Centre in east London is truly remarkable. Situated on a busy road, with the noise of ambulance sirens regularly shattering its peaceful interior, the mosque has closed to communal prayer and is open for two other purposes - to provide a funeral service and a food bank to the local community. Both are inundated.\n\n\"We've had so many bodies coming in. It's quite shocking. It's one after another after another. We've never had that situation before,\" says Sofia Bhatti. Alongside her friend, Tabassum Khokhar - known as Tabs - the pair are unheralded heroes. They volunteer to wash the bodies of Covid-positive women prior to burial.\n\nThe practice, called Ghusl, is a sacred Islamic ritual and is usually performed by the deceased's relatives, who cleanse and shroud the body. But Covid restrictions mean families are currently denied that religious honour, so volunteers like Sofia and Tabs are taking on what they consider to be a privileged task.\n\n\"We actually believe that when we are shrouding here, that God is shrouding the soul at the same time,\" says Tabs, standing by a coffin. By day, she works as a teaching support worker in a local school, so the PPE that the mosque provides - bodysuit, footwear, two sets of gloves, masks and visors - is crucial for her. \"I make sure my PPE is secure because it's not just about me, it's about my family. I have an 81-year-old mother.\"\n\nThe women are seeing first hand - and in graphic detail - the pressure the NHS is under. \"Very often we see bodies coming in with a lot of medical equipment still attached to them,\" says Sofia. \"Tubes and pipes and catheters still attached. So it makes our job a little bit harder.\" One of the women they washed during my visit had died in the ambulance, never actually reaching hospital.\n\nVery often we see bodies coming in with a lot of medical equipment still attached to them. Tubes and pipes and catheters\n\nThere are far more bodies than during the first peak and there is a larger age range. One day this week, the mosque was handling seven bodies. A few days earlier they said they'd processed 10 funerals, all arranged for free and paid for by donations. Before the pandemic, they'd handled two to three funerals a week. The two local hospital trusts in east London have each had more than 1,000 Covid deaths since the start of the pandemic. More have died at home.\n\nThe borough of Newham, where the mosque sits, has suffered a disproportionate number of deaths. Home to the Olympic Park, the 2012 London games were meant to regenerate this area. Yet it retains high levels of poverty and overcrowded housing. Add in a diverse population, rich in south Asian culture, and large numbers of people who can't work from home and the virus has sadly ripped through its residents.\n\nIsfand Aslam said he's shocked by what's going on. His father, Mohammad, died on 3 January, a week after falling ill. His positive Covid test result arrived two days after his death. The 85-year-old was a committee member at the Masjid Ibrahim and despite his age had been in good health. \"It took a week between him passing away and getting buried. Initially I was getting a lot of condolences from friends. But by the end of that week I am giving condolences to three friends because their fathers had passed away. It's now got to the stage where everybody we know knows somebody who has passed away.\"\n\nThe sheer number of deaths is impacting the area's main Muslim cemetery. Normally, the Gardens of Peace buries three to four people each day. They're currently carrying out an average of 15 funerals daily. Overall, they are about 50% busier than usual. They can no longer promise burials within 24 hours, as per Muslim custom.\n\nDespite this, there is still a concerning number of people in the local area who either don't think Covid is real or are resistant to taking a vaccine. There was anger among some community leaders before Christmas when it emerged the Bangladeshi High Commission in London held a cultural evening to celebrate its independence. Photos from the event, on 16 December, showed a group - including the High Commissioner herself - standing close together with no masks or social distancing. The High Commission said performers had been Covid tested and it had issued 10 videos in Bangla urging British-Bangladeshis to adhere to UK government guidance.\n\nIt's now got to the stage where everybody we know knows somebody who has passed away\n\nTo counter disinformation among its members, an imam at the Masjid Ibrahim, Mohammad Ammar, filmed a short video of himself being injected with the vaccine and urged his congregation to follow suit. Imam Ammar has actually been furloughed by the mosque as it focusses all its resources on battling the pandemic, including feeding its local community.\n\nThe virus forced the mosque to open a food bank in March. It is still running 10 months on. On Monday night, I watched a steady stream of people gather in the gloom at the rear of the mosque to fill their bags. Most were collecting on behalf of a larger household, and the mosque says they're currently feeding 350 families each week, including students, refugees, people with no access to public funds and those who've lost income.\n\nAmong those collecting food on Monday was Mohammad Rahman. A 42-year-old chef, he lost his job in an Indian restaurant three months ago. The married father of two boys - aged eight and six - told me he was already in rent arrears and struggling to pay his energy bills. \"My son says 'where is the pizza'? But I have no money. He says '[can I have] chicken and chips'? But I have no money. The shops are open, but no money\", he adds, taking his hands from his pockets.\n\nIn normal times, the Masjid Ibrahim would attract about 1,100 worshippers over three floors for Friday prayers, and there has been some pressure on the leadership to reopen for communal worship. But Asim Uddin, chairman of the mosque, says now is not the time. \"Prayers, yes, it's important. But right now what is the need? The need of the community is they want to be fed and they want a place where they can respectfully bury their loved ones. And the demand is overwhelming. Right now, it's better they stay home, and they can pray at home until the situation goes back to normal.\"\n\nMichael Buchanan is the BBC's social affairs correspondent and has been reporting on the impact of the pandemic on communities in the UK. Last year, he visited the town of Pontypool to find out what impact coronavirus restrictions were having in Wales.", "UK retailers could abandon goods EU customers want to return, with some even thinking of burning them because it is cheaper than bringing them home.\n\nThey say the new EU trade deal has put costly duties on returns at a time when firms are already struggling.\n\nThe BBC has been told UK High Street and luxury brands have a mounting volume of goods stuck with courier services on the continent.\n\nNone of the retailers would comment on the problem.\n\nAdam Mansell, boss of the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT), said it's \"cheaper for retailers to write off the cost of the goods than dealing with it all, either abandoning or potentially burning them.\"\n\nSince 1 January, lots of European customers have been presented with an unexpected customs invoice when signing for goods they've ordered from the UK. These new customs charges are a result of the new EU trade deal with the UK.\n\n\"It's part of the ongoing small print of the deal,\" said Mr Mansell. \"If you're in Germany and buying goods from the UK, you as the German customer are the importer bringing goods into the EU.\n\n\"You then have a courier company knocking on the door giving you a customs clearance invoice that you need to pay to receive your goods.\"\n\nMany customers automatically reject the goods, refusing to pay the additional surcharges, leaving couriers to take them away.\n\nAbout 30% of items bought online are returned, according to figures from Statista. That has meant large volumes of goods are heading back to the UK.\n\nWhen goods arrive back at depots on the Continent, there is new customs paperwork to complete. \"Export clearance charge, import charge arrival, import VAT charge and depending on the goods a rules of origin document as well,\" said Mr Mansell.\n\n\"Lots of large businesses don't have a handle on it, never mind smaller ones.\"\n\nThe BBC has seen a document that states four major UK High Street fashion retailers are stockpiling returns in Belgium, Ireland and Germany. One brand will incur charges of almost £20,000 to get the returns back.\n\nCouriers and freight businesses that ship from the UK to Europe are also experiencing delays getting goods to the Continent because of the new customs clearances.\n\n\"It's a bigger change than we thought possible,\" explained Shona Brown from Speedy Freight, a courier service. \"Before, we'd get the order to Germany and off the driver would go.\n\n\"Now we've got to do export entry detailing where was it made, the driver needs to go to the customs office at Dover, then customs in Germany on arrival and then sort out the VAT. There are so many hoops to jump through, it's so laborious.\"\n\n\"You've got to have manpower to figure out what to do. And with people working from home it's difficult. For small businesses, it is a huge thing for people to do,\" she added.\n\nUlla Vitting Richards runs her sustainable fashion brand VILDNIS from the UK. She has stopped exporting to her fastest growing market, the EU, because of the new customs processes.\n\n\"I've been involved in logistics before. I expected it to be bad and I am used to shipping to the USA which is difficult. But this is just mind-blowing,\" she said.\n\n\"Every day there is another layer. In the first two weeks we couldn't get answers. For two years we were told to get ready for Brexit. But for these we couldn't prepare.\"\n\nShe added: \"I don't think we can increase prices but we might just have to say that we can't make the business with the EU work. It is a real shame. There is a huge interest in sustainable fashion in Europe and we might have to walk away from it.\"\n\nUlla did speak with the Department for International Trade for help and advice. She was told that setting up a subsidiary distribution hub in Europe might be a good idea: \"He told me we'd be best off moving stock to a warehouse in Germany and get them to handle it.\"\n\nRetailers in the UK and Europe that trade across the new customs border are all still adapting to the rules. Hauliers and customs agents are facing a steep learning curve too.\n\nThe government said: \"Now the UK has left the EU customs union and Single Market, there are new rules and processes businesses will need to follow.\n\n\"We have encouraged companies new to dealing with customs declarations to appoint a specialist to deal with import and export declarations on their behalf - and we made more than £80m available to expand the capacity of the customs agents market.\"\n\nIt added: \"Most businesses use a specialist such as a customs broker, freight forwarder or fast parcel operator to deal with this.\n\n\"The government will continue to work closely with businesses to ensure they are able to trade effectively under the new rules.\"", "The water is warmer than the air and is creating a mist along Dynevor Road\n\nThe coalmining heritage of Wales has been implicated in flooding of homes - but what has happened in Skewen?\n\nAbout 80 people were evacuated from the Neath Port Talbot village, with at least eight streets left under water.\n\nCouncil leader Rob Jones says the flood appears to be related to mine works - but the volume of water involved has hampered a full assessment so far.\n\nThe Coal Authority is investigating how \"historic underground mining features\" in the area exacerbated the problem.\n\nA geologist says there are tens of thousands of old mine shafts across the former south Wales coalfield and it is \"incredibly difficult\" to monitor them all.\n\nSkewen lies within an old coal mining hotspot, with several former colliery sites near the village that operated in the 19th and early 20th Century.\n\nThere were colliery sites near what is now Drummau Road, in the north of the village and another close to Old Road, near Neath Abbey.\n\nSkewen was part of a collection of collieries that stretched between Neath and Llanelli on the western side of south Wales' coalfield.\n\nGraham Levins, secretary of the Welsh Mines Preservation Trust, said old mines often contain groundwater which can flood in heavy rain.\n\nHe said: \"A lot of them go very, very deep down, much below the local water level and that's why they had all the big wheels to pump the water out.\n\n\"It fills up with water and will find a way out. Normally rainfall you get it doesn't cause a lot of problems but when you get really heavy rain, the water drains down through the ground and builds up.\"\n\nStreets were turned into rivers in Skewen\n\nGeologist Tom Backhouse said water was coming out of an area near the junction of Goshen Park and Drummau Road, where there is a record of a mine shaft dating from the turn of the 20th Century.\n\nIt then started \"rushing down\" Drummau Road, causing the flooding that forced evacuations.\n\n\"What we can expect to have happened is that the water level in the mines rose to a point where it's burst out of that entry point from the mine workings below.\n\n\"Also, there are images of very ochre like orange-coloured water and again, that may well be issuing from the mine workings on the highlands to the east of the property on the hill behind.\n\n\"That may be where the shallow workings have flooded.\"\n\nHe said old mine working across the former coalfield area hold water at a certain depth, but when an event such as Storm Christoph drops \"a huge amount in a small area\", the levels rise quickly.\n\n\"As it gets closer and closer to the surface, it basically looks for an escape, the pressure builds up,\" he continued.\n\n\"What it looks like has happened on the junction of Goshen Park and Drummau Road, where the mine shaft is recorded, is that pressure has built up at that point and then burst out through the shaft which is very likely to have been capped with wood or something like that.\n\n\"Where you've got those mine shafts, which ultimately are vertical tunnels down into the mine workings below, the water has literally forced itself up through that shaft, and the pressure is obviously so great it's caused this devastating flash flood.\"\n\nAs well as properties, vehicles were submerged in water\n\nThere are about 13 shafts recorded within about 820ft (250m) of the one in Goshen Park, so Mr Backhouse said it is possible more than one may have burst.\n\nThere are tens of thousands in south Wales and he said it was \"incredibly difficult\" to check them all, but there were \"tell tale signs\" as to why they may collapse such as age or what type of developments are around them.\n\nThe clean up has continued on Friday morning\n\n\"Not to try and fear-monger or anything but of course this sort of thing can happen again,\" he said.\n\n\"If another event like Storm Christoph happens, the water levels in the mine rises as quickly as it did, there's absolutely nothing to say that it wouldn't happen again in the future.\n\n\"And obviously as climate changes and we have many more events like Storm Christoph, they are going to increase in frequency, they are going to be much more severe.\n\n\"The Coal Authority will have to consider the risk in places like Skewen, and they'll have to understand how it will affect residents and proactively manage that and look at how to reduce the risks for residents.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Infection level \"very, very high\" and \"extremely precarious\" - Prof Whitty\n\nThe UK is at an \"extremely precarious\" point, according to the chief medical adviser, despite signs Covid infections are beginning to fall.\n\nThe virus's reproduction rate is estimated to be at or below one for the first time since early December.\n\nAnything below one means the epidemic is shrinking.\n\nBut cases are falling from a \"very, very high level\", Prof Chris Whitty said - and may still be increasing in some areas.\n\n\"A very small change and it could start taking off again from an extremely high base,\" he warned.\n\nSpeaking at a Number 10 press conference on Friday evening, the UK's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said the \"awful\" death rate would stay high \"for a little while before it starts coming down\".\n\n\"That was always what was predicted...and I think the information about the new variant doesn't change that\".\n\nEarly evidence suggests the variant of coronavirus that emerged in the UK may be more deadly, although findings are preliminary and there is a high level of uncertainty.\n\nDr Susan Hopkins at Public Health England said there was \"evidence from some but not all data sources which suggests that the variant of concern which was first detected in the UK may lead to a higher risk of death than the non-variant.\n\n\"Evidence on this variant is still emerging and more work is under way to fully understand how it behaves.\"\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said while the UK's R or reproduction number, might be below one - meaning a shrinking epidemic - overall, \"cases remain dangerously high and...it is essential that everyone continues to stay at home, whether they have had the vaccine or not.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures suggested cases were decreasing slightly or levelling off across Britain.\n\nBut infections are falling more slowly than they did during the first lockdown - by somewhere around a quarter every fortnight compared with a halving back in April.\n\nA further 40,261 cases, and 1,401 deaths were recorded on Friday in the UK.\n\nMore than five million people had been given a first dose of the vaccine by 21 January, and about half a million had received their second dose.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has previously said it is \"too early\" to say whether England's Covid restrictions will be able to end in the spring.\n\nWhile cases are falling or stable across the rest of the UK, in Northern Ireland cases have continued to rise and the new, more infectious strain has overtaken the older variant of the virus as of the start of January.\n\nDuring the week ending 16 January, about one in 55 people in England had the virus, the ONS estimated, with one in 35 in London testing positive.\n\nOne in 100 people had the virus in Scotland and one in 70 in Wales.\n\nBut in Northern Ireland infections have shot up from an an estimated one in 200 people testing positive in the week to 2 January, to one in 60 last week.\n\nONS statistician Sarah Crofts said while fewer people were testing positive in England, \"rates remain high and we estimate the level of infection is still over one million people\".\n\nAnd, she pointed out, \"the picture across the UK is mixed\".\n\nA survey by tech company ZOE and King's College London, based on swabs of people with and without symptoms, also suggested the R number could be at 0.8.\n\nAnd it estimated symptomatic cases had fallen by a quarter since last week.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What is the R number and what does it mean?\n\nMeanwhile, the proportion of people testing positive for the new Covid variant has risen considerably in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, ONS data suggest.\n\nBut the new strain, which remains by far the main source of infections in England, has yet to overtake the old strain in Scotland and Wales.\n\nWithin England, the proportion of infections that appear to be due to the new variant remained stable, but the gap between the regions is narrowing.\n\nIn the figures covering 2 January, 80% of infections looked like the new variant in London compared to 30% in the North East.\n\nTwo weeks later, that gap had narrowed to 70% in London versus 50% in the North East.\n\nIt is not clear what is behind the small fall in London, but it may be down to behaviour change, or other variants like the South Africa strain now in circulation and diluting the numbers.", "It would be unrealistic to expect all lockdown restrictions in Northern Ireland to be lifted on 5 March, Health Minister Robin Swann has said.\n\nOn Thursday, the executive announced that the current restrictions, which have been in place since 26 December, would be extended to 5 March.\n\nBut ministers were also told restrictions may have to remain in place until after the Easter holidays.\n\nMr Swann said the decision to extend restrictions had not been easy.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme, he said: \"Can I say that'll we'll have to extend them at that point [5 March]? At this time, no I can't.\n\n\"But it would, I think, be unrealistic to think that we'd be able to lift every restriction come that date because we do see where this virus is going, the trajectory it's taking, the large number of positive cases that we are managing but also the large number of hospital admissions that we currently have.\n\nRobin Swann says the decision to extend the restrictions had not been easy\n\n\"There has to be a consideration and planning put into place - we know Covid's going to be with us for a very long time, we also know it will take time for our vaccination process to kick in and have that major effect.\"\n\nA lockdown closing non-essential retailers and encouraging employees to work from home began after Christmas.\n\nFamily gatherings are prohibited and people have been ordered to stay at home for all but essential reasons.\n\nSchools are closed to most pupils until after February's half-term break but a paper looking at reopening will be put to ministers at next week's executive meeting.\n\nThe Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Church have all confirmed that in-person worship will continue to be suspended until 5 March in accordance with the executive's decision on the restrictions.\n\nThe churches say there are exceptions for weddings and funerals and private prayer.\n\nTwelve more Covid-19 related deaths were recorded in Northern Ireland on Friday, taking the overall death toll recorded by the Department of Health to 1,704.\n\nIt is a story that changes not only by the day but by the hour and is dictated by numbers.\n\nNever before have we scrutinised hospital figures so closely, especially this week.\n\nAnd the numbers are important as we know how many intensive care unit (ICU) beds are available across Northern Ireland and potentially how many will be required in the next 24 hours.\n\nOn Wednesday, 33 ICU beds were available - on Friday that dropped to 18.\n\nBut as we enter a difficult 72 hours, there is a feeling that the health system will cope.\n\nA regional approach to the crisis means no hospital is left to shoulder responsibility on its own.\n\nEvery afternoon a call is made about whether an additional \"pod\" - a bay of beds - is required to be opened at the Nightingale facility at Belfast City Hospital.\n\nIf not, it is felt that hospitals can hold their own for another 24 hours.\n\nCoping is good but comes at a terrible cost - keeping a lid on Covid-19 is only possible because so much else within hospitals has been cancelled.\n\nA heavy price has been paid and will continue to be paid for months, possibly years to come.\n\nOn Wednesday it was announced more than 100 medically-trained military personnel would be deployed in Northern Ireland to help hospital staff deal with Covid-19 pressures after a request by Mr Swann.\n\nSpeaking at Stormont's Health Committee on Thursday, Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan said: \"My only concern is that they [military personnel] don't get in the way of the real professionals who are doing the work to save lives.\n\n\"This is slamming the dead cat down on the table to deflect attention away from the inadequacies in the health department at the minute.\"\n\nOn Friday, Mr Swann responded by saying he was \"disappointed and disgusted\" by Mr Sheehan's comments.\n\nHe added: \"The majority of our health service workers are actually welcoming them because this is a tough period of time that we are entering into in the health service.\n\n\"To hear some of the comments where he's actually, I think, criticising the level of delivery that our health service has given over these past 10-12 months, I think is disappointing.\"\n\n\"It wouldn't be the language that would be reflective of his party leadership in regards to the assistance that we're receiving from the Army.\"\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, the Sinn Féin vice-president, had previously said her party's priority had \"always been to save lives\" and she would \"never rule out anything that actually supports the health service\".\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, said on critics of the move to deploy military medics were putting \"political intolerance before patients\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Arlene Foster #WeWillMeetAgain This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Swann also said the executive would \"not be found wanting\" in enforcing Covid-19 regulations.\n\nIt came after a district judge said on Wednesday that \"the powers-that-be made a significant error\" in making breaches of some rules punishable only with fines.\n\nDistrict Judge Michael Ranaghan told Dungannon Magistrates' Court he would have remanded two defendants from Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, in custody if he had \"the power to do so\".\n\nShania Devenney, 21, of Kilmacormick Drive, and Nathan Maguire, 20, of Carnmore Lodge, were charged with contravening the regulations when arrested by police who were alerted to anti-social behaviour.\n\nA police officer told the court there had been repeated parties at Ms Devenney's address this month.\n\nThe judge, granting bail, said: \"I cannot consider remanding in custody as these matters are fine-only.\n\n\"The powers-that-be made a significant error when drafting legislation in making these fine-only offences.\n\n\"Had I the power to do so I would definitely be remanding these two in custody.\"\n\nThe PSNI has issued more than 2,000 Covid-19 fines during the pandemic\n\nThe health minister said the executive had asked people \"to work with us\" and had increased the level of fines.\n\nAsked about the judge's comments about enforcement, Mr Swann said he was \"content enough to raise it with executive colleagues and ask the justice minister to have a look at that\".\n\nMr Swann added that the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland were abiding by the regulations as it is the \"right thing to do\".\n\nOn Tuesday, police revealed that 2,159 penalty notices had been issued during the pandemic, with fines starting at £200.\n\nThere have been 55 failure-to-isolate fines, which incur a £1,000 fine.", "Scottish postie Nathan Evans has quit his job and signed to a record label after storming TikTok with sea shanties.\n\nNathan said the singalong craze for his The Wellerman rendition exploded in just a matter of weeks.\n\nAnd Friday sees an official release of the shanty, after he was picked up by Polydor records.\n\nThe 26-year-old from Airdrie said it goes to show that if you keep going anything can happen.", "Mr Trump was duped by the prankster, Morgan said\n\nDonald Trump was called on Air Force One last year by a prankster posing as Piers Morgan, the TV presenter says.\n\nThe president, as he was at the time, only realised he had been tricked when he phoned the real Morgan while on his way to vote in Florida last year.\n\nThe alleged security breach is said to have happened in October, but only emerged in an interview Morgan gave to the BBC's Americast podcast.\n\nThe two recently had a falling out over Mr Trump's handling of the pandemic.\n\nAsked by the BBC's Jon Sopel why Mr Trump had called Morgan out of the blue this past October, the presenter described \"an absolutely hilarious story, where somebody had called [Trump] pretending to be me the day before and got through to him on Air Force One\".\n\nThe 45th US president didn't realise he had been duped, Morgan said. \"They had a conversation with Trump thinking he was talking to me.\"\n\nIt is not clear who the alleged hoaxers were, but if the story is true President Trump would not be the first political leader to have been pranked.\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while he was foreign secretary, have both been tricked on the phone in recent years.\n\nBut it would revive long-running questions about the security of President Trump's phone conversations.\n\nMorgan became increasingly critical of Mr Trump in the final months of his presidency\n\nThe BBC has asked the Secret Service for comment.\n\nMorgan was a high-profile tabloid editor in the UK who took over from Larry King with a primetime CNN chat show in 2011. He now presents a breakfast show in the UK.\n\nHe was initially supportive of President Trump after his surprise election win but became increasingly critical in the last 12 months.\n\n\"We had a very nice conversation... I always got on well with Trump,\" Morgan said of their October call, but added that Mr Trump's \"character flaws - the chronic narcissism, the desire to make everything about himself\" made him a \"useless leader\".\n\nOn their friendship, Morgan described Mr Trump's behaviour since the November presidential election as \"egregious\" and \"so obviously on a pathway\" to the Capitol Hill riots on 6 January.\n\n\"I just felt - no, I'm done with you now,\" Morgan said.\n\nYou may also be interested in:\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The recording of the conversation between Elton John and the man he believed was Vladimir Putin", "Keon Lincoln died after being subjected to \"inconceivable violence\"\n\nA 15-year-old boy has died after being attacked in a residential street by a group of youths \"armed with knives\".\n\nPolice said Keon Lincoln was \"set upon\" at about 15:30 GMT on Thursday on Linwood Road, in Handsworth, Birmingham, and died later in hospital.\n\nThe attackers fled the scene in a car which crashed into a house a short distance away, added police, who said they had since seized the vehicle.\n\nA 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is in custody.\n\nThe investigation is progressing \"at pace\", according to the West Midlands force, which detained the suspect on Friday morning.\n\nDet Ch Insp Alastair Orencas, who is leading a murder inquiry, said Keon died \"in the most violent of circumstances\".\n\nKeon was attacked on Linwood Road, a residential street in the Handsworth area of Birmingham\n\nWitnesses who reported the carrying of knives to officers also said shots were heard.\n\nPolice confirmed Keon, who lived locally, was attacked with weapons but did not specify which sort.\n\nThe motive remained unknown said police, who urged those who could identify the attackers to contact the force.\n\n\"We are not sure of all the details at the moment, but we do know that Keon was set upon by this group and suffered a series of serious injuries,\" said Ch Supt Steve Graham, adding that five or six youths were believed to have been involved.\n\nPolice have not disclosed the nature of Keon's injuries. They say they are unable to say how he died before a post-mortem examination takes place.\n\nOfficers are searching Linwood Road after the attack on Thursday afternoon\n\nDet Ch Insp Orencas said: \"The death of Keon has shocked the whole community.\n\n\"This level of violence in broad daylight on a residential street is inconceivable, let alone the fact the target was a 15-year-old boy.\"\n\nHe said the family, who were being supported by specialist officers, \"had the worst shock imaginable\".\n\nIn a statement issued by police, the family said they were \"devastated\" by their loss, and remembered Keon as \"fun-loving\" and \"full of life and love\".\n\nThe tribute added: \"He had an infectious laugh that lit up the room whenever he was in it.\"\n\nPolice have seized a crashed car they believe to be a getaway vehicle\n\nDetectives are examining a white car they believe to be the getaway vehicle which crashed into a house on Wheeler Street.\n\nCCTV footage has been seized and the area is cordoned off while investigations continue.\n\nA resident of Linwood Road, who did not wish to be named, said she was shocked to hear someone had been killed.\n\nShe said: \"We've lived here 45 years and I've never heard of anything like this.\n\n\"It's just shocking and really, really sad.\"\n\nPolice have appealed for dash cam and CCTV footage as they piece together the events of Thursday afternoon\n\nLocal Labour MP, Khalid Mahmood, described the death as \"extremely tragic\" and \"a needless thing to have happened\".\n\nHe said: \"We must work with police as much as we can to stop this happening again.\"\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A coronavirus outbreak at Mavisbank care home has led to the deaths of 13 residents\n\nA total of 13 residents at an East Dunbartonshire care home have died in a Covid-19 outbreak.\n\nThe owners of Mavisbank care home in Bishopbriggs confirmed the deaths and said that a further seven residents had also tested positive for the virus.\n\nAnother 11 staff members were self-isolating following positive tests.\n\nThe Care Inspectorate rated the home in Lennox Crescent as \"weak\" in its Covid-19 response in an inspection last month.\n\nAt the unannounced check on 26 October, inspectors found the cleanliness of the home a \"significant concern\".\n\nIt went on to describe the cleanliness of the environment and the overall fabric of the building as \"poor\".\n\nInspectors said in their report that they were \"very concerned about the potential risk of infection for residents\".\n\nSenior managers responded immediately and maintenance staff were deployed to clean the home.\n\nHowever, the operators were ordered to carry out a deep clean of the facility by 11 November.\n\nMavisbank owners HC-One said they were monitoring the situation closely.\n\nMavisbank was given a rating of \"weak\" in October\n\nA spokeswoman said: \"Our thoughts and sympathies are with all families who have lost a loved one from coronavirus.\n\n\"As we navigate this outbreak, we continue to work closely with all the relevant authorities to contain the virus and safeguard our residents.\n\n\"We are pleased that a number of residents have now recovered, and we continue to closely monitor the health and wellbeing of all those affected.\n\n\"This includes following all government guidance in relation to infection prevention and control.\"\n\nResponding to the Care Inspectorate report, the company said the health, safety and wellbeing of its residents and staff was a priority.\n\nThe spokeswoman said: \"We were disappointed that inspectors found some elements of our robust infection control plan were not being fully implemented and we acted urgently to respond to this feedback. These issues were immediately rectified so that when inspectors returned, they were able to see and approve of the work that had been completed.\n\n\"Senior staff are also supporting the home and our learning and development team are ensuring that all colleagues complete refresher training which includes our specific coronavirus training modules on the virus, enhanced infection control procedures, and the correct use of PPE.\n\n\"These training modules have been regularly updated to reflect all changes in the guidance over recent months.\"\n\nCaroline Sinclair, of East Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said, \"We are aware of this very sad situation and have been working with Mavisbank care home to provide a high level of clinical support to residents at this difficult time. Our thoughts are with the families of those who have passed and others affected by their loss.\"", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday morning. We'll have another update for you this evening.\n\nMinisters wrestling with how to ensure people with coronavirus obey laws to self-isolate are to consider paying £500 to anyone who tests positive. It's among options drawn up for England by the Department of Health to encourage people to stay at home, amid fears the current support leaves some unable to afford the time away from work. However, Treasury sources say funding a universal payment to the tune of £453m a week is unlikely.\n\nBritish retail sales saw their largest annual fall in history last year as the impact of coronavirus took its toll. Sales fell by 1.9% in 2020, when compared with 2019, official figures show. Clothes shops were hit hard, with a record annual fall of more than 25%. Meanwhile, UK government borrowing hit £34.1bn last month, the highest December figure on record, as the cost of pandemic support weighed on the economy, the Office for National Statistics says.\n\nA Crown Office unit set up to probe Covid-related deaths is investigating cases at 474 care homes in Scotland, ahead of prosecutors' decisions on whether they should be the subject of a fatal accident inquiry or prosecution. Care homes say the investigation is \"disproportionate\". But Linda Duncan, whose 91-year-old mother Anne died last April, argues: \"A lot of the focus has been on the government response but we need this investigation to look at the private operators.\"\n\nHalf of all staff at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders \"don't... feel safe at work\", with about one in every 10 having tested positive since 1 December, according to an Early Years Alliance survey of more than 3,000 staff. Providers in England have been told to remain open to all children during lockdown and the government says under-fives are \"unlikely to be playing a driving role in transmission\".\n\nAs lockdown has forced families apart, grandparents have had to find new ways of keeping in touch with their grandchildren. Annette Landy tells us how reading over video calls to Alicia, eight, and Sadie, two, has made things a little easier.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Harry Potter and The Secret Garden have proven to be favourites\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nIf you're struggling to understand why vaccinating the most vulnerable won't immediately end lockdown, health correspondent Nick Triggle explains the reasoning.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "The Florence Nightingale Museum announced it would close for the foreseeable future\n\nMuseums and galleries are \"fighting for survival\" amid the current lockdown, a national charity has warned.\n\nThe Art Fund has predicted that small institutions are likely to suffer most and said more help is needed.\n\nSo far, the charity has only been able to help 15% of applicants to its emergency response fund.\n\nEarlier this month, it was announced London's Florence Nightingale Museum is to close for the foreseeable future due to the impact of the pandemic.\n\nThe Williamson Art Gallery & Museum in Birkenhead is also under threat of closure, according to the Art Fund.\n\nThe charity's director Jenny Waldman said: \"The latest lockdown is a body blow and is leaving our museums and galleries fighting for survival.\n\n\"Smaller museums in particular, which are so vital to their communities, simply do not have the reserves to see them through this winter.\n\nResearch previously conducted by the charity found six in 10 museums, galleries and historic houses were worried about their own survival.\n\n\"Tragically, we are now seeing well-known and much-loved museums facing mothballing or permanent closure,\" Waldman said.\n\nIn November, the charity offered limited edition artworks to members of the public who donated to help coronavirus-hit museums.\n\nSir Anish, Lubaina Himid, David Shrigley and Michael Landy were among the artists who provided their works to the appeal.\n\nArt Fund has renewed its appeal for people to donate to the crowdfunding campaign, which is called Together For Museums.\n\nNew works of art from Howard Hodgkin, Jeremy Deller and Cornelia Parker have been added to the items on offer.\n\nJeremy Deller worked on the 2016 Somme commemoration project featuring 'Ghost Tommies' appearing across UK locations\n\nSir Anish said: \"Museums are where we go to engage with art, witness our psychic history and understand ourselves. Today they face great difficulty.\n\n\"The Art Fund campaign gives us an opportunity to help museums to continue to provide access to all in spite of the difficulties of this time.\"\n\nArt Fund has also announced £750,000 of new grants to help 23 museums respond to the pandemic - taking its total spend so far to £2.25 million.\n\nBut that is only a small proportion of the applications the charity has received, which total over £16 million.\n\nRecipients include the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham, for a health and wellbeing project, and Portland Museum, Dorset, for a plan to recreate Rufus Castle digitally.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Spanish player Paula Badosa has revealed that she has the virus\n\nA Spanish tennis player who was among many Australian Open competitors to complain about quarantine rules has revealed she has coronavirus.\n\nPaula Badosa said she had felt unwell with symptoms before testing positive for the virus in Melbourne on Thursday.\n\nBadosa is believed to be the fourth competitor to test positive in hotel quarantine, but is the first to identify herself publicly.\n\nOn Friday, she said \"sorry guys\", adding quarantine rules were \"pivotal\".\n\n\"Please, don't get me wrong. Health will always comes first & I feel grateful for being in Australia,\" tweeted Badosa, who is ranked 67th globally in singles.\n\nThe 23-year-old said she had been taken to a separate hotel in Melbourne to \"self-isolate and be monitored\".\n\n\"I'll try to recover as soon as possible listening to the doctors,\" she said.\n\nVictoria state health authorities said on Wednesday a total of 10 infections had been linked to the event, but a few were \"viral shedding\" cases where the person was not infectious.\n\nMelbourne endured one of the world's longest lockdowns last year and many locals have concerns about the potential Covid risk posed by the tournament.\n\nTennis Australia chartered 15 flights to bring players and their entourages into the country, but three flights had passengers who later tested positive for the virus.\n\nBadosa is one of 72 players who have been confined full-time to their hotel rooms for 14 days - under a state health order - after the infections were discovered. She has already spent seven days in isolation.\n\nPlayers who arrived on flights with no infections are also in quarantine but are allowed five hours of court practice a day.\n\nSeveral players have complained about the impacts to their tennis preparation.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Confined players have been training in their hotel rooms\n\nEarlier this week, in a tweet reported by Australian media that has since been deleted, Badosa wrote: \"At the beginning the rule was the positive section of the plane who was with that person had to quarantine. Not the whole plane.\n\n\"Not fair to change the rules at the last moment. And to have to stay in a room with no windows and no air.\"\n\nBut Tennis Australia and state officials have rejected assertions that any rules were changed or not clear ahead of time.\n\n\"We're thinking of you Paula, and hoping you feel better soon,\" the Australian Open's Twitter account replied in a message to Badosa on Friday.\n\nOrganisers have said that despite the infections, the Grand Slam will go ahead on 8 February.", "At 12:01, in the midst of his inaugural address, Joe Biden officially became the 46th president of the United States.\n\nHe was already well into outlining exactly how daunting a task he - and the nation - have ahead in what he called its \"winter of peril\".\n\nAmerica is facing a devastating pandemic which has resulted in massive job losses and business closures, a threatened environment, urgent cries for racial justice and resurgence in \"political extremism, white supremacy and domestic terrorism\".\n\nHis speech was not a laundry list of proposals and solutions. Those were reserved for his first 17 executive actions as president - on immigration, climate change, transgender rights and public health, among others.\n\nThe Biden administration has also frozen all of Trump's last-minute regulations pending further review.\n\nInstead, Biden used his speech to offer hope - and to argue, at times forcefully, that the nation must be united in facing the challenges ahead; that it has to move past its current \"uncivil war\".\n\n\"Without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury,\" he said. \"No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos.\"\n\n\"This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge,\" he continued. \"And unity is the path forward\".\n\nAt times, Biden's speech seemed a direct rebuttal to his predecessor's administration, although he did not mention Donald Trump by name.\n\nWhere Trump frequently spoke of American greatness and glorified its founders, Biden noted that the nation's history has been a \"constant struggle\" between its ideals and sometimes harsh realities.\n\nWhere Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway spoke of \"alternative facts\" almost four years ago, Biden said: \"There is truth and there are lies - lies told for power and for profit.\"\n\nBiden wrapped up his inaugural address by warning that America must not \"turn inward\" - both as individuals retreating into \"competing factions\" and as a nation on the world stage.\n\n\"We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again,\" he said.\n\nRhetorically, Biden turned the page from Trump's days of \"America first\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe first 100 days of any administration are always important to a new president. What are his priorities? What will he try to accomplish when his political capital is at its highest?\n\nJoe Biden and his presidential team have had nearly three months to plan out his first actions upon taking the oath of office, but executive action is the (relatively) easy part.\n\nHis speech reflected the reality that he enters office with his top priorities already determined for him.\n\nHis government will be responsible for distributing the coronavirus vaccine in an efficient and equitable way. After that, he will have to focus on the societal and economic disruptions caused by the pandemic.\n\nThe virus has exacerbated income inequality and pushed many households to the brink of economic ruin. It's devastated the travel and hospitality industries and placed incredible strain on the finances of state and local governments.\n\nHis pledge to seek unity will be tested early, as he pushes a sharply divided Congress to pass another, massive round of pandemic stimulus aid. If he wants to enact it quickly, he will need Republican support in the Senate, and already there are signs that some on the right may be lining up in opposition to more spending.\n\nThen there's Trump's Senate impeachment trial, which will present yet another challenge to national unity. It will keep Trump's name in the news for weeks, as his defenders rally to his side and his detractors call for consequences for his actions.\n\nAfter that, Biden's potential political paths diverge. He has said he wants to improve healthcare in the US, address growing college debt, make new investments in infrastructure and tackle climate change.\n\nHe's pledged to push immigration reform legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented migrants - a political lightning rod that helped fuel Trump's first presidential run.\n\nWhat he prioritises, and how successful his first efforts are, could determine the overall success of his administration. To make lasting change - policies that can't be undone by future presidents - he will have to work with Congress.\n\nThe inauguration ceremony is over. But, as Biden noted in his speech, the American people face one of the most challenging times in their nation's history.\n\n\"We will be judged by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era,\" he said.\n\nBiden campaigned against Trump for the opportunity to face those crises. Now he has his chance.", "A selection of your pictures of Scotland sent in between 15 and 22 January. Send your photos to scotlandpictures@bbc.co.uk. Please ensure you adhere to the BBC's rules regarding photographs that can be found here.\n\nPlease also ensure you follow current coronavirus guidelines and take your pictures safely and responsibly.\n\nConditions of use: If you submit an image, you do so in accordance with the BBC's terms and conditions.\n\nHot dog: Ann Baldwin thinks it looks warm enough for a swim in this shot looking towards Inchcolm Island and Arthur’s Seat from the sailing club in Dalgety Bay, Fife, 10 minutes before sunrise.\n\nLittle sucker: Tessa McAndrew helped this beautiful octopus back into the water after finding him clinging to driftwood on the beach at Lower Largo.\n\nWindswept: Bad hair day for these trees in the Pentland Hills Regional Park in Edinburgh. Claire Dunbar took this picture during one of the many recent snow dumps in the area.\n\nIntricate web: The sun was making an attempt to defrost this frozen spider web in Colin Sergeant's back garden in Motherwell.\n\nHindsight: David Fox thinks this roe deer fawn that he captured on his camera at Strathbraan in Perthshire will be \"a future Monarch of the Glen\".\n\nTrue snowman: Only Gordon Brandie knows what this Highland fling snowman is wearing under his kilt and peg sporran in Faskally, Perthshire.\n\nStill life: Artistic beauty found when looking through a drainage hole in the Arbroath sea wall.\n\nBlurred lines: Sunrise on top of Falkland Hill in the early hours of the morning, taken by Jordan Moreham.\n\nStick together: Judith McIntyre spotted these wooden friends huddling to keep warm this winter in Kingston, Moray.\n\nHowling wind: Three-year-old Poppy enjoying a very windy afternoon walk on Craiglockhart Hill in Edinburgh with her mum, Sophia Lyons.\n\nCollectivism vs Individualism: Victor Tregubov took this shot of birds in countryside near Glasgow.\n\nStrike a pose: Colin Little on the bank of the River Lossie in Elgin, said: \"This otter posed for a couple of shots before diving under again.\"\n\nBlack and white: Derek Brown took this snowy scene in Stow just outside Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.\n\nEbb and flow: Michelle Moggach said it was \"Baltic but beautiful\" at Aberdeen Beach while she gazed at the sea.\n\nAlan Kemp said about 100 fieldfares descended on his pink berry Rowan trees in Murthly, Perthshire and devoured the lot in one sitting.\n\nMindfulness: Shirley Faichney captured a zen moment during a recent sunrise at West Wemyss beach in Fife.\n\nBridge to nowhere: Rachel Abbie was left puzzled as to where her walk was leading at Belhaven Beach in Dunbar.\n\nWinter wonderland: The path for Ross McKellar looks bright in High Blantyre in Glasgow.\n\nAutumn meets winter: Agnes Neal observed a sole woman walking through this peaceful scene in Queen's Park in Glasgow.\n\nSquirrel Nutkin: David Doogan loves it when this bushy-tailed friend joins him for a picnic in his garden in Glencoe, Argyll.\n\nTop of the world: ...well it was for Katie Gillingham and her friends on Goatfell on the Isle of Arran this week.\n\nEthereal moonlight: Arletta Babicz thought there was a \"magical vibe\" when he took this shot of the most photographed tree in Scotland at Loch Lomond.\n\nFollow the herd: Christopher Barrow thought it was funny when this flock of sheep kept following him while he was out skiing in Almondbank, Perthshire.\n\nPillars of the community: Poll nan Crann pier, known locally as Stinky Bay due to the large amount of seaweed blown onto the beach by storms which then rots in the sun. Seonaidh MacInnes took this picture at night on the Isle of Benbecula.\n\nRising above the herd: Jim Clark thought this beast could have been thinking outside the box when he captured this shot at Glanderston Dam, Barrhead.\n\nVirgin powder: Dan Price-Davies enjoyed Alpine conditions at Clashindarroch Forest while Nordic skiing with his son, Lestin, this week.\n\nCloud inversion: Steve Mitchell took in this stunning view overlooking a snowy drystone dyke at the top of the Cairn o' Mount (B974) road between Banchory and Fettercairn.\n\nWinter Washingland: Louise Harper took this picture of colourful plastic pegs with no job to do during heavy snow in Motherwell.\n\nThe Night Walker: Tamar Lewis thought there was an eerie glow in the sky as she took an evening stroll through Pollok Country Park.\n\nStripped bare: This dead-looking tree brings life to Dave Cullen's picture of the Cramond landscape in Edinburgh.\n\nDuck down: All but one mallard enjoying the food thrown to them at St Fillans in the snow, taken by Kenn Begley.\n\nWinter coat: Glen Tanar cleansed in white, near the summit of Baudy Meg in Aberdeenshire, taken by Neil Marchant.\n\nFyrish sunrise: It's as if Sir Hector Munro ordered his monument to be put in the best light possible for Laura Steel who took this picture in Evanton near Alness.\n\nSun and shadows: Michal Markowski took this eye-catching picture in West Linton using a drone.\n\nHair ice: Jane Tweedie noticed this rare phenomenon while out walking at Craigellachie, Moray. It is also known as ice wool or frost beard and is a type of ice that forms on dead wood and takes the shape of fine, silky hair.\n\nUdderly mootiful: Izabela Bodzioch took this picture of cows admiring the view of Ben Cruachan covered in snow.\n\nIce bath: Jan Overmeer said he changed his mind about going for a swim in Loch Carron when he was greeted by this frozen scene.\n\nJack Frost: Graeme Mackay was mesmerised by the patterns Mother Nature had made on the sunroof of his car in Aberdeen.\n\nSwan Lake: Bob Smart captured the sheer power and might of this magnificent bird at Townhill Loch in Fife.\n\nFine sunset: James MacArthur captured the fresh breath of brightness burning the last corner of Loch Fyne as the sun dropped below the skyline.\n\nPlease ensure that the photograph you send is your own and if you are submitting photographs of children, we must have written permission from a parent or guardian of every child featured (a grandparent, auntie or friend will not suffice).\n\nIn contributing to BBC News you agree to grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to publish and otherwise use the material in any way, including in any media worldwide.\n\nHowever, you will still own the copyright to everything you contribute to BBC News.\n\nAt no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe the law.\n\nYou can find more information here.\n\nAll photos are subject to copyright.", "Guests fled when officers arrived at the Stamford Hill school, where the windows had been covered\n\nPolice broke up a wedding party in north London, where they now say about 150 people had gathered.\n\nOfficers found the windows at the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls' School, in Stamford Hill, had been covered when they arrived at 21:15 GMT on Thursday.\n\nGuests fled from the strictly Orthodox Charedi Jewish school when the police arrived. The organisers face a £10,000 fine for breaking lockdown rules.\n\nThe Met originally claimed that about 400 guests were at the gathering.\n\nIn a statement, the school said its hall had been leased out.\n\nA spokesman for the school, whose principal Rabbi Avrahom Pinter died in April after contracting coronavirus, said \"we had no knowledge that the wedding was taking place\".\n\nHe added: \"We are absolutely horrified about last night's event and condemn it in the strongest possible terms.\"\n\nBoris Johnson supports the police for \"taking action against people who flagrantly and selfishly ignore the rules\", according to the prime minister's official spokesman.\n\nThe spokesman said: \"Large gatherings such as that pose a health risk, not just to those who attend but those who they live with or others who they may come into contact with.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Chief Rabbi Mirvis This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nChief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, meanwhile, said the \"overwhelming majority\" of the Jewish community would be appalled at the event.\n\nRabbi Mirvis, who serves as the head of the UK's orthodox Jewish community but is not the leader of the Charedi group, called the wedding party \"a most shameful desecration of all that we hold dear\".\n\nFive guests were issued with £200 fixed penalty notices, according to police, who said their inquiries had established those present at the school had gathered for a wedding.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A video shared with the Jewish Chronicle shows officers in Stamford Hill\n\nVideo shared with the Jewish Chronicle shows officers in Stamford Hill speaking with a man to explain why they are there, although he is not accused of any wrongdoing.\n\nThey are then seen arriving at the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls' School.\n\nDet Ch Sup Marcus Barnett of the Met Police said: \"This was a completely unacceptable breach of the law.\n\n\"People across the country are making sacrifices by cancelling or postponing weddings and other celebrations and there is no excuse for this type of behaviour.\n\n\"My officers are working tirelessly with the community and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action if that is required to keep people safe.\"\n\nOn Friday morning, a security guard at the school told the BBC there were more like 100 guests at the party than the much higher number given out by police.\n\nThe Met later said in a statement: \"Although initial calls suggested some 400 people had attended the wedding, it is now believed that approximately 150 people were in attendance.\"\n\nStamford Hill is part of the borough of Hackney, which has a Covid-19 infection rate of 625.43 cases per 100,000 people. The England average rate is 471.31 per 100,000 people.\n\nThe mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, said he was \"deeply disappointed\" that the wedding party had taken place, despite \"the number of lives that have already been lost in the Charedi community and across the borough\".\n\nHe added: \"Unfortunately, similar events have taken place even at this venue before and we need to be really clear how unacceptable it is.\n\n\"We will be meeting with the Rabbinate and our community partners over the coming days to see how we can prevent further incidents of this nature.\"\n\nLondon is under an England-wide lockdown, which prevents social mixing between households.\n\nLondoners are asked to only leave home for limited reasons such as shopping, going to work, seeking medical assistance, or avoiding domestic abuse.\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nDo you have any information to share about this incident? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "There are no plans to pay everyone in England who tests positive for Covid £500 to self-isolate, No 10 has said.\n\nThe PM's official spokesman said there was already a £500 payment available for those on low incomes who could not work from home and had to isolate.\n\nA universal £500 payment was among suggestions in a leaked Department of Health document.\n\nThere are fears the current financial support is not working because low paid workers cannot afford to self-isolate.\n\nBut a senior government source said the idea of extending the £500 payments to everyone who tests positive had been drawn up by officials and had not been considered by the prime minister.\n\nBBC Newsnight's Katie Razzall said ministers were aware self-isolation was crucial for stopping the spread of coronavirus and the \"options paper\" had been drawn up by civil servants at the Department of Health.\n\nShe said it would be discussed soon by the Covid operations committee chaired by Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, adding the move suggested there was an admission in government that too many people were not staying at home and a decision needed to be made quickly.\n\nThe story was first reported by the Guardian which said the options paper suggested the proposal could cost up to £453m per week - 12 times the cost of the current payouts.\n\nEnvironment Secretary George Eustice told the BBC he had not seen the leaked document but said the issue of financial support for people self-isolating was \"always kept under review\".\n\n\"We've got to consider all sorts of policies in order to make sure that people abide by the rules, are able to abide by the rules and we get the infection rate down,\" he said.\n\nBut the prime minister's official spokesman denied the government was planning to introduce the new payment, telling reporters: \"We've given local authorities £70m for the scheme and they are able to provide extra payments on top of those £500 if they think it necessary.\n\n\"That £500 is on top of any other benefits and statutory sick pay that people are eligible for.\"\n\nAsked about document, the spokesman said he would not comment on a leaked paper.\n\nIt's impossible to say exactly what proportion of people stay at home for the full 10 days after being in contact with someone who has tested positive, however some evidence suggests the minority of people do.\n\nA government-backed study from September 2020 suggests that just 10.9% of people remained indoors for the full time.\n\nLabour has often cited this report when arguing that people cannot afford to miss work, but a closer look at it suggests that, of those who break the rules, just 8.9% do \"to go to work\".\n\nMost people reported going out for things like shopping or exercise, but also because they didn't think they needed to quarantine as they didn't develop symptoms.\n\nThis research is quite old (done before self-isolation grants came in) and has a relatively small sample size of just 400 people.\n\nHowever, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has also highlighted research that shows that most people don't completely follow the rules.\n\nThis research also suggests that those on lower incomes felt they were three times less able to self-isolate than those better off.\n\nBBC political correspondent Ben Wright said there was concern in government about the huge cost of the proposal for the Treasury.\n\nHowever, he said the issue of financial incentives and trying to get people to self-isolate was clearly a live discussion within government.\n\nIt became a legal requirement last September for anyone in England testing positive for coronavirus to self-isolate.\n\nThe £500 grant already available in England is funded by the government but administered by local authorities.\n\nThe same level of payment is available in Scotland and Wales with similar conditions attached. Northern Ireland offers a discretionary self-isolation grant that covers expenses, such as the cost of groceries.\n\nThere is a list of specific criteria applicants must meet for the grant, but those who do not qualify for this payment and who are on a low income or may face financial hardship as a result of self-isolating can apply for a discretionary payment.\n\nHowever, there have been high rejection rates for this discretionary grant in England, figures obtained by Labour and reported by the BBC this week suggest.\n\nBetween October and December last year, three-quarters of the 49,877 applications were rejected, the data showed.\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the Scottish government would welcome the introduction of a £500 payment, as the additional funds it would generate for Scotland could allow for a similar scheme to be set up.\n\nSpeaking at her regular coronavirus briefing, she said: \"We will see whether that transpires or not, but any extra resources for self-isolation we would use to support self-isolation.\"\n\nProf Susan Michie, an adviser on the government's Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme just 18% of people with symptoms were self-isolating for the full 10 days they were meant to.\n\nShe said financial support currently offered to people having to self-isolate was a \"key weakness\" of the government's pandemic strategy.\n\nSharon, a cleaner from Kent, told the BBC if no money were to come in for two weeks she would not be able to afford to self-isolate.\n\n\"I have a mortgage to pay,\" she said.\n\n\"I can't even afford to heat my property at the moment because my wages were cut and that £500 payment would make all the difference. I would be able to self-isolate.\n\n\"It wouldn't be enough money, but it would help.\"\n\nThe DoH said it would not comment on a leaked paper but stressed it was incumbent on everyone to help protect the NHS by staying at home and following the rules at \"one of the toughest moments of this pandemic\".\n\nA spokesman said £50m was invested at the time the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme launched and it was providing a further £20m to help support people on low incomes who need to self-isolate.\n\nPeople who have tested positive for coronavirus and those considered at risk of having been exposed to it must self-isolate.\n\nOther legal obligations to self-isolate in the UK include:\n\nWould £500 be enough to help you to self-isolate? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The 39 people who died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between Zeebrugge and the UK\n\nFour men have been jailed for the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex.\n\nThe migrants died \"excruciatingly painful\" deaths, having suffocated in the container en route from Belgium to Purfleet in October 2019, a judge said.\n\nRonan Hughes, 41, and Gheorghe Nica, 43, played \"leading roles\" in the smuggling conspiracy and were jailed for 20 and 27 years respectively.\n\nAt the Old Bailey, two lorry drivers were also jailed for manslaughter.\n\n[Left to right] Eamonn Harrison, Ronan Hughes, Gheorghe Nica and Maurice Robinson were all jailed for manslaughter\n\nEamonn Harrison, 24, who towed the trailer to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge before their journey to the UK, was sentenced to 18 years.\n\nMaurice Robinson, 26, was given 13 years and four months, having collected the trailer and opened it in an industrial estate to find the migrants dead.\n\nThree others members of the people-smuggling gang were also sentenced for conspiracy to facilitate unlawful immigration.\n\nChristopher Kennedy, 24, from County Armagh, was jailed for seven years; Valentin Calota, 38, of Birmingham, for four-and-a-half years; and Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 28, of Hobart Road, Tilbury, Essex, was given a three-year sentence.\n\n[Left to right] Valentin Calota, Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga and Christopher Kennedy were also sentenced on Friday\n\nSentencing, Mr Justice Sweeney said: \"I have no doubt that the conspiracy was a sophisticated, long-running and profitable one to smuggle mainly Vietnamese people across the channel.\"\n\nHe said on the fatal trip the temperature had been rising along with the carbon dioxide levels throughout, hitting 40C (104F) while the container was at sea on 22 October 2019.\n\n\"There were desperate attempts to contact the outside world by phone and to break through the roof of the container,\" the judge said.\n\n\"All were to no avail and, before the ship reached Purfleet, [the victims] all died in what must have been an excruciatingly painful death.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK\n\nThe victims had used a metal pole to try to punch through the roof but only managed to dent the interior.\n\nThe court heard some of their final desperate phone messages, including one where a man spoke with ragged breaths as he apologised to his family.\n\n\"I can't breathe,\" he said. \"I want to come back to my family. Have a good life.\"\n\nJustice Sweeney added: \"The willingness of the victims to try and enter the country illegally provides no excuse for what happened to them.\"\n\nThe bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in a refrigerated trailer on 23 October 2019\n\nDuring the trial, jurors were given a snapshot of the victims - who included a bricklayer, a university graduate and a nail bar technician - and their dreams of a better life.\n\nMany of their families borrowed heavily to fund their passage, relying on their potential future earnings once they got into the UK.\n\nThe father of Nguyen Huy Tung, one of two 15-year-olds in the container, later learned of his son's death via social media.\n\nHarrison, of Newry, County Down, claimed he did not know there were people in the trailer when he towed it to the Belgian port, and that he watched \"a wee bit of Netflix\" in bed as they were loaded on.\n\nAfter receiving this message from his boss, Robinson got out of his cab, opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies\n\nRobinson, from County Armagh, collected the trailer when it arrived on UK shores just after midnight on 23 October.\n\nHis boss, Hughes, had messaged him: \"Give them air quickly don't let them out.\"\n\nRobinson gave a thumbs-up in reply. When Robinson stopped on a nearby industrial estate, he found that the migrants were all dead.\n\nHis barrister said Robinson, who admitted manslaughter, being part of the trafficking plot and money laundering, was \"horrified by what he saw\".\n\nThe moment lorry driver Maurice Robinson opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies inside was captured on CCTV\n\nThe trial examined three smuggling attempts by the gang - two that were successful on 11 and 18 October, and the final trip on 23 October.\n\nOn all three runs, Nica, of Basildon, Essex, had arranged cars and a van to transport the migrants at the UK end.\n\nWhen Robinson discovered the bodies, there was a series of telephone conversations between him and Nica and Hughes, of Tyholland, County Monaghan, Ireland, before the driver eventually dialled 999.\n\nIn his evidence, Nica said Robinson told him: \"I have a problem here - dead bodies in the trailer.\"\n\nWhile Hughes admitted manslaughter, both Nica and Harrison were convicted by a jury.\n\nMr Justice Sweeney said that in the conspiracy \"two played leading roles, namely - in order of importance - Hughes and Nica\".\n\nHe accepted Hughes was \"not at the very top of the conspiracy\" but said his role was \"pivotal... in that he ran a haulage business and supplied the trailers and drivers used to transport the migrants\".\n\nThe judge said Nica \"recruited and paid the drivers whose job it was to collect the migrants when they reached the drop-off site in this country and to drive them to the safe house(s) where they were to be held until payment\".\n\nHe added at the top of the conspiracy was a Vietnamese man called \"Fong\", who was based in London.\n\nMr Justice Sweeney told the defendants jailed for manslaughter they would serve two-thirds of the term in custody, instead of the usual half.\n\nEarlier this month, Gazmir Nuzi, 43, of Barclay Road, Tottenham, north London, was sentenced, having admitted his limited role in the people-smuggling operation. It was accepted he was not a member of the organised crime group behind the smuggling operation.\n\nDet Ch Insp Daniel Stoten said: \"May this serve as a warning to those who think it's OK to prey on the vulnerabilities of migrants and their families, transporting them in a way worse than we would transport animals.\n\n\"My message to you is that we will find you and we will stop you.\"\n\nHe said the victims died in an \"unimaginable way, because of the utter greed of these criminals\".\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Last summer's A level results prompted an outcry from students - leading to an independent review\n\nThere was a \"significant failure\" in the way exam bodies in Wales handled awarding student grades in 2020, a report says.\n\nThe independent review found there was \"too much confidence\" in statistical models, and the appeals process in place was inadequate.\n\nQualifications Wales (QW) said it had learnt many lessons and WJEC exam board will look \"in detail\" at the findings.\n\nTeaching union UCAC described the report's findings as \"scathing\".\n\nIts release comes after it was announced this week that teachers will make 2021 grade assessments\n\nThe review was ordered by the Welsh Government following the outcry over initial examination results awarded in August for A-level students.\n\nThe assessment approach resulted in a \"significant breakdown\" in trust, says the review\n\nIn the weeks after the coronavirus pandemic took hold, formal external exams in Wales were scrapped, with schools asked to provide grade assessments for sixth-form and GCSE pupils.\n\nHowever, it later emerged 42% of the A-level grades were lower than those submitted by teachers.\n\nIn her foreword the report panel's chairwoman Louise Casella, said substantial numbers of young people across Wales \"were left feeling bewildered and distressed as they received A level results that bore no relation to their expectation and their abilities\".\n\nThe result decision was reversed, and school's predicted grades reinstated, but not before \"some learners lost their university place and some were not able to progress as planned in 2020\", noted Ms Casella, who is also director of The Open University in Wales.\n\nThe review found that QW and the WJEC board would have known the \"scale of the outliers\" and had \"an insight\" into the likely number of appeals.\n\nBut the bodies failed to fully test \"alternative routes or approaches\" to the statistical models they used to standardise results.\n\nThe review added it was \"surprising\" QW did not explore additional safeguards, after having being previously warned about, and acknowledging that there were potential problems with the statistical process.\n\nThe report said it could not find evidence either WJEC or QW \"acknowledged, accepted or anticipated the scale of the issues\" nor the risk of unfairness to learners, and that it considered this a \"significant failure\".\n\nThe approach last summer had resulted in a \"significant breakdown\" in trust between the teaching profession and the regulator and examining body, added the report authors.\n\nIt said fairness must now be central to planning for 2021, avoiding automated algorithms to predict individual grades, and developing an appeals process.\n\nDelivering the report, the review panel chair added: \"There is now a real opportunity for the education sector of Wales to come together to develop and deliver a qualifications system that puts learners at its heart, not only for the cohort facing qualifications in 2021, but for the longer term.\"\n\nQW said the review had \"some useful findings and recommendations that we are already addressing\".\n\nChair David Jones and Chief Executive Philip Baker said: \"We would have welcomed greater engagement with the review panel so there was full consideration of all the issues.\"\n\nChief Executive of WJEC Ian Morgan, said he was \"disappointed with some aspects of the report\" but the exam board would \"look in detail at the findings to identify areas where we need to take action to continuously improve as an organisation.\"\n\nEducation Minister Kirsty Williams has already said teachers will assess grades in 2021\n\nEducation Minister Kirsty Williams has welcomed the report and how it would help drive how students are graded by teachers and schools this summer.\n\n\"It is my sincere hope and expectation that our education system can continue to work together to support the progression of our learners in exam years, both through the delivery of these assessment arrangements and through a wider package of support,\" she said.\n\nUCAC Deputy General Secretary Rebecca Williams, said the report supported its call for external moderation of grades, to improve fairness to students.\n\n\"There are longer-term recommendations, including the need to be more ambitious in terms of reform of qualifications and assessment in relation to the new curriculum, and we look forward to discussing these over the coming months,\" she said.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Home Secretary Priti Patel says police have her \"absolute backing\" to enforce coronavirus restrictions\n\nFines of £800 for anyone attending a house party of more than 15 people will be introduced in England from next week, under new Covid measures.\n\nThese will double for each repeat offence to a maximum of £6,400.\n\nAt a No 10 news conference, Home Secretary Priti Patel said there remained a \"small minority that refuse to do the right thing\".\n\n\"To them my message is clear. If you don't follow rules then the police will enforce them,\" she said.\n\nCurrently in England the fine for those attending illegal indoor gatherings stands at £200 - or £100 if paid early.\n\nFines of up to £10,000 for holding large illegal gatherings of more than 30 people will still only apply to the organisers.\n\nPolice will continue to follow the strategy of engaging with the public, explaining the rules and encouraging compliance, but the Home Office has warned that in severe breaches of lockdown rules, offenders should expect to receive a fine.\n\nMs Patel said the government would \"not stand by while a small number of individuals put others at risk\".\n\nShe was joined at the briefing by NHS England regional medical director for London Dr Vin Diwakar, who compared breaking the rules to turning on a light in the middle of a blackout during the Blitz.\n\n\"It doesn't just put you at risk in your house, it puts your whole street and the whole of your community at risk,\" he said.\n\nWelcoming the fines announcement, Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said large gatherings were \"dangerous, irresponsible, and totally unacceptable\".\n\nHe added: \"I hope that the likelihood of an increased fine acts as a disincentive for those people who are thinking of attending or organising such events.\"\n\nOfficial figures will be released next week showing how many fines have been given out since the start of this latest national lockdown, Mr Hewitt said.\n\nHowever, he stressed that \"forces are telling us there has been a significant increase\" in recent weeks.\n\n\"That's reflecting the fact that we've had more officers out on dedicated patrols taking targeted action against those small few who are letting everybody down,\" he said.\n\nAccording to Mr Hewitt, three police officers were injured in Brick Lane, east London, last week, after more than 40 people were found cramped indoors at a house party.\n\nMeanwhile, more than 150 people were found at a party in Hertfordshire, complete with music equipment including mixing decks and amplifiers, and another officer was injured.\n\nHe said forces in England had issued 250 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to people organising large gatherings between late August, when regulations were introduced, and 17 January.\n\nIn some other recent examples of lockdown breaches:\n\nThe latest fines announcement comes after figures showed that assaults on emergency workers made up more than a quarter of Covid-related crimes prosecuted in the first six months of the pandemic.\n\nThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there were 1,688 such offences between 1 April and 30 September in England and Wales.\n\nThey were among almost 6,500 crimes related to coronavirus in that period.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSome 1,137 charges were brought for breaking coronavirus laws, according to the figures published by the CPS - which cover completed prosecutions.\n\nOn Thursday, it was reported that another 1,290 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK, bringing the total to 94,580.\n\nAnd a further 37,892 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus were announced, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 3,543,646.\n• None What powers do police have?", "Cyber criminals who stole thousands of digital files belonging to environmental regulator Sepa have published them on the internet.\n\nThe public body had about 1.2GB of data stolen from its digital systems on Christmas Eve.\n\nSepa rejected a ransom demand for the attack, which has been claimed by the international Conti ransomware group.\n\nContracts, strategy documents and databases are among the 4,000 files released.\n\nThe data has been put on the dark web - a part of the internet associated with criminality and only accessible through specialised software.\n\nSepa chief executive Terry A'Hearn said: \"We've been clear that we won't use public finance to pay serious and organised criminals intent on disrupting public services and extorting public funds.\n\n\"We have made our legal obligations and duty of care on the sensitive handling of data a high priority and, following Police Scotland advice, are confirming that data stolen has been illegally published online.\n\n\"We're working quickly with multi-agency partners to recover and analyse data then, as identifications are confirmed, contact and support affected organisations and individuals.\"\n\nThe attack locked Sepa's emails and contacts centre but Sepa said \"priority regulatory, monitoring, flood forecasting and warning services were continuing to adapt and operate\".\n\nSepa said the theft was the equivalent to a fraction of the contents of an average laptop hard drive.\n\nSepa chief executive Terry A'Hearn said the organisation had faced a \"significant and sophisticated cyber-attack\"\n\nSome of the information stolen was already publicly available but other files included data about staff and suppliers was not.\n\nWhere information has been identified to date, staff have been contacted and are being supported.\n\nBrett Callow, of cyber security company Emsisoft, has been tracking the Sepa ransomware attack.\n\nHe said: \"Conti may well be the work of the same people behind another type of ransomware called Ryuk.\n\n\"There are similarities in the code, ransom note and attack mechanisms.\n\n\"When the complete haul of data is posted like this, it usually means the group has given up hope of being able to extract payment from the victim of monetise the data in other ways.\n\n\"It's a loss for them. At this point, they've lost all leverage and the action is intended to serve as a warning to future victims.\"\n\nDet Insp Michael McCullagh, of Police Scotland's cybercrime investigations unit, said: \"This remains an ongoing investigation.\n\n\"Inquiries remain at an early stage and continue to progress including deployment of specialist cybercrime resources to support this response.\"\n\nThe authorities will be pleased.\n\nIt looks like Sepa decided not to play ball with the cyber criminals.\n\nRansomware is a scourge that is costing organisations billions of pounds and every time a victim pays, it fuels further attacks.\n\nSadly for Sepa this is far from over.\n\nBy the looks of the stash of files that the hackers stole and encrypted, Sepa will have months of work ahead to try to recover important documents and spreadsheets from backups and rebuild their records.\n\nIt's also telling that, according to the hackers website, almost 1,000 people have so far looked at the documents.\n\nWho knows what other criminals or hackers are poring over the files right now.\n\nMaking the documents open to all means that information can be extracted to potentially be used against Sepa in further attacks or extortion attempts.\n\nIt will be months, perhaps even years until the organisation can say it is safe once more and can put this cyber attack behind it.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. PM: It's too early to give a lockdown end date\n\nIt is \"too early\" to say whether England's Covid restrictions will be able to end in the spring, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.\n\nOnce the four priority groups have been vaccinated, by mid-February, \"we'll look then at how we're doing,\" he said.\n\nNearly two million people in the UK have had their first dose of vaccine in the past week, government figures show.\n\nScientist Marc Baguelin, who advises the government, has said restaurants and bars should not reopen before May.\n\nEducation Secretary Gavin Williamson has said he \"certainly hopes\" schools in England can fully reopen before Easter, while Downing Street refused to be drawn on whether this would happen by then.\n\nA further 1,290 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test and there have been another 37,892 cases, according to the latest government figures.\n\nAnd almost five million people in the UK have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.\n\nSpeaking after a study suggested infections might have increased at the start of the latest lockdown in England, Mr Johnson said it was \"absolutely crucial\" that people observed the restrictions.\n\nReferring to figures from the Imperial College London survey, he said they showed the new variant of the virus was \"not more deadly but it is much more contagious and the numbers are very great\".\n\nFigures published by Public Health England show cases - meaning people who come forward to get tested while they are infected - have fallen across England since early January.\n\nWith the two sets of figures pointing in different directions, it will be some time before it is known for sure how long it will take for lockdown to relieve the pressure on hospitals.\n\nDr Baguelin, from Imperial College, who sits on a sub-group of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said the premature opening of the hospitality sector would lead to a \"bump\" in Covid-19 cases.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme even a partial reopening would generate \"an increase in the R number\". An R number above one means the epidemic is growing.\n\n\"Something of this scale, if it was to happen earlier than May, would generate a bump in transmission, which is already really bad,\" he said.\n\n\"So you have a lot of pressure on hospitals, you will have another wave of some extent. At best you will keep on having very, very unsustainable level of pressure on the NHS.\"\n\nNHS England figures show one in 10 major hospital trusts had no spare adult critical care beds last week.\n\nThis is a debate that is going to start to dominate public discourse.\n\nWith the vaccination programme under way, there is huge clamour to know what will happen once the most vulnerable are vaccinated, by mid-February.\n\nThe problem is there are still so many unknowns.\n\nFirstly, it is hard to predict by how much lockdown will have reduced infection levels, considering there is a new faster-spreading variant to deal with.\n\nThe level of uptake will also be crucial. Surveys suggest as many as one in five may not have the vaccine - although the older, more vulnerable groups tend to be the most willing to be vaccinated.\n\nAnd the fact that no vaccine is 100% effective means come February there could still be significant numbers of very vulnerable people who are not protected.\n\nAnother factor is whether the vaccine stops transmissions - so-called sterilising vaccination.\n\nTrials have shown the vaccines are good at stopping symptoms developing. But that does not mean someone who has received a jab will not pass on the virus.\n\nIf it does not, that, of course, has implications on how many control measures have to be kept in place. It will take us at least until spring to know the answer to this.\n\nAt this stage, it seems hard to see much beyond the possible reopening of schools come March.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was an \"impossible question\" to ask how long the lockdown would need to last.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons.\n\nThis includes for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, coronavirus lockdown restrictions will be extended until 5 March, BBC News understands.\n\nIn Scotland, lockdown has been extended until at least the middle of February, with most school pupils to continue learning from home.\n\nAnd in Wales health minister Vaughan Gething has said no \"significant easing\" of Wales' Covid restrictions should be expected when the current guidelines are reviewed this month.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSir Keir added that the coronavirus vaccines were \"really good news\" but \"should not mask the fact that we have still got a very serious problem\".\n\nThe government is aiming to offer a vaccine to all over-70s, the extremely clinical vulnerable and health and care workers by mid-February.\n\nSixty-five new vaccination centres are opening in England, including a mosque in Birmingham and a cinema in Aylesbury.", "Paddy McElhone was shot in the back by a soldier in 1974\n\nThe shooting dead of a man by the Army in County Tyrone in August 1974 was unjustified, a coroner has ruled.\n\nPaddy McElhone, 24, a farmer, was shot in the back near his home in Limehill, Pomeroy.\n\nAn inquest heard the shot was fired by a soldier from the First Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales.\n\nJudge Siobhan Keegan said Mr McElhone was an \"innocent man shot in cold blood without warning when he was no threat to anyone\".\n\nThe soldier, now deceased, had been cleared of murder but the circumstances were re-examined in a new inquest ordered by the Attorney General.\n\nPaddy McElhone's family said he was killed without justification, explanation or apology\n\nAfterwards, a statement issued by the McElhone family said it had been a \"very long road\" to reach Thursday's ruling and that the truth \"has been heard\".\n\nIt reads: \"Our family always knew that Paddy was an innocent young man, taken from his home and shot by a British soldier for no reason.\"\n\nEvidence presented to the inquest found Mr McElhone was not on any list associated with the IRA and was an innocent man from a humble background.\n\nThe family said Mr McElhone's parents \"went to their graves broken-hearted knowing that their innocent son had been killed, without justification, explanation or apology\".\n\n\"We feel that, today, Judge Keenan at this inquest has, at long last, exonerated Paddy in full,\" the statement continued.\n\n\"As a family we can grieve Paddy, and respect his memory as an innocent young man.\"\n\nThe inquest into Mr McElhone's death was the first in a series of coroners' investigations into deaths associated with Northern Ireland's Troubles.\n\nIt was held in Omagh courthouse in County Tyrone.", "Some 320 of the UK's most dangerous child sex offenders have been arrested since the first coronavirus lockdown, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.\n\nInvestigators have been focusing on tracking down offenders who operate online.\n\nThe operation led to a total of 4,760 arrests and 6,500 children safeguarded between April and September last year.\n\nMeanwhile, the Home Office has launched a strategy to collect detailed data about child grooming gangs.\n\nThe Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy aims to identify and convict offenders who operate in groups by gathering more information about their characteristics, including ethnicity.\n\nIt also involves investing in the national child abuse image database to identify offenders more quickly, protecting police from frequently being exposed to indecent images, and enabling parents to ask officers if someone with access to their child is known to them for cases of abuse.\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel said some who had suffered child sexual abuse had told her they felt \"let down by the state\", and insisted she was \"determined to put this right\".\n\nRob Jones, an NCA director, welcomed the initiative \"at a time when the threat to children is more severe than it has ever been\", highlighting that last year there were at least 300,000 people posing a sexual threat to children in the UK.\n\nHe said the NCA was focusing on the most dangerous offenders \"as part of the whole system approach\".\n\n\"Many feel they can operate with impunity online - using anonymisation techniques, secure accounts and the dark web - but as we have shown with this operation they are wrong and we have the capabilities to track them down,\" he said.\n\nMr Jones added: \"These are not just images or videos being viewed online.\n\n\"What we are uncovering here is evidence of the horrific, real-world sexual abuse of children.\"\n\nOut of the 320 arrested as part of the NCA's operation targeting the UK's most dangerous child sex offenders, 122 were targeted by NCA officers.\n\nSeventeen were in positions of trust, including a volunteer with the Scouts, church youth group leaders, a social worker, primary school and college teachers, a hospital care assistant, a police officer, and a civil servant.\n\nIn the year ending March 2020 the NCA and UK policing made 7,212 arrests and safeguarded and protected 8,329 children. This was a 50% increase in arrests and a 10% increase in safeguards compared with the year ending March 2019.\n\nMs Patel said that the national strategy would tackle and respond to \"all forms of child sexual abuse, relentlessly going after abusers, whilst better protecting victims and survivors\".\n\nShe added: \"Crucially, it contains a commitment to collect higher quality data on the characteristics of offenders, so that the government can build a fuller picture of perpetrators, and tackle the abuse that has blighted many towns and cities across our country.\"\n\nThe government has pledged to support local authorities' responses to exploitation through funding for The Children's Society's Prevention Programme initiative, which has so far trained 13,363 professionals to spot signs of child abuse.\n\nThrough the Online Safety Bill, the Home Office has also said it will ensure technology companies are held to account for harmful content on their sites.\n\nThe Children's Society's chief executive, Mark Russell, has described the strategy as a \"golden opportunity to improve support for child victims of horrific crimes and send a clear signal that child sexual abuse and exploitation are crimes that will not be tolerated\".\n\nThe scheme was also welcomed by GCHQ and charity NSPCC, which said it has received more than 40 calls a day about child sexual abuse since the pandemic began.\n\nGCHQ's director of serious and organised crime said: \"Our work to tackle systemic internet problems, the insight we provide into offender behaviour and our efforts alongside law enforcement to identify and pursue the worst offenders will help to ensure there is no safe space online for these people to operate.\"\n\nNSPCC chief executive Sir Peter Wanless said it \"rightly puts the emphasis on early intervention and action across government but added it \"must be backed up with serious investment in support for victims\" - and that children were still being exposed to abuse from teachers and social workers.\n\nSir Peter said: \"It's crucial that no young person is left unprotected which is why it's disappointing the government has not committed to closing the legal loophole that enables some adults to abuse their position of power to have sexual contact with 16 and 17-year-olds in their care.\"", "CCTV footage has been released of the moment a fire took hold in a hotel after a porter put a bag of ash and embers in a cupboard.\n\nSimon Midgley and his partner Richard Dyson died in the fire at Cameron House next to Loch Lomond in December 2017.\n\nCameron House admitted charges under the Fire Scotland Act of failing to take fire safety measures.\n\nChristopher O'Malley, who put the bag in the cupboard, admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.", "Last updated on .From the section FA Cup\n\nNon-league Chorley were unable to emulate the heroes from 1986 by causing an FA Cup sensation against Wolves - but the National League North side came away with all the credit from their fourth-round tie at Victory Park.\n\nVitinha's superb 30-yard shot after 12 minutes proved enough to secure an all-Premier League tie against Arsenal or Southampton at Molineux in the fifth round.\n\nBut Nuno Espirito Santo's side were less than impressive against their part-time opponents.\n\nChorley had the first shot of the match through Elliot Newby, and after Vitinha had struck his first Wolves goal with the visitors' only shot on target, it was the hosts who had the best chances.\n\nCrucially, they also pocketed around £120,000 in prize money, plus TV fees, to sustain them through what could be a difficult period after their league was suspended for two weeks amid funding concerns earlier in the day.\n\n\"If you are going to lose, I would prefer to lose to a goal like that than a scruffy goal,\" said Chorley boss Jamie Vermiglio.\n\n\"I am proud of what we have done for our community, my kids at school will remember that their head teacher got this far in the FA Cup. Hopefully it can inspire some of them.\n\n\"We are approaching up to half a million [in earnings from the cup run], we have people who are isolating, and those players have given them a little bit of happiness.\n\n\"If it is 2-0 or 3-0 at half-time the game is done and people are turning their TVs off. That did not happen. I felt we were in the game. Every player was outstanding.\"\n• None How to follow FA Cup fourth round on the BBC\n\nIf this does end up being Chorley's last game of the season, it is one they will remember for some time, not only for the action on the pitch but also for the huge volley of fireworks that went off behind the main stand minutes into the contest.\n\nFor visiting Wolves, it was a step into the unknown. Their starting line-up got changed in the away dressing room, while their substitutes - European Championship winner Rui Patricio and Spain international Adama Traore among them - readied themselves in a sponsors' lounge.\n\nSeemingly those starting the game on the bench got the better deal.\n\nWolves boss Nuno paid Chorley the compliment of picking a strong starting line-up, including £35.6m record signing Fabio Silva and England international Conor Coady.\n\nAnd had this match been played in more imposing surroundings, it could have been mistaken for one of those Premier League games where one side sits back, challenges the opposition to break them down and then hits them on the counter.\n\nWolves' return of 76% possession and one shot on target, set against Chorley's five shots on target, suggests home manager Vermiglio got his tactics spot on.\n\nIndeed, had Andy Halls, a personal trainer by day, not had his goal-bound header tipped over by John Ruddy after an hour, Chorley might have forced a different outcome.\n\n\"The scene was set for us to lose this game,\" said Nuno. \"John Ruddy did his job, everybody knows his quality. He helped us to win the game.\"\n\nIt was nevertheless a typically English FA Cup tie, enlivened by Vermiglio yelling \"nothing wrong with that\" when two Wolves players went down under agricultural challenges, and then laughing in Traore's face amid a brief skirmish.\n\nIt was fantastic knockabout stuff. Sadly, the enduring disappointment was that other than staff, media and stewards, no-one was there in person to witness it.\n• None Wolves have reached the FA Cup fifth round in three of the last five seasons, as many as in the 21 seasons prior to this.\n• None Premier League teams have progressed from 45 of their 47 FA Cup ties against non-league teams (96%), with only Norwich vs Luton in 2013 and Burnley vs Lincoln in 2017 failing to progress.\n• None Separated by 120 years and 362 days, Chorley have lost both of their FA Cup games against top-flight opponents, losing against Notts County in January 1900 and Wolves.\n• None Vitinha became the 32nd different Wolves player to score a goal for Nuno Espirito Santo in all competitions and the 11th different Portuguese player to do so, with what was his third shot in his 12th appearance.\n• None Since the start of 2017-18, Wolves have had 11 different Portuguese scorers - more than twice as many as any other English league team in that time (Nottingham Forest, five).\n\nWolves are next in action against Chelsea in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, 27 January (18:00 GMT).\n• None Attempt blocked. Rayan Aït-Nouri (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Rúben Neves.\n• None Harry Cardwell (Chorley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Attempt missed. Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Rúben Neves.\n• None Arlen Birch (Chorley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Attempt blocked. Fábio Silva (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Pedro Neto. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None You can stream five fourth-round games live on the BBC this weekend, including Liverpool's trip to Manchester United. Find out more here.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA hotel fire which claimed the lives of two men started after a porter put a bag of ash and embers in a cupboard containing kindling and newspaper.\n\nSimon Midgley and his partner Richard Dyson died in the fire at Cameron House next to Loch Lomond in December 2017.\n\nCameron House pled guilty to charges under the Fire Scotland Act of failing to take fire safety measures.\n\nChristopher O'Malley, who put the bag in the cupboard, admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.\n\nO'Malley's lawyer said the night porter - from Renton in West Dunbartonshire - deeply regretted his actions, and did not deliberately start the fire.\n\nDumbarton Sheriff Court also heard that Cameron House did not have proper procedures in place for the disposal of ash, or for training staff.\n\nThe owners also failed to keep cupboards that contained potential ignition sources free of combustibles.\n\nAt about 04:00 on 18 December 2017, O'Malley, 35, cleared ash and embers from a fireplace in the Cameron House reception into a metal bucket.\n\nHe then emptied the contents of the bucket into a plastic bag, which he put into the concierge cupboard.\n\nThe cupboard also contained flammable materials including kindling, newspapers and cardboard.\n\nRichard Dyson, left, and Simon Midgley, right, who both died, had been on a winter break in Scotland\n\nAt about 06:40 an initial fire alarm sounded and staff noticed smoke coming from the concierge cupboard.\n\nO'Malley opened the door and flames took hold, spreading to the hall.\n\nHe and two others tried to fight the blaze with fire extinguishers, but were overcome by the flames.\n\nAdvocate depute Michael Meehan QC told the court the cupboard was well alight and the \"blaze immediately took hold and spread from there\".\n\nHe added: \"As a result of [Cameron House's] failure to keep the cupboard free of combustibles, ash and embers ignited and fire spread in the main building.\"\n\nThe night manager sounded the alarm and called 999. Firefighters arrived within 10 minutes to find a \"well developed\" fire in the mansion, which is near Balloch in West Dunbartonshire.\n\nMore than 200 guests were staying in the hotel.\n\nThe court heard one family-of-three on the second floor had to be rescued by firefighters while a couple on the first floor had to crawl to safety because corridors and fire escape pathways were filling with smoke and gases.\n\nIt was after 08:00 when it was discovered that Mr Dyson, 38, and Mr Midgley, 32, were missing.\n\nFirefighters wearing breathing apparatus found Mr Dyson on a landing at the top of a staircase.\n\nMr Midgley was lying in a fire escape passageway. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.\n\nMr Dyson was taken to hospital, where he was also pronounced dead.\n\nPost-mortem examinations said the men's causes of death had been inhalation of smoke and fire gases.\n\nThe couple had travelled from London, and were staying at the five-star resort as the final stop on their winter break to Scotland.\n\nSheriff William Gallacher also heard of an incident three nights before the fatal fire, where O'Malley and another night porter were told not to put ash into plastic bags because it was a fire hazard.\n\nCameron House QC Peter Gray said it was therefore \"extremely difficult to understand\" why O'Malley did not follow this guidance on the night of the fire.\n\nThe court also heard that Cameron House staff were not properly trained in the safe disposal of ash and that no written procedures were in place.\n\nThere was also no procedure in place for emptying the metal ash bins outside the hotel on a regular basis.\n\nThat was contrary to recommendations made in two fire risk assessments carried out by an independent company in 2016 and 2017.\n\nAfter the first report was received by Cameron House management in January 2016, the resort manager agreed there was a lack of a formal procedure for disposing of ash and delegated the responsibility for this to his deputy.\n\nMr Meehan said this report \"should have been a game-changer\" for Cameron House.\n\nWhen the issue was raised again in a follow-up report a year later, managers believed it had already been dealt with.\n\nMr Gray said: \"The resort manager understood incorrectly that all the actions had been completed, including in relation to the written procedure for disposing of ash from open fires.\"\n\nThe Scottish Fire and Rescue Service had also warned Cameron House managers about the risks of storing combustibles in the concierge cupboard in August 2017.\n\nThe audit highlighted the potential danger of fire spreading rapidly through the building because of its age and voids.\n\nA follow-up letter was sent to management in November 2017 - one month before the fire - but combustibles continued to be stored in the cupboard.\n\nCameron House's lawyer added that the failings were not deliberate breaches but occurred \"as a result of genuine errors\".\n\nHe also told the court the fire had gone undetected for a long period before being discovered, and that the hotel had a \"suite of measures in place\" to deal with fire safety.\n\nAn absence of formal procedures for dealing with ashes and embers gave staff the opportunity to improvise, he added.\n\nMr Gray continued: \"I am instructed to extend my deepest sympathies from the accused to the families of Mr Midgley and Mr Dyson.\n\nHe said the hotel takes its duties to ensure the safety of its guests extremely seriously.\n\nDetails of what happened at Cameron House were first revealed in court on 14 December last year, but reporting restrictions meant they could not be published until now.\n\nSentencing is due to take place on 29 January.", "Fashion chain Next has said it will no longer bid to buy Sir Philip Green's Arcadia retail brands Topshop and Topman out of administration.\n\nIt comes after a consortium including the fashion chain was named as frontrunner to buy the brands.\n\nIn a short statement, Next said the consortium had been \"unable to meet the price expectations of the vendor\".\n\nSome 13,000 jobs were put at risk when Arcadia, which also owns Burton and Dorothy Perkins, went bust in November.\n\nIt leaves a clutch of others in the race to buy the 440-store group, including Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, which owns House of Fraser and Sports Direct.\n\nAccording to reports, Authentic Brands, the US owner of the Barneys department store, and JD Sports have tabled a joint offer, while online retailers Asos and Boohoo are also said to be interested.\n\nAdministrators Deloitte have been looking for buyers for some or all of Arcadia, after a slump in sales caused by the pandemic triggered its collapse.\n\nNext, which has 550 UK shops and has weathered the pandemic well, was seen as a good fit to take over the group's assets.\n\nIt had been bidding in partnership with the US hedge fund Davidson Kempner, which was going to put up most of the money.\n\nNext said it wished \"the administrator and future owners [of Arcadia] well in their endeavours to preserve an important part of the UK retail sector\".\n\nExperts expect Arcadia to be broken up, with bidders taking on different parts of the business and brands potentially hived off from their stores.\n\nIn December, Australian collective City Chic said it would buy Arcadia's Evans brand, commerce and wholesale business for £23m but not its store network.\n\nLast year was the worst for the High Street in more than 25 years as the coronavirus accelerated the move towards online shopping, according to the Centre for Retail Research (CRR).\n\nNearly 180,000 retail jobs were lost, up by almost a quarter on the previous year, as shops faced strict curbs and prolonged closures.", "Early evidence suggests the variant of coronavirus that emerged in the UK may be more deadly, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.\n\nHowever, there remains huge uncertainty around the numbers - and vaccines are still expected to work.\n\nThe data comes from mathematicians comparing death rates in people infected with either the new or the old versions of the virus.\n\nThe new more infectious variant has already spread widely across the UK.\n\nMr Johnson told a Downing Street briefing: \"In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant - the variant that was first identified in London and the south east - may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.\n\n\"It's largely the impact of this new variant that means the NHS is under such intense pressure.\"\n\nPublic Health England, Imperial College London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Exeter have each been trying to assess how deadly the new variant is.\n\nTheir evidence has been assessed by scientists on the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag).\n\nThe group concluded there was a \"realistic possibility\" that the virus had become more deadly, but this is far from certain.\n\nSir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, described the data so far as \"not yet strong\".\n\nHe said: \"I want to stress that there's a lot of uncertainty around these numbers and we need more work to get a precise handle on it, but it obviously is a concern that this has an increase in mortality as well as an increase in transmissibility.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Patrick Vallance: \"There is evidence that there's an increased risk for those who have the new variant\"\n\nPrevious work suggests the new variant spreads between 30% and 70% faster than others, and there are hints it is about 30% more deadly.\n\nFor example, with 1,000 60-year-olds infected with the old variant, 10 of them might be expected to die. But this rises to about 13 with the new variant.\n\nThis difference is found when looking at everyone testing positive for Covid, but analysing only hospital data has found no increase in the death rate. Hospital care has improved over the course of the pandemic as doctors get better at treating the disease.\n\nThe new variant was first detected in Kent in September. It is now the most common form of the virus in England and Northern Ireland, and has spread to more than 50 other countries.\n\nThe Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are both expected to work against the variant that emerged in the UK.\n\nHowever, Sir Patrick said there was more concern about two other variants that had emerged in South Africa and Brazil.\n\nHe said: \"They have certain features which means they might be less susceptible to vaccines.\n\n\"They are definitely of more concern than the one in the UK at the moment and we need to keep looking at it and studying this very carefully.\"\n\nThe prime minister said the government was prepared to take further action to protect the country's borders to prevent new variants from entering.\n\n\"I really don't rule it out, we may need to take further measures still,\" he said.\n\nLast week the government extended a travel ban to South America, Portugal and many African countries amid concerns about new variants, while all international travellers must now test negative ahead of departure to the UK and go into quarantine on arrival.", "Shoppers bought far fewer clothes last year as lockdowns meant people had less opportunity to socialise and go out.\n\nClothes sales slumped 25%, the biggest drop in 23 years when records began, official figures suggest.\n\nWhile shops have reported demand for certain clothing such as pyjamas and loungewear has risen, demand for going-out items has fallen sharply.\n\nAnd despite a pick-up in December, clothing sales remain lower than before the pandemic struck.\n\n\"With few opportunities to socialise during lockdown and many people working from home, the clothing sector has been one of the \"worst-affected by restrictions\", the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.\n\nEarlier this month, Marks & Spencer said sales of sleepwear had soared\n\nGrowing numbers of High Street shops have faced financial difficulties due to the temporary store closures imposed during lockdowns.\n\nTopshop-owner Arcadia and competitors Debenhams, Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group, Oasis and Warehouse have all slid into insolvency since lockdown measures were first imposed last March.\n\nThe inability to try clothes on in bricks-and-mortar shops, as well as restrictions on eating out meaning consumers are going out less, have all affected sales, the ONS suggested.\n\nAnd the slump in demand for fashion meant that British retail sales saw their largest annual fall on record in 2020.\n\nSales fell by 1.9% last year, when compared with 2019, the largest year-on-year fall since records began in 1997.\n\nRetail sales, including fuel, did see a small increase last month, growing by 0.3% when compared with November.\n\nIt came following the end of England's national lockdown on 2 December. Sales had slumped by 4.1% in November during a month-long shutdown.\n\nBut \"this was very clearly not a Merry Christmas for most of the High Street\", said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.\n\n\"For most retailers it's the most crucial month of the year to get profit back on track but the large upswing in sales after the pain of the November lockdowns didn't materialise,\" she said.\n\nONS deputy national statistician for economic statistics Jonathan Athow said that some sectors, however, had been \"able to buck the trend\" last year.\n\n\"The increased popularity of click-and-collect and people buying more items from home led to a strong year for overall internet sales, with record highs for food and household goods sales online.\"\n\nIn a sign of the way the pandemic has changed shopping habits, the value of online retail sales jumped by 46.1% in 2020 when compared with 2019 - the highest annual growth reported since 2008.\n\nOnline trade now accounts for more than one-third of all retail sales.\n\nRichard Lim, chief executive of Retail Economics, explained that the rise of online had \"polarised industry performance\".\n\n\"The gap widened between those retailers with the most sophisticated online propositions from those with legacy store-dependent business models,\" he said.\n\nOnline-only retailers such as Boohoo and Asos, for example, have reported strong sales figures in 2020.\n\nSupermarkets in particular have embraced the shift to digital, with online food store sales up 79.3% last year.\n\nThere was also better news from the John Lewis Partnership, which owns Waitrose, on Friday. It said that it would return a £300m emergency coronavirus loan to the government as trading went \"better than anticipated\" over Christmas.\n\nToday's figures show just how badly the clothing sector has been affected these last 12 months.\n\nFashion is the big retail loser from this pandemic. Who needs to splash out on the latest trends when we're working from home and not going out? And even when clothing shops are open, chances are you can't try things on.\n\nWith all of the Covid-19 measures in place, the fun has been sucked out of shopping. We haven't stopped spending, but most of it is going online. Boohoo and Asos have seen very strong sales growth, for instance.\n\nThe going's far harder for retailers with large numbers of physical stores. The pressures have already taken their toll on the likes of Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group and Debenhams.\n\nAnd things may well get worse on the high street before they better. Many retailers are worried about the end of the business rates holiday and of the temporary ban on eviction for non payment of rent in April. These will result in a big increase in costs when sales have yet to fully recover.\n\nBut Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, called for more help for non-essential shops and High Street retailers who continue to be affected by lockdown restrictions.\n\n\"With no end in sight for retailers closed in lockdown, many will struggle to survive under a mounting rent burden, and a return to full business rates in April,\" she said.\n\nShe called on government to offer \"targeted\" business rates relief to businesses worst-affected by the pandemic.\n\n\"Decisive action is needed to save jobs, shops and local communities, with town and city centres looking to be particularly hard hit unless the government acts now.\"\n\nEarlier in January, a report from the Centre for Retail Research said that 2020 was the worst for High Street job losses in more than 25 years, because of the acceleration towards online shopping.\n\nNearly 180,000 retail jobs were lost last year, up by almost a quarter from 2019, it said.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nLiverpool's 68-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League came to an end as Ashley Barnes fired in a late winner from the penalty spot to secure a famous victory for Burnley.\n\nBarnes was tripped in the box by goalkeeper Alisson with seven minutes remaining and converted the spot-kick as Burnley won at Anfield for the first time since 1974.\n\nLiverpool's last league loss on their own ground came nearly four years ago, against Crystal Palace in April 2017, and they are now six points behind leaders Manchester United at the midway point in the campaign.\n\nDivock Origi was given his first start of the season and should have scored when he ran free on goal after pouncing on Ben Mee's error but struck the crossbar.\n\nThe hosts pushed to find the net in the second half but ran out of ideas, Nick Pope making a stunning save to deny Mohamed Salah and fellow substitute Roberto Firmino flicking an effort wide.\n\nBurnley's shock win lifts them up to 16th in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone.\n• None Klopp takes blame but what has happened to Liverpool?\n\nJurgen Klopp said before the game he was \"not worried\" by his side's poor run, but the latest setback means this has now turned into a real problem for the Liverpool manager.\n\nAfter 19 games, Liverpool are out of form and out of confidence, failing to find the net in their last 440 minutes of top-flight action and awaiting their first league victory of 2021.\n\nThey looked to be hitting their stride on 19 December when they took apart Crystal Palace 7-0, but have not won in the league since and scored just a solitary league goal in that time, against relegation strugglers West Brom.\n\nTheir drop-off from the same stage last season is extraordinary - after 19 games last term the Reds were 13 points clear at the top with 55 points, but they have 21 fewer points now.\n\nAside from Pope's save to thwart Salah and stops from Origi and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool did not look a side who were threatening to find the net.\n\nThey had 72% possession but much of it was slow and ponderous, and although they had spaces out wide and put 30 crosses into the box, the resolute Burnley defenders headed and hacked clear every ball that came in.\n\nLiverpool won 18 of 19 league games at Anfield as they cantered to the title last term.\n\nBurnley were the spoilers on that occasion - earning a 1-1 draw in July 2020 - and they bettered that showing here with another solid and well-organised display.\n\nCaptain Mee had 14 clearances and made two tackles, while centre-back partner James Tarkowski contributed five interceptions and won the ball back four times.\n\nBurnley are a well-drilled outfit and know their limitations, happy to sit back and soak up the pressure before looking to take their chances on the counter-attack.\n\nThey had sniffs on the break but were unable to get the final ball right and while Barnes forced an excellent save out of Alisson, the assistant referee's flag would have ruled it out.\n\nThey remain the lowest scorers in the league with just 10 goals - level with bottom side Sheffield United - but their defensive solidity means they will always pose a threat, even to the biggest teams.\n\n'We dealt with the basics' - manager reaction\n\nBurnley boss Sean Dyche to Match of the Day: \"Performance, we had to work very hard, as you do in these places, be diligent and do your jobs - shape was good, energy was good.\n\n\"We had a golden chance, kept searching, but you have to deal with the basics and we did that very well.\n\n\"We were close last year, you get a feel of a performance and I said 'you are used to playing against these players, working without the ball, there's always a chance and you have to take it'. Barnsey sticks it in there, gets a toe, it's a penalty and he sticks it away very well.\"\n• None This was Burnley's second Premier League win away against the reigning champions (also v Chelsea in August 2017). Indeed, since the 2017-18 season, Burnley are the only side with two away league wins over the reigning English champions.\n• None Liverpool have gone four league games without scoring for the first time since May 2000. The Reds have had a total of 87 shots since Sadio Mane's 12th-minute strike against West Brom, 25 days ago.\n• None This is the first time a Jurgen Klopp side has gone four league games without scoring since his Mainz side did so in the Bundesliga from November to December 2006.\n• None Liverpool have gone five Premier League games without a win (D3 L2) for only the second time under Klopp (also from Jan-Feb 2017).\n• None Liverpool have conceded two penalty goals at Anfield in this season's Premier League (also Sander Berge for Sheff Utd); they had only conceded two penalty goals at the ground under Klopp before 2020-21.\n• None Liverpool had 27 shots without scoring against Burnley, the most they have had in a single league match without finding the net since April 2013 v Reading (28), and most at Anfield since April 2012 v West Brom (30).\n• None Ashley Barnes' penalty for Burnley was his first away goal in the Premier League in 11 appearances on the road, since netting against Watford back in November 2019.\n• None Since the start of last season, no goalkeeper has made more saves against a single opponent in the Premier League than Burnley's Nick Pope against Liverpool (19). Pope has made 14 saves in his last two games at Anfield, including six tonight.\n\nLiverpool have another big game on Sunday against rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup. That game is live on the BBC (17:00 GMT). Burnley travel to Fulham in the same competition on the same day (14:30).\n• None Offside, Burnley. Dwight McNeil tries a through ball, but Chris Wood is caught offside.\n• None Attempt blocked. Takumi Minamino (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n• None Attempt missed. Dwight McNeil (Burnley) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Assisted by Ashley Barnes.\n• None Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold.\n• None Attempt missed. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Sadio Mané with a cross.\n• None Joel Matip (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for hand ball.\n• None Attempt blocked. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Sadio Mané.\n• None Goal! Liverpool 0, Burnley 1. Ashley Barnes (Burnley) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.\n• None Penalty conceded by Alisson (Liverpool) after a foul in the penalty area.\n• None Attempt blocked. Sadio Mané (Liverpool) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Andrew Robertson. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None You can stream five fourth-round games live on the BBC this weekend, including Liverpool's trip to Manchester United. Find out more here.", "Nissan's car plant in Sunderland is the UK's biggest and employs 6,000 people directly\n\nJapanese car maker Nissan has told the BBC its Sunderland plant is secure for the long term as a result of the trade deal reached between the UK and the EU.\n\nIt said it will move additional battery production close to the plant where it has 6,000 direct employees and supports nearly 70,000 jobs in the supply chain.\n\nCurrently, the batteries in its Leaf electric cars are imported from Japan.\n\nNissan would not confirm if this would mean additional jobs at Sunderland, which is the UK's largest car plant.\n\nManufacturing the more powerful batteries in the UK will ensure its cars comply with trade rules agreed with the EU requiring at least 55% of the car's value to be derived from either the UK or the EU to qualify for zero tariffs when exported to the EU.\n\nSome 70% of the cars made in Sunderland are exported and the vast majority of them are sold in the EU.\n\nNissan had issued stark warnings last year that if the UK left the EU without a trade deal, the resulting tariffs on cars and components would make the Sunderland plant \"unsustainable\".\n\nNissan's chief operating officer Ashwani Gupta told the BBC: \"The Brexit deal is positive for Nissan. Being the largest automaker in the UK we are taking this opportunity to redefine auto-making in the UK.\n\nNissan's Ashwani Gupta said the Brexit deal had created a 'competitive environment'\n\n\"It has created a competitive environment for Sunderland, not just inside the UK but outside as well.\n\n\"We've decided to localise the manufacture of the 62kWh battery in Sunderland so that all our products qualify [for tariff-free export to the EU]. We are committed to Sunderland for the long term under the business conditions that have been agreed.\"\n\nIt came as Nissan paused one of its two production lines in Sunderland on Friday as disruption at ports caused by the pandemic affected its supply chain.\n\nThe company said the move would affect the line which produces the Qashqai and Leaf, but work would resume next week.\n\nBusiness Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng welcomed the firm's endorsement of Sunderland as a manufacturing base.\n\n\"Nissan's decision represents a genuine belief in Britain and a huge vote of confidence in our economy thanks to the certainty our trade deal with the EU delivers,\" he said.\n\n\"For the dedicated and highly-skilled workforce in Sunderland, it means the city will be home to Nissan's latest models for years to come and positions the company to capitalise on the wealth of benefits that will flow from electric vehicle production.\"\n\nIt's particularly welcome after the more guarded comments from the boss of Vauxhall's parent company last week.\n\nSpeaking as the tie-up between Fiat Chrsyler and Peugeot Citroen was christened with new umbrella name Stellantis, boss Carlos Tavares said that the future of its Ellesmere Port plant depended on the support the UK government was prepared to offer after its decision to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars after 2030.\n\n\"If you change, brutally, the rules and if you restrict the rules for business then there is at one point in time a problem,\" he said.\n\nLooking forward, he said it would make more sense to locate an electric vehicle factory closer to the larger EU market.\n\nIndustry voices welcomed the news from Nissan but reinforced the message from Vauxhall's owners that the government needs to do more to secure the future of the car industry as it electrifies.\n\n\"This is obviously good news and will help the Nissan Leaf avoid any future tariffs, but we are going to need to see a lot more investment in battery production in the UK if we are to preserve the UK as a car manufacturer and exporter,\" said Professor David Bailey of Warwick University.\n\nThe head of trade body the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders agreed.\n\n\"The battery plant in Sunderland may be enough for Nissan's near-term plans to build tens of thousands of electric cars but the UK made 1.5 million cars last year and all will be partly electric by 2030,\" Mike Hawes said.\n\nAndy Palmer, former boss of Aston Martin and current chairman of electric bus maker Switch Mobility, has gone further. He says that 800,000 jobs are at risk if the UK government doesn't act now to foster battery investment.\n\n\"Without electric vehicle batteries made in the UK, the country's auto industry risks becoming an antiquated relic and overtaken by China, Japan, America and Europe.\"\n\nHe urged the UK government to use every lever at its disposal to make the UK attractive.\n\nUK car investment has fallen sharply since the UK voted to leave the EU.\n\nIn the five years to 2016 it averaged £3.5bn per year. In the four years since it has averaged around £1bn - a fall of 71% at a time when the technology and map of car production are going through their biggest revolution since the car was invented.\n\nThe Nissan decision is therefore a very welcome boost to the UK which is in an international scramble for the investment of the future which is happening right now.", "Police warned that unsanctioned protests would be \"immediately suppressed\"\n\nRussian police have detained close aides of the jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny, as a string of nationwide protests gets under way.\n\nPolice have broken up demonstrations in the eastern Khabarovsk region, amid stern warnings for people to stay home.\n\nMr Navalny's supporters flooded social media with calls to rally at protests expected in dozens of cities later.\n\nHe is Russian leader Vladimir Putin's most high-profile critic.\n\nHe was arrested last Sunday after he flew back to Moscow from Berlin, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal nerve agent attack in Russia last August.\n\nOn his return, he was immediately taken into custody and found guilty of violating parole conditions. He says it is a trumped-up case designed to silence him.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Alexei Navalny was filmed by the BBC saying goodbye to his wife and then being led away by authorities\n\nMore than 60m people have watched his new video about President Vladimir Putin's alleged luxury Black Sea palace.\n\nThe Kremlin denies the property belongs to the president.\n\nAmong those detained in Moscow on Thursday were his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, and one of his lawyers, Lyubov Sobol. They face fines or short jail terms.\n\nMs Sobol, who has a young child, was later released. But Ms Yarmysh has now been jailed for nine days.\n\nProminent Navalny activists are also being held in the cities of Vladivostok, Novosibirsk and Krasnodar.\n\nUnauthorised rallies are being planned in more than 60 cities across Russia for Saturday. Moscow police say any unauthorised demonstrations and provocations will be \"immediately suppressed\".\n\nA thousand people were reported to have come onto the streets in the Khabarovsk region, with some of them already detained.\n\nMr Navalny's wife Yulia, who travelled back to Russia with him from Germany, said she would demonstrate in Moscow \"for myself, for him, for our children, for the values and the ideals that we share\".\n\nAlexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) has drawn millions of followers on social media, through slickly produced videos alleging large-scale official corruption. He has long denounced Mr Putin's administration as \"feudal\" and full of \"crooks and thieves\".\n\nFor a long time the Russian authorities made out that Alexei Navalny was irrelevant. Just a blogger. With a tiny following. No threat whatsoever.\n\nRecent events suggest the opposite. First Mr Navalny was targeted with a nerve agent, allegedly by a secret group of FSB state security hitmen. Instead of investigating the poisoning, Russia is investigating him: on his return from Germany the Kremlin critic was arrested.\n\nHaving put Mr Navalny behind bars, the authorities are putting pressure on his supporters. The Kremlin's greatest fear is of a Ukraine-style revolution in Russia that would sweep away those in power.\n\nThere's no indication that such a scenario is imminent. But with economic problems growing, the Kremlin will worry that Mr Navalny could act as a lightning rod for protest sentiment. That explains the police crackdown on Navalny allies ahead of Saturday's potential protests.\n\nPlus, this is getting personal. Mr Navalny's video about \"Putin's Palace\" on the Black Sea was designed to cause maximum embarrassment to the Russian president.\n\nIn the \"Putin's palace\" video Mr Navalny alleges that rich businessmen close to Mr Putin paid for a sumptuous 17,691sq m (190,424sq ft) palace for him at Gelendzhik, by the Black Sea.\n\nIt is alleged to have a casino, a theatre and many other comforts, including a vineyard and tea house in the sprawling grounds. The Kremlin dismissed the YouTube video as a \"pseudo-investigation\" aimed at earning money for Mr Navalny.\n\nProsecutors have warned people against protesting in support of Mr Navalny on Saturday. Russia's education ministry has told parents not to allow their children to attend.\n\nSome Russian celebrities in the arts and sports have pledged support for Mr Navalny. They include ice hockey star Artemi Panarin.\n\nFormer world chess champion Garry Kasparov - now a leading anti-Putin activist based in the US - tweeted that pro-Navalny posts were being widely blocked in Russia.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Garry Kasparov This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn a phone call to President Putin on Friday, EU Council President Charles Michel voiced \"grave concern\" about the jailing of Mr Navalny.\n\nMr Michel said the EU was \"united in its call on Russia to swiftly release Mr Navalny and proceed with the investigation into the assassination attempt on him, in full transparency and without further delay\".\n\nIn October, the EU imposed sanctions on six top Russian officials and a Russian chemical weapons research centre over the Novichok poisoning of Mr Navalny.\n\nThe Kremlin retaliated with tit-for-tat sanctions, denying any role in the attack and rejecting the expert finding that the Russian nerve agent had been used.\n\nThe Black Sea palace allegedly features a casino, an ice rink and a vineyard\n\nThe social media app TikTok has a flood of videos from Russians promoting the protests planned for Saturday. The messages about Mr Navalny have been going viral for several days.\n\nA well-known Russian TikTok user, Slava Varfolomeyev, told BBC Russian: \"I go on TikTok and find that every third video is about 'Putin's palace', the detention of Navalny and the 23 January rally!\"\n\nHe said that on Thursday \"this swelled to a maximum: practically seven out of every 10 videos were on that topic [Navalny]\". TikTok's popularity is based on short-form videos.\n\nOn Wednesday Russia's official media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, demanded that TikTok take down any information \"encouraging minors to act illegally\", threatening large fines.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Teresa Dalling says a river of orange water rushed through the village on Thursday\n\nSerious flooding which forced villagers from their homes was potentially caused by a mine shaft \"blow out\" during Storm Christoph, authorities have said.\n\nAbout 80 people were evacuated as water rushed through Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, on Thursday.\n\nResidents have been told they will not be able to return home this weekend or \"possibly longer\".\n\nThe Coal Authority said initial checks suggested water had built up in the shaft and flooded the village.\n\nCarl Banton, from the Coal Authority, said there had been a \"tremendous amount\" of rain recently and potentially a blockage in the drainage system could have caused the mine shaft to \"blow out\".\n\nMr Banton reassured people that officers had visually checked other mine shafts in the area and were \"not concerned\" any would collapse.\n\n\"The mine shaft in question is the one that was on actually on the water level, it has found its point of weakness,\" he said.\n\nCarl Banton said that while investigations were ongoing heavy rain may have overwhelmed the mine shaft\n\nA major incident was declared as water rushed into the village on Thursday, leaving eight streets underwater as Storm Christoph caused widespread flooding across Wales.\n\nOn Friday, as firefighters continued to pump water out of the village, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) confirmed the Tennant Canal had been polluted \"from mine water\".\n\nLate on Friday evening, Neath Port Talbot council said, for safety reasons, people forced to leave their homes would \"not be able to return home this weekend, and the wait could possibly longer\".\n\nA support centre will open at Abbey Primary School from Saturday, with council officers on site to help people access emergency support.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe Coal Authority, which manages the effects of historical coal mining, are investigating the cause of the flooding.\n\nMr Banton said initial findings showed there may have been a build-up of water on the hillside which had \"found its way out\" through the mine shaft, flooding the village.\n\n\"The flow appears to be subsiding... but what we are unsure of is if there is a feed of additional water into the mine workings, from the extensive mine workings on the hillside,\" he added.\n\nAt least 80 people have had to leave their homes in the village after flooding\n\nMr Banton said officers would drill down into the shaft and investigate on Saturday, in the hope that people could soon be allowed back into their homes.\n\n\"A lot of the mining in this area is very old... some of it dates back to the early 1800s... we have no details of how the shaft in question here was originally filled or capped,\" he said.\n\n\"We will ensure the mine shaft is properly capped and sorted out.\"\n\nMartyn Evans, of NRW, said officers were looking at how to minimise the risk of pollution to nearby rivers, and investigating any impacts on the River Neath.\n\n\"We have also carried out tests on other watercourses in the vicinity of the incident. Results indicate there has been no significant impact on those at present,\" he said.\n\nOn Thursday night a further 20 homes were evacuated by emergency services as the water continued to rush through the village.\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed on Friday financial support would be made available to people affected by the recent floods, up to £1,000 per household.\n\n\"This is the same level of support available a year ago when storms Ciara and Dennis hit Wales, just before the pandemic,\" he said.\n\nThe water is warmer than the air and is creating a mist along Dynevor Road\n\nSkewen resident John Thomas said he returned home from a funeral with wife Lynne on Thursday to find their house had turned into \"a lake\", he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.\n\nHe said: \"The water was around the level of the bottom of the doors so we couldn't go in, so we just had to stand there and watch this orange-coloured water just piling up and up and up.\"\n\nMr Thomas said that with water up to his waist, he was unable to get in to rescue possessions.\n\nHe added: \"We're in a bit of a dip on the road, so you could see it gradually coming up, they were worried it might have been a sinkhole because of the coal mines.\n\n\"It's definitely mine workings, just by looking at the colour of the water, it's an orange colour.\n\n\"Other people who were evacuated had the chance to move things upstairs, I didn't have a chance to do that because I couldn't get in to it.\"\n\nThe couple are now staying with their daughter, with everyone else who was evacuated from their homes finding accommodation and told to avoid the area.\n\nMore than 30 residents of Cwrt-Clwydi-Gwyn care home were among those moved as a precaution.\n\nIt was a sleepless night for Skewen resident Teresa Dalling\n\nTeresa Dalling, who lives in Dynevor Road, said she had spent the night fearing for her safety.\n\n\"I haven't slept. I was up the back door every two hours checking the water level,\" she said.\n\n\"I didn't know we lived near old mines and if there's been a collapse, my fear is more could follow and that's terrifying.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stephen Kinnock This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAs well as properties, vehicles were submerged in water\n\nUp to 45 firefighters were involved at the scene at the height of the flooding.\n\nIn a joint statement, the police, fire service and Neath Port Talbot Council urged people not to return to their homes until it was safe.\n\nCh Supt Trudi Meyrick said: \"We appreciate people are eager to get back to their homes and we are working with partners to allow this to happen as soon as it is safe to do so.\n\n\"In the meantime we ask people to please be patient as their safety is our top priority.\"\n\nIn one home, floodwater can be seen filling the living room\n\nFirefighters are continuing to pump water out of the village where people were forced to leave their homes\n\nDeputy Chief Fire Officer Roger Thomas, of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said firefighters remained in the village, pumping out water.\n\nHe said: \"We will continue to monitor the situation and support our partner agencies and those affected over the next few days.\"\n\nHomes were evacuated at Goshen Park, in Skewen\n\nNeath Port Talbot council said a local rest centre was available, and measures had been put in place to protect against Covid-19.\n\nChief executive Karen Jones said they would continue to support residents who had to leave their homes and they would ensure others had a safe place to go if further evacuations were necessary.\n\nNetwork Rail said engineers had checked for any potential damage to the railway line, but had found no \"cause for concern\".\n\nThe water has rushed through the streets of the town\n\nA severe flood warning remains in force for the Lower Dee Valley, from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows.\n\nThree flood warnings are in place for the River Wye at Monmouth, River Ritec at Tenby, and Bangor-on-Dee, where people were forced to leave their homes on Thursday as flooding saw a major incident declared. Eleven flood alerts are also in place.\n\nSnow and ice could also exacerbate issues for emergency services and those forced to leave their homes, with temperatures forecast to plummet in coming days.", "Last updated on .From the section Tennis\n\nFive-time finalist Andy Murray will miss the Australian Open after a solution to find a \"workable quarantine\" following his positive test for coronavirus could not be found.\n\nThe 33-year-old Briton was set to fly out to Melbourne last week, but was not allowed to travel on a charter flight after being found to have Covid-19.\n\nThe former world number one had hoped to travel safely and compete as planned on the back of a negative test.\n\nMurray said he was \"gutted\" not to go.\n\nHe was asymptomatic and is now out of self-isolation, but finding a way for him to travel to Australia and then going into quarantine before the tournament starts on 8 February proved too difficult.\n\n\"We've been in constant dialogue with Tennis Australia to try and find a solution which would allow some form of workable quarantine, but we couldn't make it work,\" said Murray.\n\n\"I want to thank everyone there for their efforts. I'm devastated not to be playing out in Australia. It's a country and tournament that I love.\"\n\nMurray was able to play only seven official matches in 2020 because of a lingering pelvic injury, and the five-month suspension of the tours because of the pandemic.\n\nAt 123rd in the world, he was ranked too low to gain direct entry into Australian Open so the three-time Grand Slam champion was given a wildcard.\n\nThe Australian Open at Melbourne Park is starting three weeks later than usual because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nPlayers had to test negative before taking one of the 15 chartered flights - which were put on last week by tournament organisers and operated at 25% capacity - to Australia.\n\nOn arrival, the players and their support staff went straight into a 14-day quarantine under the conditions imposed by the Australian government.\n\nThat agreement allowed them out of their rooms for up to five hours a day for food and practice.\n\nHowever, 72 players have been confined to their rooms in a tougher quarantine - which led to some complaints and creative ways of staying fit - after they travelled on three flights where positive cases were found on arrival.\n\nHaving missed his flight to Melbourne, and therefore last weekend's window for the players to begin 14 days of quarantine, Murray was always up against it.\n\nThere are no health issues, and no injury concerns, and Murray had been hoping he could make it to Australia to complete quarantine in time to play a first-round match on either 8 or 9 February.\n\nBut the only \"workable quarantine\" would have included five hours out of his room every day. This was no longer available, and no player - irrespective of age or injury history - would want to play a Grand Slam first-round match just hours after two weeks in a hotel room.\n\nMurray is understandably devastated: he knows that at 33, and with two hip operations behind him, he cannot guarantee there will be another opportunity.\n\nBut it would have been a long way to travel potentially to lose in the first round, and receiving a special exemption may not have sat well with Murray over time.\n\nInstead, he will work with his team on his next move. Montpellier and Rotterdam are the next two ATP tournaments in Europe, although nothing is easy with Covid travel restrictions.\n• None You can stream five fourth-round games live on the BBC this weekend, including Liverpool's trip to Manchester United. Find out more here.", "Jane Midgley says she needs answers about the death of her son, Simon\n\nThe mother of a man killed in a fire at a hotel on the shores of Loch Lomond more than two years ago has said it is \"torture\" not knowing why he died.\n\nSimon Midgley, 32, and Richard Dyson, 38, died in the fire which fire broke out at the Cameron House Hotel in 2017.\n\nJane Midgley said she needs answers about what led to Simon's death.\n\nThe Crown Office said it was committed to ensuring the circumstances around the deaths were aired in an \"appropriate legal forum\".\n\nMs Midgley said every day without answers was like the day she found out about his death.\n\n\"I just live it every single day and I can't cope with it much longer,\" she said. \"I need to know why they are not here and it's so difficult.\n\n\"I need answers. Why are these boys not here anymore? Why did this happen? Nearly three years on, no one is telling me.\"\n\nRichard Dyson and Simon Midgley were thought to be on a winter break in Scotland\n\nShe told BBC Scotland she wakes up during the night thinking about her son, asking herself \"has this really happened?\".\n\n\"Nearly three years on, should I still be feeling this hurt and pain?\"\n\nAfter the fire, the emergency services conducted investigations.\n\nWhile this can be a lengthy process, reports from the fire service and the police were passed to the Crown months ago.\n\nMs Midgley criticised prosecutors for not providing her with more information. She added she thinks they should be in contact with her more regularly than every four weeks.\n\nShe said: \"When the Crown say that they regularly update the family and are in regular contact that is always to say... 'it's still ongoing', 'we'll update you with anything significant', 'it's complicated'.\"\n\nShe added that there were many questions she still wanted answers to.\n\n\"The most important thing is finding out why Simon couldn't get out of that hotel that night - what went wrong. I have no idea, I've got to understand, I just need the answers.\n\n\"I need to know how it happened. I need to know why the boys didn't get out of that hotel when it was on fire, how it started, where it started, why they could not get out, could it have been prevented... it is pure torture.\"\n\nFire broke out at the Cameron House hotel in 2017\n\nMr Midgley was a freelance writer with the Evening Standard. Following his death the newspaper's editor, George Osbourne, paid tribute to Mr Midgley's \"adventurous spirit\".\n\nA spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: \"Our staff have been in regular contact with the nearest relatives and provided them with information at every stage.\n\n\"The information that can be shared while a case is being investigated is limited so as not to prejudice any potential proceedings.\n\n\"The Crown‎ is committed to ensuring that the facts and circumstances surrounding the deaths of Simon Midgley and Richard Dyson are thoroughly investigated by the relevant agencies, fully considered by COPFS and, in due course, aired in an appropriate legal forum.\n\n\"The nearest relatives will continue to be kept updated in relation to any significant developments.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Amy says her flat isn't worth anything until it is made safe\n\nThe government's fund to pay for the removal of dangerous cladding is woefully inadequate, oversubscribed and taking too long to make buildings safe, campaigners say.\n\nMore than three and a half years since the Grenfell Tower fire which killed 72 people, an estimated 700,000 people are still living in high-rise blocks with flammable cladding.\n\nThe £1.6bn Building Safety Programme was set up in 2019. Concerns have emerged about the contract that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government requires applicants to the fund, usually managing agents or building owners, to sign.\n\nA clause in the contract, seen by the BBC, indicates applicants will be financially liable for any repair work not covered by the fund.\n\nThe BBC has learnt that some managing agents are refusing to sign the document, further delaying the repair work, and have written to the government asking ministers to clarify the position.\n\nChristian Hansen, a solicitor at Bindmans LLP specialising in housing law and fire safety claims, said the contract showed that \"there's going to be a significant shortfall between the costs of the [repair] works that are required and the funding provided under the scheme\".\n\n\"Someone is going to need to pick up the bill and pay the difference. This contract makes clear it's going to be the leaseholders and for many, this could be tens of thousands of pounds, potentially ruinous costs,\" he warned.\n\nMr Hansen said that leaseholders wanted the focus of government action \"to be on the manufacturers of the defective materials and construction companies who built these buildings\".\n\n\"At the moment, they are the ones profiting from putting people's lives at risk.\"\n\n\"It is absolutely terrifying knowing that you are stuck here,\" says Amy\n\nFirst-time buyer Amy Cottenden, who is 28, bought a one-bed flat in Metis Tower in the centre of Sheffield for £85,000 in 2017.\n\nInspections of the 14-storey building in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy revealed it had the same type of flammable ACM cladding and other safety faults.\n\nWork to remove the cladding started last month, but Ms Cottenden, who is a frontline NHS health worker, is frustrated at what she describes as a lack of progress.\n\n\"The pace of work is extremely slow. So far, they've put scaffolding up and removed three panels. They have told us it's going to take between 12 and 24 months just to take the cladding off,\" she said.\n\n\"It is absolutely terrifying knowing that you are stuck here. With lockdown, they are saying not to go out, but you are in a building where all you want to do is not be in it. You can't leave. You can't sell. My flat isn't worth anything until it is made safe.\"\n\nWhile the government's Building Safety Fund is paying for the Grenfell-style cladding to be removed, the building has other fire safety faults, including missing fire breaks, that aren't covered by the scheme.\n\nIt could cost up to £6m to fix. Flat owners fear they may face huge bills of up to £50,000 each.\n\n\"We can't pay it and we shouldn't have to pay it. It is not our fault. We could all go bankrupt because of this,\" Ms Cottenden said.\n\nA spokesperson for Rendall & Rittner, the company which manages Metis Tower, said government funding to remove ACM cladding had been approved totalling £6.3m.\n\nHowever, an application to the same fund to pay for the removal of other types of unsafe cladding was rejected and the company has appealed against that decision.\n\nThe company added: \"We understand and sympathise with residents and owners about the uncertainty that this situation is causing and will do all we can to assist.\"\n\nWhat started as a cladding scandal has now become a much wider building safety crisis, exposing decades of regulatory failure.\n\nSafety inspections have revealed that many buildings have other serious faults, including missing fire breaks, flammable balconies and defective insulation. None of that is covered by the government's Building Safety Fund.\n\nDr Nigel Glen, the chief executive of ARMA, the trade association for residential leasehold management, said the additional costs that leaseholders were currently facing for non-cladding-related issues remained a huge concern.\n\n\"In the longer term, the draining of reserve funds will also mean that in the years to come, any major works that were being saved up for, such as a new roof or lift repairs, will have to be funded anew by the leaseholders,\" he added.\n\nA spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that despite the pandemic, significant progress had been made to remove dangerous cladding, but \"building safety remains the responsibility of the building owner and we expect them to ensure any necessary work is carried out safely and effectively\".\n\n\"All applicants to the Building Safety Fund are told the amount of funding they have been awarded before being asked to sign contracts - this is clearly explained in the guidance,\" the spokesperson added.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This is the moment a police officer broke up a house party on Saturday\n\nA minority still breaking Covid lockdown rules could make the pandemic \"stretch longer\" in Wales, a senior police officer has warned.\n\nThe \"gold commander\" for policing lockdown across the Gwent force area said he wanted to thank the vast majority for sticking to the law.\n\nBut Chief Superintendent Mark Hobrough said those \"blatantly flouting\" rules would face enforcement action.\n\nNearly 3,800 fines have been issued in Wales for Covid rule breaches.\n\nThe latest figures released by UK police forces revealed nearly three-quarters of those fines went to men, and the largest group falling foul of Covid rules were aged between 18 and 24.\n\nCh Supt Hobrough, who oversees Gwent Police's response to Covid-19, said he and his officers had seen a change in the way the public responded to the restrictions since the first lockdown was announced in March 2020.\n\n\"When it first started there was certainly a lack of understanding among the public,\" he said.\n\n\"We were called for advice and questions on what was allowed or not allowed, which we've certainly seen diminish.\"\n\nHe said initially his force was dealing with breaches of regulations by pubs and bars, or people holding house parties.\n\n\"That has changed over time. We still have experiences of house parties and people congregating in houses, which just isn't allowed obviously.\n\n\"But I think we are also seeing breaches in relation to people congregating in beauty spots and maybe not exercising in line with the requirements.\"\n\nAccording to the National Police Chiefs' Council, there were 3,770 fixed penalty notices issues by the four Welsh forces between the last Friday in March and 20 December last year.\n\nOf those fines, 2,188 were for breaching rules on movement restrictions, while 823 faced penalties for gathering in private properties outside their own households.\n\nA further 113 notices were issued to individuals for staying in Wales when it was not their main residence, and 89 were hit with fines for entering or leaving local health protection areas, when many counties in Wales had separate travel restrictions in place in the autumn.\n\nThe figures also reveal that just two fines were issued in the period for failing to wear a face covering in designated indoor areas.\n\nSgt Dan Wise says enforcement is sometimes the only option for his team\n\nOut on the streets of Newport, and around the rest of the Gwent force area, the officers on the ground said they wanted to educate the public whenever rules changed, but they will enforce clear breaches.\n\n\"Some of the things people have been stopped for are travelling into Wales to look at the snow,\" said Sgt Dan Wise, as he carried out checks on motorists in Newport.\n\n\"Others are travelling to local beauty spots to exercise. Obviously, these are things that are not acceptable.\"\n\nHe said as the pandemic continues, with high numbers of cases and given how easily the virus can spread, \"we will look to enforce where people are blatantly flouting the rules\".\n\nAt the Gwent Police headquarters, Ch Supt Hobrough said he had this message for the minority of \"those people who aren't abiding\" by the rules: \"It would very much be within everybody's interest for them to reflect on the way they are conducting themselves.\n\n\"Because that minority of people who aren't abiding are possibly making this pandemic stretch longer.\"\n• None Coronavirus legislation and guidance on the law - GOV.WALES The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "David and Victoria Beckham have paid themselves £21m from their sports and media business since 2019, according to the their latest accounts.\n\nThis is despite continued heavy losses at Ms Beckham's fashion business, where trade has worsened during the pandemic.\n\nProfit at David Beckham Ventures Limited (DBVL), the brand management firm owned by the former footballer and his wife, fell £3.5m to £11.3m in 2019.\n\nThis was in part due to money spent on expansion and charitable donations.\n\nHowever, the celebrity couple still paid themselves a £14.5m dividend at the end of 2019, accounts show, and took a further £7.1m in 2020.\n\nA spokesman attributed the payments to \"profitable performance\" at DBVL, which among other things manages Mr Beckham's strategic partnerships with Adidas and Haig Club whisky.\n\nHe also noted that the company's revenue climbed by £600,000 in 2019 to £16.2m.\n\nHowever, Victoria Beckham Holdings (VBHL), which manages the former Spice Girl's fashion label, fared much worse during that time.\n\nLosses at the business - which is also backed by the Beckhams' former business partner Simon Fuller and private equity firm NEO investment Partners - widened to £16.6m during the year, following a loss of £12.5m in 2018.\n\nIt marked the seventh year the brand has been in the red since it was founded in 2008.\n\nVBHL blamed costs associated with the launch of the Victoria Beckham Beauty business, a new cosmetics range in which the group has an 85% shareholding.\n\nIt also noted that total sales across the whole business were up by 7% in 2019.\n\nNevertheless, auditors BDO, who signed off on the accounts, warned that the business was now reliant on shareholder support to keep going which could \"cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern\".\n\nAs the pandemic hammered the business last April, VBHL had to borrow £9.2m from its shareholders to repay an outstanding bank loan to HSBC after breaking its debt covenants.\n\nVBHL said it was doing all it could to \"navigate\" the coronavirus crisis, including taking \"all actions possible to conserve cash\".\n\n\"All non-essential expenditure is being deferred and hiring freezes have been implemented for open positions.to enable the company to navigate through this pandemic,\" it said.", "The company said its milk processing was highly automated with no risk to the products caused by the virus outbreak\n\nOne worker at a dairy has died after contracting coronavirus and 95 others are self-isolating.\n\nMuller Milk & Ingredients said 47 staff members who work at the company's dairy near Bridgwater, Somerset, have tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nIt said it was now testing all 300 workers at its site in North Petherton.\n\nA spokesman for the firm said the safety of its products had not been affected by the outbreak at its factory.\n\nIt was working with Public Health England and the council to help with mass testing, he added.\n\nThe employee was taken to hospital but died. The firm said its thoughts were with the worker's family and friends.\n\nProduction has since been reduced at the site.\n\nThe spokesman added: \"It is important to stress that fresh milk processing is highly automated ensuring no risk to products, with our Bridgwater facility one of the most modern dairies in the UK.\n\n\"As we have done throughout the pandemic, we are placing the safety of our employees first and following best practice as set down by the Health and Safety Executive.\n\n\"Standard measures in place include the use of facemasks, distancing, enhanced deep cleaning and hygiene, underpinned by a programme of e-learning, information and audits to ensure compliance and awareness of the measures.\"\n\nSomerset County Council said it was working closely with Public Health England and the factory and that further testing was being done throughout Thursday.\n\n\"The [council's] rapid outbreak testing team is carrying out further workforce testing today, for workers who were not present on Monday shifts.\n\n\"The testing on Monday identified a number of staff who were positive but asymptomatic, who are now isolating,\" a spokesman said.", "Elizabeth Kerr and Simon O'Brien were married moments before he was put on a mechanical ventilator\n\nAn engaged couple taken to hospital in the same ambulance with Covid-19 were able to marry moments before the man was sedated and put on a ventilator.\n\nElizabeth Kerr, 31, and Simon O'Brien, 36, were taken to Milton Keynes University Hospital with breathing difficulties on 9 January.\n\nStaff rallied to arrange a wedding as the groom's condition worsened.\n\nThey held off intubating Mr O'Brien so the ceremony could go ahead. The couple are now recovering in hospital.\n\nMrs Kerr, a nurse, and Mr O'Brien had planned to marry in June.\n\nBoth contracted the disease and were taken to hospital together when their oxygen levels fell dangerously low.\n\nThey were placed on separate wards but when Mrs Kerr told nurse Hannah Cannon about their wedding plans, she asked her if they would like to marry in the hospital.\n\nMrs Kerr said she was told it could be their only chance.\n\n\"Those are words I never, ever want to hear again,\" she said.\n\nA photo on Mrs Kerr's phone shows the wedding took place in the beds of the intensive care unit\n\nHowever, while staff were securing the wedding licence, Mr O'Brien's condition further deteriorated and on 12 January he was placed on the intensive care unit, to be put on a ventilator.\n\nThey waited to intubate him just long enough for the ceremony to go ahead.\n\nMs Cannon said: \"With lots of teamwork... we were able to give them a wedding, not necessarily the wedding that they would have initially intended, but certainly something positive, remarkable and memorable for them to really hold on to.\"\n\nShe filmed the marriage for the couple's families and friends, and catering staff at the hospital provided a cake.\n\nShortly after saying \"I do\", Mr O'Brien was placed on the ventilator.\n\nThe couple have now been reunited on a recovery ward and were able to kiss for the first time since being married.\n\nMrs Kerr said having the wedding meant \"everything\" to them.\n\n\"If we hadn't had each other and we hadn't been given that opportunity to get married, I don't think both of us would be here now,\" she added.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The White House has just put out a statement marking the 48th anniversary of Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court decision that essentially legalised the right to abortion.\n\n\"In the past four years, reproductive health, including the right to choose, has been under relentless and extreme attack,\" the statement from Biden and Harris begins .\n\nThey go on to say they are committed to \"codifying\" the judgement, which means pass legislation through Congress that enshrines abortion access into law.\n\nThey will also appoint judges who will support abortion access, they say. Trump, during his time in office, was able to give the Supreme Court a conservative majority, making anti-abortion activists hopeful that Roe v Wade could eventually be overturned.\n\nBiden was the only candidate during the primary to say he endorsed the so-called Hyde Amendment, which says that no federal funds can go towards abortions. After nearly all 22 other candidates came out against the Hyde Amendment, he reversed his stance.\n\nAlthough abortion is technically legal across the US, multiple states have instituted laws that make it nearly impossible in practice. Abortion activists hope that a law would make it more difficult for local governments to restrict access.", "Michelle O'Neill and Arlene Foster were advised restrictions may have to remain in place until after Easter\n\nCoronavirus lockdown restrictions in Northern Ireland will be extended until 5 March, the first and deputy first ministers have said.\n\nThe executive backed the health minister's proposal on Thursday and will review the move on 18 February.\n\nBut ministers were also told that restrictions may have to remain in place until after the Easter holidays.\n\nA lockdown closing non-essential retailers and encouraging employees to work from home began after Christmas.\n\nFamily gatherings are prohibited and people have been ordered to stay at home for all but essential reasons.\n\nSchools are closed to most pupils until after February's half-term but a paper looking at reopening will be put to ministers at next week's executive meeting.\n\nThe lockdown came in response to a spike in the number of cases of coronavirus, which followed a relaxation of some rules in the run-up to Christmas.\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster said extending the restrictions was an \"appropriate and necessary response\" to tackle the \"imminent threat\" posed by Covid-19.\n\nShe said she understood it would be difficult for many people to accept, given the uncertainty facing families and businesses, but added: \"To not press forward would risk all of the hard-won gains.\"\n\nThe first and deputy first ministers were right to state just how tough this decision will be for many people.\n\nBut there's an acceptance among the public that restrictions would have to be extended, given how bad things are in our hospitals.\n\nTheir decision also suggests politicians have perhaps learned from the last wave of the pandemic, when restrictions were turned on and off sporadically, and the impact that had both on cases and the messaging.\n\nThey're not alone in sustaining tough lockdown measures, with other UK nations and the Republic of Ireland also keeping their restrictions in place for several more weeks.\n\nBeyond that, it is thought health officials also want to ensure the vaccination programme is also \"well advanced\" before any restrictions are relaxed.\n\nThe hope is that, by spring, the picture will have improved significantly.\n\nUntil then the price we are paying for relaxations before Christmas looks likely to keep rising.\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she recognised the executive was asking a lot of everybody but insisted the measures were important.\n\n\"We don't know what will come after [5 March],\" she said.\n\nMs O'Neill said there was a commitment not to keep restrictions in place longer than necessary but decisions would have to be taken in line with the health advice and concerns about a new variant of the virus which is more transmissible.\n\nThe executive's decision comes as another 21 deaths were recorded by the Department of Health on Thursday.\n\nThe reproductive rate of the virus - known as the R-number - had risen to about 1.8 due to Christmas relaxations.\n\nBut the latest estimate from the Department of Health says it is sitting between 0.65 and 0.85 for cases within the community but is still above one for hospital admissions and intensive care.\n\nWhile some may wonder why are restrictions are being extended when the executive's policy has always been based on this rate of infection, the difference is that this time around there are three times as many people in Northern Ireland's hospitals than there were in last April's peak.\n\nDaily case numbers are still significantly higher too.\n\nWhile ministers have agreed to keep the current restrictions in place until March, Health Minister Robin Swann said it was possible they could be needed until Easter, which this year falls in the first week of April.\n\nMinisters say they understand the extension of the lockdown will be difficult for people\n\nIt is understood this plan is being discussed across the four UK nations but ministers will have to consider that in the review next month.\n\nMinisters were also warned that restrictions would be eased on a step-by-step basis in line with reducing pressures on the health service and ensuring the vaccination programme is \"well advanced\" before any relaxations are agreed.\n\nMrs Foster pleaded with people struggling with their mental health during the lockdown to \"please seek help\".\n\nMore than 100 medically-trained military personnel are to be deployed to help health staff deal with the pressure the latest phase of the pandemic is placing on hospitals.\n\nThe chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride said the \"sustained pressure on our health service\" would probably last for three to four weeks.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, 51 Covid-19 related deaths and 2,608 new cases of the virus were recorded on Thursday.\n\nSimon Hamilton, the chief executive of the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said the extension of the lockdown would be of \"little surprise to most businesses\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Simon Hamilton This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe Stormont executive has agreed how to allocate almost £300m to help businesses, education, tourism and transport during the next phase of the lockdown.\n\nA total of £100m is going towards the Local Restrictions Support Scheme, the grant for business premises forced to closed due to the restrictions.\n\nThere will also be £16m for tourism and hospitality, two sectors which have largely been unable to operate.\n\nIn addition, two more support schemes for the sector have been opened.\n\nOne aimed at large tourism and hospitality businesses is offering a pot of £26m, with the Department for Economy having identified 250 businesses that will be eligible.\n\nThe other is a £4m scheme to support those who provide bed-and-breakfast accommodation.\n\nMore money is being made available to help businesses affected by the lockdown\n\nJanice Gault from the trade body the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation said the schemes were a \"real lifeline for the sector\".\n\n\"Trading over the last year has been limited with reserves now severely depleted and businesses operating in survival mode,\" she added.\n\nAlso among those to receive the extra cash will be limited company directors, who had not received support since March.\n\nLast week, a scheme was announced to give directors £1,000 grants which one director described as a \"kick in the teeth\" given that he had little to no income for the past 10 months.\n\nBut that scheme is to be boosted with another £20m so the payments on offer will more than treble to £3,500.\n\nLocal newspapers will also benefit from 12 months of rates relief.", "Mick Norcross, 57, was found dead at his home in Essex on Thursday\n\nFormer The Only Way Is Essex star Mick Norcross has died at the age of 57.\n\nThe businessman and father of Kirk Norcross, who also appeared in the ITV show, was found dead at his home in Bulphan at 15:15 GMT on Thursday.\n\nEssex Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious.\n\nIn tributes on social media, fellow Towie stars past and present, including Gemma Collins and James \"Arg\" Argent, called him \"one of the good guys\" and a \"true gentleman\".\n\nNorcross first appeared in the reality show in 2011 in his position as owner of Sugar Hut, a Brentwood nightclub which was often attended by the cast.\n\nHe left the show two years later, stating that the venue's prominent place in Towie had damaged its brand.\n\nThe star posted a tweet to his 505,000 followers on Thursday morning saying: \"At the end remind yourself that you did the best you could. And that's good enough.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Sugar Hut This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe club tweeted that \"Mr Sugarhut\" had been a \"very talented, friendly and fun guy\" and a \"true Essex legend, who will be sorely missed\".\n\nCollins, who briefly dated Norcross during their time on the show, shared a photo of them together on Instagram and said he had been \"one of the good guys\", while Argent tweeted that he had been \"a true gentleman and a very kind man\".\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by gemmacollins This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTributes were also shared by Towie stars Lauren Goodger and Mario Falcone, with the latter tweeting that he was \"thankful I got the privilege of having you in my life\".\n\nIn another tweet, Mark Wright, the Towie star turned TV presenter and professional footballer, said he was \"a great man, an inspiration to many, always so polite and welcoming\".\n\nPresenter Denise Van Outen tweeted that he was \"such a lovely man\" while TV chef James Martin, posted that he was \"a true gentleman, who I had the pleasure to meet and spend evenings with over the years\".\n\nThe Only Way Is Essex posted a tribute on Instagram, saying the team behind the show were \"shocked and deeply saddened\".\n\nThey said: \"He was hugely popular with cast, crew and the audience alike. Charming, generous and host to many of Essex's most glamorous events, Mick will be missed by us all.\"\n\nAn Essex Police spokesman said officers \"were called to an address in Brentwood Road, Bulphan shortly before 15:15 on Thursday\" and \"sadly, a man inside was pronounced dead\".\n\nThe police spokesman said the death was \"not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner\".\n\nIf you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, information and support is available from BBC Action Line.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Police said they had been in contact with the family before the funeral took place \"in an attempt to ensure safety\"\n\nA funeral director has been fined £10,000 after police were called to a funeral with close to 150 people in attendance.\n\nHertfordshire Police said the large gathering in Welwyn Garden City on Thursday was reported to them by members of the public.\n\nCoronavirus rules mean a maximum of 30 people can attend a funeral.\n\nA second person was fined, by Bedfordshire Police, for when the gathering was in Arlesey, Bedfordshire.\n\nSupt Nick Caveney, of Hertfordshire Police, said: \"This was a clear and blatant breach of the current restrictions.\"\n\nHe said the fine was given to the funeral director \"for not managing this event correctly and advising their clients of the rules\".\n\n\"We implore all business owners to ensure they are following the restrictions safely and responsibly,\" he said.\n\n\"Flagrant breaches such as this will not be tolerated.\"\n\nThe force said it had worked with other agencies and the family in advance of the funeral \"in an attempt to ensure the safety of those attending and that of the wider public\".\n\nBut when officers attended they found the large number of people at the church, and a 41-year-old man from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was handed the £10,000 fine after police served a fixed penalty notice.\n\nSeveral members of the public had contacted the force about the funeral at the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady, Queen of Apostles on Woodhall Lane.\n\nBedfordshire Police said a man in his 30s was issued with the fine over the gathering.\n\nCh Supt John Murphy from the force said: \"Fines and enforcement are a last resort for us, and we will always engage and work with families in the first instance.\n\n\"But we need to take firm action against those who brazenly decide to go against the guidelines outlined by the government and put a large number of people at risk.\"\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Mr Olowo said his wife was \"as near perfection as it's possible to be\"\n\nA woman who died after having liposuction in Turkey had been fed up with people asking if she was pregnant, an inquest heard.\n\nAbimbola Ajoke Bamgbose, 38, of Dartford, Kent, died in August after having the treatment in Izmir.\n\nHusband Moyosore Olowo said he believed she was on holiday with friends until she called to say she was in pain.\n\nHe went to Turkey after she stopped calling and found she had been rushed to hospital for more surgery.\n\nMrs Bamgbose, who also had a Brazilian butt lift, died there two weeks later, the inquest in Maidstone heard.\n\nMr Olowo, a rail safety officer, said his wife paid £5,000 for the package with Mono Cosmetic Surgery as UK treatment was too expensive.\n\nDescribing why she wanted it, he said: \"When a woman is unhappy and getting feelings about her looks, the clothes she buys do not fit and people ask if she is pregnant because of her tummy, sometimes there is nothing we can do. We are powerless.\n\n\"I wasn't concerned. I told her 'you have three children'. I told her my tummy is bigger than hers.\"\n\nHe said his wife, a social worker who graduated with a first class degree, was \"as near perfection as it's possible to be\".\n\nMr Olowo said the medical director in Turkey \"confessed it had been a mistake\".\n\nAssistant coroner Alan Blundson recorded a narrative conclusion, and said: \"This is a tragic case, the more so because the surgery was elective cosmetic surgery.\n\n\"Whilst Mrs Bamgbose was determined to have it performed, her husband had not seen it in any way as necessary.\"\n\nA post-mortem examination found Mrs Bamgbose had a perforated bowel and her death was caused by peritonitis with multiple organ failure as a complication of liposuction surgery.\n\nMr Olowo has said he is suing Mono and the surgeon, Dr Hakan Aydogan, for £1m in the Turkish courts, claiming medical negligence.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Reports suggest AstraZeneca may have warned of a 60% cut to doses available\n\nA second coronavirus vaccine manufacturer has warned of supply issues to the European Union, compounding frustration in the bloc.\n\nAstraZeneca said a production problem meant the number of initial doses available would be lower than expected.\n\nThe fresh blow comes after some nations' inoculation programmes were slowed due to a cut in deliveries of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nThe EU Health Commissioner expressed \"deep dissatisfaction\" at the news.\n\nOfficials have not confirmed publicly how big the shortfall will be, but an unnamed EU official told Reuters news agency that deliveries would be reduced to 31m - a cut of 60% - in the first quarter of this year.\n\nThe drug firm had been set to deliver about 80 million doses to the 27 nations by March, according to the official who spoke to Reuters.\n\nThe AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with Oxford University, has not yet been approved by the EU's drug regulator but is expected to get the green light at the end of this month, paving the way for jabs to be given.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stella Kyriakides This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA spokesman for AstraZeneca said on Friday that \"initial volumes will be lower than originally anticipated\" without giving further details.\n\nHis written statement blamed the discrepancy on \"reduced yields at a manufacturing site within our European supply chain\" and said the firm was continuing to ramp up production volumes.\n\nNews of the delay comes amid criticism and frustration across the region about the speed of vaccination roll-outs.\n\nIsrael, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the US are all well ahead of EU nations in terms of doses given per capita so far.\n\nThe European Commission has co-ordinated orders for all member states, with vaccines then distributed based on their population size.\n\nVaccines are increasingly seen by experts as the only way out of the Covid-19 crisis, with many European nations struggling to cope with a deadly surge of the virus over the winter period.\n\nAustrian media have reported that only 600,000 of two million AstraZeneca doses promised by the end of March will arrive in the country on time, with the remaining 1.4m now being delivered in April.\n\nA delay would be \"completely unacceptable\", Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said on Friday.\n\nAs for Pfizer, the US firm said it had to cut shipments for the next few weeks while it worked to increase capacity at its Belgian processing plant. The EU has ordered 600 million doses from Pfizer.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Ursula von der Leyen This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSome regions, including Germany's most populous state North-Rhine Westphalia and parts of Italy, said earlier this week that they were suspending giving first jabs of the two-dose vaccine because of the shortages.\n\nItaly and Poland have threatened to take legal action in response to the reduction in vaccine supply.\n\nMeanwhile Hungary's government, which has complained over the time it is taking EU regulators to approve the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, has reached a deal with Russia to buy up large quantities of its Sputnik V vaccine, even though it has not received EU approval.\n\nEuropean Council President Charles Michel, who led a call of EU leaders this week, said Thursday that officials were considering all ideas to try and stop future vaccine delays.\n\n\"All possible means will be examined to ensure rapid supply, including early distribution to avoid delays,\" he said.\n\nEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Mr Michel both say they are still aiming for the target of 70% of the EU population being vaccinated by summer.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid vaccine safety: How does a vaccine get approved?\n\nThe total number of German Covid deaths climbed above 50,000 on Friday - a day after the country warned that it could close its borders if other EU countries were less strict in controlling the virus. Berlin sounded the alarm amid rising concern about new variants.\n\nEU leaders agreed late on Thursday to keep their internal borders open but warned non-essential travel might need to be restricted to curb the spread of the virus.\n\nMs von der Leyen said Thursday that more testing and \"targeted measures\" were needed throughout the EU in order to keep internal and external borders open.\n\nFor its part, France said it would impose tighter travel restrictions for European arrivals from Sunday, requiring a negative PCR Covid test within three days of travel.\n\nIn the Netherlands, a ban on all flights from the UK, South Africa and South American countries came into effect on Saturday to try and prevent new coronavirus variants gaining a foothold.\n\nLooking forward to the future, officials from EU nations reliant on tourism - including Spain and Greece - have floated the possibility of using vaccination certificates to allow for cross-border travel but there has been scepticism within the bloc.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nTwo houses have partially collapsed after a sinkhole measuring 10ft (3m) opened up on a Manchester street.\n\nFour homes were evacuated on Wednesday evening after the hole appeared on Walmer Street in Abbey Hey, Gorton.\n\nFire crews returned hours later after the front of two of the empty properties crashed to the ground.\n\nUnited Utilities said it was dealing with a collapsed sewer but was investigating all possible causes including the recent heavy rain.\n\nThe fire service was first called to Walmer Street just after 21:00 GMT on Wednesday to reports an unoccupied car had fallen down a hole in the road.\n\nA cordon was put in place and residents evacuated as a precaution, the fire service said.\n\nAfter leaving the scene four hours later, the fire service was alerted to the partial collapse of two houses at 11:00 on Thursday.\n\nNo-one was injured in either incident.\n\nEmergency services remain at the scene on Walmer Street\n\nNearby residents Maureen and Louise Kennedy spoke of their shock after the houses collapsed.\n\n\"You're just waiting for your world to crumble. It's not just the bricks and water, said Ms Kennedy.\n\n\"I've lived in there since I was three. It's the memories.\"\n\nResident Nathaniel OKeleafor said he was \"terrified\" when the sinkhole appeared in the street on Wednesday evening.\n\n\"This morning we are out. We are just trying to find somewhere to live,\" he added.\n\nUnited Utilities said it was dealing with a collapsed sewer on Walmer Street\n\nThe collapse comes as rising levels on the River Mersey in Manchester came \"within centimetres\" of breaching flood defences following heavy rain caused by Storm Christoph.\n\nStation Manager Andrew O'Brien, from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, praised firefighters who worked \"at the height of the stormy weather\".\n\n\"The safety of the public was our primary concern overnight and again today, and I'm pleased to say no-one has suffered any injuries,\" he said.\n\nUnited Utilities said: \"When it is safe for engineers to go back into the immediate area we will set up emergency drainage and water supply connections to restore services to the area and begin to assess how best to carry out repairs.\n\n\"It is not known what caused the sinkhole but this will be investigated.\"\n\nBBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Lancashire will be on air throughout Storm Christoph, bringing you all of the latest information and news updates\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA nurse felt \"overwhelming fear\" as 13 ambulances queued at her hospital's A&E department - in the Welsh region currently hardest hit by Covid deaths.\n\nTo date Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, which runs Royal Glamorgan Hospital, has reported 1,091 deaths of patients with coronavirus.\n\nBBC Wales was granted access to A&E at the hospital in Rhondda Cynon Taf.\n\nSenior doctor Amanda Farrow said the whole hospital had faced \"unrelenting\" pressure last Saturday.\n\nSarah Fogarasy was the senior nurse on duty as 13 ambulances queued up outside her A&E department\n\nSenior A&E nurse Sarah Fogarasy, who was on shift as the ambulances arrived, said there was no capacity at the unit - a situation that left her wanting \"to leave\".\n\n\"We had to escalate it to our site manager and deputy head of nursing who were liaising with the executive team on call,\" she said.\n\n\"And then it got to 13 patients outside - I had no capacity in this unit, no resuscitation capacity, no capacity to put a patient on CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] should they require that and no physical areas to put a patient in.\n\nOn Saturday, 13 ambulances queued outside the hospital's A&E department\n\nShe said she found it hard to keep going.\n\n\"This bit makes me quite emotional… for the first time I was sat trying to coordinate this department and I had that overwhelming fear that I just wanted to leave,\" Ms Fogarasy continued.\n\n\"I was just - 'I'm done. I'm done with this'... and it's scary, it fills you full of fear when you have got 13 ambulances outside, queuing around the carpark. Where do you go from that?\"\n\nShe said it was the team that kept her going: \"I started looking around to all the staff working tirelessly and just trying to remember what we're here for and why I became a nurse.\n\n\"I know it sounds soppy but it's literally the humanitarian effort that has gone into [fighting] this pandemic that has kept people going.\n\n\"It's the sheer determination and guts of the staff working in these times that is so powerful, that keeps the shift going.\"\n\nEmergency Medicine Consultant Amanda Farrow said it was a \"very emotional time for everyone\"\n\nDr Farrow, emergency medicine consultant, said staffing and bed numbers were of particular concern.\n\n\"In the emergency department the challenge we have is with regards to flow, so that is our daily challenge,\" she explained.\n\n\"And we say it's like playing a game of Tetris trying to work out which patient you can put where.\"\n\nStaff reported feeling overwhelmed as they work through the second Covid wave\n\nShe said the second wave of the virus had also seen more staff off sick with Covid and isolating - with some becoming very ill.\n\n\"We've had staff in as patients and one of my colleagues - I saw them when they were critically ill and ended up going to intensive care,\" continued Dr Farrow.\n\n\"So it's very emotional time for everyone as well you know, looking after the sick patients and looking after your colleagues.\n\n\"There's a level of anxiety still around - will you be the next person to get this disease?\"\n\nShe said although fewer people were attending A&E, they were seeing more people arriving by ambulance and presenting with more complex needs.\n\n\"The group of patients we are seeing this time I think is different, we're definitely having more younger people with Covid that are becoming sick, the volume is very high in the community.\n\n\"I think people are afraid of come into the hospital as well, so there are still quite a lot of patients who leave it maybe a bit too late before they're seeking hospital attention.\"\n\nSpeaking from her intensive care bed, Helen Whatmore said she was extremely grateful to staff\n\nHelen Whatmore, 45, from Beddau, has been hospital since early December after developing Covid symptoms.\n\nSpeaking from her intensive care bed, she said she had been unwell in February so assumed she had already caught the virus.\n\n\"I honestly didn't believe it was as bad until I caught [Covid] this time,\" she said.\n\n\"This time it's absolutely knocked the socks off me. It's nearly killed me.\n\n\"A friend of mine passed away as I came into hospital and I came down very rapidly with Covid, kidney problems and pneumonia.\"\n\nShe said she was grateful for the care she had received: \"The nurses are coming in [working] all shifts, they're fighting for your loved ones, from the time they enter right until the time they leave, then they're changing over and doing the same again.\n\n\"People are passing away… how much more have they got to do? We're asking them to protect our children and our families. Why are we not protecting them ourselves? Saving our families and our own children.\"", "Top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou has been sent bullets in the mail while under house arrest in Vancouver, according to court testimony.\n\nIt was one of several alleged death threats revealed on Wednesday by the company providing her security.\n\nMs Meng was detained in 2018 on charges relating to allegedly misleading HSBC about Huawei's dealings in Iran.\n\nHer case has created a rift between China and Canada, with Beijing repeatedly calling for her release.\n\nThe chief financial officer of Huawei was arrested at Vancouver International Airport on a warrant from the US, where she is facing charges of bank fraud and potentially causing HSBC to break US sanctions.\n\nDays after she was released on bail, she was placed under house arrest in Vancouver. She has been fighting against her extradition to the US, which wants her to stand trial.\n\nThe threats were revealed at the British Columbia Supreme Court by Doug Maynard, chief operating officer of security firm Lions Gate Risk Management.\n\nHe said Ms Meng received \"five or six\" threatening letters at her residence in June and July 2020 and that the letters were \"easily identifiable by markings on the outside\". He added that \"sometimes there were bullets inside the envelopes\".\n\nThe role of the Vancouver police and any investigations is unclear.\n\nMs Meng has been in court pushing for conditions of her bail to be loosened, including dropping the daytime security detail that constantly follows her.\n\nShe is permitted to leave home between 6am and 11pm and pays for a round-the-clock security detail. She also wears a GPS tracking anklet as stipulated by her bail conditions.\n\nThe government has also granted family members of Ms Meng permission to travel to Canada, sparking controversy.\n\nConservative MP Raquel Dancho said the exception was an \"insult to the millions of Canadians who were told by this government not to visit loved ones\" over the holidays.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Raquel Dancho This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nShe called the move disappointing, noting that Beijing detained two Canadians soon after Ms Meng's arrest in December 2018 and has held them in prison ever since, subjecting them to interrogations.\n\nMs Meng's defence lawyer has argued that Canada is effectively being asked \"to enforce US sanctions\".\n\nHuawei has been one of the main targets of the Trump administration's attack on Chinese companies that it deems are security threats and pass data to the government.\n\nThe US has placed harsh restrictions on Huawei and has banned its 5G equipment from its networks. It also added 38 names linked to Huawei to a trade blacklist.\n\nThis week Huawei came under fire for technology that identifies people who appear to be of Uighur origin among images of pedestrians.\n\nHuawei had previously said none of its technology was designed to identify ethnic groups.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "Boris Johnson has said there is still a very substantial risk of intensive care units in hospitals being overwhelmed by the spread of the coronavirus.\n\nIt comes on a day when the UK has recorded the highest number of deaths in a single day in Europe.\n\nFergal Keane last visited the Imperial Healthcare Trust’s St Mary’s and Charing Cross hospital in London last April.\n\nHe's been back to see how they're coping.", "The licence fee is the \"least worst\" way of funding the BBC, its incoming chairman Richard Sharp has said.\n\nBut Mr Sharp told MPs he had an \"open mind\" about how the corporation should be funded in the future, and it \"may be worth reassessing\" the current system.\n\nHe also said he didn't think the BBC's Brexit coverage was biased overall, but \"there were some occasions when the Brexit representation was unbalanced\".\n\nQuestion Time \"seemed to have more Remainers than Brexiteers\", he said.\n\nBBC Three's Normal People was one of the corporation's biggest hits last year\n\nThe £157.50 licence fee is due to stay in place until at least 2027, when the BBC's Royal Charter ends, with a debate about how the broadcaster should be funded after that.\n\nMr Sharp, who spent 23 years working as a banker for Goldman Sachs, told the House of Commons digital, culture, media and sport select committee: \"At 43p a day, the BBC represents terrific value.\"\n\nThe government is currently reviewing whether its cost should continue rising with inflation from 2022, and whether non-payment should remain a criminal offence. Mr Sharp said he was \"not in favour of decriminalisation\".\n\nHe said other possible options for funding the BBC in the future could include a household tax like the one used in Germany, \"which amounts to the same amount of money\".\n\nHe added: \"So when we next get the chance to review the structure of this then it may be worth reassessing.\"\n\nAsked whether he believed the BBC's coverage of Brexit had been unbalanced, he replied: \"No, actually I don't.\n\n\"I believe there were some occasions when the Brexit representation was unbalanced.\n\n\"So if you ask me if I think Question Time seemed to have more Remainers than Brexiteers, the answer is yes, but the breadth of the coverage I thought was incredibly balanced, in a highly toxic environment that was extremely polarised.\"\n\nQuestion Time has said it has robust processes in place to ensure balance on its panels.\n\nMr Sharp said he was \"considered to be a Brexiteer\" and had donated around £400,000 to the Conservative Party over the past 20 years.\n\nHe said the biggest issue now facing the BBC is impartiality, and that \"trust in leadership and trust in processes\" must be rebuilt after high-profile equal pay cases with journalists such as Carrie Gracie and Samira Ahmed.\n\n\"Clearly some of the problems it's had recently are really rather terrible and reflect a culture that needs to be rebuilt, so everybody who cherishes the BBC and works at the BBC feels proud and happy to work there,\" he said. \"Then in my view that would produce a better output inevitably.\"\n\nMr Sharp also told the committee he would give his £160,000 salary as BBC chairman to charity.\n\nWhen asked \"what's in it for you?\" Mr Sharp, whose heritage is Jewish, said: \"We're all a product of our upbringing and I was very fortunate with the parents I have, my great grandparents came to this country escaping tyranny.\n\n\"I think I won the lottery in life to be British and if I can make a contribution, I couldn't be happier to.\n\n\"The BBC is part of the fabric of all our national identities, it offers education and enrichment and is also important for our position in the world... It is a massive privilege to be chair of the BBC.\"\n\nSir David Clementi, the current BBC chairman, steps down in February. The post-holder is officially appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the government.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The Galaxy S21 Ultra has hardware built into it to make use of the firm's S Pen stylus\n\nSamsung's new flagship Galaxy S smartphone works with its stylus for the first time.\n\nThe S Pen is an optional add-on for the Galaxy S21 Ultra. But the move will fuel speculation the firm will phase out its separate Note handset range.\n\nSamsung told the BBC it had yet to make a decision about this.\n\nThe company's handset sales have declined more quickly than the wider market. One expert said a streamlined line-up might help address this.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: First look at Samsung's S21 Ultra phone\n\n\"There's increasing logic for Samsung to converge the Galaxy S and Note platforms, because there's so little differentiation between the two kinds of devices now,\" said Ben Wood, from the CCS Insight consultancy.\n\n\"That would align them with Apple, which also has one big phone launch event a year.\n\n\"My concern is that every time Samsung has announced its Note products in the past, it has planted a seed in consumers' minds that the Galaxy S products have become kind of the old ones.\"\n\nThe benefit of having a stylus is that it is easier to write, draw or annotate notes than using a finger. But to work it requires special hardware under the glass of the phone's display to pass power to the stylus and to track its tip.\n\nThe Android-based Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 6.8in (17.3cm) display, which is only slightly smaller than the top-end 6.9in Note.\n\nIn years past, the Note phones were known as \"phablets\", and their size was the other key distinguishing factor with the S range.\n\nUnlike the Note series, the S21 Ultra requires a special case to stow away the pen\n\nProduct manager Mark Notton said \"we haven't decided\", when asked whether Samsung planned to continue the Note family.\n\n\"It does not mean that Samsung is not committed to the Note category, but is expanding the Note experience across device categories,\" the firm said in a follow-up statement.\n\n\"We will actively listen to consumers' feedback and reflect it in our continued product innovation.\"\n\nThe S21 Ultra will start at £1,149 when it goes on sale on 29 January. The S Pen costs an extra £35 on its own, or £85 when bundled with a case that stores it.\n\nThat puts it in the ballpark of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra's £1,179 starting price, which comes with a stylus that slots into its body.\n\nThere are also two other lower-cost models in the new range, neither of which works with the S-Pen stylus: the 6.2in S21 and 6.7in S21+.\n\nAll three models feature a redesigned camera module on their back.\n\nAll the Galaxy S21 phones feature a redesigned camera module on their back\n\nBut while the two lower-end models have three lenses - ultra-wide, wide and 3x-zoom telephoto - the S21 Ultra adds a further 10x-zoom telephoto lens, letting owners shoot action from even further away.\n\nThe handsets also benefit from a new Director's View facility. It lets users film video while getting thumbnail previews superimposed on-screen of what it would look like if they switched to another lens.\n\nAll three phones can film in 8K - double the maximum resolution of the competing iPhone 12 range's native video app.\n\nThe Director's View mode lets users preview how the recorded shot will change in a video if they switch to a different lens while filming\n\nHowever, the handsets may be more notable for following Apple in two regards.\n\nThey have abandoned a slot for a microSD memory card.\n\nAnd they will be sold without either a charger - a decision over which Samsung had mocked its rival. - or earphones.\n\nSamsung posted this ad in October on social media before deleting it\n\n\"We discovered that more and more Galaxy users are reusing accessories they already have,\" the firm said.\n\nSamsung typically unveils its Galaxy range in late February, but has brought forward this year's launch to coincide with the CES tech show.\n\n\"Samsung needs S21 to be a success given that S20 was launched in the middle of Covid first wave in Europe and didn't gain many fans,\" commented Marta Pinto, from research firm IDC.\n\nShe added the earlier launch date could help it compete in the \"premium market\" with Apple, whose iPhones were released later than normal last year.\n\nThe South Korean firm should also benefit from collapsing sales of Huawei's devices in the West, caused by US sanctions that prevent them offering the Google Play store and some of the search giant's other services.\n\nSamsung dedicated a segment of its Unpacked launch presentation to its partnership with Google\n\nBut Mr Wood said Samsung was facing growing competition from other Chinese brands including Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo.\n\n\"Samsung's differentiator is going to be its ability to market its strong brand, and the fact it has a very wide product portfolio,\" he commented.\n\nSamsung also aims to widen its appeal with two further accessories.\n\nIt has a new pair of £219 wireless earbuds that monitor what the user is doing.\n\nSamsung's earbuds should automatically adapt their audio output according to what the user is doing\n\nIf they detect the wearer is talking, they automatically turn down the volume of music and amplify the sounds of the nearby environment picked up by their microphones, allowing the owner to have a brief conversation without needing to take them out or manually adjust their settings.\n\nSamsung also is launching the £30 Galaxy SmartTag - a Bluetooth-enabled tracker that can be attached to belongings or pets.\n\nIt will allow an app to show their location, so long as the tag is in range of the owner or anyone else's compatible Samsung device.\n\nThe tracker will compete with similar products from the current market leader Tile.\n\nThe SmartTag will challenge Tile, which already sells a range of Bluetooth trackers\n\nApple is widely rumoured to be working on similar devices of its own.", "The coronavirus growth rate is slowing in the UK and the number of infections is starting to level off in some areas, a top scientist has said.\n\nProf Neil Ferguson told the BBC that in some NHS regions there is a \"sign of plateauing\" in cases and hospital admissions.\n\nBut he warned the overall death toll would exceed 100,000.\n\nOn Wednesday, the UK saw its biggest daily death figure since the start of the pandemic, with 1,564 deaths.\n\nIt has taken the total number of deaths by that measure to 84,767. There were also 47,525 new cases.\n\nIt comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the national lockdown measures were \"starting to show signs of some effect\", but it was early days and urged people to abide by the rules.\n\nPeople in England are required to stay at home and only go out for limited reasons, such as for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nProf Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London whose modelling led to the first lockdown in March, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was \"much too early\" to say when the number of cases would come down.\n\nBut he said: \"It looks like in London in particular and a couple of other regions in the South East and East of England, hospital admissions may even have plateaued.\n\n\"It has to be said this is not seen everywhere - both case numbers and hospital admissions are going up in many other areas, but overall at a national level we are seeing the rate of growth slow.\"\n\nProf Ferguson added: \"I would hope the hospital admissions might plateau… sometime in the next week, but hospital bed occupancy may continue to rise slowly for up to two weeks.\"\n\nHe warned the overall death toll would be \"well over 100,000\", adding \"there's nothing we can do about that now\".\n\nProf Ferguson added Covid restrictions could be in place for many months to come, adding the new variant's increased transmissibility would mean relaxation of the rules will be a \"gradual process to the autumn\".\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel said on Thursday that the government will not be introducing tougher social distancing rules \"today or tomorrow\" and insisted that ministers are focusing on increasing enforcement of the current restrictions.\n\nAsked about speculation further measures could include a three-metre social distancing rule or a requirement to wear masks outside, she told ITV's This Morning: \"This isn't about new rules coming in - we're going to stick with enforcing the current measures.\"\n\nMeanwhile, a major study led by Public Health England has shown most people who have had Covid-19 are protected from catching it again for at least five months.\n\nPast infection was linked to an 83% lower risk of getting the virus, compared with those who had never had Covid-19, scientists found.\n\nProf Susan Hopkins, who led the study, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the finding \"doesn't eliminate\" the risk of people catching Covid-19 again, and infecting others.\n\nShe said: \"We found people with very high amounts of virus in their nose and throat swabs, that would easily be in the range which would cause levels of transmission to other individuals.\"\n\nProf Hopkins said she hoped that after Easter, \"we will start to see reduced infection rates, as we did at that time last year\" and the number of people who have been vaccinated at a \"very high level\".\n\nThe UK is continuing efforts to ramp up the rollout of the Covid vaccine, with the prime minister saying that Covid vaccinations will be offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week as soon as supply allows.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted on Thursday to say that \"three million vaccines have now been administered\" in the UK.\n\nOn Thursday, NHS England published a breakdown of vaccinations by age and region for the first time.\n\nMr Johnson told the Commons Liaison Committee on Wednesday that he was \"concerned\" about a new Covid variant that is believed to have emerged in Brazil and said that the UK was taking steps to ensure it is not brought into the UK.\n\nA Downing Street spokesman said ministers met this morning to discuss \"urgent measures to reduce the potential spread to the UK of the Brazilian variant\".\n\nThey could include a ban on flights from Brazil. Arrivals from Brazil already have to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nMeanwhile, the Deputy Scottish First Minister John Swinney told BBC Breakfast \"the virus is not accelerating as fast as it was\" in Scotland.\n\nHe said \"there are some early signs of optimism\" but emphasised people should follow all guidance as the \"virus is still at a very strong level\".", "Amnesty says about 7,500 women and girls gave birth in the Northern Ireland homes,\n\nThere have been calls for an inquiry into mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland.\n\nIt comes as the Irish government is to apologise after an investigation found an \"appalling level of infant mortality\" in the Republic of Ireland's homes.\n\nAbout 9,000 children died in the 18 institutions under investigation.\n\nMothers and babies who were in similar homes in Northern Ireland want a full inquiry to be held in NI too.\n\nStormont commissioned research into whether or not there should an inquiry held into the homes which operated in Northern Ireland, is due to be published by the end of January.\n\nPatrick Corrigan from Amnesty International said the issue of forced adoptions also needs close scrutiny.\n\n\"We have had cases of mothers telling us that ultimately, many decades later, when they tried to track down their long-lost children they found adoption certificates where they said their signature had actually been forged,\" he said.\n\n\"So I think that there is criminality to investigate here and that it behoves the Northern Ireland Executive to set up the inquiry that has long been sought here and long been denied.\"\n\nIn 2017 research into infant mortality rates at former mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland had prompted initial calls for a public inquiry.\n\nBBC News NI previously spoke to Eunan Duffy who was 47 years old when he found out he was adopted from Marianvale mother and baby home in Newry, County Down.\n\nIt was one of a network of institutions in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which offered women the voluntary option, for those who were unmarried, to give birth in private and give their babies up for adoption\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Marian Vale was one of a network of mother and baby institutions in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland\n\nAmnesty says there were more than a dozen mother-and-baby institutions in Northern Ireland.\n\nIt said about 7,500 women and girls gave birth in the Northern Ireland homes, operated by both Catholic and Protestant churches and religious organisations.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, research into mother and baby homes and Magdalene laundries was commissioned three years ago and was initially expected to take 12 months.\n\nIt was completed in February last year, but was then sent to those facing criticism to give them an opportunity to reply.\n\nA Department of Health spokesperson said: \"A paper will be brought to the executive shortly for its consideration. Subject to executive approval, it is intended to publish the research report before the end of January 2021.\"\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, the commission that investigated the homes found that the number of children who died was about 15% of all those who were born in the institutions.\n\nTaoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Mícheál Martin said the report, which can be read in full here, described a \"dark, difficult and shameful chapter\" of Irish history.\n\nSolicitor Claire McKeegan, who represents the Birth Mothers for Justice group, welcomed the apology in the Republic of Ireland, but said mothers and children in NI had not received one.\n\n\"The crimes perpetrated on them have yet to be investigated,\" she said.\n\n\"Those perpetrators who forced them into arbitrary detention, hard labour and colluded in the forced adoption of their babies, remain unchallenged in this jurisdiction.\"\n\nMary O'Neill became pregnant when she was 18 and was sent to Marianvale in Newry in the late 1970s.\n\nThere she gave birth to a baby girl who was taken away from her almost immediately after the birth.\n\nShe wanted to keep the baby, but was not allowed and was told the baby would be put up for adoption.\n\nThe mother and baby scandal became an international news story when 'significant human remains' were found on the grounds of a former home in County Galway\n\nMs O'Neill told Good Morning Ulster she eventually tracked down her daughter after 40 years.\n\n\"It was a long search, everywhere you went you were up against a brick wall,\" she said.\n\n\"There was no help, the social workers didn't want to tell you anything.\"\n\nShe finally found out her daughter was living in America but was coming home for her 40th birthday.\n\nShe said when she met her it was like meeting a stranger.\n\n\"But thank God we have met and we have a good relationship. She's still keeping in touch,\" Ms O'Neill said.\n\n\"It means the world to me, because you always wondered where was she? Was she happy? Did she know about you?\n\n\"It was always in the back of your mind. It never went away, the tears and the heartache.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMs O'Neill said she was happy the victims in the Republic of Ireland were getting an apology, but wishes the homes in Northern Ireland could have been included.\n\nMechelle Dillon's mother was 21 and pregnant when she was sent to Marianvale in Newry in 1969.\n\nShe was placed in foster care a few months after her birth.\n\nHer mother returned to her home village and then moved to England. But she came back for Mechelle when she was around eight or nine-months-old.\n\nShe said she believed she was not adopted because she was born with a cyst on her mouth.\n\n\"I would have maybe been classed as a reject, if you want to put it that way,\" she said.\n\n\"It's the same as if you go to look for a little puppy and if the puppy doesn't feel right and you think 'Oh God, I'll have a lot of vet bills here, I don't want that puppy' - I would have probably been classed the same because I would have had that defect.\"\n\nSDLP leader Colum Eastwood said \"the executive should move quickly to publish the research report and then call a full public inquiry\".", "Decima Minhinnick, pictured at her 90th birthday party, lives in a care home and has vascular dementia\n\nA couple who were fined £60 for driving 20 minutes to see a relative in a care home have had their fine cancelled by police.\n\nCarol and David Richards from Bridgend travelled seven miles to Porthcawl to visit her mother Decima Minhinnick, 94.\n\nOn Tuesday, police defended the fine, claiming the couple had broken lockdown rules.\n\nOn Wednesday, South Wales Police said it had \"since been reviewed and the notice has been rescinded\".\n\n\"The individual concerned has been notified\".\n\nIn a statement, it added: \"Wales remains at alert level four and South Wales Police will continue to patrol our communities to ensure the legislation, which has been enacted to slow the spread of coronavirus, is complied with\".\n\nMrs Richards has said she was \"mortified\" they were stopped by police while returning on Sunday from what she said was a compassionate visit.\n\nShe said on Tuesday she did not believe they breached lockdown rules.\n\nMrs Richards said the couple had arranged the visit to Picton Court Care Home in advance with the permission of staff, and spoke to her mother, who has vascular dementia, through the window of her ground-floor room from the car park.\n\nDavid and Carol Richards complained about the £60 fine\n\nShe told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that when she was issued with the fine it was like \"a sort of dystopian novel\", adding that the officer involved was \"pedantic and inflexible\".\n\n\"I was angry - she just would not listen to any protestations, and so she said 'you're going to be issued with a £60 fixed penalty fine'.\n\n\"It's not about the 60 quid, it's about the principle.\"\n\nThe home is just over seven miles from where the couple live", "The governor of Amazonas state warned of a \"critical\" moment and has implemented a curfew\n\nHospitals in the Brazilian city of Manaus have reached breaking point while treating Covid-19 patients, amid reports of severe oxygen shortages and desperate staff.\n\nThe city, in Amazonas state, has seen a surge of deaths and infections.\n\nHealth professionals, quoted by local media, warned \"many people\" could die due to lack of supplies and assistance.\n\nBrazil has recorded more than 205,000 virus deaths - the second-highest tally in the world, behind the US.\n\nA new coronavirus variant has recently emerged in Brazil, with several cases in travellers arriving in Japan traced back to the Amazonas region.\n\nAmazonas suffered heavy losses in the first wave of the pandemic but is also being badly hit by a new rise in infections.\n\nRefrigerated containers were brought to hospitals to help store bodies last week, as authorities declared a state of emergency.\n\nJessem Orellana, from the Fiocruz-Amazonia scientific investigation institute, told the AFP news agency that some hospitals in Manaus had \"run out of oxygen\" with some centres becoming \"a type of suffocation chamber\" for patients.\n\nThe researcher told Brazilian media she had received reports from the front-line of \"dramatic\" scenes playing out in some hospitals.\n\nReports in the daily Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper described desperate staff having to try to keep patients alive through manual ventilation.\n\nIn a widely shared video from the region, a female medical worker asks the internet for help: \"We're in an awful state. Oxygen has simply run out across the whole unit today.\"\n\n\"There is no oxygen and lots of people are dying,\" she says in the clip. \"If anyone has any oxygen, please bring it to the clinic. There are so many people dying.\"\n\nThe UK has banned travellers from much of Latin America over a new variant detected in Brazil\n\nAmazonas Governor Wilson Lima said the state was \"in the most critical moment of the pandemic\" and has announced a nightly curfew will begin at 19:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Friday to try to stem the spread.\n\nMarcellus Campelo, a local health secretary, said the state needed three times the amount of oxygen it can produce locally and appealed for help.\n\nBrazil's vice-president shared images on Twitter of the air force transporting hospital supplies, including oxygen cylinders and stretchers, to the city as reports of the situation spread throughout the country.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by General Hamilton Mourão This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nHealth officials also say some patients will be airlifted to other states for treatment due to the demand for intensive care units, Reuters reports.\n\nFelipe Naveca, deputy director of research at the state-run Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, told the BBC's South America correspondent Katy Watson that the new variant had evolved separately from those in the UK and South Africa, but that it showed some of the same characteristics: \"Some of these mutations have been linked to increased transmission and that is of concern.\"\n\nMr Naveca said that they did not yet have any data to suggest that existing vaccines would be any less effective against the new variant. \"We have to do a lot more sequencing of samples to answer that question,\" he said.\n\nHowever, on Thursday UK officials announced a ban on travellers from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde due to the new strain.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday evening. We'll have another update for you on Friday morning.\n\nTravel from South America and Portugal to the UK is being banned, other than for British or Irish citizens and foreign nationals with residence rights. The new ruling is being brought in because of concerns about the new Brazilian coronavirus variant and comes into force from 04:00 GMT on Friday. The ban applies to people who have travelled from, or through, these countries in the 10 days before their departure for the UK: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. Find out more about the new variants here.\n\nDoctors have warned that the recent surge in Covid hospital cases has left key hospital services in England in crisis. Accident and Emergency departments are facing rising delays in admitting extremely sick patients on to wards, NHS data shows. The total number of people facing year-long waits for routine treatments is more than 100 times higher than it was before the pandemic - and cancer specialists are warning of a \"terrifying\" disruption to their services that would cost lives.\n\nThe government has told schools not to provide free meals to eligible pupils' families over half term, with food to be provided by councils under the Covid Winter Grant Scheme instead. The Department for Education said vulnerable families would continue to receive meals outside of term time through the welfare support they have made available. But councils say the government should be responsible for providing food vouchers during the February half-term, like it did over summer.\n\nA top scientist has said the coronavirus growth rate in the UK is slowing, with the number of infections starting to level off in some areas. Prof Neil Ferguson told the BBC that in some NHS regions there is a \"sign of plateauing\" in cases and hospital admissions. But he warned the overall death toll - currently standing at over 80,000 - would exceed 100,000. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the national lockdown measures in place across the UK are \"starting to show signs of some effect\" but warned that it was still early days.\n\nMany people feel they've put on weight during the pandemic, due to staying indoors more and turning to comfort food. Samantha Hicks, from Portishead, North Somerset, thought she was one of them - but what she believed was a few extra pounds of weight was actually a baby. She gave birth to her daughter Julia just 10 days after discovering she was pregnant. Her pregnancy was even missed when she was taken to hospital in November with Covid-19. She said: \"My tummy was a bit swollen but again, because I felt sick and I wasn't great, it never occurred to me I was pregnant.\"\n\nThe UK travel rules have been updated again. Find out all the details you need here.\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Most people who have had Covid-19 are protected from catching it again for at least five months, a study led by Public Health England shows.\n\nPast infection was linked to around a 83% lower risk of getting the virus, compared with those who had never had Covid-19, scientists found.\n\nBut experts warn some people do catch Covid-19 again - and can infect others.\n\nAnd officials stress people should follow the stay-at-home rules - whether or not they have had the virus.\n\nProf Susan Hopkins, who led the study, said the results were encouraging, suggesting immunity lasted longer than some people feared, but protection was by no means absolute.\n\nIt was particularly concerning some of those reinfected had high levels of the virus - even without symptoms - and were at risk of passing it on to others, she said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Susan Hopkins from Public Health England said immunity from having Covid-19 is \"not 100% protective\"\n\n\"This means even if you believe you already had the disease and are protected, you can be reassured it is highly unlikely you will develop severe infections but there is still a risk that you could acquire an infection and transmit to others,\" she added.\n\n\"Now more than ever, it is vital we all stay at home to protect our health service and save lives.\"\n\nFrom June to November 2020, almost 21,000 healthcare workers across the UK were regularly tested to see whether they:\n\nOf those who had no antibodies to the virus, suggesting they may have never had it, 318 developed potential new infections within this timeframe.\n\nBut among the 6,614 with antibodies, this figure was just 44 potential new infections.\n\nResearchers received various different pieces of evidence suggesting these people had become re-infected - including new symptoms more than 90 days after their first infection, new positive swab tests and blood tests.\n\nSome tests are still being run and researchers say their results will be updated as they come in.\n\nScientists will continue to monitor the healthcare workers for 12 months to see how long immunity lasts.\n\nThey will also look closely at cases with the new variant - which was not widespread at the time of this first analysis - and observe the immunity of participants who receive the vaccine.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Can you become immune to coronavirus?\n\nDr Julian Tang, a virus expert at the University of Leicester, said the results were reassuring for healthcare workers.\n\n\"Having the vaccine after recovering from Covid-19 is not an issue... and will likely boost the natural immunity,\" he added.\n\n\"We also see this with the seasonal flu vaccine.\n\n\"So hopefully the results from this paper will reduce the anxiety of many healthcare-worker colleagues who have concerns about getting Covid-19 twice.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Changes to Scotland's lockdown restrictions have been announced. The tightening of the rules follows concerns the \"stay at home\" message is not having the same impact it did during last year's lockdown. The changes will come into effect on Saturday.\n\nThe availability and operation of click and collect services will be limited to retailers selling essential items such as clothes, footwear, baby equipment, homeware and books. Also, outlets that sell electrical goods; do key cutting; undertake shoe repairs, plus garden centres and plant nurseries can continue the collect service.\n\nFor qualifying businesses, staggered appointments will need to be offered to avoid any potential for queuing, and access inside premises for collection will not be permitted.\n\nCustomers in Scotland will no longer be allowed to go inside to collect takeaway food or coffee. Businesses will have to operate from a serving hatch or doorway.\n\nThe aim is to reduce the risk of customers coming into contact indoors with each other, or with staff.\n\nIt will be against the law in all level four areas of Scotland to drink alcohol outdoors in public.\n\nThis will mean that buying a takeaway pint and consuming on the street will not be permitted.\n\nIt is intended to underline the message that people should only be leaving home for essential purposes.\n\nThe Scottish government is strengthening the obligation on employers to allow their staff to work from home whenever possible.\n\nThe law already says that people should only be leaving home to go to work if it is work that cannot be done from home. This is a legal obligation that falls on individuals.\n\nHowever, statutory guidance is being introduced to make clear that employers should support employees to work from home wherever possible.\n\nThe Scottish government is strengthening provisions in relation to work inside people's houses.\n\nCurrent guidance says that in level four areas work is only permitted within a private dwelling if it is essential for the upkeep, maintenance and functioning of the household. This guidance is now being put into law.\n\nThe final change is an amendment to the regulations requiring people to stay at home.\n\nThis is intended to close an apparent loophole rather than change the spirit of the law. It will also bring the wording of the stay at home regulations in Scotland into line with the other UK nations.\n\nCurrently the law states that people can only leave home for an essential purpose.\n\nThe amendment will make it clear that people \"must not leave or remain outside\" the home unless it is for an essential purpose.\n\nThe Scottish government's full lockdown guidance is available here.", "Covid-19 patients in England's busiest intensive care units in 2020 were 20% more likely to die, University College London research has found.\n\nThe increased risk was equivalent to gaining a decade in age.\n\nBy the end of 2020, one in three hospital trusts in England was running at higher than 85% capacity.\n\nEleven trusts were completely full on 30 December, and the total number of people in intensive care with Covid has continued to rise since then.\n\nThe link between full ICUs and higher death rates was already known, but this study is the first to measure its effect during the pandemic.\n\nTighter lockdown restrictions are needed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, says study author Dr Bilal Mateen.\n\nResearchers looked at more than 4,000 patients who were admitted to intensive care units in 114 hospital trusts in England between April and June last year.\n\nThey found the risk of dying was almost a fifth higher in ICUs where more than 85% of beds were occupied, than in those running at between 45% and 85% capacity.\n\nThat meant a 60-year-old being treated in one of these units had the same risk of dying as a 70-year-old on a quieter ward.\n\nThe Royal College of Emergency Medicine sets 85% as the maximum safe level of bed occupancy.\n\nHowever, the team found there was no tipping point after which deaths rose - instead, survival rates fell consistently as bed-occupancy increased.\n\nThis suggests \"a lot of harm is occurring before you get to 85%\".\n\nPatients admitted to ICUs that were less than 45% full were 25% less likely to die than average.\n\nUsually if a very sick patient's heart stops, everyone on the ward will rush to help them, Dr Mateen explained.\n\nBut when there are too many patients, staff's time is inevitably split, so \"it makes sense that the quality of patient care would be sacrificed\", he said.\n\nWhile extra beds and equipment can, and have, been provided through the Nightingale hospitals and the private sector, finding enough qualified staff has been an issue.\n\n\"You can't just create an ICU nurse who knows how to operate a mechanical ventilator overnight,\" Dr Mateen told the BBC.\n\nThese are highly-skilled roles that take years of training and sometimes decades of experience, he added.\n\nInstead, a \"robust vaccination programme\" and tighter lockdown restrictions are needed to bring down cases and hospitalisations, he believes.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What does it mean if the NHS is overwhelmed?\n\nCo-author Prof Christina Pagel at UCL added: \"This paper highlights for the first time that putting such strain on ICUs during pandemic peaks does, sadly, mean that that chances of someone dying in intensive care are higher.\n\n\"Our work underlines the urgency of both vaccinating vulnerable groups as soon as possible and reducing Covid transmission in the community to relieve pressure on intensive care.\"\n\nIt's difficult to say for sure that fuller ICUs are actually causing more deaths - it's possible that as they get fuller, only the sickest patients are admitted.\n\nBut Dr Mateen says there was no evidence of rationing - of sick patients being turned away.\n\nEven pre-Covid, data suggests larger ICUs had lower death rates - with a 25% increase in bed numbers linked to a corresponding 25% fall in mortality.\n\nAnd the findings are supported by a wealth of evidence from before the pandemic and from around the world.", "Coach and tour operators have seen an unexpected growth in bookings in the last fortnight.\n\nWhilst there is no doubt that the pandemic continues to put huge pressure on lives and the NHS, this is a small amount of sunshine for the travel industry, which has had a tough year.\n\nTUI, the UK's largest tour operator, says 50% of bookings on their website are currently by over-50s.\n\nThis was previously a smaller market for them.\n\nNational Express's coach holiday businesses say bookings made by those 65 and over have increased by 185% in the last fortnight compared to last year.\n\n\"Since the announcement of the vaccine, it's given our customer base, predominantly those over 65, increased confidence to book and have that summer getaway in 2021\" says Jit Desai, head of holidays and travel at National Express.\n\n\"We launched the brochure for spring-summer 2021 just this weekend gone, and on Monday we took a week's worth of bookings in a day and that's continued so far,\" says Mr Desai. \"What the vaccine does is give certainty and confidence.\n\n\"That then allows the customer and ourselves the ability to plan ahead\".\n\nThe pandemic has been devastating for the travel sector. Tens of thousands of jobs have gone in the UK. Millions of Britons cancelled breaks because the health situation was in flux across the world.\n\nBut National Express now points to returning confidence to travel.\n\n\"Many we've spoken to have had the first jab. They know in 12 weeks they'll get a second jab. It gives them certainty that they can enjoy and look forward to their 2021 holiday. It is something to look forward to, to being with people, with friends, like minded and from the same generation.\"\n\nDawn and Ray - 75 and 78 years old - are from Hampshire and are due to have their first jab soon. They have just booked five UK holidays.\n\n\"We are raring to go once we've got that vaccine, we are really looking forward to it - both of us. We are going to Wales, Leicestershire, to York where there is a mystery tour - and to the Cotswolds'\", Dawn said.\n\nFor Dawn and Ray, it's the ease of coach travel that's appealing, as well as the safety. She adds \"they've looked after us so well in the past, the coaches are clean, we'll all wear masks, we all look after each other.\"\n\nAt the moment, 90% of the bookings with National Expresses coach businesses are UK based, so it looks like another good year for the staycation.\n\n\"European bookings are lower because of the uncertainty on the continent,\" says Mr Desai.\n\n\"The UK wins because of the lack of need to quarantine. And uncertainty about the moves other governments might make whilst away also creates fear.\"\n\nIt's not just UK breaks that are selling. The UK's largest tour operator TUI, famous for its sun-drenched European beach holidays, says there has also been a change in the last fortnight.\n\n\"We're seeing a customer base or age group that wasn't booking before, that is starting to book,\" says Andrew Flintham the MD of TUI UK. \"The over 50s, we assume, is on the back to the vaccine news.\"\n\nWhilst TUI UK boss acknowledges that \"the market is still depressed and it's not where we want it - we are seeing glimmers of hope.\"\n\nTrips to towns in England are among those being booked\n\nThere are also interesting changes emerging in the types of breaks holidaymakers plan to take and the months they're planning to travel.\n\n\"People are booking later into the summer, hedging their bets\" said Mr Flintham. \"More July and August and a lot of demand for September and October.\n\n\"People are booking longer holidays, we're seeing more people booking ten or eleven or 14 nights rather than seven. People are maybe catching up on what they've missed.\"\n\nAs TUI analysed its recent booking data, one trend they spotted is the emergence of large, multigenerational group bookings.\n\n\"It is family time we've all missed. We can't get away from our own families, but our broader families we can't see, and that's feeding into our choices\" Mr Flintham explains.\n\nAfter such a bad 10 months, and TUI cancelling all holidays until the middle of February at the earliest because of the new lockdown, how does the rest of the summer look?\n\n\"I think the summer holiday is on\" says Mr Flintham, \"I think we just need time for people to get that confidence, but yes, we think there will be a good summer this summer\".\n\nFor those who've watched the paralysis brought upon the travel industry since last winter, a morsel of good news about customers booking again is being celebrated.\n\n\"This is fantastic news and to be hugely welcomed by an industry that has been utterly devastated by the pandemic\", says Sophie Griffiths, editor of Travel Trade Gazette.\n\n\"Ten months into this crisis and the industry has still received zero dedicated support from the government despite being unique as a sector in terms of giving out thousands in refunds while getting next to nothing back in for 2020.\"", "The Lauberhorn course is the longest downhill run in the world (file image)\n\nA British tourist has been blamed for a spike in coronavirus cases that led officials to cancel Switzerland's famous Lauberhorn ski race.\n\nThe resort of Wengen, where the race is held, had recorded only 10 cases of the virus by mid-December.\n\nBut the number soon began to rise and many cases have since been linked to the new highly infectious variant of Covid-19 first identified in the UK.\n\nAt least 27 cases are connected to one British tourist, contact tracers say.\n\nThe tourist stayed in a hotel in Wengen over the holiday period.\n\nThe Lauberhorn course is the longest downhill run in the world, and racers can reach speeds of 160km/h (100 mph).\n\nOfficials desperately tried to save the race, shutting schools and offering to close off the resort to everyone but the competitors.\n\nSwiss health officials initially agreed with the plan, but a further jump in cases at the start of this week prompted them to pull the emergency brake and cancel the event.\n\nThe Lauberhorn track is 4,480m (14,700ft) long - and the race will now have to wait until 2022\n\nWengen is devastated. The Lauberhorn is one of the top competitions on the World Cup ski circuit. It is dearly loved by the Swiss, who have watched with delight as some of their own homegrown talent, such as Beat Feuz and Carlo Janka, have triumphed there.\n\nMoreover, the long love affair between Switzerland and British winter tourists has frosted over to some extent.\n\nIt was only last month that the vanishing Brits of Verbier, who reportedly fled Switzerland rather than accept the government mandated quarantine, triggered a flurry of negative headlines.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Italy's Foppolo ski resort was closed until 6 January and missed the all-important Christmas ski season\n\nNow the high point of Switzerland's skiing calendar has been abruptly cancelled, and some Swiss blame the British.\n\nOthers say Switzerland only has itself to blame.\n\nWhile neighbours France and Italy closed their resorts over the festive period, the Swiss government opted for a precarious balancing act. It kept its slopes open, but closed all bars and restaurants and limited ski lifts to two-thirds capacity.\n\nMost Swiss resorts are quiet, with just a few locals enjoying the runs. But still some tourists arrived and, as Wengen's experience shows, just one infected guest is enough to cause major damage.\n\nInstead of hosting a major ski race, Wengen officials are now racing to control the virus. Mass testing has already begun in the resort.\n\nSwitzerland's government has extended the closure of bars, restaurants, museums, and theatres until the end of February in a bid to control the new variant. It has also ordered non-essential shops to close and made working from home obligatory.\n\nAs for the Lauberhorn, Switzerland's oldest and fiercest skiing rival, Austria, will now host the postponed event. Nothing could have been calculated to upset the Swiss more.\n\nThe event was first moved to the Austrian ski resort of Kitzbühel, but an outbreak of coronavirus there has prompted another move, this time to Flachau, 100km to the east.\n\nThe cluster of cases in Jochberg near Kitzbühel broke out among a group of mainly British trainee ski instructors.", "Some 13 ambulances queued outside the Royal Glamorgan Hospital hospital's A&E department on Saturday\n\nHospitals in the area with Wales and England's worst Covid death rates are only coping by postponing urgent surgery such as cancer operations.\n\nCwm Taf Morgannwg had already suspended some non-emergency services but the boss of the health board said they have now paused some urgent procedures.\n\nCwm Taf covers Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil, which have the highest and second highest Covid death rates.\n\nHealth Minister Vaughan Gething said he \"would not be surprised\" if other health boards were forced to do the same soon, if case rates did not come down.\n\n\"There is real harm being done... because of the level of hospital admissions,\" he said.\n\n\"Our critical care units are at 150% of their capacity and that has very real consequences.\n\n\"It reinforces why all of us need to do the right thing in reducing our contacts with other people and follow the rules, otherwise greater harm will be caused.\"\n\nThe news comes as NHS bosses said the number of Covid patients in Welsh hospitals is double April's peak.\n\nOn Thursday, Public Health Wales (PHW) said a further 54 people had died with coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 4,117.\n\nMr Lyons said on Wednesday night their field hospital Ysbyty Seren in Bridgend had 74 patients, people they \"wouldn't have been able to accommodate within our usual hospitals\".\n\n\"We are coping, but that's coping because we've been cancelling urgent surgery.\n\n\"We even had to cancel some cancer surgery over the last few weeks,\" Mr Lyons told BBC Radio Wales.\n\n\"My heart goes out to families and to patients with all the stress and the worry that gives.\n\n\"It's tough times and we're all in it together, and we do see that optimism, that glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel but it's hard.\"\n\nNearly half of hospital beds in the health board - which covers Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf- are taken up with Covid-19 patients, including 31 in critical care or on ventilation.\n\nThey outnumber those in critical care with other conditions by three to one.\n\nLatest NHS Wales figures show 2,806 hospital patients in Wales with Covid-19 - 35% of all patients. This is twice the proportion in May.\n\nIn Rhondda Cynon Taf, the Covid death rate is 283.9 per 100,000 population - followed by Merthyr Tydfil where the death rate is 253.6.\n\n\"It's an absolute tragedy for the families and the loved ones and very sobering,\" said Mr Lyons.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. See how case rates have changed in each part of Wales\n\n\"We're coping but only because of the dedication of our staff, and it's immensely humbling to see people giving up their spare time coming in doing extra shifts, but the toll on them is immense.\n\n\"In practice our hospitals are full and although we are coping that we're only coping because we've cancelled all but the most urgent surgery.\n\n\"We've redeployed staff who've been incredibly flexible from places they normally work such as outpatients.\"\n\nThe health board oversees three hospitals - Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend and the Royal Glamorgan in Rhondda Cynon Taf.\n\nA nurse at Royal Glamorgan Hospital, near Llantrisant, said earlier this week how she felt \"overwhelming fear\" as 13 ambulances queued outside her hospital's A&E department.", "Six pharmacies will be vaccinating people invited by letter to make an appointment online\n\nSome High Street pharmacies in England will start vaccinating people from priority groups on Thursday, with 200 providing jabs in the next two weeks.\n\nSix chemists in Halifax, Macclesfield, Widnes, Guildford, Edgware and Telford are the first to offer appointments to those invited by letter.\n\nBut pharmacists say many more sites should be allowed to give the jab, not just the largest ones.\n\nMore than 2.6 million people in the UK have now received their first dose.\n\nAcross the UK, the target is to vaccinate 15 million people in the top four priority groups - care home residents and workers, NHS frontline staff, the over-70s and the extremely clinically vulnerable - by mid-February.\n\nThe vaccines - made by either Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech - are being administered at hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries and vaccination centres.\n\nIt comes as the UK saw its highest number of daily reported coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, with the government announcing a further 1,564 deaths of people within 28 days of a positive Covid test.\n\nOn Wednesday evening, the Scottish government published its detailed 16-page plan for rolling out the vaccine, including details of how many vaccines it expects to receive every week until the end of May.\n\nThe first pharmacy sites in England to deliver a vaccine have been chosen because they are capable of delivering large numbers of vaccines quickly while allowing space for social distancing.\n\nPeople will be invited by letter to make an appointment at one of the pharmacies, or a vaccination centre, through the NHS Covid-19 vaccination booking service.\n\nAnyone who doesn't want to travel to these sites can still be vaccinated by their local GP or hospital service, but they may have to wait longer.\n\nUp to 70 more pharmacies will be taking bookings for appointments for next week, with 200 in total offering slots over the next fortnight, according to NHS England.\n\nVaccines are currently being offered at more than 1,000 sites, including :\n\nAn Asda supermarket in Birmingham will also host a vaccination centre, with pharmacy staff giving jabs in the store's former clothing section from 25 January.\n\nBut the National Pharmacy Association says the rules on which pharmacies qualify to deliver Covid vaccines should be relaxed to allow more to take part.\n\nHow people awaiting vaccines will queue and socially distance in the Halifax store of Boots\n\nAt present, pharmacies have to be able to deliver 1,000 vaccines a week, have enough fridge space to store all the doses, and be able to open seven days a week.\n\nAndrew Lane, of the National Pharmacy Association, said now that the Oxford vaccine had been approved, community pharmacies could store and administer it in the same way as they deliver the flu jab.\n\nThe Oxford vaccine only needs to be stored at fridge temperature, as opposed to the freezer temperatures of -70C required by Pfizer.\n\n\"We're here, we're trained, we will deliver,\" said Mr Lane, who represents Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Northamptonshire.\n\nNHS England has said that as more supplies of vaccine become available, more community pharmacists will be able to play a role in the programme.\n\nThe government's vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said staff across the NHS had \"pulled out all the stops to help ramp up vaccinations\" and were working day and night to keep people safe.\n\nProf Claire Anderson, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's English Pharmacy Board, said pharmacy teams in hospital, primary care and the community were \"working flat out to support the nation's health\".\n\nShe said she looked forward to the vaccination programme being expanded through pharmacies to benefit patients.\n\nBoris Johnson said on Wednesday that vaccinations would also start being offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week \"as soon as possible\" - but supply of doses was currently the limiting factor.\n\nIt comes as hospitals struggle to cope with the rising numbers of patients being admitted with Covid.\n\nA study published today has shown the impact of packed intensive care units on death rates, finding that patients in England's busiest ICUs in 2020 were 20% more likely to die.\n\nMeanwhile, a government committee is meeting later to discuss whether to stop flights from Brazil coming to the UK because of concern about a new variant of the virus believed to have emerged there.\n\nArrivals from Brazil already have to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nThe strain is one of a small number of new variants which have been spreading, including ones first spotted in the UK and South Africa.\n\nScientists are racing to understand what it means for the vaccines - but most experts think vaccines will still be effective.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Bangor student Michelle Francis said students had hardly used rooms and had not been able to use facilities on campus\n\nHundreds of students are preparing to take part in rent strikes after paying for \"hardly used\" rooms during the pandemic.\n\nSome Welsh universities have already offered refunds to students who have been living away due to Covid-19.\n\nBut students in Cardiff, Swansea and Bangor claim they are being treated unfairly and are threatening to withhold rent.\n\nUniversities said they were trying to work out the implications of Covid-19.\n\nAnd a solicitor warned students they could face legal action for not paying rent, with long-term implications possible if they lose.\n\nFace-to-face teaching was suspended and many students moved back home before Christmas as coronavirus cases continued to rise.\n\nStaggered returns are being introduced in order to \"help stop the spread of the virus in student accommodation\", according to the Welsh Government.\n\nThey said they had not been living in the rooms or using facilities, despite paying for them, because they were abiding by Welsh Government guidelines.\n\nCardiff Metropolitan University, Aberystwyth University, Swansea University, Bangor University and Cardiff University have now offered eligible students rebates or discounts for time not spent living on campus.\n\nUniversity of South Wales said it will be offering a \"rent holiday\" on university-owned accommodation in Treforest, Rhondda Cynon Taf, for the period 4 January to 12 February.\n\nUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) said on Thursday it is now offering refunds to students who have not returned to university-owned accommodation while teaching is solely online.\n\nBut students say the offers are inadequate for students already paying £9,000-a-year tuition fees at a time when most of the teaching was online, and they had been unable to use facilities in halls.\n\nWhile the students cannot hold their protests in person due to coronavirus laws, hundreds are now planning to cancel their direct debits, withholding thousands of pounds of rent from universities.\n\nMichelle Francis, who formed the Bangor Rent Strike campaign, said the university's offer of a 10% discount to eligible students living in university-owned accommodation did not go far enough.\n\nShe said students who had chosen to go home for Christmas were not eligible, despite being unable to use facilities paid for during the first term.\n\n\"[We were] advised to have left university from the beginning of December and to come back at 8 February,\" she said.\n\n\"That's 25% of our halls that we've been paying and we're not there... we should be allowed to have that back.\"\n\nSo far over 300 students have joined the campaign to cancel their direct debits paid to Welsh universities and campaigners said the numbers were growing daily.\n\nOn Wednesday, Cardiff University joined other Welsh universities in offering a rent rebate to students living in university-owned accommodation during the pandemic.\n\nBut the full rebate, for the time students are unable to return to live in their accommodation, will not be applied until April.\n\nSwansea University has also confirmed a rent reduction to students in university halls who have been asked to remain at home.\n\nOisin Mulholland of Swansea Rent Strike said the group wanted the university to commit to fairly \"assessing the situation\", including for the coming term, and students who had already moved in should be given rebates as well.\n\n\"There was a window in January, where the Welsh Government said return, but the English government said don't return, and the university said nothing,\" he said.\n\n\"Many students came back and are now trapped in Swansea and can't go back because of lockdown\"\n\nIbrahim Khan said students were struggling and needed the rebate immediately\n\nIbrahim Khan, of the Cardiff Rent Strike campaign, said the rebate was \"too late\" for students struggling financially now.\n\n\"The university should be giving us the rebate this January as opposed to the third instalment in April,\" he said.\n\nLawyers have warned that students would in breach of contract if they cancel the direct debit for their rent.\n\nSiôn Fôn, a solicitor at Darwin Gray, encouraged students to discuss the issue with their families and student unions before taking action.\n\n\"I think a case could be brought forward pretty easily against somebody not paying rent,\" he said.\n\nBut he said students may have a case against the university due to not being able to access advertised facilities, but if the university took legal action it could have long-term consequences for individuals.\n\n\"If the students lose, and even after losing don't pay the rent, that would come up on credit scores, or with the bank, if they're trying to get a mortgage or a credit card it would come up on their record,\" he warned.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"How am I going to afford to do my food shop... if I can't go to work?\"\n\nA spokesperson for Cardiff University said technical reasons meant they had to wait until the April instalment of accommodation fees to provide the rebate.\n\nSwansea University said some students had already returned when the stay at home guidance was issued, and it was working through the \"implications of this\".\n\n\"To help with this the university will not generate invoices for any students with university accommodation until May when we have been able to look at these cases,\" a spokesman said.\n\nBangor University said it did not wish to add anything further following its rebate announcement.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it had provided an extra £40m to help universities, including £10m for towards student hardship and support.\n\n\"It would seem fair that students should be eligible for a rebate for the period when a course is online only and we welcome moves by universities to address this,\" a spokesman said.\n\n\"We are actively considering how we can support our students and universities even further.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Residents of an asylum seeker camp in Pembrokeshire says life is 'very bad'\n\nAsylum seekers housed in a military training camp have claimed the \"very bad\" conditions are making them feel increasingly desperate.\n\nThe Home Office decided to house up to 250 asylum seekers at the site in Penally, Pembrokeshire, from September.\n\nBut some housed at the camp claim the conditions are unsafe and putting them at risk of coronavirus.\n\nPlaid Cymru has called for an urgent inspection, but the Home Office said it was safe and \"Covid-compliant\".\n\nOn Thursday afternoon, the independent chief inspector for borders and immigration David Bolt said he hoped an inspection can begin \"within a few weeks\" and was awaiting further details he requested from the Home Office.\n\nProtests and counter-protests have taken place at the camp, with concerns conditions breach human rights.\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford has said the facility was \"unsuitable\" for vulnerable people who have \"fled terror and suffering\".\n\nNow, asylum seekers have spoken to the BBC about their experiences of living in the camp during the pandemic, with some claiming the site does not abide by Covid-19 rules.\n\nPhotos taken inside the camp show the living conditions in one of the rooms\n\nOne man, who wishes to remain anonymous, arrived at the camp on 1 October.\n\nHe said he had pain from \"old injuries\" obtained in Syria, but had to wait \"four days\" to see a doctor. He also has concerns about hygiene facilities at the camp.\n\n\"There is no observance of the Covid safety laws,\" he said, claiming \"six men\" share a small bedroom, dozens eat in the same room, and some staff preparing food do not wear face masks.\n\nVideo footage and photographs of the camp, seen by BBC Wales, show bathroom floors covered with water, every toilet in one bathroom blocked, beds in communal rooms less than 2m (6ft) apart and a bathroom where all the soap dispensers are empty.\n\nThe Home Office said medical need determined GP appointments, social distancing was required, and soap was replenished at the site.\n\nThe man said the camp's conditions had left him in a \"bad psychological state\" and others had attempted self-harm: \"Should I try to hurt myself to get out of here?\"\n\nHe said he and other residents were able to leave the camp as long as they are back by 22:00 GMT, but said he was reluctant to go out due to the \"humiliation, abuse and racism\" he has experienced.\n\nThe site has attracted protests in recent months\n\nWhile some have welcomed the refugees, posting welcome notes outside the gates, the camp has been described as a target for \"hard-right extremist\" protesters.\n\nThe Home Office said that, where someone claims their mental health is suffering, it would consider if their needs can be met at the site.\n\nAnother resident, from Eritrea, north-east Africa, said life in the camp was stressful, and people were being \"treated like prisoners\".\n\n\"For the Eritrean community in this camp, the most difficult thing is we escaped from our country from indefinite military service and illegal imprisonment,\" he said.\n\n\"So we feel like we are imprisoned in a military camp. It is all coming back to us.\"\n\nOne resident said it was impossible to maintain social distancing in a room with six people\n\nThe man said he had been told to be careful and to abide to Covid rules, but there was \"no protection\" as he was sleeping in a room with five others.\n\n\"Most of the bathrooms - they are broken,\" he said.\n\n\"They are filled with tissues, masks, everything you can find, they are blocked, they don't work.\"\n\nHe said he had not been offered a coronavirus test since arriving about three months ago.\n\nThe Home Office said residents had often entered the UK some time ago, and had been mainly placed in the camp after being in the south-east of England and around London.\n\nIt added that coronavirus tests were only necessary in line with Welsh Government guidance.\n\nIt added that Clearsprings Ready Homes, which manage the camp, took immediate steps to repair damage.\n\nSome have welcomed the asylum seekers in the community\n\nBut Plaid Cymru's leader in Westminster, Liz Saville Roberts, has called for an \"urgent\" and \"transparent\" inspection of the site.\n\nIn a letter to the UK's Independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, David Bolt, the MP said: \"We are now not only in the middle of winter, but cases of Covid-19 in Wales are rising at an alarming rate.\n\n\"I am extremely worried that the conditions at the old military barracks are wholly unsuitable to deal with the cold weather and to facilitate effective social distancing.\n\n\"This shows a clear disregard for the health and wellbeing of those being kept in the camp.\"\n\nAbout 40 men took part in the protest outside the camp in November over claims their human rights were being breached\n\nShe told BBC Radio Wales: \"If we aspire to be a nation of sanctuary, surely we should be looking at how people, while they are with us, are integrated into our communities and given all the services that they need, rather than putting them in a convenient enclosed space in a tiny community which is ill equipped itself to deal with this... Let alone far right protests outside and all the pressure that's put on the local population.\n\n\"We need to make sure that this doesn't set a precedent into the future.\"\n\nMr Bolt told Ms Saville Roberts he had \"received assurances\" from the Home Office that the Penally camp had an independent Covid-19 audit on 4 November.\n\nIn a letter, he said he hoped an inspection could be held \"within a few weeks\".\n\nHe said he was keen to understand how the Home Office \"was assuring itself\" individuals who were particularly vulnerable, including torture victims, potential victims of modern slavery, and those with complex health and other needs, were being identified and action taken to safeguard them.\n\nHe said: \"While on site I would expect the only restrictions to be those relating to Covid-19 and that inspectors would be free to examine the premises and facilities, observe daily life and interview staff and service users, and I would look to the Home Office to ensure that whoever is responsible for managing the site understands that they must cooperate with the inspection team.\"\n\nIn December, the Welsh Labour Government deputy minister Jane Hutt called on the Home Secretary Priti Patel to close the camp, describing the conditions as \"unsafe\" and \"inhumane\".\n\nTom Nunn, a solicitor representing some of the residents at camp, said the Home Office had said the camp should only be used as short-term accommodation for single, asylum-seeking males with no known vulnerabilities.\n\nBut he said 20 clients had been transferred away from the camp due to being vulnerable, and feared a serious incident would happen if things did not change.\n\n\"The majority of them have been detained and/or tortured in their country of origin, many have been exploited on their journey to the UK and a large number have fairly severe mental health problems,\" he said.\n\n\"It should not be the case that the only effective way of being transferred out is through making submissions through lawyers, and we are concerned about a large number of individuals who for a myriad of reasons may be unable to obtain this representation.\"\n\nThe UK's Minister for Immigration Compliance, Chris Philp, said: \"We provide asylum seekers in Penally with safe, Covid-compliant and weather-proof accommodation along with free, nutritious meals, all paid for by the taxpayer.\n\n\"We take the welfare of those in our care extremely seriously and asylum seekers can contact the 24/7 helpline run by Migrant Help if they have any issues.\n\n\"We are fixing our asylum system to make it firm and fair. We will be bringing forward legislation which will stop abuse of the system while ensuring it is compassionate towards those who need our help, welcoming people through safe and legal routes.\"", "The TikTok clip was reported to police by Network Rail\n\nA TikTok stunt featuring a car parked on a level crossing has been branded \"staggeringly stupid\".\n\nThe \"reckless\" social media post, recorded on the line at Bromley Cross, Bolton, showed a camera and tripod set up on the railway to record the scene.\n\nAn accompanying caption asked viewers: \"Would you take the risk to get the shot no-one else would?\"\n\nInsp Becky Warren, from British Transport Police, said: \"No picture or video is worth risking your life for.\"\n\nNetwork Rail, which reported the footage after it appeared on the video-sharing app, blasted the \"staggeringly stupid and dangerous\" clip.\n\nIt issued a reminder that trespassing on railway lines is against the law.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by ManchesterPiccadilly This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nNorth West route director Phil James said using the tracks \"as a backdrop for a photo shoot beggars belief\".\n\n\"Lives could so easily have been lost by this reckless behaviour,\" he said.\n\nInsp Warren added: \"There is simply no excuse for not following safety procedures at level crossings. The behaviour shown by the individuals in this video is incredibly dangerous and reckless.\"\n\nMany instances of trespass involve people using railway lines as backdrops for selfies and even wedding photos.\n\nLast year, Network Rail and British Transport Police launched a You vs. Train campaign to highlight the issue of young people trespassing.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Armie Hammer has starred in The Social Network and Call Me By Your Name\n\nUS actor Armie Hammer has pulled out of a new film with Jennifer Lopez after what he described as \"vicious and spurious online attacks against me\".\n\nHammer had been set to appear in the action comedy Shotgun Wedding.\n\nHowever, the star's role will now be re-cast after private messages he supposedly sent were circulated online.\n\nIn a statement, Hammer dismissed the messages and said the subsequent abuse meant he could no longer spend months away from his children while filming.\n\n\"I'm not responding to these [false] claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for four months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic,\" the 34-year-old said, according to Deadline and Variety.\n\nThe Social Network and Call Me By Your Name actor added that film studio Lionsgate \"is supporting me in this and I'm grateful to them for that\".\n\nHammer has two children aged six and three with TV host Elizabeth Chambers. The couple announced their divorce last summer.\n\nHis name began trending over the weekend after explicit messages detailing disturbing sexual fantasies, which were purportedly sent by him, appeared online.\n\nA spokesman for Shotgun Wedding told the PA news agency that the film's producers accepted his decision.\n\n\"Given the imminent start date of Shotgun Wedding, Armie has requested to step away from the film and we support him in his decision,\" they said.\n\nHammer played the Winklevoss twins in 2010's The Social Network and starred opposite Timothée Chalamet in 2017's acclaimed drama Call Me By Your Name. He also appeared alongside Lily James in the Netflix adaptation of Rebecca, which came out last year.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "Twitter boss Jack Dorsey has said banning US President Donald Trump was the right thing to do.\n\nHowever, he expressed sadness at what he described as the \"extraordinary and untenable circumstances\" surrounding Mr Trump's permanent suspension.\n\nHe also said the ban was in part a failure of Twitter's, which hadn't done enough to foster \"healthy conversation\" across its platforms.\n\nTwitter has been praised and criticised for freezing Mr Trump's account.\n\nGerman leader Angela Merkel and Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador - neither an ally of the outgoing US president - spoke out against the tech titan's move.\n\nIn a long Twitter thread, Twitter's chief said he did not celebrate or feel pride in the ban - which came after the Capitol riot last week.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by jack This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nHe reiterated that removing the president from Twitter was made after \"a clear warning\" to Mr Trump.\n\n\"We made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter,\" Mr Dorsey said.\n\nHe also accepted that the move would have consequences for an open and free internet.\n\n\"Having to take these actions fragment the public conversation. They divide us….And sets a precedent I feel is dangerous.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police place US Capitol Building on lockdown after Trump supporters breached security lines\n\nHe also addressed criticism that just a handful of tech bosses can make decisions on who does and doesn't have a voice on the internet - and on accusations of censorship.\n\n\"A company making a business decision to moderate itself is different from a government removing access, yet can feel much the same,\" said Mr Dorsey.\n\nThe decision to remove users, posts and tweets has been criticised by some for violating First Amendment - free speech - rights.\n\nHowever, big tech firms generally argue that as they are private companies, and not state actors, this law does not apply when they moderate their platforms.\n\nFacebook and YouTube have taken steps to silence the president, while Amazon shut down Parler, an app widely used by his supporters.\n\nNow Snapchat has also announced that Mr Trump will be permanently banned from its platform too.\n\nIt had already announced an indefinite suspension, but has now decided that \"in the interest of public safety and based on his attempts to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incite violence\" to permanently terminate his account.\n\nOn Monday, the German chancellor's spokesperson said she found the social media ban \"problematic\". And the Mexican president said: \"I don't like anybody being censored.\"\n\nIncoming US President-elect Joe Biden has said he wants companies like Facebook and Twitter to do more to take down hate speech and fake news.\n\nHe has previously said he wants to repeal Section 230, a law protecting social media companies from being sued for the things people post.\n\nIt's not clear how Mr Biden intends to regulate Big Tech, though it's likely to be a legislative focus of his.", "Despite the huge need to free up space in hospitals, some care homes say insurance issues make it impossible for them to accept Covid-19 patients.\n\nIn October, the government launched a scheme for designated care homes to take patients recovering from the virus but insurance is a stumbling block.\n\nSir David Behan, head of the UK's largest care home company, HC-One, says insurance has become a major concern.\n\nThe government says it is working to resolve the issue.\n\n\"We are aware the adult social care insurance market is changing in response to the pandemic, and recognise some care providers may encounter difficulties as their policies come up for renewal,\" said a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson.\n\nOne Hampshire care home says it will have to stop taking patients within days because its insurance will expire.\n\nWaterside House in Netley, Hampshire usually provides holidays and respite care for people with disabilities.\n\nBut since the autumn it has been taking Covid-positive patients discharged from hospitals on the south coast.\n\nThey are looked after on a separate floor from other residents, and the home has had to meet high infection control standards.\n\nHome manager Sarah Knight said demand for the 31 beds is unparalleled and added: \"I've been in nursing a long, long time, and I have never known anything like this.\n\n\"People end up in an ambulance sat outside hospitals for hours and hours, or they end up on a trolley in A&E in a corridor for hours and hours.\n\n\"By offering the best that we've got here, we can reduce some of that burden.\"\n\nJan Tregelles is chief executive of the charity Revitalise which runs Waterside House\n\nThe government originally hoped there would be 500 designated care homes taking in Covid-positive patients.\n\nBut Waterside House is one of only 129 which have been set up to take those who have not completed 14 days in isolation.\n\nHowever, its public indemnity insurance protection, which it needs in case someone contracts Covid there, runs out at the end of January.\n\nWaterside House is run by the charity Revitalise, whose chief executive, Jan Tregelles, said they have tried everything, but will soon have to start turning away people.\n\n\"It's shocking,\" she says. \"We are truly helpless. We have a fantastic team of nurses and colleagues already.\n\n\"The facilities are here, everything's arranged and we can't step up to support our communities at this time.\"\n\nOne resident, Alan Washbourne, who has been living at Waterside House since he was discharged from hospital during the first wave of the pandemic, said: \"I feel quite safe here.\"\n\nHe is not on the Covid floor of the home, and added: \"If I were to go to somewhere else, which is possible, I might not feel quite so safe.\"\n\nAlan Washbourne has been at Waterside House since April last year\n\nAfter so many deaths last spring, many care homes will not consider taking patients who are Covid-positive, even with extra infection control measures.\n\nMeanwhile, growing numbers of staff are off sick or self-isolating, leaving care homes facing shortages.\n\nAnd many are also finding it difficult to get the public indemnity insurance.\n\nSir David Behan is chairman of HC-One, the UK's largest care home provider\n\nSince November, HC-One, which is the UK's largest care home provider, has had to cover its own Covid risks because it cannot get the insurance.\n\nSir David said it is one of the reasons why they have not taken part in the designated places scheme.\n\n\"You've got solicitors' firms advertising, taking cases up against care companies,\" he says.\n\n\"So, this isn't a theoretical risk that there may be proceedings, it's an actual risk, and therefore we need cover.\n\n\"The NHS wouldn't operate without similar liability cover and that's what we need to see, and I think governments have a role to play working with the insurance industry to work to find a solution.\"\n\nThe Department for Health and Social Care said it was making efforts to determine what actions it could take.\n\n\"Our priority is to ensure everyone receives the right care, in the right place, at the right time,\" said a spokesperson.", "More than 100,000 Covid-19 vaccinations had been issued in Northern Ireland by Tuesday evening, Robin Swann has said.\n\nThe health minister said, of that figure, 91,419 people had received their first vaccine dose.\n\nHe added that 95% of care home residents had received their first dose and about 20% of those aged over 80 have received their first dose.\n\nIt comes as leading GP said the goal to begin a mass vaccine rollout by summer is \"achievable\" but hinges on supply.\n\nThe Department of Health published its plan to deliver vaccines in Northern Ireland on Tuesday.\n\nDr Alan Stout said the timeline was \"very sensible\" but was \"almost 100%\" dependent on getting enough of the vaccine.\n\nAt Wednesday's health briefing, Mr Swann said the programme had made a \"strong start\" but there was more to do.\n\nHe also said he has decided to issue tighter visiting guidelines for hospitals.\n\n\"I have ensured visiting will be permitted to hospices and care homes, but visits to general medical wards will no longer be permitted from this Friday\", he said.\n\nThe minister added that the measure would be kept under constant review.\n\nMr Swann also confirmed a new rapid test for Covid-19, which can return results in 12 minutes, would be used in emergency departments.\n\nHe said a pilot programme has been carried out using the LumiraDX nasal swab, which will enable health staff to \"very quickly identify patients who do not have Covid-19\".\n\nHe also repeated that the current lockdown restrictions were working and had helped to reduce NI's rate of infection, but warned the executive would still have \"difficult decisions\" to take in relation to decisions about whether to extend some restrictions in the coming weeks.\n\nOn Wednesday, a further 19 Covid-related deaths were announced by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.\n\nA further 1,145 new cases of the virus were also reported.\n\nMeanwhile, Northern Ireland's chief medical officer warned there was \"no doubt\" that levels of the new, more transmissible variant of coronavirus are rising in Northern Ireland.\n\nSpeaking at Stormont's executive briefing, Dr Michael McBride said that the new variant was making the job to contain it \"twice as difficult\".\n\nThe new variant is said to be up to 70% more transmissible, but there is no evidence it is more dangerous.\n\nThe first confirmed case of the new strain was detected in Northern Ireland on 23 December, but officials had said levels in Northern Ireland remained lower than in other areas of the UK.\n\nDr McBride said there would now be situations where the variant could spread, where previously it may not have.\n\n\"We need to be extremely cautious in the weeks ahead,\" he warned, adding that the virus would not \"magically disappear\" on 6 February, when the current lockdown is due to end.\n\nStormont ministers have to review the regulations on or before 22 January, with that scheduled for next Thursday.\n\nDr McBride said Northern Ireland had some distance to go before restrictions are lifted\n\nDr Stout, the chair of NI's GP committee, said practices needed another 22,000 doses to finish vaccinating people aged over 80.\n\nSpeaking to BBC's Good Morning Ulster, he said he was \"very confident\" the next doses would come through shortly.\n\n\"I have been overwhelmed by the desire of practices, the determination just to get going and the one thing we need to give them is vaccine - we need to get the supply in as quickly as possible.\n\n\"This is such a good news story that everybody wants the vaccine and everybody wants to give it.\"\n\nThe plan is for the vaccine to be given to the general population in summer 2021.\n\nGP clinics should have received their first delivery of the vaccine by Tuesday.\n\nResponding to reports in The Daily Telegraph that GPs administering the vaccine in England had been asked to \"slow down\" to let other regions \"catch-up\", Dr Stout said Northern Ireland had taken a different approach to how it rolled out vaccines to GPs.\n\nHe said vaccines were shared among all practices in Northern Ireland.\n\n\"We just don't have the full amount of vaccine in practice to give. We could have given all of the vaccine that a certain number of practices needed to start with but there were issues with inequality and discrimination ... so that's why an amount has gone to every single practice, so at least they have some.\"", "A ban on travellers to the UK from South America has left one family fearing it could leave them stranded abroad for months.\n\nThe restriction comes into force at 04:00 GMT on Friday amid fears of a new Covid variant identified in Brazil.\n\nBritish and Irish citizens and foreign nationals with residence rights will still be able to travel but must isolate for 10 days.\n\nHowever many flights have now been cancelled.\n\nJon Den travelled to Brazil with his wife Carla, 32, in October so that her family - who live in Goiania - could meet their one-year-old daughter Luiza for the first time.\n\nThe couple, who live in Wolverhampton, are due to fly back to the UK on 6 February but Jon now fears they may be stuck out there for months due to the travel ban.\n\n\"We had planned to visit in February 2020 but we had to postpone because of the lockdown and that was rough on my wife, she suffered a lot,\" the 31-year-old says.\n\n\"Now I think my mum is suffering as she's expecting Luiza to be back, but who knows now?\n\n\"My initial reaction was worry because it's so unknown. The thought of not being able to return home and being stranded is not a nice feeling.\n\n\"I'm hoping British residents will be able to get home but I don't know if the government will organise flights. I think it's a long shot. I hope we can get home and not be stranded out here for months.\n\n\"We've got to be patient but at the same time flexible.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Several Leeds bus drivers were faced with challenging conditions in the snow.\n\nHigh demand and heavy snow have had a \"severe impact\" on Yorkshire's ambulances, with bad weather also affecting coronavirus vaccinations.\n\nThe county ambulance trust declared a major incident, urging calls only in a \"serious or life-threatening emergency\" due to poor road conditions.\n\nA vaccination centre in Barnsley was closed, with patients told to await new appointments.\n\nCovid testing centres in Kirklees and Bradford also suspended operations.\n\nA yellow Met Office warning for snow and ice is in force until 21:00 GMT.\n\nMark Millins, strategic commander at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said \"very snowy conditions across West, South and North Yorkshire\" had caused gridlock and made driving difficult.\n\nStaff were \"working extremely hard to reach patients\", he said, but \"hazardous driving conditions and blocked roads mean that it is taking us longer than normal in the worst-hit areas.\"\n\nVaccinations taking at the Priory Campus in Lundwood, Barnsley, were suspended from 15:00 GMT\n\nIn Barnsley, the town's Clinical Commissioning Group issued a tweet advising that it had postponed all Covid vaccinations at one centre from 15:00 on Thursday.\n\nIt asked those due to receive jabs at the Priory Campus in Lundwood after this time not to travel, and said patients would be contacted with a rescheduled appointment.\n\nThe group said its two remaining centres at Goldthorpe and Apollo Court, in Dodworth, remained open, but those unable to attend would also get a new time and date.\n\nWest Yorkshire Police said it had also seen a surge in calls and urged people not to call 101 for \"non-urgent matters\".\n\nSupt Chris Bowen said the force had received 300 calls to the 999 and 101 numbers in the space of an hour on Thursday morning.\n\nA large snowball fight on Woodhouse Moor in Leeds was criticised for an apparent lack of social distancing after footage was posted on social media.\n\nLiam Ford, who recorded the video, said he saw the \"awful scenes\" after he \"heard the commotion while on a walk round the block\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A large group of people have been filmed in a snowball fight in Leeds\n\nPolice urged drivers to stay at home until the roads cleared\n\nMotorists reported hazardous driving conditions on many routes and police warned people to stay at home or allow extra time for essential journeys.\n\nPhil Airey said his usual 30-minute commute from Boston Spa to Harrogate took 90 minutes due to the poor conditions.\n\n\"The gritters have been doing their job but any sort of hill then it's not very good and if you go off onto the little roads well they are not good at all,\" he said.\n\nWest Yorkshire's road policing unit said it was dealing with a number of crashes while the North Yorkshire force said the A59 was blocked near Skipton due to a number of vehicles getting stuck in the snow.\n\nThe Met Office has not issued a weather notice for Friday, but a yellow warning for snow and ice on Saturday is in place across most of northern England and Scotland.\n\nPolice say they have dealt with a number of collisions and accidents\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.", "Charlie Mullins said workers getting vaccinated is \"a no-brainer\".\n\nA large London plumbing firm plans to rewrite all of its workers' contracts to require them to be vaccinated against coronavirus.\n\nPimlico Plumbers chairman Charlie Mullins said it was \"a no-brainer\" that workers should get the jab.\n\nIf they do not want to comply with the policy, it will be decided on a case-by-case basis whether they are kept on, he said.\n\nEmployment lawyers said the plan carried risks for the business.\n\nThe NHS is seeking to vaccinate 15 million people from priority groups by mid-February as part of efforts to try to control the spread of Covid-19.\n\nBut Mr Mullins said he was prepared to pay for private immunisations for people at the firm, should they become available, which would be done on the company's time.\n\nDoctors have warned that key hospital services in England are in crisis, with reports of hospitals cancelling urgent operations after a surge in Covid patients in recent weeks.\n\nPimlico Plumbers plans to change its contracts for new joiners to require immunisation. It will rewrite its contracts with existing workers and employees as soon as is practical, depending on vaccine availability.\n\nThe firm has about 350 plumbers working as contractors and about 120 employees.\n\nMr Mullins said the firm was \"not putting anyone under any pressure\" to have the jab.\n\nHowever, new starters who were not immunised would not be taken on, he said.\n\nMr Mullins said employees approved of the policy.\n\n\"It's a no-brainer,\" he said. \"I've talked to people who have said: 'I will queue up all night to get the vaccine.'\n\n\"I think it will be the norm in five or six months. To go into a bar or cinema, or go on a plane, you have to have a vaccine,\" he added.\n\nMr Mullins said he had set aside £800,000 to pay for private vaccinations, but estimated costs more in the region of £100,000.\n\n\"Whatever it costs, I will pay,\" he said. \"I would pay £1m tomorrow to safeguard our staff.\n\n\"If people don't want the vaccine, let them sit at home and not have a normal life,\" he added.\n\nHowever, employment lawyers said this vaccination policy could be risky.\n\nLegally, companies cannot force employees to take a vaccine, said Thrive Law managing director Jodie Hill.\n\n\"They can't jab a vaccine in your arm,\" she said.\n\nPeople who refuse vaccination and are dismissed may have grounds to make a legal claim, she said.\n\n\"Even if they put that [requirement] in a new contract, I don't think they'd get away with it,\" she said.\n\nEmployees with more than two years' service could claim unfair dismissal. But this option is not open to workers and self-employed contractors.\n\nBroadly, people can refuse a vaccination for legitimate reasons such as being pregnant or breastfeeding, for religious reasons, because of disability or allergy, or for ethical vegan reasons if the jab contains animal products.\n\nThe two vaccines approved for use in the UK, from Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech, do not contain any components of animal origin, a Department for Health and Social Care spokesman confirmed.\n\nDismissal for employees with one or more of these protected characteristics could give rise to a discrimination claim.\n\nPeople who are hesitant about taking the vaccine for personal reasons would not be able to claim discrimination, but could potentially claim unfair dismissal if they have been with the firm for two years or more.\n\nPeople with strong anti-vaccination beliefs may be protected under equality law, Ms Hill added.\n\nThe company and Mr Mullins have previously faced a lengthy legal battle with one of its former contractors, Gary Smith.\n\nIn 2018, Mr Smith won a Supreme Court ruling over holiday and sick pay. However, an employment tribunal later ruled that he was not entitled to make a claim for the back pay, as he had not completed the necessary paperwork.\n\nMr Mullins insisted that the vaccination change to contracts \"will be done legally\", but said that he was willing to take this matter to the Supreme Court as well, if necessary.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The rapid spread of coronavirus variants has put the world on alert and triggered a new lockdown in the UK. What are these variants and why are they causing concern?\n\nAll viruses naturally mutate over time, and Sars-CoV-2 is no exception.\n\nSince the virus was first identified a year ago, thousands of mutations have arisen.\n\nThe vast majority of mutations are \"passengers\" and will have little impact, says Dr Lucy van Dorp, an expert in the evolution of pathogens at University College London.\n\n\"They don't change the behaviour of the virus, they are just carried along.\"\n\nBut every once in a while, a virus strikes lucky by mutating in a way that helps it survive and reproduce.\n\n\"Viruses carrying these mutations can then increase in frequency due to natural selection, given the right epidemiological settings,\" Dr van Dorp says.\n\nThis is what seems to be happening with the variant that has spread across the UK, known as 202012/01, and a similar, but different variant, recently identified in South Africa (501.V2).\n\nHundreds of thousands of viral genomes have been analysed across the world\n\nThere is no evidence so far that either causes more severe disease, but the worry is that health systems will be overwhelmed by a rapid rise in cases.\n\nIn a rapid risk assessment of these \"variants of concern\", the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said they place increased pressure on health systems.\n\n\"Although there is no information that infections with these strains are more severe, due to increased transmissibility, the impact of Covid-19 disease in terms of hospitalisations and deaths is assessed as high, particularly for those in older age groups or with co-morbidities,\" the EU agency said.\n\nThe variants have different origins but share a mutation in a gene that encodes the spike protein, which the virus uses to latch on to and enter human cells.\n\nScientists think this could be why they appear more infectious.\n\n\"The UK and South African virus variants have changes in the spike gene consistent with the possibility that they are more infectious,\" says Prof Lawrence Young at the University of Warwick.\n\nBut as Dr Jeff Barrett, director of the Covid-19 genomics initiative at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Hinxton, UK, points out, it's the combination of what the virus is doing and what we're doing that determines how fast it spreads.\n\n\"With the new variant, the situation changes more quickly as restrictions are relaxed and tightened, and there is less room for error in controlling the spread,\" he says.\n\n\"We don't have any evidence, however, that the new variant can fundamentally evade masks, social distancing, or the other interventions - we just need to apply them more strictly.\"\n\nThe spike protein (foreground) enables the virus to enter and infect human cells\n\nWith vaccine roll-out underway, scientists are racing to understand the repercussions for vaccines, which are based on the spike protein sequence.\n\nThere is particular concern about the South Africa variant, which has several changes in the spike (S) protein.\n\nMost experts think vaccines will still be effective, at least in the short term.\n\nDr Julian W Tang, a virologist at the University of Leicester, says vaccines can be modified to be \"more close-fitting and effective against this variant in a few months\".\n\n\"Meanwhile, most of us believe that the existing vaccines are likely to work to some extent to reduce infection/ transmission rates and severe disease against both the UK and South African variants - as the various mutations have not altered the S protein shape that the current vaccine-induced antibodies will not bind at all.\"\n\nMink outbreaks are a \"spillover\" from the human pandemic\n\nScientists are carrying out laboratory studies to find out more about the variants. And they are tracking every move of the virus as it hopscotches around the world.\n\nBy taking a swab from an infected patient, the genetic code of the virus can be extracted and amplified before being \"read\" using a sequencer.\n\nThe string of letters, or nucleotides, allows genomes and mutations to be compared.\n\n\"It is thanks to these efforts, and UK testing laboratories, that the UK variant has been flagged so quickly as a potential cause of concern,\" Dr van Dorp says.\n\nProf Julian Hiscox, chair in infection and global health at the University of Liverpool, says that, through the efforts of scientists to sequence the virus, \"we've got a really good handle on variants that emerge\".\n\nIn the short-term, only the harshest of lockdowns will reduce case numbers, he says.\n\n\"What lockdown does is reduce the number of people with the virus and reduce the amount of virus out there and that's a good thing.\"\n\nBut in the long term, Prof Hiscox suspects, we may face a scenario like flu, where new vaccines are developed and administered every year.\n\n\"The problem is, the more variants we get, the greater the chance the virus will be able to escape part of the vaccine - and this may reduce [its] efficacy,\" he says.\n• None New coronavirus variant: What do we know?", "The co-founder for Cyberpunk 2077's developer has released a new video explaining what went wrong with the game.\n\nCD Projekt's Marcin Iwiński admitted they \"underestimated the task\" of adapting the game for consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One.\n\nMarcin says he's \"deeply sorry for this and this video is me publicly owning up\".\n\nThe game was arguably the most anticipated release of 2020 but the launch just before Christmas was a disaster.\n\nThe problems led to Sony and Microsoft removing the game from online stores and gamers were offered refunds.\n\nCyberpunk 2077 is a set in the fictional Night City - a dystopian future where pollution and crime are rampant and social inequality is the norm.\n\nIn the video, Marcin explains issues originated from Cyperpunk's \"huge\" scope, particularly the high number \"of custom objects, interacting systems, and mechanics\", making it a complex game.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Cyberpunk 2077 This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nAs this was \"condensed in one big city\" rather than spread over a bigger space - it needed greater hardware capability.\n\nSo despite working well for high-end PCs, it couldn't be adjusted to older generation consoles such as the PS4 and Xbox One, making in-game streaming difficult.\n\n\"We hit the ground running on PC. While not perfect, it's a version of Cyberpunk we're very proud of.\"\n\nMarcin adds that testing did not \"show a big part of the issues\" that gamers experienced.\n\n\"As we got closer to the final release, we saw significant improvements each and every day.\"\n\nHe also blames the coronavirus pandemic for creating issues for CD Projekt as they tried to improve performance after launch.\n\n\"A lot of the dynamics we normally take for granted got lost over video calls or email. And we took that hit too.\"\n\nLooks good right? But this wasn't what the game looked like for a lot of console gamers\n\nMarcin added the \"incredibly hard working and talented\" development team should not be blamed for problems, saying the final decision came down to him and the board.\n\n\"Believe me, we never ever intended for anything like this to happen. I assure you that we will do our best to regain your trust\".\n\nAs part of that, he says they intend to fix the problems and improve the game across platforms.\n\n\"Our ultimate goal is to fix the bugs and crashes,\" he says, with updates to the game expected to arrive in the coming days and weeks.\n\n\"We treat this entire situation very seriously and are working hard to make it right.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "Julia is doing well after her surprise arrival into the world\n\nA mother who gave birth just 10 days after discovering she was pregnant thought she had put on weight in lockdown.\n\nSamantha Hicks, from Portishead, North Somerset, attributed her baby Julia's kicking to sickness having been ill.\n\nHer pregnancy was missed even when she was in Southmead Hospital in Bristol with Covid-19 in November .\n\n\"It never occurred to me I was pregnant as I had taken two previous tests which both came back negative,\" she said.\n\nWhen Mrs Hicks was taken to the Covid ward in hospital, doctors asked if she was pregnant and she said no.\n\nShe said she had noticed a small amount of weight gain but put it down to lockdown and that she thought she might have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) as it runs in the family.\n\nMrs Hicks said: \"I felt a bit of movement but I thought it was because I had not been well.\n\n\"My tummy was a bit swollen but again, because I felt sick and I wasn't great, it never occurred to me I was pregnant.\"\n\nHer husband Joe said: \"On Christmas Day, I asked her if she was sure she wasn't pregnant, but she said no and she knows her own body.\n\n\"Then on January 1, I had my hands on Sammy and we felt a baby kick.\n\n\"We took another pregnancy test which came back positive.\"\n\nAt that stage, Mrs Hicks thought she was only five or six months into her term and returned to her job in a care home, walking 40 minutes to get there.\n\nTen days later, her contractions began and Mr Hicks rushed her to hospital\n\n\"It was unreal, the doctors only realised Julia was full term when she was born,\" he said.\n\nThe couple, who have two sons aged three and eight, said they had not planned on having more children.\n\nThey have since been \"inundated\" with gifts from friends, family and strangers in Portishead, who have offered blankets and essentials to help out.\n\n\"We want to say thank you to everyone really,\" Mr Hicks said.\n\nHelen Blanchard, Director of Nursing and Quality at North Bristol NHS Trust said: \"We would like to pass our congratulations to Mrs Hicks and her family on their new arrival.\n\n\"As Mrs Hicks experienced when she was cared for at Southmead, it is routine practice to ask people if they are, or could be, pregnant upon admission.\n\n\"However, we would ask a patient to do a pregnancy test if they were undergoing specific operations or procedures.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Marcus Rashford and a group of celebrity chefs and campaigners have called on Boris Johnson to review the government's free school meals policy.\n\nThe group, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Tom Kerridge, have written to the PM asking him to \"fix\" the system long-term.\n\nThey called for a strategy to help \"end child food poverty\" before the summer holidays.\n\nNo 10 said \"no child will ever go hungry\" because of the Covid pandemic.\n\nThe call for a wide review comes after another row over free school meals during February half-term.\n\nThe government has said food will be provided to children by councils under the Covid Winter Grant Scheme while schools are closed for the holiday.\n\nCouncils and unions say the government should provide food vouchers instead, with the Local Government Association's Councillor Richard Watts telling BBC Radio 4's PM programme the grant had already been allocated for other support.\n\nBut Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"We are down to semantics whether it is the school delivering the meal or whether it is the local authority - fortunately there is quite a lot of different support available.\"\n\nAs well as getting the backing of Rashford - who has led campaigns around child poverty over the course of the pandemic - the letter has been signed by chefs Oliver, Kerridge and Fearnley-Whittingstall, along with actor Dame Emma Thompson and over 40 charities and education leaders.\n\nOrganised by the Food Foundation charity, the letter said it was time to \"step back and review the policy in more depth\".\n\nThey called for an \"urgent comprehensive review into free school meal policy across the UK\" to feed into the government's next Spending Review, saying it should look at:\n\nThe signatories praised the Department for Education's \"swift response\" to reports earlier this week of inadequate food parcels sent to families, saying the \"robustness of the message from you and the secretary of state on this issue was very welcome\".\n\nBut, they added that \"following the series of problems which have arisen over school food vouchers, holiday provision and food parcels since the start of the pandemic\", now was the time for a review.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Tom Kerridge: There has to be a solution to free school meals\n\nAnna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation charity, said the last few months had seen \"crisis after crisis with the provision of free school meals\".\n\n\"The result of that is disadvantaged children have often paid the price,\" she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\n\"Our view is that really unless we do a root and branch review these problems are going to still keep appearing.\"\n\nChef Fearnley-Whittingstall also called for a more consistent, long-term response to the issue of food poverty.\n\n\"We need to get out of this fire-fighting, highly reactive series of actions by the government,\" he told the same programme.\n\nThe signatories want a review to be published and debated in Parliament before the 2021 summer holidays.\n\n\"We are ready and willing to support your government in whatever way we can to make this review a reality and to help develop a set of recommendations that everyone can support,\" the letter said.\n\n\"School food is essential in supporting the health and learning of our most disadvantaged children.\n\n\"Now, at a time when children have missed months of in-school learning and the pandemic has reminded us of the importance of our health, this is a vital next step.\"\n\nAnti-poverty campaigner and food writer Jack Monroe welcomed the letter to the PM, but told the BBC: \"We need to be feeding children right now.\"\n\nShe added: \"While it is great to be looking longer term... having an underpinning strategy that means that children aren't put into poverty in the first place, we need to also immediately be putting resources in to ensure people aren't going hungry, today, tonight, next week and in the February half-term.\n\n\"This isn't a rhetorical thing. It isn't a dinner party discussion. We need to be doing this now.\"\n\nA Downing Street spokesperson said: \"It is great that celebrities and groups across society see the importance of school food. The PM thanks Marcus Rashford for his letter and will reply soon.\n\n\"School food is essential in supporting the health and learning of the most disadvantaged pupils. The prime minister has been clear that no child will ever go hungry as a result of the pandemic\".", "The prime minister has suggested there could be restrictions on travel from Brazil to the UK - but a final decision has not been taken.\n\nBoris Johnson was asked by Labour MP Yvette Cooper why checks on people arriving from Brazil have not been strengthened, given that a new variant of coronavirus has been identified there.\n\nMr Johnson said: \"We are taking steps to ensure that we do not see the import of this new variant from Brazil.\"\n\nThe UK government’s 'Covid-O' committee is expected to discuss the new Brazil variant of coronavirus at a meeting on Thursday.", "People needing to travel by rail during lockdown are being urged to double-check train times, as services are being reduced.\n\nServices in England are being cut from 87% of normal levels to 72%, industry body the Rail Delivery Group said.\n\nIt said the number of trains would reflect the drop in passengers, and provide better value for money for taxpayers who are subsidising services.\n\nPeak services will be prioritised to help key workers, it added.\n\nWhile some timetables have already changed, others will be altered in the next few weeks.\n\nSince the early days of the pandemic, the government has spent billions of pounds covering the fall in ticket revenues for rail companies, owing to low passenger numbers.\n\nCutting some services will save public money, the government said.\n\nRail minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: \"It is critical that our railways continue to deliver reliable services for key workers and people who cannot reasonably work from home, and that they respond quickly to changes in demand.\"\n\nRail usage has slumped, with passenger journeys falling more than 90% to 35 million journeys for the three-month period to June, according to the Office of Rail and Road.\n\nThe figures recovered a little to 134 million for the three months to September - the latest published.\n\nWith fewer passengers, the government argues, it makes sense to run fewer services.\n\nNot least because right now, the government are footing much of the bill; since the start of the pandemic, the government has spent more than £4bn covering the fall in ticket revenues because of low passenger numbers.\n\nThe cuts aren't as deep as they were in March - then services were running around 55% of pre-pandemic levels - which is partly because the train companies want to make sure it doesn't take as long getting the services back up again when they are needed.\n\nLonger term, rail companies are nervous about how quickly passengers, particularly commuters, will return, but for now the message is still firmly \"stay at home\".\n\n\"Train timetables must still meet the needs of those who have to travel, said Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith.\n\n\"Many key workers rely on the first and last services of the day so it's important that these are maintained. Providing enough capacity for those who are travelling to properly social distance remains vital.\"\n\nAlthough timetables were restored when restrictions were eased over the summer, rail franchising has since been scrapped and replaced with a model which means the taxpayer is currently liable for the losses on the railways.\n\nIn September, the bill had run to more than £3.5bn - and the Department for Transport has said \"significant\" support is still needed.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Large parts of Scotland woke up to a blanket of snow on Thursday, including in Rutherglen where conditions became challenging for drivers\n\nMotorists continue to face difficult conditions after heavy snow across parts of Scotland caused road closures.\n\nA Met Office yellow warning for ice will be in place overnight and for all of Friday for mainland Scotland.\n\nThe A9 at Dunblane was closed due to snow but has now reopened, while driving conditions on the M90 and M8 were reported as difficult.\n\nThere have also been problems in the Scottish Borders where up to a foot of snow fell overnight.\n\nTraffic Scotland has reported difficult driving conditions on the M77 at Fenwick, M80 around Cumbernauld and the A9 at Greenloaning.\n\nA woman walks through the snow in Braco near Dunblane\n\nThe impact of the overnight freeze on a hedgerow near Strathaven, South Lanarkshire\n\nIn the Borders several lorries got stuck on the A7 between Selkirk and Hawick, while difficult driving conditions were also reported on the A68 at the Carter Bar and Soutra.\n\nThere were also delays on the A83 Old Military Road diversion and the A82 at Tyndrum.\n\nMeanwhile, police have urged drivers to properly clear their car windscreens before setting off in the wintry conditions.\n\nOfficers in Dumfries and Galloway shared a picture of a driver they stopped and charged for failing to do this.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by DumfriesGPolice This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nPeople should only be leaving home to make essential journeys in parts of Scotland under level four Covid measures, under current Scottish government lockdown regulations.\n\nCh Supt Louise Blakelock, of Police Scotland, said: \"Government guidance on only travelling if your journey is essential remains in place and so with an amber warning for snow, please consider if your journey really is essential and whether you can delay it until the weather improves.\n\n\"If your journey really is essential, plan ahead and make sure you and your vehicle are suitably prepared by having sufficient fuel and supplies such as warm clothing, food, water and charge in your mobile phone in the event you require assistance.\"\n\nA motorist brushes snow off a car in Braco near Dunblane\n\nThe village of Bowden near Melrose woke up to snow\n\nA snowy scene at Fountainhall in the Scottish Borders\n\nPolice in Shetland have also warned of ice badly affecting roads on the islands.\n\nScotRail said its services could be affected, particularly on the Highland mainline.\n\nScottish Borders Council said the effects of the adverse weather could cause disruption into Friday morning.\n\nEmergency planning officer Jim Fraser said: \"With widespread snow and some freezing rain possible over the course of Wednesday and Thursday, there is the strong potential for disruption across our road network and communities.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Michael Matheson MSP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSome of the deepest snowfalls in recent weeks have been in the Highlands, including the Cairngorms.\n\nEarlier this month, the UK had its coldest night of the winter so far after a temperature of -12.3C was recorded in the north west Highlands.\n\nThe temperature was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch, near Garve, south of Ullapool in Wester Ross.\n\nThe record lowest temperature in the UK is -27.2C, which was recorded in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, in 1895 and 1982 and at Altnaharra in the Highlands in 1995.", "Pre-departure Covid-19 testing will now be required for everyone travelling to England from 04:00 GMT on Monday.\n\nThe rules had been due to come into force on Friday, but the government said people needed time \"to prepare\".\n\nThose arriving by plane, train or boat, including UK nationals, will have to take a test up to 72 hours before leaving the country they are in.\n\nAnyone arriving from places not on the UK's travel corridor list must still self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nThe Scottish government is planning to impose the same rules and has had to defer them coming into effect as a result of changes in England.\n\n\"This meant Scotland was also obliged to delay implementation as we need sight of their final regulations in order to properly draft and approve the relevant Scottish regulations,\" a spokeswoman said.\n\nIt is expected the requirement will come into force in Scotland at 04:00 GMT on Monday as well. Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to announce plans for pre-arrival testing in the coming days.\n\nAnnouncing the deferral on Twitter, Transport Secretary Mr Shapps said: \"To give international arrivals time to prepare, passengers will be required to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test before departure to England from Monday 18 January at 4am.\"\n\nHe also reminded travellers to fill out the Passenger Locator Form - used in track and trace - and added that those without proof of a negative test faced a fine of £500.\n\nProblems with testing availability and capacity mean some countries will initially be exempt.\n\nFor instance, the requirement will not apply to travellers from St Lucia, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda until 04:00 GMT on 21 January.\n\nTravellers from Falkland Islands, Ascension Islands and St Helena are exempted permanently.\n\nHauliers are exempt to allow the free flow of freight, as are air, international rail and maritime crew.\n\nThe government has said all forms of PCR test will be accepted, as will other forms of test with \"97% specificity, 80% sensitivity\".\n\nThe move comes as a further 1,564 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began.\n\nWednesday's figure brings the total number of deaths by that measure to 84,767.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said there had now been more deaths in the second wave than the first.\n\nMeanwhile on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was \"concerned\" about a new coronavirus variant that is believed to have emerged in Brazil.\n\nHe acknowledged it was not yet clear how effective existing vaccines would be against the latest new variant.\n\nMr Johnson said the UK was taking steps to make sure it was not brought into the country.\n\nA government Covid committee is meeting on Thursday to discuss the possibility of stopping flights from Brazil.\n\nArrivals from Brazil already have to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nAre you due to travel back to the UK from Brazil? Share your experience. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Post-primary schools have been given extra time to decide how they will admit pupils in 2021 following the cancellation of transfer tests.\n\nOn Wednesday the AQE said it would not hold any transfer tests in the 2020-21 school year.\n\nThey had originally planned to go ahead with a test in late February after cancelling tests in January.\n\nThe other test provider, PPTC, had also previously announced it would not hold tests this year.\n\nAttention will now focus especially on what criteria grammar schools will use to select pupils.\n\nSome have already published what criteria they would use in the event transfer tests were cancelled but it is not clear if those will now change.\n\nAll post-primaries were to submit their admissions criteria to the Education Authority (EA) by this Friday.\n\nBut following the AQE's move the Department of Education (DE) has written to schools to tell them they do not have to provide criteria to the EA until Friday 22 January.\n\n\"This will allow them to meet the statutory deadline for publication on their website of 2 February 2021,\" the DE letter said.\n\n\"I would also remind you that boards of governors should ensure that any admissions criteria are robust and are able to clearly and objectively rank order applicants.\"\n\nIt is unclear how most grammar schools who have used transfer tests to select pupils in previous years will admit children in 2021.\n\nPatrick Allen, principal of Foyle College in Londonderry, said his school's board of governors was now working to determine this year's admissions criteria.\n\n\"This is and continues to be an exceptional year. It is a very difficult circumstance,\" he said.\n\n\"We are trying to do the best and what is right for as many pupils as possible in looking at various permutations and combinations of criteria\".\n\nEducation Minister Peter Weir said it was \"a very disappointing day\" for many families.\n\n\"The transfer test, while it has never been about being compulsory for either a school or indeed an individual parent, does enable a level of parental choice and that has been dramatically reduced as a result of that,\" he told Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.\n\n\"But sadly what we have seen is for this year, the pandemic has prevented those transfer tests taking place, and I am very disappointed and entirely understand the disappointment and frustration of many families today.\"\n\nMr Weir said there had been \"a lack of consistency\" from AQE.\n\n\"I don't think the way things have worked out from AQE's point of view, particularly over the last couple of weeks, have been particularly helpful,\" he said.\n\nThe minister also apologised for \"clumsy language\" in a statement he issued on Wednesday night.\n\nWriting on Twitter about the cancellation of the transfer test, Mr Weir said: \"This severely limits parental choice and children's opportunities.\"\n\n\"There was no adverse intention towards non-selective schools,\" he said in relation to his tweet.\n\n\"I think both selective and non-selective schools have got excellent records in Northern Ireland.\"\n\n\"But once the opportunities for entry to any school is reduced then that is a reduction in opportunities for all.\"\n\nUUP MLA Robbie Butler has proposed that pupils' results in tests in primary schools could be given to parents and then used by grammar schools to decide which children get a place.\n\nMr Butler said that he had some favourable responses from some grammars and some primary schools to that proposal.\n\n\"Whilst I don't think my solution is absolutely perfect I do believe it to be absolutely fair and absolutely compassionate,\" he told MLAs on the committee.\n\n\"We have the genesis of a solution for these P7 pupils.\"\n\nBut, speaking on Wednesday, Mr Weir replied that there were issues with that approach.\n\n\"There are very major problems, I'm being honest with you, in terms of the models that have been put forward for academic selection without the test,\" he said.\n\nThe minister said it would be difficult to get comparable information for pupils across all primaries.\n\n\"While it's not entirely ruling out those and there is the option for schools to do it, it does leave them in a very difficult position making comparability between pupils on a fair basis,\" he said", "Jamie McMillan said delays in exporting his shellfish would result in them arriving dead\n\nA Scottish shellfish firm has warned it is on the brink of bankruptcy as delays continue at ports following the introduction of post-Brexit red tape.\n\nLochfyne Langoustines managing director Jamie McMillan said his firm had already lost some consignments after they were found to be rotten by the time they arrived in France.\n\nHe also warned EU customers were now going to Denmark to buy langoustines.\n\nMr McMillan described it as a \"very, very serious situation\".\n\nHis comments came after transport company DFDS announced a further delay in exports of group consignments of seafood to the EU.\n\nIt halted groupage exports last week after delays in getting new paperwork for EU border posts in France.\n\nDFDS said it would not resume those exports until Monday.\n\nMr McMillan told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: \"We've been screaming for the last six months - eight months - that we have to get our produce to market within 12 to 24 hours.\n\n\"Any delays in that process, our shellfish will arrive in France dead.\n\n\"We lost two pallets last week. It took five days to arrive in Boulogne from Scotland, so our goods were rotten on arrival.\"\n\nTransport company DFDS has said it will not resume groupage exports until Monday\n\nHe added: \"Customers are not buying from us any more - we have become unreliable suppliers.\n\n\"Everybody has stopped buying. This has happened for the past two weeks. We can't continue this to happen for another week because we will be out of business.\n\n\"We have had no sales to the EU, our biggest market for live shellfish, in the last two weeks.\n\n\"If we go another week without that, we are finished.\"\n\nMr McMillan said there were \"sticking points\" in both the UK and France, with transportation hubs in Scotland struggling with increased paperwork and checks by vets.\n\n\"There are sticking points down in France as well,\" he said.\n\n\"There are delays at the borders in France for up to 30 hours, I'm hearing, to clear customs by the time they do all their checks.\"\n\nThe UK government's Scotland Office minister David Duguid said he did not underestimate the struggles the industry was facing with paperwork, IT and ports.\n\nHe said the UK and Scottish governments, fish exporters and the EU needed to come together to work through the issues, which he estimated would last \"weeks\" and not months.\n\nHe told Good Morning Scotland: \"What I can commit to is that the UK government, whether that's through Defra or the Scotland Office, we are working day and night in resolving the issues that we know about and that we can fix directly.\n\n\"The other issues that are maybe the responsibility of the Scottish government, or indeed the EU on the other side of the channel, Defra are engaging heavily with those parties as well.\"\n\nHowever, when asked directly on the programme how long the problems would last, Mr Duguid responded: \"How long is a piece of string?\"\n\nFish ate up a lot of the time in negotiating the deal for departing the European customs union and single market.\n\nNow grown to become a much bigger political predator, it has started the post-Brexit era by threatening to devour UK ministers with the task of making the deal work.\n\nThe fisheries minister admitted she was preparing for Christmas rather than seeing how the deal had turned out on 24 December. Asked how long it will take to sort out delays, a Scotland Office minister asked: \"How long's a piece of string?\"\n\nThe prime minister says there will be compensation, but it seems that is due to come from the fund intended to expand the fishing fleet.\n\nAnd Michael Gove, who appears to have more of a grasp of the detail, was in the Commons on Wednesday, acknowledging there's a vast amount for the government yet to sort out - and that was only for Northern Ireland.\n\nAt least the province got a grace period before consignments of food require the paperwork now needed to send fish to France. That was sought by fish and meat exporters.\n\nIt's not clear if the request was made of EU negotiators, but it hasn't materialised. Yet coming the other way, the UK has given a six-month preparation period for EU exporters to Britain.\n\nBecause seafood is freshly delivered, it is the product that hit the obstacles first. Meat and dairy are sure to follow.\n\nBeef exporters to Europe are beginning to face delays, while Brexit chickens are coming home to roast.", "A teenage motorcyclist who led police on a 30-minute pursuit at speeds of up to 180mph (290km/h) through London and three counties has been sentenced.\n\nOfficers in Haringey, London, spotted a speeding rider at about 21:20 BST on 20 May and were joined by a police helicopter as they followed it along the M1, through Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.\n\nThe biker mounted pavements, drove through multiple red lights and the wrong way down the motorway hard shoulder before he was arrested at a service station.\n\nMarian Vasilica Dragoi, 19, of Teynton Terrace, Haringey, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving without a licence and being uninsured and was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court to 46 weeks' detention.", "The opening of Nintendo's first theme park has been delayed because of rising coronavirus cases in Japan.\n\nSuper Nintendo World, modelled on levels of the company's Mario games, had been due to open on 4 February.\n\nBut Japan has expanded its state of emergency, due to last until at least 7 February, beyond Tokyo to include Osaka prefecture, where the park is located.\n\nThe opening, at Universal Studios Japan, had already been postponed from mid-2020 because of the pandemic.\n\nBut in December, Nintendo posted a video tour of the park in December, starring Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong, among others.\n\nIt is not the first theme park to suffer problems during the pandemic - the shuttered Disneyland theme park in California is set to become a large-scale vaccination centre.\n\nThe state of emergency in Japan, which has so far avoided the types of lockdowns seen in the UK and other European nations, prohibits non-essential trips outside the home.\n\nOn Tuesday, the country's total number of cases reached 300,000, with more than 4,000 deaths.\n\nAnd many of those have been in the past three months.\n\nThe rising number of cases has also led to some doubts over the fate of the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for this summer, having already been postponed last year.\n\nOrganisers, however, insist the Games will go ahead.", "Nearly 46% of over-80s in England's North East and Yorkshire region have been given their first dose of a Covid vaccine - more than any other area, official figures show.\n\nThis compares with about 30% of over-80s in both London and the East of England who have received a first jab.\n\nLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan claims the capital is not getting its fair share of vaccine doses.\n\nIn total, more than 2.2 million people in England have had one vaccine dose.\n\nAbout 400,000 second doses have also been administered, despite guidance from the UK's chief medical officers and vaccine advisers, the JCVI, that giving a first dose to as many people as possible was a public health priority.\n\nThe NHS England figures cover Covid-19 vaccinations given to people at hospital hubs and GP practices between 8 December 2020 and 10 January 2021.\n\nAmong the over-80s alone, most first doses - 204,140 - were administered in north-east England and Yorkshire, while the lowest number (92,398) were given to this age group in London.\n\nOverall, more than one-third of people aged 80 and over in England have received at least one dose.\n\nThe figures show that in the Midlands more vaccine doses had been administered to all people in the top priority groups - 387,647 - than in any other area of England. In London, a total of 199,986 first doses were given and in the East the figure was 186,291.\n\nThese include care home residents, frontline heath and care staff, the over-80s and people who are clinically extremely vulnerable, who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill and dying from the Covid-19.\n\nThe percentage of the whole population to have received a first dose so far ranged from 4.3% in the north-east and Yorkshire to 2.2% in London.\n\nMr Khan said he was \"hugely concerned\" that Londoners had received only one-tenth of the vaccines that had been given across the country.\n\n\"The situation in London is critical with rates of the virus extremely high, which is why it's so important that vulnerable Londoners are given access to the vaccine as soon as possible,\" he said.\n\nHe said he would hold talks with vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi to ensure more vaccines were delivered to reflect the level of need in the city.\n\nLondon has a younger average population than other parts of England and the smallest number of people aged over 80 compared with other regions.\n\nDr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at Public Health England, said vaccinating over a third of all over-80s was \"a great achievement\".\n\nBut she said people must continue to follow the guidance that is in place to protect themselves and their loved ones.\n\n\"These data will help us to evaluate the protection from the vaccine and to effectively target the roll-out of the programme to help control the virus and save lives,\" she added.", "Mauritius has been removed from the safe list\n\nTravellers from countries near South Africa are to be banned from entering England to stop the spread of the South African Covid variant.\n\nArrivals from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana, as well as island nations Mauritius and Seychelles, will be affected.\n\nThe rule will take effect on 9 January but there will be an exemption for British and Irish nationals.\n\nThey will need to follow existing quarantine procedures.\n\nA ban by visitors to the UK from South Africa started on 24 December.\n\nThe latest restriction brought in by the Department for Transport also affects travellers arriving from Eswatini, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho and Mozambique.\n\nIt will apply from 04:00 GMT on Saturday to people who have travelled from or through any of the specified countries in the last 10 days.\n\nIt is understood most flights from the affected countries arrive at airports in England, although it is expected the policy will be formally adopted by the other UK nations.\n\nThe measures will be in place for an initial period of two weeks.\n\nMeanwhile, Botswana, and the islands of Seychelles and Mauritius, are being removed from the UK list of safe travel corridors as there is a high frequency of travel between the islands and South Africa.\n\nThe new variant of coronavirus circulating in South Africa is already being seen in other countries, including the UK.\n\nThe variant, much like the new UK variant first seen in Kent, appears to be more contagious than previous ones.\n\nAnyone arriving into the UK from most destinations must quarantine for 10 days.\n\nBut there are a list of countries exempt from the rules, meaning returning travellers do not need to self-isolate, called the travel corridor list.\n\nUnder the latest announcement, the travel corridor with Israel will also end amid concerns about rising infection levels in that country.\n\nHowever, rules in place across the UK currently ban travel abroad unless for specific reasons.", "Tesco says it has seen some disruption to food supplies in Northern Ireland since trading arrangements with the EU changed on 1 January.\n\n\"We see this as a challenge at the moment, but not a crisis,\" boss Ken Murphy said.\n\nBut he said the retailer was working closely with government on both sides of the Irish Sea to \"smooth the flow\".\n\nSince 31 December, Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that has stayed in the EU's single market for goods.\n\nMr Murphy said certain foodstuffs had faced supply chain disruption going into both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.\n\n\"Ready meals have been the most affected as they have an eight-day shelf life so any wait is more likely to have an impact,\" he said.\n\n\"Some processed meat and some citrus fruit has also been impacted, but it is important to stress that our availability in the Republic and Northern Ireland is strong and is very strong in the mainland UK.\n\nLast week, all the major grocers wrote to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove asking him to take urgent action.\n\nBut Tesco said its \"comprehensive preparations and... strong relationships with suppliers\" had allowed it to maintain strong levels of availability during the Brexit transition period.\n\nMr Murphy said he was confident Tesco would have the right measures in place to supply Northern Ireland after end of a three month grace period on certain rules and regulations with the EU on 31 March.\n\nHe also said there had also been \"teething problems\" with supply flows from continental Europe to Great Britain.\n\n\"Inevitably there are bedding-in issues, teething issues, that you would expect with any new process that's been set up at relatively short notice,\" he said.\n\n\"We're working our way through those and we would hope over the coming weeks and months that we will end up with a much smoother flow of product.\"\n\nUnder new trading arrangements, food products entering Northern Ireland from Britain need to be professionally certified and are subject to new checks and controls at ports.\n\nMarks & Spencer has temporarily reduced its range of food products in Northern Ireland\n\nA three month \"grace period\" means that supermarkets currently don't need to comply with all the EU's usual certification requirements until 1 April - but there has still been disruption.\n\nM&S has temporarily reduced its range of food products and Sainsbury's has been sourcing Spar-branded products from an NI wholesaler.\n\nThis week the bosses of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Iceland, Co-Op and Marks & Spencer warned that trade into Northern Ireland would become \"unworkable\" if further new certification requirements were introduced in April .\n\nThe government said a new dedicated team has already been set up and will be working with supermarkets, the food industry and the Northern Ireland Executive to develop ways to streamline the movement of goods.\n\nTesco's comments came as the supermarket giant reported record sales for the Christmas period after customers looked to \"treat themselves\" amid tough Covid restrictions across most of the UK.\n\nUK like-for-like sales were up 8.1% in the six weeks to 9 January, as the supermarket saw a surge in demand for goods in its Tesco Finest range.\n\nBig grocers have benefited at a time when most non-essential shops and restaurants are closed, prompting consumers to spend more on their weekly shop. But they have faced criticism too.\n\nLast month, Tesco said it would repay £585m of business rates relief after it was criticised for paying dividends to shareholders during the crisis. Most big grocers followed suit.\n\nTesco was later criticised for keeping its shops open on Boxing Day despite union calls to give staff the day off.\n\nIn its results the grocer said it had given all frontline staff a 10% bonus over Christmas. It also said it had shielded vulnerable staff and taken on nearly 35,000 additional temporary staff for the season.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. James Howells says he wishes he had never thrown away the hard drive\n\nA man who threw away a laptop hard drive containing bitcoin he believes is now worth about £210m wants his council to let him search for it in landfill.\n\nJames Howells had 7,500 bitcoins, a virtual currency, on the hard drive, which he mistakenly threw away in 2013.\n\nHe said he was willing to donate 25% of the value of the bitcoins to his home city of Newport in south Wales - about £52.5m - if he found the hard drive.\n\nNewport council said excavation was not possible under its licensing permit.\n\nMr Howells said if he was to recover the hard drive, he would want the money to be put into a \"Covid relief fund\" for people in Newport to use \"no questions asked\".\n\n\"Imagine how great it would be to say 'I've given everyone in the city a few hundred pounds',\" he told the BBC.\n\nMr Howells bought the bitcoins for almost nothing in 2009, but the hard drive ended up in a drawer after he spilled a drink on his laptop.\n\nHe kept the hard drive in his office drawer and \"totally forgot about bitcoin all together\" - so when he had a clear out, he believed everything had been taken off it.\n\nWhen he threw the hard drive away in 2013, the value of the bitcoins was about $7.5m (£4.6m).\n\nBut now they are worth almost 50 times more, with the cost of a single bitcoin currently just over £28,000 after a surge in value.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. James Howells: \"When I went up to the landfill site yesterday my first thought was 'I've got not chance'\"\n\nHe said he has asked Newport council if he could search the landfill several times, but had not been granted permission.\n\n\"I offered the local authority 10% of the recovered funds in order to give me permission to search on their property and unfortunately they said no at the time,\" Mr Howells told BBC Radio 5 Live.\n\n\"What actually happened after that was the value of bitcoin skyrocketed even further. In 2017 the value of my hard drive was approximately £125m, at which point I made them another offer of 10% and unfortunately that offer was refused as well.\n\nJames Howells said he wants to donate a quarter of the money to the people of Newport\n\n\"I haven't actually made an offer to them today, but I'm willing to increase my offer to them to 25%. On today's valuation that would be £52.5m and I'd like to put that into a Covid relief fund for the citizens of Newport.\"\n\nMr Howells said searching for the discarded hard drive would \"not be as hard as you might think\" as he would employ a professional team - and knows when he threw it away so could use that to find a grid reference of where the hard drive is buried.\n\nHe added investors had offered to cover the cost of excavating the landfill, in exchange for a large proportion of the recovered bitcoin.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMr Howells said he wants to meet with the council to discuss what he said would be a \"win-win-win\" situation for him, the council and the city.\n\nBut a spokeswoman for the council said: \"Newport City Council has been contacted a number of times since 2013 about the possibility of retrieving a piece of IT hardware said to contain bitcoins.\n\n\"The first time was several months after Mr Howells first realised the hardware was missing.\n\n\"The council has told Mr Howells on a number of occasions that excavation is not possible under our licencing permit and excavation itself would have a huge environmental impact on the surrounding area.\n\n\"The cost of digging up the landfill, storing and treating the waste could run into millions of pounds - without any guarantee of either finding it or it still being in working order.\"", "Many of the works in Gurlitt's collection were in poor condition when they were discovered in 2012 (file photo)\n\nWhen a trove of 1,500 artworks hoarded by the son of a Nazi-era art dealer was discovered in 2012, an investigation began to find out how many were looted from Jewish owners.\n\nEventually only 14 were conclusively identified as looted, and now Germany has declared the last of those works has been returned to the owner's heirs.\n\nDas Klavierspiel (Playing the Piano) by Carl Spitzweg was owned by music publisher Henri Hinrichsen.\n\nHe was murdered at Auschwitz in 1942.\n\nGerman Culture Minister Monika Grütters said the return of the work sent an \"important signal\", and that while it could not make up for the deep suffering, it could \"make a contribution to historical justice and fulfil our moral responsibility\".\n\nThe 19th-Century work by Spitzweg was confiscated by the Nazis in 1939, the same year that Hinrichsen had bought it.\n\nDas Klavierspiel by Carl Spitzweg was seized by the Nazis in 1939\n\nIt was bought in 1940 by Hildebrand Gurlitt, a Nazi-era dealer who had been given the task by Adolf Hitler of dealing in art seized from Jewish collectors and of buying up so-called \"degenerate art\" removed from museums for a planned Führermuseum in the Austrian city of Linz.\n\nThe money for the Spitzweg work was paid into a blocked account, so Hinrichsen would never have received it.\n\nIn 2015, the piece was identified as looted, and it was handed over to the auctioneers Christie's on Tuesday, according to the wishes of Hinrichsen's heirs.\n\nAlthough his collection of 1,500 works, plundered from museums as well as individuals, was initially confiscated after the war by the Allies, Hildebrand Gurlitt eventually managed to get it back.\n\nGurlitt died in the 1950s and when German authorities approached his widow in 1961 in search of part of his collection, she claimed the works had been destroyed at the end of World War Two by Allied bombing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BBC's Stephen Evans was granted exclusive access to look at some of the long-lost masterpieces in 2014\n\nIt was only when tax investigators searched the Munich flat of his son Cornelius Gurlitt in 2012 that they found more than 1,400 of the works. Another 60 pieces were discovered at his Austrian home in Salzburg the following year.\n\nThe son died in 2014 with questions still hanging over the ownership of the collection - as he was protected by a statute of limitations.\n\nA court ruled that the works could be bequeathed to the Museum of Fine Arts in the Swiss capital Bern, as Cornelius Gurlitt had requested.\n\nWhile some of the works were deemed to belong to the family, the German Lost Art Foundation then tried to find out, with the Swiss museum, who were the rightful owners of the rest.\n\nFourteen pieces have now conclusively identified as belonging to Jewish owners and returned.\n\nAmong the many masterpieces in the collection was this work by Edouard Manet", "A provisional 270 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been secured by the African Union (AU) for distribution across the continent.\n\nAll of the doses will be used this year, promises current AU head South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.\n\nThis is on top of 600 million doses already promised but is still not enough to vaccinate the whole region.\n\nThere are fears that poorer countries globally will wait far longer than richer nations to be inoculated.\n\nAlthough infection numbers and death rates are comparatively lower across most of Africa, cases are spiking again in some areas.\n\nA new variant of Covid-19 in South Africa is causing particular alarm and makes up most of the new cases.\n\n\"As a result of our own efforts we have so far secured a commitment of a provisional amount of 270 million vaccines from three major suppliers: Pfizer, AstraZeneca (through Serum Institute of India) and Johnson & Johnson,\" President Ramaphosa said on Wednesday.\n\nAt least 50 million of the doses will be available \"for the crucial period of April to June 2021,\" he said.\n\nIn addition, the region is expecting around 600 million doses from the global Covax effort which aims to provide vaccines to lower-income countries.\n\nBut officials are still waiting for details and are now \"happy we have alternative solutions,\" Nicaise Ndembi, senior science adviser for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the AP news agency.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid vaccines in Africa: What you need to know\n\nMr Ramaphosa said officials are worried that the doses from the Covax effort released in the first half of 2021 will only be enough to inoculate health care workers. With a population of 1.3 billion people and each person requiring two vaccine jabs, Africa would need around 2.6 billion doses to eventually vaccinate everyone.\n\n\"These endeavours aim to supplement the Covax efforts, and to ensure that as many dosages of vaccine as possible become available throughout Africa as soon as possible,\" he explained.\n\nAfrica has recorded more than three million cases of Covid-19 and nearly 75,000 deaths. By contrast, the US has reported close to 23 million infections and more than 383,000 fatalities.\n\nThere has been a global rush to buy vaccines, with richer countries accused of buying up most of the supply.\n\nAs many had feared, Africa appears to be at the back of the queue to get Covid-19 vaccines.\n\nThe announcement of 270 million doses by South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa - who is also the current chair of the African Union - is good news. This is in addition to those secured by the Covax facility, which is led by the World Health Organisation and the Vaccine Alliance, Gavi. The facility has secured 600 million doses - enough to vaccinate only a fifth of the continent.\n\nBut it may be a while before any of them get to the continent. The announcements are agreements to supply vaccines. There is still the actual procurement process that needs to happen. Negotiations are ongoing.\n\nWealthier nations had a head start. They already acquired the bulk of the early doses being produced through advance purchase deals with manufacturers. The race is on to meet that demand.\n\nAfrica, on the other hand, still faces funding deficits. There are questions also about the continent's readiness to receive the vaccines. Ultra-cold refrigeration is needed for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Countries are working on building their cold chains. But even this is marred by a shortage of funds.\n\nSo, the continent can only wait.", "The surge in Covid hospital cases has left key hospital services in England in crisis, doctors are warning.\n\nNHS data showed A&Es were facing rising delays admitting extremely sick patients on to wards.\n\nMeanwhile, the total number of people facing year-long waits for routine treatments is now more than 100 times higher than it was before the pandemic.\n\nCancer experts are also warning the disruption to their services was \"terrifying\" and would cost lives.\n\nReports have emerged of hospitals cancelling urgent operations - London's King's College Hospital has stopped priority two treatments, which are those that need to be done within 28 days.\n\nAnd Birmingham's major hospital trust has temporarily suspended most liver transplants.\n\nIt comes after a surge in Covid patients in recent weeks.\n\nOne in three patients in hospital have the virus - and at some sites it is more than half.\n\nNHS England medical director Prof Stephen Powis said the NHS was facing an \"exceptionally tough challenge\", adding services would continue to be under pressure until the virus was under control.\n\nBut he stressed non-Covid treatment was still happening - with three times as many diagnostic tests and twice as many operations being carried out than in the spring when the pandemic first hit.\n\nThe data published by NHS England showed the scale of the impact from dealing with Covid on key hospital services.\n\nThe figures for cancer date back to November, before the surge in cases.\n\nAt that point, the number of urgent cancer check-ups and treatments being started was at normal levels.\n\nBut since then, concerns have been raised that services have been reduced.\n\nProf Pat Price, of the Catch Up With Cancer campaign, said services were facing the \"biggest crisis\" of her 30-year career.\n\n\"This is a truly terrifying scenario,\" she added.\n\nAnd the Royal College of Surgeons warned the pandemic was having a \"calamitous impact\" on waiting times for planned surgery.\n\nSarah Scobie, from the Nuffield Trust think tank, said services were under \"intolerable strain\", adding \"the worst is yet to come\".\n\nSaffron Cordery, of NHS Providers, which represents hospital bosses, agreed: \"The next few weeks are no doubt going to be the most testing in NHS history.\"", "The government must review its strategy to end rough sleeping in England by 2024 after coronavirus showed it to be \"out of step\", a watchdog warned.\n\nA National Audit Office report praised the 'Everyone In' scheme, which housed about 33,000 people in the crisis.\n\nBut the plan highlighted issues with the current strategy - with thousands more needing help than expected.\n\nThe government said it was \"regularly taking into account the lessons learned\" from the pandemic.\n\nBoris Johnson made the pledge to end rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament shortly before he won the general election in 2019.\n\nAt the time, a snapshot figure taken by the government one evening showed 4,266 people were sleeping on the streets in England.\n\nBut it did not include people in night shelters or assessment centres, and could have missed people sleeping hidden from view.\n\nResearch by the BBC carried out in February 2020 showed more than 28,000 people across the UK had been recorded as sleeping rough in the previous 12 months - and in England, councils were seeing figures five times higher than the snapshot.\n\nThe 'Everyone In' scheme, launched in March 2020, aimed to provide emergency shelter for all rough sleepers during the first wave of the pandemic.\n\nFunding was ended two months later to the anger of many charities, but the government said it had made a number of more targeted funding pledges to tackle the issue since.\n\nThe National Audit Office (NAO) carried out an investigation into the housing of rough sleepers in the pandemic and praised the \"considerable achievement\" of 'Everyone In'.\n\nThe head of the watchdog, Gareth Davies, said the government \"acted swiftly to house rough sleepers and keep transmission rates low during the first wave\".\n\nBut the NAO investigation found between the end of March and November 2020, 33,139 people were given accommodation through the scheme - a number almost eight times greater than the annual snapshot of rough sleepers.\n\nExamples included Bristol City Council which reported it accommodated 400 people in March, despite its most recent snapshot count being 98 rough sleepers.\n\nAnd the London Borough of Southwark had 25 known rough sleepers in March 2020, but within hours of 'Everyone In' launching, it had taken 200 people into hotels, with nearly 1,000 accommodated by November.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How the UK's homeless are coping during the coronavirus pandemic\n\nThe government pledged to carry out a review of its strategy to end rough sleeping early in 2020, but the plans took a back seat as the crisis unfolded.\n\nThe NAO said there was \"an ongoing need for a review of the strategy as it is out of step with the government's target\", adding there were now \"important lessons from Everyone In to consider\".\n\nMr Davies said the scale of the rough sleeping population in England has now been made clear, and it \"far exceeds\" previous government estimates.\n\n\"Understanding the size of this population, and who needs specialist support, is essential to achieve its ambition to end rough sleeping\", he added.\n\nThe report also highlighted the large number of people remaining in emergency accommodation unable to move on as they have no recourse to public funds - a condition put into the residence permit of some immigrants meaning they cannot access benefits.\n\nThe NAO also called on the government to \"keep under close review\" its more targeted response to the current coronavirus resurgence, whether it will \"protect vulnerable individuals as decisively\" as 'Everyone in'.\n\nA spokesman from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said they were pleased the NAO recognised its achievements with 'Everyone In'.\n\nHe added: \"By November, we had supported around 33,000 people, with nearly 10,000 in emergency accommodation and more than 23,000 in longer-term accommodation.\n\n\"We recently announced an additional £10m to help accommodate rough sleepers and ensure they are registered with a GP to receive the vaccine, and we will invest £750m next year as part of our commitment to end rough sleeping.\"\n\nAsked whether the review into the ending rough sleeping strategy would take place, the spokesman said: \"Our ambition to end rough sleeping within this parliament still stands, and we are regularly taking into account the lessons learned from our ongoing pandemic response, including 'Everyone In'.\"", "The government has defended its scheme to offer free food to struggling families in England over half term - after criticism from teachers' unions and council leaders.\n\nFood will be provided for children by councils under the Covid Winter Grant Scheme, rather than through schools.\n\nBut councils say the government should provide food vouchers over half term.\n\n\"Vulnerable families will continue to receive meals,\" said a Department for Education (DFE) spokeswoman.\n\n\"Our guidance is clear: schools provide free school meals for eligible pupils during term time.\n\n\"Beyond that, there is wider government support in place to support families and children via the billions of pounds in welfare support we've made available,\" said the DFE spokeswoman.\n\nBut the Local Government Association (LGA), representing councils, said \"the government should provide food vouchers to eligible families during February half-term as it did last summer\" - and that the £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme should be used for other support.\n\n\"During the last full national lockdown, government recognised the significant extra pressures on low income families and extended free school meal provision into the school holidays,\" said Richard Watts, chairman of the LGA's resources board.\n\n\"Government was explicit that the Covid Winter Grant Scheme was not intended to replicate or replace free school meals, but was to enable councils to support low income households, particularly those at risk of food poverty as we moved towards economic recovery.\"\n\nThe row follows the DFE's publication of guidelines on free meals, after an outcry over pictures of food packages to replace free school meals during the lockdown.\n\nThe prime minister and other ministers criticised the quality of what was being sent out by some school food firms.\n\nMarcus Rashford has spear-headed a campaign for holiday food\n\nThe DfE guidance says: \"Schools do not need to provide lunch parcels or vouchers during the February half term.\n\n\"There is wider government support in place to support families and children outside of term-time through the Covid Winter Grant Scheme.\"\n\nThe DFE insists that even though schools will not provide food parcels or vouchers during half term, children will still be supplied with food through the Covid Winter Grant Scheme.\n\nThis aims to support those most in need with the cost of food, energy, water bills and other essentials.\n\nCouncils are required to work out their own local approach to eligibility, using benefits data and their local knowledge to decide how to support vulnerable families.\n\nMoving to this scheme for a replacement for school meals during half term, with the added pressure of a lockdown, has drawn criticism from head teachers and teachers.\n\nKevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, warned that switching schemes meant \"yet more disruption to free schools meals could lie ahead in half term\".\n\nHe said using this scheme could cause an \"unnecessary logistical nightmare\", suggesting continuing with providing meals through schools would be more simple.\n\nMr Courtney said: \"This week, Matt Hancock, Gavin Williamson and Boris Johnson made public statements about how appalled they were by the quality of food parcels shared on Twitter,\" said Mr Courtney.\n\nBut he said ministers should now \"hang their heads in shame\" for threatening more \"chaos and confusion\" over providing food.\n\n\"These are battles which should not have to be repeatedly fought,\" said Mr Courtney.\n\nNational Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman accused the the government of \"badly thought out and last-minute schemes to help with holiday hunger\" which he said were \"leaving families and children anxious\".\n\n\"The government must urgently clarify for families how they will be helped during the upcoming half term holiday so they can be assured that they will not go hungry,\" said Mr Whiteman.\n\nLabour's Tulip Siddiq, shadow minister for children and early years, said: \"Time and time again this government has had to be shamed into providing food for hungry children over school holidays.\"\n\nFood charities and anti-poverty campaigners, including footballer Marcus Rashford, have repeatedly clashed with the government over the issue of food for poor pupils during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly over school holidays.\n\nThe footballer forced the government to back down in the summer over its plans not to offer free meals in the holidays to poor pupils, whose families were likely to be suffering with reduced incomes.\n\nBut over the October half-term when the provision was withdrawn many local authorities continued to offer them from their own budgets.", "President Donald Trump has just become the only US president to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives. He was impeached on Wednesday for \"incitement of insurrection\" following last week's riot at the US Capitol. However, a recent poll suggests that a majority of Republicans still support President Trump and don't hold him responsible for the violence.\n\nWe've been hearing from lawmakers - but what do Americans think? We asked members of our BBC voter panel to weigh in.\n\nBelinda is an attorney and devoted Trump supporter of Native American and African American ancestry. She says this second impeachment vote is wrong and misconstrues the facts of what happened last week in favour of political expediency.\n\nThis is unprecedented. There is no justification, no legal or constitutional basis for this impeachment. He did not even receive due process. It's a rush to judgment for ulterior motives and a dark stain on our country. I'm afraid our Constitution is on its deathbed. I hope the American people will stand up against this outrage. It's indicative of what would happen in a communist country where we have no free speech rights.\n\nThose who broke in should be charged appropriately for whatever laws they violated. But why would anybody who's rational think that our president meant for people to go break into the Capitol? His rallies have always been peaceful and most of the people on Wednesday were middle-aged and elderly, with children and grandchildren.\n\nIndividuals who violated the law should definitely be prosecuted but I don't see how you can blame someone for a speech and someone else's criminal activity. It can't be selective enforcement of the law.\n\nMelissa is a Filipino American small business owner with two children who had told us the country could not afford four more years of Donald Trump. She says the behaviour he displayed last Wednesday was undoubtedly an impeachable offense.\n\nEverything he has done is unconstitutional and, as a president, the number one thing he should be doing is upholding the Constitution.\n\n[Republican Congresswoman] Liz Cheney said that, if not for the president, last week would not have happened and she's right. If not for him continually fighting the election results, if not for him repeatedly sending the false message the election was stolen, if not for him holding that rally near the Capitol, if not for him talking about an 'uprising', last week would very likely not have happened.\n\nEven three months ago, before all the lawsuits and everything else he was saying, I was not shocked by his behaviour. It's all completely predictable because it's just within his character. So the argument by politicians that impeachment could divide us more, I don't see that as the goal of impeachment.\n\nIt can't help but I don't think it will have any impact on deterring violence. There needs to be some kind of statement that the president is not allowed to attack another branch of government. It's a chance for the Republican Party to rid itself of Trump's stranglehold on them.\n\nGabriel is a regional coordinator for the New York Young Republicans and is an outspoken 'Latino for Trump'. He condemns the violence of last Wednesday but says the reaction has been unfair and worries about where the party will go from here.\n\nI do not think that Donald Trump should be impeached. I was in DC at the rally on 6 January - I did not go near the Capitol and went back to my hotel room - but I saw the president speak with my own eyes and he did not call for anyone to storm the building or cause harm.\n\nThis is just a way to ensure he will not run in the next four years. It is political and it will create a bigger divide between left and right. I fear that people will become reactionary and elected officials will use impeachment in the future not as a last resort to uphold our republic but as a tool to remove whoever they don't agree with.\n\nAll violence should be condemned fairly and justly. It was a very sad outcome, but I do not believe it was the most horrible day in our country's history and it was not a coup. It's important to dictate that violence is not the answer. The day was supposed to be different. January 6 did something to the Republican Party. The actions of the few will discourage many of the new voters that Trump brought in and made his base.\n\nWilliams is a first-generation Mexican American college student in Atlanta who has been extremely concerned about what he has seen in his country over the past four years. He says the events of the past week justify today's vote in the House.\n\nI believe he should have been impeached. Not only is he a threat to our national security, but he doesn't condemn white supremacy and other threats. That affects us internally within the United States as well as abroad.\n\nIt's more of a symbolic impeachment at this point because he'll be out soon, but it's necessary nonetheless. Impeachment failed once, but now he has set the precedent that a president can be impeached more than once.\n\nIn processing the past week, all I could do at first was to ignore it and joke about the situation. It's deeply saddening to me.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA respiratory doctor at Belfast's Mater Hospital has warned that hospital oxygen supplies are under \"extreme pressure\".\n\nDr Nick Magee also said more younger patients were now being treated in hospital than during the first and second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nHe said in the past they did not have to consult other NI hospitals about how much oxygen they had.\n\n\"That was never a thing in previous January flu problems,\" he told the BBC.\n\n\"But that is something we are now having to think of,\" he added.\n\nEarlier this week Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said there is enough oxygen to cope with the current demand.\n\nBut according to Dr Magee the current level of oxygen being used in \"bays\" at the Mater means patients cannot charge their mobile phones by their bedside because of the \"fire risk\".\n\n\"It is all well controlled and we are making sure that we can share out that oxygen burden. That is something we are having to think about,\" he said.\n\n\"I can't say specifically about other regional hospitals but I know that they are under extreme pressure and it's just something we have to think of as a region.\n\n\"Can we supply oxygen adequately for the amounts of oxygen we are using in hospitals?\"\n\nThe number of Covid positive hospital in-patients has increased significantly since last week - up from 599 a week ago to 850 on Thursday.\n\nThe number of people in ICU has also risen from 44 to 58 in the past week.\n\nDr Magee said staff were concerned about having to cope with \"large volumes\" of patients requiring respiratory support.\n\nHe said the number of younger patients becoming increasingly sick with the virus was growing.\n\nOn Wednesday, the Mater Hospital moved six patients who had been on wards into ICU and also took patients from the Southern Health Trust.\n\n\"Recently I saw a 29-year-old patient, also three who were in their mid 30s that all required respiratory support on a ward,\" he told BBC News NI.\n\n\"They are frightened they are wearing specialist masks CPAP masks that help them breathe. They are scared.\"\n\nThe relentless pressure of the past 10 months and the prospect of a further surge in admissions over the next fortnight is weighing heavily on the minds of medics.\n\n\"We are really worried about next week,\" said Dr Magee.\n\n\"It's very busy this week, we are coping well but we are particularly concerned about next week.\n\n\"Normally, if we had somebody who needed a lot of respiratory support we would involve a high dependency unit but all the respiratory wards are becoming like high dependency units.\n\n\"Volume of sicker, younger patients is much greater and it's not something that I would [have] ever seen before,\" he added.\n\nThe Southern Health and Social Care Trust said its hospitals had limited infrastructure to manage high numbers of patients requiring oxygen so a regional agreement was in place to share resources across Trusts to support Covid-positive patients.\n\n\"As a result some patients have been diverted to Belfast or SE Trust to help reduce pressure on the Southern Trust hospital system,\" a statement said.\n\n\"Craigavon and Daisy Hill hospitals remain very busy with high numbers of Covid-19 positive patients who are dependent on oxygen therapy.\n\n\"These protocols are in place as part of regional surge planning to ensure that we can safely manage the current high volume of Covid-19 patients needing hospital care.\n\n\"Patients who are currently being treated in Craigavon and Daisy Hill have secure supplies of oxygen.\"", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Travel from Brazil to the UK could be banned in response to the discovery of a new coronavirus variant.\n\nMinisters have met to discuss possible measures and a block on flights could also be extended to other South American countries in a bid to stop its spread.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is \"concerned\" about the new variant and \"extra measures\" were being taken.\n\nArrivals from Brazil are currently required to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nCabinet Office minister Michael Gove chaired a meeting earlier to discuss whether measures should be put in place.\n\nNew variants of Covid-19 have also been identified in the UK and South Africa.\n\nDuring a two-hour appearance in front of the Commons Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday Mr Johnson stopped short of promising a ban on travel from Brazil.\n\n\"We already have tough measures ... to protect this country from new infections coming in from abroad,\" he said.\n\n\"We are taking steps to do that in respect of the Brazilian variant.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Johnson: \"We are taking steps to ensure that we do not see the import of this new variant\".\n\nProf Susan Hopkins, who is Strategic Response Director for Covid-19 with Public Health England, told BBC Breakfast experts were looking at the Brazilian variant and needed to grow the virus in the UK in order to perform laboratory experiments.\n\n\"So we need to understand the biology of these [new strains], as well as understanding mutations,\" she said.\n\n\"We will be watching them all to make sure that they can't escape your immune response, which is the key thing that we're looking at the moment.\"\n\nA travel ban was put in place on arrivals from South Africa on 24 December, which was later extended to several other nearby countries, following the discovery of a new variant.\n\nLuiz Amorim, a graphic designer in London, said he had travelled to Brazil to spend Christmas with his family and was now worried he may not be able to get home.\n\n\"My wife was also supposed to come but didn't in the end,\" he said. \"Now I am worried I won't be able to get back to her in London.\"\n\nMr Amorim said his workplace had been supportive but he may have to take leave if he was unable to return, with his original flight back having been cancelled.\n\nHe has now booked another flight on 27 January and is \"watching the news closely to see what will happen\".\n\nThe discussion comes after it was announced a requirement for arrivals into England to test negative for coronavirus 72 hours before their journey will now come into force at 04:00 GMT on Monday.\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps said the new rules had been delayed from Friday \"to give international arrivals time to prepare\".\n\nLabour's Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, described the delay in introducing the new rules as \"truly shocking\".\n\nScotland is taking the same approach to international travellers but will implement the policy on Friday, while Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to announce their own plans in the coming days.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer criticised the government for delaying pre-departure testing for arrivals to England, describing the situation as a \"complete mess\".\n\n\"Priti Patel has talked tough about the borders but other countries have been doing testing for months and months,\" he said.\n\nSir Keir said people were \"really worried\" about strains in other parts of the world, including Brazil, and people would be \"bewildered and they will feel that we're exposed\".", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nIvan Cavaleiro scored a late header to earn Premier League strugglers Fulham a hard-fought draw against Tottenham in their hastily rearranged London derby.\n\nThe Portuguese forward's finish cancelled out Harry Kane's first-half diving header and came just minutes after Son Heung-min hit the post in search of Spurs' second.\n\nCavaleiro sealed a remarkable turnaround for a side whose manager Scott Parker said it was \"scandalous\" to be given just two days' notice to face Jose Mourinho's men after Spurs' game at Aston Villa was postponed because of a Covid-19 outbreak in the Villa camp.\n\nTottenham boss Mourinho had little sympathy for the visitors as the derby itself was a rearranged fixture, having been called off three hours before kick-off when originally scheduled on 30 December.\n\nFor all the complications surrounding the fixture, the intensity from two sides at opposite ends of the table was high at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Fulham's fifth successive league draw a valuable point in their efforts to escape the relegation zone.\n• None Relive Tottenham v Fulham as it happened and analysis\n\nFulham made a bright start and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's fierce shot to test Hugo Lloris was a warning of what was to come from a side who remain 18th despite the draw.\n\nThe excellent Alphonse Areola twice denied Son in the first 45 minutes, first blocking a toe-poked effort before palming a header away.\n\nAreola could do nothing, however, to deny Kane the opener in the 25th minute, with the striker beating the Frenchman with a thumping diving header from an excellently-placed Sergio Reguilon cross.\n\nKane was off target with another header and Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kenny Tete threatened to respond for the visitors, who had the woodwork to thank for denying Son in the second half after the South Korean scuffed a shot past Areola.\n\nSubstitute Ademola Lookman was instrumental following his introduction, creating the equaliser for Cavaleiro seven minutes after coming off the bench.\n\nThe powerful finish extended Fulham's unbeaten run to five league matches, which is their longest such sequence in the top flight in three Premier League campaigns since 2012-13.\n\nThis latest draw highlights just how resolute Parker's men have become after a slow start to the campaign, in which they collected just one point from their first six matches.\n\nSpurs punished for reliance on Kane and Son\n\nWhile the Cottagers may be in the relegation places and had lost a record 13 successive top-flight matches to London rivals, they presented a significantly sterner test of Mourinho's men than non-league side Marine - a team made up of NHS workers, teachers and a refuse collector - which Spurs cruised past in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.\n\nThe prolific pair of Kane and Son, a duo that has now scored 23 of Tottenham's 30 league goals this term, were among 10 to return to Spurs' starting line-up.\n\nSon was an unused substitute on their trip to Crosby but Kane, along with Lloris, Eric Dier, Serge Aurier and Harry Winks came back from being rested.\n\nWhile Kane was clinical with the nodded finish, he reacted in frustration as he flicked another header off target.\n\nThat miss, as well as the wastefulness of Reguilon - who sent an early effort over - and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's tame strike, ensured Fulham were still in it at half-time.\n\nMoussa Sissoko also dithered in the box when an early second-half chance presented itself, allowing Tosin Adarabioyo to superbly block.\n\nSon's effort off the post, and their reliance on him and Kane for goals, ultimately proved costly as Cavaleiro ended the hosts' run of three clean sheets in January.\n\nAnd while Reguilon did have the ball in the back of the net again for Tottenham in the final minute, it was immediately disallowed for offside as Spurs missed the chance to move up to third in the table.\n\n'Some players had one day's training' - what the managers said\n\nTottenham manager Jose Mourinho, speaking to BBC Sport: \"In the first half Alphonse Areola made some impossible saves, a couple of others in the second, too.\n\n\"We have to kill a game and we didn't - but you have to keep a clean sheet, not make mistakes, so it was a very avoidable goal. The markers are there, there wasn't even an advantage in terms of numbers.\n\n\"Fulham were intelligent enough to understand the way they play, they change, they become more defensive and they are getting results. I thought they were a bit lucky but they were good.\n\n\"We have bad results and we should - and we could have - avoided these results.\"\n\nFulham boss Scott Parker, speaking to BBC Sport: \"I'm very proud of this team for what we've been through. There's a lot of talk around - everyone assumes about what happened. I know what we've been through the last two weeks.\n\n\"We had players out there today who had one day's training. What pleased me most was a desire and a passion and a real quality at times tonight.\n\n\"There's a real determination and hard work from this group of players. They've never shied away from anything.\"\n\nOn Monday's announcement of the game with Tottenham: \"We were told, in the end, at 9:30. It was put to me on Saturday, if there was a possibility, but I just batted it off thinking 'no chance'.\n\n\"This game was supposed to be scheduled 16 days ago - for 10 days some of these boys were locked up in their houses. I was surprised but it wasn't in terms of preparing for this game, we've prepared in two days for a game before, it was more just getting told of the consequences that you face.\"\n\nBest of the stats\n• None Tottenham and Fulham played out their first draw in the Premier League since December 2009, with Spurs winning 10 of the last 11 encounters (L1).\n• None Tottenham are unbeaten in their last eight London derbies in the Premier League (W3 D5), they've never gone longer without defeat against sides from the capital in the competition.\n• None Fulham have drawn five consecutive Premier League games, their longest such run since January 2007 (six games).\n• None Fulham have gained five points in their last four Premier League away games (W1 D2 L1), more than they collected in their previous 13 on the road in the competition (W1 D1 L11).\n• None Only Brighton (12) and Sheffield United (11) have dropped more points from winning positions than Spurs (10) in the Premier League this season.\n• None Tottenham's Harry Kane has become just the third player to score 25 Premier League goals with his head (25), his right foot (94) and his left foot (34) - after Robbie Fowler and Andy Cole.\n• None Ademola Lookman has been directly involved in five goals (two goals, three assists) in the Premier League this season, more than any other Fulham player.\n\nTottenham travel to Bramall Lane on Sunday (14:05 GMT) to face the Premier League's bottom side Sheffield United, who on Tuesday earned their first top-flight win of the season.\n\nFulham face Chelsea in another derby, hosting their west London rivals on Saturday (17:30 GMT).\n• None Offside, Tottenham Hotspur. Erik Lamela tries a through ball, but Son Heung-Min is caught offside.\n• None Attempt blocked. Antonee Robinson (Fulham) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Aboubakar Kamara. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Can the TV personality make it as a pro footballer?\n• None New drama brings the chilling crimes of Charles Sobhraj to life", "Gerry and Barbara Jarrett were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 two weeks ago\n\nAn elderly couple with coronavirus have been helped by a hospital to say their last goodbyes to each other after the wife's condition deteriorated.\n\nGerry and Barbara Jarrett, from Bracknell, Berkshire, are in separate wards at Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey.\n\nTheir daughter Chloe, who posted a picture of one reunion on Twitter, said her mother \"looked to be at the end\".\n\nShe said her parents had \"precious\" extra time together thanks to the hospital's \"incredible\" efforts.\n\nMrs Keljarrett said her 79-year-old father and mother, 76, who have been together for 50 years, were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 two weeks ago.\n\nOn Tuesday she posted: \"In the midst of a pandemic peak, staff (namely a consultant, a surgeon and a HCA) at FPH just made sure my dad saw my mum for what is likely the last time.\"\n\nShe said another meeting happened on Wednesday when \"mum looked to be at the end\".\n\nFrimley Park Hospital said the reunions were the sort of \"care that matters the most\"\n\nShe said: \"Dad was wheeled in, crying, touched her hand and her eyes flew open. She was awake and bright and could talk.\n\n\"We got a precious extra hour or two before her breathing got worse again and got to say what we wanted.\n\n\"All thanks to the staff who made these meetings possible. In current times I just find that incredible.\"\n\nMrs Keljarrett, a teacher at The Brakenhale School, said her father was \"showing signs of improvement but has a very long journey to complete\".\n\n\"He has a number of other health issues that will make recovery that bit trickier, but I have to remain positive that he will overcome this horrendous virus,\" she added.\n\nShe said she had met hospital workers who were \"pulling unexpected double shifts\" due to short-staffing.\n\n\"How they are managing such compassion when they are stretched to their emotional and physical limits I do not know,\" she added.\n\nResponding to Mrs Keljarrett's Twitter post, the hospital wrote: \"Our hearts go out to you and your family.\n\n\"We are so glad that our staff managed to make this time just a little bit easier for you all.\n\n\"This truly is some of the care we give that matters the most.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Doctors' leaders have called for urgent improvements in personal protective equipment for health workers.\n\nThe British Medical Association is appealing for a higher grade of face mask to guard against coronavirus infection.\n\nIt says there is 'growing evidence' that the virus is being spread through the air by aerosols.\n\nThese are tiny virus particles that can build up in stuffy rooms and they have been linked to outbreaks of Covid-19.\n\nThis follows an open letter from more than 1,500 health professionals for staff on general wards to be given the type of high-quality masks usually only worn in intensive care units.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) has issued guidance on what PPE staff in different settings require. It was last updated in October 2020.\n\nEarly in the pandemic, it was widely believed that to catch the disease you had to either be close to an infected person and hit by droplets from their coughs or sneezes or touch a surface they had contaminated.\n\nBut research during the course of last year highlighted how it is also possible for the virus to be carried in what are called aerosols, drifting and accumulating in the air.\n\nMost infections are thought to have occurred indoors in badly ventilated rooms, and many studies have shown that the 'airborne route' can be an important factor.\n\nAcross the UK, the guidance for hospital staff is to wear surgical masks in most areas.\n\nMore sophisticated masks - a type known as FFP3 that includes an air filter - are only required in intensive care or when certain procedures are carried out that are known to generate aerosols.\n\nIn their letter, the consultants, doctors and nurses say healthcare workers are three to four times more likely to become infected than the general population.\n\nBut they point out that staff in intensive care units, who have the best level of protection, have about half the risk of catching the virus than colleagues on general wards.\n\nThe letter states: \"It is now essential that healthcare workers have their PPE upgraded to protect against airborne transmission\".\n\nBarry McAree, a consultant surgeon in Northern Ireland, is one of many healthcare workers to be ill with Covid.\n\nHe is self-isolating at home right after his testing positive for the second time.\n\nA signatory to the letter, he says his hospital in Antrim followed the guidance about which type of masks should be worn in which areas, but he became infected nonetheless. It is not clear how and when he caught it.\n\n\"There's so much evidence that we are talking about an airborne infection that it has to be said that it is not appropriate just to wear FFP3 in environments when aerosol generating procedures take place.\"\n\nHe believes that with such high levels of the virus in the community and in hospitals, staff should be wearing the higher-grade masks whenever they're close to patients.\n\nSurgical masks can be bought online for about 10p each, while the FFP3 masks are far more expensive about £5.00.\n\nDr Barry Jones, a retired gastroenterologist and leading expert on aerosols, says that's nothing compared to the cost of a patient with Covid,\n\nHe points to data showing that roughly a fifth of people needing hospital treatment for Covid may have acquired the infection in hospital in the first place.\n\n\"We should do everything we can to reduce that possibility - it's the air we share that's killing us.\"\n\nA few hospitals have decided to break with official guidance.\n\nIt's understood that hospitals in Cambridge, Plymouth and Exeter have decided to equip staff with FFP3 masks if they face patients diagnosed with Covid or suspected of having it.\n\nOne consultant, who did not want to be named, said: \"When you realise patients are more infectious at an earlier stage of disease and are presenting at general wards with poorer ventilation than intensive care units and staff are wearing a poorer quality of PPE, you really want those in a position of leadership to listen and to act.\"\n\nRCN General Secretary Dame Donna Kinnair, said: \"Without delay, they must state whether existing PPE guidance is adequate for the new variant.\n\n\"While more research is carried out, we ask for the precautionary principle to be applied and staff to be given a higher level of PPE if working with suspected or confirmed cases.\"\n\nPublic Health England said this was a matter for NHS England to comment on.\n\nA Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: \"The safety of NHS and social care staff has always been our top priority and we continue to work tirelessly to deliver PPE that protects those on the frontline.\n\n\"UK guidance on the safest levels of PPE is written by experts and agreed by all four chief medical officers. Our guidance is kept under constant review based on the latest evidence and data.\n\n\"Emerging evidence and data, including on variant strains, will be continually monitored and reviewed, and the guidance updated accordingly if needed.\"", "It was initially believed that Covid-19 originated at a market in Wuhan\n\nA World Health Organization (WHO) team has arrived in the Chinese city of Wuhan to start its investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nThe long-awaited probe comes after months of negotiations between the WHO and Beijing.\n\nA group of 10 scientists is set to interview people from research institutes, hospitals and the seafood market linked to the initial outbreak.\n\nCovid-19 was first detected in Wuhan in central China in late 2019.\n\nThe team's arrival on Thursday morning coincides with a resurgence of new coronavirus cases in the north of the country, while life in Wuhan is relatively back to normal.\n\nThey will undergo two weeks of quarantine before beginning their research, which will rely upon samples and evidence provided by Chinese officials.\n\nTeam leader Peter Ben Embarek told AFP news agency just before the trip that it \"could be a very long journey before we get a full understanding of what happened\".\n\n\"I don't think we will have clear answers after this initial mission, but we will be on the way,\" he said.\n\nThe probe, which aims to investigate the animal origin of the pandemic, looks set to begin after some initial hiccups.\n\nChina resisted this investigation because it doesn't want to look back. It sees the potential for more blame, from a group of foreigners. It has its official version of what happened already.\n\nThe government paper published months ago declared \"victory\" in the war against the virus. But it didn't have a verdict - not one it made public anyway - on where the new coronavirus came from nor how it passed to humans. There's been global pressure to answer that, to prevent repeat pandemics.\n\nThe WHO team will be heavily reliant on their Chinese hosts for access: to key places in Wuhan and beyond, and crucially to research material, human and animal samples and data gathered by China's authorities over the past year. The man leading the WHO team said he is open minded. No theories - and there is a range of theories - are off the table. All sides have talked about the importance of the science. But the investigators arrived here as a propaganda effort, lead by China's state media, is in full swing, to question whether the pandemic originated here in the first place.\n\nDespite a lack of any credible evidence it's reported for months now that it was in Spain, Italy or maybe the US before it was seen in China. A campaign intended to undermine the very reason the WHO is, finally, here in Wuhan.\n\nEarlier this month the WHO said its investigators were denied entry into China after one member of the team was turned back and another got stuck in transit. But Beijing said it was a misunderstanding and that arrangements for the investigation were still in discussion.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid-19: How everyday life has changed in Wuhan\n\nChina has been saying for months that the although Wuhan is where the first cluster of cases was detected, it is not necessarily where the virus originated.\n\nProfessor Dale Fisher, chair of the global outbreak and response unit at the WHO, told the BBC that he hoped the world would consider this a scientific visit. \"It's not about politics or blame but getting to the bottom of a scientific question,\" he said.\n\nProf Fisher added that most scientists believed that the virus was a \"natural event\".\n\nThe visit comes as China reports its first fatality from Covid-19 in eight months.\n\nNews of the woman's death in northern Hebei province prompted anxious chatter online and the hashtag \"new virus death in Hebei\" trended briefly on social media platform Weibo.\n\nThe country has largely brought the virus under control through quick mass testing, stringent lockdowns and tight travel restrictions.\n\nBut new cases have been resurfacing in recent weeks, mainly in Hebei province surrounding Beijing and Heilongjiang province in the northeast.", "A further 1,564 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began.\n\nIt brings the total number of deaths by that measure to 84,767.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said there have now been more deaths in the second wave than the first.\n\nAnd the prime minister warned there was a \"very substantial\" risk of intensive care capacity being \"overtopped\".\n\nSpeaking to the Commons Liaison Committee, Boris Johnson said the situation was \"very, very tough\" in the NHS and the strain on staff was \"colossal\".\n\nHe appealed to the public to follow lockdown rules, which require people in England to stay at home and only go out for limited reasons, such as for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nA further 47,525 new cases have also been recorded.\n\nPerhaps the most distressing element about the latest Covid deaths is that the numbers are almost certainly going to rise from here.\n\nPeople who are dying now are likely to have been infected three or so weeks ago, around Christmas time.\n\nThat was at a point when infection rates were rising quite steeply, so in the coming days and weeks we should, sadly, expect to see more deaths than this being reported.\n\nToday's figures are affected by the weekend, which sees delays in reporting deaths that tend to translate into higher figures from Tuesday onwards.\n\nCurrently around 1,000 people a day on average are dying once you take this into account.\n\nBut the figures also provide some hope. For the third day in a row the number of newly diagnosed infections are well below 50,000.\n\nThere have been several days where they have exceeded 60,000.\n\nIf that trend continues, and the number of new cases keeps coming down, that will eventually translate into the number of deaths falling.\n\nBut it is going to take some weeks for that to happen.\n\nThese are, as many have been saying, the darkest days of the pandemic so far.\n\nEarlier, during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson said lockdown measures were \"starting to show signs of some effect\".\n\nLabour's Sir Keir Starmer called for tougher restrictions in England, asking why they were weaker in this lockdown compared with March.\n\nDuring the first lockdown, nurseries were closed to most children and it was not permitted to exercise with someone from another household.\n\n\"We keep things under constant review,\" Mr Johnson replied. \"If there is any need to toughen up restrictions - which I don't rule out - we will of course come to this House.\"\n\nHe stressed that it was early days, but said: \"The lockdown measures we have in place combined with tier four measures that we were using are starting to show signs of some effect.\"\n\nLater, asked by the Commons Liaison Committee whether schools could reopen after February half-term, Mr Johnson said: \"It is far, far too early for us to say [early signs of progress mean] we can go into any kind of relaxation in the middle of February, we've got to work very hard to achieve that.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson took questions from MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee\n\nThe prime minister also said on Wednesday that Covid vaccinations will be offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week as soon as supply allows.\n\nThe number of people in the UK who have received the first dose of a vaccine has risen to 2,639,309 - up by 207,661 from the day before.\n\nCommenting on the latest daily figures, PHE's Dr Doyle said: \"With each passing day, more and more people are tragically losing their lives to this terrible virus.\"\n\nShe added: \"It is essential that we stay at home, minimise contact with other people and act as if you have the virus.\"\n\nThe vast majority of the deaths reported on Tuesday happened over the past week. However, at least 100 were in 2020, with one death dating back to May.\n\nThe previous highest daily death toll was on Friday, when 1,325 people were reported to have died.\n\nThese government figures count people who died within 28 days of testing positive, but there are other ways of measuring the total number of deaths.\n\nWhen all deaths where coronavirus is mentioned on the death certificate are counted, plus deaths known to have occurred more recently, the number of deaths involving Covid in the UK is more than 100,000.\n\nAnother method is to count excess deaths - all deaths over and above the usual number at the time of year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Johnson: \"We are taking steps to ensure that we do not see the import of this new variant\".\n\nMeanwhile, the prime minister has said he is \"concerned\" about a new coronavirus variant that is believed to have emerged in Brazil. He acknowledged it is not yet clear how effective existing vaccines will be against the latest new variant.\n\nThe UK is taking steps to make sure it is not brought into the country, Mr Johnson said.\n\nA government Covid committee is meeting on Thursday to discuss the possibility of stopping flights from Brazil.\n\nArrivals from Brazil already have to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nAnd from Monday, anyone arriving into the UK from any country will have to present a negative Covid test. The new rule had been due to come into force this week but the government said it was being put back to give travellers more time to prepare.", "The home secretary has said the government will not announce new Covid restrictions on Thursday or Friday, but did not rule out further measures being announced next week.\n\nPriti Patel told ITV her focus was on enforcing the current lockdown rules.\n\nIt is thought ministers are considering measures like requiring masks outside or allowing people to exercise only with people from the same household.\n\nOn Wednesday, the UK recorded 1,564 new deaths, the highest daily total so far.\n\nMrs Patel emphasised the current stay-at-home rules, under which people are only allowed to go out for a limited number of reasons, including work, essential shopping and providing care to a vulnerable person.\n\nAsked whether further restrictions could include a three-metre social distancing rule, or the requirement to wear masks outside, the home secretary told ITV's This Morning: \"The plans are very much to enforce the rules.\n\n\"This isn't about new rules coming in - we're going to stick with enforcing the current measures.\"\n\nBut Ms Patel did not rule out new measures being announced next week, saying: \"We are not thinking about bringing in new measures today or tomorrow.\"\n\nAt a press conference on Monday, she said police would move more quickly to fine people who break the rules.\n\nOver the course of the pandemic, more than 30,000 such fines have been issued.\n\nA senior backbench Conservative MP has written to his colleagues to criticise the government's approach to coronavirus restrictions.\n\nSteve Baker, deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of MPs, which is sceptical of lockdown measures, said that if the government did not change its strategy, \"inevitably the prime minister's leadership will be on the table: we strongly do not want that after all we have been through as a country\".\n\nHe asked his colleagues to impress upon the party's chief whip the need for \"a clear plan for when our full freedoms will be restored, with a guarantee that this strategy will not be used again next winter\".\n\nHowever, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has questioned why the current lockdown restrictions are \"weaker\" than those imposed in March last year, when deaths and hospitalisations were lower than they are now.\n\nHe questioned why nurseries were open when primary schools were closed, and whether estate agents should be allowed to continue with house viewings.\n\nRules have been further tightened in Scotland this week, with new restrictions on click and collect and takeaway services.", "Last updated on .From the section Cricket\n\nSpinner Dom Bess took 5-30 as a woeful Sri Lanka batting display left England in control after the opening day of the first Test in Galle.\n\nThe hosts were bowled out for 135 in only 46.1 overs despite winning the toss on a pitch that offered only a little spin.\n\nEngland closed on 127-2, with Joe Root unbeaten on 66, Jonny Bairstow 47 not out and their third-wicket stand worth 110.\n\nDom Sibley and Zak Crawley fell to left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya for four and nine respectively.\n\nSri Lanka's total was the lowest in a first innings in a Galle Test, and was a pitiful exhibition of indiscipline and poor strokes which demonstrated a clear lack of understanding of how to build a Test innings.\n\nEngland, who made five changes from their previous Test in August, were disciplined with the ball and tidy in the field, aside from a drop from debutant Dan Lawrence, with Stuart Broad superb in taking 3-20.\n\nTheir reward was a strong position on their first day of overseas Test cricket since the coronavirus pandemic took hold, and their opening action of a year that includes home and away series against India, a likely two-Test series against world number one side New Zealand and a bid to regain the Ashes in Australia.\n\nThe second day starts at 04:30 GMT on Friday.\n• None 'Right up there with the worst we've seen' - Sri Lanka collapse shocks pundits\n\nWith England's most recent Test being played five months ago, and Sri Lanka playing in South Africa over Christmas and the new year, there was concern that the tourists would not be as prepared as the hosts.\n\nBroad, who had Lahiru Thirimanne caught at leg slip and Kusal Mendis, who has now made a duck in four successive Test innings, caught behind in the seventh over, showcased his experience and guile by turning to off-cutters almost immediately.\n\nBess, playing his 11th Test, may have taken his second five-wicket haul in Tests but struggled to find a consistent line and length.\n\nKusal Perera reverse swept Bess' second ball to Root at slip, while Niroshan Dickwella slapped a long hop to Sibley at point to fall for 12.\n\nAfter getting Dasun Shanaka in fortunate circumstances as a sweep rebounded off Bairstow at short leg into wicketkeeper Jos Buttler's hands, Bess produced a beautifully flighted delivery to bowl Dilruwan Perera between bat and pad for a duck.\n\nHe rounded off the innings by bowling the reverse-sweeping Wanindu Hasaranga for 19 as the hosts lost their last five wickets for 30 runs.\n\nStand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews offered some fight with a stand of 56 for the fourth wicket, the former becoming the 12th Sri Lankan to reach 4,000 Tests runs and Mathews the fifth to 6,000.\n\nHowever, both fell tamely in the space of three balls as Broad - who had taken three wickets in 80 overs in Sri Lanka before this match - had Mathews slashing to slip, before Chandimal looped a simple catch to Sam Curran at cover to give Jack Leach his first Test wicket since November 2019.\n• None Why the Sri Lanka tour matters for the Ashes\n\nFor England this two-Test tour, which was cut short in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, is a build-up to the four-Test series in India that follows.\n\nTo stand any chance of beating Virat Kohli's side England must play spin well, and they will be concerned by the early inroads that Sri Lanka made.\n\nOpener Sibley, whom many feel is vulnerable against spin, edged to slip via his back pad as he attempted to work Embuldeniya to leg.\n\nCrawley, promoted to open given Rory Burns' absence to be at the birth of his first child, looked to take Embuldeniya over the top - a shot he played superbly last summer - but mistimed it to mid-off.\n\nHowever, Root, whose fifty was his 50th in Test cricket, will be buoyed by the way he and the recalled Bairstow nullified the spin threat as they shared England's highest partnership in Galle.\n\nIt was a chanceless stand, although Root overturned an lbw decision on 20 with replays showing the ball would have gone over the stumps.\n\nBoth he and Bairstow scored around the wicket, with Root playing the sweep to good effect, and Bairstow cutting and flicking through mid-wicket well.\n\nThey will hope to build a substantial first-innings lead and turn the match into a three-innings game.\n\n'England didn't have to work hard at all' - reaction\n\nEngland spinner Dom Bess on BBC Test Match Special: \"We have put ourselves in a really good position. Rooty and Jonny batted really well because the wicket started to spin.\n\n\"I felt I was quite nervous. I hadn't bowled in a game since the Test matches last summer.\n\n\"I didn't feel I bowled as well as I know I can. That's cricket, isn't it? There might be days bowl exceptionally well and go 1-100.\"\n\nFormer England captain Michael Vaughan: \"It was a fantastic day for England.\n\n\"The partnership with Root and Bairstow was exactly what was required by Sri Lanka.\n\n\"Mathews and Chandimal are experienced pros. They were playing nicely and then played two rash shots. It was so poor from Sri Lanka.\"\n\nSri Lanka batting coach Grant Flower: \"I'm at a loss for words, I've never seen us bat that badly. They know these conditions well and it should have been a big advantage.\n\n\"England's batsmen showed us there's nothing wrong with the pitch. We batted terribly.\"\n\nFormer Sri Lanka all-rounder Russell Arnold: \"It is not a minefield. It was very poor from Sri Lanka. England didn't have to work hard at all.\n\n\"It is very, very disappointing. It surprised me and I expected a lot more.\"\n• None Can the TV personality make it as a pro footballer?\n• None New drama brings the chilling crimes of Charles Sobhraj to life", "Lucy Edwards, pictured with dog Olga, became BBC Radio 1's first blind presenter when she guested in 2019\n\nA blind social media star said she could be waiting for years for a new guide dog because of delays connected with the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nLucy Edwards creates videos on living with sight loss, which have been watched millions of times.\n\nThe 25-year-old has used a guide dog since she was 17 and said she had lost her independence since her latest dog was retired four months ago.\n\nShe said it was like losing her \"eyesight all over again\".\n\n\"It has really knocked my confidence that in a pandemic I don't have my dog any more,\" Ms Edwards, from Sutton Coldfield, in the West Midlands, said.\n\n\"I don't feel comfortable going outside on my own.\"\n\nLucy Edwards says she struggles to socially distance using her cane alone, as she does not know where people are around her\n\nShe now relies on her cane and her sighted partner, but added she found it difficult to socially distance with just a cane and felt \"scared\" without the support of her dog Olga.\n\nThe Guide Dogs for the Blind Association said the pandemic meant it had been forced to stop dog training for five months last year.\n\nIt said 52 dogs had been trained and become qualified in the Midlands in 2020, compared with 125 in 2019, and added the monthly figures showed a big impact in April.\n\nWhile general dog training is continuing during the third England lockdown, with social distancing measures in place, some orientation and other work has stopped, along with puppy training classes.\n\nWest Bromwich marathon runner Dave Heeley, who was appointed an OBE in the New Year Honours, has been waiting for a dog for more than two years.\n\n\"The dog is your best friend, your dog is your mobility and I don't feel that from a stick,\" he said.\n\nDave Heeley has been waiting two years for a dog\n\nThe Guide Dogs for the Blind Association said over the past two years it had matched 80% of people with a guide dog within 16 months.\n\nThe charity currently has about 5,000 guide dogs working in the UK and within the next few years said it was targeting 1,000 new guide dog partnerships a year.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Employers \"have a duty\" to support staff who suffer domestic abuse but few have adequate policies in place, the government says.\n\nIt said bosses were in a unique position to help but a \"lack of awareness and stigma\" held them back.\n\nCalls to domestic abuse services have surged in the pandemic as couples spend more time at home.\n\nBusiness Minister Paul Scully said employers could be a \"bridge between a worker and the support they need\".\n\n\"It was once taboo to talk about mental health, but now most workplaces have well-established policies in place. We want to see the same happen for domestic abuse, but more quickly and more effectively,\" he said in an open letter to employers.\n\nManagers and colleagues are often the only other people outside the home that victims talk to each day and so \"uniquely placed\" to spot signs of abuse, he said.\n\nThese include becoming more withdrawn than usual, sudden drops in performance, mentions of controlling or coercive behaviour in partners, or physical signs such as bruising.\n\nEmployers did not have to become \"specialists\" in handling domestic abuse, Mr Scully said, but could do more to help, including:\n\nFirms already taking action include Vodafone, which offers specialist training to HR and line managers and support for victims including counselling and additional paid leave.\n\nIn August, law firm Linklaters strengthened its policies and now offers people who need to flee their home but can't stay with others three nights' accommodation in a hotel.\n\nIt also offers the option of paid leave, plus one-off payments of £5,000 to help victims trying to become financially independent.\n\nDomestic violence charity Refuge said it saw an 80% increase in calls to its helpline during the first national lockdown, a trend the government believes has continued.\n\nAnd in November, 43% of respondents to a survey by charity Surviving Economic Abuse showed an abuser had interfered with someone's ability to work or study from home during the crisis.\n\nExamples included hiding phones or computers, removing wi-fi connections, and phoning an employer claiming a breach of lockdown rules, in an apparent effort to get them sacked.\n\nDomestic abuse isn't a new problem, nor does today's call to businesses apply only during a pandemic.\n\nBut coronavirus has highlighted new and existing risks.\n\nFor many victims and survivors, work is a place of respite.\n\nBeing based at home, or on furlough, can reduce communication with team members, and prevent face-to-face chats with colleagues.\n\nI've heard of employers finding simple yet effective ways of supporting staff during the pandemic.\n\nFor example, finding a plausible reason for an employee whose remote communications were being overlooked, to go into the office as a one-off, so they could talk freely and hand over an ID document for safe keeping.\n\nOf course, not every business can afford to offer emergency accommodation or financial support to those in urgent need. But the focus of today's letter is on awareness, using free support and removing stigma.\n\nThe charity Surviving Economic Abuse wants the government to go further, and put paid leave for domestic abuse victims into law.\n\nElizabeth Filkin, who chairs the Employer's Initiative on Domestic Abuse, argues there are real benefits in supporting staff - including around productivity, loyalty and reputation.\n\nEmployment lawyer Sarah Chilton, a partner at CM Murray, told the BBC that all employers have a duty to protect their staff's health and safety while working from home. That includes if they are being subjected to domestic abuse.\n\n\"Where an employee is required to work at home during, for example, the pandemic, the employer should take account of any risk to that person's physical and mental health and safety in the environment in which they work.\"\n\nAngela Ogilvie, global director of HR at Linklaters, said training was vital to spot signs of abuse, especially now.\n\n\"Victims may avoid calls or videos for example. They may become quiet, anxious or tearful, secretive about their home life.\n\n\"And it's being conscious of how you start those conversations because they may be overheard, so you may have to switch your conversation to email or text.\"\n\nMr Scully said the government would consult on ways to help domestic abuse victims at work, for instance by making it easier to request flexible working.\n\nThe government's Domestic Abuse Bill also continues to make its way through parliament.\n\nIt will bring into law a statutory definition of domestic abuse that includes coercive or controlling behaviour as well as emotional and economic abuse.", "Last updated on .From the section Tennis\n\nFormer world number one Andy Murray's participation at the Australian Open is in doubt after the Briton tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nThe 33-year-old Scot was set to fly out to Melbourne on a chartered flight arriving there over the next 36 hours.\n\nInstead he remains in quarantine and isolating at home in London.\n\nMurray, who is said to be in good health, remains hopeful he will be allowed to travel safely at a later date and compete as planned.\n\nThe five-time Australian Open runner-up pulled out of last week's ATP event in Delray Beach as he wanted to \"minimise the risks\" of catching a transatlantic flight to Florida.\n\n'He will be refused'\n\nThe Australian Open will start on 8 February at Melbourne Park, three weeks later than usual, because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nPlayers must test negative before taking one of the 15 chartered flights - which have been put on by tournament organisers and will operate at 25% capacity - to Australia.\n\nOnce they have arrived, they will have to pass a series of Covid tests during a 14-day quarantine in Melbourne before the Grand Slam.\n\n\"Mr Murray, and the other 1,240 people as part of the program, need to demonstrate that if they're coming to Melbourne they have returned a negative test,\" said Victorian state health minister Martin Foley.\n\n\"So should Mr Murray arrive, and I have no indication that he will, he will be subject to those same rigorous arrangements as everyone else. Should he test positive prior to his attempts to come to Australia, he will be refused.\"\n\nMurray's planned appearance at Melbourne Park would come two years after he played there in what he feared would be his final match as a professional.\n\nAt 123rd in the world, Murray is ranked too low to gain direct entry into the tournament so the three-time Grand Slam champion has been given a wildcard.\n\nMurray was able to play only seven official matches in 2020 because of a lingering pelvic injury, and the five-month suspension of the tours because of the pandemic.\n\nThe Scot is among a number of players to have their plans disrupted.\n\nAmerican Madison Keys, who reached the Australian Open women's singles semi-finals in 2015, said she would not be playing in Melbourne after testing positive for coronavirus.\n\nWorld number two Rafael Nadal is travelling to Melbourne in search of a record 21st Grand Slam men's singles title without coach Carlos Moya, who has decided to stay at home in Spain with his family because of the health situation.\n\nWorld number three Dominic Thiem's coach Nicolas Massu has also not travelled after a positive Covid test, Thiem's father Wolfgang told Austrian newspaper Kurier.\n\n'Change of year, but not a change of luck' - analysis\n\nA change of year does not appear to have brought about a change of luck for Andy Murray.\n\nHe is now hoping he will be given permission to arrive in Melbourne late - and outside the window Tennis Australia painstakingly negotiated with the Victorian state government.\n\nIf he does get the green light to travel, having completed self-isolation in the UK and returned a negative test, he will still have to spend 14 days in quarantine on arrival.\n\nThat means he won't be able to play in the warm-up events the week before the Australian Open.\n\nBut it would keep alive his hopes of playing in the first Grand Slam of the year, as players will be allowed out of their rooms to practise for five hours a day during quarantine.\n\nAmerican player Tennys Sandgren, meanwhile, boarded a charter plane to Melbourne despite testing positive for coronavirus.\n\nThe world number 50, a two-time Australian Open quarter-finalist, tweeted that after testing positive in November he had returned another positive on Monday and might not be able to fly on Wednesday.\n\nBut Australian Open organisers said his medical file had been reviewed by Victoria state authorities and he had then been cleared to fly.\n\nThey explained that players are only allowed to enter Australia with proof of a negative test done just before departure or \"with approval to travel as a recovered case at the complete discretion of an Australian government authority\".\n\nSandgren posted on social media that he had been ill in November but was \"totally healthy now\".\n\n\"My two tests were less than eight weeks apart,\" he wrote. \"There's not a single documented case where I would be contagious at this point.\"\n\nLisa Neville, minister for police and emergency services, tweeted: \"Tennys Sandgren's positive result was reviewed by health experts and determined to be viral shedding from a previous infection, so was given the all clear to fly.\n\n\"No-one who is Covid positive for the first time - or could still be infectious - will be allowed in for the Aus Open.\"\n• None Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone\n• None Can the TV personality make it as a pro footballer?\n• None New drama brings the chilling crimes of Charles Sobhraj to life", "Passengers will need to provide a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours before departure\n\nPassengers arriving into NI from outside the UK and Republic of Ireland will soon have to produce a negative Covid-19 test before departure.\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster confirmed the executive had agreed the plan on Thursday.\n\nPeople arriving from countries not on the government's travel corridors list will also still have to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nThe move has already been agreed in the Republic of Ireland.\n\nPassengers arriving there will be subject to the new rules from Saturday, with the measure taking effect in England and Scotland from Monday.\n\nNegative tests 72 hours prior to arrival are already a requirement in the Republic of Ireland for passengers travelling from Great Britain and South Africa.\n\nSpeaking at Stormont's press conference on Thursday, the first minister said Northern Ireland's R-number had also fallen to between 0.7 and 0.9 for new cases of the virus.\n\nThe reproductive rate of the virus - known as the R rate, measures the infection rate of Covid-19 and had risen to about 1.8 due to Christmas relaxations.\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the drop showed the \"very real\" effect of lockdown restrictions imposed on 26 December, but she warned there was still \"no room for complacency\".\n\nShe said she still believed there needed to be an \"two-island approach\" to travel restrictions, including discussions with the British and Irish governments as a \"matter of urgency\".\n\nMrs Foster said Stormont ministers had also expressed frustration at the executive meeting over a lack of data-sharing from authorities in the Republic of Ireland, and called for it to be escalated.\n\nPSNI Chief Constable (centre) Simon Byrne attended Stormont's press briefing on Thursday with the first and deputy first ministers\n\nPSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said 40 penalty notices a day are being handed out to those who breach the Covid-19 regulations.\n\nHe told the press briefing that if people continued flouting rules, they could expect \"firm and swift enforcement\".\n\n\"We won't turn a blind eye when people break the rules.\"\n\nOn Thursday, 16 more deaths related to Covid-19 were reported by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, bringing its total to 1,533.\n\nThere have been 973 new cases diagnosed in the past 24 hours, while 58 Covid-19 patients are being treated in ICUs across Northern Ireland, of which 44 are on ventilators.\n\nMrs Foster said she found it \"incredible and frankly unbelievable\" that some people were still holding house parties and gatherings, despite the pandemic rates and the lockdown.\n\nOn Wednesday, health officials warned that levels of the new, more transmissible variant of the virus are rising.\n\nMr Swann said that meant more \"difficult decisions\" on lockdown restrictions could be required.\n\nNorthern Ireland is in the third week of a six-week lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19.\n\nThe executive is due to review the current restrictions on 21 January.\n\nThe first and deputy first ministers said they would take evidence from health officials before deciding whether an extension of the lockdown would be required.\n\nMinisters have expressed concerns about keeping non-essential parts of businesses open\n\nMinisters have also expressed concerns about some larger retailers \"gaming\" the regulations and keeping open non-essential parts of their businesses.\n\nA meeting between the first and deputy first ministers and representatives of the retail sector is due to happen on Friday afternoon.\n\nElsewhere, the Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that unpaid carers looking after Clinically Extremely Vulnerable individuals should receive the first dose of their vaccine when phase two of the vaccination programme begins next month.\n\nDr Michael McBride told Stormont's Health Committee they are provided for on a list of prioritisation provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which decides the order of vaccination delivery.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Department of Health This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Department of Health\n\nMr Swann was asked if his department was \"putting all its eggs in the vaccine basket\".\n\nHe said it was \"not the entirety of the answer\", adding: \"It will take time for the benefits of it to bed in.\n\n\"And while it is doing it, we still have to follow those restrictions that are in place.\n\n\"We may actually have to introduce more.\"\n\nOn Thursday afternoon the department tweeted that 121,711 vaccines have been administered in Northern Ireland.\n\nMrs Foster said that by end of this month, it is hoped all care home residents, health staff and those aged over 80 in Northern Ireland will have received their first vaccination.\n\nShe said that would be an \"incredible achievement\" and make Northern Ireland one of the top-performing countries in rolling out its vaccination programme.\n\nMeanwhile, the chairman of the Police Federation for NI (PFNI) has said officers need more powers to enforce Covid-19 regulations.\n\nAt present officers can only issue guidance and advice on the public health regulations.\n\nPFNI chairman Mark Lindsay said that puts officers in a \"difficult position\".\n\nThe federation represents thousands of rank and file PSNI officers.\n\n\"I think we are well past the stage where police officers are the people that should be giving advice around the guidance,\" Mr Lindsay told BBC Radio Foyle.", "President Trump has just become the first sitting president to be impeached twice by the US House of Representatives.\n\nWe asked members of our BBC voter panel to weigh in as well.\n\nHere's what they said:\n\nQuote Message: Everything he has done is unconstitutional and, as a president, the number one thing he should be doing is upholding the Constitution. If not for him continually fighting the election results and claiming the election was stolen, if not for him holding that rally near the Capitol, if not for him talking about 'uprising', last week would very likely not have happened. Unfortunately it was completely predictable. from Melissa Dangaran 51, from Minnesota Everything he has done is unconstitutional and, as a president, the number one thing he should be doing is upholding the Constitution. If not for him continually fighting the election results and claiming the election was stolen, if not for him holding that rally near the Capitol, if not for him talking about 'uprising', last week would very likely not have happened. Unfortunately it was completely predictable.\n\nQuote Message: Unprecedented. He should not have been impeached at all. There is no justification, no legal basis, no constitutional basis for it. It's a rush to judgment for ulterior motives and a dark stain on our country. I'm concerned about the double standard and I'm afraid our Constitution is on its deathbed. Why would anybody who's rational think that our president meant for people to go break into the Capitol? from Belinda Noah 45, from Florida Unprecedented. He should not have been impeached at all. There is no justification, no legal basis, no constitutional basis for it. It's a rush to judgment for ulterior motives and a dark stain on our country. I'm concerned about the double standard and I'm afraid our Constitution is on its deathbed. Why would anybody who's rational think that our president meant for people to go break into the Capitol?\n\nQuote Message: It's more of a symbolic impeachment at this point because he'll be out soon, but it's necessary nonetheless. Not only is he a threat to our national security, but he doesn't condone white supremacy and other threats. It's deeply saddening to me. from Williams Morales 19, from Georgia It's more of a symbolic impeachment at this point because he'll be out soon, but it's necessary nonetheless. Not only is he a threat to our national security, but he doesn't condone white supremacy and other threats. It's deeply saddening to me.\n\nQuote Message: I was in DC at the rally - not near the Capitol - but I saw the president speak with my own eyes and he did not call for anyone to storm the building or cause harm. It's just a way to ensure he will not run in the next four years. It is political and it will create a bigger divide between left and right. All violence should be condemned fairly and justly. It was a very sad outcome, but I do not believe it was the most horrible day in our country's history. from Gabriel Montalvo 21, from New York I was in DC at the rally - not near the Capitol - but I saw the president speak with my own eyes and he did not call for anyone to storm the building or cause harm. It's just a way to ensure he will not run in the next four years. It is political and it will create a bigger divide between left and right. All violence should be condemned fairly and justly. It was a very sad outcome, but I do not believe it was the most horrible day in our country's history.", "Siegfried and Roy were one of the hottest tickets in Las Vegas\n\nSiegfried Fischbacher, one half of celebrated magic double act Siegfried and Roy, has died from pancreatic cancer in Las Vegas at the age of 81.\n\nThe pair were among the biggest names in the world of magic and were known for working with lions and tigers.\n\nPaying tribute, David Copperfield called him a \"legend in magic\", and Penn Jillette said Siegfried and Roy were \"pure showbiz and pure class\".\n\nRoy Horn died from Covid-19 complications last May.\n\nThe pair \"invented the full length magic show headlining Vegas\", according to Jillette, who is known as part of the duo Penn and Teller.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Penn Jillette This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSiegfried and Roy teamed up in their native Germany in the 1950s, and the highlight of their extravagant shows was their performances with white lions and white tigers.\n\nHorn was attacked by a 400lb white Bengal tiger named Montecore during a performance in Las Vegas in 2003, leaving him partially paralysed and using a wheelchair.\n\nHe underwent lengthy rehabilitation and was later able to walk again, but the attack ended the duo's long-running Las Vegas residency.\n\nRoy Horn (left) had to use a wheelchair after the tiger attack\n\nFischbacher and Horn, whose real name was Uwe Ludwig Horn, had met on a cruise ship and were later signed up by a liner company.\n\nAfter being spotted and signed to perform at a nightclub in Bremen, they went on to tour Europe and brought tigers into their act.\n\nBut they shot to worldwide fame after launching their Las Vegas shows in the 1960s.\n\nTheir unique brand of magic and artistry consistently attracted sell-out crowds. They performed an estimated 5,000 shows for 10 million fans in the city after 1990, when they began performing at the Mirage hotel-casino.\n\nThey were also estimated to have grossed more than $1bn by 2001, which included their thousands of shows at other venues in earlier years.\n\nIn 2004, their act became the basis for the animated comedy Father of the Pride, about the mischievous adventures of a family of white lions who perform with Siegfried & Roy in Las Vegas.\n\nHorn's condition improved and by 2006 he was able to talk and walk with assistance from Fischbacher.\n\nIn 2009, the duo staged a final appearance with a tiger (said to be Montecore, but this was disputed by some) at a benefit for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas.\n\nSiegfried Fischbacher was devoted to his partner Roy\n\nThey retired from showbusiness in 2010. After Horn's death last year, Fischbacher said: \"Today, the world has lost one of the greats of magic, but I have lost my best friend.\n\n\"From the moment we met, I knew Roy and I, together, would change the world. There could be no Siegfried without Roy, and no Roy without Siegfried.\"\n\nFischbacher recently had a 12-hour operation to remove a malignant tumour. He had been receiving care at home from two hospice workers in recent days.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nRichard Leonard has resigned as Scottish Labour leader, saying it is in the best interests of the party for him to stand down.\n\nMr Leonard said he believed speculation about his leadership had become a \"distraction\".\n\nAnd he said he would be stepping down with immediate effect.\n\nHis resignation comes just months ahead of the Scottish Parliament election, which is scheduled to be held in May.\n\nMr Leonard had been leader of the party for three years after succeeding Kezia Dugdale.\n\nThe former union official had faced open calls to quit from some of his own MSPs last year amid concerns that his leadership style could damage the party in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election.\n\nPolls have suggested that many Scottish Labour supporters struggle to recognise him, and he is closely associated with former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.\n\nScottish Labour had dominated politics in Scotland for decades, but is currently the third largest party at Holyrood behind the SNP and Conservatives.\n\nAnd Mr Leonard's critics had questioned whether he was capable of turning the party's fortunes around.\n\nMr Leonard was seen as a close ally of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn\n\nIn a statement, Mr Leonard said the decision to resign had not been easy - but he felt it was the right one for him and his party.\n\nHe said: \"I have thought long and hard over the Christmas period about what this crisis means, and the approach Scottish Labour takes to help tackle it.\n\n\"I have also considered what the speculation about my leadership does to our ability to get Labour's message across. This has become a distraction.\n\n\"I have come to the conclusion it is in the best interests of the party that I step aside as leader of Scottish Labour with immediate effect.\"\n\nHe also insisted that Scotland now needs a Labour government more than ever, and accused both the Scottish and UK governments of mishandling the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nMr Leonard added: \"While I step down from the leadership today, the work goes on - and I will play my constructive part as an MSP in winning support for Labour's vision of a better future in a democratic economy and a socialist society.\"\n\nHis decision leaves Scottish Labour looking for its fifth leader since the independence referendum in 2014 - with Johann Lamont, Jim Murphy and Kezia Dugdale all having held the job since then.\n\nA Procedures Committee, to oversee the election of Mr Leonard's successor, has been formed and will have its first meeting on Friday.\n\nMeanwhile, Labour's Scottish Executive Committee will also meet in the coming days to agree a timetable for the process.\n\nMSP Jackie Baillie, who was Scottish Labour's deputy leader, has taken charge of the party on an interim basis.\n\nThis sudden resignation four months from the Holyrood elections seems to have taken Scottish Labour by surprise.\n\nMSPs I've spoken to said they did not see it coming.\n\nThere have been times when Richard Leonard has been under severe pressure from some in his party to stand down.\n\nWhen several MSPs publicly called for him to quit because the party had gone backwards at successive elections on his watch, he stood firm.\n\nHis critics seemed to have accepted that he would lead them and a divided party into the Holyrood election.\n\nThat has now changed and interim leader Jackie Baillie has to quickly organise a contest to replace him.\n\nIt's a contest in which Anas Sarwar, if he stands, would be an obvious frontrunner - even although he lost last time to Mr Leonard, who was seen as much closer to the then UK party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Leonard should be \"very proud\" of his achievements as leader of the party in Scotland.\n\nSir Keir added: \"I would like to thank Richard for his service to our party and his unwavering commitment to the values he believes in.\n\n\"Richard has led Scottish Labour through one of the most challenging and difficult periods in our country's history, including a general election and the pandemic.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Neil Findlay MSP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Leonard had been due to face a confidence vote at the party's ruling Executive Committee last September - but the motion was withdrawn at the last minute.\n\nIt came after four Scottish Labour MSPs called for him to go, warning that the party faced \"catastrophe\" at the ballot box under his leadership.\n\nThey pointed to the party's dismal performance in previous elections under Mr Leonard.\n\nScottish Labour finished fifth in the European election in May 2019, and then lost all but one of its MPs in the general election in December of the same year.\n\nMr Leonard insisted at the time that he intended to lead the party into this year's Holyrood election, and accused his opponents of waging \"internal war\" against him.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who faced Mr Leonard in her weekly question session in the Scottish Parliament, tweeted that she had \"always liked Richard Leonard\" despite their political difference.\n\nShe added: \"He is a decent guy and I wish him well for the future.\"\n\nRuth Davidson, who quit as leader of the Scottish Tories in 2019 before returning to lead the party at Holyrood, said she had always found Mr Leonard to be a \"thoroughly decent man and a committed campaigner.\"\n\nAnas Sarwar, who was defeated by Mr Leonard in the leadership contest in 2017 and is seen as one of the favourites to replace him, said he was sure Mr Leonard would \"continue to fight for a fairer, more just and more equal society today, tomorrow and long into the future.\"\n\nBut Labour MSP Neil Findlay, an outspoken supporter of Mr Leonard, took aim at those who had sought to oust him last year - describing them as \"flinching cowards\" and \"sneering traitors\".", "Primark stores have been hit hard by lockdown\n\nPrimark says it has no plans to sell its clothes online despite warning that lockdown store closures could cost it more than £1bn in lost sales.\n\nSome 305 of Primark's 389 global stores are shut - including all 190 UK outlets - but unlike rivals it has no online arm to fall back on.\n\nCustomers have said they would welcome the retailer setting up an online shop.\n\nBut Primark, which saw a 30% sales fall to £2bn in the 16 weeks to 2 January, says the cost would mean price rises.\n\nIt contrasts with online only fashion retailers such as Asos and Boohoo, whose sales rose by around 40% in the last four months of 2020.\n\nOn Thursday, consumers called on Primark to embrace e-commerce with one tweeting: \"Online sales are thru the roof during the pandemic. You're missing out on a LOT of money.\"\n\nBut the retailer tweeted back: \"We prefer to sell our products in our physical stores but thanks for the suggestion.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Primark This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSince March last year, non-essential shops in the UK and overseas have faced strict curbs and prolonged closures and all are currently shut in England.\n\nIn a statement, Primark said that if all of its stores stayed closed until 27 February 2021, it expected to miss out on £1.05bn of sales - up from a previous estimate of £650m.\n\nThe retailer said it would partially mitigate this by cutting its costs, but did not say if that would mean job losses. It added that it only expected to break even in the first half of the financial year, after seeing healthy operating profits of £441m last time around.\n\nIn the past Primark has said it won't sell online because the cost of manning the operation and processing high volumes of returns would mean it could no longer offer low prices.\n\n\"As a fast fashion retailer they are on a low margins anyway - they have to be very competitive on price,\" Patrick O'Brien, UK retail research director at GlobalData told the BBC.\n\nHe said pure online players like Asos and Boohoo could make it work because they were \"geared up for it in terms of logistics\".\n\nPrimark shops saw strong sales when they reopened after the first lockdown\n\n\"But Primark would be starting from scratch, and would have to integrate any new online operation with its existing store structure which would be costly.\"\n\nDespite this Mr O'Brien said the retailer was still likely succeed, pointing to the surge in sales it saw when its shops reopened after the first lockdown.\n\nBut Retail Economics' Richard Lim said Primark was at risk of \"potentially alienating its customers\" who increasingly expect to be able to shop online.\n\n\"They have very loyal customers who love the brand, but they are crying out to be able to access it online.\n\n\"The longer they are not online, the more disruptive it is. The more their customers are discovering new brands and ways to shop.\"\n\nAssociated British Foods also owns food and agriculture businesses. Sales across the group were down 13% in the 16 weeks to 2 January at £4.8bn.\n\nThere are always winners and losers in retail but this Christmas the picture is more polarised than ever thanks to the effects of the pandemic. Just contrast the fortunes of Primark, which doesn't sell online, with Boohoo and Asos which have both reported soaring growth in sales.\n\nAll our big supermarkets have now reported bumper Christmas trading, too, which is no real surprise given we can't go out to eat and so many of us are working from home. This growth has also been driven by an extraordinary rise in internet orders.\n\nWhile Primark is bracing itself to lose £1bn in business as a result of store closures, Tesco says it added £1bn of extra sales online this festive quarter. It's been very tough for many traditional non-food retailers, big and small, who've been unable to make up for all the lost sales from their High Street shops. Looking ahead, the big question is where the online dial will settle when our lives eventually return to normal.", "The number of people being treated in Scotland's hospitals for coronavirus has reached another record daily high.\n\nLatest Scottish government figures show a total of 1,596 people are in hospital with recently confirmed Covid.\n\nThis is up from Friday's figure of 1,530 patients.\n\nThe deaths of a further 93 people who had tested positive for the virus have been recorded in the past 24 hours, the same tally as Friday which was the highest daily figure of the pandemic.\n\nIt is the second day in a row there has been a record figure for Covid hospital patients.\n\nOf the 1,596 people in hospital, a total of 109 are in intensive care, up seven on Friday's figure.\n\nNational clinical director Prof Jason Leitch said Scotland's hospitals were \"very busy and fragile\" but coping so far.\n\nHe said: \"People should not be worried we have reached capacity but the best way of getting those numbers down is to reduce the prevalence of the virus.\"\n\nProf Leitch said the NHS could create more intensive care capacity if needed but \"all of that has a cost in what we won't be able to do\" elsewhere in the health service.\n\nThe NHS Louisa Jordan temporary hospital in Glasgow can be used to care for the sickest of Covid patients if the spike in admissions continues, but officials are trying to avoid this \"if we can manage without it\", Prof Leitch added.\n\nThis is because it is better for patients and staff for Covid patients to be in traditional intensive care units, he explained.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described the latest Covid figures as \"a big concern\".\n\nOn Twitter, she said: \"Covid case numbers still a big concern and putting huge pressure on the NHS, as hospital and ICU cases increase.\n\n\"Also, 93 further deaths remind us just how dangerous the virus can be - my thoughts are with all those grieving.\"]\n\nThe Scottish government data shows a further 1,865 new cases of Covid have been reported in the last 24 hours, down from the 2,309 cases reported on Friday.\n\nHowever, the daily test positivity rate is 8.7%, up from 8.1% on the previous day.\n\nThis breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.\n\nYou can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.", "A 28-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two men died at a property in east London.\n\nPolice were called to an address in Tavistock Gardens, Ilford, at 04:24 GMT to reports of a disturbance.\n\nTwo men were found seriously injured inside the property and both died at the scene.\n\nThe woman, who was Tasered during the arrest, also suffered non life-threatening injuries. She has been taken to hospital, the Met Police said.\n\nA man who lives a short way down the street said he was awoken by the sounds of a woman screaming.\n\nKuddus Miah, 44, said: \"She was screaming 'help, help, call the police'.\n\n\"The police and ambulances were there very quick.\"\n\nThe men who were found seriously injured on Sunday morning died at the scene\n\n\"I got changed out my PJs and went outside and asked one of the neighbours opposite what happened.\n\n\"She said a woman was coming in and out of the house crying out for help.\n\n\"Apparently they were new tenants. We've lived here around 15 years and it's a very quiet neighbourhood, it's shocking.\"\n\nSeveral forensics officers were seen outside the house and a large police cordon has been put in place.\n\nForensic officers have been seen working in the house\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Sarah and her husband Gary lived in the caravan on the drive for nine months\n\nA nurse who lived in a caravan for nine months to protect her mother from coronavirus says moving back into her house was like \"winning the lottery\".\n\nSarah Link and her husband Gary, who usually share a home with her mother, bought the caravan in March to allow them to isolate.\n\n\"I have cried a river in the caravan, if it wasn't for Gary, I wouldn't have got through it,\" Mrs Link said.\n\nThey moved back home for Christmas after her mother received the vaccine.\n\nThe caravan, bought for £600 and parked on their own drive in Cradley, in the Black Country, allowed Mrs Link to continue working at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital and her husband at his fishmonger's business.\n\n\"I'd do it again tomorrow. I would do it every time, I would have done anything to protect mum,\" she said.\n\n\"We were thinking it would be four weeks, 12 weeks max, then the summer came and went and nine months later we were still there. It was incredible, I just can't believe we did it,\" Mrs Link, who has been a nurse for 17 years, said.\n\nThe couple both contracted coronavirus in December, but carried on living in the caravan so they could self-isolate and continue to protect Mrs Link's 84-year-old mother.\n\nMrs Link said her Christmas this year was \"magical\" after moving out of the caravan\n\n\"I went back to work properly last week. I still get tired easily and suffer with fatigue, but I'm OK,\" Mrs Link said.\n\n\"It's getting ridiculous the cases... some people still walk around and don't believe it's real. If people came on my ward and see what I've seen.\"\n\nMrs Link said she had not hugged her mother since before March as they were still taking precautions to keep her safe.\n\nShe said Christmas and new year had been \"magical\" adding it was the \"best\" she had ever experienced after being able to move back home.\n\n\"We all cried when it turned midnight, that year we'd all had.\n\n\"It was like winning the lottery, waking up in a proper bed.\n\n\"We're in the warm... I wouldn't be happier if I'd won a million pounds.\"\n\nThe couple decorated the caravan throughout the year\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Vincent Kane - pictured with his grandson Sonny - is facing uncertainty about his operation\n\nThe son of a man with pancreatic cancer has said the last-minute cancellation of his surgery has been \"devastating\".\n\nJodie Kane said his father Vincent was due to have his operation on Friday.\n\nHowever, that procedure was cancelled by the Belfast Health Trust on Tuesday as the worsening coronavirus crisis increases the pressure on hospitals.\n\nThe trust apologised, saying it had faced an 80% rise in the number of patients with Covid-19 admitted to hospitals since Christmas Day.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, Jodie said that there was now \"no guarantee\" his 68-year-old father would get the treatment.\n\n\"To be told we had the chance of a very successful surgery on offer and then to have it taken away at the last minute is pretty devastating,\" he said.\n\n\"Even the surgeon himself said they would be concerned if it was to go on more than four weeks.\n\n\"There is an uncertainty hanging over us now that we don't know when he'll actually get that surgery or what the impact on his health is going to be.\"\n\nVincent Kane - pictured with his with wife Karen - has been suffering other health issues arising from his cancer\n\nVincent, from Newtownards, County Down, did not receive treatment for some of his other symptoms as it was planned that the surgery would help with those.\n\n\"Because they were hoping to get him straight into surgery he hasn't had the blockage in his gall bladder addressed so he's jaundiced, he's covered in a rash, can't sleep, he's lost a lot of weight,\" Jodie said.\n\n\"Undoubtedly there are people worse off than us out there but it is still a critical illness that he has got and it is one that we don't have an end in sight for, in terms of treatment.\n\n\"There must be a way of helping all those in need, or I suppose if you were being really honest about it those who stand the best chance of surviving - making the decisions for the benefit of them.\n\n\"There's no guarantee that in six weeks' time surgery is going to be an option because who knows what's going to happen with Covid?\"\n\nThe Belfast Health Trust said it had to reduce the number of ill patients on wards to protect them from coronavirus\n\nJodie called on those who were breaking Covid-19 regulations to think about the the \"direct and indirect impacts\" of their actions.\n\n\"We've every sympathy for anyone who has a loved one who needs [intensive] care because of Covid but cancer and Covid are both life-and-death situations.\n\n\"We can minimise the risks of one of them as a collective society just by taking the necessary precautions.\n\n\"It could be someone they love or their neighbour or someone in their community that's in the same situation as us in the very near future.\"\n\nFlo McClements, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December, found out on Tuesday that her surgery - scheduled for Thursday - had been cancelled by the Belfast Health Trust.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio Foyle, her son Gregg said the pressure was \"mounting day by day\" on the the 72-year-old from Ballymoney, County Antrim.\n\n\"She had waited all through Christmas for the date and due to the Covid-19 restrictions we as a family had stayed away from her,\" he added.\n\nFlo McClements' family wants to \"give her a hug\" after her operation was cancelled\n\n\"We left her on her own with my dad just to make sure she didn't catch Covid and risk the operation.\n\n\"When you get the date you like to think it's the next step to recovery but unfortunately that didn't happen.\"\n\nGregg said his mother was \"putting on a brave face\" but it was difficult for the family to not be with her in person during what was a difficult time.\n\n\"That's actually the hardest part that we can't go up and have a cup of tea with her or give her a hug to make her feel a bit better even for a few minutes.\"\n\nThe Belfast Health Trust said it \"would like to sincerely apologise\" to those affected by the postponement of surgeries.\n\nIt said the decision was taken to reduce the number of ill patients on wards that would be more at risk from the virus than others.\n\n\"This was an incredibly difficult decision to make and we did not take it without considering all the information available to us,\" said the trust.\n\n\"We do not underestimate the anxiety and distress this causes the patients and families affected and we deeply regret this.\n\nIt said it would do \"everything in our power\" to reschedule their operations \"as soon as possible\".", "The company offered to pay surgeries a £5,000 charitable donation \"or to the staff member directly\" in emails\n\nThe Hacking Trust's medical division approached surgeries in Bristol and Worthing offering to pay the money to charity \"or the staff member directly\".\n\nRobyn Clark, from the Institute of General Practice Management, said it was \"just appalling\".\n\nThe company, based in London, has apologised, saying its \"good intentions\" were \"misinterpreted\".\n\nNHS England said people \"will rightly take a dim view of anyone who tries to jump the queue\".\n\n\"The NHS is free at the point of access for everyone who needs it,\" said Mrs Clark.\n\n\"What we felt this company was trying to do was jump the queue.\"\n\nThe Bristol-based manager said she worried it could \"create more health inequality\".\n\nShe said: \"The JCVI [Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation] is trying to prioritise the vaccine based on the vulnerability to Covid.\"\n\nThe e-mail sent to the GP surgery in Worthing said The Hacking Trust was aware that \"many appointments\" for vaccinations are not kept, and that it would be interested in being informed of \"any no-shows\".\n\nA donation of £5,000 would be paid to a staff member or given to charity for each dose it could secure, the e-mail said.\n\nIn a statement, the Battersea-based company said it \"offered charitable donations to staff or surgeries in this difficult time for any vaccines which were unused\".\n\nIt added: \"We had heard that some vaccines were being unused due to missed appointments. We would apologise that our good intentions have been misinterpreted.\"\n\nNHS England said it knew \"these particular emails were received across the country\".\n\nDr Nikki Kanani, GP and NHS medical director for primary care, said hundreds of NHS teams across the country were \"working hard to deliver vaccines quickly to those who would benefit most\".\n\n\"NHS staff will never ask for, or accept, cash for vaccines,\" she said.\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said vaccinations were available from the NHS \"for free\" and \"cannot be sold privately in the UK\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Online supermarket Ocado has become the first big retailer to warn of shortages of some products.\n\nIt told customers in an email that there may be \"an increase of missing items and substitutions over the next few weeks\".\n\nStaff sickness and self-isolation means some food producers are cutting the number of product lines they offer.\n\nWhile customers might not get their exact product choice, plenty of food should be available, Ocado said.\n\n\"Staff absences across the supply chain may lead to an increase in product substitutions for a small number of customers as some suppliers consolidate their offering to maintain output,\" a spokesperson said.\n\nThe news comes after a rush of online food orders for supermarkets, as shoppers try to stay at home after the new lockdown started.\n\nWithin a couple of hours of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's speech to the nation on Monday, shoppers reported problems with Sainsbury's and Tesco, while Ocado customers were placed in a virtual queue.\n\nOcado told its customers that from Friday \"changes to the UK supply chain have affected some of our suppliers and may result in an increase of missing items and substitutions over the next few weeks.\"\n\nIt added: \"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and we are working hard to mitigate any impact.\"\n\nFood suppliers are grappling with staffing problems, hospitality clients who have closed their doors and delays at the border with the EU.\n\nWholesalers the BBC spoke to this week said they faced throwing away thousands of pounds worth of food because of cancelled orders following new restrictions.\n\nThe UK meat industry has called for the early vaccination of its workers to keep food supplies running smoothly during the coronavirus crisis.\n\nIt warned earlier this week that absences during the pandemic, coupled with disruption at ports, could hit food supply chains.\n\nAn early vaccination call for supermarket staff was also made by the boss of Sainsbury's on Thursday.\n\nThe government said the food industry remains \"well-prepared\" to make sure people have the food they need.\n\nThe British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) said coronavirus and disruption at ports due to new systems brought in after the Brexit transition period were \"a severe challenge to the industry and to the smooth running of the nation's food supply chain\".", "Home Secretary Priti Patel has said officers \"will not hesitate\" to enforce lockdown rules as she defended the way police have handled breaches.\n\nShe said rising numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths illustrated the need for \"strong enforcement\".\n\nIt comes after the National Police Chiefs' Council published guidance saying officers should issue fines more quickly when rules are broken.\n\nMore than 30,000 fines have been handed out by forces in England and Wales.\n\nNPCC figures show 32,329 fixed penalty notices were issued between 27 March and 21 December last year.\n\nThe number of people who have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test surpassed 80,000 on Saturday, and a further 59,937 people tested positive.\n\nMinisters have launched a new campaign urging people to act like they have the virus and scientists have warned that lockdown measures in England need to be stricter.\n\n\"The vast majority of the public have supported this huge national effort and followed the rules,\" Ms Patel said.\n\n\"But the tragic number of new cases and deaths this week shows there is still a need for strong enforcement where people are clearly breaking these rules to ensure we safeguard our country's recovery from this deadly virus.\n\n\"Enforcing these rules saves lives. It is as simple as that. Officers will continue to engage with the public across the country and will not hesitate to take action when necessary.\"\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock has warned the public to follow the lockdown restrictions, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr programme that \"every time you try to flex the rules, that could be fatal\".\n\nBut Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer criticised the government for not providing \"absolute clarity of messaging\", telling the BBC's Andrew Marr that there had been \"mixed messaging over the last nine months\".\n\nNPCC guidance, published on 6 January, says officers should still offer people \"encouragement\" to comply with the regulations and explain any changes.\n\n\"However, if the individual or group does not respond appropriately, then enforcement can follow without repeated attempts to encourage people to comply with the law,\" the NPCC said.\n\nOn Saturday 12 people were arrested during an anti-lockdown protest in south London.\n\nElsewhere, North Wales Police turned away more than 100 cars at Moel Famau in Flintshire by Saturday lunchtime, and Norfolk Police fined one couple who had travelled about 130 miles (209km) to see a seal colony.\n\nHowever, Derbyshire Police has launched an urgent review into how fines were issued after two women were charged £200 each.\n\nThe pair were stopped by officers for walking five miles from their home with hot drinks, which they were told were not allowed as they were \"classed as a picnic\".\n\nJohn Apter, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said officers were under \"immense pressure to do the right thing\" and said with \"such a changing landscape politically and legally\" there were going to be things which did not go right.\n\nHe said the police had to balance the relationship with the public.\n\n\"It's not easy because all we are trying to do in policing is keep as many people safe as possible,\" he said.", "The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have received Covid-19 vaccinations, Buckingham Palace has said.\n\nA royal source said the vaccinations were administered on Saturday by a household doctor at Windsor Castle.\n\nThe source added the Queen decided to let it be known she had the vaccination to prevent further speculation.\n\nThe Queen, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, are among around 1.5 million people in the UK to have had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine so far.\n\nPeople aged over 80 in the UK are among the high-priority groups who are being given the vaccine first.\n\nThe couple have been spending the lockdown in England at their Windsor Castle home after deciding to have a quiet Christmas at their Berkshire residence, instead of the traditional royal family gathering at Sandringham.\n\nLast month, the Queen appeared alongside several other senior members of the royal family for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.\n\nIn 2020 she went seven months - between March and October - without carrying out public engagements outside of a royal residence.\n\nDuring that time, her eldest child, Prince Charles, 72, contracted coronavirus and displayed mild symptoms.\n\nPalace sources also told the BBC that her grandson Prince William tested positive in April - although Kensington Palace refused to comment officially.\n\nThe Queen made a private pilgrimage to the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey in November\n\nThe Queen used her Christmas Day message to reassure anyone struggling without friends and family this year that they \"are not alone\".\n\nShe said the pandemic had \"brought us closer\" despite causing hardship, adding that the Royal Family has been \"inspired\" by people volunteering in their communities.\n\nOn Friday a third coronavirus vaccine - made by US company Moderna - was approved for use in the UK, joining the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines already approved by UK regulators.\n\nIt is not known which vaccine the Queen and Prince Philip have received.\n\nAll the approved vaccines require two doses to provide the best possible protection, with the second dose being given up to 12 weeks after the first.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has said the aim is to vaccinate 15 million people in the UK by mid-February, including care home residents and staff, frontline NHS staff, everyone over 70 and those who have been categorised as clinically extremely vulnerable.", "Bans imposed by Twitter, Facebook and Instagram on Donald Trump's accounts raise a \"very big question\" about how social media is regulated, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.\n\nThe companies acted after supporters of the US president stormed Washington DC's Capitol building on Wednesday.\n\nMr Hancock said the bans showed they were now \"taking editorial decisions\".\n\nCampaigners want social media to be treated as \"publishers\", rather than \"platforms\", meaning more regulation.\n\nBut opponents of the idea argue that it could allow governments to limit debate.\n\nMr Trump faces an impeachment charge, with Democrats accusing the Republican president of encouraging the Washington riots, in which five people died.\n\nTwitter permanently suspended his @realDonaldTrump account on Saturday, citing the \"risk of further incitement of violence\".\n\nBut Mr Trump called this an attack on free speech and suggested he would look at \"building out our own platform in the future\".\n\nThere has been a long-running debate over whether social media companies should be treated in law as \"publishers\", with greater responsibility for dealing with libellous, discriminatory, misleading or incendiary content posted by users.\n\nMr Hancock, a former culture secretary, told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: \"The scenes, clearly encouraged by President Trump - the scenes at the Capitol - were terrible - and I was very sad to see that because American democracy is such a proud thing.\n\n\"But there's something else that has changed, which is that social media platforms are making editorial decisions now. That's clear because they're choosing who should and shouldn't have a voice on their platform.\"\n\nMr Hancock said that development was likely to have \"consequences\".\n\nAsked earlier about Twitter's decision to ban Mr Trump's account, he told Sky News: \"I think it raises a very important question, which is it means that the social media platforms are taking editorial decisions.\n\n\"And that is a very big question because then it raises questions about their editorial judgements and the way that they're regulated.\"\n\nTwitter's ban on Mr Trump's account followed the increasing use of warning labels on his posts referring to the coronavirus pandemic and the result of the US presidential election.\n\nIn a blog on Friday, the company said its public interest framework existed \"to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly\".\n\nIt added: \"However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules and cannot use Twitter to incite violence. We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement.\"\n\nFacebook and Instagram banned Mr Trump \"indefinitely\" on Thursday, with Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg saying this sanction would not be lifted until at least 20 January, when Joe Biden is sworn in as the new US president.", "\"Absurd\" council tax rises should be scrapped to ease the pressure on family budgets, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said.\n\nLocal authorities in England will be able to raise council tax by 5% from April, with 3% used to top up adult social care budgets.\n\nSir Keir said this meant those living in a band D property could see bills rise by an average of £90.\n\nHe added that the prime minister should provide extra funding to councils.\n\nBut the government says the rise in council tax bills, plus extra money from central government, will ensure a real-terms increase in support for local services.\n\nSir Keir wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: \"It is absurd that during the deepest recession in 300 years, at the very time millions are worried about the future of their jobs and how they will make ends meet, Boris Johnson and [Chancellor] Rishi Sunak are forcing local government to hike up council tax.\n\n\"The prime minister said he would do 'whatever is necessary' to support local authorities in providing vital services - he needs to make good on that promise.\"\n\nSir Keir urged Mr Johnson to \"give families the security they need\" by dropping the tax increase.\n\nHe said families had been treated as an \"afterthought\" by the government during the pandemic, adding that Labour would become the \"party of the family\" under his leadership.\n\nA Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: \"Council tax plays an important role in helping fund the frontline services needed to respond to the pandemic.\n\n\"Our approach strikes a balance between allowing local authorities to address service pressures and ensuring local residents have the final say on excessive increases.\"\n\nA £500m fund to support people struggling with finances meant councils could \"cut bills further for some of the most vulnerable households\", they added, while a £7.2bn support package would help meet \"the major Covid-19 service pressures in their local area\".\n\nThe chancellor's Spending Review in November set out the cost to the UK economy so far of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nMr Sunak warned the \"economic emergency\" caused by the pandemic had only begun, with lasting damage to growth and jobs.\n\nInterviewed on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, Sir Keir said there was no scope for a \"major renegotiation\" of the UK's post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, but added that there were \"bits already that need to be improved on\".\n\nAnd, asked about the possibility of another Scottish referendum on independence from the UK, he said that a \"further, divisive\" vote was not \"the way forward\".\n\n\"But I do accept that the status quo isn't working\", Sir Keir added. \"I don't accept the argument that the status quo isn't working, the next thing you do is go to a referendum.\"\n\nThe prime minister has said such a vote - last held in 2014 - should be a \"once-in-a-generation\" event.\n\nBut Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said a referendum should take place.", "Dorset Police said officers dispersed dozens of demonstrators from the town centre as they attempted to march\n\nA video shared online apparently showing a woman being arrested in breach of lockdown for sitting on a bench was \"stage-managed\", police said.\n\nDorset Police believe the video was planned and recorded by anti-lockdown protesters during a demonstration in Bournemouth on Saturday.\n\nThree people were arrested for not giving their details so officers could issue fines for breaking Covid rules.\n\nThe BBC has asked one of the protesters who posted the video to comment.\n\nThe force said two of those held were later de-arrested when they confirmed their details in police custody and a third was released when his details were verified - all three were then issued fixed penalty notices.\n\nOfficers also issued at least seven other fines and 10 dispersal notices.\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan, from Dorset Police, said: \"We believe this video was planned, stage-managed and recorded by members of the protest group who turned up in multiple areas, several of whom refused to engage or provide their details.\n\n\"If people refuse to give their details in such circumstances then it leaves officers with little option, but to arrest until the details are established. Our officers would only arrest as a last resort.\n\n\"It was clear that the group was deliberately organising their activities, walking around in twos and then trying to come together in a 'flash mob'-style approach, as they have done previously. This activity went on for a couple of hours.\"\n\nThe force's chief constable James Vaughan earlier said: \"I condemn the actions of these selfish individuals who knowingly flouted the lockdown restrictions.\"\n\nThe force said there were \"repeated attempts\" to engage with the organisers to stop the planned protest and found a number of the protesters had \"travelled considerably\" from out of the Dorset area.\n\nMr Vaughan added: \"Our county is gripped with infections and yet these irresponsible individuals have ignored what is being asked of them and have left their homes to protest. Shame on them.\"\n\nSam Crowe, director of public health for Dorset, said its hospital services were \"close to being overwhelmed\".\n\nMr Crowe said: \"Infection rates locally have been doubling in less than a week. If this carries on, our hospitals will not be able to cope with caring for those needing life-saving treatment. Stay at home means exactly that.\"\n\nLatest figures show Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has reached 745.2 cases per 100,000 people.\n\nAlso on Saturday, 16 people were also arrested during an anti-lockdown protest in south London.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Eleanor Wadsworth was a civilian pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary\n\nOne of the last surviving \"Spitfire Women\", who ferried aircraft to the front line in World War Two, has died.\n\nEleanor Wadsworth, who was 103, was part of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), a civilian service that transported fighter aircraft and crew.\n\nThe ATA Association said she was among 165 women who flew without radios or instrument flying instructions.\n\nMrs Wadsworth, who lived in Bury St Edmunds, died in December after a month of illness.\n\nDuring the war, about 1,250 men and women from 25 countries transferred some 309,000 aircraft of 147 different types.\n\nMrs Wadsworth said the \"thought of learning to fly for free was a great incentive\" to join the ATA\n\nMrs Wadsworth, who was born in Nottingham, joined the ATA in 1943 after seeing an advertisement for female pilots and was one of the first six successful candidates to be accepted with no or little previous flying experience, historian Sally McGlone said.\n\nIn 2020, the former pilot told her housing association's in-house magazine that she had been \"looking for a new challenge\" when she joined the service.\n\n\"The thought of learning to fly for free was a great incentive [so] I put my name down and didn't think much about it,\" she said.\n\nShe added that she had enjoyed flying Spitfires the most, which she did 132 times.\n\n\"It was a beautiful aircraft, great to handle,\" she said.\n\nTributes have been paid to her bravery on social including one from former RAF Tornado navigator and Gulf prisoner of war John Nichol.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by John Nichol This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMs McGlone said Mrs Wadsworth and her fellow ATA pilots \"will remain an inspiration to women worldwide\", while fellow historian Howard Cook said she and her fellow \"Spitfire Women\" had been \"incredibly brave\".\n\nAuthor Karen Borden, who interviewed Mrs Wadsworth for an upcoming book, added that \"like many of the women pilots, she was incredibly humble about her contribution to the war effort\".\n\n\"She joked about how flying 'straight and level' was her mark... and how marvellous it was to take to the air on her own.\"\n\nEleanor Wadsworth (bottom row, far left) joined the ATA in 1943\n\nHer son Robert said she had been \"a wonderful mother, an adoring grandmother and great-grandmother\", who had been \"matter of fact\" about her wartime service.\n\nHe said she would say that \"we had a job to do [and] we just got on and did it\".\n\nHer funeral will take place on Tuesday.\n\nMrs Wadsworth had been one of three surviving female ATA pilots, alongside American Nancy Stratford and Briton Jaye Edwards, who lives in Canada.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Asymptomatic testing for Covid can help \"break the chains of transmission\", Matt Hancock says\n\nRegular rapid testing for people without coronavirus symptoms will be made available across England this week, the government has said.\n\nThe community testing regime - expanded to cover all 317 local authorities - uses rapid lateral flow tests, which can return results in 30 minutes.\n\nLocal councils are being encouraged to prioritise tests for those who cannot work from home during the lockdown.\n\nThe health secretary said asymptomatic testing can help break transmission.\n\nMeanwhile, NHS England has invited tens of thousands of people over 80 to book vaccinations.\n\nA further 563 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test and another 54,940 cases reported, according to government figures on Sunday.\n\nThe total number of deaths in the UK after a positive test passed 80,000 on Saturday.\n\nThe government has launched a campaign telling people to act like they have got the virus in a bid to tackle the rise in infections.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said expanding the Community Testing Programme to more people without symptoms was \"crucial given that around one in three people\" who contract Covid-19 show no symptoms.\n\nIt said regular community testing using the rapid tests had already identified more than 14,800 positive Covid-19 cases.\n\nSo far, 131 local authorities in England have enrolled in the government's community testing programme, with Milton Keynes, Slough, Doncaster and Essex the latest to join.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said targeted asymptomatic testing and subsequent isolation was \"highly effective in breaking chains of transmission\".\n\nBut Angela Raffle, a consultant in public health at the University of Bristol Medical School, said increasing lateral flow testing was \"very worrying\" and warned the benefits of finding symptomless cases \"will be outweighed by the many more infectious cases that are missed by these tests\".\n\nDefending lateral flow tests on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme Mr Hancock said mass asymptomatic testing in Liverpool had seen the case rate drop \"more sharply than it did in other similar areas where only restrictions were brought in\".\n\nNHS Test and Trace will also work closely with other government departments to scale up workforce testing, the Department of Health and Social Care said.\n\nMany are already piloting regular workforce testing, with 15 large employers having taken up this offer already across 64 sites, \"including organisations operating in the food, manufacturing, energy and retail sectors, and within the public sector including job centres, transport networks and the military\".\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said plans were already in place for rapid testing of staff and students in schools and colleges and staff in primary schools.\n\nAsked when schools could reopen by the BBC's Andrew Marr, Mr Hancock said there were four conditions: that there is not a major new variant, the vaccine rollout is proceeding effectively, the number of deaths is falling and there is an easing of pressure on the NHS.\n\nMatthew Fell, of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which represents 190,000 UK businesses, said: \"This expansion of testing will help more critical workers and those unable to work from home to operate safely, while also catching new cases more swiftly.\"\n\nBusiness Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the safety of the workforce had been an \"absolute priority\" and said the expansion of testing means \"we can keep our economy on the move while giving individuals in key sectors complete confidence that their workplace is safe\".\n\nBut Prof Susan Michie, professor of health psychology at University College London, told BBC Breakfast the country would continue a \"yo-yoing of lockdown\" without a \"test, trace and isolate system that actually works\" and warned there needed to be tighter restrictions and tougher messaging than in March to prevent \"tens of thousands of avoidable deaths in the next few weeks\".", "Bernard Thomas was interviewed by BBC Wales at the time of the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster\n\nA survivor of the Aberfan disaster has died after contracting Covid-19.\n\nAs a nine-year-old Bernard Thomas was rescued from the rubble of Pantglas primary school after one of the biggest tragedies in Welsh history.\n\nA total of 144 people were killed in the disaster on 21 October, 1966, after thousands of tonnes of coal slurry slid from a tip. Of those 116 were primary school pupils.\n\nLater Bernard was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress.\n\nHe told S4C he \"still heard the sounds of children screaming.\"\n\nPaying tribute to Mr Thomas, 63, who died on Wednesday, his brother Andrew told BBC's Newyddion: \"Bernard was a real character and his death has come as a shock to us as a family and the community of Aberfan.\"\n\n\"We can't be sure where he caught Covid, but he had an eye appointment at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital on 21 December.\n\n\"A few days later, he became ill and at Prince Charles Hospital, he tested positive for Covid-19.\"\n\n\"Although he had been receiving oxygen through a mask, we spoke regularly on the phone and he told us he was getting better.\n\n\"But on Wednesday morning he removed his mask to eat his breakfast, and 10 minutes after eating he faded away.\"\n\n\"It's a huge shock but I don't blame anybody.\"\n\nOn the 50th anniversary of the disaster Bernard told the BBC: \"I still wonder what the others would have been doing if it hadn't happened. Who would have got married to who, you know.\"\n\nBernard is survived by his 90-year-old mother Gwen, with whom he shared a home, and brothers Andrew and Robert.", "Coronavirus does not show much sign of \"abating\" in Scotland, says the deputy first minister as he refused to rule out tougher restrictions.\n\nScotland is facing \"a very alarming situation\" with the virus, according to John Swinney, whose comments come as the country records its highest death toll so far in the pandemic in the last two days, where 93 Scots died from the virus.\n\nSwinney tells Politics Scotland: \"I don't think I'm revealing a state secret when I say that the debate within cabinet [on Monday] was not whether we were going too far but whether we were going far enough.\"\n\nMr Swinney says Scotland recorded around 130 cases per 100,000 people on Boxing Day, but the figure shot up to 300 just 10 days later.\n\nDespite the new measures put in place, Mr Swinney said: \"It doesn't show much sign of abating to any extent.\n\n\"We're seeing case numbers which are hovering around 2,000 per day... so we've got an accelerating situation on our hands and we have to constantly review whether more restrictions are required.\"\n\nHe added: \"We remain open to considering further restrictions if they are necessary.\"", "Flexing the coronavirus lockdown rules could be fatal, the health secretary has warned as hospital admissions soar.\n\nMatt Hancock did not rule out strengthening current restrictions and told the BBC's Andrew Marr the NHS was under \"very serious pressure\".\n\nIt comes after almost 55,000 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the UK and the number of deaths after a positive test passed 80,000.\n\nScientist Prof Peter Horby warned the UK was in \"the eye of the storm\".\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the rules were tough but \"may not be tough enough\" and called for the government to hold daily press conferences to avoid \"mixed messages\".\n\nThe UK recorded another 563 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test on Sunday, down from 1,065 deaths on Saturday.\n\nHowever, there tends to be fewer deaths reported on Sundays, due to a reporting lag over the weekend. There were also a further 54,940 daily cases.\n\nMr Hancock told Andrew Marr \"every time you try to flex the rules that could be fatal\" and said staying at home was the \"most important thing we can do collectively as a society\".\n\nThe health secretary said he did not want to speculate on whether the government would further strengthen restrictions, after warnings from scientists on Saturday that they may need to be stricter.\n\n\"People need to not just follow the letter of the rules but follow the spirit as well and play their part,\" he said.\n\nHis comments came after Home Secretary Priti Patel defended police over enforcing lockdown rules following the case of two women who were fined for going for a walk five miles from their homes - a decision which is now under review.\n\nThe government has launched a campaign telling people to act like they have got the virus in a bid to tackle the rise in infections.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nEngland's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said that if the virus continued on its current trajectory \"many hospitals will be in real difficulties, and very soon\".\n\nIn a statement released on Sunday, he said that unless people started to follow the rules more strictly, emergency patients will have to be turned away from hospitals, causing \"avoidable deaths\".\n\nProf Horby, chairman of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said there may be \"early signs that something is beginning to bite\" due to the restrictions - but if they did not then stricter measures would be needed.\n\nHe told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: \"I really hope people take this very seriously. It was bad in March, it's much worse now.\n\n\"We've seen record numbers across the board, record numbers of cases, record numbers of hospitalisations, record numbers of deaths.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Professor Peter Horby explains why the new Covid-19 variant is up to 70% more transmissible\n\nProf Horby said tougher measures might include those during the March lockdown, such as people only being able to exercise once a day and stricter rules about meeting people.\n\n\"We are in a situation where everything that was risky in the past is now more risky,\" he said.\n\nProf Horby said early signs were encouraging that the vaccines would be effective against the new Covid variants - first identified in the UK and in South Africa - and he did not want people to \"hide under the duvet\".\n\n\"We can see the end game now,\" he said.\n\nHigher cases inevitably mean more hospitalisations and more deaths.\n\nThe most recent figures show that, on average, 894 people per day are now dying within 28 days of a positive Covid test, up from 438 at the start of December.\n\nThe spike in cases since Christmas means that figure is almost certain to get worse before the most recent lockdown measures can start to have any effect.\n\nScientists think the new variant of the disease is more \"transmissible\", possibly because each infected individual produces more of the actual virus - sometimes referred to as the viral load.\n\nVaccination should help to protect the most vulnerable from serious symptoms but we don't yet know if receiving the jab stops an individual contracting the virus and passing it on to others.\n\nScientists say that may mean even tougher restrictions will be needed to bring the R-number below one and start to reduce the overall size of the pandemic.\n\nMass community testing is to be rolled out this week, the government has said, and the health secretary said around two million people had been vaccinated in the UK, with some 200,000 jabs being given in England daily.\n\nMr Hancock said by autumn every adult in the UK would be offered a vaccine.\n\nHe said the government was on course to reach its target of 15 million people vaccinated by mid-February, with the opening of seven mass vaccination centres this week likely to increase the rate of jabs.\n\nMr Hancock told Sky News' Sophy Ridge he hoped coronavirus could be treated like seasonal flu with an annual vaccination programme in the future.\n\nProf Horby said the vaccines may have to be updated \"every few years\" as the virus mutates and said it was unlikely the virus would go away completely.\n\n\"We're going to have to live with it,\" he said. \"But that may change significantly.\n\n\"It may well become more of an endemic virus that's with us all the time and may cause some seasonal pressures and some excess deaths but is not causing the huge disruption that we're seeing now.\"", "Electricity is gradually being restored in Pakistan following a huge power cut across the country, which led to every city reporting outages.\n\nHomes nationwide were suddenly plunged into darkness from about midnight.\n\nPower is now back in most cities but officials warn that it could still be a few hours before electricity is fully restored.\n\nThe outage is believed to have been caused by a fault at a power plant in the south of the country.\n\nPower cuts are not uncommon in Pakistan. Essential facilities such as hospitals often use diesel-fuelled generators as a back-up power supply.\n\n\"A countrywide blackout has been caused by a sudden plunge in the frequency in the power transmission system,\" Pakistan's power minister, Omar Ayub Khan, wrote on Twitter in the early hours of Sunday.\n\nHomes across the country were plunged into darkness at about midnight\n\nMr Khan later said that power had been restored in most major cities but that it would take a few more hours for the grid to go completely back to normal.\n\nHe added that the outage occurred after a fault developed at the Guddu power plant in Sindh province shortly before midnight on Saturday (19:00 GMT).\n\nInvestigators were at the site to ascertain the cause of the fault, Mr Khan said.\n\nBlackouts sometimes occur in Pakistan because of chronic power shortages, with many areas having no electricity for several hours a day. The issue has previously led to street protests.\n\nIn 2013, Pakistan's electricity network broke down completely after a power plant in south-western Balochistan province developed a technical fault.\n\nPakistanis seem to have largely taken this power cut in their stride. Outages lasting a number of hours are not uncommon, though they are rarely on this scale, and normally occur during the hotter summer months. The last time there was a near national blackout like this was in 2015.\n\nSo far, there have been no reports of problems at hospitals, which have their own back-up supplies. A senior member of staff at a major hospital in the city of Karachi told me they could maintain services for 48-72 hours without mainline power.\n\nMany businesses and richer families invariably own diesel or petrol fuelled generators too, allowing them to continue using electricity whenever power cuts occur. There were reports of queues at some petrol stations earlier in the day as people tried to keep refilling their generators.\n\nOthers will have been without internet and phone access, or hot water, but - already used to periods without electricity - appear to have accepted the outage with an air of resignation.", "Many were taken by surprise by the events in Washington, but to those who closely follow conspiracy and extreme right groups online, the warning signs were all there.\n\nAt 02:21 Eastern Standard Time on election night, President Trump walked onto a stage set up in the East Room of the White House and declared victory.\n\n\"We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election.\"\n\nHis speech came an hour after he'd tweeted: \"They are trying to steal the election\".\n\nHe hadn't won. There was no victory to steal. But to many of his most fervent supporters, these facts didn't matter, and still don't.\n\nSixty five days later, a motley coalition of rioters stormed the US Capitol building. They included believers in the QAnon conspiracy theory, members of \"Stop the Steal\" groups, far-right activists, online trolls and others.\n\nOn Friday 8 January - some 48 hours after the Washington riots - Twitter began a purge of some of the most influential pro-Trump accounts that had been pushing conspiracies and urging direct action to overturn the election result.\n\nThen came the big one - Mr Trump himself.\n\nThe president was permanently banned from tweeting to his more than 88 million followers \"due to the risk of further incitement of violence\".\n\nThe violence in Washington shocked the world and seemed to catch the authorities off guard.\n\nBut for anyone who had been carefully watching the unfolding story - online and on the streets of American cities - it came as no surprise.\n\nThe idea of a rigged election was seeded by the president in speeches and on Twitter, months before the vote.\n\nOn election day, the rumors started just as Americans were going to the polls.\n\nA video of a Republican poll watcher being denied entry to a Philadelphia polling station went viral. It was a genuine error, caused by confusion about the rules. The man was later allowed into the station to observe the count.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Will Chamberlain This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Will Chamberlain\n\nBut it became the first of many videos, images, graphics and claims that went viral in the days that followed, giving rise to a hashtag: #StopTheSteal.\n\nThe message behind it was clear - Mr Trump had won a landslide victory, but dark forces in the establishment \"deep state\" had stolen it from him.\n\nIn the early hours of Wednesday 4 November, while votes were still being counted and three days before the US networks called the election for Joe Biden, President Trump claimed victory, alleging \"a fraud on the American public\".\n\nMr Trump did not provide any evidence to back up his claims. Studies carried out for previous US elections have shown that voter fraud is extremely rare.\n\nBy mid-afternoon a Facebook group called \"Stop the Steal\" was created and quickly became one of the fastest-growing in the platform's history. By Thursday morning, it had added more than 300,000 members.\n\nMany of the posts focused on unsubstantiated allegations of mass voter fraud, including manufactured claims that thousands of dead people had voted and that voting machines had somehow been programmed to flip votes from Mr Trump to Mr Biden.\n\nBut some of the posts were more alarming, speaking of the need for a \"civil war\" or \"revolution\".\n\nBy Thursday afternoon, Facebook had taken down Stop the Steal, but not before it had generated nearly half a million comments, shares, likes, and reactions.\n\nDozens of other groups quickly sprang up in its place.\n\nThe idea of a stolen election continued to spread online and take hold. Soon, a dedicated Stop the Steal website was launched in a bid to register \"boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote\".\n\nOn Saturday 7 November, major news organisations declared that Joe Biden had won the election. In Democratic strongholds, throngs of people took to the streets to celebrate. But the reaction online from Mr Trump's most ardent supporters was one of anger and defiance.\n\nThey planned a rally in Washington DC for the following Saturday, dubbed the Million MAGA (Make America Great Again) March.\n\nTrump tweeted that he might try to stop by the demonstration and \"say hello\".\n\nPrevious pro-Trump rallies in Washington had failed to attract large crowds. But thousands gathered at Freedom Plaza that sunny morning.\n\nOne extremism researcher called it the \"debut of the pro-Trump insurgency\".\n\nAs Trump's motorcade drove through the city, supporters screaming with delight rushed to catch a glimpse of the president, who beamed at them wearing a red MAGA hat.\n\nWhile mainstream conservative figures were present, the event was dominated by far-right groups.\n\nDozens of members of the far-right, anti-immigrant, all-male group Proud Boys, who have repeatedly been involved in violent street protests and were among those who would later break into the US Capitol, joined the march. Militia groups, far-right media figures and promoters of conspiracy theories were also there.\n\nAs night fell, clashes between Trump supporters and counter-protesters broke out, including a brawl about five blocks from the White House.\n\nThe violence - although largely contained by police on this occasion - was a clear sign of things to come.\n\nBy now, President Trump and his legal team had invested their hopes in dozens of legal cases.\n\nAlthough a number of courts had already dismissed fraud allegations, many in the pro-Trump online world became fascinated with two lawyers with close ties to the president - Sidney Powell and L Lin Wood.\n\nMs Powell and Mr Wood promised they were preparing cases of voter fraud so comprehensive that when released, they would destroy the case for Mr Biden having won the presidency.\n\nMs Powell, 65, a conservative activist and former federal prosecutor, told Fox News that the effort would \"release the Kraken\" - a reference to a gigantic sea monster from Scandinavian folklore that rises up from the ocean to devour its enemies.\n\nThe \"Kraken\" quickly became an internet meme, representing sprawling, unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud.\n\nMs Powell and Mr Wood became heroes to followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory - who believe President Trump and a secret military intelligence team are battling a deep state made up of Satan-worshipping paedophiles in the Democratic Party, media, business and Hollywood.\n\nThe lawyers became a conduit between the president and his most conspiracy-minded supporters - a number of whom ended up inside the Capitol on 6 January.\n\nMs Powell and Mr Wood were successful in whipping up sound and fury online, but their legal efforts came to nothing.\n\nWhen they released almost 200 pages of documents in late November, it became clear that their lawsuit consisted predominantly of conspiracy theories and debunked allegations that had already been rejected by dozens of courts.\n\nThe filings contained simple legal errors - and basic misspellings and typos.\n\nStill, the meme lived on. The terms \"Kraken\" and \"Release the Kraken\" were used more than a million times on Twitter before the Capitol riot.\n\nDeath threats were made against a Georgia election worker, and Republican officials in the state - including Governor Brian Kemp, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the official in charge of the state's voting systems, Gabriel Sterling - were branded \"traitors\" online.\n\nMr Sterling issued an emotional and prescient warning to the president in a press conference on 1 December.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"This has to stop... someone's gonna get killed\": Mr Sterling calls on President Trump to condemn the threats\n\n\"Someone's going to get hurt, someone's going to get shot, someone's going to get killed, and it's not right,\" he said.\n\nIn Michigan in early December, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, had just finished trimming her Christmas tree with her four-year-old son when she heard a commotion outside her Detroit home.\n\nAbout 30 protesters with banners stood outside, shouting \"Stop the steal!\" through megaphones.\n\n\"Benson, you are a villain,\" one person yelled.\n\nOne of the demonstrators live-streamed the protest on Facebook, stating that her group was \"not going away\".\n\nIt was just one of a rash of protests targeting people involved in the vote.\n\nIn Georgia, a constant stream of Trump supporters drove past Mr Raffensperger's home, honking their horns. His wife received threats of sexual violence.\n\nIn Arizona, demonstrators gathered outside of the home of Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, at one point warning: \"We are watching you.\"\n\nOn 11 December, the Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the state of Texas to throw out election results.\n\nAs the president's legal and political windows continued to close, the language in pro-Trump online circles became increasingly violent.\n\nOn 12 December, a second Stop the Steal rally was held in the capital. Once again, thousands attended, and once again prominent far-right activists, QAnon supporters, fringe MAGA groups and militia movements were among the demonstrators.\n\nMichael Flynn, Mr Trump's former national security advisor, likened the protesters to the biblical soldiers and priests breaching the walls of Jericho. This echoed the rally organisers' call for \"Jericho Marches\" to overturn the election result.\n\nNick Fuentes, the leader of Groypers, a far-right movement that targets Republican politicians and figures they deem too moderate, told the crowd: \"We are going to destroy the GOP!\"\n\nThe march once again turned violent.\n\nThen two days later, the Electoral College certified Mr Biden's victory, one of the final steps required for him to take office.\n\nOn online platforms, supporters were becoming resigned to the view that all legal avenues were dead ends, and only direct action could save the Trump presidency.\n\nSince election day, alongside Mr Flynn, Ms Powell and Mr Wood, a new figure had rapidly gained prominence among pro-Trump circles online.\n\nRon Watkins is the son of Jim Watkins, the man behind 8chan and 8kun - message boards filled with extreme language and views, violence and extreme sexual content. They gave rise to the QAnon movement.\n\nIn a series of viral tweets on 17 December, Ron Watkins suggested President Trump should follow the example of Roman leader Julius Caesar, and capitalise on \"fierce loyalty of the military\" in order to \"restore the Republic\".\n\nRon Watkins encouraged his more than 500,000 followers to make #CrossTheRubicon a Twitter trend, referring to the moment when Caesar launched a civil war by crossing the Rubicon river in 49BC. The hashtag was also used by more mainstream figures - including the chairwoman of Arizona Republican Party, Kelli Ward.\n\nIn a separate tweet, Ron Watkins said Mr Trump must invoke the Insurrection Act, which empowers the president to deploy the military and federal forces.\n\nMr Trump met Ms Powell, Mr Flynn and others at a strategy meeting at the White House the following day, 18 December.\n\nDuring the meeting, according to the New York Times, Mr Flynn called on Mr Trump to impose martial law and deploy the military to \"rerun\" the election.\n\nThe meeting further stoked online chatter about \"war\" and \"revolution\" in far-right circles. Many came to see the joint session of Congress on 6 January, normally a formality, as a last roll of the dice.\n\nA wishful story began to take hold among QAnon and some MAGA supporters. They hoped that Vice-President Mike Pence, who was set to preside over the 6 January ceremony, would ignore the electoral college votes.\n\nThe president, they said, would then deploy the military to quell any unrest, order the mass arrest of the \"deep state cabal\" who had rigged the election and send them to Guantanamo Bay military prison.\n\nBack in the land of reality, none of this was remotely feasible. But it launched a movement for \"patriot caravans\" to organise ride shares to help transport thousands from around the country to Washington DC on 6 January.\n\nLong processions of vehicles flying Trump flags and sometimes towing elaborately decorated trailers gathered in car parks in cities including Louisville, Kentucky, Atlanta, Georgia, and Scranton, Pennsylvania.\n\n\"We are on our way,\" one caravaner posted on Twitter with a picture of about two dozen supporters.\n\nAt an Ikea parking lot in North Carolina, another man showed off his truck. \"The flags are a little tattered - we'll call them battle flags now,\" he said.\n\nAs it became clear that Mr Pence and other key Republicans would follow the law and allow Congress to certify Mr Biden's win, the language towards them became vicious.\n\n\"Pence will be in jail awaiting trial for treason,\" Mr Wood tweeted. \"He will face execution by firing squad.\"\n\nOnline discussion reached boiling point. References to firearms, war and violence were rife on self-styled \"free speech\" social platforms such as Gab and Parler, which are popular with Trump supporters, as well as on other sites.\n\nIn Proud Boys groups, where members had once supported police, some turned against authorities, whom they deemed to no longer be on their side.\n\nHundreds of posts on a popular pro-Trump site, TheDonald, openly discussed plans to cross barricades, carry firearms and other weapons to the march in defiance of Washington's strict gun laws. There was open chatter about storming the Capitol and arresting \"treasonous\" members of Congress.\n\nOn Wednesday 6 January, Mr Trump addressed a crowd of thousands at the Ellipse, a park just south of the White House, for more than an hour.\n\nEarly on he encouraged supporters to \"peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard\", but he ended with a warning. \"We fight like hell, and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.\n\n\"So we're going to, we're going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue… and we're going to the Capitol.\"\n\nTo some observers, the potential for violence that day was clear from the outset.\n\nMichael Chertoff, former secretary of homeland security under President George W Bush, blamed the Capitol Police, who reportedly turned down offers of assistance from the much larger National Guard ahead of time. He characterised it as \"the worst failure of a police force I can think of\".\n\n\"I think it was a very foreseeable potential negative turn of events,\" Mr Chertoff said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"To be blunt, it was obvious. If you read the newspaper and were awake, you understood that you've got a lot of people who have been convinced there was a fraudulent election. Some of them are extremists, and violent. Some of the groups openly said, 'Bring your guns'.\"\n\nStill, many Americans were astonished by Wednesday's scenes, like James Clark, a 68-year-old Republican from Virginia.\n\n\"I find it absolutely shocking. I didn't think it would come to this,\" he told the BBC.\n\nBut the signs were there for weeks. A hodgepodge of extreme and conspiratorial groups were convinced that the election was stolen. Online, they repeatedly talked about arming themselves, and violence.\n\nPerhaps the authorities didn't think their posts were serious, or specific enough to investigate. They now face pointed questions.\n\nFor Joe Biden's inauguration on 20 January, Mr Chertoff is expecting a \"much stronger showing\" by security services than last Wednesday night.\n\nBut that hasn't stopped many on extreme platforms calling for further violence and disruption on the day.\n\nThere are questions, too, for the major social media platforms, which enabled conspiracy theories to reach millions of people.\n\nLate on Friday, Twitter deleted the accounts of Mr Flynn, the former Trump advisor, the \"Kraken\" lawyers Ms Powell and Mr Wood, and Mr Watkins. Then Mr Trump himself.\n\nArrests of those who stormed the Capitol continue. But most of the rioters still live in a parallel online universe - a subterranean world filled with alternative facts.\n\nThey have already come up with fanciful explanations to dismiss Mr Trump's video statement, posted on Twitter the day after the riots, in which he acknowledged for the first time that \"a new administration will be inaugurated on 20 January\".\n\nHe can't possibly be giving up, they contend. Among their new theories - it's not really him in the video but a computer-generated \"deep fake\". Or perhaps the president is being held hostage.\n\nMany still believe Mr Trump will prevail.\n\nThere's no evidence behind any of this, but it does prove one thing.\n\nNo matter what happens to Donald Trump, the rioters who stormed the US Capitol are not backing down anytime soon.", "Spain is in a race against time to clear roads covered by heavy snow, and get Covid vaccines and food supplies to areas affected by Storm Filomena.\n\nUp to 50cm (20 inches) of snow fell on the capital Madrid, one of the worst hit areas, between Friday and Saturday.\n\nAt least four people died and thousands of travellers were left stranded.\n\nOvernight, temperatures plunged to -8C (18F) in parts of Spain, amid warnings by meteorologists that the snow was turning to perilous ice.\n\nThe unusual cold wave on the Iberian peninsula is expected to last until Thursday.\n\nThe Spanish government said it had taken extra steps - including police-escorted convoys - to ensure its expected shipment of some 300,000 coronavirus vaccines can be distributed as planned to regional health authorities later on Monday.\n\n\"The commitment is to guarantee the supply of health, vaccines and food. Corridors have been opened to deliver the goods,\" Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos said on Sunday.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Madrid has been hit by heavy snowfall after Storm Filomena\n\nSoldiers have been deployed to clear some of the 700 major roads.\n\nSome 3,500 tonnes of salt were later brought on lorries to the capital, Spain's El Mundo website reported on Monday.\n\nThe record-breaking snowfall has triggered some unprecedented scenes here in Madrid. People have skied along the city's main commercial street, Gran Vía, and one man was pictured being pulled through the district of Hortaleza on a sled by five huskies.\n\nBut other responses to the snow have been more controversial due to concerns about Covid-19. Dozens of young people had a snowball fight in Callao square, for example, and many of them were without facemasks.\n\nNearby, in Puerta del Sol, others celebrated the snow by dancing a conga. The daily Marca newspaper branded it \"the conga of shame\".\n\nAlthough the snowfall has now stopped, low temperatures have left snow and ice piled up across the capital and the surrounding region. And with residents advised to avoid using their cars, public transport has seen a surge in demand.\n\nThis has compounded coronavirus concerns as many metro train carriages were packed at rush hour on Monday morning, making social distancing impossible.\n\nMadrid's international airport began gradually resuming operations on Sunday afternoon, having cancelled all flights on Friday.\n\nSome 500 people across the Madrid region were forced to spend the night in temporary shelter, including sports centres, after they were trapped by the whiteout.\n\nAbout 100 shoppers and staff spent two nights at a shopping centre in Majadahonda, a town north of the capital. \"There are people sleeping on the ground on cardboard,\" one restaurant employee told TVE television.\n\nSpain's Meteorological Agency said Saturday's snowfall was the heaviest in Madrid since 1971\n\nBut there were stories of heroism too, including doctors and medical workers who abandoned their cars and walked for hours to get to work. One doctor, Alvaro Sanchez, said on social media he had walked 17km (10 miles) over nearly two hours to get to work, while two nurses, Paco and Monica, said they had walked 22km to their hospital.\n\nThey were praised by Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa, who tweeted: \"The commitment that the entire group of health workers is showing is an example of solidarity and dedication.\"\n\nSome 4x4 vehicle owners offered to transport medical workers, while other volunteers helped to clear hospital entrance ways.\n\n\"Health staff have been working (hard) for more than a year and this is just a short moment for us, so as citizens, we are trying to help; it is everyone's responsibility,\" said Fernando de la Fuente, 60, who helped clear the entrance to Madrid's Gregorio Maranon Hospital.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSpaniards in large parts of the country have been warned to take care in the coming days as temperatures could fall to -12C (10F) in some areas until Thursday.", "Last updated on .From the section FA Cup\n\nCrawley Town delivered one of the FA Cup third round's most emphatic upsets as the League Two underdogs tore apart Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds.\n\nThree second-half goals rewarded a fantastic performance from John Yems' side as they made light of the 62 places between themselves and their Premier League visitors.\n\nNick Tsaroulla, playing only his seventh game in senior football, set the ball rolling, beating three Leeds defenders to fire home a superb solo opener.\n\nUnited keeper Kiko Casilla's error allowed Ashley Nadesan to double the lead before Jordan Tunnicliffe added a third for Crawley, who could have won by more.\n• None Watch all of the goals from the FA Cup third round\n• None Can Mark Wright make it as a pro at Crawley?\n\nBielsa made seven changes to his side but Leeds fielded England midfielder Kalvin Phillips among several regular top-flight starters including Pablo Hernandez, Ezgjan Alioski and club record signing Rodrigo.\n\nHowever, after an even first half, they were completely outplayed in the second period by a Crawley side who have reached the fourth round for only the third time, having spent most of their 125-year existence in non-league football.\n\nCrawley even had the luxury of bringing on reality TV celebrity Mark Wright in stoppage time for the former The Only Way Is Essex star's debut, having signed for the club on non-contract terms in December.\n\nLeeds' loss is the first time in 34 years a top-flight side has lost to a fourth-tier team by three or more goals and only the second ever instance since a fourth division was added to the Football League in 1958.\n\nThey may be the lesser-known of the two Red Devils but Crawley's efforts were no less impressive than Manchester United's 6-2 dissection of Leeds last month.\n\nWhile Bielsa rested first-choice stars such as Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling, Stuart Dallas and Mateusz Klich, there was still plenty of experience mixed in with the youth in Leeds' line-up.\n\nBut the hosts, sixth in League Two after an eight-game unbeaten run, never gave them the chance to settle and while neither side could break the deadlock before the interval, it was Crawley who went closest as Casilla kept out Tom Nichols' close-range header.\n\nHe was helpless, however, to prevent Tsaroulla - a former Tottenham trainee who spent a year out of the game because of injuries sustained in a car crash - firing Crawley ahead after a twisting run into the area that beguiled the Leeds back-line.\n\nRather than protect their lead, Crawley went for the jugular and Nadesan soon doubled their advantage, although his strike owed much to a bobble that beat Casilla at his near post.\n\nTunnicliffe then fired into the roof of the net after Casilla parried from Nadesan and Crawley could have had a fourth after top scorer Max Watters came off the bench to round the keeper, only to be denied by a covering defender.\n\nThe win marked the first time in four attempts that Crawley have beaten a Premier League side in the FA Cup and so comfortable was the victory that TV personality Wright was given his late cameo.\n\nAnother name added to Leeds' list of cup woes\n\nBielsa was left to mull over back-to-back 3-0 defeats, albeit this one coming in a much different context to Leeds' Premier League loss at Tottenham on 2 January.\n\nThis was the former Argentina manager's first taste of an FA Cup shock, after far more mundane exits against Arsenal and QPR in Bielsa's two previous campaigns since taking the Elland Road reins in 2018.\n\nBut it was not unfamiliar ground for Leeds as Crawley - who have finished in the bottom half of League Two for five successive seasons - emulated non-league pair Histon and Sutton United, as well as lower-league clubs Rochdale and Newport, in upsetting the Whites this century.\n\nThe visitors only forced one real save from Crawley keeper Glenn Morris, who reacted well to push away Ian Poveda's strike from an acute angle in the first half.\n\nLeeds might point to a penalty they perhaps should have had before the interval when Crawley defender Tony Craig got away with pulling back Rodrigo as he attempted to meet Helder Costa's volleyed cross.\n\nBut there was no video assistant referee system at the game, and they offered very little going forward after Rodrigo was substituted at half-time.\n\nIt was a fourth successive third-round exit in a competition they could have looked to with some hope, given their relatively comfortable position in the Premier League.\n\n\"We've got 11 star men\" - what they said\n\nCrawley manager Yems to BBC Sport: \"You have to enjoy these games - you work hard enough for it. It was a really good team performance and it's clear that we've got 11 star men.\n\n\"These players have got a lot to prove to the clubs who have released them and we've showed what we can do against a really good side.\n\n\"Let's see who we get in the next round and enjoy the moment.\"\n\nLeeds midfielder Alioski to BBC Radio 5 Live: \"We are really disappointed and it wasn't the result that we wanted. We took the game really seriously and we wanted to win and go on a run, so it is disappointing.\n\n\"Crawley played the game of their lives, and congratulations. To beat us 3-0 - I still can't believe it.\n\n\"The manager said what he wanted to say. It's important for every player to know what this means. He is sad and the players are sad.\"\n• None Attempt blocked. Sam Greenwood (Leeds United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n• None Attempt missed. Raphinha (Leeds United) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Pablo Hernández.\n• None Jake Hessenthaler (Crawley Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Attempt saved. Hélder Costa (Leeds United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Pablo Hernández.\n• None Jamie Shackleton (Leeds United) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Attempt blocked. Max Watters (Crawley Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Tom Nichols. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None All the goals and highlights from a huge Saturday of third-round matches are", "Mike Pompeo said the US-Taiwan relationship should not be \"shackled\" (file photo)\n\nThe US is lifting long-standing restrictions on contacts between American and Taiwanese officials, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says.\n\nThe \"self-imposed restrictions\" were introduced decades ago to \"appease\" the mainland Chinese government, which lays claim to the island, the US state department said in a statement.\n\nThese rules are now \"null and void\".\n\nThe move is likely to anger China and increase tensions between Washington and Beijing.\n\nIt comes as the Trump administration enters its final days ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as president on 20 January.\n\nThe Biden transition team have said the president-elect is committed to maintaining the long-standing US policy towards Taiwan.\n\nAnalysts say they will be unhappy with such a policy decision being made in the final days of the Trump administration, but that the move could be reversed easily by Mr Pompeo's successor Antony Blinken.\n\nChina regards Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan's leaders argue that it is a sovereign state.\n\nRelations between the two are frayed and there is a constant threat of a violent flare up that could drag in the US, an ally of Taiwan.\n\nIn a statement on Saturday, Mr Pompeo said the US state department had introduced complicated restrictions limiting the communication between American diplomats and their Taiwanese counterparts.\n\n\"Today I am announcing that I am lifting all of these self-imposed restrictions,\" he said. \"Today's statement recognises that the US-Taiwan relationship need not, and should not, be shackled by self-imposed restrictions of our permanent bureaucracy.\"\n\nHe added that Taiwan was a vibrant democracy and a reliable US partner, and that the restrictions were no longer valid.\n\nFollowing the announcement, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu thanked Mr Pompeo, saying he was \"grateful\".\n\n\"The closer partnership between Taiwan and the US is firmly based on our shared values, common interests and unshakeable belief in freedom and democracy,\" he wrote in a tweet.\n\nLast August, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar became the highest-ranking US politician to hold meetings on the island for decades.\n\nIn response, China urged the US to respect what it calls its \"one China\" principle.\n\nThe US also sells arms to Taiwan, though it does not have a formal defence treaty with the country, as it does with Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nChina and Taiwan have had separate governments since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.\n\nBeijing has long tried to limit Taiwan's international activities and both have vied for influence in the Pacific region.\n\nTensions have increased in recent years and Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take the island back.\n\nAlthough Taiwan is officially recognised by only a handful of nations, its democratically-elected government has strong commercial and informal links with many countries.", "Lockdowns have worked before, but can we expect the new one to do the same?\n\nIt feels like we are back in March or April last year, when the strict controls on all our lives led to a fairly quick decline in levels of coronavirus.\n\nBut one of the crucial differences this time is the new variant, which is thought to spread between 50 and 70% faster than previous forms of the virus.\n\nExperts warn there are now no guarantees that lockdown will be enough to bring the variant under control.\n\n\"It still would not have been easy, but it would have been a much easier situation if it had not been for the new variant,\" Prof Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, told Inside Health.\n\n\"That really pushes the bounds of our ability to control the spread of the virus, even with measures that were previously relatively quite effective.\"\n\nThe coronavirus spreads when we come into contact with each other so moving classrooms online, telling people to stay at home and closing shops breaks many of those opportunities for human contact.\n\nIf we consider the R number - the average number of people each infected person passes the virus on to - it was about 3.0 in the run up to the first lockdown and anything above 1.0 means cases are climbing.\n\nR fell to 0.6 during the first lockdown.\n\nThen every 1,000 infected people passed the virus on to 600 others, who passed it on to 360 others and so on.\n\nBut if the new variant is 50% more transmissible then the R number, in the same lockdown conditions, would be about 0.9.\n\nThen 1,000 infected people would pass the virus onto 900 others, then 810 and so on.\n\nAs you can see this leads to far slower decline.\n\nAnd that assumes lockdown can get R down to 0.9 in areas where the new variant has become the most common form of the virus.\n\nIf, as some studies suggest, the variant is about 70% more transmissible then R may stay above 1.0 and cases may not fall at all.\n\n\"We'd at best flatten the curve, keep numbers at a roughly constant level, and that's frankly why there is so much emphasis on getting vaccine into people's arms as quickly as possible,\" said Prof Ferguson.\n\nIt is hard to lock down even harder as there are some parts of society - hospitals, supermarkets - that need to be kept open.\n\nWhat happens to the number of cases over the coming weeks will be closely monitored. If this lockdown is less effective then we will have to live with it for longer.\n\nThere have been some encouraging signs over the Christmas break, which was a bit like a lockdown due to school holidays and other restrictions.\n\n\"We are in a very difficult situation here, but my initial assessment of the last few days is that the rate is slowing which is good news,\" Prof John Edmunds, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the BBC.\n\nHe added: \"It looks likes those restrictions should be sufficient to stop the increase, whether they will be sufficient to bring cases down sufficiently we are yet to see.\"\n\nEventually the vaccine will give people immunity so we do not need the same controls on our lives.\n\nNow more than ever this is a race between the virus and the vaccine.", "Dozens of demonstrators were walking and chanting along Clapham High Street as police attempted to keep them contained to the area\n\nSixteen people have been arrested during an anti-lockdown protest in south London.\n\nPolice officers clashed with some of the maskless protesters who arrived in Clapham Common, some shouting \"take your freedom back\".\n\nSix police vans were deployed to the scene while officers moved the crowd of about 30 people away from the area.\n\nGathering for the purpose of a protest is not an exemption to the rules, the Met Police said.\n\nOne woman shouted from her car at the protesters \"there's a pandemic going\", while another bystander shouted \"idiots\".\n\nOne anti-lockdown protester, who was detained at Clapham Common park, said \"I stand under common law, not maritime law and this is assault\" as he was put into handcuffs by police officers.\n\nA large police presence remains around Clapham Common station, but almost all protesters had left the area as of 14:00 GMT.\n\nIt comes as a \"major incident\" was declared as the spread of Covid-19 threatens to \"overwhelm\" London hospitals.\n\nCity Hall said Covid-19 cases in the capital had exceeded 1,000 per 100,000, while there were 35% more people in hospital with the virus than in the peak of the pandemic in April.\n\nPolice could be seen questioning several people at the demonstration\n\nPolice battled to disperse the protestors gathering in Clapham Common\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Ben Jackson said the closure of the farm's bulk-buyers like hotels and schools has left thousands of eggs unsold\n\nA fall in bulk egg orders due to the lockdown could lead to chickens being culled, a poultry-farmer has warned.\n\nFluffetts Farm near Fordingbridge had been supplying free range eggs to 350 Hampshire schools, but orders stopped when schools suddenly closed.\n\nFarm owner, Ben Jackson said: \"If you can't sell the eggs you can't still keep feeding the chickens and therefore something has to give.\"\n\nHe said he hoped to work out a local delivery system to avoid culling birds.\n\nMr Jackson, who has been selling some of the surplus eggs off on social media, has more than 13,000 chickens laying 12,000 eggs each day.\n\nThe cancellation of his school orders has left him with about 4,000 spare eggs a day. The farm has also been hit by restaurants and pubs closing again.\n\nThe farm has a surplus of about 4,000 eggs each day from its 13,000 chickens\n\nHe said: \"If we can't find a home for the eggs the worst-case scenario is that we may have to look to get rid of some of our chickens, but that's what we're trying to avoid.\n\n\"Other chicken farmers are in the same situation - they are talking about potentially having to cull birds in the next week or so - it's not a decision that anyone wants to make.\n\n\"We just want to get through this dark time - we're just taking it a day at time.\"\n\nChickens at the farm are currently in a bird lockdown.\n\nSince 14 December strict biosecurity regulations have been in place following a number of outbreak of avian influenza throughout England.\n• None 'I'll have to throw away £6,000-worth of milk'", "Flat owners applying to a fund to help pay to remove flammable building cladding will be told not to talk to the press without government approval.\n\nA draft agreement, uncovered by the Sunday Times, says that even where there is \"overwhelming public interest\" in speaking to journalists, the government must be told first.\n\nThe government said the wording was \"standard\".\n\nIt set up a £1.6bn fund last year to repair the most dangerous buildings.\n\nBut it warned that the fund might not cover all the costs of removing the cladding.\n\nThe clause might affect building owners and professional managing agents but also residents who manage their building.\n\nSome types of the covering, often added to newer blocks of flats, have been proven to be a fire hazard.\n\nAfter the 2017 Grenfell fire, the government pledged that safe alternatives to dangerous cladding would be provided on all buildings in England taller than 18m.\n\nIt set up the £1.6bn fund to help foot the costs.\n\nThe agreement, between the building owner or leaseholder and the government, says: \"The Applicant shall not make any communication to the press or any journalist or broadcaster regarding the Project or the Agreement (or the performance of it by any Party) without the prior written approval of Homes England and [the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government ]\" and its press offices.\n\nIt says an exception can be made \"where such disclosure is in the overwhelming public interest (in which case disclosure will not be made without first allowing Homes England and MHCLG to make representations on such proposed disclosure).\"\n\nThe UK Cladding Action Group tweeted that it was \"clearly a matter of public interest\" that these issues were aired in public.\n\n\"No department should be hiding behind non-disclosure agreements to stop scrutiny of their actions,\" the group said.\n\nAnother campaign group, Manchester Cladiators, said the existence of the \"gagging clause\" was \"shocking but not necessarily that surprising\".\n\nSpokesperson Rebecca Fairclough said residents would feel \"intimidated\" by it, adding: \"We ask the government to remove this unfair clause immediately and focus on the priority of solving this institutional failure, which still exists and is only growing over three and a half years after the Grenfell tragedy.\"\n\nThe government insists that the wording in the agreement, under the heading \"Marketing material\", is there to ensure applicants come to the government first.\n\n\"The terms set out are standard in commercial agreements and are not specific to this fund - to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate,\" the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said in a statement.\n\n\"We want a constructive working relationship with building owners who apply to the fund and applicants are asked to work with the department on public communications relating to the project.\"", "Edwin Poots said he has asked senior UK government figures to consider unilaterally revoking the NI Protocol\n\nThe Stormont minister whose officials are responsible for the new Irish Sea border has said some food will be unavailable if changes are not made.\n\nDUP Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has also said jobs could be at risk.\n\nHe said problems at the ports were being caused by new rules applied on imports of food and other products from Britain to Northern Ireland.\n\nEarlier Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said trade from GB to NI \"will get worse before it gets better\".\n\nMr Gove said that \"work is ongoing\" and it is \"all part of the process of leaving the European Union\".\n\nHe added that he had spoken to ministers from all parties in the Northern Ireland Executive.\n\nAfter speaking with hauliers, supermarkets and processors this week, Mr Poots predicted the loss of jobs and rising costs.\n\n\"A wide range of frozen and chilled foods will be unavailable after the temporary exemption period ends,\" he tweeted.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Edwin Poots MLA This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThat exemption period applies to supermarkets and other food importers and runs out in April.\n\nAfter that they will have to comply with all the paperwork required to ship food in, or find suppliers on the island of Ireland or elsewhere in the EU.\n\nNew rules - called the Northern Ireland Protocol - were introduced because while the UK has left the EU, Northern Ireland has remained in the Single Market for goods and is continuing to apply EU customs rules.\n\nThe arrangement was agreed between the UK and the EU to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.\n\nMr Poots said he had spoken to senior UK government figures to ask them to consider unilaterally revoking the protocol as it was \"damaging Northern Ireland at the economic and societal level\".\n\nAnd he hit out at members of Sinn Fein, the SDLP, and Alliance Party who he claimed had supported it.\n\nMembers of those parties have countered similar claims from other DUP politicians in recent days.\n\nThey said DUP MPs had voted against alternative arrangements that would have been simpler to manage before the government pushed ahead with the protocol plan.\n\nResponding to Mr Poot's tweet on Friday evening, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood wrote: \"You broke it, you own it.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Colum Eastwood This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson accused Mr Poots of being \"asleep at the wheel\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Martina Anderson MLA This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has called for the assembly to be recalled to discuss difficulties over trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland due to Brexit.\n\nUUP MLA Roy Beggs said: \"The impact of the Irish Sea border is causing horrendous difficulties for hauliers and this is being seen in shops and businesses across Northern Ireland.\n\n\"It is damaging the Northern Ireland economy and the situation is escalating.\"\n\nEarlier on Friday, Michael Gove said it had been expected that there would be \"some initial disruption\" to trade between GB and NI, but that the government is \"ironing\" issues out.\n\nHe said discussions with the executive in Northern Ireland were \"in order to make sure that the [Northern Ireland] protocol works\".\n\n\"[To make sure] that businesses in Northern Ireland can continue to have access to the rest of the UK market, and that Northern Ireland businesses can have the goods that they need on the shelves, that they have access to at the moment,\" he said.\n\nNorthern Ireland has remained a part of the EU's single market for goods while the rest of the UK has left.\n\nThis means food products from Great Britain are subject to checks when they enter Northern Ireland.\n\nSimilar processes and checks also apply when moving food products from Great Britain into the Republic of Ireland.\n\nMeanwhile, an organisation representing haulage firms has called on the UK and Irish government to relax some of the new Irish Sea trade border rules.\n\nThe Road Haulage Association (RHA) said there is serious disruption to freight movements into the island of Ireland.\n\nThe RHA said relaxing the controls on food products and customs declarations \"would help traders to ship goods that have struggled to move over recent days.\"\n\n\"The problems have led to gaps in supermarket shelves and lorries delayed at ports because of problems with red-tape and the situation is worsening,\" the organisation added.\n\n\"We are facing an inflexible, cumbersome and time consuming process just to move goods.\"\n\nThe UK government said the flow of goods \"between GB and NI has been smooth overall and arrivals of freight have continued to increase substantially over this week\".\n\n\"There are no significant queues at NI ports and supermarkets are reporting healthy supplies into their Northern Ireland stores,\" a spokesperson added.\n\n\"We recognise the need to provide as much support to the haulage sector as possible as industry adapts to new processes. That's why hauliers can benefit from the Trader Support Service, which provides free advice and support to businesses of all sizes moving goods under the Northern Ireland Protocol.\n\n\"We have been engaging intensively with the Irish authorities and hauliers on the issues that have been encountered for goods transiting through Dublin port.\"\n\nOn Thursday customs authorities in the Republic of Ireland announced a temporary relaxation of one customs process.\n\nHauliers will be able to use an override code to complete a piece of administration known as ENS.\n\nThe letters ENS refer to an entry summary declaration, an online form which goods carriers are now legally obliged to submit to Irish customs when transporting goods from Great Britain into Ireland.\n\nLorries arriving in Ireland from Great Britain have faced new checks since 1 January\n\nOn Thursday night the Irish Revenue Commissioners said it recognised that \"some businesses are experiencing difficulties on lodging their safety and security ENS declarations\".\n\nIt said that in response it was providing a \"temporary easement\" which would allow an ENS to be produced without all the normally required information.\n\nAn Irish government spokesperson said it is \"absolutely essential that Ireland fulfils its obligations as a member of the EU and that we protect the integrity of the single market and the customs union\".\n\n\"We appreciate that the new requirements and customs formalities present significant challenges and impose additional burdens on businesses.\"\n\nMeanwhile Stena, the ferry company, said it was cancelling a dozen sailings between Wales and Ireland next week due to \"a decline in freight volumes during the first week of Brexit.\"", "Last updated on .From the section FA Cup\n\nScott McTominay's fourth-minute header was enough to give Manchester United an unconvincing victory in their FA Cup third-round tie against Watford on Saturday.\n\nWearing the captain's armband for the first time in a much-changed side from Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City, McTominay found the net after rising to meet Alex Telles' corner.\n\nThe hosts did have chances to increase their lead, but Juan Mata failed to find a finish to an excellent three-man move just before half-time, then Daniel James and substitute Marcus Rashford had shots saved after the break.\n\nBut none of those opportunities were better than that for Hornets defender Adam Masina, who saw his effort blocked by United keeper Dean Henderson not long after McTominay had struck.\n• None Watch all the goals from the FA Cup third round\n• None How all of Saturday's FA Cup action unfolded\n• None How to follow FA Cup third round on the BBC\n\nNow under their fifth manager in two years, Xisco Munoz, Watford had other chances too - Joao Pedro's header went straight to Henderson and Ken Sema was off target with his.\n\nMason Greenwood and Donny van de Beek did little to press their claims for a regular starting slot in manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, while Jesse Lingard - making only his third appearance of the season and the subject of interest from a number of clubs in the January transfer window - showed glimpses of form but eventually faded.\n\nUnited will go into the hat for Monday's fourth and fifth-round draws, while Watford are left to focus on winning promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.\n\nGiven the increasing awareness of the effects of concussion, the decision of United's medical staff to take no risks with defender Eric Bailly when he was caught in the head by Henderson's knee as the keeper punched clear was a welcome one.\n\nThe Football Association had hoped to introduce concussion substitutes by now but it has not yet been able to as detailed protocols are yet to be received from Ifab, the world game's rulemakers.\n\nAs Bailly was guided towards the tunnel in the last minute of the first half, Harry Maguire replaced him and helped United keep the clean sheet which ensured they reached the fourth round for the 34th time in their past 36 attempts.\n\nAfterwards, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: \"I think it was his neck. I don't think it was concussion so that is a positive. But we have got to do scans.\"\n\n'I wanted to test McTominay and he delivered' - post-match quotes\n\nManchester United manager Solskjaer said: \"Scott has got everything a leader has to have. I wanted to test him by making him captain and see how he would react.\n\n\"He delivered and he always does. He was brilliant today.\n\n\"We have always trusted our young men coming through and Scott is one who we believe has the Manchester United DNA in him and knows what it is to be a Manchester United player.\"\n\nMcTominay on captaining the side: \"When the manager told me it was a surreal moment. I've been here since I had just turned five, so that's 18 or 19 years associated with the club and it is a huge honour.\n\n\"I love this club and it has been my whole life.\"\n\nUnited turn their attentions to a big week in the Premier League. Solskjaer's side travel to Burnley on Tuesday (20:15 GMT) knowing victory will send them top of the table above Liverpool - who they then play at Anfield on Sunday (16:30 GMT).\n\nWatford's miserable run at Old Trafford continues - stats of the day\n• None The last time Manchester United failed to progress in the FA Cup third round was January 2014, when they lost 2-1 to Swansea.\n• None Watford have lost on 10 consecutive visits to Old Trafford, scoring just three goals.\n• None United have progressed from each of their past 17 FA Cup matches against opposition from a lower division, since a 1-0 home defeat by League One side Leeds United in January 2010.\n• None McTominay has scored four goals in 22 matches this season, one short of his best tally in a campaign (five goals in 37 appearances in 2019-20). Three of those goals have been scored in the first five minutes of games.\n• None Watford attempted 18 shots in the match - only in their 2-0 loss at Huddersfield (21) have they had more shots on the road this season.\n• None Attempt blocked. Marc Navarro (Watford) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n• None Will Hughes (Watford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n• None Attempt missed. Juan Mata (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right from a direct free kick.\n• None Joseph Hungbo (Watford) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Joseph Hungbo (Watford) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Attempt blocked. Joseph Hungbo (Watford) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by João Pedro. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Calculate the impact and how to change it\n• None Sir David Attenborough shows us the forces of nature that support the Earth", "A 107-year-old woman from Clonard, County Meath is attempting a virtual Mass tour across Ireland while in lockdown.\n\nNancy Stewart and granddaughter, Louise Coghlan, have been shielding together since March last year, and have set themselves the spiritual challenge.\n\nThey are attending Mass services across the 32 counties on the island from the comfort of their own kitchen.\n\nLouise said that because they have been shielding for so long together, she is constantly trying to find \"different ways of keeping granny entertained\".\n\nShe said that when she asks Nancy if she wants to watch Mass her \"eyes light up like I'd just given her a million euros\".\n\nNancy, whose favourite saint is St Anthony, said she can hardly believe she is able to watch Mass on a computer or a phone from her comfy armchair.\n\n\"I feel so happy and so refreshed sitting happily in my own kitchen, in my armchair looking at Mass,\" she told BBC News NI.\n\n\"I can't believe it, I'm trying to believe it's true.\"", "The number of patients in intensive care with Covid has risen sharply, amid warnings that tougher lockdown measures may be needed.\n\nLatest Scottish government figures show 1,877 new cases of Covid were reported in the last 24 hours\n\nThe number of people in intensive care has risen from 109 to 123, the highest daily jump since October.\n\nDeputy First Minister John Swinney said a tightening of restrictions could not be ruled out.\n\nA total of 1,598 people are currently in hospital with recently-confirmed Covid, up from Saturday's figure of 1,596 patients which was the highest number since the outbreak began.\n\nThe daily test positivity rate was10%, up from 8.7% on Saturday, when 1,865 positive cases were recorded.\n\nThe deputy first minister said the country was facing \"a very alarming situation\" with the virus.\n\nSpeaking on Politics Scotland, Mr Swinney said coronavirus does not show much sign of \"abating\" and he would not rule out tougher lockdown measures.\n\nHe said: \"We're seeing case numbers which are hovering around 2,000 per day... so we've got an accelerating situation on our hands and we have to constantly review whether more restrictions are required.\"\n\nThere have been some encouraging signs in recent days with average positivity rates falling, a possible indicator that the lockdown is having an impact, but Prof Linda Bauld, of Edinburgh University, urged caution.\n\nShe said: \"The numbers are not reducing at the rate which we want them to, so [it is] still a very fragile situation.\n\n\"The measures we have now I hope are working but it's not clear whether they are tough enough.\n\n\"I think the key change the government could make is in the sectors which are still open, particularly workplaces but also things like takeaways and click and collect.\"\n\nMr Swinney said the Scottish government is \"open to considering further restrictions if they are necessary\"\n\nProfessional sport, along with manufacturing and construction work have been allowed to continue in this lockdown, whereas they were not in the first wave in March.\n\nThe deputy first minister said the meeting of the cabinet which agreed the latest lockdown saw ministers wondering if they had gone far enough to stop the spread.\n\nMr Swinney added: \"I don't think I'm revealing a state secret when I say that the debate within cabinet was not whether we were going too far but whether we were going far enough.\"\n\nA total of three deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours but these figures are lower at weekends because register offices are generally closed.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Madrid has been hit by heavy snowfall after Storm Filomena\n\nStorm Filomena has blanketed parts of Spain in heavy snow, with half of the country on red alert for more on Saturday.\n\nRoad, rail and air travel has been disrupted and interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the country was facing \"the most intense storm in the last 50 years\".\n\nMadrid, one of the worst affected areas, is set to see up to 20cm (eight inches) of snow in the next 24 hours.\n\nFurther south the storm caused rivers to burst their banks.\n\nFour deaths have been reported so far as a result of Filomena. Officials said two people had been found frozen to death - one in the town of Zarzalejo, north-west of Madrid, and the other in the eastern city of Calatayud. Two people travelling in a car were swept away by floods near the southern city of Malaga.\n\nAs snow fell on Madrid on Friday evening, a number of vehicles became stranded on a motorway near the capital.\n\nThe city's Barajas airport has closed, along with a number of roads, and all trains to and from Madrid have been cancelled.\n\nFirefighters were called in to assist drivers who had become stuck. In some areas the military were called in to help clear roads.\n\nSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged people to stay at home and to follow the instructions of emergency services. King Felipe and Queen Letizia took to Twitter to urge \"extreme caution against the risks of accumulation of ice and snow\".\n\nThe country's AEMET weather agency said the snowfall was \"exceptional and most likely historic\".\n\nA number of people were seen making the most of the snowy scenery, walking through Madrid's Puerta del Sol square.\n\nLarge parks in Madrid have since been closed as a precaution, AFP news agency reports.\n\nOne man was pictured skiing along the Gran Via, the capital's famous shopping street.\n\nIn Cañada Real, the largest shanty town in western Europe, residents were seen creating a bonfire to keep warm.\n\nThe cold weather is set to continue beyond the weekend with temperatures in Madrid predicted to hit -12C on Thursday.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "Wales has received 275,000 doses of the two Covid-19 vaccines to deal with the pandemic.\n\nAbout 70,000 people received a first dose after the first month of the vaccine rollout.\n\nThe Welsh Government confirmed it has had more than 250,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 25,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.\n\nThe health minister promised a \"really significant step-up\" in the roll-out after opponents criticised its speed.\n\nThe Pfizer jabs were first administered in early December at seven sites across Wales as part of the UK-wide immunisation programme.\n\nThis 82-year-old woman was one of 100 to receives her vaccine at a special clinic in Swansea on Saturday\n\nApproximately 1.6% of people were vaccinated up to 3 January - fewer than all other UK nations.\n\nIn England, about 1.9% of the population had received the first dose, while 2.1% of people in both Scotland and Northern Ireland had received their first jab.\n\nThe Welsh Government has dismissed criticism it is lagging behind, with health officials saying the new Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine would help speed up the programme \"considerably\".\n\nTwo full doses of the Oxford vaccine gave 62% protection, a half dose followed by a full dose was 90% and overall the trial showed 70% protection.\n\nThe rollout of the Oxford vaccine started on Monday, with 25,000 doses received this week, according to the Welsh Government.\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford said on Friday that Wales would receive another 25,000 Oxford doses next week and 80,000 the week after that.\n\nWhen asked how many doses of the Pfizer vaccine Wales had received, he said he could not recall the exact figure but further deliveries had been received \"on the 23rd and the 27th of December\".\n\nPressed on a figure, he said: \"It's the low hundreds of thousands\", adding: \"The Pfizer vaccine has particular challenges in terms of the conditions that it's got to be stored in and in parts of Wales that is a very particular challenge because it is a hard vaccine to transport over long distances to relatively scattered and remote communities.\n\n\"But the fact that we've got it and the fact that we're able to use more of it than we originally anticipated means we'll be able to accelerate the use of it over the next couple of weeks.\"\n\nThese were the latest comparative weekly totals - daily updates are promised from this week onwards in Wales\n\nOn Sunday, the Welsh Government confirmed it had received 25,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the first week but the quantity would increase, allocated to Wales based on a population share on a weekly basis.\n\n\"We are confident in the assurances we have been given that this will increase over the next few weeks to around 100,000 per week,\" they said.\n\n\"We are delivering all the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine allocated to Wales directly to GPs, other primary care providers and hospitals as soon as it is available.\"\n\nConservative MP for the Vale of Clwyd, Dr James Davies, said: \"We all know that the Pfizer vaccine is difficult to transport and store and needs to be stored at -70 degrees, that's understood.\n\n\"But the issue is that actually, if you look at the rest of the UK, including very rural areas, they've managed to deal with it... and it is difficult to see why they haven't been in a position to be organised earlier and to ramp-up the delivery.\"\n\nRhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru's health spokesman, called for transparency: \"It is very worrying to find out that we have had in Wales more than 250,000 doses but only a relatively small proportion of that have yet ended up in people's arms, protecting people, because that's what we want to happen.\"\n\nHe has written an open letter to Health Minister Vaughan Gething calling for greater clarity on the vaccine deployment programme, asking for a dashboard of information which would allow the public to track the rollout's progress for themselves, including volume of doses delivered and administered by health board and by the nine priority groups.\n\nDr Olwen Williams, vice-president for Wales at the Royal College of Physicians, also called on health boards and Welsh Government to publish regular data showing which groups of people have been vaccinated, with patient-facing health workers prioritised over other colleagues.\n\n\"I think that would give assurance to people working in the NHS and the population in general, that the programme is progressing as planned,\" she said.\n\nAll data will be published daily from Monday but Mr Gething conceded that Wales, from last week's figures, was \"slightly behind on the population share and I'm not getting away from that.\"\n\nHe said the race was not \"necessarily against other UK nations\" but against the virus.\n\nHe also told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement that, in the next two to three weeks, he expected to see a \"really significant step-up in the delivery of the vaccine\" as more GP practices and community pharmacies help.\n\n\"We're going to get through many more people, giving them significant protection with a first vaccine,\" he said.\n\n\"And that will mean that we're going to be able to prevent most of the avoidable deaths.\"\n\nIt is hoped the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will speed up the process.\n\nBy the end of last week, it was being offered to patients aged over 80 at 73 GP practices.\n\nMore than 100 are expected to be offering the jabs next week, Mr Gething said, \"and then we get into several hundred thereafter and we'll bring community pharmacies on board.\"\n\nThe UK and Scottish governments did not provide the numbers of Pfizer vaccines supplied to England and Scotland. BBC Wales is still waiting for a response from the Northern Irish Executive.\n\nMeanwhile, regular rapid testing for people without coronavirus symptoms will be made available in England.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it would evaluate its mass testing pilots in Merthyr Tydfil and lower Cynon Valley, as well as elsewhere in the UK, to inform its approach to community testing.\n\nA spokesman added: \"We have announced regular asymptomatic testing of health and social care workers, in education and daily contact testing in South Wales Police.\n\n\"A pilot has also started at the Tata Port Talbot site. We are also exploring other opportunities for regular testing to support critical services.\"", "Amazon is removing \"free speech\" social network Parler from its web hosting service for violating rules.\n\nIf Parler fails to find a new web hosting service by Sunday evening, the entire network will go offline.\n\nParler styles itself as an \"unbiased\" social media and has proved popular with people banned from Twitter.\n\nAmazon told Parler it had found 98 posts on the site that encouraged violence. Apple and Google have removed the app from their stores.\n\nLaunched in 2018, Parler has proved particularly popular among supporters of US President Donald Trump and right-wing conservatives. Such groups have frequently accused Twitter and Facebook of unfairly censoring their views.\n\nWhile Mr Trump himself is not a user, the platform already features several high-profile contributors following earlier bursts of growth in 2020.\n\nTexas Senator Ted Cruz boasts 4.9 million followers on the platform, while Fox News host Sean Hannity has about seven million.\n\nThe move comes after Apple suspended Parler from its app store. The suspension will remain in place for as long as the network continued to spread posts that incite violence, it said.\n\nGoogle removed the app from its store on Friday.\n\nResponding to Google's move earlier, Parler's chief executive John Matze said: \"We won't cave to politically motivated companies and those authoritarians who hate free speech!\"\n\nHe also warned that Parler could be offline for up to a week while \"we rebuild from scratch\".\n\nIt briefly became the most-downloaded app in the United States after the US election, following a clampdown on the spread of election misinformation by Twitter and Facebook.\n\nIn a letter obtained by CNN, Amazon's AWS Trust and Safety team told Parler's Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff that the social network \"does not have an effective process to comply with the AWS terms of service\".\n\n\"AWS provides technology and services to customers across the political spectrum, and we continue to respect Parler's right to determine for itself what content it will allow on its site\", the letter said.\n\n\"However we cannot provide services to a customer that is unable to effectively identify and remove content that encourages or incites violence against others.\".\n\nParler will be removed from Amazon's web hosting service shortly before midnight on Sunday Pacific Standard Time (07:59 GMT on Monday).\n\nOn Saturday, Apple removed Parler from its app store after warning the network to remove content that violated its rules or face a ban.\n\n\"Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people's safety\", it said in a statement announcing the app's suspension on Saturday evening.\n\nFor months, Parler has been one of the most popular social media platforms for right-wing users.\n\nAs major platforms began taking action against viral conspiracy theories, disinformation and the harassment of election workers and officials in the aftermath of the US presidential vote, the app became more popular with elements of the fringe far-right.\n\nThis turned the network into a right-wing echo chamber, almost entirely populated by users fixated on revealing examples of election fraud and posting messages in support of attempts to overturn the election outcome.\n\nIn the days preceding the Capitol riots, the tone of discussion on the app became significantly more violent, with some users openly discussing ways to stop the certification of Joe Biden's victory by Congress.\n\nUnsubstantiated allegations and defamatory claims against a number of senior US figures such as Chief Justice John Roberts and Vice-President Mike Pence were rife on the app.\n\nGoogle and Apple say they are taking necessary action to ensure violent rhetoric is not promoted on their platforms.\n\nHowever, to those increasingly concerned about freedom of speech and expression on online platforms, it represents another example of draconian action by major tech companies which threatens internet freedom.\n\nThis is a debate which is certain to continue beyond the Trump presidency.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Keir Starmer calls for families to be put \"at the heart of our recovery\" from the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has urged the government to \"protect family incomes\" as it deals with the economic effects of coronavirus.\n\nIn his first speech of the year, he demanded teachers, the armed forces and care workers are left out of the public sector pay freeze.\n\nSir Keir also called for tougher restrictions to be considered for tackling coronavirus.\n\nNo 10 said the government had \"shown it is prepared to act\".\n\nWith coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns shutting thousands of businesses, the economy was 7.9% smaller in October last year than it had been six months earlier.\n\nAnd the government's independent forecaster, the Office for Budgetary Responsibility, predicts that unemployment will rise to 2.6 million by the middle of this year.\n\nIn his speech, Sir Keir attacked the government for \"having been found wanting at every turn\", accusing Boris Johnson of being \"indecisive\" and acting \"too slow\" over further lockdowns and support for business and families.\n\nHe said: \"The British people will forgive many things. They know the pandemic is difficult.\n\n\"But they also know serial incompetence when they see it - and they know when a prime minister simply isn't up to the job.\"\n\nBut the PM's official spokeswoman rejected the criticism, saying: \"This government has shown it is prepared to act. When given evidence in the morning it has taken action that evening.\"\n\nAsked by the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg whether the government should tighten restrictions, such as closing nurseries, Sir Keir said there \"probably is more that we could do [and we] may have to get tougher\".\n\nBut he did not outline what measures he would recommend, instead saying it was \"time to hear from the scientists what else can be done - and that probably should be done in the next few hours\".\n\nThe Labour leader said ministers must \"protect family incomes and support businesses\" from the economic effects of previous restrictions and the current lockdown.\n\nHe added policies must \"make a real difference to millions of people across the country\" and \"put families at the heart of our recovery\".\n\nSir Keir argued the £20-a-week rise given to Universal Credit claimants last April must continue beyond this April's cut-off point.\n\nCouncil tax increases in England of up to 5% this April must not happen, he said, while calling for the ban on evictions and repossessions to be extended.\n\nThe government's pay freeze for at least 1.3 million public sector workers - which does not apply to NHS frontline staff and those earning below £24,000 a year - must not go ahead, said Sir Keir.\n\n\"I know this isn't everything that's needed,\" he added, \"and after so much suffering we can't go back the status quo.\n\n\"We cannot return to an economy where over half our care workers earn less than the living wage, where childcare is among the most expensive in Europe, where our social care system is a national disgrace and where over four million children grow up in poverty.\"\n\nAn opposition leader has no policy leavers to pull. They have to rely on words to persuade the public they are worthy of power.\n\nWith the next general election an eternity away, Sir Keir Starmer knows the question of competence matters far more to voters than ideology right now.\n\nThe Labour leader was unsparing in his criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic - accusing the prime minster of serial incompetence, dithering and delay.\n\nSir Keir said the government could reverse planned changes to council tax and universal credit to ease the financial pressure on families.\n\nBut pressed on how lockdown might be different today if he was in No 10, the Labour leader mirrored the government's messaging.\n\nHe said there was \"probably\" more that could be done around nurseries and estate agent viewings, but Sir Keir's mantra was listen to the scientists.\n\nIt's what ministers say endlessly too.\n\nSir Keir argued that, just as a Labour government \"built the welfare state from the rubble\" of World War Two, a future one can \"secure our economy, protect our NHS and rebuild our country so that Britain is the best country to grow up in and the best country to grow old in\".\n\nBut Conservative Party co-chairman Amanda Milling accused Sir Keir of \"calling for actions the Conservatives are already taking in government\".\n\n\"We have delivered an unprecedented £280bn package of support to protect jobs, livelihoods and public services through this pandemic,\" she added, including the furlough scheme, the temporary increase to Universal Credit and extra funding for councils.\n\n\"The Conservatives will continue to put families and communities at the heart of every decision we take as we deliver on our promises to the British people,\" Ms Milling said.\n\nIn his Spending Review in November, Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned that the \"economic emergency\" caused by the pandemic had only begun.\n\nHe promised to take \"extraordinary measures to protect people's jobs and incomes\".", "The Oxford vaccine rollout started in Wales earlier this week - those figures are not yet included\n\nMore than 14,000 people had their first dose of the Covid-19 jab in Wales in the past week, the latest figures show.\n\nIt takes the numbers on the priority list to have got the Pfizer-BioNTech jab to 49,403 since the rollout started on 8 December.\n\nBut Wales is lagging behind the rest of the UK so far, with a lower proportion of people getting a first dose.\n\nThe Welsh Government said that by next week, 60 GP practices and 20 centres would be vaccinating.\n\nHealth officials said the new Oxford vaccine would help speed up the programme \"considerably\".\n\nThe numbers do not include the first people to receive the new vaccine, which began to be given this week.\n\nPublic Health Wales (PHW) said the real numbers were likely to be higher, with the figures a snapshot based on those vaccines recorded electronically so far.\n\nThey give a breakdown by health board and also show how many people have been given their first dose.\n\nThe figures also include people, such as NHS staff, who work in Wales but live over the border, but do not yet give details of people in different priority categories.\n\nRhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru's health spokesman, said: \"We need real transparency on progress of the vaccination process.\n\n\"This must include clear targets and data on how many vaccines come to Wales, and how many are distributed and given out by each health board to each priority group - both the first and second doses - so we can measure this against the targets. This is how confidence can be built that Wales is on track.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government said: \"These are early days in our mass vaccination programme. Momentum will continue to build and the speed of our vaccination programme will increase each week.\n\n\"From Monday, the number of people vaccinated will be published daily and we will publish our vaccination rollout plan early next week.\"\n\nThe figure in Wales means approximately 1.6% of people have been vaccinated up to 3 January - fewer than other UK nations - and the gap appears to be growing compared to last week.\n\nIn England, nearly 1.1 million people were given the first dose by 3 January. This is about 1.9% of the population. NHS England said 60% of doses have gone to people aged over 80.\n\nIf vaccinations were being given at the same rate in Wales as in England, a further 13,000 people would have been given a dose.\n\nIn both Scotland and Northern Ireland, 2.1% of people have been given a first dose.\n\nHow many people have had a Covid-19 vaccine? Residents in Wales vaccinated by health board, to 3 January Source: Public Health Wales, 7 January. Excludes 224 unknown and 1,024 doses for priority groups living in England\n\nSamantha is keen to have the vaccine as soon as possible and return to work\n\nDental nurse Samantha Davies, 47, who has shielded since March, was overjoyed at the prospect of having the coronavirus vaccine and returning to work.\n\nBut she is now in limbo after confusion over whether she could have the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab because of her ongoing treatment for Crohn's Disease.\n\nAfter filling out a questionnaire sent by PHW, a consultant recommended she should have the Pfizer-BioNTech jab instead.\n\nThis is because of the inflectra infusion treatment she receives every eight weeks to treat her Crohn's Disease - a type of inflammatory bowel condition.\n\nHowever, the Pfizer vaccine is in shorter supply than the Oxford vaccine and the Swansea practice where Samantha works was only offered 10 vaccinations.\n\nAs Samantha, from Foelgastell, Carmarthenshire, is shielding and not in work, she was not considered a priority for one of these.\n\nSwansea Bay health board has since said the advice about vaccines was given in error and pledged to arrange an appointment for her as soon as possible.\n\n\"It's just being home all the time. Some people I know had it two or three weeks ago. The government put me shielding since March on sick pay and I just want to return to work,\" she said.\n\nWhile she was furloughed from April to August, Samantha has been on statutory sick pay since.\n\nDr Gillian Richardson, the senior officer responsible for the Covid-19 vaccine programme in Wales, said the efforts from NHS Wales and PHW had been \"exceptional\".\n\n\"The number of doses unable to be used have been incredibly low - around 1% - and significantly below anticipated levels, thanks to the robust appointment planning and reserve lists,\" she said.\n\n\"The NHS is providing vaccines as quickly and as safely as possible to people in the priority groups.\"\n\nDerek Hinchliffe, 80, says he is \"frustrated\" at not knowing when he will get his first dose of vaccine\n\nHowever, 80-year-old Derek Hinchliffe, who is eligible for a first dose of a Covid vaccine during this period of the rollout, said he was \"frustrated\" because he has had no information about getting the first dose.\n\nMr Hinchliffe, who lives with his wife in Penpedairheol in Caerphilly county, said: \"We've had nothing - no communication.\n\n\"We've got friends the same as us who live in England who have had their first dose, and some of them are having their second vaccination.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stephen Crabb This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nConservative health spokesman Andrew RT Davies renewed his call for a vaccinations minister to be appointed to take control.\n\n\"Of course we welcome the increase in the number of vaccinations, but the rough calculation is that one in 65 people in Wales has had their jab compared to one in 50 in England,\" he said,\n\n\"Factor in the postcode lottery emerging in Wales, and the picture's not looking great.\n\n\"You're twice as likely in south Wales to have had the vaccination and three times more likely to have had it in mid Wales than in north Wales.\"\n\nDr Richardson called the second Covid vaccine - Oxford-AstraZeneca - which began its roll-out on Monday a \"real game-changer\".\n\nShe said it would help speed up vaccinations considerably.\n\nThere are challenges with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine because it has to be stored at extremely cold temperatures, while the Oxford vaccine can be be kept in a fridge.\n\nBoth vaccines will be available in Wales and the Welsh Government said 40,000 doses of the Oxford jab would be available within the first two weeks - with 22,000 jabs this week.\n\nTwo full doses of the Oxford vaccine gave 62% protection, a half dose followed by a full dose was 90% and overall the trial showed 70% protection.", "Bez in training for his new exercise classes in a park in Manchester\n\nHappy Mondays star Bez is to launch his own lockdown fitness classes to inspire the nation like Joe Wicks.\n\nThe former maraca-shaking dancer, 56, wants to rival Joe Wicks with his online YouTube classes \"Get Buzzin' With Bez\" to be launched on 17 January.\n\nBez, whose on-stage \"freaky dancing\" made him an icon of the 'Madchester' music scene, has admitted he also wants to budge his own lockdown bulge.\n\nHe won Celebrity Big Brother in 2005 and even made a bid to become an MP.\n\nBez, whose real name is Mark Berry, will be shown being trained in the fitness classes rather than acting as the instructor himself.\n\nHe said: \"I'd like to think I'm somewhere between Joe Wicks and Mr Motivator.\n\n\"I've started this new year seriously unfit, with a fat belly and creaky hips, and I can't stop eating chocolate.\n\n\"Last lockdown I got unfit, fat, lazy and into some seriously bad eating habits.\n\nBez being put through his paces with a personal trainer\n\n\"This year, this lockdown, I need to sort it out sharpish.\"\n\nHe said that people can join him on \"on this mad journey or just sit on the sofa and have a good laugh at me\".\n\nBez said he has \"started this new year seriously unfit, with a fat belly and creaky hips\"\n\nThe former dancer added: \"At the very least, I know I'll be making people smile, at best I'll be helping people get fit and mentally happier alongside me.\"\n\nThe Happy Mondays, along with bands like The Stone Roses and Inspiral Carpets, spearheaded the indie music 'Madchester' scene of the late 80s and early 90s.\n\nBez dancing with his maraca on BBC One's Top of the Pops as the band perform Step On in 1989\n\nBez's bug-eyed dance routines were said to have inspired the group's song Freaky Dancin' and made him one of the best-known members of the group, alongside frontman Shaun Ryder.\n\nTheir hits included Step On, Kinky Afro, Hallelujah and 24 Hour Party People.\n\nHowever, serious drug habits and infighting led to the Salford band's breakup in 1993.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "An ambulance had to be lifted out of the mud\n\nRescuers searching for victims of a landslide in Indonesia were buried by a second mudslide just hours later, officials say.\n\nThe first landslide, in Cihanjuang village, West Java, was triggered by torrential rain.\n\nAnother struck as survivors were still being evacuated. At least 12 people died and dozens more are missing.\n\nLandslides are common in Indonesia during rainy season, and often blamed on deforestation.\n\nThe latest disasters hit the villagers in Sumedang regency, about 150km (95 miles) southeast of the capital Jakarta, three and a half hours apart on Saturday.\n\nThe first happened at 16:00 (09:00 GMT) and the second at 19:30 (12:30 GMT), disaster agency spokesman Raditya Jati said in a statement.\n\n\"The first landslide was triggered by high rainfall and unstable soil conditions. The subsequent landslide occurred while officers were still evacuating victims around the first landslide area,\" he added.\n\nRescuers are believed to be among those killed, he added. A six-year-old boy was also among the dead, according to AFP news agency.\n\nSome 27 people were believed to be missing late on Sunday, local media quoted Deden Ridwansah, the head of the local search and rescue agency as saying. About 46 were known to have survived.\n\nBad weather had forced the search to be suspended, he said, but it was expected to resume on Monday.\n\nIndonesia frequently suffers floods and landslides. Thousands of people had to be evacuated in the capital Jakarta this time last year as the city was inundated.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n• None The fastest-sinking city in the world", "More than 80,000 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test since the start of the pandemic, official figures have shown.\n\nA further 1,035 deaths in the UK were reported on Saturday, taking the total by that measure to 80,868.\n\nThe number of daily cases of people who tested positive for coronavirus increased by 59,937.\n\nOnly the US, Brazil, India and Mexico have recorded more Covid deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.\n\nIt is the fourth day in a row that the UK has reported more than 1,000 daily deaths.\n\nIt comes as scientists advising the government have warned that lockdown measures in England need to be stricter to achieve the same impact as the March shutdown.\n\nMinisters have launched a new campaign urging people to act like they have the virus.\n\nMeanwhile, Buckingham Palace has said the Queen, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, received Covid-19 vaccinations on Saturday.\n\nThe Office for National Statistics recently estimated as many as one in 50 people in England had coronavirus between 27 December and 2 January, while in London it was one in 30.\n\nOn Friday, mayor Sadiq Khan said the spread of Covid in the capital was \"out of control\".\n\nOfficial figures from Public Health England showed London had the highest regional case rate in the UK, exceeding 1,000 per 100,000 people.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and can only go out for essential reasons. Similar measures are in place across most of Scotland, in Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nProf Robert West, a participant in the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which advises the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the current rules were \"still allowing a lot of activity which is spreading the virus\".\n\nHe said the new variant of Covid was around 50% more infectious compared to the virus that infected people last March.\n\n\"That means that if we were to achieve the same result as we got in March we would have to have a stricter lockdown, and it (the current regime) is not stricter,\" he added.\n\nThe professor of health psychology at University College London also told the BBC more children were going to school, compared to during the first lockdown.\n\nHe said schools were \"a very important seed of community infection\".\n\nMore children are at school, after the Department for Education widened the categories of vulnerable and key worker pupils allowed to attend. Attendance rates have risen to 50% in some places.\n\nProf Susan Michie, who is also a member of Sage, said the spread of the new, more infectious variant meant current restrictions were \"too lax\".\n\n\"When you look at the data, it shows that almost 90% of people are overwhelmingly adhering to the rules - despite the fact that we're also seeing more people out and about,\" she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nShe said, in comparison to the first lockdown in spring 2020, more people were allowed to go out to work and children's nurseries were open, making public transport busier.\n\nThe number of people travelling by public transport in London has decreased since the latest national lockdown began, with tube journeys now at 18% of the pre-pandemic demand and bus journeys at 30%, according to figures from Transport for London.\n\nHowever, during the first lockdown passenger numbers fell below 10% at some points.\n\nScientists believe the new variant spreads between 50 and 70% faster compared to previous forms of the virus.\n\nProf Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England, said there were \"things we could do better\" to reduce the number of infections, including greater compliance with mask wearing and social distancing when shopping and using public transport.\n\nTorsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation think tank, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that the UK's statutory sick pay system was \"not fit for purpose for a pandemic\" and more effective measures to encourage people to isolate were needed.\n\nAs cases and deaths soar, the government has launched an advertising campaign, which will be shared across television, radio, newspapers and on social media, urging people to stay at home and not to get complacent.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said: \"I know the last year has taken its toll - but your compliance is now more vital than ever.\"\n\nGovernment sources say there is also likely to be more focus from police on enforcing rather than explaining rules.\n\nOn Saturday afternoon, 12 people were arrested during an anti-lockdown protest in south London.\n\nIf you would like to send us a tribute to a friend or family member who died after contracting coronavirus, please use the form below.\n\nPlease remember to include a photo of your loved one and their name. Upload your pictures here. Don't forget to include your contact details, so we can get in touch with you.\n\nWe would like to respond to everyone individually and include every tribute in our coverage, but unfortunately that may not be possible. Please be assured your message will be read and treated with the utmost respect.\n\nPlease note the contact details you provide will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your tribute.\n• None Lockdown needs to be stricter, scientists warn", "Kay and Kenneth Hayward said they felt the journey was too unsafe\n\nPeople waiting to receive the Covid-19 vaccine say they are confused by NHS letters inviting them to travel to centres miles away from their homes.\n\nThe first 130,000 letters have been sent to people aged 80 or older who live about 30 to 45 minutes' drive away from one of seven new regional centres.\n\nBut patients, many of whom are shielding, questioned why they had to travel so far in a pandemic.\n\nLocal jabs are available to people if they wait, the NHS said.\n\nThe seven centres include Ashton Gate in Bristol, Epsom racecourse in Surrey, London's Nightingale hospital, Newcastle's Centre for Life, the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre, Robertson House in Stevenage and Birmingham's Millennium Point.\n\nPeople will not miss out on their vaccination if they do not use the letters to make an appointment at one of the centres, the NHS said.\n\nTwo Labour MPs tweeted about their concerns about the letters being delayed in getting out to people due to coronavirus affecting Royal Mail staff.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Sarah Jones MP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMary McGarry from Leamington Spa in Warwickshire told BBC News that her letter points to an NHS online booking page which suggests she would have to take her husband, who has cancer and a lung disease, 20 miles to Birmingham.\n\n\"We're very reluctant to go into Birmingham city centre,\" she said.\n\n\"If we can't get somebody to take us, we'd have to go on the train but we're shielding because my husband's got poor health.... we want to know why we've got to travel that far?\"\n\nKay Hayward, from Whitwick in Leicestershire, said she went online to book an appointment for her 85-year-old husband Kenneth and was offered five different places including Widnes in Cheshire and Stevenage in Hertfordshire.\n\n\"I thought they must be joking... we talked about it and we thought it was actually safer to stay here and for him not not have it.\n\n130,000 letters have been sent out by NHS England so far\n\n\"But we were worried if we turned this down, we'd be off the list.. the letter doesn't say anything about having the vaccines anywhere else locally.\"\n\nAndrea Eaton, from Coventry, said she was so angry that her 81-year-old mother, who has heart problems and leukaemia, was offered Birmingham for her appointment that she attempted to ring Downing Street on Saturday night to complain.\n\nShe said she reached the press office and said: \"I want you to give Boris a message please that he has lied to the British public.\n\n\"He has told them they never need to go more than 10 miles... they were really rude and just put the phone down on me.\"\n\nAndrea Eaton said she wanted to get a message to Boris Johnson so rang Downing Street on Saturday evening\n\nA spokesperson from Number 10 told BBC News that they did not wish to comment, but wanted to remind the public to use the government website to write to the prime minister or contact their constituency MP.\n\nCouncillor Shaun Davies, the Labour leader at Telford and Wrekin Council in Shropshire, said he had been contacted by dozens of people who have found the letters misleading, thinking this is their only chance to get the vaccine.\n\nHe said he had spoken to Trafford Council and was aware of people in Shropshire being sent to Manchester and residents there being directed to Birmingham to get their jabs.\n\n\"For many people they have been told consistently to wait for the NHS to contact you in order to get a vaccine and that's what they've had for the first time as a piece of communication.\n\n\"This is really, really concerning for people in their 80s or 90s because of the importance of getting the vaccine.\"\n\nThe letters are not \"going to the heart\" of the public health message which is staying home and staying local, he said.\n\nMore than 500,000 letters will be sent out to homes offering people appointments at the centres over the next seven days\n\nDr Sarah Raistrick, from Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commission group (CCG), said people did not have to travel to the centres but admitted the letter did not make that clear.\n\n\"You can wait and be contacted by your local GP service and have it locally if you'd prefer.\n\n\"If you sit tight, you will be contacted and I'm hopeful that if you're 80 or over, by the end of this month you will have had your vaccination whether that is locally or whether you have chosen to travel,\" she said.\n\nWork will be done with the NHS locally and nationally to make that message clearer, she added.\n\nThe seven centres were chosen to give a geographical spread covering as many people as possible and are capable of delivering thousands of jabs per week, NHS England has said.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Sir Keir Starmer has said the \"status quo isn't working\" for Scotland but has again rejected calls for a second independence referendum.\n\nThe Labour leader, who backs devolving more powers from Westminster, claimed another vote would be \"divisive\".\n\nHowever, he said he did not agree with Boris Johnson's assessment that there should not be another referendum for at least 40 years.\n\nThe SNP said a vote would allow Scots to choose how to rebuild after Covid.\n\nLast year Sir Keir said he would set up a constitutional commission to offer a \"positive alternative to the Scottish people\".\n\nHe told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: \"I don't think there should be another referendum, I don't think a further divisive referendum is the way forward.\n\n\"But I do accept that the status quo isn't working. I don't accept the argument that the status quo isn't working, the next thing you do is go to a referendum.\n\n\"I think there are other things you can do, other arguments that can be made in support of the United Kingdom.\"\n\nAsked about Boris Johnson's 40-year position, Sir Keir replied: \"I heard the prime minister say that and I don't agree with him on that.\"\n\nSpeaking on BBC Politics Scotland, Deputy First minister John Swinney rejected suggestions that the recovery from the Covid crisis should be a greater priority than another independence vote.\n\nHe said: \"An independence referendum is an essential priority of the people of Scotland because it gives us the opportunity to choose how we rebuild as a country from Covid.\n\n\"It would give us the opportunity to decide on our constitutional future and to determine the nature of our economy and how we deal with and support our citizens.\"\n\nEarlier this month Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the BBC he thought the 41-year interval between the UK's referendums on joining the EU and leaving it was a \"good sort of gap\".\n\nMr Johnson said in his experience, such votes \"don't have a notably unifying force in the national mood, they should be only once in a generation\".", "This car was one of many turned away by police at Moel Famau on Saturday\n\nPeople are \"blatantly\" ignoring rules on lockdown restrictions despite repeated warnings, police have said.\n\nMore than 100 cars had been turned away from Moel Famau on the Flintshire border by Saturday lunchtime, with some driving past \"road closed\" signs.\n\nIn Snowdonia, Gwynedd, a warden said a group from Leicester would have \"probably ignored our advice\" if police had not arrived and told them to leave.\n\nLevel four restrictions mean travelling for exercise is not allowed in Wales.\n\nKeith Ellis, a warden at Pen y Pass in Snowdonia, said while it had been much quieter this weekend, people were still travelling, despite the restrictions.\n\n\"We've had three from Leicester first thing this morning and if the police hadn't turned up they would have probably ignored our advice and carried on up the mountain,\" he said.\n\n\"What they were wearing was totally inappropriate and they would have probably got into danger.\n\n\"We've had people also from Liverpool and some locals turning up knowing full well what the rules are, but just trying it on.\n\n\"Luckily there are a lot more police officers around and all these people have been spoken to and advised by the police as well.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by NWP Rural Crime Team /Tîm Troseddau Cefn Gwlad HGC This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA Welsh Government spokesman said: \"Cases of coronavirus are very high in Wales at the moment and there is a new strain of the virus circulating, which is highly infectious and moving quickly.\n\n\"At alert level four, exercise should always be undertaken from home, unless you have special circumstances which requires some flexibility - such as disability or autism.\n\n\"The more people gather, the greater the risk of spreading or catching the virus.\"", "Boris Johnson is expected to announce a set of new national restrictions for England, similar to the March lockdown, in a televised address at 20:00 GMT.\n\nThe PM is likely to urge the public to follow the new rules from midnight.\n\nIt is expected people will be told to work from home if possible and schools will close for most pupils.\n\nIt is not yet clear when the measures will be reviewed, but MPs are likely to be given a vote to approve them retrospectively on Wednesday.\n\nMeanwhile, the UK's chief medical officers warned of a \"material risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed\" in several areas over the next 21 days.\n\nScotland announced a legal requirement to stay at home from midnight, with schools to be closed.\n\nMr Johnson will set out plans for England as the UK's devolved nations have the power to set their own coronavirus regulations.\n\nBoth Wales and Northern Ireland are already under national restrictions.\n\nOn Monday, the UK recorded more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases for the seventh day in a row.\n\nAs of 08:00 GMT, there were 26,626 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England, according to the latest figures.\n\nThis is a week-on-week increase of 30%, and a new record high.\n\nMr Johnson is expected to tell people to work from home unless they are a key worker, or it is not possible for them to do so, for example if they work on a construction site, according to BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.\n\nIt is also understood that England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, has told the prime minister the new variant of coronavirus is now spreading throughout the country.\n\nThe new variant - first identified in Kent and since seen across the UK and other parts of the world - has been found to spread much more easily than earlier variants.\n\nA No 10 spokesman said the spread of the new variant had led to \"rapidly escalating case numbers across the country\".\n\n\"The prime minister is clear that further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise and to protect the NHS and save lives,\" he added.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer - who called for a national lockdown in England within 24 hours on Sunday - said: \"I hope the prime minister has been listening to the clear calls for tough national restrictions.\"\n\nHospitals have said they are under \"extreme pressure\" and one of Britain's most senior doctors warned on the weekend that trusts across the UK should prepare themselves for a surge in cases.\n\nThe number of Covid-19 patients in UK hospitals is currently above the level seen in spring 2020.\n\nA further 58,784 cases and an additional 407 deaths within 28 days of a positive test result were reported on Monday, though deaths in Scotland were not recorded.\n\nWhat worked before may not work again - even a repeat of the March lockdown may not be enough to contain the new variant.\n\nConsider the R number - the number of people each infected person passes the virus onto on average.\n\nThe March lockdown brought R down to 0.6 and led to a sharp decline in cases.\n\nEvery 100 infected people passed the virus onto 60 others, who passed it onto 36, then 21, then 12 and so on.\n\nBut the new variant is thought to be around 50% more transmissible so its R number, in the same lockdown conditions, would be around 0.9.\n\nThen 100 infected people would pass the virus onto 90 others, then 81, then 73, then 66 and so on.\n\nThis is a far slower decline.\n\nHowever, uncertainty around the new variant means there are scenarios where its levels plateau rather than fall during lockdown conditions.\n\nIt is going to be a tough start to the year. Even with immediate and tough restrictions there are a projected 20,000 additional deaths in the first months of 2021.\n\nNow more than ever this is a race between the virus and the vaccine.\n\nMr Johnson's address comes as UK chief medical officers recommended the Covid threat level be increased to five - its highest level.\n\nIt means the NHS may soon be unable to handle a further sustained rise in cases, the medical officers said in a joint statement.\n\nNHS Providers, which represents health service trusts, said hospitals were at a \"critical point\" and that \"immediate and decisive action\" is needed.\n\nPreviously, the government described level five as requiring stricter social distancing measures. The first lockdown, which began in March 2020, was when the UK was under level four.\n\nThese Covid threat levels are separate to the regional tier system of restrictions in England.\n\nAnnouncing tougher measures in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: \"It is no exaggeration to say that I am more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year.\"\n\nThe new restrictions in Scotland mean it will be a legal requirement to stay at home except for certain essential purposes, similar to the first lockdown last March. Schools will be closed to pupils until February.\n\nIn Wales, all schools and colleges will move to online learning until at least 18 January.\n\nNorthern Ireland's Stormont Executive are also meeting to discuss possible new measures in light of Mr Johnson's televised address - which will air on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer from 19:35 GMT.\n\nThe prime minister will speak amid continued uncertainty over whether schools will remain open to all pupils in England, after several councils requested classrooms stay shut.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 82-year-old Brian Pinker is given the Oxford vaccine at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford\n\nEarlier on Monday, an 82-year-old retired maintenance manager became the first person in the UK to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nBrian Pinker said he was \"really proud\" to receive a jab developed in the UK, which will form a large part of the country's mass vaccination plan.\n\n\"The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year,\" Mr Pinker said.", "Most pupils will be studying from home for the rest of this half term\n\nSchools and colleges in England are to be closed to most pupils until at least half term, Boris Johnson has announced.\n\nThe prime minister said the new lockdown had to be \"tough enough\" to stop the variant virus from spreading - and teaching will go online.\n\nA-Levels and GCSEs will be cancelled, a government source confirmed to BBC News - although vocational exams will go ahead.\n\nThe National Education Union accused the government of causing \"chaos\".\n\nIn a television address, Mr Johnson announced the biggest changes to schools since the early days of the first lockdown in March.\n\n\"Because we now have to do everything we possibly can to stop the spread of the disease, primary schools, secondary schools and colleges across England must move to remote provision from tomorrow,\" said the prime minister.\n\nThis means a return to online learning for pupils of all ages - apart from vulnerable children and the children of key workers who can continue to go into school.\n\nPrimary schools went back today - and will then close again tomorrow\n\n\"We recognise that this will mean it's not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer, as normal,\" said Mr Johnson.\n\nIt is understood that vocational exams will continue, but GCSEs and A-levels will be cancelled - and that the exam watchdog Ofqual will make \"alternative arrangements\" for delivering results.\n\nAn attempt to produce replacement exam grades last summer turned into one of the biggest U-turns of the pandemic.\n\nTeachers' unions accused the government of failing to react more swiftly to \"mounting evidence\" about Covid transmission in schools and to make preparations for remote teaching and alternatives to written exams.\n\nBut Mary Bousted, co-leader of the National Education Union, said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson had \"become an expert in putting his head in the sand\".\n\nGeoff Barton of the ASCL head teachers' union criticised ministers for having issued legal threats to keep schools open at the end of last term - and then \"made a series of chaotic announcements about the start of this term\".\n\nThe new term, which began on Monday for primary pupils, has only lasted a day before it has been suspended.\n\nThe prime minister said he hoped that schools would be \"reopening schools after the February half term\".\n\nThere have been assurances that there will be a more thorough approach to home learning than in the first lockdown last year.\n\nThe Department for Education has provided hundreds of thousands of computer devices - with the aim of supporting those without the equipment needed to work online from home.\n\nThere have also been suggestions Ofsted inspectors will play a more active role in checking on what support schools are providing to pupils in their online learning.\n\nUniversities in England had already planned a staggered return for this term - but there will now be even fewer students on campus this month.\n\nThe latest lockdown guidance says university students who are taking hands-on courses such as medicine or veterinary science should return for face-to-face lessons as planned.\n\nThese students will be expected to take two Covid tests or self-isolate for 10 days when they return.\n\nBut students on all other courses are being told not to come back to university if possible and to start their term online \"until at least mid-February\".", "The Queen's 95th birthday will be commemorated on one of five new coins released this year, the Royal Mint has announced.\n\nThe 2021 British coin collection will also mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of novelist Sir Walter Scott, and the 75th anniversary of the death of author HG Wells.\n\nThe release of a £5 coin is typically reserved for significant royal events.\n\nIn April the Queen will become the first UK monarch to reach 95.\n\nThe new £5 coin depicts the royal cypher \"EIIR\", above the words \"my heart and my devotion\", a nod to part of her 1957 Christmas broadcast, which was the first to be televised.\n\nDuring that speech, the Queen told the nation: \"In the old days the monarch led his soldiers on the battlefield and his leadership at all times was close and personal.\n\n\"Today things are very different. I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice, but I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.\"\n\nThe anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott, who wrote the novels Waverley, Rob Roy and Ivanhoe and is considered one of Scotland's most famous figures, will be celebrated with a £2 coin.\n\nThe 75th anniversary of the death of science fiction author HG Wells, who penned works such as The Time Machine and The War Of The Worlds, will also be marked on a £2 coin, with a depiction of images from his novels.\n\nThe 50th anniversary of decimalisation, when Britain's modern coins came into force, will be featured on a 50p coin.\n\nThe 75th anniversary of the death of the inventor John Logie Baird, famous for his early prototypes of the television, will be commemorated on another new 50p coin.\n\nAs the Queen's head already appears on one side of all coins in circulation, these five coins will each offer a different depiction from the various stages of her reign.\n\nClare Maclennan, of the consumer division at the Royal Mint, said this year's commemorative coins marked \"some of the biggest anniversaries in 2021\", with each coin \"a miniature work of art\" designed as \"a treasured keepsake or gift\".\n\nThe commemorative set will be available to purchase from the Royal Mint website.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Olly Stephens was pronounced dead in Bugs Bottom fields in Emmer Green, Reading\n\nA school says its community has been left \"reeling\" after a 13-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Reading.\n\nOliver Stephens, known as Olly, was pronounced dead at Bugs Bottom fields, Emmer Green, on Sunday.\n\nFour boys and a girl, all aged 13 or 14, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. They remain in custody.\n\nHighdown School and Sixth Form Centre head teacher Rachel Cave described the boy's death as a \"total tragedy\".\n\nIn a statement, she said: \"This student was part of our community and many students and staff knew him well.\n\n\"Many have been deeply affected by this tragedy.\n\n\"In normal circumstances we would open the school and welcome in students for support before the start of the term.\n\n\"We are currently unable to do this, of course, but are arranging counselling support and will be establishing an electronic book of condolence.\"\n\nFlowers have been left outside Highdown School\n\nMs Cave said the school was \"a supportive and close-knit community\" which would \"work together over the coming days and weeks\".\n\nDet Supt Kevin Brown, of Thames Valley Police, said: \"Our thoughts remain with Olly's family at this incredibly difficult time.\"\n\nHe added: \"This is a tragic and shocking incident which has resulted in the death of a young boy.\"\n\nThe victim's family are being supported by specially trained officers.\n\nThames Valley Police said a \"considerable police presence\" would be in place in the area for several days\n\nOfficers were called just before 16:00 GMT on Sunday following reports of an attack.\n\nOfficers are appealing for anyone who was in the area between 15:00 and 16:30 who might have taken photos or camera footage to contact them if they notice anything suspicious.\n\nDet Supt Brown said he believed there would have been witnesses to the \"dreadful incident\" as the area is popular with dog walkers.\n\nA man said his wife was walking their dog through the park on Sunday afternoon when she saw a boy on the ground with several people around him trying to give him first aid.\n\nAnother dog walker said she saw a group of young people standing in the woods in Bugs Bottom fields at about 15:30 and described it as \"slightly unusual\".\n\nReading East MP Matt Rodda has offered his \"deepest condolences\" to the boy's family.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Matt Rodda This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSt Barnabas Church in Emmer Green has invited residents to pray and light a candle in memory of the boy.\n\nFollow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Nick Hulme said intensive care units at Colchester and Ipswich hospitals were \"at capacity\"\n\nSecurity officers removed Covid-19 \"deniers\" who were taking pictures of empty corridors at a NHS hospital where the intensive care unit is at maximum capacity, its chief executive said.\n\nThe incident took place at Colchester Hospital at the weekend.\n\nChief executive Nick Hulme said it \"beggars belief\" some people were calling the pandemic a hoax.\n\nHe said it was \"the right thing to do\" to keep corridors in outpatients units as empty as possible.\n\nMr Hulme said hospital security had to \"remove people who were taking photographs of empty corridors and then posting them on social media, saying the hospital is not in crisis\".\n\n\"When you've got that sort of social media pressure and those people denying the reality of Covid it really concerns us. Words fail me,\" he said.\n\n\"Why would people do that when we all know somebody who has died from Covid?\n\n\"Of course there are empty corridors at the weekend in outpatients, because that's the right thing to do.\n\n\"We are facing the biggest health challenge we've ever seen and we are still seeing people flouting the [social distancing] rules.\"\n\nPeople had to be removed from Colchester Hospital's outpatients ward for taking pictures of empty corridors and claiming Covid-19 was a hoax\n\nUnder coronavirus pandemic restrictions on social distancing, many outpatient consultations had been moved online or were taking place over the telephone, he added.\n\nPhysical appointments, tests and procedures had been organised differently to avoid crowded waiting areas.\n\nMr Hulme is chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust which also runs Ipswich Hospital and he said there were currently 320 patients being treated for Covid-19 across both sites.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "The homes of Frank and Christine Lampard, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and Tamara Ecclestone and her husband were broken into in December 2019\n\nFour people have been cleared of being involved in a plot to raid the luxury homes of celebrities in west London.\n\nItems belonging to Frank Lampard, Tamara Ecclestone and the family of tycoon Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha were among the items taken during three burglaries in December 2019.\n\nProsecutors said Maria Mester, 48, Emil Bogdan Savastru, 30, Sorin Marcovici, 53, and Alexandru Stan, 49, were a \"supporting cast\" for the burglars.\n\nBut a jury found all four not guilty.\n\nIsleworth Crown Court heard the three burglaries had netted \"big money\" for the raiders, with \"fabulous jewellery\" stolen and the majority of it having never been recovered.\n\nJay Rutland, Tamara Ecclestone and their daughter had left for Lapland on the morning of the burglary\n\nJewellery and cash worth £25m was taken from Ms Ecclestone's Kensington home while she was on holiday in Lapland with her husband Jay Rutland and their daughter.\n\nMr Lampard and his TV presenter wife Christine had about £60,000 in watches and jewellery stolen when they were out, while raiders also ransacked the family home of Mr Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in 2018 in a helicopter crash, the jury was told.\n\nThe four defendants were accused of eight charges including conspiracy to burgle.\n\nHowever, each denied their involvement with the plot, saying they had no knowledge that the alleged burglars were criminals.\n\nJurors were shown an image from Maria Mester's Facebook account, in which she was said to be wearing Tamara Ecclestone's necklace\n\nThe court heard escort Ms Mester had flown into the UK from Italy on 7 December.\n\nPolice described her as the plot's \"matriarch\", but the 48-year-old told jurors she was only in London after being paid £5,000 to accompany one of the alleged burglars for the week.\n\nSavastru was arrested at Heathrow Airport on 30 January as he prepared to leave for Japan, wearing Mr Srivaddhanaprabha's Tag watch and carrying a Louis Vuitton bag stolen from Mr Rutland.\n\nHe told the court he thought the items had been left behind by the alleged burglars at the Airbnb property he had helped them rent.\n\nThe four Romanian nationals were cleared of all charges apart from Savastru, who was convicted of one count of attempting to conceal criminal property.\n\nThe 30-year-old will be sentenced at a later date.\n\nA group of alleged burglars, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are accused of carrying out the raids.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Boris Johnson has reiterated his position that a Scottish independence referendum should be a \"once-in-a-generation\" vote.\n\nSpeaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme, the prime minister said the gap between referendums on Europe - the first in 1975 and the second in 2016 - was \"a good sort of gap\".\n\nHowever, Mr Marr suggested that now \"things had changed\" for Scotland.\n\nNicola Sturgeon wants to see an independent Scotland join the EU.\n\nAndrew Marr asked the prime minister what a voter in Scotland should do if they decided that a second independence referendum was now something they wanted, and what were the \"democratic tools\" to now do that?\n\nMr Johnson replied by saying: \"Referendums in my experience, direct experience, in this country are not particularly jolly events.\n\n\"They don't have a notably unifying force in the national mood, they should be only once-in-a-generation.\"\n\nAsked what the difference was between a referendum on EU membership being granted and one on Scottish independence being requested, he said: \"The difference is we had a referendum in 1975 and we then had another one in 2016.\n\n\"That seems to be about the right sort of gap.\"\n\nThe 2014 independence referendum resulted in a 55.3% vote against Scotland going alone.\n\nOn Hogmanay, Nicola Sturgeon said Europe should \"keep a light on\" as Scotland will be \"back soon\".\n\nThe first minister tweeted just after the Brexit transition period formally ended at 11:00 on 31 December 2020.\n\nScotland's trading and travel relationships with EU countries will now be governed by the agreement announced by the UK government on Christmas Eve.\n\nMs Sturgeon reiterated the SNP's call for an independent Scotland to join the EU.\n\nTweeting a picture of the words Europe and Scotland joined by a love heart, she wrote: \"Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Nicola Sturgeon This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSNP depute leader Keith Brown said: \"It may be a new year but it's the same old incoherent bluster from Boris Johnson. The prime minister pretends otherwise but he knows he can't keep on denying democracy.\n\n\"Even his American pal Donald Trump has learned that if you try to stand in the way of the democratic choice of a nation you get swept away.\n\n\"The people who will decide our future are the people of Scotland, not Boris Johnson and the Westminster Tories.\"\n\nFormer Labour prime minister Tony Blair said it was \"extremely difficult\" to challenge the SNP on independence when the party was \"virtually uncontested\" in Scotland.\n\nHe said: \"We had a referendum that rejected Scottish independence, but Brexit put it back on the agenda again. And it's going to require very careful management. The truth of the matter is it's still not in Scotland's interest to separate from England.\n\n\"There are huge economic and political reasons for the United Kingdom to stay the United Kingdom but we're going to have to examine whether there's different constitutional settlements.\n\n\"I also think it's incredibly important, the single most important thing politically to my mind, is that we get a really capable opposition in Scotland - which should be the Labour Party - that's capable of contesting the Scottish nationalist position in Scotland in a way that prevents them from doing what they do at the moment, which is govern Scotland but pretend they're in opposition.\"\n\nScottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said: \"Only the people of Scotland have the right to determine Scotland's future.\n\n\"Seventeen consecutive opinion polls have demonstrated majorities in favour of independence, with the most recent indicating a record 58% support.\n\n\"Whether it's the botched handling of the coronavirus crisis, the Brexit catastrophe or just the heartlessness of Tory governments we haven't voted for, it's clear that the UK isn't working for Scotland.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 82-year-old Brian Pinker is given the Oxford vaccine at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford\n\nDialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82, has become the first person to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nThe retired maintenance manager got the jab at 7:30 GMT from nurse Sam Foster at Oxford's Churchill Hospital.\n\nMore than half a million doses of the vaccine are ready for use on Monday.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said it was a \"pivotal moment\" in the UK's fight against the virus, as vaccines will help curb infections and then allow restrictions to be lifted.\n\nBut Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Monday there was \"no question we will have to take tougher measures\", which will be announced in \"due course\", as the UK struggles to control a new, fast-spreading variant of the virus.\n\nOn Sunday more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases were recorded in the UK for the sixth day running, prompting Labour to call for a third national lockdown in England.\n\nNorthern Ireland and Wales currently have their own lockdowns in place and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a fresh lockdown will begin in Scotland from 00:01 on Tuesday.\n\nThe rollout comes as rows continue over whether pupils should return to school with the current high levels of Covid infections.\n\nSix hospital trusts - in Oxford, London, Sussex, Lancashire and Warwickshire - have begun administering the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, with 530,000 doses ready for use.\n\nMost other available doses will be sent to hundreds of GP-led services and care homes across the UK later in the week, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.\n\nMr Pinker, who has been having dialysis for kidney disease at the Churchill Hospital for a number of years, said he was \"really proud\" the vaccine was developed in Oxford.\n\n\"The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year,\" he said.\n\nMusic teacher and father-of-three Trevor Cowlett, 88, and Prof Andrew Pollard, a paediatrician working at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and lead investigator of the Oxford vaccine trial, were also among the first to be vaccinated.\n\nChief nurse Ms Foster, who administered the first dose, told the BBC it was a \"huge privilege\", saying: \"Every single patient that we have vaccinated over the last couple of weeks have got their own personal stories to the difference it's going to make, so it is no different this morning.\"\n\nSpeaking during a visit to London's Chase Farm Hospital, to meet some of the first people to receive the Oxford vaccine, the prime minister said there were \"tough, tough\" weeks to come.\n\nThere will now be a \"massive ramp-up\" in vaccination numbers \"in the weeks ahead\", Mr Johnson said, and the number of vaccine doses will amount to \"tens of millions by the end of March\".\n\nAsked when the government will be able to vaccinate two million people a week, Mr Johnson said the government will give more details \"in the next few days... as soon as we have better numbers to give\".\n\nMr Hancock told BBC Breakfast the Oxford vaccine rollout was a \"pivotal moment\" in the fight against coronavirus, saying: \"It's going to be a tough few weeks ahead, but this is the way out.\"\n\nAsked about reports potential volunteers were being deterred by the additional training and forms, Mr Hancock said they were going to \"reduce the amount of bureaucracy\".\n\n\"For instance there's one of the training programmes about how to tackle terrorism, I don't think that's necessary, we're going to stop that,\" he said.\n\nHowever, he said this was not delaying the delivery of the vaccine, adding that the next delivery of the vaccine will be \"early this week\" to be \"deployed next week\".\n\nEngland's chief medical officer Chris Whitty said the vaccines \"give us a route out in the medium term\" but warned the NHS was \"under considerable and rising pressure in the short term\".\n\nFormer health secretary and Conservative chairman of the Commons' health committee Jeremy Hunt tweeted that it was \"time to act\" and the government needed to close schools and borders, ban all household mixing and impose a 12-week national lockdown in England.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Jeremy Hunt This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nLabour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth agreed that a national lockdown was needed, as well as \"rapidly scaled-up vaccine distribution\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Matt Hancock: 'This way can save more lives'\n\nAs the recent rise in Covid cases puts increased pressure on the NHS, the UK has accelerated its vaccination rollout by planning to give both doses of the vaccine 12 weeks apart, having initially planned to leave 21 days between jabs.\n\nThe UK's chief medical officers have defended the delay to second doses, saying getting more people vaccinated with the first jab \"is much more preferable\".\n\nMake no mistake, the UK is in a race against time.\n\nThat much is clear from the decision to delay the second dose of the vaccine to focus on giving as many people as possible their first doses.\n\nSo how fast can the NHS go? Ultimately it wants to get to two million doses a week.\n\nThat will not be achieved this week.\n\nBut Monday marks the start of the NHS putting the accelerator to the floor.\n\nA rapid increase in the vaccination rate should follow.\n\nBut how quickly the UK can go is dependent on several complex processes.\n\nFirst, the vaccine has to be manufactured, then it has to be put into vials and packaged up (known as fill and finish). After that each batch has to be checked and certified before being sent to NHS vaccination sites where there needs to be enough vaccinators and support staff to ensure those doses are given as quickly as possible.\n\nProblems at any one stage can disrupt how quickly the vaccination programme can be rolled out.\n\nWhile there are millions of doses of each vaccine in the country and a total of 140 million of both vaccines pre-ordered, there are currently just over one million - around 500,000 of each - ready to be given this week.\n\nNHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: \"The NHS' biggest vaccination programme in history is off to a strong start, thanks to the tremendous efforts of NHS staff who have already delivered more than one million jabs.\"\n\nHe said the Oxford vaccine rollout was \"chalking up another world first that will protect thousands more over the coming weeks\".\n\nThe Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first jab approved in the UK, and more than a million people have had their first one.\n\nThe first person to get the jab on 8 December, Margaret Keenan, has already had her second dose.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dr Nikita Kanani, NHS England's medical director for primary care, says it's crucial to get more patients the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine\n\nThe Oxford jab - which was approved for use in late December - can be stored at normal fridge temperatures, making it easier to distribute and store than the Pfizer jab. It is also cheaper per dose.\n\nThe UK has secured 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, enough for most of the population.\n\nCare home residents and staff, people aged over 80, and frontline NHS staff will be first to receive it.\n\nGPs and local vaccination services have been asked to ensure every care home resident in their local area is vaccinated by the end of January, the Department of Health and Social Care said.\n\nSome 730 vaccination sites have already been established across the UK, with the total set to surpass 1,000 later this week, the department added.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nicola Sturgeon announces stay at home rules in new lockdown\n\nScots are to be ordered to stay at home amid a fresh Covid-19 lockdown which will see schools remain closed to pupils until February.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon said new curbs would be introduced at midnight in a bid to contain the new, faster-spreading strain of the virus.\n\nNew laws will require people to stay at home and work from home where possible.\n\nOutdoor gatherings are also to be cut back, with people only allowed to meet one person from one other household.\n\nPlaces of worship are to be closed, group exercise banned, and schools will largely operate via online and remote learning.\n\nThese rules will apply across the Scottish mainland until at least the end of January, and will be kept under review.\n\nIsland areas will remain in level three - but Ms Sturgeon said they would be monitored carefully.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson later announced similar lockdown measures for the whole of England with all schools and colleges closing to most pupils until mid February.\n\nA further 1,905 new cases were reported in Scotland on Monday - with 15% of tests returning a positive result, something Ms Sturgeon said \"illustrates the severity and urgency of the situation\".\n\nThe first minister said she was \"more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year\", with the new coronavirus strain now accounting for half of new cases.\n\nAnd she said a \"steeply rising trend of infections\" was threatening to put \"significant pressure\" on NHS services, saying hospitals could breach capacity within three to four weeks.\n\nThe new rules - which will be put down in law - mean Scots will only be allowed to leave home for essential purposes, such as shopping for food and medicine, exercise and caring responsibilities.\n\nNo limit is to be put on how many times people can go out to exercise, but outdoor meetings are to be limited to a maximum of two people from two households.\n\nEveryone who can work from home will be required to, and people in the \"shielding\" category are advised not to go in to work at all.\n\nThe construction and manufacturing industries will remain open, but Ms Sturgeon said this would be kept under review.\n\nPlaces of worship are to close, the number of people who can attend weddings is to be cut to five, and funeral wakes will no longer be allowed.\n\nSchools are to remain closed to the majority of pupils until February, with Ms Sturgeon saying community transmission of the virus must be brought to a lower level amid concerns that the new variant of the virus spreads more easily among young people.\n\nShe said she knew remote learning presented \"significant challenges\" for parents, teachers and pupils, adding: \"I want to be clear that it remains our priority to get school buildings open again for all pupils are quickly as possible and then keep them open.\"\n\nThe first minister said she was considering whether teachers could be given the Covid-19 vaccine as a priority.\n\nMore than 100,000 people have been given a first dose of the vaccine in Scotland, and the government expects to have access to just over 900,000 doses by the end of January.\n\nHowever Ms Sturgeon said the best way to get schools open again was to drive down transmission of the virus - urging Scots to abide by the rules.\n\nThese are the toughest restrictions Scotland has faced since the lockdown of March 2020.\n\nIt is - once again - becoming compulsory to stay at home except for essential purposes like food shopping, exercise and medical care.\n\nThe extended closure of schools to most pupils is something the Scottish government was particularly keen to avoid.\n\nThese decisions are a measure of how worried ministers are about the rapid spread of the new variant of coronavirus, which is fast becoming the dominant strain.\n\nWith 225 cases per 100,000 people, Scotland is thought to be about four weeks behind London, which already has four times as many cases and NHS services under considerable pressure.\n\nThe Scottish government believes that without further action the NHS here would run out of beds for Covid patients within a month.\n\nThis new alert comes at the start of a new year which also brings new hope for a route out of the pandemic with two vaccines now beginning to offer protection.\n\nAround 100,000 doses have already been administered in Scotland but it is likely to take several months to reach all in the most vulnerable groups.\n\nThe first minister said Scotland was now in \"a race between the vaccine and the virus\".\n\nShe said: \"The Scottish government will do everything we can to speed up distribution of the vaccine. But all of us must do everything we can to slow down the spread of the virus.\n\n\"We can already see - by looking at infection rates in the south of England - some of what could happen here in Scotland. To prevent that, we need to act immediately and firmly.\n\n\"For government, that means introducing tough measures - as we have done today. And for all of us, it means sticking to the rules.\"\n\nScottish Conservative group leader Ruth Davidson raised concerns about online learning, saying it was vital that pupils had \"equal access to high-quality education\".\n\nAnd Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said teachers and working parents would need support to make the remote learning system work.\n\nMs Sturgeon said her government had \"agonised\" over the decision on schools, and said the \"fundamental priority\" was to re-open them in full as soon as possible.\n\nShe said: \"Just as the last places we ever want to close are schools and nurseries - so it is the case that schools and nurseries will be the first places we want to reopen as we re-emerge from this latest lockdown.\"\n\nThe NHS has coped so far in Scotland - more so than many other parts of the UK.\n\nBut in places like Glasgow and Lanarkshire it has been very, very tight. And here like everywhere else staff are bracing themselves for the post-Christmas effects of rising cases.\n\nThe first minister gave some stark figures on hospital and ICU occupancy - suggesting we are just weeks away from reaching limits.\n\nThere is so little give in the system they will be glad to see everything possible done to prevent stretched services being overwhelmed at a time when we are on our way to getting out the other side.\n\nThere is real anxiety about what the next few weeks might bring.\n• None Covid in Scotland: New lockdown from midnight", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. James Shaw, from Dundee, was among the first to receive the jab\n\nThe first Scottish recipients of the new Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine have received their jabs.\n\nJames Shaw, 82, and his 82-year-old wife Malita were among the first to be vaccinated in Dundee.\n\nThe couple received their first doses at Lochee Health and Community Care Centre.\n\nNicola Sturgeon has said she hoped all over-50s and those with underlying health conditions will have been vaccinated by early May.\n\nJames said: \"My wife and I are delighted to be receiving this vaccination. I have asthma and bronchitis and I have been desperate to have it so I am really pleased to be one of the first to be getting it.\n\n\"I know it takes a little while for the vaccine to work but after today I know that I will feel a bit less worried about going out. I will still be very careful and avoid busy places but knowing I have been vaccinated will really help me.\n\n\"All of my friends have said they are going to have the vaccine when it is their turn and I would encourage everyone who is offered this vaccination to take it.\"\n\nJames Shaw, 82, was one of the first people in Scotland to receive the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine, administered by advanced nurse practitioner Justine Williams\n\nThe Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine programme is being rolled out less than a week after it was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It is the second vaccine approved for use in the UK.\n\nNHS Tayside is rolling out the vaccine through GP practices in the community and will also vaccinate elderly residents and staff in care homes.\n\nIts associate director of public health Dr Daniel Chandleris said: \"The efforts of our vaccination teams have been amazing and it is testament to a real whole team approach that sees the first over-80s in the general population have their jabs today in Tayside.\n\n\"The availability and mobility of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine gives us the opportunity to start to roll out the biggest vaccine programme that the UK has ever seen across our communities.\n\n\"Over-80s are the first priority group and patients will be contacted directly to attend a vaccination session.\"\n\nScottish Secretary Alister Jack added: \"This is another important moment in our fight against the virus - every vaccination takes us a step closer to getting back to our normal lives as soon as possible.\n\n\"As with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the UK is the first country in the world to approve and roll out the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, with the UK Government ordering and paying for millions of doses for people in all parts of the UK.\"\n\nThe milestone came as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a new stricter lockdown.\n\nWith the exception of essential travel, people in mainland Scotland will have to remain at home from midnight.\n\nStatistics released on Monday showed a further 1,905 people had contracted Covid-19.\n\nFigures for hospital admissions and deaths over the holiday weekend will not be published until Tuesday.\n\nMs Sturgeon likened the situation to a race between the vaccine and the virus.\n\nShe said: \"In one lane we have vaccines - our job is to make sure they run as fast as possible.\n\n\"But in the other lane is the virus which - as a result of this new variant - has just learned to run much faster and has most definitely picked up pace in the last couple of weeks.\n\n\"To ensure that the vaccine wins the race, it is essential to speed up vaccination as far as possible. But to give it the time it needs to get ahead, we must also slow the virus down.\"\n\nThe new vaccine will initially be available in the hospitals that have been delivering the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, and new community settings will be able to deliver the jabs from 11 January.\n\nPeople in Scotland will be contacted by their health board when it is their turn to be vaccinated.\n\nThe Oxford vaccination marks a major turning point in the pandemic and will lead to a massive expansion in the UK's immunisation campaign, with enough to vaccinate 50 million people throughout the UK already on order.\n\nIt is easier to transport and store than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which needs cold storage of about -70C.\n\nThe Oxford vaccine is logistically much easier to distribute\n\nThe UK government has said 530,000 doses of the Oxford vaccine will be available to the UK from Monday, with \"millions due by the beginning of February\".\n\nScotland will ultimately get an 8.2% share of these vaccines, based on its population.\n\nChief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith has said he expects the NHS in Scotland to receive 440,360 doses of the vaccine during January.\n\nThe first minister said on Monday about 100,000 people in Scotland have already received a first dose of vaccine.\n\nBoth vaccines require two doses to be administered with an interval of between four and 12 weeks.\n\nPreviously the advice was for the vaccines to have a four-week gap between doses.\n\nThe Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) then recommended as many people as possible in the top priority groups should be offered a first dose as the initial priority.", "Dr Radha Modgil from BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks shares her top five tips on how to stay mentally and emotionally well during the coronavirus lockdown, all beginning with the letter C.\n\nSticking to a routine, making sure we take care of ourselves, and using our creativity in new ways are all ways she suggests we can ease the psychological toll that staying inside is having on all of us.\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "A top Swedish official involved in the coronavirus response has defended a Christmas holiday in the Canary Islands in the face of heavy criticism.\n\nDan Eliasson is head of the civil contingencies agency, which earlier in December had texted all Swedes urging them to avoid travel.\n\nHe was photographed in Las Palmas airport on the island of Gran Canaria.\n\nMr Eliasson insisted the trip was necessary \"for family reasons\".\n\nHe told Swedish media that he had \"given up a lot of trips during this pandemic\" but thought this one was necessary because he had a daughter living in the Canaries.\n\n\"I celebrated Christmas with her and my family,\" he told Expressen newspaper. He also said he had been worked remotely while in the Canaries.\n\nSweden has had 437,000 confirmed cases and 8,700 deaths - many more than its Scandinavian neighbours. The country has never imposed a full lockdown.\n\nHowever, alarmed by rising numbers of cases last month, the Swedish government reversed some of its guidance and sent a text message to all Swedes asking them to read updated guidelines.\n\nThe guidelines included asking Swedes to avoid unnecessary trips and not to make new contacts during a journey or at the destination.\n\nMr Eliasson was then photographed several times in Gran Canaria, including at the airport.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Expressen This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThere have been calls for Mr Eliasson, an experienced official who has worked at several important departments, to be fired.\n\nPrime Minister Stefan Löfven and other ministers have not yet commented, according to Swedish media.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. From the pandemic to measles, Smitha Mundasad looks at global health challenges in 2021", "Last updated on .From the section Horse Racing\n\nTributes have been paid to trainer Zoe Davison, who died from cancer on the same day two of her horses claimed wins at Plumpton.\n\nDavison, who had breast cancer for four-and-a-half years, died at her Shovelstrode Racing Stables in Sussex.\n\nBrown Bullet and Mr Jack, both trained at the family's stable, had raced to victory at the Sussex track on Sunday.\n\nSimon Clare, part-owner of Brown Bullet, said: \"Zoe was just the most wonderful human being imaginable.\"\n\nHer husband Andrew Irvine - who she married in 2018 - was by her side, along with family.\n\nHe said: \"She was the most wonderful, incredible person. I am blessed to have spent the last 24 years of my life with her.\"\n\nDaughter Gemelle Johnson, who was assistant to her mother, said: \"I just feel a bit numb inside because of everything.\n\n\"I'm a bit overwhelmed we've had a double for mum. Hopefully we have made her proud. It's surreal. Our team is a family business and we put everything into it. She will be thoroughly missed as she is the glue that holds us together.\n\n\"We've had a few winners around here and it is one of our local tracks. It means everything to us as we want to do her proud.\"\n\nDavison sent out the first of over 100 winners when Sails Legend, with AP McCoy in the saddle, won at Towcester in November 1997.\n\nShe enjoyed her best season with 15 winners in the 2017-18 campaign.\n\nJockey Page Fuller has a long association with the stable and should have ridden Mr Jack but had been stood down from an earlier fall.\n\nShe said: \"You couldn't have written it any better today. She was just a kind and genuine person who was a real horsewoman. She loved her horses and did her best by them.\n\n\"She has been struggling for a long time, but fortunately her strength has rubbed off on everybody else and they showed that by sending out the winners today.\n\n\"It has been a great team effort and it is great she has gone out like that. I don't know anybody who would have a bad word to say about her - she was just one of those really nice people.\"\n\nEd Arkell, ex-Fontwell clerk of the course and now at nearby West Sussex track Goodwood, said: \"Zoe was a huge part of the southern racing circuit. I'm so sorry for her family and she will be very much missed. She was a friendly, happy person who everybody loved.\n\n\"As a trainer, she ran a wonderful family operation. There are less of those these days. She supported her local tracks and became a big part of them.\"\n\nClare added: \"Zoe was the most talented horsewoman imaginable. What she didn't know about horses wasn't worth knowing.\n\n\"She is so incredibly well loved and will be desperately missed by everyone who knew her.\"", "Cases have reached record highs in the past week\n\nThe next few weeks could be the most dangerous period for Scotland since March in the fight against Covid, the first minister has warned.\n\nNicola Sturgeon said the new variant of the virus was \"accelerating spread\" across Scotland.\n\n\"If you first foot someone today, or hug/kiss/handshake them HNY, you are putting yourself, others and the NHS at risk,\" she tweeted.\n\nA further 2,539 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Friday.\n\nThe number is slightly down on Thursday's figure, but Ms Sturgeon said cases numbers were still \"worryingly high\".\n\nDaily confirmed cases have reached record highs on each of the previous three days, rising to to 2,622 on Thursday.\n\nThe percentage of positive cases also reached 14.4% on Wednesday - the highest it has been since the second wave of the pandemic began in the summer.\n\nMs Sturgeon tweeted: \"Today's case numbers are worryingly high again. The new variant is accelerating spread.\n\n\"PLEASE do not visit other people's homes just now, even today - if you first foot someone today, or hug/kiss/handshake them HNY, you are putting yourself, others & the NHS at risk.\"\n\nShe said the \"vaccine cavalry\" was on the way, offering \"real hope for 2021\", but she added: \"With this new variant, the next few weeks may be the most dangerous we've faced since Mar/April.\n\n\"We must act together to suppress it, to save lives and protect the NHS. Folded hands stick with it.\"\n\nThe number of daily confirmed cases has reached record highs this week\n\nA new study by London's Imperial College has found that the new variant of Covid-19 is \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version.\n\nIt concludes the new variant increases the Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.\n\nThe UK's latest R number has been estimated at between 1.1 and 1.3. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nThe Scottish government's most recent estimate of the R number in Scotland has put it between 0.9 and 1.1.\n\nEmma Thomson, a professor of infectious disease at the University of Glasgow, said it was important to get people vaccinated quickly.\n\nThe professor, who has been working on the sequencing of the new Covid mutation, told the BBC that lockdown was not controlling the infection \"on its own\".\n\n\"At least we come in armed into the new year with two vaccines which are highly effective at preventing severe disease. We have that,\" she said.\n\n\"We need to roll it out now to add to the public health measures.\"\n\nParties, traditional \"first-footing\" and social events were banned this Hogmanay, with all of mainland Scotland and Skye being under the highest level of Covid restrictions.\n\nAll official events were cancelled, but police had to disperse a crowds of people who gathered at Edinburgh Castle and Calton Hill to see in the new year.\n\nIt has also emerged that 32 people were charged with reckless conduct after police found them gathered at a rented property in Aberfoyle on 27 December.\n\nA Scottish government spokesperson said: \"As the first minister has pointed out, the sharp rise in cases is evidence that the new strain seems to be speeding up transmission.\n\n\"This is why we are asking people to please stay at home as much as possible and avoid non-essential interaction with others.\n\n\"There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we ask everyone to be patient as we work our way through the vaccination programme, and continue to follow FACTS to keep us all safe.\"", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 BST.\n\nThe first patients have been given the Oxford vaccine - five days after it was approved for use in the UK. Dialysis patient Brian Pinker, aged 82, was the first to receive it. It's a \"pivotal moment\" in the fight against the virus, according to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. More than 500,000 doses are ready to go, with care home residents and staff, people aged over 80, and NHS workers at the front of the queue. Some 730 vaccination sites have already been established, we're told, with the total set to surpass 1,000 later this week. The Oxford jab is easier to distribute and store than the Pfizer version, which was the first to be approved. It's also cheaper per dose. Find out more about how it was developed, and when you might receive one.\n\nThe vaccine news may be positive, but few deny the coronavirus situation in the UK right now is bleak. On Sunday, more than 50,000 new cases were recorded for the sixth day running and Labour is calling for a third national lockdown in England. Boris Johnson has admitted tougher restrictions are likely. Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce new restrictions for Scotland later, while Northern Ireland and Wales already have their own lockdowns in place. The obvious next step for England would probably be to move more areas into tier four - a reminder of what that means - but our science editor David Shukman says there are other steps under discussion too.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nJanuary is normally a boom time for gyms, but coronavirus restrictions mean many are closed and others can't offer any group classes. At the same time, there's been an explosion in fitness tech, allowing more of us than ever to work out at home. So what does this mean for the future of the gym sector? Our reporter Eleanor Lawrie looks closely. Meanwhile, wherever you are in the UK, see 21 simple ways to get fitter in 2021.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sports expert Ruth Lowry says exercising outdoors could help us cope with Covid this winter\n\nThe pandemic has prompted many of us to change direction, career-wise, whether out of choice or necessity. Our CEO Secrets series has been documenting some of those forging a new path here in the UK, but the same trends are going on elsewhere too. In India, Shalini Sharma and Mrinali Hariyal have gone from stay-at-home mums cooking for their families to chefs providing meals for paying customers. They're plugging the gap left by restaurant closures and finding new identities for themselves. Watch their stories.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, are pandemics the new normal?\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "More than 200 workers at Google-parent Alphabet have taken steps to form a labour union in a rare development for an American tech giant.\n\nThey said the organisation will give staff greater power to voice concerns about discriminatory work practices at the firm and how it handles issues like online hate speech.\n\nThe move follows walkouts and other actions by staff in recent years.\n\nGoogle said it would \"continue engaging directly with all our employees\".\n\n\"We've always worked hard to create a supportive and rewarding workplace for our workforce,\" Kara Silverstein, director of people operations, said in a statement.\n\n\"Of course our employees have protected labour rights that we support. But as we've always done, we'll continue engaging directly with all our employees\".\n\nThe announcement of the Alphabet Workers Union comes weeks after Google's firing of a high-profile black artificial intelligence and ethics researcher generated uproar.\n\nThe US National Labor Relations Board also recently ruled the firm had unlawfully fired employees for attempting to organise a union.\n\nGoogle staff stage a walkout in 2018 over the company's handling of sexual misconduct allegations\n\nStaff have also mobilised against the firm's \"Project Maven\" work with the Department of Defense and the company's handling of sexual harassment complaints.\n\n\"This union builds upon years of courageous organizing by Google workers,\" Nicki Anselmo, program manager, said in the announcement.\n\n\"From fighting the 'real names' policy, to opposing Project Maven, to protesting the egregious, multi-million dollar payouts that have been given to executives who've committed sexual harassment, we've seen first-hand that Alphabet responds when we act collectively.\n\n\"Our new union provides a sustainable structure to ensure that our shared values as Alphabet employees are respected even after the headlines fade.\"\n\nThe group was organised by software engineers but is open to all ranks at the company's US and Canadian workforce, including temporary workers and contractors.\n\nIt is affiliated with the larger labour group, Communication Workers of America, but is not seeking formal recognition from the federal government, limiting its bargaining power.\n\nIt represents a small fraction of Alphabet's workforce, which includes more than 130,000 people as of September and roughly as many contractors, vendors and temporary staff.\n\nMembers who join will contribute about 1% of their compensation to the effort.\n\n\"We want Alphabet to be a company where workers have a meaningful say in decisions that affect us and the societies we live in,\" organisers wrote on Twitter.", "Nóra Quoirin was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder that affects brain development\n\nA girl whose body was found in a jungle during a holiday in Malaysia died by misadventure, a coroner has recorded.\n\nNóra Quoirin, 15, from Balham, south-west London, was discovered dead nine days after she went missing from an eco-resort in August 2019.\n\nThe family said they were \"utterly disappointed\" with the verdict, which ruled out any criminal involvement.\n\nThey believe \"layers of evidence\" that were heard at the inquest point towards Nora having been abducted.\n\nThe family were staying in Sora House in Dusun eco-resort near Seremban, about 40 miles (65km) south of Kuala Lumpur, when they reported Nóra missing, the day after they had arrived.\n\nNóra, who was born with holoprosencephaly - a disorder which affects brain development - was eventually found by a group of civilian volunteers in a palm-oil plantation less than two miles from the holiday home.\n\nThe Quoirins, whose lawyers had asked the coroner to record an open verdict, said in a statement after the ruling that they have a number of reasons for the abduction theory. These include:\n\nSearch and rescue teams were deployed in an effort to locate Nora\n\nIn the statement, issued through the Lucie Blackman Trust, the family said they witnessed 80 slides presented in court as the verdict was given, adding that none of them \"engaged with who Nóra really was - neither her personality nor her intellectual abilities\".\n\nThey said: \"The coroner made mention several times of her inability to rule on certain points due to not knowing Nóra enough.\n\n\"It is indeed our view that to know Nóra would be to know that she was simply incapable of hiding in undergrowth, climbing out a window and making her way out of a fenced resort in the darkness unclothed.\"\n\nThe statement added: \"We believe we have fought not just for Nóra but in honour of all the special needs children in this world who deserve our most committed support and the most careful application of justice.\n\n\"This is Nóra's unique legacy and we will never let it go.\"\n\nFom the outset Meabh Quoirin believed her daughter had been abducted but Malaysian police insisted Nóra's disappearance had always been a missing persons case and ruled out any criminal involvement.\n\nThe authorities closed the case in January 2020, and Nóra's parents pushed for the inquest.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police played the sound of Nóra's mother's voice through a loudspeaker in the jungle\n\nDuring the inquest, a British pathologist who carried out a second post-mortem examination said Nóra's body had no injuries to suggest she was attacked or restrained.\n\nOn the final day of evidence, an investigating officer who was on duty the morning Nóra was reported missing said he was confident there were no criminal elements involved in her disappearance.\n\nFollowing the coroner's verdict, the Quoirins' legal team have discussed the family's rights moving forward, which include the possibility of applying for a revision of the misadventure verdict at the High Court of Seremban.\n\nLouise Azmi, one lawyer for the family, said they had pressed for an open verdict to reflect the lack of positive evidence in the case regarding what happened to Nora.\n\nAn open verdict would leave open the possibility that a criminal element was involved in Nora's death, Mrs Azmi said.\n\nShe told the BBC based on everything the family know of Nora, \"they continue to believe it is impossible she would have willingly walked away into the jungle\".\n\nThe family's legal team say parents Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin are \"disappointed\" with today's verdict.\n\nBut, Coroner Maimoonah Aid said her verdict was made not on \"theories\" and \"speculation\" surrounding the case, but on the balance of probabilities of the evidence presented before her.\n\nWith no evidence to the contrary she ruled out foul play.\n\nMoving forward, the Quoirin family now have the possibility to apply for a revision of the verdict with the High Court of Seremban.\n\nThere is precedent of a verdict being overturned in Malaysia before.\n\nIn 2019, following an appeal, a Malaysian coroner's verdict of misadventure concerning the death of 18-year-old model Ivana Smit was overturned in Kuala Lumpur and reopened as a murder investigation.\n\nAccording to Quoirin family lawyer Sakthy Vell, the family say they now need time to consider their next course of action.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. PM: 'No question we're going to have to take tougher measures'\n\nBoris Johnson has said there is \"no question\" the government will announce stricter measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus \"in due course\".\n\nHe predicted \"tough, tough\" weeks to come, with more than three-quarters of England's population already under the highest - tier four - restrictions.\n\nOn Sunday, the UK recorded more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases for the sixth day in a row.\n\nLabour is calling for new England-wide restrictions to come in immediately.\n\nLeader Sir Keir Starmer said it was \"inevitable\" more schools would have to close to lessen the spread of coronavirus.\n\nIn Scotland, further new restrictions are to come into force at midnight, including a \"legal requirement\" for people to stay at home. except for essential purposes.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland was effectively returning to conditions similar to Spring's nation-wide lockdown, with the curbs in place until at least the end of January.\n\nAn additional 454 deaths within 28 days of a positive test result were reported across the UK on Sunday, meaning the total by this measure is now above 75,000.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the \"old tier system\" in England was \"no longer strong enough\" to contain increasing infections.\n\nHospitals are coming under increasing pressure, as cases mount up.\n\nThe old tier system is no longer enough…the figures are only heading in one direction.\n\nThese are the words of the health secretary and a health minister.\n\nBoris Johnson says stricter measures are coming, which immediately sparks the questions \"when?,\" and \"what are you waiting for?\"\n\nDowning Street wants to push a tougher message on adherence to the current rules in England while it assesses the latest Christmas data, but is coming under growing pressure to act sooner.\n\nWith Nicola Sturgeon about to go further in Scotland and the Labour leader calling for an immediate national lockdown, it's difficult to see how the prime minister can wait much longer.\n\nAsked what further restrictions would be put in place, Mr Johnson said: \"What we have been waiting for is to see the impact of the tier four measures on the virus and it is a bit unclear, still, at the moment.\n\n\"But if you look at the numbers, there is no question that we are going to have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course.\"\n\nHe said the faster-spreading coronavirus variant that has developed in south-eastern England required \"extra-special vigilance\".\n\nBBC science editor David Shukman said new measures could include limits on outdoor exercise and a return to the two-metre (rather than one-metre-plus) social distancing rule, as applied during the first lockdown last year.\n\nSpeaking on a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London, the prime minister argued that closing primary schools must remain a \"last resort\", adding that the \"risk to kids\" was \"very, very small\".\n\nSecondary schools in England are currently closed until 18 January, except for pupils in their final GCSE and A-level years, who are due to return on 11 January.\n\nAsked whether they could remain closed, Mr Johnson said: \"We are keeping things under review.\"\n\nBut former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged the government to close all schools and UK borders \"right away\", while banning \"all household mixing\".\n\nThe Conservative MP, who now chairs the Commons Health Committee, said these restrictions should be \"time-limited\" to \"12 weeks or so\", after which the roll-out of vaccines would provide \"light at the end of the tunnel\".\n\nMore than 500,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine are now available for use, with the Pfizer BioNTech jab having been issued since early last month.\n\nThe virus is winning at the moment, despite science fighting back with a vaccine. New daily cases of Covid have been rising to record levels, which means hospital numbers and deaths will increase too.\n\nMinisters say more measures are coming, but it is not clear yet what that will mean in practice.\n\nScotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are already in lockdown, and most of England is under tier four rules.\n\nIn recent days the focus has shifted to schools and whether they can be kept open without making the epidemic worse.\n\nExperts agree that the risk the virus poses to children is still low, but they can spread the disease.\n\nWith a new, more transmissible variant of Covid circulating, the government may have to enact this unpalatable \"last resort\" of closing classrooms.\n\nSome 78% of the population of England is now in tier four, under which non-essential shops are closed and people can only leave their homes for a certain number of reasons.\n\nThe Scottish government meets later to consider \"further action\", with all of mainland Scotland currently under its own level four restrictions - only some islands are under less stringent tier three measures.\n\nWales entered a nationwide lockdown on 20 December, while Northern Ireland is in the second week of a six-week lockdown that began on Boxing Day.\n\nIn another development, an academic has said there is a \"big question mark\" over whether a vaccine developed at Oxford University will be as effective against a new variant of the virus that has emerged in South Africa.\n\nProf Sir John Bell, Regius professor of medicine at the university, said the team there were currently investigating this question \"right now\".\n\nHe added it was \"unlikely\" the variant would \"turn off the effect of vaccines entirely\", and in any case it would be possible to tweak the vaccine in around four to six weeks.\n\nBut Matt Hancock told Today he was \"incredibly worried\" about the South African variant, saying: \"This is a very, very significant problem.\"\n\n\"We have shown that we are prepared to move incredibly quickly, within 24 hours if we think that is necessary, and we keep these things under review all the time,\" added the health secretary.", "Quote Message: The return of lockdown for at least the rest of January is a severe blow for much of the Scottish economy. It could be worse: this is not the peak Christmas season for retail and hospitality, though the season they’ve just had was very hard going for many, and non-existent for others. This is also the quietest part of the tourism year, so January is a relatively good month to lose one’s bookings. For many firms, it is better than last spring, because they have infection controls in place. And there is a less harsh closure scheme, meaning construction sites and others can stay open, subject to tight rules. Many employers have settled into patterns of working from home, so this does not carry the shock of last March. There was little expectation of getting staff back into offices for months yet. But that doesn’t make this time any easier for workers who are also parents. They know, from last year, how tough it is to handle childcare and lessons while schools are shut - and this time, they have to manage without good weather. The other, more negative comparison with last spring is that firms now are, typically, deeper in debt and with less spare cash to pay the bills that don’t stop - rent, and utility bills, for instance. Some delayed payments are getting tougher to keep on hold. Their frustration with the slow movement of government grant schemes is showing. They aren’t disputing the case for further lockdown but they are making their own case for support through it, and for a recovery strategy once restrictions are lifted, including a boost to consumer confidence and spending.\" from Douglas Fraser Scotland business & economy editor\n\nThe return of lockdown for at least the rest of January is a severe blow for much of the Scottish economy. It could be worse: this is not the peak Christmas season for retail and hospitality, though the season they’ve just had was very hard going for many, and non-existent for others. This is also the quietest part of the tourism year, so January is a relatively good month to lose one’s bookings. For many firms, it is better than last spring, because they have infection controls in place. And there is a less harsh closure scheme, meaning construction sites and others can stay open, subject to tight rules. Many employers have settled into patterns of working from home, so this does not carry the shock of last March. There was little expectation of getting staff back into offices for months yet. But that doesn’t make this time any easier for workers who are also parents. They know, from last year, how tough it is to handle childcare and lessons while schools are shut - and this time, they have to manage without good weather. The other, more negative comparison with last spring is that firms now are, typically, deeper in debt and with less spare cash to pay the bills that don’t stop - rent, and utility bills, for instance. Some delayed payments are getting tougher to keep on hold. Their frustration with the slow movement of government grant schemes is showing. They aren’t disputing the case for further lockdown but they are making their own case for support through it, and for a recovery strategy once restrictions are lifted, including a boost to consumer confidence and spending.\"", "Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster has said there \"is a gateway of opportunity\" for the UK and Northern Ireland after Brexit.\n\nShe told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that the trade deal also tackled \"some of the great difficulties that there are with the (Northern Ireland) Protocol\".\n\nThe purpose of the Protocol is to prevent a hardening of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It does that by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods and by having Northern Ireland apply EU customs rules at its ports.\n\nAs a result, an 'Irish Sea border' now exists, with most commercial goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain requiring a customs declaration.\n\nThe Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which Mrs Foster leads, opposed the protocol and had criticised the establishment of such a border. She told The Andrew Marr show that her party \"didn't want the protocol but it is here\".\n\n\"I have to mitigate against that and my job from now on is to mitigate against those excesses and to hold the government to account,\" Mrs Foster added.", "Last updated on .From the section Sport\n\nProfessional sport in England can continue behind closed doors, despite a new national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.\n\nIt means Premier League football and elite leagues in other sports are allowed to carry on.\n\nThe sport and leisure rules in England are similar to those announced in Scotland earlier on Monday.\n\nPeople living in England have been told to stay at home and schools will shut for most pupils from Tuesday.\n\nOn Monday, the UK recorded more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases for the seventh day in a row.\n\nFor those in England, exercising outside is allowed once a day. Venues such as gyms, tennis courts and golf courses will be closed.\n\nOrganised outdoor sport for disabled people is exempt from the new measures.\n\nGames and training in non-elite football - which includes all adult and youth grassroots, except for disabled people - have been suspended.\n\nThe Women's FA Cup is among the non-elite competitions placed on hold. All but one of the second-round matches scheduled to take place on Sunday were postponed because of Covid-19 regulations.\n\nTeams from the Women's Super League and Women's Championship enter the draw from the fourth round onwards.\n\nWhich non-elite football has been suspended? Steps three to six of the National League System (all divisions below the National League North and South) Tiers three to seven of the Women's Football Pyramid (all divisions below the Women's Championship) Women's FA Cup (classified as 'non-elite' up to and including the third round) All indoor and outdoor youth and adult grassroots football, including under-18s (except organised outdoor football for disabled people, which is allowed to continue)\n\nFollowing Monday's announcement by the prime minister, this week's sporting fixtures in England are set to go ahead as planned.\n\nIn football, the Carabao Cup semi-finals are being played on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the FA Cup third round - which has 32 fixtures spanning four days - starts on Friday.\n\nThere are also several Women's Super League, English Football League and National League games set to take place, as well as English Premiership and Premier 15s rugby union matches, plus the Masters snooker event in Milton Keynes.\n\nEarlier on Monday, Rochdale chief executive David Bottomley said he believes it is \"inevitable\" that the EFL will have to temporarily suspend fixtures because of rising coronavirus cases.\n\nSeven of last Saturday's EFL games - and 52 across the season - have been called off as teams are affected by the virus.\n\nFour Premier League matches have also been postponed this season because of coronavirus cases.\n\nWhat does the new lockdown mean for sport in England?\n\nThe UK government published its guidance for England's new national lockdown shortly after the prime minister's televised address at 20:00 GMT.\n\nHere are the points relating to sport and physical activity:\n• None Elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) - or those on an official elite sports pathway - to compete and train\n• None Outdoor sports courts, outdoor gyms, golf courses, outdoor swimming pools, archery/driving/shooting ranges and riding arenas must also close\n• None Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue\n\nWhile golfing has been allowed to continue in Scotland under strict rules, courses will be closed in England.\n\nEngland Golf said it was \"extremely disappointed\" with the decision, adding it had made a \"strong case\" to keep the sport open in recent months.\n\nWhere can I exercise and who can I exercise with?\n\nYou can exercise in a public outdoor place:\n• None with the people you live with\n• None with your support bubble ( if you are legally permitted to form one)\n• None or, when on your own, with one person from another household\n• None public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)\n\nUK Active, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes health and fitness, says the government must act immediately to \"minimise the damaging impact of lockdown\".\n\n\"We know from the millions of people that depend on gyms, pools, and leisure centres to support their physical and mental health, how essential they are,\" said UK Active chief executive Huw Edwards.\n\n\"We cannot afford to wait until the vaccine rollout is advanced before we act, so the government must explore all options at this time and provide a credible plan for maintaining this support to millions of people who rely on these Covid-secure facilities to stay strong and healthy.\n\n\"Furthermore, the UK governments must protect this sector before it becomes too late.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nBoris Johnson must bring back \"the spirit of March\" to get control of coronavirus in England, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said.\n\nSir Keir said the virus was \"out of control\" and a second \"national lockdown\" - including the closure of all schools - was needed.\n\nThe PM had to give a firm \"stay at home message\", Sir Keir told the BBC.\n\nMr Johnson will make a televised address at 20:00 GMT to set out further restrictions amid surging cases.\n\nIt comes as Scotland announced a legal requirement to stay at home from midnight.\n\nSir Keir said Labour would support any move towards tighter restrictions in England, but urged the prime minister to \"stop dithering\" and take action.\n\nThe Labour leader said it was \"inevitable\" that schools would need to close.\n\n\"There is complete chaos, with parents not knowing what is going on. We need to create space for the vaccine now, to be rolled out safely.\n\n\"The virus is out of control. We have got to get it back under control. The more we delay, the worse it will be. The more we delay, the longer schools will be closed.\"\n\nIn March last year, Boris Johnson told people in England they could only leave home to exercise once a day, travel to and from work when it is \"absolutely necessary\", shop for essential items and fulfil any medical or care needs.\n\nCurrently, shops selling non-essential goods have been told to shut and gatherings in public of more than two people who do not live together are prohibited in tier four areas.\n\nSir Keir said the government's message needed to be firmer and backed by law, if necessary, to encourage people to comply.\n\nIn an interview with the BBC's deputy political editor Vicki Young, he urged the country to get back to \"the spirit of March, where there was a very strong stay at home message\".\n\n\"You only need to go out on the streets now and you see lots of people out and about, you see trains that are half full,\" said the Labour leader.\n\n\"We need to go back to where we were in March with very very strong messaging about staying at home.\n\n\"And I'm afraid that the closure of schools is now inevitable, and therefore that needs to be part of that plan, as part of the national plan for further restriction.\n\n\"And that means that we need to have measures in place to protect working parents, most in place to enable children to learn at home, and a plan to get schools safely reopened again and that goes back to vaccination. It must be mission critical now.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Eileen Lynch, 94, was the first person in Northern Ireland to receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine\n\nUp to 11,000 people aged over 80 across Northern Ireland are set to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine this week.\n\nThe aim is to ensure everyone in that age group will be offered the vaccine by the end of January.\n\nThirty GP practices will be administering 50,000 doses of the vaccine, which was approved for use in the UK on 30 December.\n\nIt is the second vaccine to be approved in the battle against coronavirus in Northern Ireland.\n\nIt comes ahead of a UK-wide announcement by the prime minister, set to be made at 20:00 GMT on Monday, in which further restrictions will be announced.\n\nIn a statement, a No 10 spokesman said the new variant of Covid-19 had \"led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country\" and \"further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise\".\n\nOn Monday, Northern Ireland recorded a further 1,801 Covid-19 cases and 12 more virus-related deaths.\n\nThese latest figures from the Department of Health bring the total number of deaths to 1,366, while 79,873 people have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic started.\n\nMore than 12,000 cases have been reported in the past seven days, more than double the week before.\n\nThe seven-day rate per 100,000 people is now 660 positive cases, compared to 200 per 100,000 two weeks ago.\n\nMedical experts believe that is down to the two-week easing of restrictions over the Christmas period.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland on Monday, an additional 6,110 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were announced, with six further deaths linked to the virus.\n\nNorthern Ireland is in the second week of a six-week lockdown in which non-essential retail is closed.\n\nThe first doses of the vaccine were given delivered at a GP surgery on the Falls Road in West Belfast on Monday afternoon.\n\nThe first person in Northern Ireland to receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine was 94-year-old Eileen Lynch.\n\nSpeaking after receiving the vaccine, Ms Lynch said she was \"delighted and privileged\" to receive it.\n\n\"I feel like I can really look forward to the year ahead now that I have been vaccinated,\" she said.\n\nThe Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine has already been used to vaccinate care home residents and staff.\n\nBy mid December, 50,000 doses of that vaccine had been made available and by 30 December, Northern Ireland's Department of Health reported that 33,000 people had been vaccinated.\n\nThis included 8,940 care home residents, 10,484 care home staff and 14,259 health and social care staff.\n\nAccording to the latest NI statistics, for the first time the percentage positive cases in the over 80s is down - an indication the vaccination process is working.\n\nThere are approximately 82,000 people over 80 in NI and BBC News NI understands that if deliveries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine happen as planned, it is thought that all of those over 80, as well as GPs and their staff, could be vaccinated within three weeks.\n\nWhile 50,000 doses have been delivered to Northern Ireland, a further 23,000 vaccines are expected on 19 January while another 68,000 are due on 24 January.\n\nDr Alan Stout, who is a GP in Belfast, told BBC News NI that members are \"very optimistic\" that 11,000 people can be vaccinated this week.\n\nThe Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is the second coronavirus vaccine to be approved in the UK\n\nNI's chief medical officer said the Oxford-AstraZeneca rollout would run alongside the ongoing vaccination programme.\n\nDr Michael McBride said: \"First and foremost we must act to protect those most at risk of severe disease and death.\n\n\"The evidence shows that the initial dose of vaccine offers as much as 70% protection against the effects of the virus.\n\n\"Providing that level of protection on a large scale will have the greatest impact on reducing mortality and hospitalisations, protecting the health and social care system.\"\n\nThe Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine has to be kept at an extremely low temperature which complicates handling constraints.\n\nThe Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is considered easier to store and distribute.\n\nIts rollout consists of two full doses of the vaccine, with the second dose to be given four to 12 weeks after the first.\n\nGPs are appealing to the public to remain calm and wait to be called for their vaccine either by telephone or by letter.\n\nDr Stout said as demand grows worldwide for the vaccine, that schedule could easily change.\n\n\"The public have to be patient, we have a system and must be allowed to get on with it - it really is 'don't call us - we will call you'.\"\n\nWhile some vaccinations will take place in surgeries others will happen in a drive-through system.\n\nCovid-19 is deadlier than flu, which means January 2021 is going to be even tougher than usual.\n\nAlso, Covid patients tend to stay much longer in hospital with more severe symptoms requiring additional beds and care.\n\nBut those rising patient numbers aren't matched by an increased workforce.\n\nInstead it is expected that the nurse-patient ratio will increase (even though many aren't trained to work in critical care) as there simply aren't enough nurses available.\n\nSome health unions fear this will only add to Northern Ireland's excess mortality rate, which is greater than that in Great Britain.\n\nOnce again, this highlights Northern Ireland's failing health care system, which was already below par well before the start of the pandemic.\n\nCoronavirus infection figures here are expected to peak between 15 and 21 January. That will be felt not only in hospitals but also in GP practices as they continue to roll out the vaccine.\n\nWhile at this stage the six weeks look bleak it's hoped that the additional Astra-Zeneca vaccine and the low incidence of flu will go a long way in not only saving lives, but also protecting the health service.\n\nDr Stout said much planning had gone into ensuring the programme happened as smoothly as possible.\n\n\"People will literally stay in their cars and be asked to roll up their sleeves - it has to be safe and efficient in order for us to get through it and safely.\"\n\nThe UK has ordered 100 million doses of the new vaccine - enough to vaccinate 50 million people.\n\nMeanwhile, Dr Tom Black, chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, said it was \"appalling\" that the Pfizer vaccine was not to be administered in two doses within 21 days as instructed by the company and threatened legal action.\n\nDr Black was responding to news that the UK will give both parts of the Oxford and Pfizer vaccines 12 weeks apart.\n\n\"They have left care workers in Northern Ireland with a gap in their expected immunity,\" he told BBC NI's Radio Foyle on Monday.\n\n\"In that period doctors, nurses, porters or health care professionals could infect patients because they will not be protected against the transmission of the infection to patients.\"\n\nThe UK's chief medical officers have defended their Covid vaccination plan.\n\nThey said getting more people vaccinated with the first jab was \"much more preferable\" and that the great majority of the initial protection from clinical disease is after the first dose of vaccine.\n\nDr Black is to meet NI Health Minister Robin Swann later to express health care workers' concern over the change in vaccine policy.", "Tian Tian arrived in Scotland, along with Yang Guang, from China in 2011\n\nEdinburgh Zoo's giant pandas may have to return to China next year because of financial pressures.\n\nYang Guang and Tian Tian cost about £1m a year to lease from China.\n\nThe zoo, which had hoped to breed the pair, is nearing the end of its 10-year contract with the Chinese government and may be unable to renew the deal.\n\nCovid lockdown closures led to a £2m loss for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park.\n\nDavid Field, chief executive of the society, said the charity would have to \"seriously consider every potential saving\", including its giant panda contract.\n\nMr Field said closures had had a \"huge financial impact\" on the charity because most of its income was from visitors.\n\n\"Although our parks are open again, we lost around £2m last year and it seems certain that restrictions, social distancing and limits on our visitor numbers will continue for some time, which will also reduce our income,\" Mr Field said.\n\n\"Yang Guang and Tian Tian have made a tremendous impression on our visitors over the last nine years, helping millions of people connect to nature and inspiring them to take an interest in wildlife conservation.\n\n\"I would love for them to be able to stay for a few more years with us and that is certainly my current aim.\"\n\nYang Guang was given a new enclosure in 2019\n\nThe zoo has already taken a government loan, furloughed staff, made redundancies and launched a fundraising appeal, but was not eligible for the UK government's zoo fund, which was aimed at smaller zoos.\n\n\"The support we have received from our members and animal lovers has helped to keep our doors open and we are incredibly grateful,\" Mr Field added.\n\n\"At this stage, it is too soon to say what the outcome will be. We will be discussing next steps with our colleagues in China over the coming months.\"\n\nThe zoo is part of a number of conservation projects, including one to reintroduce Scottish wildcats.\n\nWork to reintroduce Scottish wildcats in to the Highlands may also suffer from the Zoo's funding problems\n\nHowever, Mr Field said projects like that may also have to be scrapped because of Brexit and being unable to apply for grants from the European Union.\n\n\"We received a £3.2m grant from the EU Life programme to support our Saving Wildcats partnership project, which aims to restore wildcats in Scotland by breeding and releasing them into the wild.\n\n\"Wildcats are on the brink of extinction in Britain and this is the last hope for the species' survival.\"\n\nHe added: \"As we are no longer part of the European Union, our charity is no longer eligible to apply for funding from programmes like EU Life, which have proven critical for our wildlife conservation work and wider efforts to protect animals from extinction.\"\n\nEdinburgh Zoo's conservation genetics laboratory, which supports conservation projects around the world, has lost access to both funding and other researchers as a result.\n\nIt also faces challenges around moving animals, many of which are part of European endangered species breeding programmes.\n\nThe programme is currently about £900,000 short, meaning it may have to be cancelled.\n\nMr Field said: \"We still need to reduce costs to secure our future. It may be that some of our incredibly important conservation projects, including the vital lifeline for Scotland's wildcats, may have to be deferred, postponed or even stopped.\"", "Police rescued 22 people from the snow in Cheshire including a two-year-old child\n\nDozens of people, including a two-year-old child, had to be rescued when they became stranded on rural roads.\n\nPolice and volunteers came to the aid of people whose vehicles were stuck in the Derbyshire Peak District on Saturday.\n\nThere were similar scenes in Cheshire where 22 people, had to be rescued from stranded cars.\n\nThe wintry weather is set to continue with a Met Office warning for ice in the East Midlands and North East.\n\nAt around 20:00 GMT on Saturday, Derbyshire Police reported \"sudden snow\" had left dozens of vehicles and their occupants stranded in the Goyt Valley.\n\nSome visitors to the area were caught off-guard by how quickly the weather changed.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Adam White This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nDerbyshire Police posted on Twitter: \"We are shuttling people back to Buxton as quickly as we can.\n\n\"Sit tight and we will get to you.\"\n\nThe A57 Snake Pass - a road notorious for becoming dangerous in the snow - had been closed earlier in the day because of the weather.\n\nIn Cheshire, police spent three hours helping families stuck in their vehicles in the White Peak area.\n\nIn total 22 people, including eight children - the youngest of whom was two - were recovered from nine vehicles.\n\nCheshire Police Rural Crime Team said: \"The snow had well and truly caught them all out on the back roads.\n\n\"We were three miles (4.8km) from the nearest village, and the light was fading on us quickly.\n\n\"It was decided to get everyone out of their cars and so began a mile walk in the snow.\"\n\nThey were led to a nearby farm where they could be taken to safety in police vehicles.\n\nMost of those rescued from snow in Cheshire had travelled to the area despite coronavirus restrictions\n\nThe force was critical of the families for travelling into the area, that is under tier four coronavirus restrictions.\n\nIt said: \"All except one car was from out of Cheshire. We had people from Sale, Stockport and Salford with the closest being Congleton.\n\n\"Sadly these people have put all of us at risk today.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The Scottish cabinet will meet later to consider further measures to help tackle coronavirus, as 2,464 new cases are reported.\n\nThe Scottish Parliament will then be recalled for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to make an \"urgent statement\".\n\nMs Sturgeon said the \"rapid increase in Covid cases driven by the new variant\" was of \"very serious concern\".\n\n\"We are in a race between this faster spreading strain of Covid and the vaccination programme,\" she tweeted.\n\nShe warned on Friday that the next few weeks could be the most dangerous period for Scotland since March in the fight against Covid.\n\nThe latest government figures for coronavirus cases showed that 15.2% of Saturday's 17,328 tests were positive.\n\nIt is higher than the 2,137 cases reported on Friday, but still lower than Thursday's 2,539 positive results.\n\nFigures for hospital admissions and deaths over the holiday weekend will not be published until Tuesday.\n\nThe cabinet is likely to consider a further delay to the return of Scottish schools and restrictions that are closer to the stay-at-home lockdown in March.\n\n\"All decisions just now are tough, with tough impacts,\" Ms Sturgeon wrote on twitter. \"Vaccines give us way out, but this new strain makes the period between now and then the most dangerous since start of pandemic.\"\n\nThe Scottish government's emergency resilience committee heard on Saturday that \"quick and decisive action is needed\" as the new variant of the virus is becoming the dominant one in Scotland.\n\nA Scottish government spokesperson said: \"The even steeper rises and severe pressure on the NHS that is being experienced in some other parts of the UK is a sign of what may lie ahead in Scotland if we do not take all possible steps now to slow the spread of the virus, while the vaccination programme progresses.\n\n\"The strong message remains - people should stay at home as much as possible and avoid non-essential interaction with others.\"\n\nThis is just the fifth time the Scottish Parliament has been recalled and the second time within the last week.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Linda Bauld says Scots should be prepared a longer period living with level four restrictions\n\nPublic health expert Prof Linda Bauld, from the University of Edinburgh, has said Scotland should be prepared for Covid restrictions to be extended as infection rates continue to rise.\n\nShe said there were no signs yet that the infection rate was levelling off, having risen suddenly from a daily rate of fewer than 1,000 to more than 2,000 per day in recent days.\n\nShe told BBC Scotland: \"It definitely is a fragile situation and you can see that we have more cases than we would expect at the current time.\n\n\"We may be starting to see some of the impacts of the Christmas mixing, but also we know around four in 10 cases, from recent data, are of the new variant.\n\n\"I would imagine that the new variant is playing a role in these higher rates of infection and if these numbers continue to sit at where they are we are going to have more people in hospital in a week or two's time, and that is very worrying.\"\n\nThe new year offers new hope in the struggle against coronavirus with two vaccines now authorised for UK use - but it looks as if the situation will get worse before it gets better.\n\nMinisters are worried by the rapid spread of the new strain of coronavirus during a holiday period when the highest level of restrictions are already in place.\n\nThey think more needs to be done to suppress the virus, to give the vaccination programme a chance to accelerate and give increasing numbers of people protection.\n\nWhen the Scottish cabinet meets they are likely to consider tightening the current restrictions to something closer to the stay at home lockdown of March 2020.\n\nThat will almost certainly mean a further delay to the return of schools into February.\n\nMinisters will take decisions on Monday morning with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon expected to make a statement at Holyrood in the afternoon.\n\nDaily confirmed cases in Scotland reached record highs on the last three days of 2020, rising to to 2,622 on Thursday.\n\nMs Sturgeon warned last week there might be changes to the plans for reopening schools. Children start online learning from 11 January and are set to return to class by 18 January.\n\nThe education recovery group will meet on Monday.\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the situation was \"deteriorating and fast-moving\" but any decision to extend school closures should be clearly explained to parents and teachers.\n\nHe said: \"We have been here before so if schools remain closed, the Scottish government must show that it has learned from past mistakes in order to minimise disruption to education.\"\n\nScottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said the Scottish government should prioritise teachers and school staff as vaccines were rolled out.\n\nHe added: \"We must be honest and accept that most pupils, teachers and support staff cannot go back to schools until the situation is brought under control.\"\n\nScottish Labour leader Richard Leonard called for ministers to publish the evidence behind all of its decisions to ensure public consent and compliance.\n\n\"What is clear is that we need to see an acceleration of the vaccine rollout and a step-change in testing,\" he said.\n\n\"It is also clear that financial support from government has simply not been nearly sufficient to make up for the damage that lockdown measures have done to jobs, livelihoods and businesses. The SNP government must distribute additional funds to the frontline now.\"\n\nScottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: \"With tighter restrictions on movement and in schools comes a greater responsibility on the government to show its workings.\n\n\"If we are to restrict people's movement then we need to see what the benefit will be. We need an exit plan to give people hope, as well as to show them what is required to ease the restrictions on our freedoms.\"", "Some schools are due to reopen this week in Wales\n\nSchools are being given a flexible approach to ensure a \"safe return\", according to Wales' first minister.\n\nMark Drakeford said experts would be \"looking at all the evidence again early next week\".\n\nUnions have called for a national decision on reopening schools rather than leaving it to local councils.\n\nAccording to local authorities many secondary schools aim to return from 11 January, with some fully open on 6 January.\n\nA joint statement from nine unions called on the Welsh Government to give a \"centralised, coherent response\" regarding all educational settings \"rather than leaving decisions at local levels\".\n\nThe statement from ASCL Cymru, GMB, NAHT Cymru, NASUWT Cymru, NEU Cymru, Ucac, Unison, Unite and Voice continued: \"We are extremely worried that schools will be opening for face-to-face learning from next Monday, whilst Welsh Government continues to gather information about the nature and impact of the new variant of Covid-19...\n\n\"We strongly believe that we need to err on the side of caution and ensure, in advance, that we have the medical 'evidence and information' to ensure that any decisions are the correct ones.\"\n\nThe National Education Union Cymru has called for in-person learning to be delayed until at least 18 January.\n\nThe NASUWT has also threatened \"appropriate action in order to protect members whose safety is put at risk\", while head teachers' union NAHT Cymru said it had taken legal action.\n\nBut Mr Drakeford said: \"We reached an agreement with our local education colleagues that in Wales we will have a phased and flexible return to school.\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday parents should send their children to primary school as long as they are open in their area.\n\nMark Drakeford: \"No evidence that young people get the illness more severely as a result of the variant\"\n\nJackie Parker, head of Crickhowell High School in Powys, which reopens for some form years from Wednesday, said \"it would have been more sensible to have had a national decision for the time being until the 18th\".\n\nShe said it would have allowed time to see if cases of Covid had increased over the holiday period.\n\n\"People may have been together during the Christmas holiday,\" she said.\n\nFigures published by Public Health Wales on Sunday showed 56 new deaths from Covid and 4,011 new cases of the virus.\n\nWales has been in lockdown since 20 December with restrictions on people meeting others on all but Christmas Day when it was limited to another household and a person living alone.\n\nMr Drakeford said: \"There is no evidence that young people get the illness more severely as a result of the variant.\n\n\"Our technical advisory group will be looking at all the evidence again early next week.\n\n\"And, of course, we will continue to make decisions in the light of the best knowledge, research and information that's available to us at the time,\" he told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement.\n\nHe also said mass testing in schools would begin as planned this month, in a decision which has been criticised by NAHT Cymru.\n\n\"It will allow more children and more teachers to stay safely in the classroom without having to be sent home because another child or another staff member has tested positive,\" he said.\n\nThe joint unions' statement also said the Welsh Government's testing proposals were unworkable for most schools.\n\n\"Due to the chaotic and rushed nature of this announcement, the lack of proper guidance, and an absence of appropriate support, the Welsh Government's proposals will be inoperable for most schools and colleges,\" it said.\n\nThe statement continued: \"Any suggestion that schools can safely recruit, train and organise a team of suitable volunteers to staff and run testing stations on their premises by an as yet unspecified date in the new term is simply not realistic.\"\n\nSian Gwenllian, Plaid Cymru's education spokeswoman, said \"parents and teachers need to know what the plan is for the next few weeks\".\n\n\"We don't really know very much about this new variant in the way that it transmits within the school community,\" she said.\n\n\"And if it is becoming inevitable that schools will have to close, well, an early decision is better for everybody.\"\n\nWelsh Conservative education spokeswoman Suzy Davies said: \"We've had conflicting reports in the press and on social media about the effect of the new variant on younger children and their role in transmitting the disease - complete confusion reigns...\n\n\"The Welsh Government hasn't succeeded in reassuring teachers and in some cases parents as well.\"", "Economy Minister Diane Dodds has written to Cabinet Office Secretary Michael Gove to call for urgent action to be taken on deliveries to NI.\n\nSince Christmas some orders have been cancelled or delayed and some retailers have suspended deliveries.\n\nThe problem is related to uncertainty about post-Brexit transition rules.\n\nHM Customs announced a grace period on New Year's Eve confirming most parcels from GB-NI will not need customs declarations until at least April.\n\nThe problems have not affected all companies with many continuing to take orders and deliver as normal.\n\nHowever, some companies had already suspended deliveries, including John Lewis.\n\nThe government said the three-month grace period \"recognises the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland, the impacts of any disruption to parcel movements in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and specific challenges for operators moving express consignments\".\n\nA government spokesman said further details will be published in the new year, adding: \"Our priority is to have a pragmatic approach that allows us to comply with the [Northern Ireland] Protocol without causing undue disruption to businesses and citizens.\n\n\"HMRC is engaging with operators to finalise arrangements.\"\n\nSome changes have already come into effect.\n\nA Northern Ireland-based business receiving goods valued at £135 or more through an express carrier or Royal Mail will need to submit a customs declaration.\n\nThey will need to do this within three months of receiving the goods and can use the government's Trader Support Service to do so.\n\nExcise goods, which mostly refers to alcoholic drinks, will also need a declaration when being sent from GB to NI.\n\nThe government has advised retailers of those goods to contact their delivery company.\n\nIt said: \"They will then tell you if they carry the type of goods you want to send and, if they do, they will ask you to provide any additional information that they need so that a declaration can be made.\"", "About 10 UK nationals resident in Spain say they were wrongly turned back when their flight landed in Barcelona.\n\nThey left Heathrow on the Saturday morning British Airways flight, but were refused entry on arrival.\n\nThey were stopped by border police and ultimately flown back to the UK.\n\nSpain has banned all but Spanish nationals and residents flying from the UK to Spain since 22 December in the hope of containing the spread of the new UK strain of Covid-19.\n\nOne passenger on the flight, who did not wish to be named, said that those on board had been told repeatedly that only Spanish nationals or residents would be allowed to enter the country and that their residency certificates, also known as green certificates, were shown to airline staff several times.\n\nHowever, on arrival, British passengers with green residency certificates were prevented from entering Spain.\n\nBA has confirmed that about 10 people were denied entry into Barcelona, as they did not meet the Spanish authorities' required criteria.\n\nOne of those affected, Ruth O'Leary, said: \"I was very confused, obviously. I asked them what other documents I could provide.\n\n\"They seemed to be just flat-out refusing anything I had and just wouldn't let me on the flight. Very upsetting really.\n\n\"Quite an awful feeling not to be able to go back to your own house and to not really be given an explanation why you can't go home.\"\n\nOther British expat passengers have also said that they have been stopped from boarding planes to Spain.\n\nOne passenger on board said that seven British citizens were prevented from boarding a British Airways/Iberia flight from Heathrow to Madrid on Saturday evening, despite having their green residency certificates, as well as negative Covid tests.\n\nThe exact number of flights and passengers affected has not been released by the Foreign Office.\n\nIn a statement on Monday, Iberia said that on 1 January, it received an email from the border police saying that registration as a European citizen was no longer considered to be a valid document to prove legal residency in Spain as a British citizen.\n\nHowever, by 19:30 on 2 January, the airline received a second email, confirming that the document could be used if it had not expired.\n\nA British Airways spokesperson said: \"In these difficult and unprecedented times with dynamic travel restrictions, we are doing everything we can to help and support our customers.\"\n\nThe Spanish Embassy in London tweeted a letter stating it was aware that during the current travel restrictions, there had been some problems for British nationals resident in Spain who had not been allowed to return.\n\nThe embassy clarified that green certificates were valid proof of residency.\n\nThe Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: \"We have worked closely with the Spanish government to resolve these issues.\n\n\"The Spanish Embassy in London has re-confirmed today that both the green residence certificate and the new residence TIE card [Photo-ID card] are equally valid in terms of proving residence in Spain, as set out in the [Brexit] Withdrawal Agreement.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Olly Stephens was pronounced dead in Bugs Bottom fields in Emmer Green, Reading\n\nFour boys and a girl have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after a 13-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Reading.\n\nOliver Stephens, known as Olly, was pronounced dead at Bugs Bottom fields, Emmer Green, on Sunday.\n\nThe five teenagers, all aged 13 or 14, remain in custody, according to Thames Valley Police.\n\nDet Supt Kevin Brown said: \"Our thoughts remain with Olly's family at this incredibly difficult time.\"\n\nHe added: \"This is a tragic and shocking incident which has resulted in the death of a young boy.\"\n\nThe victim's family are being supported by specially trained officers.\n\nFloral tributes to Olly have been left outside Highdown School\n\nHighdown School and Sixth Form Centre said it was \"reeling from the tragic news\".\n\nIn a statement, head teacher Rachel Cave said: \"This student was part of our community and many students and staff knew him well.\n\n\"For a life to be ended at such a young age is a total tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.\"\n\nThe school, in Emmer Green, said it was arranging counselling support for students and setting up an electronic book of condolence.\n\nThames Valley Police said a \"considerable police presence\" would be in place in the area for several days\n\nOfficers were called just before 16:00 GMT on Sunday following reports of an attack.\n\nOfficers are appealing for anyone who was in the area between 15:00 and 16:30 who might have taken photos or camera footage to contact them if they notice anything suspicious.\n\nDet Supt Brown said he believed there would have been witnesses to the \"dreadful incident\" as the area is popular with dog walkers.\n\nA man said his wife was walking their dog through the park on Sunday afternoon when she saw a boy on the ground with several people around him trying to give him first aid.\n\nAnother dog walker said she saw a group of young people standing in the woods in Bugs Bottom fields at about 15:30 and described it as \"slightly unusual\".\n\nReading East MP Matt Rodda has offered his \"deepest condolences\" to the boy's family.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Matt Rodda This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSt Barnabas Church in Emmer Green has invited residents to pray and light a candle in memory of the boy.\n\nFollow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Margaret Ferrier admitted travelling back from London to Glasgow after testing positive for coronavirus\n\nScottish MP Margaret Ferrier has been arrested by police after she admitted using public transport while infected with Covid-19.\n\nMs Ferrier apologised for what she called a \"blip\" in September.\n\nShe was suspended from the SNP group at Westminster and leaders, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, urged her to quit as an MP over the row.\n\nPolice Scotland said she had been charged in connection with \"alleged culpable and reckless conduct\".\n\nMs Ferrier apologised in September after travelling from London to Glasgow having tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nThe Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP said she had experienced \"mild symptoms\" and taken a test, but had then decided to travel to Westminster because she was \"feeling much better\".\n\nShe then travelled home again on a train after receiving the positive test result, and said she \"deeply regretted\" her actions.\n\nA Police Scotland spokesman said: \"We can confirm that officers today arrested and charged a 60-year-old woman in connection with alleged culpable and reckless conduct.\n\n\"This follows a thorough investigation by Police Scotland into an alleged breach of coronavirus regulations between 26 and 29 September 2020.\n\n\"A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal and we are unable to comment further.\"\n\nMs Ferrier has been contacted for comment.", "The prime minister has said that tougher measures could be needed to help cope with a surge in coronavirus cases.\n\nHe has not yet said whether we will need school closures, or even overnight curfews like those imposed in France.\n\nBut clues about such measures to tackle the new more infectious variant come from the government's Sage advisory committee.\n\nThe headline is that whether we see a return to only being allowed one form of daily outdoor exercise, or stricter controls on travel around the country, we'll be hearing a lot more about something already very familiar: hand hygiene, social distancing, wearing masks and ensuring there is fresh air.\n\nThese may sound familiar but the advisers believe that because the new variant spreads so easily, the measures need to be applied with \"a step change in rigour\" - in other words, a lot more forcefully.\n\nThey suggest considering a return to the two-metre rule because it's more effective than the one-metre plus guidance adopted last year.\n\nMasks need to be made of three layers, not just one, and worn in more locations than now - including workplaces, schools and crowded outdoor spaces.\n\nThe key message is that it is vital to reduce social contact - being close to people, especially indoors for long periods of time, carries the highest risk of infection.\n\nSo expect tier four-type bans on visiting other households to become normal.\n\nThe advisers also say many people still do not recognise the key symptoms of Covid-19 - so ministers need to spell them out and help people understand why they should self-isolate.\n\nBut they also say it is essential to praise the efforts made so far, to recognise sacrifices and emphasise how they've kept infection numbers lower than they would otherwise have been.\n\nWhatever new measures are picked, the advice to ministers is to offer \"clear and convincing explanations\" to motivate people.\n\nThat could be a hint that the government's current \"hands, face, space\" slogan may need to make way for something stronger.", "The Queen said she wished Woman's Hour \"continued success\" in the programme's \"important work\"\n\nThe Queen has sent her \"best wishes\" to Woman's Hour to mark the BBC Radio 4 show's 75th year.\n\nThe 94-year-old noted that the show had \"played a significant part in the evolving role of women\".\n\n\"As you celebrate your 75th year, it is with great pleasure that I send my best wishes to the listeners and all those associated with Woman's Hour,\" she said in a letter sent to the programme.\n\nEmma Barnett read out the message on her first day as the show's presenter.\n\n\"During this time, you have witnessed and played a significant part in the evolving role of women across society, both here and around the world,\" the Queen added in her message.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Presenter Emma Barnett reads a message from Her Majesty to Woman's Hour listeners.\n\n\"In this notable anniversary year, I wish you continued success in your important work as a friend, guide and advocate to women everywhere.\"\n\nSpice Girl Melanie C also performed a rendition of The Beatles track Here Comes the Sun, after presenter Barnett had declared that 2021 \"has to be better\" than the previous year.\n\nLater, guest Imelda Staunton, who will play Her Majesty in the upcoming series five of Netflix's royal drama, The Crown, described her as being like \"the original Spice Girl\".\n\n\"The Queen, you think, might be an original Spice Girl because girl power is what she is,\" said the actress, who is due to take over the role from Olivia Colman. \"She became the head of state and all that sort of thing.\n\n\"It's the continuity of The Queen that has been so important... Whether you're a royalist or not, this person has got up and gone to work every day for 60 years, and I sort of admire that.\"\n\nLast month, the Queen used her Christmas Day message to reassure anyone struggling without friends and family this year that they \"are not alone\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe message helped to mark a memorable opening day in the hot seat for Barnett, which also saw her discuss Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian under house arrest in Tehran, with her husband Richard and the MP and former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt.\n\nBarnett - known for hosting Newsnight and shows on 5 Live - has replaced Jane Garvey, who presented her final edition of Woman's Hour after 13 years last week, saying the programme \"needs to move on, and now it can\".\n\nGarvey's exit came three months after her co-host Dame Jenni Murray also left the long-running show after 33 years.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Emma Barnett This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nBarnett's 5 Live show has been taken over by BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty, who also broadcast her first show on Monday.\n\nMunchetty told listeners she was \"absolutely delighted to be here with you on the first Monday of 2021\".\n\n\"I am so excited to be on board with you on this, the morning show we are making together,\" she added. \"We are going to get to know each other, I promise. There is so much to talk about.\"\n\nEmma Barnett interviewed former prime minister Theresa May on her 5 Live show\n\nWoman's Hour is a topical, conversation-led programme; Barnett has a strong news pedigree. Her previous 5 Live show involved thorough interrogation of politicians, and she has made no secret of her love of politics, not least in her outings on Newsnight.\n\nIt doesn't get any bigger than the Queen, obviously. Interestingly, the other big 'get' for her first show is Sonia Khan, former special adviser to the Chancellor.\n\nSo Barnett's first show indicates very clearly that she will make Woman's Hour newsier and more political.\n\nIt's also a safe bet that short, visual clips of the kind that allowed Barnett's 5 Live show to dramatically increase its impact will also be a big feature of her time in the job.\n\nOne early challenge: getting an even bigger name for next Monday. Any thoughts?\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The lockdown announcement contained the clearest indication yet of how quickly the government hopes to vaccinate the at risk groups.\n\nA target of mid February for vaccinating all the over 70s and those deemed extremely clinically vulnerable and frontline health and care staff opens up a pathway to a significant easing of restrictions by the start of March.\n\nBut it will require a rapid acceleration in vaccination rates.\n\nSo far nearly one million people have been vaccinated.\n\nBy the end of the week that number is expected to double.\n\nThe hope is that later in January two million doses a week will be given.\n\nThat will be the minimum needed – there are around 12 million in those priority groups.\n\nBy vaccinating them, there is the potential to prevent close to nine in 10 deaths.\n\nBut achieving that requires a lot to go right.\n\nThere is enough vaccine in the country to vaccinate that many people, but not all of it has been through the final “fill and finish” process which involves packaging it in glass vials (and there is a shortage of those) and then the batches have to be checked and signed off by the regulator – a process that is taking weeks at the moment.\n\nAnd all of that is before it is sent out to the NHS vaccination centres to inject it into people’s arms.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Linda Bauld says Scots should be prepared a longer period living with level four restrictions\n\nScotland should be prepared for Covid restrictions to be extended as infection rates continue to rise, a public health expert has said.\n\nThe latest government figures show a further 2,137 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Scotland on Friday.\n\nProf Linda Bauld described it as a \"fragile situation\", despite the rate dropping below Thursday's 2,539 cases.\n\nThe latest figures for hospital admissions and deaths will not be published until Tuesday.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned on Friday that the next few weeks could be the most dangerous period for Scotland since March in the fight against Covid as the new variant of the virus was \"accelerating spread\" across Scotland.\n\nDaily confirmed cases reached record highs on the last three days of 2020, rising to to 2,622 on Thursday.\n\nThe percentage of positive cases also reached 14.4% on Wednesday - the highest it has been since the second wave of the pandemic began in the summer.\n\nIt had dropped to 10.8% on Friday. A percentage of lower than 5% is needed to show the virus is under control, according to the WHO.\n\nProf Bauld, a public health expert at the University of Edinburgh, said there were no signs yet that the infection rate was levelling off, having risen suddenly from a daily rate of fewer than 1,000 to more than 2,000 per day in recent days.\n\nShe told BBC Scotland: \"It definitely is a fragile situation and you can see that we have more cases than we would expect at the current time.\n\n\"We may be starting to see some of the impacts of the Christmas mixing, but also we know around four in 10 cases, from recent data, are of the new variant.\n\n\"I would imagine that the new variant is playing a role in these higher rates of infection and if these numbers continue to sit at where they are we are going to have more people in hospital in a week or two's time, and that is very worrying.\"\n\nAll of mainland Scotland is under level four restrictions in an attempt to slow down the rate of virus spread\n\nThis would bring \"real challenges\" for hospitals, especially in the central belt, Prof Bauld said, adding that it was \"absolutely imperative that we do not see these number rise more than they are now\".\n\nShe said it would take some time to see the impact of level four restrictions introduced in mainland Scotland on Boxing Day.\n\n\"Mentally we just need to be prepared for the fact that we may be living with the level four restrictions for longer than the Scottish government currently plans,\" Prof Bauld said.\n\nShe said the new, more transmissible coronavirus variant would make it harder to get the R number below one in Scotland and schools may not be able to fully reopen on 18 January.\n\nThe government's education recovery group was preparing with schools for blended learning to go on longer if necessary, she added.\n\nAll of mainland Scotland is under level four restrictions in an attempt to slow down the rate of virus spread.\n\nA new study by London's Imperial College has found that the new variant of Covid-19 is \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version.\n\nIt concludes that the new variant increases the Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.\n\nThe Scottish government's most recent estimate of the R number in Scotland has put it between 0.9 and 1.1. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nThe government has described the vaccination programme as a \"light at the end of the tunnel\" and has urged people to stay at home as much as possible in the meantime.", "Security has been stepped up in Niger's Tillabéri region, where the two villages are situated\n\nNiger's prime minister says 100 people are now known to have been killed in Saturday's attacks by suspected jihadists on two villages.\n\nBrigi Rafini said 70 people were killed in the village of Tchombangou and 30 others in Zaroumdareye - both near Niger's border with Mali.\n\nIt was one of the deadliest days in living memory, as Niger grapples with ethnic violence and Islamist militancy.\n\nNo group has said it carried out the attacks.\n\nAccording to local mayor Almou Hassane, those responsible travelled on \"about 100 motorcycles,\" AFP news agency reports.\n\nThey split into two groups and carried out the attacks simultaneously.\n\nFormer minister Issoufou Issaka told AFP that jihadists launched the assaults after villagers killed two of their group members, though this hasn't been officially confirmed.\n\nMayor Hassane said 75 other villagers were left wounded in the aftermath, and some have been evacuated for treatment in Ouallam and the capital, Niamey.\n\nPrime Minister Rafini visited both of the villages on Sunday.\n\n\"This situation is simply horrible... but investigations will be conducted so that this crime does not go unpunished,\" he told reporters.\n\nNiger's Tillabéri region lies within the so-called tri-border area between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, which has been plagued by jihadist attacks for many years.\n\nNiger's Prime Minister Brigi Rafini visited the two villages on Sunday\n\nLast month, seven Nigerien soldiers were killed in an ambush in the region.\n\nAreas of Niger are also facing repeated attacks by jihadists from neighbouring Nigeria, where the government is fighting an insurgency by Boko Haram.\n\nAs part of efforts to quell the violence, France has been leading a coalition of West African and European allies against Islamist militants in the Sahel.\n\nCoalition forces have become targets, and last week five French soldiers were killed in two separate incidents in Mali.\n\nThe latest attacks in Tillabéri also come amid national elections in Niger, as President Mahamadou Issoufou steps down after two five-year terms.\n\nElection officials announced provisional results on Saturday, showing a lead for Mohamed Bazoum - a former minister and a member of Niger's ruling party.\n\nA second round of votes is expected to be held on 21 February, once ballots have been validated by the country's constitutional court.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nRegional restrictions in England are \"probably about to get tougher\" to curb rising Covid infections, the prime minister has warned.\n\nBoris Johnson told the BBC stronger measures may be required in parts of the country in the coming weeks.\n\nHe said this included the possibility of keeping schools closed, although this is not \"something we want to do\".\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for new England-wide restrictions within 24 hours.\n\nSir Keir said coronavirus was \"clearly out of control\" and it was \"inevitable more schools are going to have to close\".\n\nIt comes as the UK recorded more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases for the sixth day in a row, with 54,990 announced on Sunday.\n\nAn additional 454 deaths within 28 days of a positive test result have also been reported, meaning the total by this measure is now above 75,000.\n\nSpeaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Johnson said he stuck by his previous prediction that the situation would be better by the spring, and he hoped \"tens of millions\" would be vaccinated in the next three months.\n\nBut he added: \"It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country. I'm fully, fully reconciled to that.\"\n\n\"And I bet the people of this country are reconciled to that because, until the vaccine really comes on stream in a massive way, we're fighting this virus with the same set of tools.\"\n\nThe PM added that ministers had taken \"every reasonable step that we reasonably could\" to prepare for winter, but \"could not have reasonably predicted\" the new, more transmissible variant of the virus that has emerged over the autumn.\n\nSpeaking after Mr Johnson's interview, Sir Keir said introducing new nationwide restrictions in England \"has to be the first step to controlling the virus\".\n\n\"There's no good the prime minister hinting that further restrictions are coming into place in a week or two or three,\" he told reporters on Sunday. \"That delay has been the source of so many problems.\"\n\n\"Let's not have the prime minister saying 'I'm going to do it, but not yet',\" he added.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Johnson defended plans for primary schools to reopen in most of England on Monday, amid opposition from teaching unions and some local councils.\n\nIt came after Amanda Spielman, the head of Ofsted, England's schools watchdog, said closures should be kept to an \"absolute minimum\".\n\nThe rapidly rising infection rates mean it should come as no surprise that tougher measures are being considered.\n\nInfection levels are nearly four times higher now than they were at the start of December - and that in turn has put more pressure on hospitals.\n\nThere are signs the restrictions have started slowing the rises in London, the East of England and the South East.\n\nBut that on its own is not enough. Ministers want to get cases down.\n\nSo what extra can be done? After all most of England is effectively in lockdown already with tier four in place. Those places not in tier four could, of course, follow.\n\nBut some public health experts are warning more needs to be done.\n\nThere is a determination to get primary school children back - they have among the lowest rates of infection if you look at symptomatic cases.\n\nBut infection rates are higher among secondary school age children. The government has bought itself time by delaying their return.\n\nA further 20 million people in England were added to tier four - \"stay at home\" - the toughest set of rules, on 31 December in a bid to stem a surge in Covid cases.\n\nIt means 78% of the population of England is now in tier four, under which non-essential shops are closed and people can only leave their homes for a certain number of reasons.\n\nThe Scottish government will meet on Monday to consider \"further action\" to limit the spread of the disease, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.\n\nAll of mainland Scotland is currently under its own level four restrictions - with only some islands under less stringent tier three measures.\n\nWales entered a nationwide lockdown on 20 December, with First Minister Mark Drakeford saying on Sunday it was \"difficult to see\" how the rules could be strengthened further.\n\nHe said Welsh ministers would consider whether restrictions could be \"tweaked at the margins\" at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.\n\nNorthern Ireland is in the second week of a six-week lockdown that began on Boxing Day. Stricter measures, including a \"stay-at-home curfew\", ended on Saturday.\n\nIn another development, an academic has said there is a \"big question mark\" over whether a vaccine developed at Oxford University will be as effective against a new variant of the virus that has emerged in South Africa.\n\nProf Sir John Bell, Regius professor of medicine at the university, said the team there were currently investigating this question \"right now\".\n\nHe added it was \"unlikely\" the variant would \"turn off the effect of vaccines entirely,\" and in any case it would be possible to tweak the vaccine in around 4-6 weeks.\n\n\"Everybody should stay calm - it's going to be fine,\" he told Times Radio.\n\n\"But we're now in a game of cat and mouse - because these are not the only two variants we're going to see.\"", "Former Bond actress and Charlie's Angel Tanya Roberts has died in hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 65.\n\nRoberts appeared with Sir Roger Moore in his final Bond film, 1985's A View To A Kill, and had a recurring role in That '70s Show.\n\nShe also starred in the final series of Charlie's Angels on TV in 1980.\n\nHer death was prematurely announced on Monday, only for doctors to say she was still alive. However, her death was then confirmed on Tuesday.\n\nRoberts had collapsed while walking her dogs on 24 December and was admitted to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre.\n\nHer partner Lance O'Brien mistakenly thought she had died on Sunday after visiting her in hospital. After getting a call from doctors to say she was deteriorating quickly, he went to her bedside, her eyes closed and she \"faded\", TMZ reported.\n\nDevastated, he walked out of the room and then the hospital without speaking to medical staff before informing Roberts' agent that he had \"just said goodbye to Tanya\".\n\nBut while being interviewed for US TV show Inside Edition on Monday, Mr O'Brien got a call from the hospital to say she was alive.\n\nThe moment was captured on film, as he picked up his phone and said: \"Now you're telling me she's alive? Thank the Lord.\" However, she died on Monday night.\n\nShe appeared in A View To A Kill alongside Sir Roger Moore and singer Grace Jones\n\nBorn Victoria Leigh Blum in 1955, Roberts grew up in New York before moving to Hollywood in 1977.\n\nHer big break came when she replaced Shelly Hack in Charlie's Angels, joining Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd as third 'Angel' Julie.\n\nAfter the show's cancellation, she appeared in such fantasy adventure films as The Beastmaster and Hearts and Armour.\n\nShe also played comic book heroine Sheena in a 1984 film that saw her nominated for a Golden Raspberry award for worst actress.\n\nRoberts received another Razzie nomination for her role as geologist Stacey Sutton in 1985 Bond film A View to a Kill.\n\nRoberts in the title role in Sheena: Queen of the Jungle\n\nShe admitted being \"a little cautious\" about taking the role, but said it would have been \"ridiculous\" to have turned it down.\n\nRoberts' subsequent films included Night Eyes and Inner Sanctum, erotic thrillers that did little to advance her career.\n\nShe went on to play Midge Pinciotti in more than 80 episodes of That '70s Show between 1998 and 2004.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Derby County said several staff members and first-team players tested positive for the virus\n\nChampionship side Derby County has said \"several first-team staff and players\" have tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nIn a statement, the club said it had closed its Moor Farm training ground and was speaking to the EFL and the Football Association about forthcoming fixtures.\n\nThe club said it would not reveal the names of those who had tested positive, due to medical confidentiality.\n\nIt added they would be isolating in line with government guidelines.\n\nThe outbreak at Derby comes after Sheffield Wednesday closed their Middlewood Road training ground following a Covid-19 outbreak at the club.\n\nThe Rams were beaten 1-0 by Wednesday in their most recent match on New Year's Day at Hillsborough.\n\nDerby, who are third from bottom in the Championship, are due to travel to Chorley on Saturday for a third round FA Cup tie.\n\nFormer England striker Wayne Rooney took over as interim manager at Derby after the club sacked former head coach Phillip Cocu in November\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Cricket\n\nEngland all-rounder Moeen Ali has tested positive for Covid-19 upon the squad's arrival in Sri Lanka.\n\nThe 33-year-old, who tested negative before departure, will now isolate for 10 days in accordance with the Sri Lanka government's quarantine protocol.\n\nFellow all-rounder Chris Woakes has been deemed as a possible close contact, and will observe a period of self-isolation and further testing.\n\nEngland's two-Test tour of Sri Lanka starts in Galle on 14 January.\n\nEngland had lateral flow tests and a PCR test at Hambantota airport upon arrival, with Moeen's PCR test returning the positive.\n\nThe rest of the touring parting will be retested on Tuesday morning, before being allowed to train for the first time on Wednesday.\n\nMoeen is the first England player to test positive for the virus, with a full summer of games against West Indies, Pakistan, Australia and Ireland being completed without any cases.\n\nEngland's last overseas tour, in South Africa, was cut short in December after positive cases in the Cape Town hotel where England were staying. England returned two positive tests - that were later verified as false positives.\n\nLast week England captain Joe Root said he did not expect the tour to be postponed if there were one or two isolated cases of the virus.\n\nSince England's tour of South Africa was called off, Pakistan's tour of New Zealand and Sri Lanka's of South Africa have both continued despite positive cases.\n\nEngland flew on a chartered flight from London to Hambantota on Saturday evening.\n\nAll of the players, and touring party, tested negative before their departure and were sprayed with disinfectant upon their arrival in Sri Lanka.\n\nThe series was scheduled to take place last year but England flew home after the tour was called off on 13 March as the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic took hold.\n\nSri Lanka has seen 44,774 coronavirus infections and 213 deaths during the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University.\n\nGiven the circumstances of their abandoned trip to South Africa, this is clearly alarming for England, however it's important to make the distinction between the two tours. In South Africa, they felt their bubble was breached, whereas this is an issue internal to the tourists.\n\nMoeen will be moved to Galle, the location of the two Tests, for his period of isolation, but given that is not due to end until the day before the first match, he must be considered a huge doubt.\n\nEngland have planned for this sort of issue, travelling with seven reserves in addition to the squad of 16. Three of those reserves - Mason Crane, Amar Virdi and Matt Parkinson - are spinners, but have only Crane's one Test cap between them.\n\nAt the moment, England have not discussed promoting a player to the main squad but should they feel the need to supplement frontline spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach in their Test XI, then an inexperienced name is set for a big opportunity.", "Zara Holland appeared on the second series of Love Island\n\nLove Island star Zara Holland is to be prosecuted for allegedly breaking Covid rules on holiday in Barbados.\n\nIsland police say the former Miss Great Britain is expected to appear in court on Wednesday, accused of \"breaching quarantine\".\n\nStation Sergeant Michael Blackman told Newsbeat she was \"intercepted\" at the airport and later presented herself at a police station.\n\nIt's not clear whether she will appear in court in person or by video link.\n\nAn apology from the 25-year-old for what she described as \"a massive mix-up and misunderstanding\" was published by the Barbados Today website.\n\nShe told the publication: \"I have been a guest of this lovely island in excess of 20 years and would never do anything to jeopardise an entire nation that I have nothing but love and respect for and which has treated me as a family.\"\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nEveryone in England must stay at home except for permitted reasons during a new coronavirus lockdown expected to last until mid-February, the PM says.\n\nAll schools and colleges will close to most pupils and switch to remote learning from Tuesday.\n\nBoris Johnson warned the coming weeks would be the \"hardest yet\" amid surging cases and patient numbers.\n\nHe said those in the top four priority groups would be offered a first vaccine dose by the middle of next month.\n\nAll care home residents and their carers, everyone aged 70 and over, all frontline health and social care workers, and the clinically extremely vulnerable will be offered one dose of a vaccine by mid-February.\n\nSchools in Northern Ireland will have an \"extended period of remote learning\", the Stormont Executive said.\n\nSpeaking from Downing Street, Mr Johnson told the public to follow the new lockdown rules immediately, before they become law in the early hours of Wednesday.\n\nAll the new measures in England will then last until at least the middle of February, he said, as a new more infectious variant of the virus spreads across the UK.\n\nThe PM added that he believed the country was entering \"the last phase of the struggle\".\n\nHospitals were under \"more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic\", he said.\n\nAnd he reiterated the slogan used earlier in the pandemic, urging people to immediately \"stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives\".\n\nOn Monday, the UK recorded more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases for the seventh day in a row.\n\nA further 58,784 cases and an additional 407 deaths within 28 days of a positive test result were reported, though deaths in Scotland were not recorded.\n\nAs of 08:00 GMT, there were 26,626 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England, according to the latest figures.\n\nThis is a week-on-week increase of 30%, and a new record high.\n\nThose who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be contacted by letter and should now shield once more, Mr Johnson said.\n\nSupport and childcare bubbles will continue under the new measures - and people can meet one person from another household for outdoor exercise.\n\nCommunal worship and life events like funerals and weddings can continue, subject to limits on attendance.\n\nWhile Mr Johnson said end-of-year exams would not take place as normal in the summer, he said alternative arrangements would be announced separately.\n\nThe government has published a 22-page document outlining the new rules in detail.\n\nThe House of Commons has been recalled to allow MPs to vote on the new restrictions on Wednesday.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his MPs would \"support the package of measures\", saying \"we've all got to pull together now to make this work\".\n\nOnce again it is the threat to the NHS that has forced the hand of ministers.\n\nIn England there has been a 50% rise in the number of patients in hospital with Covid since Christmas day.\n\nTo put that into context, it equates to 18 hospitals being filled.\n\nCurrently around three out of 10 beds are occupied by patients with the disease.\n\nIn some hospitals it is more than six in 10.\n\nBut what is worrying ministers and NHS leaders is that the number is just going to increase.\n\nIn the spring it took nearly three weeks after lockdown for hospital cases to peak.\n\nThe last six days have seen in excess of 50,000 new infections confirmed each day across the UK - a number of these infections are next week's hospital admissions.\n\nIt is why the UK's chief medical officers were warning there was a \"material risk\" of some hospitals being overwhelmed if something did not change.\n\nMr Johnson spoke after UK chief medical officers recommended the Covid threat level be increased to five - its highest level.\n\nLevel five means the NHS may soon be unable to handle a further sustained rise in cases, the medical officers said in a joint statement.\n\nNHS Providers, which represents health service trusts, said hospitals were at a \"critical point\" and that \"immediate and decisive action\" was needed.\n\nAnnouncing tougher measures in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: \"It is no exaggeration to say that I am more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year.\"\n\nFor pupils who returned for their first day of the new term at primary school on Monday, it's turned out to be an extremely short-lived visit.\n\nBoris Johnson's announcement will see primary, secondary and further education colleges closed for at least the next six weeks, except for vulnerable and key workers' children.\n\nIt's a much bigger shift in policy than had been anticipated, even a few days ago.\n\nEven the return date will depend on the progress in tackling the virus.\n\n\"I hope we can steadily move out of lockdown, reopening schools after the February half term,\" said the prime minister.\n\nKeeping schools open was the government's most definite of red lines, a few weeks ago they were threatening councils that wanted to close them - but it's now been overtaken by the spiking lines on the Covid infection charts.\n\nEven after the chaos of last year's replacement grades, GCSEs and A-levels are being cancelled again - with a replacement system still to be decided. Vocational exams are to continue.\n\nFor parents dreading home schooling, there are plans for it to be better supported this time - with more computer devices available and suggestions that Ofsted inspectors will check what schools are offering.\n\nBut there's no escaping that this will feel like another sudden and chaotic change of direction for schools and parents.\n\nMr Johnson's pledge on vaccinations comes after an 82-year-old retired maintenance manager became the first person in the UK to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab\n\nSome 13.9 million people are among the four priority groups who will receive a vaccine dose by about 15 February, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC's Laura Foster explains the order in which the Covid vaccine will be given\n\nHow will you be affected by the latest developments? What questions do you have? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill met throughout Monday\n\nThere will be an extended period of remote learning for schools in Northern Ireland, the executive has said.\n\nMinisters met on Monday night as other parts of the UK tightened their coronavirus restrictions.\n\nThe Stormont executive also plans to give its stay at home guidance legal force, with new restrictions on travel.\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said details would be formalised on Tuesday.\n\nThe health and education ministers will bring separate papers on the issues to the executive at the meeting, she added.\n\nNorthern Ireland's Education Minister Peter Weir had previously announced a staggered return to school for pupils during the month of January.\n\nThe first transfer test, used by many grammar schools to select pupils, is due to take place on Saturday but there have been calls from some teaching unions and political parties for the test to be cancelled this year, in light of the uncertainty with the pandemic.\n\nIn England, all schools and colleges will close to most pupils and switch to remote learning until the middle of February, and end-of-year exams will not take place this summer as normal.\n\nRecommendations on exams in Northern Ireland are also expected to be brought forward by the executive on Tuesday.\n\nIt is understood ministers will update the assembly on Wednesday about their decisions.\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster said the new restrictions were unfortunate, but necessary.\n\nShe said she believed the stay-at-home message will be in place \"for the rest of January, probably into February\".\n\n\"We will of course review it, as we're legally bound to do every couple of weeks.\"\n\nShe added that ministers would \"much prefer\" for face-to-face education to continue, but said they had to \"take into account the very serious situation that we find ourselves in tonight.\"\n\nBoth organisations which organise transfer tests will be making announcements on Tuesday, she said.\n\n\"We'll wait to hear what they have to say. They do of course have to abide by public health advice, but they are private organisations and they will make their own announcements.\"\n\nThe Irish government is considering a proposal to close schools for the rest of January.\n\nOn Monday, the Department of Health reported that a further 1,801 people had tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours.\n\nThere have also been 12 more Covid-19 related deaths.\n\nThese latest figures from the Department of Health bring the total number of deaths to 1,366, while 79,873 people have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic started.\n\nMore than 12,000 cases have been reported in the past seven days, more than double the week before.\n\nThe seven-day rate per 100,000 people is now 660 positive cases, compared to 200 per 100,000 two weeks ago.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland on Monday, an additional 6,110 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were announced, with six further deaths linked to the virus.\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already announced a fresh lockdown there from midnight, with schools closed until February.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme, Dr Michael McBride said Scotland's measures were \"prudent and sensible\".\n\nMeanwhile, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine rollout has begun in Northern Ireland.\n\nUp to 11,000 people aged over 80 across Northern Ireland are set to receive the this week, with some of the first doses delivered at a GP surgery on the Falls Road in West Belfast on Monday afternoon.\n\nUp to 11,000 people aged over 80 across Northern Ireland are set to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca\n\nThe SDLP has called for the assembly to be recalled on Tuesday to discuss the rolling out of the vaccine.\n\nIt can be recalled if at least 30 MLAs sign a petition.\n\nOn Monday, Justice Minister Naomi Long welcomed the opening of Northern Ireland's first Nightingale venue, which will be used for courts and tribunals business.\n\nThe facility was approved by a meeting of the executive on 17 December, and will sit in the International Convention Centre in Belfast (ICC).\n\nActivity at the centre will be phased in, in line with Covid-19 regulations.\n\nIn other coronavirus-related developments on Monday:", "Gerry Marsden was awarded an MBE in 2003 for services to Liverpudlian Charities.\n\nGerry and the Pacemakers singer Gerry Marsden, whose version of You'll Never Walk Alone became a football terrace anthem for his hometown club of Liverpool, has died at the age of 78.\n\nHis family said he died on Sunday after a short illness not linked to Covid-19.\n\nMarsden's band was one of the biggest success stories of the Merseybeat era, and in 1963 became the first to have their first three songs top the chart.\n\nThe band's other best known hit, Ferry Cross The Mersey, came in 1964.\n\nIt was written by Marsden himself as a tribute to his city, and reached number eight.\n\nMarsden was made an MBE in 2003 for services to charity after supporting victims of the Hillsborough disaster.\n\nAt the time, he said he was \"over the moon\" to have received the honour, following his support for numerous charities across Merseyside and beyond.\n\nGerry Marsden in 2009 on the Mersey ferry, which he made famous with his song Ferry Cross The Mersey, as he received the Freedom of the City in Liverpool\n\nMarsden's daughter, Yvette Marbeck, said he went into hospital on Boxing Day after tests showed he had a serious blood infection that had travelled to his heart.\n\nMs Marbeck told the PA news agency: \"It was a very short illness and too quick to comprehend really.\"\n\nHe died in hospital, Ms Marbeck said, adding: \"He was our dad, our hero, warm, funny and what you see is what you got.\"\n\nLiverpool FC posted on social media that Marsden's words would \"live on forever with us\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Liverpool FC This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nGerry and the Pacemakers worked the same Liverpool club circuit as The Beatles in the 1960s and were signed by the Fab Four's manager Brian Epstein.\n\nEpstein gave Marsden's group the song How Do You Do It, which had been turned down by The Beatles and Adam Faith, for their debut single.\n\nSir Paul McCartney described Gerry and the Pacemakers as The Beatles's \"biggest rivals\" on the Merseyside scene.\n\n\"I'll always remember you with a smile,\" Sir Paul said in his tribute to Marsden.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Paul McCartney This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAnd the other surviving Beatle, Sir Ringo Starr, sent \"peace and love\" to Marsden's family in a tribute on Twitter.\n\nWhile Marsden was a songwriter as well as a singer, his most enduring hit was actually a cover of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical number from 1945, which he had to convince his bandmates to record as their third single.\n\nIn many interviews over the years, he explained how fate played a part in his band ever recording the song. He was watching a Laurel and Hardy movie at Liverpool's Odeon cinema in the early 1960s and, only because it was raining, he decided to stay for the second part of a double feature.\n\nThat turned out to be the film Carousel - which featured that song on its soundtrack - and Marsden was so moved by the lyrics that he became determined that it should become part of his band's repertoire.\n\nIn a 2013 interview, Marsden told the Liverpool FC website how You'll Never Walk Alone was adopted by the club's fans as soon as it topped the chart in 1963: \"I remember being at Anfield and before every kick off they used to play the top 10 from number 10 to number one, and so You'll Never Walk Alone was played before the match. I was at the game and the fans started singing it.\n\n\"When it went out of the top 10 they took the song off the playlist and then for the next match the Kop were shouting 'Where's our song?' So they had to put it back on.\n\n\"Now, every time I go to the game I still get goose pimples when the song comes on and I sing my head off.\"\n\nSir Kenny Dalglish, who managed Liverpool at the time of the Hillsborough tragedy, tweeted that he was \"saddened\" by the news of Marsden's death, and that You'll Never Walk Alone was an \"integral part of Liverpool Football Club, and never more so than now\".\n\nLiverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram posted a tribute on Twitter, saying he was \"devastated\" by the news.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Steve Rotheram This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nGerry was an entertainer. He loved being an entertainer; he loved people seeing him in the street and asking him for his autograph and the like.\n\nHe had a very distinctive voice, and that is terribly important. You knew instantly it was him on those records. He was best on those ballads.\n\nI think he really did them very well indeed. You'll Never Walk Alone was a big show song that had been around for years and years, and lots of people had done it.\n\nJust before Gerry brought his version out, Johnny Mathis brought his out. If that version had been played on the Kop, I don't think the Kop would have taken to it because you couldn't sing along with Johnny Mathis - he had too big a range and too perfect a voice.\n\nBut Gerry sounded like everyman and it was absolutely perfect for the Kop. I think it's the greatest football anthem of the lot.\n\nAs well as being a Liverpool anthem, You'll Never Walk Alone has also been adopted by fans at both Celtic in Scotland and Borussia Dortmund in Germany.\n\nMarsden's career began at legendary live music venue, The Cavern Club, where The Pacemakers played nearly 200 times.\n\nThe club said on Twitter that Marsden was \"not only a legend, but also a very good friend of The Cavern\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by The Cavern Club This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post 4 by The Cavern Club\n\nGerry and The Pacemakers achieved nine hit singles and two hit albums between 1963 and 1965, before splitting up.\n\nMarsden pursued a solo career before the band reformed in 1974 for a world tour.\n\nIn 1985, Marsden was back in the pop spotlight when he was invited to be one of the vocalists of a charity version of You'll Never Walk Alone, which was released to raise funds for victims of a fire at a Bradford City match.\n\nIn doing so, Marsden set another chart record by becoming the first person to sing on two different chart-topping versions of the same song.\n\nSo when, after the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989, the other Pacemakers classic of Ferry Cross The Mersey was chosen to raise funds for its victims and a group of famous Liverpudlian singers was gathered, Marsden was again included and was back at number one once more for a cause he held dear for the rest of his life.\n\nMarsden was awarded the Freedom of Liverpool in April 2009, an occasion he marked by boarding a ferry across the Mersey and getting out his guitar to sing his famous hit which described the scene.", "US casino giant MGM Resorts has made an $11bn (£8.1bn) offer for British gaming company Entain, which owns Ladbrokes.\n\nThe move is the latest attempt by a casino operator to move into the online gambling business.\n\nIn addition to its chain of High Street betting shops, UK-based Entain also owns a number of online sports betting and gambling sites.\n\nEntain confirmed the offer, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, but said the price was too low.\n\nIt had recently rebuffed an earlier $10bn (£7.3bn) all-cash approach from MGM, the newspaper said.\n\nIn a statement, Entain said the latest bid approach \"significantly undervalues the company and its prospects\".\n\nMGM Resorts, which runs the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas, now has until the beginning of next month to decide whether to make a formal bid or to walk away.\n\nFTSE 100-listed Entain. which renamed itself from GVC Holdings last month, describes itself as \"one of the world's largest sports betting and gaming groups operating in the online and retail sector\".\n\nAlong with Ladbrokes, it also owns brands such as Bwin, Partypoker, Coral, Eurobet, Gala and Foxy Bingo.\n\nAfter news of the latest offer for the firm, investors started betting on Entain, pushing its share price up by more than 25% to £14.30 a share - above MGM's offer of roughly £13.83 a share - a sign that market watchers are expecting a higher bid.\n\nIf the two firms do reach an agreement, it would follow another deal in September when MGM rival Caesars Entertainment agreed to buy UK-based William Hill for $3.7bn (£2.9bn).\n\n\"Following Caesar's offer for William Hill last year, a bid by MGM for Ladbroke's owner Entain isn't exactly a surprise,\" said Nicholas Hyett an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.\n\n\"The two are working together to take advantage of the recent legalisation of sports betting in the US, a market worth many billions of dollars a year.\"\n\nPredictions about the stockmarket have a habit of making the person trying to guess the future look foolish. No such problem for Laura Foll, a fund manager at the investment firm Janus Henderson. On the Today programme on Monday, she forecast more takeover offers for household names in Britain, noting that the UK markets remained unloved by investors and so - perhaps - undervalued.\n\nAn hour after the prediction a big offer duly landed, with Entain, the London-listed company that owns Ladbrokes and other gambling brands, saying it had received a takeover proposal from MGM Resorts, an American rival.\n\nThe US company is offering to pay shareholders in Entain not in cash, but in new MGM shares - an obvious move given the sky-high rating of US shares compared to those listed in London.\n\nIt looks a carbon copy of last year's deal where Caesars, best known for its Las Vegas properties, bought another venerable name in British bookmaking, William Hill. Get ready for more acquisitive foreign companies looking for deals in bargain basement London.\n\nThe new bid for Entain comes with financial backing from MGM's largest shareholder, InterActiveCorp (IAC), which took a 12% stake in MGM Resorts last August.\n\nAt the time, IAC's chief executive Barry Diller said it planned to work with MGM to expand its online gambling portfolio.\n\nThe attempted acquisition comes as the casino industry faces headwinds from the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nThe economy of Asian casino hub Macau shrank 49% in the first quarter of this year, while unemployment in Las Vegas reached 30% earlier in the year and remains well above the US average.\n\nMGM Resorts, which is the operator of the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas, laid off 18,000 furloughed employees in the US in August.\n\nMany online gambling companies, by contrast, saw a boost during Covid-19 restrictions, prompting many casino owners to pivot their businesses towards online.", "Experts have raised concerns over India's emergency approval of a locally-produced coronavirus vaccine before the completion of trials.\n\nOn Sunday, Delhi approved the vaccine - known as Covaxin - as well as the global AstraZeneca Oxford jab, which is also being manufactured in India.\n\nThe head of Bharat Biotech, which makes Covaxin, defended the approval process, but health experts warn it was rushed.\n\nHealth watchdog All India Drug Action Network said it was \"shocked\".\n\nIt said that there were \"intense concerns arising from the absence of the efficacy data\" as well a lack of transparency that would \"raise more questions than answers and likely will not reinforce faith in our scientific decision making bodies\".\n\nThe statement came after India's Drugs Controller General, VG Somani, insisted Covaxin was \"safe and provides a robust immune response\".\n\nHe added the vaccines had been approved for restricted use in \"public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, to have more options for vaccinations, especially in case of infection by mutant strains\".\n\n\"The vaccines are 100% safe,\" he said, adding that side effects such as \"mild fever, pain and allergy are common for every vaccine\".\n\nThe All India Drug Action Network, however, said it was \"baffled to understand the scientific logic\" to approve \"an incompletely studied vaccine\".\n\nOne of India's most eminent medical experts, Dr Gagandeep Kang, told the Times of India newspaper that she had \"not seen anything like this before\". She added that \"there is absolutely no efficacy data that has been presented or published\".\n\nEven social media users were quick to point out that approving the vaccine before trials were complete was a matter of concern irrespective of how safe or effective the vaccine eventually turned out to be.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Joy This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nBut Krishna Ella, chairman of Bharat Biotech, met reporters on Monday and said the approval of Covaxin had not been rushed. He cited previous examples where emergency authorisation approvals had been given based only on immunogenicity data.\n\n\"Under Indian laws we can get emergency approval for the vaccine based on fulfilling five parameters after Phase 2 trails. That is what has happened with our vaccine. So it is not a premature approval,\" he said.\n\n\"We will complete the Phase 3 trials soon and provide the efficacy data for the vaccine by February.\"\n\nThe company currently has 20 million doses available and plans to produce about 700 million doses this year, Dr Ella said.\n\n\"We have four facilities coming up and we are planning [to make] around 200 million doses in Hyderabad, 500 million doses in other cities.\"\n\nMany scientists and opposition politicians have raised questions over what they say is the hasty authorisation of Covaxin.\n\nBharat Biotech has developed the vaccine with the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research - and the effort has been touted as an example of India's might in vaccine development and production.\n\nRegulators say the vaccine is safe and effective. The firm says phase 1 and phase 2 trials have shown good results.\n\nBut scientists say that the government's decision not to release data on the vaccine's efficacy for peer review has raised concerns.\n\nMr Modi has welcomed the approval, saying Covaxin is a shining example of his ambitious Atmnirbhar (self-reliance) India campaign.\n\nBut experts worry that questions over the approval process don't bode well for the campaign. And there could be deeper issues. Many believe that the government needs to be more transparent about the authorisation process because the success of the Covid-19 vaccine programme depends on public trust.\n\nThe emergency authorisation also sparked a fierce debate on Indian Twitter on Sunday night between ministers and opposition leaders.\n\nIndia's health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan called out opposition leaders for failing to \"applaud\" the country's \"prowess\" in locally producing a vaccine. India makes about 60% of vaccines globally.\n\nMembers of the main opposition Congress party, Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh, and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, Akhilesh Yadav, were among those who raised concerns about the manner in which Covaxin was approved.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Shashi Tharoor This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Dr Harsh Vardhan This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe approval comes as India gears up to vaccinate its population of more than 1.3 billon people. Amid fears that richer countries are buying up much of the vaccine supply, India too appears to be stockpiling vaccines.\n\nIn an interview with the Associated Press, Adar Poonawalla, whose Serum Institute of India (SII) is manufacturing the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine, said the jab was given emergency authorisation on the condition that it would not be exported outside India.\n\nMr Poonawalla said his company, the world's largest vaccine maker, was also not allowed to sell the shot in the private market.\n\nThis has raised concerns in India's neighbouring countries, including Nepal and Bangladesh, which were primarily depending on the SII to start vaccinating their populations.\n\nBangladesh had already ordered 30 million doses of the vaccine in the first phase, Reuters reported, but now the fate of the order is unclear. The country's health secretary told local media in December that it expected the first batch of the jab by February.\n\nIndia plans to vaccinate some 300 million people on a priority list by August.\n\nIt has recorded the second-highest number of infections in the world, with more than 10.3 million confirmed cases to date. Nearly 150,000 people have died.\n\nBoth vaccines approved on Sunday can be transported and stored at normal refrigeration temperatures.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "Co-op, Morrisons and their payments processing provider ACI say they are investigating an IT glitch that created problems for card payments in stores.\n\nLong queues were seen outside some of the Co-op's convenience stores from Sunday amid the snow, with some shoppers asked to use cash.\n\nCo-op and Morrisons said customers were no longer experiencing problems but they, and ACI, were studying the cause.\n\nOne MP said the problem exposed the risks of letting cash use \"wither\".\n\nACI, which provides real-time payments processing for the retailers, said: \"We are working closely with the IT teams at our partners to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. We apologise to shoppers for any inconvenience caused.\"\n\nThe issue comes as contactless payments have taken off in the UK during the pandemic, with fewer consumers using cash to pay for groceries.\n\nCustomers complained about the issue on social media.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Jen Bartram This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA Co-op spokesman told the BBC: \"All card transactions are being processed as usual and our payment process partner is investigating after we experienced an intermittent issue.\n\n\"We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused during that time.\"\n\nThe BBC witnessed the card processing issue affecting some of The Co-op's stores meant that self-service checkouts had to be closed, requiring customers to queue to be served at tills manned by staff.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by David of Nottingham This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post 2 by David of Nottingham\n\nAt some stores, customers queuing outside were warned on Monday evening that transactions had to be \"cash-only\" due to the ongoing issue.\n\nSome customers said they had to use the convenience store's cash machine to withdraw money to pay for purchases.\n\nHowever in other stores, the problem was intermittent, impacting some payment card brands, but not others.\n\nShadow economic secretary to the Treasury Pat McFadden said: \"This shows the dangers of letting the cash network just wither away as use declines.\n\n\"The government promised legislation to secure nationwide access to cash a year ago. It hasn't been brought forward.\"", "The case rate in Bridgend peaked just before Christmas, but now we are seeing deaths in hospitals\n\nThe total number of deaths involving Covid-19 in Wales has reached its highest weekly total of the pandemic.\n\nThere were 467 deaths in the week ending 15 January, which is 13 more than the week before.\n\nThis was nearly 40% of all registered deaths, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).\n\nBoth Betsi Cadwaladr and Cwm Taf Morgannwg health boards saw their highest weekly numbers, more than experienced during the first wave.\n\nBetsi Cadwaladr had 74 deaths while Cwm Taf Morgannwg had 116.\n\nUnlike during the peak in the first wave in 2020, Wales is also now seeing higher numbers of deaths in north Wales and west Wales.\n\nIn north-east Wales, where there have been the highest case rates of Covid-19 in recent weeks, there were 30 deaths of Flintshire residents, including 25 in hospital. In Wrexham, there were 27 deaths - with 21 in hospital.\n\nCwm Taf Morgannwg health board saw 49 hospital deaths in Bridgend - the highest weekly number in Wales. There were also 33 patients who died in Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) and six in Merthyr Tydfil.\n\nAll counties recorded at least three deaths involving Covid-19 and the total number of deaths in Wales, up to and registered by 15 January, was 5,884.\n\nWhen deaths registered over the following few days are counted, there is now a total of 6,074.\n\nRCT, with 752 deaths, has the largest number in Wales, followed by Cardiff with 637, up to the latest week.\n\nWhen looking at crude mortality rates, the highest number of deaths - when taking into account the size of populations in England and Wales - are Welsh areas: RCT, followed by Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Gwent.\n\nSo-called excess deaths, which compare all registered deaths with previous years, continue to be above the five-year average.\n\nLooking at the number of deaths we would normally expect to see at this point in the year is seen as a useful measure of how the pandemic is progressing.\n\nIn Wales, the number of deaths from all causes fell from 1,198 in the previous week - the highest recorded during the pandemic - to 1,170. But this was still 314 (36.7%) higher than the five-year average for that week.\n\nThis means deaths have been more than the peak in the first wave of the pandemic - 1,169 deaths in the week ending 17 April 2020 - for two weeks in a row.\n\nThe highest proportion of excess deaths was 84.1% in London.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Schools and colleges in Wales moved to online learning before Christmas\n\nKeeping schools shut during the Covid pandemic is \"almost like systematic neglect\" to disadvantaged pupils, a head teacher has said.\n\nCardiff head Armando Di-Finizio said there was a \"fair degree of trauma\" among pupils because of the lockdowns.\n\nOne expert said children from disadvantaged backgrounds were falling furthest behind academically.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it ensured vulnerable children could continue to attend school.\n\nBefore the pandemic the proportion of pupils receiving free school meals who achieved five or more GCSEs was 32% lower than the figure for other pupils in Wales.\n\nAt Eastern High School, where 47% of children receive free school meals, Mr Di-Finizio said the challenges of lockdown were greater for pupils who may not have support or structure at home for learning.\n\nArmando Di-Finizio, head teacher of Eastern High School, says the the attainment gap among pupils is \"widening\"\n\nMr Di-Finizio told Wales Live he did not think the balance was right \"between those who are genuinely vulnerable\" with the virus and young people who are vulnerable in terms of their welfare and wellbeing and their academic progress.\n\n\"I think there would have been other ways to handle this because we are seeing students struggling because of it and the attainment gap is widening for this generation,\" he said.\n\n\"It's almost like systematic neglect of young people that is going on day after day, week after week, month after month.\n\n\"We have to somehow pull this back because I do wonder one day, how the children will look back and judge us in terms of our responses.\"\n\nAnother concern since the pandemic began, he said, was the fact the number of child protection cases at his school has doubled.\n\n\"I don't want to sound alarmist, but I do believe it will take a number of years for us to unpick the traumas that young people go through because we don't know yet just what this lasting impact will be,\" he added.\n\nProfessor Chris Taylor says home learning reduces the ability to provide a \"level playing field\" for education\n\nWelsh Chief Inspector of Schools Meilyr Rowlands, has previously said there was evidence of widening inequality in performance as a result of the pandemic.\n\nSocial Sciences Prof Chris Taylor, from Cardiff University, said this gap was continuing to widen.\n\n\"Closing schools exposes and accentuates the deep disadvantage that many families have across Wales in the different circumstances that they're in,\" Prof Taylor said.\n\nHome learning reduces the ability of schools \"to provide that level playing field\" for educational opportunities.\n\n\"Instead, we're relying on what families and households can produce and provide to support that learning,\" he said.\n\nProf Taylor added some children would \"feel like they've left school at the age of 14 or 15, instead of 18\" in terms of their learning, and the focus for them should be preparing for the next step in their education rather than exams that are not going to happen this summer.\n\nHe said some pupils who may have been planning to leave school at 16 should remain in education until they are 18 to \"remedy some of the missed opportunities\", and that summer school and activities should be put on to help address isolation.\n\nAlmost half of all pupils receive free school meals at Eastern High School in Cardiff\n\nSiân Gwenllian MS, Plaid Cymru's education spokeswoman, has called on the Welsh Government to publish a plan on how pupils will be helped to catch up with \"lost education\".\n\n\"Those children in more deprived areas have been doubly disadvantaged - coronavirus has been more prevalent in these areas, meaning they will have lost more school prior to the lockdown, and these children are less likely to have the means to access online learning,\" she said.\n\nA Welsh Government spokesman said it had provided \"more than 130,000 [electronic] devices\" since the start of the pandemic for pupils' home learning.\n\n\"We've also recruited more than 1,000 teaching and support staff to provide additional support for learners who may have missed out on teaching time due to the pandemic,\" he said.\n\nThe government has ensured vulnerable children, as well as children of critical workers, could continue to attend school throughout the pandemic, he added.", "A US bankruptcy judge has agreed a $17m (£12.4m) payout to women who accused disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct.\n\nWeinstein, 68, was convicted last year and jailed for 23 years for rape and sexual assault.\n\nThe payout for his victims will come from the liquidation of the Weinstein Co, which filed for bankruptcy in 2018.\n\nThe judge overruled an objection from some accusers looking to pursue appeals outside of bankruptcy court.\n\nJudge Mary Walrath said without the settlement, the plaintiffs would get \"minimal, if any, recovery.\"\n\nThe Weinstein Co was set up as an independent film studio with the disgraced Hollywood mogul one of its co-founders.\n\nThe company collapsed in late 2017, following widespread claims of sexual misconduct against Weinstein, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a former production assistant and raping an actress.\n\nThe US judge said that 83% of sexual misconduct claimants in the bankruptcy \"have expressed very loudly that they want closure through acceptance of this plan, that they do not seek to have to go through any further litigation in order to receive some recovery, some possible recompense... although it's clear that money will never give them that\".\n\nThe $17m fund will be divided among more than 50 claimants, with the most serious allegations resulting in payouts of $500,000 or more.\n\nThe settlement was put to a vote of Weinstein's accusers, with 39 voting in favour and eight opposed.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThey will have the option to forgo most of their payout under the plan if they want to continue pursuing their claims.\n\nInsurers contributed $35m under the liquidation plan, which also provides $9.7m to the former officers and directors of the Weinstein Co, allowing them to pay a portion of their legal bills over the last several years.\n\nThe directors and officers, who include Weinstein's brother, Bob, also received releases that absolve them of any potential liability for enabling Weinstein's conduct.\n\nThe Weinstein Co sold its assets to Lantern Entertainment, which later became Spyglass Media Group, for $289m.", "A year ago, the Chinese government locked down the city of Wuhan. For weeks beforehand officials had maintained that the outbreak was under control - just a few dozen cases linked to a live animal market. But in fact the virus had been spreading throughout the city and around China.\n\nThis is the story of five critical days early in the outbreak.\n\nBy 30 December, several people had been admitted to hospitals in the central city of Wuhan, having fallen ill with high fever and pneumonia. The first known case was a man in his 70s who had fallen ill on 1 December. Many of those were connected to a sprawling live animal market, Huanan Seafood Market, and doctors had begun to suspect this wasn't regular pneumonia.\n\nSamples from infected lungs had been sent to genetic sequencing companies to identify the cause of the disease, and preliminary results had indicated a novel coronavirus similar to Sars. The local health authorities and the country's Center for Disease Control (CDC) had already been notified, but nothing had been said to the public.\n\nAlthough no-one knew it at the time, between 2,300 and 4,000 people were by now likely infected, according to a recent model by MOBS Lab at Northeastern University in Boston. The outbreak was also thought to be doubling in size every few days. Epidemiologists say that at this early part of an outbreak, each day and even each hour is critical.\n\nWuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was sealed off on 1 January 2020\n\nAt around 16:00 on 30 December, the head of the Emergency Department at Wuhan Central Hospital was handed the results of a test carried out by sequencing lab Capital Bio Medicals in Beijing.\n\nShe went into a cold sweat as she read the report, according to an interview given later to Chinese state media.\n\nAt the top were the alarming words: \"SARS CORONAVIRUS\". She circled them in bright red, and passed it on to colleagues over the Chinese messaging site WeChat.\n\nWithin an hour and a half, the grainy image with its large red circle reached a doctor in the hospital's ophthalmology department, Li Wenliang. He shared it with his hundreds-strong university class group, adding the warning, \"Don't circulate the message outside this group. Get your family and loved ones to take precautions.\"\n\nWhen Sars spread through southern China in late 2002 and 2003, Beijing covered up the outbreak, insisting that everything was under control. This allowed the virus to spread around the world. Beijing's response invoked international criticism and - worryingly for a regime deeply concerned about stability - anger and protests within China. Between 2002 and 2004, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) went on to infect more than 8,000 people and kill almost 800 worldwide.\n\nRobert Maguire of the WHO and a Chinese doctor visit a Sars patient in Guangzhou, China – April 2003\n\nOver the coming hours, screen shots of Li's message spread widely online. Across China, millions of people began talking about Sars online.\n\nIt would turn out that the sequencers made a mistake - this was not Sars, but a new coronavirus very similar to it. But this was a critical moment. News of a possible outbreak had escaped.\n\nThe Wuhan Health Commission was already aware that there was something going on in the city's hospitals. That day, officials from the National Health Commission in Beijing arrived, and lung samples were sent to at least five state labs in Wuhan and Beijing to sequence the virus in parallel.\n\nNow, as messages suggesting the possible return of Sars began flying over Chinese social media, the Wuhan Health Commission sent two orders out to hospitals. It instructed them to report all cases direct to the Health Commission, and told them not to make anything public without authorisation.\n\nWithin 12 minutes, these orders were leaked online.\n\nIt might have taken a couple more days for the online chatter to make the leap from Chinese-speaking social media to the wider world if it wasn't for the efforts of veteran epidemiologist Marjorie Pollack.\n\nThe deputy editor of ProMed-mail, an organisation which sends out alerts on disease outbreaks worldwide, received an email from a contact in Taiwan, asking if she knew anything about the chatter online.\n\nDr Marjorie Pollack is an epidemiologist based in New York\n\nBack in February 2003, ProMed had been the first to break the news of Sars. Now, Pollack had deja vu. \"My reaction was: 'We're in trouble,'\" she told the BBC.\n\nThree hours later, she had finished writing an emergency post, requesting more information on the new outbreak. It was sent out to ProMed's approximately 80,000 subscribers at one minute to midnight.\n\nAs word began to spread, Professor George F Gao, director general of China's Center for Disease Control [CDC], was receiving offers of help from contacts around the world.\n\nChina revamped its infectious disease infrastructure after Sars - and in 2019, Gao had promised that China's vast online surveillance system would be able to prevent another outbreak like it.\n\nBut two scientists who contacted Gao say the CDC head did not seem alarmed.\n\n\"I sent a really long text to George Gao, offering to send a team out and do anything to support them,\" Dr Peter Daszak, the president of New York-based infectious diseases research group EcoHealth Alliance, told the BBC. But he says that all he received in reply was a short message wishing him Happy New Year.\n\nDirector of the Chinese Center for Disease Control, George F Gao – 22 January 2020\n\nEpidemiologist Ian Lipkin of Columbia University in New York was also trying to reach Gao. Just as he was having dinner to ring in the New Year, Gao returned his call. The details Lipkin reveals about their conversation offer new insights into what leading Chinese officials were prepared to say at this critical point.\n\n\"He had identified the virus. It was a new coronavirus. And it was not highly transmissible. This didn't really resonate with me because I'd heard that many, many people had been infected,\" Lipkin told the BBC. \"I don't think he was duplicitous, I think he was just wrong.\"\n\nLipkin says he thinks Gao should have released the sequences they had already obtained. My view is that you get it out. This is too important to hesitate.\"\n\nGao, who refused the BBC's requests for an interview, has told state media that the sequences were released as soon as possible, and that he never said publicly that there was no human-to-human transmission.\n\nThat day, the Wuhan Health Commission issued a press release stating that 27 cases of viral pneumonia had been identified, but that there was no clear evidence of human to human transmission.\n\nIt would be a further 12 days before China shared the genetic sequences with the international community.\n\nThe Chinese government refused multiple interview requests by the BBC. Instead, it gave us detailed statements on China's response, which state that in the fight against Covid-19 China \"has always acted with openness, transparency and responsibility, and … in a timely manner.\"\n\nBBC This World's 54 Days: China and the pandemic can be seen on BBC Two at 21:00 GMT on Tuesday 26 January, or 23:30 on Monday 1 February (except BBC Two Northern Ireland). Or watch on BBC iPlayer.\n\nPart two - 54 Days: America and the Pandemic - will be on BBC Two on Tuesday 2 February at 21:00.\n\nInternational law stipulates that new infectious disease outbreaks of global concern be reported to the World Health Organization within 24 hours. But on 1 January the WHO still had not had official notification of the outbreak. The previous day, officials there had spotted the ProMed post and reports online, so they contacted China's National Health Commission.\n\n\"It was reportable,\" says Professor Lawrence Gostin, Director of the WHO Collaborating Center on national and global health law at Georgetown University in Washington DC, and a member of the International Health Regulations roster of experts. \"The failure to report clearly was a violation of the International Health Regulations.\"\n\nDr Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist who would become the agency's Covid-19 technical lead, joined the first of many emergency conference calls in the middle of the night on 1 January.\n\n\"We had the assumptions initially that it may be a new coronavirus. For us it wasn't a matter of if human to human transmission was happening, it was what is the extent of it and where is that happening.\"\n\nIt was two days before China responded to the WHO. But what they revealed was vague - that there were now 44 cases of viral pneumonia of unknown cause.\n\nChina says that it communicated regularly and fully with the WHO from 3 January. But recordings of internal WHO meetings obtained by the Associated Press (AP) news agency some of which were shared with PBS Frontline and the BBC, paint a different picture, revealing the frustration that senior WHO officials felt by the following week.\n\n\"'There's been no evidence of human to human transmission' is not good enough. We need to see the data,\" Mike Ryan WHO's health emergencies programme director is heard saying.\n\nThe WHO was legally required to state the information it had been provided by China. Although they suspected human to human transmission, the WHO were not able to confirm this for a further three weeks.\n\n\"Those concerns are not something they ever aired publicly. Instead, they basically deferred to China,\" says AP's Dake Kang. \"Ultimately, the impression that the rest of the world got was just what the Chinese authorities wanted. Which is that everything was under control. Which of course it wasn't.\"\n\nThe number of people infected by the virus was doubling in size every few days, and more and more people were turning up at Wuhan's hospitals.\n\nBut now - instead of allowing doctors to share their concerns publicly - state media began a campaign that effectively silenced them.\n\nOn 2 January, China Central Television ran a story about the doctors who spread the news about an outbreak four days earlier. The doctors, referred to only as \"rumour mongers\" and \"internet users\", were brought in for questioning by the Wuhan Public Security Bureau and 'dealt with' 'in accordance with the law'.\n\nOne of the doctors was Li Wenliang, the eye doctor whose warning had gone viral. He signed a confession. In February, the doctor died of Covid-19.\n\nThe Chinese government says that this is not evidence that it was trying to suppress news of the outbreak, and that doctors like Li were being urged not to spread unconfirmed information.\n\nBut the impact of this public dressing down was critical. For though it was becoming apparent to doctors that there was, in fact, human-to-human transmission, they were prevented from going public.\n\nA health worker from Li's hospital, Wuhan Central, told us that over the next few days \"there were so many people who had a fever. It was out of control. We started to panic. [But] The hospital told us that we were not allowed to speak to anyone.\"\n\nThe Chinese government told us that \"it takes a rigorous scientific process to determine if a new virus can be transmitted from person to person\".\n\nThe authorities would continue to maintain for a further 18 days that there was no human-to-human transmission.\n\nLabs across the country were racing to map the complete genetic sequence of the virus. Among them was a renowned virologist in Shanghai, Professor Zhang Yongzhen who began sequencing on 3 January.\n\nAfter having worked for two days straight, he obtained a complete sequence. His results revealed a virus that was similar to Sars, and therefore likely transmissible.\n\nOn 5 January, Zhang's office wrote to the National Health Commission advising taking precautionary measures in public places.\n\n\"On that very day, he was working to try and get information released as soon as possible, so the rest of the world could see what it was and so we could get diagnostics going\", says Zhang's research partner, Professor Edward Holmes an evolutionary virologist at the University of Sydney.\n\nBut Zhang could not make his findings public. On January 3, the National Health Commission had sent a secret memorandum to labs banning unauthorised scientists from working on the virus and disclosing the information to the public.\n\n\"What the notice effectively did,\" says AP's Dake Kang, \"is it silenced individual scientists and laboratories from revealing information about this virus and potentially allowing word of it to leak out to the outside world and alarm people.\"\n\nNone of the labs went public with the genetic sequence of the virus. China continued to maintain it was viral pneumonia with no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission.\n\nIt would be six days before it announced that the new virus was a coronavirus, and even then, it did not share any genetic sequences to allow other countries to develop tests and begin tracing the spread of the virus.\n\nThree days later, on 11 January, Zhang decided it was time to put his neck on the line. As he boarded a plane between Beijing and Shanghai, he authorised Holmes to release the sequence.\n\nThe decision came at a personal cost - his lab was closed the next day for \"rectification\" - but his action broke the deadlock. The next day state scientists released the sequences they had obtained. The international scientific community swung into action, and a toolkit for a diagnostic test was publicly available by 13 January.\n\nDespite the evidence from scientists and doctors, China would not confirm there was human-to-human transmission until 20 January.\n\nIllustration of spike proteins (red) of Covid-19 binding with receptors (blue) on a target human cell\n\nAt the beginning of any emerging disease outbreak, says health law expert Lawrence Gostin, it's always chaotic. \"It was always going to be very difficult to control this virus, from day one. But by the time we knew [the international community] it was transmissible human to human, I think the cat was already out the bag, it already spread.\n\n\"That was the shot we had, and we lost it.\"\n\nAs Wang Linfa, a bat virologist at Duke-Nus Medical School in Singapore, says: \"January 20th is the dividing line, before that the Chinese could have done much better. After that, the rest of the world should be really on high alert and do much better.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMore than 100,000 people have died with Covid-19 in the UK, after 1,631 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were recorded in the daily figures.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said he took \"full responsibility\" for the government's actions, saying: \"We truly did everything we could.\"\n\n\"I'm deeply sorry for every life lost,\" he said.\n\nA total of 100,162 deaths have been recorded in the UK, the first European nation to pass the landmark.\n\nEarlier, figures from the ONS, which are based on death certificates, showed there had been nearly 104,000 deaths since the pandemic began.\n\nThe government's daily figures rely on positive tests and are slightly lower.\n\nMr Johnson told Tuesday's Downing Street news conference that it was \"hard to compute the sorrow contained in this grim statistic\".\n\nHe gave his \"deepest condolences\" to those who had lost loved ones, including \"fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and the many grandparents who've been taken\".\n\nThe UK is the fifth country to pass 100,000 deaths, coming after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.\n\nA surge in cases in recent weeks - driven in part by a new, fast-spreading variant of the virus - has left the UK with one of the highest coronavirus death rates globally.\n\nA further 20,089 coronavirus cases were recorded on Tuesday, continuing a downward trend in the number of UK cases seen in recent days. The number of people in hospital remains high, as do the UK's daily death figures.\n\nMr Johnson said the coronavirus infection rate remained \"pretty forbiddingly high\" despite lockdown restrictions which have been in place in England since 5 January.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons - including for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nMr Johnson said he would set out more detail in \"the next few days and weeks\" about \"when and how we want to get things open again\".\n\nIt's a terrible milestone - and one that represents unimaginable loss.\n\nMost of the deaths have come in two waves - the sharp, sudden surge in the spring followed by a slow and sustained rise throughout autumn and winter.\n\nMistakes have been made - the delay locking down back in March is one that is often cited even by the government's own advisers.\n\nThe UK, like much of Europe, was also woefully underprepared with limited testing and contact tracing systems.\n\nBut the ageing population, high rates of obesity, the fact the UK is a global hub and its inter-connectedness with Europe are also factors that meant we were tragically never going to escape lightly once the virus got a foothold.\n\nSpeaking alongside the prime minister, Prof Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, described it as a \"very sad day\".\n\nHe said the number of people dying \"will come down relatively slowly over the next two weeks - and will probably remain flat for a while now\".\n\nProf Whitty added the new coronavirus variant had changed the UK's situation \"very substantially\" with infection rates \"just about holding\" due to lockdown restrictions.\n\nBut he said the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK \"has been coming down\" and the number of people in hospital with Covid has \"flattened off\" - including in London, the South East and East of England.\n\nHowever, there were \"some areas\" where the hospital figures were \"still not convincingly reducing\", he said.\n\nNHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said there had been \"continuing improvements in hospital treatment for severely sick coronavirus patients\".\n\nHe said he expected more treatments within the next six to 18 months, adding: \"We can see a world in which coronavirus may be more treatable, but for now, it's a combination of reducing infections and getting vaccinations done.\"\n\nOne day there will be a public inquiry - maybe several - seeking to understand why so many died.\n\nLast summer, back when the government was subsidising people to eat out at restaurants, Boris Johnson said there would be an independent inquiry into the government's handling of Covid, but gave no details or dates.\n\nHe still hasn't, despite a recent call from bereaved families, trade unions and charities for lessons to be learnt now.\n\nThe gravest public health crisis for a century would have tested any government.\n\nBut as the pandemic has worsened, the criticisms and questions have mounted - about the timing of lockdowns, the rollout of test and trace and the failure to protect care homes last spring.\n\nThere is now pressure on Boris Johnson from some Tory MPs to ease restrictions as soon as the most vulnerable are vaccinated.\n\nBut this evening a sombre prime minister said the government would first do everything it could to minimise further loss of life.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said it was a \"sobering moment in the pandemic\", saying: \"Each death is a person who was someone's family member and friend.\"\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was a \"national tragedy\" to have reached 100,000 deaths.\n\nThe government had been \"behind the curve at every stage\" of the pandemic and had not learnt lessons over the summer, he added.\n\nThe epidemiologist whose modelling in part prompted the UK's first national lockdown said more action in the autumn of last year could have saved lives.\n\nProf Neil Ferguson told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: \"Had we acted both earlier and with greater stringency back in September when we first saw case numbers going up, and had a policy of keeping case numbers at a reasonably low levels, then I think a lot of the deaths we've seen, not all by any means, but a lot of the deaths we've seen in the last four or five months, could have been avoided.\"\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said the death toll was \"heartbreaking\" and warned there was a \"tough period ahead\".\n\n\"The vaccine offers the way out, but we cannot let up now,\" he added.\n\nMore than 6.8 million people in the UK have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest figures.\n\nPlease enable JavaScript or upgrade your browser to see this interactive\n\nIf you would like to send us a tribute to a friend or family member who died after contracting coronavirus, please use the form below.\n\nPlease remember to include a photo of your loved one and their name. Upload your pictures here. Don't forget to include your contact details, so we can get in touch with you.\n\nWe would like to respond to everyone individually and include every tribute in our coverage, but unfortunately that may not be possible. Please be assured your message will be read and treated with the utmost respect.\n\nPlease note the contact details you provide will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your tribute.", "The Mermaid of Black Conch, a dark love story about a fisherman and a mermaid torn from the sea, has won the Costa Book of the Year award.\n\nTrinidadian-born British writer Monique Roffey beat four other contenders with her sixth novel to scoop the £30,000 prize.\n\nJudges said the book was \"utterly original... and feels like a classic in the making\".\n\nA \"delighted\" Roffey said her win was a vote for Caribbean literature.\n\n\"A huge thank you to the judges for exposing my book to a wide readership. I'll be pinching myself for weeks to come,\" she added.\n\nBased on a Taino legend of a beautiful woman transformed into a mermaid, the story is set in the Caribbean village of St Constance.\n\nDavid, a fisherman, unexpectedly attracts the attention of Aycayia, a mermaid who is drawn to his singing. When she is captured from the sea during an annual fishing competition, he does all he can to save her, with dramatic consequences.\n\nProfessor Suzannah Lipscomb, chair of judges, said: \"The Mermaid of Black Conch is an extraordinary, beautifully written, captivating, visceral book - full of mythic energy and unforgettable characters, including some tremendously transgressive women.\"\n\nThe Costa Book Awards have a reputation for picking popular reads: books you would recommend to a friend. And I would definitely recommend The Mermaid of Black Conch.\n\nAt first, the novel might sound a bit odd. Set on a Caribbean island in the 1970s, it is a bittersweet love story between a beautiful young woman cursed to live as a mermaid and a fisherman.\n\nBased on a legend passed down by the indigenous people of the Caribbean, the Taino, there are touches of magic and snippets of poetry. The book was also shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize last year, which rewards fiction that breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of the novel.\n\nBut while it is unusual it is also a joy to read, brimming with memorable characters and vivid descriptions.\n\nWe see the mermaid's \"hair flying like a nest of cables\" while we are told \"sea moss trailed from her shoulders like slithers of beard\" and \"barnacles speckled the swell of her hips.\"\n\nFor me, this was a hugely entertaining and thought-provoking novel and a worthy winner.\n\nRoffey, a senior lecturer in creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, secured her publishing deal through Peepal Tree Press, an independent publisher supporting Caribbean writers.\n\nShe then crowd-funded her publicity campaign with the support of fellow authors.\n\nThe Mermaid of Black Conch is set in the Caribbean\n\nRoffey's entry was also named Costa's Novel of the Year earlier this month, alongside winners from four other categories:\n\nThe Mermaid of Black Conch is the thirteenth novel to take the overall prize. Days Without End by Sebastian Barry was the last novel to be named Costa Book of the Year in 2016.\n\nTuesday's virtual ceremony also saw London-based writer Tessa Sheridan receive the 2020 Costa Short Story Award.\n\nSheridan won the public vote and £3,500 for her story, The Person Who Serves, Serves Again.\n\nThe Costa Book Awards, formerly the Whitbread Book Awards, were established in 1971 to encourage, promote and celebrate the best contemporary British writing.\n\nIt is open to UK and Irish authors.\n\nSeamus Heaney, Ted Hughes and Sebastian Barry are among the authors to have won the book of the year award more than once.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The number of people to have died with coronavirus in the UK has exceeded 100,000.\n\nThere have been nearly 104,000 deaths since the pandemic began, data from the UK's national statisticians shows.\n\nThe figures, which go up to 15 January, are based on death certificates. The government's daily figures, which rely on positive tests, are slightly lower.\n\nIt follows a surge of cases last month, leaving the UK with one of the highest coronavirus death rates globally.\n\nThe Office for National Statistics and its counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland registered 7,776 deaths with coronavirus on the death certificate in the most recent week.\n\nThat total is the third highest of the epidemic.\n\nLast April, there were two weeks with more than 9,000 coronavirus deaths registered across the UK - but there have been no other weeks with more than 7,000 deaths registered.\n\nAbout nine in 10 death certificates citing coronavirus registered Covid as the cause of death.\n\nMost of the deaths have been in older age groups - nearly three-quarters of those who have died with the virus were over 75. One in three deaths were care home residents.\n\nChris Hopson, of NHS Providers, which represents health service managers, described the milestone as a \"tragedy\".\n\n\"Behind each death will be a story of sorrow and grief,\" he said.\n\n\"We pay tribute, once again, to NHS and care staff who have done everything they can throughout the long months of this pandemic to avoid each one of these deaths and reduce patient harm.\n\n\"We won't know the true impact of Covid-19 for a long time to come because of its long-term effects.\n\n\"But, as well as the high death rate, it's particularly concerning that this virus has widened health inequalities and affected black, Asian and minority-ethnic communities disproportionately.\"\n\nSarah Scobie, of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said it was a \"harrowing figure\".\n\nShe added: \"While the vaccine rollout for the most vulnerable is continuing at impressive speed, it will be a while until the benefits feed through to the figures.\"\n\nWe were one of the worst hit countries, if not the worst, in the spring - certainly in Europe and the G7.\n\nTwo big drivers of that were the timing of the first lockdown and the terrible numbers of deaths in care homes.\n\nAs a result, the UK could always rank among the hardest hit nations overall.\n\nBut comparing experiences in second waves is harder.\n\nSome countries have very clearly done better than the UK.\n\nAustralia, for example, has seen very few coronavirus deaths overall, and deaths quite close to usual levels throughout 2020.\n\nBut the US, which had a milder first wave than the UK, has seen steady numbers of coronavirus deaths throughout summer and autumn.\n\nIts death toll has been catching up with that of the UK in the most recent data, covering up until Christmas.\n\nAnd some countries that missed the first wave entirely - such as Poland (shown above) or Germany - have seen significant spikes in deaths in recent months.\n\nWith deaths rising since then in many countries and vaccination programmes only getting up and running, there is still a long way to go before we will know who has had the toughest second wave.\n• None Lockdown needs to be stricter, scientists warn", "Baroness Floella Benjamin has spoken of her pride after receiving a first coronavirus vaccine dose.\n\nThe 71-year-old actress said she would wear a badge saying \"I've had the jab\" after being vaccinated.\n\nThe Lib Dem peer, who came to Britain in 1960 and was born in Trinidad, is known for appearing in the children's programme Play School and received a damehood last year.\n\nOver 6.8m people in the UK have now received a first vaccine dose.\n\nAs a member of the House of Lords, Baroness Benjamin has spoken regularly about the disproportionate effect of Covid-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic communities as well as the knock-on impact of the pandemic.\n\nIn September, she told peers she knew two people who had taken their own lives \"because they could not cope with the uncertainty of the future\".\n\nShe is also a member of the Lords Covid-19 Committee.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Floella Benjamin This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe government has set a target for all those in the top four priority groups - around 15 million - to be offered a vaccine by mid-February.\n\nTwo vaccines - developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca - are being used. A third, from Moderna, has been approved.\n\nAll have been shown to be safe and effective in trials with two doses needed to offer the best protection - now timed 12 weeks apart.\n\nIt comes as British Asian celebrities united to dispel myths about the coronavirus vaccine.\n\nComedians Romesh Ranganathan and Meera Syal and cricketer Moeen Ali appear in a video urging people to get a jab.\n\nA study from the Royal Society for Public Health found 57% of black, Asian and minority ethnic people said they would take the vaccine.\n\nThis figure compared with 79% of white people who would do so.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. One protester said: \"This is the only way I can effect change\"\n\nPeople campaigning against the HS2 rail project have dug a tunnel near Euston station, in a bid to prevent their eviction from a protest camp.\n\nIn September, members of HS2 Rebellion set up a Tree Protection Camp in Euston Square Gardens in central London to protest against the £106bn scheme.\n\nThey claim the tunnel is 100ft (30m) long and has taken two months to dig.\n\nActivists say the tunnel - codenamed \"Kelvin\" - is their \"best defence\" against being evicted.\n\nOne protester, identified only as Blue, told the BBC: \"It is all very dangerous and life-threatening but it is all worth it. This is the only way I can effect change, I would sacrifice everything for the climate ecological emergency to not be happening.\"\n\nThe 18-year-old added: \"We want to be as safe as possible. It is not about us martyring ourselves, it is about delaying and stopping HS2.\"\n\nDemonstrators have previously built tree houses and scaled cranes near the HS2 Euston site\n\nA spokeswoman for HS2 said tunnel protests were \"costly to the taxpayer\".\n\nShe added: \"These are a danger to the safety of the protesters, HS2 staff, High Court enforcement officers and the general public, as well as putting unnecessary strain on the emergency services during the pandemic.\n\n\"Safety is our first priority when taking possession of land and removing illegal encampments.\"\n\nBritish Transport Police said it was aware of the tunnel but it was a matter for the Met Police, which said no complaint yet had been made.\n\nHS2 is set to link London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. It is hoped the 20-year project will reduce rail passenger overcrowding and help to rebalance the UK's economy.\n\nThe campaign group alleges HS2 is the \"most expensive, wasteful and destructive project in UK history\" and that it is \"set to destroy or irreparably damage 108 ancient woodlands and 693 wildlife sites\".\n\nHowever, HS2 bosses have said seven million trees will be planted during phase one of the project and that much ancient woodland will \"remain intact\".\n\nSeasoned activist Daniel Cooper - better known as Swampy - has been at Euston supporting the campaigners\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps told MPs in September that the first phase of the high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham would not open until 2028 at the earliest.\n\nThe second phase, to Manchester and Leeds, was due to open in 2032-33 but that has been pushed back to 2035-40.\n\nNetwork Rail, which owns the land, has been approached for a comment about the tunnel.\n\nHS2 protester Dr Larch Maxey said the tunnel was \"warm and quiet\"\n\nTunnelling as a form of environmental protest has a long history in the UK.\n\nIn the 1990s it was one of the ways that pushed environmental concerns into the headlines and changed perceptions.\n\nIn one of the environmental protesters' tunnelling guides, written by \"Disco Dave\", it says:\n\n\"In the world of NVDA (non-violent direct action) there are few defence tactics that can compare with the protest tunnel. Dangerous, laborious and time consuming, tunnelling is the ultimate and desperate tactic of desperate people in desperate times.\"\n\nThe first protest tunnel goes back to the M11 and 1993 but they only really developed during the Newbury Bypass protests in 1996.\n\nProtest tunnels against the A30 in Devon and Manchester Airport's second runway then followed.\n\nNot only did they make household names of environmental campaigners like \"Swampy\" but they arguably changed transport policy - road-building reduced massively.\n\nWe have seen tunnels more recently in 2017 in Coldharbour in Surrey in a protest against fracking so it's not a massive surprise we are seeing tunnels again.\n\nTunnelling in particular as a direct action slows down developers and it is expensive to dig out protesters safely.\n\nDisco Dave wrote: \"That ultimately is the purpose of tunnels and tree houses. To act as a deterrent warning the authorities that should they decide to evict, then it will hurt them where for them it hurts most - in the pocket.\"\n\nWhat will be interesting is if these tunnels have the same impact on HS2 as they did on the road-building programme of the late 1990s.\n\nWill it reframe HS2 so it will be seen in the same way as fracking or road building? Or can the argument still be made that it is a low-carbon form of travel even though it does cause some destruction of habitat?\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Facebook News, the social network's dedicated section for news content, is launching in the UK.\n\nThe UK is the second market to get Facebook News, which launched in the United States last year.\n\nSeveral major news publishers, including Channel 4, Sky News, and The Guardian have signed deals with Facebook to provide content.\n\nIt comes as the tech industry's relationship with the media comes under increased scrutiny.\n\nAnd French publishers recently agreed a deal with Google on how a new EU copyright law about news excerpts should be applied.\n\nFacebook News is the social network's own attempt to address the long-running friction between it and news publishers, as advertising spend has increasingly moved to the large tech firms instead of individual news outlets.\n\nThe new feature is set to go live on Tuesday afternoon, Facebook said.\n\nThe new feature is a dedicated tab within the Facebook mobile app, accessible by tapping the three-line icon for more options.\n\nThe tab features a mix of major daily news stories and \"personalised\" news selected for each reader based on their interests, as decided by Facebook's algorithm.\n\nFacebook says it pays publishers \"for content that is not already on the platform\", and says the feature will also provide publishers with new advertising and subscription \"opportunities\".\n\nThe dedicated news feed will have personalisation controls, Facebook says\n\nThat may be partly based on data from the United States, which Facebook says shows more than 95% of traffic on Facebook News is from people who have not read those publications before.\n\nThe social network says the new product is a \"a multi-year investment that puts original journalism in front of new audiences\".\n\nAnd news organisations, for which new readers are often in short supply, are signing up.\n\nIn November, when it first announced the product was heading to the UK, major names such as The Economist, The Independent, and Cosmopolitan were already on board.\n\nAhead of Tuesday's launch, The Daily Mail, Financial Times and Telegraph were also announced, among others.\n\nBBC News has not signed a commercial deal with Facebook News, but may still appear on the tab through public posts it makes on the Facebook platform.\n\nFacebook also says that this new product is a direct result of discussions with the news industry, with which it has often been at loggerheads.\n\nThe tech giant is responsible for driving a lot of traffic around the internet, and a story which performs well on Facebook will often attract more readers than one which does not.\n\nBut Facebook has also repeatedly made changes to its algorithms over the years which have affected news organisations, sometimes with little notice. It has also encouraged organisations to use its features such as instant articles, or to make video content for Facebook.\n\nHowever, it envisions Facebook News as a better solution than earlier attempts, and one it plans to roll out to other countries - including France and Germany - in the near future.\n\n\"Our goal has always been to work out the best ways we can support the industry in building sustainable business models,\" Facebook said in its blog post about the UK launch.\n\n\"As we invest more in news, and pay publishers for more content in more countries, we will work with them to support the long-term viability of newsrooms.\"", "The fake email looks like it has come from NHS Test and Trace\n\nThe NHS has warned people to be vigilant about fake invitations to have the coronavirus vaccination, sent by scammers.\n\nThe scam email includes a link to \"register\" for the vaccine, but no registration for the real vaccination is required.\n\nThe fake site also asks for bank details either to verify identification or to make a payment.\n\nThe NHS says it would never ask for bank details, and the vaccine is free.\n\nCyber-security consultant Daniel Card told BBC News that traffic data indicates thousands of people had clicked the link to the fake site - although it is unclear how many then filled in the form.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by NHS This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nHe urged people to remain vigilant: \"These things spring up, we take them down and then they spring up again.\"\n\nBoth the National Cyber Security Centre and Action Fraud have asked anyone who receives a scam email or text to report it.\n\n\"Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic,\" said health secretary Matt Hancock.\n\n\"It is vital that we do not let a small number of unscrupulous fraudsters undermine the huge team effort under way across the country to protect millions of people from this terrible disease.\"\n\nAt the start of January, Derbyshire police issued a warning about a text message scam which offered Covid vaccinations.\n\n\"If you receive a text or email that asks you to click on a link or for you to provide information, such as your name, credit card or bank details, it's a scam,\" the force said.\n\nLast year, tech firms warned that coronavirus was a popular hook for scammers. In April 2020 Google said it was blocking 18 million scam emails a day on the subject.", "Labour is calling for juries to be cut from 12 members to seven, to stem the \"gravest crisis\" in the justice system since World War Two.\n\nShadow justice secretary David Lammy said action was needed to clear the backlog of thousands of cases.\n\nHe argued that smaller juries and the use of more temporary courts would allow socially distanced trials.\n\nThe government has not ruled out such a move but insists measures it is taking to clear the backlog are working.\n\nLast week four criminal justice watchdogs warned that courts in England and Wales were straining under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nJury trials ground to a halt at the start of the first lockdown, when people were advised to stay at home except in limited circumstances.\n\nWhen they resumed, there were severe delays and numerous cancellations due to social-distancing requirements.\n\nRecent figures revealed that the number of unheard cases in crown courts had reached a record 54,000.\n\nThe backlog means some from last year may not go before a jury until 2022, and it could be years before the courts get back on track.\n\nLabour wants the temporary return of so-called \"wartime juries\" of seven rather than 12 members to speed up the process.\n\n\"Victims of rape, murder, domestic abuse, robbery and assault are facing delays of up to four years because of the government's failure to act,\" Mr Lammy said.\n\nHe also urged the government to speed up the rollout of temporary \"Nightingale courts\" to hear civil, family and tribunals work, as well as non-custodial crime cases.\n\nTen of these were announced in July 2020 to help deal with the backlog in court proceedings, and 20 are now in operation across England and Wales.\n\nLeading lawyers are sceptical about Labour's proposal to reach back into wartime history.\n\nThe Criminal Bar Association - representing barristers who prosecute and defend trials - says a panel of seven may allow more courtrooms to be used, but it wouldn't solve what it says is chronic underfunding - and potentially undermines one of the most important safeguards in our society.\n\nThe Law Society, for solicitors, wants to see evidence that smaller panels would ease backlogs without risking injustices.\n\nThe Ministry of Justice's internal modelling calculated last year that reduced juries would lead to a 10% increase in cases - but that was before courtrooms received new Covid-proof screens that have allowed more trials to run.\n\nScotland's courts are using cinemas to host juries - and while that is not being actively discussed in England, it's not been ruled out either.\n\nEven if juries were slimmed, courts would still need to tightly control the number of defendants who can use their cells and courtroom docks to meet Public Health England's guidelines.\n\nIn April last year, the head of judiciary in England and Wales, Lord Burnett, backed the idea of reducing the number of jurors if social distancing continued.\n\nIn June, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told the BBC he was \"very attracted\" by the idea of smaller juries, as had happened in wartime, and judge-only trials in less serious cases.\n\nThe Ministry of Justice says it has now installed plastic screens in more than 450 courtrooms and jury deliberation rooms to reduce Covid risks.\n\nIt says the safety measures are designed for 12-person juries and that the impact of lowering the number of jurors would be negligible.\n\nHowever, a spokesman said nothing was being ruled out and ministers were continuing to consider every option available to ensure courts recover quickly.\n\n\"This approach is already delivering results, with magistrates' backlogs falling significantly and the number of cases being dealt with in the crown courts reaching pre-Covid levels last month,\" he added.\n\nThe spokesman also said: \"We know more must be done and are investing £110m into a range of measures to drive this recovery further, including opening more Nightingale courts.\"", "Trees must be able to cope with projected climate change\n\nScientists have proposed 10 golden rules for tree-planting, which they say must be a top priority for all nations this decade.\n\nTree planting is a brilliant solution to tackle climate change and protect biodiversity, but the wrong tree in the wrong place can do more harm than good, say experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.\n\nThe rules include protecting existing forests first and involving locals.\n\nForests are essential to life on Earth.\n\nThey provide a home to three-quarters of the world's plants and animals, soak up carbon dioxide, and provide food, fuels and medicines.\n\nBut they're fast disappearing; an area about the size of Denmark of pristine tropical forest is lost every year.\n\n\"Planting the right trees in the right place must be a top priority for all nations as we face a crucial decade for ensuring the future of our planet,\" said Dr Paul Smith, a researcher on the study and secretary general of conservation charity, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, in Kew.\n\nIt takes at least a century to restore damaged forests\n\nA raft of ambitious tree-planting projects are underway around the world to replace the forests being lost.\n\nBoris Johnson has said he is aiming to plant 30,000 hectares (300 sq km) of new forest a year across the UK by the end of this parliament.\n\nAn African-led movement to plant a 5,000-mile (8,048km) forest wall to fight the climate crisis is set to become the largest living structure on Earth, three times the size of the Great Barrier Reef.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A solution that's slowing desertification on the front lines of climate change\n\nHowever, planting trees is highly complex, with no universal easy solution.\n\n\"If you plant the wrong trees in the wrong place you could be doing more harm than good,\" said lead researcher Dr Kate Hardwick of RBG Kew.\n\nAll too often natural forests teeming with plants, animals and fungi are replaced by commercial plantations with row upon row of timber trees, which will be harvested after a few decades, she told BBC News.\n\n\"What we're trying to do is to encourage people, wherever possible, to try and recreate forests which are similar to the natural forests and which provide multiple benefits to people, the environment and to nature as well as capturing carbon.\"\n\nThe review of research, published in the journal Global Change Biology, found that in some cases, planned tree planting does not increase carbon capture and can have negative effects.\n\nKeeping forests in their original state is always preferable; undamaged old forests soak up carbon better and are more resilient to fire, storm and droughts. \"Whenever there's a choice, we stress that halting deforestation and protecting remaining forests must be a priority,\" said Prof Alexandre Antonelli, director of science at RGB Kew.\n\nPut local people at the heart of tree-planting projects\n\nStudies show that getting local communities on board is key to the success of tree-planting projects. It is often local people who have most to gain from looking after the forest in the future.\n\nReforestation should be about several goals, including guarding against climate change, improving conservation and providing economic and cultural benefits.\n\nSelect the right area for reforestation\n\nPlant trees in areas that were historically forested but have become degraded, rather than using other natural habitats such as grasslands or wetlands.\n\nUse natural forest regrowth wherever possible\n\nLetting trees grow back naturally can be cheaper and more efficient than planting trees.\n\nSelect the right tree species that can maximise biodiversity\n\nWhere tree planting is needed, picking the right trees is crucial. Scientists advise a mixture of tree species naturally found in the local area, including some rare species and trees of economic importance, but avoiding trees that might become invasive.\n\nMake sure the trees are resilient to adapt to a changing climate\n\nUse tree seeds that are suitable for the local climate and how that might change in the future.\n\nPlan how to source seeds or trees, working with local people.\n\nCombine scientific knowledge with local knowledge. Ideally, small-scale trials should take place before planting large numbers of trees.\n\nThe sustainability of tree re-planting rests on a source of income for all stakeholders, including the poorest.\n• None Will millions more trees really stop climate change?", "Clare Ferguson-Walker says she has struggled with home-schooling her two children\n\nAs kitchen tables are turned back into classrooms across Wales, parents admit they are struggling with the return to home-schooling.\n\nFor Clare Ferguson-Walker from Tavernspite, Pembrokeshire, the experience has been a \"nightmare\".\n\nShe said trying to educate her two children alongside work has resulted in her relying on universal credit.\n\nGetting to grips with home-schooling in the first lockdown was \"a shock to the system\".\n\n\"My heart goes out to teachers, I can't imagine what it was like for them putting together all these packages,\" she said.\n\n\"My son is 12 and loves gaming so he's quite tech-savvy. When I have managed to pin him down he's been 'go away, dinosaur mother, I know how to do it!'\n\n\"I'm not au fait with these subjects I haven't done for years. It's different to how I learned at school.\"\n\nAs a single parent, Clare said she had found it difficult to juggle home-schooling with her work.\n\n\"At first, in the summer, we were doing Joe Wicks exercises every day then some work. Then it fell into chaos. I tried really hard at the beginning to be organised.\n\n\"I'm an artist and sculptor - that work ended and my income has dried up so I'm on universal credit.\n\n\"It's incredibly tough financially. Life has revolved around looking after the kids,\" she said.\n\nBy the end of the year, she said the pressure had all become too much.\n\n\"The thought of going through that again in the winter months - without sunny days in the garden - the stress really got to me.\n\n\"I was finding myself going repeatedly from the kettle to the fridge and back again in this weird loop, thinking what do I do now?\n\n\"It was like being a caged animal, like one of those bears that starts to pace in a cage. The kids had gone feral by then.\n\n\"I think it's been horrendous for young people and families - we can't even rely on grandparents. Mental health struggles are at an all-time high,\" she said.\n\n\"The one positive is I've got to know my kids a hell of a lot more and there have been times that have been lovely.\n\n\"I think they've learned more sat around the kitchen table when we've been talking about what's going on, they've learned about rational thinking, the importance of science and not jumping to conclusions.\n\nJayne Palmer advises not sitting down at a desk\n\nJayne Palmer from Cardiff, who home-educated both her sons, said there was too much pressure on parents to replicate traditional classroom learning.\n\n\"This is not an ideal circumstance for home-education families either because they are not used to being locked indoors.\n\n\"I think there's far too much emphasis in continuing the set curriculum. Right now it's a complete waste of time. There's pressure to compete in a system parents weren't even involved in.\n\nIt is far more important to \"create and interest in learning,\" she said.\n\n\"There's been a tendency of families to rush to buy desks and chairs and pens. What we find is the best way forward is not to sit down and teach your children - watch documentaries with them, play online games with historical content, practise reading to them, do some cooking, Lego or gardening.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSome travellers coming to England will have to quarantine in hotels amid concerns about new Covid variants, the government is expected to announce.\n\nBoris Johnson will discuss proposals with ministers later, but a decision may not be announced until Wednesday.\n\nMost foreign nationals from high-risk countries are already denied UK entry, so the new rules will mainly affect returning UK citizens and residents.\n\nQuarantine rules are set by each of the UK nations but tend to be similar.\n\nThe requirement to isolate in a hotel for 10 days will apply to arrivals from most of southern Africa and South America, as well as Portugal, because many flights from Brazil come via Lisbon, according to BBC Newsnight's political editor Nicholas Watt.\n\nHe said there had been \"no definitive decision yet\" on arrivals from other parts of the world and this was \"still a live issue\".\n\nWhitehall sources said those quarantining in hotels would have to pay for the costs of their own accommodation.\n\nThe prime minister will later chair a meeting of the Covid operations committee, attended by senior ministers, to discuss the options.\n\nMeanwhile, more than 100,000 people have died with Covid-19 in the UK, after 1,631 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were recorded in the daily figures.\n\nAt the moment, almost all arrivals to the UK need to have tested negative for Covid-19 within the 72 hours before they set off to be allowed entry. Then they still have to quarantine for up to 10 days, although this can be done at home.\n\nIn England, this self-isolation period can be cut short with a second negative test after five days.\n\nQuarantine rules are set separately in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but have only tended to differ slightly, and there has been a \"four nations\" approach to discussions around hotel quarantine, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.\n\nBut deputy first minister John Swinney said his government would \"go at least as far\" as any Westminster policy, adding: \"If these UK restrictions are at a minimal level, we will look at other controls we can announce - including additional supervised quarantine measures - that can further protect us from importation of the virus.\"\n\nHotel quarantine is already in use in countries including New Zealand and Australia.\n\nJessica Gold (centre), her son William Copsey (left), and her mother, Rossana Gold, are trying to get home to the UK from South Africa\n\nJessica Gold, from London, has been trying to get home from South Africa with her mother, 77, and son, 13, since 1 January - but their flights have been cancelled three times.\n\nShe says the idea of having to quarantine in a hotel when she eventually manages to get home is \"absolutely absurd\".\n\n\"Now we are booked to return on 16 Feb, and there is no way we can or will stay in a hotel to quarantine when I have my own place and we can quarantine there, as we have done in the past,\" says Jessica, who flew out to her safari lodge in Greater Kruger National Park, on business, at the end of November.\n\nJessica, 42, wants the government to get tougher on enforcing travellers' home quarantines, rather than bringing in the hotel rule which she says is \"ridiculous and an extra unnecessary expense during these very tough times\".\n\nJessica adds that she's looking into other ways of getting home earlier, before any potential new rules kick in.\n\nShadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds told MPs on Tuesday that bringing in hotel quarantine plans for arrivals from a small number of countries would leave \"gaping holes\" in the UK's defences against any new, unknown variants of coronavirus coming from across the globe.\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel said all current travel measures were being kept under review and the government \"will not hesitate to take further action\" to combat variants, especially as they could effect the efficacy of Covid vaccines.\n\nTravel writer Simon Calder told BBC Breakfast it was \"going to be tricky\" to identify people arriving from the high-risk countries, as travellers could go to a third country before coming to the UK.\n\nHe said British citizens in Portugal, for example, could travel to Madrid in order to fly back to the UK.\n\nPassengers in Australian quarantine hotels have all meals delivered to their room\n\nIn Australia, travellers are allocated a hotel room on arrival and taken there by bus. Often, entire flights are accommodated in the same hotel.\n\nThe New South Wales government promises to make \"every attempt\" to find suitable accommodation for travellers and families. But availability of rooms means there are severe limits on the number of people who can arrive in the country on any given day.\n\nThe hotel quarantine lasts a minimum of 14 days up to 24 days, providing a person tests negative twice.\n\nThe passenger must cover the cost of quarantine - at about £2,800 for a family of two adults and two children.\n\nFees are waived for those who can prove they are unable to pay, and there are certain exemptions.\n\nBut not following the rules is a criminal offence, and in New South Wales carries fines of around £6,000 for individuals, six months in prison, or both - with an extra fine for each day the offence continues.\n\nHotel quarantine is among the measures credited with limiting cases of coronavirus in Australia - which has a population of around 25 million - to just 28,777 positive cases during the entire pandemic, a smaller number of cases than is currently being recorded in the UK every day.\n\nBut international arrivals to Australia have fallen dramatically since its hotel quarantine policy was introduced in March 2020.\n\nBetween July and October 2020, just 72,111 people arrived in Australia to live, work or visit - compared with 7.5 million people in the same period in 2019, according to Australian government figures.\n\nRob Paterson, chief executive of Best Western Hotels, said his hotels would be well-prepared for the expected new policy.\n\nSome already have Covid infection controls in place, he said, as they have been used to host \"step-down\" patients who complete their recovery in hotels to free up hospital beds.\n\nMr Paterson told BBC Breakfast quarantining customers would like to see reduced prices, a contact arrival process, CCTV and security to stop people leaving and meals delivered three times a day outside the door - along with clean linen and towels.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: “That idea of looking at hotels is certainly one thing we are actively now working on.”\n\nJoss Croft, chief executive of UKinbound, which represents the tourism sector, said he hoped hotel quarantine rules would cover as few countries as possible and told the BBC's Newsnight the industry had been \"decimated\".\n\nIn a joint statement, the Airport Operators Association and Airlines UK said the country already had \"some of the highest levels of restrictions in the world\" and tougher rules would be \"catastrophic\".", "President Joe Biden has said that the US might be able to boost its daily vaccination roll-out targets after criticising the Trump administration’s record.\n\nBiden, who has described the previous vaccine programme as a \"dismal failure\", has committed to getting 100 million vaccine doses done in his first 100 days and has since said: \"I think we may be able to get that to 1.5 million a day, rather than one million a day.\"\n\nIs he right about the vaccine roll-out under the Trump administration?\n\nAs of 20 January, when Biden became US president, about 16.5 million vaccines had been administered.\n\nThat is some way off the Trump administration's target of vaccinating 20 million people by the end of 2020. In fact, fewer than three million people had received a jab by 31 December.\n\nVaccinations have sped up since the start of the year.\n\nThe daily average for the week before Trump left office was less than 900,000, according to Our World in Data .\n\nThat figure has since risen above one million doses a day, and Biden has come under some scrutiny for not setting a more ambitious target.\n\nWhen you look at the countries doing the most vaccinations by population, the US is fourth after Israel, the UAE and the UK in terms of doses per 100 people.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Drone footage captures the extent of the damage the bridge over the River Clwyd\n\nFinancial help has been promised to those affected by serious flooding, the Welsh Government has announced.\n\nPeople have been forced to leave their homes and a major incident declared after Storm Christoph struck.\n\nAbout 80 people were evacuated during flooding thought to be related to mine works in Skewen, Neath, while 30 were evacuated in Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it would work with councils to deliver £500-£1,000 payments to affected households.\n\nEnvironment minister, Lesley Griffiths, said people across Wales were facing the \"twin problems\" of floods and the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nShe said: \"We will support people in these circumstances just as we did in the aftermath of storms Ciara and Dennis last year, by working with local authorities to make support payments of between £500 and £1,000 available for each household flooded.\"\n\nSevere flood warnings remain in place across Wales as river levels remain high.\n\nIn the Lower Dee Valley a severe flood warning remains in force, from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadow, and a major incident was declared in Bangor-on-Dee.\n\nWrexham council leader Mark Pritchard said teams worked to ensure the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, made on Wrexham Industrial Estate, was not lost in the floods.\n\nFirefighters in Skewen waded through water up to their thighs amidst reports of evacuated homes\n\nAbout 80 people were evacuated in Skewen, including residents of a care home, after at least eight streets were left under water.\n\nEmergency services said there were no injuries and all those evacuated had been found accommodation, but people are asked to avoid the area.\n\nIn Denbighshire, a bridge linking Trefnant to Tremeirchion over the River Clwyd collapsed in the storm. The council said it would be investigating the cause of the flooding, which forced road closures and evacuations.\n\nNatural Resources Wales (NRW) said the River Dee, which runs through Bangor-on-Dee, was at its highest recorded level since the water gauge became operational in 1996 - 16.45m (54ft).\n\nIt urged people across Wales to remain vigilant, with river levels not set to have peaked until late Thursday evening, adding they would remain high until Friday morning.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe Met Office said over the past two days Wales had the highest rainfall of the four UK nations.\n\nBetween 19 and 21 January, Aberllefenni in Gwynedd saw 188mm (7.5in) of rain, more than average rainfall for Wales for the whole of January, which is 156.89mm (63in).\n\nThat was followed by 180mm (7in) in Crai reservoir, Powys, 169.8mm (6.6in) in Treherbert, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and 166mm (6.5in) in both Maerdy, RCT, and Capel Curig, Conwy.\n\nLlechryd bridge in Ceredigion has been completely submerged by the River Teifi\n\nUp to 30 people were forced out of their homes in Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham\n\nNatural Resources Wales said the River Dee was at its highest level since the water gauge became operational\n\nThe flooding threatened the supply of the coronavirus Oxford vaccine, which is produced at Wrexham Industrial Estate.\n\nWrexham council leader Mr Pritchard said it had to work to \"make sure we didn't lose the vaccinations in the floods\".\n\n\"I've been up all night... it's a very difficult time for us,\" he added.\n\nNorth East Wales Search and Rescue helped people whose homes were flooded in New Broughton, Wrexham\n\nWockhardt UK, which manufactures the vaccine, said at about 16:00 GMT on Wednesday, excess water surrounded part of its buildings.\n\n\"The site is now secure and free from any further flood damage and operating as normal,\" it said.\n\nThe clean-up has begun in Ruthin\n\nA multi-agency statement described the situation in Bangor-on-Dee as a \"major incident\".\n\nIt said: \"As a severe weather warning indicates that there is a risk to life...\n\n\"The evacuation effort continues, with all routes in and out of the village currently closed to the public due to the flooding.\"\n\nEarlier, some residents in Ruthin were told to leave their homes - people have been told Covid rules allow them leave their homes in an emergency.\n\nMeanwhile, a man's body was recovered from the River Taff near Blackweir in Cardiff.\n\nDozens of ducks and chickens, and 12 huskies were rescued by the RSPCA from a flooded farm in Bangor, while they also took hay to two donkeys stranded by flood water in Mold.\n\nSome 12 huskies had to be rescued after their kennels flooded\n\nDave Brown said the flooding in his home in Broughton, Flintshire, was horrific and his mother-in-law was rescued by firefighters.\n\n\"You don't realise the damage water does and everything that floats - the sheer volume of water. I am 6ft tall and it almost took me out,\" he said.\n\nDave Brown's mother-in-law was rescued from their home in Broughton, Flintshire\n\nWrexham council said some of the people forced to leave their homes were with relatives, while it found others accommodation after having to initially seek refuge in a church hall.\n\nNine properties in Berse Road in New Broughton were also evacuated.\n\nThe situation in Ruthin, Denbighshire, overnight was \"horrendous\", town councillor Stephen Beach said.\n\n\"The whole of Ruthin was on edge,\" he said.\n\n\"Some people were accommodated at the leisure centre, and others were offered places to stay by local residents. The community was superb.\n\n\"It was the sheer volume of water that came down - there was no stopping it.\"\n\nA yellow weather warning for ice for Wales has been issued by the Met Office until 10:00 GMT on Friday, with concerns it could lead to travel disruption, slips and falls.\n\nNumerous flood warnings and alerts remain in place across Wales, including two severe flood warnings.\n\nThe agency said flood defences were being used and river levels at Holt, Wrexham, would remain high for some time.\"There is therefore a significant risk of localised flooding problems and due to that the severe flood warning will remain in place until the levels drop,\" Keith Iven of NRW said\n\nIn Monmouthshire roads were closed following flooding, and the council said while water levels at the River Usk were dropping, a \"second peak\" on the River Wye had been expected on Thursday night.\n\nThe council had warned people living in Riverside Park, Monmouth, may be impacted and council workers were prepared to offer support.\n\nRiver Tywi has burst its banks in Carmarthen, affecting nearby businesses\n\nMid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it had attended 98 flooding-related incidents\n\nIt said it deployed swift water rescue teams to rescue 13 people from vehicles in floodwater. It also winched vehicles from water and pumped water from properties.\n\nIn Cardiff, emergency services attended a crash involving a number of vehicles at about 07:40 on the A4232 between Culverhouse Cross and the M4.\n\nNo-one was seriously injured, but both carriageways were closed for just over an hour. The road has since reopened.\n\nIn Carmarthen, people were treated for the effects of fumes after using a generator to pump water from their homes.\n\nIn Knighton and Crickhowell in Powys, crews spent Wednesday night pumping out a number of properties.\n\nIn Borth, Ceredigion, floodwater hit the water treatment plant, an electrical substation and eight properties.\n\nOgwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team had to rescue a man from the roof of his car.\n\nIt said he had tried to drive through the river ford along the road from Llandygai to Bangor, in Gwynedd, but had become stuck in deep water and had climbed onto the roof. He was not injured.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Derek Brockway - weatherman This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nRhondda Cynon Taf council said it was aware of a minor landslip on the mountainside above Pentre.\n\nIt said an initial inspection determined there was no immediate threat to the area and a further detailed inspection would be carried out on Friday. It asked people to avoid the area.\n\nBangor-on-Dee has been badly hit by Storm Cristoph\n\nDozens of roads have been closed across Wales, and while Covid rules are in place stopping people from travelling apart from for essential reasons, people are being warned not to travel in affected areas due to widespread flooding.\n\nChris Lloyd from North Wales Mountain Rescue Association warned people to not visit flood-hit areas to view the damage.\n\nHe told BBC Radio Wales: \"People who are going out to look at the floods are not only putting themselves at risk, but putting additional people on the roads which professional emergency services don't want - we don't want any more incidents.\"\n\nDenbighshire council said Ysgol Bodfari in Denbigh and Ysgol Caer Drewyn, Corwen, which had been open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers, have been closed.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Health Secretary Matt Hancock says lifting restrictions can only happen when \"facts on the ground\" show it is safe\n\nIt is \"difficult to put a timeline\" on when England's lockdown could be lifted, Matt Hancock has said.\n\nThe health secretary said there were \"early signs\" the measures were working but it was \"not a moment to ease up\".\n\nHe said there were 37,000 people in hospital with coronavirus in the UK and \"more people on ventilators than at any time in this whole pandemic\".\n\n\"The pressure on the NHS remains huge and we've got to get that case rate down,\" he said.\n\nThe number of coronavirus cases in the UK has been falling, but the number of people in hospital remains high, as does the UK's daily death numbers.\n\nA further 592 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test and another 22,195 cases have been recorded, according to Monday's government figures.\n\nThe are 4,076 people in hospital on ventilators.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons.\n\nThis includes for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nAt Monday's Downing Street press briefing, Mr Hancock said: \"I understand the yearning people have to get out of this.\n\n\"The thing is that we have to look at the facts on the ground and we have to monitor those facts.\n\n\"And of course, everybody wants to have a timeline for that, but I think most people understand why it is difficult to put a timeline on it because it's a matter of monitoring the data.\"\n\nHe set out the factors the government would take into account when reaching decisions over lifting the restrictions, including: the death rate, the number of people in hospital, whether there were new coronavirus variants and the success of the vaccine rollout.\n\nAlmost four in five of the UK's over-80s have had the vaccine, Mr Hancock said, with nearly 6.6m people in total having had their first dose.\n\nThe falling numbers of infections being reported and the rising rate of vaccination are incredibly promising - even if the drop in infections reported on Monday may have been partly an artefact of fewer people coming forward for a test because of the snow.\n\nBut that does not offer any guarantees of a rapid lifting of lockdown.\n\nWhat is concerning ministers are the high numbers in hospital.\n\nThe number of new admissions seems to have plateaued - but at a very high rate.\n\nClose to 4,000 patients a day are being admitted to hospital.\n\nTo put that in context, that is four times the total number of all types of respiratory admissions the NHS would normally see in winter.\n\nIt means the numbers in hospital are at nearly twice the level they were at the peak in the spring during the first wave.\n\nWith better treatments available, patients are spending longer in hospital.\n\nSo come mid-February the pressures in hospital are likely to be very high, leaving ministers little wriggle-room to relax restrictions.\n\nThe big unknown, however, is what impact and how quickly vaccination will have an effect on admissions.\n\nThere is encouraging early news from Israel that hospitalisation really starts to drop three weeks after the first dose.\n\nIf that is repeated here, the picture could quickly change.\n\nBut until that happens the government - in the words of Health Secretary Matt Hancock - is urging the country to hold its nerve.\n\nSpeaking at the Downing Street press conference, Jenny Harries, deputy chief medical officer for England, warned: \"We are not out of this by a very long way.\"\n\nShe said current coronavirus rates were still causing concern, patience was needed about the vaccination programme and the NHS still faced its usual winter pressures.\n\nSusan Hopkins, from Public Health England, said the UK need to see the death rate \"fall much lower\" before any decision to ease measures.\n\nShe said teams were currently studying the impact on the UK's vaccine programme of the variant first identified in South Africa.\n\nBut she added the \"consensus view\" from four UK laboratories suggested that \"the current vaccine works against the variant that was first discovered in the UK\".", "A group of MPs is calling for hedgehog nesting sites to get the same protections as those for bats and badgers, in an effort to boost numbers.\n\nFormer Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has tabled an amendment to the Environment Bill, which he said would help \"Britain's favourite animal\".\n\nThe spiky mammals should be on developers' \"radar\" when they are planning a project, he added.\n\nA report in 2018 suggested UK hedgehog numbers had halved since 2000.\n\nRough estimates put the population at one million, compared with 30 million during the 1950s.\n\nMr Grayling's amendment would add hedgehogs the list of protected animals under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.\n\nThis would place a legal obligation on developers to search for the animals and take action to reduce the risk to them from building.\n\nChris Grayling said hedgehogs should feature on property developers' surveys\n\nIt is illegal to kill or capture hedgehogs using certain methods but Mr Grayling said: \"It seems wrong to me, for example, that whenever a developer has to carry out a wildlife survey before starting work on a project that the hedgehog is not on anyone's radar.\n\n\"It is Britain's favourite animal, its numbers are declining and it should be as well protected as any other popular but threatened British animal.\"\n\nFormer cabinet ministers Liam Fox, Andrew Mitchell and Dame Cheryl Gillan are among 13 fellow Conservative MPs supporting Mr Grayling's amendment.\n\nLabour's Hilary Benn and Debbie Abrahams have also signed it.\n\nThe Environment Bill - which seeks to write environmental principles into UK law for the first time - will be debated in the House of Commons on Tuesday.\n\nIt includes setting legally binding targets to improve air quality, water, biodiversity and waste reduction by 2037.\n\nBut some Conservative backbenchers say this is much too slow. They want the targets brought forward to 2030 at the latest.\n\nAn amendment from the Conservative MP, Chris Loder, calls for unmissable targets to reduce plastics waste.\n\nIt comes as a report from Greenpeace and the Environmental Investigation Agency claims that the UK's 10 largest supermarket chains put plastic equivalent to the weight of 90 Eiffel Towers on to the market in 2019.\n\nThe study found that while the number of single-use carrier bags fell by more than a third, more than one and a half billion plastic \"bags for life\" were issued by the top brands, and that 2.5 billion plastic water bottles were sold or given away.\n\nThe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the bill would help \"improve the environment for future generations\".\n\nIt added that ministers were \"ambitious\" to \"drive a world-leading programme of environmental reform\".\n\nFor Labour, shadow environment secretary Luke Pollard said the bill should be prioritised to complete its passage in this session of Parliament.\n\nHe added that the UK needed legislation that \"recognises the urgency of the crisis and doesn't go backwards\".", "Budweiser has said it will not advertise its beer during the Super Bowl this year, joining a growing number of big brands sitting out the annual American football championship.\n\nThe event remains one of the most-watched in the US each year, drawing more than 100 million viewers in 2020.\n\nThe advertisements are often as much a conversation-starter as the game itself, sometimes sparking controversy.\n\nFirms say the virus has made finding the right message especially difficult.\n\nOthers are grappling with financial hits caused by the pandemic, which has dampened spending on many items, while also casting more than 10 million Americans out of work, resurfacing racial and economic inequalities and sharpening political divisions.\n\nBudweiser's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, said it planned to reallocate the money it would have spent on a 30-second Budweiser spot during the game to support an Ad Council campaign promoting coronavirus vaccination.\n\nIt is the first time the flagship brand will not make a game-time appearance in 37 years.\n\n\"This commitment is an investment in a future where we can all get back together safely over a beer\", it said, adding that it would still promote some of its other brands, such as Bud Light, during the game.\n\nOn Monday, Budweiser released a full 90-second Super Bowl ad on YouTube entitled \"Bigger Picture\", which showed US citizens overcoming pandemic challenges together and aimed to raise awareness about Covid-19 vaccines.\n\nCoke, Pepsi and Hyundai are among the other major names also planning to forego airtime during the broadcast.\n\nCoca-Cola said it had made the \"difficult choice\" to \"ensure we are investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times\". The firm did not advertise during the 2019 game either.\n\nHyundai cited \"marketing priorities\" and the timing of upcoming vehicle launches.\n\nPepsi has also said it would not promote its flagship soda during the game. Instead, it is spending money on an advert airing to promote the Super Bowl halftime show it has sponsored for almost a decade.\n\nThe Super Bowl boasts some of the most expensive advertising slots all year\n\nGiven all the economic, political and health questions of 2020, companies may have felt it was prudent to pull back - especially several months ago, when they would have had to start planning for such a high-profile night, said Kimberly Whitler, professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business\n\n\"It's the biggest night of TV watching and so they have to plan it months in advance,\" she said. \"There was so much uncertainty that to go and invest in a Super Bowl ad might have actually felt or seemed frivolous at the time.\"\n\nThe decision goes \"beyond finances\", she added. \"It's also, 'How do we identify the right tone that will match the moment'.\"\n\nThis year's Super Bowl will see star quarterback Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against reigning champions the Kansas City Chiefs on 7 February.\n\nLast year, firms spent an average of $5.25m (£3.8m) for a 30-second spot during the championship, driving Super Bowl ad spending to a record $450m, according to Kantar consultancy.\n\nThe firm has said its research suggests Super Bowl ads are \"typically 20 times more effective\" in changing a brand's perception than a normal advert.\n\nAnheuser-Busch, an official sponsor of the National Football League, is typically one of the night's top spenders, so the absence of its flagship brand may create its own buzz, said Satya Menon, a Chicago-based managing partner of of ROI practice at Kantar.\n\nChipotle's very first Super Bowl commercial is entitled, \"Can a burrito change the world?\"\n\n\"Budweiser in particular is a very established brand ... so for them, it's all about generating love and goodwill and maybe this is another way,\" she says.\n\n\"They do have a lot of pre-game advertising out there. When people have the expectation that they wil be there and then they don't see the brand, they'll start thinking why are they not.\"\n\nMeanwhile, the sports showdown still seems to be finding plenty of firms ready to fill spots left by the stalwarts. Names of newcomers include Chipotle and Fiverr, a freelance platform that has seen business soar during the pandemic.\n\n\"It doesn't get any bigger than the Super Bowl from a branding and marketing perspective,\" said Fiverr's chief marketing officer Gali Arnon. \"We believe this is a major opportunity for us to introduce the world to Fiverr in a unique and creative way.\"\n\nMany of this year's advertisers are firms coming from the e-commerce sector, which have benefited from the pandemic, Ms Menon said.\n\nAnd though audience numbers for NFL games have slipped this year, for those firms making their game-night debuts, Ms Menon says she still expects ads to have a big impact - even if the pandemic puts a damper on the traditional Super Bowl parties and other festivities, which can make championship feel like an unofficial national holiday.\n\n\"There isn't very much going on in life, so it will always have that great reach,\" she says. \"Some of that excitement may not be there, but watching will definitely be there.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson says teachers and pupils will be told “as much as we can, as soon as we can” about reopening schools\n\nThe government will tell teachers and parents when schools in England can reopen \"as soon as we can\", the prime minister has said.\n\nMPs have called on the government to set out a \"route map\" for reopening amid concerns for children's education.\n\nBoris Johnson said he understood why people wanted a timetable but he did not want to lift restrictions while the infection rate was \"still very high\".\n\nHe would not guarantee schools would reopen before April's Easter break.\n\nMr Johnson said: \"We've now got the R [reproduction rate] down below 1 across the whole of the country, that's a great achievement, we don't want to see a huge surge of infection just when we've got the vaccination programme going so well and people working so hard.\n\n\"I understand why people want to get a timetable from me today, what I can tell you is we'll tell you, tell parents, tell teachers as much as we can as soon as we can.\"\n\nHe said the government would be \"looking at the potential of relaxing some measures\" before mid-February, with Downing Street clarifying that this meant looking at the data to decide \"what we may or may not be able to ease from 15 February onwards\".\n\nA further 592 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test and another 22,195 cases have been recorded, according to Monday's government figures.\n\nAt Monday's Downing Street press briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said almost four in five of the UK's over-80s have had the vaccine, with nearly 6.6m people in total having had their first dose.\n\nBut he said the NHS continues to be under \"intense pressure\", with Jenny Harries, deputy chief medical officer for England, saying there are \"twice the number of people in hospital than we had in the first wave\" of the pandemic.\n\nRobert Halfon, chairman of the education select committee, told BBC Breakfast there was \"enormous uncertainty\" and called for the government to set out what the conditions needed to be for pupils to return to schools.\n\nThe Conservative MP for Harlow suggested the government could consider tighter restrictions in other parts of society and the economy, in order to enable schools to open.\n\nTory MPs were enraged by reports over the weekend that schools might not re-open fully until after the Easter holidays.\n\nMinisters say it's the progress of the pandemic that will determine their decision rather than a pre-agreed timetable.\n\nYet whenever the government speaks, parents hear dates. Whether it's that the situation will be reviewed at half-term. Or a pledge to give two weeks' notice when classes will come back.\n\nMPs are now pushing for more transparency from the government about how they'll assess the data, and for some ideas between school being mostly closed or totally open.\n\nThis issue is a perfect metaphor for the situation facing the entire country. Too much hope breeds disappointment, but living with uncertainty is just as hard. And you can come up with a plan but it might have to be junked if the virus has other ideas.\n\nChildren's Commissioner for England Anne Longfield joined the call for clarity and told the BBC: \"Children are more withdrawn, they are really suffering in terms of isolation, their confidence levels are falling, and for some there are serious issues.\"\n\nEducation Secretary Gavin Williamson said the government wanted to \"see all children back at the very earliest moment\".\n\nSchools in England have been closed to most pupils since the national lockdown began on 5 January due to high levels of Covid transmission in the community.\n\nThere have been calls for teachers to be vaccinated sooner, although it is not clear if that would allow schools to reopen earlier.\n\nThe majority of pupils in England are learning from home with schools only open to the children of key workers, vulnerable children and those who cannot learn at home\n\nCovid death rates among educational professionals are not \"statistically significantly different\" to those in the general population, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, but secondary school teachers appeared to have an elevated risk compared particularly with people working in office-type jobs.\n\nAmong secondary school teachers Covid death rates were 39.2 deaths per 100,000 males, compared with 31.4 for all males aged 20 to 64, and 21.2 per 100,000 females, compared with 16.8, but the ONS said these were \"not statistically significantly different than those of the same age and sex in the wider population\".\n\nSchools will remain closed in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales until at least the February half-term - with the Welsh first minister saying it is \"unlikely\" all pupils will return after the break.\n\nGemma Cocker with her children Charlie and Lyla\n\nGemma Cocker from Brighton is one of the many parents struggling to balance childcare, home learning and work.\n\nShe says she's having to share her work laptop with her son, who has already missed learning time after the family moved home and did not have internet access. \"We didn't have any internet. The school said they had reached their limit so couldn't take him,\" she says.\n\nAnd because her children are young, she says: \"They're never just going to watch a classroom by themselves, you have to be with them the whole time.\"\n\nKitty Jones, 11, is in her last year of primary school and she says home learning is \"tricky\" because she is not used to using different remote platforms like Google Classroom and she wants to return \"as soon as possible\".\n\n\"I still think that I'm learning a bit, but I don't think I'm learning as much as I would be in person,\" she tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.\n\nHolly Agbukor, 18, is studying for her A-levels, says it is \"quite stressful\" learning at home, as it is a \"different environment, so it is not as easy to be fully present in the lessons\".\n\nBut, she says, while is it \"difficult\" working at home, \"I don't think it is worth the cost of reintroducing the virus into society and making things worse overall\".\n\nHow has home-schooling been going for your family? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning. We'll have another update for you this evening.\n\nRules for people entering the UK could get tighter later - with the government expected to enforce hotel quarantine in England for some arrivals. Currently, people arriving in the UK must test negative before setting off, and then self-isolate for 10 days on arrival. This can be reduced to five days in England after a second negative test. But it's feared that not everyone follows the rules - so people could now be told to stay in hotels, where the isolation will be enforced. It's thought the rules will definitely apply to UK citizens and residents arriving from southern African, South America, and Portugal (foreign nationals are already banned from arriving from those \"high risk\" areas). The rules could also apply to other countries. And it's expected that people will have to pay their own way. Although each part of the UK sets its own travel rules, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said a \"four nations\" approach is being discussed. Here's a glimpse from last year of hotel quarantine in Australia.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe UK's unemployment rate rose to 5% in the three months to November, up from 4.9%, as the pandemic continued to hit the jobs market. In November, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said unemployment could peak at 2.6 million by the middle of this year - that's 7.5% of the working population.\n\nThe EU has been criticised for a slow vaccine rollout - which is partly down to delays from manufacturers Pfizer and AstraZeneca (although the latter's jab hasn't actually been approved in the EU yet). Now the EU says vaccine makers must provide \"early notification\" when they want to export vaccines outside the bloc. This could mean more doses stay inside the EU. The UK minister responsible for vaccine deployment, Nadhim Zahawi, has said he is confident Pfizer - which manufactures its vaccine in Belgium - will deliver for both the UK and the EU. This tweet is from the EU's health commissioner.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stella Kyriakides This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nRiot police in the Netherlands have again clashed with people defying a curfew, following a weekend of unrest. More than 150 were arrested. In Rotterdam, police fired warning shots and tear gas, after an emergency order failed to move demonstrators.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dutch police described the rioting as the worst unrest in four decades\n\nDespite Covid and the strains on the system, there is still kindness - and new life - in NHS hospitals. The BBC's Hugh Pym went to Kings Mill Hospital, part of Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, to meet the patients and staff.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: ‘Among all the doom and gloom there’s positives’\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page. This page analyses UK data - including the recent fall in daily cases.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "The school's head teacher said it was unacceptable staff were being put at risk\n\nA school has threatened to withdraw places for pupils who have told teachers they are visiting people outside their households.\n\nYew Tree Community School in Oldham said several children had admitted visiting friends, neighbours and family contrary to Covid-19 lockdown rules.\n\nHead teacher Martine Buckley said she would take the action when \"parents were putting staff in danger\".\n\nThe Department for Education said \"all vulnerable\" pupils should go to school.\n\nDuring the current lockdown schools are open only to pupils listed as vulnerable and the children of key workers.\n\nFamilies can form \"childcare bubbles\" with one other household, and children who live with two parents who live separately can move between households - but any further mixing is forbidden.\n\nIn a letter posted on the Chadderton school's Facebook page, Mrs Buckley said she was \"upset\" to be writing it \"but I feel I must\".\n\n\"Our lovely children are open and honest and they tell us about their lives and activities,\" she said.\n\n\"A number of them are telling us that they are visiting friends, neighbours and family which is against the law.\n\n\"Our teachers and support staff are putting their own safety at risk to look after your children and they should be confident you are doing your bit to follow the lockdown rules.\n\n\"I am afraid I will have to withdraw the offer of a place in school to children whose parents are putting us in danger.\"\n\nWhile a number of parents applauded the message, others have been angered.\n\nOne man told the BBC his two grandchildren were at the school and children as young as four have been asked about their activities at home, which was \"out of order\".\n\n\"My granddaughters are pretty intimidated by the tone,\" he said.\n\n\"Asking them questions like that and then the answers off the back of that. They come to a decision of whether they are going to displace them or not.\"\n\nThe school has about 660 pupils aged between four and 11.\n\nA spokeswoman for the Department for Education said during the current lockdown, schools were \"open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers\".\n\n\"We expect schools to work with families to ensure all critical worker children are given access to a place if this is required,\" she added.\n\n\"We encourage all vulnerable children to attend.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "Microsoft has reported booming demand for its Xbox gaming consoles as the pandemic continues to lift the fortunes of the American tech giant.\n\nIts Azure cloud computing services also got a boost due to a surge in working and learning from home.\n\nThe gains helped push the firm's overall revenue up 17% to a record $43.1bn (£31.4bn).\n\nBut its growth came as the virus continues to weigh on other industries.\n\nMicrosoft boss Satya Nadella said the firm is benefiting from a long-term shift in behaviour.\n\n\"What we have witnessed over the past year is the dawn of a second wave of digital transformation sweeping every company and every industry,\" he said.\n\nXbox sales jumped 40% in the three months to 31 December while Azure services soared 50%.\n\nThe virus continues to weigh on industries outside of tech\n\nThe pandemic has prompted many firms to switch to remote working, while keeping many entertainment options outside of the home off-limits.\n\nMicrosoft has seized on the changes, focusing energy on updating its remote work software options.\n\nThe firm also released two new Xbox consoles in November, helping to boost the performance of its personal computing unit.\n\nMicrosoft's gaming business topped $5bn in quarterly sales for the first time ever due to gaming subscriptions and sales as well as new consoles.\n\nThe firm said profits in the quarter rose 33% compared with last year to $15.5bn.\n\nIts shares - which climbed roughly 40% last year - were up another 4% in after-hours trade,\n\n\"These were blow out numbers that will be another feather in the cap for the tech sector as the cloud growth party is just getting started,\" said Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.\n\nBut the gains enjoyed by tech firms like Microsoft stand in contrast to the ongoing struggles seen in other industries such as hospitality, retail and travel.\n\nCoffee chain Starbucks on Tuesday said its sales in the last three months of 2020 fell roughly 5% compared to 2019, driven by a drop in business in the US where concerns about Covid-19 have prompted authorities to urge people to stay at home.\n\nIn China, where the virus is under more control, sales rose 5%, the company said.\n\nThe firm said it expected business to return to growth in the next few months, including in the critical US market.\n\nBut profits in the quarter dropped 30% to $622.2m compared with last year, sending the firm's shares lower in after-hours trade.", "The water is warmer than the air and is creating a mist along Dynevor Road\n\nThe coalmining heritage of Wales has been implicated in flooding of homes - but what has happened in Skewen?\n\nAbout 80 people were evacuated from the Neath Port Talbot village, with at least eight streets left under water.\n\nCouncil leader Rob Jones says the flood appears to be related to mine works - but the volume of water involved has hampered a full assessment so far.\n\nThe Coal Authority is investigating how \"historic underground mining features\" in the area exacerbated the problem.\n\nA geologist says there are tens of thousands of old mine shafts across the former south Wales coalfield and it is \"incredibly difficult\" to monitor them all.\n\nSkewen lies within an old coal mining hotspot, with several former colliery sites near the village that operated in the 19th and early 20th Century.\n\nThere were colliery sites near what is now Drummau Road, in the north of the village and another close to Old Road, near Neath Abbey.\n\nSkewen was part of a collection of collieries that stretched between Neath and Llanelli on the western side of south Wales' coalfield.\n\nGraham Levins, secretary of the Welsh Mines Preservation Trust, said old mines often contain groundwater which can flood in heavy rain.\n\nHe said: \"A lot of them go very, very deep down, much below the local water level and that's why they had all the big wheels to pump the water out.\n\n\"It fills up with water and will find a way out. Normally rainfall you get it doesn't cause a lot of problems but when you get really heavy rain, the water drains down through the ground and builds up.\"\n\nStreets were turned into rivers in Skewen\n\nGeologist Tom Backhouse said water was coming out of an area near the junction of Goshen Park and Drummau Road, where there is a record of a mine shaft dating from the turn of the 20th Century.\n\nIt then started \"rushing down\" Drummau Road, causing the flooding that forced evacuations.\n\n\"What we can expect to have happened is that the water level in the mines rose to a point where it's burst out of that entry point from the mine workings below.\n\n\"Also, there are images of very ochre like orange-coloured water and again, that may well be issuing from the mine workings on the highlands to the east of the property on the hill behind.\n\n\"That may be where the shallow workings have flooded.\"\n\nHe said old mine working across the former coalfield area hold water at a certain depth, but when an event such as Storm Christoph drops \"a huge amount in a small area\", the levels rise quickly.\n\n\"As it gets closer and closer to the surface, it basically looks for an escape, the pressure builds up,\" he continued.\n\n\"What it looks like has happened on the junction of Goshen Park and Drummau Road, where the mine shaft is recorded, is that pressure has built up at that point and then burst out through the shaft which is very likely to have been capped with wood or something like that.\n\n\"Where you've got those mine shafts, which ultimately are vertical tunnels down into the mine workings below, the water has literally forced itself up through that shaft, and the pressure is obviously so great it's caused this devastating flash flood.\"\n\nAs well as properties, vehicles were submerged in water\n\nThere are about 13 shafts recorded within about 820ft (250m) of the one in Goshen Park, so Mr Backhouse said it is possible more than one may have burst.\n\nThere are tens of thousands in south Wales and he said it was \"incredibly difficult\" to check them all, but there were \"tell tale signs\" as to why they may collapse such as age or what type of developments are around them.\n\nThe clean up has continued on Friday morning\n\n\"Not to try and fear-monger or anything but of course this sort of thing can happen again,\" he said.\n\n\"If another event like Storm Christoph happens, the water levels in the mine rises as quickly as it did, there's absolutely nothing to say that it wouldn't happen again in the future.\n\n\"And obviously as climate changes and we have many more events like Storm Christoph, they are going to increase in frequency, they are going to be much more severe.\n\n\"The Coal Authority will have to consider the risk in places like Skewen, and they'll have to understand how it will affect residents and proactively manage that and look at how to reduce the risks for residents.\"", "Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds more injured in the 2017 bombing\n\nThe operator of the Manchester Arena has denied it \"deliberately sacrificed safety\" in the aftermath of the 2017 bombing.\n\nAn inquiry has heard how security failures contributed to the arena being unsafe on the night of the attack.\n\nVenue operator SMG has disputed claims it \"was akin to the worst kind of Dickensian factory owner, deliberately and cynically sacrificing safety\".\n\nTwenty-two people were killed and hundreds more injured when Salman Abedi detonated a home-made device as fans left the arena following an Ariana Grande concert.\n\nAndrew O'Connor QC, representing SMG, told the inquiry the firm had always accepted responsibility for security in the City Room, where the bomb exploded.\n\nBut he denied the firm had sought to \"blame others,\" adding it had \"simply sought to explain how SMG discharged its responsibilities\".\n\n\"It is for that purpose and not for prevarication, finger-pointing or buck passing that we have sought to explain to you SMG's relationship with all the other organisations involved,\" he added.\n\nMr O'Connor said the company accepted there were \"shortcomings\" with its written risk assessments but maintained it \"did have a system for assessing terrorism-related risk\".\n\nThe public inquiry into the bombing will look at whether the attack could have been prevented\n\nPatrick Gibbs QC, representing BTP, told the inquiry the force made five key mistakes on the night of the bombing.\n\nThis included having no officers on patrol at Victoria station when Abedi made his final journey to the arena and not having an officer in the City Room at the end of the concert.\n\nOther mistakes included failing to complete a written risk-assessment for the concert, officers not following instructions from their duty sergeant and that PC Stephen Corke, the most experienced officer on duty, was not at the arena complex for the end of the event.\n\nBTP has since made significant changes to its procedures since the attack, the inquiry was told.\n\nThese include monthly meetings with the arena operators to discuss events.\n\nThe inquiry, which began in September, continues.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Pictures of the Pampas grass on social media are thought to have made the area in South Shields popular\n\nA boom in the popularity of Pampas grass with interior decorators has led to \"droves\" of people picking the plant which grows wild near a beach.\n\nThe grass, near Littlehaven Beach in South Shields, forms part of a wind defence to stop sand blowing onto roads and helps protect the coastline.\n\nSouth Tyneside Council warned anyone found removing it could be prosecuted.\n\nCouncillor Ernest Gibson said while the grass may look \"beautiful in vases\" people were \"damaging the environment\".\n\nThe grass, which was popular in the 1970s, can sell for up to £40 a bunch and has proved a popular addition to people's homes.\n\nIt is thought that photographs on social media sites such as Instagram may have influenced people turning up and taking it, Mr Gibson added.\n\n\"Pampas grass is quite expensive to buy if you went to a florist. It's cheaper to come to South Tyneside and take it away,\" he said.\n\n\"But what we are doing is urging people not to come here and take it away, it's there for a reason.\"\n\nPampas grass and Marram grass form part of a defence along the coast at South Shields\n\nThe Pampas grass helps to bond poor soils found at the coast, while Marram grass helps to prevent erosion in the dunes.\n\nSigns are to be erected warning people not to pick the grass because it is already in need of replenishment, the council said.\n\n\"Through Covid, we have a massive amount of people coming to the coastal town, it's Benidorm without the sunshine,\" he added.\n\n\"It's great to see people at the seaside enjoying it [the grass] and that's what it's part of. It's there for everybody to view.\"\n\nGarden designer George Wright said Pampas grass was \"very popular\" and he had seen demand increase two or three times at his nursery in West Boldon. He also expressed concern for the area.\n\n\"Once they take the flower heads themselves they take the seeds. Eventually this will become very much a patchy area and they will all start to decline.\n\n\"Pampas grass is becoming more and and more popular at the moment and I think a lot of it is people are starting to extend their houses into the garden so they want something nice in there, and also it's being used for interior decoration in houses.\"\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Chris Whitty said it was a very sad day, as the UK surpassed 100,000 Covid deaths\n\nThe number of daily coronavirus deaths in the UK is likely to come down \"relatively slowly\", England's chief medical officer has warned.\n\nProf Chris Whitty said the UK was going to see \"a lot more deaths\" over the next few weeks before the effects of the vaccination programme were felt.\n\nCurrent restrictions were \"just about holding\" in lowering infection rates, he told a Downing Street briefing.\n\nIt comes as the UK surpassed 100,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday.\n\nA further 1,631 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were recorded in the daily figures.\n\nAnd 20,089 coronavirus cases were reported on Tuesday, continuing a downward trend in the number of UK cases seen in recent days.\n\nProf Whitty told a Downing Street news conference the rolling seven-day average for deaths was 1,242 - \"an incredibly high number\" - and unlikely to come down quickly.\n\n\"I think we have to be realistic that the rate of mortality, the number of people dying a day, will come down relatively slowly over the next two weeks - and will probably be flat for a while now.\"\n\nProf Whitty said the number of people testing positive for coronavirus was \"still at a very high number, but it has been coming down\".\n\nBut he cautioned against relaxing restrictions \"too early\", as Office for National Statistics data showed a \"rather slower\" decrease.\n\nThe number of people in hospital with Covid-19 in the UK had \"flattened off\", he said, but was still an \"incredibly high number\" and \"substantially above the peak in April\".\n\nProf Whitty said the new, more transmissible variant discovered in the south east of England at the end of last year had altered the UK's situation \"very substantially\" and had made it \"much harder\" to bring infection levels down.\n\n\"We were worried two weeks ago that the measures we have at the moment were not enough to hold this new variant,\" he told the news conference.\n\n\"I think what the data I showed you at the beginning of the slide sessions shows is that the rates are just about holding with the new variant, with what everybody's doing.\n\n\"It's going to be much harder because of this new variant and I think we have to be realistic about that.\"\n\nSir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said that more than a quarter of a million severely ill coronavirus patients have been looked after in hospital since the pandemic started last year.\n\n\"This is not a year that anybody is going to want to remember nor is it a year that across the health service any of us will ever forget,\" he said.\n\nThe daily Covid figures have seen the number of deaths top 100,000. But they also contain some signs of hope.\n\nJust over 20,000 new infections have been reported - down from 22,000 yesterday.\n\nThis compares to an average of 60,000 at the start of the year.\n\nIt is a sharp fall, although Prof Whitty cautions it may actually be a little slower than that.\n\nNot everyone who is infected comes forward for testing and the government surveillance programme which involves random testing of the population suggests the fall has not been quite so great.\n\nNonetheless, it is clear the infection rate is coming down - and that offers hope.\n\nHospital cases have plateaued and should soon start falling. That will eventually lead to a reduction in the number of deaths.\n\nThen, in February, the vaccination programme should start having an impact, leading, hopefully, to a rapid drop in deaths.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson told the briefing the coronavirus infection rate remained \"pretty forbiddingly high\" to ease lockdown restrictions, which have been in place in England since 5 January.\n\nBut he said \"at a certain stage we will want to be getting things open\".\n\nHe added: \"What I will be doing in the course of the next few days and weeks is setting out in more detail, as soon as we can, when and how we want to get things open again.\"\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons - including for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nMeanwhile, the epidemiologist whose modelling prompted the UK government to impose the first lockdown has told BBC Radio 4's PM he believes more action in autumn last year could have \"drastically reduced\" the number of lives lost in the second wave - some 60,000.\n\nProf Neil Ferguson said: \"They couldn't have been eliminated, but they could have been drastically reduced by earlier action, unfortunately.\n\n\"How much is difficult to judge, the new variant was unpredictable and did change our understanding of how much was needed to control spread, but we did just let the autumn wave get to far, far too high infection levels.\"\n\nReacting to the UK's death toll, Mr Johnson said he took \"full responsibility\" for the government's actions, but added: \"We truly did everything we could.\"", "The fate of more than 200,000 seafarers who play a crucial role in keeping global trade flowing is being labelled a \"humanitarian crisis at sea\".\n\nMore than 300 firms and organisations are urging for them to be treated as \"key workers\", so they can return home without risking public health.\n\nMore than 90% of global trade - from household goods to medical supplies - is moved by sea.\n\nBut governments have banned crew from coming ashore amid Covid-19 fears.\n\nLarge firms including shipping titan AP Moller-Maersk, oil firms BP and Shell, consumer giant Unilever and mining groups Rio Tinto and Vale, as well as maritime transporters, unions, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and other supply chain partners have signed the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change.\n\nThey are calling for all countries to designate seafarers as key workers and implement crew change protocols.\n\nThe signees of the Neptune Declaration are warning global leaders that ignoring the risk to crews' mental and physical wellbeing threatens global supply chains, which are crucial to vaccinating the world from coronavirus.\n\nThe firms and organisations hope that world leaders, gathering at this year's virtual Davos Forum, will heed their call.\n\n\"Unified, prompt action from governments and other key stakeholders is needed to protect the lives and livelihoods of the 1.6 million seafaring men and women who serve us all across the seas, and who continue to face extreme risk to their safety and earnings,\" said WEF's head of supply chain and transport Margi Van Gogh.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. India coronavirus: The stranded sailor yet to meet his daughter\n\n\"By granting stranded seafarers key worker status, and by prioritising vaccine allocation for transport crew, we can prevent a deepening humanitarian and economic crisis.\"\n\nAccording to latest data from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and international ship owners body Bimco, there are 1.6 million seafarers serving on internationally trading merchant ships worldwide.\n\nTypically, ICS estimates around 100,000 seafarers are rotated every month, with 50,000 staff disembarking and 50,000 crew embarking ships to comply with international maritime regulations, governing safe working hours and crew welfare.\n\nSeafarers usually work 10-12 hours shifts, seven days a week to man ships, on four or six-month-long contracts, followed by a period of leave.\n\nBut due to the coronavirus crisis and travel bans brought in by many governments to combat new variants of Covid-19, hundreds of thousands of crew are spending extended periods at sea, far beyond the expiry of their contracts.\n\nFor those who have been at sea for months longer than their contract stipulates, there is a growing risk to their mental and physical wellbeing.\n\n\"Seafarers are the unacceptable collateral damage on the war on Covid-19 and this must stop,\" said ICS secretary general Guy Platten.\n\n\"If we want to maintain global trade seafarers must not be put to the back of the vaccine queue. You can't inject a global population without the shipping industry and most importantly our seafarers. We are calling on the supply chain to take action to support seafarers now.\"", "Changes were made to rape prosecution policy that led to a \"shocking\" fall in offences before courts in England and Wales, the Court of Appeal has heard.\n\nThe End Violence Against Women (EVAW) coalition is challenging what it said was an \"unlawful\" move by the Crown Prosecution Service in 2016-18.\n\nThe CPS said there was no \"substantial change\" in how cases were treated.\n\nAnd it denied the coalition's claim it had been taking on only \"strong cases\" to keep conviction rates up.\n\nAccording to the EVAW, the CPS adopted what is known as the \"bookmaker's approach\" to cases, which saw prosecutors considering what may happen based on past experience of similar cases, rather than its earlier \"merits-based approach\" based on objective assessment of the evidence.\n\nIn documents before the court, Phillippa Kaufmann QC said that from September 2016 prosecutors were \"trained away\" from the former CPS policy, including through a series of roadshows.\n\nIn 2017 legally binding guidance on the old approach was removed, and the CPS introduced a 60% conviction rate target in relation to rape cases.\n\nMs Kauffmann said both the volume of cases and the charging rate fell.\n\nShe cited figures showing an average of 3,446 rape cases were charged per year between 2009 and 2016, compared with 2,822 in 2017, a fall of 23%.\n\nAt the same time the charging rate \"declined precipitously\" from 56% in 2016, to 47% in 2017 and 34% in 2018.\n\nThe court documents note the conviction target was removed at some point between 2017 and 2019, and guidance relating to the \"merits-based approach\" to prosecutions was reintroduced.\n\nThe campaigners are aiming to show there was a policy change and the way the CPS went about it was unlawful.\n\nIf a ruling goes in its favour, the EVAW hopes some cases could be looked at again by the CPS.\n\nLawyers for the CPS argue the case was not suitable for a legal challenge.\n\nIn written submissions, Tom Little QC, says the move away from a \"merits-based approach\" was out of a concern that \"some people were being prosecuted when the case ought not to have been charged\".\n\nHe added the decision to initiate the roadshows and remove the guidance \"did not result in any substantial change in the application of the evidential test in the code for Crown prosecutors\".\n\nIn a statement, the CPS said: \"Independent inspectors have found no evidence of a risk-averse approach and have reported a clear improvement in the quality of our legal decision-making in rape cases.\"\n\nThe judges are expected to give their ruling in the case at a later date.", "Celebrities including comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Meera Syal and cricketer Moeen Ali have made a video urging people to get the Covid vaccine.\n\nThe video was co-ordinated by Citizen Khan creator Adil Ray, who said he wanted to dispel vaccination myths for those from ethnic minority communities.\n\nMayor of London Sadiq Khan and former Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Warsi are among the others taking part.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Adil Ray OBE 💙 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"We all just feel we needed to do something,\" Ray told the BBC.\n\nFake news about the vaccine, particularly in the South Asian community, has led to concerns about uptake.\n\nRay appears in the five-minute video alongside stars like former Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati, who tells viewers: \"We will find our way through this. And we will be united once again with our friends and our families. All we have to do is take the vaccination.\"\n\nSomali-born British journalist Rageh Omaar and his ITV colleague Ranvir Singh join comedians like Sanjeev Bhaskar, Asim Chaudhry and Ranganathan to debunk common vaccine misinformation and misconceptions.\n\nRanganathan says: \"There's no chip or tracker in the vaccine to keep watching where you go. Your mobile phone actually does a much better job of that.\"\n\nAfter posting the video, Ray told BBC Radio Leicester: \"For the British Asian and black communities, at the very beginning of the pandemic we were told they were perhaps the most vulnerable, that there was a disproportionate number of cases and even deaths.\n\n\"Even now there are a disproportionate number of deaths. But nothing was really done about it and that was really quite confusing for a lot of the community. So we felt that we've got to try and take the lead a little bit here and dispel some of these myths.\"\n\nHe added: \"This was recorded entirely independently from the government - the only thing we did do was we went to the NHS website for the correct medical guidance.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nWith the UK aiming to offer Covid vaccinations to every adult by autumn, vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi said confidence in the vaccines was high in the UK, with 85% saying they would accept the jab.\n\nBut he said that those who were hesitant \"skew heavily\" towards black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.\n\nThe UK is recording the ethnicity and occupations of people who receive the vaccine and figures would be published soon, Mr Zahawi added.\n\nLast month, a poll commissioned by the Royal Society of Public Health suggested 57% of black, Asian and minority ethnic people would be happy to have the coronavirus vaccine, compared with 79% of white people.\n\nDr Harpreet Sood, who is leading an NHS anti-disinformation drive, recently said fake news was likely to be causing some people from the UK's South Asian communities to reject the vaccine.\n\nSuch warnings have led the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board to urge places of worship and community hubs to be used as vaccination centres in an attempt to inspire confidence.\n\nThe board's chairman, Imam Qari Asim, said: \"As an imam, my message is simple - do not trust 'fake news', verify before you amplify.\"\n\nThe Al Abbas Mosque in Birmingham is being used as a Covid vaccination centre\n\nMany mosques are using their Friday sermons to urge people to have the jab, while some imams are sharing photos of themselves getting the jab on social media.\n\nMeanwhile, the government has announced £23m funding for a network of \"community champions\" to spread accurate information and provide support for people in at-risk groups including older people, disabled people and ethnic minorities.\n\nOn Monday, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick visited the UK's first vaccination centre to be opened in a mosque, at Al-Abbas Islamic Centre in Birmingham.\n\n\"It is absolutely brilliant to see faith communities like this stepping up and playing their part in the vaccine programme,\" Mr Jenrick said.\n\n\"We have to build trust, ensure that we counter misinformation and ensure that everyone, regardless of their faith, regardless of what community they're from, gets access to the programme.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The police officers were on duty when they had their hair cut, the Met says\n\nThirty-one Met Police officers who broke coronavirus rules to get haircuts are facing £200 fines.\n\nTwo officers who hired a barber to give the cuts to staff at Bethnal Green Police Station, on 17 January, are also facing misconduct investigations, the Met said.\n\nUnder current lockdown restrictions in England, barbers and hairdressers are not allowed to work.\n\nDet Ch Supt Marcus Barnett said he was \"deeply disappointed\" in the officers.\n\n\"Although officers donated money to charity as part of the haircut, this does not excuse them from what was a very poor decision,\" he said. \"I expect a lot more of them.\n\n\"Quite rightly, the public expect police to be role models in following the regulations, which are designed to prevent the spread of this deadly virus.\"\n\nThe investigation comes after fines were handed out to nine officers who were caught eating breakfast together in a Greenwich café.\n\nAll those officers were issued with a £200 fixed penalty notice.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "At least 80 people had to leave their homes in the village after flooding\n\nPeople whose homes were flooded after a \"blow out\" at a mine shaft are said to be \"devastated\" as they face months before they can return home.\n\nSteve Morris said his son Gareth and his girlfriend's home in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, was inundated by \"orange\" flood water containing sewage.\n\nBut some will be allowed back to their properties on Tuesday.\n\nResidents of Goshen Park and Sunnyland Crescent who have yet to contact Neath Port Talbot council are urged to do so in the next 24 hours.\n\nThe council said access to these properties would continue to be affected beyond 26 January and the Coal Authority wished to have early discussions with them.\n\nMr Morris told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that his son called him on Thursday to say his house was about to be flooded.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Teresa Dalling says a river of orange water rushed through the village on Thursday\n\n\"I live about half a mile away... and by the time I got to his address I could see the water levels were rising rapidly up the road,\" he explained.\n\n\"Then it was so quick - the water came through his rear patio doors firstly, then the gardens and then the drains couldn't cope on the main road and came through the front door, then the side door.\n\n\"His ground floor was four feet under water, and it was this orange coloured water. There was sewage in the house, so his ground floor needs totally gutting.\"\n\nMr Morris said Gareth and his girlfriend are staying in a hotel as they wait to be allowed back to assess the damage.\n\nHe hopes their insurance firm will pay to rent a home for them, adding: \"I can honestly see them being out of their house for between six and 10 months.\n\n\"They are obviously devastated - they have only been in there for 12 months so everything was near enough brand new.\"\n\nCerys Thomas was at her mother's house with her son, in Goshen Park, when she saw water coming through the front door.\n\nThe stairs at the home of Cerys Thomas' parents were left caked in mud\n\nShe said: \"I said to my mother to get my son and herself out and up toward the street. I phoned the police then, because I could see it was going to be an emergency, and within minutes my parents' conservatory doors just blew through.\n\n\"The pressure of the water just blew through the house and the water, within minutes, was up to my waist.\n\n\"Trying to get out of the house was very scary because the pressure of the front door was getting pushed back.\"\n\nShe said the street was under water \"within seven minutes\".\n\n\"It was something you would see in a movie,\" she said.\n\nWithin minutes of water entering the house Ms Thomas was up to her waist in water\n\nMeanwhile, the Coal Authority said it has identified the cause of the \"blow out\".\n\nChief executive Lisa Pinney told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: \"Firstly, I just want to say our thoughts are with everyone affected by this flooding and we are genuinely sorry people have been affected in this way.\n\n\"What we know so far is the blow out was caused by a blockage underground which caused water to break out, basically to find the easiest path, and there's no doubt the excessive rainfall in the days before was also a factor in that.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMs Pinney said crews had been able to find the site of the collapsed mineshaft which had caused the flooding, and the authority had started to \"develop options\".\n\n\"We really understand people want to get back into their homes, they want to collect things, they want to know what the next steps are,\" she continued.\n\n\"We are working as fast as possible to make that happen and we hope to be able to provide some more information in the next day or so, but you will understand that we have to be sure for public safety.\"\n\nMs Pinney said there are almost 300 mine shafts or entries across the Skewen mine works, which covers an area of about 12 sq km (7.6 sq miles).\n\nShe added: \"We have checked all recorded shafts in the immediate area and we are doing continued checks over the coming days. We have found no problems. They are all safe.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nadhim Zahawi: \"We have 367m vaccines from seven different manufacturers that we have contracted with\"\n\nSupplies of vaccines are \"tight\" but the UK believes it will receive enough doses to meet its targets, the vaccine minister has said.\n\nNadhim Zahawi told BBC Breakfast manufacturers were \"confident\" they would deliver for the UK amid warnings of production delays.\n\nIt comes as the EU said it might tighten vaccine export controls.\n\nCountries should avoid \"vaccine nationalism\" and ensure a fair global supply, Mr Zahawi said.\n\nMeanwhile, more than 100,000 people have died with Covid-19 in the UK, after 1,631 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were recorded in the daily figures.\n\nMr Zahawi said the vaccination programme was still on track to deliver a first dose to 15 million of the most vulnerable by mid-February and to offer all adults their first dose by autumn.\n\nHe said the UK had supplies of the Oxford vaccine manufactured domestically by AstraZeneca as well as the Pfizer one, which is made in Belgium.\n\nThe government is also planning to publish figures on the take-up of the vaccine by ethnicity from Thursday, following concerns that some black, Asian and ethnic minority communities were more hesitant to get the jab.\n\n\"I'm confident we will meet our mid-February target and continue beyond that,\" Mr Zahawi told the BBC.\n\n\"Supplies are tight, they continue to be, these are new manufacturing processes,\" he added. \"It's lumpy and bumpy, it gets better and stabilises and improves going forward.\"\n\nBut he declined to say that he had received guarantees about the number of doses the UK would receive from Pfizer or other manufacturers and refused to confirm how many doses had already arrived.\n\nThe prime minister's spokesman said AstraZeneca had committed to delivering two million doses a week to the UK, and the government was not expecting any changes to that supply.\n\nDowning Street also rejected German media reports claiming a very low efficacy rate for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine among older people, saying they had been denied by Oxford University, AstraZeneca and the German health ministry.\n\nChief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance told the cabinet the trials showed similar immune responses in younger and older adults.\n\nAnd England's chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, has defended the UK's strategy of extending the time between first and second doses of coronavirus vaccines from three to 12 weeks in order to immunise more people.\n\nHe told the Downing Street coronavirus briefing on Tuesday that the \"great majority\" of protection came from the first dose.\n\nHe also said there was \"no evidence\" that immunity waned between three and 12 weeks after the first dose was administered.\n\nProf Whitty said: \"We thought very carefully about what the balance of this is, but the balance of risk in terms of reducing the number of deaths in the community - and I really want to stress that, that is the aim of this - is to maximise the number of people who get that first dose, where the great majority of protection comes from.\"\n\nThe latest tension over supply of the Covid vaccine is another illustration of just how fragile this issue is.\n\nThere are huge global demands for Covid vaccine, limited raw materials and constraints on manufacturing.\n\nThe UK already has enough vaccine to jab all the highest-risk groups by mid-February, although not all of it has been packaged up or been through the final safety checks.\n\nThis explains why ministers are confident about the immediate target for the over-70s, health and care workers and the extremely clinically vulnerable.\n\nBut what is in doubt is how quickly the UK can vaccinate in the medium term.\n\nWith the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in the UK those supply routes are more guaranteed.\n\nBut the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is made in Belgium. The UK, like the rest of Europe, is affected by the problems with manufacturing that are being experienced with that vaccine.\n\nWith Europe experiencing major problems rolling out its vaccination programme - per head of population five times fewer vaccines have been delivered - this is a story that is going to rumble on for months.\n\nThe UK has placed orders for 367 million doses of vaccines from seven manufacturers, Mr Zahawi said. \"As vaccines come along we will get more volume, millions more in the weeks and months to come,\" he added.\n\nThe tension over vaccine supplies increased after UK-based AstraZeneca warned the EU it would have to reduce planned deliveries because of production problems. Pfizer-BioNTech has also said supplies will be temporarily lower as it works to increase capacity at its Belgian factory.\n\nIt has prompted the EU to accuse AstraZeneca of failing to meet its commitments and to warn that it might require all companies producing Covid vaccines to provide \"early notification\" whenever they planned to export supplies out of the EU.\n\n\"The thing to do now is not to go down the dead end of vaccine nationalism. It's to work together to protect our people,\" Mr Zahawi said.\n\n\"No-one is safe until the whole world is safe.\"\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock subsequently said the UK government \"oppose protectionism in all its forms\" and urged all international partners to \"be collaborative\" and \"work closely together\" on vaccine distribution.\n\nHe added that the EU's warning that it could restrict exports of vaccines made in the bloc was \"unfortunate and especially so in the midst of a pandemic\".\n\nMeanwhile, the head of NHS England earlier told MPs coronavirus could become a \"much more treatable disease\" over the next six to 18 months, with the hope of a return to a \"much more normal future\".\n\nSir Simon Stevens told the Health and Social Care Committee: \"The first half of the year, vaccination is going to be crucial.\n\n\"I think a lot of us in the health service are increasingly hopeful that in the second half of the year and beyond we will also see more therapeutics and more treatments for coronavirus.\"\n\nHe also said it \"would be great\" if the Covid vaccine and flu vaccine were combined into a single jab, if not for next winter then future ones.\n\nAnd he said vaccines were being used as fast as they arrived in the NHS, with more than half of those aged 75-79 having now had their first dose.\n\nThe UK aims to offer Covid vaccination to every adult by autumn.\n\nMr Zahawi said confidence in the vaccines was high, with 85% of people saying they would accept the jab.\n\nBut he said those who were hesitant \"skew heavily\" towards black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.\n\nThe government is providing £23m of funding to 60 local councils and voluntary groups to boost vaccine take-up among groups such as older people, disabled people, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.\n\nIt comes as celebrities such as comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Meera Syal and cricketer Moeen Ali appeared in a video urging people in their communities to get vaccinated.\n\nMr Zahawi told ITV's Good Morning Britain his uncle had died from Covid-19 last week. He had been eligible for vaccination but caught the virus before he could receive it, the minister said.\n\nThis \"grim and horrible\" experience made him determined to ensure that the most vulnerable were protected as quickly as possible, Mr Zahawi said.\n\nSir Simon said there was concern about vaccine hesitancy in some groups, where there were access problems as well as \"systematic attempts to misinform and lie about the vaccine programme targeted particularly at minority populations, and - in some cases - long-standing mistrust of public services\".\n\nHe said disruption to vaccine deliveries from EU export restrictions was not thought to be likely.\n\nIn other developments, the UK has offered to carry out genomic sequencing for other countries around the world to help identify further new variants.\n\nPublic Health England said it would give \"crucial early warning\" of any mutations that might cause the virus to spread faster, make people more ill or possibly reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.", "Transfer tests normally used by grammar schools have been cancelled this year\n\nOne of NI's most prominent grammar schools has said it will use primary school test scores to decide which pupils to admit in 2021.\n\nRoyal Belfast Academical Institution said it would \"adopt other academic criteria for admission to the school\".\n\nThat is despite the vast majority of grammar schools not planning to use academic criteria this year.\n\nThe tests run by the AQE and the Post-Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC) were cancelled in early 2021.\n\nAs a result, grammar schools - which are attended by about 45% of post-primary pupils in Northern Ireland - are drawing up new criteria for how they will select pupils in 2021.\n\nBanbridge Academy, Bangor Grammar, Belfast Royal Academy and Regent House are among those to have published their admissions criteria for 2021.\n\nNone of those schools are using academic criteria, but pupils applying will have to have entered the AQE transfer test.\n\nSome other grammars like Thornhill College and St Columb's College in Londonderry, which decided in 2020 not to use the PPTC transfer test in 2021, have also published admissions criteria.\n\nIn a statement to BBC News NI, Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI) said it was \"committed to the principle that a child should be placed in a school which offers a curriculum best suited to the aptitudes of that child\".\n\n\"For this reason RBAI believes that the use of academic criteria for admission to grammar schools is the outworking of that principle,\" the school said.\n\n\"Accordingly, in the absence of AQE and PPTC tests for admissions, RBAI will adopt other academic criteria for admission to the school.\"\n\nRBAI said scores in practice AQE or PPTC transfer tests will be taken into account\n\nThe school is planning to use standardised scores in the Progress Test in English (PTE) and Progress Test in Maths (PTM) which pupils sat in Primary Five to decide which pupils to admit.\n\nRBAI said that school year was \"the most recent one which has not been interrupted\".\n\nPupils scores in practice AQE or PPTC transfer tests taken under supervision by a teacher will also be taken into account.\n\n\"RBAI is satisfied that this is a reasonable and robust way of selecting pupils based on academic aptitude in the absence of a bespoke test,\" the school said.\n\nRBAI normally admits 150 pupils each year, but received 227 applications for places in 2020.\n\nThe admissions criteria for all post-primary schools will be published on the Education Authority (EA) website on 2 February.\n\nThe UUP assembly member Robbie Butler had proposed that pupils' results in tests in primary schools could be given to parents and then used by grammar schools to decide which children get a place.\n\nBut Education Minister Peter Weir had said there would be \"major problems\" with that approach.", "In March 2020, we were told it would be a ‘’good outcome’’ if coronavirus killed 20,000 people across the UK.\n\nNow the bleakest milestone has been reached: 100,000 deaths.\n\nIn a statement, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said \"behind these heart-breaking figures are friends, families and neighbours. The vaccine offers us the way out, but we cannot let up now and we sadly still face a tough period ahead. The virus is still spreading and we're seeing over 3,500 people per day being admitted into hospital.\"\n\nHealth correspondent Catherine Burns looks at the past year of the UK’s epidemic and hears from families who have lost loved ones.\n\nFilmed and edited by Julius Peacock. Additional filming by Emily Brooks", "The UK government should cancel the debt owed by developing countries struggling with the impact of Covid-19, MPs have said.\n\nThe International Development Committee warned that the pandemic was fuelling extreme poverty and food insecurity.\n\nIt was also disrupting routine healthcare, such as tuberculosis immunisations, it added.\n\nThe Foreign Office said it was spending £1.3bn to protect livelihoods, improve health systems and distribute vaccines.\n\nMore than two million people around the world have died after contracting coronavirus, with almost 100 million cases reported.\n\nAppearing before the Commons International Development Committee, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he wanted the UK to be a \"force for good in the world\" as it fought the pandemic.\n\nHe defended the government's decision to cut overseas aid spending next year, saying there were \"no easy choices\" given the hit to the public finances from the pandemic.\n\nThe cuts mean the UK will fail to meet the UN target of spending 0.7% of national income on overseas aid in 2021-2, a target that was enshrined into UK law in 2015.\n\nMr Raab said he hoped the UK would be able to reach 0.7% again as \"soon as possible\" but this would only happen once the long-term damage to the UK's balance sheet had been \"corrected\".\n\nLabour said the government was \"betraying the world's poorest.\"\n\nShadow international development secretary Preet Kaur Gill said: \"This move signals a retreat from the world stage, damages the UK's reputation and will only show our allies and detractors that Britain under Boris Johnson is no longer interested in fulfilling our moral or legal responsibilities.\n\n\"Labour are committed to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on aid to tackle global poverty and injustice and will oppose any attempt from this government to damage this country's reputation.\"\n\nMr Raab said he took seriously warnings from Conservative MPs and ex-ministers that to press ahead with the cuts without passing new legislation would be unlawful.\n\nFormer Solicitor General Lord Garnier said earlier on Tuesday that Mr Raab's \"reputation\" and the government's domestic and international standing would be damaged if it was seen to \"flout a clear legal obligation\".\n\nIn tough financial times, Mr Raab said the UK needed to \"make the most\" of its £10bn spending, avoiding \"salami-slicing\" budgets and focusing on a handful of priorities such as climate, biodiversity, conflict prevention and helping the \"bottom billions\" out of extreme poverty.\n\n\"I think we should unabashedly be proud and confident about the moral responsibility we have to make the world a better place,\" he said.\n\n\"At the same time, I see a range of grittier strategic interests in dealing with climate change and humanitarian suffering and indeed trade.\"\n\nThe Foreign Office took over responsibility for overseas aid in September after absorbing the Department for International Development.\n\nOn debt cancellation, the committee said that, due to disruption caused by the pandemic, millions of people in developing countries were more at risk from diseases such as tuberculosis because of missed immunisations.\n\nMillions were more likely to lose their livelihoods because of the global recession and millions of women were more exposed to sexual violence.\n\nThe MPs want the government to provide more aid to address the problems and cancel long-term national debt that was diverting cash away from those in need.\n\nA Foreign Office spokesperson said: \"We'll only be safe from coronavirus when we're all safe - which is why the UK is leading global efforts to fight this pandemic, committing up to £1.3bn of new UK aid to find and equitably distribute a vaccine, strengthen health systems, protect livelihoods and support the global economy.\"\n\nThey added that the UK would use its 2021 presidency of the G7 group of leading economies \"to help the world build back stronger and fairer after the pandemic\".\n\nThis would include \"promoting open societies, championing gender equality and girls' education, and setting out new international approaches to global health security and climate action\", the spokesperson said.\n\nThe UK has announced it will step up its efforts to help other countries, including some of the poorest in the world, to find new variants of Covid-19.\n\nIn a speech in London, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the UK would share its world-leading genomics expertise worldwide to help countries identify new mutations of the virus and protect global health security.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dutch police have described it as the worst unrest in four decades\n\nMore than 180 people were arrested in 10 Dutch cities as protesters defying a curfew clashed with riot police for a third night running.\n\nShops in Rotterdam were looted and police used water cannon, as rioters resisted latest Covid restrictions.\n\nPrime Minister Mark Rutte condemned \"criminal violence\" and the justice minister said the curfew would remain.\n\nThe Dutch chief of police said the riots no longer had \"anything to do with the basic right to demonstrate\".\n\nThe Netherlands has had nearly one million confirmed Covid cases since the start of the outbreak, with more than 13,500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US, which is tracking the pandemic.\n\nThe government recently introduced a night-time curfew which runs from 21:00 (20:00 GMT) to 04:30. Anyone caught violating it faces a €95 (£84) fine.\n\nThere were further violent scenes in many towns and cities. Riot police clashed with protesters in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, as well as Amersfoort, Den Bosch, Alphen and Helmond.\n\nSome of the worst disturbances were in the south of Rotterdam where police said 10 officers were hurt. Across the country 184 people were arrested. Amsterdam's mayor appealed to parents to keep young people indoors.\n\nSeveral cities have vowed to introduce emergency measures in an effort to prevent more disturbances\n\nThe windows of some shops were smashed in Rotterdam\n\nFires were lit on the streets of The Hague, where police on bicycles attempted to move small clusters of men who threw stones and fireworks. There was violence in the southern city of Den Bosch, where rioters set off fireworks, broke windows, looted a supermarket and overturned cars.\n\nA woman living near Den Bosch train station told Dutch radio that masked youths had left a trail of destruction in the city centre. \"I saw windows smashed and fireworks going off. Really crazy, just like a war zone,\" the woman said. Roads into the city were closed to stop people joining the rioters and Mayor Jack Mikkers imposed an emergency order banning gatherings on Tuesday.\n\nThe ignition of discontent has rocked the core of Dutch society.\n\nIn the absence of any legitimate way to socialise, is this simply an outlet for young men to feel part of something, their masks concealing their identities and enabling them to violently channel their frustrations?\n\nThere are more sinister influences at play. Messages on social media, overt and covert, have whipped up anger. Misinformation has even been spread by some politicians.\n\nSome of the worst violence was in Rotterdam\n\nSome feared a curfew would be a tipping point, as Dutch restrictions tighten while some neighbouring countries relax their rules. The vast majority of people in the Netherlands are peacefully observing the curfew.\n\nThe unrest was initially seen as a response to the first \"stay-at-home\" order imposed since Nazi occupation during World War Two. That notion has been dismissed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who said the rioters were simply criminals and would be treated as such.\n\nBut there are simmering anxieties in Dutch towns and cities, and with less than two months before a general election, voters are vulnerable and the streets volatile.\n\nThere has been widespread shock at the violence. In Rotterdam, where police used water cannon during clashes with rioters, Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb signed an emergency decree, giving police broader powers of arrest. He reacted furiously to shops being looted in the south of the city, condemning \"shameless thieves, I can't call it anything else\".\n\nThe prime minister said the police had the government's full support: \"The riots have nothing to do with protesting or fighting for freedom.\"\n\nRotterdam shop-owner Emrah Köker said he had no words for what he had seen. \"How can this happen in the Netherlands?\" he asked Dutch daily newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhuis challenged anyone to explain what looting a shop had to do with coronavirus.\n\nThe mayor of Den Bosch said police had struggled to respond to the violence because they were needed in other nearby towns.\n\nFootball fans of the Willem II club took to the streets of Tilburg to \"protect their city\" against rioters, news site Brabants Dagblad reports.\n\nMayors in several cities have vowed to introduce emergency measures in an effort to prevent more disturbances.\n\nThe Dutch prime minister has condemned the violence\n\nThere has been widespread shock in the Netherlands over the violence", "The greys were introduced to Britain from North America in the 19th Century\n\nThe UK government has given its support to a project to use oral contraceptives to control grey squirrel populations.\n\nEnvironment minister Lord Goldsmith says the damage they and other invasive species do to the UK's woodlands costs the UK economy £1.8 billion a year.\n\nThe bizarre-sounding plan is to lure grey squirrels into feeding boxes only they can access with little pots containing hazelnut spread.\n\nThese would be spiked with an oral contraceptive.\n\nLord Goldsmith says the damage from squirrels also threatens the effectiveness of government efforts to tackle climate change by planting tens of thousands of acres of new woodlands.\n\nOn Tuesday, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told BBC News: \"We hope advances in science can safely help our nature to thrive, including through the humane control of invasive species.\"\n\nA partnership of conservation and forestry organisations called the UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) is behind the proposal.\n\nIt says grey squirrels, which were first introduced from North America in the late 19th century, cause huge damage to woodlands by stripping bark from trees aged between 10-50 years, the younger trees in a forest.\n\nThey particularly target broad-leafed varieties including oak, which are particularly ecologically important because they support so many other species.\n\nIt is estimated the UK is home to some three million of these invasive rodents.\n\nRed squirrels are now confined mainly to Scotland and Ireland\n\nThey have displaced the native red squirrel across most of the UK.\n\nLord Goldsmith says the government supports the plan as well as a longer-term effort to breed infertility into female grey squirrels to reduce their numbers.\n\nInvasive non-native species such as grey squirrels threaten our native biodiversity, he argues.\n\nWhen regulating grey squirrels with oral contraceptive was first proposed in 2017, the government's Animal and Plant Health Agency said it thought it could reduce their numbers by as much as 90%.\n\nThe project also has royal approval.\n\nPrince Charles was instrumental in founding the UK Squirrel Accord with the objective of \"managing the negative impacts of invasive grey squirrels in the UK\".\n\nHe has written of the importance of protecting Britain's remaining red squirrels.\n\n\"These charming and intelligent creatures never fail to delight\", he wrote last week in his capacity as patron of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, describing red squirrels as the \"symbol and benchmark\" of healthy woods.\n\nJason Gilchrist, an ecologist from Edinburgh Napier University, has written in defence of the grey squirrel but he says he supports the oral contraceptive plan.\n\nHe acknowledges there is a need to manage grey squirrel populations.\n\n\"It is better than the alternative: a shotgun\", he told BBC News.\n\nIt is the same argument the UKSA makes: dosing the animals with contraceptives provides a humane alternative to culling them.\n\nLast week, the Royal Forestry Society, a member of the Squirrel Accord, called for just such a cull.\n\nSimon Lloyd, its chief executive, says efforts to tackle global warming and improve biodiversity will be undermined unless grey squirrel numbers can be reduced.\n\nNew trees will not survive to \"deliver the carbon capture or biodiversity objectives if grey squirrels cannot be controlled\", he told the Daily Telegraph.\n\nThe UKSA has been experimenting with ways to deliver oral contraceptives to squirrels for more than three years now.\n\nLast year, it tested special feeding stations designed so only grey squirrels can gain access in woodland in East Yorkshire.\n\nInstead of contraceptives, the hazelnut paste bait was dosed with a dye that, when ingested, causes squirrel hair to fluoresce under UV light.\n\nThe researchers found that more than 90% of the grey squirrel population being studied visited the traps.\n\nThey concluded that it was possible to deliver repeat doses of a contraceptive to the majority of grey squirrels in a wood.", "More than 100,000 people in the UK have died from a virus, that, this time last year, felt like a far-off foreign threat. How did we come to be one of the countries with the worst death tolls?\n\nThere is no quick answer to that question, and there is sure to be a long and detailed public inquiry once the pandemic is over. But there are plenty of clues that, when pieced together, help build a picture of why the UK has reached this devastating number.\n\nSome will point a finger at the government - its decision to lock-down later than much of western Europe, the stuttering start to its test-and-trace network and the lack of protection afforded to care home residents.\n\nOthers will spotlight deeper rooted problems with British society - its poor state of public health, with high levels of obesity, for example.\n\nOthers, still, will note that some of the UK's great strengths - its position as a vibrant hub for international air travel, its ethnically diverse and densely-packed urban populations - exposed its vulnerability to a virus that spreads effortlessly between people.\n\nIn some people's eyes, the UK's island status might have helped it. New Zealand, Australia and Taiwan managed to stop the virus getting a foothold and deaths have been kept to a minimum - Australia has seen fewer deaths throughout the pandemic than the UK is recording every day on average.\n\nAll introduced strict border restrictions immediately and lockdowns to contain the virus before it had spread. The UK did not. It was not until June that quarantine rules were introduced for all arrivals and even then travel corridors were soon set up, relaxing the rules for travellers from certain countries. Only this month were these scrapped.\n\nProf Devi Sridhar, an expert in public health from Edinburgh University, is one of those who has been critical of the approach the UK has taken from the start.\n\nShe says the UK, like much of Europe, was \"complacent\" about the threat of infectious disease - choosing to treat the new coronavirus \"like flu\" and allowing it to spread, while talking about the desire to achieve herd immunity.\n\nThis all changed in late March, when a full lockdown eventually came. But there was a crucial delay of a week which is estimated to have cost more than 20,000 lives, according to government modeller Prof Neil Ferguson, because of how quickly infection rates were doubling at that point.\n\nThis, of course, is said with the benefit of hindsight. Government modellers themselves acknowledge the data was \"really quite poor\" making it difficult to make a decision that would have significant repercussions. It is a point acknowledged by Prof Chris Whitty, the UK's chief medical adviser. Speaking in the summer he said there had been \"very limited information\" in early March.\n\nBy then, the virus was ripping through care homes. Around 30% of deaths in the first wave happened in care homes; 40% if you include care home residents who died in hospital.\n\nThose at the heart of government acknowledge mistakes were made. UK chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said recently: \"The lesson is go earlier than you think you want to, go harder than you think you want to, and go a bit broader than you think you want to in terms of applying the restrictions.\"\n\nBy May, restrictions were beginning to be eased. But was this too soon?\n\nThe government seized on the relative lull to focus on building what the prime minister promised would be a \"world-beating\" test-and-trace system. The idea was that new outbreaks could be nipped in the bud, with comprehensive tracking by a centralised team of tracers.\n\nThe mere fact this had to be done some months after the virus had struck, illustrates another factor behind the high number of deaths - the UK was simply not prepared for a pandemic of this nature in the way some Asian nations had been. Countries such as South Korea and Taiwan had established test-and-trace systems in place that were ready to be activated.\n\nThe UK had a chance to bed in its system in the summer but it was riven with teething problems, with tracers struggling to reach many contacts and the testing capacity slowing down as demand rose.\n\nLow levels of infection over the summer had created a false sense of security.\n\nDesperate to boost the economy, the government launched the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, offering people discounted meals out during August. To what extent it contributed to the rise in the autumn is much argued about but certainly some doctors blame it in part for an increase in patients seen.\n\nThe truth is the virus never went away. Testing in the summer showed even at the lowest levels there were still around 500 cases a day being diagnosed - and random testing in the population subsequently showed the true level may have been twice that.\n\nIn late August around 1,000 people a day were testing positive. By mid-September that had trebled and from there it rose five-fold to 15,000 by mid October. The numbers testing positive have never returned below 10,000 a day on average since.\n\nAnother decision that has been heavily criticised was the refusal of ministers to introduce a short two-week lockdown, or \"circuit breaker\", in September - despite their advisers on Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) recommending such a step. The argument was it would have set the spread of the virus back by at least a month, giving test and trace time to regroup.\n\nWales, however, did introduce its own \"fire-breaker\" - a 17-day lockdown in October. It got infection rates down, but as soon as it was lifted they rebounded. This is, of course, why lockdowns have been criticised.\n\nEdinburgh University infectious diseases expert Prof Mark Woolhouse, one of the modellers who feeds data into Sage, is on the record in the autumn questioning the logic of them for this very reason. It remains up for debate how effective a circuit-breaker would actually have been.\n\nThis after all is the time of year when respiratory illnesses start to increase. Schools had returned as had university students, creating new environments for the novel coronavirus to spread.\n\nWhen a lockdown was eventually introduced in England in November it was to last four weeks, with Sage members lamenting the delay. \"The absence of a decision is a decision in itself,\" says Wellcome Trust director Sir Jeremy Farrar.\n\nBut even before that lockdown was lifted cases had started going up in the south-east of England. Within weeks it became clear what was happening. The virus had mutated and a new faster-spreading variant was on the rise.\n\nBy mid-December the clamour for lockdown was growing again, but the plan for a Christmas relaxation of restrictions had already been announced. In every nation of the UK, ministers waited.\n\nAt the start of 2021, with hospital admissions rising rapidly, the UK's four chief medical officers intervened, issuing a joint statement warning the NHS was at \"material risk\" of being overwhelmed. Within hours the UK was back in lockdown.\n\nWhat has struck some is just how similar the mistakes have been in terms of locking down late.\n\n\"It will take years to unpick why Covid has gone so badly in the UK,\" says University College London infectious diseases expert Dr Neil Stone. \"But the failure to learn from wave one stands out.\"\n\nBut it must also be recognised that there are factors outside the control of the government - certainly in terms of its pandemic response - that have contributed to the high number of deaths.\n\nOne of the reasons the virus was able to take a hold and spread so quickly was because of geography and the fact the UK - and London in particular - is a global hub. Genetic analysis has shown the virus was brought into the UK on at least 1,300 separate occasions, mainly from France, Spain and Italy, by the end of March.\n\nIt was here before we knew it. That's not something Australia or New Zealand had to deal with on such a scale.\n\nDensity of population is also a factor. The UK is among the 10 most densely populated big nations - those with populations of more than 20 million. What is more, our cities are more inter-connected than they are in many places.\n\nIt meant the virus was able to seed everywhere quite quickly. Contrast this with Italy which saw the vast majority of cases in the north of the country in the first wave.\n\nThe ageing population also needs to be taken into account. Once you do this, and adjust for the size of the population - known as age-standardised mortality - deaths have risen, but not by as much as some of the headline figures suggest.\n\nThe health of the nation has also been a factor. The UK has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. And obesity increases the risk of hospitalisation and death, according to Public Health England. One study found the risk of death was almost double for those who are severely obese.\n\nConditions such as diabetes, kidney disease and respiratory problems also increase the risk - a fifth of Covid deaths have listed diabetes on the death certificate.\n\nAgain the UK has relatively high rates of these illnesses.\n\nBut many have argued that these high levels of ill-health have been compounded by the levels of inequality in the UK.\n\nLevels of ill health and life expectancy have always been worst in the poorest areas, but the pandemic certainly seems to have exacerbated this.\n\nOffice for National Statistics data shows mortality rates have been twice as high in deprived areas as they have been in wealthy areas. The Health Foundation is carrying out its own inquiry into the issue, arguing the Covid death toll needs to be seen through the \"lens\" of inequality to fully understand it.\n\nIt is something that has also been raised by Prof Michael Marmot, one of the country's leading experts on health inequalities. \"The UK's dismal record is telling us something important about our society.\"\n\nIf you, or someone you know, have been affected by bereavement, here is a list of organisations that may be able to help.", "A senior judge prevented the BBC from properly reporting a £2.6m legal claim against Scotland's child abuse inquiry, a court has been told.\n\nThe Court of Session heard how Lady Smith, chairwoman of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI), faced an employment tribunal claim in 2019.\n\nLady Smith passed orders which stopped detail of the action being reported.\n\nThe top judge denied any wrongdoing in regard to the claim that was later abandoned.\n\nThe employment tribunal case alleging discrimination, harassment and victimisation was from a former senior member of the inquiry legal team.\n\nBBC Scotland has raised a judicial review of the SCAI restriction orders, arguing they were beyond the powers of Lady Smith and her involvement in the case meant any restriction decision should have been made by the employment tribunal.\n\nBut Roddy Dunlop QC, advocate for the SCAI, told the Court of Session the corporation's case was academic as the original restriction order had been overtaken by another order.\n\nMr Dunlop also argued the BBC had not spelled out to the SCAI what detail it wanted to publish in relation to the tribunal.\n\nKenneth McBrearty QC, acting for the broadcaster, told the court the purpose of the original restriction order was, \"not merely to prohibit disclosure or publication of the documents. It was to prohibit disclosure or publication of the very existence of the proceedings\".\n\nHe said: \"It is in effect what is equivalent to what in England has been described as a super injunction. That is what in effect it amounts to because it prohibits even the disclosure of the proceedings.\n\n\"The importance of this case lies with the way the Restriction Order impinged on the open justice principle. If there was a need for an order restricting the disclosure of any material, that is an order to be sought from the employment judge.\"\n\nThe case before Lord Boyd is being heard at the Court of Session\n\nThe Court of Session heard the employment tribunal claim for £2.6m damages was brought in July, 2019, by the inquiry's former lead junior counsel, John Halley.\n\nA news release, issued by SCAI in October 2019, confirmed existence of the claim and a denial that Lady Smith had discriminated against Mr Halley. An initial hearing took place that month and Mr Halley abandoned the tribunal two months later.\n\nBut Mr McBrearty QC said the SCAI press release did not include the full outline of the claim\n\nHe said: \"All that the media was to be entitled to publish was that which the respondent had considered able to include in a press release in circumstances to which the respondent was herself party in the proceedings.\"\n\nThe BBC is seeking declarators from the Court of Session stating that Lady Smith's restriction orders were unlawful.\n\nRoddy Dunlop QC said the BBC had the option to present to Lady Smith what it wanted to report on in the case, as per the detail of the media restriction order, and then get her permission to publish but failed to do so.\n\nHe said: \"That simple request is all that needed to be done and it wasn't resorted to. That's why the alternative remedy aspect of this is a problem to the BBC.\n\n\"There needs to be a practical effect, the entitlement to publish could have been obtained at any point by asking.\"\n\nMr Dunlop pointed out that the original restriction orders objected to by the BBC have now been replaced by a new order issued in March last year.\n\nHe said: \"What is the point of challenging orders which cease to have any potency.\n\n\"Why is it we continue to expend grey matter, and more importantly public funds on both sides, in fighting on something which is in any view within the terms of the reference [of the SCAI inquiry] and within article ten [of Human Rights legislation].\"\n\nOn Wednesday Mr Dunlop will continue his submissions before Lord Boyd.", "An extra £50m is being directed towards grassroots sport after a \"significant hit\" to activity levels amid the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nFunding agency Sport England - which has already invested £220m since the start of the crisis - announced the additional money as part of a new 10-year strategy.\n\nThousands of clubs, swimming pools, leisure centres and gyms have been forced to shut in recent months.\n\nWith many children having done no sport outside of PE lessons since the start of November, and schools now shut across the county, emphasis will be placed on supporting young people to get active.\n\nEarlier this month, figures showed the majority of young people failed to meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily exercise in the last academic year. Almost a third of children were classed as 'inactive' as a result of the first lockdown, not even doing 30 minutes.\n\nAnother focus in the new 'Uniting the Movement' strategy will be tackling the long-standing inequalities that have existed within the sport sector and reinforced by the recent disruption.\n\nNew data shows the pandemic has disproportionately affected people from lower socio-economic groups and BAME backgrounds, for whom there was already a clear pattern of low activity.\n\n\"This strategy comes at a critical time\" said Tim Hollingsworth, the chief executive of Sport England.\n\n\"We have made significant funding available, but many organisations are struggling, and activity levels have taken a significant hit.\n\n\"At the heart of all this is a ruthless focus on providing opportunities to people and communities that have traditionally been left behind.\"\n\nAndy Reed, Chair of the Sport for Development Coalition, said: \"The impact of the pandemic, growing social challenges and subsequent widening inequalities mean we urgently need a new social contract with sport and physical activity, focused on the wider social outcomes that sport can deliver.\"\n\n\"We must expand understanding, recognition and investment in the contribution that sport can make beyond health and wellbeing, to addressing loneliness and social isolation, improving educational attainment and employability, to community cohesion, and reducing anti-social behaviour and entry into the justice system.\"\n\nA group of more than 50 sports bodies have called for a new government action plan and emergency funding to help them survive the pandemic. The Save Our Sports campaign has warned that the activity sector - which employs nearly 600,000 people in the UK and contributes £16bn to the economy each year - faces an unprecedented crisis.\n\nHuw Edwards, the chief executive of Ukactive, which represents the physical activity industry, said: \"Crucially, before the sector begins its recovery from the impact of Covid-19, it must first survive it.\n\n\"The publication of this strategy needs to be accompanied by a new level of urgency and commitment from the government that it will not leave parts of this sector behind, and provide the necessary financial and regulatory support so desperately needed.\"\n\nBut Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said it was \"placing sport and physical activity at the heart of its coronavirus recovery plan, and Sport England's new strategy provides a strong base to invest in sports organisations, facilities and people\".\n• None All the goals, highlights and drama from Sunday's fourth-round ties are", "The head of AstraZeneca has defended its rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in the EU, amid tension with member states over delays in supply.\n\nPascal Soriot told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that his team was working \"24/7 to fix the very many issues of production of the vaccine\".\n\nHe said production was \"basically two months behind where we wanted to be\".\n\nHe also said the EU's late decision to sign contracts had given limited time to sort out hiccups with supply.\n\nMr Soriot, chief executive of the UK-Swedish multinational, said a contract with the UK had been signed three months before the one with the EU, giving more time for glitches to be ironed out.\n\nHe told La Repubblica that problems in \"scaling up\" vaccine production were being experienced at two plants, one in the Netherlands and one in Belgium.\n\n\"It's complicated, especially in the early phase where you have to really sort out all sorts of issues,\" he said.\n\n\"We believe we've sorted out those issues, but we are basically two months behind where we wanted to be.\"\n\nHe added: \"We've also had teething issues like this in the UK supply chain. But the UK contract was signed three months before the European vaccine deal. So with the UK we have had an extra three months to fix all the glitches we experienced.\n\nAstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said a vaccine targeting the South African variant was being worked on\n\n\"Would I like to do better? Of course. But, you know, if we deliver in February what we are planning to deliver, it's not a small volume. We are planning to deliver millions of doses to Europe, it is not small.\"\n\nMr Soriot also said AstraZeneca was working on a vaccine with Oxford University that would target the South African variant of the coronavirus.\n\nScientists have warned there is a chance the South African variant may harm the effectiveness of current vaccines.\n\nThe AstraZeneca vaccine is already being used in the UK but has not yet been approved by the EU, although the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is expected to give it the green light at the end of this month.\n\nThe bloc signed a deal in August for 300 million doses, with an option for 100 million more. The EU had hoped that, as soon as approval was given, delivery would start straight away, with some 80 million doses arriving in the 27 nations by March.\n\nThe EU has ordered 600 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is already being used on patients around the bloc.\n\nBut Pfizer-BioNTech said last week it was delaying shipments for the next few weeks because of work to increase capacity at its Belgian plant.\n\nIn response to the delays, the EU has said it might restrict exports of vaccines made in the bloc.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sofia Bettiza explains why some countries are far ahead of others in the vaccination race\n\nHealth Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said companies making Covid vaccines in the bloc would have to \"provide early notification whenever they want to export vaccines to third countries\".\n\nShe said the 27-member EU bloc would \"take any action required to protect its citizens\".\n\nEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, addressing the virtual version of the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), usually held in Davos, said: \"Europe invested billions to help develop the world's first Covid-19 vaccines. And now, the companies must deliver. They must honour their obligations.\"\n\nHave you been affected by vaccine supply issues? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Drone footage captures the extent of the damage the bridge over the River Clwyd\n\nIt could take 18 months to draw up plans to rebuild a bridge which was swept away during last week's Storm Christoph, a council has warned.\n\nLlanerch bridge, between Trefnant and Tremeirchion in Denbighshire, is a backroad link to the A55.\n\nThe grade II-listed bridge crosses the River Clwyd and villagers now face a seven-mile detour.\n\nMeanwhile, some people in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, can return home later after flooding caused by the storm.\n\nDenbighshire council said diversions would go through St Asaph while Llanerch bridge was repaired.\n\n\"It means it takes much longer now to go from Tremeirchion to Trefnant or St Asaph,\" he said.\n\n\"I know of one couple that have a horse in stables on the other side of the river - so it's a seven-mile journey each way, twice a day, for them now.\n\n\"It's quite a challenge and we're starting to think about how long we'll need to live with it. Are we talking a year, two, three, or maybe much longer than that?\"\n\nVale of Clwyd Conservative MP James Davies said the bridge should be rebuilt: \"There are many who would wish to see the bridge replaced like-for-like, although I appreciate that the new structure will need to take into account the challenges posed by modern-day and projected river flows.\"\n\nDenbighshire council's Meirick Lloyd Davies suggested the structure could be widened, similar to the one in Llangollen.\n\nBut the Trefnant ward councillor added: \"We will need money from the Welsh Government and I hope the UK government are also ready to throw something into the bucket because it is very expensive.\"\n\nA council spokesman said: \"We will seek to resolve this as soon as we are able.\n\n\"Final plans for the bridge will involve a number of third parties and it could take up to 18 months or more to resolve.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government said the condition of the structure was the responsibility of the owner, with local authorities having powers to ensure listed structures were preserved.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Cerys Thomas said her mother's conservatory windows were blown open by the force of the water\n\nSouth Wales was also hit by Storm Christoph on Thursday and in Skewen about 80 people were evacuated as water rushed through the village on Thursday.\n\nThe Coal Authority said initial checks suggested water built up in a mine shaft, causing a \"blow out\" which flooded properties.\n\nThose living in Jubilee Crescent and Dunevor Road have been told they can return home, but others will have to wait until the Coal Authority has made further investigations.\n\nCouncil leader Rob Jones told Breakfast with Claire Summers: \"We haven't got the exact figures of the number of people who will be able to return home today, there's going to be further assessments this morning.\n\n\"As early as we can, we will release the names of the streets of those people who will be able to go back, but it will be conditional. They need to go back in a controlled manner. We've still got Covid around.\"\n\nHe added houses would need to have their electrics checked and information would be provided on how to do this.\n\nOther people have been warned it could take months before they can go home.", "Chelsea have sacked manager Frank Lampard after 18 months in charge, with former Paris St-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel expected to replace him.\n\nLampard, 42, leaves with the club ninth in the Premier League after last week's defeat at Leicester City, having won once in their past five league matches.\n\nHis final game was Sunday's 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win against Luton.\n\nLampard was appointed on a three-year contract when he replaced Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge in July 2019.\n• None Watch Monday Night Club: Is Tuchel right man for Chelsea?\n• None 'Lampard had seen enough Chelsea managers go to know the score'\n• None Why Tuchel will be a popular appointment in the Chelsea dressing room\n• None Tuchel set to come in after Lampard sacking - reaction\n\nIn a statement released on Monday night, Lampard said he was \"disappointed not to have had the time to take the club forward\" and added that it had been a \"huge privilege and an honour\" to manage the club.\n\n\"When I took on this role I understood the challenges that lay ahead in a difficult time for the football club,\" he continued.\n\n\"I am proud of the achievements that we made, and I am proud of the academy players that have made their step into the first team and performed so well. They are the future of the club.\"\n\nChelsea are hopeful that new manager Tuchel will be on the bench for Wednesday's Premier League game against Wolves at Stamford Bridge.\n\nHe will not be exempt from coronavirus quarantine.\n\nBut if Tuchel tests negative on entry to the United Kingdom and then negative again in order to enter a Premier League club's bubble, he will be granted an exemption by the Football Association for attending matches and training.\n\nHe will still have to serve a quarantine period outside of those environments, which will last five days.\n\nFormer Chelsea midfielder Lampard guided them to fourth place and the FA Cup final in his first season in charge, and a 3-1 win against Leeds in early December put the club top of the Premier League.\n\nHowever, the Blues have suffered five defeats in their past eight league games, as many as they had in their previous 23.\n\nIn a statement, Chelsea said: \"This has been a very difficult decision, and not one that the owner and the board have taken lightly.\n\n\"We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as head coach of the club. However, recent results and performances have not met the club's expectations, leaving the club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement.\n\n\"There can never be a good time to part ways with a club legend such as Frank, but after lengthy deliberation and consideration it was decided a change is needed now to give the club time to improve performances and results this season.\"\n\nOwner Roman Abramovich said Lampard's status as an \"important icon\" of the club \"remains undiminished\" despite his dismissal.\n\n\"This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him,\" said Abramovich.\n\n\"He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.\"\n\nLampard did not sign a single player during his first season as the club were operating under a transfer embargo, but spent more than £200m on seven major signings last summer, including £45m on Leicester's Ben Chilwell and £71m on midfielder Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen.\n\nIt is the most Chelsea have spent in one summer, eclipsing the £186m they invested at the start of the 2017-18 season.\n\nLampard is Chelsea's all-time record scorer, with 211 goals for the club between 2001 and 2014, and is also joint-seventh on the list of most capped England players, having made 106 appearances for his country over 15 years from 1999.\n\nDuring his 13 seasons as a player at Stamford Bridge, he made 648 appearances and won 11 major trophies - including four Premier League titles and the 2012 Champions League.\n\nHis first managerial job was at Derby. In his one season in charge, they reached the Championship play-off final, where they lost to Aston Villa.\n\nLampard became the 10th full-time manager appointed by Abramovich since the billionaire bought the club in 2003.\n\nAccording to football finance journalist Kieran Maguire, Abramovich had spent £110m on sacking managers before Lampard's dismissal.\n\nHaving finished with 66 points last season after 20 wins and 12 defeats, Chelsea have lost six times in their opening 19 league games this season.\n\nLampard's points-per-game average of 1.67 is the lowest of any permanent Chelsea manager in the Premier League. During the Abramovich era, only Andre Villas-Boas (47.5%) has a worse win rate than Lampard's 52.4%, in all competitions among permanent Chelsea bosses.\n\nIn contrast, Jose Mourinho's win rate in all competitions during his first spell in charge was 67.03%, while Sarri, Antonio Conte, Avram Grant, Carlo Ancelotti and Claudio Ranieri all had win rates over 60%.\n\nAnalysis - lack of confidence among squad key to sacking\n\nLampard was sacked because the club could not see him reversing a slide in form.\n\nAfter qualifying for the Champions League last season and spending more than £200m on players in the summer, the aim this campaign was to close the gap on the leaders, but that has not been achieved.\n\nAlthough links will be made between Tuchel's heritage and the poor form of fellow Germans Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, the change was made because of the lack of confidence among the whole squad.\n\nIt is hoped that Tuchel can rejuvenate a team that is five points outside of the top four, and an announcement could be made within 24 hours.\n\nThe decision to sack Lampard was very difficult for Abramovich, who has never made a statement when changing Chelsea managers previously.\n\nIn the end, Lampard paid for his relative inexperience as a manager, which cannot be said of Tuchel.\n\nBest of reaction to Lampard sacking\n\nManchester City boss Pep Guardiola: \"People talk about projects and ideas. They don't exist. You have to win or you will be replaced. I am not judging Chelsea's decision. I respect their decision. But our world is to win as much as possible.\n\n\"I hope to see Frank soon and go to a restaurant with him when lockdown is finished.\"\n\nTottenham boss Jose Mourinho: \"It is the brutality of football. Anything can happen in football now, every time somebody loses their job it is sad news but he is a big boy, [with] a strong personality and strong mentality.\n\n\"I am pretty sure he will be back when he wants to be back and his career will be good. I hope so.\"\n\nWest Ham boss David Moyes: \"I'm disappointed for Frank as I saw him as one of the most up and coming young English managers in the country.\n\n\"It's a big thing we try to encourage our own British managers into the big leagues, if we can. I'm sure he'll come back and learn from it.\n\n\"He did a great job last year - he did a really good job with so many youngsters coming through the academy. It seemed a little bit harder for him this year. I'm sure he'll take time off, come back and get better.\"\n\nLeicester boss Brendan Rodgers: \"Clearly I'm really sad for Frank and his staff. I know how much the club means to him.\n\n\"Looking at the squad and how young they are, they need time. He hasn't been given that time. I really feel for him. He did great at Derby.\n\n\"He had the courage to step out of an amazing career and could have taken an easier route. It was a job he couldn't turn down, even though he didn't have a lot of experience.\n\n\"Results haven't been what he would have wanted, but I feel it's a job that needed time.\"\n\nCrystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson: \"It saddens me. I thought he did an excellent job last season. I was rather hoping that the idol of the fans and Chelsea legend that he is, he'd get a longer shot than 18 months.\n\n\"Managers who have had short stays at Chelsea have gone on to have good careers elsewhere. When you're sacked for the first time, it is a devastating blow. There's no doubt he has a pedigree to be a very good manager.\"\n\nFormer Chelsea striker Chris Sutton speaking on BBC 5 Live's Monday Night Club: \"It is 52 days since Chelsea were top of the Premier League and 48 days ago that Chelsea had been on an unbeaten run of 17 games.\n\n\"So in the space of 48 days the owner has decided to write Frank Lampard off. How are we ever going to know if Frank Lampard is a good manager? You only every really learn about people and their characteristics and traits when they go through a little bit of adversity and Frank has gone through a little bit of adversity.\n\n\"Frank has basically been sacked for the owner's expectations. I feel sorry for Frank because he is a club legend.\n\n\"They are five points off fourth place, but the bottom line is that the owner wants to win the Premier League and that was always going to be the pressure.\n\n\"Chelsea should have been more loyal. We know the owner's track record - he is ruthless, he is brutal and guillotined Frank.\"\n\nScott G: Been a Chelsea fan since Nevin, Speedie and Dixon and admit I've enjoyed all the success money has brought us over the last 20 years. However, there's a sadness about that decision. Some things money can't buy. #SuperFrank\n\nFil Harris: Isn't the whole point of appointing a younger manager to give him time to build and develop? Craziness from Chelsea to sack Lampard after such a short time.\n\nSimon Kirk: Been a Chelsea fan since 1969 and have never been so annoyed at a sacking of a Chelsea manager. He needed at least another 18 months. Shame on you Abramovich and the Chelsea board for supporting such a decision.\n\nRyan Howard: I find it such a weird sacking - a month or so ago Chelsea were in a nice groove, Zouma and Silva were scoring and keeping clean sheets, now after one bad run he gets sacked. Chelsea could be a world-class club if they just gave a manager proper time to build a team.\n\nPeter Josi: Chelsea are totally right to sack Lampard, he lacked the experience or coaching prowess to lead the side. The next phase should start with an investigation into our transfer policy and how our last two record signings turned out to be flops.\n\nThomas Wilson: Why are people surprised Lampard was sacked? Chelsea have been ruthlessly successful for 15 years. They are not going to suddenly resort to being generously unsuccessful because of a club legend being at the helm.\n• None All the goals, highlights and drama from Sunday's fourth-round ties are", "Janet Yellen has been confirmed as the first ever female US treasury secretary in a Senate vote.\n\nMs Yellen, who headed the US central bank from 2014 to 2018, earlier won bipartisan support from members of the Senate Finance Committee.\n\nShe will be responsible for guiding the Biden administration's economic response to the pandemic.\n\nThe US is struggling to rebound economically from the hit caused by the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nAt her confirmation hearing on 19 January, Ms Yellen urged Congress to approve trillions more in pandemic relief and economic stimulus, saying that lawmakers should \"act big\" without worrying about national debt.\n\nIn response, Republican senators warned the former Federal Reserve head this was not the time for \"a laundry list\" of liberal reforms.\n\nMs Yellen disagreed, highlighting the fact that many families whose incomes have fallen were not reached by jobless programmes. She argued that plans to raise taxes must be seen in the context of financing bigger investments necessary to make the US economy competitive.\n\n\"The focus now is not on tax increases. It is on programmes to help us get through the pandemic,\" she stressed.\n\nJanet Yellen was previously chair of the US Federal Reserve. She was known for focusing more attention on the impact of the central bank's policies on workers and the costs of America's rising inequality.\n\nBefore then-President Barack Obama named her to lead the Fed in 2014, she had served as one of its board members for a decade, including four years as vice-chair.\n\nJanet Yellen speaking at a press conference in 2017 as US Federal Reserve Chair\n\nDonald Trump bucked Washington tradition when he opted not to appoint Ms Yellen to a second four-year term at the Fed.\n\nHowever, her climb to the top of the economics profession had made her a feminist icon in the economics world.\n\nWhen she left the Fed in 2018, many paid tribute to her leadership by imitating her signature look of a blazer with a popped collar.\n\nMs Yellen is seen as someone able to satisfy both progressive and centrist members of Mr Biden's Democratic party. Her nomination to lead the Fed in 2014 won support from some Republicans.\n\nHer focus on employment, rather than inflation, gave her a reputation of favouring low interest rates, which spur economic activity by making it less expensive to borrow money.\n\nBut under her leadership, the Fed raised interest rates for the first time since 2008 - albeit less aggressively than some more conservative commentators supported.\n\nHer stewardship of that process has won praise on Wall Street, even as it remains hotly debated.", "Twitter is asking its users for help in combating fake news.\n\nIt has announced a pilot that allows people to submit notes on tweets that may be false or misleading.\n\nThe initiative, named 'Birdwatch', is being trialled among a small group in the US initially. The firm acknowledged the new system would have to be \"resistant to manipulation attempts\".\n\nCompanies like Twitter are looking at how they can better moderate their platforms.\n\nTwitter said on Monday: \"We know this might be messy and have problems at times, but we believe this is a model worth trying.\"\n\nTwitter, along with other large social media companies, has struggled to deal with disinformation on its platform.\n\nThe pilot will allow users to flag tweets they believe to be \"misleading or false\", provide evidence to the contrary and discuss them with other - on a separate 'Birdwatch' site.\n\nAdditional notes and flags would then be placed on to content.\n\nTwitter says this new approach could help it respond more quickly when misleading information spreads.\n\n\"Eventually we aim to make notes visible directly on Tweets for the global Twitter audience, when there is consensus from a broad and diverse set of contributors,\" Twitter said.\n\nTwitter already adds labels to some misleading news. For example, many of Donald Trump's false claims of voter fraud were labelled by the company.\n\nTwitter also reserves the right to remove tweets - and in extreme circumstances ban users - which it did with the US president after the riots in Washington earlier this month.\n\nTwitter, though, wants to go further: \"We don't want to limit efforts to circumstances where something breaks our rules or receives widespread public attention,\" said Twitter's Vice-President Keith Coleman.\n\nParticipants will have to provide a verified phone number and email to take part, in a bid to keep bots and bad actors away, as well as having no recent rule violations against their Twitter account.\n\nPresident Biden said in his inauguration speech that: \"We must reject a culture where facts are manipulated, or even manufactured.\"\n\nJames Clayton is the BBC's North America technology reporter based in San Francisco. Follow him on Twitter @jamesclayton5.", "Parents and teachers say they are \"frustrated\" schools will be shut until the February half term and fear the impact it will have on children.\n\nSpeaking to Radio Wales' phone-in, one caller said they felt young people were being \"thrown under the bus\".\n\nOthers said they were fed up with \"bitty information\" from the Welsh Government.\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford said it was the \"best certainty\" he could offer \"in a world which is highly uncertain\".\n\nSo how have parents, pupils and professionals reacted to the announcement that schools may not reopen until 22 February?\n\nDr Dai Samuel welcomed the news as a consultant treating Covid patients - but as a dad he feels some \"trepidation\"\n\nDr Dai Samuel, a consultant at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf, is also a father and lives in one of the worst-hit areas in Wales.\n\nHe said he had mixed feelings about the decision as he had \"two hats on\" - one as an NHS doctor treating Covid patients and the other as a dad.\n\n\"The hospitals are full and the ITU units only have beds now because they've expanded that capacity,\" he said.\n\n\"It's a very precarious position and I just hope that this measure now for the next three to six weeks will hopefully allow us to get through this winter, allow the vaccines to take effect and get us out of this mess come the spring and summer.\n\n\"I'm a doctor so, from a medical point of view, yes [the decision is] a massive sigh of relief, but as a father and someone who lives in Merthyr - a town that's been hit already significantly by the virus and the economical impacts of that - I've got some sort of trepidation because I fear that those businesses now that still remain closed will suffer and will go under.\n\n\"What will happen to that generation of children now who might not get the education they deserve and would have had otherwise… who won't achieve what they could have?\"\n\nTrying to home-school four young children and work is a \"challenge\", said Kaarina Rutta Reuter from Sully, Vale of Glamorgan.\n\n\"It's a challenge trying to help all four at the same time and also having in the back of your mind, 'I should also be working and doing other things',\" she said.\n\n\"I was quite sure that this was going to happen. It didn't come as a surprise I have to say, because the situation is just so bad I think there is no other way out of it at the moment. I just wish we had known earlier on and it would have been easier to plan.\"\n\nThe pressures of juggling home-schooling with her career mean she is working at night when the children have gone to bed.\n\n\"I don't even try to work during the day with the children around because I've just realised it's just not possible.\n\n\"My husband is working full-time but I'm only working part-time, I'm teaching at university so I still have quite flexible hours - apart from obviously teaching hours - it just means that I have to work in the evening or over the weekend, just organise yourself differently.\"\n\nShe said it was \"best not to have too high expectations\" when it came to guessing when lockdown would end and schools would reopen.\n\n\"Like we saw in the first lockdown in spring, in the end it was quite a bit longer than we had all thought,\" she said.\n\n\"I would hope they could go back in March, that's my hope for now but I think we'll just have to wait and see what will happen with the numbers over the next few weeks, months and just take it from there really.\"\n\nA father called Ron, from Bridgend, told the phone-in with Dot Davies he was predominantly worried about the effects on children, particularly in the south Wales valleys.\n\n\"I just see children deteriorating on a regular basis. I can only speak about my own - I have a teenage daughter and her mental health, her lack of access to her school, her teachers, to her peers, will cause more harm than the virus will cause children.\n\n\"It feels like we are asking our children to donate their kidneys to the vulnerable. We are throwing them under the bus as far as I'm concerned.\"\n\nAnna, 16, who is studying for her GCSEs at Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr, Swansea, said the decision to keep schools and colleges closed was \"a big disappointment\".\n\n\"The idea of staying in the house until February fills me with dread because we've been in the house for months,\" she told Newyddion.\n\nAfter a case of Covid-19 in her school, she said she had to self-isolate, adding: \"It's been an age since I last saw my friends, went to school, and really learned.\n\n\"It's really hard. We've been back in school since Wednesday and doing everything online but it's nigh-on impossible. It's not the same.\n\n\"It's really hard to learn. There's this feeling of 'why am I even bothering?' - I really want to go back but I appreciate that might not be possible because people are dying. It's not an easy situation.\"\n\nHer mock assessments before her final assessments - which were brought in to replace exams - have been cancelled until the return to school, which she said has taken away some of the pressure.\n\n\"Without practising, there's a lot of uncertainty. What's going to be in the assessment? So, it is nice to hear they've cancelled them. It's a difficult situation so cancelling them takes a bit of the pressure off children and young people my age.\"\n\nMother-of-three Amanda Williams from Bridgend told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she was glad schools would remain closed and hoped it would minimise the spread of the virus.\n\n\"I don't believe schools are safe to open at the moment,\" she said.\n\n\"Until they can classify exactly what the main symptoms are in children I think it's a risk to send children back to school and it's a risk with these new variants.\"\n\nMrs Williams lives in Bridgend county borough, where infection rates are the highest among all Welsh local authority areas. One of her relatives is currently on a ventilator at Bridgend's Princess of Wales Hospital with Covid-19.\n\n\"In the last week I've heard of a lot of people passing away such as friends of friends. It's starting to get closer to home.\"\n\nSarah Curley, a maths teacher and mother of twins, also from Bridgend, said she would \"rather be in school\" but agreed schools remaining shut was the \"safest option\".\n\nShe said: \"In school each day I come into contact with 100-odd pupils and we don't wear PPE.\"\n\nMs Curley said she was glad her school, Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen in Bridgend, would not be welcoming students back on Monday, as originally planned, because of the area's high infection rates.\n\n\"My anxiety was through the roof around Christmas. I could see the numbers going up and I was thinking, 'I've got to go back into school next week'.\"", "A year ago, the Chinese government locked down the city of Wuhan. For weeks beforehand officials had maintained that the outbreak was under control - just a few dozen cases linked to a live animal market. But in fact the virus had been spreading throughout the city and around China.\n\nThis is the story of five critical days early in the outbreak.\n\nBy 30 December, several people had been admitted to hospitals in the central city of Wuhan, having fallen ill with high fever and pneumonia. The first known case was a man in his 70s who had fallen ill on 1 December. Many of those were connected to a sprawling live animal market, Huanan Seafood Market, and doctors had begun to suspect this wasn't regular pneumonia.\n\nSamples from infected lungs had been sent to genetic sequencing companies to identify the cause of the disease, and preliminary results had indicated a novel coronavirus similar to Sars. The local health authorities and the country's Center for Disease Control (CDC) had already been notified, but nothing had been said to the public.\n\nAlthough no-one knew it at the time, between 2,300 and 4,000 people were by now likely infected, according to a recent model by MOBS Lab at Northeastern University in Boston. The outbreak was also thought to be doubling in size every few days. Epidemiologists say that at this early part of an outbreak, each day and even each hour is critical.\n\nWuhan’s Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was sealed off on 1 January 2020\n\nAt around 16:00 on 30 December, the head of the Emergency Department at Wuhan Central Hospital was handed the results of a test carried out by sequencing lab Capital Bio Medicals in Beijing.\n\nShe went into a cold sweat as she read the report, according to an interview given later to Chinese state media.\n\nAt the top were the alarming words: \"SARS CORONAVIRUS\". She circled them in bright red, and passed it on to colleagues over the Chinese messaging site WeChat.\n\nWithin an hour and a half, the grainy image with its large red circle reached a doctor in the hospital's ophthalmology department, Li Wenliang. He shared it with his hundreds-strong university class group, adding the warning, \"Don't circulate the message outside this group. Get your family and loved ones to take precautions.\"\n\nWhen Sars spread through southern China in late 2002 and 2003, Beijing covered up the outbreak, insisting that everything was under control. This allowed the virus to spread around the world. Beijing's response invoked international criticism and - worryingly for a regime deeply concerned about stability - anger and protests within China. Between 2002 and 2004, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) went on to infect more than 8,000 people and kill almost 800 worldwide.\n\nRobert Maguire of the WHO and a Chinese doctor visit a Sars patient in Guangzhou, China – April 2003\n\nOver the coming hours, screen shots of Li's message spread widely online. Across China, millions of people began talking about Sars online.\n\nIt would turn out that the sequencers made a mistake - this was not Sars, but a new coronavirus very similar to it. But this was a critical moment. News of a possible outbreak had escaped.\n\nThe Wuhan Health Commission was already aware that there was something going on in the city's hospitals. That day, officials from the National Health Commission in Beijing arrived, and lung samples were sent to at least five state labs in Wuhan and Beijing to sequence the virus in parallel.\n\nNow, as messages suggesting the possible return of Sars began flying over Chinese social media, the Wuhan Health Commission sent two orders out to hospitals. It instructed them to report all cases direct to the Health Commission, and told them not to make anything public without authorisation.\n\nWithin 12 minutes, these orders were leaked online.\n\nIt might have taken a couple more days for the online chatter to make the leap from Chinese-speaking social media to the wider world if it wasn't for the efforts of veteran epidemiologist Marjorie Pollack.\n\nThe deputy editor of ProMed-mail, an organisation which sends out alerts on disease outbreaks worldwide, received an email from a contact in Taiwan, asking if she knew anything about the chatter online.\n\nDr Marjorie Pollack is an epidemiologist based in New York\n\nBack in February 2003, ProMed had been the first to break the news of Sars. Now, Pollack had deja vu. \"My reaction was: 'We're in trouble,'\" she told the BBC.\n\nThree hours later, she had finished writing an emergency post, requesting more information on the new outbreak. It was sent out to ProMed's approximately 80,000 subscribers at one minute to midnight.\n\nAs word began to spread, Professor George F Gao, director general of China's Center for Disease Control [CDC], was receiving offers of help from contacts around the world.\n\nChina revamped its infectious disease infrastructure after Sars - and in 2019, Gao had promised that China's vast online surveillance system would be able to prevent another outbreak like it.\n\nBut two scientists who contacted Gao say the CDC head did not seem alarmed.\n\n\"I sent a really long text to George Gao, offering to send a team out and do anything to support them,\" Dr Peter Daszak, the president of New York-based infectious diseases research group EcoHealth Alliance, told the BBC. But he says that all he received in reply was a short message wishing him Happy New Year.\n\nDirector of the Chinese Center for Disease Control, George F Gao – 22 January 2020\n\nEpidemiologist Ian Lipkin of Columbia University in New York was also trying to reach Gao. Just as he was having dinner to ring in the New Year, Gao returned his call. The details Lipkin reveals about their conversation offer new insights into what leading Chinese officials were prepared to say at this critical point.\n\n\"He had identified the virus. It was a new coronavirus. And it was not highly transmissible. This didn't really resonate with me because I'd heard that many, many people had been infected,\" Lipkin told the BBC. \"I don't think he was duplicitous, I think he was just wrong.\"\n\nLipkin says he thinks Gao should have released the sequences they had already obtained. My view is that you get it out. This is too important to hesitate.\"\n\nGao, who refused the BBC's requests for an interview, has told state media that the sequences were released as soon as possible, and that he never said publicly that there was no human-to-human transmission.\n\nThat day, the Wuhan Health Commission issued a press release stating that 27 cases of viral pneumonia had been identified, but that there was no clear evidence of human to human transmission.\n\nIt would be a further 12 days before China shared the genetic sequences with the international community.\n\nThe Chinese government refused multiple interview requests by the BBC. Instead, it gave us detailed statements on China's response, which state that in the fight against Covid-19 China \"has always acted with openness, transparency and responsibility, and … in a timely manner.\"\n\nBBC This World's 54 Days: China and the pandemic can be seen on BBC Two at 21:00 GMT on Tuesday 26 January, or 23:30 on Monday 1 February (except BBC Two Northern Ireland). Or watch on BBC iPlayer.\n\nPart two - 54 Days: America and the Pandemic - will be on BBC Two on Tuesday 2 February at 21:00.\n\nInternational law stipulates that new infectious disease outbreaks of global concern be reported to the World Health Organization within 24 hours. But on 1 January the WHO still had not had official notification of the outbreak. The previous day, officials there had spotted the ProMed post and reports online, so they contacted China's National Health Commission.\n\n\"It was reportable,\" says Professor Lawrence Gostin, Director of the WHO Collaborating Center on national and global health law at Georgetown University in Washington DC, and a member of the International Health Regulations roster of experts. \"The failure to report clearly was a violation of the International Health Regulations.\"\n\nDr Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist who would become the agency's Covid-19 technical lead, joined the first of many emergency conference calls in the middle of the night on 1 January.\n\n\"We had the assumptions initially that it may be a new coronavirus. For us it wasn't a matter of if human to human transmission was happening, it was what is the extent of it and where is that happening.\"\n\nIt was two days before China responded to the WHO. But what they revealed was vague - that there were now 44 cases of viral pneumonia of unknown cause.\n\nChina says that it communicated regularly and fully with the WHO from 3 January. But recordings of internal WHO meetings obtained by the Associated Press (AP) news agency some of which were shared with PBS Frontline and the BBC, paint a different picture, revealing the frustration that senior WHO officials felt by the following week.\n\n\"'There's been no evidence of human to human transmission' is not good enough. We need to see the data,\" Mike Ryan WHO's health emergencies programme director is heard saying.\n\nThe WHO was legally required to state the information it had been provided by China. Although they suspected human to human transmission, the WHO were not able to confirm this for a further three weeks.\n\n\"Those concerns are not something they ever aired publicly. Instead, they basically deferred to China,\" says AP's Dake Kang. \"Ultimately, the impression that the rest of the world got was just what the Chinese authorities wanted. Which is that everything was under control. Which of course it wasn't.\"\n\nThe number of people infected by the virus was doubling in size every few days, and more and more people were turning up at Wuhan's hospitals.\n\nBut now - instead of allowing doctors to share their concerns publicly - state media began a campaign that effectively silenced them.\n\nOn 2 January, China Central Television ran a story about the doctors who spread the news about an outbreak four days earlier. The doctors, referred to only as \"rumour mongers\" and \"internet users\", were brought in for questioning by the Wuhan Public Security Bureau and 'dealt with' 'in accordance with the law'.\n\nOne of the doctors was Li Wenliang, the eye doctor whose warning had gone viral. He signed a confession. In February, the doctor died of Covid-19.\n\nThe Chinese government says that this is not evidence that it was trying to suppress news of the outbreak, and that doctors like Li were being urged not to spread unconfirmed information.\n\nBut the impact of this public dressing down was critical. For though it was becoming apparent to doctors that there was, in fact, human-to-human transmission, they were prevented from going public.\n\nA health worker from Li's hospital, Wuhan Central, told us that over the next few days \"there were so many people who had a fever. It was out of control. We started to panic. [But] The hospital told us that we were not allowed to speak to anyone.\"\n\nThe Chinese government told us that \"it takes a rigorous scientific process to determine if a new virus can be transmitted from person to person\".\n\nThe authorities would continue to maintain for a further 18 days that there was no human-to-human transmission.\n\nLabs across the country were racing to map the complete genetic sequence of the virus. Among them was a renowned virologist in Shanghai, Professor Zhang Yongzhen who began sequencing on 3 January.\n\nAfter having worked for two days straight, he obtained a complete sequence. His results revealed a virus that was similar to Sars, and therefore likely transmissible.\n\nOn 5 January, Zhang's office wrote to the National Health Commission advising taking precautionary measures in public places.\n\n\"On that very day, he was working to try and get information released as soon as possible, so the rest of the world could see what it was and so we could get diagnostics going\", says Zhang's research partner, Professor Edward Holmes an evolutionary virologist at the University of Sydney.\n\nBut Zhang could not make his findings public. On January 3, the National Health Commission had sent a secret memorandum to labs banning unauthorised scientists from working on the virus and disclosing the information to the public.\n\n\"What the notice effectively did,\" says AP's Dake Kang, \"is it silenced individual scientists and laboratories from revealing information about this virus and potentially allowing word of it to leak out to the outside world and alarm people.\"\n\nNone of the labs went public with the genetic sequence of the virus. China continued to maintain it was viral pneumonia with no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission.\n\nIt would be six days before it announced that the new virus was a coronavirus, and even then, it did not share any genetic sequences to allow other countries to develop tests and begin tracing the spread of the virus.\n\nThree days later, on 11 January, Zhang decided it was time to put his neck on the line. As he boarded a plane between Beijing and Shanghai, he authorised Holmes to release the sequence.\n\nThe decision came at a personal cost - his lab was closed the next day for \"rectification\" - but his action broke the deadlock. The next day state scientists released the sequences they had obtained. The international scientific community swung into action, and a toolkit for a diagnostic test was publicly available by 13 January.\n\nDespite the evidence from scientists and doctors, China would not confirm there was human-to-human transmission until 20 January.\n\nIllustration of spike proteins (red) of Covid-19 binding with receptors (blue) on a target human cell\n\nAt the beginning of any emerging disease outbreak, says health law expert Lawrence Gostin, it's always chaotic. \"It was always going to be very difficult to control this virus, from day one. But by the time we knew [the international community] it was transmissible human to human, I think the cat was already out the bag, it already spread.\n\n\"That was the shot we had, and we lost it.\"\n\nAs Wang Linfa, a bat virologist at Duke-Nus Medical School in Singapore, says: \"January 20th is the dividing line, before that the Chinese could have done much better. After that, the rest of the world should be really on high alert and do much better.\"", "Harriet Tubman was a spy and a nurse for the Union during the US Civil War\n\nThe Biden administration has said it will seek to push forward a plan to make anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman the face of a new $20 bill.\n\nA note featuring Ms Tubman, who was born a slave in about 1822, was originally due to be unveiled in 2020.\n\nThe US Treasury said she would replace former President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner.\n\nBut the effort was delayed under former President Donald Trump, who branded it \"pure political correctness\".\n\nNow President Joe Biden has revived the project, with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki telling reporters the Treasury was \"exploring ways to speed up\" the process.\n\nThe move would make Ms Tubman the first African American to appear on a US banknote, and the first woman for more than 100 years.\n\n\"It's important that our notes, our money - if people don't know what a note is - reflect the history and diversity of our country, and Harriet Tubman's image gracing the new $20 note would certainly reflect that,\" Ms Psaki said on Monday.\n\nA mock-up of the new $20 note\n\nThe women last depicted on US notes were former First Lady Martha Washington, on the $1 silver certificate from 1891 to 1896, and Native American Pocahontas, in a group image on the $20 bill from 1865 to 1869.\n\nHowever, given the complexities of redesigning and producing US banknotes, the bill is not expected to be released any time soon.\n\nIn 2019, Mr Trump's Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said the redesign would be delayed until at least 2026. At the time, he said he was focused on redesigning bills to address counterfeiting issues, not making changes to their imagery.\n\nMr Trump, an admirer of his populist predecessor Andrew Jackson - whose portrait hung in his office - expressed opposition to the redesign.\n\nWhile campaigning in 2016, Mr Trump suggested that Ms Tubman be put on the $2 bill instead.\n\nBorn into slavery in about 1822, Ms Tubman grew up working in the cotton fields in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was the fourth of nine children born to two enslaved parents, Benjamin Ross and Harriet Rit.\n\nAs a teenager, she was hit in the head by an iron weight thrown by an overseer, leaving her severely injured.\n\nShe escaped from a slave plantation in 1849, fleeing north to the neighbouring state of Pennsylvania.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and then helped others to do so.\n\nIn the years that followed, Ms Tubman returned multiple times to Maryland to rescue others, conducting them along the so-called \"underground railroad\", a network of safe houses used to spirit slaves from the south to the free states in the north.\n\nShe is estimated to have made some 13 missions to rescue more than 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network.\n\nLater, she became a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War, a prominent supporter of the women's suffrage movement, and a famous veteran of the struggle for the abolition of slavery.\n\nAfter the war, Ms Tubman toured eastern cities giving speeches in support of women's suffrage, drawing on her experiences in the fight against slavery.\n\nShe died in 1913, aged 91, surrounded by her family.", "Sunderland-based Hays Travel took over Thomas Cook's stores and staff in 2019\n\nTravel firm Hays Travel is to close 89 of its 535 shops following a review into its take over of Thomas Cook.\n\nThe Sunderland-based firm bought the collapsed company in October 2019 and deferred a review into the performance of its shops until 2021.\n\nA Hays Travel spokeswoman said the third national lockdown and travel ban meant \"the company had to act\".\n\nShe said 388 staff affected by the closures would be offered \"alternative work options\" to minimise redundancies.\n\nChief operating officer Jonathon Woodall said the \"first priority\" was to \"look after our customers\" and ensure \"the highest standards of customer service\".\n\nHe added that the firm was \"continuing with our robust two-year business plan and continue to be ready for the bounce back when it comes\".\n\nDame Irene Hays said business had not bounced back as had been hoped\n\nDame Irene Hays, owner and chair of the Sunderland-based firm, said it was \"always our intention to review the performance of our shops at the end of the licence period\".\n\n\"We had hoped the business would bounce back in January and it has not,\" she said.\n\n\"We have done everything we could to safeguard jobs and the business thus far, and we have come up with a range of options for those at risk of redundancy to help as many colleagues as we can.\"\n\nOptions for staff include working from home or filling vacancies in other shops.\n\nThe spokeswoman said the firm employed about 7,700 people, many of whom were \"working from home taking bookings for holidays for 2021 and beyond\".\n\nThe company has yet to confirm which of its locations will be affected.\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "There has been a recent investigation into mother-and-baby homes in the Republic of Ireland\n\nA report into mother-and-baby homes and Magdalene Laundries in Northern Ireland is expected to be published later.\n\nThe Stormont-commissioned research was carried out by Queen's University and Ulster University.\n\nIt examined whether a public inquiry should be held into the homes.\n\nAmnesty has estimated about 7,500 women and girls gave birth in the institutions operated by both Catholic and Protestant churches and other religious organisations.\n\nSome survivors, both unmarried pregnant mothers who were brought to the facilities and children who were later adopted, have long called for a public inquiry.\n\nThe NI Executive is currently meeting to discuss the report and its recommendations.\n\nFirst Minster Arlene Foster tweeted to say she had spoken to survivors of the homes about the report and the next steps.\n\nShe described it as \"a shameful chapter\", adding: \"Now the silence is broken and their stories have rightfully begun to be told\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Arlene Foster #WeWillMeetAgain This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said earlier that Tuesday's research \"breaks the silence\" around what happened.\n\nShe added that \"what happened was so, so wrong\", and that her thoughts were with the survivors \"who deserve answers to their many questions\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Michelle O’Neill This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe report was commissioned by the Department of Health in 2018 and assessed the period from 1922 to 1999.\n\nIt was completed in February 2020 but was then sent to those facing criticism to give them an opportunity to reply.\n\nSolicitor Claire McKeegan, representing the group Birth Mothers and their Children for Justice NI, said many women were branded as \"fallen\" after becoming pregnant outside marriage and were forced to carry out unpaid labour.\n\nThis \"abuse\", she said, happened on both sides of the Irish border.\n\n\"The state in Northern Ireland not only permitted what happened, but also policed it,\" she added.\n\nAmnesty said there were more than a dozen mother-and-baby home and Magdalene Laundry-type institutions in NI, with the last one closing its doors as recently as 1990.\n\nPatrick Corrigan, NI programme director of Amnesty International, said the report would \"shed new light on the appalling extent and vast scale of the suffering experienced by generations of women and girls in these institutions\".\n\nThe human rights organisation has written to the first and deputy first ministers urging them to meet survivors of mother-and-baby homes.\n\n\"It's time for ministers to listen to the survivors - both the women and girls forced into the homes and the children born there,\" said Mr Corrigan.\n\nThe publication of the report in Northern Ireland comes after a similar investigation into mother-and-baby homes and laundries in the Republic of Ireland, which prompted an apology from Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Mícheál Martin.\n\nThis report found an \"appalling level of infant mortality\".\n\nAbout 9,000 children died in the 18 institutions which were investigated.\n\nMr Martin said there had been \"profound and generational wrong\", adding it was a \"dark, difficult and shameful chapter\" of Irish history.\n\nFollowing the report's publication, NI's first and deputy first ministers Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill met the Irish Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman.\n\nBoth Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill said there was a need for the executive and the Irish government to work together in sharing information and to support survivors.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Time out of school has affected some children who have not established their language skills\n\nParents in English-speaking homes whose children go to Welsh-language schools need more support during lockdown, the Welsh language commissioner has said.\n\nSome parents said time away from face-to-face schooling was affecting younger children who have not fully established their language skills.\n\nOne mother said \"not only do you not know how to help them, you don't know what the question is to start with\".\n\nThe Welsh Government said it had given guidance to Welsh-medium schools.\n\nThere are 65,000 children in Welsh-medium or bilingual primary schools across Wales.\n\nCardiff council estimated more than 70% of children in Welsh-medium education in the city did not speak Welsh at home.\n\nWelsh language commissioner Aled Roberts said any parents concerned about remote learning in should let the school and teachers know in the first instance.\n\nHowever, he said it should be ensured there were \"as many resources as possible to support them\" at a national level and these policies should \"recognise the huge investment that these people are making [into] Welsh-medium education\".\n\nAngela Crabtree said her nine-year-old daughter Ffion had to help her younger sisters\n\nAngela Crabtree, from Caerphilly, said her daughters were partly reliant on her eldest child Ffion to translate Welsh schoolwork.\n\nMs Crabtree, who is on furlough, said keeping up Welsh-language skills had been a challenge for her three daughters, Ffion, Natalie and Chloe, who go to Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Caerffili.\n\n\"It's hard if they ask you a question, not only do you not know how to help them, you don't know what the question is to start with,\" she said.\n\nNatalie and Chloe are partly reliant on their older sister Ffion to translate Welsh work during lockdown\n\n\"The school has been really good in sending things back bilingually, but I've still got the challenge of trying to make sure that the girls look at the Welsh first.\n\n\"Off the back of the first lockdown I think what suffered most was their Welsh language, especially the middle child, going from the infants to the juniors - her Welsh comprehension fell behind a bit.\"\n\nLisa Jane Thomas, from Cardiff, said she was concerned her youngest child, who attends a Welsh-medium school, was going to be disadvantaged.\n\n\"These are really critical stages and to have so much timeout, it does worry me that may be putting her back [and] is going to make it more difficult for her longer term,\" she said.\n\nMs Thomas said she felt there \"ought to be more recognition\" and more could be offered to help parents and children.\n\nYsgol Gynradd Gymraeg Caerffili headteacher Lynn Griffiths said parents make a \"conscious decision\" to send children to Welsh-medium schools\n\nHead teacher of Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Caerffili, Lynn Griffiths, said of almost 440 pupils at the school, three families spoke to him about issues with Welsh-language learning.\n\nMr Griffiths said it was \"a rarity\" after one family that chose not to send their child back to the school this year, while the two other \"listened to what support we can provide them to enable them to do the best for their children\".\n\n\"But also let's not forget our parents have made a conscious decision to send their children to a Welsh medium school because they want their children to be fully bilingual and the advantages that will give them,\" he said.\n\nCampaign group Parents for Welsh medium education said it was launching new website end of this month to help parents by collating Welsh language resources in one place, due to the extra pressure of lockdown home-schooling.\n\nElin Maher, who is a part of the group, said: \"Obviously, we do acknowledge that acquiring language is done best in the classroom, with the teacher at the front and to be surrounded by the language - we want to reassure parents that the language will be there.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government, which has a target of one million people speaking Welsh by 2050, said it appreciated the challenges all parents faced with learning at home.\n\nA spokesman said: \"We have provided guidance to schools to help them during the pandemic, which includes dedicated support for Welsh-medium learners whose families don't speak Welsh.\n\n\"This includes advice for parents and carers on how they can support their children to use the Welsh language while at home.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Maaike Neuféglise said she found blood on the floor of her shop alongside upturned stands and damaged equipment\n\nThe Dutch government says it will not lift a curfew, after a third night of violent protests against increased Covid curbs across the Netherlands.\n\nShops in Rotterdam and other cities were looted and Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said: \"It's scum doing this\". More than 180 arrests have been made.\n\nThe Dutch chief of police said the riots no longer had \"anything to do with the basic right to demonstrate\".\n\nThe criminal violence had to stop, said Prime Minister Mark Rutte.\n\nShop-owners in Rotterdam, Den Bosch and other cities spent Tuesday morning cleaning up the debris from Monday night's violence.\n\nRotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb sent a passionate message to \"shameless thieves\" who had caused the damage: \"Does it make you feel good that you've helped ruin your city? To wake up with a bag full of stolen stuff beside you?\"\n\nA night-time curfew from 21:00 (20:00 GMT) to 04:30 was imposed last Saturday to halt the spread of the virus. Anyone caught violating it faces a €95 (£84) fine. Mr Hoekstra said they would not \"capitulate to a few idiots\" and anyone who caused damage should be tracked down and be made to pay for it.\n\nSome of the worst damage was caused in the southern city of Den Bosch\n\nThe Netherlands has had nearly a million confirmed Covid cases since the start of the outbreak, with more than 13,500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in the US, which is tracking the pandemic.\n\nRiot police clashed with protesters in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, as well as Amersfoort, Den Bosch, Alphen and Helmond.\n\nSome of the worst disturbances were in the south of Rotterdam where police said 10 officers were hurt. Most of the rioters were youths or young men, and Amsterdam's mayor appealed to parents to keep young people indoors.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dutch police have described it as the worst unrest in four decades\n\nFires were lit on the streets of The Hague, where police on bicycles attempted to move small clusters of men who threw stones and fireworks.\n\nIn Den Bosch in the south, rioters set off fireworks, broke windows, looted a supermarket and overturned cars. A local woman told Dutch radio that masked youths had left a trail of destruction in the city centre. \"I saw windows smashed and fireworks going off. Really crazy, just like a war zone,\" she said.\n\nSeveral cities have vowed to introduce emergency measures in an effort to prevent more disturbances\n\nRoads into Den Bosch were closed to stop people joining the rioters and Mayor Jack Mikkers imposed an emergency order banning gatherings on Tuesday.\n\nThe region's chief prosecutor, Heleen Rutgers, urged parents to ensure teenagers stayed at home. \"Start talking about how to respond to calls on social media to go and turn up somewhere,\" she told public broadcaster NOS.\n\nIn some southern cities, such as Maastricht and Breda, football fans marched through the centres promising to protect them from rioters. Ex-football international Robin van Persie appealed to people in Rotterdam to keep \"our beautiful city\" intact.\n\nThe ignition of discontent has rocked the core of Dutch society.\n\nIn the absence of any legitimate way to socialise, is this simply an outlet for young men to feel part of something, their masks concealing their identities and enabling them to violently channel their frustrations?\n\nThere are more sinister influences at play. Messages on social media, overt and covert, have whipped up anger. Misinformation has even been spread by some politicians.\n\nSome of the worst violence was in Rotterdam\n\nSome feared a curfew would be a tipping point, as Dutch restrictions tighten while some neighbouring countries relax their rules. The vast majority of people in the Netherlands are peacefully observing the curfew.\n\nThe unrest was initially seen as a response to the first \"stay-at-home\" order imposed since Nazi occupation during World War Two. That notion has been dismissed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who said the rioters were simply criminals and would be treated as such.\n\nBut there are simmering anxieties in Dutch towns and cities, and with less than two months before a general election, voters are vulnerable and the streets volatile.\n\nThere has been widespread shock at the violence. In Rotterdam, where police used water cannon against the rioters, the mayor signed an emergency decree, giving police broader powers of arrest.\n\nThe prime minister said the police had the government's full support: \"The riots have nothing to do with protesting or fighting for freedom.\"\n\nRotterdam shop-owner Emrah Köker said he had no words for what he had seen. \"How can this happen in the Netherlands?\" he asked Dutch daily newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. The justice minister said he challenged anyone to explain what looting a shop had to do with coronavirus.\n\nIn Den Bosch, Maaike Neuféglise said the damage to her shop was heartbreaking and ran into thousands of euros. \"Everything's ruined. I saw the videos, it was a complete invasion. There must have been 40 people in our store,\" she told broadcaster Omroep Brabant.\n\nThe city's mayor said police had struggled to respond to the violence because they were needed in other nearby towns.", "Claudia Marsh was a volunteer for an eating disorder charity which had helped her in the past\n\nAn \"incredible\" recently-qualified teacher has died with coronavirus on her 25th birthday.\n\nClaudia Marsh's death was described as \"sudden and unexpected\" by a charity which had helped her recover from an eating disorder several years ago.\n\nShe had gone on to volunteer for the organisation and became a \"beacon of hope\" for others.\n\nHer mother Tina Marsh, from Heswall in Wirral, said she was \"very proud\" and \"blown away\" by the many tributes.\n\nWriting on Facebook, Ms Marsh said she was a \"beautiful daughter and incredible sister\" who was selfless in her work for Merseyside-based charities Talking Eating Disorders (TEDS) and The Whitechapel Centre.\n\nShe said: \"She loved giving back to people less fortunate than herself.\"\n\nFamily friend Leigh Best, who founded TEDS, described the death as \"heartbreaking\".\n\nShe added: \"Claudia was very special, kind, caring and a dedicated teacher.\n\n\"She supported countless families across the UK. Claudia made her own little packs to give out to others with eating disorders with positive affirmations.\n\n\"She was full of positivity, kindness and hope, and had a smile that would brighten up the whole room.\"\n\nIn a statement, the Whitechapel Centre, where Claudia also volunteered, said staff were \"devastated\", adding she would leave behind a \"legacy of care, dedication and enthusiasm\".\n\nThe charity said she put all of her time and energy into providing food and clothing to those who needed it during the pandemic.\n\n\"Claudia always put others before herself and her memory will live on through the impact and contribution she made to our organisation,\" the centre said.\n\n\"She was instrumental in bringing together our volunteer community.\"\n\nMs Marsh has set up an online fundraising page for the two charities, which has already garnered more than £10,000.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "It wasn't normal when the prime minister stood at the lectern in Downing Street's wood-panelled State Dining Room and announced that four people had died from coronavirus on 9 March last year.\n\nIt wasn't normal, that day, when he announced the obscure-sounding virus was a global pandemic that, in the 21st Century, the UK government would struggle to contain.\n\nIt was unprecedented, in peacetime, when, on 23 March, Boris Johnson instructed the country to stay at home.\n\nIt was shocking when, on 28 March, official figures reported more than 1,000 cases in a single day.\n\nA few weeks later, there were sharp intakes of breath when the UK government's chief scientific adviser told MPs, and all of us, that keeping the numbers of deaths down to around 20,000 would be a \"good outcome\".\n\nIt wasn't normal when the Treasury started paying the wages of millions of people to prevent hardship on a vast scale.\n\nIt wasn't normal when planes stayed on the ground, roads and trains emptied.\n\nIt certainly wasn't normal when classrooms fell largely silent, or when the nooks and crannies of Westminster, usually full of intrigue, emptied.\n\nBut in that new strangeness it became normal, week after week, for millions of us to stand in the street, on balconies or on doorsteps to express thanks to those who care for us.\n\nAnd there is now an emerging routine of the most vulnerable rolling up their sleeves, sometimes in front of the cameras, for vaccines that offer at least part of the route to the future.\n\nYet the daily publication of the numbers of people who have died because of Covid has become an all-too-familiar rhythm.\n\nIn the middle of the afternoon, every day, the latest total emerges. A previously unimaginable communication has become a regular part of the country's conversation.\n\nBut today that number has reached a terrible height. Every one of those 100,000 lives lost leaves its own story, and sorrow, behind.\n\nThis miserable landmark is a moment to remember, maybe, that what has happened in the last year, to our politics, to us all is not normal at all.", "Pictures of the funeral have led to criticism from unionists\n\nPolice have begun an investigation into potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations at the funeral of an IRA man in Londonderry.\n\nEamon McCourt, 62, who reportedly died with Covid-19, was buried on Monday.\n\nUnder current Covid-19 restrictions funerals in Northern Ireland are limited to 25 people.\n\nThe police said a \"significant number of people\" had gathered, in a manner \"likely to be in breach\" of the coronavirus regulations.\n\nPSNI Ch Supt Darrin Jones said anyone found in breach of public health regulations would be reported to the Public Prosecution Service.\n\nHe said police had \"engaged with representatives of the family of the deceased, the local church and local political representatives\", prior to the funeral.\n\n\"As a result, police were given a number of assurances as to the conduct of the funeral, and that people would seek to pay their respects to the deceased from outside their homes rather than gather at the funeral.\"\n\nPictures of the leading republican's funeral show men in white shirts and black ties flanking the cortege and dozens of others behind them.\n\nCh Supt Jones added: \"Regrettably at the funeral on Monday morning, a significant number of people gathered as part of the cortège, in a manner likely to be in breach of the health protection regulations.\"\n\nUnionist politicians had called on the police to act after images circulated online of mourners.\n\nDUP MLA Gary Middleton said those who had abided by Covid-19 restrictions would view the scenes from the funeral \"with dismay\".\n\nHe said it was \"hard to put into words the sheer recklessness of those involved\".\n\n\"Within republicanism it seems that certain individuals are viewed as being more important than public health regulations,\" Mr Middleton said.\n\n\"In those minds the reality of Covid-19 has not been brought home, or at the very least it is viewed as less important than having a public display at a funeral.\n\n\"Such sights are most painful for relatives who have recognised the need for such painful restrictions to be put in place and have abided by them.\"\n\n\"Eamon 'Peggy' McCourt who passed away on Saturday morning was buried from his family home in Creggan, a right accredited to us all.\n\n\"However, it was evident that social-distancing measures and permitted mourner numbers were completely ignored by those in attendance.\n\n\"Again, the majority of people in Northern Ireland who have followed lockdown measures since March 2020 are asking themselves why can republicans do whatever they like?\"\n\nHe called on the police to explain why such \"a large funeral procession was permitted to take place and what actions will follow\".\n\nIn a statement, Sinn Féin said: \"Everyone has a responsibility to follow the public health guidelines.\n\n\"Sinn Féin held its own tribute to his memory online.\"\n\nIn June last year, about 1,800 people attended the funeral of leading IRA member Bobby Storey in west Belfast.\n\nAmong them was Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, the Sinn Féin vice-president, who later admitted the public health message had been undermined.\n\nIn May, Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said there had been social-distancing breaches at funerals in Northern Ireland in both the unionist and nationalist communities.\n\nThis story was amended on 27 January 2021 to remove the phrase 'IRA veteran'. Whilst referring to Mr McCourt's long history in republicanism, we accept the phrase was open to misinterpretation.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe mother of a 15-year-old boy attacked by a group of youths said she heard the gunshots that killed him.\n\nKeon Lincoln was \"set upon\" at about 15:30 GMT on Thursday on Linwood Road in Handsworth, Birmingham, and died later in hospital, police said.\n\nIn an emotional appeal, Sharmaine Lincoln pleaded with the local community to \"help us understand why this has happened\".\n\nFive teenage boys have so far been arrested over his death.\n\nA post-mortem examination revealed Keon was shot and stabbed to death.\n\nKeon Lincoln's mother said not a day would go by when she would not hear her son's \"unbelievable\" laugh\n\nRemembering that afternoon, Ms Lincoln said: \"I heard the gunshots and my first instinct was, 'Where's my son?'\n\n\"A few minutes went by, we heard somebody was in the road and it was my boy.\"\n\nWest Midlands Police arrested three teenagers over the weekend on suspicion of Keon's murder - a 14-year-old boy from Birmingham and two others, aged 15 and 16, at an address in Walsall.\n\nThis is in addition to two 14-year-old boys arrested on Friday, one of whom remains in custody and the other released under investigation.\n\n\"The community needs to step up and put themselves in the shoes of the family,\" police say\n\nDet Ch Insp Alastair Orencas, from West Midlands Police, said the attack on Keon was \"the most pointless use of extreme violence I've witnessed in my 24 years in the police force\".\n\n\"The level of violence has not just caused shock to the family, but to hardened police officers,\" he said. \"It was an absolutely pointless attack, one I can't clear my mind of.\"\n\nThe force is appealing for information and Det Ch Insp Orencas said the community response was \"not where it should be\".\n\n\"These are multiple offenders in broad daylight. I simply don't believe there's not information out there that can help me with the inquiry,\" he said.\n\nKeon Lincoln was attacked on Linwood Road, a residential street in the Handsworth area of Birmingham\n\nMs Lincoln remembered her son as a joker, cheeky - a \"loving child with a jolly spirit\" whose \"unbelievable laugh\" would echo daily around her home.\n\n\"It doesn't make sense, the type of person Keon was, it doesn't make sense as to why someone would want to harm him or take his life in such a brutal way,\" she said.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "People were vaccinated at Cwmbran Stadium on Tuesday\n\nA pledge that 70% of the over-80s would get the Covid-19 vaccine by last weekend was missed, the Welsh Government has admitted.\n\nWeather has been blamed for the problem with figures showing 96,830, or 52.8%, had their first dose.\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford said many over-80s felt unsafe attending appointments amid the snow and ice.\n\nThe pledge had been made by Health Minister Vaughan Gething in the Senedd, last week.\n\nBut earlier, Mr Gething said that as well as missed appointments, five mass vaccination centres were affected by the conditions and \"a range of additional GP clinics didn't go ahead\".\n\nLatest data shows almost 97,000 of the most vulnerable have had a dose - but there is a lag and it can take up to five days for doses injected to be included in the figures. At least 289,566 people have had a first dose - 9.2% of the population.\n\nThat compares to 10.6% in England, 8.6% in Northern Ireland and 8% in Scotland.\n\nMr Drakeford told First Minister's Questions earlier: \"We will not reach the 70% for over-80s because of the interruption to the programme of vaccination that happened on Sunday and on Monday morning.\n\nA pledge 70% of over-80s would be inoculated by last weekend was missed\n\n\"I won't have people over-80 feeling pressurised to come out to be vaccinated when they themselves decide that it is not safe for them to do so.\"\n\nHe said all of those people would have been offered a further opportunity to be vaccinated by the end of Wednesday.\n\nHowever, Mr Drakeford said Wales was on track to meet plans to offer everybody in the top four priority groups (those aged 70 or over) a vaccination by mid-February.\n\nAround 23,700 first doses a day would need to be given for the first four priority groups to be have a vaccine offered by 14 February.\n\nOn the latest seven day rolling average, it would take 25 days.\n\nBut Mr Davies said: \"Welsh Conservatives would have been the first to congratulate the Welsh Government and its health minister had the target been reached on Friday, but that target has been missed.\n\n\"It's the same old Labour story of taking credit when things go well but look to blame anyone and everything else when it goes wrong.\"\n\nIn the Senedd, he accused the government of running a \"postcode lottery\" for vaccinations, which Mr Drakeford denied.\n\nThe first minister said figures had gone from 162,000 people being vaccinated last week to 230,000 this Tuesday.\n\nHe said that was \"the fastest rate of increase in any part of the United Kingdom\", and accused Mr Davies of wanting to \"run it down\".\n\n\"He leads a Conservative party in Wales, which has reverted to its 19th Century type - for Wales, see England.\"\n\nPlaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth said he did not think \"blaming snow over the weekend holds water\".\n\n\"Snow did cause problems in certain areas but the problem was that you were still on 24% of over-80s in the middle of last week. There was too high a mountain to climb,\" he added.\n\nBut Mr Gething said the weather was an \"obvious factor\" on both Sunday and Monday.\n\nIn a statement, he said more than 11,000 care home residents - 67% of the priority group - had received their first vaccine dose.\n\nOver 65% of Welsh Ambulance Service staff had also taken up the offer of a vaccine.\n\n\"We have seen a significant escalation in the pace of vaccine deployment here in Wales over the last couple of weeks,\" he told Members of the Senedd (MSs).", "Leaders in the US House of Representatives have officially delivered their article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate, the first step in beginning his trial.\n\nRead more: Trump impeachment trial delayed until next month", "Anyone entering Australia has to undergo a mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine\n\nAustralia is unlikely to fully open its borders in 2021 even if most of its population gets vaccinated this year as planned, says a senior health official.\n\nThe comments dampen hopes raised by airlines that travel to and from the country could resume as early as July.\n\nDepartment of Health Secretary Brendan Murphy made the prediction after being asked about the coronavirus' escalation in other nations.\n\nDr Murphy spearheaded Australia's early action to close its borders last March.\n\n\"I think that we'll go most of this year with still substantial border restrictions,\" he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Monday.\n\n\"Even if we have a lot of the population vaccinated, we don't know whether that will prevent transmission of the virus,\" he said, adding that he believed quarantine requirements for travellers would continue \"for some time\".\n\nCitizens, permanent residents and those with exemptions are allowed to enter Australia if they complete a 14-day hotel quarantine at their own expense.\n\nDr Brendan Murphy (left) was Australia's chief medical officer and now leads the Department of Health\n\nQantas - Australia's national carrier - reopened bookings earlier this month, after saying it expected international travel to \"begin to restart from July 2021.\"\n\nHowever, it added this depended on the Australian government's deciding to reopen borders.\n\nThe country opened a travel bubble with neighbouring New Zealand late last year, but currently it only operates one-way with inbound flights to Australia.\n\nAustralia has also discussed the option of travel bubbles with other low-risk places such as Taiwan, Japan and Singapore.\n\nA passenger from New Zealand arriving at Sydney Airport last October\n\nA vaccination scheme is due to begin in Australia in late February. Local authorities have resisted calls to speed up the process, giving more time for regulatory approvals.\n\nAustralia has so far reported 909 deaths and about 22,000 cases, far fewer than many nations. It reported zero locally transmitted infections on Monday.\n\nExperts have attributed much of Australia's success to its swift border lockdown - which affected travellers from China as early as February - and a hotel quarantine system for people entering the country.\n\nLocal outbreaks have been caused by hotel quarantine breaches, including a second wave in Melbourne. The city's residents endured a stringent four-month lockdown last year to successfully suppress the virus.\n\nOther outbreaks - including one in Sydney which has infected about 200 people - prompted internal border closures between states, and other restrictions around Christmas time.\n\nThe state of Victoria said on Monday it would again allow entry to Sydney residents outside of designated \"hotspots\", following a decline in cases.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Travel abroad UK: How to fly during a global pandemic\n\nWhile the measures have been praised, many have also criticised them for separating families across state borders and damaging businesses.\n\nDr Murphy said overall Australia's virus response had been \"pretty good\" but he believed the nation could have introduced face masks earlier and improved its protections in aged care homes.\n\nIn recent days, Australia has granted entry to about 1,200 tennis players, staff and officials for the Australian Open. The contingent - which has recorded at least nine infections - is under quarantine.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Ms Davies-Jones wanted to highlight how \"vitally important\" smear tests are\"\n\nAn MP has described how she had to have most of her cervix removed after putting off a smear test for several months.\n\nPontypridd MP Alex Davies-Jones, 31, said she was invited for her first routine screening in December 2015 and \"like so many others, I put it off\".\n\nFollowing a reminder in April 2016 she went for the cervical screening.\n\nShe wrote in the i newspaper it led to her being diagnosed with CIN3, abnormal cells and had to have surgery.\n\nIf left untreated, CIN3 can have a high chance of becoming cancerous.\n\nMs Davies-Jones wrote in the paper she was left \"without the majority of my cervix\" after the surgery.\n\nShe said she used her article to urge others \"don't delay in booking\" and said she felt compelled to write about her experiences for Cervical Cancer Prevention Week.\n\nA cervical screening checks the health of your cervix.\n\nA small sample of cells is taken from the cervix and checked for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes to the cells.\n\nIf present the sample is then checked for any changes in the cells which can be treated before they get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.\n\nThe NHS advises women between the ages of 25 to 49 to have a smear test every three years.\n\nAlex Davies-Jones became the Labour MP for Pontypridd in the 2019 General Election\n\nShe wrote: \"I used all of the usual excuses that you may have heard before.\n\n\"I was simply too busy, I couldn't get an appointment and I had no symptoms or abnormalities that were worrying me.\"\n\nMs Davies-Jones wrote she thought the routine screening would \"just be five minutes of awkward conversation with the nurse at my local GP whilst taking my knickers off\".\n\n\"I didn't ever think that there could be a chance that my cells would be 'abnormal' and that the next few months of my life would leave me terrified and constantly contemplating my own mortality.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Chloe Delevingne had a smear test live on the Victoria Derbyshire programme to show what the procedure involved\n\nIf she had put off the screening any longer \"the situation could have been different\", the MP wrote.\n\nShe said she first received a type of laser treatment to \"burn off the abnormal cells from my cervix\" but more treatment was needed after the doctor told her the abnormal cells on her cervix were \"embedded deeper and looked more challenging than expected\".\n\nThen she had to have surgery, a \"cold knife biopsy\".\n\n\"I was without the majority of my cervix, but my life was saved. It was over,\" she wrote.\n\n\"Sadly, for many this isn't the case. For the next few years, I attended screenings every six months to ensure the abnormal cells didn't return.\n\n\"My last screening was in April 2018. Thankfully again all was fine but the anxiety and fear that surrounded me as I awaited those results has stayed with me even now.\"\n\nShe went on to give birth to her son Sullivan in March 2019.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "In 2009, Spector was convicted of the 2003 murder of Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson\n\nThe BBC has apologised for the original headline in its reporting of the death of the convicted murderer Phil Spector.\n\nThe former music producer died on Saturday at the age of 81, while serving a prison sentence for the murder of Lana Clarkson in 2003.\n\nThe first version on the breaking news story on the BBC News website carried the headline: \"Talented but flawed producer Phil Spector dies aged 81\".\n\nThe BBC said the headline \"did not meet our editorial standards\".\n\nThe text was quickly changed to: \"Pop producer jailed for murder dies at 81.\"\n\n\"This was changed within minutes and we also deleted a tweet that had gone out automatically with the original headline,\" a statement issued by the BBC read.\n\n\"We apologise for this error.\"\n\n\"Our coverage of the story across BBC News has been clear that Phil Spector was convicted of the murder of Lana Clarkson and had a long history of violence and abuse,\" it continued.\n\nSpector was convicted of murdering Clarkson, an actress, in 2009.\n\nHis death was confirmed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.\n\nReacting to the original version of the BBC's story, pop star Lily Allen tweeted: \"Rolling eyes at all the journos deliberately downplaying Phil Spector being a murderer in their headlines, so everyone points this out while linking to their articles resulting in lots of clicks.\"\n\n\"How about 'Murderer, Phil Spector dies aged 81'?\" offered author and historian Hallie Rubenhold.\n\nThe headline was also discussed on TV and radio programmes on Monday, including Loose Women and Radio 4's Woman's Hour, and prompted an article in the Guardian.\n\nThe phrasing of the BBC's article - and others like it - were \"a reflection of how a man's 'genius' is often viewed as more important than a woman's humanity,\" said columnist Arwa Mahdawi.\n\nSpector, who transformed pop with his \"wall of sound\" recordings, worked with The Beatles, The Righteous Brothers and Tina Turner.\n\nBut after the commercial failure of Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High, he largely withdrew from public life, and entered a long decline, marked by erratic behaviour, heavy drinking, and a fondness for guns.\n\nHis turbulent marriage to Ronettes singer Veronica Bennett, known as Ronnie Spector, ended in divorce.\n\n\"Unfortunately Phil was not able to live and function outside of the recording studio,\" she wrote after his death was announced. \"Darkness set in, many lives were damaged.\"\n\nSinger Darlene Love, who sang on several songs Spector produced, said he \"changed the sound of rock 'n' roll\" but likened their relationship to \"a bad marriage\".\n\n\"The problem I have with Phil is that he wanted to control Darlene Love's talent,\" she told Variety. \"If he couldn't do that, he was going to do everything in his power to keep my talent from shining.\"\n\nWeeks before Lana Clarkson was shot dead, Spector gave a rare interview to British broadsheet The Telegraph.\n\n\"I would say I'm probably relatively insane, to an extent,\" he told the paper, adding that he had \"devils inside that fight me\".\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'I was spat at working as an ambulance paramedic'\n\nAfter experiencing its most difficult period of the entire Covid-19 pandemic in December, the boss of Welsh Ambulance Service said it was still under \"extreme pressure\".\n\nAt one stage, 400 staff - 12% of all workers - were sick or self-isolating.\n\nJason Killens said this was exacerbated by high call numbers and \"significant delays\" handing patients to hospitals.\n\nOne paramedic described questioning whether he was in the right job after being spat at during the pandemic.\n\nThe chief executive said it meant \"patients with less serious conditions waited much longer than we would like\".\n\nParamedic Stan Baxter was assaulted by someone who spat at him\n\nParamedic Stan Baxter, describing the pressure he and colleagues were under, said at one point an incident caused him to question whether he wanted to continue working.\n\n\"During the peak of the pandemic last year, I was assaulted by a member of the public where I was spat at in the face,\" he said.\n\n\"And that's really the only time that I've stopped and gone: 'Is this for me?'\"\n\nHowever the \"vast majority of the public\" had been \"absolutely fantastic\", he stressed, adding: \"We've had people waving at us, buying us coffee.\"\n\nLuke Robinson and Stan Baxter must wear more protective equipment when they help patients\n\nFor his work partner, Luke Robinson, their job made it clear how coronavirus had made a resurgence across the country.\n\n\"I worked New Year's Eve and I responded to a number of incidents which involved just regular health complaints,\" he said.\n\n\"But next door or in the adjacent building there's people having parties and you can tell that there's large gatherings going on. And it's really frustrating because it really hammers home that some people aren't listening to the rules.\n\n\"And it's not surprising that we're seeing a second wave now.\"\n\nMr Killens said the pressure was now \"palpably less\" compared to last month, but admitted difficult weeks lie ahead.\n\n\"December was probably the most pressurised period during the whole pandemic for a number of reasons,\" he said.\n\n\"Staff that were symptomatic or isolating, that's been at its peak in December.\n\n\"We've seen more work both in the 111 and 999 service, that is patients contacting us with Covid-related symptoms, and of course because of the pressure on the rest of the NHS, we've seen extended handover at some of our emergency departments and what that's meant regrettably is some less serious patients have waited a lot longer in the community than I would have expected.\"\n\nSoldiers have been helping to relieve pressure on ambulance staff\n\nThe ambulance service has been at its highest level of alert - described as \"extreme pressure\" - since early December.\n\nIt was so bad at the beginning of the month, the service had to declare a \"critical incident\", because of severe problems in south east Wales in particular - and one man had to wait 19 hours in an ambulance outside a hospital.\n\nThis strain has been partly blamed for deteriorating ambulance response times, with the situation exacerbated by the fact hospitals are struggling.\n\nAmbulances spent more than 11,661 hours outside emergency departments waiting to transfer patients in December - an equivalent to a total of more than 485 days. The average delay was one hour and eight minutes.\n\nThe Ambulance Service has been hit by high numbers of staff sick or self-isolating\n\n\"We would usually see handover delays through winter - but what's unique this time is the overlay of the pandemic,\" Mr Killens added.\n\n\"There has to be additional distancing, this means less capacity in emergency departments.\n\n\"Testing also needs to be done before patients are admitted - the additional complexities mean the process is slower and there's less space for patients to go into.\"\n\nHe said the impact of implementing Covid precautions is also affecting how quickly crews can respond.\n\n\"As a result of the virus, we're having to clean vehicles and equipment more frequently and thoroughly than before,\" Mr Killens said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"Also there are levels for personal protective equipment that staff have to wear to protect themselves and others. Level three - the highest in some cases.\n\n\"And it takes a number of minutes for crews to put that on before staff treat the patients.\"\n\nTo bolster staffing levels and speed up response times, about 80 soldiers are assisting the Welsh Ambulance Service for the second time since the start of the pandemic - along with smaller number of staff from other services like the fire service.\n\n\"They are driving emergency ambulances for us... which means an emergency ambulance clinician can look after the patient,\" Mr Killens added.\n\n\"They'll drive the ambulance from the scene to hospital... it enables us to put more ambulances on the streets to respond to patients more quickly given the levels of absence that we've seen.\"\n\nParamedics now have to carry out a more rigorous and time-consuming cleaning regime\n\nAfter facing relentless pressure for close to a year, Mr Killens is worried about the impact on mental health and well-being of ambulance and control centre staff.\n\nThe service is focused on \"what we can do to keep them fit and well\", he said.\n\nBut he praised staff for \"stepping up to the plate\" - and insists some of the lessons learnt during the last year will benefit the service during the longer term.\n\n\"I've been in the ambulance sector for 25 years and this is like dealing with a very long incident,\" said Mr Killens.\n\n\"So, a major incident an emergency service routinely responds to generally will be over in a couple of hours. But the level of pressure has been sustained now for 12 months.\n\n\"All of our people have stepped up and done what was necessary and got on with providing the best care in really difficult circumstances.... we will come through it and at the end of the pandemic and will be a stronger organisation for it.\"\n\nHe believes the service is now \"on the home straight\" in dealing with the pandemic.\n\n\"We've had two waves of this virus and learnt much along the way, and with a vaccine rollout we have a real opportunity now to see an end to the disruption, the personal impact and the level of death and harm,\" Mr Killens said.\n\n\"By the time we get to the other side of the spring, probably we will be able to return to some kind of normality whatever that will be 18 months into a pandemic.\n\n\"There's a couple of difficult weeks to come, but if we can emerge through February and March, provided we all stick to the rules, because it's easy for the virus to grab hold again if we get complacent .... we'll be in a far better position as we come to the spring.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sheku Bayoh death: Eyewitness says stamping attack on officer 'never happened'\n\nTwo police officers involved in the death of a black man they were restraining may have provided false statements, the BBC can reveal.\n\nThey said Sheku Bayoh carried out a stamping attack on a female PC before he was brought to the ground and restrained by up to six officers.\n\nBut now an eyewitness has spoken publicly for the first time about the 2015 incident.\n\nHe told a Panorama investigation that the stamping attack \"never happened\".\n\nThe Scottish Police Federation said its officers had cooperated truthfully with investigators.\n\nMr Bayoh, a 31-year-old father of two, died in the incident in the Fife town of Kirkcaldy in 2015.\n\nA public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death has recently got under way. One of its tasks is to examine whether his race was a factor.\n\nSheku Bayoh was restrained on the ground for five minutes before falling unconscious\n\nOn the night of 2 May 2015, Sheku Bayoh had taken drugs, which friends said dramatically altered his behaviour.\n\nPolice were called early the following morning after he was spotted behaving erratically with a knife in the streets of his home town.\n\nAccording to police statements, by the time the officers arrived at the scene Mr Bayoh no longer had the knife but he failed to obey instructions to get down on the ground.\n\nEach of the officers used force on Mr Bayoh within seconds of encountering him, including CS Spray and batons.\n\nHe then punched PC Nicole Short, who went to the ground.\n\nTwo officers, PCs Craig Walker and Ashley Tomlinson, would later tell investigators that Mr Bayoh then carried out a violent stamping attack on PC Short while she lay on the ground, a claim reported widely in the media.\n\nThe stamping attack was widely reported in the newspapers\n\nPC Walker told investigators: \"I had a clear view of him… he had his arms raised up at right angles to his body and brought his right foot down in a full-force stamp on to her lower back.\"\n\nPC Tomlinson said: \"I thought he had killed her. He stomped on her back again.\"\n\nNow, evidence obtained by Panorama suggests these accounts may be false.\n\nMr Bayoh was restrained on the ground for five minutes before falling unconscious. He was pronounced dead at hospital a short time later.\n\nA post-mortem examination report revealed 23 separate injuries to Mr Bayoh's body, including a broken rib and gashes to his head. The cause of death was recorded as \"sudden death in a man intoxicated [with drugs] whilst under restraint\".\n\nIn 2018, the Crown Office in Scotland decided there would be no prosecutions against any officers involved.\n\nKevin Nelson gave evidence to investigators two days after the incident\n\nKevin Nelson was in a nearby house and saw events unfold over a garden hedge.\n\nHe gave his account to investigators from Pirc (Police Investigations and Review Commissioner), which investigates deaths in custody, two days after the incident.\n\nSpeaking publicly for the first time, Mr Nelson told Panorama he saw Mr Bayoh attempt to walk away from the officers, ignoring their commands, before being sprayed with CS spray. He said Mr Bayoh retaliated and punched PC Short.\n\nAsked if there had been any further contact with PC Short, he said, \"No. He was running off… after the punch, there was no more attack on her at all.\"\n\nMr Nelson said Mr Bayoh ran off from where PC Short went down and was quickly intercepted by the other officers.\n\nAsked about PC Walker's claim that Mr Bayoh had \"his arms raised up… and brought his right foot down in a full force stamp\", Mr Nelson said: \"That never happened. I didn't see him stamping at all or, other than the punch, any raised arms.\n\n\"After the punch, that was it. There was no more attack on her at all. That's not right.\"\n\nThe officers provided their accounts to investigators 32 days after Mr Bayoh's death.\n\nMr Nelson said no-one from Pirc returned to ask about the discrepancy between their account and his.\n\nThe eyewitness said he decided to speak out because it was unfair on Mr Bayoh's family that the officers had \"made the incident worse than it actually was to justify what had happened and… that's not right\".\n\nMr Nelson's account is supported by CCTV footage of the incident, obtained by the BBC.\n\nIt is poor quality but appears to show that once PC Short is knocked down by Mr Bayoh, the action moves away from her, and he is brought down within five seconds.\n\nPC Short did not mention in her statement she had been stamped on. Now retired, she later said she was unsure if she was conscious, and only learned about the alleged stamping attack when her colleagues told her about it afterwards.\n\nIn the CCTV, PC Short appears to get to her feet a few seconds after Mr Bayoh is brought down.\n\nMike Franklin says conflicts of evidence should have been resolved\n\nMike Franklin, former commissioner for the body which investigated police complaints in England and Wales, looked at Panorama's evidence.\n\nHe said: \"I think there's nothing more serious than a police officer who gives false information in an investigation where somebody has died. So without accusing them of lying, I simply say that there's a big conflict.\n\n\"Two officers who were there say that it did happen. The person to whom it happened didn't mention it. And an eyewitness says it didn't happen.\n\n\"I would've been reluctant to sign off the investigation as complete, without resolving those… conflicts of evidence.\"\n\nMr Bayoh's sister, Kadi Johnson, told Panorama the new allegations had made her \"really angry\".\n\nShe said the way her brother was \"painted\" by the accounts given after his death was not who he was.\n\nMr Bayoh's sister, Kadi Johnson, said the new allegations had made her really angry\n\nA spokesman for the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said serving officers were unable to comment on matters \"to which they may be called upon to give sworn evidence\" but that they had \"co-operated fully and truthfully with the investigations that have taken place\".\n\nIt added it had seen \"compelling material that Mr Bayoh did violently stamp on the back of a policewoman as she lay unconscious\".\n\nThe BBC asked for this material to be produced but was told the inquiry was the \"proper forum\" for such matters.\n\nThe Crown Office, which directed the Pirc Inquiry, told Panorama it had examined \"eye-witness accounts of police and civilian witnesses\" and instructed \"appropriate investigation\".\n\nIt said after careful consideration it was decided there should be no prosecutions but reserved the right to prosecute should evidence become available.\n\nPirc told Panorama its investigation was \"detailed and extensive\" but could not comment further because of the public inquiry.\n\nPolice Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone expressed his condolences to the Bayoh family and said the force would \"participate fully\" in the inquiry.\n\nKevin Clarke died after being restrained in London by up to nine officers\n\nPanorama's \"I Can't Breathe: Black and Dead in Custody\" also investigates the case of Kevin Clarke, 35, who died in 2018 after being restrained in London by up to nine officers.\n\nAn inquest into his death resulted in a damning verdict on the police and ambulance services.\n\nMr Clarke's sister Tellecia told the programme that if the officers \"hadn't used excessive force he would still be here today… treat him like a human being, and not just see him as a big scary black man\".\n\nMetropolitan Police Commander Bas Javid apologised to Mr Clarke's family and accepted the restraint had not been appropriate.", "Lisbet Stone is stranded at Madrid Airport due to having an out-of-date coronavirus test result\n\nPassenger Lisbet Stone says she is stuck in Madrid Airport after airline officials said her coronavirus test result was out of date.\n\nFrom Monday, travellers arriving in the UK, whether by boat, train or plane, have to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test to be allowed entry.\n\nThe test must be taken in the three days before travelling.\n\nFor those with connecting flights, the test must be 72 hours before your final departure point to England.\n\nAnyone arriving without one faces a fine of up to £500.\n\nMrs Stone originally travelled to Cuba in February 2020 to see family. The British Cuban dual national was unable to fly home to the UK when Cuba closed its borders in March.\n\nThe family say she had several previous flights cancelled before finally being able to leave this weekend. She hasn't been able to see her four children or her husband Trevor in 11 months.\n\nThe government are understood to be speaking to Air Europa to try to get Mrs Stone home. Carriers have been told that they should permit stranded passengers to board and will not be fined for doing so.\n\nWhile Mrs Stone has been caught out by the new restrictions for incoming travellers, the first day of the new regulations appeared to go smoothly.\n\nMrs Stone left Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, on Sunday night to fly back to the UK via Madrid.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus: How to fly during a global pandemic (this video reflects the rules before the hotel quarantine was introduced in the UK)\n\nShe took a Covid test on Thursday to be guaranteed a result by Saturday. It was negative and Mrs Stone was able to board the plane from Cuba.\n\nHowever, on arrival at Madrid-Barajas Airport, Mrs Stone says she was stopped from boarding the next leg of her journey to London Gatwick by Air Europa staff, because her test had been taken more than 72 hours before the final flight.\n\n\"She's crying her eyes out,\" says Trevor Stone, her husband. \"I feel absolutely helpless. She doesn't have any Euros as she wasn't meant to stay in Spain. The authorities have given her no help whatsoever, we are just trying to understand what to do.\n\n\"She took her test 72 hours before the start of her journey, but had to take a connecting flight onwards. There would be no other way to do it, it is not physically possible.\"\n\nIn the meantime, Mr Stone says he has been home-schooling their four children on his own through the pandemic.\n\nTrevor Stone (left) has been caring for the couple's four children on his own for 11 months since Lisbet Stone was unable to leave Cuba\n\n\"We are just desperate to get her home - I'm so worried about her and after 11 months, she really wants to see her children,\" he added. \"We haven't done anything wrong, I don't know what to do or who to turn to.\"\n\nA Department for Transport spokesman said: \"Passengers travelling to the UK must provide proof of a negative coronavirus test which meets the performance standards set out by the government in the guidance published on gov.uk.\n\n\"The type of test could include a PCR test or antigen test, including a lateral flow test. Anyone who cannot provide the necessary documentation may not be allowed to board their flight.\"\n\nAir Europa and Madrid Airport have been approached by the BBC for comment.", "Medical staff are expected to \"face pressures unlike any other they have faced before\" as NI approaches its toughest week so far in the pandemic.\n\nThe British Medical Association has said while its doctors are \"coping\", many feel they are unable to give care to the \"standard they would want\".\n\nThe peak in intensive care is predicted to happen next weekend.\n\nThe head of the BMA in NI, Dr Tom Black has been critical of the way this wave of the pandemic has been managed.\n\nHe said: \"Staff will do their best in a very difficult situation, where many decisions in this pandemic were made too late.\"\n\nWhile it is expected the number of hospital admissions will peak sometime over the next eight to 10 days, the number requiring intensive care treatment is likely to continue increasing for at least another fortnight.\n\nDr Black said he was concerned for both patients and staff.\n\nHe said: \"It is likely that over the next few weeks doctors will be asked to work in a new location or provide support to areas that are already overstretched.\n\n\"Many have already had planned annual leave cancelled.\"\n\nThere were a further 19 virus-related deaths and 640 more Covid-19 cases reported in Northern Ireland on Monday.\n\nThe latest figures from the Department of Health bring the total number of deaths to 1,625, while 96,001 people have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.\n\nSome 65 patients are in ICU, down two from the last report, and 51 patients are being ventilated.\n\nSince the vaccine rollout began in NI, 146,733 people have been vaccinated, according to the Department of Health.\n\nOf that number, 125,717 were first doses and 21,016 were second jabs.\n\nA total of 31,393 people from the over-80 age group have been vaccinated.\n\nEarlier the BMA told BBC News NI that more than 90,000 doses the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had arrived in Northern Ireland but the Department of Health has said it is anticipated separate deliveries will arrive by this weekend.\n\nDr Black said many staff members had reported feeling \"exhausted and demoralised\" and he warned that when it came to reviewing how the pandemic was handled \"this phase will stand out as one where we could have planned better\".\n\nHealth Minister Robin Swann said the next seven days is \"when we will see that real intense pressure coming on our inpatients and intensive care units\".\n\n\"Our worst case scenario has modelling up to 1,200 inpatients - and that's a serious pressure that comes on our system,\" he told Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.\n\n\"We can go up into nearly 200 ICU capacity but that comes at a stretch, that comes with putting our staff under severe pressure in ICU units.\n\n\"It also comes by having to shift the ICU specialist nurse from a ratio of one-to-one to a ratio of one-to-two or even one-to-three in extreme pressures.\n\n\"That's not something we want to do,\" he added.\n\nThe past week saw hospitals across Northern Ireland coming together in order to cope with the strain.\n\nOn 10 January, the Southern Health Trust was on the cusp of declaring a major incident amid the mounting pressures across the health service.\n\nThat was avoided as many off-duty staff answered a call to come into work and the health trusts pulled together to provide a regional response to the crisis.\n\nPatients were diverted to those hospitals which could take them and where infrastructure could cope with supplying additional oxygen to the very ill.\n\nOver the weekend of 9/10 January the Southern Health Trust - the smallest of the health trusts - was dealing with the highest number of patients who required oxygen.\n\nIn the past week the Northern and Southern Health Trusts have seen the highest number of patients.\n\nThat reflects the high rate of community transmission in some areas those trusts cover.\n\nMeanwhile, no resolution has been reached between Stormont leaders and the Irish Government over the sharing of passenger data.\n\nLast week, First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill criticised Dublin for failing to share information on travellers arriving there during the pandemic.\n\nMichelle O'Neill said it was \"regrettable\" the issue has not been resolved\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster said repeated efforts to access data on passenger locator forms filled out by people arriving in the Republic of Ireland had failed.\n\nMrs Foster and Ms O'Neill indicated on Thursday that they planned to raise the matter directly with Taoiseach (Irish prime minsiter) Micheál Martin.\n\nMs O'Neill told the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday that no resolution has been found yet.\n\nShe told MLAs the issue had been raised \"on every occasion we have had the opportunity\" and that it was \"regrettable\" that the issue had not been resolved.\n\nThe travel issue will be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday involving the first minister, the deputy first minister, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and NI Secretary of State Brandon Lewis.\n\n\"I hope that perhaps Wednesday's meeting will allow some opportunity for there to be a way forward,\" the deputy first minister added.\n\nIt was announced on Sunday that all travellers who have returned from Portugal or transited through 16 South American countries in the past 14 days will have to - along with their household - self-isolate for 10 days upon return to Northern Ireland.\n\nThis includes travellers who entered these countries en route to another destination. All travellers returning home from South America are advised to be tested, whether or not they have symptoms.\n\nFrom Thursday, all international travellers will be required to present a negative Covid-19 test result before arriving in Northern Ireland.\n\nThis rule comes into effect in England, Scotland and Wales on Monday.\n\nOn Monday, the Department of Health in the Republic of Ireland reported eight more coronavirus-related deaths.\n\nIt brings its death toll to 2,616.\n\nThe department said 2,121 new cases of the virus had been reported, with a cumulative total of 174,843 infections.\n\nIt said that as of 14:00 local time on Monday, 1,975 Covid-19 patients are in hospital, of which 200 are in ICU (intensive care units).\n\nIrish Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said: \"This third wave of the pandemic has seen higher level of hospitalisations across all age groups.\n\n\"There are now more sick people in hospital than any time in the course of this pandemic\".", "All travellers arriving in the UK will need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test\n\nAll UK travel corridors, which allow arrivals from some countries to avoid having to quarantine, have now closed.\n\nTravellers arriving in the UK, whether by boat, train or plane, also have to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test to be allowed entry.\n\nThe test must be taken in the 72 hours before travelling and anyone arriving without one faces a fine of up to £500.\n\nAll passengers will still be required to quarantine for up to 10 days.\n\nThe isolation period can be cut short with a negative test after five days in England, but it does not apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.\n\nThe government has said the travel corridor closure will be in force until at least 15 February.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus: How to fly during a global pandemic (this video reflects the rules before the hotel quarantine was introduced in the UK)\n\nUnder the new rules, travellers arriving from the Falklands, St Helena and Ascension Islands are exempt.\n\nThose arriving from some Caribbean islands are exempt until 04:00 GMT on Thursday 21 January.\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC'S Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that Public Health England would be stepping up checks on travellers who must self-isolate.\n\nHe said enforcement checks at borders would also be \"ramped up\" and added that asking all arrivals to self-isolate in hotels was a \"potential measure\" the government was keeping under review.\n\nPassengers arriving into London's Heathrow airport on Monday said they had been met with \"substantial\" queues at passport control and one couple complained they had \"felt unsafe\" due to what they described as poor social distancing.\n\nPassengers speak to staff at the entrance to the Covid-19 Testing Centre at Heathrow\n\nAndy Hart, from London, who had arrived into the UK from Nairobi, said: \"We felt that even though everyone was masked they were far too close together.\n\n\"It took an hour and 10 minutes. I've been flying 30 times a year for 20 years. I mean, once or twice have I ever seen it [airport queues] like this. How can this happen during Covid times?\"\n\nMeanwhile on Sunday, the government announced that a financial support scheme for airports in England would open this month in response to the new travel curbs.\n\nAviation minister Robert Courts said the aim was to provide grants of up to £8m per applicant by the end of this financial year. The scheme was first announced in November but without a start date.\n\nIndustry groups have warned there was only so long airports could \"run on fumes\", following the announcement of the new quarantine rules.\n\nEasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said the closure of the travel corridors will not have a \"significant impact\" on his airline in the short term as flight numbers were already limited due to the pandemic.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the minimum number of days arrivals must wait to take a negative test releasing them from quarantine could be reduced from five days to three days.\n\nKaren Dee, chief executive of trade body the Airport Operators Association, said she supported the decision to close the travel corridors but stressed the need for \"a clear pathway out\".\n\nA ban on travellers from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde also came into force on Friday, having been imposed over concerns about a new variant identified in Brazil.\n\nNew variants causing concern have previously been identified in the UK and South Africa, with many countries imposing restrictions on arrivals from both nations.\n\nScientists fear the variants seen in South Africa and Brazil may interfere with the effectiveness of vaccines and evade parts of the immune system.\n\nThe travel industry has said closing the travel corridors was understandable due to the health emergency, but warned it would deepen the crisis for the sector.\n\nTim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said the system had been \"a lifeline for the industry\" last summer but \"things change and there's no doubting this is a serious health emergency\". He said he assumed the government would remove the latest restrictions as soon as it was safe.\n\n\"We've had no revenue now effectively for 12 months, give or take a few months in the summer last year. If we're going to have an aviation sector coming out of this we need to open up in the summer,\" he told the BBC.\n\nThe Department for Transport has said it is supporting the travel industry with an extension to the furlough scheme until the end of April, business rates relief and tax deferrals.\n\nWith all parts of the UK under strict virus rules amid high levels of infection, only essential travel is permitted.\n\nOn Sunday, another 671 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test were reported in the UK, and a further 38,598 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus.\n\nAre you due to travel back to the UK from overseas? Do you work in the travel industry? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Phil Spector pictured in court during his murder trial\n\nUS music producer Phil Spector has died at the age of 81, while serving a prison sentence for murder.\n\nSpector, who transformed pop with his \"wall of sound\" recordings, worked with the Beatles, the Righteous Brothers and Ike and Tina Turner.\n\nIn 2009, he was convicted of the 2003 murder of Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson.\n\nHis death was confirmed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.\n\n\"California Health Care Facility inmate Phillip Spector was pronounced deceased of natural causes at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at an outside hospital. His official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner in the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office,\" it said.\n\nSpector produced 20 top 40 hits between 1961 and 1965. His production methods influenced major artists including the Beach Boys and Bruce Springsteen.\n\nHis life was ultimately blighted by drug and alcohol addiction, and he all but retired from the music scene during the 1980s and 1990s.\n\nIn February 2003, actress Lana Clarkson was found dead at his house in Alhambra, California with a bullet wound to her head. Clarkson, who was known for her work in the sword-and-sorcery genre and starred in films including Barbarian Queen, had met Spector hours earlier at a nightclub.\n\nSpector claimed the shooting happened when Clarkson \"kissed the gun\" - but his trial heard from four women who claimed Spector had threatened them with guns in the past when they had spurned his advances.\n\nFollowing an initial mistrial, Spector was convicted of second degree murder and given a sentence of 19 years to life.\n\nLana Clarkson was an actress and model who starred in the film 1985 Barbarian Queen\n\nHarvey Phillip Spector was born in New York in 1939, to Russian-Jewish parents. His father killed himself when Spector was a boy, and his mother moved her family to Los Angeles.\n\nHe began his career in his teens as a performer, forming a band - the Teddy Bears - with three high school friends. They had a hit single in 1958 with a song that took its title from the wording on his father's gravestone: \"To know him is to love him.\"\n\nThe record went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, but the group split the following year.\n\nSpector founded his own record label, Philles, in 1961. He produced high-profile 1960s girl groups such as Crystals and the Ronettes, including on 1963 hits Be My Baby and Baby I Love You.\n\nHe also worked on The Righteous Brothers' hits You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' and Unchained Melody.\n\nSpector produced hits for The Ronettes, later marrying their lead singer Ronnie Bennett\n\nHis signature production technique, the \"Wall of Sound,\" involved layering several instruments, including strings, woodwind and brass, to give a lush, orchestral sound.\n\nIn the early 1970s, Spector collaborated with The Beatles on their final album Let It Be, as well as producing John Lennon's solo album Imagine.\n\nAs the decade progressed, the much-feted producer became reclusive and disturbing accounts of his behaviour became widespread. Spector is said to have held a gun to singer Leonard Cohen's head during sessions for his album Death of a Ladies' Man.\n\nRonettes lead singer Veronica \"Ronnie\" Bennett, who became Spector's second wife and divorced him in 1974, wrote in her 1990 autobiography that he subjected her to years of horrific abuse. She said he had threatened to kill her and display her body in a glass-topped coffin he kept in her basement.\n\n\"I can only say that when I left in the early '70s, I knew that if I didn't leave at that time, I was going to die there,\" Ronnie wrote of the time.\n\nWriting on Instagram after her ex-husband's death, Ronnie Spector said he had been \"a brilliant producer but a lousy husband\".\n\n\"When I was working with Phil Spector, watching him create in the recording studio, I knew I was working with the very best,\" she wrote. \"He was in complete control, directing everyone. So much to love about those days.\n\n\"Meeting him and falling in love was like a fairytale,\" she continued. \"The magical music we were able to make together was inspired by our love. I loved him madly, and gave my heart and soul to him.\n\n\"Unfortunately Phil was not able to live and function outside of the recording studio. Darkness set in, many lives were damaged.\"\n\nSinger Darlene Love, who sang on several songs Spector produced, said he \"changed the sound of rock 'n' roll\" but likened their relationship to \"a bad marriage\".\n\n\"The problem I have with Phil is that he wanted to control Darlene Love's talent,\" she told Variety. \"If he couldn't do that, he was going to do everything in his power to keep my talent from shining.\"\n\nWeeks before Lana Clarkson was shot dead, Spector gave a rare interview to British broadsheet The Telegraph.\n\n\"I would say I'm probably relatively insane, to an extent,\" he told the paper, adding that he had \"devils inside that fight me\".\n\nResponding to news of the producer's death, Blondie guitarist Chris Stein tweeted: \"When we went to Phil Spector's house in the 70s he came to the door holding a bottle of diet Manischewitz wine in one hand and a presumably loaded 45 automatic in the other. Long story.", "Now 20, he was jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court after admitting inciting terrorism overseas\n\nThe youngest person convicted of a terrorism offence in the UK - who plotted to murder police in Australia on Anzac Day aged 14 - can be freed from jail, the Parole Board has ruled.\n\nThe 20-year-old, from Blackburn, who can only be identified as RXG, sent encrypted messages inciting an Australian to launch attacks in 2015.\n\nHe was jailed for life that year after admitting inciting terrorism overseas.\n\nBut the Parole Board now says it is \"satisfied\" he is suitable for release.\n\n\"After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in detention, and the evidence presented at the hearings, the panel was satisfied that RXG was suitable for release,\" the board said in a document detailing the decision.\n\nDuring his trial, the court heard how at the age of 14, the boy adopted an older persona in messages to alleged Australian jihadist Sevdet Besim, 18, instructing him to kill police officers at the remembrance parade.\n\nHe sent thousands of messages suggesting Mr Besim get his \"first taste of beheading\" by attacking \"a proper lonely person\".\n\nAustralian police were alerted to the plot after British officers discovered material on the teenager's phone.\n\nA written summary of the Parole Board decision reveals that two hearings took place to consider the decision - hearings that included evidence from RXG himself.\n\nThe summary records that \"no-one at the hearing considered there to be a need for further time\" in custody and that \"all necessary work had been completed\".\n\nRXG, who became eligible for parole in October, is said to have \"undertaken extensive specialist work in detention to address his offending behaviour, his understanding of Islam and to develop his level of maturity\".\n\nThe Parole Board panel noted that \"considerable progress that had been made\", the summary records.\n\nLicense conditions for the 20-year-old a requirement to live at designated address, wearing an electronic tag, and limits on his contacts, movements and activities.\n\nAnzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand\n\nA ban on identifying RXG, made when he was sentenced, would normally have expired on his 18th birthday, but a number of media organisations made representations to the High Court, arguing that he should be named.\n\nBut in 2019, the court ruled identifying him was likely to cause him \"serious harm\", and so granted him lifelong anonymity.\n\nThe decision taken by the judge, Dame Victoria Sharp, has only been made in a small number of cases.\n\nIn 2016, two brothers who had tortured other children in South Yorkshire were granted lifelong anonymity.\n\nLifelong anonymity under new identities was also been granted after release to Mary Bell, the Newcastle child killer; Maxine Carr, who obstructed police investigating the 2002 Soham murders by her partner Ian Huntley; and Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, who murdered Liverpool toddler James Bulger.", "Soaring shipping costs are likely to cause a bounce in the cost of trampolines in the UK this summer, according to one games retailer.\n\nJames Owen, owner of Outdoor Toys, says high transport costs and port congestion may mean larger toys such as swings, trampolines and climbing frames will be more expensive.\n\nTrampoline prices could soar by 40-50%, he told BBC 5 Live's Wake Up to Money.\n\n\"The port congestion just keeps snowballing,\" he said.\n\n\"More and more issues keep arising,\" Mr Owen added. \"We can't get space out of China, there's a container shortage.\n\n\"Hauliers are really stretched, rates keep climbing.\"\n\nHis firm makes some products in the UK already and rising shipping costs will mean it will become economical to make more.\n\n\"For the first time ever, the ocean freight outweighs the cost of the item,\" in some cases, he said.\n\nDemand for Chinese goods has soared around the world in recent months, placing a strain on existing shipping capacity.\n\nThe price of shipping a 40-foot container on major world trade routes has almost tripled since a year ago, according to research firm Drewry.\n\nHauliers in the UK are also charging more. It used to cost about £650 to haul a container from the port of Felixstowe to the company's site in mid-Wales, Mr Owen says.\n\nThe cost is now up to £1,800 per container \"if you can get the haulier to take it,\" he says.\n\nWhether people will pay the premium for a new outdoor toy is \"a good question,\" he said.\n\nIt emerged over the weekend that Irish hauliers are bypassing Welsh ports to avoid Brexit bureaucracy.\n\nSo-called \"teething problems\" with new export rules are causing \"enormous strain on staff\", according to one haulage company.\n\nBut others warn of a longer-term shift by truck firms from using Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock.", "Last updated on .From the section Cricket\n\nEngland won by seven wickets; take 1-0 series lead\n\nEngland wrapped up a seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test of a two-match series in Galle.\n\nResuming on 38-3, needing another 36 for victory, Jonny Bairstow and debutant Dan Lawrence carried England to their target inside 35 minutes on the final morning of an enthralling encounter.\n\nBairstow ended unbeaten on 35 and Lawrence 21, although the latter survived an lbw review against Dilruwan Perera and Sri Lanka did not refer another shout that replays suggested would have been overturned.\n\nAfter England slipped to 14-3 during a frantic end to day four, Bairstow and Lawrence's unbroken 62-run stand guided them to an ultimately comfortable win.\n\nThe second Test starts at 04:30 GMT on Friday at the same ground.\n• None 'It wasn't perfect but England's win ticked a lot of boxes'\n• None 'We are on an upward curve' - Root savours fourth straight away win\n\nEngland are now unbeaten in nine Tests under Joe Root's captaincy, they have won four consecutive overseas Tests for the first time since 1957, and boast five successive wins in Sri Lanka.\n\nVictory improved England's chances of reaching the inaugural World Test Championship final at Lord's in June. They remain fourth in the standings, with the two top sides playing in the final.\n\nEngland out of the blocks quickly\n\nRoot's side have been slow starters in series in recent years - they lost the opening Test against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in 2019, and against West Indies last summer.\n\nHowever, Sunday's top-order wobble aside, they were rarely troubled in the first of six successive Tests on the subcontinent - an achievement made all the more impressive given they had one day of match practice before this game.\n\nRoot scored a magnificent 226 in the first innings, and off-spinner Dom Bess and slow left-armer Jack Leach, who returned match figures of 8-130 and 6-177 respectively, found more rhythm as the game progressed, which bodes well for the sterner four-Test series in India that follows this tour.\n\nLawrence can take considerable credit for his first-innings 73 and the manner in which he helped negate England's second-innings nerves alongside the efficient Bairstow, while wicketkeeper Jos Buttler was tidy behind the stumps throughout on a dry, turning pitch.\n\nSri Lanka, meanwhile, were left wondering what if. Their collapse to 135 all out on the first day was described as \"one of the worse we've ever seen\", and even an extra 50 runs could have changed the course of this game.\n\n'Very impressive' - what they said\n\nEngland captain and player of the match Joe Root: \"To come here with the little preparation we have had and play in the manner we have is very impressive.\n\n\"We worked extremely hard and for the spinners to come out of the game with two five-fors is a great effort. Without the preparation, it is testament to their characters.\n\n\"It is a good start to the tour. We know we have to keep getting better but I am really pleased with the start we have had.\"\n\nEngland bowler Stuart Broad on BBC Test Match Special: \"It looked like we could lose a wicket every ball last night. We were pretty happy when play finished last night.\n\n\"It felt calm here this morning. We had a job to do and felt we had enough in tank to chase 30-odd. To do it without losing a wicket is awesome.\"\n\nFormer England captain Michael Vaughan: \"When I think about the preparation England have had, in Loughborough in a tent, one day in the middle in Sri Lanka and then rain, to put in this kind of performance is a great effort.\n\n\"I can't think Sri Lanka will gift England two poor days in the next Test - that match will be really tough.\n\n\"I am happy England have played in difficult conditions and won the game.\"\n\nSri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal: \"We were outplayed in first innings with bat and ball. As a batting unit, especially playing at home, you have to get a big total in the first innings. It cost us the game.\n\n\"Everyone did their bit in the second innings. We played outstanding knocks in the second innings. We have to take the positives out of this.\"\n\nSri Lanka coach Mickey Arthur: \"The first innings was very poor - it was an unacceptable batting performance.\n\n\"Even if we get 220 in the first innings we keep ourselves massively in the game, so that's where it was lost. We did put it right in the second innings. But it was too late.\"\n• None All the goals, highlights and analysis from the weekend's Premier League matches including Manchester United's visit to Anfield: MOTD2 is streaming now on BBC iPlayer", "Staff gathered outside a supermarket to pay their respects to a colleague who died with coronavirus.\n\nJohn Deacy, 81, worked the Christmas Eve shift at the Tesco Extra store in Gabalfa, Cardiff, died just two weeks later.\n\nFriends and colleagues clapped as the funeral procession went by the store.\n\nFormer members of a jazz band, formed by Mr Deacy in the 1970s, marched in front of the hearse.\n\nHis son, Wayne, 56, said: “My dad put everyone above himself. He’d do anything for anyone.\n\n\"He’d help anyone and would never speak badly of people.”\n\nMr Deacy was in the Royal Marines for seven years and was a semi-professional boxer before starting a career at the industrial gas company BOC.\n\nHe went on to work for the supermarket for 16 years.\n\n“We’ve had loads and loads of messages from hundreds of staff who said he will leave a massive gaping hole,\" his son said.", "BT is facing a class action lawsuit over claims it failed to compensate elderly customers who were overcharged for landlines for years.\n\nIn 2017, Ofcom said people who only had a landline telephone were \"getting poor value for money in a market that is not serving them well enough\".\n\nAs a result, BT reduced the price of its landlines by £7 a month.\n\nBut campaigners are unhappy that \"loyal customers\" have still not been compensated for previous overcharging.\n\n\"Ofcom made it very clear that BT had spent years overcharging landline customers, but did not order it to repay the money it made from this,\" said Justin Le Patourel, founder of consumer group Collective Action on Landlines (CALL) and a telecoms consultant who worked for Ofcom for 13 years.\n\n\"We think millions of BT's most loyal landline customers could be entitled to compensation of up to £500 each, and the filing of this claim starts that process.\"\n\nBT said it \"strongly disagrees\" with the claim that it had engaged in anti-competitive behaviour and intends to defend itself \"vigorously\" in court.\n\nA spokesman for BT said: \"We take our responsibilities to older and more vulnerable customers very seriously and will defend ourselves against any claim that suggests otherwise.\n\n\"For many years we've offered discounted landline and broadband packages in what is a competitive market with competing options available, and we take pride in our work with elderly and vulnerable groups, as well as our work on the Customer Fairness agenda.\"\n\nLaw firm Mishcon de Reya has filed a claim with the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) worth £600m. The claim could result in payments of up to £500 each for 2.3 million BT customers, should it be successful.\n\nThe case represents customers who purchased a BT landline contract, but did not also take BT broadband or pay TV packages.\n\nSince 2009, the wholesale costs of providing landlines to consumers have been falling by at least 25%.\n\nBut in October 2017, Ofcom found that all major landline providers in the UK had increased the line rental charges by 28-41%.\n\nOfcom strongly criticised market leader BT for raising prices, saying that customers were being given \"poor value\" for money.\n\nIt added that many of the affected customers had \"been with BT for decades\" and were more likely to be old, on low incomes and vulnerable.\n\nBT announced that it would slash its landline prices by £84 a year.\n\nBT's argument is that Ofcom's final statement did not explicitly accuse it of engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.\n\nBut independent telecoms analyst Ian Grant says that the telecoms giant \"has a history of abusing its position\".\n\n\"Earlier in 2017, Ofcom fined BT £42m because it was late providing high-speed Ethernet lines, and forced BT to make good the losses of firms like Vodafone and TalkTalk,\" he told the BBC.\n\n\"Ofcom, which has a statutory duty to stop consumer abuses, could have done the same for these customers. Instead, it allowed BT to get away with a 37% price cut, at a time when the difference between its costs and what it charged customers had risen between 50-74%.\"\n\nMr Grant added: \"It is especially poor that BT was overcharging customers who were mostly over 65, more than three-quarters of whom had never used a different provider, and for whom the telephone was their only communications link.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nManchester United \"missed an opportunity\" to beat Liverpool, said boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after his side stayed top of the Premier League with a goalless draw against the champions.\n\nIt was a game that failed to justify the pre-match anticipation and Solskjaer will know his side had the better chances to claim a statement victory at Anfield.\n\nLiverpool, without a recognised centre-back and with midfielders Jordan Henderson and Fabinho in defence, dominated possession in the first half but it was United who came closest when Bruno Fernandes' 20-yard free-kick curled inches wide.\n\nFernandes was then thwarted after the break by the outstretched leg of Liverpool keeper Alisson before Thiago Alcantara's long-range effort finally brought the previously unemployed David de Gea into action.\n\nAlisson was Liverpool's hero late on when he blocked Paul Pogba's drive from point-blank range.\n\n\"It was an opportunity missed with the chances we had but then again we were playing a very good side.\" Solskjaer told BBC Sport. \"I'm disappointed but, still, a point is OK if you win the next one.\n\n\"We have improved and progressed. It's not just the result we're disappointed with, it's some of the performance. I know these boys can play better.\"\n\nUnited are now two points ahead of Manchester City, who moved up to second by beating Crystal Palace 4-0, and Leicester City in third. Liverpool, who have scored just one goal in their past four league games, have dropped to fourth, a point behind the Foxes.\n\n\"The performance was good enough to win it but to win a game you have to score goals and we didn't do that, so that's why we had that result,\" said Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.\n\n\"We try not to not score. We obviously have to ignore the fact and hope it will be good again.\"\n• None 'From dejection to frustration in 12 months, Anfield draw underlines Man Utd progress'\n• None Lawro's predictions v You Me At Six drummer Dan Flint\n\nKlopp cut a frustrated figure pretty much from the first whistle, his voice booming around Anfield with a tone of displeasure, showing unhappiness with his own players and officials.\n\nThe German's team, so used to steamrollering all before them in recent times, are going through a very dry spell and barely created an opening worthy of the name here against a resolute Manchester United defence.\n\nToo often, Liverpool's approach play ended with a careless pass or an aimless cross and the longer this game went on the more United looked the most likely winners.\n\nIt was perhaps inevitable Liverpool would be unable to maintain their relentless style, but there will be concerns they have now gone four league games without a win since Crystal Palace were demolished 7-0 at Selhurst Park.\n\nBefore this draw, West Bromwich Albion left Anfield with a point, while Liverpool also had a goalless draw at Newcastle United and lost at Southampton.\n\nSadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are feeding off scraps, while Roberto Firmino's impact was so minimal that he was withdrawn near the end, even with the hosts chasing a goal.\n\nA team as good as Liverpool will not remain off the boil for too long, but there is no doubt they are struggling for form and spark. The fact this is their longest barren sequence in the league since February and March 2005 tells the tale.\n\nManchester United may have a taken a point before this game and there will be justified satisfaction that they subdued Liverpool so completely, created the game's best chances and remain top of the table.\n\nAnd yet there must also be disappointment that they could not cash in completely on an off-colour Liverpool, with reality dawning on them very late that they could take all three points.\n\nFernandes, despite being poor in general, almost unlocked Liverpool twice, while Solskjaer and his backroom team threw their hands up in frustration as other good positions were wasted late on.\n\nIn the final reckoning, however, there will be few complaints at this outcome, which leaves them three points ahead of Liverpool with the visit to Anfield negotiated without mishap.\n\nUnited were well organised and grew into the game after a poor opening half-hour and had real defensive heroes in captain Harry Maguire and left-back Luke Shaw, with the latter particularly outstanding.\n\nIt is a display that will give them increased confidence and belief as they lead the pack - although they might just look back and think a point could so easily have been three.\n\n'It was an opportunity missed' - reaction\n\nManchester United manager Solskjaer said: \"They are a good side and they have some injury problems but we didn't pounce on that.\n\n\"I felt we grew into the game and got stronger and stronger and were closer to winning.\n\n\"We were a bit disappointed in the performance, not just the result. We didn't do well enough to cause them problems in the first half but we defended well and they didn't create too many chances.\"But I think everyone was a bit disappointed with the way we started the game but that is a good feeling to have - that we were disappointed in the performance.\"\n\nLiverpool boss Klopp told BBC Sport: \"The performance was good and the first half was exceptionally good.\n\n\"With all the things that were said before the game - United are flying and we were struggling - and then to play this kind of game, I was happy with that.\n\n\"We tried in the second half again, but you cannot deny United over 90 minutes, not with the counter-attacking threat they have. So they had two really good chances, I have to say, but we had our chances in the second half as well.\n\n\"The way we understood the game, the way we felt the game, the way we read the moments were really good. But it is not exactly how it should be so we have space for improvement, absolutely. We will keep working on that.\"\n• None Liverpool and Manchester United have drawn 0-0 at Anfield in the league three times in the past five seasons, as many times as in the previous 48 top-flight campaigns.\n• None United are unbeaten in their past 16 away matches in the Premier League (W12 D4) - only once have they gone longer without a defeat on the road in the competition (17 games ending in September 1999).\n• None Liverpool are now unbeaten in their past 68 league games at Anfield, earning 178 out of a possible 204 points over this run.\n• None United are the first side to stop Liverpool scoring at Anfield in a Premier League match since Manchester City in October 2018 - this was Liverpool's 43rd home league game since then.\n• None Under Klopp, Liverpool are unbeaten in all seven of their Premier League games at Anfield when facing the side starting the day top of the table (W3 D4).\n• None Marcus Rashford was caught offside five times in this match, the most of any Premier League player this season and the most by a United player since Robin van Persie (six) against Spurs in January 2013.\n\nUnited are at Fulham in the league on Wednesday (20:15 GMT) and Liverpool host Burnley on Thursday (20:00). Next Sunday, Manchester United and Liverpool will meet again - at Old Trafford this time - in the FA Cup fourth round, a match you can watch live on BBC One and the BBC Sport website.\n• None Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Curtis Jones (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Offside, Manchester United. Paul Pogba tries a through ball, but Marcus Rashford is caught offside.\n• None Attempt blocked. Paul Pogba (Manchester United) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Luke Shaw with a cross.\n• None Attempt saved. Paul Pogba (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.\n• None Attempt missed. Thiago (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Georginio Wijnaldum. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Missed all the goals, highlights and talking points from Saturday's Premier League action? Match of the Day is streaming now", "Hospitals are preparing for the expected peak of the latest Covid-19 surge this week, the Northern Trust's chief executive has said.\n\nJennifer Welsh said there was \"huge pressure across the (healthcare) system\" with more intensive care admissions expected.\n\nThirty patients were awaiting admission to Antrim Area Hospital on Sunday morning, she said.\n\nThere were 25 more deaths linked to Covid-19 reported in NI on Sunday.\n\nThe total number of deaths recorded by the Department of Health since the start of the pandemic is now 1,606.\n\nIt was also reported that there had been 822 more positive cases, with 67 people in intensive care and 50 people on ventilators.\n\nThere are 840 patients being treated for Covid- 19 across Northern Ireland, according to the latest available figures with hospitals working at 93% capacity.\n\nMeanwhile, Northern Ireland has been continuing its vaccination programme having distributed 140,559 first doses and 20,174 second doses.\n\nThe total number of jabs administered in the UK, including both first and second doses, is 4,307,002 according to government data.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland on Sunday, there were 13 further deaths related to Covid-19, bringing the total number to 2,608 since the start of the pandemic.\n\nThere was also a further 2,944 positive cases, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 172,726.\n\nThe Republic of Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said the situation in the country's hospitals was \"stark\" and that people of all ages were being admitted and taken into intensive care.\n\nAt the beginning of January, Health Minister Robin Swann said that modelling indicated the \"peak of the third surge\" would hit in the third week of January.\n\nFrontline health staff have spoken to BBC News NI about their \"exhaustion\" and stress, as the pressure on the system continues to increase amid the surging number of cases.\n\nNorthern Ireland is currently in the third week of a six-week lockdown, with ministers scheduled to review measures next week.\n\nHowever, health officials have warned that an extension of the restrictions could be required to reduce pressure on the health service.\n\nNorthern Trust chief executive Jennifer Welsh said hospitals were \"coping but at great cost\"\n\nMs Welsh told BBC NI's Sunday Politics programme that the \"ICU surge is yet to come\" and that the Northern Trust - where two major hospitals, Antrim Area and Causeway, are located - has had to redeploy staff to prepare for the coming days.\n\nShe said both hospitals had been \"under significant pressure and have been for some time\".\n\nShe said 30 patients in Antrim Area's Emergency Department are waiting on a bed after a decision was made to admit them - 24 of those patients have been waiting longer than 12 hours.\n\nMs Welsh added that almost half of all patients in Antrim Area Hospital have tested positive for Covid-19.\n\n\"At the peak of the first wave in Antrim and Causeway the highest number of Covid positive patients was 73.\n\n\"In November, the highest number was 102 and we peaked on Thursday at 202. We have now dropped below that slightly.\"\n\nThe chief executive said the hospitals were \"coping but at great cost\", with many urgent surgeries cancelled.\n\n\"Emergency surgery is being done but we are not being able to do any other in the Antrim Area site.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by bbctheview This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"We have been able to deliver some red flag cancer surgery at Causeway but we would like to do more.\"\n\nDespite these emergency measures already in place, the worst of the current surge is only expected to arrive this week.\n\nShe added: \"We are not going to get out of this quickly. It's going to be a challenge for us as a system.\n\n\"It's been building from October.\"\n\n\"We're not yet at the peak of intensive care admissions and we expect that this week.\n\n\"Antrim has doubled its intensive care beds from seven to 14 in anticipation of the coming surge - 11 are already being used.\n\n\"All hospitals have doubled their ICU footprint. There are more than 160 inpatients in Antrim Area Hospital.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BMA Scotland GP chief says doctors \"can't plan\" for vaccines\n\nDoctors leaders say the \"patchy supply\" of vaccine to GP surgeries across Scotland is hampering the speed of delivery to patients.\n\nMinisters have pledged a first dose of the vaccine to 1.4 million of the most vulnerable Scots by mid-February.\n\nBut the British Medical Association in Scotland said inconsistencies in supply made it difficult to plan patient appointments to receive the vaccine.\n\nThey also said some GP surgeries had yet to receive any vaccine at all.\n\nThe Scottish government said it was working with health boards to resolve the issues.\n\nCurrently, about 16,000 vaccinations a day are being carried out in Scotland. However, that is expected to rise significantly as efforts to deliver the vaccine are scaled up.\n\nOn Sunday, 1,341 new cases of Covid-19 were reported - the lowest daily figure since 28 December. However, the numbers being admitted to hospital have continued to rise, reaching 1,918.\n\nNo new deaths were registered.\n\nHealth Secretary Jeane Freeman has pledged that the workforce and infrastructure will be in place to vaccinate 400,000 people each week by the end of February.\n\nThe government has already announced plans for large vaccination centres in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.\n\nIt comes after more than 5,000 front-line health and care staff were vaccinated at the NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow on Saturday.\n\nGP practices across Scotland are currently providing vaccination services to those aged over 80.\n\nAbout 16,000 vaccinations are currently being carried out a day in Scotland\n\nSpeaking on the BBC's Politics Scotland programme, Dr Andrew Buist, who chairs the British Medical Association's (BMA) GP committee in Scotland, said there was inconsistencies across the GP network.\n\nHe said the vaccine deployment plan was \"ambitious\" and so far \"good progress\" had been made in giving it to priority groups such as care homes residents and front-line health staff.\n\nHowever, he told the programme: \"The current problem lies with the next priority group, which is the 80-plus group, which GPs in Scotland are set to vaccinate because the supply of the vaccine so far has been quite patchy.\n\n\"Some practices have a good supply, some have had none so far.\"\n\nHe said his practice had received 100 doses of the vaccine for 600 patients over the age of 80, who all needed to be vaccinated by 5 February.\n\nHe added: \"I then have to do another 1,200 patients in the 70-plus group and the extremely clinically vulnerable by the middle of February, so we need to do 1,700 vaccines in the next four weeks.\n\n\"Now we can do that. We are used to providing large number of flu vaccinations and it is possible, we have our workforce in place, but we need the vaccine, otherwise we can't do it.\"\n\nWhen asked if his practice was running out of vaccine at the end of each day, Dr Buist said: \"Yes - we can't plan, that's the key thing. We can't send out appointments to patients until we're sure we have the vaccine in our fridge.\n\n\"We were given 100 doses on Monday. We used that all up by Friday. We don't want to send out appointments to patients until we know that we can definitively vaccinate them otherwise patients get very upset.\"\n\nVaccinators have reported being able to extract one additional dose from vaccine vials\n\nDr Buist said vaccinators were regularly managing to extract higher numbers of doses from vaccine vials despite claims that some doses were being wasted.\n\nHe said there was widespread experience of six doses being extracted from Pfizer vaccine vials, which were marketed as having five doses, while 11 doses were regularly being taken from AstraZeneca vials.\n\nBut Dr Buist criticised issues around the red tape some retired health professional had faced when volunteering to become vaccinators.\n\n\"I have reports that arrangement to get doctors and nurses back into the system have been quite bureaucratic and I think it's something we need to look at.\"\n\nThe Scottish government acknowledged that there had been delays in vaccine supplies reaching some GP surgeries.\n\nA spokeswoman said: \"GPs have a significant role to play in delivering the vaccine - and we thank them for their hard work and patience as we roll out more vaccines to those in the communities.\n\n\"We know there have been some initial delays in supply reaching some practices and are working with health boards to resolve this. Vaccines are being manufactured as quickly as possible and we will continue to explore all options available to increase supply.\"\n\nThe government said health boards were providing order information for their GP practices to National Procurement who in turn advised the distribution partner.\n\nThe spokeswoman added: \"Once stock is released for ordering, the distribution partner inputs the GP orders on to their ordering system. Once the order has been placed, GP practices will receive an automated email providing an indication of the delivery day.\n\n\"We too want to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible and are continually working hard to see if distribution can be made faster in any respect.\"", "Chris Cramer, a major figure in BBC News and later CNN International, has died at the age of 73 after a period of ill health. Former BBC director of news Richard Sambrook looks back at his life.\n\nChris Cramer's legacy will be the major change in attitudes and support for journalist safety he championed through the BBC and across the wider industry, as well as many achievements in newsgathering and international news.\n\nHe began his career as a teenager on the Portsmouth Evening News, moving to BBC Radio Solent when it launched in 1970.\n\nAfter a year's secondment in Brunei he found his way to the BBC TV Newsroom in the 1970s and developed his reputation as a highly competitive and effective news editor and field producer.\n\nIn 1980 he and a BBC team were in the Iranian Embassy in London collecting visas when it was seized by gunmen opposed to Ayatollah Khomeini. A standoff and siege followed, with Chris among 26 hostages.\n\nHe managed to feign serious illness and was released by the gunmen allowing him to give vital information to the authorities before the SAS stormed the embassy and rescued the hostages.\n\nAt a time when no-one understood or spoke of PTSD, it had a marked effect on his life.\n\nArmed police on the adjoining balcony to the Iranian Embassy during the siege in 1980\n\nMany journalists and crew subsequently spoke of his care and attention when they had difficult experiences and he went on to drive major changes in understanding and support for journalists' safety.\n\nWith BBC Safety manager Peter Hunter, Chris introduced the first hostile environment training courses, risk assessments and equipment for those covering conflicts.\n\nFormer correspondent Martin Bell recalls: \"From Vietnam to Croatia I had covered 10 wars without protection. Then in June 1992 we were shot up crossing the airport runway in Sarajevo in a soft-skinned vehicle. Within two weeks Chris had procured our first armoured Land Rover, the redoubtable 'Miss Piggy', and the body armour to go with it.\"\n\nHe later introduced the first confidential counselling service for news teams, recognising PTSD, and helped found the International News Safety Institute, which spearheaded safety across the news industry.\n\nDuring the 1980s he was at the forefront of organising and overseeing major news coverage, including Michael Buerk's reporting from the Ethiopian famine, coverage of the IRA Brighton bomb attack on the British government, the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, Kate Adie's reporting from Tiananmen Square, the fall of eastern Europe, the first Gulf War and many more major events.\n\nHis fierce competitiveness delivered a series of major exclusives and awards for BBC News.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Jeremy Bowen This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn the 1990s he oversaw major investment in BBC Newsgathering and the integration of radio and TV reporting - often against internal resistance. His managerial style could be uncompromising and tough, but he was also bitingly funny, shrewd and his hard exterior hid a warm-hearted and generous core.\n\nHe was crucial to establishing the integrated News division as it exists today.\n\nIn 1996 he left the BBC to move to Atlanta as managing director and executive vice-president of CNN International.\n\nThere he took his passion for news safety and his competitive news edge to develop the network into a greater global force.\n\nAs his former BBC and CNN colleague Tony Maddox has said: \"Among his many accomplishments Chris was a pioneer and innovator in field safety for journalists. He led the development of guidelines and practices now widely adopted across the industry.\"\n\nCramer moved to CNN after his time with the BBC\n\nHe was a larger-than-life figure who generated affection and respect in equal measure, often wielding a rapid and disarming wit.\n\nHe is also remembered for supporting women into senior and executive positions and helping them succeed.\n\nDirector of BBC News Fran Unsworth recalls: \"He was one of journalism's enormous characters and a legend in the television news industry. But the legend and the reported image always belied the man.\n\n\"He was immensely kind, thoughtful and caring underneath that image he sometimes projected.\"\n\nFormer deputy director general Mark Byford said: \"He was probably the greatest newsgathering executive ever in the broadcast news business and his organisational skills, competitiveness, eye for a story and steel were extraordinary.\n\n\"He was also, behind the facade, a gentle giant who cared for his people with amazing passion and love.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by John Simpson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"Many editors, correspondents and presenters in BBC News owe their success to his mentorship - myself included.\"\n\nAfter 11 years he left CNN and took up roles first with Reuters TV and then the Wall Street Journal, where his experience and expertise were used to develop their digital video services.\n\nHe leaves his wife, Nina, son Richard and daughter Nicolette and his daughter Hannah by an earlier marriage to Helen, a former BBC producer.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nóra Quoirin's parents: \"The inquest is a battle we must continue in Nóra's name\"\n\nThe mother of a 15-year-old girl found dead in a Malaysian jungle says she believes her daughter's body was placed by somebody in the spot she was found.\n\nNóra Quoirin, from Balham in south London, vanished from her room at the Dusun rainforest resort in August 2019.\n\nHer body was found near the resort nine days after she went missing. A coroner recorded her death was by misadventure.\n\nMeabh Quoirin, who thinks Nora was abducted, said the family would \"never give up their fight for justice\".\n\nNóra was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder that affects brain development, and her parents have always believed that wandering off from the resort - which is about 40 miles from Kuala Lumpur - was not something their daughter would have done.\n\nA post-mortem examination found Nóra had died three days before her body was found, due to gastrointestinal bleeding from hunger and stress endured over a prolonged period.\n\nBut Mrs Quoirin points out that the jungle had been searched on four occasions in the seven days leading up to her death, with police suggesting the teenager been \"alive and moving\" during the first stages of the search.\n\n\"The fact that search teams were there, along with many hundreds of volunteers in that particular area so close to her death, makes us feel that she was placed there at a later point,\" Mrs Quoirin told the BBC.\n\nNóra's parents Maebh and Sebastien Quoirin want there to be a revision of the inquest verdict\n\nThe teenager's mother pointed out that the inquest had not explained how her daughter ended up in the jungle, where her unclothed body was eventually found by a group of volunteers.\n\n\"I suppose the easiest one to dwell on was the fact there was an open window [in the family's chalet],\" said Mrs Quoirin, who is originally from Belfast.\n\n\"Someone opened that window, it wasn't any of us. That is totally unexplained.\"\n\nMalaysian police have always treated Nóra's disappearance as a missing person case. They maintain there was no suggestion of abduction, kidnap or foul play.\n\nDuring the search for her daughter, Mrs Quoirin told emergency services that their work meant \"the world to us\"\n\n\"Nóra always looked to someone else for reassurance on what she should do next so the idea that she would have climbed out a window - even found a window or seen a window in the pitch black - is in our view crazy,\" Mrs Quorin said.\n\n\"If she had somehow mistaken which door was for the bathroom and had gone out the front door for instance... she was barefoot, she would have instantly felt pain and she would have been absolutely petrified.\"\n\nNóra's parents have asked for a revision of the inquest verdict as \"so many questions have been left unanswered\".\n\nNóra was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder which affects brain development\n\n\"I think it will be impossible to ever have all the answers to questions that inevitably we will agonise over for the rest of our lives,\" Mrs Quoirin said.\n\n\"We can do more justice by at least recognising who this child was and that she wouldn't have - couldn't have - done the things that have been ruled through this verdict of misadventure.\n\n\"It's our duty to Nora to stand up for that, to really recognise who she was and stand up in the name of all children with special needs, to recognise who these children are, what they represent in our society.\"", "Within seconds of being dropped, LauncherOne had ignited its engine\n\nSir Richard Branson's rocket company Virgin Orbit has succeeded in putting its first satellites in space.\n\nTen payloads in total were lofted on the same rocket, which was launched from under the wing of one of the entrepreneur's old 747 jumbos.\n\nSir Richard is hoping to tap into what is a growing market for small, lower-cost satellites.\n\nBy using a jet plane as the launch platform, he can theoretically send up spacecraft from anywhere in the world.\n\nIn reality, of course, his Virgin Orbit system has to be licensed in the locality where it is used, which at the moment is solely California. But there are well-advanced plans to bring the 747 and its rockets to Cornwall in south-west England, for example.\n\nSunday's success was a big fillip for Sir Richard's team who had tried and failed to launch a rocket in May last year. That effort was thwarted by a breached propellant line feeding liquid oxygen to the booster's first-stage Newton-3 engine.\n\nNo such problems occurred this time.\n\nThe modified 747, named Cosmic Girl, left its base in California's Mojave desert at 10:50 PST (18:50 UTC) to fly out over the Pacific Ocean.\n\nA little under 60 minutes later, and cruising at 35,000ft (10,500m), the jet banked hard to the right, dropping as it did so the 21m-long rocket that had been clamped to its underside.\n\nWithin seconds this booster, called LauncherOne, had ignited its engine and was climbing to space.\n\nCorrect deployment of the various spacecraft onboard at an altitude of roughly 500km was confirmed a couple of hours later.\n\n\"A new gateway to space has just sprung open,\" said Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart. \"That LauncherOne was able to successfully reach orbit today is a testament to this team's talent, precision, drive, and ingenuity.\"\n\nSir Richard has been trying to find the right solution to get into the satellite launch business since 2009. His concrete proposal was first put before the public at the Farnborough International Air Show three years later.\n\nThere is an emerging market for small, lower-cost spacecraft, whose developers are seeking more flexible and affordable ways of getting their assets above the Earth.\n\nSorry, we're having trouble displaying this content. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nVirgin Orbit is one of a number of companies now racing to meet this demand. Other contenders include the Rocket Lab outfit, which sends up its vehicles from a ground launch pad in New Zealand. But there are tens of other small rocket start-ups at various stages of maturation, and some of these plan to operate from the UK as well.\n\n\"Virgin Orbit has achieved something many thought impossible. It was so inspiring to see our specially adapted Virgin Atlantic 747, Cosmic Girl, send the LauncherOne rocket soaring into orbit,\" Sir Richard said.\n\n\"This magnificent flight is the culmination of many years of hard work and will also unleash a whole new generation of innovators on the path to orbit. I can't wait to see the incredible missions Dan and the team will launch to change the world for good.\"\n\nSir Richard presented the LauncherOne concept at Farnborough in 2012\n\nWill Whitehorn is the president of UKSpace, the trade body representing the space industry in Britain. He's also a former president of Virgin Galactic, Sir Richard's other space company which hopes soon to start flying fare-paying passengers above the atmosphere in a rocket plane.\n\nHe said Virgin Orbit's success on Sunday was hugely significant.\n\n\"This is a momentous day for the small satellite world, as we will be able to launch satellites responsively; and for the UK this event promises sovereign launch capability very soon,\" he told BBC News.\n\n\"I plan to push hard for a launch from Cornwall to coincide with the G7 meeting this year if at all possible!\"\n\nSunday's payloads were mostly shoebox-sized and developed by universities\n\nThe air-launched system has the flexibility to operate anywhere - in theory", "A doctor has appeared in court charged with the attempted murder of a \"highly-respected\" fellow plastic surgeon who was stabbed in his own home.\n\nGraeme Perks, 65, was stabbed in his abdomen and chest in Halam, Nottinghamshire, on Thursday.\n\nJonathan Peter Brooks, also charged with three counts of attempted arson with intent to endanger life, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court.\n\nMr Perks is currently in a serious but stable condition, police said.\n\nMr Brooks, 56, of Landseer Road, Southwell, has also been charged with possession of a knife in a public place.\n\nHe was remanded in custody to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 15 February.\n\nPolice said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack.\n\nGraeme Perks has been described as \"one of the most highly regarded and respected surgeons in the profession\"\n\nThe two men were colleagues at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.\n\nA spokeswoman for the trust said: \"This incident has affected many of our staff who worked closely with, and are friends with Graeme.\n\n\"Our thoughts are with Graeme and his family at this time.\"\n\nMr Perks had served as president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), which described him as \"one of the most highly-regarded and respected surgeons in the profession\".\n\nPolice previously said Mr Perks had gone to investigate the sound of breaking glass at about 04:15 GMT on Thursday, after an intruder was believed to have smashed their way into the house.\n\nPolice said Mr Perks was stabbed at his home in Halam, Nottinghamshire, while his family were upstairs\n\nThey said Mr Perks was stabbed and the suspect ran off.\n\nMr Perks worked in London, Sheffield, Newcastle and Melbourne, Australia, but returned to the UK in the mid-1990s and started working in Nottingham.\n\nHe and his wife have raised thousands of pounds for charity by opening their garden to visitors, and were featured on BBC Radio Nottingham after raising more than £34,000.\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Keelan Wilson was 15 when he was stabbed more than 40 times\n\nFour men have been found guilty of murdering a boy stabbed more than 40 times in a \"well-planned execution\".\n\nKeelan Wilson, 15, was fatally injured on Langley Road in Merry Hill, Wolverhampton, on 29 May, 2018.\n\nThe four murderers acted \"like a pack of animals\" amid rising gang violence in the city, police said.\n\nKeelan's mother Kelly Ellitts said the convictions meant justice for her son, but added \"nothing would bring Keelan back\".\n\nIt emerged a few days after the murder that when an ambulance was called for the wounded boy, his final words included \"tell my mum I love her\".\n\nThe trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the night time attack - carried out by Brian Sasa and Nehemie Tampwo, each aged 20, along with Tyrique King and Zenay Pennant-Phillips, both 19 - was \"not in any way spontaneous\".\n\nDet Sgt Nick Barnes from the West Midlands force said Keelan had the \"single worst set of injuries\" he had seen on a victim in more than six years investigating homicide.\n\nThere had been increasing acts of violence between opposing gangs leading up to the murder, including disorder earlier that day, police said.\n\nThat included weapons being brandished in Wolverhampton city centre, and in another incident, Keelan and two others being shot at by a group of youngsters on bikes. No one was hurt.\n\nBut later on, the court heard, the group of four killers ran towards Keelan as he sat in a taxi close to his home, then pulled open the rear door and \"set about him with weapons\", inflicting more than 40 knife wounds.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Keelan Wilson's mother Kelly Ellitts 'hit the floor' when she saw he had been stabbed\n\nMichael Duck QC, prosecuting, said the killing \"was not in any way a spontaneous act of violence\".\n\nHe said: \"This was a well-planned, targeted group attack by a number of youths armed with knives, and that was with the plan to execute another young man.\"\n\nDuring the 13-week trial, jurors heard there was evidence to suggest the victim had \"become embroiled in gang culture\", with his killers believing he had switched factions.\n\nDet Sgt Barnes said it was \"difficult\" to pinpoint a motive \"because Keelan wasn't on the police radar particularly for any such activity\".\n\nKeelan was wounded just metres from his home, receiving 43 stab wounds in total, according to police.\n\nHe had been driving with a friend - with whom he met up after the shooting incident - when their car broke down, which led to a taxi being called.\n\nA spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said while Keelan was attacked on boarding the vehicle, his friend was \"left unscathed\" and fled, making it \"evident\" to authorities that \"Keelan was the only target\".\n\nMs Ellitts said she lived with the shock of her son's death daily.\n\n\"This isn't something that you think of every now and again, this is a daily thing that you have to live with.\n\n\"It's terrible my daughters won't know who he is.\"\n\nOn the day of Keelan's death, CCTV captured a scene from the Wolverhampton city centre disorder that police said was linked to gang activity\n\nSasa, of Long Ley, Heath Town, Wolverhampton; King, of Chelwood Gardens, Wolverhampton; Tampwo of Fern Grove in Bletchley, Milton Keynes; and Pennant-Phillips, whose address cannot be published for legal reasons, had all denied murder.\n\n\"Keelan was a child who had his whole life ahead of him,\" Det Sgt Barnes said.\n\nThe convictions, he added, came after a \"very difficult and long investigation,\" with more than 2,000 lines of inquiry having to be examined.\n\nSome lines of investigation had been met with a \"wall of silence,\" he said.\n\nJudge Michael Chambers said: \"It is an utter tragedy that a 15-year-old child lost his life at the hands of others who are barely older than he.\"\n\nSentencing is set to take place at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 19 March.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n• None 'Tell mum I love her' said stabbed boy\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Monica Calazans, a 54-year-old nurse in São Paulo, was given a Chinese-developed vaccine\n\nA nurse has received Brazil's first Covid-19 vaccine dose after regulators gave emergency approval to two jabs.\n\nRegulator Anvisa gave the green light to vaccines from Oxford-AstraZeneca and China's Sinovac, doses of which will be distributed among all 27 states.\n\nBrazil has the world's second-highest death toll from Covid-19 and cases are rising again across the country.\n\nPresident Jair Bolsonaro has been heavily criticised for his handling of the pandemic.\n\nThe president, who caught Covid-19 last year and recovered, has said he will not take a vaccine.\n\nAuthorities reported 551 new fatalities on Sunday, the first time in six days that it had fallen short of 1,000 although this could reflect a delay in the reporting of numbers over the weekend.\n\nIn all, more than 209,000 Covid-related deaths have been recorded in Brazil, a raw total figure only exceeded by the US.\n\nOver 8.4 million infections have been confirmed since the start of the pandemic - the third-highest tally in the world.\n\nHealth Minister Eduardo Pazuello told reporters that the national vaccination programme in the country of 211 million people would begin in earnest in the coming days. Two Brazilian biomedical centres which have been given approval to produce the jabs will be heavily involved.\n\nAbout six million doses of the Sinovac-developed CoronaVac have already been produced in Brazil, while the government is waiting for shipments of the AstraZeneca vaccine from a laboratory in India.\n\nShortly after Anvisa's board gave emergency approval, Monica Calazans, a 54-year-old nurse in São Paulo, became the first person to be inoculated with CoronaVac.\n\nHer vaccination was organised by the São Paulo state government, which is led by Mr Bolsonaro's main political rival, João Doria.\n\nThis has been a rare piece of good news today for Brazilians who are grappling with a devastating second wave.\n\nFrom where I am, the city of Manaus, the vaccine does not feel real. People here are trying to recover a collapsed health system and doing what they can to keep their sick relatives alive.\n\nThe pandemic has become deeply political in Brazil. President Bolsonaro continues to present himself as a vaccine sceptic and he was notably absent as the vaccines were approved. Instead, Monday's newspapers will no doubt have São Paulo Governor Doria slapped on their front pages.\n\nHe is expected to run in next year's presidential elections and has backed the Sinovac vaccine from the very start. He was once a Bolsonaro ally and is now his nemesis - but there is no doubt who is leading the way in trying to get the population vaccinated.\n\nEarlier this week researchers said the Chinese vaccine had been found to be 50.4% effective in Brazilian clinical trials. This, results showed, was significantly less effective than previous data suggested - barely over the 50% needed for regulatory approval.\n\nCoronaVac is also being used in China, Indonesia and Turkey.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe news comes after revelations that a new coronavirus variant has emerged in Brazil. Several cases were traced back to the Amazonas state, where a state of emergency is in place.\n\nManaus, the state capital, has been hit especially hard, with beds and life-saving oxygen running low. Refrigerated containers have also been brought to hospitals to help store bodies.\n\nNeighbouring Venezuela said it had sent a convoy of trucks with oxygen supplies to help Amazonas.\n\nPresident Bolsonaro has faced mounting criticism for his handling of Brazil's outbreak, and several anti-government protests were held last week.\n\nAn opponent of lockdowns, he has previously blamed state governors and mayors for the Covid crisis, saying the federal government has provided all the resources needed to tackle the virus.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The deer had to be put down by a gamekeeper after the attack\n\nA warning has been issued by royal parks police after a dog carried out a \"relentless\" attack on a deer that had to be put down.\n\nFootage shows the dog savaging the red deer in London's Richmond Park.\n\nCases of pets worrying deer in London's eight royal parks have shot up during lockdown, police say. They are urging owners to keep dogs on leads.\n\nSeparately, on Sunday, a 10-year-old child was injured by a herd of deer being chased by a dog in Bushy Park.\n\nPolice said the incident in the park in Richmond-upon-Thames, which left the child needing hospital treatment, underlined the need for people to keep their dogs on a lead if they are unsure how they will react to deer.\n\nOn Friday, Franck Hiribarne, 44, from Kingston in south-west London, admitted causing or permitting an animal he was in charge of to injure another animal, in relation to the Richmond Park attack.\n\nWimbledon magistrates heard the doe suffered deep wounds, then received a broken leg when it was hit by a car as it tried to flee from the dog. Witnesses described the attack as \"relentless\".\n\nThe deer had to be put down by a gamekeeper after the attack in October.\n\nMr Hiribarne, who reported the matter himself to the Royal Parks Office, said he usually walked his red setter Alfie on a lead until he was well away from any grazing deer, and that the dog had been responding well to \"off-lead\" commands.\n\nThe dog owner, who was fined £600, said in a statement: \"I was genuinely shocked and sorry for what had happened and since then I have refrained completely from letting Alfie off the leash in any park.\n\n\"I have also taken a special dog trainer specialised in gundogs to control more accurately any of his hunting instincts. He has made great progress.\"\n\nFour deer have died from dog attacks in the royal parks since March 2020, while there have been 58 incidents of dogs chasing the herds - a big increase on previous years - according to the manager of Richmond Park.\n\nPart of the increase is thought to be down to new dog owners who are unfamiliar with the best conduct around wildlife.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Alexandru Murgeanu (l) and Jason Mercer were killed in the crash on the M1 in South Yorkshire\n\nA coroner has called for a review of smart motorways after an inquest heard the deaths of two men on a stretch of the M1 could have been avoided.\n\nJason Mercer, 44, and Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, died when Prezemyslaw Szuba crashed his lorry into their vehicles near Sheffield on 7 June 2019.\n\nCoroner David Urpeth said smart motorways without a hard shoulder carry \"an ongoing risk of future deaths\".\n\nHighways England said it was \"addressing many of the points raised\".\n\nMr Urpeth recorded a verdict of unlawful killing at Sheffield Town Hall. He added he would be writing to Highways England and the transport secretary asking for a review.\n\nThe inquest heard the deaths of the two men may have been avoided had there had been a hard shoulder.\n\nOn the stretch of the M1 where the crash took place, the hard shoulder has been replaced by an active lane.\n\nSzuba, 40, from Hull, was jailed last year after admitting causing their deaths by careless driving.\n\nHe was speaking from prison to the inquest.\n\nPrezemyslaw Szuba was jailed over the deaths\n\nAnswering questions over the phone, Szuba told the hearing he accepted he was driving without paying proper attention.\n\n\"I have already accepted that at my trial,\" he said, but added: \"If there had been a hard shoulder on this bit of motorway, the collision would have been avoidable.\n\n\"I would have driven past these two cars as it would be safer and they would have been able to come home safely and I would be able to come back home.\"\n\nSzuba said he had only three to five seconds to react, and asked if he would have avoided the crash had he been paying attention, he said: \"It's difficult to say after everything now.\"\n\nSgt Mark Brady, who oversees major collision investigations for South Yorkshire Police, told the hearing: \"Had there been a hard shoulder, had Jason and Alexandru pulled on to the hard shoulder, my opinion is that Mr Szuba would have driven clean past them.\"\n\nBut he accepted the primary cause of the crash was Szuba's inattention to the road.\n\nThe crash happened after a collision between a Ford Focus driven by Mr Mercer, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and a Ford Transit driven by Mr Murgeanu, who was living in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, but was originally from Romania.\n\nWhen Mr Mercer and Mr Murgeanu got out to exchange details they were hit by the lorry, and both died at the scene.\n\nMr Mercer's wife Claire has campaigned against smart motorways since her husband's death, and was at the hearing on Monday.\n\nClaire Mercer has campaigned against the use of smart motorways since her husband's death\n\nIn a statement, Highways England said it was \"determined\" to do everything it could to make roads as safe as possible and was already addressing many of the points raised by the coroner \"as published in the Government's Smart Motorway Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan of March 2020\".\n\n\"We will carefully consider any further comments raised by the coroner once we receive the report,\" it added.\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A man has scaled a Hong Kong skyscraper in his wheelchair to raise money for spinal cord patients.\n\nLai Chi-Wai, who became paralysed after a road accident ten years ago, climbed 250 metres (820ft) of the Nina Towers building.\n\nBefore his accident, Lai Chi-Wai was a rock-climbing champion in Asia and eighth best in the world.\n\nHe said that \"knowing there was a possibility...that I could be a climber again, I found some direction in life\".", "Last updated on .From the section England\n\nPhil Neville has left his role as manager of England's women and been appointed in charge of David Beckham's Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.\n\nThe 43-year-old was appointed as England boss in January 2018 and his contract was set to end in July.\n\nThe Football Association says it will \"shortly confirm\" an interim head coach until Sarina Wiegman's arrival.\n\nNetherlands manager Wiegman will take on the role after the delayed Tokyo Olympics in August.\n\nFormer Manchester United and Everton defender Neville was the leading contender to manage Great Britain at the Games, but his move to the United States has left the FA needing another option.\n\n\"This is a very young club with a lot of promise and upside, and I am committed to challenging myself, my players and everyone around me to grow and build a competitive soccer culture we can all be proud of,\" Neville said of his American move.\n\nBeckham said of his former Manchester United team-mate: \"I have known Phil since we were both teenagers at the academy.\n\n\"We share a footballing DNA having been trained by some of the best leaders in the game, and it's those values that I have always wanted running through our club.\"\n\nThe MLS side had been managed by former Uruguay striker Diego Alonso before the 45-year-old left by mutual consent earlier this month.\n\nBeckham added: \"Anyone who has played or worked with Phil knows he is a natural leader, and I believe now is the right time for him to join.\"\n\nNeville led the Lionesses to their first SheBelieves Cup title in 2019 and fourth place at the Women's World Cup later the same year, but results since that tournament have been poor.\n\nEngland's struggles under Neville continued at the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, where a late defeat by Spain in the final match was their seventh loss in 11 games.\n\nThe Lionesses have not played since that game last March because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\n\"It has been an honour to manage England and I have enjoyed three of the best years of my career,\" said Neville, who won 19 of his 35 games in charge.\n\n\"The players who wear the England shirt are some of the most talented and dedicated athletes I have ever had the privilege to work with.\n\n\"They have challenged me and improved me as a coach, and I am very grateful to them for the fantastic memories we have shared.\"\n\nNeville, who had no previous experience in the women's game before taking over, has made a \"significant contribution\" during his three-year spell, said Baroness Campbell, the FA's director of women's football.\n\n\"The commitment, dedication and respect he has shown the position has been clear to see,\" she added.\n\n\"I will personally miss our many conversations about ways we can improve and progress.\"\n\nEngland are ranked sixth in the world, having been third when Neville succeeded Mark Sampson.\n\nNeville's record against the best sides came under particular scrutiny, with England winning one of their nine games against teams ranked in the top five in the world during his reign.\n\nNeville's record against teams ranked in the world's top five\n\n\"After steadying the ship at a challenging period, he helped us to win the SheBelieves Cup for the first time, reach the World Cup semi-finals and qualify for the Olympics,\" added Campbell.\n\n\"Given his status as a former Manchester United and England player, he did much to raise the profile of our team.\n\n\"He has used his platform to champion the women's game, worked tirelessly to support our effort to promote more female coaches and used his expertise to develop many of our younger players.\"\n\nWhat happens next with England?\n\nThe FA is expected to name England's interim head coach in the next few days.\n\nAmong the favourites is former Norway midfielder Hege Riise, one of the greatest players of her generation - a European Championship winner in 1993, a World Cup winner in 1995 and an Olympic gold medallist in 2000.\n\nAfter retiring as a player, Riise moved into club management in Norway and also coached the country's Under-23 side before spending three years as assistant to then-USA head coach Pia Sundhage from 2009.\n\nShe then joined the set-up at Norwegian club LSK Kvinner in 2012 - becoming head coach in 2017 - as they won six successive titles between 2014 and 2019, while also reaching the 2018-19 Champions League quarter-finals.\n\nRiise was one of seven nominees for the Fifa best women's coach award in 2020, won by Wiegman in December.\n\nThe new interim manager has no England fixtures booked in the diary, though there has reportedly been discussions over a mini-tournament during the next international window in February.\n\nEngland will not be taking part in the SheBelieves Cup but could host a tournament which would see three other nations take part in a round-robin event.\n• None All the goals, highlights and analysis from the weekend's Premier League matches, including Manchester United's visit to Liverpool: MOTD2 is streaming now on BBC iPlayer", "Morgan Le-Riche and other students have questioned if they should be paying full tuition fees\n\n\"I am paying £9,000 for a university degree that is causing me nothing but anxiety and stress.\"\n\nFor Morgan Le-Riche, the university experience since the coronavirus pandemic hit has not been worth the fee.\n\nSome students are calling for reduced tuition fees and more support.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it provided the most generous student support package in the UK and has appointed a dedicated minister for mental health.\n\nIn announcing a lockdown earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said students in England would not return to the classroom until mid February, with calls for clarity over what will happen in Wales.\n\nMorgan, who is studying criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Wales, said \"something needs to be done to help us students\".\n\nHer Facebook post calling for more help was shared 3,000 times in three days - something that surprised her but also highlighted the depth of feeling.\n\nStudents face an uncertain time with with restrictions currently in place\n\nThe second year student said: \"I don't think the government is understanding students, instead they are only recognising primary and secondary schools - there's no recognition for university students.\"\n\nMorgan was given assignments to complete over Christmas, but said her lecturers had turned off their emails so she could not seek guidance when she was finding work difficult.\n\n\"I feel like the amount of stress I've had has meant I'm not doing a high enough standard of work, that I would normally do, due to the lack of assistance,\" she said.\n\nShe said more time with tutors and spaces for students to come together to discuss mental health would be beneficial.\n\nThe University of South Wales said their course teams are committed to providing \"comprehensive support\" and are \"readily available to offer help and guidance for students\".\n\nStudents in England have been told to work online and remain where they are\n\nA petition calling for the UK government to reduce university student tuition fees from £9,250 to £3,000 has gained more than 400,000 signatures online.\n\nMorgan thinks she has been \"massively let down\" and there needs to be a \"heavy reduction\" on the amount students are paying for their courses.\n\nA Welsh Government spokesman said: \"We are the only country in the whole of Europe that provides equivalent up front living costs grants and loans for full and part-time undergraduates, and for post-graduates.\n\n\"This already covers campus-based and distance learners and will continue throughout the academic year.\"\n\nDanielle Herbert believes university students need more focus from government\n\nJournalism student Danielle Herbert, who also studies at the University of South Wales, said online learning has helped her mental health because otherwise a lot of her face-to-face interactions would be limited.\n\nDespite \"lecturers trying their best\", students' experiences since March last year have not been \"adequate for a £9,000 fee\".\n\nThe third-year student from Swindon said the prime minister's announcement of an England-wide lockdown was stressful \"because there was no mention of universities\".\n\nShe said: \"I was left very unclear and confused as to where I stood on travelling back to Wales. As someone who suffers from anxiety, I rely on concrete facts and that wasn't provided. We have been ignored by the prime minister.\n\n\"I had just paid my rent for this term - which was £2,300 - and I looked at my mum and dad and said: 'Am I even going to be able to go back to my student flat'?\"\n\nDanielle has called for more help for students in dealing with mental health issues during the pandemic\n\nShe does not believe students have had the same level of support as secondary school pupils, adding: \"We're still expected to produce the same standard of work without protection whilst there's a pandemic going on - it's really unrealistic.\"\n\nDanielle said having a \"no detriment\" policy in place would help to relieve students' stress.\n\n\"I think there's a real issue amongst students and students' mental health and it's only grown because of coronavirus. I think we will see the consequences of that if nothing is done.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government said: \"To support mental health services, we have made an additional £9.9m available, as part of efforts to ensure people can access the right support when they need it.\n\n\"In October we announced an additional £10m to support mental health services for higher education students in Wales to increase capacity in students' unions and universities to provide support services.\n\n\"This is in addition to the £27m Higher Education Investment and Recovery Fund announced in the summer.\"\n\nThe University of South Wales said the safety and wellbeing of students is its priority and students have access to a \"wide range of comprehensive support for their health, mental health and wellbeing\".\n\n\"Recognising that a number of staff would be on leave over the Christmas and New Year holidays, the course team let students know they were available for help and support right up until the end of term and students were encouraged to ask for support if they needed it,\" said a spokesperson.\n\n\"We are providing a full and interactive blended learning offer this term, in line with Welsh Government guidance, so that students can receive good experiences and a high-quality education, enabling them to progress and complete their studies on time.\"", "Software giant Github has apologised for firing a Jewish employee who warned co-workers to be careful about Nazis.\n\nThe employee was fired two days after using the word to describe participants in the US Capitol riots.\n\nBut Github now says that decision was a mistake, and its head of HR has resigned over the scandal.\n\nThe company says it has offered the fired employee his job back, and clarified that \"employees are free to express concerns about Nazis\".\n\nMicrosoft-owned Github is one of the most popular software development tools in the world, with more than 50 million users. News of the internal row was first reported by Business Insider.\n\nPeople associated with a range of extreme and far-right groups and supporters of fringe online conspiracy theories stormed Congress.\n\nAs it happened, the Jewish employee posted to an internal Github Slack channel: \"Stay safe homies, Nazis are about.\"\n\nBut the comment sparked criticism from a co-worker about the use of the word \"Nazi\" to describe the rioters, calling it \"untasteful conduct\" for the workplace.\n\nThe Jewish employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told Techcrunch he had been \"genuinely concerned about his co-workers in the area, in addition to his Jewish family members\".\n\nTwo days later, he was fired for his \"patterns of behaviour\".\n\nBut the firing led to an outcry from many more co-workers, with hundreds signing an internal letter calling on Github to explain the decision - and to publicly denounce Nazis.\n\nAmid the outcry, the company opened an investigation with an external investigator.\n\n\"The investigation revealed significant errors of judgment and procedure,\" chief executive Erica Brescia wrote in a blogpost. \"Our head of HR has taken personal accountability and resigned from GitHub.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Joe Biden: \"Yesterday, in my view, was one of the darkest days in the history of our nation.\"\n\nShe said the firm had \"reversed the decision to separate with the employee\", and had contacted him - but it is not clear if the employee wishes to return after the treatment he received.\n\nThe company has also issued statements condemning white supremacists, Nazism, anti-Semitism, and those who took part in the Capitol riots.", "A group of London business leaders has written to the government calling for financial support for the struggling rail firm Eurostar.\n\nIn a letter to the Treasury and Department for Transport, they urge \"swift action to safeguard its future\".\n\nBosses of firms such as Fortnum & Mason signed the letter asking for access to government loans and business rates relief \"at the very least\".\n\nThe government says it is \"working closely\" with Eurostar.\n\nThe cross-Channel rail company is threatened by a large drop in passenger numbers due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions.\n\nIt reported in November that passenger numbers had been down 95% since March 2020.\n\nWith two trains an hour normally scheduled in peak hours, it now runs just two services a day from London to Paris and Brussels.\n\nThe letter, coordinated by business campaigning group London First and seen by the BBC, describes the firm as one that has \"fallen through the cracks\". Unlike some airlines, it has not been eligible for government-backed loans.\n\n\"If this viable business is allowed to fall between the cracks of support - neither an airline, nor a domestic railway - our recovery could be damaged,\" it says.\n\nCo-signed by 28 leaders, including the vice-chancellor of Middlesex University, the chief executive of West End property company Shaftesbury, as well as the boss of the ExCeL conference centre, the letter points out that the company currently employs 1,200 people in the UK.\n\nThe firm is 55% owned by French state rail firm SNCF. The UK government sold its stake in the business to private companies for £757m in 2015.\n\nThe letter also credits Eurostar with reducing carbon emissions. Since it launched in 1994, it has transported more than 190 million passengers between Britain and mainland Europe.\n\nA spokesman for Eurostar said: \"Without additional funding from government there is a real risk to the survival of Eurostar, the green gateway to Europe.\n\nHe described the current situation as \"very serious\".\n\nA spokesman for the Department for Transport said: \"We recognise the significant financial challenges facing Eurostar as a result of Covid-19 and the unprecedented circumstances currently faced by the international travel industry.\"\n\nHe added the government had been in contact with Eurostar \"on a regular basis\" since the start of the coronavirus crisis and would continue to work closely with the firm.\n• None How are travel rules being relaxed?", "A small group of armed protesters held a rally in front of the capitol building in Texas\n\nSmall groups of protesters - some of them armed - gathered on Sunday at statehouses in the US, where tensions are high after the deadly riots at the Capitol in Washington.\n\nProtests were held outside capitol buildings in Texas, Oregon, Michigan, Ohio and elsewhere.\n\nBut many other statehouses were quiet, amid a ramping up of security across US legislatures. No clashes were reported.\n\nThe FBI has warned of armed protests ahead of Wednesday's inauguration.\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden will take office two weeks after pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol in Washington DC on 6 January, leaving five dead, including a police officer.\n\nMore than 25,000 National Guard troops are being deployed to secure Washington. In a sign of just how worried officials are about potential unrest, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told the Associated Press on Sunday that all Guard members were being vetted because of fears of an insider threat.\n\nAlso on Sunday, a county official from New Mexico was arrested in Washington in connection with the riots at the US Capitol on 6 January.\n\nCouy Griffin, the founder of a group called Cowboys for Trump, had vowed to return on inauguration day with firearms to \"embrace my Second Amendment\".\n\nMany cities had prepared for potentially violent protests over the weekend, erecting barriers and deploying thousands of National Guard troops.\n\nPosts on pro-Trump and far-right online networks had called for armed demonstrations on Sunday in particular, but some militias told their followers not to attend, citing heavy security or claiming the planned events were police traps.\n\nSmall crowds of protesters numbering in the dozens gathered in only some cities, leaving the streets surrounding many statehouses largely empty.\n\nMembers of the the Boogaloo Bois were seen outside the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing\n\nThe New York Times reported about 25 members of the Boogaloo Bois movement were among heavily-armed protesters who gathered at the statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. But the men - who are part of a loosely organised extremist group that wants to overthrow the US government - said they were there for a long-planned gun rights rally.\n\nMeanwhile in Michigan, about two dozen people - some carrying rifles - protested outside the statehouse in Lansing, as police watched on.\n\n\"I am not here to be violent and I hope no one shows up to be violent,\" one protester told Reuters news agency.\n\nA similarly small group of about a dozen protesters, a few armed with rifles, stood outside the Texas Capitol in Austin.\n\nOutside Pennsylvania's capitol in Harrisburg, one Trump supporter noted the poor turn-out, telling Reuters: \"There's nothing going on.\"\n\nMore protests are expected on Wednesday, when Mr Biden will officially be sworn into office, replacing Mr Trump as president.\n\nMr Biden will issue executive orders to reverse President Trump's travel bans and re-join the Paris climate accord on his first day in the White House.\n\nThe president-elect is also expected to focus on reuniting families separated at the US-Mexico border, and to issue mandates on Covid-19 and mask-wearing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The US Capitol is on high alert ahead of Biden's inauguration\n\nMuch of Washington DC has been locked down ahead of the inauguration. The National Mall, which is usually thronged with thousands of people for inaugurations, has been shut at the request of the Secret Service.\n\nThe Biden team had already asked Americans to avoid travelling to the nation's capital for the inauguration because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Local officials said people should watch the event remotely.", "China's economy grew at the slowest pace in more than four decades last year, official figures show, but remains on course to be the only major economy to have expanded in 2020.\n\nThe economy grew 2.3% last year, despite Covid-19 shutdowns causing output to slump in early 2020.\n\nStrict virus containment measures and emergency relief for businesses helped the economy recover.\n\nGrowth in the final three months of the year picked up to 6.5%.\n\n\"The GDP data shows the economy has almost normalised. This momentum will continue, although the current Covid-19 outbreak in a couple of provinces in northern China might temporarily cause fluctuation,\" said Yue Su, principal economist for the Economist Intelligence Unit.\n\nChina's mainland share markets as well as Hong Kong's Hang Seng posted modest gains on the latest figures, which exceeded economists' expectations, according to a Reuters poll.\n\nHowever, Covid-19 was still a major drain on growth in 2020, with nationwide shutdowns of factories and manufacturing plants forcing economic growth down to its slowest rate for four decades.\n\nChina's manufacturing sector appears to have recovered, with Monday's data showing a 7.3% increase in industrial output.\n\nExports have also led the way. Data last week showed Chinese exports grew by more than expected in December, as coronavirus disruptions around the world fuelled demand for Chinese goods.\n\nThat is despite a stronger yuan, which makes Chinese exports more expensive for overseas buyers.\n\nChina's economy has seen a strong rebound, while the rest of the world struggles with anaemic demand, millions of job losses, and businesses shutting down.\n\nChina's economic engine roared back to life after a brutal lockdown that saw the Chinese economy contract by a historic 6.8% in the first quarter of 2020.\n\nWe should always be circumspect about Chinese data - with the usual caveat that the trajectory of the data rather than the figures themselves are a useful guide to how China's economy is growing.\n\nWhat these numbers show is that China's strategy of locking down cities hard and quickly has worked.\n\nA combination of government-led investment and global demand for Chinese goods also helped to power a rapid recovery, and boost exports.\n\nStill - this is the lowest rate of annual growth in more than 40 years for the economic giant. Worries over a resurgence of the virus are also clouding China's growth outlook, with consumer demand still weak.\n\nAnd Beijing is trying to navigate a prickly trade relationship with the US, with the incoming administration unlikely to be softer on China than President Donald Trump.\n\nAll of these challenges will no doubt weigh on Chinese growth in 2021 - but they seem to be in a better place than the rest of the world's major economies.\n\nIt was not all good news from the latest figures.\n\nLi Wei, a senior economist at Standard Chartered Bank, said pandemic-related exports and credit-fuelled car and housing sales accounted for much of the growth, while domestic demand lagged behind.\n\n\"Domestic household consumption of food, clothing, furniture and utilities remains below pre-pandemic levels, while the hospitality and transportation sectors continue to face capacity and travel restrictions,\" he told Reuters.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why does China’s economy matter to you?\n\nAlthough retail sales grew by 4.6% in the fourth quarter of 2020, they fell by 3.9% for the year.\n\nMany analysts are tipping growth to accelerate in 2021, but the China Bureau of Statistics has warned of a \"grave and complex environment both at home and abroad\", with the pandemic having a \"huge impact\".\n\nChina still faces many challenges, including continuing trade tensions with the US and how they might play out under the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office later this week.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Lorry drivers have been holding up the traffic in Westminster.\n\nBoris Johnson has pledged £23m to help businesses affected by Brexit delays amid protests by fishing firms.\n\nDemonstrations took place outside government departments in central London by exporters who are warning their livelihoods are under threat.\n\nExports of fresh fish and seafood have been severely disrupted by new border controls since the UK's transition period ended earlier this month.\n\nThe PM said firms would be compensated for delays that were not their fault.\n\nIndustry associations have complained that extra paperwork has made it difficult to deliver fresh produce to mainland Europe before it goes off.\n\nThey have warned that if the situation continues, jobs could soon be at risk.\n\nPressed on what he would do in response, Mr Johnson said the government would step in to support firms which \"through no fault of their own have experienced bureaucratic delays, difficulties getting their goods through, where there is a genuine willing buyer on the other side of the channel\".\n\n\"There's a £23m compensation fund we've set up and we'll make sure they get help,\" he said.\n\nDetails of the scheme are expected later this week.\n\nAfter a day of protests in central London, which saw 20 lorries drive up Whitehall, the Metropolitan Police said 14 people had been reported for Covid-related offences, but no arrests were made.\n\nMark Moore, manager of the Dartmouth Crab Company, said his business and others were protesting to \"raise awareness\" of the impact of new border checks.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 5 Live his company had faced delays of up to eight and a half hours when delivering produce into the European Union.\n\nHe added that the situation was \"especially difficult\" for the shellfish sector, where goods were at risk of going off before reaching customers.\n\n\"It's not about the increased documentation per se,\" he said.\n\n\"We have taken that on board, and we ourselves - and I know many others - have had no issues with producing the actual paperwork.\n\n\"It's the volume required and the timeframe in which to produce it, which doesn't lend itself to live shellfish and fish generally.\"\n\nThere are 24 lorries in total, overwhelmingly from seafood exporters in Scotland. Businesses taking part say the Brexit trade deal has left their industry high and dry.\n\nAnd although one haulier from Aberdeenshire I spoke to was keen to stress that their coordinated protest was peaceful, it is clear that they all feel that direct action is now necessary to make the government sit up and take notice.\n\nGood natured though their action was, it did for a time cause serious traffic congestion along Whitehall and Parliament Square.\n\nHowever, low levels of traffic perhaps caused by the Covid lockdown meant the roads around Whitehall didn't grind to a complete halt.\n\nAt stake, they believe, is an industry, but also thousands of livelihoods. Exporters say they are backed by fishermen who are struggling to land their catches.\n\nAnd although the rural Scottish communities which are sustained by fishing might seem like a long way from the streets of SW1, the hauliers certainly made their presence felt this morning.\n\nHaving left the EU's customs union and the single market, UK exports are subject to new customs and veterinary checks which have caused problems at the border.\n\nSome Scottish fishermen have been landing their catch in Denmark to avoid the \"bureaucratic system\" involved in exporting to Europe, according to Scotland's rural economy secretary.\n\nLast week, Boris Johnson told a committee of MPs that fishing firms impacted by disruption would be compensated for \"temporary frustrations\".\n\nBut the BBC was told that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) did not know about the promise of compensation before it was made by Mr Johnson.\n\nSpeaking to reporters, the prime minister said he understood the \"frustrations\" of the fishing industry, noting its plight had been \"exacerbated by the Covid pandemic\".\n\n\"Unfortunately, the demand in restaurants on the continent for UK fish has not been what it was before the pandemic, just because the restaurants have been closed for so long,\" he added.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused ministers of trying to \"blame fishing communities\" for problems \"rather than accepting it's their failure to prepare\".\n\n\"The government has known there would be a problem with fishing and particularly the sale of fish into the EU for years,\" he told reporters.\n\nMuch media attention has been focussed on Scotland as this export crisis has unfolded.\n\nBut exactly the same problem is rearing its head in the UK's other great fishing stronghold - at the other end of the UK in Devon and Cornwall.\n\nA virtual Who's Who of South West fishing leaders wrote to the environment secretary back in November warning that the new post-Brexit export requirements would have a \"seriously detrimental effect\" on the industry, claiming this \"could be the final straw for many businesses\".\n\nHere, too, many fish exports have now ground to a halt and others have encountered obstacles and long delays.\n\nAnd exporters have reacted angrily to the government's repeated insistence that the issues they've been experiencing over the last two weeks are just \"teething problems\".", "Although it has been common to hear and see the impact on care homes internationally throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, one country where such insight has been rare is China.\n\nPrivate care homes have been growing in popularity in China in recent years, but there are some stigmas associated with the industry.\n\nIn China, many view nursing homes as going against the cultural concept of “filial piety”. This is the belief that the young should respect for and care for their elders, and so many believe the elderly should live with their children, and not live in care homes.\n\nHowever, as cases of the virus grow in the northeast of the country, the official broadcaster CCTV has offered viewers a rare insight into how China’s elderly in these facilities are being protected.\n\nA journalist today has visited the Shijiazhuang Nursing Home. Shijiazhuang is the Chinese city that has been hardest hit by the virus in recent weeks.\n\nIn a 30-minute livestream in which he is clad in hazmat suit and visor, journalist Gu Junling introduces viewers to how the facilities are kept safe, and shows viewers inside the care home’s stockrooms, packed with ample provisions for its residents.\n\nMany of the residents seem happy to speak to the journalist and talk about how they are healthy, and happy. Masks are mandatory for both residents and staff, even in the areas outside on-site. However, far from being kept under house arrest, residents are shown to have sufficient space to go outside, use computers and games rooms.", "Tributes have been paid to the actor Andy Gray who has died at the age of 61.\n\nThe Perth-born star was a well known face on TV and the stage for more than 40 years.\n\nAmong his best known on-screen roles were \"Chancer\" in the 1980s comedy City Lights and more recently \"Pete Galloway\" in BBC soap River City.\n\nHis River City co-star Gayle Telfer Stevens said Gray was a \"national treasure\".\n\nShe added: \"Not only was he an exceptional actor and entertainer who brought so much joy to so many people, he was an extraordinary man.\n\n\"When you were in his presence you could feel it was of greatness. The most kind, clever, funny beyond measure, beautiful man.\"\n\nAndy Gray, second from the left in the back row, starred as \"Chancer\" in the hit 1980s comedy show \"City Lights\"\n\nAndy Gray performing at the Edinburgh Festival in 2013\n\nSteve Carson, director of BBC Scotland, said: \"We are deeply saddened by the news that one of Scotland's much loved comedy actors and close friend to many at BBC Scotland, Andy Gray has passed away.\n\n\"On screen and in person he could always make you laugh and was one of the kindest people to have around on any production. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.\"\n\nAndy Gray, pictured with Grant Stott, had been one of the stars at Edinburgh's King's Theatre pantomime for years\n\nMartin McCardie, executive producer at BBC Scotland Studios, added: \"When Andy joined River City in 2016 he had an extremely successful stage, TV and film career behind him, but the character of Pete Galloway turned out to be one of the most popular ever to pass through Shieldinch.\n\n\"Andy took ill in 2018 and he had to leave the show and he had a difficult time. His ongoing recovery was borne with humour and gratitude for what he had. He had unfinished business on River City and we were looking forward to welcoming him back to film with us before the end of the current series.\"\n\nAndy Gray was genuinely one of the nicest people in the world of showbusiness.\n\nWhether you were an actor, or a journalist, or just someone who'd seen him in panto, he was always ready to have a chat.\n\nWhen he dropped out of his Fringe show in 2018, after being diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia, he was inundated with good wishes, but said he wanted privacy to deal with his illness.\n\nHe retreated to his home in Perthshire and took the time to recover.\n\nWhen he returned to the stage of the Kings Theatre in Edinburgh for their 2019 panto, it was an emotional milestone.\n\nWrapped in his Batman dressing gown backstage (he was a huge fan with a shed full of film paraphernalia) he admitted it could be overwhelming. Sometimes the whoops and cheers of the audience at his arrival in the midst of a glitzy song and dance routine would go on for several minutes.\n\nHis co-stars Grant Stott and Allan Stewart watched from the wings and said it had restored the balance of their long established trio. The Kings is one of the only theatres to have a tradition of a pantette - where the cast sit in the auditorium and watch the front of house staff performing the show. Andy wasn't spared the merciless send up, nor would he have wanted to.\n\nDaughter Claire was also in the show - as one of the three bears - and her baby daughter was in Andy's arms for the curtain call. But whether his actual family, or his panto family, or the generations of people who've seen him onstage or screen, it was a moment of hope, as well as joy, that someone who'd brought so much laughter and entertainment to Scotland was back.\n\nThat's why his sudden death at 61 is such a cruel blow.\n\nHe had been campaigning to keep the Kings afloat, and was involved in online performances. He and Allan Stewart had hoped to appear in one of the few surviving pantomimes in Milton Keynes but that too was cancelled.\n\nFriends and colleagues knew he'd been admitted to hospital in the last few days, and feared the worst. Those who simply knew him as someone who made them laugh, on stage or screen, are no less bereft.\n\nTonight the world of Scottish entertainment is in mourning for a gifted comic actor, writer and genuinely nice man.", "Aberystwyth University's vice chancellor told students not to attend lectures unless \"absolutely necessary\"\n\nAberystwyth University has told its students not to return to campus following new advice from the Welsh Government.\n\nA phased return had been planned from 11 January, but this has now been postponed.\n\nVice-chancellor Prof Elizabeth Treasure said students should not attend the university, in Ceredigion, unless \"absolutely necessary.\"\n\nOn Friday the Welsh Government told learners \"study from home if you can\".\n\nMs Treasure said: \"We are reviewing our plans for in-person teaching and will inform you as soon as we can. Whilst we are reviewing those plans, we don't want students travelling to the university unnecessarily.\"\n\nShe said there were certain exceptions, including students without internet access and those for whom laboratory access was essential.\n\nWales' Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, said universities were reviewing their plans based on their individual circumstances.\n\n\"On return, students are also expected to take two asymptomatic tests and comply with rules as they re-join their term time household,\" she said.\n\nDespite the announcement, Bangor University said on Facebook on Friday that it \"falls under the rules of the Welsh Government which allow for a staggered return to blended learning\".\n\nCardiff University said earlier this week that most students would not return to face-to-face teaching until 22 February.\n\nA Welsh Government spokesman said: \"Our message to students, staff and universities in general is the same as the rest of the population: Stay home, work or study from home if you can.\n\n\"Only attend your place of work or study if you can't work from home.\"\n\nThe new announcement came after calls for clarity were made because of differences with the rules in England.\n\nAt that point, the Welsh Government and Universities Wales said the plans agreed before Christmas would remain in place.\n\nOn Friday, it was announced that schools and colleges would stay closed to most pupils until the February half term unless there is a \"significant\" fall in Covid cases.", "LAS received almost 200,000 calls in December - up 50,000 on November, when London was in the second national lockdown\n\nLast week London exceeded the grim milestone of 10,000 deaths linked to Covid-19. Thousands of people are critically ill in hospital, and as many as 5% of Londoners are thought to have the virus in some parts of the city. As coronavirus continues to circulate silently around the capital, staff at the London Ambulance Service (LAS) are under immense pressure.\n\nThe service is currently taking up to 8,500 calls a day, compared with a pre-Covid figure of 5,000 to 6,000, according to its chief executive Garrett Emmerson.\n\nLizzie Cooke is one of the workers at LAS's south London headquarters who are dealing with strangers at what is a distressing time.\n\nI covered the London Bridge terror attacks and Grenfell but this is a different scale\n\nCalmly, the 30-year-old answers the phone and usually asks first if the patient is breathing.\n\n\"In the first wave we were getting a lot of calls of [people seeking] reassurance,\" Lizzie says. \"But now there are more and more who have symptoms, and family members are really frightened.\"\n\nIt is a fear that Lizzie knows all too well, having been hospitalised with Covid-19 in March. She spent a week receiving treatment for the virus.\n\n\"I was at work taking calls and struggling to concentrate,\" the call-handling supervisor says. \"At times I would just have my head on the desk in between calls.\n\n\"I started to develop chest pains five days later so my parents took me to Royal County Hospital, in Hampshire, and an X-ray showed a lot of fluid in my lungs. It was quite horrible.\n\n\"Luckily, I wasn't on a ventilator but I had the oxygen hood, and the nurses were so rushed off their feet. I didn't have my phone with me or know my parents' numbers off by heart so for that week I was quite alone and isolated.\n\n\"It was just a mixture of the unknown and not knowing when it was going to stop that was so daunting.\"\n\nThe unprecedented volume of calls means waiting times for patients are increasing\n\nLizzie's personal battle with coronavirus has helped her to empathise with people who call up with breathing problems.\n\nIt's something she says she's having to do more and more.\n\n\"Just before Christmas we were getting a lot of respiratory and cardiac arrest calls,\" she says. \"You could just hear colleagues counting to four [for chest compressions] and it was echoing around the room. It has been tough.\n\n\"We are getting calls from family members who are really frightened. I covered the London Bridge terror attacks and Grenfell but this is a different scale.\n\n\"I did get one call for toothache, but that's part of the job.\"\n\nLizzie, who lives in Hampshire, says that because the coverage of coronavirus is everywhere, it is \"difficult to escape\".\n\nWhen she's not at work she binge-watches Line of Duty on Netflix, but she says winding down isn't easy.\n\nLizzie sometimes thinks about the people who aren't following the rules aimed at helping stop the spread of the virus, and those who deny Covid-19 even exists.\n\n\"It's a kick in the teeth,\" she says. \"It is frustrating on the way to work when you see people not wearing masks or even posting stuff on social media not believing the virus is real.\n\n\"I just don't know where the disconnect is coming from; there are many people in hospital, many people dying, and I don't know what more needs to be said to make them realise how dangerous the illness is.\"\n\nSorry, your browser cannot display this map\n\nSitting a few metres away from Lizzie is 24-year-old Louise Essam, who has been in the job for two years.\n\n\"Every call we take at the moment is coronavirus,\" she says. \"My record was 108 calls in a day back in March during the first wave.\n\n\"But easily in the last few weeks I've been taking around 100 a day at times,\" Louise adds.\n\n\"We are just doing the best we can,\" says emergency call co-ordinator Louise Essam\n\n\"Sometimes I'll come in for a shift and can just hear colleagues counting one, two, three, four, for the compressions, and you just know what kind of shift it is going to be.\n\n\"It has been tough and quite frustrating, really. We are trying to help people. We are under so much pressure as there are high waiting times, but we are just doing the best we can.\"\n\nHelp is at hand though from the LAS workers' fellow emergency services personnel.\n\nMet Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick visited Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, where her officers are being trained to drive ambulances\n\nSeventy-five Met Police officers are currently being trained at Wembley Stadium to drive ambulances.\n\nThey will start work as drivers from 20 January, joining the 200 firefighters who are already helping LAS.\n\n\"It came as a huge relief when they announced it,\" says 37-year-old paramedic Ben West.\n\nBen West has been with the London Ambulance Service for 13 years\n\nAs is the case with many frontline workers, Ben says he is concerned about the dangers of exposure to coronavirus.\n\nHe has lost four colleagues to Covid-19, including Ian Reynolds, a paramedic based in Croydon, and Melonie Mitchell, a member of the NHS 111 team. They both died during the first wave in April.\n\n\"I wouldn't be a normal person if I said I wasn't scared,\" he says.\n\n\"I am scared and I do worry but we take every day as it comes, take our precautions and we just see where we go with that.\n\n\"We know the virus is out there in the community and we are not immune.\"", "Audi factories, like others, will make thousands fewer cars at the start of this year\n\nAudi is having to slow production because of a computer-chip shortage it is calling a \"crisis upon a crisis\".\n\nBoss Markus Duesmann said it was now aiming to make 10,000 fewer cars in the first quarter of the year and putting more than 10,000 workers on furlough.\n\nIts parent company, Volkswagen, announced its own go-slow due to a lack of chips last week, alongside rivals such as Honda.\n\nMr Duesmann told the Financial Times carmakers had been caught by surprise.\n\nAfter a poor start to 2020 for new car sales, manufacturers cut their orders from the Chinese factories making computer chips.\n\nBut then, at the end of the year, \"everybody was quite surprised by the strength of the market\", Mr Duesmann said.\n\nHowever, ordering new chips is not simple.\n\nCCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber said: \"Semiconductors have a broad range of applications but a very limited pool of companies capable of manufacturing the silicon.\n\n\"Demand is high, and supply is tight\" and any sudden needs \"can prove very difficult to accommodate\".\n\n\"Modern cars are becoming computers on wheels, with an abundance of silicon required to control everything from the infotainment system to camera, radar and lidar,\" he said.\n\nThe demand from carmakers \"competes for manufacturing capacity with smartphones, servers and a host of other segments\".\n\nAnd a boom in the market for devices such as PCs and new game consoles was making it doubly difficult to book manufacturing time.\n\nThe shortages have seen Mercedes-maker Daimler, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota all reportedly suspend production for days or weeks at a time.\n\nAnd German car-parts company Continental described \"largescale supply shortages\", with lead times of six to nine months, adding bottlenecks were expected to continue \"well into 2021, causing major disruptions\".", "Two drivers from Scotland were stopped by police on Anglesey going to see friends.\n\nPeople who drove more than 200 miles to visit friends in Wales and a group having a party in a garden shed have been caught breaking Covid rules.\n\nPolice forces in Wales have broken up parties, football matches and fined people for visiting beauty spots this weekend while Wales is in lockdown.\n\nTwo motorists were reported by North Wales Police in Anglesey after driving from Scotland to visit friends.\n\nWhile in Swansea, eight people were fined after a party was held in a shed.\n\nThe drivers from Scotland were stopped by police at Valley, near Holyhead, and reported for driving without insurance and breaching Covid travel restrictions.\n\nOfficers from North Wales Police on Saturday also stopped a car from Portsmouth as the driver was travelling to \"collect a front bumper\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by South Wales Police Vale of Glamorgan This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by South Wales Police Vale of Glamorgan\n\n\"Travelling nearly 300 miles for a piece of cosmetic plastic for your car is not essential at this time,\" said North Wales Police's Intercept team.\n\n\"The regulations have been broadcast far and wide. Please be mindful you will be reported if your journey is not essential.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Gwent Police | Caerphilly Borough Officers This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nEven though national parks have shut car parks in a bid to stop people visiting, North Wales Police said it received about 100 calls on Saturday about potential Covid breaches - and officers told people they need to take \"personal responsibility\" and \"stay home\".\n\nSouth Wales Police officers issued fixed penalty notices after finding people from \"all different households\" in a shed - which had been converted into a bar - in the Sketty area of Swansea all \"mixing together\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Mark Drakeford This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA further nine fixed penalty notices were given out in the Townhill area of the city after different households attended a baby reveal party on Sunday.\n\nFive people were warned about breaking laws in Neath Port Talbot after a group travelled to a field to play football, while four people were fined after a house party in Aberavon.\n\nUnder coronavirus rules people are only allowed to leave their homes for \"essential\" reasons, including to shop for food, get medical treatment and to exercise.\n\nWhile exercise is allowed, people are not allowed to drive to a spot for a walk, run or cycle, and the law means exercising with people you do not live with (or who are your bubble if you live alone) is banned.\n\nThose found to be in breach of Covid laws can be fined £60 for the first offence, with the penalties increasing up to £1,920. If prosecuted, however, a court can impose an unlimited fine.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid lockdown: 'This is why we say to you do not come out'\n\nUntil recently police had been using an education first approach, but the Welsh Government has repeatedly said it wants to see stricter enforcement of the rules.\n\nIn Powys, road officers from Dyfed-Powys Police stopped cars and turned around people driving to exercise.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Traffic Wales North & Mid #KeepWalesSafe This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn Port Talbot, two people sat on a bench drinking alcohol were fined by South Wales Police for \"leaving home without a reasonable excuse\".\n\nGwent Police officers broke-up a house party in Glyn-Gaer, Caerphilly county, on Friday evening and issued fines.", "A non-binding Labour motion calling for the universal credit top-up to be kept in place beyond 31 March passed by 278 votes to none after a Commons debate.\n\nSix Tory MPs defied party orders to abstain and voted with Labour, adding to the pressure on the PM on the issue.\n\nThe prime minister said the government had provided £280bn worth of support during the pandemic but all measures would be kept under \"constant review\".\n\nThe motion, which will not automatically lead to a change in policy, was put forward by Labour as a way to put additional pressure on the government to continue the increase, worth £1,000 a year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Carl, a roofer, describes going from \"not having enough to barely having enough\" on universal credit.\n\nFormer Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb was among six Conservative MPs to rebel, along with Peter Aldous, Robert Halfon, Jason McCartney, Anne Marie Morris and Matthew Offord.\n\nAhead of the vote, Mr Crabb told the BBC that although there were \"difficult pressures on the chancellor\" extending the increase for 12 months was \"the right thing to do\".\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said there were dozens of Conservative MPs who were \"deeply uneasy\" about ending the £20 weekly increase to universal credit.\n\nShe added that it was also understood the cabinet minister with responsibility for benefits, Therese Coffey, was arguing that the uplift should not be dropped in April.\n\nCharities and anti-poverty campaigners are pleading with the government to keep the support in place, describing it as a lifeline for more than 5.5 million families who receive the standard universal credit allowance.\n\nFood poverty campaigner and chef Jack Monroe told the BBC that the £20 increase \"has been a lifeline\" for millions of people who have needed to top up their income or rely on universal credit payments in order to get by.\n\nSir Keir said the increase was a vital safety net for those who had lost their jobs, seen their working hours slashed or who were not eligible for the government's wage subsidy furlough scheme.\n\n\"If we don't give a helping hand to families through this pandemic, then we are going to slow our economic recovery as we come out it.\n\n\"We urge Boris Johnson to change course and give families certainty today that their incomes will be protected.\"\n\nSix billion pounds of the benefits bill - the difference between poverty or not for 1.2 million families, according to a think tank.\n\nThe £1,040 a year increase to universal credit is a very emotive issue.\n\nThere's even a battle over what to call it.\n\nTo the government, its introduction was a one-off boost to cope with a crisis. For Labour, taking it away is a cut.\n\nMinisters would prefer we looked at the overall level of support they've provided for workers and businesses during the pandemic. The opposition say the £20 a week boost is a powerful symbol of the state's willingness to help.\n\nEven the act of debating it today is disputed. Labour say they've got the right occasionally to set the agenda in Parliament. Boris Johnson said his MPs risk abuse from campaigners and protestors if they engage.\n\nThe Joseph Rowntree Foundation has suggested about 16 million people will be directly affected if the £20 is rolled back.\n\nIt says 500,000 more people will be driven into poverty, including 200,000 children, while a further 500,000 of those already in poverty will find themselves in even worse hardship.\n\nHowever, free market think tank the Institute for Economic Affairs has argued that \"across-the-board benefit increases are a wasteful use of taxpayers' money\" at a time when the government is borrowing \"a hair-raising amount of money\".\n\nUniversal credit is a single payment replacing old benefits such as housing benefit and child tax credits.\n\nYou can claim universal credit if you are on a low income or are out of work.\n\nThe standard allowance varies from around £340 to just under £600 a month, depending on your age or whether you are single.\n\nYou may be eligible to receive more money on top of the standard allowance if, for example, you have children or a health condition.\n\nSpeaking on behalf of the Northern Research Group, Conservative MP John Stevenson said the £1,000 increase had been \"a real life-saver for people throughout this pandemic\".\n\n\"To end it now would be devastating for the 6 million individuals and families who are already struggling to stay afloat,\" he added.\n\nWhile the vote is not binding, and will not lead to a change in policy, it will increase pressure on the government to keep the increase or come up with an alternative.\n\nLabour said the Conservatives' decision to abstain created \"unnecessary uncertainty\" but minister Nadhim Zahawi described the vote as \"a political stunt\".\n\nThe government says it has strengthened the welfare system with an extra £7bn of funding during the pandemic while families struggling with food and household bills can get help through the £170m Winter Grant Scheme.\n\nMinisters also point to extra support for housing costs, through an increase in local housing allowance for those on housing benefits and hardship payments worth £670m next year for those unable to pay their council tax bills.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Staff are in \"the eye of the storm\" amid the coronavirus pandemic, the NHS says\n\nTen hospital trusts across England consistently reported having no spare adult critical care beds in the most recent figures.\n\nIt comes as hospital waiting times, coronavirus admissions and patients requiring intensive care are rising.\n\nEngland's 140 acute trusts had 5,503 adult critical care beds on 10 January, with 4,632 in use.\n\nNHS bosses have warned hospitals could \"hit the limit\" of their capacity this week.\n\n\"I think, this next week, we will be at the limit of what we probably have the physical space and the people to safely do,\" Danny Mortimer, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said.\n\n\"And, of course, this is the week when we expect also the highest rate of admissions, the highest demand for the care that we're providing.\"\n\nThe latest figures from NHS England show the number of trusts that were, on average, at full capacity in adult critical care across an entire week rose from four to 10 in the week to 10 January.\n\nThis was the highest number in the last 10 weeks for which data was available.\n\nThe increase comes despite trusts adding an additional 50% \"surge\" capacity across the summer and autumn to cope with winter pressures, according to NHS England.\n\nOverall, 30 acute hospital trusts in England had no spare adult critical care beds on 10 January alone. But daily admissions figures can vary from day-to-day as patients move in and out of intensive care.\n\nSpeaking on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said nine critical care patients had recently been transferred to other parts of the country because of no beds being available in their local area.\n\nSpeaking about all admissions, Sir Simon said hospitals in England had seen an increase of 15,000 inpatients since Christmas Day.\n\n\"That's the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients and staggeringly every 30 seconds across England another patient is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus,\" he added.\n\nHelen Buckingham, from Health think-tank The Nuffield Trust, said the NHS was facing a winter \"like no other\" and, on top of rising coronavirus hospital admissions, critical care beds were also required for non-Covid patients.\n\n\"The NHS has pulled out all the stops to create more beds this year, and hospitals are working together so that patients who need critical care can be moved to other hospitals as necessary - but without more fully trained critical care staff there isn't much further the service can go,\" she said.\n\nThe figures only tell part of the story. The creation of extra beds to cope with rising numbers of Covid patients has come at a price.\n\nCritical care beds have been set up in overspill areas including departments usually reserved for operations. What is more, there is no extra staff to look after these extra patients - so specialist intensive care nurses have been stretched across more patients than normal. Instead of providing one-to-one care for the most sick, some areas are seeing nurses looking after three or four patients.\n\nStaff from other areas have had to be redeployed into critical care departments too.\n\nThat of course comes at a cost to non-Covid services and is part of the reason we have seen planned surgery and even cancer care being cut back on.\n\nA leaked email recently revealed about 200 doctors would be redeployed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham amid fears its intensive care unit could be \"overwhelmed\".\n\nUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust said it had \"significantly\" more patients in hospital with Covid-19 than in April last year.\n\nThe trust had 147 critical care beds available across its hospitals as of 10 January, all of which were full as of the latest figures.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What does it mean if the NHS is overwhelmed?\n\nA spokesman said the trust would continue to extend its intensive care teams \"so they are able to treat the rising number of Covid-19 patients and those who require time-critical surgery, including cancer operations\".\n\nAiredale NHS Foundation Trust, despite having nine critical care beds overall, said it did not normally experience full occupancy at this time in the year and the ward had both Covid and non-Covid patients.\n\n\"We are experiencing normal winter pressures across the trust, combined with an increasing number of Covid-19 patients, particularly over the last week,\" a spokeswoman said.\n\n\"Every bed in ICU that is occupied by a Covid-19 patient is one less available for people who need that level of care for other reasons.\"\n\nSir Simon said the current number of patients in critical care was a \"clear indication of the huge pressure on the NHS\", including ambulance and mental health services as well as hospitals.\n\n\"The likelihood is, even with a stabilising of infections in some parts of the country, we're still seeing increases in infections among the over-60s in many parts of the country,\" he added.\n\n\"The forecasts are the pressure on hospitals will only get more intense over the next several weeks.\"\n\nNHS England said critical care services were under \"unprecedented pressure\".\n\nA spokeswoman added that hospitals had \"tried and tested plans in place\" to manage pressure from increased Covid-19 and non-Covid patients, including mutual aid practices where hospitals work together to manage admissions.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Evelyn Jones was one of the care home residents whose family raised concerns\n\nSix care home residents died after suffering dehydration and malnourishment because of alleged neglect, an inquest has been told.\n\nStanley James, 89, June Hamer, 71, Stanley Bradford, 76, Edith Evans, 85, Evelyn Jones, 87, and William Hickman, 71 all died between 2003 and 2005.\n\nThey were residents at Brithdir Nursing Home in New Tredegar, Caerphilly.\n\nThe inquest in Newport follows Operation Jasmine, an £11.6m inquiry into alleged neglect at six homes.\n\nOne of Wales' biggest inquiries, it was launched after the death of an 84-year-old patient at a nursing home in Newbridge, Caerphilly.\n\nOpening the inquest, Assistant Coroner for Gwent Geraint Williams said police started investigating in 2005 following the death of an 84-year-old \"mentally infirm\" woman at another care home in Newbridge.\n\nMr Williams said it led to officers uncovering a \"pattern of concerns linked to other deaths in other care homes\".\n\nJune Hamer went into Brithdir in 2003\n\nIn relation to the Brithdir inquiry, Mr Williams said: \"Operation Jasmine uncovered evidence suggesting poor care of residents, including allegations of poor pressure sore and peg [percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy] feed management, malnourishment, and general neglect of the residents' long-term needs, together with deficient standards of care and nursing practice.\"\n\nThe inquest heard resident Mr James, who had dementia and was not mobile, developed several pressure sores in the 18 months before he died in August 2003.\n\nMr Bradford, who had schizophrenia, was admitted to the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil on several occasions for complaints of \"dehydration, chest and urine infections\".\n\nBefore he died in August 2005 he was \"observed to be seriously malnourished\", by doctors.\n\nDementia patient Mrs Evans was admitted to the same hospital in September 2005, where nurses found the site around her feeding tube \"infected\", while broken skin was found on her buttocks and she appeared \"unkempt and dirty, and her mouth and lips were dry and her tongue was thick\".\n\nThe trial of the late Dr Prana Das for care home neglect collapsed after he suffered brain damage in an attack\n\nDr Prana Das, who owned and ran the nursing home along with several other facilities in Wales, faced a string of charges relating to failings in care.\n\nHe suffered a brain injury during a burglary at his home in 2012 and was declared medically unfit to stand trial.\n\nDr Das died in January 2020 aged 73, but his widow and co-owner of the home, Dr Nishebita Das, who is said not to have taken part in running it, is expected to give evidence at the inquest.\n\nMr Williams told the hearing that, even before the couple purchased the home in April 2002 under their company Puretruce Health Care Limited, \"serious concerns\" were raised by state agencies regarding the number of residents who had suffered pressure ulcers.\n\n\"Those issues continued, even after Dr Das assumed ownership of the home,\" he said.\n\nMr Williams said the inquest will consider the actions of nurses and carers at the home, \"many of whom came to this country from abroad to work and have since returned there, and are now not available to participate in the inquest\".\n\nThe inquest is set to last until March.\n\nA hearing into the death of a seventh resident, Matthew Higgins, 86, will be held following the conclusion of this inquest.", "A Republican lawmaker who had been in office for less than a week when she invoked German dictator Adolf Hitler in a Washington speech has apologised for saying that she agreed with the mass murderer.\n\nIllinois Congresswoman Mary Miller had said in a speech on Tuesday outside the Capitol, one day before her fellow Trump supporters ransacked the building, that Hitler had been \"right\".\n\nMiller told the crowd: \"You know, if we win a few elections we’re still going to be losing unless we win the hearts of our children.\n\n\"It’s the battle. Hitler was right on one thing - that whoever has the youth has the future.\"\n\nHitler, among his supporters in Germany in 1933 Image caption: Hitler, among his supporters in Germany in 1933\n\nThe comments drew large-scale condemnation, with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum saying in a statement that it \"unequivocally condemns any leader trying to advance a position by claiming Adolf Hitler was ‘right.’\"\n\nUnder Hitler, millions of Jews and other minority groups were murdered across Europe by Germany and its allies during World War Two.\n\nOn Friday, Miller insisted that she is not anti-semitic and accused other of \"trying to intentionally twist my words\".\n\n\"I sincerely apologise for any harm my words caused and regret using a reference to one of the most evil dictators in history to illustrate the dangers that outside influences can have on our youth,\" she said.\n\nCorrection 23rd June 2022: This post originally described Mary Miller as having praised Hitler and has been amended to make clear that she invoked Hitler in her speech.", "Who were the protesters that broke into buildings on Capitol Hill after attending a rally in support of Donald Trump?\n\nSome were carrying symbols and flags strongly associated with particular ideas and factions, but in practice many of the members and their causes overlap.\n\nImages show individuals associated with a range of extreme and far-right groups and supporters of fringe online conspiracy theories, many of whom have long been active online and at pro-Trump rallies.\n\nOne of the most startling images, quickly shared across social media, shows a man dressed with a painted face, fur hat and horns, holding an American flag.\n\nHe's been identified as Jake Angeli, a well-known supporter of the baseless conspiracy theory QAnon. He calls himself the QAnon Shaman.\n\nHis social media presence shows him attending multiple QAnon events and posting YouTube videos about deep state conspiracies.\n\nHe was pictured in November making a speech in Phoenix, Arizona, about unproven claims the election was fraudulent.\n\nHis personal Facebook page is filled with images and memes relating to all sorts of extreme ideas and conspiracy theories.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nAnother group spotted at the storming of the Capitol were members of the far-right group Proud Boys.\n\nThe organisation was founded in 2016 and is anti-immigrant and all male. In the first US presidential debate President Trump in response to a question about white supremacists and militias said: \"Proud Boys - stand back and stand by.\"\n\nThe individual on the right is Nick Ochs, who describes himself as a \"Proud Boy Elder\".\n\nOne of their members, Nick Ochs, tweeted a selfie inside the building saying \"Hello from the Capital lol\". He also filmed a live stream inside.\n\nWe haven't identified the individual standing on the left in the above image.\n\nMr Ochs' profile on the messaging app Telegram describes himself as a \"Proud Boy Elder from Hawaii.\"\n\nIndividuals with large followings online were also spotted at the protests.\n\nAmong them was the social media personality Tim Gionet, who goes under the pseudonym \"Baked Alaska\".\n\nTim Gionet, better known as \"Baked Alaska\", livestreamed himself from the Capitol on Wednesday\n\nHis livestream from inside the Capitol posted on a niche streaming service was watched by thousands of people and showed him talking to other protesters.\n\nA Trump supporter, Mr Gionet has made a name for himself as an internet troll.\n\nYouTube banned his channel in October after he posted videos of himself harassing shop workers and refusing to wear a face-mask during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nOther platforms that have previously shut down his accounts include Twitter and PayPal.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'Treason, traitors and thugs' - the words lawmakers used to describe Capitol riot\n\nA photo that went viral of a man who'd entered the office of senior Democrat politician Nancy Pelosi has been named as Richard Barnett from Arkansas.\n\nRichard Barnett left a message for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying \"we will not back down\"\n\nOutside Capitol Hill buildings, he told the New York Times that he took an envelope from the speaker's office and says left a note calling her an expletive.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Matthew Rosenberg This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nReacting to the New York Times interview, Republican congressman Steve Womack said on Twitter: \"I'm sickened to learn that the below actions were perpetrated by a constituent.\"\n\nLocal media reports say Mr Barnett is involved in a group that supports gun rights, and that he was interviewed at a 'Stop the Steal' rally following the presidential election - a movement that refused to accept Joe Biden's victory and supports the president's unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud.\n\nIn the interview at the rally organised by 'Engaged Patriots' he said: \"If you don't like it, send somebody out to get me 'cause I ain't going down easy.\"\n\nThe group associated with Mr Barnett held a fundraiser in October with proceeds going towards body cameras for the local police department, according to the Westside Eagle Observer local paper.\n\nAs the events were unfolding, many social media users, especially those associated with QAnon and supporters of President Trump, were claiming that agitators from the loose-knit left-wing group antifa were involved.\n\nThe implication was that these activists were disguised as Trump supporters to create disruption.\n\nA number of prominent Republican politicians, such as US Representative Matt Gaetz, claimed it was antifa masquerading as Trump supporters.\n\nOne widely-shared post claimed one protester had a \"communist hammer\" tattoo, as evidence that he wasn't a Trump supporter.\n\nOn closer inspection, the symbol is from the video game series Dishonored.\n\nThere have also been suggestions that Mr Angeli, the man wearing fur and horns, was a Black Lives Matter supporter, with users sharing an image of him at a BLM event in Arizona.\n\nMr Angeli was indeed at that event, but he was there as a counter-protester. In images taken there, he's seen holding a QAnon sign.\n\nAt least one of the rioters was holding a Confederate flag, which represented US states that supported the continuation of slavery during the American civil war. For this reason, it is considered by many to be a symbol of racism and there have been calls to ban it across the US. Others see it as an important part of southern US history.\n\nA protester carries the Confederate flag after breaching US Capitol security\n\nIn July it was announced that the flag could no longer be flown on American military properties because of a new policy to reject \"divisive symbols\".\n\nPresident Trump has defended the use of the Confederate flag in the past, saying: \"I know people that like the Confederate flag and they're not thinking about slavery...I just think it's freedom of speech.\"\n\nThere were also protesters holding aloft flags featuring a coiled rattlesnake on a yellow background, often accompanied by the phrase \"don't tread on me\". This is known as the Gadsden flag, harking back to the American revolution and the war to expel British colonialists.\n\nIt was adopted by libertarians in the 1970s, according to an article in the New Yorker, and more recently became a favourite symbol of conservative Tea Party activists.\n\nThe flag has been adopted by the right over the past couple of decades, says Prof Margaret Weir, a political science expert at Brown University.\n\nIt is also used by anti-government, white supremacist groups who embrace violence, she says.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA nurse felt \"overwhelming fear\" as 13 ambulances queued at her hospital's A&E department - in the Welsh region currently hardest hit by Covid deaths.\n\nTo date Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, which runs Royal Glamorgan Hospital, has reported 1,091 deaths of patients with coronavirus.\n\nBBC Wales was granted access to A&E at the hospital in Rhondda Cynon Taf.\n\nSenior doctor Amanda Farrow said the whole hospital had faced \"unrelenting\" pressure last Saturday.\n\nSarah Fogarasy was the senior nurse on duty as 13 ambulances queued up outside her A&E department\n\nSenior A&E nurse Sarah Fogarasy, who was on shift as the ambulances arrived, said there was no capacity at the unit - a situation that left her wanting \"to leave\".\n\n\"We had to escalate it to our site manager and deputy head of nursing who were liaising with the executive team on call,\" she said.\n\n\"And then it got to 13 patients outside - I had no capacity in this unit, no resuscitation capacity, no capacity to put a patient on CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] should they require that and no physical areas to put a patient in.\n\nOn Saturday, 13 ambulances queued outside the hospital's A&E department\n\nShe said she found it hard to keep going.\n\n\"This bit makes me quite emotional… for the first time I was sat trying to coordinate this department and I had that overwhelming fear that I just wanted to leave,\" Ms Fogarasy continued.\n\n\"I was just - 'I'm done. I'm done with this'... and it's scary, it fills you full of fear when you have got 13 ambulances outside, queuing around the carpark. Where do you go from that?\"\n\nShe said it was the team that kept her going: \"I started looking around to all the staff working tirelessly and just trying to remember what we're here for and why I became a nurse.\n\n\"I know it sounds soppy but it's literally the humanitarian effort that has gone into [fighting] this pandemic that has kept people going.\n\n\"It's the sheer determination and guts of the staff working in these times that is so powerful, that keeps the shift going.\"\n\nEmergency Medicine Consultant Amanda Farrow said it was a \"very emotional time for everyone\"\n\nDr Farrow, emergency medicine consultant, said staffing and bed numbers were of particular concern.\n\n\"In the emergency department the challenge we have is with regards to flow, so that is our daily challenge,\" she explained.\n\n\"And we say it's like playing a game of Tetris trying to work out which patient you can put where.\"\n\nStaff reported feeling overwhelmed as they work through the second Covid wave\n\nShe said the second wave of the virus had also seen more staff off sick with Covid and isolating - with some becoming very ill.\n\n\"We've had staff in as patients and one of my colleagues - I saw them when they were critically ill and ended up going to intensive care,\" continued Dr Farrow.\n\n\"So it's very emotional time for everyone as well you know, looking after the sick patients and looking after your colleagues.\n\n\"There's a level of anxiety still around - will you be the next person to get this disease?\"\n\nShe said although fewer people were attending A&E, they were seeing more people arriving by ambulance and presenting with more complex needs.\n\n\"The group of patients we are seeing this time I think is different, we're definitely having more younger people with Covid that are becoming sick, the volume is very high in the community.\n\n\"I think people are afraid of come into the hospital as well, so there are still quite a lot of patients who leave it maybe a bit too late before they're seeking hospital attention.\"\n\nSpeaking from her intensive care bed, Helen Whatmore said she was extremely grateful to staff\n\nHelen Whatmore, 45, from Beddau, has been hospital since early December after developing Covid symptoms.\n\nSpeaking from her intensive care bed, she said she had been unwell in February so assumed she had already caught the virus.\n\n\"I honestly didn't believe it was as bad until I caught [Covid] this time,\" she said.\n\n\"This time it's absolutely knocked the socks off me. It's nearly killed me.\n\n\"A friend of mine passed away as I came into hospital and I came down very rapidly with Covid, kidney problems and pneumonia.\"\n\nShe said she was grateful for the care she had received: \"The nurses are coming in [working] all shifts, they're fighting for your loved ones, from the time they enter right until the time they leave, then they're changing over and doing the same again.\n\n\"People are passing away… how much more have they got to do? We're asking them to protect our children and our families. Why are we not protecting them ourselves? Saving our families and our own children.\"", "The Welsh Government is in discussions about bringing in \"more visible\" coronavirus regulations.\n\nStricter enforcement of coronavirus rules could return to supermarkets in Wales, Mark Drakeford has said.\n\nThe first minister said he had heard concerns from people \"expressing anxiety\" about a lack of \"visible protections\" in supermarkets.\n\nThe Welsh Government is now in talks with stores about social-distancing measures.\n\nMr Drakeford said he wanted to see stores policed as they were during the first lockdown.\n\nAmong the measures previously used was a strict limit of the numbers of people allowed in a store however Mr Drakeford said people were worried the rules \"don't appear to be there this time\".\n\n\"Given the fact the new variant is so much easier to catch... we are looking at supermarkets and other places where people leave their homes, to make sure they are organised in a way that keeps their staff and customers safe,\" he said.\n\nHe said previously sanitising arrangements had been \"very visible\", one-way markings were prominently displayed, regular reminders were announced to customers and staff were also posted at the front entrance of supermarkets\n\n\"That person was carefully controlling the numbers of people going in, to make sure that they were no more than a certain number of people in the store at any one time,\" he said.\n\n\"There was somebody directing people to the checkout, to make sure people weren't queuing next to each other over prolonged periods, and markings on the floor so people kept at a two-metre distance\".\n\nHowever the first minister said some of those measures are no longer as apparent to people.\n\n\"I want to make sure that those visible signs of the protections that are being offered to the public and the shop workers are in place again.\"\n\nFederation of Small Businesses Wales said has called for clarity on what support would be available and the possible new measures required of shops.\n\nPolicy Chair, Ben Francis, said: \"We've already asked to see more information on the technical data that informs the decisions that Welsh Government are making.\n\n\"It seems clear that businesses will require funding support for longer than was originally anticipated if they are to survive this troubling period.\n\n\"Welsh Government should urgently give clarity on what additional funding will be made available to support businesses beyond this next three week period to allow them to plan.\"", "While GCSEs and A-levels are being cancelled, the IGCSE exams will go ahead this summer\n\nThe IGCSE exams, usually only taken in private schools, are still going ahead this summer - even though GCSEs and A-levels have been cancelled.\n\nExam boards that run IGCSEs plan to offer them, while many other exams have been stopped by the pandemic.\n\nIGCSE qualifications, alternative exams to GCSEs, are not usually available in state schools.\n\nPupils in England whose A-levels and GCSEs are cancelled will depend on replacement grades from teachers.\n\nBut Education Secretary Gavin Williamson's scrapping of exams this summer does not apply to students taking IGCSEs.\n\nA Department for Education report in 2019 found 94% of IGCSEs were taken in private schools, accounting for 164,000 exam entries.\n\nThe decision not to cancel them was welcomed by the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), representing some of the most prestigious independent schools.\n\nThe HMC's general secretary, Simon Hyde, said their schools \"would be the first to cheer if pupils educated by the state had the same opportunity\".\n\n\"The decision to cancel GCSEs was premature. Exams are the fairest way of assessing what learners know and understand and we would like to see as many pupils as possible take a form of exam in the summer,\" said Dr Hyde.\n\nIndependent schools often offer a mix of IGCSEs and GCSEs for different subjects, although IGCSEs do not count towards school league tables.\n\nThe qualifications - International GCSEs - are offered by Cambridge Assessment and Pearson and are taken in other countries as well as the UK. Both boards say they are planning to go ahead with exam papers for UK schools this summer.\n\nIGCSEs were not included in the cancellation of exams announced by England's Department for Education and it will be up to individual schools to decide whether to continue with them.\n\nJulie McCullloch of the ASCL head teachers' union said: \"It creates another inconsistency, but none of this is easy.\"\n\nShe said it created an \"odd situation\" when GCSEs were cancelled but IGCSEs were going ahead, but she recognised that an international qualification could need a common approach across different countries.\n\nWith the latest lockdown and most pupils studying at home, GCSEs and A-levels have been cancelled in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nIn England, the exams watchdog Ofqual will launch a consultation next week on a replacement way of deciding grades - but Ofqual does not regulate IGCSEs and they will not be part of the watchdog's proposals.", "Harley Watson's mother Jo described him as a \"kind, caring, selfless, intelligent and comical young man\"\n\nA man who killed a 12-year-old boy by driving into schoolchildren in a \"deliberate\" hit and run has been detained in a secure hospital.\n\nHarley Watson died after he was hit by a car outside Debden Park High School in Loughton, Essex, on 2 December 2019.\n\nTerence Glover, 52, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility at an earlier hearing.\n\nHe also admitted 10 counts of attempted murder and has been detained under the Mental Health Act indefinitely.\n\nAt the sentencing hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Harley's mother Jo described her son as a \"kind, caring, selfless, intelligent and comical young man\".\n\nHe was hit by Glover's Ford Ka as he left school with friends and died later in Whipps Cross University Hospital.\n\nTerence Glover has been sentenced indefinitely under the Mental Health Act\n\nChristine Agnew, prosecuting, said eye-witnesses saw Glover's car \"ploughing through and hitting children from behind\".\n\nShe said he \"deliberately mounted the pavement... and drove directly at a group of people, mostly children, intending to kill them\".\n\nGlover, previously of Newmans Lane, Loughton, also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of 23-year-old Raquel Jimeno and six boys and three girls aged between 12 and 16 who were outside the school.\n\nThe court heard he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and medical experts agreed his \"significant\" mental illness \"provided an explanation for his conduct\".\n\nHe was given a hospital order under the Mental Health Act 1983, meaning if his illness was treated successfully, he would be transferred to prison.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Harley Watson's classmates paid tribute to him in 2019\n\nJudge Andrew Edis said if transferred, Glover must serve a life sentence with a minimum of 15 years.\n\nIn his sentencing statement, Judge Edis noted his history of mental illness and cocaine use, but said Glover's actions were \"appalling\".\n\n\"He caused the death of a much-loved and admired 12-year-old boy who had done no harm to anyone,\" he said.\n\nHe added that Glover's behaviour \"requires punishment as well as treatment\" and there was \"no doubt that this defendant is dangerous\".\n\nHe also ordered that Glover be banned from driving for life and that the car should be destroyed.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "National Express has announced that it is suspending its entire national network of coach services from midnight on Sunday.\n\nThe firm said tighter Covid restrictions and falling passenger numbers had prompted the decision.\n\nIt added that it hoped to restart services in March.\n\nAll customers whose travel has been cancelled will be contacted and offered a free amendment or full refund, the company said.\n\nAll journeys before Monday 11 January will be completed to ensure any passengers making essential journeys are not stranded.\n\nChris Hardy, managing director of National Express UK Coach, said: \"We have been providing an important service for essential travel needs. However, with tighter restrictions and passenger numbers falling, it is no longer appropriate to do this.\n\nHe added that as the vaccination programme was rolled out and government guidance changed, the company would regularly review when services could restart.\n\n\"We plan to be back on the road as soon as the time is right and have put a provisional restart date of Monday 1 March in place,\" he said.\n\nNational Express first suspended coach services during the coronavirus crisis in April, then restarted in July.\n\nServices have been operating at half capacity, with strict cleaning and Covid protocols. As the tier structure came into operation, demand for services reduced.\n\nAs with the previous suspension, employees will be furloughed.\n\nFirms that transport passengers, including coach, rail and aviation businesses, have been under intense pressure during the coronavirus crisis.\n\nAvanti West Coast, the train operating company running services on the West Coast mainline, has confirmed it will cut its timetable from 18 January.\n\nAvanti says the new timetable will 'more closely reflect the current demand for our services whilst still allowing key workers, and those needing to make essential journeys, to travel with confidence'.\n\nDuring the first major lockdown in March, services on key intercity routes were reduced from three an hour to one. This included services from both Manchester and Birmingham to London.\n\nThe Department for Transport has been consulting with all train operators about service reductions during the latest lockdown.\n\nThe exact scale of reduction is still being worked on, but the DfT says service levels may fall to as low as 40% of the normal timetable by some operators.\n\nThe focus is to ensure essential workers can still make essential journeys.\n\n\"Following discussions with the Department for Transport we will be introducing a new timetable on Monday 18 January. This will more closely reflect the current demand for our services whilst still allowing key workers, and those needing to make essential journeys, to travel with confidence.\"\n\nOn Thursday, Ryanair also announced that it would make big cuts to its flight schedule from 21 January, with few, if any flights to or from the UK or Ireland until \"draconian travel restrictions are removed\".\n\nTrain services are expected to be reduced in lockdown, with some in the industry anticipating reductions of between 50% and 60% compared with normal service.\n\nIn the first national lockdown in England, services were reduced to almost half.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Police have issued CCTV footage of a man they want to speak to in connection with the incident\n\nA fraudster claiming to work for the NHS injected a 92-year-old woman with a fake Covid-19 vaccine, City of London Police has said.\n\nDetectives are hunting the man who charged the victim in Surbiton, south-west London, £160.\n\nPolice said it was \"crucial\" he was caught as soon as possible as he \"may endanger people's lives\".\n\nDet Insp Kevin Ives described it as a \"disgusting and totally unacceptable assault\".\n\nIt comes after the NHS warned people that no-one should be turning up at doorsteps offering a vaccine for payment, following a spate of fake text messages.\n\nUnder the current coronavirus vaccine rollout plans, people will be invited to receive the vaccine by their GP or healthcare provider.\n\nPolice said the victim allowed the man into her home on the afternoon of 30 December after he said he was from the NHS and there to administer the Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nShe said she was jabbed in the arm with a \"dart-like implement\" before being charged £160, which the man said would be refunded by the NHS.\n\nPolice said it was not known what substance, if any, was administered, but the woman had been checked at her local hospital and showed no ill effects.\n\nDet Insp Ives appealed for information to help identify the suspect.\n\nHe added: \"It is crucial we catch him as soon as possible as not only is he defrauding individuals of money, he may endanger people's lives.\"\n\nThe man made a second visit to the woman's home on 4 January, when he asked for another £100, police said.\n\nThe man was spotted in the Tolworth area of Kingston-upon-Thames on 4 January\n\nOfficers released CCTV footage on Friday of a man dressed in a navy blue tracksuit with white stripes down the side, who they want to speak to in connection with the incident.\n\nHe is described as a white man in his early 30s, who is about 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, of medium build, with light brown hair that is combed back. He speaks with a London accent.\n\nA spokesman for the Department of Health said: \"NHS England will never ask for bank details, Pin numbers or passwords, when contacting you about a vaccination.\n\n\"Any communication which claims to be from the NHS but asks for payment, or bank details, is fraudulent and can be ignored. It can be reported to police via Action Fraud.\n\n\"You will never be charged for the vaccine.\"\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said it is \"excellent news\" that a third coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in the UK.\n\nIt is made by US company Moderna and works in a similar way to the Pfizer one already being offered on the NHS.\n\nThe UK has pre-ordered 17 million doses of the Moderna vaccine - 10 million more than planned - but supplies are not expected to arrive until spring.\n\nIt is the last Covid vaccine with final trial data published.\n\nThere are hundreds still in development, with some expected to report findings in the near future.\n\nAround 1.5 million people in the UK have had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine so far, with either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines already approved by UK regulators.\n\nThat figure includes almost a quarter of those aged over 80 in England - people at highest risk of severe illness or death from the virus.\n\nVaccines are being given to the most vulnerable first, as set out in a list of nine high-priority groups, covering around 30 million people in the UK.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi welcomed the approval of the Moderna jab\n\nThe prime minister has said the aim is to vaccinate 15 million people in the UK by mid-February, including care homes residents and staff, frontline NHS staff, everyone over 70 and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.\n\nHealth and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: \"This is further great news and another weapon in our arsenal to tame this awful disease.\"\n\nThe UK had originally ordered 7 million doses of the Moderna jab, but has increased this to get even more people immunised as quickly as possible.\n\nIn total, the UK has now ordered 367 million doses of vaccines to protect against Covid-19.\n\nNadhim Zahawi, vaccine deployment minister, said: \"The NHS is pulling out all the stops to vaccinate those most at risk as quickly as possible, with over 1,000 vaccination sites live across the UK by the end of the week to provide easy access to everyone, regardless of where they live.\n\n\"The Moderna vaccine will be a vital boost to these efforts and will help us return to normal faster.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid vaccine safety: How does a vaccine get approved?\n\nThe Moderna vaccine, an RNA vaccine like Pfizer's, injects part of the virus's genetic code in order to provoke an immune response.\n\nIt requires temperatures of around -20C for shipping - similar to a normal freezer.\n\nIn comparison, the Pfizer/BioNTech one requires temperatures closer to -75C, making transport logistics much more difficult.\n\nThe AstraZeneca jab is easier to store and distribute, as it can be kept at normal fridge temperature.\n\nAll of these vaccines require a second booster shot, but a first dose is likely to be given to as many people as possible.\n\nIn trials with more than 30,000, the Moderna vaccine offered nearly 95% protection from severe Covid.\n\nNo vaccine is 100% effective and it takes time for protection to build. For all of the Covid vaccines, we still do not know how long immunity will last.\n\nPeople who have received a coronavirus vaccine should continue to follow social distancing rules to protect themselves and others.\n\nEU and US regulators have already approved the Moderna vaccine.", "The band recently became a trio (left-right): Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards\n\nLittle Mix have risen to top the top of UK singles chart after Christmas songs released their grip on the top 40.\n\nSweet Melody has become the band's fifth number one, three months after it was released - and will be their last with Jesy Nelson, who quit last year.\n\nThe 29-year-old said in December that nine years in the girl group had taken \"a toll on her mental health\".\n\nLittle Mix's victory is part of a huge chart upheaval, after 56 Christmas songs dropped out of the top 100.\n\nAmong them was last week's number one, Wham's Last Christmas, which set a new record for the biggest-ever fall from the top. The festive ballad has now left the chart altogether.\n\nThe previous record-holder - Three Lions, by The Lightning Seeds with Frank Skinner and David Baddiel - fell from number one to 96 after England crashed out of the World Cup in 2018.\n\nSweet Melody has risen from number nine to number one this week, giving Little Mix their first chart-topper since Shout Out To My Ex in 2016.\n\nJade Thirlwall told BBC Radio 1 the milestone was particularly important because it was \"the last single we did as a four with Jesy\".\n\n\"And it's even more special that now, going into 2021 as a three, we've got the first number one,\" she added.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Official Charts This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. End of youtube video by Official Charts\n\nAcknowledging a fan campaign to boost the song's chart position, bandmate Perrie Edwards said: \"I just want to squish every single fan who managed to get it to number one.\n\n\"The power they have, I'm sorry. The song's been out for months!\"\n\nWith fans abandoning their festive playlists, the stage was also set for singles that had previously been forced out of the top 40 to stage a dramatic return.\n\nDua Lipa's Levitating jumped 63 places to number five, reclaiming a position it last held on 3 December; and Tate McRae's You Broke Me First rocketed from number 74 to nine. In total, there were 39 new entries or re-entries in the top 75.\n\nIn the album chart, Taylor Swift's Evermore returned to number one, four weeks after its surprise pre-Christmas release, while companion album Folklore climbed to number 12.\n\nMeanwhile, Harry Styles' Fine Line reached a new chart peak at number two following the release of a video for his latest single Treat People With Kindness, which sees him dance with Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge.\n\nLewis Capaldi's Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent - the UK's biggest-selling album of both 2019 and 2020 - also climbed to number six, notching up its 86th week in the top 10.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Graham Norton has been the BBC's Mr Eurovision since 2009\n\nGraham Norton, who commentates for the UK's BBC Eurovision coverage, has said the song contest will go ahead this year despite the coronavirus pandemic.\n\n\"There's definitely going to be a Eurovision... The competition element is going to happen,\" he said.\n\nContest organisers told the BBC: \"We can confirm the Eurovision Song Contest will definitely take place this year.\"\n\nBut pre-recorded performances may be used if acts cannot travel to Rotterdam or have to isolate when they get there.\n\nLast year's contest was cancelled due to the pandemic. It was replaced in the UK with a programme looking back at the event's history, including a vote to find the greatest Eurovision song of all time.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nNorton told US radio station Sirius XM that if some artists are unable to travel to the Netherlands in 2021, \"they can Zoom in a performance\". He added: \"I doubt we'll be in a stadium full of 20,000 people.\"\n\nOrganisers stressed that while \"the general gist of Graham's comments is correct\", pre-recorded performances will be used if an act can't travel, rather than asking them to perform live from their home country.\n\nThe filmed routines will be shown \"if a participant cannot travel to Rotterdam due to the current pandemic, or in the unfortunate instance of an artist having to quarantine on site\", a spokesman said.\n\nBroadcasters will have to follow a \"strict set of guidelines\" to help them record their \"live on tape\" performances \"to keep the competition fair should it not go ahead in the traditional way\", he added.\n\nThe new rules state: \"The recording will take place in real time (as it would be at the contest) without making any edits to the vocals or any part of the performance itself after the recording.\"\n\nThis year's contest will take place on 22 May.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk", "The number of people in Scotland who have died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus now stands at 4,872\n\nScotland's hospitals have more Covid patients than ever before - with the number of deaths also \"distressingly high\", the first minister has said.\n\nThe latest figures showed that the deaths of 93 people who had tested positive for the virus have been recorded in the past 24 hours.\n\nBut the figure includes some people who died over Christmas and New Year.\n\nThere were also 1,530 people in hospital with the virus, higher than the peak of 1,520 last April.\n\nOf these, 102 patients were in intensive care - with Ms Sturgeon saying the statistics showed the \"severity of the pressure\" that hospitals are facing.\n\nThe 93 deaths recorded on Friday is the highest daily figure since the outbreak began - with the previous high being 84 on 15 April.\n\nBut Ms Sturgeon said the figure will \"undoubtedly include some people who died over the Christmas and New Year period and the delay in registration because of the bank holidays means that their deaths are only being reported today.\"\n\nShe added: \"To be clear, that is not more than 90 people who died yesterday. It will be people who have died over a period of time.\n\n\"That does not change the fact they are all individuals who have died and have died of Covid.\"\n\nA further 2,309 people have tested positive for Covid-19, which was 8.1% of the tests carried out on Thursday and takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 146,024.\n\nThe figures mean that the total number of people in Scotland who have died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus now stands at 4,872.\n\nThe Scottish government has said it is concerned that too many people have not been following the \"stay at home\" rules that are in place across the whole of the mainland and some islands.\n\nIt believes that more people are using the country's road and public transport networks than during the lockdown last spring.\n\nAnd it has warned that tougher restrictions could be needed to increase compliance with the travel restrictions.\n\nMs Sturgeon told her daily briefing that the areas being looked at included non-essential click and collect shopping, further restrictions on takeaway food, non-essential construction and whether more people should be working from home.\n\nThe first minister also confirmed that universities and colleges will not resume in-person teaching until at least the end of February.\n\nThis means that students should stay at home rather than travelling back to their campus or accommodation.\n\nThere will be exceptions for cases where remote study is not possible - for example for a student nurse or a doctor on a practical placement.\n\nAnd Ms Sturgeon said any students who have remained on campus will be \"fully supported\" by their institution.\n\nAll of mainland Scotland was placed into level four restrictions from 26 December before additional measures, including closing schools to most pupils until at least the end of the month, was introduced on Tuesday.\n\nScotland's interim chief medical officer, Dr Dave Caesar, insisted on Friday morning that coronavirus case numbers in January \"could have been worse\".\n\nHe said the restrictions that were introduced on Boxing Day had helped to \"blunt the spike\" but warned that the country was \"not out of the woods yet\".\n\nDr Caesar told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: \"Our case numbers are high, but they're not as high as they could have been if we hadn't taken the measures that we undertook from Boxing Day.\n\n\"Our health system is under serious pressure but is coping.\n\n\"I hate to say it, but it could have been worse by this time in January. We're not out of the woods yet by any stretch of the imagination, but I suppose we're holding our own in very significantly challenging circumstances.\"\n\nNew Covid testing measures for international travellers are to be introduced\n\nNew plans to make international passengers test negative for Covid-19 before travelling to Scotland and England have also been unveiled, with Ms Sturgeon saying she hoped the scheme could start by the end of next week.\n\nIt will mean people arriving by plane, train or boat - including UK nationals - will have to take a test up to 72 hours before leaving the country they are travelling from.\n\nProf Linda Bauld of Edinburgh University said the move was long overdue as the UK had \"really struggled from the beginning\" with limiting the impact of international travel on the pandemic.\n\nBut she said the country should also consider introducing supervised quarantine for people arriving from overseas.", "When Trump supporters stormed the Capitol they took out their cameras to record the chaos inside. The BBC looked through hours of phone footage to paint a picture of what happened.", "Film director Michael Apted, best known for the Up series of TV documentaries following the lives of 14 people every seven years, has died aged 79.\n\nHe also directed Coal Miner's Daughter, Gorillas In The Mist and the 1999 Bond movie The World Is Not Enough.\n\nThe original 7 Up in 1964 set out to document the life prospects of a range of children from all walks of life.\n\nThe show was inspired by the Aristotle quote \"give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man\".\n\nThe first 7 Up show was followed by 14 Up at the start of the next decade, which interviewed the same children as teenagers - and the pattern was set right up until 63 Up in 2019.\n\nThroughout all those intervening years ITV viewers became engrossed with the stories of private school trio Andrew, Charles and John, of Jackie who went through two divorces, of Neil who went from jobless and homeless to Liberal Democrat councillor, and of working class chatterbox Tony, whose life ambition was to become a jockey.\n\nApted's shows - which won three Bafta awards - have often been described as the forerunner of modern-day reality TV series, giving its participants the time to tell their own stories on screen.\n\nBut unlike their modern counterparts, the original Up children tended to fade away from the limelight in the seven years between each chapter.\n\nIn 2008, Apted was made a companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to the British film and television industries.\n\nThomas Schlamme, president of the Directors Guild of America, said Apted was a \"fearless visionary\" whose legacy would live on.\n\nHe said Apted, who was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, \"saw the trajectory of things when others didn't and we were all beneficiaries of his wisdom and lifelong dedication\".\n\nITV's managing director Kevin Lygo said the director's six-decade career was \"in itself truly remarkable\".\n\nHe said the Up series \"demonstrated the possibilities of television at its finest in its ambition and its capacity to hold up a mirror to society and engage with and entertain people while enriching our perspective on the human condition\".\n\nApted directed the 19th James Bond film The World Is Not Enough\n\n\"The influence of Michael's contribution to film and programme-making continues to be felt and he will be sadly missed,\" Lygo added.\n\nMichael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the James Bond film franchise, said Apted \"was a director of enormous talent\" and \"beloved by all those who worked with him\".\n\n\"We loved working with him on The World Is Not Enough and send our love and support to his family, friends and colleagues,\" they said.\n\nA post on the Twitter account of the band Garbage, who performed the theme for The World Is Not Enough, labelled Apted a \"delightful, charming soul\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Garbage This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nComposer David G Arnold, who composed the Bond theme and worked with Apted on three other non-Bond movies, said he felt \"lucky\" to work with him.\n\n\"A more trusting, funny, friendly and, most importantly, kind, person you'd never meet. So pleased to have known him and so sad that he's gone,\" Arnold wrote on Twitter.", "Former Det Insp Tim Ireson led the unit for two years and would have been sacked if he was still serving\n\nThree members of a \"toxic\" police unit have been sacked for gross misconduct after their \"offensive\" conversations were secretly bugged.\n\nThe devices picked up \"homophobic, racist and sexist\" conversations in the offices of Hampshire's Serious and Organised Crime Unit in Basingstoke in 2018, a misconduct panel heard.\n\nA number of force staff referred to it as a \"lads' pad\".\n\nTwo other officers would have been sacked but had already left the force.\n\nThe misconduct hearing was told in the 24 days the office was bugged - following concerns raised by a whistleblower - there was \"enough profanity, casual sexism and racism to last a lifetime\".\n\nDet Sgt Oliver Lage, Det Sgt Gregory Willcox and PC James Oldfield have been dismissed while retired Det Insp Tim Ireson and former PC Craig Bannerman were the two who had previously left the force.\n\nTrainee Det Con Andrew Ferguson, who sent colleagues a fake pornographic image of members of the royal family, has been given a final written warning.\n\nThe six men were based at the Serious and Organised Crime Unit in Basingstoke\n\nImposing the sanctions, panel chairman John Bassett said the conduct had been \"shameful\".\n\nHe said police officers could not \"pick and choose the standards they will abide by\" in order to create more \"cohesive\" teams.\n\nMr Bassett said PC Ferguson was \"essentially a good officer\" who joined the team three months before the recordings, by which time the \"culture was well-established\".\n\nHe said the officer was \"conflicted by what he witnessed\" and \"felt unable to raise the matter with a supervisor\".\n\nChief Constable Olivia Pinkney said the force's internal investigation had revealed a \"catalogue of sexist, racist, homophobic and ableist language and commentary that has rightly shocked us all\".\n\nShe added: \"These officers have failed to deliver on the promise they made to uphold fundamental human rights and accord equal respect to all people.\n\n\"[They] have undermined the trust and confidence of our communities and damaged the reputations of their colleagues.\"\n\nThe six officers have apologised but some told the disciplinary panel swearing was in the \"fabric\" of the police force.\n\nOne also said they felt they were being \"made an example of\" by the force which should have learned from other previous incidents.\n\nIn all, 20 police officers and staff from the unit have faced some sort of disciplinary action.\n\nDuring the misconduct hearing at Hampshire Constabulary's headquarters in Eastleigh, it was heard a \"toxic, abhorrent culture\" developed with officers using offensive terms for women, black people, immigrants, disabled, gay and transgender people and foreign nationals.\n\nJason Beer QC, prosecuting, said the only black member of the team was referred to using racist tropes and references to slavery.\n\nWomen were described using derogatory terms and stared at in the canteen, he added.\n\nThe men admitted some of the charges of breaching standards of professional behaviour against them but claimed it only amounted to misconduct not gross misconduct.\n\nZoe Wakefield, chair of Hampshire Police Federation, said: \"The outdated and offensive views we heard during the hearing have no place in society and they certainly have no place in policing.\n\n\"We should not let the awful language and terminology used by a very small number of police officers tarnish the hard work and dedication of thousands of police officers and staff in Hampshire...\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Marks & Spencer has temporarily stopped selling hundreds of items in its Northern Ireland stores due to Brexit red tape.\n\nThe retailer said it feared its food would be blocked due to new rules governing shipments between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.\n\nA growing number of firms have spoken out about paperwork delays at ports.\n\nThe government said traders and hauliers need to take steps to comply with new border rules.\n\nM&S took the decision to temporarily drop hundreds of products, including chocolate fudge pudding and sweet and sour chicken, from its Northern Ireland stores after it saw competitors' lorries barred from travelling between the mainland and Northern Ireland.\n\nAn entire consignment in a lorry can be held up if only one item in the truck doesn't have the correct customs forms filled out.\n\nThe retailer said it aimed to get the products back up for sale soon.\n\nAn M&S spokesperson said: \"We have served customers in Northern Ireland for over 50 years and our priority is to make sure we continue to deliver the same choice and great quality range that our loyal customers have always enjoyed.\n\n\"Stores have been receiving regular deliveries this week, however following the UK's recent departure from the EU, we are transitioning to new processes and we're working closely with our partners and suppliers to ensure customers can continue to enjoy a great range of products.\"\n\nIn addition to problems shipping goods internally in the UK, the new Brexit trade rules are creating problems for exporters and traders transporting goods to and from the EU, say firms.\n\nThe UK sealed a trade deal with the European Union (EU) on 24 December that was billed as preserving its zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the bloc's single market.\n\nBut in addition to red tape causing delays, major retailers that use the UK as a distribution hub for European business could face possible tariffs if they re-export goods to the EU.\n\nOn Friday, M&S chief executive Steve Rowe warned of more red tape and a rise in export costs to some countries.\n\n\"The best example I can give you of that is Percy Pig,\" he said,\n\n\"Percy Pig is actually manufactured in Germany. If it comes to the UK and we then send it to Ireland, in theory it would have some tax on it,\" he added.\n\nM&S said it was \"actively working to mitigate\" the effects of the \"rules of origin\" regulations, under which products are taxed differently depending on which country they come from.\n\nOther firms have also been hit by the confusion caused by new Brexit trading rules.\n\nParcels giant DPD has suspended some services, while seafood exporter John Ross said the chaos was like being \"thrown in the cold Atlantic without a lifejacket\".\n\nShane Brennan, chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, which represents chilled transport and storage companies, said the emerging problems had come despite the amount of cross-border traffic still being quite low.\n\n\"Trade flows are still only about 50% of what we would expect, but even at those levels we are seeing levels of confusion and delays,\" he told the BBC's Today programme. \"The feeling is we are building to quite a significant potential disruption.\"\n\nA government spokesman acknowledged that there had been \"some issues\", but said ministers had always been clear there would be some disruption at the end of the transition period.\n\nThe Cabinet Office said in a statement that the volume of border crossings had been low so far this year, but that it expected crossings to steadily increase to normal levels.\n\nThis brings the potential for \"significant disruption if traders and hauliers have not taken the necessary steps to comply with the new rules,\" the Cabinet Office said.\n\nOut of about 1,500 lorries per day trying to get from Great Britain to the EU in the new year, 700 have been turned away - mainly due to a lack of a negative Covid test for drivers, it said.\n\n\"We have always been clear there would be changes now that we are out of the customs union and single market, so full compliance with the new rules is vital to avoid disruption,\" said Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove.\n\nHowever, anger is growing among companies whose livelihoods depend on export trade.\n\nIn a letter on Friday to Business Secretary Alok Sharma, Scottish salmon producer John Ross Jr launched a stinging attack on the government's handling of the situation.\n\nThe firm's sales director, Victoria Leigh-Pearson, wrote that the company had in recent months \"had to endure the government issuing a barrage of useless information\" and an \"absence of factually correct information from all government agencies.\" It amounted, she said, to \"gross incompetence\".\n\nJohn Ross exports to 36 countries and has won the Queen's Award twice\n\nPart of the letter to Alok Sharma:\n\nAs I write, perishable goods that were dispatched from our facility five days ago, headed for France following a process that your department advised, have still not crossed the border. This usually takes only 24 hours because they are consolidated with the produce of other companies, which have not been able to follow the correct procedures due to a knowledge gap directly attributable to your department.\n\nEntire trucks are currently being rejected without explanation by the French customs authority. Our hauliers have now pulled their services as such a backlog has been created. Other hauliers are not taking on new customers. Today, we've even had confirmation that the IT systems of the UK and France are incompatible. After four years you only establish this now?\n\nYour so-called 'deal' is worthless if this situation is not fixed immediately, and unless you put in place measures to address the issues that continue to unfold on a daily basis. Moreover, as a seafood exporter, it feels as though our own government has thrown us into the cold Atlantic waters without a lifejacket.\n\nJohn Ross is not the only Scottish seafood exporter suffering. The industry says it has been hit by a \"perfect storm\" of Brexit disruption, which could sink a centuries-old industry.\n\n\"These businesses are not transporting toilet rolls or widgets. They are exporting the highest quality, perishable seafood which has a finite window to get to markets in peak condition,\" said Donna Fordyce, chief executive of Seafood Scotland.\n\n\"If the window closes, these consignments go to landfill.\"\n\nShe said the sector has already been weakened by Covid-19, the closure of the French border before Christmas as well as \"layer upon layer\" of problems associated with Brexit.\n\nThe group fears that without exports, the fishing fleet will have little reason to go out.\n\n\"In a very short time, we could see the destruction of a centuries-old market which contributes significantly to the Scottish economy,\" added Ms Fordyce.\n\nUK government Minister for Scotland David Duguid blamed Scottish leaders for the issues.\n\n\"The Scottish Government has persistently refused to accept the democratic vote to leave the EU, but that does not allow them to abdicate their responsibilities to Scottish businesses,\" he said.\n\n\"Over the past 18 months they have assured the fishing industry that the systems they were putting in place would be adequate. They clearly are not.\"\n\nParcel delivery service DPD UK said it had paused its European Road Service because of the '\"increased burden\" of customs paperwork for packages heading to the EU, including the Republic of Ireland.\n\nDPD said 20% of parcels had \"incorrect or incomplete data attached\", which meant they would have to be returned.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What Brexit means for Britons travelling, shopping, studying or owning properties in the EU.\n\nIn an email to its business customers, the company said that it had been a \"challenging few days\" for its international operation, and that it would \"pause and review\" its service. It plans to restart on 13 January.\n\n\"It has now become evident that we have an increased burden with the new, more complex processes, and additional customs data we require from you for your parcels destined to Europe\" the firm wrote.\n\nThe boss of one of Wales' largest hauliers said logistical problems have emerged at the Irish border too.\n\nAndrew Kinsella, managing director of Gwynedd Shipping, said his company has a backlog of 60 lorries waiting to be shipped to Dublin.\n\nHe said many hauliers are finding that their customers are not able to generate the special declarations that are needed to ultimately enable a lorry to get onto a ferry.\n\n\"Whilst you don't see queues at ports and terminals the reality is that these queues are developing elsewhere in our depot in Holyhead, in our depot in Deeside and in our depot in Newport in South Wales, and lots of hauliers have depots in the proximity of ports,\" he said.\n\n\"There are a lot of issues about demarcation about who is going to arrange the export declaration with the UK revenue authorities, who's going to arrange the import declaration, the hauliers then trying to arrange the import safety and security declaration to create an ENS number which helps you generate a PBN number so there has been a lot of everyone finding their feet\".\n\nCorrection 9th April 2021: An earlier version of this article included a photo showing queues of lorries at Dover Port. This photo was replaced in the hours after publication after it was established that it had been taken months earlier.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "Growing numbers of students in England have pledged to withhold rent on university accommodation they cannot use during the Covid lockdown.\n\nOrganisers say this is building up to be a major protest, estimating that about 15,000 students at dozens of universities have signed up so far.\n\nThey want a rebate on rent when many students are being kept off campus at the start of term.\n\nBut universities say they only provide 20% of student accommodation.\n\nUniversities UK says this means \"many decisions on refunds will be made by private landlords and other providers\".\n\nIn November, University of Manchester offered a 30% rent rebate for the first half of the academic year, worth about £1,000 to each student in halls.\n\nThe move followed protests over lack of support during the coronavirus pandemic which saw students tear down temporary fencing in one demonstration.\n\nUniversity of Manchester students have been calling for a rent strike\n\nThe reduction will be applied to direct debit payments this month, with students who have already paid for the whole year getting a refund.\n\nBut organiser of the Rent Strike Now campaign, Ben McGowan, said the new lockdown means students are still paying for halls they are unable to return to which has prompted a wave of student anger.\n\nOn Twitter, campaigners listed more than 40 universities where they said students were pledging to withhold rent.\n\nThe campaign group Rent Strike Now tweeted a list of universities where there are campaigns\n\n\"Most of us are being told not to go back so we're paying for accommodation we can't use and there's been no extra support from universities and government,\" added Saranya Thambiranjah, a first year at Bristol University who also helps run the campaign.\n\n\"Rent striking is a great way to make our voices heard and get universities to listen our concerns.\"\n\nStudents at universities not yet part of this campaign have said they will organise similar challenges on their own campuses, including Coventry and Keele.\n\nRebecca Hyde is having to do her journalism course in her bedroom\n\nAt Nottingham Trent University, student campaigner Rebecca Hyde, who is doing a masters in broadcast journalism, said 244 students had so far pledged to withhold rent on university halls since their campaign was launched a few days ago.\n\nShe believes universities should do more to help students who are having to pay for rooms they are unable to use through no fault of their own.\n\nShe says her course leaders have been brilliant but missing out on using studios and running \"news days\" with her fellow students \"is just so disappointing\".\n\nNottingham Trent University says it understands student concerns over rents and urged the government \"to show leadership to find a solution that is fair to all students\".\n\n\"At NTU, only a minority of our students are in accommodation operated by or on behalf of the university.\n\n\"We do not want a repeat of the situation in the summer term of 2020 where most of our students were reliant on the goodwill of private accommodation providers who did not always do the right thing,\" said the university in a statement.\n\nAt King's College London, campaign secretary \"Juno\" likewise reported hundreds of new pledges to withhold rent in the past few days, saying students felt they had been \"lured\" into their accommodation at the start of the academic year.\n\nA King's spokesperson promised that students would not be charged for accommodation they are unable to use during lockdown.\n\nAbout a quarter of students are in privately-run purpose built accommodation, and one of the biggest of these providers, Unite Students, is also facing demands.\n\nLiverpool John Moores student Suhail Accad, in Unite accommodation, says his rent strike post on Instagram has gained 3,000 followers and has had 8,000 shares in just a few days.\n\n\"It's expensive to stay here,\" says Suhail.\n\nUnite was unable to comment directly on the threat of rent strikes but maintains that it is doing all it can to help keep students and staff safe \"during this challenging period\".\n\nUniversities UK said universities were looking at the issue \"actively\" and considering what support they can offer students.\n\n\"Universities recognise the financial pressures the pandemic has placed on students and are providing increased financial and other support as a result.\n\n\"With government restrictions reducing the numbers of students returning in person to universities, now is the time for the government to seriously consider the financial implications for students and institutions and what support they will provide.\"", "Prof Chris Whitty will front one of the adverts Image caption: Prof Chris Whitty will front one of the adverts\n\nThe government is urging people in England to stay at home and \"act like you've got it\" as part of a new advertising campaign.\n\nThe \"stay at home, save lives\" campaign will run across TV, radio, out-of-home advertising and social media.\n\nThe campaign will include a new advert fronted by England's Chief Medical Officer, Prof Chris Whitty, which will air for the first time on ITV at 19:15 GMT tonight.\n\nThe UK reported a record number of deaths and cases today, as hospitals come under growing pressure, with some in the South East at extreme capacity.\n\nAround one in three people with Covid-19 don’t have any symptoms and can pass it on without realising, the government said, \"which is why it’s essential everyone stays at home and remembers Hands, Face, Space\".\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said: \"Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic, and infection rates across the entire country continue to soar at an alarming rate.\n\n“The vaccine has given us renewed hope in our fight against the virus but we must not be complacent.\n\n\"The NHS is under severe strain and we must take action to protect it, both so our doctors and nurses can continue to save lives and so they can vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as we can.\n\n“I know the last year has taken its toll – but your compliance is now more vital than ever. So once again, I must urge everyone to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. One floral tribute had Dame Barbara's photograph in the centre\n\nThe funeral of EastEnders and Carry On actress Dame Barbara Windsor has taken place in London.\n\nRoss Kemp, who played her on-screen son in the soap, was among the 30 mourners and gave a reading, as did actor and friend Christopher Biggins.\n\nDame Barbara died in December at the age of 83, having had dementia.\n\nThere were floral arrangements spelling Babs, The Dame and Saucy, and a mock pub sign showing her as The Queen Peggy in the style of the soap's Queen Vic.\n\nDame Barbara played pub landlady Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders for more than two decades.\n\nA version of the EastEnders Queen Vic pub sign was painted in tribute\n\nScott Mitchell, who was married to Dame Barbara for 20 years, was joined at Golders Green Crematorium by family and friends including comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams.\n\n\"As Covid has denied so many of Barbara's family, friends and fans a chance to say farewell properly, I wanted to share the order of service to let people be a small part of it,\" Mr Mitchell told the PA news agency.\n\n\"My heart goes out to every family who have experienced the same restrictions at their loved ones' funerals.\"\n\nLeft-right: Christopher Biggins, Ross Kemp and David Walliams were among the mourners\n\nHe added: \"I would again like to thank my family, friends, the media and the public for their incredible support and well wishes since Barbara's passing.\"\n\nDame Barbara's coffin was brought into the crematorium to sound of Frank Sinatra's On The Sunny Side Of The Street, and the service featured a recording of Sparrows Can't Sing from the actress's 1963 film of the same.\n\nIt finished with the famous topless photo of Dame Barbara from the film Carry On Camping, alongside her quote: \"That picture will follow me to the end.\"\n\nLong-time friend Anna Karen, who played Dame Barbara's on-screen sister Aunt Sal in EastEnders, also paid tribute during the service.\n\nThe funeral was also attended by Loose Women's Jane Moore and EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick. However, the numbers were limited due to coronavirus social distancing.\n\nAlzheimer's Research UK recently said it had seen a spike in donations since Dame Barbara's death, and a JustGiving page set up as a tribute to her and in aid of the charity has raised more than £150,000 (including Gift Aid).\n\nMr Mitchell said that was \"beyond anything we may have dreamed of\".\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Google's plan to replace web browser cookies with a system that shares less data with advertisers is being investigated in the UK.\n\nThe Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Google's plan could have a \"significant impact\" on news websites and the digital advertising market.\n\nIt had already raised concerns that publishers' profits could sink if they were unable to run personalised ads.\n\nBut Google said digital advertising practices had to \"evolve\".\n\nCookies are small files a web browser stores on a user's device when they visit a webpage.\n\nThey can be used to remember what items a person has added to their online basket and deliver personalised content.\n\nThey can also be used to track somebody's activity online and deliver targeted advertising.\n\nSome cookies known as cross-site or third-party cookies can let publishers track a person's web activity as they move from one website to another.\n\nBy default, Apple's Safari and Mozilla's Firefox browsers already block cross-site cookies.\n\nBut Google intends to go further by ending support for all cookies except first-party ones - those used by sites to track activity within their own pages.\n\nIt wants to replace them with new tools that give advertisers more limited, anonymised information such as how many users visited a promoted product's page after seeing a relevant ad - but not tie this information to individual users.\n\nAccording to one industry group opposing the move, Google's Chrome browser is installed on more than 70% of computers in the UK.\n\nSo even if other web browsers do not adopt the same approach the move would still be significant.\n\n\"Google's Privacy Sandbox proposals will potentially have a very significant impact on publishers like newspapers, and the digital advertising market. But there are also privacy concerns to consider,\" said Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA.\n\nA coalition of about a dozen small tech companies and publishers - Marketers for an Open Web (Mow) - claims some of its members' revenues could drop by as much as two-thirds.\n\nMoreover, it suggests the move would put too much power into Google's hands.\n\n\"Google will effectively control how websites can monetise and operate their business,\" it warned last month.\n\n\"This means that any business that buys or sells advertising will be reliant on Google for a part of the process, whether they like it or not.\n\n\"This will reduce the ability of independent players to compete with Google, strengthening its monopoly control of online commerce.\"\n\nThe group has also raised concerns about other related matters, including the tech firm's plan to end support for user-agent strings.\n\nThese are bits of text that browsers send to websites at the start of a user's visit to reveal details about the device and browser being used.\n\nPublishers use this information to optimise the way their sites appear.\n\nBut Google is phasing out support on the grounds that they are also used as an alternative to cookies to track users, and sometimes cause compatibility issues.\n\nThe CMA previously issued a report into the matter in July.\n\nAt that point it acknowledged that while there were benefits to consumers from the kinds of privacy measures Google was proposing, they might be outweighed by other concerns.\n\nIt added that \"many news publishers\" had expressed concern that their news sites would become \"unsustainable\".\n\nUntil recently, the European Commission was responsible for most large and complex competition cases involving the UK.\n\nOn 1 January, the CMA took over these responsibilities on a local level due to Brexit.\n\nLast November, the government announced it would create a new Digital Markets Unit within the CMA.\n\nThe organisation subsequently detailed how it would to govern the behaviour of Google, Facebook and other tech platforms \"that currently dominate\" online markets, and give consumers \"more control over how their data is used\".\n\nThe new unit becomes operational in April, but is dependent on legislation going through Parliament before it gets new powers, and that may not happen until 2022.\n\nSince that would be too late to block Google's Privacy Sandbox plans, the probe is being carried out under the existing regime.\n\nEven so, all those involved will be watching closely for signs of how willing the authority is to confront the US's largest tech companies.", "Edwin Poots said he has asked senior UK government figures to consider unilaterally revoking the NI Protocol\n\nThe Stormont minister whose officials are responsible for the new Irish Sea border has said some food will be unavailable if changes are not made.\n\nDUP Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has also said jobs could be at risk.\n\nHe said problems at the ports were being caused by new rules applied on imports of food and other products from Britain to Northern Ireland.\n\nEarlier Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said trade from GB to NI \"will get worse before it gets better\".\n\nMr Gove said that \"work is ongoing\" and it is \"all part of the process of leaving the European Union\".\n\nHe added that he had spoken to ministers from all parties in the Northern Ireland Executive.\n\nAfter speaking with hauliers, supermarkets and processors this week, Mr Poots predicted the loss of jobs and rising costs.\n\n\"A wide range of frozen and chilled foods will be unavailable after the temporary exemption period ends,\" he tweeted.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Edwin Poots MLA This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThat exemption period applies to supermarkets and other food importers and runs out in April.\n\nAfter that they will have to comply with all the paperwork required to ship food in, or find suppliers on the island of Ireland or elsewhere in the EU.\n\nNew rules - called the Northern Ireland Protocol - were introduced because while the UK has left the EU, Northern Ireland has remained in the Single Market for goods and is continuing to apply EU customs rules.\n\nThe arrangement was agreed between the UK and the EU to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.\n\nMr Poots said he had spoken to senior UK government figures to ask them to consider unilaterally revoking the protocol as it was \"damaging Northern Ireland at the economic and societal level\".\n\nAnd he hit out at members of Sinn Fein, the SDLP, and Alliance Party who he claimed had supported it.\n\nMembers of those parties have countered similar claims from other DUP politicians in recent days.\n\nThey said DUP MPs had voted against alternative arrangements that would have been simpler to manage before the government pushed ahead with the protocol plan.\n\nResponding to Mr Poot's tweet on Friday evening, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood wrote: \"You broke it, you own it.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Colum Eastwood This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson accused Mr Poots of being \"asleep at the wheel\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Martina Anderson MLA This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has called for the assembly to be recalled to discuss difficulties over trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland due to Brexit.\n\nUUP MLA Roy Beggs said: \"The impact of the Irish Sea border is causing horrendous difficulties for hauliers and this is being seen in shops and businesses across Northern Ireland.\n\n\"It is damaging the Northern Ireland economy and the situation is escalating.\"\n\nEarlier on Friday, Michael Gove said it had been expected that there would be \"some initial disruption\" to trade between GB and NI, but that the government is \"ironing\" issues out.\n\nHe said discussions with the executive in Northern Ireland were \"in order to make sure that the [Northern Ireland] protocol works\".\n\n\"[To make sure] that businesses in Northern Ireland can continue to have access to the rest of the UK market, and that Northern Ireland businesses can have the goods that they need on the shelves, that they have access to at the moment,\" he said.\n\nNorthern Ireland has remained a part of the EU's single market for goods while the rest of the UK has left.\n\nThis means food products from Great Britain are subject to checks when they enter Northern Ireland.\n\nSimilar processes and checks also apply when moving food products from Great Britain into the Republic of Ireland.\n\nMeanwhile, an organisation representing haulage firms has called on the UK and Irish government to relax some of the new Irish Sea trade border rules.\n\nThe Road Haulage Association (RHA) said there is serious disruption to freight movements into the island of Ireland.\n\nThe RHA said relaxing the controls on food products and customs declarations \"would help traders to ship goods that have struggled to move over recent days.\"\n\n\"The problems have led to gaps in supermarket shelves and lorries delayed at ports because of problems with red-tape and the situation is worsening,\" the organisation added.\n\n\"We are facing an inflexible, cumbersome and time consuming process just to move goods.\"\n\nThe UK government said the flow of goods \"between GB and NI has been smooth overall and arrivals of freight have continued to increase substantially over this week\".\n\n\"There are no significant queues at NI ports and supermarkets are reporting healthy supplies into their Northern Ireland stores,\" a spokesperson added.\n\n\"We recognise the need to provide as much support to the haulage sector as possible as industry adapts to new processes. That's why hauliers can benefit from the Trader Support Service, which provides free advice and support to businesses of all sizes moving goods under the Northern Ireland Protocol.\n\n\"We have been engaging intensively with the Irish authorities and hauliers on the issues that have been encountered for goods transiting through Dublin port.\"\n\nOn Thursday customs authorities in the Republic of Ireland announced a temporary relaxation of one customs process.\n\nHauliers will be able to use an override code to complete a piece of administration known as ENS.\n\nThe letters ENS refer to an entry summary declaration, an online form which goods carriers are now legally obliged to submit to Irish customs when transporting goods from Great Britain into Ireland.\n\nLorries arriving in Ireland from Great Britain have faced new checks since 1 January\n\nOn Thursday night the Irish Revenue Commissioners said it recognised that \"some businesses are experiencing difficulties on lodging their safety and security ENS declarations\".\n\nIt said that in response it was providing a \"temporary easement\" which would allow an ENS to be produced without all the normally required information.\n\nAn Irish government spokesperson said it is \"absolutely essential that Ireland fulfils its obligations as a member of the EU and that we protect the integrity of the single market and the customs union\".\n\n\"We appreciate that the new requirements and customs formalities present significant challenges and impose additional burdens on businesses.\"\n\nMeanwhile Stena, the ferry company, said it was cancelling a dozen sailings between Wales and Ireland next week due to \"a decline in freight volumes during the first week of Brexit.\"", "Tennant was remembered as \"a beautiful soul\" and \"a sensitive and talented woman\"\n\nBritish model Stella Tennant took her own life after being \"unwell for some time\", her family has confirmed.\n\nIn a statement, her family said it was \"a matter of our deepest sorrow and despair that she felt unable to go on.\"\n\nTennant, who made her name in the early 1990s modelling for designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Versace, died in December five days after her 50th birthday.\n\nHer family said they were \"humbled by the outpouring of messages of sympathy and support\" they have received.\n\nTennant was \"a beautiful soul, adored by a close family and good friends, a sensitive and talented woman whose creativity, intelligence and humour touched so many\", they said.\n\n\"In grieving Stella's loss, her family renews a heartfelt request that respect for their privacy should continue.\"\n\nBorn in London on 1970, Tennant was known for her androgynous sultry looks and aristocratic heritage.\n\nShe shot to fame after being photographed for British Vogue at the age of 22 in 1993, going on to work with such designers as Alexander McQueen and Jean Paul Gaultier.\n\nTennant retired from the catwalk in 1998 but later returned. She also worked on campaigns to promote saving energy and reducing the environmental impact of fast fashion.\n\nShe had four children with French-born photographer David Lasnet. The couple married in the Scottish borders in 1999 and announced their separation last year.\n\nTennant with David Lasnet on their wedding day in 1999\n\nStella McCartney, Victoria Beckham and fellow model Naomi Campbell were among those to pay tribute after her death was announced last month.\n\nCampbell said she had been \"a class act in every way\", while Beckham remembered her as \"an incredible talent\".\n\nIf you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, information and support is available from BBC Action Line.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The storming of the US Capitol building in Washington DC stunned viewers around the world.\n\nBut how did Americans feel seeing the seat of their government being ransacked?\n\nWe asked members of our BBC voter panel for their views.\n\nSimon grew up in Uganda during its civil war and became a US citizen last year. A master's student and stay-at-home father, he warns that, while things may settle down, \"democracy is not guaranteed\".\n\nI'm disgusted but not surprised. I anticipated this would happen and it was a matter of when, not if.\n\nI didn't anticipate that it would happen in the capital. This is the president whose people - since the racial justice movement in the summer - said they were for \"law and order\". So the \"law and order\" people broke into the Capitol and changed the American flag with the Trump flag. History shows that has not happened in over 200 years, so it tells you how dangerous this man is.\n\nIn Uganda, in November, when the opposition was arrested, people took to the streets and got shot. Here, in the summer, the Capitol building was protected and they were breaking up peaceful protests.\n\nIt's clear that [Trump supporters] have been organising, we've seen this was going to happen, yet we subconsciously did not think that white people are a threat. That is the construct of this country and how law enforcement viewed it.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'Treason, traitors and thugs' - the words lawmakers used to describe Capitol riot\n\nTaylor is a staunch Trump supporter and recently travelled to Washington DC for a post-election pro-Trump rally. A photographer by trade, she was upset by the rioting but believes unsubstantiated claims that left-wing radicals were behind the violence.\n\nIt was just heart-breaking to watch what was going on and the behaviour of protesters is just not like the Trump people I've been around. If it did come from any conservatives, then I condemn it. There's no excuse for violence.\n\nIt doesn't change my support for Trump. The people that love Trump, that's not going to change no matter if he gets a second term or not. It just means we're going to hold out for 2024 and hope either he runs again or his kids do.\n\nOur country is going to go downhill over the next four years if Biden does take office. I'm actually moving today out of the city into the suburbs of a Republican county because I am afraid of how Democratic counties will end up under a Biden presidency.\n\nWe're going to catapult towards socialism and communism. I'm worried for the country's future, but regardless of who takes office, we have a lot of healing to do. I hope we can all find our common humanity and embrace each other when this is all over, which is hopefully soon.\n\nJames is a lifelong Republican who worked on Capitol Hill for the party for nearly two decades, but cast his first ever vote for a Democrat in the 2020 election. He was stunned by 6 January's events and expects it to become a bad footnote in the country's history.\n\nI find it absolutely shocking. I didn't think it would come to this.\n\nI had actually thought about going down to the protests with a sign that said \"Republicans Against Trump\". My brother said, if I had done that, there would have been five deaths, not four, and he may have been right. I'm astounded by the stupidity of these people who show up without masks and who are being filmed. Quite a few of them are going to prison. It's a serious situation when you break past a police barricade and go into a building that's supposed to be secure.\n\nI have a lot of friends who say things couldn't get worse, but I have to remind them, as a student of history, that it has been worse. The Civil War was much worse. There was a lot of violence in the South during the Reconstruction period. This is something the country will get over. I was heartened by President-elect Biden's speech yesterday. Finally we've got someone who's sounding presidential. We haven't had it for the last four years.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA'Kayla is a college student who supports the Black Lives Matter movement. She says law enforcement \"coddled\" the rioters at the Capitol and thus made an argument for police reform because they were far more aggressive at protests she attended.\n\nIt's so irritating I can't put into words how frustrating it is. They stormed the Capitol and the police were gentle and lackadaisical with them. I expected the police to use force, but they were so kind and gentle. During the summer, when the Black Lives Matter protests were going on, so many people were injured, locked up and lost their lives.\n\nFrom my own experience, marching peacefully on the front lines in Charleston, we had tear gas thrown at us and had to pour milk in our eyes. It was excruciating. And for what? We're marching for a cause, because we had the murder of somebody by the police. What are they upset about? They're upset because we are living in a democracy and they didn't get their way.\n\nDuring one of the debates, when Trump said \"stand back and stand by\", is this what he was talking about? This is the calm before the storm. I think it's going to get way more ugly, but Kamala [Harris] and Joe [Biden] are a symbol of change and hope.\n\nWhether [Trump supporters] like it or not, America is moving towards a more progressive country and there's going to be a lot of changes.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Joe Biden: Black Lives Matter protesters would have been treated \"differently\"", "Two more life-saving drugs have been found that can cut deaths by a quarter in patients who are sickest with Covid.\n\nThe anti-inflammatory medications, given via a drip, save an extra life for every 12 treated, say researchers who have carried out a trial in NHS intensive care units.\n\nSupplies are already available across the UK so they can be used immediately to save hundreds of lives, say experts.\n\nThere are over 30,000 Covid patients in UK hospitals - 39% more than in April.\n\nThe UK government is working closely with the manufacturer, to ensure the drugs - tocilizumab and sarilumab - continue to be available to UK patients.\n\nAs well as saving more lives, the treatments speed up patients' recovery and reduce the length of time that critically-ill patients need to spend in intensive care by about a week.\n\nBoth appear to work equally well and add to the benefit already found with a cheap steroid drug called dexamethasone.\n\nAlthough the drugs are not cheap, costing around £500 per patient, on top of the £5 course of dexamethasone, the advantage of using them is clear - and less than the cost per day of an intensive care bed of around £2,000, say experts.\n\nLead researcher Prof Anthony Gordon, from Imperial College London, said: \"For every 12 patients you treat with these drugs you would expect to save a life. It's a big effect.\"\n\nIn the REMAP-CAP trial carried out in six different countries, including the UK, with around 800 intensive care patients:\n\nProf Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: \"The fact there is now another drug that can help to reduce mortality for patients with Covid-19 is hugely welcome news and another positive development in the continued fight against the virus.\"\n\nHealth and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: \"The UK has proven time and time again it is at the very forefront of identifying and providing the most promising, innovative treatments for its patients.\n\n\"Today's results are yet another landmark development in finding a way out of this pandemic and, when added to the armoury of vaccines and treatments already being rolled out, will play a significant role in defeating this virus.\"\n\nThe drugs dampen down inflammation, which can go into overdrive in Covid patients and cause damage to the lungs and other organs.\n\nDoctors are being advised to give them to any Covid patient who, despite receiving dexamethasone, is deteriorating and needs intensive care.\n\nTocilizumab and sarilumab have already been added to the government's export restriction list, which bans companies from buying medicines meant for UK patients and selling them on for a higher price in another country.\n\nThe research findings have not yet been peer reviewed or published in a medical journal.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A young woman has died after a rare suspected shark attack in New Zealand.\n\nPolice named the victim as 19-year-old Kaelah Marlow, from Hamilton.\n\nMarlow was taken out of the water still alive but died at the scene despite efforts to save her life. Police said it appeared she had been injured by a shark.\n\nThe attack happened at Waihi Beach on North Island not far from the country's biggest city Auckland.\n\n\"Police extend our deepest sympathies to Kaelah's family and loved ones at this very difficult time,\" police said in a statement.\n\n\"We appreciate her death was extremely traumatic for those who were at Waihi Beach yesterday and we are offering victim support services to anyone who requires it,\" the statement said.\n\nShark attacks are unusual in the country and this is thought to be the first fatality since 2013. Local media cited witnesses as saying the woman had been swimming right in front of the lifeguard flags on Thursday.\n\nWhen they heard screams, lifeguards went out by boat immediately and pulled her to shore.\n\nIt is not clear what kind of shark attacked Kaelah Marlow, but an eyewitness reportedly claimed it was a great white, a species which is protected in the waters around New Zealand.\n\n\"Sharks are reasonably common near all northern beaches of New Zealand, most are harmless and even species considered dangerous very rarely interact with swimmers,\" shark researcher Kina Scollay told the BBC.\n\n\"My thoughts and sympathies are with the victim's family and we need to remember that this is a real tragedy to real people. I worry that this gets lost sight of in the media scramble after such events.\"\n\nOne witness quoted by local media said he believed a great white shark attacked the woman\n\nMr Scolley said that while attacks were rare, there were ways to be careful about interactions that could go wrong. Among the risk factors are, for instance, fish feeding events or dead animals in the water.\n\n\"If a large shark approaches or is seen nearby people should stay calm, warn those nearby and calmly exit the water,\" he said.\n\nA seven-day rahui, a traditional Maori prohibition restricting access to an area, has been placed on the beach.\n\nThe last recorded shark attack was in 2018 when a man was injured - but survived - at Baylys Beach. Over the past 170 years, there have only been 13 fatal shark attacks documented in New Zealand, according to the country's department of conservation.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "The US is reeling after supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC on the day Congress was meeting to confirm Joe Biden's election victory.\n\nLawmakers were forced to take shelter, the building was put into lockdown and four people died in the chaos that followed a pro-Trump rally near the White House.\n\nHere's a breakdown of how events unfolded on Wednesday.\n\nJust before midday local time (17:00 GMT) thousands of people gather at the Ellipse, near the White House, to hear the president speak at a \"Save America\" rally.\n\nHe tells them: \"We're going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue... and we're going to the Capitol and we're going to try and give… our Republicans, the weak ones... the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.\"\n\nAs the speech ends, crowds start to drift towards the Congress building, about a mile and a half away, where they are met by police barriers.\n\nThe Capitol is home to the two chambers of the US government that make up Congress - the House of Representatives and the Senate.\n\nChanting crowds start to gather on both sides of the building at around 13:10, grappling with police at the metal barricades.\n\nTear gas and pepper spray are used to try to keep the protesters at bay.\n\nPolice officers struggle to maintain control of the situation as protesters advance on the building on multiple fronts.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police place US Capitol Building on lockdown after Trump supporters breached security lines\n\nOn the east side, the crowd force their way through barricades on the Capitol Plaza and move on the main entrance, quickly gaining access to the Great Rotunda.\n\nOnce inside, they head for the House and Senate chambers.\n\nIgor Bobic, a journalist for the Huffington Post, captures a group of men forcing a police officer to retreat up a set of stairs as they continue their advance.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Igor Bobic This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSenators are forced to abandon the process of confirming President-elect Biden's victory and the building goes into lockdown.\n\nThe doors of the House chamber are locked and a makeshift barricade is erected in front of them. Security officials guard the entrance, guns drawn.\n\nWithin an hour, protesters have also broken police lines on the west side of the Capitol, scaling walls to reach the building itself before smashing windows and forcing doors open.\n\nOther videos and images show rioters storming through the building's ornately-decorated corridors and chambers chanting \"USA!\" and \"Stop the steal\".\n\nShortly before 15:00, gunshots are reportedly heard inside the building.\n\nPhotos and video footage later show a female protester being shot as she tries to break through the barricaded doors of the Speakers' Lobby.\n\nDespite efforts by police and others at the scene to save her, she is later reported to have died.\n\nOn the other side of the building, protesters break into the Senate chamber, one taking seat in the Speaker's chair.\n\nAnother protester is photographed nearby sitting in Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, with his foot on the table.\n\nAfter growing condemnation of the riots, President Trump eventually calls for calm, telling the protesters to leave peacefully: \"Go home. We love you, you're very special.\"\n\nBy 17:40, the building is cleared and made secure ahead of the 18:00 curfew ordered by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.\n\nSeveral thousand National Guard troops, FBI agents and US Secret Service are deployed to help.\n\nMore than six hours after the storming of the building, senators return and resume the day's business of certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.\n\nAt 03:41 on Thursday, Congress confirms President-elect Joe Biden will succeed President Trump on 20 January.", "Young women clap for heroes outside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London\n\nA revived initiative to applaud the heroes of the pandemic has returned - but much more quietly than last year.\n\nIt comes after the founder of Clap for Carers distanced herself from its return after facing online abuse.\n\nAnnemarie Plas wanted to bring back the weekly applause under a new name of Clap for Heroes to lift spirits in the new lockdown but it fell a little flat.\n\nSome health workers have said they would rather people stay at home and wear a mask than clap for them.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he participated at 20:00 GMT on Thursday, but clapping \"isn't enough\".\n\n\"They need to be paid properly and given the respect they deserve,\" he tweeted., of the health workers.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The weekly clap returned but Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said clapping alone \"wasn't enough\"\n\nThe idea of clapping and banging pots from doorsteps originally began as a one-off to support NHS staff on 26 March - three days after the UK went into lockdown for the first time.\n\nAfter proving popular it was expanded to cover all key workers and continued every Thursday for 10 weeks last year, with millions of people across the UK taking part.\n\nMembers of the Royal Family and politicians including Prime Minister Boris Johnson also joined in with the show of support.\n\nHowever, the event faced criticism for becoming politicised, with some suggesting the NHS would benefit more from extra funding than applause.\n\nPeople in some streets stood on doorsteps and leaned out windows to clap for the pandemic's heroes, and landmarks in London were illuminated blue for the occasion - but reports suggested the applause was noticeably quieter than last year.\n\nAnnemarie Plas and her family were threatened online for her efforts\n\nOn Wednesday, Ms Plas, a 36-year-old mother-of-one, announced the return of the initiative, saying she hoped to \"lift the spirit of all of us\" including \"all who are pushing through this difficult time\".\n\nBut some NHS workers were less than enthusiastic. Ami Jones, an intensive care consultant from Wales, tweeted: \"No thanks. I'd rather you obey the rules, stay at home, wear masks and wash your hands.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Rachel Clarke 💙 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAnd palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke said: \"Please don't clap us. Just wear a mask, wash your hands and respect lockdown.\"\n\nIn a tweet posted hours before the weekly clap was due to return, Ms Plas, a Dutch national living in south London, said she had been targeted with personal abuse and threats against her and her family by \"a hateful few\" on social media.\n\n\"I have no political agenda, I am not employed by the government, I do not work in PR, I am just an average mum at home trying to cope with the lockdown situation,\" she said, in a statement.\n\nShe said the newly revived clap could and should still happen at 20:00 GMT.\n\n\"It's up to each person to decide how relevant or worthwhile they feel it is to participate,\" she said.\n\nThe fountains in Trafalgar Square were illuminated blue for the initiative on Thursday\n\nSome incorporated pots and pans during their weekly claps in warmer months", "UK house prices rose by 6% last year, according to the Halifax, but the lender is predicting \"downward pressure\" on values in 2021.\n\nThe mortgage lender, part of Lloyds Banking Group, said that prices \"soared\" in the second half of 2020.\n\nPent-up demand, a clamour for more space, and stamp duty holidays led to higher prices.\n\nBut the Halifax said the economic realities of 2021 meant activity would slow as the year progressed.\n\n\"With the pace of the UK's economic recovery expected to be constrained by the renewed national lockdown, and unemployment widely predicted to rise in the coming months, downward pressure on house prices remains likely as we move through 2021,\" said Russell Galley, managing director at the Halifax.\n\nHe said that last year was a market of two halves - starting with slow growth, and stalling when the market was closed during the first national lockdown, but then booming when it reopened.\n\nThis meant that overall, demand and price growth were relatively high.\n\nThe conclusion mirrors the findings of rival lender, the Nationwide, which said that UK house prices climbed 7.5% in 2020, the highest growth rate for six years.\n\nBoth mortgage lenders base their findings on their customer data.\n\nLucy Pendleton, from estate agents James Pendleton, said: \"The simple truth is that extra space has become non-negotiable for legions of homeowners with families, and the usual winter slowdown has met the immovable force that is hundreds of thousands of people all trying to jump to larger properties at the same time.\"\n\nThe Halifax said there were already signs of the market slowing, with prices rising by 0.2% in December compared with the previous month.\n\nThat was the slowest monthly rise of the last six months.\n\nThe lender said the average home was valued at £253,374.\n• None Where can I afford to live?", "The switch has been welcomed by climate campaigners\n\nAlok Sharma is to leave his position as business secretary to focus full-time on his role as president of the UN COP26 climate conference in November.\n\nThe Glasgow event is expected to be the biggest summit the UK has ever hosted.\n\nMr Sharma, who will remain in the cabinet, said he was \"delighted to have been asked by the PM to dedicate all my energies\" to the position.\n\nKwasi Kwarteng replaces him as business secretary while Anne-Marie Trevelyan becomes the new energy minister.\n\nThe government says a successful summit will be critical if the UK wants to meet the objectives set out by the Paris Agreement and reduce global emissions.\n\nThe event had originally been scheduled for November 2020 but was delayed by a year due to Covid-19.\n\nThe BBC's political correspondent Jessica Parker said the decision to move Alok Sharma wasn't a surprise and would be seen as a recognition of the need to free him up to do more of the crucial diplomatic leg-work required.\n\nSome MPs had previously warned that Mr Sharma lacked the \"bandwidth\" to head the conference alongside his cabinet job, especially given the strains on business due to the pandemic.\n\nIn his new role, which is based in the Cabinet Office, Mr Sharma's will remain a member of Boris Johnson's top team but be focused solely on coordinating global action to tackle climate change\n\nBoris Johnson chose Mr Sharma to head the event after ex-minister Claire O'Neill was ousted from the position in the summer of 2019.\n\nShe later condemned what she called broken promises and backsliding on climate commitments.\n\nFormer Conservative PM David Cameron turned down the chance to head the conference and ex-Foreign Secretary Lord Hague was also involved in discussions.\n\nMr Sharma's move will be welcomed by climate campaigners, who worried he was over-stretched running a frantically busy department while also orchestrating the most important climate meeting on Earth.\n\nMany of these summits - known as COPs - yielded little because the leadership was poor.\n\nThe French produced a triumphant agreement in the 2015 Paris COP after mustering the mighty force of French diplomacy.\n\nMr Sharma is reported to accept that he now needs to concentrate full time on the challenge.\n\nHe will need subtle diplomatic skills, a mastery of detail and the stamina of an ox as he attempts to corral world leaders into agreement on curbing emissions faster. He'll also need 100% support from the PM.\n\nThe greatest obstacle to action - Donald Trump - will soon disappear from the scene, and with China making bold promises, the COP has potential.\n\nBut politicians have been so slow to act that some key tipping points in the climate might already have been breached.\n\nReflecting on his new role, Mr Sharma said: \"The biggest challenge of our time is climate change and we need to work together to deliver a cleaner, greener world and build back better for present and future generations.\n\n\"Through the UK's Presidency of COP26 we have a unique opportunity, working with friends and partners around the world, to deliver on this goal.\"\n\nRichard Black, senior associate at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: \"Allowing Alok Sharma to focus full-time on his COP26 role is a sensible decision, not least as it signals the government's commitment to ensuring that the summit is a success.\n\n\"With the election of Joe Biden as the next US President and China's recent carbon neutrality pledge, the diplomatic opportunities have opened up for more ambitious action on climate change. Mr Sharma's job will be to seize them.\"\n\nAnd ex-cabinet minister Amber Rudd, who led the UK delegation at the Paris climate change conference, said the move showed the government \"recognises the importance and opportunity for a global agreement this year\".\n\nResponding to his new appointment, Mr Kwarteng said he was \"thrilled\" and pledged to help businesses through this period of \"extremely challenging circumstances\".\n\nThe Spelthorne MP, who entered Parliament in 2010, has been energy minister since July 2019.\n\nLabour's shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said Mr Kwarteng had \"a massive task\" in providing business with \"a plan to help them through this year, not the inadequate sticking plaster measures we have seen\".\n\nHe welcomed the decision to make Mr Sharma's COP role full time.\n\n\"It's absolutely crucial that the full political, diplomatic and strategic resources of government are now directed to the most ambitious outcome at Glasgow, which is a 1.5 degree deal.\"", "The number of hours ambulances spent waiting to offload patients in parts of England is \"off the scale\", the Royal College of Emergency Medicine says.\n\nData leaked to BBC News shows ambulance waiting times at hospitals in the South East rose by 36% in December compared to the same month in 2019.\n\nPeople are also having to wait longer for ambulances to arrive when called.\n\nAmbulance services say it is taking longer to hand over patients but they are doing all they can to meet demand.\n\nIt comes as the NHS faces unprecedented pressure because of the Covid pandemic.\n\nA paramedic working in London told BBC News he had encountered patients left waiting up to 12 hours for an ambulance in the last week.\n\nOne patient in London with a broken leg had to wait outside at night for six hours before an ambulance arrived to collect him, he said.\n\nOn another occasion, paramedics were called to attend to a young man with Covid-19 whose oxygen levels were \"so low\". He was given oxygen when they arrived - but that was eight hours after the ambulance was called.\n\nIncidents such as these are \"dangerous\" and the service is \"on its knees\", the paramedic added.\n\nThe figures also show that at one point on Monday this week more than 700 patients were left waiting for an ambulance to arrive in London when none was available.\n\nDifferent statistics obtained by BBC News highlight the number of hours spent waiting to offload patients at hospitals half an hour after ambulances arrived at hospitals in the South East.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What does it mean if the NHS is overwhelmed?\n\nSouth East Coast Ambulance service lost 7,803 hours queuing outside hospitals, an increase on 5,732 hours in 2019.\n\nKent saw the greatest rise in this period. One of its hospitals, Medway Maritime Hospital, saw a doubling in ambulance waiting times.\n\nThese figures are \"off the scale\", according to Royal College of Emergency Medicine Vice President Adrian Boyle.\n\n\"It is not because more ambulances are being called, it's because the amount of time they're spending outside a hospital has increased,\" he said.\n\nDr Boyle says ambulances left queuing outside hospitals meant crews were not available to respond to other emergencies.\n\nHe says services are facing a \"crisis\" unlike any other he has seen.\n\n\"People may feel they have a winter crisis every year but this is a different order of magnitude\", he added.\n\n\"This is the worst winter crisis I've been through in my 25 years of practising as a doctor.\"\n\nAmbulance services say they are are doing everything they can to meet the demand.\n\nA London Ambulance Service Trust spokesperson said: \"We are continuing to prioritise the most seriously ill and injured patients, and our team of trained clinicians in our control rooms are working hard to monitor and maintain contact with many other patients as needed while they are waiting for ambulance crews to arrive.\"\n\nA South East Coast Ambulance Service Trust spokesperson said: \"We are doing everything we can to increase the number of staff available to meet this demand, including increasing overtime, to ensure crews are as available as possible to respond to patients in the community.\"\n\nHave you been affected by the issues raised in this story? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Marks & Spencer says sales of sleepwear have soared as people spend more time at home because of Covid restrictions.\n\nThe retailer sold 20% more women's pyjamas during the 13 weeks to 26 December, with many of them being bought as Christmas presents.\n\n\"The great British public are back in their pyjamas,\" said chief executive Steve Rowe.\n\nDespite this, clothing sales as a whole fell nearly a quarter, although food sales showed modest growth.\n\nM&S said its trading was \"robust\" over the Christmas period, but UK revenues for the quarter were £2.52bn, 8.2% lower than last year.\n\nM&S blamed \"on-off restrictions and distortions in demand patterns\" due to the coronavirus crisis.\n\nM&S also said that potential post-Brexit tariffs on part of its range exported to the EU, together with \"very complex\" administrative processes, would \"significantly impact\" its businesses in Ireland and the Czech Republic, as well as its franchise business in France.\n\nMr Rowe said the chain's popular Percy Pig sweets, made in Germany, were one product that could face tax rises.\n\nIt said it was \"actively working to mitigate\" those effects.\n\nMr Rowe thanked staff for \"a first-class execution of Christmas for our customers in near impossible conditions\".\n\nThe High Street stalwart said customers had responded to its \"innovative seasonal product\" during the four-week run-up to Christmas.\n\nLike-for-like food sales had risen 2.6% during the period, it said.\n\nHowever, clothing and home sales fell by 24.1%, and UK sales overall were down 7.6% on a like-for-like basis.\n\nTrading was hit particularly badly in November by the national lockdown in England, with clothing and home sales slumping 40.5% in the month and food sales down 4.5%.\n\n\"Near-term trading remains very challenging, but we are continuing to accelerate change under our Never the Same Again programme to ensure the business emerges from the pandemic in very different shape,\" Mr Rowe said.\n\nOn the positive side, M&S said its tie-up with online firm Ocado had produced \"very strong\" results, while customers had responded to its \"innovative seasonal product\" during the four-week run-up to Christmas.\n\nRoss Hindle, retail sector analyst at Third Bridge, said: \"Despite the pressure faced by their clothing division, the M&S food division is expected to deliver solid results, propelled by both stockpiling and its Ocado partnership.\n\nHe pointed to reports that M&S was poised to acquire the Jaeger clothing brand as a possible way forward, saying it \"hints at the potential for a more aggressive shift into the multi-brand space\".\n\n\"M&S have numerous large stores which could be filled with non-M&S merchandise in order to drive their top-line. The risk here is whether such brands might cannibalise M&S branded products,\" he added.\n\nEmily Salter, retail analyst at GlobalData, said M&S was \"paying the cost for its inability to adapt fast enough to changing shopping habits\".\n\n\"M&S's recovery is slow versus other apparel players, as it continues to be hurt by an online platform unable to make up for lost store sales,\" she added.\n\nShe saw little point in a potential purchase of Jaeger, as it would be \"costly to turn around and do little to boost the retailer's fortunes\".\n\nHowever, she said M&S's focus on value in food had \"started to pay off, with decent sales growth, especially considering dampened footfall on High Streets\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: \"I condemn encouraging people to behave in the disgraceful way they did in the Capitol\"\n\nDonald Trump was \"completely wrong\" to cast doubt on the US election and encourage supporters to storm the Capitol, Boris Johnson has said.\n\nThe UK prime minister said he \"unreservedly condemns\" the US president's actions.\n\nFour people died after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building in a bid to overturn the election result.\n\nMr Trump had urged protesters to march on the Capitol after making false electoral fraud claims.\n\nHe later called on his supporters to \"go home\", while continuing to make false claims - Twitter and Facebook later froze his accounts.\n\nThe president has now said there will be an \"orderly transition\" to President-elect Joe Biden, whose November election victory has now been certified by US lawmakers.\n\nBut he added that he continued to \"totally disagree\" with the outcome of the vote, repeating his unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud.\n\nOn Wednesday night, Mr Johnson condemned the \"disgraceful scenes\" and called for a \"peaceful and orderly transfer of power\".\n\nBut asked by the BBC's political correspondent Alex Forsyth if President Trump was directly responsible, he said: \"All my life America has stood for some very important things. An idea of freedom, an idea of democracy.\n\n\"As you say, in so far as he encouraged people to storm the Capitol, and in so far as the president has consistently cast doubt on the outcome of a free and fair election, I believe that was completely wrong.\n\n\"I believe what President Trump has been saying about that has been completely wrong and I unreservedly condemn encouraging people to behave in the disgraceful way that they did in the Capitol.\"\n\nThe PM, speaking at a Downing Street briefing, then welcomed the confirmation of President-elect Biden, saying \"democracy has prevailed\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHundreds of the president's supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday - where lawmakers were meeting to confirm Mr Biden's election victory - and staged an occupation of the building in Washington DC.\n\nBoth chambers of Congress were forced into recess, as protesters clashed with police and tear gas was released.\n\nA woman died after being shot by police, and three others died as a result of \"medical emergencies\", local police said.\n\nUK politicians from different parties have all condemned Mr Trump's actions in encouraging the storming of the Capitol.\n\nEarlier, Home Secretary Priti Patel said the president's comments had \"directly led\" to the events and he \"didn't do anything to de-escalate that\".\n\nShe added: \"He basically has made a number of comments yesterday that helped to fuel that violence and he didn't actually do anything to de-escalate that whatsoever... what we've seen is completely unacceptable.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Priti Patel says Donald Trump was wrong for not condemning the violence\n\nSpeaking on Thursday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Trump should \"take responsibility\" for what happened, calling it the \"culmination of years of the politics of hate and division\".\n\nSir Keir added he welcomed the outgoing president's agreement to an orderly handover, but told reporters \"he should have said it a long time ago.\"\n\nScottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Trump had been \"inciting insurrection in his own country,\" and called it a \"dark period\" in US history.\n\n\"What we witnessed last night is not that surprising. In some senses, Donald Trump's presidency has been moving towards this moment almost from the moment it started,\" she told ITV's Good Morning Britain.\n\nScotland's Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said the home secretary should \"give serious consideration\" to denying Mr Trump entry to the UK after he leaves office.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'Treason, traitors and thugs' - the words lawmakers used to describe Capitol riot\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab said certification of Mr Biden's victory was \"good to see\" after the \"shocking events\" on Wednesday, adding the UK condemned the violence \"unequivocally\".\n\nFormer Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, who shared time in office with Mr Trump, said there should be \"no place for the rule of the mob\".\n\nBut senior Welsh Conservative Andrew RT Davies has been criticised after comparing the rioting to politicians who supported a second referendum on Brexit.\n\nMr Davies, a member of the Welsh Parliament, later tweeted that \"violence must never be tolerated\".\n\nHis party colleague, the Conservative MP Simon Hoare, suggested Mr Trump could be sent to the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay:\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Simon Hoare MP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nCommons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has written to express his \"solidarity\" with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose empty office was broken into by protesters.\n\n\"Seeing your office trashed in that way and its occupation by one of the rioters was particularly outrageous. I am just so relieved you were not hurt,\" he wrote.\n\nTrump supporters left this note on the desk of Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.", "The Liberia-flagged oil tanker Nave Andromeda docked at Southampton after the incident\n\nSeven men, including two who had already been charged, will face no action over a suspected hijacking of an oil tanker off the Isle of Wight.\n\nSpecial forces stormed the Nave Andromeda on 25 October after the crew raised concerns about stowaways.\n\nMatthew Okorie, 25, and Sunday Sylvester, 22, had been charged with conduct endangering ships.\n\nBut prosecutors dropped their case after evidence analysis \"cast doubt\" on whether the tanker was put in danger.\n\nThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said initial reports had indicated there was a \"real and imminent threat\" to the vessel, but added mobile phone footage and witness accounts \"could not show that the ship or crew were threatened\" and there was no evidence the men had any intention to seize control of the vessel.\n\nThe CPS said the new evidence meant the \"legal test\" for the offence was \"no longer met\".\n\n\"Our case was that the actions of the men were responsible for the endangerment of the vessel, but further material was then supplied by a maritime expert which significantly undermined whether there was a threat of danger,\" prosecutors said in a statement.\n\nThe Home Office said it was \"disappointed\" by the CPS's decision and added it was working with prosecutors to \"urgently resolve the issues raised by this case\".\n\nA spokesman said: \"It is frustrating that there will be no prosecution in relation to this very serious incident and the British people will struggle to understand how this can be the case.\"\n\nHampshire Constabulary said the five other men, who were arrested on suspicion of seizing or exercising control of a ship by use of threats or force, also face no police action.\n\nThey will remain detained under immigration regulations.\n\nThe 748ft-long (228m) ship left Lagos in Nigeria on 5 October bound for Southampton.\n\nAs it approached the Isle of Wight 20 days later, an emergency call came from the ship concerned about stowaways on board while the 22 crew members had locked themselves in the ship's citadel - secure area.\n\nThe men had been found on the ship earlier in the voyage and the vessel had made unsuccessful attempts to dock in other ports.\n\nIt was reported the men became hostile as the tanker approached the UK - but the CPS said it was thought this may have occurred while the ship was outside of UK waters.\n\nAt the time the Ministry of Defence called the incident a \"suspected hijacking\" and said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel authorised a special forces operation in response to a police request following a 10-hour stand-off.\n\nIn a nine-minute operation carried out under the cover of darkness, Special Boat Service commandos boarded the vessel and arrested the seven men, believed to be Nigerian nationals seeking asylum in the UK.\n\nThe Liberian-registered tanker later docked in Southampton.\n\nSpecial forces boarded the Nave Andromeda on the evening of 25 October\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Mauritius has been removed from the safe list\n\nTravellers from countries near South Africa are to be banned from entering England to stop the spread of the South African Covid variant.\n\nArrivals from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana, as well as island nations Mauritius and Seychelles, will be affected.\n\nThe rule will take effect on 9 January but there will be an exemption for British and Irish nationals.\n\nThey will need to follow existing quarantine procedures.\n\nA ban by visitors to the UK from South Africa started on 24 December.\n\nThe latest restriction brought in by the Department for Transport also affects travellers arriving from Eswatini, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho and Mozambique.\n\nIt will apply from 04:00 GMT on Saturday to people who have travelled from or through any of the specified countries in the last 10 days.\n\nIt is understood most flights from the affected countries arrive at airports in England, although it is expected the policy will be formally adopted by the other UK nations.\n\nThe measures will be in place for an initial period of two weeks.\n\nMeanwhile, Botswana, and the islands of Seychelles and Mauritius, are being removed from the UK list of safe travel corridors as there is a high frequency of travel between the islands and South Africa.\n\nThe new variant of coronavirus circulating in South Africa is already being seen in other countries, including the UK.\n\nThe variant, much like the new UK variant first seen in Kent, appears to be more contagious than previous ones.\n\nAnyone arriving into the UK from most destinations must quarantine for 10 days.\n\nBut there are a list of countries exempt from the rules, meaning returning travellers do not need to self-isolate, called the travel corridor list.\n\nUnder the latest announcement, the travel corridor with Israel will also end amid concerns about rising infection levels in that country.\n\nHowever, rules in place across the UK currently ban travel abroad unless for specific reasons.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Trump calls for an 'orderly transition of power' to the Biden administration on January 20th\n\nA US Capitol police officer has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Congress by a pro-Trump mob as top Democrats have called for the president to be removed for \"inciting\" the riot.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged Vice-President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment to the Constitution to declare the president unfit for office.\n\nAlternatively, she vowed to initiate the process to impeach the president.\n\nWednesday's violence came hours after Mr Trump encouraged his supporters to fight against the election results as Congress was certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the November vote.\n\nFive people have died in relation to the riot, including Brian Sicknick, an officer at the US Capitol Police (USCP) who was \"injured while physically engaging with protesters\", the police said.\n\nMeanwhile, the top congressional Democrats - Speaker Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer - have urged Vice-President Pence and Mr Trump's cabinet to remove the president for \"his incitement of insurrection\".\n\n\"The President's dangerous and seditious acts necessitate his immediate removal from office,\" they said in a joint statement.\n\nThe duo called for Mr Trump to be ousted using the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice-president to step up if the president is unable to perform his duties owing to a mental or physical illness.\n\nBut it would require Mr Pence and at least eight cabinet members to break with Mr Trump and invoke the amendment, something they have so far seemed unlikely to do. Mr Trump is due to leave office on 20 January, when Mr Biden will be sworn in.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMrs Pelosi indicated that if the vice-president failed to act, she would convene the House to launch their second impeachment proceedings against Mr Trump.\n\nHowever, to succeed in convicting and removing the president, Democrats would need a two-thirds majority in the Senate, and there is no indication they would get those numbers. And it was not clear whether enough time remained to carry out the process.\n\nMrs Pelosi's deputy, Katherine Clark, told CNN the House could move on impeachment next week.\n\nMedia reports, quoting unnamed sources, said Mr Trump had suggested to aides he was considering granting a pardon to himself in the final days of his presidency. The legality of such a move is untested.\n\nIt wasn't until Thursday night, more than 24 hours after the US Capitol had been ransacked by his supporters, that Donald Trump released a recorded statement calling for \"healing and reconciliation\" in a wounded nation.\n\nThat was the very least that could be expected from a US president in a time of crises, and it probably will not be enough to silence calls for his removal, impeachment or resignation. Those demands have been coming from the political left, of course, but also from parts of the right - longtime critics, from former allies and, remarkably, even the conservative editorial page of Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal.\n\nEver since November's election, when Trump chose to attack the results rather than admit defeat, a reckoning was coming. The pressure, like a malfunctioning steam engine, was building toward a catastrophic ending.\n\nOn Thursday night, the president began trying to pick up the pieces.\n\nTeleprompter Trump had spoken. In past crises, unscripted Trump has quickly returned, with words and actions that reveal his earlier comments were insincere.\n\nWith 12 days left in his presidency, the question is whether, or more likely when, that Trump will return - and what happens when he does.\n\nPresident Trump returned to Twitter on Thursday following a 12-hour freeze of his account. His message was the closest he has come to a formal acceptance of his defeat after weeks of falsely insisting he actually won the election in a \"landslide\".\n\n\"Now Congress has certified the results a new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th,\" the Republican said in a video, without mentioning Mr Biden by name.\n\n\"My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'Treason, traitors and thugs' - the words lawmakers used to describe Capitol riot\n\nMr Trump said he had \"immediately deployed\" the National Guard to expel the intruders, though some US media reported he had hesitated to send in the troops, leaving his vice-president to give the order.\n\nHe also praised his \"wonderful supporters\" and promised \"our incredible journey is only just beginning\".\n\nLaw enforcement have been heavily criticised after they were overrun by the protesters. Mr Biden said: \"Nobody could tell me that if it was a group of Black Lives Matter protesters yesterday they wouldn't have been treated very differently than the thugs that stormed the Capitol.\"\n\nImages captured inside the Capitol building showed protesters roaming through some of the corridors unimpeded.\n\nThe FBI is seeking to identify those involved in the rampage, and the Washington DC police have released pictures of \"persons of interest\" for their involvement in the riot. The Department of Justice says people could face charges of seditious conspiracy, as well as rioting and insurrection.\n\nWashington police say 68 people have so far been arrested. One of those detained at the Capitol had a \"military-style automatic weapon and 11 Molotov cocktails (petrol bombs)\", according to the federal attorney for Washington DC.\n\nThe official responsible for security in the House of Representatives, the sergeant at arms, has resigned. Mr Schumer has called for his counterpart in the Senate to be sacked. USCP chief Steven Sund is also resigning, effective 16 January, following calls from Mrs Pelosi.\n\nOn Thursday, crews began installing a non-scalable 7ft (2m) fence around the Capitol which will remain in place for at least 30 days.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Joe Biden: Black Lives Matter protesters would have been treated \"differently\"\n\nAshli Babbitt, a 35-year-old US Air Force veteran from San Diego, California, was named as the woman fatally shot by a police officer who has now been placed on leave. Law enforcement told US media the victim was unarmed.\n\nThree others died after suffering unspecified medical emergencies on Capitol grounds: Benjamin Philips, 50, from Pennsylvania; Kevin Greeson, 55, from Alabama; and Rosanne Boyland, 34, from Georgia. Mr Greeson's family said he died of a heart attack.\n\nPolice said that 14 officers had been injured in the riot.\n\nOn Thursday evening, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos - one of the longest serving members of the president's administration - became the second cabinet member to quit following the Capitol riot.\n\nIn her resignation letter, Ms DeVos accused the president of fomenting Wednesday's disorder. \"There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me.\"\n\nEarlier in the day, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao stepped down, saying she had been \"deeply troubled\" by the rampage.\n\nOther aides to quit include special envoy Mick Mulvaney, a senior national security official, and the chief of staff to First Lady Melania Trump. A state department adviser was also sacked after calling Mr Trump \"unfit for office\" in a tweet.", "Fashion student Mhari Thurston-Tyler posted an advert for the \"crop top\" (right) on Depop after she says she found some discarded Chiltern Railways seat covers (like those on the left)\n\nA fashion student has been warned not to sell prohibited items on the clothes app, Depop, after she posted an advert for a top made from a train seat cover.\n\nMhari Thurston-Tyler made the bandeau out of a Chiltern Railways seat cover designed to promote social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThe 20-year-old sold the top for £15 but later refunded her customer and took the advert down.\n\nDepop said the item \"clearly violates our terms of service\".\n\nThe app for buying and selling second-hand clothes said the sale of stolen goods was banned - but Ms Thurston-Tyler denied stealing.\n\nShe told BBC News she found two of the blue seat covers \"balled up on the floor\" outside Marylebone station in London in September.\n\nMs Thurston-Tyler, who is a fashion student at Central Saint Martins, re-sewed one of the covers to make it fit her, before deciding to advertise the second cover on Depop.\n\n\"I have no money at the moment so decided to put the second one on Depop to see if anyone would buy it,\" she said, adding that the app had become her main source of income as she has struggled to find other work during the pandemic.\n\n\"I have to resort to little things like this to make ends meet, to pay the bills.\"\n\nMs Thurston-Tyler's advert went viral on social media after being shared by Depop Drama's Instagram and Twitter accounts.\n\nMhari Thurston-Tyler said she has been unable to find a job during the coronavirus pandemic and sells clothes on Depop \"to make ends meet\"\n\nIn the advert, Ms Thurston-Tyler models the seat cover and describes it as a \"social distancing crop\", adding: \"Got a few of these can do different sizes.\"\n\nMs Thurston-Tyler, from Kenilworth in Warwickshire, said a Depop customer paid her £15 and ordered a crop top \"in extra small\".\n\nBut realising she should not be making money out of Chiltern Railways' property, Ms Thurston-Tyler refunded the customer 15 minutes later and took the advert down shortly afterwards.\n\n\"I didn't steal it but I understand it's not right to re-sell it,\" she said.\n\nA Depop spokesperson said Ms Thurston-Tyler would be banned from the platform if she listed any other prohibited goods.\n\n\"We explicitly prohibit the sale of illegal and unlawful content on the app, including any stolen goods,\" they said.\n\n\"This item clearly violates our terms of service, but as it has been removed by the seller and is no longer for sale on the platform, we will not be taking immediate steps to ban this user.\"\n\nMs Thurston-Tyler said she hopes to make her own line of crop tops with the words \"children railways\" on the design, while \"the hype\" of the viral moment continues.\n\nChiltern Railways said it has been using the social distancing \"seat sashes\" since the beginning of the UK's Covid epidemic.\n\nA spokeswoman added: \"Whilst we appreciate this new take on railway memorabilia, these items are there to help customers travel with confidence and we would respectfully ask that they are left in place.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. London mayor Sadiq Khan: \"Unless the virus reduces... we could run out of beds\"\n\nThe spread of Covid in London is \"out of control\" according to Sadiq Khan, who has declared a \"major incident\".\n\nThe coronavirus infection rate in London has exceeded 1,000 per 100,000 people, based on the latest figures from Public Health England.\n\nHowever, the Office for National Statistics recently estimated as many as one in 30 Londoners has coronavirus.\n\nMr Khan told BBC political reporter Karl Mercer that the figure is as high as one in 20 in some parts of London.\n\nMajor incidents have previously been called for the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 and the terror attacks at Westminster Bridge and London Bridge.\n\nA major incident is any emergency that requires the implementation of special arrangements by one or all of the emergency services, the NHS or the local authority.\n\nIt means the emergency services and hospitals cannot guarantee their normal level of response.\n\nCurrently, there are more than 7,000 people in hospital with Covid-19, the mayor said.\n\nThis is a 35% increase compared to last April's peak of the pandemic, he added.\n\nDr Samantha Batt-Rawden, an ICU registrar and President of the Doctors' Association UK, tweeted: \"We tried. We really tried. NHS staff pleaded with people that Christmas is not worth it. Now one in 30 people in London have Covid and ICUs are overwhelmed. My heart is broken.\"\n\nAn analysis of Public Health England figures show in the week to 3 January, the number of cases rose across all of the London's boroughs compared with the previous week, with 17 individually recording more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 people.\n\nTesting increased in parts of the city after a drop over the Christmas period but positivity was high among people taking lab-based tests - suggesting more testing is needed to find undiagnosed cases in the community.\n\nIn the past week, many parts of the capital saw a rise in deaths where a person had tested positive for coronavirus in the previous 28 days - with some areas recording more than double the number of deaths compared with the previous week.\n\nHowever, reporting over the Christmas period may have affected this.\n\nOut of the 18 acute hospital trusts in London providing figures to the government, all of them recorded having more beds being filled by coronavirus patients than in the previous week.\n\nBarts NHS Health, one of London's largest trusts, saw a 30% increase in coronavirus patients between 29 December and 5 January, to 830.\n\nThe London Ambulance Service is now taking up to 8,000 emergency calls a day, the mayor says\n\nThe mayor of London's announcement comes after the counties of Sussex and Surrey declared similar major incidents on Thursday.\n\nHe said the London Ambulance Service was currently taking up to 8,000 emergency calls a day, compared to 5,500 on a typical busy day.\n\nThe London Fire Brigade said more than 100 firefighters had been drafted in to drive ambulances to help cope with the demand.\n\nEvery frontline agency involved in protecting the public has a legal duty to prepare for emergencies by devising and testing major incident plans.\n\nThese public bodies declare a major incident when the situation they're confronting is so big or terrible that it's not only likely to cause serious harm, but it will also compromise their ability to respond effectively.\n\nIn general terms, that means public bodies can legally stop delivering some everyday services, so that their personnel, attention and resources can be diverted to the emergency confronting them.\n\nAt other times, the plans will lead to the military sending soldiers to aid the civilian effort, as we have seen already during the pandemic.\n\nPrevious major incidents include the Grenfell Tower disaster in London, the Salisbury Novichok poisonings and the 2017 terrorism attacks.\n\nLondon's regional director for Public Health England Kevin Fenton said the current wave of coronavirus was \"the biggest threat\" the capital has faced in this pandemic to date.\n\nHe added: \"The emergence of the new variant means we are setting record case rates at almost double the national average, with at least one in 30 people now thought to be carrying the virus.\n\n\"We know this will sadly lead to large numbers of deaths, so strong and immediate action is needed.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What does it mean if the NHS is overwhelmed?\n\nMr Khan is warning that London is \"at crisis point\".\n\n\"If we do not take immediate action now, our NHS could be overwhelmed and more people will die,\" he said.\n\n\"Londoners continue to make huge sacrifices and I am today imploring them to please stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary for you to leave. Stay at home to protect yourself, your family, friends and other Londoners and to protect our NHS.\"\n\nHe said he had written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking for more financial support for Londoners who need to self-isolate and are unable to work, and for daily vaccination data.\n\nMr Khan also called for the closure of places of worship and for face masks to be worn routinely outside the home, including in crowded places and supermarket queues, in a bid to curb case numbers.\n\nTwo hospital trusts in London have recorded more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths\n\nThe mayor of London was in a sombre mood when I spoke to him earlier this afternoon. One in 20 Londoners in some areas now has Covid, and there is a real fear that hospitals will simply be overwhelmed in the next two weeks.\n\nDeclaring a major incident is a real indication of the levels of concern felt not just at City Hall but across London's emergency services and the NHS.\n\nMore Londoners are now in hospital with coronavirus than at the peak of the first wave last April - and those numbers are growing by more than 800 every day.\n\nIt's believed the last mayor to declare a London-wide major incident was Boris Johnson in response to the 2011 riots.\n\nThe coming days will be some of the most challenging in the city's recent history.\n\nKatie Sanderson, a junior doctor working in London, said she is worried how long medical staff can cope with the surge of patients.\n\n\"[Staff] are working on wards and spending long amounts of time with patients who need high-intensive oxygen therapy,\" she said.\n\n\"It is technically challenging and the emotional burden is enormous. I see it in a flatness in their demeanour, like we've all got used to doing things which before were totally inconceivable.\"\n\nGeorgia Gould, chair of London Councils, described London's rising coronavirus rate as \"dangerous\".\n\nShe added: \"One in 30 Londoners now has Covid. This is why public services across London are urging all Londoners to please stay at home except for absolutely essential shopping and exercise.\n\n\"This is a dark and difficult time for our city but there is light at end of the tunnel with the vaccine rollout. We are asking Londoners to come together one last time to stop the spread - lives really do depend on it.\"\n\nEarlier this week as the prime minister introduced an England-wide lockdown, the Met Police said officers were going to be \"more inquisitive\" towards Londoners seen outside.\n\nThe Met handed out 1,761 fines for breaches of coronavirus laws between 27 March and 20 December.\n\nDeputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said the major incident was a \"stark reminder\" of the point London is at in the pandemic.\n\nHe said: \"These rule-breakers cannot continue to feign ignorance of the risk that this virus poses or listen to the false information and lies that some promote downplaying the dangers.\n\n\"Every time the virus spreads it increases the risk of someone needlessly losing their life.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'One of the worst shifts of my life - it's overwhelming'\n\nIn response to Mr Khan's announcement the government said the NHS is continuing to \"face a huge challenge\"\n\nA spokeswoman added: \"It is absolutely paramount people in London, and the rest of the country, follow the rules and stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.\n\n\"We are working closely with NHS England to support hospitals in the capital, including additional bed capacity at the London Nightingale.\n\n\"Financial support is in place for workers who need to self-isolate - including a £500 payment for those on the lowest incomes who have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace.\"\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nHave any of the issues raised in this article had an impact on you? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid lockdown: 'This is why we say to you do not come out'\n\nPeople are being warned about breaking lockdown restrictions after the police got stuck in snow due to rule-breakers.\n\nA car driving on Moel Famau hill, Flintshire, despite roadblocks, skidded off the road on Thursday night, with officers deployed to help the passengers.\n\nHowever, they then became stuck and had to call mountain rescuers.\n\nA yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued by the Met Office for all of Wales, until midnight on Friday.\n\nPolice said: \"This is why we say to you do not come out.\"\n\nOn a video posted on Twitter, an officer for the North Wales Police Rural Crime Team warned people about the consequences of breaking the rules.\n\n\"It is now involving two agencies, two police vehicles, two mountain rescue vehicles and three police officers and the casualty.\"\n\nRob Taylor from North Wales Police Rural Crime Team said the person who was driving the car, which travelled 200m when it lost control was \"very, very lucky to be alive and escape uninjured\".\n\n\"We've been having problems with people lately flouting the law and going where they shouldn't be going,\" he said.\n\n\"People have been going through them for various reasons whether that's a walk or sledge and gathering in large groups. So we have been paying attention.\n\n\"This issue that was highlighted perfectly yesterday where someone's gone there thinking it's okay to flout the law. They get themselves in trouble and cause an emergency response from police and actually put those police officers' lives at risk.\n\n\"Their actions can really affect many people.\"\n\nSnow and ice warnings are in place for all of Wales\n\nThe snow warning for Friday said 5cm of snow could also fall on hills and mountains, with a widespread frost forecast for the morning.\n\nRoad agencies said driving conditions on the A55 in Flintshire were difficult, with snow on Rhuallt Hill.\n\nOne lane on the expressway has been closed eastbound between Pentre Halkyn and Northop following a crash.\n\nRoads have also been closed in Denbighshire following the heavy snow.\n\nThe Met Office warned there was a risk of slips and falls with sleet and snow predicted to fall on to already-frozen ground, creating icy patches.\n\nForecasters said that while snow was likely to fall on hills and mountains, flurries could be seen elsewhere, but this was likely to \"be slight and temporary\".\n\nFurther ice warnings have also been issued until 11:00 GMT on Saturday.\n\nResidents in parts of Wales have been waking to snow, including in Mold, Flintshire\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Hyundai has sparked confusion over a possible electric car tie-up with Apple.\n\nThe South Korean car company initially said it was in the \"early stage\" of talks with the iPhone maker about a possible electric car partnership.\n\nBut hours later it backtracked and said it was talking with a number of potential partners without naming Apple.\n\nHyundai's share price rose more than 20% when the tie-up was announced.\n\n\"Apple and Hyundai are in discussions but they are at an early stage and nothing has been decided,\" it said in a statement which was later revised. Hyundai's value shot up $9bn (£6.5bn) after the Apple announcement.\n\nWhile an updated statement said it was talking to a number of companies about a possible electric car tie-up including Apple, a later version omitted the US tech firm.\n\nApple is known for its secretiveness when it comes to new products and partnerships.\n\n\"I'm not surprised to see a big jump in the valuation of Hyundai. The stock market loves car companies who are tech firms as seen with Tesla rise,\" said Sarwant Singh, managing partner at consultants Frost & Sullivan. \"This partnership helps Hyundai be seen as a tech innovator.\"\n\nLast month, news emerged that Apple was moving forward with self-driving car technology with a 2024 launch date.\n\nThe electric vehicle (EV) market is becoming increasingly competitive, with companies such as Tesla grabbing the headlines with its rapidly-increasing valuation. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk is now the richest man in the world, displacing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.\n\nExperts say an electric vehicle from Apple is still at least five years away.\n\nThey say pandemic-related delays could push the start of production into 2025 or beyond.\n\nHyundai has already been pushing into new technologies such as electric, driverless and flying cars.\n\nLast month, it took a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics in a deal that valued the mobile robot firm at $1.1bn.\n\nThe company is also setting up a $4bn autonomous-driving joint venture with auto parts supplier Aptiv.\n\nBoth partners will invest $2bn, while Ireland-based Aptiv will contribute about 700 engineers and transfer patents and intellectual property to the venture.\n\n\"Apple could certainly jumpstart that project and Hyundai brings the vehicle development and manufacturing expertise,\" said Jeff Schuster at automobile data firm LMC Automotive\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nApple's efforts to produce an electric car, known as Project Titan, have been on and off ever since plans were revealed in 2014.\n\nThere have been rumours over who would assemble an Apple-branded car as it may be difficult for the tech giant to manufacture them on its own.\n\nIts rival Alphabet's Waymo chose a factory in Detroit to mass produce its own self-driving cars.", "Jessica Allen (left) and Eliza Moore are now sticking to walks nearer their homes\n\nA police force that was criticised for its \"intimidating\" approach to two walkers is to review its lockdown fines policy.\n\nJessica Allen and Eliza Moore said they were surrounded by police after driving five miles from their home for a walk on Wednesday, and fined £200 each.\n\nDerbyshire Police initially said driving to exercise was \"not in the spirit\" of lockdown.\n\nBut it now says new national guidelines mean it will review its position.\n\nIn a statement, the force said all of its fixed penalties issued during the new national lockdown will be reviewed.\n\nMs Allen, from Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, said she assumed \"someone had been murdered\" when she arrived at Foremark Reservoir on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nWhen she and her friend were questioned by police, they were also told by officers the hot drinks they had brought along were not allowed as they were \"classed as a picnic\".\n\nShe said: \"The next thing, my car is surrounded. I got out of my car thinking 'There's no way they're coming to speak to us'. Straight away they start questioning us.\n\n\"I said we had come in separate cars, even parked two spaces away and even brought our own drinks with us. He said 'You can't do that as it's classed as a picnic'.\"\n\nMs Allen said the experience was \"very intimidating\" and had left her feeling scared of police in general.\n\nForemark Reservoir is five miles away from where Jessica Allen and Eliza Moore live\n\nHer friend, Ms Moore, said she was \"stunned at the time\" so did not challenge police and gave her details so they could send a fixed penalty notice.\n\nAt the time Derbyshire Police said that driving to a location to exercise \"is clearly not in the spirit of the national effort to reduce our travel, reduce the possible spread of the disease and reduce the number of deaths\".\n\nThe force added: \"Where there are cases of blatant breaches of the regulations then fines will be issued by officers.\"\n\nDerbyshire Police has also been giving fixed penalty notices to people who visit Calke Abbey and Elvaston Castle.\n\nFixed penalty notices have been given to people who visit Calke Abbey, a National Trust property\n\nBut in a statement, the force said further guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) had \"clarified the policing response concerning travel and exercise\".\n\nThe guidance said: \"The Covid regulations which officers enforce and which enables them to issue FPNs [fixed penalty notices] for breaches, do not restrict the distance travelled for exercise.\"\n\nThe NPCC added that rather than issue fines for people who travel out of their local area \"but are not breaching regulations, officers will encourage people to follow the guidance\".\n\nThe force has now said it will be \"aligning to adhere to this stance\".\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Kem Mehmet said: \"We are grateful for the guidance from the NPCC.\n\n\"The actions of our officers continues to be to protect the public, the NHS and to help save lives.\"\n\nIt is not the first time the force has been accused of being overzealous in enforcing alleged lockdown breaches.\n\nIn the country's first lockdown in March the use of a drone to film people walking in the Peak District was labelled \"nanny policing\".\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Nursery staff are not advised to wear face coverings\n\nChildcare organisations are demanding to see evidence that it is safe for them to remain open while schools and colleges have closed to most pupils.\n\nStaff have close contact with children and babies daily, when they change nappies and receive them by the hand from parents, for example.\n\nMinisters have insisted early years settings are safe as young children have very low rates of the virus.\n\nNurseries argue the evidence cited is based on data about old variant Covid.\n\nEngland's three main nursery organisations, the Early Years Alliance, the National Day Nurseries Association and childminders' group, Pacey, have joined together to mount a #ProtectEarlyYears campaign.\n\nThey want the government to provide clear scientific evidence on the risks to early years staff of staying open, particularly in light of the increased transmissibility of the new variant of Covid-19.\n\nSue Cardy, owner and manager of Ready Teddy Go Pre School, in Shoeburyness, Essex said: \"There isn't anyone who has asked: 'Is it 100% safe for us to remain fully open? No one can see the virus and staff may be asymptomatic, and so we all run an element of risk of catching or spreading it.\"\n\nShe added: \"Staff have families and are not all young... 50% of my staff are over 50 and some have underlying medical conditions.\"\n\nVicky, the manager of a church pre-school in Cheshire West and Chester said she could potentially have 30 children plus 10 staff in a church hall, with no PPE recommended, and limited social distancing.\n\n\"As an early years provider, I am increasingly worried about the safety of both staff and children, yet if we chose to partially close, we could be financially penalised.\"\n\nAnd Georgie Morrell from Brighton and Hove said: \"Since re-opening, I have had four households tell me. they are Covid positive.\n\n\"This is clearly very close to home and yet we have been given no choice or support but to remain open and carry on.\"\n\nNeil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: \"It is simply not acceptable that, at the height of a global pandemic, early years providers are being asked to work with no support, no protection and no clear evidence that is safe for them to do so.\n\n\"We know how vital access to early education and care is to many families, but it cannot be right to ask the early years workforce to put themselves at risk. That is why it is vital that the government takes the urgent steps needed to safeguard those working in the sector, particularly mass testing and priority access to vaccinations.\n\nNursery providers are calling for staff to be tested, priority for vaccination and for state funding lost due to lower numbers during the pandemic, to be replaced by government.\n\nPurnima Tanuku, chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association, said nurseries were determined to support families during the current lockdown.\n\nBut, she added: \"Time and again, whether it's on PPE, cleaning costs, testing or staffing, early years providers have been overlooked by the Department for Education.\n\n\"Now, they are the only part of the education sector fully open to all children and must be given priority.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, vaccines minister Nadim Zahawi said there was very little risk to younger children.\n\n\"The nursery sector has taken tremendous care in making sure the premises are also Covid safe. It is the right thing to do.\"\n\nThe Department for Education is yet to comment on the #ProtectEarlyYears demands.", "The coronavirus vaccine rollout is a national challenge requiring an unprecedented effort - involving the armed forces - Boris Johnson says.\n\nThe PM confirmed almost 1.5 million people in the UK have now received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine.\n\nMore than 1,000 GP-led sites in England will be able to offer a total of \"hundreds of thousands\" of jabs each day by 15 January, he said.\n\nThe Army will use \"battle preparation techniques\" to help achieve that goal.\n\nIt came as a further 1,162 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported on Thursday - the second consecutive day of more than 1,000 recorded fatalities - and 52,618 new cases.\n\nAnd as Simon Stevens, head of the NHS in England, warned 10,000 patients with Covid had been admitted to hospital since Christmas Day.\n\nSpeaking at a Downing Street news conference, Mr Johnson said there would likely be \"lumpiness and bumpiness\" in the rollout of vaccines.\n\nHe said: \"Let's be clear, this is a national challenge on a scale like nothing we've seen before and it will require an unprecedented national effort.\n\n\"Of course, there will be difficulties, appointments will be changed but... the Army is working hand in glove with the NHS and local councils to set up our vaccine network and using battle preparation techniques to help us keep up the pace.\"\n\nAlongside GPs, there will be 223 hospital sites and seven \"giant vaccination centres\" - as well as an initial 200 community pharmacies - offering jabs, Mr Johnson said.\n\nEveryone will have a vaccination centre within 10 miles of their home, he added, with a \"full vaccination deployment plan\" to be published on Monday.\n\nHe also said there would be a national booking system for vaccinations - but did not give any more details.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Brigadier Phil Prosser said his task was to ensure everyone in England had equal access to the vaccine\n\nBrigadier Phil Prosser, commander of military support to the vaccine delivery programme, told the news conference his team was \"embedded\" with the NHS.\n\nHe said his \"day job\" is to deliver combat supplies to UK forces in time of war, \"at speed in the most arduous and challenging conditions\".\n\nThe government has set a target to offer vaccination slots to 15 million in the top four priority groups - including all over-80s - by 15 February.\n\nAnd Mr Johnson said that, with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine available, he could pledge one of those groups - care home residents - would all receive their jab by the end of January.\n\nThe widespread rollout of the vaccine has begun in earnest with the first doses delivered during the day to family doctors for distribution.\n\nBut there were concerns from some GPs over supplies, as Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the levels of vaccine supply was the \"rate-limiting\" factor as jabs would be delivered as quickly as stock is available.\n\nIt comes as some hospitals in England are at risk of becoming Covid-only sites, with rising admissions for the virus forcing trusts to cut back on other services.\n\nThe latest NHS statistics also show that there were 30,370 patients with Covid in UK hospitals on Tuesday, a much higher figure than the first peak in the spring of 2020.\n\nHospital leaders have warned medics are becoming increasingly stretched with \"untrained staff\" used to fill gaps.\n\nAt 20:00 GMT, people in some streets stepped out onto doorsteps to clap for the heroes of the pandemic, following a weekly initiative which gained popularity during the UK's first lockdown.\n\nHowever, Thursday's clap for heroes was more muted than those seen last year, perhaps reflecting criticism the initiative had become politicised.\n\nLots of detail has been given about how the NHS - working hand-in-hand with the military - will be able to deliver the vaccines.\n\nThere will be more local vaccination centres, hospital hubs and even mass vaccination at sports stadiums.\n\nThousands of extra vaccinators have already been trained - and thousands more are waiting in the wings.\n\nBut the biggest hurdle the UK faces is vaccine supply.\n\nIf it is not available, it cannot be put in arms no matter how good the vaccination network is.\n\nIn the long-term, supply is not likely to be a problem - but in the coming weeks it could be tight.\n\nThere is enough vaccine in the country to offer all those at highest risk a jab by mid-February.\n\nBut it is not yet all ready for the NHS to use, either because the final safety checks have not been done or the vaccine has not been put into vials.\n\nThe former depends on lab work by the medicines regulator, while the latter is the job of a plant in Wrexham.\n\nEach stage takes some time. The target is achievable, but a lot has to go right.\n\nSir Simon Stevens said there were 50% more coronavirus patients in England's hospitals now compared to the peak last April, affecting every region across the country.\n\nHe said: \"That number is accelerating very, very rapidly... the pressures are real and they are growing.\"\n\nIn Northern Ireland, the Belfast Health Trust has said it has no other option but to cancel all of its urgent cancer surgery amid \"highly significant\" demand for bed space.\n\nThe cancelled operations will affect those patients for whom surgery could impact recovery and even survival, the trust said.\n\nBoris Johnson said all parts of government would be throwing everything at the vaccination effort \"round the clock\"\n\nIn one positive development for hospitals, two more life-saving drugs that can cut deaths by a quarter in patients who are sickest with Covid have been cleared for widespread use, with immediate effect.\n\nThe anti-inflammatory medications, given via a drip, save an extra life for every 12 treated, researchers said, following NHS trials.\n\nElsewhere, the UK has implemented restrictions on travellers to England from countries near South Africa to stop the spread of the South African Covid variant.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Johnson and Sir Simon were asked about persistent social media claims that coronavirus does not exist - and that reports of packed hospital wards of people being treated are just a myth.\n\nSir Simon said that such misinformation was an \"insult\" to hard-working critical care staff.\n\n\"There is nothing more demoralising than having that kind of nonsense spouted when it is most obviously untrue,\" he said.", "Vincent Kane - pictured with his grandson Sonny - is facing uncertainty about his operation\n\nThe son of a man with pancreatic cancer has said the last-minute cancellation of his surgery has been \"devastating\".\n\nJodie Kane said his father Vincent was due to have his operation on Friday.\n\nHowever, that procedure was cancelled by the Belfast Health Trust on Tuesday as the worsening coronavirus crisis increases the pressure on hospitals.\n\nThe trust apologised, saying it had faced an 80% rise in the number of patients with Covid-19 admitted to hospitals since Christmas Day.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, Jodie said that there was now \"no guarantee\" his 68-year-old father would get the treatment.\n\n\"To be told we had the chance of a very successful surgery on offer and then to have it taken away at the last minute is pretty devastating,\" he said.\n\n\"Even the surgeon himself said they would be concerned if it was to go on more than four weeks.\n\n\"There is an uncertainty hanging over us now that we don't know when he'll actually get that surgery or what the impact on his health is going to be.\"\n\nVincent Kane - pictured with his with wife Karen - has been suffering other health issues arising from his cancer\n\nVincent, from Newtownards, County Down, did not receive treatment for some of his other symptoms as it was planned that the surgery would help with those.\n\n\"Because they were hoping to get him straight into surgery he hasn't had the blockage in his gall bladder addressed so he's jaundiced, he's covered in a rash, can't sleep, he's lost a lot of weight,\" Jodie said.\n\n\"Undoubtedly there are people worse off than us out there but it is still a critical illness that he has got and it is one that we don't have an end in sight for, in terms of treatment.\n\n\"There must be a way of helping all those in need, or I suppose if you were being really honest about it those who stand the best chance of surviving - making the decisions for the benefit of them.\n\n\"There's no guarantee that in six weeks' time surgery is going to be an option because who knows what's going to happen with Covid?\"\n\nThe Belfast Health Trust said it had to reduce the number of ill patients on wards to protect them from coronavirus\n\nJodie called on those who were breaking Covid-19 regulations to think about the the \"direct and indirect impacts\" of their actions.\n\n\"We've every sympathy for anyone who has a loved one who needs [intensive] care because of Covid but cancer and Covid are both life-and-death situations.\n\n\"We can minimise the risks of one of them as a collective society just by taking the necessary precautions.\n\n\"It could be someone they love or their neighbour or someone in their community that's in the same situation as us in the very near future.\"\n\nFlo McClements, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December, found out on Tuesday that her surgery - scheduled for Thursday - had been cancelled by the Belfast Health Trust.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio Foyle, her son Gregg said the pressure was \"mounting day by day\" on the the 72-year-old from Ballymoney, County Antrim.\n\n\"She had waited all through Christmas for the date and due to the Covid-19 restrictions we as a family had stayed away from her,\" he added.\n\nFlo McClements' family wants to \"give her a hug\" after her operation was cancelled\n\n\"We left her on her own with my dad just to make sure she didn't catch Covid and risk the operation.\n\n\"When you get the date you like to think it's the next step to recovery but unfortunately that didn't happen.\"\n\nGregg said his mother was \"putting on a brave face\" but it was difficult for the family to not be with her in person during what was a difficult time.\n\n\"That's actually the hardest part that we can't go up and have a cup of tea with her or give her a hug to make her feel a bit better even for a few minutes.\"\n\nThe Belfast Health Trust said it \"would like to sincerely apologise\" to those affected by the postponement of surgeries.\n\nIt said the decision was taken to reduce the number of ill patients on wards that would be more at risk from the virus than others.\n\n\"This was an incredibly difficult decision to make and we did not take it without considering all the information available to us,\" said the trust.\n\n\"We do not underestimate the anxiety and distress this causes the patients and families affected and we deeply regret this.\n\nIt said it would do \"everything in our power\" to reschedule their operations \"as soon as possible\".", "Gordy Philip took an icy bike ride on the Great Glen Way between Blackfold and Abriachan in the hills above Loch Ness. He said of his image: \"Could be the light at the end of the road on the first day of another lockdown.\"", "New data from EU satellites shows that 2020 is in a statistical dead heat with 2016 as the world's warmest year.\n\nThe Copernicus Climate Change Service says that last year was around 1.25C above the long-term average.\n\nThe scientists say that unprecedented levels of heat in the Arctic and Siberia were key factors in driving up the overall temperature.\n\nThe past 12 months also saw a new record for Europe, around 0.4C warmer than 2019.\n\nLast December, the World Meteorological Organization predicted that 2020 would be one of the three warmest years on record.\n\nThis new, more complete report from Copernicus says that last year is right at the top of the list.\n\nHigh temperatures saw fires rage in spring and summer in many locations inside the Arctic circle\n\nThe Copernicus data comes from a constellation of Sentinel satellites that monitor the Earth from orbit, as well as measurements taken at ground level.\n\nTemperature data from the system shows that 2020 was 1.25C warmer than the average from 1850-1900, a time often described as the \"pre-industrial\" period.\n\nOne key factor driving up the temperatures was the heating experienced in the Arctic and Siberia.\n\nIn some locations there, temperatures for the year as a whole were 6C above the long-term average.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThis exceptional warming led to a very active wildfire season. Fires in the Arctic Circle released a record amount of CO2, according to the study, up over a third from 2019.\n\nThe Copernicus service concludes that while 2020 was very marginally cooler than 2016, the two years are statistically on a par as the differences between the figures for the two years are smaller than the typical differences found in other temperature databases for the same period.\n\nMore data on 2020's temperature will be released in the next week or so from other agencies, including Nasa and the UK Met Office.\n\nThe scientists say that the closeness between the years is all the more remarkable considering the impacts of the El Niño/La Niña weather cycle.\n\nPeople saw their homes burnt down in some parts of Siberia\n\nEurope also saw a new record level of warming for the year, 0.4C warmer than 2019. A major heat wave in July and August was an important factor driving up the mercury across the continent.\n\nGlobally, the 10-year period from 2011-2020 is the warmest decade, with the last six years being the six hottest on record.\n\n\"Twenty-twenty stands out for its exceptional warmth in the Arctic and a record number of tropical storms in the North Atlantic,\" said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.\n\n\"It is no surprise that the last decade was the warmest on record, and is yet another reminder of the urgency of ambitious emissions reductions to prevent adverse climate impacts in the future.\"\n\nWhile a strong La Niña may cool temperatures a little in 2021, levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are likely to remain high, contributing to ongoing warming.\n\nNew data from the UK's Met Office suggests that average concentrations of CO2 will reach levels that are 50% higher than they were before the industrial revolution.\n\nResearchers predict that annual average CO2 concentration at the Mauna Loa recording station in Hawaii will be around 2.29 parts per million (ppm) higher in 2021 than in 2020.\n\nDespite the global slowdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the scientists say this rise is being driven by emissions from the use of fossil fuels and from deforestation.\n\nEurope saw a prolonged heat wave in July and August that pushed the year to a new record\n\nWhile weather patterns linked to the La Niña event may boost growth in tropical forests and increase the amount of the gas that's absorbed, it won't be enough to slow the overall rise.\n\nThe Met Office says that CO2 will exceed 417ppm in the atmosphere for several weeks from April to June.\n\nThis is 50% higher than the level of 278ppm that pertained in the late 18th Century as widespread industrial activity was just beginning.\n\n\"The human-caused build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere is accelerating,\" said Prof Richard Betts from the Met Office.\n\n\"It took over 200 years for levels to increase by 25%, but now just over 30 years later we are approaching a 50% increase.\"\n\n\"Reversing this trend and slowing the atmospheric CO2 rise will need global emissions to reduce, and bringing them to a halt will need global emissions to be brought down to net zero. This needs to happen within about the next 30 years if global warming is to be limited to 1.5C.\"", "Lorry drivers crossing the Channel will continue to need a recent negative Covid test result \"until further notice\", the UK government has said.\n\nHauliers have been required to prove they have tested negative since the border with France reopened last month.\n\nThe decision to continue testing comes from the French government, the Department for Transport said.\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps urged \"all hauliers to get tested before getting to the border\".\n\nThe decision comes as the introduction of new trading rules between the UK and European Union prompts disruption for some businesses and hauliers.\n\nMr Shapps said the government was \"offering support to businesses to set-up testing facilities at their own premises, assisting the smooth passage of trucks and good across the border, as well as setting up testing at information and advice sites around the country\".\n\nDrivers and crew of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), drivers of large goods vehicles (LGVs) and van drivers are advised to obtain a negative test before arriving in Kent or at other Channel crossing points.\n\nThere are now 34 testing sites for hauliers situated in key \"stopping spots\" across the UK, with further sites being set up, the DfT said.\n\nTests must be authorised and taken 72 hours before entry into France.\n\nIn addition to a negative Covid test result, some hauliers require a new 24-hour permit to enter Kent since the introduction of the new UK-EU rules.\n\nFrance reported 21,703 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, while the UK reported 52,618.\n\nLast month, the border crisis saw France refuse arrivals from the UK for 48 hours between 20 and 22 December due to a new virus variant initially discovered in Kent.\n\nPassenger ferries and lorry freight bound for France were suspended from Dover, Portsmouth and Newhaven.\n\nAn emergency procedure devised as part of post-Brexit preparations allowed lorries to be \"stacked\" - leaving thousands of foreign drivers stranded throughout southern England.", "A further 1,325 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began.\n\nIt means there have been just short of 80,000 deaths by that measure - as another 68,053 new cases were recorded.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) said the number of deaths would \"continue to rise until we stop the spread\".\n\nIt comes as the government launches a new campaign in England urging people to \"act like you've got\" the virus.\n\nThe campaign, including an advert fronted by England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, is intended to remind the public Covid is spreading fast, with large numbers showing no symptoms.\n\nIn the advert, Prof Whitty says: \"Covid-19, especially the new variant, is spreading quickly across the country.\n\n\"This puts many people at risk of serious disease and is placing a lot of pressure on our NHS.\n\n\"Once more, we must all stay home. If it is essential to go out remember, wash your hands, cover your face indoors and keep your distance from others.\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said: \"Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic, and infection rates across the entire country continue to soar at an alarming rate.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care\n\nHospital leaders have warned of stretched staffing with 31,624 coronavirus patients in UK hospitals on Wednesday - 46% above the peak during the first wave last year.\n\nDr Ian Higginson, vice president of Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said the situation in London and south-east England was \"pretty dire\" and would get worse in the rest of the country before long.\n\n\"We're heading for some really dark times, I fear, in this phase of the pandemic,\" he said.\n\nRichard Mitchell, chief executive of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, said the increase in patients seen in London was now affecting his area in Nottinghamshire.\n\nHe said: \"Critical care is exceptionally busy and the colleagues who work here are tired, they're fatigued and they're worn out.\"\n\nMeanwhile, a third Covid vaccine received emergency approval for use in the UK with 17 million doses of the jab, made by US firm Moderna, pre-ordered by the UK.\n\nThe vaccine joins the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs in being approved, with close to 1.5 million people now vaccinated in the UK.\n\nDr William Welfare, Covid-19 response director at PHE, said: \"Each life lost to this virus is a tragedy, but sadly we can expect the death toll to continue to rise until we stop the spread.\n\n\"Approximately one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and could be spreading it without realising it.\n\n\"To protect our loved ones it is essential we all stay at home where possible. This will reduce new infections, ease the pressure on the NHS and save lives.\"\n\nLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan said the spread of Covid in the capital was now \"out of control\", as he declared a \"major incident\".\n\nThis means the emergency services and hospitals cannot guarantee their normal level of response, and allows special arrangements to be implemented.\n\nThe previous highest daily death toll - 1,224 - was recorded on 21 April 2020 during the UK's first lockdown. Daily deaths were in the single figures as recently as September.\n\nThe UK has recorded the fifth-highest number of deaths behind the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, according to Johns Hopkins University.\n\nWe are now seeing the record numbers of cases over the Christmas period translate into record numbers of deaths.\n\nAnd with new infections rising rapidly - more than 1.1 million people in England estimated to be infected with Covid-19 last week - these tragic numbers are set to continue for some time.\n\nAnd that is mainly because of the new variant form of the virus which is thought to be between 30-70% more transmissible.\n\nThe administration of the vaccines to at-risk groups should see a reduction in the numbers dying by the end of the month and the numbers having to go into hospital going down sometime after that.\n\nThat is the other way around from what you normally hear - but that it because a successful vaccine programme will initially remove those most likely to die from the path of the virus.\n\nFitter or younger people - who are less likely to die but could still end up occupying hospital beds - won't be getting their jabs for some time yet.\n\nThe advent of spring's better weather should also help cases to fall, but ministers will have to decide what level of risk - and deaths - society is prepared to tolerate.\n\nFriday saw 619,941 tests conducted in the 24 hours to 09:00 GMT - also a new record.\n\nEngland, much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland continue to be under strict national measures, with stay-at-home orders in place for most people.\n\nThe R number - the rate at which an infected person passes on the virus to someone else - is now estimated to be between 1.0 to 1.4, meaning the epidemic is growing between 0% and 6% per day.\n\nCovid infections rose by almost a third between Boxing Day and 3 January, reaching 70,000 new cases a day according to a major study.\n\nIn a different piece of research, an estimated 1.2 million people in total had Covid over a similar time period, the Office for National Statistics said.\n\nBoris Johnson pledged on Thursday to use England's lockdown to implement an \"unprecedented national effort\" to offer vaccination to those at the highest risk from Covid by 15 February.\n\nHe said the Army would be drafted in to use \"battle preparation techniques\" to achieve the goal, which could see up to 15 million people offered a vaccine by the middle of next month.\n\nIn another development, from next week all travellers to the UK will need to show a recent negative test result before they arrive.\n\nHave you been affected by the issues raised in this story? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Parents and teachers are \"frustrated\" about plans to keep schools closed until the February half term and concerned about the impact on children.\n\nSpeaking to the BBC Radio Wales phone-in, callers said they felt young people were being \"thrown under the bus\".\n\nOthers said they were fed up with \"bitty information\" from the Welsh Government.\n\nKaarina Rutta from Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, told the programme she was having to work at night when her four children had gone to bed after home schooling.\n\n\"It's a challenge trying to help all four at the same time and also having in the back of your mind I should also be working and doing other things,\" she said.\n\n\"I was quite sure that this was going to happen,\" she added.\n\n\"It didn't come as a surprise I have to say, because the situation is just so bad I think there is no other way out of it at the moment.\n\n\"I just wish we had known earlier on and it would have been easier to plan.\"\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford said it was the \"best certainty\" he could offer \"in a world which is highly uncertain\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Duke of Cambridge asked how staff were coping during the pandemic and thanked them for their sacrifice\n\nThe Duke of Cambridge has said he talks to his three children about NHS staff \"every day\" to help them to understand the \"sacrifices\" made during Covid.\n\nPrince William's comments were part of a video call to London hospital staff.\n\n\"Catherine and I and all the children talk about all of you guys every day, so we're making sure the children understand all of the sacrifices that all of you are making,\" he said.\n\nIt comes after the London mayor said the virus was \"out of control\".\n\nSadiq Khan declared a major incident on Friday - meaning the emergency services and hospitals cannot guarantee their normal level of response - after the number of Covid patients in the capital's hospitals surpassed 7,000.\n\nStaff at Homerton University Hospital in east London told the Duke of Cambridge that queues of people waiting to be vaccinated at the hospital offered hope, but that the way out of the crisis was for the public to \"stay at home\" during lockdown.\n\nIn recent days the hospital has seen its highest number of admissions since the pandemic began.\n\nDuring the UK's first national lockdown, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children Prince George (left), Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined in with the weekly Clap for Carers event\n\nThe duke, who is joint patron of NHS Charities Together, said: \"A huge thank you for all the hard work, the sleepless nights, the lack of sleep, the anxiety, the exhaustion and everything that you are doing, we are so grateful.\n\n\"Good luck, we are all thinking of you.\"\n\nHis video call, which took place on Thursday, is one of many he and the duchess have made to NHS staff during the pandemic.\n\nPrince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have also shown their support for the health service by getting involved with the weekly Clap for Carers applause during the UK's first national lockdown.\n\nAnd on Saturday, the Duchess's birthday, Kensington Palace said the family's thoughts \"continue to be with all those working on the front line at this hugely challenging time\".\n\nChief nurse Catherine Pelley told the prince her hospital had used funds from NHS Charities Together to set up various support initiatives such as a \"wobble room\" for colleagues to relax in.\n\n\"For us this week, starting vaccinating has been one of the single most significant impacts on people feeling that there is a future out of this, and the queues out the door here where they have been vaccinating have been really hopeful for people,\" she said.\n\n\"But the support we need is stay at home, help us. Because that will get us all out of this, whatever our role is, and we will get society out of this.\"\n\nAfter speaking to Ms Pelley and her colleagues about how they supported one another, the prince said: \"It's good that you and your team are keeping your spirits high and I always find that having some sort of sense of humour through everything is very important, otherwise we all go mad.\"\n\nThe Duke of Cambridge said he wants his children to appreciate the sacrifices made by NHS staff during the pandemic", "Ms Sturgeon has rejected claims made by former first minister Alex Salmond\n\nAlex Salmond has accused Nicola Sturgeon of misleading parliament, calling evidence she gave to an inquiry into the handling of sexual harassment claims against him \"simply untrue\".\n\nMr Salmond's comments emerged in a written submission to a separate investigation into whether the first minister breached the ministerial code.\n\nThe submission has been shared with the Holyrood committee.\n\nMs Sturgeon says she \"entirely rejects Mr Salmond's claims\".\n\nIn the submission, the former first minister said that Ms Sturgeon had misled parliament and broken the ministerial code with breaches including failing to inform the civil service in good time of her meetings with him.\n\nHe claimed she allowed the Scottish government to contest a civil court case against him despite having had legal advice that it was likely to collapse.\n\nMs Sturgeon told the Holyrood inquiry she had become aware of allegations at a meeting with Mr Salmond at her home.\n\nIt since emerged she met his former chief of staff in the days before, but she said she had forgotten about that meeting.\n\nMr Salmond said that claim was untenable.\n\nHis submission said that she misled parliament, and that amounted to a breach of the code. He also said she breached the code by failing to to inform civil servants of the nature of the meetings that took place between the two of them at her home where the allegations were discussed.\n\nAlex Salmond walked free from court in March having been cleared of charges of sexual assault\n\nMr Salmond's statement read: \"The pre-arranged meeting in the Scottish Parliament of 29 March 2018 was \"forgotten\" about because acknowledging it would have rendered ridiculous the claim made by the first minister in parliament that it had been believed that the meeting on 2 April was on SNP Party business and thus held at her private residence.\"\n\nBoth Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon are expected to give evidence to the committee in the coming weeks.\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross responded to the claims, saying: \"Nobody ever bought Nicola Sturgeon's tall tales to have suddenly turned forgetful, especially about the devastating moment she found out of sexual harassment allegations against her friend and mentor of 30 years.\n\n\"What has been revealed are allegations of shocking, deliberate and corrupt actions at the heart of government. There is now clear evidence of Nicola Sturgeon abusing her power to deceive the Scottish public.\n\n\"If this proves to be correct, it is a resignation matter. No first minister, at any time, can be allowed to get away with repeatedly and blatantly lying to the Scottish Parliament and breaking the ministerial code.\"\n\nScottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said Alex Salmond's explosive allegations demanded answers from the first minister to the committee.\n\nShe said: \"The bombshell accusation that Nicola Sturgeon has broken the ministerial code has the potential to end her political career and demands a robust and honest answer from the first minister.\n\n\"This committee demands truthfulness and honesty from every witness it calls - it is vital that the first minister tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when she appears.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon has repeatedly dismissed any notion of a conspiracy against Mr Salmond.\n\nHer spokeswoman said: \"The first minister entirely rejects Mr Salmond's claims about the ministerial code.\n\n\"We should always remember that the roots of this issue lie in complaints made by women about Alex Salmond's behaviour whilst he was first minister, aspects of which he has conceded. It is not surprising therefore that he continues to try to divert focus from that by seeking to malign the reputation of the first minister and by spinning false conspiracy theories.\n\n\"The first minister is concentrating on fighting the pandemic, stands by what she has said, and will address these matters in full when she appears at committee.\"\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions on Friday evening, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford MP said he did not believe the accusations about the first minister were correct.\n\nHe said: \"I believe that the first minister has acted in an honourable way, she's someone that I've every faith and trust in.\n\n\"I can tell you that the approval ratings for the first minister, the respect that she has right up and down the country of Scotland is enormous and this is something that will pass, when she appears in front of the committee these matters will be dealt with.\"\n\nAlex Salmond has just turned up the heat on his successor with a submission that presents a direct and serious challenge to the reputation of Nicola Sturgeon - who was once his closest political ally.\n\nWhat he no doubt considers as an attempt to secure justice, some others will see as a case of deflection and revenge.\n\nAllegations of breaking the ministerial code of conduct and misleading parliament are serious and, if upheld, potentially career threatening.\n\nYet even some of Ms Sturgeon's fiercest critics at Holyrood do not expect the inquiries into the Scottish government's mishandling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond to force her from office.\n\nMr Salmond seems to expect the review of the first minister's actions under the ministerial code of conduct to remain narrow enough that it could not possibly find against her.\n\nThe first minister herself appears confident of persuading all comers, including a cross-party committee of MSPs (before which both she and Mr Salmond are due to appear in the coming weeks) that she has acted properly throughout.", "The star thanked fans for their messages of support\n\nThe Wanted's Tom Parker has told fans he is \"responding well\" to treatment for his brain tumour.\n\nThe singer praised the NHS as he wrote on Instagram: \"Significant reduction: These are the words I received today and I can't stop saying them over and over again.\"\n\nSharing a picture with his wife Kelsey Hardwick and their two children, he added: \"Today is a good day.\"\n\nThe 32-year-old was found to have an inoperable brain tumour last year.\n\nThe diagnosis came after he suffered two seizures last summer. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, his wife was not allowed in the hospital during three days of tests and he received the news alone.\n\nAt the time he vowed to fight the cancer \"all the way\". Two weeks later he became a father for the second time after Hardwick gave birth to a baby boy.\n\nThe singer shared a photo of his young family alongside the latest update on his health\n\nSharing an update on his condition on Thursday, Parker said: \"I had an MRI scan on Tuesday and my results today were a significant reduction to the tumour and I am responding well to treatment.\n\n\"I can't thank our wonderful NHS enough,\" he continued. \"You're all having a tough time out there but we appreciate the work you are all doing on the front line.\"\n\nThe star also thanked his wife, calling her \"my rock\", and thanked fans for their support. \"Your love, light and positivity have inspired me,\" he wrote. \"Every message has not been unnoticed they have given me so much strength.\"\n\nParker achieved fame in the early 2010s as part of The Wanted, reaching number one with the singles All Time Low and Glad You Came.\n\nSince the band went on hiatus in 2014, he has played Danny Zuko in a touring production of Grease and reached the semi-finals of Celebrity Masterchef.\n\nHe married Hardwick, an actress, in 2018. As well as Bodhi, the couple have an 18-month-old daughter.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Covid infections rose by almost a third between 26 December and 3 January, reaching 70,000 new cases a day according to a major study.\n\nIn a different piece of research, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated 1.2 million people in total had Covid over a similar time period.\n\nDaily infections are understood to have risen to about 150,000 since then.\n\nThat would bring daily coronavirus cases above the first peak.\n\nThe R or reproduction number for the virus is now between 1 and 1.4 for the UK, reflecting the sharp rise in cases in recent weeks.\n\nSeparate ONS data suggests just under half (44%) of British adults formed a Christmas bubble.\n\nThese temporary rules let up to three households mix indoors on 25 December - unless they were living in a Tier 4 area.\n\nThe ONS estimated how much of the population had Covid in the week of 27 December- 2 January:\n\nThe ONS data suggests cases rose by three-quarters between its two most recent study periods: 12-18 December and 27 December - 2 January.\n\nThe ZOE Covid Symptom Study was able to track more recent changes since there was no pause in its research for Christmas.\n\nIt found the epidemic is growing throughout the UK.\n\nResearchers estimate the virus's reproduction or R number is currently 1.2 across the UK.\n\nBoth sources indicate London has the most severe epidemic with the highest number of cases.\n\nConfirmed cases, published on the government's dashboard, are always lower than those in surveys because they mainly reflect the test results of people coming in with symptoms.\n\nBoth the ONS and ZOE also look at asymptomatic cases - people who may not otherwise get tests.\n\nSome asymptomatic testing is now available in the community but it is not being widely taken up.\n\nAbout a fifth of people responding to a separate ONS survey looking at the social impacts of the pandemic, said they had found it difficult to follow the Christmas rules.\n\nAnd half of those gave the fact that they had already made plans as the reason.\n\nRules, which were set to allow everyone in the UK to mix in a five-day window, were changed at the last minute, on 19 December.\n\nIn England, people living in Tiers 1-3 were allowed to form a one-day Christmas bubble with a maximum of two other households.\n\nThose in Tier 4, including about 10 million people in Greater London, were not permitted to mix at all.\n\nMixing was permitted in Scotland and Wales for Christmas Day only.\n\nHow has coronavirus affected you? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nOr use this form to get in touch:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your comment or send it via email to HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any comment you send in.", "A former Labour MP has quit the party before disciplinary proceedings against him concerning sexual harassment could be concluded, Labour has said.\n\nKelvin Hopkins was suspended by the party in 2017 after a Labour activist, Ava Etemadzadeh, accused him of inappropriate physical contact.\n\nMs Etemadzadeh said the ex-MP's exit from the party was \"disappointing\".\n\nThe BBC has attempted to contact Mr Hopkins, 79, for a response, but he has previously denied the accusations.\n\nA Labour spokesperson said it \"takes all complaints of sexual harassment extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.\n\n\"We are disappointed that the party's disciplinary processes did not reach a conclusion due to Kelvin Hopkins' decision to resign his membership,\" they added.\n\n\"We are establishing an independent process to investigate complaints, including sexual harassment, to ensure complainants can feel confident that in coming forward they will be heard and get the justice they deserve.\"\n\nMr Hopkins, who first won the seat of Luton North from the Conservatives in 1997, stood down ahead of the 2019 election - a decision, he said, which was to do with his wife's health, not the accusations.\n\nHe had originally been referred to the party's National Constitutional Committee following the allegations in 2017 and had expressed frustration at the length of time the hearing was taking.\n\nResponding to his decision to leave the party, Ms Etemadzadeh tweeted: \"This is very disappointing news. I hope Keir Starmer listens to my concerns and fixes this broken system.\"", "David Bowie left his mark with songs like Space Oddity, Let's Dance and Under Pressure\n\nA series of streamed music events, shows and new releases are marking David Bowie's birthday and the fifth anniversary of his death.\n\nThe musician would have turned 74 on Friday, while Sunday is five years since he died of cancer.\n\nA star-studded tribute concert and his 2015 stage musical Lazarus will both be streamed over the weekend.\n\nTwo previously unreleased Bowie tracks have also been released, while his music has now arrived on TikTok.\n\nThe tribute gig, titled A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day, will feature Bowie's former bandmates alongside stars including Boy George, Duran Duran, Trent Reznor, Adam Lambert, Gary Barlow and actor Gary Oldman.\n\nStarting at 18:00 PT on Friday (02:00 GMT Saturday), the show will be led by Bowie's longtime pianist Mike Garson and will be available for 24 hours.\n\nDuran Duran released a timely cover of Bowie's track Five Years ahead of the show. \"My life as a teenager was all about David Bowie,\" singer Simon Le Bon said.\n\n\"He is the reason why I started writing songs. Part of me still can't believe in his death five years ago, but maybe that's because there's a part of me where he's still alive and always will be.\"\n\nOn Friday, Bowie's previously unreleased covers of Bob Dylan's Tryin' to Get to Heaven and John Lennon's Mother were also put out into the world.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by David Bowie - Topic This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nBBC Four is hosting a Bowie Night on Friday, while there will be special programmes on BBC Radio 4 and 6 Music. They include Bowie: Dancing Out in Space, which will air simultaneously on the two stations on Sunday.\n\nIn it, producer Tony Visconti describes how Bowie and Lennon first met awkwardly in a New York hotel room ahead of their collaborations on the former's cover of The Beatles' Across the Universe and his own 1975 song Fame.\n\n\"He was terrified of meeting John Lennon,\" says Visconti. \"About one in the morning I knocked on the door and for about the next two hours, John Lennon and David weren't speaking to each other.\n\n\"Instead, David was sitting on the floor with an art pad and a charcoal and he was sketching things and he was completely ignoring Lennon.\n\n\"So, after about two hours of that, he [John] finally said to David, 'Rip that pad in half and give me a few sheets. I want to draw you.' So David said, 'Oh, that's a good idea', and he finally opened up. So John started making caricatures of David, and David started doing the same of John and they kept swapping them and then they started laughing and that broke the ice.\"\n\nMeanwhile, next weekend will see the release of Stardust, a film biopic about Bowie's journey to becoming Ziggy Stardust, starring singer and actor Johnny Flynn.\n\nHowever, Bowie's family have not given it their blessing, meaning the film-makers were not allowed to use any of his music. Instead Flynn, as Bowie, is seen performing songs by Jacques Brel, The Yardbirds and one of Flynn's own compositions.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Heads are calling for limits to the number of pupils in school during lockdown in England, with attendance rates surging to 50% in some places.\n\nThe two head teachers' unions, NAHT and ASCL, say the high numbers attending could hamper the fight against the virus.\n\nThe Department for Education has widened the categories of vulnerable and key worker pupils who can attend.\n\nIt is insisting that schools ensure all children who qualify can attend.\n\nThe widened categories not only include vulnerable pupils and children of workers in critical occupations but also those who cannot access remote learning either because they do not have devices or space to study.\n\nChildren of parents working on the Brexit arrangements are also included.\n\nTeachers have described streets around schools being packed with parents dropping off their children and almost all staff having to come in and work despite the lockdown.\n\nHeads say they fear schools could be overwhelmed by children who do not have access to lap tops to learn remotely.\n\nJessica Jane, a learning assistant at a school in Hampshire, told the BBC: \"I work in a primary school where we are having to bring in every single member of staff as the list of key-workers is vast in our area and over 50% of our children are attending.\n\n\"Our community school is not closed and streets are packed with parents morning and afternoon collecting their children from open schools.\"\n\nShe added: \"My colleagues and I are still being put at risk every single day as are our families.\"\n\nA teacher from the Midlands who did not wish to be named said the number had risen from 10 pupils a day in the first lockdown to about 90 a day this week.\n\n\"We're talking just under to just over a third of the usual amount of pupils for our school here.\n\n\"The vast majority are key worker children, not vulnerable.\n\n\"I also know that other primary schools in our area have similar amounts of children in school - one neighbouring school in particular, which is only slightly larger than us, is estimating/averaging 100 to 160 children in school every day.\"\n\nGeoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, called the lack of limits \"bizarre... in a week when the prime minister has told the nation that it is necessary to move schools to remote education in order to suppress coronavirus transmission\".\n\n\"We are hearing reports that attendance in some primary schools is in excess of 50% because of demand from critical workers and families with children classed as vulnerable under criteria which has been significantly widened,\" he said.\n\n\"We are urgently seeking clarification about the maximum number who should be in school while protecting public health.\n\n\"This seems completely illogical given the fact that the government has taken the drastic action of a full national lockdown precisely in order to limit contacts.\"\n\nPaul Whiteman, general secretary of National Association of Head Teachers, said schools could not \"meet the demand created by government and reduce social mixing in the way the prime minister announced\".\n\n\"The government acknowledges that schools do play a role in the transmission of the virus. Therefore, there comes a point when occupancy levels might be so high that they work against the efforts to bring down infection rates in communities, as is the national aim.\n\n\"This could result in prolonging the amount of time pupils are away from the classroom, which we are all anxious to avoid.\"\n\nA Department for Education spokesman said: \"Schools are open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. We expect schools to work with families to ensure all critical worker children are given access to a place if this is required.\n\n\"If critical workers can work from home and look after their children at the same time then they should do so, but otherwise this provision is in place to enable them to provide vital services.\n\n\"The protective measures that schools have been following throughout the autumn term remain in place to help protect staff and students, while the national lockdown helps reduce transmission in the wider community.\"\n\nBut Emma Knights, chief executive of the National Governance Association, reflected head teachers' concerns, saying between 40 and 60% of pupils were attending schools across England.\n\n\"The real problem is we have got two different national narratives going on,\" she said - with the prime minister saying \"stay at home\" but the DfE telling schools to take all eligible children who turn up.\n\nDr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said the government seemed unable to decide whether schools were safe or unsafe.\n\nCommenting on the latest Coronavirus Infection Survey from the Office for National Statistics, Dr Bousted, said: \"Let this data end their confusion. Schools are clearly driving infection amongst children, and then onto the wider community.\n\n\"This peaked on Christmas Day with one in every 27 secondary-age children and one in 40 primary-age children infected.\n\n\"In London this rises to one in 18 secondary pupils and one in 23 primary pupils. These figures are truly shocking and entirely the result of government negligence.\"\n• None How are Covid rules changing across UK schools?", "Marion Ramsey will be remembered by fans for her notable role in the US comedy series Police Academy\n\nMarion Ramsey, best known for her acting in the American film series Police Academy, has died at the age of 73, her agent has announced.\n\nHer management at Roger Paul Inc told the BBC she died at her Los Angeles home on Thursday morning.\n\nThe agency said Ramsey had recently fallen ill, but did not give a cause of death.\n\nRamsey was adored by fans for her portrayal of the squeaky-voiced Officer Laverne Hooks in Police Academy.\n\nShe also had an illustrious career on Broadway, starring in the 1978 production Eubie!, a biographical musical about celebrated jazz pianist Eubie Blake.\n\n\"Her passion for performing and sharing her heart with the world was immense,\" Roger Paul Inc said in a statement.\n\n\"Marion carried with her a kindness and permeating light that instantly filled a room upon her arrival.\n\n\"The dimming of her light is already felt by those who knew her well. We will miss her, and always love her.\"\n\nRamsey featured in six Police Academy films as Officer Laverne Hooks\n\nBorn in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1947, Ramsey started her career in the theatre, appearing in both the original Broadway and subsequent touring productions of Hello, Dolly!.\n\nShe was prolific on Broadway, co-starring in many shows, including Harold Prince's Grind with Ben Vereen, and Eubie! with Gregory and Maurice Hines.\n\nHer agent said Ramsey was \"particularly proud\" about Broadway's Dreamgirls finally becoming a major motion picture in 2006, because she was one of the singers that the original Broadway show's producer, Tom Eyen, based the three main characters on.\n\nRamsey's career in TV and film career took off after she appeared as a guest on the hit sitcom The Jeffersons in 1976.\n\nFollowing that, she was a regular on Cos, Bill Cosby's sketch show.\n\nShe starred in six Police Academy films in total, making her a familiar face to fans of the franchise.\n\nRamsey's agent said she had an immense passion for performing\n\nAmerican actor Michael Winslow wrote in a tweet that he had \"no words to say or explain the pain\" of losing Ramsey.\n\n\"In the 80s the Police Academy films cast a long shadow over the comedy genre - they were everywhere & everyone watched them,\" British producer Jonathan Sothcott wrote. \"#MarionRamsey was hilarious as Hooks - a fine comedic actress.\"\n\nA message on the Twitter account for the movie When I Sing read: \"It is with great sadness that I share our loss of my friend, and one of the shining stars of When I Sing (her final role), the beautiful, kind, hilarious, #MarionRamsey. I will miss you, my silly sister.\"", "Most pupils will be studying from home for the rest of this half term\n\nSchools and colleges in England are to be closed to most pupils until at least half term, Boris Johnson has announced.\n\nThe prime minister said the new lockdown had to be \"tough enough\" to stop the variant virus from spreading - and teaching will go online.\n\nA-Levels and GCSEs will be cancelled, a government source confirmed to BBC News - although vocational exams will go ahead.\n\nThe National Education Union accused the government of causing \"chaos\".\n\nIn a television address, Mr Johnson announced the biggest changes to schools since the early days of the first lockdown in March.\n\n\"Because we now have to do everything we possibly can to stop the spread of the disease, primary schools, secondary schools and colleges across England must move to remote provision from tomorrow,\" said the prime minister.\n\nThis means a return to online learning for pupils of all ages - apart from vulnerable children and the children of key workers who can continue to go into school.\n\nPrimary schools went back today - and will then close again tomorrow\n\n\"We recognise that this will mean it's not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer, as normal,\" said Mr Johnson.\n\nIt is understood that vocational exams will continue, but GCSEs and A-levels will be cancelled - and that the exam watchdog Ofqual will make \"alternative arrangements\" for delivering results.\n\nAn attempt to produce replacement exam grades last summer turned into one of the biggest U-turns of the pandemic.\n\nTeachers' unions accused the government of failing to react more swiftly to \"mounting evidence\" about Covid transmission in schools and to make preparations for remote teaching and alternatives to written exams.\n\nBut Mary Bousted, co-leader of the National Education Union, said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson had \"become an expert in putting his head in the sand\".\n\nGeoff Barton of the ASCL head teachers' union criticised ministers for having issued legal threats to keep schools open at the end of last term - and then \"made a series of chaotic announcements about the start of this term\".\n\nThe new term, which began on Monday for primary pupils, has only lasted a day before it has been suspended.\n\nThe prime minister said he hoped that schools would be \"reopening schools after the February half term\".\n\nThere have been assurances that there will be a more thorough approach to home learning than in the first lockdown last year.\n\nThe Department for Education has provided hundreds of thousands of computer devices - with the aim of supporting those without the equipment needed to work online from home.\n\nThere have also been suggestions Ofsted inspectors will play a more active role in checking on what support schools are providing to pupils in their online learning.\n\nUniversities in England had already planned a staggered return for this term - but there will now be even fewer students on campus this month.\n\nThe latest lockdown guidance says university students who are taking hands-on courses such as medicine or veterinary science should return for face-to-face lessons as planned.\n\nThese students will be expected to take two Covid tests or self-isolate for 10 days when they return.\n\nBut students on all other courses are being told not to come back to university if possible and to start their term online \"until at least mid-February\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Olly Stephens was pronounced dead in Bugs Bottom fields in Emmer Green, Reading\n\nA school says its community has been left \"reeling\" after a 13-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Reading.\n\nOliver Stephens, known as Olly, was pronounced dead at Bugs Bottom fields, Emmer Green, on Sunday.\n\nFour boys and a girl, all aged 13 or 14, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. They remain in custody.\n\nHighdown School and Sixth Form Centre head teacher Rachel Cave described the boy's death as a \"total tragedy\".\n\nIn a statement, she said: \"This student was part of our community and many students and staff knew him well.\n\n\"Many have been deeply affected by this tragedy.\n\n\"In normal circumstances we would open the school and welcome in students for support before the start of the term.\n\n\"We are currently unable to do this, of course, but are arranging counselling support and will be establishing an electronic book of condolence.\"\n\nFlowers have been left outside Highdown School\n\nMs Cave said the school was \"a supportive and close-knit community\" which would \"work together over the coming days and weeks\".\n\nDet Supt Kevin Brown, of Thames Valley Police, said: \"Our thoughts remain with Olly's family at this incredibly difficult time.\"\n\nHe added: \"This is a tragic and shocking incident which has resulted in the death of a young boy.\"\n\nThe victim's family are being supported by specially trained officers.\n\nThames Valley Police said a \"considerable police presence\" would be in place in the area for several days\n\nOfficers were called just before 16:00 GMT on Sunday following reports of an attack.\n\nOfficers are appealing for anyone who was in the area between 15:00 and 16:30 who might have taken photos or camera footage to contact them if they notice anything suspicious.\n\nDet Supt Brown said he believed there would have been witnesses to the \"dreadful incident\" as the area is popular with dog walkers.\n\nA man said his wife was walking their dog through the park on Sunday afternoon when she saw a boy on the ground with several people around him trying to give him first aid.\n\nAnother dog walker said she saw a group of young people standing in the woods in Bugs Bottom fields at about 15:30 and described it as \"slightly unusual\".\n\nReading East MP Matt Rodda has offered his \"deepest condolences\" to the boy's family.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Matt Rodda This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSt Barnabas Church in Emmer Green has invited residents to pray and light a candle in memory of the boy.\n\nFollow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: \"We've now vaccinated over 1.3m people across the UK\"\n\nSome 1.3 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of a Covid vaccine, says the government.\n\nIn England, that includes nearly a quarter of the most elderly, vulnerable patients.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said it meant that within a two to three weeks they should have a \"significant degree of immunity\" to the virus.\n\nHe said there would be a ramping up to get more people immunised - up to 2 million a week.\n\nThe ambition is to vaccinate all the over-70s, the most clinically vulnerable and front-line health and care workers by mid-February. That will require around 13 million vaccinations.\n\nHe defended the UK's policy of immunising more people with one dose immediately - rather than holding some stock back to give people a second booster shot - in order to save \"the most lives the fastest\".\n\nUS regulators have questioned the policy, saying it is premature without more trial evidence, but the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says it is a pragmatic decision to protect more people.\n\nBoth the Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines require two doses to provide the best possible protection.\n\nInitially, the strategy for the Pfizer vaccine was to offer people the second dose 21 days after their initial jab - full immunity starts seven days after the second dose.\n\nBut when approval was announced for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on 30 December, it was also announced that the policy would now change - the new priority would be to give as many people a first shot of either vaccine, rather than providing the required two doses in as short a time as possible.\n\nEveryone will still receive their second dose, but this will now be within 12 weeks of their first.\n\nEngland's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty told the Downing Street press conference that extending the gap between the first and second jabs would mean the number of people vaccinated can be doubled over three months.\n\n\"If over that period there is more than 50% protection then you have actually won. More people will have been protected than would have been otherwise.\n\n\"Our quite strong view is that protection is likely to be lot more than 50%.\"\n\nAsked whether the longer gap could lead to an increase risk of the virus mutating into a version that could escape the vaccine, he said it was a worry, but a small one.\n\nChief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said vaccines would probably need to be changed further down the line to continue to be a good match for the virus - but that this was relatively quick to do.\n\nOne of the exciting things about the science of the RNA vaccines is that they are incredibly fast to make in response to new mutations, he said.", "The homes of Frank and Christine Lampard, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and Tamara Ecclestone and her husband were broken into in December 2019\n\nFour people have been cleared of being involved in a plot to raid the luxury homes of celebrities in west London.\n\nItems belonging to Frank Lampard, Tamara Ecclestone and the family of tycoon Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha were among the items taken during three burglaries in December 2019.\n\nProsecutors said Maria Mester, 48, Emil Bogdan Savastru, 30, Sorin Marcovici, 53, and Alexandru Stan, 49, were a \"supporting cast\" for the burglars.\n\nBut a jury found all four not guilty.\n\nIsleworth Crown Court heard the three burglaries had netted \"big money\" for the raiders, with \"fabulous jewellery\" stolen and the majority of it having never been recovered.\n\nJay Rutland, Tamara Ecclestone and their daughter had left for Lapland on the morning of the burglary\n\nJewellery and cash worth £25m was taken from Ms Ecclestone's Kensington home while she was on holiday in Lapland with her husband Jay Rutland and their daughter.\n\nMr Lampard and his TV presenter wife Christine had about £60,000 in watches and jewellery stolen when they were out, while raiders also ransacked the family home of Mr Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in 2018 in a helicopter crash, the jury was told.\n\nThe four defendants were accused of eight charges including conspiracy to burgle.\n\nHowever, each denied their involvement with the plot, saying they had no knowledge that the alleged burglars were criminals.\n\nJurors were shown an image from Maria Mester's Facebook account, in which she was said to be wearing Tamara Ecclestone's necklace\n\nThe court heard escort Ms Mester had flown into the UK from Italy on 7 December.\n\nPolice described her as the plot's \"matriarch\", but the 48-year-old told jurors she was only in London after being paid £5,000 to accompany one of the alleged burglars for the week.\n\nSavastru was arrested at Heathrow Airport on 30 January as he prepared to leave for Japan, wearing Mr Srivaddhanaprabha's Tag watch and carrying a Louis Vuitton bag stolen from Mr Rutland.\n\nHe told the court he thought the items had been left behind by the alleged burglars at the Airbnb property he had helped them rent.\n\nThe four Romanian nationals were cleared of all charges apart from Savastru, who was convicted of one count of attempting to conceal criminal property.\n\nThe 30-year-old will be sentenced at a later date.\n\nA group of alleged burglars, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are accused of carrying out the raids.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nicola Sturgeon announces stay at home rules in new lockdown\n\nScots are to be ordered to stay at home amid a fresh Covid-19 lockdown which will see schools remain closed to pupils until February.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon said new curbs would be introduced at midnight in a bid to contain the new, faster-spreading strain of the virus.\n\nNew laws will require people to stay at home and work from home where possible.\n\nOutdoor gatherings are also to be cut back, with people only allowed to meet one person from one other household.\n\nPlaces of worship are to be closed, group exercise banned, and schools will largely operate via online and remote learning.\n\nThese rules will apply across the Scottish mainland until at least the end of January, and will be kept under review.\n\nIsland areas will remain in level three - but Ms Sturgeon said they would be monitored carefully.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson later announced similar lockdown measures for the whole of England with all schools and colleges closing to most pupils until mid February.\n\nA further 1,905 new cases were reported in Scotland on Monday - with 15% of tests returning a positive result, something Ms Sturgeon said \"illustrates the severity and urgency of the situation\".\n\nThe first minister said she was \"more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year\", with the new coronavirus strain now accounting for half of new cases.\n\nAnd she said a \"steeply rising trend of infections\" was threatening to put \"significant pressure\" on NHS services, saying hospitals could breach capacity within three to four weeks.\n\nThe new rules - which will be put down in law - mean Scots will only be allowed to leave home for essential purposes, such as shopping for food and medicine, exercise and caring responsibilities.\n\nNo limit is to be put on how many times people can go out to exercise, but outdoor meetings are to be limited to a maximum of two people from two households.\n\nEveryone who can work from home will be required to, and people in the \"shielding\" category are advised not to go in to work at all.\n\nThe construction and manufacturing industries will remain open, but Ms Sturgeon said this would be kept under review.\n\nPlaces of worship are to close, the number of people who can attend weddings is to be cut to five, and funeral wakes will no longer be allowed.\n\nSchools are to remain closed to the majority of pupils until February, with Ms Sturgeon saying community transmission of the virus must be brought to a lower level amid concerns that the new variant of the virus spreads more easily among young people.\n\nShe said she knew remote learning presented \"significant challenges\" for parents, teachers and pupils, adding: \"I want to be clear that it remains our priority to get school buildings open again for all pupils are quickly as possible and then keep them open.\"\n\nThe first minister said she was considering whether teachers could be given the Covid-19 vaccine as a priority.\n\nMore than 100,000 people have been given a first dose of the vaccine in Scotland, and the government expects to have access to just over 900,000 doses by the end of January.\n\nHowever Ms Sturgeon said the best way to get schools open again was to drive down transmission of the virus - urging Scots to abide by the rules.\n\nThese are the toughest restrictions Scotland has faced since the lockdown of March 2020.\n\nIt is - once again - becoming compulsory to stay at home except for essential purposes like food shopping, exercise and medical care.\n\nThe extended closure of schools to most pupils is something the Scottish government was particularly keen to avoid.\n\nThese decisions are a measure of how worried ministers are about the rapid spread of the new variant of coronavirus, which is fast becoming the dominant strain.\n\nWith 225 cases per 100,000 people, Scotland is thought to be about four weeks behind London, which already has four times as many cases and NHS services under considerable pressure.\n\nThe Scottish government believes that without further action the NHS here would run out of beds for Covid patients within a month.\n\nThis new alert comes at the start of a new year which also brings new hope for a route out of the pandemic with two vaccines now beginning to offer protection.\n\nAround 100,000 doses have already been administered in Scotland but it is likely to take several months to reach all in the most vulnerable groups.\n\nThe first minister said Scotland was now in \"a race between the vaccine and the virus\".\n\nShe said: \"The Scottish government will do everything we can to speed up distribution of the vaccine. But all of us must do everything we can to slow down the spread of the virus.\n\n\"We can already see - by looking at infection rates in the south of England - some of what could happen here in Scotland. To prevent that, we need to act immediately and firmly.\n\n\"For government, that means introducing tough measures - as we have done today. And for all of us, it means sticking to the rules.\"\n\nScottish Conservative group leader Ruth Davidson raised concerns about online learning, saying it was vital that pupils had \"equal access to high-quality education\".\n\nAnd Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said teachers and working parents would need support to make the remote learning system work.\n\nMs Sturgeon said her government had \"agonised\" over the decision on schools, and said the \"fundamental priority\" was to re-open them in full as soon as possible.\n\nShe said: \"Just as the last places we ever want to close are schools and nurseries - so it is the case that schools and nurseries will be the first places we want to reopen as we re-emerge from this latest lockdown.\"\n\nThe NHS has coped so far in Scotland - more so than many other parts of the UK.\n\nBut in places like Glasgow and Lanarkshire it has been very, very tight. And here like everywhere else staff are bracing themselves for the post-Christmas effects of rising cases.\n\nThe first minister gave some stark figures on hospital and ICU occupancy - suggesting we are just weeks away from reaching limits.\n\nThere is so little give in the system they will be glad to see everything possible done to prevent stretched services being overwhelmed at a time when we are on our way to getting out the other side.\n\nThere is real anxiety about what the next few weeks might bring.\n• None Covid in Scotland: New lockdown from midnight", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. James Shaw, from Dundee, was among the first to receive the jab\n\nThe first Scottish recipients of the new Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine have received their jabs.\n\nJames Shaw, 82, and his 82-year-old wife Malita were among the first to be vaccinated in Dundee.\n\nThe couple received their first doses at Lochee Health and Community Care Centre.\n\nNicola Sturgeon has said she hoped all over-50s and those with underlying health conditions will have been vaccinated by early May.\n\nJames said: \"My wife and I are delighted to be receiving this vaccination. I have asthma and bronchitis and I have been desperate to have it so I am really pleased to be one of the first to be getting it.\n\n\"I know it takes a little while for the vaccine to work but after today I know that I will feel a bit less worried about going out. I will still be very careful and avoid busy places but knowing I have been vaccinated will really help me.\n\n\"All of my friends have said they are going to have the vaccine when it is their turn and I would encourage everyone who is offered this vaccination to take it.\"\n\nJames Shaw, 82, was one of the first people in Scotland to receive the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine, administered by advanced nurse practitioner Justine Williams\n\nThe Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine programme is being rolled out less than a week after it was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It is the second vaccine approved for use in the UK.\n\nNHS Tayside is rolling out the vaccine through GP practices in the community and will also vaccinate elderly residents and staff in care homes.\n\nIts associate director of public health Dr Daniel Chandleris said: \"The efforts of our vaccination teams have been amazing and it is testament to a real whole team approach that sees the first over-80s in the general population have their jabs today in Tayside.\n\n\"The availability and mobility of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine gives us the opportunity to start to roll out the biggest vaccine programme that the UK has ever seen across our communities.\n\n\"Over-80s are the first priority group and patients will be contacted directly to attend a vaccination session.\"\n\nScottish Secretary Alister Jack added: \"This is another important moment in our fight against the virus - every vaccination takes us a step closer to getting back to our normal lives as soon as possible.\n\n\"As with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the UK is the first country in the world to approve and roll out the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, with the UK Government ordering and paying for millions of doses for people in all parts of the UK.\"\n\nThe milestone came as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a new stricter lockdown.\n\nWith the exception of essential travel, people in mainland Scotland will have to remain at home from midnight.\n\nStatistics released on Monday showed a further 1,905 people had contracted Covid-19.\n\nFigures for hospital admissions and deaths over the holiday weekend will not be published until Tuesday.\n\nMs Sturgeon likened the situation to a race between the vaccine and the virus.\n\nShe said: \"In one lane we have vaccines - our job is to make sure they run as fast as possible.\n\n\"But in the other lane is the virus which - as a result of this new variant - has just learned to run much faster and has most definitely picked up pace in the last couple of weeks.\n\n\"To ensure that the vaccine wins the race, it is essential to speed up vaccination as far as possible. But to give it the time it needs to get ahead, we must also slow the virus down.\"\n\nThe new vaccine will initially be available in the hospitals that have been delivering the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, and new community settings will be able to deliver the jabs from 11 January.\n\nPeople in Scotland will be contacted by their health board when it is their turn to be vaccinated.\n\nThe Oxford vaccination marks a major turning point in the pandemic and will lead to a massive expansion in the UK's immunisation campaign, with enough to vaccinate 50 million people throughout the UK already on order.\n\nIt is easier to transport and store than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which needs cold storage of about -70C.\n\nThe Oxford vaccine is logistically much easier to distribute\n\nThe UK government has said 530,000 doses of the Oxford vaccine will be available to the UK from Monday, with \"millions due by the beginning of February\".\n\nScotland will ultimately get an 8.2% share of these vaccines, based on its population.\n\nChief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith has said he expects the NHS in Scotland to receive 440,360 doses of the vaccine during January.\n\nThe first minister said on Monday about 100,000 people in Scotland have already received a first dose of vaccine.\n\nBoth vaccines require two doses to be administered with an interval of between four and 12 weeks.\n\nPreviously the advice was for the vaccines to have a four-week gap between doses.\n\nThe Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) then recommended as many people as possible in the top priority groups should be offered a first dose as the initial priority.", "US intelligence agencies have said they believe Russia was behind the \"serious\" cyber compromise revealed in December.\n\nPresident Trump had previously suggested China might have been behind the hack, although other members of his administration had pointed the finger at Moscow.\n\nIn a joint statement, the intelligence bodies say they currently believe fewer than 10 US government agencies saw their data compromised, although other organisations outside of government were also affected.\n\nThey say work is still going on to understand the scope of the incident, which appears to have been aimed at gathering intelligence and which they say is \"ongoing\" a month after details first emerged.\n\nThe update on the investigation came in a statement from a task force called the Cyber Unified Coordination Group which was set up to deal with the incident. It comprises intelligence and law enforcement agencies including the FBI and NSA.\n\nThe group said it was still working to understand the scope of what had taken place.\n\nEighteen thousand customers who used Orion product from the company Solar Winds were exposed but US intelligence says it believes a much smaller number saw follow-on activity from the hackers in which they stole data. The US Treasury was among those which previously acknowledged being targeted.\n\n\"This is a serious compromise that will require a sustained and dedicated effort to remediate,\" the statement said. Many organisations are having to scour their systems for signs that they may have been compromised.\n\nThe incident sent shockwaves across the US partly because the breach was undiscovered for many months and was potentially far-reaching in terms of who it might have affected. It also suggested a degree of sophistication and stealth which was widely seen as a trademark of hackers from the SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence agency.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Experts have been warning for years that it's not a matter of if, but when, hackers will kill somebody\n\nSoon after the incident was revealed, President Trump raised the possibility that China might be responsible, but members of his own administration including the secretary of state and attorney general pointed the finger at Moscow. The latest statement shows the assessment of US intelligence agencies is that Russia was behind it, although it does not go so far as accusing the Russian state itself, saying only that the actor was \"likely Russian in origin\". Moscow has denied playing any part.\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden has previously said it was important to take \"meaningful steps\" to hold those responsible to account. It is not yet clear, though, what that might involve. While some US politicians suggested the breach might even be compared to an \"act of war\", most cyber-experts disputed this and the US intelligence community has now played down suggestions that it could have had destructive impact.\n\n\"At this time, we believe this was, and continues to be, an intelligence-gathering effort,\" the latest statement says. This is significant since it suggests no evidence has been found that this was preparatory activity for a more destructive cyber-attack which might switch off systems. This may limit the US response since espionage operations do not breach the cyber norms the US itself promotes (largely because it too carries out such intelligence-gathering operations against other nations).\n\nIn December UK officials say they believed a small number of UK organisations were affected but said they did not believe they were in the public sector.", "Queensland in Australia has seen heavy rainfall as an ex-tropical cyclone crosses the state, bringing warnings of “life-threatening\" flash flooding.\n\nMeteorologists say cyclones are more likely in Australia this year because of La Nina weather conditions.", "Singapore's Covid app is widely used across the country\n\nSingapore has admitted data from its Covid contact tracing programme can also be accessed by police, reversing earlier privacy assurances.\n\nOfficials had previously explicitly ruled out the data would be used for anything other than the virus tracking.\n\nBut parliament was told on Monday it could also be used \"for the purpose of criminal investigation\".\n\nClose to 80% of residents are signed up to the TraceTogether programme, which is used to check in to locations.\n\nThe voluntary take up increased after it was announced it would soon be needed to access anything from the supermarket to your place of work.\n\nThe TraceTogether programme, which uses either a smartphone app or a bluetooth token, also monitors who you have been in contact with.\n\nIf someone tests positive with the virus, the data allows tracers to swiftly contact anyone that might have been infected. This prompted concerns over privacy - fears which have been echoed across the world as other countries rolled out their own tracing apps.\n\nTo encourage people to enrol, Singaporean authorities promised the data would never be used for any other purpose, saying \"the data will never be accessed, unless the user tests positive for Covid-19 and is contacted by the contact tracing team\".\n\nBut Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan told parliament on Monday that it can in fact also be used \"for the purpose of criminal investigation\", adding that \"otherwise, TraceTogether data is to be used only for contact tracing and for the purpose of fighting the Covid situation\".\n\nHowever, the privacy statement on the TraceTogether site was then updated on the same day to state that \"the Criminal Procedure Code applies to all data under Singapore's jurisdiction\".\n\n\"Also, we want to be transparent with you,\" the statement reads. \"TraceTogether data may be used in circumstances where citizen safety and security is or has been affected.\n\n\"The Singapore Police Force is empowered under the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) to obtain any data, including TraceTogether data, for criminal investigations.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, the country's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, clarified that it was not just TraceTogether data that was used in cases of serious criminal investigations.\n\nHe said under the CPC, \"other forms of sensitive data like phone or banking records\" would also have their privacy regulations overruled in such cases.\n\nMr Balakrishnan added that to his knowledge, police had so far only once accessed contact tracing data, in the case of a murder investigation.\n\nThe minister stressed though that \"once the pandemic is over and there will no longer be a need for contact tracing, we will happily stand down the TraceTogether programme.\"\n\nMonday's announcement though sparked some controversy on social media, with people calling out the government and some users posting that they had now deleted the app.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by prEEtipls This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"I'm disappointed, but not at all surprised,\" local journalist and activist Kirsten Han told the BBC. \"This is actually something that I've been flagging as a concern since the earlier days of TraceTogether - and was sometimes told that I was just a paranoid fearmonger undermining efforts to fight Covid-19.\n\n\"It doesn't feel good at all to discover I was right.\"\n\n\"I think why most people are so angry about this is not that they feel like they're constantly being watched,\" one Singaporean, who did not want to be named, told the BBC. \"We already have that through other means like CCTV.\n\n\"It's more that they feel like they've been cheated. The government had assured us many times that TraceTogether would only be used for contact tracing, but now they've suddenly added this new caveat.\"\n\nAnother person told the BBC they wished they could delete the app, but daily life would be impossible without it.\n\n\"So I'm just going to disable my Bluetooth for TraceTogether from now on, unless I have to use it to enter somewhere. If the app is not only going to be used for contact tracing, then it's too much of an invasion of privacy.\"\n\nAustralian privacy watchdog Digital Rights Watch, told the BBC they were \"extremely concerned\" about the news from Singapore.\n\n\"This is the worst case scenario that privacy advocates have warned about since the start of the pandemic,\" Programme Director Lucie Krahulcova told the BBC. \"Such an approach will erode public trust in future health responses and therefore impede their efficacy.\"\n\nLike most countries, Australia has rolled out its own contact tracing app but uptake has been sluggish precisely because of privacy concerns.\n\nSingapore was among the first countries to introduce a contact tracing app nationally in March last year.\n\nThe introduction of the token in June had sparked a rare backlash against the government over concerns the device would be mandatory. An online petition calling for it to be ditched has gathered some 55,000 signatures so far.\n\nSingapore has been been one of the most successful countries in tackling the pandemic. Despite a big outbreak among its foreign workers early on, local infection rates have for months been close to zero.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Singapore rolled out its Covid tracing tokens last June", "Whitty: Priority to vaccinate those who would die from virus\n\nAndy Woodcock from the Independent asks about testing for people arriving into the UK from abroad and why it wasn't done sooner. The prime minister says the government will be bringing in measures to \"ensure that we test people coming into this country and preventing the virus from being readmitted\". Responding to a second question on schools and whether teachers and pupils should be vaccinated, Prof Chris Whitty says there is no evidence of hospitals filling up with children and it appears, that even with the new variant, \"children are relatively much less affected than other groups\". He says from a clinical point of view the real priority is to vaccinate the people that we know \"are by far the most likely to die and by far most likely to end up in hospital\". He adds there will have to be decisions made once the most vulnerable groups are vaccinated but we are not yet at that stage. The chief medical officer adds that neither vaccine currently in use in the UK has been licensed for children yet.", "Dr Radha Modgil from BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks shares her top five tips on how to stay mentally and emotionally well during the coronavirus lockdown, all beginning with the letter C.\n\nSticking to a routine, making sure we take care of ourselves, and using our creativity in new ways are all ways she suggests we can ease the psychological toll that staying inside is having on all of us.\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "Enrique Tarrio says his far-right group will turn out in numbers on Wednesday\n\nThe leader of the far-right Proud Boys group has been released after his arrest on suspicion of burning a Black Lives Matter flag last month.\n\nEnrique Tarrio faces destruction of property charges. On Tuesday, a judge ordered him to stay out of Washington.\n\nHe has reportedly admitted torching a banner taken from a black church during a rally in December in the city.\n\nPresident Donald Trump has been urging supporters to gather in the capital this week for another demonstration.\n\nOn Tuesday, a judge released him on his own recognisance pending his trial.\n\nOn Wednesday, members of Congress are due to certify Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's election victory before he takes office on 20 January.\n\nMr Tarrio has said on the social media app Parler that the Proud Boys will \"turn out in record numbers on Jan 6th\", referring to his members as \"the most notorious group of extraordinary gentlemen\".\n\nThe National Guard has been deployed by Washington DC's mayor to assist local authorities. Officials say the troops will not be armed and will be there to assist with crowd management and traffic control.\n\nA spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department, Dustin Sternbeck, told the Washington Post on Monday that Mr Tarrio had been stopped in a vehicle shortly after it entered the district.\n\nThe 36-year-old was also found during his arrest to be in unlawful possession of two devices that allow guns to hold additional bullets, a source told CBS News.\n\nThe destruction of property charge relates to a protest in Washington DC on 12 December in support of the outgoing Republican president's unsubstantiated claims of systemic election fraud.\n\nThe mostly peaceful demonstration ended in isolated scuffles as confrontations with counter-protesters broke out. Police said more than three dozen people were arrested and four churches were vandalised.\n\nMr Tarrio - who lives in Miami, where he also reportedly runs a grassroots organisation called Latinos for Trump - told the Washington Post at the time that he had burned the Black Lives Matter flag.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"Let's make this simple,\" he said. \"I did it.\"\n\nBut he maintained he did not know the Asbury United Methodist Church, where the flag had reportedly flown, was predominantly attended by African American worshippers.\n\nMr Tarrio also said Proud Boy members have had their flags and hats stolen in past demonstrations without anyone being arrested for those alleged incidents.\n\nEarlier on Monday, another black church that was vandalised during December's protest sued Mr Tarrio and the Proud Boys.\n\nCounter-demonstrators were mostly kept at a distance from Trump supporter last month by Washington DC police\n\nThe Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church accused the group of climbing over a fence and tearing down a Black Lives Matter sign.\n\nKristen Clarke, head of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a statement: \"Black churches and other religious institutions have a long and ugly history of being targeted by white supremacists in racist and violent attacks meant to intimidate and create fear.\n\n\"Our lawsuit aims to hold those who engage in such action accountable.\"\n\nThe city's police department said last month it had been considering a potential hate crime charge over the incident.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "Kate Thistleton will front new content from Bitesize Daily\n\nBBC TV is to help children keep up with their studies during the latest lockdown by broadcasting lessons on BBC Two and CBBC, as well as online.\n\nSchools have been closed to most children across the UK as part of tougher measures to control Covid-19.\n\nThe BBC will show curriculum-based programmes on TV from Monday.\n\nThey will include three hours of primary school programming every weekday on CBBC, and at least two hours for secondary pupils on BBC Two.\n\nDuring the first lockdown in the spring, lessons were available on iPlayer, red button and online, but not on regular TV channels.\n\nThe move comes amid concerns that low-income families may struggle to afford data packages for their children to take part in online learning.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson praised the BBC's \"fantastic\" plans on Tuesday. BBC Director-General Tim Davie said \"education is absolutely vital\".\n\nHe continued: \"The BBC is here to play its part and I'm delighted that we have been able to bring this to audiences so swiftly.\"\n\nThe primary programmes, which will be broadcast on CBBC from 09:00 every day, will include BBC Live Lessons and BBC Bitesize Daily as well as Our School, Celebrity Supply Teacher, Horrible Histories and Operation Ouch.\n\nBBC Two will cater for secondary students with programming to support the GCSE curriculum, including adaptations of Shakespeare plays alongside science, history and factual titles.\n\nBitesize Daily primary and secondary will also air every day on the red button as well as episodes being available on demand on iPlayer.\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the BBC \"has helped the nation through some of the toughest moments of the last century\".\n\n\"And for the next few weeks it will help our children learn whilst we stay home, protect the NHS and save lives,\" he added. \"This will be a lifeline to parents and I welcome the BBC playing its part.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Sea Shepherd is working to protect the endangered vaquita porpoise\n\nA Mexican fisherman has died after his boat collided with a larger vessel used by US conservationist group Sea Shepherd, reports say.\n\nSea Shepherd said the clash happened after fishing boats attacked one of its vessels in the Gulf of California, where it is working to protect the endangered vaquita porpoise.\n\nIt said its vessel was trying to leave when one of the boats smashed into it.\n\nThe man's family allege that his boat was intentionally rammed.\n\nHealth official Alonso Perez told AFP news agency on Monday that one fisherman died after sustaining serious injuries, while a second remained in a stable condition.\n\nSea Shepherd said its Farley Mowat vessel was removing an illegal net from a protected area on 31 December when a group of people on small fishing boats launched a \"violent attack\", including throwing Molotov cocktails.\n\n\"Following routine anti-piracy procedures, the Farley Mowat undertook defensive manoeuvring to avoid the attacks. As the vessel attempted to leave the scene, one of the [boats] aggressively swerved in front of the Farley Mowat, crashing directly into the hull\" and splitting in two, it said.\n\nThe group said it provided emergency first aid to the two men who had been on board the fishing boat.\n\nConservationists working for Sea Shepherd have been attacked several times while patrolling the vaquita refuge.\n\nThe group works with Mexican authorities to remove illegal gillnets used to catch totoaba fish, which are highly valued in Chinese traditional medicine. The nets are designed to trap the heads of fish but not their bodies, but are blamed for trapping and killing the endangered porpoises as well.", "Businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure will receive new grants to help them keep afloat until spring, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said.\n\nThe grants will be worth up to £9,000 per property, the Treasury says.\n\nMr Sunak told the BBC he was \"committed to protecting jobs and supporting businesses\".\n\nBusiness groups welcomed the new help as a good start but warned the money still wouldn't be enough to save many firms from collapse.\n\nThe help is in addition to business rates relief and the furlough scheme, which has been extended until the end of April.\n\nFirms do not have to pay the grant money back.\n\nMr Sunak said he would consider whether or how to extend support packages in its Budget on 3 March.\n\n\"The Budget early in March is an excellent opportunity to take stock of the range of support we have put in place and set out the next stage of our economic response,\" he said.\n\nThe director general of the CBI business group, Tony Danker, earlier warned leaving additional support until the Budget could be too late for many firms, saying. \"the comprehensive restrictions required a new comprehensive response\".\n\nIt was a fear echoed by other business groups, the BCC and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).\n\nBCC director general, Adam Marshall, warned many smaller firms would not qualify for help and \"will be left struggling to see how this new top-up grant will help them out of their cashflow problems.\"\n\nHe also called for the support to be extended to firms in other sectors \"who are also feeling the devastating impacts of these restrictions.\"\n\nFSB chair Mike Cherry also said the funds would be a lifeline to many, but \"do not go far enough to match the scale of the crisis that small firms are facing.\"\n\nThe British Beer & Pub Association described the grants as a \"lifeline\", but added that companies on which pubs rely, such as breweries, would also need help.\n\nSeb Heeley, owner of distillery Manchester Gin, says he needs dates to plan around\n\nSeb Heeley, owner of distillery Manchester Gin, told the BBC that fixed dates to aim for are crucial for his business.\n\n\"We need a date to work towards and we don't have that so, again, we're in limbo,\" he said. \"It takes three or four weeks\" to prepare, including retraining staff, he added.\n\nHis business has been closed since October because of restrictions in the Manchester area. It borrowed money under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).\n\n\"We start repayment in June and there's good chance we won't be open, so they are going to have to extend that,\" he said.\n\nHe said much of the £9,000 grant will be taken up by the £6,000 a month his business owes in pension contributions and national insurance alone.\n\nMr Sunak said the new support would \"help businesses to get through the months ahead - and crucially it will help sustain jobs, so workers can be ready to return when they are able to reopen\".\n\nBusinesses such as cafes, restaurants, leisure centres and shops that do not sell essentials have been particularly hard hit by coronavirus lockdown measures as people are told to stay at home.\n\nAll non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues are now closed, with pubs and restaurants allowed to offer takeaway food and non-alcoholic drinks only.\n\nThe new measures contained no additional support for self-employed people.\n\nMel Stride, chair of parliament's Treasury Committee, which scrutinises the finance department's work, warned the chancellor \"must not forget those who have fallen through the gaps around previous support packages.\"\n\nWhile this is welcome and essential support, it is now clear that the most optimistic timetable for economic lift-off from the pandemic is going to be put back.\n\nThis raises questions about the length of the furlough scheme, and government-guaranteed loans.\n\nBefore this, the best-case scenario was that mass vaccination, enabling a confident reopening of the economy, would allow furloughed workers to go straight back to their jobs in late spring.\n\nThis was never the government's central forecast, but looked possible amid optimism about the vaccine last month.\n\nEven if all vulnerable people can be vaccinated by March, the first three months of the year will see school lockdowns which will harm growth, and therefore a possible double dip recession.\n\nBusiness groups which welcomed this support say they now need a clear long-term plan. They want to know that current levels of support will stay in place until most of the population is vaccinated.\n\nHundreds of thousands of self-employed workers who fell through the gaps of support remain under huge pressure, particularly ahead of the self assessment tax deadline.\n\nA decision on extending the £20 a week increase to universal credit will also be required.\n\nEngland's lockdown rules are due to be reviewed on 15 February while Scotland's will be reviewed at the end of January.\n\nIn the UK, the unemployment rate rose to 4.9% in the three months to October, with the jobless total up to 1.7 million people.\n\nThe Office for Budgetary Responsibility, the government's independent forecaster, predicts the UK economy will have shrunk by 11.3% in 2020 - the biggest decline in 300 years. It expects unemployment to peak at 9.7%.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe PM acted \"decisively\" in announcing a new lockdown in England \"in the face of new information\", Rishi Sunak says.\n\nPeople must now stay at home except for a handful of permitted reasons and schools have closed to most pupils.\n\nThe chancellor said the action was \"regrettable\" but it was \"right we take these measures\", which will be reviewed on 15 February, to suppress the virus.\n\nIt came after UK chief medical officers recommended the Covid threat level be increased to five - its highest level.\n\nBoris Johnson said vaccinating the top four priority groups by mid-February could allow restrictions to be eased, with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove telling Sky News the measures may remain until March.\n\nMeanwhile, the prime minister is due to hold a press conference in Downing Street at 17:00 GMT with chief medical officer for England Prof Chris Whitty and the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance.\n\nTough new lockdown restrictions forbidding people from leaving home for non-essential reasons have also come into force across the Scottish mainland. Wales has been in a national lockdown since 20 December and Northern Ireland entered a six-week lockdown on 26 December.\n\nThe UK reported a record 58,784 cases on Monday, as well as a further 407 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nMr Gove told BBC Breakfast: \"The four chief medical officers of the United Kingdom met and discussed the situation yesterday and their recommendation was that the country had to move to level five, the highest level available of alert that meant there was an imminent danger to the NHS of being overwhelmed unless action was taken.\n\n\"And so in the circumstances we felt that the only thing we could do was to close those primary schools that were open.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Gove:\" With a heavy heart but with clear evidence we had to act.\"\n\nHe said the action was taken \"with the heaviest of hearts\" and \"we had to act\" following that advice.\n\n\"It is a very, very difficult time for the whole country, that's why it's so important we do everything we can in government to vaccinate people,\" he said.\n\nHe said a million people had been vaccinated so far \"up until the weekend\" and it was hoped that number would reach more than 13 million in February.\n\nWhen asked about the target of two million vaccines a week and concerns over logistics and the safety systems, Mr Gove said the vaccination process was a \"complicated exercise\" but the NHS \"has more than risen to the challenge\".\n\nThe government was \"looking at further options\" to restrict international travel, he said.\n\nMr Gove told Sky News he could not say exactly when the lockdown in England would end, adding: \"I think it is right to say that as we enter March we should be able to lift some of these restrictions but not necessarily all.\"\n\nCabinet Office minister Michael Gove saying the lockdown may have to last to March may not come as much of a surprise to many.\n\nWhile the government has set a target of offering the most at-risk a jab by mid February, it will take several weeks longer for the full effect to be felt given it takes time for an immune response to kick in.\n\nThe bigger question is whether or not the government could have acted earlier.\n\nIt was clear before Christmas the new variant was pushing up infection rates - and that in turn would mean more hospital admissions.\n\nThe delay looks costly. Since Christmas Day, the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital has risen by 50% alone - enough to fill 18 hospitals.\n\nWhile the government did introduce tier four the weekend before Christmas in parts of the south east of England, which banned mixing over the festive period and led to the closure of non-essential shops and gyms, most of the country were allowed to meet up on Christmas Day.\n\nInfections from Christmas Day are now being felt - the numbers have been rising sharply ever since. Some of these are next week's hospital admissions - and is why the chief medical officers warned of the risk of hospitals becoming overwhelmed, which Mr Gove said persuaded them to act on Monday.\n\nIf lockdown had come earlier, it may well have been shorter.\n\nProf Andrew Hayward - a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) - told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the lockdown measures \"will save tens of thousands of lives\".\n\nBut he said \"the virus is different\" and \"it may be that the lockdown measures that we have are not enough\"\n\n\"This lockdown period we need to do more than just stay at home, wait for the vaccine, we need to be actively bearing down on it,\" he said.\n\nAt Scotland's daily briefing, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called for people to hold on to the fact there was now \"a clear route out of this pandemic\".\n\nShe said there had been urgent discussions between the four home nations about whether border controls should be tightened - and she hoped there would be an announcement soon.\n\nAnnouncing England's lockdown on Monday, Mr Johnson said hospitals were under \"more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic\".\n\nHe ordered people to stay indoors other than for limited exceptions - such as essential medical needs, food shopping, exercise and work that cannot be done at home - and said schools and colleges should move to remote teaching for the majority of students until at least half term.\n\nPeople who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be contacted by letter and should now shield once more, Mr Johnson said.\n\nWhile the rules become law in the early hours of Wednesday, people should follow them now, Mr Johnson added.\n\nMr Johnson said the new variant of coronavirus, which is up to 70% more transmissible, was spreading in a \"frustrating and alarming\" manner and warned that the number of Covid-19 patients in English hospitals is 40% higher than the first peak.\n\nThe House of Commons has been recalled to allow MPs to vote on England's new restrictions on Wednesday.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his MPs would \"support the package of measures\", saying \"we've all got to pull together now to make this work\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC's Laura Foster explains the order in which the Covid vaccine will be given\n\nHow will you be affected by the latest developments? What questions do you have? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Quote Message: The return of lockdown for at least the rest of January is a severe blow for much of the Scottish economy. It could be worse: this is not the peak Christmas season for retail and hospitality, though the season they’ve just had was very hard going for many, and non-existent for others. This is also the quietest part of the tourism year, so January is a relatively good month to lose one’s bookings. For many firms, it is better than last spring, because they have infection controls in place. And there is a less harsh closure scheme, meaning construction sites and others can stay open, subject to tight rules. Many employers have settled into patterns of working from home, so this does not carry the shock of last March. There was little expectation of getting staff back into offices for months yet. But that doesn’t make this time any easier for workers who are also parents. They know, from last year, how tough it is to handle childcare and lessons while schools are shut - and this time, they have to manage without good weather. The other, more negative comparison with last spring is that firms now are, typically, deeper in debt and with less spare cash to pay the bills that don’t stop - rent, and utility bills, for instance. Some delayed payments are getting tougher to keep on hold. Their frustration with the slow movement of government grant schemes is showing. They aren’t disputing the case for further lockdown but they are making their own case for support through it, and for a recovery strategy once restrictions are lifted, including a boost to consumer confidence and spending.\" from Douglas Fraser Scotland business & economy editor\n\nThe return of lockdown for at least the rest of January is a severe blow for much of the Scottish economy. It could be worse: this is not the peak Christmas season for retail and hospitality, though the season they’ve just had was very hard going for many, and non-existent for others. This is also the quietest part of the tourism year, so January is a relatively good month to lose one’s bookings. For many firms, it is better than last spring, because they have infection controls in place. And there is a less harsh closure scheme, meaning construction sites and others can stay open, subject to tight rules. Many employers have settled into patterns of working from home, so this does not carry the shock of last March. There was little expectation of getting staff back into offices for months yet. But that doesn’t make this time any easier for workers who are also parents. They know, from last year, how tough it is to handle childcare and lessons while schools are shut - and this time, they have to manage without good weather. The other, more negative comparison with last spring is that firms now are, typically, deeper in debt and with less spare cash to pay the bills that don’t stop - rent, and utility bills, for instance. Some delayed payments are getting tougher to keep on hold. Their frustration with the slow movement of government grant schemes is showing. They aren’t disputing the case for further lockdown but they are making their own case for support through it, and for a recovery strategy once restrictions are lifted, including a boost to consumer confidence and spending.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Sport\n\nProfessional sport in England can continue behind closed doors, despite a new national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.\n\nIt means Premier League football and elite leagues in other sports are allowed to carry on.\n\nThe sport and leisure rules in England are similar to those announced in Scotland earlier on Monday.\n\nPeople living in England have been told to stay at home and schools will shut for most pupils from Tuesday.\n\nOn Monday, the UK recorded more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases for the seventh day in a row.\n\nFor those in England, exercising outside is allowed once a day. Venues such as gyms, tennis courts and golf courses will be closed.\n\nOrganised outdoor sport for disabled people is exempt from the new measures.\n\nGames and training in non-elite football - which includes all adult and youth grassroots, except for disabled people - have been suspended.\n\nThe Women's FA Cup is among the non-elite competitions placed on hold. All but one of the second-round matches scheduled to take place on Sunday were postponed because of Covid-19 regulations.\n\nTeams from the Women's Super League and Women's Championship enter the draw from the fourth round onwards.\n\nWhich non-elite football has been suspended? Steps three to six of the National League System (all divisions below the National League North and South) Tiers three to seven of the Women's Football Pyramid (all divisions below the Women's Championship) Women's FA Cup (classified as 'non-elite' up to and including the third round) All indoor and outdoor youth and adult grassroots football, including under-18s (except organised outdoor football for disabled people, which is allowed to continue)\n\nFollowing Monday's announcement by the prime minister, this week's sporting fixtures in England are set to go ahead as planned.\n\nIn football, the Carabao Cup semi-finals are being played on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the FA Cup third round - which has 32 fixtures spanning four days - starts on Friday.\n\nThere are also several Women's Super League, English Football League and National League games set to take place, as well as English Premiership and Premier 15s rugby union matches, plus the Masters snooker event in Milton Keynes.\n\nEarlier on Monday, Rochdale chief executive David Bottomley said he believes it is \"inevitable\" that the EFL will have to temporarily suspend fixtures because of rising coronavirus cases.\n\nSeven of last Saturday's EFL games - and 52 across the season - have been called off as teams are affected by the virus.\n\nFour Premier League matches have also been postponed this season because of coronavirus cases.\n\nWhat does the new lockdown mean for sport in England?\n\nThe UK government published its guidance for England's new national lockdown shortly after the prime minister's televised address at 20:00 GMT.\n\nHere are the points relating to sport and physical activity:\n• None Elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) - or those on an official elite sports pathway - to compete and train\n• None Outdoor sports courts, outdoor gyms, golf courses, outdoor swimming pools, archery/driving/shooting ranges and riding arenas must also close\n• None Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue\n\nWhile golfing has been allowed to continue in Scotland under strict rules, courses will be closed in England.\n\nEngland Golf said it was \"extremely disappointed\" with the decision, adding it had made a \"strong case\" to keep the sport open in recent months.\n\nWhere can I exercise and who can I exercise with?\n\nYou can exercise in a public outdoor place:\n• None with the people you live with\n• None with your support bubble ( if you are legally permitted to form one)\n• None or, when on your own, with one person from another household\n• None public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)\n\nUK Active, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes health and fitness, says the government must act immediately to \"minimise the damaging impact of lockdown\".\n\n\"We know from the millions of people that depend on gyms, pools, and leisure centres to support their physical and mental health, how essential they are,\" said UK Active chief executive Huw Edwards.\n\n\"We cannot afford to wait until the vaccine rollout is advanced before we act, so the government must explore all options at this time and provide a credible plan for maintaining this support to millions of people who rely on these Covid-secure facilities to stay strong and healthy.\n\n\"Furthermore, the UK governments must protect this sector before it becomes too late.\"", "Internet providers are under pressure to do more to help low-income families afford data packages for their children to take part in remote learning.\n\nIt follows a decision to close UK schools to most pupils to enforce new coronavirus lockdowns.\n\nThe children's commissioner for England told the BBC that \"broadband companies really need to step up\".\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer added he thought the cost of data was \"a big problem\".\n\n\"We're asking people to endure very tough restrictions. And there has to be the other side of that contract,\" he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\n\"Everybody needs to try and make this work. And that includes the companies that can take away the charging for data. It's a serious situation.\"\n\nWhen questioned about the topic at a Downing Street press conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: \"We are looking at... the potential costs to parents of online teaching, and we're going to do our best to support them in any way that we can and to work with the internet companies.\"\n\nThere is concern that some disadvantaged pupils are currently dependent on pay-as-you-go or monthly mobile phone subscriptions that only include a small data allowance because their families cannot afford or otherwise obtain a separate fixed broadband connection.\n\n\"There are 25 million pay-as-you go customers in the UK, and about seven million of those struggle with the cost of topping up their data,\" commented Chris Thorpe from the Centre For The Acceleration Of Social Technology charity.\n\nMany schools are using video-chat software including Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet to live-stream classes, assemblies and other activities, which all benefit from a fast, stable connection and can consume a lot of data.\n\nIn addition, other tools including Google Classroom, Tapestry and Class Dojo are used by pupils to submit schoolwork and receive marks and other feedback.\n\nThe situation became more pressing after the prime minister announced last night that England's lockdown would mean schools and colleges would remain closed to most pupils until at least the February half-term.\n\nTech for UK - a coalition of technologists and other concerned business leaders - has suggested one way forward would be for internet providers to \"zero rate\" edtech apps and websites, so that their data use would be deducted from a mobile subscriber's monthly allowance.\n\nHowever, it acknowledges the challenge in doing so is to pick which platforms to support without giving some providers an unfair advantage over others.\n\nThe Department for Education already runs a scheme for disadvantaged children who do not have access to a home broadband connection to temporarily increase their mobile data allowance.\n\nIn some cases, this involves an extra 20 gigabytes a month. In others - such as Three - it provides an \"unlimited\" data upgrade.\n\nSchools, trusts and local authorities need to request the support on a pupil's behalf.\n\nThe networks involved in the initiative include:\n\nIn cases when this is not available, the government offers 4G wireless routers - which use mobile networks to offer a wi-fi connection - as an alternative.\n\nIn addition, Vodafone provided 350,000 \"free data\" Sim cards to thousands of primary and secondary schools and colleges in November.\n\n\"We are actively considering what to do now about this new situation,\" it said.\n\nO2 pledged in October to donate 10,000 devices and 12 months of free data to \"vulnerable individuals\".\n\nAnd Virgin Media noted it had launched a discounted home broadband service for families facing financial difficulties and receiving universal credit.\n\nBT says it has already removed all caps on its home broadband plans to help ensure children can stay connected to their schools.\n\nAnne Longfield, the children's commissioner for England, said she was also concerned about the provision of devices.\n\n\"A lot of children still don't have laptops. They're surviving on broken phones,\" she told the Today programme.\n\nThe Department for Education said it had delivered more than 560,000 devices to schools and councils in England between the start of the pandemic and the end of last year.\n\nIn addition, it aims to have delivered a further 100,000 laptops and tablets to schools by the end of this week to help get closer to its overall target of one million devices.\n\nHowever, teaching groups have raised concerns about the rollout.\n\nSome children are being provided with tablets to keep them connected to their schools\n\n\"We must hear no more of rationing of equipment, as we did late last year,\" Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) told the BBC.\n\n\"If the stockpiles exist, as the Department for Education claim they do, then they must be distributed urgently. We have heard too many stories of requests from schools not being met, or not being fully met.\"\n\nSteven George of head teachers' union, NAHT added that a website used to order laptops had been inaccessible over the Christmas break, so some members had been unable to make requests.\n\nIn addition, the Association of School and College Leaders suggested the government had \"never really got to grips\" with the issue.\n\n\"It is certainly sending out lots of laptops for disadvantaged children to schools. But there's clearly still a gap, not just in terms of the number of devices that are required but also in terms of whether families have sufficient connectivity,\" said general secretary Geoff Barton.\n\n\"This has happened because it is a crisis situation, and there hasn't been a great deal of time in which to properly assess the level of need that exists, but it does expose the fact that pre-crisis, there hadn't been a properly joined-up national strategy on digital learning.\"\n\nOthers have noted that the device allocation scheme does not extend to printers - which are needed for worksheets and other materials sent by teachers - putting low-income families at a further disadvantage.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Eileen Lynch, 94, was the first person in Northern Ireland to receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine\n\nUp to 11,000 people aged over 80 across Northern Ireland are set to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine this week.\n\nThe aim is to ensure everyone in that age group will be offered the vaccine by the end of January.\n\nThirty GP practices will be administering 50,000 doses of the vaccine, which was approved for use in the UK on 30 December.\n\nIt is the second vaccine to be approved in the battle against coronavirus in Northern Ireland.\n\nIt comes ahead of a UK-wide announcement by the prime minister, set to be made at 20:00 GMT on Monday, in which further restrictions will be announced.\n\nIn a statement, a No 10 spokesman said the new variant of Covid-19 had \"led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country\" and \"further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise\".\n\nOn Monday, Northern Ireland recorded a further 1,801 Covid-19 cases and 12 more virus-related deaths.\n\nThese latest figures from the Department of Health bring the total number of deaths to 1,366, while 79,873 people have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic started.\n\nMore than 12,000 cases have been reported in the past seven days, more than double the week before.\n\nThe seven-day rate per 100,000 people is now 660 positive cases, compared to 200 per 100,000 two weeks ago.\n\nMedical experts believe that is down to the two-week easing of restrictions over the Christmas period.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland on Monday, an additional 6,110 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were announced, with six further deaths linked to the virus.\n\nNorthern Ireland is in the second week of a six-week lockdown in which non-essential retail is closed.\n\nThe first doses of the vaccine were given delivered at a GP surgery on the Falls Road in West Belfast on Monday afternoon.\n\nThe first person in Northern Ireland to receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine was 94-year-old Eileen Lynch.\n\nSpeaking after receiving the vaccine, Ms Lynch said she was \"delighted and privileged\" to receive it.\n\n\"I feel like I can really look forward to the year ahead now that I have been vaccinated,\" she said.\n\nThe Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine has already been used to vaccinate care home residents and staff.\n\nBy mid December, 50,000 doses of that vaccine had been made available and by 30 December, Northern Ireland's Department of Health reported that 33,000 people had been vaccinated.\n\nThis included 8,940 care home residents, 10,484 care home staff and 14,259 health and social care staff.\n\nAccording to the latest NI statistics, for the first time the percentage positive cases in the over 80s is down - an indication the vaccination process is working.\n\nThere are approximately 82,000 people over 80 in NI and BBC News NI understands that if deliveries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine happen as planned, it is thought that all of those over 80, as well as GPs and their staff, could be vaccinated within three weeks.\n\nWhile 50,000 doses have been delivered to Northern Ireland, a further 23,000 vaccines are expected on 19 January while another 68,000 are due on 24 January.\n\nDr Alan Stout, who is a GP in Belfast, told BBC News NI that members are \"very optimistic\" that 11,000 people can be vaccinated this week.\n\nThe Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is the second coronavirus vaccine to be approved in the UK\n\nNI's chief medical officer said the Oxford-AstraZeneca rollout would run alongside the ongoing vaccination programme.\n\nDr Michael McBride said: \"First and foremost we must act to protect those most at risk of severe disease and death.\n\n\"The evidence shows that the initial dose of vaccine offers as much as 70% protection against the effects of the virus.\n\n\"Providing that level of protection on a large scale will have the greatest impact on reducing mortality and hospitalisations, protecting the health and social care system.\"\n\nThe Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine has to be kept at an extremely low temperature which complicates handling constraints.\n\nThe Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is considered easier to store and distribute.\n\nIts rollout consists of two full doses of the vaccine, with the second dose to be given four to 12 weeks after the first.\n\nGPs are appealing to the public to remain calm and wait to be called for their vaccine either by telephone or by letter.\n\nDr Stout said as demand grows worldwide for the vaccine, that schedule could easily change.\n\n\"The public have to be patient, we have a system and must be allowed to get on with it - it really is 'don't call us - we will call you'.\"\n\nWhile some vaccinations will take place in surgeries others will happen in a drive-through system.\n\nCovid-19 is deadlier than flu, which means January 2021 is going to be even tougher than usual.\n\nAlso, Covid patients tend to stay much longer in hospital with more severe symptoms requiring additional beds and care.\n\nBut those rising patient numbers aren't matched by an increased workforce.\n\nInstead it is expected that the nurse-patient ratio will increase (even though many aren't trained to work in critical care) as there simply aren't enough nurses available.\n\nSome health unions fear this will only add to Northern Ireland's excess mortality rate, which is greater than that in Great Britain.\n\nOnce again, this highlights Northern Ireland's failing health care system, which was already below par well before the start of the pandemic.\n\nCoronavirus infection figures here are expected to peak between 15 and 21 January. That will be felt not only in hospitals but also in GP practices as they continue to roll out the vaccine.\n\nWhile at this stage the six weeks look bleak it's hoped that the additional Astra-Zeneca vaccine and the low incidence of flu will go a long way in not only saving lives, but also protecting the health service.\n\nDr Stout said much planning had gone into ensuring the programme happened as smoothly as possible.\n\n\"People will literally stay in their cars and be asked to roll up their sleeves - it has to be safe and efficient in order for us to get through it and safely.\"\n\nThe UK has ordered 100 million doses of the new vaccine - enough to vaccinate 50 million people.\n\nMeanwhile, Dr Tom Black, chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, said it was \"appalling\" that the Pfizer vaccine was not to be administered in two doses within 21 days as instructed by the company and threatened legal action.\n\nDr Black was responding to news that the UK will give both parts of the Oxford and Pfizer vaccines 12 weeks apart.\n\n\"They have left care workers in Northern Ireland with a gap in their expected immunity,\" he told BBC NI's Radio Foyle on Monday.\n\n\"In that period doctors, nurses, porters or health care professionals could infect patients because they will not be protected against the transmission of the infection to patients.\"\n\nThe UK's chief medical officers have defended their Covid vaccination plan.\n\nThey said getting more people vaccinated with the first jab was \"much more preferable\" and that the great majority of the initial protection from clinical disease is after the first dose of vaccine.\n\nDr Black is to meet NI Health Minister Robin Swann later to express health care workers' concern over the change in vaccine policy.", "Food banks have seen increased demand during the pandemic\n\nThe UK \"cannot duck\" tackling inequalities of health, ethnicity, education and jobs post-Covid, a major review has warned.\n\nThe report's chairman, Nobel laureate Sir Angus Deaton, says a lot of work to repair and rebuild the damage will be needed after the pandemic.\n\nThe Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) Deaton Review of Inequalities warned the fabric of society was under threat.\n\nThe review says there is a \"once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle the disadvantages faced by many that this pandemic has so devastatingly exposed\".\n\n\"We now face a set of challenges which we cannot duck.\"\n\nSir Angus said: \"As the vaccines should, at some point this year, take us into a world largely free of the pandemic, it is imperative to think about policies that will be needed to repair the damage and that focus on those who have suffered the most.\n\n\"We need to build a country in which everyone feels that they belong.\"\n\nWhile the pandemic had highlighted the disproportionate impact on ethnic minority groups and deprived communities, it also showed that the UK's best-paid and most highly educated have been \"much better able to ride out the crisis\", the report said.\n\nYoung people have been among the worst hit economically\n\nChildren from poorer households found it harder to do schoolwork during lockdown and have been more likely to miss school since September, it noted.\n\nAnd while the biggest risk factor for coronavirus is age, younger people have been hit harder by the economic consequences of the crisis.\n\nThe cost of the pandemic is \"just colossal\" IFS director Paul Johnson told the BBC's Today programme.\n\n\"We've seen the biggest reduction in national income, essentially in history, over the last year, we've seen the biggest public deficit in history outside of the two world wars, so there's no getting around the fact that the pandemic and the response to it has had a bigger effect on the economy than anything essentially in the whole of history.\"\n\nThe report highlighted the effects of the pandemic on different groups, including on education, which is \"probably more worrying\" than the overall economic effect, Mr Johnson said.\n\n\"The first lockdown lockdown saw a dreadful impact on the education particularly of poorer children... they were getting less in the way of online lessons from their schools.\n\n\"There's a huge private school/state school divide in this, but also a big divide within state schools between those children who had support at home, had the facilities at home - laptops and internet and so on - but who also had the support from school - so there's a big impact on education but also a very unequal one,\" he added.\n\nThe review is calling for extra support for children who have fallen behind and help for school and university leavers to find jobs.\n\nIt says the welfare safety net must be adapted so it supports non-traditional forms of employment, including insecure and self-employed workers, and minority ethnic groups must be given greater economic opportunities.\n\nProgress in reducing poor mental and physical health could be \"one of the clearest indications of success of economic and social policy\", it adds.\n\nMark Franks, director of welfare at the Nuffield Foundation, which funded the review, said: \"Individuals are subject to a wide range of potential vulnerabilities around dimensions including age, ethnicity, place of birth, education, income and the nature of their employment.\n\n\"Where these vulnerabilities intersect, they can amplify and reinforce one another and play a huge role in driving unequal outcomes.\"\n\nHowever, the government said it was already spending vast sums to support people and the economy through the pandemic.\n\nA spokesman said: \"We're doing everything we can to ensure our coronavirus support reaches those who need it the most, which is why we've invested more than £280bn to protect the incomes, livelihoods and health of millions of people across the UK.\"\n\nThis included an additional £9bn for the welfare system and £2bn for the Kickstart Scheme, tripling traineeships, incentives for firms hiring apprentices and doubling the number of work coaches \"so that nobody is left without hope or opportunity\", the spokesman said.", "Economy Minister Diane Dodds has written to Cabinet Office Secretary Michael Gove to call for urgent action to be taken on deliveries to NI.\n\nSince Christmas some orders have been cancelled or delayed and some retailers have suspended deliveries.\n\nThe problem is related to uncertainty about post-Brexit transition rules.\n\nHM Customs announced a grace period on New Year's Eve confirming most parcels from GB-NI will not need customs declarations until at least April.\n\nThe problems have not affected all companies with many continuing to take orders and deliver as normal.\n\nHowever, some companies had already suspended deliveries, including John Lewis.\n\nThe government said the three-month grace period \"recognises the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland, the impacts of any disruption to parcel movements in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and specific challenges for operators moving express consignments\".\n\nA government spokesman said further details will be published in the new year, adding: \"Our priority is to have a pragmatic approach that allows us to comply with the [Northern Ireland] Protocol without causing undue disruption to businesses and citizens.\n\n\"HMRC is engaging with operators to finalise arrangements.\"\n\nSome changes have already come into effect.\n\nA Northern Ireland-based business receiving goods valued at £135 or more through an express carrier or Royal Mail will need to submit a customs declaration.\n\nThey will need to do this within three months of receiving the goods and can use the government's Trader Support Service to do so.\n\nExcise goods, which mostly refers to alcoholic drinks, will also need a declaration when being sent from GB to NI.\n\nThe government has advised retailers of those goods to contact their delivery company.\n\nIt said: \"They will then tell you if they carry the type of goods you want to send and, if they do, they will ask you to provide any additional information that they need so that a declaration can be made.\"", "About 10 UK nationals resident in Spain say they were wrongly turned back when their flight landed in Barcelona.\n\nThey left Heathrow on the Saturday morning British Airways flight, but were refused entry on arrival.\n\nThey were stopped by border police and ultimately flown back to the UK.\n\nSpain has banned all but Spanish nationals and residents flying from the UK to Spain since 22 December in the hope of containing the spread of the new UK strain of Covid-19.\n\nOne passenger on the flight, who did not wish to be named, said that those on board had been told repeatedly that only Spanish nationals or residents would be allowed to enter the country and that their residency certificates, also known as green certificates, were shown to airline staff several times.\n\nHowever, on arrival, British passengers with green residency certificates were prevented from entering Spain.\n\nBA has confirmed that about 10 people were denied entry into Barcelona, as they did not meet the Spanish authorities' required criteria.\n\nOne of those affected, Ruth O'Leary, said: \"I was very confused, obviously. I asked them what other documents I could provide.\n\n\"They seemed to be just flat-out refusing anything I had and just wouldn't let me on the flight. Very upsetting really.\n\n\"Quite an awful feeling not to be able to go back to your own house and to not really be given an explanation why you can't go home.\"\n\nOther British expat passengers have also said that they have been stopped from boarding planes to Spain.\n\nOne passenger on board said that seven British citizens were prevented from boarding a British Airways/Iberia flight from Heathrow to Madrid on Saturday evening, despite having their green residency certificates, as well as negative Covid tests.\n\nThe exact number of flights and passengers affected has not been released by the Foreign Office.\n\nIn a statement on Monday, Iberia said that on 1 January, it received an email from the border police saying that registration as a European citizen was no longer considered to be a valid document to prove legal residency in Spain as a British citizen.\n\nHowever, by 19:30 on 2 January, the airline received a second email, confirming that the document could be used if it had not expired.\n\nA British Airways spokesperson said: \"In these difficult and unprecedented times with dynamic travel restrictions, we are doing everything we can to help and support our customers.\"\n\nThe Spanish Embassy in London tweeted a letter stating it was aware that during the current travel restrictions, there had been some problems for British nationals resident in Spain who had not been allowed to return.\n\nThe embassy clarified that green certificates were valid proof of residency.\n\nThe Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: \"We have worked closely with the Spanish government to resolve these issues.\n\n\"The Spanish Embassy in London has re-confirmed today that both the green residence certificate and the new residence TIE card [Photo-ID card] are equally valid in terms of proving residence in Spain, as set out in the [Brexit] Withdrawal Agreement.\"", "South Wales Police piloted the use of facial recognition in Cardiff - it was later ruled unlawful\n\nPolice should be allowed more access to facial recognition technology, a firm developing it for use in the private sector has said.\n\nLast year, appeal court judges ruled a trial project to scan thousands of faces by South Wales Police was unlawful. The force did not appeal.\n\nWelsh company Credas said laws were not keeping up with the latest technology.\n\nThe Home Office said it wants police to use new crime-reducing technology while \"maintaining public trust\".\n\nCredas believes such facial recognition technology could be a vital tool in fighting crime.\n\n\"Ten years ago it would have felt space age, but now it's everywhere - just logging into my phone or laptop, we're all used to it now,\" said chief executive Rhys David.\n\n\"But the legislation will never keep up with the technological advancements.\"\n\nThe firm, based in Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan, works with firms to prevent crime in commercial settings, helping them confirm a client's identity.\n\nIt can include estate agents, the legal sector, accountancy or gambling operations - any businesses regulated to reduce fraud and money laundering.\n\n\"There's common stories of people buying houses with someone else's identity and manipulating the paperwork so that the funds get transferred into the wrong account and it's too late then - we can't recover that,\" said Mr David.\n\n\"It's a very difficult position to be in, but technologies like ours are closing the gap.\"\n\nApps can compare people's picture to that on their passport\n\nCredas's app uses facial recognition - people take a selfie and the app compares it to a photograph of their passport to verify they are who they claim to be.\n\nClaire Williams works for FBM estate agent in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, which has been using the software for the past two years.\n\n\"Before we would take people's passports or driver's licence, they would either come into the office and we would photocopy it, or we would even accept a scanned, emailed copy.\n\n\"There would be no way of knowing whether these were legitimate passports and driver's licences.\n\n\"They might have been using fake IDs, trying to launder money through the property industry - putting money into the properties, then reselling them to launder the money.\"\n\nBut scanning faces to confirm details for a mortgage is a very different beast to automated facial recognition, which is what was being trialled by South Wales Police - scanning faces in a crowd, often without people's knowledge.\n\nThat was ruled unlawful after a challenge by civil rights group Liberty and Ed Bridges from Cardiff.\n\n\"Real-time surveillance is considerably more complex than in the commercial space where it's a fairly static, controlled environment. But we should be adopting it and encouraging it to reduce a criminal footprint,\" added Mr David.\n\n\"I find it really sad that the police aren't encouraged to use technology like this to keep our country safe.\n\n\"Let's be honest, the police don't want to sell us trainers. They're not looking to capture our images or biometric footprints to sell us goods. It's to keep us safe, so the police can run very sophisticated facial matching programmes in real time to identify criminals.\"\n\nThe frustration was echoed by the surveillance camera commissioner, Tony Porter, who is the independent regulator appointed to oversee the use of camera systems in England and Wales.\n\nFollowing the appeal court ruling on South Wales Police in August, he said he had been \"fruitlessly and repeatedly\" calling for an updated code the police could follow.\n\nWhile campaigners Liberty felt the court's ruling left little room for the technology to be safely used, Mr Porter disagreed, adding: \"I believe adoption of new and advancing technologies is an important element of keeping citizens safe.\"\n\nHe has issued new guidance on the use of facial recognition in light of the case, but it remains just that - guidance, not law.\n\nIt has left police forces still trying to iron out the problems raised by the Court of Appeal - the potential for gender and ethnic biases and a robust code to cover when, how and where the technology can be used, and in search of whom.\n\nProf Martin Innes, from the Universities' Police Sciences Institute, evaluated the rollout of automatic facial recognition for South Wales Police in 2018, flagging ethical and regulatory challenges facing forces.\n\n\"If you look back at the history of new and innovative technologies in policing this is what always happens. You have to let the law catch up a little bit and find out what matters and where the key points of regulation are,\" he said.\n\nAt present, different standards between the private and public sectors \"could be very, very confusing,\" he added.\n\n\"There is a risk that these technologies get introduced almost by stealth and they start popping up everywhere.\"\n\nPembrokeshire estate agent Claire Williams now uses a facial recognition app to match faces to identity\n\nIn a way, some of that has already happened, from mobile phones that can detect your face to hi-tech doorbells\n\nStopping criminal harm \"seems to be an equally justifiable reason\" to use the technology, argued Prof Innes.\n\n\"But we need to think quite carefully about how far do we want this to go, and where is it appropriate for us to introduce these technologies in our lives.\n\n\"There are issues - but there are potentially opportunities and benefits to be gained if it can be done in the right way, as well.\"\n\nThe Home Office and the police say they will consider any ideas that could improve the way live facial recognition technology is used.\n\n\"We want police to use new technologies, like live facial recognition, in a way that reduces crime while maintaining public trust,\" said a Home Office spokesperson.\n\n\"We are working closely with the police to ensure national College of Policing guidance complies with the Court of Appeal's request to clarify how live facial recognition will be used.\n\n\"The government committed in the Home Office Biometrics Strategy to review the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice and it will be updated in due course.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Virgin Holidays has become the latest travel firm to cancel holidays after new coronavirus lockdown restrictions were imposed.\n\nIt said schedules will be cancelled until mid-February, joining similar moves by Tui, Jet2 and Thomas Cook.\n\nThe companies said customers would be contacted about their future travel options during what Virgin described as \"these extraordinary circumstances\".\n\nThomas Cook said it will call customers to offer refunds or rebooking.\n\nTui said it was \"cancelling all holidays in line with international travel restrictions\". It added that said customers due to depart from England, Scotland and Wales would be contacted to discuss options.\n\nThe company said that customers due to travel from an English airport before mid-February, or from a Scottish or Welsh airport up to 31 January, would not be able to do so.\n\nThose customers will be contacted \"in departure date order to discuss their options\", Tui said, which include rebooking \"with an incentive\", getting a credit note, or a full refund.\n\n\"Customers currently overseas can continue to enjoy their holidays as planned and we will update them directly if there are any changes to their holidays,\" Tui added.\n\nIn a statement, Virgin said: \"In line with the new national lockdown restrictions we have reviewed the upcoming holiday schedule and will be cancelling all holidays up to and including 14 February 2021.\n\n\"To simplify the options and to provide immediate peace of mind for customers whose holidays will no longer be going ahead, we're automatically providing a digital voucher for the value of their trip, redeemable up until 30 September 2021, which they can use to rebook a holiday, departing any time before 31 December 2022.\"\n\nVirgin added that customers \"may also request a refund\".\n\nMeanwhile, Jet2 said it was extending \"the suspension of flights and holidays up to and including 11 February 2021\".\n\nA spokesman said: \"For customers due to travel from 12th February onwards, we will provide another update closer to the time.\"\n\nThomas Cook, which became an online-only travel brand in September after its earlier collapse, said: \"Following the announcement of the latest lockdown, we are calling our customers to offer refunds or move their holidays to a later date.\".\n\nChief executive Alan French said: \"We've seen over the festive period that customers are looking ahead to the summer and beginning to book in earnest for those important summer weeks in the sun.\n\n\"I am sure that after many more weeks spent at home - and with the progress of the vaccine rollout - we will see an even bigger demand for people to escape to the beach this summer.\"\n\nLast month, a number of countries suspended routes to the UK due to the rapid spread of a new variant of coronavirus.\n\nThe blanket travel ban to the EU was then lifted, but with rules varying from country to country. The suspension of flights between the UK and China remains in place.\n\nLast year Tui was investigated by competition authorities after complaints that it had not given prompt refunds.\n\nBritish Airways Holidays, part of Britain's biggest airline, said it would be offering refunds if customers are no longer allowed travel.\n\nThe firm said in a statement: \"We are contacting all affected British Airways Holidays customers following the announcement of new national lockdown restrictions.\n\n\"Customers due to depart by 12 February 2021 will be offered a refund for their holiday. Our teams continue to monitor the situation and update our policy accordingly.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Keir Starmer: \"If we pull together as a nation, we can win\"\n\nSir Keir Starmer has called for a \"round the clock\" vaccination programme to tackle the rise in Covid cases.\n\nAs part of a televised speech, the Labour leader said the government needed to deliver \"millions of doses a week by the end of the month\".\n\nHe said there were \"serious questions for the government to answer\" over the timing of the lockdown in England, but Labour would support the restrictions.\n\nBoris Johnson said daily vaccination figures would be published from Monday.\n\nThe prime minister has also said the four most vulnerable groups of people across the UK should receive their first dose by mid-February.\n\nBoth the PM and Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, have announced lockdowns this week.\n\nWales has been in a national lockdown since 20 December and Northern Ireland entered a six-week lockdown on 26 December.\n\nEngland's lockdown will become law from 00:01 GMT Wednesday and MPs will return to the Commons later that day to vote on the measures retrospectively.\n\nThe restrictions come into force as the number of new daily confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK topped 60,000 for the first time since the pandemic started.\n\nOn Tuesday, 60,914 had tested positive in the previous 24 hours and a further 830 people had died within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nIn an address to the nation on BBC One, in response to Boris Johnson's televised address on Monday, Sir Keir said the UK had reached a \"critical moment in our fight against coronavirus\".\n\nThe Labour leader said people were \"angry at the mistakes the government has made\" and ministers needed to answer questions on why they did not act sooner over locking down England.\n\nHe stressed that Labour would continue to hold the government to account, but added: \"Whatever our quarrels with the government and with the prime minister, the country now needs us to come together.\n\n\"At this darkest of moments, we need a new national effort to re-kindle the spirit of last March - to come together and to do everything possible to stay at home [and] to protect the NHS and save lives.\"\n\nSir Keir reiterated that Labour would support the new lockdown when it comes to the retrospective Commons vote on Wednesday and \"join in this national effort\".\n\nBut he called for the government to use the lockdown to establish \"a massive, immediate, and round the clock vaccination programme\" to \"deliver millions of doses a week by the end of the month in every village and town, every high street and every GP surgery\".\n\nThe Labour leader added: \"This is now a race between the virus and the vaccine and if we pull together as a nation, we can win.\n\n\"We need a new contract between the government and the British people: The country stays at home, the government delivers the vaccine.\"\n\nEarlier at a Downing Street press conference, Mr Johnson said more than 1.3 million people across the UK had now been vaccinated with either the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.\n\nThe figure included 23% of over-80s in England - part of a programme Mr Johnson said aimed to save \"the most lives the fastest\".\n\nThe PM said there will \"still be long weeks ahead\", but that he wanted to give \"maximum possible transparency\" about the vaccination roll-out.\n\nMore details will be announced on Thursday, with daily updates starting on Monday, \"so that you can see day by day and jab by jab how much progress we are making\", he added.\n\nAsked whether the target could be met, Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, said the timetable was \"realistic but not easy\".", "Margaret Ferrier admitted travelling back from London to Glasgow after testing positive for coronavirus\n\nScottish MP Margaret Ferrier has been arrested by police after she admitted using public transport while infected with Covid-19.\n\nMs Ferrier apologised for what she called a \"blip\" in September.\n\nShe was suspended from the SNP group at Westminster and leaders, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, urged her to quit as an MP over the row.\n\nPolice Scotland said she had been charged in connection with \"alleged culpable and reckless conduct\".\n\nMs Ferrier apologised in September after travelling from London to Glasgow having tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nThe Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP said she had experienced \"mild symptoms\" and taken a test, but had then decided to travel to Westminster because she was \"feeling much better\".\n\nShe then travelled home again on a train after receiving the positive test result, and said she \"deeply regretted\" her actions.\n\nA Police Scotland spokesman said: \"We can confirm that officers today arrested and charged a 60-year-old woman in connection with alleged culpable and reckless conduct.\n\n\"This follows a thorough investigation by Police Scotland into an alleged breach of coronavirus regulations between 26 and 29 September 2020.\n\n\"A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal and we are unable to comment further.\"\n\nMs Ferrier has been contacted for comment.", "Potentially life-saving cancer operations have been put on hold at a major London NHS trust because of the number of beds taken by Covid patients.\n\nKing's College Hospital Trust has cancelled all \"Priority 2\" operations - those doctors judge need to be carried out within 28 days.\n\nCancer Research UK said such cancellations did not appear to be widespread across the country.\n\nAnd surgery has not been stopped on the same scale as during the first wave.\n\nRebecca Thomas, who has had her bowel cancer surgery at King's College Hospital \"cancelled indefinitely\", told the BBC she felt like she had been left \"in limbo\".\n\nUntil she has surgery her tumour cannot be studied to see how aggressive it is, and so she won't know until then how significant this wait will turn out to be.\n\nA spokesperson for the Trust, which mainly serves patients in south London, said: \"Due to the large increase in patients being admitted with Covid-19, including those requiring intensive care, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone all elective procedures, with the exception of cases where a delay would cause immediate harm.\n\n\"A small number of cancer patients due to be operated on this week have had their surgery postponed, with patients being kept under close review by senior doctors.\"\n\nProf Neil Mortensen, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said he had heard from members that \"hospitals across London are having to cancel cancer surgeries as a result of the huge number of Covid-19 patients being hospitalised.\"\n\nBut it hasn't yet emerged as an issue affecting hospitals outside London.\n\nWhen Covid-19 hit last March, NHS England developed guidance on prioritising patients who needed operations, with emergency procedures that needed to be carried out within 24 hours coming first.\n\nThese life-saving operations have continued throughout the pandemic and there is no prospect of that stopping.\n\nHowever, patients in the \"priority 2\" category - who should have surgery within 28 days, to save their life or stop their disease progressing \"beyond operability\" - have found their operations being cancelled at King's.\n\nThe 28-day guideline is based on the patient's individual symptoms and the expected growth rate of their particular cancer.\n\n\"Delays further than that could have a negative impact on that person's chance of survival,\" according to Kruti Shrotri at Cancer Research UK.\n\nAnd delays in diagnosis and treatment in general can lead to worsening chances of recovery, she said.\n\nThis will vary dramatically by person and cancer type, but in some cases, a matter of a few weeks can make the difference between a cancer that can be survived or not.\n\nGenevieve Edwards, chief executive at Bowel Cancer UK, said research showed \"even a month's delay to cancer treatment can increase a person's risk of dying by up to 13% - a risk that keeps rising the longer their treatment is delayed\".\n\nWhile this was \"really concerning to hear,\" she said, \"it's not by and large something we've heard is happening widespread across the country\".\n\nThis is an improvement from the first wave of Covid-19 when the NHS had to put a near-blanket ban on non-urgent surgery.\n\nBut for those patients who are affected, this news will be \"incredibly hard,\" and Ms Shrotri stressed that patients with any symptoms that could be cancer should not put off going to see their GP.\n\n\"The NHS is open,\" she said.\n\nSurgery is most at risk because of the shortage of intensive care beds - but other forms of cancer treatment, including radiotherapy, should continue.\n\nNHS Providers, which represents hospital bosses in England, said trusts were doing all they could to \"prioritise on the basis of clinical need\".", "The number of new daily confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK has topped 60,000 for the first time since the pandemic started.\n\nAccording to government figures on Tuesday, the number of people who tested positive was 60,916.\n\nOne in 50 people in private households in England had Covid last week - and one in 30 in London, according to estimates based on the latest data.\n\nA further 830 people have also died within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nIt comes as England and Scotland announced new strict lockdowns, with people told to stay at home.\n\nAt a press conference at Downing Street on Tuesday, Boris Johnson said 1.3 million people had now been vaccinated in the UK - including 23% of over 80s in England, some 650,000 people.\n\nBut he said more than one million people were currently infected - with the number of patients in hospitals 40% higher than in the first peak.\n\nThe government's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty cited the Office for National Statistics' random sampling data for England as showing how widespread the virus is.\n\n\"We're now into a situation where across the country as a whole, roughly one in 50 people have got the virus, higher in some parts of the country, lower in others,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Professor Chris Whitty: \"No evidence\" the new variant is \"more dangerous\"\n\nThe number of new daily cases has consistently been above 50,000 since 29 December.\n\nBack in the first peak of the pandemic in the spring, the number of daily confirmed cases never went above 7,000.\n\nHowever, it is thought the true number of cases then was much higher but not picked up because testing capacity was limited. It was estimated there were about 100,000 new infections a day at the end of March - but there was not the testing to detect it.\n\nHospital admissions of people with Covid-19 in England also reached another record high on Tuesday, NHS England figures show.\n\nAt a hospital in Lincolnshire, a \"critical\" incident has been declared after a sharp rise in patients requiring admission.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How NHS nurses and doctors are struggling to cope with Covid as cases continue to rise in England\n\nAnd potentially life-saving cancer operations have been put on hold at a major London NHS trust because of the number of beds taken by Covid patients.\n\nHowever, Cancer Research UK said such cancellations did not appear to be widespread across the country.\n\nIn a statement after the case numbers were released, Public Health England medical director Yvonne Doyle said the rapid rise in cases was \"highly concerning and will sadly mean yet more pressure on our health services in the depths of winter\".\n\nAfter seven consecutive days of more than 50,000 cases being confirmed, the fact that more than 60,000 have been recorded should not come as a surprise.\n\nIt will take a week, if not more, for the impact of lockdown to be felt.\n\nAnd all the evidence suggests the new variant of coronavirus, which is more transmissible than previous ones, means the impact is likely to be more limited than it was in previous ones.\n\nThe figures are also a warning about what the NHS is facing.\n\nSome of this week's infections are next week's hospital admissions.\n\nAbout three in 10 beds are now occupied by Covid patients. In some hospitals more than six in 10 are.\n\nHospitals are now busy making more spaces on their wards - that means cancelling planned work, including in some places cancer treatment.\n\nBoris Johnson and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon both announced new lockdowns on Monday.\n\nWales has been in a national lockdown since 20 December and Northern Ireland entered a six-week lockdown on 26 December.\n\nRestrictions are also being tightened further in Northern Ireland, and an order for people to stay at home will become legally enforceable from Friday.\n\nIn a televised address to the nation, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged the government to use the lockdown to create a \"round the clock\" vaccination programme.\n\nHe also called on people to \"recapture the spirit\" of the beginning of the pandemic.\n\nAt the press conference on Tuesday, Mr Johnson repeated his suggestion that there is a \"prospect\" of the lockdown being eased in mid-February.\n\n\"But you will also appreciate there are a lot of caveats, a lot of ifs built into that, the most important of which is that we all now follow the guidance,\" he said.\n\nEarlier, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove told Sky News he could not say exactly when the lockdown in England would end, but \"as we enter March we should be able to lift some of these restrictions but not necessarily all\".\n\nMr Whitty said the virus \"is not going to go away, just as flu doesn't go away, just as many other viruses don't go away\".\n\n\"We shouldn't kid ourselves that this just disappears with spring,\" he said.\n\nMr Whitty said although hopefully there would be nearly no measures needed from the spring onwards, the government might have to bring in a few restrictions next winter.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: \"We've now vaccinated over 1.3m people across the UK\"\n\nOn Monday the UK's chief medical officers recommended the Covid threat level be increased to five - its highest level.\n\nAlthough the new variant is now spreading more rapidly than the original version, it is not believed to be more deadly.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC's Laura Foster explains the order in which the Covid vaccine will be given", "Supermarkets' online shopping operations have come under strain with customers rushing to book deliveries as the new coronavirus lockdown began.\n\nWithin a couple of hours of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's speech to the nation on Monday, shoppers reported problems with Sainsbury's and Tesco.\n\nSainsbury's said on Tuesday that earlier it had restricted access to its online services to manage high demand.\n\nThe surge in demand echoes consumers' reaction at the start of the pandemic.\n\nSainsbury's said: \"We temporarily limited access to our groceries online service last night so that we could manage high demand for slots and updates customers were making to existing orders.\n\n\"We're continuing to monitor the situation and are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.\"\n\nA spokeswoman said customers should now be able to use the Sainsbury's app and website \"as usual\".\n\nAfter the first lockdown in March, supermarkets reported panic buying and a rush to book online delivery slots despite grocers insisting there would be no shortages if consumers shopped sensibly.\n\nShoppers used social media to vent their frustration on Monday, with Twitter user Auld Bryan saying: \"Ocado have already introduced their virtual queue process on their app. It's March 2020 all over again.\"\n\nAnother tweet, by Karl Dyson, said of Ocado: \"You'd think ~10 months in to this, they'd have worked on scalable infrastructure for the website?\"\n\nThere were also reports of people having problems with the Tesco app and website, including when trying to check out and complete payment.\n\nHowever, a spokesman for Britain's biggest supermarket said on Monday evening that there had been no reports from Tesco's technical department of any website problems.\n\nThe supermarket had increased the number of slots available for online delivery before the latest lockdown measures.\n\nAn email from Tesco UK boss Jason Tarry already sent to customers said: \"Since March, we have more than doubled home delivery and Click+Collect slots to 1.5 million a week, with over 760,000 vulnerable customers registered with us who are eligible for priority slots.\"\n\nUsers complained that the Sainsbury's app was down following the prime minister's announcement on Monday.\n\nTwitter user Francesca Balgobind wrote: \"What's happening with the Sainsbury's shopping app tonight? Website is down too?\"\n\nAnother social media user, Matt, said some 40 minutes after Mr Johnson had finished speaking: \"Sainsbury's app and website down\".\n\nAsda saw more demand for online shopping after the lockdown announcement, but said it had increased the number of slots available since the first two national lockdowns.\n\nMorrisons also reported a jump in the number of shoppers using its website after the announcement.\n\nHowever, despite the longer waiting queues, the grocer said it continued to have \"good slot availability\" for home deliveries.\n\nThroughout the pandemic, supermarkets have urged people to shop normally.\n\nBefore Christmas, in the run-up to the end of the Brexit transition period, some grocers reported temporary shortages of fresh goods due to congestion at UK shipping ports.", "By 8pm on Monday it felt inevitable.\n\nBut it doesn't mean that a national instruction to close the doors was automatic. Or indeed that new lockdowns in England and Scotland aren't still dramatic and painful.\n\nWith tightening up in Wales and Northern Ireland too, the spread of coronavirus this winter has been faster than governments' attempts to keep up with it - leaving leaders with little choice but to take more of our choices away.\n\nThere is much that's an echo of March. Work, school, life outside the home will be constrained in so many ways, with terrible and expensive side-effects for the economy.\n\nThis time, it's already spluttering - restrictions being turned on and off for months have starved so much trade of vital business.\n\nBut there's a lot that's different too. After so long, the public is less forgiving of the actions taken, and there is frustration particularly over last-minute changes for schools; fatigue too with having to live under such limits.\n\nBy now, Boris Johnson's opponents, inside and outside the Tory party, have plenty of evidence to suggest that he would rather put off difficult decisions.\n\nBut there is another profound change, that the prime minister was unsurprisingly keen to point out on live TV, where the UK, at the moment, has a leading reputation.\n\nVaccines exist, partly due to UK science, and are being injected into willing arms already.\n\nThe scientific triumph still needs to be turned into a logistical victory. But if around 13 million vaccines can be offered over the next six weeks, we may be on the way.\n\nOne member of the cabinet told me: \"We should do absolutely nothing but this, the vaccine - it should be the entire focus of the government; every government shoulder should be put to every government wheel.\"\n\nIt's not just the country's health and economic fortunes riding on hitting that stretching target, but the government's reputation too.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The twins' father says what they have achieved is a 'herculean achievement'\n\nConjoined twins who were expected to die within days when they were born are nearly four years later said to be settling in at their Cardiff school.\n\nMarieme and Ndeye Ndiaye were brought to the UK from Senegal in 2017 by their father Ibrahima for treatment at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.\n\nThe girls, now four, are learning to stand and their father said their progress was \"a Herculean achievement\".\n\nTheir head teacher said the girls had made friends and were \"laughing a lot\".\n\nThe girls, who have separate hearts and spines but share a liver, bladder and digestive system, have conditions which put them at higher risk of complications from Covid.\n\nHowever, Mr Ndiaye said he had wanted them to start school for their development.\n\n\"When you look in the rear view mirror, it was an unachievable dream,\" he said.\n\n\"From now, everything ahead will be a bonus to me. My heart and soul is shouting out loud, 'Come on! Go on girls! Surprise me more!'.\"\n\nMr Ndiaye brought the girls to the UK through funding from a charitable foundation run by Senegal's first lady Marieme Faye Sall, before he sought asylum.\n\nIn March 2018, the family were moved by the Home Office to Cardiff as asylum seekers can be moved anywhere in the UK and they now have discretionary leave to remain.\n\nIn 2019, Great Ormond Street surgeons considered attempting separation but it was something Mr Ndiaye did not want because of the risks involved.\n\nThe girls have such complex circulatory systems medics now believe they would not survive being separated\n\nSince then, doctors have found the girls' circulatory systems to be more closely linked than previously thought and neither would survive without the other, making separation now impossible.\n\nThe girls' head teacher Helen Borley said they were learning well since starting reception in September and had made new friends.\n\nShe said: \"Children either say, 'I'm Marieme's friend' or 'I'm Ndeye's friend' - they don't say, 'I'm the twins' friend'. Children very much identify as being one person's friend or another - because the girls are very different characters.\n\n\"They are laughing a lot - which is always a good sign, isn't it? Any child that is laughing a lot is a happy child.\"\n\nMarieme receives oxygen from Ndeye's stronger heart and food via their linked stomachs\n\nFor the twins, school needs to fit around hospital visits.\n\nIn October, the girls needed surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital.\n\nDr Gillian Body, a paediatric consultant at the Children's Hospital for Wales in Cardiff, said the procedure was important, despite the risks.\n\nShe said: \"The girls have complex anatomies and that makes them prone to infections and potentially sepsis.\n\n\"One of the challenges we had was getting antibiotics into them quickly, and this tube or cannula they've had fitted, means we can get them into them more quickly with less distress to the girls.\"\n\nThe girls have been experiencing the feeling of standing, at children's hospice Ty Hafan\n\nShe said Marieme's heart was complex with lots of abnormalities that cause her problems with doing exercise and can lead to breathlessness.\n\nAt children's' hospice Ty Hafan in Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, the girls have been learning what it feels like to stand.\n\nA special frame gives them the experience of being upright, helping build strength in their legs.\n\nPhysiotherapist Sara Wade-West said it had been hard for them.\n\n\"It's a really different sensation when you're used to being sat down, to be upright can be scary,\" she said.\n\n\"To start with, particularly Ndeye wasn't very keen. We try and sneak the therapy in around the play, encouraging them to reach for toys to make them work a bit harder, but if they know it's therapy it's not so fun.\n\n\"Because of their cardiac function we can't push them too much so it's finding that balance - challenging them to get stronger but not exhausting them.\"\n\nThe twins' father Ibrahima Ndiaye said they were his \"warriors\"\n\nWatching his daughters stand is more than just a breakthrough for their father.\n\n\"They are showing that they don't only want to live, but be active and play their part in society,\" he said.\n\n\"All these achievements bring light and hopes for the future. But I know how fragile, complex and unpredictable their lives can be.\"\n\nMr Ndiaye said his hopes were \"parallel to my fears\" as the girls had \"so many times come close to the worst\".\n\n\"But the very least I can do for the girls is figure out my hopes for them,\" he said.\n\n\"The most I can do is to be beside them and live inside that hope and never allow anything to take that hope away.\n\n\"They are my warriors. They have proved they will never surrender without fighting. It is not yet over.\"", "Former Bond actress and Charlie's Angel Tanya Roberts has died in hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 65.\n\nRoberts appeared with Sir Roger Moore in his final Bond film, 1985's A View To A Kill, and had a recurring role in That '70s Show.\n\nShe also starred in the final series of Charlie's Angels on TV in 1980.\n\nHer death was prematurely announced on Monday, only for doctors to say she was still alive. However, her death was then confirmed on Tuesday.\n\nRoberts had collapsed while walking her dogs on 24 December and was admitted to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre.\n\nHer partner Lance O'Brien mistakenly thought she had died on Sunday after visiting her in hospital. After getting a call from doctors to say she was deteriorating quickly, he went to her bedside, her eyes closed and she \"faded\", TMZ reported.\n\nDevastated, he walked out of the room and then the hospital without speaking to medical staff before informing Roberts' agent that he had \"just said goodbye to Tanya\".\n\nBut while being interviewed for US TV show Inside Edition on Monday, Mr O'Brien got a call from the hospital to say she was alive.\n\nThe moment was captured on film, as he picked up his phone and said: \"Now you're telling me she's alive? Thank the Lord.\" However, she died on Monday night.\n\nShe appeared in A View To A Kill alongside Sir Roger Moore and singer Grace Jones\n\nBorn Victoria Leigh Blum in 1955, Roberts grew up in New York before moving to Hollywood in 1977.\n\nHer big break came when she replaced Shelly Hack in Charlie's Angels, joining Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd as third 'Angel' Julie.\n\nAfter the show's cancellation, she appeared in such fantasy adventure films as The Beastmaster and Hearts and Armour.\n\nShe also played comic book heroine Sheena in a 1984 film that saw her nominated for a Golden Raspberry award for worst actress.\n\nRoberts received another Razzie nomination for her role as geologist Stacey Sutton in 1985 Bond film A View to a Kill.\n\nRoberts in the title role in Sheena: Queen of the Jungle\n\nShe admitted being \"a little cautious\" about taking the role, but said it would have been \"ridiculous\" to have turned it down.\n\nRoberts' subsequent films included Night Eyes and Inner Sanctum, erotic thrillers that did little to advance her career.\n\nShe went on to play Midge Pinciotti in more than 80 episodes of That '70s Show between 1998 and 2004.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Last updated on .From the section Man City\n\nManchester City legend Colin Bell has died, aged 74, after a short illness, the Premier League club have announced.\n\nThe former England midfielder made 501 appearances for City between 1966 and 1979, scoring 153 goals. He won 48 caps for his country.\n\n\"Few players have left such an indelible mark on City,\" said a club statement on Tuesday.\n\nIn 2004, Manchester City fans voted to name one of the stands at Etihad Stadium in Bell's honour.\n\n\"Colin Bell will always be remembered as one of Manchester City's greatest players and the very sad news today of his passing will affect everybody connected to our club,\" said City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.\n\n\"I am fortunate to be able to speak regularly to his former manager and team-mates, and it's clear to me that Colin was a player held in the highest regard by all those who had the privilege of playing alongside him or seeing him play.\n\n\"The passage of time does little to erase the memories of his genius.\"\n• None 'Bell will always be king of Man City' - tributes paid after death of club great\n\nAfter starting his career at Bury, Bell moved to Manchester City - then in the second tier - midway through the 1965-66 season in a £47,500 deal.\n\nHe helped Joe Mercer's team win promotion that season and was instrumental in the Blues winning the First Division title two years later.\n\nDuring his 13 years as a player at Maine Road, he also won the FA Cup, League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup.\n\nHowever, his career was hampered by a serious knee injury he suffered in a League Cup tie against Manchester United in November 1975, when he was 29.\n\nAfter making a comeback later that season, he was injured again against Arsenal and out for another 18 months.\n\nBell regained fitness and received an emotional ovation on his return at Maine Road on 26 December 1977.\n\nHowever, he did not have the same freedom and mobility as he had done and played only a handful more games.\n\nBell finished his career with a brief spell in the United States playing for San Jose Earthquakes.\n\nIn 2004, he was awarded an MBE for his services to football and remained a regular presence at City games in recent seasons.\n\n'De Bruyne reminds me a lot of Colin' - tributes pour in for the 'King of the Kippax'\n\nFormer City team-mate Mike Summerbee, who was part of their 'Holy Trinity' alongside Bell and Francis Lee in the 1960s and 1970s, described Bell as \"just the greatest footballer\" the club has had.\n\n\"Colin was a lovely, humble man. He was a huge star for Manchester City but you would never have known it,\" said ex-forward Summerbee, 78.\n\n\"He was quiet, unassuming and I always believe he never knew how good he actually was.\n\n\"[Current City midfielder] Kevin de Bruyne reminds me a lot of Colin in the way he plays and the way he is as a person.\"\n\nFormer England forward Lee says he thinks the knee injury curtailed Bell's career \"by a good four or five years\".\n\n\"Colin had tremendous stamina. He was a very good player technically and had the ability to score goals,\" said Lee, 76.\n\n\"He goes into the top five City players of all time - only in the last 10, 15 years has anyone else come along who can take that mantle.\"\n\nSummerbee and Lee were among a number of former and current City players to pay tribute to Bell, along with celebrity fans including former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.\n\nBell would \"always have a smile\" and \"meet and greet everyone\" he knew, said former City midfielder Michael Brown.\n\n\"He's done lots of charity work and always tried to help people,\" added Brown, who first met Bell as a youngster having come up through City's academy.\n\n\"It's a huge loss. To have done so much and be so low key was admirable.\"\n\nEx-City defender Micah Richards said Bell was \"one of the nicest men ever\", while their former full-back Pablo Zabaleta added he was \"absolutely devastated\" by the news.\n\nFormer England striker Gary Lineker said Bell was one of his favourite players when he was growing up.\n\n\"Terrific box to box midfielder. A real gem for Manchester City and England,\" added the Match of the Day host.\n\nThe Times' chief football writer Henry Winter said Bell \"oozed class, skill and glamour\" as he was \"flowing across rutted pitches, taking people on, creating and scoring\".", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "YouTube has reinstated TalkRadio's channel on its platform hours after saying it had been \"terminated\" for breaking the tech firm's rules.\n\nIt said the broadcaster had posted material that contradicted expert advice about the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nBut it explained its U-turn saying it sometimes made exceptions to guidelines that state repeat offenders face a permanent ban.\n\nTalkRadio said it had yet to be given a full explanation for the affair.\n\nThe decision to ban TalkRadio had appalled digital rights campaigners, with one group - Big Brother Watch - claiming it was evidence that \"big tech censorship is spiralling out of control\".\n\nThe Google-owned service has issued a brief statement explaining its actions.\n\n\"TalkRadio's YouTube channel was briefly suspended, but upon further review, has now been reinstated,\" it said.\n\n\"We quickly remove flagged content that violate our community guidelines, including Covid-19 content that explicitly contradict expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization. We make exceptions for material posted with an educational, documentary, scientific or artistic purpose, as was deemed in this case.\"\n\nYouTube has not published details of the offending posts.\n\nBut independent fact-checkers have repeatedly challenged some of the claims made by interviewees featured by the London-based radio station.\n\nYouTube operates a \"three strikes\" policy, whereby channels that break its community guidelines three times within a 90-day period can be permanently banned, but other infractions lead to temporary restrictions.\n\nProhibited content includes \"medically unsubstantiated claims\" relating to Covid-19, and videos that contradict expert consensus from local health authorities such as the NHS.\n\n\"YouTube is making decisions about which opinions the public are allowed to hear, even when they are sourced to responsible and regulated new providers,\" TalkRadio said in a statement this evening.\n\n\"This sets a dangerous precedent and is censorship of free speech and legitimate national debate.\"\n\nThe broadcaster tweeted the statement minutes after YouTube's change of heart. It did not appear to be aware that its channel had been reinstated at the time, but has since acknowledged the move.\n\nTalkRadio has about 424,000 listeners, according to the latest figures from market research provider Rajar.\n\nIt uses YouTube as a means to livestream shows from its studios and to provide an archive of past broadcasts.\n\nIts channel on the platform has 242,000 subscribers.\n\nYouTube's action had meant that TalkRadio's website had featured articles featuring broken embedded clips for most of the day, and that users who had shared its clips would have been unable to view them.\n\nThe US firm has previously imposed a permanent ban against conspiracy theorist David Icke, and a one-week video suspension of right-wing outlet One America News Network's ability to publish new clips - in both cases for breaches of its Covid rules.\n\nIt's pretty clear something has gone wrong at YouTube in the last 24 hours.\n\nIt appeared as though TalkRadio had been banned for good on YouTube - or \"terminated\" as the company put it.\n\nYouTube is now saying it was a short suspension, which certainly seems like a backtrack.\n\nEven now, it's not obvious what the offending material was that caused this action. The whole process reinforces the idea that YouTube's moderation policies - where it draws the line between freedom of expression and clamping down on misinformation - can be messy and inconsistent.\n\nAnd when YouTube takes such an action without giving full details, it rains controversy down on its own head.\n\nThis plays to a broader movement by YouTube and other social media companies to take a harder line on disinformation.\n\nJoe Biden is about to become US President - and he wants social media companies to do more to remove fake news.\n\nBut as they are increasingly finding out, refereeing their own platforms can be hugely difficult, and this highlights the need for greater transparency about moderation decisions.", "Last updated on .From the section Celtic\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says Celtic have questions to answer about their trip to Dubai.\n\nMs Sturgeon says possible breaches of social distancing rules while in the Middle East \"should be looked into\".\n\nHowever, Celtic insist the training camp was approved by the Scottish government, while the Scottish FA have no plans to investigate the trip.\n\n\"For me, the question for Celtic is what is the purpose of them being there,\" Ms Sturgeon said.\n\n\"I've seen comments from the club that it's more for R&R than training.\n\n\"I have also seen some photographs - and I don't know the full circumstances - that would raise a question in my mind about whether all the rules elite players have to follow in their bubble around social distancing are being complied with.\"\n\nPictures have emerged of members of the Celtic party in the UAE not wearing face masks and potentially breaching the social distancing rules that those in Scottish football must adhere to.\n\nIt remains unclear if the Scottish FA will investigate that matter.\n\nCeltic travelled to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday just hours after their 1-0 defeat by Rangers.\n\nTravellers returning from the UAE are exempt from self-isolation protocols in Scotland, with elite athletes in Scotland permitted to travel abroad to compete.\n\n\"Elite sport has been in a privileged position and as long as that is the case it's really important they don't abuse it,\" said Ms Sturgeon at her daily coronavirus briefing on Tuesday.\n\n\"I saw their [Celtic's] statement and have not spent a lot of time looking into it, but as I understand it the government gave advice to the Scottish FA about the rules around training camps in November.\n\n\"The world has changed quite a bit since then but it's not our role to sign off what a club does around these training camps.\n\n\"The rules may have to change, but they were that elite sportspeople and teams can go overseas if it is important in the context of training and competitions.\"\n\nMainland Scotland has been in Tier 4 - the highest level of restrictions - since 26 December, and Ms Sturgeon addressed the nation on Monday ordering people to stay at home where possible.\n\nDeputy first minister John Swinney has accused Celtic of not setting \"a particularly great example\".\n\n\"I don't think it's a good idea,\" he told BBC Radio Scotland on Monday.\n\n\"When we are asking members of the public to take on very, very significant restrictions on the way in which they live their lives, I think we have all got to demonstrate leadership on this particular question.\"\n\nWhen approached for comment on Monday, a Celtic spokesman told BBC Scotland: \"The training camp was arranged a number of months ago and approved by all relevant footballing authorities and the Scottish government through the Joint Response Group on 12 November.\n\n\"The team travelled prior to any new lockdown being in place, to a location exempt from travel restrictions. The camp, the same one as we have undertaken for a number of years, has been fully risk assessed.\n\n\"If the club had not received Scottish government approval, then we would not have travelled.\"\n\nIn November, Celtic requested their fixture with Hibernian, originally scheduled for this weekend, be moved to Monday, 11 January to accommodate the trip.\n\nThe SPFL granted the change, despite objections from the Easter Road side.", "Stationery chain Paperchase is on the brink of administration after most of its stores were forced to close over the Christmas period.\n\nThe firm has filed a notice to appoint administrators, a move that will give it breathing space from its creditors while it works out a rescue plan.\n\nThe company has 127 stores and about 1,500 employees.\n\nThe second lockdown in November came at a crucial period for the firm, which makes a high proportion of sales then.\n\nJust under half its sales, 40%, come from trade in November and December.\n\nPaperchase said: \"The cumulative effects of lockdown one, lockdown two - at the start of the Christmas shopping period - and now the current restrictions have put unbearable strain on retail businesses across the country.\"\n\nThe company went through an insolvency process, known as a Company Voluntary Arrangement or CVA, almost two years ago to cut costs.\n\nThe chain now has 10 working days to find a solution.\n\nPaperchase said its strong online trading had not made it \"immune\" from the impact of shop closures across the country.\n\n\"Out of lockdown we've traded well, but as the country faces further restrictions for some months to come, we have to find a sustainable future for Paperchase,\" it added.\n\n\"We are working hard to find that solution and this [notice of administration] is a necessary part of this work. This is not the situation we wanted to be in.\n\nThe chain is the latest of a string of high-profile retailers to hit trouble in the past year.\n\nThe sector was already battling with the shift to online sales, coupled with rising costs, including rents and higher minimum wages.\n\nCoronavirus restrictions which shut non-essential shops piled on the pressure.\n\nOthers that have run into trouble recently include Debenhams, which last month said it would cease trading putting 12,000 jobs at risk. Arcadia Group, which owns Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, has also gone into administration, putting a further 13,000 jobs at risk.\n\nMeanwhile, Edinburgh Woollen Mills' brands Peacocks and Jaeger also fell into administration in November, putting 21,000 jobs at risk.\n\nAnd earlier last year, Oasis and Warehouse fell into administration in mid-April after failing to find buyers, and online fashion group Boohoo said in June it was buying the brands but closing all stores.", "Doctors' leaders have called for urgent improvements in personal protective equipment for health workers.\n\nThe British Medical Association is appealing for a higher grade of face mask to guard against coronavirus infection.\n\nIt says there is 'growing evidence' that the virus is being spread through the air by aerosols.\n\nThese are tiny virus particles that can build up in stuffy rooms and they have been linked to outbreaks of Covid-19.\n\nThis follows an open letter from more than 1,500 health professionals for staff on general wards to be given the type of high-quality masks usually only worn in intensive care units.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) has issued guidance on what PPE staff in different settings require. It was last updated in October 2020.\n\nEarly in the pandemic, it was widely believed that to catch the disease you had to either be close to an infected person and hit by droplets from their coughs or sneezes or touch a surface they had contaminated.\n\nBut research during the course of last year highlighted how it is also possible for the virus to be carried in what are called aerosols, drifting and accumulating in the air.\n\nMost infections are thought to have occurred indoors in badly ventilated rooms, and many studies have shown that the 'airborne route' can be an important factor.\n\nAcross the UK, the guidance for hospital staff is to wear surgical masks in most areas.\n\nMore sophisticated masks - a type known as FFP3 that includes an air filter - are only required in intensive care or when certain procedures are carried out that are known to generate aerosols.\n\nIn their letter, the consultants, doctors and nurses say healthcare workers are three to four times more likely to become infected than the general population.\n\nBut they point out that staff in intensive care units, who have the best level of protection, have about half the risk of catching the virus than colleagues on general wards.\n\nThe letter states: \"It is now essential that healthcare workers have their PPE upgraded to protect against airborne transmission\".\n\nBarry McAree, a consultant surgeon in Northern Ireland, is one of many healthcare workers to be ill with Covid.\n\nHe is self-isolating at home right after his testing positive for the second time.\n\nA signatory to the letter, he says his hospital in Antrim followed the guidance about which type of masks should be worn in which areas, but he became infected nonetheless. It is not clear how and when he caught it.\n\n\"There's so much evidence that we are talking about an airborne infection that it has to be said that it is not appropriate just to wear FFP3 in environments when aerosol generating procedures take place.\"\n\nHe believes that with such high levels of the virus in the community and in hospitals, staff should be wearing the higher-grade masks whenever they're close to patients.\n\nSurgical masks can be bought online for about 10p each, while the FFP3 masks are far more expensive about £5.00.\n\nDr Barry Jones, a retired gastroenterologist and leading expert on aerosols, says that's nothing compared to the cost of a patient with Covid,\n\nHe points to data showing that roughly a fifth of people needing hospital treatment for Covid may have acquired the infection in hospital in the first place.\n\n\"We should do everything we can to reduce that possibility - it's the air we share that's killing us.\"\n\nA few hospitals have decided to break with official guidance.\n\nIt's understood that hospitals in Cambridge, Plymouth and Exeter have decided to equip staff with FFP3 masks if they face patients diagnosed with Covid or suspected of having it.\n\nOne consultant, who did not want to be named, said: \"When you realise patients are more infectious at an earlier stage of disease and are presenting at general wards with poorer ventilation than intensive care units and staff are wearing a poorer quality of PPE, you really want those in a position of leadership to listen and to act.\"\n\nRCN General Secretary Dame Donna Kinnair, said: \"Without delay, they must state whether existing PPE guidance is adequate for the new variant.\n\n\"While more research is carried out, we ask for the precautionary principle to be applied and staff to be given a higher level of PPE if working with suspected or confirmed cases.\"\n\nPublic Health England said this was a matter for NHS England to comment on.\n\nA Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: \"The safety of NHS and social care staff has always been our top priority and we continue to work tirelessly to deliver PPE that protects those on the frontline.\n\n\"UK guidance on the safest levels of PPE is written by experts and agreed by all four chief medical officers. Our guidance is kept under constant review based on the latest evidence and data.\n\n\"Emerging evidence and data, including on variant strains, will be continually monitored and reviewed, and the guidance updated accordingly if needed.\"", "Adamo Canto had worked as a catering assistant at the palace's Royal Mews since 2015\n\nA Buckingham Palace catering assistant who stole medals and photographs from the Queen's residence has been jailed.\n\nAdamo Canto, 37, stole items including signed photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and a photo album of US President Donald Trump's UK visit.\n\nPolice said some of the goods, worth between £10,000 and £100,000, had been listed for sale on eBay.\n\nCanto, from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was jailed for eight months after he admitted stealing the items.\n\nSouthwark Crown Court heard police recovered a \"significant quantity\" of stolen items when they searched his quarters at the palace's Royal Mews, where he had worked as a catering assistant since 2015.\n\nCanto stole an album of photos from US President Donald Trump's visit to the UK\n\nA total of 37 items were offered for sale \"well under\" their true value, with Canto making £7,741.\n\nOne item was a photo album of US President Donald Trump's visit to the UK, worth £1,500.\n\nCanto also took official signed photographs of the Duke of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.\n\nSome 77 items were taken from the palace shop, while others were stolen from staff lockers, the Queen's Gallery shop and the Duke of York's storeroom.\n\nCanto also admitted stealing a Companion of Bath medal belonging to the Master of the Household, which was sold online for £350, and a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order medal from the locker of former British Army officer Maj Gen Richard Sykes.\n\nCanto pleaded guilty to three counts of theft by an employee at a hearing in November and was jailed on Monday.\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Vocational exams, including BTEcs, are to go ahead this month in England - despite calls for them to be cancelled alongside GCSEs and A-levels.\n\n\"Schools and colleges can continue with the vocational and technical exams that are due to take place in January, where they judge it right to do so,\" said a Department for Education spokeswoman.\n\nFurther education college leaders had complained this was unfair to students.\n\nThey said students would face \"stress\" from taking exams in the lockdown.\n\nThe Association of Colleges warned the decision, giving schools and colleges the option on whether to carry on with BTecs, would create more confusion.\n\nChief executive David Hughes said some colleges would cancel exams and others would continue - but without any clarity about what would happen to \"students in colleges which do cancel for safety reasons\".\n\n\"A national decision would have allowed for more fairness,\" said Mr Hughes.\n\nThe announcement from the Department for Education has left it open for schools and colleges to decide whether to go ahead with vocational and technical exams.\n\n\"Schools and colleges have already implemented extensive protective measures to make them as safe as possible,\" said the DFE's spokeswoman.\n\nThe Department for Education said it recognised \"this is a difficult time\" but wanted to allow students who had prepared for exams and assessments to continue, including those who needed to take hands-on practical tests for qualifications for jobs.\n\nA joint statement from the mayors of Manchester and Liverpool said it was wrong to go ahead with these vocational exams when other academic exams had been cancelled.\n\n\"It is unfair to ask these students to go into colleges when everyone else is being told to stay at home.\n\n\"This will cause unnecessary anxiety and concern just when they need to be able to focus,\" said the statement from Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram.\n\nThe mayors highlighted that students taking BTecs were more likely to be from \"working-class backgrounds and ethnic minority communities\" and they should not be treated any less well than those following an \"academic route\" in exams.\n\nHow will you be affected by the latest developments? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Khairi Saadallah admitted three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder\n\nA man who stabbed three people to death in a Reading park believed he was carrying out \"an act of religious jihad\", a court has heard.\n\nKhairi Saadallah, 26, stabbed to death James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39, during the attack in Forbury Gardens in June.\n\nAs part of his sentencing, a hearing will decide if he was motivated by a religious or ideological cause.\n\nThe prosecution claim the stabbing spree was a terror attack.\n\nSaadallah has admitted three counts of murder and attempted murder, but denies he was motivated by an ideology.\n\nProsecutor Alison Morgan QC told the court he \"executed\" his victims and intended to \"kill as many people as he could\" in the name of violent jihad.\n\nShe said: \"In less than a minute, shouting Allahu Akhbar the defendant carried out a lethal attack with a knife, killing all three men before they had a chance to respond and try to defend themselves.\n\n\"Within the same minute, the defendant went on to attack others nearby, stabbing three more people, Stephen Young, Patrick Edwards and Nishit Nisudan, causing them significant injuries.\"\n\nThe court was shown CCTV footage of Saadallah in Morrisons buying the knife he used in the attack\n\nSaadallah was captured on CCTV leaving his flat on the day of the attack\n\nStating the prosecution's case she said the attack was \"carefully planned and executed\" by the defendant with \"determination and precision\".\n\nShe added: \"The defendant believed that in carrying out this attack he was acting in pursuit of his extreme ideology, an ideology he appears to have held for some time.\n\n\"He believed that in killing as many people as possible that day he was performing an act of religious jihad.\"\n\nAfter the attack Sadallah fled but was chased down by police, and later admitted the attacks in his cell, the court heard.\n\nIn interviews with police he \"howled like a dog\" and claimed to have magic powers, which the prosecution said was a \"disingenuous\" attempt to suggest he had a mental disorder.\n\n\"After a careful period of assessment and treatment at Belmarsh prison, it is clear that he does not have a major mental illness\", a report by a psychiatrist read out in court said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A friend of the victims, Michael Main, said: \"They were always happy\"\n\nSaadallah arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker in 2012, having fled the civil war in his home country of Libya in North Africa.\n\nThe court heard the defendant, who had been refused asylum, had been involved with militias as part of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi.\n\nBetween 2013 and 2020 he was repeatedly arrested and convicted of various offences in the UK.\n\nWhile in HMP Bullingdon, Saadallah was observed to be keen to interact with radical preacher Omar Brooks - associated with banned terror group Al-Muhajiroun - who was also at the jail at the time, the court heard. He was released from the prison in June, days before the attack.\n\nSaadallah had been due to be deported, but was told by the government circumstances in Libya at the time were a \"legal barrier\".\n\nThe court was told he had also searched on the internet \"how to disappear with magic\" and accessed a website with the flag associated with Islamic State.\n\nA probation officer who had contact with Saadallah flagged his concerns about his mental health, but a psychiatrist has since concluded the attack on June 20 was \"unrelated to the effects of either mental disorder or substance misuse\".\n\nSaadallah, of Basingstoke Road in Reading, launched his attack as people enjoyed a summer Saturday evening in Forbury Gardens on 20 June.\n\nEyewitnesses said he walked along a footpath when he suddenly ran towards a group of men sitting on the grass.\n\nHistory teacher Mr Furlong and Mr Ritchie-Bennett, a US citizen, were both stabbed once in the neck, while scientist Mr Wails was stabbed in the back.\n\nAll three were pronounced dead at the scene.\n\nThree others - their friend Stephen Young, as well as Patrick Edwards and Nishit Nisudan, who were sitting in a nearby group - were also injured by Saadallah.\n\nThe sentencing before Mr Justice Sweeney is expected to conclude on January 11.\n\nFloral tributes were left near the entrance to the park where the men were killed\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Zara Holland appeared on the second series of Love Island\n\nLove Island star Zara Holland is to be prosecuted for allegedly breaking Covid rules on holiday in Barbados.\n\nIsland police say the former Miss Great Britain is expected to appear in court on Wednesday, accused of \"breaching quarantine\".\n\nStation Sergeant Michael Blackman told Newsbeat she was \"intercepted\" at the airport and later presented herself at a police station.\n\nIt's not clear whether she will appear in court in person or by video link.\n\nAn apology from the 25-year-old for what she described as \"a massive mix-up and misunderstanding\" was published by the Barbados Today website.\n\nShe told the publication: \"I have been a guest of this lovely island in excess of 20 years and would never do anything to jeopardise an entire nation that I have nothing but love and respect for and which has treated me as a family.\"\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nEveryone in England must stay at home except for permitted reasons during a new coronavirus lockdown expected to last until mid-February, the PM says.\n\nAll schools and colleges will close to most pupils and switch to remote learning from Tuesday.\n\nBoris Johnson warned the coming weeks would be the \"hardest yet\" amid surging cases and patient numbers.\n\nHe said those in the top four priority groups would be offered a first vaccine dose by the middle of next month.\n\nAll care home residents and their carers, everyone aged 70 and over, all frontline health and social care workers, and the clinically extremely vulnerable will be offered one dose of a vaccine by mid-February.\n\nSchools in Northern Ireland will have an \"extended period of remote learning\", the Stormont Executive said.\n\nSpeaking from Downing Street, Mr Johnson told the public to follow the new lockdown rules immediately, before they become law in the early hours of Wednesday.\n\nAll the new measures in England will then last until at least the middle of February, he said, as a new more infectious variant of the virus spreads across the UK.\n\nThe PM added that he believed the country was entering \"the last phase of the struggle\".\n\nHospitals were under \"more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic\", he said.\n\nAnd he reiterated the slogan used earlier in the pandemic, urging people to immediately \"stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives\".\n\nOn Monday, the UK recorded more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases for the seventh day in a row.\n\nA further 58,784 cases and an additional 407 deaths within 28 days of a positive test result were reported, though deaths in Scotland were not recorded.\n\nAs of 08:00 GMT, there were 26,626 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England, according to the latest figures.\n\nThis is a week-on-week increase of 30%, and a new record high.\n\nThose who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be contacted by letter and should now shield once more, Mr Johnson said.\n\nSupport and childcare bubbles will continue under the new measures - and people can meet one person from another household for outdoor exercise.\n\nCommunal worship and life events like funerals and weddings can continue, subject to limits on attendance.\n\nWhile Mr Johnson said end-of-year exams would not take place as normal in the summer, he said alternative arrangements would be announced separately.\n\nThe government has published a 22-page document outlining the new rules in detail.\n\nThe House of Commons has been recalled to allow MPs to vote on the new restrictions on Wednesday.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his MPs would \"support the package of measures\", saying \"we've all got to pull together now to make this work\".\n\nOnce again it is the threat to the NHS that has forced the hand of ministers.\n\nIn England there has been a 50% rise in the number of patients in hospital with Covid since Christmas day.\n\nTo put that into context, it equates to 18 hospitals being filled.\n\nCurrently around three out of 10 beds are occupied by patients with the disease.\n\nIn some hospitals it is more than six in 10.\n\nBut what is worrying ministers and NHS leaders is that the number is just going to increase.\n\nIn the spring it took nearly three weeks after lockdown for hospital cases to peak.\n\nThe last six days have seen in excess of 50,000 new infections confirmed each day across the UK - a number of these infections are next week's hospital admissions.\n\nIt is why the UK's chief medical officers were warning there was a \"material risk\" of some hospitals being overwhelmed if something did not change.\n\nMr Johnson spoke after UK chief medical officers recommended the Covid threat level be increased to five - its highest level.\n\nLevel five means the NHS may soon be unable to handle a further sustained rise in cases, the medical officers said in a joint statement.\n\nNHS Providers, which represents health service trusts, said hospitals were at a \"critical point\" and that \"immediate and decisive action\" was needed.\n\nAnnouncing tougher measures in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: \"It is no exaggeration to say that I am more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year.\"\n\nFor pupils who returned for their first day of the new term at primary school on Monday, it's turned out to be an extremely short-lived visit.\n\nBoris Johnson's announcement will see primary, secondary and further education colleges closed for at least the next six weeks, except for vulnerable and key workers' children.\n\nIt's a much bigger shift in policy than had been anticipated, even a few days ago.\n\nEven the return date will depend on the progress in tackling the virus.\n\n\"I hope we can steadily move out of lockdown, reopening schools after the February half term,\" said the prime minister.\n\nKeeping schools open was the government's most definite of red lines, a few weeks ago they were threatening councils that wanted to close them - but it's now been overtaken by the spiking lines on the Covid infection charts.\n\nEven after the chaos of last year's replacement grades, GCSEs and A-levels are being cancelled again - with a replacement system still to be decided. Vocational exams are to continue.\n\nFor parents dreading home schooling, there are plans for it to be better supported this time - with more computer devices available and suggestions that Ofsted inspectors will check what schools are offering.\n\nBut there's no escaping that this will feel like another sudden and chaotic change of direction for schools and parents.\n\nMr Johnson's pledge on vaccinations comes after an 82-year-old retired maintenance manager became the first person in the UK to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab\n\nSome 13.9 million people are among the four priority groups who will receive a vaccine dose by about 15 February, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC's Laura Foster explains the order in which the Covid vaccine will be given\n\nHow will you be affected by the latest developments? What questions do you have? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill met throughout Monday\n\nThere will be an extended period of remote learning for schools in Northern Ireland, the executive has said.\n\nMinisters met on Monday night as other parts of the UK tightened their coronavirus restrictions.\n\nThe Stormont executive also plans to give its stay at home guidance legal force, with new restrictions on travel.\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said details would be formalised on Tuesday.\n\nThe health and education ministers will bring separate papers on the issues to the executive at the meeting, she added.\n\nNorthern Ireland's Education Minister Peter Weir had previously announced a staggered return to school for pupils during the month of January.\n\nThe first transfer test, used by many grammar schools to select pupils, is due to take place on Saturday but there have been calls from some teaching unions and political parties for the test to be cancelled this year, in light of the uncertainty with the pandemic.\n\nIn England, all schools and colleges will close to most pupils and switch to remote learning until the middle of February, and end-of-year exams will not take place this summer as normal.\n\nRecommendations on exams in Northern Ireland are also expected to be brought forward by the executive on Tuesday.\n\nIt is understood ministers will update the assembly on Wednesday about their decisions.\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster said the new restrictions were unfortunate, but necessary.\n\nShe said she believed the stay-at-home message will be in place \"for the rest of January, probably into February\".\n\n\"We will of course review it, as we're legally bound to do every couple of weeks.\"\n\nShe added that ministers would \"much prefer\" for face-to-face education to continue, but said they had to \"take into account the very serious situation that we find ourselves in tonight.\"\n\nBoth organisations which organise transfer tests will be making announcements on Tuesday, she said.\n\n\"We'll wait to hear what they have to say. They do of course have to abide by public health advice, but they are private organisations and they will make their own announcements.\"\n\nThe Irish government is considering a proposal to close schools for the rest of January.\n\nOn Monday, the Department of Health reported that a further 1,801 people had tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours.\n\nThere have also been 12 more Covid-19 related deaths.\n\nThese latest figures from the Department of Health bring the total number of deaths to 1,366, while 79,873 people have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic started.\n\nMore than 12,000 cases have been reported in the past seven days, more than double the week before.\n\nThe seven-day rate per 100,000 people is now 660 positive cases, compared to 200 per 100,000 two weeks ago.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland on Monday, an additional 6,110 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were announced, with six further deaths linked to the virus.\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already announced a fresh lockdown there from midnight, with schools closed until February.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme, Dr Michael McBride said Scotland's measures were \"prudent and sensible\".\n\nMeanwhile, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine rollout has begun in Northern Ireland.\n\nUp to 11,000 people aged over 80 across Northern Ireland are set to receive the this week, with some of the first doses delivered at a GP surgery on the Falls Road in West Belfast on Monday afternoon.\n\nUp to 11,000 people aged over 80 across Northern Ireland are set to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca\n\nThe SDLP has called for the assembly to be recalled on Tuesday to discuss the rolling out of the vaccine.\n\nIt can be recalled if at least 30 MLAs sign a petition.\n\nOn Monday, Justice Minister Naomi Long welcomed the opening of Northern Ireland's first Nightingale venue, which will be used for courts and tribunals business.\n\nThe facility was approved by a meeting of the executive on 17 December, and will sit in the International Convention Centre in Belfast (ICC).\n\nActivity at the centre will be phased in, in line with Covid-19 regulations.\n\nIn other coronavirus-related developments on Monday:", "The 90,000 sq ft store is a familiar sight for commuters coming out of Oxford Circus Tube station\n\nThe building that houses Topshop's Oxford Street store is up for sale.\n\nThe High Street chain's owner Arcadia went into administration in November, putting 13,000 jobs at risk.\n\nNews of the sale of the three-storey building has prompted an outpouring of emotion on social media, with shoppers recounting how important the flagship store is to them.\n\nThe store, which boasted a DJ booth, nail bar and food stalls, was a retail sensation when it opened in 1994.\n\nHuge crowds gathered at the store for the launch of Kate Moss's Topshop collection in 2014\n\nArcadia - which owns Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins - entered administration on 30 November\n\nThe sale of 214 Oxford Street, managed by agents Savills and Eastdil, follows the failure of Sir Philip Green's retail empire to secure funding to pay its debts after sales slumped during the pandemic.\n\nThe Oxford Street building also houses Nike and Vans stores.\n\nArcadia said that although it was in administration, and so all its assets are to be sold, that did not mean the shops in the building would have to close.\n\nPeople have been sharing their feelings about the London landmark, which was often used as a meeting point for friends and was a must-visit for fashion-loving tourists.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Carolin This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by shon faye. This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Kelly Taylor This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nArcadia, which also owns Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Burton, had already closed other Topshop stores across the UK, citing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nIts brands were struggling before the pandemic, partly due to competition from online-only fashion retailers such as Asos, Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing.\n\nBeyonce launched her Ivy Park collection at Topshop in 2016\n\nThe flagship store is currently closed, in line with the rules about non-essential retailers\n\nThe Oxford Street store pictured during Pride in 2018", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sturgeon: Vaccination programme needs to win the race\n\nTough new lockdown restrictions forbidding people from leaving home for non-essential reasons have come into force across the Scottish mainland.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the clampdown was necessary to contain the spread of the new strain of Covid-19.\n\nPeople are now required by law to stay in their homes and to work from home.\n\nOutdoor gatherings have been restricted to one-on-one meet-ups, and schools will close to most pupils until February at the earliest.\n\nMs Sturgeon told MSPs on Monday that Scotland faced an \"extremely serious\" situation, with the new, faster-spreading variant of coronavirus \"a massive blow\".\n\nSchools will remain closed to most pupils until at least the beginning of February.\n\nThe first minister has said she cannot guarantee when children will be allowed back in classrooms or when the latest lockdown restrictions will be lifted.\n\nShe also told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme on Tuesday that she hoped 2.7 million people in Scotland would have received one dose of the Covid vaccine by the middle of May.\n\nShe said: \"I can't be definitive right now about when we will lift these restrictions.\n\n\"I have described this as a race - we've got the vaccine in one lane and we are trying to accelerate that.\n\n\"We've got the virus which has learned to run faster in the other lane and we've got to slow it down.\n\n\"Lockdown is about pushing rates of the virus back, and if we manage to do that then hopefully we will be able to start lifting restrictions while the vaccination programme is ongoing.\"\n\nA government document revealed there were now more than 90 patients in intensive care units, with new modelling suggesting that figure could more than double by early February.\n\nThe modelling sets out different scenarios with the most pessimistic predicting hospitals admissions could soar to more than 8,000 with over 700 patients requiring intensive care.\n\nThe document also revealed that Inverclyde - which a few weeks ago had relatively low levels of Covid - now has the highest case rate, almost 550 per 100,000 - while Dumfries and Galloway has seen its rate increase to 475 per 100,000.\n\nDundee City, East Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and the Scottish Borders all now have case rates exceeding 300 per 100,000.\n\nOnly limited data was released by the government in recent days but a full update on deaths, hospital admissions and local infection rates has now been issued.\n\nCases of Covid have risen sharply in recent days\n\nThe new restrictions came into force at midnight and are, in effect, an enhancement to the level four curbs already in place across the mainland and Skye.\n\nThey will run until at least the end of January and could yet be extended both in scope and duration.\n\nScotland's island communities, with the exception of Skye, are to remain in level three for now, although Ms Sturgeon warned this would also remain under review.\n\nNew regulations mean Scots are prohibited from leaving their homes for anything other than \"essential\" purposes - although the law provides a lengthy list of examples of \"reasonable excuses\".\n\nThese include shopping for food or medical supplies, providing or accessing childcare, exercise, and participation in extended households.\n\nAnyone who can do their job from home must do so, and people in the \"shielding\" category have been advised not to go out to work at all.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nicola Sturgeon announces stay at home rules in new lockdown\n\nNew restrictions have been placed on outdoor gatherings in level four areas, with only two people from separate households now permitted to meet up.\n\nThese restrictions do not include children under the age of 12, who are still allowed to gather to play, but everyone else must abide by them or face a fixed penalty notice.\n\nTravel restrictions remain in place between local authority areas and in and out of Scotland, and people have been urged to stay as close to home as possible when going out for exercise.\n\nSchools will now operate on a remote-learning basis for the majority of pupils when the new term starts on 11 January, with only the children of key workers and vulnerable children to receive face-to-face teaching.\n\nThis is to run until at least 1 February, with a review on 18 January - with Ms Sturgeon saying her \"fundamental priority\" was still to get children back in school full time as quickly as possible.\n\nThe new measures are a bid to control the spread of the new variant of Covid, which is now thought to be responsible for nearly half of all new cases of the virus in Scotland.\n\nOfficials believe Scotland is roughly four weeks behind London - where health services are coming under increasing pressure - and warn that hospitals could hit capacity within the month without major new curbs.\n\nBetween 23 and 30 December, the average number of cases per 100,000 people in Scotland increased by 65%, from 136 to 225.", "\"It could be something as simple as: 'I don't like what you have got on' - that would end in strangulation\"\n\nA fresh move is under way to make non-fatal strangulation a specific criminal offence in England and Wales, after the House of Lords debated the Domestic Abuse Bill.\n\nThe government has said it has no plans to change the law, arguing that non-fatal strangulation is already covered by existing legislation.\n\nHowever, campaigners say abusers who use non-fatal strangulation are telling their victims: \"I am controlling you and I can kill you\" - but too often are charged only with common assault.\n\nThis is what happened in Jenny's case. Her abusive partner used non-fatal strangulation as a means of control throughout the five years they were together.\n\n\"It was like his favourite thing to do,\" says Jenny, who asked the BBC not to use her real name.\n\n\"That sounds really awful and trivial but that is how it becomes as an abuse victim. You learn to accept that is part of your life. It was like something I had to manage.\"\n\n\"We would wake up in the morning and he would be in one of those moods, and I would see it in his eyes and I would think today's the day I'm going to get it.\n\n\"It could be something as simple as: 'I don't like what you have got on' - that would end in strangulation.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: Domestic abuse victim - 'He threw me against the wall and strangled me'\n\nEventually one night she did call the police during an attack.\n\n\"He chased me round the house and every time he caught me he would pin me to the floor and strangle me until I had marks.\n\n\"I had burst blood vessels. I was streaming with tears. I just kept thinking: 'This is how I am going to die.'\n\n\"The doors were locked. He'd smashed my phone. I managed to get to the window and shout and one of the neighbours called the police.\"\n\nHowever, she was dismayed by the police response. \"I thought it was quite lax. They didn't take the strangulation as seriously as they should have.\"\n\nHer partner was charged with common assault. He pleaded guilty and was given a three-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.\n\n\"Strangulation needs to be a specific offence. I think the weak police response contributed to keeping me in the relationship,\" she says.\n\nJenny believed her partner would eventually kill her.\n\n\"I just kept looking in the mirror and thinking: you need to leave and you're the only person who can do it.\n\n\"So one day while he was asleep, I picked up whatever I could carry and I ran and got on a train.\"\n\nBaroness Newlove is bringing forward an amendment to the Domestic Abuse Bill in the House of Lords\n\nPoliticians and campaigners tried and failed to have a new offence of non-fatal strangulation introduced in the Domestic Abuse Bill when it was going through the House of Commons.\n\nDuring Tuesday's debate on the bill in the Lords, the Conservative peer and former victims' commissioner, Baroness Newlove, said she intended to table an amendment to the bill when it reached the committee stage.\n\nShe said non-fatal strangulation was currently not being picked up adequately by the police, as it often left no physical marks on the victim.\n\nShe described it as a terrifying crime, with many victims testifying they felt as though their heads were going to explode and they were about to die.\n\nPeers from other parties also spoke in support of a new offence.\n\nNogah Offer, a lawyer with the Centre for Women's Justice, which has been at the forefront of the campaign for a new offence, says: \"We believe this is a real opportunity to make a difference.\"\n\nCommon assault is a summary offence that can be charged by the police.\n\nBut when it involves domestic abuse, it should be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, its guidance says.\n\nIn a statement, the Ministry of Justice said: \"Non-fatal strangulation is a serious crime which is already covered by existing laws such as common assault and attempted murder.\"\n\nA spokesperson said the government would keep this area of the law under review, but said a specific offence of attempting to choke, strangle or suffocate a person is included in the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and, according to the 2015 Serious Crime Act, attempted strangulation can fall under the offence of coercive or controlling behaviour.\n\nDr Catherine White: \"Ultimately it can lead to death\"\n\nDr Catherine White, clinical director of St. Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester, says: \"Strangulation often ends up being treated the same as a slap or a punch.\n\n\"It's a very different crime. Often there is no external injury to the neck, which is why it's a very powerful tool for the perpetrator.\n\n\"It can cause confusion but ultimately it can lead to death.\"\n\nA research project led by Dr White describes non-fatal strangulation as a \"gendered crime, with nearly all the patients female and the alleged perpetrators male\".\n\nAnd figures from the Femicide Census, which looked at the cases of women killed by men in the UK, found that in 2018, 29% died through strangulation.\n\nCampaigners point to New Zealand and some parts of the United States and Australia, where non-fatal strangulation has become a specific offence.\n\nMeanwhile, after help from a women's centre and counselling, Jenny now feels stronger and happier.\n\nDespite the pandemic, she says, having finally escaped her abuser: \"2020 was one of the best years of my life.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Body Coach says he will be running PE lessons online for children\n\nJoe Wicks is restarting his online PE lessons from next week, to help families keep fit during lockdown.\n\nThe personal trainer told the BBC he wanted to \"give children structure\" and help them feel \"more optimistic\".\n\nHe said live sessions would run on his YouTube channel at 09:00 GMT on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.\n\nSchools across the UK are reopening later than normal, amid tighter measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.\n\nConfirming the return of his \"PE with Joe\" sessions in an Instagram post, Wicks, known as the Body Coach, said: \"We all need this for our mental health more than ever and exercising can help.\"\n\nHe told BBC Breakfast he had \"a really emotional moment last night\", after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new national lockdown for England on Monday evening.\n\n\"I was thinking about all the children in the UK and all around the world that are at home in tiny little flats… and they feel like they miss their friends and they miss school,\" he said.\n\n\"And so PE with Joe three days a week is going to really help them get through those days and give them some structure and hopefully help them feel a little bit happier and a bit more optimistic.\"\n\nWicks first began his free online workouts during the national lockdown in March, with the sessions attracting millions of viewers.", "Boeing's 737 Max plane is safe to return to service in the UK and the European Union, regulators have said.\n\nIt ends a 22-month flight ban for the jet, which followed two crashes which caused 346 deaths.\n\nThe plane had already been cleared to resume flying in North America and Brazil.\n\nBut this week a senior manager at Boeing's 737 plant in Seattle warned that recertification had happened too quickly.\n\nRegulators in the US and Europe insist their reviews have been thorough, and that the 737 Max aircraft is now safe.\n\nThe European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Easa), which regulates aviation in 31 mainly EU countries, said it now had \"every confidence\" in the plane following an independent review.\n\n\"But we will continue to monitor 737 Max operations closely as the aircraft resumes service,\" said executive director Patrick Ky.\n\n\"In parallel, and at our insistence, Boeing has also committed to work to enhance the aircraft still further in the medium term, in order to reach an even higher level of safety.\"\n\nThe UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which oversees UK aviation now Britain has left the EU, said the work to return the 737 Max to the skies had been \"the most extensive project of this kind\".\n\nIt said it was in close contact with Tui, currently the only UK operator of the aircraft, as it returned the plane to service.\n\n\"As part of this we will have full oversight of the airline's plans including its pilot training programmes and implementation of the required aircraft modifications.\"\n\nThe 737 Max's first accident occurred in October 2018, when a Lion Air jet came down in the sea off Indonesia.\n\nThe second involved an Ethiopian Airlines version that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, just four months later.\n\nBoth have been attributed to flawed flight control software, which became active at the wrong time and prompted the aircraft to go into a catastrophic dive.\n\nEasa said it had done a full investigation independent of Boeing or the US Federal Aviation Administration and \"without any economic or political pressure\".\n\nAs a result, it demanded software upgrades, electrical working rework, maintenance checks, operations manual updates and crew training.\n\n\"We asked difficult questions until we got answers and pushed for solutions which satisfied our exacting safety requirements,\" Mr Ky said.\n\nThe CAA said it had based its decision on information from Easa, the US Federal Aviation Agency and Boeing, as well as \"extensive engagement\" with airline operators and pilots.\n\nIt comes days after a report by Ed Pierson, a former Boeing manager, claimed that regulators and investigators had largely ignored factors that may have played a direct role in the accidents.\n\nMr Pierson said that further investigation of electrical issues and production quality problems at the 737 factory in Seattle was badly needed.\n\nOn Wednesday Naoise Connolly Ryan, whose husband Mick died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, said that the families of victims \"still do not have a full accounting of what happened and why\".\n\n\"Ultimately we are more determined than ever to find out exactly what Boeing knew about this dangerous aircraft, and hold them accountable for the deaths of our loved ones.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Paul Njoroge says his family died because of Boeing's \"negligence\"\n\nBoeing has already agreed to pay $2.5bn (£1.8bn) to settle US criminal charges that it hid information from safety officials about the design of the planes.\n\nThe US Justice Department said the firm chose \"profit over candour\", impeding oversight of the planes.\n\nAbout $500m of that will go to families of the people killed in the tragedies.\n\nHowever, attorneys for the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash have said the deal would not end their pending civil lawsuit against Boeing.\n\nOn Wednesday, Boeing posted a record $12bn annual loss after it delayed its all-new 777X jet for the third time, incurring huge charges.\n\nThe coronavirus crisis has caused demand for the industry's largest jetliners to fall, with airline customers shunning deliveries of planes due international travel restrictions.\n\nThe 737 Max has already been cleared to fly in North America and Brazil - now it has the go-ahead from European regulators as well.\n\nIt's a major step for Boeing - although with the current travel restrictions in place, it's likely to be a while before the decision has much practical effect.\n\nBut the controversy won't end there. Relatives of those who died in the Ethiopian Airlines accident have made it clear they haven't heard enough to be sure the aircraft - modified in accordance with regulators' wishes - is truly safe.\n\nAnd this week, a former senior manager at the 737 factory told the BBC why he thought existing planes might still be carrying potentially dangerous manufacturing defects.\n\nThat may explain why Easa has also chosen to publish a report setting out the detailed reasoning behind its decision.\n\nUltimately, the 737 Max may we'll have decades of successful service ahead of it. But for the moment, winning back passenger confidence will be a formidable challenge.", "The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has defended the inclusion of ransomware payments in first-party cyber-insurance policies.\n\nIt said insurance was \"not an alternative\" to doing everything possible to first minimise the risk.\n\nHowever, it added that firms could face financial ruin without the cover.\n\nProf Ciaran Martin, former head of the National Cyber Security Centre, said the UK needed to rethink its policies on ransomware.\n\nRansomware is a form of malware in which infected computers are remotely locked by cyber-criminals, who then demand a ransom, often in the form of Bitcoin, to unlock them and return the data they hold.\n\nThere are many examples of businesses and public bodies which have chosen to pay because they do not have the data backed up, or cannot afford - or do not have time - to rebuild their systems from scratch.\n\nThe Guardian reported that Prof Martin, now at Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government, said he believed insurers were \"funding organised crime\" by accepting ransomware claims, but he told the BBC the issue of how to tackle ransomware was far broader than just the insurance sector.\n\nWhile official advice is not to pay the demand, it is not illegal to do so in the UK, he said.\n\n\"I have some sympathy with insurers, because as long as it's legal, there are incentives to pay.\"\n\nWhile the ransom demand may be high, the alternative impact can also be devastating.\n\nWhen the global aluminium producer Norsk Hydro was attacked in 2019, it cost the firm around £45m, and its profits in the immediate aftermath plummeted by 82%, reported Reuters.\n\nNorsk Hydro refused to pay the demand, which would arguably have been cheaper - but it did have insurance.\n\nA spokesman for the ABI said insurers do require that \"reasonable precautions\" are taken to prevent cyber-attacks from succeeding in the first place, just as cars and houses require security measures in place to deter thieves.\n\n\"Some might argue that any insurance that covers against a criminal act could lull the policyholder into a false sense of security,\" he said.\n\nProf Martin said he did not think that banning ransomware insurance claims would necessarily solve the problem.\n\n\"But it's worth a serious piece of consultation because if we continue as we are, things will get worse,\" he said.", "Cough, fatigue, sore throat and muscle pain may be more common in people who test positive for the new UK variant of coronavirus, a study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests.\n\nThe ONS findings are based on positive tests from a random sample of 6,000 people in England.\n\nLoss of taste and smell may be slightly less likely to affect those with the new form of the virus.\n\nHowever, it is still one of the three main symptoms of the virus.\n\nThe NHS website lists the symptoms as a high temperature, a new continuous cough and a loss or change to sense of smell or taste.\n\nMost people infected with the virus develop at least one of these symptoms.\n\nThe new variant, which was first spotted in Kent in September, spreads more easily than the previous form of the virus and has now spread across the UK, causing a surge in cases which prompted the current lockdown.\n\nThere is some evidence it could be more deadly than other variants, although the data isn't strong enough yet to say for certain.\n\nTwo other variants - one from South Africa and another from Brazil - are also circulating, although at lower levels.\n\nThe ONS analysis looked at the symptoms reported by people up to a week before testing positive for the new variant of coronavirus, compared with those testing positive for the old variant.\n\nThey were tested over two months between mid-November and mid-January.\n\nTest results compatible with the new variant show up as being positive for two genes, rather than three for the other variant.\n\nIn a group of about 3,500 people with the new variant:\n\nIn a group of 2,500 people with the old variant:\n\nThe study found 16% of those with the new variant experienced losing their sense of taste while 15% lost their sense of smell.\n\nThis was slightly lower than reported by people with the old variant (18% for both).\n\nThere was no difference found in levels of headaches, shortness of breath or diarrhoea and vomiting in both groups.\n\nProf Lawrence Young, virologist and professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick, said the new variant of the virus had 23 changes compared to the original Wuhan virus.\n\n\"Some of these changes in different parts of the virus could affect the body's immune response and also influence the range of symptoms associated with infection,\" he said.\n\nInfected people appear to produce more virus and this could result in more widespread infection within the body \"perhaps accounting for more coughs, muscle pain and tiredness\", Prof Young added.\n\nThe analysis is part of a long-term study to track coronavirus in the UK population, carried out jointly with Public Health England, the University of Oxford and the University of Manchester.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "UK nationals and residents returning from \"red list\" countries will be made to quarantine in accommodation such as hotels for 10 days, Boris Johnson has said. While exact details of the policy remain unclear, similar schemes are already in place elsewhere, including in Australia and New Zealand. So how does it work?\n\nAfter finally securing her family's place in Australia's quarantine system, Keri McMenamin prepared for the worst - and ordered a vacuum cleaner.\n\nThe 38-year-old was returning to the country with her husband and two children after securing a job offer - leaving the UK in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic last year.\n\n\"It is literally luck of the draw,\" she says of where her family would spend 14 days together once they arrived. \"You didn't know what to expect.\" Having done some research, Keri discovered Facebook groups busy with people relaying their experiences of quarantine.\n\n\"A lot of people were saying, 'Look, just expect the worst and then whatever you get is a bonus.'\"\n\nKeri's children Quinn and Nyala kept busy with board games\n\n\"There were people who had, like, filthy hotel rooms, appalling food, you know, really sort of tiny spaces, no opening windows, no balconies,\" she adds.\n\nThat's when she ordered the vacuum for a friend to deliver when the time came.\n\nIn the end, the family was taken to a hotel in Surfers' Paradise on the Gold Coast and given an interconnecting room. But still, the windows were sealed and their only time outside was 20-minute stints every two to three days.\n\n\"I think what kept us sane was having a routine,\" she adds. \"Joe Wicks in the morning and our yoga in the evening and sort of keeping up your 12,000 steps a day walking around in loops.\" The vacuum came in useful.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThere are strict caps on the numbers travelling to countries using hotels to quarantine arrivals.\n\nBetween July and October 2019, 7.5m people arrived into Australia to live, work and visit. But over the same period last year, when enforced quarantine was in place, just 72,111 people arrived, according to government figures.\n\nPeople like Keri who have been through quarantine in Australia told BBC News that airlines will only confirm seats once a spot in a hotel is secured - leading to last-minute scrambles.\n\nOnline forums suggest expats desperate to get home are facing months of delays, cancellations and uncertainty - around 39,000 have said they want to return.\n\nQuarantine hotel stays themselves are costly - with fees paid for by travellers.\n\nThe quality of food provided to those placed into quarantine in Australia has improved since the start of the pandemic\n\nIn New South Wales, it costs the equivalent of around £1,700 per adult and £2,800 for a family of two adults and two children - billed after the quarantine is completed.\n\nArrivals into New Zealand are charged £1,630 for the first adult, with an extra £500 for each additional adult and £250 for each child.\n\nThe costs include the accommodation and a basic food service and even more basic cleaning - perhaps once per week, or not at all, with one change of linen and towels, depending on the facility.\n\nBut it comes on top of airfares, which have increased due to the pandemic. Fees can be waived for those who cannot pay and there are some exemptions.\n\nEach region has its own rules. In Australia, packages can be brought in from outside, and in New Zealand some of those in quarantine are taken to fields to exercise.\n\nMark Dickinson, from Liverpool, has lived in New Zealand with his wife Lisa for four years but returned to the UK to see their newborn granddaughter in December - he spoke to the BBC 10 days into a 14-day isolation near Auckland.\n\n\"We had to have a test on day zero, then day three, then we're having a test tomorrow on day 11,\" Mark says.\n\n\"The area at the front of the hotel is surrounded by a double-guarded fence. It may have cost us £2,000 but if that means New Zealand stays safe, then we're happy doing it.\"\n\nMark and his wife Lisa added photographs of their newborn granddaughter to a display in a small walking area at their hotel\n\nMany of those isolating found life does not stop in quarantine. Australian Brad Thiele started a new job and celebrated his 51st birthday alone in a 300 sq ft room at the Novotel in central Sydney.\n\nAfter being asked by a person wearing a full hazmat suit at Sydney airport whether he had any concerns about being held in a room for 14 days, Brad was taken to the hotel with a blue-light police escort. On arrival, the military were on hand to ensure he checked in.\n\n\"I quite like practising meditation. So I was able to just sort of just sit and be at peace with the fact this was the first two weeks of the rest of my life having lived abroad in Britain for the past 23 years,\" he says.\n\n\"I had some regimen, it was important to get up in the morning, make the bed, shower, iron a shirt and be smart casual for work. Just finding a rhythm and a pattern in the day.\"\n\nHe's yet to decide whether to take the Novotel up on an offer of a 30% discount on a future stay.\n\nOther countries' experience of setting up a hotel quarantine system provides an insight into the sort of challenges politicians and civil servants in the UK may soon be grappling with.\n\nInitially those in quarantine across the world complained about the quality of food being provided.\n\nThen outbreaks at just two hotels in the Australian state of Victoria were traced to 99% of cases in a second wave across Melbourne that led to around 750 deaths.\n\nA public inquiry found a lack of training, cleaning and contact tracing seeded infections into the local community.\n\nAn urgent review of the hotel quarantine system in New Zealand is under way\n\nReports at the time suggested encounters between private security staff and those staying in quarantine caused the virus to spread. The inquiry did not find evidence to back up the claims.\n\nBut former judge Jennifer Coate criticised a lack of \"health focus\" in the quarantine system in Melbourne, saying risks \"were foreseeable and may have actually been foreseen\".\n\nMeanwhile, New Zealand is investigating after a woman who had served 14 days in quarantine and tested negative twice went on to develop symptoms which were confirmed to be the South Africa variant of Covid-19.\n\nThe 56-year-old woman had recently returned from Europe and is said to have visited almost 30 places in New Zealand before her case was detected. Local officials say she is likely to have been infected by a fellow returnee.\n\nBack in Australia, knowing why the quarantine system is in place and the benefits it brings - the country has largely eradicated the virus - helps motivate people to keep to the rules, Keri McMenamin says.\n\nKeri's family have since been able to enjoy a Christmas with minimal restrictions following their stay in hotel quarantine\n\nShe has just spent a public holiday going about the sort of activities many of us in the UK can but dream of - and her children will be in school this week.\n\n\"We went to a local gym and had a group workout with 30 people,\" she says.\n\n\"And then we went to the countryside, and the kids built little boats out of wood and mingled around and there were families picnicking.\n\n\"I almost feel guilty for having gone through this process and now living a normal life,\" she adds. \"I feel like I don't want to talk to my friends in the UK about how easy our life here is and how normal it is.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMore than 100,000 people have died with Covid-19 in the UK, after 1,631 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were recorded in the daily figures.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said he took \"full responsibility\" for the government's actions, saying: \"We truly did everything we could.\"\n\n\"I'm deeply sorry for every life lost,\" he said.\n\nA total of 100,162 deaths have been recorded in the UK, the first European nation to pass the landmark.\n\nEarlier, figures from the ONS, which are based on death certificates, showed there had been nearly 104,000 deaths since the pandemic began.\n\nThe government's daily figures rely on positive tests and are slightly lower.\n\nMr Johnson told Tuesday's Downing Street news conference that it was \"hard to compute the sorrow contained in this grim statistic\".\n\nHe gave his \"deepest condolences\" to those who had lost loved ones, including \"fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and the many grandparents who've been taken\".\n\nThe UK is the fifth country to pass 100,000 deaths, coming after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.\n\nA surge in cases in recent weeks - driven in part by a new, fast-spreading variant of the virus - has left the UK with one of the highest coronavirus death rates globally.\n\nA further 20,089 coronavirus cases were recorded on Tuesday, continuing a downward trend in the number of UK cases seen in recent days. The number of people in hospital remains high, as do the UK's daily death figures.\n\nMr Johnson said the coronavirus infection rate remained \"pretty forbiddingly high\" despite lockdown restrictions which have been in place in England since 5 January.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons - including for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nMr Johnson said he would set out more detail in \"the next few days and weeks\" about \"when and how we want to get things open again\".\n\nIt's a terrible milestone - and one that represents unimaginable loss.\n\nMost of the deaths have come in two waves - the sharp, sudden surge in the spring followed by a slow and sustained rise throughout autumn and winter.\n\nMistakes have been made - the delay locking down back in March is one that is often cited even by the government's own advisers.\n\nThe UK, like much of Europe, was also woefully underprepared with limited testing and contact tracing systems.\n\nBut the ageing population, high rates of obesity, the fact the UK is a global hub and its inter-connectedness with Europe are also factors that meant we were tragically never going to escape lightly once the virus got a foothold.\n\nSpeaking alongside the prime minister, Prof Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, described it as a \"very sad day\".\n\nHe said the number of people dying \"will come down relatively slowly over the next two weeks - and will probably remain flat for a while now\".\n\nProf Whitty added the new coronavirus variant had changed the UK's situation \"very substantially\" with infection rates \"just about holding\" due to lockdown restrictions.\n\nBut he said the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK \"has been coming down\" and the number of people in hospital with Covid has \"flattened off\" - including in London, the South East and East of England.\n\nHowever, there were \"some areas\" where the hospital figures were \"still not convincingly reducing\", he said.\n\nNHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said there had been \"continuing improvements in hospital treatment for severely sick coronavirus patients\".\n\nHe said he expected more treatments within the next six to 18 months, adding: \"We can see a world in which coronavirus may be more treatable, but for now, it's a combination of reducing infections and getting vaccinations done.\"\n\nOne day there will be a public inquiry - maybe several - seeking to understand why so many died.\n\nLast summer, back when the government was subsidising people to eat out at restaurants, Boris Johnson said there would be an independent inquiry into the government's handling of Covid, but gave no details or dates.\n\nHe still hasn't, despite a recent call from bereaved families, trade unions and charities for lessons to be learnt now.\n\nThe gravest public health crisis for a century would have tested any government.\n\nBut as the pandemic has worsened, the criticisms and questions have mounted - about the timing of lockdowns, the rollout of test and trace and the failure to protect care homes last spring.\n\nThere is now pressure on Boris Johnson from some Tory MPs to ease restrictions as soon as the most vulnerable are vaccinated.\n\nBut this evening a sombre prime minister said the government would first do everything it could to minimise further loss of life.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said it was a \"sobering moment in the pandemic\", saying: \"Each death is a person who was someone's family member and friend.\"\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was a \"national tragedy\" to have reached 100,000 deaths.\n\nThe government had been \"behind the curve at every stage\" of the pandemic and had not learnt lessons over the summer, he added.\n\nThe epidemiologist whose modelling in part prompted the UK's first national lockdown said more action in the autumn of last year could have saved lives.\n\nProf Neil Ferguson told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: \"Had we acted both earlier and with greater stringency back in September when we first saw case numbers going up, and had a policy of keeping case numbers at a reasonably low levels, then I think a lot of the deaths we've seen, not all by any means, but a lot of the deaths we've seen in the last four or five months, could have been avoided.\"\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said the death toll was \"heartbreaking\" and warned there was a \"tough period ahead\".\n\n\"The vaccine offers the way out, but we cannot let up now,\" he added.\n\nMore than 6.8 million people in the UK have had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest figures.\n\nPlease enable JavaScript or upgrade your browser to see this interactive\n\nIf you would like to send us a tribute to a friend or family member who died after contracting coronavirus, please use the form below.\n\nPlease remember to include a photo of your loved one and their name. Upload your pictures here. Don't forget to include your contact details, so we can get in touch with you.\n\nWe would like to respond to everyone individually and include every tribute in our coverage, but unfortunately that may not be possible. Please be assured your message will be read and treated with the utmost respect.\n\nPlease note the contact details you provide will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your tribute.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nNicola Sturgeon has suggested that Boris Johnson should not visit Scotland as it is not an \"essential\" journey.\n\nThe prime minister is widely expected to travel to Scotland on Thursday.\n\nBut Ms Sturgeon said she was \"not ecstatic\" about the plan, saying leaders should abide by the same rules as they ask of the general public.\n\nAsked about the trip, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said Mr Johnson would go \"wherever he needs to go in his vital work against this pandemic\".\n\nAnd Downing Street has insisted that it is important for the prime minister to be \"visible and accessible\" during the pandemic.\n\nThe prime minister's official spokesman did not confirm details of the visit, but said: \"It remains the fact that it is a fundamental role of the PM to be the physical representative of the UK government\".\n\nThe spokesman added: \"It is right that he is visible and accessible to businesses, communities and the public across all parts of the UK, especially during the pandemic.\"\n\nReports have suggested Mr Johnson is due to visit Scotland on Thursday to thank staff involved in the fight against Covid-19, despite the \"stay at home\" lockdown in place across the country.\n\nSpeaking at her daily coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon stressed that she was not saying Mr Johnson was unwelcome in Scotland, but added that she was \"not ecstatic\" about the idea of him travelling up from London.\n\nDowning Street says it is important for the prime minister to be \"visible and accessible\" across the UK during the pandemic\n\nShe said: \"We are living in a global pandemic and every day I stand and look down the camera and say 'don't travel unless it is essential, work from home if you possibly can' - that has to apply to all of us.\n\n\"People like me and Boris Johnson have to be in work for reasons people understand, but we don't have to travel across the UK. We have a duty to lead by example.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon said her team had suggested she visit a mass vaccination centre in Aberdeen in the coming weeks, but that she had questioned whether the journey was \"genuinely essential\".\n\nShe said: \"If I'm standing here every day saying to all of you watching, don't leave your house unless it is essential, I have a duty to subject myself to that same discipline and decision making.\n\n\"I would say me travelling from Edinburgh to Aberdeen to visit a vaccine centre is not essential - Boris Johnson travelling from London to wherever in Scotland to do the same is not essential.\n\n\"If we're asking other people to abide by that then I'm sorry, I think it's incumbent on us to do likewise.\"\n\nThere are currently cross-border travel restrictions in place for anything other than essential travel, as well as a stay at home order\n\nThe Scottish secretary was asked about the move at Westminster by SNP MP Neale Hanvey, who described the trip as a \"futile\" attempt to bolster the union following a trend of polls suggesting majority support for independence.\n\nMr Jack replied: \"That's ridiculous - the prime minister is the prime minister of the United Kingdom, and wherever he needs to go in his vital work against this pandemic, he will go.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. One protester said: \"This is the only way I can effect change\"\n\nPeople campaigning against the HS2 rail project have dug a tunnel near Euston station, in a bid to prevent their eviction from a protest camp.\n\nIn September, members of HS2 Rebellion set up a Tree Protection Camp in Euston Square Gardens in central London to protest against the £106bn scheme.\n\nThey claim the tunnel is 100ft (30m) long and has taken two months to dig.\n\nActivists say the tunnel - codenamed \"Kelvin\" - is their \"best defence\" against being evicted.\n\nOne protester, identified only as Blue, told the BBC: \"It is all very dangerous and life-threatening but it is all worth it. This is the only way I can effect change, I would sacrifice everything for the climate ecological emergency to not be happening.\"\n\nThe 18-year-old added: \"We want to be as safe as possible. It is not about us martyring ourselves, it is about delaying and stopping HS2.\"\n\nDemonstrators have previously built tree houses and scaled cranes near the HS2 Euston site\n\nA spokeswoman for HS2 said tunnel protests were \"costly to the taxpayer\".\n\nShe added: \"These are a danger to the safety of the protesters, HS2 staff, High Court enforcement officers and the general public, as well as putting unnecessary strain on the emergency services during the pandemic.\n\n\"Safety is our first priority when taking possession of land and removing illegal encampments.\"\n\nBritish Transport Police said it was aware of the tunnel but it was a matter for the Met Police, which said no complaint yet had been made.\n\nHS2 is set to link London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. It is hoped the 20-year project will reduce rail passenger overcrowding and help to rebalance the UK's economy.\n\nThe campaign group alleges HS2 is the \"most expensive, wasteful and destructive project in UK history\" and that it is \"set to destroy or irreparably damage 108 ancient woodlands and 693 wildlife sites\".\n\nHowever, HS2 bosses have said seven million trees will be planted during phase one of the project and that much ancient woodland will \"remain intact\".\n\nSeasoned activist Daniel Cooper - better known as Swampy - has been at Euston supporting the campaigners\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps told MPs in September that the first phase of the high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham would not open until 2028 at the earliest.\n\nThe second phase, to Manchester and Leeds, was due to open in 2032-33 but that has been pushed back to 2035-40.\n\nNetwork Rail, which owns the land, has been approached for a comment about the tunnel.\n\nHS2 protester Dr Larch Maxey said the tunnel was \"warm and quiet\"\n\nTunnelling as a form of environmental protest has a long history in the UK.\n\nIn the 1990s it was one of the ways that pushed environmental concerns into the headlines and changed perceptions.\n\nIn one of the environmental protesters' tunnelling guides, written by \"Disco Dave\", it says:\n\n\"In the world of NVDA (non-violent direct action) there are few defence tactics that can compare with the protest tunnel. Dangerous, laborious and time consuming, tunnelling is the ultimate and desperate tactic of desperate people in desperate times.\"\n\nThe first protest tunnel goes back to the M11 and 1993 but they only really developed during the Newbury Bypass protests in 1996.\n\nProtest tunnels against the A30 in Devon and Manchester Airport's second runway then followed.\n\nNot only did they make household names of environmental campaigners like \"Swampy\" but they arguably changed transport policy - road-building reduced massively.\n\nWe have seen tunnels more recently in 2017 in Coldharbour in Surrey in a protest against fracking so it's not a massive surprise we are seeing tunnels again.\n\nTunnelling in particular as a direct action slows down developers and it is expensive to dig out protesters safely.\n\nDisco Dave wrote: \"That ultimately is the purpose of tunnels and tree houses. To act as a deterrent warning the authorities that should they decide to evict, then it will hurt them where for them it hurts most - in the pocket.\"\n\nWhat will be interesting is if these tunnels have the same impact on HS2 as they did on the road-building programme of the late 1990s.\n\nWill it reframe HS2 so it will be seen in the same way as fracking or road building? Or can the argument still be made that it is a low-carbon form of travel even though it does cause some destruction of habitat?\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Baroness Floella Benjamin has spoken of her pride after receiving a first coronavirus vaccine dose.\n\nThe 71-year-old actress said she would wear a badge saying \"I've had the jab\" after being vaccinated.\n\nThe Lib Dem peer, who came to Britain in 1960 and was born in Trinidad, is known for appearing in the children's programme Play School and received a damehood last year.\n\nOver 6.8m people in the UK have now received a first vaccine dose.\n\nAs a member of the House of Lords, Baroness Benjamin has spoken regularly about the disproportionate effect of Covid-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic communities as well as the knock-on impact of the pandemic.\n\nIn September, she told peers she knew two people who had taken their own lives \"because they could not cope with the uncertainty of the future\".\n\nShe is also a member of the Lords Covid-19 Committee.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Floella Benjamin This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe government has set a target for all those in the top four priority groups - around 15 million - to be offered a vaccine by mid-February.\n\nTwo vaccines - developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca - are being used. A third, from Moderna, has been approved.\n\nAll have been shown to be safe and effective in trials with two doses needed to offer the best protection - now timed 12 weeks apart.\n\nIt comes as British Asian celebrities united to dispel myths about the coronavirus vaccine.\n\nComedians Romesh Ranganathan and Meera Syal and cricketer Moeen Ali appear in a video urging people to get a jab.\n\nA study from the Royal Society for Public Health found 57% of black, Asian and minority ethnic people said they would take the vaccine.\n\nThis figure compared with 79% of white people who would do so.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nAuthorities who dealt with a benefits claim from a single mother, who took a fatal overdose after her payments were cut, made 28 errors in managing her case, a coroner has found.\n\nPhilippa Day, 27, was found collapsed at her Nottingham home beside a letter rejecting her request for an at-home benefits assessment in August 2019.\n\nShe died after two months in a coma.\n\nNottingham Coroner's Court heard the way her claim was dealt with was the \"predominant factor\" in her overdose.\n\nRecording a narrative conclusion, coroner Gordon Clow said he could not determine whether she intended to die rather than put her life at risk.\n\nMiss Day, who had been diagnosed with unstable personality disorder, had been receiving disabled living allowance (DLA) payments as she had type 1 diabetes.\n\nThose payments stopped in January 2019 after she made an application for a personal independence payment (PIP), reducing her income from £228 a week to £60.\n\nThis, the inquest heard, was because a form she had sent went missing and her payments were not reinstated for months, despite her eligibility.\n\nThis led to her taking out short-term loans and ending up in debt.\n\nThe court heard in June, she called the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to say she was \"starving\" and \"couldn't survive like this for much longer\".\n\nPhilippa Day (left) took a fatal overdose and died in October 2019\n\nShe was then asked to attend a face-to-face assessment despite it being \"distressing\" for her, Mr Clow said.\n\nThe coroner added Miss Day's mental health problems were \"exacerbated\" by the benefits process.\n\nHe accepted it had been \"the last straw\" for Miss Day who was already experiencing a range of stressors.\n\nHe said: \"Were it not for this problem, it is not likely that she would have [overdosed] on the 7th or 8th of August.\"\n\nCall handlers repeatedly failed to flag that the case required \"additional support\" due to her mental health problems, the coroner said.\n\nThe DWP did not tell her community psychiatric nurse that she had not returned the form before refusing her application, which could have resolved the issue.\n\nThe coroner said call handlers received little to no training on personality disorders like Miss Day's - all that was available was a factsheet.\n\nCapita was made aware of the risks to Miss Day's health from a face-to-face interview by her community psychiatric nurse, but did not act on it, he added.\n\nMr Clow said: \"Given the sheer number of problems in the handling of her claim, I am unable to conclude that each of these was attributable to individual human error.\"\n\nHe concluded the failure to administer her benefit claim in a way that avoided exacerbating her mental health problems was the \"predominant factor\" that caused Miss Day to overdose.\n\nMr Clow recommended changes at both the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Capita, the authorities involved.\n\nIn a prevention of future deaths report, Mr Clow said the DWP should consider timely mental health training for call handlers and address \"poor record keeping\".\n\nThe DWP and Capita were also directed to review the change of assessment process so that it does not \"create unnecessary distress\".\n\nA spokesman for the DWP said: \"This is a deeply tragic case. Our sincere condolences are with Miss Day's family and we will carefully consider the coroner's findings.\"\n\nA Capita spokesman said the company also apologised for the mistakes made.\n\n\"We have strengthened our processes over the last 18 months and are committed to continuously working to deliver a high-quality, empathetic service for every claimant,\" he said.\n\n\"In partnership with the DWP, we will act upon the coroner's findings and make further improvements to our processes.\"\n\nThis conclusion amounts to a near dismantling of the process for applying for the main disability benefit for people with psychiatric problems.\n\nWhile around 40% of claimants for personal independence payments have mental health conditions, the inquest found that call handlers for the DWP didn't receive adequate mental health training.\n\nThe coroner found there was an \"institutional assumption\" in the DWP that problems with a claim were the claimants' fault.\n\nLast year a report from the National Audit Office (NAO) found the department had investigated 69 suicides of benefit claimants since 2014-15.\n\nThere were more cases they could have looked into, said the NAO, but in any case the department couldn't demonstrate any improvements from their investigations had actually been implemented.\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Jane Fonda has had a glittering acting career spanning six decades\n\nUS actress Jane Fonda is to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at next month's Golden Globes, which celebrate excellence in film and TV.\n\n\"Her undeniable talent has gained her the highest level of recognition,\" said the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) - the ceremony's organiser.\n\n\"While her professional life has taken many turns, her unwavering commitment to evoking change has remained.\"\n\nFonda, 83, has had a glittering acting career spanning six decades.\n\nThe HFPA said she would be given the Cecil B deMille Award at the annual ceremony in Beverly Hills, California, on 28 February.\n\nThe Oscar-winning actress made her debut in 1960, later becoming one of the brightest Hollywood stars with films like Barbarella, Nine to Five and On Golden Pond.\n\nHer most recent performance was in the Netflix comedy series Grace and Frankie.\n\nFonda is also well known as a political activist, most recently as a campaigner against climate change. In 2016, she spent Thanksgiving among the protesters at Standing Rock, demonstrating against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.\n\nIn the 1960s she vocally opposed the Vietnam War.\n\nThe actress - who has written a book about how people can get involved in such activism - has been arrested several times during protests, and hopes her actions have raised awareness.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "Labour is calling for juries to be cut from 12 members to seven, to stem the \"gravest crisis\" in the justice system since World War Two.\n\nShadow justice secretary David Lammy said action was needed to clear the backlog of thousands of cases.\n\nHe argued that smaller juries and the use of more temporary courts would allow socially distanced trials.\n\nThe government has not ruled out such a move but insists measures it is taking to clear the backlog are working.\n\nLast week four criminal justice watchdogs warned that courts in England and Wales were straining under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nJury trials ground to a halt at the start of the first lockdown, when people were advised to stay at home except in limited circumstances.\n\nWhen they resumed, there were severe delays and numerous cancellations due to social-distancing requirements.\n\nRecent figures revealed that the number of unheard cases in crown courts had reached a record 54,000.\n\nThe backlog means some from last year may not go before a jury until 2022, and it could be years before the courts get back on track.\n\nLabour wants the temporary return of so-called \"wartime juries\" of seven rather than 12 members to speed up the process.\n\n\"Victims of rape, murder, domestic abuse, robbery and assault are facing delays of up to four years because of the government's failure to act,\" Mr Lammy said.\n\nHe also urged the government to speed up the rollout of temporary \"Nightingale courts\" to hear civil, family and tribunals work, as well as non-custodial crime cases.\n\nTen of these were announced in July 2020 to help deal with the backlog in court proceedings, and 20 are now in operation across England and Wales.\n\nLeading lawyers are sceptical about Labour's proposal to reach back into wartime history.\n\nThe Criminal Bar Association - representing barristers who prosecute and defend trials - says a panel of seven may allow more courtrooms to be used, but it wouldn't solve what it says is chronic underfunding - and potentially undermines one of the most important safeguards in our society.\n\nThe Law Society, for solicitors, wants to see evidence that smaller panels would ease backlogs without risking injustices.\n\nThe Ministry of Justice's internal modelling calculated last year that reduced juries would lead to a 10% increase in cases - but that was before courtrooms received new Covid-proof screens that have allowed more trials to run.\n\nScotland's courts are using cinemas to host juries - and while that is not being actively discussed in England, it's not been ruled out either.\n\nEven if juries were slimmed, courts would still need to tightly control the number of defendants who can use their cells and courtroom docks to meet Public Health England's guidelines.\n\nIn April last year, the head of judiciary in England and Wales, Lord Burnett, backed the idea of reducing the number of jurors if social distancing continued.\n\nIn June, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told the BBC he was \"very attracted\" by the idea of smaller juries, as had happened in wartime, and judge-only trials in less serious cases.\n\nThe Ministry of Justice says it has now installed plastic screens in more than 450 courtrooms and jury deliberation rooms to reduce Covid risks.\n\nIt says the safety measures are designed for 12-person juries and that the impact of lowering the number of jurors would be negligible.\n\nHowever, a spokesman said nothing was being ruled out and ministers were continuing to consider every option available to ensure courts recover quickly.\n\n\"This approach is already delivering results, with magistrates' backlogs falling significantly and the number of cases being dealt with in the crown courts reaching pre-Covid levels last month,\" he added.\n\nThe spokesman also said: \"We know more must be done and are investing £110m into a range of measures to drive this recovery further, including opening more Nightingale courts.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Karen Hobbs, from Cardiff, had a heart attack and died, weeks after testing positive for Covid\n\nThe family of a 40-year-old mother-of-five who died with coronavirus have urged people to respect lockdown rules.\n\nKaren Hobbs had a heart attack and died, weeks after testing positive for Covid-19.\n\nThe former EasyJet cabin crew member developed symptoms a week before Christmas, was not able to get out of bed and started struggling to breathe.\n\nShe was taken to hospital and died on 19 January.\n\nKaren's sister Rachel Hobbs said her normally healthy sister became very ill over Christmas.\n\n\"She just looked dreadful, Christmas Day she was laid up in bed, she couldn't do anything,\" she said.\n\n\"I knew she was really bad but I'd never seen anybody like that before, it was shocking, for someone that healthy to be barely able to walk to a car is quite shocking.\"\n\nOn 2 January, Karen was put into an induced coma.\n\n\"She was really terrified, she said 'I need to come out of this and see my children again'. She never came out of it,\" her sister added.\n\nKaren Hobbs' children are now 14, 11, nine, eight and four.\n\nThe family were told Karen's organs were beginning to fail and she was \"going downhill\" about a week before she died, and they were allowed to visit.\n\n\"She did look a little bit better, she had more colour, she was quite puffy - swelling and a bit of a rash on her. Her lungs were struggling, so we came home a little bit shocked.\n\n\"They started feeding her in a tube and were able to move her, I thought perhaps she's recovering a little bit and then I had the phone call to say that she'd gone.\n\n\"Her body just couldn't take it any more. I don't think it's sunk in. I think the children are still in a bit of shock as well, I thought she would come out of it but she just had it so severe. \"\n\nKaren's children made her a get well soon card while she was in hospital\n\nRachel said her sister, from Cardiff, was healthy with no underlying conditions.\n\n\"She didn't go anywhere - she did online shopping, she was in the house - so we don't even know where it could have come from, she was one of the ones who stayed safest.\n\n\"It's just shocking to think a young mum of five is no longer here. They've lost their mum and they lost their grandfather and nan a couple of years ago so they must feel 'who will be next'?\n\nRachel Hobbs says it still has not sunk in that she has lost her sister\n\nRachel said her sister was a fantastic mother to her five children, aged 14, 11, nine, eight and four.\n\n\"I don't think the youngest understands, I think she thinks mummy's still just in the hospital.\n\n\"She was a very hands-on mum, she spent a lot of time with the children. She'd sit and play with them for hours, sit and colour, she was always there for them.\"\n\nRachel says her youngest niece does not yet understand what has happened to her mother\n\nRachel added that Karen had no patience with people who broke lockdown rules: \"She used to get quite annoyed about people who broke the rules and she wasn't slow on coming forward, she'd say it as well.\n\n\"It just goes to show how bad this virus is. She would say 'make sure you follow the rules because nobody is safe, it is real this virus, stay at home and only go out when you need to'.\"\n\nIn the days since Karen's death a fundraising page has been set up by friends to support her children and their dad, and has raised more than £20,000.\n\nKaren spoke of how frightened she was in her final post on Facebook\n\n\"I'm absolutely amazed at how generous people have been and how kind people have been, the community has come together and I think she'd be proud too that it's raising awareness about the pandemic.\n\n\"That'll help the children going forward now. Out of a bad thing, it's been nice people getting in touch, kind words, messages, little things about what she was like.\"\n\nKaren loved colouring and playing with her children, her sister said", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson joined the production line at the Lighthouse Laboratory in Glasgow for the unpacking of Covid tests\n\nBoris Johnson has insisted that Scotland's independence debate is \"irrelevant\" to most people as he urged the country to unite against Covid.\n\nThe PM was speaking during a trip to Scotland to emphasise the strength of the UK working together during the pandemic.\n\nThe SNP said he was panicking as opinion polls show declining support for the union.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon also questioned if his trip is essential.\n\nThe PM started his day-long visit by going to the Lighthouse Laboratory - which processes Covid tests - at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow.\n\nHe later visited troops who are setting up a vaccination centre in the Castlemilk area of the city, and toured the Valneva vaccine factory in Livingston.\n\nThe factory is expected to deliver 60 million doses to the UK by the end of the year if its vaccine is approved.\n\nMr Johnson used the visit to argue that the priority should be \"fighting this pandemic and coming back more strongly together\" rather than arguing about the constitution.\n\nAnd he praised the \"amazing performance\" of Scottish people in the \"national effort\" to fight the pandemic.\n\nThe prime minister said: \"I think endless talk about a referendum without any clear description of what the constitutional situation would be after that referendum is completely irrelevant now to the concerns of most people\".\n\nMr Johnson also criticised the SNP's record in government, and added: \"We don't actually know what the referendum would set out to achieve.\n\n\"We don't know what the point of it would be - what happens to the army, what happens to the Crown, what happens to the pound, what happens to the Foreign Office. Nobody will tell us what it's all meant to be about.\"\n\nHe told reporters that \"the very same people\" who wanted independence \"also said only a few years ago, in 2014, that this was a once-in-a-generation event\".\n\n\"I'm inclined to stick with what they said last time,\" Mr Johnson said.\n\nMr Johnson met troops who are setting up a vaccination centre\n\nUnder the current Covid regulations, people are only able to travel between Scotland and England for essential reasons, with similar regulations also in place to stop travel across council boundaries within Scotland.\n\nAsked at her daily coronavirus briefing on Wednesday how she felt about the prime minister's visit while the strict travel restrictions were in place, Ms Sturgeon replied she was \"not ecstatic\" about it.\n\nShe argued that leaders should abide by the same rules they impose on the general public, adding that she had herself rejected a suggested visit to a vaccine centre in Aberdeen for this reason.\n\nDowning Street has insisted it is important for the prime minister to be \"visible and accessible\" across the whole of the UK during the pandemic.\n\nIn response to Ms Sturgeon's criticism, the prime minister's official spokesman said: \"These are Covid-related visits. You've seen the prime minister do a number of them over the past few weeks.\n\n\"It is obviously important that he is continuing to meet and see those who are on the front line in terms of those who are providing tests, in terms of those who are working so hard to deliver the vaccination plan.\"\n\nMr Johnson's visit to Scotland is widely seen as being part of a \"charm offensive\" in response to polls indicating a rise in support for independence.\n\nHowever, polls have also suggested that the independence question is currently a lower priority for many people than other issues such as the pandemic, health and education.\n\nA series of opinion polls have suggested that support for independence is now ahead of support for remaining in the UK\n\nCabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said it was \"only right\" the prime minister visited people on the front line of the vaccine roll-out to make sure it is operating effectively.\n\nHe told BBC Breakfast Mr Johnson has visited other crucial locations in the UK's pandemic response, such as the Wrexham plant making the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, adding: \"No one thinks that's illegitimate.\"\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer also said he backed the visit. \"I'm with the prime minister on this one,\" he told LBC Radio.\n\n\"He is the prime minister of the UK. It's important that he travels to see what is going on, on the ground.\"\n\nIt comes as the Scottish government sets out its budget, described as the \"most important in the history of devolution\" in the wake of huge spending increases to support people and businesses during the pandemic.\n\nBoris Johnson had a clear purpose on his visit to Scotland - to talk up what he calls the power of cooperation across the UK.\n\nDressed in white lab coat and protective gear, he was happy to tell me how the UK government is supporting the fight against coronavirus in Scotland.\n\nThat includes spending lots of money supporting jobs and businesses, building test centres, and procuring vaccine supplies from companies like the one he was visiting in Livingston.\n\nNo matter what the prime minister does, or that the UK and Scottish governments are following broadly similar Covid strategies - the public in Scotland perceives that Nicola Sturgeon and her team are handling the pandemic response better.\n\nThis visit was controversial because it happened during lockdown but it went ahead because the UK government recognises how much work it has to do to make the case for the union in Scotland, with Scottish elections due in May when the question of indyref2 will be to the fore.\n\nOn Sunday, the SNP revealed an 11-point \"roadmap to a referendum\" on Scottish independence, which sets out how the party intends to take forward its plan for another vote on the issue.\n\nIt says a \"legal referendum\" will be held after the pandemic if there is a pro-independence majority at Holyrood following May's election.\n\nAnd it says it will \"vigorously oppose\" any legal challenge from the UK government.\n\nNicola Sturgeon's SNP has published a \"roadmap\" aimed at holding a legal referendum once the pandemic ends\n\nMr Johnson has repeatedly stated his opposition to a referendum, and has suggested that another one should not be held for 40 years.\n\nOpposition parties in Scotland have also accused Ms Sturgeon and the SNP of putting the push for independence ahead of the Covid pandemic.\n\nBut SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said the prime minister's trip was evidence that he is in a \"panic\" about the prospect of another referendum.", "Jonathan Mok posted a selfie and another photo of his injuries on Facebook\n\nA 16-year-old boy has been sentenced for racially attacking a Singapore student who was told \"we don't want your coronavirus in our country\".\n\nJonathan Mok was beaten up on Oxford Street last February by a group of boys in an \"unprovoked attack\".\n\nThe teenager was convicted of racially aggravated grievous bodily harm following a trial at Highbury Corner Youth Court.\n\nThe chair of the bench gave the boy an 18-month youth rehabilitation order.\n\nHe was also ordered to wear an electronic tag, follow a curfew order between 20:00 and 07:00 for 10 weeks and must pay £600 compensation to Mr Mok.\n\nChair of the bench Mervyn Mandell warned that had he been an adult he \"would have gone to jail for a very long time\".\n\n\"This was an unprovoked attack for no reason other than his [Mr Mok's] appearance,\" he said.\n\nJonathan Mok had been walking home after having dinner in central London\n\nMr Mok, 23, suffered a complicated fracture to his nose and cheekbone which required surgery, screws and stitches.\n\nImages of his swollen eye were shared widely on social media following the attack.\n\nThe court heard previously how the UCL law student turned around after a friend of the attacker made a remark about coronavirus towards him.\n\nWitnesses described a \"commotion on the street\" where Mr Mok and his friend were \"confronted by a group of white males\".\n\nThey heard someone shout \"you are diseased don't come near me\".\n\nMr Mok was then punched in the face. The teenager joined the attack and continued to punch and kick Mr Mok.\n\nProsecutor Simon Maughan said the teenager was \"quick to get involved\" in the group attack.\n\nA victim impact statement read out on behalf of Mr Mok said the crime had \"taken a heavy toll\" on him and his family.\n\nHe added: \"My legal education had to be halted for a month due to surgery and follow up medical appointments.\n\n\"I have anxiety and have problems sleeping. I believe the defendant is a threat to Singaporeans and South East Asians. He has shown no remorse.\"\n\nThe teenager's defence barrister Gerard Pitt said the boy handed himself in following a police CCTV appeal last March.\n\nNo-one else has been charged in connection with the attack.\n\nMr Pitt said: \"He has always maintained he did not say anything about coronavirus and that was vindicated at the trial.\"\n\nThe court heard Mr Mok could not be 100% sure the defendant was the boy who said anything about coronavirus.\n\nThe boy had no previous convictions, but had two youth cautions for common assaults, the court was told.\n\nBefore being sentenced the teenager said: \"When I saw the picture I felt disgusted.\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Robin Swann says all health workers are valued and have worked tirelessly during the pandemic\n\nHealth workers in Northern Ireland are to get a \"special recognition\" payment for their work during the pandemic.\n\nIt is intended that all staff will receive a payment of £500, said Health Minister Robin Swann.\n\nHowever, it will be subject to approval from the Department of Finance.\n\nThere had been calls from some political parties and health unions for staff to be recognised for their efforts.\n\nScotland has already announced a similar one-off payment and Mr Swann said it would reflect the \"principle of parity\".\n\n\"There are no words to properly convey what health workers have done for us, we will never be able to repay that debt,\" added the minister.\n\nThe development comes as Northern Ireland's Department of Health has recorded 16 more coronavirus-related deaths, taking its toll so far to 1,779.\n\nA further 527 people have tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours.\n\nThere are 775 people in Northern Ireland's hospitals who are being treated for the virus - 68 of them are in intensive care and the number of people requiring ventilators has risen to 56.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, 54 more Covid-19 related deaths were recorded on Wednesday. It brings the Republic of Ireland's death toll to 3,120.\n\nThe Irish Department of Health also confirmed 1,335 more Covid-19 cases.\n\nSpeaking at the weekly health news conference on Wednesday, Mr Swann said the pandemic had caused \"destruction\" and left \"heartbreak in its wake\".\n\n\"Staying at home is making a difference. The R-number has been moving in the right direction,\" he said.\n\n\"We have to sustain and build on that progress.\"\n\nThe reproductive rate of the virus - known as the R rate, measures the infection rate of Covid-19 and had risen to about 1.8 after Christmas relaxations.\n\nIt has been falling since lockdown restrictions were introduced on 26 December, and Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said NI's R-number for hospital admissions has now fallen back below one.\n\nBut he warned that the pressure on the system was still significant and would continue for several more weeks.\n\nHe added that there would need to be a \"sustained\" drop in the figures before relaxations of the lockdown could be considered by the executive.\n\nIt has also been confirmed that the number of people in Northern Ireland who have received their first Covid-19 now stands at 168,140.\n\nMore than 50,000 people aged over 80 have been vaccinated.\n\nOn the payment to health workers, Mr Swann said it would \"not be without its challenges\" but that he valued all staff in the health service.\n\n\"For some people, especially some of our lower paid workers, it may in fact have an adverse impact on their social security payments or supports that recipients may be claiming,\" he added.\n\n\"I have written to the ministers of finance and communities asking them to urgently consider the issue and to engage with the tax and benefit authorities in Great Britain to request that these payments are excluded from consideration in this regard.\"\n\nThere will also be a one-off payment of £2,000 for all non-salaried students on clinical placements in the health service.\n\nMr Swann added that he intends to provide a one-off payment for carers as well, describing them as \"among the greatest unsung heroes\" of the pandemic.\n\nBut he said: \"There is still more work to be done in this regard and it will be significantly more complex to administer than the staff payment.\"\n\nKevin McAdam, who is from Unite the union, said the \"recognition payments\" will be allocated with assurances that this will not affect pay negotiations with healthcare workers.\n\nMr McAdam welcomed that health care workers and non-salaried students on placements will be \"receiving something more tangible than applause\".\n\n\"The student payment is a recognition payment, it does not solve the problems around whether student placements should be paid, I think that is an argument for another day.\"\n\nMeanwhile, a senior Department of Finance official has warned there is \"a higher than usual risk\" of some £430m unspent by the NI Executive being returned to the Treasury.\n\nMinisters must submit further funding bids, or risk it being handed back at the end of the financial year.\n\nA department official, Jeff McGuinness, said the Treasury was being pressed to show flexibility in carrying unspent money over but added that it was \"imperative\" Stormont pressed ahead, rather then rely on agreement from Treasury.\n\nHe said the other devolved administrations were also asking the Treasury for similar levels of carry-forward of unspent fiscal allocations.", "More than 127,000 people in the UK who contracted coronavirus have lost their lives - with the pandemic claiming more than 3.4 million deaths worldwide. As the UK marks a year since the first coronavirus lockdown was called, it's a time for reflection.\n\nWe have gathered tributes to more than 770 of those who have died. Below are words of remembrance from friends, family and colleagues.\n\nPlease enable JavaScript or upgrade your browser to see this interactive\n\nThe tributes are displayed at random, which means that you will see different faces each time you visit this page.\n\nIf we have used your tribute to your friend or family member, it will appear in the carousel above, or you can find it by entering their name in the search box below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. Enter a name to search the tributes\n\nFor more on NHS and healthcare workers, please see this page dedicated to 100 people who died while helping to look after others.\n\nFor more on how it has affected people's lives, from family tragedy to its impact on everyday life, we have a collection of personal stories about life in lockdown.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The limit on a single payment using contactless card technology could rise to £100 - more than double the current limit.\n\nThe coronavirus pandemic led to larger amounts spent via contactless payments on debit cards, credit cards, and cards connected to smartphones.\n\nIt has been less than a year since the limit was raised from £30 to £45.\n\nThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it will consult \"shortly\" on a change in the rules.\n\n\"It is important that payments regulation keeps pace with consumer and merchant expectations,\" the regulator said.\n\n\"Recognising changing behaviour in how people pay, as part of a wider consultation, we will shortly be seeking views on amending our rules to allow for a possible increase in the contactless limit to £100.\"\n\nThe FCA can set the boundaries for payments, under its rules, but the card issuers would have the power to set the actual limits.\n\nThe pandemic has changed the way we pay for things\n\nThe use of contactless technology by consumers has risen sharply in recent years, with more services adopting the technology and most shops offering it as an option.\n\nTo protect workers and consumers during the Covid outbreak, an increase to the current limit of £45 was rushed through by the regulator in April last year.\n\nThe latest figures show that the proportion of contactless payments had fallen slightly compared with pre-pandemic levels, because lockdown measures hit the use of pubs, restaurant, and public transport. They accounted for 41% of card transactions.\n\nHowever, there was a 16% increase in the total value of contactless payments in the UK in October, compared with the same month a year earlier, the latest data from UK Finance - which represents banks - shows.\n\nThe amount spent on contactless hit a monthly record in August, boosted by the Eat Out to Help Out scheme and fewer coronavirus-related restrictions. A total of £8.4bn was spent on credit and debit cards using contactless during that month.\n\n\"The industry believes that a more flexible approach could be merited in future, which takes into account consumer demand, fraud prevention, security and convenience,\" said a spokesman for UK Finance.\n\n\"Contactless is one of a range of payment methods and the industry will also continue to work closely with the regulator to ensure that customers can pay in a way that suits them.\"\n\nHowever, there may be less enthusiasm from some shopkeepers concerned about higher-value theft as a result of the proposed changes.\n\nAndrew Cregan, payments policy advisor at the British Retail Consortium, said: \"We have concerns about raising the contactless limit, with losses from incomplete contactless payments at self-checkouts currently costing retailers millions in lost revenue.\n\n\"Card companies should take measures to reduce incomplete payments and we urge customers to make sure their own transactions always go through. However, the overwhelming priority at the moment must be for the government to address the rocketing card fees.\"", "The UK has identified 77 cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa, the health secretary has said.\n\nCases are linked to travellers arriving in the UK, rather than community transmission, Matt Hancock added.\n\nHe told the BBC's Andrew Marr cases were under \"very close\" observation and enhanced contact tracing was under way.\n\nMinisters are due to meet on Monday to consider imposing tougher restrictions on people arriving from abroad.\n\nScientists have said there is a chance the South African variant may harm the effectiveness of current vaccines.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Hancock said that \"three quarters of all the 80-year-olds in the country and a similar number of care homes\" have received their first doses of the vaccine.\n\nBoth the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines require two doses, and figures so far reflect those given the first dose.\n\nMr Hancock said that it was \"far too early to say\" what proportion of the population needed to be vaccinated before lockdown restrictions could be eased.\n\nAll viruses, including the one that causes Covid-19, mutate, and variants have been first located in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.\n\nThe South Africa variant has been found in at least 20 other countries, including the UK.\n\nMr Hancock said that all the South Africa variant cases in the UK were linked to travel.\n\n\"That's why we have got such stringent border measures in place against movement from South Africa,\" he added.\n\nThe UK closed all travel corridors last week until at least 15 February, with almost all travellers arriving in the country now required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test to be allowed entry.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has not ruled out bringing in tougher measures at UK borders, telling a Downing Street news conference on Friday: \"We don't want to put that (efforts to control Covid) at risk by having a new variant come back in.\"\n\nMinisters are set to discuss whether to tighten border restrictions further, including the possibility of hotel quarantines for travellers.\n\nMr Hancock said: \"We have got to be cautious at the borders.\"\n\nAsked for a date on when lockdown restrictions might end, Mr Hancock said it was \"one of the many things that we don't yet know the answer to\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Matt Hancock on easing restrictions: \"We don't know the answer\"\n\nGovernment data on 14 January showed there were 35 confirmed cases of the South Africa variant identified in the UK, and a further 12 \"probable\" cases.\n\nMr Hancock said nine cases of the Brazil variant had been found in the UK, adding \"we are monitoring each and every one very closely\".\n\nShadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that Labour had been \"pushing the government to take tougher measures at the border since last spring\".\n\nShe said: \"We would fully expect the government to bring in tougher quarantine measures, we would expect them to roll out a proper testing strategy and we would expect them as well to start checking up on the people who are quarantining.\n\n\"Only three out of every hundred people who are asked to quarantine when they arrive into the UK actually face any checks at all - that's just simply not sufficient.\"\n\nOn Friday, Mr Johnson said there was \"some evidence\" the UK variant may be associated with \"a higher degree of mortality\".\n\nThe UK government's chief scientific officer, Sir Patrick Vallance, said there was \"a lot of uncertainty around these numbers\" but that early evidence suggested the variant could be about 30% more deadly.\n\nThe PM said on Friday that there was evidence that both the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine and Oxford-AstraZeneca jab were effective against the variant first detected in the UK.\n\nSir Patrick has warned that the variants in South Africa and Brazil might \"have certain features which means they might be less susceptible to vaccines\".\n\nBut he said \"there is no evidence\" that the two variants have transmission advantages over those already in the UK and so having cases here doesn't mean \"they will take off\".\n\nMeanwhile, England's deputy chief medical officer warned that people who have received a Covid-19 vaccine could still pass the virus on to others and should continue following lockdown rules.\n\nWriting in the Sunday Telegraph, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam stressed that scientists \"do not yet know the impact of the vaccine on transmission\".\n\nHe said vaccines offer \"hope\" but infection rates must come down quickly.\n\nIt's a key question but the fact is that no one can be sure.\n\nThat's because the trials of the vaccines explored the safety of the drugs and how well they prevent people from becoming ill - with good results for both.\n\nBut they did not investigate whether vaccination also stops infection and therefore whether people who've been immunised can still spread the virus to others.\n\nIf a vaccinated person did become infected, they probably wouldn't realise because they wouldn't have any symptoms. That's why health officials and ministers are so concerned.\n\nIt's possible that the antibodies boosted by the vaccine suppress the effects of the virus but don't eliminate it from the upper airway.\n\nMany scientists are cautiously hopeful that in this scenario, the amount of virus would be reduced but they're waiting for the results of studies under way now.\n\nAnd until there's an answer, it's difficult to calculate how and when it's safe to ease restrictions and allow people to mix again.\n\nA further 610 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported in the UK on Sunday - down from 671 deaths last Sunday - in addition to 30,004 new infections.\n\nThe number of positive cases has fallen for the fourth day in a row and is the lowest figure since before Christmas.\n\nThe death figures tend to be lower on a Sunday and Monday because of weekend lags in reporting of the data.\n\nMeanwhile, more than six million people have had their first dose of a Covid vaccine - with the figure now standing at 6,353,321.\n\nNadhim Zahawi, the minister responsible for the vaccine rollout, said on Twitter that 6,353,321 of the \"most vulnerable and frontline heroes\" had received a first dose of the vaccine, but there was still \"much more to do\".\n\nThere were 4,076 Covid patients in mechanical ventilation beds in UK hospitals as of Friday, according to government data.\n\nThat is higher than during the first wave, when the peak was 3,301 on 12 April.", "A banned driver in a stolen car who drove into a police officer on his motorbike has been detained for three years at a young offender's institute.\n\nPC Steve Lovering was deliberately hit by Callum Fellows in Oldbury, West Midlands, after recognising him as a car crime suspect, police said.\n\nFellows, 18, admitted dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and assault at Wolverhampton Crown Court.\n\nFootage from 27 August shows Fellows reversing and knocking Mr Lovering off his bike \"sending him sprawling into the road\" before he sped off on the wrong side of the road and through red traffic lights.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The prime minister said he knew pupils and teachers wanted \"nothing more than to get back to the classroom\"\n\nSchools in England will not be able to reopen to all pupils after the February half-term, but could do so from 8 March, the prime minister has said.\n\nBoris Johnson said this was the earliest schools could reopen and \"depends on lots of things going right\".\n\nThe BBC has been told the aim is for all schools and year groups in England to return at the same time.\n\nTheir return would mark the first stage in lifting the lockdown, the PM said.\n\nHe told a Downing Street news conference: \"The date of 8 March is the earliest that we think it is sensible to set for schools to go back and obviously we hope that all schools will go back.\"\n\n\"I'm hopeful, but that's the earliest that we can do it and it depends on lots of things going right, and... it also depends on us all now continuing to work together to drive down the incidence of the disease through the basic methods we've used throughout this pandemic,\" he added.\n\nThere was not enough data yet to decide when to end the lockdown, he said, but intended to set out a plan for how it could be eased - and the criteria involved - in the final week of February\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg described the 8 March date as \"very much a hope and certainly not a guarantee\".\n\nMeanwhile, a further 1,725 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, according to the latest government figures. The UK's official coronavirus death toll surpassed 100,000 on Tuesday.\n\nMr Johnson told MPs the country remained in a \"perilous situation\" as he said UK nationals and residents arriving from 30 high-risk countries would soon be ordered to quarantine in hotels.\n\nHe revealed a plan for the \"gradual and phased\" lifting of the lockdown in England could come in the week beginning 22 February.\n\nOther restrictions on daily life could be eased after schools reopen, but he explained this would depend on hitting vaccination targets, the capacity of the NHS, and deaths falling.\n\nAn earlier plan for mass testing for pupils and staff remains in place, the BBC has been told.\n\nEngland's schools have been closed to all but vulnerable children and those of key workers since the Christmas break.\n\nIn Scotland, it is hoped schools may begin a phased return in the middle of February.\n\nIn Wales, measures including school and college closures will be reviewed on Friday. In Northern Ireland, a review will take place on Thursday.\n\nThe prime minister said he understood frustration among pupils and teachers \"and for parents and for carers who spent so many months juggling their day jobs, not only with home schooling but meeting the myriad other demands of their children from breakfast until bedtime\".\n\nThe government initially planned to review England's lockdown measures - including school closures - on 15 February, which had raised hopes that pupils could return to classes after half term.\n\nAcknowledging the impact of continued school closures, Mr Johnson pledged to \"work with parents, teachers and schools to develop a long-term plan to make sure that pupils have the chance to make up their learning\" before 2024.\n\nHe said £300m \"of new money to schools\" would fund a catch-up programme over the coming year, with financial incentives for providers to educate pupils who have missed lessons due to the pandemic.\n\nAfter complaints about confusion and drift about when schools in England are going back, Boris Johnson has sought to bring some certainty.\n\nThey won't be going back straight after half term - but the target date will be 8 March.\n\nSources say the aim is for all schools and year groups in England, in primary and secondary, to return back on that date - rather than it being the starting date of a phased or regional return.\n\nAlthough that could be subject to any changes in local Covid-19 levels.\n\nWhen schools do go back it is expected there will be mass testing for pupils and staff, in the scheme initially planned for the start of term.\n\nIt still leaves parents home schooling for another five weeks - and means most of this term will have been without face-to-face lessons.\n\nThis will be a particular worry for pupils heading for whatever replaces GCSEs and A-levels this summer, after almost a full year of stop-start lessons.\n\nHead teachers say the delay is \"no surprise\" - and reopening must be done safely.\n\nAnd Labour says half term should be used to vaccinate teachers to help schools stay open.\n\nBut the prime minister will hope that parents would rather have some clarity about what's happening with schools, even if that means a longer delay.\n\nTeachers' and head teachers' unions said they supported reopening schools but added that it must be safe and not rushed.\n\nMary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said that although the most vulnerable would be protected by March, most parents would not be.\n\n\"It fails completely to recognise the role schools have played in community transmission. The prime minister has already forgotten what he told the nation at the beginning of this lockdown, that schools are a 'vector for transmission',\" she said.\n\nPaul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said the government needs to work with head teachers to review safety measures and create a \"workable plan\" for schools to reopen fully.\n\n\"The government will also have to put effort into reassuring families that it is safe to send their children back to school - there is a confidence test the government must pass to make the return a success,\" he said.\n• None How are Covid rules changing across UK schools?", "Times Radio's Tom Newton-Dunn asked about transmission rates in people given the vaccine Image caption: Times Radio's Tom Newton-Dunn asked about transmission rates in people given the vaccine\n\nTom Newton Dunn from Times Radio asks what we know so far about the rate at which people who have had the vaccine can transmit coronavirus.\n\nJonathan Van Tam says there is no clear data on how the vaccine impacts transmission of coronavirus but there are studies working on finding out and we will have that information in time.\n\nHe said the question is less \"will they\" and more \"to what extent\" do they stop transmission.\n\nSir Patrick Vallance says \"you don't have vaccines of this efficacy without there being some effect on transmission\".\n\nHe says it's an important question as \"it will also determine to what extent these vaccines can be used across wider society to reduce transmission overall\".\n\nNewton Dunn asks how the prime minister came to the date of 8 March to reopen schools and whether it would have been \"wiser to wait until you were sure\".\n\nThe prime minister says the date depends on the vaccines working in reducing mortality and serious disease.... and we need to make sure the infection rate is in the right place.\n\n\"We will keep it all under constant review,\" he says.", "Already 100,000 people in the UK have died with Covid, according to the official count. The idea of 100,000 deaths is hard for many of us to comprehend. But each was a human being who lived and loved in their own unique way. This is the story of one of them.\n\nBy 3:01am, alone in a hospital room, Ann Fitzgerald reached for her phone. This would be her last chance to contact her husband of four decades, the man she'd raised two children with, her Tony - to Ann, he was always her Tony.\n\nThe couple had made a pact. So long as Ann was in hospital with Covid, Tony would spend his nights dozing upright in a chair at their bungalow in Pewfall, Merseyside. That way, he would wake up if there was a message alert.\n\nIt wasn't much of a sacrifice, Tony thought, not when the woman he'd loved for 47 years was all by herself and frightened. And besides, each time his phone bleeped Tony would know she was still alive, and silently he'd thank the stars.\n\nAnd so in the early hours of Tuesday 7 April, Ann's last message arrived. She'd summoned the energy to take a farewell selfie as she lay in bed wearing an oxygen mask. \"She must have thought: 'Here's something so you won't forget me,'\" says Tony.\n\nTwo-and-a-half hours later, Ann was dead. She was 65, a mother, a wife, a neighbour, a colleague and a friend, and one of 999 people in the UK who died that day with the novel coronavirus.\n\nSoon after the hospital rang and told Tony of her death, he was at her bedside, dressed from head to toe in PPE. No visitors had been allowed to see her while she was alive, but now she was gone it was apparently fine - for reasons he didn't understand.\n\nTony wept as he apologised to his wife's lifeless body for letting her go like this, with no loved ones by her side. Then he turned and cursed the sterile white hospital ceiling and walls, because they'd been with her at the end and he hadn't.\n\nBack then, few could have imagined the UK's death toll would reach 100,000, or anything close to it.\n\nAt that point, the tally stood at 10,000; three weeks previously the UK government's Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance had said limiting the final figure to twice that sum would be a \"good outcome\".\n\nNow, 10 months on, the total number of people in the UK who have died within 28 days of a coronavirus diagnosis has increased tenfold, while UK excess deaths in 2020 were at their highest level since World War Two. The UK has had one of the highest rates of recorded coronavirus deaths in the world so far.\n\nBy any measure, 100,000 is a devastating amount, roughly equivalent to two Premier League football grounds, or the number of people who attend the Reading festival every year. For many people, the sheer scale of loss conveyed by the figure will be impossible to grasp.\n\n\"Numbers with lots of zeros are very difficult to interpret, and can be made to look large or small,\" says Sir David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at the University of Cambridge.\n\n\"If I say that 100,000 deaths is two months' worth of normal mortality, then it may not look so bad. If I say that it is more than all the [UK] civilian deaths in WW2, or as if everyone in a city the size of Durham got killed, then it sounds worse. It is challenging to adequately convey such a large number of individual tragedies.\"\n\nBut while many may have become numb to the daily death figures, behind every statistic is a real life lost - a real life like Ann's. \"That is why this arbitrary numerical milestone is important,\" says Hetan Shah, chief executive of the British Academy and a former executive director of the Royal Statistical Society. \"It is a chance to reflect again on the terrible toll this pandemic has taken on so many British families.\"\n\nIn a Manchester nightclub one evening in 1973, 18-year-old Tony felt a tap on his arm. It was Ann, a year his senior, whom he knew by sight as a barmaid in one of the city-centre pubs he sometimes drank in. She'd always stood out to him, with her olive skin and striking good looks, but he'd never dared imagine she might be interested in him romantically.\n\n\"I'm here with that fella over there,\" she told him, gesturing towards across the room. \"But I don't like him and I don't know what to do.\"\n\nTony walked over to Ann's date and told him to clear off. Then Tony returned to Ann, and the two of them had a drink together, and then another. Before long they were a couple and Tony decided he was the luckiest man in the world.\n\nSoon he learned all about Ann's background. Her Lithuanian-born Jewish father had died when she was two years old, and with her mother unable to cope she'd been passed between relatives throughout her childhood. By 16 she was living in a bedsit, supporting herself with waitressing and bar work - she'd also been employed at the legendary art-deco Kardoma café on Market Street and at George Best's nightclub, Oscar's.\n\n\"As a consequence of her upbringing she was really, really independent,\" says Tony. \"She was really good at talking to people, and she was sharp - the sharpest, wittiest person I've ever met.\"\n\nThey rented a flat in Fallowfield together and made it their home. After Ann was offered relief work running bars around Manchester, Tony quit his job as a sales rep to join her. Eventually, in 1981, they took on their own pub. It was in what was then a tough part of Salford, but Ann had grown up nearby and knew how to handle the local characters: \"She could have you in stitches, but she could throw you a look, and you knew you had to behave yourself,\" Tony says.\n\nThe couple were offered the chance to take on another pub in Sale Moor. They thought they were going upmarket, but it turned out to be quite the reverse; Tony would joke that he should take away all the tables and chairs and install a boxing ring instead.\n\nBut Ann wasn't intimidated by anyone. According to Tony, when a notorious local villain turned up and demanded a free drink, Ann stood her ground: \"My husband's name is above the front door, and he pays for his drinks, so you're going to pay for yours,\" she told him. Impressed, the villain ended up buying one for Ann instead.\n\nShe and Tony knew it was time to quit when burglars broke in one night while their baby daughter slept in her cot upstairs. Tony went back on the road as a salesman; Ann worked variously as a debt counsellor, an incident manager for the RAC, and a sales trainer at a cotton firm. Their children, Gary, and Rachel, never once heard them argue, Tony says.\n\nFor six years the couple had a stall at Altrincham Market selling women's clothes. \"People would come, not necessarily to buy something - they just wanted to see Ann,\" says Tony. \"And as a consequence, they'd buy something they didn't really want.\" Each time this happened, Ann would give Tony a wink.\n\nBy the start of 2020, Ann and Tony were looking forward to a long retirement together. Both their children had left home, and they'd recently moved to the bungalow. The news broadcasts had begun describing a deadly pandemic that had spread from China. But Ann wasn't leaving the house much while she recovered from an operation to replace both hips.\n\nThen one Thursday in March she went for a haircut; she asked for the colour to be darkened slightly too, and when he first saw her afterwards Tony told her how much he loved it. Ann mentioned that the hairdresser had been coughing.\n\nThree days later, Ann began coughing too, and soon afterwards so did Tony. But with a fever, she felt worse, and within a few more days she was barely able to stand. She asked Tony to call 999.\n\nThe paramedics helped her to the ambulance. It haunts Tony now that he didn't hug or kiss her as they said goodbye. \"Neither of us thought for one moment that it would be the last day I would ever see her alive,\" he says. She told him they'd probably give her antibiotics and he could come and pick her up in a few hours.\n\nBut later that day she phoned him to say the doctors suspected Covid and they would be keeping her in. As in many hospitals during the first wave, no visiting was allowed.\n\nTony could only stay in touch with her by phone. When a doctor told him the next 24 hours were critical, he didn't tell Ann, because he knew how scared she was already by then.\n\nBut he did pass on something else the medic had said - that they were deeply impressed by her upbeat attitude and fighting spirit. Tony told her, too, that he believed she would be home soon: \"I had to say that to keep her fighting, and fight she did for 10 days.\"\n\nThe last time they spoke was Saturday 4 April. Ann told Tony she thought she'd turned a corner; she'd eaten a sandwich and some yoghurt. After that, talking became too difficult for her; she wasn't in intensive care but the mask she wore to help her breathe was getting in the way.\n\nThree days after their last conversation, Tony was sitting in a white hospital room beside Ann's body. He sat with her there for an hour. He didn't just apologise, he also promised he'd make sure she was remembered properly. When it was time to leave, a nurse gave him a booklet about bereavement and a black bag in which to put Ann's belongings. Tony carried them along a hospital corridor, wondering how he would tell Gary and Rachel their mum was dead.\n\nThere are eight photographs of Ann in Tony's living room. In each of them she looks full of joy. \"Every time I look around, there's a picture of Ann somewhere,\" Tony says. \"She's smiling and I'm thinking, 'If only I could turn back the clock.' But I can't, you know, and nor can all those other families and relations, either.\"\n\nNearly 10 months after Ann's death, Tony finds himself resenting the home he's been left alone inside. If they hadn't moved there, he reasons, Ann wouldn't have gone to that hairdresser's that day and caught the virus - she'd still be alive, perhaps.\n\nHe feels robbed of the 20 additional years he hoped they'd spend together, as surely will thousands of other bereaved relatives. While the impact on the very oldest has been widely recognised, those who might have looked forward to a long retirement have been badly hit, too - during the pandemic, around 15% of all UK fatalities with Covid mentioned on the death certificate have been among those aged 65-74.\n\nTony desperately wishes his life would go back to how it was, but knows it won't.\n\nAnn's funeral didn't give him any closure. Tony would rather she had been buried, but the undertaker warned him to hurry - extra restrictions could be introduced any time - so he took the date that was offered by the crematorium.\n\nAs it was, under the rules that were already in force, only 10 mourners were permitted, spaced out around the chapel. No flowers or photographs on display, no hugging.\n\nTony understood why all this was necessary - but it wasn't the celebration of Ann's bright, gregarious, love-filled life that he thought she deserved. He'd have to plan another one when all this was over.\n\nAs the months went on, Tony joined online Covid support groups. It helped talking to others who understood how it felt to have lost someone. There was the family of a 19-year-old boy. A woman who was mourning both her mum and her dad. Another woman whose husband had died in the car as she drove him to hospital.\n\nHe thought of these stories each time he switched on the news and watched the Covid mortality figures climb higher and higher. Behind these cold statistics were human lives. And each was as unique as Ann, with a personality and backstory entirely of their own.\n\nIt would have been Ann and Tony's 41st wedding anniversary on 6 October, the day before the six-month anniversary of her death. The following month, a few days after the UK's Covid death toll reached 50,000, Tony once again felt Ann's absence bitterly on what would have been her 66th birthday.\n\n\"Christmas was a nightmare for me,\" he says. Under the rules for the festive season, Gary and Rachel and their partners were able to be there with him, and cooking lunch kept him busy most of the day. But afterwards, when he was on his own again, the reality hit that another celebration had gone by without Ann beside him, and Tony sat down and sobbed.\n\nFor millions the arrival of the Covid vaccines has brought hope, but it is a cold comfort for those who have lost someone. If every one of the 100,000 were loved by a dozen people, \"that's a million people in Britain who have been bereaved\", says the bioethicist and sociologist Prof Sir Tom Shakespeare. \"We need a national monument, some form of remembering.\"\n\nTony is not one of those who will find it hard to grasp the significance of this bleak milestone.\n\n\"To me it's 100,000 poor souls fighting for breath, and they've not had a hug from anyone in their family,\" he says. \"There's a name - there's a person behind that number. And then they've passed away, and the family goes through the grief that I've been through - the numbness, the shock, the anguish and the pain to come.\"", "Microsoft has reported booming demand for its Xbox gaming consoles as the pandemic continues to lift the fortunes of the American tech giant.\n\nIts Azure cloud computing services also got a boost due to a surge in working and learning from home.\n\nThe gains helped push the firm's overall revenue up 17% to a record $43.1bn (£31.4bn).\n\nBut its growth came as the virus continues to weigh on other industries.\n\nMicrosoft boss Satya Nadella said the firm is benefiting from a long-term shift in behaviour.\n\n\"What we have witnessed over the past year is the dawn of a second wave of digital transformation sweeping every company and every industry,\" he said.\n\nXbox sales jumped 40% in the three months to 31 December while Azure services soared 50%.\n\nThe virus continues to weigh on industries outside of tech\n\nThe pandemic has prompted many firms to switch to remote working, while keeping many entertainment options outside of the home off-limits.\n\nMicrosoft has seized on the changes, focusing energy on updating its remote work software options.\n\nThe firm also released two new Xbox consoles in November, helping to boost the performance of its personal computing unit.\n\nMicrosoft's gaming business topped $5bn in quarterly sales for the first time ever due to gaming subscriptions and sales as well as new consoles.\n\nThe firm said profits in the quarter rose 33% compared with last year to $15.5bn.\n\nIts shares - which climbed roughly 40% last year - were up another 4% in after-hours trade,\n\n\"These were blow out numbers that will be another feather in the cap for the tech sector as the cloud growth party is just getting started,\" said Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.\n\nBut the gains enjoyed by tech firms like Microsoft stand in contrast to the ongoing struggles seen in other industries such as hospitality, retail and travel.\n\nCoffee chain Starbucks on Tuesday said its sales in the last three months of 2020 fell roughly 5% compared to 2019, driven by a drop in business in the US where concerns about Covid-19 have prompted authorities to urge people to stay at home.\n\nIn China, where the virus is under more control, sales rose 5%, the company said.\n\nThe firm said it expected business to return to growth in the next few months, including in the critical US market.\n\nBut profits in the quarter dropped 30% to $622.2m compared with last year, sending the firm's shares lower in after-hours trade.", "Apple sales have hit another record, as families loaded up on the firm's latest phones, laptops and gadgets during the Christmas period.\n\nSales in the last three months of 2020 hit more than $111bn (£81bn) - up 21% from the prior year.\n\nThe gains come as the pandemic pushes more activity online, fuelling demand for new technology.\n\nApple now counts more than 1.65 billion active devices globally, including more than 1 billion iPhones.\n\nApple's gains follow the release of its new iPhone 12 suite of phones, which executives said had convinced a record number of people to switch to the company or upgrade from older models.\n\nThe firm said growth in China - where the pandemic has already loosened its grip on the economy - was particularly strong, helped in part by demand for phones compatible with new 5G networks.\n\nSales in the firm's greater China region, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, jumped 57%. In Europe, sales roles 17%, and they rose 11% in the Americas.\n\n\"The products are doing very well all around the world,\" said Luca Maestri, Apple's chief financial officer. \"As we look ahead into the March quarter, we're very optimistic.\"\n\nAnalyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities said he thought the firm was just at the beginning of a \"super-cycle\" as Apple devotees finally trade in old phones, coinciding with upgrades to telecommunications networks.\n\n\"With 5G now in the cards and roughly 40% of its 'golden jewel' iPhone installed base not upgrading their phones in the last 3.5 years, [Apple chief Tim] Cook & Co have the stage set for a renaissance of growth,\" he wrote.\n\nBig Tech is having an exceptionally lucrative pandemic.\n\nIt's hard not to be wowed by some of these figures.\n\nThat Apple recorded more than $100bn in sales in just three months is simply astonishing.\n\nFacebook figures are also well up on where they were last year.\n\nAs other companies have struggled to survive, Big Tech has flourished.\n\nThere are other reasons for some of these incredible figures. Certainly it seems iPhone enthusiasts were holding out for the new 5G enabled iPhone12.\n\nBut it's not just Apple and Facebook, all of the massive tech companies are having a bumper year.\n\nCovid-19 means people are spending more time indoors - buying things online, watching things online and chatting online.\n\nPerhaps then it's no surprise that these companies are posting record breaking figures.\n\nBut others point to these figures as yet more evidence that Big Tech has become too big to fail.\n\nThese figures are impressive. But they also attract the attention of politicians who are increasingly asking difficult questions - like are these tech mega companies operating in a market that is fair and with enough competition?\n\nApple said profits in the quarter reached nearly $28.8bn, up 29% compared with the same quarter last year.\n\nThe gains seen by technology firms like Apple contrast with losses hitting many other economic sectors, as the virus restricts activity and keeps shoppers at home.\n\nOther tech firms, such as Microsoft and Facebook, have also enjoyed strong growth.\n\nFacebook on Wednesday said increased online shopping during the pandemic helped lift ad revenue in the quarter by 30%.\n\nThe number of people active on its apps - which also include WhatsApp and Instagram - also rose to 2.6 billion daily, up 15% compared to 2019.\n\nIt said ad spending could slow as the Covid crisis relaxes and shopper appetite returns for services like travel rather than products.\n\nIt also warned that plans by Apple to change how it shares user data could weigh on growth.", "The ink and watercolour maps are believed to have been created the year after the battle\n\nHand-drawn, Elizabethan-era maps depicting the Spanish Armada have been saved for the nation after £600,000 was raised to buy them.\n\nThe 10 maps, believed to have been drawn the year after the famous battle of 1588, were sold to an overseas buyer in July but an export ban was imposed.\n\nThe National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Portsmouth raised the money in eight weeks.\n\nIt is now seeking further funds to put the maps on display for the first time.\n\nIt is believed the drawings, completed by an unknown draughtsman, possibly from the Netherlands, were based on a set of engravings from the same year by Elizabethan cartographer Robert Adams.\n\nIn the summer of 1588 the Spanish Armada set sail for England after decades of hostility between Spain's Catholic King Philip II and the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I.\n\nIt is regarded as one of the most significant naval battles in history, when the English fleet of 66 ships defeated the Armada, twice its size, by sailing fire ships into its formation off Calais.\n\nThe English fleet defeated the Spanish Armada in the English Channel in 1588\n\nThe ink and watercolour maps were sold for £600,000, but culture minister Caroline Dinenage imposed an export ban until January and called for a museum or institution to raise funds to purchase them.\n\nNMRN director general Prof Dominic Tweddle said members of the public had \"dug deep in extremely difficult times\".\n\nThe target was reached with the help of £212,800 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and £200,000 from the Art Fund.\n\nMs Dinenage said: \"The export bar system exists so we can keep nationally important works in the country and I am delighted that, thanks to the tireless work of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the Armada maps will now go on display to educate and inspire future generations.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Chris Whitty said it was a very sad day, as the UK surpassed 100,000 Covid deaths\n\nThe number of daily coronavirus deaths in the UK is likely to come down \"relatively slowly\", England's chief medical officer has warned.\n\nProf Chris Whitty said the UK was going to see \"a lot more deaths\" over the next few weeks before the effects of the vaccination programme were felt.\n\nCurrent restrictions were \"just about holding\" in lowering infection rates, he told a Downing Street briefing.\n\nIt comes as the UK surpassed 100,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday.\n\nA further 1,631 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were recorded in the daily figures.\n\nAnd 20,089 coronavirus cases were reported on Tuesday, continuing a downward trend in the number of UK cases seen in recent days.\n\nProf Whitty told a Downing Street news conference the rolling seven-day average for deaths was 1,242 - \"an incredibly high number\" - and unlikely to come down quickly.\n\n\"I think we have to be realistic that the rate of mortality, the number of people dying a day, will come down relatively slowly over the next two weeks - and will probably be flat for a while now.\"\n\nProf Whitty said the number of people testing positive for coronavirus was \"still at a very high number, but it has been coming down\".\n\nBut he cautioned against relaxing restrictions \"too early\", as Office for National Statistics data showed a \"rather slower\" decrease.\n\nThe number of people in hospital with Covid-19 in the UK had \"flattened off\", he said, but was still an \"incredibly high number\" and \"substantially above the peak in April\".\n\nProf Whitty said the new, more transmissible variant discovered in the south east of England at the end of last year had altered the UK's situation \"very substantially\" and had made it \"much harder\" to bring infection levels down.\n\n\"We were worried two weeks ago that the measures we have at the moment were not enough to hold this new variant,\" he told the news conference.\n\n\"I think what the data I showed you at the beginning of the slide sessions shows is that the rates are just about holding with the new variant, with what everybody's doing.\n\n\"It's going to be much harder because of this new variant and I think we have to be realistic about that.\"\n\nSir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said that more than a quarter of a million severely ill coronavirus patients have been looked after in hospital since the pandemic started last year.\n\n\"This is not a year that anybody is going to want to remember nor is it a year that across the health service any of us will ever forget,\" he said.\n\nThe daily Covid figures have seen the number of deaths top 100,000. But they also contain some signs of hope.\n\nJust over 20,000 new infections have been reported - down from 22,000 yesterday.\n\nThis compares to an average of 60,000 at the start of the year.\n\nIt is a sharp fall, although Prof Whitty cautions it may actually be a little slower than that.\n\nNot everyone who is infected comes forward for testing and the government surveillance programme which involves random testing of the population suggests the fall has not been quite so great.\n\nNonetheless, it is clear the infection rate is coming down - and that offers hope.\n\nHospital cases have plateaued and should soon start falling. That will eventually lead to a reduction in the number of deaths.\n\nThen, in February, the vaccination programme should start having an impact, leading, hopefully, to a rapid drop in deaths.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson told the briefing the coronavirus infection rate remained \"pretty forbiddingly high\" to ease lockdown restrictions, which have been in place in England since 5 January.\n\nBut he said \"at a certain stage we will want to be getting things open\".\n\nHe added: \"What I will be doing in the course of the next few days and weeks is setting out in more detail, as soon as we can, when and how we want to get things open again.\"\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons - including for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nMeanwhile, the epidemiologist whose modelling prompted the UK government to impose the first lockdown has told BBC Radio 4's PM he believes more action in autumn last year could have \"drastically reduced\" the number of lives lost in the second wave - some 60,000.\n\nProf Neil Ferguson said: \"They couldn't have been eliminated, but they could have been drastically reduced by earlier action, unfortunately.\n\n\"How much is difficult to judge, the new variant was unpredictable and did change our understanding of how much was needed to control spread, but we did just let the autumn wave get to far, far too high infection levels.\"\n\nReacting to the UK's death toll, Mr Johnson said he took \"full responsibility\" for the government's actions, but added: \"We truly did everything we could.\"", "Parents are struggling with the sense of uncertainty, says psychologist\n\nHome schooling can be tough. It's difficult to concentrate, there's emotional exhaustion, boredom, a lack of motivation and it's really hard not going out to see friends. And that's just the parents.\n\nThis winter lockdown is taking its toll on families, now struggling even more on the black ice of uncertainty as no-one can say when schools in England are going to reopen for most pupils again.\n\n\"There's a sense of fatigue,\" says Jacqueline Smallwood, who is at home with three secondary-school children. She says her own \"concentration levels have fallen dramatically\".\n\n\"It's so repetitive that it just makes you feel tired,\" she says of the latest lockdown and the \"silent struggle\" facing both parents and their children to try to get motivated.\n\nHome school shows no sign of coming to an early end\n\nThere might have been some guilty enjoyment at the start of the year when the school term was initially delayed, not having to get up and out on cold January mornings.\n\nUntil it dawned on them that this was becoming something much longer than a few weeks.\n\nIt's morphed from early January to half term in mid-February and now maybe Easter in early April or even later. And Jacqueline says, as a matter of \"respect\", parents need to know what's happening about schools.\n\nThe confusion over a return date seems to have further frayed the nerves of parents.\n\nThe mother, who lives outside Canterbury in Kent, says she worries about the pressures building up on young people.\n\nFor teenagers like her sons, she says this \"should be a pivotal time in their lives,\" when they're beginning to get some independence and when social lives are hugely important - but instead they're stuck inside with their parents.\n\n\"We can't live like the Waltons forever,\" she says, referencing the US TV series of a folksy family relying on each other.\n\nJacqueline says families are finding this latest lockdown tougher than the spring or summer\n\nThe first lockdown created an unexpected sense of togetherness, an \"enforced bonding\" that she says turned out to be a \"massive positive\".\n\nBut Jacqueline, who works as a writer, sees no such upside to the latest lockdown. There is a collective frustration - and she says it has been made even worse by the confusion about when schools will go back.\n\nThe online home-schooling seems to be working, she says, with teachers trying to boost the enthusiasm levels, but it's no real substitute for being in school. And she wants much more clarity about when they will go back.\n\n\"I've tried not to be political about decisions being made, but you can't help but feel disappointed. They don't seem to understand how real people are living,\" she says.\n\nShe says when politicians say maybe schools will or won't be back by Easter, they don't realise how much that uncertainty affects families trying to plan for what comes next.\n\nEducational psychologist Dan O'Hare says the \"key word is 'uncertainty'\".\n\nLiving on a laptop can take its toll on parents having to work and home school their children\n\nNot knowing what is coming next adds to the pressure, he says, and children out of school are already facing big unknowns such as what's going to happen about exams or when will they see their friends and teachers.\n\n\"It's really stressful for children and their families,\" says Dr O'Hare, who is co-chair of the British Psychological Society's division for educational and child psychology. \"They need a sense of a plan.\"\n\nThis lockdown is also in the depths of winter - and he says employers need to think about making sure staff working from home are able to take a break in daylight hours, so that families can get outside.\n\nIt's no use asking parents to answer work emails all day and expect them to go out when it's dark.\n\nSchools have been providing more online lessons in this lockdown\n\nFor some families it has got very difficult.\n\n\"It's affected her emotionally a lot,\" says Dave in Bolton, who is worrying about his six-year-old daughter, who has been crying because she misses her friends.\n\n\"It's awful, you can't put a positive spin on it. She's at that age where she's enjoying her friends, becoming more socialised,\" he told BBC 5 Live.\n\n\"She's quite a confident little girl and I can't help worry that being stuck at home is going to impact her in the longer term.\"\n\nThe father says many of her classmates are still going into school - and that makes it even harder when she sees her friends on school Zoom calls.\n\nEmployers should make sure that parents' working hours allow them to get out in daylight, says psychologist\n\nJen Locke in Newcastle makes the point that women can often be \"the most adversely affected by the decision to keep schools closed\".\n\nShe says home schooling has \"fallen squarely on my shoulders\", helping her children in the day and then shifting her work with an IT company into the evening, so it's an early start through to a very late finish.\n\n\"It's a huge mental strain… I'm knackered from it all,\" she says, right down to trying to get children to bed who aren't tired because they're not going out.\n\nA lockdown weariness seems to be out there, despite the best efforts of schools.\n\nSimon Armstrong in Bristol, whose son is in secondary school, says: \"Virtual lessons, no matter how well delivered, are a woeful substitute for real lessons.\"\n\n\"I am at the end of my tether,\" he says.\n\nThe Department for Education said: \"We are committed to reopening schools as soon as the public health picture allows, and will inform schools, parents and pupils of plans ahead of February half term.\"\n\nBut Labour has accused the government of causing \"chaos and confusion\" for parents and schools.\n\nThe National Association of Head Teachers said: \"Now is the moment for calm heads to decide on a sustainable return to school, not another chaotic and last-minute set of decisions that could easily result in a yo-yo return to lockdown.\"", "The Army sent a bomb disposal unit to Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine producer Wockhardt's unit\n\nProduction of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has resumed at a plant after it was suspended when a suspicious package was received.\n\nThe Wockhardt UK plant on Wrexham Industrial Estate was evacuated and the Army sent a bomb disposal unit.\n\nPolice said the package had been made safe and its contents would be \"taken away for analysis\".\n\nWockhardt said staff had been allowed to return and its production schedule had not been affected.\n\nBoth Downing Street and Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford had been receiving updates on the incident since police were called at about 10:40 GMT.\n\nA police cordon was put in place near the plant and the public were asked to keep away. There are no reports of any injuries.\n\n\"There are no wider concerns for public safety, however, some roads on the industrial estate will remain closed whilst we continue our investigations,\" North Wales Police said in a statement.\n\nPolice have asked the public to keep away from the site in Wrexham\n\nForensic police officers were seen examining items on the road outside the plant, which remained closed after the cordon had been lifted.\n\nWockhardt UK said: \"We can confirm that the investigation on the suspicious package received today has been concluded.\n\n\"Given that staff safety is our main priority, manufacturing was temporarily paused whilst this took place safely.\n\n\"We can now confirm that the package was made safe and staff are now being allowed back into the facility.\n\n\"This temporary suspension of manufacturing has in no way affected our production schedule and we are grateful to the authorities and experts for their swift response and resolution of the incident.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. 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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn an earlier statement, the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology company confirmed it had \"partially evacuated\" its site to protect staff.\n\nThe Wrexham plant has the capability to produce about 300 million doses of the vaccine a year.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, John Roberts, who runs CMS Wrexham Ltd, next door to the plant, said he heard a \"big bang\" at about 11:35 GMT - although he could not say where the noise came from.\n\n\"We're next door to Wockhardt. Three of us were talking then we heard a hell of an explosion or a bang,\" he said.\n\n\"I went outside, couldn't see anything. I looked the other side and two blokes were on the roof.\n\n\"The next thing the police had blocked off the road and were looking in the bushes.\"\n\nPolice were at the scene on Wrexham Industrial Estate for most of the day\n\nA police cordon had been put in place near the Wockhardt plant\n\nHis son Mark Roberts said: \"The police just closed the road off and we've heard there's a bomb disposal unit.\n\n\"They've been here about an hour or so - we're on tenterhooks.\n\n\"Boris Johnson toured the factory around December time, so I wonder if that's raised the profile, as it's where they make the Oxford vaccine.\"\n\nThe Wrexham plant has the capability to produce about 300 million doses of the vaccine a year\n\nDave Picken, 53, who lives near Wrexham Industrial Estate, said: \"We've seen lots of police cars and a fire engine.\n\n\"Bomb disposal are here with a robot. We were closer to the factory but police told us to move and cordoned off a bigger area.\n\n\"I did ask an officer how big the bomb is but he said he couldn't say it's a bomb.\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson saw the production line for vaccines when he visited the factory\n\nVisiting the plant in November, Prime Minister Boris Johnson it could provide \"salvation for humanity\".\n\nWockhardt UK entered an agreement in August to help prepare the vaccine for distribution.\n\nWhen the company's contract was announced, Ravi Limaye, managing director, said: \"We are immensely proud to have been selected to partner with the UK government on this project.\n\n\"We have a sophisticated sterile manufacturing facility and a highly skilled workforce.\"\n\nOn Thursday, Wrexham council leader Mark Pritchard said teams had worked to ensure the vaccine was not lost in the floods.\n\nThe Welsh Government said there had been \"no adverse effects\" on the coronavirus vaccine roll-out.", "Already 100,000 people in the UK have died with Covid, according to the official count. The idea of 100,000 deaths is hard for many of us to comprehend. But each was a human being who lived and loved in their own unique way. This is the story of one of them.\n\nBy 3:01am, alone in a hospital room, Ann Fitzgerald reached for her phone. This would be her last chance to contact her husband of four decades, the man she'd raised two children with, her Tony - to Ann, he was always her Tony.\n\nThe couple had made a pact. So long as Ann was in hospital with Covid, Tony would spend his nights dozing upright in a chair at their bungalow in Pewfall, Merseyside. That way, he would wake up if there was a message alert.\n\nIt wasn't much of a sacrifice, Tony thought, not when the woman he'd loved for 47 years was all by herself and frightened. And besides, each time his phone bleeped Tony would know she was still alive, and silently he'd thank the stars.\n\nAnd so in the early hours of Tuesday 7 April, Ann's last message arrived. She'd summoned the energy to take a farewell selfie as she lay in bed wearing an oxygen mask. \"She must have thought: 'Here's something so you won't forget me,'\" says Tony.\n\nTwo-and-a-half hours later, Ann was dead. She was 65, a mother, a wife, a neighbour, a colleague and a friend, and one of 999 people in the UK who died that day with the novel coronavirus.\n\nSoon after the hospital rang and told Tony of her death, he was at her bedside, dressed from head to toe in PPE. No visitors had been allowed to see her while she was alive, but now she was gone it was apparently fine - for reasons he didn't understand.\n\nTony wept as he apologised to his wife's lifeless body for letting her go like this, with no loved ones by her side. Then he turned and cursed the sterile white hospital ceiling and walls, because they'd been with her at the end and he hadn't.\n\nBack then, few could have imagined the UK's death toll would reach 100,000, or anything close to it.\n\nAt that point, the tally stood at 10,000; three weeks previously the UK government's Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance had said limiting the final figure to twice that sum would be a \"good outcome\".\n\nNow, 10 months on, the total number of people in the UK who have died within 28 days of a coronavirus diagnosis has increased tenfold, while UK excess deaths in 2020 were at their highest level since World War Two. The UK has had one of the highest rates of recorded coronavirus deaths in the world so far.\n\nBy any measure, 100,000 is a devastating amount, roughly equivalent to two Premier League football grounds, or the number of people who attend the Reading festival every year. For many people, the sheer scale of loss conveyed by the figure will be impossible to grasp.\n\n\"Numbers with lots of zeros are very difficult to interpret, and can be made to look large or small,\" says Sir David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at the University of Cambridge.\n\n\"If I say that 100,000 deaths is two months' worth of normal mortality, then it may not look so bad. If I say that it is more than all the [UK] civilian deaths in WW2, or as if everyone in a city the size of Durham got killed, then it sounds worse. It is challenging to adequately convey such a large number of individual tragedies.\"\n\nBut while many may have become numb to the daily death figures, behind every statistic is a real life lost - a real life like Ann's. \"That is why this arbitrary numerical milestone is important,\" says Hetan Shah, chief executive of the British Academy and a former executive director of the Royal Statistical Society. \"It is a chance to reflect again on the terrible toll this pandemic has taken on so many British families.\"\n\nIn a Manchester nightclub one evening in 1973, 18-year-old Tony felt a tap on his arm. It was Ann, a year his senior, whom he knew by sight as a barmaid in one of the city-centre pubs he sometimes drank in. She'd always stood out to him, with her olive skin and striking good looks, but he'd never dared imagine she might be interested in him romantically.\n\n\"I'm here with that fella over there,\" she told him, gesturing towards across the room. \"But I don't like him and I don't know what to do.\"\n\nTony walked over to Ann's date and told him to clear off. Then Tony returned to Ann, and the two of them had a drink together, and then another. Before long they were a couple and Tony decided he was the luckiest man in the world.\n\nSoon he learned all about Ann's background. Her Lithuanian-born Jewish father had died when she was two years old, and with her mother unable to cope she'd been passed between relatives throughout her childhood. By 16 she was living in a bedsit, supporting herself with waitressing and bar work - she'd also been employed at the legendary art-deco Kardoma café on Market Street and at George Best's nightclub, Oscar's.\n\n\"As a consequence of her upbringing she was really, really independent,\" says Tony. \"She was really good at talking to people, and she was sharp - the sharpest, wittiest person I've ever met.\"\n\nThey rented a flat in Fallowfield together and made it their home. After Ann was offered relief work running bars around Manchester, Tony quit his job as a sales rep to join her. Eventually, in 1981, they took on their own pub. It was in what was then a tough part of Salford, but Ann had grown up nearby and knew how to handle the local characters: \"She could have you in stitches, but she could throw you a look, and you knew you had to behave yourself,\" Tony says.\n\nThe couple were offered the chance to take on another pub in Sale Moor. They thought they were going upmarket, but it turned out to be quite the reverse; Tony would joke that he should take away all the tables and chairs and install a boxing ring instead.\n\nBut Ann wasn't intimidated by anyone. According to Tony, when a notorious local villain turned up and demanded a free drink, Ann stood her ground: \"My husband's name is above the front door, and he pays for his drinks, so you're going to pay for yours,\" she told him. Impressed, the villain ended up buying one for Ann instead.\n\nShe and Tony knew it was time to quit when burglars broke in one night while their baby daughter slept in her cot upstairs. Tony went back on the road as a salesman; Ann worked variously as a debt counsellor, an incident manager for the RAC, and a sales trainer at a cotton firm. Their children, Gary, and Rachel, never once heard them argue, Tony says.\n\nFor six years the couple had a stall at Altrincham Market selling women's clothes. \"People would come, not necessarily to buy something - they just wanted to see Ann,\" says Tony. \"And as a consequence, they'd buy something they didn't really want.\" Each time this happened, Ann would give Tony a wink.\n\nBy the start of 2020, Ann and Tony were looking forward to a long retirement together. Both their children had left home, and they'd recently moved to the bungalow. The news broadcasts had begun describing a deadly pandemic that had spread from China. But Ann wasn't leaving the house much while she recovered from an operation to replace both hips.\n\nThen one Thursday in March she went for a haircut; she asked for the colour to be darkened slightly too, and when he first saw her afterwards Tony told her how much he loved it. Ann mentioned that the hairdresser had been coughing.\n\nThree days later, Ann began coughing too, and soon afterwards so did Tony. But with a fever, she felt worse, and within a few more days she was barely able to stand. She asked Tony to call 999.\n\nThe paramedics helped her to the ambulance. It haunts Tony now that he didn't hug or kiss her as they said goodbye. \"Neither of us thought for one moment that it would be the last day I would ever see her alive,\" he says. She told him they'd probably give her antibiotics and he could come and pick her up in a few hours.\n\nBut later that day she phoned him to say the doctors suspected Covid and they would be keeping her in. As in many hospitals during the first wave, no visiting was allowed.\n\nTony could only stay in touch with her by phone. When a doctor told him the next 24 hours were critical, he didn't tell Ann, because he knew how scared she was already by then.\n\nBut he did pass on something else the medic had said - that they were deeply impressed by her upbeat attitude and fighting spirit. Tony told her, too, that he believed she would be home soon: \"I had to say that to keep her fighting, and fight she did for 10 days.\"\n\nThe last time they spoke was Saturday 4 April. Ann told Tony she thought she'd turned a corner; she'd eaten a sandwich and some yoghurt. After that, talking became too difficult for her; she wasn't in intensive care but the mask she wore to help her breathe was getting in the way.\n\nThree days after their last conversation, Tony was sitting in a white hospital room beside Ann's body. He sat with her there for an hour. He didn't just apologise, he also promised he'd make sure she was remembered properly. When it was time to leave, a nurse gave him a booklet about bereavement and a black bag in which to put Ann's belongings. Tony carried them along a hospital corridor, wondering how he would tell Gary and Rachel their mum was dead.\n\nThere are eight photographs of Ann in Tony's living room. In each of them she looks full of joy. \"Every time I look around, there's a picture of Ann somewhere,\" Tony says. \"She's smiling and I'm thinking, 'If only I could turn back the clock.' But I can't, you know, and nor can all those other families and relations, either.\"\n\nNearly 10 months after Ann's death, Tony finds himself resenting the home he's been left alone inside. If they hadn't moved there, he reasons, Ann wouldn't have gone to that hairdresser's that day and caught the virus - she'd still be alive, perhaps.\n\nHe feels robbed of the 20 additional years he hoped they'd spend together, as surely will thousands of other bereaved relatives. While the impact on the very oldest has been widely recognised, those who might have looked forward to a long retirement have been badly hit, too - during the pandemic, around 15% of all UK fatalities with Covid mentioned on the death certificate have been among those aged 65-74.\n\nTony desperately wishes his life would go back to how it was, but knows it won't.\n\nAnn's funeral didn't give him any closure. Tony would rather she had been buried, but the undertaker warned him to hurry - extra restrictions could be introduced any time - so he took the date that was offered by the crematorium.\n\nAs it was, under the rules that were already in force, only 10 mourners were permitted, spaced out around the chapel. No flowers or photographs on display, no hugging.\n\nTony understood why all this was necessary - but it wasn't the celebration of Ann's bright, gregarious, love-filled life that he thought she deserved. He'd have to plan another one when all this was over.\n\nAs the months went on, Tony joined online Covid support groups. It helped talking to others who understood how it felt to have lost someone. There was the family of a 19-year-old boy. A woman who was mourning both her mum and her dad. Another woman whose husband had died in the car as she drove him to hospital.\n\nHe thought of these stories each time he switched on the news and watched the Covid mortality figures climb higher and higher. Behind these cold statistics were human lives. And each was as unique as Ann, with a personality and backstory entirely of their own.\n\nIt would have been Ann and Tony's 41st wedding anniversary on 6 October, the day before the six-month anniversary of her death. The following month, a few days after the UK's Covid death toll reached 50,000, Tony once again felt Ann's absence bitterly on what would have been her 66th birthday.\n\n\"Christmas was a nightmare for me,\" he says. Under the rules for the festive season, Gary and Rachel and their partners were able to be there with him, and cooking lunch kept him busy most of the day. But afterwards, when he was on his own again, the reality hit that another celebration had gone by without Ann beside him, and Tony sat down and sobbed.\n\nFor millions the arrival of the Covid vaccines has brought hope, but it is a cold comfort for those who have lost someone. If every one of the 100,000 were loved by a dozen people, \"that's a million people in Britain who have been bereaved\", says the bioethicist and sociologist Prof Sir Tom Shakespeare. \"We need a national monument, some form of remembering.\"\n\nTony is not one of those who will find it hard to grasp the significance of this bleak milestone.\n\n\"To me it's 100,000 poor souls fighting for breath, and they've not had a hug from anyone in their family,\" he says. \"There's a name - there's a person behind that number. And then they've passed away, and the family goes through the grief that I've been through - the numbness, the shock, the anguish and the pain to come.\"", "The police officers were on duty when they had their hair cut, the Met says\n\nThirty-one Met Police officers who broke coronavirus rules to get haircuts are facing £200 fines.\n\nTwo officers who hired a barber to give the cuts to staff at Bethnal Green Police Station, on 17 January, are also facing misconduct investigations, the Met said.\n\nUnder current lockdown restrictions in England, barbers and hairdressers are not allowed to work.\n\nDet Ch Supt Marcus Barnett said he was \"deeply disappointed\" in the officers.\n\n\"Although officers donated money to charity as part of the haircut, this does not excuse them from what was a very poor decision,\" he said. \"I expect a lot more of them.\n\n\"Quite rightly, the public expect police to be role models in following the regulations, which are designed to prevent the spread of this deadly virus.\"\n\nThe investigation comes after fines were handed out to nine officers who were caught eating breakfast together in a Greenwich café.\n\nAll those officers were issued with a £200 fixed penalty notice.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Actor Elliot Page and choreographer Emma Portner have decided to divorce after three years of marriage.\n\n\"After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce following our separation last summer,\" the Canadian couple said in a statement.\n\n\"We have the utmost respect for each other and remain close friends.\" They provided no further details.\n\nPage, the 33-year-old Oscar-nominated actor, came out as transgender in 2020.\n\nThat decision was widely praised by his many fans and fellow actors.\n\nPage said at the time that he could not \"begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self\".\n\nHe also used the occasion to address discrimination towards trans people.\n\nPage received international acclaim for starring as a pregnant teenager in the 2007 film Juno. Other major films include Inception and the X-Men series, while the actor has more recently starred in Netflix series The Umbrella Academy.\n\nPortner, 26, has said she has always supported Page's decision to come out.", "The famous event has been held at London's Royal Hospital Chelsea since 1913\n\nThe Chelsea Flower Show will take place in September for the first time in its history as a result of the pandemic.\n\nOrganisers had planned to hold a six-day show in May but announced it would be postponed as there was no guarantee what tier London would be in then.\n\nA virtual show will take place in May like in 2020, with the physical event taking place later at London's Royal Hospital Chelsea.\n\nThe Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) said it would be a \"moment in history\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Chelsea Flower Show exhibitors had to display their gardens online last year\n\nThe world-famous show has been taking place for 108 years but has never happened in September.\n\nThis year's event will go ahead between 21-26 September, with the virtual event showing online from 18-23 May.\n\nIt is usually filled with spring and summer colours but the RHS said it hoped the delay will allow a celebration of autumn horticulture.\n\nThousands of people normally attend the week-long event\n\nThe society, which runs the event, said it had a responsibility to exhibitors, visitors, volunteers and staff to delay the flower show, as more people would be vaccinated and levels of infection may have reduced substantially.\n\nDirector general Sue Biggs said: \"Whilst we are sad to have had to delay RHS Chelsea and are sorry for the disruption this will cause, we are excited that we are still planning to bring the world's best-loved gardening event to the nation at a time when more people are gardening more than ever.\n\n\"We know that the autumn dates may not be suitable for everyone, but with our fantastic industry partners we will do everything we can to support them and create a show that will be a moment in history,\" she added.\n\nThose who bought tickets for the event when it was due to happen in May will be contacted by the RHS.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nadhim Zahawi: \"We have 367m vaccines from seven different manufacturers that we have contracted with\"\n\nSupplies of vaccines are \"tight\" but the UK believes it will receive enough doses to meet its targets, the vaccine minister has said.\n\nNadhim Zahawi told BBC Breakfast manufacturers were \"confident\" they would deliver for the UK amid warnings of production delays.\n\nIt comes as the EU said it might tighten vaccine export controls.\n\nCountries should avoid \"vaccine nationalism\" and ensure a fair global supply, Mr Zahawi said.\n\nMeanwhile, more than 100,000 people have died with Covid-19 in the UK, after 1,631 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were recorded in the daily figures.\n\nMr Zahawi said the vaccination programme was still on track to deliver a first dose to 15 million of the most vulnerable by mid-February and to offer all adults their first dose by autumn.\n\nHe said the UK had supplies of the Oxford vaccine manufactured domestically by AstraZeneca as well as the Pfizer one, which is made in Belgium.\n\nThe government is also planning to publish figures on the take-up of the vaccine by ethnicity from Thursday, following concerns that some black, Asian and ethnic minority communities were more hesitant to get the jab.\n\n\"I'm confident we will meet our mid-February target and continue beyond that,\" Mr Zahawi told the BBC.\n\n\"Supplies are tight, they continue to be, these are new manufacturing processes,\" he added. \"It's lumpy and bumpy, it gets better and stabilises and improves going forward.\"\n\nBut he declined to say that he had received guarantees about the number of doses the UK would receive from Pfizer or other manufacturers and refused to confirm how many doses had already arrived.\n\nThe prime minister's spokesman said AstraZeneca had committed to delivering two million doses a week to the UK, and the government was not expecting any changes to that supply.\n\nDowning Street also rejected German media reports claiming a very low efficacy rate for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine among older people, saying they had been denied by Oxford University, AstraZeneca and the German health ministry.\n\nChief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance told the cabinet the trials showed similar immune responses in younger and older adults.\n\nAnd England's chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, has defended the UK's strategy of extending the time between first and second doses of coronavirus vaccines from three to 12 weeks in order to immunise more people.\n\nHe told the Downing Street coronavirus briefing on Tuesday that the \"great majority\" of protection came from the first dose.\n\nHe also said there was \"no evidence\" that immunity waned between three and 12 weeks after the first dose was administered.\n\nProf Whitty said: \"We thought very carefully about what the balance of this is, but the balance of risk in terms of reducing the number of deaths in the community - and I really want to stress that, that is the aim of this - is to maximise the number of people who get that first dose, where the great majority of protection comes from.\"\n\nThe latest tension over supply of the Covid vaccine is another illustration of just how fragile this issue is.\n\nThere are huge global demands for Covid vaccine, limited raw materials and constraints on manufacturing.\n\nThe UK already has enough vaccine to jab all the highest-risk groups by mid-February, although not all of it has been packaged up or been through the final safety checks.\n\nThis explains why ministers are confident about the immediate target for the over-70s, health and care workers and the extremely clinically vulnerable.\n\nBut what is in doubt is how quickly the UK can vaccinate in the medium term.\n\nWith the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in the UK those supply routes are more guaranteed.\n\nBut the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is made in Belgium. The UK, like the rest of Europe, is affected by the problems with manufacturing that are being experienced with that vaccine.\n\nWith Europe experiencing major problems rolling out its vaccination programme - per head of population five times fewer vaccines have been delivered - this is a story that is going to rumble on for months.\n\nThe UK has placed orders for 367 million doses of vaccines from seven manufacturers, Mr Zahawi said. \"As vaccines come along we will get more volume, millions more in the weeks and months to come,\" he added.\n\nThe tension over vaccine supplies increased after UK-based AstraZeneca warned the EU it would have to reduce planned deliveries because of production problems. Pfizer-BioNTech has also said supplies will be temporarily lower as it works to increase capacity at its Belgian factory.\n\nIt has prompted the EU to accuse AstraZeneca of failing to meet its commitments and to warn that it might require all companies producing Covid vaccines to provide \"early notification\" whenever they planned to export supplies out of the EU.\n\n\"The thing to do now is not to go down the dead end of vaccine nationalism. It's to work together to protect our people,\" Mr Zahawi said.\n\n\"No-one is safe until the whole world is safe.\"\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock subsequently said the UK government \"oppose protectionism in all its forms\" and urged all international partners to \"be collaborative\" and \"work closely together\" on vaccine distribution.\n\nHe added that the EU's warning that it could restrict exports of vaccines made in the bloc was \"unfortunate and especially so in the midst of a pandemic\".\n\nMeanwhile, the head of NHS England earlier told MPs coronavirus could become a \"much more treatable disease\" over the next six to 18 months, with the hope of a return to a \"much more normal future\".\n\nSir Simon Stevens told the Health and Social Care Committee: \"The first half of the year, vaccination is going to be crucial.\n\n\"I think a lot of us in the health service are increasingly hopeful that in the second half of the year and beyond we will also see more therapeutics and more treatments for coronavirus.\"\n\nHe also said it \"would be great\" if the Covid vaccine and flu vaccine were combined into a single jab, if not for next winter then future ones.\n\nAnd he said vaccines were being used as fast as they arrived in the NHS, with more than half of those aged 75-79 having now had their first dose.\n\nThe UK aims to offer Covid vaccination to every adult by autumn.\n\nMr Zahawi said confidence in the vaccines was high, with 85% of people saying they would accept the jab.\n\nBut he said those who were hesitant \"skew heavily\" towards black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.\n\nThe government is providing £23m of funding to 60 local councils and voluntary groups to boost vaccine take-up among groups such as older people, disabled people, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.\n\nIt comes as celebrities such as comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Meera Syal and cricketer Moeen Ali appeared in a video urging people in their communities to get vaccinated.\n\nMr Zahawi told ITV's Good Morning Britain his uncle had died from Covid-19 last week. He had been eligible for vaccination but caught the virus before he could receive it, the minister said.\n\nThis \"grim and horrible\" experience made him determined to ensure that the most vulnerable were protected as quickly as possible, Mr Zahawi said.\n\nSir Simon said there was concern about vaccine hesitancy in some groups, where there were access problems as well as \"systematic attempts to misinform and lie about the vaccine programme targeted particularly at minority populations, and - in some cases - long-standing mistrust of public services\".\n\nHe said disruption to vaccine deliveries from EU export restrictions was not thought to be likely.\n\nIn other developments, the UK has offered to carry out genomic sequencing for other countries around the world to help identify further new variants.\n\nPublic Health England said it would give \"crucial early warning\" of any mutations that might cause the virus to spread faster, make people more ill or possibly reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.", "\"A legacy of poor decisions\" by the UK before and during the pandemic led to one of the worst death rates in the world, scientists have said.\n\nLabour also criticised \"monumental mistakes\" by the prime minister in delaying acting on scientific advice over lockdowns three times.\n\nAfter UK deaths passed 100,000, Boris Johnson said he took \"full responsibility\" for the actions taken.\n\nBut he said it was too soon to learn the lessons from the pandemic response.\n\nProf Linda Bauld, public health expert from the University of Edinburgh, said the UK's current position was \"a legacy of poor decisions that were taken when we eased restrictions\".\n\nShe told the BBC the lack of focus on test and trace and the \"absolute inability to recognise\" the need to address international travel had also led to a more deadly winter surge.\n\nProf Sir Michael Marmot, who carried out a review of inequalities in Covid-19 deaths, said the UK had entered the pandemic \"in a bad state\" with rising health inequality, a slowdown in life expectancy improvements and a lack of investment in the public sector.\n\nShadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth rejected Mr Johnson's claim that he had done \"everything we could\" to minimise the death toll, adding: \"I do not accept that.\"\n\nHe said the prime minister had been given scientific advice to impose lockdowns and \"pushed that back\" - not only in March but again in September and December.\n\nThe government also failed to create a working contact-tracing system, did not introduce effective health controls at the borders and still did not offer \"proper sick pay\", he said.\n\nAt Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson said: \"I mourn every death in this pandemic and we share the grief of all those who have been bereaved. I and the government take full responsibility for all the actions we have taken to fight this pandemic.\"\n\nHe said there would be time to reflect on the decisions taken, but he did not think the right time was in the middle of the pandemic when \"37,000 people are struggling with Covid in our hospitals\".\n\nThe government needed to focus on keeping the virus under control and continuing the fastest vaccine roll-out in Europe, he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHe said his message to grieving families was that he \"deeply, personally\" regretted the loss of life and that the best way to honour the memory of those who had died and honour those who were currently grieving was \"to work together to bring this virus down, to keep it under control in the way that we are\".\n\nAsked about the government's \"legacy of poor decisions\", Mr Johnson said ministers followed scientific advice and did everything they could to minimise suffering. He said there were \"no easy solutions\" but the UK could be proud of its efforts to distribute the vaccine.\n\nAfter leading a minute's silence in the Scottish Parliament, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was \"truly sorry\" for any mistakes, as Scotland recorded a total of 5,888 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test.\n\nShe said the government did everything it could, but added: \"I don't think any of us, reflecting on numbers like these, can conclude that we have always succeeded.\"\n\nNext month, the prime minister hopes to publish a document giving details of the criteria he will use to start lifting the lockdown, a senior government source told the BBC.\n\nIt will include factors such as the number of hospitalisations and deaths, the progress of the vaccination programme, any changes to the virus and the impact easing restrictions might have on the epidemic - but will be dependent on emerging data about how effectively the vaccine stops the virus spreading.\n\nThe UK is the fifth country to pass 100,000 deaths, coming after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.\n\nA scientist advising the government has warned the UK could face as many as 50,000 more coronavirus deaths.\n\nProf Calum Semple, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, told the BBC's Newsnight: \"It would really not surprise me if we're looking at another 40-50,000 deaths before this burns out.\n\n\"The deaths on the way up are likely to be mirrored by the number of deaths on the way down in this wave. Each one again is a tragedy and each one represents probably four or five people who survive but are damaged by Covid.\"\n\nHe said the UK had experienced some \"bad luck\" with the emergence of a new, more transmissible variant but had also suffered from \"decades of underinvestment\" in the NHS and \"a public health authority that's been eroded\" .\n\nMeanwhile, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell asked people, regardless of whether they had faith, to reflect on the \"enormity\" of the pandemic and join in a \"prayer for the nation\" at 18:00 GMT every day from 1 February.\n\nThey said the death statistics were were not \"just an abstract figure\", saying: \"Each number is a person: someone we loved and someone who loved us.\"\n\nMuslim leaders backed the call for a daily prayer. Qari Asim, chair of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, said Muslims and wider black, Asian and minority ethnic communities had been disproportionately affected by the \"tsunami of pain, grief and devastation\" - with many unable to properly mourn due to Covid restrictions.\n\nOn Tuesday, a further 1,631 coronavirus deaths were recorded, taking the total number of people who had died within 28 days of a positive test to 100,162.\n\nSeparate figures from the Office for National Statistics, which are based on death certificates, show there have been nearly 104,000 deaths since the pandemic began.\n\nA further 20,089 coronavirus cases were recorded on Tuesday, continuing a downward trend in the number of UK cases seen in recent days. The number of people in hospital remains high, as do the UK's daily death figures.\n\nSpeaking alongside the prime minister, England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said the number of people dying would come down \"relatively slowly\" over the next two weeks - and would probably \"remain flat for a while now\".\n\nElsewhere, bereavement support charities have written to the health secretary calling for more funding in the light of what they call \"the terrible toll of 100,000 deaths\".\n\nThe National Bereavement Alliance, representing a range of charities, said many families had been unable to be with loved ones as they died or to support one another.\n\nThey called for £500m allocated to mental health in England to be used to support the bereaved.\n\nMinister for bereavement Nadine Dorries said the government had given more than £10.2m to charities since March to ensure services were available to those who needed them.\n\nPlease enable JavaScript or upgrade your browser to see this interactive\n\nIf you would like to send us a tribute to a friend or family member who died after contracting coronavirus, please use the form below.\n\nPlease remember to include a photo of your loved one and their name. Upload your pictures here. Don't forget to include your contact details, so we can get in touch with you.\n\nWe would like to respond to everyone individually and include every tribute in our coverage, but unfortunately that may not be possible. Please be assured your message will be read and treated with the utmost respect.\n\nPlease note the contact details you provide will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your tribute.", "Scientists say sharks and rays are disappearing from the world's oceans at an \"alarming\" rate.\n\nThe number of sharks found in the open oceans has plunged by 71% over half a century, mainly due to over-fishing, according to a new study.\n\nThree-quarters of the species studied are now threated with extinction.\n\nAnd the researchers say immediate action is needed to secure a brighter future for these \"extraordinary, irreplaceable animals\".\n\nThey are calling on governments to implement science-based fishing limits.\n\nStudy researcher, Dr Richard Sherley of the University of Exeter, said the declines appear to be driven very much by fishing pressures.\n\nHe told BBC News: \"That's the driver for the 70% reduction in the last 50 years. For every 10 sharks you had in the open ocean in the 1970s, you would have three today, across these species, on average.\"\n\nSharks and rays are caught for their meat, fins and liver oil. They are also captured for recreational fishing and turn up by accident in the catch of fishing boats that are targeting other stocks.\n\nSharks are long-lived species that tend to produce few young\n\nOf the 31 species studied, 24 are now threatened with extinction, and three shark species (the oceanic whitetip shark, and the scalloped and great hammerhead sharks) have declined so sharply they are now classified as critically endangered - the highest threat category, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).\n\nProf Nicholas Dulvy of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, said oceanic sharks and rays are at exceptionally high risk of extinction, much more so than the average bird, mammal or frog, despite ranging far from land.\n\n\"Overfishing of oceanic sharks and rays jeopardises the health of entire ocean ecosystems as well as food security for some of the world's poorest countries,\" he said.\n\nThe researchers compiled global data on sharks and rays found in the open oceans (as opposed to reef sharks or those found close to shore).\n\nOf the 1,200 or so species of sharks and rays in the world, 31 are oceanic, travelling large distances across water.\n\n\"These are some of the big, important, open ocean predators that people will be familiar with,\" said Dr Sherley. \"The kind of sharks that people might describe as awe-inspiring or charismatic.\"\n\nHe said political will is needed to reverse the trends.\n\n\"The science is there, there needs to be the desire to do those stock assessments, to implement the measures that are needed to reduce the take of sharks and that political will has to come from pressure from citizens,\" Dr Sherley explained.\n\nDespite this \"gloomy\" picture, the scientists said a few shark conservation stories give cause for hope.\n\nSonja Fordham, president of Shark Advocates International, a non-profit project of The Ocean Foundation, said a couple of species, including the great white, have started to recover through science-based fishing limits.\n\n\"Relatively simple safeguards can help to save sharks and rays, but time is running out,\" she said.\n\n\"We urgently need conservation action across the globe to prevent myriad negative consequences and secure a brighter future for these extraordinary, irreplaceable animals.\"\n\nPopulations can recover with appropriate conservation\n\nSharks are at the top of the food chain, and crucial to the health of the oceans. Their loss impacts other marine animals as well as human livelihoods.\n\n\"Oceanic sharks and rays are vital to the health of vast marine ecosystems, but because they are hidden beneath the ocean surface, it has been difficult to assess and monitor their status,\" said Nathan Pacoureau of Simon Fraser University.\n\n\"Our study represents the first global synthesis of the state of these essential species at a time when countries should be addressing insufficient progress towards global sustainability goals.\n\n\"While we initially intended it as a useful report card, we now must hope it also serves as an urgent wake-up call.\"\n\nThe research is published in the journal, Nature.", "In March 2020, we were told it would be a ‘’good outcome’’ if coronavirus killed 20,000 people across the UK.\n\nNow the bleakest milestone has been reached: 100,000 deaths.\n\nIn a statement, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said \"behind these heart-breaking figures are friends, families and neighbours. The vaccine offers us the way out, but we cannot let up now and we sadly still face a tough period ahead. The virus is still spreading and we're seeing over 3,500 people per day being admitted into hospital.\"\n\nHealth correspondent Catherine Burns looks at the past year of the UK’s epidemic and hears from families who have lost loved ones.\n\nFilmed and edited by Julius Peacock. Additional filming by Emily Brooks", "Enforcement agents have removed protesters from the makeshift camp near Euston station\n\nBailiffs from HS2 have started to evict activists who dug a tunnel near Euston station in protest against the £106bn rail project.\n\nIt comes after the BBC revealed campaigners spent months digging the tunnel they claim is 100ft (30m) long.\n\nSince August, HS2 Rebellion members have been living in tree houses and tents at a camp nearby.\n\nA HS2 spokeswoman said the protesters were \"trespassing\" on land owned by the company.\n\nThe land being occupied is needed for continued building work around Euston, she added.\n\nEnforcement agents from the National Eviction Team have removed some protesters from the makeshift camp in the park.\n\nPolice have arrested five men and a woman at the site, although one male was later de-arrested.\n\nActivists say the tunnel - codenamed \"Kelvin\" - was dug as their \"best defence\" against being evicted.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Protesters have filmed themselves inside the tunnels\n\nProtesters said they were continuing to dig tunnels and have vowed to stay for as long as possible.\n\nAn 18-year-old, who gave his name as Al, said the tunnels can only be accessed through a section of the makeshift camp and were about 15ft (4.5m) deep.\n\n\"I will stay as long as I can,\" he said, but he added the activists \"have not got much food and water\".\n\nHS2 Rebellion told the BBC four people had \"locked themselves\" to fixing points inside the tunnels.\n\nOne activist, Blue Sandford, admitted the stunt was \"dangerous\" but felt it was \"worth it\".\n\nHS2 protester Dr Larch Maxey said the tunnel was \"warm and quiet\"\n\nEnforcement agents dismantle the make shift camp where HS2 Rebellion members have been living\n\nThe 18-year-old, who is currently on school strike for climate, said HS2 \"is a waste of money\".\n\n\"I'm in this tunnel because they [the government] are irresponsibly putting my life at risk from the climate and ecological emergency,\" she said.\n\n\"They are behaving in a way that is so reckless and unsafe that I don't feel they are giving us any option but to protest in this way to help save our own lives and the lives of all the people round the world.\n\n\"I shouldn't have to do this - I should be in school - the trouble is they are stealing that future and I have to stop them.\"\n\nEnforcement officers have used aerial platforms to try and coax protesters down from the trees\n\nA protester was brought down from the trees by officers\n\nMartin Andryjankczyk, who was carried out of the camp by enforcement agents earlier, predicted it would take \"at least a week or two\" to evict all the protesters.\n\nThe 20-year-old was taken to Holloway Police Station when he was led away but said he had been \"de-arrested\" and returned to the park.\n\n\"I have been living here for the last four months. They (the remaining demonstrators) aren't going to give up that easily,\" he said.\n\nOne activist used to a rope to tie himself between trees at the camp\n\nThe Met Police confirmed a number of officers were sent to the eviction site at Euston Square Gardens to assist High Court enforcement officers should there be any breach of the peace and to uphold Covid legislation.\n\nThe force said five people who were arrested at the site remain in custody.\n\nA spokeswoman for HS2 said tunnel protests were \"costly to the taxpayer\".\n\nShe added: \"HS2 has taken legal temporary possession of Euston Square Gardens in order to progress with works necessary for the construction of the new Euston station.\n\n\"These protests are a danger to the safety of the protesters, our staff and the general public, and put unnecessary strain on the emergency services during a pandemic.\"\n\nHS2 is set to link London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. It is hoped the 20-year project will reduce rail passenger overcrowding and help to rebalance the UK's economy.\n\nThe campaign group alleges HS2 is the \"most expensive, wasteful and destructive project in UK history\" and that it is \"set to destroy or irreparably damage 108 ancient woodlands and 693 wildlife sites\".\n\nHowever, HS2 bosses have said seven million trees will be planted during phase one of the project and that much ancient woodland will \"remain intact\".\n\nThere is a ring of security surrounding the square outside Euston Station and a crowd of journalists reporting on today's event.\n\nEvery now and then there is a burst of singing through a loud hailer and motivational speeches echo from the trees.\n\nMost of the protesters we can see are among the branches, some have cut their safety lines, others are swinging in harnesses.\n\nEarlier, enforcement officers were lifted up in a cherry picker into one of the tree camps . They have spoken with the demonstrators and are now fixing ropes to the high level platforms.\n\nWe've been told at least four people are inside the tunnels HS2 Rebellion have dug under the site.\n\nPeople inside the fence have said they predict the eviction to \"take weeks\".\n\nThe atmosphere is calm but the police have begun to push back people watching, reminding them of Covid-19 regulations and asking to see press passes.\n\nA fence is being erected by officers around the site\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Scotland is to initially follow UK travel rules, but could introduce stricter measures next week\n\nScotland could introduce tougher quarantine rules for international travellers than other parts of the UK, the first minister has said.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that UK arrivals from regions with new virus variants will be provided accommodation for 10 days to isolate.\n\nNicola Sturgeon said she was \"concerned the proposal does not go far enough\".\n\nScotland will \"initially emulate\" the UK government measures, she said.\n\nBut further Scottish rules will be set out next week if the four nations do not reach an agreement on a UK-wide approach - which Ms Sturgeon said would be preferable.\n\nThe prime minister has said there are 22 countries with the risk of known new variants, including the South American nations, Portugal and South Africa.\n\nMr Johnson said anyone travelling from these countries who cannot be refused entry to the UK - such as British citizens - will be provided accommodation for 10 days to isolate \"without exception\".\n\nThey will be met at the airport and transferred to specific places, such as hotels.\n\nFurther details of the plan are expected to be outlined by Home Secretary Priti Patel later.\n\nHowever Ms Sturgeon - who was briefed on the UK government proposals in advance - told her daily coronavirus briefing that a \"comprehensive system of supervised quarantine\" was required in the next stage of the pandemic.\n\nAnd she said she was \"seeking urgently\" to persuade the UK government \"to go much further\" while providing additional support to the aviation industry.\n\nThe first minister said: \"Our best route back to greater domestic normality right now, as we continue with the vaccine programme, is firstly to suppress the virus here to as low as level as possible - as we did over the summer - then give ourselves a better chance of controlling it through test and protect, and next by doing much more than we did last year to protect our borders.\"\n\nThe Welsh government has also said the PM's proposals do not go far enough.\n\nWhen questioned by journalists, Ms Sturgeon said she would \"not give arbitrary dates\" on when the travel restrictions might come to an end.\n\nBut she said people \"might not be able to go on holiday overseas\" in order to \"get domestic normality\" back - including the reopening of schools and allowing people more interactions with loved ones.\n\n\"I'm not saying that's easy but maybe that might be a price we all need to be prepared to pay,\" she added.\n\nScottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross told the BBC that he believed that countries with higher infection rates and strains with quicker transmission should be prioritised.\n\n\"We've got to look at dealing with this in stages,\" he said. \"This doesn't need to be dragged into a Scotland versus England issue or the rest of the UK issue.\n\n\"This is as big an issue within Scotland. We shouldn't be moving around local authority areas so whether it's north or south of the border or within our own communities we've got to reduce travel as much as possible.\"\n\nIt comes as the deaths of a further 92 people who had tested positive for coronavirus were recorded in Scotland - bringing the total to 5,888.\n\nThe total number of deaths across the UK by that measure passed the grim milestone of 100,00 on Tuesday.\n\nMs Sturgeon said she was \"truly sorry\" for any mistakes that had been made in the handling of the pandemic.\n\nShe added: \"She said the death toll should make all political leaders \"think very hard about what more we could have done and what lessons we must continue to learn\".\n\nShe added: \"I know that I, and everyone in my government, have tried every day to do everything we possibly can.\n\n\"But I don't think any of us, reflecting on numbers like these, can conclude that we have always succeeded.\"\n\nA total of 1,330 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, representing 6.2% of people tested.\n\nMeanwhile 462,092 people have received the first dose of the vaccine in Scotland - including 56% of the over 80s and 95% of people in care homes.", "The greys were introduced to Britain from North America in the 19th Century\n\nThe UK government has given its support to a project to use oral contraceptives to control grey squirrel populations.\n\nEnvironment minister Lord Goldsmith says the damage they and other invasive species do to the UK's woodlands costs the UK economy £1.8 billion a year.\n\nThe bizarre-sounding plan is to lure grey squirrels into feeding boxes only they can access with little pots containing hazelnut spread.\n\nThese would be spiked with an oral contraceptive.\n\nLord Goldsmith says the damage from squirrels also threatens the effectiveness of government efforts to tackle climate change by planting tens of thousands of acres of new woodlands.\n\nOn Tuesday, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told BBC News: \"We hope advances in science can safely help our nature to thrive, including through the humane control of invasive species.\"\n\nA partnership of conservation and forestry organisations called the UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) is behind the proposal.\n\nIt says grey squirrels, which were first introduced from North America in the late 19th century, cause huge damage to woodlands by stripping bark from trees aged between 10-50 years, the younger trees in a forest.\n\nThey particularly target broad-leafed varieties including oak, which are particularly ecologically important because they support so many other species.\n\nIt is estimated the UK is home to some three million of these invasive rodents.\n\nRed squirrels are now confined mainly to Scotland and Ireland\n\nThey have displaced the native red squirrel across most of the UK.\n\nLord Goldsmith says the government supports the plan as well as a longer-term effort to breed infertility into female grey squirrels to reduce their numbers.\n\nInvasive non-native species such as grey squirrels threaten our native biodiversity, he argues.\n\nWhen regulating grey squirrels with oral contraceptive was first proposed in 2017, the government's Animal and Plant Health Agency said it thought it could reduce their numbers by as much as 90%.\n\nThe project also has royal approval.\n\nPrince Charles was instrumental in founding the UK Squirrel Accord with the objective of \"managing the negative impacts of invasive grey squirrels in the UK\".\n\nHe has written of the importance of protecting Britain's remaining red squirrels.\n\n\"These charming and intelligent creatures never fail to delight\", he wrote last week in his capacity as patron of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, describing red squirrels as the \"symbol and benchmark\" of healthy woods.\n\nJason Gilchrist, an ecologist from Edinburgh Napier University, has written in defence of the grey squirrel but he says he supports the oral contraceptive plan.\n\nHe acknowledges there is a need to manage grey squirrel populations.\n\n\"It is better than the alternative: a shotgun\", he told BBC News.\n\nIt is the same argument the UKSA makes: dosing the animals with contraceptives provides a humane alternative to culling them.\n\nLast week, the Royal Forestry Society, a member of the Squirrel Accord, called for just such a cull.\n\nSimon Lloyd, its chief executive, says efforts to tackle global warming and improve biodiversity will be undermined unless grey squirrel numbers can be reduced.\n\nNew trees will not survive to \"deliver the carbon capture or biodiversity objectives if grey squirrels cannot be controlled\", he told the Daily Telegraph.\n\nThe UKSA has been experimenting with ways to deliver oral contraceptives to squirrels for more than three years now.\n\nLast year, it tested special feeding stations designed so only grey squirrels can gain access in woodland in East Yorkshire.\n\nInstead of contraceptives, the hazelnut paste bait was dosed with a dye that, when ingested, causes squirrel hair to fluoresce under UV light.\n\nThe researchers found that more than 90% of the grey squirrel population being studied visited the traps.\n\nThey concluded that it was possible to deliver repeat doses of a contraceptive to the majority of grey squirrels in a wood.", "Leon Briggs died in hospital after being restrained and detained at Luton police station in November 2013\n\nA man shouted \"help me\" and \"get off me\" as he was restrained face-down by police officers hours before he died, an inquest heard.\n\nLeon Briggs, 39, died in 2013 after being detained under the Mental Health Act at Luton police station.\n\nA jury was told one witness described the father-of-two as \"like a child crying out for a toy\" as he was held down by officers.\n\nAnother said he looked her in the eyes and said \"please help me\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe jury has been shown CCTV of Mr Briggs skipping between shops and across roads, before two Bedfordshire Police officers handcuffed him and placed him in leg restraints on Marsh Road in Luton on 4 November 2013.\n\nMr Briggs was detained in a cell at about 14:25 GMT, but he became unconscious and was pronounced dead in hospital at about 16:15.\n\nThe inquest heard his primary cause of death was \"amphetamine intoxication with prone restraint and prolonged struggling\" with a secondary cause of coronary heart disease.\n\nMr Briggs was described as \"a really good dad\" who loved spending time with his children\n\nThe inquest heard Wendy Hamilton was shopping when she saw one officer restraining Mr Briggs on his lower legs, with another on his shoulders, and a third appeared to be looking through his wallet.\n\nMs Hamilton said she \"thought the amount of pressure being used was not needed\", adding she heard Mr Briggs shout \"get off me\" and \"why are you doing this to me?\".\n\n\"He lifted his head from the pavement, he looked me in the eyes and said 'please help me',\" she said.\n\nShe added when two paramedics arrived \"around 45 minutes\" after she first saw Mr Briggs, she was \"surprised\" they \"did not check Leon at all\".\n\nShe said he was later lifted into a police van \"front first\" and \"face down\", \"like he was a bag of potatoes\" or \"like they were picking up a dog\".\n\n\"They lifted him not in a rough way... but it was not very dignified,\" she said.\n\nFootage showed Mr Briggs walking out of a shop with officers before he was restrained\n\nAnother witness, Raja Khan, said: \"Mr Briggs was crying out... but not in an aggressive manner... in a similar way to a child crying out for a toy.\n\n\"I'm not going to forget what I saw in regard to the restraint... I do not agree with how Mr Briggs was treated... it would have been fair enough if he was being violent but from what I saw, he was not.\"\n\nFormer chairman of the College of Paramedics, Andrew Newton, said paramedics on Marsh Road were likely to have had \"inadequate knowledge\" of dealing with acute behavioural disorder patients like Mr Briggs in 2013, due to a lack of national guidance.\n\nBut Mr Newton added Mr Briggs \"received no meaningful medical care\" because they failed to properly check his vital signs, and this \"fell below the standards of care\".\n\nHe said Mr Briggs should have been taken to hospital in an ambulance.\n\nThe inquest heard part of a statement from Sgt Loren Short, who said he told paramedics Mr Briggs had been detained under the Mental Health Act when they arrived.\n\nPolice Community Support Officer (PCSO) James Collings described Mr Briggs as \"aggressive\" and \"nonsensical\", and \"shouting 'no, no' and snarling\" while in the police van.\n\nPCSO Collings said when he questioned whether Mr Briggs was on drugs, one officer said: \"[He is] mental\", and Mr Briggs replied: \"Don't take the [expletive]\", to which the officer said: \"I'm not taking the [expletive], I just want to get you back and get you some help.\"\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "More than 100,000 people in the UK have died from a virus, that, this time last year, felt like a far-off foreign threat. How did we come to be one of the countries with the worst death tolls?\n\nThere is no quick answer to that question, and there is sure to be a long and detailed public inquiry once the pandemic is over. But there are plenty of clues that, when pieced together, help build a picture of why the UK has reached this devastating number.\n\nSome will point a finger at the government - its decision to lock-down later than much of western Europe, the stuttering start to its test-and-trace network and the lack of protection afforded to care home residents.\n\nOthers will spotlight deeper rooted problems with British society - its poor state of public health, with high levels of obesity, for example.\n\nOthers, still, will note that some of the UK's great strengths - its position as a vibrant hub for international air travel, its ethnically diverse and densely-packed urban populations - exposed its vulnerability to a virus that spreads effortlessly between people.\n\nIn some people's eyes, the UK's island status might have helped it. New Zealand, Australia and Taiwan managed to stop the virus getting a foothold and deaths have been kept to a minimum - Australia has seen fewer deaths throughout the pandemic than the UK is recording every day on average.\n\nAll introduced strict border restrictions immediately and lockdowns to contain the virus before it had spread. The UK did not. It was not until June that quarantine rules were introduced for all arrivals and even then travel corridors were soon set up, relaxing the rules for travellers from certain countries. Only this month were these scrapped.\n\nProf Devi Sridhar, an expert in public health from Edinburgh University, is one of those who has been critical of the approach the UK has taken from the start.\n\nShe says the UK, like much of Europe, was \"complacent\" about the threat of infectious disease - choosing to treat the new coronavirus \"like flu\" and allowing it to spread, while talking about the desire to achieve herd immunity.\n\nThis all changed in late March, when a full lockdown eventually came. But there was a crucial delay of a week which is estimated to have cost more than 20,000 lives, according to government modeller Prof Neil Ferguson, because of how quickly infection rates were doubling at that point.\n\nThis, of course, is said with the benefit of hindsight. Government modellers themselves acknowledge the data was \"really quite poor\" making it difficult to make a decision that would have significant repercussions. It is a point acknowledged by Prof Chris Whitty, the UK's chief medical adviser. Speaking in the summer he said there had been \"very limited information\" in early March.\n\nBy then, the virus was ripping through care homes. Around 30% of deaths in the first wave happened in care homes; 40% if you include care home residents who died in hospital.\n\nThose at the heart of government acknowledge mistakes were made. UK chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said recently: \"The lesson is go earlier than you think you want to, go harder than you think you want to, and go a bit broader than you think you want to in terms of applying the restrictions.\"\n\nBy May, restrictions were beginning to be eased. But was this too soon?\n\nThe government seized on the relative lull to focus on building what the prime minister promised would be a \"world-beating\" test-and-trace system. The idea was that new outbreaks could be nipped in the bud, with comprehensive tracking by a centralised team of tracers.\n\nThe mere fact this had to be done some months after the virus had struck, illustrates another factor behind the high number of deaths - the UK was simply not prepared for a pandemic of this nature in the way some Asian nations had been. Countries such as South Korea and Taiwan had established test-and-trace systems in place that were ready to be activated.\n\nThe UK had a chance to bed in its system in the summer but it was riven with teething problems, with tracers struggling to reach many contacts and the testing capacity slowing down as demand rose.\n\nLow levels of infection over the summer had created a false sense of security.\n\nDesperate to boost the economy, the government launched the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, offering people discounted meals out during August. To what extent it contributed to the rise in the autumn is much argued about but certainly some doctors blame it in part for an increase in patients seen.\n\nThe truth is the virus never went away. Testing in the summer showed even at the lowest levels there were still around 500 cases a day being diagnosed - and random testing in the population subsequently showed the true level may have been twice that.\n\nIn late August around 1,000 people a day were testing positive. By mid-September that had trebled and from there it rose five-fold to 15,000 by mid October. The numbers testing positive have never returned below 10,000 a day on average since.\n\nAnother decision that has been heavily criticised was the refusal of ministers to introduce a short two-week lockdown, or \"circuit breaker\", in September - despite their advisers on Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) recommending such a step. The argument was it would have set the spread of the virus back by at least a month, giving test and trace time to regroup.\n\nWales, however, did introduce its own \"fire-breaker\" - a 17-day lockdown in October. It got infection rates down, but as soon as it was lifted they rebounded. This is, of course, why lockdowns have been criticised.\n\nEdinburgh University infectious diseases expert Prof Mark Woolhouse, one of the modellers who feeds data into Sage, is on the record in the autumn questioning the logic of them for this very reason. It remains up for debate how effective a circuit-breaker would actually have been.\n\nThis after all is the time of year when respiratory illnesses start to increase. Schools had returned as had university students, creating new environments for the novel coronavirus to spread.\n\nWhen a lockdown was eventually introduced in England in November it was to last four weeks, with Sage members lamenting the delay. \"The absence of a decision is a decision in itself,\" says Wellcome Trust director Sir Jeremy Farrar.\n\nBut even before that lockdown was lifted cases had started going up in the south-east of England. Within weeks it became clear what was happening. The virus had mutated and a new faster-spreading variant was on the rise.\n\nBy mid-December the clamour for lockdown was growing again, but the plan for a Christmas relaxation of restrictions had already been announced. In every nation of the UK, ministers waited.\n\nAt the start of 2021, with hospital admissions rising rapidly, the UK's four chief medical officers intervened, issuing a joint statement warning the NHS was at \"material risk\" of being overwhelmed. Within hours the UK was back in lockdown.\n\nWhat has struck some is just how similar the mistakes have been in terms of locking down late.\n\n\"It will take years to unpick why Covid has gone so badly in the UK,\" says University College London infectious diseases expert Dr Neil Stone. \"But the failure to learn from wave one stands out.\"\n\nBut it must also be recognised that there are factors outside the control of the government - certainly in terms of its pandemic response - that have contributed to the high number of deaths.\n\nOne of the reasons the virus was able to take a hold and spread so quickly was because of geography and the fact the UK - and London in particular - is a global hub. Genetic analysis has shown the virus was brought into the UK on at least 1,300 separate occasions, mainly from France, Spain and Italy, by the end of March.\n\nIt was here before we knew it. That's not something Australia or New Zealand had to deal with on such a scale.\n\nDensity of population is also a factor. The UK is among the 10 most densely populated big nations - those with populations of more than 20 million. What is more, our cities are more inter-connected than they are in many places.\n\nIt meant the virus was able to seed everywhere quite quickly. Contrast this with Italy which saw the vast majority of cases in the north of the country in the first wave.\n\nThe ageing population also needs to be taken into account. Once you do this, and adjust for the size of the population - known as age-standardised mortality - deaths have risen, but not by as much as some of the headline figures suggest.\n\nThe health of the nation has also been a factor. The UK has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. And obesity increases the risk of hospitalisation and death, according to Public Health England. One study found the risk of death was almost double for those who are severely obese.\n\nConditions such as diabetes, kidney disease and respiratory problems also increase the risk - a fifth of Covid deaths have listed diabetes on the death certificate.\n\nAgain the UK has relatively high rates of these illnesses.\n\nBut many have argued that these high levels of ill-health have been compounded by the levels of inequality in the UK.\n\nLevels of ill health and life expectancy have always been worst in the poorest areas, but the pandemic certainly seems to have exacerbated this.\n\nOffice for National Statistics data shows mortality rates have been twice as high in deprived areas as they have been in wealthy areas. The Health Foundation is carrying out its own inquiry into the issue, arguing the Covid death toll needs to be seen through the \"lens\" of inequality to fully understand it.\n\nIt is something that has also been raised by Prof Michael Marmot, one of the country's leading experts on health inequalities. \"The UK's dismal record is telling us something important about our society.\"\n\nIf you, or someone you know, have been affected by bereavement, here is a list of organisations that may be able to help.", "Eva Gicain has been celebrating a belated Christmas with her daughter Elleana and husband Limuel Lina after being discharged from Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge\n\nA nurse who gave birth nearly three months ago while seriously ill with Covid-19 has held her daughter for the first time.\n\nEva Gicain, 30, had the long-awaited reunion with her baby after being discharged from Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge earlier this month.\n\nBaby Elleana had to be delivered about a month early by C-section, but Mrs Gicain has no memory of her birth.\n\n\"When I held Elleana for the first time I didn't want to let go,\" she said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid-19: New mum thanks hospitals after recovery\n\nMrs Gicain was taken to her local hospital with a severe case of Covid-19 at the end of October when she was 34 weeks pregnant, and gave birth a week later.\n\nBut the NHS nurse, who was on maternity leave from her job in London, has no recollection of it or the traumatic weeks that followed.\n\nDays later she was transferred 50 miles (80km) away to Royal Papworth Hospital's critical care unit and became one of the youngest patients ever to be put on to its \"artificial lung\" for acute respiratory failure.\n\nThe extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine acted as Mrs Gicain's lungs so they could recover while she was treated for Covid-19.\n\n\"The first thing I remember is just a few days before Christmas and being told where I was, what I had been through and that Elleana was doing well,\" Mrs Gicain said.\n\nMrs Gicain was given a round of applause by hospital staff after spending the first few weeks of her baby's life in a hospital 50 miles away\n\nHer husband Limuel Lina, 30, who also had Covid-19, was unable to visit her and had to wait three weeks to see Elleana, who was in a special care baby unit.\n\n\"It was so horrible the three of us being in separate places at a time when we should all have been together,\" Mr Lina said.\n\nAlthough the couple knew they were having a girl and had discussed her name, Mr Lina, a healthcare assistant, said he did not know his wife's preferred spelling.\n\n\"[It] meant I couldn't yet get her registered,\" he said.\n\n\"Luckily, I found some personalised pyjamas that Eva had bought as a Christmas present and so I managed to get the spelling from there!\"\n\nThe couple and their daughter celebrated a belated Christmas last week at their home in Basildon, Essex.\n\n\"Life is unpredictable and we are now just looking forward to being a little family and spending time together,\" added Mrs Gicain.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The head of AstraZeneca has defended its rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in the EU, amid tension with member states over delays in supply.\n\nPascal Soriot told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that his team was working \"24/7 to fix the very many issues of production of the vaccine\".\n\nHe said production was \"basically two months behind where we wanted to be\".\n\nHe also said the EU's late decision to sign contracts had given limited time to sort out hiccups with supply.\n\nMr Soriot, chief executive of the UK-Swedish multinational, said a contract with the UK had been signed three months before the one with the EU, giving more time for glitches to be ironed out.\n\nHe told La Repubblica that problems in \"scaling up\" vaccine production were being experienced at two plants, one in the Netherlands and one in Belgium.\n\n\"It's complicated, especially in the early phase where you have to really sort out all sorts of issues,\" he said.\n\n\"We believe we've sorted out those issues, but we are basically two months behind where we wanted to be.\"\n\nHe added: \"We've also had teething issues like this in the UK supply chain. But the UK contract was signed three months before the European vaccine deal. So with the UK we have had an extra three months to fix all the glitches we experienced.\n\nAstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said a vaccine targeting the South African variant was being worked on\n\n\"Would I like to do better? Of course. But, you know, if we deliver in February what we are planning to deliver, it's not a small volume. We are planning to deliver millions of doses to Europe, it is not small.\"\n\nMr Soriot also said AstraZeneca was working on a vaccine with Oxford University that would target the South African variant of the coronavirus.\n\nScientists have warned there is a chance the South African variant may harm the effectiveness of current vaccines.\n\nThe AstraZeneca vaccine is already being used in the UK but has not yet been approved by the EU, although the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is expected to give it the green light at the end of this month.\n\nThe bloc signed a deal in August for 300 million doses, with an option for 100 million more. The EU had hoped that, as soon as approval was given, delivery would start straight away, with some 80 million doses arriving in the 27 nations by March.\n\nThe EU has ordered 600 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is already being used on patients around the bloc.\n\nBut Pfizer-BioNTech said last week it was delaying shipments for the next few weeks because of work to increase capacity at its Belgian plant.\n\nIn response to the delays, the EU has said it might restrict exports of vaccines made in the bloc.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sofia Bettiza explains why some countries are far ahead of others in the vaccination race\n\nHealth Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said companies making Covid vaccines in the bloc would have to \"provide early notification whenever they want to export vaccines to third countries\".\n\nShe said the 27-member EU bloc would \"take any action required to protect its citizens\".\n\nEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, addressing the virtual version of the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), usually held in Davos, said: \"Europe invested billions to help develop the world's first Covid-19 vaccines. And now, the companies must deliver. They must honour their obligations.\"\n\nHave you been affected by vaccine supply issues? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The prime minister has responded to calls that were getting louder for clarity about what might happen next and when.\n\nHe pencilled in a date for the country's diary. But 8 March is the hoped-for beginning of the end of lockdown - far from a guarantee.\n\nPolitical demands for more information from his backbench MPs and the opposition were part of the reason for his announcement. But there was also the relentless march of the clock.\n\nThe government had promised it would give schools in England two weeks' notice of whether they would be able to open after half-term.\n\nWith Boris Johnson not expected in Westminster on Thursday, Wednesday was the last viable moment to keep that vow.\n\nWith cases still so high, and hospitals still so full, in theory the announcement wasn't that much of a surprise.\n\nNorthern Ireland is already in lockdown until 5 March, but will confirm its position on schools on Thursday.\n\nWales and Scotland are reviewing whether to extend closures beyond the middle of February in the next couple of days. Without dramatic falls in case numbers, they seem likely to be in step soon too.\n\nIn practice, though, Mr Johnson's announcement still felt like a big admission: that we're heading for 12 months of limits - starting last March - on our lives in one way or another.\n\nFirms and families around the UK will have had to cope with moving in and out of lockdown for a whole year.\n\nLike Tuesday's terrible 100,000-deaths mark, it's a milestone that at the beginning of all of this simply wouldn't have been imagined.\n\nBut as time as worn on, the pattern has become familiar: push the dates back, confront the worst rather than hope for the best.\n\nThe prime minister altered, maybe, too. You could hear it in his tone when asked what the chances of sticking to his date were. \"That's the earliest,\" he warned, suggesting that a long list of things have to go right.\n\nOne cabinet minister described the government's position: \"The decision making has been more and more cautious as they've been caught out so many times.\"\n\nNo one perhaps would be more delighted than Mr Johnson if the pace of the disease slows dramatically and the promise of the vaccine comes good very soon.\n\nBut at this time, with a buffer of several weeks to keep looking at the information, that's not a commitment that ministers are willing to make.", "Victims lost an average of £45,242 last year after investing with fraudsters imitating genuine investment firms.\n\nMore than £78m was lost in total, according to fraud reporting centre Action Fraud.\n\nReports of clone firm investment scams rose by 29% in April - at the time of the first national lockdown - compared with the previous month.\n\nA UK financial watchdog warned people to be alert, particularly when their finances were stretched.\n\nScammers set up clone firms using the name, address and firm reference number (FRN) of real companies authorised by the regulator - the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).\n\nThey then send out sales materials linking to the websites of legitimate firms, to trick potential investors into thinking they are dealing with the real firm.\n\nThey use their own, similar contact details, so victims still think they are dealing with the genuine firm as they invest money.\n\nLosses can be high as fraudsters tend to encourage large or regular investments before disappearing with the money.\n\nThe ongoing financial impact of Covid-19 may make people more susceptible to clone scams, the FCA said.\n\nMark Steward, executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA, said: \"Fraudsters use literature and websites that mirror those of legitimate firms, as well as encouraging investors to check the firm reference number (FRN) on the FCA Register to sound as convincing as possible.\"\n\nHe said alerts were raised about 1,100 firms, including clones, last year - twice as many as the previous year.\n\nHe said the authorities were taking down clone sites when discovered.\n\n\"When it comes to clones, I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to double check every detail,\" Mr Steward said.\n\nOne victim, called Janet, said: \"After searching the internet for high-return bonds, I received a call the next day about investing in student accommodation.\n\n\"I found legitimate details of the company online - everything seemed genuine, so I invested.\n\n\"A few months later, after a couple more investments, I started to get a bit worried - I still hadn't received confirmation of the latest investment.\n\n\"I tried to call the contacts I had been speaking to, but the numbers were invalid. It was clear I had been scammed.\n\nThe ScamSmart campaign, run by the FCA, has tips to protect yourself from clone investment firms:", "Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, is being held under India's anti-terror law\n\nA Scottish man who has been held in an Indian jail without conviction for three years has told the BBC he was tortured to sign a blank confession.\n\nJagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, is being held under India's anti-terror laws, accused of conspiring to murder a number of right-wing Hindu leaders.\n\nCourt documents allege he helped fund the crimes and claim he was a member of a \"terrorist gang\".\n\nMr Johal told the BBC via his lawyer he had been \"falsely implicated\".\n\nIn answers to BBC questions obtained by his lawyer during a virtual prison meeting, the 33-year-old says he was physically tortured into signing a blank confession and forced to record a video which was broadcast on Indian TV.\n\n\"They made me sign blank pieces of paper and asked me to say certain lines in front of a camera under fear of extreme torture,\" he said via his lawyer.\n\nMr Johal's legal team also shared a copy of what they say is a handwritten letter from shortly after his arrest in November 2017 in which he details allegations of how the torture took place.\n\n\"Multiple shocks were administered by placing (the) crocodile clips on my earlobes, nipples and private parts,\" the letter says. \"Multiple shocks were given each day.\n\n\"Two people would stretch my legs, another person would slap and strike me from behind, and the shocks were given by the seated officers.\"\n\n\"At some stages I was left unable to walk and had to be carried out of the interrogation room.\"\n\nThe BBC has been unable to independently verify these allegations of torture.\n\nThe Indian authorities strongly deny them, and have said \"there is no evidence of mistreatment or torture as alleged\".\n\nJagtar got married in India in 2017\n\nMr Johal travelled to India in October 2017 for his wedding.\n\nVideos of the occasion show the new groom jumping enthusiastically to Bhangra music as he celebrated.\n\nIn another he is seen holding his wife's hand, as they perform their first dance in front of friends and family.\n\n\"It was a cheerful day for us, it went exactly as planned,\" recalls his brother Gurpreet Singh Johal.\n\nBut a fortnight later, while on a shopping trip with his new bride in the North Indian state of Punjab, Mr Johal was taken away by police and has been in detention ever since.\n\nHis brother Gurpreet, who lives in Scotland, says Mr Johal was a peaceful activist and is convinced he was arrested because he had written about historical human rights violations against Sikhs in India.\n\n\"I believe my brother is being targeted because he was outspoken,\" Gurpreet says. \"I believe he is innocent and will be proved innocent once the trial starts.\n\n\"Otherwise Indian officials should release him and return him back to his country.\"\n\nJagtar Singh Johal (right) arrives at court in India in November 2017\n\nCharge-sheets from the Indian authorities outline the case against Mr Johal and a group of men whom they believe were involved in a \"series of killings\" of right wing Hindu leaders.\n\nIt is claimed Mr Johal was a member of Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF), described in the documents as an international \"terrorist gang\".\n\nHe is accused of paying £3,000 to the former head of the KLF to help fund the crimes. The documents claim he \"actively participated and had complete knowledge of the conspiracy\".\n\n\"There are very serious charges against him including murder and abetment of terrorism,\" an Indian government official told the BBC.\n\n\"The seriousness of charges against him have been shared with the British authorities,\" they added.\n\nFootage which claims to show Mr Johal in custody was broadcast on Indian TV\n\nMr Johal's lawyer, Jaspal Singh Manjphur, who has represented him since he was first arrested, told the BBC he was concerned by the length of time it was taking for the case to go through the Indian legal system.\n\n\"He has been in custody for over three years,\" Mr Manjphur said. \"Normally, if the prosecution wants, they can complete the case in that much time.\"\n\nMr Manjphur said the authorities had yet to provide any him with any evidence linking his client to the crimes and feared he was being framed, a charge denied by officials.\n\nA few weeks ago, Mr Johal was accused of being involved in another crime. While in prison he has been arrested for helping to plot the murder of a man in October 2020.\n\n\"He is in a high security jail, he is under CCTV surveillance for 24 hours. How can he be in contact with anyone?\", Mr Manjphur said.\n\nMr Johal was last seen in public at court in Delhi earlier this month\n\nMr Johal is being held at Delhi's maximum security Tihar jail.\n\nHe claims he is often forced to stay in solitary confinement and is denied the same facilities as other prisoners, such as hot water.\n\n\"By making me stay in these conditions, they are ensuring that my mental condition remains disturbed,\" he said.\n\n\"It is very tough to live here,\" he said.\n\nThe vast majority of inmates at the prison are, like Mr Johal, held before a conviction in what is known as an \"under-trial\" in India.\n\nAt the end of 2019, 82% of prisoners held in Tihar jail had yet to complete the trial process.\n\nIn India it can take many years before under-trial prisoners ever get to court, especially in terror cases where bail is hard to secure, a concern for Mr Johal's lawyer.\n\n\"He will languish in jail until the trial is completed, in such cases it could take anywhere between five to 10 years,\" Mr Manjphur said.\n\nUK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has raised the case with his Indian counterpart\n\nThe human rights charity Reprieve has written to the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, asking that he calls for Mr Johal's immediate release.\n\nReprieve is also worried that some of the charges Mr Johal is awaiting trial for carry the death penalty as the maximum punishment. But experts stress that executions in India are extremely rare.\n\nThe UK's Foreign Commonwealth and Development office told the BBC that Mr Raab did raise the case with his Indian counterpart during his trip to India in December.\n\n\"We have consistently raised concerns about his case with the Government of India, including allegations of torture and mistreatment and his right to a fair trial,\" it said in a statement.\n\n\"Our staff continue to support Jagtar Singh Johal following his detention in India, and are in regular contact with his family and prison officials about his health and wellbeing.\"\n\nHundreds of people protested outside the Foreign Office\n\nBut Mr Johal's brother Gurpreet said the family was still waiting for a meeting with the foreign secretary.\n\nHe said: \"We are calling for either Jagtar to be charged and a fair trial to take place or to be returned back to his country so he can spend his life with his wife in the UK.\"\n\nIn August last year Gurpreet Singh Johal was joined by dozens who protested outside Downing Street.\n\nJagtar Singh Johal's case has sparked protests around the world, from Westminster to Washington, Geneva to Toronto.\n\nIn his statement to the BBC, Mr Johal had this message for officials back home: \"I plead to the UK government to support me, I'm a British citizen and the government should understand that.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Keir Starmer calls for teachers and support staff to be vaccinated during the February half term\n\nSir Keir Starmer has called on the government to \"use the window\" of the February half-term to vaccinate all teachers and support staff.\n\nSpeaking at Prime Ministers Questions, the Labour leader said reopening schools must be a national priority.\n\nLabour wants to bring forward the vaccination of key workers alongside others in high risk groups.\n\nBut Boris Johnson said the proposal would \"delay our ability to move forward out of lockdown\".\n\nThe PM said teachers in the top nine priority groups would be vaccinated as a \"matter of priority\", adding: \"I know how deeply frustrating it is, the extra burden that we have placed on families by closing the schools.\"\n\nMr Johnson said he remained confident that the top four priority groups - taking in all over-70s, health and care staff and elderly care home residents - would receive a first jab by mid-February \"if we can get the supply\" of vaccines.\n\nBy the end of April those in the next five priority groups, including all over-50s and younger adults with underlying health conditions, should have been offered a jab, under the government's plans.\n\nLabour wants to see workers in critical professions - such as police officers, firefighters and transport workers, as well as teachers - vaccinated alongside these groups.\n\nShadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: \"The NHS rightly deserve congratulations for their impressive and speedy roll out of vaccinations.\n\n\"But now we need to go further and faster.\n\n\"Not only will vaccination acceleration save lives it will help us to carefully and responsibly reopen our economy and crucially ensure children are back in school as transmission reduces.\"\n\nBut asked about the proposal in the Commons, Mr Johnson said it would \"take vaccines away from the more vulnerable groups and... delay our ability to move forward out of lockdown\".\n\nThe government has said it will prioritise the reopening of schools as it begins the process of lifting lockdown restrictions, but in a Commons statement after PMQs, Mr Johnson indicated that schools would remain closed until early March.\n\n\"We hope it will... be safe to begin the reopening of schools from Monday, 8 March, with other economic and social restrictions being removed thereafter as and when the data permits,\" he told MPs.", "The coronavirus pandemic has forced the cancellation of many much-loved events and traditions but the good people of New Orleans were not going to let it ruin their annual Mardi Gras.\n\nWhen the mayor of the Louisiana city announced that the raucous, crowd-filled street carnival parades would not be going ahead, residents decided to turn their houses into floats instead.\n\nThousands have been transformed for the two-week long carnival that runs until Ash Wednesday on 17 February. In the picture below, you can see The Queen's Jubilee House.\n\nA special project was set up encouraging home-owners to hire the many artists who would normally have months of work preparing for the event.\n\nRené Pierre's company usually looks after 75 floats during Mardi Gras and he has managed to get contracts to build 53 house floats.\n\n\"My wife and I were trying to sleep one night, and we kept hearing notifications coming from the website. It was like instant success. It was incredible,\" he told CNN.\n\nThere were a variety of themes such as this reference to the Bernie Sanders meme from last month's presidential inauguration.\n\nAnd this homage to influential women including Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died last year.\n\nThe idea for the house floats came from a carnival regular, Megan Joy Boudreaux, who had suggested it in a post on Twitter after the mayor's announcement in November.\n\n\"It doesn't matter if your budget is zero and you're recycling cardboard boxes, or whether your budget is tens of thousands of dollars and you've got a mansion on St Charles. We want everyone who wants to do this to participate,\" she told the New York Times.\n\nShe said she had expected a few friends and neighbours to join in, but by the beginning of January more than 9,000 people had signed up - some as far afield as the UK and Australia, the AP reports.\n\nSome homes were decorated in honour of musicians, like this house below that paid tribute to former New Orleans resident and jazz clarinet payer Pete Fountain.\n\nAnd this house which referenced country music star Dolly Parton.\n\nThere were also tributes to musician Dr John.\n\nAnd others evoked Zydeco music pioneers Boozoo Chavis and Clifton Chenier and the 'Cajun Hank Williams', DL Menard.\n\nAn online map of the decorated houses is being made available for people to visit in their own time and, it is hoped, in a socially-distanced way.", "Starmer: Get a grip on getting laptops to children\n\nSir Keir says he is \"no wiser\" over where the PM stands on vaccinating teachers. But he moves on to the supplies of technology for children at home. \"The government has got a duty to make sure every single child can learn at home,\" says the Labour leader. But he says a third of families say they don't have enough laptops or home computers, and over 400,000 children are still not able to get online at home. He asks if the PM understands the anger of families that the government \"still haven't got to grips with this\". Johnson says he \"fully understands the frustration and impatience across the country.\" He says the government has provided 1.3 million laptops to children and a £1bn catch up fund, but he promises more details in his statement this afternoon on \"what more we propose to do on reopening of schools\".", "Claudia Marsh was a volunteer for an eating disorder charity which had helped her in the past\n\nAn \"incredible\" recently-qualified teacher has died with coronavirus on her 25th birthday.\n\nClaudia Marsh's death was described as \"sudden and unexpected\" by a charity which had helped her recover from an eating disorder several years ago.\n\nShe had gone on to volunteer for the organisation and became a \"beacon of hope\" for others.\n\nHer mother Tina Marsh, from Heswall in Wirral, said she was \"very proud\" and \"blown away\" by the many tributes.\n\nWriting on Facebook, Ms Marsh said she was a \"beautiful daughter and incredible sister\" who was selfless in her work for Merseyside-based charities Talking Eating Disorders (TEDS) and The Whitechapel Centre.\n\nShe said: \"She loved giving back to people less fortunate than herself.\"\n\nFamily friend Leigh Best, who founded TEDS, described the death as \"heartbreaking\".\n\nShe added: \"Claudia was very special, kind, caring and a dedicated teacher.\n\n\"She supported countless families across the UK. Claudia made her own little packs to give out to others with eating disorders with positive affirmations.\n\n\"She was full of positivity, kindness and hope, and had a smile that would brighten up the whole room.\"\n\nIn a statement, the Whitechapel Centre, where Claudia also volunteered, said staff were \"devastated\", adding she would leave behind a \"legacy of care, dedication and enthusiasm\".\n\nThe charity said she put all of her time and energy into providing food and clothing to those who needed it during the pandemic.\n\n\"Claudia always put others before herself and her memory will live on through the impact and contribution she made to our organisation,\" the centre said.\n\n\"She was instrumental in bringing together our volunteer community.\"\n\nMs Marsh has set up an online fundraising page for the two charities, which has already garnered more than £10,000.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Facebook is taking steps to rectify the error that saw posts referring to Plymouth Hoe taken down\n\nFacebook has apologised for removing posts that named part of a city it deemed to contain an offensive word.\n\nPlymouth Hoe is a historic part of the Devon city's seafront but the social media platform wrongly identified it as an offensive term.\n\nFacebook users have recently had posts taken down for breaching bullying rules after innocently using the place name.\n\nThe company said it \"will take steps to rectify the error\".\n\nDawn Lapthorn, who created the 'Don't Dump it, Plymouth and Surrounding areas' page said she was surprised to receive notifications from Facebook telling her \"community standards on harassment and bullying\" had been breached.\n\nPlymouth Hoe is famous as the place where Sir Francis Drake finished off a game of bowls before setting off to fight the Spanish Armada in 1588\n\nShe said: \"One woman on the group had been making hats, and she forgot to say where the collection point was so people asked her and she wrote Plymouth Hoe.\n\n\"Suddenly I started getting notifications asking me to remove the comments.\n\n\"And then her daughter contacted me asking why her mum had been banned from commenting on the group.\"\n\nOther people commenting on the group's posts have also received notifications and had posts taken down.\n\nMs Lapthorn said: \"I've heard that some Facebook groups have been closed down because of this, and with the work we do in the community and 26,000 members, I've worked too hard to have that put at risk.\"\n\nA Facebook company spokesperson said: \"These posts were removed in error and we apologise to those who were affected. We're looking into what happened and will take steps to rectify the error.\"\n\nFollow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "It wasn't normal when the prime minister stood at the lectern in Downing Street's wood-panelled State Dining Room and announced that four people had died from coronavirus on 9 March last year.\n\nIt wasn't normal, that day, when he announced the obscure-sounding virus was a global pandemic that, in the 21st Century, the UK government would struggle to contain.\n\nIt was unprecedented, in peacetime, when, on 23 March, Boris Johnson instructed the country to stay at home.\n\nIt was shocking when, on 28 March, official figures reported more than 1,000 cases in a single day.\n\nA few weeks later, there were sharp intakes of breath when the UK government's chief scientific adviser told MPs, and all of us, that keeping the numbers of deaths down to around 20,000 would be a \"good outcome\".\n\nIt wasn't normal when the Treasury started paying the wages of millions of people to prevent hardship on a vast scale.\n\nIt wasn't normal when planes stayed on the ground, roads and trains emptied.\n\nIt certainly wasn't normal when classrooms fell largely silent, or when the nooks and crannies of Westminster, usually full of intrigue, emptied.\n\nBut in that new strangeness it became normal, week after week, for millions of us to stand in the street, on balconies or on doorsteps to express thanks to those who care for us.\n\nAnd there is now an emerging routine of the most vulnerable rolling up their sleeves, sometimes in front of the cameras, for vaccines that offer at least part of the route to the future.\n\nYet the daily publication of the numbers of people who have died because of Covid has become an all-too-familiar rhythm.\n\nIn the middle of the afternoon, every day, the latest total emerges. A previously unimaginable communication has become a regular part of the country's conversation.\n\nBut today that number has reached a terrible height. Every one of those 100,000 lives lost leaves its own story, and sorrow, behind.\n\nThis miserable landmark is a moment to remember, maybe, that what has happened in the last year, to our politics, to us all is not normal at all.", "The Royal Welsh Show - the biggest agricultural show in Europe - has been cancelled for the second year running because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nThe board met on Wednesday to discuss holding the show as scheduled in July, but after discussions with Welsh Government decided it wouldn't be feasible.\n\nSteve Hughson, chief executive of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, said: “We continue to work alongside the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales to create a road map for the safe re-opening of events.\n\n\"Our events are central to the rural economy and way of life and mean so much to members, exhibitors, traders and visitors.\n\n\"We fully understand the responsibility on all of us to ensure we deliver our events as soon as it is safe to do so.\"\n\nMr Hughson said the society had provided free facilities for a Covid testing centre and a mass vaccination centre at its showground in Llanelwedd, Powys.", "Goldman Sachs' chief executive David Solomon will get a $10m (£7.3m) pay cut for the bank's involvement in the 1MDB corruption scandal.\n\n1MDB was an investment fund set up by the Malaysian government that lost billions due to fraudulent activity.\n\nThe global web of fraud and corruption led to a 12-year jail term for Malaysia's ex-prime minister Najib Razak which he is appealing.\n\nGoldman Sachs called its involvement in the scandal an \"institutional failure\".\n\nGoldman Sachs helped raise $6.5bn for 1MDB by selling bonds to investors, the proceeds of which were largely stolen.\n\nProsecutors alleged that senior Goldman executives ignored warning signs of fraud in their dealings with 1MDB and Jho Low, an adviser to the fund. Two Goldman bankers have been criminally charged in the scandal.\n\nMr Solomon's pay would have been $10m higher but for the actions its board of directors took in response to the 1MDB saga, Goldman Sachs said on Tuesday.\n\nWhile disclosing his salary had dropped to $17.5m for 2020, the bank stressed that Mr Solomon was unaware of the corruption.\n\nHe was not \"involved in or aware of the firm's participation in any illicit activity at the time... the board views the 1MDB matter as an institutional failure, inconsistent with the high expectations it has for the firm\".\n\nMr Solomon's package consists of $2m in cash base pay, a $4.65m cash bonus, and $10.85m in stock-based compensation.\n\nIn October, Goldman agreed to pay nearly $3bn to government officials in four countries to end an investigation into work it performed for 1MDB. The bank collected $600m for arranging the bond sales in 2012 and 2013.\n\nIt has spent years being investigated by regulators across the globe including those in the US, UK, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.In total, Goldman's dealings with 1MDB cost the bank more than $5bn.\n\nDespite the costs and fines from the fallout from the 1MDB scandal, 2020 was a bumper year for Goldman's businesses with annual revenue of $44.6bn, its highest since 2009.\n\nThe US-based bank got a huge boost from the recovery in global stock markets from the depths of the coronavirus recession.\n\nIn 2018 Malaysian police raided the home of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, as part of their investigation in his involvement with 1MDB.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Handbags and money seized in raids on former Malaysian PM's home (video published in 2018)", "Josh Quigley crashed while cycling at 40mph downhill in Dubai\n\nA record-breaking Scottish cyclist is recovering from his second serious crash in little over a year.\n\nJosh Quigley fractured his spine, pelvis, shoulder, collarbone and elbow after falling off his bike at 40mph while training in Dubai on Tuesday.\n\nThe 28-year-old from Livingston is in hospital awaiting surgery.\n\nLast September he broke the North Coast 500 cycling world record just months after suffering life-threatening injuries while riding across the USA.\n\nMr Quigley told BBC Scotland he was in a lot of pain and unable to walk after his latest crash.\n\nHe said: \"I think a gust of wind took my front wheel out.\"\n\n\"Not sure what the recovery process is looking like yet,\" he added on social media.\n\n\"Very grateful to Ben and Tobias who I was riding with for getting me an ambulance and making sure I got to hospital OK.\n\n\"There's a great cycling community here who have been great to me since I've been here and they're all doing a lot to make sure I am looked after and have what I need in here.\n\n\"Huge thanks also to a few people who stopped at the scene and all of the first responders and medical staff who have helped at the hospital so far.\"\n\nMr Quigley shaved six minutes off the existing North Coast 500 world record when he completed the 516-mile Highland route in 31hrs and 17 minutes last September.\n\nThe route is ranked as one of the world's toughest endurance challenges as it has 34,423ft (10,492m) of ascent - more than Mount Everest, which stands at 29,031ft (8,848m).\n\nHis feat came after he was hit by a vehicle in Texas during a round-the-world-trip in December 2019.\n\nHe had life-threatening injuries and operations on a broken heel and ankle as well as a stent fitted in an artery in his neck, which feeds blood to his brain.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The PM has said he hopes a \"gradual and phased\" relaxation of Covid restrictions can begin in early March.\n\nBoris Johnson told MPs he intended to set out a plan for how the lockdown in England could be eased and the criteria involved in the final week of February.\n\nFactors will include death and hospitalisation numbers, progress of vaccinations and changes in the virus.\n\nHe has ruled out schools in England re-opening after the February half term, instead setting an 8 March target.\n\nIn a statement to Parliament, Mr Johnson said the scientific data was not sufficiently clear to make any decisions now but he hoped to publish a detailed roadmap in just under a month's time as the \"picture became clearer\".\n\nHe also announced plans for tighter border restrictions to combat new variants of Covid, confirming all those arriving from high-risk countries will have to quarantine in hotels and other accommodation for 10 days.\n\nThe PM, who is under pressure from Tory MPs to spell out how the current lockdown will end, said relaxing restrictions would depend on emerging data about how effectively the vaccine stops virus transmission.\n\nHe signalled any easing of restrictions would start with schools, setting a potential re-opening date of 8 March - when he said he hoped the 15 million or so people in the top four vulnerable groups earmarked for vaccinations by mid-February will have had their jabs and have full protection.\n\n\"Our aim will be to set out a gradual and phased approach to easing the restrictions in a sustainable way,\" he said, adding that the \"first sign of normality\" should be pupils returning to school.\n\nHe added: \"We hope it will be safe to begin the re-opening of schools from 8 March with other economic and social restrictions being removed thereafter as the data permits.\"\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said reopening schools should be a national priority and urged the government to vaccinate teachers and support staff during the February half term.\n\nLabour is also calling for the government to prioritise key workers in critical professions, seeing them added to the first phase of the vaccination programme, alongside those might likely to become seriously ill.\n\nCases are falling and the vaccination programme is going well. So why is the government waiting?\n\nFirstly, there are doubts about how fast infections are falling.\n\nWhile the daily figures show they have almost halved in just over a fortnight, the government's surveillance programmes which involve random testing suggest the drop may be slower.\n\nIt is unclear why there is this discrepancy, but understanding the true trajectory is crucial to knowing what will happen to pressures on hospitals.\n\nWhat impact the vaccination programme has will also be vital.\n\nEarly results from Israel, which is leading the world on vaccination, suggest cases in older age groups start falling three weeks after significant numbers are vaccinated. But ministers want to see that pattern repeated here.\n\nThey also want to know what effect vaccination has on transmission - it is possible vaccinated people can still transmit the infection even if they are protected from illness.\n\nThis will not be completely clear by March, but scientists should at least have a better idea.\n\nWhen a plan for exiting lockdown is set out, the government wants to be certain it can be kept to. But given the cost of lockdown the pressure to lift restrictions will grow if progress keeps being made.\n\nLast week, chair of the Covid Recovery Group Conservative MP Mark Harper said if the government meets its 15 February vaccination deadline, then ministers should begin easing lockdown by 8 March.\n\nHe welcomed the announcement from the prime minster.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Mark Harper This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nUnder the current lockdown, people in England must stay at home and only go out for limited reasons such as food shopping and exercise.\n\nSimilar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nEngland's lockdown laws are due to end on 31 March. Mr Johnson has previously said this date is to allow for a \"controlled\" easing of restrictions back into local tiers.\n\nUnder the tier system, different rules are applied to different parts of the country, depending on factors such as pressure on the NHS, number of cases and rates at which case numbers fall.\n\nPupils in England are not expected to return to school before the February half term. Mr Johnson has said schools will be reopened \"as soon as we can\" but did not guarantee that would happen before Easter.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said restrictions in Scotland will continue until mid-February at the earliest.\n\nIn Wales, the lockdown will be reviewed at the end of January, but the government has previously said it does not see \"much headroom for change\".\n\nNorthern Ireland's lockdown has been extended until 5 March.", "As a family of chemicals, neonicotinoids cause harm to pollinating insects such as bees\n\nThe Wildlife Trusts is to take legal action against the UK government over its decision to allow a pesticide that is almost entirely banned in the EU.\n\nIn 2018, the EU banned the outdoor use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which harm pollinating insects such as bees.\n\nBut following Brexit, the government approved the emergency use of one neonicotinoid to combat a crop disease.\n\nThe charity has told Environment Secretary George Eustice of their intention to challenge the decision.\n\nIn a letter to Mr Eustice, the Trusts says it will push for a judicial review unless the government can \"prove it has acted lawfully\".\n\nMultiple studies, including large-scale field trials, have found that neonicotinoids harm pollinators and aquatic life. Research has also shown that they can be linked to the wider collapse in biodiversity.\n\nThe government says it allowed the use of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam because of the \"potential danger\" to the sugar beet crop from beet yellows virus, which is spread by aphids.\n\nThe virus can have a severe impact on sugar beet.\n\nIt stressed that use of the chemical would be strictly limited, and the risk to bees was \"acceptable\" because sugar beet doesn't flower. Alternative chemicals should be used to kill any wild flowering plants in and around the crops, the government said.\n\nNeonicotinoids are the most widely-used class of insecticides in the world and they work by disrupting the insect central nervous system.\n\nTwo years ago, the EU's ban was supported by then-Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who said the weight of evidence was \"greater than previously understood\". Unless the evidence changed, he said, the restrictions would be maintained post-Brexit.\n\nThe government says the change in policy is based on \"new evidence\". But, so far, they haven't made this science public.\n\nHowever, Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said there was no new evidence to justify the change in policy.\n\nHe said: \"The government refused a request for emergency authorisation in 2018 and we want to know what's changed. Where's the new evidence that it's okay to use this extremely harmful pesticide?\n\n\"Using neonicotinoids not only threatens bees but is also extremely harmful to aquatic wildlife because the majority of the pesticide leaches into soil and then into waterways. Worse still, farmers are being recommended to use weedkiller to kill wildflowers in and around sugar beet crops in a misguided attempt to prevent harm to bees in the surrounding area. This is a double blow for nature.\"\n\nIt was the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and British Sugar that applied for the authorisation. Victoria Prentis, a minister with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told BBC News that it \"wasn't ideal\". But she was \"convinced it was appropriate\" and that the government was \"committed to reducing pesticide use and integrated pest management\".\n\nSugar beet affected by the yellowing disease spread by aphids\n\nThe pesticide will be authorised for use if there is a large enough outbreak of the disease. And it can only be used for a period of up to 120 days. Around a dozen other EU countries, including France and Germany, have also agreed emergency permits.\n\nMs Prentis said the authorisation was very specific, and \"targeted at a non-flowering crop, which bees are not attracted to\".\n\nHowever research, shows that the highly toxic chemicals can persist in the wider ecosystem for some time, potentially to be absorbed by wildflowers that pollinators then visit.\n\nProf Glen Jeffery, from University College London (UCL), said he felt \"horror\" when he learned of the government's decision.\n\n\"We've slowly moved away from it and yet it's creeping back in,\" he told BBC News.\n\n\"It's very prevalent in other parts of the world, but then you find in other parts of the world vast numbers of pollinating insects have just vanished and they've just gone through heavy pesticide use. We reach the ridiculous situation where in parts of California thousands of beehives are trucked from Texas and from Florida into California to pollinate crops.\"\n\nThere has been one full sugar beet harvest since outdoor neonicotinoid use was banned. According to the NFU, the 2019-20 harvest was largely unaffected by beet yellows disease. This year's sugar beet harvest is currently underway, and yields are expected to be down by around 25% compared with the five-year average, with some farmers losing as much as 80% of their crop.\n\nAccording to the NFU, there are 3,000 farmers who grow sugar beet, and the wider industry supports around 9,500 jobs in England, largely in the East.\n\nThe NFU has called the situation \"unprecedented\" and its sugar board chairman Michael Sly said: \"I am relieved that our application for emergency use of a neonicotinoid seed treatment for the 2021 sugar beet crop has been granted.\"\n\nNeurobiologist and environmental pharmacologist Dr Chris Connolly said that, since 2018, when neonicotinoids were banned in the EU, around 400 papers had been published looking into thiamethoxam, and none said they were less harmful.\n\nThe peach potato aphid is responsible for spreading the beet yellows virus\n\nHe said he could be in favour of using it: \"But rarely, and when it's really needed - when it's an emergency. It's not an emergency if you apply for it before an emergency.\n\nHe added: \"Is adding pesticides to pesticides the way to go towards better sustainability?\"\n\nWhen they were introduced in 2005, neonicotinoids were seen as a good alternative to traditional pesticides. They are systemic, which means they are absorbed by the plant, so are applied to seeds as a coating - instead of being sprayed. However, it has become clear they are highly toxic to invertebrates such as insects.\n\nThe government recently committed to spending £3bn of international climate finance to \"supporting nature and biodiversity\".\n\nSeveral hundred thousand people have now signed various online petitions against the move. Earlier this month, more than 30 wildlife and environmental organisations, including Pesticide Action Network and the RSPB, wrote a joint letter to Mr Eustice calling on the government to publish the new evidence that led to the derogation being approved.", "The EHIC card is making way for the GHIC card under a new agreement with the EU\n\nUK residents can apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) to access emergency medical care in the EU when their current EHIC card runs out.\n\nUnder a new agreement with the EU, both cards will offer equivalent healthcare protection when people are on holiday, studying or travelling for business.\n\nThis includes emergency treatment as well as treatment needed for a pre-existing condition.\n\nThe new GHIC card is free and can be obtained via the official GHIC website.\n\nCurrent European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) are valid as long as they are in date, and can continue to be used when travelling to the EU.\n\nYou don't need to apply for a GHIC until your current EHIC expires.\n\nPeople should apply at least two weeks before they plan to travel to ensure their card arrives on time.\n\nHealth Minister Edward Argar said: \"Our deal with the EU ensures the right for our citizens to access necessary healthcare on their holidays and travels to countries in the EU will continue.\n\n\"The GHIC is a key element of the UK's future relationship with the EU and will provide certainty and security for all UK residents.\"\n\nIf a UK resident is travelling without a card, they are still entitled to necessary healthcare, and should contact the NHS Business Services Authority (which covers the whole of the UK), which can arrange for payment should they require treatment when abroad.\n\nEHICs from EU member states will continue to be accepted by the NHS.\n\nIt is advised that anyone travelling overseas, whether to the EU or elsewhere in the world, should take out comprehensive travel insurance.", "Khairi Saadallah admitted three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder\n\nA killer who stabbed three men to death in a Reading park has been handed a whole-life jail term.\n\nKhairi Saadallah murdered James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and 39-year-old Joe Ritchie-Bennett, in June last year in Forbury Gardens.\n\nLondon's Old Bailey previously heard the 26-year-old \"executed\" the men as an \"act of religious jihad\".\n\nPassing sentence Judge Mr Justice Sweeney said it was a \"ruthless and brutal\" terror attack.\n\nSaadallah, who admitted the murders, had also pleaded guilty to the attempted murders of three other men who were also in the park.\n\nThe judge said the victims \"had no chance to react, let alone defend themselves\".\n\n(L-R) David Wails, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and James Furlong were pronounced dead at the scene\n\nHe said he was sure the attack \"involved a substantial degree of premeditation or planning\" and was carried out \"for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, or ideological cause\".\n\nBBC News correspondent Helena Wilkinson, who was in court, said the families of James Furlong and David Wails were present, while Joseph Ritchie-Bennett's loved ones watched via a link from America.\n\nSaadallah showed no emotion as Mr Justice Sweeney went through his sentencing remarks.\n\nOn the afternoon of 20 June, the park was busy due to the first lockdown restrictions being relaxed in England.\n\nAndrew Cafe, who witnessed the stabbings, said he saw Saadallah wielding the \"biggest kitchen knife\" and charging towards him shouting \"Allahu Akbar\".\n\nPharmaceutical manager Mr Ritchie-Bennett and teacher Mr Furlong died from single stab wounds to their necks, while scientist Mr Wails was stabbed once in the back.\n\nDespite treatment from paramedics and doctors, all three friends, who were members of the LGBT community, died at the scene.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Witness Andrew Cafe visited Forbury Gardens for the first time since the attack\n\nThree other people - Nishit Nisudan, Patrick Edwards and Stephen Young - were also injured, before Saadallah threw away the knife and fled the scene, pursued by police.\n\nFollowing his arrest, Saadallah initially said he wanted to plead guilty to the \"jihad that I done\", but the prosecution claimed he later feigned mental illness in police interviews.\n\nAt a previous hearing, the court heard he had developed an emotionally unstable and anti-social personality disorder, with his behaviour worsened by alcohol and cannabis misuse.\n\nBut the judge said it was \"clear that the defendant did not, and does not, have any major mental illness\".\n\nAn examination of Saadallah's phone revealed an interest in extremist material, including images of the flag of Islamic State and Jihadi John, the court previously heard.\n\nWhile at HMP Bullingdon in 2017, he was seen to associate with radical preacher Omar Brookes, who has connections with banned terrorist organisation Al-Muhajiroun.\n\nThe court heard Saadallah, who arrived in Britain from Libya in 2012, had previously been involved with militias who had been part of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, and was pictured handling weapons, including firearms.\n\nSince seeking asylum in Britain, he had been repeatedly arrested and convicted of various offences, including theft and assault, between 2013 and 2020.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. CCTV cameras captured Khairi Saadallah before and after the stabbing\n\nHe briefly came to the attention of MI5 in 2019, but the information provided did not meet the threshold of investigation.\n\nSaadallah had been released from prison on 5 June, days before the attack, the court heard.\n\nOn 17 June, he researched the location for his attack online and carried out reconnaissance in the park.\n\nThe following day his probation officer alerted his mental health team over comments he made about magic.\n\nA day later, Saadallah contacted the crisis team himself, but when they visited he did not answer.\n\nFollowing concerns from his brother, police visited the killer the same day, but he told officers he was \"alright\" while he stood near a knife he bought from a supermarket.\n\nAndrew Wails said losing his brother had been devastating\n\nAfter the sentencing, James Furlong's father, Gary, said: \"The secretary of state needs to tell us why this guy wasn't put into some form of detention centre before they could deport him.\n\n\"He was not safe to be released back on the streets.\"\n\nReferring to the fact that Saadallah had been visited by police the night before the attack, Mr Furlong said: \"Given the volume of crimes he's committed and the information that they had on him, for an assessment to be done the night before to say that he's not a danger to the public - it is beyond me.\"\n\nHe described Mr Furlong, originally from Liverpool, as \"a lovely man, loved by his family, idolised by his mother\".\n\nDavid Wails' brother Andrew said: \"For us as a family it's been devastating to lose our much loved son, brother and uncle.\"\n\nIn a statement, the Bennett family described Mr Ritchie-Bennett as a \"devoted and loving husband\" and \"a man who cared strongly about family\".\n\nThe park had been busy due to the first lockdown restrictions being relaxed in England\n\nDet Ch Supt Kath Barnes, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, described Saadallah as \"a committed jihadist\".\n\nShe said: \"He has caused unspeakable hurt and distress to the families of the three men who were brutally murdered as they were relaxing and enjoying socialising with friends on a Saturday evening.\n\n\"I'm sure there will also be lasting effects on those who were injured in the attack, who were fortunate not to have been even more seriously harmed.\"\n\nReading Borough Council leader Jason Brock described the attacks as \"horrific\" and \"senseless\" and said a permanent memorial to the victims was planned.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Cardiff\n\nCardiff City defender Sol Bamba is being treated for cancer, the Championship club has announced.\n\nThe 35-year-old Ivory Coast international has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is undergoing chemotherapy.\n\n\"Sol has begun his battle in typically positive spirits and will continue to be an integral part of the Bluebirds family,\" said the Bluebirds.\n\nBamba joined Cardiff in October 2016 under former manager Neil Warnock.\n\nThe National Health Service Wales describes the illness as \"a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body.\n\n\"The lymphatic system is part of your immune system\".\n\nThe Bluebirds said Bamba is \"universally admired by team-mates, staff and supporters in the Welsh capital\".\n\nThe club's statement added: \"During treatment Sol will support his team mates at matches and younger players within the Academy, with whom he will continue his coaching development.\n\n\"While we request privacy for him and his family at this time, messages of support to be passed on to Sol may be sent to club@cardiffcityfc.co.uk.\"\n\n\"We are all with you Sol.\"\n\nBamba helped Cardiff win promotion to the Premier League in 2018 and has made more than 100 appearances for the club.\n\nThe former Paris St Germain player has been a hugely popular member of the squad, though this season he has been restricted to five Championship substitute appearances and one League Cup start.\n\nHe is a much travelled player who has had spells at Dunfermline, Hibernian, Leicester City, Trazbonspor and Italian club Palermo as well as Leeds United.\n\nFrance-born Bamba has played 46 times for the Ivory Coast, including World Cup appearances and was part of their African Cup of Nations squad when they were runners-up in 2012.", "A video featuring footage of a County Mayo man being consumed by fits of laughter while trying to record a birthday message for his son, has gone viral.\n\nVincent McDonnell was sending the message to his son David, who was celebrating his 40th birthday in Australia.\n\nHis younger son Paul got the video rolling, but the pair could not contain their laughter as they racked up the attempts.\n\nThe video has been viewed more than 1.5m times on Paul's Twitter account.", "Jessica Allen and Eliza Moore said their cars were surrounded by police when they arrived at the reservoir\n\nTwo women who were fined £200 each when they drove five miles for a walk have had the penalties withdrawn.\n\nJessica Allen and Eliza Moore were walking at Foremark Reservoir, Derbyshire, when they were \"surrounded\" by officers.\n\nAt the time Derbyshire Police insisted driving to exercise was \"not in the spirit\" of the most recent lockdown.\n\nBut new national guidance for police has led the force to quash the fines, and apologise to the women.\n\nChief Constable Rachel Swann said the fines \"have been withdrawn and we have notified the women directly, apologising for any concern caused\".\n\nThe two friends travelled the short distance to the reservoir from their homes in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nThey said their cars were \"surrounded\" by police. They were then questioned on why they were there and told the hot drinks they had brought along were not allowed as they were \"classed as a picnic\".\n\nIn a statement, the women said: \"This afternoon we both received a phone call from Derbyshire Police.\n\n\"After reviewing our case, our fines have been rescinded and we have received an apology on behalf of the constabulary for the treatment we received.\n\n\"We welcomed this apology and we are pleased to draw a line under this event.\"\n\nAfter the incident gained media attention, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) \"clarified the policing response concerning travel and exercise\".\n\nThe guidance said: \"The Covid regulations which officers enforce and which enables them to issue FPNs [fixed penalty notices] for breaches, do not restrict the distance travelled for exercise.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid: Fined women 'could have been dealt with differently'\n\nDerbyshire Police said: \"Having received clarification of the guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) on Friday, these FPNs as well as a small number of others issued, were reviewed in line with that latest advice, and so it is right that we have taken this action.\"\n\nThe county's police and crime commissioner Hardyal Dhinsda said: \"While the police are doing their absolute best to protect public safety during what is a critical time of the pandemic, the public should rightly expect a proportionate and balanced approach, taking full consideration of individual circumstances.\n\n\"We recognise that errors will occur in the face of complex guidance and legislation and it is important such situations are resolved quickly and fairly, as has been the case here.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The UK economy will \"get worse before it gets better\" as the country battles the pandemic, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned.\n\nThe chancellor told MPs the new national restrictions were necessary to control the spread of coronavirus.\n\nHowever, he said they would have a further significant economic impact,\n\n\"Even with the significant economic support we've provided, over 800,000 people have lost their job since February,\" he said.\n\n\"Sadly, we have not and will not be able to save every job and every business.\n\n\"But I am confident that our economic plan is supporting the finances of millions of people and businesses.\"\n\nThe chancellor said \"the road ahead will be tough\", but maintained that the government was \"taking the difficult but right long-term decisions for our country\".\n\nHe said that fiscal stimulus provided so far amounted to more than £280bn, while 1.2 million employers had furloughed almost 10 million employees.\n\nAt the same time, three million people had benefited from self-employment grants.\n\nMr Sunak said he would \"bear in mind\" calls to extend business rate relief and provide further support for the hospitality sector at the Budget in March.\n\nShadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds accused Mr Sunak of being \"out of ideas\" and providing \"nothing new\".\n\nShe said: \"The purpose of an update is to provide us with new information, not to repeat what we already know.\"\n\nThe chancellor's words reflect the fact that with a widespread lockdown, the first months of 2021 are likely to see a further contraction in the UK economy and probably an official double-dip recession. This reflects the physical shutdown nationwide of hospitality and retail, as well as the effect in the data of school shutdowns too.\n\nIn addition, consumers and workers are likely to be more cautious as the vaccine starts to be rolled out. So this is a very odd sort of economic tripwire. The challenge in the next weeks and months gets bigger, although not as big as it was last April. But beyond that, there is the hope of something normal.\n\nThe implication for the chancellor as he prepares a vital early March Budget, however, is further delay to the measures, such as tax rises, to deal with historic levels of pandemic government borrowing.", "In his letter to staff, circulated on social media, Chad Wolf said he had hoped to remain as acting secretary to homeland security until the end of the Trump administration.\n\n\"Unfortunately, this action is warranted by the recent events, including the ongoing and meritless court rulings regarding the validity of my authority as acting secretary,\" he said, \"which serve to divert attention and resources away from the important work of the Department in this critical time of a transition of power\".\n\nWolf's resignation comes after he last week called on Trump and all elected officials to \"strongly condemn\" the Capitol riot.\n\nHis exit throws the department into turmoil just as it is gearing up for inauguration of Joe Biden as president on 20 January, which has been designated a national security special event.", "Rules governing the import of personal goods from the UK to the EU changed after Brexit formally came into effect\n\nA Dutch TV network has filmed border officials confiscating ham sandwiches and other foods from drivers arriving in the Netherlands from the UK, under post-Brexit rules.\n\nThe officials were shown explaining import regulations imposed since the UK formalised its separation from the EU.\n\nUnder EU rules, travellers from outside the bloc are banned from bringing in meat and dairy products.\n\nThe rules appeared to bemuse one driver.\n\n\"Since Brexit, you are no longer allowed to bring certain foods to Europe, like meat, fruit, vegetables, fish, that kind of stuff,\" a Dutch border official told the driver in footage broadcast by TV network NPO 1.\n\nIn one scene, a border official asked the driver whether several of his tin-foil wrapped sandwiches had meat in them.\n\nWhen the driver said they did, the border official said: \"Okay, so we take them all.\"\n\nSurprised, the driver then asked the officials if he could keep the bread, to which one replied: \"No, everything will be confiscated - welcome to the Brexit, sir. I'm sorry.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe UK officially finished its formal separation from the EU on 31 December, 2020.\n\nFrom 23:00 GMT on that date, the UK stopped following EU rules, with new arrangements for travel, trade, immigration and security co-operation coming into force.\n\nA trade deal with the EU was agreed on 24 December, and a week later, UK lawmakers voted in favour of the agreement.\n\nThe UK's departure means big changes for business - with the UK and EU forming two separate markets - the end of free movement, and new regulations, including those governing the import of personal goods.\n\nThe UK government has issued guidance to commercial drivers travelling to the EU, warning them to \"be aware of additional restrictions to personal imports\".\n\n\"You cannot bring POAO (products of an animal origin) such as those containing meat or dairy (e.g. a ham and cheese sandwich) into the EU,\" the guidance says. \"There are exceptions to this rule for certain quantities of powdered infant milk, infant food, special foods, or special processed pet feed.\"\n\nOn its website, the European Commission says the ban is necessary because such goods \"continue to present a real threat to animal health throughout the Union\".\n\n\"It is known, for example, that dangerous pathogens that cause animal diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease and classical swine fever can reside in meat, milk or their products,\" the Commission says.\n\nSeparately, the Dutch customs agency shared a picture of foodstuffs it had confiscated from motorists in the ferry terminal the Hook of Holland.\n\n\"Since 1 January, you can't just bring more food from the UK,\" the agency said. \"So prepare yourself if you travel to the Netherlands from the UK and spread the word. This is how we prevent food waste and together ensure that the controls are speeded up.\"\n\nThe BBC's economics editor Faisal Islam described the confiscation of ham sandwiches and other foodstuffs at the EU's borders with the UK as \"a standard implication of [the] Brexit deal\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Faisal Islam This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Unison, the UK's biggest trade union, has elected a woman as leader for the first time.\n\nChristina McAnea won 47.7% of the vote and takes over as general secretary from Dave Prentis, who has been in the job since 2001.\n\nThe former assistant general secretary beat fellow officials Paul Holmes, Roger McKenzie and Hugo Pierre in the contest, which began in October.\n\nMs McAnea said: \"I become general secretary at the most challenging time in recent history - both for our country and our public services.\n\n\"Health, care, council, police, energy, school, college and university staff have worked throughout the pandemic, and it's their skill and dedication that will see us out the other side.\n\n\"Their union will continue to speak up for them and do all it can to protect them in the difficult months ahead.\"\n\nUnison is promising action against the government's pay freeze for 1.3 million public sector workers, which it has described as an \"attack\" on members' livelihoods.\n\nMs McAnea said: \"Despite the risks, the immense pressures and their sheer exhaustion, the dedication and commitment of our key workers knows no end. I will not let this government, nor any future one, forget that.\"\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also demanded a U-turn on public sector pay, as he urges ministers to \"protect family incomes\" from the effects of lockdowns and other restrictions in his first speech of the year.\n\nBut Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he cannot \"justify a significant, across-the-board\" salary increase while the economy and public finances are suffering in the wake of the pandemic.\n\nMs McAnea, an experienced negotiator and former NHS worker, is expected to be broadly supportive of Sir Keir, as Mr Prentis has been.\n\nThe Labour leader welcomed her victory, saying: \"I know you will be a brilliant representative for Unison members.\n\n\"And it's a significant moment for the union to elect its first woman general secretary. I look forward to working with you.\"\n\nHer election comes at a strained time between Sir Keir and several other unions whose general secretaries have spoken out in support of his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, who is currently suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party.\n\nMr Holmes came second in the Unison contest, with 33.8%, followed by Mr McKenzie, on 10.8%, and Mr Pierre, on 7.8%.\n\nMs McAnea grew up in Glasgow and worked as a housing officer before becoming a union employee.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe UK is at the \"worst point\" of the pandemic, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned, but said the actions of the public \"could make a difference\".\n\nAt a No 10 briefing, Mr Hancock pleaded with people to follow the government's Covid rules until the vaccine could provide a \"way out\" of the pandemic.\n\nThe government earlier published its plan to immunise tens of millions of people by spring.\n\nSo far 2.3 million people in the UK have had a first Covid vaccine shot.\n\nAnd a total of 2.6 million doses have been given out across the country, with some people having received both doses.\n\nMr Hancock said the new variant of coronavirus was putting the NHS under \"significant pressure\", adding it was \"imperative\" that people limit their social contacts.\n\n\"The NHS, more than ever before, needs everybody to be doing something right now - and that something is to follow the rules,\" he said.\n\n\"I know there has been speculation about more restrictions, and we don't rule out taking further action if it is needed, but it is your actions now that can make a difference.\"\n\nThe health secretary said he could \"rule out\" tightening restrictions by removing support and childcare bubbles, however.\n\nHis comments follow similar warnings from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty, who said that the next few weeks will be \"the worst\" of the pandemic for the NHS.\n\nAccording to the latest figures, there have been another 529 deaths within 28 days of a positive test in the UK, and another 46,169 cases reported. There are also more than 32,000 people in hospital with coronavirus, data shows.\n\nMatt Hancock has previously said he's learned to rule nothing out when it comes to dealing with the pandemic.\n\nBut today he took the unusual step of doing just that.\n\nSupport bubbles and childcare bubbles, hugely valued by so many, will stay.\n\nSenior Whitehall sources have previously told me bubbles were \"untouchable\" but for a minister to say as much, so explicitly and on the record, means there's now very little wriggle room for the government to change its mind.\n\nMinisters will know that scrapping bubbles, for those that rely on them, could have proved deeply unpopular. But this certainty is a rarity.\n\nWhilst the current emphasis is on compliance, the idea of toughening up controls in other areas is not being ruled out.\n\nThe vaccine delivery plan says it is expected to take until spring to give a first dose to all 32 million people in the UK's priority groups, including everyone over 55 and those who are clinically vulnerable.\n\nUnder the plan, the government has pledged to carry out at least two million vaccinations in England per week by the end of January, which it says will be made possible by rolling out jabs at 206 hospital sites, 50 vaccination centres and around 1,200 local vaccination sites.\n\nIt also reiterates the government's aim of offering vaccinations to around 15 million people in the UK - the over-70s, older care home residents and staff, frontline healthcare workers and the clinically extremely vulnerable - by mid-February.\n\nAccording to Mr Hancock, two fifths of over-80s have now received their first dose, and almost a quarter of care home residents have received theirs.\n\nAlso at the briefing, NHS England's national medical director, Prof Stephen Powis, said the NHS was aiming to vaccinate the rest of the top nine priority groups by April, with a final push to offer all adults over 18 a jab by the autumn.\n\nHe stressed it would take until February before there were \"early signs\" that vaccination was leading to a drop in hospitalisations.\n\nThe country has still not seen the full impact of the Christmas loosening of lockdown restrictions, Prof Powis added, although he noted there are now 13,000 more Covid patients in hospital than there were on Christmas Day.\n\nSpeaking in Bristol earlier, Mr Johnson warned the vaccination programme was in a \"race against time\" because of pressure on the NHS.\n\nHe said it was \"a very perilous moment because everyone can sense the vaccine is coming in - my worry is that will breed false complacency\".\n\nThe newly-published vaccination plan also says ministers are aiming to offer jabs at more than 2,700 sites across the UK.\n\nAnd it says that daily vaccination figures for England will be published from now on - showing the total number vaccinated to date, including first and second doses.\n\nEarlier, NHS England's chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens, told MPs that there was a \"strong case\" for asking the the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to consider prioritising \"teachers and other key workers\" for vaccination after the \"first nine [priority] groups have been vaccinated\".\n\nA quarter of coronavirus admissions to hospital are for people under the age of 55, he added.\n\nIn the first four weeks of the vaccination campaign, the NHS did 1.3 million vaccinations.\n\nNews that in the past week almost the same again has been done shows progress is being made - even though there has been some concern rollout to care home residents has been slower than hoped.\n\nHitting two million doses a week is the next target - and is something the NHS is aiming to get close to this week.\n\nWith more vaccination sites opening by the day, it should be achievable as long as there is good supply.\n\nThere is already enough vaccine in the country to vaccinate all 15 million people in the highest at-risk groups that have been promised an offer of a vaccine by mid-February.\n\nHowever, not all of it has been through the final safety checks or been packaged up ready for distribution.\n\nChallenges remain, but even at this early stage it is clear there is growing optimism that the programme is on track.\n\nAs seven mass vaccination centres opened across England on Monday, NHS England said hundreds more GP-led and hospital services would also open later this week.\n\nBut with all centres, people will need to wait until they receive an invitation.\n\nTwo vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca - are currently being administered in the UK.\n\nOn Friday, a third coronavirus vaccine - made by US company Moderna - was approved for use, although supplies are not expected to arrive until spring.\n\nVaccine programmes are also progressing in the UK's devolved nations.\n\nAll over-50s and everyone who is at greater risk from Covid in Wales will be offered a vaccine by spring, under new plans.\n\nAnd Scotland's health secretary has said every aged over 80 or over in the nation will be offered a jab by February, while care workers in Northern Ireland who provide services to ill or elderly patients living at home can now book an appointment to get a Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nEngland is currently under a national lockdown, meaning people must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar lockdown measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has questioned why there are \"less restrictions in place\" now than there were last March.\n\nIn his first speech of the year, he said: \"I do think it's time to hear from the scientists [about] what else could be done and that probably should be done in the next few hours\".\n\nMeanwhile, the United Arab Emirates is being removed from the UK list of travel corridors amid a spike in Covid cases.\n\nAnd England's Test and Trace scheme has revised one of its definitions of a \"close contact\" - the people who need to be reached if they have been near to someone who has tested positive for Covid.\n\nThis now refers to anyone who has been within two metres of someone for more than 15 minutes, whether in a single period or cumulatively over the course of one day.\n\nPreviously the definition was just a single period of at least 15 minutes.", "Home Office Minister James Brokenshire, who was diagnosed with lung cancer three years ago, is taking leave to have surgery on a lung tumour.\n\nThe Old Bexley and Sidcup MP resigned as Northern Ireland secretary in 2018 for surgery to remove a lesion on his right lung.\n\nOn Monday he confirmed that \"frustratingly\" there had been a recurrence of a tumour there.\n\nHe said he was in \"good hands\" with the \"fantastic NHS team\" looking after him.\n\n\"[I'm] keeping positive and blessed to have the love of Cathy and the kids to support me through this,\" the 53-year-old wrote on Twitter.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said his thoughts were with Mr Brokenshire and his family.\n\n\"Wishing you all the best for your treatment and looking forward to welcoming you back on the team soon,\" he added.\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel said she was \"saddened\" by the news, adding: \"All my thoughts and prayers are with James and his family during this time\".\n\n\"All colleagues across government send James our love and best wishes, and we look forward to having him back soon,\" she added.\n\nHealth secretary Matt Hancock was among government colleagues wishing him well, adding he was \"sending my best wishes for a speedy recovery\".\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: \"Wishing you all the best for your treatment, James. Get well soon.\"\n\nMr Brokenshire, who was first elected to Parliament in 2005 as MP for the former constituency of Hornchurch, has also previously served as housing secretary under former PM Theresa May.\n\nHe has called for efforts to \"break some of the stigma around lung cancer\" and raise awareness of the disease.\n• None Brokenshire: There were some pretty dark moments", "Medical director Steve Stanaway says numbers of Covid patients are rising at the hospital\n\nHospital staff in Wrexham are under immense pressure after a \"rapid increase\" in seriously ill coronavirus patients, a medical director has warned.\n\nWrexham now has the highest rate of Covid-19 in Wales, with 851.7 cases per 100,000 of the population.\n\nThis is more than double the Welsh average.\n\nSteve Stanaway, medical director at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, pleaded with people to abide by rules.\n\n\"The worry from a staff's point of view is how much more stretching can we take, how many more staff can we deploy?\" he said.\n\nThe hospital - which is part of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board - was the latest to suspend routine surgery as it tries to deal with rising numbers of Covid patients.\n\n\"That's created more feelings of stress and anxiety, not least to the people who were hoping to get their surgery this week,\" Mr Stanaway said.\n\nThe health board has postponed the majority of surgeries planned for the next two weeks at Wrexham, although some patients will be offered appointments in Bangor instead.\n\nEmergency surgery, upper gastro-intestinal surgery, endoscopy procedures and caesarean sections will continue at the Wrexham hospital.\n\nProf Arpan Guha, acting executive medical director, said: \"There are many patients expecting to undergo an operation in Wrexham over the coming weeks and we recognise how anxious and worried they will already be about having surgery during the current surge of the pandemic.\n\n\"We are sorry for any further distress or inconvenience this decision may cause and would like to reassure those affected that we are doing all we can to prioritise patients in the most urgent need of care.\"\n\nThe spike in cases in communities in north-east Wales has been blamed on the newer \"faster-spreading\" variant.\n\nWhile case rates in many communities have fallen slightly in recent weeks, in Wrexham numbers are continuing to rise.\n\nThe area now has the highest rate in Wales, followed by Flintshire with 754.6 per 100,000 of the population.\n\nBus services in the area have been affected after 28 drivers of Arriva Buses Wales tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nMeanwhile, Gwynedd, has the lowest case rate in the whole of Wales, with 110.\n\nThe average case rate for Wales stands at 435.9, according to the most recent Public Health Wales figures.\n\nThere have been calls for mass testing - as seen in parts of the south Wales Valleys - in the area as case rates continue to rise, but Wrexham council has said it has no plans to offer this to the wider community.\n\nMr Stanaway said the critical care unit and respiratory unit at the Wrexham hospital was now under huge pressure with the number of new patients needing this level of care \"rapidly increasing\" in recent weeks.\n\n\"The numbers are really quite alarming\", he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Monday. \"It's a huge amount of disease burden within a community.\"\n\nMr Stanaway said there were 125 inpatients being treated with Covid on Sunday night, which he estimated was an increase of 117% since Christmas.\n\nHe said 14 of them where in critical care, with some on ventilators, while 16 where being treated in the hospital's high care respiratory unit - a 45% increase in just four days.\n\n\"There are now so many in that unit they've had to expand it to a completely different part of the hospital,\" he said.\n\n\"If you look at the graphs of the cases they are going up exponentially, they are terrifying to look at, and I think people are very aware that this is what is happening out in the community around them,\" he said.\n\nMr Stanaway said staff were working tirelessly and under huge amounts of pressure to keep caring for the sickest patients, but it was unclear how much more demand the hospital could take.\n\n\"Our current predictions for admissions coming through the door in January are currently sitting at about 350, if you compare that to April, the height of the pandemic, we had 286 people,\" he said.\n\n\"It's a lot more, we've already had 112 people in the first nine days of January. And the numbers are going up and up.\"\n\nHe pleaded with people to abide by the rules.\n\n\"This virus is hurting, and has hurt, a lot of people within Wrexham and Flintshire,\" he said.\n\n\"I can't say it strongly enough... we will get through this, but you just have to play by the rules.\"\n\nLatest figures show 149 staff were isolating and, with high nursing vacancy rates, staff were under huge pressure and were working tirelessly.\n\n\"Of all the years I've worked in the NHS... the resilience, dedication and professionalism our staff are showing is absolutely unbelievable,\" he said.\n\n\"But you have to bear in mind that people are tired, people are stressed, and it does put a strain,\" he said.\n\n\"We absolutely want to see you if you are unwell, but if you can wait or seek care somewhere else... please do that to give us that little bit of headspace.\"", "Online supermarket Ocado has become the first big retailer to warn of shortages of some products.\n\nIt told customers in an email that there may be \"an increase of missing items and substitutions over the next few weeks\".\n\nStaff sickness and self-isolation means some food producers are cutting the number of product lines they offer.\n\nWhile customers might not get their exact product choice, plenty of food should be available, Ocado said.\n\n\"Staff absences across the supply chain may lead to an increase in product substitutions for a small number of customers as some suppliers consolidate their offering to maintain output,\" a spokesperson said.\n\nThe news comes after a rush of online food orders for supermarkets, as shoppers try to stay at home after the new lockdown started.\n\nWithin a couple of hours of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's speech to the nation on Monday, shoppers reported problems with Sainsbury's and Tesco, while Ocado customers were placed in a virtual queue.\n\nOcado told its customers that from Friday \"changes to the UK supply chain have affected some of our suppliers and may result in an increase of missing items and substitutions over the next few weeks.\"\n\nIt added: \"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and we are working hard to mitigate any impact.\"\n\nFood suppliers are grappling with staffing problems, hospitality clients who have closed their doors and delays at the border with the EU.\n\nWholesalers the BBC spoke to this week said they faced throwing away thousands of pounds worth of food because of cancelled orders following new restrictions.\n\nThe UK meat industry has called for the early vaccination of its workers to keep food supplies running smoothly during the coronavirus crisis.\n\nIt warned earlier this week that absences during the pandemic, coupled with disruption at ports, could hit food supply chains.\n\nAn early vaccination call for supermarket staff was also made by the boss of Sainsbury's on Thursday.\n\nThe government said the food industry remains \"well-prepared\" to make sure people have the food they need.\n\nThe British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) said coronavirus and disruption at ports due to new systems brought in after the Brexit transition period were \"a severe challenge to the industry and to the smooth running of the nation's food supply chain\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Health Minister Vaughan Gething aims to offer all adults a jab by the autumn.\n\nAll over-50s and everyone who is at greater risk from Covid will be offered a vaccine by spring, under new Welsh Government plans.\n\nA vaccine strategy unveiled by Health Minister Vaughan Gething aims to offer all adults a jab by the autumn.\n\nIt comes after criticism that the rollout of the vaccine has been slower than in other parts of the UK.\n\nThe latest figures show 86,039 doses had been administered by 22:00 GMT on Sunday.\n\nA total of 327,000 doses - 280,000 of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 47,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab - have now been delivered to the Welsh NHS.\n\nThe figures mean 2.7% of Wales population has so far been vaccinated - compared to just over 4% in Northern Ireland, about 3.5% in England and 3% in Scotland.\n\nAcross the UK nearly 400,000 second doses have been administered, including 374,613 in England, 79 in Wales, 13,949 in Northern Ireland and, as of January 3, 36 in Scotland.\n\nMr Gething admitted the rest of the UK had \"gone slightly faster than we have\", but said the latest vaccinations figures showed a \"significant acceleration\" in the rollout.\n\nThe Welsh Conservatives accused the government of a \"stuttering start\", while Plaid Cymru said the plan was \"late in the day\".\n\nEveryone over 70, all care home residents and staff, and front-line NHS and social care workers will be offered a jab by mid-February, under similar timescales to other UK nations.\n\nThis 82-year-old woman was one of 100 to receive her vaccine at a special clinic in Swansea on Saturday\n\nThe Welsh Government's vaccination plans aim to cover 2.5 million people by September, with vaccines supplied by the UK government.\n\nMr Gething said: \"Delivering this vaccination programme to the people in Wales is a huge task but an enormous amount of work is going on to make it a success.\n\n\"We are making good progress with thousands more people being vaccinated every day.\"\n\nThe plan sets out a series of \"milestones\" for the vaccine rollout in Wales - all depending on the supply of vaccines approved for use.\n\nAt a press conference, Mr Gething said the government aimed to vaccinate:\n\nMr Gething said 700,000 people would be vaccinated by mid-February.\n\nAccording to the plan, the number of GPs' surgeries delivering vaccines will be increased from around 100 to more than 250 by the end of January.\n\nThe number of mass vaccination centres will increase in the next couple of weeks to 35, according to Welsh Government's plan.\n\nOne of those is Margam Orangery, in Neath Port Talbot, where about 500 people will be vaccinated each day.\n\nAt the press conference, Mr Gething defended the UK-wide decision to increase the gap between giving the two doses of the Pfizer vaccine and said it would \"avoid more deaths\".\n\n\"Each of the vaccines provide a high level of protection against harm from coronavirus. That's really good news for all of us,\" he added.\n\nWelsh Conservative health spokesman Andrew RT Davies said the Welsh Government should have a vaccinations minister who \"gets up in the morning thinking about vaccinations and goes to bed thinking about vaccinations\".\n\nHe said such a move would help the government recover from a \"stuttering start\" to the vaccines programme. Mr Davies said the government needed \"focus and direction to drive this forward\".\n\nPlaid Cymru leader Adam Price welcomed the strategy but said it was \"late in the day\".\n\nMr Price said many people, including his own parents, wanted clarity: \"My parents, who are in their 80s, have been told their surgery won't have the ability to vaccinate them for another three weeks, yet the GP surgery next door is starting this week.\"\n\nLarger supplies of the Oxford jab will be needed to speed up vaccinations\n\nThe Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is crucial to ensuring everyone aged over 70 can have at least one jab by Valentine's Day.\n\nHealth boards plan to use reserves of the Pfizer vaccine, but they alone will not reach the Welsh Government's first milestone. To speed things up, bigger supplies of the Oxford vaccine are needed.\n\nUnlike the Pfizer vaccine however, the stock is not held by the Welsh Government. Instead, it is delivered directly to the frontline - including GPs and community pharmacies - by Public Health England.\n\nAround 24,000 Oxford doses arrived in Wales last week; 26,000 are due this week; and another 80 to 100,000 are expected to arrive in four batches next week.\n\nIf the mid-February milestone is reached, attention then turns to the over-50s and younger people whose health puts them at greater risk.\n\nThey can expect a dose by the Spring, but discussions are continuing between the four UK nations to nail down a more specific date.\n\nDr Helen Alefounder is a GP in Colwyn Bay, Conwy county and part of a team that administered 400 vaccines at care comes last week after receiving the vaccine herself on Wednesday.\n\n\"Between us and the surgery next door that we're working with we've got just shy of 20,000 patients to vaccinate,\" she told BBC Radio Wales.\n\n\"It's an absolutely huge task, it's really scary, but we are really keen and committed to get it done because everybody is sick of lockdown and let's be honest, everybody wants life to return to as normal as possible and the only way we're going to do that is to mass vaccinate people.\"\n\nA mass-vaccination centre has been set up at Margam Orangery near Port Talbot\n\nOther GP surgeries have posted on social media that they have not received as many doses of the vaccine as promised.\n\nVaccination numbers will now be published daily and the number of mass vaccination centres will rise from 22 to 35. The vaccination plan also suggests pharmacies could be used to deploy the vaccine.\n\nDr Gill Richardson, the senior responsible officer for the Covid vaccination programme in Wales, said GPs were \"raring to go\" to get the vaccine distributed.\n\nShe said the model for Wales' vaccination programme was focused around the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine, which was approved in late December and \"much larger quantities\" were expected.\n\nShe also said: \"I know it's very difficult if you haven't had a letter and you're feeling anxious but you are going to be approached and when you're approached we'd like it to be as soon as possible and as convenient as possible to you.\"\n\nMichael Sullivan, 93, from Radyr, Cardiff, is one of those who is yet to receive his letter.\n\nHe said: \"I hear of all these other people having their second jabs and nobody's even thought of contacting me to say I'm going to have one in the first place. It's a bit depressing. It makes me think somebody's not doing what they should be doing.\n\n\"It gets stressful more easily, that's another thing one has to bare in mind - it's going to save my life.\"\n\nTwo full doses of the Oxford vaccine gave 62% protection, a half dose followed by a full dose was 90% and overall the trial showed 70% protection.\n\nElen Jones, the Wales director of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said community pharmacists were \"willing and skilled to help deliver the vaccination programme, as they do with flu every year\".\n\nShe added pharmacists could help deliver the vaccine \"at a more local level\".\n\nWelsh ministers have been under intense pressure since it became clear that Wales was lagging behind every other home nation in the initial weeks of vaccine rollout.\n\nIt's still not clear why that should be the case - the logistical challenges of rollout and the change in advice over the time period between first and second doses apply across the UK, not just to Wales.\n\nThe health minister says that there has already been \"a significant step-up in delivery\".\n\nThe test of that will be whether the system in Wales can meet the delivery goals set out in the vaccination strategy - which (as for the other home nations) also rely on a regular and sufficient supply of vaccine.", "Marks & Spencer has announced that it has bought the Jaeger fashion brand, which fell into administration last November.\n\nM&S is taking on the brand, but not Jaeger's scores of shops and concessions.\n\nIt is now in the process of finalising a deal to buy its products and \"supporting marketing assets\".\n\nM&S announced in May 2020 that it planned to stock other complementary brands to boost sales.\n\nSince then, it has started to sell products online from the Early Learning Centre, as well as from two designers, Nobody's Child and Ghost London.\n\nRichard Price, managing director of M&S Clothing & Home, said: \"We have set out our plans to sell complementary third party brands as part of our Never the Same Again programme to accelerate our transformation and turbocharge online growth.\n\n\"In line with this, we have bought the Jaeger brand and are in the final stages of agreeing the purchase of product and supporting marketing assets from the administrators of Jaeger Retail Limited. We expect to fully complete later this month.\"\n\nIn a call with journalists last week, chief executive Steve Rowe said M&S wanted to partner with other brands, largely for its online business, but stressed: \"We have no intention of turning into a department store.\"\n\nJaeger had 244 staff and some 63 stores and concessions. In addition, 13 stores closed after administrators were appointed, with the loss of more than 120 posts across stores, head office and distribution.\n\nIt is unclear if any jobs will be saved. There has been no update from the administrators, FRP.\n\nJaeger was founded in 1884, the same year as Marks & Spencer, which started out as a stall in an open market in Leeds known as Marks' Penny Bazaar.\n\nLast week, M&S unveiled quarterly figures showing that its clothing division had seen sales fall nearly a quarter, although sales of sales of sleepwear had soared.\n\nThe retailer sold 20% more women's pyjamas during the 13 weeks to 26 December. However, UK revenues for the quarter were £2.52bn, 8.2% lower than last year.\n\nM&S blamed \"on-off restrictions and distortions in demand patterns\" due to the coronavirus crisis.", "Stickers supposed to protect users against mobile-phone radiation have no effect, scientists have found.\n\nEnergydots says they \"counteract the harmful energy emitted by wireless and electronic equipment\" to aid sleep, cure headaches and give a clearer mind.\n\nBut University of Surrey tests for BBC News found no evidence of any effect.\n\nThe Devon-based company told BBC News the stickers were programmed with \"scalar energy\", which the scientists' equipment would be unable to detect.\n\nEnergydots markets a range of stickers, including the SmartDot, the SleepDot and even the PetDot.\n\nBBC News bought five SmartDots - a special offer for £55 - and sent them to the university's 6th Generation Innovation Centre.\n\nResearchers tested 4G mobile phones and wi-fi access points with and without the stickers applied to them.\n\nAnd a spokesman for the lab said: \"We could not find any evidence that these products had any effect on frequency or power when used as instructed.\"\n\nAn Energydots spokeswoman told BBC News: \"We state clearly that our products harmonise the fields.\n\n\"And the way to test this is to assess via biological testing.\"\n\nLast November, the company published a press release saying it was extremely proud to announce a partnership with the NHS that would see \"brand-new patient engagement units\" installed in Torbay and Royal College of London hospitals.\n\nAt the time, an Energydots spokeswoman told BBC News adverts for its products would appear in the two hospitals, though she clarified the London hospital was in fact University College Hospital.\n\nBut a Torbay Hospital spokesman then told BBC News it knew nothing of this partnership.\n\nAnd within hours, the press release had disappeared from the company's website.\n\nEnergydots later said there had been a misunderstanding with the agency that had promised to organise the adverts.\n\nIts stickers are among a wide range of products on Amazon from companies offering electric-and-magnetic-field (EMF) protection.\n\nEnergydots also suggests placing its SmartDot stickers on wi-fi routers\n\nThese include protective clothing, canopies to be placed over beds and even devices that block radiation from wi-fi routers - making them effectively useless.\n\nCampaigners claiming radiation from mobile phones and other devices poses a health risk have stepped up protests as 5G networks are rolled out.\n\nBut most scientists say even the higher part of the electromagnetic spectrum that may be used by 5G should not harm humans.\n\nAnd within those limits, there are no known consequences for health, the World Health Organization says.", "The United Arab Emirates is being removed from the UK list of travel corridors amid a spike in Covid cases.\n\nThat means anyone who arrives from the UAE after 04:00 GMT on Tuesday now needs to self-isolate for 10 days, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.\n\nUK officials say Covid cases have risen 52% in the UAE in the last seven days and cite \"a significant acceleration in the number of imported cases\".\n\nIt comes after Scotland removed the UAE city Dubai from its safe travel list.\n\nThe Foreign Office has also updated its advice to advise against all but essential travel to the emirates.\n\nThe recent lockdown restrictions imposed across the UK mean leisure travel is currently banned.\n\nBut the UAE has been in particular focus in recent weeks after a number of UK reality TV and social media stars posted photographs of themselves holidaying there before the rules came into place.\n\nAnd a Celtic footballer tested positive for Covid-19 after the club took a trip to Dubai for a winter training camp.\n\nCeltic were allowed to go as a group under exemptions for elite athletes. As a result,15 playing and coaching staff are now required to self-isolate.\n\nDubai was added to Scotland's travel quarantine list from 04:00 GMT on Monday - with the rule also applying retrospectively for passengers who have arrived in Scotland from the city since January 3.\n\nThe Department for Transport said the removal of the whole of the UAE from the travel corridor is being adopted by all four UK nations.\n\nArrivals to the UK from most destinations now have to quarantine for 10 days.\n\nHowever, arrivals from some countries are exempt from the rules. Those countries make up the so-called travel corridor list.\n\nFrom this week, passengers arriving by boat, train or plane, including UK nationals, must also take a Covid test up to 72 hours before leaving the country of departure.\n\nAre you affected by the government decision to remove UAE from the UK travel corridor list? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "A hospital's oxygen supply has \"reached a critical situation\" due to rising numbers of Covid-19 infections.\n\nA document shared with the BBC showed Southend Hospital has had to reduce the amount it uses to treat patients.\n\nIt said the target range for oxygen levels that should be in patients' blood had been cut from 92% to a baseline of 88-92%.\n\nHospital managing director, Yvonne Blucher, said it was \"working to manage\" the situation.\n\n\"We are experiencing high demand for oxygen because of rising numbers of inpatients with Covid-19 and we are working to manage this,\" she said.\n\n\"The public can play their part by staying home and, where they cannot, following the 'hands, face, space' advice to cut the spread of the virus.\"\n\nIn the document, from the Mid and South Essex Hospitals Foundation Trust, which has been shared with frontline NHS staff, the oxygen supply was said to have \"reached a critical situation\".\n\nIt said it was \"imperative we use oxygen efficiently and safely\" and states patients who are being fed oxygen and have an oxygen saturation of above 92% \"should have their oxygen weaned within the target range\", which is now 88-92%. This means very gradually reducing the saturation level.\n\nIt added that \"maintaining saturations within this target range is safe and no patient will come to harm as a result\".\n\nGPs in Essex have told the BBC that the threshold for sending a patient to hospital for supplemental oxygen is if their oxygen saturation is at 92%. A level of 96-100% is deemed normal.\n\nChris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers which represents hospital trusts in England, said there was \"huge pressure\" on hospital oxygen stocks because giving patients extra oxygen was a \"key part\" of coronavirus treatment.\n\nHe said there were a number of hospitals where this happened in the first phase of coronavirus and over the past few weeks \"similar things have happened\" elsewhere.\n\nChris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers which represents hospital trusts in England, said there was \"huge pressure on oxygen systems\"\n\n\"This is the kind of problem that chief executives and trust leadership teams are having to solve day in, day out,\" he said.\n\n\"If you [a hospital] push your oxygen to an absolutely critical level, then the thing that you can't do is have the oxygen system break down... so effectively you will have to dial it down, in which case you will probably have to transfer patients to the nearest neighbouring hospital for a short period of time.\n\n\"I cannot tell you how much work has been done over the summer and autumn to ensure that people [hospital trusts] have been prepared for this... they knew they would come under pressure if there were to be further waves, as has now proved to be the case.\"\n\nEssex has one of the highest rates of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in the country, with seven of the 14 council areas in the county in the top 20 most infected areas of England.\n\nThe Mid and South Essex Hospitals Foundation Trust said it was \"imperative we use oxygen efficiently and safely\"\n\nNews of oxygen issues is understandably worrying, but not unexpected. Tanks may be full, but flow is a problem.\n\nMany people who are sick with Covid will need extra oxygen to help them breathe. As Covid admissions increase, it can put huge demand on a hospital's piped oxygen supply system to provide this high flow.\n\nHospital bosses have been planning for such scenarios for months, learning from experiences during the first wave of Covid when some trusts ran into difficulties.\n\nMany wards have made improvements to their pipework in preparation for a very busy winter, but there is still a limit to what hospitals can provide.\n\nWhen stretched to the maximum, other steps are needed, such transferring patients elsewhere or limiting how much oxygen is pumped to each patient.\n\nSouthend Hospital has taken this latter measure.\n\nAlthough not ideal, it is not unsafe. Patients will be closely monitored and the trust hopes the situation will improve if new Covid admissions start to go down as people follow the stay at home lockdown rules.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n• None 'One in 18 have Covid-19' in parts of Essex", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nicola Sturgeon says exemption from quarantine travel requirements for elite sport are to be reviewed\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged football clubs not to \"abuse\" the privileges they are afforded while the rest of Scotland is in lockdown.\n\nPlayers and staff from Celtic FC are having to self-isolate after one tested positive for Covid-19 on return from a mid-season training camp in Dubai.\n\nMs Sturgeon said she had doubts about whether the trip was really necessary.\n\nAnd she said \"everyone, including football, should be erring on the side of caution\" amid a rise in infections.\n\nScottish football below Championship level is to be suspended for three weeks in light of the current lockdown, with Scottish Cup and lower league ties to be rescheduled.\n\nTop flight football in Scotland is continuing while most Scots are subject to a \"stay at home\" order due to the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nCeltic's home fixture against Hibernian went ahead on Monday evening, despite the club having lost 13 players and three staff to Covid-19 issues.\n\nDefender Christopher Jullien tested positive for the virus on return from the club's training camp in Dubai, with others including the club's manager Neil Lennon being forced to isolate as close contacts.\n\nMs Sturgeon said she was \"disappointed and frustrated\" that her daily coronavirus briefing was again being \"dominated by football\".\n\nCeltic trained in Scotland on Saturday after returning from Dubai\n\nShe said she had doubts about whether Celtic's trip \"was really essential\" and whether rules were strictly adhered to, saying it was for the footballing authorities to decide if further action was necessary.\n\nThe first minister issued a warning to clubs that they must stick to the rules set out for them while the rest of the populace is subject to tight restrictions.\n\nShe said: \"Football and elite sport more generally enjoys a number of privileges right now that the rest of us don't have. These privileges include the right to go to overseas training camps and be exempt from quarantine on return.\n\n\"It is really vital, obviously for public health reasons but also I think out of respect for the rest of the population living under really heavy restrictions, that these privileges are not abused.\"\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross is an assistant referee in the game.\n\nHe said that at a time when people are staying at home football games were something many looked forward to.\n\nMr Ross said: \"We don't want to see the whole of Scottish football affected by the actions of one club.\" He also called for financial support to be made available to clubs in the Scottish lower leagues and Scottish Cup who had had their games suspended for three weeks.\n\nCeltic manager Neil Lennon is among those who are self-isolating\n\nMs Sturgeon said Scotland was currently in \"the most perilous and serious position since the start of the pandemic\", with a record number of people in hospital with Covid-19.\n\nShe said everyone should be doing their utmost not to add to pressure on the health services by following the rules.\n\nShe said: \"This whole episode should underline how serious the situation we are in now is. Everyone including football should be erring on the side of caution.\n\n\"I know fans of other clubs feel very strongly that the whole of football should not pay the price for the actions of any one club, and I agree with that.\n\n\"But of course a situation like this does make it essential for us to review the rules - including those around travel exemptions - and that's what we will be doing. As we do, I do hope that Celtic themselves will reflect seriously on all of this.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon cited photographs which emerged of players socialising in Dubai, but Celtic's assistant manager John Kennedy said these created a \"false picture\" and that there had been \"minor slip-ups\" at worst.\n\nThe club had previously claimed the government had given permission for the trip to go ahead, but Ms Sturgeon said it had only provided guidance to the footballing authorities on the rules.\n\nShe said: \"It's not our role to give approval or not to what a football club is doing.\"\n\nA statement posted on the Celtic website said that \"the reality is that a case could well have occurred had the team remained in Scotland\".\n\nIt added: \"Celtic has done everything it can to ensure we have in place the very best procedures and protocols. From the outset of the pandemic, Celtic has worked closely with the Scottish government and Scottish football and we will continue to do so.\"", "As hospital mortuaries fill up in Surrey, England, some of the dead from the coronavirus pandemic are being brought to an emergency body storage facility.\n\nSurrey currently has one of the highest infection rates in the country, and some are concerned the facility may reach capacity.\n\nBBC home editor Mark Easton paid a visit to the site which has been set up in a Surrey woodland.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 BST.\n\nSeven centres begin operating this morning across England, a key part of efforts to vaccinate 15 million in the top four priority groups by mid-February. To begin with, more than 600,000 aged 80 or over are being sent letters inviting them to book an appointment at one of the hubs - but if the journey is too long, they're being told closer options will be available soon. The centres will be open 12 hours a day and more large-scale sites will follow. The health secretary will give more details later, while the Welsh government will publish its own vaccination plan. In Scotland, more clinics should start to receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Here's how vaccines are approved for use, and some of the challenges a rollout on this scale faces.\n\nScientists have warned stricter measures might be needed to curb infections in England but, right now, the government is focusing on an \"all-out public information\" campaign to improve compliance with the existing rules. Chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty is appearing on TV and radio this morning urging the public to \"stay at home\" given what he called the \"appalling situation\" we are in. He told BBC One's Breakfast that getting case numbers down was \"everybody's problem\", and \"every unnecessary contact\" with someone from another household gave the virus an opportunity to be transmitted. \"We need to really double down\", he added, because \"this is the most dangerous time we've had in terms of numbers into the NHS.\" If you've seen videos online claiming some hospital wards and corridors are empty, BBC Reality Check explains what's really going on.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe Federation of Small Businesses says a record quarter of a million firms could close over the coming year. The organisation's chairman, Mike Cherry, said financial support provided to businesses during the pandemic had \"not kept pace with intensifying restrictions\". It also wants more help for many self-employed workers who are currently excluded from aid. There's another call for more government support this morning from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. He wants teachers, the armed forces and care workers to be left out of a public sector pay freeze, and is urging ministers not to end the temporary £20-a-week boost to Universal Credit.\n\nThe Federation of Small Businesses said the government had met the latest national lockdown \"with a whimper\"\n\nThe body representing prison staff says courts should cease hearing trials to help stop the spread of coronavirus in jails. Mark Fairhurst, from the Prison Officers' Union, said there had been a \"massive outbreak\" at Cardiff Prison, and the site was struggling to find space for newly-sentenced arrivals. However, others within the criminal justice sector argue courts must be kept open to prevent the case backlog growing further. The rate of spread in prisons is still well below the wider population, and a prison service spokesman said shielding, mass testing and limited regimes were in place at all facilities.\n\nPrimary and secondary schools are closed to most pupils, and the switch to virtual learning presents challenges for many families. The BBC is trying to help, and from today lessons and programmes will be broadcast on TV, on BBC Two and CBBC. They'll also be available on iPlayer, with additional content online. Find out all you need to know here. If you're looking for some inspiration for PE, Joe Wicks is also back today. For many families, he was one of the fixtures of the first lockdown, and live classes start at 09:00 GMT on his YouTube channel.\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Dorset Police said officers dispersed dozens of demonstrators from the town centre as they attempted to march\n\nA video shared online apparently showing a woman being arrested in breach of lockdown for sitting on a bench was \"stage-managed\", police said.\n\nDorset Police believe the video was planned and recorded by anti-lockdown protesters during a demonstration in Bournemouth on Saturday.\n\nThree people were arrested for not giving their details so officers could issue fines for breaking Covid rules.\n\nThe BBC has asked one of the protesters who posted the video to comment.\n\nThe force said two of those held were later de-arrested when they confirmed their details in police custody and a third was released when his details were verified - all three were then issued fixed penalty notices.\n\nOfficers also issued at least seven other fines and 10 dispersal notices.\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan, from Dorset Police, said: \"We believe this video was planned, stage-managed and recorded by members of the protest group who turned up in multiple areas, several of whom refused to engage or provide their details.\n\n\"If people refuse to give their details in such circumstances then it leaves officers with little option, but to arrest until the details are established. Our officers would only arrest as a last resort.\n\n\"It was clear that the group was deliberately organising their activities, walking around in twos and then trying to come together in a 'flash mob'-style approach, as they have done previously. This activity went on for a couple of hours.\"\n\nThe force's chief constable James Vaughan earlier said: \"I condemn the actions of these selfish individuals who knowingly flouted the lockdown restrictions.\"\n\nThe force said there were \"repeated attempts\" to engage with the organisers to stop the planned protest and found a number of the protesters had \"travelled considerably\" from out of the Dorset area.\n\nMr Vaughan added: \"Our county is gripped with infections and yet these irresponsible individuals have ignored what is being asked of them and have left their homes to protest. Shame on them.\"\n\nSam Crowe, director of public health for Dorset, said its hospital services were \"close to being overwhelmed\".\n\nMr Crowe said: \"Infection rates locally have been doubling in less than a week. If this carries on, our hospitals will not be able to cope with caring for those needing life-saving treatment. Stay at home means exactly that.\"\n\nLatest figures show Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has reached 745.2 cases per 100,000 people.\n\nAlso on Saturday, 16 people were also arrested during an anti-lockdown protest in south London.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Pupils across Scotland have been experiencing problems accessing Microsoft Teams as the majority move to home learning.\n\nA number of schools, pupils and parents have reported the technology running slowly or not at all.\n\nIt is one of the main platforms being used for remote learning with schools shut to most pupils until at least the beginning of February.\n\nMicrosoft Teams tweeted that the issue was being investigated.\n\nA Microsoft spokesperson said: \"Our engineers are working to resolve difficulties accessing Microsoft Teams that some customers are experiencing.\"\n\nWhen pressed on whether demand as a result of home schooling was causing the issue, Microsoft declined to comment.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon highlighted the problem during her daily coronavirus briefing.\n\n\"This is not an issue that is unique to Scotland or indeed unique to schools, but I understand Microsoft is currently working to address it,\" she said.\n\n\"More generally I don't underestimate how difficult this is both for young people learning away from friends… and for parents to juggle home schooling with working.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon was also asked about problems which were being experienced by users of digital learning platform Glow.\n\nShe replied: \"It is not an issue with Glow. It is affecting Glow, but the core issue is not with Glow… the issue is with Microsoft Teams.\"\n\nTwo schools in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, said the problem was a \"national issue\" although Renfrew High School urged pupils experiencing difficulties not to panic.\n\nClyde Valley High School tweeted: \"Our online learning provision begins today for all of our pupils. Due to the very high demand for Microsoft Teams across Scotland, there may be issues initially getting logged on or accessing some files.\n\n\"This is a national issue on the site and may take a little time to rectify.\"\n\nColtness High School said: \"Unfortunately it appears Microsoft Teams is struggling to cope with the traffic this morning.\n\n\"This is across Scotland and not isolated to Coltness. Pupils and staff are having difficulty loading files. We have reported the issue and hopefully this will be resolved soon.\"\n\nEdinburgh City Council have texted all parents saying: \"There is a city-wide problem with Microsoft Teams this morning. Please be patient as the council is working to resolve it.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by RHS Digital Learning This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by D&G Council This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA Scottish government spokesman said: \"Microsoft has confirmed that this issue is affecting users in the UK and elsewhere in northern Europe. Education Scotland is working closely with the company to resolve the issues.\"\n\nAfter one teacher complained to Microsoft Teams on Twitter, a staff member said: \"We're currently investigating an issue where some users in the UK region are unable to access Microsoft Teams. We will provide further information as soon as this is available.\"\n\nAccording to an Ofcom report in December, about 34,000 (1.2%) premises in Scotland were without a decent broadband connection, while superfast broadband coverage had increased to 94% of homes.\n\nIt also said that fixed and mobile networks in Scotland had \"generally coped well\" with increased demands during the pandemic.\n\nIt comes as plans for remote learning during the latest lockdown reveal big disparities between Scotland's 32 councils.\n\nNot all pupils will be offered live lessons - instead the decision on the best approach has been left to individual schools and teachers.\n\nGuidance on remote learning published by the Scottish government on Friday recommended a \"a balance of live learning and independent activity\".\n\nThe Scottish government said it had invested £25m to address digital exclusion in schools with funding allocations for digital devices and connectivity solutions made to all 32 local authorities.\n\nMore than 50,000 devices such as laptops have been distributed to children and young people to help with remote learning and the programme in total is expected to deliver about 70,000 devices for disadvantaged children and young people across Scotland.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Asymptomatic testing for Covid can help \"break the chains of transmission\", Matt Hancock says\n\nRegular rapid testing for people without coronavirus symptoms will be made available across England this week, the government has said.\n\nThe community testing regime - expanded to cover all 317 local authorities - uses rapid lateral flow tests, which can return results in 30 minutes.\n\nLocal councils are being encouraged to prioritise tests for those who cannot work from home during the lockdown.\n\nThe health secretary said asymptomatic testing can help break transmission.\n\nMeanwhile, NHS England has invited tens of thousands of people over 80 to book vaccinations.\n\nA further 563 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test and another 54,940 cases reported, according to government figures on Sunday.\n\nThe total number of deaths in the UK after a positive test passed 80,000 on Saturday.\n\nThe government has launched a campaign telling people to act like they have got the virus in a bid to tackle the rise in infections.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said expanding the Community Testing Programme to more people without symptoms was \"crucial given that around one in three people\" who contract Covid-19 show no symptoms.\n\nIt said regular community testing using the rapid tests had already identified more than 14,800 positive Covid-19 cases.\n\nSo far, 131 local authorities in England have enrolled in the government's community testing programme, with Milton Keynes, Slough, Doncaster and Essex the latest to join.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said targeted asymptomatic testing and subsequent isolation was \"highly effective in breaking chains of transmission\".\n\nBut Angela Raffle, a consultant in public health at the University of Bristol Medical School, said increasing lateral flow testing was \"very worrying\" and warned the benefits of finding symptomless cases \"will be outweighed by the many more infectious cases that are missed by these tests\".\n\nDefending lateral flow tests on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme Mr Hancock said mass asymptomatic testing in Liverpool had seen the case rate drop \"more sharply than it did in other similar areas where only restrictions were brought in\".\n\nNHS Test and Trace will also work closely with other government departments to scale up workforce testing, the Department of Health and Social Care said.\n\nMany are already piloting regular workforce testing, with 15 large employers having taken up this offer already across 64 sites, \"including organisations operating in the food, manufacturing, energy and retail sectors, and within the public sector including job centres, transport networks and the military\".\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said plans were already in place for rapid testing of staff and students in schools and colleges and staff in primary schools.\n\nAsked when schools could reopen by the BBC's Andrew Marr, Mr Hancock said there were four conditions: that there is not a major new variant, the vaccine rollout is proceeding effectively, the number of deaths is falling and there is an easing of pressure on the NHS.\n\nMatthew Fell, of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which represents 190,000 UK businesses, said: \"This expansion of testing will help more critical workers and those unable to work from home to operate safely, while also catching new cases more swiftly.\"\n\nBusiness Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the safety of the workforce had been an \"absolute priority\" and said the expansion of testing means \"we can keep our economy on the move while giving individuals in key sectors complete confidence that their workplace is safe\".\n\nBut Prof Susan Michie, professor of health psychology at University College London, told BBC Breakfast the country would continue a \"yo-yoing of lockdown\" without a \"test, trace and isolate system that actually works\" and warned there needed to be tighter restrictions and tougher messaging than in March to prevent \"tens of thousands of avoidable deaths in the next few weeks\".", "Luke Evans plays police officer Steve Wilkins who reopened and solved the two double murders\n\nHollywood actor Luke Evans says telling the true story of the murder of four people was a \"huge responsibility\".\n\nEvans, who was brought up in Aberbargoed, Caerphilly county, returned to Wales to star in ITV drama The Pembrokeshire Murders.\n\nHe plays Dyfed-Powys Police officer Steve Wilkins who in 2006 reopened two unsolved double murders from the 1980s.\n\n\"I just wanted to tell it right and show justice for the victims, which is the most important part,\" Evans said.\n\n\"This is a very serious, sad story where four people lost their lives and their families have struggled and suffered greatly because of it,\" he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.\n\n\"So you do feel a huge sense of responsibility.\"\n\nThe Pembrokeshire Murders has been adapted from a book about the case written by Mr Wilkins and ITV journalist Jonathan Hill.\n\nIn 1985 brother and sister Richard and Helen Thomas were shot at their remote mansion near Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, before the property was set alight.\n\nThen in 1989, Peter and Gwenda Dixon were shot dead at close range on the Pembrokeshire coastal path near Little Haven.\n\nThe drama also stars Newport actress Alexandria Riley as Det Insp Ella Richards\n\nBut it was only years later that microscopic DNA and fibres linked the murders to John Cooper, who was already in prison for a string of burglaries.\n\nIn 2011 he was jailed for life.\n\nThe Dracula Untold star said he had not been aware of the notorious case: \"I knew almost nothing about these murders, to the point where when I read what was a treatment two or three years ago… I couldn't believe what I was reading.\n\n\"So I did my own research into it and realised that the story was completely true - it hadn't been embellished, none of this was fiction and it sort of blew my mind.\"\n\nHe said being able to speak to Mr Wilkins while filming was invaluable: \"Me and Steve had a dialogue almost every week for a few hours.\n\n\"We had a lot of conversations before we started shooting where I would speak to him and ask him, not just about the case - obviously that that was very important - but about things like how was it standing in front of John Cooper, having to interview John Cooper, having to deal with his family.\n\n\"You see both sides of the effect of these terrible crimes, you see what the aftermath of what it does to people and how they suffer and you meet Cooper's family as well.\n\n\"Steve has his own family and that also is played into the storyline very powerfully.\"\n\nEvans said the only other time he has worked in Wales was when filming Visit Wales commercials: \"Being Welsh and not getting to work in Wales very often - that certainly was an attraction for me,\" he said.\n\n\"I've done them [the commercials] for a few years - one of them was about the coastal walks of Wales and our beautiful coastline... and then right in this beautiful place I was there back there, portraying a character and trying to find the killer of somebody who murdered people on this coastal path.\"\n\nBut he said he enjoyed playing a Welsh character: \"To go right back to my roots with my accent and that was a really, really exciting to do.\n\nThe series, made by World Productions, the makers of Line of Duty and Bodyguard, finished filming just before Wales' first coronavirus lockdown.\n\n\"When we started The Pembrokeshire Murders it was January so we didn't hear anything really, and then just before we finished there was rumblings of this virus,\" he said.\n\n\"We were very lucky in a way, we wrapped basically on the Friday then on the Monday everything closed.\n\n\"So it was a big sigh of relief when we got to the final wrap of that day and it was very special.\"\n\nThe three-part series also stars Keith Allen, Owen Teale, Alexandria Riley, Caroline Berry, Oliver Ryan and David Fynn.\n\nThe Pembrokeshire Murders in on ITV at 21:00 GMT on 11, 12 and 13 January", "Flexing the coronavirus lockdown rules could be fatal, the health secretary has warned as hospital admissions soar.\n\nMatt Hancock did not rule out strengthening current restrictions and told the BBC's Andrew Marr the NHS was under \"very serious pressure\".\n\nIt comes after almost 55,000 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the UK and the number of deaths after a positive test passed 80,000.\n\nScientist Prof Peter Horby warned the UK was in \"the eye of the storm\".\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the rules were tough but \"may not be tough enough\" and called for the government to hold daily press conferences to avoid \"mixed messages\".\n\nThe UK recorded another 563 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test on Sunday, down from 1,065 deaths on Saturday.\n\nHowever, there tends to be fewer deaths reported on Sundays, due to a reporting lag over the weekend. There were also a further 54,940 daily cases.\n\nMr Hancock told Andrew Marr \"every time you try to flex the rules that could be fatal\" and said staying at home was the \"most important thing we can do collectively as a society\".\n\nThe health secretary said he did not want to speculate on whether the government would further strengthen restrictions, after warnings from scientists on Saturday that they may need to be stricter.\n\n\"People need to not just follow the letter of the rules but follow the spirit as well and play their part,\" he said.\n\nHis comments came after Home Secretary Priti Patel defended police over enforcing lockdown rules following the case of two women who were fined for going for a walk five miles from their homes - a decision which is now under review.\n\nThe government has launched a campaign telling people to act like they have got the virus in a bid to tackle the rise in infections.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nEngland's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said that if the virus continued on its current trajectory \"many hospitals will be in real difficulties, and very soon\".\n\nIn a statement released on Sunday, he said that unless people started to follow the rules more strictly, emergency patients will have to be turned away from hospitals, causing \"avoidable deaths\".\n\nProf Horby, chairman of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said there may be \"early signs that something is beginning to bite\" due to the restrictions - but if they did not then stricter measures would be needed.\n\nHe told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: \"I really hope people take this very seriously. It was bad in March, it's much worse now.\n\n\"We've seen record numbers across the board, record numbers of cases, record numbers of hospitalisations, record numbers of deaths.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Professor Peter Horby explains why the new Covid-19 variant is up to 70% more transmissible\n\nProf Horby said tougher measures might include those during the March lockdown, such as people only being able to exercise once a day and stricter rules about meeting people.\n\n\"We are in a situation where everything that was risky in the past is now more risky,\" he said.\n\nProf Horby said early signs were encouraging that the vaccines would be effective against the new Covid variants - first identified in the UK and in South Africa - and he did not want people to \"hide under the duvet\".\n\n\"We can see the end game now,\" he said.\n\nHigher cases inevitably mean more hospitalisations and more deaths.\n\nThe most recent figures show that, on average, 894 people per day are now dying within 28 days of a positive Covid test, up from 438 at the start of December.\n\nThe spike in cases since Christmas means that figure is almost certain to get worse before the most recent lockdown measures can start to have any effect.\n\nScientists think the new variant of the disease is more \"transmissible\", possibly because each infected individual produces more of the actual virus - sometimes referred to as the viral load.\n\nVaccination should help to protect the most vulnerable from serious symptoms but we don't yet know if receiving the jab stops an individual contracting the virus and passing it on to others.\n\nScientists say that may mean even tougher restrictions will be needed to bring the R-number below one and start to reduce the overall size of the pandemic.\n\nMass community testing is to be rolled out this week, the government has said, and the health secretary said around two million people had been vaccinated in the UK, with some 200,000 jabs being given in England daily.\n\nMr Hancock said by autumn every adult in the UK would be offered a vaccine.\n\nHe said the government was on course to reach its target of 15 million people vaccinated by mid-February, with the opening of seven mass vaccination centres this week likely to increase the rate of jabs.\n\nMr Hancock told Sky News' Sophy Ridge he hoped coronavirus could be treated like seasonal flu with an annual vaccination programme in the future.\n\nProf Horby said the vaccines may have to be updated \"every few years\" as the virus mutates and said it was unlikely the virus would go away completely.\n\n\"We're going to have to live with it,\" he said. \"But that may change significantly.\n\n\"It may well become more of an endemic virus that's with us all the time and may cause some seasonal pressures and some excess deaths but is not causing the huge disruption that we're seeing now.\"", "Spain is in a race against time to clear roads covered by heavy snow, and get Covid vaccines and food supplies to areas affected by Storm Filomena.\n\nUp to 50cm (20 inches) of snow fell on the capital Madrid, one of the worst hit areas, between Friday and Saturday.\n\nAt least four people died and thousands of travellers were left stranded.\n\nOvernight, temperatures plunged to -8C (18F) in parts of Spain, amid warnings by meteorologists that the snow was turning to perilous ice.\n\nThe unusual cold wave on the Iberian peninsula is expected to last until Thursday.\n\nThe Spanish government said it had taken extra steps - including police-escorted convoys - to ensure its expected shipment of some 300,000 coronavirus vaccines can be distributed as planned to regional health authorities later on Monday.\n\n\"The commitment is to guarantee the supply of health, vaccines and food. Corridors have been opened to deliver the goods,\" Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos said on Sunday.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Madrid has been hit by heavy snowfall after Storm Filomena\n\nSoldiers have been deployed to clear some of the 700 major roads.\n\nSome 3,500 tonnes of salt were later brought on lorries to the capital, Spain's El Mundo website reported on Monday.\n\nThe record-breaking snowfall has triggered some unprecedented scenes here in Madrid. People have skied along the city's main commercial street, Gran Vía, and one man was pictured being pulled through the district of Hortaleza on a sled by five huskies.\n\nBut other responses to the snow have been more controversial due to concerns about Covid-19. Dozens of young people had a snowball fight in Callao square, for example, and many of them were without facemasks.\n\nNearby, in Puerta del Sol, others celebrated the snow by dancing a conga. The daily Marca newspaper branded it \"the conga of shame\".\n\nAlthough the snowfall has now stopped, low temperatures have left snow and ice piled up across the capital and the surrounding region. And with residents advised to avoid using their cars, public transport has seen a surge in demand.\n\nThis has compounded coronavirus concerns as many metro train carriages were packed at rush hour on Monday morning, making social distancing impossible.\n\nMadrid's international airport began gradually resuming operations on Sunday afternoon, having cancelled all flights on Friday.\n\nSome 500 people across the Madrid region were forced to spend the night in temporary shelter, including sports centres, after they were trapped by the whiteout.\n\nAbout 100 shoppers and staff spent two nights at a shopping centre in Majadahonda, a town north of the capital. \"There are people sleeping on the ground on cardboard,\" one restaurant employee told TVE television.\n\nSpain's Meteorological Agency said Saturday's snowfall was the heaviest in Madrid since 1971\n\nBut there were stories of heroism too, including doctors and medical workers who abandoned their cars and walked for hours to get to work. One doctor, Alvaro Sanchez, said on social media he had walked 17km (10 miles) over nearly two hours to get to work, while two nurses, Paco and Monica, said they had walked 22km to their hospital.\n\nThey were praised by Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa, who tweeted: \"The commitment that the entire group of health workers is showing is an example of solidarity and dedication.\"\n\nSome 4x4 vehicle owners offered to transport medical workers, while other volunteers helped to clear hospital entrance ways.\n\n\"Health staff have been working (hard) for more than a year and this is just a short moment for us, so as citizens, we are trying to help; it is everyone's responsibility,\" said Fernando de la Fuente, 60, who helped clear the entrance to Madrid's Gregorio Maranon Hospital.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSpaniards in large parts of the country have been warned to take care in the coming days as temperatures could fall to -12C (10F) in some areas until Thursday.", "Last updated on .From the section FA Cup\n\nCrawley Town delivered one of the FA Cup third round's most emphatic upsets as the League Two underdogs tore apart Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds.\n\nThree second-half goals rewarded a fantastic performance from John Yems' side as they made light of the 62 places between themselves and their Premier League visitors.\n\nNick Tsaroulla, playing only his seventh game in senior football, set the ball rolling, beating three Leeds defenders to fire home a superb solo opener.\n\nUnited keeper Kiko Casilla's error allowed Ashley Nadesan to double the lead before Jordan Tunnicliffe added a third for Crawley, who could have won by more.\n• None Watch all of the goals from the FA Cup third round\n• None Can Mark Wright make it as a pro at Crawley?\n\nBielsa made seven changes to his side but Leeds fielded England midfielder Kalvin Phillips among several regular top-flight starters including Pablo Hernandez, Ezgjan Alioski and club record signing Rodrigo.\n\nHowever, after an even first half, they were completely outplayed in the second period by a Crawley side who have reached the fourth round for only the third time, having spent most of their 125-year existence in non-league football.\n\nCrawley even had the luxury of bringing on reality TV celebrity Mark Wright in stoppage time for the former The Only Way Is Essex star's debut, having signed for the club on non-contract terms in December.\n\nLeeds' loss is the first time in 34 years a top-flight side has lost to a fourth-tier team by three or more goals and only the second ever instance since a fourth division was added to the Football League in 1958.\n\nThey may be the lesser-known of the two Red Devils but Crawley's efforts were no less impressive than Manchester United's 6-2 dissection of Leeds last month.\n\nWhile Bielsa rested first-choice stars such as Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling, Stuart Dallas and Mateusz Klich, there was still plenty of experience mixed in with the youth in Leeds' line-up.\n\nBut the hosts, sixth in League Two after an eight-game unbeaten run, never gave them the chance to settle and while neither side could break the deadlock before the interval, it was Crawley who went closest as Casilla kept out Tom Nichols' close-range header.\n\nHe was helpless, however, to prevent Tsaroulla - a former Tottenham trainee who spent a year out of the game because of injuries sustained in a car crash - firing Crawley ahead after a twisting run into the area that beguiled the Leeds back-line.\n\nRather than protect their lead, Crawley went for the jugular and Nadesan soon doubled their advantage, although his strike owed much to a bobble that beat Casilla at his near post.\n\nTunnicliffe then fired into the roof of the net after Casilla parried from Nadesan and Crawley could have had a fourth after top scorer Max Watters came off the bench to round the keeper, only to be denied by a covering defender.\n\nThe win marked the first time in four attempts that Crawley have beaten a Premier League side in the FA Cup and so comfortable was the victory that TV personality Wright was given his late cameo.\n\nAnother name added to Leeds' list of cup woes\n\nBielsa was left to mull over back-to-back 3-0 defeats, albeit this one coming in a much different context to Leeds' Premier League loss at Tottenham on 2 January.\n\nThis was the former Argentina manager's first taste of an FA Cup shock, after far more mundane exits against Arsenal and QPR in Bielsa's two previous campaigns since taking the Elland Road reins in 2018.\n\nBut it was not unfamiliar ground for Leeds as Crawley - who have finished in the bottom half of League Two for five successive seasons - emulated non-league pair Histon and Sutton United, as well as lower-league clubs Rochdale and Newport, in upsetting the Whites this century.\n\nThe visitors only forced one real save from Crawley keeper Glenn Morris, who reacted well to push away Ian Poveda's strike from an acute angle in the first half.\n\nLeeds might point to a penalty they perhaps should have had before the interval when Crawley defender Tony Craig got away with pulling back Rodrigo as he attempted to meet Helder Costa's volleyed cross.\n\nBut there was no video assistant referee system at the game, and they offered very little going forward after Rodrigo was substituted at half-time.\n\nIt was a fourth successive third-round exit in a competition they could have looked to with some hope, given their relatively comfortable position in the Premier League.\n\n\"We've got 11 star men\" - what they said\n\nCrawley manager Yems to BBC Sport: \"You have to enjoy these games - you work hard enough for it. It was a really good team performance and it's clear that we've got 11 star men.\n\n\"These players have got a lot to prove to the clubs who have released them and we've showed what we can do against a really good side.\n\n\"Let's see who we get in the next round and enjoy the moment.\"\n\nLeeds midfielder Alioski to BBC Radio 5 Live: \"We are really disappointed and it wasn't the result that we wanted. We took the game really seriously and we wanted to win and go on a run, so it is disappointing.\n\n\"Crawley played the game of their lives, and congratulations. To beat us 3-0 - I still can't believe it.\n\n\"The manager said what he wanted to say. It's important for every player to know what this means. He is sad and the players are sad.\"\n• None Attempt blocked. Sam Greenwood (Leeds United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n• None Attempt missed. Raphinha (Leeds United) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Pablo Hernández.\n• None Jake Hessenthaler (Crawley Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Attempt saved. Hélder Costa (Leeds United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Pablo Hernández.\n• None Jamie Shackleton (Leeds United) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Attempt blocked. Max Watters (Crawley Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Tom Nichols. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None All the goals and highlights from a huge Saturday of third-round matches are", "A 78-year-old French woman received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in France\n\nA global race is on to vaccinate people against Covid-19 - and with infections soaring in Europe many have complained that the roll-out is too slow in the EU.\n\nMember states decide individually who to vaccinate, when and where, but the EU is coordinating strategy and buying vaccines in bulk. On Friday, the EU Commission agreed to buy an extra 300 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - that would give the EU nearly half of the firm's global output for 2021.\n\nBBC reporters in seven European capitals explain how the vaccinations are going on their patch.\n\nIn an election year, the vaccine has become a political battleground, writes Jenny Hill, in Berlin.\n\nThe fact it was German scientists who developed the first effective Covid vaccine has been the source of great national pride. And, by and large, Germans appear to be reasonably comfortable with the idea of immunisation.\n\nA recent survey found 65% were prepared to have the vaccine. Other research indicates that less than a quarter of those surveyed would not. But politically - and perhaps unsurprisingly, given this is an election year - Germany's vaccination programme has become a battleground.\n\nVaccinations began here just under two weeks ago and prioritise the over 80s and care home workers. By Thursday evening, more than 477,000 first doses had been administered.\n\nGermany's share of the EU order amounts to 56 million doses. So far, 1.3 million doses have been delivered.\n\nBut some of the hundreds of specially prepared vaccination centres are still not in use and even the government has admitted there simply isn't enough to go around. Angela Merkel and her health minister Jens Spahn have been accused of failing to secure enough doses.\n\nMuch of the criticism has come from Mrs Merkel's own coalition partners but some within the scientific community have echoed their concerns - that Germany put European interests above its own by insisting on a joint EU procurement process. The scientists who developed the vaccine have said publicly that the EU originally turned down an offer for a further order.\n\nGermany's share of the EU order amounts to 56 million doses. So far, 1.3 million doses have been delivered and it's thought that by the end of the month a further 2.68 million will have followed.\n\nMr Spahn, whose assured performance through the pandemic led some to wonder whether he might be a potential successor to Mrs Merkel, has blamed the shortage on the inability of the manufacturers of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to meet global demand.\n\nGermany has now ordered an extra 30 million doses and, following the recent European approval of the Moderna vaccine, expects to start rolling that out next week. The government is sticking to its pledge that the vaccination programme will be complete by the end of the summer.\n\nThe Czech prime minister has hit out at apparent delays in distributing the vaccine, writes Rob Cameron, in Prague.\n\nThe Czech vaccination effort began on 27 December, when the prime minister, Andrej Babis, became the first person in the country to receive the jab. Mr Babis, who is 66, had previously questioned whether he would be eligible, as he'd had his spleen removed as a teenager.\n\nBut the country's programme has got off to a sluggish start. Mr Babis - a billionaire businessman who has been dogged by both European and Czech investigations into alleged misuse of EU funds - has lost no time venting his (figurative) spleen at the European Commission over the delay. \"We believed when we contributed €12m to the European fund in November that we'd receive the vaccine,\" he told a newspaper this week.\n\nThe health minister conceded this week that immunising the higher-risk groups will take months.\n\nThe country has received 30,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. So far, it has managed to administer it to 19,918 people. The government says it is ready to roll out the jab en masse as soon as supplies arrive from the manufacturers.\n\nIt has also published a strategy, which envisages a three-stage process. The first will see targeted vaccination of high-risk groups. This will gradually give way to mass vaccination in 31 centres, using an online reservation system that will be open to all from 1 February. And the final stage will see the country's GPs deployed, hopefully to administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca and other jabs, which unlike the previous two can be stored and transported at fridge temperature.\n\nHowever, the timing in the original strategy document now appears optimistic. The health minister conceded this week that immunising the higher-risk groups - all health and social care staff, teachers, everyone over 65, all those with serious health conditions - will take months. GPs may not begin vaccinating young, healthy members of society until late spring, or summer.\n\nA sluggish start is being blamed on bureaucracy and vaccine scepticism, writes Hugh Schofield, in Paris.\n\nFrance's boast of a big, effective state apparatus has been badly exposed by the sluggish start to the Covid vaccination programme. After the first week, when neighbouring Germany had inoculated around 250,000 people, France was on a mere 530. By Friday, the figure had gone up to 45,500 - still so small as to be statistically meaningless.\n\nSo why has it taken so long for France to put the plan into action? It is not as if the authorities did not have time to prepare. And it is certainly not a question of a lack of vaccine. In fact, more than a million Pfizer doses are already in cold storage, waiting to be used.\n\nPolls suggest as many as 58% of the public do not want to be given the jab.\n\nThe primary reason for the delay seems to be the cumbersome, over-centralised nature of France's health bureaucracy. A 45-page dossier of instructions issued by the ministry in Paris had to be read and understood by staff at old people's homes.\n\nEach recipient then had to give informed consent in a consultation with a doctor, held no less than five days before injection. The lengthy procedure is in theory to save lives - those of patients who might have an adverse reaction. But as the critics have been arguing, delay in inoculating the population is also costing lives.\n\nAnother problem in France is the high level of scepticism towards vaccination - product of a more general suspicion of government. Polls suggest as many as 58% of the public do not want to be given the jab. The effect - critics say - has been to make the government unduly cautious. When urgency was required, the authorities were reluctant to move fast for fear of galvanising the anti-vaxxers.\n\nAfter President Emmanuel Macron communicated his anger at the delays at the weekend, the pace is picking up. The procedure for consent is being simplified. By the end of January, the plan is to have 500-600 vaccination centres open across the country - either in hospitals or other big public buildings.\n\nPolitically a lot is at stake. The government has already come under fire for failings in providing masks and tests. With opposition voices calling the vaccine delay a \"state scandal\", President Macron needs a roll-out that is fast and problem-free.\n\nNational pride accelerated Russia's rollout, but one man is conspicuously absent from the list of people vaccinated, writes Sarah Rainsford, in Moscow.\n\nRussia registered its main Covid vaccine for domestic use way back in August, before mass safety and efficacy trials had even begun. In December, with those trials still underway, it began rolling out Sputnik V to the public ahead of mass vaccination launches everywhere else in Europe. The rush was driven by national pride as well as medical necessity.\n\nSputnik was initially offered to front line health and education workers but early take-up of the two-dose vaccination was slow and the list of those eligible soon expanded.\n\nA poll by the Levada Centre in late December showed only 38% of respondents were willing to get the jab: wary of domestic healthcare and medicines, Russians were sceptical of bold early claims made for the vaccine and nervous about possible adverse reactions. Even so, and despite similar delays scaling-up production as in other countries, Sputnik's backers announced this week that more than a million people had been vaccinated.\n\nRussia began rolling out its Sputnik V vaccine in December\n\nBut one man still conspicuously absent from the list of the vaccinated is Vladimir Putin, despite the Kremlin saying he will - eventually - get the jab. In the meantime, those who meet him in person are obliged to test for Covid first and even quarantine. The president may need to lead by example, though. Mr Putin has said repeatedly that protecting the economy is his priority so he's banking on mass vaccination to avoid a return to national lockdown.\n\nRussia has built giant, temporary hospitals since the start of the pandemic and the health minister said this week that 25% of Covid beds remain free. There's also been a fall in the number of new daily cases reported - around 25,000 for the past 5 days. But that's not down to the vaccine yet. The country is nearing the end of a 10-day New Year holiday period and the number of Covid tests has also dropped.\n\nAs infection rates grow in a country praised by many for its no-lockdown approach, a successful vaccine programme is crucial writes Maddy Savage, in Stockholm.\n\nAlmost two weeks since 91-year-old care home resident Gun-Britt Johnsson became the first Swede to get the initial dose of a Pfizer jab, there is still no official tally of how many others have received the vaccination.\n\nThe Public Health Agency of Sweden says it's in the process of compiling data from the country's 21 regional health authorities tasked with vaccinating the entire adult population - around eight million people - by 26 June. The date isn't arbitrary, it's the biggest public holiday weekend of the year, when Swedes traditionally hold Midsummer celebrations. Karin Tegmark, a senior manager at the agency, says the date remains \"feasible\". But she says it depends on the delivery of vaccines to the country.\n\nAfter months of high trust levels in the country's no-lockdown approach, support for the health agency has dwindled.\n\nAlongside 4.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Sweden has ordered 3.6 million jabs from Moderna, the first of which are expected to arrive next week. The country also plans to roll-out the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as soon as possible after it is approved by the EU - ideally by February.\n\nSwedes initially appeared lukewarm to the idea of taking a speedily-developed coronavirus vaccine, although a poll at the end of December found 71% would take one. A key driver of the initial scepticism is thought to be the failure of a voluntary mass vaccination programme for swine flu in 2009. Hundreds of Swedish children and young adults under 30 developed the sleeping disorder narcolepsy, which was found to be a side effect of the Pandemrix vaccine.\n\nA successful vaccination programme will be crucial, not least because it comes at a time when Swedish authorities are struggling to maintain public confidence. After months of high trust levels in the country's no-lockdown approach, support for the health agency has dwindled as Sweden has struggled with the second wave of coronavirus.\n\nMeanwhile, several high profile officials have faced heavy criticism for breaching their own recommendations - including the head of the civil contingencies agency (pictured), who resigned after spending Christmas with his daughter in the Canary Islands.\n\nA new government in Belgium seems unified on the vaccine rollout - for now at least, writes Nick Beake, in Brussels.\n\nIt seemed fitting that the first person in Belgium to receive a Covid jab lives in the place where the world's first approved Covid vaccine is being produced. Jos Hermans, a 96-year-old from the municipality of Puurs, was given the injection on 28 December, in his care home. A further 700 elderly residents were also administered a dose in what was a small, initial trial.\n\nThe mass vaccination programme in Belgium began on 5 January, but has been criticised for starting slowly. Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke had promised in November that the rollout would be \"seamless and fast\", tweeting: \"If that does not work, shoot me.\"\n\nThe first phase looks to vaccinate up to 200,000 nursing home residents by the end of this month, or early February. Healthcare professionals will be next in line and the aim was for the whole population to be inoculated by the end of September.\n\nJos Hermans, a 96-year-old from Puurs, was given the injection on 28 December\n\nYou may think the country would be at an advantage being the epicentre of the Pfizer-BioNTech production. While this clearly helps with distribution, Belgium cannot receive more doses - relative to its population - than other EU countries under strict Commission rules. That didn't stop the minister-president of the Flanders region, who admitted this week that he had contacted Pfizer directly in the hope of procuring more doses, only to be rebuffed.\n\nAfter getting a guarantee from Pfizer over supply of the jab, the federal Belgian authorities have adapted their strategy: they now propose giving as many available doses to as many people as they can - and no longer reserving vials for patients' second dose, given three weeks after the first. In general, the federal government, rather than the European Commission has faced any criticism for a delay and has defended its \"careful\" approach.\n\nAnd there appears to be an interesting regional or cultural discrepancy when it comes to whether people are willing to take the vaccine. Of the Flemish population interviewed in a poll, half have said they wanted the vaccine as soon as possible. Among French speakers - it was 20% fewer, which chimes with the deeper scepticism over the border in France.\n\nIn a country where politics are notoriously complicated and fractious - they've only recently agreed a government, after a 500-day vacuum - the Federal Coalition appears unified on its Covid vaccine strategy. For now, at least.\n\nRegional variances and political rows have marked the beginning of Spain's vaccination programme writes Guy Hedgecoe, in Madrid.\n\nSpain started administering the vaccine on 27 December. So far, 743,925 doses have been distributed to regional administrations, with 277,976 people vaccinated, according to the health ministry. The objective of the coalition government is to immunise 2.3 million people within 12 weeks. Priority is being given to elderly residents of care homes, those who look after them, and healthcare personnel.\n\nEach of the country's 17 regions has a high degree of control over healthcare and should receive the number of doses that corresponds to their populations. However, already there has been substantial geographical disparity.\n\nGovernment data showed, for example, that while the northern region of Asturias had used 55% of the doses it had received by 3 January, the Madrid region had only administered 5% by the same date. Some regions are holding back doses to administer a second follow-up jab to the same person in several weeks' time, and some have been vaccinating on national holidays while others have not.\n\nThe pandemic has been the cause of constant political conflict, with the right-wing opposition accusing the leftist government of incompetence.\n\nAlthough vaccination is voluntary, the government has said it is making a register of those who do not wish to be inoculated. That initiative has generated controversy, although the government has insisted the register will merely seek to clarify why people refuse the vaccination.\n\nHowever, the pandemic has been the cause of constant political conflict, with the right-wing opposition accusing the leftist government of Pedro Sánchez of incompetence, lack of transparency and using coronavirus to accumulate power.\n\nThe arrival of a vaccine has not stopped the rancour. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the conservative Popular Party (PP) president of Galicia, warned the number of doses being distributed to each region was being dictated by \"political affiliations or parliamentary needs\", a claim the central government has rejected.", "Lockdowns have worked before, but can we expect the new one to do the same?\n\nIt feels like we are back in March or April last year, when the strict controls on all our lives led to a fairly quick decline in levels of coronavirus.\n\nBut one of the crucial differences this time is the new variant, which is thought to spread between 50 and 70% faster than previous forms of the virus.\n\nExperts warn there are now no guarantees that lockdown will be enough to bring the variant under control.\n\n\"It still would not have been easy, but it would have been a much easier situation if it had not been for the new variant,\" Prof Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, told Inside Health.\n\n\"That really pushes the bounds of our ability to control the spread of the virus, even with measures that were previously relatively quite effective.\"\n\nThe coronavirus spreads when we come into contact with each other so moving classrooms online, telling people to stay at home and closing shops breaks many of those opportunities for human contact.\n\nIf we consider the R number - the average number of people each infected person passes the virus on to - it was about 3.0 in the run up to the first lockdown and anything above 1.0 means cases are climbing.\n\nR fell to 0.6 during the first lockdown.\n\nThen every 1,000 infected people passed the virus on to 600 others, who passed it on to 360 others and so on.\n\nBut if the new variant is 50% more transmissible then the R number, in the same lockdown conditions, would be about 0.9.\n\nThen 1,000 infected people would pass the virus onto 900 others, then 810 and so on.\n\nAs you can see this leads to far slower decline.\n\nAnd that assumes lockdown can get R down to 0.9 in areas where the new variant has become the most common form of the virus.\n\nIf, as some studies suggest, the variant is about 70% more transmissible then R may stay above 1.0 and cases may not fall at all.\n\n\"We'd at best flatten the curve, keep numbers at a roughly constant level, and that's frankly why there is so much emphasis on getting vaccine into people's arms as quickly as possible,\" said Prof Ferguson.\n\nIt is hard to lock down even harder as there are some parts of society - hospitals, supermarkets - that need to be kept open.\n\nWhat happens to the number of cases over the coming weeks will be closely monitored. If this lockdown is less effective then we will have to live with it for longer.\n\nThere have been some encouraging signs over the Christmas break, which was a bit like a lockdown due to school holidays and other restrictions.\n\n\"We are in a very difficult situation here, but my initial assessment of the last few days is that the rate is slowing which is good news,\" Prof John Edmunds, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the BBC.\n\nHe added: \"It looks likes those restrictions should be sufficient to stop the increase, whether they will be sufficient to bring cases down sufficiently we are yet to see.\"\n\nEventually the vaccine will give people immunity so we do not need the same controls on our lives.\n\nNow more than ever this is a race between the virus and the vaccine.", "Last updated on .From the section FA Cup\n\nPremier League rivals Manchester United and Liverpool will meet at Old Trafford in the fourth round of the FA Cup later this month.\n\nNon-league Chorley will host Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers after beating a depleted Derby County in the third round.\n\nLeague Two Cheltenham Town are set to welcome Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to Whaddon Road.\n\nThe fourth-round ties will be played the weekend of 23-24 January.\n\nCrawley Town, who celebrated a famous 3-0 win over Leeds United on Sunday, will travel to Championship side Bournemouth in the next round.\n\nJose Mourinho's Tottenham will face Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park, while Fulham take on Burnley in an all-Premier League tie.\n\nChorley would face 14-time winners Arsenal in the fifth round - if the National League North side overcome Wolves and the Gunners beat Southampton.\n\nDavid Moyes could return to former club Manchester United in the last 16 if West Ham beat League One Doncaster Rovers and United seal victory over Liverpool in the fourth round.\n\nThe fifth-round ties will be played 9-11 February.\n• None Watch all the goals and highlights from the FA Cup third round\n• None Goals, highlights and knockouts. All the action from Sunday's third-round ties are", "Seven new mass vaccination centres have opened up across England to help deliver the Coronavirus vaccine, as the Prime Minister says we are facing a \"perilous moment\" in the fight against the virus.\n\nThe Centre of Life in Newcastle is home to one of them, with others in Bristol, Epsom, London, Manchester, Stevenage and Birmingham.\n\nInitially they will be used to vaccinate the over 80's, alongside NHS staff and health and social care workers. It's part of a drive that the government hopes will see 15 million people vaccinated against the virus by mid-February.", "Caroline Rice couldn't afford the ink to print off her child's maths homework\n\nThere are few benefits from lockdown, but one often touted is that people are managing to save a little money: lower transport costs, fewer shop-bought office lunches, cheaper childcare costs and no foreign holidays.\n\nSingle mum Caroline Rice gives a wry smile when asked if she's managed to squirrel away extra cash over the past few months during pandemic restrictions.\n\n\"My spending is up,\" she says. \"The heating costs are higher because it's very cold. I'm having to shop locally because of lockdown, where the prices are slightly higher. The nearest Asda is 12 miles away.\"\n\nThe small savings on little luxuries that many people are making - fewer coffees or restaurant meals - were never an option for her in the first place.\n\nHer meagre finances meant the registered child minder, who lives in rural County Fermanagh, was already living week-to-week. Now it seems like day-to-day, she says.\n\n\"There's a mental stress, fatigue, in having to check the bank balance every day to see how much I'm down,\" she says. \"My child and I haven't bought any clothes in almost a year.\"\n\nShe's having to home-school her child. Many people wouldn't think twice about printing off their child's maths homework project. Caroline had to write it out by hand because they could not afford the ink.\n\nAnd she is not alone. A new report on the finances of low-income families during the pandemic says they are twice as likely to have increased their spending.\n\nIt says extra costs for food, energy and remote learning equipment have piled financial pressure on the poor.\n\nThe study - Pandemic Pressures - was a collaboration between the Resolution Foundation and the Nuffield Foundation-funded Covid Realities research project at the University of York.\n\nDr Ruth Patrick, a social policy lecturer at the University of York, says talk of saving money during the pandemic is \"worlds away\" from the experiences of many low-income parents and carers.\n\n\"Parents have found their spending increases, as some of the usual strategies they use to get by on a low income - shopping around for the best deal, going to families and friends for a meal when the cupboards are empty - have become suddenly impossible,\" she said.\n\nFor Shirley Widdop, an increase in food costs has been one of the biggest issues. The disabled single parent, who lives in Keighley, now has to shield for health reasons. That means using online deliveries a lot.\n\nShe says: \"There's a minimum basket size [with online orders]. You often have to bulk buy in case there's a problem getting delivery slots.\"\n\nShirley Widdop has not saved on life's little luxuries - because she could not afford them in the first place\n\nWhen not shielding, Shirley would seek out food in her supermarket's reduced-price section. \"There used to be just a couple of people. Now there are crowds,\" she says. \"Not everyone has easy access to the internet. And not everyone has a functioning bus service.\"\n\nThe report notes that the pandemic has been marked by a huge reduction in overall spending, with entertainment and social activities restricted by lockdown.\n\nHigher-income households have been the main beneficiaries of this \"enforced saving\", as they spend 40% more of their income on recreation and leisure activities than the poorest fifth of households.\n\nThe report says that in contrast to this overall picture, the pandemic has in many cases made it more expensive to live on a low income with children.\n\nMore than one in three (36%) low-income households with children have increased their spending during the pandemic so far, compared with about one in six (18%) who have reduced their spending.\n\nAmong high-income households without children, 13% have increased their spending, compared with 40% who have reduced it.\n\nUse of food banks has increased significantly during the pandemic\n\nThe report highlights three main reasons for these extra pressures:\n\nIt should also be noted, the report says, that these extra spending pressures are squeezing living standards that had stagnated even before the pandemic.\n\nTo ease the burden, the report says the government should be seeking to maintain the £20-a-week rise in Universal Credit (UC) into next year. Otherwise, six million households face having their incomes cut by more than £1,000.\n\nMike Brewer, chief economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: \"The pandemic has forced society as a whole to spend less and save more. But these broad spending patterns don't hold true for everyone.\n\n\"The extra cost of feeding, schooling and entertaining children 24/7 means that, for many families, lockdowns have made life more expensive to live on a low income.\"\n\nHowever, a government spokesperson said measures had been put in place to \"ensure that nobody is left behind\", including extra welfare payments, job protection safeguards, the £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme, and equipment for home-schooling.\n\n\"We are committed to supporting the lowest-paid families through the pandemic and beyond,\" the spokesperson said.\n\nSometimes the overall economic figures can not capture the actual on-the-ground financial reality.\n\nThe pandemic lockdowns have led to a \"K-shaped\" recovery. Across the entire economy, staying at home has meant less capacity to spend on going out and a surge in savings. But the economic picture is both up and down at the same time, depending on which household.\n\nThe average picture is composed of wealthier people saving a huge amount and poorer families more squeezed than ever. This report shows how children staying at home have increased food and energy bills. The cost of buying food has increased with fewer store promotions and a requirement to use more expensive local shops. The furlough scheme has kept people paid, but not necessarily on full pay.\n\nSo the chancellor hopes that the vaccine rollout could unleash pent up demand in the form of huge levels of savings from the already well-off. And yet at the same time, will continue to face pressure over extending support - for example, the £20-a-week increase to universal credit.", "A Sex and the City revival is heading to the small screen, more than 20 years after the hit series made its debut.\n\nThe original HBO show followed the lives of four New York women negotiating work and relationships in the late 90s and early 2000s.\n\nBut only three of the fab four are returning for the new TV series - Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis.\n\nKim Cattrall, who played the popular character Samantha, will not feature.\n\nThe US network did not say why Cattrall wasn't cast in the revival, titled And Just Like That - a nod to one of the show's original catchphrases.\n\nHowever, Cattrall has had a strained relationship with the show in recent years, and in particular with her former co-star Parker.\n\nThe new series will consist of 10 half-hour episodes. Production will begin in late spring.\n\nThe trailer for the HBO Max show gives nothing away; It features numerous shots of New York, but none of the characters is seen on screen.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Kristin Davis This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"I grew up with these characters, and I can't wait to see how their story has evolved in this new chapter, with the honesty, poignancy, humour and the beloved city that has always defined them,\" Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, said in a statement.\n\nThe original Sex and the City series, created by Darren Star, was based on Candace Bushnell's 1997 book of the same name. It premiered on HBO in 1998 and ran for six seasons until 2004.\n\nThe show inspired two films, Sex and the City in 2008 and Sex and the City 2 in 2010. A prequel series titled The Carrie Diaries, starring Anna Sophia Robb, aired on The CW in 2013/14.\n\nStar also created Netflix show Emily in Paris, and many have drawn inevitable comparisons between that show and SATC.\n\nWhen it first burst on to our TV screens, Sex and the City was seen as revolutionary - four women talking openly about their love and sex lives, not to mention the sex scenes themselves.\n\nThe first series of SATC began filming in 1998\n\nCosmopolitans and rabbit vibrators were trending before trending was a thing.\n\nWhile it was praised by many for its liberating female-led content, it also attracted criticism from some quarters who felt Carrie's ongoing pursuit of Mr Big (Christopher Noth) was not exactly an advert for female independence.\n\nIt was also accused of trivialising issues such as sexual harassment and for its lack of diversity, a criticism levelled at many older shows including Friends.\n\nFashion was a hugely influential part of the series - the tutu worn by Sarah Jessica Parker in the opening credits, teamed with a fur coat and heels, was described as \"an ensemble rich in cultural resonance\".\n\nAnd Manolo Blahnik could never have dreamed of attracting so much publicity for his designer footwear.\n\nIt was a ratings smash, with the hotly anticipated finale in 2004 drawing an audience of 10.6 million viewers in the US.\n\nIn the UK, the final episode was watched by 4.1m on Channel 4.\n\nThe series was predictably most popular in the 18-34 age group.\n\nMany SATC fans will be disappointed that larger-than-life favourite Samantha Jones - played by Kim Cattrall - will not be returning for the sequel series.\n\nSamantha was Sex and the City's most outlandish character and arguably, the star of the show.\n\nWhile Miranda was juggling a career and motherhood, Charlotte was focused on marriage and motherhood and Carrie poured her neuroses into her New York Star column, Samantha was the character perhaps harder to relate to but someone we all wanted to be (at least a little).\n\nShe was fiercely independent and while caring for her friends, she always put her own needs before men.\n\nBut news Cattrall won't reprise the role in And Just Like That comes as no surprise after years of feud rumours which were later confirmed by the British-born Canadian actress.\n\nIn 2017, Cattrall told Piers Morgan she had \"never been friends\" with her co-stars.\n\nShe said there was a \"toxic relationship\" and ruled out appearing in a third Sex and the City movie, denying that her decision was down to pay or \"diva\" demands.\n\nCattrall commented that former co-star Parker \"could have been nicer\" about the situation.\n\nA different actress could play Samantha in the future, she suggested.\n\n\"I played it past the finish line and then some and I loved it and another actress should play it,\" she said. \"Maybe they could make it an African-American Samantha Jones or a Hispanic Samantha Jones, or bring in another character.\"\n\nShe later criticised Parker for being \"cruel\" after she sent condolences following the death of Cattrall's brother.\n\nIn an interview with People magazine shortly afterwards, SJP acknowledged Cattrall \"said things that were really hurtful about me\".\n\nParker said: \"So there was no fight; it was completely fabricated, because I actually never responded.\"\n\nOn Monday, Parker replied on Instagram to someone posting that SJP \"didn't tag Samantha Jones\" into her post announcing the new series.\n\n\"I don't dislike her. I've never said that. Never would. Samantha isn't part of this story. But she will always be part of us. No matter where we are or what we do. x.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Flat owners applying to a fund to help pay to remove flammable building cladding will be told not to talk to the press without government approval.\n\nA draft agreement, uncovered by the Sunday Times, says that even where there is \"overwhelming public interest\" in speaking to journalists, the government must be told first.\n\nThe government said the wording was \"standard\".\n\nIt set up a £1.6bn fund last year to repair the most dangerous buildings.\n\nBut it warned that the fund might not cover all the costs of removing the cladding.\n\nThe clause might affect building owners and professional managing agents but also residents who manage their building.\n\nSome types of the covering, often added to newer blocks of flats, have been proven to be a fire hazard.\n\nAfter the 2017 Grenfell fire, the government pledged that safe alternatives to dangerous cladding would be provided on all buildings in England taller than 18m.\n\nIt set up the £1.6bn fund to help foot the costs.\n\nThe agreement, between the building owner or leaseholder and the government, says: \"The Applicant shall not make any communication to the press or any journalist or broadcaster regarding the Project or the Agreement (or the performance of it by any Party) without the prior written approval of Homes England and [the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government ]\" and its press offices.\n\nIt says an exception can be made \"where such disclosure is in the overwhelming public interest (in which case disclosure will not be made without first allowing Homes England and MHCLG to make representations on such proposed disclosure).\"\n\nThe UK Cladding Action Group tweeted that it was \"clearly a matter of public interest\" that these issues were aired in public.\n\n\"No department should be hiding behind non-disclosure agreements to stop scrutiny of their actions,\" the group said.\n\nAnother campaign group, Manchester Cladiators, said the existence of the \"gagging clause\" was \"shocking but not necessarily that surprising\".\n\nSpokesperson Rebecca Fairclough said residents would feel \"intimidated\" by it, adding: \"We ask the government to remove this unfair clause immediately and focus on the priority of solving this institutional failure, which still exists and is only growing over three and a half years after the Grenfell tragedy.\"\n\nThe government insists that the wording in the agreement, under the heading \"Marketing material\", is there to ensure applicants come to the government first.\n\n\"The terms set out are standard in commercial agreements and are not specific to this fund - to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate,\" the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said in a statement.\n\n\"We want a constructive working relationship with building owners who apply to the fund and applicants are asked to work with the department on public communications relating to the project.\"", "Small business owner Jon Wilding is facing a dilemma: his livelihood is on hold because of Covid restrictions and he has a big tax bill to settle.\n\nIf his company supplying marquees to outdoor events goes bust, the taxman will get paid, but his reputation as a businessman will be ruined forever.\n\n\"If I shut the business down, I then become director of a business that's gone bankrupt, at which stage getting loans in the future becomes nigh-on impossible,\" he told the BBC.\n\n\"I feel like I'm one of those people who's been left out. We don't need a lot to keep going,\" said Mr Wilding, of Cannock in the West Midlands.\n\n\"The government say their support system is the best in the world, we've done furlough, this that and whatever, but it's not getting to all the people that need it.\"\n\nApart from the Bounce Back Loan scheme, his two-person business has received no government assistance.\n\nHis colleague was furloughed in March last year, but because Mr Wilding is the director, he is not allowed to furlough himself.\n\nThe Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is particularly concerned about people like Mr Wilding.\n\nIt says directors of small companies, who pay themselves in dividends rather than drawing a salary, are not receiving any help from the government.\n\nThe FSB says somewhere between 700,000 and 1.1 million people fall into this category.\n\nIt has put forward ideas to help some of those firms, which it hopes ministers will adopt.\n\nThe FSB's proposed Directors Income Support Scheme would pay them grants of up to £7,500 to cover three months of lost trading profits. It would be limited to those who earn less than £50,000 a year.\n\n\"Company directors, the newly self-employed, those in supply chains and those without commercial premises are still being left out in the cold,\" said FSB national chairman Mike Cherry.\n\nWithout further government help to cope with the effects of the pandemic, a record 250,000 small businesses could be lost in the next 12 months, the FSB said.\n\n\"The development of business support measures has not kept pace with intensifying restrictions,\" Mr Cherry added.\n\n\"As a result, we risk losing hundreds of thousands of great, ultimately viable small businesses this year, at huge cost to local communities and individual livelihoods.\"\n\nThe Federation of Small Businesses said the government had met the latest national lockdown \"with a whimper\"\n\nThe FSB based its prediction on a survey of 1,400 small firms, 5% of which said they expected to close this year.\n\nIf those figures were replicated across the country, some 250,000 of the UK's 5.9 million small firms could disappear, it said.\n\nMr Cherry said the government had met the latest national lockdown \"with a whimper\" and called for help that went beyond the retail, leisure and hospitality businesses.\n\nThe FSB said it had submitted its support scheme proposals to the Treasury and was expecting a decision this month.\n\nThe Treasury said nothing was planned at present, but added: \"Our support schemes are designed to get help to those who need it most whilst protecting the taxpayer from fraud, but of course we keep everything under review and are always open to further ideas.\"", "But it delivered a fascinating look behind the scenes at two cutting-edge ways the firm is creating video content.\n\nThe first involved the use of a giant screen which is matched with movement-sensors on a camera to create a fake backdrop that shifts in turn with the lens.\n\nA similar technique was pioneered by Industrial Light & Magic and used in the Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian, but this opens the door to other filmmakers.\n\nThe screens involved use Sony's Crystal LED technology, which the firm first unveiled at CES in 2012, but has been unable to bring low down enough in price to take mainstream.\n\nIn effect, this is its version of micro-LED tech, using millions of tiny light emitting diodes (LEDs) to match the number of pixels. The result is much greater brightness and contrast than a normal LCD or OLED display would be capable of.\n\nThe background footage moves in time with the camera to aid the illusion Image caption: The background footage moves in time with the camera to aid the illusion\n\nUntil now, the firm has marketed the tech at building owners wanting the ultimate video walls. But this has the potential to help film and advert-makers place actors within environments they can see, rather than relying on greenscreen effects.\n\nThe second innovation was the creation of an \"immersive reality\" performance, which uses body sensors to create a highly-detailed animated version of an artist.\n\nIt was demoed by the singer-songwriter Madison Beer.\n\nMotion capture has been used for years to add special effects to characters in movies and to place real-world actors into video games.\n\nBut the aim here is to create a lifelike representation of a performer on stage at a concert.\n\nThe footage shown didn't quite escape the \"uncanny valley\" - there's still some way to go before we can't tell the difference between a real person and even a highly detailed avatar.\n\nBut it's easy to imagine that the tech being more impressive when viewed in virtual reality, where users can move about and choose their view.\n\nThe computer-generated image looks less real the closer you get to the performer Image caption: The computer-generated image looks less real the closer you get to the performer\n\nUntil now, VR apps of concerts have either offered a pick of different static camera locations or involved much lower-resolution characters.\n\nWith Covid meaning it's impossible for artists to tour, this second-best experience could be very timely when it's offered to PlayStation VR headsets and other devices soon.", "Many hospitals are still under intense pressure with the increasing number of Covid patients arriving.\n\nDoctors say they are seeing more younger patients in their thirties and forties compared to the first wave.\n\nThe overall pattern of those at risk of becoming seriously ill or dying has not changed significantly and the older someone is, the greater their risk from Covid-19 - particularly those over the age of 65.\n\nThe BBC's Health Editor Hugh Pym was given access to film at Croydon University Hospital in South London.", "Boris Johnson - pictured here in 2013 - has long been a fan of cycling\n\nBoris Johnson has been criticised for travelling seven miles from Downing Street to go cycling during lockdown.\n\nThe Evening Standard reported the prime minister had been spotted in the Olympic Park in East London on Sunday.\n\nGovernment advice allows people to exercise outside, but says you should not travel outside your local area.\n\nA No 10 spokesman would not confirm if Mr Johnson had been driven to the park or cycled there, but said the PM had complied with Covid-19 guidelines.\n\nLabour's Andy Slaughter said: \"Once again it is do as I say, not as I do, from the prime minister.\"\n\nThe Hammersmith MP added: \"London has some of the highest infection rates in the country. Boris Johnson should be leading by example.\"\n\nIn response to the criticism, a Downing Street source told the BBC: \"The PM has exercised within the Covid rules and any suggestion to the contrary is wrong.\"\n\nA woman told the PA news agency she had seen the prime minister in the park: \"He was leisurely cycling with another guy with a beanie hat and chatting, while around four security guys, possibly more, cycled behind them.\n\n\"Considering the current situation with Covid I was shocked to see him cycling around looking so care-free.\n\n\"Also, considering he's advising everyone to stay at home and not leave their area, shouldn't he stay in Westminster and not travel to other boroughs?\"\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock was asked at Monday's Downing Street press conference whether travelling seven miles for a cycle ride was within the rules.\n\nMr Hancock said: \"It is OK, if you went for a long walk and ended up seven miles from home, that is OK, but you should stay local.\n\n\"It is OK to go for a long walk or a cycle ride or to exercise, but stay local.\"\n\nThe issue of travelling for exercise was highlighted at the weekend after two women said they were surrounded by police and fine £200 after driving five miles from home to take a walk.\n\nDerbyshire Police have now dropped the fine and apologised to the women, but the incident led to a debate over the guidance.\n\nGovernment advice for England says you can leave your home to exercise, but adds: \"This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.\"\n\nThe guidance adds: \"Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.\"\n\nIn Scotland, the advice is more precise, saying exercise can be taken if it \"starts and finishes at the same place, which can be up to five miles from the boundary of your local authority area\".\n\nFormer Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who represents a constituency in the Lake District, has written to the PM calling for clearer guidance on exercise similar to that in Scotland.\n\nHe wrote: \"On the one hand, our local police force here in Cumbria are reporting that people... have travelled hundreds of miles to take their exercise in the Lake District.\n\n\"And on the other hand, I have constituents writing to me, worried whether they will be punished for driving five minutes up the road to go for a walk in their local park.\"\n\nMr Farron added: \"We need a solution that clearly deters people from making lengthy trips and potentially spreading the virus, but also that doesn't discourage people from keeping fit and healthy.\"", "Douglas Ross: 'All of Scottish football should not be affected by the actions of one club'\n\nScottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross tells viewers he thinks politics should be put aside and the UK and Scottish governments should work together to get the vaccinations out as quickly as possible. He is reluctant, as an assistant referee, to comment on the Celtic Dubai situation, but he does say that people have to look at the message it sends out. He points out that for many people at home alone at the moment, football is something they look forward to and \"we don't want to see the whole of Scottish football affected by the actions of one club\". He adds that financial support should be made available to clubs in the Scottish lower leagues & Scottish Cup who have had their games suspended for three weeks.", "Terry Irving, 83, from Dumfries, was given the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday\n\nEveryone aged 80 or over in Scotland will be given the Covid vaccine by February, the health secretary has said.\n\nJeane Freeman also said care home staff and residents, as well as front-line health and social care staff would be vaccinated in the next few weeks.\n\nAs of Sunday, 163,377 Scots had been given a first dose of vaccine.\n\nMs Freeman told BBC Scotland that just under 560,000 people will have been vaccinated by the end of the month.\n\nThe Oxford vaccine will be available at more than 1,100 locations from Monday.\n\nScotland has been given an initial allocation of more than 500,000 doses to use in January.\n\nMs Freeman told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: \"We intend that by the end of this month, the very beginning of February, we will have vaccinated all residents in care homes and staff, all front-line health and social care workers and all those aged 80 or over.\n\n\"So that's just under 560,000. We've already vaccinated about 70% of people in care homes and about half of the health and social care workforce.\"\n\nShe said the Scottish government was on course to match the UK government's commitment to offer a vaccine jab to everyone in the top four priority groups by the middle of February.\n\nThe health service will be able to vaccinate people as supplies of the jabs arrive, she said, with over-80s being contacted by their GPs.\n\nThe government has now started publishing vaccination figures on a daily basis, with 163,377 Scots having been given a first dose as of Sunday.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the health authorities in Scotland now had enough supplies to give jabs to all over-80s over the coming four weeks.\n\nShe said the aim was to get through the priority list as quickly as possible.\n\nThis had been expected to be complete by mid-May, but Ms Sturgeon said she was \"very, very hopeful we will be able to accelerate that to an earlier point\".\n\nA total of 1,664 people are in hospital being treated for Covid-19, the highest number since the pandemic began - with Ms Sturgeon saying the country was in a \"dangerous situation\".\n\nThe Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has already been administered in the Tayside, Lothian, Orkney and Highlands health board areas but this week will see it being used at vaccination centres across the whole country.\n\nRecent figures suggest a slight fall in the average positivity rates for Covid in many parts of Scotland, but pressures on the NHS have intensified.\n\nThe number of patients in hospital in with Covid rose to new highs at the weekend, and Sunday saw a sharp increase in the number of patients requiring treatment in intensive care.\n\nDeputy First Minister John Swinney said there were few signs that the threat was \"abating\" and that a tightening of restrictions could not be ruled out.\n\nThe majority of Scotland's schools are closed until at least February with pupils now learning from home as the new term begins this week..\n\nOnly vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers will receive face-to-face teaching.\n\nLocal authorities said schools were better prepared to roll out digital learning than they were during the first lockdown.\n\nBut one parents' group has raised concerns about \"equal and fair access to home learning\".", "The Prince of Wales is urging firms to back a more sustainable future and do more to protect the planet, as he marks 50 years of environmental campaigning.\n\nPrince Charles wants companies to join what he is calling \"Terra Carta\" - or Earth charter.\n\nThe charter is being launched alongside a fund run by the Natural Capital Investment Alliance.\n\nIt aims to mobilise $10 billion towards natural capital by 2022.\n\nTerra Carta will harness the \"irreplaceable power of nature\", the prince said in his virtual address to the One Planet Summit on Monday.\n\nHe hopes the new charter will help \"reunite people and planet\".\n\nHe said: \"I can only encourage, in particular, those in industry and finance to provide practical leadership to this common project, as only they are able to mobilise the innovation, scale and resources that are required to transform our global economy.\"\n\nIn his foreword to Terra Carta, the prince writes: \"If we consider the legacy of our generation, more than 800 years ago, Magna Carta inspired a belief in the fundamental rights and liberties of people.\n\n\"As we strive to imagine the next 800 years of human progress, the fundamental rights and value of nature must represent a step-change in our 'future of industry' and 'future of economy' approach.\"\n\nCharles has previously said that people thought he was \"completely dotty\" when he started talking about environmental issues in the 1970s.", "A number of positive cases have been identified among passengers who had flown into Glasgow from Dubai since the new year\n\nDubai has been added to Scotland's travel quarantine list with anyone coming from the country told to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nThe rule, which came into effect at 04:00, will also apply retrospectively for passengers who have made the journey since 3 January.\n\nCeltic confirmed one of their players tested positive for the virus less than 48 hours after the squad returned from a training trip to Dubai on Friday.\n\nIt is not known if he was on the trip.\n\nThe Scottish government said clinicians and the local NHS health protection team were in contact with Celtic providing advice. It also confirmed that quarantine rules did not apply to sports people who had attended \"elite training\" abroad.\n\nHowever, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last week questioned the purpose of Celtic's trip and whether they were following social-distancing rules after seeing photos from their Dubai base.\n\nShe warned that professional sport's privileges could be lost if protocols were not followed by all participants.\n\nThe government said the change was due to a number of positive cases being identified in passengers who had flown into Glasgow from Dubai since the new year.\n\nIt said the \"preventative action\" would help stem the rise in coronavirus cases.\n\nTransport Secretary Michael Matheson said: \"It is evident, both in Scotland and in countries across the world, that the virus continues to pose real risks to health and to life and we need to interrupt the rise in cases.\"\n\nHe added: \"Imposing quarantine requirements on those arriving in the UK is our first defence in managing the risk of imported cases from communities with high risks of transmission. That is why we have made the decision to remove Dubai from the country exemptions list.\n\n\"Whether or not an overseas destination has been designated for quarantine restrictions, our message remains clear that people should not currently be undertaking non-essential foreign travel.\n\n\"People need to stay at home to help suppress the virus, protect our NHS and save lives.\"\n\nJoanne Dooey, president of the Scottish Passenger Agents' Association (SPAA), said: \"Removing Dubai from the safe list is understandable. We believe that there has been a cluster of infections around Scots who travelled to Dubai over the Christmas and New Year period.\n\n\"Whilst we're keen to see a return to increased international travel, protecting the health of the whole country remains our key concern and we are supportive of this move.\"", "Morrisons will bar customers who refuse to wear face coverings from its shops amid rising coronavirus infections.\n\nFrom Monday, shoppers who refuse to wear face masks offered by staff will not be allowed inside, unless they are medically exempt.\n\nSainsbury's also said it would challenge those not wearing a mask or who were shopping in groups.\n\nThe announcements come amid concerns that social distancing measures are not being adhered to in supermarkets.\n\nVaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the government is \"concerned\" shops are not enforcing rules strictly enough.\n\n\"Ultimately, the most important thing to do now is to make sure that actually enforcement - and of course the compliance with the rules - when people are going into supermarkets are being adhered to,\" Mr Zahawi told Sky News.\n\n\"We need to make sure people actually wear masks and follow the one-way system,\" he said.\n\nMorrisons said it had \"introduced and consistently maintained thorough and robust safety measures in all our stores\" since the start of the pandemic.\n\nBut it said: \"From today we are further strengthening our policy on masks.\"\n\nSecurity guards at the UK's fourth-biggest supermarket chain will be enforcing the new rules.\n\nMorrisons' chief executive, David Potts, said: \"Those who are offered a face covering and decline to wear one won't be allowed to shop at Morrisons unless they are medically exempt.\n\n\"Our store colleagues are working hard to feed you and your family, please be kind.\"\n\nFollowing Morrisons' announcement, Sainsbury's said that it was also putting trained security guards at the front of its stores to challenge shoppers who did not comply.\n\nChief executive Simon Roberts said: \"I've spent a lot of time in our stores reviewing the latest situation over the last few days and on behalf of all my colleagues, I am asking our customers to help us keep everyone safe.\n\n\"The vast majority of customers are shopping safely, but I have also seen some customers trying to shop without a mask and shopping in larger family groups.\n\n\"Please help us to keep all our colleagues and customers safe by always wearing a mask and by shopping alone. Everyone's care and consideration matters now more than ever.\"\n\nEarlier on Monday, Mr Zahawi stopped short of saying that supermarket staff should be responsible for enforcing rules on face masks.\n\nEnforcement of face coverings is the responsibility of the police, not retailers. Wearing face masks in supermarkets and shops is compulsory across the UK.\n\nIn England, the police can issue a £200 fine to someone breaking the face covering rules. In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, a £60 fine can be imposed. Repeat offenders face bigger fines.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How to wear your mask. Hint: it's not any of these three options\n\nHowever, retail industry body the British Retail Consortium said that, workers have faced an increase in incidents of violence and abuse when trying to encourage shoppers to put them on.\n\nAndrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, added: \"Supermarkets continue to follow all safety guidance and customers should be reassured that supermarkets are Covid-secure and safe to visit during lockdown and beyond.\n\n\"Customers should play their part too by following in-store signage and being considerate to staff and fellow shoppers.\"\n\nUnder current lockdown restrictions across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, people must only leave home for essential reasons, such as buying food or medicine.\n\nIn a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, supermarkets introduced social distancing measures during the UK's first nationwide lockdown last March. They included limits on the numbers of customers in the shops at any one time, protective plastic screens at tills and \"marshals\" to ensure shoppers were maintaining a two-metre distance.\n\nBut amid rising numbers of infections, some have expressed concerns about a \"lack of visible protections\" implemented by supermarkets in recent weeks.\n\nThe First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, said on Saturday that he wanted to see stores policed as they were during the first lockdown as people were worried the strict enforcement of rules did not \"appear to be there this time\".\n\n\"Given the fact the new variant is so much easier to catch... we are looking at supermarkets and other places where people leave their homes, to make sure they are organised in a way that keeps their staff and customers safe,\" he said.\n\nSupermarket Waitrose said that it was taking a \"cautious approach\" to the virus, with marshals checking that customers are wearing face coverings on the door, hand sanitiser stations at its entrances and written communications to shoppers reminding them to maintain their distance.\n\nTesco said it was limiting the number of customers in store and was also reminding customers to wear masks.\n\n\"We have clear signage explaining this, and we have packs of face coverings available for purchase near the front of our stores for any customers who have forgotten them.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Asda announced last week that it would extend its marshals' hours to 08:00 to 20:00 and increase how often baskets and trollies are cleaned.\n\nShop workers' union Usdaw has also called for firms to apply more stringent measures again.\n\nThe union's general secretary, Paddy Lillis, said that it had received reports that \"too many customers are not following necessary safety measures like social distancing, wearing a face covering and only shopping for essential items\".\n\n\"It is going to take some time to roll out the vaccine and we cannot afford to be complacent in the meantime, particularly with a new strain sweeping the nation,\" Mr Lillis said.\n\nThe trade union also suggested that \"'one-in one-out\" policies and proper queuing systems should be reintroduced in supermarkets.\n\nIt added that these systems should be managed by trained security staff where necessary.", "The number of patients in intensive care with Covid has risen sharply, amid warnings that tougher lockdown measures may be needed.\n\nLatest Scottish government figures show 1,877 new cases of Covid were reported in the last 24 hours\n\nThe number of people in intensive care has risen from 109 to 123, the highest daily jump since October.\n\nDeputy First Minister John Swinney said a tightening of restrictions could not be ruled out.\n\nA total of 1,598 people are currently in hospital with recently-confirmed Covid, up from Saturday's figure of 1,596 patients which was the highest number since the outbreak began.\n\nThe daily test positivity rate was10%, up from 8.7% on Saturday, when 1,865 positive cases were recorded.\n\nThe deputy first minister said the country was facing \"a very alarming situation\" with the virus.\n\nSpeaking on Politics Scotland, Mr Swinney said coronavirus does not show much sign of \"abating\" and he would not rule out tougher lockdown measures.\n\nHe said: \"We're seeing case numbers which are hovering around 2,000 per day... so we've got an accelerating situation on our hands and we have to constantly review whether more restrictions are required.\"\n\nThere have been some encouraging signs in recent days with average positivity rates falling, a possible indicator that the lockdown is having an impact, but Prof Linda Bauld, of Edinburgh University, urged caution.\n\nShe said: \"The numbers are not reducing at the rate which we want them to, so [it is] still a very fragile situation.\n\n\"The measures we have now I hope are working but it's not clear whether they are tough enough.\n\n\"I think the key change the government could make is in the sectors which are still open, particularly workplaces but also things like takeaways and click and collect.\"\n\nMr Swinney said the Scottish government is \"open to considering further restrictions if they are necessary\"\n\nProfessional sport, along with manufacturing and construction work have been allowed to continue in this lockdown, whereas they were not in the first wave in March.\n\nThe deputy first minister said the meeting of the cabinet which agreed the latest lockdown saw ministers wondering if they had gone far enough to stop the spread.\n\nMr Swinney added: \"I don't think I'm revealing a state secret when I say that the debate within cabinet was not whether we were going too far but whether we were going far enough.\"\n\nA total of three deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours but these figures are lower at weekends because register offices are generally closed.", "Last updated on .From the section Scottish Premiership\n\nCeltic's only regret about their Dubai trip was Chris Jullien contracting Covid-19, said coach Gavin Strachan, after the draw with Hibernian.\n\nThirteen Celtic players missed the game as they self-isolate after being deemed close contacts of Jullien.\n\nThe hosts led through David Turnbull's free-kick, but are now 21 points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Rangers after Kevin Nisbet's late Hibs strike.\n\n\"There's regret that one person has caught the virus,\" said Strachan.\n\n\"But there's not a regret in terms of the permission we got to go and the protocols that we followed, which we have done the whole season.\"\n• None 'Celtic's lack of remorse over Dubai farce is risible'\n• None Trouble in paradise? Timeline of Dubai bid to Covid crisis\n\nStrachan, who managed the team against Hibs as Neil Lennon and assistant John Kennedy are also in enforced quarantine, defended the decision to take Jullien - who is out injured for up to four months - on last week's controversial training trip.\n\n\"It was to maintain his treatment with the backroom staff, he went over there so we can get him back as fast as we can,\" Strachan added.\n\n\"Yeah, I can understand the frustration from everybody, because we end up playing with a weaker team, but that could have happened if we were training at home as well.\"\n\nCeltic, who still have three games in hand, fielded an unfamiliar line-up showing six changes, though one of those was enforced by Nir Bitton's suspension, and teenage American forward Cameron Harper was handed a debut.\n\nHibs' request for Celtic players to be retested pre-match was turned down and Jack Ross gave a first appearance to on-loan Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Macey.\n\nAnd it was the visitors who tried to stamp their authority on the game early on with Nisbet heading over and later testing Conor Hazard with a shot after Joe Newell's strike had been pushed out by the Celtic keeper.\n\nHarper shot instead of passing from a promising position in Celtic's first incisive move and long-range efforts from Ismaila Soro and Diego Laxalt drew fine saves from Macey.\n\nTurnbull's superb chip found Callum McGregor in behind the Hibs defence but he could not make the right connection.\n\nLewis Stevenson made his 500th Hibernian appearance as a half-time replacement for Josh Doig and Harper limped off to be replaced by another Celtic debutant Armstrong Oko-Flex on the hour.\n\nChances were at a premium and Hazard was quick off his line to snuff out a chance for Melker Hallberg and Drey Wright's replacement Christian Doidge could not get a header on Jamie Murphy's teasing corner.\n\nMikey Johnston claimed unsuccessfully for a penalty after going down in the Hibs box following Ryan Porteous' challenge and soon made way for Karamoko Dembele.\n\nHibs also made a change with Stephen McGinn replacing Hallberg and the midfielder fouled Turnbull to give the Celtic midfielder the chance to put Celtic ahead, and he did. It was a fantastic strike by Turnbull and his fifth goal for Celtic.\n\nHibs went back on the attack and won a free-kick of their own after Laxalt's foul on Paul McGinn and the latter's header from Stevie Mallan's delivery was cleared on the line only for Nisbet to fire high into the net for parity. A point took Hibs to within two of Aberdeen in third.\n\nWhat did we learn?\n\nUnsurprisingly, Celtic took a while to settle into the match and lacked a focal point in the absence of Leigh Griffiths and Odsonne Edouard.\n\nFor long spells in the second half, the hosts did not look likely to win but took their chance when it came. Defensively, though, they were caught out badly at a set play.\n\nHibs may rue not throwing more caution to the wind at 0-0 but, after three league defeats, a point in Glasgow is a positive result.\n\nWhat did they say?\n\nCeltic coach Gavin Strachan: \"The players put a lot into the game and we thought we did enough to nick it. The sucker punch at the end was frustrating. We were hoping we would have enough bodies back to see that out.\n\n\"There's a lot of football still to be played and you never know what's going to happen. Obviously it's a frustrating time just now but we need to get the win on Saturday, keep racking up the points and see what happens.\"\n\nHibernian head coach Jack Ross: \"We wanted to come and win the game. I certainly think we merited taking something from it. It's good for us to stop the bleeding. It hopefully just propels our side in the right direction again.\n\n\"Kevin Nisbet's goalscoring return has been excellent. The accuracy of the finish and the trust in his finishing ability with the goal has to be like that otherwise I don't think he scores it.\"\n\nCeltic will still be without their isolating players when they host Livingston on Saturday (15:00 GMT). Hibs are at home to Kilmarnock at the same time.\n• None Attempt blocked. Stephen Mallan (Hibernian) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kevin Nisbet.\n• None Goal! Celtic 1, Hibernian 1. Kevin Nisbet (Hibernian) left footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the top right corner following a set piece situation.\n• None Attempt blocked. Paul McGinn (Hibernian) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Stephen Mallan with a cross.\n• None Paul McGinn (Hibernian) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Attempt missed. Stephen Mallan (Hibernian) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Paul McGinn with a headed pass.\n• None Attempt blocked. Christian Doidge (Hibernian) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Paul McGinn with a cross.\n• None Attempt saved. Jamie Murphy (Hibernian) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Paul McGinn.\n• None Goal! Celtic 1, Hibernian 0. David Turnbull (Celtic) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the top left corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page", "Wales' health minister has acknowledged it was \"entirely understandable people are concerned\" about when they will receive their vaccine.\n\nBut Vaughan Gething also stressed that supplies will increase over the coming weeks.\n\n\"I think a number of people are are anxious because this is a worrying time. And it's entirely understandable on a human level why people are concerned\", he said.\n\nMr Gething admitted that other UK nations had made a better start in rolling out the vaccine.\n\nBut he said that he believed Wales had still made a \"good start\" and \"that's evidenced by the figures\".\n\nWhen asked about the concerns made by some GP practices, Mr Gething said he understands why some of them \"will be frustrated\".\n\nHe added: \"But we're delivering the AstraZeneca vaccine in supplies that we have to keep it going.\n\n\"And as I said, the availability of that vaccine is the current rate limiting step and significantly increasing our delivery because we know there are a range of general practices and others who could deliver more if we had more supply.\n\n\"The supply they're being given is supplied for the week - it's not to stretch through for the whole population that they're covering.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: Domestic abuse victim - 'He threw me against the wall and strangled me'\n\nJustice Secretary Robert Buckland has said he hopes to make non-fatal strangulation a specific offence after a call by domestic abuse campaigners.\n\nToo many violent offenders' sentences are not tough enough, he said.\n\nAnd he added that strangulation can be a precursor to even more serious crimes against women.\n\nCampaigners argue that perpetrators are often only charged with common assault, which carries a maximum of six months in prison.\n\nBecause non-fatal strangulation may not leave any marks on the victim, prosecutors do not bring more serious charges, they say.\n\nMr Buckland said: \"There are too many violent offenders not getting sentences proportionate to the seriousness of their crimes because in many cases, prosecutors don't have adequate charging options where the victim has been strangled.\n\n\"The vast majority of these crimes are committed against women and they are often a precursor to even more serious violence.\"\n\nThe justice secretary hopes the new offence can be included in the Police and Sentencing Bill, although discussions are at an early stage.\n\nCampaigners had called for a new offence to be part of the Domestic Abuse Bill. The Conservative peer Baroness Newlove was planning to table an amendment to this bill as it goes through the House of Lords. She won cross-party support during a debate in the Lords last week.\n\nBut the Ministry of Justice believes that as non-fatal strangulation can be used in situations other than domestic abuse, the legislation should have a broader context.\n\nJustice Secretary Robert Buckland said strangulation was often a precursor to even more serious attacks on women\n\nWelcoming the move, Nogah Ofer, a lawyer with the Centre for Women's Justice, which has been at the forefront of the campaign for a new offence said: \"It is time that as a society we stopped normalising and ignoring strangulation.\n\n\"We look forward to police, prosecutors and medical professionals working together to address this with the seriousness it deserves, and hope that survivors of domestic abuse will have greater confidence to seek justice.\"\n\nCampaigner Rachel Williams, who suffered strangulation during an abusive relationship, tweeted that it was \"a great victory\". She was shot and severely injured by her violent partner in 2011, who then killed himself.\n\nLast week, the government said that non-fatal strangulation was already covered by existing legislation from common assault to attempted murder.\n\nIt is now looking at how a new offence was introduced in New Zealand. Parts of Australia and the US have also brought in similar measures.\n\nDuring the Lords debate, crossbench peer Lord Anderson of Ipswich, a QC and former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, warned that \"hurried law can be bad law\".\n\nHe asked whether a more generic offence of aggravated assault or recklessly endangering life might cover these circumstances and questioned how strangulation and suffocation would be defined in the law.", "Lisa Montgomery - the only female inmate on federal death row in the US - has been executed for murder in the state of Indiana. Her lawyers had argued she was a mentally ill victim of abuse who deserved mercy. Her victim's community said otherwise.\n\nThis story was first published on 11 January - before Lisa Montgomery's execution on 13 January.\n\nFor Diane Mattingly, there is one moment from her childhood for which she feels both enormous gratitude and guilt.\n\nShe credits this moment for her \"fairly normal\" life - a house on eight peaceful acres, a loving relationship with her children, nearly two decades at a job working for the state of Kentucky.\n\nAt the same time, she blames it for the fate of her younger half-sister, Lisa Montgomery.\n\nMontgomery was sentenced for the murder of a 23-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant. In December 2004, Montgomery, who was 36 at the time, strangled Bobbie Jo Stinnett before cutting the baby out of her womb and kidnapping it. Stinnett bled to death.\n\nMattingly and Montgomery lived together until Mattingly was eight and her half-sister was four. It was a terrifying household, she says, where physical, psychological and sexual abuse at the hands of Judy Shaughnessy, Montgomery's mother, and her boyfriends was routine.\n\nThe girls' biological father left the home, and after a while, Mattingly was whisked away to foster care. Montgomery was left behind with her mother.\n\nLisa Montgomery and her half-sister Diane Mattingly as children\n\nIt would be 34 years before the half-sisters would see each other again. And that would be from across a courtroom, where lawyers for the US government were trying to persuade a jury to sentence Montgomery to death.\n\n\"One sister got taken out and got put into a loving home and was nurtured and had time to heal,\" says Mattingly. \"The other sister stayed in that situation, and it got worse and worse and worse. And then at the end, she was broken.\"\n\nIn late December, Montgomery's legal team submitted a petition to President Donald Trump that makes the case that after a lifetime of abuse - which they characterise as torture - she is too mentally ill to be executed and deserves mercy.\n\nHowever, in the tiny town of Skidmore, Missouri, where the crime was committed, there is little sympathy for that argument. Many there believe the final moments of Bobbie Jo Stinnett were so horrific, the death sentence is warranted.\n\nLisa Montgomery and Bobbie Jo Stinnett got to know each other online through a shared love of dogs. They had corresponded for weeks on an online forum for rat terrier breeders and enthusiasts called \"Ratter Chatter\". Montgomery told Stinnett that she was also expecting, and the pair shared pregnancy stories.\n\nIn December 2004, Montgomery drove 281.5 km (175 miles) from her home in Kansas to Skidmore, where she had an appointment to look at some puppies owned by Stinnett.\n\nBut it wasn't Montgomery that Stinnett was expecting, it was a woman who went by the name of Darlene Fischer. But Fischer was a name that Montgomery had been using when she separately began messaging Stinnett from a different email address inquiring about buying one of her puppies.\n\nWhen Stinnett answered the door, Montgomery overpowered the pregnant woman, strangled her with a piece of rope, and cut the baby out of her womb.\n\nInvestigators quickly realised that \"Darlene Fischer\" did not exist, and tracked Montgomery down the next day using her emails and computer IP address. They found her cradling a new-born girl she claimed to have given birth to the previous day. Her story quickly fell apart and she confessed to the killing.\n\nSince 2008, Montgomery has been held in a federal prison in Texas for female inmates with special medical and psychological needs, where she has been receiving psychiatric care. Since receiving her execution date, she's been placed on suicide watch in an isolated cell.\n\nMontgomery is scheduled to be put to death by a lethal injection of pentobarbital at Terre Haute prison in Indiana. It is the only federal prison with an active death chamber.\n\nMontgomery's lawyers argue that because of a combination of years of horrific abuse, and a raft of psychological issues, she should never have been given the death penalty. They believe that at the time of the crime, Montgomery was psychotic and out of touch with reality. They have been joined by a chorus of supportive voices from the legal field, including 41 former and current prosecutors, as well as human rights entities like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.\n\nHowever, calls for Trump to be merciful are hardly unanimous. According to Gallup, while support for the death penalty in the US is at its lowest level in more than 50 years, 55% of Americans still believe it is an appropriate punishment for murder. And nowhere is that support more palpably felt in this case than in Skidmore.\n\n\"Bobbie deserves to be here today. Bobbie's family deserves her,\" says Meagan Morrow, a high school classmate of Stinnett's. \"And Lisa deserves to pay.\"\n\nIf you or someone you know needs support for issues about emotional distress, these organisations may be able to help.\n\nLisa Montgomery's current legal team has conducted some 450 interviews with family members, friends, case workers, doctors and social workers. Stitched together, they form a tapestry of family dysfunction, abuse, neglect, professional negligence, substance abuse and untreated mental illness.\n\n\"The whole story is tragic,\" says Kelley Henry, one of Montgomery's federal defence lawyers. \"But one of the things that the president can do is say - to women who have been trafficked, and who have been sexually abused - 'Your abuse matters'.\"\n\nFor Montgomery, her lawyers argue, it began before she was born. According to an interview with her father, Montgomery's mother Judy Shaughnessy drank heavily throughout her pregnancy, and their daughter was born with foetal alcohol syndrome. Multiple medical experts have given statements agreeing with that diagnosis.\n\nWhen Mattingly and Montgomery were young, Shaughnessy beat them and doled out cruel forms of punishment, like taping Montgomery's mouth shut, or pushing Mattingly out into the snow, naked. After their biological father left the home, Mattingly says they were left alone with Shaughnessy's boyfriends, at least one of whom started raping Mattingly.\n\n\"Judy was manipulative and - I hate to use this word, but - evil. She enjoyed torturing the people around her,\" says Mattingly. \"She got joy out of it.\"\n\nAfter Mattingly was removed from the home by social services, Montgomery fell prey to her mother's new husband, who according to statements from his other children, was a violent alcoholic who began sexually abusing Montgomery when she was a pre-teen. The family moved from place to place dozens of times, but it was in a trailer in Sperry, Oklahoma, where her lawyers say the abuse turned into something more akin to torture.\n\nAccording to interviews with her half-siblings and others who spent time with the family, Montgomery's stepfather built a shed onto the trailer where he, and eventually his friends, raped and beat her. Her mother also began trafficking her, allowing handymen like electricians and plumbers to sexually abuse Montgomery in exchange for work on the house.\n\nAs a teenager, Montgomery confided in a cousin, telling him the men would tie her up, beat her and even urinate on her afterwards.\n\nBut the cousin, a sheriff's deputy, confessed to Montgomery's current legal team that he did nothing. In fact, he drove her back home and dropped her off in the hands of her abusers.\n\nLawyer Kelley Henry says one of the things that disturbs her most is that adults in positions of authority were told about what was going on but did nothing.\n\nWhen Shaughnessy eventually split from her second husband, she and Montgomery testified in divorce proceedings about the sexual assaults. The judge in the case scolded Shaughnessy for not reporting the abuse - but did not report the abuse himself.\n\n\"There were so many opportunities where people could have intervened and prevented this,\" says Henry.\n\nMontgomery's cousin told her legal team that he lived with \"regret for not speaking up about what happened to Lisa\".\n\nWhen she was 18, Montgomery married her stepbrother. The couple had four children in five years, but the relationship was not the escape from violence that Montgomery might have hoped it would be. At one point, one of Montgomery's brothers found a home movie that showed Montgomery's husband raping and beating her.\n\n\"It was violent and like a scene out of a horror movie,\" he said in a statement. \"I felt sick watching the video. I didn't know what to do or how to talk to my sister about it.\"\n\nFriends and family began noticing Montgomery's tendency to slip into \"a world of her own\". Her children were disturbed by it. Henry says this was an early sign of her mental illnesses, which include bipolar disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative disorder and traumatic brain injury.\n\nMontgomery eventually divorced her first husband and married Kevin Montgomery. Around this time, she repeatedly claimed to be pregnant again, although she had undergone sterilisation after her fourth baby was born.\n\nOne theory her lawyers put forward regarding the chain of events that led to the murder, is that Montgomery feared her ex-husband would expose her lies about being pregnant and use it against her as he sought custody of their children.\n\n\"There was so much pressure on her at that point,\" says Henry. She describes Montgomery's ex-husband as cruel and harassing. \"She was completely detached from reality.\"\n\nHer lawyers say that as she lost touch with reality, she fantasised about being pregnant.\n\nHenry says Montgomery's original legal defence after she was arrested and charged with murder was woefully inadequate, and presented few of the details about her abuse, trauma and mental illness.\n\nHer lawyers at the time also presented an alternative theory of the crime, which was that Montgomery's brother had actually committed the murder, even though he had an alibi. That was ultimately dropped in favour of an insanity defence, but Henry believes the damage to Montgomery's credibility was already done.\n\nAfter five hours of deliberation, the jury found Montgomery guilty. They recommended a sentence of death.\n\nDiane Mattingly has been speaking publicly for the first time in the hope it can make a difference.\n\n\"I would say, 'President Trump, I want you to look at the life that Lisa had led, I want to look at all the people that have failed her, I want you to look at the rape, the torture, the mental abuse, the physical abuse that this woman had endured,'\" she says. \"I'm asking him to have compassion on her as a person that has been failed over and over and over again. And to not fail her.\"\n\nThe tiny farming town of Skidmore sits in the far northwest corner of Missouri. A generation ago, it was the kind of place where you could \"get your hair cut, see a show, buy rabbit feed and eat dinner\" - but those days are long gone. Today there is a single restaurant and few of the streets are paved.\n\nThe population hovers around just 250, and everyone knew Bobbie Jo Stinnett and her family. Friends recall her as a good student with a love of horses and dogs. She liked going down to the Nodaway River to swim, and playing Nintendo games at slumber parties. She was quiet and kind, they say.\n\nAt the time of her murder, she was newly married and pregnant with her first child.\n\nAlthough the alumni have scattered somewhat, in recent years, the Nodaway-Holt R-VII High School graduating class of 2000 - which had only 22 members - has a tradition to mark the anniversary of the death of their classmate Bobbie Jo Stinnett.\n\nThey hold a collection and try to do something nice for Stinnett's mother. \"Last year, we got flowers, and gave her a $100-plus gift card and then paid her water bill,\" says Jena Baumli.\n\nThe murder 16 years ago is never far from the minds of the town's residents.\n\nFor one thing, the wider world won't let them forget. It has been the subject of two books, multiple true crime television shows, documentaries and countless podcast episodes. And though there's been much recent debate over the fairness of Montgomery's sentence in courthouses and in the opinion pages of newspapers like the New York Times, a similar debate does not exist here.\n\n\"I think that in a lot of the opinion pieces that are being posted, in a lot of things that people are sharing, Bobbie Jo and her daughter, and her mother and her husband and other friends and family, are kind of being forgotten,\" says Tiffany Kirkland, another member of the class of 2000.\n\n\"She always wanted to be a mom,\" says Baumli. \"She was really the first one to have a decent marriage, you know, and I guess looking at Bobbie Jo was like, what your dreams were when you were younger.\"\n\nBecause of Stinnett's easy-going reputation, Morrow remembers instantly dismissing the initial reports of her murder.\n\n\"I was like, 'Oh, she was not.' You know, like, that doesn't happen to Bobbie,\" Morrow says.\n\nBut what happened at the modest clapboard house where Stinnett lived with her husband still haunts some of those involved in the investigation.\n\nNodaway County Sheriff Randy Strong says that the scene that he and his four colleagues found that day was so bloody, they are still traumatised by it. It makes him even angrier that it was Stinnett's mother who discovered her that way.\n\n\"The people that are defending [Montgomery], I wish I could take them back in time, and put them in that room,\" he says. \"And then go, 'Look at this body'. And then go, 'Stand there and listen to the 911 call of [Stinnett's mother]. This is the stuff of nightmares.\"\n\nMany of the residents of Skidmore cite the details of the crime, and the amount of planning that went into it, as evidence that Montgomery was a calculating killer.\n\nShe had catfished Stinnett online under a fake name. She had bought supplies, including a home birth kit, and searched online for how to perform a caesarean section. Sheriff Strong insists that the crime was meticulously planned and that the woman he arrested continued to lie until backed into a corner.\n\nDr Katherine Porterfield, a clinical psychologist who evaluated Montgomery and spent about 18 hours with her, says that psychosis does not always look the way people expect it to.\n\n\"Being psychotic, it does not mean you are not intelligent, nor that you cannot act in a planful way,\" she says. \"We've seen crime for years and years in our country in which people enact terrible violence coming out of a psychotic set of beliefs or thought process. Lisa Montgomery is no different. She enacted this in the grip of a very broken mind.\"\n\nThe baby was returned to her father, after being recovered from Montgomery.\n\nBobbie Jo's mother and husband have have not spoken publicly in many years. But Strong says this is the first year he's heard directly from Stinnett's husband. He thanked the sheriff for recovering his daughter and allowing him to be the parent that his wife couldn't be.\n\n\"I cried,\" says Strong. \"The whole community over there's traumatised by this.\"\n\nSchool friend Baumli says she's read the descriptions of Montgomery's abuse, but it mostly just makes her angry. She says it's not as if all the other people of Skidmore lead idyllic lives free from abuse, poverty and other destructive tragedies. She gives herself as an example - when Stinnett was murdered, Baumli was in rehab for a drug addiction. She missed the funeral because of it.\n\n\"Let's say I didn't stay clean very long,\" she says.\n\n\"I'm sick of hearing about Lisa Montgomery and what she went through. And it's never about what my friend went through,\" she adds. \"I get these images in my head of [Bobbie Jo's mother] finding her daughter that way.\"\n\nThree federal inmates - Orlando Hall, Alfred Bourgeois and Brandon Bernard - have been put to death since the 3 November presidential election. Several high-profile figures had appealed for clemency in Brandon's case but Mr Trump did not heed those calls.\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden has already pledged to end death penalty proceedings, although he hasn't said when.\n\nUntil July 2020, there had been no federal executions for 17 years. At state level, the number of sentences and executions continues a historic decline. Only 18 death sentences were handed down in 2020 and the number of executions carried out hit a 30-year low. More recently, the states that have been carrying out executions, such as Texas and Tennessee, have halted and delayed executions because of the pandemic.\n\nHowever, the executions ordered by President Trump are continuing. If they all go ahead, the federal government will have executed more people than any administration in nearly 100 years.\n\nProtest against federal executions of death row inmates - outside the US Justice Department, Washington DC, December 2020\n\nTwo other inmates are scheduled to die at Terre Haute prison before Mr Trump's presidency ends. Recently, there has been a virus outbreak on death row at the institution, and previous executions have been linked to outbreaks among the execution team and prison staff.\n\n\"They made this a priority at the risk of the health and lives of corrections officials, of the prisoners on death row, and the communities that all of those Bureau of Prisons officials who flew in from across the country were returning to,\" says Ngozi Ndulue, senior director of research and special projects at the Death Penalty Information Center.\n\n\"This was a very coordinated and determined plan to ensure that as many people could be executed on federal death row as possible before the end of this administration term.\"\n\nMontgomery's lawyers want her sentence commuted to a life sentence, which would allow her to remain under psychiatric care in prison for the rest of her days.\n\nMattingly says looking back to the moment life changed for her as an eight-year-old, she feels guilty that when the social workers came for her, she didn't tell them what was going on in that house.\n\n\"If I had, would they have taken Lisa out of the home also?\" she says. \"There's so many people that failed her throughout her whole life. And I am just asking for somebody - once - not to fail her.\"", "Wales has received 275,000 doses of the two Covid-19 vaccines to deal with the pandemic.\n\nAbout 70,000 people received a first dose after the first month of the vaccine rollout.\n\nThe Welsh Government confirmed it has had more than 250,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 25,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.\n\nThe health minister promised a \"really significant step-up\" in the roll-out after opponents criticised its speed.\n\nThe Pfizer jabs were first administered in early December at seven sites across Wales as part of the UK-wide immunisation programme.\n\nThis 82-year-old woman was one of 100 to receives her vaccine at a special clinic in Swansea on Saturday\n\nApproximately 1.6% of people were vaccinated up to 3 January - fewer than all other UK nations.\n\nIn England, about 1.9% of the population had received the first dose, while 2.1% of people in both Scotland and Northern Ireland had received their first jab.\n\nThe Welsh Government has dismissed criticism it is lagging behind, with health officials saying the new Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine would help speed up the programme \"considerably\".\n\nTwo full doses of the Oxford vaccine gave 62% protection, a half dose followed by a full dose was 90% and overall the trial showed 70% protection.\n\nThe rollout of the Oxford vaccine started on Monday, with 25,000 doses received this week, according to the Welsh Government.\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford said on Friday that Wales would receive another 25,000 Oxford doses next week and 80,000 the week after that.\n\nWhen asked how many doses of the Pfizer vaccine Wales had received, he said he could not recall the exact figure but further deliveries had been received \"on the 23rd and the 27th of December\".\n\nPressed on a figure, he said: \"It's the low hundreds of thousands\", adding: \"The Pfizer vaccine has particular challenges in terms of the conditions that it's got to be stored in and in parts of Wales that is a very particular challenge because it is a hard vaccine to transport over long distances to relatively scattered and remote communities.\n\n\"But the fact that we've got it and the fact that we're able to use more of it than we originally anticipated means we'll be able to accelerate the use of it over the next couple of weeks.\"\n\nThese were the latest comparative weekly totals - daily updates are promised from this week onwards in Wales\n\nOn Sunday, the Welsh Government confirmed it had received 25,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the first week but the quantity would increase, allocated to Wales based on a population share on a weekly basis.\n\n\"We are confident in the assurances we have been given that this will increase over the next few weeks to around 100,000 per week,\" they said.\n\n\"We are delivering all the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine allocated to Wales directly to GPs, other primary care providers and hospitals as soon as it is available.\"\n\nConservative MP for the Vale of Clwyd, Dr James Davies, said: \"We all know that the Pfizer vaccine is difficult to transport and store and needs to be stored at -70 degrees, that's understood.\n\n\"But the issue is that actually, if you look at the rest of the UK, including very rural areas, they've managed to deal with it... and it is difficult to see why they haven't been in a position to be organised earlier and to ramp-up the delivery.\"\n\nRhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru's health spokesman, called for transparency: \"It is very worrying to find out that we have had in Wales more than 250,000 doses but only a relatively small proportion of that have yet ended up in people's arms, protecting people, because that's what we want to happen.\"\n\nHe has written an open letter to Health Minister Vaughan Gething calling for greater clarity on the vaccine deployment programme, asking for a dashboard of information which would allow the public to track the rollout's progress for themselves, including volume of doses delivered and administered by health board and by the nine priority groups.\n\nDr Olwen Williams, vice-president for Wales at the Royal College of Physicians, also called on health boards and Welsh Government to publish regular data showing which groups of people have been vaccinated, with patient-facing health workers prioritised over other colleagues.\n\n\"I think that would give assurance to people working in the NHS and the population in general, that the programme is progressing as planned,\" she said.\n\nAll data will be published daily from Monday but Mr Gething conceded that Wales, from last week's figures, was \"slightly behind on the population share and I'm not getting away from that.\"\n\nHe said the race was not \"necessarily against other UK nations\" but against the virus.\n\nHe also told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement that, in the next two to three weeks, he expected to see a \"really significant step-up in the delivery of the vaccine\" as more GP practices and community pharmacies help.\n\n\"We're going to get through many more people, giving them significant protection with a first vaccine,\" he said.\n\n\"And that will mean that we're going to be able to prevent most of the avoidable deaths.\"\n\nIt is hoped the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will speed up the process.\n\nBy the end of last week, it was being offered to patients aged over 80 at 73 GP practices.\n\nMore than 100 are expected to be offering the jabs next week, Mr Gething said, \"and then we get into several hundred thereafter and we'll bring community pharmacies on board.\"\n\nThe UK and Scottish governments did not provide the numbers of Pfizer vaccines supplied to England and Scotland. BBC Wales is still waiting for a response from the Northern Irish Executive.\n\nMeanwhile, regular rapid testing for people without coronavirus symptoms will be made available in England.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it would evaluate its mass testing pilots in Merthyr Tydfil and lower Cynon Valley, as well as elsewhere in the UK, to inform its approach to community testing.\n\nA spokesman added: \"We have announced regular asymptomatic testing of health and social care workers, in education and daily contact testing in South Wales Police.\n\n\"A pilot has also started at the Tata Port Talbot site. We are also exploring other opportunities for regular testing to support critical services.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Keir Starmer calls for families to be put \"at the heart of our recovery\" from the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has urged the government to \"protect family incomes\" as it deals with the economic effects of coronavirus.\n\nIn his first speech of the year, he demanded teachers, the armed forces and care workers are left out of the public sector pay freeze.\n\nSir Keir also called for tougher restrictions to be considered for tackling coronavirus.\n\nNo 10 said the government had \"shown it is prepared to act\".\n\nWith coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns shutting thousands of businesses, the economy was 7.9% smaller in October last year than it had been six months earlier.\n\nAnd the government's independent forecaster, the Office for Budgetary Responsibility, predicts that unemployment will rise to 2.6 million by the middle of this year.\n\nIn his speech, Sir Keir attacked the government for \"having been found wanting at every turn\", accusing Boris Johnson of being \"indecisive\" and acting \"too slow\" over further lockdowns and support for business and families.\n\nHe said: \"The British people will forgive many things. They know the pandemic is difficult.\n\n\"But they also know serial incompetence when they see it - and they know when a prime minister simply isn't up to the job.\"\n\nBut the PM's official spokeswoman rejected the criticism, saying: \"This government has shown it is prepared to act. When given evidence in the morning it has taken action that evening.\"\n\nAsked by the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg whether the government should tighten restrictions, such as closing nurseries, Sir Keir said there \"probably is more that we could do [and we] may have to get tougher\".\n\nBut he did not outline what measures he would recommend, instead saying it was \"time to hear from the scientists what else can be done - and that probably should be done in the next few hours\".\n\nThe Labour leader said ministers must \"protect family incomes and support businesses\" from the economic effects of previous restrictions and the current lockdown.\n\nHe added policies must \"make a real difference to millions of people across the country\" and \"put families at the heart of our recovery\".\n\nSir Keir argued the £20-a-week rise given to Universal Credit claimants last April must continue beyond this April's cut-off point.\n\nCouncil tax increases in England of up to 5% this April must not happen, he said, while calling for the ban on evictions and repossessions to be extended.\n\nThe government's pay freeze for at least 1.3 million public sector workers - which does not apply to NHS frontline staff and those earning below £24,000 a year - must not go ahead, said Sir Keir.\n\n\"I know this isn't everything that's needed,\" he added, \"and after so much suffering we can't go back the status quo.\n\n\"We cannot return to an economy where over half our care workers earn less than the living wage, where childcare is among the most expensive in Europe, where our social care system is a national disgrace and where over four million children grow up in poverty.\"\n\nAn opposition leader has no policy leavers to pull. They have to rely on words to persuade the public they are worthy of power.\n\nWith the next general election an eternity away, Sir Keir Starmer knows the question of competence matters far more to voters than ideology right now.\n\nThe Labour leader was unsparing in his criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic - accusing the prime minster of serial incompetence, dithering and delay.\n\nSir Keir said the government could reverse planned changes to council tax and universal credit to ease the financial pressure on families.\n\nBut pressed on how lockdown might be different today if he was in No 10, the Labour leader mirrored the government's messaging.\n\nHe said there was \"probably\" more that could be done around nurseries and estate agent viewings, but Sir Keir's mantra was listen to the scientists.\n\nIt's what ministers say endlessly too.\n\nSir Keir argued that, just as a Labour government \"built the welfare state from the rubble\" of World War Two, a future one can \"secure our economy, protect our NHS and rebuild our country so that Britain is the best country to grow up in and the best country to grow old in\".\n\nBut Conservative Party co-chairman Amanda Milling accused Sir Keir of \"calling for actions the Conservatives are already taking in government\".\n\n\"We have delivered an unprecedented £280bn package of support to protect jobs, livelihoods and public services through this pandemic,\" she added, including the furlough scheme, the temporary increase to Universal Credit and extra funding for councils.\n\n\"The Conservatives will continue to put families and communities at the heart of every decision we take as we deliver on our promises to the British people,\" Ms Milling said.\n\nIn his Spending Review in November, Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned that the \"economic emergency\" caused by the pandemic had only begun.\n\nHe promised to take \"extraordinary measures to protect people's jobs and incomes\".", "Parler has hit back after Amazon pulled support for its so-called \"free speech\" social network.\n\nParler is suing the tech giant, accusing it of breaking anti-trust laws by removing it.\n\nParler had been reliant on the tech giant's Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing service to provide its alternative to Twitter.\n\nThe platform was popular among supporters of Donald Trump, although the president is not a user.\n\nAmazon took the action after finding dozens of posts on the service that it said encouraged violence.\n\nIn response, the platform has asked a federal judge to order Amazon to reinstate it.\n\n\"AWS's decision to effectively terminate Parler's account is apparently motivated by political animus,\" the complaint reads.\n\n\"It is also apparently designed to reduce competition in the microblogging services market to the benefit of Twitter.\"\n\n\"There is no merit to these claims,\" it said.\n\n\"AWS provides technology and services to customers across the political spectrum, and we respect Parler's right to determine for itself what content it will allow. However, it is clear that there is significant content on Parler that encourages and incites violence against others, and that Parler is unable or unwilling to promptly identify and remove this content, which is a violation of our terms of service.\n\n\"We made our concerns known to Parler over a number of weeks and during that time we saw a significant increase in this type of dangerous content, not a decrease, which led to our suspension of their services Sunday evening.\"\n\nExamples Amazon had provided included posts calling for the killing of Democrats, Muslims, Black Lives Matter leaders, and mainstream media journalists.\n\nGoogle and Apple had already removed Parler from their app stores towards the end of last week saying it had failed to comply with their content-moderation requirements.\n\nHowever, it had still been accessible via the web - although visitors had complained of being unable to create new accounts over the weekend, without which it was not possible to view its content.\n\nParler has been online since 2018, and may return if it can find an alternative host.\n\nHowever, chief executive John Matze told Fox News on Sunday that \"every vendor from text message services to email providers to our lawyers all ditched us too\".\n\n\"We're going to try our best to get back online as quickly as possible, but we're having a lot of trouble because every vendor we talk to says they won't work with us because if Apple doesn't approve and Google doesn't approve, they won't,\" he added.\n\nAWS's move is the latest in a series of actions affecting social media following the rioting on Capitol Hill last week.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Capitol riots: ‘We would have been murdered’\n\nFacebook and Twitter have also banned President Trump's accounts on their platforms, citing concerns that he might incite further violence.\n\nParler's users included the Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who had led an effort in the Senate to delay certifying Joe Biden's electoral college victory.\n\nHe had about five million followers on the platform - more than his tally on Twitter.\n\nParler's app now shows an error message and its website is offline\n\n\"Why should a handful of Silicon Valley billionaires have a monopoly on political speech?\" he tweeted over the weekend.\n\nParler's downfall appears to have benefited Gab - another \"free speech\" social network that is popular with far-right commentators.\n\nIt has claimed to have \"gained more users in the past two days than we did in our first two years of existing\".\n\nParler has long been a home for what you might call untouchables, people who had been excluded from mainstream services for offences such as blatant racism or incitement to violence.\n\nDuring a brief excursion onto the site over the weekend, I observed plenty of examples of such behaviour, with users exhibiting vile anti-Semitism, displaying Nazi symbols such as the swastika and uttering incoherent threats against those they perceive to be enemies of America.\n\nBut as Amazon's deadline approached something like panic took hold, with users desperately urging their followers to join them on other platforms.\n\nMost seemed to accept that Parler was doomed, while vowing to continue their fight elsewhere.\n\n\"Well this is the end,\" wrote one user, who proclaimed his support for the American Nazi Party.", "An ambulance had to be lifted out of the mud\n\nRescuers searching for victims of a landslide in Indonesia were buried by a second mudslide just hours later, officials say.\n\nThe first landslide, in Cihanjuang village, West Java, was triggered by torrential rain.\n\nAnother struck as survivors were still being evacuated. At least 12 people died and dozens more are missing.\n\nLandslides are common in Indonesia during rainy season, and often blamed on deforestation.\n\nThe latest disasters hit the villagers in Sumedang regency, about 150km (95 miles) southeast of the capital Jakarta, three and a half hours apart on Saturday.\n\nThe first happened at 16:00 (09:00 GMT) and the second at 19:30 (12:30 GMT), disaster agency spokesman Raditya Jati said in a statement.\n\n\"The first landslide was triggered by high rainfall and unstable soil conditions. The subsequent landslide occurred while officers were still evacuating victims around the first landslide area,\" he added.\n\nRescuers are believed to be among those killed, he added. A six-year-old boy was also among the dead, according to AFP news agency.\n\nSome 27 people were believed to be missing late on Sunday, local media quoted Deden Ridwansah, the head of the local search and rescue agency as saying. About 46 were known to have survived.\n\nBad weather had forced the search to be suspended, he said, but it was expected to resume on Monday.\n\nIndonesia frequently suffers floods and landslides. Thousands of people had to be evacuated in the capital Jakarta this time last year as the city was inundated.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n• None The fastest-sinking city in the world", "There are concerns about the cost of education for families reliant on mobile connections\n\nCustomers using BT Mobile, EE, and Plusnet Mobile can use BBC Bitesize content from the end of January without eating into their data allowance.\n\nBitesize provides structured lessons in maths and English for all year groups, as well as offering other curriculum material.\n\nContent from other providers is likely to be made free in the coming days.\n\nMore mobile companies are expected to follow suit in making such content free to use.\n\nThe current UK lockdowns mean most children are now learning from home.\n\nEducation Secretary Gavin Williamson has mandated that schools must provide between three and five hours of online content per day.\n\nThis has led to concerns that children in families without access to broadband could fall behind.\n\nSchools remain open for children classed as vulnerable and those whose parents are key workers.\n\nAll contract and pay-as-you-go customers of BT Mobile, EE and Plusnet Mobile will be eligible and the free package will continue while schools remain closed. No registration is required - the free access will happen automatically.\n\nBT has also asked the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish administrations to each suggest one online resource for schoolchildren in its regions, which it will also zero-rate, as the curriculums differ from English schools.\n\nAccording to UK media watchdog Ofcom, some 880,000 families are reliant solely on mobile connections, and many of those will have data limitations.\n\nBBC director general Tim Davie said: \"With the pandemic forcing schools to close again, we should not allow a lack of digital access to further impact children's education.\n\n\"The BBC will continue to do all we can to ensure every child, whatever their circumstances, can continue to access vital educational materials during this time.\"\n\nThe corporation is also running three hours of curriculum-based TV programmes alongside the BBC Bitesize collection of educational resources. Primary school programming will be on CBBC, with two hours for secondary pupils on BBC Two.\n\nDuring the first lockdown, content was available on iPlayer, Red Button services and online, but not on regular TV channels, although viewers in Scotland did have some programming.\n\nBT said the move was part of its wider Lockdown Learning programme.\n\nBT consumer brands chief executive Marc Allera said: \"We want to ensure that no child is left behind in their education as a result of this pandemic and recognise that we all have a role we can play to help families and carers continue their children's education while schools are closed.\"", "Kay and Kenneth Hayward said they felt the journey was too unsafe\n\nPeople waiting to receive the Covid-19 vaccine say they are confused by NHS letters inviting them to travel to centres miles away from their homes.\n\nThe first 130,000 letters have been sent to people aged 80 or older who live about 30 to 45 minutes' drive away from one of seven new regional centres.\n\nBut patients, many of whom are shielding, questioned why they had to travel so far in a pandemic.\n\nLocal jabs are available to people if they wait, the NHS said.\n\nThe seven centres include Ashton Gate in Bristol, Epsom racecourse in Surrey, London's Nightingale hospital, Newcastle's Centre for Life, the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre, Robertson House in Stevenage and Birmingham's Millennium Point.\n\nPeople will not miss out on their vaccination if they do not use the letters to make an appointment at one of the centres, the NHS said.\n\nTwo Labour MPs tweeted about their concerns about the letters being delayed in getting out to people due to coronavirus affecting Royal Mail staff.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Sarah Jones MP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMary McGarry from Leamington Spa in Warwickshire told BBC News that her letter points to an NHS online booking page which suggests she would have to take her husband, who has cancer and a lung disease, 20 miles to Birmingham.\n\n\"We're very reluctant to go into Birmingham city centre,\" she said.\n\n\"If we can't get somebody to take us, we'd have to go on the train but we're shielding because my husband's got poor health.... we want to know why we've got to travel that far?\"\n\nKay Hayward, from Whitwick in Leicestershire, said she went online to book an appointment for her 85-year-old husband Kenneth and was offered five different places including Widnes in Cheshire and Stevenage in Hertfordshire.\n\n\"I thought they must be joking... we talked about it and we thought it was actually safer to stay here and for him not not have it.\n\n130,000 letters have been sent out by NHS England so far\n\n\"But we were worried if we turned this down, we'd be off the list.. the letter doesn't say anything about having the vaccines anywhere else locally.\"\n\nAndrea Eaton, from Coventry, said she was so angry that her 81-year-old mother, who has heart problems and leukaemia, was offered Birmingham for her appointment that she attempted to ring Downing Street on Saturday night to complain.\n\nShe said she reached the press office and said: \"I want you to give Boris a message please that he has lied to the British public.\n\n\"He has told them they never need to go more than 10 miles... they were really rude and just put the phone down on me.\"\n\nAndrea Eaton said she wanted to get a message to Boris Johnson so rang Downing Street on Saturday evening\n\nA spokesperson from Number 10 told BBC News that they did not wish to comment, but wanted to remind the public to use the government website to write to the prime minister or contact their constituency MP.\n\nCouncillor Shaun Davies, the Labour leader at Telford and Wrekin Council in Shropshire, said he had been contacted by dozens of people who have found the letters misleading, thinking this is their only chance to get the vaccine.\n\nHe said he had spoken to Trafford Council and was aware of people in Shropshire being sent to Manchester and residents there being directed to Birmingham to get their jabs.\n\n\"For many people they have been told consistently to wait for the NHS to contact you in order to get a vaccine and that's what they've had for the first time as a piece of communication.\n\n\"This is really, really concerning for people in their 80s or 90s because of the importance of getting the vaccine.\"\n\nThe letters are not \"going to the heart\" of the public health message which is staying home and staying local, he said.\n\nMore than 500,000 letters will be sent out to homes offering people appointments at the centres over the next seven days\n\nDr Sarah Raistrick, from Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commission group (CCG), said people did not have to travel to the centres but admitted the letter did not make that clear.\n\n\"You can wait and be contacted by your local GP service and have it locally if you'd prefer.\n\n\"If you sit tight, you will be contacted and I'm hopeful that if you're 80 or over, by the end of this month you will have had your vaccination whether that is locally or whether you have chosen to travel,\" she said.\n\nWork will be done with the NHS locally and nationally to make that message clearer, she added.\n\nThe seven centres were chosen to give a geographical spread covering as many people as possible and are capable of delivering thousands of jabs per week, NHS England has said.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Hancock: We are willing to tighten the rules\n\nThe health secretary stresses the importance of the public following the restrictions of the current lockdown. Asked by Emily Morgan of ITV whether it was time to make the rules stricter amid reports of people not sticking to them at the weekend, Matt Hancock says: \"We keep these things under review and we have demonstrated that we're willing to tighten the rules if they need to be tightened. \"But the thing that really matters right here, right now is that everybody follows the rules as they are today. \"And everybody can play their part in doing that.\" He adds he applauds the action supermarket Morrisons has taken in enforcing the wearing of masks by its customers unless they have a medical reason. \"I want to see all parts of society playing their part in this,\" he says.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Professor Whitty: \"We need to really double down – this is everybody’s problem\"\n\nThe UK will go through the \"most dangerous time\" of the pandemic in the weeks before vaccine rollout has an impact, England's chief medical officer has warned.\n\nProf Chris Whitty urged people to minimise all unnecessary contact with others.\n\nThe next few weeks will be \"the worst\" of the pandemic for the NHS, he said.\n\nThousands more people are due to receive a vaccine this week after seven mass centres opened across England.\n\nNHS England said hundreds more GP-led and hospital services would also open later this week.\n\nBut with all centres, people will need to wait until they receive an invitation.\n\nThe government is aiming to offer vaccinations to around 15 million people in the UK - the over-70s, older care home residents and staff, frontline healthcare workers and the clinically extremely vulnerable - by mid-February.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock will set out the government's vaccine delivery plan at a news conference later.\n\nHe said the proposals would be the \"keystone of our exit out of the pandemic\".\n\nOutlining the vaccine rollout in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that ministers aim to give all over-80s the first dose of the vaccine over the next four weeks.\n\nThe Welsh Government plans to offer a vaccine to all over-50s and everyone who is at greater risk by spring.\n\nMr Hancock said on Sunday about two million people in the UK had been vaccinated so far.\n\nOver the weekend, the UK passed the milestone of 80,000 deaths with coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.\n\nCurrently, around one in 50 people across the UK is infected and Prof Whitty told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"There's a very high chance that if you meet someone unnecessarily they will have Covid.\"\n\nIn a separate interview with BBC One's Breakfast, he said: \"This is everybody's problem. Any single unnecessary contact you have with someone is a potential link in a chain of transmission that will lead to a vulnerable person.\"\n\nHe said there were over 30,000 people [in English hospitals alone] with Covid-19 - compared to about 18,000 [in England] at the peak last April.\n\nHe added that \"anybody who is not shocked\" by the number of people in hospital \"has not understood this at all\".\n\n\"This is an appalling situation,\" he said.\n\nIn Essex, Southend Hospital has had to reduce the amount of oxygen used to treat patients after supply \"reached a critical situation\", according to a document shared with the BBC.\n\nIn Surrey, a temporary mortuary has been opened as hospital mortuaries have reached capacity.\n\nAlmost 200 bodies are being stored at the emergency site, which is a former military hospital, and other local authorities have told the BBC they expect to open similar facilities soon.\n\nProf Stephen Powis, NHS England national medical director, said \"this is much bigger than the first wave back in April\".\n\n\"I don't think anyone in the NHS has known anything like this, this is a once-in-a-century pandemic,\" he said.\n\nProf Rupert Pearse, an intensive care doctor, told BBC Breakfast that in a \"normal\" winter it would be \"unlikely\" that more than three of four flu patients would need intensive care at any one time, but his unit is now running 130 intensive care beds because of the effects of Covid.\n\n\"To compare this to a normal winter flu epidemic is out of all proportion, it's orders of magnitude larger,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar lockdown measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nMinisters held two meetings on Sunday to discuss how to enforce the current lockdown measures more strictly and whether even tighter restrictions may be needed.\n\nBBC political correspondent Iain Watson said no decisions on further restrictions were taken as there was a desire within government to wait until reliable data on existing measures becomes available in 10 days.\n\nHowever, he added there had been a discussion on better enforcement of existing regulations, including at shops and workplaces.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer questioned why there are \"less restrictions in place\" now than there were last March.\n\nIn his first speech of the year, he said \"we need to see the evidence behind nurseries\" remaining open.\n\nAsked whether tighter restrictions were needed, he said: \"I do think it's time to hear from the scientists [about] what else could be done and that probably should be done in the next few hours\".\n\nThere is a lot of debate about whether the lockdown restrictions need to be tightened.\n\nThere are certainly some anomalies. For example, we are told to only leave the home for essential purposes, but coffee shops remain open for takeaways and retail shops for click-and-collect in England and Wales.\n\nHowever, even if those elements are tightened up, there is a limit to what the government can do. It is why, in his round of media interviews on Monday, Prof Whitty repeatedly talked about individual decision-making.\n\nThe mixing of different households continues. Some of it is allowed under the support bubble exemptions, but undoubtedly some of it is taking place outside of this. It is, after all, virtually impossible to police what goes on in people's homes.\n\nIt is why messaging is so important - and so ministers and officials are stressing the pressure the NHS is under. A further tightening of the restrictions could also help make the point.\n\nBut there is also a recognition this is hard. People are fatigued. A further crackdown could also erode goodwill.\n\nThe vaccination programme is described as the biggest in NHS history.\n\nThe seven mass testing sites, which NHS England said were chosen to give a geographical spread, are:\n\nThe new centres will each be capable of delivering thousands of vaccinations each week and will be followed by \"dozens more\" large-scale sites, NHS England said.\n\nThere will be about 1,200 vaccination sites when more GP-led and hospital services open later this week, along with the first pharmacy-led pilot sites, it added.\n\nSome vulnerable people have questioned why they have been asked to travel to centres miles away from their homes during a pandemic, but the NHS has said people would not miss out on their vaccination if they wait for an appointment at a centre closer to home in the coming weeks.\n\nVaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said nobody should be asked to travel more than 10 miles to get a vaccine once more centres open.\n\nAsked on Today why the centres were not open 24 hours a day, he said it was \"more convenient\" for older people to attend during the day.\n\n\"If we need to go to 24-hour work we will absolutely go to 24 hours a day to make sure we vaccinate as quickly as we can,\" he said.\n\nBut he cautioned: \"We are limited by the amount of vaccine that is coming through the system.\"\n\nPharmaceutical firm Boots said its first vaccination site was due to open later this week to offer the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab to the people most vulnerable.\n\nIt said sites in Huddersfield and Gloucester were planned to open in the coming weeks.\n\nTwo vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca - are currently being administered in the UK.\n\nOn Friday a third coronavirus vaccine - made by US company Moderna - was approved for use, although supplies are not expected to arrive until spring.\n\nAre you due to have a vaccination today? What has been your experience of receiving a vaccination? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "US president-elect Joe Biden has been given his new official presidential Twitter account, but has been forced to start it with zero followers.\n\nThe Biden campaign is unhappy with the move, which marks a change from the previous transition from Barack Obama.\n\nThe new account, @PresElectBiden, will transform into the official @POTUS (President of the United States) one on inauguration day on 20 January.\n\nIn its first six hours online it gained nearly 400,000 followers.\n\nHis team has also registered new accounts - @FLOTUSBiden for the future first lady, Jill Biden, and for the first time, @SecondGentleman, for Ms Harris's husband Doug Emhoff.\n\nDonald Trump inherited the Potus account's 13 million or so followers when it moved to him from Mr Obama - but that will not happen this time.\n\nMr Biden's team was told about the move less than a month ago, and said it meant \"the administration will have to start from zero\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Rob Flaherty This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by President-elect Biden This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTwitter has not explained why the decision was made, and said it had nothing further to add beyond an official blog post laying out transition plans.\n\nIn that post it said: \"These institutional accounts will not automatically retain the followers from the prior administration,\" without a reason why.\n\nBut it said that people who previously followed the official @POTUS and @VP (Vice-President) accounts, or the personal accounts of Mr Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris - would receive notifications giving them the option to follow the new official ones.\n\nMr Obama was the first US leader to have an official Twitter account. The @POTUS account was set up during his tenure in 2015.\n\nAt the end of his second term, a transition plan for handing over the official accounts to Mr Trump was drawn up - with @POTUS going to the new administration.\n\nAll of Mr Obama's official tweets were archived for posterity on a separate account, @POTUS44 (where they can still be read today).\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by President Obama This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTwitter said that the official @POTUS account under Mr Trump will be archived in a similar way, under @POTUS45. But Mr Trump rarely used that account, favouring his own Twitter handle.\n\nTwitter notably omitted any mention of the now-suspended @realDonaldTrump account, and declined to answer questions about whether its contents would be archived.\n\nThat is despite a declaration by the White House in 2017 that tweets from that account are considered official statements by the President.\n\nHowever, the US National Archives has already announced - through a tweet - that it will archive all social media content from that account, despite Twitter's lack of a commitment to doing so.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by US National Archives This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post 4 by US National Archives\n\nIt said that the White House has been using a special archiving tool to capture all content, including deleted tweets, because of the Presidential Records Act.\n\nThat is likely to result in a record system similar to The Obama White House Social Media Archive, built after the last transition.\n\nA key goal of the Obama transition was to preserve social media posts \"on the platforms where they were created\".\n\nBut Twitter has permanently suspended Mr Trump from its platform and it remains unclear if it will ever archive his account for posterity.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. UK weather: Will it snow where you are?\n\nSnow and ice weather warnings are in place for much of England and Scotland after widespread recent snowfall.\n\nThe Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings across England and Scotland for Saturday and warned of possible travel disruption.\n\nParts of England and Scotland could see as much as 5-10cm of snow in higher areas, the weather service said.\n\nIt comes as hundreds of schools remain closed after heavy snow hit the north of England on Thursday.\n\nA snow warning is in place for south-east England, including London, the east of England and the East Midlands. The Met Office said East Anglia and parts of Kent and Sussex are most at risk of snow.\n\nSome 1-3 cm of snow may fall fairly widely over these areas, with 5-10 cm possible in places, mostly over parts of East Anglia and any higher ground.\n\nA snow and ice warning is in place for most of Scotland, north-west and north-east England, Yorkshire and Humber, the East Midlands and parts of the West Midlands.\n\nSnow is likely to fall to low levels over east Scotland and northern England.\n\nThe Met Office said 1-3 cm is possible at low levels in these areas but is more likely at higher elevations, where 5-10 cm of snow is possible above 200m - and even 20cm at the highest places.\n\nFog is also forecast for parts of the Midlands and the North, along with mist around Glasgow which may pose hazards for motorists.\n\nPolice forces in Yorkshire have urged people to stay at home unless their travel is essential\n\nTwo girls took their sledge to a golf course near Penicuik, Midlothian\n\nThe coronavirus vaccine rollout has been affected by the weather.\n\nOver-80s who were due to receive their jab at Newcastle's Centre for Life were told they could re-book rather than risk making a trip in the icy conditions.\n\nNewcastle Hospitals tweeted: \"There's enough vaccine for everyone, so don't worry about making a trip to Newcastle.\"\n\nAnd Leeds University has delayed the opening of its asymptomatic Covid-19 test centre.\n\nHeavy snowfall has already caused travel disruption across sections of northern England and Scotland.\n\nTemperatures were as low as -6C on Friday morning in parts of Yorkshire and Cumbria, with yellow warnings set to last through most of Friday.\n\nThere was a loss of gas supply to approximately 700 homes in the Hebden Bridge area after water got into the local gas network and froze.\n\nThe Met Office has published advice from the Department for Transport advising people to clear snow and ice from footpaths outside their homes, preferably in the morning.\n\n\"You can then cover the path with salt before nightfall to stop it refreezing overnight,\" the advice says.\n\nTemperatures in the Greater London area are expected to drop to 1C on Friday and parts of the South East could fall to -2C.\n\nIt comes after \"hazardous\" conditions on Thursday caused problems for the ambulance service in Yorkshire, which struggled to keep up with the high demand, while Covid vaccinations were also affected.\n\nMark Millins, of Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said the bad weather was having a \"severe impact\" on its operations and urged people to \"take extra care\" when out walking or driving.\n\nIn Scotland, heavy snow in some areas resulted in road closures.\n\nThe deepest snow on Thursday was in Bingley, West Yorkshire, and Strathallan in Perth, Scotland, both of which recorded 11cm.", "The Daily Telegraph must publish a correction over a \"significantly misleading\" column written by Toby Young, press regulator Ipso has ruled.\n\nThe July 2020 article claimed the common cold could provide \"natural immunity\" to Covid-19 and London was \"probably approaching herd immunity\".\n\nBut on Thursday Ipso found the paper had \"failed to take care not to publish inaccurate and misleading information\".\n\nIpso said the paper \"did not accept it has breached the [Editors] Code\".\n\nIt said the newspaper said that Young's comments on immunity referred to \"cross-reactive T-cells\" that work to combat the virus.\n\nHowever, the media watchdog sided with the complainant, James Whitehead, in its decision, who said that while these cells \"may lessen the impact of Covid-19\" after infection, they \"would not confer 'natural immunity'\"\n\nThe ruling added Young's statement \"misrepresented the nature of immunity\".\n\nIpso also found Young's suggestion that \"London is probably approaching herd immunity, even though only 17% tested positive [for antibodies] in the most recent seroprevalence survey\" could be misleading.\n\nThere is an antibody response and a cellular response to the coronavirus\n\nThe Telegraph referred to surveys listed in an article on Young's own Lockdown Sceptics website in its defence, but the Ipso committee judged these did not accurately reflect \"how herd immunity is reached and whether it exists in London\".\n\nThe ruling concluded that the paper had breached accuracy standards on a topic of \"public importance\", but deemed a correction an appropriate sanction, given the level of \"significant scientific uncertainty\" at the time of publication.\n\nYoung told the BBC: \"I think Ipso has been put in a difficult position because our scientific understanding of the virus is constantly evolving and there is a great deal about it that scientists still disagree about.\n\n\"While some of the things I wrote in that article would be contested by some scientists, they would be confirmed by others... Have we achieved herd immunity in London? I think that's an open question and the 'case' data is unreliable because of the well-documented shortcomings of the PCR test.\n\n\"I may have been over-emphatic in putting the anti-lockdown case, but it's not as if the advocates of a pro-lockdown position are any less emphatic.\n\n\"Don't forget the WHO initially estimated the global IFR [infection fatality rate] of Covid-19 at 3.4%. The consensus now is that it's less than 1% and almost certainly a lot less. Lots of journalists faithfully reported that alarmist figure. Why hasn't Ipso reprimanded them?\"\n\nLast week Young told BBC Newsnight that some of his claims from an article he wrote in June had been \"wrong\", where he had said a second spike of Covid-19 had \"refused to materialise\" and that one-metre rule is \"unnecessary\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by BBC Newsnight This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAt the start of the year, Young, an associate editor at The Spectator and general secretary of the Free Speech Union, installed an app that auto-deletes tweets more than a week old.\n\nHe said he did so to protect against \"politically-motivated offence archaeologists\" - a move unrelated to the Ipso ruling.\n\nReacting to criticism of his past comments on coronavirus from Neil O'Brien, Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, after the deletion, Young then tweeted a defence of his stance against lockdowns.\n\n\"This is an important public debate to have,\" he wrote, \"both because it helps us assess the present government's management of the pandemic and because it will help us prepare better for the next one.\"\n\nThe UK entered a second national lockdown last week in a bid to control spiralling virus infection rates. On Wednesday, the UK saw its biggest daily death figure since the start of the pandemic, with 1,564 deaths.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The TikTok clip was reported to police by Network Rail\n\nA TikTok stunt featuring a car parked on a level crossing has been branded \"staggeringly stupid\".\n\nThe \"reckless\" social media post, recorded on the line at Bromley Cross, Bolton, showed a camera and tripod set up on the railway to record the scene.\n\nAn accompanying caption asked viewers: \"Would you take the risk to get the shot no-one else would?\"\n\nInsp Becky Warren, from British Transport Police, said: \"No picture or video is worth risking your life for.\"\n\nNetwork Rail, which reported the footage after it appeared on the video-sharing app, blasted the \"staggeringly stupid and dangerous\" clip.\n\nIt issued a reminder that trespassing on railway lines is against the law.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by ManchesterPiccadilly This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nNorth West route director Phil James said using the tracks \"as a backdrop for a photo shoot beggars belief\".\n\n\"Lives could so easily have been lost by this reckless behaviour,\" he said.\n\nInsp Warren added: \"There is simply no excuse for not following safety procedures at level crossings. The behaviour shown by the individuals in this video is incredibly dangerous and reckless.\"\n\nMany instances of trespass involve people using railway lines as backdrops for selfies and even wedding photos.\n\nLast year, Network Rail and British Transport Police launched a You vs. Train campaign to highlight the issue of young people trespassing.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Pre-departure Covid-19 testing will now be required for everyone travelling to England from 04:00 GMT on Monday.\n\nThe rules had been due to come into force on Friday, but the government said people needed time \"to prepare\".\n\nThose arriving by plane, train or boat, including UK nationals, will have to take a test up to 72 hours before leaving the country they are in.\n\nAnyone arriving from places not on the UK's travel corridor list must still self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nThe Scottish government is planning to impose the same rules and has had to defer them coming into effect as a result of changes in England.\n\n\"This meant Scotland was also obliged to delay implementation as we need sight of their final regulations in order to properly draft and approve the relevant Scottish regulations,\" a spokeswoman said.\n\nIt is expected the requirement will come into force in Scotland at 04:00 GMT on Monday as well. Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to announce plans for pre-arrival testing in the coming days.\n\nAnnouncing the deferral on Twitter, Transport Secretary Mr Shapps said: \"To give international arrivals time to prepare, passengers will be required to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test before departure to England from Monday 18 January at 4am.\"\n\nHe also reminded travellers to fill out the Passenger Locator Form - used in track and trace - and added that those without proof of a negative test faced a fine of £500.\n\nProblems with testing availability and capacity mean some countries will initially be exempt.\n\nFor instance, the requirement will not apply to travellers from St Lucia, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda until 04:00 GMT on 21 January.\n\nTravellers from Falkland Islands, Ascension Islands and St Helena are exempted permanently.\n\nHauliers are exempt to allow the free flow of freight, as are air, international rail and maritime crew.\n\nThe government has said all forms of PCR test will be accepted, as will other forms of test with \"97% specificity, 80% sensitivity\".\n\nThe move comes as a further 1,564 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began.\n\nWednesday's figure brings the total number of deaths by that measure to 84,767.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said there had now been more deaths in the second wave than the first.\n\nMeanwhile on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was \"concerned\" about a new coronavirus variant that is believed to have emerged in Brazil.\n\nHe acknowledged it was not yet clear how effective existing vaccines would be against the latest new variant.\n\nMr Johnson said the UK was taking steps to make sure it was not brought into the country.\n\nA government Covid committee is meeting on Thursday to discuss the possibility of stopping flights from Brazil.\n\nArrivals from Brazil already have to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nAre you due to travel back to the UK from Brazil? Share your experience. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Post-primary schools have been given extra time to decide how they will admit pupils in 2021 following the cancellation of transfer tests.\n\nOn Wednesday the AQE said it would not hold any transfer tests in the 2020-21 school year.\n\nThey had originally planned to go ahead with a test in late February after cancelling tests in January.\n\nThe other test provider, PPTC, had also previously announced it would not hold tests this year.\n\nAttention will now focus especially on what criteria grammar schools will use to select pupils.\n\nSome have already published what criteria they would use in the event transfer tests were cancelled but it is not clear if those will now change.\n\nAll post-primaries were to submit their admissions criteria to the Education Authority (EA) by this Friday.\n\nBut following the AQE's move the Department of Education (DE) has written to schools to tell them they do not have to provide criteria to the EA until Friday 22 January.\n\n\"This will allow them to meet the statutory deadline for publication on their website of 2 February 2021,\" the DE letter said.\n\n\"I would also remind you that boards of governors should ensure that any admissions criteria are robust and are able to clearly and objectively rank order applicants.\"\n\nIt is unclear how most grammar schools who have used transfer tests to select pupils in previous years will admit children in 2021.\n\nPatrick Allen, principal of Foyle College in Londonderry, said his school's board of governors was now working to determine this year's admissions criteria.\n\n\"This is and continues to be an exceptional year. It is a very difficult circumstance,\" he said.\n\n\"We are trying to do the best and what is right for as many pupils as possible in looking at various permutations and combinations of criteria\".\n\nEducation Minister Peter Weir said it was \"a very disappointing day\" for many families.\n\n\"The transfer test, while it has never been about being compulsory for either a school or indeed an individual parent, does enable a level of parental choice and that has been dramatically reduced as a result of that,\" he told Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.\n\n\"But sadly what we have seen is for this year, the pandemic has prevented those transfer tests taking place, and I am very disappointed and entirely understand the disappointment and frustration of many families today.\"\n\nMr Weir said there had been \"a lack of consistency\" from AQE.\n\n\"I don't think the way things have worked out from AQE's point of view, particularly over the last couple of weeks, have been particularly helpful,\" he said.\n\nThe minister also apologised for \"clumsy language\" in a statement he issued on Wednesday night.\n\nWriting on Twitter about the cancellation of the transfer test, Mr Weir said: \"This severely limits parental choice and children's opportunities.\"\n\n\"There was no adverse intention towards non-selective schools,\" he said in relation to his tweet.\n\n\"I think both selective and non-selective schools have got excellent records in Northern Ireland.\"\n\n\"But once the opportunities for entry to any school is reduced then that is a reduction in opportunities for all.\"\n\nUUP MLA Robbie Butler has proposed that pupils' results in tests in primary schools could be given to parents and then used by grammar schools to decide which children get a place.\n\nMr Butler said that he had some favourable responses from some grammars and some primary schools to that proposal.\n\n\"Whilst I don't think my solution is absolutely perfect I do believe it to be absolutely fair and absolutely compassionate,\" he told MLAs on the committee.\n\n\"We have the genesis of a solution for these P7 pupils.\"\n\nBut, speaking on Wednesday, Mr Weir replied that there were issues with that approach.\n\n\"There are very major problems, I'm being honest with you, in terms of the models that have been put forward for academic selection without the test,\" he said.\n\nThe minister said it would be difficult to get comparable information for pupils across all primaries.\n\n\"While it's not entirely ruling out those and there is the option for schools to do it, it does leave them in a very difficult position making comparability between pupils on a fair basis,\" he said", "Police said Graeme Perks had gone to investigate the sound of breaking glass when he was stabbed\n\nPlastic surgeons have expressed shock at the stabbing of \"one of the most highly regarded and respected surgeons\" in their profession.\n\nGraeme Perks, 65, was stabbed in his abdomen and chest during a break-in at his house in Halam, a village near Southwell in Nottinghamshire.\n\nPolice said the attack on Thursday morning had left him \"fighting for his life\" and left his family, who were upstairs at the time, \"extremely upset\".\n\nGraeme Perks has been described as \"one of the most highly regarded and respected surgeons in the profession\"\n\nMr Perks previously served as president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS).\n\nCurrent president Ruth Waters said BAPRAS had been contacted by colleagues all around the world as news of the attack spread.\n\n\"All have expressed their shock at what has happened and also their deep concern for his wellbeing and their hope for his speedy recovery,\" she said.\n\n\"It has been my good fortune and honour to know Graeme for many years. I have benefited from his kindness, generosity and extensive knowledge throughout my career in plastic surgery.\"\n\nBAPRAS described him as \"one of the most highly regarded and respected surgeons in the profession\".\n\nAs well as being a leading plastic surgeon, Mr Perks and his wife have raised thousands of pounds for charity by opening their garden to visitors. They were previously featured on BBC Radio Nottingham after raising more than £34,000.\n\nPolice were still outside the house in Halam more than 24 hours later\n\nPolice said Mr Perks had gone to investigate the sound of breaking glass at about 04:15 GMT, after an intruder is believed to have smashed his way into the house.\n\nThey said Mr Perks was stabbed and the suspect ran off.\n\nMr Perks was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham for surgery, where he remains in a serious condition.\n\nDet Insp Gayle Hart, who is leading the investigation, said: \"The swift arrest of this suspect we hope will provide some reassurance to local residents.\n\n\"This is a horrific incident which has left a man fighting for his life and his family who were upstairs at the time are extremely shocked and upset by the ordeal.\"\n\nMr Perks has served as president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS)\n\nMr Perks has previously worked in London, Sheffield, Newcastle and Melbourne, Australia.\n\nHe returned to the UK in the mid-1990s and started working in Nottingham, with a special interest in microsurgical reconstruction after cancer surgery.\n\nHe later became head of the department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.\n\nOutgoing BAPRAS president Mark Henley said: \"Graeme is an amazing colleague who it has been my pleasure and privilege to work with over the last 26 years.\n\n\"His dedication to patients, family and friends is an inspiration to us all and with his wisdom, kindness and humanity he has enabled us to achieve many things that I would never have thought possible. We are all willing him on.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Scottish fishermen have resorted to sailing to Denmark to land their catch as Brexit red tape continues to delay exports, an industry body has said.\n\nThe Scottish Fishermen's Federation, which campaigned to leave the EU, also said the Brexit trade deal was the worst of both worlds for the industry.\n\nMany fishermen \"now fear for their future\", it said.\n\nThe UK government said the deal would \"bring immediate gains to our fishermen and women across the whole UK\".\n\nLate last year, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) said it was \"deeply aggrieved\" by the Brexit deal.\n\nFishing firms have also warned of impending bankruptcy as delays continue at ports following the introduction of post-Brexit regulations.\n\nOn Friday, the SFF kept up the pressure on the UK government.\n\nIn a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, it said some fishermen \"are now making a 72-hour round trip to land fish in Denmark, as the only way to guarantee that their catch will make a fair price and actually find its way to market while still fresh enough to meet customer demands\".\n\nQuotas are used by many countries to manage shared fish stocks. They determine how many fish of each species each country's fleets are allowed to catch.\n\nThe SFF said that Brexit quota gains \"can hardly be claimed as a resounding success\" and that the Brexit deal \"actually leaves the Scottish industry in a worse position on more than half of the key stocks\".\n\n\"This industry now finds itself in the worst of both worlds,\" said SFF chief executive Elspeth Macdonald, accusing Prime Minister Boris Johnson of broken promises on quotas.\n\nThe \"desperately poor deal\" reached on quotas, under which the EU \"have full access to our waters\" means that the UK has \"no ability to leverage more fish from the EU\", she said.\n\n\"This, coupled with the chaos experienced since 1 January in getting fish to market, means that many in our industry now fear for their future, rather than look forward to it with optimism and ambition,\" Ms Macdonald added.\n\nThe Scottish National Party said the letter was \"an utterly devastating verdict on Brexit from Scotland's fishing industry\".\n\nAn SNP spokesperson said the Scottish fishing industry was \"right to be angry\" about the Brexit deal, which it said was costing Scotland's fishing communities millions of pounds.\n\nThe spokesman called on the prime minister to deliver \"a multi-billion pound package of Brexit compensation for Scotland\", adding: \"Communities across Scotland will never forgive the Tories for the damage they are doing to our country with their extreme Brexit obsession.\"\n\nA UK government spokesperson said the Prime Minister would respond to the SFF letter in due course.\n\nThe spokesperson said: \"We have now taken back control of our waters and the agreement we have reached with the EU secures a 25% transfer of quota from EU to UK vessels over five years, starting with 15% this year.\"\n\nThe spokesperson said the government was looking at providing additional financial support for the Scottish fishing industry, which it recognised was facing \"some temporary issues\".\n\n\"The Prime Minister has already committed to investing £100m in the UK's fishing industry and provided the Scottish government with nearly £200m to minimise disruption for businesses,\" the spokesperson added.", "A selection of your pictures of Scotland sent in between 8 and 15 January. Send your photos to scotlandpictures@bbc.co.uk. Please ensure you adhere to the BBC's rules regarding photographs that can be found here.\n\nPlease also ensure you follow current coronavirus guidelines and take your pictures safely and responsibly.\n\nConditions of use: If you submit an image, you do so in accordance with the BBC's terms and conditions.\n\nThe hills are alive: This impressive shot of 11-year-old Hamish at sunrise up the Pentland Hills, with the snow starting to be blown off the peak, was captured by dad Andy Dryden.\n\nMinus coo degrees: \"Hardy Highlander at Abriachan\" is how Gordon Bain described his photo.\n\nRed sky thinking: \"I always walk the dog to catch the sunrise and to gather my thoughts before attempting to juggle home schooling of my two primary school kids with working from home and looking after a toddler\", says Mairi Brittan at Cammo Estate, Edinburgh.\n\nRobin red brrr-east: Graham Laird spotted a little feathered friend not looking entirely delighted while taking a breather in the cold in his garden in Wishaw.\n\nUp at the crack of dawn: \"The Beveridge Park pond in Kirkcaldy looking rather icy\", says John Pow.\n\nAn uphill struggle: It's all downhill from here - but in a fun way - for three-year-old Zachary in King's Park, Glasgow.\n\nFire and ice: \"Taken at Dunbar harbour, East Lothian, in the snowfall on the way to work\", says Rowan Davies.\n\nAbbey thoughts: \"Jedburgh Abbey on a crisp January morning\", says Alan Morrison. \"The sun was captured just as it shone through\".\n\nSon rise: Jeanette Taylor says her two boys loved the adventure of getting up early to see the sun come up at Aberdeen beach. \"A chilly visit but oh so worth it\", she says.\n\nLight on her feet: \"As keen figure skaters my daughter Ada (pictured) and I have had an amazing week skating outdoors on our local frozen pond near Glasgow\", says Helen Campbell. \"I was very careful to check it is safe to skate on first; the ice was absolutely solid\".\n\nFlagging up a beautiful sunrise: An Aberdeen morning, from Finlay Gray.\n\nWell-trained eye: \"My husband Kris took this picture of our 12-year-old son Finlay at our local running track in a Falkirk park with the Ochils in the background\", says Emma Horne. \"Finlay can’t play his beloved rugby at the moment due to Covid but is keeping as fit as he can in other ways\".\n\nA strange light in the sky: Joe Gillies captured this Glasgow scene, complete with reflected light shade, on his phone.\n\nSmiles more fun: First sledging experience for the happy pair of 16-month-old Annabel and 21-month-old Hugh in granny's garden, Isle of Skye, courtesy of Hermione Lamond.\n\nThe gloves are off: \"A walk up Culter Fell (near Biggar), in near-Arctic conditions\", says Chris Green.\n\nPark life: Mark McGuire captured Queen's Park in Glasgow looking like a winter wonderland.\n\nSpecial branch: \"I have seen the Kingfisher darting by on the River Carron over the last two years\", says Paul Ross. \"This is the first time I have managed to get a sharpish image\".\n\nTrees frame: Carole Brunton captured this calming, if cold, scene at home in East Neuk, Fife.\n\nCold feet: \"A coot on one of Dundee's frozen Stobsmuir ponds\", from Sandy Forbes.\n\nHaving the foggiest idea: \"An image of atmospheric fog as it envelops Paisley\", says Gary Chittick. \"Hardly a single recognisable part of Glasgow could be seen\".\n\nSniffer dog: \"Ollie, our 12-week-old cockapoo pup, experiences snow for the first time\" says Iain Clow. \"Lockdown garden fun in East Kilbride\".\n\n... and it seems they never learn! \"Zizou enjoying his sunny snowy morning walk at the river Spey in Knockando\", says Colin Coutts.\n\nI love Arran: \"My wife and I stopped at the top of Fairlie Moor Road, looked back, and this is what we saw\", explains Phil Cowling.\n\nOutstanding in its field: \"Look who we spotted on our walk\", says Ruth Moss. \"He was very bold - wish we’d had something to feed him\".\n\nWatercolour art: \"This is a photo of the Ythan in the centre of Ellon\", says Andy Leonard. \"The colour of the sky is reflected in the water - I used a slow shutter speed to emphasise the water movement.\"\n\nHatman and robin: \"After an overnight fall of snow, Frosty and his friendly robin return to a Glasgow garden\", says John McQueeney.\n\nSmall wonder: \"These mini snowmen on the Prince of Wales Bridge in Kelvingrove Park brightened up a dull and foggy day\", says Geoff Der.\n\nOne man and his dog: \"Snowy walk with my husband and rescue dog Nico\", says Laura Johnstone in Airdrie.\n\nSpot the ball: \"Haggs Castle golf course is closed - maybe!\", says Alan Crozier.\n\nSolar energy: Robert Young's sunset shot from Chapelton looking towards Whitelee wind farm features all sorts of power.\n\nTwo for the price of one: \"Duck!\" could have been the cry from this heron in flight over a fellow bird at the River Avon, Hamilton, as seen by Wilma Phillips.\n\nRoom with a view: A nicely-framed sunset from Audrey Philpott of Skene, Aberdeenshire.\n\nBonnie picture: Sharon Donald was walking Bonnie the collie when she took this shot near Spean Bridge.\n\nKeep it in the family: Derek Warrander making sure lockdown learning is music to the ears of Jessica, 11, and three-year-old Matthew in Aberdeenshire, courtesy of Caseydee Warrander.\n\nFeeling on top of the world: The Cobbler sunset, from Tomasz Zajac.\n\nIce to see you: \"A photo of my husband, Stephen, and Sophie, through a sheet of ice which they then had great fun smashing\", says Leigh Titterington in Menstrie, Clackmannanshire.\n\nSpace station: All quiet outside Glasgow Central, courtesy of Eva Brodie.\n\nSnow angel: \"Exploring a winter wonderland with my daughter Cora at Tyrebagger woods just outside Aberdeen\", says Katherine Blum.\n\nTaps aff: \"Hope this brings a smile to your face\", says Stewart Paul in Cruden Bay. It certainly did!\n\nPlease ensure that the photograph you send is your own and if you are submitting photographs of children, we must have written permission from a parent or guardian of every child featured (a grandparent, auntie or friend will not suffice).\n\nIn contributing to BBC News you agree to grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to publish and otherwise use the material in any way, including in any media worldwide.\n\nHowever, you will still own the copyright to everything you contribute to BBC News.\n\nAt no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe the law.\n\nYou can find more information here.\n\nAll photos are subject to copyright.", "Doctors fear the impact of the lockdown and school closures could worsen child obesity\n\nThe health board with the worst child obesity rates in Wales is setting up a unit to tackle the issue.\n\nData from the Child Measurement Programme showed 30.3% of four and five-year-olds in north Wales measured as overweight or obese.\n\nThe Welsh average is 26.4%, but doctors fear this could worsen in the pandemic.\n\nBetsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is recruiting a dietetic lead for a new children's healthy weight management service.\n\nThe service is not being launched directly because of the pandemic, but there are fears lockdowns and school closures could compound the problem.\n\nDr Naomi Simmons, consultant paediatrician at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, said: \"I do fear that the pandemic will contribute to an exacerbation of what's already a really, really significant problem.\n\n\"Whilst we're pleased that children are not suffering the acute effects of Covid in the same way as older patients are, on the whole, it's the long-term effects of the country being in this pandemic that we're worried about in terms of the long-term health of these children.\n\n\"It's that lack of routine, it's being out of school, and not being able to access their usual forms of physical activity.\"\n\nDaniel, from Denbighshire - not his real name - is the father of a six-year-old girl who was referred to Dr Simmons's clinic when a GP became concerned about her weight two years ago. She is still under the care of the clinic.\n\nHe said: \"We presumed we were feeding her correctly. She was getting fruit, veg, home-cooked meals. But I think our issue was, we kind of let her have treats, like chocolates and sweets.\n\n\"To be told the news [that she was obese], it was horrible. We were very upset. We were kind of angry about it - we didn't see a problem in her, we didn't believe she was overweight or obese. We were both asking what we had done wrong as parents - we gave her fruit, vegetables, home-cooked meals... we were asking ourselves, 'how have we failed as parents?'\"\n\nWith support from Dr Simmons, his daughter made \"great progress\" and lost weight, he said. Previous signs of health issues such as liver problems had improved. Then the pandemic struck and the country went into its first lockdown, followed by the firebreak, then the current lockdown.\n\nExperts said they feared the impact of children not being able to take part in their usual physical activity\n\nDespite making efforts to keep active and eat healthily, Daniel has seen the gradual effects on his daughter, both physically and mentally.\n\n\"It had a bad effect on her, and not just the weight - mental health-wise it's also affected her. She's six years old and is worried about being around other people in the street,\" he said.\n\n\"In years to come, Covid will be gone, we'll have control of it. But obesity, that's the issue that's going to be prolonged.\n\n\"The long-term mental health impact really scares me - not just for my daughter, but for so many other children.\"\n\nDr Simmons said increasing rates of childhood obesity in recent years meant experts were treating more children with conditions normally associated with adults.\n\n\"Even children as young as primary school age, I'm seeing those children with fatty liver changes for example, as a result of their obesity. We're seeing them with high blood pressure and we're seeing children and young people developing type 2 diabetes and many more with pre-diabetic states because of their obesity.\"\n\nDoctors said they were seeing primary school children with high blood pressure\n\nShe revealed her youngest patient was only a year old and encouraged families to get their children \"used to being fit and healthy and consuming a healthy diet\".\n\n\"It's lack of exercise, it's the sedentary lifestyle that we as a nation are sadly embracing these days,\" she added.\n\nIf children remain overweight and remain obese into adolescence, they have an 80% chance of being obese into adulthood, said Dr Simmons.\n\nShe said she hoped the new service would give \"the very best chance of turning things around\".\n\nSteven Grayston, Betsi Cadwaladr health board's assistant area director of therapy services, said the health board had been working for the past five years to develop its obesity services.\n\n\"This is a specialist weight management service for children who are already obese,\" he said.\n\n\"We want to stop them becoming obese, therefore we want to develop preventative services as well as treatment services.\n\n\"We're very concerned about the impact of Covid and the pandemic on children's activity levels, certainly in terms of team-based sports and access to leisure facilities - particularly things like swimming, which we know children enjoy.\n\n\"We're concerned that children just aren't getting out of the house and doing things, and the impact that'll have and the knock-on effect on obesity levels in the future, as children are just less active and less interested in doing those activities.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government said: \"We will shortly be publishing a revised delivery plan for Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales for 2021-22, which will focus on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on children and families.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Gerry and Barbara Jarrett were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 two weeks ago\n\nAn elderly couple with coronavirus have been helped by a hospital to say their last goodbyes to each other after the wife's condition deteriorated.\n\nGerry and Barbara Jarrett, from Bracknell, Berkshire, are in separate wards at Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey.\n\nTheir daughter Chloe, who posted a picture of one reunion on Twitter, said her mother \"looked to be at the end\".\n\nShe said her parents had \"precious\" extra time together thanks to the hospital's \"incredible\" efforts.\n\nMrs Keljarrett said her 79-year-old father and mother, 76, who have been together for 50 years, were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 two weeks ago.\n\nOn Tuesday she posted: \"In the midst of a pandemic peak, staff (namely a consultant, a surgeon and a HCA) at FPH just made sure my dad saw my mum for what is likely the last time.\"\n\nShe said another meeting happened on Wednesday when \"mum looked to be at the end\".\n\nFrimley Park Hospital said the reunions were the sort of \"care that matters the most\"\n\nShe said: \"Dad was wheeled in, crying, touched her hand and her eyes flew open. She was awake and bright and could talk.\n\n\"We got a precious extra hour or two before her breathing got worse again and got to say what we wanted.\n\n\"All thanks to the staff who made these meetings possible. In current times I just find that incredible.\"\n\nMrs Keljarrett, a teacher at The Brakenhale School, said her father was \"showing signs of improvement but has a very long journey to complete\".\n\n\"He has a number of other health issues that will make recovery that bit trickier, but I have to remain positive that he will overcome this horrendous virus,\" she added.\n\nShe said she had met hospital workers who were \"pulling unexpected double shifts\" due to short-staffing.\n\n\"How they are managing such compassion when they are stretched to their emotional and physical limits I do not know,\" she added.\n\nResponding to Mrs Keljarrett's Twitter post, the hospital wrote: \"Our hearts go out to you and your family.\n\n\"We are so glad that our staff managed to make this time just a little bit easier for you all.\n\n\"This truly is some of the care we give that matters the most.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "UK meat exporters have claimed post-Brexit customs systems are \"not fit for purpose\", with goods delayed for hours, sometimes days, at the border.\n\nThe British Meat Processor Association said even experienced exporters were struggling with the system.\n\nIt said meat exports to the EU were 25% of normal levels for this time of year.\n\nOne large French meat importer told the BBC that he and his competitors were starting to look at alternative suppliers in Spain and Ireland.\n\nThe BBC has contacted the government for comment.\n\nNick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processor Association, said: \"Fundamentally, this is not a system that was designed for a 24/7, just-in-time supply chain.\n\n\"The export health certification process was designed for moving containers of frozen meat around the world where you have a bit of leeway on time.\n\n\"No matter how much better we get at filling in the forms, it's really not fit for purpose. This is going back to the dark ages in terms of a process really, in this digital age.\"\n\nHe added \"It's going to be a problem for quite a time until we move forward and hopefully get a better digital system in place and can make it work a bit better, but until then, we've got to put up with all this paperwork and lorries arriving in Ireland with box files full of paper.\"\n\nRizvan Khalid, a lamb exporter based in Shropshire, cannot afford to get the paperwork wrong.\n\nHis company, Euro Quality Lambs, exports 70% of its meat to the EU, including France, Germany, Belgium and Portugal. He says what was once a once well-oiled machine now has a spanner in it.\n\n\"What used to take us 15 minutes is now taking us three or four hours on average before we can get the paperwork completed for one particular load,\" he says.\n\n\"It's taking them [on the French side] up to six hours to go through the health certificates, to open up the lorry and check the goods.\n\n\"All of that is adding time and costs. It's now an extra day before our product gets into the markets of Paris.\"\n\nMeanwhile, some buyers in the EU are losing patience and are beginning to consider other options.\n\nFrancis Ochoa's meat company, Fory Viandes, is based in one of the world's biggest fresh produce markets - the Rungis market, south of Paris.\n\n\"The delays and extra costs mean me and my competitors in the market are obliged to start looking for other solutions,\" he says.\n\n\"One of the solutions unfortunately is to try produce from other countries, Spain for instance. Some of our competitors are ordering lambs from Ireland instead of the UK, so the consequences for UK meat and UK lambs could be disastrous.\"\n\nDown at the international freight checkpoint in Ashford, near the entrance to the Eurotunnel, customs consultant Steve Cocks gave a downbeat assessment.\n\n\"The temporary border post lorry park is full, roads are being closed off and lorries are being sent back to the Covid testing site to hold them there,\" he said.\n\n\"Last week wasn't much to write home about as it was very quiet, but volumes are building and it's just going to get worse. Exports are grinding to a halt and that will affect imports, but if you are a haulier. you don't want to get a lorry stuck on this side of the Channel.\"\n\nAfter decades of friction-free trade, there are bound to be teething problems. Indeed, the government predicted that there would be \"significant additional disruption\" as traders, officials and customers became accustomed to new procedures.\n\nHowever, some things cannot \"bed in\" and will become permanent features. HMRC estimates the additional cost to UK business of bog-standard customs declarations alone at £7bn.\n\nWhen buyers and sellers want to trade, they will find a way, but significant additional cost and complexity is here to stay.", "Patients have been arriving in a steady flow at a community pharmacy in Llanbedrog, Gwynedd, the first in Wales to offer coronavirus vaccines by appointment.\n\nRosie Bennett, who lives in the village Pwllheli, said: “I’m 82 and don’t have a car, so it was a huge relief to know that I wouldn’t have to travel a long distance to have the vaccine.\n\n“Here in the village, we know the staff at the chemists. They’ve been doing a great job during the pandemic and it’s reassuring to have the vaccine from someone you know.\n\n“And it’s a huge relief to be vaccinated. The last few months haven’t been easy for any of us and hopefully today is another small step towards a better future.”\n\nSteffan John, pharmacist on duty, gave Rosie the vaccine and said: “as pharmacists, we give out flu vaccines regularly, so we’re used to organising clinics like this.\n\n“We’re really pleased to do our bit for our community.\n\n“We have had extra training for today, and we also have to make sure there are enough appointments on the list.\n\n\"The vaccine comes in vials of ten doses, so it’s important to vaccinate that many people at a time and not to waste any.”", "Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has denied reports that his department is planning to dilute UK workers' rights.\n\nIt comes after the Financial Times said some protections brought in under EU law - such as the 48-hour limit on the working week - could be scrapped.\n\nNew rules on rest breaks and changes to how holiday pay is calculated from overtime could be proposed, it added.\n\nBut Mr Kwarteng insisted he wanted to \"protect and enhance workers' rights going forward, not row back on them\".\n\nIn a social media post, he said that the UK \"has one of the best workers' rights records in the world - going further than the EU in many areas.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Kwasi Kwarteng This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nLabour said the newspaper report suggested the government was out of step with public feeling on workplace rules.\n\nShadow business secretary Ed Miliband said: \"These proposals are not about cutting red tape for businesses but ripping up vital rights for workers. They should not even be up for discussion.\"\n\nThe FT said the proposals were being drawn up with the approval of Downing Street, but that they hadn't yet been approved by ministers or cabinet.\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"We have absolutely no intention of lowering the standards of workers' rights.\n\n\"The UK has one of the best workers' rights records in the world, and it is well known that the UK goes further than the EU in many areas.\n\n\"Leaving the EU allows us to continue to be a standard setter and protect and enhance UK workers' rights.\"\n\nWhen the UK left the EU it retained many of its laws, but it is now able to change them.\n\nOne aspect of EU employment regulation is the EU's Working Time Directive.\n\nIt governs the hours employees in the EU can be asked to work. This must not exceed 48 hours on average, including any overtime.\n\nBut employees can choose to opt out of the 48-hour week, if they often work overtime in roles in the emergency services, for example.\n\nIn the 2019 Queen's Speech outlining the government's agenda for the coming parliamentary session, changes in employment law were promised.\n\nA new Employment Bill is expected to be published in 2021. One issue it is thought it will address is over the distribution of tips.\n\nTUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady urged the prime minister to \"make good on his promises to his voters\" on Friday.\n\n\"The best way to do that is to bring forward the long-awaited Employment Bill, to make sure everyone is treated fairly at work,\" she said.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 GMT.\n\nA ban on travellers from South America entering the UK has come into force, amid fears over a potentially more contagious coronavirus variant identified in Brazil. The ban also applies to Portugal and Cape Verde - off West Africa - because of their links to Brazil, along with Panama in southern Central America. British and Irish citizens, and foreign nationals with residence rights, are exempt but must isolate for 10 days on entering the UK. Find out which other countries are subject to a UK travel ban.\n\nThe UK economy shrank by 2.6% in November as lockdown restrictions reduced economic activity, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. The closure of businesses such as pubs, hairdressers and many shops meant the services sector shrank by 3.4%. The setback came after sixth consecutive months of growth, with the ONS saying UK gross domestic product at the end of November was 8.5% below its pre-pandemic peak.\n\nConcerns over child poverty have been raised throughout the pandemic, with a focus on school food vouchers, holiday meal provision and food parcels. Now campaigning Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford has been joined by celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Tom Kerridge and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and actress Dame Emma Thompson, in backing charities' calls for a review to \"fix\" the free school meals policy. Downing Street insists \"no child will ever go hungry\" because of the pandemic.\n\nFalse claims are likely to be causing people from ethnic minorities to reject Covid vaccines, warns a doctor leading an NHS campaign. Dr Harpreet Sood says much of the disinformation surrounds the contents of the vaccines. \"We need to be clear and make people realise there is no meat in the vaccine, there is no pork in the vaccine, it has been accepted and endorsed by all the religious leaders and councils and faith communities,\" he says.\n\nA surprise delivery of pizza from sixth-formers who clubbed together left staff at a hospital critical care unit \"lost for words\". Nurse Tina Waltho says the gift came as a welcome boost to deflated staff at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. \"The nurse who had been in charge on the day shift was in tears,\" Mrs Waltho says. \"She had barely eaten all day and was a little emotional.\" While the act drew praise on social media, the identity and school of the pupils remains a mystery.\n\nIf you're wondering how concerned we should be about the new virus variants, our health editor Michelle Roberts examines what we know so far.\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prime Minister Boris Johnson: \"We will temporarily close all travel corridors from 0400 on Monday\"\n\nThe UK is to close all travel corridors from Monday morning to \"protect against the risk of as yet unidentified new strains\" of Covid, the PM has said.\n\nAnyone flying into the country from overseas will have to show proof of a negative Covid test before setting off.\n\nIt comes as a ban on travellers from South America and Portugal came into force on Friday over concerns about a new variant identified in Brazil.\n\nBoris Johnson said the new rules would be in place until at least 15 February.\n\nA further 1,280 people with coronavirus have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive test, taking the total to 87,291.\n\nThe latest government figures on Friday also showed another 55,761 new cases had been reported - up from 48,682 the previous day.\n\nMeanwhile, more than two million people around the world have now died with the virus since the pandemic began, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.\n\nSpeaking at a Downing Street press conference, the prime minister said it was \"vital\" to take extra measures now \"when day by day we are making such strides in protecting the population\".\n\n\"It's precisely because we have the hope of that vaccine and the risk of new strains coming from overseas that we must take additional steps now to stop those strains from entering the country.\"\n\nAll travel corridors will close from 04:00 GMT on Monday. After that, arrivals to the UK will need to quarantine for up to 10 days, unless they test negative after five days.\n\nMr Johnson, who said the rules would apply across the UK after talks with the devolved administrations, added that the government would be stepping up enforcement at the border and in the country.\n\nTravel corridors were introduced in the summer to allow people travelling from some countries with low numbers of Covid cases to come to the UK without having to quarantine on arrival.\n\nTrade body Airlines UK said it supported the latest restrictions \"on the assumption\" that the government would remove them \"when it is safe to do so\".\n\nChief executive Tim Alderslade said travel corridors were \"a lifeline for the industry\" last summer but \"things change and there's no doubting this is a serious health emergency\".\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was the \"right step\" but called the timing of the decision \"slow again\", adding that the public would be thinking \"why on earth didn't this happen before\".\n\nThe prime minister warned that the NHS was facing \"extraordinary pressures\", having had the highest number of hospital admissions on a single day of the pandemic earlier this week.\n\nHe said that came on Tuesday when there were 4,134 new admissions, while the UK currently has more than 37,000 Covid patients in hospitals.\n\nMr Johnson said that once the most vulnerable have been vaccinated by mid-February \"we will think about what steps we could take to lift the restrictions\".\n\nEngland is currently under a national lockdown, meaning people must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nAlso speaking at the No 10 briefing, England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said the restrictions would need to be lifted gradually by \"testing what works, and then if that works going the next step\".\n\nHe said the peak of people entering hospital would be in the next week to 10 days for most places, but \"we hope\" the peak of infections \"already has happened\" in the south-east, east and London.\n\n\"The peak of deaths I fear is in the future, the peak of hospitalisations in some parts of the country may be around about now and beginning to come off the very, very top,\" he said.\n\nA ban on travellers from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde entering the UK came into force on Friday morning as a result of a new, potentially more infectious variant of coronavirus linked to Brazil.\n\nThe government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance told the press briefing that some of the new variants may be able to \"get round\" the Covid vaccines but it was \"really quite easy\" to adjust the vaccines to deal with mutations in the virus.\n\nNew variants causing concern have previously been identified in the UK and South Africa, with many countries imposing restrictions on arrivals from both nations.\n\nPublic Health England said a total of 35 genomically confirmed and 12 genomically probable cases of the Covid-19 variant which originated in South Africa have been identified in the UK as of 14 January.\n\nEarlier, a leading scientist said one of the two variants first detected in Brazil had been found in the UK - but not the variant that was causing concern.\n\n\"I think it is likely that the vaccine we have now is going to protect against the UK variant and is going to provide protection I suspect against the other variants as well,\" said Sir Patrick. \"The question is to what degree.\"\n\nLatest figures show that more than three million people in the UK have now received the first dose of a vaccine - 3,234,946 - an increase of 316,694 from the previous day.\n\nSir Patrick said he expected the vaccines would reduce transmission of the virus but that \"we shouldn't go mad\" as jabs are rolled out because a risk would remain.\n\n\"Just because you've been vaccinated doesn't mean you can't catch this and pass it on, it means you're protected against severe disease,\" he added.\n\nMeanwhile, the latest estimate of the UK's R number - which is the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to on average - is 1.2 to 1.3, compared with 1-1.4 last week.\n\nBut in London, where tight restrictions came in earlier, the R number is lower - between 0.9 and 1.2.\n\nIn Wales, new laws for shoppers and staff are to be introduced after \"significant evidence\" coronavirus is being spread in supermarkets.\n\nAre you due to travel back to the UK from overseas? Share your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The guitarist also contributed songwriting and piano to the band's explosive debut album\n\nSylvain Sylvain, guitarist with trailblazing 1970s rock band New York Dolls, has died at the age of 69.\n\nOne of the group's founding members, his visceral riffs bridged the divide between punk and glam, and helped kick-start the punk and new wave movements.\n\n\"As most of you know, Sylvain battled cancer for the past two and 1/2 years,\" his wife, Wanda O'Kelley Mizrahi, wrote in a statement on his Facebook page.\n\n\"Though he fought it valiantly, yesterday he passed away.\"\n\nShe added: \"While we grieve his loss, we know that he is finally at peace and out of pain. Please crank up his music, light a candle, say a prayer and let's send this beautiful doll on his way.\"\n\nSylvain's death leaves only one surviving member of the New York Dolls' original line-up from their 1973 debut album, frontman David Johansen. The singer posted his own tribute on Instagram.\n\n\"My best friend for so many years, I can still remember the first time I saw him bop into the rehearsal space/bicycle shop with his carpetbag and guitar straight from the plane after having been deported from Amsterdam, I instantly loved him,\" he wrote.\n\n\"I'm gonna miss you old pal. I'll keep the home fires burning.\"\n\nThe New York Dolls bridged the gap between glam rock and punk\n\nBorn Sylvain Mizrahi in Cairo, Egypt, on Valentine's Day 1951, the musician lived in France as a child before moving to New York with his family.\n\nAfter playing in several bands as a teenager, he co-founded the New York Dolls in 1971, taking the name from a doll repair shop called the New York Doll Hospital (Sylvain had worked across the street before becoming a musician).\n\nLike the punk movement they helped inspire, the band wanted to shake up the self-indulgent state of 70s rock.\n\n\"The reason why the Dolls got together was because of the boredom with the norm of the day, which was like the stadium-rock era,\" Sylvain told Brooklyn Vegan in 2006. \"The 20-minute drum solos, songs that were a big operetta. They were sort of boring, they'd lost their sex appeal.\"\n\nThe Dolls cut through with urgent, punchy songs about sex, drugs, alienation and dysfunction.\n\nThe band's provocative and vulgar live shows gained them a huge following in New York, but many record labels were reluctant to sign them. That situation not helped by their androgynous look - shocking at the time - with their wardrobe sourced from cheap women's clothing stores on New York's Lower East Side.\n\nLate in 1972, tragedy struck when, during a tour of England, Dolls drummer Billy Murcia died in a drug-related accident. He was replaced by Jerry Nolan, after which the Dolls finally secured a contract with Mercury Records.\n\nTheir debut album, simply called New York Dolls, stalled at number 113 in the US chart but is now regarded as a classic, full of sleazy, raucous anthems like Personality Crisis and Trash.\n\nRolling Stone magazine recently named it one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, writing: \"Glammed-out punkers the New York Dolls snatched riffs from Chuck Berry and Fats Domino and fattened them with loads of attitude and reverb.\n\n\"It's hard to imagine the Ramones or the Replacements or a thousand other trash-junky bands without them.\"\n\nSylvain worked in fashion before becoming a musician\n\nHowever, the band's lack of commercial success saw them dropped after two albums and, despite hiring Sex Pistols guru Malcolm McLaren as a manager, eventually fell apart.\n\nOutside the Dolls, Sylvain toured and recorded with several bands and led various solo projects as his former band's reputation grew.\n\nArtists from the Sex Pistols to Guns N' Roses cited them as an influence, and Morrissey was famously president of their UK fan club before forming The Smiths. In 2004, the singer reunited his idols for a show at London's Meltdown Festival, adding an unexpected second act to their career.\n\nOver the subsequent decade, Sylvain and Johansen, the only remaining members, released three well-received albums.\n\nIn 2019, Sylvain announced his cancer diagnosis, and a GoFundMe was set up to pay his medical bills, raising $79,500 (£58,000).\n\nThe band are cited as an influence by hundreds of musicians\n\nGuitarist Lenny Kaye, best known for playing with Patti Smith, paid tribute to Sylvain's \"heart, belief, and the way you whacked that E chord\".\n\n\"His onstage joy, his radiant smile as he chopped at his guitar, revealed the sense of wonder he must have felt at the age of 10, emigrating from his native Cairo with his family in 1961, the ship pulling into New York Harbor and seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time.\n\n\"His role in the band was as lynchpin, keeping the revolving satellites of his bandmates in precision.\n\n\"Though he tried valiantly to keep the band going, in the end the Dolls' moral fable overwhelmed them, not before seeding an influence that would engender many rock generations yet to come.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Travellers from South America are no longer allowed to come into the UK, amid fears over a new coronavirus variant first identified in Brazil.\n\nThe UK's new travel ban - which also applies to Portugal and Cape Verde - came into force at 04:00 GMT on Friday.\n\nLike variants discovered in the UK and South Africa, it is thought the Brazil variant could be more contagious.\n\nVirologist Prof Wendy Barclay said one Brazilian variant had already been detected in the UK.\n\nHowever, she said this was not \"the variant of concern\", which is thought to be more infectious.\n\nProf Barclay, head of G2P-UK National Virology Consortium, which is studying the effects of emerging coronavirus mutations, said: \"There are two different types of Brazilian variants and one of them has been detected and one of them has not.\"\n\nShe added: \"The new Brazilian variant of concern, that was picked up in travellers going to Japan, has not been detected in the UK.\n\n\"Other variants that may have originated from Brazil have been previously found.\"\n\nEarlier, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps had told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the Brazilian variant of concern was not \"as far as we are aware\" already in the UK, adding that he did not believe there had been any flights from Brazil in the last week.\n\nIt comes as a further 1,248 people with coronavirus have died in the UK.\n\nLatest government figures on Thursday also showed another 48,682 new cases had been reported.\n\nMeanwhile, the number of people in the UK to have received the first dose of a vaccine is now approaching three million.\n\nThe UK's new travel ban applies to people who have travelled from, or through, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela in the last 10 days.\n\nIt also applies to Portugal - because of its strong links to Brazil - and the former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde off the coast of west Africa, as well as Panama in central America.\n\nBritish and Irish citizens and foreign nationals with residence rights are still allowed to return - but must isolate for 10 days.\n\nAlso exempt are hauliers who are travelling from Portugal to transport essential goods.\n\nBrazil has seen more than 200,000 deaths and there is concern about the impact the new mutation could have on its health system.\n\nHowever, the UK's travel ban was prompted by fears of how quickly the new variant could spread through the region - since Brazil borders 10 countries.\n\nMr Shapps has said the ban is \"precautionary\", adding he \"can't provide an end date\" to the new rules.\n\n\"We're so close now, we've got three million of these vaccines in people's arms in the UK,\" he told BBC Breakfast.\n\n\"We want to make sure we don't fall at this last hurdle.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nBecause holidays are not currently allowed, Mr Shapps said he did not \"expect a large number of Brits to have jaunted off to South America\", and the government was \"not expecting to see a big repatriation issue as a result\".\n\nOne family, who live in Wolverhampton, told the BBC they feared being stuck out in Brazil.\n\n\"I don't know if the government will organise flights,\" said Jon Dent, 31. He and his wife Carla travelled to the Brazilian city of Goiania in October to introduce their baby daughter to Carla's family.\n\n\"I think it's a long shot,\" he said. \"I hope we can get home and not be stranded out here for months. We've got to be patient but at the same time flexible.\"\n\nJon, pictured here with wife Carla and daughter Luiza, said his initial reaction to the news was worry\n\nMany countries imposed travel restrictions after new variants of Covid-19 were identified in the UK and South Africa.\n\nSeveral Central and South American nations - including Brazil - had already restricted travel from the UK before the latest ban on arrivals.\n\nThere is currently no evidence to suggest that any of the variants cause more serious illness, and scientists are confident that vaccines should work against them.\n\nAccording to Felipe Naveca, deputy director of research at the Brazilian state-run Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, the new variant's origin was \"undoubtedly\" from the Amazon region.\n\nHe told the BBC's South America correspondent Katy Watson the new variant showed some of the same mutations as the UK and South Africa variants - and \"some of these mutations have been linked to increased transmission and that is of concern\".\n\nMr Shapps also announced Qatar and the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba were being removed from the UK's travel corridor list, meaning arrivals from those places will need to self-isolate for 10 days from 04:00 GMT on Saturday.\n\nMeanwhile, France has cracked down on the type of tests that travellers can take to show they are negative.\n\nFrom Monday, travellers will need to show a negative PCR test. Antigen tests - which are the rapid lateral flow tests - will no longer be accepted.\n\nHowever, Mr Shapps said arrangements allowing hauliers to use rapid lateral flow tests before crossing the border from the UK into France remained in place at the moment.\n\nFrom Monday, everyone travelling to England and Scotland will also have to show proof of a negative test. Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to announce their own plans in the coming days.\n\nHow have you been affected by the travel ban? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Northern Ireland's statistics agency has recorded its highest weekly Covid-19 related registered deaths since the pandemic began.\n\nNisra said 145 deaths were registered in the first week of 2021, although administrative delays over Christmas may have affected the number.\n\nThat brings the agency's death toll to 1,976 by 8 January.\n\nThe figures come as the chief medical officers from NI and the Republic issued a joint stay-at-home plea.\n\nDr Michael McBride and Dr Tony Holohan said they were \"gravely concerned\" about the \"unsustainably high level of Covid-19 infection\" across the island of Ireland.\n\nConcern was raised in the Republic of Ireland this week as figures showed it has the world's highest number of confirmed new Covid-19 cases per million people.\n\nOn Friday evening, the Irish Department of Health reported 50 further deaths with Covid-19 and 3,498 new cases of the virus. More than half (54%) of those newly diagnosed are under the age of 45.\n\nNorthern Ireland is in the third week of a six-week lockdown, with ministers scheduled to review measures next week.\n\nHowever, health officials have warned that an extension of the restrictions could be required to reduce pressure on the health service.\n\nOf the 2,019 deaths recorded by Nisra by 8 January, 1,247 (62%) occurred in hospital, 622 (31%) in care homes, 12 (0.6%) in hospices and 138 (7%) at residential addresses or other locations.\n\nPeople aged 75 and over account for just over three-quarters of all Covid-19 related registered deaths (77.6%) between 19 March 2020 and 8 January 2021.\n\nJust over a fifth (22.2%) of all Covid-19 related registered deaths have been of people with an address in the Belfast council area.\n\nMeanwhile, the Department of Health reported 26 further Covid-related deaths on Friday.\n\nFive of these deaths did not occur in the past 24 hours.\n\nThe Department of Health bases its figures on a positive test result being recorded, whereas Nisra figures are based on mentions of the virus on death certificates, so people may or may not have been confirmed to have contracted the virus prior to death.\n\nA further 1,052 individuals have tested positive for Covid-19 and 63 patients are being treated in intensive care units, 47 of whom are on ventilators.\n\nThe chief medical officers warned the high infection rate was having a \"significant impact\" on the health of the population and the \"safe functioning\" of the healthcare systems.\n\nThey said the public should avoid all unnecessary journeys, including cross-border travel.\n\nPointing out that many of the patients admitted to hospital in January have been younger than 65, they warned coronavirus could affect anyone, \"regardless of age or underlying condition\".\n\n\"It highlights the need for us all to protect one another by staying at home,\" said the medical officers.\n\nNorthern Ireland's spike in infections has been put down to an easing of restrictions over Christmas.\n\nAsked if he regretted being part of the decision to ease restrictions, Health Minister Robin Swann said the executive had tried to be balanced in its approach.\n\n\"I regret the pressures we see now in our hospitals, but let's remember it's caused by this virus, we have it in our power to bring it back under control and get us back to where we were in the summer,\" he told BBC News NI on Friday.\n\nMr Swann pleaded with people to follow the current restrictions.\n\n\"We're in the middle of a very tough six-week scenario, and how we come out of this will be a more graduated approach to make sure we get the benefits of what we've already done, and also the benefits of the vaccine.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Kim Jong-un has been overseeing a huge military showcase broadcast by state media in North Korea\n\nNorth Korea has unveiled a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, described by state media as \"the world's most powerful weapon\".\n\nSeveral of the missiles were displayed at a parade overseen by leader Kim Jong-un, reported state media.\n\nThe weapon's actual capabilities remain unclear, as it is not known to have been tested.\n\nThe show of military strength comes days before the inauguration of Joe Biden as US president.\n\nIt also follows a rare political meeting where Mr Kim decried the US as his country's \"biggest enemy\".\n\nImages released by North Korean state media showed at least four large black-and-white missiles being driven past flag-waving crowds.\n\nAnalysts noted it was a previously unseen weapon. \"New year, new Pukguksong,\" tweeted North Korea expert Ankit Panda, using the North Korean name for their submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).\n\nClad in a leather coat and fur hat, Mr Kim is pictured smiling and waving as he watched the display in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, which also included infantry troops, artillery and tanks.\n\nThe missile was debuted at a military parade which came at the end of an important and rare political meeting\n\n\"The world's most powerful weapon, submarine-launch ballistic missile, entered the square one after another, powerfully demonstrating the might of the revolutionary armed forces,\" the official Korean Central News Agency said.\n\nThe event on Thursday did not showcase North Korea's largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which was unveiled at a much larger military parade in October. That colossal weapon is believed to be able to deliver a nuclear warhead to anywhere in the US, and its size had surprised even seasoned analysts when it was put on show last year.\n\nThe country's latest display of its arsenal comes at the end of a five-yearly congress of the ruling Workers' Party.\n\nIn his address to members last week, Mr Kim had pledged to expand North Korea's nuclear weapons and military potential, outlining a list of desired weapons including long-range ballistic missiles capable of being launched from land or sea and \"super-large warheads\".\n\nHe also said that the US was Pyongyang's \"biggest obstacle for our revolution and our biggest enemy... no matter who is in power, the true nature of its policy against North Korea will never change\".\n\nUnder Mr Kim's leadership North Korea has made rapid progress in its weapons programme, which it says is necessary to defend itself against a possible US invasion.\n\nThe unveiling of the new missiles appears designed to send the incoming Biden administration a message of the North's growing military prowess, say experts.\n\n\"They'd like us to notice that they're getting more proficient with larger solid rocket boosters,\" Mr Panda tweeted, noting what appeared to be new solid-fuel short-range ballistic missiles on display too. These missiles can be launched more quickly than liquid-fuelled varieties.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un: From enemies to frenemies\n\nOver the last four years, Pyongyang has had an erratic relationship with the US under President Donald Trump's administration. Mr Kim and Mr Trump engaged in mutual insults and threats of war before an unprecedented summit in Singapore in 2018 and declarations of love by the outgoing US leader.\n\nDespite the apparent warming of relations, little concrete progress was made on negotiations over North Korea's nuclear programme and a second summit in Hanoi in 2019 broke down after the US refused Pyongyang's demands for sanctions relief.\n\nKim Jong-un has had a busy week. In this rare party congress at the start of a new year he's earned a new title, pledged to build new nuclear weapons and now he's shown the world some new missiles.\n\nThe general secretary, the title posthumously awarded to his father by which he is now known, had been pretty quiet in 2020 and appeared very few times in state media.\n\nBut 2021 is looking rather different. The party congress has offered him a grand daily domestic platform - even if it is not getting the international attention it may have done due to events in the United States and a global pandemic.\n\nThe parading vehicles include a new submarine-launched ballistic missile and new short-range ballistic missiles. This is a show of strength - flexing the military muscle once more to show the people of North Korea that despite the current bleak economic outlook, this impoverished country is capable of designing and building new strategic weapons.\n\nIt also offers a direct challenge to the incoming US administration.\n\nNorth Korea appears willing to continue with its self-imposed isolation and being subject to strict economic sanctions, and the state has vowed to continue to build nuclear weapons in defiance of the international community.\n\nDuring the transfer of power, President Obama told Donald Trump that North Korea should be his top national security concern.\n\nIn the last four years a combination of US and UN sanctions, so-called \"maximum pressure\" policies and three summits between Mr Trump and Mr Kim have done nothing to alleviate those concerns.\n\nKim Jong-un has shown the new US president this week that he faces the daunting prospect of coming up with new solutions for this decades-old problem.", "Craig Ross had been quoted making comments about food bank users on a podcast\n\nThe Scottish Conservatives have dropped a Holyrood candidate over what they called \"unacceptable comments\".\n\nCraig Ross recorded a podcast last year in which he described food bank users as being more at risk of diabetes than starvation.\n\nHe also questioned the influence footballer Marcus Rashford has on UK government welfare policy.\n\nThe Conservatives suspended Mr Ross, then later announced he was \"no longer a candidate or a member of the party\".\n\nThe party had launched an investigation after the comments came to light, saying: \"These unacceptable comments do not reflect the views of the party.\"\n\nJustice Secretary Humza Yousaf had called for Mr Ross to be thrown out the party and dropped as the Conservative candidate in Glasgow Pollok.\n\nThe Holyrood elections are due to be held on 6 May.\n\nMr Ross, a former lecturer at Langside College, runs a podcast in which he delivers reaction to pieces in The Guardian newspaper \"from the centre-right\".\n\nIn one episode recorded in June 2020, Mr Ross talked about the percentage of body fat of \"ordinary people\".\n\nOriginally reported in the Daily Record, his comments were in response to a Channel 4 News piece featuring foodbanks.\n\nHe said: \"We have no real grasp of just how ridiculously overweight the population is.\n\n\"I'm not saying that every single person who claims to be really hungry and is reliant on charity is also very overweight.\n\n\"But what I am saying is if Channel 4 News is having a reasonable go at showing the reality of food bank usage, then we know the people that they filmed are far from starving. If anything their biggest risk is not starvation, it's diabetes.\"\n\nOn Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, who has called on Boris Johnson to review the UK government's free school meals policy, Mr Ross said: \"Has Marcus Rashford stood for election to anything? Not that I'm aware of.\"", "The government is assessing the impact of a \"technical issue\" that led to 150,000 records being deleted from police databases.\n\nThe error, first reported in the Times, saw data including fingerprint, DNA and arrest histories wiped after being accidentally flagged for deletion.\n\nThe Home Office said the lost entries related to people who were arrested and then released without further action.\n\nBut Labour said it presented \"huge dangers\" for public safety.\n\nThe data was lost from the Police National Computer - a system that stores and shares criminal records information across the UK.\n\nIt is used to help police investigations and provides real-time checks on people, vehicles and crimes, as well as whether suspects are wanted for any unsolved offences.\n\nA coding error resulted in records that had been flagged for deletion being lost from the database before checks had been carried out to determine whether they could be lawfully held or not.\n\nThe data loss could hinder future police investigations because the fingerprint or DNA evidence would not be able to be cross-checked against evidence from other crime scenes.\n\nPolicing minister Kit Malthouse said the problem had been identified and the process corrected so \"it cannot happen again\" - with the Home Office, National Police Chiefs' Council and other law enforcement partners working \"at pace\" to recover the data.\n\n\"While the loss relates to individuals who were arrested and then released with no further action, I have asked officials and the police to confirm their initial assessment that there is no threat to public safety,\" he said.\n\nThe Home Office said no records of criminal or dangerous persons had been deleted.\n\nThe records are linked to police investigations that were terminated before charge (No Further Action or NFA cases) or to those where an individual had been acquitted at court.\n\nIt is not yet known how many records of each type were lost and full extent of deletions is still being investigated.\n\nThe loss of the data means that officers on the ground may get an incomplete search result when interrogating the system.\n\nShadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds called on Home Secretary Priti Patel to take responsibility for the error and be clear about the impact it had had.\n\n\"She must urgently make a statement about what has gone wrong, the extent of the issue, and what action is being taken to reassure the public. Answers must be given.\"\n\n\"This is an extraordinarily serious security breach that presents huge dangers for public safety.\"\n\nFormer Cumbria Police chief constable Stuart Hyde told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the \"very large\" loss of arrest records presented a \"risk to public safety\".\n\nHe said: \"In order to understand the scale, if you think that about between 6-700,000 people are arrested every year in the UK, that's a very large proportion of those people.\"\n\nIt comes after around 40,000 alerts relating to European criminals were removed from the same database, the PNC, following Britain's post-Brexit deal with the EU.", "Despite the huge need to free up space in hospitals, some care homes say insurance issues make it impossible for them to accept Covid-19 patients.\n\nIn October, the government launched a scheme for designated care homes to take patients recovering from the virus but insurance is a stumbling block.\n\nSir David Behan, head of the UK's largest care home company, HC-One, says insurance has become a major concern.\n\nThe government says it is working to resolve the issue.\n\n\"We are aware the adult social care insurance market is changing in response to the pandemic, and recognise some care providers may encounter difficulties as their policies come up for renewal,\" said a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson.\n\nOne Hampshire care home says it will have to stop taking patients within days because its insurance will expire.\n\nWaterside House in Netley, Hampshire usually provides holidays and respite care for people with disabilities.\n\nBut since the autumn it has been taking Covid-positive patients discharged from hospitals on the south coast.\n\nThey are looked after on a separate floor from other residents, and the home has had to meet high infection control standards.\n\nHome manager Sarah Knight said demand for the 31 beds is unparalleled and added: \"I've been in nursing a long, long time, and I have never known anything like this.\n\n\"People end up in an ambulance sat outside hospitals for hours and hours, or they end up on a trolley in A&E in a corridor for hours and hours.\n\n\"By offering the best that we've got here, we can reduce some of that burden.\"\n\nJan Tregelles is chief executive of the charity Revitalise which runs Waterside House\n\nThe government originally hoped there would be 500 designated care homes taking in Covid-positive patients.\n\nBut Waterside House is one of only 129 which have been set up to take those who have not completed 14 days in isolation.\n\nHowever, its public indemnity insurance protection, which it needs in case someone contracts Covid there, runs out at the end of January.\n\nWaterside House is run by the charity Revitalise, whose chief executive, Jan Tregelles, said they have tried everything, but will soon have to start turning away people.\n\n\"It's shocking,\" she says. \"We are truly helpless. We have a fantastic team of nurses and colleagues already.\n\n\"The facilities are here, everything's arranged and we can't step up to support our communities at this time.\"\n\nOne resident, Alan Washbourne, who has been living at Waterside House since he was discharged from hospital during the first wave of the pandemic, said: \"I feel quite safe here.\"\n\nHe is not on the Covid floor of the home, and added: \"If I were to go to somewhere else, which is possible, I might not feel quite so safe.\"\n\nAlan Washbourne has been at Waterside House since April last year\n\nAfter so many deaths last spring, many care homes will not consider taking patients who are Covid-positive, even with extra infection control measures.\n\nMeanwhile, growing numbers of staff are off sick or self-isolating, leaving care homes facing shortages.\n\nAnd many are also finding it difficult to get the public indemnity insurance.\n\nSir David Behan is chairman of HC-One, the UK's largest care home provider\n\nSince November, HC-One, which is the UK's largest care home provider, has had to cover its own Covid risks because it cannot get the insurance.\n\nSir David said it is one of the reasons why they have not taken part in the designated places scheme.\n\n\"You've got solicitors' firms advertising, taking cases up against care companies,\" he says.\n\n\"So, this isn't a theoretical risk that there may be proceedings, it's an actual risk, and therefore we need cover.\n\n\"The NHS wouldn't operate without similar liability cover and that's what we need to see, and I think governments have a role to play working with the insurance industry to work to find a solution.\"\n\nThe Department for Health and Social Care said it was making efforts to determine what actions it could take.\n\n\"Our priority is to ensure everyone receives the right care, in the right place, at the right time,\" said a spokesperson.", "The licence fee is the \"least worst\" way of funding the BBC, its incoming chairman Richard Sharp has said.\n\nBut Mr Sharp told MPs he had an \"open mind\" about how the corporation should be funded in the future, and it \"may be worth reassessing\" the current system.\n\nHe also said he didn't think the BBC's Brexit coverage was biased overall, but \"there were some occasions when the Brexit representation was unbalanced\".\n\nQuestion Time \"seemed to have more Remainers than Brexiteers\", he said.\n\nBBC Three's Normal People was one of the corporation's biggest hits last year\n\nThe £157.50 licence fee is due to stay in place until at least 2027, when the BBC's Royal Charter ends, with a debate about how the broadcaster should be funded after that.\n\nMr Sharp, who spent 23 years working as a banker for Goldman Sachs, told the House of Commons digital, culture, media and sport select committee: \"At 43p a day, the BBC represents terrific value.\"\n\nThe government is currently reviewing whether its cost should continue rising with inflation from 2022, and whether non-payment should remain a criminal offence. Mr Sharp said he was \"not in favour of decriminalisation\".\n\nHe said other possible options for funding the BBC in the future could include a household tax like the one used in Germany, \"which amounts to the same amount of money\".\n\nHe added: \"So when we next get the chance to review the structure of this then it may be worth reassessing.\"\n\nAsked whether he believed the BBC's coverage of Brexit had been unbalanced, he replied: \"No, actually I don't.\n\n\"I believe there were some occasions when the Brexit representation was unbalanced.\n\n\"So if you ask me if I think Question Time seemed to have more Remainers than Brexiteers, the answer is yes, but the breadth of the coverage I thought was incredibly balanced, in a highly toxic environment that was extremely polarised.\"\n\nQuestion Time has said it has robust processes in place to ensure balance on its panels.\n\nMr Sharp said he was \"considered to be a Brexiteer\" and had donated around £400,000 to the Conservative Party over the past 20 years.\n\nHe said the biggest issue now facing the BBC is impartiality, and that \"trust in leadership and trust in processes\" must be rebuilt after high-profile equal pay cases with journalists such as Carrie Gracie and Samira Ahmed.\n\n\"Clearly some of the problems it's had recently are really rather terrible and reflect a culture that needs to be rebuilt, so everybody who cherishes the BBC and works at the BBC feels proud and happy to work there,\" he said. \"Then in my view that would produce a better output inevitably.\"\n\nMr Sharp also told the committee he would give his £160,000 salary as BBC chairman to charity.\n\nWhen asked \"what's in it for you?\" Mr Sharp, whose heritage is Jewish, said: \"We're all a product of our upbringing and I was very fortunate with the parents I have, my great grandparents came to this country escaping tyranny.\n\n\"I think I won the lottery in life to be British and if I can make a contribution, I couldn't be happier to.\n\n\"The BBC is part of the fabric of all our national identities, it offers education and enrichment and is also important for our position in the world... It is a massive privilege to be chair of the BBC.\"\n\nSir David Clementi, the current BBC chairman, steps down in February. The post-holder is officially appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the government.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "It's likely there are variants all over the world - Vallance\n\nITV's Libby Wiener asks if the move to put restrictions in at the borders is too late. The PM says the government is taking steps to protect against the new variants. \"We have a situation now where we have a very high rate of domestic infection in the UK combined with a vaccination programme,\" he says. \"There will come a point in the next weeks and months where the vaccination programme will take effect... and you will see a decline in the death rate. \"What you can't have is a situation where you have new variants with unknown qualities coming in from abroad and that's why we have set up the system to stop arrivals where new variants are a concern.\" Sir Patrick Vallance says the virus is changing all the time and he suspects there are variants \"all over the world of different types\". \"The countries which have detected them first have got good sequencing,\" he says.", "The UK economy shrank by 2.6% in November as England was placed in lockdown for a second time, official figures show.\n\nThe Office for National Statistics said it meant gross domestic product was 8.5% below its pre-pandemic peak.\n\nNovember's decline came after six consecutive months of growth.\n\nPubs and hairdressers were badly hit as the service sector suffered, the ONS said, but some manufacturing and construction activity improved.\n\nThe hit to the service sector - which accounts for about three-quarters of the UK economy - meant it contracted by 3.4% in November, and is now 9.9% below the level of February 2020.\n\nSome economists said the November figure was better than expected, and it appeared many companies were better prepared for the second lockdown, with some sectors staying open for business and many firms having already put in place plans to expand online operations.\n\n\"Steps taken by businesses earlier in the year to Covid-proof their operations - combined with the time-limited nature of the restrictions, and schools remaining open - meant more companies were able to continue trading safely,\" said Alpesh Paleja, lead economist at the CBI employers' group.\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak said the figures showed \"it's clear things will get harder before they get better and today's figures highlight the scale of the challenge we face\".\n\nBut he said the vaccine roll-out and economic support measures meant there were reasons to be hopeful. \"With this support, and the resilience and enterprise of the British people, we will get through this,\" he said.\n\nShadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said the figures showed the UK has an economic \"mountain to climb\".\n\nSpeaking to the BBC, she said it would be a \"serious mistake\" if Mr Sunak waited until the Budget in March before providing more support and confidence for business.\n\nONS director for economic statistics Darren Morgan said: \"The economy took a hit from restrictions put in place to contain the pandemic during November, with pubs and hairdressers seeing the biggest impact.\"\n\nHowever, he said many firms adjusted to the new pandemic working conditions, such as by expanding click and collect and other online operations.\n\nHe added: \"Manufacturing and construction generally continued to operate, while schools also stayed open, meaning the impact on the economy was significantly smaller in November than during the first lockdown.\n\n\"Car manufacturing, bolstered by demand from abroad, housebuilding and infrastructure grew and are now all above their pre-pandemic levels.\" Construction activity grew by 1.9% during the month.\n\nGross domestic product (GDP) is the sum (measured in pounds) of the value of goods and services produced in the economy.\n\nBut the measurement most people focus on is the percentage change - the growth of the country's economy over a period of time, typically a quarter (three months) or a year.\n\nIf the GDP measure is up on the previous three months, the economy is growing. That generally means more wealth and more new jobs.\n\nIf it is negative, the economy is shrinking.\n\nDespite the GDP figure being better than some analysts had forecast, there are still concerns that the UK could be heading back into recession.\n\nEconomists have warned the UK could see a double-dip recession if restrictions remain in place in the first three months of 2021.\n\nRory Macqueen, from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, said the November figures confirm a significant slowdown in the last quarter of 2020, \"despite November's lockdown in England clearly having a far smaller effect than the first\".\n\nJames Smith, research director of the Resolution Foundation, said there would be a lot of comment about whether these figures point to the UK heading for only its second-ever double-dip recession on record.\n\nBut, he said, the real \"story of the year will be a vaccine-driven bounce back in economic activity for sectors like hospitality and leisure\".\n\n\"The chancellor must do everything he can to support that recovery once public health restrictions ease,\" he added.\n\nAnalysts at Capital Economics also said there was cause for optimism, saying that the current third lockdown could have less impact than feared.\n\n\"The economy has built up a fair bit of immunity to lockdowns, as November's lockdown was much less painful for the economy than the first lockdown.\n\n\"As a result, the Covid-19 economic hole is smaller than we thought, the economy may get back to its pre-crisis crisis level a bit sooner and it makes us more confident that the Bank of England probably won't resort to negative interest rates.\"\n\nThe fall in the economy in November was still considerable, but the figures show businesses adapting to difficult conditions. The hit was a fraction of what occurred in the first lockdown last April, and was mainly confined to the service sector, with pubs and hairdressing for example in sharp decline.\n\nManufacturing and construction largely remained open, as did previously shut public services such as schools. By November car manufacturing and house building were back above the level of output before the pandemic.\n\nThe trade figures also showed a £7bn increase in EU imports in the three months to November as traders stockpiled car parts, medicines and other goods ahead of the end of the Brexit transition period.\n\nThe renewed regional tiered restrictions in December, and more severe national lockdowns this month, still indicate a possible return to overall recession in this tough winter.\n\nBusiness groups continue to argue that extra support is required to support jobs and cash flow well before the Budget in March. But a more sustained lifting of restrictions as vaccines are rolled out should see growth return after the spring.", "Black people are four more times more likely than white people to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act, according to NHS figures.\n\nWhen Antonio Ferreira was sectioned he says he felt he was discriminated against because of his skin colour.\n\nNow a student at Essex University, he hopes to improve police understanding of mental health problems.\n\nIf you are experiencing emotional stress, help and support is available via BBC Action Line.", "The governor of Amazonas state warned of a \"critical\" moment and has implemented a curfew\n\nHospitals in the Brazilian city of Manaus have reached breaking point while treating Covid-19 patients, amid reports of severe oxygen shortages and desperate staff.\n\nThe city, in Amazonas state, has seen a surge of deaths and infections.\n\nHealth professionals, quoted by local media, warned \"many people\" could die due to lack of supplies and assistance.\n\nBrazil has recorded more than 205,000 virus deaths - the second-highest tally in the world, behind the US.\n\nA new coronavirus variant has recently emerged in Brazil, with several cases in travellers arriving in Japan traced back to the Amazonas region.\n\nAmazonas suffered heavy losses in the first wave of the pandemic but is also being badly hit by a new rise in infections.\n\nRefrigerated containers were brought to hospitals to help store bodies last week, as authorities declared a state of emergency.\n\nJessem Orellana, from the Fiocruz-Amazonia scientific investigation institute, told the AFP news agency that some hospitals in Manaus had \"run out of oxygen\" with some centres becoming \"a type of suffocation chamber\" for patients.\n\nThe researcher told Brazilian media she had received reports from the front-line of \"dramatic\" scenes playing out in some hospitals.\n\nReports in the daily Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper described desperate staff having to try to keep patients alive through manual ventilation.\n\nIn a widely shared video from the region, a female medical worker asks the internet for help: \"We're in an awful state. Oxygen has simply run out across the whole unit today.\"\n\n\"There is no oxygen and lots of people are dying,\" she says in the clip. \"If anyone has any oxygen, please bring it to the clinic. There are so many people dying.\"\n\nThe UK has banned travellers from much of Latin America over a new variant detected in Brazil\n\nAmazonas Governor Wilson Lima said the state was \"in the most critical moment of the pandemic\" and has announced a nightly curfew will begin at 19:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Friday to try to stem the spread.\n\nMarcellus Campelo, a local health secretary, said the state needed three times the amount of oxygen it can produce locally and appealed for help.\n\nBrazil's vice-president shared images on Twitter of the air force transporting hospital supplies, including oxygen cylinders and stretchers, to the city as reports of the situation spread throughout the country.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by General Hamilton Mourão This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nHealth officials also say some patients will be airlifted to other states for treatment due to the demand for intensive care units, Reuters reports.\n\nFelipe Naveca, deputy director of research at the state-run Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, told the BBC's South America correspondent Katy Watson that the new variant had evolved separately from those in the UK and South Africa, but that it showed some of the same characteristics: \"Some of these mutations have been linked to increased transmission and that is of concern.\"\n\nMr Naveca said that they did not yet have any data to suggest that existing vaccines would be any less effective against the new variant. \"We have to do a lot more sequencing of samples to answer that question,\" he said.\n\nHowever, on Thursday UK officials announced a ban on travellers from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde due to the new strain.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. At Fullwell Cross Medical Centre, north London, they are now vaccinating almost 1,000 people a week\n\nFake news is likely to be causing some people from the UK's South Asian communities to reject the Covid vaccine, a doctor has warned.\n\nDr Harpreet Sood, who is leading an NHS anti-disinformation drive, said it was \"a big concern\" and officials were working \"to correct so much fake news\".\n\nHe said language and cultural barriers played a part in the false information.\n\nA GP in the West Midlands told the BBC some of her South Asian patients had refused the vaccine when offered it.\n\nDr Sood, from NHS England, said officials were working with South Asian role models, influencers, community leaders and religious leaders to help debunk myths about the vaccine.\n\nMuch of the disinformation surrounds the contents of the vaccine.\n\nHe said: \"We need to be clear and make people realise there is no meat in the vaccine, there is no pork in the vaccine, it has been accepted and endorsed by all the religious leaders and councils and faith communities.\"\n\n\"We're trying to find role models and influencers and also thinking about ordinary citizens who need to be quick with this information so that they can all support one another because ultimately everyone is a role model to everyone\", he added.\n\n\"There's a big piece of work happening where we're translating information, we're making sure the look and feel of it reaches the populations that matter.\"\n\nSome of the disinformation seen by the BBC on social media and on WhatsApp is religiously targeted. Messages falsely claim the vaccines contain animal produce - eating pork goes against the religious beliefs of Muslims, as does eating beef for Hindus.\n\nDr Samara Afzal has been vaccinating people in Dudley, West Midlands. She said: \"We've been calling all patients and booking them in for vaccines but the admin staff say when they call a lot of the South Asian patients they decline and refuse to have the vaccination.\n\n\"Also talking to friends and family have found the same. I've had friends calling me telling me to convince their parents or their grandparents to have the vaccination because other family members have convinced them not to have it\".\n\nWe need to be clear and make people realise there is no meat in the vaccine, there is no pork in the vaccine, it has been accepted and endorsed by all the religious leaders\n\nReena Pujara is a beauty therapist in Hampshire and a practising Hindu. She said she's been bombarded with false information.\n\n\"Some of the videos are quite disturbing especially when you actually see the person reporting is a medic and telling you that the vaccine is going to alter your DNA,\" she said.\n\n\"For a layman it is very confusing. And also when you read that the ingredients in the vaccine derive from a cow - and as Hindus the cow is sacred to us - it is disturbing.\"\n\nAbout 100 mosques have a joined a campaign to counter vaccine disinformation and persuade their communities to take the vaccine. They've said they'll use their Friday sermons to urge people to have the jab.\n\n\"There should be no hesitation in taking [the vaccine] from a moral perspective,\" said Qari Asim, chair of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB), which has organised the campaign. \"It is our ethical duty to protect ourselves and others from harm.\"\n\nVaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told the BBC's Asian Network that faith and community leaders had a big role to play in ensuring a high take-up of the vaccine. He said he had met with more than 150 leaders from Sikh, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim communities who were taking the message out \"that it's the right thing to do\".\n\nHe added that the government was taking steps to tackle online disinformation around the vaccine, as well as making sure vaccine guidance was available in many different languages.\n\nA recent poll, commissioned by the Royal Society of Public Health, suggested just over half of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people would be happy to have the coronavirus vaccine.\n\nIt found 57% said they would take the vaccine - compared with 79% of white people.", "Exam results are likely to appear before the end of the summer term\n\nExam results for A-levels and GCSEs in England could be published in early July this year, according to proposals for replacing cancelled exams.\n\nA consultation launched by the exams watchdog and the Department for Education confirmed that grades will be decided by teacher assessment.\n\nBut results this summer are likely to be released much earlier than usual.\n\nEducation Secretary Gavin Williamson said pupils would receive \"a grade that reflects their ability\".\n\nThere are also likely to be written test papers set by exam boards, but marked by teachers, with some later checks if there are concerns about fairness.\n\nFor vocational qualifications, exams which use mostly written papers are also likely to use teachers' grades - but qualifications which need a test of practical, hands-on skills will have separate arrangements.\n\nOfqual and the Department for Education have formally launched a two-week consultation on a system for how results will be decided, after disruption from the pandemic forced the cancellation of exams.\n\nThis is the second year of exam results being disrupted by the pandemic\n\nFor A-levels and GCSEs this could see the scrapping of the traditional results days in August, with a proposal to publish the results in \"early July\", increasing the time for appeals and adding more time before the start of the university term.\n\nLast year the process of replacement results ended with U-turns and confusion, as an algorithm initially used for deciding grades was abandoned and teachers' assessments used instead.\n\nThis time there will be no algorithm, but from the outset the process will rely on the judgement of teachers, who will be asked to use evidence such as coursework, essays, homework and mock exams.\n\nThere are also proposals for test papers, or mini-exams, which would be set by examiners but which would be likely to be marked within schools by teachers.\n\nThese would inform teachers' decisions rather than be a fixed proportion of the final grade - and could be used as evidence for any scrutiny of the reliability of a school's results or if there were appeals over grades.\n\nThere is also a recognition they might have to be taken by some pupils at home.\n\nBut it has still to be decided whether it would be mandatory to take these exams, and whether there would be a single paper per subject or the option to take more.\n\nThe Department for Education has said pupils will not face tests in subject areas they have not covered.\n\nGeoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, said the proposals seemed \"sensible\".\n\nBut he said the written tests would have to be \"exceptionally well designed\" to make them fair between students \"whose learning has been disrupted by the pandemic to greatly varying extents\".\n\n\"There are still many questions left unanswered,\" said the National Education Union's co-leader Kevin Courtney, about how tests could be flexible enough and how appeals will be decided.\n\nThere will be a process of training teachers in how the grading system will operate and be consistent between different schools.\n\nFor vocational qualifications, the proposals say those closer to written A-level and GCSE exams will be graded in a similar way to the academic exams, using teacher assessment to replace written papers.\n\nThere will be different approaches for qualifications requiring proof of practical skills, but there will be arrangements to make this possible.\n\nSome BTec exams have already gone ahead this month and IGCSE exams are still planned to continue this summer.\n\nA-levels and GCSEs have been cancelled in Wales and Northern Ireland, and in Scotland the Nationals, Highers and Advanced Highers have also been scrapped.\n\nEngland's Education Secretary, Mr Williamson, said: \"Fairness to young people has been and will continue to be fundamental to every decision we take on these issues.\"", "Men who had already had the virus were asked to donate blood plasma for the trial\n\nA potential treatment for Covid using blood plasma does not reduce deaths among hospital patients, trials show.\n\nThe results are a blow to researchers and the NHS, which led the drive to collect plasma donations.\n\nThis arm of the Recovery trial, which is investigating a number of promising Covid treatments, has now been closed.\n\nThe Oxford researchers involved say they are \"incredibly grateful\" for the contribution of patients across the country.\n\nDonations of plasma were temporarily suspended, according to NHS Blood and Transplant.**\n\nThere had been huge international interest in the role of convalescent plasma as a possible treatment for hospital patients with Covid-19.\n\nThe treatment involves blood plasma being taken from people who have recovered from the disease - which contains antibodies to coronavirus - and transfused into seriously ill patients.\n\nIt was hoped the plasma donation would give the recipient's struggling immune system a boost to fight off Covid.\n\nThe NHS had been urging people to donate, particularly men who are thought to have higher levels of antibodies in their blood.\n\nBut early analysis of 1,873 deaths in a study of 10,400 UK patients shows the treatment made \"no significant difference\".\n\nIn the group treated with convalescent plasma, 18% of patients died within 28 days - the same figure for the group given standard treatment.\n\nPatients in the study are still being followed up and the final results will be published shortly.\n\nEarlier this week, a separate study showed no evidence that the same treatment improved outcomes for patients in intensive care.\n\nMartin Landray, chief investigator and professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, said the Recovery trial showed \"the value of large randomised trials to properly assess the role of potential treatments\".\n\nThe trial is still investigating other treatments, including tocilizumab, aspirin and an antibody cocktail.\n\nProf Peter Horby, who also worked on the trial, said the largest ever trial of convalescent plasma \"was only possible thanks to the generous donation of plasma by recovered patients and the willingness of current patients to contribute to advancing medical care\".\n\n\"While the overall result is negative, we need to await the full results before we can understand whether convalescent plasma has any role in particular patient sub-groups,\" he said.\n\n**NHS Blood and Transplant restarted donations of blood plasma on 20 January. They could be used to see whether particular groups of patients, such as those with low antibody levels, could benefit.\n\nInternational trials are also testing if plasma helps people when it's used much earlier in the disease, before people get to hospital.", "One of two coronavirus variants first detected in Brazil has been found in the UK, says a leading scientist advising the government.\n\nBut the version discovered is not the \"variant of concern\", Prof Wendy Barclay clarified.\n\nThe \"variant of concern\" from Brazil, detected in travellers to Japan, is thought to be more infectious.\n\nIt led to travellers from South America and Portugal being banned from entering the UK on Friday.\n\nProf Wendy Barclay, who is heading a newly-launched project to study the effects of emerging coronavirus mutations called the G2P-UK National Virology Consortium, said: \"There are two different types of Brazilian variants and one of them has been detected and one of them has not.\"\n\nProf Barclay, who also sits on Nervtag, a committee which advises government on new and emerging respiratory virus threats, said the variant was \"probably introduced some time ago\" and it \"will be being traced very carefully\".\n\nShe added: \"The new Brazilian variant of concern, that was picked up in travellers going to Japan, has not been detected in the UK.\n\n\"Other variants that may have originated from Brazil have been previously found.\"\n\nThe body which collects and analyses the genomes of virus samples - Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium (Cog-UK) - said this variant seen in the UK contained one of the mutations found in the Brazilian \"variant of concern\".\n\nThe mutation, also found in the South African variant, has been linked to a reduced antibody response meaning our bodies might be less able to fight it off.\n\nCog-UK said this alone was not enough to qualify it as a \"variant of concern\", thought it acknowledged \"no internationally agreed definition of a variant of concern has yet been agreed\".\n\nIn other variants of concern, the mutation sits alongside a \"constellation\" of others which together amount to a high chance of making the virus more transmissible.\n\nIt comes as a further 1,248 people with coronavirus have died in the UK.\n\nThe latest government figures on Thursday also showed another 48,682 new cases had been reported.\n\nMeanwhile, the latest estimate for the reproduction (R) number in the UK - which represents the average number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to - is between 1.2 and 1.3.\n\nLast week it was estimated at between 1 and 1.4 by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.\n\nWhen the figure is above 1, the number of cases increases exponentially.\n\nDespite other variants entering the country since, the Kent variant remains dominant in the UK and is believed to be 30-50% more infectious than the previous form of the virus.\n\nViruses acquire random changes to their genes constantly as they replicate.\n\nMany are neutral or even hurt the virus's ability to spread, but those that give it an advantage will become more common.\n\nMutations are being detected now because enough time has passed for those random changes to take hold.\n\nEven though there is no evidence any of these mutations make the virus more deadly, a virus that infects more people is likely to have a higher death toll.\n\nWhen the virus gets better at sticking onto and breaking into human cells, in theory someone exposed to the same dose is more likely to become ill.\n\nThe use of masks and personal protective equipment, social distancing and hand washing remain the best defences against the virus's spread.\n\nDowning Street said current evidence did not suggest the concerning Brazilian variant affected vaccines or treatment.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMr Shapps described the travel ban, which came into force at 04:00 GMT on Friday, as a \"precautionary\" measure.\n\nIt covers people who have travelled from or through, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela in the last 10 days.\n\nThe ban also applies to Portugal - because of its strong links to Brazil - and the former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde off the coast of west Africa, as well as Panama in central America.\n\nBritish and Irish citizens and foreign nationals with residence rights are still allowed to return - but must isolate for 10 days.\n\nAlso exempt are hauliers who are travelling from Portugal to transport essential goods.\n\nDr Mike Tildesley, an epidemiologist who is part of the government's Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, said the travel ban should minimise the risk from a \"more transmissible\" variant.\n\n\"We always have this issue with travel bans, of course, that we're always a little bit behind the curve,\" he told BBC Breakfast.\n\n\"My understanding is that there haven't really been any flights coming from Brazil for about the past week, so hopefully the immediate travel ban should really minimise the risk.\"\n\nDowning Street said it acted \"as quickly as possible\" to impose the travel ban because the concerning Brazilian variant \"could pose a significant risk to the UK\".\n\nHowever, Portugal's government has described the ban as \"absurd\" and illogical\".\n\nThe country's minister of foreign affairs Augusto Santos Silva said he had requested a conversation with his British counterpart after the \"sudden and unexpected\" suspension of flights.\n\nHe added Portugal was already restricting flights from Brazil and there was \"no evidence\" the new variant existed in his country.", "Police investigations have been compromised by an error that led to hundreds of thousands of records being deleted from UK-wide databases, according to a letter seen by the BBC.\n\nThe National Police Chiefs' Council said 213,000 records were deleted - more than the 150,000 first reported.\n\nThis resulted in a couple of \"near misses\" for serious crimes when trying to identify an offender, it said.\n\nThe Home Office has said it is assessing the impact of the mistake.\n\nData including fingerprint, DNA, and arrest histories was wiped from the Police National Computer (PNC) - which stores and shares criminal records information across the UK - after being inadvertently flagged for deletion.\n\nThe PNC is used in police investigations and provides real-time checks on people, vehicles and crimes, as well as whether suspects are wanted for any unsolved offences.\n\nThe Home Office said the lost entries related to people who were arrested and then released without further action.\n\nBut the letter from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) says officers are aware of at least one instance where the DNA profile from a suspect in custody did not generate a match to a crime scene as expected, potentially impeding the investigation.\n\nIt says that some of the records had been marked for indefinite retention following earlier convictions for serious offences.\n\nAnd it reveals that a \"weeding system\", developed and deployed by a Home Office PNC team, started to delete records wrongly last November.\n\nThe process was only brought to a halt at the start of this week.\n\nThe letter was sent on Friday afternoon by Deputy Chief Constable Naveed Malik of the NPCC to chief constables and police and crime commissioners.\n\nThe deletion of the records has been blamed on a coding error.\n\nThis resulted in records that had been flagged for deletion being lost from the database before checks had been carried out to determine whether they could be lawfully held or not.\n\nPolicing minister Kit Malthouse said the problem had been identified and the process corrected so \"it cannot happen again\".\n\nHe said the Home Office, National Police Chiefs' Council and other law enforcement partners were working \"at pace\" to recover the data.\n\nThe Home Office said no records of criminal or dangerous persons had been deleted.\n\nBut Labour shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds called on Home Secretary Priti Patel to take responsibility for the error and be clear about the impact it had had.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast, he described the situation as \"extraordinarily serious\", adding: \"Priti Patel will be responsible for criminals walking free. We're not going to be able to link suspects to crime scenes without the DNA and fingerprint evidence.\"\n\nA home office source said the accusation was \"scaremongering and irresponsible\".\n\nFormer Cumbria Police Chief Constable Stuart Hyde told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday the \"very large\" loss of arrest records presented a \"risk to public safety\".\n\nThe records are linked to police investigations that were terminated before charge (No Further Action or NFA cases) or to those where an individual had been acquitted at court.\n\nIt is not yet known how many records of each type were lost and full extent of deletions is still being investigated. A minister is expected to update the House of Commons on Monday.\n\nIt comes after about 40,000 alerts relating to European criminals were removed from the PNC following the UK's post-Brexit security deal with the EU.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The pharmacy in Gwynedd is offering the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab\n\nA pharmacy has become the first in Wales to offer Covid jabs, as community vaccine trials begin.\n\nFifty people with appointments are to visit the pharmacy near Pwllheli, Gwynedd, on Friday to receive their first shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.\n\nThe pilot has begun in pharmacies in Betsi Cadwaladr health board.\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford said community pharmacists can help with vaccinations \"in more than one way\".\n\nIt follows a letter from Community Pharmacy Wales to Wales' health minister which said there was an \"urgent need\" to use pharmacies in Wales to help roll out coronavirus vaccines.\n\nUK Government figures show 126,375 people in Wales, 4% of the population, have received their first coronavirus jab so far.\n\nThat compares with 4.1% (224,840) in Scotland, 4.9% in England (2,769,164) and 6% (114,567) in Northern Ireland.\n\nHundreds more pharmacies in Wales will offer the jab in the next two weeks.\n\nRosie Bennett, one of the patients to receive a vaccination at Fferyllwyr H L Taylor Pharmacy in Llanbedrog, said getting her vaccine was a \"small step to a better future\".\n\nThe 82-year-old said: \"I don't have a car, so it was a huge relief to know that I wouldn't have to travel a long distance to have the vaccine.\n\n\"Here in the village, we know the staff at the chemists. They've been doing a great job during the pandemic and it's reassuring to have the vaccine from someone you know.\"\n\nSteffan John, the pharmacist who administered the vaccine to Rosie, said the staff are \"really pleased to do their bit for the community\".\n\nPharmacist Llyr Hughes, who runs four pharmacies, including Fferyllwyr H L Taylor Pharmacy, said \"vaccinating at scale\" was the \"only way out of the pandemic\".\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Mr Hughes said he expected the rollout to happen \"very quickly across all community pharmacies in Wales\".\n\n\"I don't forsee any big problems,\" he said.\n\n\"Community pharmacists have a wealth of experience in delivering flu vaccinations.\n\n\"We will tailor our work model to accommodate for this, as we did for the flu vaccine.\"\n\nMr Hughes said his pharmacy will have vaccinated in the region of more than 100 people by Saturday afternoon.\n\nHe added: \"If we can deliver locally we can provide easier access to older patients.\"\n\nHe explained local patients would be contacted about an appointment for the vaccine at the pharmacy.\n\nMr John said that the vaccine comes in vials of ten doses which means it's \"important to vaccinate that many people at a time and not to waste any\".\n\nLlyr Hughes who runs Fferyllwyr H L Taylor Pharmacy said 50 patients will be vaccinated today\n\nHowever, Mr Drakeford told Friday's Welsh Government press briefing that not all pharmacy premises would be suitable to deliver the Covid vaccines.\n\nHe said some community pharmacists could be asked to administer vaccinations at mass vaccination centres instead, in cases where spaces for vaccinations are small at pharmacies with high volumes of people.\n\nWales' Health Minister Vaughan Gething said the rollout was still in the \"early stages\" of the \"largest vaccination programme Wales has ever seen\".\n\n\"People can be expected to be asked to attend either a mass or community centre, hospital, GP practice, pharmacy or mobile unit,\" he added.\n\nMr Gething said a mix of vaccination sites and centres were chosen so \"everyone across the country has equal access to a vaccination\".\n\nHe added that people will be notified for an appointment, and before that they should not call GPs or health services to request a vaccine and \"add undue pressure\" to their workloads.\n\nPlaid Cymru's health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth said Wales' vaccination programme was \"improving far, far too slowly\".\n\n\"As important as it is that we have one pharmacy doing it, what's happening in all the others?\"\n\nPaul Davies, leader of the Conservatives in the Senedd, said it was clear Wales was \"lagging behind\" the rest of the UK on delivering the vaccinations.\n\n\"It's certainly not happening quickly enough, we need to see the Welsh Government stepping up to the plate,\" he said.\n\nThe Welsh Government has said more pharmacists and other primary care services, such as dentists and opticians - are being invited to help with the rollout, subject to vaccine supply.", "The UK's epidemic is still officially estimated to be growing, according to the latest R number, but data suggests new cases are beginning to fall.\n\nThe R number - which takes into account cases, hospitalisations and deaths - is estimated to be between 1.2 and 1.3, compared with 1 and 1.4 last week.\n\nThis suggests the total number of people with the virus is still rising across the UK.\n\nBut in London, where tight restrictions came in earlier, the R number is lower.\n\nIn the capital, the estimate - based on data up until 11 January - is between 0.9 and 1.2, compared with 1.1 and 1.4 the previous week.\n\nIt comes as a further 1,280 people with coronavirus have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive test, taking the total to 87,291.\n\nThe latest government figures on Friday also showed another 55,761 new cases had been reported.\n\nMeanwhile, more than three million people in the UK have now received the first dose of a vaccine - latest figures show the number at 3,234,946.\n\nAlthough the number of people sick with coronavirus is growing in the UK, data from various sources suggests new infections are declining.\n\nThis provides early signs that lockdown restrictions may be taking effect.\n\nThe government's scientific advisory group Sage, which calculates the R number, said areas that have been under tougher restrictions for a longer period of time - including east of England, London, and the south east - are showing \"a slight decline in the number of people infected\".\n\nHowever, they warned that regions such as north-west and south-west England continue to see infections rise, where the spread of the new UK variant may be playing a role.\n\nThe R number is a way of rating coronavirus or any disease's ability to spread. In theory, it describes the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus onto, on average.\n\nIn reality, though, the government's estimate of R gives a wider view of the epidemic's general trend since it also looks at what is happening in hospitals.\n\nCases, hospitalisations and deaths from Covid-19 have been alarmingly high since the beginning of the year and the latest estimate of the R number indicates that the pandemic is continuing to grow.\n\nBut because of the way the data to estimate R is collected - it reflects the situation a week ago. More up to date indicators suggest that there's a slight decline in infections in the east of England, London, and the South East.\n\nThese areas have had the highest prevalence and therefore the toughest restrictions the longest but infections are continuing to rise in the North West and South West probably because of the spread of the new variant of the virus.\n\nDespite this there's some relief at these figures among the government's scientific advisors. They were not sure whether the current restrictions would be enough to prevent the more contagious variant getting out of control. Now they expect Covid-related deaths to level off in a week or so and then decline as the benefits of the vaccine programme begin to take effect.\n\nCases should also begin to decrease in the coming weeks. But all this depends on people continuing to observe the government's social distancing guidelines - and come into contact with others only if it is essential.\n\nProf Sir David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at the University of Cambridge, said coronavirus deaths were likely to peak in the next week to 10 days.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's The World At One that the lockdown measures were having an impact, with the peak in infections having passed \"a good few days ago\" which would lead to a reduction in the numbers dying from the disease.\n\n\"They are likely to level off in a week - 10 days maybe - at a peak which is probably going to be bigger than the first wave peak of 1,000-a-day, but then should decline due the reductions in cases that we are seeing and, of course, the vaccine programme.\"\n\nData from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study app gives its own estimate of 0.9 for the virus's R or reproduction number. This is based on cases alone, rather than a wider number of data sources included in the official estimate.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What is the R number and what does it mean?\n\nWhile this leaves out the fact that hospitals are still filling up, looking at cases on their own allows assessment of whether lockdown restrictions are working.\n\nBut the large number of infections recorded at the end of December and the beginning of January means, despite receding cases, hospitalisations and deaths will inevitably continue to rise for some time.\n\nMeanwhile, a ban on travellers from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde entering the UK came into force on Friday as a result of a new, potentially more infectious strain linked to Brazil.\n\nProf Wendy Barclay, a scientist at Imperial College London advising the government, said this \"variant of concern\" had not been detected in the UK but another variant from Brazil was already in circulation.\n\nIt is not clear whether this second strain is more contagious or not.", "Ambulances were lined up outside the Royal London Hospital on Thursday\n\nCovid patients have been transferred to hospitals in Newcastle from over-stretched London intensive care units.\n\nA small number, fewer than five, have been moved hundreds of miles from the south east, the BBC has been told.\n\nHospitals with the largest critical care capacity have been asked to take patients from other areas to ease pressures.\n\nHowever, NHS England has denied that patients have been transferred to Newcastle from London.\n\nThe patient transfers were first reported by The Guardian.\n\nIt is not uncommon for patients to be transferred from one busy hospital to another within the region, but moving the sick from out of their areas is unusual.\n\nThe North of England Critical Care Network, which co-ordinates provision in the North East, north Cumbria and North Yorkshire, confirmed patients had been moved from other parts of England.\n\nIn statement, director Lesley Durham said: \"During this pandemic and at these times of unprecedented pressures, we have ensured equity of patient access to critical care though mutual aid between units in the form of critical care patient transfers.\n\n\"We are also working with our colleagues and networks further afield.\n\n\"Whilst not ideal, it is correct to ensure that every person, regardless of location, has access to a critical care bed if they require one.\"\n\nOne medical expert described transferring people across the country as \"a challenge\"\n\nElsewhere, Northampton General Hospital - which is about 70 miles from London - has been receiving critical care patients from outside its area.\n\nA spokesman said: \"Some patients have been transferred to our critical care unit in recent weeks from other parts of the country, including London.\n\n\"We currently have one 'out-of-area' patient, but they are not from London.\"\n\nNHS England said in a statement: \"The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to manage significant pressure either from high Covid-19 infection rates and non-Covid winter demands and this has always included mutual aid practices whereby hospitals work together to manage admissions.\"\n\nIt added that no patients had been transferred from London to Newcastle, Birmingham, Northampton or Sheffield.\n\nAcross England in the week to 12 January, there were 32,202 patients in hospital with Covid-19, a rise of 5,735 on the previous week.\n\nIn the week up to 10 January there were 330,616 new cases.\n\nHospitals across the North East are already seeing many more patients than the first wave of the pandemic, and the next few weeks are likely to be the toughest yet.\n\nBut right now some - like Newcastle - have room in intensive care and are being asked to take patients from critical care units in the south which have become overwhelmed and run out of room.\n\nNewcastle and Northumbria NHS trusts have already been taking in patients from across their own patch - most notably from Cumbria where there are not nearly enough intensive care beds for the soaring numbers of Covid patients.\n\nBut patient numbers are growing in the North East's hospitals too, and many are already struggling.\n\nThey expect next week will be the worst week they have experienced yet.\n\nTo prepare, elective work is being postponed, wards are being cleared to take in new patients, and intensive care units are being expanded.\n\nConcerns have been raised about seriously-ill patients travelling such long distances.\n\nDr Uwe Franke, intensive care lead at Middlesbrough's James Cook Hospital, said: \"The critical care networks work regionally and nationally and are trying to spread the workload about the country without pushing other units to their limits or out of the durability of their capacity.\n\n\"But there is a difficulty in this; we know that Covid patients are incredibly ill, they are dependent on breathing machines, they are dependent on other machines that need organ support.\n\n\"To transfer these people across the country is quite a challenge.\"\n\nDr Franke added that while hospitals in the North were keen to support colleagues across the country, some - like his own - were already reaching their limit.\n\nHis hospital currently has in excess of 200 Covid patients, with 32 of those in intensive care.\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.", "Dustin Diamond made his name as the studious \"Screech\" in the US sitcom Saved by the Bell\n\nSaved by The Bell actor Dustin Diamond has been diagnosed with cancer, his representative has said.\n\nThe 44-year-old, who played Samuel \"Screech\" Powers in the popular 1990s US school-based sitcom, fell ill last week and was taken to hospital.\n\nHis representative, Roger Paul, said the actor is now waiting for further details.\n\n\"We will know the severity of it when the tests are done,\" Paul said, adding they expect an update next week.\n\nSaved by the Bell ran for four seasons from 1989 to 1993 and followed a group of high school friends and their principal.\n\nDiamond reprised his role in follow-up series Saved by the Bell: The New Class, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years. But he did not appear in the recent revival series.\n\nThe American was also a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "A 24m section of the bridge parapet collapsed one mile from where a fatal crash took place\n\nPart of a rail bridge has collapsed near the site of the fatal Stonehaven train derailment.\n\nA 24m (79ft) section of the side wall has fallen from the bridge, about a mile north of where three people died when a train left the track and crashed last August.\n\nNetwork Rail said it was a \"structural fault\" and not caused by a landslip.\n\nThe line between Aberdeen and Dundee remains closed while structural engineers assess the fault.\n\nThe structure is located three miles north of Carmont signal box. The collapse was discovered just before 10:00 on Friday.\n\nThe rail company said the damage to the parapet was \"extensive\" and that the line was expected to be closed for a \"significant\" period of time while repairs to the bridge take place.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Network Rail Scotland This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe Network Rail Twitter account told followers engineers would be working around the clock to complete repairs.\n\nSpecialist staff are also checking similar bridges as a precaution.\n\nThe line between Aberdeen and Dundee had just reopened in November, nearly three months after the Stonehaven derailment.\n\nThe driver, a conductor and a passenger died when the Aberdeen to Glasgow service derailed near Stonehaven on 12 August after heavy rain.\n\nNetwork Rail Scotland carried out \"complex\" repairs at the scene of the derailment\n\nAn interim report said the train hit washed-out rocks and gravel.\n\nA Network Rail spokesman said: \"The line is currently closed while our engineers repair a damaged side wall on a bridge between Carmont and Stonehaven.\n\n\"Specialist structural engineers are currently assessing the fault and putting plans in place for its repair.\n\n\"Our engineers will be working around-the-clock to complete this work as quickly as possible.\"", "Passengers will need to provide a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours before departure\n\nPassengers arriving into NI from outside the UK and Republic of Ireland will soon have to produce a negative Covid-19 test before departure.\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster confirmed the executive had agreed the plan on Thursday.\n\nPeople arriving from countries not on the government's travel corridors list will also still have to self-isolate for 10 days.\n\nThe move has already been agreed in the Republic of Ireland.\n\nPassengers arriving there will be subject to the new rules from Saturday, with the measure taking effect in England and Scotland from Monday.\n\nNegative tests 72 hours prior to arrival are already a requirement in the Republic of Ireland for passengers travelling from Great Britain and South Africa.\n\nSpeaking at Stormont's press conference on Thursday, the first minister said Northern Ireland's R-number had also fallen to between 0.7 and 0.9 for new cases of the virus.\n\nThe reproductive rate of the virus - known as the R rate, measures the infection rate of Covid-19 and had risen to about 1.8 due to Christmas relaxations.\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the drop showed the \"very real\" effect of lockdown restrictions imposed on 26 December, but she warned there was still \"no room for complacency\".\n\nShe said she still believed there needed to be an \"two-island approach\" to travel restrictions, including discussions with the British and Irish governments as a \"matter of urgency\".\n\nMrs Foster said Stormont ministers had also expressed frustration at the executive meeting over a lack of data-sharing from authorities in the Republic of Ireland, and called for it to be escalated.\n\nPSNI Chief Constable (centre) Simon Byrne attended Stormont's press briefing on Thursday with the first and deputy first ministers\n\nPSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said 40 penalty notices a day are being handed out to those who breach the Covid-19 regulations.\n\nHe told the press briefing that if people continued flouting rules, they could expect \"firm and swift enforcement\".\n\n\"We won't turn a blind eye when people break the rules.\"\n\nOn Thursday, 16 more deaths related to Covid-19 were reported by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, bringing its total to 1,533.\n\nThere have been 973 new cases diagnosed in the past 24 hours, while 58 Covid-19 patients are being treated in ICUs across Northern Ireland, of which 44 are on ventilators.\n\nMrs Foster said she found it \"incredible and frankly unbelievable\" that some people were still holding house parties and gatherings, despite the pandemic rates and the lockdown.\n\nOn Wednesday, health officials warned that levels of the new, more transmissible variant of the virus are rising.\n\nMr Swann said that meant more \"difficult decisions\" on lockdown restrictions could be required.\n\nNorthern Ireland is in the third week of a six-week lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19.\n\nThe executive is due to review the current restrictions on 21 January.\n\nThe first and deputy first ministers said they would take evidence from health officials before deciding whether an extension of the lockdown would be required.\n\nMinisters have expressed concerns about keeping non-essential parts of businesses open\n\nMinisters have also expressed concerns about some larger retailers \"gaming\" the regulations and keeping open non-essential parts of their businesses.\n\nA meeting between the first and deputy first ministers and representatives of the retail sector is due to happen on Friday afternoon.\n\nElsewhere, the Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that unpaid carers looking after Clinically Extremely Vulnerable individuals should receive the first dose of their vaccine when phase two of the vaccination programme begins next month.\n\nDr Michael McBride told Stormont's Health Committee they are provided for on a list of prioritisation provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which decides the order of vaccination delivery.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Department of Health This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Department of Health\n\nMr Swann was asked if his department was \"putting all its eggs in the vaccine basket\".\n\nHe said it was \"not the entirety of the answer\", adding: \"It will take time for the benefits of it to bed in.\n\n\"And while it is doing it, we still have to follow those restrictions that are in place.\n\n\"We may actually have to introduce more.\"\n\nOn Thursday afternoon the department tweeted that 121,711 vaccines have been administered in Northern Ireland.\n\nMrs Foster said that by end of this month, it is hoped all care home residents, health staff and those aged over 80 in Northern Ireland will have received their first vaccination.\n\nShe said that would be an \"incredible achievement\" and make Northern Ireland one of the top-performing countries in rolling out its vaccination programme.\n\nMeanwhile, the chairman of the Police Federation for NI (PFNI) has said officers need more powers to enforce Covid-19 regulations.\n\nAt present officers can only issue guidance and advice on the public health regulations.\n\nPFNI chairman Mark Lindsay said that puts officers in a \"difficult position\".\n\nThe federation represents thousands of rank and file PSNI officers.\n\n\"I think we are well past the stage where police officers are the people that should be giving advice around the guidance,\" Mr Lindsay told BBC Radio Foyle.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Rescuers pull a woman from the rubble after the 6.2 magnitude earthquake\n\nA powerful earthquake has rocked Indonesia's Sulawesi island, killing at least 42 people, with more feared dead as rescuers search for survivors.\n\nThe 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday morning, just hours after an earlier, smaller tremor.\n\nHundreds of people were injured and thousands displaced by the quake.\n\nIndonesia has a history of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis, with more than 2,000 killed in a 2018 Sulawesi quake.\n\nEight people died when the five-storey Mitra Manakarra Hospital in Mamuju partially collapsed on Friday, officials said. About 60 people were safely evacuated from the hospital.\n\n\"It happened so quickly, around 10 seconds,\" Syamsu Ridwan, a local police spokesman, told the BBC. He said the power in the hospital cut out during the earthquake.\n\nOfficials fear the death toll will increase as rescue efforts continue. Rescuers were still searching for survivors late on Friday, but they have been hampered by power cuts and poor mobile phone service.\n\nIndonesian President Joko Widodo offered condolences to the victims, urging people to stay calm and for the authorities to step up search efforts.\n\nThe epicentre of Friday's quake was six kilometres (3.73 miles) northeast of Majene city at a depth of 10km.\n\nVideo footage on social media showed collapsed houses and a girl pinned under rubble calling for help.\n\nThe situation was \"pretty bad\", Dr Gayatri Marliyani, of the geology department at Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta, told the BBC. She said the governor's office was among the collapsed buildings and confirmed that several hospitals and one hotel had also been damaged.\n\nShe also warned that getting response teams to the area could be hampered by the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nTremors were felt at around 01:00 local time on Friday (17:00 Thursday GMT) for about seven seconds.\n\nNo tsunami warning was issued but thousands are reported to have left their homes, fleeing to safety.\n\nAuthorities have warned that strong aftershocks could follow the two main quakes and that they could still trigger a tsunami.\n\nIndonesia is prone to earthquakes because it lies on the so-called Ring of Fire - a line of frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions on the Pacific rim.\n\nIn 2004, a tsunami triggered by an earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra killed 226,000 people across the Indian Ocean, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.\n\nThe Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 170,000 people on the Indonesian island of Sumatra after a quake of magnitude 9.1.\n\nAre you in the area? If it is safe to do so, share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Police officers who were targeted by a pro-Trump mob have been speaking out about the \"medieval battle\" that unfolded on the steps of the Capitol and inside the halls of American democracy last week.\n\nPolice faced off against rioters equipped with clubs, shields, pitchforks, firearms, and metal poles stripped from seating set up for next week's inauguration.\n\nHere's what we've learned from their interviews with US media.\n\nMichael Fanone, a 40-year-old DC plainclothes narcotics detective who was told to wear his uniform that day, rushed to the West Terrace of the Capitol where he took turns holding back the crowd, and resting to rinse his face of the the chemical irritants that that crowd was spraying on police.\n\n\"We weren't battling 50 or 60 rioters in this tunnel,\" the MPD (Metropolitan Police Department of District of Columbia) veteran told the Washington Post. \"We were battling 15,000 people. It looked like a medieval battle scene.\"\n\nAfter he was grabbed by his helmet and dragged face-first down several steps, he said the crowd started stripping gear from his vest, including spare ammo, his radio and his badge - all while chanting \"USA!\".\n\nMichael Fanone, a DC detective, was dragged into the crowd and beaten\n\n\"We got one! We got one!\" Mr Fanone said he heard people shout, with others chanting: \"Kill him with his own gun!\"\n\nSome members of the crowd protected him after he started yelling that he has children, the father of four told CNN. He sustained only minor injuries but later found out in hospital that he had suffered a mild heart attack during the brawl.\n\nMPD Officer Daniel Hodges, 32, had already been on shift for several hours before the rioting began.\n\n\"We were battling, you know, tooth and nail for our lives,\" he told ABC News.\n\nIn one viral video, Mr Hodges is seen pinned in a glass doorway between officers and the crowd, as rioters strip his gas mask from his face and beat him with his own police-issued baton. One rioter tried to gouge his eyes.\n\n\"That was one of the three times that day where I thought: Well, this might be it,\" said Mr Hodges. \"This might be the end for me.\"\n\nAs he choked on tear gas, he is seen on video gasping for air to call out for help. Enough police were eventually able to push through the melee to extract him.\n\n\"I had conspiracy theorists and everyone you could think of yelling at me, saying, 'Why are you doing this, you're the traitor,'\" Mr Hodges told radio station WAMU.\n\n\"We're not the traitors. We're the ones who saved Congress that day, and we'll do it as many times as necessary.\"\n\nDespite fearing for his life, Mr Hodges says he decided not to use his gun on the crowd.\n\n\"I didn't want to be the guy who starts shooting, because I knew they had guns - we had been seizing guns all day,\" he told the Post.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nRobert Glover, the commander on scene for MPD, declared a riot at 13:50 local time, nearly two hours after Trump's speech at the White House where he instructed his followers to go to the Capitol.\n\nHe quickly told officers to retake the inauguration bleachers, to stop the crowd from raining down heavy objects on officers from above.\n\nMr Glover told the Post that some rioters may have been caught up in the moment, but others seemed to be moving in \"military formation\" as if they had prepared for the assault. He said that some appeared to be using hand signals to co-ordinate tactics.\n\nSeveral US military veterans, as well as off-duty police officers from Virginia, Maryland and Texas, have since been suspended or arrested for participating in the riot.\n\nMPD Officer Christina Laury, 32, was among the first city police officers to arrive on the scene. When she got to the Capitol, officers were already being brutally attacked by rioters attempting to storm the building.\n\n\"They had bear mace, which is literally used for bears. I got hit with it plenty of times that day and it just seals your eyes shut. You just would see officers going down trying to douse themselves with water, trying to open their eyes up so they can see again.\"\n\n\"The bravery and the heroism that I saw in these officers - the second they were able to open their eyes, they were back up front and they were just trying to stop these individuals from coming in.\"\n\nOne officer being lauded as a hero has yet to speak about his experience - Officer Eugene Goodman, a member of Congress' 2,100 member Capitol Police force.\n\nMr Goodman, an African American Iraq War veteran, was seen singlehandedly distracting a rampaging mob, giving lawmakers enough time to clear the chamber and get to safety.\n\nOn Thursday, a cross-party group of lawmakers introduced a bill calling for him to receive the Congressional Gold Medal for his effort to defend democracy.\n\nThe Capitol Police have been criticised over their response and preparation.\n\nSeveral top Capitol security officials, including the Capitol Police chief and the sergeants-at-arms for the House and Senate, resigned in the wake of the siege amid claims from lawmakers that they had not done enough to prepare for the mob.\n\nProtesters climbed the bleachers that were erected for Biden's inauguration\n\nOn Friday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced General Russel Honoré would be leading an immediate investigation of the Capitol's security infrastructure.\n\nVideo footage has also emerged showing an officer taking a selfie with a rioter inside the Capitol. Some officers reportedly gave directions to rioters telling them how to get to the offices of Democratic lawmakers.\n\nSeveral Capitol Police officers have been suspended for allegedly violating policies as the agency conducts an internal probe.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA respiratory doctor at Belfast's Mater Hospital has warned that hospital oxygen supplies are under \"extreme pressure\".\n\nDr Nick Magee also said more younger patients were now being treated in hospital than during the first and second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nHe said in the past they did not have to consult other NI hospitals about how much oxygen they had.\n\n\"That was never a thing in previous January flu problems,\" he told the BBC.\n\n\"But that is something we are now having to think of,\" he added.\n\nEarlier this week Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said there is enough oxygen to cope with the current demand.\n\nBut according to Dr Magee the current level of oxygen being used in \"bays\" at the Mater means patients cannot charge their mobile phones by their bedside because of the \"fire risk\".\n\n\"It is all well controlled and we are making sure that we can share out that oxygen burden. That is something we are having to think about,\" he said.\n\n\"I can't say specifically about other regional hospitals but I know that they are under extreme pressure and it's just something we have to think of as a region.\n\n\"Can we supply oxygen adequately for the amounts of oxygen we are using in hospitals?\"\n\nThe number of Covid positive hospital in-patients has increased significantly since last week - up from 599 a week ago to 850 on Thursday.\n\nThe number of people in ICU has also risen from 44 to 58 in the past week.\n\nDr Magee said staff were concerned about having to cope with \"large volumes\" of patients requiring respiratory support.\n\nHe said the number of younger patients becoming increasingly sick with the virus was growing.\n\nOn Wednesday, the Mater Hospital moved six patients who had been on wards into ICU and also took patients from the Southern Health Trust.\n\n\"Recently I saw a 29-year-old patient, also three who were in their mid 30s that all required respiratory support on a ward,\" he told BBC News NI.\n\n\"They are frightened they are wearing specialist masks CPAP masks that help them breathe. They are scared.\"\n\nThe relentless pressure of the past 10 months and the prospect of a further surge in admissions over the next fortnight is weighing heavily on the minds of medics.\n\n\"We are really worried about next week,\" said Dr Magee.\n\n\"It's very busy this week, we are coping well but we are particularly concerned about next week.\n\n\"Normally, if we had somebody who needed a lot of respiratory support we would involve a high dependency unit but all the respiratory wards are becoming like high dependency units.\n\n\"Volume of sicker, younger patients is much greater and it's not something that I would [have] ever seen before,\" he added.\n\nThe Southern Health and Social Care Trust said its hospitals had limited infrastructure to manage high numbers of patients requiring oxygen so a regional agreement was in place to share resources across Trusts to support Covid-positive patients.\n\n\"As a result some patients have been diverted to Belfast or SE Trust to help reduce pressure on the Southern Trust hospital system,\" a statement said.\n\n\"Craigavon and Daisy Hill hospitals remain very busy with high numbers of Covid-19 positive patients who are dependent on oxygen therapy.\n\n\"These protocols are in place as part of regional surge planning to ensure that we can safely manage the current high volume of Covid-19 patients needing hospital care.\n\n\"Patients who are currently being treated in Craigavon and Daisy Hill have secure supplies of oxygen.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Derby\n\nChampionship side Derby County have appointed England's record goalscorer Wayne Rooney as their new manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract.\n\nThe 35-year-old, who had been in interim charge since Phillip Cocu was sacked on 14 November, has now also officially retired as a player.\n\nRooney has overseen nine games so far, winning three and drawing four.\n\n\"The opportunity to follow Brian Clough, Jim Smith, Frank Lampard and Phillip Cocu is an honour,\" he said.\n\n\"I knew instinctively Derby County was the place for me.\"\n\nLiam Rosenior takes up the role of assistant manager, with former England boss Steve McClaren continuing as technical director and advisor to the board of directors.\n\nShay Given will become first-team coach and Justin Walker will remain as first-team development coach.\n\nThe Rams are third from bottom in the Championship, level on points with fourth-from-bottom Sheffield Wednesday.\n\nA takeover for the club is expected to go through this week, with a deal between current owner Mel Morris and the Derventio Holdings Group having been agreed in November.\n\nRams chief executive Stephen Pearce said in an interview with BBC Radio Derby on Thursday that there were no problems with the takeover, despite the delays meaning players have not been paid their December wages.\n\n\"Our recent upturn in results under Wayne was married together with some positive performances, notably the 2-0 home win over Swansea City and the 4-0 victory at Birmingham City,\" said Pearce.\n\n\"During that nine-game run we also dramatically improved their defensive record and registered five clean sheets in the process, while in the attacking third we became more effective and ruthless too.\n\n\"Those foundations have provided a platform for the club to build on in the second half of the season.\"\n\nRooney made his professional debut for boyhood club Everton in August 2002 aged just 16 and became the Premier League's youngest scorer with a superb long-range goal against Arsenal before his 17th birthday.\n\nAfter a strong Euro 2004 he moved to Manchester United for £27m, then a world record fee for a teenager.\n\nDuring 13 years with United he won the Premier League five times, the Champions League, the FA Cup and three League Cups.\n\nHis time with England was less successful in terms of team honours, although he did break Sir Bobby Charlton's long-standing record of 49 goals before retiring from international football in August 2017.\n\nHe made a farewell appearance for the Three Lions against the United States in a friendly in November 2018 to finish with 53 goals in 120 appearances.\n\nAfter a second stint at Everton and a spell with American side DC United, Rooney joined Derby in January 2020 as a player-coach on an initial 18-month contract.\n\nHe retires as the second-highest goalscorer in Premier League history, with 208 goals.\n\nWayne Rooney's presence at Derby County was felt on that hot August evening in 2019 when Phillip Cocu won his first match as manager at Huddersfield, a result overshadowed by the announcement of his signing.\n\nRooney's ambition to become a manager was there for all to see when chairman Mel Morris afforded him the opportunity to be a player-coach on arrival in January. He in fact arrived a few months before that but was unable to play, and stayed low key, observing from the sidelines.\n\nA year ago this month he made an instant impact to Derby's fortunes on the field. Players who were underachieving and perhaps found the grind of the Championship a little hard to handle, were taken up a notch by his presence.\n\nSome would say Rooney saved the Rams' season, but this term he struggled on the field and so did Derby.\n\nI am told it was written into his contract that he would have a chance to take control one day and he has already shown in his nine games in interim charge that he can get the squad playing in his image. Gone is the side-to-side, slow build-up possession game, it is a better product to watch.\n\nThe people around him have good pedigree in the game. Shay Given, Liam Rosenior, Justin Walker and Jason Pearcey have experience at all levels - but his relationship with Steve McClaren will be the most important of all.\n\nDerby fans have been calling out for a positive piece of news. Rooney's appointment is the first duck in a row with the takeover expected to be completed any time now and then Championship survival is the hope.\n• None Hear how David Bowie always managed to stay ahead of his time\n• None Joe Wicks and guests are here to bring positivity to your day", "A man accused of allegedly tricking a 92-year-old woman out of £160 for a fake coronavirus vaccination has been charged with fraud and common assault.\n\nDavid Chambers is accused of administering the fake vaccine at her Surbiton home in London last month.\n\nThe 33-year-old, also from Surbiton, is charged with five offences including fraud and going outside in a tier four area without a good reason.\n\nHe denied the charges when he appeared before magistrates on Friday.\n\nMr Chambers was remanded in custody until a hearing on 12 February.\n\nIn the UK, coronavirus vaccines are free of charge and available via the NHS.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Marcus Rashford and a group of celebrity chefs and campaigners have called on Boris Johnson to review the government's free school meals policy.\n\nThe group, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Tom Kerridge, have written to the PM asking him to \"fix\" the system long-term.\n\nThey called for a strategy to help \"end child food poverty\" before the summer holidays.\n\nNo 10 said \"no child will ever go hungry\" because of the Covid pandemic.\n\nThe call for a wide review comes after another row over free school meals during February half-term.\n\nThe government has said food will be provided to children by councils under the Covid Winter Grant Scheme while schools are closed for the holiday.\n\nCouncils and unions say the government should provide food vouchers instead, with the Local Government Association's Councillor Richard Watts telling BBC Radio 4's PM programme the grant had already been allocated for other support.\n\nBut Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"We are down to semantics whether it is the school delivering the meal or whether it is the local authority - fortunately there is quite a lot of different support available.\"\n\nAs well as getting the backing of Rashford - who has led campaigns around child poverty over the course of the pandemic - the letter has been signed by chefs Oliver, Kerridge and Fearnley-Whittingstall, along with actor Dame Emma Thompson and over 40 charities and education leaders.\n\nOrganised by the Food Foundation charity, the letter said it was time to \"step back and review the policy in more depth\".\n\nThey called for an \"urgent comprehensive review into free school meal policy across the UK\" to feed into the government's next Spending Review, saying it should look at:\n\nThe signatories praised the Department for Education's \"swift response\" to reports earlier this week of inadequate food parcels sent to families, saying the \"robustness of the message from you and the secretary of state on this issue was very welcome\".\n\nBut, they added that \"following the series of problems which have arisen over school food vouchers, holiday provision and food parcels since the start of the pandemic\", now was the time for a review.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Tom Kerridge: There has to be a solution to free school meals\n\nAnna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation charity, said the last few months had seen \"crisis after crisis with the provision of free school meals\".\n\n\"The result of that is disadvantaged children have often paid the price,\" she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\n\"Our view is that really unless we do a root and branch review these problems are going to still keep appearing.\"\n\nChef Fearnley-Whittingstall also called for a more consistent, long-term response to the issue of food poverty.\n\n\"We need to get out of this fire-fighting, highly reactive series of actions by the government,\" he told the same programme.\n\nThe signatories want a review to be published and debated in Parliament before the 2021 summer holidays.\n\n\"We are ready and willing to support your government in whatever way we can to make this review a reality and to help develop a set of recommendations that everyone can support,\" the letter said.\n\n\"School food is essential in supporting the health and learning of our most disadvantaged children.\n\n\"Now, at a time when children have missed months of in-school learning and the pandemic has reminded us of the importance of our health, this is a vital next step.\"\n\nAnti-poverty campaigner and food writer Jack Monroe welcomed the letter to the PM, but told the BBC: \"We need to be feeding children right now.\"\n\nShe added: \"While it is great to be looking longer term... having an underpinning strategy that means that children aren't put into poverty in the first place, we need to also immediately be putting resources in to ensure people aren't going hungry, today, tonight, next week and in the February half-term.\n\n\"This isn't a rhetorical thing. It isn't a dinner party discussion. We need to be doing this now.\"\n\nA Downing Street spokesperson said: \"It is great that celebrities and groups across society see the importance of school food. The PM thanks Marcus Rashford for his letter and will reply soon.\n\n\"School food is essential in supporting the health and learning of the most disadvantaged pupils. The prime minister has been clear that no child will ever go hungry as a result of the pandemic\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nRichard Leonard has resigned as Scottish Labour leader, saying it is in the best interests of the party for him to stand down.\n\nMr Leonard said he believed speculation about his leadership had become a \"distraction\".\n\nAnd he said he would be stepping down with immediate effect.\n\nHis resignation comes just months ahead of the Scottish Parliament election, which is scheduled to be held in May.\n\nMr Leonard had been leader of the party for three years after succeeding Kezia Dugdale.\n\nThe former union official had faced open calls to quit from some of his own MSPs last year amid concerns that his leadership style could damage the party in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election.\n\nPolls have suggested that many Scottish Labour supporters struggle to recognise him, and he is closely associated with former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.\n\nScottish Labour had dominated politics in Scotland for decades, but is currently the third largest party at Holyrood behind the SNP and Conservatives.\n\nAnd Mr Leonard's critics had questioned whether he was capable of turning the party's fortunes around.\n\nMr Leonard was seen as a close ally of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn\n\nIn a statement, Mr Leonard said the decision to resign had not been easy - but he felt it was the right one for him and his party.\n\nHe said: \"I have thought long and hard over the Christmas period about what this crisis means, and the approach Scottish Labour takes to help tackle it.\n\n\"I have also considered what the speculation about my leadership does to our ability to get Labour's message across. This has become a distraction.\n\n\"I have come to the conclusion it is in the best interests of the party that I step aside as leader of Scottish Labour with immediate effect.\"\n\nHe also insisted that Scotland now needs a Labour government more than ever, and accused both the Scottish and UK governments of mishandling the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nMr Leonard added: \"While I step down from the leadership today, the work goes on - and I will play my constructive part as an MSP in winning support for Labour's vision of a better future in a democratic economy and a socialist society.\"\n\nHis decision leaves Scottish Labour looking for its fifth leader since the independence referendum in 2014 - with Johann Lamont, Jim Murphy and Kezia Dugdale all having held the job since then.\n\nA Procedures Committee, to oversee the election of Mr Leonard's successor, has been formed and will have its first meeting on Friday.\n\nMeanwhile, Labour's Scottish Executive Committee will also meet in the coming days to agree a timetable for the process.\n\nMSP Jackie Baillie, who was Scottish Labour's deputy leader, has taken charge of the party on an interim basis.\n\nThis sudden resignation four months from the Holyrood elections seems to have taken Scottish Labour by surprise.\n\nMSPs I've spoken to said they did not see it coming.\n\nThere have been times when Richard Leonard has been under severe pressure from some in his party to stand down.\n\nWhen several MSPs publicly called for him to quit because the party had gone backwards at successive elections on his watch, he stood firm.\n\nHis critics seemed to have accepted that he would lead them and a divided party into the Holyrood election.\n\nThat has now changed and interim leader Jackie Baillie has to quickly organise a contest to replace him.\n\nIt's a contest in which Anas Sarwar, if he stands, would be an obvious frontrunner - even although he lost last time to Mr Leonard, who was seen as much closer to the then UK party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Leonard should be \"very proud\" of his achievements as leader of the party in Scotland.\n\nSir Keir added: \"I would like to thank Richard for his service to our party and his unwavering commitment to the values he believes in.\n\n\"Richard has led Scottish Labour through one of the most challenging and difficult periods in our country's history, including a general election and the pandemic.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Neil Findlay MSP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Leonard had been due to face a confidence vote at the party's ruling Executive Committee last September - but the motion was withdrawn at the last minute.\n\nIt came after four Scottish Labour MSPs called for him to go, warning that the party faced \"catastrophe\" at the ballot box under his leadership.\n\nThey pointed to the party's dismal performance in previous elections under Mr Leonard.\n\nScottish Labour finished fifth in the European election in May 2019, and then lost all but one of its MPs in the general election in December of the same year.\n\nMr Leonard insisted at the time that he intended to lead the party into this year's Holyrood election, and accused his opponents of waging \"internal war\" against him.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who faced Mr Leonard in her weekly question session in the Scottish Parliament, tweeted that she had \"always liked Richard Leonard\" despite their political difference.\n\nShe added: \"He is a decent guy and I wish him well for the future.\"\n\nRuth Davidson, who quit as leader of the Scottish Tories in 2019 before returning to lead the party at Holyrood, said she had always found Mr Leonard to be a \"thoroughly decent man and a committed campaigner.\"\n\nAnas Sarwar, who was defeated by Mr Leonard in the leadership contest in 2017 and is seen as one of the favourites to replace him, said he was sure Mr Leonard would \"continue to fight for a fairer, more just and more equal society today, tomorrow and long into the future.\"\n\nBut Labour MSP Neil Findlay, an outspoken supporter of Mr Leonard, took aim at those who had sought to oust him last year - describing them as \"flinching cowards\" and \"sneering traitors\".", "A rejuvenated Northumberland Line will help connect local communities to Newcastle city centre, say supporters\n\nTwo railway lines, closed to passengers since the 1960s, are to get almost £800m funding from the government.\n\nEast West Rail, which will eventually connect Oxford and Cambridge, will get £760m to open new parts of the line.\n\nThe Northumberland Line, which still carries freight, will get £34m for initial work aimed at reintroducing passenger services.\n\nReopening closed lines like these would help connect \"left-behind\" communities, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.\n\n\"Restoring railways helps put communities back on the map and this investment forms part of our nationwide effort to build back vital connections and unlock access to jobs, education and housing,\" he said.\n\nThese investments would return these routes \"to their former glory\" and was part of the government's \"levelling up\" agenda, Mr Shapps added.\n\nDiesel engines will initially run on the lines, but Mr Shapps said he hoped more environmentally friendly trains, for example powered by hydrogen or new battery technology, would replace them in the future.\n\nWhen asked by the BBC why the lines wouldn't be electrified, he said these lines might potentially bypass the overhead wire technology altogether.\n\n\"We're building it in such a way that we can use, probably, the very latest technology, potentially, in the future,\" he said.\n\n\"The most important thing is the infrastructure,\" he said. \"It's about building the stations, things you need to do no matter what kind of train you're going to run on there, if it's going to take passengers.\"\n\nBut Labour MP Daniel Zeichner, who represents Cambridge, said: \"Every rail expert will tell you it will cost more later to electrify a line.\"\n\n\"In a time of climate emergency, we really shouldn't be building railway lines for diesel, it's got to be electric.\"\n\nThe line connecting Oxford and Cambridge would serve new housing developments, he said, and rail was \"the right way to get people in and out of a city like Cambridge\".\n\n\"It's very important for the UK economy, but it's got to be done in an environmentally sustainable way,\" he said. \"It seems crazy to be building new railways which aren't electrified in the first place, and I really hope the government will reconsider.\"\n\nThe East West Rail investment will rebuild a train line between Bicester and Bletchley which was closed in 1968.\n\nThe project is being delivered by a publicly-owned body called the East West Company.\n\nThe first phase of East West Rail, which was completed in 2016, connected Oxford and Bicester.\n\nBut at the moment, rail passengers wishing to go from Oxford to Bletchley have to take a detour via Coventry.\n\nThe aim is to get trains running between Oxford and Bletchley by 2025, with new stations at Winslow and Bletchley.\n\nThe Department for Transport said the works will create 1,500 jobs, and have a wider economic benefit for the area.\n\nThe eventual aim of the project, which the government expects to be completed by the end of the decade, is to connect Oxford and Cambridge by rail via Bedford, taking in Milton Keynes and Aylesbury on branches.\n\nThe Northumberland Line was closed to passengers in 1964 as part of a rationalisation of the railway network known as the Beeching cuts.\n\nHenri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said the Northumberland Line was \"a really critical piece of local infrastructure\" that would help bring people in south east Northumberland and north Tyneside closer to Newcastle city centre, and closer to well-paid jobs.\n\nPassengers would be able to take the train between Ashington and Newcastle\n\n\"Having better connectivity will help attract businesses to that area, and it will help to deliver genuine levelling-up,\" he said.\n\nThe new £34m investment, which aims to reopen the line between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Ashington, will include funds for preparatory works and land acquisition.\n\nThere are plans for new stations at at Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth, Bebside, Newsham, Seaton Delaval, and Northumberland Park, in North Tyneside, as well as upgrades to the track and changes to level crossings where new bridges or underpasses were needed, the Department for Transport said.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Supporters of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny protest against his arrest across Russia\n\nRussian police have detained more than 3,000 people in a crackdown on protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, monitors say.\n\nTens of thousands of people defied a heavy police presence to join some of the largest rallies against President Vladimir Putin in years.\n\nIn Moscow, riot police were seen beating and dragging away protesters.\n\nMr Navalny, President Putin's most high-profile critic, called for protests after his arrest last Sunday.\n\nHe was detained after he flew back to Moscow from Berlin, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal nerve agent attack in Russia last August.\n\nOn his return, he was immediately taken into custody and found guilty of violating parole conditions. He says it is a trumped-up case designed to silence him.\n\nOVD Info, an independent NGO that monitors rallies, said about 3,100 people had been detained, more than 1,200 of them in Moscow alone. The Kremlin has not commented.\n\nThe unauthorised demonstrations were held in about 100 cities and towns from Russia's Far East and Siberia to Moscow and St Petersburg. Protesters ranged from teenage students to elderly people who demanded Mr Navalny's release.\n\nAt least 40,000 people joined a rally in central Moscow, Reuters news agency estimated. But Russia's interior ministry put the number of protesters at 4,000.\n\nObservers say the scale of the demonstrations across the country was unprecedented while the protest in the capital was the largest in almost a decade.\n\nRiot police used batons against protesters in Moscow\n\nIn the city's Pushkin square, some protesters chanted \"Freedom to Navalny\" and \"Putin go away!\" One woman told the BBC she had decided to join the demonstration because \"Russia has been turned into a prison camp\".\n\nSergei Radchenko, a 53-year-old protester in Moscow, told Reuters: \"I'm tired of being afraid. I haven't just turned up for myself and Navalny, but for my son because there is no future in this country.\"\n\nLyubov Sobol, a prominent aide of Mr Navalny who had already been fined for urging Russians to join the protests, tweeted a video of police roughly pulling her away from an interview with reporters.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Соболь Любовь This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Navalny's wife, Yulia, was briefly held at the rally. She posted an image on her Instagram account with the caption: \"Apologies for the poor quality. Very bad light in the police van.\"\n\nSome protesters marched on the high-security prison where Mr Navalny is being held, and many were arrested.\n\nMeanwhile, one independent news source, Sota, said at least 3,000 people had joined a demonstration in the city of Vladivostok, but local authorities there put the figure at 500.\n\nAFP footage showed riot police running into a crowd, and beating some of the protesters with batons.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police used batons to break up protests in Vladivostok\n\nIn the Siberian city of Yakutsk, attendees at a small protest saw temperatures dip as low as -50C (-58F).\n\nPrior to the rallies, Russian authorities had promised a tough crackdown. Several of Mr Navalny's close aides, including his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh, were arrested earlier in the week.\n\nHis supporters called for more protests next weekend.\n\nThere were reports of disruption to mobile phone and internet coverage on Saturday, though it is not known if this was related to the protests.\n\nThe social media app TikTok had been flooded with videos promoting the demonstrations and sharing viral messages about Mr Navalny.\n\nIn response, Russia's official media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, demanded that TikTok take down any information \"encouraging minors to act illegally\", threatening large fines. The education ministry had told parents not to allow their children to attend any demonstrations.\n\nProtesters ignored extreme cold and threats of arrest in Moscow and other cities and towns\n\nIn a push to gain support ahead of the protests, Mr Navalny's team released a video about a luxury Black Sea resort that they allege belongs to President Putin - an accusation denied by the Kremlin. The video has been watched by more than 65 million people.\n\nThe UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, condemned the \"use of violence against peaceful protesters and journalists\" on Saturday, calling on the authorities to release those detained during peaceful demonstrations.\n\nThe US state department condemned what it called \"harsh tactics\" used against protesters and journalists, saying: \"We call on Russian authorities to release all those detained for exercising their universal rights and for the immediate and unconditional release of Aleksey Navalny\".\n\nThe EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the bloc's foreign ministers would discuss the Russian crackdown on Monday. \"I deplore widespread detentions, disproportionate use of force, cutting down internet and phone connections.\"", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic. We'll have another update for you on Sunday morning.\n\nSenior doctors have asked England's chief medical officer to halve the current 12-week gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer-Biontech Covid-19 vaccine. The wait was originally three weeks but was then extended, a decision which Prof Chris Whitty said would double the number of people receiving jabs. But, in a letter seen by the BBC, the British Medical Association said the delay was \"difficult to justify\". It comes after the prime minister revealed the UK variant of Covid-19 may be more deadly.\n\nEfforts to distribute the jab in the European Union have faced another setback after UK drug-maker AstraZeneca warned of supply issues. Vaccinations have already been halted in some parts of Europe due to a cut in deliveries of the Pfizer vaccine. Cases in many European countries are surging. Germany has reached 50,000 Covid deaths and Spain has seen record infections in recent weeks.\n\nElizabeth Kerr and Simon O'Brien were engaged to be married when they were taken to hospital in the same ambulance with Covid-19. As his condition worsened, staff at Milton Keynes University Hospital rallied to arrange a wedding for them - and they were able to marry moments before he was sedated and put on a ventilator. Mrs Kerr said she was told it could be their only chance.\"Those are words I never, ever want to hear again,\" she said.\n\nElizabeth Kerr and Simon O'Brien were married moments before he was put on a mechanical ventilator\n\nOn 23 January last year, the Chinese authorities severed transport links out of Wuhan and confined the city's population to their homes. Wuhan has long since recovered from the world's first outbreak of Covid-19. Its streets are bustling again. A year on, John Sudworth explores how it is now being remembered not as a disaster but as a victory, and with an insistence that the virus came from somewhere - anywhere - else.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BBC's Robin Brant visits the Wuhan market where Covid-19 was first traced\n\nMillions of us are less physically active than we were before Covid-19. For those working from home, days on end can be spent hunched over a laptop without ever leaving the house. A survey of people working remotely, by Opinium for the charity Versus Arthritis, found 81% of respondents were experiencing some back, neck or shoulder pain. Here are some tips that could help.\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nWondering when you might be able to get a vaccine? Health reporter Philippa Roxby takes you through what you need to know.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Questions should be asked if politicians who drank on Welsh Parliament premises during a pub alcohol ban can stand for re-election, an ex-standards official has said.\n\nSenedd Tory leader Paul Davies, Darren Millar and Labour's Alun Davies have apologised - they are not thought to have broken the rules, but the two Tories admitted it would not be seen as in their spirit.\n\nA fourth Senedd Member Nick Ramsay has denied being part of the gathering.", "Amy says her flat isn't worth anything until it is made safe\n\nThe government's fund to pay for the removal of dangerous cladding is woefully inadequate, oversubscribed and taking too long to make buildings safe, campaigners say.\n\nMore than three and a half years since the Grenfell Tower fire which killed 72 people, an estimated 700,000 people are still living in high-rise blocks with flammable cladding.\n\nThe £1.6bn Building Safety Programme was set up in 2019. Concerns have emerged about the contract that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government requires applicants to the fund, usually managing agents or building owners, to sign.\n\nA clause in the contract, seen by the BBC, indicates applicants will be financially liable for any repair work not covered by the fund.\n\nThe BBC has learnt that some managing agents are refusing to sign the document, further delaying the repair work, and have written to the government asking ministers to clarify the position.\n\nChristian Hansen, a solicitor at Bindmans LLP specialising in housing law and fire safety claims, said the contract showed that \"there's going to be a significant shortfall between the costs of the [repair] works that are required and the funding provided under the scheme\".\n\n\"Someone is going to need to pick up the bill and pay the difference. This contract makes clear it's going to be the leaseholders and for many, this could be tens of thousands of pounds, potentially ruinous costs,\" he warned.\n\nMr Hansen said that leaseholders wanted the focus of government action \"to be on the manufacturers of the defective materials and construction companies who built these buildings\".\n\n\"At the moment, they are the ones profiting from putting people's lives at risk.\"\n\n\"It is absolutely terrifying knowing that you are stuck here,\" says Amy\n\nFirst-time buyer Amy Cottenden, who is 28, bought a one-bed flat in Metis Tower in the centre of Sheffield for £85,000 in 2017.\n\nInspections of the 14-storey building in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy revealed it had the same type of flammable ACM cladding and other safety faults.\n\nWork to remove the cladding started last month, but Ms Cottenden, who is a frontline NHS health worker, is frustrated at what she describes as a lack of progress.\n\n\"The pace of work is extremely slow. So far, they've put scaffolding up and removed three panels. They have told us it's going to take between 12 and 24 months just to take the cladding off,\" she said.\n\n\"It is absolutely terrifying knowing that you are stuck here. With lockdown, they are saying not to go out, but you are in a building where all you want to do is not be in it. You can't leave. You can't sell. My flat isn't worth anything until it is made safe.\"\n\nWhile the government's Building Safety Fund is paying for the Grenfell-style cladding to be removed, the building has other fire safety faults, including missing fire breaks, that aren't covered by the scheme.\n\nIt could cost up to £6m to fix. Flat owners fear they may face huge bills of up to £50,000 each.\n\n\"We can't pay it and we shouldn't have to pay it. It is not our fault. We could all go bankrupt because of this,\" Ms Cottenden said.\n\nA spokesperson for Rendall & Rittner, the company which manages Metis Tower, said government funding to remove ACM cladding had been approved totalling £6.3m.\n\nHowever, an application to the same fund to pay for the removal of other types of unsafe cladding was rejected and the company has appealed against that decision.\n\nThe company added: \"We understand and sympathise with residents and owners about the uncertainty that this situation is causing and will do all we can to assist.\"\n\nWhat started as a cladding scandal has now become a much wider building safety crisis, exposing decades of regulatory failure.\n\nSafety inspections have revealed that many buildings have other serious faults, including missing fire breaks, flammable balconies and defective insulation. None of that is covered by the government's Building Safety Fund.\n\nDr Nigel Glen, the chief executive of ARMA, the trade association for residential leasehold management, said the additional costs that leaseholders were currently facing for non-cladding-related issues remained a huge concern.\n\n\"In the longer term, the draining of reserve funds will also mean that in the years to come, any major works that were being saved up for, such as a new roof or lift repairs, will have to be funded anew by the leaseholders,\" he added.\n\nA spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that despite the pandemic, significant progress had been made to remove dangerous cladding, but \"building safety remains the responsibility of the building owner and we expect them to ensure any necessary work is carried out safely and effectively\".\n\n\"All applicants to the Building Safety Fund are told the amount of funding they have been awarded before being asked to sign contracts - this is clearly explained in the guidance,\" the spokesperson added.", "Scientists say signs a new coronavirus variant is more deadly than the earlier version should not be a \"game changer\" in the UK's response to the pandemic.\n\nBoris Johnson has said there is \"some evidence\" the variant may be associated with \"a higher degree of mortality\".\n\nBut the co-author of the study the PM was referring to said the variant's deadliness remained an \"open question\".\n\nAnother adviser said he was surprised Mr Johnson had shared the findings when the data was \"not particularly strong\".\n\nA third top medic said it was \"too early\" to be \"absolutely clear\".\n\nAt a Downing Street coronavirus news conference on Friday, the prime minister said: \"In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant - the variant that was first identified in London and the South East - may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.\"\n\nSpeaking alongside the PM, the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said there was \"a lot of uncertainty around these numbers\" but that early evidence suggested the variant could be about 30% more deadly.\n\nFor example, Sir Patrick said if 1,000 men in their 60s were infected with the old variant, roughly 10 of them would be expected to die - but this rises to about 13 with the new variant.\n\nThe announcement followed a briefing by scientists on the government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) which concluded there was a \"realistic possibility\" that the variant was associated with an increased risk of death.\n\nBut one of the briefing's co-authors, Prof Graham Medley, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"The question about whether it is more dangerous in terms of mortality I think is still open.\"\n\n\"In terms of making the situation worse it is not a game changer. It is a very bad thing that is slightly worse,\" added Prof Medley, who is a professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.\n\nAnother 1,348 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported in the UK on Saturday, in addition to 33,552 new infections, according to the government's coronavirus dashboard.\n\nThere is huge uncertainty in the evidence on how lethal the variant is.\n\nThe scientific experts that reviewed the data used a precise phrase saying it was a \"realistic possibility\" the new variant is more deadly.\n\nThat means there's a roughly 50-50 chance it will turn out to be true.\n\nWith time, and sadly more deaths, the picture will become clearer.\n\nWhile people debate the uncertainties though, we already know this variant has the ability to kill more people than the old ones.\n\nA virus that spreads faster (this one is 30-70% faster) will infect more people, more quickly, putting a greater strain on hospitals and leading to a sharper spike in deaths.\n\nIt is why viruses becoming more transmissible can be a bigger problem than ones becoming more deadly.\n\nNervtag's chairman Prof Peter Horby defended the government's \"transparency\" in making the announcement.\n\n\"Scientists are looking at the possibility that there is increased severity... and after a week of looking at the data we came to the conclusion that it was a realistic possibility,\" he said.\n\n\"We need to be transparent about that. If we were not telling people about this we would be accused of covering it up.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Patrick Vallance: \"There is evidence that there's an increased risk for those who have the new variant\"\n\nBut Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of Sage subgroup the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M), agreed it was too early to draw \"strong conclusions\" as the suggested increased mortality rates were based on \"a relatively small amount of data\".\n\nHe told BBC Breakfast he was \"actually quite surprised\" Mr Johnson had made the early findings public rather than monitoring the data \"for a week or two more\".\n\n\"I just worry that where we report things pre-emptively where the data are not really particularly strong,\" Dr Tildesley added.\n\nPublic Health England medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle also said it was not \"absolutely clear\" the new variant was more deadly than the original.\n\n\"There is some evidence, but it is very early evidence. It is small numbers of cases and it is far too early to say,\" she told the Today programme.\n\nMeanwhile, senior doctors are calling on England's chief medical officer to cut the gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nThe British Medical Association told Prof Chris Whitty an extension to the maximum gap between jab from three weeks to 12 weeks, to get the first dose to more people, was \"difficult to justify\".", "In 2002 Julienne created a motor stunt show that ran for many years at Disney theme parks in Paris and Florida. Image caption: In 2002 Julienne created a motor stunt show that ran for many years at Disney theme parks in Paris and Florida.\n\nRémy Julienne, one of the world's best-known stuntmen, has died in France with coronavirus, aged 90.\n\nOver a 50-year career, Julienne devised the crashes, crunches and collisions witnessed in more than 1,400 films.\n\nHe also starred in many of them, albeit anonymously.\n\nThe legendary cascadeur (stunt performer) appeared as a body double for a host of stars, including Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Charles Bronson and Jean-Paul Belmondo.\n\nIn wig and appropriate clothing, he also took on the form of Sophia Loren, Carole Bouquet and Gina Lollobrigida.\n\nAmong his most famous works are the chase scenes in 1969's The Italian Job, in which a fleet of Mini-Coopers in Turin cross a river, dive into the metro and jump from the roof of the Fiat factory.\n\nHe also worked on six Bond films, notably going behind the wheel of a battered yellow Citroën 2CV in For Your Eyes Only.\n\nA life-long lover of motorbikes and anything driven at speed, Julienne specialised in spectacular destruction. But he was committed to the maximum elimination of risk and calculated his stunts with extreme precision.\n\n\"What is beautiful about the job is that you can never be 100% certain,\" he said. \"If you could, then frankly it wouldn't be interesting.", "Keon Lincoln died after being subjected to \"inconceivable violence\"\n\nA second boy has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 15-year-old who was attacked by a group of youths.\n\nKeon Lincoln was \"set upon\" at about 15:30 GMT on Thursday on Linwood Road in Handsworth, Birmingham, and died later in hospital, police said.\n\nA 14-year-old boy was arrested at a Birmingham address on Friday and is in custody, said West Midlands Police.\n\nAnother 14-year-old, arrested earlier on Friday, also remains in custody.\n\nDet Ch Insp Alastair Orencas, who is leading a murder inquiry, said Keon died \"in the most violent of circumstances\".\n\nThe latest arrest was \"another step forward and Keon's family have been fully updated with this latest development,\" he said.\n\n\"This is a challenging investigation given the number of offenders we believe were involved, but I have a dedicated team of officers working 24/7 to identify those involved and we are making swift progress.\"\n\nKeon was attacked on Linwood Road, a residential street in the Handsworth area of Birmingham\n\nThe attackers fled the scene in a car which crashed into a house a short distance away. Police have seized the vehicle.\n\nCordons placed at the scene in Linwood Road and Wheeler Street, where the car was abandoned, have now been lifted, said the West Midlands force.\n\nPolice confirmed Keon, who lived locally, was attacked with weapons but did not specify which sort.\n\nDetectives say they are unable to say how he died before a post-mortem examination takes place.\n\nAnyone who could identify the attackers has been urged to contact the force.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police released body-worn camera footage of people streaming from the premises\n\nTwo officers were injured as they broke up an \"incredibly selfish\" party, involving about 200 people, in one of London's most expensive neighbourhoods.\n\nOfficers investigated an address on Beauchamp Place, Kensington, at about 03.30 GMT on 17 January, following reports of a mass gathering.\n\nAttendees became hostile and pushed through to avoid being fined, injuring two officers, police said.\n\nThe owner has previously been issued with a £1,000 fine, police said.\n\nPolice discovered about 200 guests at a party on Beauchamp Place, Kensington\n\nSupt Michael Walsh said: \"Attending or organising such parties during this critical period is an incredibly selfish decision to make.\n\n\"While the majority of breaches have been resolved without incident, it deeply saddens me that some individuals have chosen to assault police who are simply doing their part in the collective battle against this deadly virus.\"\n\nPolice said the event was one of a string of late-night parties uncovered in Kensington over the last month.\n\nOn 20 December, police shut down an illegal gathering at a commercial property on Montpelier Street. The property has since been closed.\n\nAn owner of a venue on Harrow Road is facing a £10,000 fine after police found more than 30 socialising during a raid on 16 January.\n\nOn Thursday, police also broke up a wedding party in north London.\n\nThe Met Police originally claimed about 400 guests were at the gathering, but then on Friday said 150 people were present at the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls' School.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The number of coronavirus patients on mechanical ventilation in the UK has passed 4,000 for the first time in the pandemic.\n\nA total of 4,076 Covid patients were in ventilator beds as of Friday, according to government data.\n\nThat is higher than during the first wave, when the peak was 3,301 on 12 April.\n\nIt comes as another 1,348 deaths and 33,552 new infections were reported on Saturday.\n\nThe UK's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, told a Downing Street news briefing on Friday: \"The death rate's awful and it's going to stay, I'm afraid, high for a little while before it starts coming down.\"\n\nMeanwhile, new figures show that a record number of seriously-ill Covid patients are being transferred from over-stretched hospitals because of a lack of bed space.\n\nAbout 1 in 10 patients admitted to intensive care are being sent to a different site, according to the body which audits critical care services.\n\nIn a series of reports in the past week, the BBC's Clive Myrie has been to a mortuary and the Royal London Hospital, where 12 out of 15 floors are occupied by Covid patients and staff are struggling to cope.\n\nMartin Freeborn's wife Helen, 64, died with Covid-19 at the hospital shortly before he spoke to the BBC.\n\nMr Freeborn urged people to \"be over-careful\" in taking precautions to stay safe from the virus because \"you don't want this to happen\".\n\n\"Nobody wants to go through this... Don't end up like us, please,\" he added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Martin Freeborn's wife, Helen, died from Covid at the Royal London Hospital: 'Don't end up like us, please'\n\nThe number of people in mechanical ventilation beds has climbed every day since 18 December when it was 1,364 and now stands at 4,076.\n\nIt is one of the key figures the government considers when deciding its policy on when to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions.\n\nWhen the pandemic first struck the UK, the government saw what had happened in hospitals in China and Italy and prioritised the provision of ventilators in British hospitals.\n\nIt set about buying as many ventilators as possible, and encouraged British manufacturers to design the machines to build stocks to cope with the worst-case Covid scenario. In September last year, a report found the NHS now had 30,000 ventilators available - about one for every 2,200 people in the UK.\n\nPeople in hospital are also being treated differently from the early days of the pandemic - which may explain why figures suggest slightly more people go on to recover after being on ventilation than back in March, April and May.\n\nA number of drugs are being tested as possible treatments for people with the disease, the BBC's health and science correspondent James Gallagher has said.\n\nThey include the steroid dexamethasone, which has been shown to reduce the risk of death by a third for ventilated patients and by a fifth for those on oxygen. Encouraging results have also been reported from two anti-inflammatory medications, tocilizumab and sarilumab.\n\nDr Ami Jones, intensive care consultant at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, in Wales, said there had been \"carnage\" for the \"last few weeks\".\n\nSpeaking whilst on shift, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"We're maybe at 150% capacity and I know London are much worse than that.\n\n\"We've a steady stream of fit, young patients requiring critical care and sadly we're losing some of those patients.\n\n\"We lost a patient overnight and I've replaced them with a patient of similar age.\n\n\"It's heartbreaking - and it's been going on for weeks and weeks and we haven't seen any kind of stop yet.\"\n\nDr Jones said the average Covid patient stays in hospital between two to four weeks \"and it really puts them through it\".\n\nShe added: \"You really want people who are going to be able to survive that three or four weeks and actually come out the other end and make a good recovery.\n\n\"We're not stopping people having care but we're giving it to the people we feel have the best chance of getting through what is a horrific situation we're going to put them through.\"\n\nDr Jones said nurses are \"broken\", both physically, from months of long shifts in personal protective equipment (PPE), and emotionally - partly due to the impact of the virus on them, their families and the community.\n\nDr Rupert Pearse, consultant in intensive care medicine at a London hospital, speaking on behalf of the Intensive Care Society, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a \"huge number\" of patients were still attending hospital.\n\nHe said: \"Whilst we know the infection rate has probably now peaked, and we can be hopeful to soon be sure we've hit a hospital admissions peak, admissions to ICU [the intensive care unit] usually lag 48 hours behind that.\n\n\"So we're still very very worried that we're being pushed right up to the wire in terms of the resources we're able to deliver for patient care.\"\n\nDr Pearse added that there were three or four times more critical care beds in some hospitals than they would usually have.\n\nHe said: \"I can remember a time when it would take years for an intensive care unit to negotiate one extra bed on a complement of 14 or 15 beds.\n\n\"We, within a few weeks, have massively increased the number of beds and finding the staff - most importantly of all - to deliver that has been a huge logistical exercise.\"\n\nReacting to the ventilation figures, Dr Charlotte Hopkins, deputy chief medical officer for Barts Health NHS trust in east London, said on Twitter there had been a \"fast-paced increase\" since 18 December, and that more than a third of the 4,076 ventilated patients were in London.\n\nIt comes as some scientists said that signs a new Covid variant is more deadly than the earlier version should not be a \"game changer\" in the UK's response to the pandemic.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that there was \"some evidence\" the variant that emerged in the UK may be associated with \"a higher degree of mortality\".\n\nBut Prof Graham Medley, the co-author of the study the PM was referring to, said the variant's deadliness remained an \"open\" question.\n\nDr Mike Tildesley, a member of Sage subgroup the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M), said he was \"surprised\" Mr Johnson had shared the findings when the data was \"not particularly strong\".\n\nPublic Health England medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle said it was \"too early\" to be \"absolutely clear\".\n\n\"There is some evidence, but it is very early evidence. It is small numbers of cases and it is far too early to say,\" she told the Today programme.\n\nUp to and including 22 January, 5,861,351 people have now had their first Covid jab and 468,617 have had their second dose.\n\nSenior doctors are calling on England's chief medical officer to cut the gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nThe British Medical Association told Prof Chris Whitty an extension to the maximum gap between jab from three weeks to 12 weeks, to get the first dose to more people, was \"difficult to justify\".\n\nThe UK's four chief medical officers have previously defended the delay to the second jab in a letter to medical staff, saying: \"unvaccinated people are far more likely to end up severely ill, hospitalised [or] in some cases dying\".", "Even while posted at the US Capitol, many troops have been seen sleeping on the floor\n\nUS President Joe Biden has apologised after some members of the National Guard stationed at the Capitol were pictured sleeping in a car park.\n\nMore than 25,000 troops were deployed to Washington DC for his inauguration after violence earlier this month.\n\nImages spread on Thursday showing them forced to rest in a nearby parking garage after lawmakers returned.\n\nThe conditions sparked anger among politicians, and some state governors recalled troops over the controversy.\n\nMr Biden called the chief of the National Guard Bureau on Friday to apologise and ask what could be done, according to US media reports.\n\nFirst Lady Jill Biden also visited some of the troops to thank them personally, bringing biscuits from the White House as a gift.\n\n\"I just wanted to come today to say thank you to all of you for keeping me and my family safe,\" she said.\n\nThe photographs showing hundreds of troops in a parking garage went viral on Thursday and sparked outrage, including from members of Congress.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Tim Scott This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMany voiced concerns about the conditions, with guardsmen exposed to car fumes and without proper access to facilities like toilets after having been on alert for days.\n\nImages of the cramped conditions also sparked fears about the spread of coronavirus.\n\nA US official, speaking anonymously to Reuters news agency, said on Friday that between 100 and 200 of those deployed had tested positive for Covid-19. The figure - which would represent a small proportion of the more than 25,000 deployed, has not been publicly confirmed.\n\nChuck Schumer, a Democrat and the new Senate majority leader, said that the move was \"an outrage\" and pledged it \"will never happen again\".\n\nRon DeSantis, Florida's governor, was among those who said he had ordered guards from his state to return home following the controversy.\n\n\"This is a half-cocked mission at this point and the appropriate thing is to bring them home,\" he told Fox News on Friday.\n\nThe Senate Rules Committee is also investigating the issue, Senator Roy Blunt told Politico.\n\nThere are conflicting reports about why the troops were moved from the Capitol.\n\nA National Guard spokesman told US media they were moved on Thursday afternoon at the request of the Capitol Police because of \"increased foot traffic\" as Congress came back into session.\n\nThe acting chief of the Capitol Police, Yogananda Pittman, later said her agency \"did not instruct the National Guard to vacate the Capitol Building facilities\", while two officers contradicted her statement in comments to the Associated Press news agency.\n\nThe decision was reversed later on Thursday, when the troops were allowed to return to the Capitol.\n\nA joint statement from the US National Guard and US Capitol Police on Friday said they had worked together to make sure those in the Capitol Complex had \"appropriate spaces\" to take on-duty breaks.\n\nThey also said off-duty troops were being housed in hotel rooms or other accommodation and thanked members of Congress for their concern.\n\nSome 19,000 guardsmen will return to their home states in the coming days with about 7,000 expected to stay on in Washington, according to the New York Times.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Relatives of older people in Wales called the vaccinations \"poorly organised\"\n\nRural GPs are to run new community vaccination centres after concerns over the speed of the roll-out in Wales.\n\nFrom Saturday, three new vaccination hubs will open to give over-80s and those with mobility issues the jab.\n\nIt comes after some living in rural areas said they had been told to travel miles to get the jab or wait weeks to have their first dose.\n\nHealth Minister Vaughan Gething said it would help immunise hundreds of over-80s this weekend.\n\nThere has been criticism of the speed of the roll-out in Wales, with some telling the BBC elderly and housebound relatives had been told there would be a wait if they could not get to their GP surgery.\n\nA total of 212,317 people have been given their first dose of vaccine in Wales, up to 21 January - just over 6.7% of the population.\n\nThe Welsh Government hopes to have 70% of over-80s immunised by the end of this weekend.\n\nBy 21 January, 30% of the over-80s and 60% of care home residents had been given the first dose.\n\nOn Saturday, the Welsh Government announced doctors surgeries in rural areas would join forces to help administer the jab to the elderly and vulnerable.\n\nThe first of the new community centres, run by clusters of GP practices, are to open on the Llyn Peninsula, in Buckley in Flintshire, and Bridgend.\n\nThey will be able to administer both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines.\n\nUntil now, the Pfizer vaccine could only be administered at special mass-vaccination centres, due to the low temperatures it needs to be stored at.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it hoped 3,000 people would get the vaccine administered at the centres this weekend.\n\nHealth Minister Vaughan Gething said: \"Vaccination is our top priority so I want to thank all the GP practices right across Wales that are working in unison to set up these new community vaccination centres.\n\n\"This enables GPs to use both of the vaccines available to us and will help more people to be vaccinated somewhere that is much closer to home than the large vaccination centres.\n\n\"Every week, our vaccination programme speeds up as more centres are opened and more vaccines are available for the small army of healthcare professionals administering vaccines.\"\n\nIn north Wales, a group of GPs have formed a group to deliver about 1,000 vaccines to elderly and vulnerable people.\n\nDr Eilir Hughes, a GP at Ty Doctor Surgery, Gwynedd, said rural GPs had faced a \"real challenge\" to get the most vulnerable patients vaccinated as soon as possible.\n\nThe surgery is about 50 miles away from the nearest vaccination centre in north-west Wales.\n\nHe said bringing three GP practices together to vaccinate hundreds of patients in two days was a \"Herculean effort\".", "Helen White's lighting business is struggling to absorb a six-fold increase in freight costs.\n\n\"We were paying £1,600 per container in November, this month we've been quoted over £10,000,\" says Helen White.\n\nThe founder of start-up Houseof.com, which imports lighting from China, says the rise in shipping costs means she's making a loss on what she sells.\n\nShe's one of many UK importers facing soaring freight costs amid a global shipping crisis that may last months.\n\nA shortage of empty shipping containers in Asia and bottlenecks at the UK's deep sea ports are behind the problems.\n\nIt was hoped the backlogs could be cleared during the Chinese New Year holiday in February, but instead a coronavirus outbreak in China is adding to the uncertainty facing firms.\n\nIn the UK the difficulties in international shipping have coincided with problems faced by businesses trading with the EU after Brexit.\n\nOne Manchester-based freight forwarder said the logistics industry is facing the most challenging conditions he's seen in the 17 years he's been in the business.\n\nCraig Poole from Cardinal Maritime said during lockdowns, people have been turning to online shopping, and that's causing a surge in demand for goods from China.\n\nFreight forwarder Craig Poole says the logistics industry is facing hugely challenging conditions\n\nBut some companies can't absorb the skyrocketing freight costs that shipping lines are charging. That could lead to higher prices for consumers or businesses having to close.\n\n\"The really unfortunate thing is, the small businesses who can't afford to pay those rates are going to go under as a result,\" Mr Poole said.\n\nHelen White's lighting range is designed in the UK and manufactured in Guangzhou, China.\n\nShe said the six-fold increase in shipping costs is hard to take, especially when getting hold of a container \"is like gold dust\".\n\n\"It's really hard for a small business to absorb those costs. We'll be making a loss on the goods we're selling.\"\n\nLighting seller houseof.com is struggling to import stock from China\n\nAt the other end of the supply chain, Chinese manufacturers and logistics firms say they are equally frustrated.\n\nJohnny Tseng is the owner and director of Hong Kong-based J&B Clothing Company Ltd., which manufactures garments for some of the UK's most popular fashion sites including Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing.\n\nHe's been supplying clothes to British retailers for more than 40 years, but he says his family-run firm won't be able to absorb inflated shipping rates for much longer.\n\n\"To be honest I don't even know how we can survive if we carry on shipping things at this kind of cost.\"\n\nJohnny Tseng says sky-high shipping rates are putting his business at risk.\n\nHe says he's now being quoted $14,000 to ship a container to the UK, when the usual price is $2,500.\n\nThe shortage of empty containers in China and congestion at UK ports caused some of his stock to miss the busy Christmas trading period. Now some customers are holding orders for their Autumn-Winter collections until next year.\n\n\"It's chaos,\" he said. \"We are making a loss. We take it as a loss leader and keep our fingers crossed it will go back to normal after Chinese New Year, but it is a major issue if it persists this way.\"\n\nUsually during the Chinese New Year holiday, factories in China shut down for two weeks. There were hopes the pause in production would give UK ports a chance to clear the backlog of ships waiting to dock, and encourage shipping lines to move more empty containers back to Asia, which is a less profitable journey.\n\nChinese workers usually travel home for the Chinese New Year holiday.\n\nBut rising numbers of coronavirus cases have prompted the Chinese authorities to stagger factory closing dates so that not all workers are travelling to their home regions at the same time. A worsening outbreak could lead to travel restrictions, in which case some factories may not stop production at all.\n\nCraig Poole says some companies have been caught out by factories closing earlier than planned.\n\n\"A lot of businesses that can't get those goods away are delaying orders until after Chinese New Year, so this situation could continue 'til March,\" he said.\n\nPatrick Lee from the Hong Kong-based Unique Logistics International said it could be even longer than that.\n\n\"Middle of the year at the earliest is what we're hearing from end customers in the UK, and also from some of our people in the industry. Some of the carriers as well,\" he said.\n\nMr Lee has called on the shipping lines to add more ships to help ease the backlog of stock orders building up at warehouses across China.\n\n\"They are increasing sailing but can increase a lot more. There are idle ships out there that they can reactivate without too much difficulty,\" he said.\n\nThe disruption could last for several months, according to logistics specialist Patrick Lee\n\nBut a spokeswoman for the World Shipping Council said carriers are using all available capacity.\n\n\"The demand for transportation service far exceeds supply. As in any free market, this puts upward pressure on rates,\" she said.\n\nShipping lines have been trying to drive down demand from British importers by charging a premium for deliveries to the UK, or bypassing the country's ports altogether.\n\nOne shipping line recently offered freight rates of $12,050 for a 40ft container from China to Southampton, but charged just $8,450 for the same container to travel from China to Rotterdam, Hamburg, or Antwerp.\n\nThe UK's largest container port at Felixstowe has been experiencing long delays since October. Congestion has also been a problem at the Port of Southampton, albeit to a lesser extent.\n\nThe bottlenecks were initially caused by a surge in imports as business activity picked up after the first wave of the pandemic. Huge shipments of PPE and the usual Christmas rush added to container volumes and ports struggled to cope.\n\nThe UK's largest container port at Felixstowe has been experiencing bottlenecks for months\n\n\"Most of the carriers just don't want UK cargo because of the issues when the vessels dock, so mainly they're favouring European ports and we are having to truck containers over,\" said freight forwarder Craig Poole.\n\nHe said that adds a cost of up to £2,000 per container, and takes an extra seven to ten days to reach the delivery point in the UK.\n\nFor business-owners like Helen White, the difficulties affecting the shipping industry can't be solved quickly enough.\n\n\"Lots of little start-ups are really hurting,\" she said. \"It has been paired with logistical nightmares across Europe as well. It just feels like logistics is falling apart at the moment. It's hard to see where the resolution is.\"", "Paul Davies had been preparing to lead his party's Senedd election campaign in the coming months\n\nPaul Davies has been something of an understated figure leading the Welsh Conservative group in Cardiff Bay since he won the race to succeed Andrew RT Davies in September 2018.\n\nThe Senedd member for Preseli Pembrokeshire tried to move the party group in the direction of being more sceptical of devolution.\n\nBut a row over drinking on Senedd premises ended his ambitions to be the first Conservative first minister of Wales.\n\nBorn in 1969, Paul Davies grew up in the village of Pontsian in Ceredigion.\n\nHe attended Llandysul Grammar School and Newcastle Emlyn Comprehensive School before working for a bank for 20 years.\n\nMr Davies entered Cardiff Bay politics in 2007 when he was elected to the then National Assembly for Wales. He was appointed deputy leader of the Welsh Conservative group in 2011 before becoming interim leader and then leader in 2018.\n\nPaul Davies backed Boris Johnson in the UK Conservative leadership campaign in 2019\n\nPresented as a safe pair of hands during his leadership campaign he has, at times, almost appeared to have been overshadowed by his predecessor Andrew RT Davies, who sometimes seems to enjoy media appearances more than his leader.\n\nFaced with the potential rise of the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party, Paul Davies attempted to steer the Welsh Tories towards a more devo-sceptic, if not anti-devolution, approach.\n\nHe pledged a future Conservative Welsh Government would not \"tread on Westminster's turf\", and \"respect what is not devolved\" by \"unpicking\" the Welsh Government's international relations department.\n\nThere were also promises to halve the current number of Welsh ministers to seven, freeze civil servant recruitment and not increase the budget of the body which runs the Senedd if he became first minister.\n\nWelsh political structures need a \"dose\" of Dominic Cummings, Paul Davies has said\n\nBut the coronavirus pandemic has, arguably, made it even harder for opposition party leaders in the Senedd to cut through to the wider electorate.\n\nThe crisis has given Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford a much bigger profile, on a Wales and UK stage, making it more difficult for other Welsh party leaders to get onto the news agenda.\n\nLast July, there were raised eyebrows when Paul Davies suggested \"a dose of Dom\" was needed in Wales to \"shake up\" its governance.\n\nThe reference to the prime minister's now departed chief advisor and brutal political operator Dominic Cummings was interesting, given the criticism heaped on Mr Cummings a couple of months earlier for driving his family 260 miles from his London home to Durham during lockdown, and a subsequent 25-mile trip to check his eyesight before a return trip.\n\nBacking Remain at the 2016 referendum on EU membership, Paul Davies aimed to steer a steady course during a fractious period for a Conservative Party dealing with the polarising issue of Brexit.\n\nHe has been loyal to the UK party leader of the day, and often stuck to the Westminster line rather than try to carve an independent stance.\n\nDespite this, Mr Davies had wanted the Tory Senedd group leader to be given the title Welsh Conservative leader.\n\nIt is something the party has never formally agreed to do despite a review of its Welsh structures.", "Up to 500 new prison cells are to be built in women's jails, the Ministry of Justice has announced.\n\nThese will be built in existing women's prisons to increase the number of single cells available and improve conditions.\n\nThey will include in-cell showers, and some will enable women to have overnight visits with their children to prepare for life at home after release.\n\nIn future, older cells could also be shut if the prison population reduces.\n\nThe Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has also pledged almost £2m in funding to 38 charities so their \"vital work in steering women away from crime can continue\".\n\nThis may include addressing mental health problems and drug use, both of which affect around half of women in prison.\n\nPrisons minister Lucy Frazer said: \"This funding boost will allow frontline services to continue the incredible work they do with some of the most vulnerable women in our society to prevent them being drawn into crime.\"\n\nAnnouncing the funding, the government reiterated its promise to cut the number of women in custody and provide effective support to deal with problems which could lead to crime in the first place or reoffending.\n\nBut it admitted there could be a temporary rise of inmates in the near future as the number of investigations and prosecutions is expected to increase amid the hiring of 20,000 more police officers.\n\nIt added that the number of women in custody has fallen by 10% since 2010 and stressed that government investment in community services should see this trend continue in the long-term.\n\nIf the number of women in prison falls longer term, the MoJ says the new modern facilities will allow the Prison Service to close old accommodation.\n\nCampaigners largely welcomed the announcement, but warned the efforts do not go far enough to tackle longstanding problems.\n\nKate Paradine, chief executive of charity Women in Prison, said: \"This pledge and funding are just the start, and a far cry from what is needed in order to provide stability for women who face the sharp end of our society.\"\n\nShe called on the government in its upcoming Budget to safeguard the future of women's centres, which she described as an \"anchor that stop women being swept up into crime\" but warned were \"facing a funding cliff edge in April\".\n\nEmily Evison, policy officer at the Prison Reform Trust, said the plans would need to be backed up by \"action on the ground to prove effective\", adding: \"Instead of planning for a rise (in women prisoners), the government should redouble its efforts to ensure women are not being sent to prison to serve pointless short sentences.\"\n\nAndrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: \"If the goal is to reduce the number of women entering the criminal justice system, then today's announcement shows that ministers are looking at the issue down the wrong end of a telescope\", claiming the funding promised was \"dwarfed\" by the cost of the extra prison places.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Teresa Dalling says a river of orange water rushed through the village on Thursday\n\nFlood victims will not be able to return to their homes until their safety can be assured, a council leader has said.\n\nThe Coal Authority has said initial checks suggested water built up in a mine shaft causing a \"blow out\" that flooded properties in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot.\n\nAbout 80 people were evacuated as water rushed through the village on Thursday.\n\nCouncil leader Rob Jones said it was unlikely residents could return Monday.\n\nHe said underground investigations would begin on Saturday and the work could take two to three days.\n\n\"Safety is the paramount concern for us,\" he said.\n\n\"Because we can't guarantee the site safety - that's the reason why people will remain away from their properties until such time as we can give the all clear.\n\n\"We don't know what the water has done underground.\"\n\nThe fire service said on Saturday morning the pumping operation was \"making good progress\".\n\nMr Jones told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast people may be able to return next week but \"did not want to raise hopes\" it will be Monday.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHe said the flooding was \"more than likely\" related to old mine workings with six mines known about in area. He said the industry dated back 300 years.\n\nSkewen resident John Thomas returned home from a funeral with wife Lynne on Thursday to find their house had turned into \"a lake\".\n\nHe said: \"The water was around the level of the bottom of the doors so we couldn't go in, so we just had to stand there and watch this orange-coloured water just piling up and up and up.\n\n\"Other people who were evacuated had the chance to move things upstairs, I didn't have a chance to do that because I couldn't get in to it.\"\n\nAt least 80 people had to leave their homes in the village after flooding\n\nLocal MP Stephen Kinnock said affected residents were staying in \"lots of different places\" across the region.\n\nAnd he praised the \"extraordinary\" generosity of the community and the support of the Salvation Army with donations of food, clothing and toiletries.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stephen Kinnock This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nNatural Resources Wales (NRW) said officers were continuing to look at how to minimise the risk of pollution to nearby rivers, and investigating any impacts on the River Neath.\n\nThe Coal Authority, which manages the effects of past coal mining, is investigating the incident.\n\nChief executive Lisa Pinney said equipment, due on site on Saturday, would be used to drill into mine workings to \"fully investigate what has happened\".\n\n\"The blow out is likely to have been caused by a blockage underground which has caused water to back up and to break out using the easiest path,\" she said.\n\n\"The excessive rainfall of the past few days and the prolonged rainfall this winter, will have put additional pressure on the system.\n\n\"We know that people will want to get back to their homes and we will continue to progress these works as soon as possible, but public safety has to come first.\"\n\nThere are a number of historical mine workings in Skewen dating back beyond 1850.\n\nOn Saturday, Mr Jones said water was still pouring out of the affected site so workers were diverting it, while machines cleared gulleys and drains to give the water the chance to enter drainage systems.\n\nA residents' incident support centre has been set up at Abbey Primary School to offer help and information over the weekend, between 09:00-17:00 GMT.\n\nThe council has asked residents to be \"patient as the investigation continues\" and has set up a helpline. Tel. 01639 686868.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "It is not clear if anyone not entitled succeeded in getting a Covid jab\n\nA health board boss has criticised council staff for potentially sharing Covid vaccine invites with colleagues.\n\nThe board meeting in North Wales heard some council staff, not within groups currently being vaccinated, booked appointments by following a link in an email only intended for the recipient.\n\nBetsi Cadwaladr health board's chairman Mark Polin said such actions could deprive someone else of a jab.\n\nDenbighshire council said it had warned staff the emails were not to be abused.\n\nIt is not clear if anyone not entitled succeeded in getting a Covid jab, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.\n\nOnly front-line social care and health workers, those over 80 and 70 years old, care home residents and their carers are currently being vaccinated.\n\nIndependent member Jackie Hughes spoke about the matter at Thursday's monthly health board meeting.\n\nAnswering her query, Dr Chris Stockport, the health board's executive director of primary care and community services, said: \"We are very clear with our local authority partners and teams of what frontline means in the same way we are elsewhere.\n\n\"When you arrive [for a vaccine] there's a process of validation.\n\n\"The likelihood is they will experience some difficulties working through the booking system [if they try to get into a higher vaccination cohort].\n\n\"It adds complications for a busy team and I would ask them not to do that when it's a clear effort to circumvent the cohort.\"\n\nAt Thursday's daily press briefing the UK Government Home Secretary Priti Patel said people who jumped the queue for the vaccine were \"morally reprehensible\" as they were putting the lives of vulnerable people at risk.\n\nShe said all the UK Government's measures were under review but \"our focus is getting that vaccine to the most vulnerable to make sure we can protect them and obviously protect others in the community\".\n\nMr Polin added: \"Whilst we understand the concerns people should not be doing what they are doing.\n\n\"The priority groups have been identified with clear medical guidance and sound reasoning behind it.\n\n\"So people jumping the queue are depriving someone else, potentially, of receiving the vaccine at the point at which they should.\"\n\nHe said it was a temporary problem, adding: \"We are changing the booking system, so this opportunity is not going to last much longer.\"\n\nHe said staff were looking out for any inappropriate bookings.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section FA Cup\n\nNon-league Chorley were unable to emulate the heroes from 1986 by causing an FA Cup sensation against Wolves - but the National League North side came away with all the credit from their fourth-round tie at Victory Park.\n\nVitinha's superb 30-yard shot after 12 minutes proved enough to secure an all-Premier League tie against Arsenal or Southampton at Molineux in the fifth round.\n\nBut Nuno Espirito Santo's side were less than impressive against their part-time opponents.\n\nChorley had the first shot of the match through Elliot Newby, and after Vitinha had struck his first Wolves goal with the visitors' only shot on target, it was the hosts who had the best chances.\n\nCrucially, they also pocketed around £120,000 in prize money, plus TV fees, to sustain them through what could be a difficult period after their league was suspended for two weeks amid funding concerns earlier in the day.\n\n\"If you are going to lose, I would prefer to lose to a goal like that than a scruffy goal,\" said Chorley boss Jamie Vermiglio.\n\n\"I am proud of what we have done for our community, my kids at school will remember that their head teacher got this far in the FA Cup. Hopefully it can inspire some of them.\n\n\"We are approaching up to half a million [in earnings from the cup run], we have people who are isolating, and those players have given them a little bit of happiness.\n\n\"If it is 2-0 or 3-0 at half-time the game is done and people are turning their TVs off. That did not happen. I felt we were in the game. Every player was outstanding.\"\n• None How to follow FA Cup fourth round on the BBC\n\nIf this does end up being Chorley's last game of the season, it is one they will remember for some time, not only for the action on the pitch but also for the huge volley of fireworks that went off behind the main stand minutes into the contest.\n\nFor visiting Wolves, it was a step into the unknown. Their starting line-up got changed in the away dressing room, while their substitutes - European Championship winner Rui Patricio and Spain international Adama Traore among them - readied themselves in a sponsors' lounge.\n\nSeemingly those starting the game on the bench got the better deal.\n\nWolves boss Nuno paid Chorley the compliment of picking a strong starting line-up, including £35.6m record signing Fabio Silva and England international Conor Coady.\n\nAnd had this match been played in more imposing surroundings, it could have been mistaken for one of those Premier League games where one side sits back, challenges the opposition to break them down and then hits them on the counter.\n\nWolves' return of 76% possession and one shot on target, set against Chorley's five shots on target, suggests home manager Vermiglio got his tactics spot on.\n\nIndeed, had Andy Halls, a personal trainer by day, not had his goal-bound header tipped over by John Ruddy after an hour, Chorley might have forced a different outcome.\n\n\"The scene was set for us to lose this game,\" said Nuno. \"John Ruddy did his job, everybody knows his quality. He helped us to win the game.\"\n\nIt was nevertheless a typically English FA Cup tie, enlivened by Vermiglio yelling \"nothing wrong with that\" when two Wolves players went down under agricultural challenges, and then laughing in Traore's face amid a brief skirmish.\n\nIt was fantastic knockabout stuff. Sadly, the enduring disappointment was that other than staff, media and stewards, no-one was there in person to witness it.\n• None Wolves have reached the FA Cup fifth round in three of the last five seasons, as many as in the 21 seasons prior to this.\n• None Premier League teams have progressed from 45 of their 47 FA Cup ties against non-league teams (96%), with only Norwich vs Luton in 2013 and Burnley vs Lincoln in 2017 failing to progress.\n• None Separated by 120 years and 362 days, Chorley have lost both of their FA Cup games against top-flight opponents, losing against Notts County in January 1900 and Wolves.\n• None Vitinha became the 32nd different Wolves player to score a goal for Nuno Espirito Santo in all competitions and the 11th different Portuguese player to do so, with what was his third shot in his 12th appearance.\n• None Since the start of 2017-18, Wolves have had 11 different Portuguese scorers - more than twice as many as any other English league team in that time (Nottingham Forest, five).\n\nWolves are next in action against Chelsea in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, 27 January (18:00 GMT).\n• None Attempt blocked. Rayan Aït-Nouri (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Rúben Neves.\n• None Harry Cardwell (Chorley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Attempt missed. Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Rúben Neves.\n• None Arlen Birch (Chorley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Attempt blocked. Fábio Silva (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Pedro Neto. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None You can stream five fourth-round games live on the BBC this weekend, including Liverpool's trip to Manchester United. Find out more here.", "A restaurant worker in Lisbon, where benefits to those with symptoms, and those without, are generous\n\nThe idea of a flat £500 payment to anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 has been dismissed by the UK government. Health officials had come up with the suggestion in the hope of encouraging people with the illness to self-isolate.\n\nThere are concerns the virus is continuing to spread because some people are ignoring the instruction to stay home when they show symptoms or test positive. Downing Street has said there is already a £500 sum for those on low incomes who could not work from home and had to isolate. But this must be applied for and there have been high rejection rates in England at least, A behaviour expert who advises the government, told the BBC just 18% of people with symptoms were self-isolating for the full 10 days they were meant to.\n\nSo how do other countries handle the question of paying people to stay at home, or just trusting they will do the right thing? Here, BBC correspondents from Prague to New York, offer an insight.\n\nIn Portugal, even those who are just at-risk of contracting Covid - having been in direct contact with a confirmed case - are entitled to 100% of their basic salary, for 14 days, writes Alison Roberts, in Lisbon.\n\nFor those who show symptoms, or have tested positive, the same is available for up to 28 days. And the normal waiting times people are used to when claiming while ill have also been done away with - these Covid payments kick in on day one of isolation.\n\nThose not on permanent work contracts tend to be treated as self-employed and are eligible for benefits based on income declared. But there are a lot of people, including many immigrants, who lack the necessary paperwork, and are therefore not eligible to claim.\n\nNevertheless, it's perhaps not surprising that, because people are able to claim full basic pay, there hasn't been much, if any, debate about people obeying self-isolation. If there are reports of people not seeking tests, or not isolating, it seems to be more out of ignorance, which is certainly rather worrying.\n\nSlovenia has been offering compensation to people forced to self-isolate after exposure to coronavirus since it first introduced emergency measures in March, writes Guy De Launey in Ljubljana.\n\nDepending on the circumstances, this covers anything from 80% to the full amount of usual earnings. The payments may be made directly to people in quarantine, or as compensation to employers. A government official told the BBC that with its socialist past, it was normal for Slovenia to take care of people in quarantine by providing payments - and that without compensation, it would be impossible to deal with coronavirus.\n\nWhen the measures were first introduced, they enjoyed broad public support. But the second wave of the epidemic has seen case numbers skyrocket - Slovenia's per capita death-rate is now the third highest in the world - and public confidence overall has dipped.\n\nBy the end of 2020, market research company Valicon said that only 12% of Slovenians viewed the government's measures as \"appropriate\", adding that people were \"worried and dissatisfied with the social situation\", suggesting compensation is not a panacea.\n\nIn March last year, the US agreed to pay for some workers to stay at home - a big change for a country that had never paid sick leave requirement before, writes Natalie Sherman in New York.\n\nThe measure guaranteed up to 14 days of pay for workers forced to isolate because they had symptoms, had received medical advice to self-quarantine, or were under government lockdown orders. It also said it would guarantee two-thirds of pay for people caring for someone with the virus for up to two weeks. One study suggested it helped prevent hundreds of news cases a day.\n\nBut the assistance - paid by employers which were then reimbursed by the government via tax credits - expired on 31 December. And even before that, analysts estimated that loopholes meant roughly half of the country's workforce, including many grocery workers and medical staff were potentially excluded.\n\nAs part of his $1.9tn stimulus plan, President Joe Biden is pushing to renew the law, and end the exemptions. But the proposal - which his team estimates would expand the benefit to as many as 106 million more Americans - faces stiff resistance from Republicans and key business lobbies.\n\nIn Germany financial support is generous for people ordered to self-isolate by the authorities because of infection risk, writes Damien McGuinness in Berlin.\n\nAs a result there hasn't been a debate in Germany about breaking self-isolation rules because of financial need. Fines can be huge - tens of thousands of euros - and are strictly enforced. Overall there's no great issue with compliance and Germany's financial package has widespread cross-party backing, and is supported by voters.\n\nEmployees who are unable to work at home receive full pay for up to six weeks. This is paid by the employer, who is then reimbursed by the state. After that, workers may be eligible for sick-pay.\n\nFreelancers and self-employed people are generally also entitled to full pay for six weeks. But they would apply directly to their regional government. The exact rules and level of efficiency for payments vary from region to region. For those in the gig economy - Germany has it, though less so than Britain - this should be covered by state aid, based on tax returns.\n\nThe level of state support was agreed by Germany's national parliament in Berlin. But payments are administered and funded by regional governments.\n\nThere's been some discussion here about paying people to stay home if they test positive for Covid, writes Rob Cameron, in Prague.\n\nThe idea is advocated by at least one independent expert group. But it would be expensive, and the Czech state coffers are already stretched from keeping employees on furlough and paying compensation.\n\nInstead, salaried employees who receive a positive diagnosis are left with two choices: work from home - if they're up to it, if their job allows it and if their employer agrees, or go on sick leave for 10 days and receive 60% salary.\n\nFor the self-employed it's worse. Only those who have chosen to pay state sickness insurance will receive anything. Most opt out - the benefits are marginal. So most continue working from home - if their health and profession allows it.\n\nFor many workers, in other words, a positive Covid test can be a real blow to the wallet. It's an open secret that many people - especially freelancers in creative professions - beg friends and colleagues who test positive not to declare them as contacts, to avoid having to go into quarantine. For some the fear of losing work and money outweighs social responsibility.\n\nMoves to compensate people for taking time off work have largely been well received, writes Maddy Savage in Stockholm.\n\nTo encourage people to stay at home from the moment they develop coronavirus symptoms, the government changed the rules to allow Swedish employees and the self-employed to claim sick pay from the first day they are off, rather than the second. Employees receive about 80% of their salary while they isolate (capped at SEK 700 or £61.88 per day), and the self-employed are entitled to payments capped at 804 SEK or £71.05. The government has also introduced an allowance for people isolating because they live with someone who has coronavirus.\n\nWhile Sweden has largely kept primary schools open throughout the pandemic, parents have been able to make use of a pre-existing benefit which allows them to take state-funded time off work if their children are ill (with the virus or any other illness), and an additional benefit has been introduced for parents who are forced to take time off work to look after children affected by school closures as a result of a local outbreak.\n\nBut these measures have also stirred debates about welfare inequality. There are concerns that workers who are paid by the hour or on temporary contracts aren't entitled to the same level of sickness benefits as permanent staff - there are reports that this has encouraged some to keep working despite developing Covid-19 symptoms.", "Researchers have been tracking changes to the \"spike\" of the virus\n\nThe new variant of Covid-19 is \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version, a study has found.\n\nIt concludes the new variant increases the Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.\n\nThe UK's latest R number has been estimated at between 1.1 and 1.3. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nProf Axel Gandy of London's Imperial College said the differences between the viruses types was \"quite extreme\".\n\n\"There is a huge difference in how easily the variant virus spreads,\" he told BBC News. \"This is the most serious change in the virus since the epidemic began,\" he added.\n\nThe Imperial College study suggests transmission of the new variant tripled during England's November lockdown while the previous version was reduced by a third.\n\nCases of Covid-19 have begun to increase rapidly during the second spike, and the number of cases recorded in a single day reached a new high on Thursday.\n\nEarly results indicated that the virus was spreading more quickly among under-20s, particularly among secondary school age children.\n\nBut the very latest data indicates that it was spreading quickly across all age groups, according to Prof Gandy who was a member of the research team.\n\n\"One possible explanation is that the early data was collected during the time of the November lockdown where schools were open and the activities of the adult population were more restricted. We are seeing now that the new virus has increased infectiousness across all age groups.\"\n\nProf Jim Naismith, of Oxford University, said he believed that the new findings indicated that even tougher restrictions would soon be needed.\n\n\"The data from Imperial represent the best analysis to date and imply that the measures we have employed to date, would - with the new virus - fail to reduce the R number to below 1.\n\n\"In simpler terms, unless we do something different the new virus strain is going to continue to spread, more infections, more hospitalisations and more deaths.\"\n\nThe R number is the average number of people an infected person infects. If it is above 1 the epidemic is growing.\n\nThe most chilling finding from this piece of research is that the November lockdown in England, hard though it was for many people, would not have stopped the variant form of the virus spreading. The same severe restrictions that saw cases of the previous version of the virus fall by a third, would see a tripling of the new variant. This is why there has been such a sudden tightening of restrictions across the country.\n\nIt is unclear whether the current restrictions will be enough to control the spread of the virus. Given the fact that it has taken two lockdowns to stop the earlier version of the virus overwhelming the NHS, many scientists fear that further tightening will be necessary.\n\nInfection levels will begin to drop as enough people are vaccinated. But until then it is now more important than ever for people to follow social distancing guidelines, wear masks where required and to regularly wash their hands.\n\nThe new year brings with it hope of a more normal life in the next few months but also a new form of the virus that all of us will have to combat in the coming days and weeks.\n\nProfessor Lawrence Young, of Warwick University, said early indications suggested that vaccines would be effective against the new form of the virus.\n\n\"Variants virus have been around since the beginning of the pandemic and are a product of the natural process by which viruses develop and adapt to their hosts as they replicate.\n\n\"Most of these mutations have no effect on the behaviour of the virus but very occasionally they can improve the ability of the virus to infect and/or become more resistant to the body's immune response.\"\n\nFurther research is needed to understand why the variant is spreading so quickly. But early indications are that vaccines should be effective against it.\n\nThe new virus has been designated \"Variant of Concern 202012/01\" or VOC by Public Health England.\n\nIt was detected in November and thought to have originated in the south-east England in September.\n\nThere is no evidence to suggest that it is more deadly, but it will increase the number of cases which in turn will add further pressure on the NHS.\n\nThe variant can now be found across the UK, except Northern Ireland, but it is heavily concentrated in London, as well as south-east and eastern England.", "The Black Country Living Museum normally gives visitors a taste of ordinary life in the Victorian era\n\nA venue that has doubled as a set for TV series Peaky Blinders is to operate as a Covid-19 vaccination centre.\n\nUsing Black Country Living Museum, a largely open-air site, to deliver jabs is said to be a \"game-changer\" for the local community.\n\nThe Dudley attraction, which is closed to tourists during lockdown, is expected to help administer thousands of injections a week.\n\nPeople are reminded they need an NHS letter of invitation before turning up.\n\nThe formal appointments will initially prioritise doses for people most at risk of complications from the virus.\n\nThe latest figures from NHS England showed 97,310 Covid jabs had been administered in Dudley and the surrounding area by Thursday - the second highest amount in the Midlands.\n\nBut rollout at the museum - which begins on Monday - will see it become Dudley's first vaccination centre.\n\nIt will complement existing GP-led vaccination services which are already up and running locally.\n\nCillian Murphy stars in Peaky Blinders, a Birmingham-set drama filmed in part at the museum\n\nThe museum normally gives visitors a taste of life in the Black Country during bygone days and has been used as a location for Peaky Blinders, the BBC TV series set in nearby Birmingham in the early 20th Century.\n\nSaying the step was a game-changer, Nicholas Barlow, Dudley Council member for health, said: \"Having the Black Country Living Museum on board as a vaccination centre will greatly increase the amount of jabs we can deliver, and the speed at which we can administer them.\n\n\"It will make people safer from this deadly virus more quickly.\"\n\nSally Roberts, Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group chief nurse, said: \"Our progress [in the area] to date has been incredible and I am delighted that our first vaccination centre, which will be capable of delivering thousands more vaccines each week, is going live.\"\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Appointments were brought forward or rescheduled for safety reasons\n\nFour vaccination centres were shut as snow caused some travel disruption in Wales.\n\nSunday appointments in Bridgend, Rhondda, Abercynon and Merthyr Tydfil were rescheduled for safety reasons, but centres will reopen on Monday, the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board said.\n\nThe Met Office has extended a yellow weather warning to midnight on Sunday for all of Wales except Anglesey.\n\nA yellow warning for ice runs from midnight until 11:00 GMT on Monday.\n\nPolice have warned of difficult conditions due to snow and ice.\n\nUp to 3cm of snow is forecast to fall in most areas, with 10 to 15cm expected in the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia.\n\nCwm Taf Morgannwg health board urged anyone with queries about Sunday's vaccination appointments to call the number on their appointment letters.\n\nSnow volunteers cleared pathways so a Covid vaccine pilot in Maesteg could keep running\n\n\"We can confirm that no vaccines have been wasted as a consequence of this temporary Sunday closure and we are grateful to all those who were able to turn up at such short notice yesterday as we brought forward a significant number of Sunday appointments during the course of Saturday,\" it said.\n\n\"Additionally, our 4x4 arrangements are enabling us to continue to reach care homes to vaccinate the staff and residents there.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Traffic Wales South #KeepWalesSafe This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nNorth Wales Police tweeted there was \"widespread snow this morning, particularly in some higher areas, making driving conditions difficult\".\n\nAnd Dyfed-Powys Police said some roads were \"impassable\" and advised people to \"stay home\".\n\nIn Bridgend, officers from South Wales Police were pelted with snowballs as they helped an injured sledger on Heol y Nant.\n\nNorth Wales Police warned of difficult conditions due to \"widespread snow\", particularly on high ground.\n\nIt said the A499 near Pwllheli had received heavy snowfall overnight.\n\nWelsh Ambulance Service boss Jason Killens tweeted, thanking the public for helping crews continue to work despite the conditions.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Jason Killens 💙 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nVillages were dusted with snow, such as in Llanfynydd, Carmarthenshire\n\nNick Rolfe shared this garden view in Nercwys, near Mold, Flintshire\n\nThe Met Office warned travellers that \"longer journey times by road, bus and train services\" could be expected, although Wales is in a level four lockdown with all but essential travel banned.\n\nIt also said the snow could lead to power cuts and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.\n\nThose going out for daily exercise have been warned there could be icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.\n\nIn Powys, this was the view over Newtown on Sunday\n\nThe hills around Llangollen, Denbighshire, were covered in snow on Saturday\n\nPower cuts and travel delays are possible, the Met Office says\n\nThe drop in temperatures is likely to exacerbate problems after widespread flooding caused by Storm Christoph.\n\nTwo flood warnings issued by Natural Resources Wales remain in place, meaning flooding is expected.\n\nThese cover the River Ritec at Tenby in Pembrokeshire, which could affect the Kiln Park caravan site, and the lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows.\n\nPretty as a picture... Suzy shared this garden view in Snowdonia\n\nSun up: Heath in Cardiff awakes to a covering of snow\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Larry King, giant of US broadcasting who achieved worldwide fame for interviewing political leaders and celebrities, has died at the age of 87.\n\nKing conducted an estimated 50,000 interviews in his six-decade career, which included 25 years as host of the popular CNN talk show Larry King Live.\n\nHe died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Ora Media, a production company he co-founded.\n\nEarlier this month, he was treated in hospital for Covid-19, US media say.\n\nThe talk show host, famous for his braces and rolled-up sleeves, had faced several health problems in recent years, including heart attacks.\n\nKing was married eight times to seven women and had five children. Two of them died last year within weeks of each other - daughter Chaia died from lung cancer and son Andy of a heart attack.\n\nKing carried out interviews with every sitting US president from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama and a number of world leaders. His other high-profile guests included Dr Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Lady Gaga.\n\n\"For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry's many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster,\" Ora Media said in a statement, without giving the cause of death.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Larry King: \"I like spontaneity. That's the kind of broadcaster I am\".\n\nBorn Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933, King rose to fame in the 1970s with his radio programme The Larry King Show, on the commercial network Mutual Broadcasting System.\n\nIn 1985 he launched Larry King Live on the fledgling CNN, and became one of the network's biggest stars. The programme, broadcast around the world, was a success with audiences, with King answering thousands of phone calls from viewers.\n\nHe earned a number of honours, including two Peabody awards, but was also criticised for his non-confrontational approach and open-ended questions. King boasted of not doing much research for the interviews so, he said, he could learn along with viewers.\n\nBy 2010 his ratings had dropped significantly, with critics saying King's approach felt outdated in an era of more aggressive interviewing styles. King then announced his retirement, saying: \"It's time to hang up my nightly suspenders.\"\n\nIn his final programme on CNN, he told his viewers: \"I don't know what to say, except to you, my audience, thank you. Instead of goodbye, how about so long?\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by CNN Communications This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nCNN replaced him with British journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan, whose programme King criticised for being \"too much about him\".\n\nMorgan, whose programme was cancelled three years later, said on Twitter on Saturday: \"Larry King was a hero of mine until we fell out after I replaced him at CNN & he said my show was 'like watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your new Bentley.' (He married 8 times so a mother-in-law expert).\"\n\nIn a statement, CNN president Jeff Zucker said: \"The scrappy young man from Brooklyn had a history-making career spanning radio and television. His curiosity about the world propelled his award-winning career in broadcasting, but it was his generosity of spirit that drew the world to him.\"\n\nMost recently, King hosted another programme, Larry King Now, broadcast on Hulu and RT, Russia's state-controlled international broadcaster.\n\nA Kremlin spokesman was quoted as saying by state RIA Novosti news agency: \"King repeatedly interviewed Putin. The president has always appreciated his great professionalism and unquestioned journalistic authority.\"\n\nOutside broadcasting, King founded the Larry King Cardiac Foundation in 1988, a charity which helps to fund heart treatment for those with limited financial means or no medical insurance.", "Pavithra Wanniarachchi (L) has become the fourth Sri Lankan minister to test positive\n\nSri Lanka's health minister, who endorsed herbal syrup to prevent Covid, has tested positive for the virus.\n\nPavithra Wanniarachchi tested positive on Friday, a media secretary at the Ministry of Health told the BBC.\n\nShe had promoted the syrup, manufactured by a shaman who claimed it worked as a life-long inoculation against the virus.\n\nSri Lanka recorded 56,076 cases and 276 deaths since the pandemic began, with cases surging in recent months.\n\nMs Wanniarachchi is the fourth minister to test positive. A junior minister, who also took the potion, tested positive earlier this week.\n\nThe health minister had publicly consumed and endorsed the syrup as a way of stopping the spread of the virus. The shaman who invented the syrup, which contains honey and nutmeg, said the recipe was given to him in a visionary dream.\n\nDoctors in the country have quashed claims the herbal syrup works, but AFP news agency reports thousands have travelled to a village to obtain it.\n\nMs Wanniarachchi took two Covid-19 tests and both returned positive results, Viraj Abeysinghe, media secretary at the Ministry of Health told the BBC.\n\nThe minister has been asked to self-isolate and all of her immediate contacts have gone into isolation.\n\nNews of Ms Wanniarachchi's positive test came hours after Sri Lanka approved the emergency use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. The first doses are expected to arrive in the country next week.\n\nSri Lanka isn't the only place where people in positions of power have promoted unproven treatments for Covid.\n\nLast year, Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina was criticised for promoting a herbal concoction that he claimed could prevent the virus. He was pictured distributing the tonic to poor communities in the capital.\n\nSince the pandemic began, a number of world leaders and cabinet members have contracted Covid. French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former President Donald Trump all caught the virus at various points last year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The people who think Coronavirus is caused by 5G", "Skewen in Neath Port Talbot has been badly hit by flooding over the past two days\n\nThere have been \"no adverse effects\" on the coronavirus vaccine roll-out caused by recent flooding, the Welsh Government has said.\n\nHomes were evacuated in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, on Thursday as heavy rain caused issues across the country.\n\nSwansea Bay health board said none of its mass vaccination centres or GP surgeries had been affected by floods.\n\nIt added anyone struggling to get to a vaccination appointment because of the flooding would be able to rearrange.\n\nBetsi Cadwaladr University Health Board also said it was not aware of flooding in north Wales causing any issues for the vaccine roll-out.\n\nWrexham council leader Mark Pritchard said on Thursday that teams worked to ensure the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, made on Wrexham Industrial Estate, was not lost in the floods.\n\nThe latest figures released on Friday showed 212,317 people in Wales had received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, with a further 415 receiving a second dose.\n\nAs well as properties, vehicles were submerged in water\n\nAbout 80 people in Skewen had to be evacuated from their homes after streets were left under water.\n\nFire crews returned to the scene on Friday to continue to pump floodwater away from houses.\n\nMeanwhile, a family in Rossett, Wrexham county, had to be rescued by helicopter after their home became surrounded by floodwater on Thursday night.\n\nNorth Wales has also been hit by floods\n\nOn Friday, Health Minister Vaughan Gething told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that efforts to rehouse those affected by the floods were being done in \"as Covid-secure a way as possible\".\n\nDorothy Edwards, Covid-19 vaccination programme director for Swansea Bay health board, said: \"None of our mass vaccination centres have been impacted by flooding and we're not aware of any particular issues in primary care.\n\n\"Of course we will be sympathetic if there are people struggling to get to their appointment and if they are booked in at an mass vaccination centres they need to ring the booking line and the appointment will be rearranged.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government said: \"There have been no adverse effects on the vaccine roll-out due to flooding.\"", "Mr Johnson raised the benefits of a UK-US trade deal during his phone call with Mr Biden\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has spoken to Joe Biden for the first time since the new US president was inaugurated.\n\nMr Johnson said on Twitter that he looked forward to \"deepening the longstanding alliance\" between the UK and the US as they drove a \"green and sustainable recovery from Covid-19\".\n\nMr Biden was sworn in as president and Kamala Harris as vice-president in a ceremony in Washington on Wednesday.\n\nThe PM said their inauguration was a \"step forward\" for the US.\n\nA Downing Street spokesman said Mr Johnson \"warmly welcomed\" the president's decision to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change and the World Health Organization - both abandoned by Mr Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump.\n\n\"The prime minister praised President Biden's early action on tackling climate change and commitment to reach net zero by 2050,\" the spokesman said.\n\nThe spokesman added that, in building on the two nations' \"long history of cooperation in security and defence, the leaders \"re-committed to the Nato alliance and our shared values in promoting human rights and protecting democracy\".\n\nThe two leaders also talked about \"the benefits of a potential free trade deal\" between the UK and the US, with Mr Johnson reiterating his intention \"to resolve existing trade issues as soon as possible\".\n\nAfter the inauguration of any American president, a political spectator sport immediately begins: the order in which the new occupant of the White House speaks to other world leaders.\n\nIt is a crude metric of relative importance, but a metric nonetheless.\n\nI understand the call lasted for around 35 minutes and was the first conversation Joe Biden has had with a European leader as president.\n\nThe focus on climate change makes political and diplomatic sense. It's a topic where a Conservative prime minister and Democrat president can agree, and it matters particularly to the UK as the host of the COP26 UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow in November.\n\nBut when you compare what Downing Street said about the call and what the White House said, one thing leaps out.\n\nNo 10's readout refers to a conversation about a trade deal. President Biden's does not.\n\nIt's widely expected there'll be no such agreement any time soon.\n\nMr Johnson and Mr Biden \"looked forward to to meeting in person as soon as the circumstances allow\" and to working together during the forthcoming G7, G20 and COP26 summits, the spokesman added.\n\nA White House statement said Mr Biden \"conveyed his intention to strengthen the special relationship\" between the US and UK and \"revitalize transatlantic ties\".\n\nCongratulating Mr Biden and Ms Harris - who is the first woman and first black and Asian-American person to serve as vice-president - the PM said earlier that their inauguration was a \"step forward\" for the US, which had \"been through a bumpy period\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Johnson: \"It's a big moment for us - we have things we want to do together.\"\n\nMr Johnson said it was a \"big moment\" for the UK and the US and their \"joint common agenda\".\n\nThe BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg has said the Biden Presidency \"brings some hope to government\" because No 10 believes \"there is a lot of overlap\" between what Mr Biden and Mr Johnson want to do.\n\nThe US president has previously said that he does not want a \"guarded border\" between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland following Brexit, and that any UK-US post-Brexit trade deal had to be \"contingent\" on respect for the Good Friday Agreement.\n\nThe PM and Mr Biden have never met in real life, but the new US president once referred to Mr Johnson as a \"physical and emotional clone\" of Mr Trump.\n\nAfter winning the presidential election, Mr Biden phoned Mr Johnson ahead of other European leaders and expressed his desire to strengthen the historic \"special relationship\" between the two countries.", "Elizabeth Kerr and Simon O'Brien were married moments before he was put on a mechanical ventilator\n\nAn engaged couple taken to hospital in the same ambulance with Covid-19 were able to marry moments before the man was sedated and put on a ventilator.\n\nElizabeth Kerr, 31, and Simon O'Brien, 36, were taken to Milton Keynes University Hospital with breathing difficulties on 9 January.\n\nStaff rallied to arrange a wedding as the groom's condition worsened.\n\nThey held off intubating Mr O'Brien so the ceremony could go ahead. The couple are now recovering in hospital.\n\nMrs Kerr, a nurse, and Mr O'Brien had planned to marry in June.\n\nBoth contracted the disease and were taken to hospital together when their oxygen levels fell dangerously low.\n\nThey were placed on separate wards but when Mrs Kerr told nurse Hannah Cannon about their wedding plans, she asked her if they would like to marry in the hospital.\n\nMrs Kerr said she was told it could be their only chance.\n\n\"Those are words I never, ever want to hear again,\" she said.\n\nA photo on Mrs Kerr's phone shows the wedding took place in the beds of the intensive care unit\n\nHowever, while staff were securing the wedding licence, Mr O'Brien's condition further deteriorated and on 12 January he was placed on the intensive care unit, to be put on a ventilator.\n\nThey waited to intubate him just long enough for the ceremony to go ahead.\n\nMs Cannon said: \"With lots of teamwork... we were able to give them a wedding, not necessarily the wedding that they would have initially intended, but certainly something positive, remarkable and memorable for them to really hold on to.\"\n\nShe filmed the marriage for the couple's families and friends, and catering staff at the hospital provided a cake.\n\nShortly after saying \"I do\", Mr O'Brien was placed on the ventilator.\n\nThe couple have now been reunited on a recovery ward and were able to kiss for the first time since being married.\n\nMrs Kerr said having the wedding meant \"everything\" to them.\n\n\"If we hadn't had each other and we hadn't been given that opportunity to get married, I don't think both of us would be here now,\" she added.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Early evidence suggests the variant of coronavirus that emerged in the UK may be more deadly, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.\n\nHowever, there remains huge uncertainty around the numbers - and vaccines are still expected to work.\n\nThe data comes from mathematicians comparing death rates in people infected with either the new or the old versions of the virus.\n\nThe new more infectious variant has already spread widely across the UK.\n\nMr Johnson told a Downing Street briefing: \"In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant - the variant that was first identified in London and the south east - may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.\n\n\"It's largely the impact of this new variant that means the NHS is under such intense pressure.\"\n\nPublic Health England, Imperial College London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Exeter have each been trying to assess how deadly the new variant is.\n\nTheir evidence has been assessed by scientists on the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag).\n\nThe group concluded there was a \"realistic possibility\" that the virus had become more deadly, but this is far from certain.\n\nSir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, described the data so far as \"not yet strong\".\n\nHe said: \"I want to stress that there's a lot of uncertainty around these numbers and we need more work to get a precise handle on it, but it obviously is a concern that this has an increase in mortality as well as an increase in transmissibility.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Patrick Vallance: \"There is evidence that there's an increased risk for those who have the new variant\"\n\nPrevious work suggests the new variant spreads between 30% and 70% faster than others, and there are hints it is about 30% more deadly.\n\nFor example, with 1,000 60-year-olds infected with the old variant, 10 of them might be expected to die. But this rises to about 13 with the new variant.\n\nThis difference is found when looking at everyone testing positive for Covid, but analysing only hospital data has found no increase in the death rate. Hospital care has improved over the course of the pandemic as doctors get better at treating the disease.\n\nThe new variant was first detected in Kent in September. It is now the most common form of the virus in England and Northern Ireland, and has spread to more than 50 other countries.\n\nThe Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are both expected to work against the variant that emerged in the UK.\n\nHowever, Sir Patrick said there was more concern about two other variants that had emerged in South Africa and Brazil.\n\nHe said: \"They have certain features which means they might be less susceptible to vaccines.\n\n\"They are definitely of more concern than the one in the UK at the moment and we need to keep looking at it and studying this very carefully.\"\n\nThe prime minister said the government was prepared to take further action to protect the country's borders to prevent new variants from entering.\n\n\"I really don't rule it out, we may need to take further measures still,\" he said.\n\nLast week the government extended a travel ban to South America, Portugal and many African countries amid concerns about new variants, while all international travellers must now test negative ahead of departure to the UK and go into quarantine on arrival.", "An exhibition now celebrates Wuhan's success in controlling the outbreak\n\nWuhan has long since recovered from the world's first outbreak of Covid-19. It is now being remembered not as a disaster but as a victory, and with an insistence that the virus came from somewhere - anywhere - but here.\n\nFrom the moment a new, pandemic coronavirus emerged in the same city as a laboratory dedicated to the study of new coronaviruses with pandemic potential, Prof Shi Zhengli has found herself the focus of one of the biggest scientific controversies of our time.\n\nFor much of the past year she has met the suggestion that Sars-Cov-2 might have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology with angry denial.\n\nNow though, she has offered her own thoughts on how the initial outbreak may have begun in the city.\n\nIn an article in this month's edition of Science Magazine she referred to a number of studies that, she said, suggest the virus existed outside of China before Wuhan's first known case in December 2019.\n\n\"Given the finding of Sars-Cov-2 on the surface of imported food packages, contact with contaminated uncooked food could be an important source of Sars-Cov-2 transmission,\" she wrote.\n\nFrom one of the world's leading experts on coronaviruses, even the discussion of such a possibility seems unusual.\n\nCould a spiralling outbreak of infection that almost destroyed Wuhan's health system, sparked the world's first Covid lockdown and spawned a global catastrophe really have arrived on imported food without any signs of similarly devastating outbreaks elsewhere?\n\n\"The virus came from America,\" this fishmonger told the BBC\n\nBut with the virus vanquished, the idea that it is a foreign import is repeated with almost unanimity across this city of 11 million people.\n\n\"It came here from other countries,\" one woman running a hotpot stall in a busy street tells me. \"China is a victim.\"\n\n\"Where did it come from?\" the next-door fishmonger repeats my question aloud, and then answers: \"It came from America.\"\n\nOn 23 January last year, the Chinese authorities severed transport links out of Wuhan and confined the city's population to their homes.\n\nThe tough lockdown coincided with the annual spring festival celebrations and came too late to prevent the global spread of the disease - five million people had already left the city ahead of the holiday.\n\nDoctors' warnings had gone unheeded and, in an outpouring of anger on the Chinese internet, the authorities stood accused of covering up the initial outbreak in the interests of political stability.\n\nOne year on, there's little sign of that anger in Wuhan today. In fact it's the humdrum normality that is striking - the traffic jams, the bustling markets and busy restaurants.\n\nIts success in eventually bringing the virus under control is now being celebrated in a giant exhibition hall, complete with models of medical workers in hazmat suits, installations of hospital beds and - everywhere you look - giant portraits of President Xi Jinping.\n\nThe accompanying texts mention his \"all-out war\" against the pandemic, his \"resolute decision making\" and how he has been willing to share \"China's solutions\" with the world.\n\nThere can be no doubting the success of China's mass testing programmes, its tracing apps and the widespread mask wearing.\n\nBut its strict enforcement of lockdowns, with little hand-wringing over the impact on individual rights, may be far less easy for democratic countries to emulate.\n\n\"The strategic success achieved in this battle fully manifested the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China and the significant advantages of the socialist system of our country,\" the exhibition proclaims.\n\nDespite China's promise of international co-operation, the world is still no closer to an answer to the biggest question of them all - where did the virus come from?\n\nMany prominent scientists believe that - based on past outbreaks - the most likely source of the coronavirus is a natural one, a \"zoonotic\" leap from bats - known to harbour such viruses - to humans, possibly via an intermediate species.\n\nBut China has produced very little evidence to show the work that's been done in its search for the source, in particular the testing of historic human samples stored by hospitals to determine where and when the virus really started spreading.\n\nThose scientists who argue that the possibility of an accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology should also be included as part of any investigation are curious about this apparent silence.\n\n\"I find it very unlikely that such investigations would not have already occurred,\" Alina Chan, a molecular biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, told me.\n\n\"It's a serious risk to resume life as usual without knowing where a dangerous human pathogen came from.\"\n\nWuhan's exhibition also has a display of hospital beds\n\nInstead of publishing its own evidence though, China appears to be taking an anywhere-but-Wuhan approach, with state media cheerleading the idea that the virus may have arrived in Wuhan on frozen food imports or talking cryptically of \"multiple origins\".\n\nAt a recent daily press briefing, I asked China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, why such narratives were being promoted in the absence of real scientific evidence.\n\n\"Your question reveals your prejudice against China,\" she replied. \"Reports have emerged from Australia, Italy and many other countries that the coronavirus was found in multiple places in the autumn of 2019.\"\n\n\"Aren't these all facts?\" she asked.\n\nNot according to Alina Chan, who told me that such studies \"lack validation\" and some have been conducted without \"the most basic controls\".\n\n\"They do not present persuasive scientific evidence that the virus was circulating outside of China before the late 2019 outbreak in Wuhan,\" she said.\n\n\"The earliest detected cases and outbreak were in Wuhan. Early cases outside of China were found to have travelled from Wuhan. The most similar viruses have been found inside China.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BBC's Robin Brant visits the Wuhan market where Covid-19 was first traced\n\nInterestingly, scientists who have found themselves disagreeing strongly about the likelihood of the lab-leak theory, suddenly find themselves very much aligned on whether the virus came from abroad.\n\n\"I do not find the data linking Sars-Cov-2 to frozen foods to be credible,\" Kristian Andersen, a professor of immunology and microbiology at the Scripps Research Institute in the US, told me.\n\nAs someone who is a firm supporter of China's insistence that the virus could not have escaped from a lab, he gives its latest position much shorter shrift.\n\n\"All the available evidence points to an emergence of the virus somewhere in China in late 2019,\" he said.\n\nChinese virologist Shi Zhengli, seen here inside the laboratory in Wuhan\n\nProf Shi Zhengli recently told the BBC in an exchange of emails that she'd welcome \"any form of visit\" by an inquiry team to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to rule out the possibility of a lab leak.\n\nBut to a follow-up email asking about the alignment of her discussion of possible foreign origins with the Chinese government's own narrative, she sent another reply.\n\n\"Your question is not friendly,\" she wrote.\n\nAfter months of delay and wrangling with China about access, a World Health Organization team has arrived in Wuhan to begin its inquiry into the origins of the virus.\n\nTheir terms of reference hint at the politics behind the scenes, with the document mentioning many of China's talking points, including foreign origins and food-chain transmission.\n\nLast year Wuhan endured one of the strictest lockdowns the world has seen\n\nDr Daniel Lucey, a physician and infectious disease professor at the Georgetown Medical Centre in Washington, suggests the stage is being set for a foregone conclusion.\n\n\"In my view, if you line up side-by-side the WHO's terms of reference with the Shi Zhengli Science article,\" he told me, \"then it is clear that the overarching strategic narrative is that the origin of the virus is outside of China.\"\n\nThe crisis that began in Wuhan is now the world's crisis and, with so many lives and livelihoods lost, answers are desperately needed.\n\nIf the virus came naturally from bats, an understanding of that pathway is important to protect humanity from the risk of repeated \"spillover\" events from the same source.\n\nIf it leaked from a lab, an urgent review of safety protocols is needed - not just in China but globally.\n\nBoards in Wuhan say the virus broke out \"in multiple places around the world\"\n\nScientists are beginning to wonder if those answers will ever be forthcoming.\n\n\"It's undeniable now that politics have gotten in the way of science,\" Alina Chan said.\n\n\"I just hope that the WHO team will relay the details of their experience so that the public can understand what the limitations of their investigation are.\"\n\nIn Wuhan's giant exhibition hall, the city's place in history is again called into question by one of the concluding sign boards which says Covid-19 broke out \"in multiple places around the world\".\n\nFor China, this city's past is now propaganda and the truth, like the virus, is being brought under tight control.", "Guests fled when officers arrived at the Stamford Hill school, where the windows had been covered\n\nPolice broke up a wedding party in north London, where they now say about 150 people had gathered.\n\nOfficers found the windows at the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls' School, in Stamford Hill, had been covered when they arrived at 21:15 GMT on Thursday.\n\nGuests fled from the strictly Orthodox Charedi Jewish school when the police arrived. The organisers face a £10,000 fine for breaking lockdown rules.\n\nThe Met originally claimed that about 400 guests were at the gathering.\n\nIn a statement, the school said its hall had been leased out.\n\nA spokesman for the school, whose principal Rabbi Avrahom Pinter died in April after contracting coronavirus, said \"we had no knowledge that the wedding was taking place\".\n\nHe added: \"We are absolutely horrified about last night's event and condemn it in the strongest possible terms.\"\n\nBoris Johnson supports the police for \"taking action against people who flagrantly and selfishly ignore the rules\", according to the prime minister's official spokesman.\n\nThe spokesman said: \"Large gatherings such as that pose a health risk, not just to those who attend but those who they live with or others who they may come into contact with.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Chief Rabbi Mirvis This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nChief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, meanwhile, said the \"overwhelming majority\" of the Jewish community would be appalled at the event.\n\nRabbi Mirvis, who serves as the head of the UK's orthodox Jewish community but is not the leader of the Charedi group, called the wedding party \"a most shameful desecration of all that we hold dear\".\n\nFive guests were issued with £200 fixed penalty notices, according to police, who said their inquiries had established those present at the school had gathered for a wedding.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A video shared with the Jewish Chronicle shows officers in Stamford Hill\n\nVideo shared with the Jewish Chronicle shows officers in Stamford Hill speaking with a man to explain why they are there, although he is not accused of any wrongdoing.\n\nThey are then seen arriving at the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls' School.\n\nDet Ch Sup Marcus Barnett of the Met Police said: \"This was a completely unacceptable breach of the law.\n\n\"People across the country are making sacrifices by cancelling or postponing weddings and other celebrations and there is no excuse for this type of behaviour.\n\n\"My officers are working tirelessly with the community and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action if that is required to keep people safe.\"\n\nOn Friday morning, a security guard at the school told the BBC there were more like 100 guests at the party than the much higher number given out by police.\n\nThe Met later said in a statement: \"Although initial calls suggested some 400 people had attended the wedding, it is now believed that approximately 150 people were in attendance.\"\n\nStamford Hill is part of the borough of Hackney, which has a Covid-19 infection rate of 625.43 cases per 100,000 people. The England average rate is 471.31 per 100,000 people.\n\nThe mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville, said he was \"deeply disappointed\" that the wedding party had taken place, despite \"the number of lives that have already been lost in the Charedi community and across the borough\".\n\nHe added: \"Unfortunately, similar events have taken place even at this venue before and we need to be really clear how unacceptable it is.\n\n\"We will be meeting with the Rabbinate and our community partners over the coming days to see how we can prevent further incidents of this nature.\"\n\nLondon is under an England-wide lockdown, which prevents social mixing between households.\n\nLondoners are asked to only leave home for limited reasons such as shopping, going to work, seeking medical assistance, or avoiding domestic abuse.\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nDo you have any information to share about this incident? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Senior doctors are calling on England's chief medical officer to cut the gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nProf Chris Whitty said extending the maximum wait from three to 12 weeks was a \"public health decision\" to get the first jab to more people across the UK.\n\nBut the British Medical Association said that was \"difficult to justify\" and should be changed to six weeks.\n\nIt comes as early evidence suggests the UK virus variant may be more deadly.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson told a Downing Street briefing on Friday: \"In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant - the variant that was first identified in London and the south east - may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.\"\n\nPrevious work suggests the new variant spreads between 30% and 70% faster than others, and there are hints it is about 30% more deadly.\n\nFor example, the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said if 1,000 men in their 60s were infected with the old variant, roughly 10 of them would be expected to die - but this rises to about 13 with the new variant.\n\nAnother 1,348 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported in the UK on Saturday, in addition to 33,552 new infections, according to the government's coronavirus dashboard.\n\nThe government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) says unpublished data suggests the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is still effective with doses 12 weeks apart - but Pfizer has said it has tested its vaccine's efficacy only when the two doses were given up to 21 days apart.\n\nThe World Health Organization has recommended a gap of four weeks between doses - to be extended only in exceptional circumstances to six weeks.\n\nGovernment minister Robert Jenrick said the current strategy ensured \"millions more people can get the first jab\" and the \"high level of protection\" which it offered.\n\nHe said the BMA's concerns would be taken into account but that the government was following the \"very clear advice\" of the medicines regulator and the UK's four chief medical officers who, he said, \"could not have been clearer that this is the right thing to do for this country\".\n\nA spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care added: \"Our number one priority is to give protection against coronavirus to as many vulnerable people as possible, as quickly as possible.\"\n\nIn the letter to Prof Whitty, seen by the BBC, the British Medical Association (BMA) said it agreed that the vaccine should be rolled out \"as quickly as possible\" - but called for an urgent review and for the gap to be reduced.\n\nThe doctors' union said the UK's strategy \"has become increasingly isolated internationally\" and \"is proving evermore difficult to justify\".\n\n\"The absence of any international support for the UK's approach is a cause of deep concern and risks undermining public and the profession's trust in the vaccination programme,\" the letter said.\n\nDr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the BMA, said there were \"growing concerns\" that the vaccine could become less effective with doses 12 weeks apart.\n\n\"Obviously the protection will not vanish after six weeks, but what we do not know is what level of protection will be offered [after that point],\" he told BBC Breakfast.\n\n\"We should not be extrapolating data when we don't have it.\"\n\nHe said while he understands the rationale behind the decision, \"no other nation has adopted the UK's approach\".\n\n\"We think the flexibility that the WHO offers of extending to 42 days is being stretched far too much to go from six weeks right through to 12 weeks,\" he added.\n\nThere has been understandable enthusiasm over a promising start to the hugely ambitious UK vaccination rollout.\n\nBut there has been some tension over the decision to lengthen the time between doses for the Pfizer vaccine to 12 weeks.\n\nProf Whitty and other health leaders and experts say this will allow many more people to get vaccinated quickly and the first dose gives most of the protection.\n\nBut critics argue this goes against Pfizer's recommendation of a three-week gap and there is no data to back up the long delay.\n\nThe intervention of the BMA is significant as it shows senior doctors now have widespread concerns, including worries about reliability of supplies if people have to wait longer for a second jab.\n\nThis is a private letter to Chris Whitty seen by the BBC and not a grandstanding press release. The BMA wants to have talks with the chief medical adviser about moving to six weeks.\n\nProf Whitty will no doubt restate his case, but it will be interesting to see whether the BMA argument gains traction in the wider medical world.\n\nThe BMA also suggested second doses might not be guaranteed after a 12-week delay \"given the unpredictability of supplies\".\n\nHowever, Public Health England's medical director said people would get their second dose.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she backed the current strategy, saying it was \"about bearing down on transmission\" to reduce deaths and reduce the chance of more dangerous variants of the virus emerging.\n\n\"The more people that are protected against this virus, the less opportunity it has to get the upper hand,\" she said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nOther issues highlighted in the letter include:\n\nThe UK's chief medical officers have said the \"great majority\" of initial protection comes from the first jab, while the second dose is likely to help that protection last longer.\n\nIn total, the UK has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and 40 million of the Pfizer vaccine.\n\nBoth vaccines are expected to work against the variant of Covid-19 that emerged in the UK.\n\nWhat has been your experience of receiving the vaccine? Are you waiting for your second dose? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Nurses are calling for all UK staff to be given a higher grade of face mask to protect them against new variants of coronavirus.\n\nThe Royal College of Nursing warns that inadequate PPE may be putting the lives of nursing staff at risk.\n\nIt has written to the workplace safety watchdog detailing its concerns, soon after a similar appeal from doctors.\n\nEngland's Department of Health says there is no reason to change current guidance.\n\nIt follows a comprehensive review of all the evidence around the new variants and the impact on PPE.\n\nAt present, most nurses working outside of intensive care wear standard surgical masks.\n\nBut the RCN says they may not protect them against the new variant of the virus, and very small airborne viral particles spread in hospitals.\n\nInstead, it wants all NHS staff to be given the kinds of high-grade face masks used in intensive care units, called FFP2 or FFP3 masks.\n\nThe UK guidance on infection prevention and control has recently been updated, but nurses say it allows individual trusts to decide what PPE to use.\n\nAs a result, some hospitals are offering staff high-grade PPE while many are not - and that is leading to unequal levels of protection depending on where nurses work.\n\nMany nurses wear standard surgical masks outside of intensive care\n\nDame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and general secretary of the RCN, said: \"The government's silence on this issue is creating a postcode lottery for nursing staff.\n\n\"It must stop dragging its feet on this issue. Nursing staff need to have full confidence that they are protected.\"\n\nShe added: \"Staff picking up this virus at work are angered at any suggestion they have stopped following the rules - this is down to the new variant and the dangerous shortage of adequate protection.\"\n\nNHS England data shows a 22% rise in the average number of healthcare staff off sick because of Covid-19 in the first week of January, compared with the last week in December.\n\nA spokesman from the Department of Health and Social Care in England said the safety of NHS and social care staff was \"top priority\" but the current guidance did not need changing.\n\n\"In response to the new Covid-19 variants, the UK Infection Prevention Control Cell conducted a comprehensive review of all available evidence and concluded that current guidance and PPE recommendations remain the right ones.\n\n\"New and emerging evidence is continually scrutinised and evaluated by the government, in conjunction with our world-leading scientists,\" the spokesman said.\n\nThe Royal College of Nursing is asking the governments of the UK to:\n\nIt is also calling for the Health and Safety Executive to review the guidance on appropriate use of PPE in all health and care settings.", "Last updated on .From the section FA Cup\n\nCheltenham Town came within nine minutes of one of the biggest shocks in recent FA Cup history before Manchester City staged a dramatic late rally to crush the dreams of the gallant League Two side.\n\nThe Robins, 72 places below City who sit second in the Premier League, threatened huge embarrassment for Pep Guardiola's side after Alfie May put Cheltenham ahead on the hour after a trademark long throw from captain Ben Tozer caused chaos in the area.\n\nCity, who made ten changes to the team that beat Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday, spared their embarrassment when Phil Foden, the game's outstanding player, arrived at the far post to turn in substitute Joao Cancelo's long cross in the 81st minute.\n\nAnd the turnaround was complete three minutes later when a rare moment of slackness in the outstanding Cheltenham defence, with goalkeeper Josh Griffiths superb, switched off and Gabriel Jesus scored from Fernandinho's delivery.\n\nFerran Torres scored Manchester City's third with the last kick of the game to give the scoreline a cruel reflection on Cheltenham's heroic efforts.\n\nIt was so cruel on manager Michael Duff and his players, who now go back the battle for promotion from League Two, while City will be away at Swansea in the fifth round.\n\n\"I'm incredibly proud,\" the Robins boss said of his side's display. \"The players they brought on from the bench and they way they celebrated the goals tells you something. They know they've been in a game. They've done that to better teams than us.\"\n\nThe sight of Manchester City manager Guardiola disputing where Cheltenham could take a throw-in said everything about the way the League Two underdogs gave their mighty opponents a serious fright.\n\nTozer's throw-ins were causing all manner of problems and led to Cheltenham's goal but there was so much more to their performance than that set-piece weapon, a threat any manager in the game would utilise.\n\nCheltenham tried to play football when they got the chance, with goalscorer May, who has done the hard yards in non-league before playing for Doncaster and now Cheltenham, a leading light.\n\nRobins keeper Griffiths, who suffered the ignominy of being beaten from 71 yards by his Newport County opposite number Tom King in midweek, was in defiant form as he saved well from Riyad Mahrez and Torres, showing command throughout. Tozer's headed goalline clearance from Benjamin Mendy in the first half was also symbolic of their 'they shall not pass' approach.\n\nThere may have been no fans inside this compact stadium but there was still a real sense of occasion, the game being halted in the first half because of a firework display nearby.\n\nIn the end this will be a bitter disappointment to Cheltenham but they can be rightly proud and take huge confidence into their League Two promotion battle.\n\nDuff highlighted how financially important the cup run was for his club.\n\n\"It's essential,\" he added. \"Every pound coming in is probably worth a tenner in normal times.\n\n\"These games don't come around very often. It's a shame because [with fans] the place would've been bouncing. Would that have seen us through in the last 10 minutes? I'm not so sure - but the key is to enjoy it.\"\n\nGuardiola made 10 changes to his line-up to give Manchester City's shadow squad a chance to impress.\n\nSome, like the erratic Mendy, did not take that opportunity and it was someone establishing himself in City's side that spared the blushes of this expensively assembled squad.\n\nFoden was magnificent, so light on his feet with glorious ball control, endless creativity and the man pulling the strings for City even when they were struggling to break down resilient Cheltenham.\n\nThe 20-year-old was head and shoulders above his City team-mates. He was the one who was going to pull them out of their grim predicament if anyone was, and so it proved when he popped up with the crucial late equaliser that lifted Guardiola's team and deflated Cheltenham.\n\nFoden had already carved out chances for Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus that were not taken so it was a case of 'do it yourself' when he was the player on target.\n\nThe fact Guardiola was forced to use three subs in Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo once Cheltenham went ahead proved how worried the Premier League giants were.\n\nThis was an unimpressive, scratchy display from City's much-changed team, with Guardiola resting so many of the players who are giving them such an ominous look in the Premier League - luckily they had the brilliance of Foden to pull them out of a deep hole.\n\nGuardiola praised the England attacking midfielder for his impressive performance.\n\n\"Foden is in a great moment and with great confidence,\" he said.\n\n\"He is clinical in front of goal and he had a similar chance to the goal we scored at [Chelsea's] Stamford Bridge - he is playing really well.\"\n\nThe City manager suggested he was confident in the players he put out on the pitch.\n\n\"I didn't have regrets even when we were 1-0 down, we had clear chances from the first minute,\" he added.\n\n\"When they take advantage it gets complicated, but we got it to 1-1 and it was tight. We came here with humility and had the quality to make the difference.\"\n• None Cheltenham have lost all nine of their competitive meetings with Premier League sides, by an aggregate score of 6-23.\n• None City have won 10 consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since a run of 11 from August to October 2017.\n• None May's opener for Cheltenham was the first goal City had conceded in 509 minutes of action in all competitions, since Callum Hudson-Odoi's strike for Chelsea at the start of the month.\n• None Foden is City's top scorer in all competitions this season with nine goals in 25 appearances, one more than he netted in 38 games last season.\n• None Jesus has been involved in 12 goals in 13 FA Cup appearances for City, scoring eight and assisting four.\n• None May has scored four goals in his four FA Cup games for Cheltenham, with each of his eight goals in total in the competition coming in home games.\n• None Goal! Cheltenham Town 1, Manchester City 3. Ferran Torres (Manchester City) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ilkay Gündogan.\n• None Attempt missed. Matty Blair (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high following a corner.\n• None Goal! Cheltenham Town 1, Manchester City 2. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Fernandinho with a through ball.\n• None Goal! Cheltenham Town 1, Manchester City 1. Phil Foden (Manchester City) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by João Cancelo with a cross.\n• None Attempt missed. João Cancelo (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Riyad Mahrez.\n• None Attempt missed. Phil Foden (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by João Cancelo with a cross. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Hear from the former US president as he reflects on his time in office\n• None How can you eat well for £1 a portion?", "The 39 people who died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between Zeebrugge and the UK\n\nFour men have been jailed for the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex.\n\nThe migrants died \"excruciatingly painful\" deaths, having suffocated in the container en route from Belgium to Purfleet in October 2019, a judge said.\n\nRonan Hughes, 41, and Gheorghe Nica, 43, played \"leading roles\" in the smuggling conspiracy and were jailed for 20 and 27 years respectively.\n\nAt the Old Bailey, two lorry drivers were also jailed for manslaughter.\n\n[Left to right] Eamonn Harrison, Ronan Hughes, Gheorghe Nica and Maurice Robinson were all jailed for manslaughter\n\nEamonn Harrison, 24, who towed the trailer to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge before their journey to the UK, was sentenced to 18 years.\n\nMaurice Robinson, 26, was given 13 years and four months, having collected the trailer and opened it in an industrial estate to find the migrants dead.\n\nThree others members of the people-smuggling gang were also sentenced for conspiracy to facilitate unlawful immigration.\n\nChristopher Kennedy, 24, from County Armagh, was jailed for seven years; Valentin Calota, 38, of Birmingham, for four-and-a-half years; and Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 28, of Hobart Road, Tilbury, Essex, was given a three-year sentence.\n\n[Left to right] Valentin Calota, Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga and Christopher Kennedy were also sentenced on Friday\n\nSentencing, Mr Justice Sweeney said: \"I have no doubt that the conspiracy was a sophisticated, long-running and profitable one to smuggle mainly Vietnamese people across the channel.\"\n\nHe said on the fatal trip the temperature had been rising along with the carbon dioxide levels throughout, hitting 40C (104F) while the container was at sea on 22 October 2019.\n\n\"There were desperate attempts to contact the outside world by phone and to break through the roof of the container,\" the judge said.\n\n\"All were to no avail and, before the ship reached Purfleet, [the victims] all died in what must have been an excruciatingly painful death.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Video evidence showed how the trainer containing 39 Vietnamese migrants made its way to the UK\n\nThe victims had used a metal pole to try to punch through the roof but only managed to dent the interior.\n\nThe court heard some of their final desperate phone messages, including one where a man spoke with ragged breaths as he apologised to his family.\n\n\"I can't breathe,\" he said. \"I want to come back to my family. Have a good life.\"\n\nJustice Sweeney added: \"The willingness of the victims to try and enter the country illegally provides no excuse for what happened to them.\"\n\nThe bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in a refrigerated trailer on 23 October 2019\n\nDuring the trial, jurors were given a snapshot of the victims - who included a bricklayer, a university graduate and a nail bar technician - and their dreams of a better life.\n\nMany of their families borrowed heavily to fund their passage, relying on their potential future earnings once they got into the UK.\n\nThe father of Nguyen Huy Tung, one of two 15-year-olds in the container, later learned of his son's death via social media.\n\nHarrison, of Newry, County Down, claimed he did not know there were people in the trailer when he towed it to the Belgian port, and that he watched \"a wee bit of Netflix\" in bed as they were loaded on.\n\nAfter receiving this message from his boss, Robinson got out of his cab, opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies\n\nRobinson, from County Armagh, collected the trailer when it arrived on UK shores just after midnight on 23 October.\n\nHis boss, Hughes, had messaged him: \"Give them air quickly don't let them out.\"\n\nRobinson gave a thumbs-up in reply. When Robinson stopped on a nearby industrial estate, he found that the migrants were all dead.\n\nHis barrister said Robinson, who admitted manslaughter, being part of the trafficking plot and money laundering, was \"horrified by what he saw\".\n\nThe moment lorry driver Maurice Robinson opened the trailer door and discovered the bodies inside was captured on CCTV\n\nThe trial examined three smuggling attempts by the gang - two that were successful on 11 and 18 October, and the final trip on 23 October.\n\nOn all three runs, Nica, of Basildon, Essex, had arranged cars and a van to transport the migrants at the UK end.\n\nWhen Robinson discovered the bodies, there was a series of telephone conversations between him and Nica and Hughes, of Tyholland, County Monaghan, Ireland, before the driver eventually dialled 999.\n\nIn his evidence, Nica said Robinson told him: \"I have a problem here - dead bodies in the trailer.\"\n\nWhile Hughes admitted manslaughter, both Nica and Harrison were convicted by a jury.\n\nMr Justice Sweeney said that in the conspiracy \"two played leading roles, namely - in order of importance - Hughes and Nica\".\n\nHe accepted Hughes was \"not at the very top of the conspiracy\" but said his role was \"pivotal... in that he ran a haulage business and supplied the trailers and drivers used to transport the migrants\".\n\nThe judge said Nica \"recruited and paid the drivers whose job it was to collect the migrants when they reached the drop-off site in this country and to drive them to the safe house(s) where they were to be held until payment\".\n\nHe added at the top of the conspiracy was a Vietnamese man called \"Fong\", who was based in London.\n\nMr Justice Sweeney told the defendants jailed for manslaughter they would serve two-thirds of the term in custody, instead of the usual half.\n\nEarlier this month, Gazmir Nuzi, 43, of Barclay Road, Tottenham, north London, was sentenced, having admitted his limited role in the people-smuggling operation. It was accepted he was not a member of the organised crime group behind the smuggling operation.\n\nDet Ch Insp Daniel Stoten said: \"May this serve as a warning to those who think it's OK to prey on the vulnerabilities of migrants and their families, transporting them in a way worse than we would transport animals.\n\n\"My message to you is that we will find you and we will stop you.\"\n\nHe said the victims died in an \"unimaginable way, because of the utter greed of these criminals\".\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Police warned that unsanctioned protests would be \"immediately suppressed\"\n\nRussian police have detained close aides of the jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny, as a string of nationwide protests gets under way.\n\nPolice have broken up demonstrations in the eastern Khabarovsk region, amid stern warnings for people to stay home.\n\nMr Navalny's supporters flooded social media with calls to rally at protests expected in dozens of cities later.\n\nHe is Russian leader Vladimir Putin's most high-profile critic.\n\nHe was arrested last Sunday after he flew back to Moscow from Berlin, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal nerve agent attack in Russia last August.\n\nOn his return, he was immediately taken into custody and found guilty of violating parole conditions. He says it is a trumped-up case designed to silence him.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Alexei Navalny was filmed by the BBC saying goodbye to his wife and then being led away by authorities\n\nMore than 60m people have watched his new video about President Vladimir Putin's alleged luxury Black Sea palace.\n\nThe Kremlin denies the property belongs to the president.\n\nAmong those detained in Moscow on Thursday were his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, and one of his lawyers, Lyubov Sobol. They face fines or short jail terms.\n\nMs Sobol, who has a young child, was later released. But Ms Yarmysh has now been jailed for nine days.\n\nProminent Navalny activists are also being held in the cities of Vladivostok, Novosibirsk and Krasnodar.\n\nUnauthorised rallies are being planned in more than 60 cities across Russia for Saturday. Moscow police say any unauthorised demonstrations and provocations will be \"immediately suppressed\".\n\nA thousand people were reported to have come onto the streets in the Khabarovsk region, with some of them already detained.\n\nMr Navalny's wife Yulia, who travelled back to Russia with him from Germany, said she would demonstrate in Moscow \"for myself, for him, for our children, for the values and the ideals that we share\".\n\nAlexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) has drawn millions of followers on social media, through slickly produced videos alleging large-scale official corruption. He has long denounced Mr Putin's administration as \"feudal\" and full of \"crooks and thieves\".\n\nFor a long time the Russian authorities made out that Alexei Navalny was irrelevant. Just a blogger. With a tiny following. No threat whatsoever.\n\nRecent events suggest the opposite. First Mr Navalny was targeted with a nerve agent, allegedly by a secret group of FSB state security hitmen. Instead of investigating the poisoning, Russia is investigating him: on his return from Germany the Kremlin critic was arrested.\n\nHaving put Mr Navalny behind bars, the authorities are putting pressure on his supporters. The Kremlin's greatest fear is of a Ukraine-style revolution in Russia that would sweep away those in power.\n\nThere's no indication that such a scenario is imminent. But with economic problems growing, the Kremlin will worry that Mr Navalny could act as a lightning rod for protest sentiment. That explains the police crackdown on Navalny allies ahead of Saturday's potential protests.\n\nPlus, this is getting personal. Mr Navalny's video about \"Putin's Palace\" on the Black Sea was designed to cause maximum embarrassment to the Russian president.\n\nIn the \"Putin's palace\" video Mr Navalny alleges that rich businessmen close to Mr Putin paid for a sumptuous 17,691sq m (190,424sq ft) palace for him at Gelendzhik, by the Black Sea.\n\nIt is alleged to have a casino, a theatre and many other comforts, including a vineyard and tea house in the sprawling grounds. The Kremlin dismissed the YouTube video as a \"pseudo-investigation\" aimed at earning money for Mr Navalny.\n\nProsecutors have warned people against protesting in support of Mr Navalny on Saturday. Russia's education ministry has told parents not to allow their children to attend.\n\nSome Russian celebrities in the arts and sports have pledged support for Mr Navalny. They include ice hockey star Artemi Panarin.\n\nFormer world chess champion Garry Kasparov - now a leading anti-Putin activist based in the US - tweeted that pro-Navalny posts were being widely blocked in Russia.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Garry Kasparov This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn a phone call to President Putin on Friday, EU Council President Charles Michel voiced \"grave concern\" about the jailing of Mr Navalny.\n\nMr Michel said the EU was \"united in its call on Russia to swiftly release Mr Navalny and proceed with the investigation into the assassination attempt on him, in full transparency and without further delay\".\n\nIn October, the EU imposed sanctions on six top Russian officials and a Russian chemical weapons research centre over the Novichok poisoning of Mr Navalny.\n\nThe Kremlin retaliated with tit-for-tat sanctions, denying any role in the attack and rejecting the expert finding that the Russian nerve agent had been used.\n\nThe Black Sea palace allegedly features a casino, an ice rink and a vineyard\n\nThe social media app TikTok has a flood of videos from Russians promoting the protests planned for Saturday. The messages about Mr Navalny have been going viral for several days.\n\nA well-known Russian TikTok user, Slava Varfolomeyev, told BBC Russian: \"I go on TikTok and find that every third video is about 'Putin's palace', the detention of Navalny and the 23 January rally!\"\n\nHe said that on Thursday \"this swelled to a maximum: practically seven out of every 10 videos were on that topic [Navalny]\". TikTok's popularity is based on short-form videos.\n\nOn Wednesday Russia's official media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, demanded that TikTok take down any information \"encouraging minors to act illegally\", threatening large fines.", "Police said they had been in contact with the family before the funeral took place \"in an attempt to ensure safety\"\n\nA funeral director has been fined £10,000 after police were called to a funeral with close to 150 people in attendance.\n\nHertfordshire Police said the large gathering in Welwyn Garden City on Thursday was reported to them by members of the public.\n\nCoronavirus rules mean a maximum of 30 people can attend a funeral.\n\nA second person was fined, by Bedfordshire Police, for when the gathering was in Arlesey, Bedfordshire.\n\nSupt Nick Caveney, of Hertfordshire Police, said: \"This was a clear and blatant breach of the current restrictions.\"\n\nHe said the fine was given to the funeral director \"for not managing this event correctly and advising their clients of the rules\".\n\n\"We implore all business owners to ensure they are following the restrictions safely and responsibly,\" he said.\n\n\"Flagrant breaches such as this will not be tolerated.\"\n\nThe force said it had worked with other agencies and the family in advance of the funeral \"in an attempt to ensure the safety of those attending and that of the wider public\".\n\nBut when officers attended they found the large number of people at the church, and a 41-year-old man from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was handed the £10,000 fine after police served a fixed penalty notice.\n\nSeveral members of the public had contacted the force about the funeral at the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady, Queen of Apostles on Woodhall Lane.\n\nBedfordshire Police said a man in his 30s was issued with the fine over the gathering.\n\nCh Supt John Murphy from the force said: \"Fines and enforcement are a last resort for us, and we will always engage and work with families in the first instance.\n\n\"But we need to take firm action against those who brazenly decide to go against the guidelines outlined by the government and put a large number of people at risk.\"\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Ministers will discuss at a meeting on Monday whether to tighten restrictions at UK borders - including the possibility of hotel quarantines for travellers, the BBC has been told.\n\nAt a Downing Street news conference on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not rule out taking further action.\n\nIt comes amid increased concerns over the spread of new coronavirus variants.\n\nUnder current travel curbs, almost all people arriving in the UK must test negative for Covid to be allowed entry.\n\nThe test must be taken in the 72 hours before travelling and anyone arriving without one faces a fine of up to £500.\n\nAll passengers are also required to quarantine for up to 10 days, although the isolation period can be cut short with a second negative test after five days in England.\n\nThe only people not subject to the conditions are children under 11, hauliers, air, international rail and maritime crew, and passengers from the Common Travel Area - comprised of the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man\n\nScotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own quarantine rules, which differ slightly.\n\nAs of Monday, travel corridors, which exempted passengers arriving from some countries from quarantine, were suspended throughout the UK.\n\nAsked whether the government would bring in further measures at UK borders, Mr Johnson said: \"I really don't rule it out, we may need to take further measures still.\n\n\"We may need to go further to protect our borders.\n\n\"We don't want to put that [efforts to control Covid] at risk by having a new variant come back in.\"\n\nOne more infectious variant , which was first identified in Kent, has already spread widely across the UK.\n\nAnd, at the briefing, the prime minister announced that early evidence suggests this variant may be more deadly.\n\nOther new variants causing concern have been identified in South Africa and Brazil in the weeks since the Kent variant was discovered.\n\nThose discoveries led to direct flights to the UK from all South American countries and several southern African countries being suspended.\n\nScientists fear these variants discovered in other countries may interfere with the effectiveness of vaccines and evade parts of the immune system.\n\nWhile those travelling into the UK are asked to abide by the 10-day isolation and told they can be subject to checks, London mayor Sadiq Khan is among those who have called for the UK to adopt the use of enforced quarantine in hotel rooms.\n\nThe policy is among the measures in Australia that has limited the country to just 28,750 positive cases during the entire pandemic, fewer than the UK currently has every day.\n\nTravellers who choose to go to Australia have to pay for their rooms at one of a number of selected quarantine facilities - and have all their meals delivered to their room throughout a stay of at least 14 days. They get tested twice for Covid during that period and if they test positive their quarantine is extended for a further 14 days.\n\nMeanwhile, passengers arriving into London's Heathrow airport this week have complained of queues at passport control and what they described as poor social distancing, after the latest travel restrictions - requiring travellers to show proof of their negative Covid tests - came into force.\n\nOn Friday, former British ambassador Peter Westmacott posted a picture on Twitter of long queues at the airport.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Peter Westmacott This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA government spokesman said people \"should not be travelling unless absolutely necessary\".\n\nThe statement added: \"You must have proof of a negative test and a completed passenger locator form before arriving.\n\n\"Border Force have been ramping up enforcement and those not complying could be fined £500.\n\n\"It's ultimately up to individual airports to ensure social distancing on site.\"\n\nWith all parts of the UK under strict virus rules amid high levels of infection, only essential foreign travel is permitted in the current advice from the Foreign Office.\n\nA further 40,261 cases, and 1,401 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported on Friday in the UK.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Some of the volunteers are working to prepare bodies for burial\n\nA mosque in east London has closed for all communal prayer. Instead it is serving two purposes - providing funerals and feeding the local community. Michael Buchanan finds a team of volunteers there battling to deal with the pandemic.\n\nThe family shuffled quietly past a crate of milk cartons. They came through the small porch, towards the open coffin. Inside was a woman - a loved one - who died of Covid two days ago. The coffin sat feet away from tins and packets to be distributed by the local food bank. The milk was the latest delivery.\n\nIt is impossible to capture the enormous consequences of the pandemic. But last Saturday lunchtime, this tragic image - one of grief and hardship coming together - came close, for me at least.\n\nCovid-19 has made extraordinary demands of so many different people, but what is currently happening at the Masjid Ibrahim and Islamic Centre in east London is truly remarkable. Situated on a busy road, with the noise of ambulance sirens regularly shattering its peaceful interior, the mosque has closed to communal prayer and is open for two other purposes - to provide a funeral service and a food bank to the local community. Both are inundated.\n\n\"We've had so many bodies coming in. It's quite shocking. It's one after another after another. We've never had that situation before,\" says Sofia Bhatti. Alongside her friend, Tabassum Khokhar - known as Tabs - the pair are unheralded heroes. They volunteer to wash the bodies of Covid-positive women prior to burial.\n\nThe practice, called Ghusl, is a sacred Islamic ritual and is usually performed by the deceased's relatives, who cleanse and shroud the body. But Covid restrictions mean families are currently denied that religious honour, so volunteers like Sofia and Tabs are taking on what they consider to be a privileged task.\n\n\"We actually believe that when we are shrouding here, that God is shrouding the soul at the same time,\" says Tabs, standing by a coffin. By day, she works as a teaching support worker in a local school, so the PPE that the mosque provides - bodysuit, footwear, two sets of gloves, masks and visors - is crucial for her. \"I make sure my PPE is secure because it's not just about me, it's about my family. I have an 81-year-old mother.\"\n\nThe women are seeing first hand - and in graphic detail - the pressure the NHS is under. \"Very often we see bodies coming in with a lot of medical equipment still attached to them,\" says Sofia. \"Tubes and pipes and catheters still attached. So it makes our job a little bit harder.\" One of the women they washed during my visit had died in the ambulance, never actually reaching hospital.\n\nVery often we see bodies coming in with a lot of medical equipment still attached to them. Tubes and pipes and catheters\n\nThere are far more bodies than during the first peak and there is a larger age range. One day this week, the mosque was handling seven bodies. A few days earlier they said they'd processed 10 funerals, all arranged for free and paid for by donations. Before the pandemic, they'd handled two to three funerals a week. The two local hospital trusts in east London have each had more than 1,000 Covid deaths since the start of the pandemic. More have died at home.\n\nThe borough of Newham, where the mosque sits, has suffered a disproportionate number of deaths. Home to the Olympic Park, the 2012 London games were meant to regenerate this area. Yet it retains high levels of poverty and overcrowded housing. Add in a diverse population, rich in south Asian culture, and large numbers of people who can't work from home and the virus has sadly ripped through its residents.\n\nIsfand Aslam said he's shocked by what's going on. His father, Mohammad, died on 3 January, a week after falling ill. His positive Covid test result arrived two days after his death. The 85-year-old was a committee member at the Masjid Ibrahim and despite his age had been in good health. \"It took a week between him passing away and getting buried. Initially I was getting a lot of condolences from friends. But by the end of that week I am giving condolences to three friends because their fathers had passed away. It's now got to the stage where everybody we know knows somebody who has passed away.\"\n\nThe sheer number of deaths is impacting the area's main Muslim cemetery. Normally, the Gardens of Peace buries three to four people each day. They're currently carrying out an average of 15 funerals daily. Overall, they are about 50% busier than usual. They can no longer promise burials within 24 hours, as per Muslim custom.\n\nDespite this, there is still a concerning number of people in the local area who either don't think Covid is real or are resistant to taking a vaccine. There was anger among some community leaders before Christmas when it emerged the Bangladeshi High Commission in London held a cultural evening to celebrate its independence. Photos from the event, on 16 December, showed a group - including the High Commissioner herself - standing close together with no masks or social distancing. The High Commission said performers had been Covid tested and it had issued 10 videos in Bangla urging British-Bangladeshis to adhere to UK government guidance.\n\nIt's now got to the stage where everybody we know knows somebody who has passed away\n\nTo counter disinformation among its members, an imam at the Masjid Ibrahim, Mohammad Ammar, filmed a short video of himself being injected with the vaccine and urged his congregation to follow suit. Imam Ammar has actually been furloughed by the mosque as it focusses all its resources on battling the pandemic, including feeding its local community.\n\nThe virus forced the mosque to open a food bank in March. It is still running 10 months on. On Monday night, I watched a steady stream of people gather in the gloom at the rear of the mosque to fill their bags. Most were collecting on behalf of a larger household, and the mosque says they're currently feeding 350 families each week, including students, refugees, people with no access to public funds and those who've lost income.\n\nAmong those collecting food on Monday was Mohammad Rahman. A 42-year-old chef, he lost his job in an Indian restaurant three months ago. The married father of two boys - aged eight and six - told me he was already in rent arrears and struggling to pay his energy bills. \"My son says 'where is the pizza'? But I have no money. He says '[can I have] chicken and chips'? But I have no money. The shops are open, but no money\", he adds, taking his hands from his pockets.\n\nIn normal times, the Masjid Ibrahim would attract about 1,100 worshippers over three floors for Friday prayers, and there has been some pressure on the leadership to reopen for communal worship. But Asim Uddin, chairman of the mosque, says now is not the time. \"Prayers, yes, it's important. But right now what is the need? The need of the community is they want to be fed and they want a place where they can respectfully bury their loved ones. And the demand is overwhelming. Right now, it's better they stay home, and they can pray at home until the situation goes back to normal.\"\n\nMichael Buchanan is the BBC's social affairs correspondent and has been reporting on the impact of the pandemic on communities in the UK. Last year, he visited the town of Pontypool to find out what impact coronavirus restrictions were having in Wales.", "Reports suggest AstraZeneca may have warned of a 60% cut to doses available\n\nA second coronavirus vaccine manufacturer has warned of supply issues to the European Union, compounding frustration in the bloc.\n\nAstraZeneca said a production problem meant the number of initial doses available would be lower than expected.\n\nThe fresh blow comes after some nations' inoculation programmes were slowed due to a cut in deliveries of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nThe EU Health Commissioner expressed \"deep dissatisfaction\" at the news.\n\nOfficials have not confirmed publicly how big the shortfall will be, but an unnamed EU official told Reuters news agency that deliveries would be reduced to 31m - a cut of 60% - in the first quarter of this year.\n\nThe drug firm had been set to deliver about 80 million doses to the 27 nations by March, according to the official who spoke to Reuters.\n\nThe AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with Oxford University, has not yet been approved by the EU's drug regulator but is expected to get the green light at the end of this month, paving the way for jabs to be given.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stella Kyriakides This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA spokesman for AstraZeneca said on Friday that \"initial volumes will be lower than originally anticipated\" without giving further details.\n\nHis written statement blamed the discrepancy on \"reduced yields at a manufacturing site within our European supply chain\" and said the firm was continuing to ramp up production volumes.\n\nNews of the delay comes amid criticism and frustration across the region about the speed of vaccination roll-outs.\n\nIsrael, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the US are all well ahead of EU nations in terms of doses given per capita so far.\n\nThe European Commission has co-ordinated orders for all member states, with vaccines then distributed based on their population size.\n\nVaccines are increasingly seen by experts as the only way out of the Covid-19 crisis, with many European nations struggling to cope with a deadly surge of the virus over the winter period.\n\nAustrian media have reported that only 600,000 of two million AstraZeneca doses promised by the end of March will arrive in the country on time, with the remaining 1.4m now being delivered in April.\n\nA delay would be \"completely unacceptable\", Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said on Friday.\n\nAs for Pfizer, the US firm said it had to cut shipments for the next few weeks while it worked to increase capacity at its Belgian processing plant. The EU has ordered 600 million doses from Pfizer.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Ursula von der Leyen This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSome regions, including Germany's most populous state North-Rhine Westphalia and parts of Italy, said earlier this week that they were suspending giving first jabs of the two-dose vaccine because of the shortages.\n\nItaly and Poland have threatened to take legal action in response to the reduction in vaccine supply.\n\nMeanwhile Hungary's government, which has complained over the time it is taking EU regulators to approve the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, has reached a deal with Russia to buy up large quantities of its Sputnik V vaccine, even though it has not received EU approval.\n\nEuropean Council President Charles Michel, who led a call of EU leaders this week, said Thursday that officials were considering all ideas to try and stop future vaccine delays.\n\n\"All possible means will be examined to ensure rapid supply, including early distribution to avoid delays,\" he said.\n\nEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Mr Michel both say they are still aiming for the target of 70% of the EU population being vaccinated by summer.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid vaccine safety: How does a vaccine get approved?\n\nThe total number of German Covid deaths climbed above 50,000 on Friday - a day after the country warned that it could close its borders if other EU countries were less strict in controlling the virus. Berlin sounded the alarm amid rising concern about new variants.\n\nEU leaders agreed late on Thursday to keep their internal borders open but warned non-essential travel might need to be restricted to curb the spread of the virus.\n\nMs von der Leyen said Thursday that more testing and \"targeted measures\" were needed throughout the EU in order to keep internal and external borders open.\n\nFor its part, France said it would impose tighter travel restrictions for European arrivals from Sunday, requiring a negative PCR Covid test within three days of travel.\n\nIn the Netherlands, a ban on all flights from the UK, South Africa and South American countries came into effect on Saturday to try and prevent new coronavirus variants gaining a foothold.\n\nLooking forward to the future, officials from EU nations reliant on tourism - including Spain and Greece - have floated the possibility of using vaccination certificates to allow for cross-border travel but there has been scepticism within the bloc.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Infection level \"very, very high\" and \"extremely precarious\" - Prof Whitty\n\nThe UK is at an \"extremely precarious\" point, according to the chief medical adviser, despite signs Covid infections are beginning to fall.\n\nThe virus's reproduction rate is estimated to be at or below one for the first time since early December.\n\nAnything below one means the epidemic is shrinking.\n\nBut cases are falling from a \"very, very high level\", Prof Chris Whitty said - and may still be increasing in some areas.\n\n\"A very small change and it could start taking off again from an extremely high base,\" he warned.\n\nSpeaking at a Number 10 press conference on Friday evening, the UK's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said the \"awful\" death rate would stay high \"for a little while before it starts coming down\".\n\n\"That was always what was predicted...and I think the information about the new variant doesn't change that\".\n\nEarly evidence suggests the variant of coronavirus that emerged in the UK may be more deadly, although findings are preliminary and there is a high level of uncertainty.\n\nDr Susan Hopkins at Public Health England said there was \"evidence from some but not all data sources which suggests that the variant of concern which was first detected in the UK may lead to a higher risk of death than the non-variant.\n\n\"Evidence on this variant is still emerging and more work is under way to fully understand how it behaves.\"\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said while the UK's R or reproduction number, might be below one - meaning a shrinking epidemic - overall, \"cases remain dangerously high and...it is essential that everyone continues to stay at home, whether they have had the vaccine or not.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures suggested cases were decreasing slightly or levelling off across Britain.\n\nBut infections are falling more slowly than they did during the first lockdown - by somewhere around a quarter every fortnight compared with a halving back in April.\n\nA further 40,261 cases, and 1,401 deaths were recorded on Friday in the UK.\n\nMore than five million people had been given a first dose of the vaccine by 21 January, and about half a million had received their second dose.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has previously said it is \"too early\" to say whether England's Covid restrictions will be able to end in the spring.\n\nWhile cases are falling or stable across the rest of the UK, in Northern Ireland cases have continued to rise and the new, more infectious strain has overtaken the older variant of the virus as of the start of January.\n\nDuring the week ending 16 January, about one in 55 people in England had the virus, the ONS estimated, with one in 35 in London testing positive.\n\nOne in 100 people had the virus in Scotland and one in 70 in Wales.\n\nBut in Northern Ireland infections have shot up from an an estimated one in 200 people testing positive in the week to 2 January, to one in 60 last week.\n\nONS statistician Sarah Crofts said while fewer people were testing positive in England, \"rates remain high and we estimate the level of infection is still over one million people\".\n\nAnd, she pointed out, \"the picture across the UK is mixed\".\n\nA survey by tech company ZOE and King's College London, based on swabs of people with and without symptoms, also suggested the R number could be at 0.8.\n\nAnd it estimated symptomatic cases had fallen by a quarter since last week.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What is the R number and what does it mean?\n\nMeanwhile, the proportion of people testing positive for the new Covid variant has risen considerably in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, ONS data suggest.\n\nBut the new strain, which remains by far the main source of infections in England, has yet to overtake the old strain in Scotland and Wales.\n\nWithin England, the proportion of infections that appear to be due to the new variant remained stable, but the gap between the regions is narrowing.\n\nIn the figures covering 2 January, 80% of infections looked like the new variant in London compared to 30% in the North East.\n\nTwo weeks later, that gap had narrowed to 70% in London versus 50% in the North East.\n\nIt is not clear what is behind the small fall in London, but it may be down to behaviour change, or other variants like the South Africa strain now in circulation and diluting the numbers.", "Morriston is seeing \"unprecedented\" numbers of people die in intensive care\n\nAn intensive care consultant said as many as five patients are dying with Covid during a single 12-hour shift.\n\nDr John Gorst said the number was \"unprecedented\" at his unit in Swansea's Morriston Hospital that would normally only see one person die.\n\nHe said the second wave of the pandemic was more challenging with patients more severely unwell.\n\nIn Wales, there has been an average of about 34 deaths a day during the pandemic up to 19 January.\n\nNew Year's Day saw the most Covid-related deaths in a single day in Wales - 55 - since the pandemic began.\n\n\"In some 12-hour periods we have lost up to five coronavirus patients,\" said Dr Gorst.\n\n\"Usually we expect to see, on average, one patient a day dying in the intensive care unit. To have five die on one day is unprecedented.\n\n\"That's been a real struggle for their families and for the staff dealing with it.\"\n\nFour additional medical wards have opened to cope with the impact of coronavirus at Morriston, with about 300 patients being treated.\n\nDr John Gorst and senior matron Carol Doggett say Covid patients are sicker and younger in the second wave\n\nDr Gorst said: \"If it wasn't for the treatment given on the wards, intensive care would have been completely overwhelmed.\n\n\"However, when patients have failed on these treatments, sadly the safety net of the intensive care unit [and] getting them on an invasive ventilator, largely doesn't work.\n\n\"Most patients who come to intensive care to go on an intensive ventilator, sadly, will not survive.\n\n\"These patients are mostly of working age. They don't have any significant medical conditions.\"\n\n\"This is alien to us as an intensive care unit. We expect far more patients to survive. Now they are not.\"\n\nMorriston's senior matron Carol Doggett agreed that the \"number of sicker patients has definitely increased\", and she said they were younger than had been experienced in the first wave of the pandemic.\n\n\"That should be a stark warning to anyone not to take chances with this,\" she said.\n\nOn Friday, First Minister Mark Drakeford said there was cause for concern over new variants of Covid-19.\n\n\"We know the new highly contagious strain - sometimes called the Kent variant - is now widespread across Wales,\" he said.\n\nHe also said the government was closely monitoring three new variant variants: one from South Africa and two from Brazil.\n\nSix cases of the South African variant have been identified in Wales.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Police tweeted this photo, which appears to show the vehicle severely damaged in the crash\n\nFour ponies have been killed in a collision with a vehicle in the New Forest National Park.\n\nThe animals were hit on Thursday night while licking freshly laid salt on Roger Penny Way, Hampshire Constabulary said.\n\nThree ponies died at the scene while a fourth was found dead later a short distance away.\n\nIn December, three donkeys were killed on the road, which is a black spot for animal accidents.\n\nMark Ferrett, whose daughter owned the ponies, said the deaths were \"unacceptable\"\n\nThe crash happened at about 21:00 GMT on a 40mph (64km/h) section of the road north of Brook.\n\nThe car, a Land Rover Discovery, appears to have been severely damaged in the collision, according to a police tweet, which gave no further details.\n\nMark Ferrett, whose daughter owned the ponies, said the deaths were \"unacceptable\".\n\nHe said: \"I would favour a reduction in the speed [limit]. Please, everyone needs to slow down and stop this carnage.\"\n\nThe New Forest is one of the largest remaining areas of unenclosed land where commoners' cattle, ponies and donkeys roam throughout the open heath.\n\nIn 2019, 58 animals were killed and 32 were injured, according to the New Forest National Park Authority.\n\nThe crash happened on Roger Penny Way, where donkeys, cattle and horses roam freely\n\nAndrew Napthine, a New Forest Agister who helps manage the area's free-roaming animals, attended the scene of the crash, and said the male driver was not injured.\n\nHe said three of the ponies were killed on the road while a fourth fled the scene and died behind a bush.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The UK has reported another 55,892 daily cases of coronavirus, the highest figure on record.\n\nAnd another 964 people died within 28 days of a positive test, only slightly down on the 981 on Wednesday.\n\nIt comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock appealed to everyone to \"take personal responsibility this New Year's Eve and stay at home\".\n\nHe said he knew how much had been sacrificed this year but, with the NHS under pressure, \"we cannot let up\".\n\nOn Thursday, just after midnight, 20 million more people in England were placed under the toughest restrictions and told to stay at home.\n\nThe new restrictions mean 44 million people, or 78% of the population of England, are now in tier four, where non-essential shops, gyms, cinemas and hairdressers have to stay shut.\n\nPublic Health England medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle said Christmas week had seen a worrying rise in cases - particularly among adults in their 20s and 30s.\n\n\"We have all had to make huge sacrifices this year, but please ensure that you keep your distance from others, wash your hands and wear a mask,\" she said.\n\n\"A night in at new year will mean you are significantly reducing your social contacts and can help stop the spread of the virus.\"\n\nThe 981 deaths recorded on Wednesday was the highest daily figure since April.\n\nMuch of the rise in cases has been blamed on the spread of a new variant, which scientists believe is able to transmit more easily.\n\nIt was initially concentrated in the London, the South East and eastern England, but Mr Hancock has said it is now responsible for the \"majority\" of new cases across the UK.\n\nWith the number of Covid patients in hospitals increasing, some are being moved long distances for intensive care.\n\nDr Michael Marsh, NHS England medical director for the south-west region, said patients had come from Kent to Plymouth and Bristol, where services were \"less stretched\".\n\nThe latest NHS Test and Trace figures show 232,169 people tested positive for Covid in England at least once in the week to 23 December, up 33% on the previous week and the highest weekly rise on record.\n\nCovid case rates are continuing to rise in all regions of England - with London's rate at 735.5 per 100,000 people in the seven days to 27 December, up from 711.9 the previous week, the latest Public Health England report showed.\n\nEastern England saw the second highest rate, 551.3 up from 510.8, followed by south-east England at 450.6, up from 427.4.\n\nMeanwhile, Scotland recorded 2,622 new Covid cases in the past 24 hours - a record high for the third day in a row.\n\nPublic Health Wales reported a further 1,831 cases in Wales, with the highest case rates in Bridgend (825.6 for every 100,000 people) and Merthyr Tydfil (754.2).\n\nAnd Northern Ireland has seen another 1,929 cases in the last 24 hours, as hospitals come close to capacity with latest figures showing only six empty beds.\n\nSome hospital trusts in the south of England have also been reporting that they are under extreme pressure because of increasing numbers of Covid patients.\n\nOn Wednesday, Essex and Buckinghamshire declared major incidents, while an intensive care doctor at London's Whittington Hospital said they were facing a \"tsunami\" of Covid cases.\n\nProf Hugh Montgomery said people who did not follow social distancing rules or wear masks \"have blood on their hands\".\n\nThe NHS said London's Nightingale Hospital had been \"reactivated\" and was ready to admit patients, in anticipation of rising pressures from the spread of the new variant.", "Officers dispersed the party at the Grade II* listed church before midnight\n\nA 500-year-old church was damaged during an illegal New Year's Eve party at the venue.\n\nAll Saints' Church in East Horndon, near Brentwood, was broken into before crowds entered, Essex Police said.\n\nOfficers were threatened and had objects thrown at them as they dispersed hundreds of people and seized equipment, the force said.\n\nTwo men from Harlow, aged 27 and 22, and a 35-year-old from Southwark were arrested.\n\nThey were held on suspicion of public order and drugs offences.\n\nAstrid Gillespie, a volunteer with the Friends of All Saints', said event organisers had smashed a window to put in an extractor fan unit and wired sound equipment into the church's fuse box.\n\nShe said: \"It was a professional set-up, they'd hired portable loos, they had a bar area where you had to exchange tokens... obviously it's a mess.\n\n\"It's such a beautiful church, to find out it's been damaged is devastating.\"\n\nThe conservation group believes it will cost at least £1,000 to repair the Tudor building.\n\nEquipment was seized and fines issued over three illegal parties broken up by officers\n\nPolice later dispersed about 100 people at an illegal party at an abandoned warehouse in Brentwood and made two arrests.\n\nA woman was also fined £10,000 for organising a house party with 100 guests at Bury Road, Sewardstonebury, in Epping Forest.\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Andy Prophet said: \"Unfortunately, there were [those] who decided to blatantly flout the coronavirus rules and regulations and, ultimately, they decided that partying was more important than protecting other people.\n\n\"We've seized their equipment, arrested five people, and issued a large number of fines to those who think this behaviour is acceptable.\"\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Father (left) and son have had divergent views on Brexit in the past\n\nThe father of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he is applying for French citizenship now that Britain has severed ties with the European Union.\n\nStanley Johnson told France's RTL radio he had always seen himself as French as his mother was born in France.\n\nThe 80-year-old former Conservative Member of the European Parliament voted Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum.\n\nHis son Boris spearheaded the Leave campaign and later took the UK out of the EU as prime minister.\n\nStanley Johnson explained his reasons for seeking French citizenship in an interview broadcast on Thursday, hours before the UK was due to leave EU trading rules.\n\n\"It's not about becoming French,\" he told RTL. \"It's about reclaiming what I already have.\"\n\nHe pointed out that his mother was born in France to a French mother. \"I will always be European,\" he added.\n\nStanley Johnson won a seat in the European Parliament when direct elections were first held in 1979, and later worked for the European Commission. As a result, Boris spent part of his childhood in Brussels.\n\nBrexit issues have divided the Johnson family. The prime minister's sister, the journalist Rachel Johnson, left the Conservative Party to join the Liberal Democrats ahead of the 2017 election in protest against Brexit.\n\nTheir brother, the Conservative MP Jo Johnson, resigned from the cabinet in 2018 to highlight his support for closer links with the EU.", "Tampon tax activist Laura Coryton says scrapping the tampon tax is an important move ‘ending a symptom of sexism’\n\nThe 5% rate of VAT on sanitary products - referred to as the \"tampon tax\" - will be abolished in the UK from 1 January.\n\nEU law required members to tax tampons and sanitary towels at 5%, treating period products as non-essential.\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak committed to scrapping the tax in his March Budget.\n\nCampaigners welcomed the end to what they called a \"sexist tax\" with activist Laura Coryton saying it was \"about ending a symptom of sexism\".\n\nThe UK was able to get rid of the tax now because it is no longer subject to European Union rules on sanitary products.\n\nThe EU is itself in the process of abolishing the tampon tax. In 2018 the European Commission published proposals to change the VAT rules, which would give countries the right to stop taxing tampons and other period products, but the move has not yet been agreed by all members. The Republic of Ireland has zero VAT on sanitary products as the rate was in place prior to EU legislation imposing the 5% minimum VAT rate on EU members.\n\nMs Coryton, 27, who began campaigning to end the tampon tax when she was 21, told the BBC the move \"challenged the negative message that this tax sent to society about women\".\n\nThe move follows Scotland becoming the first in the world to make period products free in November.\n\nFelicia Willow, chief executive of women's rights charity the Fawcett Society, agreed, saying: \"It's been a long road to reach this point, but at last the sexist tax that saw sanitary products classed as non-essential, luxury items can be consigned to the history books.\"\n\nThe Treasury has estimated the move will save the average woman nearly £40 over her lifetime, with a cut of 7p on a pack of 20 tampons and 5p on 12 pads.\n\nIt's been a long road to getting the tampon tax abolished in the UK. Campaigning and debates in parliament by then-MP for Dewsbury Ann Taylor led to the Labour government moving sanitary products to a reduced rate of 5% from January 2001- the lowest rate possible under the EU's VAT rules.\n\nAnd following more campaigning in 2014 by Ms Coryton and lobbying in parliament by former Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff in 2016, the Conservative government announced that all VAT collected on sanitary products would henceforth be given to charities working with vulnerable women and girls.\n\nAt the same time, the government enshrined in legislation that it would abolish the tampon tax.\n\n\"I'm just so happy and relieved and excited at the same time for this tax to finally be axed,\" said Ms Coryton.\n\n\"It will mean a reduction in prices for period products, and that reduction in cost will be important for the increasing number of people who are battling with poverty, especially due to the pandemic.\"\n\nGemma Abbott is a lawyer and campaigner with the Free Periods group, which successfully campaigned for the government to provide free sanitary products to schools and colleges across England in 2019. The scheme launched in January.\n\nGemma Abbott wants clarity from the government on why the free sanitary products for schools scheme is not mandatory\n\n\"I think it's great news and a real testament to the determined campaigning of many people, like Paula Sheriff and Laura Coryton,\" she said.\n\n\"I think we can agree that any tax that characterises period products as non-essential is absurd and it has no place in a society that is seeking genuine gender equality.\"\n\nFree Periods is now campaigning to ensure that schools and colleges know that the free sanitary products scheme exists and that they sign up for them.\n\nMs Abbott said: \"The latest statistics we have are from last term - at that point only 40% of schools had signed up for the scheme.\"\n\nMs Coryton has set up a social enterprise called Sex Ed Matters with her sister Julia, providing talks in schools and toolkits for teachers to help them deliver the mandatory new sex education curriculum for primary and secondary schools issued in early 2020.\n\nThey did an online survey of 150 teachers and students across the UK, and 100% of respondents said that there is still a stigma attached to periods.\n\n\"If there is a stigma attached to periods, then you're unlikely to speak up when you need period products, or to talk about the free sanitary products scheme that exists,\" stressed Ms Coryton.\n\nBut Free Periods' Ms Abbott is also concerned about the charities supporting women and girls, who will no longer benefit from the proceeds of the previous 5% tax on sanitary products.\n\n\"The tampon tax fund has provided much needed support and funding to a chronically underfunded area,\" she said.\n\n\"I'm worried that the removal of the tampon tax will spell the end of the ring-fenced funding for charities to address really vital issues like domestic violence and rape.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Olympics\n\nThe delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will go ahead this summer despite concern over rising coronavirus cases, says Japan's prime minister.\n\nThe Olympics are due to begin on 23 July with the Paralympics following a month later from 24 August.\n\nCases have surged in Japan in recent days with Tokyo reporting over 1,000 daily infections for the first time.\n\nBut prime minister Yoshihide Suga said the \"Games will be held this summer\" and be \"safe and secure\".\n\nJapan is responding to cases of the new variant of coronavirus first found in the UK, with Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike warning the number of infections could \"explode\".\n\nThere were a record 1,337 cases in Tokyo on 31 December with 783 new infections announced on Friday.\n\nJapan has recorded 239,041 coronavirus cases and 3,337 deaths during the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University.\n\nCosts for the Games have increased by $2.8bn (£2.1bn) because of measures needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus but organisers have ruled out a delay.\n\nThe Games could be the most expensive summer Olympics in history.\n\nA poll by national broadcaster NHK showed that the majority of the Japanese general public oppose holding the Games in 2021, favouring a further delay or outright cancellation of the event.\n\nSuga said the Games going ahead could serve as a \"symbol of global solidarity\".", "The next few weeks will be \"nail-bitingly difficult\" for the NHS, hospital bosses have warned.\n\nStaff absences and the new Covid variant are creating a \"challenging situation\", Saffron Cordery, of NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts in England, said.\n\nDoctors are urging the public to \"take it seriously and follow the rules\" to protect the health service.\n\nThe year started with 53,285 more Covid cases and 613 deaths being reported.\n\nThe day's figures do not include data from Northern Ireland or Wales, or the numbers of deaths from Scotland - as these are not being published on certain days during the Christmas and New Year period.\n\nIt comes after the UK reported its highest daily cases on Thursday, with a record 55,892 infections.\n\nOn Friday evening, the government confirmed that all primary schools in London would remain closed for the start of the new term, following a review of Covid transmission rates.\n\nFrom Monday, all schools in the capital will now be required to provide remote learning.\n\nPrimaries in nine London boroughs and the City of London district had been set to reopen - while those in the remaining 23 boroughs would have stayed closed from 4 January.\n\nMeanwhile, new analysis by Imperial College London has confirmed the new variant of coronavirus has a much quicker rate of transmission than the original strain.\n\nAnd an analysis of NHS England data from 23 hospital trusts by the Health Service Journal shows that Covid-19 is putting intense pressure on adult acute care and general beds, as well as those in intensive care.\n\nIt found that more than a third of these beds were occupied by patients with Covid-19 on Tuesday, and in three trusts - North Middlesex in London, and Medway and Dartford and Gravesham in Kent - the figure was more than half.\n\nBased on the recent rise in numbers, the analysis suggests that all acute and general beds might soon be filled with Covid-19 patients.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast, Ms Cordery said the surging transmission and death rates were \"incredibly hard to deal with\".\n\n\"When we are seeing major London trusts saying they are under pressure, that's when we know we're in a very challenging space,\" she said.\n\nA leading intensive care doctor has urged people to follow restrictions until the vaccination programme is fully rolled out.\n\nProf Anthony Gordon, of Imperial College, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"There is light at the end of the tunnel so I would urge people to hold on for these few more months while the vaccination programme makes that difference and then we can truly get back to normal.\n\n\"But we can't overrun the health service because this will just lead to thousands more deaths.\"\n\nAdrian Boyle, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, urged people to follow guidance on hand washing, social distancing and face coverings to stop the \"entirely preventable\" spread of the virus.\n\nDr Boyle said staff are \"tired\" and at risk of \"burnout\", having \"worked really hard over the summer\" and \"put up with a lot of disruption\".\n\n\"This time people are frustrated, this is now an entirely preventable disease, we know what we did in spring made a lot of this go away. There's also now a vaccine,\" he added.\n\nMore than three-quarters of England is currently under the strictest tier four - \"stay at home\" - coronavirus measures, and other parts of the country have joined higher tiers.\n\nMainland Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are under lockdown.\n\nThere are also concerns the added pressures of rising numbers of Covid patients seen at London hospitals have begun to spread across the country.\n\nSpeaking on Today, Dr Alison Pittard, of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, said it was \"only a matter of time before it starts to spread to other parts of country\", adding that \"we're already starting to see that\".\n\nShe stressed it was \"really important that we try and stop the transmission in the community because that translates into hospital admissions\".\n\nIt comes as almost half the major hospital trusts in England are said to be dealing with more Covid-19 patients than at the peak of the first wave in April.\n\nAnd pressure has been so great on some hospitals in London and south-east England that some patients have been moved out of the area.\n\nLondon's Nightingale emergency hospital is ready to admit patients, the NHS has said, while other sites currently not in use are being readied.\n\nHowever, Mike Adams, director of the Royal College of Nursing, questioned whether there were the staff available to run the hospital.\n\n\"Nursing is already stretched beyond capacity so there is no magic pile of nurses we can call upon,\" he told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.\n\n\"I think the real battle is reducing the spread of the virus and getting the vaccine rolled out.\"\n\nThe new coronavirus variant has driven a big rise in cases, with the worst effects felt so far in London.\n\nResearchers at Imperial College London have confirmed it increases the R number - the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to - by about 0.4 to 0.7.\n\nThe UK's latest R number has been estimated at between 1.1 and 1.3. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nProf Axel Gandy, from the statistic section of Imperial College London, told the Today programme this higher rate of infection means that transmission of the disease would have tripled even during England's November lockdown conditions.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC's Laura Foster explains how to wear your mask correctly and help stop coronavirus spreading\n\nThe hunt is now on to find new ways to slow the spread of coronavirus, with the rules on mask wearing potentially coming up for review.\n\nBehavioural science group SPI-B (Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours), which reports to the Sage group of government advisers, has said that mandatory face coverings may be necessary in a wider number of settings, such as in workplaces and possibly outdoors.\n\nHowever, Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, told BBC Radio 4's World at One he was not convinced a move towards making the wearing of face coverings mandatory outdoors would make \"much difference\" to transmission rates.\n\nHe said the \"bigger problem\" was people touching their face covering or wearing it incorrectly, adding ministers should focus on ensuring people knew how to wear them and to change and wash them regularly.\n\nThe rollout of the newly approved Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will begin on Monday, almost a month after the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.\n\nSecond doses of either will now take place within 12 weeks rather than 21 days as had been initially planned with the Pfizer vaccine.", "After years of silence, The KLF have uploaded a selection of their most famous songs to streaming services like Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music.\n\nThe band's music has been officially unavailable since 1992, when they deleted their entire back catalogue.\n\nBut eight songs, including dance anthems like 3AM Eternal and What Time Is Love, are now available on an eight-track compilation, Solid State Logik.\n\nFly posters in London suggested The KLF would release more music this year.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by KLF This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nSolid State Logik collects all of the band's biggest hits - including the Tammy Wynette collaboration Justified & Ancient, and the Gary Glitter-sampling Doctorin' The Tardis.\n\nIt comes 29 years after founders Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond turned their backs on music, with a provocative performance at the 1992 Brit Awards - where they tied for best group with Simply Red.\n\nThe duo made their disdain for the industry clear by performing 3AM Eternal while firing blanks from a machine gun into the stunned audience, before an announcer said: \"The KLF have left the music business.\"\n\nDriving the point home, they later dumped a dead sheep on the steps of an after-show party with a note reading, \"I died for ewe\".\n\nCauty and Drummond later burned £1m of their royalties in bundles of £50 notes, on the remote Scottish island of Jura.\n\nIn recent decades the duo have concentrated on book and art projects, including plans to build a \"people's pyramid\", inspired by the death of Cauty's brother and constructed from bricks, each containing 23 grams of human ashes.\n\nBut fans have clamoured for their music - with bootleg clips of their videos and performances achieving tens of millions of views on YouTube, and several \"sound-alike\" versions of their biggest hits appearing on Spotify.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 2 by KLF This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nWhen other streaming holdouts like AC/DC and Neil Young relented and made their back catalogues available, The KLF still held out. In 2018, Billboard named their absence as one of the eight most significant gaps on streaming services, alongside records by De La Soul and Aaliyah.\n\nThe band announced their surprise resurrection in two posters pasted under a railway bridge in Shoreditch, East London, alongside graffiti referencing The KLF.\n\nThe Instagram account of Cauty's girlfriend showed a figure creating the graffiti creating the graffiti on New Year's Eve.\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by sistersofperpetualresistance This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAccording to a statement on the band's YouTube page, Solid State Logik (named after the mixing desk the band used to create their biggest hits) is the first of five planned releases, covering all of the band's releases, under a variety of names.\n\nIt read: \"KLF have appropriated the work done between 1 January 1987 and 31 December 1991 by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The Timelords [and] The KLF.\n\n\"This appropriation was in order to tell a story in five chapters using the medium of streaming. The name of the story is Samplecity Thru Transcentral.\"\n\nThe text goes on to name several projects that are being prepared for release, some of which have never been heard before, including Kick Out The Jams, the Pure Trance Series, and a second volume of Solid State Logik.\n\n\"If you need to know more about the work done by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The Timelords or The KLF, you can find truths, rumours and half-truths scattered across the internet,\" the statement continued.\n\n\"From these truths, rumours and half-truths, you can form your own opinions.\n\n\"The actual facts were washed down a storm drain in Brixton some time in the late 20th Century.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The UK celebrated the start of 2021 with a fireworks and light display over London that included tributes to NHS staff and the Black Lives Matter movement.\n\nRevellers were not able to gather to celebrate the London mayor's display in the usual way because of the coronavirus pandemic, with people instead told to stay at home.\n\nThe new year celebrations also featured a message of hope from David Attenborough.\n\nWatch the full display on the BBC iPlayer", "The star started filming his role in secret last year\n\nComedian John Bishop is to join Jodie Whittaker for the 13th series of Doctor Who, the BBC has revealed.\n\nThe 54-year-old, who recently tested positive for coronavirus, said boarding the Tardis was a \"dream come true\".\n\nHe will play a character called Dan, who \"becomes embroiled in the Doctor's adventures\" and faces \"evil alien races beyond his wildest nightmares\".\n\nBishop fills the gap left by Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole, who bowed out in a special New Year's Day episode.\n\nHe began filming his role last November, but the BBC kept the signing under wraps until the broadcast of Revolution Of The Daleks on Friday night.\n\nBishop, who grew up on a Merseyside council estate, had a brief career as a professional footballer before turning his hand to comedy.\n\nHe has previously acted in the Channel 4 drama Skins and the Ken Loach film Route Irish.\n\nEarlier this week, the comedian revealed that he and his wife had tested positive for Coronavirus over Christmas, saying he had been \"flattened\" by \"the worst illness I have ever had\".\n\nWriting on Instagram, he described his symptoms as including \"incredible headaches, muscle and joint point, no appetite, nausea, dizziness [and] chronic fatigue like I didn't know existed\".\n\nHe updated fans on New Year's Eve, saying he and his wife were \"getting a little stronger\" every day, and promising he would return to work in January.\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by johnbish100 This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIt is not thought his illness will disrupt production on Doctor Who. The show is on a scheduled break for Christmas and not due to resume filming until later this month.\n\nThe 13th series of the rebooted sci-fi stalwart will see Whittaker return as the extra terrestrial Time Lord, alongside Mandip Gill, who returns as Yaz.\n\nIn a statement, Bishop said: \"If I could tell my younger self that one day I would be asked to step on board the Tardis, I would never have believed it.\n\n\"It's an absolute dream come true to be joining Doctor Who and I couldn't wish for better company than Jodie and Mandip.\"\n\nJodie Whittaker became the first female actress to play The Doctor in 2017\n\nProgramme boss Chris Chibnall added: \"It's time for the next chapter of Doctor Who, and it starts with a man called Dan. Oh, we've had to keep this one secret for a long, long time.\n\n\"Our conversations started with John even before the pandemic hit.\n\n\"The character of Dan was built for him, and it's a joy to have him aboard the Tardis.\"\n\nDoctor Who will return to BBC One later this year.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson is one of five men who have been rebailed by police\n\nLiverpool Mayor Joe Anderson says he will not fight for re-election in May due to an ongoing bribery and witness intimidation investigation.\n\nMr Anderson, 62, made the announcement after Merseyside Police said he had been rebailed until February following his arrest earlier this month.\n\nHe tweeted he was \"disappointed\" with the police decision as he had \"provided all of the information they asked for\".\n\nHe said it was in the Labour Party's best interests to pick a new candidate.\n\nMr Anderson was arrested on 4 December, along with four other men, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.\n\nThe year-long investigation, Operation Aloft, has focused on a number of building and development contracts in Liverpool.\n\nFollowing his arrest, Mr Anderson said he was \"stepping away from decision-making\" and would take unpaid leave while the police investigation continued.\n\nThe Labour Party also suspended Mr Anderson pending its outcome.\n\nMr Anderson said he would \"continue to fight to demonstrate that I am innocent of any wrongdoing [and] also to protect my legacy as mayor of this city of which I am proud\".\n\nHe said the timing of the police investigation meant \"it would be in the best interests of the Labour Party to select a new candidate for the mayoral election\".\n\nMr Anderson also wrote: \"I have dedicated my life to this city with loyalty and passion and I am not prepared to throw that away.\"\n\nRichard Kemp, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on Liverpool City Council, called on Mr Anderson to immediately resign from the local authority.\n\nMr Kemp said his Labour opponent was a \"lame duck mayor\" who was \"preventing the city from moving on\".\n\nMr Anderson said he hoped the police investigation would be completed \"long before\" the expiry of his term of office.\n\nHe said it would confirm he had \"done nothing wrong\" and his name and reputation \"will be exonerated\".\n\n\"I have never done anything that would harm this city,\" he said.\n\nEarlier, Merseyside Police said five men had been rebailed until 19 February.\n\nThe Labour Party has been contacted by the BBC for a comment.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nFormer Manchester United and Scotland manager Tommy Docherty has died at the age of 92 following a long illness.\n\nAs a player, Glasgow-born Docherty made more than 300 appearances for Preston and won 25 caps for Scotland.\n\nHe went on to manage 12 clubs, leading Chelsea to League Cup success in 1965 and United to a 2-1 win over Liverpool in the 1977 FA Cup final.\n\n\"Tommy passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at home,\" his family said in a statement.\n\n\"He was a much-loved husband, father and papa and will be terribly missed.\n\n\"We ask that our privacy be respected at this time.\"\n• None Docherty - manager of many clubs, quicks and one-liners\n\nDocherty - affectionately known by his nickname 'The Doc' - died at home in the north west of England on 31 December.\n\nAfter spells managing Chelsea, Rotherham, QPR, Aston Villa and Porto, he took over as Scotland boss in September 1971 on a temporary basis before getting the job full-time two months later.\n\nBut he was best known for his five-year spell at Manchester United, who approached him to succeed Frank O'Farrell in December 1972 while Scotland were on course to qualify for the 1974 World Cup finals.\n\nUnited were relegated in 1974 under Docherty but they kept the Scot and returned to the top flight at the first time of asking. Two years later, they won the FA Cup with victory over Bob Paisley's Liverpool, who had won the league and would go on to also win the European Cup that year.\n\nDocherty's time at Old Trafford also saw George Best fail to revive his United career, the retirement of Bobby Charlton, and the departure of Denis Law.\n\nIn 2014, he told the BBC he still regretted his decision to leave the Scotland job for United.\n\n\"I was stupid,\" he said. \"I should have stayed with Scotland. [It was] partly the money, I have to be honest about that.\"\n\nDocherty was sacked shortly after the Wembley triumph for having an affair with Mary Brown, the wife of United physiotherapist Laurie Brown.\n\nThe pair later married and they remained together until his death.\n\nDocherty returned to management with First Division side Derby in September 1977, then rejoined QPR two years later. A turbulent time at Loftus Road saw him sacked in May 1980, reinstated after just nine days, then sacked again the following October.\n\nSpells at Sydney Olympic, Preston, South Melbourne and Wolves followed, with Docherty's final managerial job coming at non-league Altrincham in 1987-88.\n\nPost-retirement, he worked as an after-dinner speaker and media pundit.\n\nDocherty was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in November 2013.\n\n\"He was tenacious on the park and a great leader off it,\" Petrie added.\n\n\"Tommy was a regular in the Scotland side in the 1950s that qualified for two World Cups, and his record as Scotland manager was impressive, albeit cut short.\n\n\"Looking at the results and performances he inspired, it is hard not to wonder what might have been had he remained.\n\n\"His charisma and love for the game shone even after he stopped managing and it was entirely fitting Tommy should be inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame for his lifelong service.\"", "Cases have reached record highs in the past week\n\nThe next few weeks could be the most dangerous period for Scotland since March in the fight against Covid, the first minister has warned.\n\nNicola Sturgeon said the new variant of the virus was \"accelerating spread\" across Scotland.\n\n\"If you first foot someone today, or hug/kiss/handshake them HNY, you are putting yourself, others and the NHS at risk,\" she tweeted.\n\nA further 2,539 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Friday.\n\nThe number is slightly down on Thursday's figure, but Ms Sturgeon said cases numbers were still \"worryingly high\".\n\nDaily confirmed cases have reached record highs on each of the previous three days, rising to to 2,622 on Thursday.\n\nThe percentage of positive cases also reached 14.4% on Wednesday - the highest it has been since the second wave of the pandemic began in the summer.\n\nMs Sturgeon tweeted: \"Today's case numbers are worryingly high again. The new variant is accelerating spread.\n\n\"PLEASE do not visit other people's homes just now, even today - if you first foot someone today, or hug/kiss/handshake them HNY, you are putting yourself, others & the NHS at risk.\"\n\nShe said the \"vaccine cavalry\" was on the way, offering \"real hope for 2021\", but she added: \"With this new variant, the next few weeks may be the most dangerous we've faced since Mar/April.\n\n\"We must act together to suppress it, to save lives and protect the NHS. Folded hands stick with it.\"\n\nThe number of daily confirmed cases has reached record highs this week\n\nA new study by London's Imperial College has found that the new variant of Covid-19 is \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version.\n\nIt concludes the new variant increases the Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.\n\nThe UK's latest R number has been estimated at between 1.1 and 1.3. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nThe Scottish government's most recent estimate of the R number in Scotland has put it between 0.9 and 1.1.\n\nEmma Thomson, a professor of infectious disease at the University of Glasgow, said it was important to get people vaccinated quickly.\n\nThe professor, who has been working on the sequencing of the new Covid mutation, told the BBC that lockdown was not controlling the infection \"on its own\".\n\n\"At least we come in armed into the new year with two vaccines which are highly effective at preventing severe disease. We have that,\" she said.\n\n\"We need to roll it out now to add to the public health measures.\"\n\nParties, traditional \"first-footing\" and social events were banned this Hogmanay, with all of mainland Scotland and Skye being under the highest level of Covid restrictions.\n\nAll official events were cancelled, but police had to disperse a crowds of people who gathered at Edinburgh Castle and Calton Hill to see in the new year.\n\nIt has also emerged that 32 people were charged with reckless conduct after police found them gathered at a rented property in Aberfoyle on 27 December.\n\nA Scottish government spokesperson said: \"As the first minister has pointed out, the sharp rise in cases is evidence that the new strain seems to be speeding up transmission.\n\n\"This is why we are asking people to please stay at home as much as possible and avoid non-essential interaction with others.\n\n\"There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we ask everyone to be patient as we work our way through the vaccination programme, and continue to follow FACTS to keep us all safe.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nManchester United moved level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool as a Bruno Fernandes penalty saw off stubborn Aston Villa.\n\nFernandes drilled his 11th league goal this season - and his fifth from the spot - into the bottom corner to punish Douglas Luiz's clip on Paul Pogba and hand United an eighth win in 10 games.\n\nBertrand Traore's calm finish underneath David de Gea had deservedly drawn Villa level, cancelling out Anthony Martial's stooping first-half header for the hosts.\n\nBut Fernandes' penalty extended United's hold over Villa - they have now won 32 and lost just one of the past 44 league meetings between the sides - and leaves Liverpool top only by virtue of goal difference.\n\nThe spot-kick award angered Aston Villa boss Dean Smith who claimed Pogba \"tripped himself\" and that the video assistant referee should have asked on-pitch official Michael Oliver to review his decision.\n\n\"I don't see why Michael couldn't have looked at it. That's what VAR is for isn't it?\" Smith told BBC Sport.\n\n\"I thought it was a penalty at the time, but I looked at it after the game and saw he tripped himself. I don't think it's a penalty.\n\n\"I think there's enough doubt there to send the referee over to the screen.\"\n\nSmith's side were perhaps unfortunate not to have left Old Trafford with at least a point from a thoroughly entertaining game but they also needed several fine saves from Emiliano Martinez to keep them in it.\n\nAfter Fernandes' spot-kick put United back in front, Martinez superbly tipped a stinging 25-yarder from the Portuguese on to the crossbar as well as denying Martial a second.\n\nMartinez's counterpart David de Gea was just as busy, with a late save from Matty Cash's long-range strike preserving the points, not long after Tyrone Mings had headed wide a glorious chance to level.\n\nOle Gunnar Solskjaer's side have displayed their ability to grind out points at Old Trafford in recent weeks, as evidenced in 1-0 home wins over both West Bromwich Albion and Wolves.\n\nBut they have also shown a willingness to go toe-to-toe with teams who are happy to open up the game and, while this was not quite the shootout of the 6-2 win over Leeds, it was just as easy on the eye.\n\nA number of fluid first-half moves produced chances before Martial's opener as the France forward saw a curler tipped over by Martinez, while Fernandes and Wan-Bissaka were narrowly off target with similar efforts.\n\nMartial stole between Mings and Ezri Konsa to nod the Red Devils ahead from Wan-Bissaka's inviting cross for only his second league goal of the season on his return to Solskjaer's starting line-up.\n\nWhile Luiz was unfortunate to be penalised for what might have been an accidental clip on Pogba, there was enough contact for the penalty to be given and Fernandes continued his excellent record from the spot.\n\nUnited were nine points behind Liverpool after a 1-0 defeat by Arsenal at Old Trafford on 1 November but have made up that gap in just two months to set an intriguing title race into motion.\n\nA minute's silence before the game paid tribute to former boss Tommy Docherty, who famously prevented Liverpool claiming the treble by leading United to an FA Cup win over the Reds in 1977.\n\nAnd while talk of foiling a second successive Liverpool title might be premature, moving alongside them at the Premier League's summit will give Solskjaer's side even more confidence as they eye up a trip to Anfield on 17 January.\n\nWhile Villa were ultimately outgunned by their hosts, their brave display was further evidence of the progress Smith's side have made this season.\n\nThey held their own in the first half, causing United a number of problems down the flanks, with playmaker Jack Grealish prompting and probing to show why the hosts have long considered a move for the Villa captain.\n\nBut they were even more impressive in the early stages of the second period, Grealish crossing for an Ollie Watkins header that was saved by De Gea before collecting a quick free-kick and finding Traore to tuck home the equaliser.\n\nLuiz's foul on Pogba came with Villa very much in the ascendancy and while they then had to ride a storm the visitors still came close to pinching a point as Mings beat fellow England centre-half Harry Maguire to a free-kick only to nod wide.\n\nWith Ross Barkley's return from a hamstring injury imminent, this performance should keep Villa optimistic even if defeat halted a five-game unbeaten run and saw them slip a place to sixth, behind Chelsea on goal difference.\n\nAnd while their rotten record at Old Trafford continues - just one win in 34 visits since 1983, which came courtesy of a Gabriel Agbonlahor header in 2009 - they have still only conceded five times in eight away games this campaign.\n\n'We have improved a lot in a year' - what they said\n\nManchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told BBC Sport: \"You are always delighted with three points. The performance was good and we created chances.\n\n\"It was maybe a little too open and we wasted chances. We tried to play the Hollywood pass instead of securing the first one and using the space that was there.\n\n\"We are happy with what we are doing. We have shown we have improved a lot in a year. We lost to Arsenal away last New Year's Day. We have improved immensely.\"\n\nAston Villa boss Dean Smith told BBC Sport: \"I wasn't happy with the first half. We were miles off the levels where we have been. It felt like a testimonial pace then they deservedly had the lead at half-time. I told the players we needed to be upping our levels.\n\n\"We competed a lot better [in the second half], showed more quality and created chances. I'd take the second-half performance all day long. A dubious penalty has lost us the game.\n\n\"When you look at our performances and results, it shows we are very competitive in this league now, which is what we wanted it to be.\"\n\nUnited's hold over Villa goes on - the stats\n• None Manchester United are unbeaten in their past 16 Premier League matches against Aston Villa (W12 D4).\n• None Aston Villa have lost 13 of their past 15 away Premier League games against Manchester United at Old Trafford (W1 D1).\n• None In Premier League history, the only player to be directly involved in more goals in their first 30 appearances in the competition than Bruno Fernandes (33 - 19 goals, 14 assists) is Andrew Cole (37 - 28 goals, nine assists).\n• None Anthony Martial has now scored on all seven days of the week in the Premier League for Manchester United, becoming the fifth player to do so, after Ryan Giggs, Andrew Cole, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney.\n• None Only Tottenham's Harry Kane (10) has assisted more Premier League goals this season than Jack Grealish (7), while the last Aston Villa player to assist more than seven Premier League goals in a season was Ashley Young in 2010-11 (10).\n• None Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first Premier League match in charge of Manchester United in December 2018, the Red Devils have taken (27) and scored (21) the most Premier League penalties.\n\nManchester United host local rivals Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday (19:45 GMT) and welcome Watford in the FA Cup on Saturday 9 January (20:00 GMT). Their next Premier League game is away at Burnley on Tuesday 12 January (20:15 GMT).\n\nAston Villa host Liverpool in the FA Cup next Friday (19:45 GMT) before returning to Premier League action at home to Tottenham on Wednesday 13 January (20:15 GMT).\n• None Attempt blocked. Keinan Davis (Aston Villa) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.\n• None Attempt blocked. Keinan Davis (Aston Villa) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ollie Watkins with a cross.\n• None Offside, Manchester United. Paul Pogba tries a through ball, but Marcus Rashford is caught offside.\n• None Attempt saved. Matthew Cash (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jack Grealish.\n• None Nemanja Matic (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Luke Shaw (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None A special and exclusive one-off chat with the music icon\n• None How has their rise come to define our culture?", "London's Nightingale Hospital is ready to admit patients as hospitals in the capital struggle, the NHS has said.\n\nThe Excel Centre site in east London has been \"reactivated\" amid a rise in the number of Covid-19 patients.\n\nOther Nightingale hospital sites across England are also being readied, with the UK recording a record daily rise in coronavirus cases.\n\nAn NHS spokesman said hospitals in London remain under \"significant pressure\".\n\nHe said: \"In anticipation of pressures rising from the spread of the new variant infection, NHS London were asked to ensure the London Nightingale was reactivated and ready to admit patients as needed, and that process is under way.\"\n\nSeveral NHS hospitals in London and the south-east are now reporting they are under extreme pressure as a result of a surge in the number of people falling seriously ill with Covid-19.\n\nAn email to staff at the Royal London Hospital says they are operating in disaster medicine mode - warning they can no longer provide high-standard critical care.\n\nNightingale hospitals in Manchester, Bristol and Harrogate are in use currently for non-Covid patients, the spokesman added.\n\nThe Exeter site received its first Covid patients in November when it began accepting those transferred from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, which was described as \"very busy\".\n\nHe said: \"Covid inpatient numbers are rising sharply so the remaining Nightingales are being readied to admit patients once again should they be needed, in line with best clinical practice developed over the first and second waves of coronavirus.\"\n\nSenior intensive care doctor Prof Hugh Montgomery warned those who fail to follow the rules on social distancing, hand washing and wearing a face covering \"have blood on their hands\".\n\nNHS England medical director Stephen Powis has described the Nightingale hospitals as \"our insurance policy, there as our last resort\".\n\nLondon's Nightingale hospital was built in nine days, with the help of hundreds of soldiers\n\nHe told a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday: \"We asked all the Nightingale hospitals a few weeks ago to be ready to take patients if that was required.\n\n\"Indeed, some of them are already doing that, in Manchester taking step-down patients, in Exeter managing Covid patients, and in other places managing diagnostics, for instance.\n\n\"Our first steps though, in managing the extra demands on the NHS, are to expand capacity within existing hospitals - that's the best way to use our staff.\"\n\nLondon's Nightingale Hospital was opened on 3 April and placed on standby weeks later after fewer than 20 patients were treated there.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA £2,500 reward has been offered after a nativity scene was petrol-bombed on Christmas Eve.\n\nThe scene in Raglan, Monmouthshire, had been installed in a bus shelter for families to enjoy over Christmas.\n\nThe fire destroyed statues of a shepherd, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus - with only the three wise men surviving as they stood outside the shelter.\n\nMiguel Santiago, of the Beaufort Hotel which funded the £10,000 scene, said the attack was \"really disappointing\".\n\n\"I was in the hotel when I saw the fire and I went into panic mode,\" he said.\n\n\"It was about 21:45 on Christmas Eve when it all happened and I ended up using nine extinguishers to put it out.\"\n\nThe wooden nativity was funded by the hotel and put together by retired theatre design lecturer Liz Friendship.\n\nMs Friendship said the festive scene had also been targeted by thieves in the past.\n\n\"In 2018 Mary was taken, in 2019 two shepherds were stolen and never came back, and in 2020 it's burnt down.\n\n\"It's now just three kings staring at the bus stop. It's very sad.\"\n\nThe scene was in ruins following the petrol bomb attack\n\nVillagers are now appealing for help to catch the suspects responsible for the Christmas crime.\n\nMr Santiago added: \"It's a shame because so much effort went into putting it together this year.\n\n\"We added three kings which really made it a great sight, we made sure the figures couldn't be taken by fixing them down.\n\n\"It's really disappointing that this has happened but the locals have been great and we will be back next year with a bigger and better nativity.\"\n\nA spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: \"Officers are investigating a report of criminal damage to a nativity scene on the High Street, in Raglan on Christmas Eve.\n\n\"It has been reported that fire damage was caused to the set at approximately 9.45pm on the evening of Thursday 24th December 2020.\n\n\"The scene that belonged to the Beaufort Hotel was totally damaged as a result.\"\n\nAnyone with information should contact police on 101, she said.", "The crowd at Edinburgh Castle dispersed after police arrived\n\nCrowds of several hundred people gathered at Edinburgh Castle to see in the new year despite police and government warnings to stay away.\n\nPeople sang and danced before dispersing when several police vans and cars drove on to the castle esplanade.\n\nMost Scots heeded warnings to hold Hogmanay celebrations at home with household members.\n\nThere were no midnight fireworks at the castle, but a display was held at the Wallace Monument in Stirling.\n\nA Police Scotland spokesperson said: \"We were aware of gatherings at Edinburgh Castle and Calton Hill around midnight on Hogmanay.\n\n\"Officers safely engaged with those in attendance and explained the current government regulations resulting in the groups dispersing without incident.\"\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Thursday that there should be \"no gatherings, no house parties and no first footing\" at Hogmanay.\n\nAll of mainland Scotland and Skye are under level four restrictions, while the other islands are in level three.\n\nDetails have meanwhile emerged of another police enforcement action against a group who gathered at a rented property in Aberfoyle during the festive period.\n\nPolice Scotland confirmed that 32 people were charged with culpable and reckless conduct after officers were called out on 27 December.\n\nAccording to the Scottish Sun, the group had travelled from Glasgow but police were tipped off by locals who spotted vehicles parked outside the property.\n\nPeople in Scotland were urged to stay at home and celebrate the new year with their families\n\nAt Edinburgh Castle, one Hogmanay tradition endured as a lone piper played in the new year at midnight.\n\nWith the capital's traditional new year party cancelled, the organisers of its annual Hogmanay celebration instead released a series of \"drone swarm\" videos titled Fare Well.\n\nThe display featured a swarm of 150 illuminated drones forming symbols and animals in a \"beautiful ode to Scotland\".\n\nEach video was narrated by actor David Tennant and included verses written by Scotland's official poet, makar Jackie Kay.\n\nWhile they appear to be flying above landmarks like Edinburgh Castle, the drones were flown elsewhere before being edited into other footage.\n\nDrones write a message in the sky above the Forth Bridge\n\nThe streets of central Edinburgh were quiet, in contrast to last year's Hogmanay celebrations when about 100,000 visitors attended the street party with live performances from Idlewild and Mark Ronson in Princes Street Gardens.\n\nElsewhere in the UK this year a fireworks and light display, including tributes to NHS staff, was held over the River Thames in London, but people were also told to stay at home rather than go out and celebrate.\n• None UK sees in 2021 with fireworks and light show", "All primary schools in London will remain closed for the start of the new term, the government has confirmed.\n\nLondon mayor Sadiq Khan said the government had \"finally seen sense and U-turned\" on its plan to allow pupils in some areas to return on Monday.\n\nLeaders of nine London local authorities had written to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson urging him to rethink the decision.\n\nMr Williamson said the city-wide closures were \"a last resort\".\n\nThe government said it had decided all primary schools in the capital would be required to provide remote learning after a further review of coronavirus transmission rates.\n\nVulnerable pupils and the children of key workers will continue to attend school, the government said.\n\nEarly years care, alternative provision and special schools will remain open, it added.\n\nSchools in nine London boroughs and the City of London district had been set to reopen - while those in the remaining 23 boroughs would have stayed closed from 4 January.\n\nThe decision was criticised and branded \"illogical\" by councillors and residents in the affected areas, who called for primary schools across the capital to move to online learning until 18 January.\n\nThey pointed out that Covid-19 infection rates were higher in some boroughs told to reopen schools than in others where they were not.\n\nIn a tweet, Mr Khan said a city-wide closure was \"the right decision\" and thanked education minister Nick Gibb for \"our constructive conversations over the past two days\".\n\n\"The government's original decision was ridiculous and has been causing immense confusion for parents, teachers and staff across the capital,\" Mr Khan said.\n\n\"It is right that all schools in London are treated the same, and that no primary schools in London will be forced to open on Monday\".\n\nDan Thorpe, leader of Greenwich council, said he was \"absolutely delighted\" to hear Mr Williamson had \"finally climbed down and reversed his decision\".\n\nKingston Council leader Caroline Kerr said she was \"dismayed\" at the government's handling of situation while a council statement added: \"It never made sense that neighbouring boroughs were being instructed to have different arrangements despite having similar rates of infection.\"\n\nIslington council leader Richard Watts said waiting until New Year's day to announce the further closures was \"unacceptable\".\n\nHe said the decision \"should have been made weeks ago, as the public health situation became clear\".\n\nMary Bousted, of the National Education Union, said the government was right to reverse its \"obviously nonsensical position\".\n\n\"What is right for London is right for the rest of the country,\" she said, and she called on ministers to \"do their duty\" by closing all primary and secondary schools nationwide for at least two weeks.\n\nPaul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, accused the government of damaging public confidence with a \"confusing and last-minute approach\".\n\n\"Just at the moment when we need some decisive leadership, the government is at sixes and sevens,\" he said.\n\nShadow education secretary Kate Green said the move was \"yet another government U-turn creating chaos for parents just two days before the start of term\".\n\n\"Gavin Williamson must still clarify why some schools in tier 4 are closing and what the criteria for reopening will be,\" she said.\n\nGavin Williamson said closing schools across London was a \"last resort\"\n\nIn a statement, Mr Williamson said children's education and wellbeing remained \"a national priority\" and moving the whole of London to remote education \"really is a last resort and a temporary solution\".\n\n\"We will continue keep the list of local authorities under review, and reopen classrooms as soon as we possibly can,\" he said.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said the situation in London had continued to worsen in the past week and infections and hospital admissions had risen sharply.\n\n\"While our priority is to keep as many children as possible in school, we have to strike a balance between education and infection rates and pressures on the NHS,\" he said.\n\nThe Department for Education had previously said decisions on school closures and openings were based on new infections, positivity rates, and pressures on the NHS.\n\nA spokeswoman for the department said: \"In response to concerning data about the spread of coronavirus, we have implemented the contingency framework for education in a small number of areas of the country, requiring schools to provide remote learning to all but vulnerable and critical worker children and exam years.\n\n\"Decisions on which areas will be subject to the contingency framework are based on close work with PHE, the NHS, the Joint Biosecurity Centre and across government.\"\n\nAre you a parent or teacher who will be affected by the London primary school closures? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Bodycam footage shows the moments before a black man was killed by a police shooting in Minneapolis\n\nMinneapolis police have released bodycam footage of a fatal shooting by officers, the first death at the hands of police in the US city since that of George Floyd, a black man, in May.\n\nThe victim, Dolal Idd, 23, was a suspect in a felony and was stopped by police on Wednesday. He was also black.\n\nInitial witness statements and police say Mr Idd fired first and was shot dead when the officers returned fire.\n\nMinneapolis saw months of unrest after Mr Floyd's death in police custody.\n\nThe protests spread across the US amid allegations of police brutality.\n\nMr Floyd died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.\n\nThe footage from Wednesday's fatal shooting, from the bodycam of one of the officers involved, was released late on Thursday.\n\nIt shows the officers' cars blocking a white vehicle at a petrol station on the city's south side, not far from where Mr Floyd died.\n\nThe police are heard shouting \"Stop your car, hands up, hands up!\" before shots are fired, including by the officers.\n\nA female passenger in the car with Mr Idd was not hurt, police said, nor were the officers.\n\nMinneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo said a gun was found at the scene.\n\n\"When I viewed the video that everyone else is viewing - and certainly the real-time slow-down version - it appears the individual inside the vehicle fired his weapon at the officers first,\" he said.\n\nPeople including Mr Idd's father Bayle Gelle gathered at the scene the following day, prompting fears of renewed protests.\n\n\"He was just sitting in the car, and bullets were shot at him, and no reason,\" he said, quoted by CBS News.\n\n\"Why are we here?... Because of colour. He is a black man. We want to know why my sweet son gets shot and killed.\"\n\nGeorge Floyd's death led to violent protests in the city, including this police station set on fire in May\n\nCity mayor Jacob Frey said he was committed to getting the facts and pursuing justice.\n\n\"We know a life has been cut short tonight and that trust between communities of colour and law enforcement is fragile,\" he said in a statement.\n\n\"Rebuilding that trust will depend on complete transparency.\"\n\nMr Floyd's death in May led to calls for reform or even abolition of the city's police department, but those efforts have stalled.", "Much of England has been placed in a new top tier of restrictions - tier four - as the new variant spreads Image caption: Much of England has been placed in a new top tier of restrictions - tier four - as the new variant spreads\n\nEarlier we reported that a study by Imperial College had concluded the new coronavirus variant is \"hugely\" more transmissible. Now some experts are saying that means even tougher restrictions will soon be needed.\n\nProf Jim Naismith, of Oxford University, said: \"The data from Imperial represent the best analysis to date and imply that the measures we have employed to date, would - with the new virus - fail to reduce the R number to below 1.\n\n\"In simpler terms, unless we do something different the new virus strain is going to continue to spread - more infections, more hospitalisations and more deaths.\"\n\nThe R number is the average number of people an infected person passes the virus onto. If it is above 1 the epidemic is growing.\n\nEarly data suggested that the virus was spreading more quickly among the under-20s, particularly among secondary school age children, but the latest results indicate that it is more infectious in all age groups.\n\nProf Axel Gandy, part of the research team, suggested that it may have appeared to spread more easily among school children simply because the early data was collected during the November lockdown, when adults' movements were restricted but schools remained open.", "Researchers have been tracking changes to the \"spike\" of the virus\n\nThe new variant of Covid-19 is \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version, a study has found.\n\nIt concludes the new variant increases the Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.\n\nThe UK's latest R number has been estimated at between 1.1 and 1.3. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nProf Axel Gandy of London's Imperial College said the differences between the viruses types was \"quite extreme\".\n\n\"There is a huge difference in how easily the variant virus spreads,\" he told BBC News. \"This is the most serious change in the virus since the epidemic began,\" he added.\n\nThe Imperial College study suggests transmission of the new variant tripled during England's November lockdown while the previous version was reduced by a third.\n\nCases of Covid-19 have begun to increase rapidly during the second spike, and the number of cases recorded in a single day reached a new high on Thursday.\n\nEarly results indicated that the virus was spreading more quickly among under-20s, particularly among secondary school age children.\n\nBut the very latest data indicates that it was spreading quickly across all age groups, according to Prof Gandy who was a member of the research team.\n\n\"One possible explanation is that the early data was collected during the time of the November lockdown where schools were open and the activities of the adult population were more restricted. We are seeing now that the new virus has increased infectiousness across all age groups.\"\n\nProf Jim Naismith, of Oxford University, said he believed that the new findings indicated that even tougher restrictions would soon be needed.\n\n\"The data from Imperial represent the best analysis to date and imply that the measures we have employed to date, would - with the new virus - fail to reduce the R number to below 1.\n\n\"In simpler terms, unless we do something different the new virus strain is going to continue to spread, more infections, more hospitalisations and more deaths.\"\n\nThe R number is the average number of people an infected person infects. If it is above 1 the epidemic is growing.\n\nThe most chilling finding from this piece of research is that the November lockdown in England, hard though it was for many people, would not have stopped the variant form of the virus spreading. The same severe restrictions that saw cases of the previous version of the virus fall by a third, would see a tripling of the new variant. This is why there has been such a sudden tightening of restrictions across the country.\n\nIt is unclear whether the current restrictions will be enough to control the spread of the virus. Given the fact that it has taken two lockdowns to stop the earlier version of the virus overwhelming the NHS, many scientists fear that further tightening will be necessary.\n\nInfection levels will begin to drop as enough people are vaccinated. But until then it is now more important than ever for people to follow social distancing guidelines, wear masks where required and to regularly wash their hands.\n\nThe new year brings with it hope of a more normal life in the next few months but also a new form of the virus that all of us will have to combat in the coming days and weeks.\n\nProfessor Lawrence Young, of Warwick University, said early indications suggested that vaccines would be effective against the new form of the virus.\n\n\"Variants virus have been around since the beginning of the pandemic and are a product of the natural process by which viruses develop and adapt to their hosts as they replicate.\n\n\"Most of these mutations have no effect on the behaviour of the virus but very occasionally they can improve the ability of the virus to infect and/or become more resistant to the body's immune response.\"\n\nFurther research is needed to understand why the variant is spreading so quickly. But early indications are that vaccines should be effective against it.\n\nThe new virus has been designated \"Variant of Concern 202012/01\" or VOC by Public Health England.\n\nIt was detected in November and thought to have originated in the south-east England in September.\n\nThere is no evidence to suggest that it is more deadly, but it will increase the number of cases which in turn will add further pressure on the NHS.\n\nThe variant can now be found across the UK, except Northern Ireland, but it is heavily concentrated in London, as well as south-east and eastern England.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Parents and teachers have criticised the closure decisions\n\nNine London boroughs have written to the education secretary asking him to reverse plans to reopen primary schools in some areas.\n\nAbout a million primary school pupils will not return to lessons next week in a bid to cut Covid transmission rates.\n\nHowever, schools in 10 London boroughs are due to remain open.\n\nIn the letter, the leaders said they were \"struggling to understand the rationale\" behind the idea as pupils and teachers moved between boroughs.\n\nThe government has said the measure would be reviewed fortnightly.\n\nAll primary schools had been due to fully reopen on 4 January but under government plans those in 23 London boroughs will remain closed.\n\nHowever, schools in the City of London, Camden, Greenwich, Hackney, Haringey, Harrow, Islington, Kingston, Lambeth and Lewisham will open.\n\nThe letter to Gavin Williamson has been signed by leaders of all of those boroughs apart from Kingston. It has also been signed by the City of London's policy chair.\n\nIt calls for primary school pupils across the capital to \"move to online learning until 18 January\", apart from vulnerable children and those of key workers.\n\n\"The omission of 10 boroughs ignores the deep interconnectedness of our city, and the many thousands of teachers and students that study or teach in one borough and live in another,\" the letter states.\n\nThe councils also said they had received legal advice that omitting some councils from the list of areas told to take teaching online \"is unlawful on a number of grounds and can be challenged in court\".\n\nRichard Watts, leader of Islington Council, told the BBC there \"seems to be no reason at all to look at this on a borough by borough basis\".\n\n\"The entirety of the rest of the government's handling of the pandemic has rightly treated London as a single entity and this is the first time anyone... has tried to implement different public health measures in different boroughs,\" he said.\n\nIn a statement Dan Thorpe, leader of the Royal borough of Greenwich, accused the government of providing \"a lack of clarity and answers\", adding that the situation was \"causing uncertainty and concern among our schools, families, carers, and undoubtedly children and young people\".\n\nAlthough Kingston Council did not sign the letter, leader Caroline Kerr said reopening primary schools in the borough \"doesn't make any sense\" and that they were \"urgently seeking clarity on the reasoning for the decision\".\n\nMayor of London Sadiq Khan has called the plans \"nonsensical\" and has also written to the government calling for a \"delay to all London schools opening until mid-January\".\n\nKevin Courtney, joint leader of the National Education Union, said the education secretary \"must listen to the leaders of the community, he must listen to school staff and he must listen to the general public who are all telling him that it is not safe to reopen schools on Monday\".\n\nThe Department for Education has previously said decisions on school closures and openings were based on new infections, positivity rates, and pressures on the NHS.\n\nA spokeswoman for the department said: \"In response to concerning data about the spread of coronavirus, we have implemented the contingency framework for education in a small number of areas of the country, requiring schools to provide remote learning to all but vulnerable and critical worker children and exam years.\n\n\"Decisions on which areas will be subject to the contingency framework are based on close work with PHE, the NHS, the Joint Biosecurity Centre and across government.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The musician was known for his performances in which he always wore a mask\n\nHip-hop star MF Doom has died at the age of 49, his family confirmed on social media.\n\nThe London-born musician, real name Daniel Dumile, was known for his sharp, intricate rhymes and his signature mask, which he never removed in public.\n\nIn a post on the rapper's Instagram account on Thursday, his wife Jasmine confirmed that he died on 31 October.\n\nA number of artists have paid tribute to MF Doom including Run The Jewels and Tyler, The Creator.\n\nIn a note addressed to the rapper, his wife paid tribute to \"the greatest husband, father, teacher, student, business partner, lover and friend I could ever ask for\".\n\nHis representatives confirmed his death to Rolling Stone magazine. No cause of death was disclosed.\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by mfdoom This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMF Doom was born in London but moved to New York as a child.\n\nAs a teenager he performed in hip-hop group KMD. Following the loss of his younger brother and bandmate DJ Subroc, he disappeared from music becoming, in his own words, \"damn near homeless\".\n\nBut in 1997, he remerged at open mic events in Manhattan, wearing tights over his face. He protected his anonymity for the rest of his career, adopting a mask based on the Marvel villain Doctor Doom for all his public appearances.\n\nHis debut as MF Doom, Operation: Doomsday, was released in 1999, and he followed it up with an almost non-stop outpouring of music.\n\nAs well as six solo albums, he produced a wealth of bootlegs, compilations, collaborations, mixtapes and instrumental albums - including the influential, 10-part Special Herbs series.\n\nHe may be best known for 2004's Madvillainy, which was recorded with crate-digging producer Madlib under the moniker Madvillain, and gave the rapper his first entry on the US album chart.\n\nAnother of his high-profile collaborations was Danger Doom alongside DJ Danger Mouse, and he appeared with Damon Albarn's Gorillaz on their UK number one album Demon Days. Other collaborators included Ghostface Killah, Flying Lotus, The Avalanches and Radiohead.\n\nOne of hip-hop's most respected MCs, he made appearances on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 1 in which he discussed his own music and projects with other artists.\n\nMany of them lined up to pay tribute after news of his death broke on New Year's Eve.\n\n\"RIP to another Giant, your favourite MC's MC... MF DOOM,\" wrote A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip on Twitter. \"Crushing news.\"\n\n\"He was a writer's writer,\" added El-P of Run The Jewels. \"Grateful I got to know you a little, king. Proud to be your fan. Thank you for keeping it weird and raw always. You inspired us all and always will.\"\n\n\"All u ever needed in hip-hop was this record,\" Flying Lotus tweeted alongside the album cover to Madvillainy. \"My soul is crushed.\"\n\nApple Music presenter Zane Lowe said: \"Rest In Peace to the great MF Doom. A true artist who gifted us with eternal innovation and creativity.\"\n\nWhile the Sleaford Mods said: \"RIP MF DOOM. Sleep well mate.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. London's new year celebrations featured a message of hope from David Attenborough\n\nThe UK has seen off 2020 and celebrated the dawn of 2021 with a fireworks and light display over London that included tributes to NHS staff.\n\nRevellers were not able to ring in the New Year in the usual way because of the coronavirus pandemic, with people instead told to stay at home.\n\nPolice had to break up various parties and events across England overnight.\n\nForces have handed out hundreds of fines, with several issuing the maximum £10,000 to event organisers.\n\nMuch of the UK saw in the new year while under lockdown rules, with about 44 million people in England - or 78% of the population - in tier four, the top level of Covid restrictions.\n\nMainland Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are also under lockdown.\n\nAlthough people were warned not to attend any parties outside their own homes, there were many around the country who ignored the rules.\n\nThe Metropolitan Police said police attended 58 parties and unlicensed music events in breach of tier four rules across London overnight, the vast majority of which ended when police intervened, they added.\n\nFixed penalty fines were given to 217 people while five others could be fined £10,000 for organising large gatherings. The police force said four other people were arrested for breaching Covid regulations by gathering in central London.\n\nElsewhere, other forces also broke up parties and handed out hundreds of fines. They included Greater Manchester Police, which issued 105 fixed penalty notices at house parties and larger gatherings. And Leicestershire Police had to issue six on-the-spot £10,000 fines to party organisers.\n\nIn Essex, hundreds of people were dispersed from an illegal New Year's Eve party at a church, while Lancashire Police broke up a party in Hyndburn, near Blackburn, attended by 80.\n\nMeanwhile, in Scotland, Edinburgh's traditional Hogmanay street party was cancelled, with videos of a drone display released instead.\n\nThe series of videos showed a swarm of 150 lit-up drones over the Scottish Highlands and Edinburgh were released, which organisers said it was the largest drone show ever produced in the UK.\n\nDespite the cancellation of Edinburgh's traditional Hogmanay celebration - which normally attracts 100,000 people on the city's streets - there were some people who ignored the pleas to stay at home.\n\nCrowds of several hundred people gathered at Edinburgh Castle to see in the new year. They sang Auld Lang Syne and danced before eventually dispersing when several police vans and cars pulled on to the castle esplanade.\n\nAn anti-lockdown protest and New Year's Eve celebration was also held in London\n\nPeople cross Hungerford Bridge in London on New Year's Eve\n\nOn New Year's Eve, Health Secretary Matt Hancock called on people to take \"personal responsibility\" and stay at home to avoid spreading Covid-19.\n\nLondon's 10-minute display over the Thames aired on the BBC at midnight, and began with a poem which addressed the pandemic, that said: \"In the year of 2020 a new virus came our way; We knew what must be done and so to help we hid away.\"\n\nLight projections lit up the sky over the O2 Arena, including the NHS logo in a heart accompanied by a child's voice saying: \"Thank you NHS heroes\".\n\nThe show also recognised Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised £33m for the NHS by walking laps of his garden and the Black Lives Matter movement. One 2020 phenomena - working from home - was represented with a mute logo backed by a voiceover saying \"You're on mute\".\n\nThe display ended with a call from Sir David Attenborough about the need for action on climate change.\n\nLondon mayor Sadiq Khan said the display had reflected the resolve of Londoners to endure\n\n300 drones were used in the display to create images in the sky\n\nIn a speech being broadcast on BBC One between Doctor Who and EastEnders this evening, Sir David will say that this \"could be a year for positive change - for ourselves, for our planet and for the wonderful creatures with which we share it\".\n\nDespite the \"challenging\" times we live in, \"the reactions to these extraordinary times has proved that when we work together there is no limit to what we can accomplish\", he will say, as he looks ahead to the United Nations Climate Change Conference later this year.\n\nThe sounds of a video conference call starting up were played\n\nMuch of London was far quieter than usual\n\nEdinburgh's streets were largely empty, with Police Scotland warning against Hogmanay gatherings\n\nOfficial figures showed 10.75 million viewers watched the 2021 New Year celebrations on BBC One. It's down from the 11.18m who saw in the start of 2020 on the channel.\n\nMayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was proud of the show, which he said \"paid tribute to our NHS heroes and the way that Londoners continue to stand together\".\n\n\"We showed how our capital and the UK have made huge sacrifices to support one another through these difficult times, and how they will continue to do so as the vaccine is rolled out.\"\n\nUsually, around 100,000 people pack into the streets around Victoria Embankment to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nIn his New Year's message, the Archbishop of Canterbury said he saw \"reasons to be hopeful for the year ahead\" despite the \"tremendous pain and sadness\" brought by 2020.\n\nThe Most Reverend Justin Welby spoke of his experience volunteering as an assistant chaplain at St Thomas' hospital during the pandemic, saying: \"Sometimes the most important thing we do is just sit with people, letting them know they are not alone.\"\n\nIn his message, filmed at the London hospital and broadcast on BBC One on Friday afternoon, he said: \"This crisis has shown us how fragile we are. It has also shown us how to face this fragility.\n\n\"Here at the hospital, hope is there in every hand that's held, and every comforting word that's spoken.\n\n\"Up and down the country, it's there in every phone call. Every food parcel or thoughtful card. Every time we wear our masks.\"\n\nDid you make a special effort to celebrate this New Year? How did you mark it? Share your experiences and pictures of what you got up to by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "For months, the government has been urging businesses to get ready for a new era in trading with the EU. But it was only on Boxing Day that details of all the new rules were actually published.\n\nBusiness groups are relieved that the threat of a no-deal Brexit, which would have meant tariffs (or taxes) on goods crossing the border with the EU, has been removed. But companies that trade with the EU are still facing a lot of new bureaucracy.\n\nAnd the disruption in mid-December, caused by border closures related to the new variant of Covid-19, was a reminder of how dependent the UK economy is on trade across the English Channel.\n\nFrom 1 January 2021, goods entering the EU from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) face large amounts of new paperwork and checks, including:\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHauliers will also need to make sure they have the right transportation paperwork before they drive to the border.\n\nThere is particular focus on the \"short straits\" route between Dover and Calais, and the nearby Channel Tunnel, which taken together handle about four million lorries a year.\n\n\"This is the biggest imposition of red tape that businesses have had to deal with in 50 years,\" says William Bain from the British Retail Consortium.\n\nFull controls on British exports to the EU began on 1 January. The first day of the new regime appears to have gone relatively smoothly.\n\nBut it's feared that later in the year, the new controls could cause disruption, even though new border infrastructure has been built at ports such as Calais, to help process vehicles more efficiently.\n\nThere are some mitigating measures though.\n\nIn response to the Covid crisis, the government is delaying full controls on goods entering Great Britain from the EU for a further six months.\n\nThere will be checks from 1 January on controlled substances such as alcohol and tobacco, and traders deemed to be a risk will also be asked to fill in customs declarations.\n\nBut most checks on goods coming in from the EU will be delayed until 1 July, a deadline that could in theory be extended.\n\n\"I think we will want to monitor it,\" the chief executive of HM Revenue and Customs, Jim Harra, told MPs in November. \"Hopefully we will not still be in a situation where Covid-19 is consuming as much of people's attention.\"\n\nOther measures to tackle potential disruption include diverting trade to other ports around the country and opening lorry parks in Kent, to avoid gridlock on the roads.\n\nSome of these contingencies were put into action early, to deal with the Covid border closures in December.\n\nOperation Brock, for example, involved changing the layout of a section of the M20, using a concrete barrier to allow lorries heading for mainland Europe to queue safely on the motorway.\n\nThousands of lorries were also diverted to temporary parking at a disused airport at Manston.\n\nFrom 1 January drivers of lorries weighing more than 7.5 tonnes will need to acquire a Kent Access Permit before they enter the county. They will have to show that they have all the paperwork they need to ferry goods to Europe.\n\nBut that doesn't deal with the challenge of the thousands of vans that cross the Channel every week.\n\n\"What has been serially misunderstood by various parts of government is the scale of the complexity for people on the ground dealing with the paperwork,\" says Duncan Buchanan, the Policy Director of the Road Haulage Association.\n\nThat could mean that instead of queues on motorways, many traders won't be able to leave their depots.\n\n\"Either they won't be able to get vets to sign off on their meat exports, or they won't be able to get their permit because they don't have the right bits of paper,\" says Shane Brennan, chief executive of the Cold Storage Federation.\n\n\"We might see a quite significant holding off of trading - people just not moving stuff in the first few weeks.\"\n\nEighty-five per cent of the volume of trade between the EU and Great Britain is carried by EU hauliers, who are often paid not by the hour, but by the kilometre. If they think there will be too many delays, many may simply not come.\n\nThe government says the readiness of traders to deal with the new system remains its biggest concern.\n\nLorries parked on the M20 in Kent\n\n\"The sheer scale of the overall operation means there are literally many millions of moving parts,\" permanent secretary of the cabinet office Alex Chisholm told MPs. \"Inevitably there are going to be some difficulties for some individual people as they adjust to the new regime.\"\n\nThe government has also announced a new Border Operations Centre as part of plans \"for the UK to have the world's most effective border by 2025\".\n\nQuestions have been asked about how changes at the border might affect food supply. The short answer is no-one can say for sure, but nearly 30% of all the food consumed in the UK is imported from the EU.\n\nThe good news is that there is a deal, which makes a big difference. But the challenge is particularly acute because the UK grows relatively small amounts of fruit and vegetables in January and February and is most dependent on supplies from southern Europe at this time of year.\n\nSo, if there are delays, they could cause some shortages on the shelves.\n\n\"Some gaps are possible but we're not going to run out of food - that's not going to happen\" says Ian Wright.\n\nWhen it comes to non-perishable items, there had been some stockpiling in preparation for either outcome, but extra supplies won't last forever.\n\n\"The crunch point is probably not going to be in the first few days or weeks of January,\" William Bain argues. \"Towards the end of the month, when new orders start being placed and delivered, we will start to see the processes in Kent and the other ports really tested.\"\n\nAnd it's not only about food.\n\nOther retailers, which are used to moving their stock freely around the EU customs union, have had to create separate supply chains for the UK. That is costing them more money, and their new systems have yet to be tested properly.\n\nIt's not just about trade across the English Channel.\n\nTrade across the Irish Sea between Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland will be subject to the same pressures, while Northern Ireland will be a special case under the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.\n\nNorthern Ireland will remain in the EU single market for goods, and unlike the rest of the UK it will continue to enjoy frictionless trade with the EU with no checks of any kind at the land border with the Republic.\n\nBut there is a price to pay for that - new bureaucracy within the UK between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.\n\nThe EU, for example, has strict rules on products of animal origin: meat, milk, fish and eggs.\n\nThese products must enter the single market (and, from 1 January, Northern Ireland) through a border control post where paperwork is checked, and a proportion of goods physically inspected.\n\nThere will be a grace period of three months for supermarkets and their suppliers, but some smaller traders may have to get used to the new rules straight away.\n\nAll shipments from Great Britain to Northern Ireland will also need a safety and security declaration, and a customs declaration from a new IT system which none of the traders have used before.\n\nThe government has set up a Trader Support Service to help.\n\nThe details of the new trading arrangements for Northern Ireland were announced separately in early December, and provided some clarity. They include an agreement which means the vast majority of goods being shipped from GB to NI will not be at risk of having tariffs imposed.\n\nBut there are plenty of unresolved issues.\n\nTraders are seeking answers about how to send parcels from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, and some online retailers have already suspended deliveries.\n\nThe trade from British to Northern Irish ports often involves multiple small shipments on a single lorry - all of which will need the right paperwork.\n\n\"We need clear rules for everyone in the supply chain,\" says Duncan Buchanan, \"and when you scratch the surface it is just not ready.\"\n\nIt is expected that many checks will be carried out on a 'light touch' basis to begin with.\n\nBut anyone trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is going to have to get used to a new way of working very quickly.", "Nearly half a century of the UK's membership of the European Union and its predecessor organisations ended in January of course.\n\nWhat has now ended is the UK's economic membership of the bloc. Forty-eight years in the European customs union, basically the Common Market, and 28 years in the single market.\n\nThe Single Market was a creation for which the UK has paternity rights. It was Margaret Thatcher's rallying call for European reform, her calling card to unleash a wave of Japanese investment in post-industrial Britain and shepherded into existence by her appointee as commissioner Arthur Cockfield.\n\nIts creation served the UK's economic interests, as it grew the home domestic market available for British exporters without tariff or non-tariff barriers, eventually to nearly half a billion Europeans. It was not without irony that the tortuous negotiations of the past four years were made tougher by the EU's insistence on defending what it calls the \"internal market\", itself created by the British.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nIndeed the institutional underpinning of this huge marketplace became too much for Mrs Thatcher. Famously she became suspicious of Commission President Delors turning up to tell the TUC that through the European Union workers could reassert rights rolled back by the Conservative Government.\n\nAt her 1988 Bruges speech PM Thatcher replied: \"We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see them re-imposed at European level, with a European super-state exercising a new dominance from Brussels.\"\n\nThe car industry was the prototype for the single market\n\nPerhaps this was the beginning of the path to Brexit, carried along by the push to monetary union and resentment at the overreach of the European Court of Justice and the considerable impact of the \"direct effect\" of community and then union law.\n\nThe car industry was the prototype for the single market. Mrs Thatcher's campaigning for EEC membership was quickly followed by a charm offensive that began as opposition leader to get Japanese investors to build high tech factories to sell cars tariff-free across Europe.\n\nFor the UK it would provide employment, technology, capital and competition for the languishing nationalised UK-owned auto sector.\n\nOngoing membership of the EEC, restrictions on union activity and investment tax breaks were part of the deal communicated in writing to the then chairman of Nissan.\n\nThe Datsun Bluebird was being developed in Sunderland and around the same time the Italians and the French threatened to slap tariffs on what they saw as a Japanese ruse to avoid tariffs and undercut their industry.\n\nThe UK government quickly communicated that it was willing to take this matter to the European Court of Justice. The attempt to kill the Nissan factory at birth was fended off.\n\nFrom this, the UK car industry and other advanced manufacturing prospered from being plugged into rapid continent-wide supply chains, delivering each part just in time and just in sequence.\n\nAll of that was enabled by conformity of regulations, standards, zero tariffs and the eradication of non-tariff barriers, for sale, but also within the manufacturing process.\n\nThe UK became the financial centre for the euro\n\nSimilar stories could be told about the pharmaceutical industry, chemicals, the food industry, aerospace, and financial services.\n\nWithin the EU, the UK even became the financial centre for a new currency, the euro, which it did not participate in.\n\nThe single market itself, with regulations set and enforced in Brussels, became a player on the world stage. And yet there was a balancing act. The UK could influence the direction of one of the biggest tankers in the sea but was restricted in acting more nimbly in new industries. In some sectors, the UK's trade dealings with the US or Asia were more important than with Europe.\n\nAnd so this tension led to breaking point. And for the Conservative Party in particular the single market's institutions it created and championed, became something akin to Frankenstein's monster.\n\nThe EU has agreed an investment deal with China\n\nSome Brexiteers had hoped that the edifice would collapse once the UK left. But it has proven more robust than that. Indeed, Brexit has proven a catalyst of the EU to sign trade and investment deals far more quickly, including even with China.\n\nSo now the UK finds itself outside of the machine it created as its strategic competitor. The trade negotiation wasn't primarily about trade. Great Britain has declared regulatory independence, or to be more specific, has declared as much regulatory independence as is compatible with a zero-tariff trade deal.\n\nThe EU retains levers and switches to turn off some of these tariff advantages should the UK use the deal to turn into an offshore tariff free assembly hub for US and Asian manufacturing to be traded into the single market. Unlike with Nissan four decades ago, the European Court of Justice will no longer be there.\n\nThe global pharmaceutical industry offers an opportunity for the UK\n\nThe PM wants regulatory competition but his own deal contains disincentives, if not actual restrictions, on competing \"unfairly\" or too much.\n\nSo the strategy matters. Britain is free, but to do what exactly? To level up? Well the regions that need levelling up are the ones that are actually most dependent on exports to Europe. Exports to Europe will be spared tariffs, thanks to the deal, but there will be literally millions of non-tariff barriers, that the economists calculate matter more, from health checks, customs formalities, origin paperwork, assessments of standards etc.\n\nEven to qualify for tariff-free treatment means, according to new government guidance on \"rules of origin\", analysis of how complicated is the process of grating cheese, of the shelling of nuts, and formalities on where the eyes of a doll come from. Most apply legally from tonight, having been absent for decades.\n\nThe sweet spot for UK will now be to deploy regulatory freedom in sectors that are truly global, where we are not already overly dependent on EU markets.\n\nCertain sub-sectors within technology, finance and pharmaceuticals, for example. In each of these sectors the UK is likely to have to offer more friendly regulation to the multinational private sector, than the EU.\n\nIt doesn't necessarily mean lower standards: It could be that UK medicines regulators, for example, build on the record of rapid approval for Covid vaccines in other medical areas.\n\nThe deployment of massive scientific networks within the National Health service, used for rapid clinical testing, could become the envy of the world.\n\nBrexit Britain is likely to become a laboratory for the global economy. Car companies will need to be attracted with more permissive rules on data and, say autonomous driving testing. Some tech companies are already porting their UK customers to be served under US data privacy laws rather than more restrictive EU ones.\n\nBut the government will also have to be very active and judicious. We are already \"picking winners\" again, at least in the satellite business. What about electric power, where the EU will fight aggressively, versus hydrogen power?\n\nThere are a number of structural economic problems, from poor training, declining productivity and low investment that were not caused by EU membership which, in terms of non-tariff barriers, are made immediately worse by this type of Brexit, for which the UK has no option but to deal with.\n\nNorthern Ireland is mostly left in the EU single market\n\nThat process of looking outwards may not come quickly. Holyrood and Stormont rejected the Brexit trade deal. The UK has replaced a single market of 500 million Europeans free of non-tariff barriers with a single market smaller than the size of the UK.\n\nThere is a trade border in the Irish Sea. Northern Ireland is mostly left in the EU single market. There are non-tariff barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a result of this deal.\n\nLastly there are some big unknowns and unknowables.\n\nThe inadvertent diplomatic consequences of changes in trade patterns can be profound. If, for example, the eminent historian RW Johnson is to be believed, the UK's accession to the EEC in the first place created the conditions for the fall of South Africa's apartheid regime which was \"hurt in several ways\".\n\nBritish trade was remodelled away from the Commonwealth to Europe, the EEC offered favourable trade with all of Africa except Pretoria. And then when Portugal followed its ally the UK into the EEC, its African colonies and white rule quickly lost to revolutions by black liberation movements in Angola and Mozambique.\n\n\"Thus the seeds of the 1976 Soweto uprising were sown\" in part by the UK joining the EEC. Which is obviously not to suggest the reverse would be true. It is merely to say that events such as these can have very unpredictable knock on effects.\n\nThe Prime Minister has succeeded in taking the UK out of the Single Market created by his heroes. The UK now stands outside a system that it helped invent. For now its new single market is not the size of the country.\n\nThe test of all of this, is to make the UK's new single market the size of the globe.", "Some lorries have been turned away for not having the correct paperwork\n\nPlans are in place to minimise disruption at Welsh ports - especially Holyhead - as the UK enters a post-Brexit new year.\n\nThe EU Brexit transition period is over, and lorry drivers heading to and from the Republic of Ireland require additional paperwork to travel.\n\nOfficials at Holyhead said some lorries have already been turned away because they had the wrong documentation.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it was doing what it could to \"protect\" the port.\n\nTransport Minister Ken Skates said it was \"imperative\" contingency plans were in place for the island, as it wakes up to the new customs regime.\n\nFerry operators in Wales will now require freight customers to link customs information to their booking as they head for the Irish Republic.\n\nWithout that paperwork, port access will be refused.\n\n\"We've had the first few rejects, which is not unexpected,\" said Stena Line's Head of UK Ports, Ian Davies.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio Wales from Holyhead on New Year's Day, he said it showed the new system was working.\n\n\"We've had people that have been passed and allowed to be shipped, and we've had a few failures as well, so it will be a learning curve for these customers.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government said a \"worst case scenario\" published by the UK suggested 40% to 70% of heavy goods vehicles arriving at ports after transition ended on New Year's Eve may not have the right documentation to travel.\n\nThe peak period for turning vehicles away is expected to be mid-January.\n\n\"We simply don't know whether things are going to work,\" said Rod McKenzie, who is managing director of policy for the body representing lorry drivers and operators, the Road Haulage Association.\n\n\"There is no question there will be problems, even if all the IT works, things could go wrong, and given traders' unfamiliarity with it there is the potential for a lot of mistakes to be made.\"\n\nA contraflow will allow lorries to be \"stacked\" on parts of the A55 if traffic builds\n\nThe association said it was more worried about \"invisible delays\" in the supply chain, rather than queues at ferry ports.\n\n\"Lorries might not leave their factory gate or depot because the paperwork isn't done,\" he said.\n\n\"It's really, really important that people try to get their paperwork right. The consequences of any mistakes will be a disruption of the supply chain.\"\n\nHe said the sector would know in about a week \"how it's going\".\n\nPembrokeshire council said it had been working to ensure any vehicles turned away from Pembroke Dock and Fishguard were dealt with away from the ports.\n\nIt has arranged overflow locations at Goodwick and Pembroke Dock for its own version of Dover's \"Operation Stack\", where lorries queue along the M20.\n\n\"The importance of Pembrokeshire's ports to the county, Wales and UK as a whole cannot be overestimated,\" said council leader David Simpson.\n\nHolyhead is the UK's second busiest roll-on roll-off ferry port\n\nOn Anglesey, a temporary contraflow is in force on the A55 expressway, eastbound between junctions two and four, allowing any traffic turned away from the port to be redirected back.\n\nIt will be moved to parking locations at Parc Cybi on the outskirts of the town, and if necessary, lorries will be parked on the cordoned-off A55 sections.\n\n\"We will monitor the situation carefully and as soon as it's safe to do so we will remove the temporary contraflow,\" said Mr Skates.\n\n\"While the next few days are expected to be quiet, we know it will become busier as we approach mid-January.\n\n\"Our aim is to do what we can to protect the port, town of Holyhead and wider community from any possible disruption.\"\n\nOn Friday, port authorities on Anglesey said freight traffic has been quiet, as expected over the bank holiday period.\n\nIt follows an steep rise in lorry crossings in the run up to Christmas and the end of the transition period.\n\nFerry operator Stena Line is also responsible for running Holyhead Port.\n\n\"We can't get complacent over the next few days,\" said a Stena spokesman.\n\n\"It's when freight levels come back up that we'll know whether the systems are really working and whether the hauliers are ready. That will be the real test.\"", "More than 35,000 people have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Wales\n\nThe Covid vaccine programme is at the \"very beginning\" and vaccination rates are increasing, Wales' Health Minister Vaughan Gething has insisted.\n\nIt follows concerns raised by some politicians over the speed of Welsh vaccine rollout.\n\nInitial figures on how many people have received the first Pfizer-BioNTech jab show Wales is slightly behind those vaccinated elsewhere in the UK.\n\nMr Gething said there were likely to be \"small differences between nations\".\n\n\"Comparisons are naturally being made on the number of vaccinations administered by the four nations of the UK,\" he said in a ministerial statement to Senedd members.\n\n\"Whilst I recognise the data indicates there are other nations ahead of us, the national data presented at this very early stage of the vaccination roll out should be considered provisional and a snapshot of ongoing activity.\"\n\nHe said there would be \"lags\" in data being entered, and local factors affecting vaccinations.\n\n\"For example the vaccination centre in Cardiff and the Vale was unable to operate for two days because of a virus outbreak linked to the site,\" he added.\n\nMore than 35,000 people have now received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Wales, including healthcare workers who work in Wales but live over the border in England.\n\nAlmost 13,000 of these vaccines were given in the past week.\n\nThe number of vaccinations in Wales up until 27 December account for 1.12% of the Welsh population.\n\nIn England, 1.4% have received a jab, while in Scotland it is 1.7%, and 1.6% in Northern Ireland.\n\nThe Welsh Conservative health spokesman Andrew RT Davies flagged his concerns about the vaccine delivery programme on Thursday.\n\n\"Three weeks ago, the first Covid-19 vaccine was given in Wales, and since that time we have sadly seen confusion and hope drop away,\" he said.\n\n\"Many people over 80 in Wales were desperately waiting for their appointment to do their bit and have the vaccine but as we quickly learnt they would have to wait longer,\" he said.\n\nBut the health minister said daily vaccination rates were \"increasing across Wales\".\n\nThe focus is on delivering vaccines effectively and safely, says Vaughan Gething\n\n\"Looking ahead, all health boards are preparing for significant expansion in capacity from the beginning of January,\" added Mr Gething.\n\nHe said the new Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine approved earlier this week would be available from some GPs in Wales from Monday.\n\n\"This is only the very beginning of what will be a programme spanning many months,\" he said.\n\n\"Whilst the urgency and priority required is clear to all, we must also have some patience and allow the NHS to do what it does so well.\n\n\"My focus, and that of the NHS, is on delivering the vaccine programme quickly but also effectively, safely and equitably.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government has also confirmed it will be following the latest advice from medical advisers on introducing a 12-week gap between the two doses of vaccines needed, for both types of approved jabs.\n\nAll four chief medical officers in the UK have supported the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which said the focus should be on giving at-risk people the first dose of whichever vaccine they receive.\n\n\"It will ensure that more at-risk people are able to get protection from a vaccine in the coming weeks and months, reducing deaths and starting to ease pressure on our NHS,\" said Mr Gething.\n\nVaccinations started earlier in December after regulators approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine\n\nPlaid Cymru has called on the Welsh Government to ask the UK government to publish evidence to justify increasing the period for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nIn a letter to Mr Gething, the party's health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth said the \"sudden switch\" represented \"a very significant departure\" from previous guidelines.\n\nHe added there were \"very real concerns\" that a longer delay between doses \"could significantly decrease the effectiveness of the vaccine\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"I wish I could switch place with my daughter\" - Odd Steinar Sørengen's daughter is missing\n\nA body has been found shortly after rescuers and dog handlers began a risky ground search for 10 people missing in a hillside collapse in Norway.\n\nInitially it was thought too dangerous to send rescuers on to the site, after flowing mud sent homes toppling into a giant chasm in the village of Ask.\n\nHelicopters and drones spent two days searching the scene.\n\nBut on Friday police commander Roy Alkvist said one or two houses appeared safe to enter.\n\nRescuers, who included a Swedish specialist team, began moving into the danger zone on Styrofoam boards. The bright orange boards were laid down on the mud in a domino-effect as rescuers tried to reach one of the wrecked homes, which are 25km (15 miles) north-east of the capital Oslo.\n\nA missing Dalmatian dog was rescued on Thursday and police believe there is still a chance survivors could be found.\n\nHowever, on Friday afternoon an air ambulance helicopter landed near the site and police said a body had been found at 14:30 (13:30 GMT) without giving further details.\n\nRescuers are using orange Styrofoam boards to move around the landslide area\n\nPrime Minister Erna Solberg said her thoughts went out to the victim's family, and to those waiting for news of the other nine people who were missing.\n\nIn Friday's operation the rescuers also prepared a giant army vehicle called a \"paver\", which has a giant steel bridge on which rescuers can move.\n\nHowever, conditions were not yet good enough for the 50-tonne machine to be deployed.\n\nThe plan is to deploy a Norwegian army bridge-laying vehicle as soon as conditions are good enough\n\nFriday's search was a race against time, as the rescuers only had a few hours of daylight in the Norwegian winter. Medics and geologists were reportedly part of the ground rescue team.\n\nThe ground search was called off for the night at 17:30 and police said drones and heat-seeking cameras would continue overnight until rescue crews could return on Saturday morning.\n\nAbout 1,000 people have been evacuated from Gjerdrum municipality, which contains Ask village. Dozens more were moved out of their homes on New Year's Eve.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Aerial footage shows the scale of the landslide\n\nAlthough police have not given details of the missing, they are believed to include men, women and children.\n\nAmong them is a woman who was talking to her husband on the phone while walking the dog when the line went dead, according to Bergens Tidende newspaper.\n\nFurther reports say a couple and their small child are also missing, as well as a woman in her 50s and her adult son.\n\nMore than 30 homes have been destroyed, but officials say more could be lost as the edges of the crater left by the landslide are still breaking away.\n\nThe conditions have proved challenging, with temperatures dropping to -1C (30F) and the clay ground proving too unstable for emergency workers to walk on.\n\nThe scale of the landslide is shown by this aerial view of the disaster site\n\nThe landslide began early on Wednesday, with residents calling emergency services and telling them that their houses were moving, police said.\n\n\"There were two massive tremors that lasted for a long while and I assumed it was snow being cleared or something like that,\" Oeystein Gjerdrum, 68, told broadcaster NRK.\n\n\"Then the power suddenly went out, and a neighbour came to the door and said we needed to evacuate, so I woke up my three grandchildren and told them to get dressed quickly.\"\n\nA spokeswoman for the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) told AFP that the landslide was a so-called \"quick clay slide\" measuring about 300m by 700m (985ft by 2,300ft).\n\n\"This is the largest landslide in recent times in Norway, considering the number of houses involved and the number of evacuees,\" Laila Hoivik said.\n\nQuick clay is a kind of clay found in Norway and Sweden that can collapse and behave as a fluid when it comes under stress.\n\nBroadcaster NRK said heavy rainfall may have made the soil unstable, but questions have since emerged over why construction was permitted in the area.\n\nA 2005 geological survey labelled the area as at high risk of landslides, according to a report seen by the broadcaster TV2. Despite this, the homes were built three years later in 2008.", "Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced the resignation of his finance minister who took a trip to the Caribbean while the province remained under lockdown.\n\nMr Ford on Thursday said Mr Phillips' departure showed his government \"takes seriously our obligation to hold ourselves to a higher standard\".\n\nCanada's most populous province has discouraged all non-essential travel amid record-high new case counts.\n\nMr Phillips, who is a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, had taken a personal trip to St Barts on 13 December and returned on Thursday morning.\n\nAhead of the holiday season, Ontario health officials had urged residents to stay at home when possible amid an ongoing rise in Covid-19 cases.\n\nPeople line up on Christmas Day at a Covid test site in Ontario\n\nMr Phillips told reporters when he arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport he hoped to keep his job, but would respect the premier's decision.\n\n\"Obviously, I made a significant error in judgment, and I will be accountable for that,\" Mr Phillips said. \"I do not make any excuses for the fact that I travelled when we shouldn't have travelled.\"\n\nLater on Thursday, Mr Ford said in a statement he had accepted Mr Phillips' resignation following a conversation with him. Mr Ford has asked Peter Bethlenfalvy, currently president of the treasury board, to step into the finance minister role.\n\nOn Wednesday, Mr Ford had said he learned of Mr Phillips travel two weeks ago, but said the minister \"never told anyone\" he was going to St Barts, according to CBC.\n\nOntario's New Democratic Party leader Andrea Horwath on Wednesday had pushed for Mr Phillip's firing, saying it was unacceptable for him to \"ignore public health advice\" while the government \"demands sacrifice from everyday Ontarians\".\n\n\"It's not believable that a senior member of cabinet didn't tell the premier's office he was leaving the country for weeks during the height of a global emergency,\" she said in a statement. \"If he didn't, that in itself would be enough reason to demote him.\"", "The UK's chief medical officers have defended the Covid vaccination plan, after criticism from a doctors' union.\n\nThe UK will give both parts of the Oxford and Pfizer vaccines 12 weeks apart, having initially planned to leave 21 days between the Pfizer jabs.\n\nThe British Medical Association said cancelling patients booked in for their second doses was \"grossly unfair\".\n\nBut the chief medical officers said getting more people vaccinated with the first jab \"is much more preferable\".\n\nThe Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first jab approved in the UK, and 944,539 people have had their first jab.\n\nThe first person to get the jab on 8 December, Margaret Keenan, has already had her second jab.\n\nPfizer has said it has tested the vaccine's efficacy only when the two vaccines were given up to 21 days apart.\n\nBut the chief medical officers said the \"great majority\" of initial protection came from the first jab.\n\n\"The second vaccine dose is likely to be very important for duration of protection, and at an appropriate dose interval may further increase vaccine efficacy,\" they said.\n\n\"In the short term, the additional increase of vaccine efficacy from the second dose is likely to be modest; the great majority of the initial protection from clinical disease is after the first dose of vaccine.\"\n\nThe decision to delay the second dose has, understandably, caused concern.\n\nThere is some evidence regulators say - at least for the Oxford vaccine - that it will actually boost immunity.\n\nBut for those who are due to get a second dose soon it will undoubtedly be upsetting that they now have to wait.\n\nBut the move is about practicalities. The UK is in the middle of a public health crisis and despite the fact that millions of doses are pre-ordered, there is concern the supply of the vaccine will not be as smooth as everyone would ideally want.\n\nThere is a global demand for these vaccines and there are bound to be times when supply does not meet demand.\n\nSo the logic of the move is that by spreading this thin resource the most widely, it will have the greatest benefit - not only to the vulnerable but to everyone.\n\nLives have been put on hold and livelihoods lost.\n\nThis is the quickest way back to some degree of normality.\n\nEven if it does leave some of the vaccinated susceptible to infection, it should in theory at least protect them from serious illness.\n\nGiven where we are now, the argument is that that is a price worth paying.\n\nAs well as approving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on Wednesday - the second approved for use in the UK - regulators also said that doctors could wait longer between the two courses.\n\nThis means more people will get the first jab sooner, even if they have to wait longer for their second jab.\n\nExperts advising the government, including the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said the focus should be on giving at-risk people the first dose of whichever vaccine they receive.\n\nDefending the move, the UK's four chief medical officers - including England's Prof Chris Whitty - said in a statement released on New Year's Eve: \"In terms of protecting priority groups, a model where we can vaccinate twice the number of people in the next two to three months is obviously much more preferable.\"\n\nThey said they recognised that rescheduling second appointments was \"operationally very difficult\" and would \"distress patients who were looking forward to being fully immunised\".\n\nHowever, they said that for every 1,000 patients booked in for a second dose, which will \"gain marginally on protection from severe disease\", that would mean 1,000 more people missing out on \"substantial initial protection\".\n\nThe chief medics said that, while one million people had already been vaccinated, approximately 30 million UK patients and health and social care workers eligible in the first phase \"remain totally unprotected and many are distressed or anxious about the wait for their turn\".\n\nThey added that the JCVI was \"confident\" 12 weeks was a reasonable interval between doses \"to achieve good longer-term protection\".\n\n\"We have to follow public health principles and act at speed if we are to beat this pandemic which is running rampant in our communities, and we believe the public will understand and thank us for this decisive action.\"\n\nEarlier, the BMA's Dr Richard Vautrey said GPs were unhappy they were being asked to cancel appointments that had already been made for second doses.\n\nHe said the BMA would support practices who honour the existing appointments for the follow-up vaccination, calling for the government to do the same.", "The first lorries to transport freight under the new arrangements arrived in Belfast on Friday afternoon\n\nThe first goods have crossed the new trade border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.\n\nThe 'Irish Sea border' is a consequence of Brexit and means that most commercial goods entering NI from GB require a customs declaration.\n\nAbout a dozen lorries arrived on a ferry from Cairnryan in Scotland to Belfast at 14:00 GMT on Friday.\n\nThey were met by officials, with some vehicles directed to new border control posts.\n\nMany food products from GB now have to enter NI through these border posts where they can be inspected by the Department of Agriculture.\n\nThese products also need health certificates, though some of the new certification processes will be phased in over the next three months.\n\nThe UK government also announced a three-month \"grace period\" for parcels, meaning those sent by online retailers will be exempt from customs declarations until at least April.\n\nIt said the grace period was necessary to avoid disruption to deliveries at a time when many shops are closed due to pandemic restrictions.\n\nMeanwhile the secretary of state for Northern Ireland has continued to insist the new range of checks, controls and paperwork is not actually a sea border.\n\nBrandon Lewis tweeted: \"There is no 'Irish Sea Border'. As we have seen today, the important preparations the government and businesses have taken to prepare for the end of the Transition Period are keeping goods flowing freely around the country, including between GB and NI.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Brandon Lewis This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTransport companies are not expecting significant volumes of freight over the next few days.\n\nThere has been significant stockpiling ahead of the changes and it may take one or two weeks before freight volumes are at normal seasonal levels.\n\nSome businesses, particularly haulage companies, are anxious about the new IT systems which are necessary for the border to function.\n\nThey have had less than two weeks to familiarise themselves with the new systems.\n\nPolice officers carried out random vehicle checks near Larne Port on New Year's Eve\n\nSeamus Leheny from Logistics UK said: \"With any reconfiguration of supply chains and new systems there will be teething problems and we expect that.\"\n\nThere will be no new processes or checks for the vast majority of goods leaving NI for GB.\n\nThe new arrangements flow from the Northern Ireland Protocol, a deal reached by the UK and EU in 2019.\n\nIts purpose is to prevent a hard land border in Ireland.\n\nThat is achieved by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods and by having Northern Ireland apply EU customs rules at its ports.\n\nThis will allow goods to flow from NI to the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the EU as they do now, without customs checks or new paperwork.\n\nThe Protocol is opposed by Northern Ireland's unionist parties who fear it will weaken Northern Ireland's position in the UK.\n\nThe arrangement does not change Northern Ireland's constitutional position.\n\nHowever, it does mean a significant new economic barrier within the UK.\n\nUnionist parties fear the sea border will weaken NI's position in the UK\n\nThe UK government has allocated more than £300m for a Trader Support Service to help businesses deal with the new customs arrangements.\n\nThe government is also covering the costs of the new certification requirements for food products.\n\nA Movement Assistance Scheme will pay vets up to £150 to complete the Export Health Certificates which will need to accompany all live animals and products of animal origin entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.\n\nTrucks pass through a customs post at Dublin Port on Friday morning\n\nThere are also new checks and controls on freight arriving at Dublin Port from GB.\n\nOn Friday morning, the first ferry to arrive in Dublin from Holyhead had about 12 lorries on board.\n\nWhile they all cleared customs checks for the first time without delays, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the change in trading arrangements with the UK would inevitably cause disruption.\n\n\"We have avoided the kind of dramatic disruption of a no trade deal Brexit, but that doesn't mean that things aren't changing very fundamentally, because they are,\" he said.\n\n\"We're now going to see the €80b (£71.2bn) worth of trade across the Irish Sea between Britain and Ireland disrupted by an awful lot more checks and declarations, and bureaucracy and paperwork, and cost and delay.\"\n\nOn Saturday new freight sailings will begin between Rosslare in the Republic of Ireland and Dunkirk in France, allowing cargo to bypass GB and go straight to mainland Europe.\n\nThe six-times weekly service will take 24 hours, which is longer than the \"landbridge\" route via GB.", "A new era has begun for the United Kingdom after it completed its formal separation from the European Union.\n\nThe UK stopped following EU rules at 23:00 GMT, as replacement arrangements for travel, trade, immigration and security co-operation came into force.\n\nBoris Johnson said the UK had \"freedom in our hands\" and the ability to do things \"differently and better\" now the long Brexit process was over.\n\nBut opponents of leaving the EU maintain the country will be worse off.\n\nScottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose ambition it is to take an independent Scotland back into the EU, tweeted: \"Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on.\"\n\nBBC Europe editor Katya Adler said there was a sense of relief in Brussels that the Brexit process was over, \"but there is regret still at Brexit itself\".\n\nThe first lorries arriving at the borders entered the UK and EU without delay.\n\nOn Friday evening, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted that border traffic had been \"low due to [the] bank holiday\" but there had been no disruption in Kent as \"hundreds\" of lorries crossed the Channel with a \"small\" number turned back.\n\nSix freight loads travelling from Holyhead in Wales to Ireland had to be turned away due to not having the correct paperwork, the Stena Line ferry and port group said on Friday morning.\n\nBut later on Friday, the group said freight traffic was flowing well through its ports and government customs systems were working well.\n\nIt added that the fall in freight traffic after the Christmas and Brexit stockpiling period meant \"it is too early to draw any conclusions\", but the company remained \"cautiously optimistic that, as freight volumes begin to rise again, we will be able to ensure the continued free movement of goods\".\n\nUK ministers have warned there will be some disruption in the coming days and weeks, as new rules bed in and British firms come to terms with the changes.\n\nBut officials have insisted new border systems are \"ready to go\".\n\nAs the first customs checks were completed after midnight, Eurotunnel spokesman John Keefe said: \"It all went fine, everything's running just as it was before 11pm.\"\n\nNorthern Ireland has different arrangements from other parts of the UK, meaning there will be some customs checks on goods moving between Great Britain and the province.\n\nOn Friday afternoon, the first ferry from Great Britain operating under the terms of Northern Ireland trading protocol docked in Belfast, on schedule at 13:45 GMT.\n\nSeamus Leheny, policy manager at Logistics UK, said six out of the 15 lorries that were on the first ship to arrive into Belfast were brought in for inspection, with one being kept at the port for more than three hours.\n\n\"Inevitably there are going to be teething problems because with such a new, complex system as this there are going to be issues in the first few days,\" he told BBC Radio 4's PM programme.\n\nThe first lorry loads on to the Eurotunnel shuttle after the UK left the single market and customs union\n\nMandy Ridyard, whose aerospace components company makes daily shipments to Northern Ireland, told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme she was \"filling in the same declaration to send goods to the Philippines that I am sending them within the UK\".\n\n\"And obviously that all adds a lot of cost to my business.\"\n\nThe UK officially left the 27-member political and economic bloc on 31 January, three and half years after the UK public voted to leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum.\n\nBut it stuck to the EU's trading rules for 11 months while the two sides negotiated their future economic partnership.\n\nA treaty was finally agreed on Christmas Eve, and became law in the UK on Wednesday.\n\nUnder the new arrangements, UK manufacturers will have tariff-free access to the EU's internal market, meaning there will be no import taxes on goods crossing between Britain and the continent.\n\nBut it does mean more paperwork for businesses and people travelling to EU countries, while there is still uncertainty about what will happen to banking and services.\n\nThe UK and Spain have also reached an agreement meaning the border between Gibraltar and Spain will remain open.\n\nFabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, said the deal still needed to be formalised, but by abolishing controls between Gibraltar and the EU's passport-free Schengen area, he said it would prevent queues at the border \"which make people's lives a misery and make business difficult\".\n\nIt is a moment that some will regard with huge optimism, others with deep regret.\n\nAnd while this historic move happens at a moment in time, the impact, in some areas, may be less instant or obvious than others - for example, it's expected there'll be relatively little traffic at Dover on the first day of 2021 as new border checks kick in.\n\nNevertheless, significant changes are here - whether on trade, travel, security or immigration - and those changes could well become more apparent in the months ahead.\n\nMr Johnson - who took the UK out of the EU in January six months after becoming prime minister - said it was an \"amazing moment\" for the UK in his New Year message.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nWriting in the Daily Telegraph, he added that the combination of the Brexit deal and rollout of the Oxford vaccine means \"we are creating the potential trampoline for the national bounceback\".\n\nLord Frost, the UK's chief negotiator, tweeted that Britain had become a \"fully independent country again\".\n\nAnd the deputy chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Tory backbench MPs, David Jones, told the BBC: \"We can now say clearly Britain is a sovereign and independent state.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by David Frost This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nBut opponents of Brexit say the country will be worse off than it was while it was a member of the EU.\n\nIreland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said it was \"not something to celebrate\" and the UK's relationship with Ireland will be different from now on, but \"we wish them well\".\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron said the UK remained a \"friend and ally\", but he added that the choice to leave the EU was \"the child of European malaise and many lies and false promises\".\n\nIn Brussels, there is a sense of relief the Brexit process is over, but there is regret still at Brexit itself.\n\nBasically, the European Union thinks that Brexit makes it - the EU - and the UK weaker.\n\nBut the EU view is this is less bye-bye Britain and more au revoir, because there are so many loose ends between the two sides.\n\nFor example, there are the ongoing practicalities surrounding Gibraltar, the UK is still waiting to find out what access Brussels is going to give its financial services to the single market, there is cooperation on climate change, and there is a reviewal mechanism written into the treaty for every five years.\n\nFor all of those reasons and more, this is not the end of the EU-UK conversation for the foreseeable future.\n\nThe culmination of the Brexit process means major changes in different areas. These include:", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Countries around the world welcomed 2021 with fireworks, but crowds were only allowed at some displays\n\nMillions around the world have been seeing out 2020 and marking the start of 2021, although the coronavirus pandemic has forced many celebrations to take place in muted form behind closed doors.\n\nWith lockdowns or other restrictions in place in many countries, would-be New Year partygoers were told to have a quiet night in.\n\nOthers have attended ceremonies or festivals wearing masks or taking other precautions.\n\nIn Tokyo, below, people visited the Kanda Myojin Shrine to offer prayers. The popular Shinto shrine reduced the number of visitors allowed, as Japan faces another wave of Covid-19 infections.\n\nIn Wuhan, China, crowds gathered in the city with balloons and festive outfits to count down to midnight on New Year's Eve.\n\nFireworks lit up the night sky in Taiwan to mark the beginning of 2021, witnessed by thousands of spectators who gathered in the centre of Taipei.\n\nLike this family in Seoul, South Korea, many globally have marked the celebration in a small way and often at home.\n\nIt was a chilly celebration in Yekaterinburg, Russia, as people gathered at the city hall, waving sparklers in the 1905 Square.\n\nWhile in the United Arab Emirates, one of the largest New Year fireworks displays saw spectacular colours light up the sky over the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah.\n\nPyrotechnics also illuminated the sky around the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, as the clock struck midnight in Dubai.\n\nThe New Year's Eve party at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is usually one of Europe's biggest street parties. But this year revellers were told to stay at home and watch the fireworks and music performances on TV or online instead.\n\nThese worshippers in Abuja, Nigeria, marked the end of 2020 with a gospel service.\n\nMeanwhile, people in the city of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast were able to watch the fireworks display outside with friends and family.\n\nBut in New York City, just a handful of people were allowed into Times Square to watch confetti rain down and the traditional crystal ball drop.\n\nBrazilian authorities closed Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, but that did not stop some people enjoying celebrations.\n\nA fireworks and light show was held across various locations in London. A number of drones filled the sky close to the O2 Arena in East London forming messages referencing the pandemic, including the NHS logo.", "The Archers returned to BBC Radio 4 in May with \"a new style\" forced upon the show by the coronavirus lockdown\n\nBBC Radio 4 will mark 70 years of The Archers with a series of features across its output on Friday.\n\nAs well as broadcasting episode number 19,343 of the world's longest-running serial drama, stars from it will appear on the station's other programmes.\n\nThis will include inserts into Woman's Hour, Farming Today, and a quiz.\n\nThe Archers, set in the fictional village of Ambridge, began in 1951 with the original purpose of educating farmers on modern agricultural methods.\n\nThe show's editor, Jeremy Howe, said its achievements over the years, coming up to the modern day, are incomparable.\n\n\"Almost daily and in real time The Archers has tracked life in the village of Ambridge across years and more than 19,000 episodes,\" he said.\n\n\"No work of fiction or drama can truly compare to that. As I look back on this incredible legacy, I am looking forward to the next 70 years of The Archers.\"\n\nBack in May, The Archers returned to BBC Radio 4 on Monday, with a \"new style\" forced upon the show by the coronavirus lockdown.\n\nLarge cast recordings with interaction between multiple characters were scrapped in favour of monologues recorded at the actors' homes.\n\nThe storyline of Friday's anniversary episode remains a secret, but celebratory programming on Radio 4 on the day will also include a special edition of With Great Pleasure at Christmas, where cast members from the series share their favourite prose and poetry.\n\nHowe, meanwhile, will appear alongside actor Timothy Bentinck (David Archer) and agricultural story advisor Sarah Swadling in an Archers-flavoured edition of Farming Today.\n\nWoman's Hour will focus on the female characters and storylines that have shaped the show.\n\nFinally, on the day, listeners will be invited to head over to The Bull pub - not literally of course - for the The Archers Anniversary Quiz, hosted by landlords Jolene (Buffy Davis) and Kenton Archer (Richard Attlee).\n\nOn Saturday 2 January, historian David Kynaston will then delve into the history of the programme further documentary feature entitled A Social History of The Archers.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Spain has reached a deal with the UK to maintain free movement to and from Gibraltar once the UK formally leaves the EU on Friday.\n\nTo avoid a hard border, Gibraltar will join the EU's Schengen zone and follow other EU rules, while remaining a British Overseas Territory.\n\nThe deal was announced by Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya, just hours before the UK exits the EU.\n\nThe Rock voted Remain in 2016 and about 15,000 Spanish workers go there daily.\n\n\"With this [agreement], the fence is removed, Schengen is applied to Gibraltar... it allows for the lifting of controls between Gibraltar and Spain,\" said Ms González Laya.\n\nThe Gibraltar deal will mean the EU sending Frontex border guards to facilitate free movement to and from Gibraltar. Their role is planned to last four years.\n\nGibraltarians are British citizens. They elect their own representatives to the territory's parliament, while the British monarch appoints a governor.\n\nThe territory - home to a British military garrison and naval base - is self-governing in all areas except defence and foreign policy.\n\nMs González Laya did not say whether Spanish border guards would eventually be posted at Gibraltar's airport and/or seaport which, under the deal, will be de facto part of the EU's external border.\n\nThe Gibraltar deal would also mean the territory complying with EU fair competition rules in areas such as financial policy, the environment and the labour market, Ms González Laya said.\n\nTwenty-two EU states are in the passport-free Schengen zone, as are Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein, but the UK has never been in it.\n\nOnce Gibraltar joins it, EU citizens arriving from Spain or another Schengen country will avoid passport checks, while arrivals from the UK will have to go through passport control, as is already the case.\n\nUK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called Thursday's deal a \"political framework\" to form the basis of a separate treaty with the EU regarding Gibraltar.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why Gibraltar is British - in 60 secs\n\nThe deal does not address the thorny issue of sovereignty. Spain has long disputed British sovereignty over the Rock which was ceded to Britain in 1713 and which is now home to about 34,000 people. The Remain vote there was an overwhelming 96% in the 2016 EU referendum.\n\nThe plan is to have a six-month transition period and then formalise the new arrangements with a treaty.\n\nUnder the current tight Covid rules, there are restrictions on UK citizens arriving via Gibraltar's airport, the UK Foreign Office says.\n\nDominic Raab said \"all sides are committed to mitigating the effects of the end of the [Brexit] Transition Period on Gibraltar, and in particular ensure border fluidity, which is clearly in the best interests of the people living on both sides.\n\n\"We remain steadfast in our support for Gibraltar, and its sovereignty is safeguarded.\"", "Omar Elabdellaoui is receiving treatment in hospital after an accident with a firework\n\nNorway and Galatasaray footballer Omar Elabdellaoui has been injured by a firework during a New Year's Eve celebration.\n\nThe Norwegian vice-captain's club said he was taken to hospital after \"an unfortunate accident at his home\".\n\nHe suffered burns to his face and damage to his eyes, the club said, adding that further tests would assess the extent of his injuries.\n\nThe New Year's Eve incident was one of many involving fireworks in Europe.\n\nIn Elabdellaoui's case, Turkish reports say a firework exploded in the hand of the 29-year-old defender.\n\nTurkish newspaper Hurriyet said the former Manchester City player may have lost vision, without giving further details.\n\nBut in a statement cited by the newspaper, Galatasaray said Elabdellaoui was conscious, in a stable condition and had not undergone surgery.\n\nGalatasaray's manager Fatih Terim and the team captain Arda Turan went to the hospital to visit Elabdellaoui, who joined the club in 2020 from the Greek side Olympiacos FC.\n\nTurkish clubs - including Galatasaray's Turkish Super Lig rivals Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Trabzonspor - took to social media to wish Elabdellaoui a speedy recovery.\n\nTurkish reports say a firework exploded in the hand of 29-year-old Omar Elabdellaoui\n\nElsewhere in Europe, at least four people were killed by fireworks during events to mark the new year.\n\nPolice in Alsace in eastern France said a 25-year-old man died after being hit by a rocket in the village of Boofzheim.\n\nA statement said the device beheaded him and severely injured the face of another young man standing next to him.\n\nA similar incident cost the life of a 28-year-old man in Pulle, a village east of Antwerp in Belgium.\n\nFireworks exploded over Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate to usher in the new year\n\nMeanwhile in Italy's north-western province of Asti, a 13-year-old boy died shortly after midnight of injuries to his abdomen caused by a firecracker.\n\nThere were fireworks casualties in Germany as well. In the state of Brandenburg, police said a 24-year-old man died after setting alight \"self-made pyrotechnics\" while a 63-year-old man lost his hand when handling a firecracker.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Countries around the world welcomed 2021 with fireworks, but crowds were only allowed at some displays\n\nInjuries and deaths from fireworks are not unknown over the New Year period. But fewer public fireworks displays than usual were held on New Year's Eve 2020, as coronavirus restrictions placed limits on gatherings worldwide.\n\nSome European countries had moved to limit the use of fireworks ahead of 31 December, with Germany imposing a ban on the sale of pyrotechnics.", "Rachael Powell is \"angry and upset\" about her daughter Emmeline missing out during lockdown Image caption: Rachael Powell is \"angry and upset\" about her daughter Emmeline missing out during lockdown\n\nNew parents missing baby classes and playdates due to lockdown say their children's development has been hit by the impact of coronavirus.\n\nWhen Rachael Powell's one-year-old daughter Emmeline met her grandparents for the first time she \"absolutely screamed the place down\" as she \"didn't know who they were\".\n\n\"I was really looking forward to going to coffee shops, meeting other mums and going to baby classes and then everything stopped,\" says the 39-year-old from Greater Manchester.\n\n\"I felt guilty that she didn't get any of that and have that interaction.\"\n\nEducation consultant and child psychologist Paul Kelly says Covid is having a \"massive impact\" on babies.\n\n\"We are social creatures, social beings - it is pre-programmed in our brains,\" he says. \"When children's brains are stimulated, they grow.\"\n\nDr Kelly says there is also an impact on parents, who are missing out on \"mutual support\".\n\nHe says people should \"grab what they can, when they can\" during these uncertain times and focus on \"how you can enhance [your baby's] development... rather than spending time thinking about how your child might be behind\".", "The number of people being treated in Scotland's hospitals for coronavirus has reached another record daily high.\n\nLatest Scottish government figures show a total of 1,596 people are in hospital with recently confirmed Covid.\n\nThis is up from Friday's figure of 1,530 patients.\n\nThe deaths of a further 93 people who had tested positive for the virus have been recorded in the past 24 hours, the same tally as Friday which was the highest daily figure of the pandemic.\n\nIt is the second day in a row there has been a record figure for Covid hospital patients.\n\nOf the 1,596 people in hospital, a total of 109 are in intensive care, up seven on Friday's figure.\n\nNational clinical director Prof Jason Leitch said Scotland's hospitals were \"very busy and fragile\" but coping so far.\n\nHe said: \"People should not be worried we have reached capacity but the best way of getting those numbers down is to reduce the prevalence of the virus.\"\n\nProf Leitch said the NHS could create more intensive care capacity if needed but \"all of that has a cost in what we won't be able to do\" elsewhere in the health service.\n\nThe NHS Louisa Jordan temporary hospital in Glasgow can be used to care for the sickest of Covid patients if the spike in admissions continues, but officials are trying to avoid this \"if we can manage without it\", Prof Leitch added.\n\nThis is because it is better for patients and staff for Covid patients to be in traditional intensive care units, he explained.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described the latest Covid figures as \"a big concern\".\n\nOn Twitter, she said: \"Covid case numbers still a big concern and putting huge pressure on the NHS, as hospital and ICU cases increase.\n\n\"Also, 93 further deaths remind us just how dangerous the virus can be - my thoughts are with all those grieving.\"]\n\nThe Scottish government data shows a further 1,865 new cases of Covid have been reported in the last 24 hours, down from the 2,309 cases reported on Friday.\n\nHowever, the daily test positivity rate is 8.7%, up from 8.1% on the previous day.\n\nThis breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.\n\nYou can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.", "North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said US policy towards his country would \"never change\"\n\nNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said the US is his country's \"biggest enemy\" and that he does not expect Washington to change its policy toward Pyongyang - whoever is president.\n\nAddressing a rare congress of his ruling Workers' Party, Mr Kim also pledged to expand North Korea's nuclear weapons arsenal and military potential.\n\nHe said that plans for a nuclear submarine were almost complete.\n\nHis comments come as US President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office.\n\nAnalysts suggest Mr Kim's remarks are an effort to apply pressure on the incoming government, with Mr Biden set to be sworn in on 20 January.\n\nMr Kim enjoyed a warm rapport with outgoing US President Donald Trump, even if little concrete progress was made on negotiations over North Korea's nuclear programme.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nIn his latest address to the Workers' Party - only the eighth congress in its history - Mr Kim said Pyongyang did not intend to use its nuclear weapons unless \"hostile forces\" were planning to use them against North Korea first.\n\nHe said the US was his country's \"biggest obstacle for our revolution and our biggest enemy... no matter who is in power, the true nature of its policy against North Korea will never change,\" state news agency KCNA reported.\n\nHis speech outlined a list of desired weapons including long-range ballistic missiles capable of being launched from land or sea and \"super-large warheads\".\n\nNorth Korea has managed to significantly advance its arsenal despite being subject to strict economic sanctions.\n\nEarlier this week, Mr Kim admitted that his five-year economic plan for the isolated country failed to meet its targets in \"almost every sector\".\n\nNorth Korea closed its borders last January to prevent Covid from entering the country.\n\nIts authorities say the country has not had a single Covid case since the pandemic began but experts say this is highly unlikely due to North Korea's cross-border trade with China.\n\nTrade with China has plummeted by about 80%. Typhoons and floods have devastated homes and crops in North Korea, which remains under strict international sanctions, including over its nuclear programme.\n\nThe speech is likely to be Mr Kim's way of setting the stage for talks with President-elect Joe Biden who will take office in less than two weeks' time.\n\nThe aim is perhaps to put pressure on Washington to show that Pyongyang has no intention of being cowed by sanctions and will continue to expand its nuclear arsenal.\n\nMr Kim had three summits with Donald Trump - but they failed to reach a deal. However, North Korea is in a difficult and bleak economic position caused by strict sanctions, border blockades to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and devastating floods.\n\nThis message may seem threatening, but some analysts believe that there is still room for diplomacy.", "Jessica Allen (left) and Eliza Moore are now sticking to walks nearer their homes\n\nA police force that was criticised for its \"intimidating\" approach to two walkers is to review its lockdown fines policy.\n\nJessica Allen and Eliza Moore said they were surrounded by police after driving five miles from their home for a walk on Wednesday, and fined £200 each.\n\nDerbyshire Police initially said driving to exercise was \"not in the spirit\" of lockdown.\n\nBut it now says new national guidelines mean it will review its position.\n\nIn a statement, the force said all of its fixed penalties issued during the new national lockdown will be reviewed.\n\nMs Allen, from Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, said she assumed \"someone had been murdered\" when she arrived at Foremark Reservoir on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nWhen she and her friend were questioned by police, they were also told by officers the hot drinks they had brought along were not allowed as they were \"classed as a picnic\".\n\nShe said: \"The next thing, my car is surrounded. I got out of my car thinking 'There's no way they're coming to speak to us'. Straight away they start questioning us.\n\n\"I said we had come in separate cars, even parked two spaces away and even brought our own drinks with us. He said 'You can't do that as it's classed as a picnic'.\"\n\nMs Allen said the experience was \"very intimidating\" and had left her feeling scared of police in general.\n\nForemark Reservoir is five miles away from where Jessica Allen and Eliza Moore live\n\nHer friend, Ms Moore, said she was \"stunned at the time\" so did not challenge police and gave her details so they could send a fixed penalty notice.\n\nAt the time Derbyshire Police said that driving to a location to exercise \"is clearly not in the spirit of the national effort to reduce our travel, reduce the possible spread of the disease and reduce the number of deaths\".\n\nThe force added: \"Where there are cases of blatant breaches of the regulations then fines will be issued by officers.\"\n\nDerbyshire Police has also been giving fixed penalty notices to people who visit Calke Abbey and Elvaston Castle.\n\nFixed penalty notices have been given to people who visit Calke Abbey, a National Trust property\n\nBut in a statement, the force said further guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) had \"clarified the policing response concerning travel and exercise\".\n\nThe guidance said: \"The Covid regulations which officers enforce and which enables them to issue FPNs [fixed penalty notices] for breaches, do not restrict the distance travelled for exercise.\"\n\nThe NPCC added that rather than issue fines for people who travel out of their local area \"but are not breaching regulations, officers will encourage people to follow the guidance\".\n\nThe force has now said it will be \"aligning to adhere to this stance\".\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Kem Mehmet said: \"We are grateful for the guidance from the NPCC.\n\n\"The actions of our officers continues to be to protect the public, the NHS and to help save lives.\"\n\nIt is not the first time the force has been accused of being overzealous in enforcing alleged lockdown breaches.\n\nIn the country's first lockdown in March the use of a drone to film people walking in the Peak District was labelled \"nanny policing\".\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Andy Stonely is not eligible for the UK government Covid support scheme\n\nA father who has lived on Universal Credit since the Covid-19 pandemic started has called on the UK government to be \"more flexible\" with its support.\n\nDriving instructor and dad-of-three Andy Stonely is not eligible for the government's Covid support scheme.\n\nThe Federation of Small Businesses Wales has also asked for changes ahead of the next round of grants.\n\nThe Treasury said its Self-Employment Income Support Scheme was \"one of the most generous in the world\".\n\nThis scheme requires claimants to show accounts for the 2018-19 year as well as 2019-20.\n\nHowever, Mr Stonely from Newport hasn't been self-employed for long enough to qualify - so the 35-year-old has had to rely on financial support from his parents.\n\n\"I count myself somewhat lucky because I have been able to claim for Universal Credit,\" he said.\n\n\"But obviously it's minimal and luckily through the help of parents I've been able to keep afloat.\n\n\"It's been tough. It would have been ideal if the government was just slightly more flexible.\"\n\nMr Stonely, who hasn't been able to work for much of the past year due to lockdown restrictions, said Universal Credit was worth \"less than half\" of his normal earnings.\n\nDriving school firm owner Gareth Denny said almost a quarter of his drivers can't claim Covid help\n\nThe coronavirus crisis forced his wife to give up her job to look after their three children, aged three, six and 17, when Mr Stonely was able to work for a short period at the end of the initial lockdown period.\n\nAsked how much longer his family could sustain itself if the current restrictions continue, Mr Stonely told the BBC's Politics Wales show: \"Not too much longer… we're going to be in a very tough situation.\"\n\nMr Stonely is part of a local driving school franchise managed by Gareth Denny, who said 11 of his 43 instructors were in this position.\n\n\"If you imagine that somebody lives their life to their income and suddenly there's absolutely no income to pay their mortgage and their bills, Universal Credit simply doesn't pay most people's mortgage,\" Mr Denny said.\n\nRecent research commissioned by the Community and Prospect trade unions and the Federation of Small Businesses found 53% of self-employed people across the UK had lost more than 60% of their income since the pandemic began.\n\nIn addition, 64% of people said they were now either \"unsure\" or \"less likely\" to want to be self-employed or freelance in the future.\n\n\"These are normal people who have mortgages, families to support, who've just had to fund a Christmas for the families,\" said Ben Francis of Federation of Small Businesses Wales.\n\n\"All those bills are now mounting up the other side of Christmas, and after having an already extremely difficult 12 months, they've now got to see how they manage through the months ahead.\n\n\"We would ask UK government to be flexible in their approach to verifying the statuses of these newly self-employed businesses.\"\n\nThe Community union warns with small businesses \"struggling to get back on their feet\", more people will leave self-employment.\n\nAll non-essential businesses shut in Wales just before Christmas\n\n\"That will be a disaster for our economy, for local economies, for their livelihoods and their families,\" said Kate Dearden of Community.\n\n\"This section of the UK workforce plays a fundamental role and should be properly supported to continue to do so.\"\n\nThe Treasury has already committed to extending the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme until April 2021, although the eligibility criteria for the next round of grants is yet to be published.\n\nA spokesman said the scheme had \"helped more than 2.7 million people so far, claiming over £13.7bn\".\n\nHe added: \"Funding is designed to target those who need it most and protect the taxpayer against fraud and abuse.\n\n\"Those not eligible may still be able to access our loans schemes, tax deferrals, mortgage holidays and business support grants.\"\n• None What extra help will the self-employed get?", "The US is reeling after supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC on the day Congress was meeting to confirm Joe Biden's election victory.\n\nLawmakers were forced to take shelter, the building was put into lockdown and four people died in the chaos that followed a pro-Trump rally near the White House.\n\nHere's a breakdown of how events unfolded on Wednesday.\n\nJust before midday local time (17:00 GMT) thousands of people gather at the Ellipse, near the White House, to hear the president speak at a \"Save America\" rally.\n\nHe tells them: \"We're going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue... and we're going to the Capitol and we're going to try and give… our Republicans, the weak ones... the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.\"\n\nAs the speech ends, crowds start to drift towards the Congress building, about a mile and a half away, where they are met by police barriers.\n\nThe Capitol is home to the two chambers of the US government that make up Congress - the House of Representatives and the Senate.\n\nChanting crowds start to gather on both sides of the building at around 13:10, grappling with police at the metal barricades.\n\nTear gas and pepper spray are used to try to keep the protesters at bay.\n\nPolice officers struggle to maintain control of the situation as protesters advance on the building on multiple fronts.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police place US Capitol Building on lockdown after Trump supporters breached security lines\n\nOn the east side, the crowd force their way through barricades on the Capitol Plaza and move on the main entrance, quickly gaining access to the Great Rotunda.\n\nOnce inside, they head for the House and Senate chambers.\n\nIgor Bobic, a journalist for the Huffington Post, captures a group of men forcing a police officer to retreat up a set of stairs as they continue their advance.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Igor Bobic This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSenators are forced to abandon the process of confirming President-elect Biden's victory and the building goes into lockdown.\n\nThe doors of the House chamber are locked and a makeshift barricade is erected in front of them. Security officials guard the entrance, guns drawn.\n\nWithin an hour, protesters have also broken police lines on the west side of the Capitol, scaling walls to reach the building itself before smashing windows and forcing doors open.\n\nOther videos and images show rioters storming through the building's ornately-decorated corridors and chambers chanting \"USA!\" and \"Stop the steal\".\n\nShortly before 15:00, gunshots are reportedly heard inside the building.\n\nPhotos and video footage later show a female protester being shot as she tries to break through the barricaded doors of the Speakers' Lobby.\n\nDespite efforts by police and others at the scene to save her, she is later reported to have died.\n\nOn the other side of the building, protesters break into the Senate chamber, one taking seat in the Speaker's chair.\n\nAnother protester is photographed nearby sitting in Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, with his foot on the table.\n\nAfter growing condemnation of the riots, President Trump eventually calls for calm, telling the protesters to leave peacefully: \"Go home. We love you, you're very special.\"\n\nBy 17:40, the building is cleared and made secure ahead of the 18:00 curfew ordered by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.\n\nSeveral thousand National Guard troops, FBI agents and US Secret Service are deployed to help.\n\nMore than six hours after the storming of the building, senators return and resume the day's business of certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.\n\nAt 03:41 on Thursday, Congress confirms President-elect Joe Biden will succeed President Trump on 20 January.", "Vincent Kane - pictured with his grandson Sonny - is facing uncertainty about his operation\n\nThe son of a man with pancreatic cancer has said the last-minute cancellation of his surgery has been \"devastating\".\n\nJodie Kane said his father Vincent was due to have his operation on Friday.\n\nHowever, that procedure was cancelled by the Belfast Health Trust on Tuesday as the worsening coronavirus crisis increases the pressure on hospitals.\n\nThe trust apologised, saying it had faced an 80% rise in the number of patients with Covid-19 admitted to hospitals since Christmas Day.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, Jodie said that there was now \"no guarantee\" his 68-year-old father would get the treatment.\n\n\"To be told we had the chance of a very successful surgery on offer and then to have it taken away at the last minute is pretty devastating,\" he said.\n\n\"Even the surgeon himself said they would be concerned if it was to go on more than four weeks.\n\n\"There is an uncertainty hanging over us now that we don't know when he'll actually get that surgery or what the impact on his health is going to be.\"\n\nVincent Kane - pictured with his with wife Karen - has been suffering other health issues arising from his cancer\n\nVincent, from Newtownards, County Down, did not receive treatment for some of his other symptoms as it was planned that the surgery would help with those.\n\n\"Because they were hoping to get him straight into surgery he hasn't had the blockage in his gall bladder addressed so he's jaundiced, he's covered in a rash, can't sleep, he's lost a lot of weight,\" Jodie said.\n\n\"Undoubtedly there are people worse off than us out there but it is still a critical illness that he has got and it is one that we don't have an end in sight for, in terms of treatment.\n\n\"There must be a way of helping all those in need, or I suppose if you were being really honest about it those who stand the best chance of surviving - making the decisions for the benefit of them.\n\n\"There's no guarantee that in six weeks' time surgery is going to be an option because who knows what's going to happen with Covid?\"\n\nThe Belfast Health Trust said it had to reduce the number of ill patients on wards to protect them from coronavirus\n\nJodie called on those who were breaking Covid-19 regulations to think about the the \"direct and indirect impacts\" of their actions.\n\n\"We've every sympathy for anyone who has a loved one who needs [intensive] care because of Covid but cancer and Covid are both life-and-death situations.\n\n\"We can minimise the risks of one of them as a collective society just by taking the necessary precautions.\n\n\"It could be someone they love or their neighbour or someone in their community that's in the same situation as us in the very near future.\"\n\nFlo McClements, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December, found out on Tuesday that her surgery - scheduled for Thursday - had been cancelled by the Belfast Health Trust.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio Foyle, her son Gregg said the pressure was \"mounting day by day\" on the the 72-year-old from Ballymoney, County Antrim.\n\n\"She had waited all through Christmas for the date and due to the Covid-19 restrictions we as a family had stayed away from her,\" he added.\n\nFlo McClements' family wants to \"give her a hug\" after her operation was cancelled\n\n\"We left her on her own with my dad just to make sure she didn't catch Covid and risk the operation.\n\n\"When you get the date you like to think it's the next step to recovery but unfortunately that didn't happen.\"\n\nGregg said his mother was \"putting on a brave face\" but it was difficult for the family to not be with her in person during what was a difficult time.\n\n\"That's actually the hardest part that we can't go up and have a cup of tea with her or give her a hug to make her feel a bit better even for a few minutes.\"\n\nThe Belfast Health Trust said it \"would like to sincerely apologise\" to those affected by the postponement of surgeries.\n\nIt said the decision was taken to reduce the number of ill patients on wards that would be more at risk from the virus than others.\n\n\"This was an incredibly difficult decision to make and we did not take it without considering all the information available to us,\" said the trust.\n\n\"We do not underestimate the anxiety and distress this causes the patients and families affected and we deeply regret this.\n\nIt said it would do \"everything in our power\" to reschedule their operations \"as soon as possible\".", "The company offered to pay surgeries a £5,000 charitable donation \"or to the staff member directly\" in emails\n\nThe Hacking Trust's medical division approached surgeries in Bristol and Worthing offering to pay the money to charity \"or the staff member directly\".\n\nRobyn Clark, from the Institute of General Practice Management, said it was \"just appalling\".\n\nThe company, based in London, has apologised, saying its \"good intentions\" were \"misinterpreted\".\n\nNHS England said people \"will rightly take a dim view of anyone who tries to jump the queue\".\n\n\"The NHS is free at the point of access for everyone who needs it,\" said Mrs Clark.\n\n\"What we felt this company was trying to do was jump the queue.\"\n\nThe Bristol-based manager said she worried it could \"create more health inequality\".\n\nShe said: \"The JCVI [Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation] is trying to prioritise the vaccine based on the vulnerability to Covid.\"\n\nThe e-mail sent to the GP surgery in Worthing said The Hacking Trust was aware that \"many appointments\" for vaccinations are not kept, and that it would be interested in being informed of \"any no-shows\".\n\nA donation of £5,000 would be paid to a staff member or given to charity for each dose it could secure, the e-mail said.\n\nIn a statement, the Battersea-based company said it \"offered charitable donations to staff or surgeries in this difficult time for any vaccines which were unused\".\n\nIt added: \"We had heard that some vaccines were being unused due to missed appointments. We would apologise that our good intentions have been misinterpreted.\"\n\nNHS England said it knew \"these particular emails were received across the country\".\n\nDr Nikki Kanani, GP and NHS medical director for primary care, said hundreds of NHS teams across the country were \"working hard to deliver vaccines quickly to those who would benefit most\".\n\n\"NHS staff will never ask for, or accept, cash for vaccines,\" she said.\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said vaccinations were available from the NHS \"for free\" and \"cannot be sold privately in the UK\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA nurse felt \"overwhelming fear\" as 13 ambulances queued at her hospital's A&E department - in the Welsh region currently hardest hit by Covid deaths.\n\nTo date Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, which runs Royal Glamorgan Hospital, has reported 1,091 deaths of patients with coronavirus.\n\nBBC Wales was granted access to A&E at the hospital in Rhondda Cynon Taf.\n\nSenior doctor Amanda Farrow said the whole hospital had faced \"unrelenting\" pressure last Saturday.\n\nSarah Fogarasy was the senior nurse on duty as 13 ambulances queued up outside her A&E department\n\nSenior A&E nurse Sarah Fogarasy, who was on shift as the ambulances arrived, said there was no capacity at the unit - a situation that left her wanting \"to leave\".\n\n\"We had to escalate it to our site manager and deputy head of nursing who were liaising with the executive team on call,\" she said.\n\n\"And then it got to 13 patients outside - I had no capacity in this unit, no resuscitation capacity, no capacity to put a patient on CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] should they require that and no physical areas to put a patient in.\n\nOn Saturday, 13 ambulances queued outside the hospital's A&E department\n\nShe said she found it hard to keep going.\n\n\"This bit makes me quite emotional… for the first time I was sat trying to coordinate this department and I had that overwhelming fear that I just wanted to leave,\" Ms Fogarasy continued.\n\n\"I was just - 'I'm done. I'm done with this'... and it's scary, it fills you full of fear when you have got 13 ambulances outside, queuing around the carpark. Where do you go from that?\"\n\nShe said it was the team that kept her going: \"I started looking around to all the staff working tirelessly and just trying to remember what we're here for and why I became a nurse.\n\n\"I know it sounds soppy but it's literally the humanitarian effort that has gone into [fighting] this pandemic that has kept people going.\n\n\"It's the sheer determination and guts of the staff working in these times that is so powerful, that keeps the shift going.\"\n\nEmergency Medicine Consultant Amanda Farrow said it was a \"very emotional time for everyone\"\n\nDr Farrow, emergency medicine consultant, said staffing and bed numbers were of particular concern.\n\n\"In the emergency department the challenge we have is with regards to flow, so that is our daily challenge,\" she explained.\n\n\"And we say it's like playing a game of Tetris trying to work out which patient you can put where.\"\n\nStaff reported feeling overwhelmed as they work through the second Covid wave\n\nShe said the second wave of the virus had also seen more staff off sick with Covid and isolating - with some becoming very ill.\n\n\"We've had staff in as patients and one of my colleagues - I saw them when they were critically ill and ended up going to intensive care,\" continued Dr Farrow.\n\n\"So it's very emotional time for everyone as well you know, looking after the sick patients and looking after your colleagues.\n\n\"There's a level of anxiety still around - will you be the next person to get this disease?\"\n\nShe said although fewer people were attending A&E, they were seeing more people arriving by ambulance and presenting with more complex needs.\n\n\"The group of patients we are seeing this time I think is different, we're definitely having more younger people with Covid that are becoming sick, the volume is very high in the community.\n\n\"I think people are afraid of come into the hospital as well, so there are still quite a lot of patients who leave it maybe a bit too late before they're seeking hospital attention.\"\n\nSpeaking from her intensive care bed, Helen Whatmore said she was extremely grateful to staff\n\nHelen Whatmore, 45, from Beddau, has been hospital since early December after developing Covid symptoms.\n\nSpeaking from her intensive care bed, she said she had been unwell in February so assumed she had already caught the virus.\n\n\"I honestly didn't believe it was as bad until I caught [Covid] this time,\" she said.\n\n\"This time it's absolutely knocked the socks off me. It's nearly killed me.\n\n\"A friend of mine passed away as I came into hospital and I came down very rapidly with Covid, kidney problems and pneumonia.\"\n\nShe said she was grateful for the care she had received: \"The nurses are coming in [working] all shifts, they're fighting for your loved ones, from the time they enter right until the time they leave, then they're changing over and doing the same again.\n\n\"People are passing away… how much more have they got to do? We're asking them to protect our children and our families. Why are we not protecting them ourselves? Saving our families and our own children.\"", "People in England are being told to act like they have got Covid as part of a government advertising campaign aimed at tackling the rise in infections.\n\nBoris Johnson said the public should \"stay at home\" and not get complacent.\n\nOn Friday 1,325 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test were recorded in the UK - the highest daily figure yet - along with 68,053 new cases.\n\nGovernment sources say there is likely to be more focus from police on enforcing rather than explaining rules.\n\n\"With over 1,000 people dying yesterday it's more important than ever everyone sticks to rules,\" a source told the BBC.\n\nAs cases and deaths soar, the government is releasing its advertising campaign, which will be shared across television, radio, newspapers and on social media.\n\nEngland's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, says in the advert: \"Vaccines give clear hope for the future, but for now we must all stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson says hospitals are \"under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic\", with infection rates increasing at an \"alarming rate\" across the country and the NHS under \"severe strain\".\n\nIt comes after London's mayor Sadiq Khan said the spread of coronavirus was \"out of control\" as he declared a \"major incident\" in the capital on Friday.\n\nSuch an incident is an emergency that requires the implementation of special arrangements by one or all of the emergency services, the NHS or the local authority.\n\nIt means the emergency services and hospitals cannot guarantee their normal level of response.\n\nWhile the government seeks to reinforce its \"stay at home\" message, some police forces have faced criticism for their approaches to tackling potential breaches of coronavirus restrictions.\n\nDerbyshire Police has said it will review fixed penalties issued during the new national lockdown after two women were ordered to pay £200 each after driving five miles from their home for a walk on Wednesday.\n\nSusan Michie, a professor of health psychology at University College London, said \"more support and enablement\" was needed for people to adhere to the regulations, for example support to help people self-isolate, rather than punishment.\n\nProf Michie, who sits on a subcommittee of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, also said the current restrictions were \"too lax\".\n\n\"When you look at the data, it shows that almost 90% of people are overwhelmingly adhering to the rules despite the fact that we're also seeing more people out and about,\" she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nHowever, she said in comparison to the first lockdown last spring the restrictions were less strict, with more people allowed to go out to work and children's nurseries open, meaning public transport is busier.\n\nThe number of people travelling by public transport in London has decreased since the latest national lockdown began, with tube journeys now at 18% pre-pandemic demand and bus journeys at 30%, according to figures from Transport for London.\n\nHowever, during the first lockdown passenger numbers fell below 10% at some points.\n\nProf Michie added that the winter season posed extra challenges because the virus survives longer in the cold and people spend more time indoors, where the virus can spread more easily.\n\nCombined with the more transmissible new variant, she said \"we should have a stricter rather than less strict lockdown than we had back in March\".\n\nDr Adam Kucharski, another scientist advising the government and an associate professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said that because the new variant was more transmissible \"each interaction we have has become riskier than it was before\".\n\n\"So even if we went back to that kind of last spring level of reduction in contacts we couldn't be confident that we would see the same effect that we saw last year because of this increased transmission,\" he said.\n\nEngland, much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland continue to be under strict national measures, with stay-at-home orders in place for most people.\n\nThere is considerable concern in government about the continued spread of the virus.\n\nNo 10 believes more needs to be done to emphasise how severe the current situation is - which is why we are getting some very stark warnings from the medical experts.\n\nMinisters continue to praise the public - but there is also more emphasis on people taking the rules seriously, as was the case last spring when the first lockdown was imposed.\n\nThe prime minister warns people against complacency, saying: \"Your compliance is now more vital than ever\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Staff at Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra Hospital are struggling to cope with an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients\n\nLatest figures from Public Health England reveal the coronavirus infection rate in London has exceeded 1,000 per 100,000 people.\n\nThe Office for National Statistics recently estimated as many as one in 30 Londoners has coronavirus.\n\nLondon councils have urged places of worship to close and the bishop of London Sarah Mullally said churches should \"consider the seriousness of the situation\" before holding in person services this weekend.\n\nDr Simon Walsh, an emergency care doctor in London, told BBC Breakfast all London hospitals had \"effectively been working in major incident mode for the last couple of weeks\".\n\n\"Most hospitals have expanded their intensive care capacity to somewhere in the region of three times their normal capacity. Obviously we don't have three times the number of staff so our staff are being spread more thinly,\" he said.\n\nHospitals in other parts of the UK are also under pressure.\n\nIn Wales, senior A&E nurse Sarah Fogarasy said she felt \"overwhelming fear\" as 13 ambulances queued at Royal Glamorgan Hospital last Saturday, with no capacity at the unit.\n\nAnd Dr Justin Varney, director of public health in Birmingham, said he was \"very worried\" about the situation in the city, where hospital bosses have warned they don't have enough intensive care nurses to deal with the growing case load.\n\nHe warned the NHS had still not seen the impact of the rise in cases following the relaxation of restrictions over Christmas \"so it is going to get a lot, lot worse unless we really get this under control\".", "Marks & Spencer has temporarily stopped selling hundreds of items in its Northern Ireland stores due to Brexit red tape.\n\nThe retailer said it feared its food would be blocked due to new rules governing shipments between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.\n\nA growing number of firms have spoken out about paperwork delays at ports.\n\nThe government said traders and hauliers need to take steps to comply with new border rules.\n\nM&S took the decision to temporarily drop hundreds of products, including chocolate fudge pudding and sweet and sour chicken, from its Northern Ireland stores after it saw competitors' lorries barred from travelling between the mainland and Northern Ireland.\n\nAn entire consignment in a lorry can be held up if only one item in the truck doesn't have the correct customs forms filled out.\n\nThe retailer said it aimed to get the products back up for sale soon.\n\nAn M&S spokesperson said: \"We have served customers in Northern Ireland for over 50 years and our priority is to make sure we continue to deliver the same choice and great quality range that our loyal customers have always enjoyed.\n\n\"Stores have been receiving regular deliveries this week, however following the UK's recent departure from the EU, we are transitioning to new processes and we're working closely with our partners and suppliers to ensure customers can continue to enjoy a great range of products.\"\n\nIn addition to problems shipping goods internally in the UK, the new Brexit trade rules are creating problems for exporters and traders transporting goods to and from the EU, say firms.\n\nThe UK sealed a trade deal with the European Union (EU) on 24 December that was billed as preserving its zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the bloc's single market.\n\nBut in addition to red tape causing delays, major retailers that use the UK as a distribution hub for European business could face possible tariffs if they re-export goods to the EU.\n\nOn Friday, M&S chief executive Steve Rowe warned of more red tape and a rise in export costs to some countries.\n\n\"The best example I can give you of that is Percy Pig,\" he said,\n\n\"Percy Pig is actually manufactured in Germany. If it comes to the UK and we then send it to Ireland, in theory it would have some tax on it,\" he added.\n\nM&S said it was \"actively working to mitigate\" the effects of the \"rules of origin\" regulations, under which products are taxed differently depending on which country they come from.\n\nOther firms have also been hit by the confusion caused by new Brexit trading rules.\n\nParcels giant DPD has suspended some services, while seafood exporter John Ross said the chaos was like being \"thrown in the cold Atlantic without a lifejacket\".\n\nShane Brennan, chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, which represents chilled transport and storage companies, said the emerging problems had come despite the amount of cross-border traffic still being quite low.\n\n\"Trade flows are still only about 50% of what we would expect, but even at those levels we are seeing levels of confusion and delays,\" he told the BBC's Today programme. \"The feeling is we are building to quite a significant potential disruption.\"\n\nA government spokesman acknowledged that there had been \"some issues\", but said ministers had always been clear there would be some disruption at the end of the transition period.\n\nThe Cabinet Office said in a statement that the volume of border crossings had been low so far this year, but that it expected crossings to steadily increase to normal levels.\n\nThis brings the potential for \"significant disruption if traders and hauliers have not taken the necessary steps to comply with the new rules,\" the Cabinet Office said.\n\nOut of about 1,500 lorries per day trying to get from Great Britain to the EU in the new year, 700 have been turned away - mainly due to a lack of a negative Covid test for drivers, it said.\n\n\"We have always been clear there would be changes now that we are out of the customs union and single market, so full compliance with the new rules is vital to avoid disruption,\" said Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove.\n\nHowever, anger is growing among companies whose livelihoods depend on export trade.\n\nIn a letter on Friday to Business Secretary Alok Sharma, Scottish salmon producer John Ross Jr launched a stinging attack on the government's handling of the situation.\n\nThe firm's sales director, Victoria Leigh-Pearson, wrote that the company had in recent months \"had to endure the government issuing a barrage of useless information\" and an \"absence of factually correct information from all government agencies.\" It amounted, she said, to \"gross incompetence\".\n\nJohn Ross exports to 36 countries and has won the Queen's Award twice\n\nPart of the letter to Alok Sharma:\n\nAs I write, perishable goods that were dispatched from our facility five days ago, headed for France following a process that your department advised, have still not crossed the border. This usually takes only 24 hours because they are consolidated with the produce of other companies, which have not been able to follow the correct procedures due to a knowledge gap directly attributable to your department.\n\nEntire trucks are currently being rejected without explanation by the French customs authority. Our hauliers have now pulled their services as such a backlog has been created. Other hauliers are not taking on new customers. Today, we've even had confirmation that the IT systems of the UK and France are incompatible. After four years you only establish this now?\n\nYour so-called 'deal' is worthless if this situation is not fixed immediately, and unless you put in place measures to address the issues that continue to unfold on a daily basis. Moreover, as a seafood exporter, it feels as though our own government has thrown us into the cold Atlantic waters without a lifejacket.\n\nJohn Ross is not the only Scottish seafood exporter suffering. The industry says it has been hit by a \"perfect storm\" of Brexit disruption, which could sink a centuries-old industry.\n\n\"These businesses are not transporting toilet rolls or widgets. They are exporting the highest quality, perishable seafood which has a finite window to get to markets in peak condition,\" said Donna Fordyce, chief executive of Seafood Scotland.\n\n\"If the window closes, these consignments go to landfill.\"\n\nShe said the sector has already been weakened by Covid-19, the closure of the French border before Christmas as well as \"layer upon layer\" of problems associated with Brexit.\n\nThe group fears that without exports, the fishing fleet will have little reason to go out.\n\n\"In a very short time, we could see the destruction of a centuries-old market which contributes significantly to the Scottish economy,\" added Ms Fordyce.\n\nUK government Minister for Scotland David Duguid blamed Scottish leaders for the issues.\n\n\"The Scottish Government has persistently refused to accept the democratic vote to leave the EU, but that does not allow them to abdicate their responsibilities to Scottish businesses,\" he said.\n\n\"Over the past 18 months they have assured the fishing industry that the systems they were putting in place would be adequate. They clearly are not.\"\n\nParcel delivery service DPD UK said it had paused its European Road Service because of the '\"increased burden\" of customs paperwork for packages heading to the EU, including the Republic of Ireland.\n\nDPD said 20% of parcels had \"incorrect or incomplete data attached\", which meant they would have to be returned.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What Brexit means for Britons travelling, shopping, studying or owning properties in the EU.\n\nIn an email to its business customers, the company said that it had been a \"challenging few days\" for its international operation, and that it would \"pause and review\" its service. It plans to restart on 13 January.\n\n\"It has now become evident that we have an increased burden with the new, more complex processes, and additional customs data we require from you for your parcels destined to Europe\" the firm wrote.\n\nThe boss of one of Wales' largest hauliers said logistical problems have emerged at the Irish border too.\n\nAndrew Kinsella, managing director of Gwynedd Shipping, said his company has a backlog of 60 lorries waiting to be shipped to Dublin.\n\nHe said many hauliers are finding that their customers are not able to generate the special declarations that are needed to ultimately enable a lorry to get onto a ferry.\n\n\"Whilst you don't see queues at ports and terminals the reality is that these queues are developing elsewhere in our depot in Holyhead, in our depot in Deeside and in our depot in Newport in South Wales, and lots of hauliers have depots in the proximity of ports,\" he said.\n\n\"There are a lot of issues about demarcation about who is going to arrange the export declaration with the UK revenue authorities, who's going to arrange the import declaration, the hauliers then trying to arrange the import safety and security declaration to create an ENS number which helps you generate a PBN number so there has been a lot of everyone finding their feet\".\n\nCorrection 9th April 2021: An earlier version of this article included a photo showing queues of lorries at Dover Port. This photo was replaced in the hours after publication after it was established that it had been taken months earlier.", "The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have received Covid-19 vaccinations, Buckingham Palace has said.\n\nA royal source said the vaccinations were administered on Saturday by a household doctor at Windsor Castle.\n\nThe source added the Queen decided to let it be known she had the vaccination to prevent further speculation.\n\nThe Queen, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, are among around 1.5 million people in the UK to have had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine so far.\n\nPeople aged over 80 in the UK are among the high-priority groups who are being given the vaccine first.\n\nThe couple have been spending the lockdown in England at their Windsor Castle home after deciding to have a quiet Christmas at their Berkshire residence, instead of the traditional royal family gathering at Sandringham.\n\nLast month, the Queen appeared alongside several other senior members of the royal family for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.\n\nIn 2020 she went seven months - between March and October - without carrying out public engagements outside of a royal residence.\n\nDuring that time, her eldest child, Prince Charles, 72, contracted coronavirus and displayed mild symptoms.\n\nPalace sources also told the BBC that her grandson Prince William tested positive in April - although Kensington Palace refused to comment officially.\n\nThe Queen made a private pilgrimage to the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey in November\n\nThe Queen used her Christmas Day message to reassure anyone struggling without friends and family this year that they \"are not alone\".\n\nShe said the pandemic had \"brought us closer\" despite causing hardship, adding that the Royal Family has been \"inspired\" by people volunteering in their communities.\n\nOn Friday a third coronavirus vaccine - made by US company Moderna - was approved for use in the UK, joining the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines already approved by UK regulators.\n\nIt is not known which vaccine the Queen and Prince Philip have received.\n\nAll the approved vaccines require two doses to provide the best possible protection, with the second dose being given up to 12 weeks after the first.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has said the aim is to vaccinate 15 million people in the UK by mid-February, including care home residents and staff, frontline NHS staff, everyone over 70 and those who have been categorised as clinically extremely vulnerable.", "The Welsh Government is in discussions about bringing in \"more visible\" coronavirus regulations.\n\nStricter enforcement of coronavirus rules could return to supermarkets in Wales, Mark Drakeford has said.\n\nThe first minister said he had heard concerns from people \"expressing anxiety\" about a lack of \"visible protections\" in supermarkets.\n\nThe Welsh Government is now in talks with stores about social-distancing measures.\n\nMr Drakeford said he wanted to see stores policed as they were during the first lockdown.\n\nAmong the measures previously used was a strict limit of the numbers of people allowed in a store however Mr Drakeford said people were worried the rules \"don't appear to be there this time\".\n\n\"Given the fact the new variant is so much easier to catch... we are looking at supermarkets and other places where people leave their homes, to make sure they are organised in a way that keeps their staff and customers safe,\" he said.\n\nHe said previously sanitising arrangements had been \"very visible\", one-way markings were prominently displayed, regular reminders were announced to customers and staff were also posted at the front entrance of supermarkets\n\n\"That person was carefully controlling the numbers of people going in, to make sure that they were no more than a certain number of people in the store at any one time,\" he said.\n\n\"There was somebody directing people to the checkout, to make sure people weren't queuing next to each other over prolonged periods, and markings on the floor so people kept at a two-metre distance\".\n\nHowever the first minister said some of those measures are no longer as apparent to people.\n\n\"I want to make sure that those visible signs of the protections that are being offered to the public and the shop workers are in place again.\"\n\nFederation of Small Businesses Wales said has called for clarity on what support would be available and the possible new measures required of shops.\n\nPolicy Chair, Ben Francis, said: \"We've already asked to see more information on the technical data that informs the decisions that Welsh Government are making.\n\n\"It seems clear that businesses will require funding support for longer than was originally anticipated if they are to survive this troubling period.\n\n\"Welsh Government should urgently give clarity on what additional funding will be made available to support businesses beyond this next three week period to allow them to plan.\"", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "A further 1,325 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began.\n\nIt means there have been just short of 80,000 deaths by that measure - as another 68,053 new cases were recorded.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) said the number of deaths would \"continue to rise until we stop the spread\".\n\nIt comes as the government launches a new campaign in England urging people to \"act like you've got\" the virus.\n\nThe campaign, including an advert fronted by England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, is intended to remind the public Covid is spreading fast, with large numbers showing no symptoms.\n\nIn the advert, Prof Whitty says: \"Covid-19, especially the new variant, is spreading quickly across the country.\n\n\"This puts many people at risk of serious disease and is placing a lot of pressure on our NHS.\n\n\"Once more, we must all stay home. If it is essential to go out remember, wash your hands, cover your face indoors and keep your distance from others.\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said: \"Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic, and infection rates across the entire country continue to soar at an alarming rate.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care\n\nHospital leaders have warned of stretched staffing with 31,624 coronavirus patients in UK hospitals on Wednesday - 46% above the peak during the first wave last year.\n\nDr Ian Higginson, vice president of Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said the situation in London and south-east England was \"pretty dire\" and would get worse in the rest of the country before long.\n\n\"We're heading for some really dark times, I fear, in this phase of the pandemic,\" he said.\n\nRichard Mitchell, chief executive of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, said the increase in patients seen in London was now affecting his area in Nottinghamshire.\n\nHe said: \"Critical care is exceptionally busy and the colleagues who work here are tired, they're fatigued and they're worn out.\"\n\nMeanwhile, a third Covid vaccine received emergency approval for use in the UK with 17 million doses of the jab, made by US firm Moderna, pre-ordered by the UK.\n\nThe vaccine joins the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs in being approved, with close to 1.5 million people now vaccinated in the UK.\n\nDr William Welfare, Covid-19 response director at PHE, said: \"Each life lost to this virus is a tragedy, but sadly we can expect the death toll to continue to rise until we stop the spread.\n\n\"Approximately one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and could be spreading it without realising it.\n\n\"To protect our loved ones it is essential we all stay at home where possible. This will reduce new infections, ease the pressure on the NHS and save lives.\"\n\nLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan said the spread of Covid in the capital was now \"out of control\", as he declared a \"major incident\".\n\nThis means the emergency services and hospitals cannot guarantee their normal level of response, and allows special arrangements to be implemented.\n\nThe previous highest daily death toll - 1,224 - was recorded on 21 April 2020 during the UK's first lockdown. Daily deaths were in the single figures as recently as September.\n\nThe UK has recorded the fifth-highest number of deaths behind the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, according to Johns Hopkins University.\n\nWe are now seeing the record numbers of cases over the Christmas period translate into record numbers of deaths.\n\nAnd with new infections rising rapidly - more than 1.1 million people in England estimated to be infected with Covid-19 last week - these tragic numbers are set to continue for some time.\n\nAnd that is mainly because of the new variant form of the virus which is thought to be between 30-70% more transmissible.\n\nThe administration of the vaccines to at-risk groups should see a reduction in the numbers dying by the end of the month and the numbers having to go into hospital going down sometime after that.\n\nThat is the other way around from what you normally hear - but that it because a successful vaccine programme will initially remove those most likely to die from the path of the virus.\n\nFitter or younger people - who are less likely to die but could still end up occupying hospital beds - won't be getting their jabs for some time yet.\n\nThe advent of spring's better weather should also help cases to fall, but ministers will have to decide what level of risk - and deaths - society is prepared to tolerate.\n\nFriday saw 619,941 tests conducted in the 24 hours to 09:00 GMT - also a new record.\n\nEngland, much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland continue to be under strict national measures, with stay-at-home orders in place for most people.\n\nThe R number - the rate at which an infected person passes on the virus to someone else - is now estimated to be between 1.0 to 1.4, meaning the epidemic is growing between 0% and 6% per day.\n\nCovid infections rose by almost a third between Boxing Day and 3 January, reaching 70,000 new cases a day according to a major study.\n\nIn a different piece of research, an estimated 1.2 million people in total had Covid over a similar time period, the Office for National Statistics said.\n\nBoris Johnson pledged on Thursday to use England's lockdown to implement an \"unprecedented national effort\" to offer vaccination to those at the highest risk from Covid by 15 February.\n\nHe said the Army would be drafted in to use \"battle preparation techniques\" to achieve the goal, which could see up to 15 million people offered a vaccine by the middle of next month.\n\nIn another development, from next week all travellers to the UK will need to show a recent negative test result before they arrive.\n\nHave you been affected by the issues raised in this story? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Bernard Thomas was interviewed by BBC Wales at the time of the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster\n\nA survivor of the Aberfan disaster has died after contracting Covid-19.\n\nAs a nine-year-old Bernard Thomas was rescued from the rubble of Pantglas primary school after one of the biggest tragedies in Welsh history.\n\nA total of 144 people were killed in the disaster on 21 October, 1966, after thousands of tonnes of coal slurry slid from a tip. Of those 116 were primary school pupils.\n\nLater Bernard was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress.\n\nHe told S4C he \"still heard the sounds of children screaming.\"\n\nPaying tribute to Mr Thomas, 63, who died on Wednesday, his brother Andrew told BBC's Newyddion: \"Bernard was a real character and his death has come as a shock to us as a family and the community of Aberfan.\"\n\n\"We can't be sure where he caught Covid, but he had an eye appointment at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital on 21 December.\n\n\"A few days later, he became ill and at Prince Charles Hospital, he tested positive for Covid-19.\"\n\n\"Although he had been receiving oxygen through a mask, we spoke regularly on the phone and he told us he was getting better.\n\n\"But on Wednesday morning he removed his mask to eat his breakfast, and 10 minutes after eating he faded away.\"\n\n\"It's a huge shock but I don't blame anybody.\"\n\nOn the 50th anniversary of the disaster Bernard told the BBC: \"I still wonder what the others would have been doing if it hadn't happened. Who would have got married to who, you know.\"\n\nBernard is survived by his 90-year-old mother Gwen, with whom he shared a home, and brothers Andrew and Robert.", "Three people were found inside the gym in Stean Street in Hackney on Friday\n\nThe owners of a London gym have been fined for breaching Covid-19 rules by remaining open during lockdown.\n\nPolice were called to the fitness centre in Stean Street, Hackney, on Friday to reports of a regulation breach.\n\nThree people were found inside the gym at 09:30 GMT. The owners were given a £1,000 fixed penalty notice.\n\nIt comes as a \"major incident\" was declared as the spread of Covid-19 threatens to \"overwhelm\" its hospitals.\n\nCity Hall said Covid-19 cases in London had exceeded 1,000 per 100,000, while there are 35% more people in hospital with the virus than in the peak of the pandemic in April.\n\nNHS England figures published on Friday showed the number of Covid patients in London hospitals stands at 7,277, up 32% on the previous week.\n\nCh Insp Pete Shaw said: \"Whilst there are certain rules around people being allowed to exercise in public under this lockdown, nowhere in the legislation does it allow people to go to gyms to work out.\n\n\"Those found to be flouting the rules, as with this instance, should expect necessary enforcement action to be taken against them.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Jessica Allen (left) and Eliza Moore said their cars were \"surrounded\" by police\n\nTwo women who criticised a police force for its \"intimidating\" approach to lockdown fines have welcomed a review.\n\nJessica Allen and Eliza Moore were walking at a reservoir five miles from their home when they were stopped by officers and fined £200 each.\n\nDerbyshire Police insisted driving to exercise was \"not in the spirit\" of lockdown but later said new guidance meant it would look again at the issue.\n\nBoth women said they were pleased the force had decided to think again.\n\nDerbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa said an \"urgent review\" was under way about how fines had been issued.\n\nLongstanding guidance from the College of Policing says officers should follow the \"Four Es\" and only give fixed penalty notices as a last resort.\n\nJessica Allen and Eliza Moore said their cars were surrounded by police when they arrived\n\nMs Allen said: \"We are happy to hear that Derbyshire Police have been told to not be so heavy handed with fines and return to the Four Es they were originally doing.\n\n\"We are yet to hear anything regarding our fine but if we have managed to save somebody the worry of going for a walk and fearing they would be fined then we have done what we set out to do.\"\n\nMs Allen and Ms Moore drove separately from Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire the five miles to Foremark Reservoir on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nThey said their cars were \"surrounded\" by police, questioned on why they were there and told the hot drinks they had brought along were not allowed as they were \"classed as a picnic\".\n\nMs Allen said the experience was \"very intimidating\" and had left her feeling scared of police in general.\n\nInitially Derbyshire Police defended its actions, saying legislation said trips should be \"local\" and driving to a location to exercise \"is clearly not in the spirit of the national effort to reduce our travel, reduce the possible spread of the disease and reduce the number of deaths\".\n\nDerbyshire police also fined visitors to other beauty spots like Calke Abbey\n\nDerbyshire Police has also been giving fixed penalty notices to people who visit beauty spots at Calke Abbey and Elvaston Castle.\n\nBut later, the force said new guidance from the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) had \"clarified the policing response concerning travel and exercise\".\n\nThe guidance said: \"The Covid regulations which officers enforce and which enables them to issue FPNs [fixed penalty notices] for breaches, do not restrict the distance travelled for exercise.\"\n\nMr Dhindsa said: \"It would appear that the force has been a little over-zealous in its interpretation of the guidance.\n\n\"While the police can enforce the regulations, guidance is just that which can make this a very challenging and complex situation to police.\"\n\nThe chief constable of neighbouring Nottinghamshire, Craig Guildford, said: \"We are not out and about telling people they have gone too far from home. We trust the public to take these regulations seriously.\n\n\"Derbyshire to be fair to them have some unique places that people may want to go to from a load of counties.\n\n\"But our approach is around reasonableness. If someone has gone 50 miles, we will take action, if someone has gone a couple of miles we are very sensible.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Harley Watson's mother Jo described him as a \"kind, caring, selfless, intelligent and comical young man\"\n\nA man who killed a 12-year-old boy by driving into schoolchildren in a \"deliberate\" hit and run has been detained in a secure hospital.\n\nHarley Watson died after he was hit by a car outside Debden Park High School in Loughton, Essex, on 2 December 2019.\n\nTerence Glover, 52, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility at an earlier hearing.\n\nHe also admitted 10 counts of attempted murder and has been detained under the Mental Health Act indefinitely.\n\nAt the sentencing hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Harley's mother Jo described her son as a \"kind, caring, selfless, intelligent and comical young man\".\n\nHe was hit by Glover's Ford Ka as he left school with friends and died later in Whipps Cross University Hospital.\n\nTerence Glover has been sentenced indefinitely under the Mental Health Act\n\nChristine Agnew, prosecuting, said eye-witnesses saw Glover's car \"ploughing through and hitting children from behind\".\n\nShe said he \"deliberately mounted the pavement... and drove directly at a group of people, mostly children, intending to kill them\".\n\nGlover, previously of Newmans Lane, Loughton, also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of 23-year-old Raquel Jimeno and six boys and three girls aged between 12 and 16 who were outside the school.\n\nThe court heard he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and medical experts agreed his \"significant\" mental illness \"provided an explanation for his conduct\".\n\nHe was given a hospital order under the Mental Health Act 1983, meaning if his illness was treated successfully, he would be transferred to prison.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Harley Watson's classmates paid tribute to him in 2019\n\nJudge Andrew Edis said if transferred, Glover must serve a life sentence with a minimum of 15 years.\n\nIn his sentencing statement, Judge Edis noted his history of mental illness and cocaine use, but said Glover's actions were \"appalling\".\n\n\"He caused the death of a much-loved and admired 12-year-old boy who had done no harm to anyone,\" he said.\n\nHe added that Glover's behaviour \"requires punishment as well as treatment\" and there was \"no doubt that this defendant is dangerous\".\n\nHe also ordered that Glover be banned from driving for life and that the car should be destroyed.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "9 January A Boeing 737, operated by Sriwijaya Air, crashes into the Java Sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta. All 62 people on board are killed, including seven children and three babies. Officials say a problem with the aircraft's autothrottle had been reported a few days before the crash.\n\n22 May An Airbus A320 carrying 91 passengers and eight members of crew crashes in a residential area of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, killing more than 90 people. At least two passengers survive the crash.\n\nFlight PK8303 crashed just short of the perimeter at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport\n\n8 January Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 crashes shortly after taking off from the Iranian capital Tehran, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board. The incident took place amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran, and the Iranian government eventually admitted it had downed the plane \"unintentionally\".\n\n10 March An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crashes six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa. All 157 people onboard are killed. The victims come from more than 30 countries.\n\n29 October A Boeing 737 Max, operated by Lion Air, crashes into the Java Sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia. All 189 passengers and crew are killed, and a volunteer diver dies in the subsequent recovery operation. Investigators said the plane - which had had technical problems on previous flights - should have been grounded.\n\n18 May A Boeing 737 passenger plane crashes shortly after take-off from Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, killing 112 people. One passenger survives.\n\n11 April A military plane crashes shortly after take-off near the Algerian capital Algiers, killing all 257 people on board, including 10 crew members. Most of the dead are soldiers and their families.\n\n12 March A plane carrying 71 passengers and crew crashes on landing at Kathmandu airport. More than 50 people are killed when the Bombardier Dash 8 turboprop comes down.\n\n18 February A passenger plane crashes into the Zagros mountains in Iran killing all 66 people on board. The Aseman Airlines ATR turboprop crashes about an hour after taking off in the capital, Tehran, heading for the south-western city of Yasuj.\n\n11 February A Russian passenger plane crashes minutes after leaving Moscow's Domodedovo airport with 71 people on board. The Antonov An-148 belonging to Saratov Airlines was en route to the city of Orsk in the Ural mountains when it crashed near the village of Argunovo, about 80km (50 miles) south-east of Moscow.\n\nThere were no passenger jet crashes in 2017 - the safest year in the history of commercial airlines.\n\n25 December A Russian military Tu-154 jet airliner crashes in the Black Sea, with the loss of all 92 passengers and crew. The plane came down soon after take-off from an airport near the city of Sochi. It was carrying artistes due to give a concert for Russian troops in Syria, along with journalists and military.\n\nBereaved residents of the Black Sea resort of Sochi must now come to terms with the latest air disaster\n\n7 December All 48 people on board a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane were killed when it crashed in the north of the country. The national airline - accused of safety failures in the past - insisted this time that strict checks on Flight PK-661 from Chitral to Islamabad left \"no room for any technical error\".\n\nAll 48 people on board the Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when it crashed in the north of the country on 7 December\n\n28 November The plane carrying the football team of the Brazilian club Chapecoense runs out of fuel and crashes near Medellin, Colombia, killing 71 people, including most of the players and management. Three players were among the six survivors, while nine did not travel.\n\n19 May French President Francois Hollande confirms that an EgyptAir flight reported missing between Paris and Cairo has crashed, with 66 people on board.\n\n19 March A FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 crashes in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, killing all 62 people on board.\n\n31 October An Airbus A321, operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia, crashes over central Sinai some 22 minutes after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board. The Islamic State group's local affiliate later says it brought down the plane in response to Russian intervention in Syria.\n\n30 June Indonesian Hercules C-130 military transport plane crashes into a residential area of Medan. The army says all 122 people on board died, along with at least 19 on the ground.\n\n24 March: Germanwings Airbus A320 airliner crashes in the French Alps near Digne, on a flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf. All 148 people on board were feared dead.\n\n28 December: AirAsia QZ8501 flying from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore goes missing over the Java sea. The pilot radioed for permission to divert around bad weather but no mayday alert was issued. There were 162 passengers and crew on board.\n\n24 July: Air Algerie AH5017 disappears over Mali amid poor weather near the border with Burkina Faso. The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 was operated by Spain's Swiftair, and was heading from Ouagadougou to Algiers carrying 116 passengers - 51 of them French. All are thought to have died.\n\n23 July: Forty-eight people die when a Taiwanese ATR-72 plane crashes into stormy seas during a short flight. TransAsia Airways GE222 was carrying 54 passengers and four crew to the island of Penghu. It made an abortive attempt to land before crashing on a second attempt.\n\nMalaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was believed to have been shot down over conflict-hit Ukraine\n\n17 July: Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashes near Grabove in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board, 193 of them Dutch. Pro-Russian rebels are widely accused of shooting the plane down using a surface-to-air missile - they deny responsibility.\n\n8 March: The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing leads to the largest and most expensive search in aviation history. Despite vast effort, notably in the hostile South Indian Ocean, nothing was found until July 2015, when an aircraft wing part washed up on Reunion Island. French officials confirmed the debris was from MH370.\n\n11 February: A military transport plane - a Hercules C-130 - carrying 78 people crashes in a mountainous part of north-eastern Algeria. Reports suggest there is one survivor from among the military personnel, family members and crew.\n\n17 November: Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 crashes on landing in Kazan, Russia, killing all 50 people on board.\n\n16 October: Forty-nine people, including foreigners from some 10 countries as well as Laotian nationals, die when a Lao Airlines ATR 72-600 plunges into the Mekong River as it came in to land.\n\n3 June: A Dana Air passenger plane with about 150 people on board crashes in a densely populated area of Nigeria's largest city, Lagos.\n\n20 April: A Bhoja Air Boeing 737 crashes on its approach to the main airport in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, killing all 121 passengers and six crew.\n\n26 July: Some 78 people are killed when a Moroccan military C-130 Hercules crashes into a mountain near Guelmim in Morocco. Officials blamed bad weather.\n\nThe pilot of the IranAir Boeing 727 which crashed near the north-western city of Orumiyeh reported a technical failure before trying to land\n\n8 July: A Hewa Bora Airways plane crash-lands in bad weather in Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 74 of the 118 people on board.\n\n9 January: An IranAir Boeing 727 breaks into pieces near the city of Orumiyeh, killing 77 of the 100 people on board. The pilots had reported a technical failure before trying to land.\n\n5 November: An Aerocaribbean passenger turboprop crashes in mountains in central Cuba, killing all 68 people on board.\n\n28 July: A Pakistani plane on an Airblue domestic flight from Karachi crashes into a hillside while trying to land at Islamabad airport, killing all 152 people on board.\n\n22 May: An Air India Express Boeing 737 overshot a hilltop airport in Mangalore, southern India, and crashed into a valley, bursting into flames and killing 158.\n\n12 May: An Afriqiyah Airways Airbus 330 crashes while trying to land near Tripoli airport in Libya, killing more than 100 people.\n\n10 April: A Tupolev 154 plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashes near the Russian airport of Smolensk, killing more than 90 people on board.\n\n25 January: Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet crashes into the sea with 89 people on board shortly after take-off from Beirut.\n\n15 July: A Caspian Airlines Tupolev plane crashes in the north of Iran en route to Armenia. All 168 passengers and crew are reported dead.\n\n30 June: A Yemeni passenger plane, an Airbus 310, crashes in the Indian Ocean near the Comoros archipelago. Only one of the 153 people on board survives.\n\n1 June: An Air France Airbus 330 travelling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashes into the Atlantic with 228 people on board. Search teams later recover some 50 bodies in the ocean.\n\nAll 168 passengers and crew were reported dead when a Caspian Airlines Tupolev plane crashed in the north of Iran en route to Armenia\n\n20 May: An Indonesian army C-130 Hercules transport plane crashes into a village on eastern Java, killing at least 97 people.\n\n12 February: A passenger plane crashes into a house in Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground.\n\n14 September: A Boeing-737 crashes on landing near the central Russian city of Perm, killing all 88 passengers and crew members on board.\n\n20 August: A Spanair plane veers off the runway on take-off at Madrid's Barajas airport, killing 154 people and injuring 18.\n\n30 November: All 56 people on board an Atlasjet flight are killed when it crashes near the town of Keciborlu in the mountainous Isparta province, about 12km (7.5 miles) from Isparta airport.\n\n16 September: At least 87 people are killed after a One-Two-Go plane crashed on landing in bad weather at the Thai resort of Phuket.\n\n17 July: A TAM Airlines jet crashes on landing at Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo, in Brazil's worst-ever air disaster. A total of 199 people are killed - all 186 on board and 13 on the ground.\n\n5 May: A Kenya Airways Boeing 737-800 crashes in swampland in southern Cameroon, killing all 114 on board. The official inquiry is yet to report on the cause of the disaster.\n\n1 January: An Adam Air Boeing 737-400 carrying 102 passengers and crew comes down in mountains on Sulawesi Island on a domestic Indonesian flight. All on board are presumed dead.\n\n29 September: A Boeing 737 carrying 154 passengers and crew crashed into the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, killing all on board, after colliding with a private jet in mid-air.\n\n22 August: A Russian Tupolev-154 passenger plane with 170 people on board crashes north of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine.\n\n9 July: A Russian S7 Airbus A-310 skids off the runway during landing at Irkutsk airport in Siberia. A total of 124 people on board die, but more than 50 survive the crash.\n\n3 May: An Armavia Airbus A-320 crashes into the Black Sea near Sochi, killing all 113 people on board.\n\n10 December: A Sosoliso Airlines DC-9 crashes in the southern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt, killing 103 people on board.\n\n6 December: A C-130 military transport plane crashes on the outskirts of the Iranian capital Tehran, killing 110 people, including some on the ground.\n\nA mass funeral was held for those who died when a Mandala Airlines plane with 112 passengers and five crew on board crashed after take-off in the Indonesian city of Medan\n\n22 October: A Bellview airlines Boeing 737 carrying 117 people on board crashes soon after take-off from the Nigerian city of Lagos, killing everyone on board.\n\n5 September: A Mandala Airlines plane with 112 passengers and five crew on board crashes after take-off in the Indonesian city of Medan, killing almost all on board and dozens on the ground.\n\n16 August: A Colombian plane operated by West Caribbean Airways crashes in a remote region of Venezuela, killing all 160 people on board. The airliner, heading from Panama to Martinique, was packed with residents of the Caribbean island.\n\n14 August: A Helios Airways flight from Cyprus to Athens with 121 people on board crashes north of the Greek capital Athens, apparently after a drop in cabin pressure.\n\n16 July: An Equatair plane crashes soon after take-off from Equatorial Guinea's island capital, Malabo, west of the mainland, killing all 60 people on board.\n\n3 February: The wreckage of Kam Air Boeing 737 flight is located in high mountains near the Afghan capital Kabul, two days after the plane vanished from radar screens in heavy snowstorms. All 104 people on board are feared dead.\n\n21 November: A passenger plane crashes into a frozen lake near the city of Baotou in the Inner Mongolia region of northern China, killing all 53 on board and two on the ground, officials say.\n\n3 January: An Egyptian charter plane belonging to Flash Airlines crashes into the Red Sea, killing all 141 people on board. Most of the passengers are thought to be French tourists.\n\n25 December: A Boeing 727 crashes soon after take-off from the West African state of Benin, killing at least 135 people en route to Lebanon.\n\n8 July: A Boeing 737 crashes in Sudan shortly after take-off, killing 115 people on board. Only one passenger, a small child survived.\n\nThe Benin air crash happened when a Boeing 727 dropped out of the sky soon after take-off, killing at least 135 people travelling to Lebanon\n\n26 May: A Ukrainian Yak-42 crashes near the Black Sea resort of Trabzon in north-west Turkey, killing all 74 people on board - most of them Spanish peacekeepers returning home from Afghanistan.\n\n8 May: As many as 170 people are reported dead in DR Congo after the rear ramp of an old Soviet plane, an Ilyushin 76 cargo plane, apparently falls off, sucking them out.\n\n6 March: An Algerian Boeing 737 crashes after taking off from the remote Tamanrasset airport, leaving up to 102 people dead.\n\n19 February: An Iranian military transport aircraft carrying 276 people crashes in the south of the country, killing all on board.\n\n8 January: A Turkish Airlines plane with 76 passengers and crew on board crashes while coming in to land at Diyarbakir.\n\n23 December: An Antonov 140 commuter plane carrying aerospace experts crashes in central Iran, killing all 46 people aboard. The delegation had been due to review an Iranian version of the same plane built under licence.\n\n27 July: A fighter jet crashes into a crowd of spectators in the west Ukrainian town of Lviv, killing 77 people, in what is the world's worst air show disaster.\n\n1 July: Seventy-one people, many of them children die when a Russian Tupolev 154 aircraft on a school trip to Spain collides with a Boeing 757 transport plane over southern Germany.\n\n25 May: A Boeing 747 belonging to Taiwan's national carrier - China Airlines - crashes into the sea near the Taiwanese island of Penghu, with 225 passengers and crew on board.\n\n7 May: China Northern Airlines plane carrying 112 people crashes into the sea near Dalian in north-east China.\n\n7 May: On the same day, an EgyptAir Boeing 735 crash lands near Tunis with 55 passengers and up to 10 crew on board. Most people survive.\n\n4 May: A BAC1-11-500 plane operated by EAS Airlines crashes in the Nigerian city of Kano, killing 148 people - half of them on the ground.\n\n15 April: Air China flight 129 crashes on its approach to Pusan, South Korea, with over 160 passengers and crew on board.\n\n12 February: A Tupolev 154 operated by Iran Air crashes in mountains in the west of Iran, killing all 117 on board.\n\n29 January: A Boeing 727 from the Ecuadorean TAME airline crashes in mountains in Colombia, killing 92 people.\n\n12 November: An American Airlines A-300 bound for the Dominican Republic crashes after takeoff in a residential area of the borough of Queens, New York, killing all 260 people on board and at least five people on the ground.\n\n8 October: A Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) airliner collides with a small plane in heavy fog on the runway at Milan's Linate airport, killing 118 people.\n\nThe crashed American Airlines flight of November 2000 left much of the Rockaway neighbourhood of New York enveloped by smoke\n\n4 October: A Russian Sibir Airlines Tupolev 154,en route from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk in Siberia, explodes in mid-air and crashes into the Black Sea, killing 78 passengers and crew.\n\n3 July: A Russian Tupolev 154,en route from Yekaterinburg in the Ural mountains to the Russian port of Vladivostok, crashes near the Siberian city of Irkutsk, killing 133 passengers and 10 crew.\n\n30 October: A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 bound for Los Angeles crashes after take-off from Taipei airport in Taiwan, killing 78 of the 179 people on board.\n\n23 August: A Gulf Air Airbus crashes into the sea as it comes in to land in Bahrain, killing all 143 people on board.\n\n25 July: Air France Concorde en route for New York crashes into a hotel outside Paris shortly after takeoff, killing 113 people, including four on the ground.\n\nThe Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 heading for Los Angeles crashed soon after take-off from Taipei airport in Taiwan\n\n17 July: Alliance Air Boeing 737-200 crashes into houses attempting to land at Patna, India, killing 51 people on board and four on the ground.\n\n19 April: Air Philippines Boeing 737-200 from Manila to Davao crashes on approach to landing, killing all 131 people on board.\n\n31 January: Alaska Airlines MD-83 from Mexico to San Francisco plunges into ocean off southern California, killing all 88 people on board.\n\n30 January: Kenya Airways A-310 crashes into Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, en route for Lagos, Nigeria. All but 10 of the 179 people on board die.\n\n31 October: EgyptAir Boeing 767 crashes into Atlantic Ocean after taking off from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on flight to Cairo, Egypt, killing all 217 on board.\n\n24 February: China Southwest Airlines plane crashes in a field in China's coastal Zhejiang province after a mid-air explosion. All 61 people on board the Russian-built TU-154 flying from Chongqing to the south-eastern city of Wenzhou are killed.\n\n11 December: Thai Airways International A-310 crashes on a domestic flight during its third attempt to land at Surat Thani, Thailand, killing 101 people.\n\n2 September: Swissair MD-11 from New York to Geneva crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Canada killing all 229 people on board.\n\n16 February: Airbus A-300 owned by Taiwan's China Airlines crashes near Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek airport while trying to land in fog and rain after a flight from Bali, Indonesia. All 196 on board and seven people on ground are killed.\n\n2 February: Cebu Pacific Air DC-9 crashes into mountain in southern Philippines, killing all 104 people aboard.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section West Ham\n\nFootballers \"can get things wrong\" but must not be \"picked on\" despite several breaches of coronavirus guidelines, says West Ham manager David Moyes.\n\nHammers midfielder Manuel Lanzini was one of numerous Premier League players to attend a party over Christmas.\n\nMore than 60 games in England have been called off because of coronavirus outbreaks at clubs.\n\n\"We have to be careful that everybody isn't picking on football players,\" said Moyes.\n\n\"We will all know people who have broken the rules in their own way.\n\n\"The players have followed the protocols. Every day at the training ground they have to go through rituals just to get into the building. They know what their job is. Like most human beings at times, they can get things wrong.\"\n\nArgentina international Lanzini was reminded of his responsibilities by the club and later apologised for his actions on Twitter.\n\nOn Friday, he announced he would be donating to a local foodbank as he wanted \"something good\" to come of his actions.\n\nMoyes praised Lanzini for his \"really good gesture\" but does not want to see players treated unfairly.\n\n\"If you are going to take tough measures on players, then you might as well take on the government people as well who have broken the rules because it's certainly not just football players who have done it,\" he said.\n\n\"You have got to be careful. A lot of people are throwing stones in glass houses at the moment regarding this. We all know what the protocols are, we all know we have to be ever-vigilant and make sure we're doing the right things.\"\n\nThe Premier League has implemented stronger coronavirus protocols in light of a recent surge in cases, including reminding players and managers to avoid handshakes and high fives.\n\nCompliance officers will also apply more robust policies to reporting breaches of protocols and will be tasked with checking hotel stays, travel plans and behaviour in dressing rooms.\n\nThe number of staff attending training grounds will also be reduced, social distancing will be enforced more strictly and the use of canteens will be further limited.\n\nStricter matchday protocols include avoiding unnecessary contact at all times, and substitutes wearing face masks.\n\nIn a note sent to clubs, the Premier League has warned it may take disciplinary action if they fail to to ensure people who breach the rules are \"appropriately investigated and sanctioned\".", "Kevin Hughes was treated at Wrexham Maelor Hospital before he died with coronavirus\n\nA man has died with Covid-19 less than a month after the funeral of his mother, who also died with the virus.\n\nFlintshire councillor Kevin Hughes, 63, was being treated at Wrexham Maelor Hospital but died on Friday morning, the authority said.\n\nHe had previously spoken of his sadness at missing his mother's funeral last month after he tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nCouncil colleague Chris Dolphin said he was a \"big man with a big heart\".\n\nThe independent councillor, also a former policeman and journalist, sat with the Liberal Democrat group.\n\nHe said missing the funeral of his mother, June Margaret Hughes, was one of the \"darkest days\" of his life.\n\nGroup leader, Mr Dolphin, called him a \"friend, fellow councillor, above all, a good man. Not one to stand on the side-lines - a doer. A man of enthusiasm, who was in life to be really involved.\"\n\nCouncil chief executive, Colin Everett, said: \"Kevin was a wonderful person with a big heart. Kevin was one of the most thoughtful and generous people I have worked with in my long career.\n\n\"I will miss him so much as both a councillor and as a friend.\"\n\nThe politician (left) will be remembered by the council at a meeting on 26 January\n\nAuthority leader, Ian Roberts, called Mr Hughes a \"special person and friend who will be very sadly missed by all\".\n\nHe added: \"His contribution as a councillor has been considerable and he was highly respected by his community, members of the council and officers.\n\n\"He was an active local member and represented his community with integrity and in a positive and engaging way.\"\n\nMr Hughes will be remembered by the council at a meeting on 26 January.\n\nThe authority's chairwoman, Marion Bateman, said: \"Our sincere condolences go to his wife Sally, along with his family and friends, at this very sad time.\"", "Mike Pompeo said the US-Taiwan relationship should not be \"shackled\" (file photo)\n\nThe US is lifting long-standing restrictions on contacts between American and Taiwanese officials, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says.\n\nThe \"self-imposed restrictions\" were introduced decades ago to \"appease\" the mainland Chinese government, which lays claim to the island, the US state department said in a statement.\n\nThese rules are now \"null and void\".\n\nThe move is likely to anger China and increase tensions between Washington and Beijing.\n\nIt comes as the Trump administration enters its final days ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as president on 20 January.\n\nThe Biden transition team have said the president-elect is committed to maintaining the long-standing US policy towards Taiwan.\n\nAnalysts say they will be unhappy with such a policy decision being made in the final days of the Trump administration, but that the move could be reversed easily by Mr Pompeo's successor Antony Blinken.\n\nChina regards Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan's leaders argue that it is a sovereign state.\n\nRelations between the two are frayed and there is a constant threat of a violent flare up that could drag in the US, an ally of Taiwan.\n\nIn a statement on Saturday, Mr Pompeo said the US state department had introduced complicated restrictions limiting the communication between American diplomats and their Taiwanese counterparts.\n\n\"Today I am announcing that I am lifting all of these self-imposed restrictions,\" he said. \"Today's statement recognises that the US-Taiwan relationship need not, and should not, be shackled by self-imposed restrictions of our permanent bureaucracy.\"\n\nHe added that Taiwan was a vibrant democracy and a reliable US partner, and that the restrictions were no longer valid.\n\nFollowing the announcement, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu thanked Mr Pompeo, saying he was \"grateful\".\n\n\"The closer partnership between Taiwan and the US is firmly based on our shared values, common interests and unshakeable belief in freedom and democracy,\" he wrote in a tweet.\n\nLast August, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar became the highest-ranking US politician to hold meetings on the island for decades.\n\nIn response, China urged the US to respect what it calls its \"one China\" principle.\n\nThe US also sells arms to Taiwan, though it does not have a formal defence treaty with the country, as it does with Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nChina and Taiwan have had separate governments since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.\n\nBeijing has long tried to limit Taiwan's international activities and both have vied for influence in the Pacific region.\n\nTensions have increased in recent years and Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take the island back.\n\nAlthough Taiwan is officially recognised by only a handful of nations, its democratically-elected government has strong commercial and informal links with many countries.", "Lockdowns have worked before, but can we expect the new one to do the same?\n\nIt feels like we are back in March or April last year, when the strict controls on all our lives led to a fairly quick decline in levels of coronavirus.\n\nBut one of the crucial differences this time is the new variant, which is thought to spread between 50 and 70% faster than previous forms of the virus.\n\nExperts warn there are now no guarantees that lockdown will be enough to bring the variant under control.\n\n\"It still would not have been easy, but it would have been a much easier situation if it had not been for the new variant,\" Prof Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, told Inside Health.\n\n\"That really pushes the bounds of our ability to control the spread of the virus, even with measures that were previously relatively quite effective.\"\n\nThe coronavirus spreads when we come into contact with each other so moving classrooms online, telling people to stay at home and closing shops breaks many of those opportunities for human contact.\n\nIf we consider the R number - the average number of people each infected person passes the virus on to - it was about 3.0 in the run up to the first lockdown and anything above 1.0 means cases are climbing.\n\nR fell to 0.6 during the first lockdown.\n\nThen every 1,000 infected people passed the virus on to 600 others, who passed it on to 360 others and so on.\n\nBut if the new variant is 50% more transmissible then the R number, in the same lockdown conditions, would be about 0.9.\n\nThen 1,000 infected people would pass the virus onto 900 others, then 810 and so on.\n\nAs you can see this leads to far slower decline.\n\nAnd that assumes lockdown can get R down to 0.9 in areas where the new variant has become the most common form of the virus.\n\nIf, as some studies suggest, the variant is about 70% more transmissible then R may stay above 1.0 and cases may not fall at all.\n\n\"We'd at best flatten the curve, keep numbers at a roughly constant level, and that's frankly why there is so much emphasis on getting vaccine into people's arms as quickly as possible,\" said Prof Ferguson.\n\nIt is hard to lock down even harder as there are some parts of society - hospitals, supermarkets - that need to be kept open.\n\nWhat happens to the number of cases over the coming weeks will be closely monitored. If this lockdown is less effective then we will have to live with it for longer.\n\nThere have been some encouraging signs over the Christmas break, which was a bit like a lockdown due to school holidays and other restrictions.\n\n\"We are in a very difficult situation here, but my initial assessment of the last few days is that the rate is slowing which is good news,\" Prof John Edmunds, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the BBC.\n\nHe added: \"It looks likes those restrictions should be sufficient to stop the increase, whether they will be sufficient to bring cases down sufficiently we are yet to see.\"\n\nEventually the vaccine will give people immunity so we do not need the same controls on our lives.\n\nNow more than ever this is a race between the virus and the vaccine.", "Google has suspended \"free speech\" social network Parler from its Play Store over its failure to remove \"egregious content\".\n\nParler styles itself as \"unbiased\" social media and has proved popular with people banned from Twitter.\n\nBut Google said the app had failed to remove posts inciting violence.\n\nApple has also warned Parler it will remove the app from its App Store if it does not comply with its content-moderation requirements.\n\nOn Parler, the app's chief executive John Matze said: \"We won't cave to politically motivated companies and those authoritarians who hate free speech!\"\n\nLaunched in 2018, Parler has proved particularly popular among supporters of US President Donald Trump and right-wing conservatives. Such groups have frequently accused Twitter and Facebook of unfairly censoring their views.\n\nWhile Mr Trump himself is not a user, the platform already features several high-profile contributors following earlier bursts of growth in 2020.\n\nTexas Senator Ted Cruz boasts 4.9 million followers on the platform, while Fox News host Sean Hannity has about seven million.\n\nIt briefly became the most-downloaded app in the United States after the US election, following a clampdown on the spread of election misinformation by Twitter and Facebook.\n\nHowever, both Apple and Google have said the app fails to comply with content-moderation requirements.\n\nFor months, Parler has been one of the most popular social media platforms for right-wing users.\n\nAs major platforms began taking action against viral conspiracy theories, disinformation and the harassment of election workers and officials in the aftermath of the US presidential vote, the app became more popular with elements of the fringe far-right.\n\nThis turned the network into a right-wing echo chamber, almost entirely populated by users fixated on revealing examples of election fraud and posting messages in support of attempts to overturn the election outcome.\n\nIn the days preceding the Capitol riots, the tone of discussion on the app became significantly more violent, with some users openly discussing ways to stop the certification of Joe Biden's victory by Congress.\n\nUnsubstantiated allegations and defamatory claims against a number of senior US figures such as Chief Justice John Roberts and Vice-President Mike Pence were rife on the app.\n\nGoogle and Apple say they are taking necessary action to ensure violent rhetoric is not promoted on their platforms.\n\nHowever, to those increasingly concerned about freedom of speech and expression on online platforms, it represents another example of draconian action by major tech companies which threatens internet freedom.\n\nThis is a debate which is certain to continue beyond the Trump presidency.\n\nIn a statement, Google confirmed it had suspended Parler from its Play Store, saying: \"Our longstanding policies require that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence.\n\n\"In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app's listings from the Play Store until it addresses these issues.\"\n\nApple has warned Parler it will be removed from the App Store on Saturday in a letter published by Buzzfeed News.\n\nIt said it had seen \"accusations that the Parler app was used to plan, coordinate, and facilitate\" the attacks on the US Capitol on 6 January.\n\nMr Matze said Parler had \"no way to organise anything\" and pointed out that Facebook groups and events had been used to organise action.\n\nBut Apple said: \"Our investigation has found that Parler is not effectively moderating and removing content that encourages illegal activity and poses a serious risk to the health and safety of users in direct violation of your own terms of service.\"\n\n\"We won't distribute apps that present dangerous and harmful content.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Swedenborg This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn a related development, Google has kicked Steve Bannon's War Room podcast off YouTube, saying it had repeatedly violated the platform's rules.\n\nThe ex-White House aide's channel had more than 300,000 subscribers.\n\nSteve Bannon served as President Trump's chief strategist for eight months in 2017\n\n\"In accordance with our strikes system, we have terminated Steve Bannon's channel 'War room' and one associated channel for repeatedly violating our Community Guidelines,\" Google said in a statement.\n\n\"Any channel posting new videos with misleading content that alleges widespread fraud or errors changed the outcome of the 2020 US Presidential election in violation of our policies will receive a strike, a penalty which temporarily restricts uploading or live-streaming. Channels that receive three strikes in the same 90-day period will be permanently removed from YouTube.\"\n\nThe action was taken shortly after the channel posted an interview with Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, in which he blamed the Democrats for the rioting on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.\n\nOne anti-misinformation group said the action was long overdue after \"months of Steve Bannon calling for revolution and violence\".\n\n\"The truth is YouTube should have taken down Steve Bannon's account a long time ago and they shouldn't rely on the labour of extremism researchers to moderate the content on their platform,\" said Madeline Peltz, Senior Researcher at Media Matters for America.", "A 78-year-old French woman received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in France\n\nA global race is on to vaccinate people against Covid-19 - and with infections soaring in Europe many have complained that the roll-out is too slow in the EU.\n\nMember states decide individually who to vaccinate, when and where, but the EU is coordinating strategy and buying vaccines in bulk. On Friday, the EU Commission agreed to buy an extra 300 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - that would give the EU nearly half of the firm's global output for 2021.\n\nBBC reporters in seven European capitals explain how the vaccinations are going on their patch.\n\nIn an election year, the vaccine has become a political battleground, writes Jenny Hill, in Berlin.\n\nThe fact it was German scientists who developed the first effective Covid vaccine has been the source of great national pride. And, by and large, Germans appear to be reasonably comfortable with the idea of immunisation.\n\nA recent survey found 65% were prepared to have the vaccine. Other research indicates that less than a quarter of those surveyed would not. But politically - and perhaps unsurprisingly, given this is an election year - Germany's vaccination programme has become a battleground.\n\nVaccinations began here just under two weeks ago and prioritise the over 80s and care home workers. By Thursday evening, more than 477,000 first doses had been administered.\n\nGermany's share of the EU order amounts to 56 million doses. So far, 1.3 million doses have been delivered.\n\nBut some of the hundreds of specially prepared vaccination centres are still not in use and even the government has admitted there simply isn't enough to go around. Angela Merkel and her health minister Jens Spahn have been accused of failing to secure enough doses.\n\nMuch of the criticism has come from Mrs Merkel's own coalition partners but some within the scientific community have echoed their concerns - that Germany put European interests above its own by insisting on a joint EU procurement process. The scientists who developed the vaccine have said publicly that the EU originally turned down an offer for a further order.\n\nGermany's share of the EU order amounts to 56 million doses. So far, 1.3 million doses have been delivered and it's thought that by the end of the month a further 2.68 million will have followed.\n\nMr Spahn, whose assured performance through the pandemic led some to wonder whether he might be a potential successor to Mrs Merkel, has blamed the shortage on the inability of the manufacturers of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to meet global demand.\n\nGermany has now ordered an extra 30 million doses and, following the recent European approval of the Moderna vaccine, expects to start rolling that out next week. The government is sticking to its pledge that the vaccination programme will be complete by the end of the summer.\n\nThe Czech prime minister has hit out at apparent delays in distributing the vaccine, writes Rob Cameron, in Prague.\n\nThe Czech vaccination effort began on 27 December, when the prime minister, Andrej Babis, became the first person in the country to receive the jab. Mr Babis, who is 66, had previously questioned whether he would be eligible, as he'd had his spleen removed as a teenager.\n\nBut the country's programme has got off to a sluggish start. Mr Babis - a billionaire businessman who has been dogged by both European and Czech investigations into alleged misuse of EU funds - has lost no time venting his (figurative) spleen at the European Commission over the delay. \"We believed when we contributed €12m to the European fund in November that we'd receive the vaccine,\" he told a newspaper this week.\n\nThe health minister conceded this week that immunising the higher-risk groups will take months.\n\nThe country has received 30,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. So far, it has managed to administer it to 19,918 people. The government says it is ready to roll out the jab en masse as soon as supplies arrive from the manufacturers.\n\nIt has also published a strategy, which envisages a three-stage process. The first will see targeted vaccination of high-risk groups. This will gradually give way to mass vaccination in 31 centres, using an online reservation system that will be open to all from 1 February. And the final stage will see the country's GPs deployed, hopefully to administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca and other jabs, which unlike the previous two can be stored and transported at fridge temperature.\n\nHowever, the timing in the original strategy document now appears optimistic. The health minister conceded this week that immunising the higher-risk groups - all health and social care staff, teachers, everyone over 65, all those with serious health conditions - will take months. GPs may not begin vaccinating young, healthy members of society until late spring, or summer.\n\nA sluggish start is being blamed on bureaucracy and vaccine scepticism, writes Hugh Schofield, in Paris.\n\nFrance's boast of a big, effective state apparatus has been badly exposed by the sluggish start to the Covid vaccination programme. After the first week, when neighbouring Germany had inoculated around 250,000 people, France was on a mere 530. By Friday, the figure had gone up to 45,500 - still so small as to be statistically meaningless.\n\nSo why has it taken so long for France to put the plan into action? It is not as if the authorities did not have time to prepare. And it is certainly not a question of a lack of vaccine. In fact, more than a million Pfizer doses are already in cold storage, waiting to be used.\n\nPolls suggest as many as 58% of the public do not want to be given the jab.\n\nThe primary reason for the delay seems to be the cumbersome, over-centralised nature of France's health bureaucracy. A 45-page dossier of instructions issued by the ministry in Paris had to be read and understood by staff at old people's homes.\n\nEach recipient then had to give informed consent in a consultation with a doctor, held no less than five days before injection. The lengthy procedure is in theory to save lives - those of patients who might have an adverse reaction. But as the critics have been arguing, delay in inoculating the population is also costing lives.\n\nAnother problem in France is the high level of scepticism towards vaccination - product of a more general suspicion of government. Polls suggest as many as 58% of the public do not want to be given the jab. The effect - critics say - has been to make the government unduly cautious. When urgency was required, the authorities were reluctant to move fast for fear of galvanising the anti-vaxxers.\n\nAfter President Emmanuel Macron communicated his anger at the delays at the weekend, the pace is picking up. The procedure for consent is being simplified. By the end of January, the plan is to have 500-600 vaccination centres open across the country - either in hospitals or other big public buildings.\n\nPolitically a lot is at stake. The government has already come under fire for failings in providing masks and tests. With opposition voices calling the vaccine delay a \"state scandal\", President Macron needs a roll-out that is fast and problem-free.\n\nNational pride accelerated Russia's rollout, but one man is conspicuously absent from the list of people vaccinated, writes Sarah Rainsford, in Moscow.\n\nRussia registered its main Covid vaccine for domestic use way back in August, before mass safety and efficacy trials had even begun. In December, with those trials still underway, it began rolling out Sputnik V to the public ahead of mass vaccination launches everywhere else in Europe. The rush was driven by national pride as well as medical necessity.\n\nSputnik was initially offered to front line health and education workers but early take-up of the two-dose vaccination was slow and the list of those eligible soon expanded.\n\nA poll by the Levada Centre in late December showed only 38% of respondents were willing to get the jab: wary of domestic healthcare and medicines, Russians were sceptical of bold early claims made for the vaccine and nervous about possible adverse reactions. Even so, and despite similar delays scaling-up production as in other countries, Sputnik's backers announced this week that more than a million people had been vaccinated.\n\nRussia began rolling out its Sputnik V vaccine in December\n\nBut one man still conspicuously absent from the list of the vaccinated is Vladimir Putin, despite the Kremlin saying he will - eventually - get the jab. In the meantime, those who meet him in person are obliged to test for Covid first and even quarantine. The president may need to lead by example, though. Mr Putin has said repeatedly that protecting the economy is his priority so he's banking on mass vaccination to avoid a return to national lockdown.\n\nRussia has built giant, temporary hospitals since the start of the pandemic and the health minister said this week that 25% of Covid beds remain free. There's also been a fall in the number of new daily cases reported - around 25,000 for the past 5 days. But that's not down to the vaccine yet. The country is nearing the end of a 10-day New Year holiday period and the number of Covid tests has also dropped.\n\nAs infection rates grow in a country praised by many for its no-lockdown approach, a successful vaccine programme is crucial writes Maddy Savage, in Stockholm.\n\nAlmost two weeks since 91-year-old care home resident Gun-Britt Johnsson became the first Swede to get the initial dose of a Pfizer jab, there is still no official tally of how many others have received the vaccination.\n\nThe Public Health Agency of Sweden says it's in the process of compiling data from the country's 21 regional health authorities tasked with vaccinating the entire adult population - around eight million people - by 26 June. The date isn't arbitrary, it's the biggest public holiday weekend of the year, when Swedes traditionally hold Midsummer celebrations. Karin Tegmark, a senior manager at the agency, says the date remains \"feasible\". But she says it depends on the delivery of vaccines to the country.\n\nAfter months of high trust levels in the country's no-lockdown approach, support for the health agency has dwindled.\n\nAlongside 4.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Sweden has ordered 3.6 million jabs from Moderna, the first of which are expected to arrive next week. The country also plans to roll-out the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as soon as possible after it is approved by the EU - ideally by February.\n\nSwedes initially appeared lukewarm to the idea of taking a speedily-developed coronavirus vaccine, although a poll at the end of December found 71% would take one. A key driver of the initial scepticism is thought to be the failure of a voluntary mass vaccination programme for swine flu in 2009. Hundreds of Swedish children and young adults under 30 developed the sleeping disorder narcolepsy, which was found to be a side effect of the Pandemrix vaccine.\n\nA successful vaccination programme will be crucial, not least because it comes at a time when Swedish authorities are struggling to maintain public confidence. After months of high trust levels in the country's no-lockdown approach, support for the health agency has dwindled as Sweden has struggled with the second wave of coronavirus.\n\nMeanwhile, several high profile officials have faced heavy criticism for breaching their own recommendations - including the head of the civil contingencies agency (pictured), who resigned after spending Christmas with his daughter in the Canary Islands.\n\nA new government in Belgium seems unified on the vaccine rollout - for now at least, writes Nick Beake, in Brussels.\n\nIt seemed fitting that the first person in Belgium to receive a Covid jab lives in the place where the world's first approved Covid vaccine is being produced. Jos Hermans, a 96-year-old from the municipality of Puurs, was given the injection on 28 December, in his care home. A further 700 elderly residents were also administered a dose in what was a small, initial trial.\n\nThe mass vaccination programme in Belgium began on 5 January, but has been criticised for starting slowly. Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke had promised in November that the rollout would be \"seamless and fast\", tweeting: \"If that does not work, shoot me.\"\n\nThe first phase looks to vaccinate up to 200,000 nursing home residents by the end of this month, or early February. Healthcare professionals will be next in line and the aim was for the whole population to be inoculated by the end of September.\n\nJos Hermans, a 96-year-old from Puurs, was given the injection on 28 December\n\nYou may think the country would be at an advantage being the epicentre of the Pfizer-BioNTech production. While this clearly helps with distribution, Belgium cannot receive more doses - relative to its population - than other EU countries under strict Commission rules. That didn't stop the minister-president of the Flanders region, who admitted this week that he had contacted Pfizer directly in the hope of procuring more doses, only to be rebuffed.\n\nAfter getting a guarantee from Pfizer over supply of the jab, the federal Belgian authorities have adapted their strategy: they now propose giving as many available doses to as many people as they can - and no longer reserving vials for patients' second dose, given three weeks after the first. In general, the federal government, rather than the European Commission has faced any criticism for a delay and has defended its \"careful\" approach.\n\nAnd there appears to be an interesting regional or cultural discrepancy when it comes to whether people are willing to take the vaccine. Of the Flemish population interviewed in a poll, half have said they wanted the vaccine as soon as possible. Among French speakers - it was 20% fewer, which chimes with the deeper scepticism over the border in France.\n\nIn a country where politics are notoriously complicated and fractious - they've only recently agreed a government, after a 500-day vacuum - the Federal Coalition appears unified on its Covid vaccine strategy. For now, at least.\n\nRegional variances and political rows have marked the beginning of Spain's vaccination programme writes Guy Hedgecoe, in Madrid.\n\nSpain started administering the vaccine on 27 December. So far, 743,925 doses have been distributed to regional administrations, with 277,976 people vaccinated, according to the health ministry. The objective of the coalition government is to immunise 2.3 million people within 12 weeks. Priority is being given to elderly residents of care homes, those who look after them, and healthcare personnel.\n\nEach of the country's 17 regions has a high degree of control over healthcare and should receive the number of doses that corresponds to their populations. However, already there has been substantial geographical disparity.\n\nGovernment data showed, for example, that while the northern region of Asturias had used 55% of the doses it had received by 3 January, the Madrid region had only administered 5% by the same date. Some regions are holding back doses to administer a second follow-up jab to the same person in several weeks' time, and some have been vaccinating on national holidays while others have not.\n\nThe pandemic has been the cause of constant political conflict, with the right-wing opposition accusing the leftist government of incompetence.\n\nAlthough vaccination is voluntary, the government has said it is making a register of those who do not wish to be inoculated. That initiative has generated controversy, although the government has insisted the register will merely seek to clarify why people refuse the vaccination.\n\nHowever, the pandemic has been the cause of constant political conflict, with the right-wing opposition accusing the leftist government of Pedro Sánchez of incompetence, lack of transparency and using coronavirus to accumulate power.\n\nThe arrival of a vaccine has not stopped the rancour. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the conservative Popular Party (PP) president of Galicia, warned the number of doses being distributed to each region was being dictated by \"political affiliations or parliamentary needs\", a claim the central government has rejected.", "Dozens of demonstrators were walking and chanting along Clapham High Street as police attempted to keep them contained to the area\n\nSixteen people have been arrested during an anti-lockdown protest in south London.\n\nPolice officers clashed with some of the maskless protesters who arrived in Clapham Common, some shouting \"take your freedom back\".\n\nSix police vans were deployed to the scene while officers moved the crowd of about 30 people away from the area.\n\nGathering for the purpose of a protest is not an exemption to the rules, the Met Police said.\n\nOne woman shouted from her car at the protesters \"there's a pandemic going\", while another bystander shouted \"idiots\".\n\nOne anti-lockdown protester, who was detained at Clapham Common park, said \"I stand under common law, not maritime law and this is assault\" as he was put into handcuffs by police officers.\n\nA large police presence remains around Clapham Common station, but almost all protesters had left the area as of 14:00 GMT.\n\nIt comes as a \"major incident\" was declared as the spread of Covid-19 threatens to \"overwhelm\" London hospitals.\n\nCity Hall said Covid-19 cases in the capital had exceeded 1,000 per 100,000, while there were 35% more people in hospital with the virus than in the peak of the pandemic in April.\n\nPolice could be seen questioning several people at the demonstration\n\nPolice battled to disperse the protestors gathering in Clapham Common\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. One floral tribute had Dame Barbara's photograph in the centre\n\nThe funeral of EastEnders and Carry On actress Dame Barbara Windsor has taken place in London.\n\nRoss Kemp, who played her on-screen son in the soap, was among the 30 mourners and gave a reading, as did actor and friend Christopher Biggins.\n\nDame Barbara died in December at the age of 83, having had dementia.\n\nThere were floral arrangements spelling Babs, The Dame and Saucy, and a mock pub sign showing her as The Queen Peggy in the style of the soap's Queen Vic.\n\nDame Barbara played pub landlady Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders for more than two decades.\n\nA version of the EastEnders Queen Vic pub sign was painted in tribute\n\nScott Mitchell, who was married to Dame Barbara for 20 years, was joined at Golders Green Crematorium by family and friends including comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams.\n\n\"As Covid has denied so many of Barbara's family, friends and fans a chance to say farewell properly, I wanted to share the order of service to let people be a small part of it,\" Mr Mitchell told the PA news agency.\n\n\"My heart goes out to every family who have experienced the same restrictions at their loved ones' funerals.\"\n\nLeft-right: Christopher Biggins, Ross Kemp and David Walliams were among the mourners\n\nHe added: \"I would again like to thank my family, friends, the media and the public for their incredible support and well wishes since Barbara's passing.\"\n\nDame Barbara's coffin was brought into the crematorium to sound of Frank Sinatra's On The Sunny Side Of The Street, and the service featured a recording of Sparrows Can't Sing from the actress's 1963 film of the same.\n\nIt finished with the famous topless photo of Dame Barbara from the film Carry On Camping, alongside her quote: \"That picture will follow me to the end.\"\n\nLong-time friend Anna Karen, who played Dame Barbara's on-screen sister Aunt Sal in EastEnders, also paid tribute during the service.\n\nThe funeral was also attended by Loose Women's Jane Moore and EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick. However, the numbers were limited due to coronavirus social distancing.\n\nAlzheimer's Research UK recently said it had seen a spike in donations since Dame Barbara's death, and a JustGiving page set up as a tribute to her and in aid of the charity has raised more than £150,000 (including Gift Aid).\n\nMr Mitchell said that was \"beyond anything we may have dreamed of\".\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Ben Jackson said the closure of the farm's bulk-buyers like hotels and schools has left thousands of eggs unsold\n\nA fall in bulk egg orders due to the lockdown could lead to chickens being culled, a poultry-farmer has warned.\n\nFluffetts Farm near Fordingbridge had been supplying free range eggs to 350 Hampshire schools, but orders stopped when schools suddenly closed.\n\nFarm owner, Ben Jackson said: \"If you can't sell the eggs you can't still keep feeding the chickens and therefore something has to give.\"\n\nHe said he hoped to work out a local delivery system to avoid culling birds.\n\nMr Jackson, who has been selling some of the surplus eggs off on social media, has more than 13,000 chickens laying 12,000 eggs each day.\n\nThe cancellation of his school orders has left him with about 4,000 spare eggs a day. The farm has also been hit by restaurants and pubs closing again.\n\nThe farm has a surplus of about 4,000 eggs each day from its 13,000 chickens\n\nHe said: \"If we can't find a home for the eggs the worst-case scenario is that we may have to look to get rid of some of our chickens, but that's what we're trying to avoid.\n\n\"Other chicken farmers are in the same situation - they are talking about potentially having to cull birds in the next week or so - it's not a decision that anyone wants to make.\n\n\"We just want to get through this dark time - we're just taking it a day at time.\"\n\nChickens at the farm are currently in a bird lockdown.\n\nSince 14 December strict biosecurity regulations have been in place following a number of outbreak of avian influenza throughout England.\n• None 'I'll have to throw away £6,000-worth of milk'", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Duke of Cambridge asked how staff were coping during the pandemic and thanked them for their sacrifice\n\nThe Duke of Cambridge has said he talks to his three children about NHS staff \"every day\" to help them to understand the \"sacrifices\" made during Covid.\n\nPrince William's comments were part of a video call to London hospital staff.\n\n\"Catherine and I and all the children talk about all of you guys every day, so we're making sure the children understand all of the sacrifices that all of you are making,\" he said.\n\nIt comes after the London mayor said the virus was \"out of control\".\n\nSadiq Khan declared a major incident on Friday - meaning the emergency services and hospitals cannot guarantee their normal level of response - after the number of Covid patients in the capital's hospitals surpassed 7,000.\n\nStaff at Homerton University Hospital in east London told the Duke of Cambridge that queues of people waiting to be vaccinated at the hospital offered hope, but that the way out of the crisis was for the public to \"stay at home\" during lockdown.\n\nIn recent days the hospital has seen its highest number of admissions since the pandemic began.\n\nDuring the UK's first national lockdown, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children Prince George (left), Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined in with the weekly Clap for Carers event\n\nThe duke, who is joint patron of NHS Charities Together, said: \"A huge thank you for all the hard work, the sleepless nights, the lack of sleep, the anxiety, the exhaustion and everything that you are doing, we are so grateful.\n\n\"Good luck, we are all thinking of you.\"\n\nHis video call, which took place on Thursday, is one of many he and the duchess have made to NHS staff during the pandemic.\n\nPrince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have also shown their support for the health service by getting involved with the weekly Clap for Carers applause during the UK's first national lockdown.\n\nAnd on Saturday, the Duchess's birthday, Kensington Palace said the family's thoughts \"continue to be with all those working on the front line at this hugely challenging time\".\n\nChief nurse Catherine Pelley told the prince her hospital had used funds from NHS Charities Together to set up various support initiatives such as a \"wobble room\" for colleagues to relax in.\n\n\"For us this week, starting vaccinating has been one of the single most significant impacts on people feeling that there is a future out of this, and the queues out the door here where they have been vaccinating have been really hopeful for people,\" she said.\n\n\"But the support we need is stay at home, help us. Because that will get us all out of this, whatever our role is, and we will get society out of this.\"\n\nAfter speaking to Ms Pelley and her colleagues about how they supported one another, the prince said: \"It's good that you and your team are keeping your spirits high and I always find that having some sort of sense of humour through everything is very important, otherwise we all go mad.\"\n\nThe Duke of Cambridge said he wants his children to appreciate the sacrifices made by NHS staff during the pandemic", "Ms Sturgeon has rejected claims made by former first minister Alex Salmond\n\nAlex Salmond has accused Nicola Sturgeon of misleading parliament, calling evidence she gave to an inquiry into the handling of sexual harassment claims against him \"simply untrue\".\n\nMr Salmond's comments emerged in a written submission to a separate investigation into whether the first minister breached the ministerial code.\n\nThe submission has been shared with the Holyrood committee.\n\nMs Sturgeon says she \"entirely rejects Mr Salmond's claims\".\n\nIn the submission, the former first minister said that Ms Sturgeon had misled parliament and broken the ministerial code with breaches including failing to inform the civil service in good time of her meetings with him.\n\nHe claimed she allowed the Scottish government to contest a civil court case against him despite having had legal advice that it was likely to collapse.\n\nMs Sturgeon told the Holyrood inquiry she had become aware of allegations at a meeting with Mr Salmond at her home.\n\nIt since emerged she met his former chief of staff in the days before, but she said she had forgotten about that meeting.\n\nMr Salmond said that claim was untenable.\n\nHis submission said that she misled parliament, and that amounted to a breach of the code. He also said she breached the code by failing to to inform civil servants of the nature of the meetings that took place between the two of them at her home where the allegations were discussed.\n\nAlex Salmond walked free from court in March having been cleared of charges of sexual assault\n\nMr Salmond's statement read: \"The pre-arranged meeting in the Scottish Parliament of 29 March 2018 was \"forgotten\" about because acknowledging it would have rendered ridiculous the claim made by the first minister in parliament that it had been believed that the meeting on 2 April was on SNP Party business and thus held at her private residence.\"\n\nBoth Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon are expected to give evidence to the committee in the coming weeks.\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross responded to the claims, saying: \"Nobody ever bought Nicola Sturgeon's tall tales to have suddenly turned forgetful, especially about the devastating moment she found out of sexual harassment allegations against her friend and mentor of 30 years.\n\n\"What has been revealed are allegations of shocking, deliberate and corrupt actions at the heart of government. There is now clear evidence of Nicola Sturgeon abusing her power to deceive the Scottish public.\n\n\"If this proves to be correct, it is a resignation matter. No first minister, at any time, can be allowed to get away with repeatedly and blatantly lying to the Scottish Parliament and breaking the ministerial code.\"\n\nScottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said Alex Salmond's explosive allegations demanded answers from the first minister to the committee.\n\nShe said: \"The bombshell accusation that Nicola Sturgeon has broken the ministerial code has the potential to end her political career and demands a robust and honest answer from the first minister.\n\n\"This committee demands truthfulness and honesty from every witness it calls - it is vital that the first minister tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when she appears.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon has repeatedly dismissed any notion of a conspiracy against Mr Salmond.\n\nHer spokeswoman said: \"The first minister entirely rejects Mr Salmond's claims about the ministerial code.\n\n\"We should always remember that the roots of this issue lie in complaints made by women about Alex Salmond's behaviour whilst he was first minister, aspects of which he has conceded. It is not surprising therefore that he continues to try to divert focus from that by seeking to malign the reputation of the first minister and by spinning false conspiracy theories.\n\n\"The first minister is concentrating on fighting the pandemic, stands by what she has said, and will address these matters in full when she appears at committee.\"\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions on Friday evening, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford MP said he did not believe the accusations about the first minister were correct.\n\nHe said: \"I believe that the first minister has acted in an honourable way, she's someone that I've every faith and trust in.\n\n\"I can tell you that the approval ratings for the first minister, the respect that she has right up and down the country of Scotland is enormous and this is something that will pass, when she appears in front of the committee these matters will be dealt with.\"\n\nAlex Salmond has just turned up the heat on his successor with a submission that presents a direct and serious challenge to the reputation of Nicola Sturgeon - who was once his closest political ally.\n\nWhat he no doubt considers as an attempt to secure justice, some others will see as a case of deflection and revenge.\n\nAllegations of breaking the ministerial code of conduct and misleading parliament are serious and, if upheld, potentially career threatening.\n\nYet even some of Ms Sturgeon's fiercest critics at Holyrood do not expect the inquiries into the Scottish government's mishandling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond to force her from office.\n\nMr Salmond seems to expect the review of the first minister's actions under the ministerial code of conduct to remain narrow enough that it could not possibly find against her.\n\nThe first minister herself appears confident of persuading all comers, including a cross-party committee of MSPs (before which both she and Mr Salmond are due to appear in the coming weeks) that she has acted properly throughout.", "Fishing \"clears the mind of other worries\" says John Ellis from the Canal and Rivers Trust\n\nAnglers have hailed the mental health benefits of the sport after it was given the all-clear to continue, despite lockdown.\n\nThe government said it would be treated as a form of exercise, but subject to restrictions such as social distancing.\n\nRegulations mean people in England must stay at home except for specific purposes, including exercise, shopping for essentials and childcare.\n\nFigures show thousands more people have taken up fishing during the pandemic.\n\nJohn Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager for the Canal and Rivers Trust, said rod licence sales increased by 17% over the last year, the equivalent of about 100,000 people - some new to the sport and others returning.\n\nHe said, despite the colder weather which usually causes a drop in fishing, there are more people out than in a typical January.\n\n\"It is certainly one of few things people can do legally, can do locally,\" he said.\n\nSpencer Moore said it was easy to maintain social distance while fishing\n\nUnder current restrictions in England, anglers must fish alone, or with members of their household, and must not travel outside their local area.\n\nThe government regulations permit people to meet for exercise, but not \"for recreational or leisure purposes\".\n\nThe Department for Culture Media and Sport told the BBC while angling could continue, overarching government guidance meant people should minimise time spent outside their homes.\n\nMr Ellis said he had received emails from parents pleased their children could go fishing at the weekend, adding that for some people it was linked to their mental wellbeing.\n\n\"When you are focussing on fishing, it is very hard to think about anything else, it clears the mind of other worries, at least temporarily,\" he said.\n\nHeadway said fishing was one of its most popular sporting activities for clients\n\nHeadway Birmingham & Solihull, a charity which helps people living with brain injuries, runs regular fishing sessions, which were very popular with its clients.\n\n\"It encourages them to be more active and get some fresh air out in the countryside,\" she said.\n\n\"It also helps their motivation and mental wellbeing, giving them something to look forward to each week, something to talk about and a chance to form friendships with others who enjoy fishing too.\"\n\nSpencer Moore, a bailiff for Blackfords Progressive Angling Society, based in South Staffordshire, said the sport was perfect for social distancing.\n\n\"There are people furloughed, sitting in their house or working from home, but at least they can fish and can get out and wind down,\" he said.\n\n\"Being a fisherman, you are on your own on your peg. Someone might be on another peg, but they can be 20 to 30ft away, so you are nowhere near anyone else.\"\n\nChris Wood advised people to speak to their local angling club before going fishing for the first time\n\nChris Wood, from Shrewsbury Anglers Club, said the group had seen a definite \"upsurge\" in interest during the pandemic.\n\nBut, he said, it had also seen an increase in illegal fishing by people who were not aware of the proper permits needed.", "Edwin Poots said he has asked senior UK government figures to consider unilaterally revoking the NI Protocol\n\nThe Stormont minister whose officials are responsible for the new Irish Sea border has said some food will be unavailable if changes are not made.\n\nDUP Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has also said jobs could be at risk.\n\nHe said problems at the ports were being caused by new rules applied on imports of food and other products from Britain to Northern Ireland.\n\nEarlier Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said trade from GB to NI \"will get worse before it gets better\".\n\nMr Gove said that \"work is ongoing\" and it is \"all part of the process of leaving the European Union\".\n\nHe added that he had spoken to ministers from all parties in the Northern Ireland Executive.\n\nAfter speaking with hauliers, supermarkets and processors this week, Mr Poots predicted the loss of jobs and rising costs.\n\n\"A wide range of frozen and chilled foods will be unavailable after the temporary exemption period ends,\" he tweeted.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Edwin Poots MLA This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThat exemption period applies to supermarkets and other food importers and runs out in April.\n\nAfter that they will have to comply with all the paperwork required to ship food in, or find suppliers on the island of Ireland or elsewhere in the EU.\n\nNew rules - called the Northern Ireland Protocol - were introduced because while the UK has left the EU, Northern Ireland has remained in the Single Market for goods and is continuing to apply EU customs rules.\n\nThe arrangement was agreed between the UK and the EU to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.\n\nMr Poots said he had spoken to senior UK government figures to ask them to consider unilaterally revoking the protocol as it was \"damaging Northern Ireland at the economic and societal level\".\n\nAnd he hit out at members of Sinn Fein, the SDLP, and Alliance Party who he claimed had supported it.\n\nMembers of those parties have countered similar claims from other DUP politicians in recent days.\n\nThey said DUP MPs had voted against alternative arrangements that would have been simpler to manage before the government pushed ahead with the protocol plan.\n\nResponding to Mr Poot's tweet on Friday evening, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood wrote: \"You broke it, you own it.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Colum Eastwood This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson accused Mr Poots of being \"asleep at the wheel\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Martina Anderson MLA This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has called for the assembly to be recalled to discuss difficulties over trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland due to Brexit.\n\nUUP MLA Roy Beggs said: \"The impact of the Irish Sea border is causing horrendous difficulties for hauliers and this is being seen in shops and businesses across Northern Ireland.\n\n\"It is damaging the Northern Ireland economy and the situation is escalating.\"\n\nEarlier on Friday, Michael Gove said it had been expected that there would be \"some initial disruption\" to trade between GB and NI, but that the government is \"ironing\" issues out.\n\nHe said discussions with the executive in Northern Ireland were \"in order to make sure that the [Northern Ireland] protocol works\".\n\n\"[To make sure] that businesses in Northern Ireland can continue to have access to the rest of the UK market, and that Northern Ireland businesses can have the goods that they need on the shelves, that they have access to at the moment,\" he said.\n\nNorthern Ireland has remained a part of the EU's single market for goods while the rest of the UK has left.\n\nThis means food products from Great Britain are subject to checks when they enter Northern Ireland.\n\nSimilar processes and checks also apply when moving food products from Great Britain into the Republic of Ireland.\n\nMeanwhile, an organisation representing haulage firms has called on the UK and Irish government to relax some of the new Irish Sea trade border rules.\n\nThe Road Haulage Association (RHA) said there is serious disruption to freight movements into the island of Ireland.\n\nThe RHA said relaxing the controls on food products and customs declarations \"would help traders to ship goods that have struggled to move over recent days.\"\n\n\"The problems have led to gaps in supermarket shelves and lorries delayed at ports because of problems with red-tape and the situation is worsening,\" the organisation added.\n\n\"We are facing an inflexible, cumbersome and time consuming process just to move goods.\"\n\nThe UK government said the flow of goods \"between GB and NI has been smooth overall and arrivals of freight have continued to increase substantially over this week\".\n\n\"There are no significant queues at NI ports and supermarkets are reporting healthy supplies into their Northern Ireland stores,\" a spokesperson added.\n\n\"We recognise the need to provide as much support to the haulage sector as possible as industry adapts to new processes. That's why hauliers can benefit from the Trader Support Service, which provides free advice and support to businesses of all sizes moving goods under the Northern Ireland Protocol.\n\n\"We have been engaging intensively with the Irish authorities and hauliers on the issues that have been encountered for goods transiting through Dublin port.\"\n\nOn Thursday customs authorities in the Republic of Ireland announced a temporary relaxation of one customs process.\n\nHauliers will be able to use an override code to complete a piece of administration known as ENS.\n\nThe letters ENS refer to an entry summary declaration, an online form which goods carriers are now legally obliged to submit to Irish customs when transporting goods from Great Britain into Ireland.\n\nLorries arriving in Ireland from Great Britain have faced new checks since 1 January\n\nOn Thursday night the Irish Revenue Commissioners said it recognised that \"some businesses are experiencing difficulties on lodging their safety and security ENS declarations\".\n\nIt said that in response it was providing a \"temporary easement\" which would allow an ENS to be produced without all the normally required information.\n\nAn Irish government spokesperson said it is \"absolutely essential that Ireland fulfils its obligations as a member of the EU and that we protect the integrity of the single market and the customs union\".\n\n\"We appreciate that the new requirements and customs formalities present significant challenges and impose additional burdens on businesses.\"\n\nMeanwhile Stena, the ferry company, said it was cancelling a dozen sailings between Wales and Ireland next week due to \"a decline in freight volumes during the first week of Brexit.\"", "Covid infections rose by almost a third between 26 December and 3 January, reaching 70,000 new cases a day according to a major study.\n\nIn a different piece of research, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated 1.2 million people in total had Covid over a similar time period.\n\nDaily infections are understood to have risen to about 150,000 since then.\n\nThat would bring daily coronavirus cases above the first peak.\n\nThe R or reproduction number for the virus is now between 1 and 1.4 for the UK, reflecting the sharp rise in cases in recent weeks.\n\nSeparate ONS data suggests just under half (44%) of British adults formed a Christmas bubble.\n\nThese temporary rules let up to three households mix indoors on 25 December - unless they were living in a Tier 4 area.\n\nThe ONS estimated how much of the population had Covid in the week of 27 December- 2 January:\n\nThe ONS data suggests cases rose by three-quarters between its two most recent study periods: 12-18 December and 27 December - 2 January.\n\nThe ZOE Covid Symptom Study was able to track more recent changes since there was no pause in its research for Christmas.\n\nIt found the epidemic is growing throughout the UK.\n\nResearchers estimate the virus's reproduction or R number is currently 1.2 across the UK.\n\nBoth sources indicate London has the most severe epidemic with the highest number of cases.\n\nConfirmed cases, published on the government's dashboard, are always lower than those in surveys because they mainly reflect the test results of people coming in with symptoms.\n\nBoth the ONS and ZOE also look at asymptomatic cases - people who may not otherwise get tests.\n\nSome asymptomatic testing is now available in the community but it is not being widely taken up.\n\nAbout a fifth of people responding to a separate ONS survey looking at the social impacts of the pandemic, said they had found it difficult to follow the Christmas rules.\n\nAnd half of those gave the fact that they had already made plans as the reason.\n\nRules, which were set to allow everyone in the UK to mix in a five-day window, were changed at the last minute, on 19 December.\n\nIn England, people living in Tiers 1-3 were allowed to form a one-day Christmas bubble with a maximum of two other households.\n\nThose in Tier 4, including about 10 million people in Greater London, were not permitted to mix at all.\n\nMixing was permitted in Scotland and Wales for Christmas Day only.\n\nHow has coronavirus affected you? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nOr use this form to get in touch:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your comment or send it via email to HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any comment you send in.", "The president says he hates Big Tech. Yet he has loved using Twitter.\n\nHe's used it as a way, for more than 10 years, to bypass the media and speak directly to voters.\n\nThe 280 characters fits neatly with his style of political engagement - broad brushstrokes rather than details.\n\nAnd Twitter has undoubtedly benefited from President Trump too, the place to go to hear the latest musings from the most powerful person on the planet.\n\nThat decade-long symbiosis has been ended with a shuddering halt.\n\nImmediately after the deadly riots, Twitter locked the President's Twitter feed and asked Mr Trump to delete three tweets for violations around its Civic Integrity policy., which he promptly did.\n\nAfter the suspension he tweeted as a new man, the nonsense claims of mass voter fraud replaced with a more conciliatory tone.\n\nPrivately though Twitter was pondering whether it had gone far enough. Facebook had already acted, banning Donald Trump \"indefinitely\".\n\nAfter more than 48 hours of consideration, Twitter acted. It made unquestionably the most important moderation decision in its history. It banned the president of the United States.\n\nSome have asked why he wasn't kicked off sooner.\n\nMr Trump or one of his associates appears to have deleted some of his most recent tweets\n\nWell, Twitter has very specific rules about world leaders.\n\n\"We recognise that sometimes it may be in the public interest to allow people to view tweets that would otherwise be taken down,\" Twitter's rules say.\n\n\"At present, we limit exceptions to one critical type of public-interest content - tweets from elected and government officials.\"\n\nChief executive Jack Dorsey had felt it was in the public interest to keep the account active, albeit with warning messages.\n\n\"No one is turning a blind eye,\" a senior source told the BBC before the ban.\n\nIn short, Mr Trump had been allowed to remain on Twitter - despite numerous breaches of its rules - because he is the president.\n\nWith less than two weeks to go of Trump's presidency, many social media companies have now decided enough is enough.\n\nCritics say the outgoing president's words on social media, for years, helped to incite Wednesday's storming of Capitol Hill.\n\nAll the big social media companies have made it clear that - as a private citizen - if you continually look to peddle conspiracy theories and promote extremism, you should expect to be kicked out. With just a few days of his presidency left, Mr Trump is already being held to a different standard - his privileges stripped.\n\nWhat's driving this? To be cynical, social media companies are acutely aware that President-elect Joe Biden believes Big Tech hasn't done enough to quell fake news and hate speech on their platforms.\n\nRioters broke into Congress after a speech by Mr Trump on Wednesday\n\nThey are now desperate to show that they can, in fact, police their own platforms without the need for stringent legal reforms.\n\nWhat better way to show you're serious than to act on Mr Trump's misinformation?\n\nWhat will Mr Trump do next? Well he's already said he's looking into the possibility of building his own platform in the future.\n\nBut for now he's consigned to the fringes of the internet. Can Trumpism survive without Big Tech? We're about to find out.\n\nJames Clayton is the BBC's North America technology reporter based in San Francisco. Follow him on Twitter @jamesclayton5.", "Fashion student Mhari Thurston-Tyler posted an advert for the \"crop top\" (right) on Depop after she says she found some discarded Chiltern Railways seat covers (like those on the left)\n\nA fashion student has been warned not to sell prohibited items on the clothes app, Depop, after she posted an advert for a top made from a train seat cover.\n\nMhari Thurston-Tyler made the bandeau out of a Chiltern Railways seat cover designed to promote social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThe 20-year-old sold the top for £15 but later refunded her customer and took the advert down.\n\nDepop said the item \"clearly violates our terms of service\".\n\nThe app for buying and selling second-hand clothes said the sale of stolen goods was banned - but Ms Thurston-Tyler denied stealing.\n\nShe told BBC News she found two of the blue seat covers \"balled up on the floor\" outside Marylebone station in London in September.\n\nMs Thurston-Tyler, who is a fashion student at Central Saint Martins, re-sewed one of the covers to make it fit her, before deciding to advertise the second cover on Depop.\n\n\"I have no money at the moment so decided to put the second one on Depop to see if anyone would buy it,\" she said, adding that the app had become her main source of income as she has struggled to find other work during the pandemic.\n\n\"I have to resort to little things like this to make ends meet, to pay the bills.\"\n\nMs Thurston-Tyler's advert went viral on social media after being shared by Depop Drama's Instagram and Twitter accounts.\n\nMhari Thurston-Tyler said she has been unable to find a job during the coronavirus pandemic and sells clothes on Depop \"to make ends meet\"\n\nIn the advert, Ms Thurston-Tyler models the seat cover and describes it as a \"social distancing crop\", adding: \"Got a few of these can do different sizes.\"\n\nMs Thurston-Tyler, from Kenilworth in Warwickshire, said a Depop customer paid her £15 and ordered a crop top \"in extra small\".\n\nBut realising she should not be making money out of Chiltern Railways' property, Ms Thurston-Tyler refunded the customer 15 minutes later and took the advert down shortly afterwards.\n\n\"I didn't steal it but I understand it's not right to re-sell it,\" she said.\n\nA Depop spokesperson said Ms Thurston-Tyler would be banned from the platform if she listed any other prohibited goods.\n\n\"We explicitly prohibit the sale of illegal and unlawful content on the app, including any stolen goods,\" they said.\n\n\"This item clearly violates our terms of service, but as it has been removed by the seller and is no longer for sale on the platform, we will not be taking immediate steps to ban this user.\"\n\nMs Thurston-Tyler said she hopes to make her own line of crop tops with the words \"children railways\" on the design, while \"the hype\" of the viral moment continues.\n\nChiltern Railways said it has been using the social distancing \"seat sashes\" since the beginning of the UK's Covid epidemic.\n\nA spokeswoman added: \"Whilst we appreciate this new take on railway memorabilia, these items are there to help customers travel with confidence and we would respectfully ask that they are left in place.\"", "A former Labour MP has quit the party before disciplinary proceedings against him concerning sexual harassment could be concluded, Labour has said.\n\nKelvin Hopkins was suspended by the party in 2017 after a Labour activist, Ava Etemadzadeh, accused him of inappropriate physical contact.\n\nMs Etemadzadeh said the ex-MP's exit from the party was \"disappointing\".\n\nThe BBC has attempted to contact Mr Hopkins, 79, for a response, but he has previously denied the accusations.\n\nA Labour spokesperson said it \"takes all complaints of sexual harassment extremely seriously and they are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.\n\n\"We are disappointed that the party's disciplinary processes did not reach a conclusion due to Kelvin Hopkins' decision to resign his membership,\" they added.\n\n\"We are establishing an independent process to investigate complaints, including sexual harassment, to ensure complainants can feel confident that in coming forward they will be heard and get the justice they deserve.\"\n\nMr Hopkins, who first won the seat of Luton North from the Conservatives in 1997, stood down ahead of the 2019 election - a decision, he said, which was to do with his wife's health, not the accusations.\n\nHe had originally been referred to the party's National Constitutional Committee following the allegations in 2017 and had expressed frustration at the length of time the hearing was taking.\n\nResponding to his decision to leave the party, Ms Etemadzadeh tweeted: \"This is very disappointing news. I hope Keir Starmer listens to my concerns and fixes this broken system.\"", "Film director Michael Apted, best known for the Up series of TV documentaries following the lives of 14 people every seven years, has died aged 79.\n\nHe also directed Coal Miner's Daughter, Gorillas In The Mist and the 1999 Bond movie The World Is Not Enough.\n\nThe original 7 Up in 1964 set out to document the life prospects of a range of children from all walks of life.\n\nThe show was inspired by the Aristotle quote \"give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man\".\n\nThe first 7 Up show was followed by 14 Up at the start of the next decade, which interviewed the same children as teenagers - and the pattern was set right up until 63 Up in 2019.\n\nThroughout all those intervening years ITV viewers became engrossed with the stories of private school trio Andrew, Charles and John, of Jackie who went through two divorces, of Neil who went from jobless and homeless to Liberal Democrat councillor, and of working class chatterbox Tony, whose life ambition was to become a jockey.\n\nApted's shows - which won three Bafta awards - have often been described as the forerunner of modern-day reality TV series, giving its participants the time to tell their own stories on screen.\n\nBut unlike their modern counterparts, the original Up children tended to fade away from the limelight in the seven years between each chapter.\n\nIn 2008, Apted was made a companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to the British film and television industries.\n\nThomas Schlamme, president of the Directors Guild of America, said Apted was a \"fearless visionary\" whose legacy would live on.\n\nHe said Apted, who was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, \"saw the trajectory of things when others didn't and we were all beneficiaries of his wisdom and lifelong dedication\".\n\nITV's managing director Kevin Lygo said the director's six-decade career was \"in itself truly remarkable\".\n\nHe said the Up series \"demonstrated the possibilities of television at its finest in its ambition and its capacity to hold up a mirror to society and engage with and entertain people while enriching our perspective on the human condition\".\n\nApted directed the 19th James Bond film The World Is Not Enough\n\n\"The influence of Michael's contribution to film and programme-making continues to be felt and he will be sadly missed,\" Lygo added.\n\nMichael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of the James Bond film franchise, said Apted \"was a director of enormous talent\" and \"beloved by all those who worked with him\".\n\n\"We loved working with him on The World Is Not Enough and send our love and support to his family, friends and colleagues,\" they said.\n\nA post on the Twitter account of the band Garbage, who performed the theme for The World Is Not Enough, labelled Apted a \"delightful, charming soul\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Garbage This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nComposer David G Arnold, who composed the Bond theme and worked with Apted on three other non-Bond movies, said he felt \"lucky\" to work with him.\n\n\"A more trusting, funny, friendly and, most importantly, kind, person you'd never meet. So pleased to have known him and so sad that he's gone,\" Arnold wrote on Twitter.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Eva's father, Paul Slapa, says the generosity of strangers has been \"amazing\"\n\nA 10-year-old girl who needed to travel to the United States for treatment on an inoperable brain tumour has died.\n\nFamily of Eva Williams raised £250,000 needed for a new life-extending trial.\n\nBut the schoolgirl, from Marford, Wrexham, was unable to travel due to coronavirus lockdown measures.\n\nAt the start of 2020, she was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and died on Friday. Her father said in a tribute: \"We love you Eva - more than you'll have ever known.\"\n\nPaul Slapa, said on social media that his daughter was surrounded by all of her family when she died.\n\nHe posted: \"Over the past week, Eva had lost the ability to speak, eat and swallow fluids, and she has suffered more than any child should ever have to suffer.\n\n\"Watching her still fight each day has been heart-breaking.\n\n\"Eva is an inspiration to many, certainly to me, and I cannot begin to imagine how we will go forward from here.\n\n\"How do we wake up each day and go on? How do we face the world without our baby girl with us? Why did this happen to the most caring and loving of little girls?\n\n\"Every single part of us is in pain and I can't see how that can change. We love you Eva - more than you'll have ever known - and we will keep you with us every day for the rest of our lives.\"\n\nAfter Eva was diagnosed with a high-grade DIPG she had been undergoing radiotherapy treatment to shrink the tumour.\n\nHer father and mother Carran Williams started a fundraising campaign to access the trial treatment in the US, and managed to raise the money in the space of three weeks.\n\nThey had been originally due to take part in the trial in New York in April.\n\nBut then Covid-19 measures saw international flight bans and travel restrictions imposed.\n\nHer plight was raised by the Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton during Prime Minister's Questions in July and Boris Johnson said he would look at what help can be offered to get her to the United States.\n\nEva also had radiotherapy as part of her treatment", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Madrid has been hit by heavy snowfall after Storm Filomena\n\nStorm Filomena has blanketed parts of Spain in heavy snow, with half of the country on red alert for more on Saturday.\n\nRoad, rail and air travel has been disrupted and interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the country was facing \"the most intense storm in the last 50 years\".\n\nMadrid, one of the worst affected areas, is set to see up to 20cm (eight inches) of snow in the next 24 hours.\n\nFurther south the storm caused rivers to burst their banks.\n\nFour deaths have been reported so far as a result of Filomena. Officials said two people had been found frozen to death - one in the town of Zarzalejo, north-west of Madrid, and the other in the eastern city of Calatayud. Two people travelling in a car were swept away by floods near the southern city of Malaga.\n\nAs snow fell on Madrid on Friday evening, a number of vehicles became stranded on a motorway near the capital.\n\nThe city's Barajas airport has closed, along with a number of roads, and all trains to and from Madrid have been cancelled.\n\nFirefighters were called in to assist drivers who had become stuck. In some areas the military were called in to help clear roads.\n\nSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged people to stay at home and to follow the instructions of emergency services. King Felipe and Queen Letizia took to Twitter to urge \"extreme caution against the risks of accumulation of ice and snow\".\n\nThe country's AEMET weather agency said the snowfall was \"exceptional and most likely historic\".\n\nA number of people were seen making the most of the snowy scenery, walking through Madrid's Puerta del Sol square.\n\nLarge parks in Madrid have since been closed as a precaution, AFP news agency reports.\n\nOne man was pictured skiing along the Gran Via, the capital's famous shopping street.\n\nIn Cañada Real, the largest shanty town in western Europe, residents were seen creating a bonfire to keep warm.\n\nThe cold weather is set to continue beyond the weekend with temperatures in Madrid predicted to hit -12C on Thursday.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "Bez in training for his new exercise classes in a park in Manchester\n\nHappy Mondays star Bez is to launch his own lockdown fitness classes to inspire the nation like Joe Wicks.\n\nThe former maraca-shaking dancer, 56, wants to rival Joe Wicks with his online YouTube classes \"Get Buzzin' With Bez\" to be launched on 17 January.\n\nBez, whose on-stage \"freaky dancing\" made him an icon of the 'Madchester' music scene, has admitted he also wants to budge his own lockdown bulge.\n\nHe won Celebrity Big Brother in 2005 and even made a bid to become an MP.\n\nBez, whose real name is Mark Berry, will be shown being trained in the fitness classes rather than acting as the instructor himself.\n\nHe said: \"I'd like to think I'm somewhere between Joe Wicks and Mr Motivator.\n\n\"I've started this new year seriously unfit, with a fat belly and creaky hips, and I can't stop eating chocolate.\n\n\"Last lockdown I got unfit, fat, lazy and into some seriously bad eating habits.\n\nBez being put through his paces with a personal trainer\n\n\"This year, this lockdown, I need to sort it out sharpish.\"\n\nHe said that people can join him on \"on this mad journey or just sit on the sofa and have a good laugh at me\".\n\nBez said he has \"started this new year seriously unfit, with a fat belly and creaky hips\"\n\nThe former dancer added: \"At the very least, I know I'll be making people smile, at best I'll be helping people get fit and mentally happier alongside me.\"\n\nThe Happy Mondays, along with bands like The Stone Roses and Inspiral Carpets, spearheaded the indie music 'Madchester' scene of the late 80s and early 90s.\n\nBez dancing with his maraca on BBC One's Top of the Pops as the band perform Step On in 1989\n\nBez's bug-eyed dance routines were said to have inspired the group's song Freaky Dancin' and made him one of the best-known members of the group, alongside frontman Shaun Ryder.\n\nTheir hits included Step On, Kinky Afro, Hallelujah and 24 Hour Party People.\n\nHowever, serious drug habits and infighting led to the Salford band's breakup in 1993.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Lockdown measures in England need to be stricter to achieve the same impact as the March shutdown, scientists advising the government have said.\n\nProf Robert West said the current rules were \"still allowing a lot of activity which is spreading the virus\".\n\nProf Susan Michie also said the spread of the new more infectious variant meant the restrictions were \"too lax\".\n\nThe government said it had adapted its approach and taken \"swift action\" to try and stop the spread of the virus.\n\nThe warnings come after ministers launched a new campaign urging people to act like they have the virus.\n\nMeanwhile, Buckingham Palace has said the Queen, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, received Covid-19 vaccinations on Saturday.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and can only go out for essential reasons. Similar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nProf West, a participant in the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which advises the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the new variant of Covid is around 50% more infectious compared to the virus that infected people last March.\n\n\"That means that if we were to achieve the same result as we got in March we would have to have a stricter lockdown, and it's not stricter,\" he said\n\nThe professor of health psychology at University College London, also told the BBC more children were going to school, compared to the first lockdown and he said schools were \"a very important seed of community infection\".\n\nMore people are in schools, after the Department for Education has widened the categories of vulnerable and key worker pupils allowed to attend, with attendance rates surging to 50% in some places.\n\nProf Michie, who is also a member of Sage, agreed the current lockdown was \"too lax\".\n\n\"When you look at the data, it shows that almost 90% of people are overwhelmingly adhering to the rules - despite the fact that we're also seeing more people out and about,\" she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nShe said in comparison to the first lockdown last spring more people were allowed to go out to work and children's nurseries were open, making public transport busier.\n\nThe number of people travelling by public transport in London has decreased since the latest national lockdown began, with tube journeys now at 18% of the pre-pandemic demand and bus journeys at 30%, according to figures from Transport for London.\n\nHowever, during the first lockdown passenger numbers fell below 10% at some points.\n\nProf Michie, a professor of health psychology at University College London, added that the winter season posed extra challenges because the virus survives longer in the cold and people spend more time indoors, where the virus can spread more easily.\n\nCombined with the more transmissible new variant, she said \"we should have a stricter rather than less strict lockdown than we had back in March\".\n\nScientists believe the new variant spreads between 50 and 70% faster compared to previous forms of the virus.\n\nDr Adam Kucharski, another scientist advising the government and an associate professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said that because the new variant was more transmissible \"each interaction we have has become riskier than it was before\".\n\nHe said that even if people reduced their contacts to levels seen last spring, it would not have the same effect on virus transmission.\n\nProf Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England, said there were \"things we could do better\" to reduce the number of infections, including greater compliance with mask wearing and social distancing when shopping and using public transport.\n\nOn Friday 1,325 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test were recorded in the UK - the highest daily figure yet - along with 68,053 new cases.\n\nAs cases and deaths soar, the government has launched an advertising campaign, which will be shared across television, radio, newspapers and on social media, urging people to stay at home and not to get complacent.\n\nGovernment sources say there is also likely to be more focus from police on enforcing rather than explaining rules.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson says hospitals are \"under more pressure than at any other time since the start of the pandemic\", with infection rates increasing at an \"alarming rate\" across the country and the NHS under \"severe strain\".\n\nIt comes after London's mayor Sadiq Khan said the spread of coronavirus was \"out of control\" as he declared a \"major incident\" in the capital on Friday.\n\nDr Simon Walsh, an emergency care doctor in London, told BBC Breakfast the \"unprecedented\" numbers of patients requiring intensive care treatment meant staff were spread \"more and more thinly\".\n\nHospitals in other parts of the UK are also under pressure.\n\nDr Justin Varney, director of public health in Birmingham, said he was \"very worried\" about the situation in the city, where hospital bosses have warned they do not have enough intensive care nurses to deal with the growing case load.\n\nHe warned that the NHS had still not seen the impact of the rise in cases following the relaxation of restrictions over Christmas and added: \"It is going to get a lot, lot worse unless we really get this under control\".\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"Our priority from the outset has been to protect the NHS to save lives and we have taken advice from scientific and medical experts throughout. As new evidence has emerged, we have adapted our approach and taken swift action to try and stop the spread of the virus.\"\n\nTell us how you have been affected by coronavirus by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "More than 80,000 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test since the start of the pandemic, official figures have shown.\n\nA further 1,035 deaths in the UK were reported on Saturday, taking the total by that measure to 80,868.\n\nThe number of daily cases of people who tested positive for coronavirus increased by 59,937.\n\nOnly the US, Brazil, India and Mexico have recorded more Covid deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.\n\nIt is the fourth day in a row that the UK has reported more than 1,000 daily deaths.\n\nIt comes as scientists advising the government have warned that lockdown measures in England need to be stricter to achieve the same impact as the March shutdown.\n\nMinisters have launched a new campaign urging people to act like they have the virus.\n\nMeanwhile, Buckingham Palace has said the Queen, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, received Covid-19 vaccinations on Saturday.\n\nThe Office for National Statistics recently estimated as many as one in 50 people in England had coronavirus between 27 December and 2 January, while in London it was one in 30.\n\nOn Friday, mayor Sadiq Khan said the spread of Covid in the capital was \"out of control\".\n\nOfficial figures from Public Health England showed London had the highest regional case rate in the UK, exceeding 1,000 per 100,000 people.\n\nUnder the national lockdown, people in England must stay at home and can only go out for essential reasons. Similar measures are in place across most of Scotland, in Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nProf Robert West, a participant in the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours (SPI-B), which advises the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the current rules were \"still allowing a lot of activity which is spreading the virus\".\n\nHe said the new variant of Covid was around 50% more infectious compared to the virus that infected people last March.\n\n\"That means that if we were to achieve the same result as we got in March we would have to have a stricter lockdown, and it (the current regime) is not stricter,\" he added.\n\nThe professor of health psychology at University College London also told the BBC more children were going to school, compared to during the first lockdown.\n\nHe said schools were \"a very important seed of community infection\".\n\nMore children are at school, after the Department for Education widened the categories of vulnerable and key worker pupils allowed to attend. Attendance rates have risen to 50% in some places.\n\nProf Susan Michie, who is also a member of Sage, said the spread of the new, more infectious variant meant current restrictions were \"too lax\".\n\n\"When you look at the data, it shows that almost 90% of people are overwhelmingly adhering to the rules - despite the fact that we're also seeing more people out and about,\" she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nShe said, in comparison to the first lockdown in spring 2020, more people were allowed to go out to work and children's nurseries were open, making public transport busier.\n\nThe number of people travelling by public transport in London has decreased since the latest national lockdown began, with tube journeys now at 18% of the pre-pandemic demand and bus journeys at 30%, according to figures from Transport for London.\n\nHowever, during the first lockdown passenger numbers fell below 10% at some points.\n\nScientists believe the new variant spreads between 50 and 70% faster compared to previous forms of the virus.\n\nProf Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England, said there were \"things we could do better\" to reduce the number of infections, including greater compliance with mask wearing and social distancing when shopping and using public transport.\n\nTorsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation think tank, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that the UK's statutory sick pay system was \"not fit for purpose for a pandemic\" and more effective measures to encourage people to isolate were needed.\n\nAs cases and deaths soar, the government has launched an advertising campaign, which will be shared across television, radio, newspapers and on social media, urging people to stay at home and not to get complacent.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Department of Health and Social Care\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said: \"I know the last year has taken its toll - but your compliance is now more vital than ever.\"\n\nGovernment sources say there is also likely to be more focus from police on enforcing rather than explaining rules.\n\nOn Saturday afternoon, 12 people were arrested during an anti-lockdown protest in south London.\n\nIf you would like to send us a tribute to a friend or family member who died after contracting coronavirus, please use the form below.\n\nPlease remember to include a photo of your loved one and their name. Upload your pictures here. Don't forget to include your contact details, so we can get in touch with you.\n\nWe would like to respond to everyone individually and include every tribute in our coverage, but unfortunately that may not be possible. Please be assured your message will be read and treated with the utmost respect.\n\nPlease note the contact details you provide will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your tribute.\n• None Lockdown needs to be stricter, scientists warn", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. London mayor Sadiq Khan: \"Unless the virus reduces... we could run out of beds\"\n\nThe spread of Covid in London is \"out of control\" according to Sadiq Khan, who has declared a \"major incident\".\n\nThe coronavirus infection rate in London has exceeded 1,000 per 100,000 people, based on the latest figures from Public Health England.\n\nHowever, the Office for National Statistics recently estimated as many as one in 30 Londoners has coronavirus.\n\nMr Khan told BBC political reporter Karl Mercer that the figure is as high as one in 20 in some parts of London.\n\nMajor incidents have previously been called for the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 and the terror attacks at Westminster Bridge and London Bridge.\n\nA major incident is any emergency that requires the implementation of special arrangements by one or all of the emergency services, the NHS or the local authority.\n\nIt means the emergency services and hospitals cannot guarantee their normal level of response.\n\nCurrently, there are more than 7,000 people in hospital with Covid-19, the mayor said.\n\nThis is a 35% increase compared to last April's peak of the pandemic, he added.\n\nDr Samantha Batt-Rawden, an ICU registrar and President of the Doctors' Association UK, tweeted: \"We tried. We really tried. NHS staff pleaded with people that Christmas is not worth it. Now one in 30 people in London have Covid and ICUs are overwhelmed. My heart is broken.\"\n\nAn analysis of Public Health England figures show in the week to 3 January, the number of cases rose across all of the London's boroughs compared with the previous week, with 17 individually recording more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 people.\n\nTesting increased in parts of the city after a drop over the Christmas period but positivity was high among people taking lab-based tests - suggesting more testing is needed to find undiagnosed cases in the community.\n\nIn the past week, many parts of the capital saw a rise in deaths where a person had tested positive for coronavirus in the previous 28 days - with some areas recording more than double the number of deaths compared with the previous week.\n\nHowever, reporting over the Christmas period may have affected this.\n\nOut of the 18 acute hospital trusts in London providing figures to the government, all of them recorded having more beds being filled by coronavirus patients than in the previous week.\n\nBarts NHS Health, one of London's largest trusts, saw a 30% increase in coronavirus patients between 29 December and 5 January, to 830.\n\nThe London Ambulance Service is now taking up to 8,000 emergency calls a day, the mayor says\n\nThe mayor of London's announcement comes after the counties of Sussex and Surrey declared similar major incidents on Thursday.\n\nHe said the London Ambulance Service was currently taking up to 8,000 emergency calls a day, compared to 5,500 on a typical busy day.\n\nThe London Fire Brigade said more than 100 firefighters had been drafted in to drive ambulances to help cope with the demand.\n\nEvery frontline agency involved in protecting the public has a legal duty to prepare for emergencies by devising and testing major incident plans.\n\nThese public bodies declare a major incident when the situation they're confronting is so big or terrible that it's not only likely to cause serious harm, but it will also compromise their ability to respond effectively.\n\nIn general terms, that means public bodies can legally stop delivering some everyday services, so that their personnel, attention and resources can be diverted to the emergency confronting them.\n\nAt other times, the plans will lead to the military sending soldiers to aid the civilian effort, as we have seen already during the pandemic.\n\nPrevious major incidents include the Grenfell Tower disaster in London, the Salisbury Novichok poisonings and the 2017 terrorism attacks.\n\nLondon's regional director for Public Health England Kevin Fenton said the current wave of coronavirus was \"the biggest threat\" the capital has faced in this pandemic to date.\n\nHe added: \"The emergence of the new variant means we are setting record case rates at almost double the national average, with at least one in 30 people now thought to be carrying the virus.\n\n\"We know this will sadly lead to large numbers of deaths, so strong and immediate action is needed.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What does it mean if the NHS is overwhelmed?\n\nMr Khan is warning that London is \"at crisis point\".\n\n\"If we do not take immediate action now, our NHS could be overwhelmed and more people will die,\" he said.\n\n\"Londoners continue to make huge sacrifices and I am today imploring them to please stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary for you to leave. Stay at home to protect yourself, your family, friends and other Londoners and to protect our NHS.\"\n\nHe said he had written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking for more financial support for Londoners who need to self-isolate and are unable to work, and for daily vaccination data.\n\nMr Khan also called for the closure of places of worship and for face masks to be worn routinely outside the home, including in crowded places and supermarket queues, in a bid to curb case numbers.\n\nTwo hospital trusts in London have recorded more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths\n\nThe mayor of London was in a sombre mood when I spoke to him earlier this afternoon. One in 20 Londoners in some areas now has Covid, and there is a real fear that hospitals will simply be overwhelmed in the next two weeks.\n\nDeclaring a major incident is a real indication of the levels of concern felt not just at City Hall but across London's emergency services and the NHS.\n\nMore Londoners are now in hospital with coronavirus than at the peak of the first wave last April - and those numbers are growing by more than 800 every day.\n\nIt's believed the last mayor to declare a London-wide major incident was Boris Johnson in response to the 2011 riots.\n\nThe coming days will be some of the most challenging in the city's recent history.\n\nKatie Sanderson, a junior doctor working in London, said she is worried how long medical staff can cope with the surge of patients.\n\n\"[Staff] are working on wards and spending long amounts of time with patients who need high-intensive oxygen therapy,\" she said.\n\n\"It is technically challenging and the emotional burden is enormous. I see it in a flatness in their demeanour, like we've all got used to doing things which before were totally inconceivable.\"\n\nGeorgia Gould, chair of London Councils, described London's rising coronavirus rate as \"dangerous\".\n\nShe added: \"One in 30 Londoners now has Covid. This is why public services across London are urging all Londoners to please stay at home except for absolutely essential shopping and exercise.\n\n\"This is a dark and difficult time for our city but there is light at end of the tunnel with the vaccine rollout. We are asking Londoners to come together one last time to stop the spread - lives really do depend on it.\"\n\nEarlier this week as the prime minister introduced an England-wide lockdown, the Met Police said officers were going to be \"more inquisitive\" towards Londoners seen outside.\n\nThe Met handed out 1,761 fines for breaches of coronavirus laws between 27 March and 20 December.\n\nDeputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said the major incident was a \"stark reminder\" of the point London is at in the pandemic.\n\nHe said: \"These rule-breakers cannot continue to feign ignorance of the risk that this virus poses or listen to the false information and lies that some promote downplaying the dangers.\n\n\"Every time the virus spreads it increases the risk of someone needlessly losing their life.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'One of the worst shifts of my life - it's overwhelming'\n\nIn response to Mr Khan's announcement the government said the NHS is continuing to \"face a huge challenge\"\n\nA spokeswoman added: \"It is absolutely paramount people in London, and the rest of the country, follow the rules and stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.\n\n\"We are working closely with NHS England to support hospitals in the capital, including additional bed capacity at the London Nightingale.\n\n\"Financial support is in place for workers who need to self-isolate - including a £500 payment for those on the lowest incomes who have been contacted by NHS Test and Trace.\"\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nHave any of the issues raised in this article had an impact on you? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This car was one of many turned away by police at Moel Famau on Saturday\n\nPeople are \"blatantly\" ignoring rules on lockdown restrictions despite repeated warnings, police have said.\n\nMore than 100 cars had been turned away from Moel Famau on the Flintshire border by Saturday lunchtime, with some driving past \"road closed\" signs.\n\nIn Snowdonia, Gwynedd, a warden said a group from Leicester would have \"probably ignored our advice\" if police had not arrived and told them to leave.\n\nLevel four restrictions mean travelling for exercise is not allowed in Wales.\n\nKeith Ellis, a warden at Pen y Pass in Snowdonia, said while it had been much quieter this weekend, people were still travelling, despite the restrictions.\n\n\"We've had three from Leicester first thing this morning and if the police hadn't turned up they would have probably ignored our advice and carried on up the mountain,\" he said.\n\n\"What they were wearing was totally inappropriate and they would have probably got into danger.\n\n\"We've had people also from Liverpool and some locals turning up knowing full well what the rules are, but just trying it on.\n\n\"Luckily there are a lot more police officers around and all these people have been spoken to and advised by the police as well.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by NWP Rural Crime Team /Tîm Troseddau Cefn Gwlad HGC This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA Welsh Government spokesman said: \"Cases of coronavirus are very high in Wales at the moment and there is a new strain of the virus circulating, which is highly infectious and moving quickly.\n\n\"At alert level four, exercise should always be undertaken from home, unless you have special circumstances which requires some flexibility - such as disability or autism.\n\n\"The more people gather, the greater the risk of spreading or catching the virus.\"", "A further 1,610 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began.\n\nIt means the total number of deaths by that measure is now above 90,000.\n\nA total of 4,266,577 people have now received the first dose of a vaccine, according to the latest government figures.\n\nAnother 33,355 positive Covid cases have been recorded - less than half the peak figure of 68,053 on 8 January.\n\nIt is the lowest number of daily cases seen since 27 December - before the start of England's third nationwide lockdown.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: \"Whilst there are some early signs that show our sacrifices are working, we must continue to strictly abide by the measures in place.\"\n\nShe said reducing contact with others and staying at home will lead to \"a fall in the number of infections over time\".\n\nThe figures come as new estimates from the Office for National Statistics show about one in 10 people across the UK tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies in December - roughly double the October figure.\n\nThe rising number of deaths was to be expected, sadly, after the surge in cases during December.\n\nAnd it is likely that the coming weeks will see figures even higher than this.\n\nToday's numbers are, though, inflated by the fact that delays in registering deaths over the weekend tends to lead to higher figures being reported on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.\n\nOn average, the UK is recording more than 1,100 deaths a day.\n\nTo put that in context, at Christmas it was less than half of that.\n\nBut there are two rays of hope in the daily update.\n\nFirstly, the number of cases is below 40,000 for a third day in a row. Just two weeks ago we saw a few days above 60,000.\n\nThat means in the coming weeks we should start to see fewer people in hospital and eventually fewer deaths.\n\nThe number of vaccinations also continues to rise.\n\nIt seems unlikely the NHS will manage its target of two million doses a week just yet.\n\nBut each increase at least takes us one step closer to getting on top of the virus.\n\nMeanwhile, NHS England said 400 military personnel were now assisting in hospitals in London and the Midlands, as wards face \"unprecedented pressure\".\n\nOn Monday, Prof Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, said it would be \"some time\" before the vaccination programme begins to reduce pressures on hospitals.\n\nAnd in other developments, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said he is self-isolating after being alerted by the UK's NHS Covid-19 app .that he had been in close contact with somebody who tested positive.\n\nHe said self-isolation was \"perhaps the most important part of all the social distancing\" and urged others to do the same if contacted.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Martin Freeborn's wife, Helen, died from Covid at the Royal London Hospital: 'Don't end up like us, please'\n\nThe previous highest number of daily deaths was last Wednesday, when 1,564 deaths were recorded.\n\nTuesday's figure brings the total number of deaths recorded during the pandemic in the UK to 91,470.\n\nThese government figures count people who died within 28 days of testing positive, but there are other ways of measuring the total number of deaths.\n\nAnother method is to count all deaths where coronavirus is mentioned on the death certificate. That figure has now officially reached 95,829, although that is only measured up to 8 January.\n\nThe UK has recorded the fifth-highest number of deaths globally, according to Johns Hopkins University - behind the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: \"British people are paying the price for the government's serial incompetence.\"", "In 2009, Spector was convicted of the 2003 murder of Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson\n\nThe BBC has apologised for the original headline in its reporting of the death of the convicted murderer Phil Spector.\n\nThe former music producer died on Saturday at the age of 81, while serving a prison sentence for the murder of Lana Clarkson in 2003.\n\nThe first version on the breaking news story on the BBC News website carried the headline: \"Talented but flawed producer Phil Spector dies aged 81\".\n\nThe BBC said the headline \"did not meet our editorial standards\".\n\nThe text was quickly changed to: \"Pop producer jailed for murder dies at 81.\"\n\n\"This was changed within minutes and we also deleted a tweet that had gone out automatically with the original headline,\" a statement issued by the BBC read.\n\n\"We apologise for this error.\"\n\n\"Our coverage of the story across BBC News has been clear that Phil Spector was convicted of the murder of Lana Clarkson and had a long history of violence and abuse,\" it continued.\n\nSpector was convicted of murdering Clarkson, an actress, in 2009.\n\nHis death was confirmed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.\n\nReacting to the original version of the BBC's story, pop star Lily Allen tweeted: \"Rolling eyes at all the journos deliberately downplaying Phil Spector being a murderer in their headlines, so everyone points this out while linking to their articles resulting in lots of clicks.\"\n\n\"How about 'Murderer, Phil Spector dies aged 81'?\" offered author and historian Hallie Rubenhold.\n\nThe headline was also discussed on TV and radio programmes on Monday, including Loose Women and Radio 4's Woman's Hour, and prompted an article in the Guardian.\n\nThe phrasing of the BBC's article - and others like it - were \"a reflection of how a man's 'genius' is often viewed as more important than a woman's humanity,\" said columnist Arwa Mahdawi.\n\nSpector, who transformed pop with his \"wall of sound\" recordings, worked with The Beatles, The Righteous Brothers and Tina Turner.\n\nBut after the commercial failure of Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High, he largely withdrew from public life, and entered a long decline, marked by erratic behaviour, heavy drinking, and a fondness for guns.\n\nHis turbulent marriage to Ronettes singer Veronica Bennett, known as Ronnie Spector, ended in divorce.\n\n\"Unfortunately Phil was not able to live and function outside of the recording studio,\" she wrote after his death was announced. \"Darkness set in, many lives were damaged.\"\n\nSinger Darlene Love, who sang on several songs Spector produced, said he \"changed the sound of rock 'n' roll\" but likened their relationship to \"a bad marriage\".\n\n\"The problem I have with Phil is that he wanted to control Darlene Love's talent,\" she told Variety. \"If he couldn't do that, he was going to do everything in his power to keep my talent from shining.\"\n\nWeeks before Lana Clarkson was shot dead, Spector gave a rare interview to British broadsheet The Telegraph.\n\n\"I would say I'm probably relatively insane, to an extent,\" he told the paper, adding that he had \"devils inside that fight me\".\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "In Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, residents have prepared their homes and businesses ahead of the heavy rain\n\nEmergency services in the north of England are preparing for widespread flooding caused by Storm Christoph.\n\nThe Environment Agency has warned of a \"volatile situation\" as heavy rain combines with melting snow, while police in South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester declared major incidents.\n\nAn amber rain warning is in place for Yorkshire, the North West, East Midlands and the east of England.\n\nA yellow rain warning was issued for the rest of the country.\n\nGreater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey said the force had declared a major incident to ensure it was \"as prepared as possible\".\n\n\"The safety of the public is our number one priority and we're continuing to work alongside partner agencies across the region,\" he said.\n\nA government spokesperson said it had provided additional advice to local agencies to help them manage any evacuations and shelter provision in a Covid-secure way.\n\n\"The government has robust plans in place to support any areas affected by extreme weather this winter,\" they added.\n\nSandbags were laid in at-risk areas, with up to 70mm (2.75in) of rain due.\n\nIn isolated spots, particularly in the northern Peak District and parts of the southern Pennines, 200mm (7.87in) could be possible.\n\nNorthern Rail said buses were being used instead of trains on services between Bolton and Blackburn due to flooding at Darwen.\n\nSome motorists attempted to drive through floodwater on Derby Road in Hathern, Leicestershire\n\nIn the amber warning area, the Met Office said there was a \"danger to life\" due to fast-flowing or deep floodwater, and told some communities they might be \"cut off\" by flooded roads.\n\nIt also predicted delays and cancellations to public transport, with the amber warning in place until 12:00 GMT on Thursday.\n\nRos Jones, mayor of Doncaster, said key risk areas had been inspected over the past 36 hours, with the delivery of sandbags continuing on Tuesday.\n\n\"I do not want people to panic, but flooding is possible so please be prepared,\" she said.\n\nResidents of Fishlake, South Yorkshire, which saw severe flooding hit 160 homes and businesses in November 2019, said they felt much better prepared this time round.\n\nFlood warden and parish councillor Peter Trimingham said the arrival of sandbags had been a welcome sight.\n\n\"It gives us confidence,\" he said.\n\nResidents in Fishlake, near Doncaster, say they are better prepared than when flooding hit in 2019\n\nMr Trimingham added: \"We're absolutely hoping it doesn't rise to the same level. But, if it does, we're reasonably comfortable we've still got a chance because the Environment Agency have done tremendous work here along with Doncaster Council.\"\n\nHe said new defences had been built and their team of flood wardens had been expanded to 22 people.\n\nOn Yarlborough Terrace in Bentley, Doncaster, many residents were out of their homes for months after the 2019 floods.\n\nAnna Booth, 37, who was forced to live in a caravan on her drive, said residents were worried about it happening again.\n\n\"Being in the pandemic doesn't help either. Morale's a bit down but I think we'll all pull together again like last time,\" she said.\n\n\"It breaks your heart, it's really sad, but we can't stop the weather.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe Environment Agency issued more than 30 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action required, covering parts of Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Merseyside, Staffordshire and Northamptonshire as of 03:00 GMT on Wednesday.\n\nThere are also more than 150 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, issued across northern England, the Midlands and the east.\n\nRiver levels in the Ouse, which flows through York in North Yorkshire, are high before the arrival of Storm Christoph\n\nCatherine Wright, acting executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said: \"That rain is falling on very wet ground and so we are very concerned that it's a very volatile situation and we are expecting significant flooding to occur on the back of that weather.\"\n\nShe said the agency would be working with local authorities to help with evacuation efforts should a severe flood warning be issued, adding: \"If you do need to evacuate then that is allowed within the Covid rules.\"\n\nWork took place on Tuesday morning to increase defences near the River Ouse\n\nDiscussing the different levels of flood warnings, she said: \"If you receive a flood alert, please pack valuables like medicines and insurance documents in a bag ready to go.\n\n\"If you receive a flood warning, please move valuables and precious possessions upstairs and be ready to turn off gas, electricity and water.\n\n\"If you receive a severe flood warning, which means you will be evacuated, please listen out and take heed of the advice from the local emergency services.\"\n\nSandbags have been used to help defend homes in Fishlake, Doncaster, which suffered devastating floods in November 2019\n\nBarry Greenwood, from the Upper Calder Valley Flood Prevention Group in West Yorkshire, has been \"sick\" with worry.\n\n\"I went round after the last [flood], people were there with their heads in their hands, thinking 'what am I going to do now?',\" he said.\n\nFlood sirens were sounded in Walsden on Tuesday evening after a flood warning was issued for the area.\n\nIn a tweet, Calderdale Council asked residents to put their flood plan into action and move valuables to a safe place.\n\n\"River levels across the Upper River Calder have risen and are now approaching levels where we expect properties to flood,\" it warned.\n\nEarlier it had said staff were on standby to respond overnight.\n\nThe amber rain warning is in place until Thursday, with yellow warnings covering most of the UK coming in over the next three days\n\nA yellow rain alert is also in place for Wales, Northern Ireland, central and northern England and southern Scotland on Tuesday.\n\nThis yellow warning extends to the rest of England from Wednesday, with a yellow alert for snow and ice in north east Scotland.\n\nHighways England advised drivers to take extra care on motorways and major A roads, while the RAC breakdown service said motorists should only drive if absolutely necessary.\n\nDrivers faced wet road conditions and reduced visibility on the A1(M) near Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, on Tuesday morning\n\nHebden Bridge's volunteer flood warden Keith Crabtree has been monitoring the river levels of Hebden Beck closely\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sheku Bayoh death: Eyewitness says stamping attack on officer 'never happened'\n\nTwo police officers involved in the death of a black man they were restraining may have provided false statements, the BBC can reveal.\n\nThey said Sheku Bayoh carried out a stamping attack on a female PC before he was brought to the ground and restrained by up to six officers.\n\nBut now an eyewitness has spoken publicly for the first time about the 2015 incident.\n\nHe told a Panorama investigation that the stamping attack \"never happened\".\n\nThe Scottish Police Federation said its officers had cooperated truthfully with investigators.\n\nMr Bayoh, a 31-year-old father of two, died in the incident in the Fife town of Kirkcaldy in 2015.\n\nA public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death has recently got under way. One of its tasks is to examine whether his race was a factor.\n\nSheku Bayoh was restrained on the ground for five minutes before falling unconscious\n\nOn the night of 2 May 2015, Sheku Bayoh had taken drugs, which friends said dramatically altered his behaviour.\n\nPolice were called early the following morning after he was spotted behaving erratically with a knife in the streets of his home town.\n\nAccording to police statements, by the time the officers arrived at the scene Mr Bayoh no longer had the knife but he failed to obey instructions to get down on the ground.\n\nEach of the officers used force on Mr Bayoh within seconds of encountering him, including CS Spray and batons.\n\nHe then punched PC Nicole Short, who went to the ground.\n\nTwo officers, PCs Craig Walker and Ashley Tomlinson, would later tell investigators that Mr Bayoh then carried out a violent stamping attack on PC Short while she lay on the ground, a claim reported widely in the media.\n\nThe stamping attack was widely reported in the newspapers\n\nPC Walker told investigators: \"I had a clear view of him… he had his arms raised up at right angles to his body and brought his right foot down in a full-force stamp on to her lower back.\"\n\nPC Tomlinson said: \"I thought he had killed her. He stomped on her back again.\"\n\nNow, evidence obtained by Panorama suggests these accounts may be false.\n\nMr Bayoh was restrained on the ground for five minutes before falling unconscious. He was pronounced dead at hospital a short time later.\n\nA post-mortem examination report revealed 23 separate injuries to Mr Bayoh's body, including a broken rib and gashes to his head. The cause of death was recorded as \"sudden death in a man intoxicated [with drugs] whilst under restraint\".\n\nIn 2018, the Crown Office in Scotland decided there would be no prosecutions against any officers involved.\n\nKevin Nelson gave evidence to investigators two days after the incident\n\nKevin Nelson was in a nearby house and saw events unfold over a garden hedge.\n\nHe gave his account to investigators from Pirc (Police Investigations and Review Commissioner), which investigates deaths in custody, two days after the incident.\n\nSpeaking publicly for the first time, Mr Nelson told Panorama he saw Mr Bayoh attempt to walk away from the officers, ignoring their commands, before being sprayed with CS spray. He said Mr Bayoh retaliated and punched PC Short.\n\nAsked if there had been any further contact with PC Short, he said, \"No. He was running off… after the punch, there was no more attack on her at all.\"\n\nMr Nelson said Mr Bayoh ran off from where PC Short went down and was quickly intercepted by the other officers.\n\nAsked about PC Walker's claim that Mr Bayoh had \"his arms raised up… and brought his right foot down in a full force stamp\", Mr Nelson said: \"That never happened. I didn't see him stamping at all or, other than the punch, any raised arms.\n\n\"After the punch, that was it. There was no more attack on her at all. That's not right.\"\n\nThe officers provided their accounts to investigators 32 days after Mr Bayoh's death.\n\nMr Nelson said no-one from Pirc returned to ask about the discrepancy between their account and his.\n\nThe eyewitness said he decided to speak out because it was unfair on Mr Bayoh's family that the officers had \"made the incident worse than it actually was to justify what had happened and… that's not right\".\n\nMr Nelson's account is supported by CCTV footage of the incident, obtained by the BBC.\n\nIt is poor quality but appears to show that once PC Short is knocked down by Mr Bayoh, the action moves away from her, and he is brought down within five seconds.\n\nPC Short did not mention in her statement she had been stamped on. Now retired, she later said she was unsure if she was conscious, and only learned about the alleged stamping attack when her colleagues told her about it afterwards.\n\nIn the CCTV, PC Short appears to get to her feet a few seconds after Mr Bayoh is brought down.\n\nMike Franklin says conflicts of evidence should have been resolved\n\nMike Franklin, former commissioner for the body which investigated police complaints in England and Wales, looked at Panorama's evidence.\n\nHe said: \"I think there's nothing more serious than a police officer who gives false information in an investigation where somebody has died. So without accusing them of lying, I simply say that there's a big conflict.\n\n\"Two officers who were there say that it did happen. The person to whom it happened didn't mention it. And an eyewitness says it didn't happen.\n\n\"I would've been reluctant to sign off the investigation as complete, without resolving those… conflicts of evidence.\"\n\nMr Bayoh's sister, Kadi Johnson, told Panorama the new allegations had made her \"really angry\".\n\nShe said the way her brother was \"painted\" by the accounts given after his death was not who he was.\n\nMr Bayoh's sister, Kadi Johnson, said the new allegations had made her really angry\n\nA spokesman for the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said serving officers were unable to comment on matters \"to which they may be called upon to give sworn evidence\" but that they had \"co-operated fully and truthfully with the investigations that have taken place\".\n\nIt added it had seen \"compelling material that Mr Bayoh did violently stamp on the back of a policewoman as she lay unconscious\".\n\nThe BBC asked for this material to be produced but was told the inquiry was the \"proper forum\" for such matters.\n\nThe Crown Office, which directed the Pirc Inquiry, told Panorama it had examined \"eye-witness accounts of police and civilian witnesses\" and instructed \"appropriate investigation\".\n\nIt said after careful consideration it was decided there should be no prosecutions but reserved the right to prosecute should evidence become available.\n\nPirc told Panorama its investigation was \"detailed and extensive\" but could not comment further because of the public inquiry.\n\nPolice Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone expressed his condolences to the Bayoh family and said the force would \"participate fully\" in the inquiry.\n\nKevin Clarke died after being restrained in London by up to nine officers\n\nPanorama's \"I Can't Breathe: Black and Dead in Custody\" also investigates the case of Kevin Clarke, 35, who died in 2018 after being restrained in London by up to nine officers.\n\nAn inquest into his death resulted in a damning verdict on the police and ambulance services.\n\nMr Clarke's sister Tellecia told the programme that if the officers \"hadn't used excessive force he would still be here today… treat him like a human being, and not just see him as a big scary black man\".\n\nMetropolitan Police Commander Bas Javid apologised to Mr Clarke's family and accepted the restraint had not been appropriate.", "Protests against China's alleged abuse of the Muslim Uighur community\n\nThe government has narrowly seen off a rebellion by 33 Tory MPs, who want to outlaw trade deals with countries judged to be committing genocide.\n\nMPs voted by 319 to 308 to remove an amendment to the Trade Bill which would have forced ministers to withdraw from deals with nations the UK High Court ruled guilty of mass killings.\n\nIt comes amid condemnation of China's treatment of the Uighur people.\n\nThe rebels believe they have enough support to secure another vote soon.\n\nAmong those to defy the government were ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, former cabinet ministers David Davis and Damian Green and Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.\n\nThe rebellion is one of the largest on an issue not related to the Covid-19 pandemic during Boris Johnson's time as prime minister.\n\nThe government has a Commons majority of 80 but this was whittled down to just 11 as prominent ex-ministers such as Tobias Ellwood, Caroline Nokes and Nusrat Ghani, as well as a number of MPs first elected last year, sided with the opposition.\n\nMPs have been debating proposals, tabled by cross-bench peer Lord Alton, to give British courts the right to decide if a country is committing genocide, a decision currently left to the jurisdiction of international courts.\n\nThe proposals, also backed by Labour, would mean that ministers would have to revoke post-Brexit trade deals with countries that were ruled to be carrying out systematic mass killings.\n\nThe issue is expected to resurface when the Trade Bill returns to the House of Lords.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, Conservative rebels, led by former leader Iain Duncan Smith, were unable to force a vote on a separate amendment they had proposed.\n\nEvery speaker in today's debate - from the front and back benches - said genocide was abhorrent. The worst of crimes. There was united criticism of China's brutal treatment of the Uighurs too.\n\nBut the question Parliament has been wrestling with is whether the High Court should have the right to decide if a country is committing genocide. And if they did judge a country has been carrying out mass killings, should the High Court be able to compel the government to revoke any trade treaty it has with that country?\n\nMinisters insist it should be the job of elected governments, not judges, to determine trade policy. But opposition parties and a large cohort of Tory backbenchers argue it's essential the High Court can rule on genocide and ensure the UK's new trade-making freedom has an obligation to uphold human rights too.\n\nThis also is an argument about where power lies after Brexit and what role Parliament should have in shaping trade policy after decades in the EU.\n\nBut BBC Newsnight political editor Nick Watt said that by securing large, but not overwhelming, support for Lord Alton's amendment in the Commons, the rebels hope the government will accept Mr Duncan Smith's own amendment - which would give the Commons the right to debate whether trade deals can be halted if genocide is proven.\n\nThe debate came as the US government formally declared that China was committing genocide in its repression of Uighur muslims in Xinjiang.\n\nThe UK government has been critical of China's treatment of the Uighurs and last week announced measures to cut UK business links with forced labour camps in the region.\n\nBut some MPs suspect the government is pulling its punches to avoid antagonising Beijing.\n\nMr Duncan Smith said the debate was \"all about simply shining a light of hope to all those out there who have failed to get their day in court and failed to be treated properly\".\n\n\"If this country doesn't stand up for that then I want to know what would it ever stand up for again?,\" he added.\n\nBut Trade Minister Greg Hands said it was unprecedented and unacceptable to give the courts powers to revoke trade deals agreed by elected governments.\n\nAnd he argued that no one would benefit from the proposal because the UK currently had no free trade deal with China.", "Lisbet Stone is stranded at Madrid Airport due to having an out-of-date coronavirus test result\n\nPassenger Lisbet Stone says she is stuck in Madrid Airport after airline officials said her coronavirus test result was out of date.\n\nFrom Monday, travellers arriving in the UK, whether by boat, train or plane, have to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test to be allowed entry.\n\nThe test must be taken in the three days before travelling.\n\nFor those with connecting flights, the test must be 72 hours before your final departure point to England.\n\nAnyone arriving without one faces a fine of up to £500.\n\nMrs Stone originally travelled to Cuba in February 2020 to see family. The British Cuban dual national was unable to fly home to the UK when Cuba closed its borders in March.\n\nThe family say she had several previous flights cancelled before finally being able to leave this weekend. She hasn't been able to see her four children or her husband Trevor in 11 months.\n\nThe government are understood to be speaking to Air Europa to try to get Mrs Stone home. Carriers have been told that they should permit stranded passengers to board and will not be fined for doing so.\n\nWhile Mrs Stone has been caught out by the new restrictions for incoming travellers, the first day of the new regulations appeared to go smoothly.\n\nMrs Stone left Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba, on Sunday night to fly back to the UK via Madrid.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus: How to fly during a global pandemic (this video reflects the rules before the hotel quarantine was introduced in the UK)\n\nShe took a Covid test on Thursday to be guaranteed a result by Saturday. It was negative and Mrs Stone was able to board the plane from Cuba.\n\nHowever, on arrival at Madrid-Barajas Airport, Mrs Stone says she was stopped from boarding the next leg of her journey to London Gatwick by Air Europa staff, because her test had been taken more than 72 hours before the final flight.\n\n\"She's crying her eyes out,\" says Trevor Stone, her husband. \"I feel absolutely helpless. She doesn't have any Euros as she wasn't meant to stay in Spain. The authorities have given her no help whatsoever, we are just trying to understand what to do.\n\n\"She took her test 72 hours before the start of her journey, but had to take a connecting flight onwards. There would be no other way to do it, it is not physically possible.\"\n\nIn the meantime, Mr Stone says he has been home-schooling their four children on his own through the pandemic.\n\nTrevor Stone (left) has been caring for the couple's four children on his own for 11 months since Lisbet Stone was unable to leave Cuba\n\n\"We are just desperate to get her home - I'm so worried about her and after 11 months, she really wants to see her children,\" he added. \"We haven't done anything wrong, I don't know what to do or who to turn to.\"\n\nA Department for Transport spokesman said: \"Passengers travelling to the UK must provide proof of a negative coronavirus test which meets the performance standards set out by the government in the guidance published on gov.uk.\n\n\"The type of test could include a PCR test or antigen test, including a lateral flow test. Anyone who cannot provide the necessary documentation may not be allowed to board their flight.\"\n\nAir Europa and Madrid Airport have been approached by the BBC for comment.", "US tariffs have hit the Scotch whisky industry hard\n\nThe UK and US have failed to do a much hoped for \"mini-deal\" over trade in the last days of the Trump administration.\n\nThere were hopes the US would lift tariffs on imports of Scotch whisky and cashmere imposed last year as part of the Boeing-Airbus trade dispute.\n\nBut those duties will now stay in place while President-elect Biden awaits confirmation of his trade team.\n\nThe talks were revealed in a BBC interview with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in December.\n\nAt the time he said he was hopeful that he and his UK counterpart, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, could \"get some kind of an agreement out\".\n\nBut the BBC understands that a broad offer from the US was rejected last week by the UK after concerns were expressed by the Business Department about the impact on Airbus' business in the UK.\n\nSince 2019, the EU and US have both imposed tariffs on each others' goods amid a long-running trade dispute between the planemakers Boeing and Airbus.\n\nThe tariffs centre on a long-running dispute between Boeing and Airbus\n\nEarlier last month the UK's Trade Department announced it would unilaterally break from the EU's position of levying tariffs on imports of Boeing aeroplanes, after the end of the Brexit transition period.\n\nIt was, said Ms Truss, an attempt to create goodwill to solve the 16-year old dispute.\n\nBut the UK aerospace industry was furious with what it saw as the government reneging on promises made in early 2020 to support Airbus in the dispute, even after Brexit.\n\nThese concerns were the main block to a deal, but the chaos in Washington DC over the past week also played a part.\n\nThe US was also looking for tariffs on its exports of bourbon to the UK - part of a separate trade dispute over steel - to be settled.\n\nA government source said: \"Ultimately we came close to resolving an intractable 16-year dispute, but didn't quite get there. Any deal must be balanced and work for the whole UK and all of UK industry.\"\n\nThey added: \"No one has fought harder on this than Liz, and she's going to continue pushing it with the Biden administration. She absolutely understands the pain of affected businesses and is determined to get these tariffs lifted and support jobs.\"\n\nThe source said the government had pursued a \"clear de-escalation strategy\" with the Trump administration over the dispute which meant it had avoided being hit with further US tariffs, unlike the EU.\n\nMs Truss still hopes to settle the dispute quickly and has committed to meet Katherine Tai, the new US Trade Representative, in Washington DC as soon as she assumes office, the source added.\n\nKaren Betts, head of the Scotch Whisky Association, said her industry was \"very frustrated\" a deal was not reached.\n\n\"There is deep disappointment across the Scotch whisky industry that distillers are still paying the price for an aerospace dispute that has nothing to do with us.\n\n\"The tariff on single malt Scotch whisky, now in place for 15 months, has caused us to lose over £450m in exports to the US, and our losses continue to mount.\"", "Marion Dawson is the third oldest person in Scotland to be given the vaccine.\n\nA 108-year-old woman has received the Covid vaccination on her birthday.\n\nMarion Dawson, from Houston in Renfrewshire, is the third oldest person in Scotland to be given the vaccine.\n\nShe received her jab at Houston and Killellan Kirk, which is being used by the local GP surgery to deliver vaccinations to the community.\n\nBorn in 1913, Mrs Dawson has lived through two world wars and the Spanish flu pandemic.\n\nDr Diane Fisher, who gave the injection said: \"We are so excited to be starting vaccinations of our over-80s, and that our first patient to be vaccinated is doing so on her birthday.\"\n\nMrs Dawson is the most senior person in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde to be given the vaccine.\n\nAfter receiving her injection, she said: \"I'm glad it's passed. I never felt a thing.\"\n\nKirk minister, Rev Gary Noonan said: \"Mrs Dawson is a local treasure in Houston, until the lockdown she never missed a week at church.\n\n\"It's fitting she can get her vaccine in the Kirk, a place she loves.\"\n\nDr Mark Storey, partner at Strathgryffe Medical Practice, added: \"It's been a very difficult year in general practice and society as a whole.\n\n\"In our practice we have a family of 10,000 patients, so we are delighted to start vaccinating, especially with Mrs Dawson.\"", "The pace of Europe's Covid-19 vaccination campaign has picked up and in many countries infection rates have been falling.\n\nLockdowns are gradually being eased as the summer tourist season gets under way, and there are plans for an EU-wide digital vaccination certificate to be in place by 1 July.\n\nNationwide curfew ended on 20 June, 10 days earlier than planned. Face masks are no longer required outdoors.\n\nRestaurants, cafes and bars can serve customers indoors, with 50% capacity and up to six people per table.\n\nStanding concerts will resume on 30 June and nightclubs on 9 July (with 75% capacity). People attending will need a health pass which shows either full vaccination, a negative test within the previous 72 hours, or else a previous coronavirus infection.\n\nMedical grade masks are compulsory in shops and on public transport.\n\nFrom 30 June, working from home will no longer be compulsory.\n\nOn 21 June, Italy's curfew was scrapped and the whole country, except for the northwest region of Valle d'Aosta, became \"white zone\" - the country's lowest-risk category.\n\nAmong the measures still in place are social distancing (1m) and the wearing of masks indoors (and in crowded outdoor places), and a ban on house parties and large gathering.\n\nNightclubs and discos are also closed.\n\nAll indoor businesses, with the exception of nightclubs, are open.\n\nThe government introduced a \"corona pass\" in April, the first to do so in Europe.\n\nThis shows - either on a phone or on paper - that you have been vaccinated, previously infected or that you have had a negative test within 72 hours.\n\nPeople need to show it for entry to cinemas, museums, hairdressers or indoor dining.\n\nThe Greek government is welcoming tourists from many countries, if they are fully vaccinated or can provide a negative coronavirus test.\n\nFace coverings must be worn in all public places and there is a curfew from 01:30-05:00, but bars, restaurants, museums and archaeological sites are all open.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Greek island of Milos is aiming to become \"Covid-free\" so it can welcome back tourists\n\nCinemas, theatres, museums and restaurants are open at 50% capacity. From 26 June, this increases to 75%.\n\nNightclubs and discos will also be allowed to reopen, with a limit of 150 people.\n\nFace coverings must be worn in enclosed spaces and 1.5m social distancing observed.\n\nShops, bars, restaurants and museums are open, although face coverings remain compulsory in most public places.\n\nNightclubs can now reopen in parts of Spain with low infection rates.\n\nIn Barcelona, they are restricted to 50% of capacity and can stay open until 03:30 - dancers have to wear masks.\n\nSpain began welcoming vaccinated tourists from 7 June. Most European travellers still have to present a negative Covid test on arrival.\n\nBrussels: Outdoor dining resumed in Belgium on 8 May\n\nShops, cinemas, gyms, cafes and restaurants are open, with restrictions. Households can invite up to four people inside.\n\nFrom 1 July, working from home will no longer be mandatory, if the situation continues to improve.\n\nCultural performances, shows and sports competitions can also go ahead, with limited numbers, and more people will be allowed at weddings and other ceremonies and parties.\n\nPortugal has lifted many of its restrictions but face coverings must still be worn in indoor public spaces and some outdoor settings.\n\nBars and nightclubs remain closed, and it's illegal to drink alcohol outdoors in public places, except for pavement cafés and restaurants.\n\nAlcohol cannot be sold after 21:00 unless it is with a meal.\n\nRestaurants, cafes and cultural venues have to close at 01:00 and have capacity limits.\n\nA weekend travel ban is in force in the Lisbon area, starting at 15:00 on Friday, with residents only allowed to leave for essential journeys.\n\nIn Lisbon and in Albufeira (Algarve), cafes, restaurants and non-essential shops have to close by 15:30 at the weekend and 22:30 on weekdays.\n\nPortugal's summer season looks uncertain, yet its Covid figures have improved\n\nRestaurants, cafes, museums and historic buildings have reopened with capacity limits.\n\nFrom 26 June, a number of restrictions are being lifted.\n\nAlcohol can be sold after 22:00, and nightclubs can open, with an entry pass system.\n\nEvents held in public venues such as cinemas, conference centres and concert halls will be allowed, subject to social distancing.\n\nMasks will no longer be compulsory except on public transport, airports and in secondary schools.\n\nOutdoor services in restaurants and bars returned in June. Theme parks, funfairs, cinemas and theatres, gyms and swimming pools, have reopened as well.\n\nFrom 5 July, restaurants and bars will be able to serve customers indoors. Weddings and other indoor events for up to 50 people will be permitted and the numbers at outdoor organised events will increase.\n\nSince June, pubs have been able to stay open until 22:30 and more people are now allowed at sports events, outdoor concerts, cinemas and markets.\n\nOn 1 July, limits on private gatherings will be raised, and the recommendation to interact with a small circle of people removed.\n\nFurther easing is planned on 15 July and in September.", "'Paul' was accused of committing a domestic burglary in June 2018.\n\nIn early 2019 he was told by police that no further action would be taken against him. However, he was subsequently charged.\n\nLast week - over two years since the alleged offence - he appeared at Inner London Crown Court.\n\nBut his barrister told the court that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had still not served the sole evidence - DNA - in the case on the defence.\n\nPaul (not his real name) is on bail and had his trial put on provisional \"warned\" list - for December 2021.\n\nIt means there is no guarantee it will take place at that time - just that it might.\n\nThe judge explained apologetically that priority is being given to cases where defendants are being held in custody.\n\nSo, three and a half-years from the date of the alleged offence, there has been no justice for the alleged burglary victim - or the accused.\n\nPaul's was one of a number of cases I saw on a visit to Inner London with the chair of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) James Mulholland QC. He told me it was typical.\n\n\"This is justice 2020, but it has been like this for the last 10 years, delay after delay, inbuilt into the system. These cases are being pushed back continuously.\n\n\"Lack of investment is at the heart of it and government needs to understand that you don't create a proper justice system without proper investment.\n\n\"What we are seeing here are the fruits of a lack of interest.\"\n\nThat apparent \"lack of interest\" is reflected in the state of some court buildings. Outside Inner London I saw a dead pigeon decaying on netting, vast weeds growing up the side of the building and old pipes leaking water.\n\nMeanwhile, a court official told me that some court centres are now listing trials for 2023.\n\nThe delays are caused by a range of factors.\n\nLawyers point to huge cuts to the police, CPS and other agencies such as probation.\n\nThere are a range of things malfunctioning within the system. They include long initial delays caused by police \"releasing suspects under investigation\" - sometimes for years - before a charging decision is made.\n\nSystemic problems continue with the CPS serving evidence late on the defence, meaning lawyers cannot advise their clients in a timely manner.\n\nAnd perhaps most significantly - the decisions by government to cut thousands of crown court sitting days. That has meant that courts have been mothballed while trials stack up in a growing backlog.\n\nNone of these problems are caused by the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, but they are of course exacerbated by it. Pre-lockdown the crown court backlog in England and Wales stood at some 37,000.\n\n\"Adam\" - not his real name - was accused of rape in March 2018. He denies the charge. His trial has been put back twice, once because of the pandemic.\n\nHe is now on a \"warned\" list for November, while his chosen career in one of the public services is on hold.\n\n\"I have suffered really bad with my mental health through it,\" he says. \"I've had to up my dosage of anti-depressants. It's affected my potential career.\n\n\"The hard work I have done at university and everything to get me there it's all basically going out of the window now. I haven't got any trust or hope that it will be anywhere near the end of this year.\n\n\"I think it will be more like April next year.\"\n\nThe next case I saw involved two young men charged with possession of drugs with intent to supply. The alleged offence took place in December 2017.\n\nNo one in court could explain the delay.\n\nIt was followed by a case in which the judge needed a pre-sentence report from the probation service in order to sentence the defendant. Despite repeated requests, no one was available.\n\nIn order to achieve a conclusion of the case, the judge had to devise a sentence which did not require a report. It was not ideal, but it showed professionals trying to do their best in the face of a lack of resources.\n\n\"Defendants are suspended from their jobs with trial dates one to two years away. Some are losing university places with dates from the alleged offence to trial of four years.\n\n\"And some who are awaiting trial for 18-24 months on bail, can be on electronic tagged curfew from 7-7 every day, for up to two years.\"\n\nTo help deal with the situation, the government has announced that the period of time an accused person can be held before a trial - known as the Custody Time Limit (CTL) - will be increased from six to eight months.\n\nBut the government admitted - in response to a Freedom of Information request from the group Fair Trials - that it did not know how many people had been held in prison beyond the time limit since lockdown.\n\nLawyers fear some accused will spend more time in custody awaiting trial than the sentence they would eventually receive if they pleaded guilty - and that some might falsely plead guilty simply to bring an end to their case.\n\nLife is bleak for those in custody awaiting trial, says Ms Fenn,\n\n\"There are often no visits from family or in-person visits from lawyers. Defendants can be locked up for 23.5 hours a day, education classes and courses are suspended, jobs within the prison restricted, and there are reports of showers being limited to 1-2 a week.\"\n\nCovid has also removed a \"huge amount of mental health, drug and alcohol agency support\", she says.\n\nA Ministry of Justice spokesperson said justice had been kept moving \"despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic\" and overall, cases are falling.\n\nHowever, they acknowledged that \"more needs to be done\".\n\nThe government has launched an £80 million Criminal Courts Recovery plan which includes:\n\nHowever, only three of the new Nightingale Courts are dealing with crime.\n\nI visited one, Prospero House, a short walk from Inner London. It is a state of the art commercial building with three large courtrooms allowing ample room for social distancing. Every desk has hand sanitiser and protective gloves.\n\nBut Mr Mulholland says: \"We need 60 criminal Nightingale Court buildings. At the moment we have just three.\"\n\nThe CBA says there are around 460 crown courtrooms in England and Wales. Currently around 100 are able to hear trials, though not all are hosting them.\n\nThe government says its plan will bring on stream another 250 of the existing rooms to hear jury trials by the end of October. The CBA believes that simply will not cut into the backlog.\n\nLawyers believe that the Treasury has long seen justice as a poor relation to health and education in terms of public spending.\n\n\"Investing in the criminal justice system is investing in the wealth and prosperity of the country,\" says Mr Mulholland.\n\n\"It is an empty and insulting promise for any minister to declare a war on crime if a government can't fund a system that keeps us safe - and ensures crimes are swiftly investigated and cases come to court on time.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Aerial footage shows the 130-car pile-up on the Tohoku Expressway\n\nA huge snowstorm has struck a highway in Japan, causing a 130-vehicle pile-up, killing one person and injuring 10.\n\nThe storm blanketed a stretch of the Tohoku Expressway in Miyagi prefecture at around noon (03:00 GMT) on Tuesday.\n\nSome 200 people have been caught up in the pile-up and rescuers are currently at the scene, officials said.\n\nJapan has been hit by severe snow storms in recent weeks with some parts of the country seeing double the average expected snowfall.\n\nImages from the expressway in the north of the country show the sheer scale of the pile-up.\n\nOne person died and at least 10 were injured after the vehicles collided\n\nAuthorities had already enforced a 50km/h (31mph) speed limit on the road due to visibility.\n\nThere was a maximum wind speed of about 100km/h (62mph) at the time of the incident, local weather officials said.\n\nThose who were involved have been given drinking water and food, and have been provided with blankets to keep warm, NHK News reports (in Japanese).\n\nThose stuck behind the vehicles have been given food, water and blankets\n\nThe snow has affected some of Japan's high-speed railway network, with a number of train services in the Tohoku region cancelled.\n\nAccording to local media, the region is expected to record up to 40cm (15 inches) of snow in the next 24 hours.\n\nThe country has been experiencing a large amount of snowfall this winter.\n\nLast month, heavy snow left more than 1,000 vehicles stranded on the Kanetsu expressway for two days.\n\nThe weather was so bad that an emergency meeting was called and the country's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called on members of the public to be cautious.", "Pupils are currently learning remotely from home\n\nSchools in England may reopen region by region after half term, the government's deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries has said.\n\nSpeaking to the Commons education committee, Dr Harries suggested there would be different rates of infection across the country when lockdown ends.\n\nThis would mean a \"differential application\" of restrictive measures would be required, she said.\n\nSchools were closed at the start of January to stem the spread of Covid-19.\n\nAlthough schools remain open to vulnerable children and those of keyworkers, all others are due to learn remotely from home until after the February half term holiday.\n\nBut the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, has suggested they may not return fully then.\n\nA Department for Education spokesperson said the department was continuing to keep plans for the return to school under review and that it would inform schools, parents and pupils of the plans ahead of February half term.\n\nCommittee chairman Robert Halfon said he suspected schools would be closed for quite \"a few weeks yet\", but there has been no formal confirmation of this.\n\nMedical and science advisers were warning the government before Christmas that the NHS would not be able to manage the number of Covid-19 cases if schools remained open.\n\nThe new, more transmissible variant of the virus had been increasing exponentially in London and the south-east before Christmas.\n\nBut in some parts of the north and north-east saw rates of increase were reducing.\n\nDr Harries said: \"It is highly likely that when we come out of this national lockdown we will not have consistent patterns of infection in our communities across the country.\n\n\"And therefore, as we had prior to the national lockdown, it may well be possible that we need to have some differential application.\"\n\nBut Dr Harries said schools would be at the top of the priority to ensure that the balance of education and wellbeing were \"right at the forefront\" of consideration.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries says schools in England might reopen ''region by region''\n\nGeoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: \"Although the government intends that schools will fully reopen after the February half-term holiday, it is clearly in the balance when this happens and whether there will be any sort of regional approach.\n\n\"We expect that it will depend on coronavirus infection rates and the pressure on the NHS, and that the government will make a call on this issue nearer the time.\n\n\"What is important is that when schools fully reopen, everything possible is done to keep them open and to keep disruption to a minimum.\n\n\"This is why we are calling for education staff to be prioritised for vaccinations as soon as possible, and for schools to be given more support in the use of rapid turnaround mass testing.\"\n\nPaul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said if the government was planning to stagger opening of schools by region, it needed to \"provide clarity sooner rather than later\".\n\n\"This will give vital time to prepare for a smoother reopening of schools and business,\" he said.\n\nOn calls for vaccination of teachers, Dr Harries suggested the safe re-opening of schools did not depend on this.\n\nBut members of the committee suggested education would be less disrupted by teachers needing to go home and isolate when infected.\n\nThe vaccination programme had been worked out in order of vulnerability to the disease, she stressed.\n\nAnd Dr Harries added that although pupils could and did transmit the virus, she did not have evidence of them being \"a significant driver\" of \"large-scale community infections\".", "The publication of a letter from the Duchess of Sussex to her father was a \"triple-barrelled invasion\" of her privacy, the High Court has been told.\n\nMeghan is suing the publisher of the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online over articles that reproduced parts of the private handwritten letter.\n\nShe claims her privacy and copyright were breached by the newspaper group.\n\nHer lawyers are asking for summary judgement - a dismissal of Associated Newspapers' defence instead of a trial.\n\nMeghan's lawyers argue Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) has \"no prospect\" of defending the privacy and copyright claims being brought against them.\n\nThey claim the publication of extracts from the private, handwritten letter to Thomas Markle was \"self-evidently... highly intrusive\".\n\nMeghan, 39, sent the letter to her father in August 2018, following her marriage to Prince Harry in May that year, which Mr Markle did not attend. The couple are now living in the US with their son Archie.\n\nThe five articles, published in February 2019, were a \"triple-barrelled invasion\" of the duchess's privacy, correspondence and family, the lawyers claim.\n\nMr Markle said in a witness statement provided to the remote hearing, which started on Tuesday, that he wanted the letter published to \"set the record straight\" about his relationship with his daughter - but one of Meghan's lawyers described this claim as \"ridiculous\".\n\nMeghan is seeking damages from the newspaper group for alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement and breach of the Data Protection Act over the articles.\n\nThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex now live in the US with their son\n\nHer lawyers told the court the letter was written in sorrow rather than anger and was an attempt to get her father to stop talking to the press.\n\nBut the newspaper group said in its response to the court that Meghan had written the letter \"with a view to it being disclosed publicly at some future point\" in order to \"defend her against charges of being an uncaring or unloving daughter\".\n\nIn written submissions, the newspaper group's barrister Antony White said \"she must, at the very least, have appreciated that her father might choose to disclose it\" and pointed out that the Kensington Palace communications team had been shown the letter before it was sent.\n\n\"No truly private letter from daughter to father would require any input from the Kensington Palace communications team,\" said Mr White.\n\nBut Meghan's lawyers also pointed out the articles themselves had emphasised the private nature of the correspondence - and dismissed any argument that it was in the public interest for the newspaper to reproduce the letter, saying the public interest was at the \"very end of the bottom end of the scale\".\n\nJustin Rushbrooke, representing the duchess, described the handwritten letter as \"a heartfelt plea from an anguished daughter to her father\".\n\nHe said the \"contents and character of the letter were intrinsically private, personal and sensitive in nature\" and that Meghan \"had a reasonable expectation of privacy in respect of the contents of the letter\".\n\nThe effect of publishing the letter was \"self-evidently likely to be devastating for the claimant\", said Mr Rushbrooke.\n\nThe barrister argued that, even if ANL was justified in publishing parts of the letter, \"on any view the defendant published far more by way of extracts from the letter than could have been justified in the public interest\".\n\nMr White said that the newspaper group would argue that Meghan's status as a member of the royal family was relevant to the case.\n\nIn response to that point, Mr Rushbrooke said: \"Yes, she is in some senses a public figure, but that does not reduce her expectation of privacy in relation to information of this kind.\"\n\nIn Thomas Markle's evidence, he said the letter \"signalled the end\" of his relationship with his daughter, and instead of a reconciliation attempt, the letter was a \"criticism\" of him.\n\nHe said that he had to \"defend himself\" against an article in People magazine. It carried an interview with a \"long-time friend\" of his daughter, who suggested Meghan sent the letter to repair her relationship with her father - something he claimed was false.\n\nThe People article, he claimed, made him appear \"dishonest, exploitative, publicity-seeking, uncaring and cold-hearted\".\n\nHe said he had \"never intended to talk publicly about Meg's letter\" until he read the People magazine piece which, he claimed, suggested he was \"to blame for the end of the relationship\".\n\nThe full trial of the duchess's claim had been due to be heard at the High Court this month, but last year the case was adjourned until autumn 2021.\n\nThis interim remote hearing - to consider the request for summary judgement - is due to last two days. Mr Justice Warby, who is hearing the case, is expected to reserve his judgement to a later date.", "Most people who have had Covid-19 are protected from catching it again for at least five months, a study led by Public Health England shows.\n\nPast infection was linked to around a 83% lower risk of getting the virus, compared with those who had never had Covid-19, scientists found.\n\nBut experts warn some people do catch Covid-19 again - and can infect others.\n\nAnd officials stress people should follow the stay-at-home rules - whether or not they have had the virus.\n\nProf Susan Hopkins, who led the study, said the results were encouraging, suggesting immunity lasted longer than some people feared, but protection was by no means absolute.\n\nIt was particularly concerning some of those reinfected had high levels of the virus - even without symptoms - and were at risk of passing it on to others, she said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Susan Hopkins from Public Health England said immunity from having Covid-19 is \"not 100% protective\"\n\n\"This means even if you believe you already had the disease and are protected, you can be reassured it is highly unlikely you will develop severe infections but there is still a risk that you could acquire an infection and transmit to others,\" she added.\n\n\"Now more than ever, it is vital we all stay at home to protect our health service and save lives.\"\n\nFrom June to November 2020, almost 21,000 healthcare workers across the UK were regularly tested to see whether they:\n\nOf those who had no antibodies to the virus, suggesting they may have never had it, 318 developed potential new infections within this timeframe.\n\nBut among the 6,614 with antibodies, this figure was just 44 potential new infections.\n\nResearchers received various different pieces of evidence suggesting these people had become re-infected - including new symptoms more than 90 days after their first infection, new positive swab tests and blood tests.\n\nSome tests are still being run and researchers say their results will be updated as they come in.\n\nScientists will continue to monitor the healthcare workers for 12 months to see how long immunity lasts.\n\nThey will also look closely at cases with the new variant - which was not widespread at the time of this first analysis - and observe the immunity of participants who receive the vaccine.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Can you become immune to coronavirus?\n\nDr Julian Tang, a virus expert at the University of Leicester, said the results were reassuring for healthcare workers.\n\n\"Having the vaccine after recovering from Covid-19 is not an issue... and will likely boost the natural immunity,\" he added.\n\n\"We also see this with the seasonal flu vaccine.\n\n\"So hopefully the results from this paper will reduce the anxiety of many healthcare-worker colleagues who have concerns about getting Covid-19 twice.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Only 155 out of more than 23,000 university professors in the UK are black, according to official figures.\n\nIt remains below 1%, the same as for the past five years, and is an increase of only 50 posts despite the number of professorships rising by more than 3,000 in that time.\n\nAt this senior academic level, women hold 28% of professorships, up from 23% five years ago.\n\n\"The pace of change is glacial,\" said lecturers' union leader Jo Grady.\n\n\"Universities must do more to ensure a more representative mix of staff at a senior level and stop this terrible waste of talent,\" said Dr Grady, general secretary of the UCU university union.\n\nThe figures on black professors were \"disappointing\" and \"inexplicable\", said Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust race equality think tank, \"given the symbolic importance of education as the foundation of our values.\"\n\n\"Around a quarter of British postgraduates are from ethnic minorities, there is clearly no shortage of qualified black and minority academics seeking elevation to senior teaching and research roles in our universities,\" said Dr Begum.\n\nShe called on vice chancellors to take action over a problem they can \"literally discern with their own eyes every single day they are on campus\".\n\nThe annual figures, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, provide a breakdown of the UK's academic workforce - and show while there has been a focus on widening access for students, there are still few black academic staff.\n\nAt the level of professor, the number of black professors rose from 105 to 155 between 2014-15 to 2019-20.\n\nBut new higher education providers included in the figures meant an additional 3,200 staff at professor grade, with the proportion of black professors only increasing marginally from 0.5% to 0.7% over five years.\n\nThis compared to 7% of professors who are Asian and 89% white in the figures for 2019-20.\n\nKehinde Andrews, professor of black studies at Birmingham City University, said that rather than universities being \"progressive dreamlands\", the \"make-up of professors is the perfect reflection of the narrow Eurocentric views still produced by universities\".\n\n\"I have seen very few genuine attempts to address the issues of racism at any level across the sector,\" said Prof Andrews.\n\nAmong all academic staff, 2% are black, 10% are Asian, 75% are white, with the remainder under categories of \"mixed\", \"other or not known\".\n\nThere is still a significant gender gap in professorships, among a group that is also heavily skewed to older age groups, with most in their fifties, sixties and above.\n\nFive years ago, more than 4,500 professors were women, which has risen to 6,300 - from 23% to 28% of these senior posts.\n\nThis is despite women representing 46% of all academic staff.\n\nBaroness Amos, who was the UK's first black female university head, has previously warned of \"deep-seated prejudices and stereotypes which need to be overcome\" in the recruitment of senior staff in higher education.\n\nUniversities UK said \"the evidence is clear that black and minority ethnic staff continue to be under-represented\" at these senior academic levels.\n\n\"More needs to be done to address this inequality which exists within higher education, which mirrors inequalities evident in wider UK society and which will require an unequivocal commitment to change,\" said the universities' organisation.", "Many think the courts system needs to invest more in technology\n\nWhen Louise Westra and her partner decided to adopt a child in November 2018, they were aware of the long process that was ahead of them, but they were not to know that the coronavirus pandemic would hold them back from completing the adoption of their son.\n\nOn 27 March, their petition was due in court. As lockdown had taken effect, telephone conferencing would be used instead of going to court.\n\nHowever, after the phone call, Ms Westra received an email from her solicitor explaining that the papers had not been served to the biological parents of the child. This continued every month after lockdown, as it wasn't possible for the papers to be physically served.\n\n\"It's farcical because one of them is the biological father who lives with the biological mother who has had her petition but the biological father hasn't and they live in the same premises,\" Ms Westra says.\n\nServing papers has to be completed by post via Royal Mail or in some cases lawyers would instruct a process server to physically take the papers and hand them to the person.\n\n\"It sounds very archaic but if [the person] won't take them by hand, the processor can drop the papers near them and tell them what the document contains and that's technically counted as full service,\" says Rebecca Ranson, a solicitor for Maguire Family Law.\n\nUnless a judge approves it, emailing or any other forms of digital communication are not considered valid - even though the majority of people in the UK have access to email and the internet. It is this kind of process, in need of a digital upgrade, that is frustrating for Ms Westra.\n\nMs Westra's case is one of many that have been delayed. The number of outstanding Crown court cases was 43,676 on 26 July, and the entire backlog across magistrates' and Crown courts is more than 560,000. The Commons Justice Committee has announced an inquiry into how these delays could be addressed.\n\nThe reality, however, is that there was already a huge backlog back in December, and Covid-19 has just exacerbated an existing problem. Cases like Ms Westra's have been affected by the pandemic, but many lawyers believe that the legal system could have been better prepared through technology investment over the years.\n\n\"We've got people being held for longer than they otherwise would be, and for every person in custody waiting for trial or waiting on bail for trial, there are witnesses, and complainants and their families awaiting a resolution. Whether it's the lack of technology links in prison, using Skype and improvising or not having enough Nightingale courts - it all boils down to a lack of investment,\" says Joanna Hardy, a London-based barrister.\n\nIn 2016 HM Courts & Tribunals Service began a £1bn court reform programme. This included a video-conferencing tool called the Cloud Video Platform (CVP), which allows for a dedicated private conference area, so criminal lawyers can speak to their clients without visiting prison.\n\nA programme for testing and adopting video technology was planned out until 2022, but in the pandemic, the government had to get CVP up and running in 10 weeks. This has since been extended to civil courts. But this implementation has been challenging, as there are only a restricted number of physical video links allowed.\n\n\"As we weren't ready for this huge technological revolution no-one had manned the tech rooms or built enough rooms on the other end in the prison. We can have as many laptops as we like, as much software as we like but if we can't put a prisoner into a room with a screen, the other end is pointless,\" Ms Hardy says.\n\nAccording to Ms Hardy, the waiting times to get these slots have been \"completely unacceptable\", and it has meant that sometimes hearings had to go ahead without the defendant present.\n\n\"It's like human beings failing where technology could have bridged the gap,\" she says.\n\nA Ministry of Justice spokesperson said that it had offered more than 400 CVP meeting rooms since the outbreak of coronavirus, but added that it is taking steps to increase the available capacity of video conferencing at some locations by extending operating hours. The spokesperson said that the MoJ is also undertaking urgent action to increase the physical number of video link outlets at critical sites.\n\nAt the moment, criminal trials are going ahead using social distancing - meaning sometimes a second courtroom is linked by technology, but this is creating further backlogs, as it means one case is occupying the same space as two.\n\nJustice, the all-party law reform and human rights organisation, has trialled a virtual jury trial with a mock case, and suggested it should be considered as a possible option, but this hasn't been taken on by the courts.\n\nThe issue with virtual jury trials is whether or not they could affect the outcome of a trial. Some lawyers feel like juries should see a witness, feel an exhibit and dispense justice to a fellow human being in the confines of a court room.\n\nJodie Hill says it is more difficult to cross-examine people in video hearings\n\n\"You can lose the impact of cross examination. When you're challenging their evidence in person it's easier to get them to trip up if they're not being honest, whereas if they're on video it might be easier for them to cover it up,\" says Jodie Hill, solicitor and managing director of Thrive Law, an employment law specialist.\n\nFor smaller hearings, online alternatives could be here for the long term, as it means lawyers don't have to travel all over the UK unnecessarily. This doesn't mean that every hearing that can be done remotely, should be done remotely.\n\n\"We don't want overkill. We think some cases still need to be in the room, particularly if you're dealing with vulnerable people or sensitive cases. It has to be a balancing act of harnessing the benefits of technology and thinking about the specific case,\" says Ms Hardy.", "The UK is forging its post-Brexit path as a \"confident, independent nation - and an energetic force for good\", according to the government.\n\nIt's free to set trade on its own terms, pursue opportunities and higher living standards. But can it square profit with principle?\n\nIs turning a blind eye to human rights violations worth it to have a trade deal that knocks a couple of quid off the price of an imported shirt?\n\nThat New Year's resolution is already being tested, as China falls increasingly out of favour.\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab has referred to conditions, under which over a million Uighur Muslims are being held in camps and forced into work, as \"at the worst... torture and inhumane and degrading treatments\".\n\nHe warned that British companies will face fines, if they can't show that their supply chains are free from forced labour.\n\nIn December, a BBC investigation revealed thousands of Uighurs and other minorities have been compelled to toil in the cotton fields of Xinjiang. The region accounts for a fifth of the world's crop - it's not always easy to tell where your t-shirt hails from.\n\nThe UK and Canada have led the charge here, but one wonders how much further can it go.\n\nMr Raab told the BBC that the UK should not be engaging in free trade negotiations with countries whose record was \"well below the level of genocide\".\n\nThere are several issues with this: first, working out who gets to decree human rights abuses.\n\nAmendments to the Trade Bill currently going through Parliament would oblige the government to assess the human rights records of potential partners.\n\nIn July, Dominic Raab accused China of \"gross and egregious\" human rights abuses against its Uighur population\n\nOne amendment proposes allowing the High Court to declare a genocide in other countries, and forcing the immediate cancellation of trade deals with said nations.\n\nMr Raab, however, says the decision to declare a genocide can't, and shouldn't be, delegated to the courts. Rather, it's for MPs to hold the government to account over trade deals.\n\nBut Labour MPs, who have written to their Conservative counterparts urging them to support the amendments, say they've already been denied powers of scrutiny.\n\nThey highlight trade deals rolled over with Egypt, Cameroon and Turkey, with whom the UK previously enjoyed similar deals the EU had struck.\n\nThese three countries, they argue, have questionable records on human rights.\n\nAnd then there's China. The UK is not planning a deal with Beijing and has indicated it won't do a deal with countries that don't share its democratic values.\n\nBut both nations have their eye on joining the wider Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.\n\nWith imports and exports worth almost £80bn in 2019, China already scores as one of the UK's largest trading partners, and it's not just about frocks and financial services crossing borders.\n\nSince Xi Jinping and David Cameron famously sipped a pint in a Buckinghamshire pub in 2015, Chinese investment in the UK has exploded, backing everything from football clubs to restaurant chains.\n\nNow China's appeal has soured, but it may not be easy to back away from encouraging investment, or a trade deal which touts lower import prices and greater opportunities for exporters, when the UK economy is already reeling.\n\nThe Wolverhampton Wanderers are owned by Chinese investors Fosun International\n\nTake textiles - a free trade deal would do away with a 12% tariff on clothes hailing from China. Ultimately, trade deals build on an existing - in this case very lucrative - relationship.\n\nCritics argue it's not enough to refrain from boosting ties with nations with chequered records - they should be lessened.\n\nBut it's even harder to snub countries that are already providing jobs for thousands, or items from the frivolous, such as smartphones, to the vital, like billions of PPE items.\n\nSome say the UK has its own issues elsewhere. It resumed the sales of arms to Saudi Arabia last year, after the government said the method for licensing had been reformulated to ensure they wouldn't be used in Yemen. Human rights groups are less sure.\n\nBalancing its quest to be a responsible citizen, together with exploring fresh fortunes, is just one dilemma the UK faces, as it shapes its new identity on the global stage.", "Boris Johnson will be glad Donald Trump has not been re-elected for a second term as US president, ex-Civil Service head Lord Sedwill has suggested.\n\nWriting in the Daily Mail, Lord Sedwill said those who believed Boris Johnson would have preferred Mr Trump to win again were \"mistaken.\"\n\nHe said he \"would not have been to the benefit\" of British or European security, trade or environment issues.\n\nDowning Street said Mr Johnson looked forward to working with Joe Biden.\n\nThis month he said Mr Trump was \"completely wrong\" to cast doubt on the US election and encourage supporters to storm the Capitol.\n\nAnd in 2015, when he was Mayor of London, Mr Johnson accused him of \"stupefying ignorance\" over his comments about violence in the city.\n\nBut after Mr Trump's victory in the US election in 2016, then Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson said there was a \"lot to be positive about\", and while running for the Conservative leadership in 2019, he said the President had \"many good qualities\".\n\nMr Trump later praised Mr Johnson, saying: \"they call him Britain Trump\".\n\nMr Johnson congratulated Mr Biden in a phone call after his US election win, saying he looked forward to \"strengthening the partnership\" between the US and UK.\n\nBut BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said Lord Sedwill's remarks would not be unhelpful to Downing Street as any perception in Washington that Mr Johnson was like Mr Trump becomes a liability with the arrival of President Biden.\n\nIn his Daily Mail article, Lord Sedwill, who was the UK's most senior civil servant until he stood down in September, said there was \"relief in Western capitals\" that normal diplomatic relationships will be restored once Mr Biden is inaugurated on Wednesday.\n\nThe former Cabinet Secretary said: \"Those of us who regard ourselves as close American allies have badly missed US leadership over the past four years.\n\n\"Based on my time working for Boris Johnson in Downing Street, I believe those who have said he would have preferred a second Trump term are mistaken. That would not have been to the benefit of British or European security, to transatlantic trade, let alone the environmental agenda to which the prime minister is so committed.\"\n\nLord Sedwill added: \"With Brexit accomplished and the Biden administration ready to re-engage, this is the moment for Global Britain to step up.\"", "Evelyn Jones was one of the care home residents whose family raised concerns\n\nSix care home residents died after suffering dehydration and malnourishment because of alleged neglect, an inquest has been told.\n\nStanley James, 89, June Hamer, 71, Stanley Bradford, 76, Edith Evans, 85, Evelyn Jones, 87, and William Hickman, 71 all died between 2003 and 2005.\n\nThey were residents at Brithdir Nursing Home in New Tredegar, Caerphilly.\n\nThe inquest in Newport follows Operation Jasmine, an £11.6m inquiry into alleged neglect at six homes.\n\nOne of Wales' biggest inquiries, it was launched after the death of an 84-year-old patient at a nursing home in Newbridge, Caerphilly.\n\nOpening the inquest, Assistant Coroner for Gwent Geraint Williams said police started investigating in 2005 following the death of an 84-year-old \"mentally infirm\" woman at another care home in Newbridge.\n\nMr Williams said it led to officers uncovering a \"pattern of concerns linked to other deaths in other care homes\".\n\nJune Hamer went into Brithdir in 2003\n\nIn relation to the Brithdir inquiry, Mr Williams said: \"Operation Jasmine uncovered evidence suggesting poor care of residents, including allegations of poor pressure sore and peg [percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy] feed management, malnourishment, and general neglect of the residents' long-term needs, together with deficient standards of care and nursing practice.\"\n\nThe inquest heard resident Mr James, who had dementia and was not mobile, developed several pressure sores in the 18 months before he died in August 2003.\n\nMr Bradford, who had schizophrenia, was admitted to the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil on several occasions for complaints of \"dehydration, chest and urine infections\".\n\nBefore he died in August 2005 he was \"observed to be seriously malnourished\", by doctors.\n\nDementia patient Mrs Evans was admitted to the same hospital in September 2005, where nurses found the site around her feeding tube \"infected\", while broken skin was found on her buttocks and she appeared \"unkempt and dirty, and her mouth and lips were dry and her tongue was thick\".\n\nThe trial of the late Dr Prana Das for care home neglect collapsed after he suffered brain damage in an attack\n\nDr Prana Das, who owned and ran the nursing home along with several other facilities in Wales, faced a string of charges relating to failings in care.\n\nHe suffered a brain injury during a burglary at his home in 2012 and was declared medically unfit to stand trial.\n\nDr Das died in January 2020 aged 73, but his widow and co-owner of the home, Dr Nishebita Das, who is said not to have taken part in running it, is expected to give evidence at the inquest.\n\nMr Williams told the hearing that, even before the couple purchased the home in April 2002 under their company Puretruce Health Care Limited, \"serious concerns\" were raised by state agencies regarding the number of residents who had suffered pressure ulcers.\n\n\"Those issues continued, even after Dr Das assumed ownership of the home,\" he said.\n\nMr Williams said the inquest will consider the actions of nurses and carers at the home, \"many of whom came to this country from abroad to work and have since returned there, and are now not available to participate in the inquest\".\n\nThe inquest is set to last until March.\n\nA hearing into the death of a seventh resident, Matthew Higgins, 86, will be held following the conclusion of this inquest.", "Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said he is self-isolating after being alerted by the UK's NHS Covid-19 app.\n\nThe West Suffolk MP said self-isolation was \"perhaps the most important part of all the social distancing\" and urged others to do the same if contacted.\n\nIn a tweet, Mr Hancock said he would be working from home until Sunday, adding \"we all have a part to play in getting this virus under control\".\n\nHe contracted coronavirus in March 2020 and suffered \"mild symptoms\".\n\nMr Hancock said he learned from the app he had been \"in close contact with somebody who's tested positive\" and so self-isolating was \"how we break the chains of transmission\".\n\n\"So you must follow these rules like I'm going to,\" he said. \"I've got to work from home for the next six days, and together, by doing this, by following this, and all the other panoply of rules that we've had to put in place, we can get through this and beat this virus.\"\n\nMr Hancock said he was alerted by the app on Monday night, having earlier led a Downing Street press conference alongside NHS England medical director Prof Stephen Powis and Public Health England's Dr Susan Hopkins.\n\nThe NHS app tells a person if they have been in close contact with someone who has later tested positive for coronavirus and tells them to isolate for 10 full days from their last contact.\n\nWhile it is not clear from Mr Hancock's statement if his isolation ends on Sunday or Monday, his period of quarantine suggests he was last in contact with the person who was infected on Wednesday or Thursday.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Matt Hancock This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nDowning Street confirmed that Mr Hancock would not receive the vaccine early because he is leading the pandemic response.\n\nThe prime minister's official spokesman said: \"The PM and the rest of the cabinet will take the vaccine when it's their turn to do so based on the priority lists that have been published.\n\n\"We don't think it's right that the PM or other members of cabinet take the vaccine in place of somebody who is at higher clinical risk.\"\n\nIn March, the health secretary revealed he had tested positive for Covid-19 shortly after Prime Minister Boris Johnson had confirmed he too had the virus.\n\nWhile the health secretary recovered fairly swiftly, and was able to work from home during his illness, Mr Johnson required hospital treatment.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid symptoms: What are they and how long should I self-isolate for?\n\nSelf-isolation, which means staying at home and not leaving, is a legal requirement for anybody who has Covid symptoms, has tested positive for the virus, lives with someone who has symptoms, has arrived from abroad or has been contacted by NHS Test and Trace.\n\nIn December, the self-isolation period required was cut from 14 days to 10 days.\n\nUsing Bluetooth technology the NHS app makes contact between mobile phones when they are near each other, if an owner of a phone later tests positive for the virus and shares that with the app, alerts are sent to anyone who is deemed to have been a close contact.", "More than 127,000 people in the UK who contracted coronavirus have lost their lives - with the pandemic claiming more than 3.4 million deaths worldwide. As the UK marks a year since the first coronavirus lockdown was called, it's a time for reflection.\n\nWe have gathered tributes to more than 770 of those who have died. Below are words of remembrance from friends, family and colleagues.\n\nPlease enable JavaScript or upgrade your browser to see this interactive\n\nThe tributes are displayed at random, which means that you will see different faces each time you visit this page.\n\nIf we have used your tribute to your friend or family member, it will appear in the carousel above, or you can find it by entering their name in the search box below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. Enter a name to search the tributes\n\nFor more on NHS and healthcare workers, please see this page dedicated to 100 people who died while helping to look after others.\n\nFor more on how it has affected people's lives, from family tragedy to its impact on everyday life, we have a collection of personal stories about life in lockdown.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Britain's climate change leadership is being undercut by a government decision to allow a new coal mine in Cumbria, MPs have warned.\n\nThe UK is hosting a UN climate summit in November, where it will urge other nations to phase out fossil fuels.\n\nThe MPs say the government's decision to allow a new colliery at home will make it harder to secure a deal.\n\nThe Woodhouse mine was approved by Cumbria County Council because it will create jobs in an area of high unemployment.\n\nThe planning minister Robert Jenrick could have overruled it, but said the issue was best decided at a local level.\n\nThat verdict was derided by environmentalists, who pointed out that climate change from fossil fuel burning is a global problem.\n\nAlok Sharma, who is leading the COP26 climate summit and who co-ordinates UK policies on climate change, was asked by the Commons business select committee whether the mine approval was \"an embarrassment\". He replied: \"I take your point\".\n\nBusiness Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told the committee there was a \"slight tension\" between approving the mine, near Whitehaven, and broader attempts to clean up the economy.\n\nBut he said ministers decided to allow the pit because it will produce coking coal for steel-making, which otherwise would have to be imported.\n\nHe said: \"There's a slight tension between the decision to open this mine and our avowed intention to take coal off the grid… there was a debate in the government about what we could do about this, but this was a local planning decision.\n\n\"If we don't have sources of coking coal in the UK we would be importing those anyway\".\n\nThis appears to run counter to advice from the Climate Change Committee which has said all coal - including coking coal - should be phased out by 2035. Doubts have been raised about investors in the mine being left with a \"stranded asset\" if the pit is forced to close on climate grounds.\n\nThe mine approval is even more poignant because the UK founded the 'Powering Past Coal Alliance\" - a global club to persuade nations to leave coal in the ground.\n\nA source close to the Alliance secretariat told BBC News that staff were enraged by the decision. They believed the decision had been made to help secure so-called \"Red Wall\" votes in areas which previously voted Labour .\n\nMohamed Adow, from a pressure group, Powershift Africa, told BBC News: \"It is quite bizarre that the UK government, in the year it hosts the biggest global climate talks since the signing of the Paris Agreement, has approved a new coal mine.\"\n\nThe young campaigner Greta Thunberg said the decision showed pledges to achieve net zero emissions targets by 2050 \"basically mean nothing\".\n\nDarren Jones, chair of the business committee, told BBC News it would be hard for the UK to persuade countries like Poland to abandon coal whilst building a mine.\n\nHe argued that the government should have found another way to bring jobs to Cumbria. He said: \"Carbon-intensive industries are looking to the government for leadership on the transition to a green future.\n\n\"Backing coal at home doesn't look in line with the recent Energy White Paper and certainly makes our efforts to secure international agreement on ambitious decarbonisation harder to achieve.\"\n\nThe Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Philip Dunne, told BBC News: \"If the UK is to achieve its ambition to be an environmental world leader, the government must offer clear guidance on how we can take every industry to net-zero, and offer a pipeline of investable projects.\n\n\"The steel sector needs to develop alternatives to importing coking coal. This could also support the next generation of green jobs - which are urgently needed.\"\n\nThe cross-bench peer Baroness Worthington told BBC News: \"This decision is real laziness of thinking from the government. Just think of signal it sends to all those countries who want to cling on to coal.\n\n\"The government doesn't yet have a cohesive strategy that makes sense. It's crazy. Absolute madness.\"", "Medical staff are expected to \"face pressures unlike any other they have faced before\" as NI approaches its toughest week so far in the pandemic.\n\nThe British Medical Association has said while its doctors are \"coping\", many feel they are unable to give care to the \"standard they would want\".\n\nThe peak in intensive care is predicted to happen next weekend.\n\nThe head of the BMA in NI, Dr Tom Black has been critical of the way this wave of the pandemic has been managed.\n\nHe said: \"Staff will do their best in a very difficult situation, where many decisions in this pandemic were made too late.\"\n\nWhile it is expected the number of hospital admissions will peak sometime over the next eight to 10 days, the number requiring intensive care treatment is likely to continue increasing for at least another fortnight.\n\nDr Black said he was concerned for both patients and staff.\n\nHe said: \"It is likely that over the next few weeks doctors will be asked to work in a new location or provide support to areas that are already overstretched.\n\n\"Many have already had planned annual leave cancelled.\"\n\nThere were a further 19 virus-related deaths and 640 more Covid-19 cases reported in Northern Ireland on Monday.\n\nThe latest figures from the Department of Health bring the total number of deaths to 1,625, while 96,001 people have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began.\n\nSome 65 patients are in ICU, down two from the last report, and 51 patients are being ventilated.\n\nSince the vaccine rollout began in NI, 146,733 people have been vaccinated, according to the Department of Health.\n\nOf that number, 125,717 were first doses and 21,016 were second jabs.\n\nA total of 31,393 people from the over-80 age group have been vaccinated.\n\nEarlier the BMA told BBC News NI that more than 90,000 doses the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had arrived in Northern Ireland but the Department of Health has said it is anticipated separate deliveries will arrive by this weekend.\n\nDr Black said many staff members had reported feeling \"exhausted and demoralised\" and he warned that when it came to reviewing how the pandemic was handled \"this phase will stand out as one where we could have planned better\".\n\nHealth Minister Robin Swann said the next seven days is \"when we will see that real intense pressure coming on our inpatients and intensive care units\".\n\n\"Our worst case scenario has modelling up to 1,200 inpatients - and that's a serious pressure that comes on our system,\" he told Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.\n\n\"We can go up into nearly 200 ICU capacity but that comes at a stretch, that comes with putting our staff under severe pressure in ICU units.\n\n\"It also comes by having to shift the ICU specialist nurse from a ratio of one-to-one to a ratio of one-to-two or even one-to-three in extreme pressures.\n\n\"That's not something we want to do,\" he added.\n\nThe past week saw hospitals across Northern Ireland coming together in order to cope with the strain.\n\nOn 10 January, the Southern Health Trust was on the cusp of declaring a major incident amid the mounting pressures across the health service.\n\nThat was avoided as many off-duty staff answered a call to come into work and the health trusts pulled together to provide a regional response to the crisis.\n\nPatients were diverted to those hospitals which could take them and where infrastructure could cope with supplying additional oxygen to the very ill.\n\nOver the weekend of 9/10 January the Southern Health Trust - the smallest of the health trusts - was dealing with the highest number of patients who required oxygen.\n\nIn the past week the Northern and Southern Health Trusts have seen the highest number of patients.\n\nThat reflects the high rate of community transmission in some areas those trusts cover.\n\nMeanwhile, no resolution has been reached between Stormont leaders and the Irish Government over the sharing of passenger data.\n\nLast week, First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill criticised Dublin for failing to share information on travellers arriving there during the pandemic.\n\nMichelle O'Neill said it was \"regrettable\" the issue has not been resolved\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster said repeated efforts to access data on passenger locator forms filled out by people arriving in the Republic of Ireland had failed.\n\nMrs Foster and Ms O'Neill indicated on Thursday that they planned to raise the matter directly with Taoiseach (Irish prime minsiter) Micheál Martin.\n\nMs O'Neill told the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday that no resolution has been found yet.\n\nShe told MLAs the issue had been raised \"on every occasion we have had the opportunity\" and that it was \"regrettable\" that the issue had not been resolved.\n\nThe travel issue will be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday involving the first minister, the deputy first minister, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney and NI Secretary of State Brandon Lewis.\n\n\"I hope that perhaps Wednesday's meeting will allow some opportunity for there to be a way forward,\" the deputy first minister added.\n\nIt was announced on Sunday that all travellers who have returned from Portugal or transited through 16 South American countries in the past 14 days will have to - along with their household - self-isolate for 10 days upon return to Northern Ireland.\n\nThis includes travellers who entered these countries en route to another destination. All travellers returning home from South America are advised to be tested, whether or not they have symptoms.\n\nFrom Thursday, all international travellers will be required to present a negative Covid-19 test result before arriving in Northern Ireland.\n\nThis rule comes into effect in England, Scotland and Wales on Monday.\n\nOn Monday, the Department of Health in the Republic of Ireland reported eight more coronavirus-related deaths.\n\nIt brings its death toll to 2,616.\n\nThe department said 2,121 new cases of the virus had been reported, with a cumulative total of 174,843 infections.\n\nIt said that as of 14:00 local time on Monday, 1,975 Covid-19 patients are in hospital, of which 200 are in ICU (intensive care units).\n\nIrish Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said: \"This third wave of the pandemic has seen higher level of hospitalisations across all age groups.\n\n\"There are now more sick people in hospital than any time in the course of this pandemic\".", "Staff gathered outside a supermarket to pay their respects to a colleague who died with coronavirus.\n\nJohn Deacy, 81, worked the Christmas Eve shift at the Tesco Extra store in Gabalfa, Cardiff, died just two weeks later.\n\nFriends and colleagues clapped as the funeral procession went by the store.\n\nFormer members of a jazz band, formed by Mr Deacy in the 1970s, marched in front of the hearse.\n\nHis son, Wayne, 56, said: “My dad put everyone above himself. He’d do anything for anyone.\n\n\"He’d help anyone and would never speak badly of people.”\n\nMr Deacy was in the Royal Marines for seven years and was a semi-professional boxer before starting a career at the industrial gas company BOC.\n\nHe went on to work for the supermarket for 16 years.\n\n“We’ve had loads and loads of messages from hundreds of staff who said he will leave a massive gaping hole,\" his son said.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid in Scotland: Schools to stay closed until mid-February at least\n\nScotland's Covid-19 lockdown has been extended until at least the middle of February, with most school pupils to continue learning from home.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs that transmission of the virus appeared to be declining but was still too high to ease restrictions.\n\nBut she hopes schools will be able to at least begin a phased return to the classroom in the middle of next month.\n\nThe level four restrictions have been in place since Boxing Day.\n\nMeanwhile the islands of Barra and Vatersay are being moved into the top level of restrictions due to a \"significant outbreak\" there.\n\nThe current restrictions, which have closed non-essential shops and seen a \"stay at home\" message put down in law, had been due to expire at the end of this month.\n\nBut Scottish government ministers agreed they should be extended after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.\n\nMs Sturgeon told MSPs that lockdown was \"beginning to have an impact\" on the number of new infections, but said Scotland remained in a \"very precarious position\".\n\nShe added: \"We need to be realistic that any improvement we are seeing is down, at this stage, to the fact that we are staying at home and reducing our interactions.\n\n\"Any relaxation of lockdown while case numbers, even though they might be declining, nevertheless remain very high, could quickly send the situation into reverse.\"\n\nThe vast majority of Scottish pupils have been home learning since the Christmas holiday\n\nThe announcement came as 1,165 new cases of Covid-19 were registered in Scotland, representing 11.1% of tests carried out.\n\nA total of 1,989 people are in hospital with the virus while a further 71 deaths of people who recently tested positive have been logged.\n\nMs Sturgeon said there was \"real and severe\" pressure on health services, with around 30% more patients in hospital than at the peak of the first wave in April 2020, and that this was \"almost certain to rise for a further period yet\".\n\nSchool buildings and nurseries have been closed to most pupils since the start of term, with all but the children of some key workers and vulnerable pupils learning from home.\n\nNot only will schools remain closed to most pupils until at least mid-February, they are unlikely to return to normal at that point.\n\nThe first minister has indicated that her aim is to begin a phased return, if coronavirus allows. So what might that mean?\n\nThe groups that will get back into class first are likely to include secondary school exam year pupils, the youngest primary school children and those in P7 getting ready to move to high school.\n\nFor others, online learning is likely to last a bit longer.\n\nBoth the return to school and the continuation of the wider lockdown will be reviewed again in a fortnight on 2 Feb.\n\nBy that week, first doses of vaccine should have been offered to all over 80s in Scotland as well as frontline NHS and social care staff and care home residents.\n\nWith only 15-20% of the over 80s reached so far, opposition parties think the programme is slipping behind schedule, which the first minister denies.\n\nMs Sturgeon said she knew how \"challenging and stressful\" home schooling was for families, but said community transmission was \"too high\" to allow a safe return to classrooms.\n\nShe said: \"If it is at all possible, as I very much hope it will be, to begin even a phased return to in-school learning in mid-February, we will.\n\n\"But I also have to be straight with families and say that it is simply too early to be sure about whether and to what extent this will be possible.\"\n\nStatistics released on Monday showed that Scotland had vaccinated 6% of its adult population so far - the same percentage as Wales, but lower than the 8% that have been vaccinated in England and 8.7% in Northern Ireland.\n\nEngland has also given a second dose of the vaccine to 427,386 people, compared to only 3,698 in Scotland.\n\nMs Sturgeon said approximately 100,000 people were being vaccinated per week in Scotland, and that health teams were \"on track\" to expand this to 400,000 per week by the end of February.\n\nStatistics have suggested the vaccination programme in Scotland is currently lagging behind England\n\nMore than 90% of care home residents have now been given a first dose, along with 70% of care home staff and 70% of all frontline health and care workers.\n\nThe first minister said the focus on care homes - where it is \"time consuming and labour intensive\" to give out jabs - was \"why overall figures are at this stage lower than in England\", where more over-80s have received the vaccine.\n\nShe said the \"pace of progress in the over-80s group is also now picking up\", and that the government remained on track to hit its target of completing everyone on the priority list by early May.\n\nScottish Conservative group leader Ruth Davidson said the Scottish government were \"lagging behind their own targets\" on vaccination, saying the focus on care homes \"doesn't explain how slowly the vaccine is reaching GP surgeries and the public\".\n\nShe read out a series of letters from elderly people who had not been contacted about getting a jab, saying they were \"anxious they don't get left behind\".\n\nMs Sturgeon said she would not apologise for \"prioritising the most vulnerable first\", saying all four UK nations were \"working to the same targets\".\n\nScottish Labour's interim leader Jackie Baillie asked if Ms Sturgeon was confident the government could hit its \"critical\" targets, saying GPs were still complaining about \"patchy\" distribution of vaccines.\n\nThe first minister replied that her government would hit its goals, saying it was \"always the intention\" to increase the pace of vaccination as infrastructure and supplies became available.\n\nThis would see care home residents, healthcare staff and all over-80s get a first dose by the start of February, with over-70s and those deemed \"extremely vulnerable\" by mid-February and all over-65s by the beginning of March.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday evening. We'll have another update for you on Wednesday morning.\n\nScotland's Covid-19 lockdown has been extended until at least the middle of February, with most school pupils to continue learning from home at least until then. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said transmission of the virus appeared to be declining but was still too high to ease restrictions, which have been in place since Boxing Day. It comes as England's deputy chief medical officer said schools may reopen region by region after February half term.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock has said he is self-isolating after being alerted by the UK's NHS Covid-19 app. He urged others to do the same if \"pinged\" by the app and said self-isolation was \"perhaps the most important part of all the social distancing\". Mr Hancock, who is MP for West Suffolk, suffered \"mild symptoms\" when he contracted coronavirus in March 2020.\n\nA group of politicians drank alcohol on Welsh Parliament premises, days after a coronavirus rule banning pubs from serving drinks took effect. BBC Wales has been told Conservative Senedd leader Paul Davies, Darren Millar and Nick Ramsay were drinking together in early December, with Labour Senedd member Alun Davies also involved. Senedd authorities said they are investigating an \"incident\". Elsewhere, an internal investigation has began after railway workers allegedly held a surprise baby shower in a closed Patisserie Valerie bakery at London's Marylebone station during lockdown.\n\nHeadlines about footballers and Covid have been hard to miss lately - with questions about dressing room distancing, off-pitch partying and all those post-goal hugs. But what's football in lockdown actually like for players and their families? BBC Newsbeat has found out by speaking to Wycombe Wanderers footballer Joe Jacobson and his wife Louise.\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has confirmed the government is looking at scrapping some EU labour laws now it is no longer bound by the bloc's rules.\n\nBut he promised there would be no dilution of workers' rights.\n\nMeasures under consideration include relaxing the working time directive which enshrines a 48-hour week.\n\nShadow business secretary Ed Miliband warned the government wanted to take a \"wrecking ball\" to hard-won rights.\n\nEarlier this week Mr Kwarteng said he wanted to \"protect and enhance\" labour law after the Financial Times reported that some rules could be weakened.\n\nThe minister later told business leaders the UK had an opportunity to reform regulation derived from EU law, but would not deliberately antagonise the EU - its biggest trading partner - immediately after the Brexit deal.\n\nConfirming the review on Tuesday, Mr Kwarteng told MPs there would be no \"bonfire of rights\".\n\n\"I think the view was that we wanted to look at the whole range of issues relating to our EU membership and examine what we wanted to keep, if you like,\" he said.\n\nBut he said \"the idea that we are trying to whittle down standards, that's not at all plausible or true\".\n\nAppearing before MPs, the business secretary said: \"I'm very struck as I look at EU economies how many EU countries - I think it's about 17 or 18 - have essentially opted out of the working time directive.\n\n\"So even by just following that we are way above the average European standard and I want to maintain that. I think we can be a high-wage, high-employment economy, a very successful economy, and that's what we should be aiming for.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Kwasi Kwarteng This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Miliband said that after denying the FT's report, Mr Kwarteng had now \"let the cat out of the bag\" in admitting the government was conducting a review.\n\nHe warned that opting out of the 48-hour week would harm workers in key sectors like the NHS, road haulage and airlines from working excessive hours.\n\n\"A government committed to maintaining existing protections would not be reviewing whether they should be unpicked. This exposes that the government's priorities for Britain are totally wrong.\"\n\nDrew Hendry, the SNP's business spokesman, echoed the criticism, accusing the government of planning an \"assault\" on workers' rights.\n\nMeanwhile the boss of the UK's biggest recruitment firm, Reed, told the BBC's Today programme that there was \"no wish\" among employers to see \"a so-called bonfire of workers' rights.\n\n\"They must be protected because fair treatment is the bedrock of good workplace relations,\" James Reed said.\n\nThe chairman of the firm said the government should instead focus on lower-paid workers and measures that could be taken to improve unemployment, which is set to rise further into mid-2021.\n\n\"I would suggest two things are looked at before any EU rules: The apprenticeship levy, which is clearly failing... and also National Insurance on jobs. It's a tax on jobs - how can that be improved? Especially to help the low-paid back into work.\"\n\nUnder the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, the UK has agreed to conditions that maintain fair competition, or a level playing field, between the two sides.\n\nHowever, the EU's ambassador to the UK, Joao Vale de Almeida, said Brussels could retaliate if Boris Johnson's government went too far in with deregulation.\n\n\"It will be for us to judge the extent to which it violates this principle of 'level playing field' and if that is the case there are mechanisms in the treaty, in the agreement, that allow us to discuss and eventually to come to an understanding,\" he said on Tuesday.\n\n\"If no understanding there are retaliation measures that can be applied on both sides.\"", "The death happened in the alpine resort of Verbier, in Switzerland\n\nA British man has been killed in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps, police have said.\n\nThe man was among 10 people swept away at the alpine resort of Verbier, to the east of Geneva, on Monday morning.\n\nPolice said the skier, who has not been named, lived in Verbier and died at the scene.\n\nOne person was flown to hospital with serious injuries, while eight others were uninjured, local police said.\n\nA police spokesman said: \"The avalanche occurred outside the piste between the Verbier ski area and 'Les Attelas'.\n\n\"At around 10:20, a skier was driving down a corridor below the 'Attelas' area.\n\n\"A snow drift came loose and carried the skier as well as another person who had been further down at the time.\"\n\nAn investigation has been launched.\n\nThe Foreign Office said it was offering support to the British man's family and was in contact with the authorities in Switzerland.\n\nThe death comes after several days of heavy snowfall across Switzerland, which led to the death of another skier who was killed in an avalanche while skiing in Gstaad.\n\nIt takes the total deaths due to avalanches in the country to seven since last weekend.\n\nMore than 200 British skiers left the popular Verbier resort in December after Switzerland imposed a coronavirus quarantine following the discovery of a new variant of the virus.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Lorry drivers have been holding up the traffic in Westminster.\n\nBoris Johnson has pledged £23m to help businesses affected by Brexit delays amid protests by fishing firms.\n\nDemonstrations took place outside government departments in central London by exporters who are warning their livelihoods are under threat.\n\nExports of fresh fish and seafood have been severely disrupted by new border controls since the UK's transition period ended earlier this month.\n\nThe PM said firms would be compensated for delays that were not their fault.\n\nIndustry associations have complained that extra paperwork has made it difficult to deliver fresh produce to mainland Europe before it goes off.\n\nThey have warned that if the situation continues, jobs could soon be at risk.\n\nPressed on what he would do in response, Mr Johnson said the government would step in to support firms which \"through no fault of their own have experienced bureaucratic delays, difficulties getting their goods through, where there is a genuine willing buyer on the other side of the channel\".\n\n\"There's a £23m compensation fund we've set up and we'll make sure they get help,\" he said.\n\nDetails of the scheme are expected later this week.\n\nAfter a day of protests in central London, which saw 20 lorries drive up Whitehall, the Metropolitan Police said 14 people had been reported for Covid-related offences, but no arrests were made.\n\nMark Moore, manager of the Dartmouth Crab Company, said his business and others were protesting to \"raise awareness\" of the impact of new border checks.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 5 Live his company had faced delays of up to eight and a half hours when delivering produce into the European Union.\n\nHe added that the situation was \"especially difficult\" for the shellfish sector, where goods were at risk of going off before reaching customers.\n\n\"It's not about the increased documentation per se,\" he said.\n\n\"We have taken that on board, and we ourselves - and I know many others - have had no issues with producing the actual paperwork.\n\n\"It's the volume required and the timeframe in which to produce it, which doesn't lend itself to live shellfish and fish generally.\"\n\nThere are 24 lorries in total, overwhelmingly from seafood exporters in Scotland. Businesses taking part say the Brexit trade deal has left their industry high and dry.\n\nAnd although one haulier from Aberdeenshire I spoke to was keen to stress that their coordinated protest was peaceful, it is clear that they all feel that direct action is now necessary to make the government sit up and take notice.\n\nGood natured though their action was, it did for a time cause serious traffic congestion along Whitehall and Parliament Square.\n\nHowever, low levels of traffic perhaps caused by the Covid lockdown meant the roads around Whitehall didn't grind to a complete halt.\n\nAt stake, they believe, is an industry, but also thousands of livelihoods. Exporters say they are backed by fishermen who are struggling to land their catches.\n\nAnd although the rural Scottish communities which are sustained by fishing might seem like a long way from the streets of SW1, the hauliers certainly made their presence felt this morning.\n\nHaving left the EU's customs union and the single market, UK exports are subject to new customs and veterinary checks which have caused problems at the border.\n\nSome Scottish fishermen have been landing their catch in Denmark to avoid the \"bureaucratic system\" involved in exporting to Europe, according to Scotland's rural economy secretary.\n\nLast week, Boris Johnson told a committee of MPs that fishing firms impacted by disruption would be compensated for \"temporary frustrations\".\n\nBut the BBC was told that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) did not know about the promise of compensation before it was made by Mr Johnson.\n\nSpeaking to reporters, the prime minister said he understood the \"frustrations\" of the fishing industry, noting its plight had been \"exacerbated by the Covid pandemic\".\n\n\"Unfortunately, the demand in restaurants on the continent for UK fish has not been what it was before the pandemic, just because the restaurants have been closed for so long,\" he added.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused ministers of trying to \"blame fishing communities\" for problems \"rather than accepting it's their failure to prepare\".\n\n\"The government has known there would be a problem with fishing and particularly the sale of fish into the EU for years,\" he told reporters.\n\nMuch media attention has been focussed on Scotland as this export crisis has unfolded.\n\nBut exactly the same problem is rearing its head in the UK's other great fishing stronghold - at the other end of the UK in Devon and Cornwall.\n\nA virtual Who's Who of South West fishing leaders wrote to the environment secretary back in November warning that the new post-Brexit export requirements would have a \"seriously detrimental effect\" on the industry, claiming this \"could be the final straw for many businesses\".\n\nHere, too, many fish exports have now ground to a halt and others have encountered obstacles and long delays.\n\nAnd exporters have reacted angrily to the government's repeated insistence that the issues they've been experiencing over the last two weeks are just \"teething problems\".", "Not all parents have found it easy to home school their children during coronavirus lockdowns\n\nLevels of stress, depression and anxiety among parents and carers have increased with the pressures of the lockdowns, suggests research from the University of Oxford.\n\nMany parents, especially those of secondary-age pupils, say they are worried about their children's futures.\n\nThe government has said it is aware how challenging it is for parents to support children with home learning.\n\nThe research, based on responses from 6,246 parents and carers between mid-March and the end of December 2020, found problems including:\n\nOn an established scale of depression, anxiety and stress, parents' depression scores increased from April through to June from an average of 9.03 to 9.71, says the study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.\n\nWhile these average scores decreased over the summer, when Covid-19 restrictions were eased, to a low of 8.23 in September, they rose again over the course of the autumn term to a high of 10.1 points in December.\n\nParents' stress scores were at their lowest in August and September at 11.4 points, but increased to a high of 13.2 in December, following the pre-Christmas lockdown.\n\nThe researchers said higher levels of stress were detected particularly in low-income families, as well as single-parent households and those with children with special educational needs.\n\nWhile average anxiety scores were relatively stable throughout the whole period - ranging from a 4.71 points in April to 4.24 in July - they hit a high of 5 points in December.\n\nThe study also found just over a third (36%) of parents with young children (10 years or younger) said they were \"substantially worried\" about their children's behaviour, in contrast to just over a quarter (28%) of parents who had older children only (11 years or older).\n\nHowever, nearly half (45%) of those with secondary-age children were worried about their children's education and future, compared to 32% of those with young children.\n\nLeticea, a parent who took part in the study, said: \"I think that UK leaders should have access to this data to see what is going on with the mental health of families and how they are being affected by Covid-19 with increased levels of stress, depression and anxiety - we need something to look forward to.\n\n\"I am also worried that the next three months will show a sharper increase in anxiety and stress where parents are having to do more teaching at home.\n\n\"Children are more worried as their teachers are becoming ill - the 'new variant' sounds more scary, my daughter keeps commenting on an increasing worry of catching Covid-19 which she didn't do so much before.\"\n\nAnother parent, Madiha, said: ''Current times are hard enough as they are.\n\n\"As a working parent, the most important thing for me is to ensure my family's wellbeing, their safety, and their continued development.\n\n\"Prolonged screen time, disruption to daily routine, frequent arguments, lack of exercise, and stress of exams have all been contributing factors to our mental health and wellbeing.\n\nMadiha said she hoped the study would play a part in informing policy and developing interventions to help families.\n\nCathy Creswell, professor of clinical developmental psychology at Oxford University and co-leader of the study, said the findings showed parents were particularly vulnerable to distress during the first lockdown.\n\n\"Our data highlight the particular strains felt by parents during lockdown when many feel that they have been spread too thin by the demands of meeting their children's needs during the pandemic, along with home-schooling and work commitments.\"\n\nSchools were first closed to most pupils in March\n\nJohn Jolly, head of the charity Parentkind, said the research highlighted \"the additional stress and pressure that partial school closures place on parents\".\n\n\"Given the disruption to family life, it is vital that policymakers consult and listen to the concerns of parents on issues that directly impact them and their children's futures.\n\n\"This includes the safety and reopening of schools, the fair allocation of grades in the absence of exams, and remote learning provision.\"\n\nThe Oxford researchers are tracking children's and parents' mental health throughout the current crisis, to help them identify what protects young people from deteriorating mental health and how this may vary according to child and family characteristics.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Ms Davies-Jones wanted to highlight how \"vitally important\" smear tests are\"\n\nAn MP has described how she had to have most of her cervix removed after putting off a smear test for several months.\n\nPontypridd MP Alex Davies-Jones, 31, said she was invited for her first routine screening in December 2015 and \"like so many others, I put it off\".\n\nFollowing a reminder in April 2016 she went for the cervical screening.\n\nShe wrote in the i newspaper it led to her being diagnosed with CIN3, abnormal cells and had to have surgery.\n\nIf left untreated, CIN3 can have a high chance of becoming cancerous.\n\nMs Davies-Jones wrote in the paper she was left \"without the majority of my cervix\" after the surgery.\n\nShe said she used her article to urge others \"don't delay in booking\" and said she felt compelled to write about her experiences for Cervical Cancer Prevention Week.\n\nA cervical screening checks the health of your cervix.\n\nA small sample of cells is taken from the cervix and checked for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause changes to the cells.\n\nIf present the sample is then checked for any changes in the cells which can be treated before they get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.\n\nThe NHS advises women between the ages of 25 to 49 to have a smear test every three years.\n\nAlex Davies-Jones became the Labour MP for Pontypridd in the 2019 General Election\n\nShe wrote: \"I used all of the usual excuses that you may have heard before.\n\n\"I was simply too busy, I couldn't get an appointment and I had no symptoms or abnormalities that were worrying me.\"\n\nMs Davies-Jones wrote she thought the routine screening would \"just be five minutes of awkward conversation with the nurse at my local GP whilst taking my knickers off\".\n\n\"I didn't ever think that there could be a chance that my cells would be 'abnormal' and that the next few months of my life would leave me terrified and constantly contemplating my own mortality.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Chloe Delevingne had a smear test live on the Victoria Derbyshire programme to show what the procedure involved\n\nIf she had put off the screening any longer \"the situation could have been different\", the MP wrote.\n\nShe said she first received a type of laser treatment to \"burn off the abnormal cells from my cervix\" but more treatment was needed after the doctor told her the abnormal cells on her cervix were \"embedded deeper and looked more challenging than expected\".\n\nThen she had to have surgery, a \"cold knife biopsy\".\n\n\"I was without the majority of my cervix, but my life was saved. It was over,\" she wrote.\n\n\"Sadly, for many this isn't the case. For the next few years, I attended screenings every six months to ensure the abnormal cells didn't return.\n\n\"My last screening was in April 2018. Thankfully again all was fine but the anxiety and fear that surrounded me as I awaited those results has stayed with me even now.\"\n\nShe went on to give birth to her son Sullivan in March 2019.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Expert’s report finds eight-year-old Saffie \"could have been saved\" if treated properly for her injuries\n\nA man has described how he tried to help the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena attack as she lay badly injured after the explosion.\n\nPaul Reid, 46, was the first person to reach eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos after the bomb was detonated.\n\nHe said she asked for her mum and said he tried to keep her awake by talking about the Ariana Grande gig.\n\nIt comes after a new report found Saffie could have survived if she had received better medical help.\n\nTwenty-two people were murdered and hundreds more injured when Salman Abedi detonated a bomb in the arena foyer as fans left the concert on 22 May 2017.\n\nMr Reid, who was selling posters at the concert, told the BBC he ran into the foyer seconds after the bomb went off.\n\n\"There was a big bang and I could see up on to the foyer, and there was smoke and you could hear things pinging off the wall,\" he said.\n\n\"I still had the posters in my hand. It was mad because it was like I wasn't there, like I was watching myself.\n\n\"People were just screaming and running in every direction you could think of.\"\n\nSaffie-Rose Roussos was the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing\n\nMr Reid said he tried to help two other people before he noticed Saffie lying on the floor.\n\n\"She was still conscious. I asked her her name and I thought she said Sophie,\" he said.\n\n\"She just got a little bit upset. She asked me for her mum and I said not to worry, we're going to find her in a minute.\n\n\"And I sat there trying to keep her calm. I had to talk to her about the concert, and did she enjoy it.\n\n\"All the time I was sat there, I just thought hundreds of people are just going to come running in here and help us. And, well, hardly anybody came in.\"\n\nThe public inquiry into the attack, which started in September, began to examine the emergency response to the atrocity on Monday.\n\nMr Reid said he began watching the inquiry but said some details given in the opening days did not marry up with his recollection of what happened, and he switched it off.\n\nHe told the BBC after a while another person came to help, but after cutting away some of Saffie's clothing they left and went to the aid of someone else.\n\n\"I gave her [Saffie] a sip of water, because in all this madness there's somebody handing water out,\" he said.\n\n\"So you can imagine in the foyer now, all this is going on and there's a man walking about with water.\"\n\nPaul Reid said he was still haunted by what happened that night\n\nMr Reid said a police officer suggested moving Saffie out of the foyer, but with no stretchers to lift her they had to use a piece of plastic hoarding.\n\n\"The policeman came and said 'she's got to go, I'll take her in my car',\" he added.\n\n\"There was a plastic sheet under somebody's leg who was injured, I started pulling the sheet from under his leg. We put her on it and I started to carry her out, but the board was slippy.\"\n\nHe said they could not get the makeshift stretcher into the officer's car, so they flagged down an ambulance.\n\nMr Reid said he then returned to the foyer, where he went back to the man who he had taken the hoarding from.\n\n\"He had a gash in his stomach, and a paramedic was sitting there holding something against his stomach,\" he said.\n\n\"I held his hand. He had a Liverpool accent so I talked to him about football to take his mind off things, and my mind off things.\"\n\nMr Reid said he was still haunted by what happened that night.\n\n\"It's like yesterday. I can still smell the smoke in that foyer. Still hear the alarms when I go to sleep, when I close my eyes,\" he said.\n\n\"I'm first aid trained, but the most I'd done is put a plaster on.\n\n\"To step in that foyer, it was carnage. It was a war zone.\"\n\nSaffie's parents have said they would not have expected member of the public to have known how to treat her injuries.\n\nHer father Andrew Roussos told the BBC: \"There was a member of the public with her, I can't expect him to tourniquet her, splint her legs and so on.\n\n\"But the medically trained people that were with her, and were with her throughout and didn't apply basic first aid to give Saffie a chance.\"\n\nThe inquiry has previously heard it is important to acknowledge the enormous pressure which those who responded that night came under.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "News of the extended lockdown has not been welcomed by business leaders.\n\nLast month, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) estimated that each week of lockdown meant non-essential stores missing out on £135m of lost sales.\n\nSince then, garden centres and homeware shops have been compelled to close too, and the government has placed curbs on retailers’ click and collect services.\n\nThe SRC says today's extension is a further blow to non-food stores who have already borne a lot during the pandemic.\n\nIt said Scottish stores were set to miss out on almost £950m of lost revenues during the current lockdown period.\n\nQuote Message: The extended lockdown will serve to make it harder for some retailers to emerge from this crisis. Even when we do eventually emerge from enforced hibernation the stark reality is that shops will be unable to trade at capacity due to physical distancing restrictions and caps on the number of customers in stores. This means that April’s abrupt ‘reverse cliff edge’ - which is set to see a 100% re-instatement of business rates – is simply not sustainable. from David Lonsdale Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium The extended lockdown will serve to make it harder for some retailers to emerge from this crisis. Even when we do eventually emerge from enforced hibernation the stark reality is that shops will be unable to trade at capacity due to physical distancing restrictions and caps on the number of customers in stores. This means that April’s abrupt ‘reverse cliff edge’ - which is set to see a 100% re-instatement of business rates – is simply not sustainable.", "On his final full day in office, outgoing president Donald Trump delivered a farewell speech from the White House.\n\nCurrently locked out of his personal social media accounts, Trump struck a concilatory yet defiant tone in the video released via the government's official social media accounts.\n\n\"We did what we came here to do - and so much more,\" he said. \"I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices – because that’s what you elected me to do.\"\n\nHe warned that \"the greatest danger\" now facing the country was \"a loss of confidence in our national greatness\".\n\nThe 45th president ran through actions taken by his administration - from \"stand[ing] up to China like never before\" to \"a series of historic peace deals in the Middle East\".\n\nHe added: \"I am especially proud to be the first president in decades who has started no new wars.\"\n\nReferring to the riot at the US Capitol on 6 January, he said: \"All Americans were horrified by the assault on the Capitol... It can never be tolerated.\"\n\nTrump acknowledged that a new administration would take office, but said: \"I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning.\"", "It is not known when the artwork was taken as no one reported it missing\n\nA 500-year-old painting has been discovered in a flat in Italy and returned to a museum - where staff were unaware it had even been stolen.\n\nThe copy of Salvator Mundi, which is believed to have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci, was found in a bedroom cupboard in Naples on Saturday.\n\nThis copy is thought to have been painted by one of da Vinci's students.\n\nThe 36-year-old owner of the flat was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen goods, police said.\n\n\"The painting was found on Saturday thanks to a brilliant and diligent police operation,\" Naples prosecutor Giovanni Melillo told the AFP news agency.\n\nThe artwork is usually part of the Doma Museum collection at the San Domenico Maggiore church in the city.\n\nBut Mr Melillo said officials were not aware it had been stolen because \"the room where the painting is kept has not been open for three months\" due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nIt is not known when the artwork was taken as no one had reported it missing, but the museum said it was in its possession as recently as last January.\n\nSome experts believe Leonardo's student Giacomo Alibrandi may have painted the artwork\n\nPolice are now investigating the circumstances of the theft, but there was no sign of a break-in at the museum.\n\n\"It is plausible that it was a commissioned theft by an organisation working in the international art trade,\" Mr Melillo said.\n\nIt is not known who painted the artwork, but some experts believe Leonardo's student Giacomo Alibrandi may have done so in the early 1500s.\n\nIt shows Christ with one hand raised, with the other holding a glass sphere.\n\nAnd to add to the mystery - whether or not the original painting is an authentic Leonardo da Vinci is disputed. Leonardo died in 1519 and there are fewer than 20 of his paintings in existence.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The original painting was cleaned and restored from the image on the left to the one on the right\n\nThe original Salvator Mundi has had major cosmetic surgery - its walnut panel base has been described as \"worm-tunnelled\" and at some point it seems to have been split in half. Efforts to restore it have also resulted in abrasions.\n\nThis did not detract buyers, however, and the painting became the most expensive ever sold when it was auctioned for a record $450m (£341m) in 2017.\n\nThe unidentified buyer was involved in a bidding contest, via telephone, that lasted nearly 20 minutes.", "A refusal to accept cash is \"creeping into the wider UK economy\", an expert has said, after a survey suggested coronavirus had hastened a shift towards a cashless society.\n\nConsumer group Which? said that 34% of people asked said they had been unable to pay with cash at least once since March when trying to buy something.\n\nGrocery stores, pubs and restaurants were most likely to refuse.\n\nNatalie Ceeney, who wrote a report on the issue, called for ministers to act.\n\n\"The figures show that it's not simply the odd coffee shop going cashless, but this is creeping into the wider economy,\" said Ms Ceeney, who wrote the Access to Cash Review.\n\n\"We can't just blame individual businesses - many are going cashless because they can't easily bank cash takings because their local branch is closed or some distance away. The government needs to urgently legislate to protect the viability of cash - as it promised to do so last year. Time is running out.\"\n\nWhich? said the lack of cash access was a problem for those who relied on notes and coins - such as people with certain health conditions or without computer access.\n\nSome shops are still keen to accept cash\n\nJenny Ross, Which? Money editor, said: \"We have repeatedly warned about the consequences that coronavirus will have on what was an already fragile cash system, but nowhere near enough action has been taken by the government or the regulator to understand the scale of this issue.\"\n\nThe Treasury has proposed giving the City regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, control of overseeing future access to cash and has thrown its weight behind the idea of cashback in shops, without the requirement to buy anything.\n\nDavid Fagleman, director at financial consultancy Enryo, said: \"Our own research shows that despite a decline in use for day-to-day purchases, nearly three-quarters of people think the move to a cashless society is happening too fast and risks leaving some people, particularly the vulnerable, behind.\"", "Cillian Murphy stars in Peaky Blinders, a drama which follows Tommy Shelby and his family\n\nPeaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has confirmed the hit BBC crime drama will conclude with a film following the show's final TV series.\n\nOn Monday, Knight said the upcoming sixth series would be the last but teased that \"the story will continue in another form\".\n\nHe has now confirmed to Deadline: \"My plan from the beginning was to end Peaky with a movie.\n\n\"This is what is going to happen,\" he added.\n\nHe explained that \"Covid had changed our plans\" but did not elaborate.\n\nHelen McCrory, who plays Polly, is the Shelby family matriarch\n\nThe final BBC TV series has resumed filming after being hit by Covid-related production delays.\n\nOn Monday, Knight described the show as being \"back with a bang\" and warned fans that the mobsters would face \"extreme jeopardy\" in the sixth season.\n\nKnight had previously planned for a seven-season run of the drama, which is set in post-World War One Birmingham.\n\n\"My ambition is to make it a story of a family between two wars,\" he said in 2018 ahead of season five. \"I've wanted to end it with the first air raid siren in Birmingham in 1939. It'll take three more series to reach that point.\"\n\nIt now looks like the film might be replacing his plan for series seven.\n\nKnight, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, previously revealed he had been \"approached\" to take the Shelby crime family universe to the big-screen.\n\nSam Claflin as Tommy's political rival Oswald Mosley was a central figure in series five\n\nThe sixth series of the show, which follows Tommy Shelby and his family, will see Anthony Byrne return as director and Nick Goding produce.\n\nTommy Bulfin, executive producer for the BBC, said he was \"very excited\" filming had begun and promised a \"truly remarkable... fitting send-off that will delight fans\".\n\nHe added he was \"so grateful to everyone for all their hard work to make it happen\".\n\nThe production team have developed comprehensive safety protocols to ensure that the series will be produced responsibly and in accordance with government guidelines during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nExecutive producer Caryn Mandabach said the \"safety of our cast and crew is always our priority\" and that they had been \"working diligently\" to get safely back into production since filming was halted last March.\n\n\"Thank you to all the Peaky fans who have been so unwaveringly supportive and patient,\" she added.\n\nPeaky Blinders, which stars Cillian Murphy, first aired on BBC Two eight years ago to widespread critical acclaim.\n\nRatings quickly grew from over two million for the first series to over four million by series four and it found further popularity on Netflix.\n\nIt made the transition to BBC One for the fifth series in 2019, achieving audiences of over five million.\n\nThroughout its run, a host of awards have followed, including NTAs, which are voted for by the public, and a Bafta for best drama series in 2018.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Scientists are a step closer to being able to reverse the damage caused by motor neurone disease (MND).\n\nUniversity of Edinburgh experts have found a problem with MND patients' nerve cells which could be repaired by repurposing drugs approved for other diseases.\n\nThe study has been welcomed by charities including the foundation set up by Scots rugby legend Doddie Weir.\n\nMy Name'5 Doddie foundation described it as \"a very exciting breakthrough\".\n\nMore than 1,500 people are diagnosed with the degenerative condition in the UK every year.\n\nThere is no known cure and more than half die within two years of diagnosis.\n\nThe research found that the damage to nerve cells caused by MND could be repaired by improving the energy levels in mitochondria - the power supply to the motor neurons.\n\nThey discovered in human stem cell models of MND, the axon - the long part of the motor neuron cell that connects to the muscle - was shorter than in healthy cells.\n\nAnd the movement of the mitochondria, which travel up and down the axons, was impaired\n\nThe scientists showed that this was caused by a defective energy supply from the mitochondria and that by boosting the mitochondria, the axon reverted back to normal.\n\nDr Arpan Mehta, who led the study at Euan MacDonald Centre for MND research said: \"The importance of the axon in motor nerve cells cannot be overstated.\n\n\"Our data provides hope that by restoring the cell's energy source we can protect the axons and their connection to muscle from degeneration.\n\n\"Work is already under way to identify existing licensed drugs that can boost the mitochondria and repair the motor neurons. This will then pave the way to test them in clinical trials.\"\n\nThe research centre was established by Euan MacDonald, who was 29 years old when he was diagnosed with MND in 2003\n\nCraig Stockton, the chief executive of MND Scotland, said the \"exciting\" results of the research were another piece of the puzzle to finding an effective treatment for the degenerative condition.\n\n\"We look forward to seeing if these positive results can be replicated for patients,\" he said.\n\n\"Once researchers have identified a drug they believe could have the desired effect, this treatment could then be fast-tracked for human trials using the pioneering MND-SMART clinical trial platform - into which MND Scotland has invested £1.5m.\n\n\"Researchers, clinicians, charities and supporters are all working hard to take us closer to finding a cure and by joining together we'll get to that day even sooner.\"\n\nThe researchers used stem cells taken from people with the C9orf72 gene mutation that causes both MND and frontotemporal dementia.\n\nThey used the stem cells to generate motor neuron cells in the lab.\n\nThe study also used human post-mortem spinal cord tissue from people with MND.\n\nAlthough the research focused on the people with the commonest genetic cause of MND, the researchers said they were hopeful the results would also apply to other forms of the disease.\n\nThe results of the study are now being used to look for existing drugs that boost mitochondrial function.\n\nThe study was funded by the Medical Research Council, Motor Neurone Disease Association, Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research, My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, UK Dementia Research Institute and Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Protests against China's alleged abuse of the Muslim Uighur community\n\nThe government is facing a rebellion over the Trade Bill, and opposition proposals to give British courts the right to decide if a country is committing genocide.\n\nRebel Tory MPs want to allow Parliament to debate ending trade deals with countries responsible for genocide.\n\nThe government says trade policy should not be set by the courts.\n\nBut some MPs think the proposal would be a good way of targeting China and its treatment of the Uighur people.\n\nOn Tuesday, America's top diplomat Mike Pompeo, in his last day in the role, said the US had determined that China's persecution of the Muslim group and other minorities in Xinjiang province represented genocide and crimes against humanity under international law.\n\nThe UK has repeatedly condemned the actions of the Chinese authorities but stopped short of describing them as genocide - saying only international courts should determine this.\n\nAnd ministers also argue that trade deals are matters for governments, not the courts, to decide upon.\n\nThe MPs' amendment to the Trade Bill is a watered-down version of an earlier proposal from the House of Lords, which would force the government to withdraw from any free trade agreement with any country found guilty of genocide by the High Court of England and Wales.\n\nThe new proposal is signed by 10 Conservative MPs, one of whom described their amendment as \"tidier\" than the Lords version and designed to attract more support.\n\nSpeaking in the Commons, Sir Edward Leigh asked \"is there any way we can acknowledge that genocide is taking place in a discussion on a trade deal\".\n\nIn response, International Trade minister Greg Hands said ministers were prepared to have further discussions but not within the scope of the current legislation.\n\nHe told MPs the government was \"answerable to Parliament, not the courts\" and the Lords version would have led to an \"unacceptable erosion\" of its authority.\n\nThe UK, he added, had \"no plans\" to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement with China due to concerns about its human rights record, particularly its persecution of the Muslim Uighur community.\n\nNusrat Ghani urged ministers to consider the \"compromise\" proposal, which she said recognised the \"separation of powers\" between the executive, Parliament and the courts.\n\nThe Conservative ex-minister said the UK should \"never let economic concerns trump ethical ones by dealing with genocidal states\".\n\n\"Why would we want to use our newfound freedom to trade with states that commit and profit from genocide? Britain is better than that.\"\n\nSpeaking to Politics Live, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it is currently \"impossible\" for international courts to rule on whether there has been genocide, as other countries can block hearings in the UN.\n\nHe argued it is therefore important to allow British courts to make the judgement.\n\nThe MP insisted he is not \"anti-China\" but said the Chinese government need to be \"reasonable and behave in a way that is acceptable\" if it wanted to be part of global trading organisations.\n\nShadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry said Labour would be supporting the new amendment arguing that the government \"does not consider human rights abuses enough before signing up to trade deals\".\n\nThis is an interesting story in its own right because of the issues involved but it's also a neat metaphor for Brexit.\n\nThe government has taken back control of trade policy from the EU but is already having to share it with the House of Lords, Tory MPs and potentially with the High Court.\n\nDuring the passage of the Trade Bill, the government also had to beef up the powers of the Trade and Agriculture Commission - an independent body of experts - in response to lobbying from farmers who were worried about the dilution of food standards.\n\nSoon trade disputes with other countries will partly be overseen by the new Trade Remedies Authority, another organisation that reports to ministers but is independent of them.\n\nAnd of course, everything has to be compatible with World Trade Organisation rules, anyway.\n\nThe government has control of trade. It's just not total.", "19 January is a special day for Orthodox Christians across Russia, including President Vladimir Putin. It's a day reserved for commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, and it's called Epiphany. Though temperatures are as low as -20 Celsius, some celebrated this by submerging themselves in ice-cold water.", "A team of Nepalese climbers has become the first ever to summit the world’s second highest mountain, K2, in winter.\n\nK2, along the Pakistan-China border, is notoriously challenging - with high winds and sub-zero temperatures.\n\nOne of the leading members of the team is a former Gurkha and British special forces soldier, Nirmal Purja. He spoke to BBC Pakistan correspondent Secunder Kermani.", "Theresa May has accused her successor Boris Johnson of \"abandoning\" the UK's moral leadership on the world stage.\n\nThe ex-prime minister said Mr Johnson's decision to cut the overseas aid budget below 0.7% of national income had reduced the UK's global \"credibility\".\n\nShe wrote in the Daily Mail the UK had to \"live up to its values\" and would be judged by its actions not its rhetoric.\n\nMr Johnson said the UK was \"embarking on a quite phenomenal year\" of global leadership.\n\nQuestioned about Mrs May's comments by the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson said: \"I think it's very important the prime minister of the UK has the best possible relationship with the president of the United States.\n\n\"That's part of the job description.\"\n\nHe cited the UK's hosting of a global vaccine summit, the upcoming COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, as well as the G7 summit of leading industrial nations, in Cornwall, and his pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 as examples of the UK's global leadership.\n\nMr Blackford called on the PM to reverse \"his cruel policy of cutting international aid for the world's poorest\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The SNP Westminster leader called in the PM to reverse his \"cruel\" international aid policy\n\nLater on Wednesday, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, succeeding Donald Trump.\n\nIn advance of the event, Mr Johnson said he looked forward to working \"hand-in-hand\" with the new administration and that post-Covid challenges could only be tackled by \"international co-operation\".\n\nBut, in an article in the Daily Mail, Mrs May suggested Mr Johnson had squandered international goodwill by choosing not to meet the longstanding UN target of spending 0.7% of income on international development.\n\nThe government says it cannot meet the figure - enshrined in UK law - this year because of the strain placed on the public finances by the pandemic.\n\nTheresa May has made these criticisms - on overseas aid and the threat by the government to override international law - before.\n\nQuite often she gets a dig in when she stands up in the House of Commons.\n\nBut packaging it all up in this way, on this day, is, in the words of one of her close former advisers, \"quite punchy\".\n\nThe government would rather focus on the relationship it is going to forge with the new US president.\n\nMinisters feel they have quite a lot in common with Joe Biden when it comes to working together on the world stage, fighting climate change and co-operating on global security.\n\nMrs May also criticised Mr Johnson's support for legislation which could have allowed the UK to go back on parts of its Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, had it been passed.\n\nControversial clauses were ultimately removed from the Internal Market Bill in December, after the UK and EU reached an agreement.\n\nBut Mr Johnson's threat to break international law was criticised in Europe and the US - where Mr Biden warned it could imperil peace in Northern Ireland.\n\nMrs May said the UK was \"well placed to play a decisive role in shaping this more co-operative world but to lead we must live up to our values\".\n\n\"Other countries listen to what we say not simply because of who we are, but because of what we do. The world does not owe us a prominent place on its stage,\" she added.\n\n\"Whatever the rhetoric we deploy, it is our actions which count. So, we should do nothing which signals a retreat from our global commitments.\"\n\nMrs May suggested the end of the Trump presidency could be a catalyst for a change in world politics\n\nMrs May, who had a sometimes strained relationship with Mr Trump, said Mr Biden's election presented the UK with a \"golden opportunity\" for Western democracies to reverse the trend towards \"absolutism\" - and a \"few strongmen facing off against each other\" - in global affairs.\n\nThe UK holds the presidency of the G7 this year and hosts the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.\n\nMr Johnson said he looked forward to welcoming Mr Biden to the UK at least twice in 2021.\n\n\"In our fight against Covid and across climate change, defence, security, and in promoting and defending democracy, our goals are the same and our nations will work hand-in-hand to achieve them,\" he added.", "LAS received almost 200,000 calls in December - up 50,000 on November, when London was in the second national lockdown\n\nLast week London exceeded the grim milestone of 10,000 deaths linked to Covid-19. Thousands of people are critically ill in hospital, and as many as 5% of Londoners are thought to have the virus in some parts of the city. As coronavirus continues to circulate silently around the capital, staff at the London Ambulance Service (LAS) are under immense pressure.\n\nThe service is currently taking up to 8,500 calls a day, compared with a pre-Covid figure of 5,000 to 6,000, according to its chief executive Garrett Emmerson.\n\nLizzie Cooke is one of the workers at LAS's south London headquarters who are dealing with strangers at what is a distressing time.\n\nI covered the London Bridge terror attacks and Grenfell but this is a different scale\n\nCalmly, the 30-year-old answers the phone and usually asks first if the patient is breathing.\n\n\"In the first wave we were getting a lot of calls of [people seeking] reassurance,\" Lizzie says. \"But now there are more and more who have symptoms, and family members are really frightened.\"\n\nIt is a fear that Lizzie knows all too well, having been hospitalised with Covid-19 in March. She spent a week receiving treatment for the virus.\n\n\"I was at work taking calls and struggling to concentrate,\" the call-handling supervisor says. \"At times I would just have my head on the desk in between calls.\n\n\"I started to develop chest pains five days later so my parents took me to Royal County Hospital, in Hampshire, and an X-ray showed a lot of fluid in my lungs. It was quite horrible.\n\n\"Luckily, I wasn't on a ventilator but I had the oxygen hood, and the nurses were so rushed off their feet. I didn't have my phone with me or know my parents' numbers off by heart so for that week I was quite alone and isolated.\n\n\"It was just a mixture of the unknown and not knowing when it was going to stop that was so daunting.\"\n\nThe unprecedented volume of calls means waiting times for patients are increasing\n\nLizzie's personal battle with coronavirus has helped her to empathise with people who call up with breathing problems.\n\nIt's something she says she's having to do more and more.\n\n\"Just before Christmas we were getting a lot of respiratory and cardiac arrest calls,\" she says. \"You could just hear colleagues counting to four [for chest compressions] and it was echoing around the room. It has been tough.\n\n\"We are getting calls from family members who are really frightened. I covered the London Bridge terror attacks and Grenfell but this is a different scale.\n\n\"I did get one call for toothache, but that's part of the job.\"\n\nLizzie, who lives in Hampshire, says that because the coverage of coronavirus is everywhere, it is \"difficult to escape\".\n\nWhen she's not at work she binge-watches Line of Duty on Netflix, but she says winding down isn't easy.\n\nLizzie sometimes thinks about the people who aren't following the rules aimed at helping stop the spread of the virus, and those who deny Covid-19 even exists.\n\n\"It's a kick in the teeth,\" she says. \"It is frustrating on the way to work when you see people not wearing masks or even posting stuff on social media not believing the virus is real.\n\n\"I just don't know where the disconnect is coming from; there are many people in hospital, many people dying, and I don't know what more needs to be said to make them realise how dangerous the illness is.\"\n\nSorry, your browser cannot display this map\n\nSitting a few metres away from Lizzie is 24-year-old Louise Essam, who has been in the job for two years.\n\n\"Every call we take at the moment is coronavirus,\" she says. \"My record was 108 calls in a day back in March during the first wave.\n\n\"But easily in the last few weeks I've been taking around 100 a day at times,\" Louise adds.\n\n\"We are just doing the best we can,\" says emergency call co-ordinator Louise Essam\n\n\"Sometimes I'll come in for a shift and can just hear colleagues counting one, two, three, four, for the compressions, and you just know what kind of shift it is going to be.\n\n\"It has been tough and quite frustrating, really. We are trying to help people. We are under so much pressure as there are high waiting times, but we are just doing the best we can.\"\n\nHelp is at hand though from the LAS workers' fellow emergency services personnel.\n\nMet Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick visited Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, where her officers are being trained to drive ambulances\n\nSeventy-five Met Police officers are currently being trained at Wembley Stadium to drive ambulances.\n\nThey will start work as drivers from 20 January, joining the 200 firefighters who are already helping LAS.\n\n\"It came as a huge relief when they announced it,\" says 37-year-old paramedic Ben West.\n\nBen West has been with the London Ambulance Service for 13 years\n\nAs is the case with many frontline workers, Ben says he is concerned about the dangers of exposure to coronavirus.\n\nHe has lost four colleagues to Covid-19, including Ian Reynolds, a paramedic based in Croydon, and Melonie Mitchell, a member of the NHS 111 team. They both died during the first wave in April.\n\n\"I wouldn't be a normal person if I said I wasn't scared,\" he says.\n\n\"I am scared and I do worry but we take every day as it comes, take our precautions and we just see where we go with that.\n\n\"We know the virus is out there in the community and we are not immune.\"", "A non-binding Labour motion calling for the universal credit top-up to be kept in place beyond 31 March passed by 278 votes to none after a Commons debate.\n\nSix Tory MPs defied party orders to abstain and voted with Labour, adding to the pressure on the PM on the issue.\n\nThe prime minister said the government had provided £280bn worth of support during the pandemic but all measures would be kept under \"constant review\".\n\nThe motion, which will not automatically lead to a change in policy, was put forward by Labour as a way to put additional pressure on the government to continue the increase, worth £1,000 a year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Carl, a roofer, describes going from \"not having enough to barely having enough\" on universal credit.\n\nFormer Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb was among six Conservative MPs to rebel, along with Peter Aldous, Robert Halfon, Jason McCartney, Anne Marie Morris and Matthew Offord.\n\nAhead of the vote, Mr Crabb told the BBC that although there were \"difficult pressures on the chancellor\" extending the increase for 12 months was \"the right thing to do\".\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said there were dozens of Conservative MPs who were \"deeply uneasy\" about ending the £20 weekly increase to universal credit.\n\nShe added that it was also understood the cabinet minister with responsibility for benefits, Therese Coffey, was arguing that the uplift should not be dropped in April.\n\nCharities and anti-poverty campaigners are pleading with the government to keep the support in place, describing it as a lifeline for more than 5.5 million families who receive the standard universal credit allowance.\n\nFood poverty campaigner and chef Jack Monroe told the BBC that the £20 increase \"has been a lifeline\" for millions of people who have needed to top up their income or rely on universal credit payments in order to get by.\n\nSir Keir said the increase was a vital safety net for those who had lost their jobs, seen their working hours slashed or who were not eligible for the government's wage subsidy furlough scheme.\n\n\"If we don't give a helping hand to families through this pandemic, then we are going to slow our economic recovery as we come out it.\n\n\"We urge Boris Johnson to change course and give families certainty today that their incomes will be protected.\"\n\nSix billion pounds of the benefits bill - the difference between poverty or not for 1.2 million families, according to a think tank.\n\nThe £1,040 a year increase to universal credit is a very emotive issue.\n\nThere's even a battle over what to call it.\n\nTo the government, its introduction was a one-off boost to cope with a crisis. For Labour, taking it away is a cut.\n\nMinisters would prefer we looked at the overall level of support they've provided for workers and businesses during the pandemic. The opposition say the £20 a week boost is a powerful symbol of the state's willingness to help.\n\nEven the act of debating it today is disputed. Labour say they've got the right occasionally to set the agenda in Parliament. Boris Johnson said his MPs risk abuse from campaigners and protestors if they engage.\n\nThe Joseph Rowntree Foundation has suggested about 16 million people will be directly affected if the £20 is rolled back.\n\nIt says 500,000 more people will be driven into poverty, including 200,000 children, while a further 500,000 of those already in poverty will find themselves in even worse hardship.\n\nHowever, free market think tank the Institute for Economic Affairs has argued that \"across-the-board benefit increases are a wasteful use of taxpayers' money\" at a time when the government is borrowing \"a hair-raising amount of money\".\n\nUniversal credit is a single payment replacing old benefits such as housing benefit and child tax credits.\n\nYou can claim universal credit if you are on a low income or are out of work.\n\nThe standard allowance varies from around £340 to just under £600 a month, depending on your age or whether you are single.\n\nYou may be eligible to receive more money on top of the standard allowance if, for example, you have children or a health condition.\n\nSpeaking on behalf of the Northern Research Group, Conservative MP John Stevenson said the £1,000 increase had been \"a real life-saver for people throughout this pandemic\".\n\n\"To end it now would be devastating for the 6 million individuals and families who are already struggling to stay afloat,\" he added.\n\nWhile the vote is not binding, and will not lead to a change in policy, it will increase pressure on the government to keep the increase or come up with an alternative.\n\nLabour said the Conservatives' decision to abstain created \"unnecessary uncertainty\" but minister Nadhim Zahawi described the vote as \"a political stunt\".\n\nThe government says it has strengthened the welfare system with an extra £7bn of funding during the pandemic while families struggling with food and household bills can get help through the £170m Winter Grant Scheme.\n\nMinisters also point to extra support for housing costs, through an increase in local housing allowance for those on housing benefits and hardship payments worth £670m next year for those unable to pay their council tax bills.", "How has the justice system responded to the pandemic? Stories from inside prisons and courts, where lawyers fear delays are creating miscarriages of justice. Helen Grady reports.\n\nAre court backlogs creating miscarriages of justice? When the UK locked down, so did its court system, adding to a backlog that’s left defendants, witnesses and victims facing long waits for trials. Helen Grady speaks to people inside the justice system to find out how it’s coped with the pandemic - from delays in making courts covid-secure to a lack of PPE and overcrowding in prisons. We hear stories from prisons under lockdown and talk to lawyers who fear delays are leading to abuses of the criminal justice system.\n\nProducer: Rob Cave", "New legislation has been passed to protect Scottish shop workers from abuse from customers.\n\nThe Protection of Workers Bill will make it a new specific offence to assault, abuse or threaten staff.\n\nIncidents involving an age-restricted product, such as alcohol or cigarettes, could be treated more seriously.\n\nThe MSP behind the bill, Labour's Daniel Johnson, said attacks on retail workers had increased during the Covid pandemic.\n\nHe told Holyrood: \"Shop staff have been spat at for asking customers to socially distance, and stock has been smashed in retaliation for item limits being imposed.\n\n\"Violence, threats and abuse should not be just part of anyone's job.\"\n\nMr Johnson said that staff requesting age ID could be a \"trigger factor\" in many incidents of abuse.\n\nThe new legislation will also cover people working in bars, restaurants and hotels, and those delivering items bought online who may have to ask for proof of age.\n\nThe bill was supported by all parties at Holyrood, despite the government initially arguing that its provisions were already covered by existing criminal laws.\n\nThe Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service told MSPs that further legislation was not needed, noting that \"violence, threats and abuse against retail workers, or indeed any other person, are prosecuted every day in the courts in Scotland using offences which are commonly understood\".\n\nPolice Scotland meanwhile said there would be \"no significant change in how we go about our business\" as a result of it.\n\nCommunity safety minister Ash Denham said that while there was a \"wide range of existing criminal laws\" currently in place to protect staff, the new legislation could \"make the general public think more about their behaviour when they interact with retail workers\".\n\nThe Scottish Conservatives also backed the bill, although they argued that the presumption against short sentences in Scotland meant anyone convicted under the new law would ultimately not be jailed.\n\nPaul Gerrard, public affairs director for the Co-Op, told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime that the retailer had seen a 450% rise in violent incidents in the last few years.\n\n\"It is a huge problem,\" he said. \"We've seen an explosion in violence and abuse toward my colleagues.\n\n\"Now across 350 stores in Scotland we have someone attacked every day. And 10 colleagues are threatened or abused every day.\n\n\"Increasingly we have seen knives, syringes and axes all used against shopworkers.\"\n\nMr Gerrard added that previous incidents were centred on shoplifting or age-restricted sales, but staff were now facing more abuse around enforcing Covid shopping rules.\n\nThe new legislation was passed by 118 votes to 0 in the Scottish Parliament.\n\nThe Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) is now urging the UK government to introduce similar legislation to protect retail staff in England - something Labour MP Alex Norris is pursuing at Westminster.\n\nUsdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said: \"It is a great result for our members in Scotland, who will now have the protection of the law that they deserve.\n\n\"So we are looking for MPs to support key workers across the retail sector and help turn around the UK government's opposition.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Cricket\n\nIndia pulled off an astonishing run-chase to inflict Australia's first defeat at the Gabba since 1988, win the fourth Test by three wickets and take one of the all-time great series. Needing 328, a Brisbane record run-chase, the injury-hit tourists got home with three overs to spare. Shubman Gill made 91 and Rishabh Pant was unbeaten on 89. They win the series 2-1, keeping the Border-Gavaskar they won in Australia two years ago. It is perhaps one of the finest Test series wins by any away side, especially given the list of players unavailable to India by the time the final match was played. That included captain and talisman Virat Kohli, who only played in the first Test before departing to be at the birth of his first child, a host of fast bowlers and first-choice spin pair Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. In addition to the absent players, India somehow recovered from being bowled out for 36 - their lowest total in Test cricket - in losing the series opener by eight wickets. What followed were three Tests of the highest quality and drama, with India producing a stunning comeback to win the second Test by eight wickets, then defiantly batting through the final day to earn a draw in the third. But they saved their best performance for last, a superb contest that ensured the series went down to the final hour of the last day, with the shadows lengthening and a near-empty Gabba filled with the sound of a smattering of raucous India supporters. The tourists were 4-0 overnight and, for them to even get to the point where victory might be possible, Cheteshwar Pujara had to come through a barrage of hostile bowling from the Australia quicks - he was hit 10 times in his 56. He added 114 for the second wicket with the free-scoring Gill, while stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane, who has presided over India's fightback, signalled their intent with 24 off only 22 balls. Tireless Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins was a threat throughout, removing Pujara, Rahane and Rohit Sharma. Fast bowler Pat Cummins took four wickets for Australia Still, even though India knew a draw would see them retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, they never lost sight of the chance of victory and promoted wicketkeeper Pant to number five. At the beginning of the final hour, India were 259-4, meaning they needed 69 runs and Australia six wickets from the final 15 overs. Though Cummins had Mayank Agarwal caught at cover for his fourth wicket, Pant attacked in the company of debutant Washington Sundar. Runs came with increasing freedom and, although Sundar was bowled trying to reverse-sweep Nathan Lyon and Shardul Thakur miscued Josh Hazlewood, Pant could not be stopped. The left-hander's drive down the ground off Hazlewood secured a famous win and sparked joyous India celebrations. 'One of the top three series of all time' - reaction India captain Rahane: \"I don't know how to describe this victory. I'm really proud of all the boys. We didn't talk about anything after Adelaide, we just wanted to show good character and express ourselves. It was all about a team effort.\" Australia captain Tim Paine: \"In the key moments we were found wanting and completely outplayed by India, who fully deserved their series win.\" Man of the match Pant: \"This is one of the biggest things in my life. It has been a dream series.\" Player of the series Cummins: \"The whole India side played fantastically and deserved to win. The game was there for to win, but we didn't take the wickets.\" Former Australia fast bowler Stuart Clark on ABC: \"What a victory that is by India. They have been absolutely outstanding. The man of the moment is Rishabh Pant. He played some of the most insane shots you will ever see. Australia bowled their hearts out, but it wasn't enough.\" Former Australia captain Ian Chappell: \"It had everything. It was an absolutely amazing day. This has been one of top three Test series of all time.\"\n• None Can this British team make an impact on the global scene?\n• None The show must go on in lockdown:", "Nicola Sturgeon is to announce later whether Scotland's Covid-19 lockdown is to continue past the end of January.\n\nThe first minister said Tuesday's statement at Holyrood would concern the \"duration\" of restrictions rather than whether any new ones would be imposed.\n\nMinsters will also decide at a cabinet meeting whether schools will be allowed to re-open in full from 1 February.\n\nEducation Secretary John Swinney has suggested it would be a \"tall order\" for pupils to return to classrooms.\n\nMs Sturgeon said on Monday that she did not want to \"raise parents' expectations\", saying transmission of the virus \"is still higher than we would want it to be\".\n\nThe whole Scottish mainland and several islands have been in a strict lockdown since early January, with a \"stay at home\" message in force.\n\nThis was initially due to run until February, but this will be reviewed by ministers on Tuesday morning with a view to having the restrictions last longer.\n\nWhile Ms Sturgeon has warned that the government would consider further measures if necessary, she said \"it is the duration rather than the content of restrictions that we will be looking at\" on Tuesday.\n\nThe outcome of this review will then be announced to MSPs in a statement at Holyrood in the afternoon.\n\nNicola Sturgeon will announce the result of the latest review in a Holyrood statement\n\nThe review will also cover the situation in schools, with the majority learning remotely from home and only some children of key workers and vulnerable pupils being allowed into school buildings.\n\nOn Monday, the first minister said she did not want to \"raise expectations\" about classes returning to normal, but added that she was \"not going to make any assumptions\" ahead of the cabinet meeting.\n\nShe said: \"I am not going to raise parents' expectations, you can see from the numbers we are seeing some positive signs in the numbers that lockdown is starting to stabilise things and tip them into decline, but transmission is still higher than we would want it to be.\n\n\"We want to get schools back as quickly as we possibly can, it is not in the interests of kids to be out of school for any longer than is absolutely necessary, but community transmission has always been a key factor in these decisions.\"\n\nThis echoed comments from Mr Swinney, who had previously said it would be \"a tall order\" for schools to fully re-open with \"the virus still at a very high level in general within society\".\n\nI am expecting continuity rather than change from today's announcement on coronavirus restrictions.\n\nThe continuation of the current lockdown and presumably the extension of remote learning for most school pupils into the February break at least.\n\nBoth decisions are likely to be reviewed again next month. But it's not clear if the first minister will feel able to suggest a target date for restrictions to ease.\n\nCabinet will also be giving special attention to the serious Covid outbreak on Barra and considering if the level three restrictions that apply in the Western Isles remain appropriate.\n\nWhile there are signs the pace at which the current wave of coronavirus is spreading is starting to slow, evidence of much greater suppression will be required before the stay at home lockdown in place across mainland Scotland is lifted.\n\nThe review comes less than a week after restrictions in Scotland were tightened, with some click and collect services ordered to close and outdoor alcohol consumption banned.\n\nThe entire Scottish mainland has been in the top level of restrictions - level four - since Boxing Day, with level three measures in place in Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles and some islands in Argyll and Bute and the Highlands.\n\nScots are subject to a legal requirement not to leave home for anything other than essential purposes, such as shopping for essentials, exercise and caring responsibilities.\n\nThe number of new cases reported each day on average has begun to fall, but the number of people in hospital with the virus continues to rise and is now \"significantly\" above that seen in the first wave in 2020.\n\nMs Sturgeon said the \"position overall is very precarious, very concerning in terms of the level of transmission\", but said there were \"some early signs to be optimistic that measures are having an effect\".\n\nThe first minister will take questions from opposition leaders following her statement.\n\nThe Scottish Conservatives have voiced concerns that Covid-19 vaccines are not being rolled out quickly enough, saying the Scottish government are \"trailing their own targets\".\n\nStatistics released on Monday showed that Scotland has vaccinated 264,991 people so far - 6% of its adult population.\n\nThis is lower than the figure for England, where 8% of the adult population - 3,520,056 people - have been vaccinated, and Northern Ireland, which has the highest vaccination rate in the UK at 8.7%.\n\nWales has a similar figure to Scotland at 6%.\n\nEngland has also given a second dose of the vaccine to 427,386 people, compared to only 3,698 in Scotland.\n\nHowever, Ms Sturgeon has insisted that all parts of the UK are \"working to the same targets\" to vaccinate priority groups, and said her government is \"on track\" to hit them subject to supplies arriving.\n\nThis would see care home residents, healthcare staff and all over-80s get a first dose by the start of February, with over-70s and those deemed \"extremely vulnerable\" by mid-February and all over-65s by the beginning of March.\n\nBy that time the government aims to be vaccinating up to 400,000 people a week on average, with all priority groups getting a first jab by early May and the rest of the adult population in line thereafter.", "About one in 10 people across the UK tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies in December, roughly double the October figure, data has shown.\n\nEstimates from the Office for National Statistics suggest between 8% of people in Northern Ireland and 12% of people in England showed signs of past Covid infection.\n\nIn October, antibody positivity ranged from 2% to 7% around the UK.\n\nAnd 6,586 Covid deaths were registered in the UK in the week to 8 January.\n\nThat brings the total registered so far close to 96,000.\n\nNearly a quarter of deaths were people living in care homes - a disproportionate impact on a group of people which accounts for less than 1% of the population.\n\nBack in July, though, care home residents accounted for 40% of deaths.\n\nThe ONS regularly tests a representative sample of the population, both for current infection and for antibodies indicating a past infection.\n\nPeople taking part in the survey are tested whether or not they have had symptoms.\n\nThis is used to estimate how common both the virus and antibodies are in the population as a whole.\n\nAntibodies are proteins in the blood which fight off specific infections.\n\nThey are developed if somebody catches an infection and their body fights it off, or if they have been vaccinated.\n\nYorkshire and the Humber topped the chart with 17% of people having positive antibodies, followed by London.\n\nProf Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick Medical School, said: \"This study shows that infection with the Sars-Cov-2 virus is much more widespread in the UK than previously realised, with around 1 in 10 people estimated to have been infected by December 2020.\n\n\"The implications are that infection rates increased significantly between November and December.\"\n\nBut Scotland had a considerably smaller growth in antibodies than the rest of the UK, rising from 7% to 9% of the population.\n\nThe fact that more people show signs of having at least some protection against Covid-19 is consistent with the dramatic rise in infections during that period.\n\nBut we know that antibodies from natural infection can fade.\n\nIn England, the ONS said, positive antibody tests equated to 5.4 million people aged over 16 having signs of past infection.\n\nThat does not tell you the total number of people infected, however, but acts as a snapshot in time.\n\nIn London, about 16% of people had antibodies in December, up from 11% in October. But at the last peak in May, an estimated 15% of the population had antibodies. This proportion fell, as detectable antibodies recede with time.\n\nExactly what this means for someone's likelihood to become infected again, however, is not fully known.\n\nIt also remains to be seen how long vaccines will protect people for, before they need a booster jab.\n\nBut Public Health England data suggests natural immunity provides at least five months' protection on average, and vaccines often give better protection than natural immunity.\n\nMore than 4 million people in the UK have been given their first dose of the vaccine.\n\nProf Janet Lord, director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham, urged caution among those who have already been vaccinated.\n\nAsked whether people who have received the jab can hug their children, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"I would certainly advise not to do that at the moment because, as you probably know, with the vaccines they take several weeks before they are maximally effective.\n\n\"It's really important that people stay on their guard even if they've had that first vaccination.\"", "Alexandru Murgeanu (l) and Jason Mercer were killed in the crash on the M1 in South Yorkshire\n\nA coroner has called for a review of smart motorways after an inquest heard the deaths of two men on a stretch of the M1 could have been avoided.\n\nJason Mercer, 44, and Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, died when Prezemyslaw Szuba crashed his lorry into their vehicles near Sheffield on 7 June 2019.\n\nCoroner David Urpeth said smart motorways without a hard shoulder carry \"an ongoing risk of future deaths\".\n\nHighways England said it was \"addressing many of the points raised\".\n\nMr Urpeth recorded a verdict of unlawful killing at Sheffield Town Hall. He added he would be writing to Highways England and the transport secretary asking for a review.\n\nThe inquest heard the deaths of the two men may have been avoided had there had been a hard shoulder.\n\nOn the stretch of the M1 where the crash took place, the hard shoulder has been replaced by an active lane.\n\nSzuba, 40, from Hull, was jailed last year after admitting causing their deaths by careless driving.\n\nHe was speaking from prison to the inquest.\n\nPrezemyslaw Szuba was jailed over the deaths\n\nAnswering questions over the phone, Szuba told the hearing he accepted he was driving without paying proper attention.\n\n\"I have already accepted that at my trial,\" he said, but added: \"If there had been a hard shoulder on this bit of motorway, the collision would have been avoidable.\n\n\"I would have driven past these two cars as it would be safer and they would have been able to come home safely and I would be able to come back home.\"\n\nSzuba said he had only three to five seconds to react, and asked if he would have avoided the crash had he been paying attention, he said: \"It's difficult to say after everything now.\"\n\nSgt Mark Brady, who oversees major collision investigations for South Yorkshire Police, told the hearing: \"Had there been a hard shoulder, had Jason and Alexandru pulled on to the hard shoulder, my opinion is that Mr Szuba would have driven clean past them.\"\n\nBut he accepted the primary cause of the crash was Szuba's inattention to the road.\n\nThe crash happened after a collision between a Ford Focus driven by Mr Mercer, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and a Ford Transit driven by Mr Murgeanu, who was living in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, but was originally from Romania.\n\nWhen Mr Mercer and Mr Murgeanu got out to exchange details they were hit by the lorry, and both died at the scene.\n\nMr Mercer's wife Claire has campaigned against smart motorways since her husband's death, and was at the hearing on Monday.\n\nClaire Mercer has campaigned against the use of smart motorways since her husband's death\n\nIn a statement, Highways England said it was \"determined\" to do everything it could to make roads as safe as possible and was already addressing many of the points raised by the coroner \"as published in the Government's Smart Motorway Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan of March 2020\".\n\n\"We will carefully consider any further comments raised by the coroner once we receive the report,\" it added.\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Today's rising number of UK deaths was to be expected, sadly, after the surge in cases during December.\n\nAnd it is likely that the coming weeks will see figures even higher than this.\n\nToday’s numbers are, though, inflated by the fact that delays registering deaths over the weekend tend to lead to higher figures being reported on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.\n\nOn average, the UK is recording more than 1,100 deaths a day.\n\nTo put that in context, at Christmas it was less than half that.\n\nBut there are two chinks of light in the daily update.\n\nFirstly, the number of cases is below 40,000 - for a third day in a row. At the turn of the year it was touching 60,000 new diagnoses.\n\nThat means, in the coming weeks, we should start to see fewer hospitalisations and, eventually, deaths.\n\nThe number of vaccinations also continues to rise.\n\nIt seems unlikely the NHS will manage its target of two million doses a week just yet.\n\nBut each increase at least takes us one step closer to getting on top of the virus.", "Campaigners are bringing a judicial review for indirect sexual discrimination on Thursday.\n\nThey say the way the self-employed income support scheme or SEISS is calculated- by averaging out profits between 2016 to 19 - is unfair to to around 75,000 women who’ve taken time off in that period for maternity leave. The government insists using a three-year average is the best way of reflecting a self-employed worker’s income.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Health workers can book an appointment at seven vaccination centres in operation across NI\n\nDoctors have insisted there is no postcode lottery when it comes to rolling out the coronavirus vaccines.\n\nNorthern Ireland's vaccination plan means all those over 80 should receive their first dose by the end of January.\n\nMore than 154,000 doses of a vaccine have now been administered, health officials said.\n\nDr Frances O'Hagan, deputy chairwoman of NI's GP committee, said practices had their own rollout plans but she expected them to meet official targets.\n\n\"As soon as we get the vaccine, we will get it to you,\" she told BBC News NI. \"But please, please wait until we contact you.\"\n\n\"We tailor our programmes to our individual patients and to our geography and to our surroundings.\n\n\"It's not actually a postcode lottery. It's the best way of doing it because we know what suits our patients.\"\n\nDr O'Hagan said she had not heard reports of some practices holding back vaccines until they received bigger amounts to allow for a larger number of vaccinations to be done.\n\nShe said rolling out the programme was a logistical challenge which fell on top of an already heavy workload but the jab would be given out in a \"safe and timely\" fashion.\n\nSinn Féin MP Órfhlaith Begley said doctors in her West Tyrone constituency were working above and beyond to administer the vaccine to as many people as possible.\n\n\"But unfortunately I am hearing that some GPs cannot access supplies of the vaccine,\" she said.\n\n\"There does appear to be, and it is a consistent message from GPs in my own constituency, a feeling the distribution of the vaccine has been unequal to date.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Health Minister Robin Swann has welcomed a further delivery of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine into Northern Ireland on Tuesday morning.\n\nIn a tweet, Robin Swann said: \"We now have the supply to complete all our over 80s and when that group is finished, there will be enough to start into the over 75 programme.\"\n\nPatricia Donnelly, the head of NI's vaccination programme said there had been 154,436 doses of the vaccine administered here, with 132,857 of those being first doses.\n\nOn Tuesday, she said three quarters of care home residents had already received both doses.\n\n\"With the arrival of additional vaccine today, which have been issued this afternoon and tomorrow to GPs, there will be enough to complete the over 80 population and to commence in the over 70 population,\" she added.\n\nA further 24 virus-related deaths and 713 more Covid-19 cases were reported in Northern Ireland on Tuesday.\n\nIt brings the total number of deaths recorded by the Department of Health to 1,649.\n\nThere are currently 842 people in hospital with the virus, 70 people in intensive care units (ICU) and 57 being ventilated.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, a further 93 Covid-19 related deaths were reported on Tuesday, bringing the country's death toll to 2,708.\n\nA further 2,001 positive cases were also recorded in the latest figures from the Republic's Department of Health.\n\nNorthern Ireland's rate of Covid-19 infection is now below one and has been at that level for a couple of weeks, according to the chief medical officer.\n\nHowever, Dr Michael McBride warned the reproduction (R) number for hospital transmission remains above one.\n\nDr McBride said new variants of the virus had made the job of curtailing the spread even more difficult, and warned he did not foresee any relaxation of restrictions any time soon.\n\n\"We need to ensure that we have as many people who remain at risk of severe disease vaccinated and prioritised with the first dose as possible before we consider significant relaxations in the current restrictions,\" he said.\n\nMeanwhile concerns have been raised that \"social media myths\" are encouraging some care home staff to reject the Covid vaccine.\n\nPauline Shepherd, from the Independent Health and Care Providers, said young women were especially vulnerable to misinformation about the vaccine and fertility.\n\nLast week, the Department of Health said there had been an uptake level of about 80% among care home staff.\n\n\"We are very keen obviously that everyone takes the vaccine, that is really the only way that we are going to get through this,\" she told BBC Radio Foyle.\n\n\"Obviously there are myths going around on social media about the vaccine and some are opting not to take it.\n\n\"Particularly younger females seem to have the view through social media that it may impact fertility\".\n\nA consultant anaesthetist says there is a \"reluctance\" among members of the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to take Covid-19 vaccines\n\nThere are currently 139 confirmed Covid-19 outbreaks in NI's 483 care homes.\n\nThe Public Health Agency (PHA) and Department of Health were now exploring how \"to dispel the myths\", Ms Shepherd added.\n\nDr Mukesh Chugh, a consultant anaesthetist at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry, said there had been a \"reluctance\" among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people to take Covid-19 vaccines.\n\nDr Chugh says this is because of \"anti-vaccine messages\" posted across various social media platforms and messenger apps \"targeted at certain ethnic and religious groups\".\n\n\"I encourage them not to believe the messages they are getting on WhatsApp - these are not scientific messages,\" he said.\n\nOn Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said a number of groups of key workers should be given priority access to vaccinations.\n\nPrioritisation was decided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises UK health departments on immunisation.\n\nEdwin Poots said meat plant workers should be among those given priority vaccine access\n\nAsked if he supported prioritisation for food workers in meat plants, Mr Poots told the assembly he did and had raised it with the executive.\n\n\"It's been identified as an essential service - those people working in them are there in cold, wet conditions where we have had a number of outbreaks,\" he said.\n\n\"We should seek to introduce those people somewhat earlier than is currently the case - I will continue to endeavour to press that case.\"\n\nHe said other groups of workers who should be prioritised included \"teachers and police officers\".", "An Instagram post said the alleged baby shower was a \"lovely surprise\"\n\nA rail company has begun an internal investigation after staff allegedly held a surprise baby shower in a closed Patisserie Valerie bakery at London's Marylebone station during lockdown.\n\nChiltern Railways workers told BBC News up to 20 colleagues, including some who were on shift, attended the gathering.\n\nThey claim some party-goers then had positive Covid tests, forcing most of the team to self-isolate.\n\nChiltern said \"appropriate action\" would be taken after its investigation.\n\nMembers of Chiltern Railways customer services staff based at the station told BBC News that about 30 people had been invited to the baby shower on the afternoon of 23 November - both via WhatsApp before the alleged gathering, and face to face on the day of the event.\n\nA national coronavirus lockdown was in place in England in November, so people were banned from meeting anyone indoors who was not part of their household.\n\nOne worker, David [not his real name], said he declined an invitation to the event but walked past the bakery later in his shift to see about 20 colleagues gathered inside.\n\nHe said he was \"shocked and alarmed\" to see people hugging each other, with most of them not wearing masks.\n\nPhotos of the alleged gathering, seen by the BBC, show a table inside a Patisserie Valerie outlet covered with dozens of cupcakes, mince pies, crisps and sandwiches, bunting saying \"it's a boy!\" and handmade flags reading \"happy baby shower\".\n\nOne photo appears to show a group of eight colleagues posing in front of the table of party food, without socially distancing from one another.\n\nSome images were shared on Instagram on 23 November with the caption: \"What a lovely surprise being thrown a baby shower at work today!\"\n\nA Patisserie Valerie spokesman said the company had not been informed of any such event and that none of its team members had access to the Marylebone station cafe, which has remained closed since March due to Covid restrictions.\n\nHe added it was normal for a member of station staff to have keys to the premises for \"security reasons\".\n\nDavid and another colleague claimed three people who allegedly attended the event tested positive over the following four days.\n\nThe positive tests meant 16 members of staff out of the team of about 26 people had to self-isolate for 14 days, David said.\n\nHe said colleagues who lived with, or cared for, vulnerable people were \"petrified\" to hear there had been a staff outbreak, with some \"scared to go home\" for fear of endangering loved ones.\n\nDavid added that he had been caring for his elderly grandmother so self-isolation was \"a real nightmare\" as he had to arrange alternative care for her.\n\nChiltern Railways confirmed a \"small number\" of workers tested positive for Covid or had to self-isolate in the 14-day period after 23 November, but a spokeswoman said \"none of the staff who were alleged to have attended [the baby shower] tested positive\".\n\nShe said Chiltern Railways was investigating and was \"making every effort\" to maintain a Covid-secure environment for staff and customers.\n\nChiltern Railways staff members congratulated their colleague using information boards at the station\n\nIn an email seen by the BBC, which was sent to Chiltern Railways employees on 24 November, a manager said one team member had tested positive and added: \"It is disappointing that social distancing measures do not appear to have been followed and I will be investigating this further.\"\n\nDavid's colleague Peter (not his real name) said he was one of about 10 team members who had to work while the rest of the team was self-isolating.\n\nPeter said the outbreak left those at work feeling \"stretched\" and \"raised the anxiety levels of everyone\" as they worried they might have caught Covid as a result of having worked alongside the alleged party's attendees.\n\n\"A lot of us don't want to be at work during this time, for obvious reasons. We're doing a job where we do come into contact with a lot of people - it's stressful enough with your own family, who are a bit worried about you going in to work at a train station and asking if you're getting the proper protection,\" Peter said.\n\nHe added he felt \"demoralised\" to hear about the alleged party when he spends his shifts encouraging customers to wear masks and socially distance.\n\nThe Department for Transport said it had been made aware of the incident and had contacted Chiltern Railways for a \"full explanation\".\n\nA spokesman for the Office of Rail and Road - which protects the interests of rail and road users - said it had investigated \"an issue relating to Covid-19 concerns\" and had taken action, jointly with Westminster City Council, to \"ensure Chiltern Railways tightens its risk assessment for workers and to revise working arrangements\".", "When Amelia Strike, 21, was logged out of her Depop social shopping app account in October, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.\n\n\"I thought I had just forgotten my password when I couldn't get back in, but a couple of days passed and I realised something wasn't right,\" says the Birmingham-based law student.\n\nShe then received a message from a stranger on Instagram, alerting her to the fact that her account had been taken over by a scammer advertising Apple AirPod headphones for £50.\n\nShe immediately used her brother's Depop account to comment on the offending post and contact the app. It was removed by the firm in a few hours and her password was reset.\n\nBut when Ms Strike logged back in, she was shocked by what she found.\n\n\"I felt sick - I scrolled and scrolled through hundreds of messages people had sent the scammer,\" she says.\n\nThe fraudster had been instructing shoppers to pay them directly through PayPal's \"Friends and Family\" option, which sidesteps Depop's fees and doesn't offer any protection for buyers.\n\nThe scammer sent messages like this one to other Depop users from Amelia's account\n\nMs Strike counted at least three Depop users who made unauthorised payments of £50 to the scammer.\n\nIn Ms Strike's situation, to get users to trust scam listing, the hacker had also uploaded a photo of her name on a post-it note next to the headphones that were supposedly for sale.\n\nThis is a common tactic used by people selling second-hand items online, to prove that the photos were not stolen from another listing.\n\n\"I just felt so violated,\" she says.\n\nShe is not alone - 14 other users have told BBC News that their Depop accounts have been hacked in recent months. In all cases, the fraudsters demanded to be paid directly, rather than through the app.\n\nBlending the look and social elements of Instagram with the buy-and-sell format of eBay, 90% of Depop's users are aged 26 or under.\n\nEmily Goold, 21, a journalism student in Tewkesbury, was scared when her account was hacked and a fraudster posted a listing for a £350 jacket.\n\nEmily Goold, 21, told the BBC a fraudster hacked her Depop account and advertised a £350 Moncler jacket\n\nDepop took the listing down within 12 hours and reset her password, but Ms Goold says such incidents are becoming commonplace.\n\n\"You always know somebody who's had a Depop horror story. It's such a widespread problem now.\"\n\nScammers have continued to plague many online services through the pandemic.\n\nOne \"have a go\" method called \"credential stuffing\" involves using automated tools to repeatedly log into accounts, entering usernames and password information previously exposed from data breaches of other popular online services.\n\nIf a user doesn't use the same password on multiple services or has changed their passwords after being exposed in a data breach, this won't work.\n\nAccording to Liv Rowley, a threat intelligence analyst at cyber-security firm Blueliv, cyber criminals are now targeting Depop accounts on an \"industrial scale\" using this method, capitalising on the fact that people often use similar passwords.\n\nBlending the look and social elements of Instagram with the buy-and-sell format of eBay, 90% of Depop's users are aged 26 or under\n\nDepop told the BBC that the safety and security of its community is its \"number one priority\", and that the service has never had a data breach or had its infrastructure compromised.\n\nThe firm confirmed that credential stuffing is a big part of the problem.\n\n\"Weak passwords and the use of the same password across multiple accounts is the greatest source of account takeover, which is why we have initiated a campaign in the second half of 2020 to force some users to strengthen their passwords and to remind others of the importance of strong and unique passwords,\" says Depop's chief operating officer Dominic Rose.\n\nDepop has started resetting passwords for some 12 million users that have not changed them in over a year and told the BBC it had sent reminders to a similar number to make sure their log-in details are unique.\n\n\"We will continue to remind our community about the importance of account security and updating their passwords.\"\n\nThe firm, founded in 2011, told the BBC that although the number of its users increased nearly two-fold to 26 million last year, it had seen a 50% decrease in account \"takeovers\" since its campaign began.\n\nBut Blueliv found that login details for several thousand hacked Depop accounts are being advertised for as little as $1.05 (77p) each on the dark web - a part of the internet that is only accessible using specialised tools.\n\nWhile a Vice investigation first highlighted the problem in May, there is now evidence that account logins are being sold across multiple dark web \"marketplaces\".\n\nThe information for sale includes usernames and passwords, with extra charged for details such as follower count, the number of sales completed by a user and their ratings by other shoppers.\n\nOn the dark net marketplace White House Market, \"premium\" Depop accounts are being sold for $5\n\n\"The accounts are being compromised and that definitely is concerning,\" Ms Rowley says. \"While it's not a Depop-specific problem, I think [credential stuffing] is one we're going to see expand in the next five years.\"\n\nOne Depop user told the BBC they would feel \"much more comfortable\" if the app introduced two-factor authentication, where users enter a one-time code sent to them via email or text, for example, after attempting to sign in.\n\nDepop confirmed that it intends to implement multi-factor authentication in 2021.\n\nBut Aman Johal, director at law firm Your Lawyers, which specialises in consumer action claims, says the platform needs to act urgently, \"particularly given its relatively young user base, where the duty of care is greater\".\n\n\"The fact that this has been going on for months...is unacceptable. Given the volume of compromised accounts for sale, the horse has already bolted,\" he added.\n\nFor some users, trust in the company has been dented.\n\n\"I feel like their security measures need to be amped up because it's just not good enough,\" says Ms Strike, who has been a Depop user since 2015.\n\n\"I've used [Depop] for a long time but I'm reluctant to continue because it just doesn't feel safe anymore.\"", "HSBC is to close 82 branches in the UK between April and September this year, claiming customers are turning to digital banking.\n\nThe company will have 511 branches across the country following the closure programme.\n\nManagers said they did not expect to make any redundancies, with staff moved to nearby branches instead.\n\nCoronavirus and changing customer habits have altered the way we bank, but there are concerns over closures.\n\nCampaigners say that local branches provide a lifeline for those who need access to cash and face-to-face services, and allow small businesses to bank without too much disruption to their own trade.\n\nHSBC said all but one of the branches earmarked for closure were within one mile of a Post Office, where these day-to-day transactions could be carried out.\n\nIt said - even stripping out the effects of the pandemic - the number of customers using branches had fallen by a third in the past five years, and 90% of all customer contact was over the phone, internet or smartphone, in addition to contacts on social media.\n\nJackie Uhi, HSBC UK's head of network, said: \"The Covid-19 pandemic has emphasised the need for the changes that we are making.\n\n\"It hasn't pushed us in a different direction but reinforces the things that we were focusing on before and has crystallised our thinking. This is a strategic direction that we need to take to have a branch network fit for the future.\"\n\nThis would include changing some branches to concentrate on cash access, as well as the use of \"pop-up\" branches in some areas by the end of the year. It means some remaining branches will offer fewer services.\n\nThe branches to close are:\n\nMay: Brighton, Ditchling Road; Hull, Merit House; Wednesbury; Sutton Coldfield, Four Oaks; Hull, Holderness Road; Pontyclun, Talbot Green; London, Fleet Street; London, Fenchurch Street; London, Old Broad Street; London, Charing Cross; Sheffield, Darnall; Oxford, Summertown; Leeds, Chapel Allerton; Cardiff, Rumney; Torquay, Strand; Staines", "The Met Office warned heavy rain combined with melting snow on higher ground was likely to cause flooding\n\nAn amber rain warning has been issued for parts of northern and central England as Storm Christoph approaches.\n\nThe Met Office told people in Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West, East Midlands and the east of England to expect heavy rain and potential floods.\n\nYellow warnings have been issued for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland.\n\nUp to 70mm (2.75in) of rain is forecast to fall within 48 hours in the worst-hit areas from Tuesday.\n\nThe Met Office said the downpours, set to last throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, were likely to cause flooding when combined with melting snow on higher ground.\n\nIt said there was a \"danger to life\" due to fast-flowing or deep floodwater, and warned some communities there was a good chance they would be \"cut off\" by flooded roads.\n\nIt also predicted delays and cancellations to public transport, with the amber warning in place until 12:00 GMT on Thursday.\n\nCouncils and emergency services have warned people to prepare for potential flooding.\n\nMayor of Doncaster Ros Jones declared a major incident in South Yorkshire ahead of possible flooding.\n\nIn a tweet, she said emergency protocols were instigated on Sunday, with sandbags handed out in flood-risk areas, and told people not to panic but to be prepared.\n\nCalderdale councillor Scott Patient urged residents and businesses to \"take all the steps they can to protect themselves and their property\".\n\nDue to Covid-19 restrictions, Mr Patient said, the authority was preparing \"virtual community support hubs\" to help people if there was flooding.\n\n\"The virtual hubs work similarly to the physical ones, but everything will be done remotely to reduce the need for face-to-face contact and to protect staff, volunteers, those affected by flooding and vulnerable people in our communities,\" he said.\n\nThe Environment Agency has 14 flood warnings - meaning \"immediate action\" is required - in place across England, stretching from the south east to the north east.\n\nThe Met Office amber rain area initially covered parts of the north, but has since been expanded to include some central areas\n\nMet Office forecaster Jon Griffiths said about 40-70mm (1.57-2.75 in) of rain was expected in the north-west over three days, potentially rising to 100-120mm (3.93-4.72 in) in hilly areas.\n\nMr Griffiths said river systems in some areas were already close to capacity.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned the \"disgraceful scenes\" in the US, after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed Congress and clashed with police.\n\nRioters breached the Capitol building where lawmakers met to confirm Joe Biden's presidential election victory.\n\nThe PM said it was \"vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power\".\n\nAnd Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was a \"direct attack on democracy\".\n\n\"The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power,\" Mr Johnson tweeted.\n\nScottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, meanwhile, called the events \"utterly horrifying\".\n\nFriend of President Trump and leader of Reform UK - formerly the Brexit Party - Nigel Farage tweeted: \"Storming Capitol Hill is wrong. The protesters must leave.\"\n\nThe US Congress has now reconvened after the violence - spurred on by Mr Trump's unproven claims of electoral fraud - to certify Mr Biden's victory in the US election in November\n\nHundreds of the president's supporters stormed the Capitol, and staged an occupation of the building in Washington DC.\n\nBoth chambers of Congress were forced into recess, as protesters clashed with police and tear gas was released.\n\nFour people died on Capitol grounds during the violence, including a woman shot by police and three others, who died as a result of \"medical emergencies\", local police said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police place US Capitol Building on lockdown after Trump supporters breached security lines\n\nUK MPs from across the political spectrum have criticised the events in the US.\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab said there was \"no justification for these violent attempts to frustrate the lawful and proper transition of power\", while Home Secretary Priti Patel called the scenes \"unacceptable and undemocratic\".\n\nShe added: \"There is no justification for this violence and Donald Trump must condemn it.\"\n\nHer Conservative colleague, and former Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt directly addressed President Trump for telling the crowd to march on Congress, tweeting: \"He shames American democracy tonight and causes its friends anguish - but he is not America.\"\n\nLabour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner said: \"The violence that Donald Trump has unleashed is terrifying, and the Republicans who stood by him have blood on their hands.\"\n\nAnd shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said the events were \"the legacy of a politics of hate that pits people against each other and threatens the foundations of democracy\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Boris Johnson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMeanwhile, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey has defended the prime minister's response to the rioting.\n\nAsked on ITV's Peston programme why Mr Johnson hadn't criticised Mr Trump, she said: \"The prime minister has been clear tonight that we need a peaceful and orderly transition.\"\n\nMs Coffey added that events in the US were a \"reminder that democracy is something precious - and will only continue to thrive as long as we protect institutions that make this country important and not demean each other when the majority of what we want to achieve is similar outcomes\".\n\nDonald Trump and Boris Johnson at a Nato summit in 2019\n\nMeanwhile, the SNP's leader in Westminster, Ian Blackford, said the end of Mr Trump's presidency \"cannot come quick enough\".\n\nHe tweeted: \"What a legacy the events of today are to his time in office. Shameful, shocking, an affront to democracy.\"\n\nLeader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, called the scenes \"absolutely horrendous\", while his party's foreign affairs spokeswoman, Layla Moran, said: \"The scenes coming out of Washington tonight are an attack on democracy.\"", "An ambulance service has experienced its busiest day of calls on record.\n\nOn Monday, West Midlands Ambulance Service dealt with 5,383 calls in 24 hours. The previous record was 5,001 calls in March 2018.\n\nSeven hundred of those calls came from London as its calls system struggled, according to BBC health correspondent Michele Paduano.\n\nThe ambulance service said Covid-19 and winter weather had resulted in hospitals being \"extremely busy\".\n\nAt the hosptials, the longest a patient waited was five hours and 39 minutes, with two of the longest waits at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham.\n\nA combination of Covid-19 and winter weather has resulted in hospitals being \"extremely busy\"\n\nAt one point on Monday night, 15 ambulances were waiting to hand over patients outside New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton.\n\nA source told the BBC it was \"a very challenging day\" and in total, handovers had accounted for 759 hours of crews' time, equivalent to taking 63 ambulances off the road.\n\nWhile another said at 06:00 GMT on Tuesday, ambulances were still responding to emergency calls from the night before.\n\nTraditionally, the first Monday after New Year is always busy. GP surgeries have been closed and people wait until after the festivities to get medical treatment.\n\nThis year, the number of calls was exacerbated by the service taking about 700 calls for the London ambulance service after its system struggled.\n\nThere was also the perfect storm of snow and ice coupled with coronavirus - made worse because many of our trusts, particularly University Hospitals Birmingham have been struggling with capacity for many months. Usually hospitals would put patients on corridors, they can't because of Covid risks.\n\nThey also have fewer beds due to wider spacing to prevent infection and fewer staff on duty. Hence patients left for hours on ambulances outside.\n\nWest Midlands Ambulance Service is the best performing in the country, but even with near to 500 ambulances a day on the road, it cannot keep up with demand.\n\nProf David Loughton, the chief executive of the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, warned its capacity would \"soon be compromised\".\n\n\"The numbers are ramping up enormously and I don't think we've seen the full impact of what happened on Christmas Day yet, that will take time to come through,\" Prof Loughton said.\n\nHe added a two-week \"lag\" meant things could get worst before they get better.\n\n\"As I always say today's Covid rate is my order book for intensive care in two weeks' time.\"\n\nA West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: \"A combination of Covid-19 and winter weather has resulted in hospitals being extremely busy which unfortunately resulted in hospital handover delays.\n\n\"We work closely with the hospitals to try and ensure our crews are able to handover patients quickly and safely, but due to the extremely high demand some patients did wait longer to be handed over than we would normally see.\"\n\nIn a statement London Ambulance Service NHS Trust said : \"As is standard practice during periods of high demand and high levels of staff sickness, ambulance services provide support for each other, which includes answering 999 calls.\"\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nHave you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Dickey emerged during a boom for African-American literature in the 1990s\n\nAuthor Eric Jerome Dickey, whose novels of romance, mystery and adventure were best-selling page-turners over more than 20 years, has died aged 59.\n\nThe US writer wrote 30 novels about breathless relationships and thrilling adventures involving young African American characters.\n\nThey included Friends & Lovers, Milk In My Coffee, Cheaters and Finding Gideon.\n\nHe also wrote a series of Marvel comics about a love story between Storm from the X-Men and the Black Panther.\n\n\"His work has become a cultural touchstone over the course of his multi-decade writing career, earning him millions of dedicated readers around the world,\" his publicist Becky Odell told USA Today in a statement.\n\nWriter Roxane Gay was among those paying tribute, describing him as \"a great storyteller\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by roxane gay This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOther authors to add their voices included Luvvie Ajayi, who described him as \"a literary legend\", and ReShonda Tate Billingsley, who said he was \"an amazing author and an even better friend\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Luvvie is the #ProfessionalTroublemaker This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post 2 by Luvvie is the #ProfessionalTroublemaker\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by ReShonda Tate Billingsley This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Wesley This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nBorn in Memphis, Tennessee, Dickey started out as a software developer in the aerospace industry. Being laid off from that job gave him a chance to take writing classes and see whether he could make it as an author.\n\nHe emerged during a boom for African-American literature in the 1990s, and his 1996 debut Sister, Sister - about the lives and loves of three siblings - was recently named one of the 50 Most Impactful Black Books of the Last 50 Years by Essence magazine.\n\nHe was particularly praised for his ability to write \"believable\" female characters, and many of his readers were women.\n\nWhen the New York Times profiled him in 2004, it billed him as the \"chick lit king\". Patrik Henry Bass, Essence's books editor, told the paper: \"He is singular in the way he is tapping into the African-American female psyche.\"\n\nAnd Calvin Reid, an editor at trade magazine Publishers Weekly, said: \"He captures black language and black middle-class characters with more depth than you often see in commercial fiction.\"\n\nBy that time, he was selling 500,000 books a year. He was nominated four times for the NAACP Image Award for best work of fiction, winning in 2015 for A Wanted Woman.\n\nBy then, he had branched out into stories of crime, suspense, thrills and spills as well as the steamy and tangled relationships with which he made his name.\n\nHe had four daughters, but said he never based his plots on his own life. \"I avoid my life,\" he once said. \"It bores me. Trust me. A book about me would be a snoozefest.\"\n\nHis final novel, The Son of Mr Suleman, will be published in April.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: \"We've now vaccinated over 1.3m people across the UK\"\n\nSome 1.3 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of a Covid vaccine, says the government.\n\nIn England, that includes nearly a quarter of the most elderly, vulnerable patients.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said it meant that within a two to three weeks they should have a \"significant degree of immunity\" to the virus.\n\nHe said there would be a ramping up to get more people immunised - up to 2 million a week.\n\nThe ambition is to vaccinate all the over-70s, the most clinically vulnerable and front-line health and care workers by mid-February. That will require around 13 million vaccinations.\n\nHe defended the UK's policy of immunising more people with one dose immediately - rather than holding some stock back to give people a second booster shot - in order to save \"the most lives the fastest\".\n\nUS regulators have questioned the policy, saying it is premature without more trial evidence, but the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says it is a pragmatic decision to protect more people.\n\nBoth the Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines require two doses to provide the best possible protection.\n\nInitially, the strategy for the Pfizer vaccine was to offer people the second dose 21 days after their initial jab - full immunity starts seven days after the second dose.\n\nBut when approval was announced for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on 30 December, it was also announced that the policy would now change - the new priority would be to give as many people a first shot of either vaccine, rather than providing the required two doses in as short a time as possible.\n\nEveryone will still receive their second dose, but this will now be within 12 weeks of their first.\n\nEngland's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty told the Downing Street press conference that extending the gap between the first and second jabs would mean the number of people vaccinated can be doubled over three months.\n\n\"If over that period there is more than 50% protection then you have actually won. More people will have been protected than would have been otherwise.\n\n\"Our quite strong view is that protection is likely to be lot more than 50%.\"\n\nAsked whether the longer gap could lead to an increase risk of the virus mutating into a version that could escape the vaccine, he said it was a worry, but a small one.\n\nChief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said vaccines would probably need to be changed further down the line to continue to be a good match for the virus - but that this was relatively quick to do.\n\nOne of the exciting things about the science of the RNA vaccines is that they are incredibly fast to make in response to new mutations, he said.", "Former Goldman Sachs banker Richard Sharp is set to be named the BBC's next chairman, the corporation's media editor Amol Rajan says.\n\nMr Sharp spent 23 years working for the banking giant and was reportedly Chancellor Rishi Sunak's boss there.\n\nHe has recently been acting as an unpaid economic adviser to Mr Sunak during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nHis new role will see him lead negotiations with the government over the future of the licence fee.\n\nThe licence fee is due to stay in place until at least 2027, when the BBC's Royal Charter ends, with a debate about how the broadcaster should be funded after that.\n\nThe government is currently reviewing whether its cost, currently £157.50, should continue rising with inflation from 2022, and whether non-payment should remain a criminal offence.\n\nMr Sharp's career at Goldman Sachs culminated as chairman of its principal investment business in Europe before his departure in 2007. He was then on the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee for six years until 2019.\n\nAs an advisor to the Treasury about its pandemic response, the 63-year-old reportedly played a key role in the £1.57bn arts rescue package, and the film and television production restart scheme.\n\nMr Sharp is a former donor to the Conservative party.\n\nHe was chairman of the Royal Academy of Arts from 2007 to 2012, and founded the charity London Music Masters.\n\nSir David Clementi, the current BBC chairman, steps down in February. The post-holder is officially appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the government.\n\nJulian Knight, the chair of the DCMS Committee, said in a statement: \"It is disappointing to see this news about the next BBC chairman has leaked out ahead of a formal announcement from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The Committee previously expressed some concerns over the appointments process, calling for it to be fair and transparent.\n\n\"The DCMS Committee looks forward to questioning the preferred candidate for the post in a pre-appointment hearing next week on their views at a critical time for the BBC about its role and the future of public service broadcasting more generally.\"\n\nHis views on the BBC itself are unknown. But like new director general Tim Davie, who he met a few weeks before Christmas, he has a commercial background. Just as the relationship between Lord Hall, Davie's predecessor, and Sir David was strong, so the bond between the new DG and chair will be critical.\n\nWhether Sharp supports the licence fee as the pillar of a future BBC settlement is unclear.\n\nThe last time the BBC's future was negotiated with a sceptical Conservative government, the relationship between the director general and the chancellor - then George Osborne - was critical, as Lord Hall explained to me in his exit interview.\n\nThis time, Davie will go into that negotiation with a very close ally of the current chancellor - though Sharp's first duty is to support Davie, and the BBC, and not his old mentee.", "New car registrations fell to their lowest level in nearly three decades last year, according to preliminary figures from the industry's trade body.\n\nIt was also the biggest one-year fall since World War Two, when factories were being turned over to military production, the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.\n\nAbout 1.63 million new cars were registered in 2020, compared with 2.3 million in 2019 - a decline of 29%.\n\nIt was the lowest total since 1992.\n\nThe bulk of the lost sales occurred during the first lockdown in the Spring, when showrooms were forced to close, and factories shut down.\n\n\"We lost half a million units from March, April, May - and we never recovered them,\" said the SMMT's chief executive, Mike Hawes.\n\nThe restrictions introduced later in the year were less damaging, largely because dealers were able to sell cars remotely, using 'click and collect' services.\n\nThat remains the case during the new lockdown, announced on Monday.\n\n\"We can still do click and collect, which is important, because that's the very minimum we need,\" said Mr Hawes. \"Not just to keep retail going, but also to keep manufacturing going.\"\n\nOverall, the SMMT said the Covid crisis has cost the car industry some £20bn - and cost the exchequer nearly £2bn in lost VAT.\n\nThere are also serious questions about the extent to which the car market can recover this year. Previous forecasts, which had suggested new registrations could rise to about 2 million in 2021, have been thrown into doubt by the latest restrictions.\n\nBut while the market as a whole has suffered over the past year, sales of electric cars have risen dramatically, increasing their share of the market from 1.5% to 6.5%. Sales of plug-in hybrids also rose sharply.\n\nCar showrooms re-opened from the first lockdown in June\n\n\"If we see this continued level of uptake in electric vehicles, then we anticipate that sales of new EVs and plug-in hybrids will overtake diesel cars in 2021,\" said Ian Plummer, commercial director of motoring website Auto Trader. \"Then, pure EVs will overtake those of their internal combustion engine counterparts in 2026.\"\n\nWith the pandemic continuing to inflict serious damage on the industry, Mr Hawes says the trade deal between the UK and the EU came as a \"massive relief\".\n\nIt confirmed that cars and car parts could continue to move between the two regions, without tariffs - or taxes - being imposed, provided certain conditions are met.\n\nThe SMMT had previously warned that failing to reach a deal could have cost the industry £55bn over five years - and add £2,000 to the cost of each vehicle\n\nBut manufacturers still face potentially significant additional costs due to so-called non-tariff barriers - including border formalities, and the need to obtain extra regulatory approvals for new designs.\n\n\"This is not a free deal\", said Mr Hawes.\n\nAnother consequence of the trade deal is that the UK will need to focus on battery production, if it is to maintain its car industry while phasing out petrol and diesel engines.\n\nThat's because in order to qualify for tariff-free access to the European market, the value of car components made outside the UK and the EU will have to be strictly limited.\n\nSpecific rules relating to batteries effectively mean that from 2027, they themselves will have to be made in the EU or the UK.\n\nThe SMMT believes that, based on current investment plans, UK battery factories will have a capacity of 15 gigawatt-hours (GWh) by 2024.\n\nThat is more than seven times the current level, and would be enough to produce 250,000 electric cars per year.\n\nBut the SMMT insists much more is needed: 60GWh in order to produce 1 million cars per year by 2030, and 120GWh to produce 2mby 2040.\n\nThat, says Mr Hawes, will require \"massive investment\".", "Greggs expects up to a £15m loss for the year, which would be its first annual loss since it listed its shares on the stock exchange in 1984.\n\nThe bakery chain said it does not expect profits to return to pre-Covid levels until 2022 at the earliest.\n\nIt has been battling a sales slump due to the coronavirus pandemic, but sales declines have been lessening.\n\nGreggs made 820 job cuts at the end of last year, after its sales were hit by coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions.\n\nChief executive Roger Whiteside said the impact of the Covid-19 crisis had been \"enormous\" and that a fresh lockdown meant \"significant uncertainties remain in the near term\".\n\nCoronavirus restrictions towards the end of last year led to \"variable trading conditions across the UK\", he said.\n\nSales in the final three months of the year fell by nearly a fifth, but this decline was less than its sales slump in the third quarter.\n\nIn September, Greggs, which is based in Newcastle, said it was in talks with staff to cut hours in an effort to minimise job losses.\n\nBut it still decided to cut 820 jobs because of \"lockdown levels of business\" as High Streets were hit by the crisis.\n\n\"Looking ahead, the significant uncertainty over the duration of social restrictions, along with the impact of higher unemployment levels, makes it difficult to predict performance,\" the firm said.\n\n\"However, we do not expect that profits will return to pre-Covid levels until 2022 at the earliest.\"\n\nGreggs said on Wednesday that total sales for the year were down nearly a third to £811m, but government support had helped to limit pre-tax losses.\n\nIt said it had developed its takeaway business and a delivery tie-up with Just Eat, and had also seen \"strong sales\" through its partnership with retailer Iceland.\n\n\"We have taken action to position Greggs to withstand further short-term shocks and are optimistic about our prospects for growth once social restrictions are lifted,\" Mr Whiteside added.\n\nGreggs wants to open about 100 new stores, on a net basis, over the year ahead.\n\nJulie Palmer, a partner at insolvency consultants Begbies Traynor, said: \"The latest national lockdown will be unwelcome news for Greggs, which has operated shrewdly during the past year in spite of a lack of footfall, with non-essential stores forced to close and millions working from home.\n\n\"The bakery chain has had to adapt its business model and invest digitally to accommodate for the rapid change in shopping habits, offering click-and-collect purchases, as well as a nationwide delivery service through its partnership with Just Eat.\n\n\"This should provide a solid base for the business to expand when government restrictions are eased and the world returns to some normality.\"", "US intelligence agencies have said they believe Russia was behind the \"serious\" cyber compromise revealed in December.\n\nPresident Trump had previously suggested China might have been behind the hack, although other members of his administration had pointed the finger at Moscow.\n\nIn a joint statement, the intelligence bodies say they currently believe fewer than 10 US government agencies saw their data compromised, although other organisations outside of government were also affected.\n\nThey say work is still going on to understand the scope of the incident, which appears to have been aimed at gathering intelligence and which they say is \"ongoing\" a month after details first emerged.\n\nThe update on the investigation came in a statement from a task force called the Cyber Unified Coordination Group which was set up to deal with the incident. It comprises intelligence and law enforcement agencies including the FBI and NSA.\n\nThe group said it was still working to understand the scope of what had taken place.\n\nEighteen thousand customers who used Orion product from the company Solar Winds were exposed but US intelligence says it believes a much smaller number saw follow-on activity from the hackers in which they stole data. The US Treasury was among those which previously acknowledged being targeted.\n\n\"This is a serious compromise that will require a sustained and dedicated effort to remediate,\" the statement said. Many organisations are having to scour their systems for signs that they may have been compromised.\n\nThe incident sent shockwaves across the US partly because the breach was undiscovered for many months and was potentially far-reaching in terms of who it might have affected. It also suggested a degree of sophistication and stealth which was widely seen as a trademark of hackers from the SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence agency.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Experts have been warning for years that it's not a matter of if, but when, hackers will kill somebody\n\nSoon after the incident was revealed, President Trump raised the possibility that China might be responsible, but members of his own administration including the secretary of state and attorney general pointed the finger at Moscow. The latest statement shows the assessment of US intelligence agencies is that Russia was behind it, although it does not go so far as accusing the Russian state itself, saying only that the actor was \"likely Russian in origin\". Moscow has denied playing any part.\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden has previously said it was important to take \"meaningful steps\" to hold those responsible to account. It is not yet clear, though, what that might involve. While some US politicians suggested the breach might even be compared to an \"act of war\", most cyber-experts disputed this and the US intelligence community has now played down suggestions that it could have had destructive impact.\n\n\"At this time, we believe this was, and continues to be, an intelligence-gathering effort,\" the latest statement says. This is significant since it suggests no evidence has been found that this was preparatory activity for a more destructive cyber-attack which might switch off systems. This may limit the US response since espionage operations do not breach the cyber norms the US itself promotes (largely because it too carries out such intelligence-gathering operations against other nations).\n\nIn December UK officials say they believed a small number of UK organisations were affected but said they did not believe they were in the public sector.", "South Vietnam flags were seen during the unrest Image caption: South Vietnam flags were seen during the unrest\n\nOn Wednesday, as protesters gathered outside before swarming the Capitol building, the yellow flags of the old South Vietnam regime could be seen.\n\nIn fact, the yellow flags of the former South Vietnam are a common sight at pro-Trump rallies across the United States.\n\nVietnamese Americans, especially those of the older generation who fled Vietnam after Saigon fell in 1975, are known for their support for the Republican party and Donald Trump.\n\nA pre-election survey by the group Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote found that Vietnamese Americans are the only major East Asian ethnic community that favoured Trump over Biden . Trump’s anti-China and anti-communist rhetoric resonated greatly with the former refugees who risked their lives to escape communism.\n\nBut the support for President Trump has also become an increasingly divisive issue amongst the Vietnamese American community.\n\nHours after the Capitol riot, there are still calls on pro-Trump internet forums like the \"ABC Trump\" Facebook page for Vietnamese Americans to “take to the streets in support of President Trump” as “the battle continues”.\n\nBut there have also been condemnations.\n\n“This is embarrassing,” one young Vietnamese American wrote on Twitter, adding: “They’ve brought shame to the flag”.", "The US is facing another huge election - one that could define how much new president Joe Biden can get done in his first term.\n\nMore than 100 people are gathered in the grey and damp cold in Stone Mountain.\n\nIt's a miserable start to the New Year but this city near Georgia's capital, Atlanta, feels anything but sleepy or hung over.\n\n\"The energy we get here in Georgia is something I've never seen before,\" says Mr Gardner, who was born and raised in local DeKalb County.\n\n\"We've had other Senate races and I'm just excited.\"\n\nHe is joined by fellow Democratic supporters who are singing and dancing outside a house-turned-campaign centre.\n\nIt's to rally support for the two men who are probably President-elect Joe Biden's most important friends right now: Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.\n\nThis traditionally Republican state was won by Mr Biden in November's election - but there were no clear winners for the state's two Senate seats. Now there is a run-off between the top candidates in each race.\n\nIf the two Democrats, Mr Ossoff and Rev Warnock, beat incumbent Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Mr Biden's party effectively controls the Senate.\n\nShirley Shepphard is handing out stickers, with a smile and confidence.\n\n\"The Democrats can win! Yes we can, yes we can, yes we can!\" she says.\n\nThere's a huge cheer as Mr Ossoff's large blue bus makes its way down the road and pulls up opposite the house.\n\nHe is only 33 years old and, in case his youth wasn't clear enough, he makes a point of jogging on to the small stage.\n\nDuring a polished speech he exclaims: \"The place we demand better is at the ballot box.\"\n\nIf Mr Ossoff wins, he'd be the youngest member of the Senate - a title once held by Joe Biden himself.\n\nNo pressure, but I put to him that the fate of Mr Biden's presidency is in his hands.\n\nIf he loses, is Mr Biden a weakened president before he's even begun?\n\nWithout missing a beat, Mr Ossoff says: \"We will win.\"\n\nFellow Democrat and Senate candidate Mr Warnock could make history alongside him.\n\nHe could become Georgia's first black senator, in a state that has a higher proportion of black people than any other in the US.\n\nRallies have been held for all four candidates, including this one featuring the US vice-president\n\nGeorgia has also found itself becoming the final battleground for an aggrieved President Donald Trump.\n\nThe Republican Senate candidates here - Mr Perdue and Ms Loeffler - are his last foot soldiers.\n\nBoth appeared at his rally the previous night, where he focused on repeating his unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.\n\n\"There's no way we lost Georgia, that was a rigged election,\" were the first words out of his mouth.\n\n\"We run all over the world telling people how to run their elections and we don't even know how to run ours.\"\n\nMr Trump has also gone after Georgia's Republican governor and begged another official here, in an astonishing phone call, to find votes to overturn Mr Biden's victory.\n\nThe president has also called the Georgia Senate races \"invalid and illegal\" without any evidence.\n\nThere are concerns from some Republicans he's putting people off voting on Tuesday.\n\nI asked supporters at Trump's rally why they would take part in an election process if they didn't believe it was fair. Some hesitated and suggested it was their civic duty.\n\nFor those who won't vote, it's an advantage that may work for the Democrats.\n\nWhen I ask two Ossoff and Warnock supporters about the claims of election fraud, both women throw their heads back, burst into a long laugh in perfect unison and shake their heads bemused: \"Yeah, that's a good one.\"\n\nThere's another factor in this runoff - teenagers.\n\nSince the 3 November presidential election, more than 23,000 people will have turned 18 in the state and can now vote in this Senate race.\n\nMany young voters have been holding live-streaming events in counties across Georgia.\n\nValerie Ponomarev just turned 18 and is very excited at getting to vote. She was upset she couldn't cast a ballot in the recent presidential election.\n\n\"I did the math in my head and was short by a month as I was born in December,\" she says.\n\n\"I was mad at my mum that I hadn't been born sooner!\"\n\nShe said at first, she didn't even realise the Senate runoff was so crucial in Georgia.\n\nShe's voting for the Democrats, Ms Ponomarev says, adding that a lot of younger people have shown support for Mr Ossoff.\n\n\"I think the youth finally want representation in government because we're so often underrepresented and now that we have Jon Ossoff who is closer to our age,\" she says.\n\nMichael Guisto found himself in the same situation as Ms Ponomarev - too young to cast a ballot in November - and says missing out on that vote was painful.\n\n\"It feels like a redemption,\" he says of this Senate race.\n\nThe polls are suggesting it's a very tight race. But this state knows that whatever it decides, it will have an impact on the country as a whole.\n\nMr Guisto says even though he missed out on the November election, this vote matters.\n\n\"I get to in some ways influence the country but this time it's a bit closer to home.\"", "The deaths of a further 68 people who tested positive for Covid have been recorded in Scotland in the past 24 hours.\n\nIt comes as official figures show 33,381 people received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in the week to 27 December.\n\nThat takes the total number of people to get a vaccine in Scotland since 8 December to 92,188.\n\nPatients in hospital with coronavirus rose from 1,347 on Tuesday to 1,384.\n\nHospital admissions have been rising sharply but are still 136 short of the peak figure of 1,520 recorded on 20 April last year.\n\nThe latest statistics show 2,039 new cases of the virus, which is 10.5% of those recently tested, a slightly lower figure than in recent days.\n\nA total of 95 people are in intensive care - a slight increase but significantly lower than the April peak of 208.\n\nHealth officials have expressed concern about the situation in Inverclyde, Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders, in particular, which have seen sharp rises in positive tests.\n\nWeekly figures show Inverclyde recorded 538.5 cases per 100,000, Dumfries & Galloway 538.1 and the Scottish Borders 435.5.\n\nThere were a further 603 confirmed coronavirus cases in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area in the past 24 hours, with an additional 296 in NHS Lanarkshire, 206 in NHS Grampian and 164 in the NHS Lothian area.\n\nSince the start of the pandemic, there have been 141,066 cases in Scotland, with a total of 4,701 people dying within 28 days of first testing positive.\n\nThe latest vaccine figures were released after doctors in Scotland raised concerns about plans to delay the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.\n\nAll four UK nations will now leave up to 12 weeks between the first and second doses of the jab rather than giving both within 21 days.\n\nDr Lewis Morrison, head of the BMA in Scotland, said members had concerns about the potential impact of leaving such a big gap between the two doses.\n\nBut the UK's chief medical officers have defended the move, saying the first dose will give people substantial protection against the virus within two to three weeks.", "Doctors are calling for a significant ramping up of the vaccination programme following approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.\n\nThe first patients are expected to receive the jab - the second approved for use in the UK - on Monday.\n\nBut with just over 500,000 doses available to use next week, experts are worried there may be a bottleneck in the system.\n\nThere are more than 25m people in the nine priority groups identified so far.\n\nThis includes all those over 50 and younger adults with health conditions, as well as frontline health and care staff.\n\nMeanwhile, GPs have questioned the wisdom of cancelling patients already booked in for their second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the first jab that was approved and has been used since early December.\n\nAs well as approving the Oxford vaccine on Wednesday, regulators also said that doctors could wait longer between the two courses needed, to ensure faster rollout of vaccination.\n\nBut the British Medical Association's Dr Richard Vautrey said GPs were unhappy they were being asked to cancel appointments that had already been made for second doses. The original advice said they should be given three weeks apart.\n\nHe said it was \"grossly unfair\" and would waste staff time.\n\nOne of those who has been affected is Stella Joseph, who is 82 and has a chronic lung condition.\n\n\"The thing I feel most is utterly helpless, that there's nobody to appeal to, that you can't get any assistance with this at all.\n\n\"I think it is so hard that those of us who were in this first wave were obviously people who are at high risk and we're the ones who have been left high and dry.\"\n\nThe move has also prompted some debate about how strong the evidence is for delaying the second dose.\n\nProf Peter Openshaw, of Imperial College London, said there was \"pretty convincing\" data showing it would enhance the effect of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.\n\nBut he said because the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had not been tested in the same way, there was no comparable evidence.\n\nSo far nearly 950,000 people have received a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nThe hope was that when the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was approved, it would lead to a significant increase in the rate of vaccination.\n\nThe jab is easier to store and distribute as it can be kept at normal fridge temperature, unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech one that has to be kept in ultra-cold storage.\n\nThere are thought to be more than five million doses of the Oxford vaccine in the UK, but only just over 500,000 are ready for use.\n\nThat is because vaccines have to be put into vials and batched and certified.\n\nSources at the NHS expressed frustration at the situation. \"The NHS is ready to go, but we can only go as quickly as supply allows,\" one said.\n\nQueen Mary University epidemiologist Deepti Gurdasani said there appeared to be a \"bottleneck\", and the government looked like it was still going to be under its target of two million doses a week.\n\n\"We really need to speed up rollout,\" she said.\n\nThere are currently more than 700 vaccination sites up and running, with several hundred more thought to be ready to go once vaccines are available.\n\nBut the limited supply of the Pfizer vaccine, which has to be shipped in from Belgium, has meant some centres have not been able to vaccinate people every week.\n\nDame Clare Gerada, a former chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: \"We really now need a massive operational system. We need a 24/7 system with GPs, mass vaccination centres and hospitals - this needs to be scaled up.\n\n\"It's got to be football stadia, all these large venues that we've got currently lying dormant.\n\n\"If we can really get a mass operational system up and running, then I can't see why we can't be getting the whole population immunised by the spring.\"\n\nNHS England's medical director for primary care, Dr Nikki Kanani, promised there would be a significant expansion of the vaccination programme in the coming weeks.\n\nShe predicted the majority of care home residents would be protected by the end of January, and frontline staff would start to get a vaccination in large numbers.\n\nShe also praised the progress made so far, thanking the \"tireless efforts of staff\".\n\nEngland Health Secretary Matt Hancock also praised staff, adding the numbers being vaccinated would \"rapidly increase in the months ahead\".", "The 19-year-old victim was attacked on Canonbury Road in Islington shortly before 19:00 GMT on 29 December\n\nA man was left partially blind after he was repeatedly hit in the face during a street robbery in north London.\n\nThe 19-year-old had been walking along Canonbury Road in Islington on 29 December when he was approached by two men, one of whom stole his bag and hit him with a \"baton-style weapon\".\n\nThe Met said he had suffered \"life-changing injuries\" in the \"vicious and unprovoked attack\".\n\nNo arrests have been made and the detectives have appealed for witnesses.\n\nThe attacker has been described by police as black, aged in his late teens with spikey hair and of a skinny build.\n\nDet Con Faisal Issaouni said the 19-year-old victim had been \"left with injuries that will affect him for the rest of his life\".\n\n\"We're reviewing CCTV from the area and have spoken to a number of witnesses as we try to track down the man responsible,\" he added.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Clap for Carers is to return under a new name of Clap for Heroes, the initiative's founder has said.\n\nThe weekly applause for front-line NHS staff and other key workers ran for 10 weeks during the UK's first coronavirus lockdown last spring.\n\nFounder Annemarie Plas tweeted that it would return at 20:00 GMT on Thursday.\n\nMs Plas said she hoped the initiative would \"lift the spirit of all of us\" including \"all who are pushing through this difficult time\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Annemarie This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe idea of clapping and banging pots from doorsteps originally began as a one-off to support NHS staff on 26 March - three days after the UK went into lockdown for the first time.\n\nAfter proving popular it was expanded to cover all key workers and continued every Thursday for 10 weeks, with millions of people across the UK taking part.\n\nMembers of the Royal Family and politicians including Prime Minister Boris Johnson also joined in with the show of support.\n\nHowever, the event later faced criticism for becoming politicised, with some suggesting the NHS would benefit more from extra funding than applause.\n\nLast May, Ms Plas, a Dutch national living in south London, said the weekly applause should end after its 10th week and instead become an annual event.\n\nAt the time, she said the public had \"shown our appreciation\" and it was now up to ministers to \"reward\" key workers.\n\n\"Without getting too political, I share some of the opinions that some people have about it becoming politicised,\" she told the PA news agency ahead of the final clap in May.\n\n\"I think the narrative is starting to change and I don't want the clap to be negative.\"", "YouTuber JoJo Siwa has said she had \"no idea\" that \"gross\" and \"inappropriate\" questions were featured in a board game bearing her image.\n\nIt follows a parental backlash about the Nickelodeon-branded game, marketed to children aged six and over.\n\nThe \"Truth or Dare\" category contained questions like: \"Have you ever gone outside without underwear?\" and \"Have you ever been arrested?\".\n\nParents have expressed disapproval on social media in recent days.\n\nIn response to the online outcry, the 17-year-old internet star said she was \"really upset\" to discover the content of the game, which is called JoJo's Juice.\n\nShe added she was working with Nikelodeon to have removed it from the shops.\n\n\"Over the weekend, it has been brought to my attention by my fans and followers on TikTok that my name and my image have been used to promote this board game that has some really inappropriate content,\" said Siwa, in an Instagram video message.\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by itsjojosiwa This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"When companies make these games, they don't run every aspect by me and so I had no idea of the types of questions that were on these playing cards.\"\n\nShe added: \"Now when I first saw this, I was really really really upset at how gross these questions were. And so I brought it to Nickelodeon's attention immediately and since then, they have been working to get this game stopped being made, and also pulled from all shelves wherever it's being sold.\"\n\nShe went on to say that she would have \"never approved or agreed to be associated with this game,\" if she had seen the cards beforehand.\n\nOther questions featured in the board game included: \"Have you ever stolen from a store?\" and \"Have you ever walked in on someone naked?\"\n\nThe US teenager posts videos of her day-to-day life on her YouTube channel, Its JoJo Siwa.\n\nShe is also a singer and dancer, having appeared on the reality TV series Dance Moms, alongside her mother, Jessalynn Siwa.\n\nHer musical offerings so far include the singles Boomerang and Kid in a Candy Store.\n\nLast year, she was included on Time magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Teachers' estimated grades will be used to replace cancelled GCSEs and A-levels in England this summer, says Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.\n\nHe told MPs he would \"trust in teachers rather than algorithms\", a reference to the U-turn over last year's exams.\n\nFor primaries, he confirmed there would be no Year 6 Sats tests this year.\n\nMr Williamson promised parents it would be \"mandatory\" for schools to provide \"high-quality remote education\" of three to five hours per day.\n\nHe said this would be \"enforced\" by Ofsted, with inspections where there were \"serious concerns\" about what was provided for children now studying at home.\n\nLabour's Shadow Education Secretary, Kate Green, accused Mr Williamson of \"chaos and confusion\" - and said he had failed to listen to the \"expertise of professionals on the front line\".\n\nShe said he had given a \"cast-iron commitment\" that exams would go ahead - and Ms Green said: \"At that moment, we should have known they were doomed to be cancelled.\"\n\nMr Williamson, in a statement to the House of Commons, said there would be \"training and support\" for teachers in estimating grades, \"to ensure these are awarded fairly and consistently\".\n\nHe also told MPs there would be no Sats tests for those at the end of primary school.\n\n\"I can absolutely confirm that we won't be proceeding with Sats this year. We do recognise that this will be an additional burden on schools\n\nGeoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, said rather than a \"vague statement\" of how A-levels and GCSEs would be graded, ministers should already have a system ready in place - and it was a \"dereliction of duty\" that it was not already prepared.\n\nAnd he warned against repeating the \"shambles\" of last summer's cancelled exams.\n\nThe education secretary confirmed to MPs that GCSEs and A-levels are not going ahead - after this week's decision that it was no longer feasible with so much time lost in the Covid pandemic and the latest lockdown.\n\nThe exams watchdog Ofqual will draw up proposals for an alternative way of deciding results, for qualifications that could be used for jobs, staying on in school or university places.\n\nSimon Lebus, the watchdog's interim head, said evidence for replacement grades could include tests, homework, mock exams and teachers' observations - and would take into account how much of the syllabus had been covered.\n\nA consultation is expected to begin next week, with plans to be decided by the end of February or possibly sooner.\n\nLast year's attempts to find an alternative approach to exam results, which initially used an algorithm, descended into chaos - and eventually switched to using teachers' grades.\n\nAnd without any exam papers or standardised mock exams, the use of teachers' assessments, with some process of moderation between schools, will be used for this summer's candidates.\n\nOn vocational qualifications, Labour's Ms Green said the education secretary was \"failing to show leadership on exams in January\".\n\nVocational exams, such as BTecs, are carrying on, if schools and colleges decide to continue with them - but college leaders had complained that there needed to be a national decision to avoid confusion.\n\nIf students cannot take BTec exams this month as planned, they will still be awarded a grade, if they have \"enough evidence to receive a certificate that they need for progression\", says the awarding body Pearson.\n\nAn Ofqual spokeswoman said they would consider options for replacement exam results, academic and vocational, \"to ensure the fairest possible outcome in the circumstances\".\n\nThe exams watchdog's decisions will face much scrutiny - with the previous head of Ofqual resigning after last summer's U-turns over grades.\n\nMr Williamson's statement in the Commons came as all GCSE, AS and A-level exams in Northern Ireland were cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis.\n\nEducation Minister Peter Weir announced the decision in the Stormont assembly on Wednesday.\n\nScotland has already cancelled its Nationals, Highers and Advanced Highers.\n\nGCSEs and A-levels in Wales were scrapped in November.", "Dr Dre, seen here in 2018, is one of hip-hop's most successful stars\n\nRapper and producer Dr Dre, one of hip-hop's most successful and influential stars, is being treated in hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm.\n\nThe 55-year-old was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday, TMZ reported.\n\nIn a post on Instagram, he said: \"I'm doing great and getting excellent care from my medical team.\"\n\nHe is \"resting comfortably\" after the aneurysm, his lawyer told Billboard.\n\nIn his post, Dr Dre also wrote: \"I will be out of the hospital and back home soon. Shout out to all the great medical professionals at Cedars. One Love!!\"\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by drdre This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nFriends and fellow stars have sent their well wishes after the reports of his ill health emerged.\n\nIce Cube, his former bandmate in trailblazing 1980s hip-hop group NWA, tweeted: \"Send your love and prayers to the homie Dr. Dre.\"\n\nSnoop Dogg, who was discovered by Dr Dre in the early 1990s, wrote on Instagram: \"GET WELL DR DRE WE NEED U CUZ.\"\n\nMissy Elliott wrote: \"Prayers up for Dr. Dre and his family for healing & Strength over his mind & body.\" And singer Ciara tweeted: \"Praying for you Dr. Dre. Praying for a full recovery.\"\n\nWith NWA and then as a solo artist, leading producer and record label mogul, Dr Dre shaped west coast rap and was instrumental in the careers of other stars like Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar.\n\nAn aneurysm is a bulge in a weakened blood vessel where the blood pressure causes a small area to bulge outwards.\n\nMost brain aneurysms only cause noticeable symptoms if they burst, leading to bleeding on the brain, which can cause a very serious condition and can be fatal.", "(L-R) David Wails, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and James Furlong were pronounced dead at the scene\n\nA man who stabbed three people to death in a Reading park was suffering from psychosis \"right up to the day\" of the killings, a court has heard.\n\nKhairi Saadallah, 26, attacked James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39, in the Forbury Gardens in June.\n\nA hearing to decide if he was motivated by a religious or ideological cause has been told he was \"no radical Islamist\".\n\nThe hearing at the Old Bailey is part of his sentencing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. CCTV cameras captured Khairi Saadallah before and after the stabbing\n\nSaadallah, of Basingstoke Road, Reading, has pleaded guilty to three murders and three attempted murders.\n\nAn examination of his mobile phone revealed extremist material, including an image of the Islamic State flag and the 9/11 Twin Towers attack, the court was told.\n\nThe prosecution is seeking a whole-life prison order, meaning he would never be considered for release.\n\nRossano Scamardella QC, defending, said the sentence should be one of life imprisonment with a starting point of 30 years, due to a lack of serious premeditation, the \"fleeting\" strength of his commitment to Islamist jihad, and his mental health issues.\n\nKhairi Saadallah previously admitted three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder\n\nHe said while the attack in Reading was \"terrifying\" and \"senseless\", it did not justify the failed Libyan asylum seeker being jailed for more than 30 years.\n\nHe added that \"as brutal as these killings were\", the suggestion they were \"ruthlessly efficient\" had been \"exaggerated\".\n\nSaadallah took \"certain steps to facilitate the killings\", he said, but \"significant planning or premeditation simply does not exist\".\n\nHe told the hearing Saadallah had \"come to the attention of the authorities on hundreds of occasions\", and had a history of frequent interactions with the police, criminal justice system and mental health services.\n\nHe said Saadallah had developed an emotionally unstable and anti-social personality disorder and \"right up until the day of killing he was plainly suffering from episodes of psychosis\".\n\nMr Scamardella said there is no suggestion this caused his offending but insisted his \"culpability [for the attack] is reduced\".\n\nThe court heard earlier that a psychiatrist has since concluded the attack on June 20 was \"unrelated to the effects of either mental disorder or substance misuse\".\n\nKhairi Saadallah was visited and filmed by police during a welfare check the day before the attack\n\nThe court was shown CCTV footage of Saadallah in Morrisons buying the knife he used in the attack\n\nSaadallah had described himself in interview as \"part Muslim and part Catholic\", said Mr Scamardella, adding: \"No radical Islamist would countenance adoption of another faith, it's inconceivable.\"\n\nHe said portraying Saadallah as a committed jihadist was a \"superficially attractive proposition\" based on \"pieces of evidence that exist that demonstrate or at least might demonstrate a fleeting interest\".\n\nThree others - Stephen Young, Patrick Edwards and Nishit Nisudan - were also injured by Saadallah.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Epsom Racecourse in Surrey will be one of seven mass vaccination hubs announced by the government\n\nSeven new mass Covid vaccination hubs across England have been announced by the government.\n\nCentres in London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Surrey and Stevenage are due to begin operations next week.\n\nVarious venues will be converted into regional centres in a bid to meet the government's target of vaccinating 14 million people in the UK by February.\n\nIt is expected the hubs will be staffed by NHS staff and volunteers.\n\nThe seven sites announced by Downing Street are:\n\nAshton Gate Stadium, home to Bristol City FC, will be used to help the government meet its vaccination target\n\nSupermarket chain Morrisons has confirmed car parks at its stores in Yeovil, Wakefield and Winsford would be used to drive-through vaccinations from Monday. It has also offered an additional 47 sites to the government.\n\nPremier League club Tottenham Hotspur has also offered the use of its stadium to the NHS as a venue to provide the coronavirus vaccine.\n\nThe sites across England will begin operations next week", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nI'm standing in what should be an operating theatre - but instead it's been converted into an intensive care unit for Covid-19 patients on ventilators.\n\nThis is the first time I have seen it full of patients like this. Normally this theatre would be busy with major cancer surgery, but that's been transferred to another building.\n\nA children's recovery area, still decorated with colourful stickers of cartoons, is once again filled with desperately sick adults. Every day, more wards are being transformed into ICU - ready for the next influx of patients.\n\nWe have been given access to University College Hospital, in central London. This is the same intensive care unit that I first visited in April, during the first peak.\n\nIt is one of the busiest hospitals in the capital and intensive care here is expanding across a hospital that is under pressure like never before, from a relentless rise in Covid admissions.\n\nI am struck by the toll the pandemic is taking on staff. It's immense - both physically and mentally. They are shell-shocked. \"My emotions are all over the place. Scared, sad, petrified, worried,\" one ICU nurse tells me.\n\nI asked one of the consultants who I've met several times in the last year, Dr Jim Down, how long they can keep going like this - and the answer was stark. \"At this rate, about a week. After that we really need to see it slow down or we're going to see the care we can deliver suffering.\"\n\nThey have got three times as many critically ill patients in the hospital as normal. The number of Covid admissions to London hospitals has doubled in just two weeks - they're more stretched now than at the peak last April. Senior staff are worried.\n\nDr Alice Carter compares it to an elastic band that is close to snapping. \"It gets to a point where you stretch so far it never returns back to its baseline. I think that's probably where we are now. It's not going to take much more for that elastic band to break, and that's the real fear for us at the moment.\"\n\nDr Alice Carter: 'It's not going to take much more for that elastic band to break'\n\nThat could have very serious consequences, she adds. \"If we get to that point, we can't offer anyone ICU, not just Covid patients, but anyone who has a traffic accident or a heart attack or a stroke - whatever it is, to take them in.\"\n\nFor 38-year-old Rachel Arfin, one of the three pregnant women in intensive care with Covid-19, treatment is more complicated. Her baby is due in five weeks and the staff have to monitor them both.\n\n\"They can't do anything that will harm the baby,\" she says. \"All the time [they are] checking, monitoring the baby.\" She is reassured by the \"beautiful sound\" of her baby's heartbeat.\n\n\"They are looking after two people in one. They're saving lives,\" says Rachel. But her children - she has seven - keep asking when she's coming home.\n\nRachel Arfin's baby is due in five weeks - both are doing well\n\nI've reported from here several times during the pandemic and am always struck by the professionalism and dedication of staff. It's always quiet and calm, but that belies what's actually happening. This is a system under strain like never before.\n\nThe warning signs are clear, the NHS is on the brink. Unless infection rates fall, soon it will have a serious impact. The pressure on staff is unrelenting. I saw two nurses in tears.\n\nCompared to when I visited in April, it's a lot busier. In some ways, it's more structured - they now know what they're dealing with. They've got new treatments, such as the drug dexamethasone, which they didn't have last time. And many of the staff have now had the first dose of the vaccine.\n\nBut other aspects don't get any easier, such as the emotional burden of breaking bad news over a telephone or video call. It is very different to being able to hold someone's hand.\n\nStaff say they don't know which patients to help first\n\nICU staff have incredibly high standards. They're used to doing everything meticulously and perfectly. And they're doing all they can. But sometimes they go home and feel guilty that they can't do more. The impact on nurses - the bedrock of care in intensive care - is visible.\n\nThe highly specialised staff are usually one-to-one with patients. Deputy sister Ashleigh Shillingford is looking after three or four ventilated patients at a time, with one other junior member of staff. It's emotional and often devastating work.\n\n\"We are so stretched we have to prioritise and prioritising care is not the NHS that I grew up in - we shouldn't have to choose which patient gets what care first.\" She says she's never had to make decisions like these before.\n\n\"You just don't know who to help first. The patients are losing their lives at a dramatic speed, we're not just getting old people,\" she says, \"these are young people that we're getting.\"\n\nGerald Williams, 58, is awaiting chemotherapy for lung cancer and had been shielding, but he still caught coronavirus. \"All of a sudden, out of the blue, Covid came knocking on my door and it's frightening - you don't know how you're getting your next breath,\" he says.\n\nGerald Williams had been shielding but he still caught coronavirus\n\nHe wants to get home to his daughters, the youngest of whom is 13. And he's annoyed at those who don't take it seriously. \"People are moaning and groaning. Even in A&E. They need to get a life. Don't be idiots, forget about meeting your mate, stay home. No-one is invulnerable.\"\n\nFor now the Trust is coping better than many others in London and is still taking Covid patients from other hospitals. But the next few weeks could be the biggest challenge the NHS has ever faced - and it will be its doctors and nurses who will bear the brunt for all of us.\n\nAs the BBC's medical editor, Fergus Walsh has been reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic and its immense impact on the UK.", "Kate Thistleton will front new content from Bitesize Daily\n\nBBC TV is to help children keep up with their studies during the latest lockdown by broadcasting lessons on BBC Two and CBBC, as well as online.\n\nSchools have been closed to most children across the UK as part of tougher measures to control Covid-19.\n\nThe BBC will show curriculum-based programmes on TV from Monday.\n\nThey will include three hours of primary school programming every weekday on CBBC, and at least two hours for secondary pupils on BBC Two.\n\nDuring the first lockdown in the spring, lessons were available on iPlayer, red button and online, but not on regular TV channels.\n\nThe move comes amid concerns that low-income families may struggle to afford data packages for their children to take part in online learning.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson praised the BBC's \"fantastic\" plans on Tuesday. BBC Director-General Tim Davie said \"education is absolutely vital\".\n\nHe continued: \"The BBC is here to play its part and I'm delighted that we have been able to bring this to audiences so swiftly.\"\n\nThe primary programmes, which will be broadcast on CBBC from 09:00 every day, will include BBC Live Lessons and BBC Bitesize Daily as well as Our School, Celebrity Supply Teacher, Horrible Histories and Operation Ouch.\n\nBBC Two will cater for secondary students with programming to support the GCSE curriculum, including adaptations of Shakespeare plays alongside science, history and factual titles.\n\nBitesize Daily primary and secondary will also air every day on the red button as well as episodes being available on demand on iPlayer.\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the BBC \"has helped the nation through some of the toughest moments of the last century\".\n\n\"And for the next few weeks it will help our children learn whilst we stay home, protect the NHS and save lives,\" he added. \"This will be a lifeline to parents and I welcome the BBC playing its part.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Two US police officers linked to a notorious raid in which young black medic Breonna Taylor was fatally shot have been fired, authorities have said.\n\nDetectives Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes are the latest officers to be dismissed over the shooting in March last year.\n\nThe incident in Kentucky caused outrage, spurring protests against racism and police brutality.\n\nMs Taylor, 26, died when police raided her home in connection to a drug case.\n\nThe FBI said Mr Cosgrove fired the shot that killed Ms Taylor at her home in Louisville.\n\nLouisville police dismissed Mr Cosgrove for violating procedures for use of force and failing to use a body camera during the search, the Louisville Courier Journal reported on Wednesday.\n\nMr Jaynes, the newspaper said, was fired for violating the police force's policy for truthfulness and search warrant preparation.\n\nDuring the raid, Ms Taylor's boyfriend fired at the officers who he said he believed were attackers breaking into their home.\n\nPolice say they knocked on the door to announce their presence before breaking down the door with a battering ram.\n\nMs Taylor's boyfriend said police did not make their presence known, and he fired out of self-defence. Three officers returned fire with 32 shots, six of which hit Ms Taylor.\n\nMs Taylor's name became a global rallying cry as people demanded a thorough investigation into her death.\n\nBlack Lives Matter activists in the US have demanded that Louisville police take stronger action against the officers in the case and say that police too often escape unpunished after killing members of the public.\n\nBut despite the outcry against Ms Taylor's shooting, no criminal charges were sought relating to her death.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"Questions still aren't answered\": Breonna Taylor's family are worried about a \"cover-up\"", "Paul Trauberman from Rainbow Smiles said it was hard to give reassurance without knowing the facts about the new variant\n\nNursery staff say they are being \"treated like the bottom of the rung\" after schools in England were told to shut to reduce the virus transmission.\n\nPaul Trauberman, of Rainbow Smiles in Weston-super-Mare, said despite his staff being \"scared\" about the new Covid-19 variant they had come to work.\n\nThe government announced a strict lockdown across the country on Monday.\n\nIt was after the UK moved to Covid-19 threat level five, meaning there is a risk the NHS could be overwhelmed.\n\nMr Trauberman, who took over Rainbow Smiles nursery in 2016, said he felt conflicted.\n\n\"I've come in this morning and I've got staff crying and saying they are scared of this new variant.\"\n\n\"We don't have PPE, we can't social distance, on the other hand we still have a business that is operational and we are not going bankrupt.\"\n\nHe said prolonged closure also carried the risk of going out of business but it was difficult to reassure staff when \"you don't have any of the facts\".\n\n\"One minute it is fine and the schools are going back, and two days later they are sending everyone home.\n\n\"It makes the staff feel insecure and... they just feel like they are being treated like the bottom of the rung.\n\nSchools are expected to remain closed until after the February half-term\n\n\"With this new variant ... they are having to deal with very close contact with children, with a virus around, which they are saying is very, very bad, but with no more information than that.\"\n\nA Department for Education spokesperson said: \"Early years settings remain low risk environments for children and staff and there is no evidence that the new variant of coronavirus disproportionately affects young children.\"\n\nIt said keeping nurseries open supported parents and delivered crucial education for children as Bristol mother-of-three Eleni Franklin has found.\n\nShe said she \"really valued\" Acorns Nursery in Henbury Hill, being open as she and her husband are both key workers - so their children, Allegra, five, Aria, two and Rafe nine-months-old, will attend school and nursery throughout the lockdown.\n\n\"I can see that nurseries are different to schools. There has been one case at Aria's nursery during this whole period, whereas in school there has been quite a few,\" she said.\n\nEleni Franklin said she could see why nurseries were being treated differently to schools\n\n\"The nursery have been pretty good and although I understand there is a risk to staff, they have put a lot of measures in place to keep people safe.\"\n\nOne of the biggest challenges for nurseries - with some staff now unable to work because of their own childcare responsibilities - is maintaining child-to-staff ratios.\n\nMr Trauberman said they worked on a basis of one-to-three for babies, one-to-four for under-three's and one-to-eight with under five-year-olds.\n\n\"We are trying to maintain these bubbles, but normally we would move staff around to accommodate highs and lows of staff and children, to balance it out, but we are unable to do that to enable these bubbles,\" he said.\n\nHis nursery is now identifying families that could potentially keep their children at home if they were unable to meet those ratios.\n\nMr Trauberman, who is a member of an online group for nursery owners, said some people were calling for nurseries to shut, but said if that happened they risked \"not having a business to come back to\".\n\n\"Small businesses are the backbone of the country and if a lot of those go under, the financial implications for the whole country are going to be catastrophic.\"\n\nMother-of-two Kara Willetts, from Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, said she felt it was important her daughter Isobel continued going to nursery as she noticed her behaviour had changed when she had to stop going during the first lockdown in March.\n\n\"Isobel is a really sociable, outgoing child and she really suffered with not going in and seeing her friends during the first lockdown. Her mental health suffered and she displayed behaviour I had never seen from her before,\" she said.\n\nKara Willetts said her daughter Isobel's mental health suffered when nurseries closed during the first lockdown\n\nMrs Willetts said she had full confidence in the measures introduced at the nursery three-and-a-half-year-old Isobel attends in Cheltenham.\n\nShe said that with her husband working from home and a seven-month-old son also at home, the option of Isobel going to nursery was \"beneficial to the whole family\".\n\n\"It is quite difficult for my husband to concentrate on work with two kids at home. Transmission rates in young children are very low and if I had any safety concerns I wouldn't send Isobel there,\" she added.\n\nTom Shea, a former advisor to the Early Year's minister, said: \"The biggest issue is that as a society we regard childcare as something like babysitting, rather than the start of the early year's development of learning.\n\n\"Sadly it seems the main reason for keeping us open is for protecting employment rather than protecting children.\"\n\nMr Shea owns Child First Nursery in Worksop and said he thought there was a \"hierarchy\" among key workers in terms of vaccination priorities. He said \"sensibly\" the first priority was NHS staff, followed by social carers for the elderly. He said teachers ranked a \"reasonable\" third, but that Early Years workers did not feature at all.\n\n\"They are expected just to work, and I am not sure if the government thinks that we are invisible,\" he said.\n\nHe called for early vaccination of Early Years workers to allow them to stay open and be protected.\n\n\"The irony now is that we are being told to keep open even though we are private businesses, we are dictated to about the funding we can receive and how we receive it… and if parents are frightened of their children going into the childcare setting then suddenly we don't get paid for that, so you find nurseries half empty being forced to open and it is not economical to do that.\"\n\nA Department for Education spokesperson said: \"We are funding nurseries as usual and all children are able to attend their early years setting in all parts of England.\n\n\"Working parents on coronavirus support schemes will still remain eligible for childcare support even if their income levels fall below the minimum requirement.\"", "An investment firm has bought 50% of the rights to all Neil Young's songs.\n\nHipgnosis Songs Fund spent an estimated $150m (£110m) on 1,180 songs written by the Canadian folk rocker.\n\nThe fund, which lets people invest in hit songs, has previously splashed out about £1bn snapping up rights to songs from the likes of Mark Ronson, Chic, Barry Manilow and Blondie.\n\nFounded by music industry veteran Merck Mercuriadis, Hipgnosis turns music royalties into an income stream.\n\n\"This is a deal that changes Hipgnosis forever,\" said Mr Mercuriadis.\n\n\"I bought my first Neil Young album aged seven. Harvest was my companion and I know every note, every word, every pause and silence intimately.\n\n\"Neil Young, or at least his music, has been my friend and constant ever since.\"\n\nHipgnosis has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since July 2018. When songs owned by the fund get played on the radio or placed in a film or TV show, it makes money.\n\nBefore setting up Hipgnosis, Mr Mercuriadis managed artists such as Beyoncé, Elton John, Iron Maiden and Guns 'N' Roses.\n\nIn his view, songs are \"as investible as gold or oil\".\n\nHe says hit songs are a stable investment because their revenue is unaffected by fluctuations in the economy.\n\nThe sale of song catalogues has become a booming business during the Covid-19 pandemic, with investors seeing music as a relatively stable asset in an otherwise turbulent market.\n\nEarlier this week, Hipgnosis bought 100% of the rights to Lindsey Buckingham's 161 songs for an undisclosed amount.\n\nThe songs include hits that Buckingham wrote or co-wrote for Fleetwood Mac, including Go Your Own Way and The Chain.\n\nThe group's Stevie Nicks sold 80% of her publishing rights last year to Hipgnosis rival Primary Wave for about $80m.\n\nLast month, Universal Music Group announced it had bought 100% of Bob Dylan's 600 songs for between an estimated $200m and $450m (£150m-£340m).\n\nThe singer-songwriter was the latest of a number of artists to join up with the Los Angeles-based Universal, following other big names such as Bruce Springsteen, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone.\n\nNeil Young rose to prominence in the 1960s and 70s and is one of the most influential songwriters of all time.\n\nHe is known not only for his work as a solo artist, but also with the bands Buffalo Springfield, Crazy Horse and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.\n\nYoung has released almost 50 studio albums and more than 20 live albums, of which 18 have been certified gold, seven are platinum and three are multi-platinum.\n\nSeven of his albums were included on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time chart: Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, After The Gold Rush, Déjà Vu (with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) Harvest, On The Beach, Tonight's the Night and Rust Never Sleeps.\n\n\"I built Hipgnosis to be a company Neil would want to be a part of,\" said Mr Mercuriadis.\n\n\"We have a common integrity, ethos and passion born out of a belief in music and these important songs.\n\n\"There will never be a 'Burger of Gold', but we will work together to make sure everyone gets to hear them on Neil's terms.\"", "US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese apps.\n\nThe apps include popular payments platform Alipay, as well as QQ Wallet and WeChat Pay.\n\nThe order, which takes effect in 45 days, says that the apps are being banned because they are a threat to US national security.\n\nIt flags the possibility that the apps could be used to track and build dossiers on US federal employees.\n\nTencent QQ, CamScanner, SHAREit, VMate and WPS Office are also included within the order, which only kicks in after Mr Trump has left office.\n\n\"The United States must take aggressive action against those who develop or control Chinese connected software applications to protect our national security,\" the order said.\n\nPresident Trump's order says \"by accessing personal electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, Chinese connected software applications can access and capture vast swaths of information from users, including sensitive personally identifiable information and private information.\"\n\nThe Trump administration has ratcheted up pressure on Chinese companies in its final months in office, including those it considers a national security risk.\n\nPresident Trump has signed executive orders against a range of Chinese firms arguing they could share data with the Chinese government.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Panorama: How safe is TikTok for young users?\n\nChinese social media app TikTok and telecoms giant Huawei have been among the casualties of Washington's crackdown.\n\nLast month, the Commerce Department added dozens of Chinese companies, including the country's top chipmaker SMIC and drone manufacturer DJI Technology, to a trade blacklist.\n\nThe administration also restricted a number of Chinese and Russian companies with alleged military ties from buying sensitive US goods and technology.\n\nChina has consistently denied claims that these firms share their data with the Chinese government and has responded by imposing its own export laws restricting the export of military technology.\n\nIn August, the US ordered ByteDance, the owner of social media app TikTok, to either shut down or sell off its US assets.\n\nDespite missing a deadline to complete the sale, the US is yet to shut down the app and negotiations continue over its future.\n\nThe latest ban comes as the White House quietly pushed the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to consider a second U-turn on its decision to delist three Chinese telecoms giants.\n\nLast week the NYSE announced it would delist the China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom in line with another executive order.\n\nOn Monday, however, the NYSE reversed that decision, announcing it had decided not to delist the three companies after further consultation with US regulators.\n\nThe NYSE made the decision based on ambiguity about whether the securities were actually covered by the order.\n\nHowever, the exchange has come under pressure over its decision.\n\nThe US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin called the NYSE President Stacey Cunningham to tell her he disagrees with the decision, according to Reuters.\n\nRepublican Senator and China hardliner Marco Rubio has also spoken out, saying that the NYSE's refusal to delist the companies was an \"outrageous effort\" to undermine the President's executive order.\n\nThe NYSE is owned by Atlanta-based Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), which is run by billionaire Jeffrey Sprecher.\n\nHis wife Kelly Loeffler is one of two Republican senators facing run-off elections on Tuesday in Georgia.", "The new \"highly infectious\" variant of coronavirus is spreading rapidly throughout Wales, the health minister has said.\n\nGiving the first coronavirus briefing of the year, Vaughan Gething said cases of the virus remained very high.\n\nHowever, the case rate across Wales has fallen from a high of 636 per 100,000 people on 17 December to 446 on Monday.\n\nBut cases are rising quickly in north Wales, which Mr Gething believed was due to the new variant.", "This video can not be played\n\nTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 BST.\n\nThe measures announced on Monday have now become law, but MPs will actually vote retrospectively to approve them later today. They're expected to pass with ease - Labour has pledged its support, but said ministers must deliver a round-the-clock vaccination programme. The regulations allow restrictions to potentially be in place until mid-March. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all imposed lockdowns too, but will they be enough? An estimated one in 50 people in private households in England had coronavirus last week - one in 30 in London, while the number of daily confirmed cases topped 60,000 for the first time. Our health correspondent has more - as we've come to understand, the R number is everything. This graph shows how the R number could drop this time (in red), compared with how it fell during the first lockdown - the slower decline is down to the new, more transmissible variant.\n\nStudents have been anxiously waiting for news after the cancellation of A-Level and GCSE exams in England - not least because of the chaos that surrounded last year's results. Exams had already been cancelled elsewhere in the UK. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will reveal more in a statement to MPs later. He'll also give more details of support for pupils following the switch by schools and colleges to remote learning. There are fears a digital divide will mean some children are excluded. We've got some advice for parents on virtual learning, and BBC Bitesize will be broadcasting lessons on BBC Two, CBBC and online from Monday.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Parents spoke to the BBC after Monday's announcement about school closures in England\n\nPeople arriving in the UK from abroad could soon be required to prove they've had a negative coronavirus test before setting off. The Department for Transport says it's one of several measures being considered to prevent new cases arriving from abroad. Full details are still to be agreed, but it's thought hauliers coming through ports would be exempt. Currently, arrivals from countries not exempt under the travel corridor programme have to isolate for 10 days. See more on the existing rules. Travel firms have been cancelling trips since the latest lockdowns were imposed.\n\n2020 was a dreadful year for the UK car industry and preliminary figures from the industry's trade body show just how bad it was. New car registrations dropped to levels not seen since 1992, and saw the biggest one-year fall since World War Two when factories were turned over to military production. Showrooms and even factories were forced to close in the spring, and the switch to working from home means fewer of us need a vehicle on a daily basis. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said firms were desperately trying to minimise redundancies.\n\nUnable to leave Taiwan due to the pandemic, Peter Lowe decided to get a boat to pass the time. A leisurely hobby soon turned into a quest to clear the country's waterways, river banks and mangrove forests of plastic. His efforts have inspired local volunteers to join in the clean-up, and even prompted the government to take notice. Peter has some advice for all of us feeling trapped right now: \"Do something positive, do something meaningful, particularly towards saving and protecting the earth.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, when lockdown was imposed last Spring, some of life's most basic household tasks suddenly got a lot harder. What are they like now?\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "A Joint Session of Congress to certify the election of Joe Biden has gone into an unexpected recess, and the Capitol building into lockdown, after Trump supporters breached security lines.\n\nEarlier, President Trump addressed supporters at a rally outside the White House and encouraged them to protest the election result.", "It was initially believed that Covid-19 originated at a market in Wuhan\n\nA World Health Organization (WHO) team due to investigate the origins of Covid-19 in the city of Wuhan has been denied entry to China.\n\nTwo members were already en route, with the WHO saying the problem was a lack of visa clearances.\n\nHowever, China has challenged this, saying details of the visit, including dates, were still being arranged.\n\nThe long-awaited probe was agreed upon by Beijing after many months of negotiations with the WHO.\n\nThe virus was first detected in Wuhan in late 2019, with the initial outbreak linked to a market.\n\nWHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was \"very disappointed\" that China had not yet finalised the permissions for the team's arrivals \"given that two members had already begun their journeys and others were not able to travel at the last minute\".\n\n\"I have been assured that China is speeding up the internal procedure for the earliest possible deployment,\" he told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, explaining that he had been in contact with senior Chinese officials to stress \"that the mission is a priority for WHO and the international team\".\n\nChinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told the BBC \"there might be some misunderstanding\" and \"there's no need to read too much into it\".\n\n\"Chinese authorities are in close co-operation with WHO but there has been some minor outbreaks in multiple places around the world and many countries and regions are busy in their work preventing the virus and we are also working on this,\" she said.\n\n\"Still we are supporting international co-operation and advancing internal preparations. We are in communication with the WHO and as far as I know with dates and arrangements we are still in discussions.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid-19: How everyday life has changed in Wuhan\n\nThe WHO has been working to send a 10-person team of international experts to China for months with the aim of probing the animal origin of the pandemic and exactly how the virus first crossed over to humans.\n\nLast month it was announced that the investigation would begin in January 2021.\n\nThe two members of the international team that had already departed for China had set off early on Tuesday, said the WHO. According to Reuters news agency, WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan said one had turned back and one was in a third country.\n\nCovid-19 was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in central Hubei province in late 2019.\n\nIt was initially believed the virus originated in a market selling exotic animals for meat. It was suggested that this was where the virus made the leap from animals to humans.\n\nBut the origins of the virus remain deeply contested. Some experts now believe the market may not have been the origin, and that it was instead only amplified there.\n\nSome research has suggested that coronaviruses capable of infecting humans may have been circulating undetected in bats for decades. It is not known, however, what intermediate animal host transmitted the virus between bats and humans.", "US President Donald Trump and others have made new unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud following the rerun of two crucial Senate races in the state of Georgia.\n\nWith the Democrats looking likely to win both seats and with them control of the US Senate, we've debunked some of the theories that have been widely shared on social media.\n\nSince the November election, the president has repeatedly made baseless allegations that Dominion voting machines have been manipulated to engineer electoral fraud.\n\nReferring to the vote in Georgia, Mr Trump said these machines had stopped working in Republican strongholds for \"over an hour\".\n\nThe official in charge of Georgia's voting systems, Gabriel Sterling, said there has been an issue in one county due to \"a programming error on security keys\" but that it was resolved hours before the president made his comments.\n\nMr Sterling tweeted: \"The, votes of everyone will be protected and counted. Sorry you received old intel Mr President.\"\n\nGeorgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also clarified in a statement that there had been some issues but they did not stop people from voting, Reuters news agency reports.\n\n\"At no point did voting stop as voters continued casting ballots on emergency ballots, in accordance with the procedures set out by Georgia law,\" said Mr Raffensperger.\n\nAn image that has been shared thousands of times on Twitter purported to show a pile of destroyed ballots in Georgia on election day.\n\n\"Our team is in Georgia. They took a little walk. They found shredded ballots in Dell boxes,\" the tweet said.\n\nAlthough the post provided no detail as to where exactly the picture had been taken, we were able to geolocate it to the absentee ballot processing centre at the Georgia World Congress Center in Fulton County, which includes Atlanta.\n\nFulton County elections director Richard Barron told the BBC that the papers in the picture were \"definitely not ballots\", but waste from a letter-opening machine used to cut ballot envelopes.\n\nWe've reported on similar claims about alleged ballot shredding in Georgia before.\n\nIn November, an investigation into the shredding of papers in Cobb County concluded that it was part of a \"routine clean-up operation\" and the documents disposed of were not actual votes \"relevant to the election or the re-tally\".\n\nIn a tweet generating some 300,000 likes and retweets, President Trump claimed there was a \"voter dump\" planned against Republican candidates.\n\nBut there's no evidence of wrongdoing.\n\nIt's not clear exactly what he means by a \"voter dump\", but he may be referring to the fact that large batches of votes are released at once.\n\nThis is standard practice and a valid part of the vote-counting process.\n\nIn Georgia, as in the presidential elections, larger districts, often including cities that may lean Democrat, take longer to report their results.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMr Trump has falsely claimed on multiple occasions that millions of genuine votes in November's presidential election that were counted after polls closed were \"fake\".\n\nIn Georgia, election official Gabriel Sterling noted after the polls closed that some 171,000 early, in-person ballots from DeKalb County, which is Democrat-leaning, were yet to be counted.\n\nAuthorities knew how many of these \"advanced\" votes were coming.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Gabriel Sterling This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA number of Republican officials and activists, including White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and the founder of conservative activist group Turning Point USA, claimed workers at the Chatham county count had suddenly stopped counting for the rest of the night and gone home, raising the prospect of foul play.\n\n\"They're doing this again. You can't make this up,\" Charlie Kirk tweeted.\n\nSimilar claims of fraud or suspicious activity were made during the presidential election count in the county, after it took a few days for all the absentee and mail-in ballots to be tabulated.\n\nBut Gabriel Sterling, Georgia's voting systems implementation manager, took to Twitter to say the count \"didn't just stop\".\n\nWorkers had finished counting all the ballots they had except absentee ballots received on election day, Mr Sterling, a Republican, added.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Gabriel Sterling This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe county's board of elections chairman, Tom Mahoney, confirmed later that about 3,000 to 4,000 election day absentee ballots were left to count.", "Protesters in support of US President Donald Trump swarmed the Capitol building, forcing officials to order lawmakers to shelter in place and halting debate in both the House and Senate. Congress was meeting to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's electoral college victory.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Keir Starmer: \"If we pull together as a nation, we can win\"\n\nSir Keir Starmer has called for a \"round the clock\" vaccination programme to tackle the rise in Covid cases.\n\nAs part of a televised speech, the Labour leader said the government needed to deliver \"millions of doses a week by the end of the month\".\n\nHe said there were \"serious questions for the government to answer\" over the timing of the lockdown in England, but Labour would support the restrictions.\n\nBoris Johnson said daily vaccination figures would be published from Monday.\n\nThe prime minister has also said the four most vulnerable groups of people across the UK should receive their first dose by mid-February.\n\nBoth the PM and Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, have announced lockdowns this week.\n\nWales has been in a national lockdown since 20 December and Northern Ireland entered a six-week lockdown on 26 December.\n\nEngland's lockdown will become law from 00:01 GMT Wednesday and MPs will return to the Commons later that day to vote on the measures retrospectively.\n\nThe restrictions come into force as the number of new daily confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK topped 60,000 for the first time since the pandemic started.\n\nOn Tuesday, 60,914 had tested positive in the previous 24 hours and a further 830 people had died within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nIn an address to the nation on BBC One, in response to Boris Johnson's televised address on Monday, Sir Keir said the UK had reached a \"critical moment in our fight against coronavirus\".\n\nThe Labour leader said people were \"angry at the mistakes the government has made\" and ministers needed to answer questions on why they did not act sooner over locking down England.\n\nHe stressed that Labour would continue to hold the government to account, but added: \"Whatever our quarrels with the government and with the prime minister, the country now needs us to come together.\n\n\"At this darkest of moments, we need a new national effort to re-kindle the spirit of last March - to come together and to do everything possible to stay at home [and] to protect the NHS and save lives.\"\n\nSir Keir reiterated that Labour would support the new lockdown when it comes to the retrospective Commons vote on Wednesday and \"join in this national effort\".\n\nBut he called for the government to use the lockdown to establish \"a massive, immediate, and round the clock vaccination programme\" to \"deliver millions of doses a week by the end of the month in every village and town, every high street and every GP surgery\".\n\nThe Labour leader added: \"This is now a race between the virus and the vaccine and if we pull together as a nation, we can win.\n\n\"We need a new contract between the government and the British people: The country stays at home, the government delivers the vaccine.\"\n\nEarlier at a Downing Street press conference, Mr Johnson said more than 1.3 million people across the UK had now been vaccinated with either the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.\n\nThe figure included 23% of over-80s in England - part of a programme Mr Johnson said aimed to save \"the most lives the fastest\".\n\nThe PM said there will \"still be long weeks ahead\", but that he wanted to give \"maximum possible transparency\" about the vaccination roll-out.\n\nMore details will be announced on Thursday, with daily updates starting on Monday, \"so that you can see day by day and jab by jab how much progress we are making\", he added.\n\nAsked whether the target could be met, Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, said the timetable was \"realistic but not easy\".", "Fraudsters are sending out bogus text messages about the coronavirus vaccine in an attempt to steal bank details.\n\nThe scam tells recipients they are \"eligible to apply for your vaccine\" with a link to a bogus NHS website, trading standards officers have warned.\n\nThat, in turn, asks for personal information and - crucially - bank details \"for verification\".\n\nThe warning comes the same day as MPs heard that Covid is leading some people into the net of pension fraudsters.\n\nThe fake NHS message is one of a range of scams which have sought to take advantage of the pandemic and the isolation and legitimate worries of potential victims, according to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.\n\nOthers have included people travelling door-to-door selling counterfeit or useless protection equipment, or fraudsters claiming to be from the official test and trace service and demanding payments.\n\nThe latest scam is preying on those elderly or vulnerable people who are fully expecting to receive legitimate information about their vaccine.\n\nHealth authorities have stressed they would never ask for an individual's banking details.\n\nKatherine Hart, lead office at the CTSI, said: \"I have been tracking and warning the public about Covid-related scams since the beginning of the pandemic, and at every stage of response, unscrupulous individuals have modified their campaigns to defraud the public.\n\n\"The vaccine brings great hope for an end to the pandemic and lockdowns, but some only wish to create even further misery by defrauding others. The NHS will never ask you for banking details, passwords, or PIN numbers and these should serve as instant red flags.\"\n\nShe urged people to report the scams to Action Fraud or Police Scotland.\n\nPensions have been stolen or put into high-risk schemes\n\nThe warning came as MPs on the Work and Pensions Select Committee heard how fraudsters were seizing on victims' financial uncertainty during the pandemic to draw them into pension scams.\n\nRules allowing people to withdraw cash from their pension pot from the age of 55 have led some people to move money into investment schemes which look generous, but are simply vehicles to steal money.\n\n\"Household finances are stretched and so the temptations to use savings or to be tempted by offers of 'free pension reviews', for example, which we've warned about, are very real,\" Mark Steward, from the Financial Conduct Authority told the committee.\n\n\"Of course, a 'free pension review' is hardly free. It is the first step on a process that will lead someone to investing in something that is too good to be true.\"\n\nHe said that fraudsters had used social media advertising to \"industrialise\" this kind of fraud.\n\nWhereas previously, fraudsters had to produce sophisticated glossy brochures and office fronts, they could now operate in anonymity on social media, sending fake information to millions of people.\n\nMillions of pounds have been lost to pension scams in recent years, but it is a crime considered to be widely under-reported by victims and pension companies.\n\nGraeme Biggar, director general of the National Economic Crime Centre, told the committee that fraudsters were continuing to use new avenues to reach potential victims.\n\n\"What we're looking to do next is to move on to fake comparison websites, which is this new gateway into investment frauds, to spot those and take them down at source,\" he said.", "Dr Anil Mehta, a GP at Fullwell Cross Medical Centre in North London, told the BBC that staff were working from 7 in the morning until 10pm at night during the three days of their weekly Covid-19 vaccine rollout, describing the process as a 'full team effort.\n\nDr Mehta was also keen to encourage people who might be nervous about the vaccine to take up the offer, emphasising that the evidence behind the vaccine 'was very strong'.\n\nThis message was echoed by Zahin Ahmed, whose grandfather Shafiquz Zaman has now received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine at the clinic. Mr Ahmed, who is from the Bangladeshi community, also said it was important that minority communities took up the offer of the vaccine when called upon to do so.", "Albert Roux pictured in the kitchen of Le Gavroche in 1989\n\nChef and restaurateur Albert Roux, who brought great French cooking to the UK with his brother Michel, has died at the age of 85.\n\nThe pair made gastronomic history in 1982 when their London restaurant, Le Gavroche, became the first in Britain to earn three Michelin stars.\n\nAlbert's death comes almost a year after Michel died at the age of 78.\n\nGordon Ramsay, one of many leading chefs who earned their stripes in Le Gavroche's kitchen, led the tributes.\n\n\"So so sad the hear about the passing of this legend, the man who installed Gastronomy in Britain,\" Ramsay wrote on Instagram.\n\nMarco Pierre White, Marcus Wareing, Pierre Koffman and Monica Galetti are among the other chefs who rose through the ranks at Le Gavroche.\n\nIn his tribute, TV chef James Martin described Albert Roux as \"a true titan of the food scene in this country [who] inspired and trained some of the best and biggest names in the business\".\n\nA family statement said: \"The Roux family has announced the sad passing of Albert Roux, OBE, KFO, who had been unwell for a while, at the age 85 on 4th January 2021.\n\n\"Albert is credited, along with his late brother Michel Roux, with starting London's culinary revolution with the opening of Le Gavroche in 1967.\"\n\nHis son Michel Roux Jr, who now runs Le Gavroche and is a former judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, said: \"He was a mentor for so many people in the hospitality industry, and a real inspiration to budding chefs, including me.\"\n\nFood critic Jay Rayner described Albert Roux as \"an extraordinary man who left a massive mark on the food story of his adopted country\".\n\nHe added: \"The roll call of chefs who went through the kitchens of Le Gavroche alone, is a significant slab of a part of modern UK restaurant culture.\"\n\nChef Tom Kitchin wrote that \"one of the true culinary greats has left us\", and baker and food writer Dan Lepard said it was the \"end of an era\".\n\nAlbert and Michel Roux came from a family of butchers in eastern France, and trained to be patissiers before moving to the UK.\n\nAlbert arrived in the mid-1950s, and in 1967 put his £3,000 savings with money borrowed from friends to open the first Gavroche off Sloane Square in Chelsea.\n\nWith uncompromising standards, elaborate presentation and first-rate service, it raised the standards of haute cuisine in a then-limited English restaurant scene.\n\nIt moved to Mayfair in 1981, and soon became the first British-based establishment to carry the maximum three Michelin stars.\n\n\"An Olympic gold medal,\" Albert said at the time. \"I have had no other ambition.\"\n\nThe Roux dynasty (left-right): Alain Roux, Michel Roux Jnr, Michel Roux and Albert Roux in 2009\n\nIts kitchen would also become the training ground for a new, enlightened generation of British chefs.\n\n\"If cooking is an art form, Le Gavroche was the Royal College of Music, Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, Rada and the Courtauld and Warburg institutes all rolled up into one, poached, wrapped in a puff pastry shell with foie gras and served with truffle sauce,\" The Guardian wrote in 2010.\n\nThe brothers also launched the Roux Scholarship, an annual chef competition, in 1983, with many scholars having gone on to win Michelin stars themselves.\n\nAlbert and Michel opened a string of other restaurants, fronted a 13-part TV series on BBC Two in 1990, and published a series of best-selling books about French cookery.", "Shows like Tiger King kept people entertained during the first UK lockdown\n\nNetflix is raising the cost of some of its UK subscriptions from next month, its customers have been told.\n\nThe streaming service said the price rises reflected money spent on content.\n\nIts standard monthly package will go up from £8.99 to £9.99 and its premium one will rise from £11.99 to £13.99, but its basic plan remains at £5.99.\n\nHowever, comparison site Uswitch said the timing of the price rises was unfortunate with UK citizens living under new national lockdowns.\n\nThe streaming service's subscriber numbers have jumped during the pandemic, with almost 16 million new customers added worldwide in the first three months of 2020 alone.\n\nIn the UK, during the first national lockdown which started in March 2020, the amount of streaming content watched by consumers rose by a third compared with the previous year.\n\nBut Netflix faces tough competition from rivals, such as Disney+, which has also announced price rises of £2 per month up to £7.99 or £79.90 for a full year.\n\nNetflix said: \"This year we're spending over $1bn [£736m] in the UK on new, locally-made films, series and documentaries, helping to create thousands of jobs and showcasing British storytelling at its best - with everything from The Crown, to Sex Education and Top Boy, plus many, many more.\n\n\"Our price change reflects the significant investments we've made in new TV shows and films, as well as improvements to our product.\"\n\nA standard Netflix subscription gives users HD streaming on two devices at the same time with the ability to download to two phones or tablets. The premium service allows streaming on up to four screens at once, as well as offering 4K streaming and downloading to four phones or tablets.\n\nSubscribers who do not want to pay the extra can cancel their plan at any time without penalty or simply shift to the basic package, which allows users to watch movies and TV shows in standard definition on one device only and download to one mobile or tablet.\n\nNick Baker, streaming and TV expert at Uswitch.com, said: \"Netflix has been a lifeline for many people during lockdown, so this price rise is an unwanted extra expense for households feeling the financial pressure.\n\n\"It's unfortunate timing that this price hike coincides with another national lockdown, when all of us will be streaming more television and films than ever.\"", "The number of new daily confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK has topped 60,000 for the first time since the pandemic started.\n\nAccording to government figures on Tuesday, the number of people who tested positive was 60,916.\n\nOne in 50 people in private households in England had Covid last week - and one in 30 in London, according to estimates based on the latest data.\n\nA further 830 people have also died within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nIt comes as England and Scotland announced new strict lockdowns, with people told to stay at home.\n\nAt a press conference at Downing Street on Tuesday, Boris Johnson said 1.3 million people had now been vaccinated in the UK - including 23% of over 80s in England, some 650,000 people.\n\nBut he said more than one million people were currently infected - with the number of patients in hospitals 40% higher than in the first peak.\n\nThe government's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty cited the Office for National Statistics' random sampling data for England as showing how widespread the virus is.\n\n\"We're now into a situation where across the country as a whole, roughly one in 50 people have got the virus, higher in some parts of the country, lower in others,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Professor Chris Whitty: \"No evidence\" the new variant is \"more dangerous\"\n\nThe number of new daily cases has consistently been above 50,000 since 29 December.\n\nBack in the first peak of the pandemic in the spring, the number of daily confirmed cases never went above 7,000.\n\nHowever, it is thought the true number of cases then was much higher but not picked up because testing capacity was limited. It was estimated there were about 100,000 new infections a day at the end of March - but there was not the testing to detect it.\n\nHospital admissions of people with Covid-19 in England also reached another record high on Tuesday, NHS England figures show.\n\nAt a hospital in Lincolnshire, a \"critical\" incident has been declared after a sharp rise in patients requiring admission.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How NHS nurses and doctors are struggling to cope with Covid as cases continue to rise in England\n\nAnd potentially life-saving cancer operations have been put on hold at a major London NHS trust because of the number of beds taken by Covid patients.\n\nHowever, Cancer Research UK said such cancellations did not appear to be widespread across the country.\n\nIn a statement after the case numbers were released, Public Health England medical director Yvonne Doyle said the rapid rise in cases was \"highly concerning and will sadly mean yet more pressure on our health services in the depths of winter\".\n\nAfter seven consecutive days of more than 50,000 cases being confirmed, the fact that more than 60,000 have been recorded should not come as a surprise.\n\nIt will take a week, if not more, for the impact of lockdown to be felt.\n\nAnd all the evidence suggests the new variant of coronavirus, which is more transmissible than previous ones, means the impact is likely to be more limited than it was in previous ones.\n\nThe figures are also a warning about what the NHS is facing.\n\nSome of this week's infections are next week's hospital admissions.\n\nAbout three in 10 beds are now occupied by Covid patients. In some hospitals more than six in 10 are.\n\nHospitals are now busy making more spaces on their wards - that means cancelling planned work, including in some places cancer treatment.\n\nBoris Johnson and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon both announced new lockdowns on Monday.\n\nWales has been in a national lockdown since 20 December and Northern Ireland entered a six-week lockdown on 26 December.\n\nRestrictions are also being tightened further in Northern Ireland, and an order for people to stay at home will become legally enforceable from Friday.\n\nIn a televised address to the nation, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged the government to use the lockdown to create a \"round the clock\" vaccination programme.\n\nHe also called on people to \"recapture the spirit\" of the beginning of the pandemic.\n\nAt the press conference on Tuesday, Mr Johnson repeated his suggestion that there is a \"prospect\" of the lockdown being eased in mid-February.\n\n\"But you will also appreciate there are a lot of caveats, a lot of ifs built into that, the most important of which is that we all now follow the guidance,\" he said.\n\nEarlier, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove told Sky News he could not say exactly when the lockdown in England would end, but \"as we enter March we should be able to lift some of these restrictions but not necessarily all\".\n\nMr Whitty said the virus \"is not going to go away, just as flu doesn't go away, just as many other viruses don't go away\".\n\n\"We shouldn't kid ourselves that this just disappears with spring,\" he said.\n\nMr Whitty said although hopefully there would be nearly no measures needed from the spring onwards, the government might have to bring in a few restrictions next winter.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: \"We've now vaccinated over 1.3m people across the UK\"\n\nOn Monday the UK's chief medical officers recommended the Covid threat level be increased to five - its highest level.\n\nAlthough the new variant is now spreading more rapidly than the original version, it is not believed to be more deadly.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC's Laura Foster explains the order in which the Covid vaccine will be given", "Lockdowns have worked before, but can we expect the new one to do the same?\n\nIt feels like we are back in March or April last year, when the strict controls on all our lives led to a fairly quick decline in levels of coronavirus.\n\nBut one of the crucial differences this time is the new variant, which is thought to spread between 50 and 70% faster than previous forms of the virus.\n\nExperts warn there are now no guarantees that lockdown will be enough to bring the variant under control.\n\n\"It still would not have been easy, but it would have been a much easier situation if it had not been for the new variant,\" Prof Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, told Inside Health.\n\n\"That really pushes the bounds of our ability to control the spread of the virus, even with measures that were previously relatively quite effective.\"", "Supermarkets are seeking to reassure shoppers that there is no need to bulk-buy products as new lockdown restrictions come into force.\n\nAsda asked its customers to \"continue to shop considerately and not buy more than they normally would.\"\n\nThere was a surge in online grocery shopping after new lockdown restrictions were announced on Monday, but demand has since dropped back.\n\nStores said they have good availability and have increased delivery slots.\n\nTesco and Sainsbury's have doubled the number of delivery slots since March.\n\nWhen fresh lockdown restrictions were announced on Monday there was a rush online by supermarket shoppers to book delivery slots.\n\nThat surge has since calmed down, but big supermarkets were keen on Wednesday to reassure customers that there is no need to bulk-buy, as stores would like to avoid a repeat of the panic-buying that was triggered by the first lockdown.\n\nAsda said it \"currently has strong product availability across its stores and depots and its colleagues are working around the clock to keep the shelves stocked.\"\n\nSainsbury's said it had \"good availability and encourage customers to shop as normal. We aren't currently restricting products.\"\n\nTesco has had buying limits on various products since the first lockdown, and most recently limited items including eggs, rice, soap and toilet roll after freight delays in December as ports got snarled up.\n\nTesco said on Wednesday that it had \"good availability in stores and online, with plenty of stock to go round, and we would encourage our customers to shop as normal.\"\n\nDuring the first lockdown supermarkets saw a huge spike in demand for online shopping as people tried to avoid mixing in shops.\n\nThe big chains have all increased their capacity to deliver food.\n\nTesco, the biggest UK supermarket chain, has more than doubled the number of online delivery slots available since the start of the crisis, and now has 1.5 million slots per week.\n\nNot all of these get used across the UK at present, so Tesco has no plans at the moment for further slots.\n\nSainsbury's, the second biggest, has also more than doubled the number of its online delivery slots since March, and can meet more than 800,000 orders per week.\n\nAsda, the third biggest chain, has upped the number of available weekly slots by 90% since March to 850,000, and by the start of April it's planning to offer 900,000 slots per week.\n\nMorrison's, the fourth largest UK supermarket chain, said it had increased its online operation fivefold since March.\n\nAsda said on Wednesday that it was also doubling the size of its partnership with Uber Eats. From February Asda will offer a 30-minute delivery service from 200 stores.\n\nAsda is also stepping-up Covid safety measures, including doubling safety marshal hours, more sanitation stations, increasing cleaning, and \"adding a protective antimicrobial coating to customer 'touch points' in stores such as fridge and freezer handles, checkout areas, plus all trolley and basket handles\".\n\nThe chain also has a virtual queueing app called \"Quidini\" whereby customers can sit in their car to wait for a slot in a store if it is busy.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The twins' father says what they have achieved is a 'herculean achievement'\n\nConjoined twins who were expected to die within days when they were born are nearly four years later said to be settling in at their Cardiff school.\n\nMarieme and Ndeye Ndiaye were brought to the UK from Senegal in 2017 by their father Ibrahima for treatment at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.\n\nThe girls, now four, are learning to stand and their father said their progress was \"a Herculean achievement\".\n\nTheir head teacher said the girls had made friends and were \"laughing a lot\".\n\nThe girls, who have separate hearts and spines but share a liver, bladder and digestive system, have conditions which put them at higher risk of complications from Covid.\n\nHowever, Mr Ndiaye said he had wanted them to start school for their development.\n\n\"When you look in the rear view mirror, it was an unachievable dream,\" he said.\n\n\"From now, everything ahead will be a bonus to me. My heart and soul is shouting out loud, 'Come on! Go on girls! Surprise me more!'.\"\n\nMr Ndiaye brought the girls to the UK through funding from a charitable foundation run by Senegal's first lady Marieme Faye Sall, before he sought asylum.\n\nIn March 2018, the family were moved by the Home Office to Cardiff as asylum seekers can be moved anywhere in the UK and they now have discretionary leave to remain.\n\nIn 2019, Great Ormond Street surgeons considered attempting separation but it was something Mr Ndiaye did not want because of the risks involved.\n\nThe girls have such complex circulatory systems medics now believe they would not survive being separated\n\nSince then, doctors have found the girls' circulatory systems to be more closely linked than previously thought and neither would survive without the other, making separation now impossible.\n\nThe girls' head teacher Helen Borley said they were learning well since starting reception in September and had made new friends.\n\nShe said: \"Children either say, 'I'm Marieme's friend' or 'I'm Ndeye's friend' - they don't say, 'I'm the twins' friend'. Children very much identify as being one person's friend or another - because the girls are very different characters.\n\n\"They are laughing a lot - which is always a good sign, isn't it? Any child that is laughing a lot is a happy child.\"\n\nMarieme receives oxygen from Ndeye's stronger heart and food via their linked stomachs\n\nFor the twins, school needs to fit around hospital visits.\n\nIn October, the girls needed surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital.\n\nDr Gillian Body, a paediatric consultant at the Children's Hospital for Wales in Cardiff, said the procedure was important, despite the risks.\n\nShe said: \"The girls have complex anatomies and that makes them prone to infections and potentially sepsis.\n\n\"One of the challenges we had was getting antibiotics into them quickly, and this tube or cannula they've had fitted, means we can get them into them more quickly with less distress to the girls.\"\n\nThe girls have been experiencing the feeling of standing, at children's hospice Ty Hafan\n\nShe said Marieme's heart was complex with lots of abnormalities that cause her problems with doing exercise and can lead to breathlessness.\n\nAt children's' hospice Ty Hafan in Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, the girls have been learning what it feels like to stand.\n\nA special frame gives them the experience of being upright, helping build strength in their legs.\n\nPhysiotherapist Sara Wade-West said it had been hard for them.\n\n\"It's a really different sensation when you're used to being sat down, to be upright can be scary,\" she said.\n\n\"To start with, particularly Ndeye wasn't very keen. We try and sneak the therapy in around the play, encouraging them to reach for toys to make them work a bit harder, but if they know it's therapy it's not so fun.\n\n\"Because of their cardiac function we can't push them too much so it's finding that balance - challenging them to get stronger but not exhausting them.\"\n\nThe twins' father Ibrahima Ndiaye said they were his \"warriors\"\n\nWatching his daughters stand is more than just a breakthrough for their father.\n\n\"They are showing that they don't only want to live, but be active and play their part in society,\" he said.\n\n\"All these achievements bring light and hopes for the future. But I know how fragile, complex and unpredictable their lives can be.\"\n\nMr Ndiaye said his hopes were \"parallel to my fears\" as the girls had \"so many times come close to the worst\".\n\n\"But the very least I can do for the girls is figure out my hopes for them,\" he said.\n\n\"The most I can do is to be beside them and live inside that hope and never allow anything to take that hope away.\n\n\"They are my warriors. They have proved they will never surrender without fighting. It is not yet over.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A BBC team came across roadblocks as they tried to report on research into viruses that bats carry\n\nA Chinese scientist at the centre of unsubstantiated claims that the coronavirus leaked from her laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan has told the BBC she is open to \"any kind of visit\" to rule it out.\n\nThe surprise statement from Prof Shi Zhengli comes as a World Health Organization team prepares to travel to Wuhan next month to begin its investigation into the origins of Covid-19.\n\nThe remote district of Tongguan, in China's south-western province of Yunnan, is hard to reach at the best of times. But when a BBC team tried to visit recently, it was impossible.\n\nPlain-clothes police officers and other officials in unmarked cars followed us for miles along the narrow, bumpy roads, stopping when we did, backtracking with us when we were forced to turn around.\n\nWe found obstacles in our way, including a \"broken-down\" lorry, which locals confirmed had been placed across the road a few minutes before we arrived.\n\nAnd we ran into checkpoints at which unidentified men told us their job was to keep us out.\n\nAt first sight, all of this might seem like a disproportionate effort given our intended destination, a nondescript, abandoned copper mine in which, back in 2012, six workers succumbed to a mystery illness that eventually claimed the lives of three of them.\n\nBut their tragedy, which would otherwise almost certainly have been largely forgotten, has been given new meaning by the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nThose three deaths are now at the centre of a major scientific controversy about the origins of the virus and the question of whether it came from nature, or from a laboratory.\n\nAnd the attempts of Chinese authorities to stop us reaching the site are a sign of how hard they're working to control the narrative.\n\nFor more than a decade, the rolling, jungle-covered hills in Yunnan - and the cave systems within - have been the focus of a giant scientific field study.\n\nChinese virologist Shi Zhengli is seen here inside the laboratory in Wuhan\n\nIt has been led by Prof Shi Zhengli from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).\n\nProf Shi won international acclaim for her discovery that the illness known as Sars, which killed more than 700 people in 2003, was caused by a virus that probably came from a species of bat in a Yunnan cave.\n\nEver since, Prof Shi - often referred to as \"China's Batwoman\" - has been in the vanguard of a project to try to predict and prevent further such outbreaks.\n\nBy trapping bats, taking faecal samples from them, and then carrying those samples back to the lab in Wuhan, 1,600km (1,000 miles) away, the team behind the project has identified hundreds of new bat coronaviruses.\n\nBut the fact that Wuhan is now home to the world's leading coronavirus research facility, as well as the first city to be ravaged by a pandemic outbreak of a deadly new one, has fuelled suspicion that the two things are connected.\n\nI would personally welcome any form of visit, based on an open, transparent, trusting, reliable and reasonable dialogue. But the specific plan is not decided by me.\n\nThe Chinese government, the WIV, and Prof Shi have all angrily dismissed the allegation of a virus leak from the Wuhan lab.\n\nBut with scientists appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) scheduled to visit Wuhan in January for an inquiry into the origin of the pandemic, Prof Shi - who has given few interviews since the pandemic began - answered a number of BBC questions by email.\n\n\"I have communicated with the WHO experts twice,\" she wrote, when asked if an investigation might help rule out a lab leak and end the speculation. \"I have personally and clearly expressed that I would welcome them to visit the WIV,\" she said.\n\nTo a follow-up question about whether that would include a formal investigation with access to the WIV's experimental data and laboratory records, Prof Shi said: \"I would personally welcome any form of visit based on an open, transparent, trusting, reliable and reasonable dialogue. But the specific plan is not decided by me.\"\n\nThe BBC subsequently received a call from the WIV's press office, saying that Prof Shi was speaking in a personal capacity and her answers had not been approved by the WIV.\n\nThe BBC denied a request to send the press office a copy of this article in advance.\n\nDr Peter Daszak: \"I've yet to see any evidence at all of a lab leak or a lab involvement in this outbreak\"\n\nMany scientists believe that by far the most likely scenario is that Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, jumped naturally from bats to humans, possibly via an intermediary species. And despite Prof Shi's offer, for now there appears to be little chance of the WHO inquiry looking into the lab-leak theory.\n\nThe terms of reference for the WHO inquiry make no mention of the theory, and some members of the 10-person team have all but ruled it out.\n\nPeter Daszak, a British zoologist, has been chosen as part of the team because of his leading role in a multimillion dollar, international project to sample wild viruses.\n\nIt has involved close collaboration with Prof Shi Zhengli in her mass sampling of bats in China, and Dr Daszak previously called the lab-leak theory a \"conspiracy theory\" and \"pure baloney\".\n\n\"I've yet to see any evidence at all of a lab leak or a lab involvement in this outbreak,\" he said. \"I have seen substantial evidence that these are naturally occurring phenomena driven by human encroachment into wildlife habitat, which is clearly on display across south-east Asia.\"\n\nAsked about seeking access to the Wuhan lab to rule the lab-leak theory out, he said: \"That's not my job to do that.\n\n\"The WHO negotiated the terms of reference, and they say we're going to follow the evidence, and that's what we've got to do,\" he added.\n\nThe Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was linked to early cases of the new coronavirus\n\nOne focus of the inquiry will be a market in Wuhan which was known to be trading in wildlife and was linked to a number of early cases, though the Chinese authorities appear to have already discounted it as a source of the virus.\n\nDr Daszak said the WHO team would \"look at those clusters of cases, look at the contacts, look at where the animals in the market have come from and see where that takes us\".\n\nThe deaths of the three Tongguan workers following exposure to a mineshaft full of bats raised suspicions that they'd succumbed to a bat coronavirus.\n\nIt was exactly the kind of animal-to-human \"spillover\" that was driving the WIV to sample and test bats in Yunnan.\n\nIt is no surprise then that, following those deaths, the WIV scientists began sampling bats in the Tongguan mineshaft in earnest, making multiple visits over the next three years and detecting 293 coronaviruses.\n\nBut apart from one brief paper, very little was published about the viruses they collected on those trips.\n\nIn January this year, Prof Shi Zhengli became one of the first people in the world to sequence Sars-Cov-2, which was already spreading rapidly through the streets and homes of her city.\n\nShe then compared the long string of letters representing the virus's unique genetic code with the extensive library of other viruses collected and stored over the years.\n\nAnd she discovered that her database contained the closest known relative of Sars-Cov-2.\n\nRaTG13 is a virus whose name has been derived from the bat it was extracted from (Rhinolophus affinis, Ra), the place it was found (Tongguan, TG), and the year it was identified, 2013.\n\nSeven years after it was found in that mineshaft, RaTG13 was about to become one of the most hotly contested scientific subjects of our time.\n\nChina imposed tough restrictions on Wuhan to stop the spread of the virus\n\nThere have been many well-documented cases of viruses leaking from labs. The first Sars virus, for example, leaked twice from the National Institute of Virology in Beijing in 2004, long after the outbreak had been brought under control.\n\nThe practice of genetically manipulating viruses is also not new, allowing scientists to make them more infectious or more deadly, so they can assess the threat and, perhaps, develop treatments or vaccines.\n\nAnd from the moment it was isolated and sequenced, scientists have been struck by the remarkable ability of Sars-Cov-2 to infect humans.\n\nThe possibility that it acquired that ability as a result of manipulation in a laboratory was taken seriously enough for an influential group of international scientists to address it head on.\n\nIn what has become the definitive paper ruling out the possibility of a lab leak, RaTG13 has a starring role.\n\nPublished in March in the magazine Nature Medicine, it suggests that if there had been a leak, Prof Shi Zhengli would have found a much closer match in her database than RaTG13.\n\nWhile RaTG13 is the closest known relative - at 96.2% similarity - it is still too distant to have been manipulated and changed into Sars-Cov-2.\n\nSars-Cov-2, the authors concluded, was likely to have gained its unique efficiency through a long, undetected period of circulation in humans or animals of a natural and milder precursor virus that eventually evolved into the potent, deadly form first detected in Wuhan in 2019.\n\nMedics and scientists in Wuhan battled to control the early stages of the pandemic\n\nWhere though, some scientists are beginning to wonder, are those reservoirs of earlier natural infection?\n\nDr Daniel Lucey is a physician and infectious disease professor at the Georgetown Medical Centre in Washington DC and a veteran of many pandemics - Sars in China, Ebola in Africa, Zika in Brazil.\n\nHe is certain that China has already conducted thorough searches for evidence of precursor viruses in stored human samples in hospitals and in animal populations.\n\n\"They have the capability, they have the resources and they have the motivation, so of course they've done the studies in animals and in humans,\" he said.\n\nFinding the origin of an outbreak was vital, he said, not just for wider scientific understanding, but also to stop it emerging again.\n\n\"We should search until we find it. I think it's findable and I think it's quite possible it's already been found,\" he said. \"But then the question arises, why hasn't it been disclosed?\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid-19: How everyday life has changed in Wuhan\n\nDr Lucey still believes that Sars-Cov-2 is most likely to have a natural origin, but he does not want the alternatives to be so readily ruled out.\n\n\"So here we are, 12, 13 months out since the first recognised case of Covid-19 and we haven't found the animal source,\" he said. \"So, to me, it's all the more reason to investigate alternative explanations.\"\n\nMight a Chinese laboratory have had a virus they were working on that was genetically closer to Sars-Cov-2, and would they tell us now if they did? \"Not everything that's done is published,\" Dr Lucey said.\n\nIt's a point I put to Peter Daszak, the member of the WHO origins study team.\n\n\"You know, I've worked with the WIV for a good decade or more,\" he said. \"I know some of the people there pretty well and I have visited the labs frequently, I've met and had dinner with them over 15 years.\n\n\"I'm working in China with eyes wide open, and I'm racking my brain back in time for the slightest hint of something untoward. And I've never seen that.\"\n\nAsked if those friendships and funding relationships with the WIV presented a conflict of interest with his role on the inquiry, he said: \"We file our papers; it's all there for everyone to see.\"\n\nAnd his collaboration with the WIV, he said, \"makes me one of the people on the planet who knows the most about the origins of these bat coronaviruses in China\".\n\nThe conclusion [of the Kunming Hospital University thesis] is neither based on evidence nor logic. But it’s used by conspiracy theorists to doubt me\n\nChina may have provided only limited data about its hunt for the origin of Sars-Cov-2, but it has begun to promote a theory of its own.\n\nBased on a few inconclusive studies conducted by scientists in Europe that suggest Covid-19 may have been circulating earlier than previously thought, state propaganda is full of stories suggesting the virus didn't start in China at all.\n\nIn the absence of proper data, speculation is only likely to grow, much of it focused on RaTG13 and its origins in a Tongguan mineshaft. Old academic papers have been dug up online that appear to differ from the WIV's statements about the sick mine workers - among them a thesis by a student at the Kunming Hospital University.\n\n\"I've just downloaded the Kunming Hospital University student's masters thesis and read it,\" Prof Shi told the BBC.\n\n\"The narrative doesn't make sense,\" she said. \"The conclusion is neither based on evidence nor logic. But it's used by conspiracy theorists to doubt me. If you were me, what you would do?\"\n\nProf Shi has also faced questions about why the WIV's online public database of viruses was suddenly taken offline.\n\nShe told the BBC that the WIV's website and the staff's work emails and personal emails had been attacked, and the database taken offline for security reasons.\n\n\"All our research results are published in English journals in the form of papers,\" she said. \"Virus sequences are saved in the [US-run] GenBank database too. It's completely transparent. We have nothing to hide.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Can you become immune to coronavirus?\n\nThere are important questions to be asked in the Yunnan countryside, not just by scientists, but by journalists too.\n\nAfter a decade of sampling and experimenting on viruses collected from bats, we now know that back in 2013 the closest known ancestor was discovered of a future threat that would claim well over a million lives and devastate the global economy.\n\nYet the WIV, according to the published information, did nothing with it, except sequence it and enter it into a database.\n\nOught that to call into question the very premise on which the expensive, and some would say risky, mass sampling of wild viruses is based?\n\n\"To say that we didn't do enough is absolutely correct,\" Peter Daszak told the BBC. \"To say that we failed is not fair at all. What we should have been doing is 10 times the amount of work on these viruses.\"\n\nBoth Dr Daszak and Prof Shi are adamant that pandemic prevention research is vital, urgent work.\n\n\"Our research is forward-looking, and it's difficult for non-professionals to understand,\" Prof Shi wrote by email. \"In the face of countless micro-organisms that exist in nature, we humans are very small.\"\n\nThe WHO is promising an \"open-minded\" inquiry into the origins of the novel coronavirus, but the Chinese government is not keen on questions, at least not from journalists.\n\nAfter leaving Tongguan, the BBC team tried to drive a few hours north to the cave where Prof Shi carried out her ground-breaking research on Sars almost a decade ago.\n\nStill being followed by several unmarked cars, we hit another roadblock, and were told there was no way through.\n\nA few hours later, we discovered that local traffic had been diverted onto a dirt track that skirted the obstruction, but as we attempted to use the same route, we met yet another \"broken down\" car in our path.\n\nWe were trapped in a field for over an hour, before finally being forced to head for the airport.", "The low temperature was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch\n\nThe UK has had its coldest night of the winter so far after a temperature of -12.3C was recorded in the north west Highlands.\n\nThe temperature was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch, near Garve, south of Ullapool in Wester Ross.\n\nThe record lowest temperature in the UK is -27.2C, which was recorded in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, in 1895 and 1982.\n\nThe same temperature was recorded at Altnaharra in the Highlands in 1995.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Carol Kirkwood This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe coldest night of the winter so far has come amid days of freezing temperatures in Scotland, and more widely across the UK.\n\nThe Met Office has issued yellow \"be aware warnings\" for snow and ice for Scotland for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.\n\nForecasters said a band of sleet and snow was expected arrive across north west Scotland on Wednesday afternoon and move south east across most parts of Scotland overnight.\n\nThe Met Office said up to 2cm, almost an inch, of snow was likely to settle at low levels \"quite widely\" with up to 6cm (2in) above 200m (656ft) and as much as 10cm (4in) above 300m (984ft).", "Last updated on .From the section Man City\n\nManchester City legend Colin Bell has died, aged 74, after a short illness, the Premier League club have announced.\n\nThe former England midfielder made 501 appearances for City between 1966 and 1979, scoring 153 goals. He won 48 caps for his country.\n\n\"Few players have left such an indelible mark on City,\" said a club statement on Tuesday.\n\nIn 2004, Manchester City fans voted to name one of the stands at Etihad Stadium in Bell's honour.\n\n\"Colin Bell will always be remembered as one of Manchester City's greatest players and the very sad news today of his passing will affect everybody connected to our club,\" said City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.\n\n\"I am fortunate to be able to speak regularly to his former manager and team-mates, and it's clear to me that Colin was a player held in the highest regard by all those who had the privilege of playing alongside him or seeing him play.\n\n\"The passage of time does little to erase the memories of his genius.\"\n• None 'Bell will always be king of Man City' - tributes paid after death of club great\n\nAfter starting his career at Bury, Bell moved to Manchester City - then in the second tier - midway through the 1965-66 season in a £47,500 deal.\n\nHe helped Joe Mercer's team win promotion that season and was instrumental in the Blues winning the First Division title two years later.\n\nDuring his 13 years as a player at Maine Road, he also won the FA Cup, League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup.\n\nHowever, his career was hampered by a serious knee injury he suffered in a League Cup tie against Manchester United in November 1975, when he was 29.\n\nAfter making a comeback later that season, he was injured again against Arsenal and out for another 18 months.\n\nBell regained fitness and received an emotional ovation on his return at Maine Road on 26 December 1977.\n\nHowever, he did not have the same freedom and mobility as he had done and played only a handful more games.\n\nBell finished his career with a brief spell in the United States playing for San Jose Earthquakes.\n\nIn 2004, he was awarded an MBE for his services to football and remained a regular presence at City games in recent seasons.\n\n'De Bruyne reminds me a lot of Colin' - tributes pour in for the 'King of the Kippax'\n\nFormer City team-mate Mike Summerbee, who was part of their 'Holy Trinity' alongside Bell and Francis Lee in the 1960s and 1970s, described Bell as \"just the greatest footballer\" the club has had.\n\n\"Colin was a lovely, humble man. He was a huge star for Manchester City but you would never have known it,\" said ex-forward Summerbee, 78.\n\n\"He was quiet, unassuming and I always believe he never knew how good he actually was.\n\n\"[Current City midfielder] Kevin de Bruyne reminds me a lot of Colin in the way he plays and the way he is as a person.\"\n\nFormer England forward Lee says he thinks the knee injury curtailed Bell's career \"by a good four or five years\".\n\n\"Colin had tremendous stamina. He was a very good player technically and had the ability to score goals,\" said Lee, 76.\n\n\"He goes into the top five City players of all time - only in the last 10, 15 years has anyone else come along who can take that mantle.\"\n\nSummerbee and Lee were among a number of former and current City players to pay tribute to Bell, along with celebrity fans including former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.\n\nBell would \"always have a smile\" and \"meet and greet everyone\" he knew, said former City midfielder Michael Brown.\n\n\"He's done lots of charity work and always tried to help people,\" added Brown, who first met Bell as a youngster having come up through City's academy.\n\n\"It's a huge loss. To have done so much and be so low key was admirable.\"\n\nEx-City defender Micah Richards said Bell was \"one of the nicest men ever\", while their former full-back Pablo Zabaleta added he was \"absolutely devastated\" by the news.\n\nFormer England striker Gary Lineker said Bell was one of his favourite players when he was growing up.\n\n\"Terrific box to box midfielder. A real gem for Manchester City and England,\" added the Match of the Day host.\n\nThe Times' chief football writer Henry Winter said Bell \"oozed class, skill and glamour\" as he was \"flowing across rutted pitches, taking people on, creating and scoring\".", "A polar bear cub playing in a snow drift in the area of the proposed oil lease sales\n\nThe Trump administration is pushing ahead with the first sale of oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.\n\nThe giant Alaskan wilderness is home to many important species, including polar bears, caribou and wolves.\n\nNow, after decades of dispute, the rights to drill for oil on about 5% of the refuge will go ahead.\n\nOpponents have criticised the rushed nature of the sale, coming just days before President Trump's term ends.\n\nCovering some 19 million acres (78,000 sq km) the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is often described as America's last great wilderness.\n\nIt is a critically important location for many species, including polar bears.\n\nIn the winter months, pregnant bears build dens in which to give birth.\n\nAs temperatures have risen and sea ice has become thinner, these bears have started building their dens on land.\n\nMany indigenous groups with strong links to the ANWR have opposed oil exploration\n\nThe coastal plain of the ANWR now has the highest concentration of these dens in the state.\n\nThe refuge is also home to Porcupine caribou, one of the largest herds in the world, numbering around 200,000 animals.\n\nIn the spring, the herd moves to the coastal plain region of the ANWR as it is their preferred calving ground.\n\nThe same coastal plain is now the subject of the first ever oil lease sale in the refuge.\n\nThe push for exploration in the park has been a decades long battle between oil companies supported by the state government and environmental and indigenous opponents.\n\nMany of Alaska's political representatives believe that drilling in the refuge could lead to another major oil find, like the one in Prudhoe Bay, just west of the ANWR.\n\nPrudhoe Bay is the largest oil field in North America and supporters believe the ANWR shares the same geology, and potential reserves of crude oil.\n\nOil revenues are critical for Alaska, with every resident getting a cheque for around $1,600 every year from the state's permanent fund.\n\nIn 2017, the Trump administration's tax cutting bill contained a provision to open up the ANWR coastal plain for drilling. It was seen as a way of offsetting the costs of the tax cuts.\n\nThe US Bureau of Land Management is now selling the drilling rights to 22 tracts of land covering about one million acres. These oil and gas leases last for 10 years.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Bernadette Demientieff This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA last-minute attempt to stop the sale in the courts failed but opponents say it will not be the end of their efforts to protect the refuge from drilling.\n\n\"The Trump administration is barrelling forward without doing the careful, legally required analyses of the impacts such activity will have on the environment or the Gwich'in people who have relied on this land for millennia,\" said Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, which is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, who had sought an injunction against the sale.\n\n\"That's why we've taken them to court. We can't let Trump turn this amazing landscape into an oil field.\"\n\nReports indicate that interest in the lease sales has been low.\n\nThinning ice has seen more polar bears make their dens on land\n\nWhile estimates suggest around 11 billion barrels of oil lie under the refuge, it has no roads or other infrastructure, making it a very expensive place to drill for oil.\n\nSeveral large US banks have said they will not fund oil and gas exploration in the area.\n\nThere is also the matter of a change of leadership in the White House. The Biden team have nominated Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior. She is on record as being strongly opposed to drilling in the ANWR.\n\nWith climate change set to be a central focus for the Biden administration, it's likely that efforts to extract new fossil fuels in Alaska will be subject to review and delay.\n\nThis could ultimately limit the interest and opportunity for oil exploration in the refuge.\n\nYou might also be interested in:\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Climate change: The woman watching the ice melt from under her feet", "Stephen Stennett had a head on collision with a van on the B9157 near Kirkcaldy in Fife\n\nA driver who caused a crash in Fife that led to his passenger losing her baby has admitted causing death by dangerous driving.\n\nStephen Stennett, 23, had a head-on collision with a van on the B9157 near Kirkcaldy on 3 October 2018.\n\nThe High Court in Glasgow heard he had attempted a \"dangerous\" overtaking manoeuvre.\n\nJudge Lady Stacey deferred sentence until next month for background reports.\n\nPassenger, Shannon Myers, 18, who was 30 weeks pregnant, had to have an emergency caesarean section due to her injuries in the crash.\n\nHowever, her son Luke Myers died 32 minutes later.\n\nProsecutor Murdoch McTaggart said: \"The accused pulled out and drove into the path of an oncoming van.\n\n\"The accused's vehicle ended up in a ditch on the side of the road.\"\n\nMs Myers, who was in the front passenger seat, complained about pain in her abdomen and was taken to hospital.\n\nA scan showed the baby had a heartbeat of 60 beats per minute.\n\nMr McTaggart said this was regarded as low and gave cause for concern, prompting doctors to perform an emergency C-section.\n\nLuke's cause of death was recorded as \"complications of traumatic abruption due to road traffic collision\".\n\nPathologists said the baby had red marks on his face as well as fractures to his collarbone and four ribs.\n\nA 15-year-old girl, who was also a passenger in the car, sustained a fractured spine, collarbone and sternum.\n\nA fourth passenger, a boy also aged 15, suffered a fractured spine and eye bone as well as a minor head injury.\n\nVan driver Ian Baker, his wife Clara and their 10-year-old daughter had minor injuries.\n\nThe baby's mother paid tribute to Luke on Facebook shortly after his death.\n\nShe said: \"I love you so much my handsome little boy.\"\n\nThe judge Lady Stacey said: \"You will understand you pleaded guilty to a serious crime which had tragic results.\n\n\"When a life is lost, the court will almost always impose a period of imprisonment.\"\n\nStennett said: \"I'm sorry\" before being bailed.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Former Bond actress and Charlie's Angel Tanya Roberts has died in hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 65.\n\nRoberts appeared with Sir Roger Moore in his final Bond film, 1985's A View To A Kill, and had a recurring role in That '70s Show.\n\nShe also starred in the final series of Charlie's Angels on TV in 1980.\n\nHer death was prematurely announced on Monday, only for doctors to say she was still alive. However, her death was then confirmed on Tuesday.\n\nRoberts had collapsed while walking her dogs on 24 December and was admitted to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre.\n\nHer partner Lance O'Brien mistakenly thought she had died on Sunday after visiting her in hospital. After getting a call from doctors to say she was deteriorating quickly, he went to her bedside, her eyes closed and she \"faded\", TMZ reported.\n\nDevastated, he walked out of the room and then the hospital without speaking to medical staff before informing Roberts' agent that he had \"just said goodbye to Tanya\".\n\nBut while being interviewed for US TV show Inside Edition on Monday, Mr O'Brien got a call from the hospital to say she was alive.\n\nThe moment was captured on film, as he picked up his phone and said: \"Now you're telling me she's alive? Thank the Lord.\" However, she died on Monday night.\n\nShe appeared in A View To A Kill alongside Sir Roger Moore and singer Grace Jones\n\nBorn Victoria Leigh Blum in 1955, Roberts grew up in New York before moving to Hollywood in 1977.\n\nHer big break came when she replaced Shelly Hack in Charlie's Angels, joining Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd as third 'Angel' Julie.\n\nAfter the show's cancellation, she appeared in such fantasy adventure films as The Beastmaster and Hearts and Armour.\n\nShe also played comic book heroine Sheena in a 1984 film that saw her nominated for a Golden Raspberry award for worst actress.\n\nRoberts received another Razzie nomination for her role as geologist Stacey Sutton in 1985 Bond film A View to a Kill.\n\nRoberts in the title role in Sheena: Queen of the Jungle\n\nShe admitted being \"a little cautious\" about taking the role, but said it would have been \"ridiculous\" to have turned it down.\n\nRoberts' subsequent films included Night Eyes and Inner Sanctum, erotic thrillers that did little to advance her career.\n\nShe went on to play Midge Pinciotti in more than 80 episodes of That '70s Show between 1998 and 2004.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Julian Assange will remain in jail as he continues to fight against extradition to the United States.\n\nDistrict Judge Vanessa Baraitser said there were substantial grounds to believe he would abscond.\n\nOn Monday, she ruled the Wikileaks founder cannot be extradited to the US because he might kill himself.\n\nThe US is now appealing that decision - and had opposed releasing the 49-year-old from a maximum security prison before the case is heard.\n\nMr Assange, who was wearing a dark suit and face mask, was not seen to react to the decision at Westminster Magistrates Court.\n\nHe's been held in prison since 2019, after hiding for seven years inside the Ecuadorian Embassy to avoid extradition.\n\nUS prosecutors want to put him on trial for hacking and disclosing classified information - including the identities of informants who were helping intelligence agencies in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.\n\nIn her ruling, DJ Baraitser said Mr Assange still had the incentive to abscond.\n\n\"He is willing to flout the order of this court,\" she said. \"As a matter of fairness, the US must be allowed to challenge my decision and if Mr Assange absconds during this process they will lose the opportunity to do so.\"\n\nDuring the bail application, Mr Assange's barrister Ed Fitzgerald QC said his client had been offered a London home by a supporter, where he could be with his partner and their two young children - but also compelled to remain under the strictest bail conditions.\n\n\"Your decision [on Monday] changes everything and it certainly changes any motive to abscond,\" said Mr Fitzgerald.\n\n\"On any view... [Mr Assange] would be safer isolating with his family in the community, subject to severe restrictions, than if he were in Belmarsh which has, very recently, had a severe outbreak...(of coronavirus). He wishes to live a sheltered life with his family.\"\n\nBut Clair Dobbin, for the USA, told the court Mr Assange had the \"resources, abilities and the sheer wherewithal\" to secretly arrange a flight to another country.\n\n\"[Mr Assange] regards himself as above the law and no cost is too great, whether that cost be to himself or others,\" said the barrister.\n\nJulian Assange's partner, Stella Moris, was among a large group of his supporters who had gathered at court.\n\n\"This a huge disappointment,\" she said. \"Julian should not be in Belmarsh prison in the first place. I urge the [US] Department of Justice to drop the charges and the President of the United States to pardon Julian.\"\n\nDistrict Judge Baraitser blocked Julian Assange's extradition on Monday, ruling that that while he had a case to answer, he was so mentally unwell that the US authorities could not guarantee he would not kill himself once inside a maximum security prison in the country.\n\nThe USA's appeal against that ruling - which will go to more senior judges later this year - will challenge that finding.", "McDonald's is pausing walk-in takeaway services in the UK as new lockdown restrictions come into force.\n\nDine-in meals and walk-in takeaways will not be available temporarily while it reviews safety procedures, it said.\n\nIts UK boss said it will be testing \"additional measures that may further enhance the safety of our takeaway service.\"\n\nRival food chains Burger King, Subway, KFC and Pret A Manger are still offering takeaways in-store.\n\nMcDonald's UK and Ireland chief executive Paul Pomroy said that safety measures across the firm's 1,300 restaurants will be reviewed by an independent health and safety body.\n\nHe added that customers would be kept updated via the restaurant's app and its website. Drive-through and delivery services across the fast food chain will remain open.\n\nUnder new lockdown restrictions which came into force in England and Scotland this week, hospitality firms are allowed to offer takeaways and deliveries.\n\nBut rules which previously allowed takeaways or click-and-collect services for alcoholic drinks have been scrapped.\n\nWales and Northern Ireland were already in lockdown, which meant that pubs, restaurants and cafes were restricted to takeaway-only too.\n\nAfter the first nationwide lockdown in March, many chains including McDonald's, Burger King and Pret closed their doors to hungry customers.\n\nThey gradually reopened with additional safety measures in place, such as plastic screens in front of the tills, hand sanitiser dispensers and restrictions on the number of customers allowed in at any one point. Some also pared back the number of dishes on offer.\n\nA Burger King spokesperson said that takeaway was still available in some branches and that it would continue to offer click-and-collect and delivery services \"in line with guidance issued\".\n\nSandwich chain Pret A Manger told the BBC that it is keeping some outlets open for both takeaways and delivery, but it would keep the number under review in the coming months.\n\n\"Last year we shifted our business to focus on delivery and expanded our delivery platform partnerships, to make Pret available to a wider customer base\", a spokesperson said.\n\n\"Since then, we have seen a significant increase in the use of delivery.\"\n\nSubway and KFC also confirmed that they remain open for in-store takeaways, deliveries and click-and-collect orders across the UK.\n\nFast food firm Leon, which has 65 outlets, said that 28 of their sites will remain open for takeaways and deliveries.\n\n\"We will continue to keep as many restaurants open as possible, as we did in the previous two lockdowns in line with government guidelines,\" a spokesperson said.\n\nDespite adapting their business models, many casual dining chains have been forced to make job cuts in the last year as lockdown restrictions hit sales. Pret, for example, announced 3,000 job cuts in August, while Greggs made 820 job cuts at the end of 2020.", "There are warnings that replacement grades must avoid the problems that saw protests and U-turns last summer\n\nHead teachers have warned a replacement system for cancelled exams in England must avoid the \"shambles\" of last year's results.\n\nEducation Secretary Gavin Williamson is to make a statement on \"alternative arrangements\" for GCSE and A-level exams cancelled in the pandemic.\n\nThis could include using teachers' estimated grades.\n\nA replacement system must not \"inflict further disadvantage on students\", says the exams watchdog Ofqual.\n\nGeoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, said there were \"no easy answers\" in picking an approach - but it had to avoid repeating the \"disaster\" of last summer's cancelled exam season.\n\nHe said there was a \"real need for urgency\" to allow schools time to plan - and that any system for grading had to show \"fairness and consistency\".\n\nWritten papers for GCSEs and A-levels are not going ahead - after this week's decision that it was no longer feasible with so much time lost in the Covid pandemic and the latest lockdown.\n\nMr Williamson will instruct the exams watchdog to come up with proposals for an alternative way of deciding results, which could be used for jobs, staying on in school or university places.\n\nLast year's attempts to find an alternative approach to exam results, which initially used an algorithm, descended into chaos - and eventually switched to using teachers' grades.\n\nAnd without any exam papers or standardised mock exams, the use of teachers' grades, with some process of moderation, is likely to be a key option once again.\n\nVocational exams, such as BTecs, are carrying on, if schools and colleges decide to continue with them.\n\nBut if students cannot take BTec exams this month as planned, they will be able to take them at a later date or otherwise still be awarded a grade, if they have \"enough evidence to receive a certificate that they need for progression\", says the awarding body Pearson.\n\nAn Ofqual spokeswoman said they could consider options for replacement exam results, academic and vocational, \"to ensure the fairest possible outcome in the circumstances\".\n\nAlthough the process is only formally beginning, with a consultation likely on proposals, it is understood that contingency planning had already started to find a back-up if exams were cancelled.\n\nThe exams watchdog's decisions will face much scrutiny - with the previous head of Ofqual resigning after last summer's U-turns over grades.\n\n\"We are discussing alternative arrangements with the Department for Education. We know that many are seeking clarity as soon as possible,\" said Simon Lebus, Ofqual's interim chief regulator.", "Supporters of US President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday\n\nWorld leaders have condemned violent scenes in Washington after supporters of US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday.\n\nThe riot forced the suspension of a joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden's electoral victory.\n\nMany leaders called for peace and an orderly transition of power, describing what happened as \"horrifying\" and an \"attack on democracy\".\n\n\"The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power,\" he wrote on Twitter.\n\nOther UK politicians joined him in criticising the violence, with opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer calling it a \"direct attack on democracy\".\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel told the BBC that Mr Trump's comments \"directly led\" to his supporters storming Congress and clashing with police.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Home Secretary Priti Patel says Donald Trump was wrong for not condemning the violence\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that the scenes from the US Capitol were \"utterly horrifying\".\n\nIn Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said those who stormed the US legislature were \"attackers and rioters\" and that she felt \"angry and also sad\" after seeing pictures from the scene.\n\nShe told a meeting of German conservatives: \"I regret very much that President Trump has still not admitted defeat, but has kept raising doubts about the elections.\"\n\nChina meanwhile attempted to draw comparisons between the rioters who entered Congress to try and subvert the US election result and pro-democracy protesters who stormed Hong Kong's Legislative Council last year.\n\nForeign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying claimed events in Hong Kong were more \"severe\" than those in Washington but \"not one demonstrator died\".\n\nThe comparisons between the two incidents has caused outrage among Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists and their supporters.\n\nRussia blamed the \"archaic\" US electoral system and the politicisation of the media for Wednesday's unrest in Washington.\n\n\"The electoral system in the United States is archaic, it does not meet modern democratic standards, creating opportunities for numerous violations, and the American media have become an instrument of political struggle,\" foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.\n\nElsewhere in Europe, a chorus of leaders condemned the scenes in Washington as an attack on democracy.\n\nSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said: \"I have trust in the strength of US democracy. The new presidency of Joe Biden will overcome this tense stage, uniting the American people.\"\n\nIn a video on Twitter, French President Emmanuel Macron said: \"When, in one of the world's oldest democracies, supporters of an outgoing president take up arms to challenge the legitimate results of an election, a universal idea - that of 'one person, one vote' - is undermined.\n\n\"What happened today in Washington DC is not American, definitely. We believe in the strength of our democracies. We believe in the strength of American democracy\" he added.\n\nSwedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven described the incident as \"worrying\" and said it was \"an assault on democracy\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by SwedishPM This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTop EU leaders have also made their views known. European Council President Charles Michel said he trusted the US \"to ensure a peaceful transfer of power\" to Mr Biden, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she looked forward to working with the Democrat, who \"won the election\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Charles Michel This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nLike many other global figures, the Secretary-General of the Nato military alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said that the outcome of the election \"must be respected\".\n\nFor his part, UN Secretary-General António Guterres was \"saddened\" by the events at the US Capitol, his spokesman said.\n\nThe events also shocked America's close ally and neighbour to its north. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadians were \"deeply disturbed and saddened by the attack on democracy\".\n\n\"Violence will never succeed in overruling the will of the people. Democracy in the US must be upheld - and it will be,\" he wrote on Twitter.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. When a mob stormed the US capitol\n\nFrom New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, tweeted that \"democracy - the right of people to exercise a vote, have their voice heard and then have that decision upheld peacefully - should never be undone by a mob\".\n\nMeanwhile Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia - another close US ally - condemned the \"distressing scenes\" and said he looked forward to a peaceful transfer of power.\n\nIn India, the world's largest democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi - who has enjoyed a good relationship with President Trump - said he was \"distressed to see news about rioting and violence\" in Washington.\n\n\"Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue,\" he tweeted.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Narendra Modi This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTurkey, an ally through Nato, said it invited \"all parties\" to show \"restraint and common sense\".\n\nThe Venezuelan government, which the US does not recognise as legitimate, said \"with this regrettable episode, the United States suffers the same thing that it has generated in other countries with its policies of aggression\".\n\nIn statements on Twitter, Argentina's President Alberto Fernández and Chile's President Sebastián Piñera also condemned the scenes in Washington. Mr Piñera said Chile \"trusts in the solidity of US democracy to guarantee the rule of law\".\n\nIn Japan, one of America's closest allies and partners, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the government hoped for a \"peaceful transfer of power\" in the United States.\n\nFrom Fiji, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who led a coup in 2006, also expressed outrage at the events that took place.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Frank Bainimarama This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAnd in Singapore, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said he had watched as the \"shocking\" scenes took place, adding: \"Its a sad day.\"", "YouTube has reinstated TalkRadio's channel on its platform hours after saying it had been \"terminated\" for breaking the tech firm's rules.\n\nIt said the broadcaster had posted material that contradicted expert advice about the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nBut it explained its U-turn saying it sometimes made exceptions to guidelines that state repeat offenders face a permanent ban.\n\nTalkRadio said it had yet to be given a full explanation for the affair.\n\nThe decision to ban TalkRadio had appalled digital rights campaigners, with one group - Big Brother Watch - claiming it was evidence that \"big tech censorship is spiralling out of control\".\n\nThe Google-owned service has issued a brief statement explaining its actions.\n\n\"TalkRadio's YouTube channel was briefly suspended, but upon further review, has now been reinstated,\" it said.\n\n\"We quickly remove flagged content that violate our community guidelines, including Covid-19 content that explicitly contradict expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization. We make exceptions for material posted with an educational, documentary, scientific or artistic purpose, as was deemed in this case.\"\n\nYouTube has not published details of the offending posts.\n\nBut independent fact-checkers have repeatedly challenged some of the claims made by interviewees featured by the London-based radio station.\n\nYouTube operates a \"three strikes\" policy, whereby channels that break its community guidelines three times within a 90-day period can be permanently banned, but other infractions lead to temporary restrictions.\n\nProhibited content includes \"medically unsubstantiated claims\" relating to Covid-19, and videos that contradict expert consensus from local health authorities such as the NHS.\n\n\"YouTube is making decisions about which opinions the public are allowed to hear, even when they are sourced to responsible and regulated new providers,\" TalkRadio said in a statement this evening.\n\n\"This sets a dangerous precedent and is censorship of free speech and legitimate national debate.\"\n\nThe broadcaster tweeted the statement minutes after YouTube's change of heart. It did not appear to be aware that its channel had been reinstated at the time, but has since acknowledged the move.\n\nTalkRadio has about 424,000 listeners, according to the latest figures from market research provider Rajar.\n\nIt uses YouTube as a means to livestream shows from its studios and to provide an archive of past broadcasts.\n\nIts channel on the platform has 242,000 subscribers.\n\nYouTube's action had meant that TalkRadio's website had featured articles featuring broken embedded clips for most of the day, and that users who had shared its clips would have been unable to view them.\n\nThe US firm has previously imposed a permanent ban against conspiracy theorist David Icke, and a one-week video suspension of right-wing outlet One America News Network's ability to publish new clips - in both cases for breaches of its Covid rules.\n\nIt's pretty clear something has gone wrong at YouTube in the last 24 hours.\n\nIt appeared as though TalkRadio had been banned for good on YouTube - or \"terminated\" as the company put it.\n\nYouTube is now saying it was a short suspension, which certainly seems like a backtrack.\n\nEven now, it's not obvious what the offending material was that caused this action. The whole process reinforces the idea that YouTube's moderation policies - where it draws the line between freedom of expression and clamping down on misinformation - can be messy and inconsistent.\n\nAnd when YouTube takes such an action without giving full details, it rains controversy down on its own head.\n\nThis plays to a broader movement by YouTube and other social media companies to take a harder line on disinformation.\n\nJoe Biden is about to become US President - and he wants social media companies to do more to remove fake news.\n\nBut as they are increasingly finding out, refereeing their own platforms can be hugely difficult, and this highlights the need for greater transparency about moderation decisions.", "Helen Mort was told no action could be taken over the deepfake porn images\n\nA woman who has been the victim of deepfake pornography is calling for a change in the law.\n\nLast year, Helen Mort discovered that non-sexual images of her had been uploaded to a porn website.\n\nUsers of the site were invited to edit the photos, merging Helen's face with explicit and violent sexual images.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Mobeen Azhar, Helen said she wanted to see the creation and distribution of these images made an offence.\n\n\"This is a crime which in many cases is going on invisibly,\" Helen said. \"Those images of me had been out there for years and I didn't know about them, and I'm still having nightmares about some of them now. It's an incredibly serious form of abuse.\"\n\nDeepfakes are realistic computer-generated images or video, based on a real person.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Actress Bella Thorne opens up about her experience of deepfake abuse\n\nHelen, a poet and writer from Sheffield, was alerted to the deepfake images by an acquaintance.\n\nThe original images were taken from her social media and included holiday pictures and photos from her pregnancy.\n\nShe said although some of the images were clearly manipulated, there were a few more \"chilling\" examples that were a \"lot more plausible'.\n\n\"You go through different phases with things like this,\" she said. \"There was one point where I was just trying to laugh about the almost ridiculous nature of some of it.\n\n\"But obviously, the underlying feeling was shock and actually I initially felt quite ashamed, as if I'd done something wrong. That was quite a difficult thing to overcome. And then for a while I got incredibly anxious about even leaving the house.\"\n\nShe alerted the police to the images but was told that no action could be taken.\n\nDr Aislinn O'Connell, a lecturer in law at Royal Holloway University of London, explained that Helen's case fell outside the current law.\n\n\"In England and Wales, under section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015, it is an offence to non-consensually distribute a private sexual photograph or film with the intent to cause distress to the person depicted,\" she said.\n\n\"But this only applies where the original photo or video was private and sexual.\n\n\"In Helen's situation, where non-sexual photos were merged with sexual photos, this isn't covered by the criminal offence.\n\n\"Furthermore, as the photos were not shared with Helen directly, nor did the intention seem to be to cause distress to Helen, the second element is not fulfilled - even though it did, evidently, cause distress. The other potential criminal offence would be harassment, but given the perpetrator here did not direct it at Helen herself, this didn't apply either.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Deepfake videos: Can you really believe what you see?\n\nThe independent Law Commission is currently reviewing the law as it applies to taking, making and sharing intimate images without consent. The outcome of the consultation is due to be published later this year.\n\nHowever, Dr O'Connell said the process of changing the law would take years which she says is \"too long\".\n\nHelen hopes to use her experience to raise awareness around deepfake pornography and has launched a petition calling for a change in the law.\n\nIt has received more than 3,400 signatures.\n\nShe has also written a poem in response to the images.\n\n\"I'm a writer by trade,\" she said. \"And I thought the only thing that is going to allow me to reclaim any sense of agency here is to say something about it using my art form. That's the only power that I have.\n\n\"The intention of this person, as they said in their post, was to humiliate. They said they wanted to see this person humiliated, and I thought well actually I'm not humiliated, and I'm going to speak out about it because I shouldn't be the one who feels ashamed.\"\n\nThe Home Office said it was taking steps to tackle new and emerging forms of violence against women and girls, including intimate image abuse, \"whether this be cyber flashing, revenge porn or deep fake videos.\"\n\n\"We are currently consulting on the development of our new strategy to tackle violence against women and girls and we encourage people to give their views,\" a spokesperson said.\n\n\"This new strategy will ensure victims and survivors are supported, and that perpetrators are identified and brought to justice.\"", "Vocational exams, including BTEcs, are to go ahead this month in England - despite calls for them to be cancelled alongside GCSEs and A-levels.\n\n\"Schools and colleges can continue with the vocational and technical exams that are due to take place in January, where they judge it right to do so,\" said a Department for Education spokeswoman.\n\nFurther education college leaders had complained this was unfair to students.\n\nThey said students would face \"stress\" from taking exams in the lockdown.\n\nThe Association of Colleges warned the decision, giving schools and colleges the option on whether to carry on with BTecs, would create more confusion.\n\nChief executive David Hughes said some colleges would cancel exams and others would continue - but without any clarity about what would happen to \"students in colleges which do cancel for safety reasons\".\n\n\"A national decision would have allowed for more fairness,\" said Mr Hughes.\n\nThe announcement from the Department for Education has left it open for schools and colleges to decide whether to go ahead with vocational and technical exams.\n\n\"Schools and colleges have already implemented extensive protective measures to make them as safe as possible,\" said the DFE's spokeswoman.\n\nThe Department for Education said it recognised \"this is a difficult time\" but wanted to allow students who had prepared for exams and assessments to continue, including those who needed to take hands-on practical tests for qualifications for jobs.\n\nA joint statement from the mayors of Manchester and Liverpool said it was wrong to go ahead with these vocational exams when other academic exams had been cancelled.\n\n\"It is unfair to ask these students to go into colleges when everyone else is being told to stay at home.\n\n\"This will cause unnecessary anxiety and concern just when they need to be able to focus,\" said the statement from Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram.\n\nThe mayors highlighted that students taking BTecs were more likely to be from \"working-class backgrounds and ethnic minority communities\" and they should not be treated any less well than those following an \"academic route\" in exams.\n\nHow will you be affected by the latest developments? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Travellers to the UK from abroad could soon be required to prove they have had a negative coronavirus test.\n\nThe Department for Transport (DfT) said the measure is one of several being considered to \"prevent the spread of Covid-19 across the UK border\".\n\n\"Additional measures, including testing before departure, will help keep the importation of new cases to an absolute minimum,\" the department added.\n\nIt is thought that haulage drivers coming through ports would be exempt.\n\nHowever, the DfT said full details are still to be agreed and will be set out in \"due course\".\n\nAny such measure would be a devolved issue, so the the DfT would need to agree a path forward with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to make it UK-wide.\n\nA spokesperson said: \"With a new strain of the virus on the loose in South Africa and a more infectious variant already widespread in the UK we need to do more.\"\n\nThe measures were being discussed as Boris Johnson imposed the third national lockdown in England to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed.\n\nThe prime minister has faced some calls to strengthen border protections to prevent the arrival of new cases, particularly of new and concerning strains.\n\nHowever, there was no mention of tougher border controls during his address to the nation on Monday, or press conference on Tuesday.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, Cabinet Office Secretary Michael Gove said announcements will come in the days ahead on \"how we will make sure that our ports and airports are safe\".\n\n\"It is already the case that there are significant restrictions on people coming into this country and of course we're stressing that nobody should be travelling abroad,\" he told ITV.\n\nCurrently, international arrivals from countries that are not exempt under the travel corridor programme have to isolate for 10 days.\n\nBut under the test and release scheme introduced in December, this can be shortened if they have a private test five days after their departure and it comes back negative.\n\nIt is possible lorry drivers could be exempt, but no final decision has been made\n\nDuring the first lockdown, the government argued against introducing border restrictions while the prevalence was so high in the UK, with experts arguing it would do little to bring down infection rates.\n\nA quarantine period, however, was introduced in June after the first peak, when cases were more under control.\n\nEarlier, Home Secretary Priti Patel was accused of leaving the \"nation's doors unlocked\" to new coronavirus variants coming to Britain from overseas.\n\nLabour shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds wrote to Ms Patel calling for an \"urgent review and improvement plan\" as he raised concerns over checks on the arrival of people who are meant to go into quarantine.\n\nHe wrote: \"It is especially worrying given the concerns regarding mutation of the virus that emerged in South Africa, which the health secretary rightly said is 'incredibly worrying'.\n\n\"However, the lack of a robust quarantine system as a result of shortcomings from the government mean that it is virtually impossible to keep a grip on this spread or other variants that may come from overseas, leaving the UK defenceless, and completely exposed, with the nation's doors unlocked to further Covid mutations.\"\n\nThe Home Office defended its \"stringent measures\", and pointed to its move to stop direct flights from South Africa to the UK amid concerns over a new coronavirus variant in high prevalence there.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nEveryone in England must stay at home except for permitted reasons during a new coronavirus lockdown expected to last until mid-February, the PM says.\n\nAll schools and colleges will close to most pupils and switch to remote learning from Tuesday.\n\nBoris Johnson warned the coming weeks would be the \"hardest yet\" amid surging cases and patient numbers.\n\nHe said those in the top four priority groups would be offered a first vaccine dose by the middle of next month.\n\nAll care home residents and their carers, everyone aged 70 and over, all frontline health and social care workers, and the clinically extremely vulnerable will be offered one dose of a vaccine by mid-February.\n\nSchools in Northern Ireland will have an \"extended period of remote learning\", the Stormont Executive said.\n\nSpeaking from Downing Street, Mr Johnson told the public to follow the new lockdown rules immediately, before they become law in the early hours of Wednesday.\n\nAll the new measures in England will then last until at least the middle of February, he said, as a new more infectious variant of the virus spreads across the UK.\n\nThe PM added that he believed the country was entering \"the last phase of the struggle\".\n\nHospitals were under \"more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic\", he said.\n\nAnd he reiterated the slogan used earlier in the pandemic, urging people to immediately \"stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives\".\n\nOn Monday, the UK recorded more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases for the seventh day in a row.\n\nA further 58,784 cases and an additional 407 deaths within 28 days of a positive test result were reported, though deaths in Scotland were not recorded.\n\nAs of 08:00 GMT, there were 26,626 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England, according to the latest figures.\n\nThis is a week-on-week increase of 30%, and a new record high.\n\nThose who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be contacted by letter and should now shield once more, Mr Johnson said.\n\nSupport and childcare bubbles will continue under the new measures - and people can meet one person from another household for outdoor exercise.\n\nCommunal worship and life events like funerals and weddings can continue, subject to limits on attendance.\n\nWhile Mr Johnson said end-of-year exams would not take place as normal in the summer, he said alternative arrangements would be announced separately.\n\nThe government has published a 22-page document outlining the new rules in detail.\n\nThe House of Commons has been recalled to allow MPs to vote on the new restrictions on Wednesday.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his MPs would \"support the package of measures\", saying \"we've all got to pull together now to make this work\".\n\nOnce again it is the threat to the NHS that has forced the hand of ministers.\n\nIn England there has been a 50% rise in the number of patients in hospital with Covid since Christmas day.\n\nTo put that into context, it equates to 18 hospitals being filled.\n\nCurrently around three out of 10 beds are occupied by patients with the disease.\n\nIn some hospitals it is more than six in 10.\n\nBut what is worrying ministers and NHS leaders is that the number is just going to increase.\n\nIn the spring it took nearly three weeks after lockdown for hospital cases to peak.\n\nThe last six days have seen in excess of 50,000 new infections confirmed each day across the UK - a number of these infections are next week's hospital admissions.\n\nIt is why the UK's chief medical officers were warning there was a \"material risk\" of some hospitals being overwhelmed if something did not change.\n\nMr Johnson spoke after UK chief medical officers recommended the Covid threat level be increased to five - its highest level.\n\nLevel five means the NHS may soon be unable to handle a further sustained rise in cases, the medical officers said in a joint statement.\n\nNHS Providers, which represents health service trusts, said hospitals were at a \"critical point\" and that \"immediate and decisive action\" was needed.\n\nAnnouncing tougher measures in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: \"It is no exaggeration to say that I am more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year.\"\n\nFor pupils who returned for their first day of the new term at primary school on Monday, it's turned out to be an extremely short-lived visit.\n\nBoris Johnson's announcement will see primary, secondary and further education colleges closed for at least the next six weeks, except for vulnerable and key workers' children.\n\nIt's a much bigger shift in policy than had been anticipated, even a few days ago.\n\nEven the return date will depend on the progress in tackling the virus.\n\n\"I hope we can steadily move out of lockdown, reopening schools after the February half term,\" said the prime minister.\n\nKeeping schools open was the government's most definite of red lines, a few weeks ago they were threatening councils that wanted to close them - but it's now been overtaken by the spiking lines on the Covid infection charts.\n\nEven after the chaos of last year's replacement grades, GCSEs and A-levels are being cancelled again - with a replacement system still to be decided. Vocational exams are to continue.\n\nFor parents dreading home schooling, there are plans for it to be better supported this time - with more computer devices available and suggestions that Ofsted inspectors will check what schools are offering.\n\nBut there's no escaping that this will feel like another sudden and chaotic change of direction for schools and parents.\n\nMr Johnson's pledge on vaccinations comes after an 82-year-old retired maintenance manager became the first person in the UK to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab\n\nSome 13.9 million people are among the four priority groups who will receive a vaccine dose by about 15 February, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC's Laura Foster explains the order in which the Covid vaccine will be given\n\nHow will you be affected by the latest developments? What questions do you have? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Lockdowns have worked before, but can we expect the new one to do the same?\n\nIt feels like we are back in March or April last year, when the strict controls on all our lives led to a fairly quick decline in levels of coronavirus.\n\nBut one of the crucial differences this time is the new variant, which is thought to spread between 50 and 70% faster than previous forms of the virus.\n\nExperts warn there are now no guarantees that lockdown will be enough to bring the variant under control.\n\n\"It still would not have been easy, but it would have been a much easier situation if it had not been for the new variant,\" Prof Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, told Inside Health.\n\n\"That really pushes the bounds of our ability to control the spread of the virus, even with measures that were previously relatively quite effective.\"\n\nThe coronavirus spreads when we come into contact with each other so moving classrooms online, telling people to stay at home and closing shops breaks many of those opportunities for human contact.\n\nIf we consider the R number - the average number of people each infected person passes the virus on to - it was about 3.0 in the run up to the first lockdown and anything above 1.0 means cases are climbing.\n\nR fell to 0.6 during the first lockdown.\n\nThen every 1,000 infected people passed the virus on to 600 others, who passed it on to 360 others and so on.\n\nBut if the new variant is 50% more transmissible then the R number, in the same lockdown conditions, would be about 0.9.\n\nThen 1,000 infected people would pass the virus onto 900 others, then 810 and so on.\n\nAs you can see this leads to far slower decline.\n\nAnd that assumes lockdown can get R down to 0.9 in areas where the new variant has become the most common form of the virus.\n\nIf, as some studies suggest, the variant is about 70% more transmissible then R may stay above 1.0 and cases may not fall at all.\n\n\"We'd at best flatten the curve, keep numbers at a roughly constant level, and that's frankly why there is so much emphasis on getting vaccine into people's arms as quickly as possible,\" said Prof Ferguson.\n\nIt is hard to lock down even harder as there are some parts of society - hospitals, supermarkets - that need to be kept open.\n\nWhat happens to the number of cases over the coming weeks will be closely monitored. If this lockdown is less effective then we will have to live with it for longer.\n\nThere have been some encouraging signs over the Christmas break, which was a bit like a lockdown due to school holidays and other restrictions.\n\n\"We are in a very difficult situation here, but my initial assessment of the last few days is that the rate is slowing which is good news,\" Prof John Edmunds, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the BBC.\n\nHe added: \"It looks likes those restrictions should be sufficient to stop the increase, whether they will be sufficient to bring cases down sufficiently we are yet to see.\"\n\nEventually the vaccine will give people immunity so we do not need the same controls on our lives.\n\nNow more than ever this is a race between the virus and the vaccine.", "I'm standing in what should be an operating theatre - but instead it's been converted into an intensive care unit for Covid-19 patients on ventilators. This is the first time I have seen it full of patients like this.\n\nNormally this theatre would be busy with major cancer surgery, but that's been transferred to another building.\n\nA children's recovery area, still decorated with colourful stickers of cartoons, is once again filled with desperately sick adults. Every day, more wards are being transformed into ICU - ready for the next influx of patients.\n\nWe have been given access to University College Hospital, in central London. This is the same intensive care unit that I visited in April, during the first peak.\n\nIt is one of the busiest hospitals in the capital and intensive care here is expanding across a hospital that is under pressure like never before, from a relentless rise in Covid admissions.\n\nI am struck by the toll the pandemic is taking on staff. It's immense - both physically and mentally. They are shell-shocked. \"My emotions are all over the place. Scared, sad, petrified, worried,\" one ICU nurse tells me.\n\nThey have got three times as many critically ill patients in the hospital as normal. The number of Covid admissions to London hospitals has doubled in just two weeks - they're more stretched now than at the peak last April. Senior staff are worried.", "Bosses of Britain's biggest companies will earn more in the first three days of this week than the average worker's annual wage, research claims.\n\nBy 17:30 GMT on Wednesday, the pay of FTSE 100 chiefs will have overtaken the £31,461 annual median wage for full time workers, the High Pay Centre says.\n\nBosses' pay was flat last year, while average wages generally rose slightly.\n\nThat meant that FTSE chief executives had to work 34 hours to beat median annual pay, not the 33 hours in 2020.\n\nThe High Pay Centre think-tank based its annual calculations on analysis of disclosures in companies' annual reports, combined with government statistics.\n\nHigh Pay Centre director Luke Hildyard said chief executive pay is about 120 times that of the typical UK worker, up significantly from two decades ago.\n\n\"Estimates suggest it was around 50 times at the turn of the millennium or 20 times in the early 1980s,\" he said.\n\n\"Factors such as the increasing role played by the finance industry in the economy, the outsourcing of low-paid work and the decline of trade union membership have widened the gaps between those at the top and everybody else over recent decades.\"\n\nHe said the figures should raise concern about the governance of Britain's biggest companies. \"They should also prompt debate about the effects that high levels of inequality can have on social cohesion, crime, and public health and wellbeing,\" he said.\n\nMedian FTSE 100 chief executive pay was £3.61m in 2019, the last year for which a full set of data is available, the High Pay Centre said.\n\nThe centre said its analysis was based on chief executives' average working day being 12 hours.\n\nHowever, critics said such analysis just fuels the politics of envy without looking at why chief executives matter and the contribution they make.\n\nDaniel Pryor, head of programmes at the Adam Smith Institute, said: \"Good management is more important than ever in a globalised world and small differences in top talent make a big impact on a business' bottom line.\n\n\"That bottom line makes a big difference to workers across the UK, anyone with a private pension, and shareholders.\"\n\nHe pointed out that there is strong, if morbid, evidence about chief executive deaths that shows why the corporate and investment world believe leadership makes a huge difference to the fortunes of their companies.\n\n\"In the past 60 years, unexpected CEO deaths have consistently affected stock price, profitability, investment and sales growth - for better or worse,\" he said, adding: \"Which is why it makes sense for firms to open their wallets to attract the best talent.\"", "Doctors in Scotland have raised concerns about plans to delay the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.\n\nAll four UK nations will now leave up to 12 weeks between the first and second doses of the jab rather than giving both within 21 days.\n\nDr Lewis Morrison, head of the BMA in Scotland, said members had concerns about the potential impact of leaving such a big gap between the two doses.\n\nBut the UK's chief medical officers have defended the move.\n\nThey said that the first dose of either the Pfizer or the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines - the only two so far approved for use in the UK - will give people substantial protection against the virus within two to three weeks of being administered.\n\nAnd they said that the second dose was \"likely to be very important for duration of protection, and at an appropriate dose interval may further increase vaccine efficacy\".\n\nThe Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises UK health departments and recommended the new strategy, said data showed that one dose of the Pfizer vaccine would be \"90% effective\".\n\nBut the World Health Organization (WHO) has said it would not recommend following the UK's decision to delay giving the second Pfizer dose, saying there was no evidence to support the decision.\n\nPfizer has said it has tested the vaccine's efficacy only when the two doses were given up to 21 days apart.\n\nThe Pfizer vaccine was the first to be approved for use in the UK, with more than a million people having already been given the first dose.\n\nThe change to the vaccination strategy has meant health boards have had to change plans and cancel people booked in for their second doses of the Pfizer jabs.\n\nThis includes medics who are among the priority groups for Covid vaccinations.\n\nDr Lewis Morrison, chairman of the British Medical Association's Scottish Council, raised concerns about the logistical impact of changing the vaccination strategy\n\nDr Morrison told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that some doctors had told him they would have waited for the AstraZeneca jab, which has been proven to work in the longer timetable, if they had known the second Pfizer dose was going to be delayed.\n\nHe said: \"We are concerned because there's clearly disagreement about the effectiveness of the second dose of Pfizer after that period of time.\n\n\"Furthermore I think if you give more people the first dose when you don't know what vaccine supplies are going to be within that 12-week window, that's a worry that has been expressed to me by a lot of doctors.\n\n\"If we give more people the first dose, do we definitely know that the second one is coming?\n\n\"The announcement about this before a four-day NHS holiday weekend left many places with great difficulty in reorganising vaccinations, with a real risk that vaccination numbers might perversely drop because of the organisational issues.\"\n\nOpposition parties want the Scottish government to publish daily figures for how many people have been vaccinated\n\nIt comes as NHS staff were left queueing for hours outside Glasgow Royal Infirmary on Tuesday after an \"scheduling error\" meant vaccination staff did not turn up.\n\nNHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has apologised to those affected and said it was rearranging the appointments.\n\nThe Scottish government has said it aims to have given at least one vaccine dose to everyone over the age of 50 and younger people with underlying health conditions by the start of May.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday that the timetable could be accelerated if there were sufficient supplies of the jab.\n\nThe Scottish government is being pressured to provide daily figures on the number of people being vaccinated, as the UK government has already pledged to do.\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: \"There are now no excuses left for the SNP government to dodge publishing daily vaccination rates alongside the daily infection numbers as soon as possible.\n\n\"The SNP's evasion to try and avoid scrutiny is nothing new but on something so important, the Scottish public must have the same information as will be provided across the UK.\"\n\nHis call was echoed by Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon, who added: \"It is simply unacceptable that scores of NHS staff were left queueing outside in the cold for hours, and well into the evening.\n\n\"It's time for Health Secretary Jeane Freeman to get to grips with the vaccination programme, publish daily figures on the number of vaccinations available and administered, and ensure that our NHS staff do not pay the price of a bungled rollout.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The prime minister says schools will be the first places to reopen\n\nThe end of England's lockdown will not happen with a \"big bang\" but will instead be a \"gradual unwrapping\", Boris Johnson has told MPs.\n\nThe prime minister made the comments in the Commons ahead of a retrospective vote later on the lockdown measures.\n\nHe said the legislation runs until 31 March to allow a \"controlled\" easing of restrictions back into local tiers.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the government's decisions \"have led us to the position we're now in\".\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said there were now 30,074 patients with coronavirus in UK hospitals.\n\nAll of the UK is now under strict virus curbs, with Wales, Northern Ireland and most of Scotland also in lockdown.\n\nIt came as the UK reported a further 1,041 people have died with coronavirus, the highest daily death toll since April.\n\nIn a statement to the Commons, Mr Johnson said the new variant had \"led to more cases than we've seen ever before\" and that this had left the government with \"no choice but to return to national lockdown\".\n\nHe said the legislation ran until the end of March \"not because we expect the full national lockdown to continue until then, but to allow a steady, controlled and evidence-led move down through the tiers on a regional basis\".\n\nHe said this would happen \"brick-by-brick... without risking the hard-won gains that protections have given us\".\n\nBut in response to MPs' questions, he said there was a \"cautious presumption\" that restrictions could start being eased from mid-February.\n\n\"And as was the case last spring, our emergence from the lockdown cocoon will be not a big bang but a gradual unwrapping,\" he added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"We need a plan\", Keir Starmer told MPs while declaring Labour would support new lockdown\n\nUnder the measures, which came into force legally on Wednesday, people in England will only be able to go out for essential reasons, for exercise outdoors only once a day, and outdoor sports venues must close.\n\nPolice have the powers to enforce the new restrictions with a £200 fine for each breach, doubling on every offence up to a maximum of £6,400 - and a £10,000 penalty for mass gatherings.\n\nOfficers in London arrested at least a dozen people in Parliament Square after a protest against the new measures on Wednesday.\n\nThe need to debate and vote on the restrictions means the Commons has been recalled from its Christmas break for the second time - the first being for the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.\n\nWith Sir Keir saying Labour will support the motion, the measures are expected to pass with ease.\n\nThe restrictions will be kept under \"continuous review\", Mr Johnson added, with a statutory requirement to reconsider them every two weeks.\n\nAddressing the closure of schools, the PM said \"we did everything in our power to keep them open as long as possible\" and that was why schools were the \"very last thing to close\".\n\nThey would be the \"very first thing to reopen\" after lockdown - that could be after the February half term - but \"we must be very cautious\" about the timetable, he said.\n\nMeanwhile, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told the Commons that GCSEs, A-level and AS-level exams would be cancelled this year in England, replaced by a form of teacher-assessed grades.\n\n\"This year, we're going to put our trust in teachers, rather than algorithms,\" he said, referencing controversy over the way exam grades were awarded to some students last year.\n\nAll national curriculum tests for primary school children, often known as Sats, are now cancelled, Mr Williamson confirmed.\n\nHe said every school will be expected to provide between three and five hours of virtual teaching each day and that 750,000 laptop and tablet devices will have been distributed by the end of next week.\n\nThe prime minister wasted no time in emphasising the \"fundamental difference\" between this and previous lockdowns.\n\nTo keep opposition from his own MPs at bay he needs to demonstrate that the government's aim to vaccinate the most at-risk groups by mid-February is viable.\n\nHe is also under pressure to give a sense of how quickly restrictions might be lifted after that.\n\nThe course of the pandemic has changed swiftly at times, though, and may do so again, so it's unlikely we'll get any firm new timelines from Boris Johnson today.\n\nMost Conservative backbenchers seem resigned to the need for this new national lockdown and agree the prime minister had \"no choice\" but to act.\n\nBut MPs on all sides are impatient to hear how soon things may start returning to something like life as normal at last.\n\nMr Johnson said unlike in March last year, during the first lockdown, vaccines offered \"the means of our escape\".\n\nBut he said there was now a race to vaccinate vulnerable people quickly, with the government setting a target of immunising the four most vulnerable groups - some 13 million people - by mid-February.\n\n\"After the marathon of last year, we are indeed now in a sprint, a race to vaccinate the vulnerable faster than the virus can reach them,\" Mr Johnson said.\n\n\"Every needle in every arm makes a difference.\"\n\nEarlier, Covid vaccine deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi said he was \"confident\" the government would meet its \"ambitious\" target, adding that community pharmacies would be brought in to assist the vaccination programme.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that new daily vaccination figures for the UK - which will be released for the first time on Monday - will show there has been a \"significant increase\" in the number of people who have received the jab.\n\nOn Tuesday, Mr Johnson said 1.3 million people in the UK had been vaccinated so far.\n\nMr Zahawi also said nursery schools presented \"very little risk\", are Covid-safe and he defended the decision to keep them open during England's lockdown.\n\nResponding to the prime minister's statement, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party will support the new restrictions and urged people to comply with them.\n\n\"The virus is out of control, over a million people in England now have Covid, the number of hospital admissions is rising, tragically so are the numbers of people dying,\" he said.\n\n\"It's only the early days of January and the NHS is under huge strain. In those circumstances, tougher restrictions are necessary.\"\n\nBut he added \"this is not just bad luck, it's not inevitable, it follows a pattern\" of the government being slow to respond.\n\n\"These are the decisions that have led us to the position we're now in - and the vaccine is now the only way out and we must all support the national effort to get it rolled out as quickly as possible.\"\n\nHow have you been affected by Covid? What will lockdown mean for you? Please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police raided an illegal rave in a railway arch attended by 300 people.\n\nPolice have issued more than £15,000 in fines after 300 people attended an illegal rave in a railway arch.\n\nOfficers raided an unlicensed music event in Nursery Road, Hackney, at 01.30 GMT on Sunday.\n\nMany people fled the scene, while organisers padlocked the doors from the inside to stop officers getting in, police said.\n\nNo arrests were reported, but 78 fines of up to £200 for breaching lockdown restrictions were issued.\n\nA dog unit and helicopter were deployed to the scene, with police saying they made numerous attempts to contact the organisers.\n\nOrganisers padlocked the door from the inside to prevent officers getting in, police said\n\nCh Supt Roy Smith said: \"This was a serious and blatant breach of the public health regulations and the law.\n\n\"Officers were forced, yet again, to put their own health at risk to deal with a large group of incredibly selfish people who were tightly packed together in a confined space - providing an ideal opportunity for this deadly virus to spread.\n\n\"Not just organisers, but all those present at such illegal parties can expect to be issued a fine.\"\n\nOfficers surrounded the property as dozens of guests scaled fences at the rear of the arch to escape\n\nThere is an England-wide lockdown in place which prevents any social mixing between households.\n\nUnder these restrictions people are asked to only leave home for limited reasons such as shopping, going to work, seeking medical assistance or avoiding domestic abuse.\n\nThe Met Police has broken up several large gatherings in London over the last month including a 150-person wedding at a north London school.\n\nTwo officers were injured as police broke up a party involving about 200 people in Kensington on 17 January.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Former Brexit Party MEP Robert Rowland was described as a larger than life character\n\nA former Brexit Party MEP has died in a diving accident near his home in the Bahamas.\n\nRobert Rowland, 54, represented the south east of England at the European Parliament from July 2019 until January 2020.\n\nNigel Farage paid tribute to the \"larger than life character\" and \"enthusiastic\" Brexit supporter.\n\nHe announced the death of his former colleague in a statement on Sunday.\n\nThe Royal Bahamas Police Force said it had \"received reports of a drowning incident\" on Saturday and was \"conducting inquires\".\n\nMr Farage said: \"It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of Robert Rowland, after a diving accident near his home in the Bahamas.\n\n\"Following a successful career in the City, Robert was an enthusiastic Brexit Party MEP and larger than life character.\"\n\nHe said he wished to extend his \"sincerest condolences\" to Mr Rowland's family, including his wife and four children.\n\nFormer Brexit Party MEP David Bull said he was \"beyond devastated,\" adding: \"Robert was a wonderful friend and colleague.\"\n• None Farage's Brexit Party officially changes its name\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nicola Sturgeon: 'It's right that I am properly scrutinised'\n\nScotland's first minister has insisted she did not mislead parliament about when she learned harassment allegations had been made against her predecessor Alex Salmond.\n\nNicola Sturgeon said \"false conspiracy theories were being spun\" about her involvement by Mr Salmond's supporters.\n\nA Holyrood inquiry into how the government handled the allegations against Mr Salmond is under way.\n\nShe said she expects to give evidence to the inquiry in the coming weeks.\n\nThe BBC's Andrew Marr asked Ms Sturgeon how she responded to Mr Salmond saying that parliament had been repeatedly misled, and that evidence she gave to the inquiry was \"simply\" and \"manifestly untrue\".\n\nMs Sturgeon replied that she would \"refute that vigorously\".\n\nHer interview came after the inquiry announced it would use legal powers to seek documents from the Crown Office.\n\nIn response to Ms Sturgeon's interview, a spokeswoman for Mr Salmond said: \"The evidence, if published, will speak for itself\".\n\nA committee of MSPs is investigating the government's handling of two harassment claims against the former first minister, after he successfully challenged the complaints process in court.\n\nShe said it was right that she was scrutinised and that she had hoped to appear before the committee on Tuesday but that this had been delayed by \"a couple of weeks\".\n\nAsked if Alex Salmond was \"spinning false conspiracy theories\", Nicola Sturgeon said: \"There are false conspiracy theories being spun about this... by Alex Salmond, by people around him - you can draw your own conclusions around that.\"\n\nShe added: \"What I certainly reflect on is that at times I appear to be simultaneously accused of colluding with Mr Salmond to somehow cover up accusations of sexual harassment on the one hand.\n\n\"And then on the other hand, being part of some dastardly conspiracy to bring him down.\n\n\"Neither of those are true.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon added: \"I didn't collude with Alex Salmond and I didn't conspire against him.\"\n\nThe first minister reiterated that Mr Salmond had told her about the allegations during a meeting at her home on 2 April 2018.\n\nHowever, Mr Salmond has insisted that she already knew about the allegations as she had been told about them four days earlier by one of his aides.\n\nNicola Sturgeon has previously acknowledge that she initially \"forgot\" about this meeting.\n\nIn evidence to the Holyrood inquiry which was published in October, she said: \"From what I recall, the discussion [with Mr Salmond's aide] covered the fact that Alex Salmond wanted to see me urgently about a serious matter, and I think it did cover the suggestion that the matter might relate to allegations of a sexual nature.\"\n\nSpeaking to The Andrew Marr Show, she added: \"I, at the time I became aware of all of this, just tried hard not to interfere with what was going on and not to do anything that would see these swept aside rather than properly investigated.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon conceded that the Scottish government had made mistakes in how it handled the allegations.\n\n\"What I will never do is apologise for doing everything I could to make sure that complaints about sexual harassment were investigated, and not simply swept under the carpet because of the seniority and powerful position of the person who was subject to them,\" she added.\n\nLast March, Mr Salmond was cleared of 13 charges of sexual assault at the High Court in Edinburgh.\n\nA spokeswoman for Mr Salmond said: \"The two inquiries under way are into why Nicola Sturgeon's government acted unlawfully.\n\n\"Alex has submitted his evidence as requested and the parliamentary committee is now challenging the Crown Office to produce some of the text messages which they believe are being suppressed.\n\n\"The evidence, if published, will speak for itself\"", "Asos says it is in \"exclusive\" talks to buy Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands out of administration.\n\nBut the online retailer said it only wanted the brands, not their shops, suggesting any deal would cost jobs.\n\nThe current owner of the brands, Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group, fell into administration last November putting 13,000 jobs at risk.\n\nAsos said it was \"a compelling opportunity\" to buy \"strong brands that resonate well with its customer base\".\n\n\"However, at this stage, there can be no certainty of a transaction and Asos will keep shareholders updated as appropriate,\" it added.\n\nLast week, a consortium including fashion chain Next dropped its bid to buy Topshop and Topman because it could not meet the price tag.\n\nOthers interested in some or all of Arcadia - which also owns Dorothy Perkins and Burton - include Mike Ashley's Frasers Group, a consortium including JD Sports, and the online retailer Boohoo.\n\nIn addition, the Issa brothers, who recently bought supermarket chain Asda, and Chinese fast fashion giant Shein are said to have made bids for Topshop.\n\nAsos has seen strong sales in the pandemic and is already one of the biggest wholesalers for Topshop, Topman, Burton and Miss Selfridge.\n\nAdministrators from Deloitte requested that final bids be submitted last Monday, with the auction expected to conclude at the end of January.\n\nSir Philip Green is under pressure to use his own money to plug an estimated £350m hole in Arcadia's pension fund, which has about 10,000 members.\n\nLast year the retail tycoon had an estimated fortune of £930m, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.\n\nArcadia employed about 13,000 people and had 444 shops at the time of its collapse.", "27 of the 29 miners that died in tragedy\n\nThe Pike River mining disaster was a tragedy that shocked the world. Twenty-nine men who were in the New Zealand coal mine died when it collapsed in a series of explosions. The BBC's Phil Mercer covered the accident 10 years ago and has been talking to families of victims still coming to terms with their loss.\n\nThe day after his 17th birthday, Joseph Ray Dunbar began his first shift underground at the Pike River coal mine in New Zealand.\n\nHe was a \"strong-minded boy\" who wanted to carve his own path in life, but on that day in November 2010 he became the youngest victim of a mining disaster that killed 29 men.\n\nTheir bodies have never been recovered, and a decade later the teenager's father Dean is still looking for answers.\n\n\"In a modern society you don't wipe out 29 men and just walk away,\" he told the BBC. \"Joseph's legacy is righting the wrongs of the past whether it be by government agencies, police or politicians.\"\n\nJoseph Dunbar was the youngest among the victims\n\nIn 2012, a Royal Commission found the miners and contractors were exposed to \"unacceptable risk\" and that \"there were numerous warnings of a potential catastrophe at Pike River,\" but there have been no prosecutions.\n\nThe inquiry concluded the men \"died immediately, or shortly afterwards\" from a methane gas blast or the \"toxic atmosphere\". Two workers did manage to escape the blast and survived.\n\nNews of an accident at the mine in the Paparoa Ranges began to emerge in the middle of the afternoon on Friday, 19 November, 2010.\n\nFamily members soon gathered, and in the hours and days that followed, there was hope that the men might still be alive, although the authorities said a rescue mission was too dangerous. A nation prayed for another mining miracle.\n\nOn the right, the tags of the 29 miners who never made it out\n\nA few months earlier, 33 miners in Chile's Atacama Desert had been pulled out alive after being trapped underground for 69 days.\n\n\"That was totally on my mind the whole time,\" explained Anna Osborne, whose husband, Milton, died at Pike River.\n\n\"I saw how successfully those Chilean miners were rescued and I thought if they can all come out alive, it can happen to us. But little did I know that that mine (in Chile) wasn't a gassy one.\"\n\nFor five long days the families waited. As a reporter sent to cover the story at the time, it was excruciating for me to watch their anguish and frustration grow.\n\nThere would be no rescue, and on 24 November another explosion ripped through the mine, and all hope was gone.\n\nFire at the entrance to the mine\n\nMs Osborne told the BBC that she is \"still fighting to get the truth and still wondering why our guys were allowed underground when the mine was so volatile (and) was a ticking time bomb.\"\n\nNot all of the families want the men's remains to be recovered, but she said it would be a great comfort to bring her husband home.\n\n\"He was working in the south (part of the mine), which was flooded. My husband couldn't swim, so he hated the water and I close my eyes every night and visualise him floating in this water that he hated so much and I just thought I can't have him down there. If we can, I would like as many men to be retrieved,\" she added.\n\nI close my eyes every night and visualise him floating in this water\n\nThe Pike River Recovery Agency is a government department that has re-entered the so-called drift, a 2.3km (1.4 miles) tunnel that connects the entrance of the mine to the working areas and coal seams.\n\nIt is looking for clues that might help explain the explosions and to \"help prevent future mining tragedies.\" Re-entering the mine was delayed by safety concerns.\n\nThe end of the drift is blocked by a huge mass of fallen rock. This roof collapse was caused by the ignition of methane, and there are no plans for the agency to move further into the mine where most, if not all, of the bodies remain.\n\nRecovery teams only made it into an initial tunnel but not the mine proper\n\n\"The Agency's mandate from the government did not include recovering beyond the drift access tunnel,\" said a PRRA spokesperson. \"It remains less likely that we will recover human remains.\"\n\n\"That rockfall is impenetrable,\" said Tony Kokshoorn, the former mayor of the local Grey District. \"The 29 miners are in the coal mine proper. At least they are all together and that is their final resting place.\"\n\n\"Many of the families want them to be together in there because it would have been pretty tough on a lot of families if some had come out and the others couldn't come out.\"\n\nThe police inquiry into the disaster is continuing, with a spokesperson saying they \"remain committed to a full and thorough investigation into events\" and will everything they can to \"provide answers\".\n\nThe grief was felt far beyond New Zealand's rugged West Coast by bereaved families in Australia, Scotland and South Africa.\n\nThe mine will almost certainly never reopen, but Bernie Monk, whose 23-year old son Michael died in the disaster, wants one, final push to bring the men out.\n\n\"The times that I went up to the mine portal with anniversaries, I swore and declared and I looked down that tunnel, and I said to them, 'we're coming to get you guys out'. It was an emotional day for me when I first went down into the mine,\" he said.\n\n\"We're are only 50 to 100 metres away from them. I think we've got a right to go and get those men,\" Mr Monk told the BBC.\n\nOut of tragedy comes pain, anger and calls for accountability and change. It is 10 years since Anna Osborne's husband, affectionately known as Milt, never came home, and she continues to agitate for stronger health and safety laws, and for employers to be prosecuted when things go wrong.\n\n\"We have had 700 people lose their lives in workplace accidents since Pike River. That is like a Pike River every five months in New Zealand,\" she said.\n\nBut above all else there is a sadness that may never fade.\n\n\"I love him so much. It still hurts. It is still very, very raw.\"", "National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy Philip Gannaway (left) on the SS Demosthenes in 1916, when it was being used as a troop ship\n\nAn appeal has been made to trace the family of a sailor from New Zealand buried more than a century ago on an island off Anglesey.\n\nLt Philip Gannaway had recently married his wife Muriel when he enlisted during World War One.\n\nHe joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, serving on motor launches on the Menai Strait.\n\nBut he died aged 32 during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918, and is buried on Church Island in the strait.\n\nLocal historian Bridget Geoghegan says she has already had responses following a story about Lt Gannaway on the New Zealand news website Stuff.\n\nHowever, she is still waiting to hear from his direct relatives.\n\n\"I have met family members of some people I have researched, and that is always a delight - a bonus,\" she said.\n\nThe grave notes Lt Gannaway's military service with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve\n\nLt Gannaway's funeral took place on 9 November 1918 with full naval honours, just two days before the armistice that brought fighting to an end.\n\nNewspaper reports found by Ms Geoghegan said more than 200 men and officers joined the procession, with shipyard work pausing as a mark of respect.\n\n\"I found he had married his sweetheart not long before volunteering and coming over to UK,\" she said.\n\n\"It seemed like a bitter end to a love story.\"\n\nHe is buried at St Tysilio's on Church Island, which is linked to the rest of Anglesey by a short causeway.\n\nThe Australian and New Zealander are both remembered on the war memorial\n\nBut Lt Gannaway is not the only man on the island buried so far from home.\n\nRemembered alongside him on the war memorial is William Connington, a 23-year-old corporal in the Australian Flying Corps who died with flu in Buckinghamshire.\n\n\"Connington had family in the area - his father must have emigrated to Australia,\" Ms Geoghegan said.\n\n\"His aunt and cousin lived in Menai Bridge. I think it likely that he had been up to stay with the family and when he died his aunt brought him back to Menai Bridge from Aylesbury so that he would be buried amongst friends.\"\n\nSt Tysilio's sits on Church Island in the Menai Strait\n\nFor several years Ms Geoghegan has joined others in researching and commemorating the people named on local war memorials and graves.\n\nBefore the latest lockdown restrictions, she created a walk for Church Island with the stories behind the names.\n\n\"I devised a walk round St Tysilio to include the graves of those lost and the family commemorations for their loved-ones buried elsewhere or lost at sea - the pain is almost palpable,\" she said.\n\nThe inscription from Lt Gannaway's parents to their \"beloved son\" reads simply: \"In peace he lived, in peace he died\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Supporters of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny protest against his arrest across Russia\n\nRussian police have detained more than 3,000 people in a crackdown on protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, monitors say.\n\nTens of thousands of people defied a heavy police presence to join some of the largest rallies against President Vladimir Putin in years.\n\nIn Moscow, riot police were seen beating and dragging away protesters.\n\nMr Navalny, President Putin's most high-profile critic, called for protests after his arrest last Sunday.\n\nHe was detained after he flew back to Moscow from Berlin, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal nerve agent attack in Russia last August.\n\nOn his return, he was immediately taken into custody and found guilty of violating parole conditions. He says it is a trumped-up case designed to silence him.\n\nOVD Info, an independent NGO that monitors rallies, said about 3,100 people had been detained, more than 1,200 of them in Moscow alone. The Kremlin has not commented.\n\nThe unauthorised demonstrations were held in about 100 cities and towns from Russia's Far East and Siberia to Moscow and St Petersburg. Protesters ranged from teenage students to elderly people who demanded Mr Navalny's release.\n\nAt least 40,000 people joined a rally in central Moscow, Reuters news agency estimated. But Russia's interior ministry put the number of protesters at 4,000.\n\nObservers say the scale of the demonstrations across the country was unprecedented while the protest in the capital was the largest in almost a decade.\n\nRiot police used batons against protesters in Moscow\n\nIn the city's Pushkin square, some protesters chanted \"Freedom to Navalny\" and \"Putin go away!\" One woman told the BBC she had decided to join the demonstration because \"Russia has been turned into a prison camp\".\n\nSergei Radchenko, a 53-year-old protester in Moscow, told Reuters: \"I'm tired of being afraid. I haven't just turned up for myself and Navalny, but for my son because there is no future in this country.\"\n\nLyubov Sobol, a prominent aide of Mr Navalny who had already been fined for urging Russians to join the protests, tweeted a video of police roughly pulling her away from an interview with reporters.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Соболь Любовь This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Navalny's wife, Yulia, was briefly held at the rally. She posted an image on her Instagram account with the caption: \"Apologies for the poor quality. Very bad light in the police van.\"\n\nSome protesters marched on the high-security prison where Mr Navalny is being held, and many were arrested.\n\nMeanwhile, one independent news source, Sota, said at least 3,000 people had joined a demonstration in the city of Vladivostok, but local authorities there put the figure at 500.\n\nAFP footage showed riot police running into a crowd, and beating some of the protesters with batons.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police used batons to break up protests in Vladivostok\n\nIn the Siberian city of Yakutsk, attendees at a small protest saw temperatures dip as low as -50C (-58F).\n\nPrior to the rallies, Russian authorities had promised a tough crackdown. Several of Mr Navalny's close aides, including his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh, were arrested earlier in the week.\n\nHis supporters called for more protests next weekend.\n\nThere were reports of disruption to mobile phone and internet coverage on Saturday, though it is not known if this was related to the protests.\n\nThe social media app TikTok had been flooded with videos promoting the demonstrations and sharing viral messages about Mr Navalny.\n\nIn response, Russia's official media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, demanded that TikTok take down any information \"encouraging minors to act illegally\", threatening large fines. The education ministry had told parents not to allow their children to attend any demonstrations.\n\nProtesters ignored extreme cold and threats of arrest in Moscow and other cities and towns\n\nIn a push to gain support ahead of the protests, Mr Navalny's team released a video about a luxury Black Sea resort that they allege belongs to President Putin - an accusation denied by the Kremlin. The video has been watched by more than 65 million people.\n\nThe UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, condemned the \"use of violence against peaceful protesters and journalists\" on Saturday, calling on the authorities to release those detained during peaceful demonstrations.\n\nThe US state department condemned what it called \"harsh tactics\" used against protesters and journalists, saying: \"We call on Russian authorities to release all those detained for exercising their universal rights and for the immediate and unconditional release of Aleksey Navalny\".\n\nThe EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the bloc's foreign ministers would discuss the Russian crackdown on Monday. \"I deplore widespread detentions, disproportionate use of force, cutting down internet and phone connections.\"", "British employers made plans to cut 795,000 jobs last year, a record number, as Covid lockdowns took their toll on the economy.\n\nMore than 10,000 firms planned job cuts, however the pace of planned cuts slowed at the end of the year.\n\nWithout the government's furlough scheme, designed to protect jobs, the numbers might have been higher still.\n\nThe figures were obtained in response to a BBC Freedom of Information request to the Insolvency Service.\n\nEmployers must notify the Insolvency Service when they plan to cut 20 or more jobs, giving an earlier indication of changes in the labour market than waiting for official joblessness statistics.\n\nLarge parts of the British economy were brought to a standstill for weeks on end during 2020 by the measures imposed to contain Covid-19, and many employers were forced to cut staff as a result.\n\nThe number of job cuts proposed through the year was well above the 530,000 seen the last time the UK was in recession, in 2010, and higher than any year in the records which go back to 2006.\n\nHowever, in recent months the pace of layoffs has slowed, even though the new Covid variant has seen surging case numbers and new lockdowns imposed across the UK.\n\nLast month employers notified government of plans to cut 23,100 job cuts, which is the lowest monthly figure for 2020, though still a third higher than December 2019.\n\nThe decision to extend the furlough scheme, where government pays most of a worker's wages if their employer can't, will have enabled more firms to keep their staff, believes Tony Wilson, Director of the Institute for Employment Studies.\n\n\"The question now though is where redundancy figures go next,\" he says.\n\n\"If they start to stabilise around these levels, then [job cuts] would be at least one third higher than what we've seen over most of the last decade, and it's possible that a combination of this lockdown and then furlough unwinding from May could see numbers creeping up.\"\n\nDespite that, Mr Wilson sees the situation as \"pretty positive\".\n\nEmployers planning to cut 20 or more staff have to notify the Insolvency Service of their plans at the start of the process.\n\nThese notifications give an earlier indication of the state of the labour market than data published by the Office for National Statistics, which appear with a time lag of a few months.\n\nInsolvency Service figures showed record levels in redundancies in June and July, which was confirmed when the ONS published its own figures three months later.\n\nThe latest figures, for the period from August to October, saw a new record of 370,000 redundancies across the UK.\n\nAs redundancy processes covering fewer than 20 workers aren't included, the total number of job cuts planned will be higher than the Insolvency Service totals.\n\nBut individual firms often make fewer cuts than the number they first propose to government.\n\nEmployers in Northern Ireland file HR1 forms with the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and they are not included in these figures.", "Boohoo is set to buy the Debenhams brand and website, the BBC understands.\n\nHowever, the fast fashion retailer will not be taking on any of the company's remaining 118 High Street stores or its workforce.\n\nThe announcement could come as early as Monday morning.\n\nThe 242-year-old chain is already in the process of closing down, after administrators failed to secure a rescue deal for the business, with the likely loss of 12,000 jobs.\n\nA closing down sale at 124 Debenhams stores began in December, as administrators continued to seek offers for all, or parts of the business.\n\nIn the last week or so, the company announced that six shops would not reopen after lockdown, including its flagship department store on London's Oxford Street.\n\nBoohoo has already bought a number of High Street brands out of administration. It snapped up Oasis, Coast and Karen Millen, but not the associated stores.\n\nDebenhams has struggled for years with falling profits and rising debts, as more shopping has moved online. It called in administrators twice in two years, most recently in April.\n\nMike Ashley has bought other struggling businesses including House of Fraser and Evans Cycles\n\nHowever, its position became untenable during the coronavirus pandemic as non-essential retailers were forced to close for prolonged periods.\n\nThe firm had already trimmed its store portfolio and cut about 6,500 jobs since May, as it struggled to stay afloat.\n\nBusinessman Mike Ashley, who founded Sports Direct and also owns House of Fraser, had already made an offer for Debenhams after it was initially put up for sale in April.\n\nHowever the takeover offer, thought to be in the region of £125m, was rejected as being too low, leaving JD Sports as the last remaining bidder.\n\nMr Ashley had previously built up a 29% stake in the chain, but saw his £150m holding wiped out in 2019, when the company fell into administration and then ended up in the hands of its lenders - a consortium led by hedge fund Silverpoint.\n\nIn early December, the Frasers Group confirmed that it was working on a possible last minute rescue of Debenhams.\n\nThe announcement came five days after staff were informed and liquidators moved in to Debenhams' stores to start clearing stock, after a potential rescue deal with JD Sports fell through.\n\nBut Frasers said there was \"no certainty\" it could save the chain.\n\nOne of the biggest issues, it said, was the collapse into administration last week of another High Street giant, Arcadia, which is the biggest concession holder in Debenhams department stores.", "The UK has identified 77 cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa, the health secretary has said.\n\nCases are linked to travellers arriving in the UK, rather than community transmission, Matt Hancock added.\n\nHe told the BBC's Andrew Marr cases were under \"very close\" observation and enhanced contact tracing was under way.\n\nMinisters are due to meet on Monday to consider imposing tougher restrictions on people arriving from abroad.\n\nScientists have said there is a chance the South African variant may harm the effectiveness of current vaccines.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Hancock said that \"three quarters of all the 80-year-olds in the country and a similar number of care homes\" have received their first doses of the vaccine.\n\nBoth the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines require two doses, and figures so far reflect those given the first dose.\n\nMr Hancock said that it was \"far too early to say\" what proportion of the population needed to be vaccinated before lockdown restrictions could be eased.\n\nAll viruses, including the one that causes Covid-19, mutate, and variants have been first located in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.\n\nThe South Africa variant has been found in at least 20 other countries, including the UK.\n\nMr Hancock said that all the South Africa variant cases in the UK were linked to travel.\n\n\"That's why we have got such stringent border measures in place against movement from South Africa,\" he added.\n\nThe UK closed all travel corridors last week until at least 15 February, with almost all travellers arriving in the country now required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test to be allowed entry.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has not ruled out bringing in tougher measures at UK borders, telling a Downing Street news conference on Friday: \"We don't want to put that (efforts to control Covid) at risk by having a new variant come back in.\"\n\nMinisters are set to discuss whether to tighten border restrictions further, including the possibility of hotel quarantines for travellers.\n\nMr Hancock said: \"We have got to be cautious at the borders.\"\n\nAsked for a date on when lockdown restrictions might end, Mr Hancock said it was \"one of the many things that we don't yet know the answer to\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Matt Hancock on easing restrictions: \"We don't know the answer\"\n\nGovernment data on 14 January showed there were 35 confirmed cases of the South Africa variant identified in the UK, and a further 12 \"probable\" cases.\n\nMr Hancock said nine cases of the Brazil variant had been found in the UK, adding \"we are monitoring each and every one very closely\".\n\nShadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that Labour had been \"pushing the government to take tougher measures at the border since last spring\".\n\nShe said: \"We would fully expect the government to bring in tougher quarantine measures, we would expect them to roll out a proper testing strategy and we would expect them as well to start checking up on the people who are quarantining.\n\n\"Only three out of every hundred people who are asked to quarantine when they arrive into the UK actually face any checks at all - that's just simply not sufficient.\"\n\nOn Friday, Mr Johnson said there was \"some evidence\" the UK variant may be associated with \"a higher degree of mortality\".\n\nThe UK government's chief scientific officer, Sir Patrick Vallance, said there was \"a lot of uncertainty around these numbers\" but that early evidence suggested the variant could be about 30% more deadly.\n\nThe PM said on Friday that there was evidence that both the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine and Oxford-AstraZeneca jab were effective against the variant first detected in the UK.\n\nSir Patrick has warned that the variants in South Africa and Brazil might \"have certain features which means they might be less susceptible to vaccines\".\n\nBut he said \"there is no evidence\" that the two variants have transmission advantages over those already in the UK and so having cases here doesn't mean \"they will take off\".\n\nMeanwhile, England's deputy chief medical officer warned that people who have received a Covid-19 vaccine could still pass the virus on to others and should continue following lockdown rules.\n\nWriting in the Sunday Telegraph, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam stressed that scientists \"do not yet know the impact of the vaccine on transmission\".\n\nHe said vaccines offer \"hope\" but infection rates must come down quickly.\n\nIt's a key question but the fact is that no one can be sure.\n\nThat's because the trials of the vaccines explored the safety of the drugs and how well they prevent people from becoming ill - with good results for both.\n\nBut they did not investigate whether vaccination also stops infection and therefore whether people who've been immunised can still spread the virus to others.\n\nIf a vaccinated person did become infected, they probably wouldn't realise because they wouldn't have any symptoms. That's why health officials and ministers are so concerned.\n\nIt's possible that the antibodies boosted by the vaccine suppress the effects of the virus but don't eliminate it from the upper airway.\n\nMany scientists are cautiously hopeful that in this scenario, the amount of virus would be reduced but they're waiting for the results of studies under way now.\n\nAnd until there's an answer, it's difficult to calculate how and when it's safe to ease restrictions and allow people to mix again.\n\nA further 610 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported in the UK on Sunday - down from 671 deaths last Sunday - in addition to 30,004 new infections.\n\nThe number of positive cases has fallen for the fourth day in a row and is the lowest figure since before Christmas.\n\nThe death figures tend to be lower on a Sunday and Monday because of weekend lags in reporting of the data.\n\nMeanwhile, more than six million people have had their first dose of a Covid vaccine - with the figure now standing at 6,353,321.\n\nNadhim Zahawi, the minister responsible for the vaccine rollout, said on Twitter that 6,353,321 of the \"most vulnerable and frontline heroes\" had received a first dose of the vaccine, but there was still \"much more to do\".\n\nThere were 4,076 Covid patients in mechanical ventilation beds in UK hospitals as of Friday, according to government data.\n\nThat is higher than during the first wave, when the peak was 3,301 on 12 April.", "Simon Spurrell (C) from the Cheshire Cheese Company says he was advised to set up an EU hub\n\nUK firms that export to the EU say they are being encouraged by the government to set up subsidiaries in the bloc to avoid disruption under new trade rules.\n\nFirms have been hit by extra charges, taxes and paperwork, leading some to stop exporting to the EU altogether.\n\nBut several say they have been told that setting up hubs in Europe would minimise the disruption, even if it means moving investment out of the UK.\n\nThe Department for International Trade said it was \"not government policy\".\n\n\"The Cabinet Office have issued clear guidance, available at www.gov.uk/transition, and we encourage all businesses to follow that guidance.\"\n\nThe Cheshire Cheese Company said it had been advised by an official to set up in the EU after it was forced to stop its exports to the bloc due to trade rules that came in on 1 January.\n\nThe firm, which sold £180,000 of cheese to the EU last year, found that every £25-30 gift box of cheese it sends to consumers on the Continent now needs a veterinary-approved health certificate costing £180.\n\n\"I spoke to someone at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for advice. They told me setting up a fulfilment centre in the EU where we could pack the boxes was my only solution,\" co-founder Simon Spurrell told the BBC.\n\nThe firm, which had been optimistic about Brexit, is now looking at setting up a hub in France where it would \"test the water\".\n\nBut it has also scrapped plans to build a new £1m warehouse in Macclesfield employing 20-30 people.\n\n\"Instead we might end up employing French workers and paying tax to the EU,\" Mr Spurrell said.\n\n\"I left the EU as a UK citizen but now they are suggesting I rejoin my company to the EU, so what was Brexit for?\"\n\nThe issue, he said, was that the under the post-Brexit trade deal, a vet must approve every consignment of fresh food that his company ships to the EU.\n\nIt is a complex and costly process that has hit exporters of fresh meat and fish as well, and was partly why the government set up a £23m support fund for UK fishing companies.\n\nUK retailers who export to the EU have also complained about being hit with unsustainable costs when customers in the bloc return goods bought online. This is due to new customs clearance charges incurred by shipping firms.\n\nSome retailers have even warned they could burn clothes stuck at borders as it is cheaper than bringing them home.\n\nUlla Vitting Richards, who runs her sustainable fashion brand Vildnis from the UK, told the BBC last week she had stopped exporting to the EU, which was her fastest growing market, because of the new processes.\n\nShe also said that she had been advised - this time by a Department for International Trade (DIT) representative - that setting up a subsidiary distribution hub might help.\n\n\"He told me we'd be best off moving stock to a warehouse in Germany and get them to handle it,\" she said.\n\nAs early as last October, trade consultants Blick Rothenberg warned that thousands of UK businesses might need to set up an EU presence in order to keep exporting to European markets.\n\nHowever, experts say EU firms exporting to the UK - which currently enjoy a grace period over the imposition of some rules - will soon face the same issues.\n\nIndeed, some EU exporters have already stopped deliveries to the UK because of new VAT related charges.\n\nThe DIT said it was not government policy to advise UK firms to set up EU hubs and that it was \"ensuring all officials are properly conveying\" the right information.", "Scientists say signs a new coronavirus variant is more deadly than the earlier version should not be a \"game changer\" in the UK's response to the pandemic.\n\nBoris Johnson has said there is \"some evidence\" the variant may be associated with \"a higher degree of mortality\".\n\nBut the co-author of the study the PM was referring to said the variant's deadliness remained an \"open question\".\n\nAnother adviser said he was surprised Mr Johnson had shared the findings when the data was \"not particularly strong\".\n\nA third top medic said it was \"too early\" to be \"absolutely clear\".\n\nAt a Downing Street coronavirus news conference on Friday, the prime minister said: \"In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant - the variant that was first identified in London and the South East - may be associated with a higher degree of mortality.\"\n\nSpeaking alongside the PM, the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said there was \"a lot of uncertainty around these numbers\" but that early evidence suggested the variant could be about 30% more deadly.\n\nFor example, Sir Patrick said if 1,000 men in their 60s were infected with the old variant, roughly 10 of them would be expected to die - but this rises to about 13 with the new variant.\n\nThe announcement followed a briefing by scientists on the government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) which concluded there was a \"realistic possibility\" that the variant was associated with an increased risk of death.\n\nBut one of the briefing's co-authors, Prof Graham Medley, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"The question about whether it is more dangerous in terms of mortality I think is still open.\"\n\n\"In terms of making the situation worse it is not a game changer. It is a very bad thing that is slightly worse,\" added Prof Medley, who is a professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.\n\nAnother 1,348 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported in the UK on Saturday, in addition to 33,552 new infections, according to the government's coronavirus dashboard.\n\nThere is huge uncertainty in the evidence on how lethal the variant is.\n\nThe scientific experts that reviewed the data used a precise phrase saying it was a \"realistic possibility\" the new variant is more deadly.\n\nThat means there's a roughly 50-50 chance it will turn out to be true.\n\nWith time, and sadly more deaths, the picture will become clearer.\n\nWhile people debate the uncertainties though, we already know this variant has the ability to kill more people than the old ones.\n\nA virus that spreads faster (this one is 30-70% faster) will infect more people, more quickly, putting a greater strain on hospitals and leading to a sharper spike in deaths.\n\nIt is why viruses becoming more transmissible can be a bigger problem than ones becoming more deadly.\n\nNervtag's chairman Prof Peter Horby defended the government's \"transparency\" in making the announcement.\n\n\"Scientists are looking at the possibility that there is increased severity... and after a week of looking at the data we came to the conclusion that it was a realistic possibility,\" he said.\n\n\"We need to be transparent about that. If we were not telling people about this we would be accused of covering it up.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Patrick Vallance: \"There is evidence that there's an increased risk for those who have the new variant\"\n\nBut Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of Sage subgroup the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M), agreed it was too early to draw \"strong conclusions\" as the suggested increased mortality rates were based on \"a relatively small amount of data\".\n\nHe told BBC Breakfast he was \"actually quite surprised\" Mr Johnson had made the early findings public rather than monitoring the data \"for a week or two more\".\n\n\"I just worry that where we report things pre-emptively where the data are not really particularly strong,\" Dr Tildesley added.\n\nPublic Health England medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle also said it was not \"absolutely clear\" the new variant was more deadly than the original.\n\n\"There is some evidence, but it is very early evidence. It is small numbers of cases and it is far too early to say,\" she told the Today programme.\n\nMeanwhile, senior doctors are calling on England's chief medical officer to cut the gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nThe British Medical Association told Prof Chris Whitty an extension to the maximum gap between jab from three weeks to 12 weeks, to get the first dose to more people, was \"difficult to justify\".", "The number of coronavirus patients on mechanical ventilation in the UK has passed 4,000 for the first time in the pandemic.\n\nA total of 4,076 Covid patients were in ventilator beds as of Friday, according to government data.\n\nThat is higher than during the first wave, when the peak was 3,301 on 12 April.\n\nIt comes as another 1,348 deaths and 33,552 new infections were reported on Saturday.\n\nThe UK's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, told a Downing Street news briefing on Friday: \"The death rate's awful and it's going to stay, I'm afraid, high for a little while before it starts coming down.\"\n\nMeanwhile, new figures show that a record number of seriously-ill Covid patients are being transferred from over-stretched hospitals because of a lack of bed space.\n\nAbout 1 in 10 patients admitted to intensive care are being sent to a different site, according to the body which audits critical care services.\n\nIn a series of reports in the past week, the BBC's Clive Myrie has been to a mortuary and the Royal London Hospital, where 12 out of 15 floors are occupied by Covid patients and staff are struggling to cope.\n\nMartin Freeborn's wife Helen, 64, died with Covid-19 at the hospital shortly before he spoke to the BBC.\n\nMr Freeborn urged people to \"be over-careful\" in taking precautions to stay safe from the virus because \"you don't want this to happen\".\n\n\"Nobody wants to go through this... Don't end up like us, please,\" he added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Martin Freeborn's wife, Helen, died from Covid at the Royal London Hospital: 'Don't end up like us, please'\n\nThe number of people in mechanical ventilation beds has climbed every day since 18 December when it was 1,364 and now stands at 4,076.\n\nIt is one of the key figures the government considers when deciding its policy on when to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions.\n\nWhen the pandemic first struck the UK, the government saw what had happened in hospitals in China and Italy and prioritised the provision of ventilators in British hospitals.\n\nIt set about buying as many ventilators as possible, and encouraged British manufacturers to design the machines to build stocks to cope with the worst-case Covid scenario. In September last year, a report found the NHS now had 30,000 ventilators available - about one for every 2,200 people in the UK.\n\nPeople in hospital are also being treated differently from the early days of the pandemic - which may explain why figures suggest slightly more people go on to recover after being on ventilation than back in March, April and May.\n\nA number of drugs are being tested as possible treatments for people with the disease, the BBC's health and science correspondent James Gallagher has said.\n\nThey include the steroid dexamethasone, which has been shown to reduce the risk of death by a third for ventilated patients and by a fifth for those on oxygen. Encouraging results have also been reported from two anti-inflammatory medications, tocilizumab and sarilumab.\n\nDr Ami Jones, intensive care consultant at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, in Wales, said there had been \"carnage\" for the \"last few weeks\".\n\nSpeaking whilst on shift, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"We're maybe at 150% capacity and I know London are much worse than that.\n\n\"We've a steady stream of fit, young patients requiring critical care and sadly we're losing some of those patients.\n\n\"We lost a patient overnight and I've replaced them with a patient of similar age.\n\n\"It's heartbreaking - and it's been going on for weeks and weeks and we haven't seen any kind of stop yet.\"\n\nDr Jones said the average Covid patient stays in hospital between two to four weeks \"and it really puts them through it\".\n\nShe added: \"You really want people who are going to be able to survive that three or four weeks and actually come out the other end and make a good recovery.\n\n\"We're not stopping people having care but we're giving it to the people we feel have the best chance of getting through what is a horrific situation we're going to put them through.\"\n\nDr Jones said nurses are \"broken\", both physically, from months of long shifts in personal protective equipment (PPE), and emotionally - partly due to the impact of the virus on them, their families and the community.\n\nDr Rupert Pearse, consultant in intensive care medicine at a London hospital, speaking on behalf of the Intensive Care Society, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a \"huge number\" of patients were still attending hospital.\n\nHe said: \"Whilst we know the infection rate has probably now peaked, and we can be hopeful to soon be sure we've hit a hospital admissions peak, admissions to ICU [the intensive care unit] usually lag 48 hours behind that.\n\n\"So we're still very very worried that we're being pushed right up to the wire in terms of the resources we're able to deliver for patient care.\"\n\nDr Pearse added that there were three or four times more critical care beds in some hospitals than they would usually have.\n\nHe said: \"I can remember a time when it would take years for an intensive care unit to negotiate one extra bed on a complement of 14 or 15 beds.\n\n\"We, within a few weeks, have massively increased the number of beds and finding the staff - most importantly of all - to deliver that has been a huge logistical exercise.\"\n\nReacting to the ventilation figures, Dr Charlotte Hopkins, deputy chief medical officer for Barts Health NHS trust in east London, said on Twitter there had been a \"fast-paced increase\" since 18 December, and that more than a third of the 4,076 ventilated patients were in London.\n\nIt comes as some scientists said that signs a new Covid variant is more deadly than the earlier version should not be a \"game changer\" in the UK's response to the pandemic.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that there was \"some evidence\" the variant that emerged in the UK may be associated with \"a higher degree of mortality\".\n\nBut Prof Graham Medley, the co-author of the study the PM was referring to, said the variant's deadliness remained an \"open\" question.\n\nDr Mike Tildesley, a member of Sage subgroup the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M), said he was \"surprised\" Mr Johnson had shared the findings when the data was \"not particularly strong\".\n\nPublic Health England medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle said it was \"too early\" to be \"absolutely clear\".\n\n\"There is some evidence, but it is very early evidence. It is small numbers of cases and it is far too early to say,\" she told the Today programme.\n\nUp to and including 22 January, 5,861,351 people have now had their first Covid jab and 468,617 have had their second dose.\n\nSenior doctors are calling on England's chief medical officer to cut the gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nThe British Medical Association told Prof Chris Whitty an extension to the maximum gap between jab from three weeks to 12 weeks, to get the first dose to more people, was \"difficult to justify\".\n\nThe UK's four chief medical officers have previously defended the delay to the second jab in a letter to medical staff, saying: \"unvaccinated people are far more likely to end up severely ill, hospitalised [or] in some cases dying\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Video filmed in Tacoma, Washington, shows a police car apparently ploughing through a crowd of people\n\nA police officer is under investigation in the US after his vehicle ploughed into a group of people, running over at least one, in Tacoma, Washington.\n\nNobody was killed in the incident, although one person was rushed to hospital with injuries.\n\nA video shows a large group of people surrounding the police car as it revs its engine in an apparent effort to drive off.\n\nThe group refuses to move, and police say people started hitting the car.\n\nThe police officer then speeds through the group, hitting numerous people. One person is dragged under the car.\n\nTacoma Police Department said multiple vehicles and approximately 100 people were blocking an intersection when officers arrived on the scene. The group was apparently watching street racers doing \"burnouts\".\n\n\"During the operation, a responding Tacoma police vehicle was surrounded by the crowd. People hit the body of the police vehicle and its windows as the officer was stopped in the street,\" police said in a statement.\n\n\"The officer, fearing for his safety, tried to back up, but was unable to do so because of the crowd,\" it said.\n\n\"While trying to extricate himself from an unsafe position, the officer drove forward striking one individual and may have impacted others,\" it said.\n\nThe person who was run over was rushed to hospital. Their condition is as yet unclear.\n\nThe Pierce County Force Investigation Team is investigating the incident, the statement said. The police officer has not been identified.\n\n\"I am concerned that our department is experiencing another use of deadly force incident,\" Interim Police Chief Mike Ake said in the statement.\n\n\"I send my thoughts to anyone who was injured in tonight's event, and am committed to our department's full co-operation in the independent investigation and to assess the actions of the department's response during the incident.\"\n\nThe incident comes at a time of rising anger over the use of excessive force by police in the US.\n\nPeople across the world took to the streets last year to demonstrate their anger at the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis, and to demand an end to police brutality and what they see as systemic racism.", "It is hoped that vaccinating teenagers will allow them to sit exams\n\nIsrael has started vaccinating 16 to 18-year-olds against Covid-19, in an effort to enable them to sit exams.\n\nMore than a quarter of Israel's population of nine million have received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine since 19 December, its health ministry says.\n\nIt started with the elderly and others at high risk, but people aged 40 and over can also now get the jab.\n\nIsrael hopes to start reopening its economy in February.\n\nThe inclusion of 16 to 18-year-olds - with parental permission - is meant \"to enable their return (to school) and the orderly holding of exams\", an education ministry spokeswoman said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe matriculation exams that Israeli students sit at the end of high school play an important role in deciding where they will go to university. Their results can also affect their placement in the military, where many young Israelis do compulsory service.\n\nThe education ministry has said it is too early to say whether schools will reopen next month.\n\nIsrael started its rapid vaccination drive - the fastest in the world - on 19 December, reaching 10% of its population by the end of 2020.\n\nIsrael has recorded more than 596,000 cases and 4,392 deaths with Covid-19, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.\n\nOn Sunday, the government said it would ban passenger flights in and out of the country from Monday night for the rest of January, in an effort to halt the spread of new virus variants.\n\n\"Other than rare exceptions, we are closing the sky hermetically to prevent the entry of the virus variants and also to ensure that we progress quickly with our vaccination campaign,\" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.\n\nForeigners have largely been blocked from entering Israel during the pandemic.", "The Department for Transport said \"smart motorways are as safe as, or safer than, the conventional ones\"\n\nA police and crime commissioner (PCC) has written to the government to say smart motorways are \"inherently unsafe and dangerous and should be abandoned\".\n\nSouth Yorkshire PCC Dr Alan Billings wrote his open letter to Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport.\n\nHis comments come after a coroner found two men had been unlawfully killed on a \"smart\" section of the M1.\n\nThe Department for Transport said \"smart motorways are as safe as, or safer than, the conventional ones\".\n\nOn 19 January coroner David Urpeth called for a review of the road schemes.\n\nMr Urpeth said smart motorways without a hard shoulder carry \"an ongoing risk of future deaths\".\n\nHe was speaking following the inquests for Jason Mercer, 44, from Rotherham and Alexandru Murgeanu, 22, of Mansfield, who died when a lorry crashed into their vehicles near Sheffield on 7 June 2019.\n\nNow Labour's Dr Billings has told Grant Shapps: \"I believe smart motorways of this kind - where what would be a hard shoulder is a live lane with occasional refuges - are inherently unsafe and dangerous and should be abandoned.\n\n\"The relevant test for us is whether someone who breaks down on this stretch of the motorway, where there is no hard shoulder, would have had a better chance of escaping death or injury had there still been a hard shoulder - and the coroner's verdict makes it clear that the answer to that question is - Yes.\"\n\nAlexandru Murgeanu (l) and Jason Mercer were killed in the crash on the M1 in South Yorkshire\n\nJason Mercer's widow, Claire, had previously told Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5Live she considered a government review of the smart motorway system \"was just a paperwork exercise and a PR exercise.\"\n\nTalking to BBC Look North Yorkshire after publishing the letter on Sunday, Dr Billings said: \"The Department for Transport and Highways England have argued all along that these sorts of motorways are actually safe, they even go as far as to say they are safer than ordinary motorways, now I think that whatever formula they are using to come to that conclusion is wrong.\n\n\"The coroner in his verdict has made it pretty clear that these two particular lives in South Yorkshire would not have come to such a sad end if there had been a hard shoulder there, so I think this is new evidence they have to take into account.\"\n\nHe added: \"If they thought this type of motorway was even smarter, or safer, than a conventional motorway, then why not convert the entire system to smart motorways, making it safer? As soon as you say it, I think you realise it's absurd.\n\n\"I think they (smart motorways) were done originally not because it was a safer way of doing a motorway, I think it was done in order to expand the capacity, get the traffic flowing by having an extra lane, but to do it cheaply, and I think we're trading cost - cheapness - for other people's lives.\"\n\nIn response to Dr Billings' open letter, the Department for Transport said: \"The stocktake [of smart motorways] showed that in most ways smart motorways are as safe as, or safer than, the conventional ones.\n\n\"The Transport Secretary has tasked Highways England with delivering an 18-point action plan to ensure they are safer still, and he has called an urgent meeting with the company to discuss their progress.\"\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.", "As high risk groups continue to be immunised there are growing concerns that people with learning disabilities have been missed out.\n\nDespite a recent Public Health England report warning they are six times more likely to die from coronavirus, as a group, they have not been prioritised for a vaccine.\n\nLegal action is being taken against the Department of Health and Social Care, which says it is working hard to vaccinate all those at risk.", "A Covid outbreak was declared at the DVLA's contact centre in December\n\nStaff are scared to work at the UK vehicle licensing agency's contact centre in Swansea where 500 workers have contracted coronavirus since the pandemic began, a union says.\n\nThe PCS union has urged ministers to intervene and described the numbers as a \"scandal\".\n\nA DVLA spokesperson insisted safety was a priority and it followed guidance to \"help keep our offices Covid secure\".\n\nThe Welsh Government said it had been \"worried about the DVLA for a while\".\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford said he has repeatedly raised concerns over case numbers at the offices.\n\nMinister Eluned Morgan said the decision to introduce tougher Covid regulations for workplaces in Wales was made, in part, due to the situation at the DVLA.\n\nIn December, a coronavirus outbreak was declared at the centre at Swansea Vale in Llansamlet after 352 cases of Covid-19 in the space of four months.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe DVLA has about 6,000 staff based in Swansea but said it was currently operating on a \"far reduced capacity\".\n\nA DVLA worker, who did not want to be identified, told BBC Wales News that close contacts of people testing positive are not always sent home to self-isolate, social-distancing is not being followed and homeworking is not always possible because of \"archaic\" systems.\n\n\"There are certain elements within management who are trying to bend the rules and regulations,\" they said.\n\n\"It has been mentioned that you don't need your track and trace [contact tracing app] on. If someone's off with Covid, the people who haven't had their app on haven't been sent home.\n\n\"They'll say 'your app hasn't pinged, you're not going home'.\"\n\nThe worker said it was difficult for staff to adhere to the two-metre distancing rule because of the way the office was laid out and some staff had resigned.\n\n\"The atmosphere sucks, people are scared. I have heard of some people walking out,\" they said.\n\nOne worker said two-metres distancing was not always being observed\n\n\"I think they have been raising concerns. They probably didn't get the answer they wanted. It's not necessarily the manager's fault, the managers are struggling too.\"\n\nPCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said: \"It is a scandal that DVLA are not doing more to reduce numbers in the workplace when Covid infections are on the rise.\n\n\"Our members are telling us they are scared to enter the workplace for fear of catching Covid 19.\n\n\"Minsters must intervene and ensure DVLA are doing their utmost to enable staff to work from home and temporarily cease non-critical services.\"\n\nEluned Morgan told Radio Cymru the Welsh Government has been keeping an eye on the situation at the Swansea offices.\n\nEluned Morgan said the Welsh Government has been concerned at the situation at the DVLA for \"some time\".\n\nThe wellbeing minister said: \"We've been worried about the DVLA for a while, now. We've been putting pressure on them.\n\n\"It comes up time and again from the people who represent Swansea, and we're worried the pressure on people working there hasn't helped.\n\n\"The situation is one of the reasons why we've introduced new rules, new legislation, to tighten the restrictions on people at work.\"\n\nHealth Minister Vaughan Gething added: \"We're concerned about anecdotal reports we've heard from the trade union side, individuals, that all of the requirements weren't being followed.\"\n\nHe said there would be questions for management to answer if there had been a breach of the rules.\n\nThe DVLA said some staff have been able to work from home \"in line with government advice\", though others were required to be in the office due to their roles\n\n\"In view of the essential nature of the public services we provide, some operational staff are required to be in the office where their role means they cannot work from home,\" said a spokesman.\n\nThe DVLA said it has worked closely with Public Health Wales, Swansea council's environmental health staff and union officials to try to make its buildings Covid safe, including opening an additional site in Swansea.\n\nHowever, there were currently four Covid cases across its estate, with none at its contact centre.\n\n\"Before Christmas, when transmission infection rates were extremely high in the local community where most of our staff live, we saw a rise in staff testing positive for Covid,\" he said.\n\nSwansea MP Carolyn Harris said, during the first lockdown, she was in \"constant contact\" with the DVLA due to concerns raised by workers.\n\n\"Since Christmas, I've not been able to get hold of anyone from the DVLA,\" she told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement.\n\n\"Last night I spent a long time trying to hold of the chief executive.\n\n\"Some of the stuff that I am now reading, and some of the stuff I've had in over the last 24 hours, really worries me.\"\n\nThe Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said its inspector had been tackling \"a series of concerns\" since August and had spoken to the PCS, which it said was \"broadly supportive of DVLA's approach\".\n\nA spokesperson added: \"Most recently HSE joined Swansea Environmental Health Officers and Public Health Wales for some joint visits to premises, in our role to assist public health to assess the potential of work place transmission as part of their wider work to contain outbreaks.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "It is not clear if anyone not entitled succeeded in getting a Covid jab\n\nA health board boss has criticised council staff for potentially sharing Covid vaccine invites with colleagues.\n\nThe board meeting in North Wales heard some council staff, not within groups currently being vaccinated, booked appointments by following a link in an email only intended for the recipient.\n\nBetsi Cadwaladr health board's chairman Mark Polin said such actions could deprive someone else of a jab.\n\nDenbighshire council said it had warned staff the emails were not to be abused.\n\nIt is not clear if anyone not entitled succeeded in getting a Covid jab, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.\n\nOnly front-line social care and health workers, those over 80 and 70 years old, care home residents and their carers are currently being vaccinated.\n\nIndependent member Jackie Hughes spoke about the matter at Thursday's monthly health board meeting.\n\nAnswering her query, Dr Chris Stockport, the health board's executive director of primary care and community services, said: \"We are very clear with our local authority partners and teams of what frontline means in the same way we are elsewhere.\n\n\"When you arrive [for a vaccine] there's a process of validation.\n\n\"The likelihood is they will experience some difficulties working through the booking system [if they try to get into a higher vaccination cohort].\n\n\"It adds complications for a busy team and I would ask them not to do that when it's a clear effort to circumvent the cohort.\"\n\nAt Thursday's daily press briefing the UK Government Home Secretary Priti Patel said people who jumped the queue for the vaccine were \"morally reprehensible\" as they were putting the lives of vulnerable people at risk.\n\nShe said all the UK Government's measures were under review but \"our focus is getting that vaccine to the most vulnerable to make sure we can protect them and obviously protect others in the community\".\n\nMr Polin added: \"Whilst we understand the concerns people should not be doing what they are doing.\n\n\"The priority groups have been identified with clear medical guidance and sound reasoning behind it.\n\n\"So people jumping the queue are depriving someone else, potentially, of receiving the vaccine at the point at which they should.\"\n\nHe said it was a temporary problem, adding: \"We are changing the booking system, so this opportunity is not going to last much longer.\"\n\nHe said staff were looking out for any inappropriate bookings.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "More than five million people in the UK have now received the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine - thanks to an army of more than 80,000 volunteers and NHS workers who have been trained to give the jabs.\n\nMany of the vaccine volunteers have had no previous medical training and come from all walks of life. So why did they sign up? And how does it feel to stick a needle into a stranger's arm?\n\nYou could see their relief. A lot of them have been waiting 10 months without leaving the house\n\nCallum Finnegan, 23, has been juggling his 40-hour week as a Tesco delivery driver with giving Covid jabs at Manchester's Etihad tennis centre. A St John Ambulance volunteer, he completed extensive online and face-to-face training, which included practising administering jabs on silicon arms before giving them to patients. He says he'd never given an injection before.\n\nThe biomedical science graduate wanted to get involved in the vaccination effort as soon as the call was put out and says he feels \"grateful and privileged\" to be helping the rollout - an effort he hopes will save as many lives as possible.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by BBC Radio 5 Live This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nCallum, who volunteered for four weeks at London's Nightingale hospital at the beginning of the pandemic, says his first shift giving jabs was \"one of the best days\" he's had since Covid hit.\n\n\"They were incredibly emotional,\" he says of the people he has given the jab to. \"You could see their relief. A lot of them have been waiting 10 months without leaving the house, or seeing only one or two people. One of those could have been a Tesco delivery driver - there's a lot of people I deliver to who tell me that I'm the only person they're seeing face-to-face at the minute.\"\n\nIt just makes me feel better about the world, especially when it can get you down. It's nice to do something good for other people\n\nKate Donaghy, who runs an IT team for a travel company, was inspired to train as a vaccinator after seeing the impact of the disease first hand. A St John Ambulance volunteer for four years, Kate, 28, spent time at a London hospital last year helping to care for recovering Covid patients - before volunteering at an A&E department.\n\nAfter seeing just how desperate the situation was, she switched her focus to becoming a vaccinator. \"I just thought how can we stop this happening to people in the first place? If we can vaccinate people, that feels like a better way forward to solve the problem, and a great use of my time.\"\n\nShe says she overcame her initial nerves in giving the jabs thanks to some supportive colleagues and has already signed up for shifts at London's ExCel centre most weekends going forward.\n\nHer elderly patients were \"so happy it was the beginning of the end to their isolation\". \"It just makes me feel better about the world, especially when it can get you down. It's nice to do something good for other people.\"\n\nIt did feel good - it felt good to be fighting back\n\nDr Andy Bates, a 57-year-old dentist from North Yorkshire, recently gave his first vaccinations at Long Lee surgery, in Keighley. He is used to giving injections - albeit in the mouth - but he says helping to protect people against this virus \"did feel good - it felt good to be fighting back\".\n\nDr Bates is working as a paid vaccinator alongside a four-day week at his dental practice. He says both roles have served as a reminder that he could be the first person a patient has seen for months. And he says his day job - particularly calming people who are nervous about lying back in his dentist's chair - has helped him.\n\nHe says he managed to relax a \"very nervous\" lady in her 90s, who hadn't left the house since last March, by talking about their shared love of alpine cycling.\n\nAnd it's not just Dr Bates and his fellow vaccinators that have stepped up. He says after a \"huge dump\" of snow in the area, the community sprang into action to ensure elderly patients could safely come for their jabs - with a local farmer towing the van delivering the vaccines up the hill to the surgery, and volunteers clearing snow and ice from the car park.\n\nI just thought this is enough, this has got to stop. I wanted to help all the other elderly people who are so vulnerable to this virus\n\nWhen theatres closed last year, Amanda Baldwin's career as a full-time chorus member at London's Royal Opera House came to a \"heartbreaking\" standstill.\n\nStuck at home in south-east London with nothing to do, Amanda and her husband Julian Johnson, 55 - a freelance theatre stage manager - decided to volunteer for the NHS through the GoodSam app, which later connected them with the vaccinator training run by St John Ambulance.\n\nAmanda applied shortly after her 84-year-old mother tested positive for the virus - just before she was due to have the vaccine. \"Luckily she came through it, and she wasn't hospitalised. But I just thought this is enough, this has got to stop. I wanted to help all the other elderly people who are so vulnerable to this virus.\"\n\nAmanda recently passed her full SJA training in London and is now waiting for her first shift as a vaccinator. She thinks her performance background will help keep her nerves in check for when she administers her first jabs - joking that she hopes her patients \"don't wriggle about as much\" as her pet cat did when she had to give it injections for its diabetes.\n\nAfter feeling \"like a part of [her] soul was missing\" when theatres closed, she says training as vaccinator has given her a \"purpose\" again. \"I feel like I've now got [another] skill that can really help people.\"", "Researchers have been tracking changes to the \"spike\" of the virus\n\nThe new variant of Covid-19 is \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version, a study has found.\n\nIt concludes the new variant increases the Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.\n\nThe UK's latest R number has been estimated at between 1.1 and 1.3. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nProf Axel Gandy of London's Imperial College said the differences between the viruses types was \"quite extreme\".\n\n\"There is a huge difference in how easily the variant virus spreads,\" he told BBC News. \"This is the most serious change in the virus since the epidemic began,\" he added.\n\nThe Imperial College study suggests transmission of the new variant tripled during England's November lockdown while the previous version was reduced by a third.\n\nCases of Covid-19 have begun to increase rapidly during the second spike, and the number of cases recorded in a single day reached a new high on Thursday.\n\nEarly results indicated that the virus was spreading more quickly among under-20s, particularly among secondary school age children.\n\nBut the very latest data indicates that it was spreading quickly across all age groups, according to Prof Gandy who was a member of the research team.\n\n\"One possible explanation is that the early data was collected during the time of the November lockdown where schools were open and the activities of the adult population were more restricted. We are seeing now that the new virus has increased infectiousness across all age groups.\"\n\nProf Jim Naismith, of Oxford University, said he believed that the new findings indicated that even tougher restrictions would soon be needed.\n\n\"The data from Imperial represent the best analysis to date and imply that the measures we have employed to date, would - with the new virus - fail to reduce the R number to below 1.\n\n\"In simpler terms, unless we do something different the new virus strain is going to continue to spread, more infections, more hospitalisations and more deaths.\"\n\nThe R number is the average number of people an infected person infects. If it is above 1 the epidemic is growing.\n\nThe most chilling finding from this piece of research is that the November lockdown in England, hard though it was for many people, would not have stopped the variant form of the virus spreading. The same severe restrictions that saw cases of the previous version of the virus fall by a third, would see a tripling of the new variant. This is why there has been such a sudden tightening of restrictions across the country.\n\nIt is unclear whether the current restrictions will be enough to control the spread of the virus. Given the fact that it has taken two lockdowns to stop the earlier version of the virus overwhelming the NHS, many scientists fear that further tightening will be necessary.\n\nInfection levels will begin to drop as enough people are vaccinated. But until then it is now more important than ever for people to follow social distancing guidelines, wear masks where required and to regularly wash their hands.\n\nThe new year brings with it hope of a more normal life in the next few months but also a new form of the virus that all of us will have to combat in the coming days and weeks.\n\nProfessor Lawrence Young, of Warwick University, said early indications suggested that vaccines would be effective against the new form of the virus.\n\n\"Variants virus have been around since the beginning of the pandemic and are a product of the natural process by which viruses develop and adapt to their hosts as they replicate.\n\n\"Most of these mutations have no effect on the behaviour of the virus but very occasionally they can improve the ability of the virus to infect and/or become more resistant to the body's immune response.\"\n\nFurther research is needed to understand why the variant is spreading so quickly. But early indications are that vaccines should be effective against it.\n\nThe new virus has been designated \"Variant of Concern 202012/01\" or VOC by Public Health England.\n\nIt was detected in November and thought to have originated in the south-east England in September.\n\nThere is no evidence to suggest that it is more deadly, but it will increase the number of cases which in turn will add further pressure on the NHS.\n\nThe variant can now be found across the UK, except Northern Ireland, but it is heavily concentrated in London, as well as south-east and eastern England.", "Appointments were brought forward or rescheduled for safety reasons\n\nFour vaccination centres were shut as snow caused some travel disruption in Wales.\n\nSunday appointments in Bridgend, Rhondda, Abercynon and Merthyr Tydfil were rescheduled for safety reasons, but centres will reopen on Monday, the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board said.\n\nThe Met Office has extended a yellow weather warning to midnight on Sunday for all of Wales except Anglesey.\n\nA yellow warning for ice runs from midnight until 11:00 GMT on Monday.\n\nPolice have warned of difficult conditions due to snow and ice.\n\nUp to 3cm of snow is forecast to fall in most areas, with 10 to 15cm expected in the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia.\n\nCwm Taf Morgannwg health board urged anyone with queries about Sunday's vaccination appointments to call the number on their appointment letters.\n\nSnow volunteers cleared pathways so a Covid vaccine pilot in Maesteg could keep running\n\n\"We can confirm that no vaccines have been wasted as a consequence of this temporary Sunday closure and we are grateful to all those who were able to turn up at such short notice yesterday as we brought forward a significant number of Sunday appointments during the course of Saturday,\" it said.\n\n\"Additionally, our 4x4 arrangements are enabling us to continue to reach care homes to vaccinate the staff and residents there.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Traffic Wales South #KeepWalesSafe This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nNorth Wales Police tweeted there was \"widespread snow this morning, particularly in some higher areas, making driving conditions difficult\".\n\nAnd Dyfed-Powys Police said some roads were \"impassable\" and advised people to \"stay home\".\n\nIn Bridgend, officers from South Wales Police were pelted with snowballs as they helped an injured sledger on Heol y Nant.\n\nNorth Wales Police warned of difficult conditions due to \"widespread snow\", particularly on high ground.\n\nIt said the A499 near Pwllheli had received heavy snowfall overnight.\n\nWelsh Ambulance Service boss Jason Killens tweeted, thanking the public for helping crews continue to work despite the conditions.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Jason Killens 💙 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nVillages were dusted with snow, such as in Llanfynydd, Carmarthenshire\n\nNick Rolfe shared this garden view in Nercwys, near Mold, Flintshire\n\nThe Met Office warned travellers that \"longer journey times by road, bus and train services\" could be expected, although Wales is in a level four lockdown with all but essential travel banned.\n\nIt also said the snow could lead to power cuts and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.\n\nThose going out for daily exercise have been warned there could be icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.\n\nIn Powys, this was the view over Newtown on Sunday\n\nThe hills around Llangollen, Denbighshire, were covered in snow on Saturday\n\nPower cuts and travel delays are possible, the Met Office says\n\nThe drop in temperatures is likely to exacerbate problems after widespread flooding caused by Storm Christoph.\n\nTwo flood warnings issued by Natural Resources Wales remain in place, meaning flooding is expected.\n\nThese cover the River Ritec at Tenby in Pembrokeshire, which could affect the Kiln Park caravan site, and the lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows.\n\nPretty as a picture... Suzy shared this garden view in Snowdonia\n\nSun up: Heath in Cardiff awakes to a covering of snow\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "DUP leader Arlene Foster said people in NI need to \"come together to fight against Covid\"\n\nDUP leader Arlene Foster has said a potential vote on a united Ireland would be \"absolutely reckless\".\n\nShe was speaking after a poll commissioned by the Sunday Times in NI found 51% of people want a referendum on Irish unity in the next five years.\n\nSpeaking to Sky News, the first minister said \"we all know how divisive a border poll would be\".\n\nSinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill said there was an \"unstoppable conversation under way\" on the issue.\n\nThe deputy first minister called on the Irish government \"to step up preparations\" for a border poll.\n\nProvisions for a possible border poll on Irish reunification are included in the the Good Friday Agreement - the deal which led to peace in Northern Ireland after decades of violence.\n\nIt states that the Northern Ireland Secretary must call a border poll if it at any time it appears \"likely\" to that a majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote for a united Ireland.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Michelle O’Neill This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMrs Foster said she thought it was \"very disappointing\" that some nationalist parties in the UK were focusing on \"constitutional politics\" during the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\n\"We all know how divisive a border poll would be, and for us in Northern Ireland what we have to do is come together to fight against Covid, and not be distracted by what would be absolutely reckless at this time,\" she said.\n\nShe added if there was a vote on Irish unity, the arguments for the union are \"rational, logical, and they will win through\".\n\nThe polling was carried out by Lucidtalk in Northern Ireland, with similar polling in England, Scotland and Wales to gauge attitudes towards the union.\n\nIt found that in Northern Ireland, 47% still want to remain in the UK, with 42% in favour of a united Ireland and 11% undecided.\n\nHowever for those aged under 45, supporters of Irish reunification outnumber those who want to stay in the UK by 47% to 46%.\n\nRespondents also said they believed there would be a united Ireland within 10 years, by a margin of 48% to 44%.\n\nPolls like this come with the usual health warning - they are a snapshot in a moment in time.\n\nNonetheless there is some interesting reading here - not least the fact that it paints a picture of a disunited kingdom.\n\nWe shouldn't really be surprised about that because we have had very different approaches to the global Covid-19 pandemic with different outcomes.\n\nWe know that Brexit is starting to bite and there is a lot of frustration out there and uncertainty and that, I'm sure, has fed into these figures.\n\nThe big question for NI, unsurprisingly, is around constitutional change.\n\nIt shows that 51% of those polled would want to see a border poll within the next five years, compared to 44% who would not.\n\nHowever, if they flip that question around it's interesting to see that 42% would want to see a united Ireland, but 47% would want to remain, with 11% of don't knows.\n\nSo according to these figures there may be an appetite for a border poll - but if that question was posed the majority are saying they would stay in the UK.\n\nSDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the poll placed a \"solemn obligation\" on those seeking a united Ireland \"to engage with every community, sector and generation\".\n\n\"The United Kingdom may be coming to an end but we are all called to build a new future together. That's the work the SDLP is engaged in,\" said the Foyle MP.\n\nThe polling found 47% of people in Northern Ireland wish to remain in the UK, with 42% in favour of a united Ireland, and 11% undecided\n\nUlster Unionist leader Steve Aiken said \"all political energy should be focused on making Northern Ireland a better place to live and work rather than a divisive border poll\".\n\n\"We need to concentrate on the here and now, fostering better relationships and plotting a way through and out of the Covid-19 pandemic,\" he added.\n\n\"As Northern Ireland enters its second century, we should be talking about recovery, renewal and reconciliation.\"\n\nThe polls also found across the UK, respondents believed Scotland would become independent within the next 10 years.\n\nIn Scotland, it found a large poll lead for the Scottish National Party, with them potentially being on course to win 70 of 129 seats in Holyrood.\n\nThe SNP is set to reveal its 'roadmap to a referendum' to its national assembly on Sunday.\n\nIt outlines plans to pursue a vote after the pandemic if there is a pro-independence majority at Holyrood following May's election.\n\nThe research was carried out by Lucidtalk in Northern Ireland, Panelbase in Scotland, and YouGov in England and Wales.\n\nThe polling was carried out between 15 and 22 of January, with 2,392 people polled in Northern Ireland, 1,206 in Scotland, 1,416 in England, and 1,059 in Wales.", "Larry King, giant of US broadcasting who achieved worldwide fame for interviewing political leaders and celebrities, has died at the age of 87.\n\nKing conducted an estimated 50,000 interviews in his six-decade career, which included 25 years as host of the popular CNN talk show Larry King Live.\n\nHe died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Ora Media, a production company he co-founded.\n\nEarlier this month, he was treated in hospital for Covid-19, US media say.\n\nThe talk show host, famous for his braces and rolled-up sleeves, had faced several health problems in recent years, including heart attacks.\n\nKing was married eight times to seven women and had five children. Two of them died last year within weeks of each other - daughter Chaia died from lung cancer and son Andy of a heart attack.\n\nKing carried out interviews with every sitting US president from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama and a number of world leaders. His other high-profile guests included Dr Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Lady Gaga.\n\n\"For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry's many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster,\" Ora Media said in a statement, without giving the cause of death.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Larry King: \"I like spontaneity. That's the kind of broadcaster I am\".\n\nBorn Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933, King rose to fame in the 1970s with his radio programme The Larry King Show, on the commercial network Mutual Broadcasting System.\n\nIn 1985 he launched Larry King Live on the fledgling CNN, and became one of the network's biggest stars. The programme, broadcast around the world, was a success with audiences, with King answering thousands of phone calls from viewers.\n\nHe earned a number of honours, including two Peabody awards, but was also criticised for his non-confrontational approach and open-ended questions. King boasted of not doing much research for the interviews so, he said, he could learn along with viewers.\n\nBy 2010 his ratings had dropped significantly, with critics saying King's approach felt outdated in an era of more aggressive interviewing styles. King then announced his retirement, saying: \"It's time to hang up my nightly suspenders.\"\n\nIn his final programme on CNN, he told his viewers: \"I don't know what to say, except to you, my audience, thank you. Instead of goodbye, how about so long?\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by CNN Communications This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nCNN replaced him with British journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan, whose programme King criticised for being \"too much about him\".\n\nMorgan, whose programme was cancelled three years later, said on Twitter on Saturday: \"Larry King was a hero of mine until we fell out after I replaced him at CNN & he said my show was 'like watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your new Bentley.' (He married 8 times so a mother-in-law expert).\"\n\nIn a statement, CNN president Jeff Zucker said: \"The scrappy young man from Brooklyn had a history-making career spanning radio and television. His curiosity about the world propelled his award-winning career in broadcasting, but it was his generosity of spirit that drew the world to him.\"\n\nMost recently, King hosted another programme, Larry King Now, broadcast on Hulu and RT, Russia's state-controlled international broadcaster.\n\nA Kremlin spokesman was quoted as saying by state RIA Novosti news agency: \"King repeatedly interviewed Putin. The president has always appreciated his great professionalism and unquestioned journalistic authority.\"\n\nOutside broadcasting, King founded the Larry King Cardiac Foundation in 1988, a charity which helps to fund heart treatment for those with limited financial means or no medical insurance.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA new world record has been set for the number of satellites sent to space on a single rocket.\n\nThe 143 payloads, of all shapes and sizes, rode to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon rocket that launched out of Florida.\n\nThe number beats the previous record of 104 satellites carried aloft by an Indian vehicle in 2017.\n\nIt's further evidence of the major structural changes taking place in space activity that are allowing many more actors to get involved.\n\nThis shift is the result of a revolution in robust, miniaturised, low-cost components - many taken direct from consumer electronics such as smartphones - that mean pretty much anyone can now build a capable satellite in a very small package.\n\nAnd with SpaceX offering to transport those packages to orbit for just $1m, the commercial opportunities will continue to open up.\n\nGuatemala's Santa María volcano: Planet is imaging the entire Earth daily with its Dove satellites\n\nSpaceX itself had 10 satellites on the Falcon - the latest additions to its Starlink telecommunications mega-constellation, which is going to deliver broadband internet connections around the globe.\n\nSan Francisco's Planet company had the most satellites of all on the flight - 48.\n\nThese were another batch of its SuperDove models that image the Earth's surface daily at a resolution of 3-5m. The new spacecraft take the firm's operational fleet now in orbit to more than 200.\n\n\"Internet of things\": SpaceBees will connect to all manner of objects on the ground\n\nThe SuperDoves are the size of a shoebox. Many of the other payloads on the Falcon rocket were little bigger than a coffee mug, however; and some were smaller even than a paperback book.\n\nSwarm Technologies is rolling out what it calls the SpaceBees. They're just 10cm by 10cm by 2.5cm.\n\nThey'll act as telecommunications nodes to connect devices that are attached to all manner of objects on the ground, from migrating animals to shipping containers.\n\nThe satellites were mounted on a dispenser that ejected them in sequence\n\nSome of the larger items on the Falcon rocket were suitcase-sized. Among these were several radar satellites. Radar has been one of the major beneficiaries of the revolution in componentry.\n\nTraditionally, radar satellites were big, multi-tonne objects that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to fly, which essentially meant only the military or major space agencies could afford to operate them.\n\nBut the adoption of new materials and compact \"off the shelf\" parts have dramatically shrunk the size (to under 100kg) and price (a couple of million dollars) of these spacecraft.\n\niQPS artwork: The radar satellites unfurl large antennas once they are in space\n\nIceye from Finland, Capella from the US, and iQPS of Japan all took the ride to orbit on Sunday. These start-ups are establishing constellations in the sky that will return rapid, repeat imagery of the Earth.\n\nRadar has the advantage over standard optical cameras of being able to pierce cloud, and to sense the Earth's surface whether it is day or night. We're entering an age when any change on the planet, wherever it happens, will be picked up almost immediately.\n\nThe Falcon carried the 143 satellites into a 500km-high path that runs from pole to pole. This is one of the drawbacks of a big rideshare mission: you go where the rocket goes, and for some that might not be ideal.\n\nA number of satellite missions will want an orbit that's higher or lower in the sky, or on a different inclination to the equator.\n\nThis can be achieved by mounting the satellites on \"space tugs\" which, after coming off the top of the rocket, modify the final parameters for their \"passengers\" over the course of several weeks. Sunday's Falcon carried two such tugs.\n\nBut for some missions a bespoke ride is going to be the only satisfactory solution. It's why we're now witnessing a rush to produce small rockets that can run dedicated flights.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket blasts its way to space\n\nThese smaller rockets will not be able to compete on cost with the big vehicles, such as SpaceX's Falcon-9, but they should attract the custom of those with very specific or urgent needs.\n\nDan Hart, the CEO of Virgin Orbit, which has developed a small rocket that can be launched from under the wing of a Boeing 747, says the start-ups are becoming more discerning.\n\n\"These small satellites used to be points of fascination and interest, and it was a case of finding the cheapest way possible to get into space,\" he explained.\n\n\"That's rapidly changing. These are now businesses with critical missions that risk losing revenue if they have to wait on others or go into an unsuitable orbit. And that's why you're going to see people who will pay that little bit more to get to where they want to go when they absolutely need to go there,\" he told BBC News.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Will Marshall: \"Our satellites 'phoned home' and they are healthy\"\n\nWith the roll call of satellites going into orbit now accelerating rapidly, the issue of traffic management is becoming a hot topic.\n\nFull-on collisions are currently rare, but a surprisingly large number (10%) of satellites will even now experience sudden, unexpected momentum changes, most probably the result of being hit by some small fragment from a previous mission.\n\nThe space sector needs to find smarter ways to track objects in orbit and to command timely avoidance manoeuvres, otherwise certain altitudes could ultimately become unusable because of the presence of dangerously dense debris fields.\n\nJonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is a noted historian of astronautics.\n\nHe commented: \"There are now over 3,000 working satellites in orbit. The number of satellites launched last year at over 1,200 is over twice as many as in any previous year. And the ones launched today - that used to be the number you'd launch in a whole year. So it's getting really crowded up there.\"\n\nWill Marshall, the CEO of Planet, said his company, and indeed all of the companies on Sunday's flight, were accutley aware of the issue.\n\n\"We are seeing crowded areas in certain orbits,\" he told BBC News.\n\n\"Most of the crowded piece that is in danger of what they call Kessler Syndrome (runaway collisions) is quite high up. So one of the tricks that all of these satellites that were launched today use is to just stay really low where there's still a lot of atmospheric drag and eventually those satellites just come down.\"", "Pavithra Wanniarachchi (L) has become the fourth Sri Lankan minister to test positive\n\nSri Lanka's health minister, who endorsed herbal syrup to prevent Covid, has tested positive for the virus.\n\nPavithra Wanniarachchi tested positive on Friday, a media secretary at the Ministry of Health told the BBC.\n\nShe had promoted the syrup, manufactured by a shaman who claimed it worked as a life-long inoculation against the virus.\n\nSri Lanka recorded 56,076 cases and 276 deaths since the pandemic began, with cases surging in recent months.\n\nMs Wanniarachchi is the fourth minister to test positive. A junior minister, who also took the potion, tested positive earlier this week.\n\nThe health minister had publicly consumed and endorsed the syrup as a way of stopping the spread of the virus. The shaman who invented the syrup, which contains honey and nutmeg, said the recipe was given to him in a visionary dream.\n\nDoctors in the country have quashed claims the herbal syrup works, but AFP news agency reports thousands have travelled to a village to obtain it.\n\nMs Wanniarachchi took two Covid-19 tests and both returned positive results, Viraj Abeysinghe, media secretary at the Ministry of Health told the BBC.\n\nThe minister has been asked to self-isolate and all of her immediate contacts have gone into isolation.\n\nNews of Ms Wanniarachchi's positive test came hours after Sri Lanka approved the emergency use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. The first doses are expected to arrive in the country next week.\n\nSri Lanka isn't the only place where people in positions of power have promoted unproven treatments for Covid.\n\nLast year, Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina was criticised for promoting a herbal concoction that he claimed could prevent the virus. He was pictured distributing the tonic to poor communities in the capital.\n\nSince the pandemic began, a number of world leaders and cabinet members have contracted Covid. French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former President Donald Trump all caught the virus at various points last year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The people who think Coronavirus is caused by 5G", "Mr Johnson raised the benefits of a UK-US trade deal during his phone call with Mr Biden\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has spoken to Joe Biden for the first time since the new US president was inaugurated.\n\nMr Johnson said on Twitter that he looked forward to \"deepening the longstanding alliance\" between the UK and the US as they drove a \"green and sustainable recovery from Covid-19\".\n\nMr Biden was sworn in as president and Kamala Harris as vice-president in a ceremony in Washington on Wednesday.\n\nThe PM said their inauguration was a \"step forward\" for the US.\n\nA Downing Street spokesman said Mr Johnson \"warmly welcomed\" the president's decision to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change and the World Health Organization - both abandoned by Mr Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump.\n\n\"The prime minister praised President Biden's early action on tackling climate change and commitment to reach net zero by 2050,\" the spokesman said.\n\nThe spokesman added that, in building on the two nations' \"long history of cooperation in security and defence, the leaders \"re-committed to the Nato alliance and our shared values in promoting human rights and protecting democracy\".\n\nThe two leaders also talked about \"the benefits of a potential free trade deal\" between the UK and the US, with Mr Johnson reiterating his intention \"to resolve existing trade issues as soon as possible\".\n\nAfter the inauguration of any American president, a political spectator sport immediately begins: the order in which the new occupant of the White House speaks to other world leaders.\n\nIt is a crude metric of relative importance, but a metric nonetheless.\n\nI understand the call lasted for around 35 minutes and was the first conversation Joe Biden has had with a European leader as president.\n\nThe focus on climate change makes political and diplomatic sense. It's a topic where a Conservative prime minister and Democrat president can agree, and it matters particularly to the UK as the host of the COP26 UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow in November.\n\nBut when you compare what Downing Street said about the call and what the White House said, one thing leaps out.\n\nNo 10's readout refers to a conversation about a trade deal. President Biden's does not.\n\nIt's widely expected there'll be no such agreement any time soon.\n\nMr Johnson and Mr Biden \"looked forward to to meeting in person as soon as the circumstances allow\" and to working together during the forthcoming G7, G20 and COP26 summits, the spokesman added.\n\nA White House statement said Mr Biden \"conveyed his intention to strengthen the special relationship\" between the US and UK and \"revitalize transatlantic ties\".\n\nCongratulating Mr Biden and Ms Harris - who is the first woman and first black and Asian-American person to serve as vice-president - the PM said earlier that their inauguration was a \"step forward\" for the US, which had \"been through a bumpy period\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Johnson: \"It's a big moment for us - we have things we want to do together.\"\n\nMr Johnson said it was a \"big moment\" for the UK and the US and their \"joint common agenda\".\n\nThe BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg has said the Biden Presidency \"brings some hope to government\" because No 10 believes \"there is a lot of overlap\" between what Mr Biden and Mr Johnson want to do.\n\nThe US president has previously said that he does not want a \"guarded border\" between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland following Brexit, and that any UK-US post-Brexit trade deal had to be \"contingent\" on respect for the Good Friday Agreement.\n\nThe PM and Mr Biden have never met in real life, but the new US president once referred to Mr Johnson as a \"physical and emotional clone\" of Mr Trump.\n\nAfter winning the presidential election, Mr Biden phoned Mr Johnson ahead of other European leaders and expressed his desire to strengthen the historic \"special relationship\" between the two countries.", "Keon Lincoln died from a gunshot and stab wounds police said\n\nThree more teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 15-year-old who was attacked by a group of youths.\n\nKeon Lincoln was \"set upon\" at about 15:30 GMT on Thursday on Linwood Road in Handsworth, Birmingham, and died later in hospital, police said.\n\nA post mortem examination has revealed Keon died from a gunshot and stab wounds.\n\nDetectives have been granted extra time to question a 14-year-old boy arrested on Friday morning.\n\nAnother 14-year-old boy arrested later on Friday has been released under investigation.\n\nA boy, also aged 14, was arrested from his home in Birmingham on Saturday night, the force said.\n\nTwo other boys aged 15 and 16 were arrested from an address in Walsall in the early hours of Sunday.\n\nThe attackers fled the scene in a car which crashed into a house a short distance away\n\nDet Ch Insp Alastair Orencas, who is leading the murder inquiry, described the arrests as \"significant\".\n\n\"We are gathering a substantial amount of evidence which will take time to analyse, but we must be thorough to get justice for Keon's family.\n\n\"They have been fully updated with the latest developments.\"\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Andrew RT Davies has taken over as leader of the Welsh Conservatives for the second time\n\nAndrew RT Davies has been named as the new leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd for a second time.\n\nMr Davies succeeds Paul Davies who resigned from his post on Saturday after drinking with other politicians in the Senedd, four days into a Wales-wide alcohol ban in licensed premises.\n\nIn a statement, Andrew RT Davies said it was \"a great honour and privilege\".\n\nHe has already announced his shadow cabinet, which includes four women.\n\nThere are no responsibilities for Paul Davies or Darren Millar, who also previously apologised for being part of the group who were drinking at the Senedd.\n\nMr Davies said his party \"will put forward a positive plan to get Wales moving again\" and \"unleash our country's potential\" at the Senedd election, scheduled for May.\n\n\"I'm pleased to have moved quickly this afternoon and announce my Welsh Conservative shadow cabinet which is built on the strong foundations of experience, talent and vision,\" he said.\n\n\"We are in a moment like no other, and the Covid-19 pandemic has sadly only served to shine a spotlight on the challenges in people's everyday lives.\n\n\"We shouldn't doubt our country's potential. Wales is full of ambitious people and communities that crave the opportunity to succeed.\"\n\nThe Conservatives' shadow cabinet reshuffle sees Angela Burns MS replace the new leader as shadow health minister and Mark Isherwood MS replace Darren Millar MS as chief whip.\n\nDavid Melding MS has been appointed shadow minister for mental health, wellbeing, culture and sport.\n\nJanet Finch-Saunders MS remains as shadow minister for environment, energy and rural affairs, and Suzy Davies MS in education, skills and Welsh language.\n\nLaura Anne Jones MS stays as shadow minister for equalities, children and young people, but with extra responsibilities for housing and local government.\n\nRussell George MS remains in the shadow cabinet, responsible for the economy, transport and mid Wales.\n\nIn 2018, Mr Davies, the Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central, quit as leader of the Conservative group after seven years in charge.\n\nHe was given the unanimous backing of fellow Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd.\n\nWelsh secretary Simon Hart, MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, tweeted his congratulations to \"a formidable campaigner\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Simon Hart This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Welsh Labour Press This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAndrew RT Davies faced criticism earlier this month from former Tory politicians and Labour after comparing rioting in the US Congress to people who backed a second referendum on Brexit.\n\nThe deputy leader of the UK Labour Party said it was was a \"disgrace that the Welsh Conservatives\" had appointed \"this Donald Trump tribute act\" as leader.\n\nAngela Rayner MP said: \"Just weeks ago, Labour called on the Conservatives to suspend Andrew RT Davies and remove him as a candidate over his disgraceful and dangerous comments equating peaceful democratic debate in the UK with deadly violence at the US Capitol.\n\n\"The Conservative Party failed to act and he has refused to apologise.\n\n\"It is a disgrace that the Welsh Conservatives have just appointed him leader and their candidate for first minister of Wales.\n\n\"The people of Wales deserve so much better than this Donald Trump tribute act.\"\n\nPlaid Cymru leader Adam Price MS said: \"After a car crash the backseat driver returns to put Wales in reverse.\n\n\"Once rejected by his own Senedd team, he will now embark on his pet project of stripping our Senedd of powers and setting Welsh democracy back decades.\"\n\nHis appointment comes just a day after Paul Davies stood down along with Tory MS Darren Millar, who was chief whip, in connection with the same incident.\n\nBoth have apologised for drinking alcohol with their meals on 8 and 9 December but both deny having broken the Covid-19 rules in place at the time.\n\nWelsh Conservatives chairman Glyn Davies said: \"They've both been friends of mine a long time but I could see the way the story was developing and I must say I think it was inevitable in the end.\n\n\"Obviously, I've been pretty disappointed with the position that we find ourselves in but this is politics and it's a challenge.\"\n\nAn investigation by the Senedd's authorities found five people, including four members of the Welsh Parliament, drank alcohol on its premises during the Wales-wide alcohol ban.\n\nA third member of the Senedd, Labour's Alun Davies, apologised earlier in the week and has been suspended by his party.\n\nBBC Wales has asked for clarification as to the identity of the fourth Senedd member investigators have referred to.\n\nPaul Smith, the Tory group chief of staff, was the fifth person involved.\n\nThe Senedd has referred the \"possible breach\" of Covid rules to Cardiff council and its own standards watchdog.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Mixed Martial Arts\n\nDustin Poirier (left) has had nine mixed martial arts fights since November 2016, while Conor McGregor has had just three Former two-weight world champion Conor McGregor was left stunned on his return to the UFC as Dustin Poirier claimed victory in their rematch at UFC 257. McGregor came out of retirement for a third time to face fellow 32-year-old Poirier at Abu Dhabi's Fight Island. And although the Irishman edged the first round, Poirier unleashed a flurry of punches to seal a technical knockout two minutes 32 seconds into round two. \"I'm gutted, it's a tough one to swallow,\" said McGregor. \"I felt stronger than him, but his leg kicks were good. I didn't adjust. My leg was badly compromised, I've never experienced those low calf kicks, and I wasn't as comfortable as I needed to be. \"I have no excuses. It was a phenomenal performance by Dustin. I have to dust it off and come back. I need activity, you don't get away with being inactive in this business.\"\n• None Trilogies, Pacquiao or YouTuber - what next for beaten McGregor?\n• None UFC 257 - All the action as it happened When the pair first met in a featherweight bout in September 2014, McGregor stopped the American inside 106 seconds, setting \"the Notorious\" on course for global stardom. He became the UFC's first simultaneous two-weight champion before facing Floyd Mayweather in one of the richest bouts in boxing history in 2017. Poirier, meanwhile, had to gradually work his way back into title contention and is now the number-two ranked lightweight contender, losing just two of his 13 fights since 2014. McGregor now has a 22-5 mixed martial arts record having lost three of his past six UFC fights McGregor has been relatively inactive though. Since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018, he has had just 40 seconds in the octagon - beating Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in style last January. But McGregor seemed to start well in front of about 2,000 fans at the new 18,000-capacity Etihad Arena. He survived an early takedown and pinned Poirier against the fence for most of the first round, landing a few shoulder strikes like those that did so much damage against Cerrone. McGregor said before the fight that what motivates him now is building a \"highlights reel like a movie\", and he tagged Poirier with a couple of right-hand shots. But, unlike their first fight, Poirier was unmoved. Poirier admitted McGregor won the mind games before they met in 2014. This time round, instead of swapping verbal barbs before the fight, McGregor pledged to donate $500,000 (£367,000) to Poirier's charity and at the weigh-in Poirier presented McGregor with a bottle of his own brand of Louisiana hot sauce. And it was the American southpaw that brought the heat midway through the second round. Having replied to that early pressure with a series of leg kicks, he pounced to inflict the first TKO/KO defeat of McGregor's MMA career and take his own record to 27-6. \"It was a lot of things, but it wasn't payback. That wasn't the driving force,\" said Poirier. \"The first time I was a deer in the headlights. This time I was just fighting another man who bleeds like me. \"The goal was to be technical, pick my shots and not brawl at all. Then I had him hurt so I went a little crazy.\" What now for Poirier? Poirier's first world title shot - against Nurmagomedov - came 31 fights into his MMA career Since beating McGregor in 2018, lightweight champion Nurmagomedov won unification bouts against Poirier and Justin Gaethje to stay undefeated, announcing his retirement immediately after beating Gaethje in October. Nurmagomedov's title is yet to be vacated and UFC president Dana White said this week that the Russian may consider returning for a rematch with McGregor or Poirier if he \"saw something spectacular\". But speaking after UFC 257, White said: \"He said to me, 'be honest with yourself, I'm so many levels above these guys. I've beaten these guys'. \"I don't know, it doesn't sound very positive, but he won't hold the division up.\" In the co-main event, former Bellator world champion Michael Chandler marked his UFC debut with an impressive first-round knockout of sixth-ranked lightweight Dan Hooker, who Poirier beat last time out. Poirier said: \"It was a great win, but to come in and beat a guy I just beat and get a title shot? I've had more than 20 UFC fights, fighting the toughest of the toughest guys to get my hands on gold [a belt]. \"Let Chandler and Charles Oliveira go at it. That [Chandler] doesn't interest me at this point - or I'll go and sell hot sauce. A rematch with Conor interests me, and I've always wanted to beat Nate Diaz.\" \"Conor McGregor's not an old dog, he's definitely ready to keep going. \"Going around doing other things is not what Conor needs. He's young, fit and still ready to go. He'll 100% be back.\"\n• None All the goals, highlights and drama from Saturday's fourth-round ties are", "Watch: Vaccine plea to prioritise those with learning disabilities\n\nAs high risk groups continue to be immunised, there are growing concerns that people with learning disabilities have been missed out. \"Just because we've got a learning disability, doesn't mean we should sit in the corner and rot,\" says Amanda. \"We need help now.\" \"There are so many people that are going to die, and it's not fair.\" \"Even before Covid, more than four in 10 people with a learning disability died of a lung condition like pneumonia,\" says Professor Tuffney-Wijne, of Kingston University. \"As a group of people, they really are at risk.\" Legal action is being taken against the Department of Health and Social Care, which says it is working hard to vaccinate all those at risk. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said it had made \"a clinical decision to prioritise those with profound and severe learning disabilities within our first six categories\".", "Last updated on .From the section FA Cup\n\nBruno Fernandes' superb 78th-minute free-kick gave Manchester United victory in a thrilling FA Cup tie with old rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford.\n\nLiverpool led a fantastic contest through Mohamed Salah, who then equalised after Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford had struck for the hosts either side of the break.\n\nBut in a game which had everything last week's drab stalemate between this pair at Anfield lacked, Fernandes came off the bench to have the final word after Fabinho had fouled Edinson Cavani on the edge of the area.\n• None Don't worry about us, says Reds boss Klopp\n\nFernandes might have been slightly off the pace in recent games but when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needed his £47m inspiration to come up with another special moment, the Portuguese delivered, bending his shot round the wall and beyond Allison's reach.\n\nThe victory earns United a home meeting with an in-form West Ham side managed by former boss David Moyes in the fifth round.\n\nBut the search for form goes on for Liverpool, whose only win in seven games since that seven-goal hammering of Crystal Palace came against Aston Villa's kids in the last round, and who have a meeting with Jose Mourinho's Tottenham looming on Thursday.\n• None Watch all the goals from the FA Cup fourth round\n\nIt was not quite the ending Solskjaer served up when he won a previous fourth-round meeting between these sides but, as in 1999, they had to come from behind.\n\nAnd while Fernandes applied the devastating finish, that goal should not be allowed to overshadow Rashford's contribution to United's victory.\n\nSo much has been said about the England forward as a social crusader it is sometimes easy to forget he also needs to be judged as a footballer.\n\nAt only 23, he is still a long way off his prime but he is developing into an outstanding forward, with vision to match his speed and finishing ability.\n\nThe pass that created Greenwood's equaliser was superb. Taking possession just inside his own half, Rashford delivered a 60-yard pass with such accuracy all Greenwood needed to do was take one touch to control with his chest before drilling low into the far corner.\n\nRashford's raw pace put Liverpool's defence under constant stress and the delicate touch that took him past Rhys Williams by the touchline in a move that ended with Paul Pogba curling wide was sensational.\n\nAnd then there was his goal, which needed a perfectly-timed run to go beyond the Liverpool defence and reach Greenwood's through ball, and then a cool head to apply the finish.\n\nAt that point, it seemed United had the game under control. It did not quite work out that way and once again, Fernandes, who has won four Premier League player of the month awards out of the seven he has been eligible for since leaving Sporting Lisbon less than 12 months ago, underlined his credentials as English football's most influential player at present.\n\nSalah's effort was the first time Liverpool had been ahead at Old Trafford since January 2017, since when Liverpool have won both the Champions League and Premier League, a clear indication that whatever issues Jurgen Klopp is wrestling with at the moment, they are not insurmountable.\n\nThe finish for the striker's 18th goal of the season did not hint at a lack of confidence as he raced on to Roberto Firmino's precise through ball, having escaped the attentions of Victor Lindelof, and lifted his shot beyond the reach of Dean Henderson.\n\nEvidently, what Klopp needs is to find a solution in defence. Williams was shaky and at fault for Rashford's goal, while Fabinho was exposed by United in this game and Cavani exploited the Brazilian's defensive inexperience to earn the free-kick that won the game.\n\nEven so, after Salah equalised from close range after United had lost possession to James Milner and never recovered their position after working their way up-field from a short goal-kick, the visitors did have chances to win it themselves.\n\nBut Dean Henderson saved from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah before Fernandes struck - so Liverpool's wait for a first FA Cup win since 1921 at Old Trafford, and Jurgen Klopp's for a first win at United full stop, goes on.\n\nManchester United are next in action against Sheffield United in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Wednesday, 27 January (20:15GMT). Liverpool play at Tottenham on Thursday, 28 January (20:00GMT).\n• None Manchester United have eliminated Liverpool from the FA Cup proper for the 10th time; in the competition's history, only Liverpool themselves (12 v Everton) have knocked a particular side out more times (including finals).\n• None Liverpool have won just one of their past 15 matches at Old Trafford in all competitions (D4 L10), and are winless in their last eight at the ground (D4 L4).\n• None Manchester United have won each of their past eight home games in the FA Cup; only from 1908 to 1912 have they had a better winning run on home soil in the competition (9 games).\n• None Liverpool are the first reigning Premier League champion to be eliminated from the FA Cup as early as the fourth round since Manchester City in 2014-15.\n• None Liverpool have lost back-to-back games in all competitions for the first time since March 2020.\n• None Roberto Firmino has assisted Mohamed Salah for 18 goals in all competitions for Liverpool, the most any player has set up another for the Reds under Jurgen Klopp. Since they first played together in 2017-18, this is the most one player has assisted another for all Premier League sides in all competitions.\n• None Mason Greenwood scored his first goal for Man Utd in 11 appearances in all competitions, ending his longest run of games without a goal for the club. Aged 19 years and 115 days, he was the youngest Man Utd player to score against Liverpool since Wayne Rooney in January 2005 in the Premier League (19y 83d).\n• None Marcus Rashford has scored more goals at Old Trafford against Liverpool than he has against any other opponent on home soil for Manchester United (4).\n• None Since his Man Utd debut in February 2020, Bruno Fernandes has scored more goals than any other player for Premier League clubs (28).\n• None No player has scored more goals for Premier League clubs in all competitions this season than Salah for Liverpool (19, level with Harry Kane).\n• None Attempt missed. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) left footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the right following a set piece situation.\n• None Paul Pogba (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Victor Lindelöf (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Edinson Cavani (Manchester United) hits the right post with a header from the centre of the box. Assisted by Bruno Fernandes with a cross.\n• None Attempt saved. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Aaron Wan-Bissaka.\n• None Goal! Manchester United 3, Liverpool 2. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None All the goals, highlights and drama from Saturday's fourth-round ties are", "A protester holds a poster that reads \"One for all and all for one\" in support of opposition leader Navalany\n\nTens of thousands of people rallied across Russia on Saturday in some of the largest demonstrations held against President Vladimir Putin in years.\n\nCrowds defied police to show support for opposition leader Alexei Navalny - who was arrested last weekend after returning to the country following a near-fatal nerve agent attack last year.\n\nMonitors say more than 3,000 were arrested for taking part in rallies in dozens of cities across the country.\n\nReuters estimated that some 40,000 gathered in Moscow alone, but authorities played down the figure and said only a tenth of that number showed up.\n\nRiot police were pictured dragging away and beating some protesters. The US and UK have condemned the heavy-handed response and called for the release of peaceful protesters.\n\nJosep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, also expressed concern and said foreign ministers would discuss \"next steps\" on Monday.\n\nOVD Info, an independent NGO that monitors rallies, said more than 1,200 had been detained in Moscow alone.\n\nDemonstrations, held from Russia's Far East to St Petersburg, were some of the biggest seen in years.\n\nIn Omsk protesters braced freezing temperatures of almost -30C (-22F) to protest against Mr Navalny's detention.\n\nAnd conditions were even colder, -52C (-62F), at another protest held in Yakutsk in Siberia.\n\nMr Navalny, a lawyer and blogger, has long been a thorn in the side of the Kremlin. He forged reputation as an anti-corruption campaigner and has become the most prominent face of the country's opposition.\n\nHe was arrested immediately on arrival into the country last Sunday after flying home from Germany, where he had been recovering from an attempted assassination attempt which he and investigative journalists have blamed on Russian authorities - a claim officials deny.\n\nPolice said Mr Navalny had violated parole conditions and have kept him in custody pending further hearings.\n\nMuch of the international community have condemned his arrest and called for his immediate release.\n\nMr Navalny called for street protests and his team further galvanised support this week after releasing an investigative documentary about an opulent Black Sea property allegedly owned by President Putin.\n\nThe investigation, now watched more than 70m times, alleges the property cost £1bn ($1.37bn) and was paid for \"with the largest bribe in history\" but the Kremlin denies it belongs to the president.\n\nRussian authorities had warned in advance of Saturday that any unauthorised demonstrations would be \"immediately suppressed\".\n\nSome demonstrators were pictured with injuries, including wounds to the head, following the promised crackdown.", "Vaccination appointments for people aged 70-79 are being delivered from Monday - but plans to use distinctive blue envelopes in some parts of the country have been delayed.\n\nThe aim is to have this group receive their first dose by mid-February.\n\nOn Sunday morning, the Scottish government said some letters would be sent out in blue envelopes and given Royal Mail priority.\n\nBut in a statement published later it said the envelopes were not yet ready.\n\nIt added that the change has no impact on the vaccination programme timetable.\n\nVaccinations for over-80s are continuing, with Nicola Sturgeon revealing on Sunday that about 40% of this age group had received a first dose of the vaccine.\n\nAll appointments will initially be sent out in white envelopes which will have a window and a black NHS logo on the right hand side.\n\nThe blue envelopes were due to be sent out in Fife, Forth Valley, Ayrshire and Arran, Lanarkshire, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Lothian as part of a new booking system.\n\nUnder the system, patients are scheduled in order of priority and more boards are expected to make use of the technology as the vaccination programme expands.\n\nA Scottish government spokesman said the blue envelopes would be introduced \"as quickly as possible\".\n\nHe added: \"The blue envelopes we hoped to use were not ready in time for the first tranche of vaccine appointment invitations so distinctive NHS branded white envelopes are being used as a temporary measure.\n\n\"The absolute priority remains the roll-out of vaccinations and this temporary change to the envelope colour has absolutely no impact to our timetable.\n\n\"We continue to strongly urge everyone in the 70-79 age group to check all their post in the coming weeks and take up the offer of the vaccine when it is received,\" he added.\n\nAccording to the Scottish government's vaccine deployment plan, the 470,000 people aged in the 70 and 79 age bracket should receive their first dose by mid-February.\n\nSome patients may receive a phone call from their local health board as part of the appointment process.\n\nAnd all patients aged 75 to 79 in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will be invited via phone.\n\nA Royal Mail spokesman said \"clearly marked envelopes\" would be used to make it easier for the postal service to identify and prioritise this mail during sorting and delivery process.\n\nHe added: \"We are poised to make these letters even more noticeable in the coming weeks as we have agreed.\"\n\nMeanwhile, the Scottish government has said it is on track for all those aged 80 and over to have received their first dose of the vaccine by the end of the first week in February.\n\nThis age group are being contacted by telephone or another form of letter.\n\nMinisters have faced criticism over the pace of the vaccine rollout, and accusations that Scotland is \"lagging behind\" England on the vaccine roll-out.\n\nOpposition parties say vaccines are not being supplied to GPs' surgeries fast enough.\n\nAnd they point to the latest official figures which show that 13% of over 80s in Scotland had their first dose by Sunday 17 January, while 56.3% of same age group had been vaccinated in England.\n\nMs Sturgeon told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that, a week on, the figure had reached about 40%.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nicola Sturgeon says the over 70s are to receive their vaccine date\n\nThe UK government Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Andrew Marr on Sunday that 75% of over-80s and three-quarters of UK care homes had received a first Covid vaccine in England.\n\nAbout 95% of Scottish care home residents have received their first dose, Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish government briefing on Friday.\n\nShe said the over-80s roll-out has been slower because the Scottish government has \"very deliberately\" concentrated on vaccinating care home residents first, which is \"more time consuming and labour intensive\".\n\nThis was designed to target the most vulnerable and was in line with the priority list compiled by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises on vaccine rollout across the UK, she said.\n\nScotland's national clinical director Prof Jason Leitch has defended the plan, which has been challenged by the British Medical Association (BMA) for not getting second doses out quickly enough.\n\nProf Leitch told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: \"The difficulty with the BMA's position is that we would have to de-prioritise another group, either care home residents or the over-80s, in order to give a second dose to younger people.\n\n\"And that's what the Joint Committee on Vaccination have told us not to do.\n\n\"They have told us in very clear terms - give the first dose to as many vulnerable people as you can and that gives us the best chance of saving the most lives.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Deputy First Minister John Swinney told Politics Scotland that the Scottish government was \"actively exploring\" the possibility of stricter rules around facemasks.\n\nHe said the issue was being \"looked at\" after new rules announced in Germany last week required people to wear medical-grade facemasks on public transport and in shops.\n\nMr Swinney said progress was being made in reducing cases but hospitals were still under \"enormous pressure\" and it would be \"foolish\" to rule out strengthening restrictions further in the future.", "Last updated on .From the section FA Cup\n\nCheltenham Town came within nine minutes of one of the biggest shocks in recent FA Cup history before Manchester City staged a dramatic late rally to crush the dreams of the gallant League Two side.\n\nThe Robins, 72 places below City who sit second in the Premier League, threatened huge embarrassment for Pep Guardiola's side after Alfie May put Cheltenham ahead on the hour after a trademark long throw from captain Ben Tozer caused chaos in the area.\n\nCity, who made ten changes to the team that beat Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday, spared their embarrassment when Phil Foden, the game's outstanding player, arrived at the far post to turn in substitute Joao Cancelo's long cross in the 81st minute.\n\nAnd the turnaround was complete three minutes later when a rare moment of slackness in the outstanding Cheltenham defence, with goalkeeper Josh Griffiths superb, switched off and Gabriel Jesus scored from Fernandinho's delivery.\n\nFerran Torres scored Manchester City's third with the last kick of the game to give the scoreline a cruel reflection on Cheltenham's heroic efforts.\n\nIt was so cruel on manager Michael Duff and his players, who now go back the battle for promotion from League Two, while City will be away at Swansea in the fifth round.\n\n\"I'm incredibly proud,\" the Robins boss said of his side's display. \"The players they brought on from the bench and they way they celebrated the goals tells you something. They know they've been in a game. They've done that to better teams than us.\"\n\nThe sight of Manchester City manager Guardiola disputing where Cheltenham could take a throw-in said everything about the way the League Two underdogs gave their mighty opponents a serious fright.\n\nTozer's throw-ins were causing all manner of problems and led to Cheltenham's goal but there was so much more to their performance than that set-piece weapon, a threat any manager in the game would utilise.\n\nCheltenham tried to play football when they got the chance, with goalscorer May, who has done the hard yards in non-league before playing for Doncaster and now Cheltenham, a leading light.\n\nRobins keeper Griffiths, who suffered the ignominy of being beaten from 71 yards by his Newport County opposite number Tom King in midweek, was in defiant form as he saved well from Riyad Mahrez and Torres, showing command throughout. Tozer's headed goalline clearance from Benjamin Mendy in the first half was also symbolic of their 'they shall not pass' approach.\n\nThere may have been no fans inside this compact stadium but there was still a real sense of occasion, the game being halted in the first half because of a firework display nearby.\n\nIn the end this will be a bitter disappointment to Cheltenham but they can be rightly proud and take huge confidence into their League Two promotion battle.\n\nDuff highlighted how financially important the cup run was for his club.\n\n\"It's essential,\" he added. \"Every pound coming in is probably worth a tenner in normal times.\n\n\"These games don't come around very often. It's a shame because [with fans] the place would've been bouncing. Would that have seen us through in the last 10 minutes? I'm not so sure - but the key is to enjoy it.\"\n\nGuardiola made 10 changes to his line-up to give Manchester City's shadow squad a chance to impress.\n\nSome, like the erratic Mendy, did not take that opportunity and it was someone establishing himself in City's side that spared the blushes of this expensively assembled squad.\n\nFoden was magnificent, so light on his feet with glorious ball control, endless creativity and the man pulling the strings for City even when they were struggling to break down resilient Cheltenham.\n\nThe 20-year-old was head and shoulders above his City team-mates. He was the one who was going to pull them out of their grim predicament if anyone was, and so it proved when he popped up with the crucial late equaliser that lifted Guardiola's team and deflated Cheltenham.\n\nFoden had already carved out chances for Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus that were not taken so it was a case of 'do it yourself' when he was the player on target.\n\nThe fact Guardiola was forced to use three subs in Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo once Cheltenham went ahead proved how worried the Premier League giants were.\n\nThis was an unimpressive, scratchy display from City's much-changed team, with Guardiola resting so many of the players who are giving them such an ominous look in the Premier League - luckily they had the brilliance of Foden to pull them out of a deep hole.\n\nGuardiola praised the England attacking midfielder for his impressive performance.\n\n\"Foden is in a great moment and with great confidence,\" he said.\n\n\"He is clinical in front of goal and he had a similar chance to the goal we scored at [Chelsea's] Stamford Bridge - he is playing really well.\"\n\nThe City manager suggested he was confident in the players he put out on the pitch.\n\n\"I didn't have regrets even when we were 1-0 down, we had clear chances from the first minute,\" he added.\n\n\"When they take advantage it gets complicated, but we got it to 1-1 and it was tight. We came here with humility and had the quality to make the difference.\"\n• None Cheltenham have lost all nine of their competitive meetings with Premier League sides, by an aggregate score of 6-23.\n• None City have won 10 consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since a run of 11 from August to October 2017.\n• None May's opener for Cheltenham was the first goal City had conceded in 509 minutes of action in all competitions, since Callum Hudson-Odoi's strike for Chelsea at the start of the month.\n• None Foden is City's top scorer in all competitions this season with nine goals in 25 appearances, one more than he netted in 38 games last season.\n• None Jesus has been involved in 12 goals in 13 FA Cup appearances for City, scoring eight and assisting four.\n• None May has scored four goals in his four FA Cup games for Cheltenham, with each of his eight goals in total in the competition coming in home games.\n• None Goal! Cheltenham Town 1, Manchester City 3. Ferran Torres (Manchester City) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ilkay Gündogan.\n• None Attempt missed. Matty Blair (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high following a corner.\n• None Goal! Cheltenham Town 1, Manchester City 2. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Fernandinho with a through ball.\n• None Goal! Cheltenham Town 1, Manchester City 1. Phil Foden (Manchester City) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by João Cancelo with a cross.\n• None Attempt missed. João Cancelo (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Riyad Mahrez.\n• None Attempt missed. Phil Foden (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by João Cancelo with a cross. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Hear from the former US president as he reflects on his time in office\n• None How can you eat well for £1 a portion?", "Some of the party-goers have travelled from Newcastle and London, police said\n\nA student party that attracted people from up to 200 miles away has been broken up by police.\n\nSome of the guests were found hiding in cupboards when officers raided the gathering in Lower Loveday Street, Birmingham, on Friday night.\n\nOne officer was assaulted as one guest made off but was not hurt, West Midlands Police said.\n\nParty-goers had travelled to the event from places such as Newcastle, Nottingham and London.\n\nThe flats are private accommodation but predominantly used by students from Aston University and University College Birmingham, West Midlands Police said.\n\nInsp Steve Barnes added: \"We understand that young people are frustrated at not being able to enjoy themselves and I do feel their pain, but we have to stick to the rules so that we can get back to some sort of normality sooner rather than later.\n\n\"People are dying and we have to prevent the spread of this virus.\"\n\nOfficers were also called to a party on Soho Road where shop owners had set up a sound system, and a 30th birthday party attended by about 20 people in Kingstanding.\n\nAcross 32 breaches of Covid-19 lockdown rules on Friday night, the force issued 58 fines of £200 and five of £1,000.\n\nThe West Midlands is under an England-wide lockdown with people not allowed to leave home to meet others socially.\n\nOn Thursday, the government said fines of £800 would be introduced in England this week for anyone attending a house party of more than 15 people.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "People made the most of the snowy slopes of Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset\n\nSevere weather warnings are in place across much of the UK after large parts of the country saw heavy snowfall.\n\nThe blanket of snow drew people outside for sledging and winter walks, but motorists have been warned to take extra care on icy roads with sub-zero temperatures forecast overnight.\n\nSeveral coronavirus vaccination and testing centres were closed in England and Wales due to the conditions.\n\nPolice reminded the public to keep to lockdown rules while out in the snow.\n\nOfficers in Wandsworth, south-west London, encouraged people with gardens to play in the snow at home.\n\nAnd police in Rutland, Leicestershire, were among several forces questioning why people were leaving their homes to go sledging.\n\nContinuing coronavirus lockdowns across the four UK nations mean most of the population must stay at home, except for a limited number of reasons.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. For cats Bonny and Freddy, the snow is a chance to explore. Credit: Rachel Prew\n\nAs well as four vaccination centres in Wales, six Covid testing centres in the West Midlands had to close due to heavy snow on Sunday.\n\nHighways England warned that the snow had caused collisions on the M3, M27 and M25 in southern England, with the agency urging drivers to only travel if absolutely necessary.\n\nThose using the roads for essential journeys have been urged to allow plenty of extra time for their travel and pedestrians and cyclists are also advised to be cautious.\n\nThe Met Office put a yellow weather warning for snow in place on Sunday, stretching from coast to coast in southern England and ending just south of Manchester.\n\nIt is also in place for western and northern areas of Scotland, most of Northern Ireland and all of Wales apart from Anglesey.\n\nAn amber warning for snow in Nottingham and Stoke meant travel disruption and power cuts were likely on Sunday evening.\n\nYellow weather warnings for ice are in place until 11:00 GMT Monday for all of Wales and Northern Ireland, northern and eastern Scotland and much of southern England and the Midlands.\n\nMany people swapped their usual daily bout of exercise for sledging on Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath, north London, but police urged people to stay at home\n\nGritters leapt into action near Touchen-end in Berkshire\n\nIn Wales, appointments at the Bridgend, Rhondda, Abercynon and Merthyr Tydfil coronavirus vaccination centres were rescheduled for safety reasons, the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board said.\n\nUp to 1in (3cm) of snow was forecast to fall in most areas of Wales, with 4-6in (10-15cm) expected in the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia.\n\nIn the West Midlands, coronavirus testing centres at Castle Vale Stadium, the Arcadian Centre and Maypole Youth Centre were closed, Birmingham City Council said.\n\nFacilities in Moat Street, Coventry and The Place in Oakengates in Shropshire also closed, along with one in Lichfield, Staffordshire, local MP Michael Fabricant said.\n\nAnd in Devon, a gritting lorry overturned on Dartmoor. Devon County Council urged people to avoid travel unless it was absolutely essential and not to travel to find snow.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Devon County Council This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMet Office forecaster Simon Partridge said a band of hail, sleet, snow and rain moved in through Wales and south-west England in the early hours before sweeping across the UK and stalling over the Midlands, which saw some of the heaviest snow.\n\nColeshill, near Birmingham, had seen had 3.5in (9cm) by Sunday lunchtime.\n\nThe snow clouds eased away on Sunday evening but overnight temperatures could be as low as -4C to -6C (25F to 21F) for a lot of the south of the UK, the forecaster added.\n\n\"Some localised spots, likely in the Midlands, could see it as low as -10C (14F),\" he said.\n\nSnowmen popped up in the grounds of Guildford Castle, Surrey\n\nAs shown on the M1 in Bedfordshire, the wintry showers have caused hazardous driving conditions\n\nChris Fawkes of BBC Weather said some stretches of the M4 and M5 had been completely covered in snow at some points on Sunday morning.\n\nHe said this was partly because traffic has been low due to lockdown restrictions - and vehicles are needed to help grit mix into snow to make it melt.", "People who have received a Covid-19 vaccine could still pass the virus on to others and should continue following lockdown rules, England's deputy chief medical officer has warned.\n\nWriting in the Sunday Telegraph, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam stressed that scientists \"do not yet know the impact of the vaccine on transmission\".\n\nHe said vaccines offer \"hope\" but infection rates must come down quickly.\n\nMatt Hancock said 75% of over-80s in the UK have now had a first virus jab.\n\nBoth the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines require two doses, and figures so far reflect those given the first dose.\n\nThe health secretary told the BBC's Andrew Marr that around three quarters of care homes had also been vaccinated.\n\nProf Van-Tam said \"no vaccine has ever been\" 100% effective, so there is no guaranteed protection.\n\nIt is possible to contract the virus in the two- to three-week period after receiving a jab, he said - and it is \"better\" to allow \"at least three weeks\" for an immune response to fully develop in older people.\n\n\"Even after you have had both doses of the vaccine you may still give Covid-19 to someone else and the chains of transmission will then continue,\" Prof Van-Tam said.\n\n\"If you change your behaviour you could still be spreading the virus, keeping the number of cases high and putting others at risk who also need their vaccine but are further down the queue.\"\n\nLast week, the person coordinating Israel's Covid response reportedly suggested a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine might not be as effective as reported.\n\nIsrael has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world against coronavirus, with scientists keenly watching data shared by the country for signs of how effective the vaccine is when given to the whole population.\n\nThe country's health minister Yuli Edelstein told the Andrew Marr Show that some people \"still get sick\" with coronavirus after getting the first dose of the vaccine, but said there were \"some encouraging signs of less severe diseases, less people hospitalised after the first dose\".\n\nSenior doctors have called on health officials in England to cut the gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nThe maximum wait was extended from three to 12 weeks in order to get the first jab to more people across the UK.\n\nBut the British Medical Association said the policy was \"difficult to justify\" and the gap should be reduced to six weeks.\n\nIts chair, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, told the BBC there were \"growing concerns\" that the vaccine could become less effective with doses 12 weeks apart.\n\nResponding to the criticism, Prof Van-Tam said: \"What none of these (who ask reasonable questions) will tell me is: who on the at-risk list should suffer slower access to their first dose so that someone else who's already had one dose (and therefore most of the protection) can get a second?\"\n\nA further 32 vaccine sites are set to open across England this week.\n\nMore than 5.8 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a vaccine, according to the government's coronavirus dashboard.\n\nNHS England said new vaccine sites were preparing to open across England from Monday.\n\nThey include Dudley's Black Country Living Museum, which doubled as a set for TV series Peaky Blinders, Plymouth Argyle FC's stadium Home Park and an old Ikea store in Stratford, London.\n\nThe 32 sites will prioritise health and social care staff on Monday, and other priority patients from Tuesday.\n\nThey will bring the number of mass vaccination sites across England to 49 - as well as 70 pharmacies, more than 1,000 GP surgeries and 250 hospitals offering the jab.\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Friday that more than a third of over-80s had received their first dose of a vaccine.\n\nMore than half of over-80s in Northern Ireland have had the jab, though Health Minister Robin Swann said \"it will take time\" for the programme to have a \"major effect.\"\n\nIn Wales, four vaccination centres have been shut as officials brace for more snowy weather.\n\nProf Van-Tam stressed that the UK needs to \"bring the number of cases down as soon as we can whilst we vaccinate our most vulnerable\".\n\nAnother 1,348 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test were reported in the UK on Saturday, in addition to 33,552 new infections.\n\nThere were 4,076 Covid patients were on hospital ventilators in the UK as of Friday, according to government data.\n\nThat is higher than during the first wave, when the peak was 3,301 on 12 April.\n\nHow has coronavirus affected you? What have been your experiences of vaccination, lockdown, work or travel? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Rescuers in China have freed the first of a group of miners who have been trapped 600m underground for two weeks, state media report.\n\nAn explosion closed the entrance tunnel to the Hushan gold mine in Shandong province on 10 January.\n\nTV footage from China has shown the first miner being brought to the surface, as emergency workers applaud.", "Jim Haynes was both an icon and a relic of the Swinging Sixties, an American in Paris who was famous for inviting hundreds of thousands of strangers to dinner at his home. He died this month.\n\nLast February, I took my last trip abroad before lockdown closed in on us. I bought a last-minute ticket and jumped on the Eurostar to Paris, motivated by a sudden urge to have dinner with a friend. Jim Haynes had entered his late 80s and his health was declining, yet I knew he would welcome a visit. Jim always welcomed visitors.\n\nThe essence of that trip now feels like the antithesis of Covid times. I was far from the only guest wandering into the warm glow of his atelier in the 14th arrondissement on a wet winter's night. Inside, people were squeezing, shoulder to shoulder, through the narrow kitchen. Strangers struck up conversations, bunched together in groups, balancing their dinners on paper plates and reaching over each other to press the plastic spout on a communal box of wine.\n\nJim had operated open-house policy at his home every Sunday evening for more than 40 years. Absolutely anyone was welcome to come for an informal dinner, all you had to do was phone or email and he would add your name to the list. No questions asked. Just put a donation in an envelope when you arrive.\n\nThere would be a buzz in the air, as people of various nationalities - locals, immigrants, travellers - milled around the small, open-plan space. A pot of hearty food bubbled on the hob and servings would be dished out on to a trestle table, so you could help yourself and continue to mingle. It was for good reason that Jim was nicknamed the \"godfather of social networking\". He led the way in connecting strangers, long before we outsourced it all to Silicon Valley.\n\nA ballet dancer staying with Jim in the late 1970s suggested cooking for him and friends to repay the hospitality; the dinners became weekly for 40-plus years\n\nI only knew Jim in his later years, but his entire life was extraordinary. Born in Louisiana in 1933, he had lived in Venezuela as a teenager; founded the alternative culture centre Arts Lab in London, where he mixed with David Bowie, John Lennon and Yoko Ono; ran a sexual liberation magazine in Amsterdam, and all before becoming a university lecturer in sexual politics in Paris, his home since 1969.\n\nAnd yet he was often seen as a son of Scotland, following an influential stint there in the late '50s and late '60s, when he established Edinburgh's first paperback bookshop, co-founded the Traverse Theatre and helped kickstart the Fringe festival.\n\nWhen Jim died, at 87, earlier this month, a Herald obituary called him \"the unofficial agent for the beat generation in Scotland\".\n\nWhile a lot of highly regarded people tend to retreat into their own circles after finding success, Jim never stopped reaching out to new people. The first time I heard from him was an email out of the blue in 2008.\n\nI had written a newspaper article from Barcelona - not the one in Spain but the one on the coast of Venezuela - and it had brought back memories for him. His father worked in the oil business and had moved the family there when Jim was in his early teens.\n\nMy article was about meeting people through the Couchsurfing website, where locals opened their homes to strangers for free around the world. This was before AirBnB worked out how to monetise the idea, and the concept of non-commercial cultural exchange was right up Jim's street. \"When you are back in Europe, come to dinner,\" he wrote, promising to tell me about an old travel project of his own that he thought I might like.\n\nIntrigued, I headed to Paris soon after my return. I had imagined some sort of intimate dinner party with cultural elites, but what I found was more like a student house party - albeit with more mature attendees and only moderate alcohol consumption. (Jim was teetotal and proceedings ended strictly by 23:00.)\n\nJim never cooked himself, instead he invited guest cooks\n\nJim instantly greeted me like an old friend and, as we chatted, he reached up on to his living room shelves to offer me a book. People to People read the cover line. It was the project he had wanted to tell me about.\n\nHe explained that, in the late 1980s, he had founded a guidebook series for countries behind the Iron Curtain. Instead of the standard descriptions of sights and hotel listings, the format was like an address book, including the contact details for hundreds of in-country hosts. The idea was that if people could not easily see the Western world themselves, he would bring it to them via travellers. It was \"couchsurfing\", but offline.\n\nThe hand-sized copy he pressed into my palm centred on Poland. I loved it and decided to travel there to see if the participants were still up for receiving random visitors, even though so much had changed.\n\nJim created the People to People guidebooks for multiple Eastern European countries\n\nEach person was filed under the town where they lived, followed by two or three lines, including their address, date of birth, phone number and hobbies. Through a combination of Google and snail-mail, I managed to get hold of several of them. Most had all known Jim either personally or through friends of friends. All had fond memories of the project and all were still willing to act as local guides to show me around.\n\nIn Gdansk, I asked civil servant Krystyna Wróblewska why she had signed up originally. She told me she had been working as a media fixer, helping reporters cover the anti-communist shipyard strikes. \"They [the media] went looking for women with handkerchiefs on their heads and horses with carts, perpetuating the same old picture. I suppose I wanted to meet people to subvert stereotypes and show that not all the pictures you have in your head are real.\"\n\nKrystyna Wroblewska signed up in the late 1980s to show travellers around Gdansk\n\n\"It surprised me how easy it was,\" Jim insisted to me. He produced guides for Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the Baltics and Russia, featuring thousands upon thousands of locals. Some of his contacts came from his personal, multi-volume address books, and he got new sign-ups after placing interviews in local papers and jazz magazines.\n\n\"Some of the older people in Russia were scared about being put on a Western list, because they thought it would be easier to be rounded up and carted away,\" he said. \"But a lot of younger people wanted to be in the book… I was getting sackfuls of mail. I'm sure the local postman wondered what the hell was going on.\"\n\nOver the years, the authorities often wondered what was going on at Jim's place. Not least during the period when he started issuing fake passports. It was back in the 1970s, after he had caught wind of an American traveller, who, 20 years before, had renounced his American citizenship and created his own \"world passport\".\n\nFor Jim, non-national passports seemed to encapsulate his ideals of peace and global freedom. So he turned his home into an \"embassy\" and started producing world passports for anyone who wanted one. The documents were so convincing that some people used them to cross borders.\n\n\"Look, you can't do this any more. You have to stop making passports,\" exasperated French police would say when they came to his door. But Jim continued until he ended up in court. Though he was eventually acquitted of fraud and counterfeiting, he was found guilty of \"confusing the public\".\n\nJim always dismissed the idea that it was a naïve undertaking, but he was trusting to a fault, according to some of his friends, and this led to financial mistakes and legal troubles over the years. He wouldn't deal with problems, waiting until they blew up instead.\n\n\"I often had to stop him signing things. Sometimes he didn't even read them,\" says Jesper, his son, who was born during Jim's marriage to Viveka Reuterskiold in the 1960s.\n\nJesper grew up in Stockholm after they separated, but visited Paris every summer from the age of 10.\n\n\"There were mattresses on every spare bit of floor, people sleeping everywhere,\" he says, as he recalls his earlier visits. \"It was exciting and fun, but sometimes I felt jealous. Lots of people did. People were very possessive of him. People wanted to claim him, but he was unclaimable.\"\n\nJesper credits his father with opening the world to him. He used Jim's contacts books extensively as he travelled and he is currently living with his own family in Bangkok, where he briefly replicated the Sunday dinners. \"Just for six months... It was a lot of work.\"\n\nDuring the 1990s, the crowds started to dwindle at the Paris dinners, as the original hippy crowd aged. But then a new wave of younger visitors started to get in touch. The bloggers had discovered him.\n\n\"The internet both ruined and saved the dinners,\" says Seamas McSwiney, a close friend who helped on Sunday evenings for decades. \"It became less spontaneous as people tried to book six months ahead - which was anathema to how Jim travelled and also annoying as those people were more likely to do a no-show - but at the same time, these online articles re-energised the idea. There was a younger crowd and new momentum.\"\n\nAt the dinners' peak, Jim would welcome up to 120 guests, filling his atelier and spilling out into the cobbled back garden. An estimated 150,000 people have come over the years.\n\n\"The door was always open,\" says Amanda Morrow, an Australian journalist who stayed with Jim for a year-and-a-half. \"It was a revolving door of guests - some who wanted to stay over, and others who just wanted to say hello. Jim never said no to anyone.\"\n\nThe only thing that really got Jim down was people leaving,\" says Jesper. \"He struggled with that. He didn't like being on his own... Though fortunately there was usually a new person to distract him.\"\n\nIn the final years, Jim would sit quietly, as others gravitated into his orbit. On my last visit, he looked frail and pained by his various ailments, but he also had an air of contentment, clearly never tiring of being the conduit for human interactions.\n\n\"I was wondering when you'd come back,\" he said to me, in the rasping American accent he somehow had never lost.\n\nHere was a man who had spent time with Lennon and Bowie, who was once friends with Sonia Orwell and used to walk round Paris with Samuel Beckett. And yet he made everyone feel special. Every connection mattered.\n\n\"It felt like politician's trick, but it was natural,\" says Seamas.\n\nIn very recent times, Covid restrictions reduced the dinners' clockwork schedule, but his friends say he was not depressed by the pandemic. He had figured the get-togethers would resume and, until then, had enjoyed a smaller stream of visiting carers and, whenever possible, friends.\n\nAmid the outpouring of online tributes since his death in his sleep on 6 January, these words from Jesper stand out: \"His goal from early on was to introduce the whole world to each other. He almost succeeded.\"\n\nYou may also be interested in:", "The EHIC card is making way for the GHIC card under a new agreement with the EU\n\nUK residents can apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) to access emergency medical care in the EU when their current EHIC card runs out.\n\nUnder a new agreement with the EU, both cards will offer equivalent healthcare protection when people are on holiday, studying or travelling for business.\n\nThis includes emergency treatment as well as treatment needed for a pre-existing condition.\n\nThe new GHIC card is free and can be obtained via the official GHIC website.\n\nCurrent European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) are valid as long as they are in date, and can continue to be used when travelling to the EU.\n\nYou don't need to apply for a GHIC until your current EHIC expires.\n\nPeople should apply at least two weeks before they plan to travel to ensure their card arrives on time.\n\nHealth Minister Edward Argar said: \"Our deal with the EU ensures the right for our citizens to access necessary healthcare on their holidays and travels to countries in the EU will continue.\n\n\"The GHIC is a key element of the UK's future relationship with the EU and will provide certainty and security for all UK residents.\"\n\nIf a UK resident is travelling without a card, they are still entitled to necessary healthcare, and should contact the NHS Business Services Authority (which covers the whole of the UK), which can arrange for payment should they require treatment when abroad.\n\nEHICs from EU member states will continue to be accepted by the NHS.\n\nIt is advised that anyone travelling overseas, whether to the EU or elsewhere in the world, should take out comprehensive travel insurance.", "A video featuring footage of a County Mayo man being consumed by fits of laughter while trying to record a birthday message for his son, has gone viral.\n\nVincent McDonnell was sending the message to his son David, who was celebrating his 40th birthday in Australia.\n\nHis younger son Paul got the video rolling, but the pair could not contain their laughter as they racked up the attempts.\n\nThe video has been viewed more than 1.5m times on Paul's Twitter account.", "The UK economy will \"get worse before it gets better\" as the country battles the pandemic, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned.\n\nThe chancellor told MPs the new national restrictions were necessary to control the spread of coronavirus.\n\nHowever, he said they would have a further significant economic impact,\n\n\"Even with the significant economic support we've provided, over 800,000 people have lost their job since February,\" he said.\n\n\"Sadly, we have not and will not be able to save every job and every business.\n\n\"But I am confident that our economic plan is supporting the finances of millions of people and businesses.\"\n\nThe chancellor said \"the road ahead will be tough\", but maintained that the government was \"taking the difficult but right long-term decisions for our country\".\n\nHe said that fiscal stimulus provided so far amounted to more than £280bn, while 1.2 million employers had furloughed almost 10 million employees.\n\nAt the same time, three million people had benefited from self-employment grants.\n\nMr Sunak said he would \"bear in mind\" calls to extend business rate relief and provide further support for the hospitality sector at the Budget in March.\n\nShadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds accused Mr Sunak of being \"out of ideas\" and providing \"nothing new\".\n\nShe said: \"The purpose of an update is to provide us with new information, not to repeat what we already know.\"\n\nThe chancellor's words reflect the fact that with a widespread lockdown, the first months of 2021 are likely to see a further contraction in the UK economy and probably an official double-dip recession. This reflects the physical shutdown nationwide of hospitality and retail, as well as the effect in the data of school shutdowns too.\n\nIn addition, consumers and workers are likely to be more cautious as the vaccine starts to be rolled out. So this is a very odd sort of economic tripwire. The challenge in the next weeks and months gets bigger, although not as big as it was last April. But beyond that, there is the hope of something normal.\n\nThe implication for the chancellor as he prepares a vital early March Budget, however, is further delay to the measures, such as tax rises, to deal with historic levels of pandemic government borrowing.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe UK is at the \"worst point\" of the pandemic, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned, but said the actions of the public \"could make a difference\".\n\nAt a No 10 briefing, Mr Hancock pleaded with people to follow the government's Covid rules until the vaccine could provide a \"way out\" of the pandemic.\n\nThe government earlier published its plan to immunise tens of millions of people by spring.\n\nSo far 2.3 million people in the UK have had a first Covid vaccine shot.\n\nAnd a total of 2.6 million doses have been given out across the country, with some people having received both doses.\n\nMr Hancock said the new variant of coronavirus was putting the NHS under \"significant pressure\", adding it was \"imperative\" that people limit their social contacts.\n\n\"The NHS, more than ever before, needs everybody to be doing something right now - and that something is to follow the rules,\" he said.\n\n\"I know there has been speculation about more restrictions, and we don't rule out taking further action if it is needed, but it is your actions now that can make a difference.\"\n\nThe health secretary said he could \"rule out\" tightening restrictions by removing support and childcare bubbles, however.\n\nHis comments follow similar warnings from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty, who said that the next few weeks will be \"the worst\" of the pandemic for the NHS.\n\nAccording to the latest figures, there have been another 529 deaths within 28 days of a positive test in the UK, and another 46,169 cases reported. There are also more than 32,000 people in hospital with coronavirus, data shows.\n\nMatt Hancock has previously said he's learned to rule nothing out when it comes to dealing with the pandemic.\n\nBut today he took the unusual step of doing just that.\n\nSupport bubbles and childcare bubbles, hugely valued by so many, will stay.\n\nSenior Whitehall sources have previously told me bubbles were \"untouchable\" but for a minister to say as much, so explicitly and on the record, means there's now very little wriggle room for the government to change its mind.\n\nMinisters will know that scrapping bubbles, for those that rely on them, could have proved deeply unpopular. But this certainty is a rarity.\n\nWhilst the current emphasis is on compliance, the idea of toughening up controls in other areas is not being ruled out.\n\nThe vaccine delivery plan says it is expected to take until spring to give a first dose to all 32 million people in the UK's priority groups, including everyone over 55 and those who are clinically vulnerable.\n\nUnder the plan, the government has pledged to carry out at least two million vaccinations in England per week by the end of January, which it says will be made possible by rolling out jabs at 206 hospital sites, 50 vaccination centres and around 1,200 local vaccination sites.\n\nIt also reiterates the government's aim of offering vaccinations to around 15 million people in the UK - the over-70s, older care home residents and staff, frontline healthcare workers and the clinically extremely vulnerable - by mid-February.\n\nAccording to Mr Hancock, two fifths of over-80s have now received their first dose, and almost a quarter of care home residents have received theirs.\n\nAlso at the briefing, NHS England's national medical director, Prof Stephen Powis, said the NHS was aiming to vaccinate the rest of the top nine priority groups by April, with a final push to offer all adults over 18 a jab by the autumn.\n\nHe stressed it would take until February before there were \"early signs\" that vaccination was leading to a drop in hospitalisations.\n\nThe country has still not seen the full impact of the Christmas loosening of lockdown restrictions, Prof Powis added, although he noted there are now 13,000 more Covid patients in hospital than there were on Christmas Day.\n\nSpeaking in Bristol earlier, Mr Johnson warned the vaccination programme was in a \"race against time\" because of pressure on the NHS.\n\nHe said it was \"a very perilous moment because everyone can sense the vaccine is coming in - my worry is that will breed false complacency\".\n\nThe newly-published vaccination plan also says ministers are aiming to offer jabs at more than 2,700 sites across the UK.\n\nAnd it says that daily vaccination figures for England will be published from now on - showing the total number vaccinated to date, including first and second doses.\n\nEarlier, NHS England's chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens, told MPs that there was a \"strong case\" for asking the the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to consider prioritising \"teachers and other key workers\" for vaccination after the \"first nine [priority] groups have been vaccinated\".\n\nA quarter of coronavirus admissions to hospital are for people under the age of 55, he added.\n\nIn the first four weeks of the vaccination campaign, the NHS did 1.3 million vaccinations.\n\nNews that in the past week almost the same again has been done shows progress is being made - even though there has been some concern rollout to care home residents has been slower than hoped.\n\nHitting two million doses a week is the next target - and is something the NHS is aiming to get close to this week.\n\nWith more vaccination sites opening by the day, it should be achievable as long as there is good supply.\n\nThere is already enough vaccine in the country to vaccinate all 15 million people in the highest at-risk groups that have been promised an offer of a vaccine by mid-February.\n\nHowever, not all of it has been through the final safety checks or been packaged up ready for distribution.\n\nChallenges remain, but even at this early stage it is clear there is growing optimism that the programme is on track.\n\nAs seven mass vaccination centres opened across England on Monday, NHS England said hundreds more GP-led and hospital services would also open later this week.\n\nBut with all centres, people will need to wait until they receive an invitation.\n\nTwo vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca - are currently being administered in the UK.\n\nOn Friday, a third coronavirus vaccine - made by US company Moderna - was approved for use, although supplies are not expected to arrive until spring.\n\nVaccine programmes are also progressing in the UK's devolved nations.\n\nAll over-50s and everyone who is at greater risk from Covid in Wales will be offered a vaccine by spring, under new plans.\n\nAnd Scotland's health secretary has said every aged over 80 or over in the nation will be offered a jab by February, while care workers in Northern Ireland who provide services to ill or elderly patients living at home can now book an appointment to get a Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nEngland is currently under a national lockdown, meaning people must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar lockdown measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has questioned why there are \"less restrictions in place\" now than there were last March.\n\nIn his first speech of the year, he said: \"I do think it's time to hear from the scientists [about] what else could be done and that probably should be done in the next few hours\".\n\nMeanwhile, the United Arab Emirates is being removed from the UK list of travel corridors amid a spike in Covid cases.\n\nAnd England's Test and Trace scheme has revised one of its definitions of a \"close contact\" - the people who need to be reached if they have been near to someone who has tested positive for Covid.\n\nThis now refers to anyone who has been within two metres of someone for more than 15 minutes, whether in a single period or cumulatively over the course of one day.\n\nPreviously the definition was just a single period of at least 15 minutes.", "Rani has co-hosted BBC One's Countryfile since 2015\n\nCountryfile host Anita Rani is to join Emma Barnett as a presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.\n\nShe will present the Friday and Saturday editions of the long-running programme, beginning on 15 January.\n\nRani, 43, said she had \"long been a fan\" of the programme and that she was \"really looking forward to getting to know the listeners and discussing issues that matter to them the most\".\n\nLong-time hosts Jane Garvey and Dame Jenni Murray left the show last year.\n\nBarnett, 35, who made her name on Radio 5 Live and Newsnight, made her Woman's Hour debut on 4 January. She hosts the show from Monday to Thursday.\n\nWriting on Twitter, Rani said it was \"an honour\" to be joining Radio 4's \"mothership\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by anita rani This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nRani joined the BBC's Asian Network in 2005 and is a regular presenter on BBC Radio 2. She is also known for her appearances on The One Show and Watchdog, and for competing on the 2015 series of Strictly Come Dancing.\n\n\"Woman's Hour has always given a voice to people who may not be heard elsewhere and I want to continue that important tradition,\" she said.\n\nRadio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya said he wanted the station to \"better reflect and be relevant to the audience across the UK\". Rani will bring \"a wealth of broadcasting experience\" as well as a \"valuable\" perspective and insight, he added.\n\nComedian Shappi Khorsandi was among those to welcome her new role, saying she would be \"listening even more\".\n\nRani's appointment means the new Woman's Hour presenters are considerably younger than their predecessors. Dame Jenni was 70 when she left on 1 October, while Garvey was 56 when she signed off last month.\n\nEmma Barnett took the reins of Woman's Hour earlier this month\n\nBefore leaving, Garvey expressed a hope that whoever joined Barnett would be closer to her own age.\n\n\"Emma is in her 30s and that's great,\" she told the Daily Telegraph. \"It will give the programme a real energy, which I think is brilliant.\n\n\"So I think the person working alongside her should be somebody nearer my age to make sure we give the audience as broad a range of life experience and interests as possible. I would prefer it if the other presenter were in her 50s.\"\n\nBarnett had an eventful first week on the Radio 4 institution, opening her stint by reading out a message from The Queen.\n\nTwo days later, one of her guests dropped out of a discussion after objecting to remarks the presenter made about her off air.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "A twenty-year-old from Cambridgeshire who spent a week in intensive care with Covid-19 says he can't believe so many young people are in denial about the virus.\n\nJay Clack fell ill on December 27th and within five days, 80% of his lungs has stopped functioning.\n\nWhile in intensive care he had a goodbye phone call with his family.\n\nBut now, he's showing signs of recovery and spoke to the BBC's Jon Ironmonger.", "The police are stepping up enforcement because they believe many people breaking the Covid regulations are doing so because they are stubborn, not because they don’t understand what is allowed.\n\nThe public, police, and legal experts do struggle to keep up with the ever-changing rules.\n\nBut the organisers of a party on a boat in Hertfordshire, the passengers on a minibus heading for Wales, and the couple who travelled 120 miles to \"watch seals\" would have struggled to explain to the officers issuing them with fines that they were confused.\n\nThose were clear breaches. More complicated is the fine line between the law - which police officers can enforce - and the government guidance, which they can’t.\n\nNo law says exercise can only be conducted once a day, or for a specific duration. These are pieces of firm guidance, along with the request to \"stay local\", which resulted in criticism of the prime minister after his bike ride in east London.\n\nIt would be difficult to set a distance limit which would work for both people living in rural areas and inner cities. Impossible to prove that a 65-minute run was in breach of the law.\n\nWhich is why the success of the measures will rely on personal responsibility in the end.\n\nAnd why some experts are saying that different messages such as \"act like you’ve got it\" or \"thanks for doing the right thing\" might cut through better than a list of regulations to be obeyed.", "Seven new mass vaccination centres have opened up across England to help deliver the Coronavirus vaccine, as the Prime Minister says we are facing a \"perilous moment\" in the fight against the virus.\n\nThe Centre of Life in Newcastle is home to one of them, with others in Bristol, Epsom, London, Manchester, Stevenage and Birmingham.\n\nInitially they will be used to vaccinate the over 80's, alongside NHS staff and health and social care workers. It's part of a drive that the government hopes will see 15 million people vaccinated against the virus by mid-February.", "But it delivered a fascinating look behind the scenes at two cutting-edge ways the firm is creating video content.\n\nThe first involved the use of a giant screen which is matched with movement-sensors on a camera to create a fake backdrop that shifts in turn with the lens.\n\nA similar technique was pioneered by Industrial Light & Magic and used in the Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian, but this opens the door to other filmmakers.\n\nThe screens involved use Sony's Crystal LED technology, which the firm first unveiled at CES in 2012, but has been unable to bring low down enough in price to take mainstream.\n\nIn effect, this is its version of micro-LED tech, using millions of tiny light emitting diodes (LEDs) to match the number of pixels. The result is much greater brightness and contrast than a normal LCD or OLED display would be capable of.\n\nThe background footage moves in time with the camera to aid the illusion Image caption: The background footage moves in time with the camera to aid the illusion\n\nUntil now, the firm has marketed the tech at building owners wanting the ultimate video walls. But this has the potential to help film and advert-makers place actors within environments they can see, rather than relying on greenscreen effects.\n\nThe second innovation was the creation of an \"immersive reality\" performance, which uses body sensors to create a highly-detailed animated version of an artist.\n\nIt was demoed by the singer-songwriter Madison Beer.\n\nMotion capture has been used for years to add special effects to characters in movies and to place real-world actors into video games.\n\nBut the aim here is to create a lifelike representation of a performer on stage at a concert.\n\nThe footage shown didn't quite escape the \"uncanny valley\" - there's still some way to go before we can't tell the difference between a real person and even a highly detailed avatar.\n\nBut it's easy to imagine that the tech being more impressive when viewed in virtual reality, where users can move about and choose their view.\n\nThe computer-generated image looks less real the closer you get to the performer Image caption: The computer-generated image looks less real the closer you get to the performer\n\nUntil now, VR apps of concerts have either offered a pick of different static camera locations or involved much lower-resolution characters.\n\nWith Covid meaning it's impossible for artists to tour, this second-best experience could be very timely when it's offered to PlayStation VR headsets and other devices soon.", "John Lewis is suspending its click and collect services and tightening safety measures after a \"change in tone\" from the government over the virus.\n\nThe department store will also pause in-home services, unless they are \"essential to customers' wellbeing\".\n\nThe retailer said it felt the changes were right with the country at a \"critical point in the pandemic\".\n\nHowever customers will be able to collect John Lewis orders from Waitrose stores.\n\nWaitrose, which belongs to the John Lewis Partnership, is also tightening rules over face coverings, following moves from the other supermarkets to make face masks mandatory for shoppers unless they have a medical exemption.\n\n\"We've listened carefully to the clear change in tone and emphasis of the views and information shared by the UK's governments in recent days,\" said Andrew Murphy, Executive Director, Operations.\n\n\"While we recognise that the detail of formal guidance has not changed, we feel it is right for us - and in the best interests of our Partners and customers - to take proactive steps to further enhance our Covid-security and related operational policies.\"\n\nJohn Lewis said click and collect from its department stores would be switched off for new orders from the end of Tuesday.\n\nExisting orders and bookings for services, such as installing washing machines, will still be carried out, if customers wish to proceed, but there will be no further bookings for non-essential services.\n\nMany other shops from coffee chains to craft suppliers are offering click and collect services. However, with the continued rise in coronavirus cases the government is examining ways to reduce social contact further.\n\nThe book chain Waterstones stopped offering click and collect services from its shops at the start of the current lockdown.\n\nMarks and Spencer said it was continuing to offer customers the opportunity to collect other items at its food halls, which are still open for grocery shopping.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Gary Furlong described his son as \"an amazing, kind boy\"\n\nThe father of one of three men murdered in a park terror attack has called on the home secretary to \"tell us why\" the killer was deemed safe to be free.\n\nGary Furlong, whose son James, 36, was killed in Reading's Forbury Gardens attack in June, said it was \"beyond\" him why Khairi Saadallah was considered \"not a danger to the public\".\n\nSaadallah was jailed for the rest of his life over the murders.\n\nThe Home Office has not yet responded to a BBC request for comment.\n\nAt the time of the attack Home Secretary Priti Patel said: \"We must learn the lessons from what has happened... to prevent anything like this from happening again.\"\n\nDuring his trial, London's Old Bailey heard Saadallah \"executed\" James Furlong, David Wails, 49, and Joe Ritchie-Bennett, 39, as an \"act of religious jihad\" on the afternoon of 20 June.\n\nHe was jailed on Monday having previously admitted the three murders and the attempted murders of three other men.\n\nKhairi Saadallah admitted three counts of murder and three of attempted murder\n\nThe Ministry of Justice said a Serious Further Offence (SFO) review had been completed into how Saadallah was managed by the National Probation Service.\n\nThe victims' families would be offered a meeting to discuss the findings of the review, it added.\n\nIt comes after the killer had been subject to licence conditions at the time of the attack.\n\nThe court previously heard on the 18 June, two days before the attack, Saadallah's probation officer had emailed his mental health team as he had been talking about \"magic\".\n\nSaadallah also contacted the mental health crisis team himself, but he did not not open the door when they visited on 19 June.\n\nThe court heard Saadallah, who arrived in Britain from Libya in 2012, had previously been involved with militias who had been part of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, and was pictured handling weapons, including firearms.\n\nSince seeking asylum in Britain, he had been repeatedly arrested and convicted of various offences, including theft and assault, between 2013 and 2020.\n\nAnalysis of Saadallah's phone revealed an interest in extremist material and the court heard while at HMP Bullingdon in 2017, he was seen to associate with radical preacher Omar Brookes, who has connections with banned terrorist organisation Al-Muhajiroun.\n\nSpeaking after the sentencing, Gary Furlong, from Liverpool, said Ms Patel needed to \"tell us why this guy wasn't put into some form of detention centre before they could deport him\".\n\n\"He was not safe to be released back on the streets,\" he added.\n\nSaadallah, 26, had been told just before his release from prison that the Home Office wanted to deport him, but it was not legally possible due to the situation in Libya.\n\nIn law, what are known as the Hardial Singh principles place certain limits on the government's power to detain people ahead of deportation.\n\nThe Prime Minister's spokesman said the government \"always tries to remove foreign national offenders where possible\".\n\nHe was released from custody on 5 June, and proceeded to research the location for his attack online and carry out reconnaissance in the park.\n\n(L-R) David Wails, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and James Furlong were pronounced dead at the scene\n\nFollowing concerns from his brother, police visited the killer on 19 June, but he told officers he was \"alright\" while he stood near to a knife he bought from a supermarket.\n\nSaadallah's brother, Aiman, said he had asked for police to detain him under the Mental Health Act, and added \"lives would have been saved\" if more had been done.\n\nThames Valley Police has been contacted for comment.\n\nReading Refugee Support Group's (RRSG) also said it had raised concerns about his potential for radicalisation over three years and the possibility of a \"London Bridge\" scenario.\n\nIn a statement, it said Saadallah had a \"known, significant mental health problem\".\n\n\"This in no way excuses what he did. He murdered three innocent people. But there must be accountability on the part of services that should have supported him,\" it said.\n\nBut passing sentence Mr Justice Sweeney said it was \"clear that the defendant did not, and does not, have any major mental illness\".\n\nGary Furlong said: \"Given the volume of crimes he's committed and the information that they had on him, for an assessment to be done the night before to say that he's not a danger to the public - it is beyond me.\n\n\"How was he ever allowed to stay in this country? How was he allowed in, in the first place?\"\n\nHistory teacher James Furlong and pharmaceutical manager Mr Ritchie-Bennett each died from a single stab wound to the neck, while scientist Mr Wails was stabbed once in the back.\n\nDespite treatment from paramedics and doctors, all three friends, who were members of the LGBT community, died at the scene.\n\nGary Furlong described his son as \"an amazing, kind boy\" who was loved by family, friends and students.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Royal Mail has published a list of areas where there have been delivery delays due to its workforce being affected by the Covid pandemic.\n\nThe postal service said some areas will see a reduced service due to workers being off sick or self-isolating.\n\nRoyal Mail listed 28 areas where post might be late, with 27 in England and one in Northern Ireland.\n\nProblems with deliveries over Christmas had prompted shoppers to complain about parcels not arriving on time.\n\nRoyal Mail said: \"Despite our best efforts and significant investment in extra resource, some customers may experience slightly longer delivery timescales than our usual service standards.\n\n\"This is due to the exceptionally high volumes we are seeing, exacerbated by the coronavirus-related measures we have put in place in local mail centres and delivery offices to keep our people and customers safe.\"\n\nMany of the affected areas are in or near London, while others include Chelmsford in Essex, Leeds in West Yorkshire, Margate in Kent, and Widnes in Cheshire.\n\nLabour MP Wes Streeting, whose Ilford constituency is one of the areas affected, tweeted on Sunday that he was concerned about vaccination invitations getting caught up in Royal Mail delays.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Wes Streeting MP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nBut Covid vaccine deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi replied that the government would work with Royal Mail to ensure that vaccine invitations were prioritised.\n\nCustomers have taken to Twitter to complain about delays to their postal service.\n\n\"Unfortunately I live in one of these areas.,\" wrote Matt S. \"N8 has been receiving an absolutely dreadful service since April 2020 - @RoyalMail what are you going to do to improve the situation?\"\n\nMark Harrison wrote: \"We could manage and expect a bit of disruption - but we've had only 2 deliveries in a month. Nothing for a fortnight. SE11 not even on the list of disrupted areas. Royal Mail need to get a grip.\"\n\nIn a service update on Tuesday, Royal Mail said: \"Due to resourcing issues, deliveries in the following areas are likely to be limited.\"", "Khairi Saadallah admitted three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder\n\nA killer who stabbed three men to death in a Reading park has been handed a whole-life jail term.\n\nKhairi Saadallah murdered James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and 39-year-old Joe Ritchie-Bennett, in June last year in Forbury Gardens.\n\nLondon's Old Bailey previously heard the 26-year-old \"executed\" the men as an \"act of religious jihad\".\n\nPassing sentence Judge Mr Justice Sweeney said it was a \"ruthless and brutal\" terror attack.\n\nSaadallah, who admitted the murders, had also pleaded guilty to the attempted murders of three other men who were also in the park.\n\nThe judge said the victims \"had no chance to react, let alone defend themselves\".\n\n(L-R) David Wails, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and James Furlong were pronounced dead at the scene\n\nHe said he was sure the attack \"involved a substantial degree of premeditation or planning\" and was carried out \"for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, or ideological cause\".\n\nBBC News correspondent Helena Wilkinson, who was in court, said the families of James Furlong and David Wails were present, while Joseph Ritchie-Bennett's loved ones watched via a link from America.\n\nSaadallah showed no emotion as Mr Justice Sweeney went through his sentencing remarks.\n\nOn the afternoon of 20 June, the park was busy due to the first lockdown restrictions being relaxed in England.\n\nAndrew Cafe, who witnessed the stabbings, said he saw Saadallah wielding the \"biggest kitchen knife\" and charging towards him shouting \"Allahu Akbar\".\n\nPharmaceutical manager Mr Ritchie-Bennett and teacher Mr Furlong died from single stab wounds to their necks, while scientist Mr Wails was stabbed once in the back.\n\nDespite treatment from paramedics and doctors, all three friends, who were members of the LGBT community, died at the scene.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Witness Andrew Cafe visited Forbury Gardens for the first time since the attack\n\nThree other people - Nishit Nisudan, Patrick Edwards and Stephen Young - were also injured, before Saadallah threw away the knife and fled the scene, pursued by police.\n\nFollowing his arrest, Saadallah initially said he wanted to plead guilty to the \"jihad that I done\", but the prosecution claimed he later feigned mental illness in police interviews.\n\nAt a previous hearing, the court heard he had developed an emotionally unstable and anti-social personality disorder, with his behaviour worsened by alcohol and cannabis misuse.\n\nBut the judge said it was \"clear that the defendant did not, and does not, have any major mental illness\".\n\nAn examination of Saadallah's phone revealed an interest in extremist material, including images of the flag of Islamic State and Jihadi John, the court previously heard.\n\nWhile at HMP Bullingdon in 2017, he was seen to associate with radical preacher Omar Brookes, who has connections with banned terrorist organisation Al-Muhajiroun.\n\nThe court heard Saadallah, who arrived in Britain from Libya in 2012, had previously been involved with militias who had been part of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, and was pictured handling weapons, including firearms.\n\nSince seeking asylum in Britain, he had been repeatedly arrested and convicted of various offences, including theft and assault, between 2013 and 2020.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. CCTV cameras captured Khairi Saadallah before and after the stabbing\n\nHe briefly came to the attention of MI5 in 2019, but the information provided did not meet the threshold of investigation.\n\nSaadallah had been released from prison on 5 June, days before the attack, the court heard.\n\nOn 17 June, he researched the location for his attack online and carried out reconnaissance in the park.\n\nThe following day his probation officer alerted his mental health team over comments he made about magic.\n\nA day later, Saadallah contacted the crisis team himself, but when they visited he did not answer.\n\nFollowing concerns from his brother, police visited the killer the same day, but he told officers he was \"alright\" while he stood near a knife he bought from a supermarket.\n\nAndrew Wails said losing his brother had been devastating\n\nAfter the sentencing, James Furlong's father, Gary, said: \"The secretary of state needs to tell us why this guy wasn't put into some form of detention centre before they could deport him.\n\n\"He was not safe to be released back on the streets.\"\n\nReferring to the fact that Saadallah had been visited by police the night before the attack, Mr Furlong said: \"Given the volume of crimes he's committed and the information that they had on him, for an assessment to be done the night before to say that he's not a danger to the public - it is beyond me.\"\n\nHe described Mr Furlong, originally from Liverpool, as \"a lovely man, loved by his family, idolised by his mother\".\n\nDavid Wails' brother Andrew said: \"For us as a family it's been devastating to lose our much loved son, brother and uncle.\"\n\nIn a statement, the Bennett family described Mr Ritchie-Bennett as a \"devoted and loving husband\" and \"a man who cared strongly about family\".\n\nThe park had been busy due to the first lockdown restrictions being relaxed in England\n\nDet Ch Supt Kath Barnes, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, described Saadallah as \"a committed jihadist\".\n\nShe said: \"He has caused unspeakable hurt and distress to the families of the three men who were brutally murdered as they were relaxing and enjoying socialising with friends on a Saturday evening.\n\n\"I'm sure there will also be lasting effects on those who were injured in the attack, who were fortunate not to have been even more seriously harmed.\"\n\nReading Borough Council leader Jason Brock described the attacks as \"horrific\" and \"senseless\" and said a permanent memorial to the victims was planned.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Vogue editor Anna Wintour said images of Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris were meant to celebrate her achievements\n\nUS Vogue editor Anna Wintour has defended the magazine following criticism of its front-cover portrait of Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris.\n\nThe image shows Ms Harris wearing an informal outfit including jeans and a pair of Converse trainers.\n\nSocial media users have criticised Vogue for the photo's \"washed out\" lighting and styling, saying it does not reflect Ms Harris's achievements.\n\nBut Ms Wintour said the photos were intended to highlight her success.\n\n\"We want nothing but to celebrate Vice-President-elect Harris's amazing victory and the important moment this is for America's history and particularly women of colour all over the world,\" Ms Wintour said in a statement to the New York Times' Kara Swisher.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Vogue Magazine This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nShe also defended Vogue's decision to use the picture for the print cover of its February issue, rather than an alternative portrait of her in a more formal suit.\n\nA member of Ms Harris's team told AP news agency that Vogue staff, including Ms Wintour, agreed to feature the blue-suited image on cover. But Ms Wintour denied that any formal agreement had been made.\n\n\"All of us felt very, very strongly that the less formal portrait of the vice-president-elect really reflected the moment that we were living in,\" said Ms Wintour.\n\n\"We felt to reflect this tragic moment in global history, a much less formal picture... really reflected the hallmark of the Biden/Harris campaign and everything they were trying to - and I'm sure they will - achieve,\" the editor - herself an influential supporter of the Democratic Party - added.\n\nSources at Vogue told the New York Times that the second, more formal image may be used as a cover for a separate print edition.\n\nBoth pictures were taken by Tyler Mitchell who, in 2018, became the first black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover.\n\nThe magazine has been criticised in the past over issues relating to race.\n\nSeveral former employees previously shared experiences of alleged racism in the workplace with the New York Times.\n\nEarlier this year, British Vogue editor Edward Enninful spoke out after he was allegedly \"racially profiled\" by a security guard at the magazine's UK offices.\n\nYou might also be interested in:\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. HBO's Insecure is making sure lighting people of colour is not an afterthought", "A deal has been agreed for the sale of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Ponden Home and Bonmarché chains, which were on the brink of closure.\n\nThe businesses went into administration last year after a collapse in sales due to the pandemic.\n\nAlmost 2,000 staff will be kept on but as many as 260 stores could close.\n\nThe buyers are a consortium of international investors who will inject fresh funds into the business, led by the existing management team.\n\nEdinburgh Woollen Mill, which sells mid-price knitwear and other clothing to older shoppers, is part of a stable of retail brands owned by billionaire businessman, Philip Day.\n\nIt is understood that Mr Day will effectively lend the group the money to buy the businesses which will be paid back over a number of years.\n\nThe deal also covers two other brands in the group, value retailer Bonmarché, and Ponden Home, an interiors chain based in the south east of England.\n\nThe new owners plan to operate 246 stores across both the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home brands, retaining 1,453 staff in those stores, the head office and distribution centres in Carlisle.\n\nHowever, 85 Edinburgh Woollen Mill stores and 34 Ponden Home stores have been closed permanently, with the loss of 485 jobs.\n\nWakefield-based Bonmarché will retain 72 of its stores and 531 staff including head office and distribution centre staff.\n\nThe majority of its stores, 148 outlets, remain under review with staff on furlough.\n\nAdministrators representing Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home said the deal represented the best chance to save stores and jobs, given the difficult outlook for UK retail.\n\n\"We regret that not all of Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home could be rescued,\" said Tony Wright, partner at FRP. \"This has resulted in a significant number of redundancies at a particularly challenging time of year and period of economic uncertainty.\"\n\nRetail has been particularly hard hit by measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. Even when shops have been open many shoppers stayed away, wary of the health risks.\n\nThe British Retail Consortium said consumers bought 5% less last year than the year before (not including food). Much of that custom switched from the High Street to online, making it harder for chains whose customers usually shop in person. Physical stores saw sales drop by a quarter, the BRC said.\n\nOther major brands including Topshop-owner Arcadia and Debenhams have also gone into administration, costing hundreds of jobs.\n\n\"Lockdowns have proved hugely damaging for mid-range fashion chains like Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Bonmarché whose traditional customer base has not adapted so quickly to online shopping as younger shoppers,\" said Susannah Streeter, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.\n\n\"The backers of this rescue deal clearly believe there is pent-up demand amongst core customers which will be released once the doors are flung open once more,\" she added.\n\nOn Monday, Marks & Spencer announced it was buying Jaeger, another brand that had belonged to Philip Day's portfolio.\n\nPeacocks, another High Street fashion brand in the EWM group remains in administration.", "As major social media platforms crack down on accounts promoting US election conspiracy theories, many conspiracy and far-right groups in the US are looking for a new home online.\n\nTwitter hasn’t just kicked the president off the platform. It’s also closed down some 70,000 accounts associated with the QAnon conspiracy, while Facebook said it is continuing efforts to shut down “Stop the Steal” groups which allege, with no evidence, that Donald Trump was cheated of the presidency.\n\nOne of the most popular alternatives had been the self-styled “free speech” social media outlet Parler, but then over the weekend that was banned too for posts inciting violence.\n\nThen there’s Gab, a Twitter-like platform popular with right-wing groups, which is awash with extreme content and welcomes QAnon followers with open arms. It claims to have added 600,000 new users since the riots.\n\nIt’s thought Gab’s user base is far smaller than that of the now-closed Parler, which had around 16m users.\n\nOthers seem to be moving to MeWe, which is similar to Facebook.\n\nThere are some parallels with online jihadists, who also found their voices silenced after the rise of Islamic State in the Middle East.\n\nThe Islamic State group and al-Qaeda frequently have to re-establish their online presence after social media companies identify and close their accounts, leading to a nomadic online existence.\n\nThey have already adapted to life outside the big social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook and have exploited less well known platforms and apps to get their messages out.\n• 65 days that led to chaos at the Capitol", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid in Scotland: Lockdown likely to extend to February\n\nScotland's first minister has said the country's current lockdown is \"very unlikely\" to be lifted at the end of the month.\n\nNicola Sturgeon was speaking as she confirmed that more than 5,000 people have now died after testing positive for the virus.\n\nA review of the current restrictions is due to be carried out at the end of January.\n\nMs Sturgeon said it was possible that there would be no easing at that point.\n\nA further 54 deaths have been recorded in the past 24 hours - bringing the total by that measure to 5,023.\n\nBut the most recent figures from the National Records of Scotland - which record all deaths registered in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate - put the total at 6,686.\n\nMs Sturgeon told her daily briefing that the figures were a reminder of the toll the virus had taken.\n\nAnd she said every death had caused heartbreak to friends, families and loved ones across the country.\n\nThe first minister also said Scotland's NHS would be under far greater pressure if the current restrictions had not been put in place on Boxing Day.\n\nAnd she urged people not to raise their expectations about what will be announced when the lockdown review is completed in a fortnight as wholesale lifting of the restrictions was \"very unlikely\".\n\nShe added: \"There may not even be any lifting of these restrictions as soon as the end of January - we will have to consider all of that carefully and set it out in due course.\"\n\nAll of mainland Scotland and some islands were placed into level four restrictions on 26 December, with schools remaining closed to most pupils until at least the end of the month.\n\nA further 1,875 positive cases of the virus were recorded on Monday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 153,423.\n\nThe number of people in hospital with the virus stands at 1,717 - an increase of 53 since yesterday and higher than the peak of about 1,500 in the first wave in April.\n\nOf these, 133 patients are intensive care units, with Ms Sturgeon saying that the virus was putting \"very acute pressure\" on hospitals.\n\nThe first minister also said that 175,942 people in Scotland had received their first vaccine dose by Monday.\n\nOpposition parties have claimed that the rollout of the vaccine has been \"sluggish\" in Scotland compared to south of the border - a charge that the government denies.\n\nAnd they have called for greater transparency over how many people are being given the jab every day.\n\nHealth Secretary Jeane Freeman said on Monday that the government was aiming to vaccinate about 560,000 people in Scotland by 31 January.\n\nNon-essential shops have been closed in Scotland since 26 December\n\nThe Scottish government has previously said it is concerned that too many people have not been following the \"stay at home\" rules that are in place across the whole of the mainland and some islands.\n\nMinisters have been discussing the possibility of imposing tougher rules on click and collect shopping and takeaway food, with an announcement expected to be made on Wednesday.\n\nRetail industry representatives have described click and collect services as a \"lifeline\" for struggling businesses amid the forced closure of all non-essential shops.\n\nAnd they said they had not been shown any evidence that click and collect was driving transmission of the virus.\n\nMs Sturgeon told her daily coronavirus briefing that the government may not stop click and collect services altogether.\n\nBut she added: \"If we are saying to people right now that you should not be out of your home for shopping unless it is essential, then do we need to have click and collect for non-essential services instead of having that for delivery?\"\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross told BBC Scotland that he did not want to see further restrictions put in place unless there was evidence that they would have the desired effect.\n\nHe also suggested that restricting click and collect would simply result in more people going back into supermarkets to do their shopping.\n\nThe Scottish government is also under pressure to lift the the current ban on public Sunday worship, with a group of 500 church leaders from across the UK - including 200 in Scotland - insisting that there is \"no evidence of any tangible contribution to community transmission through churches in Scotland\".\n\nIn a letter to the first minister, they claim that the ban may be unlawful and accuse the government of failing to understand that \"Christian worship is an essential public service, and especially vital to our nation in a time of crisis\".\n\nA Scottish government spokeswoman said: \"Test and Protect tells us where people were in their 48-hour infectious period.\n\n\"So we know that on one day last week the seven-day number for places of worship was 120, and data from yesterday shows the seven-day number for places of worship is 38, underlining the essential decision to require places of worship to close for public health reasons.\"\n\nMeanwhile, it has been confirmed that everyone arriving in Scotland from overseas will need to show proof of a negative test from Friday.\n\nThe test will need to be \"highly reliable\", the first minister said, and will need to have been from the previous three days - although young children may be exempt from the restriction.\n\nThose travelling from countries not on the quarantine exemption list will still need to self-isolate on arrival.\n\nThe new rules, which will also come into force in England, were first outlined last week.", "Sir David Attenborough has previously spoken of his support for the Covid-19 vaccines\n\nSir David Attenborough has become the latest well-known name to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, his representative has confirmed.\n\nThe news about the 94-year-old natural historian comes a few days after it was revealed the Queen had been vaccinated.\n\nIt's not known which vaccine Sir David has been given or exactly when he had it.\n\nThe Perfect Planet host is one of several stars to receive the first of two doses of the vaccine.\n\nThey include The Great British Bake Off's Prue Leith, actor Sir Ian McKellen, choreographer Lionel Blair, actor Brian Blessed and actress Dame Joan Collins.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThere are currently three vaccines approved for administration in the UK - Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, although supplies of the latter are not expected to arrive until spring.\n\nSir David, who has been isolating at his London home, has previously talked about his support for the work in developing a means of protection from Covid-19.\n\nIn an interview with The Telegraph last month he said he would definitely accept an invitation to be vaccinated when his time came.\n\n\"At 94, I think I'm entitled!\" he told the newspaper.\n\n\"I'm sufficient of a scientist still, I hope, to realise this is the thing to do.\"\n\nHe added that the work that had gone into developing the vaccines showed the positive effects of international cooperation in combating global problems, such as the climate crisis.\n\n\"It (the virus) has drawn attention to the fact we aren't as omnipotent and all-controlling as we think we are,\" he told the paper.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The United Arab Emirates is being removed from the UK list of travel corridors amid a spike in Covid cases.\n\nThat means anyone who arrives from the UAE after 04:00 GMT on Tuesday now needs to self-isolate for 10 days, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.\n\nUK officials say Covid cases have risen 52% in the UAE in the last seven days and cite \"a significant acceleration in the number of imported cases\".\n\nIt comes after Scotland removed the UAE city Dubai from its safe travel list.\n\nThe Foreign Office has also updated its advice to advise against all but essential travel to the emirates.\n\nThe recent lockdown restrictions imposed across the UK mean leisure travel is currently banned.\n\nBut the UAE has been in particular focus in recent weeks after a number of UK reality TV and social media stars posted photographs of themselves holidaying there before the rules came into place.\n\nAnd a Celtic footballer tested positive for Covid-19 after the club took a trip to Dubai for a winter training camp.\n\nCeltic were allowed to go as a group under exemptions for elite athletes. As a result,15 playing and coaching staff are now required to self-isolate.\n\nDubai was added to Scotland's travel quarantine list from 04:00 GMT on Monday - with the rule also applying retrospectively for passengers who have arrived in Scotland from the city since January 3.\n\nThe Department for Transport said the removal of the whole of the UAE from the travel corridor is being adopted by all four UK nations.\n\nArrivals to the UK from most destinations now have to quarantine for 10 days.\n\nHowever, arrivals from some countries are exempt from the rules. Those countries make up the so-called travel corridor list.\n\nFrom this week, passengers arriving by boat, train or plane, including UK nationals, must also take a Covid test up to 72 hours before leaving the country of departure.\n\nAre you affected by the government decision to remove UAE from the UK travel corridor list? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "A Scottish earl has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman at his ancestral home in Angus.\n\nThe Earl of Strathmore, Simon Bowes-Lyon, forced his way into the sleeping woman's room during a weekend event he was hosting at Glamis Castle.\n\nHe repeatedly assaulted the 26-year-old victim and tried to pull off her nightdress during the 20-minute attack.\n\nBowes-Lyon, 34 - who is the Queen's first cousin twice removed - has been placed on the sex offenders register.\n\nHe was granted bail at Dundee Sheriff Court and sentence was deferred.\n\nSheriff Alistair Carmichael also ordered Glamis Castle be assessed for its suitability to house Bowes-Lyon while under a tagging order.\n\nThe court heard the woman fled the castle the morning after the attack on 13 February last year and flew home to report the matter to police.\n\nBoth Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police were involved in the investigation.\n\nGlamis Castle was the childhood home of the Queen Mother\n\nOutside court, Bowes-Lyon said he was \"greatly ashamed\" of his actions.\n\nHe added: \"Clearly I had drunk to excess on the night of the incident. I should have known better. I recognise, in any event, that alcohol is no excuse for my behaviour.\n\n\"I did not think I was capable of behaving the way I did but have had to face up to it and take responsibility.\n\n\"My apologies go, above all, to the woman concerned, but I would also like to apologise to family, friends and colleagues for the distress I have caused them.\"\n\nGlamis Castle, near Forfar, has been the seat of the Bowes-Lyon family since 1372.\n\nIt was the childhood home of the Queen Mother, and the Queen's sister Princess Margaret was born there.\n\nBowes-Lyon was a great-great nephew of the Queen Mother.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid lockdown: Are supermarkets following the rules?\n\nSupermarket workers are facing abuse for challenging shoppers not wearing masks during the pandemic, staff say.\n\nOne Mold supermarket worker said she was challenging people every day and seeing \"loads of people walking around\" the store without masks and in groups.\n\nThe Welsh Government has hinted rules will be tightened amid concerns Covid-19 rules are not being followed.\n\n\"This is not a social event, come in on your own, not as a family of five,\" the supermarket worker said.\n\nSupermarket workers spoke to BBC Radio Wales as Health Minister Vaughan Gething said the \"onus\" was on supermarkets to make sure shoppers abided by the rules.\n\nThere has been an \"escalation of abuse\" towards supermarket staff in the last nine months, and the role of policing such rules must not fall on those on the shop floor, Nick Ireland Divisional Officer of the Union of Shop Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) said.\n\nHe said measures in stores had \"rolled back\", with many no longer enforcing systems, and people walking the wrong way down one-way systems, and \"whole families\" shopping with just one basket.\n\nMeanwhile Bally Auluk, an area organiser in Cardiff and Barry for Usdaw, said abuse towards shopworkers was happening on \"a daily and weekly basis\".\n\nHe said retailers and the Welsh Government should \"start protecting shop workers\" after dealing with members himself who were \"threatened with physical violence and spat on\".\n\n\"Customers now are treating it almost like it was last year, that it's not a problem, that is where the big issues arises,\" he said.\n\nThe Welsh Government is in discussions about bringing in \"more visible\" coronavirus regulations.\n\nMorrisons and Sainsbury's had pledged to challenge shoppers not wearing face coverings in store, unless they have a medical exemption.\n\nTesco, Asda and Waitrose are the latest supermarkets to follow the move and challenge those who flout the rules.\n\nUnder coronavirus rules, people must wear face coverings in order to enter shops across the UK, while supermarkets should have social distancing and strict hygiene measures in place.\n\nThe Welsh Government has been in talks with retailers on how to improve safety and return to the strict observance of social distancing from the first lockdown, although no new guidance has been issued.\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford said he had heard concerns from people \"expressing anxiety\" about a lack of \"visible protections\" in supermarkets, such as limited numbers allowed in store, hand sanitiser and security on doors.\n\nThe Mold supermarket worker said staff had been told not to challenge people not wearing masks, and had seen people being yelled at.\n\nJane, who did not give her last name, told BBC Wales customers were offered a mask on the way in, but many did not want them.\n\n\"You do see a lot of customers walking around without a mask on,\" she said.\n\n\"Of course there are people with hidden disabilities who can't wear a mask but there can't be that many of them.\"\n\nJane said enforcement needed to be greater, but it should not be led by the shopfloor staff.\"We're told not to challenge people as we don't know someone's personal situation and we don't want to face any abuse if they don't want to wear it or don't agree with it,\" she said.\n\n\"At the moment people will ask politely, but I have witnessed quite a few occasions where customers have been verbally abusive to the person greeting them on their way in.\n\n\"There needs to be someone enforcing this, it can't be left to retail staff: whether its a police officer or a security guard.\"\n\nSupermarket aisles carrying non-essential items are closed off again, as they were during the firebreak lockdown\n\nOne security guard at a supermarket in Aberdare said he had had more \"hassle\" working in the past 10 months at the store, than from drinkers while working as a nightclub doorman for more than 20 years.\n\n\"The attitude towards yourself... they don't appreciate that you're standing there for 12 hours a day, they don't understand how hard it is to try and keep people distancing,\" he told Dot Davies on BBC Radio Wales.\n\n\"When they go inside the shop it all goes out the window... we keep the two metres outside, but we've got people coming outside to tell us we should be in there sorting it out.\"\n\nOne supermarket manager said the lengths people were going to in order to shop together were \"ridiculous\", with families coming in with a number of trolleys or baskets in order not to be challenged.\n\n\"We've seen families turning up to go shopping for a basket shop, it's just not on,\" said Mr Ireland, who called on supermarket staff to be prioritised for vaccines.\n\nHe suggested those who do not observe the rules should be banned and fined.\n\nBut one mother said that she had no choice but to shop with her children, and she had been unable to get a click and collect or delivery slot.\n\n\"It's easy to get caught up in the fear of it, but some people are at the shops as they have no choice,\" she said.\n\nOthers have spoken of shop staff themselves not wearing masks.\n\nJames Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, said it was \"everyone's responsibility\" to abide by the rules, rather than for shop workers to enforce.\n\n\"Doing that [enforcement of rules] in a small store, where you don't have lots of colleagues around, has been a trigger for more abuse and even violence,\" he said.\n\nMr Lowman said making businesses Covid secure was down to the local authority, while individuals' behaviour was a matter for police, but \"in practicality\" it is everyone's responsibility.\n\nBut Mr Gething said the \"onus\" for getting shoppers to follow Covid-19 rules, such as wearing masks, social-distancing and cordoning off non-essential items, was on the supermarket managers.\n\n\"[It needs to be made] clear that you do need to wear a mask unless you can demonstrate that you have a particular exemption,\" he said.\n\n\"I don't think there's any lack of understanding. We've been through this before and I do think a number of supermarkets are going to go and make clear there are a range of items that are off-limits for shoppers coming in.\n\n\"Supermarkets understand what they need to do.\"", "London's Nightingale hospital was built in nine days, with the help of hundreds of soldiers\n\nLondon's Nightingale hospital has been reopened and is admitting patients to help with the coronavirus spread in the capital.\n\nMedical director Dr Vin Diwakar said the facility at London's ExCeL Centre also had a vaccination centre on site.\n\nIt was placed on standby in May after fewer than 20 patients were treated following a grand opening on 3 April.\n\nDr Diwakar said the Nightingale was being used to treat non-coronavirus patients.\n\nIn the Downing Street press conference, he explained it was taking non-Covid patients to help free up beds in London's hospitals.\n\nHe said: \"This means that hospitals have more beds to care for Covid-19 patients and for our very sickest patients. We cannot do this indefinitely.\n\n\"There comes a point where if the infection gets further out of control, more and more patients from London will need to be transferred elsewhere.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What does it mean if the NHS is overwhelmed?\n\nAt the start of November, he said, London had 1,000 Covid-19 patients.\n\nThis increased four-fold to 4,000 on Christmas Day and has doubled to just under 8,000 today, with more than 1,000 of those on critical care, he told the press conference.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by BBC News (UK) This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nBut Dr Diwakar said there was \"hope\", with one hall of the ExCel Centre having opened as London's first mass vaccination centre.\n\n\"I can tell you Covid-19 is a horrible, horrible disease that leaves so many, including young people, breathless and gasping for life,\" he said.\n\nOn Friday, the Mayor of London declared a \"major incident\" as he described the coronavirus spread in the capital as \"out of control\".\n\nMore than 120 firefighters and 75 Met Police officers have been drafted in to help the London Ambulance Service cope with demand.", "The data showed men were more likely to be admitted to intensive care units\n\nAround half of patients admitted to Welsh intensive care units during the second wave of the pandemic have died, a study has found.\n\nThe Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) found men aged in their 60s were more likely to need intensive care.\n\nIt also found those from Asian backgrounds and deprived areas were disproportionately affected.\n\nBut a leading doctor said, overall, people were more likely to survive now.\n\nIntensive care consultant Matt Morgan said new treatments meant only the sickest patients were reaching intensive care, where outcomes were poorer.\n\nICNARC collected information on 431 Welsh patients who were critically ill with coronavirus from 1 September to 31 December 2020 as part of a UK-wide audit of intensive care patients.\n\nOf the patients who were admitted, 68% were men and 32% women. The average age of a patient was 59.5 years.\n\nIntensive care consultant Matt Morgan said, overall, patients were more likely to survive Covid now\n\nWhile the vast majority of patients were white (91.6%), the number of patients of Asian ethnicity was more than double the proportion of the Asian population, with 6.3% of patients recorded as being Asian, compared to an average of 2.4% in their local population.\n\nThe audit of patients found that, excluding those still being treated at the unit, half had died while half had been discharged.\n\nAlthough the numbers of patients surveyed is relatively low for statistical purposes, Dr Morgan said the survival rate reflected the situation in hospitals.\n\n\"We are putting fewer people, who are in the first stage of their illness, on to life support machines. And that is because we have treatments now that we know can help,\" he said.\n\n\"Overall, you are more likely now to survive Covid than ever before, and that is in every age group - sometimes by as much as 10% more.\n\n\"What we do know is that overall, out of every ten people who come to intensive care with Covid about six of them will survive and will leave the intensive care unit. Which means sadly four of them won't, four of them will die.\n\n\"That's similar overall to the first wave but that data is based on some patients who are still in the intensive care unit. So that may change and it's more likely to get worse rather than better.\"\n\n\"We also know patients who are on life support machines in the intensive care unit will do worse than those who come to the intensive care unit and are not on life support machines.\n\n\"For those people, it's probably five out of 10 people who will survive and five who will sadly die and that may be worse when we have the data on those who are still there.\n\n\"And there's a big effect of age. So for those over the age of 70 it may be as little as four people out of 10 who survive, maybe less. And for those over the age of 80 it may be as low as one or two people out of ten who survive.\n\nThe figures from ICNARC also highlight how people from poorer backgrounds were more likely to need treatment in intensive care.\n\nUsing a deprivation score from 1 to 5, more than half of patients scored 4 or 5, representing the most deprived postcodes in Wales.\n\nDr Morgan said: \"Sadly, disease is an illness of deprivation.\n\n\"And so that's why we feel it, particularly in Wales where the industrial scars of our past are still very much there - and our health is there.\"", "The men were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance at hospitals in Birmingham and Worcestershire\n\nFour men have been arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance at hospitals in the West Midlands.\n\nThe men, aged between 31 and 37, were held in relation to incidents in Birmingham and Worcestershire between 31 December and 9 January.\n\nEarlier this month, police said they were investigating after people posted videos of supposedly empty hospital corridors on social media.\n\nThe videos claiming Covid-19 was a hoax sparked an outcry from medical workers.\n\nWest Mercia Police launched a joint investigation with West Midlands Police, after incidents were reported at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Alexandra in Redditch.\n\nHospitals in Worcester and Kidderminster also featured, before the footage was deleted.\n\nThe West Mercia force confirmed it had arrested two men from Bromsgrove aged 31 and 34 as well as a 37 year-old man from Kidderminster and a fourth man, aged 34, from Droitwich.\n\nThey were also detained relating to incidents in a park in Bromsgrove as well as the town centre.\n\nAll four men have since been bailed with conditions not to enter any hospital in England unless they have a medical reason to do so.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Birmingham has one of the largest intensive care capacities in the whole country\n\nTwo hundred doctors will be redeployed to one of England's largest intensive care units amid fears it could be \"overwhelmed\".\n\nA leaked memo warned hospitals in Birmingham were \"in a position of extremis\" as Covid-19 cases rise.\n\nElective surgeries at the city's main Queen Elizabeth Hospital will stop as staff move to critical care duties.\n\nA spokesperson said the approach ensured \"the greatest good for the greatest numbers of people\".\n\nThe trust's decision to redeploy doctors was revealed in a leaked email to the Health Service Journal, which has been verified by the BBC.\n\nSent by consultant Peter Hewins, it said hospitals in Birmingham risked being \"overwhelmed\" amid a \"period of absolute emergency\".\n\nThe University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) said there were 873 patients with Covid-19 across its sites, with 125 in intensive care.\n\nThis was significantly more than in April 2020, it said, as it announced plans to double its intensive care capacity to more than 250 beds.\n\nTime-critical surgery, including cancer operations, will continue, the trust said, but elective procedures at the Queen Elizabeth will be paused, and reduced elsewhere.\n\nThere will also be a \"further reduction of outpatient activity\", a spokesperson said, adding: \"Every member of staff will be supported by the Trust in delivering the best care wherever they are working.\"\n\nThere are currently 873 Covid-19 patients being treated at the trust\n\nNeighbouring University Coventry and Warwickshire Hospitals Trust confirmed it had started taking Covid patients from Birmingham.\n\nUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) is one of the largest teaching hospital trusts in England.\n\nIt runs several hospitals, including Birmingham Heartlands, the Queen Elizabeth, Solihull Hospital and Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield. It also runs Birmingham Chest Clinic.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Boris Johnson - pictured here in 2013 - has long been a fan of cycling\n\nBoris Johnson has been criticised for travelling seven miles from Downing Street to go cycling during lockdown.\n\nThe Evening Standard reported the prime minister had been spotted in the Olympic Park in East London on Sunday.\n\nGovernment advice allows people to exercise outside, but says you should not travel outside your local area.\n\nA No 10 spokesman would not confirm if Mr Johnson had been driven to the park or cycled there, but said the PM had complied with Covid-19 guidelines.\n\nLabour's Andy Slaughter said: \"Once again it is do as I say, not as I do, from the prime minister.\"\n\nThe Hammersmith MP added: \"London has some of the highest infection rates in the country. Boris Johnson should be leading by example.\"\n\nIn response to the criticism, a Downing Street source told the BBC: \"The PM has exercised within the Covid rules and any suggestion to the contrary is wrong.\"\n\nA woman told the PA news agency she had seen the prime minister in the park: \"He was leisurely cycling with another guy with a beanie hat and chatting, while around four security guys, possibly more, cycled behind them.\n\n\"Considering the current situation with Covid I was shocked to see him cycling around looking so care-free.\n\n\"Also, considering he's advising everyone to stay at home and not leave their area, shouldn't he stay in Westminster and not travel to other boroughs?\"\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock was asked at Monday's Downing Street press conference whether travelling seven miles for a cycle ride was within the rules.\n\nMr Hancock said: \"It is OK, if you went for a long walk and ended up seven miles from home, that is OK, but you should stay local.\n\n\"It is OK to go for a long walk or a cycle ride or to exercise, but stay local.\"\n\nThe issue of travelling for exercise was highlighted at the weekend after two women said they were surrounded by police and fine £200 after driving five miles from home to take a walk.\n\nDerbyshire Police have now dropped the fine and apologised to the women, but the incident led to a debate over the guidance.\n\nGovernment advice for England says you can leave your home to exercise, but adds: \"This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.\"\n\nThe guidance adds: \"Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.\"\n\nIn Scotland, the advice is more precise, saying exercise can be taken if it \"starts and finishes at the same place, which can be up to five miles from the boundary of your local authority area\".\n\nFormer Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who represents a constituency in the Lake District, has written to the PM calling for clearer guidance on exercise similar to that in Scotland.\n\nHe wrote: \"On the one hand, our local police force here in Cumbria are reporting that people... have travelled hundreds of miles to take their exercise in the Lake District.\n\n\"And on the other hand, I have constituents writing to me, worried whether they will be punished for driving five minutes up the road to go for a walk in their local park.\"\n\nMr Farron added: \"We need a solution that clearly deters people from making lengthy trips and potentially spreading the virus, but also that doesn't discourage people from keeping fit and healthy.\"", "Retailers suffered their worst annual sales performance on record in 2020, driven by slump in demand for fashion and homeware products, figures show.\n\nWhile food sales growth rose 5.4% on 2019, non-food fell about 5%, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said.\n\nIt meant an overall fall of 0.3% in a year dominated by the Covid-19 impact, the worst annual change since the BRC began collating the figures in 1995.\n\nChristmas offered little cheer, with much of the High Street still closed.\n\n\"Physical non-food stores, including all of non-essential retail, saw sales drop by a quarter compared with 2019,\" said Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive.\n\n\"Christmas offered little respite for these retailers, as many shops were forced to shut during the peak trading period,\" she said.\n\nThe 5.4% rise in food sales was fuelled by shoppers flocking to supermarkets and online grocers to ensure they were stocked up during the pandemic.\n\nIn December, total retail sales increased by 1.8% as shoppers spent more in the run-up to Christmas. Like-for-like sales for the month were up 4.8% as overall shop takings were still affected by restrictions and temporary closures.\n\nOnline non-food sales jumped by 44.8% in December, according to the new figures, as a higher proportion of shopping took place online.\n\nThe BRC's sales monitor is collated with the consultancy KPMG, whose UK head of retail, Paul Martin, said: \"In the most important month for the retail industry, there was some positive growth due to the ongoing shift of expenditure from other categories such as travel and leisure.\n\n\"Once again we saw big swings in the types of products being purchased and the channels used for shopping, with much of the growth taking place online, where nearly half of all non-food purchases were made.\"\n\nBut he warned that the new lockdown would worsen conditions for many non-essential shops and the High Street generally.\n\nLast week, a report from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) said that 2020 was the worst for High Street job losses in more than 25 years, as the coronavirus accelerated the move towards online shopping.\n\nNearly 180,000 retail jobs were lost last year, up by almost a quarter from 2019, the CRR said.", "The Covid pandemic has caused excess deaths to rise to their highest level in the UK since World War Two.\n\nThere were close to 697,000 deaths in 2020 - nearly 85,000 more than would be expected based on the average in the previous five years.\n\nThis represents an increase of 14% - making it the largest rise in excess deaths for more than 75 years.\n\nWhen the age and size of the population is taken into account, 2020 saw the worst death rates since the 2000s.\n\nThis measure - known as age-standardised mortality - takes into account population growth and age.\n\nThe data is only available until November - so the impact of deaths in December have not yet been taken into account - but it shows the death rate at that stage was at its highest in England since 2008.\n\nThe data on deaths can be confusing.\n\nOn one hand, excess deaths are at their highest since World War Two, while on the other, death rates, once age and size of population are taken into account, are at their worst level for a little over a decade 'only'.\n\nHow should that be interpreted?\n\nExcess deaths are basically a measure of how many more people are dying than would be expected based on the previous few years.\n\nClearly, 2020 saw a huge and unexpected rise in deaths because of the pandemic, just as World War Two led to a sudden jump.\n\nBut in determining how much those jumps affected the chances of dying, a measure known as age-standardised mortality, which takes into account the age and size of the population, is important.\n\nIt shows the pandemic has undone the progress made in the last decade or so. That is significant - especially given this has happened despite lockdowns and social-distancing measures to stop the spread of the virus.\n\nBut it also helps put the death toll over the past 12 months in a wider context.\n\nKing's Fund chief executive Richard Murray said the picture was likely to worsen, given Covid deaths were rising following the surge in infections over recent weeks.\n\n\"The UK has one of the highest rates of excess deaths in the world, with more excess deaths per million people than most other European countries or the US,\" he said.\n\n'It will take a public inquiry to determine exactly what went wrong, but mistakes have been made.\n\n\"In a pandemic, mistakes cost lives. Decisions to enter lockdown have consistently come late, with the government failing to learn from past mistakes or the experiences of other countries.\n\n\"The promised 'protective ring' around social care in the first wave was slow to materialise and often inadequate, a contributing factor to the excess deaths among care home residents last year.\n\n'Like many countries, the UK was poorly prepared for this type of pandemic.\"\n\nMatthew Reed, of the end-of-life care charity Marie Curie said the focus on Covid should not hide the fact there has been a \"silent crisis\" of deaths at home.\n\nHe said people have died prematurely in 2020 from other causes - with a big jump in deaths at home.\n\n\"We are concerned many have not had the care they needed,\" he added.\n• None Lockdown needs to be stricter, scientists warn", "Officer Eugene Goodman is being celebrated for his heroics\n\nCapitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman is being called a hero for a second time after footage shown at the impeachment trial shows him directing Mitt Romney away from an advancing mob.\n\nIn the video, the officer is seen notifying Mr Romney that the rioters were heading in his direction and guiding him away.\n\nThe Utah senator, an unpopular figure among Trump supporters, said he looked forward to thanking the police officer for his actions.\n\nOfficer Goodman was already being praised for his bravery that day, after singlehandedly steering a mob away from the Senate chambers.\n\nVideo footage showed him just steps ahead of rioters as they chase him up a flight of stairs.\n\nMr Goodman is then seen glancing towards the Senate entrance before luring the men in the opposite direction.\n\nFive people, including a police officer, died as a result of the riots.\n\nThe officer was seen confronting a pro-Trump rioter during the attack\n\nMembers of the 2,000-person Capitol police department are tasked with protecting the Capitol building and those inside, it.\n\nA group of senators has introduced a bill to award Officer Goodman with the Congressional Gold Medal.\n\nNews of his additional heroics involving Senator Romney will only amplify calls for him to be recognised.\n\nThe senator said he was unaware of the danger he was in until he saw the footage at the trial on Wednesday.\n\nSenator Mitt Romney said he was looking forward to thanking Officer Goodman\n\nIt formed part of the Democratic prosecution in trying to underline the peril the heart of US government was under as Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol.\n\nSenator Romney said it was \"overwhelmingly distressing and emotional\" to see the violence again, six weeks after the attack.\n\nAnd reflecting on his own narrow escape, he added he was looking forward to thanking Officer Goodman \"when I next see him\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. See how close the mob got to Mike Pence, Mitt Romney and other lawmakers\n\nNew York Law School criminal law professor and 20-year veteran of the New York City Police Department Kirk Burkhalter called Mr Goodman's response to the rioters \"tremendous\".\n\n\"I don't think there was any type of training that would prepare you for that situation,\" Mr Burkhalter told the BBC, speaking days after the attack.\n\nIn the video shot by Huffington Post reporter Igor Bobic, Mr Goodman, who is black, is antagonised by the group of Trump supporters - who are all white men.\n\nThe man at the front of the pack, wearing a QAnon T-shirt, has been identified as Doug Jensen of Iowa. He was later arrested by local police and the FBI for his role in the riots.\n\nFootage shows Mr Jensen leading the mob that chased Mr Goodman up a flight of stairs - just a few feet away from the entrance to the Senate floor. As he is pursued, Mr Goodman shouts \"second floor!\" into his radio, seemingly alerting other officers of the group approaching the chamber.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Igor Bobic This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAfter Mr Goodman glances toward the Senate chamber entrance, he shoves Mr Jensen - a move seemingly designed to draw attention on to himself, luring the mob away from the chambers and those hiding inside.\n\nThe image of Mr Goodman trailed by a mob - some armed with Confederate flags, others with allusions to the Nazi flag - was extremely disturbing, Mr Burkhalter said.\n\n\"Police officer, not a police officer, to see a black man being chased by someone carrying a Confederate flag - there is something wrong with that picture. That should never happen again,\" he said.\n\n\"It just reeks of everything we need to correct.\"\n\nMr Goodman's standoff with the mob came just minutes before authorities were able to seal the chamber, according to reporting from the Washington Post.\n\nHis heroics were noted at the highest level - he was invited to the inauguration as a guest of Vice-President Kamala Harris.", "Naomi Campbell and Kenyan Tourism Minister Najib Balala sealed the deal over the weekend\n\nThe appointment of British supermodel Naomi Campbell as Kenya's tourism ambassador has caused a Twitter storm in the East African nation.\n\nMany queried why it had not been given to a prominent Kenyan like Hollywood actress Lupita Nyong'o.\n\nOthers leapt to her defence, saying the debate already justified her role.\n\nKenya's tourism sector has been badly hit by coronavirus, with visitor numbers down by 72% between January and October last year.\n\n\"The sector hence lost over 110bn Kenyan shillings [$1bn, £738m] of direct international tourists' revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic,\" Kenya's Tourism Research Institute reported last month.\n\nThe country is famous for its wildlife safaris and beach resorts.\n\nKenyan Tourism Minister Najib Balala said the deal with Ms Campbell was done over the weekend after he met the model, who is currently on holiday in Kenya.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife-Kenya This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife-Kenya\n\nThe 50-year-old style icon and philanthropist has been posting images of her stay on Instagram, where she has 10 million followers.\n\n\"We welcome the exciting news that Naomi Campbell will advocate for tourism and travel internationally for the Magical Kenya brand,\" Mr Balala said, without giving further deals of the contract.\n\nBut the statement, posted on Twitter on Tuesday, prompted instant outrage from some, and the supermodel's name has since been trending in the country.\n\nOne tweeter cited other Kenyan celebrities better suited to the ambassadorial role, including models Ajuma Nasenyana and Debra Sanaipei, as well as Nyong'o.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Syombua A. Kibue 🇰🇪 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOne tweeter said the backlash revealed an unhealthy attitude in Kenya: \"At the end of the day, it's all about who will get the job done. This mentality is what causes nepotism and tribalism in Kenyan institutions, it should be about the most suitable candidate not 'one of our own' thing.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMs Campbell's defenders praised her for visiting Kenya several times and said it was not only the model's social media following that made her the perfect appointment.\n\nHer circle of friends were equally important as she would attract wealthy tourists willing to spend money.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Mlolwa🐬 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe tourism industry usually contributes about 8.8% to Kenya's annual Gross domestic product (GDP), according to Kenya's East African newspaper.\n• None The supermodel and the warlord", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 BST.\n\nPolice patrols were stepped up around the Scotland-England border around Christmas\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How to wear your mask. Hint: it's not any of these three options\n\nSo many of us are spending more time staring at a screen right now and an eye health charity is recommending we learn the \"20-20-20\" rule to protect our sight. Fight for Sight advises looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes you're working at a screen, in order to reduce eye strain. The charity also commissioned a survey of 2,000 people which found more than a third believed their eyesight had worsened in the past year. It says the number of us getting regular eye tests is also down and is urging people not to miss their appointments.\n\nIt sadly comes as no surprise to learn that 2020 was the worst year on record for UK retailers, especially those focused on clothing and homeware. Food bucked the trend, particularly over Christmas, with the highest ever festive spending on groceries. But overall, retail sales declined by 0.3% across the year, and non-food by nearly a quarter, the biggest annual dip since the British Retail Consortium began collating the figures in 1995. The BRC says many retailers are struggling to survive and the government should extend the business rates holiday to save jobs.\n\nA father who'd campaigned for a change in the coronavirus rules to make life easier for non-resident parents to see their children has welcomed a government rethink. Previously, parents could visit children they don't live with during lockdown, but restrictions prevented them from staying overnight in a hotel. Ex-BBC journalist Tom De Castella said the ban \"had a massive bearing on seeing my daughter\", who lives a three-and-a-half hour drive away from his home. Now the rules have been rewritten, he's relieved. \"This is about building a bond with your child, it's crucial to their development,\" he added.\n\nTom De Castella said the rethink was \"great news\" for parents like him\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, three vaccines are now approved for use in the UK, but there are many differences between them. BBC health correspondent Laura Foster explains.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Lockdown rule-breakers are more likely to be fined as Covid laws will be enforced \"more quickly\", the UK's most senior police officer has said.\n\nLondon's Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said her officers have had to break up parties, despite hospitals struggling to cope with rising patient numbers.\n\nA minister confirmed her pledge that fines were \"increasingly likely\".\n\nKit Malthouse said people have a \"duty\" to make this lockdown \"the last one\".\n\n\"We are urging the small minority of people who aren't taking this seriously to do so now, and [are illustrating] to them that if they don't they are much more likely to get fined by the police,\" Mr Malthouse, the policing minister, told BBC Breakfast.\n\n\"These current measures should in theory, if we all stick by them, be enough to drive the numbers down so that we can start to move through the gears of tiers from mid-February,\" he added.\n\nAsked if tighter restrictions for England were on the way - something the health secretary has refused to rule out - Mr Malthouse said ministers were \"on tenterhooks\" watching the daily figures for Covid deaths, new cases and hospital admissions, as rules continue to be kept under review.\n\nHe said the government's ramped-up efforts to give vulnerable people the coronavirus vaccine should help the UK to \"get back to some sort of normality later this year\".\n\nThe BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said there was currently no expectation that Westminster will impose more extensive restrictions.\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she discussed possible tighter restrictions with members of her cabinet on Tuesday morning.\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel and chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, Martin Hewitt, will hold a coronavirus press conference at Downing Street later.\n\nThe latest figures on Monday showed a further 529 people had died within 28 days of a positive test in the UK, while another 46,169 cases were reported.\n\nThere are also more than 32,200 people in hospital in the UK with coronavirus, data shows.\n\nDame Cressida told BBC Radio 4's Today programme some 75 police officers are joining 185 firefighters in being trained to drive ambulances in the capital, to help London Ambulance Service as the number of cases of the virus continues to rise.\n\nAnd writing in the Times, she said her officers had found people hosting raves, house parties and basement gambling events, despite clear laws that ban social gatherings.\n\n\"It is preposterous to me that anyone could be unaware of our duty to do all we can to stop the spread of the virus,\" she said, adding that people breaking Covid laws were \"increasingly likely to face fines\".\n\nPolice chiefs in other parts of England have also warned \"patience is running out\" with rule-breakers, with the public increasingly willing to report alleged rule breaches.\n\nSince March, some 32,000 penalties for breaching Covid laws have been issued in England and Wales - with a sharp rise in penalties during England's November lockdown.\n\nAlmost 6,500 penalty tickets were handed out in the weeks up to Christmas as police began moving more quickly from \"engage\", \"explain\" and \"encourage\" to the fourth \"e\" - \"enforcement\".\n\nExpect the rate of fines to continue upwards during January, given the scale of the emergency and the pressure from government on constabularies to enforce the law.\n\nBut there is also a tension here. Police chiefs have told their officers they will often have to use their own judgement because the list of \"reasonable excuses\" in the law for why someone can be outside is not fixed in stone.\n\nThere is a lot of wriggle room in the law to allow daily lives to continue.\n\nWhile ministers, scientists and health experts are all hammering home the message that people should stay at home as much as possible, the law is more liberal - for instance, there is no restriction on exercise in England.\n\nAnd that's why some police officers believe they are stuck between a rock and a hard place as people who don't want to be locked down find more and more creative ways to stretch the rules to breaking point.\n\nFines start at £200 in England and Northern Ireland, and £60 in Wales and Scotland. Large parties can be shut down by the police, with fines of up to £10,000.\n\nDame Cressida told the Today programme the move towards greater enforcement was \"common sense\" rather than a show of \"dictatorial policing\".\n\nShe also said Prime Minister Boris Johnson's cycle in east London at the weekend was \"not against the law\", but added the \"stay local\" guidance on exercise for England could be made more clear.\n\nUnder Scotland's lockdown restrictions, people must start and finish their exercise in the same place - and to do so, they may travel up to five miles from the boundary of their local authority area. People in Wales should start and finish exercising from their home, while those in Northern Ireland are advised not to go more than 10 miles from home when exercising.\n\nAsked if she would like to see similar detail in England's guidance, Dame Cressida said: \"That is certainly something the government could consider.\n\n\"Anything that brings greater clarity, for officers and the public, in general, will be a good thing.\"\n\nDame Cressida also said she was delighted that a proposal to prioritise frontline officers for vaccines was being discussed\n\nPolice chiefs have been under increasing pressure to enforce the lockdown laws - with a number of news reports about breaches of Covid rules in recent days.\n\nIn one case, Derbyshire Police withdrew penalties for two women who had been fined £200 each when they drove five miles for a walk together - following widespread media attention.\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel has defended the way police have handled breaches, saying there is a need for \"strong enforcement\".\n\nFour people were arrested in Edinburgh on Monday after anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police\n\nEngland is currently under a national lockdown, meaning people must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar lockdown measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - which are in charge of making their own coronavirus restrictions.\n\nIn her article, Dame Cressida said she was \"delighted to hear\" that a proposal to prioritise frontline officers to get vaccinated was being \"actively discussed\", as the rate of officers self-isolating has risen.\n\nSo far 2.3 million people in the UK have had a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, as part of the government's plan to vaccinate tens of millions of people by the spring.\n\nDefence Secretary Ben Wallace said members of the armed forces were working \"hand in hand with the NHS\" to help with the response to the UK's epidemic.\n\nSome 5,300 members of the armed forces are currently involved in the Covid response including personnel to help with vaccinations and community testing across the UK, he said.", "Rules governing the import of personal goods from the UK to the EU changed after Brexit formally came into effect\n\nA Dutch TV network has filmed border officials confiscating ham sandwiches and other foods from drivers arriving in the Netherlands from the UK, under post-Brexit rules.\n\nThe officials were shown explaining import regulations imposed since the UK formalised its separation from the EU.\n\nUnder EU rules, travellers from outside the bloc are banned from bringing in meat and dairy products.\n\nThe rules appeared to bemuse one driver.\n\n\"Since Brexit, you are no longer allowed to bring certain foods to Europe, like meat, fruit, vegetables, fish, that kind of stuff,\" a Dutch border official told the driver in footage broadcast by TV network NPO 1.\n\nIn one scene, a border official asked the driver whether several of his tin-foil wrapped sandwiches had meat in them.\n\nWhen the driver said they did, the border official said: \"Okay, so we take them all.\"\n\nSurprised, the driver then asked the officials if he could keep the bread, to which one replied: \"No, everything will be confiscated - welcome to the Brexit, sir. I'm sorry.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe UK officially finished its formal separation from the EU on 31 December, 2020.\n\nFrom 23:00 GMT on that date, the UK stopped following EU rules, with new arrangements for travel, trade, immigration and security co-operation coming into force.\n\nA trade deal with the EU was agreed on 24 December, and a week later, UK lawmakers voted in favour of the agreement.\n\nThe UK's departure means big changes for business - with the UK and EU forming two separate markets - the end of free movement, and new regulations, including those governing the import of personal goods.\n\nThe UK government has issued guidance to commercial drivers travelling to the EU, warning them to \"be aware of additional restrictions to personal imports\".\n\n\"You cannot bring POAO (products of an animal origin) such as those containing meat or dairy (e.g. a ham and cheese sandwich) into the EU,\" the guidance says. \"There are exceptions to this rule for certain quantities of powdered infant milk, infant food, special foods, or special processed pet feed.\"\n\nOn its website, the European Commission says the ban is necessary because such goods \"continue to present a real threat to animal health throughout the Union\".\n\n\"It is known, for example, that dangerous pathogens that cause animal diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease and classical swine fever can reside in meat, milk or their products,\" the Commission says.\n\nSeparately, the Dutch customs agency shared a picture of foodstuffs it had confiscated from motorists in the ferry terminal the Hook of Holland.\n\n\"Since 1 January, you can't just bring more food from the UK,\" the agency said. \"So prepare yourself if you travel to the Netherlands from the UK and spread the word. This is how we prevent food waste and together ensure that the controls are speeded up.\"\n\nThe BBC's economics editor Faisal Islam described the confiscation of ham sandwiches and other foodstuffs at the EU's borders with the UK as \"a standard implication of [the] Brexit deal\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Faisal Islam This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The NHS Louisa Jordan was built in two weeks in April response to concerns over hospital capacity\n\nA shortage of NHS staff could prevent the opening of the NHS Louisa Jordan to Covid patients if capacity is exceeded elsewhere, a leading doctor has said.\n\nPresident of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, Prof Mike Griffin, said the increasing numbers off work was a \"major problem\".\n\nThe Scottish government says the NHS is not being \"overwhelmed\" and staffing plans are in place to deal with demand.\n\nThe NHS Louisa Jordan is currently being used for outpatient services.\n\nThe temporary hospital at the SEC in Glasgow was set up in April in response to concerns over hospital capacity.\n\nIt was not used for Covid care during the first surge of the pandemic and has since been made available for outpatient services, such as orthopaedics, plastic surgery and dermatology.\n\nIt is also being used for Covid vaccinations.\n\nProf Mike Griffin told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that the pressure on the NHS workforce was particularly acute in the west of Scotland, where the number of cases was high.\n\n\"Particularly in Glasgow and Lanarkshire, there's been significant increases recently because of the new variant. Without any doubt, that new variant is increasing transmissibility, and therefore increasing infection rates and increasing hospital admissions,\" he said.\n\n\"But it's not just the admissions that's the problem. Our doctors, surgeons, nurses and everyone are really working extremely hard - but there is an increase in absenteeism because of illness and because of self-isolation amongst nursing staff.\"\n\nTwo of Scotland's health boards - NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Lanarkshire - are currently over their capacity for Covid patients.\n\nNHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has reached 85% capacity and NHS Tayside is at 81% capacity, according to the latest Scottish government figures.\n\nThe NHS Louisa Jordan has capacity for 1,000 Covid patients if it is needed, but Prof Griffin said that using it as a Covid facility could be dependent on retired or former staff returning to work for NHS Scotland.\n\n\"Opening the Louisa Jordan as a Covid institution without staff is impossible,\" he said.\n\n\"It is equipped to be able to do it. And if the staffing is there, if we get returners and so on, then perhaps that might happen.\"\n\nThe number of Covid patients in hospital across Scotland is now higher than it was in April, although the numbers in intensive care are lower.\n\nNumbers initially appeared to be declining in November, but never reached low levels and began to climb sharply again at the end of the year.\n\nProf Griffin added that it was likely that better treatments for Covid patients were also reducing mortality and so keeping those patients in hospital for longer.\n\nNHS Scotland has an overall capacity for 13,000 beds, with 2,400 assigned to Covid patients.\n\nThis is down from a capacity of about 3,600 in the autumn because of additional seasonal pressures on the NHS, including weather-related issues and increased staff absence.\n\nScotland's national clinical director, Prof Jason Leitch, accepted that having around 1,500 patients in hospital with Covid had forced the cancellation of procedures such as cataract operations and hip replacements.\n\nBut he said that ability to \"flex\" within the system meant that the NHS remained within capacity.\n\nProf Leitch also pointed to the situation in England where there have been reports of limits being put on the amount of oxygen that patients can receive and some intensive care patients having to be treated in non-ICU beds.\n\nSpeaking at the first minister's coronavirus briefing, he said: \"People shouldn't be scared that the health service is full or overwhelmed - it isn't.\n\n\"It is fragile, and you just have to look a few hundred miles south to see what happens when it is even more fragile.\n\n\"So we need to avoid that as much as we can in Scotland.\"", "The Northern Lights from Munlochy on the Black Isle in the Highlands\n\nDisplays of the Aurora Borealis were visible from north and north east Scotland overnight.\n\nAlso known as the Northern Lights, the aurora appear as shimmering waves of light when atoms in the Earth's high-altitude atmosphere collide with energetic charged particles from the sun.\n\nBBC Weather Watchers photographed the \"lights\" from Shetland, the Highlands and Moray.\n\nBrae, Shetland, was among the vantage points for observing the aurora overnight on Monday into Tuesday\n\nA view of the aurora from Hopeman on the Moray Firth coast\n\nA colourful scene at Nairn on the Highlands' Moray Firth coast\n\nThe aurora from Glenelg in the west Highlands\n\nThis stunning image was captured at Durness by Andy Walker\n\nClear skies over Moray offered opportunities to see the lights, including from Elgin\n\nFreck Fraser's image of the aurora from a snowy Belladrum near Beauly\n\nThe green glow of the aurora from Portmahomack in the Highlands\n\nAnother image of the aurora from Brae in Shetland\n\nBright lights of the aurora from Uig in the Highlands", "Meddyg Care Dementia Home was due to receive vaccinations last week\n\nA care home manager is \"frightened\" for the residents after its delivery of Covid vaccinations failed to arrive.\n\nLorna Jones said Meddyg Care Dementia Home in Criccieth, Gwynedd, was due to have a delivery of the new Oxford-AstraZeneca jab a week ago.\n\nHowever the vaccine has not arrived amid claims other people in the area have already had the jab.\n\nBetsi Cadwaladr University Health Board admitted there had been \"logistical problems\" in north west Wales.\n\nThe health board insisted it is \"committed\" to vaccinating those most vulnerable.\n\nOn Monday, it was announced that all over-50s in Wales are to be offered jab by spring, after criticism the rollout of the vaccine in Wales has been slower than in other parts of the UK.\n\nWith family visits suspended, the care home has not recorded a single Covid-19 case and a phone call on New Year's Eve to say it was to receive the vaccine was met with \"glee and happiness\".\n\nUnder the Welsh Government's vaccination rollout plan, care home residents and staff are first in line to get the immunisation - or priority one - ahead of elderly people within communities across Wales.\n\nHowever the vaccine has not arrived while, the home claimed, local GP surgeries have been administering the vaccine to over 80s in the community.\n\nLorna Jones is demanding answers as to why the vaccine has not arrived\n\nMs Jones said: \"I can't understand why Betsi Cadwaladr have veered away from the priority list.\n\n\"It's very clear. If there are vaccines coming into the local community, which there are, why have our residents not been vaccinated?\n\n\"I know some care homes have had it in Caernarfon, so why haven't we. What's the difference?\"\n\nMs Jones said the delay is causing concern among staff, residents and families.\n\n\"I'm frightened for our residents. I'm getting a lot of contact from families and I just can't give them anything,\" she said.\n\nThe home's owner said he had now taken matters into his own hands.\n\nKevin Edwards, managing director of Meddyg Care, said he had spent hours ringing around GP surgeries \"begging\" for spare vaccines.\n\nHe said the residents would now be vaccinated on Tuesday.\n\n\"We're a specialist dementia home, you can't just turn up one day and give the vaccine to the residents, there needs to be an element of preparation,\" he told BBC Radio Wales.\n\nBetsi Cadwaladr health board said it was working to ensure those with the highest priority are vaccinated.\n\nTeresa Owen, the health board's executive director of public health, said: \"Last week we vaccinated nearly 10,000 people in north Wales.\n\n\"This week, staff from primary care practices will be going into the local nursing and residential homes to administer the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccination to residents.\n\n\"The initial supply of vaccinations to the west of BCUHB has caused some logistical problems with commencing this programme, but vaccines have now been allocated for all the nursing and residential homes in the locality.\"", "Boris Johnson - pictured here in 2013 - is a keen cyclist\n\nDowning Street has defended Boris Johnson for riding his bicycle seven miles from home, saying he complied with Covid rules during his trip.\n\nLabour accused the prime minister of having double standards, after it was reported he had been spotted in the saddle at east London's Olympic Park.\n\nGovernment guidance says daily outdoor exercise is allowed but people should not travel outside their local area.\n\nThe PM's spokesman said any suggestion he had broken the rules was \"wrong\".\n\nBut he did not confirm whether Mr Johnson had been driven to the Olympic Park from Downing Street or cycled there.\n\nMetropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the trip had not been \"against the law - that's for sure\".\n\nPeople should go for exercise \"from your front door and come back to your front door\", she said, adding: \"That's my view of local.\"\n\nThe prime minister's press secretary said the Commissioner's words were \"wise\".\n\n\"The instruction is to stay local and for her a reasonable interpretation was to exercise from their front door but for some people it's more complicated. Everyone needs to exercise their own judgement\", she added.\n\nThe Evening Standard reported that the prime minister had been seen in the Olympic Park, with his security detail, on Sunday.\n\nThere's nothing in English lockdown law that says Boris Johnson shouldn't have pedalled around London's Olympic park on Sunday, seven miles from Downing Street.\n\nBut this comes at a time when the government is desperately pleading with people to take Covid-19 seriously and follow the rules.\n\nIn England that means leaving home only for essential work, shopping and exercise. The guidance also says \"stay local\" without defining how far people can roam.\n\nTravel for exercise is allowed \"a short distance within your area\" to access an open space.\n\nNumber 10 will insist that's precisely what Mr Johnson did.\n\nBut his ride highlights the problem everyone faces trying to interpret rules, and relying on people using common sense.\n\nThe outing certainly doesn't help ministers straining to tell the public - in clear, consistent, easy-to-understand terms - to stay at home.\n\nAndy Slaughter, Labour MP for Hammersmith, west London, criticised the prime minister for having a \"do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do\" attitude.\n\nSpeaking to Today, Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said: \"What we are asking people to do is when they exercise to stay local.\n\n\"Now local is, obviously, open to interpretation, but people broadly know what local means.\n\n\"If you can get there under your own steam and you are not interacting with somebody... then that seems perfectly reasonable to me.\"\n\nThe PM's official spokesman added: \"We have always trusted the public to exercise good judgement. We did throughout the first lockdown and continue to do so.\"\n\nDame Cressida Dick said Boris Johnson had not broken the law\n\nThe issue of travelling for exercise was highlighted at the weekend after police in Derbyshire fined two women £200 after they drove five miles from home to take a walk - a penalty that was later dropped.\n\nGovernment advice for England says people can leave home to exercise, but adds: \"This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.\"\n\nThe guidance adds: \"Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.\"\n\nThe government also states: \"The law is what you must do; the guidance might be a mixture of what you must do and what you should do.\"\n\nIn Scotland, the advice is that exercise can be taken if it \"starts and finishes at the same place, which can be up to five miles from the boundary of your local authority area\".\n\nIn Wales, exercise also has to start from and finish at home. There no limits on distance travelled, although the advice is that \"the nearer you stay to your home, the better\".\n\nPeople in Northern Ireland are advised not to go more than 10 miles from home when exercising.", "Fans of the University of Alabama football team gathered in the streets of Tuscaloosa in Alabama, ignoring social distancing.\n\nThey were celebrating the university's third national championship in the past six years.", "More than 12,500 people have died with coronavirus, since the first reported death in Scotland on 13 March 2020.\n\nHere are the stories of some of those who have lost their lives.\n\nIf you would like to pay tribute to a loved one lost to Covid, please use the form below or email newsonline-scotland@bbc.co.uk and ensure you have read our terms and conditions and privacy policy.\n\nJean was born in 1937 Maryhill and spoke often and fondly of her childhood in \"the Butney\". This involved real hardships - including war-time evacuation to Holytown - though Jean's memories were all good and Maryhill became a touchstone when dementia became a factor in recent years.\n\nWorking at Rolls-Royce Hillington, Jean was transferred to its Derby HQ where, as a young woman, she made small component parts for jet engines. Even in her 80s, Jean could still perform all the machinist actions (with sound effects).\n\nShe loved to paint landscapes and had a life-long passion for music, especially jazz (with Frankie and Ella being constants). She was a great singer and dancer, always up for fun and laughs, brightening up any party.\n\nHer family said Jean was a fabulous mum to two daughters, a brilliant friend, and a warm-hearted women with kindness for everyone and anyone. She died on 27 October 2020.\n\nRashelle Baird's family describe her as \"kind, bubbly, and always the life and soul of the party\".\n\nThe 27-year-old mother-of-three from Brechin had put off appointments to get the vaccine because she was busy with her children.\n\nHer family stressed she was not anti-vaccine. \"She wanted to get her vaccine but she put her kids first,\" her father Stephen said.\n\nRashelle, who had asthma, initially thought she had caught a cold from her children, but her symptoms worsened and she was admitted to hospital.\n\nShe died in November 2021 after several days in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, having been placed in an induced coma in the intensive care unit.\n\nDavid Trower worked as a clerical officer in the A&E department of University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie before retiring in 2016.\n\nBut he was committed to the NHS and even in retirement he chose to continue to work shifts, through NHS Lanarkshire's staff bank, right up until February. He died on 9 March 2021, aged 67.\n\nHis colleagues thought highly of him, saying: \"We have many happy memories of shifts together, laughs, nights out, and listening to all his stories of his many holidays abroad. We will miss him.\"\n\nBernadette White, his sister, said he was a caring, gentle and loving man with a wicked sense of humour.\n\nShe added: \"The last seven years, I would say, is when David started to live his life, doing the things that made him happy without having to worry about anyone else.\"\n\nStephen Stewart met his future wife, Heather, at a youth club when he was just 14. They got engaged on his 17th birthday and he had just turned 20 when they married.\n\nThe couple, who lived in Motherwell, came from \"very different\" backgrounds but they grew up together during their 25-year marriage while raising their only child.\n\nStephen took pride in his work for concrete manufacturer FP McCann, latterly as a lab technician working out what strength the concrete needed to be for certain projects.\n\nOutside work, he loved fishing, computer games, gadgets and during the first lockdown he managed to build a hot tub shelter with the help of a series of YouTube videos.\n\nHe died of Covid pneumonia at University Hospital Wishaw on 19 February 2021, aged 45.\n\nNan Douglas worked her way up from shorthand typist to headteacher during a remarkable career.\n\nShe was already a mother of three when she left her job as a school secretary at West Calder High School to enrol at Moray House in Edinburgh where she qualified as a primary school teacher.\n\nAfter losing her husband John when she was just 43, she found solace in working with disabled children and went on to be appointed head of Pinewood Special School in Blackburn, West Lothian.\n\nFollowing a spell living in Cornwall during her retirement, she returned to Scotland where she hosted a \"living wake\" with 80 friends and family on her 90th birthday.\n\nShe lived independently in Milnathort, Kinross, and was admitted to hospital for a minor issue just before Christmas 2020. But she picked up Covid and never left. She died on 19 February 2021, aged 95.\n\nGraeme McGrath's greatest passions were rowing and the River Clyde.\n\nOn the day of his funeral, fellow rowers held oars in a guard of honour at Glasgow Green in a tribute appreciated by his wife Anne and their three sons.\n\nFor 40 years Graeme volunteered with the Glasgow Humane Society and was often called on to row rescue boats on the Clyde, or to help evacuate families during floods.\n\nAfter undergoing a kidney transplant in his 50s, he was unable to get out on the river as much. He retired from his job as a Thomas Cook travel agent and moved to Prestwick in Ayrshire.\n\nBut he still felt the pull of the Clyde and regularly returned to the city to meet friends and row safety boats at regattas.\n\nHe died with Covid on 15 February 2021 at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, aged 66, after being admitted for an infection affecting his heart.\n\nTommy Morrow spent most of his life in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, where he met his partner Jackie and raised their children, Demi and Mark.\n\nHis family described him as a character and not a day went by without them laughing at his jokes.\n\nHe loved camping and fishing in places like Stornoway with his friends but the most important people in his life were his family, including grandchildren, Lacey and Louden.\n\nDuring his career he worked in various well-known hotels and restaurants in Glasgow but he had not worked for some years due to poor health, including COPD.\n\nHe died with Covid on 15 February 2021, aged 53. \"It was so cruel - he was so close to getting the vaccine,\" his family said.\n\nTommy Rooney was a bus driver for 36 years and hugely popular with colleagues at First Bus in Larbert.\n\nOn the day of his funeral they were among dozens of people who lined the streets and applauded as his cortege passed the depot.\n\nFirst Bus operations manager Jason Hackett told the Falkirk Herald that Tommy was the \"heart and soul\" of the Larbert station.\n\nMarried to Margaret, the Bonnybridge man had two daughters and a granddaughter who described him as a \"humble but proud family man who put everyone else's needs before his own\".\n\nAn avid Celtic fan, he spent much of the pandemic driving key workers to their essential duties. He died on 12 February 2021, aged 57.\n\nDavid Gray's first grandchild - a girl called Islay - was born in July 2020. The proud \"papa\" used to say that she was the love of his life and she gave him a reason to wake up in the morning.\n\nTragically, the 62-year-old only got to spend five months with her before falling ill with Covid. He died on 3 February 2021.\n\nDavid lived in Erskine and worked for BAE Systems for 20 years, first as a mechanical fitter then as records manager dealing with secret files for the Ministry of Defence.\n\nHis family describe him as \"music daft\" - he played guitar and he was performing a gig with his band in Glasgow when he met his wife, Joyce, 40 years ago.\n\nThey went on to have two children - Darren and Danielle - as well as his beloved Cocker Spaniels, Buster and Shimmer, who he described as his \"bairns\".\n\nHarry Osborne was a Dunkirk veteran whose life was full of adventures - his daughter said he was still able to recall stories until just a few days before he died.\n\nMr Osborne was deployed to France months after joining the Territorial Army in Glasgow, served with the 77th Highland Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery and later became a surveyor.\n\nFriends recall how upon joining, he promised his mother he would not swear and instead would say \"cricky jings\", which became his nickname in the forces.\n\nHe was also known as a keen golfer with a \"wicked sense of humour\".\n\nMr Osborne died from Covid-19 on 25 January, nine months after celebrating his 100th birthday.\n\nConnie Simpson's grandchildren say she was more like a pal than a granny - she was full of fun and laughter, and was always the first up to dance at a party.\n\nBorn in Kinning Park, Glasgow, she moved to the east end after marrying John who she met at the Barrowlands when they were teenagers.\n\nWhile John was away with the Merchant Navy, she brought up their four children in a house \"surrounded by love\", before taking work as a curtain consultant.\n\nShe was fabulous even in her 80s - she loved getting her hair, eyebrows and manicure done, meeting friends at Mecca Bingo in Parkhead and at a local pensioners' club.\n\nConnie died on 23 January 2021 at Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow, aged 82.\n\nSheila Gartly was as \"bright as a button\" and the \"heart of our family\", her loved ones said.\n\nShe was born and brought up in Deskford, Moray, before marrying and moving to Keith in 1954. Widowed in 1975, she remarried but lost her second husband in 2005.\n\nDuring her working life she had jobs in a florist and in a fish shop - both of which she thoroughly enjoyed.\n\nShe loved to watch the birds in her garden, read her daily newspaper, listen to traditional Scottish music, and the spring and summer when the nights were lighter and flowers bloomed.\n\nIn 2019 she had surgery on a broken leg but she was recovering well. She died with Covid on 19 January 2021, aged 86.\n\nAlex Goldie was an electrical engineer who latterly worked as a lecturer at Stow College in Glasgow before his retirement.\n\nHis family said he was a gregarious man, always interested in other people, who took great delight and pride in the antics and education of his two great-grandsons, Charlie and Joe.\n\nDuring his long life he enjoyed skiing, tennis, pottery, sailing, golf, holidays in Europe, Australia and North America, single malts and red wine.\n\nHe had been well cared for by Randolph Hill nursing home in Dunblane for 19 months after developing dementia. Covid restrictions meant he had not seen his family, other than by Skype, for a year.\n\nHe is thought to have contracted the virus on a trip to A&E after a fall. He died on 14 January, aged 100.\n\nVincent Logan became one of the youngest bishops in the world when he was ordained Bishop of Dunkeld in 1981, aged 39.\n\nHe served the Roman Catholic diocese for almost 32 years before his retirement in 2012.\n\nThe Scottish Catholic Church said he was \"dedicated and energetic\" and had \"an energy and zeal in all he did\".\n\nBorn in Bathgate in 1941, he was ordained a priest in Edinburgh in 1964. He died on 14 January, aged 79, the day after his friend the Archbishop of Glasgow, Philip Tartaglia.\n\n\"Both bishops succumbed to the lethal effects of the coronavirus,\" the current Bishop of Dunkeld, Stephen Robson, added.\n\nThe Archbishop of Glasgow, the Most Reverend Philip Tartaglia, died suddenly at his home in the city on 13 January - the Feast of St Mungo, the Patron Saint of Glasgow.\n\nHe had been self-isolating after testing positive for Covid shortly after Christmas.\n\nBorn in Glasgow in 1951, he was ordained a priest in 1975 and had served as leader of Scotland's largest Catholic community since 2012.\n\nScotland's Catholic bishops described Archbishop Tartaglia as a \"gentle, caring and warm-hearted pastor who combined compassion with a piercing intellect\".\n\nAmong those who paid tribute were First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken, who described the archbishop as \"a true Glaswegian\".\n\nLiz Shingleston was a well-known figure in the village of Dunragit and her death on 13 January had a big impact on the small community near Stranraer.\n\n\"Her hearse passed the bottom of the village and the amount of people who turned out to pay their respects was overwhelming,\" said her daughter, Lisa.\n\nLiz spent her early childhood in New Luce but moved to the railway station cottage in Dunragit where her father worked as a signalman.\n\nDuring a varied working life, Liz left school to work in the laboratory of the nearby Nestle factory and later replaced her own mother as the local school's dinner lady.\n\nThe 73-year-old was devoted to her grandchildren and great-grandson but she also liked to treat herself to afternoon tea (with Prosecco) at Trump Turnberry.\n\nHugh Polland, who was known as Shug to his friends and family, was born and raised in Glasgow's Easterhouse.\n\nHe was well known in the area where he ran the Casbah Pub for many years during the 1980s and early 90s.\n\nA huge Celtic fan, he loved to play golf and took up photography later in life - becoming \"unofficial photographer\" at many friends' weddings, christening and parties.\n\n\"Everyone wanted him at their party not just to take photos but because of his personality,\" said his son, Tony McAllister. \"Everyone loved him because what you seen is what you got.\"\n\nShug died at Glasgow Royal Infirmary on 5 January, aged 70. His sudden death has left his family heartbroken.\n\nFor more than 75 years George Wight lived on his dairy farm in the village of Drumoak in Aberdeenshire.\n\nBut he had more than one string to his bow - as well as being a dairy farmer, for 25 years he was also the publican of his local, the Irvine Arms.\n\nA loyal Aberdeen FC fan, he was one of the lucky ones - he was in Gothenburg in 1983 to see the his beloved Dons lift the European Cup Winners Cup.\n\nHe was devoted to his family, including wife Claire and their four children, and despite suffering a series of bereavements and health setbacks, he always bounced back.\n\n\"He was an inspiration and a hardy soul who kept going no matter what life threw at him,\" they said. George died at a nursing home on 4 January 2021, aged 85.\n\nHugh Bell loved to dance. As a young man, when he doing his national service with the RAF, he was a regular at the dancing at the YMCA in Paisley.\n\nIt was there he met the love of his life, Margaret. They were married for 63 years and had two children Alan and Stuart. Margaret passed away in 2013.\n\nA keen ballroom dancer, Hugh was often first on the dance floor and in his later years he enjoyed dancing to the entertainment at Southerness caravan park, near Dumfries, where Stuart and his friend had a holiday home.\n\nHe was a bright, bubbly sociable man who spent a career in logistics before working as a lollipop man in his retirement.\n\nHugh died on 31 December at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, aged 92.\n\nDavid Warnock was a keen sportsman who loved squash, tennis, rugby, football, cycling and climbing munros.\n\nIn fact, it was on the tennis courts in Aberdeen that he met his teenage sweetheart, Zena. He was 17 and she was 14 - they were married for 62 years.\n\nAn electrical engineer, he worked for Pye Communications, moving first to Cambridge and then Edinburgh.\n\nHe was a quiet man who never complained about anything and was happiest around his family - including four children, 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.\n\nHis second great-grandchild was born shortly after he died in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on 31 December. He was 85.\n\nHenry Anderson, an SNP councillor on Perth and Kinross Council, died with Covid on 27 December.\n\nHe had represented the Almond and Earn ward since 2012 and colleagues said he would be \"hugely missed\".\n\nAmong those who paid tribute to the 68-year-old was Deputy First Minister John Swinney, who described him as \"a good, decent man and a faithful councillor\".\n\nMurray Lyle, the leader of Perth and Kinross Council, said Mr Anderson was an excellent advocate for his ward and \"passionate about local issues\".\n\n\"I had the pleasure of working with Henry for several years on the Local Review Body and always his enjoyed his company, good humour and sense of fun when we were out visiting planning sites.\"\n\nTeenage sweethearts Bryson Mitchell and his wife Irene were due to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary in January,\n\nThey met when he was an 18-year-old apprentice electrician and was assigned to a contract with the company where Irene, who was 16, was working.\n\nAfter marrying in 1961, Bryson spent his adult life in Paisley and 35 years working as an aircraft electrician with British Airways.\n\nThe couple had two children and four grandchildren, who described him as a quiet man with a great sense of humour. \"He was kind and generous, very hardworking, and he lived for his family,\" they said.\n\nHe was in hospital being treated for an acute illness when he contracted Covid. He died on Christmas Eve, aged 82.\n\nAs a child, Sandy Adam survived pioneering surgery to remove his voice box - an operation that left him unable to speak normally.\n\nInstead he learned a different way to communicate - oesophageal speech (swallowing air) - by drinking lots of lemonade. He had a life-long hatred of the fizzy drink after that.\n\nAfter training to be a dentist in Dundee, he returned to his hometown of Aberdeen. In addition to surgeries around the city, at one time he worked at Craiginches Prison one afternoon a week.\n\nA father and a grandfather, he loved tinkering with cars, pranking his two children and sitting in the sun with a glass of red wine.\n\nThe 81-year-old, who had dementia, died on 16 December, shortly after testing positive for Covid.\n\nDavid Barr was born and grew up in Paisley and for more than 40 years he worked in the town's Anchor Mill.\n\nAs well as being a keen bowler, a church elder, and an active member of Martyrs Church Men's Club, he had a gift for carpentry.\n\nThe dolls houses and garages that he made for his children and grandchildren were much loved and they are still treasured.\n\nHis favourite place in the world was the East Neuk of Fife, where he spent many happy holidays.\n\nDavid had an underlying respiratory condition and he was admitted to hospital with shortness of breath in December. He died within days of being diagnosed with Covid on 16 December, aged 86.\n\nAna Lisa Sayson was a nurse who moved from the Philippines to work for the NHS in Scotland.\n\nShe was a staff nurse at Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow before she moved to Glasgow Royal Infirmary during the Covid crisis. The mother-of-two died on 15 December after testing positive for the virus.\n\n\"Ana Lisa was a much-loved member of the team and an incredibly compassionate nurse who was devoted to the care of her patients,\" said John Stuart, the chief nurse at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.\n\n\"Ana Lisa came to our country from the Philippines to care for our loved ones and my heart goes out to her family and especially her husband and children.\n\n\"My thoughts, and the thoughts of all of her NHS family here in Glasgow, are with them at this terribly sad time.\"\n\nBilly and May Fannin were married for 62 years after meeting at a ballroom in Glasgow in 1955.\n\nMay was a bookkeeper who gave up her job to look after her grandchildren in the 1980s. \"Her life revolved around her four grandchildren,\" their younger daughter Jennifer told BBC Scotland.\n\nBilly was a joiner by trade but his real passion was singing, performing under the name Scott Allan. And as a member of Equity, he also took on work as an extra on TV programmes like Take the High Road and Taggart.\n\nHe loved being the centre of attention and \"if he was chocolate he would have eaten himself\", Jennifer joked.\n\nWhen the couple from Barrhead caught Covid, their two daughters also fell ill with the virus and had to self-isolate. They were heartbroken they could not be with their 84-year-old mother when she died in hospital on 6 December.\n\nBut they chose not tell their 88-year-old father about her death, as he was also in hospital and had dementia. Jennifer was able to visit him to say goodbye before he slipped away just eight days after the passing of his wife.\n\nShe was president of the city's Bangladesh Association, a civil servant at Glasgow City Council and, according to her family, \"a pillar of the community\".\n\nThey said she was a \"devoted mother, daughter, aunt and friend [but] she would prefer to be remembered as a social activist, volunteer and community advocate\".\n\nBoth Mridula and her husband, Sarwar Hassan, were admitted to hospital with Covid in November. He was discharged but Mridula was moved to Aberdeen for specialist treatment.\n\nHer husband and two sons were able to spend time with her before she died at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on 12 December, aged 50.\n\nBridget Turner and her husband Alan worked for years in the window blinds industry before setting up their own business, A&B Window Blinds, in 1992.\n\nThey lived next door to the shop in Paisley, where Bridget worked in the office and Alan went out to do the measuring. Their years of hard work paid off and the family business remains successful.\n\nThe mother-of-three \"loved a good gab and a good catch-up with friends\", according to her daughter, Lisa. \"She was amazing, such a good friend to lots of people.\"\n\nWhen the children were young, family holidays were spent at the Isle of Whithorn but later the couple, who moved to Greenock, spent winters in Gran Canaria where they made friends from around the world.\n\nBridget was treated for Covid at Inverclyde Royal Hospital, where she received \"amazing care\". She died, aged 71, on 7 December after saying goodbye to her family.\n\nAndrew Slorance was a civil servant in charge of the Scottish government's planning and response to crisis situations - including the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nHe grew up in Hawick and became a journalist before joining the Scotland Office. He led the new Scottish Parliament's media team when it opened in 1999, then became the official spokesman for First Minister Alex Salmond.\n\nA father-of-five, he was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2015. He documented his experience of the rare cancer - including six rounds of chemotherapy - in a blog he called \"The fight of my life\".\n\nHe relapsed in 2019 and a stem cell transplant scheduled for Easter 2020 was delayed by Covid. While shielding at home in Edinburgh, he spent the first part of the pandemic working on the government's response from a spare room.\n\nMr Slorance was finally admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow for his stem cell transplant in October. He tested positive for Covid shortly after that and died on 5 December, aged 49.\n\nTributes from across the political spectrum, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, have been paid to Mr Slorance. His wife, Louise, told BBC Scotland: \"He was a proud family man who was the life and soul of any party, loving and loyal.\"\n\nAllan Harper was a salesman at Topps Tiles for 23 years, mainly in the Hillington branch.\n\nHe met Caroline through a dating website 21 years ago. They were due to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in July.\n\nA father-of-one, he lived in Craigton, in the south-west of Glasgow, where he enjoyed computer games and playing pool with work colleagues.\n\nCaroline said they would spend their days off and holidays together with their three cats \"who sometimes got more attention than me\".\n\nHe was a kind man, a \"true gentleman\" and her \"forever love\", she added. He died on 1 December 2020, aged 60.\n\nEileen Terry was born and brought up in Renfrew before marrying Bob and moving to Milngavie in 1968.\n\nHe was a keen golfer and when their sons, Robert and David, reached secondary school she decided the time was right to join him on the golf course.\n\nIt led to a lifetime's love of the sport and she became the ladies captain of Clober Golf Club in 2001 - the club's centenary year.\n\nHer family say she was a kind and generous lady who was well-known in her local community, where she worked as a home help until her retirement.\n\nShe spent her final years in Mavisbank Nursing Home in Bishopbriggs after developing vascular dementia. She died in hospital on 25 November 2020, aged 84.\n\nDavie Burgess was one of 10 siblings born in the Townhead area of Glasgow, but he had a lifelong love of the fresh air and the scenery of the Scottish countryside.\n\nAs a young man, he worked as a fireman on the steam train to Crianlarich - a trip which included a two-hour stopover allowing him to explore the hills.\n\nLater in life he loved driving up to Acharacle to visit his son and his family, where he could go for long walks with his grandchildren and their dog, Mac.\n\nMarried for 60 years to May, the father-of-three worked for the Milk Marketing Board at Hogganfield Loch. He was a hard worker who even after he \"retired\" took on three jobs, including running a caravan park.\n\nHis family described him as a \"gentleman\" and a \"man of pride\". He died on 25 November, aged 86.\n\nRod Moore spent 40 years with the ambulance service, working as a technician, a paramedic, a trainer and then in managerial roles before returning to the front line and the job he loved.\n\nThe football fan from Falkirk was married to Clare for 31 years and they had a son, Craig.\n\n\"He was my best friend, he was always happy, joking around all the time, he was so funny... he made me laugh every day,\" Clare told BBC Scotland.\n\nAnd he was so close to their son \"you wouldn't have got a sheet of paper between them\", she added.\n\nAlthough they were not able to see Rod for four weeks while he was treated in hospital for Covid, they we allowed one final visit to say goodbye before he died on 21 November, aged 63.\n\nTom Kenmure was a manager at the Tesco distribution centre in Livingston, where he had worked for 28 years.\n\nThe 51-year-old was a friendly, sociable man and in normal times he liked nothing better than driving around the country exploring \"any little shop he could find\".\n\nAfter the restrictions came into force, the father-of-two from Carluke did everything he could to keep himself and his family safe from Covid.\n\nBut on the 6 October he felt a tightness in his chest on his way to work and had to get tested. It came back positive the next day.\n\nHe spent two weeks in Wishaw General before being transferred to an ECMO machine at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. He died on 17 November.\n\nAndrew, or \"Andra\", Kettrick was a porter at Stirling Royal Infirmary for 28 years.\n\nHe would take patients out on \"mystery tours\" in a \"big blue hospital ambulance bus\" his son, also Andrew, told BBC Scotland.\n\n\"The old people loved my dad as he would often stop and buy them all fish and chips or ice cream - all this was paid for out of his pocket,\" he said.\n\nMr Kettrick's work was recognised by hospital bosses and they put him forward for a British Empire Medal which he received in 1991.\n\nThe father-of-three, from Cowie, Stirling, died at Caledonia Court care home in Larbert on 17 November. He was 86.\n\nJim - Flocky - Flockhart was the public face of the firefighters' strike in Glasgow in 1973.\n\nA leading figure in the Fire Brigade Union, he regularly appeared on TV and in newspapers during the controversial 10-day strike over pay.\n\nFirefighting was a dangerous - sometimes fatal - job in the \"tinderbox city\" and Jim was hailed a hero by colleagues after the dispute ended with a famous victory for the strikers.\n\nHe retired to Darvel in Ayrshire where he enjoyed a pint in the Black Bull and spent many years driving friends and local elderly men on trips around Scotland and to Ireland.\n\nA father and grandfather, he died with Covid on 13 November with his daughters Yvonne and Julie by his side. He was 77.\n\nTom Maley never wanted for anything, but after enduring months of Covid restrictions this year the 73-year-old retired joiner set his heart on a big Christmas tree.\n\nIt had been a tough year for the normally sociable pensioner who was renowned for his jokes (good and bad) and was devoted to his wife of 53 years, Georgina, and their family.\n\nThey usually decorate a small table-top tree for the festive season, but this year Mr Maley ordered a 5ft showstopper illuminated with multi-coloured stars to fill the window of their Grangemouth home.\n\nThe great-grandfather will never get to see the tree in its full glory. He died at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert on 12 November, shortly after falling ill with Covid-19.\n\nHis granddaughter Claire Taylor told BBC Scotland, said: \"My gran has made sure that the tree he ordered will go up and it will shine bright for Granda.\"\n\nTracey Donnelly was born and brought up in Edinburgh but she moved to the north-east of England after meeting her husband, George.\n\n\"I loved her the first time I saw her, and I always will,\" he said. \"She was so loving and kind - just an extra-special person in every way.\"\n\nTracey had four children, three step-children and eight grandchildren, and she worked as a support worker for the North East Autism Society.\n\nCare manager Michael Ross, said: \"She loved her family, and she loved the service-users in her care. This tragic news has ripped the heart out of the team and her colleagues are absolutely devastated.\"\n\nShe died at Sunderland General Hospital in mid-November after testing positive for coronavirus. She was 53.\n\nJim Grant was originally from Bo'ness but he spent most of his life in Grangemouth where he brought up two daughters, Margaret and Senga, with his wife Mary.\n\nHe worked as a labourer at BP before taking early retirement when he was 60.\n\nThe 88-year-old great-grandfather spent his last months at the Caledonian Court care home in Larbert before his death on 8 November. He was one of 20 residents who died in the space of a month after testing positive for Covid-19.\n\nHis granddaughter, Nicole Ritchie, said he was a gentleman who always had a huge smile on his face, and his death had had a huge impact on the family.\n\nShe told BBC Scotland \"As a family, we would like to thank Caledonian Court from the bottom of our hearts. They looked after my grandad for the last 11 months of his life and they couldn't have done a better job, he was so happy and very well looked after.\"\n\nFor more than 20 years until her retirement in February 2020, Liz Khan was a support worker for adults with learning and physical disabilities.\n\nShe also ran a drama group for them - it was always more than a job to her, her family said.\n\nLiz was also an elder at her local church, St Margaret's Parish Church in the Muirhouse area of Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.\n\n\"She devoted her life to her work, church and family,\" her children Stephen, Sonia and Lorraine told BBC Scotland.\n\nLiz died in hospital with Covid on 26 October 2020, aged 67 - eight months into her retirement.\n\nWhen Marie Ward broke her wrist in 2019, she asked her consultant whether she would be able to play the piano once it had healed.\n\nHe assured her she would, but when she replied \"that's great because I couldn't before\", the previously serious and solemn medic cracked up.\n\nShe was always laughing and joking, according to her granddaughter, Abby McNicol, and she enjoyed nothing more than knitting, shopping and a \"good blether\".\n\nMarried to Robert for 53 years, they started life together in a single-end tenement in Househillwood in Glasgow. Moving to a three-bedroom council house in Johnstone was \"like winning the lottery\".\n\nThe mother-of-three and grandmother-of-11 died on 18 October 2020, aged 83.\n\nFrances Brown spent lockdown shielding in her room in the Glasgow care home where she had lived for almost 10 years.\n\nAfter months of keeping in touch via video calls, the 76-year-old was finally able to meet up with her sister, Anne Turnbull, in August.\n\nMs Turnbull said her sister, who had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bi-polar disorder, had a special bond with staff at the David Cargill care home.\n\nAnd she praised the home which remained Covid-free until a staff member tested positive on 4 October. Frances contracted the virus and died in hospital on 13 October.\n\nIn a statement, the care home described Frances as \"the most incredible woman, a real character, and an absolute pleasure to know and care for\".\n\nAfter a long battle against illness throughout the year, great grandfather Charlie Armstrong died on 10 October.\n\nThe 82-year-old retired property manager from Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, had been allowed home after receiving treatment at Glasgow Royal Infirmary for chest problems.\n\nEight days later he was readmitted to the hospital and tested positive for coronavirus. The family say they were told he must have contracted Covid during his earlier stay at the Infirmary.\n\nHis wife, Joyce, who was also treated in hospital for the virus, said: \"He was very generous, very loving and very funny and he hated seeing anybody being put down. He didn't like to see injustice. He would stand up for people.\n\n\"We were together for 40 years and he was a very good father and a very good husband to me.\"\n\nMargaret Kerrigan was a \"force to be reckoned with\", according to her family - a matriarch who commanded respect.\n\nShe was born in Plymouth but her family moved to Glasgow when she was young. Growing up in Govan in the 1950s, she learned to be a \"tough cookie\".\n\nIt meant she must have been perfectly suited to her job as bar manager at Curlers in Byres Road in the 1960s. And it was there she met Joe, a customer at the pub, who she married in 1970.\n\nHe worked as a school janitor during many of their 50 years of marriage, and they had four sons, 12 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.\n\nClydebank Bowling Club provided Joe with a good social life, while Margaret loved having her family around her and going to the bingo.\n\nJoe had dementia and he died at Hill View care home in Dalmuir on 19 April 2020, aged 78. Margaret fell ill during the second wave and died in hospital on 8 October, aged 73.\n\nFormer ambulance technician George Cairns was a resident at LittleInch Care Home in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire.\n\nHis family said the move from his Renfrew flat to the home in January had reinvigorated him and brought out his mischievous sense of humour.\n\nDuring the lockdown period Mr Cairns, who was bipolar, even joked about topping up his tan in the garden.\n\nThe 71-year-old tested positive for Covid-19 on 8 May despite displaying no symptoms, but his condition deteriorated and he died in the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley nine days later.\n\nHis daughter, Gillian, paid tribute to his caring nature, saying: \"Even if you only met him once he would tell you a story, a terrible joke or offer a supportive ear when you needed it the most.\"\n\nRetired farmer Jock Brown was a keen ice hockey player in his youth, and he represented Scotland for six years in the 1950s.\n\nHe told his family that he was selected for the team because he was the only Scotsman who played as goal tender (goalkeeper) at the time. They insist this is not true.\n\nMarried to Mary for 48 years, they had two children and four grandchildren.\n\nHe farmed near Falkirk - on land next to what is now home to The Kelpies - until his retirement in the 1980s.\n\nMr Brown's family said he was a quiet man with a great sense of humour. He had dementia and he died with Covid-19 at Burnbrae care home in Falkirk on 14 May. He was 89.\n\nIna Beaton was a well-known figure on the Isle of Skye and she lived in her own home in Balmaqueen until two years ago.\n\nShe died on 11 May aged 103, the seventh resident of Home Farm care home in Portree to die after contracting Covid-19.\n\nIna lived through the Great War and the 1919 Spanish Flu outbreak. During World War Two she moved to Glasgow to work as a conductress on the trams and survived the Clydebank blitz.\n\nHer grandson, Ailean Beaton, said his loss was shared across the island, especially the north end \"where she was mum, granny, friend to more than just the Beatons.\n\n\"Her crystal memory and broad experience of life in Skye over several generations meant that she contributed to our shared knowledge of the place we're from, its language and culture,\" he added.\n\nBetty Steele grew up in Paisley but later moved to Corby, Northamptonshire - the town known as \"little Scotland\".\n\nShe had seven children, 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, and she lived for her family, according to her granddaughter, Debbie Smiley.\n\nHer house was always the meeting point, and she was the life and soul of the party.\n\n\"She had such a zest for life, and anything she did it was done with care and love for others,\" Debbie added.\n\nJohn Angus Gordon, 83, spent the last few years of his life at the Home Farm care home in Portree on Skye.\n\nHe had dementia and the sense of touch reassured him - he liked to shake a hand or hold the hand of the person he was talking to.\n\nUnable to visit the home, his family spoke to him for the last time in a video-call a few hours before he died on 5 May.\n\nAs he listened to their voices, he reached out to the hand of the carer sitting with him, dressed in full personal protective equipment.\n\n\"We found it quite poignant that my dad put out his hand to hers and she was wearing these blue protective gloves,\" said his son, John.\n\nPaul McCaffrey was an \"amazing dad\" of two children and two step-children who was always busy, according to his partner Caroline McNultry.\n\n\"He was always helping someone, whether he was in someone's house helping them out or just on-the-go in work all the time,\" she said.\n\nThe healthy 49-year-old from Glasgow fell ill after returning home from work at a care home where he was a highly-regarded maintenance manager.\n\nRather than the traditional coronavirus symptoms, he complained of a headache and aching limbs but he was eventually admitted to hospital in Glasgow where he tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nHe was transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he could be hooked up to an ECMO machine, which performs the tasks of the lungs. After three weeks, he died on 4 May.\n\nHGV driver Jim Russell kept his lorries so spotlessly clean he was known as \"Big Gorgeous\" by colleagues who joked that he must have worn his slippers in his cab.\n\nHe was a big character who loved cars, trucks, motorbikes, lorries and going to Truckfest with his fiancée Connie McCready, who he affectionately nicknamed \"Isa\" after the Still Game character.\n\nThis photograph was taken at the last concert the couple attended together on 8 March 2020.\n\nThey met online in 2014 and were due to get married last summer but Mr Russell fell ill with Covid three weeks after the concert. He died on 4 May, aged 51.\n\n\"Everyone is talking about life getting back to normal when coming out of lockdown, however for myself and many many others we are terrified as our lives will never be normal again,\" Connie said.\n\nClive Andrews was born in Trinidad and in 1967 he moved to Edinburgh where he \"immediately felt like he belonged\", according to his daughter, Nadine.\n\nThe father-of-six worked as a senior lecturer in ergonomics at Napier College, but he was also committed to the arts.\n\nDevoted to promoting and supporting artists and musicians, he held committee roles with groups including Theatre Alba and the Scottish Arts Council.\n\nHe helped establish the Edinburgh International Harp Festival and volunteered every year for decades with the Edinburgh International Jazz Festival.\n\nClive was a lover of life (and of salsa dancing), his family said. He died at The Elms Care Home in Edinburgh on 3 May 2020, aged 86.\n\nRobert Black was a paramedic but he was also a talented musician and part of the team behind Argyll FM.\n\nPaying tribute to him on social media, the community radio station said he was \"a genuine good guy... everyone was his pal\".\n\nThe Mull of Kintyre Music Festival described him as \"one of our pals\" and a \"true gent, wonderful musician\".\n\nHe was a well-known and loved character in Campbeltown, according to Kintyre Community Resilience Group.\n\nThe father-of-two died in hospital in Glasgow on 2 May.\n\nKaren Hutton was a \"much-loved\" care home nurse who died with coronavirus days after her granddaughter was born.\n\nThe 58-year-old was a staff nurse in the dementia unit at Lochleven Care Home in Broughty Ferry, Dundee.\n\nHer only daughter, Lauren, gave birth to a girl just two weeks ago, according to care home operators Thistle Healthcare.\n\nCare home manager Andrew Chalmers-Gall said: \"Karen was a tenacious advocate for her residents and she always put their needs first.\"\n\nShe died at home in Carnoustie, Angus, on 28 April after testing positive for Covid-19.\n\nMark McCarron Gillan bought his wife, Jan, flowers every Friday - a small gesture but something that she still misses following his death on 27 April.\n\nThey were married for 23 years, after first meeting as teenagers, and they have three daughters - twins Ebony and Hope, who are 20, and Brenna, 19.\n\nWhen his colleagues at a soap factory in Queenslie, Glasgow, learned of his death, they stopped production for the first time since opening.\n\nThey were among dozens of people - including friends and neighbours - who lined the streets on the day of his funeral to say a final farewell to the 53-year-old.\n\nMark loved golf, football and hill walking but he was also a family man. \"There is a such a void left in each of us and every life that he touched,\" his wife said.\n\nAlastair Sinclair split his younger years between Reay in Caithness and Lanark before being called up for national service.\n\nBut his army career was cut short when he stood on a mine in Korea and lost a foot.\n\nHis son told BBC Scotland that he was persuaded to pursue a career in developing artificial limbs as he was being fitted for his own prosthetic.\n\nIn retirement, the father-of-three moved with his wife from Newtown Mearns in East Renfrewshire to Wishaw in North Lanarkshire.\n\nHe moved into Erskine Park care home in Bishopton shortly before lockdown and died, aged 87, five weeks later on 27 April.\n\nPearl Paterson grew up in Dennistoun in the east end of Glasgow and was just 10 years old when World War II broke out.\n\nShe was a teenager when she joined the Women's Land Army but it wasn't until she was in her 80s that she received official recognition - and a badge - for her efforts from the UK government.\n\nPearl spent much of her working life employed as a domestic assistant in hotels across Scotland, before settling in Largs, Ayrshire, with her daughter, Fiona.\n\nAn animal lover, she had a special Chihuahua called Flash, and she read the People's Friend magazine every week.\n\nOn her 91st birthday in March, her family was able wave to her in the conservatory at her care home in Glasgow. She died with Covid-19 on 26 April.\n\nAnnie Munro's home was always filled with people - her husband, six children and many nieces and nephews who would often come to visit.\n\nHer family used to joke that the house in Eaglesham must have \"rubber walls\" and they often had to share beds and would \"wake up with somebody's feet up their nose\".\n\nShe was a real homemaker who could as easily run up a set of curtains as make a batch of jam from fruit she had grown in her own garden. She never turned anyone away who needed help.\n\nA mild-mannered woman, she never had any need to raise her voice - a look over the top of her spectacles was enough to keep her children under control.\n\nIn later life she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and her daughter, Linda, became her main carer before she moved into a care home. Annie died on 25 April, aged 84.\n\nKnown to all as Gogs, Gordon Reid was a taxi driver from Edinburgh who loved football, played golf, enjoyed a pint and doted on his grandchildren.\n\nHe stopped working as a precaution four days before the lockdown came into force but within a week had fallen ill with Covid-19.\n\nHis wife, Elaine, and daughter Leemo Goudie, were able to spend some time with him in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary before he died on 24 April, aged 68.\n\nLeemo said: \"My dad was a normal guy, no health issues, a non-smoker, fairly fit. It can happen to anyone.\"\n\nAs only a small number of mourners could attend his funeral, people stood and applauded as his hearse passed some of his favourite places in the city.\n\nDavid Allan joined a local running club in Edinburgh in retirement, after spending 36 years as a science technician at the city's Trinity Academy.\n\nThe fit and healthy 64-year-old was training for a half marathon and was planning to take part in some Park Runs in Sydney during a trip to visit his nephew in Australia this year.\n\nWhen the holiday - including a trip to Fiji - was cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions, David was pragmatic and told his wife, Glenda, they could rearrange for a later date.\n\nIt was a shock when he tested positive for Covid-19 after being admitted to hospital with a chest infection. He died on 24 April after more than four weeks in ICU.\n\nGlenda took comfort from the funeral, when neighbours lined the streets, running club friends and former colleagues stood outside the crematorium, and hundreds watched the service online.\n\nAngie Cunningham worked for NHS Borders for more than 30 years before her death.\n\nThe 60-year-old from Tweedbank was a much-respected and valued colleague who provided \"amazing care\" to her patients, the health board said.\n\nAs well as being a much-loved mother, sister, granny and great-granny, she was proud to be a nurse, her family added.\n\nShe died in the intensive care unit at Borders General Hospital from Covid-19 on 22 April, NHS Borders confirmed.\n\nKirsty Jones, a healthcare support worker with NHS Lanarkshire, was a bubbly, larger than life character, according to her colleagues.\n\nShe joined the health board after leaving school at 17 and spent much of her career working with older patients.\n\nBut the 41-year-old recently took up a role on the frontline of the pandemic, working at an assessment centre in Airdrie.\n\nHer husband, Nigel, said she devoted her life to caring for others and was a wonderful wife and mother to their two sons.\n\nAndy McGinley used to say he didn't need to win the lottery - his family meant he was already a millionaire.\n\nHe was brought up by adoptive parents in Glasgow's Maryhill area during World War Two and went on to become a carpenter at John Brown's Shipyard.\n\nAlthough he first met his wife, Margaret, at primary school they lost touch and got together after meeting at the Barrowland Ballroom years later.\n\nThey spent almost all of their 62 years of married life in the same house in Barmulloch, where they had five children. They also had 15 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.\n\nHe loved his garden, bowls, and a sing-song at family gatherings - his party piece was \"I'm glad that I was born in Glasgow\". He died on 29 April 2020, aged 84.\n\nEvelyn Brown dedicated her life to her family and her community. Born and bred in Peterhead, she was married to Charles for 50 years and they had two children.\n\nShe gave up her job as a bank manager to care for her son Craig after he was born with Down's syndrome in the 1970s.\n\nHer daughter Emma, who was born two years later, said her mother was a selfless woman who loved spoiling her grandchildren with \"gifts and love\".\n\nMrs Brown was an adult Guide leader and later a district commissioner, she volunteered with Barnardo's and was an active member of the Church of Scotland.\n\nAfter her death at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on 19 April, aged 75, her family raised £3,000 in her name for the hospital's staff garden.\n\nWaqar Hussain Choudhry was a popular shopkeeper in the north of Glasgow.\n\nThe 65-year-old ran a convenience store on Skerray Street in Milton where he was affectionately known as Wacca.\n\nFollowing his death on 17 April 2020, well-wishers left flowers outside the shop he ran for almost 40 years.\n\nThey told The Glasgow Times that the father-of-three served generations of school children and put an extra sweet in their bags.\n\nHis son Zeeshan Chaudhry told the BBC: \"My beloved father was the most amazing hardworking human and parent.\"\n\nJane Murphy was known as \"Mama Murphy\" by close friends and colleagues at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.\n\nShe worked at the city hospital for almost 30 years, first as a cleaner before retraining as a clinical support worker.\n\nThe 73-year-old, from Bonnyrigg, was placed on sick leave due to her age when the pandemic broke out.\n\nIt's understood the mother-of-two died on 16 April.\n\nHer friend Gerry Taylor said: \"She wasn't afraid to tell nurses, doctors or consultants if they were not pulling their weight and they loved her for it.\"\n\nMary McCann, 70, was a \"strong, wonderful woman\" who was dedicated to her family, according to her son, David.\n\nShe spent the last three months of her life in an East Kilbride care home, having being diagnosed with cancer last year.\n\nThe grandmother was doing well in the Whitehills home, where she was putting on weight and smiling again, David said.\n\nBut in early April she developed a urinary tract infection. Her condition deteriorated quickly and within days she was struggling to breathe.\n\nShe died in the care home on 16 April with her son, Derek, by her side.\n\nVerity Watson met her husband Adam (Adie) in a bible class and together they raised three sons, Alan, Gordon and Adam.\n\nThey lived in South Africa for a few years but returned to their beloved home of Rutherglen in 1970.\n\nShe worked at the local Coulls Bakers until retiring aged 72 but in her spare time she enjoyed bowls, knitting and - best of all - a cream cake with a cup of tea.\n\nHer family were unable to be with her when she died at Roger Park Care Home on 15 April 2020, after a short stay in hospital.\n\nHer son Adam said he couldn't thank staff enough for their \"invaluable support\", sitting with his mother in her final moments. She was 98.\n\nDavid Whittick joined the Royal Navy as a pilot on his 18th birthday in the midst of World War Two. Aged 19, as part of 835 Naval Air Squadron, he was flying off aircraft carrier HMS Nairana in the Arctic.\n\nAlmost 70 years later he received the Arctic Star for his role in Arctic Convoys - described by Sir Winston Churchill as \"the worst journey in the world\".\n\nHe survived two serious accidents during his long civilian career with Scottish Airways and later British Airways, before dedicating himself to supporting the Riding for the Disabled charity in his retirement.\n\nHis work - including helping to raise funds for a purpose-built facility at Summerston in Glasgow - led to him being appointed an OBE by the Queen for his services to charity.\n\nHe was married to Joyce for more than 60 years and they had four children. His son, Peter, said he lived a full and active life, even enjoying a trip on a seaplane in January this year. He died at Erskine care home in Bishopton on 14 April, aged 95, after falling ill with coronavirus.\n\nHer daughter Linda, a lawyer for the BBC, had hoped she would survive the virus as she was from \"strong stock\".\n\nShe last saw her mother in March when she travelled from London to warn her they may not be able to visit her during the pandemic.\n\nThe pensioner had been \"extremely distressed\" afterwards, Ms Duncan said.\n\nShe was taken to Edinburgh's Western General Hospital on 12 April and died three days later.\n\nDerek Wilkie worked for 27 years as a firefighter before retiring in December 2017.\n\nHe had senior roles in Badenoch and Strathspey, and Shetland before becoming station commander for Inverness and Nairn District.\n\nColleagues said he was a \"diligent and capable firefighter... with a larger than life personality\".\n\nHis wife and two sons - who all work for the NHS - thanked those who cared for Mr Wilkie and urged people to stay at home.\n\nHe died at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness on 12 April.\n\nFormer Merchant Navy engineer Bill Campbell died of suspected Covid-19 at Erskine Park care home in Bishopton.\n\nThe 86-year-old had dementia and carers initially thought he had a chest infection but he developed a cough and a high temperature.\n\nHis condition deteriorated and he died on Easter Sunday, with his daughter, Linda Verlaque - in full protective clothing - by his side.\n\nShe praised the work of carers at the home but she said his death was \"horrific\" as undertakers came to take away his body in full hazmat gear and goggles.\n\n\"Instead of having people surrounding me and giving me a hug to say everything was all right, everyone was just standing there and we were watching my dad being taken away, which was traumatic,\" she said.\n\nProud Welshman Glyn Edwards did not learn to speak English until he was five years old, but in adulthood he made Edinburgh his home.\n\nA contemporary of Neil Kinnock at Cardiff University, he worked as a civil servant in London before marrying and moving to Scotland.\n\nHe was a regular at Robbie's Bar on Leith Walk where he was known as \"McTaffy\" but he could be a solitary character who could easily lose himself in a book or a concert.\n\nClassical music, politics and poetry were his passions - as a teenager he won a major Welsh poetry contest and his daughter, Mhairi Jarvie, treasures a ring-binder full of his poems.\n\nShe affectionately described her father as a cross between Coronation Street's Ken Barlow and Victor Meldrew - \"intelligent, opinionated, political, but grumpy and a tad anti-social\".\n\nMaths teacher Gerry McHugh was a \"true gentleman\", able to inspire every single student who walked through his door.\n\nHis death would have a \"devastating effect\" on the Notre Dame High School community in Greenock, head teacher Katie Couttie said.\n\nUnable to attend his funeral due to the lockdown, past and current pupils found a unique way to pay tribute to the 58-year-old.\n\nThey wore red and posted images on social media in memory of the lifelong Manchester United fan.\n\nEileen McCarron died in Glasgow Royal Infirmary less than 24 hours after falling ill. She had no underlying health concerns.\n\nA mother of three daughters, she spent 18 years working as a nursery teacher at Save the Children's Charles Street playgroup in Glasgow's Germiston.\n\nShe gave up the job to look after her only grandson, Patrick. Her husband of more than 35 years, also Patrick, died suddenly in 1997, aged just 57.\n\nAs well as volunteering at a Barnardo's charity shop, she liked shopping, knitting, going out for coffees and lunches, and holidays with her family.\n\nShe was 79 when she died on 9 April, leaving her family devastated and unable to comfort each other during lockdown. They had still not been able to hold a memorial service nine months later.\n\nHelen McMillan was 10 days short of her 85th birthday when she died at Almond Court care home in Glasgow's Drumchapel on 9 April.\n\nShe spent most of her life in Summerston, where she widely known as \"Auntie Ellen\" - even to those she wasn't related to.\n\n\"Everybody loved my mum,\" her daughter, Jackie Marlow, told BBC Scotland. \"She knew everybody in the community and was the life and soul of the party.\"\n\nHelen worked in McLellan's rubber factory in Maryhill until she was in her 50s.\n\nA grandmother to Hayley and Josh, she developed dementia in later life but she was still \"pretty agile and loving life\", her daughter said.\n\nMary Martin and her husband, Alex, were keen ballroom dancers.\n\nAlthough their roots were firmly in Glasgow, they spent seven years in Dunblane where they were tasked with encouraging people on to the dancefloor at the Dunblane Hydro.\n\nBefore that, Mrs Martin brought up her family in Mount Vernon, later moving to Bearsden. She had three children, six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and a great-great grandchild.\n\nHer daughter, Sandra O'Neill, told BBC Scotland she was \"just a wonderful person - gentle and kind\".\n\nIn her later years she had vascular dementia and she lived at the Almond Court care home in Drumchapel. She died there on 8 April, aged 88.\n\nVic and Maureen Sharp, who were both 74, had been together since they were teenagers.\n\nUnderlying health conditions meant the couple from Oakley in Fife were both asked to shield themselves during lockdown.\n\nBut their daughter, Yvonne Sharp, believes the letter came too late and they caught the virus during a weekly trip to the supermarket.\n\nMaureen died in hospital on 8 April and then, Yvonne said, her father \"just gave up\". He died the following day.\n\nOnly six members of the family could attend their funeral but a piper led the funeral cortege through Oakley, where locals lined the streets.\n\nWhen Ann Tonner left the Nazareth House orphanage in Glasgow as teenager, she was one of the few women of colour in the city, according to her son, Tony McCaffery.\n\nShe was \"exotic-looking and quite glamourous\" and was soon in demand as a model for local shops and boutiques before working as a celebrated hot-dog girl in an Odeon cinema.\n\nHer first husband tragically died and her second was largely absent, leaving her to bring up six children and - at times - hold down five jobs at once.\n\nShe was a \"remarkable, formidable woman with a strong work ethic\", Mr McCaffery told BBC Scotland, but she was also a \"gentle soul with an incredibly child-like sense of humour\".\n\nA grandmother and great-grandmother, Mrs Tonner died at a nursing home in Glasgow where she was living with Alzheimer's, on 8 April. She was 84.\n\nMary Nixon was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was just 18 but she was determined to never let it hold her back.\n\nBorn and raised in Greenock, she was a lone parent to four children who described her as a \"strong, independent woman who lived life to the full\".\n\n\"My mum made being a single parent look easy\", her daughter Alexis said. \"We were very happy kids growing up. Everyone loved her and always said she was a 'wee gem'.\"\n\nWhen she fell seriously ill in 2014, her family was told to prepare for the worst, but their \"invincible\" mum rallied, though she lost her mobility.\n\nShe died with Covid on 7 April 2020, aged 66. After everything she had been through in life, her family said they felt \"robbed... that this awful virus has taken her from us\".\n\nJanice Graham was the first NHS worker to die with coronavirus in Scotland.\n\nThe health care support worker and district nurse died at Inverclyde Royal Hospital on 6 April.\n\nOne colleague said she had a \"bright and engaging personality and razor sharp wit\".\n\nAnother said the 58-year-old was the \"most kind, caring and compassionate HCA I have had the privilege to work with\".\n\nHer son, Craig, told STV News he would miss everything about her.\n\nNewly-wed Andy Wyness developed a high temperature and a cough following a trip to Wales.\n\nWhen his symptoms worsened the 53-year-old drove himself from his Wishaw home to an appointment at an assessment centre.\n\nThat was the last time his wife, Sandra, saw him.\n\nThe grandfather, who was a keen bowler, was taken straight to hospital by ambulance. He died on 6 April.\n\n\"Even walking out the house that night, although I knew he wasn't well, I never imagined he would never walk back in,\" Sandra said.\n\nRita Hawthorn spent the first 35 years of her life in Hamilton, where she was born, grew up and had her own family.\n\nBut when her husband, Robert, lost his job as a miner the couple and their three children re-located from the west of Scotland to the far north in 1973.\n\nWhile Robert took up a new job at the Scottish Instruments Factory in Wick, she worked as a cleaner at a nearby job centre and became secretary of the Highlands and Islands Civil Service Union.\n\nShe was sadly widowed at 51 but she was \"fiercely independent\" and went on to fulfil her dreams of travelling - a trip up the Nile, a safari in South Africa, and solo bus tours to Austria and Paris.\n\nRita, who was a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, fell ill during the first week of lockdown. She died at Caithness General Hospital on 6 April, aged 82.\n\nBill Paul grew up in Giffnock on the south side of Glasgow and did his national service as a radar operator with the RAF in Malta.\n\nIn his youth he was an extremely accomplished tennis player and it was through the sport that he met his first wife, Frances, who died in 1984.\n\nWith his second wife, Liz, he loved to play golf and travel - hobbies that he continued after her death in 2012.\n\nAn extremely active man, he loved to go on cruises with a group of like-minded friends. However his last cruise to the Caribbean was cut short by the pandemic in March.\n\nHe returned home to Arran and fell ill with Covid within a week. He died at Lamlash Hospital on 5 April, aged 81.\n\nMofizul Islam was beginning a new life in Scotland after relocating from Bangladesh when he fell ill with coronavirus.\n\nHis family believe the 49-year-old caught the virus on his daily three-hour journeys between their Edinburgh home and his job at a pizza outlet in Midlothian.\n\nHe died on 5 April and was buried in the Muslim section of a city cemetery but his wife and children were in isolation and unable to attend.\n\nHis death has left the family \"completely helpless\", according to a family friend as they have no documents, no bank account and they are struggling for money.\n\n\"We are very worried about our future because we don't have our father,\" said Mofizul's 19-year-old son, Azahural. \"He was everything for us. And now we are just hopeless.\"\n\nCatherine Sweeney was a \"wonderful mother, sister and beloved aunty\", her family said after her death on 4 April.\n\nBorn and raised in Dumbarton, she worked as a home carer for more than 20 years.\n\nHer family said she would be sorely missed after a \"lifetime of service\" to the community.\n\nAnd they praised the medics at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley who \"heroically\" looked after her in her final days.\n\nJimmy Andrews was 17 years old when began his career in Glasgow Corporation's finance department in 1955.\n\nBy the turn of the century, he had risen to become chief executive of Glasgow City Council and in 2001 he was appointed CBE for services to local government - a \"career highlight\".\n\nHe was born in Kilsyth but spent much of his life living in Strathblane, Stirlingshire, with his wife of 52 years, Mary.\n\nIn retirement, he \"enjoyed life to the full\", spending time with his three children and six grandchildren, and visiting horse racing courses throughout the country.\n\nA gentle, intelligent man with a great sense of humour, he died at Glasgow Royal Infirmary on 3 April 2020, aged 81.\n\nLord Gordon of Strathblane was a former political editor of STV and he founded Radio Clyde.\n\nHe died at Glasgow Royal Infirmary on 31 March after contracting coronavirus, Radio Clyde reported. He was 83.\n\nHis family paid tribute to his \"generosity, his kindness and his enthusiasm for life\".\n\nFormer First Minister Jack McConnell said Lord Gordon had \"an outstanding career in business and public service\".\n\nRyan Storrie was in Scotland to celebrate his 40th birthday with a trip to a Rangers match when he fell ill.\n\nThe father-of-two was from Ardrossan but lived in Dubai.\n\nWhen he developed symptoms, the asthmatic isolated in his hotel room and waited for the virus to run its course.\n\nHis condition deteriorated but he wouldn't let his wife, Hilary, phone 999 as he was convinced he would recover and didn't want to bother the NHS.\n\nShe found him dead in his room on 31 March.\n\nMary and Andy Leaman began self-isolating at the end of March after falling ill with flu-like symptoms.\n\nTheir son, Andy, told the Glasgow Evening Times the couple were married 50 years and doted on their only granddaughter, nine-year-old Anna.\n\nMrs Leaman died at home in Castlemilk on 30 March - four days after the death of Anna's maternal grandfather, Dougie Chambers.\n\nThe schoolgirl lost her third grandparent almost three weeks later when Mr Leaman died in hospital on 19 April.\n\nHer mother, Lynsey Chalmers, told BBC Scotland: \"For a nine-year-old girl whose three grandparents were her world... why does a wee girl need to get punished like that over and over again?\"\n\nRobert Tarbet was \"self-opinionated and witty\", according to his daughter, Paula Karoly, but also \"hardworking, loyal and beautiful\".\n\nHe spent his working life as a plumber with Glasgow City Council before retiring in the early 2000s.\n\nIn his spare time, the sociable man was a mason who was a keen follower of Rangers FC. He loved country and western music and watching musicals in the theatre.\n\nA father and a grandfather-of-three, he was being treated for cancer when he contracted coronavirus.\n\nHe died on 29 March at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, aged 76.\n\nSchool janitor Ian Wilson was at home in Coatbridge for two weeks with a high temperature and delirium before being admitted to hospital.\n\nDespite his worsening condition, doctors initially told his wife, Sandra, she would not be able to visit the 72-year-old who had a heart condition and diabetes.\n\nStaff eventually granted access provided she wore protective equipment - a decision which meant she could be at her husband's side when he died on 29 March.\n\nAlthough nurses were unable to comfort her with a hug due to social distancing protocols, Mrs Wilson is grateful they allowed her to be with her partner at the end.\n\n\"I was able to talk to him and just say goodbye. I've got strength from that,\" she said.\n\nDougie Chambers was one of several people who fell ill after the 40th birthday party of his daughter, Wendy, on 7 March.\n\nWithin days, the 66-year-old, who had an underlying health condition, went into hospital and tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nMr Chambers, who was from Castlemilk in Glasgow, died two weeks later, on 26 March.\n\nTwo other members of his extended family - Andy and Mary Leaman - also contracted the virus and later died.\n\nWendy said: \"If we knew then what we know now, we wouldn't have had the party. It wouldn't have happened.\"\n\nDanny Cairns was a healthy 68-year-old before he fell ill with coronavirus, according to his brother, Hugh.\n\nWhen he developed a cough and sore throat at the end of March, he isolated at home in Greenock.\n\nBut within days he was so ill he had to be taken to hospital by ambulance.\n\nIn a video call from his hospital bed, his last words to his brother were: \"I'm on my way out, mate\".\n\nHe died on 26 March, three days after arriving in hospital.\n\nMargaret Innes lived with her daughter, Sally McNaught, in Edinburgh for four years before her death at the very beginning of the pandemic.\n\nShe was housebound and very frail but she loved sitting with their pet cat and dog, doing crosswords and watching quiz shows.\n\nHer favourite soap was Neighbours and she used to say \"I'm off to Australia now\".\n\nMs McNaught said they stopped visitors coming to the house a week before lockdown, they washed their hands, cleaned everything and thought they would be safe.\n\nBut Ms Innes woke up on Mother's Day with severe breathing difficulties. She died on 25 March, three days after going into hospital. She was 93.\n\nHas one of your loved ones died recently after contracting Covid? We would like to pay tribute to some of them on the BBC Scotland website.\n\nIf you would like to see your relative or friend featured, use the form below to send us your details and we could be in touch.\n\nIn some cases your details will be published, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.\n\nIf you are reading this page on the BBC News app, you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question on this topic.", "England is currently under a third national lockdown, in an attempt to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed by coronavirus cases.\n\nBut there has been speculation that ministers could be considering tightening restrictions, amid concerns the \"stay-at-home\" message isn't being followed by enough people.\n\nAt Monday evening's Downing Street briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged people to follow the existing rules but added, \"we won't rule out taking further action if it's needed\". Other ministers have struck a similar tone.\n\nBut what is the case for more changes?\n\nIn March, nurseries closed to all but vulnerable children and those whose parents were key workers.\n\nBut so far this lockdown, early-years provision has remained open in England.\n\nScotland and Northern Ireland have chosen to keep nurseries closed to most children for now.\n\nBut England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said keeping them open \"would allow people who need to go to work, or need to do particular activities, to do so\".\n\nYounger children carry a lower risk of transmission than adolescents, scientists say.\n\nBut according to Public Health England, 10% of coronavirus outbreaks or clusters in educational settings since September have been in early-years provision.\n\nEngland's three main nursery organisations have called on the government to provide clear scientific evidence on the risks to early-years staff now there is a more transmissible variant of Covid-19.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show he too would like to hear more from scientists about the risks - and nurseries should \"probably\" close.\n\nGoing out to exercise once a day is one of the \"reasonable excuses\" for leaving home during lockdown.\n\nPeople can walk, run, cycle or swim with those they live - or are in a support bubble - with.\n\nIn addition, they can exercise, on their own, with one person, each time, from another household - as long as they stay 2m (6ft) apart.\n\nHowever, Mr Hancock said, \"we've been seeing large groups and that is not acceptable\" and warned that, \"if too many people keep breaking this rule, then we are going to have to look at it\".\n\nThe rules say exercise should be \"local\" - in the village, town, or part of the city where you live - but do not currently specify how far people can travel.\n\nDerbyshire Police recently fined two women £200 each for driving five miles to meet for a walk, saying driving for exercise was \"not in the spirit\" of lockdown. They were told the hot drinks they had brought along were not allowed, either, as they were \"classed as a picnic\".\n\nThe penalties have now been withdrawn.\n\nProf Whitty, meanwhile, has urged people to \"double down\", avoid unnecessary contact and stick to the rules.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio 5 Live about coffee shops remaining open for takeaways, he advised against meeting up there.\n\n\"Really, please don't,\" he said.\n\nFace coverings must be worn in almost all public indoor settings - including shops - unless people are exempt.\n\nPremises \"should take reasonable steps to promote compliance with the law\", government guidance says.\n\nLast summer, when customer face coverings became law, many supermarkets said they would not make their staff responsible for enforcing the rules.\n\nHowever, Morrisons has now updated its policy to bar shoppers who refuse to cover their faces, unless they are medically exempt. Sainsbury's says security guards at its stores will challenge customers who do not comply.\n\nTesco, Asda and Waitrose have followed suit and say they too will deny entry to shoppers who do not wear face masks unless they have an exemption.\n\nThere have been suggestions face coverings should be required in outdoor public places.\n\nHowever, Sage has previously suggested it would have a \"very low impact\" on community transmission\n\nProf Whitty told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the risk posed by joggers, for example, was \"very low\" - but there \"might be some logic\" to people wearing masks in a busy outdoor queue or crowded around a market stall.\n\nOne change the government has ruled out is to support bubbles - which allow people living alone and single, or new parents to mix with another household of any size, without having to socially distance.\n\nAt the government briefing, Mr Hancock said: \"I can rule out removing the bubbles.\"\n\nThe official guidance says it's best if a support bubble is formed with a household who live locally.\n\nBut there is currently no limit to how far people can travel to visit their bubble, meaning they could go from areas with high infection rates to those with lower ones, potentially spreading the virus.\n\nWhen \"bubbling\" was first suggested, in May, Sage rejected it as too dangerous, because the reproduction (R) number - the average number of people each infected person passes the virus on to - was close to one.\n\nCurrently, the R number in England is between 1.1 and 1.4. Sage says stopping all indoor contact between different households could lower this by as much as 0.2.\n\n\"Active contract tracing should be a precondition of introducing bubbling\", Sage added.\n\nUnlike in March, places of worship are allowed to open in England, although they are closed in Scotland.\n\nThey provide spiritual leadership for many and bring communities together - but their \"communal nature\" also makes them \"vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus\", the government guidance for England says.\n\nWhen the latest lockdown was announced, the Archbishop of Canterbury tweeted: \"The government hasn't suspended public worship - but some may feel it better not to attend in person and some parishes are expected to offer online services only for now.\"\n\nSage has previously suggested places of worship pose a high risk to vulnerable groups but closing them would have a low to moderate impact on overall coronavirus transmission.", "Isabella Curry urged others to get the jab and said it was just a little \"prick in the arm\"\n\nA woman has celebrated her 100th birthday by getting a covid vaccination at home.\n\nIsabella Curry, known as Ella, from Cramlington, was among some of the most vulnerable people in Northumberland to receive the vaccine.\n\nMs Curry, who lives alone, urged others not to be afraid to get the jab and said it was just a little \"prick in the arm\" and she now felt safe.\n\nHer birthday was also marked by the arrival of a card from the Queen.\n\nShe said: \"This vaccine means I'll be able to go out, meet my friends soon and feel safe.\"\n\nIsabella Curry's nephew Neil Curry thanked the \"army\" of helpers who cared for his aunt\n\nMs Curry's nephew, Neil Curry from Bristol, said he was delighted she had had the vaccination but sad the whole family could not get together for the milestone birthday.\n\n\"We had a family reunion for Ella's 90th - we all got together in Newcastle. We would have all got together again to mark this occasion, but we couldn't,\" he said.\n\nHe also said he wanted to thank the \"army\" of people who looked after his aunt including Noreen and Jim Hutchinson, who did her shopping and cut her grass.\n\nHe also thanked June and Peter Marshall and all the other people who collected her prescriptions and mobile library books.\n\nKate Fraser, the community nurse who administered the vaccination, said: \"It's been an emotional time being able to give Isabella her vaccination.\"\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.", "People's reaction to a sonic boom heard across the East of England has been caught on camera.\n\nIt happened after a Typhoon aircraft took off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire to escort a plane to Stansted Airport because it had lost communications at about 13:05 GMT.\n\nPeople in Cambridgeshire, Essex and parts of London posted videos on social media, with one person heard asking if it was thunder.\n\nHeather Eastlake, who was filming herself exercising near Cambridge, described her reaction as being like \"a deer in the highlights\".", "The three main Covid-19 vaccines are from Pfizer-BioNTech, the University of Oxford and Astra-Zeneca and Moderna.\n\nThe Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna vaccines each require two doses and you are not fully vaccinated until you have had both shots.\n\nBut there are many differences between them.\n\nThe BBC's Laura Foster looks at how much immunity they give, how they prevent infection and how they compare.", "Jessica Allen and Eliza Moore said their cars were surrounded by police when they arrived at the reservoir\n\nTwo women who were fined £200 each when they drove five miles for a walk have had the penalties withdrawn.\n\nJessica Allen and Eliza Moore were walking at Foremark Reservoir, Derbyshire, when they were \"surrounded\" by officers.\n\nAt the time Derbyshire Police insisted driving to exercise was \"not in the spirit\" of the most recent lockdown.\n\nBut new national guidance for police has led the force to quash the fines, and apologise to the women.\n\nChief Constable Rachel Swann said the fines \"have been withdrawn and we have notified the women directly, apologising for any concern caused\".\n\nThe two friends travelled the short distance to the reservoir from their homes in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nThey said their cars were \"surrounded\" by police. They were then questioned on why they were there and told the hot drinks they had brought along were not allowed as they were \"classed as a picnic\".\n\nIn a statement, the women said: \"This afternoon we both received a phone call from Derbyshire Police.\n\n\"After reviewing our case, our fines have been rescinded and we have received an apology on behalf of the constabulary for the treatment we received.\n\n\"We welcomed this apology and we are pleased to draw a line under this event.\"\n\nAfter the incident gained media attention, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) \"clarified the policing response concerning travel and exercise\".\n\nThe guidance said: \"The Covid regulations which officers enforce and which enables them to issue FPNs [fixed penalty notices] for breaches, do not restrict the distance travelled for exercise.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid: Fined women 'could have been dealt with differently'\n\nDerbyshire Police said: \"Having received clarification of the guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) on Friday, these FPNs as well as a small number of others issued, were reviewed in line with that latest advice, and so it is right that we have taken this action.\"\n\nThe county's police and crime commissioner Hardyal Dhinsda said: \"While the police are doing their absolute best to protect public safety during what is a critical time of the pandemic, the public should rightly expect a proportionate and balanced approach, taking full consideration of individual circumstances.\n\n\"We recognise that errors will occur in the face of complex guidance and legislation and it is important such situations are resolved quickly and fairly, as has been the case here.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Rhondda Cynon Taf has the highest death rate from coronavirus in Wales - with another 34 hospital deaths in the latest week\n\nThere have now been more than 5,100 deaths in Wales involving Covid-19 since the pandemic began.\n\nThe latest weekly figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show 310 deaths in the week ending 1 January, which is 32 more than the week before.\n\nThis is nearly 42.6% of all deaths.\n\nCwm Taf Morgannwg saw the highest numbers of weekly deaths in Wales, the most since the end of April at the peak of the first wave of the pandemic.\n\nThere were 76 deaths in the area - including 66 in hospitals and six in care homes.\n\nLooking at council areas, Rhondda Cynon Taf had the second highest number of hospital deaths across England and Wales, with 34. The London borough of Newham had 35.\n\nThe ONS again urged caution when interpreting this week's figures, due to the Christmas and new year holidays, which will affect the number of registrations.\n\nThe total number of Covid deaths in Wales, up to and registered by 1 January, was 4,963.\n\nBut when deaths registered over the following few days are included, there was a total of 5,169.\n\nThe Aneurin Bevan health board, with 68 deaths registered involving Covid, also had its highest number in a single week since the end of April.\n\nHywel Dda health board reported 37 deaths - its highest weekly figure since the pandemic began. Of these, 18 were patients in hospital from Carmarthenshire and 10 were hospital patients from Pembrokeshire.\n\nSwansea Bay health board had 61 deaths in this week. The Swansea council area itself had the seventh highest number of hospital deaths across England and Wales.\n\nThere were 36 deaths in Cardiff and Vale, 25 deaths in Betsi Cadwaladr in north Wales - 10 of which were hospital deaths in Wrexham - and seven in Powys.\n\nAll counties recorded at least one death involving Covid-19.\n\nThis map shows three valleys areas in south Wales among the highest for crude mortality rates involving Covid in the pandemic so far\n\nRhondda Cynon Taf, with 685 deaths, has the largest number of Covid-19 deaths in Wales up to the latest week, followed by Cardiff with 578.\n\nWhen looking at crude death rates - based on the number of deaths compared to local populations - Wales has three of the five worst across England and Wales.\n\nRhondda Cynon Taf has 283 deaths per 100,000 in total so far in the pandemic.\n\nMerthyr Tydfil is second with 253.6 and Blaenau Gwent is ranked fourth.\n\nSo-called excess deaths, which compare all registered deaths with previous years, continue to be above the five-year average.\n\nLooking at the number of deaths we would normally expect to see at this point in the year is seen as a useful measure of how the pandemic is progressing.\n\nIn Wales, the number of deaths fell from 825 to 727 in the latest week, but this was still 209 deaths (40.3%) higher than the five-year average for that week. This is the second highest proportion after London.\n\nThe ONS figures report where doctors mention Covid-19 on death certificates, including confirmed and suspected cases.\n\nThey include deaths occurring in all places, not only hospitals and care homes but also people's own homes.\n\nIt has been estimated that Covid is the underlying cause in around 90% of these deaths and not just a contributory factor.", "An eye health charity is recommending people learn the \"20-20-20\" rule to protect their sight, as lockdown has increased people's time using screens.\n\nFight for Sight advises looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes you look at a screen.\n\nOut of 2,000 people, half used screens more since Covid struck and a third (38%) of those believed their eyesight had worsened, a survey suggested.\n\nOpticians remain open for those who need them, the charity said.\n\nThe representative survey of 2,000 adults suggested one in five were less likely to get an eye test now than before the pandemic, for fear of catching or spreading the virus.\n\nRespondents reported difficulty reading, as well as headaches and migraines and poorer night vision.\n\nThe research charity, which commissioned a survey from polling company YouGov, said it wanted to emphasise the importance of having regular eye tests and to remind people \"the majority of opticians are open for appointments throughout lockdown restrictions\".\n\nFight for Sight chief executive Sherine Krause said: \"More than half of all cases of sight loss are avoidable through early detection and prevention methods. Regular eye tests can often detect symptomless sight-threatening conditions.\"\n\nBut even simple screen breaks can help to prevent eye strain, the charity suggested.\n\nGovernment guidance states that under lockdown people can leave home for medical appointments and to \"avoid injury, illness or risk of harm\".\n\nThe College of Optometrists said its members should continue to provide eye care under lockdown for people who experience any eyesight changes or problems.\n\nOptometrists are the professionals who will carry out your eye test when you visit an optician's practice.\n\nRoutine appointments can also be provided \"if capacity permits, and if it is in the patients' best interests\", the guidance states.\n\nClinical adviser Paramdeep Bilkhu said the college's own research suggested just under a quarter of people noticed their vision deteriorate during the first lockdown.\n\n\"Our research showed us that many people believe that spending more time in front of screens worsened their vision,\" he said.\n\n\"The good news is that this is unlikely to cause any permanent harm to your vision. However, it is very important that if you feel your vision has deteriorated or if you are experiencing any problems with your eyes, such as them becoming red or painful, you contact your local optometrist by telephone or online.\"\n\nUK health and safety legislation states employers must pay for eye tests for their employees if they have to use a screen for work for more than one hour a day.\n\nIn the summer, the UK Ophthalmology Alliance and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists calculated that at least 10,000 people had missed out on essential eye care in Britain.\n\nIn the most extreme cases, the Royal National Institute of Blind People said it feared some people were at risk of losing their sight because of a fear of attending hospital during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nA Royal College of Ophthalmologists spokesperson said: \"It is important that people who have found significant changes in their vision seek the advice of an optometrist who will examine, and determine if the changes require further investigation by an ophthalmologist - a medically-trained eye doctor.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Home Secretary Priti Patel: \"Our selfless police officers... will enforce the regulations and I will back them to do so\"\n\nPeople have been urged to \"play your part\" and follow Covid rules by Home Secretary Priti Patel, who says she will back police to enforce laws.\n\nAt a No 10 briefing, Ms Patel said a minority were \"putting the health of the nation at risk\" by flouting rules.\n\nPolice are \"moving more quickly to issuing fines\", she added, with nearly 45,000 fixed penalty notices issued across the UK.\n\nAnother 1,243 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid.\n\nAnd there have been a further 45,533 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.\n\nMeanwhile, another 145,076 people have received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and 20,768 a second dose, bringing the totals respectively to 2,431,648 and 412,167.\n\nAt the briefing, Ms Patel said: \"My message today to anyone refusing to do the right thing is simple: if you do not play your part, our selfless police officers - who are out there risking their own lives every day to keep us safe - they will enforce the regulations.\n\n\"And I will back them to do so, to protect our NHS and to save lives.\"\n\nIt comes after the UK's most senior police officer said lockdown rule-breakers were more likely to be fined as Covid laws would be enforced \"more quickly\".\n\nMetropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said her officers had been forced to break up parties, despite hospitals in London struggling to cope with rising patient numbers.\n\nChairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council Martin Hewitt, who also spoke at the Downing Street briefing, said people should be asking themselves whether their reason for leaving home was \"truly essential\".\n\nHe stressed that police officers had been \"putting themselves at risk in order to keep people safe\", and said it had been \"disappointing\" to see some of the behaviour by rule-breakers.\n\nHe said examples of recent breaches included:\n\nMr Hewitt said he made \"no apology\" for police issuing fines, and warned people breaking rules - such as by organising parties or not wearing face coverings on public transport - to \"expect\" a fine.\n\nAsked if there needed to be more clarity on the guidance around exercise and staying local, Mr Hewitt said it would be wrong to put a \"particular distance\" on how far people could exercise from their home - as it would be too difficult for police to enforce.\n\nHe said it was right there was an exception to allow people to exercise, but insisted it was the public's responsibility to make sure they were doing so safely.\n\nThere is a big focus on adherence to lockdown rules. But what has almost gone unnoticed is the fact that cases may have actually started falling.\n\nThere has now been two consecutive days where newly diagnosed cases have hovered around the 46,000 mark. Up to the weekend, the average was close to 60,000.\n\nThe drop has largely been driven by falls in new cases in London, the south east and east of England.\n\nIn some regions, cases are still going up. The north west of England is causing particular concern.\n\nIt is too early for the vaccination programme to be having any significant impact, so a combination of the national lockdown on top of the tier four restrictions that were imposed in some areas before Christmas look like they may be beginning to have an impact.\n\nCare must be taken in reading too much into a couple of days' data.\n\nHospital cases are still rising - patients being admitted at the moment are the ones who were infected a week or so ago - but it does at least offer a glimmer of hope.\n\nLater in the news conference, NHS medical director for London Dr Vin Diwakar said the capital's Nightingale hospital has reopened and was admitting patients to help with the coronavirus spread.\n\nHe told reporters it was taking non-Covid patients to help free up beds in London's hospitals.\n\nDr Diwakar warned that if levels of hospitalisation in the capital continued to rise then more patients would need to be transferred out of London, adding that the NHS across the country was under pressure.\n\nIn Birmingham, 200 doctors are being redeployed to one of the country's largest intensive care units as it nears capacity.\n\nThe University Hospitals Birmingham Trust said there were 873 patients with Covid-19 in their hospitals, with 125 in intensive care.\n\nEarlier, crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse said people have a \"duty\" to make this lockdown \"the last one\".\n\n\"We are urging the small minority of people who aren't taking this seriously to do so now, and [we say] to them that, if they don't, they are much more likely to get fined by the police,\" he told BBC Breakfast.\n\nDame Cressida told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the move towards greater enforcement was \"common sense\" rather than a show of \"dictatorial policing\".\n\nFines start at £200 in England and Northern Ireland, and £60 in Wales and Scotland. Large parties can be shut down by the police, with fines of up to £10,000.\n\nEngland is currently under a national lockdown, meaning people must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar lockdown measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - all of which are in charge of deciding and enforcing their own coronavirus restrictions.\n• None Could I be fined for exercising?", "New England Patriots's Bill Belichick is considered one of the most successful coaches in NFL history\n\nTop NFL coach Bill Belichick says he will not accept President Donald Trump's offer of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, citing the US Capitol riot.\n\nBelichick, of the New England Patriots, said he was flattered when he was first offered the medal - the top award given to civilians in the US.\n\nBut he said he changed his mind after a mob of Trump supporters stormed Congress last week. Five people died.\n\nThe celebrated coach had previously spoken of his friendship with Mr Trump.\n\n\"Recently, I was offered the opportunity to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which I was flattered by out of respect for what the honour represents and admiration for prior recipients,\" Belichick said in a statement.\n\n\"Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award.\"\n\nBelichick, who has won a record six Super Bowl titles, is considered one of the most successful coaches in NFL history.\n\nThe Presidential Medal of Freedom recognises individuals who have made outstanding contributions to \"the security or national interests of America\".\n\nIn 2019 Mr Trump gave the award to golfer Tiger Woods, as well as radio personality Rush Limbaugh and posthumously Elvis Presley.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Super Bowl: How Tom Brady and Bill Belichick built a New England Patriots dynasty\n\nDonald Trump may only have recently made a career of politics, but he's always loved sport.\n\nHe owns 17 golf courses and once bought and ran the New Jersey Generals of the US Football League.\n\nJust last week, he awarded three presidential medals of freedom to professional golfers. This week he was planning to honour the most successful professional football coach in modern times, Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots.\n\nThe president seems to particularly enjoy the company of sport figures and revel in their achievements and prowess.\n\nSo for Belichick, a personal friend of the president's, to decline the award is a stinging rebuke.\n\nThe coach's decision reflects the depth of the political crisis president has created in the past week. It also highlights the troubled relationship Trump has had with the National Football League and its players, who he has disparaged for Black Lives Matter protests during the US national anthem.\n\nBelichick, a sometimes bristling, controversial figure with more than a few detractors, is used to public animosity. A coach can't win without the commitment of his players, however, and Belichick clearly believed his relationship with his team would be jeopardised by associating himself with Trump at this point.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHundreds of people have joined a march organised following claims a man died hours after being released by police in Cardiff.\n\nThe family of Mohamud Mohammed Hassan, 24, claim he was assaulted in custody.\n\nMore than 300 people took part in a march from the city centre to Cardiff Bay police station.\n\nSouth Wales Police said it found no evidence of excessive force. The police watchdog said initial tests showed Mr Hassan was not killed by any injuries.\n\nThe Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said toxicology tests were now being carried out and it was awaiting the full post-mortem results.\n\nEarlier, First Minister Mark Drakeford said the reports of Mr Hassan's death were \"deeply concerning\".\n\nMr Hassan was arrested at his Roath home on Friday on suspicion of breach of the peace but released without charge on Saturday morning.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMr Hassan's aunt Zainab Hassan told BBC Wales she had seen Mr Hassan within an hour of his release.\n\n\"He was released on Saturday morning with lots of wounds on his body and lots of bruises,\" she said.\n\n\"He didn't have these wounds when he was arrested and when he came out of Cardiff Bay police station, he had them.\"\n\nIn a virtual session of the Welsh Parliament on Monday, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said: \"Every effort should be made to seek the truth of what happened.\"\n\nHe said he wanted to know why Mr Hassan was arrested and what happened during his arrest.\n\nMr Hassan's aunt Zainab Hassan said she saw him after his release\n\n\"Why did this young man die?,\" he added.\n\nMr Price said any inquiry should not be prejudged, but asked if the first minister would \"help the family find those answers\".\n\nIn response, Mr Drakeford said reports of the story were \"deeply concerning\".\n\n\"Our thoughts must be with the family of a young man who was... a fit and healthy individual,\" the Cardiff West MS said.\n\nMark Drakeford said he was deeply concerned by the reports\n\nMr Drakeford, who said the death must be \"properly investigated\", said the first step in any inquiry would be to allow the IOPC to carry out their work, which he said he expected \"to be done rigorously and with full and visible independence\".\n\nHe added that if there were things the Welsh Government could do \"I will make sure that we attend properly to those\".\n\nProtesters on Tuesday afternoon chanted \"no justice, no peace\" and called for the police force to release CCTV of Mr Hassan's time in custody.\n\nProtesters on Tuesday afternoon marched from the city centre to Cardiff Bay\n\nIn a statement on Monday, South Wales Police said Mr Hassan was arrested at his home in Newport Road on Friday night and taken to Cardiff Bay police station.\n\nHe was released at 08:30 GMT on Saturday and officers returned to the property at about 22:30 following his death.\n\nIt added: \"As part of the South Wales Police investigation CCTV and body-worn video has already been, and will continue to be, examined.\n\n\"This will assist in establishing and understanding the events that took place.\n\n\"Early findings by the force indicate no misconduct issues and no excessive force.\"\n\nProtesters were heard chanting \"no justice, no peace\"\n\nCatrin Evans, the IOPC's director for Wales, said its investigation would focus on Mr Hassan's arrest, the journey in a police van to custody and his time at Cardiff Bay police station, including whether relevant assessments were made before he was released.\n\nShe said they would be \"urgently examining the extensive relevant CCTV footage and body-worn video\" and would be speaking to the officers involved as well as witnesses who saw his arrest on Friday evening and his movements the next day after leaving custody.\n\nShe added: \"I send my condolences to Mr Hassan's family and friends, and to everyone affected by his sad death.\n\n\"We are aware of concerns being expressed and questions being asked about use of force by police officers. We will look carefully at the level of force used during the interaction and I would urge people show patience while our inquiries, which will take some time, are made.\"\n\nMs Evans added: \"An interim report from a post-mortem examination is awaited.\n\n\"Preliminary indications are that there is no physical trauma injury to explain a cause of death, and toxicology tests are required.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A 78-year-old French woman received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in France\n\nA global race is on to vaccinate people against Covid-19 - and with infections soaring in Europe many have complained that the roll-out is too slow in the EU.\n\nMember states decide individually who to vaccinate, when and where, but the EU is coordinating strategy and buying vaccines in bulk. On Friday, the EU Commission agreed to buy an extra 300 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - that would give the EU nearly half of the firm's global output for 2021.\n\nBBC reporters in seven European capitals explain how the vaccinations are going on their patch.\n\nIn an election year, the vaccine has become a political battleground, writes Jenny Hill, in Berlin.\n\nThe fact it was German scientists who developed the first effective Covid vaccine has been the source of great national pride. And, by and large, Germans appear to be reasonably comfortable with the idea of immunisation.\n\nA recent survey found 65% were prepared to have the vaccine. Other research indicates that less than a quarter of those surveyed would not. But politically - and perhaps unsurprisingly, given this is an election year - Germany's vaccination programme has become a battleground.\n\nVaccinations began here just under two weeks ago and prioritise the over 80s and care home workers. By Thursday evening, more than 477,000 first doses had been administered.\n\nGermany's share of the EU order amounts to 56 million doses. So far, 1.3 million doses have been delivered.\n\nBut some of the hundreds of specially prepared vaccination centres are still not in use and even the government has admitted there simply isn't enough to go around. Angela Merkel and her health minister Jens Spahn have been accused of failing to secure enough doses.\n\nMuch of the criticism has come from Mrs Merkel's own coalition partners but some within the scientific community have echoed their concerns - that Germany put European interests above its own by insisting on a joint EU procurement process. The scientists who developed the vaccine have said publicly that the EU originally turned down an offer for a further order.\n\nGermany's share of the EU order amounts to 56 million doses. So far, 1.3 million doses have been delivered and it's thought that by the end of the month a further 2.68 million will have followed.\n\nMr Spahn, whose assured performance through the pandemic led some to wonder whether he might be a potential successor to Mrs Merkel, has blamed the shortage on the inability of the manufacturers of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to meet global demand.\n\nGermany has now ordered an extra 30 million doses and, following the recent European approval of the Moderna vaccine, expects to start rolling that out next week. The government is sticking to its pledge that the vaccination programme will be complete by the end of the summer.\n\nThe Czech prime minister has hit out at apparent delays in distributing the vaccine, writes Rob Cameron, in Prague.\n\nThe Czech vaccination effort began on 27 December, when the prime minister, Andrej Babis, became the first person in the country to receive the jab. Mr Babis, who is 66, had previously questioned whether he would be eligible, as he'd had his spleen removed as a teenager.\n\nBut the country's programme has got off to a sluggish start. Mr Babis - a billionaire businessman who has been dogged by both European and Czech investigations into alleged misuse of EU funds - has lost no time venting his (figurative) spleen at the European Commission over the delay. \"We believed when we contributed €12m to the European fund in November that we'd receive the vaccine,\" he told a newspaper this week.\n\nThe health minister conceded this week that immunising the higher-risk groups will take months.\n\nThe country has received 30,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. So far, it has managed to administer it to 19,918 people. The government says it is ready to roll out the jab en masse as soon as supplies arrive from the manufacturers.\n\nIt has also published a strategy, which envisages a three-stage process. The first will see targeted vaccination of high-risk groups. This will gradually give way to mass vaccination in 31 centres, using an online reservation system that will be open to all from 1 February. And the final stage will see the country's GPs deployed, hopefully to administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca and other jabs, which unlike the previous two can be stored and transported at fridge temperature.\n\nHowever, the timing in the original strategy document now appears optimistic. The health minister conceded this week that immunising the higher-risk groups - all health and social care staff, teachers, everyone over 65, all those with serious health conditions - will take months. GPs may not begin vaccinating young, healthy members of society until late spring, or summer.\n\nA sluggish start is being blamed on bureaucracy and vaccine scepticism, writes Hugh Schofield, in Paris.\n\nFrance's boast of a big, effective state apparatus has been badly exposed by the sluggish start to the Covid vaccination programme. After the first week, when neighbouring Germany had inoculated around 250,000 people, France was on a mere 530. By Friday, the figure had gone up to 45,500 - still so small as to be statistically meaningless.\n\nSo why has it taken so long for France to put the plan into action? It is not as if the authorities did not have time to prepare. And it is certainly not a question of a lack of vaccine. In fact, more than a million Pfizer doses are already in cold storage, waiting to be used.\n\nPolls suggest as many as 58% of the public do not want to be given the jab.\n\nThe primary reason for the delay seems to be the cumbersome, over-centralised nature of France's health bureaucracy. A 45-page dossier of instructions issued by the ministry in Paris had to be read and understood by staff at old people's homes.\n\nEach recipient then had to give informed consent in a consultation with a doctor, held no less than five days before injection. The lengthy procedure is in theory to save lives - those of patients who might have an adverse reaction. But as the critics have been arguing, delay in inoculating the population is also costing lives.\n\nAnother problem in France is the high level of scepticism towards vaccination - product of a more general suspicion of government. Polls suggest as many as 58% of the public do not want to be given the jab. The effect - critics say - has been to make the government unduly cautious. When urgency was required, the authorities were reluctant to move fast for fear of galvanising the anti-vaxxers.\n\nAfter President Emmanuel Macron communicated his anger at the delays at the weekend, the pace is picking up. The procedure for consent is being simplified. By the end of January, the plan is to have 500-600 vaccination centres open across the country - either in hospitals or other big public buildings.\n\nPolitically a lot is at stake. The government has already come under fire for failings in providing masks and tests. With opposition voices calling the vaccine delay a \"state scandal\", President Macron needs a roll-out that is fast and problem-free.\n\nNational pride accelerated Russia's rollout, but one man is conspicuously absent from the list of people vaccinated, writes Sarah Rainsford, in Moscow.\n\nRussia registered its main Covid vaccine for domestic use way back in August, before mass safety and efficacy trials had even begun. In December, with those trials still underway, it began rolling out Sputnik V to the public ahead of mass vaccination launches everywhere else in Europe. The rush was driven by national pride as well as medical necessity.\n\nSputnik was initially offered to front line health and education workers but early take-up of the two-dose vaccination was slow and the list of those eligible soon expanded.\n\nA poll by the Levada Centre in late December showed only 38% of respondents were willing to get the jab: wary of domestic healthcare and medicines, Russians were sceptical of bold early claims made for the vaccine and nervous about possible adverse reactions. Even so, and despite similar delays scaling-up production as in other countries, Sputnik's backers announced this week that more than a million people had been vaccinated.\n\nRussia began rolling out its Sputnik V vaccine in December\n\nBut one man still conspicuously absent from the list of the vaccinated is Vladimir Putin, despite the Kremlin saying he will - eventually - get the jab. In the meantime, those who meet him in person are obliged to test for Covid first and even quarantine. The president may need to lead by example, though. Mr Putin has said repeatedly that protecting the economy is his priority so he's banking on mass vaccination to avoid a return to national lockdown.\n\nRussia has built giant, temporary hospitals since the start of the pandemic and the health minister said this week that 25% of Covid beds remain free. There's also been a fall in the number of new daily cases reported - around 25,000 for the past 5 days. But that's not down to the vaccine yet. The country is nearing the end of a 10-day New Year holiday period and the number of Covid tests has also dropped.\n\nAs infection rates grow in a country praised by many for its no-lockdown approach, a successful vaccine programme is crucial writes Maddy Savage, in Stockholm.\n\nAlmost two weeks since 91-year-old care home resident Gun-Britt Johnsson became the first Swede to get the initial dose of a Pfizer jab, there is still no official tally of how many others have received the vaccination.\n\nThe Public Health Agency of Sweden says it's in the process of compiling data from the country's 21 regional health authorities tasked with vaccinating the entire adult population - around eight million people - by 26 June. The date isn't arbitrary, it's the biggest public holiday weekend of the year, when Swedes traditionally hold Midsummer celebrations. Karin Tegmark, a senior manager at the agency, says the date remains \"feasible\". But she says it depends on the delivery of vaccines to the country.\n\nAfter months of high trust levels in the country's no-lockdown approach, support for the health agency has dwindled.\n\nAlongside 4.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Sweden has ordered 3.6 million jabs from Moderna, the first of which are expected to arrive next week. The country also plans to roll-out the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as soon as possible after it is approved by the EU - ideally by February.\n\nSwedes initially appeared lukewarm to the idea of taking a speedily-developed coronavirus vaccine, although a poll at the end of December found 71% would take one. A key driver of the initial scepticism is thought to be the failure of a voluntary mass vaccination programme for swine flu in 2009. Hundreds of Swedish children and young adults under 30 developed the sleeping disorder narcolepsy, which was found to be a side effect of the Pandemrix vaccine.\n\nA successful vaccination programme will be crucial, not least because it comes at a time when Swedish authorities are struggling to maintain public confidence. After months of high trust levels in the country's no-lockdown approach, support for the health agency has dwindled as Sweden has struggled with the second wave of coronavirus.\n\nMeanwhile, several high profile officials have faced heavy criticism for breaching their own recommendations - including the head of the civil contingencies agency (pictured), who resigned after spending Christmas with his daughter in the Canary Islands.\n\nA new government in Belgium seems unified on the vaccine rollout - for now at least, writes Nick Beake, in Brussels.\n\nIt seemed fitting that the first person in Belgium to receive a Covid jab lives in the place where the world's first approved Covid vaccine is being produced. Jos Hermans, a 96-year-old from the municipality of Puurs, was given the injection on 28 December, in his care home. A further 700 elderly residents were also administered a dose in what was a small, initial trial.\n\nThe mass vaccination programme in Belgium began on 5 January, but has been criticised for starting slowly. Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke had promised in November that the rollout would be \"seamless and fast\", tweeting: \"If that does not work, shoot me.\"\n\nThe first phase looks to vaccinate up to 200,000 nursing home residents by the end of this month, or early February. Healthcare professionals will be next in line and the aim was for the whole population to be inoculated by the end of September.\n\nJos Hermans, a 96-year-old from Puurs, was given the injection on 28 December\n\nYou may think the country would be at an advantage being the epicentre of the Pfizer-BioNTech production. While this clearly helps with distribution, Belgium cannot receive more doses - relative to its population - than other EU countries under strict Commission rules. That didn't stop the minister-president of the Flanders region, who admitted this week that he had contacted Pfizer directly in the hope of procuring more doses, only to be rebuffed.\n\nAfter getting a guarantee from Pfizer over supply of the jab, the federal Belgian authorities have adapted their strategy: they now propose giving as many available doses to as many people as they can - and no longer reserving vials for patients' second dose, given three weeks after the first. In general, the federal government, rather than the European Commission has faced any criticism for a delay and has defended its \"careful\" approach.\n\nAnd there appears to be an interesting regional or cultural discrepancy when it comes to whether people are willing to take the vaccine. Of the Flemish population interviewed in a poll, half have said they wanted the vaccine as soon as possible. Among French speakers - it was 20% fewer, which chimes with the deeper scepticism over the border in France.\n\nIn a country where politics are notoriously complicated and fractious - they've only recently agreed a government, after a 500-day vacuum - the Federal Coalition appears unified on its Covid vaccine strategy. For now, at least.\n\nRegional variances and political rows have marked the beginning of Spain's vaccination programme writes Guy Hedgecoe, in Madrid.\n\nSpain started administering the vaccine on 27 December. So far, 743,925 doses have been distributed to regional administrations, with 277,976 people vaccinated, according to the health ministry. The objective of the coalition government is to immunise 2.3 million people within 12 weeks. Priority is being given to elderly residents of care homes, those who look after them, and healthcare personnel.\n\nEach of the country's 17 regions has a high degree of control over healthcare and should receive the number of doses that corresponds to their populations. However, already there has been substantial geographical disparity.\n\nGovernment data showed, for example, that while the northern region of Asturias had used 55% of the doses it had received by 3 January, the Madrid region had only administered 5% by the same date. Some regions are holding back doses to administer a second follow-up jab to the same person in several weeks' time, and some have been vaccinating on national holidays while others have not.\n\nThe pandemic has been the cause of constant political conflict, with the right-wing opposition accusing the leftist government of incompetence.\n\nAlthough vaccination is voluntary, the government has said it is making a register of those who do not wish to be inoculated. That initiative has generated controversy, although the government has insisted the register will merely seek to clarify why people refuse the vaccination.\n\nHowever, the pandemic has been the cause of constant political conflict, with the right-wing opposition accusing the leftist government of Pedro Sánchez of incompetence, lack of transparency and using coronavirus to accumulate power.\n\nThe arrival of a vaccine has not stopped the rancour. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the conservative Popular Party (PP) president of Galicia, warned the number of doses being distributed to each region was being dictated by \"political affiliations or parliamentary needs\", a claim the central government has rejected.", "The US has placed Cuba back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism, citing the communist country's backing of Venezuela.\n\nPresident Donald Trump's administration made the announcement just days before he leaves the White House.\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden, who takes office on 20 January, has previously said he wants to improve US-Cuban relations.\n\nMr Biden has said he is seeking closer ties between the long-term adversaries but Mr Trump's decision is likely to hinder a quick repair of relations.\n\nCuba's place on the list will require a formal review that could take months, analysts say.\n\nThe Caribbean island was removed from the list by President Barack Obama in 2015, but Mr Trump has taken a harder line towards the country.\n\nIn 2016 Barack Obama became the first US president to visit Cuba since 1928\n\nWhen explaining the decision, officials cited Cuba's support of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro who the US refuses to recognise.\n\n\"With this action, we will once again hold Cuba's government accountable and send a clear message: the Castro regime must end its support for international terrorism and subversion of US justice,\" US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Monday.\n\nIn response, Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez tweeted: \"We condemn the cynical and hypocritical qualification of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, announced by the United States.\"\n\nIn advance of the announcement, House Democrat Gregory Meeks called it \"another stunt by President Trump and Pompeo, trying to tie the hands of the incoming Biden administration on their way out the door.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nPresident Obama began to normalise relations with Cuba in 2015. He called the decades-long US efforts to isolate the country \"a failure\".\n\nSince the Cold War era, the US had pursued various policies to undermine Cuba which it saw as a great threat.\n\nCuba now rejoins countries including Iran and North Korea on the list of sponsors of terrorism. The impact on the island country include severe limits on foreign investment.", "Mr Williamson says his department is doing all it can to support remote learning\n\nAn extra 300,000 laptops and tablets have been bought to help disadvantaged children in England learn at home, says Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.\n\nMr Williamson said the devices would be delivered to schools.\n\nHe also pledged to publish a remote education framework to support schools and colleges with delivering lessons during the latest national lockdown.\n\nIt comes as research says children from poorer families are likely to struggle more with remote learning.\n\nThe Department for Education said its data showed that over 700,000 devices had been delivered to schools in England so far during the pandemic - 100,000 of which were delivered last week.\n\nThe department says the additional 300,000 laptops and tablets lifts government investment by another £100m, meaning over £400m will have been invested in supporting disadvantaged children who need help with access to technology during the pandemic.\n\nBut the department has faced mounting criticism over huge percentages of pupils not having access to digital devices, nine months into the pandemic.\n\nMr Williamson said the DfE was \"doing everything in our power to support schools with high-quality remote education\".\n\nHe said: \"These additional devices, on top of the 100,000 delivered last week, add to the significant support we are making available to help schools deliver high-quality online learning, as we know they have been doing.\"\n\nOn top of this, the remote education framework would support schools and colleges with delivering education for pupils who are learning from home, he said.\n\nThe frameworks, which are voluntary and should be adapted for schools' individual circumstances, will \"help them to identify the strengths and areas for improvement in the lessons and teaching they provide remotely\".\n\nBut Geoff Barton, head of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: \"While we welcome the extra laptops and tablets announced, it is pretty poor that nearly a year after this crisis began we are only now inching up to the number of devices that are needed.\n\n\"The reality is that this extra provision is coming when we are already well into the new lockdown and after a heavily disrupted autumn term in which many children had to self-isolate in line with coronavirus protocols,\" he said.\n\n\"The government was slow off the mark to address the digital divide early in the crisis and is now trying to make up for lost time.\"\n\nMr Williamson's laptop announcement comes as research by the University of Sussex found that nearly one in five less advantaged parents said they struggled with home-learning during the first lockdown.\n\nThe research surveyed 3,409 parents in the UK between 5 May until 31 July last year and found families of lower socioeconomic status were more likely to report their home environment made it harder for pupils to complete schoolwork from home.\n\nThe study says secondary school pupils eligible for free school meals (39%) were more likely to report that a lack of technology - such as laptops and computers - made learning from home more difficult, compared to 19% of pupils who are not eligible for free school meals.\n\nThere are concerns poorer children will fall further behind\n\nPrimary school pupils from struggling households were found to be more likely to find home learning learning harder than their more comfortable off peers due to the environment - such as noise levels (59% to 50%), lack of space (45% to 22%), lack of technology (45% to 26%) and lack of internet (35% to 16%).\n\nThe researchers warned that educational inequalities were likely to increase due to further school closures this year.\n\nLead researcher Dr Matthew Easterbrook said: \"These results show that school closures disproportionately disrupt the education of those who are most economically disadvantaged, suggesting that educational inequalities are likely to rise because of the pandemic.\n\n\"The results show that parents of pupils from disadvantaged families - those who are eligible for free school meals, who have lower levels of education, or who are financially struggling - are much more likely to report that learning from home is challenging.\"\n\nReport co-author Lewis Doyle, doctoral researcher at the University of Sussex, added: \"School closures, while clearly necessary during this public health crisis, risk entrenching inequality.\"\n\nOn Tuesday the government also published figures on how many pupils were physically in schools across England before the Christmas holidays.\n\nThe data shows 79% of pupils in state schools were in class on Wednesday16 December - down from 85% on Thursday 10 December.\n\nIn secondary schools, attendance fell from 80% to 72% on 16 December, while pupil attendance in primary schools fell from 89% to 86%, the figures show.\n\nBetween 9% and 11% of pupils - up to 872,000 children - did not attend school for Covid-19 related reasons on 16 December.", "Tesco, Asda and Waitrose have become the latest supermarkets to say they will deny entry to shoppers who do not wear face masks unless they are medically exempt.\n\nIt follows a similar move by Morrisons, while Sainsbury's says it will challenge those who flout the rules.\n\nRetailers have been criticised for not doing enough to stop people breaking Covid rules as infections spread.\n\nBut enforcement of face coverings is officially a police responsibility.\n\nHowever, supermarkets can deny entry to their premises which is private property, and can call the police if someone refuses to follow the rules or becomes abusive.\n\nSenior police figures have reportedly said there is little officers can do to enforce the rules in shops because they are so busy.\n\nBut policing minister Kit Malthouse said that they would offer \"backup if things go seriously wrong\".\n\n\"What we hope is that in the vast majority of cases the enforcement, or the reminders if you like, put in place by the store owners will be enough,\" he told BBC News.\n\nA Tesco spokeswoman said the supermarket chain had decided to strengthen its policies.\n\n\"To protect our customers and colleagues, we won't let anyone into our stores who is not wearing a face covering, unless they are exempt in line with government guidance,\" she said.\n\n\"We are also asking our customers to shop alone, unless they're a carer or with children. To support our colleagues, we will have additional security in stores to help manage this.\"\n\nAn Asda spokesman said if customers had forgotten their face coverings, it would continue to offer them one free of charge.\n\nBut he added: \"Should a customer refuse to wear a covering without a valid medical reason and be in any way challenging to our colleagues about doing so, our security colleagues will refuse their entry.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How to wear your mask. Hint: it's not any of these three options\n\nAndrew Murphy, executive director of operations at Waitrose, said: \"We've listened carefully to the clear change in tone and emphasis of the views and information shared by the UK's governments in recent days.\n\n\"By insisting on the wearing of face coverings, over and above the social distancing measures we already have in place, we aim to make our shops even safer for customers.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, Sainsbury's told the BBC it did not have the power to deny entry to shoppers without masks. However, trials showed customers complied more when asked to wear masks by security guards at the door, it said.\n\nIn an interview with the BBC, Sainsbury's boss, Simon Roberts, said \"we are not going to ban customers\".\n\nBut he urged shoppers to wear a mask and shop alone.\n\n\"By doing that we will help keep everybody safe,\" he said.\n\nThe Co-op also said it would not ban shoppers without masks from entering, and instead urged customers to take responsibility for wearing a face covering when visiting its stores, as it was mandatory by law.\n\nBoss of Co-op Food Jo Whitfield said: \"We've increased our in-store messaging to remind customers and government guidance does state that the police can take measures if members of the public don't comply with this law.\"\n\nIceland said it would take a similar approach, adding the vast majority of its customers continued to shop in compliance with the law.\n\n\"In view of the rising tide of abuse and violence being directed at our store colleagues, we do not expect them to confront the small minority of customers who aggressively refuse to comply with the law,\" a spokesman added.\n\nIn England, the police can issue a £200 fine to someone breaking the face covering rules. In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, a £60 fine can be imposed. Repeat offenders face bigger fines.", "Many hospitals are still under intense pressure with the increasing number of Covid patients arriving.\n\nDoctors say they are seeing more younger patients in their thirties and forties compared to the first wave.\n\nThe overall pattern of those at risk of becoming seriously ill or dying has not changed significantly and the older someone is, the greater their risk from Covid-19 - particularly those over the age of 65.\n\nThe BBC's Health Editor Hugh Pym was given access to film at Croydon University Hospital in South London.", "Morrisons will bar customers who refuse to wear face coverings from its shops amid rising coronavirus infections.\n\nFrom Monday, shoppers who refuse to wear face masks offered by staff will not be allowed inside, unless they are medically exempt.\n\nSainsbury's also said it would challenge those not wearing a mask or who were shopping in groups.\n\nThe announcements come amid concerns that social distancing measures are not being adhered to in supermarkets.\n\nVaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the government is \"concerned\" shops are not enforcing rules strictly enough.\n\n\"Ultimately, the most important thing to do now is to make sure that actually enforcement - and of course the compliance with the rules - when people are going into supermarkets are being adhered to,\" Mr Zahawi told Sky News.\n\n\"We need to make sure people actually wear masks and follow the one-way system,\" he said.\n\nMorrisons said it had \"introduced and consistently maintained thorough and robust safety measures in all our stores\" since the start of the pandemic.\n\nBut it said: \"From today we are further strengthening our policy on masks.\"\n\nSecurity guards at the UK's fourth-biggest supermarket chain will be enforcing the new rules.\n\nMorrisons' chief executive, David Potts, said: \"Those who are offered a face covering and decline to wear one won't be allowed to shop at Morrisons unless they are medically exempt.\n\n\"Our store colleagues are working hard to feed you and your family, please be kind.\"\n\nFollowing Morrisons' announcement, Sainsbury's said that it was also putting trained security guards at the front of its stores to challenge shoppers who did not comply.\n\nChief executive Simon Roberts said: \"I've spent a lot of time in our stores reviewing the latest situation over the last few days and on behalf of all my colleagues, I am asking our customers to help us keep everyone safe.\n\n\"The vast majority of customers are shopping safely, but I have also seen some customers trying to shop without a mask and shopping in larger family groups.\n\n\"Please help us to keep all our colleagues and customers safe by always wearing a mask and by shopping alone. Everyone's care and consideration matters now more than ever.\"\n\nEarlier on Monday, Mr Zahawi stopped short of saying that supermarket staff should be responsible for enforcing rules on face masks.\n\nEnforcement of face coverings is the responsibility of the police, not retailers. Wearing face masks in supermarkets and shops is compulsory across the UK.\n\nIn England, the police can issue a £200 fine to someone breaking the face covering rules. In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, a £60 fine can be imposed. Repeat offenders face bigger fines.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How to wear your mask. Hint: it's not any of these three options\n\nHowever, retail industry body the British Retail Consortium said that, workers have faced an increase in incidents of violence and abuse when trying to encourage shoppers to put them on.\n\nAndrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, added: \"Supermarkets continue to follow all safety guidance and customers should be reassured that supermarkets are Covid-secure and safe to visit during lockdown and beyond.\n\n\"Customers should play their part too by following in-store signage and being considerate to staff and fellow shoppers.\"\n\nUnder current lockdown restrictions across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, people must only leave home for essential reasons, such as buying food or medicine.\n\nIn a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, supermarkets introduced social distancing measures during the UK's first nationwide lockdown last March. They included limits on the numbers of customers in the shops at any one time, protective plastic screens at tills and \"marshals\" to ensure shoppers were maintaining a two-metre distance.\n\nBut amid rising numbers of infections, some have expressed concerns about a \"lack of visible protections\" implemented by supermarkets in recent weeks.\n\nThe First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, said on Saturday that he wanted to see stores policed as they were during the first lockdown as people were worried the strict enforcement of rules did not \"appear to be there this time\".\n\n\"Given the fact the new variant is so much easier to catch... we are looking at supermarkets and other places where people leave their homes, to make sure they are organised in a way that keeps their staff and customers safe,\" he said.\n\nSupermarket Waitrose said that it was taking a \"cautious approach\" to the virus, with marshals checking that customers are wearing face coverings on the door, hand sanitiser stations at its entrances and written communications to shoppers reminding them to maintain their distance.\n\nTesco said it was limiting the number of customers in store and was also reminding customers to wear masks.\n\n\"We have clear signage explaining this, and we have packs of face coverings available for purchase near the front of our stores for any customers who have forgotten them.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Asda announced last week that it would extend its marshals' hours to 08:00 to 20:00 and increase how often baskets and trollies are cleaned.\n\nShop workers' union Usdaw has also called for firms to apply more stringent measures again.\n\nThe union's general secretary, Paddy Lillis, said that it had received reports that \"too many customers are not following necessary safety measures like social distancing, wearing a face covering and only shopping for essential items\".\n\n\"It is going to take some time to roll out the vaccine and we cannot afford to be complacent in the meantime, particularly with a new strain sweeping the nation,\" Mr Lillis said.\n\nThe trade union also suggested that \"'one-in one-out\" policies and proper queuing systems should be reintroduced in supermarkets.\n\nIt added that these systems should be managed by trained security staff where necessary.", "Parler has hit back after Amazon pulled support for its so-called \"free speech\" social network.\n\nParler is suing the tech giant, accusing it of breaking anti-trust laws by removing it.\n\nParler had been reliant on the tech giant's Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing service to provide its alternative to Twitter.\n\nThe platform was popular among supporters of Donald Trump, although the president is not a user.\n\nAmazon took the action after finding dozens of posts on the service that it said encouraged violence.\n\nIn response, the platform has asked a federal judge to order Amazon to reinstate it.\n\n\"AWS's decision to effectively terminate Parler's account is apparently motivated by political animus,\" the complaint reads.\n\n\"It is also apparently designed to reduce competition in the microblogging services market to the benefit of Twitter.\"\n\n\"There is no merit to these claims,\" it said.\n\n\"AWS provides technology and services to customers across the political spectrum, and we respect Parler's right to determine for itself what content it will allow. However, it is clear that there is significant content on Parler that encourages and incites violence against others, and that Parler is unable or unwilling to promptly identify and remove this content, which is a violation of our terms of service.\n\n\"We made our concerns known to Parler over a number of weeks and during that time we saw a significant increase in this type of dangerous content, not a decrease, which led to our suspension of their services Sunday evening.\"\n\nExamples Amazon had provided included posts calling for the killing of Democrats, Muslims, Black Lives Matter leaders, and mainstream media journalists.\n\nGoogle and Apple had already removed Parler from their app stores towards the end of last week saying it had failed to comply with their content-moderation requirements.\n\nHowever, it had still been accessible via the web - although visitors had complained of being unable to create new accounts over the weekend, without which it was not possible to view its content.\n\nParler has been online since 2018, and may return if it can find an alternative host.\n\nHowever, chief executive John Matze told Fox News on Sunday that \"every vendor from text message services to email providers to our lawyers all ditched us too\".\n\n\"We're going to try our best to get back online as quickly as possible, but we're having a lot of trouble because every vendor we talk to says they won't work with us because if Apple doesn't approve and Google doesn't approve, they won't,\" he added.\n\nAWS's move is the latest in a series of actions affecting social media following the rioting on Capitol Hill last week.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Capitol riots: ‘We would have been murdered’\n\nFacebook and Twitter have also banned President Trump's accounts on their platforms, citing concerns that he might incite further violence.\n\nParler's users included the Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who had led an effort in the Senate to delay certifying Joe Biden's electoral college victory.\n\nHe had about five million followers on the platform - more than his tally on Twitter.\n\nParler's app now shows an error message and its website is offline\n\n\"Why should a handful of Silicon Valley billionaires have a monopoly on political speech?\" he tweeted over the weekend.\n\nParler's downfall appears to have benefited Gab - another \"free speech\" social network that is popular with far-right commentators.\n\nIt has claimed to have \"gained more users in the past two days than we did in our first two years of existing\".\n\nParler has long been a home for what you might call untouchables, people who had been excluded from mainstream services for offences such as blatant racism or incitement to violence.\n\nDuring a brief excursion onto the site over the weekend, I observed plenty of examples of such behaviour, with users exhibiting vile anti-Semitism, displaying Nazi symbols such as the swastika and uttering incoherent threats against those they perceive to be enemies of America.\n\nBut as Amazon's deadline approached something like panic took hold, with users desperately urging their followers to join them on other platforms.\n\nMost seemed to accept that Parler was doomed, while vowing to continue their fight elsewhere.\n\n\"Well this is the end,\" wrote one user, who proclaimed his support for the American Nazi Party.", "The disease is still spreading. There are more people in hospital with Covid-19 in the UK than at any other point in the pandemic.\n\nProf Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, hit the airwaves on Monday morning to tell us it's \"everyone's problem\".\n\nAnd a possible further increase in the numbers from those get-togethers that did take place over Christmas is yet to filter through.\n\nIt is cheering, and crucial, to see the elderly and vulnerable attending vaccine super-centres in huge numbers for their injections.\n\nBut there is no getting away from it: at this moment, the coronavirus situation seems pretty dire. And there is real concern in government that the public, this time round, is just not paying attention to the rules as closely as they did back in the spring.\n\nWhat is the government's answer? It is not, at least not yet, despite calls from the opposition, another big clampdown.\n\nIt might not feel like it, but it is only seven days since Boris Johnson took what used to be the rare step of making a national address, live on primetime TV, telling us, across the UK, once more to \"stay at home\".\n\nThere is hardly any political appetite to go even further.\n\nAs one senior minister said today: \"We have gone as far as we possibly can in terms of shutting things down\".\n\nThe prime minister was reluctant to go this far, only moving back to a lockdown in England when the evidence put forward by the government's top medics got worse, and worse and worse.\n\nThere are in fact even more limits that ministers, not just in Westminster but in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast too, could introduce.\n\nSchools could be forcibly closed to all pupils. Nurseries could shut.\n\nGovernment sources say the nurseries policy isn't going to change. Number 10 firmly denies they would ever take such a drastic step on schools which have always been open to key workers' children and it is hard to imagine that ever happening.\n\nIn extremis though there are measures that could be taken - in theory the government does not want to do any of this, but in practice there are other potential steps.\n\nBuilding sites could be made to lock their gates. Factories where machines are still whirring because they are operating under Covid guidelines could be made to pause.\n\nEngland, Scotland and Northern Ireland could follow Wales and ban people from seeing anyone they don't live with even outdoors.\n\nPlaygrounds, launderettes and chiropractors, could, along with many others on the list of premises allowed to stay open, have to shut up shop after all.\n\nBut while ministers have talked about squeezing the advice for takeaways to try to prevent big queues gathering at popular places, encouraged the supermarkets to make sure they are doing as much as they can to be safe, and even discussed the prospect of asking for masks to be worn outdoors, there is no expectation, at least at the start of this week, that a more extensive clampdown is coming from Westminster.\n\nAlthough, it's worth noting that the Scottish cabinet will discuss restrictions again on Tuesday.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. On Monday Matt Hancock ruled out getting rid of support bubbles.\n\nOne reason for the reluctance to go much further is that every step that affects a business affects jobs and livelihoods too.\n\nThe chancellor told MPs on Monday that 800,000 people have lost their jobs since February, admitting the economy will get worse before it gets better.\n\nSo trying to preserve activity that can be done safely matters to the government too.\n\nThere's also a question in government circles about whether cranking up different rules bit by bit is really what would help.\n\nChris Whitty this morning bluntly suggested there was limited value in \"tinkering\" with the rules, and what is required instead is for all of us to realise how grave the situation really is.\n\nInstead of worrying about whether we are allowed to sit on a park bench at all, (and yes, this has been a lively conversation in Westminster today) , perhaps we should be asking ourselves whether we really need to be out at all.\n\nThe NHS has been under huge pressure dealing with a surge in Covid cases this winter.\n\nBut when what happens next will be in large part shaped by our behaviour as individuals, working out the dos and don'ts can get sticky fast.\n\nTwo women who hit the headlines for driving five miles to go for a snowy walk with a takeaway cuppa had their fines withdrawn today, just as the prime minister caused a stir when a newspaper revealed he'd gone seven miles to the other side of London for a cycle in the Olympic Park.\n\nYou might be a reader who feels, 'so what?'. In both cases they were exercising outside, within the law, so who cares?\n\nBut you might feel when the firm instruction is to stay at home, and stay local, that is pushing the rules.\n\nFor now though, with grimmer and grimmer medics' warnings ringing in our ears, and reminders about enforcement from the police coming too, ministers seem resolved to encourage the public to comply rather than crack down further.\n\nBut it is however, only a week since the lockdown the prime minister had so hoped to avoid returned. By now, it's not surprising, Boris Johnson would never quite rule anything out.\n\nP.S. In all the gloom, the cheerier news is that the vaccination programme across the UK is certainly getting going, with 2.3 million people having had their first jab.\n\nThe number of people getting vaccinated has been added to the list of statistics that the government publishes every day. The targets the government has set are tough, but the numbers so far, are growing fast.", "RAF Typhoons, similar to the aircraft pictured, took off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and escorted the civilian aircraft to London Stansted Airport\n\nA sonic boom has been heard across the East of England after RAF Typhoon aircraft were launched to intercept a plane that had lost communications.\n\nThe Typhoons took off from RAF Coningsby and \"safely escorted\" the civilian aircraft to Stansted Airport in Essex, an RAF spokesman said.\n\nThe boom, at about 13:05 GMT, was reported by people across social media.\n\n\"The Typhoon aircraft were authorised to transit at supersonic speed for operational reasons,\" the RAF said.\n\nPeople in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and parts of London heard the boom.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. People's reaction to the sonic boom was caught on camera\n\n\"We have received numerous calls from the public with reports of a sonic boom... between Huntingdon and Cambridge,\" Cambridgeshire police said, in a Facebook post.\n\n\"Nobody has been injured. Some callers reported the incident had shaken properties but no major damage is thought to have occurred.\"\n\nAn image from a police officer's body-worn camera captured the RAF Typhoon aircraft flying over Cambridgeshire\n\nCommunications with the aircraft were re-established after the Typhoons were launched and it was intercepted before being escorted to Stansted.\n\nA spokesman for the airport said the \"private jet\" was believed to have been flying from Germany to Birmingham.\n\nHe confirmed the plane had been brought into land at about 13:40.\n\nWhen an aircraft approaches the speed of sound, the air in front of the nose of the plane builds up a pressure front because it has \"nowhere to escape\", said Dr Jim Wild of Lancaster University.\n\nA sonic boom happens when that air \"escapes\", creating a ripple effect which can be heard on the ground as a loud thunderclap.\n\nThe speed of sound varies. It is about 770mph (1,200km/h) at sea level, but slower at higher altitudes. A plane flying at 30,000ft would reach the speed of sound at about 675mph (1,085km/h), according to NASA's educational website.\n\nIt can be heard over such a large area because it moves with the plane, rather like the wake of a boat spreading out behind the vessel.\n\nRAF jets are only given permission to go supersonic over populated areas in emergencies, usually when they are required to intercept another aircraft.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nLeicester City climbed to second in the Premier League as they won a keenly contested encounter with fellow top-four hopefuls Southampton at King Power Stadium.\n\nJames Maddison fired in from a tight angle after 37 minutes, the Foxes midfielder instructing his team-mates to stand back as he performed a socially distanced celebration, before Harvey Barnes added a second deep into second-half stoppage-time.\n\nVictory takes Leicester within one point of leaders Manchester United, who travel to third-placed Liverpool on Sunday, while Southampton are eighth, three points outside the top four.\n• None How Leicester followed guidance on celebrations - and others didn't\n• None Reaction to Leicester v Southampton, plus the rest of Saturday's Premier League action\n\nThe Saints dominated in the opening stages and created the first opening when Che Adams stretched the home defence on the counter-attack, while Leicester's Barnes' powerful drive forced Alex McCarthy into action with the game's first shot after 19 minutes.\n\nThe visitors, without talisman Danny Ings after the striker tested positive for Covid-19 last week, went close to a response through Ryan Bertrand and Will Smallbone either side of half-time but neither could find a way past Kasper Schmeichel.\n\nIn an entertaining conclusion, Stuart Armstrong rattled the Leicester crossbar with an excellent strike from the edge of the penalty area, while Jan Bednarek produced a superb goalline clearance to deny Barnes and the returning McCarthy saved from Jamie Vardy as both sides pushed for a late goal.\n\nIt took Leicester until the 95th minute to seal the three points, Barnes calmly slotting past McCarthy on the break.\n\nLeicester manager Brendan Rodgers challenged his side to \"disrupt the Premier League hierarchy\" after a 2-1 win over Newcastle in their last league outing maintained their top-four hopes.\n\nVictory in this stern test ensured they continue to do just that.\n\nEnjoying their longest unbeaten run of the season, their streak now at six matches in all competitions since defeat by Everton a month ago, Rodgers' side delivered an assured performance to remain firmly in contention at the top.\n\nDespite their lofty position as the halfway stage approaches, Leicester have struggled at home this campaign - their four defeats at King Power Stadium in 2020-21 is as many as they suffered in the entirety of last season.\n\nThough largely frustrated in the early exchanges as the visitors retained possession, Leicester's superior quality in attack eventually ensured that record was improved with Maddison turning sharply to meet Youri Tielemans' through-ball before drilling home.\n\nThe in-form Barnes once again impressed and eventually got the goal his performance deserved to equal his best season tally of 10 after just 24 games.\n\nUnlike last season's post-Christmas collapse, the Foxes are yet to show signs of falling away. Maddison - involved in six of Leicester's last 12 league goals - and Barnes are easing the pressure on Vardy to deliver every week and there appears the strength in depth to better maintain this challenge.\n\nThe only concern for Rodgers at the end of a pleasing night was the sight of Vardy appearing to limp off as he was replaced by Kelechi Iheanacho in the final minutes.\n\nWhen Southampton claimed victory in the corresponding fixture last January, the 2-1 win marked a remarkable short-term recovery from a club-record defeat by the Foxes less than three months earlier.\n\nOne year on, this match served as another reminder of how quickly the Saints are progressing under Ralph Hasenhuttl.\n\nThey were, however, unable to set a club top-flight record of seven consecutive away games without defeat in the absence of frontman Ings. That was despite their relative freshness, having not played for 12 days after their FA Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town was postponed last weekend because of a Covid-19 outbreak at the League One club.\n\nFollowing their impressive 1-0 victory over Liverpool on 4 January, a triumph which left Hasenhuttl with tears in his eyes, Southampton once again applied themselves with commendable determination but ultimately failed to produce in the final third.\n\nAdams ran out of space at the byeline after breaking clear from the halfway line in the game's first opening, and neither Bertrand nor Smallbone were able to place past Schmeichel as the equaliser their hard work perhaps deserved evaded them.\n\nAt the back, Bednarek produced the heroics to keep his side in the game and full-back Kyle Walker-Peters provided a regular outlet on the right, but Southampton, who named four teenagers on their bench because of an injury crisis, have now scored only once in five league games.\n\nThat is an obvious concern for Hasenhuttl as he looks to ensure his side do not fade after their promising start.\n\n'We took social distancing to the letter' - what the managers said\n\nLeicester boss Brendan Rodgers told BBC Sport: \"It's a very good win against a good team. We were too passive at the start, we took social distancing to the letter and didn't get close to them. After that we had some sustained attacks and ended up getting a brilliant goal.\n\n\"At half-time we had to reiterate the importance of fighting, you have to fight for every result and Southampton keep going. We were outstanding second half and should have scored more goals. We did the dirty work much better and Harvey Barnes showed again that he is a finisher now.\"\n\nOn Maddison's celebration: \"I said to them there is lots of negativity around it but see it as a positive and be creative. Supporters still want to see players celebrate, the happiness, so be creative with it.\"\n\nSouthampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: \"It's never nice to lose a game but we had chances. We hit the bar, we fought with everything we have. We are definitely a team that is never giving up. The quality of the opponent was better than ours today.\n\n\"The first goal, you don't shoot at goal like that every day, it was fantastic from Maddison. We had good chances but we couldn't finish and that was the difference.\n\n\"It doesn't look good at the moment, we have a lot of injuries and not many alternatives. The good news is we have 29 points and they don't take them away from us. We did our best with the options we have. We have nine injured but we are fighting for everything.\"\n• None Leicester earned their first home league victory against Southampton since April 2016, ending a run of four without a win against the Saints at King Power Stadium.\n• None Southampton's first 12 Premier League games in 2020-21 witnessed 41 goals (24 scored) at an average of 3.4 per game. Their past six games have seen just six goals (two scored).\n• None Jamie Vardy had seven shots for Leicester, his highest tally without scoring in a single Premier League match in his career.\n• None Vardy has faced Southampton seven times at home in the Premier League, more than any other side at King Power Stadium without scoring in the competition.\n• None James Maddison scored in consecutive Premier League games for Leicester for the first time since October 2019, matching his goal tally at home from each of the previous two campaigns (three).\n\nBoth sides return to action on Tuesday. Leicester host Chelsea in the Premier League at 20:15 GMT, while Southampton welcome Shrewsbury to St Mary's in their postponed FA Cup third-round tie (20:00).\n• None Goal! Leicester City 2, Southampton 0. Harvey Barnes (Leicester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Youri Tielemans following a fast break.\n• None Attempt missed. Stuart Armstrong (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right following a corner.\n• None Offside, Leicester City. Marc Albrighton tries a through ball, but Ayoze Pérez is caught offside.\n• None Attempt missed. Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Marc Albrighton.\n• None Attempt saved. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by James Justin.\n• None Attempt missed. Daniel N'Lundulu (Southampton) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Kyle Walker-Peters with a cross.\n• None Offside, Leicester City. Timothy Castagne tries a through ball, but Ayoze Pérez is caught offside.\n• None Attempt blocked. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ayoze Pérez with a cross.\n• None Marc Albrighton (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Attempt missed. James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Stuart Armstrong. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Hear how David Bowie always managed to stay ahead of his time\n• None Joe Wicks and guests are here to bring positivity to your day", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Health workers are the first in line to get Covid jabs\n\nA sanitation worker became the first Indian to receive a Covid vaccine as the country began the world's largest inoculation drive.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi launched the programme, which aims to vaccinate more than 1.3 billion people against Covid.\n\nHe paid tribute to front-line workers who will be the first to receive jabs.\n\nIndia has recorded the second-highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world after the United States.\n\nMillions of doses of two approved vaccines - Covishield and Covaxin - were shipped across the country in the days leading up to the start of the drive.\n\n\"We are launching the world's biggest vaccination drive and it shows the world our capability,\" Mr Modi, said, addressing the country on Saturday morning.\n\nA sanitation worker is the first Indian to receive a Covid vaccine\n\nHe added that India was well prepared to vaccinate its population with the help of an app, which would help the government track the drive and ensure that nobody was left out.\n\nMr Modi spoke at length about doctors, nurses and other front-line workers \"who showed us the light\" in \"dark times\".\n\n\"They stayed away from their families to serve humanity. And hundreds of them never went home. They gave their life to save others. And that is why the first jabs are being given to healthcare workers - this is our way of paying respect to them.\"\n\nDoctors and medical staff at Delhi's Max hospital tell me a lot of hope is being pinned on the vaccination drive. One official described it \"as a new dawn\" and said \"it's the beginning of Covid's end\".\n\nInside the waiting room, there are posters on the wall with information about the documents one needs to bring, how safe the vaccine is, and the precautions that need to be taken even after one's been vaccinated. Among those being vaccinated on Saturday are doctors, nurses and front-office staff from all departments.\n\nThe names have been been chosen alphabetically so those getting jabs are mostly those with names starting with the letter A.\n\n\"The pandemic has played havoc in the country. I hope the vaccine will rid us of the fears and we will be able to breathe easy,\" Dr Anil Dass said after getting the jab.\n\nAshutosh Chaturvedi, a 31-year-old male nurse described as a \"Covid warrior\" by hospital officials, became the first recipient of the vaccine at Max.\n\n\"I'm fine, I feel good,\" he told reporters as he came down the hospital ramp, which has been decorated with blue, green and white balloons.\n\nSince April, he told me, he's worked in the emergency wing of the Covid ward, tending to those afflicted with the coronavirus.\n\n\"I haven't seen my wife and nine-month-old daughter since then. A month later, once I've received the second dose, I'll visit my family,\" he said.\n\nMr Modi also appealed to people to continue adhering to Covid-19 safety protocols like wearing masks and following social distancing. He said the country cannot afford to be complacent as vaccinating the entire population will take time.\n\nHe also urged people not to believe any \"propaganda and rumours about the safety of the vaccines\".\n\n\"I want to tell people that the approval to these vaccines was given only after scientists and experts were satisfied about its safety,\" he said.\n\nAn estimated 10 million health workers will be vaccinated in the first round, followed by policemen, soldiers, municipal and other front-line workers.\n\nHealth workers have been queuing up at vaccination centres for their turn\n\nNext in line will be people aged over 50 and anyone under 50 with serious underlying health conditions. India's electoral rolls, which contain details of some 900 million voters, will be used to identify eligible recipients.\n\nThe government plans to vaccinate 300 million people by early August. This will happen in state-run health care centres, schools, colleges, community halls, municipal offices and wedding halls.\n\nSeveral hospitals across India are giving the first doses of the vaccine.\n\nThe government plans to vaccinate 300 million people by early August\n\nDr Atul Peters was among those who got the jab at Max hospital.\n\n\"It's a very big day. I'm grateful to those who worked hard to make this a reality. I was very very happy when I got a call informing me that my name was on the list.\n\n\"We worked hard during the pandemic to save lives and we are also taking the jab first to dispel fears in people's minds that the vaccine is not safe,\" he told the BBC.\n\nMillions of vaccine doses have been shipped across India\n\nIndia's drug regulator has given the green light to two vaccines - Covishield (the local name for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine developed in the UK) and Covaxin, locally-made by pharma company Bharat Biotech.\n\nBut concerns have been raised over the efficacy of Covaxin because the regulator's emergency approval came before the completion of Phase 3 clinical trials. The regulator and the manufacturer have said the vaccine is safe, and that the efficacy data would be available by February.\n\nBoth vaccines will be given as two injections, 28 days apart, with the second dose being a booster. Immunity would begin to kick in after the first dose but reaches its full effect 14 days after the second dose.\n\nThe status of the vaccines and recipients will be electronically tracked in real time - some 8 million people who will receive the early jabs have been already registered. More than 600,000 people have been trained for the drive.\n\nThe jabs will be voluntary, and recipients will be given a certificate of vaccination after they complete both doses.\n\n\"I expect India's vaccination programme will be run much better than most countries because of the considerable government investment and early preparedness,\" Dr Gagandeep Kang, one of India's best-known vaccine experts, told the BBC.\n\nWith more than 10 million cases, India has recorded the second-highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world, after the US.\n\nThe largest vaccination drive in the country, however, begins at a time when infections have fallen sharply, and much of life has returned to normal. A limited availability of doses in the initial phase, therefore, is not likely to pose a problem.\n\nMost scientists feel India is primed for the challenge as it is a vaccine-making powerhouse and has run, for decades, a well-oiled immunisation programme for tens of millions of new-borns and mothers-to-be.\n\nBut the real challenges will begin when the general population starts receiving the jabs.\n\nIndia will use its formidable election machinery to deliver and track doses to recipients in far corners of the country. It is also likely to use digital platforms and apps to enable people to register for the doses.\n\nHowever, not every Indian owns a smart phone or knows how to operate an app, so it will be interesting to see what the government does to make sure that there are no inadvertent exclusions.\n\nVaccine hesitancy is the other concern.\n\nHealth activists Seema Pal and Rama Negi say they have been busting misinformation about the vaccine\n\nThe recent controversy over the hurried approval of Covaxin, many feel, could undermine confidence. There's a history of hesitancy about receiving the polio vaccine in parts of northern India, triggered by rumours about vaccines being impure and affecting fertility. Similar disinformation is now circulating about Covid vaccines on social networking apps, such as WhatsApp.\n\nThe government will need consistent, clear-eyed communication to bolster vaccine acceptance and community perception of the programme.\n\nVaccines come with side effects for some people. India has a 34-year-old surveillance programme for monitoring such \"adverse events\" following immunisation.\n\nBut researchers have found that benchmarks for reporting side effects still remain weak. A failure to transparently report adverse effects could easily lead to fear-mongering around vaccines.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "The number of reported incidents of children dying or being seriously harmed after suspected abuse or neglect rose by a quarter after England's first lockdown last year, figures indicate.\n\nThe Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel received 285 serious incident notifications from April to September.\n\nThis is an increase of 27% from 225 in the same period the previous year.\n\nThe data also includes children who were in care and died, regardless of whether abuse or neglect was suspected.\n\nThe Children's Society described the figures as \"shocking\".\n\nThe serious incident notification system requires councils in England to report all incidents of death or serious harm involving children in their area to the Department for Education, which publishes the data.\n\nThey are also required to inform the education secretary and Ofsted if a looked-after child dies, regardless of whether they suspect abuse or neglect.\n\nChild deaths increased from 89 to 119 and those seriously harmed rose from 132 with 153 compared with the same period in 2019, according to the data.\n\nThe number of serious incidents involving children under one increased by 30% as did the harm suffered by those aged 16 and over.\n\nThe majority (54%) of incidents related to boys, and almost two thirds related to white children.\n\nIn two-thirds of the 285 cases reported, the harm occurred while children were living at home.\n\nThe number of serious incident notifications had fallen in 2019-20 compared with 2018-19 when there were 274 such notifications.\n\nIryna Pona, policy manager at the Children's Society, said the increase in incidents last year happened at a time when Covid-19 was having a \"huge impact on the well-being of children and families and disrupted help available to those who needed it most\".\n\nEngland's first lockdown began at the end of March last year and ended on 4 July.\n\nMs Pona said: \"During the first lockdown many vulnerable children were stuck at home in difficult, sometimes dangerous situations, often isolated from friends and support networks.\n\n\"Sadly, children also continued to be targeted and groomed by people outside their families for sexual and criminal exploitation like county lines drug dealing operations, which can lead to serious violence or death.\n\n\"At the same time, they were often hidden from view of professionals like social workers and teachers who are best placed to spot the signs if they may be in danger.\"\n\nShe added that in the current lockdown it was \"vital\" that social care and schools work together closely to ensure all vulnerable children, including those in care, have regular contact with a trusted professional.\n\nA government spokeswoman said: \"Every single incident of this nature is a tragedy and we are working to understand the impact the pandemic may be having.\n\n\"Throughout the past months, we have prioritised the most vulnerable children and their families and put in place support to protect babies.\n\n\"We've maintained vital frontline services because we know it has been a challenge for many, especially for new parents, and we've invested thousands of pounds in charities working with vulnerable children and their families.\n\n\"Today we have launched a wholescale review of children's social care to reform the system and think afresh about how we support the most vulnerable. This data will provide important information to the care review to help address major challenges.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. UK weather: Will it snow where you are?\n\nSnow and ice weather warnings are in place for much of England and Scotland after widespread recent snowfall.\n\nThe Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings across England and Scotland for Saturday and warned of possible travel disruption.\n\nParts of England and Scotland could see as much as 5-10cm of snow in higher areas, the weather service said.\n\nIt comes as hundreds of schools remain closed after heavy snow hit the north of England on Thursday.\n\nA snow warning is in place for south-east England, including London, the east of England and the East Midlands. The Met Office said East Anglia and parts of Kent and Sussex are most at risk of snow.\n\nSome 1-3 cm of snow may fall fairly widely over these areas, with 5-10 cm possible in places, mostly over parts of East Anglia and any higher ground.\n\nA snow and ice warning is in place for most of Scotland, north-west and north-east England, Yorkshire and Humber, the East Midlands and parts of the West Midlands.\n\nSnow is likely to fall to low levels over east Scotland and northern England.\n\nThe Met Office said 1-3 cm is possible at low levels in these areas but is more likely at higher elevations, where 5-10 cm of snow is possible above 200m - and even 20cm at the highest places.\n\nFog is also forecast for parts of the Midlands and the North, along with mist around Glasgow which may pose hazards for motorists.\n\nPolice forces in Yorkshire have urged people to stay at home unless their travel is essential\n\nTwo girls took their sledge to a golf course near Penicuik, Midlothian\n\nThe coronavirus vaccine rollout has been affected by the weather.\n\nOver-80s who were due to receive their jab at Newcastle's Centre for Life were told they could re-book rather than risk making a trip in the icy conditions.\n\nNewcastle Hospitals tweeted: \"There's enough vaccine for everyone, so don't worry about making a trip to Newcastle.\"\n\nAnd Leeds University has delayed the opening of its asymptomatic Covid-19 test centre.\n\nHeavy snowfall has already caused travel disruption across sections of northern England and Scotland.\n\nTemperatures were as low as -6C on Friday morning in parts of Yorkshire and Cumbria, with yellow warnings set to last through most of Friday.\n\nThere was a loss of gas supply to approximately 700 homes in the Hebden Bridge area after water got into the local gas network and froze.\n\nThe Met Office has published advice from the Department for Transport advising people to clear snow and ice from footpaths outside their homes, preferably in the morning.\n\n\"You can then cover the path with salt before nightfall to stop it refreezing overnight,\" the advice says.\n\nTemperatures in the Greater London area are expected to drop to 1C on Friday and parts of the South East could fall to -2C.\n\nIt comes after \"hazardous\" conditions on Thursday caused problems for the ambulance service in Yorkshire, which struggled to keep up with the high demand, while Covid vaccinations were also affected.\n\nMark Millins, of Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said the bad weather was having a \"severe impact\" on its operations and urged people to \"take extra care\" when out walking or driving.\n\nIn Scotland, heavy snow in some areas resulted in road closures.\n\nThe deepest snow on Thursday was in Bingley, West Yorkshire, and Strathallan in Perth, Scotland, both of which recorded 11cm.", "CBBC star Archie Lyndhurst, the son of Only Fools and Horses actor Nicholas Lyndhurst, died in his sleep from a brain haemorrhage, his mother has said.\n\nLucy Lyndhurst said a second post-mortem exam had revealed his death was caused by a condition called Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma/Leukaemia.\n\nShe described Archie as \"the most magical human being we have ever met\".\n\nThe 19-year-old's death on 22 September had had a \"catastrophic effect\" on their family, she wrote on Instagram.\n\nArchie with his father Nicholas and mother Lucy Smith in 2017\n\nLucy said she and husband Nicholas were assured by the doctor who explained the post-mortem results to them that there \"wasn't anything anyone could have done as Archie showed no signs of illness\". She said it was \"not leukaemia as we know it\" and that acute in medical terms meant \"rapid\".\n\nThe couple were \"utterly floored\" to think something like this could happen, she wrote, adding: \"It's very rare and around only 800 people a year die from it.\"\n\nShe said that just days earlier he had been celebrating his birthday with \"the love of his life Nethra\".\n\n\"Life is fragile, precious and sometimes incredibly cruel,\" Lucy wrote.\n\nShe also criticised some media outlets for attempting to garner information about how her son had died from the coroner, before they knew the results of the post mortem themselves.\n\n\"To have a coroner call you a few days after your child has died to say the press have been calling for the results of Archie's post mortem, I think stoops to an all time low for us,\" she noted.\n\n\"What gives the press the right to badger a coroner's office solely to find the cause of death before the parents? The complete lack of empathy is astounding. We released no information at the time as we had no idea what he had died from.\"\n\nNicholas appeared alongside his son in an episode of So Awkward in 2019\n\nArchie began his acting career at the Sylvia Young Theatre School at the age of 10 and was best known for playing Ollie Coulton in the CBBC comedy show So Awkward.\n\nHe appeared in the sitcom, which followed the lives of a group of friends in secondary school, from its first series in 2015.\n\nNicholas appeared alongside his son in a 2019 episode of the programme.\n\nArchie's other roles included recurring appearances as a younger incarnation of comedian Jack Whitehall in various TV programmes.\n\nThese included BBC Three sitcom Bad Education, in which he was seen as a younger version of Whitehall's Alfie Wickers character.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Irish hauliers have been bypassing ports in Wales because of Brexit, say industry leaders\n\nIrish hauliers are bypassing Welsh ports to avoid Brexit bureaucracy, industry leaders say.\n\nSo-called \"teething problems\" with new export rules are causing \"enormous strain on staff\", according to one haulage company.\n\nBut others warn of a longer-term shift by truck firms from using Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock.\n\nGwynedd Shipping said it was operating at 65% normal volumes and the pressure of extra paperwork was challenging.\n\nAndrew Kinsella, the firm's managing director, said: \"It's an enormous strain on our staff in terms of processing bookings.\n\n\"We process around 400 or 500 bookings a week, the reality is we're operating at 65-70% of previous volumes.\n\n\"Whilst we see recovery in the number of clients and we're starting to get to a better pattern in terms of shipments I still think it's going to take several weeks for things to return to normal. Whether things return to pre-Christmas, pre-Brexit volumes remains to be seen.\"\n\nMr Kinsella thinks there will be long-term consequences for the ports.\n\nStena Line is among firms that have made changes to the routes its uses\n\n\"You can already see the shift in terms of the number of sailings,\" he said.\n\n\"I think you're seeing a shift away from Holyhead particularly in terms of weekend, off-peak traffic. I think longer term, the viability of all of these services will be something those ferry services will continue to scrutinise.\"\n\nThis week Stena Line moved its new ship to the route from Rosslare, in the Republic of Ireland, to Cherbourg, France.\n\nAccording to Irish public broadcaster RTÉ, a new weekend sailing from Dublin to Cherbourg will also begin on 23 January, resulting in a temporary reduction in weekend capacity on the Dublin to Holyhead route.\n\nIt also intends to sail the Belfast-to-Liverpool route.\n\n\"Due to the current Brexit-related shift for direct routes and increasing customer demand, Stena Line has decided to temporarily deploy the Stena Embla on Rosslare-Cherbourg,\" Stena Line said.\n\nAt Rosslare Europort, business is booming, says general manager Glenn Carr.\n\n\"We've seen unprecedented demand in the first two weeks of trading compared to last year,\" Mr Carr said.\n\n\"On our European routes there's a 500% increase in freight volume going through the port compared to last year.\"\n\nHe added that 18 months ago they would have had three sailings a week directly to mainland Europe from Rosslare Europort: \"Today we have 15.\"\n\nMr Carr says his customers want to bypass the UK because of Brexit.\n\n\"I think that's testament to demand, particularly from our exporters and importers, on the island of Ireland and the need to unfortunately bypass the UK because of Brexit to trade directly with the EU,\" he added.\n\nHe believes this change in operations will not be temporary.\n\nHe said decisions by ferry companies and businesses who trade with the EU to re-direct freight, have been made based on market analysis.\n\n\"The business case for the extra services out of Rosslare were not based on the first two weeks of this year,\" Mr Carr said.\n\n\"They were based on analysis of the market and conversations with our exporters and importers who were switching.\n\n\"So there is a genuine switch and we foresee services being maintained out of Rosslare.\"\n\nUK government ministers have played down concerns about the long term viability of Welsh ports.\n\nGiving evidence to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee this week, Wales Office Minister David TC Davies MP, said former haulage industry colleagues referred to the issues as \"teething problems\".\n\nSecretary of State for Wales Simon Hart MP, said: \"There is some evidence that things aren't looking necessarily, permanently bleak.\n\n\"It's one of those areas where we have to keep a very wary eye on it, but I think and hope that it is a temporary dip in the graph.\"\n\nBut transport expert Prof Stuart Cole, of the University of South Wales, thinks Brexit delays will be the incentive Irish companies needed to switch permanently to trading directly with the European mainland.\n\nProf Cole said the EU wanted to reduce congestion and pollution in parts of Europe.\n\nOne solution was to move freight by sea rather than road.\n\nThere have been problems with paperwork for drivers travelling to the European mainland\n\nUntil now there was no reason for Irish hauliers to move from using Welsh ports and Dover, Prof Cole said.\n\n\"The route worked perfectly, there was a predictable journey time and that's important for food and component parts going to factories,\" he said.\n\n\"That kind of change required a significant shift, and that's what's there now.\"\n\nBangor University economics lecturer, Dr Edward Thomas Jones, believes it is too soon to predict longer term changes.\n\n\"Because businesses stockpiled before Christmas in anticipation of Brexit, there is of course less use of the port [at Holyhead] since Brexit,\" he said.\n\n\"On top of that, coronavirus means there are fewer tourists going on holiday to Ireland.\n\n\"We'll have a better idea of the future of the port in six months when these businesses who have stockpiled start buying again.\n\n\"Hopefully, by the second half of the year coronavirus will have been resolved and tourists will once again be able to travel back and forth.\"\n\nPlaid Cymru warned if traffic continued to be diverted away from the UK then Wales would suffer.\n\n\"I urge the UK government to work with the Welsh Government to provide substantial investment into Welsh ports to secure their viability into the future,\" said MP Hywel Williams, Plaid's Cabinet Office spokesman.\n\n\"If the trend of rerouting traffic through direct routes continues, I fear that our local economies both in the north west and south west of Wales will suffer enormously.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The four main engines were fired in unison for the first time, but had to be shut down early\n\nA critical engine test for Nasa's new \"megarocket\" has ended early, but the agency denied it amounted to a failure.\n\nShortly before 22:30 GMT (17:30 EST) on Saturday, the four engines ignited, burning for more than a minute before the event was aborted.\n\nThe core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) was being evaluated at Stennis Space Center, in Mississippi.\n\nThe engines were supposed to fire for eight minutes to simulate the rocket's climb to orbit.\n\nThe SLS is part of Nasa's Artemis programme, which aims to put Americans back on the lunar surface in the 2020s.\n\nWhen it makes its maiden flight - possibly later this year - the SLS will become the most powerful rocket ever to have flown to space.\n\nTeams at Stennis are still poring over the data to find out what happened. John Honeycutt, SLS program manager at Nasa's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, said there were \"a lot of dynamics going on\" when the engine shut down.\n\nThe engines' power levels were being throttled down and up again; they were also being prepared to pivot - or gimbal. This movement allows the rocket to be steered during flight.\n\nThe RS-25 engines are the same type that powered the space shuttle orbiter\n\n\"We did see a little bit of a flash come from around the interface between the thermal protection blanket on engine four at the time when we had initiated the gimbal,\" Honeycutt told reporters at a post-test briefing at Stennis.\n\nThe as-yet unknown problem triggered what Nasa calls a failure identification (Fid), followed by a major component failure (MCF). As a result of the fault, an onboard computer known as the engine controller sent a message to another computer called the core stage controller, which took a decision to shut down the vehicle.\n\n\"Any parameter that went awry on the engine could have sent that failure ID,\" said John Honeycutt.\n\nIt was the first time all four RS-25 engines had been ignited together, in a test known as a \"hotfire\".\n\nThe core stage of the rocket was anchored to a massive steel structure called the B-2 test stand on the grounds of the Stennis facility.\n\nTo prepare the core stage, engineers filled its tanks with more than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million litres) of super-cold liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellant.\n\nThis was the eighth and final test in the Green Run, a programme of evaluation carried out by engineers from Nasa and Boeing - the rocket's prime contractor.\n\nAlthough the test was intended to run for eight minutes, engineers would have received all the data required to certify the rocket for flight after 250 seconds.\n\nThey wanted to iron out any problems before the core stage is used for the first SLS launch, in which it will send Nasa's next-generation Orion spacecraft on a loop around the Moon.\n\nNasa's outgoing administrator Jim Bridenstine declined to call Saturday's event a failure: \"This is why we test,\" he said, adding: \"Before we put American astronauts on American rockets, that's when we need it to be perfect.\"\n\nOfficials have not yet decided whether to re-run the hotfire, or proceed with shipping the core stage to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida to prepare it for the rocket's uncrewed maiden flight, a mission called Artemis-1.\n\n\"It depends what the anomaly was and how challenging it's going to be to fix it,\" said Bridenstine.\n\nNasa administrator Jim Bridenstine said perfection wasn't a realistic expectation for the first engine test\n\nAsked whether a launch this year was still feasible, he added: \"I think it's too early to tell. As we figure out what went wrong, we're going to know what the future holds.\"\n\nHowever, if one or more of the engines needs to be replaced, there are spares waiting to be used at Stennis Space Center.\n\nThe Artemis-1 mission will evaluate how both the SLS and Orion capsule perform prior to Nasa staging a repeat of this lunar loop with astronauts in 2023.\n\nThis will be followed by the first landing on the Moon by humans since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.\n\nThe SLS consists of the 65m (212 ft) -long core stage with two smaller solid rocket boosters (SRBs) attached to the sides. Engineers at KSC have begun stacking the individual SRB segments for Artemis-1.\n\n\"This powerful rocket is going to put us in a position to be ready to support the agency and the country in deep space missions to the Moon and beyond,\" John Honeycutt said during a media briefing on Tuesday.\n\nArtwork: The initial version of the SLS - known as Block 1 - during the climb to orbit\n\nOfficials have been planning to ship the core stage to Florida in February.\n\nIts engines are of the same type that powered the spaceplane-like shuttle orbiter - America's crewed space vehicle for 30 years from 1981-2011.\n\nNasa is re-using flown hardware: the RS-25 engines used in this test helped launch 21 shuttle missions. Two were used on the last shuttle flight - STS-135 in 2011.\n\nThe four RS-25s can generate 1.6 million lbs (7 Meganewtons) of thrust - the force that propels a rocket through the air.\n\nWhen the solid rocket boosters are added to the core stage, the combined system will produce 8.8 million pounds (39.1 Meganewtons) of thrust. This will make it 15% more powerful than the giant Saturn V rocket that sent astronauts to the Moon in the 1960s and 70s.\n\nPrior to Saturday's test, John Shannon, vice president and SLS program manager at Boeing praised teams at Stennis for keeping the Green Run on track despite the pandemic and this year's particularly active hurricane season.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHomes have been evacuated as Storm Christoph batters Wales with a three-day rainstorm.\n\nNorth Wales Police were called to help some residents in Ruthin who were being told to leave their homes.\n\nThey tweeted that \"people who do not live locally are driving to the area to 'see the floods'\".\n\nA rain warning issued by the Met Office is in place until midday on Thursday, with an ice warning for parts of north and mid Wales.\n\nSouth Wales fire crews pumped out water from homes in Pontypridd and Porth, in Rhondda, and roads were blocked in Powys and Flintshire.\n\nVehicles were pulled from floods by firefighters in Tenby, Llandovery, Llandeilo and Whitland, Mid and West Wales fire service said.\n\nUp to 20cm (8in) of rain is expected to fall, with the heaviest rain forecast for the north west of Wales.\n\nThere were flood warnings in 58 areas as forecasters warned heavy rain and melting snow could affect roads. There were also 57 flood alerts - meaning flooding is possible.\n\nA yellow warning for ice was issued for the north and parts of mid Wales, starting at 01:00 on Thursday and lasting until 10:00, as rain clears.\n\nA minor landslip was reported on the mountainside above Pentre in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Natural Resources Wales, who have responsibility for the land, said there is no immediate threat after an initial inspection, but the council urged residents to keep away from the area.\n\nThe River Taf at Llanglydwen in Carmarthenshire\n\nFlood warnings are in Carmarthenshire - the River Towy and isolated properties between Llandeilo and Abergwili, the River Gwendraeth Fawr at Pontyates and Ponthenry, the River Hydfron at Llanddowror and the River Taf at Trevaughan in Whitland.\n\nThe other flood warnings cover the River Ely at Peterston-Super-Ely in Vale of Glamorgan, the River Vyrnwy in the Meifod area in Powys, the River Rhyd Hir at Riverside Terrace in Gwynedd, two for the River Wye at Glasbury and Builth Wells, the Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows, the River Dyfi at Pont ar Dyfi, the River Usk from Brecon to Glangrwyne, two at the River Severn at Abermule to Fron and Aberbechan and the River Lower Clydach at Clydach Bridge, Swansea.\n\nIn River Aeron at Aberaeron, in Ceredigion, the River Loughor at Ammanford and Llandybie and the River Wye at Builth Wells, Powys, are also covered by the warning.\n\nA person had to be saved from a car stuck in floodwater in Corwen, Denbighshire, North East Wales Search and Rescue tweeted.\n\nRest centres have been opened in St Asaph and Ruthin after some localised flooding following heavy rainfall throughout the day. Denbighshire council invited affected residents to use the facilities at the towns' main leisure centres.\n\nAnd Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called to help a motorist whose vehicle had become stuck in 3ft of water in Machynlleth.\n\nThe waters lapped the doors of Ruthin's Ocean Pearl restaurant\n\nIn Broughton, Flintshire, Ray and Jacqui Littler said they and their daughter waited all afternoon for help at their flooded bungalow after emergency services told them they were \"flat out\".\n\nThey eventually decided to leave their home on Main Road, which was under 10 inches of water, to stay with friends.\n\nNeighbours blamed a blocked culvert on the fields opposite the road. Police closed the road at about 16:00 GMT and Flintshire council attended, after three houses were affected, with the gardens of two pensioners' bungalows also under water.\n\nOverflowing banks of the River Usk at Brecon\n\nSouth Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it had been called to two incidents overnight with reports of water entering properties in Pontycymmer in Bridgend and Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent.\n\nOn Wednesday morning, it dealt with flooding at properties in Tyfica Road, Pontypridd, and Trebanog Road in Porth, Rhondda, where a crew was helping residents divert and pump out water.\n\nFirefighters also had to rescue 46 sheep from land surrounded by water at Merthyr Road, Llanfoist, Monmouthshire.\n\nCrews from Abergavenny and Ebbw Vale were called to help the stricken animals near the River Usk.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service\n\nIn Rhondda Cynon Taf, there were also reports of flooding in properties at Pembroke Street, Aberdare and Clydach Vale, Tonypandy.\n\nA tweet from Pontypridd Plaid Cymru councillor Heledd Fychan showed fast-flowing water in the River Taff which runs through the town.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. 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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nWater in the grounds of Gwydir Castle in Llanrwst\n\nJudy Corbett, owner of 16th Century Gwydir Castle in Llanrwst, Conwy, which flooded last year, told BBC Radio Wales things were \"looking pretty dire here this morning\".\n\nShe said: \"We've been obviously monitoring the levels overnight so we've had another sleepless night worrying about the weather but the levels are rising and the water is very violent this morning and of course, we've got another a whole day ahead of us.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Sabrina Lee This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSeveral roads have been hit by flooding, including the B5106 between Llanrwst and Trefriw\n\nThe Met Office warned spray and flooding could lead to \"difficult driving conditions and some road closures\" and the downpours could cause delays.\n\nTraffic Wales said restrictions were in place on the M48 Severn Bridge where traffic is coming off eastbound at junction two or westbound at junction one before being directed back on to cross the bridge, which remains open.\n\nIn Flintshire, the A548 Coast Road has been closed at Tan Lan and Mostyn, the A5118 at Padeswood, the A541 between Llong to Pontblyddyn, Bagillt High Street and the B5101 between Treuddyn and Llanfynydd.\n\nThe A485 in Garreg is also closed from the Brondaw Arms to Pont Aberglaslyn.\n\nThe Dyfi Bridge near Machynlleth is closed\n\nIn Powys, the A487 over the Dyfi Bridge, near Machynlleth, is closed while the A458 at Llanfair Caereinion is blocked in both directions from Bridge Street to Guilsfield turn-off because of flooding.\n\nThe A483 in Builth Wells at the station is also closed along with the bridge over the River Wye.\n\nCapel Bangor in Ceredigion has temporary traffic lights on the A44 at Lovesgrove Roundabout due to flooding, which is affecting traffic between Aberystwyth and Llangurig.\n\nIn Bridgend, New Inn Road has been closed in both directions at The Dipping Bridge, affecting traffic between Ewenny village and the A48.\n\nSouth Wales Police warned people not to attempt driving through floodwater after the A4118 at Llanddewi on Gower became blocked.\n\nIn Gwynedd, the council tweeted that Ffordd Siliwen, Bangor, had been closed following a landslip.\n\nA section of the A470 Dolgellau Bypass has also been closed along with the A4085 at Garreg.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by South Wales Police Swansea This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nNational Rail said some lines between North Llanrwst, Conwy, and Blaenau Ffestiniog in Gwynedd were blocked due to heavy rain while services were also disrupted between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth in Powys.\n\nAlterative road transport will run in place of cancelled services, it said.\n\nThe Met Office said 56mm (2.2in) of rain had fallen at Capel Curig in Snowdonia by 18:00 GMT on Tuesday.\n\nA yellow warning for rain is in place for virtually the whole of Wales until Thursday\n\nForecasters also said fast flowing and deep floodwater \"could cause a danger to life\".\n\nThe Met Office warned flooding could lead to some communities being cut off and possible power cuts.\n\nStrong winds will also follow the torrential rain, with forecasters predicting this may cause \"travelling difficulties across areas higher and more exposed routes\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Douglas Jones was fulfilling a lifelong dream when he became a pilot\n\nThe aviation industry has been among those hardest hit by the Covid pandemic.\n\nPilot Douglas Jones was working for Aegean Airlines, flying out of Athens, when it began.\n\nIt cost him his job and also prompted him to return to the small Scottish town where he grew up.\n\nNow he is now turning his hand to a very different line of work producing PPE, in a sector which is enjoying something of a boom.\n\nMr Jones saw much of Europe in his work with Easyjet and Aegean Airlines\n\nThe 27-year-old, who was born in Haywards Heath in Sussex but raised in Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway, was enjoying his dream job at the start of 2020.\n\nHaving gained a commercial pilot's licence, he was based in Berlin with Easyjet before landing a position in Greece.\n\n\"It is definitely what I have always wanted to do,\" he said.\n\n\"With Aegean I have flown a good way across all the major airports of Europe.\"\n\nHowever, life changed \"very quickly\" as coronavirus spread across the continent.\n\n\"I flew to Copenhagen and I flew back from Copenhagen and I was on unpaid leave when I landed back in Athens,\" he explained.\n\nFearing being stranded in Greece, he booked a flight home to Scotland and within a couple of weeks he received confirmation that his job was gone.\n\nMr Jones returned to Moffat amid fears of being stranded in Greece\n\nMr Jones said it took some time for him to fully appreciate that he would not be returning to the skies any time soon.\n\n\"Half of my stuff is still in Greece because we came back to our home countries thinking this will only be three to six months and that will be that,\" he said.\n\n\"We had just no concept of how bad this was ever going to be.\"\n\nIt meant he was back home in a region where he admits there are \"not a huge amount of options career-wise in normal times\".\n\n\"When you have been used to living in Berlin and Athens and you move back to Moffat, living with your dad, it is a bit of slowdown,\" he said.\n\n\"I was just desperate to do something, to have work.\"\n\nAlpha Solway is producing millions of masks for NHS Scotland\n\nIt was a relative of a friend who spotted south of Scotland firm Alpha Solway was hiring new workers to meet demand for personal protective equipment (PPE).\n\nAfter interview, he was offered a job in June which proved to be something of a change of pace from day one.\n\n\"I came in and I sat and cut elastic for visors for most of the day - I think I cut like something like 3km worth of elastic because one of the machines had a fault,\" he said.\n\nSince then he has helped make filter units for masks, developed standard work procedures and become a \"jack of all trades\" for the business.\n\nMr Jones said of his abilities as a pilot were useful at the PPE factory\n\nHe said he had been \"surprised\" by what parts of his old job he could bring to his new post.\n\n\"A lot in commercial aviation is about awareness - situational awareness - and a lot of that can be built into manufacturing as well,\" he said.\n\n\"When you are talking health and safety around large automated machinery you have to be aware of what things are doing and when and who is doing what.\n\n\"As a pilot - as you might like to think - we have quite a logical way of looking at things. The way we are trained to look at problems is very applicable to manufacturing.\"\n\nAn \"incredible\" summer helped ease the transition from Greece to Moffat\n\nSo how has the transition back to rural Scotland gone?\n\n\"We are so lucky that the summer we had here was quite incredible,\" said Mr Jones.\n\n\"To be out in Moffat, even during lockdown, you can access the hills, you don't have to drive outside a five-mile radius.\n\n\"You can just go out and walk and you will never see a soul.\"\n\nSome things, however, take more getting used to, like his more conventional nine to five day.\n\n\"I think that has probably been the biggest shock to my system, getting into that working routine,\" he said.\n\nAlpha Solway is taking in large numbers of new staff to cope with demand\n\nAlpha Solway secured a major contract to supply the NHS in Scotland earlier this year which has helped to keep Mr Jones \"extremely busy\".\n\nHowever, flying gets \"into your blood\" and he hopes to get back into a plane at some time in the future.\n\n\"My goal is when the jobs start to come - which they will - I will return to the sky in some capacity,\" he said.\n\n\"But it will be a double-edged sword in that I have learned a huge amount here and I have met a lot of very good people.\n\n\"I'm working with a really good team of people here - there are good people here doing a good job and I am helping at least with that.\"", "Disabled workers at one of the UK's oldest charitable enterprises, Clarity, have allegedly been denied £200,000 in wages by the new owner.\n\nThe company produces toiletries and beauty products under the Clarity, Beco and Soap Co brands.\n\nActress Joanna Lumley and Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP have spoken out strongly over the claims.\n\nNicholas Marks, who bought the company last year, says all currently employed staff have been paid.\n\nCommunity, the union which represents Clarity's workers, claims that a number of disabled employees at the firm have not been paid wages and furlough payments.\n\nStephen Steppens says he has received no money since September\n\nStephen Steppens, 60, has been blind since birth, and has worked at Clarity since 1985. He is officially on furlough until his redundancy is completed at the end of January.\n\nHe says he has received no money since September and has been relying on his savings to get by.\n\n\"I loved it,\" he says of working there. Losing the job, and the fight over the organisation's future, have taken a toll on his mental health, he says.\n\n\"I want to see justice done, not just for me, but also for my friends who are visiting food banks.\"\n\nA number of employees have brought successful employment tribunal claims for unauthorised deduction of wages against Clarity, including Mr Steppens. Clarity was ordered to pay him £706. A number of other employment tribunal claims are ongoing, according to Community.\n\nJoanna Lumley, who had been a supporter of Clarity, called it \"the best of the best\" and said she was \"shocked\" to learn of the allegations over treatment of workers. \"Justice must be done as soon as possible,\" she told BBC News.\n\nClarity was founded in 1854 by a wealthy blind woman, Elizabeth Gilbert, as the Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind, to provide opportunities for workers whom other employers overlooked because of their disabilities. Before the takeover, three-quarters of its staff were disabled people.\n\nA factory in London run by General Welfare of the Blind, about 1901\n\nIts supporters and patrons in the past have included Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens and Queen Victoria.\n\nClarity went into administration last year, as it was losing money and unable to fund the hole in its pension scheme, according to a spokesman for the administrators, FRP. In January, it was bought by Nicholas Marks.\n\nSir Iain Duncan Smith, whose London constituency is home to Clarity's headquarters, raised the issue in the House of Commons on 12 January.\n\n\"Staff have failed to receive national insurance contributions, with many failing to receive their wages or support while undertaking childcare,\" he told MPs.\n\n\"The total amount that these decent but very vulnerable people have failed to receive is now around £200,000. They cannot claim benefits because they are essentially employed.\"\n\nCommunity estimates that about 60 former employees of Clarity are still awaiting payment of their wages and furlough payments, most of them disabled workers.\n\nA spokesman for Nicholas Marks said that Sir Iain's remarks were \"highly inaccurate\" and the company \"does not recognise\" the £200,000 figure.\n\n\"The grievances echoed by Sir Iain Duncan Smith simply reflect disgruntled ex-employees. All employees currently working have been paid in full up-to-date and the company is dealing with redundancies and gross misconduct of former employees,\" he said.\n\nCommunity says it is not aware of any staff who have been dismissed for gross misconduct.\n\nThe spokesman for Mr Marks said that Mr Marks had \"saved this historic company from permanent failure\".\n\nHowever, other bids for Clarity were made, including one from the well-known social entrepreneur, Cemal Ezel, who runs the Change Please coffee business, which creates opportunities for homeless people.\n\nHe is still interested in buying the brands, he told BBC News.\n\nThough Mr Ezel's final bid was slightly higher, the administrators' report says they chose to sell to Mr Marks because he was in a better position to complete the deal by 31 January.\n\nMr Marks's spokesman said that he had to make \"some sensible commercial decisions to place it on to a proper business footing and regrettably some staff had to be let go\".\n\nOn Wednesday, Clarity's website was still running the Certified Social Enterprise mark, denoting an organisation devoted to \"creating positive social change\".\n\nThe spokesman said Clarity Products was not a social enterprise and was not \"purporting to clients\" that it was, though it retained the \"social enterprise ethos through the continued employment of fully paid disabled staff\".\n\nWrongly using the logo for nearly a year was \"simply an oversight\", and it is being removed. On Thursday morning, the website was unavailable - the company spokesman said he was not aware why.\n\nIn a response to Sir Iain's query, Treasury Minister Jesse Norman wrote that he had \"specifically asked HMRC to note the circumstances you describe, and to consider whether and how there may be a case for early intervention\".\n\nAnother company owned by Mr Marks, a Preston-based caravan maker called Lunar Automotive, was reported to HMRC by the local MP, Sir Mark Hendrick, for allegedly refusing to pay wages and pension contributions for its workers.\n\nThis company was also bought out of an administration run by FRP.\n\nMr Marks's spokesman was not able to comment in detail on the Lunar Automotive case, but said the company had not heard back from HMRC.", "The Daily Telegraph must publish a correction over a \"significantly misleading\" column written by Toby Young, press regulator Ipso has ruled.\n\nThe July 2020 article claimed the common cold could provide \"natural immunity\" to Covid-19 and London was \"probably approaching herd immunity\".\n\nBut on Thursday Ipso found the paper had \"failed to take care not to publish inaccurate and misleading information\".\n\nIpso said the paper \"did not accept it has breached the [Editors] Code\".\n\nIt said the newspaper said that Young's comments on immunity referred to \"cross-reactive T-cells\" that work to combat the virus.\n\nHowever, the media watchdog sided with the complainant, James Whitehead, in its decision, who said that while these cells \"may lessen the impact of Covid-19\" after infection, they \"would not confer 'natural immunity'\"\n\nThe ruling added Young's statement \"misrepresented the nature of immunity\".\n\nIpso also found Young's suggestion that \"London is probably approaching herd immunity, even though only 17% tested positive [for antibodies] in the most recent seroprevalence survey\" could be misleading.\n\nThere is an antibody response and a cellular response to the coronavirus\n\nThe Telegraph referred to surveys listed in an article on Young's own Lockdown Sceptics website in its defence, but the Ipso committee judged these did not accurately reflect \"how herd immunity is reached and whether it exists in London\".\n\nThe ruling concluded that the paper had breached accuracy standards on a topic of \"public importance\", but deemed a correction an appropriate sanction, given the level of \"significant scientific uncertainty\" at the time of publication.\n\nYoung told the BBC: \"I think Ipso has been put in a difficult position because our scientific understanding of the virus is constantly evolving and there is a great deal about it that scientists still disagree about.\n\n\"While some of the things I wrote in that article would be contested by some scientists, they would be confirmed by others... Have we achieved herd immunity in London? I think that's an open question and the 'case' data is unreliable because of the well-documented shortcomings of the PCR test.\n\n\"I may have been over-emphatic in putting the anti-lockdown case, but it's not as if the advocates of a pro-lockdown position are any less emphatic.\n\n\"Don't forget the WHO initially estimated the global IFR [infection fatality rate] of Covid-19 at 3.4%. The consensus now is that it's less than 1% and almost certainly a lot less. Lots of journalists faithfully reported that alarmist figure. Why hasn't Ipso reprimanded them?\"\n\nLast week Young told BBC Newsnight that some of his claims from an article he wrote in June had been \"wrong\", where he had said a second spike of Covid-19 had \"refused to materialise\" and that one-metre rule is \"unnecessary\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by BBC Newsnight This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAt the start of the year, Young, an associate editor at The Spectator and general secretary of the Free Speech Union, installed an app that auto-deletes tweets more than a week old.\n\nHe said he did so to protect against \"politically-motivated offence archaeologists\" - a move unrelated to the Ipso ruling.\n\nReacting to criticism of his past comments on coronavirus from Neil O'Brien, Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, after the deletion, Young then tweeted a defence of his stance against lockdowns.\n\n\"This is an important public debate to have,\" he wrote, \"both because it helps us assess the present government's management of the pandemic and because it will help us prepare better for the next one.\"\n\nThe UK entered a second national lockdown last week in a bid to control spiralling virus infection rates. On Wednesday, the UK saw its biggest daily death figure since the start of the pandemic, with 1,564 deaths.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Police said Graeme Perks had gone to investigate the sound of breaking glass when he was stabbed\n\nPlastic surgeons have expressed shock at the stabbing of \"one of the most highly regarded and respected surgeons\" in their profession.\n\nGraeme Perks, 65, was stabbed in his abdomen and chest during a break-in at his house in Halam, a village near Southwell in Nottinghamshire.\n\nPolice said the attack on Thursday morning had left him \"fighting for his life\" and left his family, who were upstairs at the time, \"extremely upset\".\n\nGraeme Perks has been described as \"one of the most highly regarded and respected surgeons in the profession\"\n\nMr Perks previously served as president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS).\n\nCurrent president Ruth Waters said BAPRAS had been contacted by colleagues all around the world as news of the attack spread.\n\n\"All have expressed their shock at what has happened and also their deep concern for his wellbeing and their hope for his speedy recovery,\" she said.\n\n\"It has been my good fortune and honour to know Graeme for many years. I have benefited from his kindness, generosity and extensive knowledge throughout my career in plastic surgery.\"\n\nBAPRAS described him as \"one of the most highly regarded and respected surgeons in the profession\".\n\nAs well as being a leading plastic surgeon, Mr Perks and his wife have raised thousands of pounds for charity by opening their garden to visitors. They were previously featured on BBC Radio Nottingham after raising more than £34,000.\n\nPolice were still outside the house in Halam more than 24 hours later\n\nPolice said Mr Perks had gone to investigate the sound of breaking glass at about 04:15 GMT, after an intruder is believed to have smashed his way into the house.\n\nThey said Mr Perks was stabbed and the suspect ran off.\n\nMr Perks was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham for surgery, where he remains in a serious condition.\n\nDet Insp Gayle Hart, who is leading the investigation, said: \"The swift arrest of this suspect we hope will provide some reassurance to local residents.\n\n\"This is a horrific incident which has left a man fighting for his life and his family who were upstairs at the time are extremely shocked and upset by the ordeal.\"\n\nMr Perks has served as president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS)\n\nMr Perks has previously worked in London, Sheffield, Newcastle and Melbourne, Australia.\n\nHe returned to the UK in the mid-1990s and started working in Nottingham, with a special interest in microsurgical reconstruction after cancer surgery.\n\nHe later became head of the department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.\n\nOutgoing BAPRAS president Mark Henley said: \"Graeme is an amazing colleague who it has been my pleasure and privilege to work with over the last 26 years.\n\n\"His dedication to patients, family and friends is an inspiration to us all and with his wisdom, kindness and humanity he has enabled us to achieve many things that I would never have thought possible. We are all willing him on.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The international community has missed previous deadlines on ensuring access to school\n\nBoris Johnson says it is his \"fervent belief\" that improving girls' education in developing countries is the best way to \"lift communities out of poverty\".\n\nThe prime minister has announced MP Helen Grant as a special envoy for efforts to support girls' education.\n\nIt is expected to be a key theme of the UK's presidency this year of the G7 group of major industrial countries.\n\n\"It can change the fortunes of not just individual women and girls, but communities and nations,\" says the PM.\n\nEven before the pandemic, millions of children in developing countries did not have any access to school - and girls from disadvantaged families are particularly vulnerable to missing out on education. whether through poverty or prejudice.\n\nThe Covid pandemic has created even more barriers to education, with a peak of 1.6 billion children around the world having faced school closures.\n\nBoris Johnson wants girls' education to be a focus of the UK's G7 presidency\n\nMr Johnson, as foreign secretary and prime minister, has previously highlighted girls' education as a key to improving the health, wealth and security of the poorest countries.\n\nHe once described it as the \"Swiss army knife\" of development, as getting girls to stay in education could avoid early marriage, improve their chances of getting a job and provide more income for children to be better fed.\n\nThe prime minister said the international target of ensuring all girls can have 12 years of good quality education would be the \"simplest and most transformative thing we can do\" to tackle poverty and to \"end the scourge of gender-based violence\".\n\n\"The benefits of educating girls are enormous - a child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to live past the age of five and twice as likely to attend school themselves. With just one additional school year, a woman's earnings can increase by up to a fifth,\" said Mr Johnson.\n\nHelen Grant, now the special envoy for girls' education, said: \"High quality female education empowers women, reduces poverty and unleashes economic growth.\n\n\"I will be making it my mission to encourage a more ambitious approach to girls' education from the international community.\"\n\nThere has been a series of pledges from the international community over the past three decades to provide at least a primary school education for all children - all of which have been missed.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said hosting the G7 should be a chance for the UK to act as a \"moral force for good in the world\", but accused the Conservatives of engaging in \"a decade of global retreat\".\n\n\"We need to seize this chance to lead again, just as Blair and Brown did over global poverty and the financial crisis.\"", "Everyone has heard about doctors and nurses catching Covid-19 but some of the worst affected hospital staff have been cleaners and porters. Dr John Wright of Bradford Royal Infirmary tells the story of a cleaner who became ill, and is now stricken with guilt for taking the virus home.\n\nThe first person I see early each morning when I arrive at the hospital is our cleaner, Karen Smith. During 10 months of uncertainty, Karen has been the one constant, apart from a few weeks in spring, when she was ill with Covid-19.\n\nUsually Karen cleans the offices of the hospital's Institute for Health Research, but in the first wave of the pandemic she was called to the Covid wards. It was a frightening time for everyone, but Karen volunteered for an extra shift on Good Friday as there was a staff shortage - and on that day she thinks she was infected.\n\nWe know that working in hospitals increases your risk of infection by a factor of three, but this risk is not evenly spread. Antibody tests carried out in many NHS hospitals over the summer showed it was not the ICU consultants or infectious \"red zone\" clinical staff who had the highest rate of infection, but porters and cleaners working in those areas. Their risk of infection was double that of their clinical colleagues.\n\nThis heightened risk for hospital staff also applies to their household contacts.\n\nAs she cleaned the hospital in April, Karen was scared not for herself, but for her family. She and her husband, Mal, had moved into a caravan in Mal's parents' garden, while his mother was ill with cancer - and they stayed on after she died, to support Mal's 80-year-old father, Malcolm. Mal, a hospital porter, was shielding because he has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and Malcolm senior was clearly vulnerable because of his age.\n\nStopping work, however, was not a luxury Karen could afford. And unlike some hospital staff who were housed in hotels to protect their families, she went back home every night.\n\nShe became ill towards the end of April, followed by Mal at the beginning of May. The weather was hot, she remembers, as they coughed and wheezed in the caravan.\n\n\"It was like being in a tin box,\" she says. \"I got Covid and couldn't get over it properly. And then Mal got it and his was on another level compared to mine - and then his dad got ill, and that was a different ball game altogether.\"\n\nProf John Wright, a doctor and epidemiologist, is head of the Bradford Institute for Health Research, and a veteran of cholera, HIV and Ebola epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa. He is writing this diary for BBC News and recording from the hospital wards for BBC Radio.\n\nThe couple had to go inside the house to cook and to use the bathroom but did their best to keep away from the elderly Malcolm, who would go into a different room whenever they entered.\n\n\"We tried so, so hard not to give it to him - but then he got ill and he just went to his bed. Honestly, he was just like a little child, under the quilt looking all bewildered. He started with the shivers and we rang 111. They said to bring him to Accident and Emergency to get him tested, and we couldn't believe it when it came back positive,\" Karen says.\n\nLater, he was brought into hospital. I have fond memories of meeting Malcolm on the ward after he was admitted, acutely struggling with symptoms of cough and shortness of breath from his Covid infection. He was a kind and gentle man, stoical and patient.\n\nHe was adamant that he had been careful to keep his distance from Karen and Mal in the house, but admitted wandering over to show them articles in the Telegraph and Argus - Bradford's daily newspaper - whenever I was mentioned in it. I felt strangely culpable that I might have been the cause of the transmission.\n\nMalcolm made a good recovery and was eager to be discharged. But Covid is an unpredictable illness, and it can happen that improvements in a patient's condition are followed by a sharp deterioration. And this is what happened with Malcolm soon after he arrived home.\n\n\"He didn't want to go back into hospital - he said to get him some Tunes because they would help him breathe,\" says Karen. \"But nothing could help him, he was so, so ill. We had to say to him, 'No, you've got Covid and you need proper medical care.' He was such a lovely man, bless him.\"\n\nMalcolm was readmitted after two nights at home and died on 28 May.\n\nMalcolm as he turned 80, visiting his brother in Canada\n\nKaren returned to work. But like many people who have had this illness, she has been suffering the after-effects, both physically and mentally. She's now on an inhaler for breathlessness, can barely taste anything seven months later, and is constantly tired. She is also receiving medication for anxiety because of the fear that she will have to return to the Covid wards, where potentially she could get ill again.\n\nAnd in her case there is the added pain of having lost a loved one, mixed with feelings of guilt.\n\n\"When I start to think about him the tears come and sometimes I'll be crying almost all day - cleaning and crying. If I'm having a bad day, I won't be able to talk,\" she says.\n\n\"The guilt is always there, as I'll never know for sure where he picked it up. Mal's dad didn't set foot out of the door, and so in my head I feel such guilt, because we had to go into the house, we didn't have any choice. I go over it all but it's hard to escape from, because I got it, Mal got it and then his Dad got it. Deep down I think that's what's happened, and it will take time to come to terms with.\"\n\nKaren has been referred for counselling, but there is a long waiting list.\n\nBoth Karen and Mal also had to wait for the vaccine, though both had it on Wednesday. This was a huge relief for Karen, as anything that reduces her chance of reinfection also helps her cope with her anxiety. If NHS trusts are serious about following the science then arguably they should be vaccinating cleaners and porters first.\n\nThe fear of transmitting the virus to our loved ones at home is the ghost that haunts all front-line staff. Many went into isolation during the first wave, but this was never a sustainable approach, and with a virus that is so contagious and an environment in which it is so prevalent, transmission to family members is unfortunately common.\n\nKaren and Mal personify this occupational risk, and its potential deadly impact.", "Doctors and nurses need protection from prosecution over Covid-19 treatment decisions made under the pressures of the pandemic, medical bodies have said.\n\nGroups including the British Medical Association have written to ministers saying medical workers fear they could be at risk of unlawful killing charges.\n\nIt comes as the UK's chief medical officers said the NHS could be overwhelmed in weeks.\n\nThe government said staff should not have to fear legal action.\n\nThe letter from the health organisations points out that the prime minister warned in November that the NHS being overwhelmed would be a \"medical and moral disaster\", where \"doctors and nurses could be forced to choose which patients to treat, who would live and who would die\".\n\nIt said: \"With the chief medical officers now determining that there is a material risk of the NHS being overwhelmed within weeks, our members are worried that not only do they face being put in this position but also that they could subsequently be vulnerable to a criminal investigation by the police.\"\n\nCo-ordinated by the Medical Protection Society (MPS), the letter was signed by the British Medical Association, the Doctors' Association UK, the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and Medical Defence Shield.\n\nIt calls for emergency legislation to protect doctors and nurses from \"inappropriate\" legal action when dealing with circumstances outside their control.\n\nExisting guidance for doctors and nurses on when to administer or withdraw treatment does not give legal protection, the letter says.\n\nIt also says the guidance does not consider the circumstances of the pandemic where demand for healthcare may outstrip supply.\n\n\"The first concern of a doctor is their patients and providing the highest standard of care at all times,\" the medical bodies said.\n\n\"We do not believe it is right that healthcare professionals should suffer from the moral injury and long-term psychological damage that could result from having to make decisions on how limited resources are allocated, while at the same time being left vulnerable to the risk of prosecution for unlawful killing.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What does it mean if the NHS is overwhelmed?\n\nThe medical organisations said no healthcare professional should be \"above the law\" and that the emergency legislation should only apply to decisions made \"in good faith\" and \"in circumstances beyond their control and in compliance with relevant guidance\".\n\nThey said the change in the law should be temporary and should apply retrospectively from the start of the pandemic.\n\nMedical staff in the NHS are protected financially from clinical negligence claims by indemnity schemes where the state pays the costs of claims.\n\nBut if someone dies as a result of a lack of treatment, doctors and nurses fear prosecutors could bring charges such as gross negligence manslaughter, which can carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.\n\nEarlier this month, a survey by the MPS of 2,420 of its members found that 61% were concerned about facing an investigation following a decision made in a high-pressure situation.\n\nAbout 36% were concerned about being investigated for a decision to withdraw or withhold life-prolonging treatment due to pressure on resources during the pandemic.\n\nA Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: \"Dedicated frontline NHS staff should be able to focus on treating patients and saving lives during the pandemic without fear of legal action.\"\n\nNHS staff have been told that existing indemnity arrangements will continue and will cover \"the vast majority of liabilities\", the spokesman said.", "Scottish fishermen have resorted to sailing to Denmark to land their catch as Brexit red tape continues to delay exports, an industry body has said.\n\nThe Scottish Fishermen's Federation, which campaigned to leave the EU, also said the Brexit trade deal was the worst of both worlds for the industry.\n\nMany fishermen \"now fear for their future\", it said.\n\nThe UK government said the deal would \"bring immediate gains to our fishermen and women across the whole UK\".\n\nLate last year, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) said it was \"deeply aggrieved\" by the Brexit deal.\n\nFishing firms have also warned of impending bankruptcy as delays continue at ports following the introduction of post-Brexit regulations.\n\nOn Friday, the SFF kept up the pressure on the UK government.\n\nIn a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, it said some fishermen \"are now making a 72-hour round trip to land fish in Denmark, as the only way to guarantee that their catch will make a fair price and actually find its way to market while still fresh enough to meet customer demands\".\n\nQuotas are used by many countries to manage shared fish stocks. They determine how many fish of each species each country's fleets are allowed to catch.\n\nThe SFF said that Brexit quota gains \"can hardly be claimed as a resounding success\" and that the Brexit deal \"actually leaves the Scottish industry in a worse position on more than half of the key stocks\".\n\n\"This industry now finds itself in the worst of both worlds,\" said SFF chief executive Elspeth Macdonald, accusing Prime Minister Boris Johnson of broken promises on quotas.\n\nThe \"desperately poor deal\" reached on quotas, under which the EU \"have full access to our waters\" means that the UK has \"no ability to leverage more fish from the EU\", she said.\n\n\"This, coupled with the chaos experienced since 1 January in getting fish to market, means that many in our industry now fear for their future, rather than look forward to it with optimism and ambition,\" Ms Macdonald added.\n\nThe Scottish National Party said the letter was \"an utterly devastating verdict on Brexit from Scotland's fishing industry\".\n\nAn SNP spokesperson said the Scottish fishing industry was \"right to be angry\" about the Brexit deal, which it said was costing Scotland's fishing communities millions of pounds.\n\nThe spokesman called on the prime minister to deliver \"a multi-billion pound package of Brexit compensation for Scotland\", adding: \"Communities across Scotland will never forgive the Tories for the damage they are doing to our country with their extreme Brexit obsession.\"\n\nA UK government spokesperson said the Prime Minister would respond to the SFF letter in due course.\n\nThe spokesperson said: \"We have now taken back control of our waters and the agreement we have reached with the EU secures a 25% transfer of quota from EU to UK vessels over five years, starting with 15% this year.\"\n\nThe spokesperson said the government was looking at providing additional financial support for the Scottish fishing industry, which it recognised was facing \"some temporary issues\".\n\n\"The Prime Minister has already committed to investing £100m in the UK's fishing industry and provided the Scottish government with nearly £200m to minimise disruption for businesses,\" the spokesperson added.", "Louis Godwin said receiving the vaccine was \"no trouble at all\" and encouraged others to have it as soon as they could\n\nSalisbury Cathedral has been transformed into a vaccination centre with an RAF veteran being one of the first to receive the Covid-19 jab.\n\nFormer Flight Sergeant Louis Godwin, 95, gave a thumbs-up after being vaccinated in the cathedral, which dates back more than 800 years.\n\n\"I was so pleased to get it, especially in a setting like this,\" he said.\n\nOrganisers were aiming to vaccinate 1,000 people aged over 80 with the Pfizer/BioNTech jab on Saturday.\n\nPeople queuing to receive their vaccines at Salisbury Cathedral on Saturday\n\nMr Godwin, a great-grandfather of 12, joined the RAF aged 18 in 1943 and served as an air gunner during World War Two.\n\n\"I've had many jabs in my time, especially in the RAF. After the war, I was sent to Egypt and I had a couple of jabs which knocked me over for a week,\" he said.\n\n\"This one, the doctor said to me 'well that's done' and I thought he hadn't started. So it's no trouble at all and no pain.\"\n\nA health worker prepares the vaccine to be administered at the cathedral\n\nStella Bennett, 88, said she felt \"safer\" after receiving the jab.\n\n\"It was easy. I live on my own so it has been hard but I've managed. At least I'm at home and not in hospital with it,\" she said.\n\nDerek Burnett was also among those inoculated against the virus on Saturday.\n\n\"I feel unbelievably relieved as lockdown has been a big strain. It takes a big weight off my mind,\" said the 81-year-old.\n\nOrganisers hoped to vaccinate 1,000 people aged over 80 during the day\n\nThe Very Rev Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury described the vaccines as \"a real sign of hope for us at the end of this very, very difficult year\".\n\n\"I doubt that anyone is having a jab in surroundings that are more beautiful than this so I hope it will ease people as they come into the building,\" he said.\n\nThe Very Rev Nicholas Papadopulos, Dean of Salisbury, described hosting the event as \"absolutely wonderful\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Parts of the UK were blanketed in snow on Saturday as forecasters warned of the potential for disruption.\n\nEast Anglia woke up to a thick layer that had settled overnight and there were warnings that rural communities could be \"cut off\", with up to 8cm (3in) of snow forecast.\n\nPeople in eastern England were warned to expect power cuts and travel delays.\n\nHowever, by midday snow had stopped falling across most parts of the UK, replaced by rain and sleet in places.\n\nSome further light snow is still expected in the hills and mountains of Scotland.\n\nParts of Wales and Northern Ireland were mostly cloudy, with some bands of rain in the northern regions.\n\nThe Met Office had predicted between 4-8cm (1.5-3in) of snow could fall in the worst-affected regions, and warned drivers to accelerate their cars \"gently\" and leave a large gap between surrounding vehicles.\n\nBut the worst of the wintry weather has passed and earlier amber and yellow weather warnings have been cancelled.\n\nA man trekking through the snow at a golf course in Gleneagles\n\nGreg Dewhurst, a Met Office forecaster, said earlier that Saturday was expected to be the colder of the two days over the weekend.\n\nHe said: \"Temperatures are unlikely to rise above 10C, with a lot of areas closer to freezing.\"\n\nThere were also 25 flood warnings across England on Saturday\n\nLuke Miall, meteorologist at the Met Office, said earlier patches of snow could reach parts of Greater London.\n\nHe said the snow had the potential to cause some \"fairly significant disruption\".\n\nThere were also 22 flood warnings across England on Saturday, stretching from the South East to the North East, meaning \"immediate action is required\", according to the Environment Agency.\n\nThis is expected to clear up in the evening, going into Sunday, when southern and eastern parts of the UK will see dry, sunny spells.\n\nNorth-western regions are expected to see showers, with a \"spell of more persistent rain\" later on in the day.\n\nThe coronavirus vaccine rollout has been affected by the weather.\n\nOn Friday, over-80s who were due to receive their jab at Newcastle's Centre for Life were told they could rebook rather than risk making a trip in the icy conditions.\n\nAnd Leeds University has delayed the opening of its asymptomatic Covid-19 test centre.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prime Minister Boris Johnson: \"We will temporarily close all travel corridors from 0400 on Monday\"\n\nThe UK is to close all travel corridors from Monday morning to \"protect against the risk of as yet unidentified new strains\" of Covid, the PM has said.\n\nAnyone flying into the country from overseas will have to show proof of a negative Covid test before setting off.\n\nIt comes as a ban on travellers from South America and Portugal came into force on Friday over concerns about a new variant identified in Brazil.\n\nBoris Johnson said the new rules would be in place until at least 15 February.\n\nA further 1,280 people with coronavirus have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive test, taking the total to 87,291.\n\nThe latest government figures on Friday also showed another 55,761 new cases had been reported - up from 48,682 the previous day.\n\nMeanwhile, more than two million people around the world have now died with the virus since the pandemic began, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.\n\nSpeaking at a Downing Street press conference, the prime minister said it was \"vital\" to take extra measures now \"when day by day we are making such strides in protecting the population\".\n\n\"It's precisely because we have the hope of that vaccine and the risk of new strains coming from overseas that we must take additional steps now to stop those strains from entering the country.\"\n\nAll travel corridors will close from 04:00 GMT on Monday. After that, arrivals to the UK will need to quarantine for up to 10 days, unless they test negative after five days.\n\nMr Johnson, who said the rules would apply across the UK after talks with the devolved administrations, added that the government would be stepping up enforcement at the border and in the country.\n\nTravel corridors were introduced in the summer to allow people travelling from some countries with low numbers of Covid cases to come to the UK without having to quarantine on arrival.\n\nTrade body Airlines UK said it supported the latest restrictions \"on the assumption\" that the government would remove them \"when it is safe to do so\".\n\nChief executive Tim Alderslade said travel corridors were \"a lifeline for the industry\" last summer but \"things change and there's no doubting this is a serious health emergency\".\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was the \"right step\" but called the timing of the decision \"slow again\", adding that the public would be thinking \"why on earth didn't this happen before\".\n\nThe prime minister warned that the NHS was facing \"extraordinary pressures\", having had the highest number of hospital admissions on a single day of the pandemic earlier this week.\n\nHe said that came on Tuesday when there were 4,134 new admissions, while the UK currently has more than 37,000 Covid patients in hospitals.\n\nMr Johnson said that once the most vulnerable have been vaccinated by mid-February \"we will think about what steps we could take to lift the restrictions\".\n\nEngland is currently under a national lockdown, meaning people must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nSimilar measures are in place across much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nAlso speaking at the No 10 briefing, England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty said the restrictions would need to be lifted gradually by \"testing what works, and then if that works going the next step\".\n\nHe said the peak of people entering hospital would be in the next week to 10 days for most places, but \"we hope\" the peak of infections \"already has happened\" in the south-east, east and London.\n\n\"The peak of deaths I fear is in the future, the peak of hospitalisations in some parts of the country may be around about now and beginning to come off the very, very top,\" he said.\n\nA ban on travellers from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde entering the UK came into force on Friday morning as a result of a new, potentially more infectious variant of coronavirus linked to Brazil.\n\nThe government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance told the press briefing that some of the new variants may be able to \"get round\" the Covid vaccines but it was \"really quite easy\" to adjust the vaccines to deal with mutations in the virus.\n\nNew variants causing concern have previously been identified in the UK and South Africa, with many countries imposing restrictions on arrivals from both nations.\n\nPublic Health England said a total of 35 genomically confirmed and 12 genomically probable cases of the Covid-19 variant which originated in South Africa have been identified in the UK as of 14 January.\n\nEarlier, a leading scientist said one of the two variants first detected in Brazil had been found in the UK - but not the variant that was causing concern.\n\n\"I think it is likely that the vaccine we have now is going to protect against the UK variant and is going to provide protection I suspect against the other variants as well,\" said Sir Patrick. \"The question is to what degree.\"\n\nLatest figures show that more than three million people in the UK have now received the first dose of a vaccine - 3,234,946 - an increase of 316,694 from the previous day.\n\nSir Patrick said he expected the vaccines would reduce transmission of the virus but that \"we shouldn't go mad\" as jabs are rolled out because a risk would remain.\n\n\"Just because you've been vaccinated doesn't mean you can't catch this and pass it on, it means you're protected against severe disease,\" he added.\n\nMeanwhile, the latest estimate of the UK's R number - which is the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to on average - is 1.2 to 1.3, compared with 1-1.4 last week.\n\nBut in London, where tight restrictions came in earlier, the R number is lower - between 0.9 and 1.2.\n\nIn Wales, new laws for shoppers and staff are to be introduced after \"significant evidence\" coronavirus is being spread in supermarkets.\n\nAre you due to travel back to the UK from overseas? Share your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The French government has imposed a nationwide curfew from 6pm - 6am to fight the surge in cases of coronavirus.\n\nWhile some departments were already under these restrictions, the majority of France was under an 8pm - 6am curfew.\n\nFrench Prime Minister Jean Castex said the measures would be in place for at least 15 days.", "Northern Ireland's statistics agency has recorded its highest weekly Covid-19 related registered deaths since the pandemic began.\n\nNisra said 145 deaths were registered in the first week of 2021, although administrative delays over Christmas may have affected the number.\n\nThat brings the agency's death toll to 1,976 by 8 January.\n\nThe figures come as the chief medical officers from NI and the Republic issued a joint stay-at-home plea.\n\nDr Michael McBride and Dr Tony Holohan said they were \"gravely concerned\" about the \"unsustainably high level of Covid-19 infection\" across the island of Ireland.\n\nConcern was raised in the Republic of Ireland this week as figures showed it has the world's highest number of confirmed new Covid-19 cases per million people.\n\nOn Friday evening, the Irish Department of Health reported 50 further deaths with Covid-19 and 3,498 new cases of the virus. More than half (54%) of those newly diagnosed are under the age of 45.\n\nNorthern Ireland is in the third week of a six-week lockdown, with ministers scheduled to review measures next week.\n\nHowever, health officials have warned that an extension of the restrictions could be required to reduce pressure on the health service.\n\nOf the 2,019 deaths recorded by Nisra by 8 January, 1,247 (62%) occurred in hospital, 622 (31%) in care homes, 12 (0.6%) in hospices and 138 (7%) at residential addresses or other locations.\n\nPeople aged 75 and over account for just over three-quarters of all Covid-19 related registered deaths (77.6%) between 19 March 2020 and 8 January 2021.\n\nJust over a fifth (22.2%) of all Covid-19 related registered deaths have been of people with an address in the Belfast council area.\n\nMeanwhile, the Department of Health reported 26 further Covid-related deaths on Friday.\n\nFive of these deaths did not occur in the past 24 hours.\n\nThe Department of Health bases its figures on a positive test result being recorded, whereas Nisra figures are based on mentions of the virus on death certificates, so people may or may not have been confirmed to have contracted the virus prior to death.\n\nA further 1,052 individuals have tested positive for Covid-19 and 63 patients are being treated in intensive care units, 47 of whom are on ventilators.\n\nThe chief medical officers warned the high infection rate was having a \"significant impact\" on the health of the population and the \"safe functioning\" of the healthcare systems.\n\nThey said the public should avoid all unnecessary journeys, including cross-border travel.\n\nPointing out that many of the patients admitted to hospital in January have been younger than 65, they warned coronavirus could affect anyone, \"regardless of age or underlying condition\".\n\n\"It highlights the need for us all to protect one another by staying at home,\" said the medical officers.\n\nNorthern Ireland's spike in infections has been put down to an easing of restrictions over Christmas.\n\nAsked if he regretted being part of the decision to ease restrictions, Health Minister Robin Swann said the executive had tried to be balanced in its approach.\n\n\"I regret the pressures we see now in our hospitals, but let's remember it's caused by this virus, we have it in our power to bring it back under control and get us back to where we were in the summer,\" he told BBC News NI on Friday.\n\nMr Swann pleaded with people to follow the current restrictions.\n\n\"We're in the middle of a very tough six-week scenario, and how we come out of this will be a more graduated approach to make sure we get the benefits of what we've already done, and also the benefits of the vaccine.\"", "Holiday firms say they are expecting more people to take holidays in the UK this year\n\nStaycations are expected to boom in 2021 after lockdown ends, UK holiday firms have said.\n\nBosses at the Caravan and Motorhome Club said the lifting of restrictions would be like \"a cork popping from a bottle\".\n\nDirector general Nick Lomas said although coronavirus had hit the industry hard, they were optimistic about the coming season.\n\nOther firms said they also expected more people to holiday in the UK.\n\nMr Lomas said: \"2020 was a very difficult year for the tourism and hospitality sector.\"\n\nThe West Sussex-based Caravan and Motorhome Club had suffered \"significant financial losses\", he said.\n\nHowever, he added: \"When our campsites were allowed to be open last year we actually saw record levels of bookings, with new memberships up by 14%.\n\n\"Sadly, this surge does not make up for the losses we suffered during nearly six months of lockdown.\"\n\nDuring the first lockdown popular resorts like Skegness were largely deserted\n\nBut, despite the current restrictions, Mr Lomas said he had every reason to believe this year could finish as one of \"the best and busiest yet\", due to the appetite for outdoor UK holidays.\n\n\"In fact, we think that 2021 is going to be like a cork popping from a bottle,\" he said.\n\nOperators say people are keen to experience the \"great outdoors\" once restrictions are lifted\n\nExperience Freedom, which operates glamping holidays in the UK, said bookings for 2021 were already up as people looked to spend more time in the \"great outdoors\".\n\nLincoln-based Anne's Vans said they were expecting a \"bumper year\"\n\nSmaller operators such as Anne's Vans, based in Lincoln, are also expecting to benefit.\n\nOwner Anne Davies said so far they had no bookings, saying \"uncertainty over when lockdown will end\" was putting people off at the moment.\n\nHowever, she said: \"Based on last year's experience we are expecting a bumper year in 2021... once this latest lockdown is over.\"\n\nThe Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority said it was inundated with visitors after restrictions were lifted last year\n\nThe chief executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, David Butterworth, said visitor numbers after the first lockdown ended were \"unprecedented\".\n\n\"The challenge for 2021 is to capitalise on this trend, and capture the hearts and minds of the people who have experienced the Dales for the first time to make sure they keep coming back,\" he added.", "Boris Johnson has said there is still a very substantial risk of intensive care units in hospitals being overwhelmed by the spread of the coronavirus.\n\nIt comes on a day when the UK has recorded the highest number of deaths in a single day in Europe.\n\nFergal Keane last visited the Imperial Healthcare Trust’s St Mary’s and Charing Cross hospital in London last April.\n\nHe's been back to see how they're coping.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Saturday morning. We'll have another update for you on Sunday.\n\nThe UK will face short-term delays in delivery of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, as the pharmaceutical company makes modifications to its plant in Belgium. But the government says it still plans on achieving its target of vaccinating all top four priority groups by 15 February. Six EU nations have called the situation \"unacceptable\" and warned it \"decreases the credibility of the vaccination process\". Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia urged the EU to apply pressure on Pfizer-BioNTech. Pfizer says the reduced deliveries are a temporary issue, and the changes being made to its plant will speed up production in the longer term. So will a vaccine give us our old lives back?\n\nNew tighter Covid restrictions have come into force in Scotland with changes for takeaway outlets and click and collect shopping. Among the six new rules announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, customers buying takeaway food and coffee are no longer allowed inside premises, and staff must serve from a hatch or doorway. Plus, only retailers selling essential items - clothing, footwear, baby equipment, homeware and books - can now provide click and collect services. Customer collections can only be made outdoors, with staggered pick-up times to avoid queues.\n\nEveryone has heard about doctors and nurses catching Covid-19, but some of the worst affected hospital staff have been cleaners and porters. Dr John Wright of Bradford Royal Infirmary tells the story of a cleaner who became ill while doing her job, and is now stricken with guilt for taking the virus home.\n\nIt is almost a month since Christmas was \"downsized\" across the country. But in most parts of the UK, people did meet in Christmas \"bubbles\" if only for just one day. So what impact did this have? The overall picture shows a sharp increase in cases around this time. However, a closer look at the numbers suggests this trend was already happening and was probably caused by the new, more infectious variant of the virus rather than increased contact between people. Take a closer look at what happened over Christmas.\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nAnd if you're wondering whether you can catch the virus outside, our science editor David Shukman considers the risks.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Louis Godwin descibed the vaccine as \"no trouble at all\" Image caption: Louis Godwin descibed the vaccine as \"no trouble at all\"\n\nAn RAF veteran has been among hundreds of people over 80 to receive the Covid-19 vaccine at Salisbury Cathedral, in Wiltshire, today.\n\nFormer Flight Sergeant Louis Godwin described receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech jab as \"absolutely marvellous\".\n\nThe landmark cathedral is hosting a vaccination hub for five GP surgeries in the area, with the aim of vaccinating more than 1,000 elderly residents and staff.\n\nMr Godwin recalled having jabs in Egypt after the war \"which knocked me over for a week\".\n\n\"This one, the doctor said to me 'well that's done' - and I thought he hadn't started!\"\n\nThe veteran pilot, who has 12 great-grandchildren, said the pandemic could not be compared to the war.\n\n\"It was entirely different because this has divided people.\n\n\"The vaccine is nothing, you don't feel a thing... so anybody that needs one and can get one, I would say go ahead and do it quickly.\n\n\"It's the only way we're going to beat the virus.\"\n\nPatients queued for a short time around the cloisters on Saturday, before going into the cathedral where they were treated to a programme of music on the famous Father Willis organ.\n\n\"It is a bonus to be in such a iconic, wonderful place,\" said Dr Dan Henderson, co-clinical director for the Sarum South Primary Care Network.\n\n\"It's great to be getting the vaccine out there and getting them in people's arms and knowing that this is hopefully the start of some sort of normality again.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Cricket\n\nLahiru Thirimanne's unbeaten 76 frustrated England as Sri Lanka fought back on the third day of the first Test in Galle.\n\nBowled out for 135 in the first innings, Sri Lanka showed great spirit to reach 156-2 - trailing by 130 - after England had posted 421.\n\nJoe Root progressed to a magnificent fourth Test double century before he was last man out for 228 as England lost their last six wickets for 49 runs.\n\nSam Curran and Jack Leach took a wicket apiece in Sri Lanka's second innings, but off-spinner Dom Bess rarely threatened on a pitch that has offered assistance to spin since day one.\n\nKusal Perera contributed 62 to an opening stand of 101 with the patient Thirimanne, who was dropped on 51 by Dom Sibley at gully as he compiled his highest Test score since 2013.\n\nThe left-hander will resume alongside nightwatchman Lasith Embuldeniya at 04:15 GMT on Sunday.\n\nEngland all-rounder Moeen Ali, who tested positive for coronavirus upon arrival in Sri Lanka, spent time at the ground in the afternoon after finishing his quarantine period.\n\nFor the first time in two years, England failed to take a wicket in the first 30 overs - with seamers Curran, Stuart Broad and Mark Wood finding the going tough given the minimal swing or seam movement on offer.\n\nHowever, credit must be paid to the Sri Lanka openers. Thirimanne and Perera were criticised for their first-innings failures, but their century stand was the first time in six Tests that a Sri Lanka opening pair had survived longer than 10 overs.\n\nPerera showed restraint - he scored at a strike-rate of 57, compared to 74 over his Test career - but hit Leach over mid-wicket for six and swept and also drove well before slapping a Curran long hop to wide third man.\n\nThirimanne, who averaged 22 in 70 Test innings before this match, was happy to play second fiddle to Perera, although he did find the leg-side boundary with flicks and sweeps.\n\nHaving taken 5-30 in the first innings, Bess failed to maintain a consistent length and allowed Thirimanne and Perera to play off the back foot too often.\n\nLeft-arm spinner Leach, who bowled more accurately, failed with a review for lbw against Thirimanne on 61 before having Kusal Mendis caught behind off a beautiful delivery that turned and bounced in what proved to be the penultimate over of the day.\n\nResuming on 168, Root reached his fourth Test double century with the minimum of fuss.\n\nHe showed more intent than on day two - when he was happy for debutant Dan Lawrence to take more risks - hitting the third ball of the day to the cover boundary before driving down the ground for six.\n\nIt was almost fitting that Root reached 200 with a sweep for four - it was a productive shot throughout his innings, with 88 runs coming via sweeps and reverse sweeps.\n\nIn his 321-ball innings Root became the eighth Englishman to pass 8,000 Test runs - in 178 innings, two more than Kevin Pietersen, who holds the record.\n\nEngland passed 400 in the first innings for the sixth time in their past 12 Tests, having failed to do so in their previous 23.\n\nBut they lost their last six wickets in 13 overs as they chased quick runs, possibly with an eye on the rain forecast later in the game.\n\nSri Lanka were much more disciplined than on the previous two days, with pace bowler Asitha Fernando impressing, while off-spinner Dilruwan Perera mopped up the tail to finish with 4-109.\n• 372-6: Sam Curran is bowled first ball as Fernando gets one to nip back and crash into off stump.\n• 382-7: Dom Bess disagrees and is well short of his ground, a third wicket to fall in 12 balls.\n• 398-8: Jack Leach is trapped lbw for four by Dilruwan Perera.\n• 406-9: Mark Wood toe-ends a sweep straight up in the air to be caught by Niroshan Dickwella off Dilruwan Perera.\n• 421 all out: Joe Root holes out on the mid-wicket boundary.\n\n'Chasing anything will be tricky' - reaction\n\nEngland captain Joe Root on BBC Test Match Special: \"It feels good to be in the position we are.\n\n\"It would have been nice to get a couple more wickets tonight but that one late on is a real bonus for us.\n\n\"It gives us a great opportunity in morning to apply a lot of pressure and hammer home what is a strong advantage in this game.\"\n\nEngland all-rounder Sam Curran: \"It is a strange looking wicket. It played a bit better than we thought this evening.\n\n\"It didn't offer much for the seamers and there was real slow turn for the spinners. The two openers played really well.\"\n\nFormer England captain Michael Vaughan: \"Sri Lanka came back really well - they have shown fight and discipline.\n\n\"If Sri Lanka bat the whole day tomorrow things will get interesting. Chasing anything on last day becomes tricky.\n\n\"I expect England will take eight wickets tomorrow and win the game.\"\n\nFormer England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent: \"Sri Lanka really have fought back well. It is good to see.\n\n\"If weather plays a factor and there is some resistance from the lower order this could bubble into an exciting finish.\"\n• None Hear how David Bowie always managed to stay ahead of his time\n• None Joe Wicks and guests are here to bring positivity to your day", "The funeral of Gerry and the Pacemakers singer Gerry Marsden has been held at a church near his beloved River Mersey.\n\nMarsden died, aged 78, in hospital on 3 January following a blood infection.\n\nAs the frontman in the band Gerry and the Pacemakers, his hits included Ferry Cross The Mersey and a cover version of You'll Never Walk Alone.\n\nEx-Liverpool boss Sir Kenny Dalglish was among the mourners at the funeral which had to remain small because of Covid restrictions.\n\nSir Kenny managed the club at the time of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, which led to the deaths of 96 fans who were attending an FA Cup game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.\n\nGerry Marsden sings You'll Never Walk Alone before an Anfield match in 2010\n\nSir Kenny said: \"You'll Never Walk Alone has huge meaning to the lives of Liverpool supporters around the world and is synonymous with the club.\n\n\"He will be sadly missed by those who knew him and the millions he never got to meet.\"\n\nYou'll Never Walk Alone became a football terrace anthem for Marsden's hometown club soon after it topped the charts in 1963.\n\nThe song was played during the funeral by a guitarist while a version of Marsden singing Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying, a song he wrote for his wife Pauline, also featured.\n\nShe said: \"We, his family, are totally devastated and have been so moved and amazed at the extent of the respect, love and affection received from all over the world.\n\n\"When the time is right and we have come out of this terrible pandemic we hope a fitting memorial can be held for him in the city he loved so much.\"\n\nGerry and the Pacemakers was one of the biggest British bands in the 1960s\n\nReferring to the lyrics from Ferry Cross the Mersey, close friend Arthur Johnson said: \"He lived close to the banks of the Mersey for all his life and as the words of his song say: 'This land's the place I love and here I'll stay'.\"\n\nLiverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram said: \"I feel privileged he let me into his life, although that makes his passing even more painful.\"\n\nIn 1962, Beatles manager Brian Epstein signed up Gerry and the Pacemakers and, a year later, they became the first band to have their first three songs top the charts - How Do You Do It, I Like It and You'll Never Walk Alone.\n\nA flag on the Royal Iris Mersey ferry flew at half mast after the death of Gerry Marsden\n\nThey were one of the successes of the Merseybeat era, with former Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney saying at the time of Marsden's death that: \"Gerry was a mate from our early days in Liverpool\".\n\n\"He and his group were our biggest rivals on the local scene.\"", "Work to restore hundreds of thousands of fingerprint, DNA and arrest records accidentally wiped from police databases is ongoing, the Home Office has said.\n\nAround 400,000 records were lost, according to The Times, which first reported the story.\n\nThe Home Office did not comment on how many records were likely to be restored, or how long it would take.\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel said the issue was \"a result of human error\".\n\nData was wiped from the Police National Computer (PNC) - which stores and shares criminal records information across the UK - after being inadvertently flagged for deletion.\n\nThe PNC is used in police investigations and provides real-time checks on people, vehicles and crimes, as well as whether suspects are wanted for any unsolved offences.\n\nThe coding that caused the problem was introduced in November 2020, and the deletions started earlier this week.\n\nInitially, it was thought some 150,000 records were lost, but it since has emerged the number could be significantly higher.\n\nCommenting on the error, Ms Patel said: \"Engineers continue to work to restore data lost as a result of human error during a routine housekeeping process earlier this week.\n\n\"I continue to be in regular contact with the team, and working with our policing partners, we will provide an update as soon as we can.\"\n\nEarlier, Labour shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds called on Ms Patel to take responsibility for the error and be clear about the impact it had had.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast, he described the situation as \"extraordinarily serious\", adding: \"Priti Patel will be responsible for criminals walking free.\n\n\"We're not going to be able to link suspects to crime scenes without the DNA and fingerprint evidence.\"\n\nThe National Police Chiefs' Council said the lost data had resulted in a couple of \"near misses\" for serious crimes when trying to identify an offender.\n\nPolicing minister Kit Malthouse insisted the affected records \"apply to cases where individuals were arrested and then released with no further action\".\n\nHe added: \"We are working to recover the affected records as a priority. While we do so, the Police National Computer is functioning and the police are taking steps to mitigate any impact.\"", "Mr Laschet is now in a good position to stand for German chancellor\n\nCentrist Armin Laschet has been elected leader of Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU), the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel.\n\nMr Laschet, premier of North Rhine-Westphalia state, defeated two rivals in the party's virtual conference.\n\nHe is now in a good position in the race to succeed Mrs Merkel when she steps down as German chancellor in September, after 16 years in office.\n\nBut he faces a changed political landscape following the Covid pandemic.\n\nMr Laschet, 59, defeated conservative businessman Friedrich Merz in a run-off vote by 521 votes to 466. A third candidate, Norbert Röttgen, was eliminated in the previous round.\n\nHe replaces as chair of the party Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who failed to live up to her billing as Mrs Merkel's appointed successor after taking office more than two years ago.\n\nGermany goes to the polls in September, but the CDU leader is not guaranteed to become its candidate for chancellor.\n\nHealth Minister Jens Spahn, who has been elected as one of Mr Laschet's deputies, and Markus Söder, leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party the CSU, could also step into the ring, though neither has yet said that they want the job.\n\nA final decision will be made in the spring.\n\nMr Laschet is a loyal supporter of Mrs Merkel, and said during the campaign that a change of direction for the party would \"send exactly the wrong signal\".\n\nIn his victory speech, he said: \"I want to do everything so that we can stick together through this year... and then make sure that the next chancellor in the federal elections will be from the [CDU/CSU] union.\"\n\nArmin Laschet is a short, cheerful chap. The popular premier of Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, he throws himself with gusto into traditional carnival celebrations.\n\nHe touts himself as a continuity candidate and, for a time at least, was thought to have been Angela Merkel's preferred candidate. He defended her stance during the 2015 refugee crisis and is known for his liberal politics, passion for the EU and ability to connect with immigrant communities.\n\nBut his call for an early relaxation of Covid restrictions last spring surprised many and reportedly infuriated Mrs Merkel. He has since retreated from that position but he's had to work to repair the damage to his political credibility.\n\nThe big question now is whether the CDU will put him up as their chancellor candidate in September's general election.\n\nGerman Health Minister Jens Spahn - who supported Mr Laschet in his leadership bid - is thought to harbour ambitions to the chancellory. And recent opinion polls suggest that Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder would be a popular choice too.", "The US is in a race to vaccinate its population amid a winter surge\n\nA highly contagious coronavirus variant first detected in the UK could become the dominant strain in the US by March, health officials have said.\n\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned of \"rapid growth\" of the variant in coming weeks.\n\nIt said such a spike could further threaten health systems already strained by a winter Covid surge.\n\nThe warning came on Friday as President-elect Joe Biden unveiled an ambitious plan to ramp up vaccinations.\n\nTo meet his target of inoculating 100 million Americans within his first 100 days in office, Mr Biden said his administration would take a more active role in accelerating the distribution of vaccines.\n\nHe outlined a plan to set up new mass vaccination centres, hire extra health workers, and ensure the shot is available to everyone, including minority communities that have been hit hardest by the epidemic.\n\nOfficial data shows that, so far, 12.2 million vaccine doses of have been administered in the US - a figure Mr Biden has criticised as insufficient. More than 30 million doses have been distributed to states.\n\nIn a speech on Friday, Mr Biden told Americans that \"we remain in a very dark winter\", admitting that \"things will get worse before they get better\".\n\n\"This is going to be one of the most challenging operational efforts ever undertaken by our country,\" Mr Biden, who takes office on 20 January, said of the vaccination drive.\n\nHis address came a day after he announced a $1.9tn (£1.4tn) stimulus package for the battered US economy that included a further $20bn for the vaccine roll-out. The plan will need to pass Congress.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Biden: \"I promise we will not forget you\"\n\nThe US has recorded the highest number of confirmed coronavirus infections - 23.5 million - of any country in the world. At about 391,000, the country's coronavirus deaths account for a fifth of the global total, which passed the two-million mark on Friday.\n\nThe crisis is particularly acute in the state of California, where deaths have surged by more than 1,000% since November.\n\nIn its report, the CDC said that the UK variant would spread quickly in the coming weeks.\n\nThe latest research by Public Health England (PHE) suggests the variant - now dominant in much of Britain - is between 30% and 50% more transmissible than previous strains. There is currently no evidence to suggest it causes any more serious illness.\n\nExperts have also played down the possibility that the current vaccines will not be as effective against it.\n\nSo far, 76 people from 10 US states have been confirmed to have been infected with the UK variant, known as B.1.1.7.\n\nBut the CDC said: \"The modelled trajectory of this variant in the US exhibits rapid growth in early 2021, becoming the predominant variant in March.\"\n\nTwo other variants - one from South Africa and one from Brazil - are also thought to be more contagious than the original one that started the pandemic. Studies are under way to assess the threat they pose.", "Exam results are likely to appear before the end of the summer term\n\nExam results for A-levels and GCSEs in England could be published in early July this year, according to proposals for replacing cancelled exams.\n\nA consultation launched by the exams watchdog and the Department for Education confirmed that grades will be decided by teacher assessment.\n\nBut results this summer are likely to be released much earlier than usual.\n\nEducation Secretary Gavin Williamson said pupils would receive \"a grade that reflects their ability\".\n\nThere are also likely to be written test papers set by exam boards, but marked by teachers, with some later checks if there are concerns about fairness.\n\nFor vocational qualifications, exams which use mostly written papers are also likely to use teachers' grades - but qualifications which need a test of practical, hands-on skills will have separate arrangements.\n\nOfqual and the Department for Education have formally launched a two-week consultation on a system for how results will be decided, after disruption from the pandemic forced the cancellation of exams.\n\nThis is the second year of exam results being disrupted by the pandemic\n\nFor A-levels and GCSEs this could see the scrapping of the traditional results days in August, with a proposal to publish the results in \"early July\", increasing the time for appeals and adding more time before the start of the university term.\n\nLast year the process of replacement results ended with U-turns and confusion, as an algorithm initially used for deciding grades was abandoned and teachers' assessments used instead.\n\nThis time there will be no algorithm, but from the outset the process will rely on the judgement of teachers, who will be asked to use evidence such as coursework, essays, homework and mock exams.\n\nThere are also proposals for test papers, or mini-exams, which would be set by examiners but which would be likely to be marked within schools by teachers.\n\nThese would inform teachers' decisions rather than be a fixed proportion of the final grade - and could be used as evidence for any scrutiny of the reliability of a school's results or if there were appeals over grades.\n\nThere is also a recognition they might have to be taken by some pupils at home.\n\nBut it has still to be decided whether it would be mandatory to take these exams, and whether there would be a single paper per subject or the option to take more.\n\nThe Department for Education has said pupils will not face tests in subject areas they have not covered.\n\nGeoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, said the proposals seemed \"sensible\".\n\nBut he said the written tests would have to be \"exceptionally well designed\" to make them fair between students \"whose learning has been disrupted by the pandemic to greatly varying extents\".\n\n\"There are still many questions left unanswered,\" said the National Education Union's co-leader Kevin Courtney, about how tests could be flexible enough and how appeals will be decided.\n\nThere will be a process of training teachers in how the grading system will operate and be consistent between different schools.\n\nFor vocational qualifications, the proposals say those closer to written A-level and GCSE exams will be graded in a similar way to the academic exams, using teacher assessment to replace written papers.\n\nThere will be different approaches for qualifications requiring proof of practical skills, but there will be arrangements to make this possible.\n\nSome BTec exams have already gone ahead this month and IGCSE exams are still planned to continue this summer.\n\nA-levels and GCSEs have been cancelled in Wales and Northern Ireland, and in Scotland the Nationals, Highers and Advanced Highers have also been scrapped.\n\nEngland's Education Secretary, Mr Williamson, said: \"Fairness to young people has been and will continue to be fundamental to every decision we take on these issues.\"", "Men who had already had the virus were asked to donate blood plasma for the trial\n\nA potential treatment for Covid using blood plasma does not reduce deaths among hospital patients, trials show.\n\nThe results are a blow to researchers and the NHS, which led the drive to collect plasma donations.\n\nThis arm of the Recovery trial, which is investigating a number of promising Covid treatments, has now been closed.\n\nThe Oxford researchers involved say they are \"incredibly grateful\" for the contribution of patients across the country.\n\nDonations of plasma were temporarily suspended, according to NHS Blood and Transplant.**\n\nThere had been huge international interest in the role of convalescent plasma as a possible treatment for hospital patients with Covid-19.\n\nThe treatment involves blood plasma being taken from people who have recovered from the disease - which contains antibodies to coronavirus - and transfused into seriously ill patients.\n\nIt was hoped the plasma donation would give the recipient's struggling immune system a boost to fight off Covid.\n\nThe NHS had been urging people to donate, particularly men who are thought to have higher levels of antibodies in their blood.\n\nBut early analysis of 1,873 deaths in a study of 10,400 UK patients shows the treatment made \"no significant difference\".\n\nIn the group treated with convalescent plasma, 18% of patients died within 28 days - the same figure for the group given standard treatment.\n\nPatients in the study are still being followed up and the final results will be published shortly.\n\nEarlier this week, a separate study showed no evidence that the same treatment improved outcomes for patients in intensive care.\n\nMartin Landray, chief investigator and professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, said the Recovery trial showed \"the value of large randomised trials to properly assess the role of potential treatments\".\n\nThe trial is still investigating other treatments, including tocilizumab, aspirin and an antibody cocktail.\n\nProf Peter Horby, who also worked on the trial, said the largest ever trial of convalescent plasma \"was only possible thanks to the generous donation of plasma by recovered patients and the willingness of current patients to contribute to advancing medical care\".\n\n\"While the overall result is negative, we need to await the full results before we can understand whether convalescent plasma has any role in particular patient sub-groups,\" he said.\n\n**NHS Blood and Transplant restarted donations of blood plasma on 20 January. They could be used to see whether particular groups of patients, such as those with low antibody levels, could benefit.\n\nInternational trials are also testing if plasma helps people when it's used much earlier in the disease, before people get to hospital.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Duke of Cambridge shared his own experiences of seeing \"death and so much bereavement\"\n\nThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been told the pandemic will leave many emergency workers \"broken\".\n\nMany police and NHS workers are too concerned with battling the pandemic to look after their mental health, they were told.\n\nInsp Phil Spencer from Cleveland Police said staff did not engage enough with counselling \"because we don't want to take anybody else's valuable time\".\n\nPrince William said he \"really worries\" about the effect on front-line workers.\n\n\"When you're surrounded by that level of intense trauma and sadness and bereavement, it really does, it stays with you at home, it stays with you for weeks on end,\" he said.\n\nInsp Spencer said emergency workers \"run towards danger, run towards a terrorist attack, we run towards the pandemic\".\n\n\"Perhaps further down the line when all this is gone we're going to have some broken police officers and emergency services staff, because we're too busy focusing on protecting the most vulnerable,\" he said.\n\nThe couple also spoke to counsellors from Hospice UK's Harrogate-based Just B support line for NHS staff, social care workers, carers and emergency services, which their foundation helps financially.\n\nThe prince said he feared \"you're all so busy caring for everyone else that you won't take enough time to care for yourselves\".\n\nHe and Catherine said the stigma surrounding seeking help for mental health issues must end.\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n• None The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Police investigations have been compromised by an error that led to hundreds of thousands of records being deleted from UK-wide databases, according to a letter seen by the BBC.\n\nThe National Police Chiefs' Council said 213,000 records were deleted - more than the 150,000 first reported.\n\nThis resulted in a couple of \"near misses\" for serious crimes when trying to identify an offender, it said.\n\nThe Home Office has said it is assessing the impact of the mistake.\n\nData including fingerprint, DNA, and arrest histories was wiped from the Police National Computer (PNC) - which stores and shares criminal records information across the UK - after being inadvertently flagged for deletion.\n\nThe PNC is used in police investigations and provides real-time checks on people, vehicles and crimes, as well as whether suspects are wanted for any unsolved offences.\n\nThe Home Office said the lost entries related to people who were arrested and then released without further action.\n\nBut the letter from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) says officers are aware of at least one instance where the DNA profile from a suspect in custody did not generate a match to a crime scene as expected, potentially impeding the investigation.\n\nIt says that some of the records had been marked for indefinite retention following earlier convictions for serious offences.\n\nAnd it reveals that a \"weeding system\", developed and deployed by a Home Office PNC team, started to delete records wrongly last November.\n\nThe process was only brought to a halt at the start of this week.\n\nThe letter was sent on Friday afternoon by Deputy Chief Constable Naveed Malik of the NPCC to chief constables and police and crime commissioners.\n\nThe deletion of the records has been blamed on a coding error.\n\nThis resulted in records that had been flagged for deletion being lost from the database before checks had been carried out to determine whether they could be lawfully held or not.\n\nPolicing minister Kit Malthouse said the problem had been identified and the process corrected so \"it cannot happen again\".\n\nHe said the Home Office, National Police Chiefs' Council and other law enforcement partners were working \"at pace\" to recover the data.\n\nThe Home Office said no records of criminal or dangerous persons had been deleted.\n\nBut Labour shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds called on Home Secretary Priti Patel to take responsibility for the error and be clear about the impact it had had.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast, he described the situation as \"extraordinarily serious\", adding: \"Priti Patel will be responsible for criminals walking free. We're not going to be able to link suspects to crime scenes without the DNA and fingerprint evidence.\"\n\nA home office source said the accusation was \"scaremongering and irresponsible\".\n\nFormer Cumbria Police Chief Constable Stuart Hyde told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday the \"very large\" loss of arrest records presented a \"risk to public safety\".\n\nThe records are linked to police investigations that were terminated before charge (No Further Action or NFA cases) or to those where an individual had been acquitted at court.\n\nIt is not yet known how many records of each type were lost and full extent of deletions is still being investigated. A minister is expected to update the House of Commons on Monday.\n\nIt comes after about 40,000 alerts relating to European criminals were removed from the PNC following the UK's post-Brexit security deal with the EU.", "A 24m section of the bridge parapet collapsed one mile from where a fatal crash took place\n\nPart of a rail bridge has collapsed near the site of the fatal Stonehaven train derailment.\n\nA 24m (79ft) section of the side wall has fallen from the bridge, about a mile north of where three people died when a train left the track and crashed last August.\n\nNetwork Rail said it was a \"structural fault\" and not caused by a landslip.\n\nThe line between Aberdeen and Dundee remains closed while structural engineers assess the fault.\n\nThe structure is located three miles north of Carmont signal box. The collapse was discovered just before 10:00 on Friday.\n\nThe rail company said the damage to the parapet was \"extensive\" and that the line was expected to be closed for a \"significant\" period of time while repairs to the bridge take place.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Network Rail Scotland This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe Network Rail Twitter account told followers engineers would be working around the clock to complete repairs.\n\nSpecialist staff are also checking similar bridges as a precaution.\n\nThe line between Aberdeen and Dundee had just reopened in November, nearly three months after the Stonehaven derailment.\n\nThe driver, a conductor and a passenger died when the Aberdeen to Glasgow service derailed near Stonehaven on 12 August after heavy rain.\n\nNetwork Rail Scotland carried out \"complex\" repairs at the scene of the derailment\n\nAn interim report said the train hit washed-out rocks and gravel.\n\nA Network Rail spokesman said: \"The line is currently closed while our engineers repair a damaged side wall on a bridge between Carmont and Stonehaven.\n\n\"Specialist structural engineers are currently assessing the fault and putting plans in place for its repair.\n\n\"Our engineers will be working around-the-clock to complete this work as quickly as possible.\"", "Police officers who were targeted by a pro-Trump mob have been speaking out about the \"medieval battle\" that unfolded on the steps of the Capitol and inside the halls of American democracy last week.\n\nPolice faced off against rioters equipped with clubs, shields, pitchforks, firearms, and metal poles stripped from seating set up for next week's inauguration.\n\nHere's what we've learned from their interviews with US media.\n\nMichael Fanone, a 40-year-old DC plainclothes narcotics detective who was told to wear his uniform that day, rushed to the West Terrace of the Capitol where he took turns holding back the crowd, and resting to rinse his face of the the chemical irritants that that crowd was spraying on police.\n\n\"We weren't battling 50 or 60 rioters in this tunnel,\" the MPD (Metropolitan Police Department of District of Columbia) veteran told the Washington Post. \"We were battling 15,000 people. It looked like a medieval battle scene.\"\n\nAfter he was grabbed by his helmet and dragged face-first down several steps, he said the crowd started stripping gear from his vest, including spare ammo, his radio and his badge - all while chanting \"USA!\".\n\nMichael Fanone, a DC detective, was dragged into the crowd and beaten\n\n\"We got one! We got one!\" Mr Fanone said he heard people shout, with others chanting: \"Kill him with his own gun!\"\n\nSome members of the crowd protected him after he started yelling that he has children, the father of four told CNN. He sustained only minor injuries but later found out in hospital that he had suffered a mild heart attack during the brawl.\n\nMPD Officer Daniel Hodges, 32, had already been on shift for several hours before the rioting began.\n\n\"We were battling, you know, tooth and nail for our lives,\" he told ABC News.\n\nIn one viral video, Mr Hodges is seen pinned in a glass doorway between officers and the crowd, as rioters strip his gas mask from his face and beat him with his own police-issued baton. One rioter tried to gouge his eyes.\n\n\"That was one of the three times that day where I thought: Well, this might be it,\" said Mr Hodges. \"This might be the end for me.\"\n\nAs he choked on tear gas, he is seen on video gasping for air to call out for help. Enough police were eventually able to push through the melee to extract him.\n\n\"I had conspiracy theorists and everyone you could think of yelling at me, saying, 'Why are you doing this, you're the traitor,'\" Mr Hodges told radio station WAMU.\n\n\"We're not the traitors. We're the ones who saved Congress that day, and we'll do it as many times as necessary.\"\n\nDespite fearing for his life, Mr Hodges says he decided not to use his gun on the crowd.\n\n\"I didn't want to be the guy who starts shooting, because I knew they had guns - we had been seizing guns all day,\" he told the Post.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nRobert Glover, the commander on scene for MPD, declared a riot at 13:50 local time, nearly two hours after Trump's speech at the White House where he instructed his followers to go to the Capitol.\n\nHe quickly told officers to retake the inauguration bleachers, to stop the crowd from raining down heavy objects on officers from above.\n\nMr Glover told the Post that some rioters may have been caught up in the moment, but others seemed to be moving in \"military formation\" as if they had prepared for the assault. He said that some appeared to be using hand signals to co-ordinate tactics.\n\nSeveral US military veterans, as well as off-duty police officers from Virginia, Maryland and Texas, have since been suspended or arrested for participating in the riot.\n\nMPD Officer Christina Laury, 32, was among the first city police officers to arrive on the scene. When she got to the Capitol, officers were already being brutally attacked by rioters attempting to storm the building.\n\n\"They had bear mace, which is literally used for bears. I got hit with it plenty of times that day and it just seals your eyes shut. You just would see officers going down trying to douse themselves with water, trying to open their eyes up so they can see again.\"\n\n\"The bravery and the heroism that I saw in these officers - the second they were able to open their eyes, they were back up front and they were just trying to stop these individuals from coming in.\"\n\nOne officer being lauded as a hero has yet to speak about his experience - Officer Eugene Goodman, a member of Congress' 2,100 member Capitol Police force.\n\nMr Goodman, an African American Iraq War veteran, was seen singlehandedly distracting a rampaging mob, giving lawmakers enough time to clear the chamber and get to safety.\n\nOn Thursday, a cross-party group of lawmakers introduced a bill calling for him to receive the Congressional Gold Medal for his effort to defend democracy.\n\nThe Capitol Police have been criticised over their response and preparation.\n\nSeveral top Capitol security officials, including the Capitol Police chief and the sergeants-at-arms for the House and Senate, resigned in the wake of the siege amid claims from lawmakers that they had not done enough to prepare for the mob.\n\nProtesters climbed the bleachers that were erected for Biden's inauguration\n\nOn Friday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced General Russel Honoré would be leading an immediate investigation of the Capitol's security infrastructure.\n\nVideo footage has also emerged showing an officer taking a selfie with a rioter inside the Capitol. Some officers reportedly gave directions to rioters telling them how to get to the offices of Democratic lawmakers.\n\nSeveral Capitol Police officers have been suspended for allegedly violating policies as the agency conducts an internal probe.", "A man accused of allegedly tricking a 92-year-old woman out of £160 for a fake coronavirus vaccination has been charged with fraud and common assault.\n\nDavid Chambers is accused of administering the fake vaccine at her Surbiton home in London last month.\n\nThe 33-year-old, also from Surbiton, is charged with five offences including fraud and going outside in a tier four area without a good reason.\n\nHe denied the charges when he appeared before magistrates on Friday.\n\nMr Chambers was remanded in custody until a hearing on 12 February.\n\nIn the UK, coronavirus vaccines are free of charge and available via the NHS.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Nóra Quoirin went missing from her room on 4 August 2019\n\nAn inquest into the death of a teenager who went missing during a holiday in Malaysia has left several questions unanswered, her family has said.\n\nNóra Quoirin, whose mother is from Belfast, disappeared from her room at the Dusun resort on 4 August 2019.\n\nHer body was found 10 days later about 1.6 miles (2.5km) away.\n\nEarlier this month a coroner ruled that she died as a result of misadventure, but her family said they were \"utterly disappointed\" with the verdict.\n\nIn an interview with Irish broadcaster RTÉ, Nóra's mother Meabh said there is \"compelling evidence\" that her daughter was abducted.\n\nSearch and rescue teams were deployed in an effort to locate Nóra\n\nNóra, who was born to Irish-French parents, lived with her family in London and was understood to be in Malaysia on an Irish passport.\n\nShe was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder which affects brain development.\n\nSince her disappearance, her parents have believed that she was abducted. They have always maintained that wandering off was not something they could imagine their daughter doing.\n\nMeabh Quoirin told RTÉ: \"One of the most compelling things that we found out was that in a relatively small area, the plantation where Nóra was eventually found, there was vast numbers of specialist personnel deployed to find Nóra.\n\n\"Not only that, on four different occasions, trained personnel went to the plantation area and searched it and, in fact, some officers were even in the precise location Nóra's body was recovered.\n\n\"They had all reported that there were no signs of human life at any point. That for us is compelling evidence to say that she was not there by herself.\"\n\nNóra went missing the day after she and her family arrived in Malaysia in August 2019\n\nMrs Quoirin added that \"there was a lack of evidence around DNA and prints\".\n\nShe said that when the family went to the inquest, \"we had a lot of unanswered questions and while many of those questions cannot be answered, we actually found out a great deal about what went on during those 10 days when Nóra was missing\".\n\nMeabh and Sebastien Quorin, pictured during the search for Nóra\n\n\"In fact we felt it really strengthened our case, our belief, that Nóra was abducted and we found some compelling evidence to support our view on that.\"\n\nMrs Quoirin added that her daughter \"was not physically or mentally capable\" of leaving the chalet via the window.\n\n\"Not only that - we also learned that none of her fingerprints could be found on the window and yet other unidentifiable prints were found on that window.\"", "Smoke rises from Mount Semeru, the highest volcano on the Indonesian island of Java\n\nIndonesia's Mount Semeru has erupted, pouring ash an estimated 5.6km (3.4 miles) into the sky above Java, the country's most densely populated island.\n\nNo evacuation orders have so far been issued, and no casualties reported.\n\nThe National Disaster Mitigation Agency (NDMA) warned villagers living on the mountain's slopes to be alert for ongoing volcanic activity.\n\nFootage showed ash from the 3,676m (12,060ft) volcano looming over homes.\n\n\"The villages of Sumber Mujur and Curah Koboan [in Lumajang municipality] are located in the trajectory of the hot clouds,\" local official Thoriqul Haq said on Saturday.\n\nResidents of the Curah Kobokan river basin have been urged to watch for possible \"cold lava\" mudflow, which can be triggered by intense rainfall combining with volcanic material.\n\nMount Semeru erupted at about 17:24 local time (10:24 GMT), authorities said.\n\nA picture from the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management shows ash rolling over the landscape\n\nIndonesia sits on the Pacific \"Ring of Fire\" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic activity as well as earthquakes.\n\nSemeru - also known as \"The Great Mountain\" - is the highest volcano in Java and one of the most active. It is also one of Indonesia's most popular tourist hiking destinations.\n\nThe volcano previously erupted in December, when about 550 people were evacuated.", "A further 1,295 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test have been reported in the UK, the third-highest daily total since the pandemic began.\n\nIt brings the total number of deaths by this measure to 88,590.\n\nThere have also been a further 41,346 lab-confirmed cases, and 4,262 more people have been admitted to hospital.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director for Public Health England, said the \"continuous rise in cases and deaths should be a bitter warning for us all\".\n\n\"We must not forget the basics,\" she added. \"The lives of our friends and family depend on it.\n\n\"Keep your distance from others, wash your hands and wear a mask.\"\n\nThe latest figures come ahead of Monday's change in travel rules for the UK, with all travel corridors closing, meaning arrivals from every country will have to quarantine.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson announced the changes at Downing Street on Friday, saying they would \"protect against the risk of as yet unidentified new strains\" of Covid.\n\nWhile daily figures can fluctuate due to delays in reporting, the seven-day average of Covid deaths in the UK has now risen slightly to 1,103.\n\nFor cases, however, there has been a drop in the seven-day average, with the figure now at 48,565.\n\nThere are currently 37,475 people in hospital with the virus, government figures show, while a further 324,233 people have received their first vaccine dose.\n\nThe government has promised all the over-70s, the extremely clinically vulnerable and front-line health and care workers - about 15 million people - will be offered a jab by mid February.\n\nCurrently, just over 3.5 million doses have been administered.\n\nThe government has also announced £120m in funds for the social care sector to be used by local authorities to increase staffing levels.\n\nStaff absence rates have risen in care homes and among home care staff, due to them testing positive or having to self-isolate.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said the money would bolster staffing numbers in a \"controlled and safe way, whilst ensuring people continue to receive the highest quality of care\".\n\nA further £149m funding was announced in December to support rapid testing of care home staff.\n\nSpeaking alongside the PM on Friday, England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said the number of patients being admitted to hospital with coronavirus was set to peak within the next 10 days, while the peak for deaths was also yet to come.\n\nHe added, however, that he hoped the peak in infections had already happened in the South East, East and London, where there was a surge in the new, more transmissible variant.\n\n\"The peak of deaths I fear is in the future, the peak of hospitalisations in some parts of the country may be around about now and beginning to come off the very, very top,\" he said.\n\n\"Because people are sticking so well to the guidelines we do think the peaks are coming over the next week to 10 days for most places in terms of new people into hospital.\"\n\nHowever, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance stressed it was a \"suppressed peak\" that would \"boil over for sure\" if controls were eased.\n\nHe said: \"This is not the natural peak that's going to come down on its own, it's coming down because of the measures that are in place.\n\n\"Take the lid off now and it's going to boil over for sure and we're going to end up with a big problem.\"\n\nMeanwhile, on Saturday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suggested he would back further coronavirus measures, as \"the tougher the restrictions now the quicker we get the virus back under control\".\n\nSir Keir said he was \"still worried\" by the number of infections, despite signs they are falling - and that the \"sense that we are through the worst\" of the third wave was wrong.\n\n\"Nobody likes restrictions but the tougher the restrictions now the quicker we get the virus back under control, the quicker we reduce the number of hospital admissions and the quicker we get that number of deaths, tragically, down,\" he added.", "A further 1,610 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began.\n\nIt means the total number of deaths by that measure is now above 90,000.\n\nA total of 4,266,577 people have now received the first dose of a vaccine, according to the latest government figures.\n\nAnother 33,355 positive Covid cases have been recorded - less than half the peak figure of 68,053 on 8 January.\n\nIt is the lowest number of daily cases seen since 27 December - before the start of England's third nationwide lockdown.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: \"Whilst there are some early signs that show our sacrifices are working, we must continue to strictly abide by the measures in place.\"\n\nShe said reducing contact with others and staying at home will lead to \"a fall in the number of infections over time\".\n\nThe figures come as new estimates from the Office for National Statistics show about one in 10 people across the UK tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies in December - roughly double the October figure.\n\nThe rising number of deaths was to be expected, sadly, after the surge in cases during December.\n\nAnd it is likely that the coming weeks will see figures even higher than this.\n\nToday's numbers are, though, inflated by the fact that delays in registering deaths over the weekend tends to lead to higher figures being reported on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.\n\nOn average, the UK is recording more than 1,100 deaths a day.\n\nTo put that in context, at Christmas it was less than half of that.\n\nBut there are two rays of hope in the daily update.\n\nFirstly, the number of cases is below 40,000 for a third day in a row. Just two weeks ago we saw a few days above 60,000.\n\nThat means in the coming weeks we should start to see fewer people in hospital and eventually fewer deaths.\n\nThe number of vaccinations also continues to rise.\n\nIt seems unlikely the NHS will manage its target of two million doses a week just yet.\n\nBut each increase at least takes us one step closer to getting on top of the virus.\n\nMeanwhile, NHS England said 400 military personnel were now assisting in hospitals in London and the Midlands, as wards face \"unprecedented pressure\".\n\nOn Monday, Prof Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, said it would be \"some time\" before the vaccination programme begins to reduce pressures on hospitals.\n\nAnd in other developments, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said he is self-isolating after being alerted by the UK's NHS Covid-19 app .that he had been in close contact with somebody who tested positive.\n\nHe said self-isolation was \"perhaps the most important part of all the social distancing\" and urged others to do the same if contacted.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Martin Freeborn's wife, Helen, died from Covid at the Royal London Hospital: 'Don't end up like us, please'\n\nThe previous highest number of daily deaths was last Wednesday, when 1,564 deaths were recorded.\n\nTuesday's figure brings the total number of deaths recorded during the pandemic in the UK to 91,470.\n\nThese government figures count people who died within 28 days of testing positive, but there are other ways of measuring the total number of deaths.\n\nAnother method is to count all deaths where coronavirus is mentioned on the death certificate. That figure has now officially reached 95,829, although that is only measured up to 8 January.\n\nThe UK has recorded the fifth-highest number of deaths globally, according to Johns Hopkins University - behind the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: \"British people are paying the price for the government's serial incompetence.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Video footage showed the aftermath of the deadly explosion\n\nAt least three people have died following an explosion that caused a building to partially collapse in centre of the Spanish capital, Madrid.\n\nA fourth person was missing and several others were hurt, officials said.\n\nCity officials said the blast, which destroyed four floors of the building, had been caused by a gas leak.\n\nMayor José Luis Martínez Almeida told reporters after the blast that a fire was raging inside the building, which belongs to the Catholic Church.\n\nThe blast happened shortly before 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) as gas workers were repairing a boiler at the back of the building in the central Puerta de Toledo area of Madrid.\n\nAn 85-year-old woman passer-by and two men were killed while a third man who had been working on the boiler was missing, Spanish media reported. One of the injured was in a serious condition and taken to hospital, according to officials.\n\nSpanish reports said the upper floors affected were being used to house local priests.\n\nRescue workers evacuated more than 50 people from a care home next-door to the building in Caille de Toledo, but a school on the other side was closed at the time of the blast.\n\nFour floors of the building were destroyed in the explosion, which could be heard in many areas of Madrid. Images shared on social media showed billowing smoke and debris strewn along the street.\n\nEmergency services said nine fire crews and 11 ambulances were at the scene and some of those caught up in the blast were treated on the street.\n\nFour floors of the building were destroyed in the explosion\n\nPolice officers cleared the area, closing it to all traffic and pedestrians, and appealed to local residents not to come near.\n\n\"The noise was very loud, very loud, really,\" Lorenzo Fomento, who was working from home at a nearby apartment, told AFP news agency. \"I never heard anything so loud before,\" he added.\n\nThe director of the nursing home, Antonio Berlanga, said all the elderly residents were fine and places were being found for them to spend the night.", "In Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, residents have prepared their homes and businesses ahead of the heavy rain\n\nEmergency services in the north of England are preparing for widespread flooding caused by Storm Christoph.\n\nThe Environment Agency has warned of a \"volatile situation\" as heavy rain combines with melting snow, while police in South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester declared major incidents.\n\nAn amber rain warning is in place for Yorkshire, the North West, East Midlands and the east of England.\n\nA yellow rain warning was issued for the rest of the country.\n\nGreater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey said the force had declared a major incident to ensure it was \"as prepared as possible\".\n\n\"The safety of the public is our number one priority and we're continuing to work alongside partner agencies across the region,\" he said.\n\nA government spokesperson said it had provided additional advice to local agencies to help them manage any evacuations and shelter provision in a Covid-secure way.\n\n\"The government has robust plans in place to support any areas affected by extreme weather this winter,\" they added.\n\nSandbags were laid in at-risk areas, with up to 70mm (2.75in) of rain due.\n\nIn isolated spots, particularly in the northern Peak District and parts of the southern Pennines, 200mm (7.87in) could be possible.\n\nNorthern Rail said buses were being used instead of trains on services between Bolton and Blackburn due to flooding at Darwen.\n\nSome motorists attempted to drive through floodwater on Derby Road in Hathern, Leicestershire\n\nIn the amber warning area, the Met Office said there was a \"danger to life\" due to fast-flowing or deep floodwater, and told some communities they might be \"cut off\" by flooded roads.\n\nIt also predicted delays and cancellations to public transport, with the amber warning in place until 12:00 GMT on Thursday.\n\nRos Jones, mayor of Doncaster, said key risk areas had been inspected over the past 36 hours, with the delivery of sandbags continuing on Tuesday.\n\n\"I do not want people to panic, but flooding is possible so please be prepared,\" she said.\n\nResidents of Fishlake, South Yorkshire, which saw severe flooding hit 160 homes and businesses in November 2019, said they felt much better prepared this time round.\n\nFlood warden and parish councillor Peter Trimingham said the arrival of sandbags had been a welcome sight.\n\n\"It gives us confidence,\" he said.\n\nResidents in Fishlake, near Doncaster, say they are better prepared than when flooding hit in 2019\n\nMr Trimingham added: \"We're absolutely hoping it doesn't rise to the same level. But, if it does, we're reasonably comfortable we've still got a chance because the Environment Agency have done tremendous work here along with Doncaster Council.\"\n\nHe said new defences had been built and their team of flood wardens had been expanded to 22 people.\n\nOn Yarlborough Terrace in Bentley, Doncaster, many residents were out of their homes for months after the 2019 floods.\n\nAnna Booth, 37, who was forced to live in a caravan on her drive, said residents were worried about it happening again.\n\n\"Being in the pandemic doesn't help either. Morale's a bit down but I think we'll all pull together again like last time,\" she said.\n\n\"It breaks your heart, it's really sad, but we can't stop the weather.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe Environment Agency issued more than 30 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action required, covering parts of Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Merseyside, Staffordshire and Northamptonshire as of 03:00 GMT on Wednesday.\n\nThere are also more than 150 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, issued across northern England, the Midlands and the east.\n\nRiver levels in the Ouse, which flows through York in North Yorkshire, are high before the arrival of Storm Christoph\n\nCatherine Wright, acting executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said: \"That rain is falling on very wet ground and so we are very concerned that it's a very volatile situation and we are expecting significant flooding to occur on the back of that weather.\"\n\nShe said the agency would be working with local authorities to help with evacuation efforts should a severe flood warning be issued, adding: \"If you do need to evacuate then that is allowed within the Covid rules.\"\n\nWork took place on Tuesday morning to increase defences near the River Ouse\n\nDiscussing the different levels of flood warnings, she said: \"If you receive a flood alert, please pack valuables like medicines and insurance documents in a bag ready to go.\n\n\"If you receive a flood warning, please move valuables and precious possessions upstairs and be ready to turn off gas, electricity and water.\n\n\"If you receive a severe flood warning, which means you will be evacuated, please listen out and take heed of the advice from the local emergency services.\"\n\nSandbags have been used to help defend homes in Fishlake, Doncaster, which suffered devastating floods in November 2019\n\nBarry Greenwood, from the Upper Calder Valley Flood Prevention Group in West Yorkshire, has been \"sick\" with worry.\n\n\"I went round after the last [flood], people were there with their heads in their hands, thinking 'what am I going to do now?',\" he said.\n\nFlood sirens were sounded in Walsden on Tuesday evening after a flood warning was issued for the area.\n\nIn a tweet, Calderdale Council asked residents to put their flood plan into action and move valuables to a safe place.\n\n\"River levels across the Upper River Calder have risen and are now approaching levels where we expect properties to flood,\" it warned.\n\nEarlier it had said staff were on standby to respond overnight.\n\nThe amber rain warning is in place until Thursday, with yellow warnings covering most of the UK coming in over the next three days\n\nA yellow rain alert is also in place for Wales, Northern Ireland, central and northern England and southern Scotland on Tuesday.\n\nThis yellow warning extends to the rest of England from Wednesday, with a yellow alert for snow and ice in north east Scotland.\n\nHighways England advised drivers to take extra care on motorways and major A roads, while the RAC breakdown service said motorists should only drive if absolutely necessary.\n\nDrivers faced wet road conditions and reduced visibility on the A1(M) near Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, on Tuesday morning\n\nHebden Bridge's volunteer flood warden Keith Crabtree has been monitoring the river levels of Hebden Beck closely\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Israel is currently in its third lockdown since the pandemic began there last year Image caption: Israel is currently in its third lockdown since the pandemic began there last year\n\nA nationwide lockdown in Israel is to be extended until the end of the month amid a spike in cases - despite an intense vaccination campaign, with more than two of the nine million population already having received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nIt takes time for immunity to build up, so its expected to take several weeks for vaccines to have an impact on cases\n\nThe man coordinating Israel’s pandemic response, Nachman Ash, has warned that a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the country has been “less effective than we thought”.\n\nAccording to Israeli Army Radio, Prof Ash told cabinet members on Tuesday the data on the protective effect of a first dose against the virus was “lower than Pfizer presented”. Pfizer said its vaccine was roughly 52% effective two weeks after the first dose and reaches maximum efficacy of 95% after the second.\n\nIt’s not clear what data he is referring to, but a not-yet published study from Israel’s largest healthcare provider suggested a 33% fall in infections by day 14, at which point, full immunity would not have been reached.\n\nInfections continued to fall in the following days but the numbers were too small to put a percentage on it.\n\nIsrael saw its highest daily case figure on Monday with 10,000 new infections Image caption: Israel saw its highest daily case figure on Monday with 10,000 new infections\n\nThe health ministry said on Tuesday more than 12,400 Israelis had tested positive for Covid-19 ten days after being vaccinated – 69 of these had already received a second dose.\n\nThis was 6.6% of the 189,000 people who took Covid tests after being vaccinated, roughly tallying with the reported efficacy.\n\nHealth experts say they are analysing the new Israeli data closely but warn it may be too early to draw any conclusions on the single dose efficacy of the vaccine based on the initial data gathered in Israel, which began vaccinating its population on 19 December.", "Drug treatment services in England are to receive an extra £80m as part of government's efforts to cut crime.\n\nThis will mean more places for people released from prison and criminals handed community sentences.\n\nIt comes after warnings last year over government cuts to help for addicts.\n\nA further £40m is being earmarked for law enforcement to target drug gangs including so-called county lines operations in which young and vulnerable people act as couriers.\n\nThe investment will also see another £28m put into a three-year pilot project called ADDER - Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery - which will combine policing with treatment and recovery services.\n\nThe funding will see police target dealers, and local councils and health services help people with addictions, in five areas with high rates of drug use - Blackpool, Hastings, Middlesbrough, Norwich and Swansea Bay.\n\nAnnouncing the £148m package, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: \"The government's work to tackle county lines drugs gangs has already resulted in thousands more people being arrested and hundreds more vulnerable people being safeguarded, but we must do more to tackle the underlying drivers behind serious violence.\"\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock added: \"Addiction and crime are inextricably linked and to truly break the cycle we must make sure people can access the help they need to get their lives back on track for good.\"\n\nMs Patel told BBC Breakfast the government wanted to focus on rehabilitation and treatment for drug addicts as well as law enforcement, saying this was \"something we've not been doing enough of\".\n\n\"We have to do much more to support individuals whose lives have been blighted by years and years of drug abuse,\" she said.\n\nA Home Office-commissioned review into the drugs trade by Prof Dame Carol Black released last February put the total cost to society of illegal drugs at about £20bn a year in England and said treatment services have been curtailed by local government funding cuts.\n\nDame Carol welcomed the funding, saying: \"Drug treatment has a vital role to play in helping people to come off drugs and thereby reduce crime, from minor acquisitive crime right through to homicide.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Johnson: \"It's a big moment for us - we have things we want to do together.\"\n\nThe inauguration of President Joe Biden is a \"step forward\" for the United States, which has \"been through a bumpy period\", Boris Johnson has said.\n\nCongratulating Mr Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, the UK PM said it was a \"big moment\" for the UK and the US and their \"joint common agenda\".\n\nMr Johnson said he looked forward to working with the US on tackling climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nMaking his inaugural address, Mr Biden said \"democracy has prevailed\".\n\nHe promised to be a president \"for all Americans\" and said his \"whole soul is in putting America back together again\".\n\nOutgoing President Donald Trump, who has not formally conceded to Mr Biden, did not attend the ceremony.\n\nPresident Biden began work straight away on reversing a number of his predecessor's policies, including rejoining the Paris climate change agreement - gaining the praise of Mr Johnson.\n\nThe PM tweeted it was \"hugely positive news\", adding: \"I look forward to working with our US partners to do all we can to safeguard our planet.\"\n\nEarlier this week the former head of the civil service Lord Sedwill suggested Mr Johnson would be glad Mr Trump had not been re-elected for a second term as US president.\n\nWriting in the Daily Mail, Lord Sedwill said those who believed Boris Johnson would have preferred Mr Trump to win again were \"mistaken\".\n\nThe former cabinet secretary - who stepped down in September - said a second term for Mr Trump \"would not have been to the benefit of British or European security, to transatlantic trade, let alone the environmental agenda to which the prime minister is so committed\".\n\nBoris Johnson with Donald Trump at the G7 summit in 2019\n\nMr Johnson's public stance toward the former president has varied over the years.\n\nIn 2015, when he was Mayor of London, Mr Johnson accused Mr Trump of \"stupefying ignorance\" over his comments about violence in the city.\n\nBut as foreign secretary, following Mr Trump's election as president, he said there was a \"lot to be positive about\", and in 2019, praised his \"many good qualities\".\n\nFor his part, Mr Trump has appeared largely supportive of Mr Johnson, backing his flagship Brexit policy and at one point saying of the British PM: \"They call him Britain Trump.\"\n\nAnd echoing his predecessor, in 2019 Mr Biden described the UK prime minister as a \"physical and emotional clone\" of Mr Trump.\n\nAfter winning the presidential election Mr Biden phoned Mr Johnson ahead of other European leaders and expressed his desire to strengthen the historic \"special relationship\" between the two countries.\n\nSpeaking on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said it was the job of all UK prime ministers to have a \"good, close working relationship\" with US presidents but, right now, there were many things the two countries \"wanted to do together\".\n\n\"When you look at the issues which unite me and Joe Biden, the UK and the US right now, there is a fantastic joint common agenda,\" he said. \"For us and America, it is a big moment.\"\n\nHe said he hoped the UK could help the US commit to a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in the run up to the climate change conference COP 26, to be held in Glasgow this year.\n\nUK prime ministers like to consider American presidents as their best diplomatic friend.\n\nThat relationship, particularly when it comes to security and defence, is unusually close.\n\nWhen, as with Donald Trump, that friend has been unpredictable and unconventional, that has made for some very awkward political moments.\n\nSo for the government, this a really important and positive turning of the page.\n\nThe terribly over-used phrase the 'special relationship', which provokes neurotic behaviour on this side of the Atlantic, has meant the most when there has been a genuine personal chemistry between the two leaders - whether Thatcher and Reagan, or Bush and Blair.\n\nThere is nothing automatic about Mr Biden and Mr Johnson developing that kind of political friendship.\n\nBut in the words of one former senior minister, for the UK Biden means \"we will lose exclusivity but gain predictability: easier to work with, less cringeworthy and more dependable, but we may not be the only girlfriend on speed dial\".\n\nSpeaking to the Guardian, shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy described Mr Biden as \"a woke guy\".\n\nAsked if he agreed, Mr Johnson said: \"I can't comment on that. What I know is that he's a firm believer in the transatlantic alliance and that's a great thing.\"\n\nHe added that there was \"nothing wrong with being woke - I put myself in the category of people who believe that it's important to stick up for your history, your traditions and your values, the things you believe in.\"\n\nOpposition leader Sir Keir Starmer also sent his congratulations to the new president and vice-president.\n\n\"The US begins a new chapter in its history, one of hope, decency, compassion and strength,\" the Labour leader said, adding \"together, our two nations can build a better, more optimistic future for our world.\"\n\nAnd First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: \"Warm congratulations and best wishes to President Biden and Vice President Harris.\n\n\"Scotland and the USA share long-standing bonds of friendship and co-operation. We look forward to building on these in the years ahead.\"\n\nWriting in the Daily Mail, former UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Mr Biden's election presented the UK with a \"golden opportunity\" for Western democracies to reverse the trend towards \"absolutism\" - and a \"few strongmen facing off against each other\" - in global affairs.\n\nThe Queen sent a private message to Mr Biden before his inauguration, Buckingham Palace has said.", "Marion Dawson is the third oldest person in Scotland to be given the vaccine.\n\nA 108-year-old woman has received the Covid vaccination on her birthday.\n\nMarion Dawson, from Houston in Renfrewshire, is the third oldest person in Scotland to be given the vaccine.\n\nShe received her jab at Houston and Killellan Kirk, which is being used by the local GP surgery to deliver vaccinations to the community.\n\nBorn in 1913, Mrs Dawson has lived through two world wars and the Spanish flu pandemic.\n\nDr Diane Fisher, who gave the injection said: \"We are so excited to be starting vaccinations of our over-80s, and that our first patient to be vaccinated is doing so on her birthday.\"\n\nMrs Dawson is the most senior person in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde to be given the vaccine.\n\nAfter receiving her injection, she said: \"I'm glad it's passed. I never felt a thing.\"\n\nKirk minister, Rev Gary Noonan said: \"Mrs Dawson is a local treasure in Houston, until the lockdown she never missed a week at church.\n\n\"It's fitting she can get her vaccine in the Kirk, a place she loves.\"\n\nDr Mark Storey, partner at Strathgryffe Medical Practice, added: \"It's been a very difficult year in general practice and society as a whole.\n\n\"In our practice we have a family of 10,000 patients, so we are delighted to start vaccinating, especially with Mrs Dawson.\"", "That's where we'll end our coverage of this week's PMQs.\n\nAs events get underway in Washington DC ahead of the Joe Biden's swearing in as the 46th President of the USA, our colleagues will bring you all the details of the inauguration here.\n\nOur coverage of this week's PMQs was brought to you by Gavin Stamp, Justin Parkinson, and Sinead Wilson. The editor was Johanna Howitt.\n\nThanks for joining us.", "The publication of a letter from the Duchess of Sussex to her father was a \"triple-barrelled invasion\" of her privacy, the High Court has been told.\n\nMeghan is suing the publisher of the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online over articles that reproduced parts of the private handwritten letter.\n\nShe claims her privacy and copyright were breached by the newspaper group.\n\nHer lawyers are asking for summary judgement - a dismissal of Associated Newspapers' defence instead of a trial.\n\nMeghan's lawyers argue Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) has \"no prospect\" of defending the privacy and copyright claims being brought against them.\n\nThey claim the publication of extracts from the private, handwritten letter to Thomas Markle was \"self-evidently... highly intrusive\".\n\nMeghan, 39, sent the letter to her father in August 2018, following her marriage to Prince Harry in May that year, which Mr Markle did not attend. The couple are now living in the US with their son Archie.\n\nThe five articles, published in February 2019, were a \"triple-barrelled invasion\" of the duchess's privacy, correspondence and family, the lawyers claim.\n\nMr Markle said in a witness statement provided to the remote hearing, which started on Tuesday, that he wanted the letter published to \"set the record straight\" about his relationship with his daughter - but one of Meghan's lawyers described this claim as \"ridiculous\".\n\nMeghan is seeking damages from the newspaper group for alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement and breach of the Data Protection Act over the articles.\n\nThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex now live in the US with their son\n\nHer lawyers told the court the letter was written in sorrow rather than anger and was an attempt to get her father to stop talking to the press.\n\nBut the newspaper group said in its response to the court that Meghan had written the letter \"with a view to it being disclosed publicly at some future point\" in order to \"defend her against charges of being an uncaring or unloving daughter\".\n\nIn written submissions, the newspaper group's barrister Antony White said \"she must, at the very least, have appreciated that her father might choose to disclose it\" and pointed out that the Kensington Palace communications team had been shown the letter before it was sent.\n\n\"No truly private letter from daughter to father would require any input from the Kensington Palace communications team,\" said Mr White.\n\nBut Meghan's lawyers also pointed out the articles themselves had emphasised the private nature of the correspondence - and dismissed any argument that it was in the public interest for the newspaper to reproduce the letter, saying the public interest was at the \"very end of the bottom end of the scale\".\n\nJustin Rushbrooke, representing the duchess, described the handwritten letter as \"a heartfelt plea from an anguished daughter to her father\".\n\nHe said the \"contents and character of the letter were intrinsically private, personal and sensitive in nature\" and that Meghan \"had a reasonable expectation of privacy in respect of the contents of the letter\".\n\nThe effect of publishing the letter was \"self-evidently likely to be devastating for the claimant\", said Mr Rushbrooke.\n\nThe barrister argued that, even if ANL was justified in publishing parts of the letter, \"on any view the defendant published far more by way of extracts from the letter than could have been justified in the public interest\".\n\nMr White said that the newspaper group would argue that Meghan's status as a member of the royal family was relevant to the case.\n\nIn response to that point, Mr Rushbrooke said: \"Yes, she is in some senses a public figure, but that does not reduce her expectation of privacy in relation to information of this kind.\"\n\nIn Thomas Markle's evidence, he said the letter \"signalled the end\" of his relationship with his daughter, and instead of a reconciliation attempt, the letter was a \"criticism\" of him.\n\nHe said that he had to \"defend himself\" against an article in People magazine. It carried an interview with a \"long-time friend\" of his daughter, who suggested Meghan sent the letter to repair her relationship with her father - something he claimed was false.\n\nThe People article, he claimed, made him appear \"dishonest, exploitative, publicity-seeking, uncaring and cold-hearted\".\n\nHe said he had \"never intended to talk publicly about Meg's letter\" until he read the People magazine piece which, he claimed, suggested he was \"to blame for the end of the relationship\".\n\nThe full trial of the duchess's claim had been due to be heard at the High Court this month, but last year the case was adjourned until autumn 2021.\n\nThis interim remote hearing - to consider the request for summary judgement - is due to last two days. Mr Justice Warby, who is hearing the case, is expected to reserve his judgement to a later date.", "Low-deposit mortgages have made a return as the market emerges from a Covid-related slowdown.\n\nMortgage products for homeowners with a deposit of 10% of their property's value have risen more than fourfold compared with last summer's low.\n\nThe increase, based on figures from financial information service Moneyfacts, could offer some relief to first-time buyers.\n\nBut the cost of mortgages will remain an issue for many.\n\nIn early September last year, there were only 44 mortgage products available for those able to offer a 10% deposit. At the same time, first-time buyers putting money aside for a deposit were faced with pressures of poor savings rates and rising house prices.\n\nThat choice has now risen to 197 products, according to the Moneyfacts figures, with some big lenders returning in recent weeks.\n\nMortgage products for those able to offer a 15% deposit have also risen sharply, although the choice was already much greater.\n\n\"First-time buyers who may have been concerned that with record low savings rates and increasing house prices, their homeownership dreams may have had to be shelved, may have been pleased to note that we are now seeing some providers return products for those with 10% deposits,\" said Eleanor Williams, from Moneyfacts.\n\nLenders had been grappling with the practical effects that the coronavirus pandemic brought to their business.\n\nWhile some new businesses targeted first-time buyers on social media, many traditional lenders withdrew products from the market.\n\nStaff shortages, and employees working from home, meant they were unable to process applications as fast as they had before the pandemic.\n\nThere were also concerns among lenders that, despite strong activity in the housing market, riskier - and younger - first-time buyers could find it difficult to make mortgage repayments during an economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.\n\nResearch has shown that younger workers are more at risk of redundancy.\n\nAaron Strutt, from mortgage broker Trinity Financial, said lenders were now working more efficiently despite staff still being at home.\n\nHe said that some of the biggest mortgage lenders had returned to the market. Some of the mortgage rates they were offering were not as attractive as they had been, but competition would help push down costs.\n\n\"If you are planning to purchase a property and have a 10% deposit the mortgage rates are not as cheap as they used to be, but they are getting better,\" he said.\n\nMany thousands of existing mortgage-holders who had struggled to make their repayments during the pandemic had taken payment \"holidays\", which are deferrals on payments.\n\nThe latest figures from UK Finance, which represents lenders, show that 130,000 mortgage payment holidays were in place at the end of December 2020, down from a peak of 1.8 million in June last year.", "Mr Trump referred to his \"complete power to pardon\" in a tweet\n\nUS President Donald Trump has insisted he has the \"complete power\" to pardon people, amid reports he is considering presidential pardons for family members, aides and even himself.\n\nThe US authorities are probing possible collusion between the Trump team and Russia. Intelligence agencies think Russia tried to help Mr Trump to power.\n\nRussia denies this, and the president says there was no collusion.\n\nThe Washington Post reported on Thursday that Mr Trump and his team were looking at ways to pardon people close to him.\n\nPresidents can pardon people before guilt is established or even before the person is charged with a crime.\n\nDescribing the reports as disturbing, Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat who sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said \"pardoning any individuals who may have been involved would be crossing a fundamental line\".\n\nOn Saturday, Mr Trump tweeted: \"While all agree the U. S. President has the complete power to pardon, why think of that when only crime so far is LEAKS against us. FAKE NEWS.\"\n\nMr Trump also attacked \"illegal leaks\" following reports his attorney general discussed campaign-related matters with a Russian envoy.\n\nThe Washington Post gave an account of meetings Attorney General Jeff Sessions held with the Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak. The newspaper quoted current and former US officials who cited intelligence intercepts of Mr Kislyak's version of the encounter to his superiors.\n\nOne of those quoted said Mr Kislyak spoke to Mr Sessions about key campaign issues, including Mr Trump's positions on policies significant to Russia.\n\nDuring his confirmation hearing earlier this year, Mr Sessions said he had no contact with Russians during the election campaign. When it later emerged he had, he said the campaign was not discussed at the meetings.\n\nAn official confirmed to Reuters the detail of the intercepts, but there has been no independent corroboration.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Commander in tweets: What we can learn from Trump's Twitter\n\nThe officials spoken to by the Post said that Mr Kislyak could have exaggerated the account, and cited a Justice Department spokesperson who repeated that Mr Sessions did not discuss interference in the election.\n\nBut the Post's story was the focus of one of many tweets the US president fired off on Saturday morning.\n\n\"A new INTELLIGENCE LEAK from the Amazon Washington Post, this time against A.G. Jeff Sessions. These illegal leaks, like Comey's, must stop!\" Mr Trump said.\n\nThe Washington Post is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has been an occasional sparring partner for Mr Trump. \"Comey\" refers to James Comey, the former FBI boss Mr Trump fired.\n\nEarlier this week, Mr Trump told the New York Times he regretted hiring Mr Sessions because he had stepped away from overseeing an inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the US election.\n\nMr Sessions recused himself in March amid pressure over his meetings with Mr Kislyak. He says he plans to continue in his role as attorney general.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sessions said he loved the job and the department\n\nSeveral other regular targets for Mr Trump featured in his series of tweets.\n\nHe accused the \"failing\" New York Times of foiling an attempt to assassinate the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.\n\nIt is not clear what Mr Trump was referring to, but on Saturday a US general complained on Fox News that a \"good lead\" on Baghdadi was leaked to a national newspaper in 2015.\n\nA New York Times report at the time revealed that valuable information had been extracted from a raid, but the paper stressed on Saturday that no-one had taken issue with their reporting until now.\n\nAnd Mr Trump again urged Republicans to \"step up to the plate\" and repeal and replace President Obama's healthcare reforms, a key campaign pledge of his that has collapsed in Congress.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Donald J. Trump This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nDoris Hobday and her twin sister Lilian Cox, known as the Tipton Twins, were admitted to hospital after testing positive earlier this month.\n\nHer family said Mrs Hobday had died on 5 January, adding they were \"totally heartbroken to lose Doris in this way\".\n\nMrs Cox has since been discharged from hospital and is continuing to recover, the family said. The siblings were among the UK's oldest living twins.\n\nDoris Hobday died in hospital on 5 January, her family has announced\n\n\"We are so grateful for all the special memories we have created and got to share with you all,\" the family said in a statement.\n\nThe twins, from Tipton, West Midlands, became popular figures online with their positive outlook on life and sense of humour.\n\nTipton Twins Doris and Lilian both tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this month\n\nThey appeared on BBC Breakfast, ITV's Good Morning Britain and This Morning, charming presenters with jokes about wearing their drawers inside out and their love for actor Jason Statham.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Dan Walker This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Piers Morgan This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter���s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nLilian and Doris said they did everything together. They lived in the same street after getting married, worked together at an ale-making factory in Birmingham and more recently lived next to one another at sheltered accommodation in Tipton.\n\nSpeaking to the BBC on their 95th birthday, Lilian revealed her sister's secret to a long life was \"no sex and plenty of Guinness\" - her own being simply \"lemonade\".\n\nDoris Hobday's family said she had passed away peacefully and they were grateful for all their memories with her\n\n\"Doris will be laid to rest with her husband who she lost 11 years ago after 65 years of happy marriage,\" her family said.\n\nA crowdfunding page has been set up in Mrs Hobday's memory, with funds raised being donated to The Beacon Centre for the Blind, which supported her late husband Raymond for 20 years.\n\nDoris will be buried next to her husband Ray, who, along with half a Guinness, was \"her favourite thing\"\n\nThe family said Mrs Cox had only been told of her sister's death on Monday, \"once she was strong enough to take the news\".\n\n\"She is now being comforted by family and staying with her daughter Vivien while she fully regains her strength.\"\n\n\"Both were determined to live until 100, they had so much to look forward to,\" their family said. \"It's just so cruel that Covid has stopped Doris like this.\"\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Mr Bannon was once considered among the most influential men in Mr Trump's administration\n\nPresident Trump's former top advisor, Steve Bannon, has been suspended from Twitter over the \"glorification of violence\" amid the election aftermath.\n\nMr Bannon said a re-elected Mr Trump should fire the top infectious disease expert and the FBI director, and called for violence against them.\n\nIt comes as the tech firms continue a clampdown on misinformation.\n\nFacebook has shut down a large group which alleges fraud, and announced new measures to amplify genuine results.\n\nMr Bannon, once widely thought of as one of the most powerful men in Washington, served as the boss of Mr Trump's 2016 campaign, and as a top presidential advisor for the first several months of his presidency.\n\nOn Thursday, he posted a video podcast to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, in which he said both Dr Anthony Fauci - the face of the country's fight against coronavirus - and FBI Director Christopher Wray, should be fired after Mr Trump's re-election, but also said they should be subjected to violence.\n\nPresident Trump has expressed frustration with both men, clashing with Dr Fauci over the pandemic, and with Mr Wray over what he sees as a failure to investigate his opponent, Joe Biden.\n\nFacebook and YouTube both removed the video, but Twitter issued an outright suspension of Mr Bannon's \"war room pandemic\" account, for violating its policy on the glorification of violence.\n\nThe account has been permanently suspended, rather than banned for a limited amount of time, Twitter said in a statement.\n\nPresident Trump, meanwhile, had another of his tweets hidden and labelled by Twitter after falsely claiming victory and alleging the existence of \"illegal votes\".\n\nThe President responded by tweeting: \"Twitter is out of control\".\n\nThe Stop the Steal Facebook group had about 350,000 members when the social media giant removed it, something the social network admitted was an \"exceptional\" measure. It did so because it was \"creating real-world events\" and \"we saw worrying calls for violence from some members of the group\", Facebook said.\n\nThe social network is now taking further measures to restrict the flow of \"inaccurate claims\" in order \"to keep this content from reaching more people\".\n\n\"These include demotions for content on Facebook and Instagram that our systems predict may be misinformation, including debunked claims about voting. We are also limiting the distribution of live videos that may relate to the election on Facebook,\" the firm said in a statement.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Facebook Newsroom This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAs President Trump continues to allege, without evidence, that widespread voter fraud took place, Facebook also said it would alter its election banner notifications and spread news of the projected winner, once a majority of independent outlets projected the result.\n\nThe same notice will be put on posts from both candidates.\n\nSeparately, Bloomberg reports that Twitter will remove the \"special treatment\" it affords President Trump as a world leader, in the event of Joe Biden winning the presidency.\n\nTwitter has specific rules for world leaders, which means it will not ordinarily ban them for the same offences for which it would ban ordinary users. Twitter argues that such posts - even when violating its rules - are sufficiently newsworthy to stay up, with a handful of exceptions.\n\nInstead, Twitter can label the post of a world leader, hiding it from view and restricting engagement - but leaving it viewable to anyone who clicks through a warning message about the content.\n\nIt has repeatedly done this to Mr Trump's tweets, leading to high-profile arguments with the president and his supporters.\n\nBut Mr Trump would return to the status of a regular user if he loses the election, Bloomberg reported - meaning that his tweets could be deleted outright or his account suspended, for policy violations.", "Liam Gallagher, Sir Elton John and Nicola Benedetti have put their names to the letter\n\nSome of the UK's biggest music stars have written to the government demanding action to ensure visa-free touring in the European Union.\n\nSir Elton John, Liam Gallagher and Nicola Benedetti are among 110 artists who have signed the open letter.\n\nIt said they had been \"shamefully failed\" by the government over post-Brexit travel rules for UK musicians.\n\nThe government said the signatories should be asking the EU why they \"rejected the sensible UK proposal\".\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden will meet music industry representatives on Wednesday to address their concerns.\n\nEarlier this week, culture minister Caroline Dinenage said the EU's \"very broad\" offer \"would not have been compatible with the government's manifesto commitment to take back control of our borders\".\n\nHowever, she said \"the door is open\" if the EU was willing to consider the UK's proposals to reach an agreement for musicians.\n\nIn the meantime, she confirmed, musicians and artists touring the continent \"will be required to check domestic immigration and visitor rules for each member state in which they intend to tour\".\n\nThat may require them to have multiple visas or work permits, which some industry experts say will be expensive and potentially prohibitive - especially for musicians at the start of their careers.\n\nOther names on the open letter include Ed Sheeran, Sir Simon Rattle, Sting, Radiohead, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Kim Wilde, Roger Daltrey, Glastonbury organisers Michael and Emily Eavis, and Judith Weir, Master of the Queen's Music.\n\nThe letter was organised by the Incorporated Society of Musicians and the Liberal Democrats, and published in The Times.\n\n\"The reality is that British musicians, dancers, actors and their support staff have been shamefully failed by their government,\" it said.\n\n\"The deal done with the EU has a gaping hole where the promised free movement for musicians should be. Everyone on a European music tour will now need costly work permits for many countries they visit and a mountain of paperwork for their equipment.\"\n\nThe extra costs will \"tip many performers over the edge\", it claimed.\n\n\"We call on the government to urgently do what it said it would do and negotiate paperwork-free travel in Europe for British artists and their equipment,\" it added.\n\n\"For the sake of British fans wanting to see European performers in the UK and British venues wishing to host them, the deal should be reciprocal.\"\n\nThe Who frontman Daltrey signed despite telling the BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme in 2018: \"It's nothing that can't be solved. I mean, we used to work in Europe before the EU was even thought about. We had the golden period of the 60s and the 70s.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Who frontman Roger Daltrey gave his take on Brexit in 2018\n\nOn Wednesday, the veteran rocker said the two positions were compatible. \"I have not changed my opinion on the EU,\" he said in a statement to the PA news agency. \"I'm glad to be free of Brussels, not Europe.\n\n\"I would have preferred reform, which was asked for by us before the referendum and was turned down by the then president of the EU. I do think our government should have made the easing of restrictions for musicians and actors a higher priority.\n\n\"Every tour, individual actors and musicians should be treated as any other 'goods' at the point of entry to the EU with one set of paperwork. Switzerland has borders with five EU countries, and trade is electronically frictionless. Why not us?\"\n\nDeborah Annetts, chief executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, said: \"World-renowned performers, emerging artists from every genre and the most respected figures from leading organisations within our sector are now sending a clear message.\n\n\"It is essential for the government to negotiate a new reciprocal agreement that allows performers to tour in Europe for up to 90 days, without the need for a work permit.\"\n\nResponding to the letter, a UK government spokesperson said that musicians' concerns were being taken seriously.\n\n\"We absolutely agree that musicians should be able to work across Europe,\" they said in a statement.\n\n\"The UK Government put forward a proposal, based on feedback from the music sector, that would have allowed musicians to tour - but the EU repeatedly rejected this.\n\n\"The EU's offer in the negotiations would not have worked for touring musicians: it did not deal with work permits at all, and would not have allowed support staff to tour with artists. The signatories of this letter should be asking the EU why they rejected the sensible UK proposal.\"\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden is due to host a roundtable discussion with representatives from the music industry, addressing their concerns, on Wednesday.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Joe Biden has spent 50 years in politics working towards this moment, but he could never have expected such huge challenges would be facing him on his first day at the helm. What are his priorities?\n\nHe'll get started with a 10-day flurry of executive orders.\n\nThese are presidential directives that don't require congressional approval.\n\nTop of the list are rescinding a controversial travel ban, imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump against countries he viewed as a security threat, and rejoining the Paris climate deal.\n\nHere's what else we know about what will demand the new president's immediate attention.\n\nThe coronavirus has killed more than 400,000 people in the US - and the pandemic and its wide-ranging impact will be the new administration's top priority.\n\nMr Biden has called it \"one of the most important battles our administration will face\" and has vowed to implement his Covid strategy straight away.\n\nOne of his first moves will be executive action requiring social distancing and the wearing of masks on federal property nationwide and by federal employees and contractors.\n\nStill, there's no guarantee the state governors who've so far opposed mask mandates will suddenly change their minds - there appears to be no legal authority that grants a president the power to bring in a nationwide mask rule.\n\nMr Biden seems to have conceded that point, and says he'll personally try to persuade governors to come around.\n\nIf they're not receptive, he's vowed to make calls to mayors and municipal officials to recruit them to the cause. There's also no word yet on how a mandate will be enforced.\n\nMr Biden wants to speed up the vaccine rollout with the ultimate goal of vaccinating 100 million people with at least a first dose against Covid in his first 100 days in office.\n\nOne part of the acceleration plan is to release all available vaccine doses instead of holding some in reserve for the necessary second jab.\n\nHe is also expected to take executive action on efforts to develop and deploy rapid testing and to put in place a national supply chain for equipment, medications and personal protective equipment, or PPE.\n\nOn his agenda is a pledge to reverse the decision to have the US leave the World Health Organization (WHO).\n\nMr Trump announced plans over the summer to pull the country out of the WHO, accusing it of mismanaging Covid after the virus emerged in China and saying it failed to make \"greatly needed reforms\".\n\nMr Biden's team has said he has immediate plans to extend a moratorium on evictions and on foreclosures on home mortgages - both of which were paused early in the pandemic - as well as the current pause on federal student loan payments and interest.\n\nMr Biden's transition team said he plans to direct Cabinet agencies this week to \"take immediate action to deliver economic relief to working families\", though they did not offer more detail.\n\n$1.9tn for the US coronavirus economy\n\nLast week, Mr Biden announced a $1.9tn (£1.4tn) stimulus plan for the coronavirus-sapped US economy, saying that \"a crisis of deep human suffering is in plain sight and there's no time to waste\".\n\nIf passed by Congress, it would include direct payments of $1,400 to all Americans. He has also included funding to help schools safely reopen, which he wants to happen in the first 100 days.\n\nIt'll be in addition to a long-awaited $900bn stimulus package Congress passed in December, which Mr Biden had called a \"down payment\" on the larger proposed package.\n\nRepublicans lawmakers are likely to object to parts of the bill, which will add more debt to what the US has already spent dealing with the pandemic - and Mr Biden will need bipartisan support for the plan.\n\nDemocrats currently control both chambers of Congress, but only by narrow margins.\n\nCovid aid isn't the only priority on the incoming president's economic agenda. He has pledged to get rid of Mr Trump's signature tax cuts as soon as he takes office.\n\nMr Trump passed the cuts in 2017, early in his presidency, and the Biden team says they unfairly reward the wealthiest Americans and favour corporations over small businesses.\n\nMr Biden has also said he would swiftly double the taxes that US firms pay on foreign profits - part of his Made in America push - which would come in addition to a rise in corporate taxes.\n\nHis tax policy legislation will need to pass Congress.\n\nAnother move Mr Biden says he will make on his first day in office is to rejoin the Paris climate agreement, a global accord that includes the goal to keep temperatures below 2.0C (3.6F) above pre-industrial times and \"endeavour to limit\" them even more, to 1.5C.\n\nHis predecessor pulled the US out of the 2015 accord - it became official on 4 November - making it the first nation in the world to do so.\n\nThe US will officially be part of the agreement again within 30 days.\n\nMr Biden has also pledged to \"up the ante\" and aim for higher standards on climate mitigation measures, and to convene a climate world summit within the first 100 days in office.\n\nMr Biden has said he wants to work with Congress to enact legislation this year that will allow the US to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.\n\nIn a move that has already sparked alarm with his northern neighbours, Mr Biden is reportedly planning to immediately rescind the cross-border permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, a planned project from the oil sands of Canada's Alberta province, through Montana and South Dakota, to rejoin an existing pipeline to Texas.\n\nA further agenda item is a U-turn on much of Mr Trump's legacy of climate and energy deregulation, like the easing of vehicle emissions targets.\n\nMr Biden has said he will negotiate \"rigorous\" new emissions limits on cars and heavy-duty vehicles, to conserve 30% of US lands and waters by 2030, to ban new drilling on public lands, and to close the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.\n\nThe new administration says it plans also to bring in \"aggressive\" methane pollution limits for oil and gas operations and to ban new oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters.\n\nThe travel ban, signed by Mr Trump just seven days after taking office in January 2017, will be among the first policies to be discarded.\n\nThe ban initially excluded people from seven majority-Muslim countries, but the list was modified following a series of court challenges.\n\nIt now restricts citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela and North Korea.\n\nIn another major immigration pledge, Mr Biden has said he'll swiftly send a bill to Congress laying out a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented immigrants.\n\n\"And all of those so-called dreamers, those Daca [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme] kids, they're going to be immediately certified again to be able to stay in this country and put on a path to citizenship,\" he said in late October.\n\nLate in the election, the campaign announced Mr Biden would create a task force to reunite some 545 migrant children separated from their parents at the US southern border.\n\nIn December, the Biden team conceded it would need more time to roll back one of Mr Trump's policies, the Migrant Protection Protocols that force thousands of asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for US immigration court hearings.\n\nOnce a \"Day One\" pledge, officials now say it could take about six months to address.\n\nMr Biden has vowed to halt construction of a project synonymous with Mr Trump's presidency - the border wall between the US and Mexico. His campaign had called it \"a waste of money\" that \"diverts critical resources away from the real threats\".\n\nThe administration says it will instead divert the federal funds towards efforts like new border screening measures.\n\nUS President Donald Trump tours and signs a section of the US-Mexico border wall\n\nThe national reckoning with race is the fourth crisis - alongside Covid, the economy and climate - Mr Biden says he must tackle quickly.\n\nSome of those policies - like addressing racial disparities in housing and healthcare - overlap with his other plans.\n\nMr Biden will sign an executive order on racial equality and call on all US agencies to create a plan to tackle any unequal barriers to opportunity. It will also rescind Mr Trump's executive order limiting the ability of federal government agencies to implement diversity and inclusion training.\n\nMr Biden has promised to set up a national police oversight body to assist in reforming police departments in his first 100 days in office, though details of that plan are scarce.\n\nHe has said he wants swift passage by Congress of the \"Safe Justice Act\", which includes measures on reforming mandatory minimum sentences and increasing funding for community based policing.\n\nHe has made commitments to the LGBT community as well, like directing resources towards helping prevent violence against transgender people, ending the ban on transgender people serving in the military, and restoring guidance for transgender students in schools.\n\nOne other priority is passing the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to existing federal civil rights laws, though how fast he can pass that legislation remains unclear.\n\nThe incoming president says he plans to quickly reach out to US allies to smooth ruffled feathers and promise that \"America has your back\", saying the US must \"prove to the world that [it] is prepared to lead again - not just with the example of our power but also with the power of our example\".\n\nHe has said on his first day in the Oval Office he would reach out to Nato allies with the message \"we're back and you can count on us again\".\n\nThough Mr Trump was not the first president to pressure other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation members to spend more on defence, he threatened at times to withdraw from the alliance that Mr Biden has called the \"bulwark of the liberal democratic ideal\".", "More than 127,000 people in the UK who contracted coronavirus have lost their lives - with the pandemic claiming more than 3.4 million deaths worldwide. As the UK marks a year since the first coronavirus lockdown was called, it's a time for reflection.\n\nWe have gathered tributes to more than 770 of those who have died. Below are words of remembrance from friends, family and colleagues.\n\nPlease enable JavaScript or upgrade your browser to see this interactive\n\nThe tributes are displayed at random, which means that you will see different faces each time you visit this page.\n\nIf we have used your tribute to your friend or family member, it will appear in the carousel above, or you can find it by entering their name in the search box below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. Enter a name to search the tributes\n\nFor more on NHS and healthcare workers, please see this page dedicated to 100 people who died while helping to look after others.\n\nFor more on how it has affected people's lives, from family tragedy to its impact on everyday life, we have a collection of personal stories about life in lockdown.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Many were taken by surprise by the events in Washington, but to those who closely follow conspiracy and extreme right groups online, the warning signs were all there.\n\nAt 02:21 Eastern Standard Time on election night, President Trump walked onto a stage set up in the East Room of the White House and declared victory.\n\n\"We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election.\"\n\nHis speech came an hour after he'd tweeted: \"They are trying to steal the election\".\n\nHe hadn't won. There was no victory to steal. But to many of his most fervent supporters, these facts didn't matter, and still don't.\n\nSixty five days later, a motley coalition of rioters stormed the US Capitol building. They included believers in the QAnon conspiracy theory, members of \"Stop the Steal\" groups, far-right activists, online trolls and others.\n\nOn Friday 8 January - some 48 hours after the Washington riots - Twitter began a purge of some of the most influential pro-Trump accounts that had been pushing conspiracies and urging direct action to overturn the election result.\n\nThen came the big one - Mr Trump himself.\n\nThe president was permanently banned from tweeting to his more than 88 million followers \"due to the risk of further incitement of violence\".\n\nThe violence in Washington shocked the world and seemed to catch the authorities off guard.\n\nBut for anyone who had been carefully watching the unfolding story - online and on the streets of American cities - it came as no surprise.\n\nThe idea of a rigged election was seeded by the president in speeches and on Twitter, months before the vote.\n\nOn election day, the rumors started just as Americans were going to the polls.\n\nA video of a Republican poll watcher being denied entry to a Philadelphia polling station went viral. It was a genuine error, caused by confusion about the rules. The man was later allowed into the station to observe the count.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Will Chamberlain This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Will Chamberlain\n\nBut it became the first of many videos, images, graphics and claims that went viral in the days that followed, giving rise to a hashtag: #StopTheSteal.\n\nThe message behind it was clear - Mr Trump had won a landslide victory, but dark forces in the establishment \"deep state\" had stolen it from him.\n\nIn the early hours of Wednesday 4 November, while votes were still being counted and three days before the US networks called the election for Joe Biden, President Trump claimed victory, alleging \"a fraud on the American public\".\n\nMr Trump did not provide any evidence to back up his claims. Studies carried out for previous US elections have shown that voter fraud is extremely rare.\n\nBy mid-afternoon a Facebook group called \"Stop the Steal\" was created and quickly became one of the fastest-growing in the platform's history. By Thursday morning, it had added more than 300,000 members.\n\nMany of the posts focused on unsubstantiated allegations of mass voter fraud, including manufactured claims that thousands of dead people had voted and that voting machines had somehow been programmed to flip votes from Mr Trump to Mr Biden.\n\nBut some of the posts were more alarming, speaking of the need for a \"civil war\" or \"revolution\".\n\nBy Thursday afternoon, Facebook had taken down Stop the Steal, but not before it had generated nearly half a million comments, shares, likes, and reactions.\n\nDozens of other groups quickly sprang up in its place.\n\nThe idea of a stolen election continued to spread online and take hold. Soon, a dedicated Stop the Steal website was launched in a bid to register \"boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote\".\n\nOn Saturday 7 November, major news organisations declared that Joe Biden had won the election. In Democratic strongholds, throngs of people took to the streets to celebrate. But the reaction online from Mr Trump's most ardent supporters was one of anger and defiance.\n\nThey planned a rally in Washington DC for the following Saturday, dubbed the Million MAGA (Make America Great Again) March.\n\nTrump tweeted that he might try to stop by the demonstration and \"say hello\".\n\nPrevious pro-Trump rallies in Washington had failed to attract large crowds. But thousands gathered at Freedom Plaza that sunny morning.\n\nOne extremism researcher called it the \"debut of the pro-Trump insurgency\".\n\nAs Trump's motorcade drove through the city, supporters screaming with delight rushed to catch a glimpse of the president, who beamed at them wearing a red MAGA hat.\n\nWhile mainstream conservative figures were present, the event was dominated by far-right groups.\n\nDozens of members of the far-right, anti-immigrant, all-male group Proud Boys, who have repeatedly been involved in violent street protests and were among those who would later break into the US Capitol, joined the march. Militia groups, far-right media figures and promoters of conspiracy theories were also there.\n\nAs night fell, clashes between Trump supporters and counter-protesters broke out, including a brawl about five blocks from the White House.\n\nThe violence - although largely contained by police on this occasion - was a clear sign of things to come.\n\nBy now, President Trump and his legal team had invested their hopes in dozens of legal cases.\n\nAlthough a number of courts had already dismissed fraud allegations, many in the pro-Trump online world became fascinated with two lawyers with close ties to the president - Sidney Powell and L Lin Wood.\n\nMs Powell and Mr Wood promised they were preparing cases of voter fraud so comprehensive that when released, they would destroy the case for Mr Biden having won the presidency.\n\nMs Powell, 65, a conservative activist and former federal prosecutor, told Fox News that the effort would \"release the Kraken\" - a reference to a gigantic sea monster from Scandinavian folklore that rises up from the ocean to devour its enemies.\n\nThe \"Kraken\" quickly became an internet meme, representing sprawling, unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud.\n\nMs Powell and Mr Wood became heroes to followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory - who believe President Trump and a secret military intelligence team are battling a deep state made up of Satan-worshipping paedophiles in the Democratic Party, media, business and Hollywood.\n\nThe lawyers became a conduit between the president and his most conspiracy-minded supporters - a number of whom ended up inside the Capitol on 6 January.\n\nMs Powell and Mr Wood were successful in whipping up sound and fury online, but their legal efforts came to nothing.\n\nWhen they released almost 200 pages of documents in late November, it became clear that their lawsuit consisted predominantly of conspiracy theories and debunked allegations that had already been rejected by dozens of courts.\n\nThe filings contained simple legal errors - and basic misspellings and typos.\n\nStill, the meme lived on. The terms \"Kraken\" and \"Release the Kraken\" were used more than a million times on Twitter before the Capitol riot.\n\nDeath threats were made against a Georgia election worker, and Republican officials in the state - including Governor Brian Kemp, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the official in charge of the state's voting systems, Gabriel Sterling - were branded \"traitors\" online.\n\nMr Sterling issued an emotional and prescient warning to the president in a press conference on 1 December.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"This has to stop... someone's gonna get killed\": Mr Sterling calls on President Trump to condemn the threats\n\n\"Someone's going to get hurt, someone's going to get shot, someone's going to get killed, and it's not right,\" he said.\n\nIn Michigan in early December, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, had just finished trimming her Christmas tree with her four-year-old son when she heard a commotion outside her Detroit home.\n\nAbout 30 protesters with banners stood outside, shouting \"Stop the steal!\" through megaphones.\n\n\"Benson, you are a villain,\" one person yelled.\n\nOne of the demonstrators live-streamed the protest on Facebook, stating that her group was \"not going away\".\n\nIt was just one of a rash of protests targeting people involved in the vote.\n\nIn Georgia, a constant stream of Trump supporters drove past Mr Raffensperger's home, honking their horns. His wife received threats of sexual violence.\n\nIn Arizona, demonstrators gathered outside of the home of Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, at one point warning: \"We are watching you.\"\n\nOn 11 December, the Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the state of Texas to throw out election results.\n\nAs the president's legal and political windows continued to close, the language in pro-Trump online circles became increasingly violent.\n\nOn 12 December, a second Stop the Steal rally was held in the capital. Once again, thousands attended, and once again prominent far-right activists, QAnon supporters, fringe MAGA groups and militia movements were among the demonstrators.\n\nMichael Flynn, Mr Trump's former national security advisor, likened the protesters to the biblical soldiers and priests breaching the walls of Jericho. This echoed the rally organisers' call for \"Jericho Marches\" to overturn the election result.\n\nNick Fuentes, the leader of Groypers, a far-right movement that targets Republican politicians and figures they deem too moderate, told the crowd: \"We are going to destroy the GOP!\"\n\nThe march once again turned violent.\n\nThen two days later, the Electoral College certified Mr Biden's victory, one of the final steps required for him to take office.\n\nOn online platforms, supporters were becoming resigned to the view that all legal avenues were dead ends, and only direct action could save the Trump presidency.\n\nSince election day, alongside Mr Flynn, Ms Powell and Mr Wood, a new figure had rapidly gained prominence among pro-Trump circles online.\n\nRon Watkins is the son of Jim Watkins, the man behind 8chan and 8kun - message boards filled with extreme language and views, violence and extreme sexual content. They gave rise to the QAnon movement.\n\nIn a series of viral tweets on 17 December, Ron Watkins suggested President Trump should follow the example of Roman leader Julius Caesar, and capitalise on \"fierce loyalty of the military\" in order to \"restore the Republic\".\n\nRon Watkins encouraged his more than 500,000 followers to make #CrossTheRubicon a Twitter trend, referring to the moment when Caesar launched a civil war by crossing the Rubicon river in 49BC. The hashtag was also used by more mainstream figures - including the chairwoman of Arizona Republican Party, Kelli Ward.\n\nIn a separate tweet, Ron Watkins said Mr Trump must invoke the Insurrection Act, which empowers the president to deploy the military and federal forces.\n\nMr Trump met Ms Powell, Mr Flynn and others at a strategy meeting at the White House the following day, 18 December.\n\nDuring the meeting, according to the New York Times, Mr Flynn called on Mr Trump to impose martial law and deploy the military to \"rerun\" the election.\n\nThe meeting further stoked online chatter about \"war\" and \"revolution\" in far-right circles. Many came to see the joint session of Congress on 6 January, normally a formality, as a last roll of the dice.\n\nA wishful story began to take hold among QAnon and some MAGA supporters. They hoped that Vice-President Mike Pence, who was set to preside over the 6 January ceremony, would ignore the electoral college votes.\n\nThe president, they said, would then deploy the military to quell any unrest, order the mass arrest of the \"deep state cabal\" who had rigged the election and send them to Guantanamo Bay military prison.\n\nBack in the land of reality, none of this was remotely feasible. But it launched a movement for \"patriot caravans\" to organise ride shares to help transport thousands from around the country to Washington DC on 6 January.\n\nLong processions of vehicles flying Trump flags and sometimes towing elaborately decorated trailers gathered in car parks in cities including Louisville, Kentucky, Atlanta, Georgia, and Scranton, Pennsylvania.\n\n\"We are on our way,\" one caravaner posted on Twitter with a picture of about two dozen supporters.\n\nAt an Ikea parking lot in North Carolina, another man showed off his truck. \"The flags are a little tattered - we'll call them battle flags now,\" he said.\n\nAs it became clear that Mr Pence and other key Republicans would follow the law and allow Congress to certify Mr Biden's win, the language towards them became vicious.\n\n\"Pence will be in jail awaiting trial for treason,\" Mr Wood tweeted. \"He will face execution by firing squad.\"\n\nOnline discussion reached boiling point. References to firearms, war and violence were rife on self-styled \"free speech\" social platforms such as Gab and Parler, which are popular with Trump supporters, as well as on other sites.\n\nIn Proud Boys groups, where members had once supported police, some turned against authorities, whom they deemed to no longer be on their side.\n\nHundreds of posts on a popular pro-Trump site, TheDonald, openly discussed plans to cross barricades, carry firearms and other weapons to the march in defiance of Washington's strict gun laws. There was open chatter about storming the Capitol and arresting \"treasonous\" members of Congress.\n\nOn Wednesday 6 January, Mr Trump addressed a crowd of thousands at the Ellipse, a park just south of the White House, for more than an hour.\n\nEarly on he encouraged supporters to \"peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard\", but he ended with a warning. \"We fight like hell, and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.\n\n\"So we're going to, we're going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue… and we're going to the Capitol.\"\n\nTo some observers, the potential for violence that day was clear from the outset.\n\nMichael Chertoff, former secretary of homeland security under President George W Bush, blamed the Capitol Police, who reportedly turned down offers of assistance from the much larger National Guard ahead of time. He characterised it as \"the worst failure of a police force I can think of\".\n\n\"I think it was a very foreseeable potential negative turn of events,\" Mr Chertoff said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"To be blunt, it was obvious. If you read the newspaper and were awake, you understood that you've got a lot of people who have been convinced there was a fraudulent election. Some of them are extremists, and violent. Some of the groups openly said, 'Bring your guns'.\"\n\nStill, many Americans were astonished by Wednesday's scenes, like James Clark, a 68-year-old Republican from Virginia.\n\n\"I find it absolutely shocking. I didn't think it would come to this,\" he told the BBC.\n\nBut the signs were there for weeks. A hodgepodge of extreme and conspiratorial groups were convinced that the election was stolen. Online, they repeatedly talked about arming themselves, and violence.\n\nPerhaps the authorities didn't think their posts were serious, or specific enough to investigate. They now face pointed questions.\n\nFor Joe Biden's inauguration on 20 January, Mr Chertoff is expecting a \"much stronger showing\" by security services than last Wednesday night.\n\nBut that hasn't stopped many on extreme platforms calling for further violence and disruption on the day.\n\nThere are questions, too, for the major social media platforms, which enabled conspiracy theories to reach millions of people.\n\nLate on Friday, Twitter deleted the accounts of Mr Flynn, the former Trump advisor, the \"Kraken\" lawyers Ms Powell and Mr Wood, and Mr Watkins. Then Mr Trump himself.\n\nArrests of those who stormed the Capitol continue. But most of the rioters still live in a parallel online universe - a subterranean world filled with alternative facts.\n\nThey have already come up with fanciful explanations to dismiss Mr Trump's video statement, posted on Twitter the day after the riots, in which he acknowledged for the first time that \"a new administration will be inaugurated on 20 January\".\n\nHe can't possibly be giving up, they contend. Among their new theories - it's not really him in the video but a computer-generated \"deep fake\". Or perhaps the president is being held hostage.\n\nMany still believe Mr Trump will prevail.\n\nThere's no evidence behind any of this, but it does prove one thing.\n\nNo matter what happens to Donald Trump, the rioters who stormed the US Capitol are not backing down anytime soon.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid in Scotland: Schools to stay closed until mid-February at least\n\nScotland's Covid-19 lockdown has been extended until at least the middle of February, with most school pupils to continue learning from home.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs that transmission of the virus appeared to be declining but was still too high to ease restrictions.\n\nBut she hopes schools will be able to at least begin a phased return to the classroom in the middle of next month.\n\nThe level four restrictions have been in place since Boxing Day.\n\nMeanwhile the islands of Barra and Vatersay are being moved into the top level of restrictions due to a \"significant outbreak\" there.\n\nThe current restrictions, which have closed non-essential shops and seen a \"stay at home\" message put down in law, had been due to expire at the end of this month.\n\nBut Scottish government ministers agreed they should be extended after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.\n\nMs Sturgeon told MSPs that lockdown was \"beginning to have an impact\" on the number of new infections, but said Scotland remained in a \"very precarious position\".\n\nShe added: \"We need to be realistic that any improvement we are seeing is down, at this stage, to the fact that we are staying at home and reducing our interactions.\n\n\"Any relaxation of lockdown while case numbers, even though they might be declining, nevertheless remain very high, could quickly send the situation into reverse.\"\n\nThe vast majority of Scottish pupils have been home learning since the Christmas holiday\n\nThe announcement came as 1,165 new cases of Covid-19 were registered in Scotland, representing 11.1% of tests carried out.\n\nA total of 1,989 people are in hospital with the virus while a further 71 deaths of people who recently tested positive have been logged.\n\nMs Sturgeon said there was \"real and severe\" pressure on health services, with around 30% more patients in hospital than at the peak of the first wave in April 2020, and that this was \"almost certain to rise for a further period yet\".\n\nSchool buildings and nurseries have been closed to most pupils since the start of term, with all but the children of some key workers and vulnerable pupils learning from home.\n\nNot only will schools remain closed to most pupils until at least mid-February, they are unlikely to return to normal at that point.\n\nThe first minister has indicated that her aim is to begin a phased return, if coronavirus allows. So what might that mean?\n\nThe groups that will get back into class first are likely to include secondary school exam year pupils, the youngest primary school children and those in P7 getting ready to move to high school.\n\nFor others, online learning is likely to last a bit longer.\n\nBoth the return to school and the continuation of the wider lockdown will be reviewed again in a fortnight on 2 Feb.\n\nBy that week, first doses of vaccine should have been offered to all over 80s in Scotland as well as frontline NHS and social care staff and care home residents.\n\nWith only 15-20% of the over 80s reached so far, opposition parties think the programme is slipping behind schedule, which the first minister denies.\n\nMs Sturgeon said she knew how \"challenging and stressful\" home schooling was for families, but said community transmission was \"too high\" to allow a safe return to classrooms.\n\nShe said: \"If it is at all possible, as I very much hope it will be, to begin even a phased return to in-school learning in mid-February, we will.\n\n\"But I also have to be straight with families and say that it is simply too early to be sure about whether and to what extent this will be possible.\"\n\nStatistics released on Monday showed that Scotland had vaccinated 6% of its adult population so far - the same percentage as Wales, but lower than the 8% that have been vaccinated in England and 8.7% in Northern Ireland.\n\nEngland has also given a second dose of the vaccine to 427,386 people, compared to only 3,698 in Scotland.\n\nMs Sturgeon said approximately 100,000 people were being vaccinated per week in Scotland, and that health teams were \"on track\" to expand this to 400,000 per week by the end of February.\n\nStatistics have suggested the vaccination programme in Scotland is currently lagging behind England\n\nMore than 90% of care home residents have now been given a first dose, along with 70% of care home staff and 70% of all frontline health and care workers.\n\nThe first minister said the focus on care homes - where it is \"time consuming and labour intensive\" to give out jabs - was \"why overall figures are at this stage lower than in England\", where more over-80s have received the vaccine.\n\nShe said the \"pace of progress in the over-80s group is also now picking up\", and that the government remained on track to hit its target of completing everyone on the priority list by early May.\n\nScottish Conservative group leader Ruth Davidson said the Scottish government were \"lagging behind their own targets\" on vaccination, saying the focus on care homes \"doesn't explain how slowly the vaccine is reaching GP surgeries and the public\".\n\nShe read out a series of letters from elderly people who had not been contacted about getting a jab, saying they were \"anxious they don't get left behind\".\n\nMs Sturgeon said she would not apologise for \"prioritising the most vulnerable first\", saying all four UK nations were \"working to the same targets\".\n\nScottish Labour's interim leader Jackie Baillie asked if Ms Sturgeon was confident the government could hit its \"critical\" targets, saying GPs were still complaining about \"patchy\" distribution of vaccines.\n\nThe first minister replied that her government would hit its goals, saying it was \"always the intention\" to increase the pace of vaccination as infrastructure and supplies became available.\n\nThis would see care home residents, healthcare staff and all over-80s get a first dose by the start of February, with over-70s and those deemed \"extremely vulnerable\" by mid-February and all over-65s by the beginning of March.", "The last vestiges of the Trump presidency will be swept away on Wednesday, as the Bidens move into the White House. Desks will have been cleared out, rooms scrubbed clean and the president's aides will be replaced by a new team of political appointees. It's part of the massive transformation that a new presidency brings to the heart of government.\n\nOne evening last week, Stephen Miller, a policy adviser and central figure in the Trump White House, was lounging in the West Wing.\n\nMiller, who has crafted speeches and policies for the president since his early days in office, is also one of the few members of the president's initial team still with him at the end.\n\nLeaning against a wall and chatting with colleagues about a meeting scheduled for later that day, he seemed in no hurry to leave.\n\nThe West Wing usually hums with activity but it seemed deserted. The phones were quiet. Desks in empty offices were cluttered with papers and unopened letters, as if people had left in a hurry and would not be coming back. Dozens of senior officials and aides quit in the wake of the Capitol riots on 6 January. A handful of loyalists, like Miller, remain.\n\nAs the conversation began to wind down, he broke away from his colleagues. When I asked him where he was headed next, he smiled. \"Back to my office,\" he said and sauntered down the hall.\n\nOn inauguration day, Miller's office will have been cleaned out, swept of signs that he and his colleagues had ever been there, ready for the Biden team to move in.\n\nThe cleaning out of West Wing offices, and the transition between presidents, is part of a tradition that dates back centuries. It's a process that has not always been imbued with warmth.\n\nAnother impeached president, Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, snubbed Republican Ulysses S Grant in 1869 and skipped the inauguration. Grant, who had backed Johnson's removal from office, was hardly surprised.\n\nStaff have started moving paperwork and pictures out of the White House\n\nThis year, however, the transition stands out for its acrimony. The process usually starts straight after the election, but it started weeks late after Trump refused to accept the result. And the president has said he will not attend the inauguration. Most likely, he will instead travel to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.\n\nStill, the handover is taking place, just as it has in the past. \"The system is holding,\" says Sean Wilentz, a professor of American history at Princeton University. \"It's very rocky, it's very bumpy, but nevertheless the transition is going to occur.\"\n\nEven in the best of times, the logistics of a transition are daunting, involving the transfer of knowledge and employees on a massive scale.\n\nStephen Miller is just one of 4,000 political appointees hired by the Trump administration who will lose their job and be replaced by individuals hired by Mr Biden.\n\nDuring an average transition, between 150,000-300,000 people apply for these jobs, according to the Center for Presidential Transition, a nonpartisan organisation based in Washington. About 1,100 of the positions also require Senate confirmation. Filling all of these positions takes months, even years.\n\nFour years of policy papers, briefing books and artefacts relating to the president's work will be carted off to the National Archives where they will be kept secret for 12 years, unless the president himself decides that portions may be released early.\n\nOn a weekday evening during Trump's last week in office, the door to the office of Kayleigh McEnany, the president's press secretary, was partly open.\n\nMcEnany has been one of the president's most high-profile defenders. Impeccably groomed, she is a precise speaker who maintains her composure amidst chaos.\n\nKayleigh McEnany has packed up her office in the White House\n\nHer office, too, was organised in a meticulous manner, even as she prepared to leave. A mirror stood on her desk, and several fireplace logs were wrapped in clear plastic and packed up.\n\nGenerally, the last few days are \"controlled chaos,\" says Kate Andersen Brower, who has written a book about the White House, The Residence.\n\nFurniture in the White House, such as the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, most of the artwork, china and other objects, belong to the government and will remain on the premises.\n\nBut other items, like photos of the president that hang in the hallway, will be taken down as the White House is transformed for its new occupants.\n\nStaffers are already moving some items out of the building. One White House staffer, a woman in sturdy heels, was lugging several images of First Lady Melania Trump out of the East Wing. The pictures are known as \"jumbos\" because of their extra-large size, she says, and they will be taken to the National Archives.\n\nThe Trumps' personal belongings, such as clothes, jewellery, and other items will be moved to their new residence, most likely at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.\n\nAnd this year, the place will be deep cleaned.\n\nPresident Biden is expected to make decorative changes to the Oval Office\n\nThe president, as well as Mr Miller and dozens of others at the White House, were infected with the coronavirus over the past several months, and the six-floor building, with its 132 rooms, will be thoroughly scrubbed down. Everything from handrails to elevator buttons to restroom fixtures will be wiped and sanitised, according to a spokeswoman for the General Services Administration, the federal agency that oversees the housekeeping effort.\n\nIncoming first families usually do some redecoration. Within days of arriving at the White House, Mr Trump had chosen a portrait of populist president Andrew Jackson for the Oval Office. He also replaced the drapes, couches and a rug in the office with ones that were gold-coloured.\n\nOn inauguration day, Vice-President Pence and his wife will also make way for Kamala Harris, and her husband, Doug Emhoff. They will be settling into their official residence, a 19th Century residence on the Naval Observatory grounds, a couple of miles from the White House.\n\nPolicy adviser Stephen Miller may have lingered in the West Wing, but others were ready to go. At the White House, people were lugging thick manila envelopes, framed photos and bags from a gift shop. \"It's my last day,\" says one man, smiling as he took a photo of his sons on the north lawn. A bulging backpack was slung over his shoulder.\n\nA group of National Security officials posed in front of the West Wing, asking me to take their picture. \"Make sure you get the marine guard,\" says one of the officials, referring to a marine who stands in front of the doorway when the president is in the Oval Office. The officials were in high spirits, joking and vamping for the camera.\n\nThe political appointees at the White House were in a good mood for a reason. For weeks, they had been caught in an in-between world. Their boss was denying the validity of the election, but they knew that their days were numbered. Now they could plan openly for their future, and they seemed almost giddy.\n\nOne political appointee, a man dressed in a dark suit, was already making plans. He ran into a colleague outside the Palm room, a reception area on the ground floor. \"See you on the flip side,\" he said, brightly. He was referring to the time after the inauguration, when they will both be out of their White House jobs. He mused about where they might meet again. \"Hopefully in the Greek isles or somewhere.\"\n\n\"Oh, yes. That is for sure,\" said his colleague, laughing. They smacked a high-five and then parted ways.", "Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has confirmed the government is looking at scrapping some EU labour laws now it is no longer bound by the bloc's rules.\n\nBut he promised there would be no dilution of workers' rights.\n\nMeasures under consideration include relaxing the working time directive which enshrines a 48-hour week.\n\nShadow business secretary Ed Miliband warned the government wanted to take a \"wrecking ball\" to hard-won rights.\n\nEarlier this week Mr Kwarteng said he wanted to \"protect and enhance\" labour law after the Financial Times reported that some rules could be weakened.\n\nThe minister later told business leaders the UK had an opportunity to reform regulation derived from EU law, but would not deliberately antagonise the EU - its biggest trading partner - immediately after the Brexit deal.\n\nConfirming the review on Tuesday, Mr Kwarteng told MPs there would be no \"bonfire of rights\".\n\n\"I think the view was that we wanted to look at the whole range of issues relating to our EU membership and examine what we wanted to keep, if you like,\" he said.\n\nBut he said \"the idea that we are trying to whittle down standards, that's not at all plausible or true\".\n\nAppearing before MPs, the business secretary said: \"I'm very struck as I look at EU economies how many EU countries - I think it's about 17 or 18 - have essentially opted out of the working time directive.\n\n\"So even by just following that we are way above the average European standard and I want to maintain that. I think we can be a high-wage, high-employment economy, a very successful economy, and that's what we should be aiming for.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Kwasi Kwarteng This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Miliband said that after denying the FT's report, Mr Kwarteng had now \"let the cat out of the bag\" in admitting the government was conducting a review.\n\nHe warned that opting out of the 48-hour week would harm workers in key sectors like the NHS, road haulage and airlines from working excessive hours.\n\n\"A government committed to maintaining existing protections would not be reviewing whether they should be unpicked. This exposes that the government's priorities for Britain are totally wrong.\"\n\nDrew Hendry, the SNP's business spokesman, echoed the criticism, accusing the government of planning an \"assault\" on workers' rights.\n\nMeanwhile the boss of the UK's biggest recruitment firm, Reed, told the BBC's Today programme that there was \"no wish\" among employers to see \"a so-called bonfire of workers' rights.\n\n\"They must be protected because fair treatment is the bedrock of good workplace relations,\" James Reed said.\n\nThe chairman of the firm said the government should instead focus on lower-paid workers and measures that could be taken to improve unemployment, which is set to rise further into mid-2021.\n\n\"I would suggest two things are looked at before any EU rules: The apprenticeship levy, which is clearly failing... and also National Insurance on jobs. It's a tax on jobs - how can that be improved? Especially to help the low-paid back into work.\"\n\nUnder the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, the UK has agreed to conditions that maintain fair competition, or a level playing field, between the two sides.\n\nHowever, the EU's ambassador to the UK, Joao Vale de Almeida, said Brussels could retaliate if Boris Johnson's government went too far in with deregulation.\n\n\"It will be for us to judge the extent to which it violates this principle of 'level playing field' and if that is the case there are mechanisms in the treaty, in the agreement, that allow us to discuss and eventually to come to an understanding,\" he said on Tuesday.\n\n\"If no understanding there are retaliation measures that can be applied on both sides.\"", "At 12:01, in the midst of his inaugural address, Joe Biden officially became the 46th president of the United States.\n\nHe was already well into outlining exactly how daunting a task he - and the nation - have ahead in what he called its \"winter of peril\".\n\nAmerica is facing a devastating pandemic which has resulted in massive job losses and business closures, a threatened environment, urgent cries for racial justice and resurgence in \"political extremism, white supremacy and domestic terrorism\".\n\nHis speech was not a laundry list of proposals and solutions. Those were reserved for his first 17 executive actions as president - on immigration, climate change, transgender rights and public health, among others.\n\nThe Biden administration has also frozen all of Trump's last-minute regulations pending further review.\n\nInstead, Biden used his speech to offer hope - and to argue, at times forcefully, that the nation must be united in facing the challenges ahead; that it has to move past its current \"uncivil war\".\n\n\"Without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury,\" he said. \"No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos.\"\n\n\"This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge,\" he continued. \"And unity is the path forward\".\n\nAt times, Biden's speech seemed a direct rebuttal to his predecessor's administration, although he did not mention Donald Trump by name.\n\nWhere Trump frequently spoke of American greatness and glorified its founders, Biden noted that the nation's history has been a \"constant struggle\" between its ideals and sometimes harsh realities.\n\nWhere Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway spoke of \"alternative facts\" almost four years ago, Biden said: \"There is truth and there are lies - lies told for power and for profit.\"\n\nBiden wrapped up his inaugural address by warning that America must not \"turn inward\" - both as individuals retreating into \"competing factions\" and as a nation on the world stage.\n\n\"We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again,\" he said.\n\nRhetorically, Biden turned the page from Trump's days of \"America first\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe first 100 days of any administration are always important to a new president. What are his priorities? What will he try to accomplish when his political capital is at its highest?\n\nJoe Biden and his presidential team have had nearly three months to plan out his first actions upon taking the oath of office, but executive action is the (relatively) easy part.\n\nHis speech reflected the reality that he enters office with his top priorities already determined for him.\n\nHis government will be responsible for distributing the coronavirus vaccine in an efficient and equitable way. After that, he will have to focus on the societal and economic disruptions caused by the pandemic.\n\nThe virus has exacerbated income inequality and pushed many households to the brink of economic ruin. It's devastated the travel and hospitality industries and placed incredible strain on the finances of state and local governments.\n\nHis pledge to seek unity will be tested early, as he pushes a sharply divided Congress to pass another, massive round of pandemic stimulus aid. If he wants to enact it quickly, he will need Republican support in the Senate, and already there are signs that some on the right may be lining up in opposition to more spending.\n\nThen there's Trump's Senate impeachment trial, which will present yet another challenge to national unity. It will keep Trump's name in the news for weeks, as his defenders rally to his side and his detractors call for consequences for his actions.\n\nAfter that, Biden's potential political paths diverge. He has said he wants to improve healthcare in the US, address growing college debt, make new investments in infrastructure and tackle climate change.\n\nHe's pledged to push immigration reform legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented migrants - a political lightning rod that helped fuel Trump's first presidential run.\n\nWhat he prioritises, and how successful his first efforts are, could determine the overall success of his administration. To make lasting change - policies that can't be undone by future presidents - he will have to work with Congress.\n\nThe inauguration ceremony is over. But, as Biden noted in his speech, the American people face one of the most challenging times in their nation's history.\n\n\"We will be judged by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era,\" he said.\n\nBiden campaigned against Trump for the opportunity to face those crises. Now he has his chance.", "Anyone going on a Saga holiday or cruise in 2021 must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the tour operator has said.\n\nSaga, which specialises in holidays for the over-50s, said it wanted to protect customers' health and safety.\n\nThe firm said it would delay restarting its travel packages until May to give customers enough time to get jabs.\n\nPeople over 50 in the UK have been rushing to book holidays as vaccinations boost confidence.\n\n\"The health and safety of our customers has always been our number one priority at Saga, so we have taken the decision to require everyone travelling with us to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19,\" Saga said in a statement.\n\n\"Our customers want the reassurance of the vaccine and to know others travelling with them will be vaccinated too.\"\n\nThe firm's holidays were due to restart in March and its cruises in April after a long hiatus, but they will now both be delayed.\n\nSaga said that meant all trips before May would no longer go ahead as planned, acknowledging it would be \"a huge disappointment\" to customers.\n\n\"We will be contacting all guests affected to discuss their options,\" it said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Singapore's 'cruises to nowhere' set back by Covid scare\n\nThe firm said its vaccination policy added to stronger safety processes already planned for when its holidays resume.\n\nThese include requiring cruise passengers to have a Covid-19 test before their trip, as well as a full medical screening.\n\nCapacity on its ships will also be kept to a maximum of 800 people.\n\nThere were some severe covid outbreaks on cruise ships early on the pandemic, before coronavirus restrictions were imposed.\n\nBritish-registered ship the Diamond Princess, owned by the company Carnival, was quarantined for nearly a month in February in the Port of Yokohama in Japan.\n\nMore than 700 of its 3,711 passengers and crew were infected, and 14 died.\n\nThe UK has embarked on a mass vaccination programme as Covid-19 cases surge.\n\nPeople in England are being vaccinated at a rate of 140 jabs per minute, NHS England boss Sir Simon Stevens said this week.\n\nExperts believe in future that airlines, concert venues and restaurants could routinely ask customers to prove that they have been vaccinated.\n\nAnd last week, London plumbing firm Pimlico Plumbers said that all of its staff would be contractually obliged to get the jab.", "The government does not know how many cases might be affected by hundreds of thousands of police records being accidentally wiped, the PM has said.\n\nBoris Johnson told the House of Commons the police were working \"round the clock\" to rectify the error.\n\nAround 400,000 fingerprint, DNA and arrest records were deleted from the police database.\n\nEarlier, Home Secretary Priti Patel said it was not yet known whether any of the data had been permanently lost.\n\nSpeaking during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson said: \"The Home Office is actively working to assess the damage and... they believe that they will be able to rectify the results of this complex incident and they hope very much that they'll be able to restore the data in question.\"\n\nAsked by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer how many convicted criminals had had their records wrongly deleted, Mr Johnson said: \"We don't know how many cases might be frustrated as a result of what has happened.\"\n\nHe added: \"Of course it is outrageous that any data should have been lost.\"\n\nLast week it was revealed that the information was wiped from the Police National Computer (PNC) - which stores and shares criminal records information across the UK - after being inadvertently flagged for deletion.\n\nThe PNC is used in police investigations and provides real-time checks on people, vehicles and crimes, as well as whether suspects are wanted for any unsolved offences.\n\nAn estimated 213,000 offence records, 175,000 arrest records and 15,000 records on people were potentially incorrectly deleted as a result of a defective code.\n\nMs Patel, who has launched an internal investigation, told ITV's Good Morning Britain that criminals would not get away with serious crimes as a result of the error.\n\n\"It is not about serious criminals getting away with anything. Multiple records are held on the same individuals on the same crimes on other profiling systems as well.\"\n\nShe told the BBC that officials could be instructed to re-submit the entries manually.\n\n\"I'm also clear with Home Office engineers and technicians that if we have to do manual uploads from other systems, that is effectively what we will do and that will potentially take time, but that is another option for us right now.\n\n\"We will absolutely provide updates once we know what has happened in terms of retrieving data. This will take time because it is a coding error.\"\n\nThe Home Office previously said that the faulty script was introduced in November 2020, but it did not run until earlier this month when the error within it immediately became apparent.", "After vowing to uphold and defend the Constitution of United States, Joe Biden has been officially sworn in as the 46th US president.\n\nThe new president's oath of office was administered by Chief Justice John G Roberts.\n\nRead more:Joe Biden becomes the 46th US president", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Hill We Climb: Watch 22-year-old Amanda Gorman's poem reading at Joe Biden's inauguration\n\nAmanda Gorman has become the youngest poet ever to perform at a presidential inauguration, calling for \"unity and togetherness\" in her self-penned poem.\n\nThe 22-year-old delivered her work The Hill We Climb to both the dignitaries present in Washington DC and a watching global audience.\n\n\"When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade?\" her five-minute poem began.\n\nShe went on to reference the storming of the Capitol earlier this month.\n\n\"We've seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it, would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy,\" she declared.\n\n\"And this effort very nearly succeeded. But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.\"\n\nThe poet was applauded by Vice President Kamala Harris\n\nIn her poem, Gorman described herself as \"a skinny black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother [who] can dream of becoming president, only to find her self reciting for one\".\n\nAmerica's first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate did her job, which was to find the right words at the right time.\n\nIt was a beautifully paced, well-judged poem for a special occasion, but it will live long beyond the time and space of the moment.\n\nAmanda Gorman delivered her piece with grace, the words it contained will resonate with people the world over: today, tomorrow, and far into the future.\n\nThe writer and performer, who became the country's first National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017, followed in the footsteps of such famous names as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou.\n\n\"I really wanted to use my words to be a point of unity and collaboration and togetherness,\" Gorman told the BBC World Service's Newshour programme before the ceremony.\n\n\"I think it's about a new chapter in the United States, about the future, and doing that through the elegance and beauty of words.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nUS broadcaster and actress Oprah Winfrey tweeted that she had \"never been prouder to see another young woman rise\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Oprah Winfrey This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAlso on Twitter, Joanne Liu, the former head of aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières, described the poem as \"the most inspiring 5:43 minutes for the longest time\".\n\nFormer First Lady Michelle Obama praised Gorman's \"strong and poignant words\" adding: \"Keep shining, Amanda!\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Michelle Obama This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nUS politician and rights activist Stacey Abrams said the poem was \"an inspiration to us all\".\n\nFormer presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted that Gorman had promised to run for president in 2036 and added: \"I for one can't wait.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Hillary Clinton This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIllinois poet laureate Angela Jackson said the recitation was \"so rich and just so filled with truth\".\n\n\"I was stunned that she was so young and so wise,\" Jackson told the Chicago Sun-Times.\n\nGorman said she \"screamed and danced her head off\" when she found out she had been chosen to read at President Biden's swearing-in ceremony.\n\nShe said she felt \"excitement, joy, honour and humility\" when she was asked to take part, \"and also at the same time terror\".\n\nAnd she added that she hoped her poem, completed on the day supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, would \"speak to the moment\" and \"do this time justice\".\n\nGorman, pictured with actor Morgan Freeman in 2018, became LA's youth poet laureate at 16\n\nBorn in Los Angeles in 1998, Gorman had a speech impediment as a child - an affliction she shares with America's new president.\n\n\"It's made me the performer that I am and the storyteller that I strive to be,\" she said in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times.\n\n\"When you have to teach yourself how to say sounds [and] be highly concerned about pronunciation, it gives you a certain awareness of sonics, of the auditory experience.\"\n\nGorman became LA's youth poet laureate at 16. Three years later, while studying sociology at Harvard, she became National Youth Poet Laureate.\n\nShe published her first book, The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough, in 2015 and will publish a picture book, Change Sings, later this year.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Kamala Harris was sworn into office by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.\n\nKamala Harris has made history as the first female, first black and first Asian-American US vice-president.\n\nShe was sworn in just before Joe Biden took the oath of office to become the 46th US president.\n\nMs Harris, who is of Indian-Jamaican heritage, initially ran for the Democratic nomination.\n\nBut Mr Biden won the race and chose Ms Harris as his running mate, describing her as \"a fearless fighter for the little guy\".\n\nPrior to taking the oath at the US Capitol, Ms Harris paid tribute to the women who she says came before her.\n\n\"I stand on their shoulders,\" she said in a video.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Kamala Harris This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nEugene Goodman, the Capitol police officer who was hailed as a hero for steering a pro-Trump mob away from Senate chambers during the 6 January riot, escorted Ms Harris at the inauguration.\n\nMs Harris, 56, was born in Oakland, California, to two immigrant parents: an Indian-born mother and Jamaican-born father.\n\nKamala, left, as child with her mother and younger sister Maya\n\nShe went on to attend Howard University, one of the nation's preeminent historically black colleges and universities. She has described her time there as among the most formative experiences of her life.\n\nMs Harris says she's always been comfortable with her identity and simply describes herself as \"an American\".\n\nAfter four years at Howard, Ms Harris went on to earn her law degree at the University of California, Hastings, and began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.\n\nShe became the district attorney - the top prosecutor - for San Francisco in 2003, before being elected the first female and the first African American to serve as California's attorney general, the top lawyer and law enforcement official in America's most populous state.\n\nIn her nearly two terms in office as attorney general, Ms Harris gained a reputation as one of the Democratic party's rising stars, using this momentum to propel her to election as California's junior US senator in 2017. She was only the second black woman ever elected to the US senate.\n\nShe launched her candidacy for president to a crowd of more than 20,000 in Oakland at the beginning of 2019.\n\nBut Ms Harris failed to articulate a clear rationale for her campaign, and gave muddled answers to questions in key policy areas like healthcare.\n\nShe was also unable to capitalise on the clear high point of her candidacy: debate performances that showed off her prosecutorial skills, often placing Mr Biden in the line of attack, most notably criticising his praise for the \"civil\" working relationship he had with former senators who favoured racial segregation.\n\nShe dropped out of the presidential race in December 2019.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nBut Mr Biden chose her as his number two in August, calling her \"one of the country's finest public servants\".\n\nAfter Mr Biden was announced as the next president in November, Ms Harris tweeted a video of her congratulating her running mate.\n\n\"We did it, we did it Joe. You're going to be the next president of the United States!\" she beamed.", "Sophie Davies, from Shropshire, recovering from cervical cancer, says delays to screening could be a matter of life and death\n\nSmear-test delays during lockdown have prompted calls for home-screening kits.\n\nCervical cancer screening has restarted across the UK - but some women say they will not attend their appointments for fear of catching Covid.\n\nJo's Cervical Cancer Trust is urging \"faster action\" on home tests for HPV, which causes 99% of cervical cancers.\n\nAn NHS official said GP practices should continue screening throughout lockdown, and \"anyone invited for a cervical smear test should attend\".\n\nCancer Research UK said it was not yet known how effective and accurate self-sampling could be in cervical screening.\n\nScreenings in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have restarted after being halted during the first lockdown.\n\nIn England, the NHS told GPs and clinics not to halt smear tests - but, as the prime minister heard last week, some patients were experiencing cancellations and long waiting times.\n\nAbout 600,000 tests had failed to go ahead in the UK in April and May, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust said, in addition to a backlog of 1.5 million appointments missed annually.\n\nIn March, Sophie Davies was told she needed a hysterectomy \"within the month\" but had to wait until December for surgery\n\nA survey by gynaecological cancer charity the Eve Appeal indicates nearly one in three missed smear tests are the result of people being \"put off\" by coronavirus.\n\nAnd a Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust survey during the pandemic suggests the same proportion would prefer to take their own human-papillomavirus (HPV) test rather than go to a GP.\n\nActing chief executive Rebecca Shoosmith said coronavirus had added \"more barriers\" to going for a smear test.\n\n\"Sadly those who found it difficult before are likely to be no closer to getting tested,\" she said.\n\nBoth charities emphasise smear tests are for \"women and anyone with a cervix\" and transgender and non-binary people may have additional barriers to going.\n\nJo's Cervical Cancer Trust said DIY tests could also help people who had been sexually assaulted and those with disabilities or from backgrounds where smear tests were taboo.\n\nSamantha Renke felt anxious about catching coronavirus when she went for her smear test\n\nSamantha Renke had received an abnormal test result and needed to go for a follow-up test during the pandemic.\n\nThe broadcaster and campaigner, who has brittle bones and uses a wheelchair, said a home-testing kit would have made things easier.\n\n\"I am at very high risk of getting seriously ill from Covid-19,\" the 35-year-old, from Lancashire, said.\n\n\"So I was incredibly anxious sitting in the waiting room for my test.\n\n\"Women with a physical disability are so much more likely to find cervical screening difficult, to the point where it can sometimes be impossible just to get through the door.\n\n\"We shouldn't have to fight to get this life-saving test.\n\n\"Self-sampling would be so much easier for people like me.\n\n\"It would allow me to take my health into my own hands.\"\n\nIshita Ranjan said talk of smear tests was taboo in traditional South Asian families\n\nIshita Ranjan finally went for her smear test in August, having put it off for a \"really long time\".\n\n\"In most traditional South Asian families, women's sexual health is not something you talk about openly,\" the 31-year-old, from London, said.\n\n\"Young women are left to figure this stuff out.\n\n\"Until you get married, older female relatives find it problematic to share that kind of information.\"\n\nA fear of catching coronavirus could be also stopping people belonging to ethnic minorities attending appointments.\n\n\"We have seen high Covid infection and death rates and people are genuinely scared,\" Ms Ranjan said.\n\n\"And it's really important that you do still go and do it.\n\n\"I was in and out in five minutes, no sitting around waiting rooms.\"\n\nHelen Austin founded At your Cervix, a support network for people who find smear tests difficult\n\nAfter experiencing sexual violence, it took Helen Austin 10 years to work up the courage to go for her smear test.\n\n\"When my first invite arrived through the post, years ago, my body froze, and I then ripped it up,\" she said.\n\nSelf-sampling would have given her time and privacy, the 35-year-old, from Lincolnshire, said.\n\n\"If my appointment had been during the pandemic and I could not have brought someone I trust with me to help me, I would never have gone,\" she said.\n\n\"Other trauma survivors I speak to find wearing a mask triggering and are putting off attending their test partly for this reason too.\"\n\nSophie Davies, 32, saw in the new year alone in hospital, after having a hysterectomy\n\nAfter developing a rare form of cervical cancer, Sophie Davies had a trachelectomy to remove her cervix, in April 2018, allowing doctors to save her ovaries and two-thirds of her womb.\n\nBut in March 2020, she was told the risk of cancer coming back meant she needed a hysterectomy and the removal of both ovaries.\n\n\"I was advised the operation needed to be done 'the sooner the better' and 'within the month',\" the 32-year-old, from Shropshire, said.\n\nAnd she had an \"agonising\" wait, until 30 December, for her surgery.\n\n\"I'm still awaiting my results, more than three weeks on, and praying I have not been left for the best part of a year with cancer growing inside me,\" Ms Davies said.\n\n\"These months of delay could be the difference in saving fertility or losing fertility.\n\n\"It could be the difference in needing chemotherapy or radiotherapy or not needing it, or could be the difference of life or death.\"\n\nCancer Research UK early diagnosis head Dr Jodie Moffat said research was under way to understand how effective and accurate self-sampling could be in cervical screening.\n\nBut getting more people screened \"is not the only hurdle to overcome\".\n\n\"The NHS is under immense pressure and would need more staff and equipment to ensure patients receive their results and any follow-up treatment as quickly as possible,\" she said.\n\nAn NHS official said: \"The NHS guidance that cervical screening should continue has not changed, which has been communicated to GP practices, which have adjusted the way they work to remain open and safe, while local NHS services across the country have put extra measures in place to protect people from coronavirus and so anyone invited for a cervical smear test should attend.\"", "The government has unveiled details of a £23m fund to support fishing firms as it tries to quell industry anger over Brexit border delays.\n\nThe money will help firms whose exports to the EU have fallen sharply since rules changed on 1 January.\n\nFishing firms say extra paperwork has made it difficult to deliver fresh produce to the EU before it goes off, hammering their businesses.\n\nOne trade group called the fund \"welcome\" but a \"sticking plaster\".\n\nOn Monday, fish exporters held demonstrations outside government departments in central London, warning their livelihoods were under threat.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson admitted many had experienced \"bureaucratic delays [and] difficulties getting their goods through\" to buyers on the other side of the channel.\n\nHaving left the EU's customs union and the single market, UK exports are subject to new customs and veterinary checks which have caused problems at the border.\n\nCovid has worsened the issue, with the industry also facing lower market prices and demand from restaurants due to the pandemic.\n\nThe government said the scheme would be targeted at small and medium-sized fishing businesses who will be able to claim a maximum of £100,000 to cover losses.\n\nChief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay said: \"This further £23m package of support will help our hardworking fishing sector navigate the challenges of the next few months.\n\n\"It is vital that no community nor region within our United Kingdom is left behind as we continue to support British jobs and build back better from the coronavirus pandemic.\"\n\nIn addition to funding, the government will provide further training to help fishing businesses adapt to the new export processes.\n\nSeparately, the prime minister committed to providing a further £100m to help modernise UK fishing fleets and the fish processing industry.\n\nDonna Fordyce, chief executive of Seafood Scotland, said: \"After almost three weeks of voicing their concerns and frustrations, we welcome the fact that the Scottish seafood sector has been heard and action is being taken.\n\n\"This [fund] will offer a ray of light to some small and medium-sized companies that have experienced crippling losses over the past few weeks.\"\n\nHowever, while the money was \"a much-needed sticking plaster\", she said it would not \"completely staunch the wound\".\n\n\"The sector still needs a period of grace during which the [new trade] systems must be overhauled so they are fit for purpose.\"", "Under current rules, cafes and restaurants are only allowed to provide a takeaway service.\n\nNine Met Police officers have been fined for breaching lockdown rules to meet at a cafe while on duty.\n\nPictures emerged online showing the officers, from the South East Basic Command Unit, eating at The Chef House Kitchen Cafe, Greenwich, on 9 January.\n\nAll nine officers have been issued with a £200 fixed penalty notice.\n\nCh Supt Rob Atkin, said: \"It is right that they will pay a financial penalty and that they will be asked to reflect on their choices.\n\n\"Police officers are tasked with enforcing the legislation that has been introduced to stop the spread of the virus and the public rightly expect that they will set an example through their own actions.\n\n\"It is disappointing that on this occasion, these officers have fallen short of that expectation.\"\n\nThe group were spotted by a member of the public in the Greenwich cafe while their patrol vehicles were parked outside.\n\nUnder current rules, cafes and restaurants are only allowed to provide a takeaway service.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nPaul Pogba scored a superb winner as Manchester United reclaimed top spot in the Premier League by coming from behind for a club-record equalling away win at Fulham.\n\nIn what is becoming a familiar pattern for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side outside Manchester this season, they fell behind early in the game, with Ademola Lookman beating the offside trap before firing in an angled drive.\n\nBut for the seventh time away from Old Trafford in 2020-21, United found a winning response - taking their run to 17 games unbeaten away in the Premier League - courtesy of a gift from their opponents and a bit of magic from their French midfielder.\n\nGoalkeeper Alphonse Areola has been a good addition for the Cottagers but in dropping Bruno Fernandes' cross at the feet of Edinson Cavani, he gifted his former Paris St-Germain team-mate the simplest of equalisers.\n\nAnd on the hour mark, Pogba stepped up to decide the contest, firing a superb angled drive across the diving Areola and into the far corner from 20 yards.\n\nThe France international has come in for criticism at times this season but received nothing but praise from his manager after his winner.\n\n\"I am very happy with his performances,\" said Solskjaer.\n\n\"I know what he can do. He does everything. Now he is putting all the elements together in his performances and it is great to see.\n\n\"It was about getting him fit. He is enjoying his football, he is happy and physically in a good shape.\"\n\nThe win takes United to 40 points, two more than both Leicester and Manchester City, who had briefly taken top spot from the Foxes with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday.\n\nSolskjaer, though, was reluctant to get drawn into discussing his side's title credentials with so much of the campaign to go.\n\n\"It is always going to be talked about that when you are halfway through and top of the league, but we are not thinking about this, we just have to go one game at a time,\" he added. \"It is such an unpredictable season.\"\n\nFulham remain in the bottom three, four points behind 17th-placed Burnley.\n• None Man Utd or Man City to end day top? Cassia bassist Lou Cotterill takes on Lawro\n\nSolskjaer felt his side missed a big opportunity to fully assert their title credentials in failing to make the most of their chances in Sunday's 0-0 draw at champions Liverpool.\n\nUnited were clearly in no mood to repeat such a mistake at a wet and windy Craven Cottage on Wednesday against a less daunting and defining opposition, but one that is far more robust now than they were in the season's first month.\n\nThe visitors fell behind, but this is par for the course for this side, who once again did not panic, wrestled control of the game away from their opponents and took the win.\n\nIt is a handy trick for a title-challenging side to have in their locker, although one they would rather not have to repeatedly pull.\n\nIn truth, they should have won more handsomely.\n\nThey had the far greater share of possession and territory and were well ahead of their opponents on shots taken until a frantic finale in which the Cottagers threw in all they had in pursuit of a point.\n\nFred felt he should have had a penalty in the first half courtesy of being caught in the box by a loose challenge from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, but both on-field and VAR officials disagreed.\n\nHarry Maguire twice headed wide from corners, the first from a far less forgivable, unmarked position than the second.\n\nEqually, though, it is a game that could have seen them drop points, especially in light of Fulham's late barrage, which saw David de Gea save superbly with his legs to deny Loftus-Cheek, and the ball pinballing around the United box on more than one occasion.\n\nThe Cottagers demonstrated that they are no pushover, but they are making of habit of being on the rough end of fine margins.\n\nFive straight draws followed by two defeats by a single goal suggests their battle against the drop will go right down to the wire.\n\n\"I'm really pleased but I'm disappointed at the same time, which shows how far we've come,\" said Cottagers boss Scott Parker.\n\n\"I saw a team today that looked threatening and tried their hardest to get back into the game, but we go again. The next challenge is to maintain where we are and don't let defeat sink us.\n\n\"No doubt we can win and operate in this division and we just need to push on and keep improving.\"\n\nUnited lead the way in early concessions\n• None No side has conceded more goals in the opening five minutes of Premier League games this season than Manchester United (4). Manchester United have won seven Premier League games having gone behind this season - only Newcastle in 2001-02 (10) and Man Utd themselves in 2012-13 (9) have done so more in a single campaign.\n• None Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 17 Premier League away games (W13 D4), equalling their longest ever unbeaten run on the road in top-flight history (17 between December 1998 and September 1999).\n• None This was the 41st different game in which Fulham had led in all competitions under Scott Parker, but the first time they had lost such a game (W34 D6).\n• None Edinson Cavani became the first Man Utd player whose first four Premier League goals for the club were all scored away from home.\n• None Since his return to the club in 2016, no Man Utd player has scored more league goals from outside the box than Paul Pogba (6).\n• None Ademola Lookman has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other Fulham player this season (6 - 3 goals, 3 assists).\n• None Bruno Fernandes has gone three Premier League games without a goal or assist for the first time since his Manchester United debut in February 2020.\n\nFulham's next game is in the FA Cup, against Burnley on Sunday (14:30 GMT). Their next league fixture, an away game on Wednesday, 27 January, is a big one. Opponents Brighton are two places and five points above them in the table.\n\nManchester United host Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday at 17:00, live on the BBC. They are also in league action the following Wednesday hosting the league's bottom club Sheffield United in a 20:15 kick-off.\n• None Attempt missed. Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Kenny Tete with a cross following a corner.\n• None Attempt blocked. Ademola Lookman (Fulham) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Mario Lemina.\n• None Offside, Fulham. Aboubakar Kamara tries a through ball, but Kenny Tete is caught offside.\n• None Attempt missed. Mario Lemina (Fulham) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Aboubakar Kamara.\n• None Attempt blocked. Joe Bryan (Fulham) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.\n• None Attempt missed. Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Fulham) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right following a fast break.\n• None Attempt blocked. Fred (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Harry Maguire with a headed pass. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None You can stream five fourth-round games live on the BBC this weekend, including Liverpool's trip to Manchester United. Find out more here.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThis is America's day. This is democracy's day. A day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause, a cause of democracy. The people - the will of the people - has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded.\n\nWe've learned again that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile and, at this hour my friends, democracy has prevailed. So now on this hallowed ground where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundations, we come together as one nation under God - indivisible - to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.\n\nAs we look ahead in our uniquely American way, restless, bold, optimistic, and set our sights on a nation we know we can be and must be, I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation, as does President Carter, who I spoke with last night who cannot be with us today, but who we salute for his lifetime of service.\n\nI've just taken a sacred oath each of those patriots have taken. The oath first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. On we the people who seek a more perfect union. This is a great nation, we are good people. And over the centuries through storm and strife in peace and in war we've come so far. But we still have far to go.\n\nWe'll press forward with speed and urgency for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibility. Much to do, much to heal, much to restore, much to build and much to gain. Few people in our nation's history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we're in now. A once in a century virus that silently stalks the country has taken as many lives in one year as in all of World War Two.\n\nMillions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice, some 400 years in the making, moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. A cry for survival comes from the planet itself, a cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear now. The rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism, that we must confront and we will defeat.\n\nTo overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy - unity. Unity. In another January on New Year's Day in 1863 Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper the president said, and I quote, 'if my name ever goes down in history, it'll be for this act, and my whole soul is in it'.\n\nMy whole soul is in it today, on this January day. My whole soul is in this. Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. Uniting to fight the foes we face - anger, resentment and hatred. Extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness, and hopelessness.\n\nWith unity we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs, we can put people to work in good jobs, we can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus, we can rebuild work, we can rebuild the middle class and make work secure, we can secure racial justice and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world.\n\nI know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal, that we are all created equal, and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism and fear have torn us apart. The battle is perennial and victory is never secure.\n\nThrough civil war, the Great Depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setback, our better angels have always prevailed. In each of our moments enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward and we can do that now. History, faith and reason show the way. The way of unity.\n\nWe can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbours. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. For without unity there is no peace, only bitterness and fury, no progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge. And unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America.\n\nIf we do that, I guarantee we will not failed. We have never, ever, ever, ever failed in America when we've acted together. And so today at this time in this place, let's start afresh, all of us. Let's begin to listen to one another again, hear one another, see one another. Show respect to one another. Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn't have to be a cause for total war and we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.\n\nMy fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. We have to be better than this and I believe America is so much better than this. Just look around. Here we stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome. As mentioned earlier, completed in the shadow of the Civil War. When the union itself was literally hanging in the balance. We endure, we prevail. Here we stand, looking out on the great Mall, where Dr King spoke of his dream.\n\nHere we stand, where 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. And today we mark the swearing in of the first woman elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris. Don't tell me things can't change. Here we stand where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace.\n\nAnd here we stand just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen, it will never happen, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Not ever. To all those who supported our campaign, I'm humbled by the faith you placed in us. To all those who did not support us, let me say this. Hear us out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart.\n\nIf you still disagree, so be it. That's democracy. That's America. The right to dissent peacefully. And the guardrail of our democracy is perhaps our nation's greatest strength. If you hear me clearly, disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you. I will be a President for all Americans, all Americans. And I promise you I will fight for those who did not support me as for those who did.\n\nMany centuries ago, St Augustine - the saint of my church - wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. Defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love, that define us as Americans? I think we know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honour, and yes, the truth.\n\nRecent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and a responsibility as citizens as Americans and especially as leaders. Leaders who are pledged to honour our Constitution to protect our nation. To defend the truth and defeat the lies.\n\nLook, I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand like their dad they lay in bed at night staring at the ceiling thinking: 'Can I keep my healthcare? Can I pay my mortgage?' Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you, I get it. But the answer's not to turn inward. To retreat into competing factions. Distrusting those who don't look like you, or worship the way you do, who don't get their news from the same source as you do.\n\nWe must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts, if we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we're willing to stand in the other person's shoes, as my mom would say. Just for a moment, stand in their shoes.\n\nBecause here's the thing about life. There's no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days you need a hand. There are other days when we're called to lend a hand. That's how it has to be, that's what we do for one another. And if we are that way our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. And we can still disagree.\n\nMy fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us we're going to need each other. We need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter. We're entering what may be the darkest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation, one nation. And I promise this, as the Bible says, 'Weeping may endure for a night, joy cometh in the morning'. We will get through this together. Together.\n\nLook folks, all my colleagues I serve with in the House and the Senate up here, we all understand the world is watching. Watching all of us today. So here's my message to those beyond our borders. America has been tested and we've come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances, and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday's challenges but today's and tomorrow's challenges. And we'll lead not merely by the example of our power but the power of our example.\n\nFellow Americans, moms, dads, sons, daughters, friends, neighbours and co-workers. We will honour them by becoming the people and the nation we can and should be. So I ask you let's say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives, those left behind and for our country. Amen.\n\nFolks, it's a time of testing. We face an attack on our democracy, and on truth, a raging virus, a stinging inequity, systemic racism, a climate in crisis, America's role in the world. Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with one of the greatest responsibilities we've had. Now we're going to be tested. Are we going to step up?\n\nIt's time for boldness for there is so much to do. And this is certain, I promise you. We will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era. We will rise to the occasion. Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children? I believe we must and I'm sure you do as well. I believe we will, and when we do, we'll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America. The American story.\n\nA story that might sound like a song that means a lot to me, it's called American Anthem. And there's one verse that stands out at least for me and it goes like this:\n\n'The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day, which shall be our legacy, what will our children say?\n\nLet me know in my heart when my days are through, America, America, I gave my best to you.'\n\nLet us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. If we do this, then when our days are through, our children and our children's children will say of us: 'They gave their best, they did their duty, they healed a broken land.'\n\nMy fellow Americans I close the day where I began, with a sacred oath. Before God and all of you, I give you my word. I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution, I'll defend our democracy.\n\nI'll defend America and I will give all - all of you - keep everything I do in your service. Thinking not of power but of possibilities. Not of personal interest but of public good.\n\nAnd together we will write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity not division, of light not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness. May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires us. And the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history, we met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch but thrive.\n\nThat America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forbearers, one another, and generations to follow.\n\nSo with purpose and resolve, we turn to those tasks of our time. Sustained by faith, driven by conviction and devoted to one another and the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and God protect our troops.", "Father Lee Taylor said people have \"really missed communal singing\"\n\nOnline \"Pimm's and Hymns\" singalong sessions at a north Wales church have attracted people from as far away as South Africa, Brazil and Canada.\n\nFather Lee Taylor, from St Collen's Church, Llangollen, set up the Facebook Live shows when his pews fell silent due to Covid restrictions.\n\nThe former bartender said: \"People started to share it and the online audience just exploded.\"\n\nIt adds \"a real light in the darkness\" of lockdown and a \"few drinks\".\n\nThe sessions, which have been running since last March, are a homage to the summer garden party known as 'Pimm's and Hymns' Mr Taylor, 43, hosts each year.\n\n\"I get phone calls, emails and letters from people all over the world, saying, 'You've lifted my spirits', and asking me to pray for their loved ones who are sick with the virus,\" he said.\n\n\"I started the sessions as I was trying to think of ways to bring comfort reassurance and cheer to people at home.\n\n\"While I can't hear people joining in, I feel them there with me in the room.\"\n\nFather Lee Taylor hosted annual 'Pimm's and Hymns' garden parties before Covid restrictions came in last March\n\nBelting out everything from Abide With Me to Pack Up Your Troubles, the vicar, who lives with his partner of 14 years, Fabiano Duarte, is known for pouring a glass of wine or a cocktail before performing for his Facebook congregation.\n\n\"I like to keep a libation on the piano,\" he said.\n\n\"When we started, people tuning in could see a glass of wine one week and a gin and tonic the next, so began to join in and have a drink with me.\n\n\"Soon, this became a discussion in the Facebook comments and people would send in photos of themselves with a tipple, singing along.\n\n\"I've got a bit carried away on the piano after a few drinks and played all the wrong notes a couple of times - which is always quite funny. It's joyful, really.\"\n\nHe said \"losing the churches and restricting the number at funerals\" was painful and people were \"missing communal singing\".\n\n\"[So] I got some elderly people set up on the internet and sent out instructions via email, so they could watch the live stream singalongs,\" he said.\n\n\"People were soon chatting through the comments and it felt like we were all connected.\n\n\"I wanted to raise spirits through music and it's been a real light in the darkness.\"", "Louise worries about her prospects for the next 12 months\n\nFreelance TV and film sound editor Louise Burton is one of those who are unable to benefit from government pandemic support schemes, despite being out of work.\n\nLouise, 28, of St Albans, in Hertfordshire, has not had a single penny of assistance since her last job ended eight months ago.\n\n\"With the last production that I was on, I was hired as a PAYE freelancer, which means that I essentially do exactly the same job as what I do as a freelancer, but I was paying tax at source,\" she told the BBC.\n\n\"What often happens with film is that production companies are made for the sole purpose of the film. So they create these companies and everything goes through the company - and then once the film is completed, they then shut the company.\"\n\nThat means Louise fell foul of tax rules relating to self-employed people. And she could not go on furlough, because the company that had employed her no longer existed.\n\n\"I always feel guilty saying that I am one of the people who is suffering, because actually, I still have a roof over my head and I can just about put food on my table, but it's not easy,\" she says, adding that she fears for her prospects in the next 12 months.\n\nAccording to MPs, whole groups of people like Louise are falling through the cracks of Covid-19 support schemes because of out-of-date tax systems.\n\nSome freelancers and self-employed people have been particularly excluded, despite lockdowns and restrictions meaning they cannot work, the Public Accounts Committee said.\n\nOthers, meanwhile, are able to abuse the system, it said.\n\nThe government said its \"top priority\" was helping those who are struggling.\n\nSince March, HM Revenue and Customs has provided more than £80bn in support to companies and individuals through government coronavirus support schemes, the committee said.\n\nThey are also supporting the incomes of many of the self-employed.\n\nBut despite this, a report from the MPs says \"quirks in the tax system\" have meant that groups of workers - including freelancers and self-employed people who recently moved onto company payrolls or work on a series of short-term employment contracts with gaps in between - have been ineligible for furlough payments.\n\n\"As public spending balloons to unprecedented levels in response to the pandemic, out-of-date tax systems are one of the barriers to getting help to a significant number of struggling taxpayers who should be entitled to support,\" said MP Meg Hillier, chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).\n\nBy contrast, she said some large companies that had used government support schemes had continued to pay dividends to shareholders and high salaries to executives.\n\nShe added that HMRC was in many cases failing \"to capture or deal with those wrongly claiming\" support.\n\nThe tax agency should explain to freelancers and other groups why they have been excluded from receiving support and set out steps to fix the problem within six weeks, the MPs said.\n\nThe PAC also said that a lack of certainty about government coronavirus support schemes had made it difficult for businesses to plan effectively.\n\nFor example, HMRC could not provide clarity on whether the Job Retention Bonus scheme had been delayed or scrapped, the committee said.\n\nThe scheme was meant to pay employers an incentive for every worker they brought back from furlough and kept in employment until January.\n\n\"Such lack of clarity may lead to unnecessary hardships for some businesses, who in good faith were relying on the payments from the scheme to meet some of their needs,\" the MPs said.\n\nA government spokesperson said it had done \"all it can to help as many people as possible\".\n\n\"HMRC delivered Covid-19 support schemes at unprecedented speed, protecting the livelihoods of millions of people.\n\n\"We do not underestimate the challenges faced by individuals and businesses during the pandemic, and our top priority is getting financial support to those struggling... while protecting the taxpayer against fraud.\n\n\"Those not eligible for support through these schemes can still benefit from the strengthened welfare safety net, accessing help like universal credit.\"\n• None What extra help will the self-employed get?", "19 January is a special day for Orthodox Christians across Russia, including President Vladimir Putin. It's a day reserved for commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, and it's called Epiphany. Though temperatures are as low as -20 Celsius, some celebrated this by submerging themselves in ice-cold water.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dame Louise Casey: \"The country has been torn to shreds by the pandemic\"\n\nThe government has been urged by its former homelessness adviser to extend benefit increases worth £20 a week beyond the end of March.\n\nDame Louise Casey said ending the universal credit top-up, introduced during the Covid pandemic, would be \"too punitive a policy right now\".\n\nShe said people would view the Tories as the \"nasty party\" if they did so.\n\nThe government said it was committed to supporting the lowest-paid families through the pandemic and beyond.\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"No decisions have yet been made on a range of Covid support measures that run through until the end of March and April, and it is right to wait until we know more about where we are in the vaccination process before making any decisions.\"\n\nLabour and anti-poverty campaigners are pressing for the increase, worth £1,000 a year, to remain in place beyond its scheduled end date of 31 March.\n\nOn Monday they were joined by six Conservative MPs, who defied party orders to abstain and backed a symbolic motion calling for an extension.\n\nIn an interview with BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Dame Louise said the £20-a-week increase had proved a \"lifeline\" to poorer families.\n\n\"The Treasury need to step back and not feel this constant responsibility to close the books all the time, and fight and fight and fight,\" she said.\n\nOn the idea the top-up could end in March, she added: \"It's not the right thing to do.\"\n\nReferencing a phrase coined by Theresa May in 2002 about how the Conservatives were sometimes perceived, she added they would \"go back to being the nasty party\" if they did so.\n\nDame Louise added that the country had been \"torn to shreds\" by the pandemic, with an impact \"far deeper and greater than anything I've ever seen in my lifetime\".\n\n\"I think we will have to have a big plan to deal with the wounds inflicted by this pandemic once everybody's vaccinated,\" she added.\n\n\"And I think the government needs to turn its attention to that now, and not leave it until the summer.\"\n\nDame Louise, who was made a crossbench peer by the prime minister in July, also urged ministers to think about long-term reforms to the welfare system.\n\n\"Everybody is focused on the NHS and vaccinations, that I think everything else we see is incredibly reactive,\" she said.\n\nShe called on the government to take inspiration from the World War Two-era Beveridge report, which laid the foundations for the UK's welfare state, and draw up a long-term strategy for recovery after the pandemic.\n\n\"We're all in this storm, everybody's experienced it, just some people are in decent boats and some people are in rafts that are sinking.\n\n\"And that gives the prime minister the moment to say 'I am going to step into the shoes of a Beveridge moment'.\n\n\"If there's any reason for government to decide to actually rebuild Britain, so the divide between the rich and the poor isn't as big as it is... it's this pandemic\".\n\nUniversal credit can be claimed by both people who are in and out of work\n\nUniversal credit is a working-age benefit claimed by around 6m people, replacing six benefits and merging them into a single payment.\n\nPoverty campaign charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation says 500,000 more people will be driven into poverty if the temporary £20 top-up is rolled back.\n\nHowever the Institute for Economic Affairs think tank has argued that \"across-the-board benefit increases are a wasteful use of taxpayers' money\".\n\nThe top-up, estimated to cost around £6bn a year, was brought in at the start of the pandemic as a temporary response due to lockdown.\n\nA government spokesperson said that support was being targeted by raising the living wage, spending on the furlough scheme, boosting welfare spending and introducing the £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme.", "There is a photograph of Kamala Harris, taken in 1986, while she was a student at Howard University.\n\nShe and two other friends, all shoulder pads and plaid, are smiling and laughing, a crowd behind them. It's a picture brimming with energy and hope.\n\nIt's been used a lot in telling the extraordinary story of her rise to become the first black and Asian American woman to be vice-president and the first person who attended one of America's HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to get to such a position.\n\nBut this is the story of the other women in the photograph, her two best friends - Valarie Pippen and Karen Gibbs - as well as of others who might have been milling about in the background there.\n\nThis was the 1980s, when the children of America's civil rights generation came of age. Being at Howard University, an HBCU at a time when solidarity with the global anti-apartheid movement was reaching fever pitch and at the height of Reaganism, was a formative experience for many of them.\n\nNow they are about to witness one of their own become vice-president. What have their journeys been like and what does this moment feel like?\n\nHistorically Black Colleges, like Howard University, were founded in order to educate African Americans who were otherwise prohibited from attending college, after slavery.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nAlthough that has now changed, a core part of the Howard message remains its focus on cultivating black leaders - it is not just about academic achievement, but social activism too.\n\nKamala Harris has made clear the influence Howard University had on her career and life goals. Last week, on the anniversary of her sorority's founding date, she posted on Instagram, paying homage to her Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and referring to her days at Howard, attending anti-apartheid marches and being part of the debate team: \"Howard taught me that while you will often find that you're the only one in the room who looks like you, or who has had the experiences you've had, you must remember: you are never alone.\"\n\nLike Ms Harris, I also went to Howard University and became a member of that same sorority decades later.\n\nI became intrigued by the stories of the other women and graduates who ventured out into the same world during the same time as Kamala.\n\nIn that photograph, Valarie Pippen is on the right and smiling with confidence at the camera.\n\nHer parents attended historically black colleges after moving north with the great migration, which was the movement over decades of millions of African Americans to the North from the South, where economic uncertainty and segregation prevailed. They settled in the Chicago region and forged successful careers.\n\nShe was led to Howard, specifically, after her older brother attended and brought home a yearbook that intrigued her.\n\nHoward had a festive celebratory atmosphere that the friends made the most of while they were there\n\n\"The culture was festive and lively yet focused on academic and cultural advancement of oppressed people,\" says Ms Pippen. \"We knew that our generation would make a difference with our success.\"\n\nMs Pippen says that at Howard University \"we all had more of a striving to do well, a striving to live with integrity and to make your mark on the world\".\n\nComing from a high-achieving and proud black family with high expectations of their children, she was brought up knowing that her college experience was going to be important.\n\nShe is now a healthcare consultant, and after graduating from Howard she attended medical school at Yale.\n\nShe recalls the commitment to academic excellence, the need to prove your worth out there in the world and how that also translated into many nights studying with her good friend Kamala.\n\n\"There was one year at Howard, we both stayed for summer school. We worked during the day, did night classes and we studied together afterwards. We did that for the whole summer and we had fun.\n\n\"She was born for the job. Her dedication - like mine - was to academics, being an all around good person and to integrity.\"\n\nIn the 1990s, 52% of black pharmacy recipients, 30% of dentistry degree recipients, and 27% of theology degree recipients were all educated at HBCUs.\n\nToday, the two oldest HBCU medical schools - Meharry Medical College and Howard University - are responsible for more than 80% of black doctors and dentists practising in the US.\n\nHBCUs have educated three-quarters of all black people holding a doctorate; three-quarters of all black officers in the armed forces; and four-fifths of all black federal judges, according to the US Department of Education.\n\nThe culture they fostered was hugely important for many ambitious and successful middle- and upper-class class black families going out into a world to become leaders in their field, within one generation of getting the right to vote.\n\nKaren Gibbs, pictured on the left in that photo, remains best friends with the vice-president elect and Valarie Pippen.\n\nShe is now an attorney and speaks of her time at Howard in the same way Kamala Harris has in the past.\n\nThere was \"a lot of black pride and a lot of black love\" in the Howard community, says Ms Gibbs.\n\n\"We had black professors who loved us. That was the beauty of going to Howard. They nurtured us, they groomed us. They were realistic to tell us what we would confront when we left Howard - but they equipped us to realise and achieve our dreams.\"\n\nThat environment was especially important as an escape from the realities of society.\n\n\"I was raised in a rural area in Delaware, and the people there were really racist. I had been called bad names by a lot of people, despite having a black family and smaller community filled with educators and proud of their roots,\" says Ms Gibbs.\n\nThat is one of the reasons that she wanted to attend Howard University, to become a civil rights lawyer. She made the move so that she could be surrounded by \"love\" and \"support\".\n\n\"It was never a matter if I would go to an HBCU,\" it was just a matter of which she would go to.\n\nMs Gibbs and Ms Pippen's experience at Howard University strikes a chord with others who were also there in the 1980s.\n\nThey speak of the open fostering of social awareness and political activism in movements happening off campus.\n\nBeing in the nation's capital, Howard in particular had a front-row seat to some memorable episodes in politics.\n\nThe debate team in 1981 at Howard University. Kamala Harris was one of the few women to join the club.\n\nDexter Cole, a Howard alumnus and now top executive at TV One, told the BBC that \"our parents actively participated in the civil rights movements and were at the forefront, and we came to Howard with a sense of commitment to not only improve the lives of ourselves, but others as well\".\n\nAcross the nation, HBCUs were training a generation who would have a large impact on the world, and the progression of the broader African-American community.\n\n\"We understood that we were agents of change.\"\n\nMr Cole explained that \"social unrest was very prevalent, but as a student body we knew that we had a seat at the table because of those we saw who went before us\".\n\n\"I remember marching on Capitol Hill on the National Mall. There was a group of students going to protest to make Martin Luther King Jr's birthday a national holiday, and now I look there is a memorial just where I marched.\n\n\"We knew what our rights were and we were determined to invoke our right. That's why there were so many of us active in the anti-apartheid movement - we saw it play out in the US,\" says Ms Gibbs.\n\n\"It was a time when a lot of people from the era transcended into important places in different parts of society,\" says Lita Rosario-Richardson.\n\nMs Rosario-Richardson is currently an entertainment lawyer. On campus, she recruited Ms Harris on to the debate team.\n\n\"The election of Kamala Harris has really made crystal clear that Howard prepares you for anything,\" she adds.\n\nAlthough it is no surprise to those who knew Kamala Harris that she is now the vice-president of the United States, it feels like a vindication for their own personal journeys and the philosophy they took forward with them into the wider world.\n\n\"It was instilled that with your education comes a responsibility to improve the world - specifically our own people. And, we see that that has benefited everyone in America.\n\n\"Kamala is a child of desegregation, like myself. Her nomination seemed historically fit, and she's the right person for it,\" Ms Rosario-Richardson adds.\n\nDexter Cole is now a top executive at TV One\n\n\"Alumni like Thurgood Marshall - the first black Supreme Court Justice - who attended Howard laid the framework.\"\n\nEven during their time as students, these alumni felt that they were connected to greatness and expected to make big strides in the world.\n\nIt was not a feeling confined to Kamala Harris. The stories of these women show many have become movers and shakers in their own fields.\n\n\"All this has come full circle,\" says Andrea Holmes, a graduate who is now a marketing executive.\n\n\"The vice-presidency is where she belongs. She is the role model of the world and to all women and little girls.\"\n\nThe original photograph of Kamala, Valarie and Karen was taken in 1986 at Howard University's famous Homecoming.\n\nAt most schools in the US, homecoming is an annual tradition marked by an American football game and partying. At Howard University, homecoming is marked by a football game as well as a week of events where all generations come back to meet and celebrate. Notable graduates as well as celebrities and artists come to perform, join discussions, and be part of the week.\n\nAs a graduate, I know Homecoming remains a highly anticipated annual event, an experience like no other. That picture captures the energy, friendship and ambition of a group of women, at Howard in an electric era, who felt capable of anything.\n\nValarie Pippen remembers the moment: \"The weekend was truly exhilarating, and you can see from the looks and smiles on our faces we were having the time of our lives.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMore than 2,000 homes in parts of Manchester are being evacuated due to flooding caused by Storm Christoph.\n\nThe Environment Agency (EA) has issued two severe flood warnings, which means danger to life, for the Didsbury and Northenden areas.\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey of Greater Manchester Police has warned some of those affected would \"be Covid-positive or isolating at home\".\n\nHe said the government was working to ensure it was \"totally prepared\" for floods \"in every part of the UK\".\n\nA major incident was earlier declared for the Greater Manchester area where up to 3,000 properties were feared to be at risk.\n\nMr Johnson urged people not to stay in their homes if they were told to evacuate.\n\n\"If you are told to leave your home then you should do so.\n\n\"People may think this is a minor issue at the moment, still relevantly minor by standards of previous floods, but never underestimate the suffering, the misery, that floods can cause people.\"\n\nUnder government restrictions due to the current national lockdown people are allowed to leave their homes to escape harm.\n\nIn an alert to those affected, ACC Bailey said: \"A basin at Didsbury to take water from the Mersey is full. It will over-top in the next few hours. As a result we will be issuing a flood warning to homes.\n\n\"This will be through texted flood alerts to some people, and police officers, PCSOs, firefighters, and volunteers will be knocking on doors.\"\n\nHe said police will be supported by North West Ambulance, the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance.\n\n\"I think it's important to stress that if you are contacted and advised to evacuate then we would strongly urge you to do so,\" he added.\n\nWater levels in the area were expected to peak at about 23:00 GMT on Wednesday.\n\nA major incident has also been declared in Derbyshire, where authorities believe a small number of evacuations are \"likely\" on Thursday morning, when the River Derwent is expected to peak.\n\nCounty council leader Barry Lewis said it could rival levels seen in November 2019, depending on the weather overnight.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The PM says the government is making sure it is “totally prepared in every part of the UK” for flooding after Storm Christoph.\n\nSpeaking after a Cobra emergency meeting on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said work was under way to ensure transport and energy networks, and local council services, were prepared.\n\nHe added that work was also taking place to ensure the necessary numbers of sandbags were available.\n\n\"We want to make sure that we are totally prepared in every part of the UK for flooding, because it is coming on top of the stress people are already under fighting Covid,\" he said.\n\n\"We looked at particularly Manchester, we've got a situation potentially developing there,\" Mr Johnson said.\n\n\"We are looking at a pattern of rainfall possibly not as bad at the end of this week, maybe worse next week.\"\n\nPeople in Greater Manchester have also been advised not to travel.\n\nStephen Rhodes, from Transport from Greater Manchester, said there was disruption across the network.\n\n\"Let's work together and not put our emergency services and the NHS - who are already working extremely hard due to the Covid-19 pandemic - under any more pressure,\" he said.\n\nIn Merseyside, the M57 has been closed in both directions between junction 6 and 7 due to flooding.\n\nThe Environment Agency has issued more than 100 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action required, while there are also more than 200 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.\n\nRiver levels have risen rapidly in parts of northern England\n\nThe North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands have been preparing for widespread flooding following the Met Office's amber weather warning for heavy rain until midday Thursday.\n\nThe Met Office said some isolated areas could see up to 200mm (7.8in).\n\nSandbags have been distributed as Storm Christoph batters parts of England\n\n\"Once again the government's response to inevitable flood events has been slow and uncoordinated,\" the Barnsley East MP said.\n\n\"We must ensure councils are supported to protect people, businesses, and local communities, and that all of the necessary precautions are also in place to protect those fighting the floods in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The Gender Identity Service is based at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust\n\nThe NHS's child gender-identity service has been rated \"inadequate\" after inspectors identified \"significant concerns\".\n\nThe Care Quality Commission inspected the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust in October.\n\nMore than 4,600 young people were on the waiting list and some had waited over two years for a first appointment.\n\nThe trust said it took the CQC report \"very seriously\".\n\nEngland and Wales' only children's gender-identity service was inspected after healthcare professionals and the children's commissioner for England raised concerns around \"clinical practice, safeguarding procedures, and assessments of capacity and consent to treatment\".\n\nThe children's commissioner had been provided evidence of staff concerns by BBC Newsnight.\n\nThe CQC's previous inspection, in 2016, had resulted in an overall \"good\" rating.\n\nBut in the latest inspection at clinics run by the trust in north London and Leeds, Gids was rated:\n\nOverall, the service is now rated as \"inadequate\".\n\nAnd the CQC has begun enforcement action, demanding monthly updates of the numbers on the waiting list and actions to reduce them.\n\nThe inspectors found Gids \"difficult to access\" and raised concerns over managing the risk to those on the waiting list, saying many of those waiting for or receiving a service were \"vulnerable and at risk of self-harm\".\n\n\"The size of the waiting list meant that staff were unable to proactively manage the risks to patients waiting for a first appointment,\" they added.\n\nRecord-keeping at Gids was also criticised, with the CQC noting that \"staff had not consistently recorded the competency, capacity and consent of patients referred for medical treatment before January 2020\".\n\nThis had changed since, but the CQC noted that in an audit of 10 records of young people referred for hormone blockers in March 2020, \"only three contained a completed consent form and checklist for referral\".\n\nA rating of inadequate is the lowest a healthcare provider can receive from the Care Quality Commission. It means that a service is \"performing badly\".\n\nGids had been rated good at its last inspection in 2016, but since then a number of concerns have been raised about the service.\n\nThe number of young people referred to Gids has increased significantly in recent years - leading to some of the delays in care highlighted by the inspection.\n\nBBC Newsnight has explored the standard of healthcare received by young people questioning their gender identity for the last 18 months.\n\nIn that time, NHS England has changed its guidance on the use of puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria, saying little is known about the long-term side effects, and an independent review of this area of health is under way.\n\nLast June we revealed how some Gids staff had raised serious concerns about safeguarding at the service, the speed of assessments, and whether patients' traumatic backgrounds and other difficulties were always adequately explored.\n\nThe comments were made as part of an official internal review into Gids, which also described how staff felt they had been \"shut down\". We also discovered that some of these concerns dated back to 2005.\n\nFurthermore, it was not possible to clearly understand why clinical decisions had been made.\n\nAfter reviewing 35 care records, the CQC found there was \"no clearly defined assessment process\" and \"many records did not demonstrate good practice\".\n\nThe records also appeared to be \"insufficient\" in considering the needs of young people with autism spectrum disorders.\n\nIn a sample of 22 records, the CQC found more than half mentioned autistic spectrum disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but \"records did not demonstrate consideration of the relationship between autistic spectrum disorder and gender dysphoria\".\n\nSignificant variation in the clinical approach of different staff members was also noted. Assessments of young people ranged from \"two or three sessions\" in some cases to over 25, or even more than 50.\n\nCQC deputy chief inspector of hospitals Kevin Cleary said his team continued to monitor the trust \"extremely closely\" and inspected the service again because \"we were extremely clear that there were improvements needed in providing person-centred care, capacity and consent, safe care and treatment, and governance\".\n\n\"In addition, vulnerable young people were not having their needs met as they were waiting too long for treatment.\"\n\nThe leadership at the trust knew \"exactly what improvements are needed\", he added.\n\nThe trust said: \"We take the CQC's report very seriously and would like to say sorry to patients for the length of time they are waiting to be seen, which was a critical factor in arriving at this rating.\"\n\nAccepting there was a \"need for improvements in our assessments, systems and processes\", the trust said it agreed with the CQC that the \"growth in referrals has exceeded the capacity of the service\".\n\nIt added improvements were being made, saying: \"We are already finalising plans to bring in senior clinical and operational expertise from outside the service to help us implement the necessary changes and consider how we can improve on current processes and practice - including how we standardise our assessment process.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned there will be \"tough weeks to come\" as the UK reported another all-time high of daily coronavirus deaths.\n\nA further 1,820 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test, according to government figures.\n\nIt means the total number of deaths by that measure is now 93,290.\n\nMr Johnson said there was now a \"race against time\" to vaccinate the vulnerable but he hoped there would be a \"real difference\" by spring.\n\nIn an interview with broadcasters, he said the high number of deaths was \"appalling\" and a reflection of the peak infection rates seen a couple of weeks ago.\n\nHe said: \"I must warn people there will be tough weeks to come, but as the vaccine goes in and that programme accelerates, there will be, I think, a real difference by spring.\"\n\nJust under half of the newly reported deaths occurred on Tuesday, while a further quarter took place on Monday or Sunday with the remainder last week or even earlier.\n\nThe previous highest number of daily deaths was the 1,610 reported on Tuesday.\n\nSome 4,609,740 people have now received the first dose of a vaccine - a rise of 343,163 from yesterday.\n\nThere were also a further 38,905 cases, with 3,887 more patients admitted into hospital.\n\nIt is the second consecutive day deaths have hit a new high.\n\nThat, sadly, was to be expected as it is a reflection of the surge in cases seen during December.\n\nIt takes a week or two from the point of infection for someone to become seriously ill - and they can then spend some time in hospital. The high number is also a result of delays reporting deaths - a quarter happened last week or even before.\n\nBut make no mistake the death toll is going up. If you look at the average over the course of a week, the numbers being reported at the moment are twice what they were just two weeks ago.\n\nHowever, we also know they should soon start coming down. Daily infections are falling, with signs lockdown is taking effect. For four days in a row new diagnoses have been below 40,000 - after averaging 60,000 at the start of year.\n\nIt could be another week or so before we start to see the impact of that in the death figures. The hope then would be that within a few weeks we could start seeing a more rapid fall as the impact of the vaccination programme begins to bite.\n\nBut before that happens the daily totals reported could, sadly, go even higher.\n\nNew coronavirus cases are down by 21.5% over the last seven days. But the number of patients being admitted into hospital in the same period has not yet fallen (up by 0.5%).\n\nThe prime minister said it looked as though infection rates across the country overall might now be peaking or flattening, but he cautioned that \"they're not flattening very fast\".\n\nAsked if daily deaths would continue to rise, he said it was \"difficult to predict\".\n\nHe added: \"We must hope that by getting the numbers of daily infections down in the way that perhaps has been happening since the lockdown that will feed through into a reduction in deaths as well.\n\n\"But I must stress that we have tough weeks to come now as we roll out the vaccine.\n\n\"The light will only really begin to dawn as we get those vaccination numbers up.\"\n\nEarlier, the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, told Sky News: \"This is very, very bad at the moment, with enormous pressure, and in some cases it looks like a war zone in terms of the things that people are having to deal with.\"\n\nHe said there was \"light at the end of the tunnel\" in the form of the vaccination programme.\n\nBut he said vaccines were \"not going to do the heavy lifting for us at the moment, anywhere near it\".\n\nMilitary personnel are going to be deployed to a number of hospitals to help staff cope with high numbers of cases, including in Northern Ireland and Exeter.\n\nAnd this week 10 hospital trusts across England consistently reported having no spare adult critical care beds.\n\nIn other developments, Home Secretary Priti Patel said ministers were working to ensure police and other frontline workers were moved up the priority list for the Covid vaccine.\n\nMr Johnson said the government must rely on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, but wanted front-line workers to be immunised \"as soon as possible\".\n\nHe also said the vaccination programme remained \"on track\" despite \"constraints on supply\".", "Theresa May has accused her successor Boris Johnson of \"abandoning\" the UK's moral leadership on the world stage.\n\nThe ex-prime minister said Mr Johnson's decision to cut the overseas aid budget below 0.7% of national income had reduced the UK's global \"credibility\".\n\nShe wrote in the Daily Mail the UK had to \"live up to its values\" and would be judged by its actions not its rhetoric.\n\nMr Johnson said the UK was \"embarking on a quite phenomenal year\" of global leadership.\n\nQuestioned about Mrs May's comments by the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson said: \"I think it's very important the prime minister of the UK has the best possible relationship with the president of the United States.\n\n\"That's part of the job description.\"\n\nHe cited the UK's hosting of a global vaccine summit, the upcoming COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, as well as the G7 summit of leading industrial nations, in Cornwall, and his pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 as examples of the UK's global leadership.\n\nMr Blackford called on the PM to reverse \"his cruel policy of cutting international aid for the world's poorest\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The SNP Westminster leader called in the PM to reverse his \"cruel\" international aid policy\n\nLater on Wednesday, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, succeeding Donald Trump.\n\nIn advance of the event, Mr Johnson said he looked forward to working \"hand-in-hand\" with the new administration and that post-Covid challenges could only be tackled by \"international co-operation\".\n\nBut, in an article in the Daily Mail, Mrs May suggested Mr Johnson had squandered international goodwill by choosing not to meet the longstanding UN target of spending 0.7% of income on international development.\n\nThe government says it cannot meet the figure - enshrined in UK law - this year because of the strain placed on the public finances by the pandemic.\n\nTheresa May has made these criticisms - on overseas aid and the threat by the government to override international law - before.\n\nQuite often she gets a dig in when she stands up in the House of Commons.\n\nBut packaging it all up in this way, on this day, is, in the words of one of her close former advisers, \"quite punchy\".\n\nThe government would rather focus on the relationship it is going to forge with the new US president.\n\nMinisters feel they have quite a lot in common with Joe Biden when it comes to working together on the world stage, fighting climate change and co-operating on global security.\n\nMrs May also criticised Mr Johnson's support for legislation which could have allowed the UK to go back on parts of its Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, had it been passed.\n\nControversial clauses were ultimately removed from the Internal Market Bill in December, after the UK and EU reached an agreement.\n\nBut Mr Johnson's threat to break international law was criticised in Europe and the US - where Mr Biden warned it could imperil peace in Northern Ireland.\n\nMrs May said the UK was \"well placed to play a decisive role in shaping this more co-operative world but to lead we must live up to our values\".\n\n\"Other countries listen to what we say not simply because of who we are, but because of what we do. The world does not owe us a prominent place on its stage,\" she added.\n\n\"Whatever the rhetoric we deploy, it is our actions which count. So, we should do nothing which signals a retreat from our global commitments.\"\n\nMrs May suggested the end of the Trump presidency could be a catalyst for a change in world politics\n\nMrs May, who had a sometimes strained relationship with Mr Trump, said Mr Biden's election presented the UK with a \"golden opportunity\" for Western democracies to reverse the trend towards \"absolutism\" - and a \"few strongmen facing off against each other\" - in global affairs.\n\nThe UK holds the presidency of the G7 this year and hosts the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.\n\nMr Johnson said he looked forward to welcoming Mr Biden to the UK at least twice in 2021.\n\n\"In our fight against Covid and across climate change, defence, security, and in promoting and defending democracy, our goals are the same and our nations will work hand-in-hand to achieve them,\" he added.", "(From left to right) Janet Yellen, Lloyd Austin, Deb Haaland\n\nPresident Joe Biden's first cabinet is being described as the most diverse ever. The latest historic first is an openly gay cabinet secretary.\n\nWhen George Washington convened the first cabinet meeting two centuries ago - though he didn't call it by that name - he enshrined the idea of promoting diverse perspectives at the heart of US government. Of course, back in 1791, all the voices in the room were white and male.\n\nYou won't find the cabinet mentioned in the lines of the Constitution, but the first president saw the value of advisers who could guide him on major issues while bringing different viewpoints to the table.\n\nIn 2021, America has seen its first openly gay cabinet secretary in Pete Buttigieg - the latest Biden confirmation - as well as its first female treasury secretary, first black Pentagon chief and more.\n\nMr Biden has been under pressure from all sides to deliver on his promises of a cabinet that truly reflects the country rather than a line-up of familiar political faces.\n\nThe graphic above shows all of Mr Biden's nominees - those with black and white photos are white men, while those with colour photographs are in one or more of these categories: women; people belonging to ethnic minorities; member of the LGBT community.\n\n\"This cabinet will be more representative of the American people than any other cabinet in history,\" Mr Biden told reporters in December.\n\nIf approved by the Senate, it will include Congresswoman Deb Haaland as the first Native American cabinet secretary in US history and Miguel Cardona, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, as his education chief.\n\nMr Biden's first cabinet is even more diverse than that put together by Barack Obama, who came close to truly reflecting the country but fell short with seven women to 16 men, and just one black secretary.\n\nBut not everyone has been pleased with his choices. When Mr Biden chose General Lloyd Austin to lead the Pentagon - the first black man to do so - other activists were upset that the position was yet again denied to a woman. And Mr Biden picked two white men to head the state and agriculture agencies - Anthony Blinken and Tom Vilsack - when progressive groups would rather have seen him nominate black women to the roles.\n\nProgressive liberals have also criticised Mr Biden's selections as too safe, too moderate, too establishment and too old. For many of the supporters who delivered Mr Biden the presidency, he's not there just yet.\n\nSince 1933, only 11 presidents have named women to cabinet-level positions. No cabinets have ever matched the gender or racial balance of the country.\n\nThe cabinet size can vary depending on administration, but they're roughly composed of around 15 executives. In the last 30 years, the trend has been towards greater representation - or at least it was, until the Trump administration.\n\nOn the day of President Bill Clinton's inauguration, the Washington Post wrote that the new Democratic leader had assembled \"the most diverse Cabinet in history: five women, four blacks and two Latinos\".\n\nMr Clinton's small business administrator Aida Alvarez was the first-ever Latina appointed to a cabinet-level position.\n\nPresident George W Bush's first cabinet was lauded by the New York Times as \"a governing team every bit as ethnically and racially diverse as President Clinton's\".\n\nMr Bush chose Colin Powell, the son of Jamaican immigrants, to become the country's first black secretary of state. He also tapped Norman Mineta - a Democrat who became the first Asian American to hold a cabinet-level spot under Mr Clinton - to head his transportation department.\n\nLater on, the Bush administration made history again with the appointment of Condoleezza Rice: the first black woman to serve as secretary of state and then as national security adviser. Mr Bush also placed the first Pacific Islander and Asian American woman, Elaine Chao, in a cabinet role as labour secretary.\n\nPresident Barack Obama's history-making first cabinet was dubbed a \"majority-minority\". Mr Obama's inner circle had seven women, nine minorities and just eight white men.\n\nUnder Mr Obama, Susan Rice became the first black woman to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations, and Eric Holder became the first black US attorney general.\n\nIn a throwback to the Reagan era, President Donald Trump's inner circle was notably white, affluent and male - though he had more women in his White House than previous Republicans.\n\nAnd Mr Trump did appoint women to other roles in the administration. He named the first Indian-American, Nikki Haley, as UN ambassador.\n\nBut why has it taken this long for women and minorities to make it into the room where decisions happen?\n\n\"When we think about how you get to these roles, one way is to come through elected office,\" says Professor Kelly Dittmar of the Rutgers University Center for American Women and Politics.\n\n\"So if you have a dearth of women and women of colour in elective office, and that's where presidents are looking, in part, to identify cabinet officials, then you already start with an uneven pool.\"\n\nWe saw the first woman in US Congress in 1916, she explains, but it took nearly two more decades before President Franklin Roosevelt appointed the first woman to a cabinet role (that was Labor Secretary Frances Perkins).\n\nThe story for black and other ethnic minority Americans has taken even longer. The first black man took a seat in Congress in 1870, but we didn't see a black man in the cabinet until President Lyndon Johnson appointed Robert Weaver in 1966. It took until 1968 for the first black woman to be elected to Congress. The first black woman in the cabinet followed in 1977 (Patricia Roberts Harris, Housing Secretary).\n\nThe US has no formal rules requiring equal representation for these groups in government, either.\n\nCountries with quotas in government or at the political party level have made strides towards equality at leadership levels. For example, Rwanda in 2018 saw 61% women in its lower chamber.\n\nIn three key posts, the Defence, Treasury, and Veteran's Affairs departments, there has never been a woman in the job - until now.\n\nOn 25 January, Janet Yellen was confirmed as Treasury Secretary, breaking that particular glass ceiling.\n\nOld time stereotypes have given way in this sector. Surveys show people nowadays are more likely to rate the genders equal when it comes to handling the economy.\n\nProf Dittmar says there are more persistent stereotypes about men versus women's expertise when it comes to defence and national security matters, and public opinion polls have shown this divide. Women weren't allowed in the military until 1948.\n\n\"Even though we have certainly seen greater diversification, these fields are among the most male dominant, especially at the highest levels,\" says Prof Dittmar. \"There's all sorts of biases going on within those structures to prevent women's advancement, I'm sure. That helps explain why those gaps have been there at least historically.\"\n\nOhio State University political science and gender studies Professor Wendy Smooth says these appointments are a way of signalling broader initiatives and values - inextricably tied to policy, but also indicators of identity.\n\n\"One of the early ways that a presidential administration expresses that willingness to be accountable is through cabinet picks,\" Prof Smooth says.\n\n\"These are the first acts that demonstrate the will of the administration, the spirit of the administration, the values of the administration. It's an identity moment. It's going to be the who we are as the Biden administration and who we are interested in connecting with in the American public.\"\n\nIt may be difficult to directly measure the importance of symbolism, but turning preconceived notions of leadership upside down can have very tangible implications.\n\n\"If you see a woman as secretary of defence for the first time, does that start to disrupt expectations that men are better and more expert in areas of defence? Yes, inevitably it does,\" Prof Dittmar says.\n\nShe says the same is true for Vice-President Kamala Harris and her history-making appointment.\n\n\"I hope that after her tenure as vice-president, the next time we have women running for president that these questions about electability or qualifications or capability will be at least fewer than they were.\"\n\nAnd research from an increasingly diverse Congress has shown that women bring priorities and issues to the table that may otherwise have been ignored. \"And that, ultimately, is better for making policy that better speaks to the experiences of the population that they serve,\" Prof Dittmar explains.\n\n\"Unless you can tell me that living your life as a woman or as a black woman or as a South Asian woman in the United States is the same as living your life as a white man, then I don't at all understand why we wouldn't expect that to make a difference in the lens through which they see policy.\"", "Joy Morgan was a second year midwifery student at the University of Hertfordshire\n\nA student murdered by a fellow church member may have been given drugs without her knowing, an inquest heard.\n\nThe body of Joy Morgan, 20, was found in Hertfordshire woodland in October 2019, two months after Shohfah-El Israel was convicted of her murder.\n\nTraces of MDMA were found in her body and the inquest was told there was no evidence that Ms Morgan would have taken the drug herself voluntarily.\n\nIsrael, of Fordwych Road, north-west London, was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum term of 17 years for Ms Morgan's murder in August 2019, despite the fact her body had not been found.\n\nDuring sentencing, Judge Michael Soole said Israel's \"cruel and cowardly\" refusal to reveal her whereabouts caused \"continuing distress and suffering\" to her family.\n\nShohfah-El Israel was convicted by a jury at Reading Crown Court\n\nTwo months later, the remains of Ms Morgan were found in woodland off Chadwell Road, Norton Green, near Stevenage.\n\nPart of the police evidence showed the killer had been in the area of the woods shortly after Ms Morgan's disappearance in December 2018.\n\nShe was reported missing on 7 February 2019 after failing to return to her studies.\n\nBoth Israel and Ms Morgan, who was in her second year at the University of Hertfordshire studying midwifery, were worshippers at the Israel United in Christ Church in Ilford.\n\nAn inquest at Hatfield Coroner's Court heard her body was found badly decomposed, and wrapped in black plastic bin liners and gaffer tape.\n\nThe court heard toxicology tests showed MDMA in her body, and Det Insp Justine Jenkins said there was no evidence to indicate she would have voluntarily or knowingly taken illegal drugs.\n\n\"She was a church-goer, there is nothing to suggest [she took drugs] at all.\n\n\"We did, however, find MDMA in Israel's car, and it is likely that he was responsible for giving her these drugs.\"\n\nJoy Morgan's remains were found in woodland at Norton Green\n\nForensic pathologist Dr Charlotte Randall said there were three possible minor bruises on Ms Morgan's limbs. She added there was no evidence that Ms Morgan had been stabbed or shot, or restrained or suffered injuries consistent with a sexual assault.\n\nShe found evidence of a possible fracture to her hyoid bone, but there was nothing to suggest she had suffered compression of the neck.\n\nDr Randall said there was no evidence the student had suffered a head injury, but said she could have been rendered unconscious by a blow to the head that was \"non-fatal\".\n\nShe could not rule out suffocation as a cause of death, potentially following milder blunt force trauma to the head.\n\nCoroner Geoffrey Sullivan said: \"[The MDMA] is not something that she would have taken and one can't exclude that she was given that, and it in some way rendered her incapable or unconscious.\"\n\nHe said the cause of Ms Morgan's death could not be ascertained.\n\nAfter the inquest, her mother Carol Morgan described her daughter as \"an amazing person\".\n\n\"She's been cremated, I haven't decided where to put her ashes so at the moment she's still at home with me,\" she said.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "In the end, the master provocateur ended up provoking the wrong person in the wrong way at the wrong time.\n\nUntil August 2017, Steve Bannon was arguably the second most powerful man in Washington. The president's one-time chief strategist was the puller of strings, the Trump-whisperer, revelling in his role as an agent of chaos.\n\nAfter the 2016 election, he was among \"the best talent in politics\" - in Trump's words.\n\nThen he became \"Sloppy Steve\", a derogatory nickname used by the US president after Bannon was quoted in a book saying several things that appear to have made his former boss unhappy.\n\nOne example that made headlines was that the president's son, Donald Trump Jr, had committed a \"treasonous\" act in talking to Russians.\n\nBannon's backers cut their ties with him, he left the powerful right-wing media empire Breitbart, and the future of the man behind some of Trump's most headline-grabbing policies was left up in the air.\n\nAnd then in August 2020, more bad news. Bannon was arrested and charged with fraud over an online fundraising scheme to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.\n\nProsecutors said he received more than $1m - and used some of it to pay off personal expenses. He pleaded not guilty.\n\nEven in a White House where political careers have the life expectancy of a house fly, Bannon's sudden rise and fall over four years is remarkable. Here's how it came about.\n\nAs executive chairman of Breitbart - a combative conservative site with an anti-establishment agenda - Bannon was an early cheerleader for Trump and Trumpism.\n\nBut it was not until 15 months into the property tycoon's presidential race that Bannon joined his team.\n\nBy that point he was already, according to a profile on the Bloomberg website, \"the most dangerous political operative in America\", a man with Democrats and establishment Republicans in his crosshairs, and a knack for well-timed confrontation. A disruptive Trump presented Bannon with a golden opportunity.\n\nWithout Seinfeld, there is no Steve Bannon - it will become clear, don't worry\n\nBannon was born into a family of Irish Catholics - all Kennedy Democrats - in Virginia in November 1953.\n\nHe was not political, he said, until an eight-year stint with the Navy starting in 1977, when he became a Reagan Republican in response to President Carter's handling of the Iran conflict.\n\nA master of reinvention, he went on to work as an executive with the Goldman Sachs bank, before helping finance and produce Hollywood films and later emerging as a political Svengali.\n\nHis record in Hollywood can be described as patchy at best (\"The business runs on talent relationships,\" one former colleague told the New Yorker. \"He had this real will-to-power vibe that was so off-putting.\")\n\nBut Bannon did strike gold in one big way - by negotiating a share of the profits in a new television show, Seinfeld, in 1993. The show ran for nine seasons and was widely syndicated - in November 2016, Forbes estimated that Bannon, if he owned only a 1% share in the show's profits, would have earned $32.6m (£24m) by that point.\n\nAfter returning to the US from the Chinese city of Shanghai in 2008 feeling the Bush administration was a \"disaster\", Bannon was struck by what he described to the New Yorker as \"this phenomenon called Sarah Palin\". Bannon warmed to the brand of populism employed by the Alaskan governor picked as John McCain's Republican running mate in the 2008 presidential race.\n\nThat populist wave would come crashing to shore with Trump's participation in the 2016 election, a wave Bannon proudly rode the whole way. In Trump, he recognised a willing outlet for his idea that, according to Wolff, \"the new politics was not the art of compromise, but the art of conflict\".\n\nBannon had long talked up Trump's chances on Breitbart News Network, which he took over in 2012 after the death of its founder, Andrew Breitbart. Bannon considered Trump, according to Wolff's book, \"a big warm-hearted monkey\".\n\nLike many of the businessman's cheerleaders, Bannon was eventually invited into his inner circle, becoming the CEO of the Trump campaign in August 2016.\n\nDishevelled, regularly unshaven, and prone to wearing two shirts at the same time, he was an unlikely candidate to work closely with Trump, who places a high value on appearance. But somehow it worked.\n\nBannon's economic nationalist outlook and his eagerness for a \"deconstruction of the administrative state\" - a tearing apart of the system of taxes and regulations that he believed had hindered the US over years - chimed with Trump's \"Make America Great Again\" plea.\n\nTwo days after his arrival, Bannon replaced Paul Manafort as campaign chairman.\n\nBannon's counterpart in the Democratic camp, Robby Mook, responded furiously: \"Donald Trump has decided to double down on his most small, nasty and divisive instincts by turning his campaign over to someone who is best known for running a so-called news site that peddles divisive, sometimes racist... sometimes anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.\"\n\nThe provocateur in Bannon will almost certainly have enjoyed the reaction to his appointment. Less than three months later, he'd have even more to celebrate.\n\nTrump and Bannon thought as one in the last weeks of the campaign, to the extent that the Republican candidate would often demand: \"Where's my Steve? Where's my Steve?\", according to one former Trump aide.\n\nIn interviews after the event, Bannon said he always believed Trump would win. But not everyone else did, according to Michael Wolff's book. Indeed, in the weeks after the billionaire won, \"he had come to credit Bannon with something like mystical powers\" for having predicted the victory.\n\nWhite House appointments aren't often met with wide protests - but then Steve Bannon's was no ordinary appointment\n\nDays after the election, Trump named his trusted lieutenant as \"chief strategist\" - a newly created role - in his cabinet.\n\nThere were wide protests against the decision, and 169 members of the House - all Democrats - sent a letter to the president-elect asking him to withdraw Bannon's nomination, saying \"bigotry, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia should have no place in our society, and they certainly have no place in the White House\".\n\nBannon's vision was made clear in Trump's bleak inaugural address, which he wrote. Wolff says in his book it was \"a Bannon-driven message to the other side that the country was about to undergo profound change... his take-back-the-country, America-first, carnage-everywhere vision of the country\".\n\nThe \"American carnage\" speech painted a vision of a US with \"mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation\".\n\nThe full ramifications of Bannon's America First policy were made clear a week later, with Trump signing an executive order dreamt up by his chief strategist that banned people from seven Muslim-majority countries from travelling to the US. It caught many White House staff unaware.\n\nBannon, Wolff writes, was \"satisfied\" at the move and the subsequent outrage. \"He could not have hoped to draw a more vivid line between the two Americas - Trump's and liberals',\" Wolff writes, adding that the timing of its release before a busy weekend was deliberate - so it could cause as much chaos as possible.\n\nOne word that regularly features in interviews with Bannon is \"war\". Trump HQ on election night was \"the war room\", the same name he gave to the Oval Office when Trump took over. When Bannon would go on to leave the White House, he said he was going to \"war\" on Trump's behalf.\n\nFor Bannon, disorder was the new order in the White House. He and Trump were creating conflict and confusion, and that suited Bannon just fine.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Steve Bannon's three goals for the Trump presidency\n\nA day after Trump's executive order on immigration was signed, there was another controversial announcement - the US president downgraded military chiefs of staff from his National Security Council and gave a regular seat to Bannon instead.\n\nOnly career diplomats and generals usually join the council, the main group advising the president on national security and foreign affairs. By being invited to be a member, Bannon - in his first government job, aged 63 - was allowed to join high-level discussions about national security.\n\nThe reaction was, predictably, one of shock.\n\nDemocrat former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders called the move \"dangerous and unprecedented\", and Obama's former national security adviser Susan Rice tweeted: \"This is stone-cold crazy. After a week of crazy.\"\n\nThe White House, of course, defended their man as being more than capable enough to be on the council, pointing out his Navy service.\n\nBut in retrospect, this promotion is about as good as it got for Bannon in the White House.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Some of the people who have resigned or been fired under President Trump\n\nIn the end, Bannon lasted a little over two months on the National Security Council, leaving in April.\n\nIt was not a demotion, White House officials said, but the reasons for the change were not clear. Perhaps, just by shaking up the old order, the appointment had done its job.\n\nBut this change in his responsibilities became an indication of what was to come.\n\nAfter a summer of reports that Bannon was less and less visible in a White House suffering infighting and leaks, he left his position last August.\n\nIt was sold as a strategic move - Bannon would head back to Breitbart, where he would fight for Trump's agenda. \"I've got my hands back on my weapons,\" he said. \"It's Bannon the Barbarian.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Donald J. Trump This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nBreitbart welcomed back what it called its \"populist hero\", with editor-in-chief Alex Marlow saying Bannon had \"his finger on the pulse of the Trump agenda\".\n\nBut his departure from the White House came at the end of a week in which Bannon had come under fire from a number of quarters, and amid reports of tension with key aides including National Security Adviser HR McMaster.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Charlottesville was the culmination of months of protests by white supremacists\n\nClashes had taken place the previous weekend between far-right and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, after which Trump blamed \"both sides\" for the violence - Bannon had once said his Breitbart site was \"a platform for the alt-right\" who were responsible for the violence.\n\nTwo days before he left his job, an interview with Bannon in the American Prospect, a liberal magazine, reportedly infuriated the president. Bannon was quoted as dismissing the idea of a military solution in North Korea, undercutting Trump.\n\nThen, a day later, a BuzzFeed report that said that Trump was unhappy with the credit his adviser was taking for the election victory.\n\n\"He undermined Trump's ego,\" Joshua Green, the author of a book on Bannon's relationship with Trump, Devil's Bargain, told the BBC.\n\n\"Trump can't abide the thesis of my book and Michael Wolff's book, which is that Bannon is the brains of the operation and Trump is an erratic charlatan. That's what Trump won't abide.\"\n\nBannon backed Roy Moore in the Alabama senate race - it didn't end well for them\n\nNow on the outside looking in, Bannon was more than happy to tell Trump where he thought he was going wrong. He attacked him through Breitbart for reversing course and sending more troops to Afghanistan, and called Trump's firing of FBI director James Comey the biggest mistake in \"modern political history\".\n\nBut Bannon was back in his natural habitat as he gunned for the Republican establishment, putting his weight behind ultra-conservative populist candidate Roy Moore in a senate race in Alabama.\n\nMoore comfortably won the primary against Luther Strange, the incumbent backed by Trump and the Republican machine.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nBut Moore went on to face allegations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls, which he denied, and in December he lost the race to Doug Jones, who became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Alabama in 25 years.\n\nBannon's man, one eventually backed by Trump and the Republican party, had suffered a humiliating loss in what was supposed to be Bannon's first big victory. A win would have given him momentum in his campaign to field populist candidates against Republican senators in the 2018 mid-terms. A loss made that much harder.\n\nBannon - humbled, surprised - credited Democrats for having worked hardest, but the defeat risked grounding his populist movement to a halt.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Trump harsher on Bannon than he is on his 'worst enemies'\n\nTrump may once have been Bannon's \"big warm-hearted monkey\". But even cuddly monkeys can bite.\n\nAs details of Michael Wolff's book emerged, one key line stood out - Bannon described a meeting Donald Trump Jr held in New York with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 presidential election campaign as \"treasonous\".\n\n\"They're going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV,\" he told Wolff.\n\nThe reaction from the White House - reeling from a special-counsel investigation into possible collusion between the Trump team and Russia - was swift. Bannon had \"lost his mind\" after losing his White House position, the president said.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Donald J. Trump This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSoon after, Rebekah Mercer, a wealthy benefactor of Bannon's, said she had ended her support for his political efforts.\n\nBannon, left with fewer and fewer allies, insisted his comments were not directed at Mr Trump's son but at another former aide, Paul Manafort, who was also present at the meeting in Trump Tower.\n\nBut there was only one way left to go. The goodbye from Breitbart was polite, and Bannon was out.\n\nSomewhere, somehow, Bannon the master string-puller will re-emerge - possibly in a different guise.\n\nCould he and Trump ever reconcile?\n\n\"Trump has fired people before and then let them back in,\" Joshua Green, the author of Devil's Bargain, said.\n\n\"But I've never seen Trump bury somebody as forcefully as he did Bannon, both in his statement and the parade of White House officials who have come out to heap scorn and derision on Bannon.\n\n\"It's awfully hard to imagine how Bannon could recover from that.\"\n\nAn unexpected twist unfolded ahead of the November 2020 election when Bannon and three other people were arrested and charged with fraud over a fundraising campaign to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.\n\nYou'll remember that building this wall was a key pledge of Trump's 2016 campaign, which Bannon played a leading role in.\n\nBannon, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors in connection with the \"We Build the Wall\" campaign, which raised $25m (£19m), the Department of Justice (DoJ) said.\n\nBannon received more than $1m, at least some of which he used to cover personal expenses, the DoJ said.\n\nEach of the two charges - conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering - carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.", "New legislation has been passed to protect Scottish shop workers from abuse from customers.\n\nThe Protection of Workers Bill will make it a new specific offence to assault, abuse or threaten staff.\n\nIncidents involving an age-restricted product, such as alcohol or cigarettes, could be treated more seriously.\n\nThe MSP behind the bill, Labour's Daniel Johnson, said attacks on retail workers had increased during the Covid pandemic.\n\nHe told Holyrood: \"Shop staff have been spat at for asking customers to socially distance, and stock has been smashed in retaliation for item limits being imposed.\n\n\"Violence, threats and abuse should not be just part of anyone's job.\"\n\nMr Johnson said that staff requesting age ID could be a \"trigger factor\" in many incidents of abuse.\n\nThe new legislation will also cover people working in bars, restaurants and hotels, and those delivering items bought online who may have to ask for proof of age.\n\nThe bill was supported by all parties at Holyrood, despite the government initially arguing that its provisions were already covered by existing criminal laws.\n\nThe Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service told MSPs that further legislation was not needed, noting that \"violence, threats and abuse against retail workers, or indeed any other person, are prosecuted every day in the courts in Scotland using offences which are commonly understood\".\n\nPolice Scotland meanwhile said there would be \"no significant change in how we go about our business\" as a result of it.\n\nCommunity safety minister Ash Denham said that while there was a \"wide range of existing criminal laws\" currently in place to protect staff, the new legislation could \"make the general public think more about their behaviour when they interact with retail workers\".\n\nThe Scottish Conservatives also backed the bill, although they argued that the presumption against short sentences in Scotland meant anyone convicted under the new law would ultimately not be jailed.\n\nPaul Gerrard, public affairs director for the Co-Op, told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime that the retailer had seen a 450% rise in violent incidents in the last few years.\n\n\"It is a huge problem,\" he said. \"We've seen an explosion in violence and abuse toward my colleagues.\n\n\"Now across 350 stores in Scotland we have someone attacked every day. And 10 colleagues are threatened or abused every day.\n\n\"Increasingly we have seen knives, syringes and axes all used against shopworkers.\"\n\nMr Gerrard added that previous incidents were centred on shoplifting or age-restricted sales, but staff were now facing more abuse around enforcing Covid shopping rules.\n\nThe new legislation was passed by 118 votes to 0 in the Scottish Parliament.\n\nThe Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) is now urging the UK government to introduce similar legislation to protect retail staff in England - something Labour MP Alex Norris is pursuing at Westminster.\n\nUsdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said: \"It is a great result for our members in Scotland, who will now have the protection of the law that they deserve.\n\n\"So we are looking for MPs to support key workers across the retail sector and help turn around the UK government's opposition.\"", "Donald Trump won a surprise victory in 2016 partly because he promised to shake things up. He leaves office with two impeachments and the nation on edge. But his supporters say he kept his promises.", "More than 100 medically-trained military personnel will be deployed\n\nMembers of the military are to be brought in to help medical staff in Northern Ireland in the fight against Covid-19.\n\nHealth Minister Robin Swann has asked the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to help out, primarily at a number of hospitals across NI.\n\nMore than 100 medically-trained military personnel will be deployed.\n\nThose brought in will assist nursing staff and help on the wards in a move designed to ease the pressure on staff.\n\nIn the past, the use of the military in Northern Ireland has provoked controversy.\n\nWhile military help has already been used during the pandemic to transport equipment and patients, this is the first time military staff will be used in hospitals.\n\nIt is thought the first military staff will be made available as early as next week.\n\nMr Swann said it would have been an abdication of responsibility if he did not avail of help from the military.\n\nHe said while coronavirus cases were lower than two weeks ago, the challenge posed remained \"intense\" and intensive care pressures were expected to increase further in the next eight to 10 days.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Brandon Lewis This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nHe confirmed that a request for military assistance for NI's health service had been accepted by the MoD.\n\nThe health minister thanked the MoD for the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities agreement, which is being provided in other UK regions.\n\n\"The armed forces have provided invaluable support in this pandemic, including aeromedical evacuation, real-estate and ongoing logistical planning,\" he said.\n\n\"Our hospitals are under immense pressure and an additional staffing complement will be very welcome on the front line.\n\n\"This is a health decision and I am confident it will be supported on that basis.\"\n\nNI Secretary Brandon Lewis tweeted: \"Battling #COVID19 is a national effort. I'm pleased that 110 medically-trained personnel from our Armed Forces will support health and social care teams across Northern Ireland in their vital work on the frontline against coronavirus.\"\n\nThe move has been welcomed by the Democratic Unionist Party.\n\nWhen it was announced last April that the health minster had made requests for military help, Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill said Mr Swann had taken that decision unilaterally.\n\nHowever, she later said her party would not rule out any measure necessary to save lives.\n\nReacting to the latest request for help, Sinn Féin said its priority throughout the pandemic had been to save lives, keep people safe and protect the health service.\n\n\"The Minister of Health has made a request for staffing support from the British Ministry of Defence,\" the party said.\n\n\"We do not rule out any measures to do so, and any effort to make the threat posed by Covid-19 into a green and orange issue is divisive and a distraction.\"\n\nAs of Wednesday, there were 832 people in hospital in Northern Ireland with coronavirus, of whom 67 were in intensive care, with 57 ventilated.\n\nA further 22 people with coronavirus died, bringing the Department of Health's total to 1,671 while there were 905 new cases.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, 61 new Covid-19-related deaths were recorded on Wednesday, bringing the country's death toll to 2,768.\n\nA further 2,488 new cases of the virus were also confirmed by the Irish Department for Health.\n\nSpeaking at Stormont's press briefing on Wednesday, Mr Swann confirmed the executive would review the current lockdown regulations on Thursday.\n\nNorthern Ireland began a six-week lockdown on 26 December, in a bid to bring the virus under control.\n\nMinisters promised to review the regulations after four weeks.\n\nMr Swann said he would not pre-empt the outcome of Thursday's meeting but confirmed he would bring recommendations from his officials to the meeting.\n\n\"This is not the time to open floodgates or take premature decisions that would lead to another spike in cases,\" he added.\n\n\"We must stay the course.\"\n\nThe minister also provided the latest update on the number of vaccinations - 160,396 doses have now been administered in NI, with 21,690 of those second doses.\n\nHe said he understood the frustration of some people that they were still waiting to hear when their elderly or vulnerable relatives would receive their vaccine, but he urged patience.\n\n\"We cannot go faster than supplies allow,\" he said.", "The National Audit Office has had full access to the BBC's accounts since 2010\n\nThe BBC faces \"significant\" uncertainty over its financial future due to changes in viewing habits, a National Audit Office report has found.\n\n\"While the BBC remains the most used media brand in the UK, its share of younger audiences has been under pressure,\" the spending watchdog said.\n\n\"Falling audience share poses a financial risk as people are less likely to pay the licence fee.\"\n\nThe BBC said it had already set out plans for \"urgent\" reforms.\n\nAccording to the NAO report, the BBC has seen \"a notable drop\" in audience viewing while its income from the licence fee has also declined.\n\nThe BBC \"faces considerable uncertainty\" about its licence fee income and should produce \"a long-term financial plan... as soon as possible\", it states.\n\nSuch a plan, the report recommends, should \"set out the detail for the next stage of its savings, and how it will fund its new strategic priorities\".\n\nIn 2019-20, the BBC generated total income of £4.94bn, of which £3.52bn was public funding from the licence fee. That was £310m less than the corporation received from the licence fee between 2017-18.\n\nThe current cost of an annual television licence is £157.50\n\nThe report also highlighted a 30% decline in BBC TV viewing over the past decade. On average, the amount of time an adult spent watching broadcast BBC television fell from 80 minutes a day in 2010 to 56 minutes in 2019.\n\nAnd the NAO said the BBC's financial health had been \"unexpectedly weakened\" by the impact of the coronavirus response.\n\nLast November, the BBC began negotiations with the government about the future funding it will receive from the licence fee. The fee, which is currently £157.50 annually, is due to stay in place until at least 2027, when the BBC's Royal Charter ends.\n\nIn response, the BBC said it had made \"significant savings and increased efficiencies, while maintaining our spending on content, and continuing to be the UK's most-used media organisation\".\n\nIt added: \"We have set out plans for urgent reforms focused on providing great value for all audiences and we will set out further detail on this in the coming months.\n\n\"The report also stresses the importance of stable funding for the future, which we welcome as we begin negotiations with government over the licence fee.\"\n\nThe National Union of Journalists said the report's findings \"come as no surprise\" and that the BBC needs \"a financially secure long-term deal that will guarantee its future.\"\n\nThe NAO scrutinises the finances of government departments and other public sector bodies. Last week Richard Sharp, the BBC's incoming chairman, said the licence fee was the \"least worst\" way of funding the corporation, but it \"may be worth reassessing\" in future.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "At noon on Wednesday, President Donald Trump's term will end. It's been a whirlwind four years, so what might the legacy be of such a history-making president?\n\nThere's a lot to consider, so we asked the experts to break it down for us.\n\nResponses have been edited for length and clarity.\n\nMatthew Continetti is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, focusing on the development of the Republican Party and the American conservative movement.\n\nDonald Trump will be remembered as the first president to be impeached twice. He fed the myth that the election was stolen, summoned his supporters to Washington to protest the certification of the Electoral College vote, told them that only through strength could they take back their country, and stood by as they stormed the US Capitol and interfered in the operation of constitutional government.\n\nWhen historians write about his presidency, they will do so through the lens of the riot.\n\nThey will focus on Trump's tortured relationship with the alt-right, his atrocious handling of the deadly Charlottesville protest in 2017, the rise in violent right-wing extremism during his tenure in office, and the viral spread of malevolent conspiracy theories that he encouraged.\n\nWhat else stands out to you?\n\nIf Donald Trump had followed the example of his predecessors and conceded power graciously and peacefully, he would have been remembered as a disruptive but consequential populist leader.\n\nA president who, before the pandemic, presided over an economic boom, re-oriented America's opinion of China, removed terrorist leaders from the battlefield, revamped the space program, secured an originalist (conservative) majority on the US Supreme Court, and authorised Operation Warp Speed to produce a Covid-19 vaccine in record time.\n\nLaura Belmonte is a history professor and dean of the Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. She is a foreign relations specialist and author of books on cultural diplomacy.\n\nHis attempt to surrender global leadership and replace it with a more inward-looking, fortress-like mentality. I don't think it succeeded, but the question is how profound has the damage to America's international reputation been - and that remains to be seen.\n\nThe moment I found jaw-dropping was the press conference he had with Vladimir Putin in 2018 in Helsinki, where he took Putin's side over US intelligence in regard to Russian interference in the election.\n\nI can't think of another episode of a president siding full force with a non-democratic society adversary.\n\nIt's also very emblematic of a larger assault on any number of multilateral institutions and treaties and frameworks that Trump has unleashed, like the withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, the withdrawal of the Iranian nuclear framework.\n\nWhat else stands out to you?\n\nTrump's applauding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, really turning himself inside out to align the US with regimes that are the antithesis of values that the US says it wants to promote. That is something that I think was really quite distinctive.\n\nAnother aspect is extricating the US from any really assertive role in promoting human rights throughout the world, and changing the content of the annual human rights reports from the State Department and not including many topics, like LGBT equality, for instance.\n\nKathryn Brownell is a history professor at Purdue University, focusing on the relationships between media, politics, and popular culture, with an emphasis on the American presidency.\n\nBroadly speaking: Donald Trump, and his enablers in the Republican Party and conservative media, have put American democracy to the test in an unprecedented way. As a historian who studies the intersection of media and the presidency, it is truly striking the ways in which he has convinced millions of people that his fabricated version of events is true.\n\nWhat happened on 6 January at the US Capitol is a culmination of over four years during which President Trump actively advanced misinformation.\n\nJust as Watergate and the impeachment inquiry dominated historical interpretations of Richard Nixon's legacy for decades, I do think that this particular post-election moment will be at the forefront of historical assessments of his presidency.\n\nWhat else stands out to you?\n\nKellyanne Conway's first introduction of the notion of \"alternative facts\" just days into the Trump administration when disputing the size of the inaugural crowds between Trump and Barack Obama.\n\nPresidents across the 20th Century have increasingly used sophisticated measures to spin interpretation of policies and events in favourable ways and to control the media narrative of their administrations. But the assertion that the administration had a right to its own alternative facts went far beyond spin, ultimately foreshadowing the ways in which the Trump administration would govern by misinformation.\n\nTrump harnessed the power of social media and blurred the lines between entertainment and politics in ways that allowed him to bypass critics and connect directly to his supporters in an unfiltered way.\n\nFranklin Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan also used new media and a celebrity style to connect directly to the people in this unfiltered way, ultimately transforming expectations and operations of the presidency that paved the path for Trump.\n\nMary Frances Berry is a professor of American history and social thought at the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on legal history and social policy. From 1980 to 2004, she was a member of the US Commission on Civil Rights.\n\nIn what he did with judges, Trump has made a long lasting change over the next 20 years, 30 years in how policies will stand up to legal tests and how they're able to be implemented - no matter what any particular president or administration proposes.\n\nThe courts are controlled by the Republican appointees. Sometimes judges surprise us, but for the most part, the historical evidence is that they pretty much do what their politics and their backgrounds say they will do.\n\nWhat else stands out to you?\n\nWhen he supported that package of measures that helped particular people in the black community, like First Step, pardoning people at the same time that he supported an amendment in the appropriations bill that gave a whole bunch of money to historically black colleges and universities for the first time.\n\nHe put all of these things together, as well as having the first stimulus programme making sure that black businessman and entrepreneurs get some of those loans they've had trouble getting before.\n\nThe effect of all of that, which we will see over time, was in the midterms, a lot more young black men voted for Trump than before. And if that's a trend, it may help the Republican party.\n\nTrump also made egregious comments about black people and other people of colour, tried to have protests against police abuse disrupted and in other ways appealed to his white supremacist base.\n\nHis lasting impact on race relations depends on what the Biden administration does on policy, and on healing and how long the pandemic and economic downturn lasts.\n\nMargaret O'Mara is history professor at the University of Washington, focusing on the political, economic, and metropolitan history of the modern US.\n\nContesting a very constitutionally and numerically clear election victory by Joe Biden.\n\nWe've had plenty of really unpleasant transitions. Herbert Hoover was incredibly unpleasant about his loss, but he still rode in that car down Pennsylvania Avenue at inauguration. He didn't talk to Franklin Roosevelt the whole time, but there still was a peaceful transfer of power.\n\nTrump is a manifestation of political forces that have been in motion for a half century or more. A culmination of what was not only going on in the Republican party, but also the Democratic party and more broadly in American politics - a kind of disillusionment with government and institutions and expertise.\n\nWhat else stands out to you?\n\nTrump is exceptional in many ways, but one of the things that really makes him stand out is that he is one of the rare presidents who was elected without having held any elected office before.\n\nTrump may go away, but there is this great frustration with the establishment, broadly defined. When you feel powerless, you vote for someone who's promising to do everything differently and Trump indeed did that.\n\nA presidency is also made by the people that the president appoints, and a great deal of experienced Republican hands were not invited to join the administration the first go round.\n\nOver time, his administration has diminished to a band of loyalists who are really not very experienced and are ideologically uninterested in wise governance of the bureaucracy. What has happened within the bowels of the bureaucracy is going to be a slow slog to rebuild.\n\nSaikrishna Prakash is a University of Virginia Law School professor focusing on constitutional law, foreign relations law and presidential powers.\n\nThe last gasps of his administration are the most consequential, as he exerts a control over his most devoted followers and he's talking about running again.\n\nHe forced people to consider what the presidency has become in a way that wasn't true I think either during the Bush or Obama administrations. Issues like the 25th Amendment and impeachment hasn't been thought of since Bill Clinton, really.\n\nIt's possible that people now when they think of the presidency are perhaps going to adopt a different stance going forward, knowing that someone like Trump could come along.\n\nIt's possible that Congress will delegate less to the president and take away some authority.\n\nWhat else stands out to you?\n\nThe president has demonstrated that there's a constituency who's opposed to a lot of these trade deals and that there are people willing to vote for those who will either extricate us from these trade deals or \"make them fairer\".\n\nThe president has also suggested that China has been taking advantage of the United States in ways that are deleterious to our economic and national security - and I think there's a consensus behind this view. No one wants to be accused of being soft on China, whereas no one cares if you're \"soft\" on Canada, right?\n\nI think people are going to fall all over themselves to be tougher or at least say they're tougher on China.\n\nDomestically the president had a populous tone to him. It wasn't ever fully realised in his policies, but we see more Republicans adopting populist ideas.", "Testing of close contacts of identified cases was due to start in secondary schools and colleges in England\n\nThe government has paused plans to roll out rapid daily coronavirus testing of close contacts, in all but a small number of secondary schools and colleges.\n\nTesting close contacts of a positive case as an alternative to isolation showed some benefits in trials.\n\nBut the emergence of a new variant means the risk of missing infections has risen, health officials say.\n\nRegular testing of staff will now increase to twice a week.\n\nMore research is needed on how daily contact testing would work given the new, more transmissible, coronavirus variant, Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace say.\n\nIn the meantime, routine testing to pick up asymptomatic cases in staff and pupils remains a key part of the government's plans.\n\nMass testing in schools, using pregnancy-style lateral flow tests to detect the virus, had been due to start in January.\n\nHowever, under new lockdown restrictions, schools have had to switch to providing online teaching until February - although children of key workers are still allowed to attend - and plans were postponed.\n\nHow testing of pupils will be organised once schools reopen is still not clear.\n\nThe original plan for rapid Covid testing in all secondary schools and colleges included:\n\nThe aim was to keep as many children in schools as possible by avoiding a whole bubble, class or year having to be sent home, and to reduce disruption from staff having to isolate.\n\nBut some scientists have consistently expressed concerns about the accuracy of the rapid tests, which do not need to be sent to a lab for the results.\n\nThey say the high number of false negatives means close contacts may wrongly think they are not infectious and go on to mix with more vulnerable people.\n\nAnd now PHE and NHS Test and Trace say the new variant, which \"increases the risk of transmission everywhere, including in school settings\", has made this a risk no longer worth taking.\n\n\"The balance between the risks (transmission of virus in schools and onward to households and the wider community) and benefits (education in a face-to-face and safe setting) for daily contact testing is unclear,\" their statement adds.\n\nA government spokesman said: \"NHS Test and Trace and Public Health England have reviewed their advice and concluded that, in light of the higher prevalence and rates of transmission of the new variant, further evaluation work is required to make sure it is achieving its aim of breaking chains of transmission and reducing cases of the virus in the community.\n\n\"There is no change to the main rollout of regular testing using rapid lateral flow tests in schools and colleges, which is already proving beneficial in finding teachers and students with coronavirus who do not have symptoms.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'You wouldn’t want to give this to anybody'\n\nI was last here at University Hospital Monklands on 1 May when those dealing with the first wave of an unknown disease were already tired.\n\nAt that time, the deaths of 29,059 people had been registered in the UK within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19.\n\nI returned 259 days later with the number of deaths at 89,230 to find that the staff are exhausted.\n\n\"We're all physically, mentally and emotionally drained now,\" says Fiona Bauld, an intensive care unit (ICU) staff nurse.\n\nIn the first wave, the Lanarkshire hospital was almost empty except for patients being treated for Covid or other critical and emergency needs.\n\nThis time there are just a handful of spare beds in the entire building. Staff who had helped out with critical care last year are back in their own departments, and the ICU specialists are alone once more.\n\n\"There's not really enough extra nurses to account for the extra patients so the amount of work everyone is doing is much more,\" says intensive care consultant Daniel Silcock.\n\nThe patients are changing too.\n\nIn the first wave, most patients were old and often ill before they contracted the virus, says ICU ward manager Margaret Harkins.\n\n\"This time the patients are a much younger age group and some have no underlying health conditions,\" she adds.\n\n\"We are getting people in in their 20s, 30s and 40s,\" Ms Bauld says. \"Younger people are catching this virus and becoming really critically ill with it.\"\n\nMae Mamaril (right) and her parents Jaramias and Sonia tested positive\n\nMae Mamaril is one of them. She is 26 and has no underlying health conditions.\n\nMae and her parents Jaramias and Sonia, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, tested positive for Covid within days of being vaccinated for their jobs.\n\nAll three ended up in Monklands but Mae was the sickest and the only member of her family admitted to intensive care.\n\nShe had to wear an oxygen mask and lie face down on a bed for three days, a treatment called proning which medics say can improve lung function in many patients.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Mae Mamaril, 26, was moved to intensive care at the start of the year\n\n\"I couldn't breathe,\" she says. \"It was really bad because they moved so quickly to give me oxygen and told me to lie on my stomach.\n\n\"All I could think about was wanting to come home, but then at the same time, I knew that if I didn't have enough oxygen, even if I went home, I would never survive.\"\n\nNot only is the hospital busy with younger people in this wave but senior doctors say a third of all patients here now have the virus.\n\nThere is another big difference outside the building.\n\nIn May, when I drove from Glasgow to the hospital in Airdrie the roads were empty, the streets silent.\n\nThat is no longer the case. Heading east to Monklands again, the M8 is the busiest I have seen it since the pandemic began.\n\nDoctors and nurses have noticed the increase in traffic too - and they are worried.\n\n\"Without a lockdown, I think it would just be a disaster,\" Dr Silcock says.\n\n\"We've had twice as many admissions this time as we did in the first wave.\"\n\nDr Sanjiv Chohan, who runs the intensive care department, says he too is worried.\n\nBut what about the many harmful side effects of lockdown - on other medical conditions, especially mental health, as well as the impact on education and the economy?\n\n\"I sympathise completely,\" says Dr Chohan, pointing out that the ICU staff are also affected by these issues.\n\n\"It's a really difficult balancing act. It's choosing the least harmful options,\" he says, adding: \"We have to preserve some ability to have functioning hospitals.\"\n\nAt times, Monklands has not been able to function normally.\n\nSince the autumn, around a third of all intensive care patients here have had to be transferred out of the hospital to other facilities — primarily to Wishaw and Hairmyres but sometimes out of Lanarkshire entirely.\n\nChief nurse Karen Goudie says she is worried about the coming weeks\n\nThe chief nurse at Monklands, Karen Goudie, says that was necessary to reduce pressure and create capacity for incoming patients.\n\nThere has not yet been a point when all Scotland's hospitals have been overwhelmed at the same time.\n\n\"No, not yet but we're worried about the coming weeks,\" says Ms Goudie. \"The projections look - scary, I guess, is the right word to use. \"\n\nStaff here believe a current increase in cases is attributable to families mixing at Christmas and to people not sticking to the current lockdown rules.\n\nStill, they have coped. Patients are now less likely than in the first wave to need the dangerous intervention of a ventilator as knowledge of how to treat the disease develops.\n\nFor many though, a Covid diagnosis can remain frightening and perilous.\n\nJim McShane, 56, works for a gas company in Motherwell. I leave intensive care to meet him on the Covid ward where he is being treated.\n\n\"You just don't know what's ahead,\" he tells me. \"It just destroys you sometimes. Brings you right down.\"\n\n\"I would tell people to stay out the road of one another,\" he says.\n\nAfter I leave, Jim is transferred to intensive care. He is now on a ventilator.\n\nThere may be some signs that Scotland's latest surge in hospital admissions may be easing.", "Gabriel is an ardent 'Latino for Trump' who is active in New York Republican circles. He wishes the Biden/Harris administration well but doesn't believe Democrats really want unity and thinks they'll reverse a lot of good Trump policies.\n\nHow did Joe Biden's inaugural speech on unity sit with you?\n\nI caught bits and pieces of the inauguration, but I did not watch the speech. I'll give it a watch when I'm not as busy. Hopefully, his message is not like what we saw on 6 January, when he tried to lambast people as white supremacists for showing up at the Capitol, because that will just alienate people.\n\nThis country has come a long way in terms of race relations and, if we really want unity, let's regain the sense of what an American is. An American isn't white, black or Jewish; it is a person within the United States that takes part in our republic.\n\nWhat do you think of the executive actions he is taking today?\n\nI knew Biden would come out swinging while he stills holds the majority in the legislative branch. It's certainly a statement in the same vein as President Trump's first few days of office, but I think it's horrible. As someone of Hispanic descent, the idea of potentially granting 11 million immigrants citizenship is a slap in the face to everyone who came through the legal process.\n\nJoining the Paris climate agreement again is widely regarded as a farce, even by some ecologists, because nations that are members in the agreement didn't actually hit their targets. The removal of the Keystone Pipeline is not only going to cost people jobs but it could potentially increase our carbon footprint. When it comes to the WHO, they failed us during the Covid pandemic. It's all just smoke and mirrors to undo what President Trump did and stick it in the face of Republicans.", "The former Western Daily Press journalist lived in the property from 1970 until 1994\n\nAn \"inspiring\" house previously owned by fantasy writer Sir Terry Pratchett has been put on the market.\n\nThe creator of the Discworld series lived in the 18th Century property, called Gaze Cottage, in the village of Rowberrow, Somerset, from 1970 until 1994.\n\nSir Terry died aged 66 in 2015, eight years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.\n\nHe wrote more than 70 books during his career and completed his final book in 2014.\n\nAt the turn of the century, Sir Terry was Britain's second most-read author, beaten only by JK Rowling.\n\nIn August 2007, it was reported he had suffered a stroke, but the following December he announced that he had been diagnosed with a very rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.\n\nThe fitted kitchen is in the older half of the house\n\nRuth Treasure-Smith, from Robin King Estate Agent, said: \"He wrote most of his most famous novels in that house in the 80s.\n\n\"The house must have been inspiring. The current owner purchased the property from Terry Pratchett and has lived at the house since.\"\n\nShe said he had received letters to the house addressed to the \"Hogfather\", a quirky and satirical character from the Death collection in the Discworld series.\n\nThe sitting room has an inglenook fireplace complete with bread oven\n\nThe house is being sold at a guide price of £800,000\n\nThe first floor houses the master bedroom which overlooks the garden\n\nThe property has four bedrooms\n\nThe cottage sits on a plot comprising almost a third of an acre\n\nFollow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk", "The driver sat on his overturned van until rescuers arrived\n\nA supermarket delivery driver had to be rescued from his overturned van after he careered off the road and ended up in a fast-flowing ford, police said.\n\nFirefighters and police were called to the River Wear, Westgate, in Weardale, after reports that a Morrisons van was stuck at 17:00 GMT on Tuesday.\n\nPolice said the van had \"careered\" off the road and the man sat on top of the vehicle before being rescued.\n\nCounty Durham Fire and Rescue Service said the rescue was \"challenging.\"\n\nWater specialists from the fire service braved the river in a raft attached to a nearby footbridge and gave the man a life jacket.\n\nPolice said the driver was not injured but was taken to hospital as a precaution.\n\nThe fire service tweeted a video of the scene, and said they were \"so proud\" of the water rescue team.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by County Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue Service This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nScott Bisset, who lives nearby, went to see if he could help after he was called by people who heard the driver shouting for help.\n\nMr Bisset, a member of the local mountain rescue team, said he thought the driver may have ended up there after being directed by his sat-nav.\n\nHe said: \"There's not a vehicle in the world that could have got through.\n\n\"The river was in flood - the snow here has melted and there was rain, so there was a lot of water in the river.\n\n\"The van was washed off and turned over on its side, luckily the front was pointing upstream, so it acted like a boat.\n\n\"If the water had been hitting the side of the van or the back, the driver would unfortunately have drowned.\n\n\"When I got there the driver was extremely distressed.\"\n\nThe van has not yet been recovered from the water\n\nHe also said that rescuers had put their lives at risk.\n\n\"I know they practice for this but in those conditions, with that freezing water travelling at great speed, in the dark and the pouring rain, it was very dangerous and they were very brave,\" he said.\n\nThe van has not yet been recovered from the water.\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "US President Joe Biden has officially announced his bid for re-election, asking Americans to help him \"finish the job\" he started more than two years ago.\n\nMr Biden, 80, faced a turbulent first two years in office marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, economic woes and geopolitical challenges including the US pull-out from Afghanistan and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.\n\nOn the campaign trail, Mr Biden - who served as Vice-President under Barack Obama - is likely to focus on his efforts to prop up the US economy after the pandemic, as well as his successes pushing through legislation focused on infrastructure, climate change and prescription drugs.\n\nBut a key argument for a second term will be what he has described as a turn towards authoritarianism from Donald Trump and his supporters in the \"Make America Great Again\" movement.\n\n\"The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer,\" he said in a video launching his new campaign. \"I know what I want the answer to be. This is not a time to be complacent. That's why I'm running for re-election.\"\n\nThe President, however, is also likely to face questions about his age and ability to serve, as well as about his handling of inflation, immigration and other issues that worry Americans.\n\nThe upcoming campaign is likely the last in a career in politics that has spanned more than four decades, and may again see him square off against Donald Trump.\n\nSo who is Joe Biden and how did he get to the White House?\n\nMr Biden ran for the Democratic 2008 nomination before dropping out and joining the Obama ticket.\n\nHis eight years in the Obama White House - where he frequently appeared at the president's side - has allowed Mr Biden to lay claim to much of Mr Obama's legacy, including passage of the Affordable Care Act, as well as the stimulus package and reforms enacted in response to the financial crisis.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A look back at Joe Biden's life and political career\n\nAs a long-time Washington insider, Mr Biden had solid foreign affairs credentials, and helped balance Mr Obama's comparative lack of executive experience.\n\nThe so-called \"Middle Class Joe\" was also brought on board to help woo the blue-collar white voters who had proved a difficult group for Mr Obama to win over.\n\nHe made headlines in 2012 by saying he was \"absolutely comfortable\" with same-sex marriage, comments that were seen to undercut the president, who had yet to give full-throated support for the policy. Mr Obama ultimately did so, just days after Mr Biden.\n\nMr Biden's two terms supporting the first black president followed a long political career.\n\nThe six-term senator from Delaware was first elected in 1972. He ran for president in 1988 but withdrew after he admitted to plagiarising a speech by the then leader of the British Labour Party, Neil Kinnock.\n\nHis lengthy tenure in the nation's capital has given critics ample material for attacks.\n\nEarly in his career, he sided with southern segregationists in opposing court-ordered school bussing to racially integrate public schools.\n\nAnd, as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991, he oversaw Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court confirmation hearings and has been sharply criticised for his handling of Anita Hill's allegations that she was sexually harassed by the nominee.\n\nIn 1974, Biden was the youngest US senator\n\nMr Biden was also a fierce advocate of a 1994 anti-crime bill that many on the left now say encouraged lengthy sentences and mass incarceration.\n\nThe record made Mr Obama's moderate vice-president a sometimes uncomfortable fit for the modern Democratic Party.\n\nMr Biden's life has been dogged by personal tragedy.\n\nIn 1972, shortly after he won his first Senate race, he lost his first wife, Neilia, and baby daughter, Naomi, in a car accident. He famously took the oath of office for his first Senate term from the hospital room of his toddler sons Beau and Hunter, who both survived the accident.\n\nIn 2015, Beau died of brain cancer at the age of 46. The younger Biden was seen as a rising star of US politics and had intended to run for Delaware state governor in 2016.\n\nMr Biden garnered considerable goodwill following Beau's death, which served to highlight one of Mr Biden's central strengths: a reputation as a kind and relatable family man.\n\nThis perceived warmth is not without its pitfalls. After entering the 2020 race, he faced accusations of unwelcome physical contact during interactions with female voters - complete with uncomfortable accompanying footage.\n\nBut the avuncular politician responded by saying he was an empathetic person, though he accepted standards had changed. The episode, however, stoked a perception for some that he was out of touch.\n\nMr Biden's return to the White House came at a difficult time in US politics, with the country still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nJust two weeks before his inauguration, the country had also seen supporters of former President Donald Trump storm Congress in a bid to thwart the certification of his election victory after Mr Trump falsely claimed that the election had been rigged.\n\nMr Biden's new campaign is likely to focus heavily on the fight against the ideology on display during the 6 January riot. The video announcing his re-election bid opens with images of a mob of Trump supporters storming the Capitol.\n\n\"Every generation of Americans has faced a moment when they've had to defend democracy,\" he said. \"This is ours. Let's finish the job.\"\n\nAs he campaigns, Mr Biden is likely to point to a number of accomplishments during his tenure, including job creation, efforts to prop up the economy in the wake of the pandemic and the passing of a bipartisan infrastructure law billed as a \"once-in-a-generation\" investment by the White House.\n\nBut he will face tough questions on his handling of immigration and the US-Mexico border, as well as on the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.\n\nMr Biden has also acknowledged that many Americans have raised \"legitimate\" questions about his age and ability to serve as President.\n\n\"And the only thing I can say is, watch me,\" he said earlier this year.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Health workers can book an appointment at seven vaccination centres in operation across NI\n\nDoctors have insisted there is no postcode lottery when it comes to rolling out the coronavirus vaccines.\n\nNorthern Ireland's vaccination plan means all those over 80 should receive their first dose by the end of January.\n\nMore than 154,000 doses of a vaccine have now been administered, health officials said.\n\nDr Frances O'Hagan, deputy chairwoman of NI's GP committee, said practices had their own rollout plans but she expected them to meet official targets.\n\n\"As soon as we get the vaccine, we will get it to you,\" she told BBC News NI. \"But please, please wait until we contact you.\"\n\n\"We tailor our programmes to our individual patients and to our geography and to our surroundings.\n\n\"It's not actually a postcode lottery. It's the best way of doing it because we know what suits our patients.\"\n\nDr O'Hagan said she had not heard reports of some practices holding back vaccines until they received bigger amounts to allow for a larger number of vaccinations to be done.\n\nShe said rolling out the programme was a logistical challenge which fell on top of an already heavy workload but the jab would be given out in a \"safe and timely\" fashion.\n\nSinn Féin MP Órfhlaith Begley said doctors in her West Tyrone constituency were working above and beyond to administer the vaccine to as many people as possible.\n\n\"But unfortunately I am hearing that some GPs cannot access supplies of the vaccine,\" she said.\n\n\"There does appear to be, and it is a consistent message from GPs in my own constituency, a feeling the distribution of the vaccine has been unequal to date.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Health Minister Robin Swann has welcomed a further delivery of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine into Northern Ireland on Tuesday morning.\n\nIn a tweet, Robin Swann said: \"We now have the supply to complete all our over 80s and when that group is finished, there will be enough to start into the over 75 programme.\"\n\nPatricia Donnelly, the head of NI's vaccination programme said there had been 154,436 doses of the vaccine administered here, with 132,857 of those being first doses.\n\nOn Tuesday, she said three quarters of care home residents had already received both doses.\n\n\"With the arrival of additional vaccine today, which have been issued this afternoon and tomorrow to GPs, there will be enough to complete the over 80 population and to commence in the over 70 population,\" she added.\n\nA further 24 virus-related deaths and 713 more Covid-19 cases were reported in Northern Ireland on Tuesday.\n\nIt brings the total number of deaths recorded by the Department of Health to 1,649.\n\nThere are currently 842 people in hospital with the virus, 70 people in intensive care units (ICU) and 57 being ventilated.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, a further 93 Covid-19 related deaths were reported on Tuesday, bringing the country's death toll to 2,708.\n\nA further 2,001 positive cases were also recorded in the latest figures from the Republic's Department of Health.\n\nNorthern Ireland's rate of Covid-19 infection is now below one and has been at that level for a couple of weeks, according to the chief medical officer.\n\nHowever, Dr Michael McBride warned the reproduction (R) number for hospital transmission remains above one.\n\nDr McBride said new variants of the virus had made the job of curtailing the spread even more difficult, and warned he did not foresee any relaxation of restrictions any time soon.\n\n\"We need to ensure that we have as many people who remain at risk of severe disease vaccinated and prioritised with the first dose as possible before we consider significant relaxations in the current restrictions,\" he said.\n\nMeanwhile concerns have been raised that \"social media myths\" are encouraging some care home staff to reject the Covid vaccine.\n\nPauline Shepherd, from the Independent Health and Care Providers, said young women were especially vulnerable to misinformation about the vaccine and fertility.\n\nLast week, the Department of Health said there had been an uptake level of about 80% among care home staff.\n\n\"We are very keen obviously that everyone takes the vaccine, that is really the only way that we are going to get through this,\" she told BBC Radio Foyle.\n\n\"Obviously there are myths going around on social media about the vaccine and some are opting not to take it.\n\n\"Particularly younger females seem to have the view through social media that it may impact fertility\".\n\nA consultant anaesthetist says there is a \"reluctance\" among members of the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to take Covid-19 vaccines\n\nThere are currently 139 confirmed Covid-19 outbreaks in NI's 483 care homes.\n\nThe Public Health Agency (PHA) and Department of Health were now exploring how \"to dispel the myths\", Ms Shepherd added.\n\nDr Mukesh Chugh, a consultant anaesthetist at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry, said there had been a \"reluctance\" among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people to take Covid-19 vaccines.\n\nDr Chugh says this is because of \"anti-vaccine messages\" posted across various social media platforms and messenger apps \"targeted at certain ethnic and religious groups\".\n\n\"I encourage them not to believe the messages they are getting on WhatsApp - these are not scientific messages,\" he said.\n\nOn Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said a number of groups of key workers should be given priority access to vaccinations.\n\nPrioritisation was decided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises UK health departments on immunisation.\n\nEdwin Poots said meat plant workers should be among those given priority vaccine access\n\nAsked if he supported prioritisation for food workers in meat plants, Mr Poots told the assembly he did and had raised it with the executive.\n\n\"It's been identified as an essential service - those people working in them are there in cold, wet conditions where we have had a number of outbreaks,\" he said.\n\n\"We should seek to introduce those people somewhat earlier than is currently the case - I will continue to endeavour to press that case.\"\n\nHe said other groups of workers who should be prioritised included \"teachers and police officers\".", "Four royal aides say they do not wish to \"take sides\" over a letter from the Duchess of Sussex to her father, the High Court has been told.\n\nIn a letter lawyers for the four said they believed their clients could \"shed some light\" on the letter's drafting but the four were \"strictly neutral\".\n\nMeghan is suing the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online publisher over articles that reproduced parts of the letter.\n\nShe claims her privacy and copyright were breached by the newspaper group.\n\nHer lawyers are asking for summary judgement - a dismissal of Associated Newspapers' (ANL) defence instead of a trial.\n\nThe five articles, published in February 2019, were a \"triple-barrelled invasion\" of the duchess's privacy, correspondence and family, the lawyers claim.\n\nShe is seeking damages from the newspaper group for alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement and breach of the Data Protection Act over the articles.\n\nANL claims Meghan wrote her letter \"with a view to it being disclosed publicly at some future point\" in order to \"defend her against charges of being an uncaring or unloving daughter\", which she denies.\n\nOn the second day of the hearing on Wednesday, ANL's barrister Antony White QC told the court that a letter from the so-called \"palace four\" showed that \"further oral evidence and documentary evidence is likely to be available at trial which would shed light on certain key factual issues in this case\".\n\nHe said it was \"likely\" there was also further evidence about whether Meghan \"directly or indirectly provided private information\" to the authors of an unauthorised biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Finding Freedom.\n\nThe four aides are: Jason Knauf, former communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Christian Jones, their former deputy communications secretary, Samantha Cohen, formerly the Sussexes' private secretary, and Sara Latham, their ex-director of communications.\n\n\"None of our clients welcomes his or her potential involvement in this litigation, which has arisen purely as a result of the performance of his or her duties in their respective jobs at the material time,\" their lawyers said in a letter sent on their behalf.\n\n\"Nor does any of our clients wish to take sides in the dispute between your respective clients. Our clients are all strictly neutral.\n\n\"They have no interest in assisting either party to the proceedings. Their only interest is in ensuring a level playing field, insofar as any evidence they may be able to give is concerned.\"\n\nTheir letter said that their lawyers' \"preliminary view is that one or more of our clients would be in a position to shed some light\" on \"the creation of the letter and the electronic draft\".\n\nIt also said they may be able to shed light on \"whether or not the claimant anticipated that the letter might come into in the public domain\" and whether or not the duchess \"directly or indirectly provided private information, generally and in relation to the letter specifically, to the authors of Finding Freedom\".\n\nBut Justin Rushbrooke QC, representing the duchess, said the letter from the four \"contains no information at all that supports the defendant's case on alleged co-authorship (of Meghan's letter), and no indication that evidence will be forthcoming that will support the defendant's case should the matter proceed to trial\".\n\nMeghan, 39, sent a handwritten letter to her father in August 2018, following her marriage to Prince Harry in May that year, which Mr Markle did not attend. The couple are now living in the US with their son Archie.\n\nThe full trial of the duchess's claim had been due to be heard at the High Court this month, but last year the case was adjourned until autumn 2021.\n\nAt the conclusion of the hearing on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Justice Warby reserved his judgement, which he said he would deliver \"as soon as possible\".", "When Joe Biden becomes US president on 20 January plenty of change is expected under his new administration.\n\nFor those who want to put Donald Trump in the rear view mirror, there's a lot to look forward to.\n\nOthers are not sure if he can bring unity to a divided country and enact lasting change.\n\nHere's what members of our BBC voter panel told us.\n\nPeyton Forte is a recent college graduate who now works as a reporter. She was not the big supporter of Biden and Kamala Harris, but says getting rid of Donald Trump is an urgent and necessary first step towards change.\n\nWhat are you hopeful the Biden administration can accomplish?\n\nFor starters, easing the pandemic and ensuring more collaboration between federal and state governments on vaccine distribution. I'm looking forward to his stimulus packages to kickstart the economy and make sure people are actually alive to reap the benefits of it. We can also look forward to a president whose main mode of communication is not Twitter. The biggest thing is undoing the damage of the prior administration, from immigration laws to our relationships with foreign allies.\n\nWhat are your fears for the Biden presidency?\n\nTo be honest, I haven't really gotten to that point because I'm so ready for the Trump administration to be gone. So ask me that question again in a few weeks. I'm really encouraged by Biden's financial and economic cabinet picks because I think he is trying to stunt the racial wealth gap. There will be a time and place to nitpick his choices, but not yet. As somebody who is black, I know he rejected calls to defund the police. The phrase is inflammatory, but that money is redirected into our communities, so I'd like for him to take another look at it and maybe he'll reconsider.\n\nWith so much talk of the need for unity and healing, where does the country go from here?\n\n'Unity and healing' is the new 'thoughts and prayers'. I know it has been kind of a calling card for Biden to contrast himself with Trump, but I'm going to have to see it to believe it. Are you just faking it or are you doing the work to actually unify people? Time will tell if people actually want unity or if some are just mad that their candidate lost.\n\nJim is a property manager and conservative Republican who no longer supports President Trump since his refusal to accept the results of the election. He wants the incoming administration to find common ground rather than be too left wing.\n\nWhat are your hopes for Biden?\n\nI'm hopeful for some stability and less drama. America's standing in the world, particularly in the last couple of weeks, has really diminished and I would hope they would be able to return us to our traditional position in the world. I would like to see the bill he puts forward on Covid relief. If we're going to put money into people's hands, we need to make sure it actually makes a difference. Six hundred dollars is a slap in the face when you look at how we're giving away billions of dollars to other countries.\n\nWhat are your fears about his presidency?\n\nI am worried they're going to overreach and placate the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and create deeper polarisation. I worry they will try to pack the Supreme Court. I am concerned about immigration policy. I would hope they have the courage to be more moderate in tone, action and policy, at least for the first few years. That way, things can level off and then we can have reasonable debate about issues on a case-by-case basis. One side is really having a hard time accepting the reality of [Trump's] loss; that's too many people to just ignore and it seems like there's a real mood for retaliation.\n\nCompromises will need to happen and both sides on the extreme right and left will not be happy with it. In the immediate moment, we need to have a good tone from the top that is conciliatory and respectful. I'm looking for Biden to reassure Americans their vote was secure and legitimate, restore a sense of public confidence and competence to the US government and spend serious time on rebuilding unity.\n\nLesley is a small business owner and an immigrant from Canada. Joe Biden was not her first choice for president by a long shot, but she now says he is \"the best person\" for this moment in the country's history and she hopes he can follow through.\n\nWhat are your hopes for Biden?\n\nI'm looking forward to real leadership and an administration that actually cares about getting things done. We need to get the virus under control. They have an actual plan; I hate that it's going to cost another $2tn, but it wouldn't have cost that if we had taken the time to do the hard work early. From climate change and fire management to infrastructure and renewable energy, they'll get us back on track. From a civil rights perspective, we have the greatest opportunity. The administration is diverse and he's trying to give everyone a seat at the table.\n\nWhat are your fears about his presidency?\n\nNothing comes to mind. I feel like this administration is going to reset, refocus and prioritise things that should be prioritised. There's so much that needs to be addressed at once, but like the rest of the world, they have to learn to multitask and do their jobs.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What do countries around the world want from Joe Biden?\n\nWe need our elected officials, when doing their jobs, to not just represent one segment of the population. They can see what has happened by turning a blind eye and not listening. For the Democrats, they need to find a way to communicate so the concerns they've raised are taken seriously but without turning off the other side. For the Republicans, they need to pay attention not just to the loudest people - just being loud doesn't mean they're right. Moving forward, everybody has to do their part to prioritise what is best for the country. We're never going to get rid of the element that attacked the Capitol, but it's like herd immunity. The only people who were surprised by what happened last week were the ones who were not paying attention.\n\nJazmin is a writer and youth voting rights activist who says the past four years have damaged the psyche of young people. She wants the new administration to rebuild trust and show people like her that government can be a force for good in their lives.\n\nWhat are your hopes for Biden?\n\nI hope that the Biden administration is bold on climate, an equitable Covid economic recovery and racial justice. Personally though, I think we fundamentally need to look at our broken system. Restoring voting rights, stronger ethics and anti-corruption measures, as well as campaign finance reform can restore balance and transparency within our government, so we can trust in our elections and elected officials.\n\nWhat are your fears about his presidency?\n\nI've been thinking a lot about the pace of change. There's so much that needs to be done but we're also looking at departments that have been gutted. The damage of the past three years has been so deep and the rolling back of it will take a lot of time, so we have to practise patience and we have to be realistic.\n\nOur government only works when people decide not to disengage and be cynical, but instead step up and figure out how to get involved. The events of the Capitol work were horrific and traumatising for so many people, but the day before it was a Georgia election with incredibly high youth voter turnout. There is a lot of vitriol and hate, but the majority of folks believe in working to ensure our country is serving the best interests of everyone.\n\nGabriel is a writer and the activism chair for the New York Young Republicans. He wishes the Biden administration good luck, but is concerned it will sow more division in a vulnerable moment for the country.\n\nWhat are your hopes for Biden?\n\nAs an American, I am hopeful that things go well under this administration. I don't wish for Joe Biden to fail because the president is like the pilot of a plane: if he goes down, so do we. I hope he can answer the renewable energy debate, create more nuclear power plants and allow the United States to remain the number one exporter of energy. Hopefully, we'll see some sort of voter ID laws enforced, for greater election integrity. I hope he doesn't fuel more divisions.\n\nWhat are your fears about his presidency?\n\nMy fear is that he will listen to people like AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and Bernie Sanders, who are trying to push him to accept more far left policies that will do more harm than good to the US in an economic sense. He may continue the harsh lockdowns and ignore censorship of conservatives. Under the Trump administration, we decreased our presence in the Middle East and were stopping the forever wars, so I really hope we don't return there.\n\nAfter what happened at the Capitol, Biden came out and started very well, then devolved into race-baiting rhetoric - that's not something our country needs right now. There are millions of people who feel as though they were cheated and did not get a fair election, and some of them might not even recognise Biden as president, so it's very important that he treads lightly and focuses on unity. Don't lump them together as insurgents or other labels because you're going to further alienate people. Speak to every American and say that it is time to come together.", "As Donald Trump comes towards the end of his presidency, we've put together a selection of striking moments from his four years in office.\n\nCrowds are seen gathered at Mr Trump's inauguration ceremony on 20 January 2017.\n\nJust days later, the new president accused the media of lying about the attendance. He was said to be angry that images appeared to show the crowds were lower than for Barack Obama's first inauguration in 2009.\n\nWhite House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told the media it had been \"the largest audience to ever see an inauguration, period\".\n\nFar-right supporters and white nationalists took part in a torch-lit rally through Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.\n\nThe following day a woman was killed and 19 were injured when a car ploughed into a crowd of counter-protesters in the city.\n\nIn response, President Trump condemned violence by \"many sides\", prompting a wave of criticism. Some 48 hours later, he denounced far-right extremists calling \"KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists repugnant to everything we hold dear\".\n\nJoe Biden has said it was the president's response to the tragedy that prompted his own decision to run against him.\n\nMr Trump's attendance at the G7 summit in Canada in June 2018 did not get off to a good start, when prior to the event, the president announced import tariffs on steel and aluminium from the EU, Mexico and Canada.\n\nOther images from the meeting showed more friendly relations between the leaders - but this photo was considered by many to reflect the underlying tensions of the gathering.\n\nMr Trump left the summit before other leaders and claimed that America was \"like the piggy bank that everybody is robbing\".\n\nFirst Lady Melania Trump is pictured wearing a jacket in June 2018 which reads \"I really don't care, do you?\" on the back, during a trip to a migrant child detention centre.\n\nThere was speculation over what message Mrs Trump intended to send by wearing the jacket on that trip, which came as the president was under fire for his policy of separating children from their parents at the border.\n\nThe First Lady later admitted it had been a message \"for the people and for the left-wing media who are criticising me. I want to show them I don't care. You could criticise whatever you want to say. But it will not stop me to do what I feel is right\".\n\nMr Trump called for compromise in politics during his State of the Union address in February 2019 but Nancy Pelosi was pictured giving what many saw as a sarcastic clap.\n\nHe broke protocol by not waiting for the customary introduction from the House Speaker before beginning his speech.\n\nThe image, termed the \"Pelosi clap\" quickly went viral and appeared to show the political rivalry between the two.\n\nMr Trump walks into the northern side of the military demarcation line that divides North and South Korea in June 2019. In doing so, he became the first US sitting president to cross the line.\n\nHis decision to meet Kim Jong-un without pre-conditions stunned the world.\n\nDespite the apparent warming of relations, little concrete progress was made on negotiations over North Korea's nuclear programme.\n\nKim Kardashian West speaks at a White House event about prison reform in June 2019.\n\nIn 2018, the celebrity activist lobbied the Trump administration on behalf of a grandmother jailed for life. Alice Johnson was later granted clemency in a high-profile decision by Mr Trump.\n\nPresident Trump has already given pardons to 94 people and there is speculation he may pardon 100 others before he leaves office.\n\nMr Trump holds a bible in front of St John's Episcopal Church, just across the road from the White House in June 2020.\n\nPeaceful anti-racism demonstrators had been cleared from nearby Lafayette Square with pepper spray and flash-bang grenades so that the president and his entourage could walk to the church.\n\nHis actions prompted shock and anger from many religious leaders, who accused him of using religion for political purposes.\n\nThe Trump family watch as Donald Trump debates with Joe Biden at their first presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio, on 29 September 2020.\n\nThey broke debate rules that all spectators wear masks - sparking the same criticism often aimed at their father for taking a cavalier attitude to the virus.\n\nA few days after the debate, the president tested positive himself.\n\nHe spent three nights in a hospital receiving treatment before returning to the White House and declaring he felt \"really good\" and urging others not to be afraid of the virus.\n\nCrowds of Trump supporters climb on the US Capitol in DC earlier this month following a \"Stop the Steal\" rally.\n\nIt followed a 70-minute address by the president in which he exhorted them to march on Congress where politicians were meeting to certify Democrat Joe Biden's win. The mob ransacked the Capitol building and attempted to enter the chambers where lawmakers were hiding.\n\nMr Trump has since been impeached, becoming the first president ever to be impeached twice. But he denies charges that he incited the mob to attack the Capitol.", "A tearful President-elect Joe Biden says goodbye to his home state before departing for Washington on the eve of his inauguration.", "Joe Biden has been sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, at a low key inauguration ceremony outside the US Capitol in Washington DC.\n\nIn his maiden speech as president, Mr Biden said: \"We've learned again that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile, and at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.\"\n\nRead more: Joe Biden replaces Trump as US president", "More than 60 flood warnings remain in place in northern, central and eastern England\n\nResidents have been evacuated, roads closed and rail services were suspended as Storm Christoph batters England.\n\nHouseboat residents were moved from Northwich, Cheshire, for their safety as Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to hold an emergency meeting later.\n\nNorthern, central and eastern England are braced for flooding which will be discussed at the Cobra meeting.\n\nMore than 60 flood warnings remain in place and three police forces have declared major incidents.\n\nThe North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands have been preparing for widespread flooding following the Met Office's amber weather warning for heavy rain until midday Thursday.\n\nPeople living in houseboats in Cheshire have been moved to hotels for their safety, say police\n\nCheshire Police has declared a major incident - along with forces in Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire - and moved 33 people from Hayhurst Marina for their safety as water levels rise.\n\nIn Greater Manchester up to 3,000 properties could be affected by flooding near the River Mersey where a peak is expected at 23:00 GMT.\n\nDowning Street said Covid-secure evacuation centres would be made available to those forced to leave their homes as a result of flooding.\n\n\"Preparations to create Covid-secure rest centres have been made by relevant agencies as a precautionary measure,\" the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.\n\n\"The important message for the public now is to continue to monitor the information the Environment Agency are providing and sign-up for flood alerts if they haven't already.\"\n\nThe River Eden has flooded Rickerby Park in Carlisle\n\nMore than 120mm (nearly 5in) of rain has already fallen in some parts of England, with 123.4mm at Honister Pass in Cumbria in the 24 hours up to 06:00 GMT on Wednesday.\n\nNearby Seathwaite saw the second highest total, with 107.2mm (4.2in), and some isolated spots could see up to 200mm (7.8in), the Met Office said.\n\nThe Environment Agency has issued more than 60 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action required, while there are also more than 180 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.\n\nA road in Lancashire was shut by police after six vehicles got stuck in surface water\n\nIn North Yorkshire, York is currently predicting the River Ouse could rise above 4m (13.1ft) but that is a level the defences can cope with.\n\nHowever, if people are forced out of their homes due to flooding they can stay with friends or family without the risk of a Covid fine during Storm Christoff, North Yorkshire Police has said.\n\nGreater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey said the force declared it a major incident on Tuesday to ensure it was \"as prepared as possible\".\n\nHe believes up to 3,000 properties in the region could be affected by flooding in Didsbury, Northenden and Sale near the River Mersey.\n\nFlood sirens were sounded in Walsden, Todmorden on Tuesday\n\n\"This is a significant incident in terms of disruption to people and those people have been advised with regard to action to take,\" he said.\n\nThe Prime Minister's spokesman added: \"The Environment Agency is on the ground now working with local partners and stand ready to respond to any flooding.\n\n\"They have already ensured there are 40km (25 miles) of temporary barriers, which they are ready to deliver anywhere in the country and that is alongside high-powered pumps and trained staff who are ready to assist and provide information to local communities.\"\n\nWhen asked if local authorities would be given further financial support to deal with flooding, the Prime Minister's spokesman said: \"We have a number of flood recovery schemes that can be made available to those who are affected by flooding.\"\n\nFlood warden Keith Crabtree from Todmorden, West Yorkshire, said he was hoping improved flood defences had \"done the trick\" after checking river levels in Mytholmroyd.\n\n\"There appears to be plenty of rain about but it does not seem to be having and serious impact on the river levels,\" he said.\n\n\"We will see over the years to come how it performs in reducing the flood risk for the village. Things can change very quickly in the Calder Valley and we are not out of the woods yet.\"\n\nHow have you been affected by the floods? Email your experiences: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Mr Biden took his oath on a Bible that has been in his family since 1893 and was also used each time he was sworn in as Delaware senator. The book itself is five inches (12.5cm) thick with a Celtic cross on the cover", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe fluttering flight patterns of butterflies have long inspired poets but baffled scientists.\n\nResearchers have struggled to understand how these delicate creatures can fly with their large but inefficient wings.\n\nNow, a new study shows that butterflies evolved an effective way of cupping and clapping their wings to generate thrust.\n\nThe scientists say that this ability helps them avoid dangerous predators.\n\nFlying species have evolved various methods of evading death. Some have developed powerful and efficient wings to speed them to safety.\n\nOthers survive by tasting awful when eaten.\n\nBut what about the slow-moving, meandering butterfly?\n\nThe problem for these creatures is that they have unusually large wings relative to their body size, which are aerodynamically inefficient for flight.\n\nBack in the 1970s, researchers developed a theory that their big wings allowed the butterfly to clap them together on the upstroke to power their take off.\n\nBut no one has shown how this works in natural flying conditions.\n\nNow, Swedish scientists, using a wind tunnel and high-speed cameras, have captured the butterfly's unique flying skill.\n\n\"The wings are behaving in quite an interesting way,\" co-author Dr Per Henningsson, from Lund University, in Sweden, told BBC News.\n\n\"The leading and the trailing edge are meeting before the central part, forming this pocket shape.\n\n\"We think that sort of behaviour is going to improve the clap because it forms an air pocket between the wings which, when the wings collapse, that makes the jet even stronger and more efficient.\"\n\nA butterfly in the wind tunnel for the experiment\n\nAs well as recording slow-motion video of the butterflies in flight, the researchers constructed two simple pairs of mechanical clappers to test their ideas. One was rigid, the other flexible and more akin to the butterfly wings observed in the wind tunnel tests.\n\nThe team found that the flexible wings dramatically increased the force created by the clap.\n\nIt also improved the efficiency by 28%, which the authors describe as a huge amount for a flying animal.\n\nThis leads them to conclude that the large wings and cupped, clapping action were an evolutionary advantage for butterflies when faced with predators.\n\n\"If you are a butterfly that is able to take off quicker than the others, that gives you an obvious advantage,\" said Per Henningsson.\n\n\"It's a strong selective pressure then, because it's a matter of life and death.\"\n\nA silver washed fritillary , one of the creatures used to show the mechanics of butterfly flight\n\n\"I don't really know if they use it in free flight, but I think they typically don't flap their wings together.\n\n\"But in the take-off phase, they definitely do it a lot.\"\n\nThe authors believe that their research might prove useful in other spheres.\n\nSome drone devices and underwater vehicles already use propulsion systems based on wing clapping motion, but with limitations.\n\nThe incorporation of the approach used by butterflies might bring major improvements, the scientists say.\n\n\"We're suggesting that the people that are working on these designs, they should look into this cup-shape behaviour, since there are lots of efficiency and effectiveness to be gained from it,\" said Per Henningsson.\n\n\"It's certainly something that would be worthwhile looking into.\"\n\nThe report has been published in the journal of the Royal Society Interface.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nRelegation-threatened Fulham lost some of the momentum built up by their win at Everton but showed battling qualities to claim a point at Burnley.\n\nOf the three sides currently adrift at the bottom of the Premier League, the Cottagers seem the most capable of clawing their way to safety, as illustrated by their impressive win at Goodison Park on Sunday.\n\nBut they failed to repeat that bright and incisive display at Turf Moor against a typically hard-working and competitive Clarets side, who married their industry with the game's main moments of attacking ingenuity.\n\nIt was the visitors, though, who took the lead, as much through fortune as design, with Ola Aina's chested effort from a corner finding the net despite an attempted clearance from Robbie Brady on the line.\n\nCrucially, the visitors were denied the time to draw confidence from the opener, with Burnley hitting back three minutes later through a well-taken Ashley Barnes finish, following a superb low ball from Jay Rodriguez.\n\nThe same two strikers had both narrowly failed to get a goal-bound touch on a superb low cross from James Tarkowski in the first half, while Rodriguez saw a low drive kicked away by Alphonse Areola shortly after his side had levelled the score.\n\nThe draw represents an opportunity missed for Burnley to put further ground between themselves and the London side, with the gap between the two a sizeable but not yet entirely comfortable eight points.\n\nScott Parker's side remain six points shy of safety, with Newcastle the 17th-placed side most in danger of being reeled in.\n• None Follow live text commentary of Burnley v Fulham in the Premier League\n\nA point gained, or two lost for Fulham?\n\nEarning a result at Burnley against a side built to expose the mental and physical weaknesses in an opponent, especially a newly promoted one, is not an easy task.\n\nIn doing so, Fulham have further demonstrated their growth into a top-flight side, after claiming a number of creditable draws earlier in the campaign and then dispatching an aspiring big-hitter in Everton last weekend.\n\nUnfortunately, the Cottagers' development could have come too late.\n\nOnly wins will really eat into the gap between themselves and safety and they cannot afford to let one slip from their grasp when it is there to be had.\n\nIt is why Parker and his side will be so disappointed at the speed and manner with which they conceded the equaliser at Turf Moor, throwing away the lead and momentum they had seized by allowing Barnes a free run in on goal to finish.\n\nThey had been on the back foot for large periods before that and were indebted to a bit of fortune for their goal, but aesthetics come a distant second to actual points right now.\n\nThe biggest positive for Burnley will be that their advantage over the Cottagers remains the same as it was before kick-off.\n\nWith the likes of Newcastle and Palace in far worse form than they are, and Brighton a point worse off, they will feel relatively calm about their situation.\n\nWhat will worry manager Dyche is further injuries to his already depleted squad, with Johan Berg Gudmundsson having to depart, and his replacement Robbie Brady also needing to be replaced.\n\nThere is no respite for either side, with both facing further important fixtures at the weekend.\n\nBurnley host West Brom, the side a place below Fulham in the table, while Parker's men welcome bottom club Sheffield United to Craven Cottage.\n\n'When we get ahead we need to weather something'\n\nBurnley boss Sean Dyche talking to Sky Sports: \"Another point on the board, we are stripped to the bare bones. A committed performance.\n\n\"The reaction to their goal was excellent and I thought we defended well. It's remarkably unfortunate how many injuries we have had.\"\n\nFulham boss Scott Parker talking to Sky Sports: \"It is a tough place to come, the ball is in play not a lot, it is scrappy. We got our noses in front and disappointed with the goal we have conceded.\n\n\"We take the point though. That is four points so far this week. When we get ahead we need to weather something. There were a couple of mistakes for their goal.\n\n\"I thought we were solid, dealt with the threat of balls coming in but were not able to get our identity on it.\n\n\"We regroup, it has been a busy week. Every game is big for us. Six points. This team has honest belief and confidence.\"\n• None Burnley are unbeaten in their past 31 home meetings with Fulham in all competitions (W25 D6), extending their longest ever unbeaten run against an opponent at Turf Moor in their history. Their last such defeat was back in April 1951 (2-0).\n• None Fulham's 31-game winless streak away from home against Burnley in all competitions is their longest run without a victory on the road against an opponent in their history.\n• None There have been just 24 Premier League goals scored at Turf Moor this season (Burnley scoring 10 and conceding 14) - the joint-lowest total at a top-flight ground in 2020-21 (level with Craven Cottage).\n• None Fulham have gone six consecutive away games without defeat in the Premier League (W1 D5), their joint longest such run in the competition (also in August 2004 under Chris Coleman).\n• None Burnley have conceded the first goal of the game in eight of their 12 Premier League matches at Turf Moor this season, including each of the past five - only Sheffield United (10) have done so more often on home soil in the competition this campaign.\n• None There were just 224 seconds between Ola Aina's opener for Fulham and Ashley Barnes' equaliser for Burnley.\n• None Burnley's Jay Rodriguez has assisted in back-to-back Premier League games for the first time in his career, with this his 196th appearance in the competition.\n• None Burnley's Robbie Brady is the only player to have been substituted on and off in two separate Premier League games this season.\n• None Attempt missed. Ashley Barnes (Burnley) header from very close range misses to the left following a corner.\n• None Attempt missed. Ademola Lookman (Fulham) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Josh Maja.\n• None James Tarkowski (Burnley) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Attempt missed. Josh Maja (Fulham) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Ruben Loftus-Cheek with a cross.\n• None Attempt missed. Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Fulham) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Ivan Cavaleiro with a cross. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Lifting the lid on the former president's 'America First' foreign policy\n• None Romesh returns with celebrity guests, a virtual nation and his mum...", "The editor of the British Medical Journal has asked the New York Times to correct an article that says UK guidelines allow two Covid-19 vaccines to be mixed.\n\nThe US publication reported that UK health officials would allow patients to be given a second dose that is a different vaccine to their first.\n\nFiona Godlee pointed out in her letter to the NYT that it was not a recommendation.\n\nShe said the NYT's headline claiming UK guidelines say such substitutions \"may happen\" was \"seriously misleading\".\n\nThe UK has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab - but both require two doses which are now to be administered 12 weeks apart\n\nMs Godlee said the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) does not make any recommendation to mix and match - in other words, having a shot of one vaccine and then a different one 12 weeks later.\n\nDr Mary Ramsay, Public Health England's head of immunisations, said: \"We do not recommend mixing the Covid-19 vaccines - if your first dose is the Pfizer vaccine you should not be given the AstraZeneca vaccine for your second dose and vice versa.\"\n\nDr Ramsay added that on the \"extremely rare occasions\" where the same vaccine is unavailable or it is unknown which jab the patient received, it is \"better to give a second dose of another vaccine than not at all\".\n\nMs Godlee urged the New York Times to print a \"highly visible correction\" as soon as possible.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Princess Royal Hospital at Haywards Heath was among the hospitals receiving a delivery\n\nMeanwhile, health staff have criticised the paperwork needed to gain NHS approval to give the coronavirus vaccine, with some medics being asked for proof they are trained in areas such as preventing radicalisation.\n\nThe first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are due to be given on Monday after the jab was approved for use in the UK last week.\n\nThe Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first vaccine approved in the UK, and 944,539 people have had their first jab.", "Police tweeted this photo, which appears to show the vehicle severely damaged in the crash\n\nFour ponies have been killed in a collision with a vehicle in the New Forest National Park.\n\nThe animals were hit on Thursday night while licking freshly laid salt on Roger Penny Way, Hampshire Constabulary said.\n\nThree ponies died at the scene while a fourth was found dead later a short distance away.\n\nIn December, three donkeys were killed on the road, which is a black spot for animal accidents.\n\nMark Ferrett, whose daughter owned the ponies, said the deaths were \"unacceptable\"\n\nThe crash happened at about 21:00 GMT on a 40mph (64km/h) section of the road north of Brook.\n\nThe car, a Land Rover Discovery, appears to have been severely damaged in the collision, according to a police tweet, which gave no further details.\n\nMark Ferrett, whose daughter owned the ponies, said the deaths were \"unacceptable\".\n\nHe said: \"I would favour a reduction in the speed [limit]. Please, everyone needs to slow down and stop this carnage.\"\n\nThe New Forest is one of the largest remaining areas of unenclosed land where commoners' cattle, ponies and donkeys roam throughout the open heath.\n\nIn 2019, 58 animals were killed and 32 were injured, according to the New Forest National Park Authority.\n\nThe crash happened on Roger Penny Way, where donkeys, cattle and horses roam freely\n\nAndrew Napthine, a New Forest Agister who helps manage the area's free-roaming animals, attended the scene of the crash, and said the male driver was not injured.\n\nHe said three of the ponies were killed on the road while a fourth fled the scene and died behind a bush.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Officers dispersed the party at the Grade II* listed church before midnight\n\nA 500-year-old church was damaged during an illegal New Year's Eve party at the venue.\n\nAll Saints' Church in East Horndon, near Brentwood, was broken into before crowds entered, Essex Police said.\n\nOfficers were threatened and had objects thrown at them as they dispersed hundreds of people and seized equipment, the force said.\n\nTwo men from Harlow, aged 27 and 22, and a 35-year-old from Southwark were arrested.\n\nThey were held on suspicion of public order and drugs offences.\n\nAstrid Gillespie, a volunteer with the Friends of All Saints', said event organisers had smashed a window to put in an extractor fan unit and wired sound equipment into the church's fuse box.\n\nShe said: \"It was a professional set-up, they'd hired portable loos, they had a bar area where you had to exchange tokens... obviously it's a mess.\n\n\"It's such a beautiful church, to find out it's been damaged is devastating.\"\n\nThe conservation group believes it will cost at least £1,000 to repair the Tudor building.\n\nEquipment was seized and fines issued over three illegal parties broken up by officers\n\nPolice later dispersed about 100 people at an illegal party at an abandoned warehouse in Brentwood and made two arrests.\n\nA woman was also fined £10,000 for organising a house party with 100 guests at Bury Road, Sewardstonebury, in Epping Forest.\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Andy Prophet said: \"Unfortunately, there were [those] who decided to blatantly flout the coronavirus rules and regulations and, ultimately, they decided that partying was more important than protecting other people.\n\n\"We've seized their equipment, arrested five people, and issued a large number of fines to those who think this behaviour is acceptable.\"\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Last updated on .From the section European Football\n\nFormer Tottenham and Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed head coach of Paris St-Germain.\n\nThe Argentine, 48, who succeeded Thomas Tuchel, has signed a deal until 30 June 2022, with the option of an extra year.\n\nPochettino, who played for PSG between 2001 and 2003, has been out of work since being sacked by Spurs in November 2019.\n\nPSG are third in Ligue 1 and will face Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League in February and March.\n\nGerman Tuchel was sacked on 29 December after two and a half years in charge.\n• None Pochettino is back - but why has he chosen PSG? Read Guillem Ballague's column\n\nPochettino will take his first training session on Sunday following the French league's winter break.\n\nHe said he was \"happy and honoured\" to take on the role and that the club \"has always held a special place in my heart\".\n\n\"I return to the club today with a lot of ambition and humility, and am eager to work with some of the world's most talented players,\" said Pochettino.\n\n\"This team has fantastic potential and my staff and I will do everything we can to get the best for Paris St-Germain in all competitions. We will also do our utmost to give our team the combative and attacking playing identity that Parisian fans have always loved.\"\n\nPSG chairman and chief executive Nasser Al-Khelaifi said Pochettino's return \"fits perfectly with our ambitions\", adding: \"It will be another exciting chapter for the club and one I am positive the fans will enjoy.\"\n\nPochettino began his managerial career at Espanyol and spent 18 months at Southampton before joining Tottenham in May 2014.\n\nHe guided them to the League Cup final in his first full season, while two third-placed finishes sandwiched a runners-up spot in the Premier League in 2016-17.\n\nA former Argentina defender, Pochettino led Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019, where they lost to Liverpool.\n\nHe was sacked five months later, with the club 14th in the Premier League, and replaced by Jose Mourinho.\n\nTuchel's final game in charge of PSG was a 4-0 win over Strasbourg on 23 December, which moved the reigning champions to within a point of Ligue 1 leaders Lyon and second-placed Lille before a two-week winter break.\n\nPSG have been linked with a January loan move for Tottenham's Dele Alli, who made his Premier League debut under Pochettino.\n\nWe all wanted to see him back and we all thought he was waiting for the Manchester United job. PSG is a massive job. There's a massive expectation there.\n\nWith the squad he can pick from and the players he can attract, it's a match made in heaven.\n\nPochettino has got the best out of Dele Alli in the past and it would probably be a clever move all round to get him out there with with the Euros looming.\n\nYou have to have success [at PSG]. They have moved Thomas Tuchel on because PSG are actually in a title race rather than winning at a canter. It's a great opportunity for Pochettino.\n• None A special and exclusive one-off chat with the music icon\n• None How has their rise come to define our culture?", "Arwel Morris said national park staff and police had been engaging with visitors\n\nBeauty spots have been \"disappointingly busy over the last few days\" despite restrictions meaning all but essential travel should be avoided.\n\nSnowdonia park warden Arwel Morris reiterated the message that people should not be driving to visit places.\n\nOn Saturday, police stopped people from Milton Keynes attempting to walk up Snowdon in breach of Covid rules.\n\nMr Morris blamed a \"perfect storm\" of good weather and people being off work for the number of visitors in the area.\n\n\"We try and enforce the fact that exercise should begin and end at home, meaning people should not try and drive to a location where they plan to exercise,\" he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.\n\n\"And this has been really difficult over the last few days.\n\n\"We have dealt with people from London, Birmingham… numerous people from north Wales travelling to beauty spots.\"\n\nMr Morris, a warden for Snowdonia National Park, said police had been doing their \"absolute best\" dealing with visitors despite other pressures, as wardens could not enforce breaches in lockdown rules.\n\nA breach of Covid rules can incur a £60 fine, which rises to £120 for a second breach.\n\nOn Saturday, North Wales Police said officers had \"turned away\" people who wanted to walk up Snowdon in breach of stay-at-home rules, including some some from Milton Keynes and London.\n\nOn New Year's Day, the force tweeted to say people had been reported for breaching travel restrictions.\n\nWales has been in a nationwide level four lockdown since 20 December.\n\nWales is in a tier four lockdown\n\nTravelling is only allowed for essential purposes, such as for work and for caring responsibilities. International travel is also not allowed.\n\nPeople are still allowed out of their homes to exercise for unlimited periods each day, but must maintain social distancing and not exercise with anyone outside their household.\n\nMore than three quarters of England is also under the strictest tier four coronavirus measures, putting restrictions on people's daily lives.", "The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has started to arrive in hospitals, with the first doses due to be given on Monday.\n\nThe Princess Royal Hospital at Haywards Heath in West Sussex was one of the hospitals taking a delivery on Saturday.\n\nThe UK has ordered 100 million doses of the new vaccine - enough to vaccinate 50 million people.", "Last updated on .From the section Olympics\n\nThe delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will go ahead this summer despite concern over rising coronavirus cases, says Japan's prime minister.\n\nThe Olympics are due to begin on 23 July with the Paralympics following a month later from 24 August.\n\nCases have surged in Japan in recent days with Tokyo reporting over 1,000 daily infections for the first time.\n\nBut prime minister Yoshihide Suga said the \"Games will be held this summer\" and be \"safe and secure\".\n\nJapan is responding to cases of the new variant of coronavirus first found in the UK, with Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike warning the number of infections could \"explode\".\n\nThere were a record 1,337 cases in Tokyo on 31 December with 783 new infections announced on Friday.\n\nJapan has recorded 239,041 coronavirus cases and 3,337 deaths during the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University.\n\nCosts for the Games have increased by $2.8bn (£2.1bn) because of measures needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus but organisers have ruled out a delay.\n\nThe Games could be the most expensive summer Olympics in history.\n\nA poll by national broadcaster NHK showed that the majority of the Japanese general public oppose holding the Games in 2021, favouring a further delay or outright cancellation of the event.\n\nSuga said the Games going ahead could serve as a \"symbol of global solidarity\".", "The next few weeks will be \"nail-bitingly difficult\" for the NHS, hospital bosses have warned.\n\nStaff absences and the new Covid variant are creating a \"challenging situation\", Saffron Cordery, of NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts in England, said.\n\nDoctors are urging the public to \"take it seriously and follow the rules\" to protect the health service.\n\nThe year started with 53,285 more Covid cases and 613 deaths being reported.\n\nThe day's figures do not include data from Northern Ireland or Wales, or the numbers of deaths from Scotland - as these are not being published on certain days during the Christmas and New Year period.\n\nIt comes after the UK reported its highest daily cases on Thursday, with a record 55,892 infections.\n\nOn Friday evening, the government confirmed that all primary schools in London would remain closed for the start of the new term, following a review of Covid transmission rates.\n\nFrom Monday, all schools in the capital will now be required to provide remote learning.\n\nPrimaries in nine London boroughs and the City of London district had been set to reopen - while those in the remaining 23 boroughs would have stayed closed from 4 January.\n\nMeanwhile, new analysis by Imperial College London has confirmed the new variant of coronavirus has a much quicker rate of transmission than the original strain.\n\nAnd an analysis of NHS England data from 23 hospital trusts by the Health Service Journal shows that Covid-19 is putting intense pressure on adult acute care and general beds, as well as those in intensive care.\n\nIt found that more than a third of these beds were occupied by patients with Covid-19 on Tuesday, and in three trusts - North Middlesex in London, and Medway and Dartford and Gravesham in Kent - the figure was more than half.\n\nBased on the recent rise in numbers, the analysis suggests that all acute and general beds might soon be filled with Covid-19 patients.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast, Ms Cordery said the surging transmission and death rates were \"incredibly hard to deal with\".\n\n\"When we are seeing major London trusts saying they are under pressure, that's when we know we're in a very challenging space,\" she said.\n\nA leading intensive care doctor has urged people to follow restrictions until the vaccination programme is fully rolled out.\n\nProf Anthony Gordon, of Imperial College, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"There is light at the end of the tunnel so I would urge people to hold on for these few more months while the vaccination programme makes that difference and then we can truly get back to normal.\n\n\"But we can't overrun the health service because this will just lead to thousands more deaths.\"\n\nAdrian Boyle, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, urged people to follow guidance on hand washing, social distancing and face coverings to stop the \"entirely preventable\" spread of the virus.\n\nDr Boyle said staff are \"tired\" and at risk of \"burnout\", having \"worked really hard over the summer\" and \"put up with a lot of disruption\".\n\n\"This time people are frustrated, this is now an entirely preventable disease, we know what we did in spring made a lot of this go away. There's also now a vaccine,\" he added.\n\nMore than three-quarters of England is currently under the strictest tier four - \"stay at home\" - coronavirus measures, and other parts of the country have joined higher tiers.\n\nMainland Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are under lockdown.\n\nThere are also concerns the added pressures of rising numbers of Covid patients seen at London hospitals have begun to spread across the country.\n\nSpeaking on Today, Dr Alison Pittard, of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, said it was \"only a matter of time before it starts to spread to other parts of country\", adding that \"we're already starting to see that\".\n\nShe stressed it was \"really important that we try and stop the transmission in the community because that translates into hospital admissions\".\n\nIt comes as almost half the major hospital trusts in England are said to be dealing with more Covid-19 patients than at the peak of the first wave in April.\n\nAnd pressure has been so great on some hospitals in London and south-east England that some patients have been moved out of the area.\n\nLondon's Nightingale emergency hospital is ready to admit patients, the NHS has said, while other sites currently not in use are being readied.\n\nHowever, Mike Adams, director of the Royal College of Nursing, questioned whether there were the staff available to run the hospital.\n\n\"Nursing is already stretched beyond capacity so there is no magic pile of nurses we can call upon,\" he told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.\n\n\"I think the real battle is reducing the spread of the virus and getting the vaccine rolled out.\"\n\nThe new coronavirus variant has driven a big rise in cases, with the worst effects felt so far in London.\n\nResearchers at Imperial College London have confirmed it increases the R number - the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to - by about 0.4 to 0.7.\n\nThe UK's latest R number has been estimated at between 1.1 and 1.3. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nProf Axel Gandy, from the statistic section of Imperial College London, told the Today programme this higher rate of infection means that transmission of the disease would have tripled even during England's November lockdown conditions.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC's Laura Foster explains how to wear your mask correctly and help stop coronavirus spreading\n\nThe hunt is now on to find new ways to slow the spread of coronavirus, with the rules on mask wearing potentially coming up for review.\n\nBehavioural science group SPI-B (Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours), which reports to the Sage group of government advisers, has said that mandatory face coverings may be necessary in a wider number of settings, such as in workplaces and possibly outdoors.\n\nHowever, Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, told BBC Radio 4's World at One he was not convinced a move towards making the wearing of face coverings mandatory outdoors would make \"much difference\" to transmission rates.\n\nHe said the \"bigger problem\" was people touching their face covering or wearing it incorrectly, adding ministers should focus on ensuring people knew how to wear them and to change and wash them regularly.\n\nThe rollout of the newly approved Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will begin on Monday, almost a month after the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.\n\nSecond doses of either will now take place within 12 weeks rather than 21 days as had been initially planned with the Pfizer vaccine.", "The star started filming his role in secret last year\n\nComedian John Bishop is to join Jodie Whittaker for the 13th series of Doctor Who, the BBC has revealed.\n\nThe 54-year-old, who recently tested positive for coronavirus, said boarding the Tardis was a \"dream come true\".\n\nHe will play a character called Dan, who \"becomes embroiled in the Doctor's adventures\" and faces \"evil alien races beyond his wildest nightmares\".\n\nBishop fills the gap left by Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole, who bowed out in a special New Year's Day episode.\n\nHe began filming his role last November, but the BBC kept the signing under wraps until the broadcast of Revolution Of The Daleks on Friday night.\n\nBishop, who grew up on a Merseyside council estate, had a brief career as a professional footballer before turning his hand to comedy.\n\nHe has previously acted in the Channel 4 drama Skins and the Ken Loach film Route Irish.\n\nEarlier this week, the comedian revealed that he and his wife had tested positive for Coronavirus over Christmas, saying he had been \"flattened\" by \"the worst illness I have ever had\".\n\nWriting on Instagram, he described his symptoms as including \"incredible headaches, muscle and joint point, no appetite, nausea, dizziness [and] chronic fatigue like I didn't know existed\".\n\nHe updated fans on New Year's Eve, saying he and his wife were \"getting a little stronger\" every day, and promising he would return to work in January.\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by johnbish100 This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIt is not thought his illness will disrupt production on Doctor Who. The show is on a scheduled break for Christmas and not due to resume filming until later this month.\n\nThe 13th series of the rebooted sci-fi stalwart will see Whittaker return as the extra terrestrial Time Lord, alongside Mandip Gill, who returns as Yaz.\n\nIn a statement, Bishop said: \"If I could tell my younger self that one day I would be asked to step on board the Tardis, I would never have believed it.\n\n\"It's an absolute dream come true to be joining Doctor Who and I couldn't wish for better company than Jodie and Mandip.\"\n\nJodie Whittaker became the first female actress to play The Doctor in 2017\n\nProgramme boss Chris Chibnall added: \"It's time for the next chapter of Doctor Who, and it starts with a man called Dan. Oh, we've had to keep this one secret for a long, long time.\n\n\"Our conversations started with John even before the pandemic hit.\n\n\"The character of Dan was built for him, and it's a joy to have him aboard the Tardis.\"\n\nDoctor Who will return to BBC One later this year.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nArsenal continued their Premier League resurgence with a ruthless victory over strugglers West Brom at The Hawthorns.\n\nDefender Kieran Tierney's excellent solo run and curling finish put the Gunners in front in the first half, before the impressive Bukayo Saka rounded off a stunning passing move to make it 2-0.\n\nAlexandre Lacazette added the third and fourth goals after the break - smashing in a rebound from Emile Smith Rowe's shot before he was set up by Tierney.\n\nIt was Arsenal's third league victory in a row after they had failed to win their previous seven.\n\nWest Brom, playing their fourth match under new manager Sam Allardyce, remain second from bottom and six points from safety.\n• None Confidence? Youth? How have Arsenal turned relegation talk into European hopes?\n\nArsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he wanted his players to \"show confidence\" at The Hawthorns, and they certainly did that in a dominant and eye-catching display.\n\nHector Bellerin forced Sam Johnstone into a save within two minutes after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang broke down the left, and Saka tormented full-back Dara O'Shea on the opposite wing constantly during the opening half.\n\nIt was Saka's ball that fizzed past the back post, inches away from the toe of Aubameyang, after the 19-year-old had got the better of O'Shea and hit it straight at Johnstone.\n\nWest Brom were being suffocated and Tierney's burst of pace to get around Darnell Furlong, before bending it into the far corner, was the perfect way to open the scoring.\n\nSaka made it 2-0 by rounding off a slick, one-touch passing move that former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger would have been proud of.\n\nWest Brom could offer no response after the break either and Arsenal were 3-0 up on the hour when Lacazette eventually blasted in the rebound from a catalogue of errors by defender Semi Ajayi.\n\nThat was game over but Lacazette was allowed to add a fourth when he was left unmarked to divert Tierney's cross into the roof of the net four minutes later.\n\nArteta, knowing the job was done, was able to bring off Saka and Emile Smith Rowe following impressive performances from both youngsters, while Arsenal continued to create chances to round off a very enjoyable evening in the snow.\n\nAllardyce's first match in charge of West Brom - a 3-0 drubbing by Aston Villa after captain Jake Livermore had been sent off - was a sign of just how tough this job was going to be.\n\nThen that 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield provided hope. The Baggies were resilient, organised and tireless.\n\nBut heavy back-to-back defeats by Leeds United and now Arsenal at home have brought things back down to earth.\n\nWest Brom were overawed in defence, out-run in midfield and frustrated by a lack of opportunities in attack throughout this confidence-crushing defeat.\n\nTheir rare sniffs at goal came from a Granit Xhaka error in the first half - Matheus Pereira chipping it through to Matt Phillips who struck it straight at Bernd Leno - before Callum Robinson's finish was ruled out for offside in the second half.\n\nSubstitute Rekeem Harper's long-range strike deep in stoppage time was also comfortably turned behind by Leno.\n\nIt was West Brom's third home loss in three under Allardyce and they have conceded 12 goals with no reply in those games.\n\n'Everything looks much better' - what they said\n\nWest Brom manager Sam Allardyce: \"Another game gone by where we learn more about the players we have. We have learnt an awful lot about what we can and cannot do.\n\n\"We need to work out a way of not trying to be as sloppy as we have been at conceding goals. It appears when we try to open up we leave opportunities for the opposition and we cannot cope.\"\n\nArsenal manager Mikel Arteta: \"We had a big week, three games in seven days, and we managed to win them and everything looks much better. It was difficult conditions but the team looked sharp from the start. It's a big win.\n\n\"After the results we had before we had to lift things straight away. Now we have got some discipline back. We look more creative in the final third and we look solid at the back.\"\n\nThe best of the stats\n• None West Brom are the first side to lose consecutive home Premier League games by at least four goals since Wigan in August 2010.\n• None Arsenal have scored in all 25 of their Premier League meetings with West Brom, the best 100% scoring record by one side against an opponent in the competition's history.\n• None There were 20 passes in the build-up to Arsenal's first goal scored by Kieran Tierney - since Mikel Arteta's first game in charge on Boxing Day 2019, the Gunners have scored more goals following a sequence of 20+ passes than any other Premier League side (3).\n• None Tierney became the first Scottish player to score an away Premier League goal for Arsenal and the first to do so in the top flight since Charlie Nicholas against Ipswich Town in March 1986.\n• None Alexandre Lacazette has scored five away Premier League goals in 2020-21, his best such tally in a single season in the competition.\n\nWest Brom travel to Blackpool for an FA Cup third-round tie on Saturday, 9 January (15:00 GMT kick-off), before returning to Premier League action on Saturday, 16 January against Wolves (12:30 GMT).\n\nArsenal host Newcastle in their FA Cup match on the same day (17:30 GMT), before facing Crystal Palace at home in the league on Thursday, 14 January (20:00 GMT).\n• None Offside, West Bromwich Albion. Charlie Austin tries a through ball, but Kyle Bartley is caught offside.\n• None Attempt saved. Rekeem Harper (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Matheus Pereira.\n• None Attempt saved. Willian (Arsenal) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Dani Ceballos.\n• None Attempt missed. Joseph Willock (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Willian with a cross.\n• None Attempt saved. Conor Gallagher (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Callum Robinson.\n• None Attempt blocked. Charlie Austin (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Dara O'Shea.\n• None Dani Ceballos (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Attempt saved. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Kieran Tierney.\n• None Attempt missed. Charlie Austin (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Matt Phillips. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None A special and exclusive one-off chat with the music icon\n• None How has their rise come to define our culture?", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nManchester United moved level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool as a Bruno Fernandes penalty saw off stubborn Aston Villa.\n\nFernandes drilled his 11th league goal this season - and his fifth from the spot - into the bottom corner to punish Douglas Luiz's clip on Paul Pogba and hand United an eighth win in 10 games.\n\nBertrand Traore's calm finish underneath David de Gea had deservedly drawn Villa level, cancelling out Anthony Martial's stooping first-half header for the hosts.\n\nBut Fernandes' penalty extended United's hold over Villa - they have now won 32 and lost just one of the past 44 league meetings between the sides - and leaves Liverpool top only by virtue of goal difference.\n\nThe spot-kick award angered Aston Villa boss Dean Smith who claimed Pogba \"tripped himself\" and that the video assistant referee should have asked on-pitch official Michael Oliver to review his decision.\n\n\"I don't see why Michael couldn't have looked at it. That's what VAR is for isn't it?\" Smith told BBC Sport.\n\n\"I thought it was a penalty at the time, but I looked at it after the game and saw he tripped himself. I don't think it's a penalty.\n\n\"I think there's enough doubt there to send the referee over to the screen.\"\n\nSmith's side were perhaps unfortunate not to have left Old Trafford with at least a point from a thoroughly entertaining game but they also needed several fine saves from Emiliano Martinez to keep them in it.\n\nAfter Fernandes' spot-kick put United back in front, Martinez superbly tipped a stinging 25-yarder from the Portuguese on to the crossbar as well as denying Martial a second.\n\nMartinez's counterpart David de Gea was just as busy, with a late save from Matty Cash's long-range strike preserving the points, not long after Tyrone Mings had headed wide a glorious chance to level.\n\nOle Gunnar Solskjaer's side have displayed their ability to grind out points at Old Trafford in recent weeks, as evidenced in 1-0 home wins over both West Bromwich Albion and Wolves.\n\nBut they have also shown a willingness to go toe-to-toe with teams who are happy to open up the game and, while this was not quite the shootout of the 6-2 win over Leeds, it was just as easy on the eye.\n\nA number of fluid first-half moves produced chances before Martial's opener as the France forward saw a curler tipped over by Martinez, while Fernandes and Wan-Bissaka were narrowly off target with similar efforts.\n\nMartial stole between Mings and Ezri Konsa to nod the Red Devils ahead from Wan-Bissaka's inviting cross for only his second league goal of the season on his return to Solskjaer's starting line-up.\n\nWhile Luiz was unfortunate to be penalised for what might have been an accidental clip on Pogba, there was enough contact for the penalty to be given and Fernandes continued his excellent record from the spot.\n\nUnited were nine points behind Liverpool after a 1-0 defeat by Arsenal at Old Trafford on 1 November but have made up that gap in just two months to set an intriguing title race into motion.\n\nA minute's silence before the game paid tribute to former boss Tommy Docherty, who famously prevented Liverpool claiming the treble by leading United to an FA Cup win over the Reds in 1977.\n\nAnd while talk of foiling a second successive Liverpool title might be premature, moving alongside them at the Premier League's summit will give Solskjaer's side even more confidence as they eye up a trip to Anfield on 17 January.\n\nWhile Villa were ultimately outgunned by their hosts, their brave display was further evidence of the progress Smith's side have made this season.\n\nThey held their own in the first half, causing United a number of problems down the flanks, with playmaker Jack Grealish prompting and probing to show why the hosts have long considered a move for the Villa captain.\n\nBut they were even more impressive in the early stages of the second period, Grealish crossing for an Ollie Watkins header that was saved by De Gea before collecting a quick free-kick and finding Traore to tuck home the equaliser.\n\nLuiz's foul on Pogba came with Villa very much in the ascendancy and while they then had to ride a storm the visitors still came close to pinching a point as Mings beat fellow England centre-half Harry Maguire to a free-kick only to nod wide.\n\nWith Ross Barkley's return from a hamstring injury imminent, this performance should keep Villa optimistic even if defeat halted a five-game unbeaten run and saw them slip a place to sixth, behind Chelsea on goal difference.\n\nAnd while their rotten record at Old Trafford continues - just one win in 34 visits since 1983, which came courtesy of a Gabriel Agbonlahor header in 2009 - they have still only conceded five times in eight away games this campaign.\n\n'We have improved a lot in a year' - what they said\n\nManchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told BBC Sport: \"You are always delighted with three points. The performance was good and we created chances.\n\n\"It was maybe a little too open and we wasted chances. We tried to play the Hollywood pass instead of securing the first one and using the space that was there.\n\n\"We are happy with what we are doing. We have shown we have improved a lot in a year. We lost to Arsenal away last New Year's Day. We have improved immensely.\"\n\nAston Villa boss Dean Smith told BBC Sport: \"I wasn't happy with the first half. We were miles off the levels where we have been. It felt like a testimonial pace then they deservedly had the lead at half-time. I told the players we needed to be upping our levels.\n\n\"We competed a lot better [in the second half], showed more quality and created chances. I'd take the second-half performance all day long. A dubious penalty has lost us the game.\n\n\"When you look at our performances and results, it shows we are very competitive in this league now, which is what we wanted it to be.\"\n\nUnited's hold over Villa goes on - the stats\n• None Manchester United are unbeaten in their past 16 Premier League matches against Aston Villa (W12 D4).\n• None Aston Villa have lost 13 of their past 15 away Premier League games against Manchester United at Old Trafford (W1 D1).\n• None In Premier League history, the only player to be directly involved in more goals in their first 30 appearances in the competition than Bruno Fernandes (33 - 19 goals, 14 assists) is Andrew Cole (37 - 28 goals, nine assists).\n• None Anthony Martial has now scored on all seven days of the week in the Premier League for Manchester United, becoming the fifth player to do so, after Ryan Giggs, Andrew Cole, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney.\n• None Only Tottenham's Harry Kane (10) has assisted more Premier League goals this season than Jack Grealish (7), while the last Aston Villa player to assist more than seven Premier League goals in a season was Ashley Young in 2010-11 (10).\n• None Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first Premier League match in charge of Manchester United in December 2018, the Red Devils have taken (27) and scored (21) the most Premier League penalties.\n\nManchester United host local rivals Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday (19:45 GMT) and welcome Watford in the FA Cup on Saturday 9 January (20:00 GMT). Their next Premier League game is away at Burnley on Tuesday 12 January (20:15 GMT).\n\nAston Villa host Liverpool in the FA Cup next Friday (19:45 GMT) before returning to Premier League action at home to Tottenham on Wednesday 13 January (20:15 GMT).\n• None Attempt blocked. Keinan Davis (Aston Villa) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.\n• None Attempt blocked. Keinan Davis (Aston Villa) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ollie Watkins with a cross.\n• None Offside, Manchester United. Paul Pogba tries a through ball, but Marcus Rashford is caught offside.\n• None Attempt saved. Matthew Cash (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jack Grealish.\n• None Nemanja Matic (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n• None Luke Shaw (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None A special and exclusive one-off chat with the music icon\n• None How has their rise come to define our culture?", "London's Nightingale Hospital is ready to admit patients as hospitals in the capital struggle, the NHS has said.\n\nThe Excel Centre site in east London has been \"reactivated\" amid a rise in the number of Covid-19 patients.\n\nOther Nightingale hospital sites across England are also being readied, with the UK recording a record daily rise in coronavirus cases.\n\nAn NHS spokesman said hospitals in London remain under \"significant pressure\".\n\nHe said: \"In anticipation of pressures rising from the spread of the new variant infection, NHS London were asked to ensure the London Nightingale was reactivated and ready to admit patients as needed, and that process is under way.\"\n\nSeveral NHS hospitals in London and the south-east are now reporting they are under extreme pressure as a result of a surge in the number of people falling seriously ill with Covid-19.\n\nAn email to staff at the Royal London Hospital says they are operating in disaster medicine mode - warning they can no longer provide high-standard critical care.\n\nNightingale hospitals in Manchester, Bristol and Harrogate are in use currently for non-Covid patients, the spokesman added.\n\nThe Exeter site received its first Covid patients in November when it began accepting those transferred from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, which was described as \"very busy\".\n\nHe said: \"Covid inpatient numbers are rising sharply so the remaining Nightingales are being readied to admit patients once again should they be needed, in line with best clinical practice developed over the first and second waves of coronavirus.\"\n\nSenior intensive care doctor Prof Hugh Montgomery warned those who fail to follow the rules on social distancing, hand washing and wearing a face covering \"have blood on their hands\".\n\nNHS England medical director Stephen Powis has described the Nightingale hospitals as \"our insurance policy, there as our last resort\".\n\nLondon's Nightingale hospital was built in nine days, with the help of hundreds of soldiers\n\nHe told a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday: \"We asked all the Nightingale hospitals a few weeks ago to be ready to take patients if that was required.\n\n\"Indeed, some of them are already doing that, in Manchester taking step-down patients, in Exeter managing Covid patients, and in other places managing diagnostics, for instance.\n\n\"Our first steps though, in managing the extra demands on the NHS, are to expand capacity within existing hospitals - that's the best way to use our staff.\"\n\nLondon's Nightingale Hospital was opened on 3 April and placed on standby weeks later after fewer than 20 patients were treated there.", "Owen Thomas says metal detecting has been his escape from the stresses of the pandemic.\n\nThe writer from Tongwynlais, Cardiff started metal detecting after bumping into his long-time friend Bob Wiseman - an avid detectorist - during lockdown.\n\nAside from his first outing, when he followed his metal toe cap boots thinking he had found treasure, he has discovered artefacts dating back to the 13th Century.\n\nOwen says he has fallen in love with his new-found hobby and it is \"the link with a life that's gone” that appeals to him so much.", "A UK ticket-holder has started the new year by winning the EuroMillions jackpot of nearly £40m.\n\nOne ticket matched all five regular numbers and two lucky stars in the draw on Friday night to win the £39,774,466.40 prize.\n\nCamelot's Andy Carter, senior winners' adviser at the National Lottery, said: \"What an amazing start to 2021 for UK EuroMillions players.\"\n\nA ticket-holder has now come forward to claim their prize.\n\nCamelot, which operates the lottery, said checks were being made on the claim.\n\nMr Carter said: \"It is fantastic news that the jackpot winning lucky ticket-holder has now claimed this enormous prize. We will now focus on supporting the ticket-holder through the process.\"\n\nThe winning numbers were 16, 28, 32, 44 and 48 with the lucky stars 01 and 09.\n\nTen other ticket-holders each won £1m in the UK Millionaire Maker New Year's Day event.\n\nIn 2019, a UK ticket-holder won the full £170m EuroMillions jackpot, making them Britain's richest ever lottery winner.\n\nAnd last year, a £57m EuroMillions prize claim was validated just before the deadline. The ticket had been bought in South Ayrshire.\n\nThe winning ticket holder's newfound cash means they are now wealthier than former One Direction singer Zayn Malik, who is worth £36m, according to the 2020 Sunday Times Rich List.\n\nAnd if they have a bit more money in the bank, they could buy one of the UK's most expensive homes, which went on the market last year.\n\nNobody won the EuroMillons Hotpicks jackpot on Friday, which uses the same numbers as the main draw, but one winner scooped the Thunderball top prize of £500,000.\n\nThe Thunderball numbers were 13, 17, 30, 34, 35 and the Thunderball was 01.", "Lisa Montgomery is scheduled for execution in January 2021\n\nA US appeals court has lifted a stay of execution on the only woman awaiting a federal death penalty.\n\nLisa Montgomery strangled a pregnant woman in Missouri before cutting out and kidnapping the baby in 2004.\n\nIf the execution goes ahead, she will be the first female federal inmate to be put to death in almost 70 years.\n\nMontgomery's execution date was originally set for last month but a stay was put in place after her attorneys contracted Covid-19.\n\nIt was then rescheduled for 12 January by the Justice Department. But Montgomery's lawyers argued that the date could not be set while a stay was in place.\n\nA court sided with her attorneys, stopping an order from the director of the Bureau of Prisons scheduling her death.\n\nBut on Friday, a panel of judges concluded that the director had acted under the law, allowing the execution to take place.\n\nMontgomery's legal team said they will file a petition for the judges to reconsider their ruling.\n\nThe last woman to be executed by the US government was Bonnie Heady, who died in a gas chamber in Missouri in 1953, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.\n\nFederal executions had been on pause for 17 years before President Donald Trump ordered them to resume earlier last year.\n\nIf the remaining executions go ahead, Mr Trump will have overseen the most executions by a US president in more than a century.\n\nMontgomery's execution date is just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.\n\nMr Biden, who for decades was a fierce supporter of the death penalty as a Delaware senator, has now said he will seek to end federal executions once he takes office.\n\nIn December 2004, Montgomery drove from Kansas to the home of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, in Missouri, purportedly to purchase a puppy, according to a Department of Justice press release.\n\n\"Once inside the residence, Montgomery attacked and strangled Stinnett - who was eight months pregnant - until the victim lost consciousness,\" it says.\n\nMontgomery cut into Stinnett's body to remove the baby, which she took with her in an attempt to pass it off as her own.\n\nIn 2007, a jury found Montgomery guilty of federal kidnapping resulting in death, and unanimously recommended a death sentence.\n\nBut Montgomery's lawyers say she experienced brain damage from beatings as a child and is mentally unwell, so should not face the death penalty.\n\nUnder the US justice system, crimes can be tried either in federal courts, at a national level, or in state courts, at a regional level.\n\nCertain crimes, such as counterfeiting currency or mail theft, are automatically tried at a federal level, as are cases in which the US is a party or those which involve constitutional violations.\n\nThe death penalty was outlawed at state and federal level by a 1972 Supreme Court decision that cancelled all existing death penalty statutes.\n\nA 1976 Supreme Court decision allowed states to reinstate the death penalty and in 1988 the government passed legislation that made it available again at federal level.\n\nAccording to data collected by the Death Penalty Information Center, 78 people were sentenced to death in federal cases between 1988 and 2018 but only three were executed.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What's in store for US President-elect Biden in 2021? Senior North America reporter Anthony Zurcher looks ahead\n\nThe latest in a series of attempts by allies of President Donald Trump to overturn the November US election result has failed.\n\nA Texas judge rejected the case, brought by Republican Louie Gohmert, seeking to stop Vice-President Mike Pence from certifying the final result.\n\nLawyers for Mr Pence had asked for the case to be thrown out on Thursday.\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden is due to take office on 20 January. Mr Trump is yet to concede.\n\nMr Gohmert, a Republican congressman, told Newsmax TV that he planned to appeal against the verdict.\n\nMr Trump's friends and colleagues in the Republican party have presented dozens of legal challenges to the November outcome which delivered a decisive win to Mr Biden.\n\nHis victory was announced after days of vote-counting that took longer than in recent years because of the huge number of postal ballots cast due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nMr Trump has made numerous unsubstantiated claims that Mr Biden's win, which saw the president-elect gain 306 electoral college votes to his rival's 232, was fraudulent.\n\nThe electoral college is a system whereby each US state has an allocated number of points that is granted to the overall winner in each state. The candidate who gains the majority wins the presidency.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Explaining the Electoral College and which voters will decide who wins\n\nCongressman Gohmert's case sought to allow Vice-President Mike Pence to reject some electoral college votes when they are ratified by Congress on 6 January.\n\nThe vice-president presides over the vote certification in Congress in a ceremonial role that involves opening and tallying the envelopes containing electoral college votes before announcing the result.\n\nMr Gohmert's case aimed to expand that role to allow Mr Pence to cast judgement on the validity of the votes and potentially replace votes for Mr Biden with ones for Mr Trump.\n\nBut Judge Jeremy Kernodle, who was appointed to the Texas court in 2018 by Mr Trump, rejected the case, saying it was based on speculative events.\n\nOn Thursday a lawyer from the US Justice Department representing Mr Pence urged Mr Gohmert to drop the case, suggesting that it was not the vice-president's office that should be scrutinising the outcome.\n\nAlthough most Republicans in Congress are expected to vote in favour of certifying the results, a small number including Senator Josh Hawley, say they plan to object. But their vote is not expected to change the outcome.\n\nMr Biden is due to be sworn in as president on 20 January at a scaled-back ceremony with just 1,000 tickets available due to Covid-19 precautions.", "All primary schools in London will remain closed for the start of the new term, the government has confirmed.\n\nLondon mayor Sadiq Khan said the government had \"finally seen sense and U-turned\" on its plan to allow pupils in some areas to return on Monday.\n\nLeaders of nine London local authorities had written to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson urging him to rethink the decision.\n\nMr Williamson said the city-wide closures were \"a last resort\".\n\nThe government said it had decided all primary schools in the capital would be required to provide remote learning after a further review of coronavirus transmission rates.\n\nVulnerable pupils and the children of key workers will continue to attend school, the government said.\n\nEarly years care, alternative provision and special schools will remain open, it added.\n\nSchools in nine London boroughs and the City of London district had been set to reopen - while those in the remaining 23 boroughs would have stayed closed from 4 January.\n\nThe decision was criticised and branded \"illogical\" by councillors and residents in the affected areas, who called for primary schools across the capital to move to online learning until 18 January.\n\nThey pointed out that Covid-19 infection rates were higher in some boroughs told to reopen schools than in others where they were not.\n\nIn a tweet, Mr Khan said a city-wide closure was \"the right decision\" and thanked education minister Nick Gibb for \"our constructive conversations over the past two days\".\n\n\"The government's original decision was ridiculous and has been causing immense confusion for parents, teachers and staff across the capital,\" Mr Khan said.\n\n\"It is right that all schools in London are treated the same, and that no primary schools in London will be forced to open on Monday\".\n\nDan Thorpe, leader of Greenwich council, said he was \"absolutely delighted\" to hear Mr Williamson had \"finally climbed down and reversed his decision\".\n\nKingston Council leader Caroline Kerr said she was \"dismayed\" at the government's handling of situation while a council statement added: \"It never made sense that neighbouring boroughs were being instructed to have different arrangements despite having similar rates of infection.\"\n\nIslington council leader Richard Watts said waiting until New Year's day to announce the further closures was \"unacceptable\".\n\nHe said the decision \"should have been made weeks ago, as the public health situation became clear\".\n\nMary Bousted, of the National Education Union, said the government was right to reverse its \"obviously nonsensical position\".\n\n\"What is right for London is right for the rest of the country,\" she said, and she called on ministers to \"do their duty\" by closing all primary and secondary schools nationwide for at least two weeks.\n\nPaul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, accused the government of damaging public confidence with a \"confusing and last-minute approach\".\n\n\"Just at the moment when we need some decisive leadership, the government is at sixes and sevens,\" he said.\n\nShadow education secretary Kate Green said the move was \"yet another government U-turn creating chaos for parents just two days before the start of term\".\n\n\"Gavin Williamson must still clarify why some schools in tier 4 are closing and what the criteria for reopening will be,\" she said.\n\nGavin Williamson said closing schools across London was a \"last resort\"\n\nIn a statement, Mr Williamson said children's education and wellbeing remained \"a national priority\" and moving the whole of London to remote education \"really is a last resort and a temporary solution\".\n\n\"We will continue keep the list of local authorities under review, and reopen classrooms as soon as we possibly can,\" he said.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said the situation in London had continued to worsen in the past week and infections and hospital admissions had risen sharply.\n\n\"While our priority is to keep as many children as possible in school, we have to strike a balance between education and infection rates and pressures on the NHS,\" he said.\n\nThe Department for Education had previously said decisions on school closures and openings were based on new infections, positivity rates, and pressures on the NHS.\n\nA spokeswoman for the department said: \"In response to concerning data about the spread of coronavirus, we have implemented the contingency framework for education in a small number of areas of the country, requiring schools to provide remote learning to all but vulnerable and critical worker children and exam years.\n\n\"Decisions on which areas will be subject to the contingency framework are based on close work with PHE, the NHS, the Joint Biosecurity Centre and across government.\"\n\nAre you a parent or teacher who will be affected by the London primary school closures? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Bodycam footage shows the moments before a black man was killed by a police shooting in Minneapolis\n\nMinneapolis police have released bodycam footage of a fatal shooting by officers, the first death at the hands of police in the US city since that of George Floyd, a black man, in May.\n\nThe victim, Dolal Idd, 23, was a suspect in a felony and was stopped by police on Wednesday. He was also black.\n\nInitial witness statements and police say Mr Idd fired first and was shot dead when the officers returned fire.\n\nMinneapolis saw months of unrest after Mr Floyd's death in police custody.\n\nThe protests spread across the US amid allegations of police brutality.\n\nMr Floyd died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.\n\nThe footage from Wednesday's fatal shooting, from the bodycam of one of the officers involved, was released late on Thursday.\n\nIt shows the officers' cars blocking a white vehicle at a petrol station on the city's south side, not far from where Mr Floyd died.\n\nThe police are heard shouting \"Stop your car, hands up, hands up!\" before shots are fired, including by the officers.\n\nA female passenger in the car with Mr Idd was not hurt, police said, nor were the officers.\n\nMinneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo said a gun was found at the scene.\n\n\"When I viewed the video that everyone else is viewing - and certainly the real-time slow-down version - it appears the individual inside the vehicle fired his weapon at the officers first,\" he said.\n\nPeople including Mr Idd's father Bayle Gelle gathered at the scene the following day, prompting fears of renewed protests.\n\n\"He was just sitting in the car, and bullets were shot at him, and no reason,\" he said, quoted by CBS News.\n\n\"Why are we here?... Because of colour. He is a black man. We want to know why my sweet son gets shot and killed.\"\n\nGeorge Floyd's death led to violent protests in the city, including this police station set on fire in May\n\nCity mayor Jacob Frey said he was committed to getting the facts and pursuing justice.\n\n\"We know a life has been cut short tonight and that trust between communities of colour and law enforcement is fragile,\" he said in a statement.\n\n\"Rebuilding that trust will depend on complete transparency.\"\n\nMr Floyd's death in May led to calls for reform or even abolition of the city's police department, but those efforts have stalled.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. More than 2,500 people take part in an illegal rave in northern France, despite the nationwide curfew\n\nAn illegal warehouse rave that began on New Year's Eve in France in defiance of coronavirus precautions has been shut down by police after arrests and clashes.\n\nSome of the 2,500 ravers in Lieuron near Rennes in Brittany had planned to party until Tuesday.\n\nPolice issued fines to revellers found leaving and the organisers were being identified as the party ended.\n\nA number of party-goers were from the UK and Spain, police said.\n\nAttendees clashed with police, setting fire to a car and throwing objects at officers attempting to shut the event down. At least three officers were injured.\n\nPolice broke up the three-day party that defied a nationwide curfew\n\nA driver was apprehended with turntables, speakers and a generator in the boot of the vehicle, according to French TV station BFM TV.\n\nPolice trying to stop the event faced \"fierce hostility from many partygoers\", a statement from local authorities said.\n\nBut at 05:30 local time on Saturday the ravers began to accept the party was over and started to leave the two disused warehouse hangars, the local prefecture said.\n\nSome revellers said they were hoping to stay until Tuesday\n\nInterior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Twitter that trucks, sound equipment and generators were seized at the scene and an investigation has been opened.\n\nMore than 1,200 fines were issued for non-compliance with the curfew, not wearing a mask and attending an illegal gathering, Mr Darmanin said.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Gérald DARMANIN This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOn Friday authorities said they had opened a sanitary cordon around the party and anyone leaving the event was urged to self-isolate for seven days.\n\nOne of the party-goers, who gave his name as Jo, told the AFP news agency that \"very few had respected social distancing\" at the event.\n\nA number of people slept in their cars before returning to dance, Le Monde newspaper reports.\n\nOne reveller told Le Monde that the rave was \"very well organised\" with food stalls inside.\n\nAnother, who came with four friends from Finisterre in north-west France, told the newspaper that she had wanted to \"escape\" for a few hours.\n\nOn Friday an interior ministry crisis meeting was held and all vehicle exits from the rave were blocked as police sought to shut down the party.\n\nFrance introduced strict rules ahead of the New Year including a curfew from 20:00 until 06:00.\n\nMore than 100,000 police officers were deployed across the country to break up parties and enforce the curfew.\n\nOfficers were instructed to break up underground parties as soon as they were reported, fine participants and identify the organisers.\n\nFrance has recorded more than 2.6 million coronavirus cases and 64,892 deaths since the pandemic began.\n\nOfficers elsewhere in Europe have also had to break up events in recent days.\n\nPolice dispersed a mass gathering near the Spanish city of Barcelona on Saturday where 300 people had been partying for more than 40 hours.\n\nThree footballers from London-based football team Tottenham Hotspur were photographed at a Christmas party last week in breach of coronavirus regulations.\n\nAnd in Essex, an illegal New Year's Eve party damaged All Saints Church near Brentwood. Church authorities have since received hundreds of pounds to pay for repairs.\n\nOfficers in Spain broke up the rave near Barcelona, which had been going on for more than 40 hours", "Officers dispersed the party at the Grade II* listed church before midnight\n\nThousands of pounds has been raised to pay for repairs to a 500-year-old church that was \"trashed\" during an illegal New Year's Eve party.\n\nHundreds of revellers attended the party at All Saints Church in East Horndon, near Brentwood, after the building was broken into.\n\nThree people were arrested on suspicion of public order and drugs offences.\n\nVolunteer group Friends of All Saints said it was \"completely overwhelmed\" by peoples' \"support and generosity\".\n\nChurch volunteer Astrid Gillespie said the damage was \"devastating\"\n\nThe fundraising page was set up on Friday and aimed to raise £2,000, but in less than 24 hours it had raised more than £8,700.\n\nIt said a \"massive clean-up\" was needed at the \"much-loved\" church after \"hundreds of revellers trashed the place\".\n\nEquipment was seized by police at the illegal party\n\nAstrid Gillespie, a volunteer with the Friends of All Saints, said event organisers had smashed a window to put in an extractor fan unit and wired sound equipment into the church's fuse box.\n\nShe said: \"It was a professional set-up. They had a bar area where you had to exchange tokens.\n\n\"It's such a beautiful church. To find out it's been damaged is devastating.\"\n\nReferring to the money that was raised, she said: \"Faith in humanity restored\".\n\nThe church, which is owned and maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust, has not been used for religious services since 1970, but regularly houses community events.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Researchers have been tracking changes to the \"spike\" of the virus\n\nThe new variant of Covid-19 is \"hugely\" more transmissible than the virus's previous version, a study has found.\n\nIt concludes the new variant increases the Reproduction or R number by between 0.4 and 0.7.\n\nThe UK's latest R number has been estimated at between 1.1 and 1.3. It needs to be below 1.0 for the number of cases to start falling.\n\nProf Axel Gandy of London's Imperial College said the differences between the viruses types was \"quite extreme\".\n\n\"There is a huge difference in how easily the variant virus spreads,\" he told BBC News. \"This is the most serious change in the virus since the epidemic began,\" he added.\n\nThe Imperial College study suggests transmission of the new variant tripled during England's November lockdown while the previous version was reduced by a third.\n\nCases of Covid-19 have begun to increase rapidly during the second spike, and the number of cases recorded in a single day reached a new high on Thursday.\n\nEarly results indicated that the virus was spreading more quickly among under-20s, particularly among secondary school age children.\n\nBut the very latest data indicates that it was spreading quickly across all age groups, according to Prof Gandy who was a member of the research team.\n\n\"One possible explanation is that the early data was collected during the time of the November lockdown where schools were open and the activities of the adult population were more restricted. We are seeing now that the new virus has increased infectiousness across all age groups.\"\n\nProf Jim Naismith, of Oxford University, said he believed that the new findings indicated that even tougher restrictions would soon be needed.\n\n\"The data from Imperial represent the best analysis to date and imply that the measures we have employed to date, would - with the new virus - fail to reduce the R number to below 1.\n\n\"In simpler terms, unless we do something different the new virus strain is going to continue to spread, more infections, more hospitalisations and more deaths.\"\n\nThe R number is the average number of people an infected person infects. If it is above 1 the epidemic is growing.\n\nThe most chilling finding from this piece of research is that the November lockdown in England, hard though it was for many people, would not have stopped the variant form of the virus spreading. The same severe restrictions that saw cases of the previous version of the virus fall by a third, would see a tripling of the new variant. This is why there has been such a sudden tightening of restrictions across the country.\n\nIt is unclear whether the current restrictions will be enough to control the spread of the virus. Given the fact that it has taken two lockdowns to stop the earlier version of the virus overwhelming the NHS, many scientists fear that further tightening will be necessary.\n\nInfection levels will begin to drop as enough people are vaccinated. But until then it is now more important than ever for people to follow social distancing guidelines, wear masks where required and to regularly wash their hands.\n\nThe new year brings with it hope of a more normal life in the next few months but also a new form of the virus that all of us will have to combat in the coming days and weeks.\n\nProfessor Lawrence Young, of Warwick University, said early indications suggested that vaccines would be effective against the new form of the virus.\n\n\"Variants virus have been around since the beginning of the pandemic and are a product of the natural process by which viruses develop and adapt to their hosts as they replicate.\n\n\"Most of these mutations have no effect on the behaviour of the virus but very occasionally they can improve the ability of the virus to infect and/or become more resistant to the body's immune response.\"\n\nFurther research is needed to understand why the variant is spreading so quickly. But early indications are that vaccines should be effective against it.\n\nThe new virus has been designated \"Variant of Concern 202012/01\" or VOC by Public Health England.\n\nIt was detected in November and thought to have originated in the south-east England in September.\n\nThere is no evidence to suggest that it is more deadly, but it will increase the number of cases which in turn will add further pressure on the NHS.\n\nThe variant can now be found across the UK, except Northern Ireland, but it is heavily concentrated in London, as well as south-east and eastern England.", "Amanda Quinn, who has early onset dementia, is cared for by her 23-year-old daughter Bethany\n\n\"It feels like you're being punished for something you didn't do.\"\n\nAmanda Quinn describes living through lockdown with early onset dementia as \"scary\" and \"feeling lost\".\n\nTwo years ago, she was diagnosed with the condition aged 49, and said the disease was a \"ticking time bomb\" for her husband and four children.\n\nAlzheimer's Society Cymru support worker Lorraine Davies said lockdown had brought a \"great sense of loss\" to many families.\n\nSince her diagnosis, Amanda says she has lost her sense of what day it is, her concentration, and she struggles with speech occasionally and suffers more with incontinence.\n\nWhen Wales went into a UK national lockdown on 23 March, Amanda said she did not leave her home in Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, for weeks.\n\nShe said her children have noticed a \"big change\" in her.\n\n\"I used to have a wicked sense of humour - I still have one, but it's not how I used to be,\" she said.\n\nBut for Amanda one of the worst parts of her condition is \"losing so many friends\" whom she said \"would rather cross the road\" than talk to her.\n\n\"They don't know how to interact with me anymore,\" she said.\n\nAmanda says her children have noticed a \"big change\" since she was diagnosed aged 49\n\nHer 23-year-old daughter Bethany Kingsley, who cares for her, said the pandemic has caused caring work to increase ten-fold.\n\n\"I have to keep an eye on mum a lot more now, because she doesn't know what to do with herself.\n\n\"But I have also got to look after my mental health side of it as well. There are days where I'm struggling,\" she said.\n\nNow Amanda does activities at home such as adult colouring books, baking with Bethany, and watches movies.\n\n\"It is like being a child,\" Amanda explained.\n\n\"My daughter says it's like we've switched roles and she has become the adult as she holds my hand when we cross the road.\n\n\"Although I can see a car, it doesn't register to me that it is not safe to walk out, all I can think is that I need to be on the other side of the road.\"\n\nBefore the pandemic, she attended dementia support groups in person, such as Memoria, a theatrical group of people with dementia and carers, whereas now she does this virtually.\n\nBethany says Covid has had a big impact on caring for her mother\n\nLast year, before the pandemic, Bethany put off moving away to study midwifery at university in Bristol.\n\nAlthough she said it was a \"difficult\" decision as she had wanted to do it for years, she said she was glad she was home to care for her mother during the pandemic.\n\nInstead she chose to study for an Open University course in health and social care from home.\n\n\"I thought my mother is the only person I've got at the end of the day and I would rather make sure she is safe and happy, rather than go off and leave her,\" she said.\n\nBut Amanda said she was concerned about how her condition will progress and affect her family more.\n\nThe 51-year-old said it was \"not fair\" that her daughter had to stay home because of her condition.\n\n\"It worries me how it will affect my children. I'm fortunate, I suppose, that I'm not going to know.\n\n\"I say I don't want to go into a care home but that wouldn't be fair on them - they have still got their whole lives to lead\".\n\nAmanda was still in her 40s when she was diagnosed\n\nAlzheimer's Society Cymru support adviser for younger people Lorraine Davies said there was a stigma attached to younger people with the disease and a \"lack of public awareness\".\n\n\"Some have mortgages, some have young families, and often they also care for older adults - so it has a different impact on them, and their social network of people.\n\n\"A lot of people living with dementia don't always feel they will have next year, so 2020 has been a great sense of loss to them because of the lockdown and restrictions,\" she said.\n\nThe charity estimates that there are between 2,000 to 3,000 people with young onset dementia in Wales, according to 2018 figures from the first Welsh Government national dementia action plan.\n\nHowever Lorraine said the figure was likely to be higher as getting a dementia diagnosis can be harder for younger people, and can take more than a year to have it confirmed.\n\n\"It is also more common for younger people to have rarer forms of dementia, so rather than being a typical Alzheimer's disease, associated with memory loss, a patient might have behavioural changes, but you might just think they are upset, stressed, or put it down to mood swings.\n\n\"Some people have been accused of being drunk, because they have slurred speech, but actually that is a symptom.\"\n\nShe said the Alzheimer's Society has organised virtual support groups for people with the condition and their carers during lockdown.\n\n\"Often younger people want to meet people like them, because it helps them not to feel so alone in this. Knowing that brings people comfort.\"\n\nSimon Hatch, the director of Carers Trust Wales, said the pandemic had highlighted the \"crucial role unpaid carers play both in providing exceptional, expert care to family and friends\".\n\nMr Hatch said the trust found that 44% of young adult carers it spoke to felt overwhelmed by the pressures they were facing.\n\nHe said although there was support available to carers they would need \"sustainable\" forms of this in the future.\n\nThere are about 45,000 people with dementia in Wales, according to the Alzheimer's Society.\n\nThe disease is considered \"early onset\" when it affects people under 65, according to Young Dementia UK.\n\nLorraine said the age distinction was made to mark the difference in financial support, as 65 was state pension age at the time.\n\nDementia itself refers to a set of symptoms caused by many diseases of the brain. The most common symptom is memory loss and difficulty concentrating.\n\nOther symptoms can include struggling to remember recent events, changes to behaviour, mood, becoming lost in familiar places or being unable to find the right word in a conversation.\n\nSpecific symptoms will depend on the parts of the brain that are damaged and the disease that is causing the dementia.", "Police made 17 arrests at the demonstration in Hyde Park\n\nPolice have made arrests at an anti-lockdown demonstration in central London.\n\nCrowds of between 200 to 300 people began to gather in Hyde Park, which is in a tier four coronavirus area, at about 13:30 GMT on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said.\n\nSeventeen people were arrested on suspicion of breaching public health regulations.\n\nMost demonstrators had left the park by 16:45, police said.\n\nThe Met tweeted: \"Officers continue to engage with groups of people who have gathered in the Hyde Park area.\n\n\"A number of people have been arrested under health protection regulations and taken into custody.\n\n\"We urge those in the area to leave immediately.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Metropolitan Police Events This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMore than two people are generally not allowed to meet in public under tier four rules.\n\nThe police force added: \"Officers will take enforcement action where we see clear breaches of the tier four rules.\n\n\"It's up to all of us to make the right choices and slow the spread of the virus.\"\n\nA group called The People's Lockdown, Stand For Your Human Rights, had said it was going to hold a event at Hyde Park on Saturday afternoon.\n\nIn an online post, it called on people to \"stand with your loved ones\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"I wish I could switch place with my daughter\" - Odd Steinar Sørengen's daughter is missing\n\nA body has been found shortly after rescuers and dog handlers began a risky ground search for 10 people missing in a hillside collapse in Norway.\n\nInitially it was thought too dangerous to send rescuers on to the site, after flowing mud sent homes toppling into a giant chasm in the village of Ask.\n\nHelicopters and drones spent two days searching the scene.\n\nBut on Friday police commander Roy Alkvist said one or two houses appeared safe to enter.\n\nRescuers, who included a Swedish specialist team, began moving into the danger zone on Styrofoam boards. The bright orange boards were laid down on the mud in a domino-effect as rescuers tried to reach one of the wrecked homes, which are 25km (15 miles) north-east of the capital Oslo.\n\nA missing Dalmatian dog was rescued on Thursday and police believe there is still a chance survivors could be found.\n\nHowever, on Friday afternoon an air ambulance helicopter landed near the site and police said a body had been found at 14:30 (13:30 GMT) without giving further details.\n\nRescuers are using orange Styrofoam boards to move around the landslide area\n\nPrime Minister Erna Solberg said her thoughts went out to the victim's family, and to those waiting for news of the other nine people who were missing.\n\nIn Friday's operation the rescuers also prepared a giant army vehicle called a \"paver\", which has a giant steel bridge on which rescuers can move.\n\nHowever, conditions were not yet good enough for the 50-tonne machine to be deployed.\n\nThe plan is to deploy a Norwegian army bridge-laying vehicle as soon as conditions are good enough\n\nFriday's search was a race against time, as the rescuers only had a few hours of daylight in the Norwegian winter. Medics and geologists were reportedly part of the ground rescue team.\n\nThe ground search was called off for the night at 17:30 and police said drones and heat-seeking cameras would continue overnight until rescue crews could return on Saturday morning.\n\nAbout 1,000 people have been evacuated from Gjerdrum municipality, which contains Ask village. Dozens more were moved out of their homes on New Year's Eve.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Aerial footage shows the scale of the landslide\n\nAlthough police have not given details of the missing, they are believed to include men, women and children.\n\nAmong them is a woman who was talking to her husband on the phone while walking the dog when the line went dead, according to Bergens Tidende newspaper.\n\nFurther reports say a couple and their small child are also missing, as well as a woman in her 50s and her adult son.\n\nMore than 30 homes have been destroyed, but officials say more could be lost as the edges of the crater left by the landslide are still breaking away.\n\nThe conditions have proved challenging, with temperatures dropping to -1C (30F) and the clay ground proving too unstable for emergency workers to walk on.\n\nThe scale of the landslide is shown by this aerial view of the disaster site\n\nThe landslide began early on Wednesday, with residents calling emergency services and telling them that their houses were moving, police said.\n\n\"There were two massive tremors that lasted for a long while and I assumed it was snow being cleared or something like that,\" Oeystein Gjerdrum, 68, told broadcaster NRK.\n\n\"Then the power suddenly went out, and a neighbour came to the door and said we needed to evacuate, so I woke up my three grandchildren and told them to get dressed quickly.\"\n\nA spokeswoman for the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) told AFP that the landslide was a so-called \"quick clay slide\" measuring about 300m by 700m (985ft by 2,300ft).\n\n\"This is the largest landslide in recent times in Norway, considering the number of houses involved and the number of evacuees,\" Laila Hoivik said.\n\nQuick clay is a kind of clay found in Norway and Sweden that can collapse and behave as a fluid when it comes under stress.\n\nBroadcaster NRK said heavy rainfall may have made the soil unstable, but questions have since emerged over why construction was permitted in the area.\n\nA 2005 geological survey labelled the area as at high risk of landslides, according to a report seen by the broadcaster TV2. Despite this, the homes were built three years later in 2008.", "Hospitals across the UK are being told to prepare to face the same Covid pressures as the NHS in London and south-east England.\n\nSenior doctor Prof Andrew Goddard said the virus's highly infectious new variant was spreading nationwide.\n\nCase numbers were \"mild\" compared with where he expected them to be next week, he said, with doctors \"really worried\".\n\nIt comes as a further 57,725 people have tested positive for Covid - a new daily high.\n\nThis is the fifth day in a row new daily cases have been over 50,000 and brings the total number of cases to 2,599,789.\n\nAnother 445 deaths, of people who had tested positive within the previous 28 days, were reported on Saturday - bringing the total number of deaths to 74,570, according to government figures.\n\nThe UK-wide total for people in hospital with Covid has already passed the spring peak.\n\nHalf of the major hospital trusts in England are said to be dealing with more Covid-19 patients than at the worst point of the first wave in April, with the NHS facing its \"busiest winter ever\".\n\nProf Goddard, of the Royal College of Physicians, told BBC Breakfast: \"There's no doubt that Christmas is going to have a big impact, the new variant is also going to have a big impact, we know that is more infectious, more transmissible, so I think the large numbers that we're seeing in the South East, in London, in south Wales, is now going to be reflected over the next month, two months even, over the rest of the country.\"\n\nHe said: \"It seems very likely that we are going to see more and more cases, wherever people work in the UK, and we need to be prepared for that.\"\n\nPressure has been so great on hospitals in London and south-east England that some patients have been moved out of the area.\n\nLondon's weekly rate of coronavirus cases is 858 per 100,000 people, double the UK figure.\n\nDominic Harrison, director of public health for Blackburn and Darwen, said a decision on a new lockdown had to be decided \"in the next week\" - instead of waiting for the North to get to the same rates as the capital \"and 'call it late' which has been our pattern of response too often\".\n\nThe most recent UK-wide statistics, from 28 December, showed there were 23,823 people in hospital with Covid. That was already significantly higher than the spring peak, which saw 21,683 in hospital on 12 April.\n\nOnly English hospitals have released figures for the final three days of December - and these show that a further 2,302 Covid patients were occupying hospital beds on 31 December.\n\nLondon's Nightingale emergency hospital is ready to admit patients, the NHS has said, while other sites currently not in use are being readied.\n\nSorry, your browser cannot display this map\n\nProf Goddard said it was vital the public did not \"let their guard down\" and continued to follow government guidelines, including wearing a face mask, maintaining social distancing and washing hands.\n\n\"Until the vaccination hits and does its job - that's what our best defence is going to be,\" he said.\n\nDr Ami Jones, an intensive care consultant in Wales, told BBC Breakfast that \"hospitals are absolutely bursting\", adding that a quarter of her staff were currently off sick or self-isolating, making managing patients even more challenging.\n\n\"When we see the daily figures - we know that will sting us in about 10-12 days' time in the hospital,\" she said. \"We are not even at day 10 post-Christmas yet and it's already exceedingly busy.\n\n\"We are going to get to the point where we physically don't have the staff to look after people safely anymore.\"\n\nDr Jones also urged the public to \"please just obey the rules\", adding: \"Stop mixing with other households because it is spreading like wildfire - and we haven't got much more space in the hospitals left.\"\n\nDo you work in a hospital? Have you recently been treated in a hospital, or due to be treated? Email your experiences: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Last updated on .From the section Tottenham\n\nTottenham manager Jose Mourinho says he is \"disappointed\" after three of his players breached coronavirus rules by attending a party over Christmas.\n\nA picture on social media showed Argentina forward Erik Lamela, Spain defender Sergio Reguilon and Argentina midfielder Giovani lo Celso at a party.\n\n\"We are not happy - it was a negative surprise for us,\" said Mourinho.\n\nIn a statement, Tottenham said they were \"extremely disappointed\" and \"the matter would be dealt with internally\".\n\nWest Ham reminded Argentina forward Manuel Lanzini, who also attended the party, of his responsibilities.\n\nLanzini apologised in a tweet on Saturday, saying he made a \"bad mistake\".\n\n\"I take full responsibility for my actions,\" he said. \"I know people have made difficult sacrifices to stay safe and I should be setting a better example.\"\n\nLamela and Lo Celso were not involved in Saturday's 3-0 Premier League win at home to Leeds, while Reguilon, who joined from Real Madrid in September, was on the bench.\n\n\"I gave an amazing gift to Reguilon - Portuguese piglet,\" Mourinho said. \"Amazing for Portuguese and Spanish. I was told he would spend Christmas on his own. He was not alone as you could see.\n\n\"We, the club, feel disappointed because we gave the players all the education and conditions. We know what we are internally. We don't need to open the door to you and let you know what is going on internally.\n\n\"What are going to be the consequences and how deeply we approach that negative surprise? I feel disappointed.\"\n\nThe Spurs statement added: \"We strongly condemned the image showing some of our players with family and friends together at Christmas, particularly as we know the sacrifices everybody around the country made to stay safe over the festive period.\n\n\"The rules are clear, there are no exceptions, and we regularly remind all our players and staff about the latest protocols and their responsibilities to adhere and set an example.\"\n\nLamela has made two league starts and Lo Celso four this season.\n\nLanzini has featured in nine of West Ham's 17 league games, coming on as a substitute in Friday's 1-0 win at Everton.\n\nA West Ham spokesperson said: \"The club has set the highest possible standards with its protocols and measures relating to Covid-19 so we are disappointed to learn of Manuel Lanzini's actions.\n\n\"The matter has been dealt with internally and Manuel has been strongly reminded of his responsibilities.\"\n\nTottenham's home league game with Fulham, scheduled to take place on 30 December, was called off three hours before kick-off after a number of Fulham players tested positive for coronavirus or showed symptoms.\n\nMeanwhile, Fulham told BBC Sport they are looking into claims Aleksandar Mitrovic broke coronavirus rules by attending a New Year's party with Crystal Palace midfielder Luka Milivojevic.\n\nImages on social media, reported in the Sun , allegedly show the Serbia team-mates celebrating in London with at least seven other adults.\n\nThe mixing of households indoors is banned in London under the UK government's tier four restrictions.\n\n'Mourinho must be so angry'\n\nMourinho has been so critical and vocal of how the Premier League handled their situation [the Fulham postponement], which I totally disagree with him.\n\nYou have to accept we're in strange and difficult times - if it has to be called off at whatever time then it has to be called off.\n\nTo then see some of his players breaking the rules and laws, particularly when millions of people are sacrificing so much not only in this country but around the world, Mourinho must be so angry.\n• None A special and exclusive one-off chat with the music icon\n• None How has their rise come to define our culture?", "Liam Reilly fronted Bagatelle for more than 40 years\n\nIrish Eurovision singer and frontman of the rock band Bagatelle, Liam Reilly, has died aged 65.\n\nA family statement confirmed that Mr Reilly \"passed away suddenly but peacefully at his home\" on 1 January.\n\nMr Reilly fronted Bagatelle for more than 40 years and they had success with songs including Summer in Dublin and Second Violin.\n\nHe also came joint second at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990 with the song Somewhere in Europe.\n\nThe song finished on 132 points, joint with France's entry sung by Joëlle Ursull, in the contest in Zagreb.\n\nMr Reilly, from Dundalk, County Louth, also composed Ireland's Eurovision entry for the contest in Rome in 1991, when Kim Jackson performed his song Could It Be That I'm In Love, which was placed 10th.\n\n\"We know that his many friends and countless fans around the world will share in our grief as we mourn his loss, but celebrate the extraordinary talent of the man whose songs meant so much to so many.\" the family statement added.\n\nJoe Gallagher, the band's promoter from Strabane, County Tyrone, told BBC Radio Ulster \"the talent that Liam brought to the music industry in Ireland is second to none\".\n\n\"Some of the songs that he has written are up there with some of the better songs written in Ireland,\" he said.\n\n\"He is one of the best singer-songwriters Ireland has ever seen or produced.\"\n\nMr Reilly also wrote songs for others, including The Wolfe Tones. The Irish group paid tribute to him on social media, describing him as \"a master songwriter\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by The Wolfe Tones 🇮🇪 This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by The Wolfe Tones 🇮🇪\n\nStephen Travers, a member of the Miami Showband, said Mr Reilly was a \"national treasure\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Stephen Travers This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Bitcoin's value has soared over the past year\n\nBitcoin's value surged above $34,000 (£24,850) for the first time on Sunday as the leading cryptocurrency continued to soar.\n\nIt put the gain this year at almost $5,000, although by 17:00 GMT the price had drifted lower to about $33,000, according to the Coindesk website.\n\nThe rise was put down to interest from big investors seeking quick profits.\n\nIt comes after Bitcoin soared 300% last year, with the price of many other digital currencies also rising sharply.\n\nEthereum, the second biggest cryptocurrency, gained 465% in 2020\n\nSome analysts think Bitcoin's value could rise even further as the US dollar drops further.\n\nWhile the value of the US currency rose in March at the start of the coronavirus pandemic as investors sought safety amid the uncertainty, it has since dropped due to major stimulus from the US Federal Reserve. The currency ended last year with its biggest annual loss since 2017.\n\nBitcoin is traded in much the same way as real currencies like the US dollar and pound sterling.\n\nRecently it has won growing support as a form of payment online, with PayPal among the most recent adopters of digital currencies.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nBut the cryptocurrency has also proved to be a volatile investment.\n\nThe soaring price has raised concerns that Bitcoin is due for a dramatic correction, as happened three years ago when the value collapsed after a bull run.\n\nDuring the rally in 2017 Bitcoin came close to breaking through the $20,000 level, only to hit extreme lows and fall below $3,300.\n\nIt passed $19,000 in November last year before dropping sharply again.\n\nIn October, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey cautioned over Bitcoin's use as a payment method.\n\n\"I have to be honest, it is hard to see that Bitcoin has what we tend to call intrinsic value,\" he said. \"It may have extrinsic value in the sense that people want it.\"\n\nMr Bailey added that he was \"very nervous\" about people using Bitcoin for payments pointing out that investors should realise its price is extremely volatile.", "The aftermath of an attack in August in Niger, which has suffered a number claimed by jihadist groups\n\nSuspected Islamist militants have attacked two villages in Niger, with reports of dozens of civilians killed.\n\nAround 49 died and 17 were injured in the village of Tchombangou, while another 30 died in Zaroumdareye - both near Niger's western border with Mali, Reuters reports.\n\nThere have been several recent violent incidents in Africa's Sahel region, carried out by militant groups.\n\nFrance said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were killed in Mali.\n\nHours earlier, a group with links to al-Qaeda said it was behind the killing of three French troops in a separate attack in Mali on Monday.\n\nFrance has been leading a coalition of West African and European allies against Islamist militants in the Sahel.\n\nBut the region continues to be affected by ethnic violence, banditry, and human and drug trafficking.\n\nIn light of Saturday's attacks, Interior Minister Alkache Alhada said soldiers had been sent to the area, according to French outlet RFI. But Mr Alhada did not say how many casualties there had been across the two villages.\n\nA local official, quoted by AFP news agency, said many people were killed, and a local journalist spoke of up to 50 deaths.\n\nNiger's Tillabéri region, where the villages are situated, lies within the so-called tri-border area between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, which has been plagued by jihadi attacks in recent years.\n\nTravel by motorbike has been banned in the region for a year, as part of efforts to stop incursions by Islamic militants, who often launch attacks from the vehicles.\n\nAreas of Niger are also facing repeated attacks by jihadists from Nigeria, where the government is fighting an insurgency by Boko Haram.\n\nLast month, members of the group killed at least 27 people in Niger's south-eastern Diffa region.\n\nThe latest attacks in Tillabéri come amid national elections in Niger, as President Mahamadou Issoufou steps down after two five-year terms.\n\nElection officials announced provisional results on Saturday, showing a lead for Mohamed Bazoum - a former minister and a member of Niger's ruling party.\n\nA second round of votes is expected to be held on 21 February, once ballots have been validated by the country's constitutional court.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\"."], "link": ["http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55732301", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55742664", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55752373", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55738183", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55741990", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55747064", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55736160", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-55746745", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-55743084", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-55750944", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55735178", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-manchester-55745825", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55733527", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-55752056", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55742569", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55745714", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-55718070", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55741985", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55746293", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54373904", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55656823", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55738918", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55738564", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55738741", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55736239", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55753606", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-55755159", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55757807", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55734277", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55688932", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55642375", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55656824", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55751915", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55750776", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55751598", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-55745861", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-northern-ireland-55753796", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55739974", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55757934", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55657090", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55690001", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-55740965", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55748645", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55738174", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55742583", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55735237", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55739973", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-55749175", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-55730500", 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"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-55521541", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55523137", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-55520915", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55523587", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55515455", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/55522152", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55450393", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55508141", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-55520658", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-55525269", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55514792", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54373904", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55523447", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55503852", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-55521732", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55524795", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-55521687", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55507012", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55497274", 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"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-55660807", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42636667", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-55726381", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55683896", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55735237", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55731099", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55640427", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55733327", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55718525", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-55730500", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-55739271", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-55732938", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51682000", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55719860", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55740365", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55683899", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55708411", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55727445", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55739803", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-55730322", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-55730480", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55719955", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55456854", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55519042", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-55506891", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-55506681", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55466395", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55514504", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55515831", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/55506388", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55505722", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55509582", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55450393", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55444188", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55503536", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55506661", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55514792", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55513158", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55514153", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55511169", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55509694", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55513167", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-55514853", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55507012", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55396492", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55518304", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55506734", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55514363", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55515555", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55515455", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55515529", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55497274", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/us2020"]}
\ No newline at end of file
+{"title": ["Donald Trump Jr tests positive for coronavirus - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK setting up vaccine centres ready for rollout - Matt Hancock - BBC News", "Patel 'unreservedly' apologises over bullying claims - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Stranded passenger ferry Viking Grace towed to Finnish port - BBC News", "Rishi Sunak vows to 'balance books' despite pandemic - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Edwin Poots opposes Covid-19 restrictions in email sent to MLAs - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Care home window visits bringing 'tears and loneliness' - BBC News", "Caroline Kayll death: Man arrested over teacher's murder - BBC News", "Richard Burton exhibition: Star's journey from Port Talbot to Hollywood - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Five signs that show how bad El Paso's outbreak is - BBC News", "Tenby caravan death: Man arrested after woman's body found - BBC News", "Birmingham pub bomb anniversary marked by 100-car convoy - BBC News", "Google: Garage owner takes on tech firm over fake reviews - BBC News", "Jeremy Kyle 'may have caused or contributed to' guest Steve Dymond's death - BBC News", "Safety checks eased to help flat owners 'in limbo' - BBC News", "Brexit: UK and Canada agree deal to keep trading under EU terms - BBC News", "Daniel Cordier, from French Resistance hero to art dealer - BBC News", "Russian special forces rescue boy kidnapped by suspected paedophile - BBC News", "Covid-19: Hong Kong-Singapore travel corridor postponed - BBC News", "Woman guilty of fake cancer GoFundMe fundraising fraud - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Queen's launches rapid Covid-19 testing pilot for students - BBC News", "Leaders call for £39bn for Northern Powerhouse Rail project - BBC News", "Covid antibodies 'last at least six months' - BBC News", "Man in court after toddler dies in Edinburgh - BBC News", "Priti Patel: Summary of official report into bullying claims - BBC News", "Dutch journalist gatecrashes EU defence video conference - BBC News", "Rebekah Vardy backed by High Court in Coleen Rooney libel hearing - BBC News", "California's Covid curfew to begin, as US cases hit 12-million mark - BBC News", "Car drives off with door lodged in windscreen - BBC News", "Covid: Jab for people who cannot be vaccinated trialled - BBC News", "Isle of Wight charity worker blinded and paralysed by snakebite - BBC News", "Guatemala: Congress on fire after protesters storm building - BBC News", "Covid: Tourism needs 'four nations approach' to lockdowns - BBC News", "Covid: Thirteen arrests at Liverpool anti-lockdown demo - BBC News", "Covid: Seven things that may be different this Christmas - BBC News", "Covid-19: Strengthened tier system for England after lockdown - BBC News", "'Fake Google reviews are damaging my business' - BBC News", "Sussex: One rescued and two missing as fishing boat sinks - BBC News", "The UK government's Scottish independence dilemma - BBC News", "Travel writer and journalist Jan Morris dies at 94 - BBC News", "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: Will Gompertz reviews film with Chadwick Boseman & Viola Davis ★★★★☆ - BBC News", "Households face £21 rise in energy bills in 2021 - BBC News", "Lebanon inmates break doors and die in car crash after jail-break - BBC News", "UK foreign aid: Cameron and Blair warn against budget cut - BBC News", "Man arrested in hunt for south-west London suspected rapist - BBC News", "Covid-19: Liverpool to pilot city-wide coronavirus testing - BBC News", "Universities and colleges face Covid funding shortfalls - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: PM says furlough available for future lockdowns - BBC News", "Rape suspect Kadian Nelson urged to hand himself in - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Grassroots football in England suspended during lockdown - BBC Sport", "Chelsea town houses collapse forces evacuations - BBC News", "US election: Mystery robocalls urge voters to 'stay home' - BBC News", "US election: Trump supporter replaces neighbour's stolen Biden sign - BBC News", "Stonehaven derailment: Line reopens after three months - BBC News", "Sri Lanka: Rescuers rush to save beached pilot whales - BBC News", "Lockdown retail: 'It has been the toughest year I've ever had' - BBC News", "Great British Bake Off star Luis Troyano dies at 48 - BBC News", "Rishi Sunak 'must come up with six-month economy plan' - BBC News", "UK cyber-threat agency confronts Covid-19 attacks - BBC News", "Father jailed over son's death in M62 'race' - BBC News", "Covid: Destructive rules only current option, says Chris Whitty - BBC News", "Glitch caused self-isolation orders to be too long - BBC News", "US election 2020: How to follow the results on the BBC - BBC News", "Manchester Arena Inquiry: Boss denies security 'penny pinching' - BBC News", "Climate change: Welsh green energy hindered by 'strained' grid capacity - BBC News", "US election 2020: How to follow the results on the BBC - BBC News", "US Election in Louisiana: Why lives depend on Donald Trump and Joe Biden - BBC News", "Ryan Giggs denies assault allegations after arrest - BBC News", "Alcohol licensing: Carál Ní Chuilín says law changes strike right balance - BBC News", "Self-employed to get more financial help - BBC News", "Vienna shootings: Three men praised for helping emergency services - BBC News", "UK terrorism threat level raised to 'severe' - BBC News", "Covid: Parents fined for children breaking lockdown rules - BBC News", "Melbourne Cup 2020: Twilight Payment wins but Anthony Van Dyck is fatally injured - BBC Sport", "John Lewis and Currys PC World extend hours ahead of lockdown - BBC News", "Primark sees pyjamas in and suits out in Covid shift - BBC News", "John Sessions: Stephen Fry leads tributes to 'lovable' comedian - BBC News", "Princess Diana's brother demands BBC inquiry over Panorama interview - BBC News", "Turkey earthquake: Girl, three, pulled alive from rubble - BBC News", "City Hall to relocate from central London to the East End - BBC News", "Vienna shooting: Deadly attack in Austria's capital - BBC News", "Vienna shooting: Pictures from scene of deadly attack - BBC News", "Ex-rugby player's legal action against a Scarlets' sponsor - BBC News", "Covid-19: Mass-testing trial, kids' sport ban and #TeamHalo - BBC News", "Basildon maternity unit handed 'urgent' safety deadline - BBC News", "US election 2020: What are Trump's and Biden's policies? - BBC News", "Stephen Lawrence murder: Met Police officers could face criminal charges - BBC News", "Covid-19: Calls for clarity over new England lockdown - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "US election 2020: Biden beats Trump - as it happened - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Covid lockdown: Cancer mum's 'risk to life' over school attendance - BBC News", "US election 2020: Would Trump or Biden be best for the UK? - BBC News", "Covid: Deaths 10% higher than normal as virus deaths rise - BBC News", "Avian flu: Thousands of birds culled at Cheshire farm - BBC News", "Diego Maradona: Surgery on brain blood clot successful, says doctor - BBC Sport", "Takeaway beer sales 'will make a significant difference' - BBC News", "US election 2020: The people behind the political memes you share - BBC News", "Covid-19 in Scotland: Confusion over funding for future Scottish lockdown - BBC News", "Mask exemptions must be clearer, rape campaigner says - BBC News", "As it happened: US election 2020: Final day of campaigning before US voters go to polls - BBC News", "Third of staff 'fear catching Covid at work' - BBC News", "Covid: 'We are hanging by a thread' - hospital doctor - BBC News", "Facebook pet sales warning over kittens and puppies - BBC News", "Boris Johnson 'called Scottish devolution disaster' - BBC News", "NHS Covid-19 app suffers 'blue screen' glitch - BBC News", "Labour suspends Jeremy Corbyn over reaction to anti-Semitism report - BBC News", "British Airways to launch Covid testing trial for arrivals - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: 2.3 million to live under toughest rules - BBC News", "EasyJet slumps to first annual loss amid pandemic - BBC News", "Covid-19: Boris Johnson and six Tory MPs self-isolating after No 10 meeting - BBC News", "ECB accused by John Holder and Ismail Dawood of 'institutionalised racism' - BBC Sport", "Lewis Hamilton named most influential black person in UK - BBC News", "Shazam reveals most searched-for songs of all time - BBC News", "Covid: Senedd election six-month delay a 'final resort' - BBC News", "No shortage of flu vaccines in Northern Ireland says Swann - BBC News", "Coronavirus: 'No plans' for extended Christmas school break in NI - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Level 4 move 'could help ease rules at Christmas' - BBC News", "Scots Tory leader says Boris Johnson 'believes in devolution' - BBC News", "US hate crime highest in more than a decade - FBI - BBC News", "Travel rules changed for Christmas turkey farm workers - BBC News", "Brexit changes set to hit second-hand cars in NI - BBC News", "PM's unforced error knocks revamp off course - BBC News", "Covid: £10k fines for gatherings can resume, say police chiefs - BBC News", "Biden: Trump lack of co-operation 'embarrassing for country' - BBC News", "World's only known white giraffe fitted with tracker to deter poachers - BBC News", "Go-between paid £21m in taxpayer funds for NHS PPE - BBC News", "Post-Grenfell social housing reforms unveiled - BBC News", "Marcus Rashford launches children's book club to spread joy of reading - BBC News", "Grenfell Tower insulation firm behaved 'dishonestly' - BBC News", "Covid: Mouthwash 'can kill virus in lab in 30 seconds' - BBC News", "Covid: Chapel's first postcode since 1869 gets it broadband - BBC News", "FTSE 100 and Dow Jones jump on second Covid vaccine hopes - BBC News", "Radio France Internationale publishes obituaries of people still alive - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: What level is your council area in? - BBC News", "Covid-19: Liverpool mass-testing finds 700 cases with no symptoms - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Ministers want 'greater consistency' in tier system - BBC News", "Abortion provider changes name over Marie Stopes eugenics link - BBC News", "Indian factory workers supplying major brands allege routine exploitation - BBC News", "Anti-Semitism: Labour ruling body meeting over Jeremy Corbyn suspension - BBC News", "Coronavirus: What are Scotland's level 4 restrictions? - BBC News", "Hurricane Iota: Category Five storm heads for Central America - BBC News", "Plea to Boris Johnson as Covid 'ravages' Hull - BBC News", "Ban on new petrol and diesel cars in UK from 2030 under PM's green plan - BBC News", "Nobby Stiles: Family says football 'must address scandal of dementia' affecting former players - BBC Sport", "Coronavirus updates: Sturgeon announces 'short and sharp' level 4 move for 11 areas - BBC News", "Airbnb plans public share sale despite pandemic - BBC News", "China rescue: UK diplomat jumps into river to save drowning student - BBC News", "Covid: Lockdown 'causing drugs gangs to recruit locally' - BBC News", "The UK government's Scottish independence dilemma - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Tributes paid as couple dies 12 hours apart - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Jeremy Corbyn: Labour readmits ex-leader after anti-Semitism row - BBC News", "Scottish independence: Johnson rejects Sturgeon's indyref2 demand - BBC News", "Covid: Second lockdown 'will deepen sex work crisis' - BBC News", "More than 100,000 divorces in England and Wales last year - BBC News", "Hurricane Iota: Category four storm hits Nicaragua - BBC News", "Covid: England tier system may need strengthening - government adviser - BBC News", "Little Mix: Jesy Nelson takes break for medical reasons - BBC News", "Rupert Grint breaks Sir David Attenborough's Instagram record - BBC News", "Kenya to probe baby stealers following BBC Africa Eye exposé - BBC News", "Taylor Swift master tapes sold by Scooter Braun to investment fund - BBC News", "Nasa SpaceX mission: Dragon capsule docks with space station - BBC News", "Government to invest £4bn to create 250,000 new green jobs - BBC News", "TikTok adds tougher parental controls - BBC News", "First privately owned spacecraft successfully delivers astronauts to ISS - BBC News", "Covid: Hospitals face winter pressures in second lockdown - BBC News", "Octavian dropped by record label after abuse allegations - BBC News", "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie: Why disco hit is now Scotland's unofficial anthem - BBC News", "Cummings' exit offers Boris Johnson a 'fresh start', say Tory MPs - BBC News", "Covid: Level 4 lockdown 'possible' in west of Scotland - BBC News", "I was only Scotland fan in stadium for historic win - BBC News", "Scotland celebrates Euro finals qualification - BBC News", "Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe dies - BBC News", "Covid-19: MPs with cancer 'excluded' from cancer debate - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Strictly Come Dancing: Nicola Adams exits after Katya Jones catches Covid - BBC News", "Covid: People arriving in UK from mainland Greece will need to isolate - BBC News", "Essex lorry deaths: Driver made call about bodies in trailer - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Italy extends 'red zones' as infections soar - BBC News", "Undercover officer targeted 'anti-establishment' left - BBC News", "Children in Need: Audience-free show raises £37m - BBC News", "TikTok lives to see another day in US - BBC News", "Covid-19: Foster regrets 'torturous' decision-making - BBC News", "Cardiff cousins guilty of daylight high street 'gangland hit' - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings leaves Downing Street: Top aide's career highlights - BBC News", "University offers could be based on real exam results - BBC News", "Covid: Children more likely to be infected in second wave - BBC News", "Nurse Lucy Letby denied bail in baby murders case - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings: How does he now earn a living? - BBC News", "London raids: Celebrities lost £26m of property to 'burglary team' - BBC News", "Serbia 1-1 Scotland: Visitors win 5-4 on penalties to end 23-year finals wait - BBC Sport", "North West sees job ads surge while London lags - BBC News", "Met Police traffic stops to be reviewed as part of Action Plan - BBC News", "Seven Sisters: House explosion family 'grateful to be alive' - BBC News", "Covid: UK daily cases reach new high of 33,470 - BBC News", "Princess Diana's note to BBC about Panorama interview recovered - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings: What led to top adviser's departure? - BBC News", "Students: Places to be awarded using actual grades - BBC News", "Why Dominic Cummings is going - BBC News", "Croydon police shooting: Man arrested over Sgt Matiu Ratana murder - BBC News", "Kylie Minogue sets UK chart records with her new album, Disco - BBC News", "Covid: Cardiff Metropolitan University partygoers fined - BBC News", "Strictly Come Dancing: Anton Du Beke to replace Motsi Mabuse this weekend - BBC News", "Scotland win over Serbia 'for whole nation' - how the players & head coach reacted - BBC Sport", "Friends reunion 'put back to March', says Matthew Perry - BBC News", "Covid: Caffè Nero seeks help after pandemic 'decimates' trading - BBC News", "John Lewis Christmas ad focuses on kindness theme - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Too early for Christmas travel plans, European countries say - BBC News", "Belgian anaesthetist jailed for causing Brit's death while drunk - BBC News", "Northern Ireland 1-2 Slovakia (AET): Visitors score late to win Euro 2020 play-off final - BBC Sport", "Coronavirus: Safety officials had 'political' pressure to approve PPE - BBC News", "Is Vote Leave losing its muscle in Downing Street? - BBC News", "Covid-19 case numbers 'stabilising' in England, says ONS - BBC News", "Yorkshire Ripper death: Force apology over victim descriptions - BBC News", "Mohamed Salah: Liverpool forward tests positive for coronavirus - BBC Sport", "Covid: Learning disability death rates 'six times higher' - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings: PM's top adviser leaves No 10 to 'clear the air' - BBC News", "Corrie Mckeague: Missing airman 'died after climbing into bin' - BBC News", "Covid: More than 800 police officers have tested positive - BBC News", "R number for UK has fallen to between 1 and 1.2 - BBC News", "Tesco apologises after online issues amid Christmas rush - BBC News", "US election: Trump speaks for first time in public since defeat - BBC News", "Blitzed cities still deprived 75 years after war - BBC News", "What's the science behind mink and coronavirus? - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Denmark to cull up to 17 million mink amid coronavirus fears - BBC News", "Covid: How is Europe lifting lockdown restrictions? - BBC News", "Princess Diana's brother makes new BBC interview allegations - BBC News", "US election result: What Biden's victory means for rest of world - BBC News", "Milind Soman: Actor and model charged over nude photo - BBC News", "Coronavirus: UK bans Denmark visitors over mink Covid-19 fears - BBC News", "Hartlepool boy's poppies raises money for Royal British Legion - BBC News", "Boris Johnson congratulates Joe Biden on US election win - BBC News", "US Election 2020: Trump claims 'historic election interference' - BBC News", "Afghanistan violence: Former TV presenter Yama Siawash killed - BBC News", "Kanye West election: How many votes did he get? - BBC News", "Brexit: 'Significant differences remain' over trade deal - BBC News", "UK energy plant to use liquid air - BBC News", "Coronavirus: France records more than 60,000 cases - BBC News", "Remembrance Sunday: People urged to join two-minute silence on doorstep - BBC News", "Covid: How to cope in a winter lockdown, from those who've done it - BBC News", "Covid-19: Nursing shortage warning as winter looms - BBC News", "Jill Biden: From teacher to US first lady - BBC News", "UK coronavirus infections may be 'stabilising' - BBC News", "Queen wears face mask as she marks Unknown Warrior centenary - BBC News", "Belper's mass moo returns for second lockdown - BBC News", "US results: How Americans are coping with the looooong wait - BBC News", "Greater Manchester's NHS hospitals suspend non-urgent care - BBC News", "Covid-19: Lockdown 'opportunity' to fix England's roads - BBC News", "Kylie Minogue on Glastonbury, lockdown and her favourite Kylie era - BBC News", "Covid: Liverpool testing trial sites doubled after queues on first day - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Denmark imposes lockdowns amid mink covid fears - BBC News", "Sunny payday loan customers may get nothing in payouts - BBC News", "Covid: Johnson says Covid statistics 'irrefutable' amid new row - BBC News", "Joe Biden: 'Middle Class Joe' vows to 'finish the job' - BBC News", "China sends 'world's first 6G' test satellite into orbit - BBC News", "Edinburgh Woollen Mill collapse puts jobs at risk - BBC News", "Storm Eta: Around 150 feared dead in Guatemala - BBC News", "Rugby teenager Paul Dunleavy jailed for terror offences - BBC News", "US election 2020: Biden beats Trump - as it happened - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Lord Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi, dies aged 72 - BBC News", "Averil Hart: 'Neglect and systemic failures caused anorexia death' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Nichola Mallon says extending lockdown could help save Christmas - BBC News", "US Election 2020: Moment BBC projects Biden victory on TV - BBC News", "Johnny Depp leaves Fantastic Beasts film franchise - BBC News", "NI government strategy 'essential' to tackle child poverty - BBC News", "Man fined after 60 turn up to party at Manchester flat - BBC News", "Covid-19: US hits record daily case rise three days running - BBC News", "Geoffrey Palmer, TV and film actor, dies at 93 - BBC News", "Jesy Nelson out of Little Mix: The Search final - BBC News", "Over-55s growing less satisfied with the BBC, Ofcom says - BBC News", "The cold reality of Covid cost will be laid bare at Sunak's Spending Review - BBC News", "Covid-19: Economy warning, Christmas caution, and custom face masks - BBC News", "US doesn't want guarded border on Ireland - Biden - BBC News", "Coronavirus: French lockdown to ease after second peak passes - BBC News", "Eton teacher Matthew Mowbray guilty of sex offences against pupils - BBC News", "Harry Dunn's parents lose High Court immunity review - BBC News", "Gordon Taylor: PFA chief executive to stand down at end of season - BBC Sport", "Spending Review: Key points from Rishi Sunak's statement - BBC News", "Benefit scams worth £1bn foiled during lockdown - BBC News", "SLS: Nasa 'megarocket' assembly begins in Florida - BBC News", "Covid Christmas rules: Caution urged over household mixing - BBC News", "I'm A Celebrity: Police issue 'advice' over bug use - BBC News", "Diego Maradona: Obituary - Argentina's flawed football icon - BBC Sport", "Elon Musk becomes world's second richest person - BBC News", "Meghan: Duchess of Sussex tells of miscarriage 'pain and grief' - BBC News", "Germany Merkel: Car rams into chancellery gate ahead of Covid decision - BBC News", "Amazon sorry for Sidewalk 'confusion' - BBC News", "London black cab advert 'exaggerated safety from Covid' - BBC News", "As it happened: Warnings in US as millions travel for Thanksgiving - BBC News", "Johnny Depp libel case appeal bid turned down - BBC News", "Spending Review: Unemployed predicted to rise to 2.6 million - BBC News", "Russia 'threatened to ram' US ship in Sea of Japan - BBC News", "Beatles book by Craig Brown wins £50k Baillie Gifford non-fiction prize - BBC News", "Covid: Call for UK-wide rules after Christmas - BBC News", "Diego Maradona: Argentina legend dies aged 60 - BBC Sport", "Parents' plea after Walsall teenager dies with Covid-19 - BBC News", "Windrush generation: UK 'unlawfully ignored' immigration rules warnings - BBC News", "Kylie Moore-Gilbert: Lecturer released by Iran 'in prisoner swap' - BBC News", "The Great British Bake Off final brings bumper audience to Channel 4 - BBC News", "Grammys 2021: Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa lead nominations - BBC News", "NI council sick leave highest in the UK - BBC News", "Antrim dinosaur bones 'belong to different species' - BBC News", "Moment 180 mph motorcyclist in T-shirt is caught - BBC News", "‘Collapse’ in secondary school attendance warning - BBC News", "Father jailed for killing two-month-old Ava Ray - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Covid: Fitted face masks designed after nurse's struggle - BBC News", "Spending Review: Chancellor outlines government spending plans - BBC News", "Reaction as Sunak sets out Spending Review - BBC News", "Low-paid public sector workers to get £250 pay rise - BBC News", "President Trump pardons US Thanksgiving turkey, Corn, at White House - BBC News", "The UK economy remains in rescue mode - BBC News", "US shares set records as investor optimism grows - BBC News", "Spending review: Families face 'agonising uncertainty' over benefits decision - BBC News", "Covid-19: Three households can mix over Christmas in UK - BBC News", "Diego Maradona: Argentina legend's career in pictures - BBC Sport", "Covid: Christmas tier rules being considered for Wales - BBC News", "Lugano attack: Two hurt in suspected terror incident in Switzerland - BBC News", "Hays Travel: Hundreds line streets for John Hays' funeral - BBC News", "Missing fishermen: Search off Sussex coast ends - BBC News", "Covid-19: Christmas get-together plan backed by UK nations - BBC News", "Van life: Durham couple's six years on the road (and counting) - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Covid makes Brazil's president Bolsonaro a hero to some - BBC News", "Stranded passenger ferry Viking Grace towed to Finnish port - BBC News", "Covid: Boris Johnson to unveil post-English lockdown plans - BBC News", "Covid: Talks about rules over Christmas continue - BBC News", "Covid-19: Merthyr sees 977 mass-tested for coronavirus - BBC News", "Birmingham pub bomb anniversary marked by 100-car convoy - BBC News", "ATP Finals 2020: Daniil Medvedev beats Rafael Nadal & Dominic Thiem overcomes Novak Djokovic - BBC Sport", "Covid: Call to expand £500 grant for Covid self-isolators - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Ten more Covid-19-related deaths in NI - BBC News", "Safety checks eased to help flat owners 'in limbo' - BBC News", "Brexit: UK and Canada agree deal to keep trading under EU terms - BBC News", "Shopping: Almost one in five shops in Wales empty - BBC News", "Bristol rave: Injuries 'caused by police dog' investigated - BBC News", "Hackney shooting: Woman in life-threatening condition - BBC News", "Shark attack in Western Australia kills man near Cable Beach - BBC News", "Kellogg's and Britvic attack plan to ban junk food ads online - BBC News", "Archbishop of Canterbury: Justin Welby warns against foreign aid cut - BBC News", "Cardiff violence: Six hurt in disorder and stabbings - BBC News", "GCSEs: Exam uncertainty for Wales' home-schooled students - BBC News", "Covid patients still being sent to care homes without negative tests - BBC News", "California's Covid curfew to begin, as US cases hit 12-million mark - BBC News", "Guatemala: Congress on fire after protesters storm building - BBC News", "Caroline Kayll death: Paul Robson charged with Linton murder - BBC News", "Covid-19: FDA allows emergency use of antibody drug Regeneron - BBC News", "Covid: Seven things that may be different this Christmas - BBC News", "Rishi Sunak says Spending Review will not spell austerity - BBC News", "Covid-19: Strengthened tier system for England after lockdown - BBC News", "Shooting The Darkness: Capturing the violence of the Troubles - BBC News", "Woman seriously hurt in Bargeddie suspected gas blast - BBC News", "Sussex: One rescued and two missing as fishing boat sinks - BBC News", "Bike from Banksy's Nottingham hula-hooping girl vanishes - BBC News", "The world's deepest diving pool in Poland - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain: Exits give chance to 'reset government' - BBC News", "Stuck inside? Our presenters offer their cultural picks - BBC News", "Storm Vamco hits Vietnam as Philippines rescues survivors - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Italy extends 'red zones' as infections soar - BBC News", "Covid: Pub goers urged to help save Christmas trade - BBC News", "Greggs to cut 820 jobs amid lockdown sales slump - BBC News", "Port Talbot steelworks: 'Resist speculation' over future - BBC News", "Children in Need: Audience-free show raises £37m - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings leaves Downing Street: Top aide's career highlights - BBC News", "Phillip Cocu: Derby part company with manager with club bottom of Championship - BBC Sport", "Covid: Children more likely to be infected in second wave - BBC News", "Nurse Lucy Letby denied bail in baby murders case - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings: How does he now earn a living? - BBC News", "Extra £40m for green spaces in England, Boris Johnson pledges - BBC News", "Covid-19: Stop anti-vaccination fake news online with new law says Labour - BBC News", "Falkland islanders celebrate being landmine free - after nearly 40 years - BBC News", "Princess Diana's note to BBC about Panorama interview recovered - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings: What led to top adviser's departure? - BBC News", "Students: Places to be awarded using actual grades - BBC News", "Iran denies al-Qaeda leader was killed in Tehran - BBC News", "Kylie Minogue sets UK chart records with her new album, Disco - BBC News", "EU-UK talks: 'Make or break' moment approaching, say both sides - BBC News", "Covid-19: Heart deaths increase and testing for care home visitors - BBC News", "Titanic letter by 'brave' pastor John Harper sells for £42k - BBC News", "Duke's birthday wishes for Prince Charles - BBC News", "Man warned by police after shouting 'wakey wakey' in Gosport - BBC News", "Covid: Romania hospital blaze kills at least 10 infected patients - BBC News", "Covid-19: Next two weeks 'crucial' for ending England lockdown - BBC News", "Yorkshire Ripper death: Force apology over victim descriptions - BBC News", "England 40-0 Georgia: Jamie George scores hat-trick in six-try victory - BBC Sport", "Nagorno-Karabakh: One family's tragedy - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings: PM's top adviser leaves No 10 to 'clear the air' - BBC News", "Prince Charles speaks of UK and Germany's 'enduring connections' - BBC News", "Covid: Leicester's lockdown Diwali 'is like our Christmas gone' - BBC News", "R number for UK has fallen to between 1 and 1.2 - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Austria locks down as new wave grips Europe - BBC News", "US election: Trump speaks for first time in public since defeat - BBC News", "Rugby Championship: Argentina beat New Zealand for first time with shock 25-15 victory - BBC Sport", "Hurricane Iota 'rapidly strengthens' on path to Central America - BBC News", "School laptops: Unions warn of devices shortage - BBC News", "Spotlight on domestic abuse: How lockdown created a 'perfect storm' - BBC News", "US 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News", "Covid-19: Wales A-level and GCSE decision to be announced - BBC News", "Militant Islamists 'behead more than 50' in Mozambique - BBC News", "Parler 'free speech' app tops charts in wake of Trump defeat - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: No guarantees on Pfizer roll-out but NHS ready - Hancock - BBC News", "Covid: NHS staff helped through crisis by 'wobble room' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: NI 'could receive 570,000 doses of vaccine' - BBC News", "US election 2020: Biden calls Trump refusal to concede 'an embarrassment' - BBC News", "Chester hospital baby deaths probe: Nurse Lucy Letby rearrested - BBC News", "Brexit: Government's bill suffers heavy House of Lords defeat - BBC News", "Covid-19: Vaccine plans as unemployment rises again - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Has your area changed level? - BBC News", "Covid-19: Global stock markets rocket on vaccine hopes - BBC News", "I'm A Celebrity: Castle owner 'thought ITV email was spam' - BBC News", "Mary Wollstonecraft statue: 'Mother of feminism' sculpture provokes backlash - BBC News", "Scooby-Doo co-creator Ken Spears dies aged 82 - BBC News", "Greg Clarke resigns as Football Association chairman after remark about black players - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Husband of test and trace boss to self-isolate - BBC News", "Boris Johnson congratulates Joe Biden in phone call - BBC News", "Catholic Church abuse: Cardinal Vincent Nichols criticised over leadership - BBC News", "Bisto and Ambrosia custard-firm Premier Foods sees Covid boost - BBC News", "'Inhuman' use of restraint on disabled patients - BBC News", "Two-million-year-old skull of human 'cousin' unearthed - BBC News", "Indyref2: Scottish battle lines drawn again in run-up to May's election - BBC News", "Coronavirus: NI Executive fails to reach decision on restrictions - BBC News", "Kidderminster Harriers pie man Brian Murdoch dies - BBC News", "Rock mining with microbes may aid space explorers - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Boris Johnson warns of 'several more hurdles' - BBC News", "Marcus Rashford thanks artist for Withington mural - BBC News", "Covid: Tory MPs form group to oppose future lockdowns - BBC News", "Lockdown children forget how to use knife and fork - BBC News", "NHS Wales: Ten-fold increase in patients waiting for treatment - BBC News", "Student Covid tests for Christmas holiday from 30 November - BBC News", "Mother bear and cub shot after climbing onto Russian nuclear submarine - BBC News", "US election 2020: Biden beats Trump - as it happened - BBC News", "Man arrested in hunt for south-west London suspected rapist - BBC News", "Chelsea town houses collapse forces evacuations - BBC News", "Matiu Ratana funeral: Mourners remember officer killed in line of duty - BBC News", "US Election: Twitter hides Trump tweet about 'disappearing' lead - BBC News", "US election: Mystery robocalls urge voters to 'stay home' - BBC News", "US election: Trump supporter replaces neighbour's stolen Biden sign - BBC News", "M&S suffers first loss in 94 years as clothing slumps - BBC News", "PMQs: Boris Johnson questioned ahead of lockdown vote - BBC News", "Bristol illegal rave organiser fined £10,000 - BBC News", "Covid: Care home visits advice impractical, say charities - BBC News", "Great British Bake Off star Luis Troyano dies at 48 - BBC News", "Manchester Arena Inquiry: Risk assessment was 'box ticking' - BBC News", "US election 2020: Beer and angst as White House party defies another protocol - BBC News", "Earwax test could reveal stress levels - BBC News", "Covid: Destructive rules only current option, says Chris Whitty - BBC News", "Glitch caused self-isolation orders to be too long - BBC News", "US election 2020: How to follow the results on the BBC - BBC News", "Covid-19: The last thing I bought before England's lockdown 2.0 - BBC News", "Mass exodus of students is expected as lockdown starts - BBC News", "Claire Parry death: PC Timothy Brehmer to have sentence reviewed - BBC News", "Rutland: England's McDonald's-free county gets restaurant - BBC News", "Twitter bans David Icke over Covid misinformation - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Extremely vulnerable advised not to go to work from Thursday - BBC News", "Curious, hopeful, nervous... voters react - BBC News", "Alcohol licensing: Carál Ní Chuilín says law changes strike right balance - BBC News", "Covid: Small shops better at surviving virus than big ones - BBC News", "TikTok star Emily Canham falls foul of UK ads watchdog - BBC News", "UK terrorism threat level raised to 'severe' - BBC News", "John Lewis and Currys PC World extend hours ahead of lockdown - BBC News", "John Sessions: Stephen Fry leads tributes to 'lovable' comedian - BBC News", "US election results: Does Trump or Biden have the easier path to victory? - BBC News", "US election results: Tables turned as Trump voters start to worry - BBC News", "US Election 2020: Biden makes statement in Delaware - BBC News", "A68 iceberg on collision path with South Georgia - BBC News", "Covid: MPs vote to back four-week England lockdown - BBC News", "US election 2020: We put Republicans and Democrats in a group chat - BBC News", "Covid-19: All pupils and staff must wear masks in secondary school corridors - BBC News", "As it happened: MPs approve England's second coronavirus lockdown - BBC News", "Covid: MPs to vote on England's four-week lockdown - BBC News", "More than 100 beached whales saved off Sri Lanka - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Living with children 'no increased risk' - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "US election 2020: Would Trump or Biden be best for the UK? - BBC News", "US election 2020: A night of voting and results - BBC News", "Covid-19: MPs vote and lockdown lessons - BBC News", "New Zealand: Book pulled after author criticises Maori tattoo - BBC News", "Diego Maradona: Surgery on brain blood clot successful, says doctor - BBC Sport", "Takeaway beer sales 'will make a significant difference' - BBC News", "John Lewis and Lloyds Bank cut many hundreds of jobs - BBC News", "US election 2020: The people behind the political memes you share - BBC News", "Lucy McHugh murder: Southampton agencies 'missed chances to save her' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Lockdown countdown and care homes guidance - BBC News", "Over-55s growing less satisfied with the BBC, Ofcom says - BBC News", "Manchester Arena Inquiry: Prisoner in touch with bomber to be released - BBC News", "Christmas Covid rules 'not an instruction to meet up' - BBC News", "Domestic abuse: Six women murdered after reporting partner - BBC News", "Fantastic Beasts: Mads Mikkelsen replaces Johnny Depp - BBC News", "Covid and flooding: Rhondda Cynon Taf people 'need trauma support' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Limit contacts before Christmas bubbling, executive urges - BBC News", "Turkey court jails hundreds for life for 2016 coup plot against Erdogan - BBC News", "Covid: King's College Carol service will have no congregation - BBC News", "Oscar Saxelby-Lee turns on Worcester Christmas lights - BBC News", "'Glasgow's tallest building' plan to be unveiled - BBC News", "Covid: US doctor's video simulates what dying patient sees - BBC News", "Covid Christmas rules: Caution urged over household mixing - BBC News", "I'm A Celebrity: Police issue 'advice' over bug use - BBC News", "Diego Maradona: Obituary - Argentina's flawed football icon - BBC Sport", "Swansea bus crash: Driver Eric Vice charged over death - BBC News", "Covid: PM leads briefing as millions in England face tough curbs - BBC News", "Bolton park stab death: Woman killed girl, 7 - BBC News", "Meghan: Duchess of Sussex tells of miscarriage 'pain and grief' - BBC News", "Nicola Sturgeon wants indyref2 'early in next parliament' - BBC News", "Diego Maradona dies: Three days of mourning begin in Argentina as tributes pour in - BBC Sport", "Coronavirus: Concern as FGM reports fall during pandemic - BBC News", "Jack Whitehall 'dwarf' routine complaints upheld - BBC News", "Covid-19 tiers: Almost all of England facing tough virus rules - BBC News", "Union backlash over public sector pay freeze - BBC News", "Ex-Great Ormond Street porter Paul Farrell, 55, faces sex charges - BBC News", "Johnny Depp libel case appeal bid turned down - BBC News", "Covid: Pub industry warns it faces 'darkest of moments' - BBC News", "Trawler sinking: 'Hero' skipper tried to save crew member - BBC News", "Spending Review: Unemployed predicted to rise to 2.6 million - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Sturgeon warns over Christmas meetups - BBC News", "Covid-19: Estonia and Latvia taken off travel corridor list - BBC News", "Covid: Policing lockdown 'challenging' because of public's 'fatigue' - BBC News", "Covid crisis could 'cut pay by £1,200 a year by 2025' - BBC News", "Diego Maradona: Argentina legend dies aged 60 - BBC Sport", "Coronavirus pandemic: Germany seeks EU deal to close ski resorts - BBC News", "Kylie Moore-Gilbert: Lecturer released by Iran 'in prisoner swap' - BBC News", "M4 congestion: Call for public transport boost to ease M4 jams - BBC News", "Covid-19: Tougher post-lockdown rules 'strike a balance', says PM - BBC News", "Kylie Moore-Gilbert: Academic says Iran detention was 'long and traumatic' - BBC News", "Boohoo appoints former judge Sir Brian Leveson to probe company's ethics - BBC News", "Brexit: Barnier arrives in UK for face-to-face talks - BBC News", "Elizabeth Dixon death inquiry 'exposes 20-year cover-up' of mistakes - BBC News", "Moment 180 mph motorcyclist in T-shirt is caught - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Coronavirus infections levelling during England lockdown - BBC News", "Krispy Kreme price swap PC sacked for gross misconduct - BBC News", "M4 congestion: Spend £800m on public transport, report says - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Covid: England's regional tiers to be set out - BBC News", "Social care funding falls 'alarmingly short' - council directors - BBC News", "Spending Review: Council tax likely to rise, says think-tank - BBC News", "Halima Aden quits runway modelling over religious views - BBC News", "Spending review: Families face 'agonising uncertainty' over benefits decision - BBC News", "Covid tiers 'a mortal blow' to hospitality - BBC News", "Coal tip securing 'could cost more than £500m' in Wales - BBC News", "Boris Johnson appoints new chief of staff after Cummings exit - BBC News", "Paris police officers suspended over beating of black music producer - BBC News", "Diego Maradona: Argentina legend's career in pictures - BBC Sport", "Covid: Don't hug elderly relatives at Christmas warns Chris Whitty - BBC News", "Hate crime probe launched into Telford school attack - BBC News", "Swansea bus crash: Injured Jessica Jing Ren dies - BBC News", "Manchester Arena: Man sentenced for fraud linked to attack - BBC News", "Slavery: 200 memorials linked to slave trade and activists in Wales - BBC News", "Amazon spends $500m on bonuses for Christmas staff - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Eight-person limit for Christmas bubbles - BBC News", "Starmer urged not to let Corbyn back into parliamentary party - BBC News", "London taxis stored in fields as passenger demand 'evaporates' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Twins delivered in Birmingham while mother in coma - BBC News", "Covid: Boris Johnson appears at Prime Minister's Questions via video - BBC News", "Covid-19: South Australia to enter 'circuit breaker' lockdown - BBC News", "US Election 2020: The 'dead voters' in Michigan who are still alive - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Police fine 29 at Blackburn wedding party - BBC News", "Lockdown loneliness reaches record levels - BBC News", "McDonald's sorry for stopping couriers using toilets - BBC News", "As it happened: Virtual Prime Minister's Questions - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Police issue 210 tougher Covid fines in past week - BBC News", "Fibrus wins £165m deal to improve rural broadband - BBC News", "NI Civil Service at 'critical crossroads' over staffing pressures - BBC News", "Defence secretary denies plan to mothball British army tanks - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "House prices rise as Covid sparks rural relocation - BBC News", "Covid: Four UK nations discuss joint Christmas approach - BBC News", "Covid spending: Watchdog finds MPs' contacts were given priority - BBC News", "Wrexham FC: Rob McElhenney pays £6,000 to adapt fan's home - BBC News", "Brexit: Lords defeat government twice over internal market law - BBC News", "Covid: More Wales restrictions 'inevitable' if cases rise - BBC News", "Egypt arrests human rights group's staff in 'chilling escalation' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Health minister gives Northern Ireland update - BBC News", "World's only known white giraffe fitted with tracker to deter poachers - BBC News", "Go-between paid £21m in taxpayer funds for NHS PPE - BBC News", "Apple slashes commission fees to developers on its App Store - BBC News", "Covid-19: Family Christmas get-togethers being considered - BBC News", "Clothes and food price rises push inflation higher - BBC News", "Covid-19: Care home visit ban 'traumatising relatives' - BBC News", "Climate change: Warmer winters linked to increased drowning risk - BBC News", "Dementia in football: PFA to create taskforce to examine issue of brain injury diseases - BBC Sport", "Vincent Reffet: French 'Jetman' dies in training accident - BBC News", "Covid Christmas rules 'won't be agreed for weeks' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Head of NHS Test and Trace Dido Harding self-isolating - BBC News", "As-it-happened: Pfizer coronavirus vaccine '95% effective and safe' - BBC News", "Trump fires election security official who contradicted him - BBC News", "Ban on new petrol and diesel cars in UK from 2030 under PM's green plan - BBC News", "Essex lorry deaths: Accused 'devastated' over container deaths - BBC News", "Lord Feldman: Department of Health adviser's firm took work from Covid company - BBC News", "Kenya arrests four more after BBC Africa Eye baby stealers exposé - BBC News", "Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin hits three-year high as investors jump in - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Tributes paid as couple dies 12 hours apart - BBC News", "Jeremy Corbyn: Labour readmits ex-leader after anti-Semitism row - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Pfizer says '94% effective in over-65s' - BBC News", "Hurricane Iota: At least 30 dead in strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year - BBC News", "Brexit: Welsh ministers want control of EU aid replacement - BBC News", "Little Mix: Jesy Nelson takes break for medical reasons - BBC News", "Rupert Grint breaks Sir David Attenborough's Instagram record - BBC News", "Boeing's 737 Max cleared to fly in the US after crashes - BBC News", "Covid: Lockdown 'should continue for months' in Merthyr - BBC News", "Kenya to probe baby stealers following BBC Africa Eye exposé - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Doctors spell out how to exit England's lockdown - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Boris Johnson 'proud' of PPE contracts - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Facebook accused of forcing staff back to offices - BBC News", "Defence funding boost 'extends British influence', says PM - BBC News", "Suspended prison terms over West Aberthaw dumper truck death - BBC News", "Is this really a green revolution? - BBC News", "Covid: Liverpool testing trial sites doubled after queues on first day - BBC News", "Brexit: 'Significant differences remain' over trade deal - BBC News", "Swindon police shooting: Man dies after street row - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Remembrance Sunday: People urged to join two-minute silence on doorstep - BBC News", "Covid-19: Monday NI Executive meeting to look at current restrictions - BBC News", "US election: What a Biden presidency means for the UK - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Hauliers included in Denmark restrictions - BBC News", "Jill Biden: From teacher to US first lady - BBC News", "Queen wears face mask as she marks Unknown Warrior centenary - BBC News", "US election 2020: How Biden voters think nation can heal - BBC News", "School meals: Pressure mounts on government to reverse decision - BBC News", "Lord Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi, dies aged 72 - BBC News", "Princess Diana's brother makes new BBC interview allegations - BBC News", "Marcus Rashford school meals petition passes 1m signatures - BBC News", "Covid: Remembrance Sunday scaled back and swan's lockdown love - BBC News", "Covid: How is Europe lifting lockdown restrictions? - BBC News", "US election: Biden supporters' messages to Trump voters - BBC News", "US election result: What Biden's victory means for rest of world - BBC News", "Alex Trebek: Jeopardy! game show host dies with cancer aged 80 - BBC News", "China sends 'world's first 6G' test satellite into orbit - BBC News", "I'm A Celebrity: Mo Farah, Shane Richie and Victoria Derbyshire sign up - BBC News", "US election 2020: Biden beats Trump - as it happened - BBC News", "US election 2020: Agony and ecstasy as Americans react to Biden's win - BBC News", "Marcus Rashford welcomes school holiday support climbdown - BBC News", "US election 2020: How the world reacted to a Biden win - BBC News", "US Election 2020: Moment BBC projects Biden victory on TV - BBC News", "Canary Islands sees 1,600 migrants arrive over weekend - BBC News", "Pandora paying all staff in full through pandemic - BBC News", "Coronavirus: UK bans Denmark visitors over mink Covid-19 fears - BBC News", "Boris Johnson congratulates Joe Biden on US election win - BBC News", "Rupert Bear turns 100: The adventures continue - BBC News", "Milton Keynes murder inquiry: Boy, 16, arrested after death of 17-year-old - BBC News", "US election results: Five reasons Biden won - BBC News", "US election 2020: Why Donald Trump lost - BBC News", "Remembrance Sunday: Queen leads scaled-back events - BBC News", "Man fined after 60 turn up to party at Manchester flat - BBC News", "Japan prince Fumihito declared heir to throne - BBC News", "Jesy Nelson out of Little Mix: The Search final - BBC News", "Greater Manchester's NHS hospitals suspend non-urgent care - BBC News", "Just Park apologises after scammers place fake parking space ads - BBC News", "Gower sinkhole: Road opens after repairs - BBC News", "Remembrance Sunday: Soldier silhouettes set up at Blenheim Palace - BBC News", "Covid case rise 'plateauing' as Wales firebreak lockdown nears end - BBC News", "US election 2020: Why do different news sites have different tallies? - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Denmark imposes lockdowns amid mink covid fears - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Back to the Future actress Elsa Raven dies - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: 'Cautious optimism' over spread of virus - BBC News", "Ilford father admits killing his children during lockdown - BBC News", "Uber sees 'fundamental shift' in food delivery demand - BBC News", "Fortnite set to return to iPhones via Nvidia cloud gaming service - BBC News", "Covid: Regulator criticises data used to justify lockdown - BBC News", "More calls for help for arts freelancers who 'face using food banks' - BBC News", "Man charged with raping and kidnapping teenage girl - BBC News", "Covid: London anti-lockdown protest leads to 104 arrests - BBC News", "Former BHS owner jailed for six years for tax evasion - BBC News", "US election 2020: Why do different news sites have different tallies? - BBC News", "Covid: Care home visits advice impractical, say charities - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Boris Johnson stresses 'stay at home' message for England - BBC News", "Covid: Almost half of Welsh schools report cases - BBC News", "Covid: Furlough extension prompts delay apology call in Wales - BBC News", "Covid: PM says England's four-week lockdown will make 'real impact' - BBC News", "Premier League clubs likely to scrap pay-per-view model for second lockdown period - BBC Sport", "Woman arrested for taking mum, 97, from care home - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Record 100,000 new Covid cases reported in US - BBC News", "Covid-19: Warning over tough fines as new lockdown begins - BBC News", "What Not To Wear star Susannah Constantine reveals alcohol battle - BBC News", "Sainsbury's to cut 3,500 jobs and close 420 Argos stores - BBC News", "Covid-19: Assisted dying travel allowed during lockdown, says Hancock - BBC News", "Captain Sir Tom Moore walking pledge to 'help lonely' - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Oscar Saxelby-Lee turns on Worcester Christmas lights - BBC News", "Ex-Great Ormond Street porter admits child sex abuse - BBC News", "Krispy Kreme price swap PC sacked for gross misconduct - BBC News", "Taiwan lawmakers throw pig guts and punches - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Covid: People in tier two 'will have to leave pub after meal' - BBC News", "Covid: Close schools early for Christmas, says union - BBC News", "Covid-19: New guidance issued for click and collect services - BBC News", "Covid-19: Estonia and Latvia taken off travel corridor list - BBC News", "Topshop owner in talks over Arcadia £30m lifeline - BBC News", "Covid in Wales: Greater restrictions for pubs ahead of Christmas - BBC News", "Adrian Ismay murder: Christopher Robinson is jailed for 22 years - BBC News", "Hundreds get wrong results due to Covid test error - BBC News", "Lockdown asylum freeze puts Iraqi doctor 'in limbo' - BBC News", "Sir Philip Green: From 'king of the High Street' to 'unacceptable face of capitalism' - BBC News", "Covid: Woman left blind after treatment delayed in pandemic - BBC News", "Strictly Come Dancing: Bruno Tonioli to miss 2020 final in person - BBC News", "Bristol Zoo to leave Clifton site after 185 years - BBC News", "Black Friday: Next, M&S and Wilko shun sales event - BBC News", "Nottinghamshire's return to tiers is 'a kick in the teeth' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Calls in Denmark to dig up millions of dead mink - BBC News", "Super League Grand Final: Wigan 4-8 St Helens - BBC Sport", "Nigel Owens: Welshman on becoming the first to referee 100 Tests - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Mass testing a 'distraction' from vaccine rollout - health leaders - BBC News", "Bolton park stab death: Woman killed girl, 7 - BBC News", "Covid tiers 'a mortal blow' to hospitality - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "Covid-19: Tougher post-lockdown rules 'strike a balance', says PM - BBC News", "Nicola Sturgeon wants indyref2 'early in next parliament' - BBC News", "Paris police officers suspended over beating of black music producer - BBC News", "R number for UK below 1 for first time since August - BBC News", "Covid: UK R number falls amid tightened restrictions - BBC News", "Ecclestone burglary trial: Accused 'was in London for client' - BBC News", "Covid tiers: Boris Johnson says measures will bring clarity - BBC News", "Italian serenaded by husband outside hospital dies - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Limit contacts before Christmas bubbling, executive urges - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Talks held over extending Christmas holidays - BBC News", "Maradona: Anger over funeral home photos with legend's open coffin - BBC News", "Macron 'shame' at beating of black man by Paris police officers - BBC News", "Covid: Don't hug elderly relatives at Christmas warns Chris Whitty - BBC News", "Brexit: Barnier arrives in UK for face-to-face talks - BBC News", "Cancer: Blood test for 50 types to be trialled by NHS - BBC News", "PC had sex with woman in Launceston police station toilet - BBC News", "Covid: King's College Carol service will have no congregation - BBC News", "Amazon spends $500m on bonuses for Christmas staff - BBC News", "Covid Christmas: 'Avoid board games and sleepovers' - BBC News", "Diego Maradona: Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser relives 'Hand of God' match - BBC Sport", "Robert Duff disappearance: Police search Highgate Pond - BBC News", "Universities and colleges face Covid funding shortfalls - BBC News", "US election: Technical error blamed for PM's Biden tweet glitch - BBC News", "'Largest ever auctioned' purple-pink diamond sells for $26.6m (£20.1m) - BBC News", "British Cycling: Senior coach Kevin Stewart sacked for 'inappropriate relationships' with riders - BBC Sport", "Newly discovered primate 'already facing extinction' - BBC News", "Harry Dunn: Suspect never entitled to immunity court told - BBC News", "Reading stabbings: Man admits knife murders of three victims - BBC News", "New Yorker fires Jeffrey Toobin for exposing himself on Zoom - BBC News", "Greg Clarke resigns as Football Association chairman after remark about black players - BBC Sport", "Post-Brexit trade talks to continue next week - BBC News", "Rugby School to sell 'rare' Shakespeare and Dickens books - BBC News", "Catholic Church abuse: Cardinal Vincent Nichols criticised over leadership - BBC News", "Armistice Day: Centenary of Unknown Warrior burial marked - BBC News", "Climate change: Protecting the rainforest through your shopping basket - BBC News", "Guinness recalls alcohol-free beer just two weeks after launch - BBC News", "Russian Covid vaccine shows encouraging results - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "Cambridge MP writes to Matt Hancock over anorexia inquests - BBC News", "Coronavirus: New York imposes measures in 'last chance' against new wave - BBC News", "Anglesey has 'best site in UK for nuclear plant' - BBC News", "Scottish National 5 exams to be cancelled in 2021 - BBC News", "School laptops: Unions warn of devices shortage - BBC News", "Coronavirus: The lives lost in a single day - BBC News", "Covid: Exam cancellation prompts fears over teachers' workload - BBC News", "Claudia Webbe: Leicester MP denies harassment charge - BBC News", "John Rahm shot: Spaniard holes incredible effort across a pond during Masters practice - BBC Sport", "Covid: Four UK nations discuss joint Christmas approach - BBC News", "Brexit: Firms not ready for transition, says Welsh minister - BBC News", "Partially sighted woman abused over social distancing - BBC News", "Marcus Rashford thanks artist for Withington mural - BBC News", "Student Covid tests for Christmas holiday from 30 November - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Testing plan to allow students home for Christmas - BBC News", "'Murder hornets': More nests likely to be found in US - BBC News", "Children in care 'failed' while some providers 'make millions' - BBC News", "Croydon Council bans new spending under Section 114 notice - BBC News", "Diversity: UPS relaxes rules on beards, braids and piercings - BBC News", "Publish Priti Patel bullying claims report, says PM's standards adviser - BBC News", "Northerners prefer football to ballet, Jake Berry MP says - BBC News", "US election 2020: Georgia to recount election ballots by hand - BBC News", "Covid-19: Three members of one NI family die in two weeks - BBC News", "Mary Wollstonecraft statue: 'Mother of feminism' sculpture provokes backlash - BBC News", "Covid-19: Universities plan, North 'hardest hit' and entrepreneurial dads - BBC News", "Capital gains tax: Rate should double, says government review - BBC News", "Covid: UK first country in Europe to pass 50,000 deaths - BBC News", "Boris Johnson congratulates Joe Biden in phone call - BBC News", "Edmonton police station car crash: Man arrested - BBC News", "PMQs: Boris Johnson takes MPs' questions - BBC News", "As it happened: UK first country in Europe to pass 50,000 deaths - BBC News", "I am desperate to go home, says student with vulnerable family - BBC News", "Covid: Tory MPs form group to oppose future lockdowns - BBC News", "Nóra Quoirin death: Mother heard voice in chalet, inquest told - BBC News", "Lee Cain: Top Boris Johnson aide quits amid infighting at No 10 - BBC News", "Rolls-Royce plans 16 mini-nuclear plants for UK - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Sheffield freight train derailment causes major travel disruption - BBC News", "Graham Norton to leave BBC Radio 2 after 10 years - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: No guarantees on Pfizer roll-out but NHS ready - Hancock - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Cancelling Higher exams cannot be ruled out - BBC News", "£3.6bn struggling English towns fund 'not impartial', say MPs - BBC News", "Peru clashes over President Vizcarra's impeachment - BBC News", "Kidderminster Harriers pie man Brian Murdoch dies - BBC News", "Several wounded in Remembrance Day bomb attack at Saudi cemetery - BBC News", "Chester hospital baby deaths: Nurse Lucy Letby charged with murder - BBC News", "Clothes and book sellers furious at lockdown rules - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain: Exits give chance to 'reset government' - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Ray Clemence: Former England goalkeeper dies aged 72 - BBC Sport", "Nagorno-Karabakh: 'We’ve lost an entire generation' - BBC News", "Nasa SpaceX launch: Astronaut crew heads to orbit - BBC News", "Islington baptism service halted by police due to lockdown rules - BBC News", "Essure: Women in England take legal action against sterilising-device maker - BBC News", "Vaccine rumours debunked: Microchips, 'altered DNA' and more - BBC News", "New homes plan revised after Tory backlash - BBC News", "Hundreds send birthday cards to Birmingham boy - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Nigeria Sars protest: Army chief denies firing live bullets at protesters in Lagos - BBC News", "Topshop owner in talks over Arcadia £30m lifeline - BBC News", "Covid 'more damaging' to Wales economy than pit closures - BBC News", "Covid: Children more likely to be infected in second wave - BBC News", "Extra £40m for green spaces in England, Boris Johnson pledges - BBC News", "Covid-19: Stop anti-vaccination fake news online with new law says Labour - BBC News", "Falkland islanders celebrate being landmine free - after nearly 40 years - BBC News", "Gordon Brown: Scotland needs 'time to heal' before any referendum - BBC News", "Covid: Face masks could be compulsory in Welsh secondary schools - BBC News", "Titanic letter by 'brave' pastor John Harper sells for £42k - BBC News", "Renewable energy: Could floating turbines power our homes? - BBC News", "Most statin problems caused by mysterious 'nocebo effect', study suggests - BBC News", "Covid: Romania hospital blaze kills at least 10 infected patients - BBC News", "Lewis Hamilton wins seventh Formula 1 title - equalling Michael Schumacher - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Next two weeks 'crucial' for ending England lockdown - BBC News", "Million MAGA March: Supporters explain why they're still backing Trump - BBC News", "Peru impeachment protests: Clashes with police turn deadly - BBC News", "Renewable energy: Could floating turbines power our homes? - BBC News", "Brexit: Trade deal sticking points 'can be resolved', says UK minister - BBC News", "Soumitra Chatterjee: India acting legend dies, aged 85 - BBC News", "'Ultimate entertainer' Des O'Connor dies aged 88 - BBC News", "Prince Charles speaks of UK and Germany's 'enduring connections' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Elon Musk 'likely has moderate case' - BBC News", "Boris Johnson self-isolating after MP tests positive for Covid-19 - BBC News", "I'm A Celebrity: Ant and Dec launch new series from Welsh castle - BBC News", "R number for UK has fallen to between 1 and 1.2 - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Austria locks down as new wave grips Europe - BBC News", "Covid: Leicester's lockdown Diwali 'is like our Christmas gone' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Normal life back next winter, says vaccine creator - BBC News", "Missing fishermen: Search off Sussex coast ends - BBC News", "Covid-19: Daily coronavirus test plan to cut contacts' 14-day self-isolation - BBC News", "Covid-19: Christmas get-together plan backed by UK nations - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Shamima Begum: Justice and the ISIS bride - BBC News", "Coronavirus: NI ministers agree lockdown financial support - BBC News", "BBC Radio 2: Claudia Winkleman replaces Graham Norton on Saturday mornings - BBC News", "Cornwall cooker deaths: 'Serious failings' by Beko - BBC News", "Covid: Boris Johnson to unveil post-English lockdown plans - BBC News", "Covid pub rules 'killing Christmas not saving it' - BBC News", "Tighter Covid restrictions in Wales before Christmas considered - BBC News", "It’s ‘sweet relief’ to be home, says US boy forced to threaten Trump in IS video - BBC News", "Trans teen in legal action over gender clinic wait - BBC News", "Scotland's national investment bank launches - BBC News", "Grenfell Tower: Cladding firm 'stretched the truth' on fire safety - BBC News", "Covid fears prompt 38% rise in parents home educating - BBC News", "Narwhal tusk hero a year on from London Bridge attack - BBC News", "Chinese spacecraft sets off on Moon sample quest - BBC News", "Free rail travel for domestic abuse victims extended - BBC News", "Bristol rave: Injuries 'caused by police dog' investigated - BBC News", "Hackney shooting: Woman in life-threatening condition - BBC News", "Covid-19 pandemic: Merkel 'worried' about vaccines for poor countries - BBC News", "Kellogg's and Britvic attack plan to ban junk food ads online - BBC News", "The world's deepest diving pool in Poland - BBC News", "Patrick Quinn: Ice Bucket Challenge activist dies aged 37 - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Restaurant owners angered by long shopping queues - BBC News", "Two Covid tests for students in England before quick Christmas exit - BBC News", "Banksy: Bike from hula-hooping girl 'removed for safekeeping' - BBC News", "Tributes to D-Day veteran who 'taught peace' to children - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Ban on outdoor grassroots sport set to be lifted in England when lockdown ends - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: PM sets out 'tougher' post-lockdown tiers for England - BBC News", "OED Word of the Year expanded for 'unprecedented' 2020 - BBC News", "As it happened: UK 'not out of woods' despite vaccines, says Boris Johnson - BBC News", "Covid rules 'disregarded' as Swale becomes second worst-hit area - BBC News", "Caroline Kayll death: Paul Robson charged with Linton murder - BBC News", "Rishi Sunak says Spending Review will not spell austerity - BBC News", "Covid-19: Strengthened tier system for England after lockdown - BBC News", "TikTok star Charli D'Amelio first to hit 100m followers - BBC News", "Snapchat Spotlight to pay users $1m a day for viral hits - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Relaxing of rules 'not expected' at Hogmanay - BBC News", "British Airways' big sell-off: Champagne flutes and trolleys - BBC News", "Bike from Banksy's Nottingham hula-hooping girl vanishes - BBC News", "Fans at sporting events: Maximum of 4,000 to be allowed in England - BBC Sport", "Labour chief whip demands apology from Jeremy Corbyn - BBC News", "Saudi Arabia denies crown prince held 'secret meeting' with Israeli PM - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Wrexham's high-rise police station demolished - BBC News", "Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion: Gareth Bale scores his first goal since re-joining Spurs - BBC Sport", "Oleksandr Usyk beats Derek Chisora on points in stylish display - BBC Sport", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Storm Aiden: 'Freak wave' near Isles of Scilly capsizes 34ft yacht - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Transport for London secures emergency £1.8bn bailout - BBC News", "Lockdown: Premier League, EFL and elite sport to continue in England - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Austria and Portugal announce restrictions - BBC News", "Lockdown: 'More sports face collapse without guidance' says shadow sports minister - BBC Sport", "Bristol illegal rave attended by 700 people - BBC News", "Covid-19: Prince William 'tested positive in April' - BBC News", "Lockdown: Government resists calls to shut schools in England - BBC News", "Charlie Hebdo trial suspended as suspect catches Covid-19 - BBC News", "Turkey earthquake: Search for survivors continues - BBC News", "Covid-19: Religious groups in England criticise lockdown worship ban - BBC News", "US election 2020: What has Trump said about your country? - BBC News", "US Election 2020: Biden and Trump in last weekend dash round swing states - BBC News", "Quebec stabbing: Two dead after attack by man in medieval clothes - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: 'Don't travel to England' warns first minister - BBC News", "Lyon attack: Orthodox priest wounded in shooting - BBC News", "US election 2020: Biden campaign begins Pennsylvania blitz in final stretch - BBC News", "Women's FA Cup final: Everton 1-3 Manchester City AET - BBC Sport", "Australia records zero Covid-19 cases for first time in five months - BBC News", "Covid lockdown: 'North worth less than South' mayor claims - BBC News", "Six Nations 2020: England win title after France beat Ireland - BBC Sport", "Sir Bobby Charlton: England World Cup winner diagnosed with dementia - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: The documents pushing Johnson to act - BBC News", "In pictures: Sir Sean Connery - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Boris Johnson launches the nuclear option he swore to avoid - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Spain's funeral homes strike as cases rise - BBC News", "Storm Aiden: Heavy rain and winds hit UK - BBC News", "Covid: Wales 'will not have local lockdowns after firebreak' - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Calls for clarity over furlough extension - BBC News", "Turkey earthquake: Search efforts continue for third day as death toll rises - BBC News", "NHS 'refuses' medical cannabis for children with epilepsy - BBC News", "Essex firefighters rescue three men from tumble dryer - BBC News", "Liverpool 2-1 West Ham United: Liverpool go top of Premier League table - BBC Sport", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "England v Iceland: Albania or Germany could host Nations League tie - BBC Sport", "US election results: Five US voters who changed the race - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Hauliers included in Denmark restrictions - BBC News", "Aldi extends click and collect to 200 more shops - BBC News", "Parler 'free speech' app tops charts in wake of Trump defeat - BBC News", "Marcus Rashford welcomes school holiday support climbdown - BBC News", "US election results: Five reasons Biden won - BBC News", "US election 2020: Why Donald Trump lost - BBC News", "Coronavirus vaccine: UK signs deals for 90 million virus vaccine doses - BBC News", "Newport driver jailed for 10 years for ramming scooter rider - BBC News", "Jill Biden: From teacher to US first lady - BBC News", "White Stuff boss loses bid to save unlawful Devon skate park - BBC News", "Militant Islamists 'behead more than 50' in Mozambique - BBC News", "US election: Biden supporters' messages to Trump voters - BBC News", "Hinckley railway bridge sits top of 'most bashed' chart - BBC News", "Covid: Hope for quarantine-free air travel - minister - BBC News", "Coronavirus: PM holds update after vaccine breakthrough - BBC News", "Brexit: EU and UK negotiators resume trade talks in London - BBC News", "Covid-19: Husband of test and trace boss to self-isolate - BBC News", "Coronavirus: NI Executive fails to reach decision on restrictions - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Boris Johnson warns of 'several more hurdles' - BBC News", "Global markets rally as Biden heads for White House - BBC News", "Covid case rise 'plateauing' as Wales firebreak lockdown nears end - BBC News", "Julia Rawson murder: Dudley 'flat of horrors' couple guilty - BBC News", "Covid: Lack of ventilator supplies 'hit' disabled people - BBC News", "Alex Trebek: Jeopardy! game show host dies with cancer aged 80 - BBC News", "Ed Sheeran collectibles fetch £400k at legacy auction - BBC News", "Canary Islands sees 1,600 migrants arrive over weekend - BBC News", "UK's nuclear future to be decided at key meeting - BBC News", "Covid-19: Global coronavirus cases pass 50 million - BBC News", "Japan prince Fumihito declared heir to throne - BBC News", "Four in 10 keep 'money secrets' from loved ones - BBC News", "US election 2020: Biden beats Trump - as it happened - BBC News", "Virgin Hyperloop pod transport tests first passenger journey - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "Emily Harrington free-climbs El Capitan summit in one day - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Swindon police shooting: Man dies after street row - BBC News", "Jack Mitchell death: Father jailed for manslaughter - BBC News", "Covid-19: 'I've been abused because my name is Corona' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Wales lockdown, medical supply shortages and I'm A Celeb - BBC News", "US election: What a Biden presidency means for the UK - BBC News", "US election 2020: How Biden voters think nation can heal - BBC News", "'Mutant coronavirus' seen before on mink farms, say scientists - BBC News", "Covid: NHS staff helped through crisis by 'wobble room' - BBC News", "I'm A Celebrity: Mo Farah, Shane Richie and Victoria Derbyshire sign up - BBC News", "Covid-19: Global stock markets rocket on vaccine hopes - BBC News", "US Election 2020: Moment BBC projects Biden victory on TV - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Easing of restrictions 'highly unlikely' - BBC News", "Remembrance Sunday: Queen leads scaled-back events - BBC News", "Deacon Cutterham's medal-winning heroic actions questioned ahead of auction - BBC News", "Mother bear and cub shot after climbing onto Russian nuclear submarine - BBC News", "Covid-19: Twins delivered in Birmingham while mother in coma - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: 'Difficult balance' over Christmas restrictions - BBC News", "Apple to pay $113m to settle iPhone 'batterygate' - BBC News", "Free school meals: Meals to be funded during holidays until 2022 - BBC News", "'Lamentable' defence spending decisions attacked by MPs - BBC News", "Covid-19: £300m rescue deal for sport, and 'I miss snogging!' - BBC News", "Coronavirus-hit sports to benefit from £300m emergency funding rescue package - BBC Sport", "Tocilizumab: Arthritis drug may treat severe Covid - BBC News", "Sir Anish Kapoor prints offered to museum fund donors - BBC News", "Concerns raised over maternity ward training and staffing - BBC News", "Covid: Seven things that may be different this Christmas - BBC News", "As it happened: More UK businesses struggle to make ends meet - BBC News", "Defence secretary denies plan to mothball British army tanks - BBC News", "Birmingham pub bombings: Man questioned over blasts - BBC News", "ComparetheMarket fined £17.9m over competition law breach - BBC News", "Pompeo makes unprecedented visits to Israeli settlement in West Bank and Golan - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Christmas socialising poses 'substantial risks' - scientist - BBC News", "Brexit: Top-level talks suspended after positive Covid test - BBC News", "Wrexham FC: Rob McElhenney pays £6,000 to adapt fan's home - BBC News", "Stirling pupils' penguin project pays off after new colony discovered - BBC News", "Blue whales have 'rediscovered' South Georgia - BBC News", "Jeremy Corbyn's lawyers challenge Labour over MP suspension - BBC News", "Brexit: Lords defeat government twice over internal market law - BBC News", "Coleen Rooney 'pointed finger' at Rebekah Vardy over story leaks - BBC News", "Covid-19: Family Christmas get-togethers being considered - BBC News", "Covid: Judge allows legal challenge into care home deaths - BBC News", "Royal Mail parcels overtake letters for first time - BBC News", "Climate change: Warmer winters linked to increased drowning risk - BBC News", "France's Macron asks Muslim leaders to back 'republican values' charter - BBC News", "Johnson promises 'overhaul' of post-Brexit foreign policy as he launches review - BBC News", "Publish Priti Patel bullying claims report, says PM's standards adviser - BBC News", "Covid-19: Israel and Sri Lanka added to travel corridor list - BBC News", "Cineworld eyes UK cinema closures and rescue deal - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Talks continue to reach agreement on restrictions - BBC News", "Manchester Uni vice-chancellor apologises over 'racial profiling' incident - BBC News", "Covid: Pentre funeral for mother and sons who died with coronavirus - BBC News", "Essex lorry deaths: Accused 'watched Netflix as migrants were loaded' - BBC News", "Brexit: UK 'will be less safe without EU security deal' - police chief - BBC News", "Sport set for government emergency funding rescue package - BBC Sport", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Queen and Prince Philip mark 73rd wedding anniversary with new photo - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Private baby scans show 'incredibly poor practice' - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Pfizer says '94% effective in over-65s' - BBC News", "Hurricane Iota: At least 30 dead in strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year - BBC News", "Priti Patel bullying report 'with the PM', says Mark Sedwill - BBC News", "Hong Kong: 'Five Eyes could be blinded,' China warns West - BBC News", "Fairytale of New York: BBC Radio 1 will not play original version - BBC News", "Peacocks and Jaeger collapse puts 4,700 jobs at risk - BBC News", "Covid: Oxford vaccine shows 'encouraging' immune response in older adults - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: First vaccine delivery due next month - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Facebook accused of forcing staff back to offices - BBC News", "Sony PlayStation 5 delivery delays spark row over who is to blame - BBC News", "Defence funding boost 'extends British influence', says PM - BBC News", "Obama memoir: What he really thought of Putin and other leaders - BBC News", "Buzzfeed to take over online news site HuffPost - BBC News", "HIV diagnoses in gay and bisexual men at 20-year low - BBC News", "Insurer RSA's shares soar on £7.2bn takeover talks - BBC News", "Brexit: Watchdog warns of 'significant' border disruption - BBC News", "Brexit: 'Significant differences remain' over trade deal - BBC News", "Sunny payday loan customers may get nothing in payouts - BBC News", "UK energy plant to use liquid air - BBC News", "Remembrance Sunday: People urged to join two-minute silence on doorstep - BBC News", "Self-employed people 'are being left in the dark' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Denmark imposes lockdowns amid mink covid fears - BBC News", "Ilford father admits killing his children during lockdown - BBC News", "'Toxic lockdown' sees huge rise in babies harmed or killed - BBC News", "Uber sees 'fundamental shift' in food delivery demand - BBC News", "Vienna shooting: Anti-terror chief suspended over intelligence bungle - BBC News", "Covid: Regulator criticises data used to justify lockdown - BBC News", "Covid: Johnson says Covid statistics 'irrefutable' amid new row - BBC News", "Poor diet: Children 20cm shorter as a result, analysis says - BBC News", "Averil Hart: 'Neglect and systemic failures caused anorexia death' - BBC News", "Covid: London anti-lockdown protest leads to 104 arrests - BBC News", "Former BHS owner jailed for six years for tax evasion - BBC News", "Covid app backed by Zara and Mike Tindall prompts safety concern - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Boris Johnson stresses 'stay at home' message for England - BBC News", "Edinburgh Woollen Mill collapse puts jobs at risk - BBC News", "Storm Eta: Around 150 feared dead in Guatemala - BBC News", "Manchester Arena Inquiry: Six wanted for questioning over bombing - BBC News", "Premier League clubs likely to scrap pay-per-view model for second lockdown period - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: Pentre mum and two sons die with coronavirus - BBC News", "Anne Hathaway apologises for portrayal of limb difference in The Witches - BBC News", "Rugby teenager Paul Dunleavy jailed for terror offences - BBC News", "Johnny Depp leaves Fantastic Beasts film franchise - BBC News", "As it happened: Rise in Covid infections slowing in UK, ONS says - BBC News", "What Not To Wear star Susannah Constantine reveals alcohol battle - BBC News", "US election results: Does Trump or Biden have the easier path to victory? - BBC News", "Geoffrey Palmer, TV and film actor, dies at 93 - BBC News", "Ariana Grande clashes with Tik Tok stars over pandemic partying - BBC News", "New lockdown: Manchester University fencing costing £11k removed - BBC News", "Covid: UK infections may be 'stabilising' and a pandemic-defying love story - BBC News", "Covid: Denmark removed from UK's travel corridor list - BBC News", "Coronavirus: NI ministers agree lockdown financial support - BBC News", "Injured military dog Kuno given 'animal Victoria cross' - BBC News", "Covid deaths show highest weekly total since May in Wales - BBC News", "No guarantees for leaseholders over cladding removal costs - BBC News", "Chinese spacecraft sets off on Moon sample quest - BBC News", "Coronavirus: French lockdown to ease after second peak passes - BBC News", "Christophe Dominici: French rugby legend dies aged 48 - BBC News", "Police probed after black woman punched during arrest - BBC News", "US election results: Five reasons Biden won - BBC News", "Deaths in UK 'a fifth higher than normal levels' - BBC News", "Harry Dunn's parents lose High Court immunity review - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK leaders reach deal on easing of Christmas rules - BBC News", "British Airways' big sell-off: Champagne flutes and trolleys - BBC News", "Benefit scams worth £1bn foiled during lockdown - BBC News", "COVID-19: 'It doesn't feel like a lockdown' - BBC News", "Covid pub rules 'killing Christmas not saving it' - BBC News", "Grenfell Tower: Cladding firm 'stretched the truth' on fire safety - BBC News", "Education secretary 'unlawfully scrapped children's rights' - BBC News", "Most Black Friday products 'were same price or cheaper' beforehand - BBC News", "Elon Musk becomes world's second richest person - BBC News", "US election: Biden supporters' messages to Trump voters - BBC News", "Trump's legal battles: How six cases may play out - BBC News", "Labour Party: Corbyn backers walk out of meeting in suspension row - BBC News", "Amazon sorry for Sidewalk 'confusion' - BBC News", "Covid: King Felipe of Spain in quarantine after contact - BBC News", "Pets at Home says pets have been 'a lifesaver' during lockdown - BBC News", "Cornwall cooker deaths: 'Serious failings' by Beko - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Restaurant owners angered by long shopping queues - BBC News", "Brexit: Hauliers fear 'mayhem' at Holyhead port - BBC News", "Grammys 2021: Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa lead nominations - BBC News", "I'm a Celebrity castle crash: Sharn Hughes dies taking photo - BBC News", "Charles Darwin: Notebooks worth millions lost for 20 years - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Ulster University warns of creative sector impact - BBC News", "NI council sick leave highest in the UK - BBC News", "Stephen Ellison: Diplomat who saved drowning woman given banner - BBC News", "Antrim dinosaur bones 'belong to different species' - BBC News", "Snapchat Spotlight to pay users $1m a day for viral hits - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Relaxing of rules 'not expected' at Hogmanay - BBC News", "Was the scientific advice for lockdown flawed? - BBC News", "Fans at sporting events: Maximum of 4,000 to be allowed in England - BBC Sport", "‘Collapse’ in secondary school attendance warning - BBC News", "As it happened: UK ministers set out Christmas restrictions - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Doctor Who, Call the Midwife and Mrs Brown on BBC Christmas TV line-up - BBC News", "Spending Review: Chancellor outlines government spending plans - BBC News", "President Trump pardons US Thanksgiving turkey, Corn, at White House - BBC News", "Government set to pass new laws to cut UK overseas aid budget - BBC News", "US shares set records as investor optimism grows - BBC News", "Two Covid tests for students in England before quick Christmas exit - BBC News", "Covid-19: Three households can mix over Christmas in UK - BBC News", "Don't go to work when sick, 'peculiar' Brits told - BBC News", "Covid-19: PM sets out 'tougher' post-lockdown tiers for England - BBC News", "Labour chief whip demands apology from Jeremy Corbyn - BBC News", "Covid-19: Bradford salon fined £17,000 for lockdown opening - BBC News", "Xbox and Call of Duty cause record broadband data use in UK - BBC News", "'Largest ever auctioned' purple-pink diamond sells for $26.6m (£20.1m) - BBC News", "Dominic Cummings: How does he now earn a living? - BBC News", "Sheffield freight train derailment disruption 'to last for days' - BBC News", "Australia Post to support use of Aboriginal place names on mail - BBC News", "Covid-19: Big jump in UK cases a reminder of need to act - Alok Sharma - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Rapid tests in care homes a 'game-changer' - BBC News", "New Yorker fires Jeffrey Toobin for exposing himself on Zoom - BBC News", "Labour should apologise for Brexit policy, say key Corbyn allies - BBC News", "Nóra Quoirin death: Girl's feet 'dirty but not damaged', inquest hears - BBC News", "Can Starmer keep hold of his party machine? - BBC News", "Coronavirus: New York imposes measures in 'last chance' against new wave - BBC News", "Octavian dropped by record label after abuse allegations - BBC News", "Covid-19: MPs with cancer 'excluded' from cancer debate - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Year-long waits for hospital care in England worst since 2008 - BBC News", "US election 2020: Republicans must 'accept reality', Democrats say - BBC News", "Covid: Four UK nations discuss joint Christmas approach - BBC News", "Covid: UK daily cases reach new high of 33,470 - BBC News", "Queen's Platinum Jubilee to include extra bank holiday - BBC News", "Grange University Hospital: Concerns over patient safety - BBC News", "Tensions at No 10 play out over top role - BBC News", "Stonehenge A303 tunnel plan approved by transport secretary - BBC News", "No 10 exit much more than a random resignation - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Safety officials had 'political' pressure to approve PPE - BBC News", "Is Vote Leave losing its muscle in Downing Street? - BBC News", "Birds' genetic secrets revealed in global DNA study - BBC News", "Covid: People arriving in UK from mainland Greece will need to isolate - BBC News", "PS5: PlayStation's 'most extraordinary' pandemic launch - BBC News", "Undercover officer targeted 'anti-establishment' left - BBC News", "'Murder hornets': More nests likely to be found in US - BBC News", "Brexit: UK has to 'knuckle down' and get a trade deal with EU - Irish PM - BBC News", "Croydon Council bans new spending under Section 114 notice - BBC News", "Scotland and Northern Ireland set for Euro 2020 play-off finals - BBC Sport", "Northerners prefer football to ballet, Jake Berry MP says - BBC News", "Chester hospital baby deaths: Nurse Lucy Letby in court - BBC News", "Covid: UK first country in Europe to pass 50,000 deaths - BBC News", "Edmonton police station car crash: Man arrested - BBC News", "Covid-19: Economy bounces back and hope yet for a family Christmas? - BBC News", "Are big retailers exploiting lockdown loopholes? - BBC News", "Lee Cain: Top Boris Johnson aide quits amid infighting at No 10 - BBC News", "Strictly Come Dancing: Nicola Adams exits after Katya Jones catches Covid - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Serbia 1-1 Scotland: Visitors win 5-4 on penalties to end 23-year finals wait - BBC Sport", "Black people 'twice as likely to catch coronavirus' - BBC News", "Belgian anaesthetist jailed for causing Brit's death while drunk - BBC News", "University Hospital of Wales smoker jailed for cigarette fire - BBC News", "Coronavirus: A&E visits in England down to record low - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Betsi Cadwaladr could start jabs next month - BBC News", "Hugo Boss drops Scouse slogan trademark action - BBC News", "Chester hospital baby deaths: Nurse Lucy Letby charged with murder - BBC News", "Manchester University students 'occupy' building in rent protest - BBC News", "Margam train deaths: Network Rail 'long-term safety failure' highlighted - BBC News", "Killed in 2019: Who has been brought to justice? - BBC News", "Covid rules: What are the restrictions in your area? - BBC News", "Ray Clemence: Former England goalkeeper dies aged 72 - BBC Sport", "Nasa SpaceX launch: Astronaut crew heads to orbit - BBC News", "FTSE 100 and Dow Jones jump on second Covid vaccine hopes - BBC News", "Boris Johnson 'called Scottish devolution disaster' - BBC News", "Islington baptism service halted by police due to lockdown rules - BBC News", "Brexit: PM confident UK 'will prosper' without EU trade deal - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: Level 4 move 'could help ease rules at Christmas' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Monday's update from health minister Vaughan Gething - BBC News", "Radio France Internationale publishes obituaries of people still alive - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "New homes plan revised after Tory backlash - BBC News", "Pandemic 'fuelling numbers of children out of school' - BBC News", "Covid vaccine: Major new trial starts in UK - BBC News", "NHS Covid-19 app suffers 'blue screen' glitch - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Executive aiming to 'protect' Christmas period - BBC News", "Bradford fire: Tyre blaze closes schools and brings travel chaos - BBC News", "Covid-19: Liverpool mass-testing finds 700 cases with no symptoms - BBC News", "Working from home could lead to more prejudice, report warns - BBC News", "Covid: Romania's 'hero' doctor taken to Belgium for treatment for severe burns - BBC News", "Capcom hack: Up to 350,000 people's information stolen - BBC News", "Covid Christmas rules 'won't be agreed for weeks' - BBC News", "Manchester Arena Inquiry: BTP 'let people down' on night of bomb - BBC News", "Clintons boss: Supermarkets selling greeting cards 'grossly unfair' - BBC News", "Hurricane Iota: Category Five storm heads for Central America - BBC News", "Alcohol ban comes into force on Scotland's rail network - BBC News", "Covid: England tier system may need strengthening - government adviser - BBC News", "Plea to Boris Johnson as Covid 'ravages' Hull - BBC News", "Manchester University student 'traumatised' by 'racial profiling' incident - BBC News", "Covid-19: Boris Johnson and six Tory MPs self-isolating after No 10 meeting - BBC News", "Most statin problems caused by mysterious 'nocebo effect', study suggests - BBC News", "Lewis Hamilton wins seventh Formula 1 title - equalling Michael Schumacher - BBC Sport", "As it happened: UK orders 5m doses of Moderna vaccine, Hancock says - BBC News", "Kamala Harris: Facebook removes racist posts about US vice-president-elect - BBC News", "Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney: Hollywood stars to take over Wrexham - BBC Sport", "Covid-19: New 'mega labs' in early 2021 to speed up testing - BBC News", "Covid and mental health: 'People don't feel entitled to help' - BBC News", "Covid-19: 'My pandemic work with dangerous prison leavers' - BBC News", "No shortage of flu vaccines in Northern Ireland says Swann - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Dentists warn millions of treatments have been missed - BBC News", "China rescue: UK diplomat jumps into river to save drowning student - BBC News", "Graham Norton lands weekend slot on Virgin Radio - BBC News", "The story of Britain's Black Power movement - BBC News", "'Ultimate entertainer' Des O'Connor dies aged 88 - BBC News", "Boris Johnson self-isolating after MP tests positive for Covid-19 - BBC News", "I'm A Celebrity: Ant and Dec launch new series from Welsh castle - BBC News", "Grenfell Tower insulation firm behaved 'dishonestly' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Normal life back next winter, says vaccine creator - BBC News", "Covid: Visitor tests in all care homes in England 'by Christmas' - BBC News", "Covid 'conspiracy theory' leaflets sent to homes - BBC News", "Free school meals: Meals to be funded during holidays until 2022 - BBC News", "Facebook's Instagram 'failed self-harm responsibilities' - BBC News", "Priti Patel: Summary of official report into bullying claims - BBC News", "Rebekah Vardy backed by High Court in Coleen Rooney libel hearing - BBC News", "Trump Twitter ‘hack’: Dutch police question researcher - BBC News", "Tocilizumab: Arthritis drug may treat severe Covid - BBC News", "Travel writer and journalist Jan Morris dies at 94 - BBC News", "Households face £21 rise in energy bills in 2021 - BBC News", "Coronavirus: 'No plans' for extended Christmas school break in NI - BBC News", "Donald Trump Jr tests positive for coronavirus - BBC News", "Covid: Pizza worker's 'lie' forced South Australia lockdown - BBC News", "Port troubles leave UK bookseller with no books - BBC News", "Profile: Priti Patel - BBC News", "Killer drug GHB 'should be reclassified', says official report - BBC News", "Woman guilty of fake cancer GoFundMe fundraising fraud - BBC News", "Covid antibodies 'last at least six months' - BBC News", "Covid-19: Flu jab push as Covid vaccine roll-out planned - BBC News", "Remembering Nuremberg 75 years on - BBC News", "Covid: Judge allows legal challenge into care home deaths - BBC News", "Ryan Giggs rebailed after denying assault claim - BBC News", "Publish Priti Patel bullying claims report, says PM's standards adviser - BBC News", "Jeremy Kyle 'may have caused or contributed to' guest Steve Dymond's death - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Head of NHS Test and Trace Dido Harding self-isolating - BBC News", "Manchester Uni vice-chancellor apologises over 'racial profiling' incident - BBC News", "Covid-19 carriers 'most infectious earlier on' - BBC News", "Bobby Storey funeral: O'Neill agrees to police interview - BBC News", "Covid: UK approval process for Pfizer vaccine under way - BBC News", "Covid: Pentre funeral for mother and sons who died with coronavirus - BBC News", "Covid rules: What's law and what's not? - BBC News", "Christian B: Madeleine McCann suspect's rape appeal rejected - BBC News", "Covid-19: Welsh Government update - BBC News", "Patel 'unreservedly' apologises over bullying claims - BBC News", "Queen and Prince Philip mark 73rd wedding anniversary with new photo - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Edwin Poots opposes Covid-19 restrictions in email sent to MLAs - BBC News", "Drone stalker jailed for spying on ex-girlfriend - BBC News", "Priti Patel bullying report 'with the PM', says Mark Sedwill - BBC News", "Politician death threats man Wajid Shah jailed - BBC News", "Covid-19: A 'step forward' in vaccine roll-out plans and infections levelling off - BBC News", "Peacocks and Jaeger collapse puts 4,700 jobs at risk - BBC News", "Covid and Brexit: Businesses facing 'curveballs' - BBC News", "Obama memoir: What he really thought of Putin and other leaders - BBC News", "Covid: Infection rates levelling off in England and Scotland - BBC News", "Buzzfeed to take over online news site HuffPost - BBC News", "Covid-19: UK setting up vaccine centres ready for rollout - Matt Hancock - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Tougher penalties held up by printing delays - BBC News", "Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion: Gareth Bale scores his first goal since re-joining Spurs - BBC Sport", "T-cell response 'lasts six months after Covid infection' - BBC News", "Carl Frampton 'well looked after' says Blain McGuigan - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Poorest pupils can enrol for catch-up tuition - BBC News", "Covid in Scotland: PM says furlough available for future lockdowns - BBC News", "Turkey earthquake: Girl, three, pulled alive from rubble - BBC News", "US Election 2020 - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Grassroots football in England suspended during lockdown - BBC Sport", "Lockdown: 'More sports face collapse without guidance' says shadow sports minister - BBC Sport", "Avian flu: Thousands of birds culled at Cheshire farm - BBC News", "Covid-19: Prince William 'tested positive in April' - BBC News", "Bristol illegal rave attended by 700 people - BBC News", "Lockdown: Government resists calls to shut schools in England - BBC News", "Covid-19: Religious groups in England criticise lockdown worship ban - BBC News", "Robert Fisk, veteran UK journalist, dies aged 74 - BBC News", "Covid-19 payments 'made in error' will be recovered, says Dodds - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Schools reopen in NI with new Covid safety measures - BBC News", "Women's FA Cup final: Everton 1-3 Manchester City AET - BBC Sport", "Cardiff mum's fight for disabled daughter to cross road safely - BBC News", "Covid lockdown: 'North worth less than South' mayor claims - BBC News", "Credit card freeze extended for six months ahead of new lockdown - BBC News", "Paul Harvey: Composer with dementia inspires £1m donation - BBC News", "Nigel Farage: Brexit Party to focus on fighting lockdown - BBC News", "Sir Bobby Charlton: England World Cup winner diagnosed with dementia - BBC Sport", "Machu Picchu reopens after eight-month Covid closure - BBC News", "Father jailed over son's death in M62 'race' - BBC News", "As it happened: US election 2020: Final day of campaigning before US voters go to polls - BBC News", "Windrush: At least nine victims died before getting compensation - BBC News", "Covid: 'We are hanging by a thread' - hospital doctor - BBC News", "TikTok failed to ban flagged 'child predator' - BBC News", "Coronavirus: Spain's funeral homes strike as cases rise - BBC News", "Self-employed to get more financial help - BBC News", "As it happened: Boris Johnson addresses MPs on new measures - BBC News", "Business borrowing from banks 'up fivefold' amid coronavirus - BBC News", "Covid: Wales 'will not have local lockdowns after firebreak' - BBC News", "Police officer hurt trying to protect runners wins Pride of Britain award - BBC News", "Turkey earthquake: Search efforts continue for third day as death toll rises - BBC News"], "published_date": ["2020-11-21", "2020-11-21", "2020-11-21", "2020-11-21", "2020-11-21", "2020-11-21", "2020-11-21", 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["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"], ["https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews"]], "description": ["The president's son, who is 42, is quarantining after being diagnosed this week, his spokesman says.", "The health secretary says vaccination could begin next month if a jab is approved by the regulator.", "Home Secretary Priti Patel gives an \"unreserved\" apology if she upset people after report into her conduct.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "The Viking Grace with 429 people on board hit rocks off the Finnish Åland Islands on Saturday.", "The chancellor told party members the Conservatives had a \"sacred duty\" to spend responsibly.", "DUP minister agrees with criticism of executive's lockdown decision in email sent to more than 80 MLAs.", "As care homes struggle to keep Covid-19 out, relatives protest at Stormont over visiting loved ones.", "Police arrest a 49-year-old man in Glasgow following the death of Caroline Kayll in Northumberland.", "The actor's widow says the exhibition gives \"intriguing answers\" about her \"extraordinary\" husband.", "The west Texan county has become the nation's latest Covid-19 hotspot. Here's a closer look.", "Dyfed Powys Police is investigating the death of a woman who died on Friday in Tenby.", "It is 46 years since 21 people were killed and 220 injured by a suspected IRA attack in Birmingham.", "A car salesman says he felt \"helpless\" when the tech giant refused to delete damaging comments.", "Steve Dymond died days after taking a lie-detector test on the Jeremy Kyle Show.", "But lenders say they did not agree to the deal and question how many homeowners will benefit.", "The two countries will continue trading under the same terms as the current EU agreement.", "Daniel Cordier, who died aged 100, was one of France's last remaining \"Compagnons de la Libération\".", "The child was abducted by a suspected paedophile in September from a village east of Moscow.", "The decision is a blow to the two financial hubs' attempts to revive their battered travel industry.", "Nicole Elkabbas received £45,000 in donations after claiming to have ovarian cancer, a court hears.", "The university expects to do 6,000 tests weekly, allowing students home for Christmas.", "Boris Johnson said a \"very, very good case\" is being made for improving connections.", "The more antibodies people have, the lower their chances of re-infection, a study suggests.", "Lucasz Czapla was charged with assault among other charges after a two-year-old boy was found injured in Edinburgh.", "Sir Alex Allan says the home secretary's behaviour included \"shouting and swearing\" at officials.", "Daniel Verlaan joined the meeting after the Dutch defence minister posted login details on Twitter.", "A judge rules that Rooney's social posts were directly accusing Rebekah Vardy of leaking stories.", "Millions face stay-at-home orders as the US faces a surge in coronavirus infections.", "The car smashed into a front porch and drove off with the door lodged in it.", "An injection of antibodies might provide up to six months' protection to immuno-compromised patients.", "Ian Jones was treated in intensive care after being bitten by a cobra in an Indian village.", "The building went up in flames after demonstrators - who oppose the new budget - staged an attack.", "Different Covid rules across the UK are \"disastrous for everyone,\" a tourism organisation says.", "Police originally held 15 people but said some had been \"de-arrested\" and issued with fines instead.", "Restrictions on social gatherings may be eased so families can get together for the festive period.", "More areas will be in higher tiers, and the tiers will have tougher rules - but the 10pm pub curfew will ease.", "Google says it monitors posts for violations 24 hours a day and complies with all local laws.", "A man is found clinging to a buoy after the vessel put out an emergency call off the Sussex coast.", "What happens to the SNP's demand for a referendum when, as widely expected, they win May's election?", "Morris wrote more than 40 books including a notable trilogy about Britain's empire, Pax Britannica.", "The film is largely faithful to August Wilson's powerful play about rage & racism, with excellent ensemble acting.", "Ofgem is considering the rise to help energy firms which have been hit by a jump in unpaid bills.", "They are among 69 prisoners who managed to escape from a jail near the capital, Beirut.", "The government is considering reducing the annual target from 0.7% of national income to 0.5%.", "A 26-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of rape following a call from a member of the public.", "It will use rapid results tests that could be offered to \"millions\" by Christmas, the PM says.", "Worries about overseas students, Covid and pensions are damaging university finances, says report.", "The prime minister says the furlough scheme will \"continue to be available wherever it is needed\".", "Officers urge groups of people searching for Kadian Nelson to \"go home and allow us to do our jobs\".", "All adult and children's grassroots football is to be suspended in England during the national Covid-19 lockdown.", "The neighbouring buildings worth millions of pounds have totally collapsed, a London fire chief says.", "Millions reportedly received automated calls telling them not to go out on election day.", "Tim is one of the few Biden voters where he lives. When his sign went missing, he got some unexpected help.", "The line between Aberdeen and Dundee closed after the crash in August which left three people dead.", "Around 100 pilot whales are stranded near the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.", "\"Non-essential\" retailers have to shut for a month from Thursday and they are scrambling to adapt.", "The finalist from 2014 died last week from oesophageal cancer, his agent says.", "Labour accuses the chancellor of \"panicked\" decision-making after he extended furlough.", "NCSC says more than a quarter of incidents it responded to over the past year were coronavirus-related.", "Israr Muhammed's three-year-old son died after his father crashed while racing on the M62.", "England's chief medical officer defends lockdowns as a further 397 coronavirus deaths are recorded.", "More than 7,200 people in England were told to stop self-isolating on the wrong date.", "Find out how to stay in touch with live election results on TV, radio, online, and on social media.", "Operators of Manchester Arena put budgets before security prior to the 2017 attack, an inquiry hears.", "An industry body says targets for lower emissions could be missed as a result.", "Find out how to stay in touch with live election results on TV, radio, online, and on social media.", "Donald Trump isn't the only one fighting for survival in this election, Daniel Rosney discovers in Louisiana.", "The Wales manager is co-operating with the police, his representatives say.", "Carál Ní Chuilín lays out long-awaited plans to change the laws in NI on the sale of alcohol.", "The government has announced self-employed workers can claim up to 80% of profits, from 40% before.", "Recep Gultekin, Mikail Özen and Osama Joda helped an injured police officer when gunfire erupted.", "It means an attack is highly likely but there is no specific intelligence of an imminent incident.", "Youths throwing eggs and attending parties over the weekend were among the breaches.", "Twilight Payment gives Irish trainer Joseph O'Brien a second Melbourne Cup win but victory is overshadowed by the death of 2019 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck.", "John Lewis and Currys PC World among those opening later as demand surges ahead of lockdown.", "The retailer's owner, Associated British Foods, says the change reflects how \"we live our lives\".", "Stephen Fry remembers actor and comedian John Sessions as \"warm, vulnerable, lovable and loving\".", "The BBC will investigate \"substantial new information\" amid a row over the 1995 Panorama interview.", "A three-year-old girl is pulled alive from rubble in Turkey's port city of Izmir.", "The opposition leader describes the mayor's plans to move to The Crystal in Newham as \"half-baked\".", "At least one person has been killed and several wounded after several shootings in the Austrian capital.", "Several men opened fire at six different locations, killing at least three people, police say.", "Juno Moneta Wealth, a sponsor of the Scarlets rugby team, collapsed with debts of more than £12m.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning.", "Inspectors find a hospital, where a mum bled to death in childbirth, has not addressed major failings.", "Some of President Trump's and Joe Biden's key policies explained and compared.", "The police watchdog passes a file on four senior ex-officers to prosecutors involved in the case.", "Scientists answer MPs questions on data, while questions remain over the furlough scheme outside of England.", "Details and reaction as NHS Wales Chief Executive Andrew Goodall gives a live televised briefing.", "Joe Biden is projected to have won the race for the White House, though Donald Trump has not conceded. How the count unfolded", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Covid-vulnerable mum-of-five Gemma York writes to Boris Johnson asking for clearer guidance.", "Westminster will be watching carefully as the results of the US presidential election come in.", "There were nearly 12,300 deaths in latest week - 1,100 linked to Covid.", "All 13,000 birds at the Cheshire farm, which produces hatching eggs, are to be culled.", "Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's personal physician, said Argentina legend Maradona had \"coped well with the surgery\".", "A last-minute U-turn allowing pubs to sell takeaway beer is welcomed - but may not be enough to survive, publicans fear.", "A handful of people are behind most of the politics shared on Facebook - none of them politicians.", "A UK minister appears to contradict the PM over whether full furlough will be available to Scotland after 2 December.", "Georgina Fallows is asking government to protect from harassment people who can't wear face coverings.", "Donald Trump and Joe Biden make final push as turnout is expected to be the highest in more than a century.", "The poorest paid are particularly worried - but are also the least likely to speak up, research finds.", "If you want to know why England is going into lockdown, this hospital offers a glimpse.", "Lockdown has increased demand for pets, which has lead to sellers advertising on the platform.", "No 10 does not deny reports the PM made the comment in a meeting with Tory MPs.", "Many users report the iPhone version of the contact-tracing app gets \"stuck\" on launch.", "Sir Keir Starmer acts after his predecessor says the scale of the problem within the party has been \"overstated\".", "The airline wants to show that testing could remove the need for arrivals to quarantine.", "First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirms that 11 local authorities will move to the strictest level four from 6pm on Friday.", "The airline reports an annual loss for the first time in its 25-year history as demand collapses.", "Boris Johnson, six Tory MPs and two aides have been told to self-isolate after a breakfast meeting in No 10.", "The England and Wales Cricket Board is accused by two former umpires of \"institutionalised racism\".", "The Powerlist 2021 honours those who use their platform to 'change lives'.", "Fans have used the app to identify hits by Sia, Ed Sheeran and Tones and I - but who came out on top?", "The Welsh Government says it could put the 6 May vote back if the Covid pandemic is still serious.", "It follows concerns NI was almost 200,000 doses short and could not complete the programme.", "As NI's R number rises to 1.0, the chief scientific adviser warns of additional interventions.", "First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says tougher restrictions in the west of Scotland are \"likely\" but \"not inevitable\".", "No 10 has not denied reports that Boris Johnson described devolution as a \"disaster\" in a meeting with Tory MPs.", "The report says 7,314 hate crimes were recorded in the US in 2019, the highest number since 2008.", "Seasonal workers are now able to work during quarantine to ensure demand for Christmas is met.", "From January, NI car dealers will have a bigger VAT bill for vehicles bought in GB and sold on here.", "Boris Johnson is trying to get a grip on his government after a crazy few days.", "Forces in England and Wales were advised on Friday to temporarily suspend issuing the fines.", "US President-elect Joe Biden criticises President Donald Trump's denial of his election loss.", "Rangers are tracking the giraffe in north-east Kenya, after poachers killed his family members.", "A US jewellery designer struck \"lucrative\" deals with the Department of Health at the start of the pandemic.", "The long-awaited proposals come more than three years after the Grenfell Tower disaster.", "The footballer and campaigner says the escapism of reading \"could have really helped me\" as a child.", "A former employee from Celotex tells the inquiry he got the insulation approved in an unethical way.", "Cardiff scientists say using mouthwash may become part of a daily routine to prevent coronavirus.", "A postcode was needed before a phone line and broadband could be installed.", "The Dow hits a new record on hopes of a second coronavirus vaccine breakthrough from US drugs firm Moderna.", "Public radio station RFI says a \"technical problem\" meant the obituaries were published prematurely.", "The Scottish government makes no changes to its Covid alert levels. Here is a reminder of which level your council is in.", "Nearly 100,000 people have been tested for the virus over 10 days in Liverpool.", "England's Covid alert levels are being reviewed ahead of plans to bring them back, one minister says.", "The charity says the views of birth control pioneer Marie Stopes are in \"stark contrast\" to its values.", "Workers in Indian factories supplying Tesco, Sainsbury's, Marks and Spencer and Ralph Lauren say they are being exploited.", "The former leader was suspended after saying the scale of anti-Semitism had been \"dramatically overstated\".", "From Boxing Day mainland Scotland will be in the country's toughest tier of restrictions for at least three weeks", "\"What's drawing closer is a bomb,\" the Honduran president says, as Hurricane Iota strengthens.", "Council bosses call on the prime minister to help as cases in Hull rise to 770 per 100,000 people.", "The PM confirms he is bringing the ban forward as he sets out his \"green industrial revolution\".", "The family of 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles says football needs to \"address the scandal\" of dementia in the game.", "The 11 areas moving to level four will see restaurants, cafes, pubs and non-essential shops closed.", "The filing by the home rental web site offers a closer look at the loss-making firm's finances.", "Stephen Ellison jumped into the river after the unnamed 24-year-old slipped on rocks and fell.", "\"County lines\" gangs are coming up with new ways to deal drugs due to coronavirus restrictions.", "What happens to the SNP's demand for a referendum when, as widely expected, they win May's election?", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "The family of Owen and Bredge Ward, from County Tyrone, say they are in \"complete shock\".", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "The ex-leader was suspended by the party over his reaction to a report by the human rights watchdog.", "Boris Johnson confirms he will not agree to Nicola Sturgeon's request for a second independence referendum.", "A group representing sex workers is calling for state support during the coronavirus pandemic.", "It is the most divorces since 2014 and includes double the number of same-sex splits as in 2018.", "The category four storm makes landfall in Nicaragua, two weeks after another devastating hurricane.", "The impact of the three-tier Covid system in England was varied, says a senior health official.", "The 29-year-old singer is taking \"extended time off\", the girl group's publicist says.", "Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint racked up a million followers in just over four hours.", "A government minister promises that the \"full force of the law\" will be applied to the traffickers.", "The singer confirms reports the rights to six of her albums have been sold to an investment firm.", "The four astronauts who left Earth on Monday have arrived at the 410-km orbiting outpost.", "It is part of a long-awaited plan to hit net zero emissions that will be released later on Tuesday.", "The app lets adults limit what children can search for and prevent strangers from seeing activity.", "Commander Mike Hopkins said his team had an amazing ride on the privately owned spacecraft.", "Hospitals are facing extra problems discharging elderly patients during the pandemic's second wave.", "The rapper, who won BBC Music's Sound of 2019, was due to release his anticipated debut album tomorrow.", "The 1970s disco classic has become the country's unofficial anthem ahead of the match with England.", "The upcoming departure of Boris Johnson's chief adviser is being welcomed by Conservative backbenchers.", "Councils in the west of Scotland are told it is possible they may be placed under the highest level of restrictions.", "Gordon Howat was the sole Scotland supporter in Belgrade's Rajko Mitic stadium for the Euro 2020 play-off.", "The return of the men's team to a major tournament after more than 20 years has been hailed by fans.", "The death of the killer of 13 women will bring \"some closure\", says the son of his first victim.", "Ex-minister Tracey Crouch calls for greater virtual participation to be allowed in Parliament.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Ex-boxer Nicola Adams is out of Strictly Come Dancing after partner Katya Jones catches Covid-19.", "But those returning from Qatar, UAE, Laos and the Turks and Caicos Islands will not need to self-isolate.", "The bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were found in a shipping container on 23 October last year.", "Among the new high-risk regions is Campania where officials say the situation is out of control.", "A former undercover police officer admits the Met set out to infiltrate left-wing political groups.", "Host Mel Giedroyc says despite this year's challenges due to coronavirus, \"we are strong\".", "US Commerce Department halts ban on Chinese owned company.", "NI first minister says the way Stormont extended restrictions was an \"example of how not to take decisions\".", "Keiron Hassan and Kamal Legall are convicted of shooting and attacking Taylor Patterson with a machete.", "From lockdown car journeys to infamous insults, Dominic Cummings has had some colourful moments.", "A review by university bosses calls for offers to be made on the basis of actual grades, from 2023.", "Evidence presented to government confirmed rising infections as schools reopened.", "Lucy Letby is charged with killing eight infants at a hospital neo-natal unit between 2015 and 2016.", "A profile of Boris Johnson's former right-hand-man, who has turned into his chief tormentor.", "Chelsea boss Frank Lampard and socialite Tamara Ecclestone were among those whose homes were raided.", "Scotland's 23-year absence from major men's tournaments is finally over after a famous shootout win in Serbia.", "Nurses are in demand as vacancies climb to pre-pandemic levels, but with big regional variations.", "London's mayor publishes an Action Plan looking at how black Londoners are affected by police powers.", "Jessica Williams and her two sons were trapped when their family home collapsed in an explosion.", "The jump in cases comes a day after the UK became the first European country to pass 50,000 deaths.", "It will give the handwritten note to investigators looking at how the 1995 interview was obtained.", "While it's tempting to see Dominic Cummings' exit as a sudden eruption, it has been a longer-term burn.", "Williamson seeks to end unfairness in university admissions by switching to offers based on real results.", "The departure of the Vote Leave duo represents a big change at the highest level of government.", "Officers have arrested the injured suspect because he is no longer in a life-threatening condition.", "She is the first female artist to score a number one album in five separate decades.", "Music was \"blaring\" and there were dozens of people inside the hall, South Wales Police said.", "Anton Du Beke will replace Motsi Mabuse, who is currently self isolating.", "Scotland have \"given a little something to the country\" after a \"horrible year\" said an tearful Ryan Christie after the national team reached their first finals in 23 years.", "\"Looks like we have a busy year coming up,\" tweets cast member Matthew Perry.", "The coffee chain, which employs 6,000, people, is seeking financial breathing space from its landlords.", "The company says it has deviated slightly from the style of its previous festive ads due to Covid-19.", "Sweden, Ireland and France warn that travel over the holiday period could be limited due to Covid-19.", "Helga Wauters is found guilty of manslaughter over the death of British 28-year-old Xynthia Hawke.", "Slovakia beat Northern Ireland 2-1 after extra time in the play-off final at Windsor Park to book their place in next year's European Championship finals.", "Emails reveal how officials described pressure to approve protective suits for the NHS.", "The departure of a key Dominic Cummings ally from No 10 changes the power dynamic inside government.", "It estimates around 50,000 new cases a day - far exceeding the \"record\" 33,470 reported across the UK on Thursday.", "West Yorkshire Police apologises for the \"tone and terminology\" used by officers in the 1970s.", "Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah tests positive for coronavirus while on international duty with Egypt.", "The government announces a review following the findings of Public Health England's report.", "Boris Johnson wants to \"move on\" after turmoil over his closest adviser's role, aides say.", "Corrie Mckeague disappeared in September 2016 and his body has never been found.", "The Police Federation says officers are worried about facing offenders who might spit or cough at them.", "ONS data also says the number of people infected with coronavirus is slowing down.", "The supermarket apologises as people are forced to queue online to place their Christmas orders.", "The speech, on the response to coronavirus, largely skirts the result of the US presidential vote.", "The cities in England that faced the biggest wartime losses still have the highest levels of poverty.", "Denmark's mink-related coronavirus scare has caused alarm, but scientists urge caution.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Cases of a mutated strain of Covid-19 have been detected that may undermine future vaccines.", "Europe is gradually easing lockdown measures ahead of the tourist season.", "Notes Earl Spencer says he made suggest Martin Bashir made false and defamatory claims about senior royals.", "From Beijing to Berlin - the BBC looks at the impact of the ideological shift in the White House.", "Soman was reprimanded for sharing an image of him running naked down a beach in the city of Goa.", "And UK citizens returning from the country must isolate with all other household members for 14 days.", "An eight-year-old boy raises more than £1,000 for the Poppy Appeal by selling handmade poppies.", "The prime minister says he looks forward to \"working closely\" with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.", "The president repeats his allegations on voter fraud, and insists he has won the election.", "Yama Siawash, who was a prominent presenter on Tolo TV, is one of three killed in the Kabul attack.", "Kanye West took his first stab at the presidency this year. Will we be seeing him in Washington?", "The PM and EU Commission president agree to \"work hard\" to reach a deal when talks resume on Monday.", "The 50MW facility near Manchester hopes to store enough power for roughly 50,000 homes.", "Sixty thousand cases in 24 hours bring the total number to 1.7 million since the pandemic began.", "People are being urged to play their part from home, with Covid restrictions affecting annual events.", "Tips on lockdown life in cold weather, from keeping your windows open to watching films in the bath.", "Lack of nurses combined with staff absence may risk NHS patient safety, says Royal College of Nursing.", "Here's a look at what we know about the wife of Democratic president-elect Joe Biden.", "Although the number of new cases continues to rise, the growth rate is slowing, latest data show.", "The monarch attended a private ceremony in Westminster Abbey to mark 100 years since the burial.", "Bovine bellowing will return on the doorsteps of residents in Belper, Derbyshire, for four weeks.", "As the days pass and still no winner of presidential race, many are finding creative ways to help the count.", "Greater Manchester hospitals are treating \"more Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave\".", "The AA urges councils in England to deal with potholes and junctions while fewer cars are in use.", "The pop star looks back at her career, and the 'overwhelming' experience of Glastonbury, as she releases her 15th album.", "Up to 12,000 people got tested on day one of a city-wide trial, Liverpool's public health boss says.", "Cases of a mutated strain of Covid-19 have been detected that may undermine future vaccines.", "Some 500,000 Sunny customers were mis-sold payday loans by Sunny before it collapsed.", "The PM insists the \"upward curve\" in deaths is \"unmistakeable\" after government charts had to be revised.", "President Biden has said that democracy and 'freedom' are at stake in the upcoming 2024 election.", "The satellite is meant to trial new technology expected to be many times faster than 5G.", "The clothing chain and its sister company, Ponden Home, have been placed into administration.", "The army reaches a village where houses were buried by mudslides triggered by Storm Eta's rains.", "Paul Dunleavy, named after a judge's ruling, prepared acts of terrorism and joined a neo Nazi group.", "Joe Biden is projected to have won the race for the White House, though Donald Trump has not conceded. How the count unfolded", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Lord Sacks was a prolific writer and regularly contributed to BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day.", "A coroner identified seven failings as contributing to Averil Hart's death.", "Extending Covid restrictions would help ensure families are together at Christmas, says Nichola Mallon.", "The BBC projects that Joe Biden has topped the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat Donald Trump.", "The actor says he was \"asked to resign\" his role in the series and had \"agreed to that request\".", "A Belfast paediatrician says a government strategy is \"essential” for tackling NI child poverty.", "Police say they found people were not distancing and music was being played from large speakers.", "The record rise in infections include Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, officials said Friday.", "The prolific actor was best known for starring with Dame Judi Dench in BBC sitcom As Time Goes By.", "The singer is unwell and also won't be appearing at Sunday evening's MTV Europe Music Awards.", "Satisfaction with the BBC among its most loyal audiences is showing \"signs of waning\", Ofcom says.", "The chancellor will detail the UK's economic problems but don't hold your breath for solutions.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday evening.", "The president-elect has previously said Brexit must not endanger the Good Friday Agreement.", "Non-essential shops will reopen this weekend but bars and restaurants will stay closed into January.", "Matthew Mowbray is found guilty of eight counts of sexual activity with a child at Eton College.", "Harry Dunn's mother says the ruling is \"just a blip along the way\" in their fight for justice.", "Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor is to stand down at the end of the season.", "Chancellor Rishi Sunak has set out what the government will spend next year. Here are the headlines.", "Thousands of identities were stolen before unusual banking activity alerted a civil servant to the fraud.", "Nasa has stacked the first pieces of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.", "The UK's five-day relaxation of rules will throw \"fuel on the Covid fire\", scientists warn.", "TV presenter Iolo Williams is concerned non-native bugs will be released into north Wales.", "The Argentine icon famous for his 'Hand of God' goal was a footballing great with a myriad of problems.", "The tech billionaire overtakes Bill Gates after Tesla shares soar on S&P acceptance", "\"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second,\" Meghan writes in an article.", "The car had messages, including one criticising \"globalisation politics\", written on its sides.", "The new network, which uses other people's broadband, is not launching in the UK.", "An advert inflated the extent using a black cab could protect users from Covid, a watchdog says.", "Health officials have urged people to avoid travelling amid a surge of Covid-19 cases and deaths.", "A judge refuses to hear the case but the star can try to overturn the ruling at the Court of Appeal.", "The chancellor says the \"economic emergency\" has \"just begun\", but promises more help for the jobless.", "Moscow says a US Navy destroyer entered its territorial waters on Tuesday.", "Craig Brown's One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time is awarded the £50,000 Baillie Gifford Prize.", "Mark Drakeford says restrictions brought in after Christmas should be agreed by the four nations.", "Argentina legend Diego Maradona, one of the greatest footballers of all time, dies at the age of 60.", "The death of 19-year-old Cameron Wellington shows coronavirus can affect anyone, his parents say.", "The treatment of people who came to the UK from the Caribbean added to historic injustices, a report says.", "Kylie Moore-Gilbert thanks those who worked towards her release, which Iran says was a prisoner exchange.", "The 9.2 million viewers give Channel 4 its highest overnight ratings for at least 18 years.", "Harry Styles also receives his first-ever nomination, but R&B star The Weeknd is overlooked.", "Public sector auditors also found teachers in NI take more sick days than other parts of the UK.", "The bones found in Antrim were from a Scelidosaurus and a carnivore similar to Sarcosaurus, researchers find.", "The 19-year-old, filmed by a police helicopter, went through red lights and the wrong way on a motorway.", "Covid disruption worsens for England's secondary schools as 22% of pupils sent home.", "Joseph Ray, 33, was convicted after a seven-year investigation to determine how his baby daughter died.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Intensive care nurse Valerie Bednar has inspired the design of a custom-fitted mask for NHS workers.", "Rishi Sunak's spending review comes amid a difficult economic backdrop caused by the pandemic.", "The chancellor says the government is providing £280bn this year to get the country through the coronavirus crisis.", "Pay will be frozen for at least 1.3 million public sector staff, but low-paid and NHS workers will get raises.", "The US president officially pardons \"Corn\" in the annual White House tradition.", "The chancellor faces bigger, tougher decisions from the long-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.", "The Dow Jones index closes above 30,000 for the first time amid string of positive news.", "Footballer Marcus Rashford asks the chancellor whether higher Universal Credit will be \"taken away\" in April.", "People can form a \"Christmas bubble\" and mix in homes and outdoors between 23 and 27 December.", "From the 'Hand of God' to managing Messi - Diego Maradona's colourful life in pictures.", "Wales' first minister is looking at similar coronavirus rules as the top English and Scottish tiers.", "A 28-year-old woman is arrested after allegedly stabbing and trying to choke two other women.", "John Hays, who founded the UK's largest independent travel agent, died on 13 November.", "Two crewmen have not been seen since their vessel sank off the Sussex coast on Saturday.", "Ministers outline plans for \"some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days\".", "After Dan Colegate nearly died, he and his partner Esther left their careers for the open road.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "President Jair Bolsonaro is seeing his approval ratings rise in the north-east of Brazil.", "The Viking Grace with 429 people on board hit rocks off the Finnish Åland Islands on Saturday.", "Boris Johnson will unveil the latest Covid plans, including lifting a ban on outdoor grassroots sport.", "The Welsh Government still hopes to reach a UK-wide agreement, a minister says.", "Only nine positive cases of coronavirus were found, with 968 testing negative, said Merthyr council.", "It is 46 years since 21 people were killed and 220 injured by a suspected IRA attack in Birmingham.", "Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are knocked out of the ATP Finals as Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem set up a title decider.", "People on low incomes told to isolate by the app miss out on support under current rules.", "The figures come a day after some businesses reopened ahead of a two-week circuit breaker.", "But lenders say they did not agree to the deal and question how many homeowners will benefit.", "The two countries will continue trading under the same terms as the current EU agreement.", "More independent businesses are emerging as chains struggle, business leaders say.", "A woman who attended a Bristol rave says she sustained \"life-changing' injuries\" from a police dog.", "The 32-year-old woman was an \"innocent bystander\", the Metropolitan Police believes.", "The attack near Cable Beach is the eighth fatal shark attack in Australian waters this year.", "Firms including Kellogg's and Britvic say the plan to tackle childhood obesity is \"disproportionate\".", "He joins Microsoft founder Bill Gates in urging the UK to think global in its post-Covid recovery plans", "Four teenagers are arrested after six people were injured in the centre of Cardiff.", "Lucia Kingman says not knowing if she has to sit GCSE exams next year is \"very daunting\".", "Opposition parties call for a total ban on discharging patients without two negative tests.", "Millions face stay-at-home orders as the US faces a surge in coronavirus infections.", "The building went up in flames after demonstrators - who oppose the new budget - staged an attack.", "Paul Robson is accused of murdering Caroline Kayll and the attempted murder of a 15-year-old boy.", "Regeneron says its antibody treatment is effective when used early after a Covid-19 diagnosis.", "Restrictions on social gatherings may be eased so families can get together for the festive period.", "The chancellor says he will uphold pre-Covid funding pledges on police, nurses and schools.", "More areas will be in higher tiers, and the tiers will have tougher rules - but the 10pm pub curfew will ease.", "A new film shares the stories of photographers who captured the iconic imagery of the Troubles.", "Emergency services were called to a house in North Lanarkshire after it was badly damaged on Sunday morning.", "A man is found clinging to a buoy after the vessel put out an emergency call off the Sussex coast.", "It vanished from its post outside a beauty parlour in Nottingham over the weekend.", "Deepspot is a diving pool that goes 45.5m (150ft) down and provides a space for divers to train.", "Senior Tory MP David Davis says PM Boris Johnson has taken \"decisive action\" over his top aide.", "Some of the BBC's presenters tell us how they'll be entertaining themselves at home during lockdown.", "High winds uprooted trees and blew roofs off buildings as the powerful storm battered Vietnam.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Among the new high-risk regions is Campania where officials say the situation is out of control.", "This weekend marks the first since Wales' firebreak lockdown was lifted.", "Bakery chain chief says \"the battle with Covid hasn't gone away and is intensifying further\".", "Welsh Secretary Simon Hart says Tata wants \"to make steel in Wales\".", "Host Mel Giedroyc says despite this year's challenges due to coronavirus, \"we are strong\".", "From lockdown car journeys to infamous insults, Dominic Cummings has had some colourful moments.", "Derby County part company with manager Phillip Cocu with the club bottom of the Championship.", "Evidence presented to government confirmed rising infections as schools reopened.", "Lucy Letby is charged with killing eight infants at a hospital neo-natal unit between 2015 and 2016.", "A profile of Boris Johnson's former right-hand-man, who has turned into his chief tormentor.", "Funding will support thousands of jobs, as part of a green recovery from Covid, the government says.", "New laws should make social media companies take down false posts about vaccines, Labour says.", "Removing the last landmine on the Falkland Islands is a \"momentous change\", says islander Barry Elsby.", "It will give the handwritten note to investigators looking at how the 1995 interview was obtained.", "While it's tempting to see Dominic Cummings' exit as a sudden eruption, it has been a longer-term burn.", "Williamson seeks to end unfairness in university admissions by switching to offers based on real results.", "A US report claims that Israeli agents shot dead the man and his daughter in the street in August.", "She is the first female artist to score a number one album in five separate decades.", "The two sides say big gaps remain between them as the \"moment of truth\" is nearing for an agreement.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Saturday morning.", "Preacher John Harper refused a seat in a lifeboat and gave his lifejacket to another passenger who survived.", "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wish Prince Charles a happy birthday on their social media accounts.", "The early morning wake-up calls in Gosport prompted complaints from residents.", "At least 10 die as oxygen used to treat the patients helps spread the fire in Piatra Neamt.", "People in England must not become complacent due to a potential vaccine, a government scientist says.", "West Yorkshire Police apologises for the \"tone and terminology\" used by officers in the 1970s.", "Hooker Jamie George's hat-trick helps England to a comfortable six-try victory against Georgia in their first match at Twickenham since March.", "Cousins Mehdi and Melek kept their relationship secret – then war brought it to a sudden end.", "Boris Johnson wants to \"move on\" after turmoil over his closest adviser's role, aides say.", "The prince tells the German parliament he believes the countries will \"always be friends and allies\".", "Leicester's Golden Mile is usually buzzing for the festival but things are very different this year.", "ONS data also says the number of people infected with coronavirus is slowing down.", "Austrians are urged not to meet people from outside their households as hospitals feel the pressure.", "The speech, on the response to coronavirus, largely skirts the result of the US presidential vote.", "Argentina beat New Zealand for the first time in their history with a shock 25-15 win in the Rugby Championship.", "Forecasters say Iota will be a major hurricane when it hits coastal areas of Nicaragua and Honduras.", "Teaching unions say despite a push for more devices, many students still don't have access at home.", "Domestic violence is at a 15-year high in Northern Ireland as families have spent more time at home.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Football Association chairman Greg Clarke apologises for his language in a reference to black players when talking to MPs about diversity.", "The fast-food giant said it could also offer plant-based chicken substitutes and breakfast sandwiches", "Unsurprisingly the list is dominated by pandemic-related terms including furlough and key worker.", "The actor and black rights activist opens up on racist abuse experienced by his preacher father.", "The organiser is fined £10,000 and 29 other people have to pay £200 after the Manchester protest.", "Horror fan Nathan Maynard-Ellis and his partner David Leesley killed and dismembered Julia Rawson.", "The party has tabled its own proposals to the executive, as ministers try to reach a compromise.", "Corona Newton says it was easier to have a sense of humour about her name before the pandemic struck.", "Boris Johnson's congratulatory message included the word Trump faintly in background.", "Anxiety was most commonly diagnosed in a study of US patients for 90 days after their diagnosis.", "The UK health secretary tells MPs on 10 November that the NHS will be ready by December to roll out vaccines, if approved.", "The discount supermarket chain is expanding its trial as it faces growing competition from rivals.", "A fashion brand founder may have to remove a tennis court and garage, following a council decision.", "Two sets of recommendations have differed on whether there should be any exams at A-level.", "A football pitch in a village was turned into an \"execution ground\", reports say.", "The self-styled \"free speech\" application topped US download charts in the wake of the election.", "The health secretary also announces that, from Tuesday, NHS staff will be tested twice a week.", "Staff at the Royal Derby Hospital created the room as a place to escape from the intense pressures.", "It comes as the health department announces a further 11 deaths and 514 more positive cases in Northern Ireland.", "The US president-elect is calling world leaders, even as Donald Trump refuses to concede he lost the poll.", "Lucy Letby was previously held in 2018 and 2019 on suspicion of murdering eight babies.", "Peers vote overwhelmingly to remove a section that would allow ministers to break international law.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning.", "Some councils have been placed into a tougher tier. Find out which ones.", "The FTSE 100 surges nearly 5% after Pfizer shares vaccine progress.", "Mark Baker, who founded the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, ignored ITV's proposal at first.", "The Mary Wollstonecraft memorial draws criticism due to its inclusion of a naked female figure.", "The animator and writer was responsible for one of US TV's most-loved cartoons.", "Greg Clarke resigns as FA chairman following the language he used when talking to MPs about diversity.", "Weston-super-Mare MP John Penrose was alerted by the app overseen by his wife, Lady Dido Harding.", "The UK prime minister assures the president-elect Brexit will not affect Northern Irish peace treaty.", "The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales is criticised by the child sex abuse inquiry.", "Premier Foods says it has attracted a million new customers as people turn to comfort foods in the crisis.", "Every 15 minutes, an inpatient with learning disabilities is restrained, new data shows.", "The fossil from a large-toothed species helps shed more light on how humans evolved, researchers say.", "Unionists are nervous about sustaining opposition to another referendum should SNP win May's election.", "The executive is to meet again on Tuesday to decide what to do with rules around pubs and restaurants.", "Brian Murdoch fed Kidderminster Harriers fans for nearly 60 years with the \"match day treats\".", "UK scientists show how astronauts on the Moon or Mars could one day mine for metals using bacteria.", "Boris Johnson says a new Covid-19 vaccine is good news but warns the country not to \"slacken our resolve\".", "Creator Akse says he was inspired to do it by the England star's work to tackle child poverty.", "The group of around 50 MPs says a repeat of current restrictions would \"devastate\" the economy and \"cost lives\".", "The pandemic has seen children slipping back in learning and social skills, Ofsted inspectors warn.", "At least 49,000 NHS patients in Wales were waiting for more than a year by September, figures show.", "Rapid results tests for students are planned to let students get home safely in early December.", "The Russian Navy defends the shooting in the Kamchatka region that outraged many social media users.", "Joe Biden is projected to have won the race for the White House, though Donald Trump has not conceded. How the count unfolded", "A 26-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of rape following a call from a member of the public.", "The neighbouring buildings worth millions of pounds have totally collapsed, a London fire chief says.", "Family, friends and police colleagues pay moving tributes to Sgt Matt Ratana at his funeral.", "President Trump wrote that his vote advantage in key states had \"magically\" disappeared.", "Millions reportedly received automated calls telling them not to go out on election day.", "Tim is one of the few Biden voters where he lives. When his sign went missing, he got some unexpected help.", "The High Street stalwart saw clothing and home sales fall due to the impact of lockdown.", "MPs question the prime minister ahead of vote on new coronavirus lockdown restrictions for England", "Police say those who planned the Halloween event near Bristol were \"reckless\".", "New guidance for care homes in England suggests introducing screens, pods and window visits.", "The finalist from 2014 died last week from oesophageal cancer, his agent says.", "Suspicions about the Manchester bomber should have been passed to the control room, inquiry hears.", "The evening got off to an anxious start for staffers but settled a little after the Florida result.", "Researchers develop a method to measure chronic stress without taking blood.", "England's chief medical officer defends lockdowns as a further 397 coronavirus deaths are recorded.", "More than 7,200 people in England were told to stop self-isolating on the wrong date.", "Find out how to stay in touch with live election results on TV, radio, online, and on social media.", "On the last day before shops close in England, we asked people in Milton Keynes what they bought.", "The NUS warns students are preparing for a mass exodus before England's lockdown starts on Thursday.", "A complaint is made that married PC Timothy Brehmer's manslaughter sentence was \"unduly lenient\".", "More than 50 residents complained about plans to open the fast food restaurant in Rutland.", "Mr Icke's account was permanently suspended for breaking Twitter's rules on Covid misinformation.", "The advice for people at higher risk from Covid-19 is to stay at home as much as possible for a month.", "Biden supporter Lesley and Trump supporters Eliana and Mike share how they're feeling about the night.", "Carál Ní Chuilín lays out long-awaited plans to change the laws in NI on the sale of alcohol.", "Independent shops have been better at surviving Covid-19 than chain stores, data indicates.", "Social media influencer Emily Canham is the first to be reprimanded over a video posted to TikTok.", "It means an attack is highly likely but there is no specific intelligence of an imminent incident.", "John Lewis and Currys PC World among those opening later as demand surges ahead of lockdown.", "Stephen Fry remembers actor and comedian John Sessions as \"warm, vulnerable, lovable and loving\".", "The president falsely declares he's won - but the reality is that millions of votes have to be counted.", "Republicans in our group chat were jubilant overnight - but the mood changed as more results came in.", "Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden told supporters in Delaware to \"keep the faith\".", "If the world's biggest iceberg grounds at South Georgia island, it could devastate local wildlife.", "Boris Johnson sees off a rebellion by 34 Tory MPs over restrictions which came into force at midnight.", "Here’s what happens when you put 13 Trump and 12 Biden voters in a group text on election night.", "New government guidance also says teachers who are \"clinically vulnerable\" should not come in to school.", "The new coronavirus restrictions are due to come into effect on Thursday.", "It comes as the head of NHS England says nearly 11,000 patients with Covid are now in hospital.", "The navy, environmentalists and locals pushed most of the beached pilot whales back into the sea.", "Researchers looked at data on nine million adults under the age of 65 between February and August.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Westminster will be watching carefully as the results of the US presidential election come in.", "The US is on course for its highest voter turnout in more than a century.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning.", "The woman called foreign affairs minister Nanaia Mahuta's traditional tattoo \"ugly and uncivilised\".", "Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's personal physician, said Argentina legend Maradona had \"coped well with the surgery\".", "A last-minute U-turn allowing pubs to sell takeaway beer is welcomed - but may not be enough to survive, publicans fear.", "The cuts - totalling more than 2,200 - come as both businesses continue their restructuring.", "A handful of people are behind most of the politics shared on Facebook - none of them politicians.", "Agencies are criticised after Lucy McHugh was murdered by Stephen Nicholson at her Southampton home.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday evening.", "Satisfaction with the BBC among its most loyal audiences is showing \"signs of waning\", Ofcom says.", "Abdalraouf Abdallah, convicted of terror offences, has refused to discuss his relationship with Salman Abedi.", "Wales' first minister warns people to act responsibly after government agrees relaxed Christmas rules.", "The brother of one of the women calls for tougher laws to protect victims.", "Depp, who played Gellert Grindelwald, left the franchise this month after losing a libel case.", "One family whose house was ruined by floods in February say they are anxious whenever it rains.", "Eight more people die after testing positive for Covid-19 in NI and 442 new cases are recorded.", "Air force pilots, other officers and civilians are jailed for trying to oust President Erdogan.", "The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is broadcast to millions every Christmas Eve.", "People in the city helped to raise £750,000 for the six-year-old to undergo cancer treatment abroad.", "Developers plan to demolish Portcullis House in Glasgow to make way for a 30-storey tower block.", "This doctor made a video simulating what a dying Covid patient sees - to urge people to wear masks.", "The UK's five-day relaxation of rules will throw \"fuel on the Covid fire\", scientists warn.", "TV presenter Iolo Williams is concerned non-native bugs will be released into north Wales.", "The Argentine icon famous for his 'Hand of God' goal was a footballing great with a myriad of problems.", "Jessica Jing Ren, 36, died after the double decker bus crashed into a railway bridge in Swansea.", "PM says England faces a hard winter as bans on household mixing indoors are set to replace lockdown.", "Emily Jones, seven, was stabbed by a stranger as she played in Queen's Park, Bolton.", "\"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second,\" Meghan writes in an article.", "Scotland's first minister says a referendum should be held \"in the earlier part\" of the next Scottish Parliament.", "Three days of mourning begin in Argentina as tributes pour in for Diego Maradona, one of the greatest footballers of all time, who died on Wednesday.", "Experts says victims of female genital mutilation in the UK are not reporting cases because of delays and lockdown closures.", "The comedian's Live at the Apollo set will not be re-broadcast, after two viewers complained.", "More than 55 million people will remain banned from meeting other households indoors from 2 December.", "Leaders of Britain's biggest unions vow to resist chancellor's freeze on workers who \"risked everything\".", "Paul Farrell, 55, of Camden, north London, is accused of 79 offences including rape and attempted rape.", "A judge refuses to hear the case but the star can try to overturn the ruling at the Court of Appeal.", "More than 50 executives call for evidence justifying industry's Covid restrictions to be published.", "The family of missing crew member Robert Morley thank the captain for his rescue efforts.", "The chancellor says the \"economic emergency\" has \"just begun\", but promises more help for the jobless.", "The Scottish government will allow people to meet up at Christmas, but is also advising them not to do so.", "People travelling to the UK from the two countries will need to quarantine from Saturday.", "People must take responsibility to keep to Wales' coronavirus lockdown rules, a police chief warns.", "The virus is one of three \"once in a lifetime\" recent economic shocks says the Resolution Foundation.", "Argentina legend Diego Maradona, one of the greatest footballers of all time, dies at the age of 60.", "Germany and Italy want slopes closed until January, but the EU is yet to reach an agreement.", "Kylie Moore-Gilbert thanks those who worked towards her release, which Iran says was a prisoner exchange.", "The man seeking alternatives to a ditched relief road says commuters need alternatives to cars.", "Almost all of England will go into tiers two and three when the lockdown ends on 2 December.", "British-Australian lecturer Kylie Moore-Gilbert endured two years of \"incredible hardship\".", "Sir Brian Leveson will oversee the company's efforts to monitor its suppliers more closely.", "The EU's Michel Barnier arrived in London on Friday evening, as the two sides try to agree a deal.", "Health workers have been \"persistently dishonest\" over a baby's death in 2001, a report finds.", "The 19-year-old, filmed by a police helicopter, went through red lights and the wrong way on a motorway.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "But in Scotland infection rates appear to be rising, according to Office for National Statistics data.", "A PC has been sacked for gross misconduct for switching the price of doughnuts to seven pence.", "A \"workplace parking levy\" and cheap tickets to encourage public transport use are also suggested.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Most areas are expected to be put in the two toughest tiers of restrictions when the lockdown ends.", "Chancellor Rishi Sunak said an extra £1bn in social care funding would be available to councils.", "The IFS says the Spending Review means council tax could rise an average £70 per household.", "The 23-year-old American has modelled for Vogue, Fenty Beauty and Kanye West’s Yeezy brand.", "Footballer Marcus Rashford asks the chancellor whether higher Universal Credit will be \"taken away\" in April.", "One bar owner says 'it simply isn't viable' to operate under restrictions as English tiers are revealed.", "There are calls for urgent action following a 60,000 tonne landslip earlier this year.", "Former Treasury official Dan Rosenfield's appointment comes after a period of upheaval in Downing Street.", "Video of the three officers beating the music producer at his studio has caused an outcry in France.", "From the 'Hand of God' to managing Messi - Diego Maradona's colourful life in pictures.", "It's not against the rules but it's not a sensible thing to do, warns the UK's chief medical officer.", "Police are looking into the \"incredibly distressing incident\" outside a school in Telford.", "Jessica Jing Ren was a \"loving wife, devoted mother and cherished daughter,\" her family say.", "Yahya Werfalli, whose bank details were used to buy bomb-making chemicals, gets a community order.", "First Minister Mark Drakeford says the audit \"helps us establish an honest picture of our history\".", "The money for frontline UK and US staff is a thank-you for working through the pandemic.", "Government guidance says the bubbles should contain a maximum of eight people over the age of 11.", "It comes as ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn is reinstated as a party member, 19 days after his suspension.", "London cabbies are said to be earning \"starvation wages\", at around a quarter of normal levels.", "Perpetual Uke says she struggled to believe they were her children when she awoke 16 days later.", "He is self-isolating after coming into contact with a Tory MP who tested positive for coronavirus.", "State officials say a \"six day pause\" on all community activity is crucial to curbing the virus' spread.", "Trump supporters are making allegations of dead people voting. Is there any evidence?", "Guests tried to flee when officers raided the furniture factory in Blackburn.", "The numbers \"always or often\" lonely in the pandemic reached a new high point as winter approaches.", "Food delivery drivers claim they were denied access to toilets at restaurants during lockdown.", "Boris Johnson answered MPs weekly questions by video link for the first time.", "The higher fixed penalty notice of £200 took effect last Thursday, replacing the minimum £60 fine.", "More than 76,000 premises in NI are set to benefit from access to full-fibre broadband.", "The service is under extra pressure with almost 1,500 vacancies yet to be filled, says the auditor.", "But Ben Wallace admits a security review will mean \"letting go\" of some military equipment.", "Details and reaction to the briefing by NHS Wales Chief Executive Dr Andrew Goodall.", "Property prices in the South West of England have risen fastest in the UK, official statistics show.", "Common rules for people to follow across the UK are being considered for the festive period.", "The spending watchdog found £10.5bn was spent on pandemic-related contracts awarded without competitive tender.", "Aiden Stott had been trying to raise cash to adapt his home when the star left a surprise donation.", "Peers vote to change the bill dealing with internal markets after claims it would \"shackle\" devolved governments.", "It will take two weeks to see if the firebreak lockdown has slowed new cases enough, an official says.", "The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights says two employees have been detained since Sunday.", "Coverage of Health Minister Robin Swann's latest coronavirus briefing.", "Rangers are tracking the giraffe in north-east Kenya, after poachers killed his family members.", "A US jewellery designer struck \"lucrative\" deals with the Department of Health at the start of the pandemic.", "Those who earn less than $1m this year will see their commission charge halved in 2021.", "Rules could be relaxed for a few days, with people urged to travel by car and not hold big gatherings.", "The UK's inflation rate, which tracks the prices of goods and services, increases to 0.7% in October.", "\"I hope he didn't think we left him there and forgot about him,\" says the widow of one resident.", "Rising temperatures are destabilising lake and river ice, boosting the risk of people drowning.", "The Professional Footballers' Association is setting up a new taskforce to further examine the issue of brain injury diseases in football.", "Vincent Reffet was part of the Jetman Dubai team, and performed airborne stunts around the world.", "Ministers are in talks over rules to be in place over the festive period across the UK.", "Two NHS bosses - Baroness Harding and medical director Stephen Powis - are told to stay at home.", "New data on the potential vaccine by Pfizer and BioNTech released on 18 November shows it's 95% effective and safe.", "Chris Krebs reportedly angered Donald Trump by running a website debunking election misinformation.", "The PM confirms he is bringing the ban forward as he sets out his \"green industrial revolution\".", "Eamonn Harrison denies the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants found in a container in Essex.", "Lord Feldman went to meetings between ministers and a biotech firm his PR company went on to advise.", "A total seven people are now being held for allegedly running a child-trafficking syndicate.", "The digital currency is close to an all-time record although experts warn about its volatility.", "The family of Owen and Bredge Ward, from County Tyrone, say they are in \"complete shock\".", "The ex-leader was suspended by the party over his reaction to a report by the human rights watchdog.", "The jab works equally well in people of all ages and ethnicities, further data suggests.", "At least 30 people die as the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year hits central America.", "There is disagreement between Wales and Westminster over who should hold the purse strings.", "The 29-year-old singer is taking \"extended time off\", the girl group's publicist says.", "Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint racked up a million followers in just over four hours.", "The jet has been grounded since March 2019, after two crashes that together killed 346 people.", "A consultant says Merthyr Tydfil should not come out of lockdown \"for weeks, even months\".", "A government minister promises that the \"full force of the law\" will be applied to the traffickers.", "The British Medical Association fears a surge in infections will cripple the NHS if unlocking goes wrong.", "Labour accuses the PM of ignoring the usual checks on suppliers - and wasting £21m on a \"middle man\".", "Content moderators say the tech giant is \"risking lives\" for profit in the pandemic.", "Boris Johnson says \"the safety of the British people must come first\" as he outlines a new package.", "A director and project manager of a now-defunct firm admit health and safety charges.", "The government has unveiled a 10-point plan to reach net zero emissions, but will it deliver?", "Up to 12,000 people got tested on day one of a city-wide trial, Liverpool's public health boss says.", "The PM and EU Commission president agree to \"work hard\" to reach a deal when talks resume on Monday.", "The police watchdog said the shooting happened after reports two men were \"arguing in the street\".", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "People are being urged to play their part from home, with Covid restrictions affecting annual events.", "The suggestion comes as seven further coronavirus-related deaths are reported in the previous 24-hour period.", "The government has a lot of work to do to in improving its relations with the incoming US administration.", "Rules for travel from Denmark were tightened after a coronavirus strain spread from mink to humans.", "Here's a look at what we know about the wife of Democratic president-elect Joe Biden.", "The monarch attended a private ceremony in Westminster Abbey to mark 100 years since the burial.", "Joe Biden has vowed to bring unity to the US. Here's how his supporters think he will do it.", "Tory MPs join some 2,000 doctors in voicing concern, as Labour threatens to push for another vote.", "Lord Sacks was a prolific writer and regularly contributed to BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day.", "Notes Earl Spencer says he made suggest Martin Bashir made false and defamatory claims about senior royals.", "The England striker wants free lunches during holidays, but ministers say their measures are better.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Sunday morning.", "Europe is gradually easing lockdown measures ahead of the tourist season.", "Supporters of US President-Elect Joe Biden give their message to people who voted for Donald Trump.", "From Beijing to Berlin - the BBC looks at the impact of the ideological shift in the White House.", "Alex Trebek, the beloved host of US quiz show Jeopardy!, had been living with cancer for some time.", "The satellite is meant to trial new technology expected to be many times faster than 5G.", "Sir Mo Farah, Shane Richie, Victoria Derbyshire and Vernon Kay are heading to the new Welsh camp.", "Joe Biden is projected to have won the race for the White House, though Donald Trump has not conceded. How the count unfolded", "Cheers, honking and dancing erupt in major cities, as the nation comes to terms with the result.", "The government is to spend about £400m to support poor children and their families in England, in a climbdown.", "World leaders congratulate Joe Biden on his projected victory over Donald Trump.", "The BBC projects that Joe Biden has topped the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat Donald Trump.", "The islands have seen a sharp increase in the number of migrants from West Africa in recent months.", "The world's largest jeweller has no plans for permanent store closures despite the impact of Covid-19.", "And UK citizens returning from the country must isolate with all other household members for 14 days.", "The prime minister says he looks forward to \"working closely\" with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.", "Rupert Bear turns 100 on Sunday - can the character continue to capture the imagination of children?", "A 17-year-old boy dies after sustaining chest injuries during an altercation in Milton Keynes.", "After nearly 50 years in public office, Joe Biden has captured the White House. This is how he did it.", "Let this election bury the mistaken notion that the last one was a historical accident, says Nick Bryant.", "She was joined by family members and the PM, as Whitehall was closed to the public for the first time.", "Police say they found people were not distancing and music was being played from large speakers.", "Prince Fumihito is declared first in line to the throne during a ceremony in the capital Tokyo.", "The singer is unwell and also won't be appearing at Sunday evening's MTV Europe Music Awards.", "Greater Manchester hospitals are treating \"more Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave\".", "Scammers are listing other people's driveways in an attempt to make money from the parking app and website, Just Park.", "The sinkhole was caused by water running onto the road from a nearby farm, the council says.", "Blenheim Palace says it hopes the \"extraordinary figures\" are \"a fitting tribute to all the fallen\".", "Wales' health minister says case rates remain high but are \"levelling off\" on the last day of lockdown.", "Here's why you are seeing different tallies at the top of the live coverage from various news sites", "Cases of a mutated strain of Covid-19 have been detected that may undermine future vaccines.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Her character famously urged Marty McFly to \"save the clock tower\" in the 1985 film.", "Tough restrictions on household visits and hospitality are starting to have an effect\", the first minister says.", "Nadarajah Nithiyakumar attacked his son and daughter while their mother was in the shower.", "The firm's Uber Eats business has more than doubled as the pandemic increases appetite for takeaway.", "Apple threw the game off its App Store in August, but Nvidia's service offers it a way back to iOS.", "Government used out-of-date model predicting 4,000 deaths a day in TV briefing.", "The government is urged to do more to help arts freelancers as venues shut again during lockdown.", "The teenager was allegedly attacked in Colliers Wood in south-west London on Tuesday morning.", "A large police presence remains near Trafalgar Square where the \"Million Mask March\" was dispersed.", "A court heard Dominic Chappell spent the money that was owed on two yachts and a luxury holiday.", "Here's why you are seeing different tallies at the top of the live coverage from various news sites", "New guidance for care homes in England suggests introducing screens, pods and window visits.", "Boris Johnson says four weeks of the new measures will be enough to make \"a real impact\".", "More than eight in 10 secondary schools have had at least one case since September, figures show.", "Labour and Plaid Cymru say chancellor's pledge to extend scheme until March should have come sooner.", "Boris Johnson stresses the \"stay at home\" message on 5 November - the first day of England's second lockdown.", "The Premier League is likely to scrap controversial pay-per-view matches after the upcoming international window.", "A family says being unable to see their relative amid the pandemic pushed them to \"breaking point\".", "It is the highest one-day rise in a country that has recorded more cases and deaths than any other.", "People who seriously flout the new rules in England will face fines, the justice secretary says.", "The former What Not To Wear presenter says she felt \"a lot of shame\" about her drinking.", "About 420 Argos stores are to close, as will the supermarket's meat, fish and deli counters.", "The health secretary says those seeking assisted deaths abroad will not be breaking new Covid rules.", "The war veteran wants the country to \"join together\" during the second lockdown.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "People in the city helped to raise £750,000 for the six-year-old to undergo cancer treatment abroad.", "Paul Farrell, 55, of Camden, London, admits 58 sex offences against children.", "A PC has been sacked for gross misconduct for switching the price of doughnuts to seven pence.", "Taiwan's opposition legislators exchanged blows in a heated row over the easing of US pork imports.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "People can only drink when eating, under new restrictions, the prime minister's spokesman confirms.", "There are fears Covid cases in schools may force children and teachers to self-isolate at Christmas.", "Click and collect will operate 'on an appointment-only basis with maximum mitigations in place'.", "People travelling to the UK from the two countries will need to quarantine from Saturday.", "The Arcadia retail group, led by Sir Philip Green, is hoping to secure funding amid a second lockdown.", "Bowling alleys and indoor entertainment venues will also have to close under new restrictions.", "Christopher Robinson is sentenced to a minimum of 22 years for the murder of Adrian Ismay in 2016.", "More than 1,300 people were incorrectly told they had coronavirus by NHS Test and Trace.", "\"Karim\" wanted to help the NHS but the pandemic put his asylum claim on hold.", "How Sir Philip went from petrol station to retail empire, and ruffled some feathers along the way.", "Thousands of people in Wales are at \"risk of going blind\" because of delays, a charity warns.", "Bruno Tonioli has to stay put in the US amid Covid concerns over a flight to the UK.", "Bristol Zoological Society said the move to another site was needed to safeguard its future.", "Although Black Friday spending in the UK is set to soar in 2020, some brands won't be taking part.", "Some residents say the decision will affect livelihoods, with one describing it as heartbreaking.", "The hasty mass burial of animals infected with coronavirus was declared illegal.", "Teenager Jack Welsby scores a last-gasp try as St Helens retain their Super League crown in a dramatic Grand Final climax against Wigan.", "Nigel Owens speaks of his pride - and sadness - as he is set to become the first referee to officiate 100 rugby union Test matches.", "Public health leaders question whether it is possible to expand mass testing schemes in England.", "Emily Jones, seven, was stabbed by a stranger as she played in Queen's Park, Bolton.", "One bar owner says 'it simply isn't viable' to operate under restrictions as English tiers are revealed.", "Details and reaction to a briefing by First Minister Mark Drakeford.", "Almost all of England will go into tiers two and three when the lockdown ends on 2 December.", "Scotland's first minister says a referendum should be held \"in the earlier part\" of the next Scottish Parliament.", "Video of the three officers beating the music producer at his studio has caused an outcry in France.", "Scientific advisers to the government estimate the coronavirus epidemic is no longer growing.", "The R number for coronavirus has fallen to between 0.9 and 1 for the first time since mid-August.", "Maria Mester was paid to spend the week in the city as part of her work as an escort, a court hears.", "The PM hits back at criticism from Tory MPs that post-lockdown restrictions are not properly targeted.", "Carla Sacchi was allowed home days after her husband played his accordion below her hospital window.", "Eight more people die after testing positive for Covid-19 in NI and 442 new cases are recorded.", "It has been suggested that all schools could close on 18 December and reopen on 11 January.", "The funeral parlour says it is \"devastated\" by the pictures, as Maradona's lawyer vows legal action.", "The president demands proposals to rebuild trust between France's citizens and police.", "It's not against the rules but it's not a sensible thing to do, warns the UK's chief medical officer.", "The EU's Michel Barnier arrived in London on Friday evening, as the two sides try to agree a deal.", "More than 165,000 people in England will be offered the tests from next year.", "Christopher Wilson asked if she wanted to \"get with a man in uniform\" as she was reporting a crime.", "The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is broadcast to millions every Christmas Eve.", "The money for frontline UK and US staff is a thank-you for working through the pandemic.", "Scientists spell out measures to minimise coronavirus infection risk when rules are relaxed at Christmas.", "The Tunisian referee from England's infamous defeat by Argentina at the 1986 World Cup says he is \"proud and honoured\" to have helped Diego Maradona score the 'goal of the century'.", "Police think the body of Robert Duff, who vanished in 2013, may be in the water on Hampstead Heath.", "Worries about overseas students, Covid and pensions are damaging university finances, says report.", "Boris Johnson's congratulatory message included the word Trump faintly in background.", "The 14-carat Spirit of the Rose diamond is named after the ballet made famous by Vaslav Nijinsky.", "British Cycling sacks a senior coach for gross misconduct and a \"long-term pattern of inappropriate relationships\" with riders.", "Historical museum specimens have helped to solve a long standing scientific monkey puzzle.", "The Foreign Office \"unlawfully decided\" Anne Sacoolas was immune from prosecution, a court hears.", "Khairi Saadallah pleads guilty to killing the men during a two-minute stabbing spree in Reading.", "Jeffrey Toobin, who is also senior legal analyst for CNN, confirmed in a tweet he had been sacked.", "Greg Clarke resigns as FA chairman following the language he used when talking to MPs about diversity.", "The UK government does not expect to reach a deal with the EU in this week's talks.", "One volume from the private school's library is estimated to fetch up to £50,000 at auction.", "The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales is criticised by the child sex abuse inquiry.", "Senior royals and politicians gathered on the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior.", "Green groups welcome the UK's plan to outlaw the import of food and other goods from protected areas.", "The firm has recalled cans of its non-alcoholic stout just two weeks after they were launched.", "The full trial results have not yet been published, but scientists welcomed the positive news.", "Details and reaction to today's briefing on the pandemic by Education Minister Kirsty Williams.", "A coroner raised concerns after inquests for five women who died in Cambridgeshire.", "US hospital admissions hit record levels as New York City warns it is on the cusp of a second wave.", "American firm Bechtel is reported to be leading a consortium-bid to restart the project at Wylfa.", "Pupils' grades will be based on teacher assessments and coursework - but Higher exams will still take place.", "Teaching unions say despite a push for more devices, many students still don't have access at home.", "From a young mother to a professional card player: seven people lost to Covid-19 on one day.", "Staff cannot be expected to \"come up with, prepare, assess, standardise and moderate\", a union says.", "Claudia Webbe, Labour MP for Leicester East, is due to stand trial in March.", "Spain's Jon Rahm holes an incredible skimming shot across the pond on the 16th hole at Augusta as he practises before the Masters which begins on Thursday.", "Common rules for people to follow across the UK are being considered for the festive period.", "A minister urges businesses in Wales to prepare for 31 December and the risk of no EU trade deal.", "Linda Johnson, who is partially sighted, is in fear of leaving her house after receiving abuse for accidentally breaching social distancing guidelines.", "Creator Akse says he was inspired to do it by the England star's work to tackle child poverty.", "Rapid results tests for students are planned to let students get home safely in early December.", "University students will be allowed to travel home if they return two negative tests for Covid-19.", "Around 200 queen hornets were found in a nest extracted in Washington in October, scientists say.", "England's children's commissioner says some young people are living in \"disgusting\" conditions.", "All new expenditure at the authority is halted amid \"severe ongoing financial challenges\".", "The parcel delivery firm says it will loosen guidelines for more than 500,000 workers globally.", "The home secretary denies bullying staff but the results of a probe into her conduct remain secret.", "Conservative Jake Berry made the comparison as he warned \"northern culture\" is being hit by Covid.", "President-elect Joe Biden leads in the traditionally Republican state by about 14,000 votes.", "A man in his 50s, who worked for the Belfast Trust, was one of those who died in the past two weeks.", "The Mary Wollstonecraft memorial draws criticism due to its inclusion of a naked female figure.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning.", "The chancellor commissioned the report in July as part of efforts to cover Covid-19 costs.", "It is the first European nation to pass the landmark, with 595 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.", "The UK prime minister assures the president-elect Brexit will not affect Northern Irish peace treaty.", "Officers tackle a man who then tried to set to fire to the road outside the building.", "Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer clashed over the government's use of private contractors for public relations.", "The UK is the fifth country to pass 50,000 deaths, coming after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.", "As students' Christmas return plans are revealed, one tells of her desperation to be at home.", "The group of around 50 MPs says a repeat of current restrictions would \"devastate\" the economy and \"cost lives\".", "Nóra Quoirin and her family were staying at a jungle resort in Malaysia when she went missing.", "Former Vote Leave official and close ally of the PM, Lee Cain, exits as reports surface of internal tensions.", "The firm says the project will create 6,000 new jobs in the Midlands and the North of England", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Disruption is expected to last all day due to the \"low speed\" freight train derailment in Sheffield.", "The presenter is to exit his Saturday morning programme before the end of this year.", "The health secretary also announces that, from Tuesday, NHS staff will be tested twice a week.", "National 5 exams in Scotland have already been cancelled for 2021 but Highers are currently scheduled to go ahead.", "The way towns in England were selected for a cash boost was \"not impartial\", a spending watchdog says.", "Riot police use water and tear gas to repel protesters in the capital, Lima.", "Brian Murdoch fed Kidderminster Harriers fans for nearly 60 years with the \"match day treats\".", "A device exploded as European and US diplomats marked Remembrance Day in Jeddah.", "Lucy Letby was arrested in 2018 and 2019 as part of a probe into deaths at a Chester hospital.", "Shops forced to close during England's second lockdown say they are being unfairly targeted.", "Senior Tory MP David Davis says PM Boris Johnson has taken \"decisive action\" over his top aide.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "Former England, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Ray Clemence dies aged 72.", "There may be a peace deal, but both sides are counting the cost of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.", "A team of four leaves Florida on a SpaceX rocket and capsule, bound for the orbiting laboratory.", "The pastor at The Angel Church in Islington says the baptism was serving \"the greater good\".", "The device has been withdrawn from the market for commercial reasons but its makers stand by its safety.", "We've looked at four false Covid vaccine claims that won’t go away.", "A formula for housing targets in England led to upset from MPs - now changes are expected.", "The family of Oscar Jealous, who has Batten disease, are \"overwhelmed\" by people's generosity.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Multiple eyewitnesses say they saw soldiers shoot and kill unarmed anti-police brutality protesters.", "The Arcadia retail group, led by Sir Philip Green, is hoping to secure funding amid a second lockdown.", "The economic impact will be on a \"different scale\" to that seen in the 1980s, says Baroness Wilcox.", "Evidence presented to government confirmed rising infections as schools reopened.", "Funding will support thousands of jobs, as part of a green recovery from Covid, the government says.", "New laws should make social media companies take down false posts about vaccines, Labour says.", "Removing the last landmine on the Falkland Islands is a \"momentous change\", says islander Barry Elsby.", "Gordon Brown says a referendum on Scottish independence should not be held while the country deals with a pandemic.", "Advice on face coverings for secondary school pupils is being reconsidered, says education minister.", "Preacher John Harper refused a seat in a lifeboat and gave his lifejacket to another passenger who survived.", "Successful trials suggest they could provide electricity on a mass scale.", "Issues are not caused by the drug but by people believing it will make them sick, a study suggests.", "At least 10 die as oxygen used to treat the patients helps spread the fire in Piatra Neamt.", "Lewis Hamilton clinches a seventh world title, becoming the most successful racing driver ever with a masterful victory in the Turkish Grand Prix.", "People in England must not become complacent due to a potential vaccine, a government scientist says.", "Thousands of pro-Trump protesters marched in Washington DC to support President Trump.", "Peru sees mounting unrest after Congress removes President Martín Vizcarra from office.", "Successful trials suggest they could provide electricity on a mass scale.", "The UK's environment secretary says \"agreement exists\" with the EU, but time is \"very, very short\".", "Chatterjee, famed for his work with Oscar-winning Indian director Satyajit Ray, died of Covid complications.", "The star, whose 45-year career included hit singles and TV chat shows, died \"peacefully\" in his sleep.", "The prince tells the German parliament he believes the countries will \"always be friends and allies\".", "The tech entrepreneur says he has minor cold symptoms but test results have been \"wildly different\".", "The prime minister says he was contacted by NHS Test and Trace but is not showing any symptoms.", "The ITV series launched from a Welsh castle on Sunday, with 10 new celebrities setting up camp.", "ONS data also says the number of people infected with coronavirus is slowing down.", "Austrians are urged not to meet people from outside their households as hospitals feel the pressure.", "Leicester's Golden Mile is usually buzzing for the festival but things are very different this year.", "Prof Ugur Sahin also raises hopes the vaccine, developed with Pfizer. could halve Covid transmission.", "Two crewmen have not been seen since their vessel sank off the Sussex coast on Saturday.", "Contacts of people with the virus will not need to quarantine if they test negative, the government says.", "Ministers outline plans for \"some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days\".", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "The Supreme Court has ruled that Shamima Begum will not be allowed to return to the UK in order to fight her citizenship case.", "The multi-million pound package will include a high street voucher plan and funds for drink-only pubs.", "The Strictly presenter said she was \"gobsmacked\" to be asked to host the Saturday morning show.", "A coroner has concluded five people died accidently while using defective gas cookers.", "Boris Johnson will unveil the latest Covid plans, including lifting a ban on outdoor grassroots sport.", "England's hospitality sector warns post-lockdown restrictions risk putting firms out of business.", "Health minister says changes to Covid-19 rules could bring Wales in line with other parts of the UK.", "An American boy made to appear in an IS propaganda video in Syria is back in the US and doing well.", "A 14-year-old transgender boy is taking legal action against NHS England over treatment delays.", "A laser technology firm in Glasgow receives the first backing from the bank which aims to encourage sustainable innovation.", "Kingspan fire-tested its cladding in 2005, but changed the formulation the next year, an ex-employee says.", "A huge rise in home education is revealed amid parents' fears of Covid-19 in England's schools.", "It's almost a year since Darryn Frost helped to stop a man who was on the rampage, stabbing people.", "The robotic Chang'e-5 mission aims to return the first lunar rocks to Earth in more than 40 years.", "Train companies in Britain will continue to offer tickets to those fleeing domestic abuse until March.", "A woman who attended a Bristol rave says she sustained \"life-changing' injuries\" from a police dog.", "The 32-year-old woman was an \"innocent bystander\", the Metropolitan Police believes.", "The German leader voices concern after top economic powers promise a fair distribution of vaccines.", "Firms including Kellogg's and Britvic say the plan to tackle childhood obesity is \"disproportionate\".", "Deepspot is a diving pool that goes 45.5m (150ft) down and provides a space for divers to train.", "Patrick Quinn, who had the incurable neurological disorder ALS, helped raise millions for charity.", "Shoppers lined Belfast's streets days before Northern Ireland's non-essential shops shut for two weeks.", "For Christmas break, students will leave university within 24 hours of two negative Covid tests.", "The bike vanished from its position outside a beauty parlour in Nottingham over the weekend.", "A school in France is named after David Edwards for his work promoting peace and understanding.", "A ban on outdoor grassroots sport is set to be lifted in England when the national lockdown ends.", "England will return to a regional approach from 2 December but the tiers will be \"tougher\", the PM says.", "This year saw 'hundreds of significant new words' rather than just one, Oxford Dictionaries say.", "Christmas will be the season to be \"jolly careful\", Boris Johnson tells a Downing Street briefing.", "The Swale district of Kent now has the second highest coronavirus infection rate in England.", "Paul Robson is accused of murdering Caroline Kayll and the attempted murder of a 15-year-old boy.", "The chancellor says he will uphold pre-Covid funding pledges on police, nurses and schools.", "More areas will be in higher tiers, and the tiers will have tougher rules - but the 10pm pub curfew will ease.", "Charli D'Amelio hit the record just days after becoming involved in a row over a video.", "Its new Spotlight feature will use an algorithm to recommend \"the most engaging\" posts to a user.", "Nicola Sturgeon says there could be a \"careful\" easing at Christmas - but does not expect a relaxation at new year.", "The airline is selling thousands of items, including memorabilia from its retired 747 aircraft.", "It vanished from its post outside a beauty parlour in Nottingham over the weekend.", "Up to 4,000 fans will be allowed at outdoor events in the lowest-risk areas when the four-week national lockdown in England ends.", "Nick Brown says the ex-Labour leader's response to an anti-Semitism report caused \"pain\".", "Israeli media report that Benjamin Netanyahu made an unprecedented visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "A former high-rise police station is flattened in a controlled blast to make way for a supermarket.", "Gareth Bale's first goal since re-signing for Tottenham helps his side beat Brighton to go second in the Premier League.", "Oleksandr Usyk earns a unanimous points win over Derek Chisora at Wembley Arena to underline his credentials at heavyweight.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "The vessel overturned in severe gale-force winds during Storm Aiden, triggering a rescue.", "Transport for London has secured a six-month deal to keep services running until March 2021.", "The Premier League and other elite sport can continue behind closed doors during a new four-week national lockdown in England.", "A number of European countries are enforcing new measures as cases continue to rise.", "Tennis and golf officials are among those urging the government to make their sports exempt from new lockdown rules for England.", "Some of the crowd became violent as they were told to leave, Avon and Somerset Police said.", "The Duke of Cambridge is believed to have caught it at a similar time as his father, Prince Charles.", "Mayors of hard-hit regions are among those calling for schools to shut to reduce transmission faster.", "The trial of the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack is suspended after the main suspect catches the virus.", "Rescuers workers have pulled people from the rubble in Izmir after Friday's powerful earthquake.", "They say the government needs to explain its decision to stop services during the second lockdown.", "A look at how Donald Trump's direct approach has changed US relations around the world.", "Joe Biden is in Michigan while Donald Trump arrives in Pennsylvania, both key to the White House race.", "Police confirm at least two people have died and say they have arrested a man in his mid-20s.", "Nicola Sturgeon says only \"essential\" cross border trips should be made, as the PM announces a month-long England lockdown.", "Police detain a suspect who resembles witness descriptions of the gunman.", "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be barnstorming the battleground state on Sunday and Monday.", "Manchester City win their third Women's FA Cup in four seasons as Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie's late extra time goals beat Everton at Wembley.", "Locally-transmitted cases have dropped to zero and one state is hopeful for a \"normal Christmas\".", "North-west England politicians are angry at differences between local and national furlough rates.", "England win the Six Nations title after France beat Ireland on a thrilling final day of the delayed tournament.", "World Cup-winning England forward and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton is diagnosed with dementia.", "Boris Johnson is likely to take the national action that he swore he would do everything to avoid.", "Look back at the life of the first and (possibly) greatest James Bond and all-round movie hero.", "Boris Johnson's original judgement now seems like it was a political accident just waiting to happen.", "Europe is grappling with a second wave as cases and deaths continue to rise.", "Warnings for rain in Northern Ireland, much of Scotland, Wales and parts of England are in force.", "The first minister says they were not sufficient to deal with the \"onslaught\" of the virus.", "The scheme, which pays up to 80% of wages, has been extended until December as England goes into a national lockdown.", "A survivor is pulled from the rubble in the port city of Izmir as the quake's death toll rises to 64.", "Families foot the bill as the NHS \"refuses\" to prescribe medical cannabis for children with epilepsy.", "Two men were in the industrial-sized dryer when the third's ankles became trapped as he crawled in.", "Substitute Diogo Jota scores for the third straight game as Liverpool come from behind to beat West Ham and go top of the Premier League table.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Albania emerges as the leading candidate to host England's Nations League game against Iceland on 18 November while Germany could also be an option, BBC Sport has learned.", "About 160 million Americans voted - here's a sampling of some that swayed the election.", "Rules for travel from Denmark were tightened after a coronavirus strain spread from mink to humans.", "The discount supermarket chain is expanding its trial as it faces growing competition from rivals.", "The self-styled \"free speech\" application topped US download charts in the wake of the election.", "The government is to spend about £400m to support poor children and their families in England, in a climbdown.", "After nearly 50 years in public office, Joe Biden has captured the White House. This is how he did it.", "Let this election bury the mistaken notion that the last one was a historical accident, says Nick Bryant.", "The vaccines are being developed by the pharmaceutical company Janssen and US biotech firm Novavax.", "Christian Verrall caused his victim life-changing injuries in the attack, Cardiff Crown Court heard.", "Here's a look at what we know about the wife of Democratic president-elect Joe Biden.", "A fashion brand founder may have to remove a tennis court and garage, following a council decision.", "A football pitch in a village was turned into an \"execution ground\", reports say.", "Supporters of US President-Elect Joe Biden give their message to people who voted for Donald Trump.", "A Hinckley railway bridge tops the chart, which also features bridges in Staffordshire and Norfolk.", "A new testing regime could also reduce the 14-day self-isolation period, the transport secretary says.", "The vaccine offers more than 90% of people protection from getting Covid, preliminary trials show.", "Negotiators are meeting again after Boris Johnson insists a post-Brexit deal is \"there to be done\".", "Weston-super-Mare MP John Penrose was alerted by the app overseen by his wife, Lady Dido Harding.", "The executive is to meet again on Tuesday to decide what to do with rules around pubs and restaurants.", "Boris Johnson says a new Covid-19 vaccine is good news but warns the country not to \"slacken our resolve\".", "Shares in Europe and Asia rise as uncertainty about the outcome of US presidential election is lifted.", "Wales' health minister says case rates remain high but are \"levelling off\" on the last day of lockdown.", "Horror fan Nathan Maynard-Ellis and his partner David Leesley killed and dismembered Julia Rawson.", "The pandemic is making it hard to get medication and breathing equipment, a BBC survey suggests.", "Alex Trebek, the beloved host of US quiz show Jeopardy!, had been living with cancer for some time.", "The top-selling item is the only painting the singer has ever made available for public sale.", "The islands have seen a sharp increase in the number of migrants from West Africa in recent months.", "The government is committed to building nuclear power stations to decarbonise the UK's electricity.", "More than 1.25 million coronavirus-related deaths have been reported, Johns Hopkins university says.", "Prince Fumihito is declared first in line to the throne during a ceremony in the capital Tokyo.", "Many could be hiding credit cards, loans and savings accounts from loved ones, a government body says.", "Joe Biden is projected to have won the race for the White House, though Donald Trump has not conceded. How the count unfolded", "The \"sci-fi\" travel concept involves travelling in pods inside vacuum tubes at very high speeds.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "Details and reaction to First Minister Mark Drakeford's briefing as Wales comes out of lockdown.", "Emily Harrington reached the top of Yosemite's famed granite rock face in just over 21 hours.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "The police watchdog said the shooting happened after reports two men were \"arguing in the street\".", "John Doak's blind son, 15-year-old Jack Mitchell, died from shaking injuries he received as a baby.", "Corona Newton says it was easier to have a sense of humour about her name before the pandemic struck.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning.", "The government has a lot of work to do to in improving its relations with the incoming US administration.", "Joe Biden has vowed to bring unity to the US. Here's how his supporters think he will do it.", "The coronavirus mutation found in farmed mink in Denmark has arisen in the past, genetic data shows.", "Staff at the Royal Derby Hospital created the room as a place to escape from the intense pressures.", "Sir Mo Farah, Shane Richie, Victoria Derbyshire and Vernon Kay are heading to the new Welsh camp.", "The FTSE 100 surges nearly 5% after Pfizer shares vaccine progress.", "The BBC projects that Joe Biden has topped the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat Donald Trump.", "The first minister does not expect any areas to move to a lower level when restrictions are reviewed on Tuesday.", "She was joined by family members and the PM, as Whitehall was closed to the public for the first time.", "Some who served with Deacon Cutterham in Afghanistan dispute his account of a Taliban attack.", "The Russian Navy defends the shooting in the Kamchatka region that outraged many social media users.", "Perpetual Uke says she struggled to believe they were her children when she awoke 16 days later.", "Nicola Sturgeon warns that easing of restrictions over Christmas could cause a spike of cases in January.", "The lawsuit argued the iPhone-maker slowed down device performance to make users buy newer models.", "Families of approximately 100,000 children will receive payments for food when they are off school.", "A report accuses the MoD of failing to make the \"hard choices\" needed to plug a gap of up to £13bn.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday evening.", "The government announces a rescue package of £300m of emergency funding for sports impacted by the absence of spectators because of coronavirus.", "Early signs suggest it may help patients with severe breathing difficulties who are on ventilators.", "These and other rewards can be claimed by those who give £25 or more to a crowd funding appeal.", "Inspectors visited 25 maternity units before the pandemic to review services.", "Restrictions on social gatherings may be eased so families can get together for the festive period.", "The hospitality industry voices frustrations, as more high street chains face closure.", "But Ben Wallace admits a security review will mean \"letting go\" of some military equipment.", "A 65-year-old man arrested over the blasts is reported to be Michael Patrick Reilly.", "Contracts meant getting the best home insurance deals was not as \"simples\" as its adverts suggest.", "It is the first time a top US official visiting Israel makes such a trip, seen as controversial.", "Proposals to ease restrictions over Christmas will be set out next week, a No 10 spokesman said.", "EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier says a member of his team has tested positive for the virus.", "Aiden Stott had been trying to raise cash to adapt his home when the star left a surprise donation.", "The Stirling High School students used satellite imagery and computer software to search for the birds.", "The great whales are returning to the island that hosted the industry that nearly destroyed them.", "The ex-leader's solicitors say the correct procedures were not followed, the BBC has been told.", "Peers vote to change the bill dealing with internal markets after claims it would \"shackle\" devolved governments.", "False stories about the wife of ex-England star Wayne Rooney were leaked to the press, a court hears.", "Rules could be relaxed for a few days, with people urged to travel by car and not hold big gatherings.", "Dr Cathy Gardner believes the government acted unlawfully and failed to protect care home residents.", "Online shopping during the pandemic means revenues from parcels surpasses letters for the first time.", "Rising temperatures are destabilising lake and river ice, boosting the risk of people drowning.", "President Macron gives Muslim leaders 15 days to agree a \"charter of republican values\".", "Policy experts will offer \"constructive challenge to traditional Whitehall assumptions\", says No 10.", "The home secretary denies bullying staff but the results of a probe into her conduct remain secret.", "People returning from these countries to England, Wales and Northern Ireland will not have to quarantine.", "The cinema chain has appointed restructuring experts to negotiate unlocking more cash from lenders.", "The executive has been meeting to consider calls for new Covid interventions by the end of November.", "The University of Manchester has suspended security guards who stopped Zac Adan, 19, on campus.", "Gladys Lewis and sons Dean and Darren died within days of each other after contracting the virus.", "Eamonn Harrison denies the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants found in a lorry trailer.", "The UK's counter-terrorism head says a deal is \"incredibly important\" for the country's security.", "The government is set to confirm a rescue package of emergency funding for sports in England impacted by the absence of spectators.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "The royals are pictured looking at a homemade card from their great-grandchildren.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "BBC News uncovers evidence that women have not been told about serious abnormalities and conditions.", "The jab works equally well in people of all ages and ethnicities, further data suggests.", "At least 30 people die as the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year hits central America.", "The former top civil servant says the PM needs to decide on bullying claims against the home secretary.", "Beijing rebukes the Five Eyes Western alliance for accusing it of trying to silence critics in Hong Kong.", "The station says its young listeners may be offended by some of the Christmas classic's lyrics.", "The two fashion chains fall into administration, putting almost 500 shops at risk.", "The phase two trial results raise hopes the jab can protect age groups most at risk from Covid-19.", "It is hoped up to one million people could get the jab by the end of January if the vaccines win safety approval.", "Content moderators say the tech giant is \"risking lives\" for profit in the pandemic.", "Huge demand for the new PlayStation, coupled with its size, means pre-orders may not arrive on time.", "Boris Johnson says \"the safety of the British people must come first\" as he outlines a new package.", "The former US president's record-selling memoir contains some candid portraits of world leaders.", "The deal will bring together two of the world's most high-profile digital media firms.", "Public Health England says it's confident it can reduce the number of transmissions to zero by 2030.", "Famous for its More Than brand, RSA could be the year's biggest takeover of a UK-listed company.", "The National Audit Office says traders are unlikely to be ready for changes due from next January.", "The PM and EU Commission president agree to \"work hard\" to reach a deal when talks resume on Monday.", "Some 500,000 Sunny customers were mis-sold payday loans by Sunny before it collapsed.", "The 50MW facility near Manchester hopes to store enough power for roughly 50,000 homes.", "People are being urged to play their part from home, with Covid restrictions affecting annual events.", "Newly self-employed people get no help from the government, despite the latest wage support package.", "Cases of a mutated strain of Covid-19 have been detected that may undermine future vaccines.", "Nadarajah Nithiyakumar attacked his son and daughter while their mother was in the shower.", "Ofsted chief reveals higher baby deaths in lockdown and calls for action as next one begins.", "The firm's Uber Eats business has more than doubled as the pandemic increases appetite for takeaway.", "Further intelligence failings emerge prompting the Austrian city's anti-terror head to step aside.", "Government used out-of-date model predicting 4,000 deaths a day in TV briefing.", "The PM insists the \"upward curve\" in deaths is \"unmistakeable\" after government charts had to be revised.", "A global analysis suggests that on average the world's tallest teenagers live in the Netherlands.", "A coroner identified seven failings as contributing to Averil Hart's death.", "A large police presence remains near Trafalgar Square where the \"Million Mask March\" was dispersed.", "A court heard Dominic Chappell spent the money that was owed on two yachts and a luxury holiday.", "An ad for the app, which can display test results, has been referred to the advertising regulator.", "Boris Johnson says four weeks of the new measures will be enough to make \"a real impact\".", "The clothing chain and its sister company, Ponden Home, have been placed into administration.", "The army reaches a village where houses were buried by mudslides triggered by Storm Eta's rains.", "The parents of the brothers responsible for the attack are among several people police want to speak to.", "The Premier League is likely to scrap controversial pay-per-view matches after the upcoming international window.", "David Lewis, 81, lost his wife on Thursday, followed by one son on Friday and the other on Monday.", "The actress says she \"did not connect limb difference\" with her Grand High Witch character.", "Paul Dunleavy, named after a judge's ruling, prepared acts of terrorism and joined a neo Nazi group.", "The actor says he was \"asked to resign\" his role in the series and had \"agreed to that request\".", "New coronavirus infections in England have stabilised at around 50,000 a day, new figures suggest.", "The former What Not To Wear presenter says she felt \"a lot of shame\" about her drinking.", "The president falsely declares he's won - but the reality is that millions of votes have to be counted.", "The prolific actor was best known for starring with Dame Judi Dench in BBC sitcom As Time Goes By.", "The pop star accused social media influencers of violating health regulations during the pandemic.", "Students in Manchester tore down the \"prison-like\" barriers, which were put up without warning.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday evening.", "Passengers arriving in the UK from 04:00 GMT on Friday will need to self-isolate for 14 days.", "The multi-million pound package will include a high street voucher plan and funds for drink-only pubs.", "Kuno lost a paw after being hit by bullets in Afghanistan and is now being honoured for his bravery.", "There have been 190 deaths involving the virus in Wales, latest weekly figures from ONS show", "Ministers say some residents may have to contribute to the cost of removing flammable materials.", "The robotic Chang'e-5 mission aims to return the first lunar rocks to Earth in more than 40 years.", "Non-essential shops will reopen this weekend but bars and restaurants will stay closed into January.", "Christophe Dominici was best known for helping France knock New Zealand out of the 1999 Rugby World Cup.", "Eight Met officers are investigated over claims of excessive use of force against a black woman in custody.", "After nearly 50 years in public office, Joe Biden has captured the White House. This is how he did it.", "Nearly 14,000 deaths occurred in the week ending 13 November - with 3,000 linked to Covid.", "Harry Dunn's mother says the ruling is \"just a blip along the way\" in their fight for justice.", "Three households will be allowed to meet indoors over a five-day period between 23-27 December.", "The airline is selling thousands of items, including memorabilia from its retired 747 aircraft.", "Thousands of identities were stolen before unusual banking activity alerted a civil servant to the fraud.", "Covid-19 case numbers are dropping in most parts of England, but the South East's cases are rising.", "England's hospitality sector warns post-lockdown restrictions risk putting firms out of business.", "Kingspan fire-tested its cladding in 2005, but changed the formulation the next year, an ex-employee says.", "The Appeal Court finds the education secretary acted unlawfully in scrapping children's rights.", "Nine in 10 products are the same price or cheaper before the sale, finds consumer group.", "The tech billionaire overtakes Bill Gates after Tesla shares soar on S&P acceptance", "Supporters of US President-Elect Joe Biden give their message to people who voted for Donald Trump.", "Defeated in the election, Trump will soon become a private citizen again. A legal storm awaits him.", "Members of Labour's ruling body loyal to ex-leader protest over his exclusion from parliamentary party.", "The new network, which uses other people's broadband, is not launching in the UK.", "King Felipe will stop public activities for 10 days after coming into contact with an infected person.", "Pets at Home reports soaring sales as people increasingly turned to animals for solace amid the pandemic.", "A coroner has concluded five people died accidently while using defective gas cookers.", "Shoppers lined Belfast's streets days before Northern Ireland's non-essential shops shut for two weeks.", "There are claims Holyhead port will not be ready for the end of the Brexit transition period.", "Harry Styles also receives his first-ever nomination, but R&B star The Weeknd is overlooked.", "Sharn Hughes had gone to see the lights at Gwrych Castle - the location of TV show I'm a Celebrity.", "Cambridge University Library launches an appeal to find the scientist's missing notes and sketches.", "A report by Ulster University says jobs in the creative industry are most threatened by the pandemic.", "Public sector auditors also found teachers in NI take more sick days than other parts of the UK.", "The banner, a Chinese gift of gratitude, reads \"righteous and courageous, saving people from water\".", "The bones found in Antrim were from a Scelidosaurus and a carnivore similar to Sarcosaurus, researchers find.", "Its new Spotlight feature will use an algorithm to recommend \"the most engaging\" posts to a user.", "Nicola Sturgeon says there could be a \"careful\" easing at Christmas - but does not expect a relaxation at new year.", "A BBC documentary highlights weaknesses in the expert analysis of the likely impact of coronavirus.", "Up to 4,000 fans will be allowed at outdoor events in the lowest-risk areas when the four-week national lockdown in England ends.", "Covid disruption worsens for England's secondary schools as 22% of pupils sent home.", "Politicians are explaining how families will be allowed to get together over the festive period.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Doctor Who, Call the Midwife and Mrs Brown's Boys are among the shows in the festive schedule.", "Rishi Sunak's spending review comes amid a difficult economic backdrop caused by the pandemic.", "The US president officially pardons \"Corn\" in the annual White House tradition.", "Church leaders and charities are among those opposing a cut in the UK's overseas aid budget.", "The Dow Jones index closes above 30,000 for the first time amid string of positive news.", "For Christmas break, students will leave university within 24 hours of two negative Covid tests.", "People can form a \"Christmas bubble\" and mix in homes and outdoors between 23 and 27 December.", "People have tendency to soldier on, potentially making colleagues sick, health secretary says.", "England will return to a regional approach from 2 December but the tiers will be \"tougher\", the PM says.", "Nick Brown says the ex-Labour leader's response to an anti-Semitism report caused \"pain\".", "Sinead Quinn opened Quinn Blakey Hairdressers in Oakenshaw in breach of government restrictions.", "BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk are among broadband providers that saw record demand on Tuesday.", "The 14-carat Spirit of the Rose diamond is named after the ballet made famous by Vaslav Nijinsky.", "A profile of Boris Johnson's former right-hand-man, who has turned into his chief tormentor.", "The freight train came off tracks at Sheffield station and a crane will be needed to remove it.", "Australians are being encouraged to add Aboriginal place names when sending their mail.", "The UK has reported a record 33,470 cases in the past day - 10,520 more than Wednesday's total.", "Initial study shows tests done by care home staff are as accurate as those done in hospitals.", "Jeffrey Toobin, who is also senior legal analyst for CNN, confirmed in a tweet he had been sacked.", "Hard-hitting report from former shadow cabinet members says Labour has become too middle-class.", "Nóra Quoirin, 15, was found dead nine days after she went missing from a jungle resort in Malaysia.", "Labour's leader will have to deal with new union leaders and an internal shake-up, writes Iain Watson.", "US hospital admissions hit record levels as New York City warns it is on the cusp of a second wave.", "The rapper, who won BBC Music's Sound of 2019, was due to release his anticipated debut album tomorrow.", "Ex-minister Tracey Crouch calls for greater virtual participation to be allowed in Parliament.", "Surgeons warn patients are left in pain, as experts predict the situation will worsen during winter.", "President Trump is yet to concede the election, along with many others in the Republican party.", "Common rules for people to follow across the UK are being considered for the festive period.", "The jump in cases comes a day after the UK became the first European country to pass 50,000 deaths.", "A four-day celebration scheduled for June 2022 will mark the Queen's 70 years on the throne.", "A new hospital will be inadequately staffed if it opens next week as planned, a senior doctor says.", "It's not surprising that Boris Johnson wants to try to bring order to Downing Street after a turbulent few weeks.", "The £1.7bn project will see a two-mile tunnel built near the ancient monument in Wiltshire.", "This Downing Street argument feels different, like a final act is playing out after months of building tension.", "Emails reveal how officials described pressure to approve protective suits for the NHS.", "The departure of a key Dominic Cummings ally from No 10 changes the power dynamic inside government.", "Scientists have sequenced the \"code of life\" of species from almost every branch of the bird family tree.", "But those returning from Qatar, UAE, Laos and the Turks and Caicos Islands will not need to self-isolate.", "The boss of PlayStation speaks to Newsbeat about launching the PS5.", "A former undercover police officer admits the Met set out to infiltrate left-wing political groups.", "Around 200 queen hornets were found in a nest extracted in Washington in October, scientists say.", "Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin warns that failing to reach an agreement would be \"very damaging\".", "All new expenditure at the authority is halted amid \"severe ongoing financial challenges\".", "Northern Ireland and Scotland can both seal a place at next year's European Championship in Thursday's qualifying play-off finals.", "Conservative Jake Berry made the comparison as he warned \"northern culture\" is being hit by Covid.", "Lucy Letby is charged with killing eight infants at a hospital neo-natal unit in 2015 and 2016.", "It is the first European nation to pass the landmark, with 595 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.", "Officers tackle a man who then tried to set to fire to the road outside the building.", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday morning.", "Some chains are capitalising on rules that allow them to sell non-essential goods alongside food.", "Former Vote Leave official and close ally of the PM, Lee Cain, exits as reports surface of internal tensions.", "Ex-boxer Nicola Adams is out of Strictly Come Dancing after partner Katya Jones catches Covid-19.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Scotland's 23-year absence from major men's tournaments is finally over after a famous shootout win in Serbia.", "The largest analysis so far indicates black and Asian people are at higher risk.", "Helga Wauters is found guilty of manslaughter over the death of British 28-year-old Xynthia Hawke.", "The fire damage saw the ward closed for two weeks and caused almost £50,000 of damage.", "NHS bosses say they are worried seriously ill patients are staying away as visits drop by half.", "Some people in north Wales could get Covid-19 vaccines in December, a health board executive says.", "Artist John Charles says he is \"buzzing\" after reaching a \"boss\" agreement with the fashion label.", "Lucy Letby was arrested in 2018 and 2019 as part of a probe into deaths at a Chester hospital.", "University of Manchester students protest over \"high rents\" and coronavirus support.", "Gareth Delbridge, 64, and Michael Lewis, 58, were hit by a Swansea to Paddington train in July 2019.", "The BBC tracked the first 100 killings of 2019 and has now identified those held legally responsible.", "Use our search tool to find out about coronavirus rules and restrictions where you live.", "Former England, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Ray Clemence dies aged 72.", "A team of four leaves Florida on a SpaceX rocket and capsule, bound for the orbiting laboratory.", "The Dow hits a new record on hopes of a second coronavirus vaccine breakthrough from US drugs firm Moderna.", "No 10 does not deny reports the PM made the comment in a meeting with Tory MPs.", "The pastor at The Angel Church in Islington says the baptism was serving \"the greater good\".", "Boris Johnson's comments come ahead of another week of negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal.", "First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says tougher restrictions in the west of Scotland are \"likely\" but \"not inevitable\".", "The health minister says 250 Covid-19 deaths so far this month are \"very sobering\".", "Public radio station RFI says a \"technical problem\" meant the obituaries were published prematurely.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "A formula for housing targets in England led to upset from MPs - now changes are expected.", "The BBC can reveal a spike in the number of parents taking their children out of school.", "It comes a week after preliminary results showed another vaccine offered 90% protection.", "Many users report the iPhone version of the contact-tracing app gets \"stuck\" on launch.", "Michelle O'Neill says people need hope, as officials warn more restrictions could come mid-December.", "Train services are suspended, roads are shut and schools closed by the tyre fire in Bradford.", "Nearly 100,000 people have been tested for the virus over 10 days in Liverpool.", "Offices and workplace friendships are key to breaking down misconceptions, a study suggests.", "Dr Catalin Denciu tried to save Covid-19 patients from a fire in a hospital intensive care unit.", "Up to 350,000 customers and staff could have had their information stolen in a ransomware attack.", "Ministers are in talks over rules to be in place over the festive period across the UK.", "Twenty-two people died and hundreds more were injured as they left the Ariana Grande concert in 2017.", "Supermarkets should not be able to sell non-essential goods in lockdown, says boss of Clintons cards.", "\"What's drawing closer is a bomb,\" the Honduran president says, as Hurricane Iota strengthens.", "People are no longer allowed to drink alcohol on trains or at stations as part of measures to stem Covid.", "The impact of the three-tier Covid system in England was varied, says a senior health official.", "Council bosses call on the prime minister to help as cases in Hull rise to 770 per 100,000 people.", "The University of Manchester says it has suspended security guards who stopped Zac Adan on campus.", "Boris Johnson, six Tory MPs and two aides have been told to self-isolate after a breakfast meeting in No 10.", "Issues are not caused by the drug but by people believing it will make them sick, a study suggests.", "Lewis Hamilton clinches a seventh world title, becoming the most successful racing driver ever with a masterful victory in the Turkish Grand Prix.", "Early data suggests the vaccine is nearly 95% effective, after a trial of 30,000 people in the US.", "Democrats have criticised the social network for not doing enough to remove hate speech.", "Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are to be the new owners of National League club Wrexham, whose fans overwhelmingly backed the sale.", "The labs will use technology to speed up the process so results come faster, the government says.", "A woman urges people to seek help after the father of her children took his own life in July.", "Covid-19 has forced the probation service to change how it monitors high-risk offenders.", "It follows concerns NI was almost 200,000 doses short and could not complete the programme.", "The British Dental Association warns there will be \"an oral health crisis” without government support.", "Stephen Ellison jumped into the river after the unnamed 24-year-old slipped on rocks and fell.", "The announcement follows news the presenter and chat show host is to leave BBC Radio 2 in December.", "Two former activists describe how they looked to America for inspiration.", "The star, whose 45-year career included hit singles and TV chat shows, died \"peacefully\" in his sleep.", "The prime minister says he was contacted by NHS Test and Trace but is not showing any symptoms.", "The ITV series launched from a Welsh castle on Sunday, with 10 new celebrities setting up camp.", "A former employee from Celotex tells the inquiry he got the insulation approved in an unethical way.", "Prof Ugur Sahin also raises hopes the vaccine, developed with Pfizer. could halve Covid transmission.", "The government says it's working closely with the social care sector to roll out testing across the country.", "Wales' health minister calls the flyer \"really worrying\", saying 1.3 million people have died.", "Families of approximately 100,000 children will receive payments for food when they are off school.", "The NSPCC says a fall in removals of graphic content during the pandemic put children at more risk.", "Sir Alex Allan says the home secretary's behaviour included \"shouting and swearing\" at officials.", "A judge rules that Rooney's social posts were directly accusing Rebekah Vardy of leaking stories.", "A security researcher claims he accessed Donald Trump's Twitter account by guessing his password.", "Early signs suggest it may help patients with severe breathing difficulties who are on ventilators.", "Morris wrote more than 40 books including a notable trilogy about Britain's empire, Pax Britannica.", "Ofgem is considering the rise to help energy firms which have been hit by a jump in unpaid bills.", "As NI's R number rises to 1.0, the chief scientific adviser warns of additional interventions.", "The president's son, who is 42, is quarantining after being diagnosed this week, his spokesman says.", "South Australia went into lockdown because a man with Covid-19 misled health officials, police say.", "Congestion at Felixstowe Port in Suffolk is proving a major headache for importers before Christmas.", "The prominent Brexiteer rose swiftly to the cabinet after being elected as an MP in 2010, and was appointed as home secretary in July last year.", "GHB has been used in a series of murders but is currently in the same category as anabolic steroids.", "Nicole Elkabbas received £45,000 in donations after claiming to have ovarian cancer, a court hears.", "The more antibodies people have, the lower their chances of re-infection, a study suggests.", "Matt Hancock said the NHS was preparing to roll out a Covid-19 vaccine if one is approved for use.", "Fergal Keane looks at their legacy and speaks to a Holocaust survivor, a prosecutor and the son of a defendant.", "Dr Cathy Gardner believes the government acted unlawfully and failed to protect care home residents.", "Several newspapers have reported he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend.", "The home secretary denies bullying staff but the results of a probe into her conduct remain secret.", "Steve Dymond died days after taking a lie-detector test on the Jeremy Kyle Show.", "Two NHS bosses - Baroness Harding and medical director Stephen Powis - are told to stay at home.", "The University of Manchester has suspended security guards who stopped Zac Adan, 19, on campus.", "Greatest risk of passing the virus on is in the first few days of having symptoms, analysis suggests.", "The deputy first minister says she has \"done everything\" she needed to do in line with the investigation.", "Delivery of the Covid jab could start from December, Health Secretary Matt Hancock says.", "Gladys Lewis and sons Dean and Darren died within days of each other after contracting the virus.", "People in Scotland are having to navigate a multitude of rules and regulations as the pandemic continues.", "The decision means he will remain in prison beyond January when a sentence for dug offences ends.", "Details and reaction as First Minister Mark Drakeford gives a live televised briefing.", "Home Secretary Priti Patel gives an \"unreserved\" apology if she upset people after report into her conduct.", "The royals are pictured looking at a homemade card from their great-grandchildren.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "DUP minister agrees with criticism of executive's lockdown decision in email sent to more than 80 MLAs.", "John McDermott from Connah's Quay, Flintshire, also received an indefinite restraining order.", "The former top civil servant says the PM needs to decide on bullying claims against the home secretary.", "Wajid Shah sent a series of messages to politicians threatening them \"with a gun or a knife\".", "Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday evening.", "The two fashion chains fall into administration, putting almost 500 shops at risk.", "Westminster does not \"fully comprehend how difficult it is to plan\", the boss of Principality says.", "The former US president's record-selling memoir contains some candid portraits of world leaders.", "But the government data suggests coronavirus rates in school-age children are still rising.", "The deal will bring together two of the world's most high-profile digital media firms.", "The health secretary says vaccination could begin next month if a jab is approved by the regulator.", "Naomi Long says regulations will not be laid in assembly until the police are ready to enforce them.", "Gareth Bale's first goal since re-signing for Tottenham helps his side beat Brighton to go second in the Premier League.", "But it is still not clear how much this protects people against being re-infected, experts say.", "Blain McGuigan says boxer Carl Frampton was paid a lot of money while managed by the family.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "Booking opens for the National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged pupils in England.", "The prime minister says the furlough scheme will \"continue to be available wherever it is needed\".", "A three-year-old girl is pulled alive from rubble in Turkey's port city of Izmir.", "All the latest news and results for the US Election 2020 from the BBC.", "All adult and children's grassroots football is to be suspended in England during the national Covid-19 lockdown.", "Tennis and golf officials are among those urging the government to make their sports exempt from new lockdown rules for England.", "All 13,000 birds at the Cheshire farm, which produces hatching eggs, are to be culled.", "The Duke of Cambridge is believed to have caught it at a similar time as his father, Prince Charles.", "Some of the crowd became violent as they were told to leave, Avon and Somerset Police said.", "Mayors of hard-hit regions are among those calling for schools to shut to reduce transmission faster.", "They say the government needs to explain its decision to stop services during the second lockdown.", "Known for his decades of reporting on the Middle East, Fisk interviewed Osama Bin Laden three times.", "Economy minister says those ineligible for small business grants will be asked to \"return the money\".", "Peter Weir urges parents and carers to limit the Covid-19 spread by not gathering at school gates.", "Manchester City win their third Women's FA Cup in four seasons as Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie's late extra time goals beat Everton at Wembley.", "Immy has cerebral palsy and struggles to safely cross the busy road new her home in her wheelchair.", "North-west England politicians are angry at differences between local and national furlough rates.", "Customers will be able to defer payments for up to six months if they have not already done so.", "A Scottish billionaire says pianist Paul Harvey \"lit up the screen\" in a video clip which went viral.", "The party leader applies to change its name to Reform UK, calling the PM's Covid response \"woeful\".", "World Cup-winning England forward and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton is diagnosed with dementia.", "The Peruvian authorities put on an ancient Incan ritual to reopen the Unesco World Heritage site.", "Israr Muhammed's three-year-old son died after his father crashed while racing on the M62.", "Donald Trump and Joe Biden make final push as turnout is expected to be the highest in more than a century.", "At least nine people affected by the scandal did not live to receive their money, BBC research reveals.", "If you want to know why England is going into lockdown, this hospital offers a glimpse.", "App initially did not terminate account of man offering to send naked image to 14-year-old's account.", "Europe is grappling with a second wave as cases and deaths continue to rise.", "The government has announced self-employed workers can claim up to 80% of profits, from 40% before.", "Boris Johnson is setting out his plans for a new four-week lockdown starting on Thursday.", "Firms have been adding to their borrowing in order to survive the pandemic as many have seen sales slump.", "The first minister says they were not sufficient to deal with the \"onslaught\" of the virus.", "Claire Bond was crushed against a fence and dragged along a road by a fleeing drug dealer.", "A survivor is pulled from the rubble in the port city of Izmir as the quake's death toll rises to 64."], "section": ["US & Canada", "UK", null, "US Election 2020", "Europe", "UK Politics", "Northern Ireland", "Northern Ireland", "Tyne & Wear", "Wales", "US & Canada", "Wales", "Birmingham & Black Country", "Essex", "Hampshire & Isle of Wight", "UK", "UK", "Europe", "Europe", "Asia", "Kent", "Northern Ireland", "England", "Health", "Edinburgh, Fife & East Scotland", "UK Politics", "Europe", "Newsbeat", "US & Canada", "Leeds & West Yorkshire", "Health", "Hampshire & Isle of Wight", "Latin America & Caribbean", "Wales", "Liverpool", "UK", "UK", null, "Sussex", "UK Politics", "Entertainment & Arts", "Entertainment & Arts", "Business", "Middle East", "UK", "London", "Health", "Family & Education", "Scotland", "London", null, "London", "US Election 2020", null, "NE Scotland, Orkney & Shetland", null, 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"Northern Ireland", null, "Health", "Northern Ireland", "US Election 2020", "Family & Education", "Scotland", null, "US Election 2020", null, null, "Liverpool", "UK", "Bristol", "UK", "UK", "Middle East", "Northern Ireland", "Northern Ireland", null, "Wales", "England", "Business", "UK", "UK Politics", null, "Latin America & Caribbean", "Leeds & West Yorkshire", "US Election 2020", "UK Politics", "Health", "Technology", "Europe", "Business", "UK", "Business", "Wales politics", "Stoke & Staffordshire", "Europe"], "content": ["US President Donald Trump's oldest son has tested positive for coronavirus, according to his spokesman.\n\nDonald Trump Jr, 42, was diagnosed at the start of this week and has been quarantining at his hunting cabin since the result, the spokesman said.\n\n\"He's been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended Covid-19 guidelines,\" according to the statement.\n\nDon Jr is the second of the president's children to test positive.\n\nBarron Trump, 14, was also diagnosed last month, but made a swift recovery.\n\nA firebrand speaker, Don Jr played a major role in his father's presidential campaign.\n\nThere has also been speculation that Don Jr is interested in running for the White House, conjecture he hasn't tried to tamp down.\n\nDon Jr's partner, Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host, tested positive for the disease in July, and also recovered. He apparently did not contract the infection at the time.\n\nEarlier on Friday, Andrew Giuliani, a special assistant to President Trump, announced he had tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nMr Giuliani, the son of the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, tweeted that he was experiencing mild symptoms after receiving his positive test on Friday morning.\n\nCBS News, the BBC's US partner, confirmed that at least four other White House aides have tested positive for Covid-19 in a new outbreak there.\n\nEarlier this month, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was among several aides who tested positive for the infection.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How effective is getting a Covid test before you travel for Thanksgiving?\n\nThe president himself spent three nights in hospital at the beginning of October after being hit by Covid-19. First Lady Melania Trump also had a bout of the infection.\n\nLast month, Don Jr was criticised for downplaying the US coronavirus death toll.\n\nIn an interview with Fox News, he argued that the media was focusing on the caseload, while ignoring the mortality rate.\n\nHe said: \"I was like, 'Well, why aren't they talking about deaths?' Oh, oh, because the number is almost nothing. Because we've gotten control of this, and we understand how it works.\"\n\nThe virus has infected 11.8 million Americans and killed more than 253,000.\n\nOn Friday alone, 192,000 people in the US tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Covid Tracking Project.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Health Secretary Matt Hancock: \"We will be ready to start vaccination next month\"\n\nThe NHS is setting up coronavirus vaccination centres across the UK in preparation for any jab being approved, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.\n\nPeople will be vaccinated at sites around the country, as well as in hospitals and by GPs in the community.\n\nThe government has also officially asked the medical regulator to assess the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nMr Hancock said if the regulator approved it, vaccination could start next month.\n\nBut the bulk of the vaccination rollout would be in the new year, he added.\n\nIt comes as another 20,252 confirmed Covid cases were announced by the government on Friday, as well as a further 511 deaths.\n\nSpeaking at the Downing Street briefing, Mr Hancock said: \"The NHS is in the process of establishing vaccination centres across the country that can manage the logistical challenge of needing to store the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at -70C.\n\n\"In addition it is establishing vaccination hubs in hospitals for NHS staff.\n\n\"These two routes are likely to comprise the bulk of the campaign this side of the new year. Then there will be a community rollout involving GPs and pharmacists.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus vaccine: How close are you to getting one?\n\nVaccination centres could be set up in places like sports halls, and earlier this week it was confirmed that a sports arena in Derby had been earmarked to be used.\n\nOn the question of when people could get vaccinated, Mr Hancock said: \"I know everyone wants to know about the timing and the speed of the rollout. That will depend on the speed at which the vaccines can be manufactured.\n\n\"We know that the manufacturing process for all vaccines is difficult and uncertain so I've asked the NHS to be ready to deploy at the speed at which the vaccine can be produced.\n\n\"If, and it still is an if, if the regulator approves a vaccine, we will be ready to start the vaccination next month with the bulk of the rollout in the new year. We're heading in the right direction but there is still a long way to go.\"\n\nMr Hancock also confirmed the government had formally asked the independent medical regulator - the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency - to assess the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nHe said the UK government had been given the \"confidence\" to begin the process, after the vaccine-makers applied for approval in the US.\n\nThree vaccines - Pfizer/BioNTech, Sputnik and Moderna - have already reported good early results from the final stages of testing, called phase-three trials.\n\nThe first breakthrough came from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which published data first and showed it protected 94% of adults over 65.\n\nAnother vaccine, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, has shown positive results at an earlier stage, phase two.\n\nThe UK government has ordered more doses of the Oxford vaccine than any other (100 million doses) - but has also ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and five million of the Moderna vaccine.\n\nThe NHS Confederation, which represents NHS bosses, said the vaccine offered \"a glimmer of hope but it won't save the NHS this Christmas\".\n\n\"When the national restrictions are lifted in two weeks' time, life cannot go back to normal and they will have to be replaced with measures that protect the NHS from becoming overwhelmed,\" it said.\n\nAsked about Christmas and whether Covid restrictions could be relaxed, Mr Hancock said the government was still working to decide what should happen after England's lockdown ends on 2 December.\n\n\"It's still too early to tell, although we can see from the data out in the last couple of days, and also from the ONS survey out today, that this is clearly flattening,\" he said. \"We're clearly near the peak of this second increase and the second wave.\"\n\nNHS England's medical director Prof Stephen Powis also said it appeared the number of hospital patients with coronavirus had been \"levelling off\" in the last few days.\n\nBut he added: \"That is just a few days' data and it's important not to read too much into it yet.\"\n\nIt comes as the government's group of scientific advisers said the R rate - the number of people on average that one infected person passes the virus onto - had dropped to between 1 and 1.1 for the UK as a whole.\n\nMr Hancock also urged people aged 50 and over to get a flu jab.\n\nThirty million people are being offered a flu jab in England's largest flu-immunisation scheme to date. People aged 50 to 64 will be eligible for the vaccine from 1 December.", "Home Secretary Priti Patel gives an \"unreserved\" apology if she upset people during her work at the Home Office.\n\nIt follows a report on bullying claims. She says she is working to reform the department.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Surprised local residents took pictures of the stricken vessel\n\nMore than 400 people have spent the night on board a passenger ferry after it ran aground off the Finnish Åland Islands in the Baltic Sea.\n\nThe Viking Grace became stranded close to the port of Mariehamn on Saturday.\n\nThe Coastguard said the ship was towed to the port on Sunday morning, and the passengers would be evacuated shortly.\n\nIt earlier said the vessel was not leaking and no lives were in danger. The cause of the incident is being investigated.\n\nThe ship, owned by the Viking Line, had been heading to the Swedish capital, Stockholm, from Turku in Finland.\n\nNo injuries have been reported among the 331 passengers and 98 crew, and the Viking Line described the situation on board as \"calm\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Merivartiosto - LSMV This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nResidents near the scene expressed surprise. \"It is very windy here on Åland and they tried to reverse into the quay,\" said one resident, named only as Tina, 55.\n\n\"We saw that they were having problems. They stopped and then something happened and they drifted towards land. You can basically touch the boat if you go down to the water.\n\nPassenger Anna Palsson, quoted by Swedish newspaper Expressen, said they had just gone down to the car deck when the ferry ran aground.\n\n\"People are calm and the staff are handing out food and facemasks,\" she said.\n\nViking Line spokeswoman Johanna Boijer-Svahnström told Yle News that Finnish passengers will be taken from Mariehamn to the mainland on the Viking Grace, while Swedish passengers will board the Viking Amorella for travel to Stockholm.\n\nIt is the second time in two months that a Viking Line ferry has run aground off the Åland Islands. On 30 September, 300 passengers had to be evacuated from the Viking Amorella which hit rocks off Järsö. It has since been towed to Turku for repairs.", "The chancellor has vowed to \"always balance the books\", despite increased spending in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nIn a speech to party members, Rishi Sunak said the Conservatives had a \"sacred duty\" to \"leave the public finances strong\".\n\nHe vowed the use the \"overwhelming might of the British state\" to help people find new work.\n\nBut he said debt and spending needed controlling \"over the medium term\".\n\nIn an online speech during the Conservatives' annual party conference, he said: \"I won't stop trying to find ways to support people and businesses.\"\n\nHowever, he added the party could not argue there was \"no limit on what we can spend\", nor that \"we can simply borrow our way out of any hole\".\n\nMr Sunak cited the furlough scheme and its successor, the jobs support scheme, as examples of government action to support employment during the crisis.\n\nHe said though that, although the government would \"keep striving to be creative\" on employment support, he would also have to be \"pragmatic\".\n\nHe told members that \"no chancellor\" would be able to save every job or business, adding changes to the economy due to Covid-19 \"can't be ignored\".\n\nOfficial figures published in September show government borrowed £35.9bn in the previous month, its highest amount for August since records began in 1993.\n\nBorrowing between April and August totalled £173.7bn, as ministers spent billions on coronavirus-related schemes to support the economy.\n\nGovernment borrowing is at stratospheric levels because of the pandemic.\n\nIt is not clear precisely what the chancellor means, promising to get it under control in the \"medium term\".\n\nNor was there even a whisper of how that could be done.\n\nTreasury sources suggested it's unlikely to happen by the time of the next election, likely to be in 2024.\n\nBut while the chancellor's first few months in the job have been characterised by enormous crisis-level spending, that is a characteristic that he is keen to shrug off.\n\nIn an interview after his speech, the chancellor said government debt - which passed £2 trillion for the first time in history in August - was vulnerable to increases in borrowing costs.\n\n\"Now that we have so much debt, it doesn't take a lot for suddenly 'yikes' - we have to come up with X billion pounds a year to pay for higher interest,\" he said.\n\nMr Sunak - who has been touted as a potential future Tory leader - also said he did not want to become PM, and described his \"close personal friendship\" with Boris Johnson.\n\nAsked if he eventually wants to replace Mr Johnson, he replied: \"No. Definitely not seeing what the prime minister has to deal with, this is a job hard enough for me to do.\"\n\nBBC economics editor Faisal Islam said: \"The chancellor knows that just days after his Winter Economic Plan, with unemployment set to go above 5%, and social restrictions intensifying, not loosening, there is now further backroom pressure to increase the generosity of his worker subsidy schemes.\n\n\"This is a continuation of the pattern we have seen in the past few weeks since the cancellation of the Budget. There'll be more support for the economy, but with the really tough decisions - for example, on tax, - put off.\n\nMinisters have pledged additional support to help people find new work.\n\nIn response to his speech, shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said Mr Sunak had \"nothing to say\" to millions of people whose jobs were at risk.\n\nShe told reporters more \"targeted support\" was required for sectors of the economy that have been hardest hit by restrictions during the pandemic.\n\n\"Sadly there was nothing from the chancellor today to suggest that he grasped the magnitude of the jobs crisis we're facing,\" she added.\n\nDame Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of business lobby group the CBI, said the best way to balance the books was by \"protecting our economy's ability to recover\".\n\nAdding that the costs of the pandemic had fallen \"deeply and unevenly,\" she said it was vital to protect at-risk sectors such as aviation, manufacturing, and hospitality.\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak told the virtual Conservative Party conference: \"This Conservative government will always balance the books.\"\n\nIf it does, that would be an unusual achievement.\n\nBalancing the books usually means that a government has repaid more than it has borrowed in a year - ie it's in surplus.\n\nThe government can still have debt overall, but the debt hasn't risen during the year.\n\nThe last time that a government balanced the books was under the Labour government in 2000-01, and for the two years before that.\n\nThe most recent Conservative government to achieve that was under Margaret Thatcher in 1988-89 and 1989-90.\n\nAnother measure that recent governments have liked to talk about is whether the economy is growing faster than the debt. If it is, the government can say that debt is falling as a proportion of GDP (which is the value of everything produced by the economy in a year).\n\nThat happened in both 2017-18 and 2018-19.\n• None Coaching and advice for jobseekers in £238m scheme\n• None What jobs are available post-lockdown?", "Edwin Poots 'replied all' to an email from a member of the public criticising the executive's decision on restrictions\n\nDUP minister Edwin Poots has said he is opposed to new Covid-19 restrictions agreed by the executive, in an email sent to more than 80 people.\n\nHe answered a member of the public who emailed MLAs about the restrictions.\n\nThe original email criticised the government for the \"devastating effect\" the tougher restrictions will have.\n\nIn a reply to all, Mr Poots said: \"I entirely agree, unfortunately the majority of the Executive see things differently.\"\n\n\"The failure of the health department will inevitably lead to the failure of the economy.\"\n\nTwo weeks of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions will take force across NI from next Friday.\n\nMr Poots, who is a former Stormont health minister, declined a request to comment further on the contents of his email, which he said was \"self explanatory\".\n\nWhen asked asked by BBC News NI if he had intended to \"include all\" of the Stormont MLAs in his reply, he declined to comment.\n\nThe email from the member of the public had also stated that current pressure on the NHS was \"nothing new\" and that the NHS was \"overwhelmed every year at this time\".\n\nIt continued: \"This shows the utter incompetence of NHS and health department planning expecting the rest of the country to pay for their failings.\"\n\nUlster Unionist health spokesman Alan Chambers MLA said Mr Poots's comments showed \"how detached from reality he is\".\n\n\"A few days ago he was pointing the finger of blame at the nationalist community for Covid-19,\" he said.\n\n\"Now he's blaming the health service, and in the process, insulting everyone within it who is working so hard at this particular time to save lives.\n\n\"Edwin Poots needs to get real and stop playing pathetic political games in the middle of a global health pandemic, which has already delayed crucial life-saving decisions.\n\n\"His words and actions are grossly irresponsible.\"\n\nUlster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie also responded saying: \"His reply went into my spam folder.\"\n\n\"Spam - irrelevant or unsolicited messages sent over the internet - typically to a large number of users,\" he said.\n\nMr Poots' party colleague, the South Antrim MLA Pam Cameron, who is DUP deputy chair of the health committee, described Mr Poots' reasoning as \"a little simplistic\".\n\n\"Cruel reality is that everyone is responsible for the spread of virus. If we all follow the most basic guidelines, the economy could carry on.\n\n\"It's brutal that business pays the price for our actions,\" she tweeted.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Doug Beattie This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIt is understood Mr Poots voiced opposition to the restrictions during Thursday's executive meeting.\n\nStormont sources said the minister, who has previously spoken out against imposing tighter lockdown measures, said it was illogical to close non-essential retail as it could severely damage the high street.\n\nIt is believed Mr Poots did not ask for the measures to be put to a vote by the executive and said he would accept whatever measures were agreed by the executive.", "Care home resident John Duffy is a much loved father and grandad\n\nWhen John Duffy's family came to visit him, looking through a window into his care home on Monday, he burst into tears.\n\nIt was his 71st birthday. When his daughter asked him why he was crying, he replied: \"Because I haven't seen you in so long.\"\n\nCoronavirus restrictions on care homes meant his family had not been able to visit him over the previous six weeks.\n\nBut because it was his birthday, an exception was made - and the Duffys were allowed a brief \"window visit\".\n\nLike many families, the Duffys' only face-to-face contact is through a care home window\n\nDonna Duffy appreciated the home's gesture for her father, who has dementia, and also understands care homes must obey rules to protect vulnerable residents from Covid-19.\n\nBut eight months into the pandemic, the Belfast woman said she believes current visiting arrangements are damaging the mental and emotional well-being of residents and their families.\n\nA protest was staged on the rules around visiting loved ones at care homes at Stormont on Saturday\n\nMs Duffy and other campaigners staged a protest at Stormont on Saturday to highlight the isolation and \"loneliness\" felt by residents and their loved ones.\n\n\"Every human needs emotional warmth,\" she told BBC News NI.\n\n\"I need to be able to hold my daddy's hand again and tell him that he's ok.\"\n\nJohn Duffy has spent several weeks without family visitors\n\nCare homes have been badly affected by Covid-19 and stringent visiting guidelines were introduced to protect residents from infection.\n\nOut of a total of 483 care homes in Northern Ireland, nearly 30% (143) are currently dealing with confirmed Covid-19 outbreaks.\n\nReducing footfall in care homes is viewed by home managers as \"one of the most effective measures\" in minimising infection, according to the Department of Health's most recent guidance.\n\nBut the same document acknowledges restricted visiting has \"contributed to an emotional trauma\" caused by separating residents from family members.\n\nJohn Duffy with his wife and daughters\n\nMs Duffy believes residents need face-to-face visits from family. She said the risk could be \"managed\" through regular testing and use of personal protective equipment (PPE).\n\n\"No-one wants to put anyone at risk, we're not asking for whole families to be allowed in,\" she said.\n\nInstead, she is calling for one person from each family to be awarded the \"same status as key workers\", and be given access to PPE and testing, so residents can maintain physical contact with loved ones.\n\nOther relatives who took in Saturday's protest included Martina Ferguson.\n\nBefore the pandemic began, she visited her 87-year-old mother every evening, \"tucking her into bed\" at her County Armagh care home.\n\nHer mother, Ursula Derry, has advanced dementia. The pensioner can no longer speak or walk, but she can still \"smile and giggle and laugh,\" according to her daughter.\n\n\"She recognises me - even when I'm wearing a mask.\"\n\nMartina Ferguson with her mum, Ursula Derry, in the month before lockdown\n\nTheir daily visits stopped abruptly at the start of lockdown in March and the lack of face-to-face contact over the past eight months has been difficult for both mother and daughter.\n\n\"I feel like I'm grieving the loss of someone who is still alive,\" Ms Ferguson said.\n\nLike many families across the UK, their visits are now little more than a wave through a care home window.\n\n\"I go round to my mummy's bedroom window, I wave and try to talk to her through the glass.\n\n\"My mummy is lonely,\" she added, fighting back tears. \"She must feel abandoned.\"\n\nUrsula Derry, pictured through the window of her care home bedroom earlier this month\n\nUrsula Derry is not used to being separated from family for long periods.\n\nBorn as a twin in the early 1930s, she raised six children and is now a great-grandmother.\n\nBut the pensioner has \"become withdrawn\" in recent months, according to her daughter, who fears she is suffering emotionally from the separation from her loved ones.\n\nMs Ferguson is calling on homes to \"strike a balance\" on family visits to protect residents' mental and emotional well-being.\n\nUrsula Derry and her daughter, Martina Ferguson, at a wedding\n\nShe also believes risks could be managed with strict infection control measures, pointing to her experience when her mother was taken into hospital for 13 days in July.\n\nWearing PPE, Ms Ferguson was able to be at her mother's bedside on the ward, hold her hand and comfort her for the first time in months.\n\nWhen Mrs Derry was discharged from hospital, she was readmitted to her care home and has had no physical contact with her daughter since the summer.\n\nFearing the pandemic will continue well into next year, Ms Ferguson said homes must find ways to accommodate visits to prevent months of further separation.\n\nMs Duffy's father is also a big part of her family's life and is much missed by his grandchildren.\n\n\"My six-year-old niece is asking if Santa Claus will bring grandad home for Christmas,\" she said.\n\n\"She says Santa can take any of her toys off her list, as long as he brings her grandad.\"\n\nJohn Duffy with his granddaughter, celebrating his 70th birthday in November 2019\n\nBut there are no easy answers to the unprecedented challenges faced by health staff, trying to keep the most vulnerable people in our society healthy, happy and safe from infection.\n\nCare home residents account for more than 40% of all Northern Ireland's Covid-related deaths.\n\nJohn Duffy's family was at the protest on Saturday\n\nIn a statement, the Department of Health said the department's minister, Robin Swann, \"fully recognises how difficult and upsetting it is for people in care homes not to see their loved ones\".\n\nAcknowledging homes face \"challenges\" in safeguarding residents from Covid-19, the statement added \"every effort should continue to be made to ensure residents maintain important social connections\".\n\nThe department issued guidance in September on a risk-assessed approach to visiting which included \"safely managed face-to-face visits as well as virtually-supported connections\".\n\nThat guidance also encouraged homes to develop a \"care partner arrangement\" with individuals who have a pre-existing relationship with residents.\n\nThe protest took place at the steps of Stormont\n\nThis could be a family member or friend who carried out a caring or support role for a resident before visits were restricted.\n\nThe document said that care partners may quickly pick up on a resident's discomfort, illness or upset because they know the person so well. It also recognises the absence of that support can cause distress.\n\nMs Ferguson and Ms Duffy support the idea of care partners but complain that some homes are not implementing the guidance.\n\nMartina Ferguson taking her mum to a tea party a few years ago\n\nMs Duffy called for the guidance to be replaced by legislation, suggesting that until it has legal force, care homes can \"pick and choose\" their own visiting rules.\n\nShe also said homes need more support from the department to introduce the changes.\n\nIts latest guidance, the department states the care partner concept \"will be applied differently for individual residents\" and each care home will be responsible for agreeing how it is applied.\n\nHowever, the department said it is in talks about providing \"assurances\" on how visiting guidance and the care partner concept are implemented.", "Caroline Kayll was attacked at an address in Linton, Northumberland, on Sunday evening\n\nA man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a schoolteacher.\n\nCaroline Kayll, 47, died in hospital after she was attacked at an address in the village of Linton, Northumberland, on Sunday evening. A 15-year-old boy was also assaulted.\n\nPolice said Paul Robson, 49, was arrested near Glasgow on Friday following a search.\n\nOfficers had previously named Mr Robson, from Wallsend, North Tyneside, as a suspect in the investigation.\n\nMs Kayll worked at Atkinson House school in Seghill, Northumberland, which caters for children with social, emotional and mental health issues.\n\nThe teenager injured in the attack has since been discharged from hospital.\n\nA 58-year-old man arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender has since been released under investigation.\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Burton had \"something quite extraordinary\", said his widow Sally\n\nThe story of stage and screen icon Richard Burton is being told through a new exhibition in Cardiff.\n\nBecoming Richard Burton follows the journey of Richard Jenkins from his humble beginnings in Port Talbot to a life of international stardom.\n\nThe free exhibition at the National Museum of Wales features Burton's diaries, papers and personal objects on public display for the first time.\n\nThe items were loaned by the Richard Burton Archives at Swansea University.\n\nThe exhibition on Burton's life reveals the man behind the headlines - as a husband, father, reader, writer and passionate Welshman.\n\nIt also displays the costumes worn by Burton on stage in the Shakespearean performances that launched his career and later as a Hollywood star in Cleopatra, the film that sparked his tempestuous romance with co-star Elizabeth Taylor.\n\nThe actor's widow Sally Burton donated many of the objects to Swansea University in 2005, creating the Richard Burton Archive.\n\nShe said there was \"something quite extraordinary\" about her husband from an early age.\n\n\"I think everyone who met him felt it. People were drawn to him. It was a magical quality which he also knew he had but he didn't quite know what it was,\" she said.\n\n\"One thing he did know was that he had to pursue it, knocking down barriers as he went.\n\n\"Sometimes he would say 'what is it about me?'.\n\n\"I believe this exhibition, and here I must thank everyone involved, will enable us to explore some of those intriguing answers.\"\n\nThe exhibition includes costumes worn by Burton in his Shakespearean performances\n\nTo coincide with the physical exhibition, there will also be a digital exhibition on the museum's website from mid-December.\n\nProduced by Focus Group, a design and creative agency based in Cardiff and Edinburgh, the digital exhibition will be updated with key stories and items on a regular basis.", "Inmates have been working at the local morgue\n\nThe US had just over nine million Covid-19 cases when November began - now, just weeks later, the country is topping 11 million. And one west Texas county has emerged as the latest American epicentre.\n\nRight on the border with Mexico, El Paso in Texas is known for its desert landscape, military complexes and plentiful sunshine. Now, it's making a name as one of the worst hit regions in the nation.\n\nCovid-19 patients account for more than half of all hospital admissions in the county of El Paso, and the case count continues to trend upwards.\n\nHere are five symptoms of the unfolding crisis.\n\nWith cases going up by more than a thousand every day in El Paso, some 76,000 people have now been infected. That's about the same number of confirmed cases as in the whole of Greece or Libya.\n\nData shows 1,120 El Paso residents are currently in hospital with the virus, and this number is expected to rise. That means that of all the Covid patients in hospital across the state of Texas, one in six is in El Paso, according to the latest figures. A total of 782 people are known to have died.\n\nBoth hospitals and staff are struggling to cope. An El Paso University Medical Center spokesman said the hospital recognised the \"physical and emotional\" toll the pandemic was taking on healthcare workers.\n\nAs officials race to keep up with the rapidly increasing number of sick people, El Paso city's convention centre was recently converted into a makeshift hospital to provide extra beds. Some facilities are so overrun that patients are being airlifted to other cities in the state.\n\nOn Monday, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said the county had opened 500 extra hospital beds so far, but at the rate the virus was spreading, those beds would be full by next week.\n\nAs hospitals grapple with too many patients, El Paso's morgue has been unable to keep up with the county's rising death toll. As a result, officials are turning to refrigerated trailers. Ten of these mobile morgues have been requested in recent weeks.\n\nThe mobile facilities are set up outside the county's medical examiner's office, which has been handling more than 150 bodies in the last week.\n\nEarlier this month, the US defence department deployed medical teams to assist local health workers.\n\nEven the county's funeral homes are feeling the strain. One manager, Jorge Ortiz, told KERA News he has had to convert the home's chapel into a makeshift cooler. Mr Ortiz said the peak back in the summer is \"nothing compared to what we're living right now\".\n\nThe city continues to face a shortage of staff, and officials have faced criticism for turning to local prisons for help.\n\nInmates have been pictured handling the bodies of Covid victims at the medical examiner's office, helping load them into the mobile morgues.\n\nA sheriff's office spokesman said the inmates - who are minor offenders in minimum security prisons - are being compensated $2 (£1.5) an hour. The work is voluntary and they are being provided with protective gear, but the move has still shocked many.\n\n\"If there's no personnel, no one to help out, and there's volunteers, even if they are inmates, then that's what we're left with,\" he said, according to KFOX14 News.\n\nThe judge added that officials were waiting for Texas National Guardsmen to help with the efforts - but the military hasn't confirmed that they could handle the demand.\n\nIn the last six months, one El Paso woman has lost six of her family members to the virus as the outbreak worsens.\n\nBonnie Soria Najera told Good Morning America that her uncle was the last to pass away on Sunday. She has also had to bury her parents, two aunts and a cousin.\n\n\"They were all being very careful,\" she said. \"They did things that they had to do: grocery stores, went to doctor's appointments.\"\n\nMs Najera's mother first tested positive in May. Within three days, her mother was on a ventilator, she said. Her father soon fell ill with the virus too, but ended up at a different hospital.\n\nA week after her mother was admitted, she passed away. An hour later, Ms Najera learned her father was on a ventilator. He would pass away three weeks later.\n\nMs Najera too, came down with Covid-19, but eventually recovered. As she began feeling better, she learned her cousin and her aunt had both died after contracting the virus. And last week, another aunt also passed away in hospital from Covid-19.\n\nNow, Ms Najera is calling for Texans to practise social distancing properly, like her family tried to.\n\n\"You don't want to be in our shoes,\" she said.\n\nDespite the worries of many El Pasoans, there's no lockdown in sight for the west Texas county.\n\nOn Friday, a state appeals court overturned a stay-at-home order after local restaurant owners and the state attorney general sued Judge Samaniego for shutting down the city.\n\nA panel of judges ruled 2-1 that the order to close nonessential businesses until December went against the Texas governor's 7 October reopening guidance. Some businesses resumed operations almost immediately, local media reported.\n\nAttorney General Ken Paxton called Judge Samaniego a \"tyrant\" over the mandate. The county judge responded that it was \"unfortunate\" that the attorney general sought \"to gloat instead of coming to El Paso to walk along side me by the mobile morgues\".\n\nJudge Samaniego added he was disappointed by the decision, but noted that El Pasoans must still adhere to certain restrictions on masks, businesses and gatherings.", "The woman's body was found in a caravan in Tenby\n\nA man has been arrested following the death of a woman in a caravan.\n\nOfficers from Dyfed Powys Police were called to the scene in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, shortly after 18:00 GMT on Friday.\n\nThe force said a man had been arrested and patrols in the area had been increased.\n\nBut it has not yet confirmed what the man had been arrested on suspicion of, and said inquiries into the woman's death were ongoing.\n\n\"Police would like to reassure the community that they are not searching for anyone else in connection with this matter at this time,\" a police spokesperson added.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Campaigners want a public inquiry to establish \"truth, justice and accountability\" around the 1974 bombings\n\nA convoy of more than 100 cars and bikes marked the 46th anniversary of the Birmingham pub bombings.\n\nFriends and relatives of the 21 killed and 220 injured in the 1974 atrocity began in Aston and were ending at West Midlands Police's headquarters.\n\nCampaigners are calling for a public inquiry to establish \"truth, justice and accountability\".\n\nA 65-year-old man arrested over the bombings on Wednesday in Belfast was released on Friday after questioning.\n\nThe man, reported to be 65-year-old Michael Patrick Reilly, was held under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and has strongly denied any involvement in the bombings.\n\nTwenty-one people were killed in two blasts on 21 November 1974\n\nSix men - Hugh Callaghan, Paddy Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker - were wrongly jailed for life in 1975 for the attack.\n\nLast month, Home Secretary Priti Patel gave campaigners fresh hope by considering the case for a public inquiry, saying she \"recognised the desire to see those responsible brought to justice\".\n\n\"If we don't have hope, there's no point in us campaigning. We might as well give up,\" said Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine died in the bombings.\n\n\"But we will never give up, we will never go away until justice is seen to be done.\"\n\nThe convoy was ending at West Midlands Police headquarters in the city centre\n\nInquests last year found an IRA warning call was \"inadequate\" for the purposes of ensuring that lives were not lost in the explosions.\n\nThe call, made to the Birmingham Post and Mail at 20:11, gave the bomb locations as the Rotunda building and the nearby Tax Office in New Street but made no mention of pubs, costing the police vital minutes.\n\nThe first bomb detonated in the Mulberry Bush seven minutes later, and the second exploded in the nearby Tavern in the Town shortly after.\n\nA third bomb was planted near Barclays Bank on Hagley Road but failed to properly detonate.\n\nTen of the people who died had been at the Mulberry Bush pub in the city\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Richard Boatwright said Google refused to remove fake reviews which are damaging his business\n\nA car sales business owner says he is taking legal action against Google over a series of fake and damaging reviews.\n\nRichard Boatwright felt \"helpless\" after the company refused to remove comments about his garage in Braintree, Essex.\n\nHe said: \"We've provided them with firm information that shows these reviews are completely fabricated but they're not interested.\"\n\nGoogle said the vast majority of user contributions were genuine and it constantly monitored content.\n\nA number of one-star reviews about the garage appeared on Google's map service, such as: \"Absolutely the poorest service I've ever been unfortunate enough to experience.\"\n\n\"They're anonymous, behind fake names, so you don't really know what to do. You feel helpless,\" he said.\n\nComments from anonymous users appeared among the garage's mostly five-star reviews\n\nThe tech giant said: \"The vast majority of reviews are helpful, relevant and authentic. We monitor closely for content that violates our policies 24/7.\"\n\nAdam French from consumer rights organisation Which? said: \"Our research has found fake reviews are prevalent across different platforms and the kind of influence they have on our shopping decisions is huge.\n\n\"I think there's more that companies like Google could do to shut down these fake reviews. They can be quite passive, relying on people to report them.\"\n\nGoogle said the vast majority of user contributions were genuine\n\nHe advised customers to read full reviews rather than star ratings alone and to avoid relying on just one site.\n\n\"Look for things like repetition, odd turns of phrase, and check across different sites to see if reviews are saying similar things to get more of an idea if they're trustworthy.\"\n\nMr Boatwright said of his legal action: \"We're not taking it lying down. We're trying to fight back but, for a small company to take on the mighty Google, it's not going to be easy\".\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Steve Dymond was found dead at his home days after he took a lie-detector test on the Jeremy Kyle Show\n\nTV presenter Jeremy Kyle \"may have caused or contributed\" to the death of a man who was found dead after filming an episode of his ITV show, a coroner has said.\n\nThe body of Steve Dymond, 63, was discovered at his home on 9 May last year, days after he took a lie-detector test on the programme.\n\nThe show was axed shortly afterwards.\n\nHampshire coroner Jason Pegg has made Jeremy Kyle an \"interested person\" for the inquest.\n\nDuring a pre-inquest review in Winchester, he said the presenter \"may have caused or contributed\" to Mr Dymond's death.\n\n\"It might seem ludicrous not to have Mr Kyle to give evidence to give his take on the situation,\" Mr Pegg said.\n\nLawyers for Mr Kyle and ITV argued that Mr Dymond's \"upsetting experience\" on the show was \"established fact\" and the scope of the inquest should not be a \"detailed top to bottom inquiry into the Jeremy Kyle Show, its selection, treatment and aftercare of participants\".\n\n\"It would not be required to call for evidence from ITV employees involved in his appearance to get to that starting point,\" Neil Sheldon QC said.\n\nThe Jeremy Kyle Show was axed following Mr Dymond's death\n\nMr Dymond died of a morphine overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy, which is when the left chamber of the heart is not pumping properly, at his home in Portsmouth.\n\nSeven days earlier he took a lie detector test on the programme to show whether he had cheated on his ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan, who is from Gosport.\n\nCounsel for Mr Dymond's family, Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, told the hearing Mr Dymond became \"distressed\" after he failed the lie detector test.\n\nShe said Mr Dymond had gone on the show to \"prove his fidelity\", and had said: \"I pushed and pushed but it all went wrong.\"\n\nAfter the result was announced during filming, the audience \"booed and jeered\" at him and he was \"called a failure by the presenter\", Ms Gallagher said.\n\nShe said Mr Kyle was \"in his face\" and even when he was \"at the point of collapsing, he was still being heckled\".\n\nMs Gallagher said his state of mind was known by the crew on the show, with a message sent on a WhatsApp group stating: \"Just so you know, he's still crying, he has just said he wishes he was dead. Just giving you the heads up.\"\n\nThe hearing was told Mr Dymond was originally turned down to appear on the show but was accepted as a guest after gaining a letter from his doctor.\n\nHe had been receiving mental health care from Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, the inquest heard.\n\nCoroner Mr Pegg said the inquest would \"not be an inquiry into the show generally\" and would not be held in front of a jury.\n\n\"What was in his [Mr Dymond's] mind, it seems to me, what happened on the show and how he was treated was relevant to how he came by his death,\" he said.\n\nMs Gallagher said it was \"still unclear\" as to whether all the recorded footage of the programme had been released by ITV.\n\nShe said the family was concerned about something happening on the studio stage that attracted the attention of the audience but was not seen in the footage.\n\nThe coroner gave ITV six weeks to confirm that all recorded material had been handed over.\n\nThe full inquest, which is expected to last about a week, is not expected to be held before May next year.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "People in flats with and without cladding have been left unable to move without the safety checks\n\nSafety checks that left thousands of people unable to sell their flats after the Grenfell disaster are being eased.\n\nHousing Secretary Robert Jenrick said homes without cladding would no longer need an EWS1 external wall safety certificate - which involves a survey.\n\nThousands of people have been refused mortgages on flats because owners have been unable to get the surveys done.\n\nBut mortgage lenders said they \"did not consent\" to the announcement of the changes.\n\nThey also questioned how many homeowners would benefit.\n\nThe checks were introduced after 72 people died at Grenfell Tower when a fire spread along outside walls.\n\nTo begin with, only those who owned flats in tall buildings with dangerous flammable cladding were affected. But in January the government extended its advice to smaller properties and mortgage lenders began demanding fire surveys from a much wider range group of sellers.\n\nWith fewer than 300 qualified surveyors for hundreds of thousands of properties, many owners have been unable to access them, leaving them stuck, unable to sell or remortgage.\n\nEarlier, Mr Jenrick announced he had \"secured agreement\" that the survey would not be needed for homes without cladding.\n\n\"Through no fault of their own, some flat owners have been unable to sell or remortgage their homes, and this cannot be allowed to continue,\" he said.\n\nThe housing secretary said the decision to ease checks for blocks without cladding would help almost 450,000 homeowners who \"may have felt stuck in limbo\".\n\nThe building safety minister Lord Greenhalgh tweeted that the chairman of the lenders association UK Finance, and the chief executive of the Building Societies Association, had confirmed \"EWS1 forms are not and have never been required\" for buildings without cladding.\n\nDespite that some people without cladding, have previously been asked to obtain an EWS form and both bodies said in a statement they \"did not consent\" to being included in the announcement.\n\nA finance industry source with knowledge of the negotiations told the BBC the proposal did not mean properties with issues other than cladding would automatically be exempt from a fire survey.\n\nThe source said buildings with wooden balconies, and other safety issues, should have been included among those which still required the external fire safety checks.\n\nIt would still depend on the decision of a \"suitably qualified, independent and properly insured surveyor\", the source said. They did not recognise the figure of 450,000 homeowners stuck in limbo.\n\nOnly a \"small subset\" of buildings would benefit from the announcement, the UK Cladding Action Group said. Estimates by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government suggested that more than 800,000 homes would still require the EWS1.\n\nSome blocks which appeared to be built from solid brick were in fact \"clad with unknown materials behind the brick\", UK Finance and the Building Societies Association warned.\n\nThe Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors said it had agreed the announcement that buildings without cladding did not need the EWS1 assessments, but it added that it would still need to review the government advice before deciding what guidance to issue to surveyors.\n\nSean Tompkins, RICS chief executive, said there had been an \"acute market shortage of fire engineers\" to carry out the checks.\n\n\"We are aware of the severe impact this has had on some homeowners and we agree that buildings without cladding should not be subject to the process,\" he said.\n\nMr Jenrick also said the government was paying to train 2,000 more assessors within six months to speed up checks on blocks which did have cladding.\n\nBut some cladding experts questioned whether the £700,000 in government funding would be enough.\n\n\"Do they think they can just give these people a two-day training course for £350?\" said Adrian Buckmaster, director of Tetraclad. \"You can't train experience in the built environment.\"", "The UK and Canada have agreed a deal to continue trading under the same terms as the current EU agreement after the Brexit transition period ends.\n\nThe government said it paved the way for negotiations to begin next year on a new comprehensive deal with Canada.\n\nThe PM and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau made the \"agreement in principle\" in a video call, the Department for International Trade said.\n\nThe agreement does not give any new benefits to businesses.\n\nBut it rolls over the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement reached by the EU and Canada after seven years of negotiations.\n\nBoris Johnson said the extension was \"a fantastic agreement for Britain\", adding: \"Our negotiators have been working flat out to secure trade deals for the UK and from as early next year we have agreed to start work on a new, bespoke trade deal with Canada that will go even further in meeting the needs of our economy.\"\n\nWelcoming the continuity deal, Mr Trudeau suggested a new comprehensive trade agreement with the UK would take several years to negotiate.\n\nSpeaking during the video call, which also included International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and her counterpart Mary Ng, Mr Trudeau said: \"Now we get to continue to work on a bespoke agreement, a comprehensive agreement over the coming years that will really maximise our trade opportunities and boost things for everyone.\"\n\n\"It is now vital that Boris Johnson and Liz Truss show the same urgency in securing the other 14 outstanding continuity agreements with countries like Mexico, Ghana and Singapore, where a total of £60bn of UK trade is still at risk and time is beginning to run out,\" she added.\n\nBefore it is formally signed, the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement will be subject to final legal checks.\n\nThe UK has now left the EU, but its trading relationship remains the same until the end of the year. That's because it's in an 11-month transition - designed to give both sides some time to negotiate a new trade deal.\n\nNo new trade deals can start until the transition period ends on 31 December.", "A picture of Jean Moulin sat on Daniel Cordier's bookshelf at his home on the French Riviera\n\nFrench Resistance figure Daniel Cordier - who has died at the age of 100 - was one of the last remaining heroes decorated by Charles de Gaulle for their role in fighting the Nazi occupation.\n\nHis death on Friday leaves only one survivor among the 1,038 men and women who received the title \"Compagnons de la Libération\" after World War Two.\n\nThe son of a wealthy merchant in south-western France, Cordier first became involved in politics in the 1930s as a teenage member of the royalist far-right.\n\nIn June 1940, after German forces crushed the French army and the government of Marshall Philippe Pétain sued for peace, Cordier's activism took a different turn.\n\n\"As my mother collapsed into my stepfather's arms, I raced upstairs and flung myself on my bed, and I sobbed. But then (…) I suddenly drew myself up, and I said to myself, 'But no, this is ridiculous,\" Cordier recalled in a 2018 interview with the BBC. \"[Pétain] is just a stupid old fool! We have to do something.\"\n\nDaniel Cordier left to join the Free French in 1940 and returned in 1942\n\nThree days later he and a few friends boarded a ship bound for French Algeria, which was seen as shelter for patriots who refused to surrender. But the vessel was diverted to Britain, where Cordier joined de Gaulle's Free French.\n\nHe joined the movement's intelligence arm and was parachuted into central France in mid-1942. A high point in his life was his meeting with Jean Moulin, the man tasked by de Gaulle to co-ordinate Resistance groups.\n\nCordier had come to deliver a message. The two men hit it off and he became the commander's right-hand man, based in Lyon.\n\n\"I admired Jean Moulin from the moment I first saw him,\" Cordier told the BBC. \"He had an elegance and a kindness, and also a huge capacity for work. In his view, he was the Resistance. I hope in my own small way I was able to serve him as he wanted.\"\n\nTen months later Moulin was betrayed to the Gestapo and killed under torture. Cordier moved to Paris, where he continued to rally the resistance before escaping to London in 1944.\n\nAfter the war he became a painter and a successful art-dealer, promoting contemporary masters such as Braque and Dubuffet.\n\nHe later credited Jean MouIin for initiating him into modern art. The education, he said, had begun as a kind of code. Moulin, he once said, decided to give him loud lectures on painters so as not to arouse suspicion when out and about in the danger zone that was occupied France.\n\nCordier took part in World War II commemoration ceremonies until his late 90s\n\nFocused on his passion for art, Cordier did not speak publicly about his wartime past for decades. But he broke his silence in the 1970s, when a fellow Resistance hero portrayed Moulin - a hallowed figure in France - as a shambolic self-promoter and a Soviet agent.\n\nOutraged, Cordier decided to clear his former boss's name. Delving into his Resistance past, he sifted through Resistance archives and interviewed survivors.\n\n\"I knew it was not true. But to prove it, I had to go back to the records,\" he told the BBC in 2018. The work culminated in the publication of influential biographies of Moulin in the 1980s and 1990s.\n\nControversy among historians continued over the nature of Moulin's links with the Communists - who after all were a key component of the Resistance Jean Moulin worked to unify. But Cordier's historical work helped refute many of the wilder allegations.\n\nHis effort to expose the truth did not end there. In a 2009 autobiography Cordier came out as gay, saying it would have been \"utterly unthinkable\" when he was young.", "Video showed Russian special forces cutting down a door to free the boy\n\nRussian special forces have rescued a seven-year-old boy kidnapped in late September by a suspected paedophile.\n\nFootage shows officers cutting through a reinforced metal door to release the boy and arrest the suspect in the village of Makarikha, east of Moscow.\n\nThe operation was co-ordinated by Interpol, after the agency's officers in the US spotted a dark web user with a possible link to the abduction.\n\nThe child, who has not been named, appears to be physically unharmed.\n\nThe suspect is a 26-year-old resident of Makarikha village.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by МВД России This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nIn the video released by the Russian interior ministry, the suspect is heard telling the officers that the boy was playing on a computer notebook in the basement of the house.\n\nThe boy's father later told Russia's Tass news agency that the child was examined by medics and he \"was doing well\".\n\n\"He is healthy, and hasn't lost weight,\" the father said.\n\nPsychologists have been brought in to help the boy and the family to overcome the experience.\n\nThe boy was abducted on 28 September in the nearby village of Gorki after he got off a school bus and was walking home.\n\nNearly 3,000 people were involved in a massive search operation.\n\nIn a statement, Interpol said police in several countries had helped locate the suspect, using the agency's International Child Sexual Exploitation database.\n\n\"Today, a young boy is back where he belongs - with his family - thanks to dedicated specialist officers and swift action by authorities around the world,\" the international police agency said.\n\n\"While we're truly delighted that this story has a safe ending, many children are still out there awaiting rescue.\"\n\nThe dark web is a part of the internet that is not visible to search engines and accessible only through specialised tools.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Technology explained: What is the dark web?", "Hong Kong has seen a spike in new Covid-19 cases\n\nThe launch of a travel corridor between Hong Kong and Singapore has been postponed for two weeks amid a surge of Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong.\n\nThe deal was due to kick in on Sunday, allowing passengers to fly both ways without the need to self-isolate.\n\nThe decision is a blow to attempts by the two financial hubs to revive their battered travel sectors.\n\nHong Kong reported 43 new infections on Saturday, the highest daily toll in nearly three months.\n\nThe number includes 13 cases with unknown transmission sources, raising fears the local outbreak could get out of control.\n\n\"Today's decision is a responsible decision,\" Hong Kong Commerce Secretary Edward Yau told reporters. \"For any scheme to be successful, it must fulfil the conditions of securing public health and also making sure that both sides [are] comfortable and feel safe about the scheme.\"\n\nThe decision will be revisited in early December, he added.\n\nUnder the travel bubble arrangement, travellers would be required to take a Covid-19 test before departure and upon arrival. There would be no restrictions on the purpose of travel but passengers would have to take designated flights, and a maximum of 200 people would be allowed to travel each way per day.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus: How to fly during a global pandemic (this video reflects the rules before the hotel quarantine was introduced in the UK)\n\nNeither Hong Kong nor Singapore has seen the large outbreaks of the virus experienced elsewhere. With small populations and heavy dependence on international air travel, they hope the travel corridor will help their key tourism and aviation sectors amid a global downturn.\n\nShukor Yusof, an analyst with aviation consultancy Endau Analytics, said the travel arrangements were fraught with challenges.\n\n\"There is no solution until the vaccine is available to all. The more airlines swim against the Covid tide, and try to beat the odds, the worse it will become. Best to endure, stay put, refine the business model and conserve cash,\" he told AFP news agency.\n\nLast month, an air travel corridor was introduced between Australia and New Zealand in which New Zealanders are exempt from self-isolation requirements when arriving in the state of New South Wales and the Northern Territory.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Can you become immune to coronavirus?\n\nThe International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 290 airlines, expects traffic this year to be 66% below the level it was in 2019. The IATA estimates that it will be at least 2024 before air traffic reaches pre-pandemic levels.\n\nAccording to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the pandemic led to a 72% drop in international tourists in the first half of the year. However, there has been a rebound in domestic tourism in some markets, such as China.", "A woman who faked a cancer diagnosis to claim more than £45,000 in donations has been convicted of fraud.\n\nNicole Elkabbas, 42, set up an online fundraising campaign, claiming she needed money to pay for private treatment for ovarian cancer.\n\nBut police began an investigation after a doctor, who had recently given her the all-clear, raised suspicions.\n\nElkabbas, of Broadstairs, Kent, pleaded not guilty and told Canterbury Crown Court she had believed she had cancer.\n\nJudge Mark Weekes said Elkabbas had been convicted on \"clear and compelling evidence\" and should expect a custodial sentence.\n\nThe fundraising campaign included a picture taken while she had been receiving routine gallbladder treatment, the court heard\n\nBen Irwin, prosecuting, earlier told the court Elkabbas's actions had been \"utterly dishonest\".\n\nIn February 2017, she set up a GoFundMe campaign, which said she had just weeks to raise money for a major surgery in Spain.\n\nShe claimed a costly \"breakthrough drug\" could improve her chances, and included an image of her lying in a hospital bed.\n\nHowever, the court heard the image had actually been taken during routine gallbladder treatment several months earlier.\n\nMr Irwin said the \"obvious lie\" was built around the photo, which had been \"staged to convince people that she was seriously unwell\".\n\nAfter she \"tricked\" people into donating, she \"frittered\" the money on foreign travel, football tickets and online gambling, Mr Irwin said.\n\nShe will be sentenced on 5 February for one count of fraud by false representation and another of possessing criminal property.\n\nGoFundMe said all donations made to Elkabbas through the site were refunded last year after misuse allegations were raised.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Queen's University in Belfast will begin an asymptomatic coronavirus testing programme on campus on Monday as part of a national pilot scheme.\n\nThis month the government confirmed it was planning to carry out mass testing of students for Covid-19.\n\nQueen's University said testing would allow students who had remained on campus for the first term to return home for Christmas \"with confidence\".\n\nIt expects to conduct 6,000 weekly tests by the end of December.\n\nIt said the testing, which will continue in the second term, would help ensure its campus remained a safe place.\n\n\"The tests will be conducted using lateral flow devices that have recently been approved for use as a screening device for Covid-19,\" it said.\n\n\"These tests can give rapid results, although participants are required to have two tests no less than three days apart.\"\n\nRapid or \"lateral flow\" tests need high levels of the virus in the body in order to work.\n\nSome health professionals have raised concerns about the accuracy of rapid tests, warning that they may miss as many as half of coronavirus cases.\n\nAbout 90,000 people were tested in the first week of a mass-testing trial in Liverpool using the \"lateral flow\" system.\n\nQueen's University said it was pleased to \"be one of the first places in the UK to pilot asymptomatic testing at scale\".\n\nIt emphasised that the pilot scheme was \"for those who are not displaying symptoms\" of the virus.\n\nThe scheme has been backed by Health Minister Robin Swann who said he welcomed the university's participation.\n\n\"[It] will help us to understand how asymptomatic testing can be implemented and extended more widely in the future to other parts of Northern Ireland,\" said the minister.\n\nThe president and vice-chancellor of the university, Prof Ian Greer, said the university was \"keen to be involved\" in the testing programme after being approached to take part.\n\n\"We hope that the programme will help the health authorities to develop the best approach to mass testing whilst... helping us to drive down instances of the virus in our campus community and keeping it safe for our staff and students,\" he said.", "Boris Johnson has said a trans-Pennine transport link would \"turbo-charge the economy\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has been urged to commit £39bn to Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) for high-speed rail links across the Pennines.\n\nGreater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is one of 19 regional leaders demanding a \"northern budget\".\n\nMr Johnson said a \"very, very good case\" was being made for connections between Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford and Leeds in his Tory leadership run.\n\nHe had said a trans-Pennine transport link would \"turbo-charge the economy\".\n\nThe NPR project was part of Mr Johnson's wider commitment to deliver a high-speed railway link across the north of England, which would cost about £39bn.\n\nThe leaders from the Transport for the North group are asking him to commit to the funding in full now that he is PM.\n\nThe group, which also includes mayor of the Sheffield City Region Dan Jarvis, are also demanding £7bn for road and rail projects.\n\nMayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said: \"We're consistent and focused in our plan for what infrastructure the north needs to unlock its full potential, not just for its own benefit, but for the whole UK.\n\n\"A northern budget would be the ultimate demonstration of that commitment.\n\n\"The north is clear that we only support NPR proposals that deliver the whole network, from Liverpool to Hull, along with HS2.\"\n\nShadow chancellor John McDonnell said the investment \"is exactly what's needed and what Labour in government will deliver\".\n\nA government spokesman said: \"As the Prime Minister recently set out, this government is committed to boosting the north by levelling up our regions, through Northern Powerhouse Rail, giving local leaders greater powers and investing £3.6bn in towns across England.\n\n\"We're already investing over £13bn in improving transport in the north - more than any government in history - and will set out our plans to build on this in due course.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Antibodies bind to viral proteins, marking them for destruction by other immune cells\n\nCoronavirus antibodies last at least six months and offer protection against a second infection, a study of healthcare workers suggests.\n\nStaff at Oxford University Hospitals were regularly tested both for Covid-19 infections and for antibodies revealing a past infection.\n\nThe more antibodies people had, the lower their chances of re-infection.\n\nA separate study found pre-existing immunity from other coronaviruses also protected against Covid.\n\nInfection consultant Dr Katie Jeffery described the Oxford findings as \"encouraging news\" ahead of forthcoming Covid vaccines.\n\nThey indicated that having the virus once \"provides at least short-term protection\" from getting it again, she said.\n\nThe Oxford study enrolled more than 12,000 healthcare workers of which 11,000 tested negative for Covid-19 antibodies.\n\nAntibodies build up during a viral infection and stop the virus from getting inside the body's cells and attacking the rest of the immune system.\n\nOf those without any antibodies at the start of study, 89 developed symptomatic infections that were confirmed with a swab test.\n\nOf those that did have coronavirus-specific antibodies, none developed a symptomatic infection during the study period.\n\nThere were three individuals who developed asymptomatic Covid-19 infections despite having positive antibody tests, compared with 76 in the group without any antibodies.\n\nBut none of the three became unwell.\n\nThe results were \"consistent with Sars-CoV-2 re-exposure that did not lead to repeat symptoms\", the study said.\n\nThe antibodies being studied are those designed to bind to the \"spike\" of the Sars-CoV-2 virus which causes Covid-19 infections.\n\nThis \"spike\" is what many of the vaccines in development target.\n\nThe staff tested were followed for up to 30 weeks.\n\nEarlier in the week, a study conducted by Public Health England looked at T-cells - another element of our immune systems' response to infection.\n\nIt found in June about a quarter of the key workers studied had high levels of T-cells which recognised the Covid virus in their blood - but only just over half of them appeared to have had Covid-19.\n\nThe paper concluded this immunity was likely to be there \"because of previous infection with coronaviruses other than SARS-CoV-2\", for example the common cold virus.\n\nAnd those people with high levels of the relevant T-cells \"appeared to be protected from Covid-19 in the four months after recruitment\", whether they had previously been infected Covid-19 or not.\n\nBut Dr Rupert Beale at the Francis Crick Institute pointed out that this equated to \"only a very small proportion of adults (less than 10%, maybe much less than 10%)\" who would be protected by pre-existing T cell immunity.\n\nAn earlier paper suggested just looking at antibodies might underestimate how many people were protected from re-infection by T cells - another part of the immune response.", "Police were called to an address in the Muirhouse area of Edinburgh\n\nA man has appeared in court charged with assault following the death of a two-year-old boy in Edinburgh.\n\nEmergency services were called to a property in the Muirhouse area of the city at about 09:30 on Saturday morning.\n\nThe boy had serious injuries and died at the scene shortly afterwards.\n\nLucasz Czapla, 40, was also charged with driving over the alcohol limit, dangerous driving and failing to stop a vehicle.\n\nHe appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday where he made no plea and was remanded in custody.\n\nDet Ch Insp Lynn McFall said: \"I'd like to thank the local people in the Muirhouse community for their help during this inquiry. This was an isolated incident.\"", "Boris Johnson has said he continues to have \"full confidence\" in Priti Patel following a report concluding the home secretary had \"unintentionally\" breached the ministerial code in her behaviour towards civil servants.\n\nThe report's author, Sir Alex Allen, has quit after the PM rejected his findings. Here is the summary of those findings that has been released by the government:\n\nThe Ministerial Code says \"ministers should be professional in their working relationships with the civil service and treat all those with whom they come into contact with consideration and respect.\n\nI believe civil servants - particularly senior civil servants - should be expected to handle robust criticism but should not have to face behaviour that goes beyond that.\n\nThe home secretary says that she puts great store by professional, open relationships. She is action orientated and can be direct.\n\nThe home secretary has also become - justifiably in many instances - frustrated by the Home Office leadership's lack of responsiveness and the lack of support she felt in the Department for International Development (Dfid) three years ago.\n\nThe evidence is that this has manifested itself in forceful expression, including some occasions of shouting and swearing.\n\nThis may not be done intentionally to cause upset, but that has been the effect on some individuals.\n\nThe Ministerial Code says that \"harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the Ministerial Code\".\n\nDefinitions of harassment concern comments or actions relating to personal characteristics and there is no evidence from the Cabinet Office's work of any such behaviour by the Home Secretary.\n\nThe definition of bullying adopted by the Civil Service accepts that legitimate, reasonable and constructive criticism of a worker's performance will not amount to bullying.\n\nIt defines bullying as intimidating or insulting behaviour that makes an individual feel uncomfortable, frightened, less respected or put down.\n\nInstances of the behaviour reported to the Cabinet Office would meet such a definition.\n\nThe Civil Service itself needs to reflect on its role during this period.\n\nThe Home Office was not as flexible as it could have been in responding to the home secretary's requests and direction. She has - legitimately - not always felt supported by the department.\n\nIn addition, no feedback was given to the home secretary of the impact of her behaviour, which meant she was unaware of issues that she could otherwise have addressed.\n\nMy advice is that the home secretary has not consistently met the high standards required by the Ministerial Code of treating her civil servants with consideration and respect.\n\nHer approach on occasions has amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying in terms of the impact felt by individuals.\n\nTo that extent her behaviour has been in breach of the Ministerial Code, even if unintentionally.\n\nThis conclusion needs to be seen in context. There is no evidence that she was aware of the impact of her behaviour, and no feedback was given to her at the time.\n\nThe high pressure and demands of the role, in the Home Office, coupled with the need for more supportive leadership from top of the department has clearly been a contributory factor.\n\nIn particular, I note the finding of different and more positive behaviour since these issues were raised with her.", "The tech reporter accessed the meeting using login details tweeted by the Dutch defence minister\n\nDaniel Verlaan of RTL Nieuws joined the meeting after the Dutch defence minister accidentally posted some of the login details on Twitter.\n\nThe visibly surprised technology reporter started waving once he realised he'd been let in.\n\n\"You know that you have been jumping into a secret conference?\" EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.\n\n\"Yes, yes. I'm sorry. I'm a journalist from the Netherlands. I'm sorry for interrupting your conference,\" Mr Verlaan replied, to laughter from officials. \"I'll be leaving here.\"\n\n\"You know it's a criminal offence, huh?\" Mr Borrell replied. \"You'd better sign off quickly before the police arrives.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Michiel van Hulten This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Verlaan managed to access the meeting after Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld tweeted a photo that contained the login address and part of the PIN code.\n\n\"After a number of attempts, RTL Nieuws succeeded in guessing the PIN code of the secret consultation, because five of the six digits of the pin code were visible in the photo,\" the news outlet said.\n\nWhile many have seen the funny side of the hack, it raises serious questions over the security of confidential EU meetings.\n\nThe meeting was ended due to the breach, while a Foreign Affairs Council spokesman told RTL: \"Such a breach is illegal and will be reported to the authorities.\"\n\nA Dutch defence ministry spokesperson said tweeting the login details had been a \"stupid mistake\".\n\n\"This shows how careful you should be careful when sending a picture of a meeting,\" they added.", "Coleen Rooney \"clearly identified\" Rebekah Vardy when she made allegations about social media stories being leaked to the tabloids, a judge has ruled.\n\nThe row dubbed 'Wagatha Christie' broke out in October 2019 when Rooney said fake stories had been leaked after only being seen by Vardy's Instagram account.\n\nIn July, Vardy filed for defamation, saying she had been falsely accused.\n\nHer lawyer told the High Court he would be seeking costs of £22,913.50.\n\nThe initial argument in this case, which Vardy has won, has been over the wording of Rooney's social media post, which she put up for her 1.2m Twitter followers and 885,000 Instagram followers to see last year.\n\nRooney named the culprit of the leaks as \"Rebekah Vardy's account\" meaning her lawyers could argue it wasn't implying Rebekah herself was guilty - and could have been anyone with access to her Instagram account.\n\nBut Judge Mark Warby ruled against this, saying the post looked like it was putting the blame solely on Vardy.\n\nThere are still further factors to be considered in the legal battle though, and this ruling marks the beginning of Vardy's libel case.\n\nVardy decided to sue for defamation in July, with court documents written by her lawyers saying the incident had affected her mental and physical health.\n\nWhen Rooney's social media posts were released, Vardy was seven months pregnant and her lawyers claim they led to her being taken to hospital three times with anxiety attacks.\n\nThe pair originally became friends through their husbands, former Manchester United and England player Wayne Rooney and Leicester striker Jamie Vardy.\n\nSocial media was set ablaze on 9 October 2019 when Coleen Rooney pressed send on her Instagram and Twitter posts, accusing Rebekah Vardy of leaking details about her life to the tabloids.\n\nIn an effort to work out which of her friends had been sharing stories, she'd published different fake stories on Instagram to different people. The ones that made headlines, were ones being leaked.\n\nRebekah Vardy took to social media to deny any involvement in the leaking.\n\nBut things did take a more sinister turn - Vardy's lawyers said her husband faced abuse on the pitch which meant they couldn't let their young children attend games anymore.\n\nBoth Vardy and Rooney have agreed to a stay in proceedings - until February.\n\nThis means they're going to try and resolve things privately without the need for a full trial, but if they can't it could become a full court case in the new year.\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "On Saturday night, Californians will be under stay-at-home orders after 22:00\n\nCalifornia has begun a night-time curfew, in an attempt to curb a surge in coronavirus cases.\n\nThe western state's latest figures are now worse than the previous peak in August, the Los Angeles Times reports.\n\nAcross the US, the daily death toll linked to Covid-19 has passed 2,000 for the first time since May.\n\nThe country has now more than 12 million confirmed infections, with more than 255,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.\n\nThis is by far the highest death toll in the world.\n\nAbout 187,000 new infections were recorded nationwide in the latest figures - released on Friday for the previous day - which is an all-time high.\n\nSeveral states have imposed new mask mandates and restrictions to try to combat the rise, and in Texas the National Guard is being deployed to the city of El Paso to help with morgue operations there.\n\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also urged Americans to avoid travelling for the Thanksgiving holiday on 26 November to prevent increased transmissions.\n\nThanksgiving typically heralds the busiest week for travel in the US. Last year, an estimated 26 million people passed through the country's airports in the week surrounding the holiday.\n\nOn Friday, it was revealed that President Donald Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr, had tested positive for coronavirus. \"Apparently I got the 'rona,\" he said in a video on social media, adding that he was asymptomatic so far and quarantining.\n\nCalifornia reported a total of one million cases last week, making it the second state to do so after Texas.\n\nThe new daily curfew, from 22:00 local time on Saturday (06:00 GMT Sunday) until 05:00, will carry on until 21 December, with a possible extension if needed, according to authorities.\n\nRestaurants will be able to offer takeout and delivery outside these hours.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How effective is getting a Covid test before you travel for Thanksgiving?\n\nThe stay-at-home order affects 41 out of California's 58 counties, covering more than 94% of the state's population. Some 40m people live in California, the most populous state in the US.\n\nSome counties have also warned that a more severe lockdown could follow. The latest measures are not as strict as restrictions imposed between March and May, when all nonessential business and travel was prohibited.\n\nOther places, including New York City, are also operating a night-time curfew. Bars, restaurants and gyms are allowed to open until 22:00, but schools have been closed.\n\nThe Californian curfew was announced by Governor Gavin Newsom.\n\n\"The virus is spreading at a pace we haven't seen since the start of this pandemic, and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge,\" he wrote in a statement.\n\nHospital admissions are up 61% statewide in the last two weeks, according to the Los Angeles Times newspaper.\n\n\"The data looks really bad right now,\" said Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer on Friday.\n\nThe CDC has recommended that Americans \"consider\" avoiding Thanksgiving travel and gatherings.\n\n\"It's not a requirement. It's a recommendation,\" said Dr Henry Walke, the CDC's Covid-19 incident manager, on Thursday.\n\nThe following day, President Donald Trump re-tweeted the words of Republican Congressman Jim Jordan: \"Don't lockdown the country. Don't impose curfews. Don't close schools. Let Americans decide for themselves. And celebrate Thanksgiving.\"\n\nThe president and President-elect Joe Biden have both said they are against imposing a national lockdown, and favour letting states come up with their own rules.\n\nCalifornian authorities permit up to three households meeting outdoors\n\nOn Thursday, the White House coronavirus task force had its first public briefing in months. Members, including Vice-President Mike Pence, noted the rise in coronavirus cases.\n\nThe task force said indoor gatherings should be limited over the next couple of weeks.\n\nHowever on Saturday, US media noted that Mr Pence's wife, Karen, had sent out an invitation for a \"Christmas craft\" get-together at their home on 9 December for Congressional Club members.\n\nThe White House has also so far declined to engage with Joe Biden and his incoming administration on policy, as Mr Trump refuses to concede the presidential contest.", "West Yorkshire Police said they were speaking with the driver\n\nA driver crashed into a house and then carried on driving with the front door in the car's windscreen and roof.\n\nThe 18-year-old motorist was taken to hospital with head injuries after the crash in Ashworth Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, on Friday night.\n\nPolice said his Audi collided with a vehicle before crashing into the front porch of the house.\n\nPolice said officers were speaking to the driver, who is not thought to be seriously hurt.\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A possible alternative to a vaccine, for people without functioning immune systems, is entering its final stage of trials.\n\nThe injection was developed using antibodies - made by the immune system to fight infection - produced by a single Covid patient in the US.\n\nIt is hoped it could provide at least six months' protection for patients who cannot receive vaccines.\n\nA further 4,000 people are involved in the trial globally, which is being organised by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.\n\nParticipants will be given either an injection containing two different Covid-19 antibodies, which have been specially engineered to last longer in the body - or a placebo.\n\nIn recent weeks there have been promising developments in the creation of a Covid-19 vaccine, which works by priming the immune system to fight off the infection.\n\nBut the UK's Vaccine Taskforce chair, Kate Bingham, estimates hundreds of thousands people might not benefit from a vaccine because they do not have a working immune system.\n\nThis might be due to an immune deficiency, or because they are taking immune-suppressing drugs, for diseases such as cancer.\n\n\"It's crucial that we leave no one behind as we move closer to finding both a vaccine and developing more treatments for Covid-19,\" she said.\n\n\"We particularly need to ensure those who cannot be given a vaccine, such as people who are immuno-compromised, have alternatives available that will help protect them.\"\n\nAstraZeneca, which is developing the antibody injection, hopes it will offer 6-12 months' protection.\n\nStudy lead Prof Andrew Ustianowski said, while vaccines work \"by inducing a person's immune system to produce antibodies that inhibit or 'neutralise' the virus\", his team are investigating whether similar protection could be given to the immuno-compromised, by injecting antibodies which have been shown to neutralise the virus directly into the muscle.\n\nThis bypasses the immune system for those people who \"don't respond well to vaccines, or cannot be given them\".\n\nHowever, the therapy is significantly more expensive than vaccination and difficult to produce at scale, so it is unlikely to be used on the wider population.\n\nNine UK trial sites have been identified so far, in Manchester, London, Plymouth, Southampton, West Yorkshire, Enfield, Rochdale and Preston. The first results are expected next spring.\n\nThe trial will assess whether the therapy is effective and whether it is safe.\n\nAdditionally, AstraZeneca has suggested another possible use for the jab - to protect care home residents if a case is identified within the home.\n\nVaccines take a bit of time to build immunity in the body, but this injection should work immediately, so could be given as a preventative measure.\n\nIts preventative efficacy will be tested in a second, parallel trial, on participants in the US and the UK.", "Ian Jones had also suffered malaria, dengue fever and coronavirus while out in India\n\nA British charity worker in India has been blinded and paralysed by a potentially lethal snakebite.\n\nIan Jones, from the Isle of Wight, was bitten by a cobra in a village near Jodhpur, Rajasthan.\n\nHis family said he was \"very frightened\" by his condition although they hoped his blindness and leg paralysis were only temporary.\n\nMr Jones has previously suffered from malaria, dengue fever and coronavirus while in India, his son said.\n\nThe former healthcare worker was running a charity-backed social enterprise aimed at helping craftspeople trade their way out of poverty.\n\nClaire Robertson, from Community Action Isle of Wight which runs the enterprise, said: \"Ian was living temporarily in the social enterprise's warehouse in Jodphur so he could be closer to the people he supports.\n\n\"He was in an area of the warehouse that he'd made his living quarters when his adopted dog, Rocky, started barking, and when he reached out to soothe him the cobra, alerted by his sudden movement, bit him twice.\"\n\nMr Jones's family said he spent nearly two weeks in intensive care but had left the hospital in India due to the high number of Covid patients.\n\nCommunity Action Isle of Wight has raised more than £12,000 on a fundraising website to cover Mr Jones's medical costs and transport home.\n\nHis son Sebastian said his father \"remained resolute in his determination to stay in the country and continue his work to help the people that needed his support\".\n\n\"When we heard he had also suffered what is usually a fatal snakebite on top of all that he had been through, we honestly could not believe it,\" he said.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHundreds of anti-government protesters in Guatemala have vandalised and set fire to parts of the Congress building, before being dispersed by riot police.\n\nThe building in Guatemala City was empty at the time of Saturday's attack, which lasted for about 10 minutes.\n\nThe fire services put the fire out, but several people were treated for the effects of smoke inhalation.\n\nThe protesters are opposed to a budget approved by Congress of the Central American country on Wednesday night.\n\nAn office inside the building went up in flames - but the overall extent of the damage is not known\n\nA number of protesters were detained by police\n\nThe opposition says the budget prioritises big infrastructure projects to be handled by companies with government connections and overlooks the social and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nThey are also angered by what they describe as major cuts to education and health spending.\n\nAnother key complaints is that the budget was passed by parliament while the rest of the country was distracted by the after-effects of two damaging storms, Eta and Iota.\n\nThe protesters are now pressing for President Alejandro Giammattei to resign.\n\nThe bulk of Saturday's demonstrations, which some observers said were the biggest yet against the budget, were peaceful.\n\nVice-President Guillermo Castillo earlier expressed his opposition to the budget, and said that both he and Mr Giammattei should step down \"for the good of the country\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"We have nothing... I am in pain\" – Central America is counting the cost of Storm Eta", "Gwynedd's Italian-inspired village of Portmeirion is currently closed\n\nA unified approach between the UK's four nations is needed for any future lockdowns, a Welsh tourism group says.\n\nRowland Rhys Evans of Mid Wales Tourism Cymru said different regulations made it difficult for the industry.\n\nThe Wales Tourism Alliance said although Wales' lockdown ended on 9 November, up to half of Wales' tourist businesses will remain closed until the English lockdown lifts on 2 December.\n\nThe Welsh Government said decisions for Wales would be made within Wales.\n\nThe UK government said its financial support measures were helping tourist businesses.\n\nMr Evans said: \"It definitely needs unification now. If we've got different lockdowns and different rules for Christmas, it's going to be disastrous for everyone.\n\n\"It's a shame the two governments, and Scotland and Northern Ireland, aren't working together so that we can get on the same song sheet.\n\n\"People tend to forget this virus is the same across the UK and the rules should be the same for everyone, because it's difficult when you have a border that isn't a hard border but you've got different regulations on either side of that line.\"\n\nThe Wales Tourism Alliance estimates that 50% of businesses across all sectors in tourism remained closed in Wales after the firebreak and would continue until at least the end of the lockdown in England, with the reliance on tourists from over the border accounting for 80-90% of footfall in some areas of Wales.\n\nDespite the end of Wales' most recent lockdown, the streets of Aberdyfi in Gwynedd are still eerily quiet even for this time of year.\n\nPeter and Elizabeth Holt have run Cafe Medina on the High Street for almost 13 years and have worked in hospitality for over three decades in the area and have never seen it so quiet in November.\n\n\"It's nice for the locals, [they] absolutely love it, but as businesses… we need the people,\" said Mr Holt.\n\n\"We are reliant on the English coming into Wales, but we are a small coffee shop and have a small following of locals, so we are OK.\"\n\nThe same might not be the case for others on the High Street - on a mid-week afternoon about two-thirds of the businesses were shut.\n\nMany of Aberdyfi's businesses were closed on a mid-week afternoon\n\nIt is the same scene in many other seaside towns along the coast - Tywyn, Barmouth and on the Llŷn Peninsula - areas that are reliant on tourists.\n\nNanteos Mansion Hotel, near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, has 26 rooms, a restaurant, bar and hosts weddings.\n\nBut one of the hotel's directors Nigel Jones said they had made the decision to only open half the rooms and for only three nights a week until 2 December, when the English lockdown is due to end.\n\n\"We based our decision purely on the lockdown in England. It's a major part of our business coming in,\" he said.\n\n\"The problem is whether people will feel as keen and secure to go out again as they did after the first lockdown.\n\n\"Now they've got Christmas coming up, do they want that threat? It's been hinted at there could be another lockdown in 2021… it's difficult to plan against the unknown.\"\n\nSome of Wales' best-known tourist attractions and resorts, such as the Celtic Manor outside Newport, Zip World and its adventure tourism in Snowdonia, and the Italian-inspired village of Portmeirion in Gwynedd, have closed for the month.\n\nEngland's current lockdown began on 5 November - four days before Wales' firebreak lockdown ended\n\nDavid Brown, chairman of the Barmouth Publicity Association, said it was not just hospitality, accommodation and attractions hit - but the wider community as well.\n\n\"That's the first line, when the tourist don't come, accommodation loses income,\" he said.\n\n\"But that income gets spent in two ways in the community. In Barmouth a guesthouse closes down during winter and that money gets spent at the DIY store for renewing. That's not happening this year because the money hasn't been coming in.\n\n\"So those builders, plasterers and plumbers are going to find this winter is very lean for them.\n\n\"But also one of our tourism agencies found that whatever tourists spend on accommodation they spend in the community. So if you spent £700 on a cottage, you will likely spend the same in local shops, restaurants, even in the local post office.\"\n\nA spokesman from the Welsh Government said First Minister Mark Drakeford had been clear he wanted \"regular and reliable\" meetings with the other governments.\n\nHe added: \"Decisions about the response to the pandemic in Wales are made in Wales.\"\n\nThe UK government said: \"We have helped the tourism industry through a financial package of measures - of which many Welsh businesses are benefiting from - and continue to support the tourism sector through these very challenging times.\"\n\nWhether or not the lockdown in England will finish on 2 December will have a knock-on effect on much of Wales' economy, especially those areas reliant on tourists from across Offa's Dyke.\n\nWhat this industry really wants is some assurances so they can get off to a flying start in 2021.", "Saturday's rally followed previous protests since the start of the second lockdown\n\nThirteen people have been arrested after an anti-lockdown protest in Liverpool on Saturday.\n\nPolice originally held 15 people but said some had been \"de-arrested and issued with fixed penalty notices\".\n\nHundreds of people have gathered for weekend rallies since the second national lockdown began on 5 November.\n\nAt Saturday's protest, a 36-year-old man, from Kirkby, was held on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker after an officer was pushed in the chest.\n\nThe remaining 12 people were arrested for breaching coronavirus rules and public order.\n\nPolice also implemented a dispersal zone in the city centre on Saturday, with officers having the power to ask people suspected of anti-social behaviour to leave the area and not return for up to 48 hours.\n\nEngland's first city-wide mass testing programme started in Liverpool earlier this month\n\nMore than 140,000 people in Liverpool have taken part in the country's first city-wide mass testing pilot, which started on 6 November.\n\nThe city had one of the highest rates of coronavirus infections and deaths in October, when it became the first area in England to face the highest tier restrictions.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Father Christmas has some tips on how to have a safe Christmas\n\nThe four UK governments have announced their plans to enable families to celebrate Christmas together.\n\nSo how is the festive period likely to be different this year?\n\nThe governments of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have agreed a common approach allowing up to three households to form a Christmas bubble and meet up from 23 to 27 December (22 to 28 December in Northern Ireland).\n\nPeople can mix in homes, places of worship and outdoor spaces, and travel restrictions will also be eased.\n\nHowever, a Christmas bubble must be exclusive, so people cannot swap between them. Bubble members also will not be able to visit pubs or restaurants together.\n\nThere will be no limit to the number of people in a household joining a bubble in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nBut the Scottish government has said that Christmas bubbles should contain no more than eight people. Children under 12 will not count in the total.\n\nFears that a lack of skilled overseas workers on poultry farms could hit the supply of turkeys have been overcome after travel rules were relaxed so they could travel to the UK.\n\nBut many people are buying smaller turkeys than usual because they are likely to have fewer guests.\n\nAn Aberdeenshire farmer has warned many birds could go to waste, while a farm in Wales cut its turkey numbers by 20% in September.\n\nAny turkey shortage may make some people consider a vegetarian or vegan meal instead.\n\nThis year's work celebrations seem certain to take place on Zoom and other online platforms.\n\nRules on big groups meeting up in pubs or anywhere outdoors are very unlikely to be eased in December, so seeing friends for a pre-Christmas drink or meal will probably not be allowed.\n\nCurrent rules for socialising outside your household/support bubble/extended household are:\n\nAt the moment, it is not known what will happen about traditional Christmas religious services like midnight Mass.\n\nFrom 2 December in England, places of worship will reopen for communal prayer.\n\nUp to 50 people can attend indoor services in Scotland in levels zero to three areas, but only up to 20 in level four places.\n\nPlaces of worship have reopened in Wales, but with social distancing in place and communal singing banned.\n\nThey are also open in Northern Ireland with no limit on numbers if safety measures are in place. Weddings, civil ceremonies and funerals can happen, but only 25 people. can attend\n\nWhile in-person shopping in non-food shops can currently happen in all of the UK except England, online retailers are expecting a big surge in demand this year.\n\nIn September, shoppers were warned by an industry boss to buy as early as possible.\n\nAndy Mulcahy, from the online businesses' industry body, told the BBC: \"At this point, I think we can expect an increase of at least 30% for the peak festive trading season, but if stores have to close this might push to 50%.\"\n\nLast posting dates inside the UK range from 18 to 23 December, while we have already passed some international dates.\n\nTheatres in England can reopen on 2 December, and plans have been made for some Christmas pantomimes.\n\nWhile many venues and production companies have cancelled their shows, others are going ahead thanks to National Lottery backing.\n\nOne is at the London Palladium, where the Lottery will buy seats that cannot be used because of social distancing. It will also donate 20,000 free tickets to Lottery players.\n\nMeanwhile a drive-in show - the Car Park Panto - will tour Great Britain with audience members watching from inside their cars.\n\nTheatres in Scotland are closed in level two, three and four areas, throughout Wales, and to audiences in Northern Ireland, where they can open for rehearsals or a live recording.\n\nThe Christmas relaxation of meeting up rules does not extend to New Year's Eve, so that is likely to be a quiet affair this year, with house parties banned in most places.", "A tougher three-tiered system of local restrictions will come into force in England when the lockdown ends on 2 December, Downing Street has said.\n\nBoris Johnson is expected to set out his plan - including details of how families can see different households at Christmas - to MPs on Monday.\n\nMore areas are set to be placed into the higher tiers to keep the virus under control, No 10 said.\n\nAnd some tiers will be strengthened to safeguard lockdown progress.\n\nSome local measures will be the same as those in the previous three-tier system, which was in place in England until the current lockdown began.\n\nBut the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) is expected to publish research on Monday saying the previous restrictions were not strong enough.\n\nThe government will identify the tiers that each area will be placed into on Thursday.\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak told the BBC's Andrew Marr the 10pm closing time for pubs and restaurants was one of the things it was looking to \"refine\".\n\nIt is understood rules will be relaxed to give people an extra hour to finish their food and drinks after last orders at 10pm.\n\nKate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said this would help businesses - but would be \"meaningless\" unless people were allowed to socialise with friends and family, particularly over the crucial Christmas period.\n\nPre-lockdown, there were three tiers of restrictions - medium, high, and very high:\n\nNewspaper reports suggest rules could be temporarily relaxed UK-wide over Christmas. Several families could be allowed to join in one \"bubble\" and mix between 22 and 28 December, according to the Daily Telegraph.\n\nMinisters have made clear the festive season will be different to normal - with some restrictions expected to remain in place.\n\nBBC political correspondent Nick Eardley said conversations about Christmas between the different nations of the UK were ongoing.\n\nSources believe a deal is probable later next week - but it is unlikely to be signed off before the prime minister's announcement on Monday.\n\nThe four nations have different Covid rules but ministers are hoping to agree a joint approach for the festive period.\n\nGovernment ministers and advisers have been hinting about new tougher tiers over the past week.\n\nBefore lockdown there was some evidence that tiers two and three were having an impact, but not tier one.\n\nCrucially, both the top two tiers involved banning mixing inside homes, so one option being discussed behind the scenes is introducing a ban across all the tiers until winter is over.\n\nThe exception will, of course, be Christmas.\n\nThat is a move that divides opinion. But the government sees it as a necessity, believing significant numbers of people will ignore any attempt to ban gatherings over the festive period.\n\nIt is also a recognition the public needs a break from the long hard slog of the pandemic.\n\nInfection rates will of course rise, but that will be offset to some extent by a wider boost to wellbeing.\n\nProf Calum Semple, from the University of Liverpool, said he hoped it would be possible to relax rules over Christmas if the new tiered system worked but warned \"there will be a price\", including tighter restrictions in the future.\n\nHowever, Prof Semple, who is a member of Sage, told Sky News's Sophy Ridge there was \"a lot to be optimistic about\".\n\nHe said he expected mass vaccination of the general population to happen towards next summer, which would give \"broad immunity\" and allow a \"return back to normal\".\n\nMPs are expected to vote on the new tier system in the days before it comes into force.\n\nMany Conservative MPs are opposed to stricter measures, with 70 signing a letter coordinated by the recently-formed Covid Recovery Group (CRG), saying they cannot support a tiered approach unless they see evidence measures \"will save more lives than they cost\".\n\nEarlier this month, 32 Conservatives rebelled by voting against the current lockdown and 17 more, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, abstained.\n\nIn a letter to the prime minister on Saturday, the CRG, led by former chief whip Mark Harper and ex-Brexit minister Steve Baker, warned against inflicting \"huge health and economic costs\".\n\nThe letter said: \"We cannot live under such a series of damaging lockdowns and apparently arbitrary restrictions, and expect our constituents to be grateful for being let out to enjoy the festive season, only to have strict restrictions imposed on them afterwards that cause them health problems and destroy their livelihood.\"\n\nAsked whether he would publish a cost-benefit analysis of any future measures, as called for by the CRG, the chancellor told Sky News it was \"very hard to be precise\" on the economic impacts of individual restrictions.\n\nLabour has so far supported the need for restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19, making a Commons defeat on the plan unlikely.\n\nBut shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds told the BBC her party wanted clarity from the government over how tiers would be decided and the support available for businesses.\n\nOn Saturday, the UK recorded another 19,875 new coronavirus cases and 341 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nThe number of deaths was down from 511 on Friday, and 462 on Saturday 14 November.", "A small business owner, angry at the fake and damaging Google reviews posted about his business, has started legal action against the tech giant.\n\nThis rare case highlights the damage fake reviews can do and how difficult it can be to take them down.\n\nGoogle says it monitors posts for violations 24 hours a day and complies with all local laws.\n\nBut it seems star ratings by customers aren’t always what they seem.\n\nThe BBC's Angus Crawford went to meet him.", "Two fishermen are missing off the Sussex coast. One other has been rescued after their boat sank.\n\nA man has been rescued and two others remain missing after a fishing boat sank off the Sussex coast.\n\nA search began in the sea off Seaford, near Newhaven, when the coastguard received an alert from the ship's emergency beacon at about 06:00 GMT.\n\nA man was found clinging to a buoy and was taken to hospital.\n\nTwo crew members from the boat, the Joanna C, remain missing. The search for them was suspended at 23:00 and will resume at first light on Sunday.\n\nThe emergency signal put the 45ft scalloping vessel, registered in Brixham, about three nautical miles off the coast.\n\nTwo helicopters and two lifeboats were deployed and a coastguard rescue team has been sent to check for sightings from the shore.\n\nOther fishing boats in the area have also been helping with the search.\n\nPiers Stanbury, HM Coastguard controller, said: \"Thankfully one of the three people on board at the time of sinking has been pulled out of the water and brought to shore by the Newhaven RNLI lifeboat but the intensive air and sea search for the two missing crew continues.\n\n\"Debris has been located close to location of the EPIRB alert location but no life raft has been found as yet.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "If you can tear yourself away from the counting of votes in the United States, (and I appreciate if you are into politics, that's not easy right now), it is well worth noting what's going on in the warm up to a big political fight on this side of the pond, arguments that we are going to be talking about a lot in the coming months.\n\nThere is a huge set of elections, straddling many parts of the UK next May, and the most contentious arguments are likely to be in the elections for the Scottish Parliament.\n\nIn that poll, you guessed it, the central question on the ballot paper is likely to be that of Scottish independence.\n\nWith a solid trend of polls backing independence in recent months, the SNP is hopeful of another convincing result in the May ballot that will give them a mandate for another referendum on whether Scotland should stay in the UK.\n\nTheir problem, even if they win convincingly in May, is that the law says it's up to the UK government to decide whether or not there should be another referendum - a vote some Scots are massively eager to have, but which others want like a hole in the head. You can read more about the laws around a referendum here.\n\nAnd the SNP themselves said, at the time, that the 2014 referendum was a \"once in a generation opportunity\" for those who want Scotland to be independent.\n\nThe UK government's problem is that if the SNP does win convincingly in May on a promise of having another referendum, denying that would just amplify the argument that Westminster doesn't listen to what Scots want, and likely increase support for independence.\n\nThat's why the comments from Scottish Secretary Alister Jack this morning are notable. He said that \"once in a generation\" means there can't be an independence referendum for many, many years.\n\nNot surprisingly, the SNP have leapt on his words, even comparing his comments to President Trump's bizarre, sometimes rambling, statements since the US election - so full of claims without evidence about fraud or irregularities in the voting that some of the American TV networks cut him off while he was still talking.\n\nOne US politician making wild allegations about fraud is obviously not the same as another in the UK hardening their opposition to another kind of poll taking place, which the government has the legal right to permit or not.\n\nYet the UK government does have an acute dilemma, and it knows it.\n\nAnd not everyone in Westminster agrees that the answer to a hypothetical big SNP win in May can be, \"no, not now, and not nearly ever\".\n\nTo put it mildly, there is a range of opinion in government on how to meet the demands for a referendum in practice.\n\nThere are concerns among Tories too about Labour's weakness at Holyrood, which you can read about here.\n\nAt the very least, the UK government intends to be more present, more prominent, in Scotland, to move away from what one government source admits was an attitude of \"devolve and forget\" that has built up over successive UK administrations.\n\nBut making the argument for the Union more obviously, and more visibly is one thing - there is no guarantee that in the coming months Scottish voters will like what they see.", "Morris wrote more than 40 books including a notable trilogy about Britain's empire, Pax Britannica, during the 1960s and 70s.\n\nIn 1972, she transitioned from male to female, undergoing gender reassignment surgery and changing her name to Jan.\n\nHer son Twm announced her death, saying she was on her \"greatest journey\".\n\n\"This morning at 11.40 at Ysbyty Bryn Beryl, on the Llyn, the author and traveller Jan Morris began her greatest journey. She leaves behind on the shore her life-long partner, Elizabeth,\" he said.\n\nMorris attended a 2013 reception with Prince Philip to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the ascent of Everest\n\nElizabeth was Morris's wife before Morris transitioned - they had five children together and stayed together, later entering a civil partnership. One of their children died in infancy.\n\nMorris told Michael Palin in 2016: \"I've enjoyed my life very much, and I admire it. I think it has been a very good and interesting life and I've made a whole of it, quite deliberately.\n\n\"I've done all of my books to make one big, long autobiography. My life has been one whole self-centred exercise in self-satisfaction!\"\n\nShe is arguably most famous for her widely admired travel writing, and Palin said: \"She's kind of a non-fiction novelist. She creates an image and a feeling of a place that stays in your mind.\"\n\nAuthor Kate Mosse, whose books include Labyrinth, paid tribute to an \"extraordinary woman\". Fellow writer Sathnam Sanghera tweeted: \"What a life, and what a writer.\"\n\nJournalist Katherine O'Donnell added her \"public visibility and account of her transition... let others like me know they were not alone\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Katherine O'Donnell This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nLabour MP for Cardiff North Anna McMorrin added that Morris was \"an incredible writer, pioneer and historian\".\n\nMorris's book Venice, about the Italian city, is considered to be a classic by The Guardian.\n\nPalin said it was \"one of the most influential books of my life\".\n\n\"Her description of the city transcended any conventional travel writing I've come across. Morris's heart and soul was in the book. It was like a love affair,\" he said.\n\n\"Her book started my own love affair with the city, which has lasted all my life. And as a writer she taught me the importance of curiosity and observation.\"\n\nThe author also wrote fiction, however, and her book Last Letters from Hav made the Booker Prize shortlist in 1985. It was a novel written in the form of travel literature.\n\nMorris was particularly renowned as a journalist for announcing the ascent of Everest, in an exclusive scoop for The Times in 1953.\n\nShe accompanied Edmund Hillary as far as the base camp on the mountain, to witness the historic attempt on the summit.\n\nThe news was announced on the same day as the Queen Elizabeth's coronation. Later, in 1999, she accepted a CBE from the Queen, but said it was out of politeness.\n\nMorris wrote about her transition in her 1974 book Conundrum, which was hugely successful.\n\nShe wrote in the book about having surgery in a clinic in Casablanca. The Guardian described it as a \"powerful and beautifully written document\".\n\nThe writer told the Financial Times in 2018 she did not think her gender reassignment had changed her her writing, saying: \"Not in the slightest. It changed me far less than I thought it had.\"\n\nShe added that she did not think she would have achieved more as a man.\n\nWhen not abroad, her home was in Gwynedd in Wales, where she held staunchly nationalist views and was honoured by the Eisteddfod for her contribution to Welsh life.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.\n• None Obituary: Jan Morris, a poet of time, place and self", "As a rule of thumb, the bigger the star the more outlandish the dressing room request.\n\nIt has been reported that Kanye West stipulates Versace towels being on hand at all times, and his missus insists the carpet is ironed. Apparently, Madonna wants a brand new loo seat wherever and whenever she goes, and Van Halen's 53-page \"rider\" is said to list pickled herring, KY Jelly and M&Ms with all the brown ones removed (to check the venue is paying attention to the tiny details). Other alleged diva-ish demands that have found their way into the press are Mariah Carey's desire for an ever-present attendant to whom she can pass her used chewing gum, and Marilyn Manson asking for a bald-headed, toothless hooker.\n\nGiven all that, you'd think a modest requirement of one measly bottle of Coca-Cola wouldn't be too much to ask: a cheap, cold drink to whet the whistle in a sweltering recording studio. Surely that's a basic fridge-filler made available to any rookie performer starting out, let alone one of the biggest singing stars in America.\n\nNot back in the 1920s it wasn't. At least, not if you were black.\n\nThat's how the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson (1945 - 2005) tells it in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, one of his celebrated \"Pittsburgh Cycle\" of plays, which chronicle the 20th-Century African American experience.\n\nWritten in 1982 and first performed two years later to glowing reviews, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom explores talent, ambition, religion, family, race and the historic exploitation of black recording artists by white producers.\n\nMa Rainey's Black Bottom had its first onstage reading at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut in 1982, with (from l-r) Leonard Jackson (Slow Drag) Charles S Dutton (Levee) and Joe Seneca (Cutler)\n\nAugust Wilson said in an interview \"I think my plays offer [white Americans] a different way to look at black Americans\"\n\nIt is a black producer, Denzel Washington, who is behind its highly anticipated screen adaptation, soon to be released on Netflix.\n\nThe venerated actor has been entrusted by August Wilson's estate to make films of all 10 plays in the cycle, a long-term project that got off to a very good start with Fences in 2016, in which Viola Davis co-starred and deservedly won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as an undermined matriarch.\n\nDenzel Washington took on the role of Troy Maxson and Viola Davis acted as his wife, Rose in the adaptation of August Wilson's play Fences, about the struggles of a working class African American family in the 1950s\n\nShe could well get the twin-set with a leading actress Oscar for her portrayal of the imperious, glorious Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett, known to all as Ma Rainey, the \"Mother of the Blues\".\n\nDavis brings a swaggering, menacing belligerence to a regal character with the soul of an artist, the heart of a lover, and the emotional armour of a tank.\n\nMa Rainey is not standing for any nonsense from either the cantankerous studio owner Mel Sturdyvant (Jonny Coyne), or her weaselly manger, Irvin (Jeremy Ramos), who has booked the legendary singer to record an album of her songs.\n\nMa Rainey was one of the first African American professional Blues singers and famous for her flamboyant style\n\nOscar-winning Viola Davis as Ma Rainey with her band (l-r: Chadwick Boseman as Levee, Colman Domingo as Cutler, Michael Potts as Slow Drag and Glynn Turman as Toledo)\n\nShe is not just the smartest person in the room, she is also the most precious commodity, bestowing upon her a status not accorded to most black men and women in 1927 Chicago. Hers is a position of power where she gets to call the shots, but only for as long as she holds all the cards:\n\n\"They don't care nothing about me. All they want is my voice. Well, I done learned that, and they gonna treat me like I want to be treated no matter how much it hurt them…. As soon as they get my voice down on them recording machines, then it's just like if I'd be some whore and they roll all over and put their pants on.\"\n\nThe stifling heat in the studio is getting to everybody.\n\nMa can't sing until she's got her Coca-Cola, her stammering young nephew Sylvester (Dusan Brown) can't get his words out when asked to perform, and her band can't get along with its ebullient trumpeter, Levee (Chadwick Boseman).\n\nThis was Chadwick Boseman's last movie before his death in August, a desperately sad fact made even more poignant by the sheer effervescence of his performance as the ambitious, mouthy, naïve, and gifted horn player, who prefers easy ladies to hard work.\n\nChadwick Boseman is tipped for a posthumous Oscar for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom\n\nThe rest of the band are old-timers who know the score.\n\nThey turn up on time, play what they are asked to play, and happily shoot the breeze in between. Their professional expectations don't go beyond being paid to play.\n\nLevee was not cut from the same cloth.\n\nHe considers himself an artist, a musician from a younger, hipper generation, who knows what the future looks like, and it ain't Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. He wants it all: the flashy shoes, the beautiful women, his own band, and the glare of the spotlight. The problem is he lacks discipline and has a temper as hot as the weather outside.\n\nAs tensions rise along with the room temperature, director George C. Wolfe manages the building atmospheric pressure with a controlled assurance, creating a tinderbox of explosive egos and fracturing relationships.\n\nViola Davis with director George C. Wolfe and Chadwick Boseman enjoying a moment during filming\n\nDavis and Boseman are the stars of the show - their characters wouldn't have it any other way - but the overall feel of the movie is of an ensemble piece, with band members Cutler (Colman Domingo), Toledo (Glynn Turman), and bassist Slow Drag (Michael Potts) adding texture and nuance as the ominous cracks widen.\n\nThe film is largely faithful to the play, with Wilson's words and extraordinary ear for dialogue treated with the respect it deserves. There are moments downstairs in the band-room (Levee trying to open a locked door) and upstairs in the studio (Ma cosying up to her girlfriend), when it feels like you're watching a filmed play rather than a film of a play. But those occasions are few and far between, and the sense of detachment they provoke is swiftly overcome with a knowing look from Ma or a flash of Levee's smile.\n\nMa Rainey with her girlfriend Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige) and nephew Sylvester (Dusan Brown) in the car\n\nIt was a powerful work in 1984 when performed on stage and it remains a powerful work in 2020 on film.\n\nIt stays with you. Or, put another way: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, once seen, never forgotten.", "UK households may have to pay more for gas and electricity bills from April, energy regulator Ofgem says.\n\nIt is considering raising the price cap on household bills by £21 per year to help energy companies which have been hit by a rise in unpaid bills.\n\nThe news was met with dismay from campaigners, who questioned the logic of raising prices when many householders were struggling to pay.\n\nThe current price cap is set at £1,042 per household for gas and electricity.\n\nIt runs to the end of March and consumers will learn in February what it plans to do.\n\nOctopus Energy boss Greg Jackson said the plans let dominant suppliers off the hook.\n\n\"Legacy suppliers charge long-standing customers hundreds of pounds more than new customers,\" said Mr Jackson, whose firm is now the UK's sixth biggest supplier.\n\n\"If they cared about customers, they could handle Covid debt by reducing this disparity, rather than exacerbating it by lobbying for a hike in the price cap.\"\n\n\"Ofgem's single biggest success of the last decade has been the price cap - saving billions for customers and finally forcing dinosaur companies to become more efficient. They should resist all attempts to undermine it.\"\n\nThe price cap was introduced in January 2019 and limits energy unit prices for about 11 million customers on more expensive variable tariffs.\n\nThese are often default tariffs that customers are moved to after a period on a lower fixed rate.\n\n\"Just like every other business, there have been challenges from the pandemic,\" Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of trade body Energy UK, said.\n\n\"It is the independent regulator's job to hear views, look at the evidence, and weigh up how to support energy retailers through their own commercial difficulties in the pandemic, so that they can continue to supply and support all customers.\"\n\nThe £21 rise to £1,063 is based on a household with typical usage and which pays for both electricity and gas by direct debit.\n\nPrice comparison website Uswitch says 12-month deals can be had for as little as £821.40 by comparison.\n\nCat Hobbs, the director of We Own It, which campaigns to nationalise energy supply, said: \"These proposals from Ofgem are absolutely shocking. The idea that at a time when millions of people are struggling to pay their bills, the solution would be to charge people even more is farcical.\"", "Five died and one was injured in the crash\n\nFive prisoners have died when their getaway car hit a tree after a mass jail-break in Lebanon.\n\nA total of 69 prisoners managed to break down their cell doors at the jail near Beirut in the early hours.\n\nFifteen prisoners were caught, state news agency NNA said. One was returned by his mother.\n\nThe security forces have been conducting a search of the area, and local people have been warned to be on the alert.\n\nThe deadly accident happened when six prisoners seized a vehicle upon fleeing the facility in Baabda district.\n\n\"A white Dacia car collided with a tree, and it was found that a number of escaped prisoners were on board after they took it from its driver,\" the news agency reported.\n\nFive died and another was injured in the crash, it said.\n\nLocal residents have been warned to be on alert after the prison break\n\nAuthorities have launched an investigation into the jail-break.\n\nA prosecutor has said she would not rule out some sort of collusion between the prisoners and their guards.", "Former prime ministers David Cameron and Tony Blair have warned Boris Johnson that cutting the UK's overseas aid budget would undermine the UK's G7 presidency next year and cost lives.\n\nThe UK is committed to spending 0.7% of GDP on aid - a global benchmark.\n\nBut the government is considering reducing the target to 0.5%, which would have saved around £4bn this year.\n\nSuch a decision would be a \"moral, strategic and political mistake\", Mr Cameron has warned.\n\nSpending on foreign aid is linked to the UK's national income - its GDP - which has been badly impacted by the pandemic.\n\nThe government has already announced a £2.9bn cut from the budget for the rest of 2020 so as to avoid over-shooting the 0.7% target.\n\nThe 0.7% target, initially proposed by the United Nations in the 1970s, was first adopted in the UK by Mr Blair's Labour government in 2005.\n\nHowever, it was not actually reached until 2013 - under the coalition government, led by Mr Cameron.\n\nThe proportion of GDP spent on aid was 0.24% in 1999, but steadily increased from there.\n\nSpeaking to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Blair said Britain's 0.7% commitment had saved millions of lives in the past 20 years by helping to reduce deaths from deadly diseases such as malaria and HIV in Africa.\n\nMillions have also been educated, living standards raised, and life expectancy \"dramatically\" increased, he added.\n\nThe former Labour leader said: \"This has been a great British soft power achievement. It isn't about charity. It's enlightened self-interest.\n\n\"Neither the challenge of climate or Covid can be met without Africa. Nor can those of extremism and uncontrolled immigration.\"\n\nOverseas aid budgets were protected from cuts under Mr Cameron and Theresa May, but some Conservatives have argued money should be re-directed to domestic priorities.\n\nThe UK's national debt is over £2trillion, and on Friday the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said borrowing hit £22.3bn last month, the highest October figure since monthly records began in 1993.\n\nThe overall debt has now reached 100.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) - a level not seen since the early 1960s.\n\nThe UK assumes the presidency of the G7, taking over from the US, on 1 January.\n\nReducing the UK's contributions to foreign aid could also risk alienating President-elect Joe Biden when he enters the White House in January, Mr Cameron and Mr Blair added.\n\nThe G7 (or Group of Seven) is made up of the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US.\n\nGeneral Lord David Richards, former head of the British Army, backed the former prime ministers, saying it was in the UK's interests to be \"as generous as possible\", adding: \"It's much cheaper than fighting wars.\"", "The Met said a man was arrested following a call from a member of the public\n\nA 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rape after a teenage girl was attacked in south-west London.\n\nPolice received a report of an allegation of rape after 07:00 GMT near North Place, Colliers Wood.\n\nKadian Nelson, 26, had been urged to hand himself in to police \"for his own safety\" amid reports he was being hunted by groups of people.\n\nThe Met said a man was arrested following a call from a member of the public. He is in police custody.\n\nThe victim and her family have been informed of the arrest, which took place in Robinson Road, Tooting, at about 20:00.\n\nA Section 60 order that was authorised for the entirety of the boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth, granting police additional stop and search powers as a result of fears of serious violence, remains in place.\n\nThe Met reminded people to be \"mindful of sharing information via social media that could identify the alleged victim, or affect any potential future proceedings\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Liverpool has one of the highest Covid-19 death rates in England\n\nPeople in Liverpool will be offered regular Covid-19 tests under the first trial of whole city testing in England.\n\nEveryone living or working in the city will be offered tests, whether or not they have symptoms, with follow-up tests every two weeks or so.\n\nSome will get new tests giving results within an hour which, if successful, could be rolled out to \"millions\" by Christmas, the government says.\n\nLiverpool has one of the highest rates of coronavirus deaths in England.\n\nThe latest figures show the city recorded 352 cases per 100,000 in the week up to 30 October. The average area in England had 153.\n\nOn Monday, the UK recorded 18,950 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and 136 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nThe Liverpool pilot aims to limit the spread of the virus by identifying as many infected people as possible, and taking action to break chains of transmission.\n\nA significant number of people who are infected with coronavirus show no symptoms, but the exact proportion has yet to be determined. One paper has put the figure at 28%.\n\nThe pilot will start this week and will include a mix of existing swab tests and new lateral flow tests, which can provide a result within an hour without the need to use a lab.\n\nNew test sites will be set up across the city, including in care homes, schools, universities and workplaces. People will be able to book online, turn up in person, or wait for an invitation from the local authority.\n\nAround 2,000 military personnel will help plan the logistics and deliver tests.\n\n\"I hesitate to use the word game-changer because it gets overused, but it is a significant step forward in the testing arena,\" said Sir John Bell, of Oxford University, who has been advising the government on tests.\n\nHe said the rapid tests \"genuinely have a turnaround time of about 15 to 20 minutes\".\n\nThe quick tests give about one in 1,000 false positives - meaning someone is told they have got the virus when they do not - but they give \"quite a good indication of people who are infectious\", he said.\n\nSir John told BBC Radio 4's Today that \"there are risks\" that people who get a negative result from the rapid tests will think they are in the clear - and that is an \"inappropriate conclusion\".\n\n\"We believe that we can identify the majority of people who are likely to spread the virus and all the people who are likely to be super-spreaders or substantial spreaders - but we will not be able to identify everybody with the virus.\"\n\nYou can spread coronavirus before you even feel sick. That's why testing everyone - symptoms or not - can be such a powerful tool for getting on top of the virus.\n\nChina has shown it is possible to test entire cities of millions of people. However, there are questions with both the tests used and the strategy as a whole.\n\nRapid or \"lateral flow\" tests need high levels of the virus in the body in order to work. It is not yet clear how good they are at catching people in the early stages of the infection when the virus is still taking hold.\n\nFalse positives - when you don't have the virus, but the test says you do - are also a bigger problem when you test large numbers of people. One analysis suggested a twice-a-week test for six months using a test with a 1% false positive rate would lead to more than 40% of people being wrongly told they had the virus, although it is expected that the rate will be much lower with the tests used in Liverpool.\n\nBut even a perfect test cannot change the course of Covid on its own. There is already an issue with too few people fully isolating even when they have Covid symptoms and have tested positive.\n\nWill people isolate when they have no symptoms at all or will they even come forward for testing if it might mean missing work and pay? The UK's first attempt at city-wide testing will help find the answers.\n\nAnnouncing the pilot, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: \"These tests will help identify the many thousands of people in the city who don't have symptoms but can still infect others without knowing.\n\n\"Dependent on their success in Liverpool, we will aim to distribute millions of these new rapid tests between now and Christmas and empower local communities to use them to drive down transmission in their areas.\n\n\"It is early days, but this kind of mass testing has the potential to be a powerful new weapon in our fight against Covid-19.\"\n\nThe new rapid tests still involve a swab in the back of the throat and up the nose, but is analysed there and then, \"using an approach similar to a pregnancy kit,\" said Liverpool's director of public health, Matt Ashton.\n\nLiverpool Mayor Joe Anderson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it was \"really positive for the city\".\n\n\"It hopefully means that when we come out of national lockdown on the 2nd December that Liverpool will be able to come out of tier three [the strictest restrictions] and go into a lower tier, enabling us to have eased measures heading towards Christmas,\" he said.\n\nA rising number of cases in recent weeks across the country prompted the prime minister to announce a national lockdown in England. MPs are set to vote on the plan on Wednesday.\n\nMr Johnson told the Commons on Monday there was \"no alternative\" but to introduce the lockdown - which is due to last from Thursday until 2 December - if the government was to stop the NHS from being overwhelmed.\n\nHe also said ministers were planning a \"steady but massive expansion in the deployment of quick, turnaround tests\".\n\nIt comes as figures on Tuesday showed the number of deaths registered in the week of 23 October was 11% higher than the level expected for this time of year.\n\nThe Office for National Statistics data showed 1,126 of the deaths registered in the UK in that week involved Covid-19, up by 48% on the previous week's figures.\n\nElsewhere in the UK, a new five-level system of coronavirus restrictions came into force in Scotland on Monday.\n\nIn Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said two households in Wales will be able to form a bubble and meet at home after the 17-day firebreak ends on 9 November.\n\nSchools in Northern Ireland have reopened after an extended half-term break, while other restrictions including the closure of pubs, bars and restaurants continue until 13 November.", "The IFS says student numbers have held up better than expected\n\nUniversities and colleges in England face \"significant funding shortfalls and heightened uncertainty\" due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a report warns.\n\nThe Institute for Fiscal Studies says fewer overseas students, potentially higher dropouts and high pension costs are a financial risk for universities.\n\nFurther education colleges still face budget pressures, despite a £400m cash boost, says the report.\n\nThe government says it understands this is a \"challenging time\" for the sector.\n\nThe IFS report on education spending in England, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, warns that universities could be exposed to a range of financial losses, such as falling international student numbers and more students failing to complete their degrees.\n\n\"By far the largest source of financial risk for universities is pension costs,\" it says.\n\n\"New figures suggest the additional cost to universities of meeting existing pension promises may well be as high as £8bn, or double our previous estimate of around £4bn.\"\n\nUniversities could only reduce this by \"taking on more risk, making further reductions in the pensions provided by the scheme, big rises in employees' contributions\" or a combination of these.\n\nBut such measures are likely to be controversial - last academic year, lecturers went on strike over pensions, as well as pay and conditions.\n\nThe IFS also says student numbers in further education colleges and sixth forms are likely to increase this year, partly due to rising numbers of young people and partly due to \"unusually high GCSE results\" and significant reductions in training and employment opportunities.\n\nWhile England's colleges and sixth forms will receive an extra £400m this year, \"exceptional rises in student numbers could still generate a real-terms fall in funding per student\".\n\nThe early years sector could face further financial pressure from Covid lockdowns, says the IFS study\n\nThey will also face challenges around educational catch-up, but may also \"need to expand to accommodate extra students as apprenticeship and employment opportunities dry up\", the IFS says.\n\nThe report also raises concerns about early years provision, saying settings are likely to be \"much more financially exposed, both to the second lockdown and more broadly to a rather slow and incomplete return of demand for childcare\".\n\nWhile early years providers \"were financially well protected\" during the first lockdown by the government's commitment to continue to fund the free entitlement hours, a reassessment of this funding in January 2021 could prove problematic for providers.\n\nReport co-author Ben Waltmann said there had been speculation in the summer that universities would need a financial bailout.\n\n\"In the end, student numbers have held up better than expected, but universities still face financial risks from no-shows or higher-than-usual dropout, as well as reductions in other income streams,\" he said.\n\n\"By far the biggest source of risk now appears to be the large deficit on the main university pension scheme, which has increased from £3.6bn in March 2018 to a monumental £21.5bn in August 2020, according to the latest preliminary estimate.\n\nLecturers went on strike over pensions last academic year\n\n\"With contributions already at more than 30% of earnings, it is hard to see how a deficit on this scale, if confirmed, could be evened out without further cuts in the generosity of the scheme.\"\n\nCo-author Imran Tahir said the government had made transforming further education colleges a big priority, pledging £400m in extra funding at the 2019 Spending Review.\n\nHe said this could be \"the first real-terms increase in spending per student for about a decade\".\n\n\"However, student numbers could have risen dramatically more than expected due to a reduction in training, apprenticeship and employment opportunities, on top of population growth.\n\n\"If there is no additional funding forthcoming, planned real-terms increases in spending per student could be mostly - if not entirely - eroded.\"\n\nA spokeswoman for the Department for Education said the government had introduced a range of support.\n\n\"We have protected grant funding for further education, worth over £3bn for a full year and increased education and training investment this year for 16-19 year olds by an additional £400m.\n\n\"We also brought forward over £2bn worth of tuition fee payments for universities and announced a major package of £280m to stabilise research funding.\"\n\nBut Geoff Barton, head of the head teachers' union ASCL, said colleges were often \"treated by the government in terms of funding as a Cinderella service\".\n\nBill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said the reduction in funding had led to \"courses being cut, support services reduced and extra-curricular activities removed for 16 to 18 year olds across the country\".\n\nThe £400m investment \"was a welcome step\", he said, \"but was only a one year deal following a decade of neglect.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid in Scotland: First minister faces 'dilemma' over lockdown decision\n\nThe furlough scheme will be available if there is a Covid-19 lockdown in Scotland in the future, the prime minister has suggested.\n\nBoris Johnson announced an extension of the job support scheme to 2 December as tough measures were imposed in England.\n\nNicola Sturgeon said decisions on any Scottish lockdown may depend on when this funding would be available.\n\nMr Johnson has now told MPs that the furlough scheme would \"continue to be available wherever it is needed\".\n\nMs Sturgeon said this would be \"very welcome\" - but added she was \"seeking urgent confirmation from the Treasury that it will be exactly as we asked for\".\n\nA new five-level system of coronavirus restrictions came into force in Scotland on Monday.\n\nAt her daily briefing, Ms Sturgeon said she would \"ideally\" want to assess the impact of the latest measures before deciding whether it would be necessary to impose harsher measures.\n\nShe said there were \"some encouraging signs\" that restrictions were having an impact in Scotland, with the rate of increase in cases \"slowing down\".\n\nBoris Johnson was questioned on the issue in the Commons\n\nHowever, she said the position remained \"very fragile\" - and that she faced a \"dilemma\" about imposing stricter measures in the short-term if there was a time limit on the furlough scheme.\n\nShe said: \"I made clear last week that we might yet have to go further and we can't rule out a move to level four for all parts of the country.\n\n\"While that decision would never be easy, there is no doubt that the availability of a more extensive furlough scheme would make it slightly less difficult, because workers would have more of their wages paid.\n\n\"The decision we have to weigh up is should we take the opportunity of more generous financial support to step harder on the brakes now, to drive down infections.\"\n\nShe added: \"It cannot be right that the only time that additional financial support is made available is when the south of England needs to go into a lockdown. That just isn't fair given the situation we are dealing with.\"\n\nThe UK-wide job support scheme - which covers up to 80% of workers wages' and has supported hundreds of thousands of jobs north of the border - was extended to 2 December when Mr Johnson announced the four-week lockdown in England.\n\nHowever, the UK's devolved administrations complained that this \"time limited\" extension only covered the period when England is under enhanced restrictions.\n\nWales has been in a \"firebreak\" lockdown since 23 October, and First Minister Mark Drakeford said requests to boost wage subsidies there had been repeatedly turned down.\n\nCalls for more flexibility over furlough were backed by Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who said in a speech on Monday morning that \"this has to be cleared up, now\".\n\nHe said: \"It cannot be that furlough is not affordable when Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or parts of Northern England need to go into lockdown - but when all of England goes into lockdown, the taps are turned on.\n\n\"We all hope that by following the guidance and doing the right thing, a second Scottish lockdown will not be necessary.\n\n\"But if it is, the UK government must treat Scotland the same way as England.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Nicola Sturgeon This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nRepeatedly questioned about the matter in the Commons, Mr Johnson said that the job support scheme applied across the UK.\n\nHe initially refused to be drawn about whether this could continue to be the case beyond December, should local lockdowns be needed in other parts of the UK.\n\nHowever, he then appeared to confirm that this would be the case when asked by Mr Ross to \"explain why it seems an English job is more important than a Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish one\".\n\nThe prime minister said: \"If other parts of the UK decide to go into measures which require the furlough scheme then of course that is available to them - that applies not just now but in the future.\"\n\nPressed on the question by SNP MP Pete Wishart, he added: \"The furlough scheme will continue to be available wherever it is needed.\"", "Police released an image of a man wanted in connection with the attack in south-west London\n\nPolice have urged a rape suspect to hand himself in \"for his own safety\" amid reports he is being hunted by groups of people.\n\nKadian Nelson, 26, is wanted in connection with an attack on a teenage girl in south-west London.\n\nThe Met Police, which earlier released an image of Mr Nelson, appealed for him to come forward.\n\nDet Supt Owain Richards also urged those \"attending various addresses\" in a bid to find him to \"go home\".\n\n\"Do not try to take the law into your own hands or you may end up doing something you regret and potentially face police action yourself,\" he said.\n\nOfficers said the victim was reportedly assaulted shortly after 07:00 GMT near North Place, Colliers Wood.\n\nVideo shared on social media appears to show a girl being approached from behind before being forced into a side street by a man.\n\nIn the clip, a woman can be heard asking the man whether he knows the girl.\n\nHe then walks away, and the girl is heard to cry: \"Thank you, thank you\".\n\nReferring to the footage in a tweet, Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhain McDonagh said the girl had been on her way to school when she was attacked.\n\n\"The extraordinary bravery of a lady who followed and filmed them has almost certainly saved the victim from even further distress,\" she said.\n\nThe video \"has provided the police extremely important evidence for what I sincerely hope will be the swift apprehension and the early arrest of the attacker,\" Ms McDonagh added.\n\nKadian Nelson is believed to be from the Mitcham area\n\nDet Supt Richards said he recognised the attack was \"shocking and distressing and emotions locally are running very high\".\n\nBut he urged the public to \"allow us to do our jobs\".\n\n\"It is imperative that we follow the right processes as we investigate this incident as any interference could potentially affect proceedings further down the line.\" he said.\n\nA Section 60 stop and search order has been authorised for Merton and Wandsworth areas.\n\nPeople have been warned to not share information via social media which could identify the girl or affect any future proceedings.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "All adult and children's grassroots football is to be suspended in England during the national Covid-19 lockdown.\n\nRestrictions will run from Thursday, 5 November until Wednesday, 2 December.\n\nNo men's teams in leagues below National Leagues North or South will be able to train or play and women's competitions below the second-tier Championship are also suspended.\n\nThe restrictions also apply to all youth and indoor teams, but lower-league sides can play in the FA Cup.\n\n'Non-elite' teams in this weekend's FA Cup first round will play and train under 'elite' conditions for as long as they remain in the competition.\n\nHowever, BBC Sport understands the Women's FA Cup will be paused during lockdown, while the Football Association has yet to make an announcement on their plans for the FA Trophy, FA Vase and FA Youth Cup.\n\n\"Our aim is to ensure that the 2020-21 season is completed at these levels and will liaise with the relevant leagues in the NLS [National League System] and WFP [Women's Football Pyramid] and the County Football Associations to provide support and establish appropriate options to do so if required,\" an FA statement read.\n• None FA Cup ties to go ahead, amateur golf and tennis halted\n\n\"Re-starting football at these levels has taken substantial determination and commitment from stakeholders across the game and we would like to thank everyone for their vital contributions.\n\n\"However, health and wellbeing remain the priority, so it is extremely important that clubs, players, coaches, match officials, league officials, volunteers, parents, carers and facility providers adhere to the UK Government's new national Covid-19 restrictions during this period.\"\n\nThere were calls for youth sport to be exempt when the new restrictions come into effect on Thursday.\n\nBut Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden confirmed it would only be permitted in school.\n\n\"Unfortunately we need to pause grassroots sport outside school to reduce the transmission risk from households mixing,\" he tweeted.\n\n\"As soon as we can resume this, we will.\"\n\nElite sport can continue behind closed doors during the lockdown.\n\nFormer Wales midfielder Robbie Savage, who coaches a junior team, criticised the decision to suspend children's sport in a series of tweets.\n\nQuoting Dowden's tweet, he said: \"Have you or any of your senior government officials been to a grassroots game since lockdown? Do you have any idea what it's like for thousands of grassroots volunteers? Do you know the impact of this decision on youngsters' mental and physical wellbeing?\"\n\nChelsea boss Frank Lampard added: \"I'm a massive advocate for children to play all sorts of sports, but at unprecedented times, we are reliant on the government and scientists. If it can be done if a safe way, I think for physical and mental health, we must strive to do it as much as we can.\n\n\"It's a tough time and I'm a father, so I do worry. I don't know all the data, but as a parent, if you can remain active and encourage your children to be active in this tough time, it's a great thing to do.\n\n\"I would really encourage us to find a way to keep children active, but it has to be in a safe way so we don't see long term issues coming back from it later in these youngsters' lives.\"\n\nYouth Sports Trust chief executive Ali Oliver earlier told BBC Sport that under a quarter of secondary schools do not offer physical education.\n\n\"To lose some grassroots clubs will leave us with a legacy of a generation who are inactive and unable to find a way into sport,\" she said.\n\nFormer Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee chair Damian Collins had written to Dowden asking the government to allow youth sport to continue in England after 5 November.\n\nHe called on the government to extend the definition of elite sport to include academy players at Premier League clubs and those in development centres such as the England Rugby developing player programme and Sport England's talented athlete scholarship scheme.\n\n\"Young people will currently be allowed to continue with sport at school, and we believe that the risks to the spread of the coronavirus from outdoor grassroots youth sport would be minimal,\" he said, in a letter also signed by former sports ministers Tracey Crouch and Helen Grant.\n\n\"There would, however, be clear and lasting benefits for these young people if the government could support this.\"\n\nLeisure centres and gyms will close, as will other indoor and outdoor leisure facilities.\n\nOn Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the House of Commons that there would be no exemptions.\n\nBritish Cycling, England Athletics and British Triathlon have joined together to write to Dowden to ask that small group rides and runs, and coaching sessions for young people and those with disabilities, are allowed to continue.\n\nThe three said that while they understood the government's challenges, the new rules would have the worst impact on those who need additional support to enable them to be active.\n\n\"We know that sport must play its part in this national effort, and we fully accept that as governing bodies we must play our part while the rest of the country is being asked to make such enormous sacrifices in their own lives,\" said a statement.\n\n\"However, we also believe that we have a duty to enable people to lead healthy, active lives during this period of extreme mental toil - particularly when, as we have demonstrated over the course of this year, it can be done safely.\"\n\nThe government's refusal to grant exemptions to tennis, golf, gyms and swimming pools is proving among the most contentious elements of the second national lockdown.\n\nBut the decision to suspend youth sport is especially controversial.\n\nThe government insists it is necessary to reduce the risk of transmission through the mixing of households. But for many involved in junior grassroots teams, it is a disproportionate and unnecessary measure that risks doing more harm than good, damaging youngsters' physical and mental health at a time when the amount of PE and organised sport provided in many schools has already decreased as a result of the pandemic.\n\nLast month the Youth Sport Trust found that a fifth of secondary schools and a sixth of primary schools had cut PE since the first lockdown, and half would be delivering less extracurricular sport in the autumn term.\n\nGiven this trend - and the fact it is harder for young people to exercise outside school hours in the winter months - there will be mounting pressure on ministers to reconsider - and if not, to make the return of youth sport next month a priority, even if the lockdown extends beyond that.\n• None How does the voting system work?\n• None What you need to look out for on the night", "A seven-bedroom house in the terrace sold for £16m last year\n\nTwo four-storey town houses worth millions of pounds have collapsed in west London.\n\nA 25m (82ft) cordon was put in place and about 40 people had to leave nearby properties in Durham Place, Chelsea, while drone teams and police dogs searched the rubble.\n\nEmergency crews were called at 23:35 GMT on Monday after the buildings, which were being redeveloped, fell in.\n\nNo injuries have been reported, London Fire Brigade said.\n\nThe collapsed buildings form part of a terrace that was built in the late 1700s, opposite land owned by the Royal Hospital Chelsea - the home of the Chelsea Pensioners.\n\nA seven-bedroom house in the block sold for £16m last year, according to property website Rightmove.\n\nThe block of seven town houses was originally built in 1790\n\nA man, aged in his 30s, who lives in the area and asked to remain anonymous, witnessed the collapse.\n\nHe said it had been \"extremely loud\" with dust being kicked up \"everywhere\".\n\n\"There were a lot of people coming out of their homes in the surrounding area to see what was going on... It was quite bad, really surreal,\" he said.\n\nAccording to neighbours, renovations were being carried out at the block, including in the basements.\n\nKensington and Chelsea Council had approved an extension to be built on the lower ground floor of the buildings in 2018.\n\nLFB Station Commander Jason Jones said there had been \"a total collapse of the buildings from the roof to ground level\".\n\nHe added: \"Nobody is thought to have been inside the building at the time of the collapse.\"\n\nIt is thought no-one was in the buildings when they collapsed\n\nThe Met Police said those living in nearby houses had been evacuated \"as a precaution\".\n\nAmong the people asked to leave was a caretaker, who lives at the end of the road.\n\nThe woman, who did not want to be named, said she \"jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs\" after she heard police saying \"come on, you've got to get out\".\n\n\"We stayed at a family friend's,\" she added.\n\nKapital Basements Ltd, which is carrying out works on a neighbouring property, has confirmed it has never worked or had any interest in the collapsed building.\n\nAn emergency road closure remains in place on Ormonde Gate.\n\nA council spokesperson said neighbouring residents had been allowed back in their homes at 03:00 after safety checks had been carried out.\n\n\"The reason for the collapse is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive,\" the spokesperson said.\n\nA cordon was set up around the buildings and nearby properties were evacuated\n\nThe buildings, pictured before the collapse, were in the process of being developed\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Voters received automated calls telling them to \"stay safe and stay home\"\n\nThe FBI is investigating mysterious robocalls urging people across the US to stay home on election day.\n\nMillions of voters have reportedly received automated calls telling them to \"stay safe and stay home\".\n\nAmericans are voting in one of the most divisive presidential polls in decades, pitting incumbent Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Joe Biden.\n\nThe origins of the calls remain unclear, and some have not specifically mentioned voting.\n\n\"There's a little bit of confusion about this one across the industry,\" Giulia Porter, vice president at RoboKiller, a company that fights robocalls, told the Reuters news agency.\n\nOne of the calls reportedly says: \"Hello. This is just a test call. Time to stay home. Stay safe and stay home.\"\n\nThis call that been doing the rounds for almost a year, but became one of the biggest spam calls in the country on Tuesday, Ms Porter said.\n\nOfficials have raised concerns over robocalls in the key battleground state Michigan, including one urging residents in the city of Flint to \"vote tomorrow\" because of long queues.\n\n\"Obviously this is FALSE and an effort to suppress the vote,\" Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel tweeted. \"Don't fall for it.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. That was wild - a three-year campaign in three minutes\n\nJanaka Stucky, a Democratic voter in Massachusetts, said he had received a robocall early on election day.\n\n\"My first thought was that actually it was a municipal test call for a Covid lockdown thing,\" he told Reuters.\n\n\"The more I thought about it I was like, oh this actually feels really off and weird and then started to feel like it was some sort of, maybe, voter suppression effort,\" he added.\n\nNew York State officials are also investigating allegations of robocalls spreading disinformation and encouraging people to stay home.\n\n\"Attempts to hinder voters from exercising their right to cast their ballots are disheartening, disturbing, and wrong,\" New York Attorney General Letitia James said.\n\nThe FBI has said it is aware of reports of robocalls but has not commented further.\n\nYour Questions Answered: What questions do you have about the US election?\n\nHow does vote counting work? When will we get the final results? The US election can be confusing, especially this year. The BBC is here to help make sense of it. Please send us your questions about election day and beyond.\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.", "Tim Place is one of the few Joe Biden voters in his Wisconsin neighbourhood. When his Biden-Harris sign was stolen, he got some unexpected help - from a Trump-supporting neighbour.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland's Railway, says engineers have worked round the clock in a complex operation.\n\nThe rail line between Aberdeen and Dundee has reopened nearly three months after a train crash which left three people dead.\n\nThe driver, a conductor and a passenger died when the Aberdeen to Glasgow service derailed near Stonehaven on 12 August after heavy rain.\n\nAn interim report said the train hit washed-out rocks and gravel.\n\nNetwork Rail has been laying hundreds of metres of replacement track as part of a \"complex\" repair operation.\n\nThe derailment took place when the 06:38 service struck a landslip 1.4 miles north east of Carmont.\n\nBrett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died, and six other people were injured.\n\nBrett McCullough, Donald Dinnie and Chris Stuchbury died after the train left the tracks\n\nAlex Hynes, managing director of Scotland's Railway, said engineers had worked \"around the clock\" to reopen the line.\n\nTransport Secretary Michael Matheson has thanked all those involved in the recovery and repair operations.\n\nNetwork Rail admitted in an interim report in September that the impact of climate change on its network \"is an area that is accelerating faster than our assumptions\".\n\nIt said the fatal derailment showed that the industry must improve its response to extreme weather.", "Around 100 pilot whales have beached themselves near the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.\n\nNavy personnel and local volunteers have rushed to rescue them, but pushing the animals back into the ocean has been difficult as many get washed up again.\n\nIt's not clear why whales get stranded but it's not uncommon.\n\nIn September, hundreds of whales died on an Australian beach, in one of the largest strandings on record.", "Will Watts runs the Fossil Shop in Scarborough\n\nThe new lockdown in England means all \"non-essential\" retailers, such as clothing and electronics stores and tourist shops, will have to shut from Thursday.\n\nIt has left many thousands of shops scrambling to adapt. We spoke to some of them about how they're trying to prepare for the disruption.\n\nWhen Will Watts had to mothball his coastal tour business during the first lockdown, he decided to fulfil a long-held dream - opening his own fossil shop in Scarborough in Yorkshire.\n\nAfter nine weeks setting it up and much investment, he opened in late October and saw strong sales over the half-term break.\n\nBut cruelly, within a week the prime minister had called another national lockdown, meaning that from this Thursday Will must shut his new store to the public.\n\n\"It has been the toughest year I've ever had,\" he tells the BBC. \"It does make you question why you do what you do.\"\n\nSome things will be easier than in the first shutdown in March - for example, all non-essential shops can offer deliveries and click-and-collect, while the newly extended furlough scheme will be up and running from day one.\n\nAnd while a full list is yet to be published, it seems a slightly wider range of retailers will be allowed to stay open, with garden centres joining the usual suspects like supermarkets and food shops.\n\nThe government will publish a more detailed list in due course\n\nBut, as Will points out, lockdown two falls in the vital period running up to Christmas and \"gift stuff is a big part of what we do\".\n\n\"We can do deliveries and click-and-collect but we are selling unique things that people want to see and feel before they buy,\" he says.\n\n\"When you go online you are in direct competition with Ebay and Amazon,\" he adds.\n\nNaturally he's worried about the future, as he has just moved into a new building and has his staff to think about. \"I think we can make it but there is a slight nagging doubt that we won't.\"\n\nAccording to the British Retail Consortium, the forced closure of shops in November will cost about £2bn per week in lost sales as we enter the \"all-important\" Christmas period.\n\nThat's at a time when shop sales are already well below pre-pandemic levels.\n\nHelen Sheward, who runs Gently, a chain of four gift and homeware shops in South East London, was hoping to make up some of her losses from the first lockdown this Christmas, but that won't happen now.\n\n\"People don't realise we've bought all of our stock for Christmas already,\" she says.\n\n\"I cried all weekend after I heard the prime minister's announcement.\"\n\nShe also thinks competing online won't be easy, but she plans to go to town on social media and use her shop windows as a marketing tool.\n\n\"In the last lockdown the shutters were down, but this time we are going to open them every morning so people can browse through the windows. We will keep refreshing the displays to showcase the products.\"\n\nHer six staff will go back on furlough, meaning she will be running the business single-handed in a lockdown she fears could last well into December.\n\n\"It's a big ask for me - we have two kids, my husband works. But you put it in perspective and you think, we will survive and there are far more people living with much greater problems than this.\"\n\nOn top of the furlough scheme, which covers 80% of employees' wages, the government is offering shops forced to close cash grants of up to £3,000.\n\nHowever, the Federation of Small Businesses says for many this is not even enough to cover rent, while small business owners as company directors get little by way of income support.\n\nWilliam Skinner, managing director of Savile Row tailor Dege & Skinner, thinks the government shouldn't be closing shops at all, arguing they aren't a major source of infection with proper social distancing in place.\n\nBut he is optimistic about his 155-year-old business's chances: \"We've survived two world wars and we can survive this.\"\n\nOn the downside, he says the business will lose what little passing trade it had left after the first lockdown. In addition, fewer business people will need bespoke suits for business trips due to the travel ban.\n\nBut he says the company learned valuable lessons in the first lockdown - for example, its tailors can now make suits and coats easily from home, although the cutting still takes place at the shop.\n\nThe firm has also moved to an appointments-based system for fittings which he hopes can continue with the right safety precautions in place.\n\nWilliam furloughed 17 of his 21 staff in the last lockdown but expects the figure will be closer to 10 or 11 this time.\n\n\"Now everyone is familiar and aware and going into it with more open eyes,\" he says of the second lockdown.\n\n\"But the question is how long will this last? Will we get a vaccine? Will the virus peter out? I am not sure.\"", "Former Great British Bake Off finalist Luis Troyano, who starred in series five of the show in 2014, has died from oesophageal cancer at the age of 48.\n\n\"Sadly, my lovely client lost his brave fight against oesophageal cancer last week,\" tweeted his agent Anne Kibel.\n\n\"A fantastic man with a love of baking that saw him get to the finals of GBBO, write a wonderful book, Bake It Great, and do so much more,\" she added.\n\nAfter the show, Troyano said Bake Off had \"totally changed my life\".\n\n\"As well as being given the opportunity to write a book, I now also bake for a living, which is simply amazing. As far as baking goes, I can certainly bake a lot faster now than before the GBBO,\" he told Food and Drinks Guide.\n\nFollowing his stint on Bake Off, Troyano made appearances on BBC Good Food and BBC Breakfast shows. He released a book called Bake it Great in 2015.\n\nLuis Troyano (R) and his fellow GBBO finalists Richard Burr and Nancy Birtwhistle, who won the competition\n\nWriting on a Just Giving page she set up to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, his wife Louise wrote: \"Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure, you are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.\n\n\"This page has been set up for Macmillan Cancer Support but in truth, Luis gave a big thank you to everyone involved in his care.\"\n\nShe then posted Troyano's own words, in which he thanked Macmillan, the NHS and East Cheshire Hospice \"for trying to save my life and their tireless work to try and eliminate cancer. But more importantly a massive thank you to all the amazing professionals who really did try their absolute best for me, showed me absolute compassion and gave me more time than what was seemingly possible. I thank you sincerely.\"\n\nBefore competing on the show, Troyano was a marketing manager, hailing from Poynton, near Stockport. During the contest he memorably created a tribute to his hometown in one of his showstopper bakes.\n\nHe also made a caramel-gilded cake depicting The Cage, a tower in the National Trust's Lyme Park in Cheshire.\n\nIn an interview with Cheshire Life he said: \"I'm a proud Stockport guy. I have no shame in saying where I'm from.\n\n\"I did The Cage mainly because it's my wife's favourite place to visit. I never expected that cake to get the response it did. When it aired, it went crazy with people going, 'Where is this and what is it he's done?'\"\n\nNadiya Hussain, who won the baking contest in 2015, paid tribute, writing \"RIP\" on Twitter.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Nadiya Jamir Hussain MBE This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe official Great British Bake Off account tweeted it had been a \"huge honour and pleasure\" to have Troyano as a contestant.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by British Bake Off This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post 2 by British Bake Off\n\nFormer Bake Off host Sue Perkins said she was \"gutted\" to learn of Troyano's death.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Sue Perkins This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTroyano's fellow 2014 contestants Chetna Makan and Martha Collison, also honoured the baker.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Chetna Makan This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 5 by Martha Collison This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAnd Manchester City Football Club, the team Troyano supported, expressed their sadness.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 6 by Manchester City This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn 2014, Troyano opened his first bakery in his hometown, called The Hive Bakery and in 2015, he was announced as the patron of Beechwood Cancer Care Centre.\n\nHe told Manchester Evening News his father died of cancer when he was 16.\n\n\"I have lived in Stockport all my life and wanted to support a charity that was close to home,\" he said.\n\n\"It feels great to be a patron at Beechwood. There was nothing like Beechwood when I lost my dad and it was a tough time.\n\n\"My time on The Great British Bake Off has been life changing and I feel honoured to support Beechwood.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Labour has urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to come up with a six-month plan to get the country through the economic challenges of coronavirus.\n\nHe announced at the weekend that furlough would last until the English lockdown is due to end, on 2 December.\n\nBut shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds called this \"last-minute\" and demanded less \"panicked\" decision-making.\n\nMr Sunak has said he will \"do whatever it takes\" to protect jobs and businesses during the pandemic.\n\nFurlough - a UK-wide scheme paying up to 80% of people's wages, to a maximum value of £2,500 a month - was due to conclude on 31 October.\n\nBut it was extended to coincide with the English lockdown announced at the weekend, which will see pubs, restaurants, gyms and non-essential shops close for four weeks from Thursday - if MPs back this in a vote on Wednesday.\n\nMs Dodds is asking an urgent question in the House of Commons later on what longer-term support the government is planning to offer businesses and individuals.\n\nShe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"We have had very panicked, last-minute decision-making.\"\n\nMs Dodds added that the change had happened \"just five hours before\" the previous furlough cut-off point, and that self-employed people \"apparently\" had been \"completely forgotten about\" until the government announced extra help for them on Monday.\n\nShe also said: \"The chancellor's stubborn refusal to address problems of his own making until the last possible minute is risking lives, costing jobs and causing chaos in the middle of a pandemic.\n\n\"Businesses need certainty if we're to avoid a 1980s-style jobs crisis, not endless chopping and changing by a chancellor who is always playing catch-up.\"\n\nMs Dodds said Mr Sunak should meet politicians from other parties and set out a \"proper, strategic plan for the next six months that gives workers and businesses the certainty they need\".\n\nMeanwhile, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for \"clarity\" on whether furlough will continue in Scotland after 2 December, should lockdown-type measures be imposed there which go beyond that date.\n\nHousing Secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky News the UK government would \"do whatever we can to continue to support Scotland\".\n\nAnd the prime minister's official spokesman said: \"If other parts of the UK decide to go into measures that require direct economic support, we will of course make [furlough funding] available to them.\"\n\nAnnouncing the extension of furlough on Saturday, Mr Sunak said: \"I have always said that we will do whatever it takes as the situation evolves.\n\n\"Now, as restrictions get tougher, we are taking steps to provide further financial support to protect jobs and businesses. These changes will provide a vital safety net for people across the UK.\"\n\nLast month, the chancellor cancelled this autumn's Comprehensive Spending Review, which would have set out government departments' budgets for the next few years.\n\nCiting the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, he replaced this with a one-year review, scheduled to take place later this month.", "More than a quarter of the incidents which the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) responded to were Covid-related, according to its latest annual report.\n\nThe review covers the period from September 2019 to August 2020, so the pandemic occupied an even higher proportion of the agency's efforts after the first lockdown began.\n\nIn total there were 723 incidents of all kinds, marking close to a 10% rise on the previous period.\n\nOf those, 194 were Covid-related.\n\nSome of the incidents related to countering nation-state attacks, but most were criminal in nature, the GCHQ division reported.\n\nIt also disclosed that it had thwarted 15,354 campaigns that had used coronavirus themes as a \"lure\" to fool people into clicking on a link or opening an attachment containing malicious software.\n\nSome involved fake shops selling PPE (personal protective equipment), test kits and even vaccines.\n\nProtecting the NHS and health-related research has been a priority, the report said..\n\nIn July, the UK accused Russia of trying to steal vaccine-related information through cyber-espionage.\n\nAnd officials said they had continued to see an \"ongoing threat\" of states targeting the vaccine research-and-delivery programme.\n\nThe NCSC said it had scanned more than one million NHS IP (internet protocol) addresses to look for vulnerabilities, and had shared 51,000 indicators of compromise.\n\nIt has also carried out \"threat hunting\" to look for security risks on connected devices, and worked on the security of the NHS Covid-19 contact-tracing app.\n\nThe NCSC also warned ransomware attacks had become more common.\n\nRansomware locks people out of their computers and demands victims make a blackmail payment to restore access - and even then it is not always granted.\n\nThe NCSC said it had handled more than three times as many ransomware incidents as in the previous year.\n\nThese included an attack against Redcar and Cleveland Council which, the officials said, had \"caused considerable damage and disruption\".\n\nThe report added the NCSC had observed a growing trend for such attacks to be more targeted and aggressive than previously.\n\nRather than just locking people out of access to their data until a ransom was paid, attackers often warned they would embarrass victims if they refused to comply.\n\n\"We have seen the threat of data being leaked,\" Paul Chichester, director of operations, told the BBC.\n\nThis meant victims were at risk even if they have backed up their data.\n\nHowever, the NCSC said the UK did not appear to be as heavily targeted as some countries, because British victims were less likely to pay the attackers.\n\nThe NCSC has also been working to increase skills and diversity in the cyber-security industry.\n\nIt said almost 12,000 girls had taken part in its 2020 competition. However, an advert for the government's related CyberFirst campaign was widely criticised last month for featuring a ballerina and the slogan \"Fatima's next job could be in cyber\".\n\nNCSC has said it was not involved in the creation of the CyberFirst poster\n\nThe report also highlighted the agency's role in protecting parliament as it became \"virtual\" to prevent hacking of debates or votes.\n\nAnd it revealed that the NCSC had just updated the system for producing cryptographic keys, which encrypt classified government and military systems.\n\nA new electronic system was introduced to replace old-fashioned punch-tape.", "Dashcam footage showed the two drivers racing at speeds of more than 100mph\n\nA man who caused the death of his son after racing with another driver at more than 100mph has been jailed for four-and-a-half-years.\n\nIsrar Muhammed, 41, from Batley, West Yorkshire, hit a tree after crashing off the M62 in East Yorkshire when a tyre blew out.\n\nHis three-year-old son, Say Han Ali, died and his daughter and wife suffered \"life-changing\" injuries.\n\nAdam Molloy, the other driver, was also jailed for four-and-a-half-years.\n\nThe pair were found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial last month.\n\nMuhammed was also convicted of two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and causing death while uninsured.\n\nHumberside Police said Molloy, 29, from Normanton, West Yorkshire, failed to stop after the crash and was later traced and arrested.\n\nHe was also found guilty of two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.\n\nPassing sentence at Hull Crown Court, Judge David Tremberg said Muhammed was driving \"in an erratic and unsafe manner\" for many miles before the accident, failing to give way at a roundabout and weaving in and out of traffic.\n\n\"Expert assessment of the footage reveals that each of you was travelling in excess of 100mph and there were roughly 10 metres between your cars as you sped along,\" he said.\n\n\"Other drivers formed the impression that you were racing and driving like idiots.\"\n\nSgt Rob Mazingham said officers carried out an \"extensive and exhaustive investigation\" into the crash near Goole on 1 July 2018.\n\n\"The car that Israr Muhammed was driving was not roadworthy, its rear tyre was 16 years old and defective and the resulting blow-out caused the series of events that led to the death of his three-year-old son and the serious, life changing injuries of his wife and second child,\" the officer said.\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Chris Whitty says the three-tier system of restrictions has “slowed things down\".\n\n\"Economically and socially destructive\" lockdowns are the only practical option until a Covid vaccine and better drugs are available, Chris Whitty has said.\n\nEngland's chief medical officer rejected calls from some scientists to pursue \"herd immunity\" instead.\n\nEngland is due to replace tiered regional restrictions with a four-week nationwide lockdown from Thursday.\n\nIt comes as the UK recorded a further 397 coronavirus deaths and 20,018 confirmed cases on Tuesday.\n\nMeanwhile, more details of England's lockdown rules have also been revealed, with the publication of the legislation that will bring them into force.\n\nThe regulations specify fines starting at £100 for rule breakers, potentially rising to a maximum of £6,400 for repeat offences.\n\nSome Tory MPs have attacked the move towards another nationwide lockdown, with one saying the government was \"losing the plot\".\n\nProf Whitty was quizzed by a select committee about the Great Barrington Declaration, which calls for \"focused protection\" for the elderly and other groups particularly vulnerable to Covid-19, while others continue to live relatively normally.\n\nProf Whitty said the arguments made by those that have signed the declaration were \"scientifically weak\" and \"dangerously flawed\".\n\n\"It would make an assumption that a very large number of people would inevitably die as a result of that decision,\" he told the Commons Science Committee.\n\n\"To have this as an element of policy is ethically really difficult.\"\n\nHerd immunity had never been achieved in the treatment of Ebola and other new infectious diseases, argued Prof Whitty, and the kind of aggressive shielding of the vulnerable urged by the Barrington scientists would not be practically possible.\n\nBetter treatments and the prospect of a vaccine were the only hope, he told the committee, and he predicted that over the next year there will be \"multiple shots on goal from science\".\n\n\"We have to hold the line until that point,\" he added.\n\n\"Unfortunately, these economically and socially destructive tools are what we have got in the absence of anything else.\"\n\nUnder the lockdown beginning on Thursday, pubs, restaurants, gyms and non-essential shops would be closed across England.\n\nThe new rules replace a tiered system of different local restrictions across England, which ministers say they want to return to after the England-wide lockdown is due to end on 2 December.\n\nMeanwhile, at a separate parliamentary debate, a number of Conservative MPs criticised the nationwide lockdown, which faces a Commons vote on Wednesday.\n\nOne of them, Richard Drax, said the lockdowns were \"destructive, divisive, and don't work\".\n\n\"They simply delay the inevitable - the re-emergence of the virus when lockdown ends, as has been shown,\" he said.\n\n\"Have we overreacted? Yes, I think we have. A draconian, onerous and invasive set of rules and regulations now govern our very existence.\"\n\nHis fellow Conservative, Bob Seeley, said lockdowns were a \"dubious tool,\" claiming scientists were becoming \"increasingly sceptical\" of them as an option.\n\nHe suggested the government was \"losing the plot\" in the face of the spread of the virus, and there was a need for \"some semblance of balance\" in its response.\n\nHowever with Labour supporting the new measures, they are highly likely to be approved even if there is a rebellion from Conservative backbenchers.", "More than 7,200 people in England were told to stop self-isolating on the wrong date by the Test and Trace scheme as a result of a software error.\n\nThe Department of Health said most of those affected had subsequently been contacted with the correct information.\n\nPeople had been told to isolate for too long, rather than being told they could mix with others too soon, it added.\n\nThe mistake - which was first reported by Sky News - follows a series of other software-based Covid-19 foul-ups.\n\nLast month, the BBC revealed how an oversight in the use of Microsoft's Excel software led to nearly 16,000 coronavirus cases going unreported in England.\n\nAnd on the weekend, the Sunday Times reported that a risk-score threshold used by the NHS Covid-19 app to trigger self-isolate alerts had been lowered weeks later than intended. In that case, officials are still carrying out checks to identify the \"root cause\".\n\nA total of 7,230 individuals were involved in the latest error.\n\nOfficials believe it resulted from an internal update to the system used by human contact tracers, who identify people believed to have recently been close to those diagnosed with the coronavirus.\n\nThe system is used to calculate how long the original person who tested positive should keep away from others. It also does the isolation calculation for those they had been in close proximity to, who are contacted via follow-up phone calls, emails and/or text messages.\n\nIt is completely separate to the automated contact tracing system used by the app.\n\nThe update was made on 22 October and affected a total of 7,230 people before the problem was rectified on 27 October.\n\n\"We have reassessed the self-isolation periods for a number of people who were contact traced, following close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19,\" a Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said.", "If you want to watch, listen, or follow the drama as it unfolds online, the BBC has you covered on election night.\n\nThe BBC news website has election results as they come in, and a live page with the latest reaction and analysis from correspondents in the US and around the world.\n\nThe BBC's US Election 2020 results programme is hosted by Katty Kay from Washington and Andrew Neil from London.\n\nIn the UK, it is being broadcast on BBC One, the BBC News Channel and BBC iPlayer from 23:30 GMT until 09:00 GMT on Wednesday. Internationally, the programme is being shown on BBC World News and streamed live on the BBC News website.\n\nJon Sopel and Clive Myrie are with the Trump and Biden campaigns, and BBC reporters including Emily Maitlis and Nick Bryant are broadcasting from crucial battleground states.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Explaining the Electoral College and which voters will decide who wins\n\nThe overnight coverage also includes a big-screen graphic analysis of results with Christian Fraser and commentary from a panel of political experts.\n\nThe election special programme is hosted by Philippa Thomas and Ros Atkins, joined by Jamie Coomarasamy in Michigan and Nuala McGovern in Nevada.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC Reality Check breaks down the bill for the world's most expensive election\n\nIt will be on air in the UK on BBC Radio 4 until 06:00 GMT on Wednesday, on Radio 5 Live until 05:00 GMT, and outside the UK on the World Service until 09:00 GMT.", "James Allen was responsible for the day-to-day running of Manchester Arena in May 2017\n\nThe operators of Manchester Arena where 22 were killed in a terror attack have denied accusations of \"penny pinching\" and putting people's lives at risk.\n\nAnd on the night SMG put the arena's terrorism risk level at low despite the national threat level being \"severe\", the inquiry into the attack heard.\n\nIt also heard the firm asked for a threat level review after the 2015 Paris attack in case \"the horror... befell one of our venues\".\n\nA lawyer acting on behalf of some of the bereaved families accused SMG of not paying for adequate security.\n\nJames Allen, arena manager, told the inquiry into the blast that he did not believe SMG had been \"penny-pinching\" on security prior to the terror attack.\n\nWhen asked by John Cooper QC if the arena risk level should have been classed as higher given the national threat being severe, Mr Allen replied \"Yes, possibly\".\n\nThe arena manager also conceded there would have been cost implications if the venue's risk level had been elevated.\n\n\"SMG were far more interested in trying to get efficiency than making sure their security operation was fit for purpose,\" Mr Cooper said.\n\n\"You're penny pinchers, you skimp, you don't pay for security properly and you put people's lives at risk\".\n\nTop row (left to right): Alison Howe, Martyn Hett, Lisa Lees, Courtney Boyle, Eilidh MacLeod, Elaine McIver, Georgina Callander, Jane Tweddle - Middle row (left to right): John Atkinson, Kelly Brewster, Liam Curry, Chloe Rutherford, Marcin Klis, Angelika Klis, Megan Hurley, Michelle Kiss - Bottom row (left to right): Nell Jones, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, Philip Tron, Saffie-Rose Roussos, Sorrell Leczkowski, Wendy Fawell\n\nAdam Payter who is also representing some of the bereaved families, asked Mr Allen about documents written by Miriam Stone, the head of events at SMG.\n\nThe inquiry heard that due to the introduction of the National Living Wage in April 2016, she was asked by Mr Allen to save a proportion of the rising costs and make savings of £250 per event on staffing costs.\n\n\"Rather than considering increasing staff you were considering making budgetary savings?\" Mr Payter said.\n\nThe inquiry was shown an email sent from John Sharkey, the executive vice president of SMG Europe the day after the 2015 Paris Bataclan attack, to the general managers of SMG arenas in the UK.\n\nMr Allen told the inquiry that since the bombing, the arena appointed its own in-house security adviser who is \"one of the best\" and is sharing his expertise with other concert arenas.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Around two-thirds of renewable electricity generated in Wales comes from wind farms like this one on Mynydd y Gwair near Swansea\n\nDevelopers of green energy schemes in Wales face \"significant challenges\" in linking up to electricity power lines, the industry association has warned.\n\nLower emissions targets could be missed as a result, Renewable UK Cymru said.\n\nIt also claimed new zones allocated by ministers for onshore wind farms provided \"virtually no opportunity whatsoever\" for development.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it was working with partners to design the energy networks needed.\n\nIt is currently hosting a Wales Climate Week to debate ways of tackling global warming, during the period when a major UN conference - COP 26 - had been scheduled to take place.\n\nRhys Wyn Jones, director of Renewable UK Cymru, said the Welsh Government needed to go \"beyond simply co-ordinating activity\" between different stakeholders to solve issues with grid capacity.\n\nHe said: \"The Welsh Government wants to heat and power all new homes from clean energy sources by 2025. It also says in its transport strategy that large uptake of electric vehicles will place pressure on the grid - so it's not that we don't know these challenges are coming.\"\n\nHousing minister Julie James recently acknowledged grid capacity problems, telling a Senedd committee: \"You'll know how bad the grid is in mid Wales. It isn't great north and south either.\"\n\nGareth Cemlyn Jones of Ynni Ogwen said the grid was \"under strain\"\n\nIt is understood there are parts of the country - including mid Wales in particular - where power lines are close to full capacity, leaving developers of potential energy schemes facing prohibitive upfront costs to upgrade the local networks before they can start generating.\n\nYnni Ogwen, a community energy company based in Bethesda, Gwynedd, said the grid locally was \"under a lot of strain\".\n\nChairman Gareth Cemlyn Jones said: \"It can result in either projects not taking off or possibly being downgraded so they're not generating to their full potential.\"\n\nThe issue is complicated by the fact that powers over grid infrastructure are shared between governments in Cardiff Bay and Westminster, while energy regulator Ofgem sets the amount firms can invest in upgrading their networks each year.\n\nWestern Power Distribution, which supplies south Wales as well as south-west England and the Midlands, told BBC Wales it had re-engineered its network over the last decade to allow a greater integration of renewables, but recognised \"further investment\" was needed.\n\nRhys Wyn Jones has concerns about land earmarked for wind energy\n\nRenewable UK Cymru said the Welsh Government needed to set out a plan to deal with the issue.\n\nThe Welsh Conservatives' spokeswoman on climate change, Janet Finch-Saunders, wants targets for increasing grid capacity.\n\n\"I think the Welsh Government should have been more proactive in sorting out the grid capacity issues because why should we be starved of using the relevant renewable technologies because of this? It's not good enough,\" she said.\n\nMeanwhile, Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru's shadow minister for the environment said Wales should have full control over energy and grid capacity.\n\nHe said: \"The matter is complicated by powers over grid infrastructure being shared by Welsh Government and Westminster. We can be a world leader in green energy but the current arrangement is holding Wales back.\"\n\nRenewable UK Cymru said only around 5% of the land identified by Welsh Government would be \"theoretically developable\"\n\nMeanwhile, concerns have also been raised about the Welsh Government's recently published national development framework for the next 20 years - known as Future Wales.\n\nIt sets out a series of zones where ministers would like to see onshore wind farms to help meet climate change goals.\n\nBut Renewable UK Cymru said only around 5% of the land identified would be \"theoretically developable\" and even this figure was optimistic as it included areas that would not be large enough to support developments of national significance.\n\nThe Senedd's climate change committee is discussing the issue later this week.\n\nThe Welsh Government is \"broadly supportive\" of onshore wind energy - but not in national parks or areas of outstanding natural beauty\n\nThe Welsh Government's energy generation 2019 report said 51% of Wales' energy needs were met from renewables. Two-thirds of renewable electricity generated in Wales comes from wind.\n\nA spokesman said the national development framework was put together with the aim of fostering a \"coherent approach\" to development and it was \"broadly supportive\" of onshore wind energy developments throughout Wales, except in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.\n\nHe added it was working with councils, National Grid and district network operators \"to design the energy networks needed for the long term\".", "If you want to watch, listen, or follow the drama as it unfolds online, the BBC has you covered on election night.\n\nThe BBC news website has election results as they come in, and a live page with the latest reaction and analysis from correspondents in the US and around the world.\n\nThe BBC's US Election 2020 results programme is hosted by Katty Kay from Washington and Andrew Neil from London.\n\nIn the UK, it is being broadcast on BBC One, the BBC News Channel and BBC iPlayer from 23:30 GMT until 09:00 GMT on Wednesday. Internationally, the programme is being shown on BBC World News and streamed live on the BBC News website.\n\nJon Sopel and Clive Myrie are with the Trump and Biden campaigns, and BBC reporters including Emily Maitlis and Nick Bryant are broadcasting from crucial battleground states.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Explaining the Electoral College and which voters will decide who wins\n\nThe overnight coverage also includes a big-screen graphic analysis of results with Christian Fraser and commentary from a panel of political experts.\n\nThe election special programme is hosted by Philippa Thomas and Ros Atkins, joined by Jamie Coomarasamy in Michigan and Nuala McGovern in Nevada.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC Reality Check breaks down the bill for the world's most expensive election\n\nIt will be on air in the UK on BBC Radio 4 until 06:00 GMT on Wednesday, on Radio 5 Live until 05:00 GMT, and outside the UK on the World Service until 09:00 GMT.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. US election: New Orleans musicians are struggling financially in the pandemic\n\nAs I landed in New Orleans ahead of the US election, the thing I noticed first were the masks.\n\nPassengers at Louis Armstrong International Airport wore their politics on their faces.\n\nFace coverings were emblazoned with slogans like 'MAGA 2020' - not a souvenir from an all-inclusive to Magaluf but Donald Trump's campaign message to \"make America great again\".\n\nOthers had 'I Can't Breathe' written on them - a symbolic phrase used in the global black lives matter protests since the summer.\n\nThis state of Louisiana is almost certain to remain Republican red, supporting Donald Trump's pitch for another four years in the White House.\n\n\"He's for us and our country,\" a black mother tells me at a gas station stop in Kentwood, worried the America she loves will be taken away if Joe Biden wins.\n\n\"I hope he gets it again,\" a driver calls out of his window before driving off.\n\nCurator Miss Fay shows me an umbrella prop Britney Spears used to perform Everytime on tour\n\nI find it hard to find anyone here who wants Joe Biden as their leader.\n\nKentwood, which has a population of about 2000 people, is where Britney Spears grew up.\n\nJust up the road from the gas pump there's a museum dedicated to her career.\n\nIts curator - a Republican voter called Miss Fay - says Kentwood is \"the type of town where we pray for each other\".\n\nShe confirms the area's support for Donald Trump, saying America is stronger with him in charge.\n\n\"I think he's been good for the nation,\" she says, standing in front of a reconstruction of Britney's old bedroom - complete with a teddy bear wearing an N-Sync jersey.\n\n\"I know a lot of people say he's a little rough and tumble but that doesn't bother me, he gets things done.\"\n\nLouisiana might be where Britney, Frank Ocean, Normani, Lil Wayne and DJ Khaled all began their careers, but the coronavirus pandemic has muted other musicians trying to make it big, especially in New Orleans - the state's biggest city and one that boasts it's \"the birthplace of jazz\".\n\nFor 27-year-old vocalist Christien Bold, the past eight months have been financially tough, with gigs cancelled as bars in the city closed their doors.\n\nHe says there have been times when he's not had money in his pockets and knows of other musicians who rely on tips to to pay their bills and have been \"left out to dry\".\n\n\"There are a lot of poor folks here,\" he says, standing on the empty Frenchmen Street, which he describes as \"the music Mecca of the city\".\n\nChristien is voting for the Democrat candidate Joe Biden, claiming \"we're screwed either way\" but \"Biden is a beacon of light\" who can help those struggling with employment.\n\nIt's something Pamela, a respiratory therapist from Texas who moved to New Orleans 18 months ago, agrees with.\n\n\"Turn it blue,\" she yells at me in a bar, where she's sheltering from Hurricane Zeta's 110mph winds.\n\n\"I'm embarrassed by Trump,\" she says. \"All the people I meet from other countries, I apologise. I don't want people to think all Americans are buffoons.\"\n\nPamela announces, while ordering a vodka soda to buckle in for the hurricane, that Great British Bake Off host Paul Hollywood is her \"fantasy boyfriend because of his most gorgeous blue eyes\".\n\nShe really is blue through and through.\n\nDerek, celebrating his birthday three seats away, completely disagrees (about the politics, not Paul's allure) believing Donald Trump's message \"appeals to working people and that's what we have in America\".\n\nThe power goes off and on in the bar as Zeta's strength rips through, but the flooding won't be that bad here, I'm told by Pamela. It's elsewhere in the state that'll get it worse.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Climate change is a major election issue for residents of Jean Lafitte, Louisiana\n\nEmerson Boutte has been preparing for the worst for most of her life, as Louisiana bears the brunt of the United States hurricane season every year.\n\nBut this year it's different because for the first time, 18-year-old Emerson has a vote on who gets to lead her country in the fight against climate change.\n\nShe doesn't know who to choose.\n\n\"If one of the candidates would directly address the climate change, coastal erosion and land loss happening in Louisiana, I think that would definitely sway my vote for them,\" she says, nervous about how many days - or weeks - she's going to be without power because of how strong Zeta was.\n\nThis state hasn't been a focus in this election campaign - it rarely is.\n\nBoth Biden and Trump's teams know it's almost certain to vote Republican like it has in every presidential vote since 2000, which means it's not featured on the rolling news channels as the two candidates don't organise huge rallies here.\n\nIt's for that reason many people in Louisiana feel they're not being heard when it comes to their daily battles for survival because politicians don't try as hard to get their vote as they do in other states.\n\n\"I want our elected officials to come out here. Come put a human face on this fight that we're battling,\" Shamara Lavigne tells me outside her home in an area nicknamed Cancer Alley.\n\n“We are only fighting for fresh air,\" she says, her two dogs running around nearby - there's also an alligator nearby called Geoffrey.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This area of Louisiana has the highest cancer risk of anywhere in America.\n\nThe air tastes notably different in St James Parish and it feels \"ironic\" to Shamara that people in this predominantly black community only started wearing masks because of the coronavirus pandemic, and not because of the toxic emissions.\n\nEverybody who lives around here knows someone who either has cancer or has died from it.\n\nThey're fighting to stop more industry coming to the area, fearing it could increase the risk of cancer - something the companies dispute.\n\nThe tweets Donald Trump posts or the adverts Joe Biden pays for have no impact here.\n\nFor Shamara's mum Sharon, she has just one request to the two wannabe presidents: \"I want them to save our lives.\"\n\n\"If they can help us with that, they've got my vote\".\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "Wales manager Ryan Giggs has denied an allegation of assault made against him.\n\nThe Wales manager has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend, several newspapers have reported.\n\nHis representatives said he denies all allegations of assault made against him and is co-operating with the police.\n\nGreater Manchester Police said a man, 46, had been arrested on suspicion of section 47 assault and section 39 common assault and bailed pending further inquiries.\n\nThe Football Association of Wales (FAW) has said Giggs will not be involved in Wales' three scheduled November games, with assistant coach Robert Page instead taking charge.\n\nThe FAW also cancelled a press conference planned for Tuesday where Giggs was due to announce his squad for upcoming international games.\n\nThe squad will now be announced on Thursday.\n\nThe FAW said it was \"aware of an alleged incident involving the men's national team manager Ryan Giggs\".\n\nIn a statement, it said: \"The Football Association of Wales and Ryan Giggs have mutually agreed that he will not be involved in the upcoming international camp.\n\n\"Our agreed immediate priority is preparing the team for the upcoming international matches.\n\n\"Robert Page, with Ryan's support, will take charge for the next three matches against the USA, Republic of Ireland and Finland supported by Albert Stuivenberg.\"\n\nA statement released on behalf of Giggs said: \"He is co-operating with the police and will continue to assist them with their ongoing investigation.\"\n\nGreater Manchester Police said it was called to reports of a disturbance at an address in Worsley, Salford, just after 22:00 GMT on Sunday.\n\nIt said a woman in her 30s \"sustained minor injuries but did not require any treatment\".", "A bill that will lead to changes in NI's alcohol licensing laws \"strikes the right balance\", Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín has said.\n\nUnder the plans, pubs and nightclubs will be able to serve alcohol for an extra hour, until 02:00, almost every weekend.\n\nThe legislation also proposes removing restrictions around Easter drinking.\n\nIt will have to pass several legislative hurdles before becoming law.\n\nThe other main change is the extension in \"drinking-up time\" from half an hour to an hour, meaning venues can operate until 03:00 at weekends.\n\nCurrently restrictions on selling alcohol are in place from the Thursday before Easter until Easter Sunday.\n\nAlcohol can only be served between 17:00 and 23:00 on Good Friday and bars have to stop serving at midnight on Thursday and Easter Saturday.\n\nThe Department for Communities carried out a consultation last year, and said \"changing social habits and the growing importance of the tourism industry\" had prompted the calls for changes to Easter licensing laws.\n\nSetting out her department's plans in the assembly on Tuesday, Mrs Ní Chuilín urged the Stormont assembly to vote for the bill.\n\n\"I know many people would like the licensing regime to be more flexible where licensees would have more freedom to open and close when they like,\" she said.\n\n\"But on the other hand, there are many people concerned about harm caused to our society by misuse of alcohol, who wish to see greater restrictions on the advertising and sale of drink.\n\n\"I believe this bill strikes the right balance between offering a level of support to the hospitality sector, which we all agree is very much needed, whilst protecting our communities by ensuring the sale of alcohol is controlled.\"\n\nMuch of the hospitality sector is struggling to maintain jobs due to the latest restrictions that forced many firms to shut\n\nThe law will also be tightened in some areas - supermarkets will face restrictions on where they can place in-store advertising for alcohol.\n\nThe current voluntary code of practice for drinks promotions will be replaced with legal requirements.\n\nThe proposals have been a very long time in the making, with Stormont first proposing changes eight years ago.\n\nA previous bill to change NI's licensing laws began its legislative passage in 2016, but the assembly collapsed in January 2017 amid a bitter row between the DUP and Sinn Féin, who share power together at Stormont.\n\nThe new bill is expected to become law in time for Easter 2022.\n\nNI's hospitality sector has been closed since 16 October, due to restrictions agreed by the executive to tackle the spread of Covid-19.\n\nSome in the industry have proposed a compliance certificate should be drawn up, to allow those firms adhering properly to the rules to reopen.", "Many self-employed claim they have been excluded from other support schemes\n\nThe self-employed will be able to claim state aid of up to 80% of profits during the month-long lockdown, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced.\n\nThe rise is up from the current 40%, and will mean £4.5bn of government support for the self-employed between November and January, he said.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has faced a backlash from within his own party over the new lockdown.\n\nThat criticism included not doing enough to help the self-employed.\n\nIt was also announced that businesses will continue to be able to apply to banks for government-backed support loans until 31 January, compared with a previous 30 November deadline for some of the programmes.\n\nEngland will enter a second lockdown on Thursday, which will close restaurants, pubs and non-essential shops until at least 2 December, although unlike the first lockdown in late March and April, schools will stay open for all pupils.\n\nUnder the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS), eligible workers can currently claim support covering 40% of their average earnings from last year to cover a period of three months, capped at £3,750.\n\nThe new enhanced scheme will open for applications from the end of November, and cover 80% of trading profits for that month. Including the new higher November grant, it means the November-January payment will be at 55% of profits, up to a maximum of £5,160.\n\nHowever, as eligibility criteria will be the same as for previous grants, critics said it still meant as many as 2.9 million freelancers, contractors and newly self employed people would remain excluded.\n\nThe Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE) said the new measures will give \"vital support\" to some, but accused the government of still \"wilfully ignoring a third of self-employed\".\n\nDerek Cribb, the group's chief executive, said it was important to note the enhanced 80% rate only covered November, mirroring the extended furlough scheme. \"It is vital that if the furlough scheme is extended, SEISS should be adjusted accordingly,\" he said.\n\n\"It is deeply troubling that the government has still not fixed the devastating gaps in SEISS, despite urgent recommendations from the Treasury Select Committee. After so many calls to resolve the problems, it now looks as if the government is wilfully ignoring a third of the self-employed.\n\n\"The first lockdown drastically undermined self-employed incomes, and the gaps in government support led to the biggest drop in self-employed numbers on record.\n\n\"Unless government wakes up to the problem and supports all the self-employed, the second lockdown will accelerate the decline and hollow out swathes of this vital sector.\"\n\nSmall businesses have urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to go even further than Mondays announcement\n\nThe Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) also warned that too many self-employed people remain excluded. FSB chairman Mike Cherry said: \"This is a five-million strong community that drives our economy forward, but the government has insisted that large swathes of it do not warrant any help where income is concerned.\n\n\"We have sadly already seen 250,000 self-employed people stop working and become economically inactive, a figure which is set to continue rising.\n\n\"Fundamentally, the business support landscape still remains too much of a mixed picture - a fact made all the more concerning given that this fresh lockdown in England is taking effect during the critical festive season.\"\n\nMonday's announcement increases help for many people - but, then again, many people still say it is not nearly enough.\n\nThe National Audit Office said last week up to 2.9 million people have been excluded from both the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme since March - some newly self-employed, others set up as limited companies and still others denied furlough.\n\nNAO head Gareth Davies said it was \"clear that many people have lost earnings and have not been able to access support\". Some have had little or no income for months, ineligible even for benefits. Yet they've paid their taxes and say they deserve the same level of support as everyone else.\n\nAccording to the ExcludedUK Facebook group, of 2,400 members in a recent poll, 79% described themselves as having trouble sleeping, 81% as being anxious or stressed, 58% had low self-esteem, 48% were depressed; and 14% had had suicidal thoughts - over three times the norm in the wider population.\n\nThe cross-party Treasury Committee said in June these exclusions \"cannot be right\" and Sir Keir Starmer told the CBI conference today the chancellor must close the gaps in support. But so far those gaps remain wide open.\n• None What extra help will the self-employed get?\n• None What happens when furlough ends?", "Recep Gultekin (right) and Mikail Özen (left) were invited to Turkey's Vienna embassy in thanks for their help\n\nThree men have been hailed for helping a police officer and an elderly woman during Monday's attack in Vienna.\n\nRecep Gultekin was shot in the leg while aiding the woman with his friend, Mikail Özen.\n\nThey also carried an injured police officer to safety after a Palestinian man, Osama Joda, gave him first aid.\n\nFive people, including an attacker, were killed and another 22 wounded as firing broke out opposite a synagogue in the Austrian capital.\n\nThe man accused of carrying out the attack was a 20-year-old \"Islamist terrorist\" who was released early from jail in December, and shot dead by police during the incident.\n\nMr Joda, 23, was working at a nearby McDonalds, and told local newspaper Kurier that he was carrying goods into the restaurant when the attacker began shooting at passers-by.\n\nWhen two police officers came to help, the attacker opened fire on them and one was struck by a bullet.\n\n\"I pulled him behind the concrete bench and tried to stop the bleeding,\" said Mr Joda. \"There was blood everywhere.\"\n\nThe perpetrator fled after more police arrived at the scene, and Mr Joda then helped to drag the officer to a nearby ambulance. He was assisted in this by Mr Özen and Mr Gultekin, who are both of Turkish descent.\n\nEarlier Mr Gultekin, 21, had carried the injured woman to a restaurant.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'This was one of the scariest moments in my life'\n\nMr Özen, a mixed martial artist and personal trainer, told Kurier that they then noticed the policeman bleeding on the floor after gunfire erupted.\n\n\"We knew immediately what to do, there was no choice but to help,\" said the 25-year-old. \"Austria is our home. We would help at any time.\"\n\nPolice have not confirmed details of the incident, but Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told local media that the officer was taken to safety by Austrians with a migrant background.\n\n\"No terrorist attack will succeed in tearing up or dividing our society,\" he added.\n\nTurkey's ambassador to Austria, Ozan Ceyhun, also hosted Mr Özen and Mr Gultekin at the Turkish embassy and praised their conduct.\n\nSecurity has been tight in Vienna as police launched a manhunt for further attackers, and 14 people have been arrested after a series of police raids.\n\nBut authorities believe the gunman killed by police may have acted alone.\n\nAustrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the four who died were an elderly woman, an elderly man, a young male passer-by and a waitress.\n\nIt was clearly an attack driven by \"hatred of our way of life, our democracy\", the chancellor said.\n\nDo you have any information you can share? If it is safe to do so, please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Home Secretary Priti Patel said people will see \"more visible policing across the country\"\n\nThe UK's terrorism threat level has been upgraded from \"substantial\" to \"severe\".\n\nThe move means security chiefs believe that an attack is highly likely but there is no specific intelligence of an imminent incident.\n\nThe move follows Monday night's shooting in Vienna in which four people died.\n\nLast week, three others died in a knife attack in Nice, France, and a teacher was murdered in Paris last month.\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel said the British people should be \"alert but not alarmed\".\n\n\"This is a precautionary measure following the horrific events of the last week in France and last night in Austria and is not based on a specific threat.\"\n\nShe added that significant steps had already been taken to amend powers and strengthen the tools for dealing with developing terrorist threats.\n\n\"As I've said before, we face a real and serious threat in the UK from terrorism.\n\n\"I would ask the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police,\" she said.\n\nAssessments of threat levels are taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), part of MI5, which makes its recommendations independently from the government.\n\nThe five levels of threat set by the JTAC are:\n\nThe decision to raise the threat level back to \"severe\" has a certain sense of inevitability about it.\n\nWhile the threat level may feel vague to the public, what lies behind it is an assessment of available intelligence on known suspects targeting the UK and a wider analysis of how international events will play into their intentions.\n\nWhenever there is an attack that leads to loss of life, there are plotters who will regard that as a success to emulate.\n\nThey will be encouraged to go further themselves. That is why a string of events elsewhere - such as France and Austria at the moment - carry weight in the UK's planning and preparedness.\n\nIn public, there are likely to be subtle changes to visible policing - particularly around public locations thought to be at risk of attack.\n\nAdditional advice may be given confidentially to some organisations that could be vulnerable.\n\nAnd behind the scenes it will mean that counter-terrorism investigators will be taking a very close look at some of their highest current priorities and asking whether these individuals have been emboldened to turn talk into violence.\n\nHead of UK counter-terrorism policing Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu echoed the home secretary's comments, saying there was no intelligence to link any of the attacks in France or Austria to the UK but said his officers were working with international partners, and providing assistance.\n\nHe urged communities to \"stand together and reject those who seek to sow division and hatred between us\".\n\n\"We need communities and families to bring to our attention anyone they perceive may be vulnerable, a danger or escalating towards terrorism,\" he said.\n\nHe said the public could expect to see additional police officers deployed to certain places and locations over the coming days.\n\nPolice would also work closely with local businesses, faith groups and community groups to provide reassurance and seek their support, he added.\n\nLabour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the decision to change the threat level should not cause \"undue alarm\" but showed the importance of people continuing to be vigilant.\n\nSecurity remains high in Vienna after a gunman opened fire on people outside cafes and restaurants\n\nThe UK's terrorism threat level was raised to the highest rating, \"critical\", in the days following the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017.\n\nIt last reached that level again briefly in September that year, after a bomb partially exploded on a Tube train at Parsons Green.\n\nThe threat level remained at the second highest rating, \"severe\", until last November when it was downgraded to \"substantial\", where it has stayed until now.\n\nBBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said given events in Austria and France, it would have been \"remiss\" of the government not to raise the threat level.\n\nHe said the JTAC, which brings together analysts from across transport, health, intelligence and the military, were constantly analysing the ongoing threat to UK citizens anywhere in the world, and will have looked at what has happened in Vienna and at all the postings from al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, encouraging people to carry out attacks.\n\n\"There's a lot of anger at the moment in many parts of Muslim communities over the cartoons [of the Prophet Muhammad] and that's being exploited by extremists who are encouraging people to carry out attacks, hence the raising to severe.\"", "Fixed penalty notices can be issued for most types of breaches\n\nParents of children who broke lockdown rules by throwing eggs and attending a party over the weekend have been fined by police.\n\nSouth Wales Police said fixed penalty notices were issued to parents for the covid breaches and anti-social behaviour in St Mellons, Cardiff.\n\nA number of parents were also fined when their children attended a party in Taibach, Neath Port Talbot.\n\nCalls to the force spiked at 1,500 on Saturday and 30 fines were issued.\n\nThe force said about 50 acceptable behaviour contracts would be issued to students at a Cardiff halls of residence following reports of a party.\n\nMore than 200 of the calls to the force related to concerns about Covid breaches including youths congregating and engaging in antisocial behaviour, house parties, suspected breaches by licensed premises that should be closed, failure of Covid-positive individuals to self-isolate and gatherings at religious settings.\n\nA total of 137 warnings or other police interventions were also handed out, and officers made five anti-social behaviour referrals.\n\nPolice said it also made several joint visits to licensed premises, among them a pub in Neath that was found to be continuing to trade despite the firebreak lockdown.\n\nCh Supt Andy Valentine said: \"I think it is telling that among those fined this weekend were a number of parents who clearly weren't ensuring their children were also following the rules.\n\n\"If we are to help slow the spread of this virus, each and every one of us must take responsibility and ensure that we - and those dependent upon us - are doing the right thing.\"\n\nHe said officers had also responded to calls over Covid breaches \"which while well-intentioned, turned out to not be as reported\".\n\nHe said: \"Responding to those calls takes time... while it is frustrating for those who are complying when they perceive others not to be, it remains extremely important to us as a force that we are dealing with each report on its merit and we continue to respond in a measured and proportionate manner.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Horse Racing\n\nTwilight Payment gave Irish trainer Joseph O'Brien a second triumph in the Melbourne Cup but victory was overshadowed by the death of 2019 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck.\n\nThe 25-1 winner, ridden by Jye McNeil, led from start to finish and held on from Tiger Moth - trained by O'Brien's father Aidan - and Prince Of Arran.\n\nTiger Moth's stablemate Anthony Van Dyck, winner of the Derby at Epsom in 2019, broke down in the home straight.\n\nThe horse broke a leg in the incident.\n\n\"It is with sadness that we confirm that Anthony Van Dyck had to be humanely euthanised after sustaining a fractured fetlock during the running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington,\" said Racing Victoria spokesman Jamie Stier.\n\nThe race, which usually attracts a crowd of about 100,000, was held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nIt was a winning debut Melbourne Cup ride for McNeil and a seventh triumph for owner Lloyd Williams in the two-mile handicap that has a first prize of more than £2.3m.\n\nO'Brien, 27, also landed the race at Flemington with Rekindling four years ago.\n\n\"The horse has got incredible heart. Jye gave him a fantastic ride and he has a huge will to win and he just kept on fighting all the way to the line,\" said the trainer.\n\nKerrin McEvoy, the rider of runner-up Tiger Moth, was fined A$50,000 (£27,000) and suspended for 13 meetings for excessive whip use in the closing stages.\n• None 'There's something about him' - trainer on Prince Of Arran\n\nMcNeil had his mount prominent throughout with Tiger Moth also to the fore in the early stages before settling back into third.\n\nWith five furlongs to run, the 23-strong field was well strung out and Twilight Payment had lengths to spare entering the closing stages.\n\nTiger Moth charged home late, but Joseph O'Brien again denied his father, as he did three years ago when Rekindling beat Johannes Vermeer.\n\n\"We both realise how hard it is to win on the world stage in these big, big races, but I am very lucky that I have been able to win a couple of big races,\" said Joseph.\n\n\"Dad has been very lucky, he has won a lot of big races, I'd be delighted for him if he had won, and I'm sure he is for me having won. We do our best on the track and whatever happens out there happens.\"\n\nBritish challenger Prince Of Arran, trained in Newmarket by Charlie Fellowes, flew at the finish to be placed for the third year running after coming second last year and third in 2018.", "A quarter of John Lewis's stores are staying open later\n\nJohn Lewis, Currys PC World and toy chain the Entertainer are among retailers that are extending their opening hours to meet a surge in demand ahead of the lockdown in England.\n\nHair salons are also opening later as all non-essential retailers prepare to shut for a month from Thursday.\n\nIt comes amid reports of queues outside stores such as Primark as people rush to do last-minute shopping.\n\nGary Grant, boss of the Entertainer, said it was \"just like Christmas\".\n\nHis 173 shops are extending their hours until 7pm or 8pm from 5.30pm and expect brisk trading right up until Wednesday night.\n\n\"When the closedown announcement was made on Saturday, the penny finally dropped for people that if you take away four of the eight weeks left before Christmas, it is going to make shopping quite hard,\" he told the BBC.\n\n\"Also there is concern toy retailers won't be able to meet the massive increase in online orders because of courier constraints.\"\n\nThe Entertainer says it is opening late to meet demand\n\nAmong the retailers changing their opening hours:\n\n\"While we expect footfall to increase between now and Thursday, our extended opening hours will help ease the busy periods in store,\" said Mark Allsop, chief operating officer at Currys PC World.\n\nSince news of the second lockdown broke on Saturday, there have been queues outside shops in Birmingham, Norwich and Nottingham as people rush to make pre-lockdown purchases.\n\nLong queues were seen minutes before closing time at Ikea Tottenham\n\nShopper numbers were up 9% in the week to Saturday, said data company Springboard, although they remain far below pre-pandemic levels.\n\n\"The first national lockdown saw a rise in spending in the days prior,\" said Kyle Monk, director of insights at the British Retail Consortium.\n\n\"We now expect many people to be picking up the items they desperately need before these shops are forced to close by government.\"\n\nLong queues were seen minutes before a planned 21:00 GMT closing time at Ikea Tottenham in London on Tuesday. A member of staff told the BBC that the store would probably not close until 23:00.\n\nIt is not just retailers who are busy. Hairdresser chains such as Regis, Saks and KH Hair Salons are opening earlier and closing later as customers bring forward appointments.\n\nRegis, which owns 56 salons, said it had seen a 30% rise in bookings since Saturday.\n\nRestaurants and pubs are also reported to be seeing a surge in last-minute bookings, as hospitality businesses prepare to shut.\n\nBookings platform OpenTable said bookings on Sunday were up 11% from a year earlier, following weeks of subdued demand.", "Primark has said customer demand for pyjamas has grown but sales of men's suits have dropped, reflecting a shift in lifestyle since the coronavirus.\n\nThe chain's owner, Associated British Foods, said sales of nightwear, leisure and children's clothing have increased compared to before the pandemic.\n\nIn contrast, demand for formal menswear was \"weak\" as people worked from home.\n\nIn its full-year results, AB Foods said that so far Covid-19 had cost Primark £2bn in lost sales and £650m in profit.\n\nSince reopening its shops in June following the UK lockdown in March, Primark said trade at its large city centre stores was slower because of fewer commuters travelling to work as well as a drop in tourist numbers.\n\nBut it said footfall at retail parks was ahead of the previous year, while it has maintained customer numbers in shopping centres and regional high street shops.\n\nBetween reopening on 15 June and the end of its financial year on 12 September, AB Foods said UK like-for-like sales at Primark were down 12% from a year earlier.\n\nAddressing new lockdown restrictions to stop a second wave of the coronavirus, AB Foods has already temporarily shut Primark shops in Ireland, France, Belgium, Wales, Slovenia and Catalonia in Spain.\n\nIt said these closures, together with the lockdown in England - which is due to come into force on Thursday for a month - will close 57% of its total selling space, and lead to an estimated £375m in lost sales.\n\nPrimark does not sell products online and has no plans to provide a click and collect service during the coming lockdown. A spokesperson for Primark said: \"Although we will look at alternative business models from time to time, there are no immediate plans to trade online.\"\n\nAcross Associated British Foods as a whole, sales dropped 12% to £13.9bn in the year to 12 September and pre-tax profit fell to £686m from £1.1bn.\n\nSales within its food business grew by 2% to £3.5bn over the year, helped by the shift to many people working from home.\n\n\"Associated British Foods' food business has also been turned on its head during the pandemic, as consumers switched from dining out to eating in,\" said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.\n\nIn particular, demand for baking ingredients rose in North America and sales of a Twinings teas grew.\n\nOn the downside, sales for the Ovaltine brand were affected by a drop in impulse purchases in Thailand and Vietnam.\n\nIts Allied Bakeries division was also forced to write down £15m after losing a contract to supply goods to the Co-op supermarket group. It is the second major customer the business has lost after Tesco in 2019.", "John Sessions, Clive Anderson and Stephen Fry together for Whose Line is it Anyway?, which originated as a BBC Radio 4 series\n\nStephen Fry has led the tributes to \"lovable and loving\" actor and comedian John Sessions, who has died aged 67.\n\nSessions was best known as a panellist on 1980s and 90s improvisation TV/radio show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and for Stella Street, Spitting Image and QI.\n\nHis acting credits included TV dramas Porterhouse Blue and Victoria, and Kenneth Branagh's 1989 film of Henry V.\n\nFry described him as \"warm, vulnerable, lovable and loving as anyone can be\", with \"so, so much talent\".\n\nThe actor, comedian and author wrote on Twitter: \"He could make me laugh until I was sick and dizzy with pleasure and exhaustion.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stephen Fry This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOther comedians also paid tribute. Ronni Ancona described him as \"a genius\", while Helen Lederer remembered him as \"such an original force of clever wit and talent\".\n\nRory Bremner said Sessions was \"just the best, he'd blow everyone away on Whose Line with his speed of thought & breadth of reference\". He added: \"A flash of brilliance just went out.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Ronni Ancona This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Helen Lederer This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Rory Bremner This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSanjeev Bhaskar said Sessions was \"always warm and fun company and amazing improv ability\", while Meera Syal remembered him being \"always the funniest and kindest man in the room\".\n\nJack Dee described him as \"a delightful, funny, generous and hugely gifted man\" and Sally Phillips said he was \"unpredictable, dangerous, adorable\".\n\nSessions appeared on the first ever episode of QI, and the team behind the panel show said: \"His incredible wit and encyclopaedic knowledge played a huge part in the show's history and everyone at QI is deeply saddened to learn of his passing.\"\n\nBroadcaster Danny Baker remembered him as \"terrific company always and a true talent\", and Michael Spicer described him as \"a character actor with such extraordinary range and so very, very funny\".\n\nHis friend Ian Hislop, Private Eye editor, said Sessions was a \"very modest man\" and would have been flattered by all the attention.\n\n\"I was delighted to see him described as a star. He probably thought he wasn't but he was. And he was quite the funniest man, in real life, that you could ever meet,\" he told the BBC.\n\nThe Ayrshire-born star died from a heart condition, his agent said.\n\nPhil Cornwell as Mick Jagger and John Sessions as Keith Richards (right) in front of their corner shop in Stella Street\n\nDuring his career, he provided voices on Spitting Image in the 1980s - the only person to both provide impressions and be featured as a puppet on the satirical show.\n\nThe programme was among the trailblazers of alternative comedy, he told BBC Radio Scotland in September. \"You really felt you were at the cutting edge of comedy,\" he said.\n\nHis impressions were also at the heart of Stella Street, a spoof soap opera about megastars like Keith Richards, Joe Pesci and Roger Moore who lived on the same suburban road, which launched in 1997.\n\nSessions recalled meeting Richards and the other members of the Rolling Stones. \"They watched the show,\" he told Radio Scotland. \"Keith said he really enjoys it and he's thinking of getting a little corner shop.\"\n\nSessions played Mr Wellbecker in the BBC's 2010 adaptation of Just William\n\nSessions was born John Marshall in Largs, Scotland, in 1953, and moved to Bedfordshire with his family when he was three.\n\nHe was accepted by Rada at the age of 26 in 1979. Eight years later, his one-man theatre show The Life of Napoleon transferred to the West End. \"He is like nobody else,\" The Times' critic wrote. \"He uses language like a poet; he can jump from the raft at Tilsit to Huck Finn on the Mississippi and make the metaphor work.\"\n\nSoon after, Sessions made his acting breakthrough on screen in Channel 4's Porterhouse Blue, before showing his surreal and cerebral comic energy on Whose Line Is It Anyway?\n\n\"When I left Rada, my plan was to try and do two careers at once - to be a comedian and an actor,\" he told The Guardian in 2014. \"For some years, I managed to juggle the two, but I never felt I joined either club.\"\n\nSessions starred in the BBC's 2010 adaptation of Gormenghast\n\nHe went on to star in a string of his own BBC TV shows, such as a self-titled solo improvisation series in the late 1980s, followed by John Sessions's Tall Tales and John Sessions's Likely Stories.\n\nBut he never quite achieved the stardom of his friends Branagh and Stephen Fry. He said he \"ran out of steam\" when he turned 40. \"As I was getting older, I wasn't getting more confident, I was getting less confident,\" he told The Guardian. \"I lost my way.\"\n\nHis other TV credits included Victoria, The Loch, Just William, Tom Jones, and Gormenghast; and he had film roles in The Good Shepherd, The Merchant of Venice and The Bounty.\n\nHis knack for impersonating politicians was put to use in dramas too - playing former prime minister Edward Heath in the 2011 film The Iron Lady; another ex-premier, Harold Wilson, in 2010's Made in Dagenham; and former chancellor Geoffrey Howe in the 2009 Thatcher biopic Margaret.\n\nHis other roles included Henry Fielding in the 1997 adaptation of the author's 1749 novel Tom Jones\n\nBut he told The Telegraph in 2013: \"I don't think I was very good at managing my career. You need to carve your own path and not just bob along.\"\n\nRecently, he had narrated a 10-part radio adaptation of children's book series The Adventures of Captain Bobo.\n\nIn a statement, his agent Alex Irwin said: \"It is with great sadness we can confirm that on Monday 2nd November, the actor John Sessions died at his home in South London. He will be hugely missed.\"\n\nPeep Show star Robert Webb, actor Chris O'Dowd, author Linda Grant and broadcasters Mariella Frostrup and Samira Ahmed were among the others paying tribute.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 5 by Robert Webb This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 6 by chris o'dowd This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 7 by Linda Grant This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 8 by Mariella Frostrup This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 9 by Samira Ahmed This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Princess Diana's brother has called for a BBC inquiry over faked bank statements he says helped secure his sister's historic Panorama interview.\n\nCharles Spencer said \"sheer dishonesty\" was used to secure the 1995 Martin Bashir interview with the princess.\n\nIn a letter to BBC director-general Tim Davie, reported by the Daily Mail, the earl accused the BBC of a \"whitewash\".\n\nThe BBC has apologised for the faked statements, but it says a note from the princess says she did not see them.\n\n\"They had played no part in her decision to take part in the interview,\" the BBC said.\n\nThe corporation said it would investigate \"substantive new information\" but this was \"hampered at the moment\" by the fact that Bashir was \"seriously unwell\" and unable to discuss the claims.\n\nBashir, 57, currently BBC News religion editor, has been unwell with Covid-19 complications, the BBC said last month.\n\nNearly 23 million people tuned in to watch the Panorama interview, recorded almost 25 years ago, on 20 November 1995.\n\nIn the interview the princess famously said that \"there were three of us in this marriage\", referring to Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles. At the time Princess Diana was separated from Prince Charles but not yet divorced.\n\nThe letter comes after the Sunday Times reported that the director-general of the BBC apologised to Earl Spencer last week for the use of the fake bank statements 25 years ago but declined to open a further investigation.\n\nIn Earl Spencer's response, reported by the Daily Mail, he said Bashir had used the forged bank statements to persuade the princess into doing the interview.\n\nThe statements wrongly purported to show that two senior courtiers were being paid by the security services for information on his sister, the newspaper said.\n\nEarl Spencer wrote: \"If it were not for me seeing these statements, I would not have introduced Bashir to my sister.\n\n\"In turn, he would have remained just one of thousands of journalists hoping that he/she had a tiny chance of getting her to speak to them, with no realistic prospect of doing so.\"\n\nEarl Spencer accused Bashir of \"yellow journalism\" - a term for sensationalist and unethical reporting - and said the BBC had not accepted \"the full gravity of this situation\".\n\nThe earl also said he had a letter allegedly written by Bashir in 1995, in which the journalist referred to false rumours about the Prince of Wales having an affair with her children's nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke.\n\nIn a statement, the BBC said: \"The BBC has apologised. We are happy to repeat that apology.\n\n\"And while this was a quarter of a century ago, we absolutely will investigate - robustly and fairly - substantive new information.\"\n\nThe statement said Earl Spencer had been asked to share further information with the BBC.\n\nIt said: \"Unfortunately, we are hampered at the moment by the simple fact that we are unable to discuss any of this with Martin Bashir, as he is seriously unwell. When he is well, we will of course hold an investigation into these new issues.\"\n\nThe BBC added that a \"key piece of information\" in investigations following the interview was a handwritten statement from the princess.\n\nHer note \"said she hadn't seen the mocked-up documents and they had played no part in her decision to take part in the interview\".", "A three-year-old girl has been pulled out alive after being trapped under rubble for 65 hours following a powerful earthquake in Turkey.\n\nThe earthquake on Friday has killed at least 85 people, with more still missing.\n\nDehydrated but without serious injuries, the girl clung to a rescue worker's thumb as she was carried to safety.", "Sadiq Khan is to move London's government from City Hall to a new headquarters in the east of the city.\n\nThe Crystal building in the Royal Docks in Newham will become the home of the mayor and the Greater London Authority (GLA) at the end of next year.\n\nMore than 1,000 employees of the GLA group were informed on Tuesday about the decision, which followed a consultation over the summer.\n\nThe GLA's Conservative leader Susan Hall said the plan was \"flawed\".\n\nA spokesman for the Mayor of London said the move would save more than £60m over the next five years.\n\nCity Hall, which was designed by Sir Norman Foster, has been the official home of the GLA since it was opened by the Queen in 2002 and occupies a prominent position on the south bank of the Thames.\n\nThe GLA has leased the building from a private landlord - the Kuwaiti-owned St Martin's Property Group - at a cost of more than £11m a year.\n\nHowever the terms of the 25-year-old lease allow for a break in the contract at the end of 2021.\n\nFaced by Mr Khan's threat in the summer to move out of City Hall, the landlords offered an undisclosed reduction in the annual rent, but negotiations failed to produce a deal.\n\nThe Crystal was opened in 2012 by electronics giant Siemens which cited it as an exemplar of sustainable design.\n\nIt is located near London's cross-river cable car, which was opened by Boris Johnson when he was mayor.\n\nSiemens sold the building to the GLA in June 2019.\n\nThe Crystal was opened in 2012, having been commissioned by Siemens as an exemplar of sustainable design.\n\nThe Crystal is close to a new station on the Crossrail route - though the Elizabeth Line, as it will be known, is not currently due to open until 2022.\n\nThe glass building has less capacity than City Hall and some GLA staff will instead be relocated to the London Fire Brigade's headquarters in Union Street, Southwark.\n\nMillions of pounds will have to be spent to upgrade security for the mayor and members of the London Assembly.\n\nThe London Fire Brigade will still be asked to look for savings by November\n\nMr Khan would be expected to divide his time between the Crystal and Union Street, although meetings of the London Assembly would take place in the new headquarters.\n\nOver the summer, the Conservative group on the London Assembly claimed Mr Khan had exaggerated the potential savings from the move.\n\nA subsequent review of the options by the GLA found the savings would actually be greater than first thought.\n\nFront-line police services will be protected from any potential cuts, Sadiq Khan said\n\nThe mayor told the London Assembly recently that the move was necessary because of government under-funding.\n\nMoving London's government from its central location to a site in Newham to the east of the capital has been criticised by some as likely to diminish its role and status.\n\nOthers - including Labour-run Newham council - maintain it will spur the regeneration of one of the poorest parts of the capital.\n\nThe mayor says he faces cuts to the GLA, police, fire service and Transport for London (TFL) of more than £400m over the next year and his priority is to protect jobs.\n\nIn response to the confirmation of the move, Conservative leader Ms Hall said she was \"disappointed\" and described it as a \"half-baked plan based on dodgy numbers\".\n\nShe added: \"The mayor was offered a substantial rent reduction by the landlord of the existing building.\n\n\"Instead of accepting it, Khan has chosen a flawed plan to move. We will doubtlessly see costs spiral and fewer savings than he promises.\"\n\nMoving HQ from the heart of the city to east London might seem at first glance a dramatic, if not over-dramatic, response to the financially straitened times faced by the mayor.\n\nYet he argues it needs to be about people, not places. As well as enabling him to protect jobs, it looks ahead to a post-Covid world where fewer organisations and fewer employees will be quite as wedded to their offices and their brass nameplates.\n\nSome will feel it diminishes the status of the mayoralty to up sticks and shuffle downstream to an area of the capital which feels a bit remote - and is, let's face it, a work in progress.\n\nOn the other hand, that is precisely the point.\n\nRegenerating the Royal Docks is a post-Olympic mayoral policy priority once backed by one Boris Johnson. So what impact could anchoring the seat of London government there have?\n\nThere are swathes of public land (a lot of it owned by the GLA) begging for development. The Crystal nestles beneath an under-used cable car, and the ExCel Centre, City Airport, Newham Council's HQ, the University of East London and a new Crossrail station are nearby.\n\nThings are happening. This could help make things happen even faster. Practically as well as symbolically it could prove an exciting and transformative journey.\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.", "At least one person has been killed and several wounded after several shootings in the Austrian capital, Vienna.\n\nA large area of the city centre has been cordoned off as police scour the city for gunmen.\n\nAustrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called it a \"repulsive terror attack\" and said one gunman was also killed.", "Four people have died in a gun attack in the centre of the Austrian capital, Vienna, on Monday night.\n\nOne suspect was shot dead by police. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called it a \"repulsive terror attack\".\n\nThe shooting happened just hours before Austria imposed new national restrictions to try to stem rising cases of coronavirus.\n\nMany people were out enjoying bars and restaurants which are now closed until the end of November.\n\nPolice said the incident began near the Seitenstettengasse synagogue, which is the main temple in Vienna though it is not yet clear if that was the target.\n\nRoadblocks were set up around the city centre. Large numbers of police officers were seen near Vienna's world-famous opera house.\n\nInterior Minister Karl Nehammer said: \"This is the hardest day for Austria for several years. We're dealing with a terror attack the severity of which we haven't experienced in Austria for a long time.\"", "Former Wales lock Ian Gough is taking legal action over tens of thousands of pounds he says he is still owed\n\nA businesswoman who sponsored the Scarlets and Cardiff City Football Club is facing bankruptcy after her firm collapsed with debts of more than £12m.\n\nFormer Wales rugby international Ian Gough said he was taking legal action against Clare Louise Thomas over an unpaid court judgement totalling more than £20,000.\n\nHe said her firm Juno Moneta Wealth also owed him £31,000 for unpaid wages.\n\nMs Thomas said she believed she had reached a settlement with Mr Gough.\n\nShe said she refuted any allegations made about her business.\n\nMr Gough, a former Wales lock and Newport Gwent Dragons second row, said he began working for the financial solutions business in June 2017 as a part of its senior leadership team.\n\nIt is also understood the Scarlets are owed £500,000 from a three-year sponsorship deal with Juno Moneta launched in 2018\n\nThe retired player said after asking questions about the business and Ms Thomas, also known as Louise O'Halloran, he \"stopped being paid his wages\".\n\nHe said he also failed to receive money owed to him following a property deal with Ms Thomas.\n\n\"It's been a nightmare 18 months old and has created a lot of stress and strain on my side,\" he said.\n\nMs Thomas said Mr Gough left her company as a result of a \"mutual decision\", adding as a group they were \"unhappy with his performance\".\n\nIt is understood the Scarlets are owed £500,000 from a three-year sponsorship deal with Juno Moneta launched in 2018.\n\nThe wealth management company became the region's main shirt sponsor, with Ms Thomas sitting as a board director before resigning in January this year.\n\nThe businesswoman said she was \"a huge supporter of the world of rugby\", adding her board had been disappointed with the level of service they received from the rugby region.\n\nCardiff City Football Club has confirmed Juno Moneta's sponsorship of a lounge at the stadium finished a year early due to the company's financial circumstances.\n\nMs Thomas confirmed the deal ended earlier than planned but said she believed it was because the company was sponsoring a lounge that could no longer be attended because of Covid-19.\n\nShe added she was unaware of any issues with her company and Cardiff City Football Club.\n\nMr Gough is one of several creditors to companies within the Juno Moneta Group, which entered administration in August this year.\n\nIts largest creditor, Contrad Ltd, had invested £10.3m in the company.\n\nClare Louise Thomas, also known as Louise O'Halloran, said she refuted any allegations made about her business\n\nAccording to a statement by administrators, Contrad turned down a request from Juno Moneta for more money in July after being made aware of issues with the company and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).\n\nInstead, Contrad demanded repayment and the company entered administration.\n\nThe administrators' statement said the company directors attributed its insolvency to \"the Covid-19 pandemic reducing face-to-face contacts with clients along with a steep decline in revenue\".\n\nMs Thomas claimed the \"administration of Juno Moneta came as a complete shock\" to her.\n\nThe 48-year-old added she was \"very unwell\" at the time and believed the issue of \"capital adequacy\" with the FCA had been sorted with Contrad.\n\n\"It's sad this route has been taken… although I'm happy almost all staff now have jobs,\" she added.\n\nOne businessperson, who did not want to be named, said they had \"no idea how messy things appeared to be at Juno Moneta\".\n\nThey invested hundreds of thousands of pounds with the company and said the situation was \"very unfortunate and worrying\".\n\n\"I'm getting to the point where I'm going to have to write this off, and I'm fortunate that I can,\" they added.\n\nIn response, Ms Thomas said she and her family had found the situation and rumours about her business \"exceptionally distressing\".\n\nShe said she refuted any allegations made against her and would be dealing with them via the appropriate legal channels.\n\nMs Thomas added she was \"gravely concerned at the level of incorrect information\" surrounding her business.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 GMT.\n\nEveryone living and working in Liverpool will be offered regular coronavirus testing from the end of this week. The armed forces will help carry out the pilot scheme. Liverpool has one of the highest Covid-19 death rates in England, and doctors at the city's intensive care units have told the BBC they're struggling to cope. Despite widespread optimism, the BBC's James Gallagher says there are questions about mass testing. False positives could be a problem, as could individual behaviour - can authorities do better at persuading people who do test positive to isolate?\n\nAbout a third of in-patients now have Covid-19\n\nThe clock is ticking down towards the start of England's second nationwide lockdown. Retailers preparing to close their doors have told us how they're feeling, and plenty of sectors have been making last-minute arguments for an exemption. Children's grassroots sport, for one, has been told a reprieve won't be granted. Footballer Robbie Savage is among those angry at the decision, and BBC sports editor Dan Roan says pressure to at least make the return of youth sport next month a priority will continue.\n\nUniversities and colleges in England face \"significant funding shortfalls and heightened uncertainty\" due to the pandemic, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The loss of many overseas students - and the high fees they pay - are a factor, as is the threat of potentially higher dropout rates. Those things combined with high pension costs create considerable financial risk for the sector, warns the IFS. In July, ministers said universities could apply for emergency loans.\n\nThe UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) dealt with more than 700 incidents during the past year and more than a quarter were linked to coronavirus. Protecting the NHS and health-related research has been a priority, its annual report reveals. Some of the incidents related to countering nation-state attacks, but most were criminal in nature. The NCSC also says it thwarted 15,354 campaigns that had used coronavirus themes as a \"lure\" to scam people.\n\nUsing the hashtag #TeamHalo, scientists around the world hunting for a coronavirus vaccine are documenting their efforts on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram. Their aim is to take the public behind the scenes and answer as many pressing questions as possible - in part to counter the misinformation people may be receiving from elsewhere.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Get a closer look at how scientists develop a Covid-19 vaccine\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, we've answered your questions on some of the finer detail ahead of the start of England's second lockdown, including what the restrictions mean for Remembrance Sunday.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Gabriela Pintilie died after losing six litres of blood giving birth to her second child at Basildon Hospital's maternity unit\n\nAn NHS hospital where a woman bled to death in childbirth has been given an \"urgent\" deadline to keep patients at its maternity unit safe.\n\nA letter seen by the BBC reveals the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found unsafe staffing levels at the unit at Basildon Hospital throughout August.\n\nThe CQC said the trust that runs it had until next Monday to implement appropriate measures.\n\nThe trust said it had a \"robust improvement plan in place\".\n\nThe seven-page document, sent by the CQC on 7 October, puts the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust on notice that it has to \"implement an effective governance system\", among other measures.\n\nConsequences for missing the deadline were not stated, but the CQC said it was using its powers under the Health and Social Care Act to impose conditions on the trust's registration.\n\nThe Act does allow the CQC to temporarily close health services.\n\nThe letter described how inspectors returned on 18 September and found the trust had still not dealt with serious failings it had been warned about in August, following a visit prompted by a whistleblower.\n\nIt highlighted that it did not accept that some of the problems had been addressed, despite assurances from the trust that they had been.\n\nThe letter continued \"we were not assured that you effectively reviewed staffing and escalated appropriately to maintain safe staffing in the maternity unit\".\n\nThe CQC said Basildon Hospital was continuing to fail to deliver safe maternity care despite repeated warnings\n\nA CQC visit in June found failings in six serious cases and rated the maternity unit inadequate.\n\nIts August report said lessons had not been learnt following the death of Gabriela Pintilie in February 2019.\n\nThe Essex coroner said there had been delays, confusion and a lack of leadership after Ms Pintilie, 36, lost six litres of blood while giving birth to her daughter.\n\nMrs Pintilie's husband Ionel Pintilie said he was \"relieved\" the urgent safety deadline has been imposed on the unit.\n\n\"My wife died needlessly at the hospital and the fact that it is still deemed unsafe 18 months after we lost her is a scandal,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Stela Ernu said \"they're just not doing their jobs properly\"\n\nStela Ernu, from South Ockendon, was more than 41 weeks pregnant when she was told her baby boy's heart was no longer beating.\n\nShe said had been to Basildon Hospital twice on 12 and 13 March 2019 but \"was not listened to\" when she said there was something wrong and was sent home on both occasions.\n\nWhen she returned a third time, on 14 March, she was given the devastating news.\n\nShe said there \"were not words\" to describe how the family felt, and said there were \"plenty\" of staff members who could have helped.\n\n\"Every time I went in there, there were plenty of rooms empty... it's a silly excuse for them to say they've been too busy. They're just not doing their jobs properly,\" she said.\n\nThe hospital said a full investigation was carried out in light of Mrs Ernu's case and staff met with the family to share the findings.\n\nIt said all of the recommendations from the investigation had been implemented.\n\nThe CQC said in a statement it was now taking \"action to protect the welfare of people using the service\".\n\nClare Panniker, chief executive for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said it had \"taken action following [the CQC's] initial feedback to make our services better\".\n\n\"We have a robust improvement plan in place, and continue to work closely with the CQC and our regulators as we make the necessary changes and are committed to improving the quality of maternity care,\" she said.\n\nStephanie Prior, a solicitor for families who have lost loved ones and babies at the unit, said \"these words needed to be actioned into a foolproof, safe working environment for patients and staff\".\n\nThe CQC letter said the trust had until 16:00 on 9 November to implement the recommended changes.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "American voters will face a clear choice for president on election day, between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic hopeful Joe Biden.\n\nHere's a look at what they stand for and how their policies compare on eight key issues.\n\nPresident Trump set up a coronavirus task force at the end of January which he says has now shifted its focus to \"safety and opening up our country\".\n\nThe president is also prioritising the speedy development of coronavirus treatments and vaccines, directing $10bn towards such projects.\n\nMr Biden wants to set up a national contact-tracing programme, establish at least 10 testing centres in every state, and provide free coronavirus testing to all.\n\nHe supports a nationwide mask mandate, which would require face coverings to be worn on federal property.\n\nPresident Trump is a climate change sceptic, and wants to expand non-renewable energy. He aims to increase drilling for oil and gas, and roll back further environmental protections.\n\nHe has committed to withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord - the international agreement on tackling climate change - which the US will formally leave later this year.\n\nMr Biden says he would immediately re-join the Paris climate agreement if elected.\n\nHe wants the US to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and proposes banning new leases for oil and gas drilling on public lands, as well as a $2tn investment in green energy.\n\nPresident Trump has pledged to create 10 million jobs in 10 months, and create one million new small businesses.\n\nHe wants to deliver an income tax cut, and provide companies with tax credits to incentivise them to keep jobs in the US.\n\nMr Biden wants to raise taxes for high earners to pay for investment in public services, but says the increase will only impact those earning over $400,000 a year.\n\nHe supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15 (£11.50) an hour from the current rate of $7.25 (£5.50).\n\nPresident Trump wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed under President Obama, which increased the federal government's regulation of the private health insurance system, including making it illegal to deny coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions. He says he wants to improve and replace it, although no details of the plan have been published.\n\nThe president also aims to lower drug prices by allowing imports of cheaper ones from abroad.\n\nMr Biden wants to protect and expand the ACA.\n\nHe wants to lower the eligibility age for Medicare, the policy which provides medical benefits to the elderly, from 65 to 60. He also wants to give all Americans the option to enrol in a public health insurance plan similar to Medicare.\n\nPresident Trump has reiterated his promise to bring down US troop levels overseas, while continuing to invest in the military.\n\nThe president says he will continue to challenge international alliances and maintain trade tariffs on China.\n\nMr Biden has promised to repair relationships with US allies.\n\nHe says he would do away with unilateral tariffs on China, and instead hold them accountable with an international coalition that China \"can't afford to ignore\".\n\nPresident Trump says he doesn't believe racism is a systemic problem within US police forces.\n\nHe has positioned himself as a firm advocate of law enforcement, but has opposed chokeholds and offered grants for improved practices.\n\nMr Biden views racism as a systemic problem, and has set out policies to address racial disparities in the justice system, such as grants to incentivise states in reducing incarceration rates.\n\nHe has rejected calls to defund police, saying additional resources should instead be tied to maintaining proper standards.\n\nPresident Trump has an expansive interpretation of the US constitution's Second Amendment protections giving Americans the right to bear arms.\n\nHe did propose tightening background checks on gun buyers after a string of mass shootings in 2019, but nothing came of the plan and no further legislation has been put forward.\n\nMr Biden has proposed banning assault weapons, universal background checks, limiting the number of guns a person can purchase to one per month, and making it easier to sue negligent gun manufacturers and sellers.\n\nHe would also fund more research into preventing gun violence.\n\nPresident Trump says it's his constitutional right to fill the vacancy on the court during the remainder of his first term in office, and has put forward conservative judge, Amy Coney Barrett.\n\nOne issue that the Supreme Court could soon rule on is the legal right to abortion in the US - something the president and Judge Barrett have opposed in the past.\n\nMr Biden wants the vacancy to be filled after the next president enters office.\n\nHe says if elected he would work to pass legislation to guarantee a woman's right to an abortion if the Supreme Court rules against it.", "Four senior ex-Scotland Yard officers involved in the original Stephen Lawrence murder investigation may face criminal charges, a watchdog has said.\n\nThe group worked on the case in the weeks after the 18-year-old's death in south-east London in 1993.\n\nA six-year probe by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found the men may have committed the offence of misconduct in public office.\n\nThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will consider whether to bring charges.\n\nA racist gang murdered Mr Lawrence as he ran to catch a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks on 22 April 1993 in Eltham.\n\nNo arrests were made for two weeks after his death, despite five suspects being named by anonymous informants.\n\nIt was not until 2012 that two men - Gary Dobson and David Norris, who were among the group accused of attacking Mr Lawrence and Mr Brooks - were convicted of murder.\n\nThe Macpherson Report - published in 1999 - found initial attempts to catch Mr Lawrence's killers were hampered by incompetence and \"institutional racism\" in the Metropolitan Police.\n\nGary Dobson (left) and David Norris were convicted of murder in 2012\n\nA further IOPC inquiry - launched in 2014 - was initially tasked with establishing whether one officer who dealt with the case originally had \"acted corruptly\".\n\nRegional director Sarah Green said the officer was alleged to have been \"improperly influenced or motivated to protect at least one of the suspects during the original murder investigation\".\n\nInvestigators eventually found \"no indication of corruption\" in that case, Ms Green said.\n\nBut evidence unearthed during the inquiry led the IOPC to ask the force to refer the conduct of four officers to the watchdog.\n\nMs Green said there was \"an indication\" the ex-officers, \"may have committed the offence of misconduct in public office in relation to their actions and omissions prior to the arrests of the five key suspects\".\n\nThe National Crime Agency (NCA) interviewed more than 150 people on behalf of the IOPC, including serving and former police officers, staff involved in the original murder inquiry, relevant witnesses and others, including journalists with in-depth knowledge of the original investigation.\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.", "As we've been reporting, chief medical officer for England Prof Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance are being questioned by MPs about the figures they gave at Saturday’s briefing when the prime minister announced the new lockdown for England.\n\nThere has been much focus on the chart above, which included one model that gave a scenario of 4,000 people a day dying of coronavirus over winter (roughly four times the figure during the worst days of the first wave).\n\nSir Patrick said he hoped the focus had not been on the longer term models in that chart, but on the six week forecasts in other charts in the presentation.\n\nProf Whitty said “I have never used anything beyond six weeks in anything I have ever said to any minister on this issue”, but Sir Patrick then said that the chart had indeed been shown to the prime minister.\n\nThere has also been criticism that the curves in the chart were all produced at the start of October, just after the rapid rise in cases that followed students returning to university. These were based on models for worst-case planning that assumed no changes in policy or behaviour.\n\nBut, since then, England has introduced a three-tier system of stricter measures and the epidemic has grown more slowly than the curves assumed it would.\n\nIndeed, on the day the chart was used, an average of 215 deaths had been reported each day in the previous week. That was far below the 1,000 a day envisioned by the most pessimistic model.", "Stopping coronavirus from spreading in hospitals is “incredibly difficult”, the chief executive of the NHS in Wales has admitted.\n\nThere were nearly 200 cases of hospital-acquired coronavirus in the last week, Dr Andrew Goodall said.\n\nThe Cwm Taf Bro Morgannwg health board area in south Wales has been particularly badly hit, with at least 69 deaths in its hospitals.\n\nBut Dr Goodall said that even in that region, hospital-acquired cases only accounted for three per cent of the total.\n\n“I want to be clear, this is not as simple as a failure of hand-washing or poor infection control procedures,” he said.\n\n“This virus is highly infectious and it can be passed on in the asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic and symptomatic phases of the infection.\n\n“It is incredibly difficult to prevent its spread in busy healthcare environments, especially with around 90 people with Covid currently admitted each day.”\n\nThere were 192 cases of probable or definite cases of hospital transmission in Wales last week, he said, around 1 in 40 of the total confirmed cases.\n\n“Despite hospital transmissions, over 85% of our available beds do not have coronavirus patients, so care remains safe for the vast majority needing to access hospital,” Dr Goodall added.\n\nHe confirmed there were 1,275 Covid-related patients in hospital, only 9% lower than the April peak.\n\nHe added: “Our normal critical care capacity of 152 beds is full, mainly with people who do not have coronavirus – we currently have 163 people in critical care at the moment.\n\n“We have plans to expand critical care capacity if required.”\n\nSome 16,000 people have now been discharged from hospital after being treated for coronavirus.", "Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was just speaking on the Senate floor. He defended President Trump's right to challenge the election results and not concede.\n\n\"No states have yet certified election results,\" he noted. This is true - states have until 8 December to certify their electors.\n\nMcConnell continued to say all legal ballots should count and the process must be \"transparent\".\n\n\"If any major irregularities occurred this time of a magnitude that would affect the outcome, then every single American should want them to be brought to light and if Democrats feel confident they have not occurred, they should have no reason to fear any extra scrutiny,\" the majority leader added.\n\nExperts have long said there is no evidence of widespread fraud in postal voting.\n\n\"We have the system in place to consider concerns and President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options,\" McConnell said.\n\n\"The projections and commentary of the press do not get veto power over the legal rights of any citizen, including the president.\"\n\nOnly three Republican Senators have thus far acknowledged Biden's win. Republican President George W Bush has also congratulated Biden on his win.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Gemma York said there were \"grey areas\" for parents who are vulnerable to Covid-19\n\nA mum of five with stage-four cancer has written to the prime minister asking for guidance on whether to send her children to school during lockdown.\n\nGemma York, 37, from Cornwall, said if her children \"brought Covid home\" it would pose a risk to her life as she is clinically extremely vulnerable.\n\nDowning Street has not yet responded to Mrs York or the BBC.\n\nGemma York said she and her husband Edd had already taken the children out of school when there had been confirmed Covid cases\n\nA four-week lockdown will come into force in England on Thursday as Covid-19 continues to spread.\n\nMrs York, from Penryn, said she \"was not anti Boris\" but that there was a lack of \"specific guidance\" for vulnerable parents.\n\n\"Sometimes I have to crawl upstairs to the toilet... A simple cold can give me an infection,\" she explained.\n\n\"My husband wanted to take the children out [of school] because it's a risk to my life and I want to keep them in because of their education - but we just need more guidelines.\n\n\"As an extremely high risk vulnerable person, can I pull my children out of school? ...Will I get fined if I do?\" she asked.\n\nConfirmed cases of coronavirus have more than doubled in Cornwall since the start of September, from 985 to 2,430 on Monday.\n\nMrs York said it had reached a point where the family needed more advice on what to do concerning the children.\n\nMrs York, her husband, sister, parents and the local pub landlord all shaved their heads on Monday in aid of the Macmillan cancer charity\n\nMrs York was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in September and is expected to undergo cycles of chemotherapy for up to three years before \"hopefully going into remission,\" she said.\n\nShe said the schools and her consultant had not been able to give her official advice and she had also asked Boris Johnson to clarify \"grey areas\" on support bubbles for the clinically vulnerable.\n\nThe Yorks, who also have several pets, said income was an additional worry for the imminent lockdown.\n\nMrs York, who works in a care home, went on sick leave after her diagnosis and her husband Edd, a self-employed van driver, has not yet qualified for government help.\n\nBut she vowed: \"We will stay positive.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Donald Trump and Joe Biden are battling to become the 46th US president.\n\nIn Donald Trump's world, perhaps there was no greater compliment for Boris Johnson than saying he was, well, just like him. And this was how he greeted the prime minister's ascent to power.\n\nWhile both leaders enjoy casting themselves as outsiders, that caricatured comparison is far from a complete picture.\n\nBut as the world waits to find out whether the president will defy the polls and stay in the White House, or Joe Biden will get to move in, it's worth wondering for a moment who the UK government would rather hold the key.\n\nFor one senior politician with experience of dealing with Trump's White House and Boris Johnson, it's a simple equation: \"It's short term, versus long term\".\n\nThey suggest in the immediate future, it's better to have a very pro-UK ally on Pennsylvania Avenue, easing the path to a trade deal, and holding the diplomatic ties between our two countries firm, rather than being tempted to move closer to Paris or Berlin.\n\nBut in the long term, Biden's a better pick, they suggest, because the UK's standing in the world is based on its participation in institutions and alliances - the very structures they say Trump wants to \"wreck\".\n\nAnd has the president's obvious liking for the prime minister really translated into much for the UK anyway?\n\nAnother source who has been involved with handling that fabled special relationship isn't so sure, suggesting the Britain that \"Trump loves is the country of the royal family and Winston Churchill, not modern Britain\".\n\nAnd his liking for the PM and his own ties to the UK \"haven't translated to listening\" to the government's opinion.\n\nPresident Trump has spoken warmly of Boris Johnson as a \"really good man\".\n\nBut the relationship with Biden could have problems.\n\nThe same insider suggests that he thinks that Brexit is \"nuts\" and sees the UK government as a little too like Trump's for his liking.\n\nDuring the campaign, he even went on the record to make plain his opposition to the UK's controversial Internal Market Bill.\n\nJoe Biden's public image might perhaps be less aggressive, more reasonable and predictable.\n\nBut when it comes to a trade deal, a Biden White House would be dealing with the same strong commercial interests in the US - the same farmers, the same car makers, the same healthcare industry that wants to make the most of potential opportunities in the UK and defend their same interests just as strongly.\n\nAnd if there is a change of administration, one senior official told me the work of the trade deal with the US would essentially have to start again.\n\nBiden in charge, however, could bring other opportunities for the UK, particularly on climate change, when the Trump administration seems barely interested in the conversation.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. That was wild - a three-year campaign in three minutes\n\nThe UK is hosting the huge COP26 climate conference in 2021 - a willing White House could make all the difference to making that count.\n\nAnd with the UK taking charge of the G7 group through next year comes another opportunity to prove that international cooperation can work.\n\nWhitehall doesn't expect immediately to be Joe Biden's best European friend if he wins - the expectation is that he would go first to Berlin.\n\nBut there are big chances to show that the special relationship, so fretted over on this side of the pond, counts in the near future, if Biden is in charge.\n\nThe personal and political contrasts between the two US rivals are vast, as are their attitudes to the UK, particularly over the issue of Brexit.\n\nBut in practice, the gap from across the Atlantic on many issues may not be so wide after all.\n\nFor all the angst and excitement of an election, for all the profound differences between the candidates this time round, the longer-term strategic interests shared by the UK and the US are bigger than any one, or even two politicians.\n\nThe security and defence cooperation between the two countries is close and longstanding, and many miles under the radar of the wild swings of Trump's Twitter diplomacy.\n\nAnd whisper it, VERY different domestic administrations in the White House have held similar positions sometimes when it comes to foreign affairs.\n\nPresident Trump has used a megaphone to criticise Nato, as well as how much other EU countries stump up towards the alliance.\n\nBut one insider points out that Barack Obama shared that view: \"Trump shouts it. Obama whispered it,\" but essentially they agreed.\n\nHow Joe Biden might say it, if he wins, we'll have to see.\n\nFor all that the \"Britain Trump\" characterisation is a misleading tag, the chemistry between leaders does matter.\n\nA change in the White House would mean a loss of political affinity between the prime minister and the most powerful leader in the West.\n\nBut it could mean a more predictable partner for the UK, at a time of huge change. Westminster will be watching the election results carefully, along with the rest of the world.", "The number of people dying in the UK is more than 10% above normal levels - with almost all of the excess linked to Covid, official figures show.\n\nThere were 12,292 deaths in the week ending 23 October - 1,100 where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate, national statisticians reported.\n\nIt brings the total number of deaths that have been registered this year and linked to Covid to over 60,000.\n\nThat is out of nearly 430,000 deaths across society in 2020.\n\nThe figure is higher than the government data which shows nearly 47,000 people have died with Covid.\n\nBut the government figure only counts those who have died within 28 days of a positive test, whereas the national statisticians' records are drawn from death certificates filled in by doctors.\n\nThese national statistics, drawn from Office for National Statistics and its counterparts in Northern Ireland and Scotland, show the number of deaths linked to Covid are doubling every fortnight.\n\nThis is in line with the government figures.\n\nBecause of the length of time it takes for infected individuals to fall seriously ill, any impact from the lockdown in England, which starts on Thursday, will not be seen in the death figures until the end of November.", "The risk to UK consumers was \"very low\" according to the Food Standards Agency\n\nThirteen thousand birds are to be culled at farm in Cheshire after avian flu was confirmed there.\n\nThe H5N8 strain of bird flu was detected at a broiler breeders premises in Frodsham, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.\n\nIt said it was not related to the H5N2 strain found at a small farm near Deal in Kent earlier.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) said the risk to public health was \"very low\".\n\nAll 13,000 birds at the farm, which produces hatching eggs, will be culled, said Defra.\n\nFurther testing is under way to determine if it is a highly pathogenic strain and whether it is related to the virus currently circulating in Europe.\n\nThe UK's chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss, said: \"Immediate steps have been taken to limit the risk of the disease spreading.\n\n\"This includes 3km and 10km temporary control zones around the infected site.\n\n\"We are urgently looking for any evidence of disease spread associated with this farm to control and eliminate it.\"\n\nDr Gavin Dabrera from PHE said: \"There have never been any confirmed cases of H5N8 in humans and the risk to public health is considered very low.\"\n\nA Food Standards Agency spokesperson said: \"On the basis of the current scientific evidence, avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n• None Hundreds of birds culled at farm hit by avian flu\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nArgentina legend Diego Maradona has undergone successful brain surgery, his doctor has said.\n\nThe 1986 World Cup winner, 60, was admitted to Ipensa clinic in Buenos Aires on Monday, suffering from anaemia and dehydration.\n\nLeopoldo Luque, Maradona's personal physician, said he had \"coped well with the surgery\".\n\nHe will now remain under observation, Dr Luque said, adding that everything was \"under control\".\n\nMaradona was transferred to the Olivos Clinic in La Plata, where was operated on at 20:00 local time (23:00 GMT) by Dr Luque, who is a neurosurgeon. The procedure took about 80 minutes.\n\nHe attended the side's game against Patronato on Friday, his 60th birthday.\n\nSupporters of Gimnasia y Esgrima have been congregating outside the hospital carrying messages of support for the former Argentina forward.\n\nOnce the outcome of the surgery was announced, a group of fans outside began chanting his name, the Reuters news agency reported.\n\nHis former club Napoli, who he helped to two Serie A titles, tweeted a message of support.\n• None Maradona at 60: In search of the real Diego - Guillem Balague column", "Kris Gumbrell,, who runs 22-pub chain Brewhouse & Kitchen, says the shift is 'a tremendous result'\n\nA government U-turn allowing pubs to sell takeaway beer during the latest lockdown has been broadly welcomed by the industry, but some chains say they will still struggle to survive.\n\nKris Gumbrell, chief executive officer of 22-pub chain Brewhouse & Kitchen, said it was \"a tremendous result\".\n\n\"I think it will make a significant difference, not only for my company, but for the entire sector\", he told Radio 4's Today Programme.\n\nDuring the first lockdown, a lot of pubs served takeaway meals and drinks as another revenue stream, which was \"essential\", he said.\n\n\"What we noticed is that businesses evolve through a crisis, and also the guest evolves through a crisis as well. People miss pubs, they miss the connection, they miss the community part of what a pub actually means, so they want to support their local pub,\" he said.\n\n\"Giving a pub the opportunity to open up a new revenue stream was really critical in helping to pay those bills,\" he said.\n\nMark Newcombe says: \"Our income will be reduced to nothing.\"\n\nHowever, Mark Newcombe, head of a community-run pub called the Craufurd Arms, in Maidenhead, says his pub will still have to close for the duration.\n\nUnder the new restrictions, customers must order their drink via a website, phone or text message. Deliveries are also allowed.\n\nPre-ordered alcohol can be collected by customers as long as they do not enter the premises, the legislation says.\n\nMr Newcombe's pub stayed open when the first lockdown rules were eased because it was able to serve takeaway real ale on the spot.\n\nBut this time it will close for the second one because his pub doesn't have an app, and is \"not in the position to run a [pre-ordered] takeaway service,\" he said.\n\nTo keep its head above water, the pub will furlough staff, apply for local government grants, launch a crowdfunding campaign, and perhaps sell more shares in the venture.\n\nAs for the pub's longer-term future, he said it was \"very difficult to plan\" as he didn't know when it would be able to reopen.\n\n\"At the end of the day our income will be reduced to nothing,\" he said.\n\nBut Mr Newcombe was also concerned about the wider implications of shutting the pub on the local community, particularly on the mental health of people adjusting to a second lockdown who may use the pub for social interactions.\n\nThe new restrictions \"take away that social engagement\", he said.\n\nPlans published at the weekend originally suggested that while restaurants could sell takeaway food, takeaway alcohol was to be banned.\n\nThe industry has hailed the turnaround as a small victory but said the rules should allow venues to sell drink in the same way as an off-licence.\n\n\"Takeaway alcohol from pubs if it is pre-ordered and customers don't enter the premises is movement, but still not anywhere near enough,\" said Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association.\n\n\"Supermarkets and off-licences can still sell alcohol, so this is grossly unfair on pubs with off-licences. It remains the case that to help pubs and brewers survive, and to stop up to 7.5 million pints from being wasted, the government needs to give pubs the same ability to sell off-licence alcohol as it did in the first lockdown.\"\n\nIn the last lockdown, pubs in England had been allowed to sell takeaway pints and food, and were concerned that closure for a month would mean pouring millions of pints of ale down the drain as open kegs would go off.\n\n\"It is a welcome and helpful clarification that pubs and restaurants will be permitted to continue with off-licence sales of alcohol through delivery, as well as click and collect for pre-ordered sales,\" said Kate Nichols of lobby group UK Hospitality.\n\n\"This was a lifeline to many businesses in the first lockdown and it is good to see common sense prevail this time too - avoiding waste and providing a valuable community service - although we can see no reason why a pub could not operate as a retail outlet for pre-packaged food and drink as many did last time.\"\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"We recognise that these are extremely challenging circumstances for pubs and the hospitality industry. Public health and safety remains our number one priority and that is why pubs and other hospitality venues cannot serve alcohol on site to takeaway to prevent people from gathering outside their premises.\n\n\"However, they can sell alcohol as part of delivery services, including through click and collect, over the telephone and by other remote methods of ordering for collection, provided customers do not congregate as groups once they have picked up their order.\"", "You probably haven't heard of Dan Bongino, but if you are on Facebook you might have seen one of his posts. You may have even shared one.\n\nDan Bongino is ex-NYPD and Secret Service and also worked as presidential protection for two presidents - George W Bush and Barack Obama.\n\nNow a prolific right-wing commentator, in the last two months his Facebook posts have attracted more shares than those of Fox News and CNN, combined.\n\nBut he's not the only one to have an outsized influence over America's social media conversation.\n\nAs the election campaign became more intense, a very small group of personalities and social media accounts on both sides of the political divide have resonated with audiences in a way even politicians and media organisations have not.\n\nTheir rapid surge in popularity has seen such people generate more social media interactions than almost every politician and major publisher.\n\nThey have become this election's \"influencers\" - with strong but pithy opinions, picking up what they see as political contradictions and hypocrisy. Some make memes, others just inspire the meme-makers with their ironic observations.\n\n\"My life is all about owning the libs now,\" said Mr Bongino two years ago. He attacks the left and defends President Trump in a direct and aggressive style - not being part of the traditional political establishment seems to be part of his appeal.\n\nDan Bongino hosting his show (left); One of Bongino's most shared Facebook videos (right)\n\nHe is also very critical of mainstream media (although he is himself a commentator on Fox News) and a section of his website is dedicated to \"debunking liberal myths\". Some of his most successful posts have titles like \"Exposing how much of a liar Joe Biden is\" and \"Fact-checking Kamala Harris' fake Lincoln quote at the debate\". He has been criticised and fact-checked himself many times - but that hasn't stopped people sharing his posts.\n\nOne video montage of Ronald Reagan's speeches on law and order had almost as many shares as all New York Times Facebook posts in the previous month.\n\nMr Bongino has recently told The New York Times that he doesn't know what's behind this rapid increase but attributes his success to his team and Facebook's user base - older and more conservative than other social networks.\n\nConservative voices have been particularly strong on Facebook during this campaign.\n\nFranklin Graham, son of late preacher Billy Graham, is one of the most influential evangelicals in America. His Facebook posts are consistently among the most shared, whether he is praising Trump's foreign policy, urging followers to pray for the president's victory or sharing discredited theories about the origin of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nHollywood actor James Woods returned to Twitter the start of 2020 after a 10-month hiatus. Woods's account has been suspended multiple times for spreading conspiracy theories and violating the platform's rules. His blistering attacks on Democrats are often screenshotted and widely shared by pro-Trump accounts on other social platforms.\n\nOne of James Woods' most successful tweets\n\nOne progressive (the more liberal-leaning end of the Democratic Party) page is winning the meme war.\n\nOccupy Democrats, founded in 2012 by immigrant twin brothers Rafael and Omar Rivero, amasses millions of shares every month with its text heavy, highly partisan pictures. The page had more shares than Donald Trump's official account this month.\n\nWhen Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign in April, Rafael Rivero started a new page, \"Ridin' With Biden\", which quickly surged to a rapid success. The brothers run other popular accounts, including \"Impeach Trump\" and \"Fight Trump\".\n\nTwo of the most shared Occupy Democrats memes on Facebook\n\nRobert Reich, economic adviser and former US Secretary of Labor, has served in the administrations of three Democratic presidents. His tweets and memes attacking Trump and criticising economic inequality are hugely popular with left-leaning Americans on social media. Reich is arguably the biggest left-wing personality on Facebook - in October, his page had more shares than Joe Biden and Barack Obama combined.\n\nIt is well known that Facebook and Twitter have been battlegrounds for years, but Instagram hasn't always seemed like a natural place for political activism.\n\nIn 2020 this has changed as the pandemic and the protests following George Floyd's death generated a huge increase in social justice content being widely shared on Instagram.\n\n\"We don't think you should need to have a degree, or to be able to afford to get behind paywalls, in order to understand the world around you, so we try to break it down into simple, digestible round-ups,\" said Lucy Blakiston, one of the co-founders of SYSCA, a hugely popular account she runs from New Zealand.\n\nMs Blakiston and two other young women started the project in 2018, while all three were at university. Two of them now have full-time jobs, and run SYSCA on the side. Their Instagram account has grown from fewer than 100,000 followers at the start of this year to over 2 million, more than most progressive media brands. To put this into context, it took The Guardian almost four years to get its Instagram following to that level.\n\nIt is not news that in a highly polarised landscape, activism can drown out impartial information and many have warned that social media \"echo chambers\" mean people only see and share content which matches their political point of view.\n\n\"I think our US election coverage has made an impact, but among people who already think similarly to how we do,\" said Ms Blakiston.\n\n\"We are from New Zealand, a place where we are lucky enough to have a leader who we can trust to look after us in times of need,\" she added. \"We look at how things are going in America and think that everyone deserves to have a leader that they trust to look after them.\"\n\nSlideshow explainers seem to have resonated really strongly with Instagram's younger and more progressive audiences. Progressive accounts dedicated to this format, like \"So You Want To Talk About...\" now generate a number of interactions comparable to major news outlets.\n\nThis small group of influencers have clearly benefited from the divisive nature of an election campaign - many posts take advantage of schadenfreude (glee at another's misfortune), one-upmanship and function as digital calls to action.\n\nBut there are also hints that things could change - these highly liked posts featuring moments of unity show positive messages can and do break through.\n\nMoments of unity between Biden and Trump supporters.", "Scotland's new five-tier system of restrictions came into force on Monday\n\nThe Scottish government has said it still does not know whether the full furlough scheme will be available to Scotland once lockdown ends in England at the start of next month.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that the scheme would \"continue to be available wherever it is needed\".\n\nBut his housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, has since cast doubt on this.\n\nNicola Sturgeon said she was awaiting further detail from the Treasury about how it will work in practice.\n\nA UK government source has told BBC Scotland that the Treasury was currently \"dotting the i's and crossing the t's\" before a formal announcement is made.\n\nEngland is to go into a nationwide lockdown on Thursday, with the restrictions due to end on 2 December - the same day that the extension to furlough will also expire.\n\nScotland's five-tier system of restrictions only came into force at the start of this week, with the first minister saying she faces a \"dilemma\" over whether to introduce a tougher lockdown while the full furlough scheme remains in place across the UK.\n\nThe first minister told her daily briefing that the key question was whether the Treasury would continue to pay up to 80% of furloughed workers' wages if Scotland was in lockdown after that date.\n\nShe said no decision would be made until next week at the earliest.\n\nMs Sturgeon added: \"The prime minister appears to have agreed yesterday that access to the furlough scheme at the higher level of 80% of wages will be available to Scotland after 2 December if that is required.\n\n\"I welcome that commitment, although I do so with a necessary degree of caution - we haven't yet seen any detail of what that commitment means when translated into hard practice.\n\n\"And in particular we have not yet had confirmation from the Treasury that continuation of furlough in Scotland beyond 2 December would be at the 80% level.\n\n\"We have always known there would be some form of furlough scheme continuing after December 2, that has never been the point at issue - the point is at what level?\"\n\nRobert Jenrick appeared to backtrack on the prime minister's announcment\n\nResponding to a question from Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross in the Commons on Monday, the prime minister said the furlough scheme would \"of course\" be available to other parts of the UK \"not just now but in the future\" if they needed it.\n\nBut less than 24 hours later, Mr Johnson appeared to be contradicted by Mr Jenrick - who told Sky News that it would be for the Chancellor to decide whether furlough continued beyond 2 December.\n\nMr Jenrick added: \"It was always UK-wide and we want it to continue to be in the future.\n\n\"So if it is necessary for it to be deployed again then that is for the Chancellor to look at.\n\n\"But everybody throughout the UK today can be assured that furlough at 80% will be available until 2 December.\"\n\nSteve Barclay, the chief secretary to the Treasury, also did not repeat the PM's commitment when he answered questions on furlough in the Commons on Tuesday afternoon.\n\nInstead, he said only that the UK government \"will always be there to provide support to all parts of the UK.\"\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross insisted there was \"no doubt\" that furlough would protect Scottish jobs in the event of another lockdown, adding: \"The prime minister's commitment is definitive\".\n\nAnd the prime minister's official spokesman said: \"If other parts of the UK decide to go into measures which require direct economic support, of course we will make that available to them as we have done throughout the pandemic.\"\n\nScottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said it appeared the UK government could not make up its mind.\n\nShe told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: \"They couldn't give us an answer on Saturday night, when Scottish businesses were worried about what it would mean for them.\n\n\"They have dragged it out for three days with so many twists and turns, appeared to give answers and then walked back on them. This is not a game - jobs depend on this.\n\n\"We are needing simple reassurance that Scottish businesses will be treated with the same degree of respect and valued by the Chancellor if and when we are faced with a similar national lockdown.\"\n\nThe UK-wide furlough scheme - which covers up to 80% of workers wages' and has supported hundreds of thousands of jobs north of the border - was extended to 2 December when Mr Johnson announced the four-week lockdown in England.\n\nHowever, the UK's devolved administrations complained that extension only covered the period when England was under enhanced restrictions.\n\nWales has been in a \"firebreak\" lockdown since 23 October, and First Minister Mark Drakeford said requests to boost wage subsidies there had been repeatedly turned down.", "A rape survivor is calling for government to \"educate\" the public about face-covering exemptions, as England moves into a second lockdown.\n\nHaving her mouth covered still prompts traumatic flashbacks for Georgina Fallows, who was attacked some years ago.\n\nAnd now, she feels re-traumatised by being verbally abused in public when she doesn't wear a mask.\n\nShe has written to ministers with seven mental-health and disability charities.\n\nThey are asking the government to promote a \"recognised badge [or] identifier to signify the wearer as exempt\".\n\nBut, the letter states, a badge \"is no substitute for greater public understanding\" of why people might not be able to wear face coverings and that this reason may be invisible.\n\n\"My attacker literally pulled me off the street and raped me,\" Ms Fallows says.\n\n\"Having something in front of my mouth feels like his hand.\"\n\nShe has severe post-traumatic stress disorder and flashbacks, sometimes so extreme she has been sedated by paramedics.\n\nAnd she has waived her right to anonymity in order to campaign for greater awareness.\n\nFace coverings are mandatory in most indoor public spaces in England, including shops and public transport.\n\nBut there are exemptions for people for whom \"putting on, wearing or removing a face covering\" will cause \"severe distress\".\n\nPeople who cannot wear a mask because of a physical or mental illness or disability are also exempt.\n\nThere is a note that can be downloaded from the government website.\n\nBut Ms Fallows is concerned it is not viewed as \"official\".\n\nAnd when she has shown her exemption pass after being challenged, people will often not accept it.\n\nThe 30-year-old solicitor has been \"screamed at\" for not wearing a mask.\n\nAnd one woman accused \"people like me of killing her father\".\n\nThere are also fears the notes could be misused by people who do not have a valid reason not to wear a face covering.\n\nMs Fallows wants government to consider backing the Hidden Disabilities charity's sunflower lanyard, which is already being used for this purpose and is widely recognised.\n\nFor now, though, she avoids shops and transport wherever possible for fear of being verbally abused.\n\n\"People think it's just a bit uncomfortable,\" wearing a mask.\n\nBut for Ms Fallows, it can be a \"medical emergency\", resulting in three- or four-hour flashbacks that end with her being restrained and unconscious.\n\nAnd it is a problem shared by people with a range of other mental-health conditions, disabilities, autism, and Alzheimer's disease.\n\nThe letter, sent to Public Health Minister Jo Churchill, Disability Minister Justin Tomlinson and former Disability Minister Penny Mordaunt, was co-signed by charities including Mind, Sense, Alzheimer's Society and Disability Rights UK.\n\nA Disability Rights UK survey of 350 people uncovered reports of people fearing hate crimes and feeling like prisoners in their own homes.\n\nDifficulties wearing face coverings particularly affect people with mental-health conditions, sensory disorders and hidden disabilities such as autism, its research suggests.\n\nThe British Lung Foundation says: \"Wearing a mask does not reduce a person's oxygen supply or cause a build-up of carbon dioxide.\n\n\"You may have read stories that say that it can - but this isn't true.\"\n\nBut wearing a face covering can give people a psychological perception of heightened breathlessness.\n\nAnd Ms Fallows says those who do not wear one \"through choice... do a genuine disservice to those who 'cannot' wear one and are exempt\".\n\n\"They make it easier for those who are sceptical of the exemptions to case aspersions on those who qualify\".\n\nIf you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, help and advice can be found here.", "Trump International Hotel has been surrounded by fences Image caption: Trump International Hotel has been surrounded by fences\n\nThe nation’s capital is gearing up for the presidential election not by organising rallies or canvassing, but by putting up boards and fences.\n\nI took a walk around Washington DC downtown today, and the city was eerily quiet.\n\nAt the Trump International Hotel, fences have been installed around the hotel entrances. Only a driveway with enhanced security was open to allow guests to come in and out.\n\nThere are few on the streets on this chilly, windy day, but a man on a scooter passes by and shouts: “Trump 2020!”\n\nAlong the Black Lives Matter Plaza, one block away from the White House, it’s hard to tell whether anything is open for business, as storefronts are all covered up with plywood, in case of civil unrest on the election night and after.\n\nThe fences wall that off the White House and nearby Lafayette Square are covered with anti-Trump signs. Through the fences, I saw a crane lifting construction materials, said to be preparing to put up more fences around the White House.\n\nDemonstrators and journalists gather in front of the White House, and tomorrow night they will return in greater number.\n\nThe world will be watching closely - not only for whether Biden or Trump will be residing here in the next four years, but also for whether the US democratic institutions can withstand the challenges it is facing.", "More than a third of workers are concerned about catching coronavirus on the job, according to a study by the Resolution Foundation think tank.\n\nThe poorest paid are particularly worried, the research found, but also the least likely to speak up about it.\n\nYounger workers are also less likely to raise a complaint, the Resolution Foundation said.\n\nThe widespread concerns come despite government advice on making workplaces Covid-secure, researchers said.\n\nLindsay Judge, research director at the Resolution Foundation, said: \"More than one-in-three workers are worried about catching coronavirus on the job, despite the extensive steps employers have taken to make workplaces Covid-secure.\n\n\"Given many workers' limited ability to get employers to address Covid concerns, the UK needs a strong enforcement regime to ensure that workplaces are as safe as can be.\n\n\"But instead health and safety resources have been cut, inspections have been slow, and Covid-related enforcement notices are few and far between.\"\n\nThe researchers said they were also concerned about the reduction in funding at the Health and Safety Executive.\n\nThe HSE's funding for each site it has the right to inspect has shrunk from £224 a decade ago to £100 for the current financial year, according to the report.\n\n\"The Foundation says policy makers should overturn the current view that health and safety is a 'brake on business' and take a more proactive approach to enforcement in the face of the pandemic,\" it said.\n\nA government spokesman said £14m of funding was given to the HSE to combat coronavirus earlier this year.\n\nAn HSE spokesperson said: \"We thank the Resolution Foundation for its report, and with our partners across government we will examine its findings. We welcome the acknowledgement of our increased activity and share the commitment to ensure all employees have a voice.\n\n\"Making sure Great Britain's workplaces are Covid-Secure is our priority; this effort will not be affected by recent additional restrictions announced across England, Scotland and Wales. We will work with stakeholders to deliver workplace health and safety during this coronavirus pandemic.\n\n\"Inspection and putting duty holders on the spot is just one part of a wide ranging regulatory approach. We use a number of different ways to gather intelligence and reach out to businesses with a combination of site visits, phone calls and through collection of supporting visual evidence such as photos and video footage.\"\n\nWhile a new lockdown in England is planned from Thursday, up to half of workers could still be going to work in jobs such as essential retail, education and health, Resolution said.\n\nThe research used an online YouGov survey of 6,061 adults across the UK.", "Covid patient Harry King, who has double pneumonia, with wife Diane\n\nIf you want to know why England is going into lockdown, Liverpool's intensive care units may help give you the answer.\n\nThey are struggling to cope.\n\n\"We are hanging by a thread,\" says Dr Oliver Zuzan, divisional medical director at the Royal Liverpool Hospital.\n\nHe is speaking to me in a six-bed intensive care unit, reserved for non-Covid patients. At least here there's no requirement for the staff to spend their shifts in full PPE, with tight-fitting masks that dig into their faces. Here it's just an apron, gloves and surgical mask.\n\nThe intensive care unit has had to be split into Covid and non-Covid areas. In the side rooms, patients wait for a diagnosis that will determine whether they are cared for in a red zone (Covid) or green zone (non-Covid).\n\n\"People are right to say that these are pressures that occur every winter, but this time it's just a lot worse. This is winter plus, plus, plus,\" says Dr Zuzan.\n\nAs such, it is a glimpse of what hospitals across England could look like if cases of coronavirus continue to rise unchecked - a scenario the new lockdown is designed to prevent. Liverpool University Hospitals Trust, which includes Royal Liverpool and three other hospitals, has 463 Covid in-patients, 73 more than the peak of 390 in early April.\n\nWe're very close to the limits of what Liverpool hospitals can cope with\n\nA key difference between the spring and now is the additional medical demands.\n\nBack then, there was little demand for intensive care from non-Covid patients. Many people with urgent conditions stayed away. Half the trust's beds were empty. Now they are about 95% full.\n\nLike other hospitals, there are plans to expand capacity to look after critically ill patients. But that depends on having enough staff. Sickness levels are about three times normal levels. Having dealt with the first wave, and then spent the summer trying to catch up with surgery that was postponed, the medical teams are looking at months of sustained pressure.\n\nThe critical care units are depending on nurses who usually work in operating theatres. Their skills are similar, but not the same. The units are relying on nurses like Marie Brady, who has come out of retirement to rejoin the ICU team she worked with for 30 years.\n\n\"A lot of the NHS is working on goodwill. And unfortunately, people are starting to get tired and exhausted now. I'm 58 now and I'm looking after patients that are my age or a year or two older or even younger than me. And it does make you very aware of your susceptibility,\" she says.\n\nI have never ever been so ill in all my born days - this is an absolute crippler\n\nI spend most of the morning in the ICU red zone. My first impression is how different this is to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary which I visited the week before. There, the unit was flooded with natural light. It was not that busy, and several patients were able to chat to me.\n\nIn Liverpool, the only ICU patient who appears well enough to talk is Douglas Thom, a former bus driver and crane operator. The 73-year-old is sitting up in bed, his head covered with a domed plastic hood that enables oxygen to flow into his lungs under pressure. It looks like something out of science fiction, but he is stoical.\n\n\"It's a bit claustrophobic but it's doing the job, so that's all that matters to me.\"\n\nDouglas's wife tested positive at the same time as him but recovered.\n\nHe takes a dim view of those who dismiss coronavirus.\n\n\"All these people who go around saying it's a hoax or a bad cold, they need to get their heads straight because I have never ever been so ill in all my born days.\n\n\"This is an absolute crippler.\"\n\nThe trust is not helped by its ageing infrastructure. The Royal was built in the '60s and is crumbling. Its replacement is three years overdue and not scheduled to open for two years. The Royal and Aintree University hospitals have about 40 operating theatres. Half are standing idle since almost all non-urgent surgery has been cancelled.\n\nStaff absence and the need to redeploy nurses from surgery to critical care meant the trust had no alternative.\n\nEven more worryingly, nine urgent cancer operations have been cancelled in the past month.\n\n\"It's devastating for the patient,\" says Dr Tristan Cope, the trust's medical director, \"if they've come into a hospital, expecting to have a potentially life-saving cancer operation and that morning are told it can't go ahead.\"\n\nDr Cope is speaking in one of the moth-balled operating theatres. We are either side of the operating table. He is worried about the coming weeks.\n\n\"We're very close to the limits of what Liverpool hospitals can cope with in terms of the number of patients, particularly - without having to postpone more of those urgent surgical procedures.\"\n\nAbout a third of in-patients now have Covid-19\n\nHe assures me the cancelled cancer operations are being quickly rescheduled, but adds that whether they take place soon depends on beds being available. It is worth stressing, though, that most cancer treatment is unaffected by coronavirus. I was shown around a brand new cancer centre, near the Royal.\n\nAlison Taylor, an acute oncology nurse consultant, says people with potential symptoms should seek help. \"We are open for business. We will investigate and get patients to treatment as quickly as possible. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are continuing as normal.\"\n\nThe public may not be clapping for carers anymore, but every patient I meet speaks with reverence about the medical staff treating them, especially the nurses. Staff here understand why so many are tired of limits placed on their lives and livelihoods.\n\nLiverpool was the first part of England to go into \"tier three\", the highest level of restrictions, on 14 October. Since then, infection rates in the city have declined. But the government's medical advisers have said the measures are not enough to bring the outbreak under control.\n\n\"If you don't listen to us, if you don't adhere to those restrictions, you will harm your friends,\" says Dr Zuzan. \"You will harm your family, your neighbours, and you might even harm yourself.\"\n\nOn a Covid ward at Aintree Hospital, I meet Jay Madden who was working on a novel before he was admitted to hospital. The 44-year-old ended up with blood clots on his lungs. Keen to get home to his wife and two children, his breathing is still laboured. A Covid-19 infection is, he says, like a random hand of cards: it could be nothing or you could end up in hospital.\n\n\"Keep your mask on, keep your distance and keep yourself clean. You do not want to go through this.\"\n\nDiane King has been sleeping in a chair at her husband's bedside. Harry, 75, has late-stage Alzheimer's and Covid-19. One cruel condition compounded by another. He has double pneumonia and may have just a few days to live.\n\n\"He keeps asking, 'Can we go home?' but we can't because of the oxygen. I'd love to take him home and be at home with him when it happens,\" says Diane, who couldn't visit for the first 10 days because she also tested positive.\n\nShe has brought in old photos - memories of almost 50 years of marriage.\n\n\"It's very hard. There aren't any words. I just wish… he could communicate a bit more. But on the other hand, I think maybe he doesn't understand, so hopefully he's not worrying.\"\n\nHarry King, who may have just a few days to live, is tended to by his wife Diane\n\nTheir two grown-up children have been to hospital to say farewell to their dad.\n\nLater that day, when we are back in the hospital foyer, I meet Diane again briefly. She's just popping out for some air. She gives me a big smile. It was humbling to meet them both. A wife dedicated to her husband, determined to care for him and be with him, right to the very end.\n\nThe NHS is a cradle to grave service; for the beginning through to the end of life. Boris Johnson says a lockdown in England is needed to prevent a medical and moral disaster. Liverpool is an example of where having to deal with coronavirus, on top of all the usual health demands, has created huge pressures, especially in intensive care.\n\nFor the moment it appears to be a unique example of where demand is threatening to overwhelm supply.\n\nI'm the BBC's medical editor. Since 2004 I have reported on a huge range of topics from cancer, genetics, malaria, and HIV, to the many significant advances in medical science which have improved people's health. I've also followed pandemic threats such as bird flu as well as Sars and Mers. Now I'm focusing on Covid-19 and its immense global impact.", "Animal charities have warned against \"extremely irresponsible\" breeders selling kittens and puppies on Facebook, as demand increases over lockdown.\n\nFacebook guidelines state animals cannot be sold between private individuals.\n\nBut a BBC investigation has revealed puppies and kittens are being advertised through the platform.\n\nCharities warned the animals may be sick, too young or it could be a scam.\n\n\"We know that there are lots of unscrupulous breeders and sellers out there who exploit social media and classified websites in order to sell puppies and kittens without arousing suspicion,\" a spokesperson said.\n\nPeople should consider adopting from a rescue centre first, or follow its advice on buying dogs and cats - including seeing where the animal was bred, the charity added.\n\nIn closed Facebook groups, some pedigree breeds were advertised for over £1,000.\n\nOne public post advertised \"long-haired doll-face Persian\" kittens as \"ready to go\" and asking interested buyers to get in touch.\n\nSome kittens and puppies were also offered for \"worldwide delivery\".\n\nOne post, selling ragdoll kittens, specified gloves and a mask must be worn on collection, due to Covid-19 restrictions.\n\n\"A £150 deposit (non-refundable) will secure the kitten, updated pics until collection day,\" it added.\n\nFacebook said it was investigating examples the BBC had sent, and encouraged users to report any posts they saw.\n\n\"We do not allow the sale of animals on Facebook including in private groups, and when we find this type content we take it down,\" a spokesperson added.\n\nThis comes as coronavirus lockdown has led to an increased demand for new pets.\n\nIn April, The Kennel Club, one of the UK's biggest dog welfare organisations said searches for puppies on its website had doubled between February and March as the restrictions were announced.\n\nPrices of kittens and puppies sold online have risen into the thousands.\n\nBut scam reporting service Action Fraud said con artists were advertising online with pictures of pets to buy, and asking for a deposit even though they had none to sell.\n\nVictims had lost more than £280,000 in two months, it said.\n\nMeanwhile, charities including Battersea Dogs Home, Cats Protection and the RSPCA have also warned against people rushing into getting a new pet.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThere are concerns that as life returns to normal and people spend less time at home, pets will be abandoned.\n\n\"The pandemic has created the ideal conditions for unscrupulous pet sellers to thrive, as they appear to have a credible reason for not allowing buyers to view the kitten with their mother first,\" Cats Protection's head of advocacy, Jacqui Cuff, said.\n\n\"Sadly, we fear there are many underage kittens being sold on Facebook by vendors who are impatient to make a quick profit. These kittens can go on to have serious, life-threatening illnesses or be so poorly socialised that they're not suitable as pets.\"\n\nMany new kittens or puppies come from farms, in inhumane conditions, which is why its important to view the animal with its mother.\n\nPuppies or kittens should be seen with their mother before buying (library photo)\n\nOne of the challenges for Facebook was that this activity happened in closed groups and it relied on individual users to report it, the Pet Advertising Advisory Group said.\n\nIt has published a list of minimum standards for websites that sell animals - including automated removal of adverts with blacklisted words, banning vendors who post illegal adverts and including a recent photograph of the animal.\n\nThe group said it had met Facebook to discuss the \"illegal and inappropriate adverts\" but as the platform does not filter posts before they are published, \"it is unlikely that Facebook could or would\" apply the same standards.", "Boris Johnson has come under fire for reportedly telling a virtual meeting of Conservative MPs that devolution had been a \"disaster\" in Scotland.\n\nMr Johnson also reportedly described it as predecessor Tony Blair's \"biggest mistake\".\n\nThe SNP and Labour have both criticised the prime minister.\n\nBut Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said Mr Johnson has \"always supported devolution\".\n\n\"What he does feel strongly, and I would agree, is that devolution in Scotland has facilitated the rise of separatism and nationalism in the form of the SNP, and that that's trying to break apart the United Kingdom,\" he told BBC Breakfast.\n\n\"Anybody, like the prime minister, who loves the UK wants to keep it together thinks that that's a very, very dangerous and disappointing outcome that we need to battle against.\"\n\nMr Johnson was in a Zoom meeting with Tory MPs representing dozens of seats in northern England on Monday when he is said to have made the remarks.\n\nThe Sun newspaper reported the PM had told the MPs \"devolution has been a disaster north of the border\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSNP MP Drew Henry said the prime minister's comments \"underline the contempt that Boris Johnson and the Scottish Tories have for the people of Scotland\".\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast he said: \"Effectively what they are saying is it's alright for Scotland to have devolution as long as they vote for the Westminster party we want them to.\"\n\nDevolution is the name for the way powers once held by the government in Westminster have been passed to elected groups in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nDevolved powers include health, housing, fire services, some areas of transport and education. However, Scotland has always had its own education system and a separate legal system.\n\nThe UK government, based in London, has kept many powers, such as defence, foreign policy and most forms of tax.\n\nPublic votes about devolution were held in 1997 in Scotland and Wales, and in both parts of Ireland in 1998, as part of the Good Friday Agreement. It led to the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly.\n\nSome parts of England have directly-elected mayors, who also have devolved powers. The mayor of London, for example, is responsible for transport and policing in the capital.\n\nFormer Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour government brought in devolution for Scotland in 1999, including the setting up of a parliament in Edinburgh.\n\nA Downing Street source said: \"The PM has always supported devolution, but Tony Blair failed to foresee the rise of separatists in Scotland.\n\n\"Devolution is great - but not when it's used by separatists and nationalists to break up the UK.\"\n\nThis comes six months before vital elections right across the UK, important particularly in Scotland, just when the SNP has been starting to warm up its campaign, and just when discussions about how the UK government ought to respond are taking place too.\n\nIt is one thing - and, of course, legitimate - for political rivals to criticise each other. But to suggest the way that Scotland has been run for more than a decade is a \"disaster\" is quite another.\n\nAnd the worry among Scottish Tories is the implication that Boris Johnson's understanding of the political situation is far from complete.\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross insisted the prime minister \"believes in devolution\", adding: \"I'm saying very clearly devolution is not the problem.\"\n\nIn an interview with BBC Scotland, Mr Ross said: \"The problem has been the SNP government's obsession with separating Scotland from rest of the UK.\n\n\"My efforts are focused on holding the SNP government to account, because they have failed.\n\n\"Any other discussion is a distraction from the key aim that we have to do to improve services right across the country.\n\n\"These are all services that the SNP have been in charge of and in control of for thirteen and half years.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nElections for the Scottish Parliament take place next May. The SNP is currently the largest party with 61 MSPs and the Conservative Party is the second-largest with 31 - eight seats ahead of Labour.\n\nMs Sturgeon's SNP says a second referendum on independence - following Scotland's vote against it in 2014 - should happen if her party wins. But Mr Johnson has ruled this out.\n\nIn response to Mr Johnson's reported remarks to Tory MPs, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: \"Worth bookmarking these PM comments for the next time Tories say they're not a threat to the powers of the Scottish Parliament - or, even more incredibly, that they support devolving more powers.\"\n\nThe SNP is seeking a mandate for another independence referendum in May's election\n\nShe added that the \"only way to protect and strengthen\" the Scottish Parliament was through independence for Scotland.\n\nBut the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross, tweeted: \"Devolution has not been a disaster. The SNP's non-stop obsession with another referendum - above jobs, schools and everything else - has been a disaster.\"\n\nScottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the \"Neanderthal\" reported remarks made by the PM \"expose the underlying thinking and philosophy in Downing Street\".\n\nHe told BBC News the comments were \"reminiscent of the voices of Thatcherism and Majorism of the 1980s and 1990s, which were steadfastly opposed to devolution\".\n\n\"In my view, what Boris Johnson is doing is defying the popular will of the people of Scotland, and I don't think that's a very good place for any prime minister to be in.\"\n\nLiberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, who served as Scottish secretary during the coalition government, said Boris Johnson \"is not making it easier to resist the demands for another independence referendum\".\n\nHe added that the prime minister was a \"bigger threat to the continuation of the United Kingdom than Nicola Sturgeon or Alex Salmond could ever hope to be\".\n\nIt has been suggested by some taking part in the MPs' Zoom meeting that Mr Johnson was answering a question that had been put to him about devolution in England.", "Users reported the app getting \"stuck\" at the logo screen when launched\n\nThe NHS Covid-19 app has stopped working for many iPhone owners, who are unable to get it to launch.\n\nUsers report being stuck at a blue loading screen with the contact-tracing app's logo - but nothing else happens.\n\nThe NHS has published a workaround for the problem in its help files, but has not said what caused the problem or when it will be fixed.\n\nApple does not believe the problem is at its end, since it has not seen the issue arise in other countries' apps.\n\nMany different nations use the same underlying technology, which is designed by Apple and Google, to notify users if they were recently near to someone who subsequently tested positive for the virus.\n\nSome users have deleted and reinstalled the app to fix the fault, but that deletes useful information - this includes a log of venues the user has checked into via QR barcode scans.\n\nThe NHS's workaround instead asks users to reset their iPhone's location and privacy settings. It also recommends users have the most up-to-date version of Apple's iOS operating system downloaded and installed.\n\nBut carrying out the reset prevents all apps on the handset from using the device's location until they are granted permission again.\n\nSome users have said they fixed the problem by force-quitting the app - which can be done by flicking the frozen screen up and off the display - and then re-launching it.\n\nThe problem first emerged last week, but complaints became more frequent over the weekend and into Monday.\n\nThe cause, however, remains unclear.\n\nIn a statement, the Department of Health and Social Care said it was aware of the issue.\n\n\"The app is still scanning, even if the screen appears blue,\" it said.\n\n\"There are simple steps iPhone users can take to resolve this issue, which are set out on the app's website, and work is underway to identify the cause.\n\n\"Users experiencing this issue should make sure their Apple iOS is updated to the latest version of the software.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. In comments before his suspension from Labour, Jeremy Corbyn said anti-Semitism complaints numbers were \"exaggerated\"\n\nLabour has suspended Jeremy Corbyn from the party over his reaction to a highly critical report on anti-Semitism.\n\nThe human rights watchdog found Labour responsible for \"unlawful\" harassment and discrimination during Mr Corbyn's four-and-a-half years as leader.\n\nBut he later said the scale of anti-Semitism within Labour had been \"dramatically overstated\" by opponents.\n\nA Labour spokesman said Mr Corbyn was being suspended \"for a failure to retract\" his words.\n\nMr Corbyn reacted by calling the move \"political\" and promised to \"strongly contest\" it.\n\nThe suspension will remain in place while the party carries out an investigation into his remarks.\n\nSir Keir Starmer, who became Labour leader in April, said the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's (EHRC) report had brought \"a day of shame\" for the party.\n\nIt found Labour responsible for three breaches of the Equality Act:\n\nThe EHRC found evidence of 23 instances of \"inappropriate involvement\" by Mr Corbyn's office.\n\nSir Keir, who served under Mr Corbyn as shadow Brexit secretary, promised to implement the report's recommendations \"as soon as possible in the New Year\".\n\nThis seems not to have been a deliberately designed collision between the current party boss and his predecessor.\n\nBut this was an explosive political parting of ways, provoked in part by Mr Corbyn's trademark determination not to bend.\n\nThis is an attribute admired by many of his devotees, a frustration abhorred by his detractors and a sadness to those in Labour who believe it coloured the party's handling of anti-Semitism.\n\nFor Sir Keir, this episode does, perhaps by accident rather than design, prove beyond doubt his slogan - Labour is under new leadership - to be true.\n\nResponding to the EHRC's findings, Mr Corbyn said he was \"always determined to eliminate all forms of racism\".\n\nHe claimed his team had \"acted to speed up, not hinder the process\" and that the scale of anti-Semitism within Labour had been \"dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party\".\n\nThe party said this was \"in light of his comments\" and \"his failure to retract them subsequently\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMr Corbyn, Labour leader from 2015 until this year, reacted on Twitter, promising to \"strongly contest the political intervention to suspend me\".\n\nHe said those who denied the party had an anti-Semitism problem were \"wrong\" and he would \"continue to support a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of racism\".\n\nIn an interview, Mr Corbyn did not retract his earlier comments and said: \"I'll be appealing to the party and those who made the decision to kindly think again.\"\n\n10:00 GMT The EHRC releases its report saying Labour acted unlawfully over anti-Semitism\n\n10:36 Jeremy Corbyn says there was an anti-Semitism problem in the party, but it was \"dramatically overstated\"\n\n11:07 Sir Keir Starmer says those who think anti-Semitism is \"exaggerated or a factional attack\" are \"part of the problem\"\n\n11:15 Sir Keir is repeatedly asked if he will expel Mr Corbyn for \"exaggerated\" comments - he says the report did not name individuals and repeats his previous statement\n\n12:15 Mr Corbyn records an interview, to be released at 13:00, disagreeing with a number of the report's points and repeating that the number of anti-Semitism cases is \"exaggerated\"\n\nSir Keir defended the decision to suspend Mr Corbyn, saying: \"We cannot say 'zero tolerance' and then turn a blind eye.\"\n\nHe added: \"I was very disappointed in Jeremy Corbyn's statement and appropriate action has been taken, which I fully support.\"\n\nSir Keir said would not \"interfere\" with the party's internal investigation into Mr Corbyn's statement.\n\nLabour has been plagued by accusations of anti-Semitism since 2016, with a number of MPs quitting the party in protest while Mr Corbyn was leader.\n\nJewish Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge said: \"[The suspension] is the right decision following Corbyn's shameful reaction to the EHRC report.\"\n\nThe party was \"finally saying enough is enough, anti-Semitism can never be tolerated\", she added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Speaking before he was suspended, Ex-Labour MP Luciana Berger accuses Mr Corbyn of anti-Semitism\n\nLabour deputy leader Angela Rayner told BBC Radio 4's World at One: \"Jeremy is a thoroughly decent man, but he has an absolute blind spot and a denial when it comes to some of these issues.\"\n\nBut groups on the left of the Labour movement attacked the decision to suspend him.\n\nThe Socialist Campaign Group said it \"firmly\" opposed the move, adding: \"We will work tirelessly for his reinstatement.\"\n\nAnd Momentum, among Mr Corbyn's strongest backers, said: \"It is a massive attack on the left by the new leadership and should be immediately lifted in the interests of party unity.\"\n\nFor the Conservatives, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove has written to Sir Keir, saying he \"seemingly found it much harder to find the moral character and backbone to do what was right\" while serving in the shadow cabinet under Mr Corbyn.\n\nThe EHRC launched its investigation last year after receiving a number of complaints from organisations and individuals, including the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism and the Jewish Labour Movement.", "British Airways is to launch a voluntary Covid-19 test for passengers travelling to the UK from three US airports.\n\nThe airline wants to persuade governments that testing travellers will make quarantining unnecessary.\n\nAmerican Airlines is also taking part in the trial, which follows a similar effort by United Airlines.\n\nThe government is looking at how testing can reduce the time travellers to the UK need to self-isolate.\n\nBritish Airways owner IAG has long criticised the 14-day quarantine imposed on arrivals, saying it deters people from flying and damages airlines.\n\nIt is also trying to convince the US government to open its borders to travellers from the UK, who have been barred since March.\n\nThe trial begins on 25 November and will be free to eligible customers on three flights:\n\nCustomers will be tested 72 hours before their trip, as well as during and after travelling.\n\nIf they test positive before travelling, they will have to reschedule or cancel their flight, but will be able to rebook at a later date without a fee.\n\nThe trial will run to mid-December, and British Airways would like to test 500 passengers.\n\nBoss chief executive Sean Doyle, who was parachuted into the role in October, said: \"If we have a testing formula it gives people certainty from which they can plan.\"\n\nHe added that he was \"confident\" the airline would demonstrate that a test three days before flying would make quarantining unnecessary.\n\nHeathrow is already offering rapid coronavirus tests for people travelling to destinations where proof of a negative result is required on arrival.\n\nIt comes as airlines struggle with a massive slump in demand that has cost the industry $84.3bn (£64bn) in lost sales globally this year.\n\nThe UK government has set up a taskforce to look at how tests could reduce the quarantine period for people flying to the UK, but it says travellers would still need to isolate for a number of days.\n\nA Department for Transport spokesperson said: \"The government's Global Travel Taskforce is working at pace, with clinicians, devolved administrations and the travel industry to develop measures as quickly as possible to protect air connectivity and consider how testing could be used to reduce the self-isolation period.\"", "The Scottish government has published the protection levels that will apply in each local authority area in Scotland from 20 and 24 November, alongside evidence and analysis informing these decisions.\n\nIf you have Covid-19 symptoms go immediately to NHS Inform online or phone 0800 028 2816 to book a test\n\nThe latest from NHS Scotland and the Scottish government, including social distancing, face covering and stay at home advice.\n\n5. The ready.scot website has been updated with the latest help and advice and the helpline number remains: 0800 111 4000\n\nIt's ok to not feel yourself right now, and the Scottish government has some great tips to help get you through these difficult times.\n• Level 4 lockdown to be imposed in 11 council areas\n• Is your area going into the toughest level?\n• Police to enforce travel ban in level 3 and 4 areas\n• What are the latest lockdown rules?", "EasyJet has reported its first annual loss in the airline's 25-year history as the coronavirus crisis continues to affect the travel industry deeply.\n\nThe airline posted a loss of £1.27bn for the year to 30 September as revenues more than halved.\n\nEasyJet added that it expected to fly at just 20% of normal capacity into next year.\n\nThe pandemic has hit airlines hard, with lockdowns and restrictions cutting the number of people travelling.\n\nHowever, EasyJet welcomed the possibility of a Covid-19 vaccine being rolled out, and said underlying demand was strong for air travel.\n\nChief executive Johan Lundgren told BBC Radio 4's Today programme said that the recent developments on Covid vaccines \"certainly is good news, because we know that is going to be a very critical part of the recovery\".\n\n\"But I don't think it's only about the vaccine, I think it's also about the fact that we need to have testing in place, we need to have also refined development of the quarantine system,\" he added.\n\n\"We know that people want to travel. On the news of the vaccine last Monday, bookings were up close to 50%, so it just gives evidence to the fact that any good news that comes out of here makes people more confident making bookings going forward.\"\n\nEasyJet's revenues plunged due to government travel restrictions in most of its markets, the airline said.\n\nThese included full national lockdowns, which led the airline to ground its entire fleet for 11 weeks.\n\nThere was some recovery in demand in the summer as lockdowns were eased, but widespread quarantine restrictions in September once again eroded demand, it said.\n\nThe news on possible vaccines may be good, but EasyJet is still hunkering down for a long, hard winter, running a fifth of its normal schedule.\n\nThe airline was one of the original standard bearers for low-budget aviation in Europe. Its business model has always been focused on cost control.\n\nEven so, it has had to cut its outgoings aggressively in order to save cash. A tight belt has become even tighter - although deals with unions allowed it to tone down plans for sweeping redundancies.\n\nThe simple fact is that if airlines can't fly, they can't make money, and even a relatively lean operation like EasyJet will burn through cash.\n\nBut there is one positive. The airline believes that passengers still want to fly and demand will be there once travel restrictions have been removed.\n\nThe pandemic has put great pressure on EasyJet's finances, forcing it to take on more debt, go to shareholders for extra cash, and sell dozens of its aircraft.\n\nMr Lundgren said that in the near future EasyJet should not need more than the £3bn it has already raised.\n\n\"No, we think we're in a good position at this moment in time,\" he told the Today programme.\n\n\"But we always also said that we're going to continue to review all the options that are out there to make sure we can cope with the circumstances, and you know, there's still a lot of uncertainty about when the recovery is going to take place.\"\n\nEasyJet has been making use of UK government support, borrowing £600m in April.\n\nThe airline said on Tuesday that after talks with the Bank of England and the Treasury, it would extend its borrowing under the government Corporate Finance Facility scheme, and stagger repayments.\n\nEasyJet's results \"show the stark reality of a global pandemic on a once profitable airline,\" said Julie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor.\n\n\"With the vaccine offering light at the end of a very long tunnel EasyJet will have to navigate its way through a lengthy winter saddled with considerable debt.\"\n\nThe airline's management \"has administered some tough medicine\" she said, including cutting its workforce and \"even flying its planes slower to reduce its fuel bill\".\n\n\"However, if EasyJet can keep its head above water it could really fly in the second half of 2021 as pent up consumer demand fuels a return to foreign holidays,\" Ms Palmer added.", "Downing Street says the prime minister and MP Lee Anderson were standing \"side by side\" and observed guidelines and distancing advice during their meeting with on Thursday\n\nBoris Johnson, six Tory MPs and two political aides are self-isolating after a breakfast meeting inside Downing Street last Thursday.\n\nOne of the MPs, Lee Anderson, later tested positive for Covid-19, and on Sunday the prime minister was told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace.\n\nIn a video from No 10, Mr Johnson urged others to \"follow the rules\" if contacted by the system.\n\nThe PM's official spokesman insisted that Downing Street is \"Covid-secure\".\n\nHe said \"social distancing did happen\" but factors such as the length of the meeting were considered by Test and Trace.\n\nMr Johnson, who was admitted to intensive care with coronavirus seven months ago, spent about 35 minutes with Mr Anderson - who lost his sense of taste the day after the meeting.\n\nThe five other MPs self-isolating following the meeting with \"Red Wall\" Tories include:\n\nMr Johnson's spokesman declined to name the aides but suggested they were not Lee Cain or Dominic Cummings, who left Downing Street last week.\n\nJacob Young, MP for Redcar, is also self-isolating - but said he was not at the meeting - while Basingstoke MP Maria Miller has said she is self-isolating after having been contacted by Test and Trace.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister was right to self-isolate as \"it is important for all of us to say that we have got to comply with the advice and guidance\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Boris Johnson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe PM's period of isolation began as the government prepares a policy relaunch.\n\nDowning Street said a series of \"critical announcements\" would this week detail Mr Johnson's \"ambitions for the United Kingdom\".\n\nMr Johnson will chair \"key Covid meetings\" and work with Chancellor Rishi Sunak to devise the upcoming spending review with an aim to fulfil his promise to \"build back better\".\n\nThe prime minister had been expected to lead a No 10 news conference on Monday but Health Secretary Matt Hancock took his place.\n\nHowever, Mr Johnson is hoping to take part in Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons virtually, Downing Street said.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Hancock said the prime minister's self-isolation would make no difference to the amount of work he would be able to do \"driving forward the agenda\".\n\nAsked if the PM and Mr Anderson followed social distancing rules during their meeting, he said there were rules \"around Downing Street being a Covid-secure workplace\".\n\nHe added: \"The central point is that it doesn't matter who you are, if you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told to self-isolate that is what you must do.\"\n\nPhotos of Mr Johnson and several Tory MPs show them standing close together. The prime minister had to self-isolate after one of them, Mr Anderson, developed Covid symptoms.\n\nGuidelines for offices require social distancing of 2m (6ft), or 1m plus precautions such as frequent cleaning and one-way systems where that is not possible.\n\nNo 10 is yet to respond to a request from BBC Reality Check for details of the Covid-secure guidelines in Downing Street.\n\nBut the PM's spokesman said \"social distancing did happen\" and that the picture shows Mr Johnson and Mr Anderson \"stood side-by-side, rather than face-to-face\".\n\nHowever, Test and Trace guidance defines a close contact as someone you spent more than 15 minutes with at a distance of under 2m. Mr Johnson's meeting with Mr Anderson lasted about 35 minutes and he would therefore be required to self-isolate if they were not more than 2m apart.\n\nIn his video posted on Twitter, the PM said: \"The good news is that NHS Test and Trace is working ever-more efficiently, but the bad news is that they've pinged me and I've got to self-isolate because someone I was in contact with a few days ago has developed Covid.\n\n\"It doesn't matter that we were all doing social distancing, it doesn't matter that I'm fit as a butcher's dog, feel great.\n\n\"And actually, it doesn't matter that I've had the disease and I'm bursting with antibodies. We've got to interrupt the spread of the disease and one of the ways we can do that now is by self-isolating for 14 days when contacted by Test and Trace.\"\n\nAccording to No 10, the prime minister has had at least one antibody test for coronavirus.\n\nIt remains unclear what effect, if any, previously having the coronavirus has on a person's immunity but experts think reinfection is likely to be rare, BBC health correspondent James Gallagher has reported.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, said there have been more than 25 confirmed cases of Covid-19 reinfection globally.\n\nHe added: \"I think most of us think the rate of reinfection is quite a lot higher than that, but not enormous.\"\n\nSelf-isolation means staying at home and not leaving it - even to buy food, medicines or other essentials, or for exercise.\n\nIf you are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS Covid-19 app, you must self-isolate for 14 days from the day you were last in contact with the person who tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nAnd if you develop symptoms during the 14 day period, you should get a test as soon as possible.\n\nIf the result is negative, you should continue isolating for the rest of the 14 days.\n\nIf positive, you should self-isolate for at least another 10 days from when your symptoms started.\n\nOn Thursday, Mr Anderson, the Conservative MP for Ashfield, posted a photo of himself with Mr Johnson at No 10 alongside the words: \"Breakfast with the PM.\"\n\nOn Sunday, he posted on his Facebook page to say he was self-isolating with his wife, who is clinically vulnerable, after they both tested positive.\n\nThe PM wrote on Twitter on Sunday night that he had been notified by NHS Test and Trace that he must self-isolate as he had been in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus, and he would be working from No 10.\n\nThe new policy plans follow the dramatic departure of the PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings last week.\n\nOver the weekend, senior Tory MPs said his exit was a chance to \"reset government\" and a series of announcements are planned for this week, including the government's 10-point plan for a \"green industrial revolution\"\n\nA meeting between the PM and the Northern Research Group of backbench Tory MPs is scheduled to take place via online video conference later on Monday.\n\nAnd talks over a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU have resumed in Brussels.\n\nMeanwhile, in other coronavirus developments:\n\nThe UK government announced another 24,962 confirmed Covid cases on Sunday, as well as a further 168 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.", "The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been accused by two former umpires of \"institutionalised racism\", in the latest allegations to surface in the sport.\n\nJohn Holder, who officiated in Test and one-day international matches, said it looked \"more than suspicious\" he had not received a reply from the ECB when offering to be a mentor.\n\nIsmail Dawood, meanwhile, said he had heard racist language used in front of senior ECB staff, which went unchallenged.\n\nThe pair have asked for an independent investigation from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) \"to challenge organisations like the ECB\".\n\nFormer wicketkeeper Dawood, who played county cricket for Worcestershire, Glamorgan and Yorkshire before becoming an umpire, said he had \"absolutely no trust or confidence in the ECB\" and the organisation is a \"complete mess\".\n\nThe last black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) umpire to be added to the ECB's first-class list was Vanburn Holder 28 years ago. There have been none since his retirement in 2010.\n\nBBC Sport understands a person who used discriminatory language in front of senior managers was suspended, but cleared of wrongdoing.\n\nDawood, who stood on the ECB reserve list and umpired first-class matches, said: \"If that sort of language was used elsewhere, people would lose their jobs.\n\n\"I have absolutely no trust or confidence in the ECB. All the way down to the grassroots it is a complete mess and that is why we need it to be investigated. Do I want to be part of an organisation that is a complete mess? No.\n\n\"In one performance review, I was told: 'Fine judgements must be made about who best fits in.'\n\n\"The complaints we have made shows the institutionalised, structured racism as well as discrimination, cronyism, bullying and dishonesty that has been part of our lives being involved in the ECB.\"\n\nHolder, meanwhile, says he raised the issue but had not received a response to his email.\n\nAsked if he believes there is institutionalised racism at the ECB, he said: \"I have no reason to doubt that there is.\n\n\"Several non-white umpires have made enquiries about going on the first-class umpires panel, or becoming a mentor or liaison officer, and none have progressed.\"\n\nAn ECB spokesperson told BBC Sport: \"We will not tolerate racism.\n\n\"Since 2015 we have made real progress across many areas to become a more inclusive and diverse sport, including implementing our targeted action plan to engage South Asian communities, introducing the Rooney Rule for elite coaching appointments and providing training for staff and reforming the way we recruit.\n\n\"Equality is at the heart of our game-wide strategic plan, Inspiring Generations, which is designed to make cricket a game for everyone.\n\n\"However, we fully recognise we have a long way to go to drive out discrimination from our sport. Alongside the learnings and the action we have already taken in this space through this summer, the ECB holds its November board meeting next week, where our continued work around inclusion and diversity will be discussed and further actions agreed.\"\n\nTheir allegations come following Azeem Rafiq's claim of \"institutional racism\" at his former club Yorkshire, who have opened an inquiry.\n\nAnd, earlier this year, former England batsman Michael Carberry said he does not \"expect anything\" from the ECB in fighting racism, which he says is \"rife\" in the sport.\n\nDawood said: \"There are systematic blockages which have been put in place by the ECB and will be kept in place if they are not thoroughly investigated.\n\n\"We are having minimal representation of BAME cricket players, coaches, umpire/officials, CEOs. The list goes on. This is from the grassroots level upwards. The barriers that Asian or black people have is far greater than non-BAME people.\n\n\"Some of the stories coming out this year have been harrowing. People are not coming out and talking and making things up, so we want the Equality and Human Rights Commission to look into sport as a whole but cricket is our sport.\n\n\"We implore the EHRC to look into the structures of the ECB and put them under investigation. They need to challenge organisations like the ECB to act, we don't want words, we have had lots of words, we want action.\"\n\nIn its statement, the ECB added: \"Earlier this year, we commissioned a full independent employment investigation into allegations made against an individual, and while these were not upheld, the investigation did identify areas where we need to be better and do more to be inclusive and diverse.\n\n\"The ECB has now commissioned a review, with board oversight, to look at how we can reform our approach to managing match officials.\n\n\"This will set out actions as to how we can improve our systems and processes to increase the diversity of umpiring, inspire the next generation of umpires and match referees, have a world-class umpiring programme and ensure a culture of inclusivity and fairness throughout the umpiring system.\"\n• None Is the new Xbox console worth the money?", "Lewis Hamilton's been named the most influential black person in the UK.\n\nDays after winning Formula One's World Championship for a record-equalling seventh time, he's topped the Powerlist 2021.\n\nThe list honours the most powerful people of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage in the UK.\n\nThis year, there's been a special focus on two of the biggest themes of 2020 - coronavirus and racial injustice.\n\nThe independent judging panel looked at people who have the \"ability to change lives and alter events, as demonstrated over a protracted period of time and in a positive manner\".\n\nThe award is not just for his awesome driving ability. He's Formula 1's only black driver and has been very vocal in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, especially since the death of George Floyd.\n\nBack in June, he encouraged his fellow F1 drivers to take a knee before races - and has launched The Hamilton Commission, aiming to increase the number of black people in motor racing.\n\nAfter grabbing the top spot on the list, he said: \"I am so proud to be acknowledged, especially within the black community\".\n\n\"I like to think that I'm just a part of a chain of many people trying to push for change.\"\n\nIn the year that Covid-19 has changed our lives - Professor Kevin Fenton has been at the forefront of the fight.\n\nHe is the Regional Director of Public Health England (PHE) and has been recognised for his work helping London to fight against the virus.\n\nHe also helped with the government review in to the impact of coronavirus on BAME communities.\n\nThe review confirmed coronavirus kills people from ethnic minorities at disproportionately high rates.\n\nThis year, Stormzy pledged to donate £10m to UK organisations to fight racial inequality.\n\nThe first donation of £500,000 went to The Black Heart Foundation - funding higher education for people from underprivileged backgrounds.\n\nIn 2018, Stormzy announced a scholarship to fund two black students at Cambridge University\n\nMichaela caused shockwaves with the BBC series I May Destroy - a totally fresh, original and unapologetic look at young black lives - which she wrote, directed and starred in.\n\nIt charts the fallout from a sexual assault which occurs after Arabella - played by Coel - has her drink spiked.\n\nMichaela has previously revealed she was a victim of sexual assault herself\n\nMichaela has previously revealed she was a victim of sexual assault herself.\n\nThe Guardian described it as \"an extraordinary, breathtaking achievement without a false note in it, shot through with humour and with ideas, talent and character to burn at every perfectly plotted turn.\"\n\nThe Editor-In-Chief of British Vogue and an advocate for better representation in the fashion industry.\n\nHe is the only black editor in history to lead any Vogue magazine.\n\nThis year, he focused Vogue's September issue on activism- it featured powerful black-and-white images of activists including Marcus Rashford and Adwoa Aboah.\n\nDame Donna Kinnair is the head of the Royal College of Nursing.\n\nDuring the pandemic, she pushed for better protection for NHS workers, including more testing and more consideration in to the risks that ethnic minority nurses may face.\n\nThe Windrush scandal saw hundreds of Caribbean immigrants wrongly threatened with deportation by the UK Home Office.\n\nIt uncovered systemic racism and ignorance behind the treatment of people who had spent most of lives working in the UK.\n\nOne of the most vocal people behind the fight for justice is Jacqueline McKenzie.\n\nShe's known as the 'Windrush Lawyer' and represents over 200 of the victims.\n\nAt least nine people died before receiving their Windrush compensation, according to Home Office figures\n\nHe presents BAFTA award-winning Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners and is author of Black and British.\n\nHis work mostly explores the complex relationship between the British empire and Africa.\n\nAs a journalist and broadcaster, Afua has always used her platform to write and speak on important issues in the black community.\n\nYou might remember her asking: \"Why should we trust Boris?\" on Question Time last year.\n\nShe's also author of Brit(ish) - a book on race, identity and belonging.\n\nHe is Vice-Chair of KPMG - a massive accounting organisation and has been on the list for three years in a row now.\n\nThe Powerlist 2021 featured loads of other influential black Brits, including:\n\nJust as likely to be appear on the front pages as back pages of newspapers these days.\n\nDuring the pandemic, the Manchester United star campaigned for disadvantaged children to get free school meals over the summer and Christmas holidays.\n\nHis campaign led to the government reversing their decision on providing meals, twice.\n\nRashford has now launched a book club to promote childrens' reading\n\nFun fact - he is also co-owner of Crepes and Cones - Krept and Konan's restaurant.\n\nThe fastest woman in British history and the first British woman to win a major global sprint title.\n\nShe was hoping to win gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "Sia, Ed Sheeran and Tones And I all made the top 10\n\nAustralian pop star Tones And I has the most-Shazamed song of all time, with her 2019 breakout hit Dance Monkey.\n\nMore than 200 million people a month use the Shazam app to identify songs they have heard but don't know the names of.\n\nDance Monkey, which was written about the singer's experiences of busking in Byron Bay, has been Shazamed 36.6 million times, the company said.\n\nSecond place went to Lilly Wood & The Prick's 2014 hit Prayer In C.\n\nTones And I, the stage name of singer-songwriter Toni Watson, said the app had been invaluable for her career.\n\n\"I didn't have a following when I released Dance Monkey, but [Shazam] gave me the opportunity to reach more people and elevate my fanbase, which has all led to creating a career for myself,\" she said in a statement.\n\nDance Monkey spent 11 weeks at number one in the UK at the end of last year, and topped the charts in 29 other countries. It also holds the record for the most Shazamed song in a single day.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Tones And I This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. End of youtube video by Tones And I\n\nShazam's all-time chart shows that dance music and quirky pop are the most commonly searched-for genres, with Avicii's Wake Me Up and OMI's Cheerleader both ranking highly.\n\nFour of the top 10 are one-hit wonders, including Gotye's 2012 chart-topper Somebody That I Used To Know and Passenger's Let Her Go, from 2013.\n\nOn the other hand, Ed Sheeran appears three times in the top 20, meaning some people heard Thinking Out Loud being played for the millionth time and wondered, \"Who sings that one again?\"\n\nSheeran ties with The Weeknd for the most entries in the overall top 100, with four each, while Sia, Sam Smith, Clean Bandit and Imagine Dragons have three apiece.\n\nThe top 20 looks like this:\n\nThe full top 100 is available on Apple Music.\n\nShazam's technology works by analysing the unique sonic fingerprint of a song - and matches the audio you send via your phone to the music in its database.\n\nWhen it launched in 2002, it was called 2580 - the phone number users dialled to access the service.\n\nAt the time, it had one million songs in its database and took 15 seconds to process a user's request - sending the results back via text message.\n\nToday, it can take as little as two seconds to comb through tens of millions songs, and can cope with remixes, background noise and cover versions.\n\nThe company first turned a profit in 2016 and was sold to Apple for a reported $400m (£302m) a year later.\n\nApple's hope was that the app would drive users to its streaming service, Apple Music. The user data would also give them insight into the music people were listening to, which could be used to influence playlists and the songs promoted on its homepage.\n\nSince then, Apple Music's subscriber base has topped 60 million, putting it in second place to Spotify.\n\nShazam has recently launched a Discovery Top 50 playlist, which shows the songs being searched for around the world. The UK chart is currently led by I Can't Remember Love, a smoky piano ballad that features in the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.\n• None Pop music is getting faster (and happier)", "A \"super majority\" of Senedd members would be needed to pass the legislation\n\nThe Senedd election could be delayed by up to six months as a \"final resort\" to deal with coronavirus.\n\nWelsh Government ministers will consider introducing legislation in the new year \"if the situation after Christmas suggests we will need to do this\".\n\nBut the first minister said it remained the government's \"clear intention to hold the elections on 6 May next year\".\n\nLabour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats have said they would support delaying the election if the Covid-19 situation \"was extremely serious\".\n\nBut the Conservatives and Brexit Party said other countries had gone to the polls during the pandemic.\n\nFollowing discussion with party leaders and Welsh Government ministers, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced officials were working on a draft bill that would give the Senedd's presiding officer, or llywydd, the ability to postpone the election for up to six months.\n\nMr Drakeford said a \"super majority\" of members of the Senedd - 40 out of 60 - would need to vote in favour \"before that power could be exercised\".\n\nSpeaking in the Senedd, he added: \"We are focussed on enabling the election to happen as planned but it would be irresponsible of us not to make plans in case the pandemic is so serious in May of next year where it wouldn't be safe to hold an election.\n\n\"I believe we must pursue every option for enabling people to exercise their democratic right in the face of coronavirus.\"\n\nPaul Davies, the Conservative leader in the Senedd said: \"There's no reason why the elections can't take place on 6 May given that Spain, Poland and South Korea held some elections safely during this pandemic.\"\n\nHe added: \"I accept that we have to put measures in place to make sure these elections are safe and secure.\"\n\nPlaid Cymru leader Adam Price said elections around the world including the United States had taken place but it was \"reasonable that we in Wales should have the ability to respond to all scenarios that may face us\".\n\nLabour backbencher Alun Davies said: \"My view is that the elections must take place in May. This place has sat for too long. It has outlived its term and mandate.\"\n\nAbolish the Assembly MS Mark Reckless said: \"There should be an election on 6 May. There should not be legislation to delay it. It is wrong and we should not do it.\"\n\nOther options include measures to encourage vulnerable voters and others to consider applying for a postal vote and early applications, greater flexibility around the nomination of candidates, postal and proxy voting, and measures to ensure the safe operation of polling stations and count venues.\n\nThe election will be the first time 16 and 17-year-olds are able to vote in Wales and also the first poll since the Welsh assembly was renamed the Welsh Parliament.", "The Public Health Agency said uptake of the vaccine has been higher than ever before.\n\nThere is \"no shortage\" of ordered flu vaccines for Northern Ireland, Health Minister Robin Swann has said.\n\nNI's GP committee had said that Northern Ireland was almost 200,000 doses short of the flu vaccine.\n\nThe chair of NI's GP committee had raised concerns that it would not be possible to complete the vaccination programme for those aged over 65.\n\nBut the Public Health Agency (PHA) now says that this is not the case.\n\nConcerns about a shortage of flu vaccine initially emerged after a meeting of GPs and Public Health Agency representatives last week.\n\nDr Alan Stout, chair of NI's GP committee (NIGPC), then wrote to GPs across Northern Ireland and said he was \"deeply concerned and frustrated\" about a shortfall in flu vaccines.\n\nThe BBC has also learned that after last week's meeting, Dr Stout wrote to the chief medical officer highlighting their concerns over the shortfall of about 200,000 vaccine doses.\n\nIn an email to Dr Michael McBride and seen by BBC News NI Dr Alan Stout said: \"You will see that it is far from satisfactory and puts practices in a very difficult situation and really does put at risk the completion of the flu campaign this year.\n\n\"Is this all consistent with your own understanding?\n\n\"We have a large number of practices with significant numbers of patients still to be vaccinated. We need to get advice to them ASAP about when they can do this and what vaccine they should give. \"\n\nBut on Monday Dr Gerry Waldron from the PHA said there was not a shortage and he hoped the confusion would not deter those coming forward.\n\nLater on Monday Robin Swann also denied there was a shortage and said Northern Ireland had ordered in total 1,050,300 doses for this year.\n\nAs of last Friday, 826,890 doses had been delivered into Northern Ireland, with 601,243 doses delivered to GPs and health trusts.\n\nMr Swann said two further deliveries had arrived in NI on Monday morning, with the total amount of vaccine delivered now standing at 1,019,590 doses.\n\nThirty thousand doses of childhood vaccine still to be delivered are the \"only remaining order outstanding\", he told the assembly.\n\nFrom the outside looking in, things appear a bit of a mess.\n\nHere are two reputable bodies - the Public Health Agency and the NI GP committee - each with their own versions of an important meeting last week.\n\nOn the one hand GPs have said they were left in no doubt of the shortfall; on Sunday the Public Health Agency confirmed in a statement that postponing clinics would \"inconvenience\" GPs. At no point did the PHA challenge or contradict what GPs had told the BBC.\n\nTwenty-four hours on, however, and it is an entirely different story with the PHA adamant that Northern Ireland now has enough vaccine to go around.\n\nThe British Medical Association has reacted saying it is \"delighted\" with the news.\n\nAll of this highlights the importance of clear messaging, especially during a pandemic.\n\nCommunication between health officials and those on the ground needs to be accurate and up to date.\n\nAll of that will go some way in reassuring the public that when it comes to vaccines, those charged with obtaining and delivering them are in complete control of everything that is going on.\n\nThe PHA's Dr Gerry Waldron said for those aged over 65, about 296,000 vaccines are in Northern Ireland and this is \"the full amount that was planned\".\n\n\"It was always anticipated that stock would arrive in planned batches, and with the initial batch of vaccine for under-65s used up extremely quickly, the decision to pause was purely practical, as it was simply not possible to continue to vaccinate until the next planned tranche of vaccine became available,\" Dr Waldron said.\n\nThere are two different flu vaccines available for different age groups\n\nFollowing the clarification from Mr Swann and the PHA, Dr Stout said: \"As of 8am when practices opened this morning they did not know that there was additional flu vaccine available in Northern Ireland.\n\n\"We've only found that out during the course of the day and the only communication that I have got on that is through the press and through the media.\n\n\"It is a good thing that we now know that it is here, but this is part of the confusion, this is part of the problem.\"", "There are \"no plans\" to extend the Christmas break for schools in NI, Education Minister Peter Weir has said.\n\nHe dismissed the possibility that schools could close early for the holiday as a \"rumour\".\n\nNI's current R number has now climbed closer to 1.0 and is expected to rise as the hospitality industry opens up over the next couple of weeks.\n\nAs a result, additional interventions are expected before Christmas, the chief scientific adviser said.\n\nProf Ian Young said the R value had risen in recent weeks due to continued widespread community transmission of the virus.\n\nHe added that additional mitigations will be suggested to the hospitality industry including reducing numbers and increasing ventilation.\n\nMeanwhile the Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride appealed to everyone to continue playing their part despite the fact that the \"virus continues to mess with our heads and our lives\".\n\nDr McBride said he's optimistic that Northern Ireland will begin to vaccinate some people by the end of the year.\n\nEarlier, DUP leader Arlene Foster said she did not rule out blocking more Covid-19 restrictions if required.\n\nHowever, the first minister added she wanted to \"find consensus\" with executive colleagues.\n\nLast week, the DUP blocked two separate proposals from the health minister to extend restrictions by triggering a cross-community vote.\n\nThe DUP has been criticised by other Stormont parties for using the measure.\n\nIt can be used on any issue in the executive, of three or more ministers ask for a vote to be taken on that basis, effectively giving parties with enough ministers a veto.\n\nOn Monday, Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said it was a \"matter of profound concern and regret\" that the DUP had used it twice.\n\nMrs Foster said the veto was used on a \"key decision\" because of the impact of restrictions on the economy.\n\n\"I hope we can come to decisions in a collaborative, collegiate way... I want to make sure we go forward together,\" she added.\n\nThe first minister also dismissed reports that an executive meeting scheduled for Tuesday had been cancelled.\n\n\"We normally only meet on a Thursday - nothing should be read into that at all. Government is continuing, we don't need an executive to make that happen,\" she said.\n\nJustice Minister Naomi Long said she had considered her position in the executive because of last week's handling of restrictions, and said continued use of the veto was an \"abuse of power\" by the DUP.\n\nEducation Minister Peter Weir said an extended Christmas break could lead to a greater spread of the virus\n\nSome of the current Covid-19 restrictions are due to end on Friday with the reopening of close-contact services and unlicensed hospitality businesses.\n\nRestaurants, pubs and hotels can reopen on 27 November, as the rest of the Covid-19 restrictions introduced on 16 October will expire at midnight on 26 November.\n\nMs O'Neill has said the executive will do all it can to \"protect\" as much of the Christmas period as possible.\n\nIt comes after NI's chief scientific adviser warned further Covid-19 restrictions will likely be recommended before Christmas.\n\nProf Ian Young said mid-December could be the \"big risk period\".\n\nA further nine people with Covid-19 have died in NI, the Department of Health has said.\n\nThe death toll recorded by the department now stands at 878.\n\nThere were also another 549 confirmed cases of the virus recorded in the last 24-hour reporting period.\n\nA total of 47,711 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland since the pandemic began.\n\nOn Tuesday, 11 more people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland died, according to Department of Health figures.\n\nThe total number of Covid-19 related deaths in the country is now 1,995.\n\nIn addition, a further 366 cases of coronavirus were confirmed, bringing the total number to 68,686.\n\nOn Tuesday, Education Minister Peter Weir said schools would not be closing early for the Christmas holidays for two reasons.\n\n\"We want to ensure the maximum amount of education for our young people and I don't want to see any further disruption to that,\" he said.\n\n\"It's also the case that we've seen the biggest problems not within the controlled environment of schools but actually some of the things that have happened outside of schools.\n\n\"If we simply inject an extra week of holiday into the Christmas period, from a public health point of view, it's likely to lead to much higher levels of socialisation and greater spread of the virus.\"\n\nMr Weir was speaking during a visit to a school in Bangor where he announced an additional £5m for schools to pay for mental health help for pupils.\n\nThe minister said the money would allow schools to pick which wellbeing initiatives they want to invest in.\n\nIn other coronavirus developments on Tuesday:", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. FM: More restrictions now may allow easing at Christmas\n\nIntroducing tougher Covid restrictions in the west of Scotland now could help pave the way to easing the rules over Christmas, Nicola Sturgeon has said.\n\nThe first minister believed it was \"likely\" but \"not inevitable\" that some areas would be moved into level four.\n\nShe said infection rates were still \"stubbornly high\" in some areas.\n\nAnd that could lead to \"less flexibility\" for some limited easing of restrictions over the Christmas period - something she was \"very keen to do\".\n\nShe said the rates of infection also meant that the Scottish government \"do not have as much assurance as we would want\" that hospitals and intensive care facilities would be able to cope over the winter.\n\nMs Sturgeon said that moving to level four restrictions \"for a limited period in some areas\" would address both of those concerns.\n\nShe explained: \"Where we have stubbornly high prevalence, if we want to protect our NHS and if we want to get to a point at Christmas where we might be able to have a bit of easing of restrictions, albeit that will be very careful, then we need to get that prevalence down more right now.\"\n\nQuestioned at her daily briefing, she said: \"I don't want to get ahead of ourselves here - because there is lots of consideration and discussions, not least across the four nations of the UK right now - before we get to a settled point before Christmas.\n\n\"But if you are asking me my priority for Christmas it is to allow families some ability to get together.\n\n\"That should be the priority, and if we do go to level four for any areas tomorrow then part of it, not the whole reason, is to try to get prevalence down to the point where we think we can have some limited easing around that.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon said the council areas in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, with the possible exception of Inverclyde, were causing the most concern, along with North and South Lanarkshire.\n\nLevel four may well be coming for the west of Scotland. All the government indicators suggest it should be, but the reluctance until now can perhaps be explained by more than just economic consequences.\n\nThe effects of loneliness and isolation on people's mental health are already at alarming levels, doctors tell me.\n\nClosing cafes where people who live on their own at least have a chance to meet someone will exacerbate that.\n\nIt will likely put even more pressure onto GPs, with community support services unable to operate in the same way.\n\nAnd then for shielders. The governments strategic framework says that level four would see the chief medical officer write an automatic two week fit note for those in the shielding category.\n\nThat could affect staffing in the NHS or in schools and other vital services.\n\nLater, she added: \"I think it is likely that we will see some areas go to level four this week.\n\n\"But is it inevitable? Until we have taken that final decision, no of course it's not.\"\n\nThe next decision about restriction levels will be made on Tuesday, with any changes taking effect from Friday.\n\nIn level four bars and restaurants, non-essential shops, gyms and indoor sports facilities would close - but schools would remain open.\n\nProf Linda Bauld, an expert in public health at the University of Edinburgh, said she thought it was \"highly likely\" that large parts of central Scotland would be placed in level four.\n\nShe said the rolling average of cases per 100,00 people was about 143 in Scotland.\n\n\"For Greater Glasgow and Clyde it is up to 247. That is very high - and Lanarkshire is just below that at 241.\n\n\"So action clearly does need to be taken,\" she said.\n\nThe latest figures show that a further 717 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Scotland, and six more deaths have been recorded.\n\nMs Sturgeon added that an era was \"firmly on the horizon\" where better therapies, vaccines, testing and treatments would be available.\n\n\"The end is not quite with us, but we can see hope on the horizon now that we couldn't see just a few weeks ago,\" she added.", "Douglas Ross (right) said he would be speaking directly to the prime minister about his reported remarks\n\nThe Scottish Conservative leader has insisted that Boris Johnson does believe in devolution despite reports that he described it as a \"disaster\".\n\nDouglas Ross said he would be speaking to the prime minister later about his reported remarks to a virtual meeting of Conservative MPs.\n\nBut he claimed it was the SNP's \"obsession\" with independence, rather than devolution, that was the problem.\n\nThe SNP said the PM had shown his \"contempt\" for Scotland.\n\nAnd Scottish Labour said Mr Johnson was currently the biggest threat to the future of the United Kingdom.\n\nThe prime minister was in a Zoom meeting with Tory MPs representing dozens of seats in northern England on Monday when he is said to have made the remarks.\n\nThe Sun newspaper reported that he told the MPs that \"devolution has been a disaster north of the border\", and had been former prime minister Tony Blair's \"biggest mistake\".\n\nIt has been suggested by some taking part in the Zoom meeting that Mr Johnson was answering a question that had been put to him about devolution in England.\n\nNumber 10 has not denied the reports, with a Downing Street source saying: \"The PM has always supported devolution, but Tony Blair failed to foresee the rise of separatists in Scotland.\n\n\"Devolution is great - but not when it's used by separatists and nationalists to break up the UK.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Scotland, Mr Ross described the row as a \"distraction\" ahead of next May's Scottish Parliament election.\n\nHe added: \"The prime minister was elected as mayor of London twice, so he believes in devolution.\n\n\"The Conservative manifesto at the election just a year ago focused on devolution and ensuring that we strengthen devolution right across the country.\n\n\"Devolution is not the problem. The problem has been the SNP's obsession over its thirteen and a half years in power with separating Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom\".\n\nThis comes six months before vital elections right across the UK, important particularly in Scotland, just when the SNP has been starting to warm up its campaign, and just when discussions about how the UK government ought to respond are taking place too.\n\nIt is one thing - and, of course, legitimate - for political rivals to criticise each other. But to suggest the way that Scotland has been run for more than a decade is a \"disaster\" is quite another.\n\nAnd the worry among Scottish Tories is the implication that Boris Johnson's understanding of the political situation is far from complete.\n\nBut SNP MP Drew Henry said the prime minister's comments \"underline the contempt that Boris Johnson and the Scottish Tories have for the people of Scotland\".\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast he said: \"Effectively what they are saying is it's alright for Scotland to have devolution as long as they vote for the Westminster party we want them to.\"\n\nFormer Conservative Scottish secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said Mr Johnson's comments were \"typical\" of the \"rather loose language\" the prime minister sometimes uses.\n\n\"What he should have said is devolution has become a disaster because the Scottish national government, the SNP government in Scotland, are using the Scottish Parliament and the power they've got to try and destroy the United Kingdom,\" Sir Malcolm told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nHe said the SNP, which has been in power since 2007, has been \"pretty useless\" on domestic Scottish issues and have become \"obsessed with demands for referendums\".\n\n\"What I'm absolutely certain of is that it was not meant to be an attack on the principle of devolution,\" he said.\n\nDevolution is the name for the way powers once held by the government in Westminster have been passed to elected groups in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nDevolved powers include health, housing, fire services, some areas of transport and education. However, Scotland has always had its own education system and a separate legal system.\n\nThe UK government, based in London, has kept many powers, such as defence, foreign policy and most forms of tax.\n\nPublic votes about devolution were held in 1997 in Scotland and Wales, and in both parts of Ireland in 1998, as part of the Good Friday Agreement. It led to the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly.\n\nSome parts of England have directly-elected mayors, who also have devolved powers. The mayor of London, for example, is responsible for transport and policing in the capital.\n\nElections for the Scottish Parliament take place next May. The SNP is currently the largest party with 61 MSPs and the Conservative Party is the second-largest with 31 - eight seats ahead of Labour.\n\nMs Sturgeon's SNP says a second referendum on independence - following Scotland's vote against it in 2014 - should happen if her party wins. But Mr Johnson has ruled this out.\n\nIn response to Mr Johnson's reported remarks to Tory MPs, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: \"Worth bookmarking these PM comments for the next time Tories say they're not a threat to the powers of the Scottish Parliament - or, even more incredibly, that they support devolving more powers.\"\n\nThe SNP is seeking a mandate for another independence referendum in May's election\n\nShe added that the \"only way to protect and strengthen\" the Scottish Parliament was through independence for Scotland.\n\nScottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the \"Neanderthal\" reported remarks made by the PM \"expose the underlying thinking and philosophy in Downing Street\".\n\nHe told BBC News the comments were \"reminiscent of the voices of Thatcherism and Majorism of the 1980s and 1990s, which were steadfastly opposed to devolution\".\n\n\"In my view, what Boris Johnson is doing is defying the popular will of the people of Scotland, and I don't think that's a very good place for any prime minister to be in.\"", "A gunman in El Paso, Texas killed 22 people last year at a Walmart\n\nHate crimes in the US rose to the highest level in more than a decade last year, according to an FBI report.\n\nHate-motivated murders also rose to a record high in 2019, with 51 deaths - more than double the 2018 total.\n\nLast August, 22 people were killed in a shooting targeting Mexicans at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.\n\nHate crimes have been increasing in the US almost every year since 2014. Campaign groups warn this comes amid rising bigotry and racist rhetoric.\n\n\"The latest rise in hate crime signals a new brutal landscape, where targeted attacks against rotating victim groups not only result in spikes, but increases are also being driven by a more widely dispersed rise in the most violent offenses,\" said Brian Levin, executive director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University.\n\nThe FBI's annual Hate Crime Statistics Act (HCSA) report says there were 7,314 hate crimes last year, up from 7,120 the year before - and the highest number since 7,783 were recorded in 2008.\n\nA hate crime is defined in the report as offences \"motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and gender identity\".\n\nThe data showed a nearly 7% rise in religion-based hate crime, with a 14% increase in crimes targeting Jews or Jewish institutions.\n\nIt also found anti-Latino hate crime rose 8.7% from 485 in 2018 to 527 in 2019 to the highest total since 2010.\n\nThe killing of 22 people at the El Paso Walmart last year is the worst hate crime attack ever recorded by the FBI, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. El Paso shooting: 'My heart hurts on every level'\n\nBlack people were targeted in hate crimes more than any other group in the US. However, the FBI said the number of hate crimes against African Americans dropped slightly to 1,930, from 1,943.\n\nOf all 4,930 victims of reported hate crimes motivated by race or ethnicity, 48.5% were \"victims of crimes motivated by offenders' anti-Black or African American bias\", compared with 15.7% as \"victims of anti-White bias\", 14.1% as \"victims of anti-Hispanic or Latino bias\" and 4.4% of \"anti-Asian bias\".\n\nAfter the FBI report's release rights groups called for better reporting of and collection of information on hate crimes.\n\nA press release from the Jewish civil rights group the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said the data revealed \"a harrowing trend of increasing hate crimes being reported in the United States, even as fewer law enforcement agencies provided data to the FBI\".\n\n\"The total severity of the impact and damage caused by hate crimes cannot be fully measured without complete participation in the FBI's data collection process,\" ADL director Jonathan Greenblatt said.", "Travel rules have been relaxed for people arriving in England to work on poultry farms to ensure there is enough turkey available for Christmas dinners.\n\nFrom 04:00 on Tuesday, seasonal workers from abroad can start work straight away during their 14-day quarantine.\n\nThe transport secretary said the new measures will ensure food producers can \"keep up with the Christmas demand\".\n\nIndustry groups had previously warned of turkey shortages without enough skilled workers to process the meat.\n\nUnder the new rules, seasonal staff must still self-isolate from the rest of the public for the first 14 days.\n\nTo avoid any potential spread of coronavirus, they also have to form \"cohorts\", or live and work with a group of the same workers during their time in England. They will not be allowed to mix with other employees.\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps said: \"Christmas dinner is the highlight of the year for many families and this year it will be particularly significant.\"\n\nHe added that the new measures would support businesses who \"have faced unprecedented challenges from coronavirus\".\n\nThe boss of the British Poultry Council (BPC) had urged the government to exempt seasonal workers from quarantine rules in October.\n\nRichard Griffiths warned that 1,000 workers from the European Union were needed to stop Christmas supply from collapsing.\n\nOn Tuesday, he said he hoped that the new exemption would be \"helpful\" in the run-up to Christmas.\n\n\"Industry is determined to deliver Christmas to households across the nation. If the exemption helps us deliver a fantastic Christmas and helps our smaller seasonal producers out, then it can only be a good thing.\"\n\nAbout 5,500 seasonal workers arrive on farms in England each year to help during the festive period, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.\n\nThe type of skills turkey production requires are not available among UK workers, the BPC has previously said.\n\nWorkers need to have been trained specifically in Watok - Welfare of Animals at Time of Killing - and licensed to kill or slaughter animals, which means holding a certificate of competence from the Food Standards Agency.\n\n\"The UK meat industry needs access to reliable skilled workers wherever they come from in order to keep the flow of food from our farms to our plates,\" said Tony Goodger of the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers.\n\nHe added: \"What we need now is a clear steer that the system will be in place much earlier in 2021 should we need it.\"\n\nThis year, all non-UK seasonal poultry workers are required to leave England by 31 December, at which point the exemption will no longer be in force.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The changes will make it more expensive for NI dealers to buy cars from Great Britain\n\nBrexit-related changes are set to make it more expensive for NI car dealers to source second-hand vehicles from GB.\n\nCurrently when dealers buy a vehicle in GB and then sell it in Northern Ireland, they only have to pay VAT on the profit.\n\nBut from January they will have to pay VAT on the full price they paid for the car in GB.\n\nThis will drastically reduce the profit margins on those vehicles or see price rises for consumers.\n\nThe VAT bill for a car bought for £8,000 and sold for £10,000 could rise from £333 to £1666.\n\nGB is a significant source of second-hand cars for NI either from auctions or cars coming off a lease.\n\nFrom January many EU rules will apply on trade from GB to NI including what is known as the VAT margin scheme.\n\nThe margin scheme is the arrangement which allows VAT to be paid on the profit rather than the full price.\n\nFrom 1 January NI will be part of the EU scheme rather than the UK one.\n\nOfficial guidance from HMRC states: \"In line with EU rules, margin schemes involving goods, such as the second-hand margin schemes, will not usually apply for sales in Northern Ireland where the stock is purchased in Great Britain.\n\n\"Margin schemes will remain available for sales of goods that are purchased in Northern Ireland or the EU, whether sold to customers in Northern Ireland, Great Britain or the EU.\"\n\nIt is understood the issue is being raised at the Joint Committee - the UK-EU body which is overseeing the NI part of the Brexit deal.\n\nThe EU would have to agree to set aside this provision of the deal if the new arrangement is not to begin in January.", "It was only on Sunday that the prime minister was hoping to use this week as a reset, relaunch, even rebrand, of his government after the crazy B-movie version of House of Cards that's been playing out in the last few days.\n\nBut that night Boris Johnson got caught up in the realities of coronavirus again, being \"pinged\" after a meeting with a group of half a dozen MPs, one of whom later tested positive, confining him to Downing Street for the next fortnight.\n\nBut it's his own gaffe on Monday that will knock his planned return to calm off course.\n\nOn a call with a powerful group of northern Tory MPs, the prime minister was asked about devolution. It has groaned and strained under the stress of the pandemic over the last few months, while relations with the other UK governments, as well as some city-region mayors, have been far from straightforward.\n\nBut it now seems, as the Sun first reported, that Mr Johnson did not just say that things had been a bit tricky. Downing Street is not denying the suggestion that he said it had been a \"disaster north of the border\".\n\nThis comes six months before vital elections right across the UK, important particularly in Scotland. It is just when the SNP has been starting to warm up its campaign, and just when discussions about how the UK government ought to respond are taking place too. You can read more about that here.\n\nIt is one thing - and, of course, legitimate - for political rivals to criticise each other. But to suggest the way that Scotland has been run for more than a decade is a \"disaster\" is quite another.\n\nAnd the worry among Scottish Tories is the implication that Mr Johnson's understanding of the political situation is far from complete.\n\nDouglas Ross was more polite than some of his colleagues about the PM\n\nThe notion of devolution used to be controversial in Scotland, and the Tories used to oppose it. But that's not been the case for a long time.\n\nEven the UK government's own website says officially that \"devolution has made a real difference to the lives of people in Scotland - and recognises the wishes of the people to have more say over matters that affect them\".\n\nWithin a few minutes, no surprise, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon responded to what had been reported - frankly a political gift for her to amplify her claims that Mr Johnson doesn't understand Scotland.\n\nShortly afterwards, the new-ish Scottish Tory leader, Douglas Ross, tried, sort of, to justify what had been said.\n\nHis colleagues are less diplomatic in private. One veteran Scottish Tory told me: \"This is dire - it's totally out of touch and reflects a Westminster-centric view of 1992, not 2020.\"\n\nAnother said: \"The anger tonight is palpable and the worst I've ever seen towards a Tory PM.\"\n\nThere's a sense that the prime minister doesn't have that long to get a grip of the government after a crazy few days.\n\nAn unforced error on a vital issue like this is hardly likely to help.", "Forces in England and Wales can resume issuing £10,000 fines for breaches of Covid rules on gatherings of more than 30 people, police chiefs have said.\n\nOn Friday the NPCC advised forces to temporarily issue a court summons rather than a fixed penalty notice.\n\nThere were concerns about a potential disparity between the amount being paid by some upfront, compared to those who challenged the fixed penalty in court.\n\nThe National Police Chiefs' Council said this issue had now been addressed.\n\nA spokesman said: \"Following discussions with government, the issue we flagged last Friday has been fully addressed, and forces are advised that they can resume issuing £10,000 FPNs [fixed penalty notices] where appropriate.\"\n\n\"People found to be in breach of the regulations relating to gatherings of over 30 people will be made fully aware of their options when faced with a £10k FPN, to ensure fairness.\n\n\"The option of summons will remain available to officers, as it always has been, should the unique circumstances of a case mean that this is the most appropriate course of action. However, the vast majority of cases can be dealt with by way of FPN.\"\n\nWhen fines go to court they are means-tested against a person's income - meaning the recipient's ability to pay is taken into account.\n\nIn a statement earlier on Tuesday, a government spokesperson said: \"It is right that we have a strong deterrent. We are working with forces to ensure people are fully aware of their options when faced with a fixed penalty notice.\n\n\"If someone chooses not to pay their fixed penalty notice, the matter may be considered by a court and the individual could be subject to a criminal conviction.\"\n\nThe NPCC said it had previously advised temporarily suspending the use of fixed penalty notices \"because of a potential disparity between those who opt to pay the FPN and those who see their case reach the court where the FPN would be means tested against personal income\".\n\nWest Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson had previously asked ministers for \"urgent clarity\" on the issue, and accused the government of failing to provide the police with \"workable Covid legislation\".\n\nIn a letter to the policing minister Kit Malthouse, Labour's Mr Jamieson said: \"I feel thoroughly embarrassed that I have been personally supporting the government's actions, which, at best, are questionable.\"\n\nWest Midlands Police has already issued 13 of the fines, reserved for the most serious social-distancing breaches.\n\nCoronavirus restrictions vary in each of the UK's four nations.\n\nA new lockdown is in force in England, and Wales has now ended a short \"circuit breaker\" lockdown, but still has some restrictions in place.\n\nElsewhere, Scotland has moved to a five-tier system of coronavirus restrictions, while Northern Ireland has extended its own temporary lockdown.", "After a meeting with business and labour leaders, US President-elect Joe Biden criticises President Donald Trump's denial of his election loss.", "Rangers fear the unique white skin of the giraffe may make the animal vulnerable to poachers\n\nThe world's only known white giraffe has been fitted with a GPS tracking device to keep poachers at bay in north-east Kenya, conservationists say.\n\nA conservation group said rangers could monitor the lone male giraffe's movements in real time.\n\nThe giraffe has a rare genetic condition called leucism, which causes the loss of skin pigmentation.\n\nHe is thought to be the last of his kind, after poachers killed two of his family members in March.\n\nRangers fear the giraffe could suffer the same fate as his relatives, a female and her seven-month-old calf with similar white skin.\n\nTheir carcasses were found in a conservation area in Kenya's north-eastern Garissa County, where the male giraffe is currently living alone.\n\nThe Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy, which oversees wildlife in the area, said the tracking device was attached to one of the giraffe's horns on 8 November.\n\nIn a statement released on Tuesday, the non-profit group said the tracking device would give hourly updates on the giraffe's whereabouts, enabling rangers to \"keep the unique animal safe from poachers\".\n\nThe male giraffe's family - a female and a calf - were found dead in March this year\n\nThe manager of the group, Mohammed Ahmednoor, thanked conservationists for their help in protecting the giraffe and other wildlife.\n\n\"The giraffe's grazing range has been blessed with good rains in the recent past and the abundant vegetation bodes well for the future of the white male,\" he said.\n\nThe Kenya Wildlife Society, the main conservation body in the east-African country, said it was happy to assist in efforts to protect \"unique wildlife like the only known white giraffe\".\n\nWhite giraffes were first spotted in Kenya in March 2016, about two months after a sighting in neighbouring Tanzania.\n\nA year later, white giraffes made headlines again, after the mother and her calf from the conservancy in Kenya's Garissa County were caught on camera.\n\nNative to more than 15 African countries, giraffes are the world's tallest mammals. They are hunted by poachers for their hides, meat and body parts.\n\nSome 40% of the giraffe population has disappeared in the last 30 years, with poaching and wildlife trafficking contributing to this decline, according to the Africa Wildlife Foundation (AWF).\n\nGiraffes have been designated as a vulnerable species on The International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, with an estimated population of 68,293 globally.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why we should worry about giraffes", "Jewellery designer Michael Saiger, who brokered PPE contracts for the NHS, at a fashion show in 2009\n\nA Spanish businessman who acted as a go-between to secure protective garments for NHS staff in the coronavirus pandemic was paid $28m (£21m) in UK taxpayer cash.\n\nThe consultant had been in line for a further $20m of UK public funds, documents filed in a US court reveal.\n\nThe legal papers also reveal the American supplier of the PPE called the deals \"lucrative\".\n\nThe Department of Health said proper checks are done for all contracts.\n\nA legal dispute playing out in the courts in Miami has helped shine a light on the amount of money some companies have made supplying the NHS with equipment to protect staff from Covid infection.\n\nEarlier this year, as the coronavirus pandemic was spreading rapidly around the world, Florida-based jewellery designer Michael Saiger set up a business to supply PPE to governments.\n\nHe used his experience of working with factories in China to land what are described as \"a number of lucrative contracts\" supplying protective gloves and gowns to the NHS.\n\nMr Saiger signed up a Spanish businessman, Gabriel Gonzalez Andersson, to help with \"procurement, logistics, due diligence, product sourcing and quality control\" of the PPE equipment. In effect, Mr Andersson was expected to find a manufacturer for deals that had already been done.\n\nMr Andersson was paid more than $28m (£21m) for his work on two government contracts to supply the NHS. He was described in court documents as having done \"very well under this arrangement\".\n\nEarlier in the year there was a shortage of protective equipment for NHS medics\n\nIn June, Mr Saiger signed three more agreements to supply the NHS with millions of gloves and surgical gowns.\n\nWhen the UK government paid up, his go-between, Mr Andersson, would have been in line for a further $20m in consulting fees.\n\nBut the court documents allege that once the agreements had been signed, Mr Andersson stopped doing any work for Mr Saiger. It's not clear whether Mr Andersson received any of the money for this second batch of deals.\n\nThis led to PPE deliveries being delayed to NHS frontline workers, Mr Saiger claims, and the company \"scrambling\" to fulfil the contracts by other means.\n\nSo far the UK's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published contracts with Mr Saiger's company, Saiger LLC, totalling more than £200m. These were awarded without being opened to competition.\n\nAlongside the legal dispute in Florida, the deals are set to be challenged in UK courts, by campaign group the Good Law Project. It accuses government ministers of not paying \"sufficient regard\" to tax-payers' money over a contract with the firm.\n\n\"We do not understand why, as late as June, government was still making direct awards of contracts sufficiently lucrative as to enable these sorts of profits to be made,\" Jolyon Maugham, the project's director told the BBC.\n\n\"The real criticism that is to be made here is of the huge profits that government allows to be generated.\"\n\nThis is not the first time concerns have been raised about PPE contracts the DHSC signed during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nEarlier this year, the BBC revealed that 50 million face masks the government bought could not be used in the NHS because of safety concerns. And last week, it exposed concerns that the government had leaned on safety officials to certify PPE which had been wrongly classified.\n\nA DHSC spokesperson said the department had been \"working tirelessly\" to deliver PPE, with more than 4.9 billion items delivered to frontline health workers so far and nearly 32 billion items ordered \"to provide a continuous supply\".\n\nThey added: \"Proper due diligence is carried out for all government contracts, and we take these checks extremely seriously.\"\n\nThe BBC asked Gabriel Gonzalez Andersson for comment but he has not so far responded.\n\nSaiger LLC said: \"At the height of the pandemic, and at a time when the NHS was in need of high-quality PPE that met the required safety standards, we delivered for Britain, on time and at value.\n\n\"At no time have we ever used any 'middlemen'. We have few full-time staff so for large projects we bring in short-term contractors for additional expertise and capacity, allowing us to deliver what is needed.\n\n\"We are exceptionally proud to have played our part in providing frontline workers in the UK, including nurses, doctors and hospital staff, with the millions of pieces of PPE they need to stay safe and to save lives.\"\n\nMore from Phil on Twitter @phill_kemp", "Landlords in England are to be held more accountable, the government has said, as part of social housing reforms three years after the Grenfell fire.\n\nThey include a charter setting out what tenants can expect from a landlord, including to be safe in their home and to know how the landlord is performing in areas like repairs and complaints.\n\nThe housing secretary says it will give tenants \"a much stronger voice\".\n\nBut Labour said the reforms \"appear to water down previous proposals\".\n\nHousing charity Shelter warned there was a \"chronic shortage of social housing\" and that \"any new dawn for social renters must come with major investment in new homes too\".\n\nThe proposals are part of a \"fundamental rethink\" on social housing following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.\n\nThe first phase of the Grenfell inquiry concluded that cladding put on during a refurbishment fuelled the fire in June 2017, which led to the deaths of 72 people. It is now examining how the tower block blaze could have happened in the first place.\n\nThe Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the Social Housing White Paper had been drafted with the views of those devastated by Grenfell in mind.\n\nMinisters say they will \"deliver on the commitment we made to the Grenfell community that never again would the voices of residents go unheard\".\n\nThe White Paper - a document setting out proposed new laws before they are formalised in a government bill - pledges that complaints to landlords should be dealt with promptly and fairly, and tenants should expect to be treated with respect alongside the backing of a consumer regulator.\n\nAlongside these promises, residents have also been told they will have a good quality home and neighbourhood to live in.\n\nEd Daffarn, a Grenfell survivor and member of bereaved families and survivors group Grenfell United, said: \"If this White Paper is going to make a difference, the (social housing) regulator and the ombudsman need to understand the devastating impact bad landlords can and do have on people's lives.\n\n\"We have little faith that bad landlords will improve themselves - so the responsibility now lies with the regulator and ombudsman to use their new powers to ensure no residents are ever treated how we were.\n\n\"Ultimately it will be for residents themselves to determine if these changes go far enough to making their lives better and homes safer - and creating a lasting legacy for the 72 innocent lives so needlessly lost at Grenfell.\"\n\nThe Social Housing White Paper was born from the shock and grief of Grenfell. The prime minister at the time, Theresa May, told a hushed House of Commons that she would ensure the voice of those living in social housing could never be ignored again.\n\n\"Long after the TV cameras have gone, and the world has moved on,\" she said, \"let the legacy of this awful tragedy be that we resolve never to forget these people and instead to gear our policies and our thinking towards making their lives better and bringing them into the political process.\"\n\nThere was to be legislation to ensure her promise would be met. Parliament was told it would be a \"wide-ranging top-to-bottom review of the issues facing the sector\" and the \"most substantial report of its kind for a generation\".\n\nBut four housing ministers, three housing secretaries and more than three years later, we have only just seen the government's proposals for the first time.\n\nFew will argue with the measures to give tenants a greater say and to strengthen their rights. But only last September, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick also referred to how the White Paper would \"boost the supply\" of social housing.\n\nThere are, however, no firm commitments to increase the number of council houses in England. In the summer, a senior committee of MPs told the government the country needed a net addition of 90,000 social-rented homes a year.\n\nAlthough the White Paper does refer to increasing the supply of social housing (it could hardly fall any lower), its focus is on general affordability, with particular emphasis on what they call \"affordable home ownership\", a product that is out of reach for those on the lowest incomes.\n\nFor some, this is the great hole in the middle of this White Paper.\n\nThe prime minister says the proposals will ensure \"social housing tenants are treated with the respect they deserve\", but critics argue there is too little for the 93,000 households in England currently stuck in temporary accommodation, or the estimated 3.8 million people in need of social housing.\n\nMr Jenrick has also announced a consultation on making smoke and carbon monoxide alarms mandatory in all rental properties.\n\nHe said the reforms would bring \"transformational change\" that would give social housing residents \"a much stronger voice\".\n\n\"I want to see social housing tenants empowered by a regulatory regime and a culture of transparency, accountability, decency and public service befitting of the best intentions and deep roots of social housing in this country,\" he added.\n\nBut Labour's shadow minister for housing and planning, Mike Amesbury, said: \"The government's response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy has been slow at every stage. They were slow to re-house residents, slow to remove deadly cladding, and slow to come forward with social housing reforms.\n\n\"Two years late, this White Paper appears to water down previous proposals. The government must do all it can to ensure a disaster like Grenfell can never happen again. That means tackling stigma, putting tenants' voices centre stage, and ensuring the regulator has real teeth.\n\n\"Today's proposals contain nothing to help the thousands struggling in the private rented sector, make up for a lost decade of social housing, or tackle the housing crisis.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What is social housing and why do we have it?\n\nThe Local Government Association (LGA) said it was \"paramount that the voice of all social housing residents is heard\".\n\nAnd Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said the White Paper was \"an important and welcome milestone in the country's response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy\", adding that \"housing associations have demonstrated willingness to be more accountable and transparent\".\n\nPolly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said the reforms were a \"welcome step in the right direction in the urgent task of protecting social tenants\".\n\nBut she warned: \"With over a million households already on the social housing waiting list, and many more families potentially facing homelessness as the recession bites, any new regulatory system is being set up to fail unless we build many more social homes.\"\n\nThe White Paper only applies to England as social housing in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has been devolved.", "Rashford says his books will be for every child \"even if I have to deliver them myself\"\n\nFootballer Marcus Rashford has followed his free school meals campaign by launching a book club to help children enjoy the escapism of reading.\n\nThe Manchester United and England star has teamed up with Macmillan Children's Books to promote reading and literacy.\n\nBooks were \"never a thing we could budget for as a family\", he said.\n\n\"I only started reading at 17, and it completely changed my outlook and mentality.\" He said reading shouldn't be for \"just those that can afford it\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Marcus Rashford MBE This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe 23-year-old continued: \"I wish I was offered the opportunity to really engage with reading more as a child.\n\n\"There were times where the escapism of reading could have really helped me. I want this escapism for all children.\"\n\nMacmillan said the scheme would see a large number of books being given away to children from vulnerable and under-privileged backgrounds.\n\nRashford added: \"We know there are over 380,000 children across the UK today that have never owned a book, children that are in vulnerable environments. That has to change.\"\n\nA spokeswoman for the publisher said it would work with Rashford and charities to \"find the most effective mechanisms to reach the children who need them\".\n\nThe project will begin with an illustrated non-fiction book called YOU ARE A CHAMPION: Unlock Your Potential, Find Your Voice And Be The BEST You Can Be, which will be aimed at children aged 11-16, and published in May 2021.\n\nEach chapter will start with a story from Rashford's own life and will cover such topics as the value of education, positive mentality, understanding culture, and female role models.\n\nCarl Anka, a journalist for sports media group The Athletic, and Katie Warriner, a performance psychologist, will help write the book.\n\nRashford will then publish two fiction titles for readers aged seven upwards. Meanwhile, the Marcus Rashford Book Club will give away books from the publisher's existing roster \"with the aim of championing the works of creatives from all backgrounds\".\n\nRashford said: \"My books are, and always will be, for every child, even if I have to deliver them myself. We will reach them.\"\n\n\"Let our children read that they are not alone and enable them to dream. Equip them for obstacles and adversities they might face. Allow them to relate to characters by making sure people of all race, religion and gender are depicted correctly and representative of modern society.\n\n\"No matter where you grow up, talent should be recognised and championed. Under the Marcus Rashford Book Club young writers, illustrators and creatives will be seen and they will be offered a platform to shine.\"\n\nThe striker has received national praise for highlighting the issue of child food poverty, and his campaign resulted in a government U-turn to announce free meals would be provided to disadvantaged children over the Christmas holidays. He was awarded an MBE last month.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "A former employee from the company which made the combustible insulation used on Grenfell Tower in west London has admitted behaving unethically.\n\nJonathan Roper of Celotex told a public inquiry that the work he did to get the insulation approved for use on high rise buildings was \"dishonest\".\n\nHe added that he felt \"incredibly uncomfortable\" with what he was being asked to do at the time.\n\nCelotex says following disciplinary processes, staff have left the company.\n\nThe first phase of the Grenfell inquiry concluded that cladding put on during the refurbishment fuelled the fire in June 2017 in which 72 people died.\n\nIt is now examining how the tower block blaze could have happened in the first place.\n\nMr Roper, a former product manager at Celotex, told the inquiry on Monday that the way in which the company presented the results of its fire test was misleading.\n\nHe said that Celotex should have considered not selling its products for use on high-rise buildings.\n\nIn 2013, while being asked to research how Celotex insulation could be approved for use on buildings over 18m, Mr Roper had written to colleagues asking if they should take the view that the materials \"realistically should not be used behind most cladding panels, because in the event of a fire it would burn\".\n\nHe told the inquiry that the responses he received from colleagues made it clear that Celotex was determined to launch the insulation - known as Rs5000 - onto the market regardless of how it could pass fire tests.\n\nMr Roper accepted that the discussion within the company was whether Celotex complied with the building regulations or bent the rules to make more money.\n\nAfter a first test failure in January 2014, a second system passed in May 2014, but Celotex failed to disclose additional non-combustible elements which it added to prevent this system from failing, the inquiry heard.\n\nOn Monday, the inquiry heard Celotex added a 6mm fire-resisting magnesium oxide board to a cladding test rig made up of 12mm fibre cement panels for the second test.\n\nThe inquiry heard 8mm fibre cement panels were added over the magnesium oxide to \"conceal\" its presence, making the whole system almost flush - but for the 2mm difference.\n\nMr Roper agreed with the inquiry's chief lawyer Richard Millett QC that the decision to use \"a thinner layer was to make it less noticeable there was something else behind it\", which would aid to \"see off any prospect of anyone asking questions\" about its make-up.\n\nThe inquiry's chief lawyer Richard Millett QC asked: \"Did that not strike you at the time as dishonest?\"\n\nMr Roper said: \"Yes it did. I went along with a lot of actions at Celotex that, looking back on reflection, were completely unethical and that I probably didn't potentially consider the impact of at the time.\n\n\"I was 22 or 23, first job, I thought this was standard practice, albeit it did sit very uncomfortably with me.\"\n\nMr Roper said his superiors ordered the removal of any mention in marketing literature of the magnesium oxide. He agreed that was \"misleading and intended to mislead\".\n\nMr Millett asked: \"Did you realise at the time that if this was how the test was to be described to the market it would be a fraud on the market?\"\n\nMr Roper said: \"Yes I did.\n\n\"I felt incredibly uncomfortable with it. I felt incredibly uncomfortable with what I was asked to do.\"\n\nMr Roper said there was no-one in the firm he could tell about his concerns.\n\nIn its opening statement for the second phase of the inquiry, Celotex said: \"In the course of investigations carried out by Celotex after the Grenfell Tower fire, certain issues emerged concerning the testing, certification and marketing of Celotex's products... These matters involved unacceptable conduct on the part of a number of employees.\"\n\nThe inquiry has previously heard Celotex saw Grenfell as a \"flagship\" for its product and cynically exploited the \"smoke of confusion\" which surrounded building regulations at the time.\n\nCelotex, part of the French multinational Saint-Gobain group, has maintained it promoted Rs5000's use on buildings taller than 18m only on a \"rainscreen cladding system with the specific components\", used when it passed the fire safety test.\n• None Four possible reasons for the Grenfell Tower fire", "Patients at the University Hospital of Wales will take part in a clinical trial\n\nMouthwash can kill coronavirus within 30 seconds of being exposed to it in a lab, a scientific study indicates.\n\nScientists at Cardiff University found there were \"promising signs\" that over-the-counter mouthwashes may help to destroy the virus.\n\nThe report comes ahead of a clinical trial on Covid-19 on patients at the University Hospital of Wales.\n\nDr Nick Claydon said the study could lead to mouthwash becoming an important part of people's routines.\n\nWhile the research suggests use of mouthwash may help kill the virus in saliva, there is not evidence it could be used as a treatment for coronavirus, as it will not reach the the respiratory tract or the lungs.\n\nDr Claydon, a specialist periodontologist, said: \"If these positive results are reflected in Cardiff University's clinical trial, CPC-based mouthwashes... could become an important addition to people's routine, together with hand washing, physical distancing and wearing masks, both now and in the future.\"\n\nThe university report states that mouthwashes containing at least 0.07% cetypyridinium chloride (CPC) showed \"promising signs\" of being able to eradicate the virus when exposed to the virus in a lab.\n\nWhile the report is yet to be peer reviewed, it supports another recent study which found CPC-based mouthwashes are effective in reducing viral load.\n\nDr Richard Stanton, lead author on the study, said: \"This study adds to the emerging literature that several commonly-available mouthwashes designed to fight gum disease can also inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (and other related coronaviruses) when tested in the laboratory under conditions that are designed to mimic the oral/nasal cavity in a test tube.\n\n\"This study is not yet peer reviewed and published which means it has not yet been scrutinised by other scientists as is the usual process with academic research. It has now been submitted for publication in a journal.\n\n\"People should continue to follow the preventive measures issued by the UK government, including washing hands frequently and maintaining social distance.\"\n\nCardiff University scientists have stressed that people should continue to follow official advice when it comes to trying to prevent the spread of coronavirus\n\nA clinical trial will look at whether it helps to reduce levels of the virus in the saliva of Covid-19 patients at the hospital in Cardiff, with results expected early next year.\n\nProf David Thomas, from the university, said the initial results were encouraging, but the clinical trial would not produce evidence of how to prevent transmission between patients.\n\n\"Whilst these mouthwashes very effectively eradicate the virus in the laboratory, we need to see if they work in patients and this is the point of our ongoing clinical study,\" he said.\n\n\"The ongoing clinical study will, however, show us how long any effects last, following a single administration of the mouthwash in patients with Covid-19.\"We need to understand if the effect of over-the-counter mouthwashes on the Covid-19 virus achieved in the laboratory can be reproduced in patients.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Services can be streamed as Chwilog chapel gets its own postcode\n\nA chapel has been given a postcode - after standing for 151 years.\n\nSiloh chapel in Chwilog near Pwllheli, Gwynedd, did not have a postcode but needed one in order to have a phone line and broadband installed.\n\nServices will now be streamed while coronavirus restrictions are in place.\n\n\"We had started broadcasting services on Zoom from the house and were looking beyond that and seeing it was something we needed to continue,\" said the Reverend Aled Davies.\n\n\"After hearing from BT that there was no postcode for us, we went to the Royal Mail. We had to have a post box installed and take a picture to prove it was there.\n\n\"By the following day, someone had ticked a box and the postcode is there now.\"\n\nThe chapel now has its own letterbox\n\nThe numbers watching the services at Siloh have doubled during the pandemic as people find it easier to join in from home, he added.\n\n\"That's the importance of things like Zoom - that has enabled people to be a community together without being in the same building,\" he said.\n\n\"So as we move on from this I hope we can, not only do things in the building, but also bring an audience from outside, those who can't come to the chapel.\n\n\"I was worried initially that it could all be impersonal, but people love waving and saying hello to each other on screen.\n\n\"Whilst in the chapel people would tend to look straight ahead and keep quiet, so there are some unexpected things that have come out of this somehow.\"\n\nA BT spokesman said that they have \"seen a certain increase in the number of enquiries from churches, chapels and other places of worship looking to get a broadband connection\".", "Global share prices have surged following news of a second breakthrough coronavirus vaccine, following last week's positive results from Pfizer.\n\nInterim data from the US firm Moderna suggests its vaccine is highly effective in preventing people getting ill and works across all age groups.\n\nThe news pushed Moderna shares more than 9% higher and the Dow to a record.\n\nIt also lifted firms hit by the virus, with British Airways owner IAG rising 10% and Cineworld up 13.5%.\n\nIn the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new high, after jumping about 1.6%. The wider S&P 500 increased almost 1.2% from Friday's record and the Nasdaq gained 0.8%.\n\nEarlier, the UK's FTSE 100 share index closed about 1.6% higher, while the main market in Paris rose 1.7% and in Germany shares gained 0.5%.\n\nLast week, stock markets enjoyed one of their best ever days when a vaccine by Pfizer/BioNTech raised hopes that the business world might return to normal next year. A number of other vaccines are also being developed.\n\nThe gains spurred by Moderna's news on Monday were more muted but still helped the MSCI World Index of global shares to rise further, climbing to a new record high.\n\nFirms that have been hit most badly in the pandemic have seen the biggest rises. In the travel sector, cruise line Carnival jumped more than 10%, while Intercontinental Hotels closed almost 5% higher.\n\nThe prospect of an end to lockdowns also helped oil prices strengthen. Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude prices were up about 3%, and shares in energy companies also gained.\n\nThe price of gold - which is often seen as a safer asset in times of uncertainty - slipped 0.7% before recovering.\n\nTerry Sandven, chief equity strategist at US Bank Wealth Management, said markets are being driven by a \"tug-of-war between optimism over COVID-19 vaccine progress versus fear of economic slowing as COVID-19 cases continue to rise\".\n\nBut he said low interest rates, stimulus and medical progress give him a \"glass half-full\" outlook.\n\n\"We expect equity prices to inch higher into year-end and 2021, with increased volatility being more the norm than exception,\" he said,\n\nUntil vaccines can be rolled out, rising cases of the coronavirus were a risk, said Morgan Stanley strategists in a research note to investors.\n\nBut the investment bank urged shareholders to \"keep the faith... We think this global recovery is sustainable, synchronous and supported by policy\".", "The Queen, who is very much alive, was on the list published by mistake\n\nA French radio station has apologised after publishing the obituaries of several prominent - and alive - people, including the Queen.\n\nOthers on the list that went live prematurely on the website of Radio France Internationale included Clint Eastwood, Pele and Brigitte Bardot.\n\nA \"technical problem\" led to the publication, RFI said.\n\n\"We offer our apologies to the people concerned and to you who follow and trust us,\" the broadcaster added.\n\nBroadcasters and media outlets often prepare obituary material in order to be able to publish it promptly when a death is announced.\n\nThe problem occurred when RFI was moving its website to a different content management system, according to its statement.\n\nIt said \"around a hundred\" draft stories were published in error - not just to its own site but to partner sites including Google and Yahoo.\n\nFrench businessman Bernie Tapie, 77, who was on the list of people who had their death notice published by RFI, has had his obituary published on at least two other occasions by other news outlets.\n\nOthers who made the cut on this occasion included Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, former US President Jimmy Carter and Cuba's Raul Castro.\n\nNone of them are currently dead. RFI has said it is \"mobilising to rectify this major bug\".", "No further changes have been announced to Scotland's five-level Covid alert system after the latest review of the restrictions.\n\nEleven local authorities continue to be in the toughest level four restrictions. Rules are similar to the lockdown in March, although this time schools have remained open. All non-essential shops, as well as pubs and restaurants, gyms, libraries and hairdressers, are closed. The restrictions will be in place until 18:00 on 11 December.\n\nRestrictions at this level see cafes, pubs and restaurants allowed to open until 18:00 to serve food and non-alcoholic drinks to groups of up to six from two households. Alcohol sales are not permitted indoors or outdoors. All leisure and entertainment venues are closed, including cinemas. No non-essential travel is allowed out of a level three area. Indoor exercise, which includes gyms, are restricted to individual and not group exercise.\n\nIn this tier there is no in-home socialising allowed and up to six people from two households can meet outdoors and in hospitality settings. Licensed premises can only serve alcohol indoors with a main meal - and then only until 20:00. Outdoors, you can be served until 22:30. Most leisure and entertainment premises are closed except gyms, cinemas, bingo halls and amusement arcades.\n\nSix people from two households can meet indoors if they are resident in Shetland, the Western Isles and Orkney. This does not apply to the other council areas. Level one sees a \"reasonable\" degree of normality. Hospitality has a 22:30 curfew. Events, like weddings, would be restricted to a maximum of 20 people. Indoor contact sports for adults are not permitted. Only those unable to work from home should go to their place of employment. Up to eight people from three households can meet outdoors.\n\nNo local authority has been assigned this level. At level zero, hospitality would operate \"almost normally\" - subject to rules on physical distancing, limits on numbers and other rules, such as table service.\n\nUse the form below to send us your questions and we could be in touch.\n\nIn some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.\n\nIf you are reading this page on the BBC News app, you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question on this topic.", "Military personnel have been drafted to help at test sites including at Liverpool FC's stadium\n\nA mass Covid-19 testing trial in Liverpool has found 700 people unknowingly had the virus.\n\nPublic Health England director Dr Susan Hopkins said nearly 100,000 people had been tested over the last 10 days.\n\nShe stressed that these positive cases would have not been detected otherwise.\n\nAbout 2,000 soldiers have been deployed in the city for the project, which was intended to run for an initial period of 10 to 14 days.\n\nDevices which give results within an hour have been used to test people in the city since the scheme began on 6 November.\n\nMass testing will be rolled out to 67 more areas in England\n\nLiverpool had among the highest rates of deaths from coronavirus in October, when it became the first area in England to face the tightest restrictions before the second national lockdown.\n\nSpeaking at a Downing Street press briefing, Dr Hopkins said \"we are looking to replicate this across the country\".\n\nShe said: \"We are also running evaluations in schools and universities and are planning to test university students prior to going home at Christmas.\"\n\nDefence Secretary Ben Wallace visited a test centre at Exhibition Centre Liverpool on Monday and said the Army would assist with the programme for \"as long as there is a need\".\n\nSoldiers at Liverpool's Anfield stadium which has been turned into a test centre\n\nMr Wallace said: \"The rollout's been good, the soldiers have been welcomed, the public have come from all over the city.\"\n\nTrooper Dan House, 22, said up to 500 tests a day were being carried out at the site where he was based and people had given soldiers tubs of chocolates as a thank you.\n\nHe said: \"It's nice to know the work we're doing is coming across to the British public and they're happy we're here.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Under the tier system in place before England's lockdown, areas such as Nottingham saw tougher restrictions than others\n\nThe government is seeking \"greater consistency\" as it prepares to reintroduce England's regional Covid tier system next month, the communities secretary has said.\n\nRobert Jenrick said ministers were reviewing the measures in each tier.\n\nHe said he expected a conclusion to be reached \"within the next week or so\".\n\nIt comes after a senior government adviser said the three-tier system used in England before the lockdown may need strengthening.\n\nThe government hopes to introduce tiers again when the national lockdown ends on 2 December.\n\nMeanwhile, in Scotland the toughest level of Covid restrictions are to be introduced in 11 council areas - including Glasgow - on Friday.\n\nThe level four rules will see the closure of non-essential shops, pubs, restaurants and gyms.\n\nMr Jenrick told BBC Breakfast that ministers would look at \"whether the measures that we had in the old tiers were effective\".\n\nHe pointed out that restrictions had \"varied quite a bit in different parts of the country\", with some areas under the strictest level - tier three (very high) - introducing their own rules in addition to baseline measures.\n\n\"I think in the new tiers we would like greater consistency, and we will have to look at the evidence to see which of those measures [were] actually the most impactful on the virus, so that we take the most evidence-based approach that we can do,\" he said.\n\n\"We haven't come to a conclusion on that yet, to be perfectly honest, but we will be within the next week or so.\"\n\nMr Jenrick said ministers would also look at \"whether the new national measures themselves have had an impact and how great an impact that has been\".\n\n\"We won't know that with any certainty until the last week of November,\" he said.\n\nHe also said it looked as though \"a very large proportion of the population\" would have access to a vaccine in the first half of 2021, and confirmed that the government did not have plans to make it compulsory.\n\nAsked in the House of Commons whether the government intended to impose tougher restrictions on tier one (medium) areas, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was \"too early to do the analysis... but of course we remain vigilant\".\n\nLabour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth responded that MPs would \"soon be asked to make a decision on the future of the lockdown, so the earlier we get that information the better\".\n\nFormer Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said he was \"a little bit unhappy\" about the idea of either modifying tier one or getting rid of it completely, adding that it was important to balance health needs with the economy.\n\nHe said he felt the tier system had been working before the national lockdown.\n\n\"It may have been slower than a full lockdown, but it was working and I think a return to that with some flexibility, I think will be the right way to go,\" he told BBC Radio 4's World at One.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nPaul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia and an adviser to the World Health Organization, also said he believed England would need to return to the tier system after the national lockdown ends.\n\n\"What we need to do is make it more responsive and rapid to changes in the epidemic at the local level... then I think we do have a real opportunity to control the epidemic,\" he told the programme.\n\nHowever, he said he hoped there would be some further relaxation over the Christmas period.\n\n\"Maybe only for a few days but I think providing that we have some rules still in place and we avoid too big gatherings - I do hope that we can manage to have a more normal Christmas than we might otherwise have been expecting,\" he said.\n\nIt comes a day after Public Health England's Susan Hopkins - who is a member of the government's scientific advisory group (Sage) - said tier one measures had \"very little effect\" on the spread of the virus.\n\nSpeaking at the government's evening coronavirus briefing on Monday, she said that, prior to the lockdown, the \"tiering of the country\" had had a \"different effect in each area\".\n\n\"Tier three plus\" had led to a reduction in cases in the North West, she said, while tier two \"holds in some areas and not in others\", depending on \"how well individuals are taking that advice in\".\n\nHowever, she added: \"We see very little effect from tier one and when we look at what tiers may be there in the future, we will have to think about strengthening them to get us through the winter months until the vaccine is available for everyone.\"\n\nThe UK reported another 21,363 daily Covid cases on Monday, as well as a further 213 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nBefore England went into its second lockdown this month, nearly a fifth of the population was living in tier three areas.\n\nThey included those in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, the Liverpool City Region, Warrington and Nottinghamshire.\n\nSome areas introduced tougher restrictions than others, going beyond the baseline tier three measures.\n\nFor example, betting shops, saunas, tattoo parlours and nail salons were closed in Nottinghamshire.\n\nLast month, police officers told the Home Affairs Select Committee that the tier system made it harder to enforce coronavirus restrictions because of the nuances that had been \"creeping in\".", "Marie Stopes, pictured around 1955, founded the first birth control clinic in Britain and later focussed on the needs of the developing world\n\nA leading abortion provider has changed its name to break ties with Marie Stopes, the controversial birth control pioneer who believed in the creation of a super race.\n\nMarie Stopes International, which provides contraception and abortions to women and girls in 37 countries, is now known as MSI Reproductive Choices.\n\nThe charity said her views on eugenics were in \"stark contrast\" to its values.\n\nIt added the events of 2020 reaffirmed a name change was the right decision.\n\nMarie Stopes set up Britain's first birth control clinic in 1921 in Holloway, north London, despite medical and religious opposition.\n\nThe Marie Stopes Mothers' Clinic, which gave women advice and contraception, later moved to Whitfield Street, in central London.\n\nIn 1976, doctor Tim Black heard the clinic was in financial difficulty and bought the lease to the building, thereby co-founding the modern organisation and the first of more than 600 Marie Stopes International clinics around the world.\n\nMSI Reproductive Choices said Stopes' legacy has become \"deeply entangled\" with her views on eugenics and wanted to address the \"understandable misapprehensions\" that the charity had a meaningful connection to her.\n\nEugenics is the study of the selective breeding of humans to increase heritable characteristics, which are considered desirable.\n\nStopes was a member of the Eugenics Society and advocated for the sterilisation of people considered unfit for parenthood.\n\nMSI Reproductive Choices said these views \"though not uncommon at that time, are now rightly discredited\".\n\nSimon Cooke, chief executive of MSI Reproductive Choices, said: \"The name of the organisation has been a topic of discussion for many years and the events of 2020 have reaffirmed that changing our name is the right decision.\"\n\nMarie Stopes, born in Edinburgh in 1880, is a controversial historical figure.\n\nShe wrote a best-selling sex-manual for women and was a birth control pioneer.\n\nOn a darker note, she also corresponded with Adolf Hitler and believed in the creation of a super race.\n\nWhen Stopes set up her first birth control clinic in 1921, everyone assumed that she had trained in medicine. Yet it was fossil plants and coal that was her expertise.\n\nIt was her personal experience that motivated her to promote sex education and the use of contraception. After a failed marriage, she wrote Britain's first sex manual, Married Love.\n\nShe opened Britain's first birth control clinic in north London in 1921 and founded the National Birth Control Council, later known as the Family Planning Association.\n\nDespite services in her name offering abortion care after her death in 1958, she had actually been opposed to abortion.\n\nHer legacy is marked by an English Heritage blue plaque on her first London home in Upper Norwood, south-east London, describing her as a promoter of sex education and birth control.", "Workers at the factories, who live mostly in poverty, allowed the BBC to photograph them anonymously\n\nIndian workers in factories supplying the supermarket chains Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury's, and the fashion brand Ralph Lauren, told the BBC they are being subjected to exploitative conditions.\n\nWomen working at a Ralph Lauren supplier said they had been forced to stay overnight to complete orders, sometimes requiring them to sleep on the factory floor.\n\n\"We're made to work continuously, often through the night, sleeping at 3am then waking up by 5am for another full day,\" one woman said in an interview. \"Our bosses don't care. They're only bothered about production,\" she said.\n\nThe BBC has withheld the names of those who agreed to be interviewed, as well as the names of the factories, to protect the workers' safety.\n\nWorkers at the supermarket supplier said they had been made to endure conditions which would be unacceptable for staff employed by the same brands in the UK.\n\n\"We don't get toilet breaks, we don't get time to drink water on shift. We barely get time to eat lunch,\" one woman said.\n\nShe said a manager would sometimes stand behind staff in the canteen and blow a whistle to send them back to work.\n\nAnother employee said staff were forced to work overtime and prevented from going home until extra work was finished.\n\n\"They've increased our workload. We're forced to stay late to finish it - or they yell at us and threaten to fire us. We're scared as we don't want to lose our jobs.\"\n\nThe four brands supplied by the factories we investigated all said they were concerned about the allegations put to them by the BBC and would investigate.\n\nThis young woman feeds her family on a salary of £61 per month. She told the BBC it was a struggle.\n\nThe women working at these garment factories all live in poverty in a rural area of South India. The charity Action Aid, which supports more than 1,200 female garment workers across 45 villages in this specific region, told the BBC that forced overtime, verbal abuse and poor working conditions were routine at the factories in question.\n\nAllegations such as these are not confined to the garment industry. Low wages and weak labour laws have long made India an attractive place for foreign brands looking to outsource work. Unions are rare and virtually absent in the private sector, making informal and contract workers especially vulnerable. While inspections are mandatory, rampant corruption and a sluggish system has meant that factories are rarely held to account for breaking the law.\n\nThe garment industry draws more attention because it's driven by exports and counts some of the world's biggest brands as among its clients. India is the world's second-largest manufacturer and exporter of garments after China. India's garment makers directly employ about 12.9 million people in factories and millions more outside, including their own homes, according to a 2019 report that investigated working conditions in the sector.\n\nSeveral women who spoke to the BBC described a climate of fear at the factory supplying Ralph Lauren. They said managers did not give them notice to work additional hours, instead threatening them with the sack if they were unable to stay on.\n\n\"The supervisor always shouts at us,\" one woman said. \"If we make any error in stitching, I'll be taken to the master who is very scary. The master will start swearing and shouting at us. It's a terrifying experience\"\n\nAnother woman, a widow who supports her family financially, said: \"They ask us to work so late I can't even feed my children at night. They shouldn't treat us like slaves, they should give us respect,\" she said.\n\nThis worker at a factory supplying the UK supermarkets told us staff do not get water or toilet breaks\n\nThe claims appear to violate India's Factories Act, which states that no worker should exceed more than 48 hours a week (or 60 hours with overtime), nor should they be made to work for more than nine hours in one day.\n\nThe law also states that women should only work night shifts if they choose to do so.\n\nRalph Lauren's 2020 Global Citizenship and sustainability report says the company is \"committed to conducting our global operations ethically with respect for the dignity of all people who make our products\". The report also includes a pledge to ensure employees \"must not be made to work excessive working hours\" and says there should be no \"verbal harassment, coercion, punishment or abuse\".\n\nThe three brands are all members of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), and have signed up to its base code which includes a pledge to ensure working hours are not excessive, overtime is voluntary and that workers are not subject to verbal abuse.\n\nIn a statement, Ralph Lauren said it was deeply concerned by the allegations put to the company by the BBC and would investigate.\n\n\"We require all of our suppliers to meet strict operating standards to ensure a safe, healthy and ethical workplace, and we conduct regular third-party audits at all factories,\" the company said.\n\nThe factory supplying the fashion brand denied the staff members' allegations and said it was compliant with the law.\n\nThe three supermarket brands all said they were shocked to hear the reports and were working together to ensure the issues were remedied, in particular on excessive working hours.\n\nSainsbury's said it was \"insisting on a number of actions the supplier must take in order for us to continue to work with them\", including \"immediate actions and ongoing commitments the supplier must make while we continue to closely monitor the site\".\n\nTesco said: \"We don't tolerate any abuse of workers' rights and fully investigated these allegations as soon as we were made aware. We were deeply troubled with what we found.\"\n\nWomen are underpaid throughout global supply chains, according to the charity Action Aid\n\nTesco said its plan included \"prohibiting excessive overtime, strengthening grievance procedures\" and ensuring workers were \"fully compensated at the correct rates for hours they've worked\".\n\nMarks & Spencer said it \"undertook an immediate unannounced audit\" in the wake of the claims, the company said it \"identified overtime working practices that are not acceptable\", but disputed worker accounts about access to toilet breaks and water.\n\nThe company also said it had a \"robust\" plan in place and would be \"undertaking regular unannounced audits to ensure its implementation\".\n\nThese kinds of brands do not own or operate factories in India, which creates distance between them and working conditions there, but one owner of a clothing supplier - who did not want to be named - told the BBC that if brands push for cheaper clothes it can leave suppliers with no choice but to cut corners to meet orders.\n\n\"It's the brand who wants to maximize the profit. So, they push you to a level wherein you have to do the exploitation in order to survive,\" he said.\n\nThe owner, who used to supply a major UK brand not mentioned in this story, described some factory audit processes as a \"sham\".\n\n\"The factory is aware when the auditors are coming, so they keep everything in perfect condition before,\" he said. \"The moment the audit is over, everything goes back to normal, which means exploitation and non compliance.\"\n\nHe said that poor checks and balances, combined with a lack of responsibility by the brands, makes it hard to stamp out that exploitation.\n\n\"It is the way of working in the textile industry, it's just not India, it's everywhere.\"\n\nAnd as profits are squeezed, women often find themselves losing out. Payslips seen by the BBC show women working in garment factories can earn as little as £2.50 per day, making items which, in some cases, sell for hundreds of pounds.\n\nThe factory workers who spoke to the BBC live in poverty in rural southern India\n\nMore than 40% of workers surveyed by Action Aid India reported that their average monthly income was in the range of Rs. 2000-5000. (£20-£50).\n\n\"Women are undervalued and underpaid throughout global supply chains,\" said Esther Mariaselvam, the associate director at Action Aid's Chennai office.\n\nAll of the workers who spoke to the BBC described living in impoverished conditions and said they struggled to survive on their salaries.\n\nOne woman working at the Ralph Lauren supplier said she supported her entire family on a wage of around 6,000 rs (£61 per month), after deductions.\n\nStill in her late teens, she became the breadwinner after her father died and now provides for her mother and two sisters.\n\nHer salary is within the local legal minimum wage bracket for her job, but labour rights organisations say women like her should be earning more than three times as much.\n\nThe Asia Floor Wage Alliance organisation which advocates for higher salaries for garment workers in the region, has set a monthly living wage in India of at least 18,727 rs (£190).\n\nTesco, Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer have previously made commitments to a living wage. Ralph Lauren has not done so explicitly.\n\nBut according to payslips seen by the BBC, neither of the factories we investigated appeared to be paying their workers anything close to the Asia Floor Wage Alliance recommended minimum amount.\n\nWe asked all four brands to comment on the living wage but none of them responded on the specific issue.\n\nCharities have called on major brands to do more to protect those in the supply chain feeding their stores\n\nAnna Bryher, from the advocacy group Labour behind the Label, said it was the responsibility of brands to ensure fair and safe working conditions.\n\n\"If you're a brand and you're making clothing in different countries around the world then you need to look at whether you're paying your workers enough to live with dignity,\" she said.\n\n\"It's your responsibility as the company at the top of the supply chain to know what is happening in your supply chain and to make sure that it's fair.\"\n\nLocal labour laws were not doing enough to address exploitation, the push for change needs to come from the brands themselves,\" argues Vivek Soundararajan, a senior lecturer at Bath University who researches global supply chains.\n\n\"Most checks and balances do not include workers voices, they do not include what workers actually need,\" he said.\n\n\"I think the brand should take the full responsibility … They may not run the factory, but they get all the benefits.\"\n\nIf you are a worker in a garments factory and have a story to share you can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Jeremy Corbyn was suspended by the Labour Party in October\n\nLast month, a report from the UK's human rights watchdog (EHRC) said the party broke the law by failing to stamp out anti-Jewish racism in the party.\n\nResponding to the report, the former leader said the scale of anti-Semitism had been \"dramatically overstated\" by his opponents, and he was suspended.\n\nSir Keir Starmer said those who think the issue had been \"exaggerated\" should \"be nowhere near the Labour Party\".\n\nHowever, the decision to suspend Mr Corbyn was taken by the party's General Secretary David Evans, not the new leader.\n\nA panel made up of members from the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) is now meeting to decide whether to take further disciplinary action or to lift his suspension.\n\nAhead of the meeting on Tuesday, Mr Corbyn - who has been a member of the party for 54 years - released a statement on Facebook, saying concerns over anti-Semitism within Labour are \"neither exaggerated nor overstated\".\n\nBut the Board of Deputies of British Jews said their community did not accept \"this pathetic non-apology\".\n\nRules brought in under Mr Corbyn mean NEC panels - made up of five members, advised by a barrister - look specifically at anti-Semitism cases on a monthly basis.\n\nThe can decide to either:\n\nThe panel can also refer any cases to the National Constitutional Committee, which is an elected body in the Labour Party that hears and decides on complaints.\n\nThe five members of Labour's ruling national executive who will decide Jeremy Corbyn's political fate have a tricky task.\n\nSome of the former Labour leader's colleagues on the left of the party wanted him to apologise for his remarks, feeling this was the easiest route to having his suspension lifted.\n\nInstead, Mr Corbyn issued a \"clarification\", making it clear he wasn't belittling concerns over anti-Semitism, and that he was referring to the scale of the problem being overstated, not its seriousness.\n\nThe Board of Deputies of British Jews has called this a \"pathetic non-apology\", so if he is reinstated, the party can expect the row over anti-Semitism to reignite.\n\nIf, however, further disciplinary action is taken, a section of the left will regard that as a declaration of civil war - something which those closest to Mr Corbyn hope to avoid.\n\nAfter the damning EHRC report Labour wants to move on from the toxic issue of anti-Semitism - but is already finding that is easier said than done.\n\nMr Corbyn - who led the party for almost five years - said he had already given a statement to Labour to \"clear up any confusion\" about what he had meant when he responded to the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's report.\n\nHe said the report's release \"should have been a moment for the Labour Party to come together in a determination to address the shortcomings of the past and work as one to root out anti-Semitism in our own ranks and wider society\".\n\nMr Corbyn, who is still an MP despite his suspension from the party, said it was \"not his intention\" to say anti-Jewish racism should be tolerated, and he \"regrets the pain this issue has caused the Jewish community\".\n\nHis statement added: \"To be clear, concerns about anti-Semitism are neither 'exaggerated' nor 'overstated'.\n\n\"The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to anti-Semitism.\"\n\nBut the Board of Deputies of British Jews condemned the statement and called for action from Labour.\n\nPresident of the organisation, Marie van der Zyl, added: \"If the party wants to show it is serious about tackling anti-Jewish racism, it will consign this statement, just like the culture which led to the EHRC's damning findings, to the dustbin of history.\n\n\"To do otherwise would be a failure of leadership which would risk the party slipping backwards.\"\n\nAsked about the statement, a Labour Party spokesman said they would not \"give a running commentary on an individual case\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. In comments before his suspension from Labour, Jeremy Corbyn said anti-Semitism complaints numbers were \"exaggerated\"\n\nLabour has been plagued by allegations of anti-Jewish racism by some of its supporters since 2016, mostly on social media.\n\nAnti-Semitic abuse is against the law and in May last year the EHRC - which polices human rights and equalities in the UK - launched an investigation into Labour's handling of complaints about the behaviour of some of its supporters.\n\nWhen it published its report in October, the Commission put some of the blame on \"serious failings\" under Mr Corbyn's leadership of the party.\n\nBut Labour said it was his reaction to the report that led to his suspension, rather its findings.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Kier Starmer: \"An ability to recognise the hurt, draw a line and move on\"\n\nMany Labour MPs stood by the decision to suspend Mr Corbyn, including Margaret Hodge, parliamentary chair of the Jewish Labour Movement.\n\nBut his allies in the Commons, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, called for the decision to be reversed.\n\nOn his Facebook post, the former leader said: \"I hope this matter is resolved as quickly as possible, so that the party can work together to root out anti-Semitism and unite to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government.\"", "From Boxing Day the whole of mainland Scotland will be in the country's toughest tier of restrictions for at least three weeks. So what can you do - and not do - in level four?\n\nIf you want to delve deeper into the Scottish government's level four rules, click here.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHurricane Iota has strengthened as it roars towards Central America, less than two weeks after another devastating storm struck the region.\n\nWith winds of up to 160mph (260km/h), it is now a category five storm - the strongest on the Saffir-Simpson scale.\n\n\"What's drawing closer is a bomb,\" said the president of neighbouring Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández.\n\nIota is the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year and only the second November hurricane to reach category five - the last was in 1932.\n\nIn a joint press conference, Mr Hernández and Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei said Central America was the worst affected region in the world by climate change, and highlighted the damage caused by Hurricane Eta earlier in the month.\n\nThousands lost their crops when that storm hit, and parts of Central America remain water logged.\n\nBefore reaching Central America the storm moved past the Colombian island of Providencia in the Caribbean, cutting off electricity.\n\nThe country's President Iván Duque said the island could have been hit badly by the storm and stressed there had been \"very poor\" communication after it struck.\n\nThe NHC has warned that heavy rainfall from Iota could lead to \"life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding across portions of Central America\".\n\nIota already caused flooding in Cartagena, a popular tourist destination on Colombia's Caribbean coast.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe effect of the rains could be particularly devastating in areas already drenched by Hurricane Eta two weeks ago.\n\nEta left at least 200 people dead. The worst-hit area was Guatemala's central Alta Verapaz region, where mudslides buried dozens of homes in the village of Quejá, with some 100 people feared dead.\n\nAt least 50 deaths were reported elsewhere in Guatemala.\n\nHonduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua have evacuated residents living in low-lying areas and near rivers in the Atlantic coastal region which Iota is expected to hit.\n\nA resident of Bilwi, a coastal town in Nicaragua, said some locals were refusing to leave their homes for fear of catching coronavirus in shared shelters.\n\n\"Some of us prefer to stay and die in our homes. There has never been a repeat hurricane in such a short time, but what can we do against the force of God and nature,\" Silvania Zamora told AFP news agency.\n\n\"We are worried, nervous. Psychologically we are not doing well, because losing our things and starting over is not easy. Some of us have old little houses and we risk losing everything,\" she added.\n\nIn Honduras, the country's second city and its industrial hub, San Pedro Sula, is bracing for major flooding.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"For the doubters out there who don’t believe in it...it’s here.\"\n\nCouncil bosses in Hull are asking the prime minister to take urgent action over an \"astonishing and terrifying\" rise in the number of Covid cases.\n\nCouncil leader Stephen Brady has written a personal letter to Boris Johnson asking him to intervene.\n\nHe said the city had one of the highest infection rates and the virus was \"now ravaging our communities more than anywhere else in our country\".\n\nThe government has been approached for comment.\n\nHull currently has 770 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people, and in his letter Mr Brady said: \"I am writing to express my grave concerns about the consequences of the current Covid-19 health emergency in Hull and the absence of central government support to assist us in overcoming it.\n\n\"As I am sure you are aware, our infection rate is now one of the highest in the country and... the infection rates in our city have increased at a, frankly, astonishing and terrifying rate over the last few weeks.\n\n\"We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for the absolute minimum we need to get through this pandemic.\"\n\nMr Brady is calling for a range of measures to be introduced including more freedom to put local restrictions in place, particularly with regard to schools, and additional support and resources for health.\n\nHe also wants discussions on the financial support needed for local businesses and about what will happen when the current restrictions end.\n\n\"We will not stand by and let Hull be forgotten,\" he said in a statement.\n\n\"I am hopeful that the prime minister will take this letter seriously and will urgently speak to us about what the government will do.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "£1.3bn will be invested in electric vehicle charging points as part of the plan\n\nNew cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.\n\nBut some hybrids would still be allowed, he confirmed.\n\nIt is part of what Mr Johnson calls a \"green industrial revolution\" to tackle climate change and create jobs in industries such as nuclear energy.\n\nCritics say the £4bn allocated to implement the 10-point plan is far too small for the scale of the challenge.\n\nThe total amount of new money announced in the package is a 25th of the projected £100bn cost of high-speed rail, HS2.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Will the UK be ready for a 2030 ban on sales of petrol and diesel cars?\n\nBusiness Secretary Alok Sharma told BBC Breakfast the £4bn was part of a broader £12bn package of public investment, which \"will help to bring in three times as much in terms of private sector money\".\n\nMr Sharma, who is president of the COP26 international climate summit that the UK will host next year, said the money would also support the creation of 250,000 jobs in parts of the UK \"where we want to see levelling up\".\n\nThe government hopes that many of those jobs will be in northern England and in Wales, and that 60,000 will be in offshore wind.\n\nThe government has also given funding to boost cycling and walking\n\nThe plan includes provision for a large nuclear plant - likely to be at Sizewell in Suffolk - and for advanced small nuclear reactors, which it is hoped, will create an estimated 10,000 jobs at Rolls-Royce and other firms.\n\nThe government is close to giving the green light to a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk\n\nThe plans will also affect some people's homes.\n\nThe government will bring forward, to 2023, the date by which new homes will need to be warmed without using gas heating.\n\nIt will aim to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 - these are low-energy electrical devices for warming homes.\n\nAnd it has extended the Green Homes Grant for home insulation for a year after the first tranche was massively over-subscribed.\n\nClean hydrogen will be blended into the natural gas supply to reduce overall emissions from gas, and the government wants a town to volunteer for a trial of 100% hydrogen for heat, industry and cooking.\n\nThe hydrogen - attracting a subsidy of up to £500m - will be produced in places such as the North East of England, partly by energy from offshore wind.\n\nThe prime minister wants his green plan to be powered by wind farms like this one in Redcar, Teesside\n\nThe government wants to breathe new life into de-industrialised areas by teaming hydrogen production with the manufacture of wind turbines, and with four clusters of firms using carbon capture and storage.\n\nThis is when emissions from chimneys are captured and forced into rocks underground. The hope is to transform depressed areas into hi-tech hubs. This will get funding of an extra £200m.\n\nAnother key point of the plan is a £1.3bn investment in electric vehicle (EV) charging points. Grants for EV buyers will stretch to £582m to help people make the transition.\n\nThere is also nearly £500m for battery manufacture in the Midlands and the north-east of England.\n\nMany of the details of the plan will be written into an energy white paper proposing future legislation, which is expected by the end of the month.\n\nIn the race to clean up motoring, the UK is now in second place after Norway, which has a fossil fuel vehicle abolition date of 2025.\n\nUK car makers have warned about the scale of the challenge, but the government believes that forcing technological change can give firms a competitive edge.\n\nBut will the so-called \"green revolution\" achieve its aim of massive job creation?\n\nExperts said the £4bn would go a long way if it were spent on labour-intensive insulation, but not far if ploughed into expensive, mechanised carbon capture.\n\nThe prime minister said: \"My 10-point plan will create, support and protect hundreds of thousands of green jobs, whilst making strides towards net zero by 2050.\n\n\"Our green industrial revolution will be powered by the wind turbines of Scotland and the North East, propelled by the electric vehicles made in the Midlands and advanced by the latest technologies developed in Wales, so we can look ahead to a more prosperous, greener future.\"\n\nMr Johnson said his plans aimed to create jobs and address climate change at the same time.\n\nThe UK will host the COP26 UN summit - seen as the most important round of talks to tackle climate change since the Paris Agreement in 2015 - in Glasgow this time next year. It had been due to take place in 2020 but was postponed by 12 months because of the pandemic.\n\nThe plans are aimed to put the UK on track to meet its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.\n\nShadow business secretary Ed Miliband criticised the plan, saying that the funding \"in this long-awaited\" announcement does not \"remotely meet the scale of what is needed\" to tackle unemployment and the climate emergency.\n\n\"Only a fraction of the funding announced today is new.\"\n\nMr Miliband, who served as energy and climate change secretary from 2008-10, said Labour wanted the government to bring forward £30bn of capital investment over the next 18 months and invest it in low-carbon sectors to support 400,000 additional jobs.\n\nAnd Green Party MP Caroline Lucas welcomed some measures but said the plan \"completely fails to rise to the gravity of this moment\".\n\n\"When you put it in the context of the scale of the climate and nature emergencies that we face, and indeed the scale of the job emergencies that we face, then it's nowhere near ambitious enough, it's not urgent enough, it's not bold enough,\" she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nShe criticised the £4bn allocation, saying \"the resources aren't there in order to make this a really strategic package\".\n\nMs Lucas also said the government's message is \"inconsistent\" and it must make clear which technologies it wants to invest in.\n\nShe said nuclear power is \"massively costly\", will not be \"on stream\" until the middle of the 2030s, and risks undermining focus on offshore wind.\n\nThe Green Party called for a transformation of the entire economy to reduce emissions, including scrapping the £27bn road-building programme, which will actually increase emissions.\n\nHowever, Alistair Phillips-Davies, chief executive of energy supplier SSE, told the Today programme he was pleased \"to see this level of ambition from the government\".\n\nHe said the plan was \"a really important step in getting the green recovery going\" and would \"help create a lot more jobs\".\n\nMike Hulme, professor of human geography at the University of Cambridge, said critics should not \"nit-pick about precise details\" of the plan as it was \"far more important is to endorse the direction of travel that has been set for the next decade\".\n\nTanya Steele from WWF-UK said the government had \"fired the starting gun on the action we need to see\".\n\nShe added: \"We now need the chancellor to live up to the ambition expressed today through a spending review that tests every line of public spending to ensure it's compatible with meeting our climate goals.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nThe family of 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles says football needs to \"address the scandal\" of dementia in the game.\n\nAnd they criticised the Professional Footballers' Association, saying there had been a lack of support for players.\n\nThe ex-Manchester United and England midfielder died in October, aged 78. He had dementia and prostate cancer.\n\nStiles is the fifth member of England's World Cup-winning squad to have been diagnosed with dementia.\n\nPrevious research has shown that ex-footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than the general population.\n\nStiles' family said they were proud of \"what he achieved, but more importantly, the man he was\".\n\nBut they added: \"There is a need for urgent action.\n\n\"These older players have largely been forgotten and many are in ill health, like dad.\n\n\"How can it be that these players are left needing help when their own union has tens of millions of pounds available today?\n\n\"How can it be that these players are struggling when the Premier League receives £3bn a year?\n\n\"The modern player will never need the help required by the older lads. How can it be right that some of the heroes of 1966 had to sell their medals to provide for the families?\n\n\"These older players are dying like my dad - many don't have medals to sell.\n\n\"It is right, of course to seek to identify the cause of dementia in older players but in truth the cause is irrelevant to the older players - whatever the cause, they need help now.\n\n\"I hope dad's death is the catalyst for this scandal to be addressed.\"\n\nStiles made 397 appearances for Manchester United between 1960 and 1971, later going on to play for Middlesbrough and Preston North End.\n\nHe won 28 caps for England and is the seventh member of the England team that started the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany to die, after captain Bobby Moore, Alan Ball, Ray Wilson, Gordon Banks, Martin Peters and Jack Charlton.\n\nStiles had a minor stroke in 2010, and was then diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer.\n\nThe PFA said: \"Our thoughts are with Nobby Stiles' family at this very difficult time.\n\n\"The PFA Charity offers a range of support to former professional footballers and their families/carers. The support we provide is always confidential and as each family's circumstance will vary, we try to ensure that the support provided is suitable to their individual needs.\n\n\"The PFA is listening to member feedback and evaluating ways to improve the services and care provided. We are at the of beginning of a process of consultation with sections of our membership who have lived experience of neurodegenerative conditions.\n\n\"We will be liaising with these members and their families to determine how the services can be of greater help and more accessible for those that need it.\n\n\"The PFA will continue to fund research as part of a working group, comprised of stakeholders from across the game. Currently, we are funding three separate studies looking at neurodegenerative conditions and football.\"\n\nIn a statement, the Football Association said: \"We continue to work closely with the Alzheimer's Society and, alongside other sport governing bodies, we are pleased to be a part of their Sport United Against Dementia campaign to help raise awareness and gain support for their valuable work.\n\n\"Collaboration across football's governing bodies is key in order to better understand this important issue collectively, and we firmly believe that all areas of football should come together for this meaningful cause.\"\n\nResearch from a study by neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart - which was commissioned by the FA and PFA - found that former footballers were between two and five times more likely to die from degenerative brain diseases.\n\nIt has yet to be proven whether heading is a contributing factor.\n\nBut Stiles says he is \"utterly convinced\" heading had caused problems to the members of the 1966 World Cup team who have been diagnosed with dementia, including Sir Bobby Charlton.\n\nStewart's examination of former West Brom striker Jeff Astle concluded he died of a brain condition normally linked to boxers, and that it was caused by heading footballs.\n\nLast month, a coroner ruled that former Welsh international Alan Jarvis died from dementia linked to repeatedly heading the ball.\n\nStiles said that football was \"hiding behind the fact that it's very difficult to get conclusive evidence of a brain injury\" as it cannot be diagnosed until after death.\n\nHe told BBC Sport: \"It's blatantly obvious that heading the ball has given [the World Cup players] dementia.\n\n\"There's nothing else that they have done, although all I hear from football authorities is that they need more studies. But while they are doing that the players aren't getting the help they need and they need it now.\n\n\"Football hasn't reacted and in the meantime, there's been hundreds, maybe thousands of footballers who have suffered with it, and football has deliberately, in my opinion, not dealt with it because it will cost money and affect the brand.\n\n\"The research should continue, there is plenty of money to do it, to make sure that current players and youngsters coming through don't suffer the same fate as my father. But more importantly, players should be getting care and support now, substantial support and care.\n\n\"I don't think you could ever take heading out of football, but at least the players should be made aware that they make a decision to play the game knowing what the risks are.\"\n\nThe Premier League says it contributes £23m a year to the PFA, which goes to several charitable and development causes, including the recent study.\n\nIt also has its own head injury advisory group, and is awaiting more details on concussion substitutions from IFAB, which are set to be trialled across the game from January 2021 onwards.\n• None Is the new Xbox console worth the money?", "China, where the virus started, is one of the few countries where life is back to a version of normal, post-coronavirus.\n\nNo new domestic symptomatic or asymptomatic cases have been detected in the last 24 hours. But there are growing concerns in the country that Covid-19 may enter China via imported frozen goods.\n\nA number of localised outbreaks earlier in the year in cities like Beijing and Qingdao were linked to handlers of imported frozen products , and China has been increasingly warning that cold-chain goods (those perishable goods transported at low temperatures) pose a serious threat to communities.\n\nOn Monday, China’s customs agency said it had “stepped up efforts” to prevent the virus from entering China by contacting all of the 109 countries that export cold-chain goods to the country. It also said it had suspended receiving goods from some 99 companies in 20 countries that export to China .\n\nHowever, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has questioned claims that the coronavirus was found on beef exports from New Zealand, given the country has also returned to a version of normal.\n\nShe said she had been advised New Zealand exports were stored with products from Argentina that had tested positive, following reports New Zealand goods had tested positive in the Chinese city of Jinan.\n\n“We are confident our products are not exported with Covid on them, given our status as being essentially Covid-19 free,” she told a press conference on Monday.\n\nA spokesperson from the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs added: “New Zealand has not been informed of this officially by the Chinese authorities.\n\n“New Zealand officials are working now to ascertain the origin and veracity of these reports.”", "Lodging website Airbnb has filed papers in the US to become a publicly listed company in what is one of the most-anticipated launches of the year.\n\nSince its founding as home-sharing site in 2008, the San Francisco tech firm has grown into a global juggernaut.\n\nIts rise has challenged traditional hotel rivals and cities coping with an influx of tourists to new areas.\n\nAnd while the pandemic hurt the firm's already loss-making business, Airbnb said its model remains resilient.\n\nThe company reportedly hopes to raise about $3bn (£2.27bn) by selling shares in the listing, which could value the firm at more than $30bn.\n\n\"We believe that the lines between travel and living are blurring, and the global pandemic has accelerated the ability to live anywhere,\" the company said in its Securities and Exchange Commission filing for its initial public offering (IPO). \"Our platform has proven adaptable to serve these new ways of traveling.\"\n\nMore than 4 million hosts list properties on the platform, 86% of which are located outside of the US. Last year, roughly 54 million people reserved stays through the company, which takes a cut of each booking.\n\nBut travel was hit hard by the pandemic, prompting the company to slash staff numbers by 25% and raise $2bn in emergency loans from investors to make it through the crisis.\n\nThe firm said bookings have since recovered somewhat, as people looked to escape locked down cities with long-term rentals. But they remain down about 20% in recent months compared to last year.\n\nIn 2019, the firm booked losses of more than $674m - a figure it has already surpassed in the first nine months of this year.\n\nThe firm, which brought in revenue of $4.8bn last year, also warned potential investors that revenue growth had slowed, a trend likely to continue.\n\nBetween 2018 and 2019, the firm's revenue grew more than 30%. But it fell more than 30% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2020, to $2.5bn from $3.7bn a year earlier.\n\nSeparately, shares of electric car maker Tesla jumped 9% in extended trade on Monday after S&P Dow Jones Indices said that the company would join the S&P 500 index. It will join on 21 December.", "A British diplomat has saved a student who was floating face down in a river near Chongqing in south-west China.\n\n61-year-old Stephen Ellison, who is only a month into his new post as consul general, jumped in after the 24-year-old woman slipped on rocks and fell.", "Vulnerable children are often used by so-called \"county lines\" gangs\n\n\"County lines\" gangs could be using children in care across north Wales to distribute drugs to get around lockdown restrictions, it is claimed.\n\nThe urban gangs use young people to expand their markets for drugs like cocaine and heroin into smaller towns.\n\nBut research for the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner suggests fewer children are being sent from larger cities.\n\nThere are also claims some councils have \"their heads in the sand\".\n\nBut the board representing councils, police and probation said it had not been invited to take part in the study.\n\nThe research by the crime and justice consultancy Crest Advisory comes as England is in the middle of a month-long national lockdown, with travel restricted between Wales and England.\n\nTravel between the countries was also limited during Wales' recent firebreak lockdown and before that local lockdowns.\n\n\"Gangs have had to change their business model,\" said North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones\n\n\"With the roads being quieter, less people on the trains, it's been easier for the police, British Transport Police, ourselves, to detect people who are coming to north Wales to deal drugs.\n\n\"So now what they're doing is trying to recruit children and young people locally and I'm particularly concerned about people in care being recruited to deal county lines.\"\n\nCrest Advisory conducted interviews with officers from North Wales Police and Merseyside Police, as well as other agencies as part of a wider project looking at county lines and looked-after children.\n\nJoe Calouri, head of policy at Crest, told Welsh language news programme Newyddion that gangs were already having to adapt due to more effective police work, but restrictions on movement during the pandemic had \"accelerated\" change.\n\n\"They've reacted by recruiting local children,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"And because of the use of technology and apps and social media, it's very easy for gangs to recruit children without even meeting them by having peers recruit them and controlling them via social network apps.\"\n\nThe issue of children in care homes - and where they come from - can be complicated.\n\nAs well as caring for children and young people from the region, a number of care homes in north Wales provide for out-of-area children, including from larger cities in England.\n\nBut local authorities may not know if children from outside the region are placed in their locality alongside local children.\n\nA number of councils in north Wales said they would not have accurate data as it's the responsibility of the placing authority to inform them.\n\nOne council said it was \"often not informed by placing authorities\".\n\nMr Calouri said local authorities did not engage with the research project.\n\n\"We have a concern that perhaps local authorities have their heads in the sand slightly on this issue and are still viewing it as a problem from outside rather than a problem that they need to deal with locally and poses a risk to local children,\" he added.\n\n\"Having reviewed their local safeguarding board documents, we don't see much evidence of proactive local planning around the risk or an understanding of what the risks are.\n\n\"People in north Wales should be very concerned about the changing threat of county lines.\n\n\"Over time we've seen elsewhere in the country how, as gangs start to recruit more locally, and rely less on trafficking children over borders, over time there's a high level of violence, there's post code-style gangs that form and it often results in high level violence and even murder in some situations.\n\n\"North Wales have the opportunity to be ahead of the curve in preventing this from happening, but to do that they need to recognise the threat of county lines locally and take action, rather than treating it as a problem that's come in from outside from Merseyside.\"\n\nIn a statement, the North Wales Children's Safeguarding Board, which is made up of local authorities, health board, police and probation, said: \"The request to participate with the Crest Research has not formally been presented.\n\n\"We hope that police colleagues at the board will take the opportunity to present the research proposal.\n\n\"We are aware that work is currently taking place between Wales Government safeguarding and advocacy unit and the heads of service across Wales around considering further amendments to the practice guide.\"", "If you can tear yourself away from the counting of votes in the United States, (and I appreciate if you are into politics, that's not easy right now), it is well worth noting what's going on in the warm up to a big political fight on this side of the pond, arguments that we are going to be talking about a lot in the coming months.\n\nThere is a huge set of elections, straddling many parts of the UK next May, and the most contentious arguments are likely to be in the elections for the Scottish Parliament.\n\nIn that poll, you guessed it, the central question on the ballot paper is likely to be that of Scottish independence.\n\nWith a solid trend of polls backing independence in recent months, the SNP is hopeful of another convincing result in the May ballot that will give them a mandate for another referendum on whether Scotland should stay in the UK.\n\nTheir problem, even if they win convincingly in May, is that the law says it's up to the UK government to decide whether or not there should be another referendum - a vote some Scots are massively eager to have, but which others want like a hole in the head. You can read more about the laws around a referendum here.\n\nAnd the SNP themselves said, at the time, that the 2014 referendum was a \"once in a generation opportunity\" for those who want Scotland to be independent.\n\nThe UK government's problem is that if the SNP does win convincingly in May on a promise of having another referendum, denying that would just amplify the argument that Westminster doesn't listen to what Scots want, and likely increase support for independence.\n\nThat's why the comments from Scottish Secretary Alister Jack this morning are notable. He said that \"once in a generation\" means there can't be an independence referendum for many, many years.\n\nNot surprisingly, the SNP have leapt on his words, even comparing his comments to President Trump's bizarre, sometimes rambling, statements since the US election - so full of claims without evidence about fraud or irregularities in the voting that some of the American TV networks cut him off while he was still talking.\n\nOne US politician making wild allegations about fraud is obviously not the same as another in the UK hardening their opposition to another kind of poll taking place, which the government has the legal right to permit or not.\n\nYet the UK government does have an acute dilemma, and it knows it.\n\nAnd not everyone in Westminster agrees that the answer to a hypothetical big SNP win in May can be, \"no, not now, and not nearly ever\".\n\nTo put it mildly, there is a range of opinion in government on how to meet the demands for a referendum in practice.\n\nThere are concerns among Tories too about Labour's weakness at Holyrood, which you can read about here.\n\nAt the very least, the UK government intends to be more present, more prominent, in Scotland, to move away from what one government source admits was an attitude of \"devolve and forget\" that has built up over successive UK administrations.\n\nBut making the argument for the Union more obviously, and more visibly is one thing - there is no guarantee that in the coming months Scottish voters will like what they see.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "Owen and Bredge Ward's son said his parents \"were always together\"\n\nTributes have been paid to a couple who died 12 hours apart after contracting Covid-19.\n\nOwen and Bredge Ward, who were both 69, passed away in hospital on Monday.\n\nLast week, their family had hoped Mr and Mrs Ward, from Strabane, County Tyrone, were recovering from Covid-19. Instead, they are now preparing for their funeral on Wednesday.\n\nTheir son, Martin, said he was in \"complete shock\" and urged people to adhere to public health guidance.\n\nMartin, who is one of six children, held his father's hand as he died, while his siblings were with his mother at the funeral home.\n\nHe sais his parents \"doted\" on their nine grandchildren and, sadly, they will never get to meet their 10th grandchild.\n\nMr and Mr Ward enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren before the coronavirus pandemic\n\n\"We can't have a proper wake, hear all the stories that people would be talking about,\" Martin, a nurse at University College Hospital Galway, told BBC News NI.\n\n\"We can't do that because of Covid-19 and all the restrictions, which need to be in place.\"\n\nHe said his mother's condition started to improve last week, but then his father \"went downhill\" and was put into a coma.\n\n\"This is what the disease does - it can be mild or it can devastate lives,\" he said.\n\n\"Within hours, my mum, who was improving, just went downhill. Maybe it was the shock.\n\n\"Fast forward a week and my father was improving and my mother was getting worse.\n\n\"She passed away yesterday, then my father, from a position where he was getting better, just completely collapsed and within a couple of hours of my mother dying, he passed away too.\n\n\"Even though they were sedated and had pain relief and loving care from the staff at Altnagelvin Hospital, both of them just completely collapsed within a couple of hours and that's just how it is.\n\n\"It's the hurt and suffering that this virus can cause.\"\n\nMartin, who lives in Galway, in the Republic of Ireland, with his young family, said Covid-19 guidance should be the same on both sides of the border.\n\nMartin Ward has urged people to follow the public health guidelines following his parents' death\n\n\"It's a cross-border thing,\" he said.\n\n\"We live on an island and we can't separate each jurisdiction because it impacts upon all of us. It impacts on communities on both sides of the border.\n\n\"The only thing I want to say to people north and south of the border is to think about other people.\n\n\"We knew from February or March what could happen and people have to take on board that this can cause a hell of a lot of harm to people's families.\n\n\"The economic aspect is terribly damaging too, so we have to try to limit the spread and adhere to the guidelines, social distancing where you can and when you can't, put on a face mask.\n\n\"Treat everyone the same - with respect and as if they are one of your family - so you can minimise the harm to others.\"", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Labour has readmitted former leader Jeremy Corbyn as a member following his suspension last month.\n\nHe was punished after saying the scale of anti-Semitism in the party had been \"overstated\", in response to a damning report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.\n\nMr Corbyn issued a statement earlier saying he regretted any \"pain\" caused.\n\nBut current leader Sir Keir Starmer maintained Mr Corbyn's initial reaction to the report had been \"wrong\".\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said a decision had not yet been taken on whether to restore the Labour whip to Mr Corbyn, which would allow him to sit once more as one of its MPs.\n\nA panel made up of members of the party's National Executive Committee met on Tuesday to decide whether to take further disciplinary action against him or to lift the suspension.\n\nAfter it decided to readmit Mr Corbyn, Sir Keir tweeted that it had been a \"painful day for the Jewish community and those Labour members who have fought so hard to tackle anti-Semitism\".\n\nHe added: \"Jeremy Corbyn's statement in response to the EHRC report was wrong and completely distracted from a report that identified unlawful conduct in our tackling of racism within the Labour Party. This should shame us all.\"\n\nWhen Labour acted swiftly and decisively to suspend Jeremy Corbyn, it was seen as a signal the party wanted to distance itself from a toxic period in its recent past.\n\nSir Keir Starmer said he hadn't instigated the action but he supported it.\n\nBut whatever decision was reached on Tuesday, criticism would have followed.\n\nMr Corbyn didn't apologise for suggesting the scale of anti-Semitism had been overstated by political opponents, which was the reason for his suspension. He simply clarified what he had meant.\n\nSo reinstating him was bound to attract criticism from those cheered by his suspension.\n\nNot to have reinstated him, however, would most likely have fuelled a factional war between those supportive of the Starmer leadership and those - including some union leaders - who remain close to Mr Corbyn.\n\nSir Keir reiterated his commitment to an independent complaints process in the New Year - an Equality and Human Rights Commission recommendation.\n\nBut putting Labour under fresh leadership hasn't silenced or banished those still supportive of the old leadership.\n\nAnd the line Sir Keir wants to draw under the anti-Semitism rows hasn't been fully drawn.\n\nIn a statement earlier on Tuesday, Mr Corbyn - who is currently an independent MP - said it was \"not his intention\" to say anti-Jewish racism should be tolerated, and that he regretted the \"pain\" caused.\n\nHis statement added: \"To be clear, concerns about anti-Semitism are neither 'exaggerated' nor 'overstated'.\n\n\"The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to anti-Semitism.\"\n\nIt is not yet clear whether Mr Corbyn will face further sanctions from the party.\n\nIts general secretary, David Evans, took the decision to suspend him in October, although Sir Keir endorsed it.\n\nThe ECHR's report found Labour had breached the Equalities Act over its handling of complaints of anti-Semitism during Mr Corbyn's time in charge.\n\nLabour said Mr Corbyn had been suspended \"for a failure to retract\" his words.\n\nFollowing his readmission, the Islington North MP said: \"I hope this matter is resolved as quickly as possible, so that the party can work together to root out anti-Semitism and unite to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government.\"\n\nBut the Jewish Labour Movement called the decision to readmit Mr Corbyn \"extraordinary\", adding: \"After his failure of leadership to tackle anti-Semitism, so clearly set out in the EHRC's report, any reasonable and fair-minded observer would see Jeremy Corbyn's statement today as insincere and wholly inadequate.\"\n\nKaren Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: \"What message does this send? Zero tolerance either means zero tolerance or it's meaningless.\"\n\nThe co-chairman of the Conservative Party, MP Amanda Milling, has written to Sir Keir, saying: \"You have claimed that Labour is 'under new leadership', but now is the moment to prove it - Mr Corbyn should be expelled permanently.\"\n\nFormer Labour MP Dame Louise Ellman, who quit the party over anti-Semitism concerns last year, said the decision was a \"backward step\".\n\n\"What Keir Starmer and the chief whip should do now is to refuse to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn, in that way they can show that they are determined… to rid the party of this dreadful stain,\" she told BBC Newsnight.\n\nHowever, Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union and a close ally of Mr Corbyn, called the reinstatement a \"correct, fair and unifying decision\".\n\nHe said Labour had to \"move forward\" in implementing the EHRC's recommendations and \"redouble our efforts to inspire voters\" about Sir Keir's policies, acting as a \"unified and strong\" party.\n\nAnd Jenny Manson, co-chairman of pro-Corbyn group Jewish Voice for Labour, told BBC Newsnight that \"an awful lot of us are very happy he (Mr Corbyn) is back in the party\" and would be \"very sad indeed\" if the whip is taken away from him.", "Boris Johnson has rejected the request from Nicola Sturgeon\n\nThe UK government has formally rejected a call from Scotland's first minister for a second independence referendum.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said a referendum would \"continue the political stagnation Scotland has seen for the past decade\".\n\nAnd he said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had previously pledged that the 2014 referendum would be a \"once in a generation\" vote.\n\nMs Sturgeon tweeted that the Tories were attempting to \"deny democracy\".\n\nShe said Mr Johnson's formal refusal of her request for a referendum to be held later this year was \"predictable but also unsustainable and self defeating\", and insisted that \"Scotland will have the right to choose\".\n\nThe first minister also said the Scottish government would set out its response and \"next steps\" before the end of the month, and that the devolved Scottish Parliament would again be asked to \"back Scotland's right to choose our own future\".\n\nScottish voters backed remaining in the UK by 55% to 45% in the referendum in 2014.\n\nMs Sturgeon says she wants to hold another vote on independence, and made a formal request last month for the UK government to transfer powers - known as a Section 30 order - to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh that would ensure any referendum is legal.\n\nThe request came after Ms Sturgeon's SNP, which forms the Scottish government, won 48 of the 59 seats in Scotland in the UK general election.\n\nIn his written response to Ms Sturgeon, the prime minister said he had \"carefully considered and noted\" her arguments.\n\nBut he said: \"You and your predecessor (Alex Salmond) made a personal promise that the 2014 independence referendum was a \"once in a generation\" vote.\n\n\"The people of Scotland voted decisively on that promise to keep our United Kingdom together, a result which both the Scottish and UK governments committed to respect in the Edinburgh Agreement.\"\n\nA large pro-independence march was held in Glasgow at the weekend\n\nMr Johnson said the UK government would \"continue to uphold the democratic decision of the Scottish people and the promise you made to them\".\n\nAnd he said he did not want to see Scotland's schools, hospitals and employment \"again left behind because of a campaign to separate the UK\".\n\nThe prime minister added: \"For that reason, I cannot agree to any request for a transfer of power that would lead to further independence referendums\".\n\nThe formal rejection comes days after the UK government's Scottish secretary, Alister Jack, said another victory in next year's Scottish Parliament election would still not give the SNP a mandate to hold a referendum.\n\nMs Sturgeon has previously warned that a \"flat no\" from Mr Johnson to her request would \"not be the end of the matter\".\n\nBut she has made clear that she will not hold an unofficial referendum similar to the disputed one in Catalonia in 2017, arguing that it would not actually deliver independence as the result would not be recognised by the EU or wider international community.\n\nThe first minister said: \"The Tories are terrified of Scotland having the right to choose our own future. They know that given the choice the overwhelming likelihood is that people will choose the positive option of independence.\n\n\"The Tories - and their allies in the leaderships of Labour and the Lib Dems - lack any positive case for the union, so all they can do is try to block democracy.\n\n\"It shows utter contempt for the votes, views and interests of the people of Scotland and it is a strategy that is doomed to failure.\"\n\nThe prospect of an independence referendum on Nicola Sturgeon's preferred timetable - the second half of 2020 - now looks very remote.\n\nThe first minister is confident that Mr Johnson's refusal will help make the case for independence in the longer term, but for now her options are limited.\n\nIn the first instance, she is planning another vote at Holyrood to underline the backing of MSPs for a new referendum. With the SNP and Greens holding a majority between them, this is sure to pass - but this has happened before, to little avail.\n\nShe has not ruled out going to court, but this would hardly accelerate matters - constitutional lawyers have warned that \"there are no legal short cuts\" around the political battlefield.\n\nSo the next clear opportunity to break the deadlock may be the 2021 Holyrood elections. Ms Sturgeon clearly has one eye on that poll already, talking about the Tories being on a \"road back to political oblivion\".\n\nBetween now and then, another year of constitutional stalemate beckons.", "The English Collective of Prostitutes said new restrictions made it \"more urgent\" that the government provide emergency payments\n\nThe second national lockdown is going to push sex workers \"even deeper into crisis\", according to a campaign group.\n\nThe English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) has called for state support for workers in the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nIt said people were having to choose between risking their health by working or seeing their family go hungry.\n\nCari - not her real name - from the ECP said the new restrictions made it \"more urgent that the government provide the emergency payments we are demanding\".\n\nShe said the government needed to address \"sex workers' illegal status that prevents women claiming the entitlements available to other workers\".\n\nAbout 80% of sex workers were single mothers operating in order to take care of their children, she estimated.\n\nFormer sex worker Cari, from the Bristol area, said while a lot of women had stopped working because of safety concerns, some had continued as they did not have access to any financial aid.\n\n\"Those who have to work are being very careful with clients. It is very, very difficult. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't,\" she said.\n\nRachel Mac Dermot, from Bristol's One25 charity, said: \"These women are the most marginalised, the most stereotyped, the most stigmatised. And I hate that.\n\n\"They could be your mum, your sister, your daughter, your best friend.\"\n\nDuring the pandemic, the charity had to close down its women-only safe space but it has been providing food parcels to women who have been self-isolating.\n\n\"It's a bit different at the moment but before the pandemic we had a GP, a sexual health nurse and prescribing nurse visit each week,\" said Ms Mac Dermot.\n\n\"Accessing support like healthcare, that you or I might take for granted, can be practically impossible for some women we meet.\"\n\nCari said she hoped the government would legalise sex work and acknowledge what sex workers did counted as work.\n\n\"Criminalising it makes it so much harder to come forward and access help. Sex workers currently can't even go to their GP's to get help, since it's illegal to do sex work during the pandemic,\" she said.\n\n\"But there are also no financial aids for sex workers, so how will this work? We have to decriminalise sex work. We have to.\"\n\nA government spokesman said: \"We have no plans to change the law around prostitution and are committed to tackling the harm and exploitation associated with sex work.\n\n\"Universal Credit is providing a vital safety net to those who need support during the pandemic.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The number of couples getting divorced in England and Wales surged by almost a fifth in 2019 to the highest level in five years, figures reveal.\n\nThe Office for National Statistics data shows 107,599 opposite-sex divorces in 2019, an increase of 18.4% from 90,871 in 2018 - the highest since 2014, when 111,169 were granted.\n\nThere were also 822 same-sex divorces, nearly twice the number (428) in 2018.\n\nThe ONS said a casework backlog in 2018 could partly account for the increase.\n\nUnreasonable behaviour was the most common reason for divorce, cited by 49% of wives and 35% of husbands in heterosexual marriage, in 63% of female same-sex divorces and and 70% of male ones.\n\nAt the moment, in order to divorce, either one spouse has to allege adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion by the other.\n\nCurrently, a person can apply for a divorce if both parties agree and they have been separated from their spouse for two years. Someone wishing to obtain a divorce without the consent of their spouse must live apart from them for five years.\n\nThis is expected to change with the introduction of the \"no-fault\" divorce next autumn, after which they will only have to state that the marriage has broken down irretrievably.\n\nThe number of same-sex divorces has increased each year, reflecting the increasing size of the same-sex married population since March 2014 when the law changed to allow them to marry, the ONS says.\n\nOf the 822 same-sex divorces last year, almost three-quarters were between female couples, a similar proportion to in 2018.\n\nMeanwhile the divorce rate among opposite-sex couples last year increased to 8.9 divorces per 1,000 married people, from 7.5 in 2018. The median length time for those marriages to have lasted before divorce was 12.3 years.\n\nThe ONS said last year's increase in divorces was the largest in percentage terms increase since 1972, when the recent introduction of the Divorce Reform Act 1969 made it easier for couples to divorce.\n\nBut there has been an overall downward trend since the most recent peak of 153,065 divorces in 2003, the ONS said, with opposite-sex divorces in 2019 still 30% lower than in that year.\n\nThis was broadly consistent with an overall decline in the number of marriages between 2003 and 2009, it said, adding: \"Changes in attitudes to cohabitation as an alternative to marriage or prior to marriage, particularly at younger ages, are likely to have been a factor affecting the general decrease in divorce rates since 2003.\"\n\nThe latest figures come as family lawyers have predicted a \"post-lockdown divorce boom\" amid warnings the coronavirus pandemic is putting a strain on relationships.\n\nAdvice charity Citizens Advice said divorce guidance searches had risen since April after a drop in visits when lockdown started.\n\nIt said views of its divorce webpage on the first September weekend were up 25% compared with the same date in 2019.\n\nTom MacInnes, chief analyst for Citizens Advice, said: \"We know that this pandemic has put an enormous strain on people financially but our data shows that strain is also being felt in people's relationships.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Hurricane Iota will bring torrential rain to parts of Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and Guatemala\n\nA powerful hurricane has brought torrential rains and strong winds to Nicaragua's Caribbean coast, two weeks after another devastating storm hit.\n\nIota made landfall as a category four storm near the town of Puerto Cabezas, where patients had to be evacuated from a makeshift hospital after its roof was ripped off.\n\nResidents are in shelters, and there are fears of food shortages.\n\nThe storm has weakened and Honduras is expected to be hit later on Tuesday.\n\nBefore making landfall in Nicaragua, Iota had brought high winds and flooding to Colombia's Caribbean coast\n\nThe US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Iota was now a category two storm, but warned it could bring life-threatening storm surges, catastrophic winds, flash flooding and landslides.\n\nIota struck Nicaragua on Monday evening with sustained winds of nearly 155mph (250km/h), the NHC said. It strengthened at sea to a category five storm but it weakened as it made landfall.\n\nIn Puerto Cabezas, also known as Bilwi, the storm damaged wooden homes, flooded streets and cut off electricity. Residents said the wind ripped away the roofs of houses \"like they were made of cardboard\".\n\n\"I haven't eaten. I don't know where I'm going to sleep here,\" 80-year-old Prinsila Glaso told AFP news agency.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThere were no immediate reports of casualties. Nicaraguan officials said around 40,000 people had been evacuated from areas in the storm's path.\n\n\"[Iota] is the strongest hurricane that has touched Nicaraguan soil since records began,\" said Marcio Baca, director of the Nicaraguan Institute of Earth Studies.\n\nThe hurricane is forecast to move inland across the country before hitting southern Honduras. The effect of the rains could be particularly devastating in areas already drenched by Hurricane Eta. Iota made landfall just 15 miles (24km) south of where Eta hit on 3 November.\n\nIn Honduras, officials said at least 50,000 people had been removed from high-risk areas. Speaking at a news conference on Monday, President Juan Orlando Hernández warned: \"What's drawing closer is a bomb.\"\n\nBefore reaching Central America the storm moved past the Colombian island of Providencia in the Caribbean, cutting off electricity and killing at least one person, officials said.\n\nColombian President Iván Duque said 98% of the infrastructure in Providencia, home to around 5,000 people, had been damaged.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Massive waves crash down on the shores of San Andrés in the Caribbean\n\nIota is the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year and only the second November hurricane to reach category five - the last was in 1932.\n\nThis year's Atlantic hurricane season has broken the record for the number of named storms. For only the second time on record officials have had to start using the letters of the Greek alphabet to start storm names after running out of names on its traditional alphabetical list.\n\nEta left at least 200 people dead. The worst-hit area was Guatemala's central Alta Verapaz region, where mudslides buried dozens of homes in the village of Quejá, with some 100 people feared dead. At least 50 deaths were reported elsewhere in Guatemala.\n\nHave you been affected by hurricane Iota?If it is safe to do so please share your experiences with us. Upload your pictures/video here.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "England's regional Covid tier system may need to be \"strengthened\" to get the country \"through the winter\", a senior government adviser has said.\n\nPublic Health England's Dr Susan Hopkins said they needed to look at what \"tiers there may be in the future\" when the lockdown ends on 2 December.\n\nA three-tier system was used in England to tackle the spread of coronavirus before the national lockdown began.\n\nMatt Hancock said the government hoped to bring back the regional tiers.\n\nIt comes as the UK announced another 21,363 daily Covid cases, as well as a further 213 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nSpeaking at the government's evening coronavirus briefing, Dr Hopkins, who is also a member of the government's scientific advisory group (Sage), said the \"key\" to knowing if the four-week lockdown in England was working was \"if cases fall\" and they expect to know that \"in the next week\".\n\n\"As long as we see cases decline we can make judgments... about opening up,\" she said.\n\nShe added that, prior to the lockdown, the \"tiering of the country\" had had a \"different effect in each area\".\n\n\"Tier three plus\" had led to a reduction in cases in the North West, she said, while tier two \"holds in some areas and not in others\", depending on \"how well individuals are taking that advice in\".\n\nHowever, she added: \"We see very little effect from tier one and when we look at what tiers may be there in the future, we will have to think about strengthening them to get us through the winter months until the vaccine is available for everyone.\"\n\nThe government is adamant that it wants England's lockdown to end on 2 December.\n\nBut what replaces it is still very much a live discussion in the corridors of power.\n\nThere was always a question mark about how much infections would fall during the lockdown.\n\nAnd clearly the impact has been undermined by the spike in cases last week when the daily number jumped by 10,000 to over 33,000 on Thursday.\n\nThat rise has been linked to a last bout of socialising before the lockdown came in.\n\nThe hope is cases will start falling this week.\n\nBut it will take much longer for that to filter through into fewer hospital cases - hence the suggestion that the regional tiers may need to be strengthened when lockdown ends.\n\nOne idea is to create a new tier four, which would see much tighter restrictions on hospitality opening.\n\nBut do not expect an announcement soon. Ministers will want to see exactly what happens to cases over the rest of the month.\n\nAlso speaking at the government's coronavirus briefing, Mr Hancock, the health secretary, said it was too early to know the impact of the second lockdown in England, which began on 5 November.\n\n\"At the moment, most of the tests we're getting back, and most of the positive cases, are from around the time the lockdown came in, so we are yet to see in the data - and it's too early to expect to see in the data - the impact of the second lockdown,\" he said.\n\n\"But we absolutely hope to be able to replace the national lockdown with a tiered system similar to what we had before.\"\n\nAt a briefing on Monday, the prime minister's official spokesman said: \"We are committed to setting out next week what the replacement regime will be and that will be a return to the localised approach and we're actively working on those plans at the moment.\"\n\nBefore England went into its second lockdown, nearly a fifth of the population was living in tier three areas - those under the toughest coronavirus restrictions. They included those in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, the Liverpool City Region, Warrington and Nottinghamshire.\n• None Postcode check: What are the rules where you live?", "Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson is to take an \"extended\" break from the pop group for \"private medical reasons\", their publicist has said.\n\nA statement didn't give any further details about the 29-year-old's condition.\n\nIt comes after Nelson recently missed the final of the girl group's BBC One talent show, and their hosting of the MTV European Music Awards.\n\nLittle Mix's latest album entered the UK chart at number two on Friday.\n\nAll six of the studio albums they have released since forming on The X Factor in 2011 have gone into the top five, and they have had four UK number one singles.\n\nNelson (right) missed the final of BBC One's Little Mix The Search earlier this month\n\nIn a statement, the group's publicist said: \"Jesy is having extended time off from Little Mix for private medical reasons.\n\n\"We will not be issuing any further comment currently and ask media to please respect her privacy at this time.\"\n\nNelson's bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall were seen without her on the final of Little Mix: The Search on 7 November, and on the MTV EMAs the following night.\n\nLast year, Nelson received widespread praise for discussing her mental health battle on the BBC Three documentary Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out. The documentary, which won a National Television Award, addressed body image and the impact of online bullying.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The actor introduced himself as \"Grint on the Gram\" last week\n\nHarry Potter star Rupert Grint has broken Sir David Attenborough's record for the fastest time to reach a million Instagram followers.\n\nThe actor, who played Ron Weasley in all eight Harry Potter films, made his first post on 10 November, joking that he was \"only 10 years late\".\n\nHe reached the million mark in four hours and one minute.\n\nThat's 43 minutes quicker than it took Sir David when he joined in September, according to Guinness World Records.\n\nDubbing himself \"Grint on the Gram\", the 32-year-old actor's first post was a photo of himself with his baby daughter.\n\nGrint said he was \"here to introduce you all to Wednesday\", the six-month-old girl his partner Georgia Groome gave birth to in May.\n\nSir David used Instagram to promote his A Life On Our Planet documentary\n\nHe joins a varied list of public figures who have at some point held the record for the fastest to gain a million followers.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nKenya's government has ordered an investigation into the theft and sale of babies following a BBC investigation into the black market trade.\n\nThe announcement came after BBC Africa Eye revealed children were stolen to order from a Nairobi public hospital.\n\nA hospital official used legitimate paperwork to take custody of a two-week-old boy before selling him directly to an undercover reporter.\n\nA government minister said the culprits would face the \"full force of the law\".\n\nAddressing a packed press conference in Nairobi, Labour and Social Protection Minister Simon Chelugui said the sellers and buyers were equally culpable.\n\nThe investigation by BBC Africa Eye uncovered a trade in children stolen from vulnerable mothers living on the street, as well as the existence of illegal clinics dotted around Nairobi where babies are sold for as little as £300 ($400).\n\nThe investigation also revealed corruption at Mama Lucy Kibaki, a public hospital in Nairobi. Fred Leparan, a clinical social worker at the hospital, facilitated the sale of an abandoned two-week-old baby boy to undercover reporters, later accepting 300,000 shillings (£2,000) in cash.\n\nBoth Mr Leparan and Mama Lucy Kibaki hospital declined requests to comment on the investigation's findings.\n\nSpeaking at the press conference on Tuesday, the labour minister, Mr Chelugui, also acknowledged that improvements to some of Kenya's child protection services were needed.\n\nThere are no reliable statistics on child trafficking in the East African state, but a non-governmental organisation, Missing Child Kenya, said it had been involved in nearly 600 cases in the past three years.", "Swift (left) has been trying to get her master recording rights back from Braun (right) since he bought them last year\n\nUS singer Taylor Swift has confirmed a report that music mogul Scooter Braun has sold the rights to her first six albums.\n\nUS entertainment magazine Variety first reported on Monday that Braun had sold the recordings - known as masters - to an investment fund.\n\nIt said the deal is thought to be worth more than $300m (£227m).\n\nWriting on Twitter, Swift said it was \"the second time my music had been sold without my knowledge\".\n\nIt is the latest development in the dispute between Swift and Braun - Swift has previously accused Braun of trying to \"dismantle\" her musical legacy.\n\nThere has been no initial response from Braun to the Variety report or Swift's remarks. The BBC has sent an email to Braun for comment.\n\nSwift signed a deal with record label Big Machine in 2004 granting it ownership of the master recordings to her first six albums in exchange for a cash advance to kick-start her career.\n\nIn the music industry, ownership of masters means you control what can be done with the original recording of a song or album, from re-releases and box sets to making it available for use in an advert or on a streaming platform. Owners of popular songs can earn a huge amount of money.\n\nBraun bought Big Machine in June 2019, and with it the rights to most of Swift's work. Since then the pair have been locked in a major battle over control of the music.\n\nSwift, as the writer or co-writer of her music, still owns the publishing rights, which means she has power to veto some of Braun's attempts to exploit her recordings.\n\nSpeaking to Billboard magazine last year, she said she had turned down \"dozens of requests\" for the use of Shake It Off every week since Braun had bought her back catalogue.\n\nIn her latest statement, Swift said she had been \"actively trying to regain ownership of my master recordings\" in 2020 and had tried to enter talks with Braun.\n\nShe said Braun's legal team wanted her to sign a non-disclosure agreement stating \"I would never say another word about Scooter Braun unless it was positive\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Taylor Swift This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThen just a few weeks ago, Swift wrote, she was contacted by private equity company Shamrock Holdings who said they had bought her music and album art from Braun.\n\nWhile she was \"open to the possibility of a partnership with Shamrock\", she learnt that under the terms Braun \"will continue to profit off my old music\" for years.\n\n\"I simply cannot in good conscience bring myself to be involved in benefiting Scooter Braun's interests,\" she wrote in a letter she sent to the company, which she included in her tweet.\n\nShe also said she has begun re-recording some of her older music and thanked her fans for their support. \"I love you guys and I'm just gonna keep cruising, as they say,\" she wrote.\n\nSwift and Braun have had a poor relationship for years.\n\nWhen his company, Ithaca Holdings, paid $300m to acquire Swift's former record label last year, Swift saw it as an act of aggression that \"stripped me of my life's work\".\n\nShe accused Braun - who also manages Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato - of \"incessant, manipulative bullying\".\n\nBut Braun last year told Variety Magazine that the dispute had \"gotten out of hand\" after he and his family received death threats.\n\n\"I think there are a lot of real problems in the world, and I think that these problems that are being discussed can be discussed behind closed doors and figured out pretty easily, and it's something I've wanted to do for six months,\" he told the magazine.\n\nShamrock Capital, which now owns Swift's first six albums, is a private equity firm originally set up by the Disney family.\n\nIt currently has approximately $2.1bn (£1.58bn) of assets under management, including a string of technology and marketing companies.\n\nIn a statement obtained by Billboard, the company said: \"Taylor Swift is a transcendent artist with a timeless catalogue. We made this investment because we believe in the immense value and opportunity that comes with her work.\n\n\"We fully respect and support her decision and, while we hoped to formally partner, we also knew this was a possible outcome that we considered. We appreciate Taylor's open communication and professionalism with us these last few weeks. We hope to partner with her in new ways moving forward and remain committed to investing with artists in their work.\"", "The Dragon capsule docked at 04:01 GMT as the station flew over the US state of Idaho\n\nThe four astronauts who left Earth on Monday (GMT) have arrived at the International Space Station (ISS).\n\nTheir SpaceX Dragon capsule made a series of inch-perfect manoeuvres to bring them into an attachment position on the front of the orbiting lab.\n\nCommander Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker, Victor Glover and Soichi Noguchi will be spending the next six months aloft.\n\nThey join three individuals already aboard - Kate Rubins, Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.\n\nRaising the resident complement to seven individuals will triple the amount of microgravity science that can be conducted on the 410km-high outpost, the US space agency Nasa says.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. SpaceX launch: What is SpaceX and why is it working with Nasa?\n\nThe Dragon docked at 04:01, just as the station was flying over the US state of Idaho.\n\nThe incoming crew had to wait for seal and pressure checks before the hatches between the Dragon and the ISS could be opened. But once this was completed, they were able to enter their new home.\n\nMike Hopkins said his team had had an amazing ride up from Earth.\n\n\"I can't tell you how excited we were when that rocket lifted off the pad, and then the last 27 hours have gone really smooth,\" he radioed down to Earth.\n\n\"We are so excited to be here. We are humbled and we are excited to be a part of this great expedition. And we are looking forward to the next six months and can't wait to get started.\"\n\nIncreasing the crew complement to seven will triple the amount of science conducted onboard\n\nThe capsule commander and his colleagues are the first crew rotation to be brought up to the station on a fully certified, commercial human transportation system, hence their tagline - Crew-1.\n\nThe Falcon rocket and Dragon capsule they used to get off Earth is a service the Californian firm SpaceX now sells to Nasa. And the agency has a contract with the company for a further five crew rotations after this one.\n\nIt's a new way of doing business for Nasa, who always used to own and operate the hardware needed to get astronauts into low-Earth orbit.\n\nNow that the agency can source taxi rides from a private supplier, it is focussing its efforts on developing a rocket and capsule for the more challenging task of taking people back to the Moon, something it hopes to do later this decade.\n\nHopkins' team has a full programme of research ahead of it. An example experiment involves chips with tissue that mimics the structure and function of human organs, to try to understand the role of microgravity on human health and disease.\n\nThe crew will go on at least four spacewalks outside the station.\n\nOne of these activities is expected to result in the installation of the first significant UK industrial contribution to the platform.\n\nThis is the ColKa communications terminal. Made by MDA UK, the radio equipment will enable astronauts to connect with scientists and family on Earth at home broadband speeds. ColKa will be fixed to the exterior of the European Space Agency's ISS research module, Columbus.\n\nVictor Glover (third from left) is making his first trip to orbit\n\nThe baby Yoda toy indicates to the crew they are in weightless conditions\n\nThe crew will also see a wide variety of space vehicles come and go during their time aboard.\n\nAmong these vehicles should be the Boeing aerospace corporation's Starliner capsule.\n\nLike the SpaceX Dragon ship, Starliner is being offered to Nasa and its partner agencies on a commercial basis to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS.\n\n\"Low-Earth orbit for over 50 years was the domain of governments. Now, we've seen commercial companies, SpaceX being the first, take astronauts to the space station, with Boeing set to follow, hopefully sometime next year,\" commented former Nasa astronaut Leroy Chiao.\n\n\"It very much follows the aviation era where airliners used to be government run, and now of course they've been commercial for a number of decades,\" the shuttle and Soyuz flier told BBC News.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Commander Mike Hopkins said his team had an amazing ride up to the ISS\n\nThe space station orbits the Earth at an altitude of just over 400km", "The government is to invest £4bn in creating 250,000 new green jobs as part of its plan to hit net zero emissions.\n\nIt also aims to equip a generation of workers with new green skills.\n\nThe government will release its long-awaited 10-point plan to make the UK carbon neutral by 2050 later on Tuesday.\n\nIt will emphasise the potential jobs that the so-called green industrial revolution could bring to regions that have suffered industrial decline.\n\nThe BBC can confirm that technology to capture and store carbon created in industrial processes will receive substantial government investment.\n\nThe plan will also include investment in offshore wind as already announced by the prime minister at the Conservative Party conference.\n\nResidential heating is one of the biggest emitters of carbon and there will be government grants towards making homes more energy efficient - which again it hopes will create thousands of new jobs.\n\nIt is thought the final plan will also include investments in hydrogen power and there may be a commitment to new nuclear energy.\n\nIn October, the BBC learned that the government was close to giving the green light to a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk.\n\nIt comes after the collapse of nuclear projects in Anglesey and Cumbria after Japanese firms Hitachi and Toshiba pulled out.\n\nThe figure of £4bn will be considered by many as a small down-payment on a transformation that the Committee on Climate Changes estimates will cost £1 trillion over the next 30 years.\n\nThe full 10-point plan will be published tonight at 22:30 ahead of a press conference and round table with key stakeholders on Wednesday.\n\nThere has also been speculation that a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be brought forward to 2030 - five years earlier than previously planned.\n\nHybrid vehicles, which have petrol or diesel engines but also use electric power, will have a stay of execution until 2035.\n\nPlans for a ban on the sale of traditional petrol and diesel cars were first announced in 2017, as part of a strategy to clean up city air. It was meant to take effect in 2040.\n\nIn February, that target was brought forward to 2035, as the government sought to burnish its environmental credentials ahead of a now-postponed UN climate summit in Glasgow, but it now looks set to be revised again.\n\nMike Hawes, chief executive of the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders, believes that meeting the government's target will require serious support for the industry.", "TikTok is making it easier for parents to safeguard their children on its video-sharing app.\n\nNew features include the ability to change the youngster's settings remotely to block them from carrying out searches, and to prevent strangers from seeing their posts.\n\nChildren can still override these limitations but not without their parents being told.\n\nThe action comes a fortnight after BBC Panorama raised safety concerns.\n\nThe documentary highlighted how predators have abused the platform's recommendation engine to target some of its youngest users.\n\nIt also flagged a case in which the app's moderators did not ban a user who had been reported for sending sexual messages to an account that appeared to belong to a 14-year old girl, but was actually controlled by the programme.\n\nTikTok has denied it was prompted into action by Panorama and said it was constantly working on new security measures.\n\nThe new features relate to TikTok's Family Pairing facility.\n\nThe function was launched earlier this year, but until now was limited to placing limits on the types of content the child sees, restricting their use of private chats, and limiting how much time they spend in the app.\n\nThis is now being extended to let parents alter their child's account to:\n\n\"Today's announcement is just the latest in the steps TikTok has taken this year to keep younger users safe on the platform, including restricting direct messaging to over-16s and prompting all users under-18 to set their account to private when they join,\" a press release said.\n\nTikTok has retained an option that allows children to \"unpair\" their device from the parent's.\n\nTikTok's audience tends to be younger than that of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter\n\nDoing so sends the adult an alert and gives them 48 hours to restore the link before the child can turn off the restrictions.\n\nChild safety experts support this decision as it allows a balance to be struck between safety and surveillance. The theory is that if teenagers view safety measures as being excessive, it might make them less likely to ask for help if they get into trouble.\n\nOne leading charity, however, said the government still needed to ensure TikTok and other apps were held to account if other safety issues arise.\n\n\"This feature is a step in the right direction, giving parents extra options to safely tailor social media to what is appropriate for their children,\" the NSPCC's Andy Burrows told the BBC.\n\n\"While this is a useful tool for other platforms to follow, it's clear that the only way to make social networks safer across the board is through regulation that holds tech firms accountable for failing to protect children.\"\n\nThe NSPCC and others are concerned that the government's proposed Online Harms Bill may not come into effect until 2023 or 2024.", "Four astronauts travelling in the SpaceX Dragon capsule have arrived at the International Space Station (ISS).\n\nThe mission is considered a landmark achievement for private space travel.", "The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is putting increased pressure on hospital beds, NHS staff have said.\n\nUniversity Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust has seen a rise in elderly patients unable to leave hospital.\n\nThe Royal Bournemouth Hospital is also managing a backlog of operations and an increasing number of Covid cases.\n\nBBC South health correspondent Alastair Fee was given access to see how it is tackling delayed discharges.", "Octavian, who has worked with artists including Skepta and Mura Masa, won BBC Music's Sound of 2019\n\nRapper Octavian has been dropped by his record label after allegations of physical and emotional abuse by his ex-girlfriend.\n\nPosting on Twitter and Instagram, the musician's ex-partner claimed he \"frequently kicked and punched\" her during their three-year relationship.\n\nOctavian, 24, has strongly denied the allegations and said he was dealing with the matter \"legally and properly\".\n\nBlack Butter Records said it was no longer working with the rapper.\n\nA spokesperson said: \"We at Black Butter have taken the decision not to continue working with Octavian and we will not be releasing his album.\n\n\"We do not condone domestic abuse of any kind and we have suggested Octavian seeks professional help at this time.\"\n\nHis ex-partner has posted a thread on Twitter, including a video and photos, saying she was subject to physical, verbal and psychological abuse during their relationship. She alleges violence including being kicked in the stomach.\n\nIn a video on Instagram today, Octavian acknowledged she was his ex-girlfriend and said he broke up with her. In a separate, longer video reposted by another account he said he had never been abusive.\n\nOctavian won BBC Music's Sound of 2019 and his long-anticipated debut album, Alpha, was due to be released tomorrow.\n\nPattern Publicity said it had stopped all work with Octavian since the allegations came to light.\n\nRadio 1 and 1Xtra said there were currently no tracks by Octavian on the stations' playlists.\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThousands of Scotland fans are in London ahead of their Euro 2020 match with England - but the skirl of the bagpipes has largely been drowned out by a 1970s disco classic.\n\nVideos of the Tartan Army belting out Yes Sir, I Can Boogie on the streets of the English capital have been all over social media.\n\nSo how did the song become the country's unofficial national anthem?\n\nIt started when a video of ecstatic players dancing to the tune went viral after Scotland clinched qualification for the tournament by defeating Serbia on penalties in November.\n\nThe song by Spanish duo Baccara spent a single week at the top of the UK charts in 1977.\n\nBut last year it got a fresh lease of life when it was used by the Keeping the Ball on the Ground podcast as a tribute to defender Andrew Considine.\n\nScotland defender Andrew Considine (centre) dressed in drag to dance to the tune on his stag do five years ago\n\nThe Aberdeen cult hero - who was called up to the Scotland team for the first time last year at the age of 33 - famously starred in a spoof video of the song on his stag do.\n\nThe player was unrecognisable as he dressed in drag to strut his stuff to the tune alongside friends and his father, with the professionally-produced video being played on his wedding day in 2015.\n\nConsidine was an unused substitute for the historic match with Serbia, which saw the Scottish men's team dramatically end more than 20 years of hurt by clinching a place at the European Championships.\n\nBut a video tweeted by the Scotland National Team after the game showed him in the thick of the action as he boogie-woogied with team mates including Kieran Tierney, Scott McTominay, Leigh Griffiths and Callum McGregor.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Scotland National Team This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe video immediately caught the imagination of the Tartan Army, with jubilant fans starting a campaign to get the song back to Number One in the charts.\n\nNot all the team's heroes had been able to get involved, with midfielders John McGinn and Ryan Christie - who scored Scotland's goal in the match - having to take routine drug tests while the party was kicking off in the dressing room.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Scotland National Team This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nLuckily for McGinn and Christie, the boogie-woogieing did indeed continue long into the night - with fresh footage of celebrations at what appears to be the team hotel in Belgrade being tweeted the next morning.\n\nThis time the soundtrack of choice was Saturday Night by Whigfield as goalkeeper David Marshall led a conga around the room while teammates chanted his name to the 90s hit.\n\nMarshall had earlier written himself into Scottish football folklore by saving Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic's penalty to clinch victory in the shootout.\n\nSinger Maria Mendiola, who formed Baccara along with Mayte Mateos, later said she was delighted that the song had found a new audience more than 40 years after its release.\n\nShe told BBC Scotland: \"With this pandemic, I have been sitting at home and this has uplifted me in a way you cannot imagine.\n\n\"I will always thank the Scottish team and especially Andy Considine for making me so happy after 43 years.\n\n\"I saw all the articles and everyone was calling me. I was delighted. I thanked the Scotland team and spoke with Andy over Instagram. He had such nice words.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Ben Philip This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe boogieing began in earnest once more as Euro 2020 got under way, with the 12,000 fans who were allowed to be inside Hampden belting out the song ahead of Scotland's opening match with the Czech Republic.\n\nThe game - Scotland's first in a major tournament for 23 years - ended in a 2-0 defeat.\n\nBut the result didn't appear to have dampened spirits too much ahead of the eagerly awaited clash with the Auld Enemy at Wembley.\n\nVideos of fans singing the song on planes and trains as they made their way south for the match have been racking up hundreds of thousands of view on social media.\n\nAnd regardless of what happens in the game, a certain song will keep the Tartan Army boogie-woogieing all night long.", "Dominic Cummings confirmed his upcoming departure to the BBC\n\nThe departure of Dominic Cummings from Downing Street could give Boris Johnson a \"fresh start\", say Conservative MPs.\n\nA number of Tory backbenchers have welcomed news the prime minister's chief adviser will step down this year.\n\nIt comes after the PM's director of communications, and close ally of Mr Cummings, Lee Cain, resigned.\n\nEx-minister Theresa Villiers said the pair had been \"dismissive\" of Tory MPs, and she hoped their replacements would be \"more collegiate\" with the party.\n\nMr Cummings confirmed to the BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, late on Thursday that he would leave No 10 before Christmas.\n\nHe said reports that he had threatened to quit in solidarity with Mr Cain had been \"invented\" - instead pointing to a blog post from January where he wrote he wanted to make himself \"largely redundant\" by the end of 2020.\n\nMr Cummings and Mr Cain were both key members of the Vote Leave campaign for leaving the EU before entering Downing Street with Mr Johnson.\n\nThe confirmation of their exits come during the final stages of trade talks between the UK and the bloc.\n\nBut No 10 said it would not affect negotiations and the government's approach remained \"unchanged\".\n\nThe events of the past 48 hours feel like a political explosion, with Dominic Cummings now confirming his departure from Downing Street by the end of the year.\n\nBut while it's tempting to see this is as a dramatic and sudden eruption, it has been a longer-term burn.\n\nThe prime minister's chief adviser stepped back somewhat from some of the brutal day-to-day politics he had helped create after the election.\n\nHe had been spending more time focusing on trying to rewire Whitehall - trying to increase the importance of science and data in government - hoping to be less involved in the moment-by-moment political rush.\n\nBut given his profile, and his nature, was that ever a realistic plan?\n\nRead more from Laura here.\n\nSince taking the job at Number 10, Mr Cummings has not been a popular figure with everyone within the governing Conservative Party.\n\nHe was known for making disparaging comments about some of Mr Johnson's own MPs, including labelling Brexiteers \"useful idiots\".\n\nMs Villiers, who was environment secretary until February, welcomed the upcoming change of personnel.\n\nShe told BBC News: \"I do feel these changes... are an opportunity for a fresh start, to enable the prime minister to build bridges with some of the backbenches who have become anxious about some of the direction the government has gone over recent months\n\n\"There is no doubt that both Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain were pretty dismissive of backbenchers, and on some occasion ministers and secretaries of states as well, and I don't think that was helpful.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe Conservative chair of the liaison committee of senior MPs, Sir Bernard Jenkin, said Mr Cummings' departure was an \"opportunity to reset how the government operates and to emphasise some values about what we want to project as a Conservative Party in government\".\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was time to restore \"respect, integrity and trust\" between No 10 and Tory MPs, which he said had been \"lacking in recent months\".\n\nAnd fellow Tory Sir Roger Gale called the chief adviser's exit as \"an opportunity to muck out the stables\" and get a new team in.\n\nHe called for Mr Cummings to go \"immediately\", telling BBC News: \"People who campaign well are not necessarily people who can run the country well.\n\n\"I believe that what the prime minister needs and deserves is a serious heavyweight political adviser behind him, who understands the scene, understands the system, knows where the bodies are buried.\"\n\nRead our full profile on Dominic Cummings here.\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Breakfast he was \"not particularly surprised\" by the announcement, adding that \"advisers come and go over a period of time\".\n\nAsked if the departure of Mr Cummings and Mr Cain suggested the prime minister was intending to follow a very different path, Mr Shapps said the PM had \"always taken advice from a very wide range of people and doesn't always side with the same people at the end of that decision-making process\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid in Scotland: Level 4 'under consideration' in the west\n\nAreas in the west of Scotland have been warned they may be placed under the highest level of Covid restrictions next week.\n\nDeputy First Minister John Swinney said contact had been made with councils in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Lanarkshire health board areas.\n\nThey were told it was possible that restrictions may need to be increased from level three to level four.\n\nThe move would see the closure of gyms, hospitality and non-essential shops.\n\nA Scottish retail trade association said it was \"deeply alarmed\" by the prospect of shops having to shut during the festive season.\n\nThe Scottish government confirmed on Friday evening it had made contact with every council in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area - in most cases at chief executive level - to discuss the current situation.\n\nThe chief executives of both North and South Lanarkshire Councils were also called.\n\nA spokeswoman said: \"Scottish government officials make regular contact with all local authorities to discuss plans for protection measures before these are finalised.\"\n\nMr Swinney said increases in Covid cases had also been seen in other areas, including Stirling, which is also currently in level three, and Aberdeenshire, which is in level two.\n\nHe said the national incident management team would be looking at the data over the weekend.\n\nDiscussions will also take place with councils before ministers meet on Tuesday to take any decisions.\n\nMr Swinney added that there were \"wider issues\" which would also need to be considered, such as the social and economic harm which could be caused by moving an area into level four.\n\nThe highest level of coronavirus restrictions is the closest to a full lockdown, similar to the one introduced in March.\n\nThe guidelines say it will only be used if \"absolutely necessary\", at a time when cases are very high and there is a risk of the NHS being overwhelmed.\n\nIn response to the announcement, Scotland's largest teaching union, the EIS, called for the implementation of blended learning in areas which move into level four, amid concerns about school safety.\n\nThe union said the growing number of pupils and teachers infected with Covid-19 raised issues over the effectiveness of virus mitigations in schools.\n\nThe Scottish Retail Consortium said jobs would be lost if shops cannot trade during the festive season, which many rely on to boost winter sales.\n\nDirector David Lonsdale said: \"It's already been an especially gloomy year for retail - but shop closures prior to Christmas would take us even deeper into the darkness.\"\n\nSeveral councils confirmed they were in talks over the level 4 move.\n\nA spokesperson for North Lanarkshire said: \"The council continues to engage with the Scottish government on the most appropriate level for North Lanarkshire to be in and we are actively encouraging residents to continue to comply with national guidance.\"\n\nSouth Lanarkshire said it was in \"constructive dialogue\" with the Scottish government and East Renfrewshire also said discussions were continuing.\n\nThe EIS union has called for the re-introduction of blended learning in level 4 areas\n\nA Renfrewshire Council spokeswoman said: \"Scottish government have contacted us, and we are in discussion with them. No decision has been taken and Renfrewshire remains in level three at present.\n\n\"The council is committed to doing everything possible to help keep Renfrewshire communities out of further restrictions and local businesses open. We are asking all of Renfrewshire to work together to stop transmission of this virus, keep our communities safe and protect local jobs.\"\n\nAt the government's daily coronavirus briefing, Mr Swinney said: \"I can confirm that officials in the Scottish government have been in contact with a number of local authorities in the west of Scotland about the possibility of the area having to be increased from level three to level four.\n\nHe added that a number of other local authorities around the country had been contacted because they had seen \"quite significant\" increases in rates of the virus.\n\nMr Swinney added that the numbers were \"so stubbornly high\" in some level three areas that it raised a question of whether the restrictions were doing enough to suppress the virus.\n\nMr Swinney added that if any area was moved into level four, this would need to be for \"a reasonable amount of time\" so that the effect of the restrictions could be seen.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The only Scotland fan in the stadium for victory over Serbia\n\nGordon Howat was among thousands of Tartan Army foot soldiers who travelled to France for the 1998 World Cup - the last time the men's team took part in a major tournament.\n\nBut 22 years later he was the only Scotland supporter in the Rajko Mitic stadium as victory over Serbia saw the national side book its place in next year's European Championships.\n\nMr Howat, from Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute, has been a pitch consultant for Red Star Belgrade - who play in the stadium - since 2017.\n\nHe joked: \"Sometimes you have to call in a favour and arrange a visit at the right time.\"\n\nMr Howat was spotted in the main stand with his saltire by BBC Scotland sports news correspondent Chris McLaughlin before the match.\n\nThey met up again on Friday morning to reflect on an unforgettable night.\n\nMr Howat said the victory over Serbia had been \"a great moment\".\n\n\"I'm sure it was big back home in Scotland, despite lockdown,\" he said.\n\nBBC Scotland's Chris McLaughlin was reunited with Gordon Howat the morning after Scotland's epic win\n\nThe father-of-two admitted he was \"shaky with nerves\" during the match, which ended 1-1 after extra time.\n\nHe added: \"It was a massive disappointment in the 89th minute but we were fortunate to turn it around.\n\n\"I think if nothing else, the law of averages was on our side last night and we were due a little bit of luck.\"\n\nMr Howat's memory of the thrilling finale mirrors the clip that rapidly became a social media sensation.\n\nHe said: \"The thing I noticed was that David Marshall was clearly looking at the referee to make sure he had made a fair save, but it was bedlam.\n\n\"The one thing I took was that because the stadium was so quiet you could really hear the player's enjoyment.\"\n\nMr Howat, who got so many messages his phone ran out of battery, said his post-match celebrations were tame by Tartan Army standards.\n\nHe added: \"I had a couple of drinks in the stadium but there's a lockdown here and the bar was closed at the hotel.\"\n\nOn the significance of the result, he said: \"Our generation understand it but it is all about the young ones.\n\n\"I have got girls, Lottie and Susa, they are seven and nine and a nephew, Kiefer, he is 13.\n\n\"I guess it's all about them. They have no idea. It will be fantastic.\"\n\nThe Tartan Army's sole representative in Belgrade also welcomed the fact that two of Scotland's three group games will be at Hampden.\n\nHe added: \"It ticks all the boxes. We just need to hope the fans are there.\"", "Scotland has been celebrating the men's national football team's achievement in qualifying for its first major tournament in more than 20 years.\n\nThe nail-biting penalty shoot out victory over Serbia secured qualification for the delayed Euro 2020 event, which will take place next year.\n\nThe men's team last played in a major tournament back in 1998.\n\nThere has been an outpouring of emotion from fans and players following the historic achievement.\n\nA tweet from Scotland manager Steve Clarke's son John was among those which summed up the national mood.\n\nHe said: \"My dad is my hero. Watching my hero take Scotland to an international competition is the greatest thing I'll ever see.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by John Clarke This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSocial media feeds were quickly filled with the moments which will live on in fans' memories.\n\nThey ranged from goalkeeper David Marshall's delayed celebration to Ryan Christie's emotional post-match interview - and the team's joyful dressing room celebration to the song Yes Sir I Can Boogie.\n\nComedian Kevin Bridges was one of those celebrating in the aftermath of the match, saying: \"Mad Scotland! Said it years ago that we'd quality for Euro 2021. Brilliant.\"\n\nOutlander star Sam Heughan shared footage of the team celebrating in their hotel in Belgrade last night with the caption: \"They've already won Euros with this!\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Sam Heughan This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAs the celebrations continued the morning after, veteran broadcaster Archie Macpherson described the emotions felt by many fans when the match went to penalties.\n\nHe told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that he kept his eyes shut during the crucial shoot-out.\n\n\"I have a deep aversion to penalty shoot-outs that I think, eventually, only psychiatry will overcome,\" he said.\n\nHe had commentated on the first ever penalty shoot out in European football, between Celtic and Inter Milan in Glasgow 1972 - when the first kick was missed by the home team.\n\nMr Macpherson said: \"As the Scottish players walked up to the penalty spot I was actually seeing the ghost of Dixie Deans stepping forward and I expected to see the ball going over the bar or something like that.\n\n\"It was very, very tense and I enjoyed it like a 10-year-old schoolboy.\"\n\nHowever, Tartan Army member Scott Husband was keen to highlight the country's perfect penalty shoot-out record.\n\nThe men's team has only taken part in two - and has won them both.\n\nHe said: \"I actually was very cool. I thought we were going to win it.\n\n\"We are the world champions at penalties. We have got a 100% record. We have taken 10 and scored 10.\"\n\nKatie Howard will be one of the volunteers at next summer's tournament, when some of the matches will be played in Glasgow.\n\nShe watched the decisive moment in her university student accommodation.\n\n\"The place blew up. It was so good,\" she said.\n\nAnd Scotland women's record goal scorer Julie Fleeting was still on cloud nine when she spoke to Good Morning Scotland.\n\nShe said: \"I can't be the only Scot who struggled to get to sleep last night with all the excitement.\n\n\"It was just incredible. It was a tremendous way to do it. Very, very nerve-wracking but it just added to the excitement of it all.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Nicola Sturgeon This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nPoliticians at Holyrood and Westminster also praised the national team after the dramatic win.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: \"Massive congratulations to Steve Clarke and the team. After 22 years @ScotlandNT men are off to a major tournament. What a lift for the country. Well done!\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Steve Clarke's history-makers. He posted: \"So great to see Scotland going forward to the Euros. Massive well done to the whole team.\"\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross tweeted: \"Outstanding. We're going to the Euros.\"\n\nScottish Labour's Richard Leonard posted: \"Scotland has done it! Congratulations to the Scotland men's team on this historic night. The people of Scotland will be with them all the way as they march on to the Euros.\"\n\nAnd Alison Johnstone, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, tweeted: \"YAAAAAS! Peak Scotland, that win! Congratulations! #Scoser Off to the Euros!\"", "The Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe has died at the age of 74.\n\nThe serial killer was serving a whole life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and north-west England.\n\nHis first victim's son, who was five when his mother was killed in 1975, said Sutcliffe's death would bring \"some kind of closure\".\n\nThe former lorry driver, from Bradford, died in hospital where he is said to have refused treatment for Covid-19. He also had other health problems.\n\nSutcliffe, who was also found guilty of the attempted murder of seven women, was convicted in 1981. He spent three decades at Broadmoor Hospital before being moved to HMP Frankland in County Durham in 2016.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Speaking before an apology from police, Richard McCann, the son of Peter Sutcliffe's first victim, Wilma McCann, reacts to his death\n\nEx-police officer Bob Bridgestock, who worked on the case, said he \"won't be shedding any tears\" over the killer's death.\n\nThe murders, which spanned five years from 1975 to 1980, began with 28-year-old mother-of-four Wilma McCann, who was hit with a hammer and stabbed 15 times, in October 1975.\n\nSutcliffe was interviewed nine times during the course of a huge investigation but continued to avoid arrest and was able to carry on killing.\n\nTwelve of the 13 women Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering: Emily Jackson, Irene Richardson, Patricia Atkinson, Jayne McDonald, Jean Jordan, Yvonne Pearson, Helen Rytka, Vera Millward, Josephine Whittaker, Barbara Leach, Marguerite Walls, Jacqueline Hill (Wilma McCann pictured below)\n\nMs McCann's son Richard said: \"The attention he's had over the years, the continuous news stories that we've suffered over the years, there is some form of conclusion to that.\n\n\"I am sure a lot of the families, surviving children of the victims may well be glad he has gone and they have a right to feel like that.\"\n\nHe explained that in about 2010 he had decided to let go of his anger and \"forgive\" Sutcliffe.\n\n\"I am sorry to hear he has passed away. It's not something I could have said in the past when I was consumed with anger,\" he said.\n\nWilma McCann was the first woman Sutcliffe murdered, in 1975\n\nSutcliffe was dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper because he mutilated his victims' bodies.\n\nHe is said to have believed he was on a \"mission from God\" to kill prostitutes, although not all of his victims were sex workers.\n\nOne of his surviving victims said that 40 years on she is still affected by the attack as she walked home from a pub in Leeds in October 1980.\n\nMo Lea, who was 20 at the time, said she had written Sutcliffe a letter while he was in prison.\n\n\"I was compelled to write to let him know how the fact that he was hanging on to the knowledge that he tried to kill me, was affecting me,\" she said.\n\n\"And I thought at least if I post it I'll know that in some way there'll be a level of understanding. I didn't expect a response and I didn't get one but it felt good to put it in the post box.\"\n\nAn inquiry held after his conviction said a backlog of case paperwork meant officers were unable to connect vital pieces of information.\n\nThe first two victims, Ms McCann and Emily Jackson, were killed in Chapeltown, which was known at the time for containing Leeds' main red light district.\n\nFollowing the second murder, West Yorkshire Police announced they were looking for a \"prostitute killer\", leading to accusations key eyewitness evidence was being ignored as it did not fit detectives' narrative.\n\nThe investigation was also misdirected by one of criminal history's cruellest hoaxes, when John Humble tricked police into believing the serial killer was a man dubbed Wearside Jack because of his gruff Sunderland accent.\n\nPolice had believed he was the killer despite some survivors of attacks by Sutcliffe reporting he had a Yorkshire accent.\n\nHumble, who died in 2019, never fully explained why he taunted detectives with letters and an infamous tape recording, in which he anonymously claimed to be the serial killer.\n\nGeorge Oldfield, centre, with detectives who initially believed the hoax tape was genuine\n\nWest Yorkshire Police detectives, headed by the then assistant chief constable George Oldfield, believed the letters and tape were genuine and diverted crucial resources to the north-east of England.\n\nWhen Humble was eventually prosecuted, Leeds Crown Court heard claims the delays caused by the hoax left Peter Sutcliffe free to murder three more women.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. When arrested in 2005 Humble read aloud a section of the hoax tape he sent to police in 1979\n\nSutcliffe had violently attacked at least three women before he killed Ms McCann.\n\nIn 1969, he hit a woman over the head with a stone in a sock. Sutcliffe admitted the offence, but his victim decided not to press charges.\n\nSix years later, just months before Ms McCann's death, he attacked two other women with a knife and a hammer but both survived.\n\nSutcliffe attended Dewsbury Magistrates Court in February 1981 charged with the murder of 13 women and attempted murder of seven others\n\nMr Oldfield's 200-strong ripper squad eventually carried out more than 130,000 interviews, visited more than 23,000 homes and checked 150,000 cars.\n\nBut Joan Smith, a radio reporter in Manchester who interviewed some of the surviving victims before Sutcliffe was caught, said there were instances of \"the most blatant victim blaming\" from detectives.\n\n\"There were no women involved in this case at all - all the detectives were male, virtually all the reporters were male… I felt that right from the beginning women didn't have a voice,\" she said.\n\n\"I don't think any woman who was around in the north of England at that time will ever be able to hear his name without some kind of shudder.\"\n\nSutcliffe died at the University Hospital of North Durham after being transferred there from maximum security HMP Frankland\n\nMr McCann has appealed to West Yorkshire Police to make a formal apology for the language used in the 1970s to describe his mother and other victims.\n\n\"They described some of the women as 'innocent', inferring that some were not innocent - including my mum,\" he said.\n\n\"She was a family woman who, through no fault of her own, was going through adversity and made some bad decisions, some risky decisions.\n\n\"She paid for those decisions with her life.\"\n\nA West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: \"We have received correspondence from Mr McCann and commit to continue to engage with him directly.\"\n\nAngry crowds gathered outside Dewsbury Magistrates' Court when Sutcliffe appeared there following his arrest\n\nA stroke of luck eventually led to Sutcliffe's arrest when his brown Rover car, which had false number plates, was stopped by police in a red light area of Sheffield in January 1981.\n\nMr Bridgestock, who was one of the first on the scene when Josephine Whitaker was murdered in 1979, said senior detectives \"wore blinkers\" while leading the inquiry.\n\n\"It's the victims that served the life sentence and then the victims' families that really serve the true life sentences,\" he said.\n\n\"For them today, they will have some kind of closure.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. MP Tracey Crouch says she is “disappointingly unable to participate” in a Commons debate on breast cancer.\n\nMPs have called for wider virtual participation to be allowed in Parliament, arguing that those with cancer were \"excluded\" from taking part in a debate on the illness.\n\nEx-minister Tracey Crouch, who has cancer, expressed disappointment she could not speak in the debate.\n\nLabour's Chris Bryant said this was due to Jacob Rees-Mogg's reluctance to allow greater use of video links.\n\nBut the Commons leader said it was down to a lack of broadcasting equipment.\n\nMr Rees-Mogg has previously argued that virtual working was not an effective way to hold the government to account and was no substitute for the \"cut and thrust\" of live debate.\n\nCurrently, MPs who cannot be in Westminster due to coronavirus are only able to take part in some events.\n\nThey can put questions to ministers by video link, but are not able to contribute to general debates on legislation or events in Westminster Hall - a separate chamber from the House of Commons.\n\nWestminster Hall debates were suspended from 20 March during the first wave of coronavirus. They only resumed from 5 October, around a month after business returned in the main chamber following the summer recess.\n\nThose trying to avoid travel during the pandemic are also able to register for proxy votes.\n\nOn Thursday, a debate on breast cancer services took place in Westminster Hall, and Conservative MP Ms Crouch said because of Mr Rees-Mogg's ruling, those \"with real and current life experience of the disease are disappointingly unable to participate\".\n\nShe added: \"While I respect his commitment to traditional parliamentary procedures, I'm sure if he was on the backbenches and not the fine specimen of health and fitness he clearly is, he would be arguing forcefully for members to be able to contribute more often in proceedings by modern technology.\"\n\nThe MP asked him to \"please stop thinking those of us at home are shirking our duties\" and urged him to allow virtual participation in Westminster Hall.\n\nLeader of the House Mr Rees-Mogg said when events in Westminster Hall restarted, \"the broadcasting facilities were already being fully utilised\".\n\n\"So it wasn't an issue then of whether we wanted to do it or not, it simply wasn't an option,\" he said.\n\nHowever, he also added there needed to be a balance between the needs of MPs with the needs of the House of Commons \"to proceed with its business\".\n\nMr Bryant said it was \"appalling that Tracey Crouch is excluded from a debate on breast cancer because she's recuperating from cancer by Jacob Rees-Mogg rules\".\n\nHis party colleague Barbara Keeley agreed and said she was also \"excluded\" having just been through breast cancer treatment.\n\nIn an interview with BBC Radio 4's The Westminster Hour - recorded before Thursday's debate - Ms Crouch said she would not have been able to participate in debates at all before the pandemic as the video technology was not set up.\n\n\"So actually, in a way, and I don't mean this to sound insensitive, this is a good time to have gone through this,\" she added.\n\nHowever, she told the programme that wider use of video technology, beyond the debates where it is currently used, would make for a \"better\" system and called for MPs to be allowed to carry on contributing virtually \"while coronavirus exists\".\n\nMs Crouch added that she would also like to see the proxy voting scheme extended to cover MPs suffering from other health conditions or on bereavement leave.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Nicola Adams and Katya Jones during the launch show of Strictly 2020\n\nFormer boxer Nicola Adams and her Strictly Come Dancing partner Katya Jones have left the BBC contest after Jones tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nA statement said the programme's \"protocols\" meant the pair would now self-isolate and would not be able to take part in the rest of the series.\n\nThey made history as the first same-sex couple to take part in the UK show.\n\nMeanwhile, judge Motsi Mabuse has said she will be self-isolating this weekend after an \"urgent\" trip abroad.\n\nOlympic gold medallist Adams said: \"I'm absolutely devastated my Strictly journey has come to an end so soon.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Nicola Adams This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"I had so much more to give and so many people to win this for! But I just want to say a huge thank you to Katya for being the best dance partner anyone could ask for.\n\n\"I'm gutted to be out of the competition but in these unprecedented times and as frustrating as it is, the Covid measures in place are to keep everyone safe, and I'm doing what I can to help.\"\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by katyajones This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nJones is asymptomatic and said she was \"devastated to leave this way\".\n\n\"But I've made a friend for life and loved every moment of this special journey,\" she added.\n\nHost Claudia Winkleman said she was \"so sad\", while It Takes Two presenter Zoe Ball said she was \"gutted for Nicola and Katya\", adding: \"You made history girls.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Claudia Winkleman This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAdams, who won Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016, said she had asked the BBC for a female partner because it was \"definitely time for change\".\n\nThe pair came in the top half of the leader board with their quickstep in week one, and impressed the judges again in week two with their street/commercial routine.\n\nBut they found themselves in the dance-off last week after performing their jive, eventually being saved by the judges at the expense of former NFL player Jason Bell.\n\nA number of crew members are also self-isolating after coming into contact with Jones, according to the PA news agency.\n\nThe show's executive producer Sarah James said: \"We are incredibly sad that these unfortunate circumstances mean that Nicola and Katya are unable to continue on Strictly. They are a brilliant partnership and had already achieved so much during their time on the show.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse will appear on the show via video link this weekend, as she is self-isolating following an \"urgent\" trip to Germany.\n\nThe judge, who lives in Germany, wrote on Twitter: \"I'll be watching from home and by the power of technology, should be in your living rooms. Watch out though, I'll be doing my own hair and make-up.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Motsi Mabuse This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIt Takes Two co-host Rylan Clark-Neal is also self-isolating after revealing he has been in recent contact with someone \"outside of work\" who has tested positive.\n\nHe said he had since tested negative, but will miss two weeks of the BBC Two spin-off and his BBC Radio 2 weekend programme.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Rylan Clark-Neal This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAdams' departure leaves nine celebrities in the line-up. One, HRVY, tested positive before the launch show but was able to finish isolating in time to take part.\n\nThe series will continue as planned on Saturday, the BBC said. Each partnership is in a bubble and having regular coronavirus tests.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "People arriving in the UK from mainland Greece will need to self-isolate for two weeks from 04:00 on Saturday, the transport secretary has said.\n\nThe rules will not apply to the Greek islands of Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Kos and Zakynthos, Grant Shapps said.\n\nTravellers from Qatar, the UAE, Laos and the Turks and Caicos Islands will no longer need to quarantine.\n\nBahrain, Chile, Iceland and Cambodia will also be exempt from isolation rules.\n\nThe Department for Transport (DfT) said data had shown \"a consistent increase\" in newly reported cases in Greece over the past fortnight, with a 136% increase in new cases to 16,429 between 5 and 12 November from 6,965 between 22 and 29 October.\n\nIt added the islands of Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Zakynthos and Kos had not seen as significant a growth in cases over recent weeks as the rest of Greece and therefore quarantining was not required.\n\nThe UAE, Qatar, Turks & Caicos islands, Laos, Iceland, Cambodia, Chile and Bahrain were also seen as \"posing a lower infection risk\", a statement said.\n\nDenmark was cut from the UK's safe list last week after a mutated strain of Covid-19 was found to have spread to humans from mink.\n\nMr Shapps said the UK's travel ban on non-UK citizens arriving from Denmark would be extended for a further 14 days.\n\nUK citizens can return from the country - but will have to isolate along with all members of their household for 14 days.\n\nCurrent restrictions in England mean that only people with valid reasons are supposed to travel abroad at the moment.\n\nPeople who break the rules face fines starting at £200 and rising to a maximum of £6,400.\n\nIn Wales, travel abroad is only permitted for people with a reasonable excuse.\n\nEngland's Nations League match against Iceland will be played at Wembley on Wednesday after a government exemption was granted for Iceland's football team.\n\nIceland play Denmark in Copenhagen three days before that fixture - and there is currently a ban on entry to the UK for foreign visitors who have travelled directly or indirectly from Denmark.\n\nBut the \"temporary and extremely limited exemption\" was agreed, providing the Icelanders follow the strict medical protocols, introduced in June, that allow elite sporting teams to travel around the continent.\n\nMeanwhile, the transport secretary said earlier this week that the UK is making \"good progress\" in developing a testing regime to reduce the amount of time people need to spend self-isolating.\n\nHe has previously said he is \"very hopeful\" a new testing regime for travellers to the UK could be in place by 1 December.\n\nIt comes as a record 33,470 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK in the past day, official data shows.\n\nIt is the highest daily figure since mass testing began in the UK, and brings the total number of cases to more than 1.29 million.", "The bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in a refrigerated trailer on 23 October last year\n\nA people smuggler has told a jury a lorry driver phoned him to say: \"I have a problem here - dead bodies in the trailer.\"\n\nGheorge Nica, 43, denies any role in the deaths of the Vietnamese nationals, who were found in Grays, Essex, on 23 October 2019, the Old Bailey has heard.\n\nHe admits some people-smuggling crimes, but said he had been unaware any migrants were in the trailer in Grays.\n\nMr Nica described the moment he knew things had gone \"very, very bad\".\n\nThe migrants, aged 15 to 44, suffocated in a sealed trailer en route from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet, Essex.\n\nMr Nica said he called driver Maurice Robinson at 01:00, having agreed for him to park the lorry at a yard in Orsett at that time.\n\nThe bodies were found when the container was opened in Essex\n\n\"I say 'Well. What's going on? Are you coming or not?',\" Mr Nica told the jury.\n\n\"And he just said 'I don't know, I don't know'.\n\n\"I said 'listen, are you OK there?' And I thought in my mind he might be stopped by police or customs.\"\n\nThe jury heard Mr Robinson had called Mr Nica back 10 minutes later.\n\n\"I said 'Are you still coming?'\n\n\"[He said] 'I don't know. I have a problem here - dead bodies in the trailer.\"\n\nAftab Jafferjee QC, defending, asked: \"What was your reaction to that?\"\n\nMr Nica replied: \"I said 'listen, what do you mean dead bodies?'\n\n\"He said 'yeah, there are too many'. I said 'ring the ambulance, ring the police, do not move at all'.\"\n\nOn what he did next, Nica said: \"I was sitting in the car and it was still very, very bad.\"\n\nThe next day, he travelled to Romania because he was \"scared\" of a \"big, big investigation\". He had been involved in previous smuggling and had made phone calls regarding the fatal shipment.\n\nUnder cross-examination, prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said Mr Nica's version of events was \"ridiculous\".\n\nHe said: \"You said 'everyone trying to escape from this situation is just telling stories'.\n\n\"You have here in one sentence exactly described your own situation.\"\n\nMr Nica, of Basildon, and lorry driver Eamonn Harrison, 23, of County Down, deny 39 counts of manslaughter.\n\nMr Harrison, lorry driver Christopher Kennedy, 24, of County Armagh, and Valentin Calota, 37, of Birmingham, have denied being part of a wider people-smuggling conspiracy, which Mr Nica has admitted he was involved in.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Staff at this hospital in Naples treated waiting patients in their cars because the wards were overwhelmed\n\nItaly has added more regions to its coronavirus high-risk \"red zones\" as cases across the country hit a new daily record.\n\nCampania and Tuscany will join other regions placed under the strictest lockdown measures from Sunday.\n\nAuthorities in Campania, which includes Naples, have warned that the health system there is close to collapse.\n\nFriday's announcement came as Italy confirmed 40,902 new infections - its highest ever daily total.\n\nIt passed the one million mark earlier this week and there have been more than 44,000 deaths.\n\nThe government's coronavirus consultant, Walter Ricciardi, told reporters that the country has \"two to three weeks to decide whether to impose a new national lockdown\".\n\nEarlier this year Italy became the epicentre of the pandemic in Europe but brought its outbreak under control with a tough national lockdown. Restrictions were gradually lifted as cases eased but last week - faced with a second wave of infections, it introduced new measures.\n\nRegions are divided into three zones - red for the highest risk, then orange and yellow. In the red zone at the moment are Lombardy, Bolzano, Piedmont and Aosta Valley in the north, and Calabria in the south.\n\nIn these areas, which cover about 16.5 million people in a population of 60 million, residents can only leave home for work, health reasons, essential shopping or emergencies. All non-essential shops are closed.\n\nBars and restaurants are also shut but people can exercise near their homes if they wear masks. Hairdressers can remain open.\n\nRestaurant workers in Rome protested against the latest restrictions on Friday\n\nA quarter of the new cases are in Lombardy, which includes Milan. It was the worst-hit area in Italy's first outbreak and it was Europe's first coronavirus hotspot.\n\nCampania, however, has shot straight from the yellow zone to red as a spike in cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals.\n\n\"The situation in Campania is out of control,\" Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told La Stampa newspaper on Friday. \"We need urgent restrictions... people are dying.\"\n\nItalian media has broadcast shocking scenes from hospitals in Naples.\n\nStaff at one hospital have brought oxygen tanks and other equipment outside to treat people parked in their cars because the emergency department was swamped with cases.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How close are we to Covid immunisation?\n\n\"We have almost no more beds available,\" Rodolfo Punzi, an official at Cotugno hospital, told AFP news agency.\n\nAlso this week a video went viral of an elderly suspected Covid patient found dead in the toilet of the Cardarelli hospital emergency department in Naples. His granddaughter called it \"an outrage to human dignity\" and accused staff of neglect.\n\nLockdowns and other measures are in force in several European countries experiencing a second wave of the virus. In other developments:", "HN-329 his boss, Conrad Dixon, and another officer\n\nA former undercover police officer has admitted for the first time that the Metropolitan Police set out half a century ago to infiltrate left-wing political groups, even if they posed no threat to the public.\n\nThe officer - the first to give evidence at a mammoth public inquiry - said his task had been to gather intelligence on anti-establishment campaign groups threatening the political status quo in the late 1960s.\n\nThe officer's evidence is the first insider testimony to be put before the Undercover Policing Inquiry that shows that Scotland Yard's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) targeted groups merely because of their aims, rather than because they threatened violence.\n\nDuring this first day of evidence from a former police officer, Sir John Mitting, the inquiry chairman, threatened to silence a barrister acting for some of those who say they were unjustly spied on.\n\nCodenamed HN329, the elderly retired officer was a founding member of the SDS that's accused of serial abuses over decades, including miscarriages of justice, unjustified political operations and tricking women into sexual relationships.\n\nThe SDS was disbanded in 2008. Six years ago Theresa May, when she was home secretary, ordered an inquiry into its activities.\n\nHN329 told the inquiry he joined the SDS in August 1968. It had been set up following an anti-Vietnam War protest in March that year that led to disorder in London.\n\nThe officer invented a cover name, \"John Graham\", and grew a beard and his hair long.\n\nDonning a jacket with a leopard skin lining and a pair of Hush Puppy shoes, he set out to blend into the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign (VSC), a left-wing alliance planning an October protest in London.\n\nOperating under the command of Chief Inspector Conrad Dixon, HN329 said his job had been to gather intelligence on people trying to undermine the status quo and the political establishment.\n\n\"Ultimately, any group that came to notice as a result of causing trouble, for example throwing bricks through shop windows and actions of that sort, would have been reported on if they were anti-establishment in a political sense,\" said the officer in his opening statement.\n\nHe then added: \"It may well be that a particular group is completely harmless but we would be asked to find out what their objectives were. A file would then be opened.\"\n\nDavid Barr QC, the barrister leading questioning for the inquiry, asked what the officer meant by \"anti-establishment\".\n\n\"Well, it was people who were opposed to the current political situation, or the current government,\" he replied.\n\nOne crucial meeting of the VSC was infiltrated by a total of nine officers including HN-329 - but the officer said that during all his time with the SDS he uncovered no crimes and saw no violence.\n\nRecollecting his career with the squad, HN329 said: \"The original group, from Conrad Dixon down, were the finest representatives of Special Branch. They were excellent officers who did exactly the proper job.\"\n\nRajiv Menon QC, representing some of the victims of alleged undercover abuses, asked to put further matters to the officer, saying the inquiry needed to hear more specific information about his activities and the directions he had been given by superiors. Under the inquiry's rules, lawyers for the participants are required to send suggested topics for questions to the lead barrister, so that he can then examine a witness on behalf of all.\n\nSir John Mitting, the chairman, ruled out all the additional topics proposed by Mr Menon, other than one specific set of questions.\n\nWhen the senior barrister sought to further explain his position, the chairman cut across him and said: \"No, you may not. I'm sorry.\n\n\"You may ask your questions, or you will be silenced.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Children in Need highlights: Joe Wicks and Murray v Crouch at paddle tennis\n\nPudsey Bear returned with a host of celebrities on Friday night for the 40th anniversary of the BBC's fundraiser Children in Need.\n\nMore than £37m had been raised by the end of the programme on Friday evening.\n\nThis year's show was shorter and had no audience, due to Covid-19, but there were still plenty of treats in store.\n\nPeter Crouch and Andy Murray went head-to-head in a game of Paddle Tennis, and an all-star cast covered Oasis's Stop Crying Your Heart Out.\n\nOne of four hosts of Friday night's live show, Mel Giedroyc, thanked viewers for supporting the fundraiser.\n\n\"Children In Need has been going for an astonishing 40 years and we have only been able to do so because of you,\" she said.\n\n\"Despite the challenges that we have come up against this year, and will continue to face while this pandemic plays out, we are strong because the hearts of the people who keep these projects alive are strong.\"\n\nKylie Minogue, Cher and KSI all appear on the charity song\n\nIt got its first airing on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on Radio 2.\n\n\"Children in Need is such a special charity and so loved by everyone, including me,\" said Kylie.\n\n\"It was a privilege to take part in this recording with so many amazing artists.\"\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Various Artists - Topic This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. End of youtube video by Various Artists - Topic\n\nEarlier in the day, Joe Wicks completed his 24-hour workout challenge for Children in Need.\n\nHe was joined by stars including Louis Theroux, Melanie C, Sam Smith and Dame Kelly Holmes as he completed a range of activities, from cycling to yoga, boxing to rowing and his signature high intensity workouts.\n\nAppearing on the live show, Wicks - who was presented with a gold Blue Peter badge - described it as \"the longest day and night of my life\".\n\n\"My body aches, my bum, my feet, everything, but I'm so proud of what we have done,\" he said.\n\n\"We have come together, people have been so kind and generous, and raised so much money through that challenge.\"\n\nIt was announced that his workout marathon had raised £2,108,229 for the charity.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Joe Wicks said he felt \"so buzzed\" and \"full of adrenaline\"\n\nA special edition of DIY SOS, which saw a group of volunteers build a new, all-inclusive surf school in Swansea, has also raised £844,000 after being screened on BBC One on Thursday.\n\nHost Nick Knowles wiped away tears when he was informed of the total on the BBC's Morning Live on Friday.\n\n\"It's a big deal,\" said the presenter. \"We understand that times are tough, Covid times are tough and people are worried about their finances and we were up against the football, all those things.\"\n\nHe added the total had been expected to be \"not as massive as normal times\".\n\nIn fact, it was the highest sum ever raised by the show's annual Children in Need episode.\n\nThe main Children In Need show kicked off at 19:00 GMT on BBC One, hosted live in London by Mel Giedroyc, Alex Scott, Chris Ramsey and Stephen Mangan.\n\nAhead of the show Giedroyc told BBC News the format was \"a bit stripped back\" but that as for the vibe, the famous faces and comedy elements, \"nothing has really changed\".\n\nThe telethon, which raises money for disadvantaged children in the UK, raised an \"on the night\" total of £47.9m last year.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Andy Murray This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe show also included a special clip from the Doctor Who team, while TV presenter Emma Willis has narrated Life in Lockdown - a film showing youngsters living through difficult circumstances during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThe feature follows research commissioned by the charity, which found that 94% of children and young people have had cause to feel worried, sad or anxious in the last six months.\n\n\"The current pandemic has affected all of our lives, but some families have additional and complex needs and challenges outside of Covid-19,\" said Willis.\n\nEmma Willis will narrate the film, Life In Lockdown\n\n\"Being part of this documentary, I was able to see just how vital BBC Children in Need's funds are to families across the UK in times of crisis\n\n\"People are facing incredibly challenging times, but I hope the public tune in and donate if they can to a much-needed cause.\"\n\nChildren in Need was on BBC One on Friday from 19:00 to 22:00 GMT. Catch up on iPlayer.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The US Commerce Department has halted a ban on TikTok that was due to come into effect on Thursday night.\n\nThe order would have prevented the app from being downloaded in the US.\n\nThe Commerce Department delayed the ban \"pending further legal developments,\" citing a Philadelphia court ruling from September where three prominent TikTokers had argued the app should be allowed to operate in America.\n\nThe decision will be a relief to the estimated 100 million US TikTok users.\n\nIn September, TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance announced a deal with Walmart and Oracle to shift TikTok's US assets into a new entity called TikTok Global.\n\nDonald Trump tentatively supported the deal. However on Tuesday TikTok said it had had no feedback from the US government in two months.\n\nPresident Trump has said he wants TikTok to be sold to a US company.\n\nBoth he, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have repeatedly said that the data of US users could be passed on to the Chinese government, though no evidence has been presented showing this.\n\nThe app is already banned in India, after a diplomatic spat with China.\n• None TikTok asks defeated Trump if it's still banned\n• None What's going on with TikTok?", "Northern Ireland's first minister said she regrets how the executive has handled the decision over extending Covid-19 restrictions this week.\n\nArlene Foster said it had been a \"torturous example of how not to take decisions\".\n\nOn Thursday, restrictions were extended for one more week with a partial reopening of some sectors next Friday.\n\nClose contact services and unlicensed premises can reopen on 20 November.\n\nThe current restrictions came into effect on 16 October and were to expire at midnight on Friday.\n\nAs the fall-out continued, Finance Minister Conor Murphy of Sinn Féin said that the DUP's decision to block the health minister's proposal for a two-week extension was \"reprehensible\".\n\nThe latest paper, brought by the DUP after several days of disagreement, was signed off late on Thursday afternoon.\n\nSpeaking on BBC's Good Morning Ulster, Mrs Foster said \"all I am trying to do\" is find a balanced way forward.\n\n\"We need to look to the future and move on from this very difficult week for everyone in Northern Ireland watching as we struggled to make decisions,\" she said.\n\n\"All the decisions we take in relation to medical advice is advice based on modelling - not predictions.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by NI Executive This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMrs Foster also accused Sinn Féin of \"trying to isolate the DUP\", after the party deployed a cross-community mechanism to block proposals to extend the restrictions for two weeks.\n\nThe first minister said if she had been chairing the executive meetings, she would not have pushed the decisions to a vote but that Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill had been overseeing the discussions.\n\nShe also accused Sinn Féin of performing a \"reverse ferret\" on its position in opposing the deal.\n\n\"Agreements that were reached were broken, however we have now reached a consensus,\" said Mrs Foster.\n\nSpeaking on Thursday, the deputy first minister said she could not \"in good conscience\" support the plan.\n\nMs O'Neill told BBC Newsline that only imposing one more week of restrictions \"potentially means we're coming back to this situation before Christmas\".\n\nMrs Foster said the chief medical officer had indicated even with the extra two weeks there was a \"chance that we could have to come back to a lockdown before Christmas\".\n\nConor Murphy says a majority vote at the executive should carried the proposal for a two-week extension\n\nSinn Féin's Finance Minister Conor Murphy told Good Morning Ulster the DUPs blocking of the health minister's original proposal of a two-week extension was \"reprehensible\".\n\n\"We would not stoop to the level that the DUP has stooped to in order to get our way.\n\n\"We believe in the democratic process, we believe the executive has a right to vote by a majority for things,\" he said\n\n\"If there is an issue that will detrimentally impact on one section of the community, that's what that mechanism is for - it's not to be used willy nilly.\n\n\"Six ministers voted in favour of the health minister's original proposition, that's four out of the five parties. That should have been sufficient in order to carry it.\"\n\nThe chair of NI's British Medical Association (BMA) said Northern Ireland should be placed in a national lockdown, rather than the circuit breaker extended by a week.\n\nSpeaking to Sky News, Dr Tom Black said seven hospitals were operating over capacity.\n\n\"Our EDs are chock-a-block, our intensive care units are full and trying to expand,\" he added.\n\nHe said that in that context, a complete lockdown would \"have been expected\".\n\n\"We got a decision that is not competent, certainly negligent, and a betrayal of health care workers,\" he said.\n\nClose contact services including hair salons will reopen, by appointment, on 20 November\n\nThere has been a mixed reaction from businesses in Northern Ireland to the agreement reached by the executive on Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nRosemary Wright, who owns Ashburn Image hair and beauty salon in Eglinton, had already started taking bookings for Saturday but is now busy rescheduling appointments.\n\n\"They [the executive] should've made a decision far earlier, they had four weeks to say yes or no but they kept us waiting and now we have to wait another week.\n\n\"I am sitting here thinking now are we even going to open next Friday.\"\n\nThe salon owner has said despite being closed for over four weeks she has not received any financial support from the government.\n\n\"I applied for it, but I still have nothing. Not a penny. No furlough money, not even a grant,\" she told BBC Radio Foyle.\n\n\"We still have to pay our bills, I still have to pay staff, my staff are waiting each week to be paid and I have nothing coming in.\n\n\"I would say to the people on the hill have your money cut off and see how you feel. It is not easy.\"\n\nDriving instructor John O'Donnell from Derry said he would not be going back to work yet \"irrespective of what Stormont says\".\n\n\"The chief medical officer is the expert - he says we need another two weeks extension and they are horse-trading over it. You can't horse trade over people's lives,\" he said\n\n\"I sympathise with businesses - mine is suffering as well, but I can always build my business up again. You can't dig up a grave and bring people back from the dead.\n\n\"I am not going to put myself in a position of getting Covid-19 or any of my clients.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Janice Gault of the Hotels Federation said brides wanted to know if their imminent weddings would go ahead\n\nJanice Gault from the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation told BBC One NI's The View programme that 35% of hotel rooms in Northern Ireland had been booked this weekend.\n\nShe said 3,000 phone calls had to be made on Thursday after the executive made a decision to keep hotels closed for two more weeks.\n\nShe added: \"What many people forget is we had brides who are getting married this Saturday on the phone this afternoon asking could they get married.\"\n\nColin Neill of Hospitality Ulster said he hoped the announcement would \"result in thousands of jobs and businesses being saved\".\n\n\"While pubs and restaurants may be closed, the bills continue to mount on a daily basis therefore extra financial support is needed now to protect businesses and jobs and we hope that the NI Executive will be swift in getting this money into bank accounts.\"\n\nThe document agreed by the executive also says that support will be provided for mitigations to reduce risk within the hospitality sector, including improved ventilation and requirements for the recording of customer information for contact tracing purposes.", "Police say Keiron Hassan and Kamal Legall \"had a feud\" with Taylor Patterson\n\nTwo cousins have been convicted of attempting a \"gangland-style hit\" in broad daylight outside a convenience store on a high street.\n\nKeiron Hassan and Kamal Legall have been convicted of attempting to murder Taylor Patterson in Cardiff by shooting him and attacking him with a machete.\n\nSurgeons saved Mr Patterson, 22, in hospital after he was shot and stabbed in the neck, Newport Crown Court heard.\n\nHassan, 32, of Ely, and Legall, 26, of Fairwater will be sentenced later.\n\nThe pair were convicted of attempted murder and possession of a shortened shotgun after the attack on Mr Harris in front of terrified shoppers outside a Lifestyle Express store in the Rumney area of Cardiff, the court heard.\n\nCCTV footage of the attack on Taylor Patterson outside the Lifestyle Express store in Rumney\n\nJurors were told Mr Patterson was heard to say \"not here, not now\" before he was slashed in the neck and shot at point blank range with a sawn-off shot gun on Harris Avenue at about 15:30 BST on Easter Monday.\n\n\"This was a murderous attack, it was professionally planned and executed in a gangland-style hit where the clear intention was to the kill the victim Taylor Patterson,\" prosecutor Christopher Rees QC told the five-week trial.\n\n\"The attackers took advantage of the pandemic in that they wore masks to hide their identity.\"\n\nMr Patterson asked one bystander \"Am I going to die?\" after he heard a bang and felt his legs collapse, jurors heard.\n\nTaylor Patterson was attacked on Easter Monday outside of the Lifestyle Express store\n\n\"The way it occurred in a Cardiff street in broad daylight in front of a number of terrified members of the public, it may well be that such a brazen attack was to send a message to others and to strike fear into a local community,\" added Mr Rees.\n\nThe court heard Hassan shouted at his victim: \"Where's my watch?\"\n\nAfter fleeing the scene the defendants were traced through Cardiff after detectives viewed \"thousands of hours of CCTV\".\n\nThe court heard Hassan and Legall had hidden a loaded shotgun near a children's playground in Cardiff Bay and had \"cloned\" the number plates on a Nissan Pathfinder in order to hide its identity.\n\nThe court heard Mr Patterson was saved by paramedics and surgeons after losing blood from a five inch cut in his neck and a wound on his body.\n\n\"Keiron Hassan and Kamal Legall are cousins, they had a feud with their victim,\" Det Ch Insp Mark O'Shea of South Wales Police said.\n\n\"Criminals who do decide to take firearms to settle any score or grievances they may have with others, it won't be tolerated by the police and it won't be tolerated by the communities we serve either.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "He's spent nearly two decades working with Conservative politicians in the upper reaches of government - but many of us hadn't heard of Dominic Cummings until his infamous lockdown trip to Barnard Castle earlier this year. Now that the prime minister's chief adviser is leaving Downing Street, we look back at some memorable moments in his career.\n\nMr Cummings became a household name after he defended his 260-mile drive from his home in London to his parents' farm in County Durham during the UK's national coronavirus lockdown in March.\n\nFollowing pressure from all political sides to explain why he went against the government's \"stay at home\" messaging, Mr Cummings said he made the journey for childcare reasons after his wife developed coronavirus symptoms.\n\nBut a subsequent outing, this time from the cottage on his parents' farm to the historic market town of Barnard Castle, was the trip that gave fuel to meme-makers across the country. Mr Cummings said the reason for that trip was to test his eyesight and his readiness to drive back to London.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe success of the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 EU referendum no doubt helped to secure Mr Cummings' job in Downing Street, as it was his role during that which cemented his strong bond with Boris Johnson.\n\nMr Cummings, the campaign's director, was credited with the \"take back control\" slogan that appeared to strike a chord with so many referendum voters, as well as the claim that Britain could save £350m a week by leaving the EU.\n\nBoris Johnson became prime minister after his part in the successful campaign for the UK to leave the European Union\n\nIn addition to his snappy slogans, Mr Cummings has also hurled some infamous insults at politicians - often through the medium of his personal blog. For example, he has said:\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Cummings: \"We need PJ Masks on the job\"\n\nMr Cummings' blog also drew headlines when he used it to tout his ideas to shake up the civil service.\n\nIn a blog post in January this year, he said the civil service lacked people with \"deep expertise in specific fields\" and called for \"weirdos and misfits with odd skills\" to get in touch with him via a private Gmail address if they wanted to work in government.\n\nThe post stoked tensions, with the civil servants' union saying staff were recruited on merit and \"because of what you can do, not what you believe\".\n\nThe departure of civil service head Sir Mark Sedwill (pictured welcoming Boris Johnson to Downing Street, with Mr Cummings on the right) sped up Mr Cummings' ideas for Whitehall reform, our political editor Laura Kuenssberg said\n\nThe clashes with other civil servants reached new heights after a special adviser was sacked and escorted out of Downing Street by police, following a confrontation with Mr Cummings.\n\nNo reason was given for Sonia Khan's dismissal in August 2019, but it's thought she had been accused by Mr Cummings of leaking details of a no-deal Brexit exercise to the media.\n\nHer then-boss (and then-chancellor) Sajid Javid \"voiced his anger\" with the PM over her treatment, later resigning when Mr Johnson ordered him to fire his team of aides. Labour said Mr Javid's departure showed Mr Cummings had \"won the battle to take absolute control of the Treasury\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sajid Javid: I had no option but to resign\n\nThis is perhaps a lesser-known highlight, but it's a highlight all the same.\n\nAccording to Buzzfeed News, Mr Cummings was greatly frustrated by the prime minister's rejection of his proposal to change Downing Street's office layout.\n\nThe top aide wanted to knock walls through and put desks in circles around both him and Mr Johnson, who would sit in the centre, the Buzzfeed report claims.\n\nThe news site claims the plans were rejected as unworkable - in part as a result of No 10's status as a Grade One listed building.\n\nAs a listed building, No 10 Downing Street has extra legal protection within the planning system (leaf-sweeping is allowed though)\n\nThe penny must drop that you've had an interesting career when you hear an Oscar-nominated actor is preparing to play you in a TV drama.\n\nBenedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Mr Cummings in Channel 4's Brexit: The Uncivil War was as - in the words of our arts editor - \"an intense, socially awkward, strategic mastermind with a gentle Durham accent and a penchant for hanging out in stationery cupboards at work\".\n\nFrom left: Richard Goulding as Boris Johnson, Benedict Cumberbatch as Dominic Cummings, and Oliver Maltman as Michael Gove in Channel 4's Brexit: The Uncivil War", "Students could be routinely issued university offers based on actual exam results rather than predicted grades in future, under a proposed shake-up.\n\nA post-qualifications admissions (PQA) system could be introduced across the UK by 2023-24, says Universities UK.\n\nThe plan is one of a series of recommendations from an 18-month review by university leaders across Britain.\n\nIt comes after a chaotic summer exam results process meant many students lost places on their chosen courses.\n\nSome reports over the years have suggested a switch to exam results, arguing it would be fairer to candidates from less-affluent backgrounds.\n\nBut universities previously cited the timescale between when A-level, B-Tec and other exam results are received, and courses starting as a reason not to proceed.\n\nThe review also calls for the scrapping of \"conditional unconditional offers\", under which students are offered guaranteed places regardless of results if they make an institution their firm choice.\n\nIt says the use of regular unconditional offers should be restricted to specific circumstances, including where such decisions have been informed by an interview, audition, submission of work or a skills test.\n\nA new code of practice should be developed to make clear that the use of incentives in offer-making, such as financial inducements, should not add any pressure to candidates, the report adds.\n\nFailure to follow the code would result in sanctions against universities, UUK said.\n\nThe recommendations come after the universities admissions service Ucas proposed that students could apply to university after receiving their A-levels, and then start courses in January.\n\nBut the UUK report raises concerns about the disruption that would cause to school timetables and university competitiveness overseas.\n\nThe review acknowledges that switching to PQA might still be challenging for courses that are highly selective, as it could be difficult to arrange interviews, and there may be an increase in admissions tests.\n\nIt could also mean there were fewer teachers available over the summer to help students make decisions, and less time for applicants to respond to offers.\n\nThe organisation says it will consult universities, schools and government to develop and further test the workability of the new approach.\n\nProfessor Quintin McKellar, vice-chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire and chairman of the Fair Admissions Review, said: \"There isn't a perfect one-size-fits-all solution for the variety of courses and institutions, but the review has decided it would be fairer for students to receive university places based on exam results, not predictions.\"\n\nHe added that any change should be taken forward carefully by universities, with further consultation with students, government, and those working across the education sector.\n\n\"We need to be confident that any new process will allow for effective careers advice and support for applicants,\" he said.\n\nJo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said: \"The current system is based on inaccurately predicted results and leads to those from less-affluent backgrounds losing out.\n\n\"Allowing students to apply after they receive their results will help level the playing field and put a stop to the chaotic clearing scramble.\"\n\nShe added: \"UCU and many sector leaders now agree the time has come for the UK to join the rest of the world and finally to move away from the current unfair system.\"\n\nGeoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: \"Teachers work hard and diligently to provide accurate predicted grades, but it is not an exact science and never can be.\n\n\"Post-qualification admissions would be better and fairer.\"", "The number of school-age children with coronavirus has risen \"significantly\" in the second wave compared with the first, according to the government's scientific advisers.\n\nChildren are now more likely than adults to be the person bringing a Covid infection into a household.\n\nBut families with children are at no higher risk of severe illness.\n\nThe National Education Union (NEU) said it was \"troubled\" by the number of children testing positive.\n\nThe exact role children play in transmitting coronavirus has long been an open question.\n\nIt's clear young people as a group are at very low risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus themselves.\n\nThere is also some evidence younger children are less likely to even contract it in the first place.\n\nBut when it comes to older children, their role in passing on the virus has been much less clear.\n\nA review presented to government and published on 13 November outlines the growing evidence older children can catch and transmit Covid-19 at similar rates to adults.\n\nFrom around the time schools reopened in September, a rising number of children have been testing positive for coronavirus, according to the advisory group.\n\nBut the paper said the extent to which transmission was occurring in schools was \"unproven and difficult to establish\".\n\nTwo major surveillance studies by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Imperial College London show infections among people aged 16-24 were increasing in September.\n\nBy October increases could be seen throughout the 2-24-year-old age bracket.\n\nThere were signs of rising infection in the wider population before schools went back, however.\n\nThe government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has previously said reopening schools was likely to increase transmission of the virus.\n\nChief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty also acknowledged this, but said trade-offs would have to be made to allow schools to remain open while controlling the virus.\n\nThe 13 November advisory paper said there were \"significant educational, developmental and mental health harms from schools being closed\".\n\nSchoolchildren and young adults have experienced a much faster rise in infections than other age groups in the second wave.\n\nProf Mark Woolhouse at the University of Edinburgh said this was \"not surprising given that schools are operating much closer to normality than most other parts of society\".\n\nThe review made clear it was not possible to separate contacts in school from contacts around school including travelling to and from, and socialising afterwards.\n\nHowever, teachers were no more likely to test positive for coronavirus than other workers, according to ONS data.\n\nDr Sarah Lewis, an epidemiologist at the University of Bristol, said this was \"reassuring\" and suggested \"the measures in place to reduce transmission in schools are working\".\n\nPeople living with secondary-school-age children were 8% more likely to catch the virus.\n\nBut research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Oxford found that people living with under-18s had no increased risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid.\n\nThe NEU said it was concerned by the \"finding that children aged 12-16 played a 'significantly higher role' in introducing infection into households in the period after schools reopened their doors to all students\".\n\nThe union suggested this was down to \"the difficulty of social distancing, the absence of face masks inside classrooms, the problems of ventilation, the size of 'bubbles' and the cross mixing on school transport, as well as of secondary pupils mixing outside school\".", "Lucy Letby appeared in person in the dock at Chester Crown Court\n\nA nurse accused of murdering eight babies and attempting to murder another 10 has been denied bail.\n\nLucy Letby, 30, of Arran Avenue, Hereford, is charged with murdering five boys and three girls at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.\n\nShe is also accused of the attempted murder of another five boys and five girls.\n\nMs Letby was remanded into custody after a hearing at Chester Crown Court.\n\nShe attended in person, speaking only to confirm her name, after appearing before Warrington magistrates via video-link on Thursday.\n\nA further hearing is expected to take place at Liverpool Crown Court on 18 November.\n\nPolice said the charges relate to the period of June 2015 to June 2016\n\nA Cheshire Police investigation launched in May 2017 looked into the deaths of 17 babies and 16 non-fatal collapses at the Countess of Chester between March 2015 and July 2016.\n\nMs Letby had previously been arrested in 2018 and 2019.\n\nShe was rearrested on Tuesday and charged on Wednesday.\n\nMs Letby appeared via videolink at Warrington Magistrates' Court on Thursday\n\nPolice said parents of all the babies involved were being kept fully updated on developments and were supported by officers.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Dominic Cummings was never going to go quietly after being forced out of Downing Street at the end of last year.\n\nBut the number, and seriousness, of his claims about what went on at the heart of government, as ministers battled to get on top of the coronavirus crisis, are unprecedented in modern times.\n\nRarely has a former adviser made so many potentially damaging revelations about a sitting prime minister.\n\nHis critics say Mr Cummings is motivated by revenge against Boris Johnson, and will not rest until the PM has been removed from No 10.\n\nMr Cummings insists he is driven by a desire to make what he views as a broken and chaotic government machine work better in future.\n\nHe left his Downing Street role following an internal power struggle, amid claims the PM's then-fiancee had blocked the promotion of one of his allies, Lee Cain, after months of internal warfare.\n\nIn his final year at Downing Street, Mr Cummings had a £40,000 pay rise, taking his salary to between £140,000 and £144,999.\n\nThere was speculation that the 49-year-old would seek a post-politics career as the first head of Aria, the UK's new \"high risk\" science agency, which had been one of his pet projects.\n\nBut he appears to have a different career path in mind.\n\nIn February, he started a technology consultancy firm, Siwah Ltd. He is the sole director of the firm, according to Companies House, and it is registered at an address in his native Durham, in north-east England. This would appear to be a successor to Dynamic Maps, his previous tech consultancy.\n\nBut in recent months, most of his time appears to have been taken up with spilling the beans on his time in government.\n\nThe BBC did not pay Mr Cummings for his exclusive interview with political editor Laura Kuenssberg.\n\nAnd he has not yet taken the time-honoured route of selling his story to a newspaper, or signing a book deal.\n\nBut he has found a way of generating income through online platform Substack, where he has launched a newsletter.\n\nHe plans to give out information on the coronavirus pandemic and his time in Downing Street for free, but \"more recondite stuff on the media, Westminster, 'inside No 10', how did we get Brexit done in 2019, the 2019 election etc\" will only be available to subscribers who pay £10 a month.\n\nHe is also offering his marketing and election campaigning expertise, for fees that \"slide from zero to lots depending on who you are / your project\".\n\nThis new venture has incurred the wrath of Whitehall watchdog Lord Pickles, who chairs the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which vets jobs taken by former ministers and top officials.\n\nIn a letter to Cabinet Office Minister Micheal Gove, he says Mr Cummings has sought advice on working as a consultant.\n\nBut he adds: \"It appears that Mr Cummings is offering various services for payment via a blog hosted on Substack, the blog for which he is also receiving subscription payments.\n\n\"Mr Cummings has failed to seek the committee's advice on this commercial undertaking, nor has the committee received the courtesy of a reply to our letter requesting an explanation.\n\n\"Failure to seek and await advice before taking up work is a breach of the government's rules.\"\n\nThere are few repercussions for failing to consult Acoba, however.\n\nLittle was heard from Mr Cummings for several months after his departure from Downing Street - but that all changed in April.\n\nAfter being named in media reports as the source of government leaks, he launched a scathing attack on Mr Johnson via a 1,000-word blog post in April.\n\nAs well as denying he was behind the leaks, he went on to make a series of accusations against the PM and questioned his \"competence and integrity\".\n\nThe following month, Mr Cummings expanded on his criticisms at a seven-hour select committee appearance, declaring Boris Johnson \"unfit for the job\", and claiming he had ignored scientific advice and wrongly delayed lockdowns.\n\nHe also turned his fire on then-health secretary Matt Hancock, who he said should have been fired for lying.\n\nThis sparked a bitter war of words with Mr Hancock, who flatly denied all of Mr Cummings's allegations.\n\nIt thrust Mr Cummings back into the spotlight for the first time since his now infamous visit to County Durham, four days after the start of the first national lockdown, in March last year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nWhile staying with his family at his father's farm, he made a 30-mile road journey to Barnard Castle, which he later said had been to test his eyesight before the 260-mile drive back to London.\n\nThis revelation - at a specially-convened press conference in the Downing Street garden - made Mr Cummings a household name and led to furious allegations of double standards at a time when the government had banned all but essential long-distance travel.\n\nIn an interview with BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Cummings said that, during the Barnard Castle trip, he had been trying to work out \"Do I feel OK driving?\"\n\nHe also said he had decided to move his family to County Durham before his wife fell ill with suspected Covid because of security concerns over his home in London.\n\nAsked why he had given a story that was \"not the 100% truth\" when he held a special press conference in the Downing Street rose garden on 25 May, Mr Cummings admitted that \"the way we handled the whole thing was wrong\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Cummings says he drove to Barnard Castle to test vision\n\nBoris Johnson stood by his adviser throughout the Barnard Castle episode - to the consternation of some of his supporters, who feared it was undermining his attempts to hold the country together during a national crisis.\n\nSome said the episode burned through the political capital the prime minister had generated months earlier during the 2019 general election.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson defends his senior adviser Dominic Cummings in May 2020\n\nBut it is hard to overstate how important Mr Cummings was to the Johnson project.\n\nThe two are very different characters - Mr Johnson likes to be popular, Mr Cummings appears indifferent to such concerns - but they formed a strong bond in the white heat of the 2016 Vote Leave campaign to get Britain out of the EU, which Mr Cummings led as campaign director.\n\nThe combination of Mr Johnson, the flamboyant household-name frontman, with Mr Cummings, the ruthless, data-driven strategist, with a flair for an eye-catching slogan, proved to be unbeatable.\n\nMr Cummings was credited with formulating the \"take back control\" slogan that appears to have struck a chord with so many referendum voters, changing the course of British history.\n\nYet some were surprised when Mr Cummings was brought into the heart of government as Mr Johnson's chief adviser, given his past record of rubbing senior Tory politicians up the wrong way.\n\nIt proved to be a shrewd move. It was Mr Cummings who devised the high-risk strategy of pushing for the 2019 election to be fought on a \"Get Brexit Done\" ticket, focusing on winning seats in Labour heartlands, something no previous Tory leader had managed to do in decades.\n\nMany of the policy ideas that have shaped the Johnson government's agenda have his fingerprints all over them.\n\n\"Levelling up\" - moving power and money out of London and the South East of England - is a Cummings project, as are plans to shake-up the civil service, take on the judiciary and reform the planning system.\n\nThe team that surrounded Mr Cummings at Downing Street, some of whom are Vote Leave veterans, were fiercely loyal to him and shared a sense that they were outsiders in Whitehall, battling an entrenched \"elite\".\n\nLee Cain, the former Downing Street and Vote Leave communications chief, left No 10 just before Mr Cummings did.\n\nMr Cummings watches the PM in action at a coronavirus briefing\n\nThere had been rumours of a rift between the Vote Leave veterans and other No 10 aides, who didn't like Mr Cummings's and Mr Cain's abrasive style.\n\nThere were tales of crackdowns on special advisers suspected of leaking to the media and angry, dismissive behaviour towards Tory MPs, civil servants and even secretaries of state.\n\nNone of this will have come as much of a surprise to veteran Cummings watchers.\n\nMr Cummings has been in and around the upper reaches of government and the Conservative Party for nearly two decades, and has made a career out of defying conventional wisdom and challenging the established order.\n\nBut he has never been a member of the Conservative Party, or any party, and appears to have little time for most MPs.\n\nA longstanding Eurosceptic who cut his campaigning teeth as a director of the anti-euro Business for Sterling group, Mr Cummings's other passion is changing the way government operates.\n\nHe grabbed headlines when he posted an advert on his personal blog for \"weirdos and misfits with odd skills\" to work in government, arguing that the civil service lacked \"deep expertise\" in many policy areas.\n\nThe Vote Leave bus was one of its most notable campaign tactics\n\nMr Cummings is a native of Durham, in the North East of England. His father, Robert, was an oil rig engineer and his mother, Morag, a teacher and behavioural specialist.\n\nHe went to a state primary school and was then privately educated at Durham School. He graduated from Oxford University with a first-class degree in modern history and spent some time in Russia, where he was involved with an ill-fated attempt to launch an airline, among other projects.\n\nHe is married to Spectator journalist Mary Wakefield, the daughter of aristocrat Sir Humphry Wakefield, whose family seat is Chillingam Castle, in Northumberland.\n\nAfter a stint as campaign director for Business for Sterling, Mr Cummings spent eight months as chief strategy adviser to then Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, who fired him.\n\nHe played a key role in the 2004 campaign against an elected regional assembly in his native North East.\n\nIn what turned out to be a dry run for the Brexit campaign, the North East Says No team won the referendum with a mix of eye-catching stunts - including an inflatable white elephant - and snappy slogans that tapped into the growing anti-politics mood among the public.\n\nHe is then said to have retreated to his father's farm, in County Durham, where he spent his time reading science and history books in an effort to attain a better understanding of the world.\n\nMr Cummings facing questions from the media outside his home\n\nHe re-emerged in 2007 as a special adviser to Michael Gove, who became education secretary in 2010 and turned out to be something of a kindred spirit.\n\nThe pair would rail against what they called \"the blob\" - the informal alliance of senior civil servants and teachers' unions that sought, in their opinion, to frustrate their attempts at reform.\n\nHe left of his own accord to set up a free school, having alienated a number of senior people in the education ministry and the Conservative Party.\n\nHe once described former Brexit Secretary David Davis as \"thick as mince\" and as \"lazy as a toad\" and irritated David Cameron, the then prime minister, who called him a \"career psychopath\".\n\nBenedict Cumberbatch was widely praised for his portrayal of Dominic Cummings in Brexit: The Uncivil War\n\nHis appointment as head of the Vote Leave campaign - dramatised in Channel 4 drama Brexit: The Uncivil War - was seen as a risk worth taking by those putting the campaign together but he left a controversial legacy.\n\nVote Leave was found to have broken electoral law over spending limits by the Electoral Commission and Mr Cummings was held in contempt of Parliament for failing to respond to a summons to appear before and give evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.\n\nLike most advisers, he shunned media interviews when he was in government, and his rare appearances before MPs were characterised by animosity on both sides.\n\nAll that has changed in recent weeks, but it would be a brave person who said he had now joined the ranks of the former Westminster insiders who make their living as pundits - a class he appears to view with as much disdain as he does his former colleagues in government.", "The homes of Frank and Christine Lampard, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and Tamara Ecclestone and her husband were all broken into last December\n\nA team of burglars made off with £26m of property from the London homes of three celebrities, a court has heard.\n\nWatches and jewellery belonging to the football boss Frank Lampard, heiress Tamara Ecclestone and the family of tycoon Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha were among the items taken last December.\n\nThey were the \"support cast\" to the alleged burglars, jurors were told.\n\nAt Isleworth Crown Court, the jury was told the conspiracy was \"one of the largest ever in this country\" and that the raids happened over the space of two weeks in the run-up to Christmas. Four other people allegedly carried out the burglaries, but they cannot be named for legal reasons, the court was told.\n\nProsecutor Timothy Cray QC said the four people on trial had a role in what had been a \"sophisticated\" plan.\n\nFirst, the west London home of the Chelsea manager and his wife Christine Lampard was raided on 1 December. A diamond watch, cufflinks and a clock worth an estimated £60,000 were taken, the court heard.\n\nThen on 10 December, a Knightsbridge property belonging to the Srivaddhanaprabha family was targeted. It was billionaire Leicester City owner Mr Srivaddhanaprabha's home before his death in a helicopter crash in October 2018.\n\nThis time, 400,000 euros in cash was taken, as well as expensive watches, the court heard.\n\nThe following day, the alleged burglars toasted the success of the raid on the Knightsbridge mansion, the court heard, enjoying a £760 champagne and sashimi lunch at the Zuma restaurant, five minutes' walk from the crime scene.\n\nTamara Ecclestone was the celebrity who suffered the biggest financial hit\n\nThe final burglary, on the palatial home near Kensington Palace that socialite Ms Ecclestone shares with her husband Jay Rutland, saw about £25m worth of valuables stolen.\n\nMr Cray said Ms Ecclestone's team of security guards missed the men coming on to the property, adding: \"The house is just so big that the guys didn't realise the burglary was going on until it was well under way.\"\n\nMr Cray added: \"The burglaries netted big money - in round figures £26m worth of property was stolen, mainly in some fabulous jewellery and in cold hard cash.\n\n\"Virtually all that property has never been seen again. It was successfully laundered - concealed and disguised and got rid of.\"\n\nHe added: \"They were international crimes. Parts of the evidence look like a pre-Covid arrivals board at a London airport, with people flying in and out of Italy, Sweden, Japan and then being seen in the more ritzy parts of London - Harrods, Chelsea, a swish restaurant in Knightsbridge, while taking care to have safe bases that were a little bit more off the beaten track, down near Orpington and then over in Fulham.\"\n\nHe told the court that by 18 December all of those involved in the burglaries had left the UK.\n\nMr Cray said Mr Savastru, of Bethnal Green, was the first of the team to be arrested, at Heathrow Airport on 30 January, as he tried to board a flight to Japan.\n\nJurors heard that when the 30-year-old was detained he was wearing a Tag Heuer watch which had belonged to Mr Srivaddhanaprabha and a Louis Vuitton bag that Mr Rutland bought in 2011.\n\nThe prosecution alleges that Mr Stan, Ms Mester, Mr Marcovici and Mr Savastru were all involved at various times in the conspiracy to burgle the three homes.\n\nMr Stan is alleged to have dropped out after the Lampard raid to be replaced with Ms Mester and Mr Marcovici, the latter then being substituted with Ms Mester's son Mr Savastru for the Ecclestone job.\n\nMr Savastru's defence barrister told the court he assumed the items \"had been left for him\" by the alleged burglars.\n\nHis mother, Ms Mester, 47, was the next person to be arrested the following day as she got off flight at Stansted from Milan.\n\nMr Cray said she was wearing £3,000 earrings that belonged to Ms Ecclestone.\n\nMs Mester's defence barrister said she was given the items as a gift having spent a week as a \"call girl\" in December.", "Last updated on .From the section Scotland\n\nScotland's agonising 23-year absence from major men's tournaments is finally over after an historic shootout victory over Serbia.\n\nDavid Marshall saved magnificently from Aleksandar Mitrovic for a 5-4 sudden-death win after Scotland had dominated, led until the 90th minute, then hung on for penalties in Belgrade.\n\nRyan Christie's second-half opener had Steve Clarke's side tantalisingly close to a Euro 2020 place but Luka Jovic netted amid a late Serbian rally to force extra time.\n\nHowever, a tiring Scotland were impeccable from the spot as they ended a barren streak of 10 missed tournaments.\n\nClarke's men are now nine games unbeaten - their best run in 44 years - and will face England, Croatia and the Czech Republic in Group D at next summer's delayed finals.\n• None Scotland qualify - what happens now?\n\nIf there was a Scotland way to finally get back to the big time, then this was it. Not content with putting the nation through the trauma of a shootout in the semi-final against Israel, they repeated the dose.\n\nGut-wrenching does not come close to describing it.\n\nYet while a nation's nerves were fraying back home, Scotland's players exuded a calm authority. They were comfortable in possession for an hour, zipping passes around, and harrying the visitors.\n\nLyndon Dykes was putting in a gruelling shift, winning countless aerial duels and making the ball stick. He was just one of the heroes in blue all over the pitch.\n\nOn an occasion demanding a big performance, every Scotland player delivered.\n\nThere were flashes of first-half threat from Scotland, the best when a Dykes knockdown led to John McGinn breaking free down the left-hand channel. The midfielder's shot needed power and precision but lacked both as Predrag Rajkovic smothered at the second attempt.\n\nSerbia - for all their talent - looked uneasy and had barely a sniff. When they did muster a chance midway through the opening half, it almost yielded the opener, with Sasa Lukic's drive from a Mitrovic lay-off whistling inches wide.\n\nIt was an isolated scare, though, and the interval did nothing to halt Scotland's momentum. They should have led early in the second half when Dykes danced past three defenders and squared for the in-rushing Andy Robertson to blaze over.\n\nA big chance gone. But within moments the disappointment made way for euphoria. Callum McGregor pounced on a stray pass out of Serbia's defence and shuttled the ball to his Celtic team-mate. Christie's nifty footwork opened up the space for a shot and he arrowed in off the base of the post.\n\nScotland were in dreamland. Serbia had been pretty abject so far - surely there was an onslaught to come? The nagging doubt that it could all go horribly wrong kept gnawing away at fans ingrained in glorious failure.\n\nClarke's men could have put the tie to bed - a McGregor strike drifted wide and Christie was agonisingly close with a curling effort.\n\nBut Serbia began to hammer at the door in the frantic closing stages. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Mitrovic and Jovic all thundered headers narrowly past Marshall's right-hand upright.\n\nBy now it was an excruciating watch. And - in true Scotland fashion - the sucker-punch arrived. Serbia slung over a corner and Jovic had lost his marker to send a header down into the turf and up over Marshall into the top corner.\n• None Podcast: All the reaction to an epic game\n• None Can you name the men Clarke has emulated?\n\nClarke's men were crestfallen, but not out for the count. Extra time was arduous with Serbia on top as Nemanja Gudelj's dipping drive brought out a brilliant diving save from Marshall and Aleksandar Katai had pot-shots either side of the interval.\n\nThe Tartan Army's fingernails were nibbled nearer the quick but their heroes were not to be denied. Scotland staggered towards the shootout, clearly exhausted. One final push was required and Leigh Griffiths, McGregor, Scott McTominay, Oli McBurnie and Kenny McLean all delivered from the spot.\n\nThen Marshall flung himself to his left to palm away Mitrovic's effort. Cue bedlam in the Scotland ranks as two decades of frustration poured out. Scotland are back.\n\nWhat did we learn?\n\nThis can be the start of something special for a Scotland squad who have the mentality to match their talent. The devastating blow of conceding a last-minute equaliser would have broken lesser men.\n\nYet Clarke's players dug in with a sheer bloody-minded refusal to be beaten, then showed nerves of steel - and no little skill - in the shootout.\n\nGoal hero Christie's tearful and poignant post-match interview captured the mood of a nation. He and his team-mates have delivered where so many before them failed.\n• None Scotland's men have reached a major tournament for the first time since the 1998 World Cup and their first European Championship since 1996.\n• None Christie's goal was Scotland's first against Serbia, in their third meeting.\n• None Christie has scored four in his past five games for Scotland, having failed to net in his previous nine.\n• None Scotland are unbeaten in nine consecutive games (W6 D3). They last enjoyed a longer run without defeat in February 1930 (11 games).\n• None Serbia have now failed to qualify for the Euros in each of their four attempts since first competing as an independent country in 2006.\n\nWhat did they say?\n\nScotland head coach Steve Clarke: \"It's been a very difficult time for everyone. We spoke about trying to make the nation smile, hopefully we've done our bit.\n\n\"Every player turned up and not just the ones that started, I'm also talking about the players from the bench and the whole squad.\"\n\nScotland will have to peel themselves off the ceiling for a double-header to end their Nations League campaign away to Slovakia (14:00 GMT) on Sunday and Israel (19:45) on Wednesday.\n• None Penalty saved! Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom right corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(4), Scotland 1(5). Kenny McLean (Scotland) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(4), Scotland 1(4). Aleksandar Katai (Serbia) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top left corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(3), Scotland 1(4). Oliver McBurnie (Scotland) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(3), Scotland 1(3). Nemanja Gudelj (Serbia) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(2), Scotland 1(3). Scott McTominay (Scotland) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.\n��� None Goal! Serbia 1(2), Scotland 1(2). Luka Jovic (Serbia) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the high centre of the goal.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(1), Scotland 1(2). Callum McGregor (Scotland) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the top right corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(1), Scotland 1(1). Dusan Tadic (Serbia) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the high centre of the goal.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1, Scotland 1(1). Leigh Griffiths (Scotland) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the top right corner.\n• None Attempt missed. Nemanja Gudelj (Serbia) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left following a corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None A hilarious look at trying to grow up", "The number of job adverts posted has risen to levels not seen since before lockdown in March, a study indicates.\n\nThere were 1.36 million active UK job adverts in the first week of November, according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).\n\nHowever, it said regional disparities were clear, with north-west England and Wales leading the recovery, while London had seen a fall in vacancies.\n\nThere were more adverts for jobs in nursing than any other sector, it said.\n\nSix of the 12 nations and major regions now have higher numbers of job adverts than in March, while six still have fewer, according to the REC.\n\nJob postings in the North West jumped 36.8% between March and October, while in Wales, the increase was 33.4%.\n\nBy contrast, job postings in London saw an 18.7% fall over the same period, with a 9.3% decline in the West Midlands.\n\n\"One of the most interesting developments we are seeing in terms of employer demand is the 'London lag', which is seeing the capital return to pre-lockdown levels at a much slower rate than other regions of the country,\" said Matthew Mee, director of workforce intelligence at Emsi, which worked on the survey in partnership with the REC.\n\n\"When we couple this with the fact that furlough take-up has been higher in London than elsewhere, and that the highest rise in claimant counts has been in the London commuter belt, it seems that the restrictions since March may well have had a greater proportionate impact on the capital than on other regions of the country.\"\n\nThe report also identified several sectors where demand for workers was rising.\n\nNurses were highly sought after as the coronavirus pandemic continued to spread, with 112,149 active job postings - more than any other sector and an increase of 39% since March.\n\nThere was also an increase in vacancies for food, drink and tobacco process operatives (+53.2%), large goods vehicle drivers (+43.3%) and carpenters and joiners (+37.2%).\n\nHowever, the hospitality and leisure sectors saw big declines, with fewer adverts for bar staff (-48.7%), chefs (-45.6%) and fitness instructors (-36.8%).\n\nFigures released on Tuesday showed the unemployment rate rose to 4.8% in the three months to September, up from 4.5%.\n\n\"Unemployment and redundancy numbers earlier this week showed that this is a tough moment for our jobs market,\" said REC boss Neil Carberry.\n\n\"But we also know that there are always jobs being created by those businesses who can, and as this data reveals, there is hope to be found in many places and sectors.\"", "Fresh figures shows black people are six times more likely to be stopped and searched in a car than a white person\n\nMayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for police traffic stops to be reviewed to look at whether black people are disproportionately affected by some police tactics.\n\nThe year-long pilot scheme forms part of an Action Plan published by City Hall to help improve trust in the Met.\n\nIt comes as Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick admitted the Met \"is not free from racism or discrimination\".\n\nMr Khan said \"more must be done and will be done through this Action Plan\".\n\nCity Hall published the report to look at concerns that black Londoners are disproportionately affected by policing powers.\n\nNew data shows black people are four times more likely to be stopped and searched in public than a white person.\n\nThey are also six times more likely to be stopped in their vehicles, according to City Hall.\n\nThe mayor wants communities to scrutinise such policing tactics to improve trust and confidence in the Met.\n\nHe has set aside £1.7m to improve police training and a drive on recruiting more black officers, with the force is aiming for 40% of new recruits to be from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds from 2022.\n\nNatalie Bennett was stopped by police while driving in Wandsworth\n\nNatalie Bennett was driving in Wandsworth last year when she was stopped by police who believed she might be hiding drugs or stolen goods.\n\nThe Met apologised for its actions, but Ms Bennett said she was left terrified by the experience and still had nightmares.\n\n\"Every time I see a police car, a marked car, or a police officer... I can literally feel my heart going through my whole body,\" she said.\n\nThe nurse told the BBC she believed there was a \"significant difference when you see how the police approach black people to when they approach white people.\n\n\"Why is that? Is this about unconscious biases that are deep-seated inside these officers which need to be addressed?\"\n\nProgress has been made by the Met since the Macpherson Inquiry more than 20 years ago, following the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993, Mr Khan said.\n\nThere are now more than 5,000 BAME officers in the force - up from just over 3,000 a decade ago.\n\n\"[But] it's simply not right that Black Londoners have less trust and confidence in our police service,\" Mr Khan said. \"It's something I am determined to resolve.\n\n\"More must be done - and will be done through this Action Plan - properly to recognise and address the impact that some police tactics used disproportionately on black people is having.\n\n\"This starts with involving communities and ensuring they have proper oversight and scrutiny of stop and search, the use of Tasers and the use of force, as well as in the training of new police officers so they can better understand the trauma that the disproportionate use of police powers can have on black Londoners.\"\n\nCity Hall said the Met Police \"welcomed\" the plan and was committed to talking on the points raised.\n\nDame Cressida said the Met had \"zero tolerance of racism\" but she admitted that the force \"is not free of discrimination, racism or bias\".\n\n\"I am committed to redoubling our efforts to deliver a better service for, and with, black Londoners, to doing all we can to help them be safe, and to increase their trust in us,\" she said.\n\nA City Hall source has described the new measures as \"the most significant changes to policing and black communities since The Macpherson Report\".\n\nThey certainly indicate that the mayor and Met have been listening to Londoners' concerns about the disproportionate use of force on black people and an apparent lack of accountability.\n\nAcross the capital, Community Monitoring Groups already scrutinise officers' use of stop and search, but members of the organisation London Citizens, who were consulted on Mr Khan's plan, told me they particularly welcomed the chance to probe the actions of the Territorial Support Group and Violent Crime Taskforce.\n\nWhat's not clear is what powers, if any, community groups will have if they think officers have behaved inappropriately.\n\nIf these measures aren't accompanied by real change, in attitudes and outcomes, they may well be met with a frustrated eye-roll by those who feel they've heard it all before.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jessica says she thought she was going to die\n\nA mother trapped with her children when an explosion ripped through their house has spoken of the terrifying moment she could hear them screaming.\n\nJessica Williams, and her two boys aged five and two, were inside their home in Seven Sisters, Neath Port Talbot, when it collapsed on 24 June.\n\nBoth children suffered severe burns, and Jessica was placed in a coma for a month.\n\nNow Jessica has thanked neighbours who rescued her children.\n\nAfter hearing her screaming, neighbours rushed into the family's home on Church Street, and pulled the two children from the rubble.\n\nJessica Williams managed to pull herself from under an American-style fridge which fell on her when the house collapsed\n\n\"When you look at the state that the house was in, to think that we all survived, it's just a miracle really. I'm just grateful that we're all here,\" she said.\n\nReuben, five and Elliott, two, both suffered burns to around 28% of their bodies, while their mother had to be placed in an induced coma for a month.\n\nAfter 14 weeks in Morriston Hospital, Jessica - known as Jess - is now back with her family, and is determined to get back to full strength and one day to the family home.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jeff Davies described being one of the first at the scene\n\nShe remembers everything about the blast, which South Wales Police has said was most likely caused by ageing LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) equipment and the hot weather.\n\nOn 24 June, she had been enjoying the summer sunshine with her two children.\n\n\"We had a lovely morning, they had great fun. Elliott napped on the way home and then we stopped at the house,\" she said.\n\nThere was nothing to suggest anything was wrong, until she opened the front door of their home, and the smell of gas was \"overwhelming\".\n\n\"I did panic slightly, so I sat them on the sofa and told them not to move,\" she said.\n\n\"I'm so glad I did, I just went to the oven. I can't really remember if it was ignited or not, but I went to turn the dial... and it just blew up straight away.\n\n\"It was so instant, I didn't have time to do anything differently. As soon as I turned it, it just blew up and threw me to the floor.\n\n\"Looking back I probably shouldn't have touched it, but I think when you're in a state of panic, you just do stuff, you don't really think do you? You just do it.\"\n\nThe community have vowed to rebuild the family's home for free after finding out it was uninsured\n\nTrapped under a large American-style fridge which had fallen in the explosion, Jessica could hear her children screaming, but could not move.\n\n\"Hearing the boys scream was so awful, because I couldn't get them,\" she said.\n\n\"A load of men just ran in the house, I was just screaming, I literally thought, 'that's it, I'm going to die right here'.\"\n\nThe group of men, who she would later discover were neighbours, raced into the house, and tried to pull some of the rubble off her, but she was screaming for her children and just wanted them to be safe.\n\n\"There was a tiny little gap which I managed to push myself out of, because I just wanted to get out of there I was so scared,\" she said.\n\nRemarkably, despite most of her body being covered in burns, Jessica managed to pull herself out of the rubble and stagger into her back garden.\n\n\"We had a load of steps up the back and I don't know how, but I managed to walk up them all to someone's house,\" she said.\n\n\"As far as myself and everyone around me was aware, it was just the burns to my skin, because I think I was bleeding and there were bits of skin hanging off me...so I didn't know there was anything internally wrong at the time.\n\n\"I could talk, I was breathing fine, I walked OK, I walked up the back garden with my flip-flops on and there were neighbours that were hosing me down, trying to sort the burns out until the emergency services arrived.\"\n\nJessica said her fiance Michael had been amazing caring for the children with their burns\n\nShe was taken to Morriston Hospital to be treated in the specialised burns unit, while her two sons were airlifted to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.\n\nHer condition deteriorated so rapidly in the ambulance that she was placed in an induced coma on arrival, one she would not wake up from for a month.\n\nAs well as the burns from the explosion, she had broken ribs, a punctured lung and her kidneys were failing.\n\nAt that time, her terrified father asked the surgeons what his daughter needed in order to get through her ordeal. \"Luck\" was their reply.\n\nMeanwhile, after recovering well, Reuben and Elliott were discharged from hospital before their mother woke up.\n\n\"It was quite a blessing really that I was in a coma during the time I was in hospital because if I was just lying there I'd be losing my mind thinking how are they,\" she said.\n\nJessica is recovering at home with her family and says she is determined that life will get back to how it was before the blast\n\nWhen she finally woke up, she was totally unaware of the extent of the damage to her home until she was shown photographs.\n\n\"Because I was in the kitchen I could only see the damage to the kitchen, as far as I was aware the rest of the house was OK,\" she said.\n\n\"Little did I know it was absolutely ruined.\n\n\"I was really upset. It's not what I expected to see at all. It was my house, you know? To think my whole house was just rubble, it was awful to see, really awful.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A building firm and local people rallied around the family\n\nSince the explosion, the community has rallied around in an attempt to rebuild the house, which was not insured, as well as two neighbouring properties.\n\nOne company, Ian Davies Plant Ltd, cleared the rubble \"totally free of charge\" to help the family.\n\n\"The men that were actually clearing everything said it would normally take about three days to clear up but it actually took him three weeks because he tried to go through everything he could to salvage important stuff for us,\" said Jessica.\n\nShe said the workers had recovered toys and photos of treasured memories from the wreckage, and she could not thank the community enough.\n\n\"I just can't say enough thank yous to people, we've had so many donations. I'm just blown away by all the support really, it's been amazing,\" she said.\n\nThe boys were sat on the sofa when the explosion ripped through the house\n\nMs Williams said the support from her friends and family had been incredible, especially from her fiance Michael, who spent days visiting the boys in hospital while worrying about her.\n\nMore than a dozen neighbours helped pull the family from the house - by a stroke of luck, many of them happened to be retired or retained firefighters.\n\n\"I haven't met them, but I have messaged them just to say thank you because at the end of the day, they didn't know if something else was going to happen in the house, and they've risked their lives really coming in to help me,\" she said.\n\n\"I was literally screaming for help. If nobody had come, I don't know how long we would have been there for. I'm just so, so grateful for them coming to help me.\"\n\nBurns and injuries have left Jessica unable to move her right hand properly\n\nAfter 14 weeks in hospital, Jessica went home to her fiance and her two sons in October, but with their home still in ruins they are living in a relative's house.\n\nWhile she is recovering well, she knows she faces severe challenges.\n\n\"A lot of it is building my strength back now and getting my energy levels back,\" she said.\n\n\"I lost all my muscle tone. So I've had to learn to walk again, move my arms, everything really. I'm just trying to do little bits to get my movement back in my arms and my legs.\"\n\nIn hospital, doctors also performed a tracheostomy, where a small opening is cut in the throat to allow air to enter the lungs.\n\nJessica had to learn how to swallow, eat and talk again. Her hearing was also badly damaged by the explosion, and doctors have said it might not return fully.\n\nFourteen houses were evacuated after the explosion\n\nBefore the explosion, Ms Williams worked as a pre-school leader at Ysgol Golwg y Cwm in Ystradgynlais, where her sons have now returned to school.\n\nBut despite struggling to move her right hand, she is determined to regain her strength and mobility, and get back to work and running around after the children again.\n\n\"It's going to take time to come to terms with everything, and our lives have completely changed,\" she said.\n\n\"That's a big thing to come to terms with, but I just think that we can rebuild our lives now and I'm positive that we can get back to happy times and move on and look to the future.\"\n\nOn top of her physical challenges, she has also had to come to terms with the change in her appearance.\n\n\"It is really difficult. If somebody had told me last year 'you're going to have loads of burn injuries', I'd have been devastated, and seeing them all for the first time at the hospital was really really hard,\" she said.\n\n\"It was so upsetting. But I'm just grateful really for being here.\"\n\n\"The boys are improving, I'm improving and I'm just happy that it's the best outcome we could have had really.\"\n\nJessica hopes to one day move back to the family home\n\nAs for the house on Church Road, she said she was not yet ready to go back and see it, but at some point she does want to move home.\n\n\"I have passed it in the car which was really difficult. I haven't stopped there yet, because I just think that's a little bit too much for me at the minute,\" she added.\n\n\"We're going to try our best to live there because at the end of the day that's our home and that's where we were happy. Until I'm there, I don't know how we're going to feel.\"", "Soldiers have helped with a city-wide trial in Liverpool, as one of several ways the government has ramped up coronavirus testing\n\nA record 33,470 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK government's latest daily figure.\n\nIt is the highest daily number reported in the UK, although testing capacity has increased greatly since the first wave of the epidemic.\n\nIt brings the total number of cases in the UK to more than 1.29 million.\n\nGovernment minister Alok Sharma said rising case numbers were \"a reminder to us about why we are taking action to stop the spread of the virus\".\n\nOn Wednesday the UK became the first country in Europe to pass 50,000 Covid deaths, based on government figures.\n\nOn Thursday, a further 563 people were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test, down from Wednesday's figure of 595.\n\nOther ways to measure deaths, such as the number of people whose death certificates mention Covid-19, have put the overall toll at more than 60,000.\n\nThursday's daily number of cases showed a 45.8% increase on Wednesday's figure of 22,950.\n\nBBC health and science correspondent James Gallagher said the spike in cases could have been driven by changes in people's behaviour in the run-up to England's four-week national lockdown, which began on 5 November but was announced on 31 October.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), said: \"The majority of cases reported today were from tests carried out on 9 and 10 November, which includes infections acquired in the days leading up to new measures on 5 November.\n\n\"Limiting contact with others will help to stop the spread of the virus and protect the people we love,\" she said.\n\nDr Doyle added that the highest rate of infections continues to be seen in the younger generations, but is \"worryingly\" rising quickly in those aged over 80, who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill.\n\nIn parts of England in the lower tiers of Covid restrictions, pubs remained open until the national lockdown began on 5 November\n\nNHS England medical director Prof Stephen Powis played down the jump in cases, telling a Downing Street press conference it was important to \"not just take one day in isolation\".\n\nBut he added: \"It is clear that infection rates have been going up. What is really important is to get those infection rates down.\"\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said \"daily fluctuations\" can happen in the daily figures \"so it is important to avoid drawing conclusions from one day's figures\".\n\n\"We must instead focus on the wider trend which is increasing, particularly in those at highest risk of disease,\" it said, adding it was \"vital\" the public continued to follow the guidance to stop the spread of the virus.\n\nExperts have previously warned against describing the daily figure as a record because there was no widespread testing programme during the first wave of the epidemic.\n\nReading too much into one day's data is dangerous.\n\nBut there is no getting away from the fact the jump in positive cases is worrying.\n\nWe've not seen this kind of jump before - it is both 10,000 above Wednesday's figure and the current rolling average.\n\nIt's unclear why this is. The government says there was no backlog of tests that were processed, which could have explained it.\n\nThe mass testing in Liverpool is not thought to be feeding into the figure yet.\n\nThe number of tests processed has gone up, but that has happened previously without returning such a high number of positive cases.\n\nAn increase in socialising last week ahead of lockdown could be a factor.\n\nWhatever the cause, the hope is it's a one-off blip. Cases had been pretty stable for a fortnight before this.\n\nAnd there was growing hope next week would see figures falling as the impact of lockdown takes effect.\n\nThe next few days will be crucial.\n\nDespite the UK-wide rise in cases, the average number of new cases every day is no longer rising in Scotland.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said recent measures, including the introduction of a new five-tier system of rules for different areas, have slowed the spread of the virus \"very significantly\".\n\nHowever, latest figures show there are more patients in hospitals in Wales with Covid-19 than at any other time - including during the peak of the first wave of the epidemic earlier this year.\n\nMeanwhile, tighter Covid restrictions in Northern Ireland - which have been in place since 16 October - will be extended for one more week, the executive has agreed.\n\nMass testing - where a huge proportion of the population is tested for Covid, whether or not people have symptoms - has been touted as a way to allow people to live a more normal life, and even to help avoid future lockdowns.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has promised a \"massive expansion\" in such testing in the UK.\n\nLiverpool has been the first city to trial this, with all residents and workers in the city being offered a test.\n\nMr Johnson has urged all of the city's 500,000 residents to take part, in an attempt to drive the spread of the disease down.\n\nEarlier this week some 23,000 people had been tested as part of the trial - which saw Anfield football stadium become one of 18 test centres - with 154 people testing positive.\n\nAs the number of daily cases jumped on Thursday, Prof Powis also warned of an increasing number of people needing hospital treatment for Covid-19.\n\nHe told the Downing Street briefing there were now more than 12,700 people in hospital with coronavirus in England - up from 3,827 a month ago.", "Almost 23 million people watched Martin Bashir's Panorama interview with Princess Diana in 1995\n\nA previously missing note from Princess Diana, thought to indicate she was happy with the way her interview by BBC Panorama was obtained, has been found.\n\nThe BBC said it had recovered the \"original handwritten note\" that the princess wrote following the Panorama interview of November 1995.\n\nThe broadcaster said it would hand over the note to an independent inquiry.\n\nThe probe will look at claims made by Diana's brother about how BBC reporter Martin Bashir secured the interview.\n\nBashir, 57, currently BBC News religion editor, is recovering from heart surgery and complications from Covid-19 and has been unable to comment on Charles Spencer's allegations.\n\nEarl Spencer called for an independent inquiry earlier this month and said he would never have introduced Bashir to his sister if he had not seen the faked bank statements.\n\nThe faked statements wrongly purported to show that the earl's former head of security had been paid by a newspaper group and a mysterious offshore company.\n\nThe BBC has apologised for the faked bank statements, but it says the note from the princess says she did not see them and insisted they played \"no part in her decision to take part in the interview\".\n\nThe BBC's not saying how the letter came back into its possession - but it clearly hopes it will help its case when the independent investigation looks into the allegations made by Earl Spencer.\n\nThe letter is believed to say that Diana was not influenced by the forged bank statements Martin Bashir had made - and was happy with the way the interview was secured.\n\nIf the princess was unaware of or untroubled by the forgeries, or the alleged deceit, it will help the BBC's defence: it says the original investigation was into whether the princess had been misled into giving the interview.\n\nA note from her saying she hadn't would clearly weigh heavily. But the note does not address Earl Spencer's central allegation.\n\nHe alleges that the forged documents were part of a series of lies he was told by Bashir, lies that were meant to win his trust and thus gain access to Diana.\n\nWhat we know of the rediscovered note from Diana doesn't address the serious allegations of journalistic misconduct Earl Spencer has made.\n\nNor does it help resolve the question of how much the BBC knew back in 1996 when it said the forgeries played no part in securing the interview.\n\nNearly 23 million people tuned in to watch the Panorama interview, recorded almost 25 years ago, on 20 November 1995.\n\nThe interview made headlines when the princess said \"there were three of us in this marriage\", referring to Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles. At the time Princess Diana was separated from Prince Charles but not yet divorced.\n\nEarlier this month the Daily Mail published notes Earl Spencer says he made with Bashir two months before the interview.\n\nOur correspondent Jonny Dymond said the notes appeared to record Bashir \"spinning lie after lie about members of the Royal Family, and its staff, in an attempt, Earl Spencer says, to win his trust and that of his sister\".\n\nThese claims, described by the Mail as \"preposterous lies\", include that Diana's private correspondence was being opened, her car tracked and phones tapped.\n\nIt was also claimed that her bodyguard was plotting against her and close friends were betraying her by leaking stories to the press.\n\nThe Princess of Wales died on 31 August 1997, aged 36, in a car crash in a Paris underpass.", "The events of the past 48 hours feel like a political explosion, with Dominic Cummings now departing from Downing Street.\n\nBut while it's tempting to see this is as a dramatic and sudden eruption, it has been a longer-term burn.\n\nThe prime minister's chief adviser stepped back somewhat from some of the brutal day-to-day politics he had helped create after the election.\n\nHe had been spending more time focusing on trying to rewire Whitehall - trying to increase the importance of science and data in government - hoping to be less involved in the moment-by-moment political rush.\n\nBut given his profile, and his nature, was that ever a realistic plan?\n\nSince the summer, there have been conversations about shifting some of the senior roles around to make No 10 run more smoothly - including, perhaps, a total exit for Mr Cummings or a different, more specific role.\n\nBut in the Conservative Party, the adviser - who is not a Tory member, which rubs party people up the wrong way in itself - has been a lightning rod for irritation for years, and he became a focus for public rage too after he ignored lockdown rules and drove to Durham.\n\nAs the government's handling of the pandemic came under increasing attack, MPs became more convinced day-by-day that there needed to be change in No 10 - with Mr Cummings at the top of the list - and they grew more determined in making that case to Boris Johnson.\n\nEven those who reviled the PM's most senior adviser would acknowledge his strategy - forcing conflicts to win and drawing sharp divides between Leavers and Remainers - was effective.\n\nBut as soon as the prime minister had his general election majority, there were concerns that the campaigning style was just too toxic to run a Downing Street operation with different pressures.\n\nCampaigns have to win, governments have to lead and persuade.\n\nWhat's burst into the open this week, with all the bitter briefings, is an acceleration of a change that was already coming.\n\nBut what it won't change is the personality of the one person, the prime minister, who is meant to be in charge.\n\nDominic Cummings' many foes absolve the PM of responsibility if they pin all the mistakes and mess on him.\n\nIt's up to Boris Johnson now to build a new and more stable team, and shape what happens next.", "Waiting for the actual exam results is the fairest way of allocating places, say experts\n\nUniversities in England are to switch to offering degree places on the basis of actual grades rather than predicted ones, the government has announced.\n\nIn an interview with BBC Education Editor Branwen Jeffreys, Gavin Williamson said the present system held bright but disadvantaged pupils back.\n\nHe said he wanted all students to be able to choose the best university they can go to once they know their grades.\n\nUniversities have just backed such a change following a review.\n\nCurrently, pupils are offered places from universities ahead of their results, so decisions are based on predictions made by their teachers.\n\nOnce A-level, BTEC and other exam results are issued in August, candidates then accept or refuse offers they have received.\n\nA consultation will be carried out but it is expected the change to what is known as a post-qualification admissions system will take place before the next general election.\n\nThe current system relies heavily on predicted grades which puts academically high achieving pupils from poorer areas at a disadvantage.\n\nResearch this year from University College London found 23% of pupils from comprehensives were under-predicted by two or more grades, compared to just 11% of grammar and private school pupils.\n\nBut there are still big questions about how this would work, with universities favouring a system in which students would still apply before exams but receive offers afterwards.\n\nOthers may push for the more radical option of both applications and offers being made after results, pushing the start of term back to January for first year students.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson: \"I want to smash through these ceilings\"\n\nMr Williamson told the BBC: \"I want all students to look at the grades they've got and then see what is the best university that they can get to, what is the best course they can do.\n\n\"I want to smash through these ceilings that are preventing them from meeting their full potential.\"\n\nHe said pupils from less-affluent, non-traditional backgrounds often did not have to the confidence to aim for a highly selective university, and also often lacked advice about how to reach such goals.\n\nThe move comes after years of debate over post-qualification admissions.\n\nNumerous academic studies suggest pupils from working class backgrounds, and some ethnic groups, tend to be predicted lower grades by their teachers.\n\nThe university admissions system was brought into sharp focus in the summer, when exam results were cancelled, leading to thousands of students losing the places they thought they had not qualified for.\n\nUniversities promised to offer as many places as they could if candidates received the grades they needed after results were re-issued.\n\nMr Williamson said the use of predicted grades limited \"the aspirations of students before they know what they can achieve\".\n\n\"We need to radically change a system which breeds low aspiration and unfairness,\" he added.\n\n\"We're going to deliver this before next election, we're going to do an extensive consultation.\n\n\"But there's a real determination what we've seen in this pandemic, we've seen great challenges that society has had to deal with and as we move out of this pandemic we need to build back better.\"\n\nMr Williamson also criticised universities which offer inducements or conditional unconditional offers to some students to lure them on to their courses.\n\n\"What we've seen over the last few years is what I describe as a little bit of sharp practice where universities have been offering unconditional offers, more and more and creating incentives, in terms of offering laptops or cash back to those students, and that means those students aren't choosing the course and the university that is best to meet their future potential.\n\n\"We want to move away from that.\"\n\nThe plan has received a warm welcome from vice-chancellors' organisation, Universities UK, who had resolved to move to post qualification admissions following an 18-months review.\n\nJo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said: \"The current system is based on inaccurately predicted results and leads to those from less-affluent backgrounds losing out.\n\n\"Allowing students to apply after they receive their results will help level the playing field and put a stop to the chaotic clearing scramble.\"\n\nGeoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: \"Teachers work hard and diligently to provide accurate predicted grades, but it is not an exact science and never can be.\n\nHe agreed: \"Post-qualification admissions would be better and fairer.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Advisers are meant to be seen, not heard. There has, however, rarely been a political aide more visible than Dominic Cummings.\n\nHe first became particularly known to some for his role as the chief of the campaign to leave the EU, then again as Boris Johnson's provocative senior adviser.\n\nBut then he found notoriety - and became known to a much wider public who wouldn't always know Westminster figures when, during lockdown, it emerged that the close aide of a prime minister who told people to \"Stay at home, save lives, protect the NHS\" had made a journey of hundreds of miles from London to Barnard Castle.\n\nNow after boiling tensions in No 10, Mr Cummings is on his way out.\n\nHe wrote last year he hoped to make himself \"redundant\" by the end of 2020 and told me late last night that is what he will do.\n\nThere's no question the announcement of his departure by the end of the year was accelerated by turmoil in No 10 in recent days - a swirl of split loyalties and factions.\n\nA No 10 insider told me Mr Cummings \"jumped because otherwise he would be pushed soon\", suggesting that, in the last few days, the prime minister saw that the former Vote Leave team was just \"in it for themselves\".\n\nIndeed, for many Conservatives, Mr Cummings' departure, alongside that of Lee Cain, the former director of communications, brings a chance for a reset.\n\nOne member of the Cabinet even told me Mr Cummings' exit was a \"blessing\".\n\nAnd yet Dominic Cummings was valued hugely by Boris Johnson - one of the relentless architects of the prime minister's path to a hefty majority.\n\nOne adviser told me it was a \"huge error to let him go\" - it would allow the Tories to \"regress to being a party of rich southerners and MPs nodding along\".\n\nIt was perhaps inevitable that the Vote Leave tribe would fight so hard they hurt themselves in the process.\n\nLoved by some, loathed by others, the departure of the Vote Leave duo represents a big change at the highest level of government - Boris Johnson losing two of his aides who became controversial but who were also key to creating the political version of him.", "Matiu Ratana, known as Matt, moved to the UK in 1989 and joined the Met Police two years later\n\nA man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a police officer who was shot dead at Croydon custody centre.\n\nNew Zealand-born Sgt Matiu Ratana, 54, known as Matt, was shot in the chest as a handcuffed suspect was being taken into custody on 25 September.\n\nLouis De Zoysa, 23, also suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital in a critical condition.\n\nThe Met Police said he had since \"stabilised\" and was considered fit to be arrested on Friday.\n\nMr De Zoysa remains in hospital with \"life-changing injuries\" and detectives will consult with doctors and legal advisers before they begin interviewing him.\n\nThe Met Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick, said of the arrest: \"It's an important milestone and hopefully it brings some tiny comfort to Matt's partner Su, Matt's wider family and everyone who has been affected.\n\n\"The investigation is moving on into a dreadful, dreadful homicide.\"\n\nLouis De Zoysa has been left with \"life-changing injuries\" following the shooting\n\nAn inquest at South London Coroner's Court in October heard Sgt Ratana died from a gunshot wound to the chest.\n\nNo police firearms were discharged in the shooting.\n\nEarlier this month, a funeral for the long-serving officer was held at Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, and live streamed on the internet so his family, friends and colleagues around the world could attend.\n\nSpecialist family liaison officers are supporting Sgt Ratana's family, who have been informed of the arrest.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Pop royalty Kylie Minogue says lockdown was a \"weird time\" and a \"rollercoaster\"\n\nPop star Kylie Minogue has become the first female artist to have a number one album in the UK in five separate decades.\n\nHer 15th studio album, Disco, topped the charts with 55,000 sales, meaning it has also scored the best opening week of any new release in 2020 so far.\n\nIt is her eighth number one, meaning she has overtaken Elton John, Cliff Richard and George Michael in the all-time chart leaderboard.\n\n\"I'm lost for words,\" said the star.\n\n\"Thank-you to everyone who has supported this album. I'm so touched that it's made its way to your hearts. I love it.\"\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Official Charts This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. End of youtube video by Official Charts\n\nOnly five other acts have topped the Official Chart across five consecutive decades: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Paul Weller, Bruce Springsteen and David Gilmour.\n\nThe Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan have also landed chart-toppers across five decades, though not consecutively.\n\nThe pop star has reinvented her image and her sound dozens of times over the last four decades\n\nKylie's chart-topper was made in the middle of the lockdown, with the star forced to buy recording equipment and learn computer software so she could record her vocals at home.\n\nShe told BBC News the project had been a lifeline when quarantine threatened to overwhelm her.\n\n\"It's hard to dig deep and stay positive,\" the 52-year-old said, \"and I had a moment like that, during the first lockdown where I had to confess to someone else that I was struggling.\n\n\"And actually, if I wasn't able to work on the album, I perhaps would have gone the other way.\"\n\nMinogue finished ahead of Little Mix, whose album Confetti debuted at number two in the Official Album Chart.\n\nAriana Grande's Positions, which was top of the pile last week, dropped to third. The album's title track spent a third week at number one in the singles chart.\n\nElsewhere, Dame Shirley Bassey set another chart record with her latest album, I Owe It All To You - which is billed as \"a celebration of 70 years in showbiz\".\n\nThe record debuted at number five, making Dame Shirley the first female artist to claim a Top 40 album in seven consecutive decades.\n\nThe singer scored her first chart entry in 1961 with Fabulous Shirley Bassey. Her latest collection is her first top five record in 42 years, since 1978's 25th Anniversary Album.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police bodycam footage shows the breaking up of the party\n\nMore than 50 partygoers at a Cardiff Metropolitan University student hall of residence have been fined for breaching Covid-19 rules.\n\nPolice were alerted to the get-together last Friday night.\n\nMusic was \"blaring\" and there were dozens of people inside, South Wales Police said.\n\nThe revellers' details were taken by officers and 52 fines of \"at least £60\" were issued, police said. Inquiries into a further four people are ongoing.\n\n\"It is unfortunate that our officers were left with little option but to fine those who showed a flagrant disregard for the coronavirus regulations - and more importantly their own health and that of their peers and the wider community by either hosting or attending this party,\" said Supt Jason Rees.\n\nA university spokesperson said breaches of coronavirus regulations were taken \"seriously\".\n\nCardiff Metropolitan University said the breaches were \"disappointing\"\n\n\"It is disappointing that a small number of students have decided to behave in this way when the vast majority have stuck to the rules.\"", "Anton was paired with former home secretary Jacqui Smith, who was eliminated in the first competitive week\n\nAnton Du Beke is to join the judging panel on Strictly Come Dancing this weekend, the BBC has confirmed.\n\nThe announcement comes after Motsi Mabuse said on Thursday she would be self-isolating following a trip to Germany.\n\nShe had originally intended to join the show digitally this weekend, and judge the contestants from home.\n\nHowever, the BBC has now confirmed Du Beke will replace her on the judging panel.\n\nThat means this weekend's judges will be Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and head judge Shirley Ballas.\n\n\"We are pleased to announce that the King of Ballroom Anton Du Beke is stepping into our judging panel this weekend,\" Strictly said in a statement on Twitter. \"Good luck, Anton!\"\n\nIt marks the first time Du Beke will have acted as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, which is one of the BBC's most popular programmes.\n\nDu Beke is the longest-serving professional dancer on the show, having joined for the first series in 2004.\n\nFollowing the announcement, Mabuse tweeted to Anton: \"Congratulations!! All the best. I know you will be amazing. Enjoy the show guys.\"\n\nThe BBC said she will still be involved in the show from home, but will not be judging.\n\nDu Beke's temporary appointment comes after he was eliminated from the competition in the first competitive week of this series.\n\nHe had been partnered with former home secretary Jacqui Smith.\n\nMabuse explained to fans on Thursday why she was unable to be in the studio, saying: \"Hi guys - earlier this week I had to travel to Germany for an urgent reason. I will of course be following UK government guidelines and self-isolating for 14 days.\"\n\nShe added: \"I will be watching from home and by the power of technology, should be in your living rooms.\"\n\nHowever, less than 24 hours after Mabuse's tweet, the BBC instead decided to replace her with Du Beke so there would still be three judges in the studio in person.\n\nMotsi Mabuse joined Strictly Come Dancing as a judge last year\n\nHad Mabuse taken part in the programme, she would not have been the first TV talent show judge to join proceedings from home.\n\nJade Thirlwall recently had to dial in virtually to the first live episode of Little Mix: The Search after being asked to self-isolate.\n\nThis series of Strictly has also seen Bruno Tonioli taking part in the Sunday results show digitally from the US.\n\nThe coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a tricky year for Strictly.\n\nOne of the contestants, 21-year-old HRVY, contracted Covid-19 during rehearsals, but was able to return before the series had launched.\n\nEarlier this week, Nicola Adams and Katya Jones had to pull out of this series after Jones tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nThe show also had to stop allowing a studio audience last week after a second nationwide lockdown was announced by the government.\n\nPrior to that, the show had allowed a small studio audience, mostly made up of friends and family of the contestants, sitting at socially-distanced cabaret tables.\n\nHowever, the issues this year have not stopped the show from becoming one of the most popular series of Strictly yet, with consistently high viewing figures so far.\n\nMotsi Mabuse, who is the sister of professional dancer Oti, joined Strictly as a judge in 2019, replacing Darcey Bussell.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Last updated on .From the section Scotland\n\nScotland have \"given a little something to the country\" after a \"horrible year\", said a tearful Ryan Christie after the men's national team reached their first finals in 23 years.\n\nChristie's second-half goal looked like taking Scotland to the Euros, only for Luka Jovic to level in the 90th minute.\n\nBut Scotland went on to win 5-4 on penalties to end a barren streak of 10 missed tournaments.\n\n\"It's for the whole nation,\" Christie told Sky Sports.\n\n\"I hope everyone back home is having a party tonight, because we deserve it. What we've been though. So many years - we know it, you know it, everyone knows it.\n\n\"It's a monkey off the back now and we'll just move on from here.\"\n• None Scotland qualify - what happens now?\n\nGoalkeeper David Marshall saved magnificently from Aleksandar Mitrovic for a 5-4 sudden-death win after Scotland had dominated, led until the 90th minute, then hung on for penalties.\n\nClarke's men are now nine games unbeaten - their best run in 44 years - and will face England, Croatia and the Czech Republic in Group D at next summer's delayed finals.\n\nThe manager said he urged the players to \"keep believing\" after Serbia's late goal threatened to snatch away a place at Euro 2020, as he praised their \"unbelievable character\".\n\n\"We were setting up nicely for a typical Scottish scenario - 1-0 up in the last minute and conceding from a set-play,\" said Clarke.\n\n\"It would have been easy to crumble and take the disappointment and not finish the game properly. But they dug in in extra time and kept believing, and they get their rewards. They kept their nerve.\n\n\"It's been a very difficult time for the people in Scotland. We spoke before the game about trying to make the nation smile on Friday morning. Hopefully they're going to.\n\n\"If we've done our bit to make them feel a little bit better about themselves and about the country, great.\"\n\n'When you've waited 22 years, what's four or five seconds?'\n\nGoalkeeper Marshall revealed the referee told him not to celebrate saving the spot-kick that sent Scotland to the Euros because there would be a video assistant referee check.\n\nBut, after an agonising few seconds, he was finally given the all clear.\n\nHe said: \"I just hoped and prayed that it didn't go to a retake because the lads were already on their way. They didn't know it was being checked probably.\n\n\"When you've waited 22 years what's another four or five seconds?\n\n\"It's almost a numb feeling, it's been so long. It's just a massive emotional feeling. Ryan Christie was in tears and it just shows how much it means to the lads to get there.\n\n\"Had we lost it it would have been gut-wrenching, but if you're going to do it that's the best way to do it. The lads scoring 10 out of 10 penalties under that amount of pressure is just incredible.\"\n• None A hilarious look at trying to grow up", "Perry (far left) with the other stars of Friends in 1997\n\nThe eagerly anticipated Friends reunion episode will now start filming next March, according to cast member Matthew Perry.\n\n\"Friends reunion being rescheduled for the beginning of March,\" he tweeted on Thursday.\n\n\"Looks like we have a busy year coming up. And that's the way I like it!\"\n\nThe special one-off show was due to start filming in August but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nIt will bring together the original cast of Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.\n\nBy Friday morning, Perry's tweet had received more than 100,000 likes and retweets.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by matthew perry This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nFriends, which followed the fortunes of six young friends living in New York City, originally aired from 1994 until 2004.\n\nThe final show was watched by 52.5 million viewers in the US, making it the most watched TV episode of the 2000s.\n\nRumours of a Friends reunion gathered pace after Aniston posted a photo of the cast together last year.\n\nThe actress's debut post on Instagram took five hours and 16 minutes to earn her a million followers.\n\nFilming for the Friends special will take place on the show's original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros lot in Burbank, California.\n\nIt will air on the HBO Max streaming service on a date yet to be announced.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Caffè Nero has been forced to launch a restructuring of its business following the second lockdown.\n\nThe coffee chain is launching a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) which will allow it to renegotiate terms with its landlords and other creditors.\n\nCaffè Nero, which employs 6,000 workers, said \"the pandemic has decimated trading\".\n\nIt said it was able to navigate the first shutdown but the subsequent fire break necessitated \"further action\".\n\nThe company trades across 800 shops in the UK and a further 200 sites overseas. A company facing insolvency can use a CVA to continue to trade while paying creditors such as landlords over a fixed period - if those creditors agree.\n\nCaffè Nero said it had converted many of its shops to takeaway-only services during the first lockdown in March.\n\nBut following the second shutdown, it said that, \"with many people continuing to work from home, ongoing limits to social interaction and a sustained reduction to footfall in city centres, it is unclear how long this will impact Caffè Nero\".\n\nIt add that the CVA would allow the company \"to better manage its fixed costs moving forward\".\n\n\"Like so many businesses in the hospitality sector, the pandemic has decimated trading, and although we had made significant progress in navigating the financial challenges of the first lockdown, the second lockdown has made it imperative that we take further action.\" said Gerry Ford, the chain's founder and chief executive.\n\nAccountancy firm KPMG has been appointed to oversee the CVA process, and landlords and creditors have until 30 November to vote on the proposal.\n\nIt is understood Caffè Nero is proposing to move most sites to turnover-based rent, and that any store closures it is forced to make will be minimal.\n\nThe hospitality sector has been one of the worst affected industries by the coronavirus pandemic because of a dearth of office workers and commuters, which are key customers.\n\nIn the summer, Pret a Manger announced it was cutting 3,000 jobs, around a third of its workforce while Costa Coffee said it would axe 1,650 roles.\n\n\"Like many others across the sector, the impact of measures introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating,\" said Will Wright, head of regional restructuring at KPMG.\n\n\"In putting forward this CVA proposal, the directors have worked hard to strike a fair compromise with stakeholders to provide the flexibility the business urgently needs to get it through the pandemic.\"", "John Lewis focuses on acts of kindness for its 2020 Christmas advert - inspired by the public spirit shown during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nIts boss Pippa Wicks said it wanted an advert that was \"appropriate for how we're all feeling at the moment\".\n\nIt is the latest big brand to unveil its festive campaign - with many focusing on themes involving family.\n\nCoco-Cola and Aldi's adverts show loved ones being reunited, while Morrisons and Argos focus on families at home.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Waitrose & Partners This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nEmma Macdonald, professor of marketing at Warwick Business School, said brands have had to tread a \"tricky line\" with the themes around their festive campaigns this year.\n\nAdverts showing lots of people outside and mixing with friends would not be \"appropriate messaging\" at a time when people are facing coronavirus restrictions.\n\n\"There's already heightened sensitivity, we're all a bit touchy, because life is a bit tougher,\" she said.\n\n\"As a business, they need to sell things to keep going. But, you know, a lot of people are saying we can't actually be buying things, we're struggling, we don't have as much money as usual. So that is a tricky balance for them.\n\n\"At the moment, it's really important for brands to stand for something meaningful, rather than just selling lots of stuff.\"\n\nJohn Lewis' Christmas advert shows different characters helping other people, with a love heart as a central theme throughout.\n\n\"We wanted to have a message out there about thinking of others and helping families in need and people in need,\" Ms Wicks said.\n\nWhile there's no reference to coronavirus, zoom calls, or social distancing, the retail giant said it had deviated slightly from the style of its previous festive adverts due to the pandemic.\n\nIn another step away from tradition, it commissioned singer Celeste to write and record an original song for the advert. Ten pence from each download of the track will go to charity.\n\nThe advert was released at 7am on Friday on social media and was quickly trending with people sharing a mix of views.\n\nSome said it was not as good as previous Christmas adverts but others said the message of kindness was particularly important this year.\n\nMany of this year's Christmas adverts focus on the theme of families as people wait to see how the Covid restrictions will impact on their festive plans.\n\nAsda's advert shows a dad putting up festive lights, his children opening presents and eating Christmas food, and staff making a home delivery wearing face masks.\n\nThe dad says: \"Christmas is going to be different this year, so let's really make the most of it. The parties might be smaller, but we can still have great food and party.\"\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 2 by Asda This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nThe Coca-Cola advert shows a dad trekking for days across difficult terrain in order deliver his daughter's letter to Santa Claus.\n\nWhen he arrives, he finds a sign on the grotto saying \"Closed for Christmas\" and he gets a lift by the famous Coca-Cola van back to his family.\n\nThe dad eventually opens the letter his daughter wrote and finds that all she asked for was for him to be home for Christmas.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 3 by Coca-Cola This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nOn a similar theme, Aldi's Christmas advert shows its mascot Kevin the Carrot getting a helping hand from Santa to get back to his family after getting lost.\n\nMorrisons and Argos' offerings show families enjoying spending time together at home, in scenes many people will be hoping for this year.\n\nXu Zhang, assistant professor of marketing at London Business School, said the focus on families was a reflection of the situation many people have found themselves in during the pandemic.\n\nShe said some people would be far away from loved ones, while others will have spent a lot more time at home with relatives due to the lockdown.\n\nThe adverts this year speak to \"both sides of those segments\", she added.\n\n\"For those people spending a lot more time with their family, maybe you don't appreciate the things you used to appreciate that much. And then those adverts remind you that you should appreciate the family relationship.\n\n\"For the other part, it's different... if they don't get to spend time with their family then it becomes more important when you see these kind of adverts.\"", "Swedish authorities have said people should prepare for travel restrictions\n\nA number of European countries have warned that it is too early to plan for Christmas travel, as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the continent.\n\nIn Sweden, people have been told to prepare for possible travel restrictions during the holiday period.\n\nMeanwhile Irish and French authorities said it was too soon to say if people could make travel arrangements.\n\nWith six weeks until the festive season, lockdowns and other measures are in force in several countries.\n\nPortugal has significantly expanded the number of places subject to a night curfew. From Monday, three-quarters of the country will be under the government's toughest restrictions.\n\nSweden's top state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell told citizens to prepare for the possibility of restricted travel between different areas during the Christmas period so that regional healthcare services could avoid becoming overwhelmed.\n\nA provisional decision would likely be made in a week or two, he said, adding that Swedes needed to be prepared that things could still change \"right before Christmas\".\n\nMr Tegnell also said \"the large bulk\" of new Covid-19 cases were currently coming from private parties. He said he hoped a ban on serving alcohol in pubs and bars after 22:00, due to start next weekend, would not lead to a rise in private social gatherings.\n\nOn Thursday, authorities announced 40 new deaths, the country's highest daily toll for five months.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How close are we to Covid immunisation?\n\nMeanwhile, Irish Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he would not yet advise Irish citizens living abroad to book flights home, adding that it was \"too soon\" to give such advice.\n\nA similar sentiment was shared by French Prime Minister Jean Castex, who said it was \"too early\" to say whether citizens could buy train tickets to travel at Christmas.\n\nHe added that there would be no easing of lockdown restrictions for at least two weeks. \"It would be irresponsible to soften the lockdown now,\" he told a news conference, \"the gains are fragile.\"\n\nUnder the lockdown restrictions, people in France can only leave their homes to go to work if they cannot work from home, to buy essential goods, seek medical help or to exercise for one hour a day. All non-essential shops, restaurants and bars are shut, but schools and creches remain open.\n\nMr Castex added that some shops may be allowed to reopen from 1 December, depending on case numbers. But he said bars and restaurants must remain closed.\n\nFrance is grappling with a sharp rise in cases, with more than 1.9 million confirmed infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.\n\nOn Thursday, French health authorities announced a record-high 32,638 hospitalisations - almost 350 higher than a peak reached in April.\n\nBut the daily number of new infections was over 2,500 lower than Wednesday, and France's seven-day moving average was down for a fifth day in a row.\n\nIn Italy, much of the country is in lockdown, but there are calls for stricter measures as the numbers of infections continues to grow. A further 636 deaths were reported on Thursday. Regional Affairs Minister Francesco Boccia said people should celebrate Christmas only with close family members.\n\nIn the UK, discussions took place about the four nations taking a joint approach to Covid rules over Christmas.", "Helga Wauters said she would \"regret this death [her] entire life\"\n\nA Belgian anaesthetist has been jailed for three years after a British woman died following a botched emergency Caesarean.\n\nHelga Wauters, 51, was also banned from practising following a court hearing in France on Thursday.\n\nShe was found guilty of manslaughter over the death of 28-year-old Xynthia Hawke in 2014.\n\nWauters pushed a breathing tube into Ms Hawke's oesophagus instead of her windpipe, investigators said.\n\nShe was under the influence of alcohol during the procedure.\n\nWauters did not appear in court on Thursday. Ms Hawke's partner, meanwhile, travelled to attend the proceedings in the French city of Pau.\n\nMs Hawke was admitted to Orthez hospital near Pau in September 2014. She was given an epidural by Wauters, but problems occurred during the birth which meant an emergency Caesarean was needed.\n\nWauters, a chronic alcoholic, admitted being an alcoholic who started \"every day\" drinking vodka and water. She also said she had a glass of wine before she was called back to the hospital for the Caesarean.\n\nWitnesses reported smelling alcohol on her when she returned. When she was taken into custody, the alcohol content in her blood was 2.38 grams per litre, or the equivalent of around 10 glasses of wine.\n\nThe 51-year-old was less than two weeks into the job when she inserted the breathing tube incorrectly. She also allegedly used an oxygen mask instead of a ventilator.\n\nMs Hawke, who is from Somerset in the UK, woke up during the operation and began vomiting and shouting \"it hurts\", witnesses said. One nurse told the court the scene was like a war zone.\n\nShe suffered a cardiac arrest and died four days after the procedure, but her baby boy survived.\n\nBut Wauters denied being solely responsible for the death and insisted other staff were to blame. She claimed the ventilator was not working at the time - but investigators found this to be untrue.\n\nOn Thursday, the court ordered her to pay almost 1.4 million euros (£1.25m; $1.65m) in damages to Ms Hawke's family.\n\n\"Justice has set an example for this type of doctor who, in my eyes, is not a doctor,\" her partner Yannick Balthazar said.\n\nWauters moved to France after she was fired from her job at a Belgian hospital for being under the influence of alcohol.\n\nThe recruitment company that hired her did not check her credentials or disciplinary record, investigators said.\n\n\"I recognise now that my addiction was incompatible with my job,\" Ms Wauters said during an earlier hearing, according to the AFP news agency. \"I will regret this death my entire life.\"", "Northern Ireland's hopes of reaching Euro 2020 were ended as Slovakia scored deep into extra time to win their play-off final at Windsor Park.\n\nThe home side had equalised in dramatic style when defender Milan Skriniar put the ball into his own net with two minutes of normal time left to cancel out Juraj Kucka's early opener.\n\nSubstitute Kyle Lafferty then nearly won it for Northern Ireland when his long-range effort hit the post in the 90th minute.\n\nBut the game went to extra time and Michal Duris, on from the bench, made the most of a lucky ricochet to score Slovakia's winner in the 110th minute.\n\nThe win takes Slovakia though to their second consecutive Euro finals and prevents Northern Ireland from repeating their feat from four years ago.\n• None Baraclough 'can't ask any more' of NI after Slovakia defeat\n\nNorthern Ireland, backed by a 1,060 crowd that generated a good atmosphere despite being so low in numbers, had been aiming to do just that and reach what would have been a fifth major international tournament appearance.\n\nHowever, while they raised themselves for spells during the game - and perhaps looked more likely to grab a winner during extra time - it was generally a disjointed performance from Ian Baraclough's men.\n\nAfter the joy of Euro 2016 in France, Northern Ireland had given themselves the opportunity to qualify again by beating Bosnia & Herzegovina on penalties in the play-off semi-final in October.\n\nA night that ended in despair would have been so different had Lafferty's excellent shot from distance just seconds before the end of 90 minutes gone in rather than striking the outside of the Slovakian post. The hosts went close again in the closing stages of extra time but Jonny Evans' header was saved.\n\nNorthern Ireland started the game in positive fashion and looked lively for the opening 15 minutes, with the triangle of Stuart Dallas, Paddy McNair and Niall McGinn down the right looking threatening.\n\nHowever, a sloppy mistake by George Saville in the 17th minute led to Slovakia's opening goal as the midfielder misplaced a header back to Evans which allowed Kucka to run through.\n\nHe was unopposed but still needed to show a lot of composure and good technique to side-foot a clever low finish past Bailey Peacock-Farrell and inside the post.\n\nDespite a strong start to the second half, it looked like Northern Ireland's bid for qualification was fading until McNair did well down the right on 87 minutes and produced a low cross that was turned into his own net by Skriniar.\n\nAfter Lafferty was denied by the woodwork, the match was heading towards penalties before a long ball bounced off Evans and into the path of Duris.\n\nThe substitute struck his shot well but Peacock-Farrell, a hero in the play-off semi-final win, allowed the ball to squeeze in at his near post when he looked well positioned to keep it out.\n\nKey players unable to lift NI to another big win\n\nNorthern Ireland's success in recent years has been built on a core of experienced players who have delivered on a regular basis, particularly in crucial matches.\n\nWhile the squad has lost a few stalwarts to retirement, captain Steven Davis, Premier League table-topping Leicester City defender Evans and the versatile Dallas of Leeds are still vitally important to the team's prospects.\n\nEvans was an injury doubt before the squad was named and looked like he may have been labouring as the match went on, although he was hugely unfortunate in the incident that saw the ball bounce off him and into the path of Duris for the winning goal.\n\nDavis has been the heartbeat of the team for a long time but, playing in the deep-lying midfield role he has become accustomed to, was unable to impose himself on the match as Slovakia captain Marek Hamsik and Stanislav Lobotka in particular looked assured in possession.\n\nDallas looked to have taken a heavy blow to his arm in the first half and, while the ever-committed former Crusaders man battled on for the whole match, his attacking threat was limited from full-back.\n\nWhat next for Baraclough and his players?\n\nThere were few surprises in Baraclough's starting team and shape, the only one being Josh Magennis playing on the left of the front three and Conor Washington through the centre, with the latter firing straight at the goalkeeper during Northern Ireland's early second-half rally.\n\nThey looked too happy to sit off the Slovakians during the first half and let them dominate possession and, while they had a renewed energy after the break, they were unable to sustain that until the late equaliser and Lafferty's fine strike.\n\nDespite the euphoria of the shootout win in Bosnia, Northern Ireland have now failed to win during 90 minutes of any of Baraclough's first six games in charge, and have fallen behind in each one of them.\n\nPerhaps viewed as more of a safe replacement for Michael O'Neill than an exciting one, his remit from the Irish FA would very much have been to navigate the play-offs and secure another Euros qualification - and the financial rewards for Northern Ireland football that come with it.\n\nThe boldness he showed with his substitutions in Sarajevo was impressive, but the former Motherwell and Sligo Rovers boss has a major job on his hands in working out where the squad goes from here.\n\nIt is always easy for an 'end of an era' feel to engulf an international side after such a disappointment, and he will no doubt face tough questions, but in the short term has to prepare his squad for Nations League matches away to Austria and at home to Romania.\n\nVictories in either of those will obviously not make up for missing out on the Euros this time, but he needs the momentum of his reign to change - and quickly - before the qualifiers for the World Cup come around.\n• None Attempt saved. Jonny Evans (Northern Ireland) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jordan Thompson with a cross.\n• None Stuart Dallas (Northern Ireland) wins a free kick on the right wing. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None A hilarious look at trying to grow up", "The isolation suits supplied by PestFix were similar to those pictured here\n\nBritain's safety watchdog felt leaned on by the government to make factually incorrect statements about PPE suits bought for NHS staff earlier in the Covid-19 pandemic, the BBC has found.\n\nEmails reveal how the Health and Safety Executive said protective suits, bought by the government in April, had not been tested to the correct standard.\n\nBut the emails describe \"political\" pressure to approve them for use.\n\nThe government said all PPE is \"quality assured\" and only sent out if safe.\n\nEarly on in the pandemic, the NHS experienced severe shortages of personal protective equipment, known as PPE. As the country woke up to the lethal threat of Covid-19, there was a scramble to secure gloves, overalls and masks for NHS staff.\n\nThe shortage was so drastic that some hospital staff were even pictured at the time wearing bin bags.\n\nMedics at a hospital in the Midlands don bin bags in place of PPE, in April 2020\n\nThe government had to find new suppliers quickly to meet demand and to compete with rising global competition. But that rush has prompted questions about its choice of provider.\n\nOne of those providers was small pest control firm Crisp Websites Ltd, trading as PestFix, which secured a contract in April with the Department of Health and Social Care for a £32m batch of isolation suits.\n\nThree months after it was signed, the suits from PestFix had still not been released for use in the NHS, despite the rush to get PPE into hospitals. Instead, they were being stored at an NHS supply chain warehouse, in Daventry, waiting for safety assessments.\n\nThe Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had concluded they had not been specified to the correct standard for use in hospitals when they were bought.\n\nSeparately, the contract was being challenged in the courts by campaign group the Good Law Project. It asked why DHSC had agreed to pay 75% upfront when the provider, it claimed, was \"wholly unsuited\" to deliver such a large and important order.\n\nThe contract had been awarded without being opened to competition because of the urgency of the crisis.\n\nNow, emails from the HSE - given to the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act (FoI) - reveal how its officials came under pressure from government over the summer to release the suits to the NHS.\n\nIn June, one email from a firm working alongside the HSE describes \"political pressure\" being applied to get the suits through the quality assurance process.\n\nBy September, the legal wrangling was still going on, the emails show, even though the suits had, by then, been released to the NHS.\n\n\"We are being drawn into the legalities\", one official wrote, saying they'd been asked to provide a statement that PestFix's products had had the right safety documents.\n\n\"I have been contacted by [name redacted] today requesting a statement to the effect that HSE were provided with the required documentation by Pestfix… This is not factually correct,\" the safety regulator wrote.\n\nThe following day, another email reveals: \"…various colleagues in DHSC are contacting those involved in the assessment of the Pestfix products requesting statements to the effect that HSE assessed the products and they were compliant - not factually correct\".\n\nAn email, dated 25 June, said Pestfix was worried news its equipment had not completed necessary testing might leak to the public.\n\n\"We are very concerned about whom we speak to with regard to getting these suits tested as we do not want it to be made public knowledge that PPE from Pestfix has not passed HSE inspection,\" it read.\n\nThe firm added that, with the legal challenge looming, it hoped that new tests could be done quickly. This was so that \"we and the DHSC can confirm that the product… has been certified and accepted\".\n\nThe isolation suits were ultimately tested to the required standard, and on 6 August the regulator allowed them to be used for staff treating Covid-19 in hospitals.\n\nBut it insisted the products were relabelled because the description was incorrect. The decision says: \"The product refers to itself as an isolation gown, but it is clearly a disposable coverall\".\n\nLast month, the government published five more contracts it had signed with PestFix for gowns, gloves, masks and aprons totalling more than £300m.\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"We have been working tirelessly to deliver PPE to protect our health and social care staff throughout the pandemic, with more than 4.7 billion items delivered so far and 32 billion items ordered to provide a continuous supply to the frontline over the coming months.\n\n\"All PPE products are quality assured and only distributed if they are safe to use.\"\n\nIn a statement, PestFix said it had \"delivered these products to DHSC on time and in compliance with the DHSC's specification and applicable regulations.\n\n\"After delivery, there was some delay while the product was re-categorised as a PPE product and further testing was carried out to confirm that the product was PPE compliant.\"\n\nMore from Phil on Twitter @phill_kemp", "Boris Johnson's director of communications - and longest serving aide - Lee Cain (right) has resigned following a power struggle in Downing Street\n\nAfter the hurricane of the last 24 hours, what's left behind the storm?\n\nLet's face it, there are plenty of people in the Tory Party who have been deeply unhappy about the government's performance in the last few months and who hope, if perhaps don't quite believe, that the shenanigans in Downing Street could be the beginning of a new, calm, world order.\n\nAnd the departure of Lee Cain may even hasten the exit of the prime minister's most senior adviser, Dominic Cummings.\n\nIt's been clear for a while in SW1 that he wanted to do less of the day-to-day political fire fighting, trying to focus more on particular projects.\n\nBut given his closeness to the departing Lee Cain, and it is understood, frustration with what has been going on, it is not impossible that he might end up leaving Boris Johnson's side sooner rather than later.\n\nIt was suggested to me tonight that he was always due to go in the New Year.\n\nOne insider said he had let it be known fairly widely that he was interested in stepping back in the next few months. He did not, however, it's understood, threaten to quit last night.\n\nThere is no official confirmation of that from any of the factions involved in the No 10 implosion.\n\nBut from the outside it seems, with the UK about to leave the departure lounge of the EU in a matter of weeks, that the group that drove through Brexit, and drove the prime minister's victory is losing its muscle.\n\nMr Cummings' departure would be a huge change to the dynamics in Downing Street, if it happens.\n\nHe has had unparalleled power, aside from the prime minister. He's provoked rage, but inspired loyalty too, and he broke the cardinal rule of any government adviser by becoming the story so dramatically in May.\n\nBut while many MPs and ministers would cheer that, hoping for a shift to a more conventional Downing Street, it is far from certain that Mr Johnson would prosper as an individual politician if he lost two of his closest aides in quick succession.\n\nThe prime minister's senior adviser Dominic Cummings was instrumental in the successful pro-Brexit campaign\n\nAnd as ever, the picture is more complicated than it might appear.\n\nThe divides inside government are simply not as straightforward as Vote Leavers on one side, everyone else on the other.\n\nMr Johnson has been prime minister for well over a year, it's nearly 12 months since the election victory, and the referendum was more than four years ago.\n\nCertainly the operation in there sought publicly to emphasise the divide and there has been a natural division between Leavers and Remainers, but in terms of the individuals and personalities working together behind closed doors, the world is less binary than the political universe that Boris Johnson was part of creating.\n\nAnd now, while the Vote Leave tribe made plenty of enemies, and often seemed to enjoy doing so, even deliberately, the prime minister cannot be sure that a new operation will bring him more political success or stability.\n\nHe is still the same person, the same leader, with the same flaws and and the same strengths.\n\nA rejigged team may, or may not make life easier for him. Just as the talks over a trade deal after Brexit grind towards a finale, the dominance of Vote Leave is coming to a close too.\n\nBut just as the negotiations haven't finished, the final act of the Brexit project is yet to end.", "Concerns around vaccines is nothing new. But the speed at which Covid-19 candidates are being developed, have made some people - understandably - question how it's possible to make a safe and effective vaccine so fast.\n\nIt usually takes around a decade to develop a new vaccine, but in less than a year it appears scientists have created at least one for Covid. So how are they doing it?\n\nFirstly, they are well-funded - and time is money. Governments around the world, desperate for a way out of this crisis, have ploughed billions of dollars into developing a vaccine.\n\nThis is unprecedented in such a short space of time. It can take scientists years just to secure funding for their research for other vaccines.\n\nWith so many people potentially receiving a vaccine, safety has to be the absolute number one priority. There is a very robust international human trials process which establishes the safety and effectiveness of any vaccine.\n\nThe World Health Organization - which is collating all the data from trials for more than 200 vaccine candidates - says safety data cannot and will not be compromised.\n\nStudies will also continue even after vaccines are rolled out to keep track of any rare possible side effects. Also, much of what needs to happen to get a successful vaccine out to people all over the world is already under way. For example, hundreds of millions of the most promising vaccine candidates are already being manufactured.\n\nThis usually only happens when a vaccine is approved for wide use. If the vaccines are found not to be effective or safe enough as trial data continues coming in, they won't be used. But if any of them are - the vaccines will be ready to deploy very quickly.\n\n\"What are your thoughts on getting a vaccine to protect against Covid-19?\"\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:", "The son of Sutcliffe's first victim, Wilma McCann, had appealed for an apology\n\nA police force has apologised for the \"language, tone and terminology\" used in the 1970s to describe some of the Yorkshire Ripper's victims.\n\nSenior West Yorkshire officers said some of the 13 women killed by Peter Sutcliffe, who has died aged 74, were \"innocent\" but implied others were not.\n\nThe son of his first victim Wilma McCann had appealed for an apology.\n\nForce Chief Constable John Robins said the language used at the time was \"as wrong then as it is now\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Speaking before an apology from police, Richard McCann, the son of Peter Sutcliffe's first victim, Wilma McCann, reacts to his death\n\nSpeaking earlier, Richard McCann, who was five when his mother was killed, said: \"They described some of the women as 'innocent', inferring that some were not innocent - including my mum.\n\n\"She was a family woman who, through no fault of her own, was going through adversity and made some bad decisions, some risky decisions.\"\n\n\"She paid for those decisions with her life.\"\n\nTwelve of the 13 women Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering: (Top row) Wilma McCann, Emily Jackson, Irene Richardson, Patricia Atkinson, Jayne McDonald and Jean Jordan.(Bottom row) Yvonne Pearson, Helen Rytka, Vera Millward, Josephine Whitaker, Barbara Leach and Jacqueline Hill\n\nMr Robins said: \"On behalf of West Yorkshire Police, I apologise for the additional distress and anxiety caused to all relatives by the language, tone and terminology used by senior officers at the time in relation to Peter Sutcliffe's victims.\n\n\"Such language and attitudes may have reflected wider societal attitudes of the day, but it was as wrong then as it is now.\"\n\nHe added that the force's approach to investigations was now \"wholly victim-focused\".\n\nAfter the force published its apology, Mr McCann tweeted: \"Now that's worth celebrating. Thank You.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Richard McCann This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nDetectives, journalists and the attorney general who prosecuted Sutcliffe have been criticised for dismissing some women who died as sex workers.\n\nSenior officers' focus on the killer targeting only sex workers was seen as one of the many crucial wrong turns taken during the 1970s investigation.\n\nAt Sutcliffe's trial, prosecutor Sir Michael Havers, then attorney general, said: \"Some were prostitutes but perhaps the saddest part of the case is that some were not. The last six attacks were on totally respectable women.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe Sutcliffe case was a humiliation for West Yorkshire police, revealing deep operational and cultural problems within the force and wider policing.\n\nReviews focused on the inquiry's shortcomings in a bungled investigation that never got on top of processing the information it received.\n\nThe consequence was sweeping reform to the way major crime investigations were conducted.\n\nBut the investigation was also compromised by the misogyny and racism of 1970s police culture.\n\nIn 1979, one senior detective told reporters the killer \"has made it clear he hates prostitutes, many people do, but the Ripper is now killing innocent girls.\"\n\nPolice categorised Sutcliffe's victims as \"innocent\" and \"non-innocent\" based on class and lifestyle.\n\nMarcella Claxton, a black woman who survived an attack by Sutcliffe in 1976 was racially abused, wrongly labelled a prostitute and her accurate description of the killer was dismissed.\n\nThe police service is now more diverse but some question whether the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire is right to say attitudes associated with the Ripper investigation are, \"thankfully, consigned to history\".\n\nThe victims' commissioner Vera Baird points to today's low number of rape prosecutions, suggesting the blaming of victims, particularly when they are women, still continues.\n\nThe investigation was led at various times by (l to r) Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield, Chief Constable Ronald Gregory and acting Assistant Chief Constable Jim Hobson\n\nDame Louise Casey, the UK's first Victims' Commissioner said she was \"pleased\" to hear the force had apologised adding: \"God forbid we ever go back to those days\".\n\nRuth Bundey, a civil rights layer who later went on to represent some of the Ripper's victims, said: \"It's been a long time coming. I'm glad it's come at last but of course there were some dreadful things said, even at Sutcliffe's trial.\"\n\nHowever, former West Yorkshire Police officer Elaine Benson, who worked on the Sutcliffe murders, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme she had not witnessed victims being treated differently.\n\n\"I was in the police service for 30 years and things became more politically correct and they were not at that time,\" she said.\n\n\"But I did not see from my position that any investigation was any the less for what a person's occupation was or for what they did.\n\n\"I never saw anything of that at all. They were murder victims and each murder was investigated as thoroughly as they could investigate it.\"\n\nCurrent serving police officers said Sutcliffe was a \"monster\" who should \"rot in hell\" after hearing he had died.\n\nBrian Booth, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: \"'On hearing of the death of Peter Sutcliffe today, I feel good riddance.\n\n\"He is the very reason most people step to the plate and become police officers - to protect our communities from people like him.\"\n\nJohn Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, urged people to remember the victims and not Sutcliffe.\n\nHe tweeted: \"The 13 women he murdered and the 7 who survived his brutal attacks are in my thoughts.\"\n\nBoris Johnson's official spokesman said the PM's thoughts were with those who died, their families and friends and with those who survived.\n\nHe said: \"Peter Sutcliffe was a depraved and evil individual whose crimes caused unimaginable suffering and appalled this country, nothing will ever detract from the harm that he caused, but it is right that he died behind bars for his barbaric murders and for his attempted murders.\"\n• None The hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. Video, 00:01:18The hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Liverpool\n\nLiverpool forward Mohamed Salah has tested positive for coronavirus while on international duty with Egypt.\n\nThe Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said on Friday that Salah, 28, returned a positive test but is not displaying any symptoms.\n\nIt later added that Salah underwent a second test, which confirmed he has Covid-19.\n\n\"Salah is keeping a high spirit and is not showing any symptoms of the virus,\" said the EFA in a statement.\n\nIt said the other members of the team had tested negative.\n\nEgypt host Togo in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on Saturday, followed by the reverse fixture in Togo on Tuesday.\n\nSalah will now self-isolate and could miss Liverpool's next two matches.\n\nThe Reds host Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday, 22 November, followed by a Champions League tie against Atalanta at Anfield on Wednesday, 25 November.\n\nSalah has started all eight of Liverpool's Premier League games this season, scoring eight goals.\n• None The artists face their first challenge", "Charities are calling for more testing of staff and residents in care homes\n\nPeople with learning disabilities were up to six times more likely to die from Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic, analysis shows.\n\nA report from Public Health England (PHE) found the death rate for those with a learning disability was 30 times higher in the 18-34 age group.\n\nThe charity Mencap said the government had \"failed to protect\" a group already experiencing health inequalities.\n\nSocial Care Minister Helen Whately has announced a review of the findings.\n\nThe study, which looked at deaths between 21 March and 5 June, found that 451 per 100,000 people registered with a learning disability had died with Covid-19 during that period.\n\nDue to gaps in the data, the researchers estimated that it could be as high as 692 per 100,000 - 6.3 times higher than the general population.\n\nThe report suggests the huge disparity could be because people with learning disabilities are more prone to obesity and diabetes, which can increase the risk of dying from Covid-19.\n\nAdam Brown died in April after becoming ill with Covid-19\n\nAdam Brown from Surrey was one of those young people with learning disabilities who died from Covid-19. The 30-year-old, who lived in residential care, fell ill at the beginning of March.\n\nDespite displaying the symptoms of Covid-19, he wasn't tested until he was admitted to hospital. He died on 29 April.\n\nCommenting on the report's findings, his sister Naomi Brown said: \"Hearing and reading reports like this doesn't surprise me, it saddens me but it's not surprising.\n\n\"People like Adam, people who don't have their own voices to speak for themselves are just left, kept in the dark, disregarded.\n\n\"There's only us, the families, to speak and stand up for people like my brother.\"\n\nProf John Newton, PHE's director of health improvement, said \"action must be taken to prevent this happening again\".\n\nHe said: \"It is deeply troubling that one of the most vulnerable groups in our society suffered so much during the first wave of the pandemic.\n\n\"But with cases developing across the country, it is essential to practice rigorous infection control if you are in contact with someone with a learning disability, whether or not they live in a care home.\"\n\nA third of those who died with a learning disability during the first wave were living in residential care, which has led to criticism about infection control and lack of access to testing.\n\nDan Scorer, head of policy at the learning disability charity Mencap, said: \"The government has failed to protect a group who already experienced serious health inequalities.\n\n\"Decades of under-investment in social care has left most people with a learning disability with no support to understand ever-changing guidance on staying safe and accessing testing.\"\n\nThe report highlighted that certain kinds of learning disability, such as Down's Syndrome can make people more vulnerable to respiratory infections. Adults with the condition have recently been added to the government's \"clinically extremely vulnerable\" list.\n\nAlmost half of those with Down Syndrome who died from Covid-19 were living in a care home.\n\nThe Down's Syndrome Association said priority must be given \"to measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in these settings, including regular testing of care staff\".\n\nResponding to the report, Ms Whately said the government's scientific advisory group, Sage, would be asked to review the findings.\n\n\"There is now regular testing of staff and residents in care homes, and testing has also been rolled out to supported living settings in high risk areas,\" she added.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nDominic Cummings has left Downing Street after internal battles over his role as Boris Johnson's chief adviser.\n\nThe BBC understands he will continue to work from home, on issues such as mass coronavirus testing, until the middle of December.\n\nThe prime minister is said to want to \"clear the air and move on\".\n\nMr Cummings has been at the heart of a No 10 power struggle, which has also seen communications director Lee Cain leave.\n\nSeveral Tory MPs have welcomed the pair's departure as a chance for Mr Johnson to make a fresh start.\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Mr Cummings' departure from No 10 had been brought forward given the \"upset in the team\" in Downing Street, for which she said it had been a \"difficult week\".\n\nShe said there had been long-running tensions between different factions in No 10 but this \"slow burning fuse exploded fast when it finally happened\".\n\nMr Cummings and Mr Cain are long-time colleagues, having worked together on the Leave campaign during the EU referendum.\n\nWhen Mr Cain's exit was announced on Wednesday, it prompted rumours that his ally would also step down.\n\nIn response, Mr Cummings told the BBC \"rumours of me threatening to resign are invented\" but said his \"position hasn't changed\" since he wrote in January that he wanted to make himself \"largely redundant\" by the end of 2020.\n\nPending what is expected to be a wide-ranging shake-up in No 10, Lord Lister - a close ally of Mr Johnson's who served as his deputy when he was London mayor - has been named interim chief of staff, a position which had been vacant.\n\nThe power struggle in Downing Street may have been resolved but the feuding continues.\n\nA dramatic day ended with conflicting accounts of the denouement involving Boris Johnson and his departing aides, Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain.\n\nNewsnight has been told that relations between the trio \"went off the cliff\" in the early afternoon. The prime minister's team reportedly learnt at around 2.00pm that Mr Cummings' team had described him as indecisive. They also heard of an alleged briefing against the prime minister's partner, Carrie Symonds, who had apparently been uneasy about a plan to promote Lee Cain to chief of staff.\n\nNewsnight was told that the prime minister expressed his displeasure during a meeting with Mr Cummings and Mr Cain. He reportedly told then he knew what they were up to and they would have to leave.\n\nThis account is strongly disputed by Mr Cain and Mr Cummings' side.\n\nA source said that Mr Cummings and Mr Cain held a very friendly and warm 45 minute meeting with the prime minister. Mr Johnson reportedly told them: \"I want to get the band back before the next election.\"\n\nThe prime minister then agreed to a request from Mr Cain to sign a pair of boxing gloves, used during the general election, emblazoned with the words: \"Get Brexit Done.\"\n\nMr Cummings left the building. But Mr Cain, the outgoing director of communications, remained for a farewell reception in the press office. That was addressed by the prime minister before Mr Cain was \"banged out\" in the style of a traditional newspaper farewell.\n\nThe prime minister reportedly said that relations remain good with the two aides but that relationships can break up, at which point you no longer live together. He was keen to emphasise there was no ill will, according to this account.\n\nMr Johnson worked with Mr Cummings on the 2016 Vote Leave campaign and hired Mr Cummings to be his senior adviser, when he became prime minister.\n\nSix months later the pair's \"Get Brexit Done\" campaign message helped Mr Johnson win a large majority in the general election.\n\nMr Cummings became more of a public figure in the past year and was forced into holding his own news conference at Downing Street in the summer, following controversy over him making a trip to the north of England when non-essential travel was banned at the height of the coronavirus lockdown.\n\nHe had a notoriously difficult relationship with Conservative MPs, several of whom have welcomed his exit and said it was time for things to be done differently in Downing Street.\n\nLee Cain worked with Dominic Cummings on the Leave campaign during the EU referendum\n\n\"Both Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain were pretty dismissive of backbenchers and sometimes ministers and secretaries of state, and I don't think that was helpful,\" said former Northern Ireland secretary Theresa Villiers.\n\n\"I do think it's important that whoever takes over has a different approach.\"\n\nSir Bernard Jenkin said it was time to restore \"respect, integrity and trust\" between No 10 and Tory MPs while veteran Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale said it was \"an opportunity to muck out the stables\".\n\nLabour said the PM could \"rearrange the deckchairs all he wants... but the responsibility for this government's incompetence still lies firmly at Boris Johnson's door\".\n\n\"The fact there is no plan and no focus in the government's response to Covid is entirely down to him,\" a party source said.\n\nThe prime minister's official spokesman, James Slack, who will replace Mr Cain in the new year, insisted Mr Johnson is not being distracted from the national crisis by the row.\n\n\"What the prime minister and the government are focused upon is taking every possible step to get this country through the coronavirus pandemic,\" Mr Slack said.", "Corrie Mckeague went missing after a night out in September 2016\n\nAn airman who went missing four years ago is thought to have died after he climbed into an industrial waste bin, an inquest heard.\n\nCorrie Mckeague, 23, who was based at RAF Honington, Suffolk, is believed to have died on 24 September 2016 after a night out in Bury St Edmunds.\n\nDespite extensive searches, his body has never been found.\n\nThe inquest was opened at Suffolk Coroner's Court and was adjourned for a pre-inquest review in February.\n\nCh Supt Marina Ericson from Suffolk Police said Mr Mckeague had been on a night out in Bury St Edmunds and was \"very drunk\" when he was asked to leave the Flex nightclub.\n\nShe said Mr Mckeague, from Dunfermline, Fife, was \"happy and friendly throughout the night\" and was last seen alive at 03:25 BST walking into a horseshoe-shaped area behind Greggs and Superdrug, where industrial waste bins were stored.\n\nCh Supt Marina Ericson said Mr Mckeague was believed to have climbed into a bin\n\nA Biffa refuse lorry drove into the area less than an hour after the last sighting of Mr Mckeague. The lorry's load weighed 116kg, 70 to 80kg more than average, she told the hearing in Ipswich.\n\nThe airman's mobile phone mapped the same route as the bin lorry to Barton Mills, she said.\n\nCh Supt Ericson said it was believed Mr Mckeague had climbed into the Greggs waste bin and was inside it when it was emptied into the Biffa lorry.\n\n\"That was where he subsequently died,\" she said.\n\nA landfill site was extensively searched as part of the investigation\n\nThe chief coroner for England and Wales directed the inquest be held into the death, following a request from Mr Mckeague's family.\n\nMr Mckeague's mother, Nicola Urquhart, previously said she hoped the inquest would \"be able to tell me, and us as a family, that there is just nothing else that we could do or be able to do to find Corrie\".\n\nThe Suffolk Police investigation into the disappearance was handed to the cold case team in 2018.\n\nAt the time, the force said the evidence pointed to Mr Mckeague having been \"transported from the 'horseshoe' area in a bin lorry and ultimately taken to the Milton landfill site\".\n\nAs part of the inquiry, which cost more than £2m, police trawled the landfill site in Cambridgeshire.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "More than 800 police officers in the UK have tested positive for Covid since the pandemic began, new figures show.\n\nAcross 24 of the UK's 45 police forces who supplied figures, 849 out of 77,000 officers have had a positive test.\n\nThe police have been tasked with ensuring the public follow the government's coronavirus restrictions.\n\nThe Police Federation said officers were in \"constant worry\" when confronting offenders who might spit, bite or cough at them.\n\nThe new figures, obtained through freedom of information requests by the Press Association news agency, show there have been positive tests for 228 officers from Police Scotland, 101 from West Midlands Police and 95 from Greater Manchester Police.\n\nMerseyside Police's chief constable Andy Cooke, who tested positive in March, was among 62 people to have contracted the virus at the force.\n\nThere are about 153,000 police officers in total in the UK.\n\nHowever, the figures do not include the Metropolitan Police, the UK's largest force, and the other 20 forces who did not respond to the information request.\n\nAnyone who tests positive for the virus has to self-isolate for at least 10 days.\n\nJohn Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, said it was \"inevitable\" some officers would catch the virus given the nature of their work.\n\nHe said: \"There is the constant worry of bringing the virus home to their loved ones, which is exacerbated when they deal with offenders who weaponise the virus by spitting, biting and coughing - which is disgusting and unacceptable.\n\n\"People need to realise that behind the uniform, officers are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.\"\n• None Could police fine me for exercising?", "The R number for the UK has fallen to between 1 and 1.2, the closest it's been to 1 since early September.\n\nIt comes as the Office for National Statistics says the number of people infected with coronavirus is slowing down.\n\nData up to 6 November, the day after England's second lockdown began, shows infections falling in the north west but rising in the south and Midlands.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, infection rates were levelling off, the ONS says.\n\nBut in Wales rising infection levels were still continuing.\n\nAnd it's too early to say if they were stabilising a week ago in Scotland.\n\nAlthough growth may be slowing in some parts of the country, the government's scientific advisers say \"significant levels of healthcare demand and mortality will persist until R is reduced to and remains well below 1 for an extended period of time\".\n\nAn estimate of the R number, or reproduction number, of the virus is published every week and based on a number of different sources of data, including the ONS infection survey.\n\nThe ONS figures are based on thousands of swab tests in random households across the UK, thought to be one of the most reliable ways of judging how many people are infected with the virus - not just those with symptoms.\n\nThe data for the week to 6 November shows:\n\nIn England, the number of new cases is stabilising at 50,000 per day, the ONS says.\n\nBut infection rates appeared to be increasing in the south east, south west and East Midlands during that week where they had previously been low.\n\nAmong teenagers and young adults, who have seen the highest levels of the virus, infection rates appear to be levelling off or even falling.\n\nData from the Covid symptom app, based on one million people reporting symptoms, suggests cases are coming down across most areas of the UK - although numbers are still high.\n\nTheir figures are based on 13,000 swab tests carried out by users during the two weeks up to 8 November.\n\nGovernment figures on lab-confirmed cases show a picture of rising cases in many regions of England, but falling in the north west.\n\nOn Friday, there were 27,301 new confirmed cases of the virus in the UK - down from a record-high of 33,470 on Thursday. These represent people with symptoms who've received positive tests.\n\nHealth officials said Thursday's rise could be a result of people being infected while socialising in the days before England's second lockdown started on 5 November.\n\nAccording to the latest data from Public Health England, infection rates are rising quickly in the over-80s, who are most at risk from Covid-19.\n\nPHE said limiting contact with others \"will help to stop the spread of the virus and protect the people we love\".\n\nDifferent levels of restrictions on people's lives are currently in place across the UK.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Tesco has apologised to its online customers unable to get on its website as the supermarket seeks to cope with high demand for Christmas bookings.\n\nThe UK's largest retailer has had to install a queuing system online to help it to manage the demand.\n\nSome customers complained to Tesco that they had been waiting hours to get onto the supermarket's website.\n\n\"We're sorry if things take a bit longer than usual,\" Tesco said on its Twitter account.\n\n\"A lot of customers are using our website and app at the moment.\"\n\nTesco said it was \"using a virtual waiting room to help us manage the flow\".\n\nSupermarkets have been overwhelmed with demand as people start to plan for Christmas, and rival Ocado has already sold out of slots after \"huge\" demand.\n\nOne Tesco customer said on Twitter: \"We use delivery saver because we have 3 young children and both parents work full time - I'm currently stuck in your queue while trying to get the children ready for school before I have to work full time to book my usual weekly slot. I've been staring at that screen for an hour!\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Tesco This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTesco said that by late morning the waiting room had been removed and slots should be available again.\n\nA Tesco spokesperson said: \"Demand for online slots over the festive period is high, and we have more slots this Christmas than ever before.\n\n\"We experienced high volumes of traffic to our website and groceries app this morning and temporarily limited the number of customers using it.\n\n\"We've now removed the waiting room and customers will be able to log straight on. We're sorry for any inconvenience this caused and would like to reassure customers that there are still slots available for home delivery and Click+Collect over the Christmas period.\"", "The centre was founded in 1982 by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Image caption: The centre was founded in 1982 by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn\n\nThe Carter Center has announced that it will monitor the manual recount of ballots in Georgia, the first time in its history that it will deploy its monitors for a US election.\n\nIt said it wanted to increase confidence in US democracy.\n\n\"As an independent, nonpartisan monitor, The Carter Center will assess the postelection audit and related processes to help bolster transparency and confidence in election results,\" it said in a statement.\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden is currently ahead in Georgia, but earlier this week its secretary of state announced a full hand recount of the almost five million votes cast because of the narrow margin between the two candidates.\n\nDonald Trump has made numerous allegations of election fraud since the vote without providing any evidence.\n\nThe Carter Center has observed more than 110 elections in Africa, Latin America, and Asia since 1989, but never before in the US.\n\nThe organisation stressed that its involvement would be limited to Georgia's post-election audit, adding that the decision was \"not part of a broader assessment of the election as a whole\".\n\nEarlier this year, the Carter Center announced that it would be turning its attention to the US by launching a campaign \"to strengthen transparency and trust in the election process\" amid increasing polarisation.", "Cities that faced great damage in wartime show a consistent pattern of disadvantage decades later\n\nTowns and cities in England which suffered high casualty rates from World War Two air raids are now likely to be places with high levels of child deprivation, say researchers.\n\nThey examined how well today's youngsters are faring in places that had faced the brunt of wartime bombing, such as Hull, Portsmouth and Coventry.\n\nA consistent pattern of disadvantage was found, 75 years after the war.\n\nThis included high levels of hardship and poor results in education.\n\nHistorian and author Professor Pat Thane said these worst-hit places were \"generally working-class areas - and very many of them have stayed that way\".\n\nThe research, published ahead of Remembrance Sunday, has been carried out by Timo Hannay, whose firm SchoolDash usually carries out data analysis on education.\n\nBut in this case, he mapped current levels of childhood deprivation, well-being and educational achievement against places which had faced high levels of wartime casualties and destruction.\n\n\"The results are striking. Today, almost all of these have child poverty rates well above the national average,\" said Dr Hannay, as commemorations mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the war.\n\nLondon was not included - as it is such an outlier in its size and diversity - and these comparisons are for England and not other parts of the UK which also faced wartime bombing.\n\nResearchers looked at what had happened to English towns and cities outside the capital which had been heavily bombed, such as Liverpool, Plymouth, Hull, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bristol, North and South Tyneside, Coventry, Birmingham and Manchester.\n\nThese were compared against measures of disadvantage, including the \"income deprivation affecting children index\" and eligibility for free school meals.\n\nAnd this revealed a consistent pattern with almost all of these areas having above-average levels of poverty.\n\nThe aftermath of a bombing raid on Hull\n\nIn education, primary school tests, GCSE results and university entry levels were below the national average in most of the places that had faced particularly high wartime damage.\n\n\"Self-reported life satisfaction also tends to be low. On top of all this, Covid-19 death rates in many of these areas, specifically, those in the midlands and the north - have been much higher than in the country as a whole,\" said Mr Hannay.\n\n\"None of this is to imply a causal link between 1940s bombing raids and current social challenges,\" he says.\n\nBut he says it does show that many of the areas that suffered the most \"continue to languish in a wide variety of ways\".\n\nThis year marks the 75th anniversary since the end of the Second World War\n\nBut if this is not about any long-term economic scarring, then what does it say about what happened to the communities who paid the highest price in wartime losses?\n\nDaniel Todman, professor of modern history at Queen Mary, University of London, says this shows a pattern of places that were poor before the war continuing to be poor decades afterwards.\n\nA photo montage that mixed wartime damage with how the street looks in modern London\n\nHe says it is also a reminder of how \"geographically concentrated\" the Blitz was and that the damage was not \"shared out\" across the country, with those in poorer, crowded housing often suffering the most.\n\nThe disadvantage in such places now, Prof Todman says is not the legacy of the war, but more a sign that the post-war settlement failed to \"bring places up\" and those \"inequalities continue to exist\".\n\nThere was a strong sense during the war of wanting to create greater fairness, says Prof Todman, but 75 years later, he says it could be seen as \"unfair a society as it was in the 1920s and 1930s\".", "Mink outbreaks are a \"spillover\" from the human pandemic\n\nMutations in coronavirus have triggered culls of millions of farmed mink in Denmark.\n\nPart of the country has been put under lockdown after Danish authorities found genetic changes they say might undermine the effectiveness of future Covid-19 vaccines.\n\nMore than 200 people have been infected with mink-related coronavirus.\n\nAnd the UK has imposed an immediate ban on all visitors from Denmark amid concerns about the new strain.\n\nDanish scientists are particularly concerned about one mink-related strain of the virus, found in 12 people, which they say is less sensitive to protective antibodies, raising concerns about vaccine development.\n\nThe World Health Organization has said the reports are concerning, but further studies are needed to understand the implications for treatments and vaccines.\n\n\"We need to wait and see what the implications are but I don't think we should come to any conclusions about whether this particular mutation is going to impact vaccine efficacy,\" said chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan.\n\nOfficials arrive at a mink farm to put down the animals\n\nThe coronavirus, like all viruses, mutates over time and there is no evidence that any of the mutations found in Denmark pose an increased danger to people.\n\nDr Marisa Peyre, an epidemiologist from the French research institute Cirad, said the development was \"worrying\", but we don't yet know the full picture.\n\n\"Every time the virus spreads between animals it changes, and if it changes too much from the one that is circulating within humans at the moment, that might mean that any vaccine or treatment that will be produced soon might not work as well as it should do,\" she explained.\n\nMink, like their relatives, ferrets, are susceptible to respiratory viruses\n\nThis is a very unusual chain of events: a virus that originally came from a wild animal, probably a bat, jumped into humans, possibly via an unknown animal host, sparking a pandemic.\n\nMink kept in large numbers on mink farms have caught the virus from infected workers. And, in a small number of cases, the virus has \"spilled back\" from mink to humans, picking up genetic changes on the way.\n\nMutations in some mink-related strains involve the spike protein of the virus, which is targeted by some vaccines being developed.\n\n\"If the mutation is on a specific protein that is being currently targeted by the vaccine developers to trigger an immune response in humans then it means that if this new virus strain comes out of the mink back into the humans, even with vaccination, the humans will start spreading it and the vaccine will not protect,\" Dr Peyre told BBC News.\n\nMore than 50 million mink a year are bred for their fur, mainly in China, Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland. Outbreaks have been reported on fur farms in the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the US, and millions of animals have had to be culled.\n\nMillions of mink are being culled in Denmark\n\nMink, like their close relatives, ferrets, are known to be susceptible to coronavirus, and like humans, they can show a range of symptoms, from no signs of illness at all to severe problems, such as pneumonia.\n\nScientists suspect the virus spreads in mink farms through infectious droplets, on feed or bedding, or in dust containing droppings.\n\nMink have caught the virus from humans, but genetic detective work has shown that in a small number of cases the virus seems to have passed the other way, with the virus spreading from mink back to humans.\n\nMink have become \"reservoirs for the virus\" and surveillance is required in other wild and domestic animals that may be susceptible, said Prof Joanne Santini of University College London.\n\n\"Mink is the extreme but it could be happening out there and we just don't know about it and that's something we need to be checking,\" she told BBC News.\n\n\"What we do know is that the mink are picking up the virus from people; they can be infected and they are spreading it between themselves and it's come back to humans.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Scientists believe another pandemic will happen during our lifetime\n\nScientists in Denmark are carrying out genetic studies on mink-related strains, and the genetic data has been shared with other researchers, to allow further investigation.\n\n\"We need to find out where these mutations are and we need to see what effect that has on transmission of the virus and how infectious it is, because if it is changing and being more infectious or having a broader host range, then that's really quite scary but it might not be, because we don't know,\" said Prof Santini.\n\nSome scientists have called for new restrictions on mink production, saying mink farming \"impedes our response and recovery from the pandemic\".\n\nIn a recent letter to the journal, Science, three scientists, from Denmark, China and Malaysia, wrote: \"It is urgent to monitor, restrict, and - where possible - ban mink production.\"\n\nThe WHO has called on all countries to step up surveillance and tighten biosecurity measures around mink farms.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "There are more than 1,000 mink farms in Denmark\n\nDenmark will cull all its mink - as many as 17 million - after a mutated form of coronavirus that can spread to humans was found on mink farms.\n\nPrime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the mutated virus posed a \"risk to the effectiveness\" of a future Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nDenmark is the world's biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong.\n\nThe culling began late last month, after many mink cases were detected.\n\nWarning: you may find a picture of dead mink lower down disturbing\n\nCoronavirus cases have also been detected in farmed mink in the Netherlands and Spain since the pandemic began in Europe.\n\nBut cases are spreading fast in Denmark - 207 mink farms in Jutland are affected - and at least five cases of the new virus strain were found. Twelve people had become infected, the authorities said.\n\nPrime Minister Frederiksen described the situation as \"very, very serious\". Danish police and army personnel will help to carry out the mass cull.\n\nMs Frederiksen cited a government report which said the mutated virus had been found to weaken the body's ability to form antibodies, potentially making the current vaccines under development for Covid-19 ineffective.\n\n\"We have a great responsibility towards our own population, but with the mutation that has now been found, we have an even greater responsibility for the rest of the world as well,\" she told a news conference.\n\nSince the start of the pandemic Denmark has reported 52,265 human cases of Covid-19 and 733 deaths, data from Johns Hopkins University shows.\n\nMore than 50 million mink a year are bred for their fur, mainly in China, Denmark, the Netherlands and Poland. Outbreaks have been reported in fur farms in the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Sweden and the US, and millions of animals have had to be culled.\n\nMink, like their close relatives ferrets, are known to be susceptible to coronavirus, and like humans, they can show a range of symptoms, from no signs of illness at all, to severe problems, such as pneumonia.\n\nMink become infected through catching the virus from humans. But genetic detective work has shown that in a small number of cases, in the Netherlands and now Denmark, the virus seems to have passed the other way, from mink to humans.\n\nThe big public health concern is that any mutation to the coronavirus as it passes between mink and humans might be enough to stop human vaccines working, if and when they become available. Some scientists are now calling for a complete ban on mink production, saying it impedes our response and recovery from the pandemic.\n\nDenmark began culling last month when mink were found to have the virus\n\nTeams in protective kit for the cull - usually mink are gassed with carbon monoxide\n\nMink at more than 1,000 Danish farms are to be culled. The World Health Organization says it is discussing the outbreak with the Danish authorities.\n\nSpain culled 100,000 mink in July after cases were detected at a farm in Aragón province, and tens of thousands of the animals were slaughtered in the Netherlands following outbreaks on farms there.\n\nStudies are under way to find out how and why mink have been able to catch and spread the infection.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Critics and supporters of the fur trade speak out", "The pace of Europe's Covid-19 vaccination campaign has picked up and in many countries infection rates have been falling.\n\nLockdowns are gradually being eased as the summer tourist season gets under way, and there are plans for an EU-wide digital vaccination certificate to be in place by 1 July.\n\nNationwide curfew ended on 20 June, 10 days earlier than planned. Face masks are no longer required outdoors.\n\nRestaurants, cafes and bars can serve customers indoors, with 50% capacity and up to six people per table.\n\nStanding concerts will resume on 30 June and nightclubs on 9 July (with 75% capacity). People attending will need a health pass which shows either full vaccination, a negative test within the previous 72 hours, or else a previous coronavirus infection.\n\nMedical grade masks are compulsory in shops and on public transport.\n\nFrom 30 June, working from home will no longer be compulsory.\n\nOn 21 June, Italy's curfew was scrapped and the whole country, except for the northwest region of Valle d'Aosta, became \"white zone\" - the country's lowest-risk category.\n\nAmong the measures still in place are social distancing (1m) and the wearing of masks indoors (and in crowded outdoor places), and a ban on house parties and large gathering.\n\nNightclubs and discos are also closed.\n\nAll indoor businesses, with the exception of nightclubs, are open.\n\nThe government introduced a \"corona pass\" in April, the first to do so in Europe.\n\nThis shows - either on a phone or on paper - that you have been vaccinated, previously infected or that you have had a negative test within 72 hours.\n\nPeople need to show it for entry to cinemas, museums, hairdressers or indoor dining.\n\nThe Greek government is welcoming tourists from many countries, if they are fully vaccinated or can provide a negative coronavirus test.\n\nFace coverings must be worn in all public places and there is a curfew from 01:30-05:00, but bars, restaurants, museums and archaeological sites are all open.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Greek island of Milos is aiming to become \"Covid-free\" so it can welcome back tourists\n\nCinemas, theatres, museums and restaurants are open at 50% capacity. From 26 June, this increases to 75%.\n\nNightclubs and discos will also be allowed to reopen, with a limit of 150 people.\n\nFace coverings must be worn in enclosed spaces and 1.5m social distancing observed.\n\nShops, bars, restaurants and museums are open, although face coverings remain compulsory in most public places.\n\nNightclubs can now reopen in parts of Spain with low infection rates.\n\nIn Barcelona, they are restricted to 50% of capacity and can stay open until 03:30 - dancers have to wear masks.\n\nSpain began welcoming vaccinated tourists from 7 June. Most European travellers still have to present a negative Covid test on arrival.\n\nBrussels: Outdoor dining resumed in Belgium on 8 May\n\nShops, cinemas, gyms, cafes and restaurants are open, with restrictions. Households can invite up to four people inside.\n\nFrom 1 July, working from home will no longer be mandatory, if the situation continues to improve.\n\nCultural performances, shows and sports competitions can also go ahead, with limited numbers, and more people will be allowed at weddings and other ceremonies and parties.\n\nPortugal has lifted many of its restrictions but face coverings must still be worn in indoor public spaces and some outdoor settings.\n\nBars and nightclubs remain closed, and it's illegal to drink alcohol outdoors in public places, except for pavement cafés and restaurants.\n\nAlcohol cannot be sold after 21:00 unless it is with a meal.\n\nRestaurants, cafes and cultural venues have to close at 01:00 and have capacity limits.\n\nA weekend travel ban is in force in the Lisbon area, starting at 15:00 on Friday, with residents only allowed to leave for essential journeys.\n\nIn Lisbon and in Albufeira (Algarve), cafes, restaurants and non-essential shops have to close by 15:30 at the weekend and 22:30 on weekdays.\n\nPortugal's summer season looks uncertain, yet its Covid figures have improved\n\nRestaurants, cafes, museums and historic buildings have reopened with capacity limits.\n\nFrom 26 June, a number of restrictions are being lifted.\n\nAlcohol can be sold after 22:00, and nightclubs can open, with an entry pass system.\n\nEvents held in public venues such as cinemas, conference centres and concert halls will be allowed, subject to social distancing.\n\nMasks will no longer be compulsory except on public transport, airports and in secondary schools.\n\nOutdoor services in restaurants and bars returned in June. Theme parks, funfairs, cinemas and theatres, gyms and swimming pools, have reopened as well.\n\nFrom 5 July, restaurants and bars will be able to serve customers indoors. Weddings and other indoor events for up to 50 people will be permitted and the numbers at outdoor organised events will increase.\n\nSince June, pubs have been able to stay open until 22:30 and more people are now allowed at sports events, outdoor concerts, cinemas and markets.\n\nOn 1 July, limits on private gatherings will be raised, and the recommendation to interact with a small circle of people removed.\n\nFurther easing is planned on 15 July and in September.", "Princess Diana's brother has made new allegations about how the BBC gained his trust and access to his sister prior to her 1995 Panorama interview.\n\nNotes Charles Spencer says he made at the time of a meeting he held with Martin Bashir suggest the Panorama reporter made a number of false and defamatory claims about senior royals.\n\nThe BBC has promised an inquiry if new evidence is presented.\n\nBashir, 57, is seriously unwell and is unable to respond to the allegations.\n\nThis week, Earl Spencer called for a BBC inquiry over faked bank statements he says helped secure his sister's interview with Panorama.\n\nAlmost 23 million people tuned in to watch the programme.\n\nIn it, the princess famously said \"there were three of us in this marriage\", referring to the Prince of Wales's relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles.\n\nAt the time, Princess Diana was separated from Prince Charles but not yet divorced.\n\nThe BBC's royal correspondent, Jonny Dymond, said the notes Earl Spencer says he made with Bashir two months before the interview, reported by the Daily Mail, are \"astonishing\".\n\nThey appear to record Bashir \"spinning lie after lie about members of the Royal Family, and its staff, in an attempt, Earl Spencer says, to win his trust and that of his sister, Diana\" our correspondent said.\n\nThese claims, described by the Mail as \"preposterous lies\", include that Diana's private correspondence was being opened, her car tracked and phones tapped.\n\nIt was also claimed that her bodyguard was plotting against her and close friends were betraying her by leaking stories to the press.\n\nThis week, Earl Spencer said he never would have introduced Bashir to his sister were it not for him seeing the faked bank statements.\n\nThe faked statements wrongly purported to show that two senior courtiers were being paid by the security services for information on his sister, the Daily Mail said.\n\nEarl Spencer has yet to supply the BBC with any of the material he has this week given to a newspaper.\n\nThe BBC has apologised for the faked statements, but has insisted they played \"no part in her decision to take part in the interview\".\n\nThe corporation has promised what it calls a \"robust inquiry\" with \"appropriate independence\".\n\nA source at the BBC said the \"appropriate independence\" referred to \"means an independent investigation\".\n\nThe BBC has said an investigation has been \"hampered at the moment\" by the fact that Bashir was \"seriously unwell\".\n\nBashir, currently BBC News religion editor, has been unwell with Covid-19 complications, the BBC said last month.\n\nThe Princess of Wales died on 31 August 1997, aged 36, in a car crash in a Paris underpass.", "The knife-edge vote has been closely watched abroad\n\nAfter days of uncertainty, Joe Biden has won the US presidential election, BBC projections show.\n\nDuring Donald Trump's four years in office, America's relationship with the world changed profoundly.\n\nBBC reporters across the globe, from Beijing to Berlin, explain how news of Mr Biden's victory is being received and what it could mean for key US relationships.\n\nJoe Biden's victory offers another challenge for the Chinese system, writes John Sudworth in Beijing.\n\nYou might think Beijing would be glad to see the back of Donald Trump. As China-basher-in-chief he hit them with a trade war, levied a raft of punitive sanctions and badgered and blamed them for the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nBut some analysts have suggested that the Chinese leadership may now be feeling secretly disappointed. Not because they have any lasting fondness for Mr Trump, but because another four years of him in the White House held out the tantalising prospect of a bigger prize. Divisive at home, isolationist abroad - Mr Trump seemed to Beijing the very embodiment of the long-anticipated and hoped for decline in US power.\n\nIt was a message rammed home by the country's Communist Party-controlled TV news bulletins. They focused not on the election itself - but on the protests, rancour, and rising US virus infection rates alongside it.\n\nChina might, of course, try to find advantage in Joe Biden's willingness to seek co-operation on big issues like climate change. But he's also promised to work to repair America's alliances, which may prove to be far more effective in constraining China's superpower ambitions than Trump's go-it-alone approach.\n\nAnd a Biden victory offers another challenge for a Chinese system devoid of democratic control. Far from a decline in American values, the transition of power itself is proof that those values endure.\n\nKamala Harris's roots are a source of pride in India but Narendra Modi may get a more frigid reception from Mr Biden than his predecessor, Rajini Vaidyanathan writes from Delhi.\n\nIndia has long been an important partner to the US - and the overall direction of travel is unlikely to change under a Biden presidency.\n\nSouth Asia's most populous nation will remain a key ally in America's Indo-Pacific strategy to curtail the rise of China, and in fighting global terrorism.\n\nThat said, the personal chemistry between Mr Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be trickier to navigate. Mr Trump has held back from criticising Mr Modi's controversial domestic policies - which many say discriminate against the country's Muslims.\n\nMr Biden has been far more outspoken. His campaign website called for the restoration of rights for everyone in Kashmir, and criticised the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) - two laws which sparked mass protests.\n\nIncoming Vice-President Kamala Harris - half Indian herself - has also spoken out against some of the Hindu nationalist government's policies. But her Indian roots will spark mass celebration in much of the country. That the daughter of an Indian woman who was born and raised in the city of Chennai will soon be second-in-command at the White House is a moment of immense national pride.\n\nNorth Korea once described Mr Biden as a \"rabid dog\" - but now Kim Jong-un will be making careful calculations before trying to provoke the new US president, writes Laura Bicker in Seoul.\n\nIt's likely Chairman Kim would have preferred another four years of Donald Trump.\n\nThe leaders' unprecedented meeting and follow-ups made for incredible photo-ops for the history books but very little of substance was signed. Neither side got what they wanted out of these talks: North Korea has continued to build up its nuclear arsenal and the US has continued to enforce strict sanctions.\n\nIn contrast, Joe Biden has demanded North Korea show that it is willing to abandon its nuclear weapons programme before he holds any meetings with Kim Jong-un. Many analysts believe that unless Mr Biden's team initiates talks with Pyongyang very early on, the days of \"fire and fury\" may return.\n\nIt’s likely Chairman Kim would have preferred another four years of Donald Trump.\n\nMr Kim might want to get Washington's attention with a return to long-range missile tests, but he won't want to increase tensions to the point that the already impoverished state would be hit with even more sanctions.\n\nSouth Korea has already warned the North not to go down a provocative path. Seoul may have struggled to deal with Donald Trump at times - but President Moon is keen to put an end to the 70-year war on the Korean peninsula and he praised Mr Trump for having the \"courage\" to meet with Mr Kim. The South will closely watch for any sign that Mr Biden is willing to do the same.\n\nThe US and UK's \"special relationship\" may face a downgrade with Joe Biden at the helm, writes political correspondent Jessica Parker in London.\n\nThey won't be seen as natural allies: Joe Biden, the seasoned Democrat, and Boris Johnson, the bombastic Brexiteer.\n\nIn looking at how their future relationship might work, it's worth considering the past. Specifically that seminal year, 2016, when Donald Trump won the White House and the UK voted to leave the EU. Both Joe Biden and his boss at the time, Barack Obama, made no secret they preferred another outcome on Brexit.\n\nThe UK government's recent manoeuvres in relation to Brexit have not gone down well with key Democrats and the Irish lobby, including the US president-elect. Mr Biden said he would not allow peace in Northern Ireland to become a \"casualty of Brexit\" if elected - stating that any future US-UK trade deal would be contingent upon respecting the Good Friday Agreement.\n\nRemember how Donald Trump once called Boris Johnson \"Britain Trump\"? Well, Mr Biden seemingly agreed, once reportedly describing the UK prime minister as Mr Trump's \"physical and emotional clone\". So it's possible Joe Biden may initially be more eager to talk to Brussels, Berlin or Paris than love-bomb London. The \"special relationship\" could, feasibly, face a downgrade.\n\nHowever, the two men may yet find some common ground. The two countries they lead, after all, have long-standing and deep-running diplomatic ties - not least in the areas of security and intelligence.\n\nA more predictable administration may be the \"silver lining\" for Russia of Mr Biden's win, writes Steven Rosenberg in Moscow.\n\nThe Kremlin has an acute sense of hearing. So when Joe Biden recently named Russia as \"the biggest threat\" to America, they heard that loud and clear in Moscow.\n\nThe Kremlin also has a long memory. In 2011 Vice-President Biden reportedly said that if he were Mr Putin, he wouldn't run again for president: it would be bad for the country and for himself. President Putin won't have forgotten that.\n\nMr Biden and Mr Putin are not a match made in geo-political heaven. Moscow fears the Biden presidency will mean more pressure and more sanctions from Washington. With a Democrat in the White House, could it be payback time for Russia's alleged intervention in the 2016 US election?\n\nMoscow fears the Biden presidency will mean more pressure, more sanctions from Washington.\n\nOne Russian newspaper recently claimed that under Mr Trump, US-Russian relations had plunged \"to the seabed\". But it likened Mr Biden to a \"dredger\" who was going to \"dig even deeper\". Little wonder Moscow has that sinking feeling.\n\nBut for the Kremlin there could be a silver lining. Russian commentators predict a Biden administration will, at least, be more predictable than the Trump team. That might make it easier to reach agreement on pressing issues, like New Start - the crucial US-Russian nuclear arms reduction treaty due to expire next February.\n\nMoscow will want to move on from the Trump era and try to build a working relationship with the new White House. There's no guarantee of success.\n\nGermans hope for a return to smooth-sailing with their key ally once Donald Trump has departed, writes Damien McGuinness in Berlin.\n\nGermany will breathe a sigh of relief at this result.\n\nOnly 10% of Germans trust President Trump on foreign policy, according to the Pew Research Centre. He is more unpopular in Germany than in any other country surveyed. Even Russia's Putin and China's Xi Jinping poll better in Germany.\n\nPresident Trump is accused of undermining free trade and dismantling the multinational institutions which Germany relies on economically. His spats with China have rattled German exporters and he has a notoriously poor relationship with Chancellor Angela Merkel — it's hard to imagine two leaders more different in ethos and personality. German politicians and voters have been shocked by his abrasive style, his unconventional approach to facts and his frequent attacks on Germany's car industry.\n\nThe transatlantic relationship is critical for European security\n\nDespite this, the US is Germany's biggest trading partner and the transatlantic relationship is critical for European security. So the Trump presidency has been a rocky ride. German ministers have criticised President Trump's calls for vote-counting to stop and his unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud. Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer called the situation \"explosive\".\n\nThere is an awareness here that major policy differences between Washington and Berlin will not go away under a Biden presidency. But Berlin is looking forward to working with a president who values multilateral co-operation.\n\nA Biden victory could bring Tehran back to the negotiating table, writes BBC Persian Service correspondent Kasra Naji.\n\nIn the weeks before the US election, President Trump said rather optimistically that once re-elected the first telephone call he received would be from Iran's leaders asking to negotiate.\n\nThat phone call to Mr Trump - if he had won - was never going to happen. Negotiating with the Trump administration would have been impossible for Iran; it would be too humiliating.\n\nUnder President Trump, US sanctions and a policy of maximum pressure have left Iran reeling on the edge of economic collapse. Mr Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal. Worse still, he ordered the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, a close friend of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Taking revenge for his killing remains near the top of the agenda for hardliners.\n\nNegotiating with a Trump administration would have been impossible; it would be too humiliating.\n\nThe election of Joe Biden makes entering negotiations with a US administration far easier for Iran. President-Elect Biden does not have the same baggage. He has said he wants to use diplomacy and return to the nuclear deal with Iran.\n\nBut Iran's hardliners will not come to the table easily. As Americans went to the polls on 3 November, the Supreme Leader claimed the election would have \"no effect\" on Tehran's policies. \"Iran followed a sensible and calculated policy which cannot be affected by changes of personalities in Washington,\" he said.\n\nMillions of Iranians thought differently as they quietly watched the US election unfold on their illegal satellite TV screens, convinced their futures depended on the results and hoping a Biden victory would see sanctions eased.\n\nThere are expectations of a reset of much of Donald Trump's Middle East policy, writes Tom Bateman in Jerusalem.\n\nPresident Trump supercharged the two poles of the Middle East. He sought to reward and consolidate America's traditional regional allies, while isolating its adversaries in Tehran.\n\nPresident-elect Biden will try to rewire US Middle East policy back to the way he left it as Vice-President under Barack Obama: Easing Mr Trump's \"maximum pressure\" campaign on Iran and aiming to re-join the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by the White House two years ago.\n\nThat prospect horrifies Israel and Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. One Israeli minister said in response to Mr Biden's likely win that the policy would end with \"a violent Israeli-Iranian confrontation, because we will be forced to act\".\n\nThe result also dramatically shifts the US approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr Trump's plan was seen to heavily favour Israel and give it the chance to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. That was shelved in favour of historic deals to establish ties between Israel and several Arab states.\n\nThis drive to regional \"normalisation\" is likely to continue under Mr Biden, but he may try to slow controversial US weapons sales to the Gulf and would likely seek more Israeli concessions. Annexation now seems definitively off the table and Mr Biden will also object to further Israeli settlement building.\n\nBut there won't be the \"complete U-turn\" that one Palestinian official demanded this week. The rhetoric will return to the traditional understanding of a \"two-state solution\", but the chances of making much progress in the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process look slim.\n\nHopes are high among activists that the Biden administration will increase pressure on Egypt over human rights, writes Sally Nabil in Cairo.\n\nEgypt's military-backed President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi enjoyed a very good relationship with Donald Trump. It would have been better for him to keep a friend in the White House, but now he will have to start a fresh chapter with Joe Biden.\n\nCritics of President Sisi accused the Trump administration of turning a blind eye to his alleged human rights abuses. Egypt receives $1.3bn in US military aid per year. In 2017, a small tranche of this aid was suspended over human rights concerns but was released the following year.\n\nJoe Biden winning the White House is seen as good news by many human rights groups here. Activists hope the new US administration will put pressure on the Egyptian government to change its heavy-handed policies toward the opposition - with tens of thousands of political prisoners reportedly in prison. The Egyptian authorities have always denied jailing any prisoners of conscience, challenging the credibility of critical human rights reports.\n\n\"US-Egyptian relations have always been strategic, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office,\" says Ahmed Sayyed Ahmed, a political analyst. \"Partnership will continue, but the Democrats' rhetoric about human rights might not be well received by some Egyptians, who see this as meddling in their country's affairs.\"\n\nAfter harsh sanctions, Joe Biden's victory brings relief, writes the BBC's Cuba Correspondent Will Grant.\n\nA Biden presidency is exactly what most Cubans have been hoping for. Indeed, the majority of people on the island would happily see almost anyone in the White House other than Donald Trump. His sanctions have brought real hardship and Cubans are exhausted after four years of unrelenting hostility.\n\nJoe Biden, on the other hand, revives memories of the recent highpoint in Cuban-US relations under President Obama. In fact, the former vice-president is said to have been instrumental in making the two years of detente possible.\n\nThe majority of people on the island would happily see almost anyone in the White House other than Donald Trump\n\nThe communist-run government in Havana will no doubt continue to say all US presidents are essentially cut from the same cloth. But among the people queuing for basic goods and struggling to make ends meet, the overriding feeling will nonetheless be one of great relief.\n\nThe only drawback from Cubans point of view? Mr Biden is now well aware of just how positively President Trump's harsh treatment of Cuba played to voters in the key election battleground of Florida. They fear he may be far less inclined to ease some of Mr Trump's measures than he otherwise might have been.\n\nJustin Trudeau will see an ally in his new neighbour, writes Jessica Murphy in Toronto.\n\nThe Canadian prime minister pledged to deepen ties with the US no matter who won the presidential election - but it's likely relief was felt in Ottawa when it became clear Democrat Joe Biden had clinched victory.\n\nCanada's relationship with the US has been rocky under President Trump, though not without its accomplishments. They include the successful renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, along with Mexico.\n\nBut Justin Trudeau has made clear he felt a political kinship with former President Barack Obama - who endorsed him during the recent Canadian federal election. That feeling of warmth extends to the man who served as Mr Obama's vice-president - Joe Biden.\n\nIn Mr Biden, Mr Trudeau's Liberal Party will find an ally on issues like climate change and multilateralism. But that doesn't mean there aren't opportunities for friction with his administration. President Trump authorised the construction of the Alberta-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline, a project seen as key to Canada's struggling energy sector - but President-elect Biden opposes the project.\n\nAnd Joe Biden's \"Buy American\" economic plan to revive US industry after the coronavirus pandemic will be a concern given Canada's deep dependence on trade with the US.", "Milind Soman is a keen sportsman as well as an actor and model\n\nIndian actor and model Milind Soman has been charged by police after he shared a naked picture of himself on Instagram.\n\nSoman posted the image on Wednesday, showing him sprinting nude down a Goa beach, with the caption \"Happy Birthday to me!\".\n\nIt attracted over 147,000 likes and thousands of comments.\n\nBut police were called to action following a complaint by political party Goa Suraksha Manch.\n\nThe party said Soman had indulged in public obscenity, and tainted Goa's image.\n\nPolice charged him on Friday with public obscenity and sharing lewd images online.\n\nIn an interview with the Bombay Times, his wife Ankita Konwar, who took the photo, said it \"sends out a very positive message on body positivity and being free and happy with who you are.\n\n\"I think anyone who accepts themselves for who they are has this incredible light and energy around them, and people start liking their presence,\" she added. \"Milind's always been like that. Always himself.\"\n\nSameer Khutwalker, president of Goa Suraksha Manch, told the Indian Express newspaper he was happy Soman had been charged.\n\n\"He has used Goa for cheap publicity and acted foolishly on a public beach,\" said Mr Khutwalker.\n\n\"When these things become public, people will imagine that 'anything is possible in Goa,\" he added. \"When will all this stop?\"\n\nIt is the second time Soman has been booked for charges of obscenity. In 1995, he and model Madhu Sapre were charged for appearing nude in an advertising campaign, wearing only a pair of shoes and a python wrapped around them.\n\nEarlier this year, Soman posted the picture on his social media, with the caption \"What the reaction would have been if it had been released today…\".\n\nThe latest charge also comes days after actor and model Poonam Pandey, and her husband, were arrested for allegedly trespassing on government property and shooting an \"objectionable\" video at a dam in Goa. The pair have since been released on bail.\n• None 'They asked if we were wearing clothes underneath'", "The UK has imposed a ban on non-UK citizens coming from Denmark amid concerns over a new coronavirus strain that has spread from mink to humans.\n\nUK citizens can return from Denmark - but will have to isolate along with all members of their household for 14 days.\n\nCabin crew are also no longer exempt from the rules, which Ryanair described as a \"bizarre and baseless\" move.\n\nThe transport secretary announced the changes less than two hours before they took effect on Saturday.\n\nWriting on Twitter, Grant Shapps said: \"This decision to act quickly follows on from health authorities in Denmark reporting widespread outbreaks of coronavirus in mink farms. Keeping the UK public safe remains our top priority.\"\n\nMeanwhile, a further 413 people in the UK have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, according to the latest daily figures from the government. It brings the overall UK death toll, by this measure, to 48,888.\n\nDenmark's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod called Mr Shapps' travel announcement a \"very drastic step\" and said he had discussed them with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Saturday.\n\nMr Kofod said Danish health authorities were \"working closely\" with international health organisations to share information and \"reaching out\" to ensure any \"relevant knowledge\" is passed to UK officials.\n\nOfficials will contact anyone in the UK who has been in Denmark in the last fortnight to make sure they also self-isolate.\n\nThe Department for Health and Social Care estimates that between 300 and 500 people have arrived in the UK from Denmark in the last 14 days.\n\nDenmark had been taken off the UK coronavirus travel corridors list on Friday after it first became apparent the mutated form of coronavirus was present in the country. It meant any passengers arriving in the UK from Denmark would need to self-isolate after their arrival.\n\nThe latest rules, which took effect at 04:00 GMT on Saturday, ban foreign visitors who have been in or transited through Denmark and also expand the self-isolation requirements for returning Britons and residents to include all members of their households.\n\nThe changes also mean any cabin crew and pilots in Denmark are no longer exempt from quarantine rules, and must self-isolate along with the rest of their household for 14 days.\n\nCrew who were in Denmark before the deadline in the last seven days are not legally required to self-isolate, but the DfT is strongly recommending they do so.\n\nRyanair said the quarantine for cabin crew was \"bizarre and baseless\", in part because crew members \"never leave the aircraft during their 25-minute turnaround on the ground in Copenhagen airport\".\n\nIn a statement the airline said it had no choice but to cancel all flights to and from Denmark while the rules remain in place, and urged Mr Shapps to reverse the decision.\n\nScottish airline Loganair said that due to government restrictions it has suspended flights between Scotland and Denmark from 9 to 22 November.\n\nOn Sunday morning, the government told lorry drivers and freight handlers returning to the UK from Denmark that they must also self-isolate for two weeks. All direct passenger flights and ships carrying freight (as well as passengers) from Denmark have also been stopped.\n\nDenmark was the UK's 23rd largest export market in 2019, worth £6.8bn for goods and services.\n\nA mutated strain of coronavirus that has spread to humans has triggered culls of millions of mink across Denmark and a lockdown in some parts of the country.\n\nMore than 200 people have been infected with strains related to mink, according to reports.\n\nMink kept in large numbers on farms have caught the virus from infected workers. And, in a small number of cases, the virus has crossed back from mink to humans, picking up genetic changes on the way.\n\nMutations in some of the strains, which have infected a small number of people, are reported to involve the spike protein of the virus, which is targeted by some, but not all, vaccines being developed.\n\nThe coronavirus, like all viruses, mutates over time, but there is no evidence that any of the mutations pose an increased danger to people.\n\nThe World Health Organization has said it is too early to jump to conclusions.\n\nYou can read more from Helen here.\n\nThe Denmark travel ban and new requirements will be reviewed after a week, the DfT said.\n\nA DfT spokeswoman said the government was working closely with international partners to understand the changes in the virus that have been reported in Denmark and conducting a programme of further research in the UK \"to inform our risk assessments\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do I quarantine after returning from abroad?\n\nMink-related mutations of the Covid have been detected in 200 people in Denmark, most of them are connected to farms in Denmark's North Jutland region.\n\nThe Danish authorities have described the situation as very serious - and have ordered the cull of all mink in the country - thought to number around 17 million.\n\nDanish authorities have said a lockdown will be introduced in some areas over the coronavirus mutation.\n\nLeaving home to go on holiday is currently banned for most people in the UK.\n\nIn England, where a new national lockdown came into force on Thursday, people are still allowed to travel overseas for work or education trips.\n\nWere you planning to travel from Denmark to the UK? Have you just returned to the UK? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Harry drew each of the handmade poppies\n\nAn eight-year-old boy who wanted to make people \"happy in these sad times\", has raised more than £1,000 for the Poppy Appeal.\n\nHarry Fletcher from Hartlepool began making poppies to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day during the first coronavirus lockdown in May.\n\nUnable to take part in the remembrance parade on Sunday, he decided to sell handmade poppies for £1 each for the Royal British Legion.\n\nHis target of £20 has reached £1,137.\n\nHe said: \"I struggled in the first lockdown and when mam told me we couldn't do the remembrance parade with my Cubs I said we should sell the poppies to raise money for the British Legion.\"\n\nHarry drew each and laminated each poppy\n\nHarry said he \"really enjoyed making the poppies\" but when too many orders came in he had to think of how to make them quicker so he came up with the idea of printing them.\n\n\"I said to my mam they will make people happy in these sad times.\n\n\"It makes me feel very happy that the money raised will help a lot of people who used to be in the Army,\" he added.\n\nThe JustGiving page has raised more than £1,000 for the Royal British Legion and cash donations of £302 will given to the Hartlepool Legion.\n\nOrders came from as far as Scunthorpe and Florida\n\nHarry's family safely delivered the poppies to neighbours and the local community before lockdown.\n\nHis father Stephen said: \"It made us feel very proud that he wanted to help other people.\n\n\"Seeing the poppies in windows around the neighbourhood makes us realise that in times of need we do all come together, Harry's donations have come from as far as Florida and California which he found amazing.\n\n\"We were extremely proud and overwhelmed with the support of the community.\"\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is among politicians to have congratulated Joe Biden on his US election win.\n\nHe said he looked forward to \"working closely\" with the new president-elect.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised Mr Biden's campaign of \"decency, integrity, compassion and strength\".\n\nFormer Home Secretary Sajid Javid said Biden's win was \"good news\" for the UK in terms of closer co-operation on climate change, free trade and fighting the Covid pandemic.\n\nHe told Sky News' Ridge on Sunday that Mr Johnson's closeness to Donald Trump had been \"overstated\" and the Conservative government actually had more in common, in terms of policy, with his Democratic rival.\n\nVote counting continues after Tuesday's election, but the BBC projected on Saturday that Mr Biden has surpassed 270 electoral college votes - the threshold required to win.\n\nDonald Trump's campaign has indicated the incumbent president does not plan to concede.\n\nMr Johnson said in a statement on Twitter on Saturday: \"The US is our important ally and I look forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security.\"\n\nMr Johnson, who has yet to meet Mr Biden, also congratulated the president-elect's running mate, Kamala Harris, on \"her historic achievement\". She will be the country's first female vice-president.\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab said Mr Trump had \"fought hard\" but that he was looking forward to working with the new administration.\n\n\"The UK-US friendship has always been a force for good in the world,\" he added.\n\nThey won't be seen as natural allies: Joe Biden, the seasoned Democrat, and Boris Johnson, the enthusiastic Brexiteer.\n\nIn looking at how their future relationship might work, it's worth considering the past. Specifically that seminal year, 2016, when Donald Trump won the White House and the UK voted to leave the EU. Both Mr Biden and his boss at the time, Barack Obama, made no secret they preferred another outcome on Brexit.\n\nThe UK government's recent manoeuvres in relation to Brexit have not gone down well with key Democrats and the Irish lobby, including the US president-elect. Mr Biden said he would not allow peace in Northern Ireland to become a \"casualty of Brexit\" if elected - stating that any future US-UK trade deal would be contingent upon respecting the Good Friday Agreement.\n\nThe \"special relationship\" could, feasibly, face a downgrade. However, the two men may yet find some common ground.\n\nThe leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, said the result was \"a great victory for social justice, climate action and democracy\".\n\nFirst Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon also shared her congratulations, while SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the win \"gives great hope to progressives here in Scotland and around the world\".\n\nFirst Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford tweeted that he was looking forward to working with Mr Biden \"to build on the strong links between Wales and USA\".\n\nThe UK is currently in trade talks with both the US and the EU.\n\nDuring the campaign, Mr Biden warned that he would not accept any agreement that imperilled the Good Friday Agreement and peace in Northern Ireland. While vice-president, he signalled his opposition to Brexit.\n\nShadow international development secretary Emily Thornberry told Sky News that it would \"very difficult but not impossible\" for a government led by staunch Brexiteer Mr Johnson to develop a close relationship with the president-elect.\n\nJoe Biden visited the UK as vice-president in 2013, when David Cameron was prime minister\n\nShe told Ridge on Sunday the UK's primary focus must be on completing an agreement with the EU.\n\n\"The reality is getting an all-singing, all-dancing trade deal is something that takes many years and is quite complex,\" she said.\n\n\"Let's make sure we have a proper deal with the EU...and that we are not undermining the Good Friday Agreement and then we could move to work with the US in other areas where we could increase trade.\"\n\nThe BBC's projection of Mr Biden's victory is based on the unofficial results from states that have already finished counting their votes, and the expected results from states like Wisconsin where the count is continuing.\n\nMr Biden has won more than 73 million votes so far, the most ever for a US presidential candidate. Mr Trump has drawn almost 70 million, the second-highest tally in history.", "Donald Trump has made his first public appearance since election night, speaking to media at the White House.\n\nThe president took no questions from journalists after making a number of serious allegations on voter fraud and \"illegal votes\". He did not provide any evidence to back up the claims.\n\nMr Trump said “if you count the legal votes I easily win. If you count the illegal votes they can try to steal the election from us,\" adding that there had been \"historic election interference from big media, big money, big tech.\" There is no evidence to support either of these claims.\n\nIt is not \"illegal votes\" that are now being counted, as the president says, but legitimate mail-in ballots, which are always counted last, following the standard procedure in these states.", "Authorities remove the debris from the blast in Kabul\n\nA well-known former television presenter has been killed in a blast in Afghanistan that officials have blamed on militants linked to the Taliban.\n\nYama Siawash was an anchor on the private TV channel Tolo News and had recently started work at the country's central bank.\n\nHe and two others were killed when a bomb attached to his car exploded near his home in the capital Kabul.\n\nNo group has officially claimed the attack.\n\nBut the interior ministry has reportedly blamed the Haqqani militant group, which is linked to the Taliban and is classed as a terrorist organisation by the US.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani has reportedly ordered an investigation into the killings.\n\nSiawash had a bachelor's degree in law and political science. He spent almost a decade working as a journalist in Afghanistan and was one of Tolo TV's most prominent presenters before starting work as a public relations adviser for the Central Bank of Afghanistan.\n\nAnother bank employee, Ahmadullah Anas, died in the attack along with their driver Mohammad Amin. Pictures on social media show the car engulfed in flames after the attack.\n\nViolence in Afghanistan has worsened in recent months including targeted killings of journalists, politicians and rights activists.\n\nLast week the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported that in the last three months there had been a 50% rise in \"enemy-initiated attacks\" compared with the previous three.\n\nAbdullah Abdullah, who heads Afghanistan's peace and reconciliation process, condemned the attack as an \"unforgiveable\" crime.\n\nAnd Ross Wilson, US chargé d'affaires in Kabul, tweeted that he was \"shocked\" by the attack and expressed his sympathies for the families of those killed.\n\n\"This attack is an assault on freedom of the press, one of Afghanistan's core democratic principles,\" he posted.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "Will we be seeing a President Kanye?\n\nWe don't know - still - who the next US president will be, but we do know who it won't be - Kanye West.\n\nThe 43-year-old rapper has conceded after his self-styled \"Birthday Party\" collected just 60,000 votes out of an estimated total of 160 million.\n\nAnother independent, Libertarian Jo Jorgensen, made a much stronger showing - claiming more than 1.5 million votes.\n\nBut West's political career may not be over yet. He tweeted \"Kanye 2024\" this week, signalling another bid to come.\n\nIn this first presidential attempt, West appeared on the ballot in 12 states, missing the filing deadline in most others. He gathered the most votes - 10,188 - in Tennessee, a state that typically favours Republican candidates.\n\nWhen he announced his candidacy in July, West had said that his platform was modelled off Wakanda, the fictional kingdom from Black Panther.\n\nEnding police brutality was a priority, he told Forbes in an interview, as was cleaning up chemicals \"in our deodorant, in our toothpaste\", and was focused on protecting America with its \"great military\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by ye This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"Because when we win, it's everybody's birthday party,\" he said.\n\nBut West's candidacy was the subject of much criticism - and concern about his health.\n\nAt a rally in Charleston, South Carolina, meant to officially launch his campaign, the star made several bewildering rants, at one point saying that 19th century abolitionist Harriet Tubman \"never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go to work for other white people\".\n\nWest later began crying when talking about abortion, saying that his parents almost aborted him, and that he had previously wanted to abort his daughter.\n\nThe rapper disclosed last year that he had bipolar disorder and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, posted on social media amid his run asking for \"compassion and empathy\" for West whose \"words sometimes do not align with his intentions\".\n\nAnd posts on Twitter by West urging followers to write-in his name on ballots for president incited criticism that he was effectively siphoning votes away from legitimate candidates.\n\nMs Jorgensen, on the other hand, staged a more conventional independent campaign, making stops across the country to rally supporters, seeking endorsements and pushing a platform guided by Libertarian principles - small government and individual freedom.\n\nMs Jorgensen is the first female Libertarian nominee\n\nThe 63-year-old psychology lecturer at Clemson University was the first female Libertarian nominee for president and earned the second most votes of any Libertarian nominee in history, according to the Associated Press.\n\n\"The Libertarian Party's baseline votes will continue to grow,\" Ms Jorgensen said in a statement. \"The only way Democrats and Republicans can keep us down is by adopting our libertarian policies.\"\n\nThe Libertarian party formed in the US in the 1970s but its nominee has never won the presidency.\n\nOf the independent candidates, Green Party nominee Howie Hawkins came in second behind Ms Jorgensen, earning more than 339,000 votes nationwide.\n\nBut these three candidates were not the only ones with long-shot bids for 2020 - not even close. They joined more than 1,200 candidates to file a presidential run with the Federal Election Commission this year.", "Mr Johnson believes there is 'a deal to be done'\n\n\"Significant differences\" between the UK and the EU remain, as negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal continue, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said\n\nFollowing a call with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday, the PM said progress had been made but there were still issues around the \"level playing field\" and fishing.\n\nBoth parties agreed negotiating teams would resume talks in London on Monday.\n\nThey also agreed to remain \"in close contact\" over the coming days.\n\nA statement from Downing Street on Saturday said:\n\n\"Prime Minister Boris Johnson today spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a stock take on the progress in the negotiations between the UK and the EU.\n\n\"The prime minister set out that, while some progress had been made in recent discussions, significant differences remain in a number of areas, including the so-called level playing field and fish.\n\n\"The prime minister and president agreed that their negotiating teams would continue talks in London next week, beginning on Monday, in order to redouble efforts to reach a deal.\n\n\"They agreed to remain in personal contact about the negotiations,\" the statement said.\n\nEchoing Mr Johnson, Ms von der Leyen acknowledged \"some progress had been made, but large differences remain\". \"Our teams will continue working hard next week,\" she wrote on Twitter.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Ursula von der Leyen This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe prime minister has said he believes there is \"a deal to be done\" and \"very much hopes\" to come to an agreement, but he has insisted the country was \"very well prepared\" to move on should the two parties not be able to agree a deal.\n\nMeanwhile, the National Audit Office has warned of \"significant disruption\" when the Brexit transition period ends.\n\nThe UK left the EU on 31 January and entered the transition period - continuing to follow many EU rules - while a trade deal was negotiated.\n\nBut while both sides said a deal needed to be done in October, they have yet to come to an agreement, and talks between the negotiating teams have intensified.\n\nThe transition period is due to come to an end on 31 December, meaning the UK would trade with the EU on World Trade Organisation rules - meaning tariffs are imposed - if a deal is not in place.\n\nCritics say this could cause damage to the UK economy, but the government insists the country will prosper with or without a deal.\n\nEarlier this week, both the UK and EU's chief trade negotiators warned of \"wide\" and \"serious divergences\" between the two sides.\n\nSticking points include fishing rights, competition rules and how a deal would be enforced.\n\nAsked on Friday if the UK could get a deal in the next 10 days, Mr Johnson said: \"I very much hope that we will, but obviously that depends on our friends and partners across the Channel.\n\n\"I think there is a deal to be done, if they want to do it.\n\n\"If not, the country is, of course, very well prepared. As I have said before, we can do very well with on Australian terms [without a deal], if that is what we have to go for.\"\n\nThomas Byrne, Ireland's minister for European affairs, said the talks up to this point between the EU and UK's negotiators, Michel Barnier and David Frost, had been \"difficult\", with \"big issues\" still remaining.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"I personally don't expect that there would me major progress today, but at the same time I think it's very good that they are talking - I think that's really positive. But I'm not sure that we would expect a moment at this point.\"\n\nMr Byrne was also asked if there could be a \"new dynamic\" to discussions between the UK and EU if Joe Biden was elected the US president, saying it was \"certainly possible\".\n\nMr Biden, who has Irish roots, said in September that he would not allow peace in Northern Ireland to become a \"casualty of Brexit\" if he was elected president.\n\nMr Byrne said: \"He was very clear in his suggestion and statement on the 16th of September that any trade deal between the US and UK must be contingent on respect for the Good Friday Agreement and preventing the return of the hard border.\"", "Work is beginning on what is thought to be the world's first major plant to store energy in the form of liquid air.\n\nIt will use surplus electricity from wind farms at night to compress air so hard that it becomes a liquid at -196 Celsius.\n\nThen when there is a peak in demand in a day or a month, the liquid air will be warmed so it expands.\n\nThe resulting rush of air will drive a turbine to make electricity, which can be sold back to the grid.\n\nThe 50MW facility near Manchester will store enough power for roughly 50,000 homes for five hours.\n\nThe system was devised by Peter Dearman, a self-taught backyard inventor from Hertfordshire, and it has been taken to commercial scale with a £10m grant from the UK government.\n\n\"It's very exciting,\" he told BBC News. \"We need many different forms of energy storage - and I'm confident liquid air will be one of them.\"\n\nThe energy plant will use surplus electricity from wind farms at night\n\nMr Dearman said his invention was 60-70% efficient, depending how it is used.\n\nThat is less efficient than batteries, but he said the advantage of liquid air is the low cost of the storage tanks - so it can easily be scaled up.\n\nAlso, unlike batteries, liquid air storage does not create a demand for minerals which may become increasingly scarce as the world moves towards power systems based on variable renewable electricity.\n\n\"Batteries are really great for short-term storage,\" Mr Dearman said. \"But they are too expensive to do long-term energy storage. That's where liquid air comes in.\"\n\nMr Dearman had been developing a car run on similar principles with liquid hydrogen when he saw the potential for applying the technology to electricity storage.\n\nHe is now a passive shareholder in Highview, one of the firms building the 50MW plant.\n\nProf John Loughhead, from the government's business and energy department, has previously praised the technology.", "France is currently one week into a second lockdown that is expected to end on 1 December\n\nFrance has recorded 60,486 coronavirus cases in one day, its highest one-day total since the pandemic began.\n\nThe new figures bring the number of confirmed cases in the country to 1.7 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.\n\nA further 828 deaths were confirmed on Friday. Almost 40,000 people have now died from the virus in the country.\n\nFrance is one week into a second lockdown with the aim of curbing the spread of the virus.\n\nUnder the lockdown restrictions, expected to be in place until 1 December, people can only leave their homes to go to work (if they cannot work from home), to buy essential goods, seek medical help or to exercise for one hour a day.\n\nAll non-essential shops, restaurants and bars are shut, but schools and creches remain open.\n\nAccording to AFP news agency, the number of people admitted to hospital over the past 24 hours was 553 - the smallest one-day increase in almost three weeks.\n\nOn Thursday, Health Minister Olivier Véran warned people to stick to the lockdown rules, claiming that intensive care units would be overwhelmed by the middle of November without the restrictions.\n\n\"The more rigorous we are, the shorter the lockdown will be,\" he said in a press conference. \"The situation is very serious - the second wave is here and it is violent.\"\n\nMuch of Italy is now in lockdown, including the densely populated northern Lombardy region, after the death toll for 24 hours hit 445 - a six-month record.\n\nItaly is now split into three zones - red for high risk, then orange and yellow. The red areas are Lombardy, Piedmont and Aosta Valley in the north and Calabria in the south.\n\nThe whole country has a night curfew.\n\nItalians face various restrictions depending on where they live\n\nIn Italy's red zones, which cover an estimated 16.5 million people out of a population of 60 million, you can now only leave home for work, health reasons, essential shopping or emergencies, but all non-essential shops are closed.\n\nBars and restaurants are also shut but people can exercise near their homes if they wear masks and hairdressers can remain open.\n\nFor the first time in Germany, the 24-hour total for people newly infected has surpassed 20,000 - officially it was 21,506 on Friday.\n\nDenmark has imposed a lockdown in seven North Jutland provinces because of concerns over a coronavirus mutation found in mink that can spread to humans. Denmark has started culling all its mink, farmed for their fur - a population as many as 17 million animals.\n\nPoland is shutting its cinemas, museums and most shopping centres on Saturday, after new daily infections rose to a record of nearly 24,700.", "Up to 10,000 war veterans marched during the remembrance service at the Cenotaph last year\n\nThe Royal British Legion is encouraging people to mark Remembrance Sunday this weekend by observing a two-minute silence on their doorstep.\n\nThe charity said this was a way \"you can still play your part from home\", with coronavirus restrictions affecting annual remembrance events.\n\nIt comes after thousands of households took to their doorsteps to applaud the NHS during lockdown.\n\nAt 11:00 GMT on Sunday, a two-minute silence will be held across the UK.\n\nIt is part of the annual commemorations for those who lost their lives in conflicts, although events this year have had to be scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nFor the first time in its history, the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in central London will not be open to the public.\n\nMembers of the Royal Family, the government and the armed forces are still expected to attend the ceremony, which will have strict social distancing measures in force, but the annual march past the Cenotaph will not take place.\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden said he wanted to \"properly\" mark 100 years since the monument was installed but said \"it is with a heavy heart that I must ask people not to attend the ceremony at the Cenotaph this year in order to keep veterans and the public safe\".\n\nHe added: \"We will ensure our plans for the day are a fitting tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and that our veterans are at the at the heart of the service - with the nation able to watch safely from home.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nAround 10,000 people usually gather at the Cenotaph each year for the service, which will be broadcast on BBC One from 10:15 GMT on Sunday.\n\nDowning Street said Remembrance Sunday events in England could go ahead despite the national lockdown, so long as they were outdoors, with social distancing.\n\nGovernment guidance advises that any events should be \"short and focused on wreath laying\" and event organisers should \"discourage the public from attending\".\n\nIn Wales, which is also under a national lockdown, outdoor events are also permitted up to a maximum of 30 people, although parades are not allowed.\n\nTraditional annual remembrance events at local war memorials across Scotland have been cancelled, with outdoor standing events not permitted in areas under Covid levels one, two and three.\n\nHowever, services held in places of worship can proceed - as long as they comply with the restrictions on size.\n\nThe pandemic has affected fundraising efforts by the Royal British Legion\n\nThe Royal British Legion said that although many remembrance services and events couldn't take place this year, it was \"asking the nation to still come together to honour all who have served in our armed forces\" by joining the national two-minute silence from their doorstep at 11:00 GMT.\n\nThe charity behind the annual Poppy Appeal, which raises money for veterans, has asked people to donate online because collectors are not allowed out on the streets during the lockdown in England and Wales.\n\nBob Gamble, from the Royal British Legion, said the pandemic had created \"difficulties of loneliness, homelessness, unemployment and stress\" for the Armed Forces veteran community, which needed the support of the Royal British Legion charities \"more this year than any other\".", "Winter lockdowns: Five women share their tips for getting through winter weather\n\nIt's hard to stay positive during lockdown, particularly in the winter months. You might be feeling just as frosty, gloomy and miserable as the UK's weather forecasts. But last year, millions of people across the world experienced coronavirus lockdowns in snowy and sometimes sub-zero conditions - so what can we learn from them?\n\nLockdown began in January 2020 in Wuhan, when the city saw lows of -3.6C and a top temperature of 14C.\n\nYilang Zeng experienced the first city-wide lockdown of the pandemic after travelling to visit her parents in Wuhan for Chinese New Year in January.\n\nYilang Zeng enjoyed spending time with her parents during lockdown in Wuhan but won't miss giving home haircuts: \"Luckily my dad cannot see from the back\"\n\nThe Emirates airline cabin crew member, aged 28, relished the extended \"holiday\" with her parents, because she had been living in Dubai, since 2016.\n\nYilang says the cold and wet Wuhan weather made it tempting to leave the heating on all day - but she suggests putting on a jumper and throwing open a window, to get some fresh air inside.\n\nAnd while the two-month lockdown meant Yilang could really settle into family time, she also made a point of bringing her cabin crew etiquette home with her. \"Always compliment the one who cooks,\" she says, because otherwise, \"it might be the longest holiday together with your family\".\n\nLockdown in Russia began in March 2020. In the city of Murmansk, in the far north-west of the country, temperatures can drop well below -10C at that time of year.\n\n\"Remote learning\" takes on whole new levels of meaning for teacher Anna Turkina and her family, who spent last March's lockdown deep in the Arctic Circle in Murmansk - almost 2,000km (1,200 miles) north of Moscow.\n\nAnna Turkina and her family loved baking - and eating - bread together during lockdown in their home in the Arctic Circle\n\nFor Anna, 36, the stay-at-home order to curb coronavirus infections meant being cooped up in her flat with her husband and two children, then aged four and 11.\n\nShe would wrap the children up warm and persuade them to go out and play on the small balcony to breathe the \"really fresh and very nice air\" - but only for 15 minutes at a time. \"We have really severe winters and it was -15C,\" she adds. The nippy playtimes were part of Anna's strict schedule, which she says must be kept to to avoid \"going mad in such hard times\".\n\nLockdown in Tromsø began in March 2020, when the average temperature was -1.1C, with lows of -8.9C. It rained or snowed almost every day.\n\nIda Solhaug says coping with a winter lockdown is all about mindset.\n\nIda Solhaug says going outside during lockdown is important, and even Norway's sub-zero temperatures are manageable if you have enough clothes\n\nThe mindfulness researcher at the University of Tromsø says my line of questioning - about how to \"get through\" the cold months - is a big part of the problem. She says Brits often see winter as \"something to endure\" rather than \"really embracing winter for what it's worth\".\n\nShe says adopting a \"positive winter mindset\" could help us cope with the stresses of a lockdown at this time of year. For example, instead of moaning about not being able to meet up in big groups, be grateful that we can wrap up warm and go on a winter walk with one person from another household, Ida says.\n\nCycling to work in the snow or meeting friends outside (at -8C) with a flask of coffee were two ways Ida coped with \"the long Covid winter\" - but she says people in the UK can do far less extreme things to enjoy winter during lockdown.\n\nMelbourne entered a three-month lockdown during Australian winter in July 2020, when temperatures reached lows of 3.1Cand highs of 17.4C.\n\nThe luxury of a hot bath helped Rowan Bruce to face the mental pressures of a 112-day lockdown in Melbourne.\n\nBubbles in the bath: Rowan enjoying his top tipple\n\nRowan found that running a bath, pouring a glass of wine and watching a film or TV programme - all at the same time - became one of the highlights of his week. He particularly enjoyed watching travel shows presented by the celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain: \"If I can't travel, I'll travel with him instead.\"\n\n\"It's something I'd never really done before, and now it's my favourite thing to do every Saturday,\" says Rowan, 36, who works at a local brewery. \"It's got to the point where everyone knows that between 3:30pm and 4:30pm every Saturday, I'm probably in the tub.\" He says the ritual provided structure to his day and became the perfect way to spend a cold afternoon in lockdown.\n\nRowan's friend, Gillian Nix, agrees routine is important - such as dragging her young children out for a daily morning walk - but she says trying to think of fun activities to fill the time can lead to burnout.\n\nGillian Nix (right) says she and her husband Chris (left) have felt \"pure fatigue\" when trying to think of fun indoor activities with their children while in lockdown in Melbourne\n\nGillian says she and her husband, Chris, were full of energy and ideas at the beginning of lockdown. They would organise \"country days\" with their children Alice, six, and Otis, three, where they cooked food, dressed up, and watched films from a different country each week. But the couple began to feel exhausted by thinking of new things to do.\n\nIn her lowest moments in lockdown, Gillian, 39, said it was important to be kind to herself. \"Allowing yourself to have a bad hour where you just put on kids' TV or YouTube or whatever, that's fine. This isn't your normal parenting style.\n\n\"Before lockdown we would go on day trips, to the beach, or to art galleries, and go out, [but] you can't judge yourself on now because it's not the normal thing. So take it hour by hour.\"\n\nToronto's average temperature in March 2020, when people were first urged to stay at home due to Covid, was 4.0C, with lows of -7.7C. Snow lay on the ground most days.\n\n\"I think it's important not to pressure yourself with the notion of going outside,\" says Ashwini Selvakumaran.\n\nAshwini Selvakumaran after an online Zumba session at her parents' home in Milton, Ontario\n\nWhen Canada's prime minister urged people to stay inside and the country went into lockdown, the third-year student at the University of Toronto decided to move out of her flat in the city to stay with her parents in the nearby town of Milton. Ashwini's parents repeatedly encouraged her to go for runs in the bracing cold, but she shrank away from the cold air and snow.\n\n\"I love dancing and moving my body to music, and online there were so many videos and free Zumba tutorials and I just did those,\" the 20-year-old says.\n\n\"Not only did it increase my ability to be active inside the house, but it also made me feel happy just being able to relate back to that passion that I love.\"\n\nThis piece was first published on 7 November 2020.", "Widespread nursing shortages across the NHS could lead to staff burnout and risk patient safety this winter, the Royal College of Nursing has warned.\n\nThe nursing union said a combination of staff absence due to the pandemic, and around 40,000 registered nursing vacancies in England was putting too much strain on the remaining workforce.\n\nThe government says more than 13,000 nurses have been recruited this year.\n\nIt has committed to 50,000 more nurses by 2025.\n\nIt also hopes England's four-week lockdown will ease pressure on the NHS.\n\nThe RCN has expressed concern that staff shortages are affecting every area of nursing, from critical care and cancer services to community nursing, which provides care to people in their own homes.\n\nThe union said it was worried the extra responsibility and pressure placed on senior nurses could lead to staff \"burnout\", as hospitals struggle to clear the backlog of cancelled operations from the first wave of coronavirus and cope with rising numbers of new Covid patients, as well as the annual pressures that winter typically brings.\n\nThe boss of NHS England, Sir Simon Stevens, told a Downing Street press conference on Thursday that flu and other winter conditions usually brought in 3,000 additional patients to hospitals, but there were already more than 10,000 coronavirus patients in England before winter pressures have even arrived.\n\nThe latest government figures show there were more than 12,000 Covid patients in hospital in the UK on 3 November.\n\nSir Simon said some staff had been trained and redeployed to help bolster care for Covid patients in ICU, but the RCN said it may not be enough to cope with a surge in demand and has called on the government to think carefully about which services can be safely maintained, without spreading staff \"too thinly\".\n\nMike Adams, RCN England Director, said: \"The NHS is now at its highest level of preparedness as it faces the prospect of an extremely challenging winter.\n\n\"We already know that frontline nurses - in hospitals, communities and care homes - are under huge strain. Anecdotally we're hearing that in some hospitals they [nurses] are becoming increasingly thinly spread on the ground, as staff become unwell or have to isolate, at the same time as demand on services continues to increase.\n\n\"The government says nurses have been given extra training to provide more critical care staff to treat Covid-19 patients, but there simply aren't enough to go around. There are around 40,000 registered nursing vacancies across the NHS in England alone.\n\n\"It is essential that learning is applied to planning for this winter, including what services can be delivered safely with the workforce available.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jill Biden: Joe will \"keep the promise of America\"\n\nStanding in an empty classroom where she taught English in the 1990s, Jill Biden delivered an address at the Democratic Party's convention after her husband was officially named presidential candidate.\n\nAfter making the case for Joe Biden to be elected, she was joined by her husband who lauded her qualities as a potential first lady.\n\n\"For all of you out there across the country, just think of your favourite educator who gave you the confidence to believe in yourself. That's the kind of first lady... Jill Biden will be,\" he said.\n\nBut what do we know about the woman who will soon be joining her husband in the White House?\n\nJill Jacobs was born in June 1951 in the US state of New Jersey. The oldest of five sisters, she grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Willow Grove.\n\nPrior to marrying Joe, she was married to former college football player Bill Stevenson.\n\nJoe Biden lost his first wife and his one-year-old daughter in a car accident in 1972. (His sons Beau and Hunter both survived the accident.) Jill says she was introduced to Joe through his brother three years later.\n\nAt the time, he was a senator, while she was still in college.\n\n\"I had been dating guys in jeans and clogs and T-shirts, he came to the door and he had a sport coat and loafers, and I thought: 'God, this is never going to work, not in a million years.'\n\n\"He was nine years older than I am! But we went out to see A Man and a Woman at the movie theatre in Philadelphia, and we really hit it off,\" she told Vogue of their first date.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Dr. Jill Biden This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nShe said Joe proposed to her five times before she accepted.\n\n\"I couldn't have them [Joe's children] lose another mother. So I had to be 100% sure,\" she explained.\n\nThe couple married in New York City in 1977. Their daughter, Ashley, was born in 1981.\n\nMrs Biden talked about her family and the struggles they have faced when she endorsed her husband for president at the convention.\n\nHis son Beau Biden died of brain cancer in May 2015, at the age of 46.\n\n\"I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours - bring us together and make us whole, carry us forward in our time of need, keep the promise of America for all of us,\" she said.\n\nAs well as a bachelor's degree, she has two master's degrees, and a doctorate of education from the University of Delaware in 2007.\n\nPrior to moving to Washington, DC, she taught at a community college, at a public high school and at a psychiatric hospital for adolescents - she gave her address at the Democratic Party's convention this year from her old classroom at Delaware's Brandywine High School, where she taught English from 1991 to 1993.\n\nWhile her husband served as vice-president, Mrs Biden was professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College.\n\n\"Teaching is not what I do. It's who I am,\" she tweeted in August.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Dr. Jill Biden This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMrs Biden previously held the title of Second Lady while her husband served as vice-president from 2009 to 2017.\n\nDuring this period, her work included promoting community colleges, advocating for military families and raising awareness about breast cancer prevention.\n\nShe also launched the Joining Forces initiative with First Lady Michelle Obama, which included helping military veterans and their families access education programmes and employment resources.\n\nIn 2012, she published a children's book called Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops based on her granddaughter's experience of being in a military family.\n\nShe has been a prominent supporter of her husband during the 2020 campaign, appearing alongside him and holding events and fundraisers.", "The increase in coronavirus infections appears to be slowing around the UK, latest data from the Office for National Statistics show.\n\nAlthough the number of people with Covid continues to rise, the growth is levelling off.\n\nIn the week to 30 October, ONS says new daily infections in England stabilised at around 50,000.\n\nThat means around one person in every 90 in England has Covid. In Wales and Scotland the figure is slightly lower.\n\nThere, one in 110 people are testing positive for the virus.\n\nIn Northern Ireland it is one in 75 - and it is too soon to say if rates are levelling off there, say experts.\n\nThe ONS data looks at Covid-19 infections in the community, and does not include cases in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.\n\nWith much of the UK in lockdown, experts hope the number of new infections can reduce in coming weeks.\n\nIn Liverpool, city-wide mass testing for Covid has begun.\n\nEveryone living or working in the region will be offered repeat tests, whether or not they have symptoms, as part of a two-week pilot.\n\nMeanwhile, data from the Covid Symptom Study app - based on a million people logging symptoms and 13,000 recent swab test results - suggests 42,049 people are developing Covid symptoms every day in the UK.\n\nThe R number remains the same as last week, at between 1.1 and 1.3, which means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 13 other people and the outbreak is growing.\n\nRuth Studley from the ONS said: \"At a national level we are seeing infections slow across England and Wales but they are still increasing.\n\n\"The level of infection in young adults and older teenagers appears to have levelled off recently. However, they continue to be the most likely to be infected despite increases in all other age groups.\"\n\nProf James Naismith from Oxford University said the findings were \"encouraging\" and suggested that the spread of the virus was slowing.\n\n\"This is evidence that the social restrictions prior to lockdown have had a real impact.\n\n\"Should next week's data show a similar stabilisation or reduction, then we can be confident that the second wave has for now stabilised. The national lockdown will not begin to show up in ONS figures for another two weeks, but we would expect it to bring a rapid decrease in the number of new infections.\n\n\"If we can contain the virus until the new year, mass testing, vaccines and new medicines will transform our outlook.\"\n\nA Birmingham hospital has postponed all its non-emergency procedures because of an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients.\n\nQueen Elizabeth Hospital is currently treating 389 patients who have tested positive, with 36 in its Intensive Care Unit (ICU). That compares with 60 in-patients a month ago, and just five in ICU.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Queen was seen wearing a face mask in public for the first time as she laid the wreath\n\nThe Queen has worn a face mask in public for the first time.\n\nOn Wednesday, the monarch, 94, made a private pilgrimage to the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of his burial.\n\nIt comes ahead of Remembrance Day commemorations on Sunday. She requested the service after some events were scaled back due to the pandemic.\n\nFace coverings are required by law in England in certain indoor settings, including places of worship.\n\nThe Queen was last seen in public when she visited Porton Down, near Salisbury, to meet scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), in October, alongside her grandson, Prince William. She did not wear a mask on that occasion, and neither did the prince.\n\nA bouquet, similar to the Queen's wedding bouquet, was placed on the Unknown Warrior's grave\n\nThe Queen unveils a plaque to officially open the new Energetics Analysis Centre at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory on 15 October 2020\n\nThat decision attracted criticism from the pressure group Republic, but a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said at the time that \"specific advice had been sought... and all necessary precautions taken\".\n\nThe Queen's attendance at the private ceremony in London at Westminster Abbey earlier this week was described as a \"simple but deeply personal act\".\n\n\"The grave of the Unknown Warrior is as relevant and poignant today as it was when Her Majesty's grandfather and father stood in the Abbey at its side 100 years ago,\" said a royal aide.\n\n\"It holds enormous significance for the country and the Royal Family. The Queen was keen that the centenary was marked appropriately.\"\n\nThe bouquet of flowers was placed by the Queen's Equerry on her behalf\n\nThe grave of the Unknown Warrior represents those who died in World War One whose place of death is not known, or whose remains are unidentified.\n\nThe brief service was attended only by the Dean of Westminster, Dr David Hoyle, and the Queen's Equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, after royal doctors advised limiting the numbers.\n\nIn keeping with a tradition established by her mother in 1923, the Queen - who was married at the Abbey in November 1947 - left a bouquet based on her own wedding flowers at the grave, close to Westminster Abbey's Great West Door.\n\nThat was followed by a prayer, recited by the Dean, and the lament Flowers of the Forest played by the Queen's piper, Pipe Major Richard Grisdale, who stood in the organ loft.\n\nSpeaking after the service, the Dean said: \"It was wonderful to see Her Majesty in such good spirits and good health.\n\n\"This is a moment where the Abbey does its job as the national place of worship. The story of the Unknown Warrior touches us all.\n\n\"It's very hard for all churches to shut their doors, it goes against everything we are ordained to do, which is to gather people together. Like so many communities, we're divided and that's difficult.\n\n\"It is very special for Her Majesty to do this, given the current restrictions. I know, because people tell me, that these moments when Her Majesty is in the Abbey gives us a sense of renewed purpose and encouragement. It makes us feel very privileged.\"\n\nThe Queen, who spent the first lockdown shielding at Windsor Castle, was advised against attending a service at the Abbey to mark the warrior's centenary on Armistice Day, next Wednesday, when the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will join the congregation.", "Jasper Ward came up with the idea in March for people to moo in unison from their homes and gardens\n\nA town's mass moo to bring positivity and fight boredom during the first lockdown has made a comeback.\n\nFor 83 days from March, hundreds of residents in Belper, Derbyshire gathered on doorsteps and leant out windows at 18:30 for a two-minute moo.\n\nFor the next four weeks, bellow organiser, Jasper Ward said they had vowed to return.\n\nHe said it would \"give people something to look forward to in these long dark nights\".\n\nThe chorus which became known as The Belper Moo ended on June 14, the night before non-essential shops reopened in England.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"Back then it was all very novel, the sun was shining and the togetherness was very intoxicating,\" said Mr Ward.\n\n\"We were all cheering Captain Tom and applauding the NHS, but eight months on everyone's stamina has been really tested and we are all a bit worn out with it, but it's defiance in the face of that overbearing gloom.\"\n\nThe original concept of the moo was to have fun and be silly but Mr Ward said it had brought the town together.\n\n\"It's good fun to be moo-ing again but I really wished we weren't,\" he added.\n\n\"Once the weather really turns there is every chance that some people behind closed doors won't interact with another person that day or step out the house, so if nothing else, it gives them a reason to open a window and let off some steam or connect with a neighbour for a few seconds.\"\n\nA Facebook page has been used to share photos and videos of the moo-ing\n\nBelper, which also boasts a quirky Mr Potato Head statue, even saw people in Australia, Japan and the US joining them with the moo.\n\nMr Ward said: \"You can't see people but last night a man who lives opposite came out. I recognised his moo through the darkness.\"\n\nBack in April, resident Isabel Kennedy said the moo had become \"the highlight of my day.\"\n\n\"It brought our little four house, Quarry Road comoo-nity together in a way that sustained beyond lockdown and is tighter than ever now.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.", "The Zootopia sloth was memed by online wags exasperated by the slow vote count\n\nThings are tense. As election officials work to count the remaining ballots, Americans have been left on the edge of their seats, sitting, watching and waiting for their next president.\n\nBut in the meantime, it's meme time.\n\nSince polls closed on Tuesday, Americans desperate for results have taken to social media, looking for ways to cope with election week anxiety. Ask the internet and you shall receive memes.\n\nIf one thing is clear, this election is starting to feel very, very long.\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by theoatmeal This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAnd as the officials count, pollsters predict, and the media projects, it has become very hard to think about absolutely anything else.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Holly Figueroa O'Reilly This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSpecial attention has been turned to Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania where officials have yet to declare the winner, and whose voters could send either Joe Biden or Donald Trump to the White House. Nevada in particular - normally thought of for the gambling and nightlife of Las Vegas - has become a particular target of social media frustration.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Cheyenne Haslett This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by joe This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nBut unfortunately for all of us waiting, wanting the results doesn't seem to be getting them here any faster.\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post 2 by sainthoax This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSome have even offered to drive to Nevada to assist with the count.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by rosina :p This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAnd others, maybe sick of the endless predictions, have offered a reimagined electoral map.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 5 by Derek Guy This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAs it stands now, we're still waiting on results from Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania.\n\nFor a deeper look at the presidential race, you can check out our minute-to-minute live coverage, or read up on when we might get a winner.", "Hospitals in Greater Manchester are treating \"more Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave\", resulting in non-urgent care being suspended.\n\nNon-urgent hospital surgery and appointments will not go ahead as planned as coronavirus admissions have increased by 64 patients in a week.\n\nUrgent and emergency care, such as cancer treatment, will continue.\n\nHospital chiefs said non-urgent work was \"pausing\" to ensure critical care facilities could be expanded.\n\nThose affected by the delay will be contacted by hospitals, a spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said.\n\nHospital admissions of coronavirus patients in the region have risen to 132 in the week ending 3 November, compared to 68 during the week ending 27 October.\n\nBefore a nationwide lockdown came into force in England on Thursday, Greater Manchester had been in the highest level of the three-tier system of restrictions.\n\nGreater Manchester has been under tighter restrictions since July\n\nA statement from the partnership, which co-ordinates health and social care across Greater Manchester, said: \"Staff have worked tirelessly to try to maintain services and deliver the highest quality of healthcare to local people.\n\n\"Despite these efforts it is now necessary to pause non-urgent work to ensure we are in a position to expand critical care facilities, whilst maintaining cancer and other urgent care, including cardiac services, vascular surgery and transplantation.\"\n\nIt said that The Christie cancer hospital will continue to provide care, while Rochdale will also provide cancer surgery as a Covid-secure site for Greater Manchester.\n\nDiagnostic services, including endoscopy, and the majority of out-patient services will not be affected.\n\nPatients were advised to \"assume your treatment is continuing as planned\" unless told otherwise.\n\nThis hard decision by health authorities in Manchester comes after similar moves by individual hospitals in Birmingham, Nottingham and Edinburgh, amongst others.\n\nNational NHS leaders had wanted to keep services open while a second wave of coronavirus unfolded.\n\nBut the BMA, which represents around 160,000 doctors in the UK, says hospitals have too few beds and staff to keep hip replacements, cataract surgery and other non-emergency operations going.\n\nAcross the UK there are 12,949 Covid patients currently in hospital, up from a low of just 736 in the summer, but still well below the 19,849 we saw in April.\n\nStricter lockdown measures are designed to bring the R number down. But hospitalisations now reflect infections some weeks ago and it's widely expected services will continue to be stretched in some areas for some time to come.\n\nThe partnership spokeswoman added: \"Our hospitals are now treating more Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave and as a result of this, a number of non-urgent operations will be temporarily delayed - we are contacting the affected patients.\n\n\"Urgent and emergency care, including cancer treatment and operations will continue as normal and it's important that anyone with concerns continues to come forward for help and treatment.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Councils in England have a \"unique opportunity\" to fix potholes, road junctions and roadside drainage during lockdown, the AA has said.\n\nIt urged local authorities to ask drivers to move their vehicles to car parks near disused shops, pubs and restaurants while repairs take place.\n\nReduced traffic means work could happen safely and without causing congestion, AA president Edmund King said.\n\nCouncils said £10bn was needed to bring roads \"up to scratch\".\n\nThe government said it had already committed £2.5bn for repairs \"as part of the biggest nationwide programme ever announced\".\n\nThe lockdown in England is scheduled to last until 2 December. Pubs, restaurants, gyms and non-essential shops are closed, while people are being told not to travel unless it is necessary.\n\nMr King told the BBC: \"Lower traffic levels during lockdown give highway authorities a unique opportunity to fill potholes, improve junctions and road drainage, safely and without causing congestion.\n\n\"If this can be done before the colder weather kicks in, it will help prevent further road degradation and all road users, whether on two wheels or four, will benefit.\"\n\nMain roads in England are maintained by Highways England, while councils are responsible for the upkeep of local, usually more minor roads.\n\nMr King said: \"In residential areas where parked cars are an obstacle, the local authority should seek permission for drivers to park in car parks of the pubs, restaurants, shops or businesses that have been forced to close.\"\n\nCouncils say the number of roads in \"poor condition\" has increased\n\nAccording to the Asphalt Industry Alliance's survey of councils, the proportion of England's roads in \"poor condition\" increased from 18% in 2017/18 to 21% in 2019/20.\n\nDavid Renard, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, which represents councils in England, said it would take almost £10bn to bring local roads \"up to scratch\".\n\nHe called on the government to provide the funding needed \"to tackle the growing backlog of repairs\" in its one-year spending review later this month.\n\nA Department for Transport spokesperson said: \"We know that people want to see potholes repaired and roads improved, which is why we've committed £2.5bn for repairs as part of the biggest nationwide programme ever announced.\n\n\"The government has set out that construction can continue during the national restrictions, with employers following Covid-secure guidelines, meaning highways authorities are able to take advantage of the quieter roads to maintain and improve the network.\"\n\nDuring the previous lockdown, \"quieter roads enabled more highway maintenance works to take place, leading to over 319 miles of resurfacing\", they added.\n\nIn April, recorded traffic in Great Britain fell to 1950s levels, before steadily rising as restrictions eased.\n\nExperts predict road use will decline again this time around but, with schools and universities staying open, the effect is not expected to be as dramatic as before.", "The pop star has reinvented her image and her sound dozens of times over the last four decades\n\nEver since her first TV appearance on Aussie soap The Sullivans at the age of 10, she's evolved from actress to pop star to fashion icon, children's author, talent show judge and even a successful designer of home furnishings.\n\nHer career is defined by an inquisitive restlessness. Even in music, the area where she's most famous, the star has balanced mega-pop hits like Better The Devil You Know and Can't Get You Out Of My Head with more experimental tracks like the sultry electro potboiler Slow or the glitchy, atmospheric Cherry Bomb.\n\nBut through it all, Kylie's strong suit has been joyous, escapist disco. It's the first music that she fell in love with, as a child in mid-1970s Melbourne, long before she harboured ideas of becoming a pop star in her own right.\n\n\"When I was eight or nine I used to have pretend Abba concerts in my bedroom with my friends,\" she told Smash Hits magazine in 1988. \"We'd put on dresses and pretend to be Abba and we'd prance about the bedroom or the lounge singing into hairbrushes. I was always the blonde one.\"\n\nAfter a dalliance with country music on her last album, Golden, Kylie has rekindled her love affair with the dancefloor for her 15th record - the appositely-titled Disco.\n\nAlthough she started writing it last year, the record was far from finished when lockdown struck in March. Suddenly, the star had to turn her London flat into a DIY studio, surrounding herself with blankets, duvets and even clothes racks so she could record her vocals in isolation.\n\nBut for someone who's in perpetual motion, who once professed \"I'm either moving around, or I'm asleep\", quarantine was heavy going.\n\n\"It's hard to dig deep and stay positive,\" she says, \"and I had a moment like that, during the first lockdown where I had to confess to someone else that I was struggling,\" she says.\n\n\"And actually, if I wasn't able to work on the album, I perhaps would have gone the other way.\"\n\nThe pop star is challenging Little Mix for next week's number one album\n\nOf course, Disco isn't a sombre reflection on the fallout of a global pandemic. Like Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga, who released disco-centric albums earlier this year, Kylie is prescribing her fans 40 minutes of joyous escapism.\n\n\"So much of this year has been about connection, or lack of connection, that to be making something whose purpose is just to reach people really gave me motivation,\" she says.\n\nSpeaking from her London home two days before the record's release, Kylie also talked about the \"overwhelming\" experience of playing Glastonbury, her abandoned career as a flautist, and which Kylie era is her favourite.\n\nDisco is something you've referenced all through your career, going right back to Step Back In Time. What do you feel when you step on a dance floor?\n\nDepends on which dance floor and which night. At the moment it's a kitchen disco so it requires a bit of imagination!\n\nBut I think disco is a place of expression and a place of losing yourself or finding yourself. When you shine a light on a mirror ball, the light is infinite. It colours you and it affects your being in that moment of time. And the night might not last forever, but I think the notion of disco as a place of escape and abandon is something that most of us have got somewhere within us.\n\nYou've written some philosophical lyrics this time around. What inspired the line: \"We're all just trying to find ourselves in the storms that we chase\"?\n\nA lot of that song, Say Something, was a stream of consciousness - but I do believe [that lyric]. Sometimes you wonder, \"Why am I doing this? Why am I putting myself through this?\" Or \"this might not be the safest road to take,\" but I think it's through adversity that we find ourselves.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Kylie Minogue This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nWhat are those situations for you? When have you taken risks where you've worried about the outcome?\n\nOh, all the time! It might sound like a superficial way but things like not getting a proper job when I left school and having the dream of acting. I signed up for the dole but I actually never got a cheque because I got an acting job, and then leaving the number one show [TV soap opera Neighbours] to pursue music, and to try different genres within my pop world. Fashion faux pas - there's certainly been plenty of those.\n\nThey're maybe not risks with a whole lot of depth or gravitas - but they're risks all the same, that change the course of your life.\n\nThe singer played a special set at the BBC Radio Theatre earlier this week for Zoe Ball's Radio 2 Breakfast Show\n\nThe last track on the album, Celebrate You, is all about leaning on friends for support. Was that inspired by lockdown?\n\nThat song was written a handful of days before lockdown so we knew that something was coming. You know, there was a kind of unsettling feeling in the air and we were conscious - the other writers and I - of the emotion creeping in, and wanting to take care of each other.\n\nThe lyrics are addressed to someone called Mary. Is she someone from your life?\n\nThat actually came from \"mumble-singing\" to find a melody. But Mary is all of us. She's anyone who needs a cuddle and some reassurance.\n\nI always picture that song as last call at the pub. All the family are there and maybe Aunty Mary's had one too many. The truths are coming out, there's been some tears, lots of hugs. Everyone's danced, everyone's partied - and this is the wind-down, back to Earth kind of song.\n\nKylie on lockdown: \"We've just got to be strong together and hope for the best hope for better days.\"\n\nIt's nice to hear you talk about the writing process like this because you don't get recognised for it. Maybe that's because those early hits came from the Stock Aitken Waterman hit factory - but on this album you have a co-writing credit on every song. Is it important to you to be in the mix?\n\nFor myself, yeah. I don't need to be recognised for it - but I absolutely love the writing process. To me it's like magic: You go into a session with nothing and you come out with a song. And because I don't play instruments, I do melody and lyrics. I need to do that with other people.\n\nDon't you play piano and flute, though? You entered competitions when you were younger...\n\nI did! You know what? I still have my original flute from high school. It was a very handy instrument - you can just put it in your bag - but I didn't carry on with that.\n\nThen I played piano for a number of years and I always learned by ear, so I can only read music very slowly. So as much as I can't play, I have a sense of musicality.\n\nThe star's set included hits like Spinning Around, Shocked, Confide In Me and I Should Be So Lucky\n\nWhen you played Glastonbury last year, it became the festival's most-watched performance of all time. What went through your head as you walked onto the stage?\n\nI suppose the overriding thought was, 'Wow'. I was blown away.\n\nIn the dressing room, there's this swarming team of people - dancers and musicians and friends and family - but the moment that you step onto the stage you're suddenly alone. I mean, you've got your band and dancers but in a sense I am no longer moored at the port. You're going out to sea and you're not quite sure what's going to happen.\n\nBut by the time I was in position on that set and it spun around.... There's a shot that became a gif or a meme and that encapsulates better than I can what was going through my mind - because I just, I shook my head, I smiled. It was wild to see that many people, and to feel that many people.\n\nAfter that performance, you said you didn't want to become a tribute act to yourself and that Glastonbury was an opportunity to \"wipe the slate clean\". What did you mean by that?\n\nI suppose I didn't want to feel like that was it. I felt like there was more music and more new experiences [to come].\n\nAnd in a way I feel that there was a line drawn - but I didn't want the line to be above me. I wanted it to be a line acknowledging that I did it, I made it that far. I wanted to be able to use [Glastonbury] to propel me to go even further. Not to erase any of the past - that show was a celebration triumphs and a celebration of getting through the difficulties, and to have that history, that 30-plus year history with so many people is a glorious thing.\n\nKylie's Glastonbury set came 14 years after she was forced to pull out of a headline slot following a breast cancer diagnosis\n\nI'm thinking about that history and all of those songs and all of the looks you've had over the years. I know fans debate furiously about their favourite Kylie era... but what's yours?\n\nOh. Ooh. You're an awful person to ask me that!\n\nThere's so many and they all represent something different... I'm really, really trying to commit to one - but as soon as my mind thinks of one era, another one will tap me on the shoulder and say, \"Wait, wait. What about this one?\"\n\nI guesssss one of the eras that really seemed to be galactic in its own way was the Fever era [Can't Get You Out Of My Head, Love At First Sight].\n\nIt was just one of those moments where the planets are aligned and everything worked - the songs, the imagery, the moment. So I don't know that I would call it my favourite because I can find something to appreciate in all of them, but I'm going to choose that one, just because it did so well.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 2 by Kylie Minogue This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Long queues built up on Friday after mass testing started in Liverpool\n\nThe number of coronavirus testing sites in Liverpool has doubled after \"really good interest\" in the scheme, its public health director has said.\n\nMatthew Ashton said a total of up to 12,000 people were tested at six centres on Friday as England's first trial of city-wide testing began.\n\nMr Ashton said a further eight sites were brought in on Saturday.\n\nThe city council said it could extend the two-week pilot scheme as more opened.\n\nAll residents and workers in Liverpool - the first area to be placed under England's tier three restrictions - have been offered regular tests, regardless of whether they display symptoms.\n\nOfficials say this is in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.\n\nHealthcare, education and other key workers, along with students, have been particularly encouraged to take a test.\n\nMr Ashton told BBC Radio 4 Today: \"We are still working on the numbers but we think (there were) about 1,500-2,000 people per testing centre.\n\n\"So really good numbers and lots of interest, so it was very encouraging.\n\n\"For the most part, it ran very smoothly. It was good, it wasn't perfect but we'll improve it\".\n\nCity mayor Joe Anderson said: \"The people of Liverpool did not let us down on the first day and I am delighted that so many people turned out for a test.\n\n\"This is a huge logistical exercise the likes of which has not been tried before, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank people for their patience and understanding as I know many had to queue for a while for a test.\"\n\nResidents are urged to book tests online or by phone, and not to turn up without an appointment.\n\nPeople with symptoms have been told to not attend the mass testing centres but instead arrange a test at one of the mobile testing units in the city.\n\nSome health experts have criticised the trial, with Allyson Pollock, professor of public health at Newcastle University, warning that plans to test asymptomatic people went against advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) to prioritise tests for those displaying symptoms.\n\nThe military has been drafted in to help the NHS\n\nMr Ashton said he thought the nationwide lockdown, which started in England on Thursday, was necessary because tier three rules had not been successful in limiting transmission.\n\nHe said the summer exit from the first national lockdown occurred when Liverpool \"still had levels of the virus in our community\".\n\n\"They weren't high but they were still very present and it was higher than other parts of the country, and I think that's what drove the big increases in the north west […] so we were first to have the second wave,\" he said.\n\nBy cutting social contact, he said, the new lockdown measures would \"absolutely help\" to bring transmission down.\n\n\"The big question is will they cut them enough, will it take the levels of the virus low enough?\"\n\nAs of Friday, 58 deaths were reported in the city during the past week, according to data.\n\nOverall, Liverpool recorded 1,501 coronavirus cases in the seven days to 3 November, compared with 2,074 cases in the previous week.\n\nThis means the rate had dropped from 416 per 100,000 people to 301 per 100,000. Across England overall, the rate was 240 per 100,000.\n\nLiverpool aims to test up to 50,000 people a day\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "Teams in protective kit for the cull - usually mink are gassed with carbon monoxide\n\nDanish authorities have said a lockdown will be introduced in some areas over a coronavirus mutation found in mink that can spread to humans.\n\nThe government has warned that the effectiveness of any future vaccine could be affected by the mutation.\n\nBars, restaurants, public transport and all public indoor sports will be closed in seven North Jutland municipalities.\n\nThe restrictions will come into effect from Friday and initially last until 3 December.\n\nIt comes soon after an announcement that Denmark would cull all its mink - as many as 17 million.\n\nThe Scandinavian country is the world's biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong. Culling began late last month, after many mink cases were detected.\n\nOn Thursday, the World Health Organization said mink appear to be \"good reservoirs\" of coronavirus. It also commended Denmark's \"determination and courage\" for going ahead with the culls, despite the economic impact it would bring.\n\nThere are more than 1,000 mink farms in Denmark\n\nCoronavirus cases have been detected in other farmed mink in the Netherlands and Spain since the pandemic began in Europe.\n\nBut cases are spreading fast in Denmark - 207 mink farms in Jutland are affected - and at least five cases of the new virus strain were found. Authorities said 12 people had been infected with the mutated strain.\n\nMeanwhile, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said about half of the 783 human cases reported in north Denmark related to a strain of the virus that originated in the mink farms.\n\nUnder the new rules, gatherings of 10 or more people will be banned, and locals have been urged to stay within the affected municipalities and get tested.\n\nAt a press conference, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: \"Right now the eyes of the world are resting on us. I hope and believe that together we can solve the problems we face.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, Ms Frederiksen said the mutated virus had been found to weaken the body's ability to form antibodies, potentially making the current vaccines under development for Covid-19 ineffective.\n\nSince the start of the pandemic Denmark has reported 52,265 human cases of Covid-19 and 733 deaths, data from Johns Hopkins University shows.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Critics and supporters of the fur trade speak out\n\nSpain culled 100,000 mink in July after cases were detected at a farm in Aragón province, and tens of thousands of the animals were slaughtered in the Netherlands following outbreaks on farms there.\n\nStudies are under way to find out how and why mink have been able to catch and spread the infection.\n\nMink become infected through catching the virus from humans, the BBC's environment correspondent Helen Briggs reports.\n\nBut genetic detective work has shown that in a small number of cases, in the Netherlands and now Denmark, the virus seems to have passed the other way, from mink to humans, our correspondent adds.", "Half a million borrowers mis-sold payday loans by collapsed lender Sunny are likely to receive no more than 1% of their compensation entitlement.\n\nAdministrators KPMG are emailing all those who have a right to a payout, inviting them to make a claim.\n\nBut they are warning that the funds available mean they may not receive a penny, or 1% at most.\n\nHowever, victims of mis-selling will automatically have negative entries on their credit records cleared.\n\nThis will be done automatically by the end of November, with any notes of defaults on their first five Sunny loans cleared, and notices of any subsequent loans deleted entirely.\n\nThat should help those struggling to access credit, as a result of their history with Sunny, having more success in the future.\n\nSunny was one of a series of high-profile payday lenders to have collapsed, mostly in response to a wave of complaints over the mis-selling of short-term, high-cost loans.\n\nMany of these loans were found to have been unaffordable to repay, and should never have been granted.\n\nWonga was the most high-profile collapse in August 2018, followed by other big names in the sector such as WageDay Advance and QuickQuid.\n\nMany of Sunny's payday loans were found to have been unaffordable to repay\n\nSunny, the brand name of Elevate Credit International Limited, fell into administration in June. In October, some of the existing loan book was sold to Perch Capital, and others were written off.\n\nAdministrators then assessed how many of Sunny's 700,000 customers had been mis-sold loans, and concluded that 500,000 had been affected and could make a claim. It is emailing all of them in the coming weeks.\n\nOthers whose cases have already been dealt with by the Financial Ombudsman, but have not received any payout, can also put in a claim for compensation.\n\nAll claims must be submitted by the end of January.\n\n\"Whilst the dividend will depend on the volume of claims and queries received, we estimate that any dividend payable could be less that 1p in the pound and that any payment would likely be made in spring 2021,\" the administrators said.\n\nDebt adviser Sara Williams, who runs the Debt Camel blog, said: \"Since Wonga went under, the figures have been emerging about the massive scale of payday loan mis-selling.\n\n\"These show how ineffective regulation was at preventing so many people being trapped in unaffordable debt for so long.\"", "Boris Johnson has defended how Covid statistics are being used after data shown in a presentation to justify the lockdown in England had to be revised.\n\nA chart presented at Saturday's No 10 briefing suggested a worse-case figure of up to 1,500 deaths a day by December 8, well above April's 1,000 peak.\n\nThis has now been adjusted down to 1,010 a day, after an error was found.\n\nNo 10 has accepted a mistake was made but the PM said data on the spread and impact of the virus was \"irrefutable\".\n\nSpeaking during a visit to the East Midlands, Mr Johnson said the number of people being admitted to hospital was \"climbing fast\", having gone up by 25% in the last week.\n\n\"The data is really irrefutable about what is happening in the country,\" he said.\n\n\"The number of deaths alas is on an upward curve that is just unmistakable, more than any time since May, and the government has to act. That's why we're taking the steps we are.\"\n\nConservative MPs opposed to the second lockdown in England, which came into force on Thursday, have questioned the reliability of the modelling used by the government to bolster its case.\n\nThe UK's statistics regulator says there needs to be more transparency about the data used to make predictions after it emerged figures cited at last weekend's Downing Street briefing were out of date and over-estimated deaths.\n\nAt the briefing, the UK government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance presented a graph outlining a range of projections for the Covid death toll over the next month, including one from Public Health England and Cambridge University suggesting it could rise as high as 4,000 a day.\n\nHe also cited two other graphs illustrating \"medium-term\" projections from the government's advisory committee SPI-M for hospitalisations and deaths up to 8 December.\n\nHow the graph looked when it was presented by Sir Patrick Vallance at Downing Street briefing\n\nThe amended version published by the government\n\nOn Friday, the Daily Telegraph reported that some of the details in the graphs had since been changed.\n\nThe Government Science Service found an error in the charts, affecting the upper limit for the possible outcomes shown by the shaded areas. For hospitalisations, the incorrect upper limit shown was 9,000 instead of 6,200.\n\nBut the central line was not changed and the government argues that the error \"did not affect the insights\".\n\nThe PM's official spokesman acknowledged an error had been made but insisted there was no error in the \"underlying analysis\", adding that Mr Johnson continued to have confidence in his chief scientific adviser.\n\nThe errors in the Chief Scientific Adviser's slides all gave the impression that the worst case scenario is more serious than current data support.\n\nBut the government's case for action does not rest solely on future projections of a worst case scenario. They argue that the numbers of people going into hospital or dying right now make the case.\n\nCoronavirus hospital admissions are currently doubling roughly every three weeks.\n\nDeaths are doubling every fortnight, with just over 2,000 reported in the last week. That growth is slower than it was in September and October, but it is still growth.\n\nSo in the near future, the expectation, not the worst case, is that the daily number deaths will rise and pressure on hospitals will increase.\n\nBusiness Minister Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News the government would \"strive to improve our graphs and presentations\" but the threat facing the NHS from the rise in cases was \"very clear\".\n\nThe health service in England has been placed on its highest alert level ahead of what its bosses said was a \"very difficult winter\" ahead.\n\nSpeaking on Thursday, the chief executive of the NHS in England Simon Stevens said there were more than 11,000 Covid patients being treated in hospital, up from 2,000 at the start of October.\n\nBut Sir David Spiegelhalter, one of the most respected statisticians in the country, said he had been \"very unimpressed\" by some of the data presented in recent times, particularly Saturday's scenario of possible deaths.\n\n\"It was a frightening graph and presented these headline figures of 4,000 deaths a day which is terrifying,\" he told Politics Live on Tuesday.\n\n\"But there are a number of problems. We did not have the sources of these projections and if you look at the small print, you see they were done at the beginning of October...And at least one of the groups have revised their projections since.\"", "US President Joe Biden has officially announced his bid for re-election, asking Americans to help him \"finish the job\" he started more than two years ago.\n\nMr Biden, 80, faced a turbulent first two years in office marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, economic woes and geopolitical challenges including the US pull-out from Afghanistan and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.\n\nOn the campaign trail, Mr Biden - who served as Vice-President under Barack Obama - is likely to focus on his efforts to prop up the US economy after the pandemic, as well as his successes pushing through legislation focused on infrastructure, climate change and prescription drugs.\n\nBut a key argument for a second term will be what he has described as a turn towards authoritarianism from Donald Trump and his supporters in the \"Make America Great Again\" movement.\n\n\"The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer,\" he said in a video launching his new campaign. \"I know what I want the answer to be. This is not a time to be complacent. That's why I'm running for re-election.\"\n\nThe President, however, is also likely to face questions about his age and ability to serve, as well as about his handling of inflation, immigration and other issues that worry Americans.\n\nThe upcoming campaign is likely the last in a career in politics that has spanned more than four decades, and may again see him square off against Donald Trump.\n\nSo who is Joe Biden and how did he get to the White House?\n\nMr Biden ran for the Democratic 2008 nomination before dropping out and joining the Obama ticket.\n\nHis eight years in the Obama White House - where he frequently appeared at the president's side - has allowed Mr Biden to lay claim to much of Mr Obama's legacy, including passage of the Affordable Care Act, as well as the stimulus package and reforms enacted in response to the financial crisis.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A look back at Joe Biden's life and political career\n\nAs a long-time Washington insider, Mr Biden had solid foreign affairs credentials, and helped balance Mr Obama's comparative lack of executive experience.\n\nThe so-called \"Middle Class Joe\" was also brought on board to help woo the blue-collar white voters who had proved a difficult group for Mr Obama to win over.\n\nHe made headlines in 2012 by saying he was \"absolutely comfortable\" with same-sex marriage, comments that were seen to undercut the president, who had yet to give full-throated support for the policy. Mr Obama ultimately did so, just days after Mr Biden.\n\nMr Biden's two terms supporting the first black president followed a long political career.\n\nThe six-term senator from Delaware was first elected in 1972. He ran for president in 1988 but withdrew after he admitted to plagiarising a speech by the then leader of the British Labour Party, Neil Kinnock.\n\nHis lengthy tenure in the nation's capital has given critics ample material for attacks.\n\nEarly in his career, he sided with southern segregationists in opposing court-ordered school bussing to racially integrate public schools.\n\nAnd, as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991, he oversaw Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court confirmation hearings and has been sharply criticised for his handling of Anita Hill's allegations that she was sexually harassed by the nominee.\n\nIn 1974, Biden was the youngest US senator\n\nMr Biden was also a fierce advocate of a 1994 anti-crime bill that many on the left now say encouraged lengthy sentences and mass incarceration.\n\nThe record made Mr Obama's moderate vice-president a sometimes uncomfortable fit for the modern Democratic Party.\n\nMr Biden's life has been dogged by personal tragedy.\n\nIn 1972, shortly after he won his first Senate race, he lost his first wife, Neilia, and baby daughter, Naomi, in a car accident. He famously took the oath of office for his first Senate term from the hospital room of his toddler sons Beau and Hunter, who both survived the accident.\n\nIn 2015, Beau died of brain cancer at the age of 46. The younger Biden was seen as a rising star of US politics and had intended to run for Delaware state governor in 2016.\n\nMr Biden garnered considerable goodwill following Beau's death, which served to highlight one of Mr Biden's central strengths: a reputation as a kind and relatable family man.\n\nThis perceived warmth is not without its pitfalls. After entering the 2020 race, he faced accusations of unwelcome physical contact during interactions with female voters - complete with uncomfortable accompanying footage.\n\nBut the avuncular politician responded by saying he was an empathetic person, though he accepted standards had changed. The episode, however, stoked a perception for some that he was out of touch.\n\nMr Biden's return to the White House came at a difficult time in US politics, with the country still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nJust two weeks before his inauguration, the country had also seen supporters of former President Donald Trump storm Congress in a bid to thwart the certification of his election victory after Mr Trump falsely claimed that the election had been rigged.\n\nMr Biden's new campaign is likely to focus heavily on the fight against the ideology on display during the 6 January riot. The video announcing his re-election bid opens with images of a mob of Trump supporters storming the Capitol.\n\n\"Every generation of Americans has faced a moment when they've had to defend democracy,\" he said. \"This is ours. Let's finish the job.\"\n\nAs he campaigns, Mr Biden is likely to point to a number of accomplishments during his tenure, including job creation, efforts to prop up the economy in the wake of the pandemic and the passing of a bipartisan infrastructure law billed as a \"once-in-a-generation\" investment by the White House.\n\nBut he will face tough questions on his handling of immigration and the US-Mexico border, as well as on the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.\n\nMr Biden has also acknowledged that many Americans have raised \"legitimate\" questions about his age and ability to serve as President.\n\n\"And the only thing I can say is, watch me,\" he said earlier this year.", "China has successfully launched what has been described as \"the world's first 6G satellite\" into space to test the technology.\n\nIt went into orbit along with 12 other satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province.\n\nThe telecoms industry is still several years away from agreeing on 6G's specifications, so it is not yet certain the tech being trialled will make it into the final standard.\n\nIt involves use of high-frequency terahertz waves to achieve data-transmission speeds many times faster than 5G is likely to be capable of.\n\nThe satellite also carries technology which will be used for crop disaster monitoring and forest fire prevention.", "Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home have been placed into administration, putting thousands of jobs at risk.\n\nThe clothing retailer had 328 sites and 2,571 staff across the UK, while homeware store Ponden had 329 staff.\n\nToday 866 jobs were lost across the two chains adding to the hundreds that went after 64 stores across the two brands were permanently closed.\n\nEWM Group owns both chains but is still trying to strike a rescue deal to save remaining brands, Peacocks and Jaeger.\n\nA spokesperson for EWM Group said: \"Over the past month we explored all possible options to save Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home from going into administration, but unfortunately the ongoing trading conditions caused by the pandemic and lockdowns proved too much.\n\n\"It is with a heavy heart we acknowledge there is no alternative but to place the businesses into administration.\"\n\nTony Wright, the joint administrator from business advisory firm FRP, said both Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden were trading well before the coronavirus pandemic and FRP would continue to search for buyers for the businesses so they do not disappear completely.\n\nHe added: \"Regrettably, the impact of Covid-19 on the brands' core customer base and tighter restrictions on trading mean that the current structure of the businesses is unsustainable and has resulted in redundancies.\n\n\"We are working with all affected members of staff to provide the appropriate support.\"", "Guatemala's army has reached a remote village where dozens of houses were buried by mudslides triggered by Storm Eta's torrential rains.\n\nPresident Alejandro Giammattei said around 100 people were feared dead in Quejá in the central region of Alta Verapaz.\n\nBad weather has hampered rescue efforts while roads are still blocked and large areas remain flooded.\n\nEarlier, the authorities had confirmed at least 50 deaths across the country.\n\nEta made landfall in neighbouring Nicaragua on Tuesday as a Category Four hurricane with winds of 140mph (225km/h) and torrential rains. It then weakened into a tropical depression as it moved into neighbouring Honduras and later Guatemala.\n\nPresident Giammattei said rescue efforts were limited by the country having only one helicopter adequate for these operations.\n\n\"We have a lot of people trapped [whom] we have not been able to reach,\" he said. A state of emergency has been declared in many areas.\n\nA state of emergency has been declared in many regions of Guatemala\n\nThe president described the situation in Queja as \"critical\". No bodies have yet been recovered from the area.\n\nIn neighbouring Honduras, at least 10 deaths have been confirmed, with hundreds of people reportedly waiting to be rescued from flooded areas.\n\nMen remain on a rooftop in the Honduran city of El Progreso\n\nWendi Munguía Figueroa, 48, who lives in La Lima, a San Pedro Sula suburb, told the Associated Press: \"We can't get off our houses' roofs because the water is up to our necks in the street.\"\n\nOn Twitter, Foreign Affairs Minister Lisandro Rosales said: \"The destruction that Eta leaves us is enormous and public finances are at a critical moment because of Covid-19.\"\n\nHe added: \"We make a call to the international community to accelerate the process of recovery and reconstruction.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"We have nothing... I am in pain\" – Central America is counting the cost of Storm Eta\n\nOn Friday, the storm was off Belize's coast and heading out to the Caribbean Sea, charting a course to Cuba and Florida this weekend, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).", "Paul Dunleavy was jailed for five years and six months, after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court\n\nA teenager who was part of a banned neo-Nazi group has been jailed for preparing acts of terrorism.\n\nA judge ruled 17-year-old Paul Dunleavy can be named but described his efforts to commit the act as \"inept\".\n\nDunleavy had admitted nine counts of possessing terror manuals and also had videos of the New Zealand terror attack in 2019, in which 51 people died.\n\nAt Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Paul Farrer QC jailed the defendant for five years and six months.\n\nDunleavy, who had denied preparing an attack, had joined a neo-Nazi group called Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) in July last year, the court was told.\n\nThe group was created by a 13-year-old Estonian and was outlawed in the UK this summer after being linked to terrorism cases around the world.\n\nNotepads made by the teenager and a gun were recovered from his room\n\nJudge Farrer said Dunleavy had offered practical advice on firearms to other FKD members, some of whom have gone on themselves to be convicted of terrorism offences in other countries.\n\nThe judge told the defendant he harboured an intention to commit an act of terrorism, but added it was unlikely the he would have followed through, describing his preparations as \"inept\".\n\nHe added: \"Your autism impacts on your maturity and understanding.\"\n\nProsecutors said FKD's aim was to overthrow the liberal democratic system by bringing about a race war through individuals carrying out acts of mass murder.\n\nAfter joining FKD's online chat group, Dunleavy unwittingly began communicating with an undercover police officer, telling him: \"I'm getting armed and getting in shape.\"\n\nThe court was told Dunleavy had researched how to convert a blank-firing gun and asked an adult friend for advice on where to buy one.\n\nDunleavy had an \"unhealthy interest in other attacks across the world\", police said\n\nFollowing his arrest at his home in September 2019, West Midlands Police said detectives seized his phone, finding over 90 documents on firearms, explosives and military tactics, right wing material and online chat conversations.\n\nThey also found several knives, air rifles, face coverings, camouflage face paint, shotgun cartridges and bullet casings.\n\n\"This boy had an unhealthy interest in other attacks across the world and he knew exactly what online platforms to join to share his extreme views,\" said Det Ch Supt Kenny Bell, head of West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.\n\n\"He believed he had the skills to convert a blank firing weapon into a viable firearm and was willing to help others with his abilities.\"\n\nDunleavy had named Adolf Hitler as one of his heroes, West Midlands Police said\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was just speaking on the Senate floor. He defended President Trump's right to challenge the election results and not concede.\n\n\"No states have yet certified election results,\" he noted. This is true - states have until 8 December to certify their electors.\n\nMcConnell continued to say all legal ballots should count and the process must be \"transparent\".\n\n\"If any major irregularities occurred this time of a magnitude that would affect the outcome, then every single American should want them to be brought to light and if Democrats feel confident they have not occurred, they should have no reason to fear any extra scrutiny,\" the majority leader added.\n\nExperts have long said there is no evidence of widespread fraud in postal voting.\n\n\"We have the system in place to consider concerns and President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options,\" McConnell said.\n\n\"The projections and commentary of the press do not get veto power over the legal rights of any citizen, including the president.\"\n\nOnly three Republican Senators have thus far acknowledged Biden's win. Republican President George W Bush has also congratulated Biden on his win.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "The former chief rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, has died aged 72 about a month after being diagnosed with cancer, a spokesman for his office has confirmed.\n\nHe died in the early hours of Saturday morning, the spokesman said.\n\nLord Sacks was a prolific writer and regularly contributed to radio and TV programmes such as BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day.\n\nHe is survived by his wife of 50 years, Elaine Taylor, their three children and several grandchildren.\n\nA statement from Lord Sacks' office on 15 October announced he had been \"recently diagnosed with cancer\" and was undergoing treatment.\n\nLord Sacks, an Orthodox Jew, was born in London on 8 March 1948.\n\nIn 1991 he became Britain's chief rabbi - the spiritual head of the largest grouping of Orthodox Jewish communities in the UK.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said he was \"deeply saddened\" by Lord Sacks' death, adding: \"His leadership had a profound impact on our whole country and across the world.\"\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer also paid tribute, saying: \"He was a towering intellect whose eloquence, insights and kindness reached well beyond the Jewish community.\"\n\nMarie van der Zyl, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, described Lord Sacks as a \"giant of both the Jewish community and wider society\".\n\n\"His outstanding tenure as chief rabbi led to a revolution in Jewish life and learning which has ensured his legacy will pass not just through his own beloved family, but through generations of our community's young people too,\" she said.\n\nChief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis hailed his predecessor as \"an extraordinary ambassador for Judaism\".\n\nA statement from the chief rabbi's office said on Saturday that Lord Sacks' \"remarkable legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of the countless people he inspired\".\n\nThe Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, praised Lord Sacks' religious devotion and leadership, as well as his \"deep commitment to interpersonal relationships\".\n\n\"You couldn't help but be swept up in his delight at living, his sense of humour, his kindness, and his desire to know, understand and value others,\" he said.\n\nController of BBC Radio 4 Mohit Bakaya said Lord Sacks was a \"man of great intellect, humanity and warmth\".\n\nHe added: \"He brought all of that to Radio 4 through some of the most erudite Thought for the Days as well as a landmark series on morality.\"\n\nChief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (left) said Lord Sacks (centre) inspired \"countless people\", while the Prince of Wales (right) previously described him as a \"steadfast friend\"\n\nLord Sacks, who was made a crossbench life peer in 2009, often tried to find compromise between conservative and liberal factions of the British Jewish population.\n\nAt a tribute dinner held in May 2013 for the departing chief rabbi, the Prince of Wales said Lord Sacks was \"a steadfast friend\" and \"a valued adviser\" and praised his \"spiritual awareness and [his] comprehensively informed philosophical and historical perceptiveness\".\n\nLord Sacks was an outspoken critic of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn amid the row over anti-Semitism in the party.\n\nIn an interview with the New Statesman, Lord Sacks said comments Mr Corbyn made about British Zionists were the \"most offensive statement\" by a politician since Enoch Powell's \"Rivers of Blood\" speech, a comparison Labour said was \"absurd\".\n\nLast week, the Labour Party suspended Mr Corbyn over his reaction to a highly critical report on anti-Semitism.", "The coroner said systemic failures had been identified in Averil Hart's care\n\nSystemic failures and neglect caused the death of a teenager who had severe anorexia, a coroner has said.\n\nAveril Hart, 19, from Newton in Suffolk, died from anorexia on 15 December 2012, a week after collapsing at her university flat in Norwich.\n\nThe coroner identified seven areas that he said contributed to her death.\n\nThey included a \"gross failure\" not to give nutritional support at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), which he said amounted to neglect.\n\nA Prevention of Future Deaths report has been written by coroner Sean Horstead after he identified a theme between Miss Hart's case and four other anorexia deaths.\n\nAmanda Bowles, Madeline Wallace, Emma Brown and Maria Jakes died between 2017 and 2018.\n\nMr Horstead said a gap in formally commissioned medical monitoring as seen in Miss Hart's case continued, and \"gives rise to risk of future deaths\".\n\nNic Hart, Miss Hart's father, said: \"It's a huge relief to hear the coroner come to the conclusions we all knew to be the case.\n\n\"My heart bleeds for those families who have lost loved ones after Averil died.\"\n\nMiss Hart had been under the care of Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust but was transferred to the Norfolk Eating Disorder Service when she started a creative writing degree at the University of East Anglia in September 2012.\n\nShe died at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, after an emergency transfer from NNUH.\n\nOn the final day of the four-week inquest in Peterborough, Mr Horstead read out a narrative conclusion.\n\n\"The failure to adequately plan for or provide any nutritional support to Averil over the course of her four days at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, in the context of her severely malnourished condition recognised on admission, was a gross failure that had a direct causal connection with, and more than minimally contributed to, the death,\" he said.\n\n\"Averil Hart's death was therefore contributed to by neglect.\"\n\nAveril Hart was admitted to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital after collapsing at her university flat\n\nThe coroner identified a total of seven areas which he said directly or possibly contributed to her death:\n\nDelays at Addenbrooke's were ruled possibly causative as her condition had deteriorated significantly by the time she arrived.\n\nNNUH medical director Prof Erika Denton said: \"We acknowledge the devastating impact that Averil's death has had on her family and we offer our sincere condolences for their loss.\n\n\"We recognise that the care and treatment we gave to Averil was not of the quality that we or our patients expect, for which we are very sorry and offer an unreserved apology.\n\n\"We have endeavoured to learn and make improvements to our services, including expanding our clinical nutrition team with expert consultants, nurses and dieticians, additional specialist under-nutrition training for staff, and enhanced, 24/7 access to services that can support staff in caring for patients with particular mental health needs.\n\n\"We remain committed to improving services for our most vulnerable patients.\"\n\nIf you are affected by any of the issues in this story, you can talk in confidence to eating disorders charity Beat by calling its adult helpline on 0808 801 0677 or youth helpline on 0808 801 0711.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Nichola Mallon has said there needs to be support put in place for businesses if restrictions are extended\n\nRestrictions on the hospitality industry should be extended for two weeks to rescue the Christmas period, the infrastructure minister has said.\n\nNichola Mallon said she had come to the conclusion following evidence to the Northern Ireland Executive.\n\nRestrictions aimed at curbing Covid-19 have been in place since 16 October and are due to end on 13 November.\n\n\"My view is that we should be extending the restrictions,\" said Ms Mallon, adding business needed to be supported.\n\n\"For me the focus here is on Christmas, families need to be together at Christmas, they need to be together safely.\"\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster told Thursday's Stormont press conference that restrictions had made a positive impact, with the reproduction number - or R-rate - dropping to 0.7 but that no decision had been made on whether to extend the measures.\n\nBBC News NI has seen a proposal by the Department of Health that indicates a two-week extension of the restrictions on hospitality could mean avoiding further curbs before Christmas.\n\nSpeaking on BBC's The View, Ms Mallon said she \"would have been up for taking a decision [on Thursday]\".\n\n\"Businesses, the hospitality sector, Christmas is their busiest time.\n\n\"We need to make sure they can be open at that time and that customers can be there spending their money safely.\"\n\nMs Mallon said the health service had been \"on the brink of collapse\" with livelihoods \"hit hard\".\n\n\"This is not an easy situation, of course we are ministers from different backgrounds, different political parties - we will have different perspectives,\" she said.\n\n\"The responsibility on us is to come together, to take a decision, and to communicate that decision to people as quickly as possible.\"\n\nGlyn Roberts, the chief executive of Retail NI, said the closure of the hospitality sector had been \"a hammer blow to the high streets\".\n\n\"We have seen the economy minister say that the current circuit breaker in Northern Ireland has cost the economy some £400m,\" he told BBC Radio Foyle.\n\n\"We are in a fight to save as many jobs and businesses as possible.\"\n\nMr Roberts said the executive should back a \"Christmas campaign\" to encourage shoppers back onto the high streets safely.\n\n\"We should be putting Covid marshals in all of our town centres, putting public hand sanitiser stations in all town centres and getting a proper track-trace and isolate system in place,\" he said.\n\nOn Thursday, Mrs Foster said an announcement about whether restrictions would be extended would come \"at the earliest possible opportunity\".\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said it was \"not ideal\" that a decision had not been made yet but that it was a \"complex situation\".\n\nSince the measures were brought in by the executive, there has been strong public debate on whether they should go beyond their initial four-week period or end as planned on Friday 13 November.\n\nFour business groups - the Belfast Chamber, Hospitality Ulster, Manufacturing NI and Retail NI - issued a statement during the week urging the executive to develop a \"different strategy to deal with the coronavirus pandemic\".\n\nThey said they want to find a strategy that \"suppresses the spread of the virus and keeps people in employment\" ahead of Christmas.\n\nArlene Foster said ministers had a \"comprehensive discussion\" about what may be needed after the current restrictions end\n\nHowever, medical leaders have said they are \"extremely concerned\" over healthcare pressures caused by upturn in cases.\n\nIn other coronavirus developments in Northern Ireland:", "The BBC projects that Joe Biden has won the race to become US president, defeating Donald Trump following a cliff-hanger vote count after Tuesday's election.\n\nThis was the moment of the BBC News announcement on TV.", "Johnny Depp at the Royal Courts of Justice in July\n\nJohnny Depp has left the Fantastic Beasts film franchise, days after losing a libel case over a newspaper article which called him a wife beater.\n\nIn a letter to fans, Depp said he had been \"asked to resign\" from his role as Gellert Grindelwald and had \"respected that and agreed to that request\".\n\nHe called the libel judgement \"surreal\" and confirmed his plans to appeal.\n\nFilm studio Warner Bros confirmed Depp's departure and said his role would be recast.\n\n\"We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date,\" it said in a statement.\n\nDepp, 57, had sued the publisher of The Sun newspaper over a 2018 article, which claimed he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard.\n\nEarlier this week, Judge Mr Justice Nicol ruled The Sun had proved the article to be \"substantially true\".\n\nIn his letter, posted on Instagram, Depp said the judgement would not \"change my fight to tell the truth\".\n\nIn light of recent events, I would like to make the following short statement.\n\nFirstly I'd like to thank everybody who has gifted me with their support and loyalty. I have been humbled and moved by your many messages of love and concern, particularly over the last few days.\n\nSecondly, I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected that and agreed to that request.\n\nFinally I wish to say this, The surreal judgement of the court in the UK will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal.\n\nMy resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time.\n\nThank you for reading. Sincerely, Johnny Depp\n\nDepp made a brief appearance as Grindelwald in 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and reprised his role in 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.\n\nThe films are prequels to the eight Harry Potter films, which were based on the novels by JK Rowling.\n\nAccording to Warner Bros, the third film in the series is currently in production and will be released in summer 2022.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BBC's David Sillito looks back on the libel case\n\nMonday's judgement followed a trial that was heard over 16 days in July at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.\n\nThe trial contained allegations of violence that spanned the period between 2013 and 2016, when Depp and Heard split up.\n\nIn his ruling, Judge Nicol found that 12 of the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence had occurred.\n\nMr Depp is suing Ms Heard, 34, in the US in a separate case, over an opinion piece she wrote in the Washington Post.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "A paediatrician in west Belfast has said a government strategy is “essential” to tackle child poverty in Northern Ireland.\n\nDr Julie-Ann Maney told BBC NI’s The View: \"Every day in the emergency department in the Children’s Hospital in Belfast we see the effects of poverty.”\n\n“We have seen little 14-month-old infants here who are so hungry when you offer them toast and milk they stuff toast into their nappies,” she said.\n\nDr Maney was interviewed for The View after writing an article on the issue.\n\nA spokesperson for the Department for Communities said the minister had recently announced the extension of the 2016/19 Poverty Strategy to May 2022.\n\nIt said the extension of the strategy “will allow time for engagement on how to address child poverty in the longer term”.\n\nWatch the full interview on The View here on BBC iPlayer.", "The party was at a residential property in The Works, near Manchester Arndale\n\nA man has been fined £10,000 after about 60 people turned up at a party in a two-bedroom flat in Manchester.\n\nPolice said they found people were not distancing and music was being played from large speakers at the gathering in Withy Grove last Sunday.\n\nThe organiser, aged 38, was fined on Friday for holding an illegal gathering of more than 30 people.\n\nSupt Chris Hill said \"organising this flat party was a clear act of non-compliance\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The US reported a third straight daily record for new coronavirus cases on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University.\n\nMore than 127,000 infections were reported in 24 hours, as well as 1,149 deaths.\n\nThe news comes as officials announced that White House chief of staff Mark Meadows had also tested positive for the virus.\n\nHe is the latest Trump administration official to contract the disease.\n\nThe US is the worst affected nation in the world by Covid-19, with more than 9.7 million confirmed cases and a death toll of more than 230,000.\n\nIt was not immediately clear how Mr Meadows - who has often appeared at public events without a face mask - was infected.\n\nAccording to the New York Times he first tested positive on Wednesday. Trump election campaign adviser Nick Trainer also has the virus, the paper said.\n\nMr Meadows travelled with the president on the final days of campaigning and was at an election night party attended by dozens of Trump supporters at the White House.\n\nThe country's coronavirus outbreak was a key policy battleground in the run-up to the 3 November election, and contributed to a surge in postal and early in-person voting.\n\nMr Meadows seen with President Trump at a campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina last month\n\nIn late October, Mr Meadows said in an interview with CNN that the US was \"not going to control the pandemic\", saying that Covid-19 could only be defeated by \"mitigation areas\" like vaccines and therapeutics.\n\nPresident Trump and his wife Melania and son Barron all contracted and recovered from Covid-19 - as did national security adviser Robert O'Brien, senior advisor Stephen Miller and White House counsellor Hope Hicks.\n\nA ceremony at the White House on 26 September came into focus after the president contracted the virus.\n\nMore than a dozen reporters, guests and officials at the crowded Rose Garden event - where Mr Trump formally announced Amy Coney Barrett as his pick for the Supreme Court - contracted the virus.\n\nFootage captured attendees standing close together without masks. Some shook hands, bumped fists and even hugged.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Senator Mike Lee, who later tested positive for Covid-19, seen hugging other attendees", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. David Sillito looks back on the career of Geoffrey Palmer\n\nActor Geoffrey Palmer, known for his roles in such sitcoms as Butterflies, As Time Goes By and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, has died aged 93.\n\nHe died peacefully at home, his agent said.\n\nVersatile and prolific, he was known and loved for his hangdog expression, lugubrious delivery and the often testy demeanour he gave to his characters.\n\nAs Time Goes By saw him star with Dame Judi Dench, a partnership they revived in Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.\n\nHe also acted in Mrs Brown, again with Dench, and The Madness of King George.\n\nDame Judi, who starred in nine series of As Time Goes By with Palmer, told BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme: \"Geoffrey was master of comedy, an absolute master.\"\n\nPaying tribute to his \"wonderful deadpan expression\", she added: \"I've admired him all my life. How lucky to have been in something with him for so long.\"\n\nHis co-star in Butterflies from 1978 to 1983, Wendy Craig, told the programme: \"He was just a delight to work with, his timing was perfect.\"\n\nDespite his \"rather serious face\", she said he was \"full of fun\" in person. \"When he laughed and when he smiled his whole face lit up, his eyes twinkled. He was always up for a laugh and not a heavy-going serious person at all,\" she said.\n\nHis early television roles included appearances in The Army Game, The Saint and The Avengers and he went on to appear in Doctor Who and the Kipper and the Corpse episode of Fawlty Towers.\n\nThe Doctor Who programme listed the shows he had appeared in with a tribute on Twitter.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Doctor Who This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Doctor Who\n\nBroadcaster and author Gyles Brandreth said: \"RIP Geoffrey Palmer - such a wonderful actor, such a lovely guy. Brilliant at his craft and just the best company: wickedly funny. He did everything he did so well. Thanks for all the happy memories Geoffrey: we'll cherish them as time goes by.\"\n\nComedian Marcus Brigstocke, who starred alongside Palmer in BBC One sitcom The Savages, remembered him as \"the kindest, most brilliant man\", while Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright said he was \"brilliantly funny\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by edgarwright This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nComedian Eddie Izzard added: \"Very sad to hear that Geoffrey Palmer has left us. I was very excited to meet him once and then had the honour to act with him in the film Lost Christmas. His work will stay with us and through that he can live on forever. Good work Sir. Rest in peace.\"\n\nActress Annette Badland said: \"He was such a gifted actor and enormously good company. We worked together several times, laughed a lot and he was kind and generous. I am much saddened. Love to his family. Sleep well Mr Palmer.\"\n\nReece Shearsmith from The League of Gentlemen described him an \"immaculate singular actor\", singling out his performance in Butterflies.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Reece Shearsmith This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nPalmer appeared in four series of the Carla Lane sitcom, in which he played the stuffy husband of Wendy Craig's Ria.\n\nYet it was his partnership with Dench in As Time Goes By for which he will perhaps be best remembered.\n\nPalmer worked with Judi Dench in As Time Goes By\n\nThe BBC sitcom, about two former lovers who meet unexpectedly and later marry, ran from 1992 to 2005.\n\nIn 2018 Dame Judi described her co-star as \"the naughtiest man I ever had the pleasure to work with\" as she gave him a prize at that year's Oldie Awards.\n\nIn Tomorrow Never Dies, released in 1997, Palmer's combative Admiral Roebuck sparred with Dame Judi's M, the head of the secret service.\n\nProducers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli remembered the actor as \"a much beloved star of TV and film and a treasured member of the Bond family\".\n\nPalmer's distinctive voice made him a popular choice for narration, audiobooks and adverts.\n\nHe narrated the Grumpy Old Men series and introduced British viewers to \"Vorsprung durch Technik\" in adverts for Audi cars.\n\nActress Frances Barber remembered an occasion when he had queried a residuals payment he had received for the ubiquitous commercial.\n\n\"I just called my agent and said they've put too many 0's on the cheque,\" she recalled him saying. \"After lunch he said 'Apparently they haven't'. His face didn't change.\"\n\nIn his later years Palmer was seen in Paddington, Parade's End and W.E, in which he was directed by pop star Madonna.\n\nHe was made an OBE in 2004 for services to drama.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nPalmer, a keen fly fisherman, campaigned against the HS2 railway line, the proposed route of which ran close to his home in the Chilterns.\n\n\"Stop this vanity project and leave our countryside alone,\" he told then-PM David Cameron in a 2013 video filmed for the Daily Politics show.\n\n\"I am not grumpy,\" he once said of his distinctively jowly features. \"I just look this way.\"\n\nHe is survived by his wife Sally Green, with whom he had a daughter and a son.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Nelson has also pulled out of an appearance at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday evening\n\nJesy Nelson has pulled out of Saturday evening's live final of Little Mix: The Search.\n\nThe 29-year-old was due to appear alongside her bandmates in the last episode of the BBC One talent show.\n\nBut a spokesman for the group said in a statement: \"Jesy is unwell and will not be appearing on tonight's final of Little Mix The Search.\n\n\"She will also not be hosting or performing at tomorrow's MTV EMAs [Europe Music Awards].\"\n\nThe statement, which was made on Saturday morning, did not make clear what is wrong with Nelson or how unwell she is.\n\nThe announcement comes the day after Little Mix released their sixth album, Confetti.\n\nThe group were due to host the MTV EMAs on Sunday evening, which will be filmed in various locations around the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nIt is thought Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall will still host the ceremony, which will feature performances from Doja Cat, Sam Smith, DaBaby and Alicia Keys.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Little Mix say the pressures associated with an online presence can be harmful to young people's mental health\n\nLast month, filming on Little Mix: The Search was halted after a \"small number of people\" involved in the series tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nThe band were not among those who tested positive, but Thirlwall self-isolated as a precaution.\n\nShe still took part in the first live show virtually, dialling in via video link to judge and score the bands from home.\n\nAround two million viewers have been tuning in to each episode of Little Mix The Search, which has been airing since late September.\n\nThe task for the group is to assemble six bands from thousands of wannabes, and eventually choose one to support them on tour.\n\nNelson has previously discussed her mental health battle on the BBC Three documentary Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out.\n\nThe documentary, which won a National Television Award, addressed body image and the impact of online bullying.\n\nIn the programme, Nelson revealed that negative comments online had led to an attempt to take her own life.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The findings form part of Ofcom's third annual report on the BBC\n\nSatisfaction with the BBC among its most loyal audiences is showing \"signs of waning\" for the first time, broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has said.\n\nOlder and more affluent people have traditionally used and valued the broadcaster the most.\n\nBut Ofcom said: \"For the first time, satisfaction levels among audiences who typically use the BBC the most... are beginning to show signs of waning.\"\n\nThat was especially true of the over-55s, according to Ofcom.\n\n\"Older audiences in particular are starting to show signs of decreasing satisfaction,\" the watchdog's third annual report into the BBC said. But over-55s are still \"better served than other groups\", it added.\n\nThe report also said the corporation was \"still struggling\" to reach younger audiences.\n\n\"Average time spent with the BBC each week [by young audiences] now stands at just less than an hour a day,\" it found.\n\nYoung people, the report continued, tend to use BBC iPlayer \"when they know what they want to watch, rather than as a destination to browse for new content\".\n\nThe report said the BBC's \"overall reach is still very high, with almost nine in 10 adults consuming its content on a weekly basis\".\n\nYet overall audiences are \"in gradual decline\", it said, and the corporation's reach among adults has fallen by 5%, from 92% to 87%, over the past three years.\n\n\"If audiences do not consider the BBC a core part of their viewing, they may not see value in the licence fee,\" it suggested.\n\nThe Gavin and Stacey 2019 Christmas special was seen by more than 17 million viewers\n\nThe report included the BBC's coverage of Kylie Minogue's 2019 Glastonbury set and the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special among its highlights from the year.\n\nIt covered the period April 2019 to March 2020, before means testing of the TV licence for over-75s began in August.\n\nThe BBC said it welcomed Ofcom's report and its assertion that \"audiences value the BBC particularly for distinctive, high-quality, creative programmes, educational content and trusted and accurate news\".\n\nThe corporation's statement added: \"We're committed to delivering great value and meeting the challenges of a fast-changing media landscape.\"\n\nOfcom has also published its annual study of diversity in the TV and radio industry, which calls on the sector to broaden the geographic and social make-up of its workforce.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "\"It's going to look horrible.\" The simple truth about the Spending Review according to a senior MP.\n\nThe chancellor will bang the drum for his plans to keep people in jobs, or help find new ones. Rishi Sunak will take out the metaphorical megaphone to explain how he'll allocate billions of taxpayers' cash to spend on infrastructure in the coming months.\n\nBut the headlines of the Spending Review, when governments put their money where their mouths are, won't be in any rhetorical flourishes at the despatch box, nor likely in any surprise announcements kept back as goodies for the public.\n\nWhat may shock, is the cold reality of the cost of the coronavirus, which will be laid bare in the tables and charts published at the same time, presenting to the country in the shape of statistics from the Office for Budget Responsibility how much damage the pandemic has really done to how we make a living.\n\nWithout poring over the spreadsheets, the \"horrible\" will mean a massive gap between what the government takes in tax and what is has been spending, a deficit more than ten times what it was last year.\n\nThere will be an estimate of the number of people who may end up unemployed, perhaps nearing three million before too long.\n\nIt's likely to mean a freeze on pay for much of the public sector; a cut, even if temporary to the amount of cash the UK spends on foreign aid; tight spending limits for government departments on their day-to-day spending and eye-watering levels of debt and borrowing.\n\nOne former Treasury minister, who is not prone to hyperbole (unusually for a politician you might wonder) described it as a \"multigenerational debt which will have implications for the rest of our lives in terms of what the British state can afford\".\n\nWe will on Wednesday, they suggest, \"learn a great deal about the problem\", what months of emergency spending has done to the economy. But before we go on, don't hold your breath to learn much about any solutions.\n\nRishi Sunak will set out the state of the country's finances in a statement to Parliament\n\nThe chancellor and prime minister have decided politically that while budgets will be tight (and let's see the black and white to assess this for real) there can't be a return to the kind of squeeze of the Cameron and Osborne era.\n\nNo one in government would pretend in private there is any way to avoid tax rises at some point. But Mr Sunak is not going to announce any of that on Wednesday - any big ways of raising money to fill the hole won't come until the Budget next year at the earliest, and perhaps not until after that.\n\nBut Wednesday's review will sketch out the very, very serious challenge for the country's finances that is on the way.\n\nMost importantly of course that will be reflected in the number of people who might lose their jobs with all the distress that entails, all the business that could be lost, and the impact on people's pay packets. But it also sets the backdrop for the decisions that our politicians have to make, and will be confronted with for many, many years to come.\n\nIt's notable that while there have been some skirmishes around the edges in the last nine months, there has been very little tension over the government and the Bank of England's central actions to write enormous cheques, and keep the signatures coming as the pandemic has progressed.\n\nAnd it's far from over. But as time goes on the exit from the emergency leaves the government with extremely difficult political decisions.\n\nPubs have been forced to close due to coronavirus restrictions\n\nThere is no appetite to break any of the prime minister's expensive manifesto promises.\n\nNew Tory MPs, particularly in new Tory seats are chomping at the bit for evidence to show to their constituents they made the right decision.\n\nOne former minister said, \"our voters want something tangible they can see at the end of their street,\" and they want it fast.\n\nBut the chancellor also, according to his allies, says \"we have to be the party of looking after people's money - he says, if we lose that, why don't you just vote Labour?\"\n\nThe argument works the other way too, to an extent. If the Tories are racking up levels of public spending that are previously unimaginable, the traditional gap in economic vision doesn't leave Labour with that much space.\n\nHow and when will either of the main parties try to confront what has really gone on as the cost of trying to deal with the pandemic has gone up and up and up?\n\nSome ministers worry even many MPs haven't yet understood the real consequences for how we make a living - the damage the decisions made to protect the country during the emergency of the pandemic have had on the economy.\n\nBut Wednesday will be the first time, eight months in, when we will be confronted with the size of the likely bill. The argument about who and how to pay will dominate for many years to come.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday evening. We'll have another update for you tomorrow morning.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe number of unemployed people will surge to 2.6 million by the middle of next year, according to the government's independent forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility. The latest figures show 1.62 million people are unemployed, a number which has risen by more than 300,000 since last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. The last time the UK unemployment figure was as high as 2.6 million was in May to July 2012. The number exceeded 3 million from 1983 to 1987 and for a few months in early 1993. In his Spending Review, the chancellor said government borrowing will rise to its highest outside of wartime to deal with the economic impact. So, why is unemployment rising?\n\nPeople have been urged to consider the risk of spreading coronavirus when rules are relaxed over Christmas. It comes after it was confirmed that up to three households will be allowed to stay together and form a \"Christmas bubble\" from 23 to 27 December, as agreed by all four UK nations. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told people to use \"personal judgement\" on whether or not to visit elderly or vulnerable relatives. Meanwhile, there have been calls for a UK-wide approach to coronavirus rules after Christmas. Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said it \"makes sense\" to \"respond to the consequences of greater household mixing\" together in the aftermath of the five-day period. Here's our guide to the Christmas rules and how to keep the virus at bay this festive season.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. People in Cardiff share their views on the relaxation of Covid-19 rules over Christmas\n\nThe number of domestic abuse offences recorded by police in England and Wales has increased during the pandemic. However, the Office for National Statistics said such offences gradually rose in recent years so it cannot be determined if it was related to the pandemic. Police recorded 259,324 domestic abuse offences between March and June - 7% up on the same period in 2019. During and after the first lockdown in April, May and June, roughly one-fifth of offences involved domestic abuse.\n\nIntensive care nurse Valerie Bednar, who struggled to get face masks to fit her, has inspired the design of custom-fit ones for frontline healthcare workers. Her husband Gareth Smith set up MyMaskFit, which is aiming to become the first in the UK to make custom-fit, reusable, filtering face piece masks to a medical grade standard. Based in Swansea, the firm hopes to further develop a prototype designed by researchers at Birmingham University and King's College London - with the aim of making them available to the NHS in Wales in the new year. Read Valerie and Gareth's story.\n\nGareth Smith set up MyMaskFit after wife Valerie, pictured, struggled to find a mask to fit her\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, remind yourself of the rules for visits to pubs and restaurants over the Christmas period.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Biden: \"We've just got to keep the border open\" between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden has said America does not want a \"guarded border\" between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland following Brexit.\n\nHe said it had taken a lot of hard work to reach a settlement on the island of Ireland, ending decades of conflict.\n\nThe UK government has threatened to overrule the Brexit withdrawal agreement which committed it to keeping the border open.\n\nMr Biden has previously said Brexit must not endanger the peace process.\n\nSpeaking to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday, Mr Biden said: \"We do not want a guarded border. We've worked too long to get Ireland worked out.\n\n\"The idea of having a border north and south once again being closed is just not right, we've just got to keep the border open.\"\n\nMr Biden - who has unveiled officials for six important posts as he prepares to take office - said he had spoken to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) and the French government.\n\nMr Biden - an Irish American - has previously said that any UK-US post-Brexit trade deal had to be \"contingent\" on respect for the Good Friday Agreement.\n\nThose comments came after the government put forward legislation that would give it the power to change aspects of the EU withdrawal agreement, a legally binding deal governing the terms of Brexit made earlier this year.\n\nThe Internal Market Bill is designed to enable goods and services to flow freely across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland after 1 January - when the post-Brexit transition period runs out.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Biden: \"It’s a team that reflects the fact that America is back\"\n\nThe president-elect was quick to criticise the legislation when it was first published, warning that the Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland \"cannot become a casualty of Brexit\".\n\nEarlier this month, the House of Lords voted to remove a section of the bill that would allow ministers to break international law, but the government has said it would reinstate these clauses when the bill returns to the House of Commons next month.\n\nThe UK and EU are still working to strike a deal to govern their trading relationship once the UK's post-Brexit transition period ends in January 2021.\n\nThe President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said last week that progress had been made on some issues but there were still \"some metres to the finish line\" to reach agreement.\n\nMeanwhile, a senior Democrat with close links to Mr Biden's incoming administration has criticised the UK government's plans to cut its overseas aid budget.\n\nJohn Podesta, a former adviser to Presidents Obama and Clinton, told the BBC the reduction of the spending target was \"extremely unfortunate\".\n\nMr Podesta may not speak directly for Team Biden but his remarks will be seen as a clear warning shot from across the Atlantic, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Landale has said.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nFrance will begin to ease its strict coronavirus restrictions this weekend, allowing non-essential shops to reopen, President Emmanuel Macron has said.\n\nPeople will also be able to share \"moments with the family\" over the Christmas period, Mr Macron announced.\n\nBut he said bars and restaurants would have to remain closed until 20 January.\n\nFrance has reported more than 2.2 million cases and more than 50,000 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.\n\nIn a televised address on Tuesday evening, Mr Macron said the country had passed the peak of the second wave of virus infections.\n\nHe said that the bulk of lockdown restrictions would be eased from 15 December for the festive period, with cinemas reopening and general travel restrictions lifted, as long as new infections were at 5,000 a day or less.\n\nOn Monday, France reported 4,452 daily Covid-19 infections - its lowest tally since 28 September.\n\nThe latest seven-day rolling average for new infections in France is reported to be 21,918. That figure peaked at 54,440 on 7 November.\n\nMr Macron said the recent news of successful vaccine trials offered \"a glimmer of hope\" and that France would aim to begin vaccinations against Covid-19 \"at the end of December or at the beginning of January\", starting with the elderly and most vulnerable.\n\nThe French president said the situation would be reviewed on 20 January, and if infections remained low, bars and restaurants would then be permitted to reopen. Universities would also be able to accept students again.\n\nHowever, if the situation had worsened, he said he would look at options to avoid triggering a third wave.\n\n\"We must do everything to avoid a third wave, do everything to avoid a third lockdown,\" Mr Macron said.\n\nHe later tweeted to say that all businesses forced to remain closed during the restrictions, such as restaurants, bars and sports halls, would have the choice of receiving up to €10,000 (£8,900) from a \"solidarity fund\" or the payment of 20% of their turnover.\n\nHe said that France's ski resorts may have to remain closed until next year because the current risks associated with the virus made it difficult for such sports to resume.\n\nHowever, he said he would discuss the issue with other European leaders and provide an update in the coming days.\n\nSki resorts were responsible for numerous outbreaks of Covid-19 cases across Europe in the early days of the pandemic.\n\nMr Macron said the lockdown would be replaced by a nationwide curfew between 21:00 and 07:00, except on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.\n\nFrance has been under a second national lockdown since the beginning of November. People have only been permitted to leave home to go to work, buy essential goods, seek medical help or exercise for one hour a day. Anyone going outside must carry a written statement justifying their journey.\n\nWhile all non-essential shops, restaurants and bars have been shut, schools and crèches have remained open. Social gatherings have been banned.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMeasures to deal with coronavirus outbreaks remain in place across Europe, but a reduction in daily reported cases in some areas - coupled with the reported success of a number of vaccines - has led countries to revisit their restrictions. Some of the latest developments include:", "A former Eton College teacher has been convicted of sexual offences against pupils during \"nocturnal\" visits to their bedrooms.\n\nMatthew Mowbray, 49, went into boys' rooms under the guise of discussing schoolwork, Reading Crown Court heard.\n\nHe was found guilty of eight counts of sexual activity with a child and not guilty of one against a girl.\n\nThe defendant previously admitted six counts of making indecent images of children and one of voyeurism.\n\nOne complainant said Mowbray groped his bottom with a \"forceful squeeze\"\n\nMowbray, of Locks Heath, Southampton, was dismissed from his role at the boys' boarding school, near Windsor, Berkshire, following his arrest.\n\nHis trial heard he would pay regular \"nocturnal visits\" to boys \"for his own sexual gratification\".\n\nOne complainant said Mowbray groped his bottom with a \"forceful squeeze\", while another pupil said he \"felt really uncomfortable and just froze\" when he was sexually touched by the geography teacher.\n\nEton College was founded by King Henry VI in 1440 and has about 1,300 pupils\n\nFollowing his conviction, Marc Thompson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: \"Mowbray's victims described feeling uncomfortable with his nocturnal visits to their rooms.\n\n\"Whilst not overtly sexual acts, they knew the touching was wrong, but were at a loss to know what to do.\n\n\"Mowbray's intentions became clear with the discovery of the indecent images on his computer, it was through this evidence we were able to prove to the jury that the manner in which he touched the boys was intended to satisfy his own sexual desires.\"\n\nSimon Henderson, head teacher at Eton College, said he was \"outraged\" by the way Mowbray had \"abused his position of trust and betrayed those in his care\".\n\nHe added there was a \"palpable sense of betrayal, coupled with shock and deep regret that we did not identify his offending earlier\".\n\nHe said staff would be \"redoubling our efforts to ensure that Eton remains an ever more open and supportive environment for all of our pupils, so that they can continue to feel confident to come forward with any concerns that they may have\".\n\nHe offered his \"unreserved apologies\" to those affected and paid tribute to their \"extraordinary courage and dignity\".\n\nMowbray did not give evidence in his trial. He will be sentenced at Reading Crown Court at a later date.\n\nHe was granted bail on the condition he does not contact parents or staff from Eton College, must not enter Eton or the surrounding area, and must not have unsupervised contact with children who are under the age of 16.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Harry Dunn died in a crash outside RAF Croughton last year\n\nHarry Dunn's parents have lost their High Court battle against the Foreign Office over whether their son's alleged killer had diplomatic immunity.\n\nMr Dunn, 19, died when his motorbike was in a crash with a car near RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire, in 2019.\n\nThe suspect, 43-year-old Anne Sacoolas, later left for the United States citing diplomatic immunity.\n\nMr Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles said the High Court ruling was \"just a blip along the way\".\n\nMrs Sacoolas, whose husband Jonathan worked as a technical assistant at the RAF base, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December, but an extradition request was denied in January.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'It's just another hurdle', Harry Dunn's parents say\n\nThe legal challenge by Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn's father Tim Dunn claimed Mrs Sacoolas should not have been granted immunity.\n\nBut Lord Justice Flaux and Mr Justice Saini concluded \"that Mrs Sacoolas enjoyed immunity from UK criminal jurisdiction at the time of Harry's death\".\n\nMrs Charles said: \"The government and Mrs Sacoolas need to understand that this court ruling is just a blip along the way.\n\n\"I promised my boy I would get him justice and that is just what we are going to do. No-one is going to stand in our way.\"\n\nShe added: \"It's obviously disappointing that this court did not find in our favour but we are more focused now than ever on fulfilling our promise.\"\n\nFamily spokesman Radd Seiger said Mr Dunn and Mrs Charles would be appealing against the ruling.\n\nAnne Sacoolas, pictured on her wedding day in 2003, cited diplomatic immunity after the crash and returned to the US\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab said: \"While this judgment makes clear the Foreign Office acted properly and lawfully throughout, I appreciate that won't provide any solace to the family in their search for justice.\n\n\"We stand with them, we're clear that Anne Sacoolas needs to face justice in the UK, and we will support the family with their legal claim in the US.\"\n\nThe High Court judges also rejected a claim by Mr Dunn's parents that the Foreign Office had \"usurped\" Northamptonshire Police's investigation into their son's death.\n\nLord Justice Flaux and Mr Justice Saini found officials had \"sought to assist rather than obstruct Northamptonshire Police in their investigation\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dominic Raab: 'We continue to offer the Dunn family support'\n\nThe family's case centred on a 1995 agreement between the UK and the US, granting immunity to administrative and technical staff at the RAF base, which the US waived in relation to \"acts performed outside the course of their duties\".\n\nLawyers for Mr Dunn and Mrs Charles argued that the Foreign Office \"took upon itself the authority to resolve the question of immunity and ultimately and unlawfully decided to accept the US embassy's decision that Anne Sacoolas had immunity\".\n\nIn written submissions, the Foreign Office argued its officials had \"objected in strong terms\" to Mrs Sacoolas leaving the UK, and \"repeatedly emphasised\" that the department \"wanted the Sacoolas family to co-operate with the UK authorities\".\n\nLord Justice Flaux and Mr Justice Saini ruled that Mrs Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity \"on arrival in the UK\" under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.\n\nAs this had not been \"expressly waived\", it meant Mrs Sacoolas \"had immunity at the time of Harry's death\" on 27 August, they said.\n\nMr Dunn said: \"It's bad enough feeling the horrible pain of not having Harry around and missing him, but I can't believe the governments are putting us through this.\n\n\"It all seems so cruel and needless and I am just as angry today as I ever have been but so determined to see it all through until we have justice.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nProfessional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor will stand down at the end of the season - two years after first announcing his intention to do so.\n\nThe 75-year-old has held the role since 1981 and a letter announcing his resignation was sent to members on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nIn 2019, the PFA commenced a \"full and open review\" into its finances.\n\nThis review - first announced in November 2018 - was completed in July.\n\nIt came following intense criticism of the players' union.\n\nAt the time, he said the organisation's entire management committee, including himself, would stand down at the annual general meeting following the report's release.\n\nThe 2020 AGM will take place on Thursday, where members will vote on a new governance structure in which the outgoing management committee would be replaced by a players' board and an operational board, which would oversee the day-to-day running of the union.\n\n\"As I announced at our previous AGM, now that the independent review process has completed, I too will step down, by the end of the current season,\" Taylor wrote.\n\n\"A new chief executive will be elected following the recruitment procedure recommended by the independent review, and we have already made substantial progress in that direction. I will of course be available in the future whenever needed to support the PFA.\"\n\nTaylor is credited with negotiating the PFA's biggest source of income - around £25m per year from the Premier League.\n\nBut the PFA has recently come under more scrutiny around the issue of dementia, which is a growing concern for former players and the subject of fury from some over a perceived lack of action and support by the PFA.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, John Stiles - the son of former England international Nobby Stiles, who died in October - had called for the resignation of Taylor and his leadership team.\n\nThe PFA announced its Neurodegenerative Disease Working Group (NDWG) last week, which would seek to consult the likes of Dawn Astle - the daughter of Jeff Astle - and former Blackburn Rovers forward Chris Sutton, who has also been critical of the union after his father, a former footballer, was diagnosed with dementia.\n\nSutton has told BBC Sport he has \"no plan to join the taskforce and doesn't want to be associated with the PFA in its current guise\".\n\nThe PFA also said it would continue to fund Dr Willie Stewart's research into the issue after the neuropathologist found last year that former footballers were between two and five times more likely to die from degenerative brain diseases.\n\nAnd on Friday it called for heading in training to be reduced in order to protect current players while a potential link between heading and long-term brain injuries exists.\n\n1981 - Takes charge of the PFA and introduces a non-contributory pension scheme for members.\n\n1986 - Helps establish the Football in the Community initiative at six clubs before it is rolled out across all 92 Football League clubs.\n\n1989 - Agrees to join the Football League as chief executive before reconsidering and staying with the players' union.\n\n1994 - Appointed President of FIFPro (the International Association of Football Players' Unions).\n\n2001 - Secures a £52.2m three-year deal with the Premier League over television revenue after 99% of players back a threat to strike.\n\n2008 - Recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours and appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).\n\n2015 - Issues a public apology after comparing the Ched Evans rape case with the Hillsborough tragedy.\n\n2017 - Dawn Astle, the daughter of former West Brom and England striker Jeff, walks out of a meeting with Taylor criticising the PFA for a lack of action on dementia research.\n\n2018 - The PFA says it is \"disappointing\" that a dispute over the eligibility of Ben Purkiss as chairman had become public knowledge.\n\n2018 - An independent review into the PFA is announced.\n\n2019 - Taylor announces he will step down at the conclusion of the review.\n\n2020 - In a letter to PFA members, Taylor says he will step down at the end of the 2020-21 season.\n• Watch 13 FA Cup second-round games on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app this weekend. Find out more here.\n\nRegarded as one of football's finest administrators during the 1980s and 1990s, much of the PFA's influence on the modern game can be traced back to Taylor.\n\nHis biggest success story at the PFA came in 2001 while negotiating a deal with the Premier League over what the PFA's share of television revenue should be.\n\nEngland internationals including David Beckham and Gary Neville were among 99% of the PFA's membership to approve strike action until a figure of £52.2m (over three years) was finally agreed, alongside stipulations relating to future deals.\n\nHe established community programmes and youth training schemes (now apprenticeships) at all 92 professional football clubs.\n\nHe also played a key role in founding the 'Let's Kick Racism Out of Football' initiative in 1993, which later became the organisation Kick It Out.\n\nMore recently, Taylor pushed for football to adopt the 'Rooney Rule' to increase the number of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) coaches in the game.\n\nWhile the annual PFA Awards evening in April has gone from a men-only sportsman's dinner to an inclusive and glitzy bash, it has not been without controversy.\n\nFootball agent Rachel Anderson sued the PFA after being refused admission in 1998 and was awarded damages of £7,500, plus costs.\n\nIn 2013, black American comedian Reginald D Hunter used an offensive racist term during his performance at the Grosvenor House hotel in Mayfair, with Taylor saying the performer may have been unaware the language had been an \"emotive\" subject in football.\n\nThere have also been raised eyebrows over perceived lavish expenditure at times, with £1.9m spent on LS Lowry's 'Going to the Match' painting.\n\nIn 2013, national newspapers reported Taylor had run up more than £100,000 in gambling debts, and in 2015 he was forced to issue a public apology after comparing the Ched Evans rape case with the Hillsborough tragedy.\n\nAround 300 high-profile former and current players endorsed an open letter calling for Taylor to step down in November 2018 amid a dispute with PFA chairman Purkiss.\n• None The former US president previews his memoir\n• None The latest film from Steve McQueen is streaming now", "Chancellor Rishi Sunak has set out what the UK government will spend on health, education, transport and other public services next year.\n\nIn a statement in Parliament, he also briefed MPs about the state of the UK economy and the latest forecasts for the UK's public finances, which have been battered by the Covid pandemic.\n\nHere are the main points.", "As much as £1bn in benefit fraud has been prevented from being paid to organised-crime groups in recent months, BBC News has learned.\n\nBut before the scam was spotted, officials unwittingly confirmed thousands of stolen identities.\n\nFraudsters took advantage of looser rules introduced to cope with a surge of universal credit claims during the pandemic.\n\nBBC News has asked the Department for Work and Pensions for a response.\n\nIn May, a junior civil servant working with High Street banks noticed dozens of claims for universal credit had been made asking for money to be paid into the same bank account.\n\nFurther investigation identified more than 100,000 fraudulent claims.\n\nAnd officials admit they had confirmed thousands of people's identities to the gangs that had stolen them - and passed on their National Insurance numbers.\n\nThe Department for Work and Pensions wants to write to those whose data has been compromised.\n\nBut BBC News has learned it is struggling to identify many of them and is wary of sending out letters to last known addresses in case they end up in the wrong hands, exacerbating the data breach.\n\nClaimants whose identities have been stolen can face real hardship, as it can be months before their accurate benefits are paid.\n\nCurrently, 5.7 million people receive universal credit, almost double the figure for March.\n\nTo cope with the surge, identity checks were processed online, rather than face-to-face, and information such as the cost of rent and whether someone had been self-employed taken on trust.\n\nDWP officials have asked the Treasury for £200m over three years, in this spending round, calculating it would enable it to prevent such mass scams and save taxpayers about £500m each year.\n\nIt is estimated more than a million claims for universal credit have still to be properly checked, with additional rising concerns tens of thousands of people may have claimed the benefit without declaring they had received government grants to help the self-employed.\n\nHowever, the Treasury has turned down the request.", "Engineers lowered the first of 10 booster segments into place on 21 November\n\nNasa has started assembling the first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on a launch platform ahead of its maiden flight next year.\n\nThe SLS is the giant rocket that will send US astronauts back to the Moon this decade - with the first crewed landing targeted for 2024.\n\nEngineers in Florida have begun stacking the segments that make up the vehicle's two solid rocket boosters.\n\nThe rocket is scheduled to make its debut in November 2021.\n\nThe SLS consists of a giant, 65m (212ft) - long core stage with four engines that's flanked by the twin solid fuel boosters.\n\nTogether, these produce a massive 8.8 million pounds (39.1 Meganewtons) of thrust that can loft astronauts into orbit; the rocket subsequently hurls them towards the Moon.\n\nThe huge SLS core stage was transferred from Louisiana to Mississippi for testing earlier this year\n\nTeams at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida lowered the first of 10 booster segments into place on a structure known as the mobile launcher on 21 November. The process is taking place inside the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy.\n\nThe boosters will burn six tonnes of solid, aluminium-based propellant each second when the SLS launches. They provide 75% of the vehicle's thrust at lift-off.\n\nThe mobile launcher they're being stacked on is a 115m (380ft) -tall structure that's used to process and assemble the SLS before moving it to the launch pad.\n\nIt's a huge symbolic step, not only for the SLS - which has been under development for a decade - but also Nasa's plan to send the next man and the first woman to the lunar surface by 2024, known as Artemis.\n\n\"Stacking the first piece of the SLS rocket on the mobile launcher marks a major milestone for the Artemis programme,\" said Andrew Shroble, a manager with Jacobs engineering group which is working on the rocket for Nasa.\n\n\"It shows the mission is truly taking shape and will soon head to the launch pad.\"\n\nThe solid rocket boosters provide 75% of the vehicle's thrust at launch\n\nThe other big segment of the SLS - its orange foam-covered core stage - is currently undergoing a programme of tests called the Green Run at Nasa's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.\n\nThe final two Green Run tests - which consist of loading the huge stage with propellant and, two weeks later, firing its four engines to simulate a launch and ascent - are set to take place in the next few weeks.\n\nOnce it's fully assembled, the SLS rocket will stand taller than the Statue of Liberty and have about 15% more maximum thrust at lift-off than the Saturn V rocket used to launch the Apollo missions to the Moon in the 1960s and 70s.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Ignition: This solid rocket booster will be used for missions to the Moon\n\nThe booster segments being assembled in Florida will launch Nasa's next-generation astronaut vehicle, Orion, on a loop around the Moon in November next year.\n\nOrion will not be carrying any crew on that mission, known as Artemis-1. It will be used to check out the vehicle's performance before humans are allowed onboard for the Artemis-2 mission, currently scheduled for 2023.\n\nThis will be followed in 2024 by Artemis-3, the first crewed landing on the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972.", "People have been urged to be cautious of the risk of spreading coronavirus when rules are relaxed over Christmas.\n\nUp to three households will be allowed to stay together and form a \"Christmas bubble\" from 23 to 27 December, as agreed by all four UK nations.\n\nA scientific adviser to the government said the relaxation of rules amounted to \"throwing fuel on the Covid fire\".\n\nMeanwhile, it is expected most areas of England will be placed in the middle tier of a toughened three-tier system.\n\nDetails on what will happen when the current lockdown ends on 2 December will be announced on Thursday. The decision will be based on a number of factors including case numbers, the reproduction rate - or R number - and pressure on local NHS services.\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says a \"handful\" of areas will be in the lightest regime of limits - tier one - but most of the country is likely to be in either tier two or three.\n\nShe said London is expected to be placed in tier two.\n\nThe measures for Christmas will see travel restrictions across the four nations, and between tiers and levels, lifted to allow people to visit families in other parts of the UK.\n\nAnyone travelling to or from Northern Ireland may travel on the 22 and 28 December, but otherwise travel to and from bubbles should be done between the 23 and 27.\n\nPeople will not be able to get together with others from more than two other households, and once a bubble is formed, it must not be changed or be extended further.\n\nThe guidance says a bubble of three households would be able to stay overnight at each other's home but would not be able to visit hospitality, theatres or retail settings.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has told people to use \"personal judgement\" on whether to visit elderly relatives.\n\nIn a video message from Downing Street, the prime minister described the agreement as a \"special, time-limited dispensation\", saying: \"This year means Christmas will be different.\"\n\nMr Johnson said people must consider the risks of who to form a bubble with and whether or not to visit elderly or vulnerable relatives, adding: \"Many of us are longing to spend time with family and friends... And yet we can't afford to throw caution to the wind.\"\n\nHe added: \"'Tis the season to be jolly but 'tis also the season to be jolly careful.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. In a video filmed from isolation, the PM said people must make a \"personal judgement\" on the risks of meeting up\n\nThe prime minister has also reassured children that Father Christmas \"will be packing his sleigh and delivering presents this Christmas\".\n\nIn response to a letter from eight-year-old Monti, Mr Johnson said Father Christmas would not be a risk to children's health but that \"leaving hand sanitiser by the cookies is an excellent idea\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Boris Johnson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIt comes as the government recorded another 18,213 Covid cases in the UK. Figures also showed a further 696 people had died within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nThe number of deaths is the highest since the start of May and compares to 608 recorded on Wednesday.\n\nBBC health editor Hugh Pym says many of those who have died are likely to have picked up an infection before the current lockdown measures were put in place. He said a rise in the death toll would not be expected to continue into December because the average number of daily cases is now falling and hospital admissions are levelling off.\n\nA mid-week rise can also be down to delays in deaths being reported over the weekend.\n\nFirst Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford said the ministers agreed they had to ease the rules because people would have flouted restrictions - creating further risk - if they were told Christmas had been \"cancelled\".\n\nMinisters were shown behavioural science evidence that \"too many people simply would not have been prepared to have gone along with such an instruction\", he told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday.\n\nMr Drakeford also said a UK-wide approach to coronavirus rules after Christmas was needed.\n\nNicola Sturgeon has said guidance for people in Scotland is still being finalised and will be issued on Thursday, but that her government will not be \"encouraging\" people to meet up.\n\n\"The expectation should be that the guidance will probably look to tighten around the edges rather than further expand and that will be true with the travel window of opportunity as well - we want to limit that window, not expand it,\" the first minister said.\n\nPublished guidance for England gives further details of the rules for 23 to 27 December:\n\nProf Andrew Hayward, director of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, and a member of the government's Sage committee, told BBC Newsnight allowing families to meet up over Christmas amounted to \"throwing fuel on the Covid fire\".\n\nHe said it would \"definitely lead to increase[d] transmission and likely lead to third wave of infections with hospitals being overrun, and more unnecessary deaths.\"\n\nProf Hayward said while you cannot ban Christmas, he called for clearer messaging to families about the \"dangers\" of socialising and inter-generational mixing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How you and your family can celebrate Christmas and minimise the spread of coronavirus\n\nGavin Terry, head of policy at the Alzheimer's Society, said thousands of relatives would be in \"complete despair\" at government guidance which says only care home residents of working age should be allowed to leave their care homes to visit family, due to the increased risk of exposure to the virus.\n\n\"After eight harrowing months filled with devastation and tragic loss of life, the announcement that many care home residents will be facing Christmas alone is just heartbreaking,\" he said, calling for further testing to allow for more visits.\n\nMeanwhile, Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, called on ministers to publish evidence for its Christmas bubble rules, which would \"inflict unnecessary pain and irreversible damage on our sector\".\n\nLocal rules mean many pubs and restaurants - such as those in England's tier three or Scotland's level four - will remain closed during the festive period, irrespective of the Christmas change.\n\nHow will your Christmas plans be affected? haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The show has defended its use of \"non-invasive\" species\n\nPolice have given \"suitable advice\" to the producers of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! following complaints about the use of non-native bugs.\n\nThe TV series is taking place in north Wales instead of the Australian jungle due to Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nWelsh naturalist and BBC Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams has questioned whether a licence was gained to release bugs into the wild.\n\nThe show has defended the use of animals in its trials.\n\nA range of insects have been used on celebrities such as athlete Sir Mo Farah, TV presenter Vernon Kay and journalist Victoria Derbyshire during this year's trials.\n\nMr Williams initially raised questions over the programme's use of the creatures last week when he tweeted: \"As well as the moral issue of using wild animals for entertainment, surely there are huge ecological issues here also.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Iolo Williams This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA spokesman for the show said all the insects used were \"non-invasive species\" which are only ever released in a \"contained area and collected immediately after filming\".\n\nHe said: \"The bugs are UK bred and are commercially purchased in the UK for birds and exotic animal feed for pets and zoo keepers in normal circumstances.\"\n\nThe spokesman added the insects were donated to local wildlife sanctuaries, trusts and zoos for feed after filming.\n\nTo release a non-native species into the wild, a licence is needed from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do you pronounce I'm A Celeb's Gwrych Castle?\n\nNRW's chief executive Clare Pillman earlier said it had not received any licence applications from ITV \"in relation to releasing non-natives as part of their production of I'm a Celebrity\".\n\nA North Wales Police statement said: \"North Wales Police and Natural Resources Wales have received information regarding the potential release of non-native species into 'non studio' areas, and we have given suitable advice to the production team regarding their set management and biosecurity.\"\n\nEarlier this month ITV defended using animals in the trials after concerns raised by the RSPCA over welfare.\n\nWales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has said it would be \"right\" for police to investigate \"if there have been some infringement\" of the rules.\n\nHe told BBC Breakfast the Welsh Government had \"worked carefully\" with the production company to make sure that all the rules were being observed and they \"would be concerned about non-native species being released\".", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nOne of the game's most gifted players, the Argentine boasted a rare combination of flair, flamboyance, vision and speed which mesmerised fans.\n\nHe also outraged supporters with his controversial 'Hand of God' goal and plunged into a mire of drug abuse and personal crises off the pitch.\n\nBorn 60 years ago in a Buenos Aires shanty town, Diego Armando Maradona escaped the poverty of his youth to become a football superstar considered by some to be even greater than Brazil's Pele.\n\nThe Argentine, who scored 259 goals in 491 matches, pipped his South American rival in a poll to determine the greatest player of the 20th Century, before Fifa changed the voting rules so both players were honoured.\n\nMaradona showed prodigious ability from a young age, leading Los Cebollitas youth team to a 136-game unbeaten streak and going on to make his international debut aged just 16 years and 120 days.\n\nShort and stocky, at just 5ft 5in, he was not your typical athlete.\n\nBut his silky skills, agility, vision, ball control, dribbling and passing more than compensated for lack of pace and occasional weight problems.\n\nHe may have been a whizz at running rings round hostile defenders but he found it harder to dodge trouble.\n\nHand of God & Goal of the Century\n\nMaradona's 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina tell only part of the story of his rollercoaster international career.\n\nHe led his country to victory at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and a place in the final four years later.\n\nIn the quarter-final of the earlier tournament, there was a foretaste of the controversy that would later engulf his life.\n\nThe match against England already had an extra friction, with the Falklands War between the two countries having taken place only four years beforehand. That on-field edge was to become even more intense.\n\nWith 51 minutes gone and the game goalless, Maradona jumped with opposing goalkeeper Peter Shilton and scored by punching the ball into the net.\n\nHe later said the goal came thanks to \"a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God\".\n\nFour minutes later, he scored what has been described as the 'goal of the century' - collecting the ball in his own half before embarking on a bewitching, mazy run that left several players trailing before he rounded Shilton to score.\n\nThe first goal was dubious; the second was a bloody miracle\n\n\"You have to say that is magnificent. There is no doubt about that goal. That was just pure football genius,\" said BBC commentator Barry Davies.\n\nEngland pulled one back but Argentina went through, with Maradona saying it was \"much more than winning a match, it was about knocking out the English\".\n\nA hero for Napoli - but drugs take hold\n\nMaradona broke the world transfer record twice - leaving Boca Juniors in his home country for Spanish side Barcelona for £3m in 1982 and joining Italian club Napoli two years later for £5m.\n\nThere were more than 80,000 fans in the Stadio San Paolo when he arrived by helicopter. A new hero.\n\nHe played the best club football of his career in Italy, feted by supporters as he inspired the side to their first league titles in 1987 and 1990 and the Uefa Cup in 1989.\n\nA party to celebrate the first triumph lasted five days with hundreds of thousands on the streets, but Maradona was suffocated by the attention and expectation.\n\n\"This is a great city but I can hardly breathe. I want to be free to walk around. I'm a lad like any other,\" he said.\n\nHe became inextricably linked to the Camorra crime syndicate, dragged down by a cocaine addiction and embroiled in a paternity suit.\n\nAfter losing 1-0 to Germany in the final of Italia 90, a positive dope test the following year triggered a 15-month ban.\n\nHe returned and arrested his slide, appearing to get his act together to play in the 1994 World Cup in the USA.\n\nBut he alarmed viewers with a maniacal full-face goal celebration into a camera and was withdrawn midway through the tournament after he was found to have taken the banned substance ephedrine.\n\n1994: Plays in fourth World Cup but is ejected after positive test 1997: Retires from playing after third positive test 1990: World Cup runner-up with Argentina. Second league title at Napoli\n\nAfter his third positive test three years later, he retired from football on his 37th birthday, but continued to be plagued by problems.\n\nMaradona was given a suspended jail sentence of two years and 10 months for an earlier incident where he shot at journalists with an air rifle.\n\nHis cocaine habit and alcoholism led to several health issues. He put on weight, rising to 128kg (20 stone) at one point, and suffered a major heart attack in 2004, which left him in intensive care.\n\nHe had gastric-bypass surgery to help stem his obesity, and sought sanctuary in Cuba while battling to overcome his drug addiction.\n\nDespite all this, Maradona was named manager of the Argentina national team in 2008 and took the side to the World Cup quarter-finals two years later before his reign ended with a 4-0 defeat by Germany in the quarter-finals.\n\nVarious managerial roles followed for a figure who continued to divide opinion, and continued to make headlines.\n\nHe needed reconstructive surgery on his lip after one of his pet shar pei dogs bit him, and publicly recognised his son Diego Armando Junior who was born from an extra-marital affair.\n\nA snapshot of his chaotic lifestyle came when he attended Argentina's match against Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.\n\nHe unveiled a banner of himself, danced with a Nigeria fan, prayed to the heavens before the game, wildly celebrated Lionel Messi's opener, fell asleep and gave a double middle finger salute after Argentina's second goal.\n\nSome reports suggested he needed medical treatment afterwards.\n\nDisgraceful, inspired, entertaining, great, over the top. Diego Maradona. A life less ordinary.", "Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has topped Microsoft founder Bill Gates to become the world's second richest man after a meteoric rise in his personal fortune.\n\nMr Musk's net worth jumped by $7.2bn (£5.4bn) to $128bn after shares in his car firm Tesla surged.\n\nOnly Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is richer, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.\n\nIt comes after news Tesla shares will be added to the S&P 500, one of the main share indexes in the US.\n\nThat triggered a fresh wave of buying of the electric carmaker's shares, sending the company's market value above $500bn and boosting the value of Mr Musk's holding in the business.\n\nTesla is already the most valuable car firm in the world, despite producing a fraction of the vehicles of rivals such as Toyota, VW and General Motors.\n\nOn Tuesday, in a speech in Germany, Mr Musk said it could \"make sense\" for Tesla to expand in Europe by entering the mass-market segment with a small car.\n\n\"In the US, the cars tend to be bigger for personal taste reasons,\" he said. \"In Europe, (they) tend to be smaller.\"\n\nAnd after years of losses, Tesla has seen five consecutive quarters of profit as sales of its cars perform well despite the pandemic.\n\nThe California-based firm will be the biggest new entrant on the S&P 500, with a market value of more than $500bn.\n\nIt means investment funds tracking the index will automatically hold its stock and benefit from gains in its share price - news that has excited investors.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Blast off: Watch the SpaceX rocket head into space\n\nBill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft, was the world's richest person for years before Mr Bezos knocked him off the top spot in 2017.\n\nMr Gates's fortune is worth $127.7bn but would be higher had he not donated large sums to charity over the decades.\n\nJeff Bezos's net worth is estimated at £182bn by Bloomberg. He too has seen his personal fortune rise this year as demand for Amazon's services climbed in the pandemic.\n\nMr Musk, who regularly courts controversy, has had an eventful past few weeks.\n\nLast weekend he tweeted that he \"most likely\" had a moderate case of Covid-19 and has had symptoms of \"a minor cold.\"\n\nIt came the day before four astronauts were launched to the International Space Station in a rocket built by Mr Musk's SpaceX.", "The Duchess of Sussex has revealed she had a miscarriage in July, writing in an article of feeling \"an almost unbearable grief\".\n\n\"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second,\" Meghan said in a piece for the New York Times.\n\nShe went on to describe how she watched \"my husband's heart break as he tried to hold the shattered pieces of mine\".\n\nMeghan wrote that \"loss and pain have plagued every one of us in 2020\".\n\nThe 39-year-old shared her experience to urge people to \"commit to asking others, 'are you OK?'\" over the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.\n\nA source close to the duchess confirmed to the BBC that the duchess is currently in good health and the couple wanted to talk about what happened in July, having come to appreciate how common miscarriage is.\n\nA Buckingham Palace spokesman said: \"It's a deeply personal matter we would not comment on.\"\n\nThe duchess and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, moved to California to live away from the media spotlight, after stepping back as senior royals in January.\n\nTheir first child, Archie, was born on 6 May 2019.\n\nThe duke and duchess visited southern Africa in 2019 with their son Archie\n\nThe duchess began her article by describing a \"sharp cramp\" she felt while looking after Archie.\n\n\"I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right,\" she wrote.\n\n\"Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband's hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears.\n\n\"Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we'd heal.\"\n\nMeghan made it clear from the first event that she spoke at as Harry's bride-to-be that she wanted women's voices and women's experiences to be heard more clearly.\n\nNow she has written of her loss, and her heartbreak. She has set it in the context of a year of breathtaking turbulence. And she has made a plea for tolerance and compassion.\n\nShe weaves in the struggles of so many with Covid-19, the battles over truth and lies in our divided age, the killing of black Americans by the police.\n\nAnd on an experience that so many women have lived through, she has made her grief a way of bringing miscarriage closer to the everyday conversation.\n\nThe duchess continued: \"Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few.\n\n\"In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage.\n\n\"Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.\n\n\"Some have bravely shared their stories; they have opened the door, knowing that when one person speaks truth, it gives license for all of us to do the same.\"\n\nThe duchess also referenced a TV interview in which she was asked by a journalist if she was ok, during her tour of South Africa last year.\n\nShe said she was asked the question during a time in which she was \"trying to keep a brave face in the very public eye\".\n\n\"I answered him honestly, not knowing that what I said would resonate with so many - new moms and older ones, and anyone who had, in their own way, been silently suffering,\" she said.\n\nThe duchess is the second member of the Royal Family to open up about having a miscarriage.\n\nIn 2018 the Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall spoke about suffering two miscarriages before having her second child.\n\nThe duchess's miscarriage happened at a time when she was involved in legal action against the Mail on Sunday over the publication of a letter she wrote to her father. Last month she was granted a postponement of her privacy trial until autumn next year.\n\nAn estimated one in four pregnancies ends in a miscarriage, according to the charity Tommy's.\n\nTommy's midwife Sophie King said talking about baby loss in pregnancy is \"a real taboo in society\" so \"mothers like Meghan sharing their stories is a vital step in breaking down that stigma and shame\".\n\nShe said the duchess's \"honesty and openness\" sends a \"powerful message to anyone who loses a baby: this may feel incredibly lonely, but you are not alone\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. ‘I lost eight pregnancies in nine years’\n\nClea Harmer, chief executive of stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands, said it was a \"sad reality\" there was a stigma surrounding pregnancy loss and baby death, which \"leaves many parents feeling isolated\".\n\n\"The isolation we have all felt this year has made it even more difficult for parents whose baby has died during the Covid-19 pandemic and has brought back painful emotions for all those who have lost precious loved ones,\" she said.\n\nDr Christine Ekechi, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said it was \"important\" that any stigma or shame surrounding this issue was removed.\n\n\"Sadly, early miscarriages are very common and they can be a devastating loss for parents and their families,\" she said.\n\nAnd Alice Weeden, from charity the Miscarriage Association, told the BBC: \"When somebody, particularly in the public eye, talks about it openly, it's helpful for other people to know that they are not alone.\"\n\nThere are around 250,000 miscarriages every year in the UK alone, the majority occurring within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.\n\nIt is a shockingly common experience, often dealt with privately at home or swiftly in hospitals.\n\nMany parents carry their grief silently and can feel society expects them to \"get back to normal life\" too soon.\n\nBut charities and scientists say much more needs to be done to acknowledge the longer-term effects of pregnancy loss.\n\nResearch suggests that one in six women go on to have symptoms of post-traumatic stress.\n\nFor some, nightmares and flashbacks continue for many months while anxiety and depression are also common afterwards.\n\nPartners report suffering too, with one in 12 facing similar issues.\n\nPregnancy experts in the UK say it is vital that women and partners are offered psychological support, alongside physical help, yet this kind of care is often under-resourced.\n\nOften, it is not known why miscarriages occur - whether in the first or second trimester of pregnancy, and many pregnancy losses cannot be prevented.\n\nUsually, something goes wrong with the development of the foetus in the womb.\n\nWarning signs can include bleeding and/or cramping pain in the lower tummy.\n\nPregnant women are advised to seek medical advice if they have either of these symptoms.\n\nIf you or someone you know has been affected by issues with pregnancy, the following organisations may be able to help.", "Messages were daubed in white on the sides of the car\n\nA car has been driven into the gates of Angela Merkel's Federal Chancellery building in Berlin, German police say.\n\nA 54-year-old man was detained but the background to the incident was unclear.\n\nThe Volkswagen car had messages daubed in white on both sides. One called for an end to \"globalisation politics\" while another referred to \"you damned killers of children and old people\".\n\nThe incident came hours before Mrs Merkel held talks with regional leaders on extending Covid safety measures.\n\nIt is not known if she was in the building at the time. Germany's \"lockdown light\" is expected to be extended until 20 December and the restrictions have prompted protests from Covid deniers and far-right activists.\n\nHowever, there were indications that Wednesday morning's low-speed crash was not related to the protests.\n\nAn interior ministry spokesman later confirmed German reports that the man detained had also driven into the gate in February 2014. On that occasion the car had different white slogans daubed on the side. One called for an end to climate change while another read simply: \"Nicole, I love you.\"\n\nPolice said they were trying to establish whether the driver on Wednesday had a psychological condition or a particular motive. A government spokesperson said at no point was there any risk to the chancellor or anyone else.\n\nThe gate was only slightly damaged in the incident\n\nMrs Merkel is discussing a draft proposal agreed by Germany's 16 state premiers to keep hotels and restaurants shut and limit private gatherings to five people (not including children under 14). A special Christmas exemption from 23 December to 1 January would allow gatherings of up to 10 people.\n\nGerman health officials reported 410 deaths from Covid-19 on Wednesday - the highest daily number since the pandemic began. However, Germany has seen proportionally far fewer fatalities than other Western European countries, with a total of 14,771.\n\nGermany has a large protest movement against Covid-19 measures, including many anti-vaccination activists. Protesters rallied in the centre of Berlin last week close to the parliament building, the Reichstag, before the protest was broken up by police.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police used water cannon after repeatedly telling protesters to disperse\n\nAngela Merkel, 66, has just marked 15 years as chancellor and is planning to step down from the post next year. She does not live in the chancellery but instead leads a modest life in a Berlin flat with her husband, Prof Joachim Sauer.\n\nHer Christian Democrat (CDU) party is doing well in the opinion polls, partly because of her handling of the pandemic. The government agreed on Wednesday to hold parliamentary elections on 26 September 2021 but the race to succeed Mrs Merkel as the CDU's candidate for chancellor is still to run.\n\nThe CDU will hold an online congress in January 2021 when they are expected to select a new party leadership.", "Amazon has apologised after UK customers received an email announcing the launch of a service available in the US only.\n\nAmazon Sidewalk uses customer broadband accounts to create a neighbourhood-wide network for local devices.\n\nIt can be accessed by certain Amazon-branded devices up to 500m (0.3 miles) away if the home wi-fi is out of reach or not working.\n\nBut customers with a US-registered device only should have been contacted.\n\nAnd UK customers who received Amazon's email have told BBC News this was not the case.\n\n\"We recently began emailing customers with Echo devices registered in the US to give them more information about Amazon Sidewalk,\" an Amazon spokeswoman said.\n\n\"This service will only be available in the US when it launches.\n\n\"We apologise for any confusion.\"\n\nIt means Amazon-branded security cameras and smart speakers can still function without a connection.\n\nFor US customers, the update will arrive in the form of a software update and owners of devices which can use it - including the Ring security camera and Amazon Echo - have to opt out of being part of it.\n\nOnly certain Amazon devices will be able to access it - not, for example, individual smartphones.\n\nAmazon says in the email that Sidewalk \"uses a small portion of your internet bandwidth\" for the service.\n\n\"Sidewalk can also extend the coverage for Sidewalk-enabled devices, such as Ring smart lights and pet and object trackers, so they can stay connected and continue to work over longer distances,\" it adds.\n\nSecurity researcher Kevin Beaumont tweeted Amazon appeared to be offering only very limited access to other people's broadband connections.\n\n\"It isn't blindly allowing anybody to browse the internet from your connection,\" he said.\n\nHowever, Prof Alan Woodward, a cyber-security expert from Surrey University, said he thought people should not be added to the network by default.\n\n\"I think you should opt in rather than opt out of these things,\" he said.\n\n\"It feels wrong not knowing what your device is connected to.\"", "The advert was \"misleading\" in claiming passengers could expect to be over two metres from the driver, the ASA found\n\nAn advertisement for London black cabs exaggerated how much the vehicles could reduce the spread of Covid-19, a watchdog has found.\n\nThe radio advert featured a passenger's voice describing how the screen between her and the driver kept her safe.\n\n\"It's like being in my own bubble back here\", the promotion by the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) said.\n\nThe Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the message was \"exaggerated\" and \"misleading\".\n\nThe advert, which appeared on 9 July, continued: \"Sat on the back seat, they're over two metres from me. And with contactless payments, it's even safer. I'm a black cab customer and I'm confident I'm safe.\"\n\nThe ASA said this \"exaggerated the extent to which features of a London black cab would reduce the spread of Covid-19\".\n\nThe LTDA said black cabs were one of the safer ways to travel during the pandemic, \"particularly when compared to some other forms of public transport - with the partition, plenty of space and contactless payment\".\n\nIt added that the ASA's decision was \"another blow for black cab drivers, who are already suffering greatly as a result of the pandemic and fall in demand due to restrictions\".\n\nIn a published ruling, the ASA said it: \"Considered consumers would understand from the ad that a passenger sat on the backseat of a London black cab could expect to be over two metres from the driver.\n\n\"We also considered that, in the context of the existing Covid-19 pandemic, the reference to being 'divided from the driver' and 'in my own bubble' would be understood as an indication that there would be complete separation from passenger and driver.\"\n\nInvestigations found that in two of the three models of London black cabs, drivers and passengers would be exactly two metres or more apart, the ASA said.\n\n\"However, the third model showed that the distance was either two metres or less,\" it added.\n\nThe watchdog said the advert could not be aired again in the same form\n\nThe watchdog acknowledged the intention of the advertiser to highlight particular features that were distinct to London black cabs.\n\nHowever, it ruled the ad must not appear again the same form.\n\nSteve McNamara of the LTDA said he had no intention of misleading consumers and that the advert will not be used again.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "In the US ,the pandemic is going to keep many families apart this Thanksgiving, but Texas grandparents Missy and Barry Buchanan have come up with an ingenious way to stay connected with their family.\n\nThey sent 6ft tall, actual life-sized, cardboard cut-outs of themselves to their son and daughter, and grandchildren,.\n\n\"I was trying to figure out what can we do that will send a message, that it’s going to be okay,” Missy told US media.\n\nShe said they got out their tripod, took a photo of themselves, and told their children to expect something large in the mail.\n\n\"It just kinda takes the seriousness and sadness out,\" her daughter Mindy Whittington said. \"It's really hard not to laugh when you have 6ft parents behind you!\"\n\nSon Matthew Buchanan said his children had been having fun placing their cardboard grandparents around the house and in the garden.\n\n\"It's not as gratifying as having a grandchild crawl up in your lap and being able to give them a hug,\" Missy said.\n\n\"But we're just thankful that everybody has been well and safe, and we will be together again around the table.\"", "Johnny Depp has been refused permission to appeal against a High Court ruling which concluded that he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard.\n\nThe Pirates Of The Caribbean actor sued the publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers (NGN), for libel over a 2018 article labelling him a \"wife beater\".\n\nThe judge who dismissed Mr Depp's claim this month said an appeal did not have a \"reasonable prospect of success\".\n\nBut he gave him until 7 December to apply directly to the Court of Appeal.\n\nMr Justice Nicol's ruling on the application to overturn his judgement came last week - and was made public on Wednesday.\n\nHe also ordered the actor to make an initial payment to NGN of almost £630,000 for its legal fees.\n\nMr Depp and Ms Heard both gave evidence during the 16-day case at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in July.\n\nThe allegations spanned the period between 2013 and 2016, when the couple's relationship ended.\n\nMr Depp, 57, denied the claims and his lawyer called the judge's ruling \"perverse\" and announced the actor intended to appeal.\n\nAmber Heard and Johnny Depp split up in 2016\n\nMr Depp sued the Sun after a column by its executive editor Dan Wootton referred to \"overwhelming evidence\" that the actor attacked Ms Heard, 34, during their relationship.\n\nMr Justice Nicol ruled the newspaper had proved what was in the article to be \"substantially true\". He found that 12 of the 14 alleged incidents outlined had occurred.\n\nThe judge highlighted three incidents where he said Mr Depp had put Ms Heard in \"fear for her life\".\n\nIn one of those incidents, in Australia in 2015, Mr Depp was allegedly physically and verbally abusive towards her while drinking heavily and taking drugs. Mr Depp accused Ms Heard of severing his finger, but the judge said he did not accept Ms Heard was responsible.\n\nThe judge rejected a \"recurring theme\" in Mr Depp's evidence \"that Ms Heard had constructed a hoax and that she had done this as an 'insurance policy',\" and that she was a \"gold-digger\".\n\nIn the April 2018 column, the Sun asked how author JK Rowling could be \"genuinely happy\" that Mr Depp had been cast in the latest film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise she had written, amid allegations made by Ms Heard.\n\nAfter losing the case, Mr Depp said he had left the franchise, adding he had been \"asked to resign\" from his role as Gellert Grindelwald and had \"respected that and agreed to that request\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Rishi Sunak: Government set 'to fund the priorities of British people'\n\nThe number of unemployed people in the UK is expected to surge to 2.6 million by mid-2021, Rishi Sunak has warned.\n\nIn his Spending Review, the chancellor said the \"economic emergency\" caused by Covid-19 had \"only just begun\".\n\nThe government expected to borrow £394bn this year - the \"highest\" level \"in our peacetime history\" - he added.\n\nThe latest figures show 1.62 million people are unemployed, a number which has risen by more than 300,000 since last year.\n\nIn the House of Commons, Mr Sunak said the government would spend £280bn this year \"to get our country through coronavirus\".\n\nHe also announced that most public sector workers would have their pay frozen, with only the lowest paid, as well as nurses, doctors and other NHS staff, getting a salary rise.\n\nAnd the chancellor said spending on overseas aid, as a proportion of national income, would be 0.5% in 2021-2 - down from the 0.7% currently set in law.\n\nThe document accompanying Mr Sunak's statement makes no mention of extending the temporary £20 uplift in Universal Credit beyond next April, but this is expected to be reviewed in the new year.\n\nThe last time the UK unemployment figure was as high as 2.6 million was in May to July 2012.\n\nThe number exceeded three million from 1983 to 1987 and for a few months in early 1993.\n\nMr Sunak told MPs the economy was predicted to contract by 11.3% this year - \"the largest fall in output for more than 300 years\" - and grow by 5.5% next year and 6.6% in 2022.\n\nHe added: \"Even with growth returning, our economic output is not expected to return to pre-crisis levels until the fourth quarter of 2022. And the economic damage is likely to be lasting.\"\n\nThe government's Covid response, including furlough, has led to huge spending rises, at a time when its income from taxation is down.\n\nMr Sunak said the UK was expected to borrow £394bn this year, which was predicted to fall to £164bn next year and £105bn in 2022-3.\n\nSome other Spending Review announcements were trailed before his statement, including:\n\nThe chancellor had intended - as usual - to set out plans for the next three years, but this was reduced to just one year due to the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic.\n\nFor Labour, shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said a longer-term spending review was needed soon \"to build a future for our country as the best place in the world to grow up in and the best place to grow old in\".\n\nShe criticised Mr Sunak for not mentioning Brexit in his speech, with the UK set to leave the EU single market and customs area at the end of the year.\n\nMs Dodds added: \"There's still no trade deal. So does the chancellor truly believe that his government is prepared and that he's done enough to help those businesses that will be heavily affected?\"\n\nThe Office for Budget Responsibility said that if no deal was reached, and the UK and EU had to trade under World Trade Organization rules - including tariffs - this could \"reduce real GDP\" by 2% in 2021, on top of the damage caused by coronavirus.\n\nThe economic shock of the \"various temporary disruptions to cross-border trade and the knock-on impacts\" would continue for years, it predicted.\n\nBut a Treasury spokesman insisted the government was confident about the future of the UK, whatever the outcome of negotiations with Brussels.\n\nHe said the chancellor was focussed on Covid, which he described as the \"core economic challenge\" and \"the one that matters today to people's jobs\".\n\nDave Prentis, general secretary of the union Unison, called the pay freeze for most public sector workers \"austerity, plain and simple\" and a \"bitter pill\" for those affected.\n\nHe added: \"A decade of spending cuts left public services exposed when Covid came calling. The government is making the same disastrous mistake again.\"", "The USS John S McCain was involved in a deadly collision with a tanker in 2017\n\nRussia says one of its warships caught and chased off a US Navy destroyer after it entered territorial waters in the Sea of Japan on Tuesday.\n\nMoscow accused the USS John S McCain of travelling 2km (1.2 miles) across its maritime border in Peter the Great Gulf and says it threatened to ram the ship.\n\nThe US warship then left the area, according to Russia.\n\nHowever, the US Navy denied any wrongdoing and said its ship had not been \"expelled\".\n\nThe incident took place on Tuesday in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, a body of water bordered by Japan, Russia and the Koreas.\n\nAccording to the Russian defence ministry, its Pacific Fleet destroyer the Admiral Vinogradov used an international communications channel to warn the US ship about \"the possibility of using ramming to get the intruder out of the territorial waters\".\n\n\"The Russian Federation's statement about this mission is false,\" said a spokesman for the US Navy's 7th Fleet, Lt Joe Keiley. \"USS John S McCain was not 'expelled' from any nation's territory.\"\n\nHe said the US \"would \"never bow in intimidation or be coerced into accepting illegitimate maritime claims, such as those made by the Russian Federation\".\n\nSuch incidents at sea are rare, although the Admiral Vinogradov was also involved in a near-collision with a US cruiser in the East China Sea last year.\n\nBoth Russia and the US exchanged blame for that incident.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The crew of the USS Chancellorsville had a close-up view of the Russian warship Admiral Vinogradov in June 2019\n\nThe two countries regularly accuse the other of dangerous military manoeuvres - at sea and in the air.\n\nIn 1988, a Soviet frigate, the Bezzavetny, \"bumped\" a US cruiser, the Yorktown, in the Black Sea, accusing it of intruding in territorial waters.\n\nRelations between Moscow and Washington remain strained, and President Vladimir Putin has still not congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the US presidential election.\n\nThe two countries have also yet to finalise the last remaining nuclear arms pact between them, which is due to expire in February.\n\nIn 2017, the USS John S McCain was involved in a collision with an oil tanker off Singapore, when 10 sailors were killed.", "A mural of The Beatles, painted on a wall in the Baltic Triangle area of their home city Liverpool\n\nCraig Brown's book One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time has won a leading non-fiction award, the Baillie Gifford Prize, whose judges said it had \"reinvented the art of biography\".\n\nThe book tells the history of the Fab Four through a mixture of diaries, letters, interviews and charts.\n\nThe annual £50,000 prize is given to the UK's best non-fiction work.\n\nMartha Kearney, the chair of the judges, described the book as \"a highly original take on familiar territory\".\n\nIt amounted to \"a joyous, irreverent, insightful celebration of the Beatles\", the broadcaster said.\n\nAuthor and journalist Brown has written 18 books. He told the BBC on Wednesday, the fact that so many other good books about the band already existed actually \"freed me up to whatever kind of book I wanted\".\n\nHe said: \"I could go down much more peculiar paths than if say only one or two books have been written.\n\n\"It let me pursue, in particular, minor figures associated with The Beatles, or minor figures knocked out of the way by The Beatles. Or people who hated The Beatles, or strange fans or hangers-on.\n\n\"So I could go down these peripheral paths, which if I had just been writing an authorised biography or a normal kind of chronological book or something like that, I wouldn't have been able to do.\"\n\nFor 30 years Brown has also penned a parodic diary column in Private Eye. He was therefore able to see the funny side when someone tried (and failed) to adopt his identity to intercept his winnings.\n\n\"The organisers told me this morning they got an email from someone with a sort of Gmail thing with my name asking them to put the money in a PayPal account,\" he laughed.\n\n\"Because I do parodies a lot of the time, they thought it's funny - someone parodying me to steal my money!\"\n\nThe rest of the Baillie Gifford Prize shortlist:\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Up to three households can form an exclusive \"bubble\" to meet at home during the Christmas period\n\nA UK-wide approach to coronavirus rules after Christmas is needed, Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.\n\nThe UK government and ministers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have agreed three households can meet from 23 December until 27 December.\n\nMr Drakeford said it \"makes sense\" to \"respond to the consequences of greater household mixing\" together in the aftermath of the five-day period.\n\nThe UK government said it was \"a key example\" of a unified UK-wide response.\n\nMr Drakeford said his own family would make \"some modest use of the freedoms\".\n\nMark Drakford says he was \"cheered\" by the four nations' ability to reach an agreement\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio Wales, he said: \"I am cheered up by the fact that by meeting together four times, we've been able to reach a common position on the five days of Christmas.\n\n\"But I want us to reach a common position on how we approach the aftermath of Christmas as well and I think it makes sense to do that across the United Kingdom as well - have a common approach to responding to the consequences of greater household mixing.\n\n\"I do think that getting around the table together to go through a plan for it should be the next step [in] what I think of as the successful way in which we've been able to plan together for the five days of Christmas itself.\"\n\nUnder the agreement for Christmas, made at a meeting of Cobra on Tuesday afternoon:\n\nPlaid Cymru leader Adam Price called for the Welsh Government to \"keep a close eye\" on infection rates and impose further restrictions if necessary.\n\nMr Price also called for quicker test results so \"tracing teams can begin their work of clamping down on cases and possible clusters or outbreaks\".\n\nThe leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, Paul Davies, claimed it was Mr Johnson who had suggested the \"collaborative approach\".\n\nMeanwhile a UK government spokesman added: \"We welcome the desire of the Welsh administration to work even more closely with the UK government, delivering for communities across all four corners of the country.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Abby wants her family to be together at Christmas - but there are too many households\n\nHowever some scientists have warned that the relaxation of Covid restrictions over the festive period could spark another wave of infections and further deaths.\n\nThey said a typical Christmas gathering at home was the type of environment where infections could spread.\n\nPeople have been advised to take precautions when meeting their Christmas bubble, such as washing hands frequently and opening windows to clear potential virus particles.\n\nUp to three households can form an exclusive \"bubble\" to meet indoors during the Christmas period\n\nWhen asked what his plans were for Christmas, Mr Drakeford said: \"I am looking forward to seeing some members of my family who I haven't been able to meet indoors for many, many months now, but we will do it in a very contained, careful way.\n\n\"We certainly won't be mixing with people who are vulnerable or whose age puts them at a particular disadvantage.\n\n\"I am looking forward to being able to make some modest use of the freedoms.\"\n\nWhen asked about introducing tougher restrictions ahead of Christmas, he said his cabinet would meet on Thursday \"to see whether or not the position in Wales means that we have to introduce some further restrictions to create the headroom we need to be able to use those five days over Christmas in a responsible way\".\n\nOn Tuesday, Mr Drakeford said an agreement to relax Covid rules over Christmas was not \"an instruction to meet with other people\".\n\n\"So it's not a choice between relaxation or no relaxation. It's having a form of relaxation where there are rules that people will recognise that will allow people to enjoy Christmas, but we'll do it in a controlled way.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nFootball legend Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players of all time, has died at the age of 60.\n\nThe former Argentina attacking midfielder and manager suffered a heart attack at his Buenos Aires home.\n\nHe had successful surgery on a brain blood clot earlier in November and was to be treated for alcohol dependency.\n\nMaradona was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, scoring the famous 'Hand of God' goal against England in the quarter-finals.\n• None 'To be Maradona was incredibly beautiful, but also hard'\n\nArgentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi paid tribute to Maradona, saying he was \"eternal\".\n\n\"A very sad day for all Argentines and football,\" said Messi. \"He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal.\n\n\"I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I send my condolences to all his family and friends.\"\n\nIn a statement on social media, the Argentine Football Association expressed \"its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend\", adding: \"You will always be in our hearts.\"\n\nDeclaring three days of national mourning, Alberto Fernandez, the president of Argentina, said: \"You took us to the top of the world. You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of them all.\n\n\"Thank you for having existed, Diego. We're going to miss you all our lives.\"\n\nMaradona played for Barcelona and Napoli during his club career, winning two Serie A titles with the Italian side. He started his career with Argentinos Juniors, also playing for Sevilla, and Boca Juniors and Newell's Old Boys in his homeland.\n\nHe scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina, representing them in four World Cups.\n\nMaradona led his country to the 1990 final in Italy, where they were beaten by West Germany, before captaining them again in the United States in 1994, but was sent home after failing a drugs test for ephedrine.\n\nDuring the second half of his career, Maradona struggled with cocaine addiction and was banned for 15 months after testing positive for the drug in 1991.\n\nHe retired from professional football in 1997, on his 37th birthday, during his second stint at Argentine giants Boca Juniors.\n\nHaving briefly managed two sides in Argentina during his playing career, Maradona was appointed head coach of the national team in 2008 and left after the 2010 World Cup, where his side were beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals.\n\nHe subsequently managed teams in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico and was in charge of Gimnasia y Esgrima in Argentina's top flight at the time of his death.\n\nBrazil legend Pele led tributes to Maradona, writing on Twitter: \"What sad news. I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend. There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to family members. One day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky.\"\n\nFormer England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who was part of the England team beaten by Argentina at the 1986 World Cup, said Maradona was \"by some distance, the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time\".\n\nEx-Tottenham and Argentina midfielder Ossie Ardiles said: \"Thank dear Dieguito for your friendship, for your football, sublime, without comparison. Simply, the best football player in the history of football. So many enjoyable moments together. Impossible to say which one was the best. RIP my dear friend.\"\n\nJuventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo said: \"Today I bid farewell to a friend and the world bids farewell to an eternal genius. One of the best of all time. An unparalleled magician. He leaves too soon, but leaves a legacy without limits and a void that will never be filled. Rest in peace, ace. You will never be forgotten.\"\n\nBoca Juniors, where Maradona enjoyed two spells and finished his career, gave \"eternal thanks\" to their former player.\n\nParis St-Germain and Brazil forward Neymar posted a photo of him as a youngster with Maradona, calling the Argentine a \"legend of football\".\n\nBarcelona was the first club outside of Argentina that Maradona played for. He scored 22 goals in 36 appearances between 1982 and 1984.\n\nAnother of Maradona's former clubs, Napoli, paid tribute. He played for the club between 1984 and 1991, making 188 appearances.\n\n'It was in football he found his peace' - analysis\n\nHe was an everyman Argentine, who lived out a national fantasy with the way he scored his two goals in that 1986 quarter-final win over England.\n\nScoring those goals, against that opponent, turned Maradona almost into a deity in the eyes of some of his compatriots - with disastrous consequences. Living the aftermath was not easy.\n\nWithout the discipline of football, the second half of his life was a chaotic affair.\n\nBut it was in football that he seemed to find his peace. As a fan he would turn up at the stadium of his beloved Boca Juniors, take off his shirt, swirl it around his head and lead the chanting.\n\nFor many his spontaneity and fallibility were part of the appeal.\n\nHis admirers thrived on the way he would fall down only to get back up again. It humanised a figure whose epic life was as mazy as one of his left-footed dribbles.\n• None 'He just shrugged you off like a rag doll' - what was it like to face Maradona?", "The family of a 19-year-old wrestler who died with Covid-19 are urging younger people to be aware of the dangers of the virus.\n\nCameron Wellington, from Walsall in the West Midlands, died on 19 November, a week after first falling ill.\n\nHis parents, Norman and Jane, said some people wrongly believed it \"couldn't happen to them\".\n\nCameron was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital, before being transferred to a hospital in Leicester where he later died.\n\nMore than £5,900 has been raised online in Cameron's memory.", "The Home Office unlawfully ignored warnings that changes to immigration rules would create \"serious injustices\" for the Windrush generation, a report by the equalities watchdog says.\n\nIt found the \"hostile environment\" policy, designed to deter \"irregular\" migrants from settling, had harmed many people already living in the UK.\n\nThe Windrush generation came from the Caribbean to the UK from 1948 to 1971.\n\nThe Home Office said it was determined to \"right the wrongs suffered\" by them.\n\nLabour said ministers should be \"deeply ashamed\" of the report's findings.\n\nAn estimated 500,000 people living in the UK make up the surviving members of the Windrush generation.\n\nThey were granted indefinite leave to remain in 1971, but thousands were children who had travelled on their parents' passports.\n\nBecause of this, many were unable to prove they had the right to live in the country when hostile environment immigration policies - demanding the showing of documentation - began in 2012, under Theresa May as home secretary.\n\nThis adversely affected their access to housing, banking, work, benefits, healthcare and driving, while many were threatened with deportation.\n\nThe Equality and Human Rights Commission's (EHRC) report found a \"lack of organisation-wide commitment, including by senior leadership, to the importance of equality and the Home Office's obligations under the equality duty placed on government departments\".\n\nIt added: \"Any action taken to record and respond to negative equality impacts was perfunctory, and therefore insufficient.\"\n\nThe report also said: \"From 2012, this [hostile environment] agenda accelerated the impact of decades of complex policy and practice based on a history of white and black immigrants being treated differently.\"\n\nThe EHRC recommended that, to ensure \"measurable action\", the Home Office should enter an agreement with it by the end of January 2021, involving \"preparing and implementing a plan\" of \"specific actions\" to \"avoid a future breach\".\n\nThis should apply to its immigration work \"in respect of race and colour, and more broadly\", it said.\n\nThe Home Office has agreed to enter an agreement with the EHRC.\n\nThe commission's interim chair, Caroline Waters, said: \"The treatment of the Windrush generation as a result of hostile environment policies was a shameful stain on British history.\n\n\"It is unacceptable that equality legislation, designed to prevent an unfair or disproportionate impact on people from ethnic minorities and other groups, was effectively ignored in the creation and delivery of policies that had such profound implications for so many people's lives.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Explained: What is the 'hostile environment' policy?\n\nIn a statement, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Home Office permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft said they were \"determined to right the wrongs suffered by the Windrush generation and make amends for the institutional failings they faced, spanning successive governments over several decades\".\n\nThey added that the department was already applying a \"a more rigorous approach to policy making\" and would \"increase openness to scrutiny, and create a more inclusive workforce\".\n\nIt was also launching \"comprehensive training\" for all staff \"to ensure they understand and appreciate the history of migration and race in this country\", they said.\n\nBut Satbir Singh, chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said campaigners had \"repeatedly warned the Home Office that their hostile environment policies would inevitably lead to serious discrimination and to the denial of rights, particularly for people of colour\".\n\nHe added that \"successive home secretaries\" had \"ignored these warnings\" before the situation hit the headlines in 2018.\n\nFor Labour, shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: \"Ministers must work urgently to rectify this, including getting a grip of the Windrush compensation scheme, which has descended into an offensive mess, piling injustice upon injustice.\"\n\nAnd shadow justice secretary David Lammy, who organised the cross-party letter referring the Home Office to the EHRC last year, said: \"Black Britons were detained, deported, denied healthcare, housing and employment by their own government because of the colour of their skin.\n\n\"Since the scandal broke, the Home Office has only paid lip service to its victims. It must now urgently rectify this gross injustice.\"", "Video showed Kylie Moore-Gilbert being driven away in a mini-van\n\nA British-Australian academic serving a 10-year sentence in Iran for espionage has been freed, with Tehran saying it was a swap for three jailed Iranians.\n\nIn a statement, Kylie Moore-Gilbert thanked those who had worked for her release and said that leaving Iran was \"bittersweet\".\n\nDr Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer at Melbourne University, had been detained in Iran since September 2018.\n\nShe was tried in secret and strongly denied all the charges against her.\n\nAccording to Iranian state media, she was exchanged for an Iranian businessman and two Iranian citizens \"who had been detained abroad\". They have not yet been named.\n\nNews of the exchange first came on Wednesday in a statement on the website of the Young Journalist Club, a news website affiliated to state television in Iran.\n\n\"An Iranian businessman and two Iranian citizens who were detained abroad on baseless charges were exchanged for a dual national spy named Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who worked for the Zionist regime,\" it said.\n\nVideo of the exchange was published by state broadcaster IRIB news and the Tasnim website.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by باشگاه خبرنگاران جوان | YJC This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe footage, which had no commentary, showed Dr Moore-Gilbert wearing a grey hijab and being driven away in a mini-van. Three men are seen being met by officials. One is in a wheelchair.\n\nIn a statement released hours later, Dr Moore-Gilbert thanked Australian officials who had worked \"tirelessly\" to secure her release.\n\n\"Thank you also to all of you who have supported me and campaigned for my freedom, it has meant the world to me to have you behind me throughout what has been a long and traumatic ordeal,\" she said.\n\n\"I have nothing but respect, love and admiration for the great nation of Iran and its warm-hearted, generous and brave people. It is with bittersweet feelings that I depart your country, despite the injustices which I have been subjected to. I came to Iran as a friend and with friendly intentions, and depart Iran with those sentiments not only still intact, but strengthened.\"\n\nAustralian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she was \"extremely pleased and relieved\" at the release of Dr Moore-Gilbert which she said \"was achieved through diplomatic engagement with the Iranian government\". She made no reference to any exchange of prisoners.\n\n\"The Australian government has consistently rejected the grounds on which the Iranian government arrested, detained and convicted Dr Moore-Gilbert. We continue to do so,\" she said in a statement.\n\nSenator Payne said Dr Moore-Gilbert would \"soon be reunited with her family\" but did not specify when she would be returning to Australia.\n\nDr Moore-Gilbert had been travelling on an Australian passport when she was detained at Tehran airport in 2018 as she tried to leave following a conference.\n\nIn letters smuggled out of Tehran's Evin prison earlier this year, the Cambridge-educated academic said she had \"never been a spy\" and feared for her mental health. She said she had rejected an offer from Iran to become a spy.\n\n\"I am not a spy. I have never been a spy, and I have no interest to work for a spying organisation in any country,\" she wrote.\n\nConcerns for her wellbeing escalated in August when news emerged that she had been transferred to Qarchak, a notorious prison in the desert.\n\nShe was visited shortly afterwards by Australia's ambassador to Iran, Lyndall Sachs, who reported that she was \"well\".\n\nKylie Moore-Gilbert was reported to have been in solitary confinement and on several hunger strikes while in Evin prison in Tehran\n\nIran has detained a number of foreign nationals and Iranian dual citizens in recent years, many of them on spying charges. Human rights groups have accused Tehran of using the cases as leverage to try to gain concessions from other countries.\n\nBritish-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was jailed on spying charges in 2016. She has always maintained her innocence.\n\n\"Nazanin and I are really happy for Kylie and her family,\" he told the BBC. \"They have been through so much, borne with such dignity. And it is an early Christmas present for us all, that one more of us is out and on their way home, one more family can begin to heal.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why one mother's personal plight is part of a complicated history between Iran and the UK (video published August 2019 and last updated in October 2019)\n\nKate Allen, director of Amnesty International UK, said news of Dr Moore-Gilbert's release was \"an enormous relief\".\n\n\"There may now be renewed grounds for hoping that UK-Iranian dual-nationals like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori will also be released from their unjust jail terms in Iran in the coming days or weeks,\" she said.\n\nAnoosheh Ashoori, a retired civil engineer from London, was jailed for 10 years in July 2019 after being convicted of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.", "Matt Lucas (right) joined the show as a co-host this year\n\nTuesday's Great British Bake Off final earned Channel 4 its biggest overnight ratings for at least 18 years.\n\nAn average of 9.2 million viewers saw Peter Sawkins triumph - the highest overnight audience for a Bake Off show since its move from BBC One in 2017.\n\nThe figure was a third up on last year's final, which drew an overnight audience of 6.9 million.\n\nChannel 4 said this year's final was its most-watched programme \"since modern records began in 2002\".\n\nPeter, 20, became the show's youngest winner to date, and the first Scottish winner, when he beat Laura Adlington and Dave Friday.\n\nThe previous highest overnight rating for a Bake Off episode on Channel 4 was the 2017 final, which attracted 7.7 million viewers.\n\nThe last Bake Off final to air on BBC One drew an overnight audience of 14 million in 2016. Overnight ratings count how many people watched live or later the same night.\n\nPeter is the show's youngest ever winner\n\nThis year's series, which had a shorter production period than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic, saw Matt Lucas replace the departing co-host Sandi Toksvig.\n\nIt also saw judge Paul Hollywood step in to defend Laura after she faced criticism on social media for making it to the final at another baker's expense.\n\nTuesday's final ended with a poignant on-screen tribute to 2014 contestant Luis Troyano, who died earlier this year at the age of 48.\n\nThis year's series will be followed by two highlights programmes celebrating the culinary contest's 10 years on British television.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa lead the nominations for the 2021 Grammy Awards.\n\nBeyoncé leads the field, with nine nominations overall, including four for Black Parade, a protest anthem released at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests this summer.\n\nSwift, with six nods, could win album of the year for a record-breaking third time with her lockdown album Folklore.\n\nDua Lipa also picked up six nominations for the disco-tinged Future Nostalgia.\n\nThe British star, who was named best new artist by the Grammys two years ago, was also on hand to read out some of the nominees - including best children's album and best historical album - in an online livestream.\n\nRapper Roddy Ricch tied with Swift and Lipa on six nominations, the majority of which recognised his hit single The Box, which spent 11 weeks at number one earlier this year.\n\nHowever, there was disappointment for R&B star The Weeknd, who was completely shut out, despite having the biggest-selling album of 2020 in the US with After Hours.\n\nThe star, who is due to perform at the Super Bowl half-time show in February, had been expected to dominate the main categories, after picking up multiple awards at both the MTV VMAs and American Music Awards this year.\n\nThe Weeknd's Blinding Lights is the longest-running top 10 hit in US chart history\n\nThere was better news for Billie Eilish, who picked up multiple nominations for her single Everything I Wanted, as well as her Bond theme No Time To Die.\n\nThe 18-year-old made history earlier this year by becoming the first female artist to win all four of the Grammys main categories - best new artist, song of the year, record of the year and best album.\n\nThe nominees in those categories for 2021 are:\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Beyoncé Brasil This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nHarry Styles received his first Grammy nominations as a solo artist\n\nBritish nominees included Harry Styles - who picked up his first ever Grammy nominations in the pop genre categories. His previous band, One Direction, were consistently overlooked by the awards despite their international success.\n\nColdplay were listed in the best album category for their eighth album Everyday Life, while Mercury Prize-winner Michael Kiwanuka was nominated for best rock album and Laura Marling was listed alongside the late Leonard Cohen in the best folk album category.\n\nBeyoncé's nine nominations increased her historic lead as the Grammys' most-nominated female artist ever. She now has 79 nominations, tying her with Sir Paul McCartney for the second-most nominations of all time.\n\nAhead of her are Thriller producer Quincy Jones, and her husband Jay-Z, who both have 80.\n\nThree of Beyoncé's nominations came for a guest verse on Savage (Remix) - the breakout hit by fellow Texan musician Megan Thee Stallion. Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete, also picked up a coveted slot in the best new artist category.\n\n\"What? Who me? Oh my God!\" said the star as the nominations were revealed.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 2 by Dua Lipa This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nKorean band BTS scored their first musical nomination - with the single Dynamite gaining attention in the best group performance category (the band had previously been cited for the obscure 'best album packaging' award).\n\nAnd rapper Pop Smoke picked up a posthumous nomination for his hit single Dior.\n\nMany of the nominees were far from being household names, with retro rock band Black Pumas and British multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier listed in the main categories.\n\nCollier's album, Djesse vol 3 also earned the dubious distinction of being the first album of the year nominee not to have earned a place on Billboard's Top 200 chart.\n\nThere was also a notable presence for songs inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement - most notably H.E.R.'s moving ballad I Can't Breathe, which is up for song of the year.\n\nBTS only had one previous Grammy nomination - for best recording package in 2019\n\nThe 84 categories also threw up a few quirks. Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill - which won best album in 1996 - is now nominated in the best musical theatre album category, thanks to a Broadway show based on the star's angst-rock classic.\n\nTaylor Swift picks up a nomination for Beautiful Ghosts - her song from the critically-panned Cats movie; while Billie Eilish's No Time To Die is up for an award, despite the James Bond film it accompanies still not having come out.\n\nAnd Kanye West finds himself in the best contemporary Christian music category, thanks to his devotional rap album Jesus Is King,\n\nThese are the first nominations to be announced since the Recording Academy updated its award categories and rules earlier this year.\n\nAmongst the changes, it dropped the term \"urban\" as a way of describing music of black origin, to ensure the awards were \"inclusive and reflect[ed] the current state of the music industry\".\n\nThe rules on voting were also tightened up following allegations of irregularities by the Academy's former president, Deborah Dugan.\n\nThe latest winners will be announced at the 63rd Grammy Awards ceremony on 31 January, 2021. Comedian Trevor Noah will host the show, the Recording Academy announced.\n\n\"Despite the fact that I am extremely disappointed that the Grammys have refused to have me sing or be nominated for best pop album, I am thrilled to be hosting this auspicious event,\" said The Daily Show presenter, who was previously up for best comedy album at the 2020 ceremony.\n\n\"I think as a one-time Grammy nominee, I am the best person to provide a shoulder to all the amazing artists who do not win on the night because I too know the pain of not winning the award.\n\n\"This is a metaphorical shoulder,\" he added. \"I'm not trying to catch Corona.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Sickness absence levels in Northern Ireland councils are the highest in the UK, auditors have found.\n\nFigures show an average of almost 14 days per employee in 2018-19 - a 13% increase in five years.\n\nThe findings come from a joint report by Northern Ireland's two public sector auditors.\n\nTeachers in Northern Ireland also take more sick days than other parts of the UK, according to the report.\n\nAuditor General Kieran Donnelly and Local Government Auditor Pamela McCreedy warned that sickness absence is placing a strain on services.\n\nOverall sickness absence in the Northern Ireland civil service has also increased by 10% in five years, with staff off for an average of almost 13 days annually.\n\nNorthern Ireland's two public sector auditors said the levels are almost double that within the civil service in England.\n\nIt comes after a report last week by the auditor general revealed how Northern Ireland's civil service is struggling to cope because of a crisis in staffing levels with almost 1,500 unfilled vacancies.\n\nAccording to the figures published in the latest, report council workers in 2018/19 took on average 14 days off because of sickness.\n\nThat compares to 11 days for councils in Scotland and eight in England and Wales.\n\nthe auditors point to long term absences in many cases caused by mental health illness as being a key reason for the high levels of sickness. Northern Ireland has the highest rates of mental illness in the UK with one in five adults experiencing a mental health problem at any given time.\n\nThe age profile of those who work in councils and the wider civil service is another contributing factor. Over 40 per cent are over the age of 50 and as a result are more prone to develop health complication.\n\nThis table shows the average number of days lost due to sickness across NI councils\n\nThe highest level of sickness absence among council workers was recorded in Causeway Coast and Glens, with 17 days lost to sickness per employee, while the lowest was in Fermanagh and Omagh council were on average 10 days were lost.\n\n\"High levels of sickness absence within the public sector are not a new phenomenon. However, this report finds few signs of sustained improvement,\" said Mr Donnelly.\n\n\"It is time for public sector organisations to make a concerted effort to reduce the level of sickness absence and to develop a consistent approach to managing attendance.\"\n\nMr Donnelly said a \"strong attendance culture needs to be embedded\" across the public sector and he called for a heavy focus to be placed on long term absence with preventative and early intervention measures put in place.\n\n\"Sickness absence in NI councils consistently ranks as the highest in the UK, with no indication of significant improvement,\" said Mr Donnelly.\n\n\"When significant numbers of staff are unable to work because of sickness, the impact on service delivery including delays, increased workloads, lost productivity and additional financial costs to cover absences is likely to be considerable.\"\n\nThe auditors also report that teachers in 2018/19 took almost 10 days off because of sickness which is an increase of 10% in the past five years.\n\nThe figure is also the highest in the UK with teachers in Scotland taking six days off while four days per employee were lost in England.\n\nhe auditors point to long term absences in many cases caused by mental health illness as being a key reason for the high levels of sickness. Northern Ireland has the highest rates of mental illness in the UK with one in five adults experiencing a mental health problem at any given time.\n\nThe age profile of those who work in councils and the wider civil service is another contributing factor. Over 40 per cent are over the age of 50 and as a result are more prone to develop health complication.", "One of the bones comes from the tibia (lower leg bone) of a two-legged meat-eater similar to Sarcosaurus\n\nThe only dinosaur bones ever found in Ireland have been confirmed to belong to two different species.\n\nThe bones were previously discovered on the east coast of County Antrim.\n\nBut a new scientific study from the universities of Portsmouth and Queen's in Belfast has confirmed the origins of the bones for the first time.\n\nOne is part of the lower leg bone of a carnivore similar to Sarcosaurus; the other is from the upper leg bone of a Scelidosaurus, a four-legged herbivore.\n\nThe two fossil bones, confirmed to be from early Jurassic rocks, were discovered in Islandmagee during two separate finds in the late 19th Century and the 1980s.\n\nOriginally it was assumed the fossils were from the same animal, but new analysis published in the Proceedings of the Geologists' Association has confirmed they belong to the two different species.\n\nIreland was underwater for most of the period during which dinosaurs roamed the earth, so there is less chance the remains of land animals would be preserved in rocks dating to that period.\n\nUlster Museum has announced plans to put the bones on display when it reopens after the current coronavirus restrictions are lifted.\n\nDr Mike Simms, a curator and palaeontologist at National Museums NI, said the development was \"a hugely significant discovery\".\n\nExperts suggest Scelidosaurus may have been a coastal animal, perhaps even eating seaweed like modern-day marine iguanas\n\n\"The great rarity of such fossils here is because most of Ireland's rocks are the wrong age for dinosaurs, either too old or too young, making it nearly impossible to confirm dinosaurs existed on these shores,\" he said.\n\n\"The two dinosaur fossils... found were perhaps swept out to sea, alive or dead, sinking to the Jurassic seabed where they were buried and fossilised.\"\n\nRobert Smyth, researcher at the University of Portsmouth and Professor David Martill, used high-resolution 3D digital models of the fossils in their analysis of the bone fragments, produced by Dr Patrick Collins of Queen's University Belfast.\n\n\"Analysing the shape and internal structure of the bones, we realised that they belonged to two very different animals,\" said Mr Smyth, who is originally from Ballymoney.\n\n\"Despite being fragmentary, these fossils provide valuable insight on a very important period in dinosaur evolution, about 200 million years ago.\n\n\"It's at this time that dinosaurs really start to dominate the world's terrestrial ecosystems.\"\n\nProfessor Martill said: \"Scelidosaurus keeps on turning up in marine strata, and I am beginning to think that it may have been a coastal animal, perhaps even eating seaweed like marine iguanas do today.\"\n\nThe study is part of a larger project to document Jurassic rocks in Northern Ireland and draws on many fossils in Ulster Museum's collections.", "Nineteen-year-old Marian Vasilica Dragoi was caught reaching 180 mph on his motorbike in southern England.\n\nA police helicopter filmed the events leading up to Dragoi's arrest, which happened after he rode on the wrong side of a motorway to get fuel from a service station.\n\nAt Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court he pleaded guilty to offences including dangerous driving and is due to be sentenced in January.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Students from Knowsley on Merseyside say they feel extra stressed in the lead up to exams this year\n\nMore than one in five secondary pupils in England missed school last week, with worsening Covid disruption.\n\nThe latest attendance figures show 22% of secondary pupils were missing, based on who was in school last Thursday - up from 17% the previous week.\n\nThe biggest teachers' union warned of a \"collapse\" in attendance, with almost three quarters of secondary schools sending home pupils.\n\nThe Department for Education says keeping schools open is a \"priority\".\n\n\"The situation has reached a crisis point and the government cannot let coronavirus run riot in schools any longer,\" said Mary Bousted, co-leader of the National Education Union, with almost 900,000 pupils out of school because of Covid incidents.\n\nGeoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, backed the principle of keeping schools open, but said it was time for schools to be allowed to operate rota systems.\n\n\"The reality behind these figures is that many schools are experiencing disruption on a monumental scale and are desperately trying to cling on to the end of term,\" said the heads' leader.\n\n\"The other parents and I have a WhatsApp group and our phones ping and we're all filled with dread over which year group is told to isolate next,\" says Josephine Abbott Millar, a parent from Rugby.\n\nHer two sons have faced school being disrupted - and she says they have missed the social life as well as lessons at school.\n\nNot every family has the technology to allow children to switch to learning online\n\n\"As my eldest has started a new school I think he's really suffered as he's not been allowed to settled in properly,\" she told the BBC.\n\n\"Every time he starts to feel a bit settled he has to isolate again for two weeks and he's home again. It's the back and forth that is really disruptive.\"\n\nThere have been concerns about how exams will go ahead next summer when so many pupils have been missing lessons.\n\nRussell Hobby, chief executive of Teach First, said being out of school would be most disruptive for the most disadvantaged.\n\n\"Studying from home is difficult for all pupils. But our research has found it's pupils from the poorest backgrounds who are the least likely to have laptops and internet while self-isolating, making it nearly impossible for them,\" he said.\n\n\"These children will not recover from this if we don't acknowledge the barriers they face,\" says Matthew Martin, head of department in a south London secondary school.\n\nHe says some pupils have missed a month already this term and only a limited number will really be able continue learning online at home.\n\nThis is not because of an unwillingness to keep studying, he says, but because families do not have the computer equipment at home to make it possible.\n\nEngland's Department for Education has been committed to keeping schools open, but the weekly figures show rising numbers of pupils missing from the classroom.\n\nOverall attendance is down to 83% of pupils, below 86% in the previous week - and although the way figures were gathered changed in October, they show attendance dipping since half term.\n\nThis fall is particularly concentrated in secondary schools, with 78% in class last Thursday, down from 87% on 5 November.\n\nAcross both primary and secondary schools, the figures show about one in 10 pupils were out of school because of Covid-related concerns.\n\nThe great majority of pupils being sent home are because of potential contacts - rather than pupils having caught coronavirus, with only 0.2% of pupils recorded as confirmed cases.\n\nPrimary schools have so far been less disrupted, with 87% of pupils attending - but the number of schools sending home one more pupils has risen to 29%, compared with 22% the week before.\n\nThere have been worries about how exams will go ahead next summer\n\nAmong secondary schools, 73% were sending home pupils, compared with 64% the week before.\n\nA Department for Education spokeswoman said almost all schools had remained open this term - and there was online learning for those pupils who were self-isolating.\n\n\"It is a national priority to keep education settings open full-time, and that remains equally as important in the weeks up to the end of term as it was when young people returned for the new school year,\" said the DFE spokeswoman.\n\nHas your child's education been disrupted? Or are you a teacher whose work has been affected? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Joseph Ray admitted shaking baby Ava at their flat in East Lothian\n\nA father who killed his baby daughter in what was described as \"a momentary loss of control\" has been jailed for seven years.\n\nJoseph Ray admitted violently shaking two-month-old Ava at their flat in Prestonpans, East Lothian, in 2012.\n\nThe 33-year-old was convicted after a seven-year investigation saw police consult medical experts to determine the exact cause of Ava's death.\n\nHe was charged with murder but admitted the lesser charge of culpable homicide.\n\nFollowing the child's death, investigators ruled out the possibility that Ava had died from natural causes and concluded she had suffered a head injury as the result of an assault.\n\nAva's mother Lauren Scott told the BBC: \"I think it's shocking that he only got seven years after all that time.\"\n\nMs Scott's father, Richard Scott, added: \"The family feels disappointed in it because for eight years we've suffered mentally and physically through this lad telling lies.\n\n\"He could have admitted it long before this. He's gone about laughing and enjoying himself while my daughter Lauren was suffering.\n\n\"It's made me, my wife and Lauren ill. I feel like I've done eight years in prison myself.\"\n\nRay's defence lawyer Shelagh McCall QC told the High Court in Glasgow that Ray had been woken by Ava crying.\n\nHe later told social workers of \"feeling overwhelmed and angry\" and he shook Ava twice, Ms McCall said.\n\nAva Ray died after she was taken to Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children\n\nShe continued: \"He still struggles to understand that what he did could have such a catastrophic consequence.\n\n\"He can't ever make amends for the damage done in a momentary loss of control by an exhausted and inexperienced parent.\"\n\nMs McCall added the case had taken time to come to court because of \"contrasting medical views\" - at one point it was thought Ava may have had a problem with blood clotting which could have explained her injuries, she said.\n\nProsecutor Ashley Edwards QC said Ray and Ms Scott - his partner at the time - had arguments mainly over who would do night time feeds.\n\nOn the day of the child's death, Ms Scott had gone to work at 18:30, the court was told.\n\nAbout 22:50, Ray told a neighbour his daughter was \"cold to the touch\" and paramedics found her \"white in colour, limp and unresponsive\".\n\nShe was taken to Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children where she died the next morning.\n\nTests revealed her brain had been starved of oxygen and her death was initially treated as \"unascertained\".\n\nAfter \"various experts\" were consulted between 2014 and 2018, it was concluded Ava had died due to a \"head injury\", Ms Edwards said.\n\nThe judge Lady Stacey said the case had been \"a terrible tragedy\" involving the death of a \"much loved child.\"\n\nShe told Ray: \"As you know, Ava was entitled to look to you for love, affection and support. You failed in that and your failure had terrible consequences.\n\n\"Ava's life was snuffed out just as it was starting by one of the people she was entitled to rely on.\n\n\"You have to live with that knowledge for the rest of your days.\"\n\nRay had no previous convictions at the time of the death but has since been found guilty of two domestic assaults on Ms Scott.\n\nThe judge said she would have sentenced Ray to eight and a half years had he not pleaded guilty.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Gareth Smith set up MyMaskFit after wife Valerie, pictured, struggled to find a mask to fit her\n\nA nurse who struggled to get face masks to fit her has inspired the design of custom-fitted ones for frontline healthcare workers.\n\nGareth Smith set up MyMaskFit after his wife, intensive care nurse Valerie Bednar, struggled to find a filtering face mask (FFP) to fit her.\n\nBased in Swansea, the firm is working with a number of UK universities.\n\nMs Bednar said the masks are reusable so will reduce stress among staff and be better for the environment.\n\n\"I'm one of the people the standard disposable FFP3 masks doesn't fit my face,\" said Ms Bednar, who worked at Morriston Hospital in Swansea at the start of the pandemic but is currently on maternity leave.\n\n\"It was just the stress of trying to do what you need to do - the reason we go into nursing is to take care of people, and then the added level of 'am I being safe and do I have the protection that I need?'\n\n\"That uncertainty I think was stressful for everyone.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Intensive care nurse Valerie Bednar hopes the reusable masks will cut down on PPE being discarded\n\nThe company hopes to further develop a prototype designed by researchers at Birmingham University and King's College London.\n\nSwansea University's School of Engineering will help test and manufacture the face mask, which it is hoped will be available to the NHS in Wales in the new year.\n\nMyMaskFit said it is aiming to become the first to make a fully custom-fitted, reusable, filtering face piece masks made to a medical grade standard in the UK.\n\nA mould for a face seal is created using a scan of someone's face\n\n\"We want to make a reusable mask so that staff can feel confident when they come in for their shift it will be there,\" Ms Bednar explained.\n\n\"You're involved in cleaning it and owning it - all of that gives people the sense of security and protection.\"\n\nTo speed up the design process and to achieve a seal which will fit anyone, the company has launched an app which will scan the face and send the data for a mould to be created and 3D printed.\n\nMyMaskFit technology director Paul Perera said current masks vary widely in terms of design.\n\n\"There is an inevitable variation in the shape of human faces, and BMA surveys have shown that over 20% of hospital doctors have to try one or more masks to find one that fits,\" he said.\n\nMr Perera said the firm was also working on a face mask which is made with \"renewable plastics that are transparent\" to aid communication.\n\nHe added: \"We're also using a copper, embedded into the plastics, which kills the virus. Therefore the masks can be reusable and therefore more sustainable for the environment.\"\n\nThe initial manufacturing process and further testing of the prototypes will take place at Swansea University.", "Chancellor Rishi Sunak is unveiling the government's spending plans for the coming year.\n\nThe Spending Review will include details on public sector pay, NHS funding and money for the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.\n\nMr Sunak will also set out the extent of the damage done to the UK economy by the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nA No 10 spokesman said the economic forecasts will be \"a sobering read\".\n\nThe government's Covid response has led to huge spending and borrowing rises.\n\nThe chancellor is expected to begin his statement at around 12:30 GMT following Prime Minister's Questions.\n\nSome Spending Review announcements have already been trailed.\n\nThe government is expected to announce a cut in the UK's overseas aid budget to 0.5% of national income, down from the legally binding target of 0.7%.\n\nLockdown restrictions have forced many businesses to temporarily close\n\nThere have also been reports that the chancellor is considering a pay freeze for all public sector workers except frontline NHS staff.\n\nPlans to change the way big spending projects are analysed - which the Treasury says is currently biased in favour of the south east of England - will be published alongside the Spending Review.\n\nThe chancellor may also choose to set aside money to tackle climate change and regional inequalities.\n\nDevolved governments will receive money proportionate to any funding England gets in the Spending Review.\n\nThis is decided using the Barnett formula - devised by Lord Barnett, a Labour politician, in the 1970s.\n\nMr Sunak and Treasury Chief Secretary Stephen Barclay updated the Cabinet on Wednesday morning.\n\nA Downing Street spokesman said: \"Cabinet was told the OBR forecasts will show the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on our economy and they will make for a sobering read, showing the extent to which the economy has contracted and the scale of borrowing and debt levels.\n\n\"But - as the IMF (International Monetary Fund), OBR and others have pointed out - the costs would have been much higher had we not acted in the way we have done.\"\n\n\"It's going to look horrible.\"\n\nThe simple truth about the Spending Review according to a senior MP.\n\nThe chancellor will bang the drum for his plans to keep people in jobs, or help find new ones.\n\nRishi Sunak will take out the metaphorical megaphone to explain how he'll allocate billions of taxpayers' cash to spend on infrastructure in the coming months.\n\nBut the headlines of the Spending Review, when governments put their money where their mouths are, won't be in any rhetorical flourishes at the despatch box, nor likely in any surprise announcements kept back as goodies for the public.\n\nThe government had intended to use the Spending Review to set out its plans for the next three years, however this was reduced to just one year due to the economic turmoil caused by Covid.\n\nThe difficult financial backdrop will dominate this year's review with the economy projected to be 10% smaller than it was pre-virus.\n\nTax revenues have fallen as many businesses have been forced to close and government schemes to support furloughed workers have led to soaring levels of spending.\n\nPublic borrowing is expected to rise to £372bn - compared to the £55bn the government had originally expected to borrow.\n\nThe Spending Review will be accompanied by economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility - including predictions on how tax will be raised.\n\nLabour's shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said the government's \"irresponsible choices\" during the pandemic had \"led to our country experiencing the worst downturn in the G7, and created a jobs crisis\".\n\n\"This prime minister and his government talk a good game but they haven't delivered on their promises - and regional inequality has got worse under their watch,\" she said.\n\n\"They clapped for key workers - but now they're freezing their pay, and looking to scrap planned minimum wage increases for the private sector.\"\n\nUnions called for Mr Sunak to maintain investment in the public sector, the TUC's deputy general secretary Paul Nowak telling BBC Breakfast \"now is not the time to make cuts to public services\".\n\nAnd the SNP is calling for a huge stimulus package to support growth and jobs across the whole of the UK.\n\n\"The spending has to match the challenges we see in the economy,\" said its economic spokeswoman Alison Thewliss. \"At the moment interest rates are at a record low so the government should be borrowing.\"", "On rare occasions, nervous chancellors leave No 11 gripping their documents, to deliver news to the country that resets the dial.\n\nThe pandemic has already cost jobs and hardships, but there can now be no doubt that the economic aftermath will last for many years.\n\nThe predictions of job losses, record levels of borrowing and debt - all huge headlines in themselves.\n\nIn the last few months, with almost no dissent, the government has scrambled to expand the state to help cope with coronavirus.\n\nOther countries have done the same. There is little controversy about the decisions that have been taken so far.\n\nBut what lurks on the country’s balance sheet is the biggest economic baggage for generations.\n\nThere is almost zero political pressure to solve the problem any time soon.\n\nBut eventually the pressure will force a reckoning in the Tory party.\n\nIt’s a Conservative chancellor - whose instinct is to pare back the state - who has presided over a generational emergency expansion.\n\nHow Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson propose to solve that paradox will create the contours of political arguments at least until the next election.", "Fire fighters will be affected by the pay freeze\n\nSome 1.3 million public sector workers will see a pay freeze next year, but low-paid and NHS staff will get raises\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak said he could not justify across the board rises when many people in the private sector had seen cuts in pay and hours.\n\nHowever, he said 2.1 million public sector workers earning below the median wage of £24,000 were \"guaranteed a pay rise of at least £250\".\n\nMore than a million NHS workers will also get a raise, he said.\n\nMeanwhile, the minimum wage - which has been rebranded as the National Living Wage - will increase by 2.2% - or 19p - to £8.91 an hour, with the rate extended to those aged 23 and over.\n\nThe pay freeze, which was trailed in unconfirmed news reports last week, has sparked anger from unions which say it will affect key workers who have played a vital role during the pandemic.\n\nDelivering his Spending Review, the chancellor said the \"majority\" of the UK's public sector workers will see their pay increase in 2021.\n\nBut he added that pay rises for the rest - about 1.3 million out of a total of 5.5 million public sector workers - will be paused \"to protect jobs\".\n\nHowever, that figure only covers 1.3 million people working for the central government. The total rise could be much higher if local government and devolved pay agreements are frozen.\n\nHe highlighted a disparity between public sector and private sector wages, adding he \"cannot justify a significant, across-the-board\" pay increase for all public sector workers in the circumstances.\n\n\"Instead, we are targeting our resources at those who need it most,\" he said.\n\nJohn Apter, chairman of the Police Federation union, called the pay freeze a \"kick in the teeth\" for police officers.\n\n\"Rewarding those who have played a vital role in the fight against the virus with a pay freeze is nothing short of a disgrace,\" he said.\n\n\"A handful of officers will get the additional £250 for the lowest paid workers, but only those who are already on an appallingly low starting salary for the dangerous job they do.\"\n\nDame Donna Kinnair, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said nursing staff would oppose plans to freeze the pay of equally skilled professionals.\n\n\"Those working in social care and the community deserve a pay boost as much as their NHS colleagues.\"\n\nDr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said the chancellor had delivered a \"body blow\" to staff in schools and colleges.\n\n\"Education workers are key workers who have kept the country going during the pandemic but pay cuts are their only reward from this government.\"\n\nTeacher Esme says she is not surprised the government is freezing pay for many workers.\n\n\"Clearly money will need to be clawed back from the damage to the economy, however the concern is how long for?\"\n\nShe says it will have \"quite an impact\" on her as someone fairly new to the profession, after what has been an \"incredibly challenging year in education\".\n\n\"After getting barely any support, the proposal to freeze pay is another confirmation that the government has very little appreciation or respect for the profession, or those working within it.\"\n\nAt the end of last year, the Low Pay Commission - which advises the government on the National Living Wage wage - had said the rate would rise by 6% in April 2021.\n\nBut the commission has revised this down amid fears it would cost struggling businesses too much and damage jobs.\n\nMr Sunak said the plans would mean the average full-time worker on the rate will see their annual income rise by around £345 next year.\n\n\"Compared to 2016 when the policy was first introduced, that's a pay rise of over £4,000,\" he added.\n\nHe added that around two million people would benefit from the widened eligibility for the National Living Wage.\n\nBryan Sanderson, chair of the low pay commission, said: \"Recommending minimum wage rates in the midst of an economic crisis coupled with a pandemic is a formidable task.\n\n\"We have opted for a prudent increase which consolidates the considerable progress of recent years and provides a base from which we can move towards the government's target over the next few years.\"", "US President Trump has officially pardoned a Thanksgiving turkey, in the annual White House tradition.\n\nTwo birds, Corn and Cob, were chosen to face a public vote to get the pardon. Corn won, but both of them will be spared the dinner table and retire to Iowa State University.\n\nBut the idea can be tracked back to Abraham Lincoln - it's believed his son Tad begged him to spare the bird destined for the family table.", "The public sector pay squeeze for more than a million earners outside the NHS will hurt\n\nToday's Spending Review is not a Budget. The numbers have not added up, tens of billions were announced in new spending, but nothing on taxation.\n\nBut it was the first full assessment of the economy from the government's independent forecaster, the Office of Budget Responsibility, since March that took centre stage.\n\nIt confirmed not just that the pandemic would hit the UK economy this year by the biggest amount in three centuries, 11.3%, but that Britain was set to be the hardest hit of all the G7 major industrialised nations.\n\nIt also said that government borrowing in this year was 19% of the size of the economy, a peacetime record at just under £400bn.\n\nAnd yet the paradox is that next year the amount of money it costs to fund that debt will also reach a post-war record: a record low.\n\nSince World War Two, our debts have never been bigger. And yet they've never been cheaper.\n\nHow long this situation will last is the fundamental judgement for this chancellor.\n\nSo Rishi Sunak has made some down payments on budget consolidation, aid and public sector pay, while claiming there is no return to austerity generally.\n\nThe much bigger, tougher decisions that will be needed arise from the assumed persistence of the economic hit, and therefore of levels of government borrowing above £100bn a year for the next few years.\n\nBy 2025 the economy will still be 3% smaller than anticipated in March. The pandemic will have a long economic shadow.\n\nMr Sunak says employment is the number one priority, with overnight confirmation of £400m next year to start a £3bn Restart scheme to channel one million long term unemployed back into work.\n\nThe theory here is to take action on a likely rise in long-term unemployment pre-emptively.\n\nThe chancellor is proud of the fact that the UK's unemployment rate is still comparatively low, even as it is set to rise to 2.6 million.\n\nBut the public sector pay squeeze for more than a million above average earners outside the NHS will hurt.\n\nHuge sums were allocated to fighting the pandemic and protecting the health system.\n\nThis is an economic intervention as much as it is a health one.\n\nThe OBR document shows that if test and trace continues to underperform, or if vaccine distribution is delayed, there will be a direct impact on much worse public finances.\n\nA no-deal Brexit will, say the OBR, be a further hit to the economy of 2%, and the public finances.\n\nThere are many uncertainties, not all of them bad.\n\nThe big decisions on shrinking the deficit or indeed stimulating the economy further, as has been seen in France and Germany, await some of this fog lifting.\n\nThe nation remains in rescue mode, and for now funding it remains cheap.", "US shares hit fresh records on Tuesday with the Dow Jones index closing above 30,000 points for the first time amid hopes of a strong economic recovery and end of political uncertainty.\n\nThe S&P 500 also hit an all-time high as investors bought economically sensitive financial and energy stocks.\n\nTrading was fuelled by positive Covid vaccine news and moves to start the Joe Biden presidential transition.\n\nEurope's main markets also jumped, with London's FTSE 100 closing up 1.5%.\n\nPresident Donald Trump has given the green light for the formal transfer of power to begin following Mr Biden's election victory.\n\nAnd positive news about coronavirus vaccines has boosted hopes that the US and global economies could be on the path to normality next year.\n\nAsian markets followed Wall Street's lead, with Japan's Nikkei up nearly 2% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index 1.4% higher.\n\nIndexes in South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore have all edged higher.\n\n\"The possibility of having a vaccine next year increases the odds that we're going to see demand return in the new year,\" said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.\n\nRoss Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at US-based Baird, said: \"If 2020 has shown us anything it is that stock markets have a tremendous ability to look past bad news if there is sun on the horizon.\"\n\nAnalysts say market sentiment was also helped by news suggesting Mr Biden wants former Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen as his treasury secretary.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Biden: \"It’s a team that reflects the fact that America is back\"\n\nAmong the big Wall Street share movers were plane-maker Boeing, up 3.3%, and oil company Chevron, 5% ahead. Investment banks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase closed up 3.8% and 4.6% respectively.\n\nOther big gainers included Disney, American Express and IBM. A rise in Tesla shares took the electric carmaker's market value above $500bn (£374bn).\n\nAt the close, the Dow Jones was up 1.54% at 30,046.2, while the S&P 500 gained 1.62% to 3,635.4. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index rose 1.3%, to 12,036.7.\n\nOil prices also rose, with US crude up 4.25% to $44.89 a barrel and Brent up 4% at $47.89. The gold price, a favoured asset when investors are fearful, fell 1.6% to $1,806 an ounce.\n\nBut the bullish sentiment comes despite US coronavirus cases surging and millions of Americans still unemployed, and some analysts fear shares are due a reality check.\n\nRising Covid-19 cases and delayed economic stimulus measures are red flags, said James McDonald, chief executive of Hercules Investments.\n\nBut it is not just in the US where shares are surging. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.91%, while the MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe gained 1.44%, putting it on track to close at a record high.", "Families on Universal Credit face \"agonising uncertainty\" after Rishi Sunak did not confirm what would happen to their benefits next year, campaigners say.\n\nUniversal Credit claimants were given a £20-a-week boost in response to the coronavirus pandemic in April.\n\nThe temporary rise is due to come to an end in April 2021.\n\nThe chancellor did not say whether the increase would be extended, or cut, in his spending review.\n\nSpeaking after delivering his statement to MPs, he said the increased payment would continue until next spring.\n\nHe added: \"Let's get through winter, see where we are with the virus and what the economy looks and decide then how best to support people.\n\n\"Everyone can rest assured we remain committed to making sure we look after the most vulnerable in our society.\"\n\nFootballer and anti-poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford tweeted: \"Is the Universal Credit uplift going to be taken away in April?\"\n\nPaul Noblet, from youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, said: \"The government's failure to commit to retaining the current uplift in Universal Credit is hugely disappointing and will weigh heavily on the minds of millions of people for whom the £20 a week increase has made a huge difference.\n\n\"There is still time for the government to reflect on this issue between now and the end of March and we urge them to think again.\"\n\nThe chancellor set out his spending priorities for the year ahead earlier, warning that unemployment is set to peak at 2.6 million next year, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.\n\nBut he faced criticism from opposition MPs for not mentioning what would happen to benefit rates in his speech.\n\nLabour MP Stephen Timms, chairman of the work and pensions committee, said: \"Millions of people on Universal Credit are now facing the Christmas period in agonising uncertainty, not knowing whether the government will cut their income by £20 a week next April.\n\n\"Meanwhile, those on older benefits, who have already missed out on the rise because the DWP's systems are too old-fashioned, will receive an increase of just 0.5% next year.\n\n\"The government must think again.\"", "Up to three households will be able to meet up during a five-day Christmas period of 23 to 27 December, leaders of the four UK nations have agreed.\n\nPeople can mix in homes, places of worship and outdoor spaces, and travel restrictions will also be eased.\n\nBut a formed \"Christmas bubble\" must be \"exclusive\" and would not be able to visit pubs or restaurants together.\n\nThe leaders urged people to \"think carefully about what they do\" to keep the risk of increased transmission low.\n\nThey added 2020 \"cannot be a normal Christmas\" but family and friends will be able to see each other in a \"limited and cautious\" way.\n\nHowever, some scientists have warned that the relaxation of Covid restrictions over the festive period could spark another wave of infections and further deaths.\n\nThe measures will see travel restrictions across the four nations, and between tiers and levels, lifted to allow people to visit families in other parts of the UK.\n\nAnyone travelling to or from Northern Ireland may travel on the 22 and 28 December, but otherwise travel to and from bubbles should be done between the 23 and 27.\n\nPeople will not be able to get together with others from more than two other households, and once a bubble is formed, it must not be changed or be extended further.\n\nThe guidance says a bubble of three households would be able to stay overnight at each other's home but would not be able to visit hospitality, theatres or retail settings.\n\nHowever, existing local restrictions will still be in place mean many pubs and restaurants - such as those in England's tier three or Scotland's level four - will remain closed during the festive period.\n\nThe leaders of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland reached the agreement at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon.\n\nIn a joint statement, they said: \"Even where it is within the rules, meeting with friends and family over Christmas will be a personal judgement for individuals to take, mindful of the risks to themselves and others, particularly those who are vulnerable.\n\n\"Before deciding to come together over the festive period we urge the consideration of alternative approaches such as the use of technology or meeting outside.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. People in Cardiff share their views on the relaxation of Covid-19 rules over Christmas\n\nPublished guidance for England gives further details of the rules for 23 to 27 December:\n\nScientists say a typical Christmas gathering at home is the type of environment where infections can spread.\n\nThe guidance also advises people to take precautions when meeting their Christmas bubble such as washing hands frequently and opening windows to clear potential virus particles.\n\nIn a video message from Downing Street, the prime minister described the agreement as a \"special, time-limited dispensation\", saying: \"This year means Christmas will be different.\"\n\nBoris Johnson said people must make a \"personal judgment\" about the risk of who they form a bubble with or if they visit elderly relatives., adding: \"Many of us are longing to spend time with family and friends... And yet we can't afford to throw caution to the wind.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"All the governments agreed\" on the five-day plan for Christmas in the UK, says Michael Gove\n\nWales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said it was \"not an instruction to travel, it's not an instruction to meet with other people. People should still use a sense of responsibility\".\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon added: \"The virus is not going to be taking Christmas off, so although we want to give a little bit of flexibility for Christmas we are still urging people to be very cautious and to use this flexibility responsibly and only if you think it is necessary.\"\n\nNorthern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster said she hoped people would have space to plan, adding: \"We of course recognise how important Christmas time is for so many people.\"\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill urged people to \"be responsible\", saying while they wanted to mark Christmas after such a \"desperate\" year the relaxations would increase opportunities for the virus to spread.\n\nShe added it was hoped that an alignment with rules in the Irish Republic could be achieved.\n\nWhat to do about Christmas divides opinion.\n\nIncreased mixing indoors will certainly mean there is greater transmission of the virus.\n\nBut, as chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty said on Monday, there is a balance to be struck between the harm the virus can cause and the societal and economic impacts of trying to control it.\n\nBy that he means adhering to the restrictions in the lead-up to Christmas, being responsible with the opportunity the relaxation gives people, and then immediately switching back to compliance.\n\nIf that happens, any impact could be minimised - and, of course, it will be up to individuals to decide just how much they mix within the rules.\n\nThese are very fine judgement calls by ministers.\n\nThey hope Christmas will provide respite and help steel the public for what is clearly going to be a long, hard winter.\n\nThey also feel they have little choice, believing large numbers of people would ignore pleas not to mix - and this way they can provide advice on how to enjoy Christmas as safely as possible.\n\nBut there is also the risk by sanctioning it there will be more mixing than there would have otherwise been.\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps earlier said Christmas travellers should plan journeys carefully and prepare for restrictions on passenger numbers to allow for social distancing.\n\nMeanwhile, the government has recorded another 608 UK deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test. There have also been a further 11,299 cases of people testing positive for coronavirus.\n\nGyms and non-essential shops in all parts of England will be allowed to reopen from 2 December under a strengthened three-tiered system.\n\nAreas will not find out which tier they are in until Thursday - and the decision will be based on a number of factors including case numbers, the reproduction rate - or R number - and pressure on local NHS services.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How you and your family can celebrate Christmas and minimise the spread of coronavirus\n\nProf Andrew Hayward, director of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, and a member of the government's Sage committee, told BBC Newsnight that allowing families to meet up over Christmas amounted to \"throwing fuel on the Covid fire\".\n\nHe said it would \"definitely lead to increase[d] transmission and likely lead to third wave of infections with hospitals being overrun, and more unnecessary deaths.\"\n\nProf Hayward said while you cannot ban Christmas, he called for clearer messaging to families about the \"dangers\" of socialising and inter-generational mixing.\n\nAnd Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, suggested the relaxation of restrictions at Christmas will \"almost inevitably\" lead to an increase in transmission.\n\nBut he said: \"Providing that the new tier system is better managed than in October, any increase in cases could be relatively short-lived.\n\n\"After Christmas we will still have to live through a few more months of restrictions at least.\"\n\nJillian Evans, the director of health intelligence at NHS Grampian, said the easing of restrictions over Christmas would cost lives.\n\n\"We've got winter weather, we know that people are more susceptible to infection over the colder period, and we've got a festive period where people will be socialising,\" she said.\n\n\"Those are facts, and I would rather be honest and tell you that those are the facts, and be truthful about it so people can understand the risks that they're taking.\"\n\nKate Nicholls, chief executive of the UKHospitality lobby group, said there was \"muddled thinking\" over the Christmas rules and they would cause the sector more economic harm.\n\nShe said: \"Hospitality venues should be considered part of the solution for providing people a well-deserved safe and enjoyable Christmas, especially given that allowing multiple households to mix in the confines of private homes presents an exponentially greater risk.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nDiego Maradona - displaying the World Cup in 1986, during a training session, and with his ex-wife Claudia and their daughters Dalma and Gianina Colourful doesn't really do him justice. Diego Maradona was a genius on the football pitch and a controversial figure off it. From his homeland of Argentina to success in Italy, World Cup glory and his drugs downfall, here's a look at his life in photos. Starting out: Maradona made his World Cup finals debut for Argentina at the 1982 tournament in Spain, but really made his mark four years later... Calm before the storm: Handshake with England goalkeeper Peter Shilton before the World Cup quarter-final in Mexico in 1986 Ridiculous to the sublime: The 'Hand of God' goal against England, followed by the 'Goal of the Century' World class: Maradona was named player of the tournament after inspiring Argentina to victory in 1986, and helped the side reach the final four years later Cup king: Maradona was an icon at Italian club Napoli where he won the Uefa Cup in 1989, plus two league titles. The number 10 shirt was retired in his honour Heavy duty: Maradona, pictured in 2001, struggled with a drug addition and weight isues Argentina's A-team: Maradona, then manager of the national side, passes on his wisdom to forward Lionel Messi at the 2010 World Cup but they are beaten 4-0 by Germany in the quarter-finals Poster boy: Maradona poses with a banner of himself at the Argentina v Nigeria game at the 2018 World Cup in Russia", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Mark Drakeford: Governments could not persuade people \"this wasn’t the year to get together over Christmas\"\n\nTougher restrictions in Wales are being considered for the run up to Christmas, the first minister has confirmed.\n\nMark Drakeford said he is \"looking carefully\" at similar coronavirus rules to those that will be in place in areas in the upper end of the tier systems of England and Scotland.\n\nHowever he said they would \"most likely\" be imposed on a Wales-wide basis, rather than a tier system.\n\nThe Welsh Government cabinet is due to discuss the matter on Thursday.\n\nMr Drakeford told BBC Wales Live he believes, unless further action is taken, \"we could end up at Christmas with a virus really heading very fast in the wrong direction\".\n\nHe said: \"We're looking carefully at the tier system that they've got now in Scotland and in England, looking at what further restrictions they have at that point in the tier system where it begins to be effective, seeing if there's anything more we can take from that for Wales.\n\n\"Let me be clear I'm not talking about using a tiered system.\n\n\"I'm looking to see what measures are in place at, say, tier three in Scotland and England.\n\n\"Are there things that they do there that we're not doing here in Wales, that we would do, most likely, on a Wales-wide basis… in the run up to Christmas. We've got four weeks left.\"\n\nEngland's new tier system comes into force when its lockdown ends next week, with Tier 3 being the highest level of restrictions.\n\nUnder Tier 3, people must not meet indoors or in most outdoor places with people they do not live with or who are not in their support bubble, pubs and restaurants are closed except for takeaway and hotels and indoor entertainment venues must close.\n\nScotland has a five-level system that runs from 0 to four. At Level 3 alcohol sales are not allowed and cafes and restaurants can only serve food and non-alcoholic drinks and must close at 18:00.\n\nMr Drakeford said preventing people getting together would have helped moves to control the spread of coronavirus.\n\nHowever he admitted that Christmas was \"too important\" to people to ask them to not celebrate.\n\n\"If we could have persuaded people that this wasn't the year to get together over Christmas that would have been better from the virus's perspective, but we were never going to be able to do that,\" he said.\n\n\"In an incredibly difficult year we weren't going to be able to persuade people that they could just act as though Christmas wasn't happening.\"\n\nWales could see tough restrictions like in England and Scotland in the run-up to Christmas\n\nAsked whether Wales was ready to distribute a coronavirus vaccine, Mr Drakeford said: \"We have everything in place once a vaccine gets regulatory approval.\"\n\nHe added: \"Even the most promising vaccine is yet to have approval by the regulator. Once it gets it, within a week we are ready to start vaccinating people in Wales.\"\n\nIf Wales were to use the Pfizer vaccine, which has to be stored at -70 degrees, he said the plan is to use equipment from the Welsh Blood Service.\n\n\"We can use the equipment the Wales Blood service already has to store material at that temperature and we can make it available for this vaccine,\" he said.\n\n\"The vaccine will have limitations, it will be difficult to transport but we will find ways of doing it. Whatever vaccine comes our way, we will want to use here in Wales.\"", "A police car stood outside the department store where the attack took place\n\nA woman has been arrested in the southern Swiss city of Lugano after allegedly injuring two other women in a suspected terror attack at a store.\n\nShe attempted to choke one and stabbed another in the neck with a knife before being stopped by shoppers, police say.\n\nOne victim is believed to have serious but not life-threatening injuries, while the other was lightly wounded.\n\nThe suspect, 28, was known to federal police from an investigation into \"jihadist terrorism\" back in 2017.\n\nA Swiss national, she lived locally in the Italian-speaking Ticino region.\n\n\"A department store in Lugano was the scene of a suspected terrorist-motivated attack on several people,\" the federal attorney-general's office said.\n\nNorman Gobbi, president of Ticino's government, condemned the attack and said extremism \"cannot find a place in our community\".\n\nAustrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, whose own country became the scene of a deadly jihadist shooting earlier this month, tweeted his condemnation of the attack.\n\n\"My thoughts are with the victims wishing them a full & swift recovery. We stand with Switzerland in these difficult hours,\" he added.\n\nFour people were killed in the attack on Vienna on 2 November, which followed other suspected Islamist attacks in the French cities of Paris and Nice this year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Hundreds lined the streets to say a final farewell to travel boss John Hays\n\nHundreds of mourners lined the streets of Sunderland to pay their respects to the founder of the UK's largest independent travel firm.\n\nJohn Hays, of Hays Travel, died on 13 November after collapsing at the firm's head office in Sunderland.\n\nOn Tuesday several buildings around the city were lit up in the company's colours of orange and blue.\n\nHundreds paid their respects as the funeral procession made its way past the firm's offices in Keel Square.\n\nMr Hays died on 13 November after collapsing at the firm's head office\n\nIn a statement, his family said: \"We are overwhelmed by the thousands of wonderful tributes, offers of support and messages full of love that we have had.\n\n\"They have truly helped us all through these last few days.\"\n\nThe company, which has been in business for 40 years, famously took on more than 2,000 former Thomas Cook employees when that company went bust in October last year.\n\nLeader of Sunderland City Council, Graeme Miller, said: \"John was always deeply loyal and committed to Sunderland and the North East region and we thank him for that.\n\n\"I know many other people feel the same, and he was loved and admired by many people in the city and beyond.\"\n\nGraeme Miller said Mr Hays was \"deeply loyal and committed to Sunderland\"\n\nThe cortege travelled over the Wearmouth Bridge and then along St Mary's Boulevard in the city centre en route to the crematorium on Chester Road.\n\nPenshaw Monument was lit up in honour of Mr Hays on Tuesday\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The Joanna C, registered in Brixham in Devon, sank three miles off the coast at Seaford\n\nA search for two missing fishermen whose boat sank off the Sussex coast has been called off.\n\nA major rescue effort began at Seaford, near Newhaven, on Saturday when the coastguard received an emergency alert at about 06:00 GMT.\n\nOne crew member was found clinging to a buoy and taken to hospital.\n\nDespite an extensive search for two other crew members, the coastguard confirmed it had terminated efforts to find them at 15:00 GMT.\n\nThe emergency signal put the 45ft scalloping vessel, which was registered in Brixham, about three nautical miles off the coast.\n\nThroughout Saturday a number of vessels, including local fishing boats, took part in the search.\n\nEastbourne and Newhaven's RNLI lifeboats, two coastguard rescue helicopters and a fixed wing aircraft, and Birling Gap and Beachy Head Coastguard Rescue Teams were all involved, as were 12 other vessels which responded to appeals for help.\n\nThroughout Saturday a number of vessels took part in the search\n\nChris Thomas, deputy director of HM Coastguard said its National Maritime Operations Centre co-ordinated Saturday's rescue effort \"with many units searching tirelessly since first light\".\n\nHe continued: \"Sadly two other crewmen have not yet been found and all our thoughts are with their families and friends.\n\n\"It is testament to the local maritime community that HM Coastguard was so admirably supported throughout the day by nearby vessels and the local fishing communities, who joined us in force and made strenuous efforts to locate their colleagues during the search.\"\n\nOn Saturday, HM Coastguard controller Piers Stanbury said debris had been located close to where the alert had originated.\n\nHelen Lovell, from the Fishermen's Mission in Brixham, said the community was \"really pulling together\" and \"lighting candles and putting them in their windows\" to show they were thinking of the missing men.\n• None One rescued and two missing as fishing boat sinks\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The UK's four nations have backed plans to allow some household mixing \"for a small number of days\" over Christmas.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson is due to unveil on Monday a tougher three-tiered system for England - to be introduced at the end of the current lockdown on 2 December.\n\nThe 10pm closing time for pubs and restaurants will also be relaxed.\n\nWork to finalise the arrangements for a UK-wide approach to restrictions this Christmas is ongoing.\n\nOne option that was discussed in meetings this weekend was that three households could be allowed to meet up for up to five days, according to the BBC's deputy political editor Vicki Young.\n\nMr Johnson will detail the strengthened tiered system in a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, and every region of England will be told on Thursday which tier they will be put into after the lockdown ends.\n\nGyms and non-essential retail are expected to be allowed to re-open in all areas under the new plans.\n\nLast orders in pubs and restaurants will remain at 10pm, but customers will have an extra hour to drink up.\n\nThe PM had also been hoping to announce arrangements for the Christmas period on Monday, but this has been delayed until at least Tuesday to allow the Scottish and Welsh cabinets to agree the plans.\n\nThe Cabinet Office said ministers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had endorsed a \"shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days\".\n\nBut they have emphasised that the public will be advised to \"remain cautious\", and that \"wherever possible people should avoid travelling and minimise social contact\".\n\nDiscussions are continuing - including about travel arrangements - but it is hoped agreement on the joint approach can be reached this week. The Scottish government said \"no agreement has been reached\".\n\nIn respect of Northern Ireland, ministers have also \"recognised that people will want to see family and friends across the island of Ireland, and this is the subject of discussions with the Irish government\", the Cabinet Office said.\n\nPre-lockdown, there were three tiers of restrictions - medium, high, and very high:\n\nMore areas are set to be placed into the higher tiers in England after lockdown.\n\nSome local measures will be the same as those in the previous three-tier system - which was in place in England until the current lockdown began - but some tiers will be strengthened, according to Downing Street.\n\nMr Johnson met with his Cabinet to sign off on the plans on Sunday.\n\nThere have been calls by a cross-party group of MPs and peers for the PM to guarantee that church services will go ahead this Christmas, as current lockdown restrictions forbid most religious services.\n\nMeanwhile, the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) is expected to publish research on Monday saying the previous tiered restrictions in England were not strong enough.\n\nBut 70 Tory MPs have said they will not back the proposals without evidence.\n\nIn a letter to the prime minister, the recently-formed Covid Recovery Group (CRG) said it cannot support a tiered approach unless it sees evidence measures \"will save more lives than they cost\".\n\nMPs are expected to vote on the new tier system in the days before it comes into force.\n\nGovernment ministers and advisers have been hinting about new tougher tiers over the past week.\n\nBefore lockdown there was some evidence that tiers two and three were having an impact, but not tier one.\n\nCrucially, both the top two tiers involved banning mixing inside homes, so one option being discussed behind the scenes is introducing a ban across all the tiers until winter is over.\n\nThe exception will, of course, be Christmas.\n\nThat is a move that divides opinion. But the government sees it as a necessity, believing significant numbers of people will ignore any attempt to ban gatherings over the festive period.\n\nIt is also a recognition the public needs a break from the long hard slog of the pandemic.\n\nInfection rates will of course rise, but that will be offset to some extent by a wider boost to wellbeing.\n\nLabour has so far supported the need for restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19, making a Commons defeat on the plan unlikely.\n\nBut shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds told the BBC her party wanted clarity from the government over how tiers would be decided and the support available for businesses.\n\nOn Sunday, the UK recorded another 18,662 new coronavirus cases and 398 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, bringing the UK total to 55,024.\n\nOf the figures, the government said: \"Due to a processing update, 141 previously published deaths within 28 days in England were excluded from the published data on November 21.\n\n\"This issue has now been corrected for data published on November 22, which includes deaths omitted yesterday in today's total and daily number of newly reported deaths.\"", "The idea of packing up your possessions to live life on the open road has its appeal, but the practicalities put a lot of people off actually doing it. Six years ago, after one of them nearly died and both were diagnosed with depression, Dan Colegate, 38, and Esther Dingley, 37, swapped their careers and a permanent home for motoring through the mountains, valleys and coastlines of Europe.\n\nIn January 2014, Dan and Esther appeared to have a good life.\n\nThey had a nice flat in the picturesque cathedral city of Durham, multiple degrees from universities including Oxford and Cambridge, flourishing careers and were three weeks away from getting married.\n\nBut beneath the surface, both felt hollow inside, like \"zombies sleepwalking through life\", Esther recalls.\n\nDan, a business development manager, was getting counselling for depression while Esther, who ran her own personal training firm, battled with chronic fatigue sparked by her own mental health struggles.\n\nAnd then Dan nearly died.\n\nDan and Esther had always been keen travellers\n\nDoctors had told Esther to say her final goodbye to her partner of 11 years just in case they were unable to halt the \"flesh-eating\" bacteria threatening to devour his insides; the necrotising fasciitis he had was an infection that followed surgery to ease a bowel incontinence-causing defect he had endured since birth.\n\nThey could not have known it on that fretful night, but the moment Dan nearly died proved to be the moment his and Esther's life together really started.\n\n\"It was the kick up the backside we needed,\" says Dan, chatting six years later via video-call from an idyllic vineyard in Gascony, France, where he is house-sitting.\n\nIn the on-screen box beside Dan, Esther, who is broadcasting live from the pair's parked-up campervan, nods. \"People say every cloud has a silver lining but when you're in the cloud it does not look like it,\" she says.\n\nIt's not always easy to see the silver lining when you are in the clouds, Esther says\n\nThe couple are currently several hundred miles apart, Dan opting to stay still for a time while Esther prefers to keep mobile.\n\n\"We've got the best of both worlds, really,\" Esther says. \"We get a home bug and a travel bug. Travelling takes you to some beautiful places but it feels a bit unsettled at times, so then we house-sit somewhere to get a bit of stability.\n\n\"We realised that during the coronavirus we had not been apart from each other for a year so decided to each just do our own thing for a bit. This whole thing has been really good for us individually and our relationship; we are genuinely happy now.\"\n\nDan and Esther say they have found true happiness on the road\n\nThe seeds of that happiness first started to be sown in the weeks after Dan's operation, when he was lying on the sofa eating chunks of discounted Christmas cake they had bought for their wedding. The nuptials had to be cancelled because of his health scare, and they've still not got around to becoming husband and wife.\n\n\"We really loved to travel and we kept saying one day we would do it, but there was always another project, another job to help pay for the future we wanted that we should do first,\" Esther says.\n\n\"We were always just chasing the next objective, always chasing something bigger so we could do something in the future. Then all of a sudden someone turns around and says the person I love and was planning to do it all with could be gone by the morning.\n\n\"It was time for us to think again about our lives.\"\n\nThere was a world out there that they were missing\n\nDan nods, adding simply: \"We were taking our future for granted.\"\n\nWith Dan recovering, they decided to start travelling almost immediately, and within three weeks they were on the road.\n\nThey found a campervan - quickly nicknamed Homer - a tenant for their flat and a buyer for their car.\n\nDan and Esther posed for one final picture in Durham before leaving in 2014\n\nInitially they put most of their possessions in a friend's attic, but have since given most away to friends and charities. \"Everything we own and consider personal possessions fits in the van,\" Dan says.\n\nThey reckoned with their savings and rental income from their Durham home they could head off for a year-long adventure. The two fitness fanatics were keen to hike and cycle in some of Europe's most beautiful spots.\n\nOne year has become six and counting, with the couple living off a combination of savings, rental income and money earned doing odd jobs.\n\nThe two fitness fanatics have biked and hiked their way through Europe\n\n\"When you are sitting on your sofa in Durham trying to decide if you can take the financial risk, with people asking you 'what about your pension?' or 'what about this or that?', you are pretty risk averse,\" Esther says.\n\n\"It was not until on the road and finding out how inexpensive it could be, and interacting with people living on the road for 10 or 20 years, that we started to see we did not have to go back to the careers that we had.\n\n\"We could have done this years earlier.\"\n\nWhen not moving around, they have found work on farms and house-sitting\n\nThey have never really had a plan but instead have just been \"searching for a feeling\", Dan says.\n\nThey've lived in France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Liechtenstein, enjoying summers in the altitudes of the Alps and Pyrenees, and have spent winters in the warmer climes of Spain.\n\nThey have biked and hiked thousands of miles, sometimes apart but most of it together; both recognise they were in a fortunate financial position that's certainly not shared by everyone.\n\nThey spend their summers in the mountains\n\nNo matter how hard they had worked to put themselves in that situation, there was still an element of luck to get there. And they say luck has accompanied them throughout.\n\n\"The overriding experience for me is that something always comes up,\" Dan says.\n\n\"Every time we said 'we needed to do this or that', something happened that made that possible.\"\n\nThey say their only possessions are those that can fit in their campervan\n\nThere was the time they broke down in Italy on a national holiday with the garages closed, and a chance encounter with an expat Mancunian walking her dog led to them being offered a place to stay.\n\nOr when they quickly found farm work or house-sitting jobs when they needed some extra cash or a stable base for a while.\n\nAnd then there was the arrival of Leela.\n\nDan and Esther were staying in San José in Almeria when they made a new friend, a street dog called Leela\n\nIn January 2017, Dan and Esther found themselves in San José, a small fishing village of pristine white houses beside the dazzling blue Alboran Sea in southern Spain, enjoying lunch at a cafe with Esther's parents, who had flown out to see how the pair were getting on.\n\nIt was the cheese and ham toastie that caught Leela's attention.\n\nThe eight-month-old was a stray, a not uncommon sight in Spain.\n\nEsther and Dan met Leela in a cafe in Spain\n\nThis one day found Leela on the cafe's terrace, where Esther and Dan slipped her the remnants of their lunch.\n\nAfter some deliberation, Dan and Esther decided to give Leela a home - but what they didn't know until they took her to the vet to be checked over was that their new friend was pregnant.\n\nThey soon rented a house in the town, where Leela could give birth to her six puppies, and helped the inexperienced mother raise them: Dan and Esther bottle-fed the pups every three hours for several weeks.\n\nTwo of the dogs found new homes in Spain, while the other four and their mother joined Dan and Esther on their travels. This was the inspiration for what became a series of children's books written by the couple, to add to several travel books Dan has authored.\n\nLeela and her pups have joined in with the travelling\n\nOne campervan, two people and five dogs, and there are no plans to end the adventure, no matter how much they miss friends, family and the weekend trips they used to take to the beaches of Northumberland and hills of the Lake District.\n\nThey might currently be in separate countries but they are of one mind when asked what they plan to do next.\n\n\"We haven't got a clue,\" Dan smiles, and Esther nods enthusiastically.\n\nThey have no plans to end their adventure any time soon\n\nAll pictures are subject to copyright\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Despite widespread criticism of how he has handled the Covid-19 pandemic, Brazil’s right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro is seeing his approval ratings rise in the north-east of Brazil, a region where he used to be hated.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Surprised local residents took pictures of the stricken vessel\n\nMore than 400 people have spent the night on board a passenger ferry after it ran aground off the Finnish Åland Islands in the Baltic Sea.\n\nThe Viking Grace became stranded close to the port of Mariehamn on Saturday.\n\nThe Coastguard said the ship was towed to the port on Sunday morning, and the passengers would be evacuated shortly.\n\nIt earlier said the vessel was not leaking and no lives were in danger. The cause of the incident is being investigated.\n\nThe ship, owned by the Viking Line, had been heading to the Swedish capital, Stockholm, from Turku in Finland.\n\nNo injuries have been reported among the 331 passengers and 98 crew, and the Viking Line described the situation on board as \"calm\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Merivartiosto - LSMV This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nResidents near the scene expressed surprise. \"It is very windy here on Åland and they tried to reverse into the quay,\" said one resident, named only as Tina, 55.\n\n\"We saw that they were having problems. They stopped and then something happened and they drifted towards land. You can basically touch the boat if you go down to the water.\n\nPassenger Anna Palsson, quoted by Swedish newspaper Expressen, said they had just gone down to the car deck when the ferry ran aground.\n\n\"People are calm and the staff are handing out food and facemasks,\" she said.\n\nViking Line spokeswoman Johanna Boijer-Svahnström told Yle News that Finnish passengers will be taken from Mariehamn to the mainland on the Viking Grace, while Swedish passengers will board the Viking Amorella for travel to Stockholm.\n\nIt is the second time in two months that a Viking Line ferry has run aground off the Åland Islands. On 30 September, 300 passengers had to be evacuated from the Viking Amorella which hit rocks off Järsö. It has since been towed to Turku for repairs.", "Gyms and non-essential shops in all areas are expected to be allowed to reopen when England's lockdown ends.\n\nOn Monday afternoon, Boris Johnson will explain the detail of England's return to the \"three-tier system\" when lockdown ends on 2 December.\n\nIt is reported pubs in tier three will stay shut except for takeaway. In tier two, only those serving meals can open.\n\nLast orders in all pubs will remain at 22:00 GMT, but customers will have an extra hour to drink up.\n\nThe ban on outdoor grassroots sport is also set to be lifted in all tiers, following calls for this restriction to be eased.\n\nAnd mass testing will be introduced in all tier three areas.\n\nMeanwhile, BBC Sport understands that outdoor sporting events in the lowest-risk areas will be allowed to admit up to 4,000 spectators in England from 2 December.\n\nThere will be no crowds allowed at sport in the highest-risk areas.\n\nDetails of which tier every region of England will be put into are expected on Thursday.\n\nThe prime minister is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons at about 15:30 GMT unveiling the plans for Covid-19 restrictions in England from 2 December. MPs will vote on these proposals later this week.\n\nMore areas are set to be placed in the higher tiers - high risk or very high risk - after lockdown, No 10 has said.\n\nGyms and non-essential shops have been closed in England since 5 November, but are expected to reopen in all areas. Gyms were previously allowed to open in tier three, despite initially being told to shut in some places.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What will we be allowed to do at Christmas?\n\nThe prime minister had hoped to announce arrangements for the Christmas period on Monday, but this has been delayed until at least Tuesday to allow the Scottish and Welsh governments to agree the plans.\n\nIt comes after the Westminster government said the UK's four nations had backed plans to allow some household mixing \"for a small number of days\" over Christmas.\n\nOne option that was discussed in meetings this weekend was that three households could be allowed to meet up for up to five days, according to the BBC's deputy political editor Vicki Young.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government hoped to agree a \"cautious, balanced approach\" for Christmas \"that can allow people to see their families, but also makes sure that we can keep the virus under control\".\n\nMr Johnson is expected to tell the House of Commons later: \"The selflessness of people in following the rules is making a difference.\"\n\nThe increase in new cases is \"flattening off\" in England following the introduction of the nationwide lockdown measures, he will say.\n\nThe prime minister will say \"we are not out of the woods yet\", with the virus \"both far more infectious and far more deadly than seasonal flu\".\n\n\"But with expansion in testing and vaccines edging closer to deployment, the regional tiered system will help get the virus back under control and keep it there,\" he will say.\n\nReacting to the news of the reported proposals, the Campaign for Pubs - which represents publicans across the UK - said it \"will cause hardship for thousands of families of publicans, pub staff and suppliers, as well as the loss of thousands of pubs.\"\n\nIts chairman Paul Crossman, who is the licensee of three pubs in York, told BBC Radio York a relaxation of the 22:00 closing time was \"very welcome indeed\" but the news on the tiers was \"worrying\".\n\nKate Nicholls, chief of UKHospitality, which represents businesses in the industry, said news of \"significant additional controls\" will \"cripple the UK's hospitality sector and impede economic recovery\".\n\nAnd Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the Today programme that many hospitality businesses \"will not survive\" tougher restrictions.\n\n\"It seems that a toughened tier three could be devastating for the hospitality industry and will hit cities and the city economy very, very hard indeed,\" he said.\n\nMeanwhile, dozens of Conservative MPs in the Covid recovery group (CRG) are threatening to oppose any new restrictions in a Commons vote.\n\nGroup member and Tory MP Steve Baker said while they were \"reassured\" by some of the messages coming out of government, they needed to know more.\n\n\"It is still the case that where there are restrictions we still want to be sure they are going to have an impact on the transmission of Covid and we want to know that whatever is proposed they will save more lives than it will cost,\" he told Today.\n\n\"I think we will have to hear what the prime minister says before we decide how we are voting. There is of course always a danger colleagues will vote against.\"\n\nThe plan for extensive community testing in tier three areas follows a pilot programme in Liverpool, where more than 200,000 people were tested and which the government said contributed to the fall in cases there.\n\nMr Johnson is expected to tell MPs that rapid testing will \"help get the virus back under control and keep it there\".\n\nDaily coronavirus tests will be offered to close contacts of people who have tested positive in England, as a way to reduce the current 14-day quarantine.\n\nDowning Street also said weekly testing would be expanded to all staff working in food manufacturing, prisons and the vaccine programme from next month.\n\nOn Sunday, the UK recorded another 18,662 confirmed coronavirus cases and 398 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. The total includes 141 deaths which were omitted from the 21 November figures in error.", "Newspaper reports suggest rules could be temporarily relaxed UK-wide over Christmas\n\nIt is still the Welsh Government's aim to reach a UK-wide agreement on Covid-19 rules for the Christmas period, the health minister has said.\n\nVaughan Gething's comments come after Downing Street said Boris Johnson was expected to make an announcement on Christmas to MPs on Monday.\n\nMr Gething said he was \"not sure\" the prime minister would \"announce their plans for Christmas tomorrow\".\n\nHe said all four UK governments were due to continue talks later this week.\n\nMr Gething did not put a timetable on when an announcement could be made, saying the Welsh Government would \"like to do it as soon as possible\".\n\nThe UK Cabinet Office said ministers from the four nations agreed on the importance of allowing families and friends to meet \"in a careful and limited way, while recognising that this will not be a normal festive period and the risks of transmission remain very real\".\n\nA statement also said ministers endorsed \"a shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days\".\n\nSpeaking to BBC Politics Wales, Mr Gething said Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford \"had another constructive conversation\" with UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove and other first ministers on Saturday.\n\nAsked if an announcement could be made this week, he said: \"We have a cabinet coming up this week. We'll want to consider the conversations and how far they've got over the weekend.\n\n\"We'll also want to consider the advice of our chief medical officer about the potential proposals for Christmas and to understand what that might mean in terms of the future health of the population but also the capacity of our National Health Service to help treat people and to keep them alive.\"\n\nNewspaper reports suggest rules could be temporarily relaxed UK-wide over Christmas, with several families allowed to join one \"bubble\" and mix between 22 and 28 December, according to the Daily Telegraph.\n\nVaughan Gething said the conversation about Christmas \"isn't complete\"\n\nMr Gething said ministers were \"looking at a timeframe that would allow people to travel\" but would not be drawn on any detail.\n\nHe said he wanted a four nations approach \"as far as possible to make it easier for people to understand what they can do, to help people to do the right thing\".\n\nPaul Davies, leader of the Conservatives in the Senedd, said: \"It's good news for everyone that all four governments are currently committed to a four nation approach to Christmas and the festive season.\n\n\"Along with any potential vaccine, it is essential that the four governments work together to get us out of the pandemic united and together.\n\n\"People have family members and loved ones in all corners of the UK so having a joined up approach that allows people to get together no matter where they may live is vital,\" he added.\n\nPlaid Cymru health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth has called for the government to think \"compassionately\" about which rules are in place between November and the new year, so people may have \"at least one long bank holiday weekend with family\".\n\n\"It can't be a normal Christmas, but I'd hope that everything possible is done to allow us to spend time safely with loved ones,\" he said.\n\nMr ap Iorwerth also called for a mass testing programme for areas of high transmission - such as the one in Merthyr Tydfil - and a \"comprehensive vaccine plan\" to be published.\n\nOn Friday, Mr Drakeford warned that if Covid cases rise, then people will not have extra Christmas freedoms.\n\nFollowing encouraging news about coronavirus vaccines, with some successful trials reported, Mr Gething said it was \"possible\" the vaccination process could start before Christmas.\n\nBut, he added: \"That still depends on whether the first vaccine, the Pfizer candidate, goes through all its regulatory and safety checks.\n\n\"If it is available before Christmas, we have a plan to be able to start vaccinating people this calendar year.\n\n\"To get population coverage, that depends on other vaccines becoming available, and we're not in control of that either.\n\n\"I wouldn't want to give a timeframe within which we'll have population coverage.\"\n\nWith Welsh Government officials considering mass testing all pupils and students, Mr Gething said he hoped to announce \"over the next week or so\" which sectors would be prioritised for rapid tests.", "Council and military personnel are helping with the testing\n\nMerthyr council said 977 people were tested for coronavirus during Wales's first day of mass-testing.\n\nHowever only nine people tested on Saturday were found to have Covid-19.\n\nUp to 175 armed forces personnel were drafted in to help as people queued at Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre.\n\nIt comes weeks after the area was given the title of the worst affected place in the UK. Latest figures showed it had 250.3 cases per 100,000 of the population over a seven-day period.\n\nThis places it behind Blaenau Gwent (396.5) and Neath Port Talbot (258.9).\n\nHundreds queued around the leisure centre to get tested\n\nAnyone living or working in the county can now get a test and up to 60,000 people could be tested in total, with those without symptoms also urged to take a test.\n\nMerthyr council has revealed the full list of testing sites and their opening times.\n\nIt has also created a regional helpline for those who test positive or were contacted by tracers and told to self-isolate.\n\nThere are concerns some could be left hard up if told to self-isolate weeks before Christmas.\n\nThe Welsh Government has set up a payment scheme for those on low wages.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Campaigners want a public inquiry to establish \"truth, justice and accountability\" around the 1974 bombings\n\nA convoy of more than 100 cars and bikes marked the 46th anniversary of the Birmingham pub bombings.\n\nFriends and relatives of the 21 killed and 220 injured in the 1974 atrocity began in Aston and were ending at West Midlands Police's headquarters.\n\nCampaigners are calling for a public inquiry to establish \"truth, justice and accountability\".\n\nA 65-year-old man arrested over the bombings on Wednesday in Belfast was released on Friday after questioning.\n\nThe man, reported to be 65-year-old Michael Patrick Reilly, was held under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and has strongly denied any involvement in the bombings.\n\nTwenty-one people were killed in two blasts on 21 November 1974\n\nSix men - Hugh Callaghan, Paddy Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker - were wrongly jailed for life in 1975 for the attack.\n\nLast month, Home Secretary Priti Patel gave campaigners fresh hope by considering the case for a public inquiry, saying she \"recognised the desire to see those responsible brought to justice\".\n\n\"If we don't have hope, there's no point in us campaigning. We might as well give up,\" said Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine died in the bombings.\n\n\"But we will never give up, we will never go away until justice is seen to be done.\"\n\nThe convoy was ending at West Midlands Police headquarters in the city centre\n\nInquests last year found an IRA warning call was \"inadequate\" for the purposes of ensuring that lives were not lost in the explosions.\n\nThe call, made to the Birmingham Post and Mail at 20:11, gave the bomb locations as the Rotunda building and the nearby Tax Office in New Street but made no mention of pubs, costing the police vital minutes.\n\nThe first bomb detonated in the Mulberry Bush seven minutes later, and the second exploded in the nearby Tavern in the Town shortly after.\n\nA third bomb was planted near Barclays Bank on Hagley Road but failed to properly detonate.\n\nTen of the people who died had been at the Mulberry Bush pub in the city\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk", "Last updated on .From the section Tennis\n\nCoverage: Watch live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and mobile app; follow BBC live text commentary online.\n\nRafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were knocked out of the ATP Finals as Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem set up a title decider.\n\nWorld number two Nadal served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but Russia's Medvedev hit back brilliantly to win 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in London.\n\nHe was the more aggressive player throughout and was composed in the decider as errors came from Nadal.\n\nThe Austrian trusted his big hitting and fought back from a 4-0 deficit in the deciding third-set tie-break to win in almost three hours.\n\nUnlike Thiem, Medvedev, who had never beaten Nadal, is unbeaten throughout the week at the O2 Arena.\n\nNeither man has won the season-ending event before but Thiem will start Sunday's final as the narrow favourite, having won his first Grand Slam at the US Open in September.\n\nWere world number four Medvedev to win, it would be the biggest victory of his career.\n\nFor 20-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, defeat ended his hopes of winning the tournament - one of the few prizes missing from his glittering CV - for the first time.\n\nMedvedev outlasts Nadal on day for the next generation\n\nIt has been the burning question in men's tennis in recent years; when will the next generation replace Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer at the top of the game? There have been many false dawns, and this may be another, but Medvedev and Thiem were deserving winners.\n\nMedvedev dictated against Nadal, hitting 42 winners to the Spaniard's 30 in his unconventional style.\n\nThe 24-year-old Russian set the early pace, creating opportunities on Nadal's serve and breezing through his own service games, only for his level to drop in the seventh game, allowing Nadal to make the pivotal break.\n\nMedvedev did not panic and when Nadal's level dropped at the beginning of the second - an unforced error and a double fault gifted a break - he raced into a 4-1 lead in 15 minutes.\n\nMedvedev then saw his lead wiped out as Nadal roared back but with the Spaniard champion serving for the set, Medvedev cut loose and played a near perfect return game to get back on terms.\n\nMedvedev won the second-set tie-break - helped by a crucial framed forehand that lobbed Nadal - and in the decider he was the player applying all of the pressure.\n\nNadal's movement and power of shot slowed and after fighting off three breaks points, he could not deny the Russian a fourth time when he put away a smash at the net.\n\nAt that point the fight seemed to drain from Nadal and, serving to stay in the match, he double-faulted before hitting a forehand into the net on match point.\n• Watch Premier League football live on BBC iPlayer: Fulham v Everton - find out more here\n\nThiem, 27, has stepped up in recent months, winning his maiden Slam and producing some of the best tennis this week in London.\n\nAgainst Djokovic, his belief in his shot-making and ability to play the big shot at the right moment proved pivotal.\n\nHe double-faulted on the opening point of the deciding tie-break and Djokovic raced into the lead before Thiem sliced his way back into contention.\n\nA fifth match point was cancelled out by a Djokovic ace but Thiem's relentless backhand that hugged the baseline was key to his victory.\n\nDjokovic has not been at his best in London and he cut a frustrated figure throughout the decider, letting out a furious yell when he sent an easy return of serve long at 30-30 on the Thiem serve in the third.\n\nHis groundstrokes were simply not as consistently composed as usual and his repeated moves to the net did not work.\n\nUsually, a 4-0 lead in a tie-break for Djokovic would mean game over. Instead, he was out-hit and out-thought by his opponent.\n\n\"What he did from 0-4 in the third-set tie-breaker was just unreal. I don't think I played bad. I made all of my first serves. He just crushed the ball,\" said Djokovic, who had been chasing a record-equalling sixth title.\n\n\"I was in a driver's position at 4-0. I thought I was very close to winning it. He just took it away from me. But he deserved it, because he just went for it and everything worked.\"\n\nDespite the loss, Djokovic finishes the year as world number one, having lost just five matches in 2020, and will now prepare to defend his Australian Open title in January.\n\nNo-one has managed to beat both Nadal and Djokovic at the ATP Finals since 2010.\n\nNow Medvedev and Thiem have done it in the same year, and even beaten them together on the same day.\n\nThe next generation are consistently having more success against them on the ATP Tour.\n\nAlthough that success has not yet translated to the Grand Slams in quite the same way, perhaps next year will be the year.\n\nLike the semi-finals, the final could be very tight.\n\nWhile Thiem is threatening to become the hardest man to beat on tour, Medvedev is brimming with confidence after recording nine November wins in a row.\n• None What's the story behind the world's most famous sneakers?\n• None How about when it all goes wrong on the first day", "If you are told to self-isolate by the NHS Covid app, you do not qualify for a £500 support grant\n\nThe government has been urged to expand eligibility for self-isolation support grants in England.\n\nCurrently, people asked to stay at home by the NHS Covid app do not qualify for the £500 grant given to those on low incomes who are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace.\n\nParents who have to stay at home to look after children who are self-isolating are also excluded.\n\nCitizens Advice said it meant people faced an \"impossible choice\".\n\nPeople faced having to take a \"big hit\" to their income and might end up struggling with bills in order to help stop the spread of the virus, the charity said.\n\nThe government said it was exploring how to expand the system to cover those advised to isolate by the app.\n\nAnd speaking to the BBC, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government was also looking at ways of reducing the isolation period.\n\nThe support scheme is designed to help people who cannot work from home and lose income because they are self-isolating.\n\nIf you test positive, you are provided with a code, which you can use to apply for the grant.\n\nBut a number of loopholes have emerged - which charities say need to be addressed.\n\nAs well as parents looking after isolating children and those pinged by the app, people who are not on benefits are not automatically eligible. They have to apply for discretionary funding instead.\n\nCharities have said that could mean people who are in the process of applying for benefits such as Universal Credit - but who have not yet completed the process - do not qualify.\n\n\"Ultimately, people are facing an impossible choice often,\" said Citizens Advice spokesperson Katie Martin.\n\n\"They are taking a big hit on their incomes if they can't work from home and they need to self-isolate, but they still have their bills to pay, their food shopping to do, children to care for.\"\n\nMs Martin said the support on offer was welcome, but added: \"It's definitely something that we'd like the government to look again at - to see what else they can do to make sure people can do the right thing.\"\n\nOliver, from Weymouth in Dorset, told the BBC he discovered he was not entitled to any support after receiving a notification from the app to self-isolate.\n\n\"I have a young family, there's seven of us who rely on my income,\" he said. \"I want to follow the guidelines but they leave you in the lurch a bit without the financial support. It's been a rough year - that financial burden feels like a massive injustice.\"\n\n\"They leave you in the lurch,\" says Oliver, who was told to self-isolate without financial support\n\nThe charity Working Families has also urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to discuss eligibility, raising concerns that some working parents have had no choice but to miss work to look after children.\n\nMany parents have children who have been forced to isolate because of cases in their school \"bubble\", for example.\n\nShadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said: \"The prime minister is lucky he can self-isolate from the comfort of his home and carry on working, but for many people that's not an option.\n\n\"Many people will be astonished to find that people using the Covid-19 app can't access support to self-isolate - even if they're eligible for the payment.\"\n\nShe said the prime minister should \"use his own period of self-isolation to fix this broken system\".\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said self-isolation was \"vital to stopping the spread of the virus\" and added that a range of support was available to people on low incomes.\n\nNHS Test and Trace contact tracers will make people aware of the support and tell them how to apply, the department said.\n\n\"We are actively exploring ways to expand the payment scheme to include those who are advised by the app to self-isolate because of close contact with somebody who has tested positive,\" the spokesperson said.", "Ten more people in Northern Ireland have died after contracting Covid-19, taking the Department of Health's total of recorded deaths to 923.\n\nAnother 357 people have tested positive for the virus, taking the overall number of confirmed cases to 49,442.\n\nThe figures come a day after some businesses reopened ahead of a two-week lockdown from 27 November.\n\nThe restrictions have been criticised by some businesses but First Minister Arlene Foster has defended the move.\n\nThe DUP leader denied that her party had performed a U-turn by agreeing to tighter Covid-19 restrictions one week after voting against measures proposed to the Stormont Executive.\n\nShe said the executive \"had to act\" given that the R-number - the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus to - was close to one.\n\nThe evidence \"had changed\" in what was put to ministers at Thursday's executive meeting,\" she added.\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said it was the \"correct decision\".\n\nHealth Minister Robin Swann said the latest restrictions were necessary but accepted they were \"equivalent of going back to where we were in March and April\".\n\nHe said the two-week circuit breaker was a \"big ask\" but \"necessary so we can return to as normal a Christmas as possible.\"\n\nAs of Saturday, there were 429 inpatients in hospitals and 41 people in intensive care units - 31 of them are on ventilation.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, it was confirmed on Saturday that four more people had died with Covid-19 and another 344 people had tested positive.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, the government statistics agency Nisra said on Friday it had recorded a rise in the weekly number of Covid-19-related deaths for the sixth week in a row.\n\nIt said 96 deaths were registered in the week up to Friday 13 November, with the overall total standing at 1,201.", "People in flats with and without cladding have been left unable to move without the safety checks\n\nSafety checks that left thousands of people unable to sell their flats after the Grenfell disaster are being eased.\n\nHousing Secretary Robert Jenrick said homes without cladding would no longer need an EWS1 external wall safety certificate - which involves a survey.\n\nThousands of people have been refused mortgages on flats because owners have been unable to get the surveys done.\n\nBut mortgage lenders said they \"did not consent\" to the announcement of the changes.\n\nThey also questioned how many homeowners would benefit.\n\nThe checks were introduced after 72 people died at Grenfell Tower when a fire spread along outside walls.\n\nTo begin with, only those who owned flats in tall buildings with dangerous flammable cladding were affected. But in January the government extended its advice to smaller properties and mortgage lenders began demanding fire surveys from a much wider range group of sellers.\n\nWith fewer than 300 qualified surveyors for hundreds of thousands of properties, many owners have been unable to access them, leaving them stuck, unable to sell or remortgage.\n\nEarlier, Mr Jenrick announced he had \"secured agreement\" that the survey would not be needed for homes without cladding.\n\n\"Through no fault of their own, some flat owners have been unable to sell or remortgage their homes, and this cannot be allowed to continue,\" he said.\n\nThe housing secretary said the decision to ease checks for blocks without cladding would help almost 450,000 homeowners who \"may have felt stuck in limbo\".\n\nThe building safety minister Lord Greenhalgh tweeted that the chairman of the lenders association UK Finance, and the chief executive of the Building Societies Association, had confirmed \"EWS1 forms are not and have never been required\" for buildings without cladding.\n\nDespite that some people without cladding, have previously been asked to obtain an EWS form and both bodies said in a statement they \"did not consent\" to being included in the announcement.\n\nA finance industry source with knowledge of the negotiations told the BBC the proposal did not mean properties with issues other than cladding would automatically be exempt from a fire survey.\n\nThe source said buildings with wooden balconies, and other safety issues, should have been included among those which still required the external fire safety checks.\n\nIt would still depend on the decision of a \"suitably qualified, independent and properly insured surveyor\", the source said. They did not recognise the figure of 450,000 homeowners stuck in limbo.\n\nOnly a \"small subset\" of buildings would benefit from the announcement, the UK Cladding Action Group said. Estimates by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government suggested that more than 800,000 homes would still require the EWS1.\n\nSome blocks which appeared to be built from solid brick were in fact \"clad with unknown materials behind the brick\", UK Finance and the Building Societies Association warned.\n\nThe Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors said it had agreed the announcement that buildings without cladding did not need the EWS1 assessments, but it added that it would still need to review the government advice before deciding what guidance to issue to surveyors.\n\nSean Tompkins, RICS chief executive, said there had been an \"acute market shortage of fire engineers\" to carry out the checks.\n\n\"We are aware of the severe impact this has had on some homeowners and we agree that buildings without cladding should not be subject to the process,\" he said.\n\nMr Jenrick also said the government was paying to train 2,000 more assessors within six months to speed up checks on blocks which did have cladding.\n\nBut some cladding experts questioned whether the £700,000 in government funding would be enough.\n\n\"Do they think they can just give these people a two-day training course for £350?\" said Adrian Buckmaster, director of Tetraclad. \"You can't train experience in the built environment.\"", "The UK and Canada have agreed a deal to continue trading under the same terms as the current EU agreement after the Brexit transition period ends.\n\nThe government said it paved the way for negotiations to begin next year on a new comprehensive deal with Canada.\n\nThe PM and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau made the \"agreement in principle\" in a video call, the Department for International Trade said.\n\nThe agreement does not give any new benefits to businesses.\n\nBut it rolls over the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement reached by the EU and Canada after seven years of negotiations.\n\nBoris Johnson said the extension was \"a fantastic agreement for Britain\", adding: \"Our negotiators have been working flat out to secure trade deals for the UK and from as early next year we have agreed to start work on a new, bespoke trade deal with Canada that will go even further in meeting the needs of our economy.\"\n\nWelcoming the continuity deal, Mr Trudeau suggested a new comprehensive trade agreement with the UK would take several years to negotiate.\n\nSpeaking during the video call, which also included International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and her counterpart Mary Ng, Mr Trudeau said: \"Now we get to continue to work on a bespoke agreement, a comprehensive agreement over the coming years that will really maximise our trade opportunities and boost things for everyone.\"\n\n\"It is now vital that Boris Johnson and Liz Truss show the same urgency in securing the other 14 outstanding continuity agreements with countries like Mexico, Ghana and Singapore, where a total of £60bn of UK trade is still at risk and time is beginning to run out,\" she added.\n\nBefore it is formally signed, the UK-Canada Trade Continuity Agreement will be subject to final legal checks.\n\nThe UK has now left the EU, but its trading relationship remains the same until the end of the year. That's because it's in an 11-month transition - designed to give both sides some time to negotiate a new trade deal.\n\nNo new trade deals can start until the transition period ends on 31 December.", "Almost one in five shops in Wales are now empty, according to the Welsh Retail Consortium.\n\nThe vacancy rate increased from 15.9% to 18% in the third quarter of this year, the largest jump anywhere in the UK.\n\nHowever, more independent shops are opening up in town centres, business leaders have said.\n\nThe Welsh Government said it provided £90m at the start of the year to support town centres.\n\nIt added it had made a further £9m available to help towns recover from the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThe north-east of England, with 18.6%, was the only region in the UK to have a higher vacancy rate than Wales.\n\nGreater London had the lowest figure with 10%.\n\nShopping centres and high streets have the most empty units in Wales - 20.8% and 18.6% respectively.\n\nRetail parks had the lowest, 8.6%, but this figure increased from 6.9% in the second quarter of 2020.\n\nCardiff-based Peacocks became the latest chain to collapse into administration on Thursday and is one of a number to hit trouble in 2020.\n\nIt comes two weeks after its owner, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group (EWM), put its eponymous shops into the same process.\n\nThis time last year, the group was rescuing Bonmarche from administration, while River Island and Topshop have also closed stores in Wales.\n\nFurniture and fashion chain Laura Ashley also fell into administration in March, resulting in the closure of its factory in Newtown, Powys in June, while Debenhams warned in April it would close four of its Welsh stores in a dispute over business rates.\n\nThe south Wales valleys town of Aberdare could lose three shops on the same street - but the head of its business improvement district is optimistic for the future\n\nSome towns, such as Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, are home to multiple stores from EWM and face losing several shops at the same time if the company is not saved.\n\nDawn Penny, manager of Our Aberdare - the town's business improvement district, said she was optimistic the town could thrive despite the threat of three shops closing.\n\nPeacocks, Bonmarche and New Look - all within a few hundred yards of each other on the town's Cardiff Street - could close.\n\n\"Everyone notices it [when shops close],\" she said. \"Obviously it's a change, but through change you can grab opportunity.\n\n\"It's not just Aberdare and it's not just Wales, and I think there's a change happening because of the pandemic... the feeling among independent business owners is really positive at the moment.\"\n\nMs Penny said some empty shops may be too large and business rates too high to be attractive to smaller businesses, but could be split into smaller units in order to fill them.\n\n\"I definitely think Aberdare has the potential to thrive,\" she added.\n\nThe positive feeling among independent business owners in Aberdare is one replicated in other parts of Wales, Pam Poynton from Bangor's business improvement district said.\n\nMs Poynton said the city, which is home to Wales' longest high street, has seen Topshop, H&M and the Body Shop close recently, but their place has been taken by independent shops.\n\nPeacocks in Bangor had closing down signs in September, but independent businesses are filling the void\n\nShe said: \"We've got a lot more people taking up smaller shops and the big ones are sort of going. It's a bit like a David and Goliath situation.\n\n\"The smaller stores seem to be outdoing the bigger stores at the moment. I think people are supporting the local shops, and I suppose now people are thinking that if they want a shop to stay open they have to support it.\n\n\"I think sometimes people are fearful of change and with Covid we don't know what's going to happen. But things people have forecasted don't seem to be happening at the moment. We've had some closures but we've got some new ones opening.\"\n\nIn Llandudno, Conwy county, business mentor Peter Denton said the town had \"weathered the stormy retail waters\" better than most.\n\nHe said there had been a move towards coffee and tea shops on the high street, but it had \"far fewer empty shops than most towns\".\n\nHe added the town's relatively isolated position on the northern coast of Wales helped it retain certain businesses, which may be an advantage in the future.\n\nSara Jones, head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, said it was important businesses were able to stay on the high street, and a mix of chains and independent shops was crucial.\n\nSara Jones said shopping areas must offer a mix of chains and independent stores\n\n\"We think chain closures will have a big impact, in the sense that the high street relies on being a multi-offer retail site,\" she said.\n\n\"It's a challenge because when we lose one of these it has knock-on consequences. It has a large impact on that community because a lot of those stores will be big employers.\n\n\"Having different types of business is more helpful and more attractive. It shouldn't be about attracting less big stores and bringing in more independents... if we're going to see a repurposed high street, we have to have both.\n\n\"We could still see a high street that's vibrant but it [depends on] how much now the government looks to a recovery plan that puts retail at the forefront.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government said it had provided funding to improve more than 50 town centres.\n\nIt said: \"We announced a further £90m of support for town centres through our Transforming Towns approach at the start of the year.\n\n\"We have also made up to £9 million available to support town centres recover from the coronavirus pandemic, enabling town-centre adaptations to support current circumstances and also drive footfall in the future.\"", "A large police operation was launched to close down the rave\n\nAn investigation has been launched into injuries caused by a police dog at an illegal rave.\n\nA young woman at the event in Yate near Bristol claims to have sustained \"life-changing injuries\" to her leg.\n\nAvon and Somerset Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).\n\nAt the time, the force said officers were pelted with missiles when they moved in to disperse the crowd.\n\nIn an interview with the Independent newspaper, 28 year-old Jessica Mae Andrew said the dog attacked as police closed down the event on 31 October.\n\nShe says her injuries included a broken bone and she needed skin and muscle grafts along with reconstructive surgery.\n\nThe event took place on Halloween\n\nIn a statement, the IOPC said: \"We received a referral from Avon and Somerset Police after a member of the public sustained a dog bite injury in Yate.\n\n\"After careful consideration, we decided the matter was suitable for local investigation by the force.\n\n\"The IOPC will be provided with a copy of the force's final report so will retain some oversight of this matter.\"\n\nAn Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: \"The process is ongoing and will include reviewing body-worn camera footage.\n\n\"Our final report will be provided to the IOPC.\"\n\nSome police officers who went to break up the rave suffered minor injuries after having missiles thrown at them.\n\nAvon and Somerset Chief Constable Andy Marsh said those running the event had acted \"criminally and disgracefully\".\n\n\"It is hard to adequately explain how reckless it was to organise an unlicensed music event during the midst of a pandemic that has claimed so many lives.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A police cordon was put in place around Westgate Street in Hackney\n\nA woman is in a life-threatening condition in hospital after being shot in a London street.\n\nThe woman, 32, was found with wounded on Westgate Street, Hackney, at 20:52 GMT on Sunday.\n\nPolice said the victim was \"an innocent bystander\". She was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. Her next of kin has been informed.\n\nThe Met Police's specialist gang crime unit is investigating. There have been no arrests.\n\nDet Insp Matt Webb, said: \"We have been told that the area was busy at the time of the shooting.\n\n\"I am confident that someone has information that will help our investigation.\n\n\"At this early stage, we believe that the victim was an innocent bystander.\"\n\nEarlier on Sunday, a man in his 20s was stabbed to death in south London.\n\nHe was pronounced dead at Ramillies Close, Brixton Hill, just before 18:00.\n\nOfficers are trying to trace his next of kin. No arrests have been made, the Metropolitan Police said.\n\nOn Sunday afternoon a man was knifed to death in Kensal Green, north-west London.\n\nA man in his 50s has been arrested in connection with the death and remains in police custody, but no details about the victim have been released.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The attack happened near Cable Beach in Western Australia\n\nA man has been killed by a shark off a popular beach in Western Australia.\n\nThe attack happened near Cable Beach in the north of the state. The man was pulled from the water but was later pronounced dead.\n\n\"Police can confirm that tragically the man has died,\" Western Australia police said in a statement.\n\nThe beach has been closed and the public is being urged to avoid local waters. It is the eighth fatal shark attack in Australian waters this year.\n\nA search for the shark is under way, but its species is not yet known.\n\nThere have been at least 22 shark maulings in 2020, according to the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, a government agency.\n\nHowever, shark attacks are rare around Cable Beach, near the town of Broome.\n\n\"You get a lot of reef sharks and shovel-nosed rays, things like that, and hammerheads,\" Daryl Roberson, who runs a business on the beach, told Australian broadcaster ABC.\n\n\"To have something like this is unusual and really devastating.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Drones used to spot sharks on Australian beaches", "Some of the UK's biggest food companies have attacked a plan that could see all online junk food advertising banned to tackle childhood obesity.\n\nIn a letter to the prime minister, bosses of firms including Britvic, Kellogg's and Mars said they supported government efforts to tackle obesity.\n\nBut they said the plans were \"disproportionate\" and lacked evidence.\n\nThe government has said it is determined to help children and families make \"healthier choices\".\n\nIt originally planned to ban online adverts and TV commercials for unhealthy foods that appeared before 9pm, but strengthened this in November.\n\nThe prime minister is said to have changed course after being hospitalised with Covid-19, something he links to being overweight.\n\nThe proposal, which is still under consultation, could usher in some of the toughest digital marketing restrictions in the world by the end of 2022.\n\nFirms would not be able to promote foods high in fat, salt or sugar in Facebook ads, paid search results on Google, text promotions and posts on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.\n\nBut the letter, which has been signed by 800 food and drink manufacturers and 3,000 UK brands, says food companies have not been given enough time to submit detailed objections.\n\n\"The UK government is quite correctly committed to evidence-based policy making. However, the evidence base underpinning these proposals is lacking in both detail and efficacy,\" it says.\n\n\"Additionally, there is still no agreed definition of which foods the government is including in these proposals.\n\n\"They are so broad they even capture family favourites from chocolate to peanut butter to sausage rolls.\"\n\nUnilever, which also signed the letter, said it would stop marketing ice cream to children earlier this year\n\nThe government estimates children aged under 16 were exposed to 15 billion junk food adverts online in 2019, versus 700 million two years earlier.\n\nBut in the letter, firms said advertisers could use sophisticated online tools to aim their advertisements at adult audiences, not children.\n\nIt also voiced concern about plans to police how producers described their products on their own websites and social media channels, saying this would disproportionately impact smaller businesses - which make up 96% of the industry.\n\n\"Is it really the government's intention that a local wedding cake business, for example, would not be able to share product details on its Instagram account in order to grow its sales?\" the letter said.\n\nThe food and drink industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, worth more than £28bn to the economy and employing almost 500,000 people.\n\nUnveiling plans for the ban earlier this month, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: \"I am determined to help parents, children and families in the UK make healthier choices about what they eat.\"\n\nA spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: \"We have committed to restricting HFSS adverts [for products high in fat, sugar and salt] on television before 9pm, but we also need to go further to address how children can be influenced online by adverts promoting unhealthy foods.\n\n\"We have launched a consultation to gather views from the public and industry stakeholders to understand the impact and challenges of introducing a total ban on the advertising of these products online.\"", "Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has warned Boris Johnson against cutting the UK's overseas aid budget.\n\nThe government wants to reduce the annual spend from 0.7% of national income to 0.5%.\n\nBut Mr Welby said \"helping the world's poorest is one of the great moral and ethical achievements of our country\".\n\nThe archbishop, who will take a three-month sabbatical in May next year, said any recovery from the pandemic required \"a global response\".\n\n\"In his teaching, Jesus Christ tells us we mustn't limit our concept of neighbour simply to those close by to us. We need to heed that message in the tough times, as well as the good.\n\n\"Keeping our aid commitment is a strong signal that the UK is a reliable partner for long-term economic, social, environmental and educational advancement across the globe,\" the archbishop said.\n\nUK aid is distributed with the aim of protecting public health and alleviating global poverty\n\nReports earlier this week that the government was considering cutting £4bn from the overseas aid budget have met strong resistance.\n\nIn recent days, 185 charities, two former prime ministers, opposition parties and senior Tories have all urged the government to think again.\n\nMicrosoft founder Bill Gates is the latest public figure to call on the British government to protect the foreign aid budget at next week's spending review.\n\n\"It's never made less sense to cut foreign aid than right now,\" said the billionaire philanthropist.\n\n\"Covid-19 has reminded us viruses don't respect border laws; they don't check your passport before entering your lungs. The only way the UK - or any country - will be free of this virus is if every country is.\n\n\"This is a moment when what's good for the world - and what's good for the UK - are exactly the same thing.\"\n\nSpending on foreign aid is linked to the UK's national income - its GDP - which has been badly impacted by the pandemic.\n\nThe government has already announced a £2.9bn cut from the budget for the rest of 2020 in order to avoid over-shooting the 0.7% target.\n\nThe 0.7% target, initially proposed by the United Nations in the 1970s, was first adopted in the UK by Tony Blair's Labour government in 2005. However, it was not actually reached until 2013 - under the coalition government, led by David Cameron.\n\nBoth Mr Blair and Mr Cameron have criticised any suggestion of a spending reduction, with Mr Cameron calling it a \"moral, strategic and political mistake\".\n\nBut, with UK's national debt now over £2 trillion, some Conservatives have argued money should be re-directed to domestic priorities.\n\nMr Welby said Britain's \"generosity\" gave the UK \"massive influence for good globally\".\n\nIt comes as Lambeth Palace, the London home of the archbishop, announced Mr Welby would take three months of planned leave next year, studying in either Cambridge or the United States.\n\nHe will use his time off for \"reflection, prayer, and spiritual renewal\", but will remain in regular contact with his staff while away, the palace added.\n\nMr Welby's sabbatical was due to begin following the Lambeth Conference this year, but it was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nHe is expected to resume his official duties in September 2021.", "Witnesses spoke about seeing a large number of officers and emergency vehicles in the city centre\n\nSix people have been taken to hospital following a large scale \"violent disturbance\" in Cardiff city centre.\n\nPolice and ambulance crews were called to Queen Street at about 21:50 GMT on Saturday.\n\nOne person suffered head injuries and is in a serious condition and three others are thought to have been stabbed, South Wales Police said.\n\nFour people, aged 16 and 17, have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.\n\nOn Sunday, police said three people remained at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales, with another at Llandough Hospital, Penarth.\n\nNone of the injuries are believed to life-threatening.\n\nPolice said a Taser was also used to detain one man who was obstructing officers, although he was not believed to have been involved in the disorder.\n\nOfficers were alerted by \"multiple reports\" of a \"large disturbance\" on Queen Street and an investigation is under way.\n\nDet Supt Esyr Jones said: \"I'd urge any parent who suspects their child was involved in any way to come forward.\n\n\"Tackling knife crime is the responsibility of us all and any parents who have suspicions about their children being involved are not protecting them by remaining quiet.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Elizabeth Winter This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOfficers have also been given additional powers allowing them to force people to leave Cardiff city centre.\n\nDet Supt Jones said the dispersal order - which is in effect until Tuesday morning - \"will enable officers to stop anyone they suspect is behaving in an anti-social manner, or who is visiting the area to cause any trouble, and direct them to leave.\"\n\n\"Patrols have been stepped up in the area and a dedicated team continues to investigate Saturday's incident,\" he added.\n\nPolice cordons were put up around a number of streets\n\nAn eyewitness said she saw one man being Tasered by police\n\nEyewitness Elizabeth Winter said: \"Some groups of young lads seemed to be getting into altercations with the police. Then there was another man that was Tasered twice.\"\n\nCardiff student Amogh George, 24, said he saw up to 30 police officers around Queen Street and the Capitol Shopping Centre after being alerted by \"a lot of sirens\".\n\n\"People spoke about a brawl but I didn't see what was happening,\" said the journalism student.\n\nCordons remained in place on Queen Street on Sunday morning.\n\nPart of Queen Street remained cordoned off on Sunday morning\n\nDet Supt Jones said: \"This was a violent and completely unacceptable incident which has understandably caused alarm within the local community.\n\n\"A team of 20 detectives are currently investigating the incident, trawling through vast amounts of CCTV and speaking to a number of witnesses, and I want to reassure the public that we will be relentless in identifying and arresting all those involved.\"\n\nA cordon was also put up outside The Central Bar on Windsor Place", "\"For me it's quite confusing as I want to prepare and I haven't been given the information in order to feel confident with the next steps I need to take.\"\n\nFifteen-year-old Lucia Kingman is one of more than 2,500 young people in Wales who are home-schooled.\n\nUnlike GCSE students in schools, who will not be sitting exams next year, Lucia is still waiting to find out.\n\nThe Welsh Government said an advisory group was considering arrangements for private candidates.\n\nLucia, who lives in Vale of Glamorgan, said studying throughout the pandemic was not dissimilar to her usual routine, but it did have an effect, such as when the library had to close.\n\n\"Because a lot of the work I do is teacher assessments, exams are quite alienating to me to a certain degree,\" she said.\n\n\"I need to do some exam practice so I can get familiar with them but the not knowing if I am to sit them or not is very daunting, and adding to an already stressful time.\"\n\nLucia is used to being assessed by her tutors, the unfamiliar territory is exams.\n\nHer father, Simon, said: \"If it's about fairness and clarity then she should be getting teacher assessments like all her peers in Wales.\n\n\"She is comfortable with being assessed, she sat her history GCSE early last year and was given a teacher assessment grade, so why can this not be the case for her GCSEs this year?\"\n\nSchool pupils know what to expect for next year in Wales\n\nLucy Mebarki, a private English and arts tutor, feels tutors have a much better one-to-one relationship with students than in a classroom environment, but thinks exams would be fairer for home-based students.\n\n\"With home-schooled students not being subject to the same classroom-based observations as those in schools I think exams would be the right way for them to get their grades,\" she said.\n\nWhat makes the situation difficult for Lucia is that she is a Welsh student who is being assessed by Oxford Home Schooling, an awarding body based in England.\n\nSimon said: \"She's an anomaly, but I am sure she isn't the only home-schooled young person in this situation. Welsh Government really need to think about all students in Wales, not just those in schools.\"\n\nOxford Home Schooling said it received guidance from exam boards rather than government and its courses will have examination centres in Wales.\n\nIt said if boards decided exams could not be sat, then it would come to a calculated grade.\n\nA Welsh Government spokesman said: \"Our priority is to support all learners in developing the skills and knowledge they need to confidently progress to the next stage of their education, training or career.\n\n\"An independent advisory group has been established to develop proposals for next year's assessments. Arrangements for private candidates will be one of the key aspects considered by the group.\"\n\nOfqual, which regulates exams and qualifications in England, said the UK government had \"made it clear that exams will take place in 2021 and this certainty should be particularly welcomed by students who are home educated\".\n\n\"We are providing advice to the Department for Education on contingency options for 2021 for a range of different scenarios, and continuing to have discussions with school and college representatives, including representatives of private candidates,\" it added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Some pupils are happy with the news but others less so\n\nQualifications Wales said the Welsh education minister's announcement covered the WJEC GCSE, AS and A-level qualifications in Wales, \"not qualifications from any other exam board\".\n\n\"We are conscious that whatever approach to assessment of WJEC GCSEs, AS and A-levels is decided on for summer 2021, it needs to allow fair access to assessment.\n\n\"That's so that all learners, including those who are not studying at a school or college, or other exam centre, can still be assessed and awarded these qualifications, in the same way that other learners will.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Opposition parties are demanding a complete ban on discharging patients to care homes without two negative tests.\n\nThe two test policy was introduced in April, but the health secretary has confirmed such discharges are still allowed.\n\nJeane Freeman said it was \"right and proper\" that clinicians had the final say in exceptional cases.\n\nThe Scottish Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems have called for the practice to be stopped.\n\nLarge numbers of elderly patients were moved out of hospital in the early weeks of the pandemic amid fears the NHS could soon become overwhelmed.\n\nThe policy of hospital Covid patients having two negative tests prior to discharge to a care home was introduced on 21 April.\n\nThe Scottish government said if they had been in hospital for any other reason, they should have one negative test before discharge.\n\nPeople who are admitted to care homes from the community should also have one negative test - but all new care home residents should complete 14 days of isolation, whatever the result of the test.\n\nA person would be moved without having a test in only \"exceptional\" circumstances, the government said in a statement.\n\n\"This might happen if the person has severe difficulty doing the test - for example if someone with dementia finds it highly distressing, or cannot give consent,\" it added.\n\nIn a response to a parliamentary question from Labour's Monica Lennon, reported in the Sunday Mail, Ms Freeman confirmed patients could still be discharged to care homes without a second negative test if it was in their \"clinical interests\".\n\n\"This clinically led decision is for exceptional circumstances and after a full risk assessment, consulting the resident, family and care home on what is right for the individual and putting appropriate mitigating actions and support in place,\" she said.\n\nPressed on the issue on the BBC's Sunday Politics, Ms Freeman said: \"It is entirely right and proper, I think, that clinicians who are experienced in elderly care and medical care and social work staff experienced in social work support for older people are the ones who will make the final decision.\"\n\nOpposition MSPs are calling for the practice to be stopped immediately.\n\nMonica Lennon, Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman, said: \"People known to have Covid-19 should not be placed in care homes and Jeane Freeman must put a stop to this dangerous practice immediately before more lives are lost.\n\n\"Thousands of older and disabled people living in care homes have been forbidden from even talking to their loved one through the window, yet the Scottish government is allowing residents to bring the virus through the back door.\n\n\"Too many lives have already been sacrificed. This must end today.\"\n\nOpposition parties have called for a more detailed inquiry into hospital discharges to care homes.\n\nScottish Conservative health spokesman, Donald Cameron said: \"The SNP have clearly not learned the harsh lessons of the first wave of the pandemic, when we saw Covid-19 ripping through care homes if given even the slightest chance.\n\n\"This isn't about challenging clinical decisions, it's about the reckless message being sent from the health secretary that it could be 'entirely right and proper' to discharge patients without a test.\"\n\nScottish Lib Dem spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: \"What is happening is the opposite of what we were told by the government.\n\n\"There is now categoric proof that the double test protection policy is not being followed.\n\n\"The buck has to stop with ministers who have been all over the place on this.\n\n\"Care home residents and their families deserve to be treated better.\"\n\nLinda Bauld, professor of Public Health at Edinburgh University, said that testing on discharge from hospital was a really important component of protecting care homes and something \"we didn't get right\" in the first wave of the pandemic.\n\nShe said: \"I know it is down to clinical judgement but ideally all these patients should be tested and they should be tested twice.\"\n\nAsked if there would be cases where that was not appropriate, she said: \"There would really need to be exceptional circumstances for that to be justified.\"", "On Saturday night, Californians will be under stay-at-home orders after 22:00\n\nCalifornia has begun a night-time curfew, in an attempt to curb a surge in coronavirus cases.\n\nThe western state's latest figures are now worse than the previous peak in August, the Los Angeles Times reports.\n\nAcross the US, the daily death toll linked to Covid-19 has passed 2,000 for the first time since May.\n\nThe country has now more than 12 million confirmed infections, with more than 255,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.\n\nThis is by far the highest death toll in the world.\n\nAbout 187,000 new infections were recorded nationwide in the latest figures - released on Friday for the previous day - which is an all-time high.\n\nSeveral states have imposed new mask mandates and restrictions to try to combat the rise, and in Texas the National Guard is being deployed to the city of El Paso to help with morgue operations there.\n\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also urged Americans to avoid travelling for the Thanksgiving holiday on 26 November to prevent increased transmissions.\n\nThanksgiving typically heralds the busiest week for travel in the US. Last year, an estimated 26 million people passed through the country's airports in the week surrounding the holiday.\n\nOn Friday, it was revealed that President Donald Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr, had tested positive for coronavirus. \"Apparently I got the 'rona,\" he said in a video on social media, adding that he was asymptomatic so far and quarantining.\n\nCalifornia reported a total of one million cases last week, making it the second state to do so after Texas.\n\nThe new daily curfew, from 22:00 local time on Saturday (06:00 GMT Sunday) until 05:00, will carry on until 21 December, with a possible extension if needed, according to authorities.\n\nRestaurants will be able to offer takeout and delivery outside these hours.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How effective is getting a Covid test before you travel for Thanksgiving?\n\nThe stay-at-home order affects 41 out of California's 58 counties, covering more than 94% of the state's population. Some 40m people live in California, the most populous state in the US.\n\nSome counties have also warned that a more severe lockdown could follow. The latest measures are not as strict as restrictions imposed between March and May, when all nonessential business and travel was prohibited.\n\nOther places, including New York City, are also operating a night-time curfew. Bars, restaurants and gyms are allowed to open until 22:00, but schools have been closed.\n\nThe Californian curfew was announced by Governor Gavin Newsom.\n\n\"The virus is spreading at a pace we haven't seen since the start of this pandemic, and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge,\" he wrote in a statement.\n\nHospital admissions are up 61% statewide in the last two weeks, according to the Los Angeles Times newspaper.\n\n\"The data looks really bad right now,\" said Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer on Friday.\n\nThe CDC has recommended that Americans \"consider\" avoiding Thanksgiving travel and gatherings.\n\n\"It's not a requirement. It's a recommendation,\" said Dr Henry Walke, the CDC's Covid-19 incident manager, on Thursday.\n\nThe following day, President Donald Trump re-tweeted the words of Republican Congressman Jim Jordan: \"Don't lockdown the country. Don't impose curfews. Don't close schools. Let Americans decide for themselves. And celebrate Thanksgiving.\"\n\nThe president and President-elect Joe Biden have both said they are against imposing a national lockdown, and favour letting states come up with their own rules.\n\nCalifornian authorities permit up to three households meeting outdoors\n\nOn Thursday, the White House coronavirus task force had its first public briefing in months. Members, including Vice-President Mike Pence, noted the rise in coronavirus cases.\n\nThe task force said indoor gatherings should be limited over the next couple of weeks.\n\nHowever on Saturday, US media noted that Mr Pence's wife, Karen, had sent out an invitation for a \"Christmas craft\" get-together at their home on 9 December for Congressional Club members.\n\nThe White House has also so far declined to engage with Joe Biden and his incoming administration on policy, as Mr Trump refuses to concede the presidential contest.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHundreds of anti-government protesters in Guatemala have vandalised and set fire to parts of the Congress building, before being dispersed by riot police.\n\nThe building in Guatemala City was empty at the time of Saturday's attack, which lasted for about 10 minutes.\n\nThe fire services put the fire out, but several people were treated for the effects of smoke inhalation.\n\nThe protesters are opposed to a budget approved by Congress of the Central American country on Wednesday night.\n\nAn office inside the building went up in flames - but the overall extent of the damage is not known\n\nA number of protesters were detained by police\n\nThe opposition says the budget prioritises big infrastructure projects to be handled by companies with government connections and overlooks the social and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nThey are also angered by what they describe as major cuts to education and health spending.\n\nAnother key complaints is that the budget was passed by parliament while the rest of the country was distracted by the after-effects of two damaging storms, Eta and Iota.\n\nThe protesters are now pressing for President Alejandro Giammattei to resign.\n\nThe bulk of Saturday's demonstrations, which some observers said were the biggest yet against the budget, were peaceful.\n\nVice-President Guillermo Castillo earlier expressed his opposition to the budget, and said that both he and Mr Giammattei should step down \"for the good of the country\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"We have nothing... I am in pain\" – Central America is counting the cost of Storm Eta", "Caroline Kayll died in hospital after being attacked at a home in Linton\n\nA man has been charged with murdering a teacher and the attempted murder of a 15-year-old boy.\n\nCaroline Kayll, 47, died in hospital after she and the boy were attacked at a home in Linton in Northumberland on 15 November.\n\nThe boy suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries, police said.\n\nPaul Robson, 49, of Stanley Street in Wallsend, was arrested in Glasgow on Friday. He is due at Bedlington Magistrates' Court on Monday.\n\nMs Kayll worked at Atkinson House school in Seghill, Northumberland, which caters for children with social, emotional and mental health issues.\n\nDet Insp Graeme Barr said: \"A murder investigation is always tragic for those involved and our thoughts go out to the families at this very difficult time.\n\n\"I'd like to thank those who have come forward with information to assist us with this case, and would appeal for anyone with further information - who has yet to do so - to get in touch.\"\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BBC's Rebecca Morelle explains how the monoclonal antibodies work\n\nUS officials have granted emergency authorisation for an experimental antibody treatment given to President Trump after his Covid-19 diagnosis.\n\nThe drug, developed by Regeneron, will be allowed for use in people who have tested positive for the virus and are at risk of severe illness.\n\nStudies suggest the therapy is effective when administered early after diagnosis, the company says.\n\nIt comes as Covid-19 cases in the country continue to rise.\n\nEmergency authorisation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows use of a treatment while studies are carried out to determine safety and effectiveness.\n\nA similar drug made by Eli Lilly, another US pharmaceutical firm, was given emergency approval earlier this month.\n\nThe Regeneron treatment is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies - potent, laboratory-made antibodies - which mimic our own immune response. They physically stick to the coronavirus so they cannot get inside the body's cells.\n\nRegeneron said it expected to have enough doses for about 80,000 patients by the end of this month and 300,000 in total by the end of January. The treatment will be provided for free but patients may have to pay for having it administered.\n\nThe FDA said the treatment was not authorised for Covid patients who are in hospital or require oxygen.\n\nThe emergency authorisation comes as the US sees a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases\n\nThe drug was one of a number President Trump received after testing positive for Covid-19 in October. The president later credited the experimental therapy for aiding his recovery - though it remains impossible to know whether it did.\n\nPresident Trump was one of only a handful of people outside clinical trials to be given the drug, under what is known as \"compassionate use\".\n\nMeanwhile, US Housing Secretary Ben Carson said he believed he was \"out of the woods\" after being \"extremely sick\" following his positive Covid diagnosis earlier this month.\n\nOn Facebook, Mr Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, said Mr Trump \"cleared me for the monoclonal antibody therapy that he had previously received, which I am convinced saved my life\". As with Mr Trump, the role the drug played in his recovery is unclear.\n\nThe US has now more than 12 million confirmed Covid-19 infections, with more than 255,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. This is by far the highest death toll in the world.\n\nThe recent rise in cases has prompted many states to impose sweeping new restrictions in attempts to curb the virus, including new mask mandates. In California, a night-time curfew started on Saturday and will be in place until 21 December, with a possible extension if needed, authorities said.\n\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has urged Americans to avoid travelling for the Thanksgiving holiday on 26 November to prevent increased transmissions.\n\nThanksgiving typically heralds the busiest week for travel in the US, and an estimated 26 million people passed through the country's airports in the week surrounding the holiday last year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How effective is getting a Covid test before you travel for Thanksgiving?\n\nA number of coronavirus vaccines are being developed around the world, with some positive breakthroughs in recent weeks:\n\nOther trial results are also expected in the coming weeks. Data on the Russian Sputnik V vaccine suggests it is 92% efficient.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Father Christmas has some tips on how to have a safe Christmas\n\nThe four UK governments have announced their plans to enable families to celebrate Christmas together.\n\nSo how is the festive period likely to be different this year?\n\nThe governments of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have agreed a common approach allowing up to three households to form a Christmas bubble and meet up from 23 to 27 December (22 to 28 December in Northern Ireland).\n\nPeople can mix in homes, places of worship and outdoor spaces, and travel restrictions will also be eased.\n\nHowever, a Christmas bubble must be exclusive, so people cannot swap between them. Bubble members also will not be able to visit pubs or restaurants together.\n\nThere will be no limit to the number of people in a household joining a bubble in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nBut the Scottish government has said that Christmas bubbles should contain no more than eight people. Children under 12 will not count in the total.\n\nFears that a lack of skilled overseas workers on poultry farms could hit the supply of turkeys have been overcome after travel rules were relaxed so they could travel to the UK.\n\nBut many people are buying smaller turkeys than usual because they are likely to have fewer guests.\n\nAn Aberdeenshire farmer has warned many birds could go to waste, while a farm in Wales cut its turkey numbers by 20% in September.\n\nAny turkey shortage may make some people consider a vegetarian or vegan meal instead.\n\nThis year's work celebrations seem certain to take place on Zoom and other online platforms.\n\nRules on big groups meeting up in pubs or anywhere outdoors are very unlikely to be eased in December, so seeing friends for a pre-Christmas drink or meal will probably not be allowed.\n\nCurrent rules for socialising outside your household/support bubble/extended household are:\n\nAt the moment, it is not known what will happen about traditional Christmas religious services like midnight Mass.\n\nFrom 2 December in England, places of worship will reopen for communal prayer.\n\nUp to 50 people can attend indoor services in Scotland in levels zero to three areas, but only up to 20 in level four places.\n\nPlaces of worship have reopened in Wales, but with social distancing in place and communal singing banned.\n\nThey are also open in Northern Ireland with no limit on numbers if safety measures are in place. Weddings, civil ceremonies and funerals can happen, but only 25 people. can attend\n\nWhile in-person shopping in non-food shops can currently happen in all of the UK except England, online retailers are expecting a big surge in demand this year.\n\nIn September, shoppers were warned by an industry boss to buy as early as possible.\n\nAndy Mulcahy, from the online businesses' industry body, told the BBC: \"At this point, I think we can expect an increase of at least 30% for the peak festive trading season, but if stores have to close this might push to 50%.\"\n\nLast posting dates inside the UK range from 18 to 23 December, while we have already passed some international dates.\n\nTheatres in England can reopen on 2 December, and plans have been made for some Christmas pantomimes.\n\nWhile many venues and production companies have cancelled their shows, others are going ahead thanks to National Lottery backing.\n\nOne is at the London Palladium, where the Lottery will buy seats that cannot be used because of social distancing. It will also donate 20,000 free tickets to Lottery players.\n\nMeanwhile a drive-in show - the Car Park Panto - will tour Great Britain with audience members watching from inside their cars.\n\nTheatres in Scotland are closed in level two, three and four areas, throughout Wales, and to audiences in Northern Ireland, where they can open for rehearsals or a live recording.\n\nThe Christmas relaxation of meeting up rules does not extend to New Year's Eve, so that is likely to be a quiet affair this year, with house parties banned in most places.", "Rishi Sunak has said people \"will not see austerity\" when he makes spending announcements for public services this week, despite the billions spent on the pandemic response.\n\nThe government has indicated it will keep to past promises when allocating funds for policing, nurses and schools.\n\nOn Wednesday the chancellor will detail the Spending Review.\n\nIt will outline how taxpayers' money will be spent on departments such as health and education.\n\nBut while ruling out a return to austerity, Mr Sunak has also warned people will soon see an \"economic shock laid bare\".\n\nHe told the BBC's Andrew Marr show that record government borrowing to deal with the coronavirus must be \"grappled with\".\n\nThe Spending Review will give a clearer picture of the economic damage wrought by the pandemic so far.\n\nHowever tax rises and spending cuts were unlikely in the short term, Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), told the BBC's Today programme.\n\n\"We are still in the position of being able to borrow incredibly cheaply and really wanting to protect the economy,\" he said.\n\nAlthough tax rises might end up being \"quite significant\" they might not come until after the next election, Mr Johnson added.\n\n\"It's not something that is super-urgent as we come out of this crisis,\" he said.\n\nThere is speculation that the chancellor wants to freeze public sector pay\n\nLast week, reports that Mr Sunak would freeze wages for public sector staff were met with fierce criticism from unions and workers, though NHS frontline staff are likely to be excluded from such a move.\n\nSpeaking on Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday, the chancellor said: \"You will not see austerity next week, what you will see is an increase in government spending, on day-to-day public services, quite a significant one coming on the increase we had last year.\"\n\nBut, while he said that he \"cannot comment on future pay policy\", Mr Sunak added: \"When we think about public pay settlements, I think it would be entirely reasonable to think of those in the context of the wider economic climate.\"\n\nIt is thought the chancellor is keen to freeze public sector pay since average private sector earnings have fallen this year.\n\nThe IFS's Mr Johnson said that while a pay freeze would save about £2bn a year, the chancellor would need to balance that with the need to keep money in the economy and the recruitment and retention of teachers and nurses.\n\n\"Over this year public sector pay has done much better than private sector pay... but this has come off the back of 10 years when public sector pay has done really quite badly,\" he said.\n\nOn Monday, the shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, will give a speech which argues that: \"Freezing the pay of firefighters, hospital porters and teaching assistants will make them worried about making ends meet ahead of Christmas - that means they'll cut back on spending and our economy won't recover as quickly.\"\n\nLabour is calling on the government to bring forward £30bn in capital spending over the next 18 months to create new jobs.\n\nPrior spending commitments made by the government include the hiring of 50,000 more nurses, and 20,000 extra police officers by 2023.\n\nHowever, the BBC's Reality Check team points out that while 30,000 new nurses will be trained locally or recruited from overseas, 20,000 of the 50,000 roles announced will be existing nurses persuaded to stay in the profession.\n\nThe Reality Check team also points out that adding 20,000 police officers will return total staffing levels to the 143,000 police officers employed prior to the 2010 election when the Conservatives came to power.\n\nThe government has also promised to increase spending on schools by £2.2bn in the 2021-2022 financial year, and direct £1.5bn towards building works at Further Education colleges.\n\nThe Treasury announced on Sunday that another £1.25bn would be allocated to the prisons service.\n\nThe government says a total of £4bn will be allocated to build more than 18,000 additional prison places across England and Wales over the next four years. Some 10,000 of these places have been planned since 2015.\n\nMr Sunak said: \"This has been a tough year for us all. But we won't let it get in the way of delivering on our promises - the British people deserve outstanding public services, and we remain committed to delivering their priorities as we put our public services at the heart of our economic renewal.\"", "A tougher three-tiered system of local restrictions will come into force in England when the lockdown ends on 2 December, Downing Street has said.\n\nBoris Johnson is expected to set out his plan - including details of how families can see different households at Christmas - to MPs on Monday.\n\nMore areas are set to be placed into the higher tiers to keep the virus under control, No 10 said.\n\nAnd some tiers will be strengthened to safeguard lockdown progress.\n\nSome local measures will be the same as those in the previous three-tier system, which was in place in England until the current lockdown began.\n\nBut the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) is expected to publish research on Monday saying the previous restrictions were not strong enough.\n\nThe government will identify the tiers that each area will be placed into on Thursday.\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak told the BBC's Andrew Marr the 10pm closing time for pubs and restaurants was one of the things it was looking to \"refine\".\n\nIt is understood rules will be relaxed to give people an extra hour to finish their food and drinks after last orders at 10pm.\n\nKate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said this would help businesses - but would be \"meaningless\" unless people were allowed to socialise with friends and family, particularly over the crucial Christmas period.\n\nPre-lockdown, there were three tiers of restrictions - medium, high, and very high:\n\nNewspaper reports suggest rules could be temporarily relaxed UK-wide over Christmas. Several families could be allowed to join in one \"bubble\" and mix between 22 and 28 December, according to the Daily Telegraph.\n\nMinisters have made clear the festive season will be different to normal - with some restrictions expected to remain in place.\n\nBBC political correspondent Nick Eardley said conversations about Christmas between the different nations of the UK were ongoing.\n\nSources believe a deal is probable later next week - but it is unlikely to be signed off before the prime minister's announcement on Monday.\n\nThe four nations have different Covid rules but ministers are hoping to agree a joint approach for the festive period.\n\nGovernment ministers and advisers have been hinting about new tougher tiers over the past week.\n\nBefore lockdown there was some evidence that tiers two and three were having an impact, but not tier one.\n\nCrucially, both the top two tiers involved banning mixing inside homes, so one option being discussed behind the scenes is introducing a ban across all the tiers until winter is over.\n\nThe exception will, of course, be Christmas.\n\nThat is a move that divides opinion. But the government sees it as a necessity, believing significant numbers of people will ignore any attempt to ban gatherings over the festive period.\n\nIt is also a recognition the public needs a break from the long hard slog of the pandemic.\n\nInfection rates will of course rise, but that will be offset to some extent by a wider boost to wellbeing.\n\nProf Calum Semple, from the University of Liverpool, said he hoped it would be possible to relax rules over Christmas if the new tiered system worked but warned \"there will be a price\", including tighter restrictions in the future.\n\nHowever, Prof Semple, who is a member of Sage, told Sky News's Sophy Ridge there was \"a lot to be optimistic about\".\n\nHe said he expected mass vaccination of the general population to happen towards next summer, which would give \"broad immunity\" and allow a \"return back to normal\".\n\nMPs are expected to vote on the new tier system in the days before it comes into force.\n\nMany Conservative MPs are opposed to stricter measures, with 70 signing a letter coordinated by the recently-formed Covid Recovery Group (CRG), saying they cannot support a tiered approach unless they see evidence measures \"will save more lives than they cost\".\n\nEarlier this month, 32 Conservatives rebelled by voting against the current lockdown and 17 more, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, abstained.\n\nIn a letter to the prime minister on Saturday, the CRG, led by former chief whip Mark Harper and ex-Brexit minister Steve Baker, warned against inflicting \"huge health and economic costs\".\n\nThe letter said: \"We cannot live under such a series of damaging lockdowns and apparently arbitrary restrictions, and expect our constituents to be grateful for being let out to enjoy the festive season, only to have strict restrictions imposed on them afterwards that cause them health problems and destroy their livelihood.\"\n\nAsked whether he would publish a cost-benefit analysis of any future measures, as called for by the CRG, the chancellor told Sky News it was \"very hard to be precise\" on the economic impacts of individual restrictions.\n\nLabour has so far supported the need for restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19, making a Commons defeat on the plan unlikely.\n\nBut shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds told the BBC her party wanted clarity from the government over how tiers would be decided and the support available for businesses.\n\nOn Saturday, the UK recorded another 19,875 new coronavirus cases and 341 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nThe number of deaths was down from 511 on Friday, and 462 on Saturday 14 November.", "A woman confronts a soldier at Whiterock in Belfast during the Troubles\n\n\"I really got my eyes opened - I was really, really scared.\"\n\nWhen the violence of the Troubles erupted in Northern Ireland, it was press photographers like Paul Faith who were there to capture it.\n\nHe and many others were effectively thrust into the role of war photographers - except the bloodshed was not half a world away, but on the streets of their own towns.\n\nThese people witnessed some of the worst atrocities of the conflict.\n\nNow, seven of them have shared their experiences in a film to be broadcast on Monday night.\n\nShooting the Darkness - which features personal testimony, archive footage and still images - reflects on how many went from working on sport or farming news to portraying images of almost unimaginable pain and suffering.\n\nInitially, Paul Faith was an onlooker to the horror of the Troubles, a 30-year period of conflict which saw 3,500 people killed and many more injured.\n\n\"The daily work would be town hall receptions, dinners, unfurling of Orange banners, parades in the town, cheque presentations - and I was just bursting to get out to do news,\" he told the documentary.\n\n\"I would go home at night, turn on the news and there were bombs going off in Belfast, people being killed. It was just mayhem elsewhere. I just needed to get out, I felt as if it was just my calling.\"\n\nSoldiers running from a bomb in the Smithfield area of Belfast\n\nOn one of his first assignments, he recalls shaking \"from one end of the road for three miles to the other end\" as he covered a republican parade protesting against internment, a government policy to imprison people without trial.\n\n\"You could see the vengeance and the hatred. The soldiers were scared, the republicans were vicious to them and it was just a completely different world,\" he said.\n\nHe talks about republicans being very \"media savvy\" at that time.\n\nPhotographer Paul Faith was thrust into a different role when violence erupted in Northern Ireland\n\nAn abiding memory was the 1998 funeral of IRA man Brendan Burns, when he captured the moment Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness stood beside the coffin, alongside masked men.\n\n\"It was bandit country. The Army and police were there in force with riot shields. We weren't sure what was going to happen, but we knew if something did happen it was going to be bad,\" he said.\n\nPaul Faith captured this scene at the funeral of IRA man Brendan Burns\n\n\"As the service was ending, the coffin was going to come out, the Chinooks [helicopters] were landing, six IRA guys appeared in full camouflage gear, fully masked, berets the whole lot.\n\n\"At the coffin, McGuinness was at the front on the right-hand side, no words were spoken.\"\n\nHe added: \"The Provos had played their ace; they got what they wanted in this picture of Martin McGuinness beside the IRA guys, carrying the coffin.\"\n\nMarch 1988 saw escalating violence culminating in some of the most infamous imagery to emerge from the Troubles.\n\nA fortnight of brutal violence began with the shooting dead of three IRA members in Gibraltar by the Army.\n\nLater that month, their funeral at Milltown Cemetery was attacked by loyalist Michael Stone. Three people were killed, dozens were wounded.\n\nMartin Nangle said it is better to treat what he does as a job, and not get too involved\n\nThree days later, as one of Stone's victims was being buried, the mourners were said to be fearful of another attack.\n\nOn the scene was photographer Martin Nangle - who captured some of the most memorable images of that day, images that would be beamed around the world.\n\nHe was there working when two plain-clothed British soldiers drove into the path of the funeral.\n\nCorporals Derek Wood and David Howes were dragged out of a car and beaten. They were later stripped and shot dead by the IRA, their bodies dumped on waste ground.\n\nMartin Nangle took a series of photographs of the scene in Andersonstown more than 30 years ago before the soldiers were killed\n\nMartin was on hand to capture what happened - but feared the footage would be confiscated as cameramen had been threatened and told to stop filming.\n\n\"It became pretty evident that if I wanted to get this story out what was in the camera had to be taken out and new film put into the camera, wound on, reeled up - so that if I was asked for the film I would open the camera and rip it out and it would look like it was being destroyed,\" he said.\n\n\"It worked insofar as the story got out and the images got out.\"\n\nMartin said he always looked out for a picture that would help describe the narrative of the Troubles.\n\n\"When I saw Belfast for the first time, I was quite shocked at the degree of decaying grandeur, so to speak, that was happening all over the city. This proud Victorian city [was] basically rotting around us,\" he said.\n\nBut he knew he had to document the effect violence had on the people and the social fabric of Northern Ireland.\n\n\"It's probably better to view the world when you are in a situation like that from behind a camera,\" he said.\n\n\"Your mental process is going through composition, when to make that decision to press the shutter.\n\n\"Staying behind the camera is a safety valve to separate yourself from sinking into the event and becoming part of it, which is what you don't want to do.\n\n\"It's better just to treat it as a job, as an observer and not to get too close.\"\n\n\"Your only saving grace was you had a camera. You had something physically in front of you. In a way, it was probably like watching a TV screen.\"\n\nBut he added: \"You couldn't do this job without being touched.\"\n\nShooting The Darkness, by Broadstone Film, will be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland on Monday 23 November at 22:45 GMT.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Damage to the back of the house could be seen after the explosion\n\nA woman has been seriously hurt in a suspected gas explosion in North Lanarkshire.\n\nEmergency services were called to a house in Cedars grove, in Bargeddie, near Coatbridge at about 06:25 on Sunday after reports of a blast.\n\nFire crews, police and ambulance were all in attendance.\n\nPolice confirmed a 43-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman were taken to University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie.\n\nA spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: \"The man received treatment and has been discharged.\n\n\"The woman has been transferred to Glasgow Royal Infirmary with serious injuries.\n\n\"Neighbouring properties have been evacuated as a precaution. Officers remain at the scene.\"\n\nThe Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said two fire engines were sent and a fire within the house was extinguished.\n\nFire service personnel left the scene just before 08:00.\n\nTwo fire appliances were at the scene as well as police and an ambulance", "Two fishermen are missing off the Sussex coast. One other has been rescued after their boat sank.\n\nA man has been rescued and two others remain missing after a fishing boat sank off the Sussex coast.\n\nA search began in the sea off Seaford, near Newhaven, when the coastguard received an alert from the ship's emergency beacon at about 06:00 GMT.\n\nA man was found clinging to a buoy and was taken to hospital.\n\nTwo crew members from the boat, the Joanna C, remain missing. The search for them was suspended at 23:00 and will resume at first light on Sunday.\n\nThe emergency signal put the 45ft scalloping vessel, registered in Brixham, about three nautical miles off the coast.\n\nTwo helicopters and two lifeboats were deployed and a coastguard rescue team has been sent to check for sightings from the shore.\n\nOther fishing boats in the area have also been helping with the search.\n\nPiers Stanbury, HM Coastguard controller, said: \"Thankfully one of the three people on board at the time of sinking has been pulled out of the water and brought to shore by the Newhaven RNLI lifeboat but the intensive air and sea search for the two missing crew continues.\n\n\"Debris has been located close to location of the EPIRB alert location but no life raft has been found as yet.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The artwork showed a girl hula-hooping with a tyre next to a bike missing its back wheel\n\nA bicycle which formed part of Banksy's hula-hooping girl artwork has gone missing.\n\nThe graffiti artist's latest piece appeared on a residential street in Nottingham on 13 October.\n\nIt showed a girl hula-hooping with a tyre next to a bike missing its back wheel.\n\nBut the bicycle vanished from its post outside a beauty parlour in Rothesay Avenue over the weekend, which one visitor described as \"such a shame\".\n\nResident Tracy Jayne found the artwork had been targeted when she went to visit it on Sunday morning.\n\n\"The artwork records an important part of Nottingham's history, Raleigh bikes,\" she said.\n\n\"My late husband worked for Raleigh until it closed in 2002. He died at age 48 in 2017.\n\n\"It's such a shame if someone has stolen the bike. It's sheer disrespect and saddens me very much. \"\n\nResident Tracy Jayne found the artwork had been targeted when she went to visit it on Sunday\n\nBanksy's work drew queues of sightseers when it was claimed by the artist's Instagram feed and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.\n\nThe council protected it with a transparent cover, but the artwork has been targeted with spray paint at least twice.\n\nBoth Nottinghamshire Police and Nottingham City Council said the removal of the bike had not been reported to them.\n\nBanksy began spray-painting trains and walls in his home city of Bristol in the 1990s, and before long was leaving his artistic mark all over the world.\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.", "Deepspot is a diving pool that goes 45.5m (150ft) down and provides a space for divers to train.\n\nIt includes a ship wreck and separate chambers for divers to explore.\n\nDeepspot's president said he hopes the pool will also be used for training by firefighters and the army, not just scuba divers.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe departure of the prime minister's chief adviser Dominic Cummings is a chance to \"reset government\", a senior Tory MP has said.\n\nMr Cummings left Downing Street for the last time on Friday following internal battles about his role.\n\nFormer Brexit Secretary David Davis said Boris Johnson had taken \"decisive action\" in removing his aide.\n\nThe PM's spokesman said Mr Johnson was not distracted by the row and was \"focused\" on tackling coronavirus.\n\nMr Cummings and director of communications Lee Cain, who resigned on Thursday, will work out their notices at home following tensions within No 10.\n\nMr Davis said Mr Cummings had a \"very confrontational-style\" which had turned people in Downing Street against him.\n\nHe said: \"Lots of my colleagues are hoping for a new relationship - with more openness and interaction with Parliament - and I am told the cabinet is hoping to get more say, as it were, in events.\"\n\nAnother Conservative MP, Sir Charles Walker, said Tory MPs had felt like they were \"losing\" the prime minister, and there had been an \"iron curtain\" around Mr Johnson which stopped MPs seeing him to raise concerns.\n\nHe told the BBC the changes in No 10 were a sign of the PM's \"determination to rebuild relationships\" and was a chance to address the \"significant and growing gap\" between Downing Street and the Conservative Party.\n\nThe departure of Mr Cummings and Mr Cain comes as the government grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, and as trade talks between the UK and the EU on their future relationship reach a \"make or break\" point.\n\nLiberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said it was \"scandalous\" that in a week when the UK's coronavirus death toll passed 50,000, redundancies rose to a record high and the country was negotiating \"the most significant trade deal for 50 years\", that the \"people in No 10 round the prime minister are arguing and jockeying for position\".\n\nLabour said the PM could \"rearrange the deckchairs all he wants... but the responsibility for this government's incompetence still lies firmly at Boris Johnson's door\".\n\n\"The fact there is no plan and no focus in the government's response to Covid is entirely down to him,\" a party source said.\n\nMr Cummings had a notoriously difficult relationship with Conservative MPs, some of whom have said it is time for things to be done differently in Downing Street.\n\nFormer Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Mr Cummings' influence had led to \"a ramshackle operation in the hands of one man\".\n\nLord Gavin Barwell, who was former Prime Minister Theresa May's chief of staff, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there was an opportunity for Mr Johnson to rebuild relations with Conservative MPs and \"set a less confrontational and more unifying tone that is maybe more in tune with his natural instincts\".\n\nAnd former Northern Ireland secretary, Theresa Villiers, said: \"Both Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain were pretty dismissive of backbenchers and sometimes ministers and secretaries of state, and I don't think that was helpful.\"\n\nLee Cain worked with Dominic Cummings on the Leave campaign during the EU referendum\n\nBoth Mr Cummings, 48, and Mr Cain, 39, are veterans of the Vote Leave campaign and worked closely with Mr Johnson to deliver the Brexit vote during the 2016 EU referendum.\n\nLord Edward Lister, who was Mr Johnson's chief of staff when he was Mayor of London, will become interim chief of staff pending a wide-ranging shake-up of the prime minister's team.\n\nMr Cain will be replaced by James Slack, who is currently the prime minister's official spokesman.\n\nAllies of the two men who've departed Downing Street insist it was entirely amicable, despite the enduring war of words.\n\nThey may have been eyeing an exit before too long in any case, although it's hard to see that this is how anyone wanted it to happen.\n\nBut in the end, whether Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain were forced out in anger or reluctantly let go doesn't matter too much.\n\nThe fact is the tussle for control in No 10 had become such a distraction that something needed to give.\n\nAs many have said, their departure is an opportunity for the prime minister to make a fresh start.\n\nSo what now? With Downing Street in something of a state of limbo, decisions in the coming days may prove very revealing about the prime minister and his priorities.\n\nMr Cummings prompted controversy this summer after it emerged he made a 260-mile trip from London to County Durham with his family at the height of the UK's first coronavirus lockdown.\n\nThe adviser later said the journey was intended to secure childcare, but he was mocked for claiming a subsequent outing to the picturesque town of Barnard Castle was to help test his eyesight.\n\nBronwen Maddox, director of the Institute for Government, said she thought Mr Cummings' departure \"went beyond just this week's events\", pointing to his trip to Barnard Castle which she said had given public trust in the government \"a battering\".\n\n\"I think in a way this has been brewing since then and the kind of restlessness amongst Conservative MPs on the backbenches shows how strained some of the government's key relationships have been,\" she said.\n\nJill Rutter, senior research fellow at the UK in a Changing Europe think tank, said Mr Cummings had been \"disproportionately influential\" but it was ultimately up to the prime minister who to appoint as his advisers.\n\n\"You have to assume that what Dominic Cummings was doing was what the prime minister wanted him to do, up until he didn't which is what appears to have happened yesterday,\" she said.\n\nMr Cain is said to have left Downing Street through a discreet exit on Friday evening.\n\nBut Mr Cummings walked through the black front door of No 10 with a cardboard box and was later seen arriving home with a bottle of champagne.\n\nMr Davis said his exit from Downing Street holding a cardboard box was \"entirely deliberate\" as he wanted to leave an \"image\".", "With England in lockdown again, and many others parts of the UK enduring severe restrictions, people are looking to film, books, music, online art, podcasts and more for their cultural kicks.\n\nHere, BBC presenters and journalists share their lockdown picks. It's an eclectic list of suggestions for where to look next if you fancy some inspiration.\n\nVeteran broadcaster Mark Radcliffe presents BBC Radio 2's Folk Show and 6 Music's weekend chat and music show Radcliffe and Maconie .\n\nThe Trial Of The Chicago 7 (Netflix)\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Netflix This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nI like a courtroom drama, I must say. For people who don't know the Chicago 7, they were students and hippies and anti-Vietnam protesters who picketed at the 1968 Democratic Party Convention and were arrested for inciting riots.\n\nIf you remember that year, it was a really highly-charged time. Martin Luther King was assassinated in April, and then Bobby Kennedy in June - so this is an extraordinary snapshot of those times. It still has a resonance, particularly in how the one black defendant is treated. In the time of Black Lives Matter and the George Floyd protests, it reminds you that not everything has changed, by a long way.\n\nThis is set in the time of Thatcherism, and it's a tragic tale of this young lad Shuggie Bain, who is protecting and caring for an alcoholic mother, living in extreme poverty. It's rather Thomas Hardy-esque, in that you know everyone is doomed to disappointment or death, but it feels very real. And like the film, one suspects life hasn't changed very much for a lot of people.\n\nThe novel is nominated for the Booker Prize, although I don't generally take that as a massive recommendation. I have certainly bought Booker-winning novels and thought they were dreadful.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 2 by Netflix This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nAnya Taylor-Joy plays Beth Harman, who's in an orphanage at the beginning of the film, and is intrigued by the janitor who plays chess. He gradually agrees to teach her and it turns out she's an absolute prodigy. It's based on a novel by someone called Walter Tevis but it feels like it ought to be true. It's about the connections you make as an orphan - friendships and connections and adoption. And there's a lot of chess.\n\nIn fact, we started playing chess at home, inspired by it, and my wife is miles better than me and she can see several moves ahead. We don't play anymore. It got too annoying.\n\nThe Asian Network presenter has hosted its breakfast show since 2017, having joined the station in 2015 from community radio.\n\nWatching my next door neighbour Clara [Amfo] absolutely bossing it on screen is amazing. I'm a huge fan of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing anyway, but seeing Clara shine like a Queen is great. Rooting for her no doubt. And I usually find anything music or dance related to be therapeutic for me. It's fun, an easy watch and it's a great way to wind down. Grab some munchies and sit on the sofa while having your own party. It's perfect.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 3 by Amazon Prime Video India This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nI've also just finished watching season one of Made In Heaven. A couple of colleagues have been meaning to get me into it and now I'm hooked. It's more of a drama series, but it's so good and keeps you on the edge of your seat at the end of every episode. Can't wait to start the second season.\n\nAnd thirdly, I'm watching Sister Sister, a 1990s US sitcom about twins Tia and Tamera who were separated at birth and reunite 14 years later. It's brought back my youth. And you can never get enough. If you grew up watching Tia and Tamera, you already know how good it is. If you fancy a giggle, put them on.\"\n\nDJ Friction has been on the BBC airwaves since 2002, and is now presenting the Asian Network's evening show.\n\nIt's the biggest kind of escapism - forget pandemics, let's talk about 1,000-year journeys to other galaxies.\n\nHe devours YouTube series by scientists and futurists John Michael Godier and Isaac Arthur, who use science fact to examine what might actually be possible beyond Earth.\n\nThey'll swing between stuff that's happening in our solar system to real mad stuff like, what will the universe look like a trillion years from now? And then they'll break it down using real physics and real science.\n\nThe Real Housewives of America (Sky, ITV Be, Amazon Prime Video)\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 4 by Bravo This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nI don't watch much TV or reality shows,\" says Friction. \"But I fell into this hole of watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac. It wasn't until the summer that I went, 'Wait a minute, they're the only two reality shows from that franchise that feature black women. Every other show features white women.\n\nI'm subconsciously dealing with Black Lives Matter, race and everything that's happening this year via these reality shows. Believe me, I've fallen so deep into them. Anyone who asks a question about the seasons or the episodes, I have the answer.\n\nFriction has been rediscovering The Beatles by listening to all their albums back-to-back again.\n\n\"I just got back into it and thought, my God, how did these guys write nearly every genre of music that we're still listening to? And you're telling me they released The White Album and Yellow Submarine and Sgt Pepper within the space of 18 months? It's ridiculous.\"\n\nWill Gompertz has been arts editor for BBC News since 2009 and before that was a director at the Tate Gallery.\n\nI'm loving this podcast, presented by the award-winning theatre director Ian Rickson. It has a simple format: one guest with whom Rickson has worked selects three things he or she loves. Chiwetel Ejiofor included a Michael Kiwanuka song, Kae Tempest picked a book by William Blake. Good listening.\n\nSome books are beautiful, others are enlightening. Strata is both. Packed with exquisite illustrations, it presents the work of William Smith, a 17th Century geologist, who was the first person to comprehensively map the earth beneath our feet. It's the best non-fiction book I've read in a long time.\n\nFrench TV doesn't get that much attention for some reason - but they produce some great programmes. Spiral is the best police procedural on telly, while Call My Agent is the perfect lockdown escape: uptight actor's agents dealing with uptight actors in a Paris office where they end up either bickering or sleeping with each other. Or both. Tres bon!\n\nMusician Hannah Peel presents late-night Radio 3 show Night Tracks, which ranges from classical to contemporary music. She was Emmy-nominated last year for her soundtrack for HBO's Games of Thrones: The Last Watch.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 5 by Curzon This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nThis is a documentary about the writer John Hull, who went blind just before the birth of his son and started to make a diary of audio cassettes. In the film you hear all the actual recording, and it's just incredible.\n\nYou're immersed in a world of sound, instead of being totally bombarded with visual information. It sounds like it should be a podcast, but it really works as a film - delving into the mind and the body and dreams and memory. I think it's a masterpiece.\n\nI'm Bandcamp all the way, for everything. They do an amazing thing once a month called Bandcamp Friday, where every artist gets 100% of the profit on their merchandise or downloads or CD sales. It's the only place that does that in the music industry.\n\nThe last thing I bought was a compilation by a wonderful little indie label called Salmon Universe, who put out a lot of ambient, electronic music. I like compilations because you're led to artists from all across the world, from Ohio to Japan. It's amazing.\n\nThis is made by the world-renowned sound recordist Chris Watson, who's teamed up with the writer/presenter Luke Clancy to take a journey across the atlas of remote islands, from Ross Island to the Galapagos to the possibly mythical isle of HyBrasil.\n\nIt's full of stories and sounds, and it's beautiful. I just like the way you can use podcasts to express something emotional, rather than factual. So you get a sense of ethereal escapism within that.\n\nMark has been the BBC's music reporter since 2015, and presented 6 Music's History of Video Game Music last year.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 6 by Apple TV This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nAfter Schitt's Creek ended, I was desperately searching for a TV show that hit the same sweet spot of belly-laughs and heart-warming humour. This is that show.\n\nStarring Jason Sudeikis, it tells the story of an American Football coach who comes to London to oversee a fictional Premiership team, despite knowing nothing about football. Unbeknownst to him, the club's owner (played with delicious relish by Hannah Waddingham) is trying to get the team relegated to spite her adulterous husband. I won't spoil the plot, but the show's relentlessly optimistic tone is just what I needed in lockdown.\n\nPikmin isn't as well-known as Nintendo's bigger franchises, like Mario and Zelda, but it's been made with just as much care and attention to detail. You play as a crew of astronauts, stranded on a hostile planet, who have to enlist a crop of plant-like creatures to help them find the missing parts of their spaceship.\n\nYou command up to 100 of the little Pikmin, each of whom have different abilities (some are fighters, some are swimmers, others are impervious to electricity) to solve a bunch of increasingly tricky puzzles against a time limit. It's simultaneously relaxing and panic-inducing; but I've been focusing on completing the less stressful challenge mode with my 10-year-old, who just likes throwing the Pikmin around and laughing at their cute noises.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 7 by Dua Lipa This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nRush-released at the start of the first lockdown, this is still my favourite record of the year. A sweat-glistened hymn to the dancefloor, it never fails to lift my mood.\n\nThe album is getting the live treatment later this month, with a virtual gig that's been dubbed Studio 2054 - with Dua promising (deep breath) \"a kaledioscopic, rocket-fuelled, journey through time, space, mirrorballs, roller discos, bucket hats, belting beats, throbbing basslines and an absolute slam-dunk of the best times in global club culture\". See you there. Hotpants optional.\n\nThe BBC Radio 3 broadcaster presents late-night show Unclassified, which showcases music by composers who might have a classical background but also draw from pop, rock, jazz, and experimental music.\n\nThe Japanese author's novella is evocative but breezy, conversational and unsentimental. She's dealing with the difficulties and complexity of human life but in a really relatable, warm and humorous way.\n\nIt's about the relationship between an adolescent and their mother. It's a coming-of-age tale and about the anxieties of being a teenager, but you get to see it from both sides. You can sense what the mother's feeling as well. She's a fortune teller and their grandma's ill upstairs. It's a family tale about female identity in Japan.\n\nThe annual music festival from Salford-based underground and alternative promoters, Fat Out Fest happened live online this year, and they are now putting sets on YouTube every Friday over the next month.\n\nThey really do take it to the edge. On 20 November they're broadcasting Lone Taxidermist - her shows are wild. It's performance art as well as music. Her new show Marra starts with her singing along to a cattle market. An actual cattle market. Her voice is synced with the auctioneer and Maxine Peake is in the video. It's out there.\n\nRadiophrenia is a Glasgow sound art radio station that's streaming 24/7 until 22 November. I was listening to an Italian sound artist called Tobia Bandini. He'd interviewed all these people asking for their response to the apocalypse and then he'd mix their stories - they're all in Italian - with electronic soundscapes.\n\nIf you want to tune out of the news then this is a really nice place to escape to. There's all sorts in there, and a lot of it is just really pleasing and quite hypnotic.\n\nThe 1Xtra broadcaster started hosting its Drivetime show at the end of September, having joined the station in 2016.\n\nDuring lockdown I have started an obsession with the TV series Billions already watching three seasons! I think throughout the first lockdown, many of us found new interests and hobbies - for me one of those was trying to learn more about stocks. Billions is pretty much the ideal programme for being more of a nerd around finance!\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 8 by Billions on SHOWTIME This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. End of youtube video 8 by Billions on SHOWTIME\n\nI also found an amazing podcast called The Philosopher's Zone. With some thinking time during this lockdown, this podcast is perfect for that. It covers so many different past philosophers as well as different debate topics. It's really nice to just put it on play and binge listen.\n\nI've started reading Aspire by Kevin Hall - an incredible read! It's very self-helpy (which is very me) but it's such a great read, it focuses on the power of words and how they make a real impact in our lives. I don't think I've sold that book well, but trust me on this one, haha!\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 9 by ollinnewmedia This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Storm Vamco damaged buildings and fishing boats like this one in Quang Binh province\n\nA powerful storm pummelled Vietnam on Sunday, injuring at least five people as winds of 90km/h (56mph) uprooted trees and damaged buildings.\n\nStorm Vamco hit the Philippines earlier this week, with rescuers urgently searching for thousands of people trapped after catastrophic floods.\n\nThousands in Vietnam were told to evacuate on Saturday and airports and beaches closed.\n\nFlooding last month killed at least 100 people in the country.\n\nAuthorities warned of deadly landslides on Sunday triggered by heavy rains after 650,000 people in coastal areas were moved to higher ground.\n\nThe storm weakened from Typhoon strength as it travelled westwards from the Philippines but still caused serious destruction in Vietnam.\n\nIn the Philippines, search and rescue efforts are ongoing for people trapped by floodwaters\n\nIn the Philippines, International Red Cross rescue teams are searching floodwaters with torches in the Cayagan valley in the island of Luzon where towns and villages are submerged.\n\nSome of the thousands of people stranded on rooftops have been rescued.\n\nThe death toll has risen to at least 67 and dozens remain missing after Vamco hit on Wednesday, just one week after Goni, the most powerful typhoon seen in the country in seven years.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nOn Sunday Pope Francis delivered a prayer for the Philippines from St Peter's Square in Vatican City.\n\n\"I am close in prayer to the people of the Philippines who suffer from the destruction and above all from the floods caused by a strong typhoon,\" he told gathered worshippers.\n\nIn Vietnam, a series of storms have caused severe flooding in recent weeks and more than 100 people were killed last month following heavy rainfall.\n\nVietnam has already been hit by serious flooding in recent weeks\n\nAbout 400,000 homes there have been destroyed or damaged, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.\n\nThe severe weather washed away roads and bridges and destroyed food supplies and crops, it added.\n\n\"There has been no respite for more than eight million people living in central Vietnam,\" said Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, Vietnam Red Cross Society President, quoted by AFP news agency.\n\nSevere flooding in the Philippines trapped people on rooftops in northeastern Luzon island\n\n\"Each time they start rebuilding their lives and livelihoods, they are pummelled by yet another storm.\"\n\nThe Philippines is used to tropical storms and typhoons, but this year's preparation and response efforts have been hampered by the spread of coronavirus.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Staff at this hospital in Naples treated waiting patients in their cars because the wards were overwhelmed\n\nItaly has added more regions to its coronavirus high-risk \"red zones\" as cases across the country hit a new daily record.\n\nCampania and Tuscany will join other regions placed under the strictest lockdown measures from Sunday.\n\nAuthorities in Campania, which includes Naples, have warned that the health system there is close to collapse.\n\nFriday's announcement came as Italy confirmed 40,902 new infections - its highest ever daily total.\n\nIt passed the one million mark earlier this week and there have been more than 44,000 deaths.\n\nThe government's coronavirus consultant, Walter Ricciardi, told reporters that the country has \"two to three weeks to decide whether to impose a new national lockdown\".\n\nEarlier this year Italy became the epicentre of the pandemic in Europe but brought its outbreak under control with a tough national lockdown. Restrictions were gradually lifted as cases eased but last week - faced with a second wave of infections, it introduced new measures.\n\nRegions are divided into three zones - red for the highest risk, then orange and yellow. In the red zone at the moment are Lombardy, Bolzano, Piedmont and Aosta Valley in the north, and Calabria in the south.\n\nIn these areas, which cover about 16.5 million people in a population of 60 million, residents can only leave home for work, health reasons, essential shopping or emergencies. All non-essential shops are closed.\n\nBars and restaurants are also shut but people can exercise near their homes if they wear masks. Hairdressers can remain open.\n\nRestaurant workers in Rome protested against the latest restrictions on Friday\n\nA quarter of the new cases are in Lombardy, which includes Milan. It was the worst-hit area in Italy's first outbreak and it was Europe's first coronavirus hotspot.\n\nCampania, however, has shot straight from the yellow zone to red as a spike in cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals.\n\n\"The situation in Campania is out of control,\" Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told La Stampa newspaper on Friday. \"We need urgent restrictions... people are dying.\"\n\nItalian media has broadcast shocking scenes from hospitals in Naples.\n\nStaff at one hospital have brought oxygen tanks and other equipment outside to treat people parked in their cars because the emergency department was swamped with cases.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How close are we to Covid immunisation?\n\n\"We have almost no more beds available,\" Rodolfo Punzi, an official at Cotugno hospital, told AFP news agency.\n\nAlso this week a video went viral of an elderly suspected Covid patient found dead in the toilet of the Cardarelli hospital emergency department in Naples. His granddaughter called it \"an outrage to human dignity\" and accused staff of neglect.\n\nLockdowns and other measures are in force in several European countries experiencing a second wave of the virus. In other developments:", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Friday night in Cardiff: \"There's a lot of people out - it's Covid central\"\n\nPub customers are asked to \"enjoy themselves sensibly\" as this weekend marks the first since Wales' firebreak lockdown was lifted.\n\nGroups of up to four are able to book ahead for pubs, cafes and restaurants under Wales' rules.\n\nGreg Mulholland, from the Campaign for Pubs which represents publicans across the UK, said it could help ensure they are allowed to stay open for Christmas.\n\nAn economist said it was a \"crucial\" time for businesses.\n\nOn Friday, Health Minister Vaughan Gething called on people to \"stay in one place but don't stay out for a long time\".\n\nHe said people needed to look at their own actions in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus and urged them not to \"bend the rules\" by moving tables together in the pub.\n\nPeople enjoying a drink on the first Friday night after the firebreak lockdown\n\nMr Mulholland said it was vital that pubs now remained open over the festive period.\n\nWhile it was welcome news when businesses were allowed to reopen on 9 November, he said the restrictions still in place meant it was still \"very difficult\" for pubs to make a profit.\n\nHe told BBC Radio Wales that publicans took their responsibilities \"very seriously\" in ensuring people follow the rules, such as sitting further apart.\n\n\"Community pubs show they are part of the solution in helping people in Wales enjoy themselves sensibly,\" he said.\n\nCardiff city centre was busy with shoppers on Saturday\n\nJoe Hixson, manager of the Queen's Hotel in Swansea's maritime quarter, said the business was operating at about 50% of its usual turnover with a maximum of 40 people allowed in his business.\n\nAnd with a limit of four people per group, he is expecting just a quarter of the usual Christmas party trade in December.\n\n\"It's going to be like January - a quiet month,\" he said.\n\nA raft of new measures were imposed in Wales after the lockdown ended on 9 November\n\nCardiff's Le Monde restaurant boss Nataniel Martinez said customers sitting up to four to a table could \"enjoy yourselves and socialise\" for up to two hours, according to revised coronavirus restrictions.\n\n\"That is very important, especially now with the winter months, the dark, the cold,\" he said.\n\n\"Coming out to enjoy a nice meal in a safe, regulated environment, I think that is very important.\"\n\nIn Powys, siblings Kirst and Ben Oliver-Lewis reopened the Herb Garden Cafe in Llandrindod Wells as its new owners the day Wales' firebreak lockdown lifted.\n\nThe pair, who had both worked at the business previously, said Saturday had seen \"good\" breakfast trade but Monday's reopening was the busiest day this week with customers \"glad to get out\".\n\nEdward Jones, an economist at Bangor University, said: \"We have just come out of the second lockdown in Wales and we know the industries that really suffered are tourism, hospitality and retail, so it is just crucial to get money in through the door.\"", "The firm said it was \"saddened\" at the jobs losses as many staff had worked for the firm for years\n\nGreggs is to cut more than 800 jobs because of a sales slump due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nChief executive Roger Whiteside said the Newcastle-based chain would not be \"profitable\" if action was not taken.\n\nIn a statement, he said he was \"saddened\" that cuts were necessary but \"the battle with Covid was intensifying further\".\n\nIn September, the bakery business said it was in talks with staff to cut hours to try and minimise job losses.\n\nMr Whiteside said: \"Covid trading conditions have forced this action on to our business and we are all very saddened by the need to part company with around 820 friends and colleagues, many of whom have worked with us for many years.\n\n\"At lockdown levels of sales, even after all of the mitigating action that we have taken, Greggs will not be profitable as a business and there can be no room for complacency.\"\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "There has been a call to \"resist dealing in speculation\" over the future of steel production at Tata's plant in Wales.\n\nWelsh Secretary Simon Hart said the firm \"want to make steel in Wales, and that's a good place to be starting this debate from\".\n\nIt followed an announcement that Tata is looking to sell part of its European arm.\n\nAbout 4,000 people work at its Port Talbot steel making plant.\n\nTata announced on Friday that Swedish firm SSAB had initiated talks over the acquisition of its Netherlands-based operations.\n\nThe move would separate the UK and Dutch parts of Tata's business, which merged back in 1999, then as British Steel and Koninklijke Hoogovens.\n\nWales' Economy Minister Ken Skates said the news was \"extremely worrying\" for Tata's 8,000 workers across the UK.\n\nStephen Kinnock, MP for Port Talbot's Aberavon constituency, said it was \"time for a partnership\" between Tata Steel and the government.\n\nHe told BBC Radio Wales that Tata's decision \"puts the spotlight very firmly on the UK government that has to now step up and provide support to the British steel industry\".\n\nHe added: \"It is about the UK government now stepping up to the plate and saying 'okay, this is a British business, we need it for decarbonisation, for climate change objectives, we need it to build sovereign capacity after Brexit'.\"\n\nTom Hoyles, of the GMB Wales union, said public ownership and UK government support \"should be on the table\" if necessary.\n\n\"Those are two options we think they should look at,\" he said.\n\n\"Port Talbot and steel go together like fish and chips.\n\n\"It's not just the jobs that are there that will be affected but supply lines... the smaller businesses and families who live in the town as well who will be worried.\"\n\nTata wants to make steel in Wales, says the UK government's Welsh Secretary Simon Hart\n\nThe UK government has also said it \"will continue to work with Tata Steel and other stakeholders\" as the company shapes its business strategy for the future.\n\nThe Welsh Secretary said the UK government and Tata had agreed to \"work together\" to protect the industry.\n\nMr Hart said it was a positive sign that Tata had made a commitment to a \"sustainable steel manufacturing presence\" in Wales.\n\nAsked whether the UK government would step in and protect jobs at Tata, he said it needed to see what Tata planned for Port Talbot.\n\nHe added: \"We stepped in and saved Celsa Steel in Cardiff at the beginning of lockdown.\n\n\"We have a good track record in Wales of where the arguments add up, of stepping in and helping. We saved 800 jobs in Cardiff.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Children in Need highlights: Joe Wicks and Murray v Crouch at paddle tennis\n\nPudsey Bear returned with a host of celebrities on Friday night for the 40th anniversary of the BBC's fundraiser Children in Need.\n\nMore than £37m had been raised by the end of the programme on Friday evening.\n\nThis year's show was shorter and had no audience, due to Covid-19, but there were still plenty of treats in store.\n\nPeter Crouch and Andy Murray went head-to-head in a game of Paddle Tennis, and an all-star cast covered Oasis's Stop Crying Your Heart Out.\n\nOne of four hosts of Friday night's live show, Mel Giedroyc, thanked viewers for supporting the fundraiser.\n\n\"Children In Need has been going for an astonishing 40 years and we have only been able to do so because of you,\" she said.\n\n\"Despite the challenges that we have come up against this year, and will continue to face while this pandemic plays out, we are strong because the hearts of the people who keep these projects alive are strong.\"\n\nKylie Minogue, Cher and KSI all appear on the charity song\n\nIt got its first airing on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on Radio 2.\n\n\"Children in Need is such a special charity and so loved by everyone, including me,\" said Kylie.\n\n\"It was a privilege to take part in this recording with so many amazing artists.\"\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Various Artists - Topic This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. End of youtube video by Various Artists - Topic\n\nEarlier in the day, Joe Wicks completed his 24-hour workout challenge for Children in Need.\n\nHe was joined by stars including Louis Theroux, Melanie C, Sam Smith and Dame Kelly Holmes as he completed a range of activities, from cycling to yoga, boxing to rowing and his signature high intensity workouts.\n\nAppearing on the live show, Wicks - who was presented with a gold Blue Peter badge - described it as \"the longest day and night of my life\".\n\n\"My body aches, my bum, my feet, everything, but I'm so proud of what we have done,\" he said.\n\n\"We have come together, people have been so kind and generous, and raised so much money through that challenge.\"\n\nIt was announced that his workout marathon had raised £2,108,229 for the charity.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Joe Wicks said he felt \"so buzzed\" and \"full of adrenaline\"\n\nA special edition of DIY SOS, which saw a group of volunteers build a new, all-inclusive surf school in Swansea, has also raised £844,000 after being screened on BBC One on Thursday.\n\nHost Nick Knowles wiped away tears when he was informed of the total on the BBC's Morning Live on Friday.\n\n\"It's a big deal,\" said the presenter. \"We understand that times are tough, Covid times are tough and people are worried about their finances and we were up against the football, all those things.\"\n\nHe added the total had been expected to be \"not as massive as normal times\".\n\nIn fact, it was the highest sum ever raised by the show's annual Children in Need episode.\n\nThe main Children In Need show kicked off at 19:00 GMT on BBC One, hosted live in London by Mel Giedroyc, Alex Scott, Chris Ramsey and Stephen Mangan.\n\nAhead of the show Giedroyc told BBC News the format was \"a bit stripped back\" but that as for the vibe, the famous faces and comedy elements, \"nothing has really changed\".\n\nThe telethon, which raises money for disadvantaged children in the UK, raised an \"on the night\" total of £47.9m last year.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Andy Murray This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe show also included a special clip from the Doctor Who team, while TV presenter Emma Willis has narrated Life in Lockdown - a film showing youngsters living through difficult circumstances during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThe feature follows research commissioned by the charity, which found that 94% of children and young people have had cause to feel worried, sad or anxious in the last six months.\n\n\"The current pandemic has affected all of our lives, but some families have additional and complex needs and challenges outside of Covid-19,\" said Willis.\n\nEmma Willis will narrate the film, Life In Lockdown\n\n\"Being part of this documentary, I was able to see just how vital BBC Children in Need's funds are to families across the UK in times of crisis\n\n\"People are facing incredibly challenging times, but I hope the public tune in and donate if they can to a much-needed cause.\"\n\nChildren in Need was on BBC One on Friday from 19:00 to 22:00 GMT. Catch up on iPlayer.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "He's spent nearly two decades working with Conservative politicians in the upper reaches of government - but many of us hadn't heard of Dominic Cummings until his infamous lockdown trip to Barnard Castle earlier this year. Now that the prime minister's chief adviser is leaving Downing Street, we look back at some memorable moments in his career.\n\nMr Cummings became a household name after he defended his 260-mile drive from his home in London to his parents' farm in County Durham during the UK's national coronavirus lockdown in March.\n\nFollowing pressure from all political sides to explain why he went against the government's \"stay at home\" messaging, Mr Cummings said he made the journey for childcare reasons after his wife developed coronavirus symptoms.\n\nBut a subsequent outing, this time from the cottage on his parents' farm to the historic market town of Barnard Castle, was the trip that gave fuel to meme-makers across the country. Mr Cummings said the reason for that trip was to test his eyesight and his readiness to drive back to London.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe success of the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 EU referendum no doubt helped to secure Mr Cummings' job in Downing Street, as it was his role during that which cemented his strong bond with Boris Johnson.\n\nMr Cummings, the campaign's director, was credited with the \"take back control\" slogan that appeared to strike a chord with so many referendum voters, as well as the claim that Britain could save £350m a week by leaving the EU.\n\nBoris Johnson became prime minister after his part in the successful campaign for the UK to leave the European Union\n\nIn addition to his snappy slogans, Mr Cummings has also hurled some infamous insults at politicians - often through the medium of his personal blog. For example, he has said:\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Cummings: \"We need PJ Masks on the job\"\n\nMr Cummings' blog also drew headlines when he used it to tout his ideas to shake up the civil service.\n\nIn a blog post in January this year, he said the civil service lacked people with \"deep expertise in specific fields\" and called for \"weirdos and misfits with odd skills\" to get in touch with him via a private Gmail address if they wanted to work in government.\n\nThe post stoked tensions, with the civil servants' union saying staff were recruited on merit and \"because of what you can do, not what you believe\".\n\nThe departure of civil service head Sir Mark Sedwill (pictured welcoming Boris Johnson to Downing Street, with Mr Cummings on the right) sped up Mr Cummings' ideas for Whitehall reform, our political editor Laura Kuenssberg said\n\nThe clashes with other civil servants reached new heights after a special adviser was sacked and escorted out of Downing Street by police, following a confrontation with Mr Cummings.\n\nNo reason was given for Sonia Khan's dismissal in August 2019, but it's thought she had been accused by Mr Cummings of leaking details of a no-deal Brexit exercise to the media.\n\nHer then-boss (and then-chancellor) Sajid Javid \"voiced his anger\" with the PM over her treatment, later resigning when Mr Johnson ordered him to fire his team of aides. Labour said Mr Javid's departure showed Mr Cummings had \"won the battle to take absolute control of the Treasury\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sajid Javid: I had no option but to resign\n\nThis is perhaps a lesser-known highlight, but it's a highlight all the same.\n\nAccording to Buzzfeed News, Mr Cummings was greatly frustrated by the prime minister's rejection of his proposal to change Downing Street's office layout.\n\nThe top aide wanted to knock walls through and put desks in circles around both him and Mr Johnson, who would sit in the centre, the Buzzfeed report claims.\n\nThe news site claims the plans were rejected as unworkable - in part as a result of No 10's status as a Grade One listed building.\n\nAs a listed building, No 10 Downing Street has extra legal protection within the planning system (leaf-sweeping is allowed though)\n\nThe penny must drop that you've had an interesting career when you hear an Oscar-nominated actor is preparing to play you in a TV drama.\n\nBenedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Mr Cummings in Channel 4's Brexit: The Uncivil War was as - in the words of our arts editor - \"an intense, socially awkward, strategic mastermind with a gentle Durham accent and a penchant for hanging out in stationery cupboards at work\".\n\nFrom left: Richard Goulding as Boris Johnson, Benedict Cumberbatch as Dominic Cummings, and Oliver Maltman as Michael Gove in Channel 4's Brexit: The Uncivil War", "Last updated on .From the section Derby\n\nDerby County have parted company with manager Phillip Cocu with the club bottom of the Championship.\n\nThe Rams have won just one of their 11 league matches this season, the last of which was a home defeat by Barnsley.\n\nCaptain Wayne Rooney and coaches Shay Given, Liam Rosenior and Justin Walker will oversee first-team training before a permanent successor is appointed.\n\nFormer Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder Cocu, 50, won 21 of his 65 games after taking charge in July 2019.\n\nHis assistants Chris van der Weerden and Twan Scheepers have also left Pride Park by mutual agreement.\n\n\"I'm sorry Phillip and his staff have left the club and want to thank him personally for all his help and encouragement as part of his coaching staff,\" Rooney said.\n\n\"The most important thing now is to stabilise the club and start moving up the table.\n\n\"I've been asked to be part of the coaching staff to help the team's preparations for next Saturday's vital match against Bristol City.\n\n\"The coaches and I will speak with the players on Monday.\"\n\nCocu is self-isolating until Friday having been in close contact with Derby chief executive Stephen Pearce, who tested positive for Covid-19 on 5 November.\n\nHe missed their defeat by Barnsley on 7 November as Van der Weerden took charge.\n\nThe Rams are also close to a takeover after chairman Mel Morris agreed a deal in principle with Abu Dhabi-based consortium Derventio Holdings (UK) Limited.\n\nThe company is led by Sheikh Khaled bin Saquer Zayed Al Nayhan, a cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour, and a new manager will not be appointed until the takeover is completed.\n\nThe deal is understood to be worth £60m, but the EFL is yet to confirm the change of ownership.\n\nCocu succeeded Frank Lampard, who left to join Chelsea, on a four-year deal at Pride Park.\n\nBut despite the arrival of former England captain Rooney as player-coach in January, Cocu was unable to guide the Rams to the Championship play-offs last season as they finished 10th.\n\nTheir only league win so far this season came at Norwich City, courtesy of a late Rooney free-kick. They are without a win in the past seven matches.\n\n\"The club would like to place on record its appreciation for the way Phillip and his staff conducted themselves in what were some extremely challenging situations during his tenure,\" a club statement said.\n\nIt's very sad for Phillip Cocu and for chairman Mel Morris. Morris sold Rams supporters a dream of developing talent from the academy and blooding them in the first team with a balance of experience.\n\nThe pair agreed on a philosophy to make Derby sustainable. To some extent it worked at times, but the consistency in results last season and the start to this one has failed him.\n\nDerby said goodbye to some senior players in the summer who haven't been replaced, including striker Chris Martin, who was pivotal for the style of play.\n\nThe key thing for Cocu is that his tenure at Derby has not been like any other management role.\n\nThis includes off-the-field behaviour by players, which ended in the sacking of Richard Keogh and the sentences handed to Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett.\n\nThe timeline is dramatic and unfair on him, but at the end of the day the results this season did not happen.\n\nThe players weren't playing for him, the style of play this season threw up so many questions and with new owners coming in, there was no way out of it for him.\n\nDerby County is an attractive proposition for any manager high-profile or not, the fans, the academy and the stadium.\n\nIt is all there apart from the squad and ultimately it is the squad that holds the key to everything.\n• None The artists face their first challenge", "The number of school-age children with coronavirus has risen \"significantly\" in the second wave compared with the first, according to the government's scientific advisers.\n\nChildren are now more likely than adults to be the person bringing a Covid infection into a household.\n\nBut families with children are at no higher risk of severe illness.\n\nThe National Education Union (NEU) said it was \"troubled\" by the number of children testing positive.\n\nThe exact role children play in transmitting coronavirus has long been an open question.\n\nIt's clear young people as a group are at very low risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus themselves.\n\nThere is also some evidence younger children are less likely to even contract it in the first place.\n\nBut when it comes to older children, their role in passing on the virus has been much less clear.\n\nA review presented to government and published on 13 November outlines the growing evidence older children can catch and transmit Covid-19 at similar rates to adults.\n\nFrom around the time schools reopened in September, a rising number of children have been testing positive for coronavirus, according to the advisory group.\n\nBut the paper said the extent to which transmission was occurring in schools was \"unproven and difficult to establish\".\n\nTwo major surveillance studies by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Imperial College London show infections among people aged 16-24 were increasing in September.\n\nBy October increases could be seen throughout the 2-24-year-old age bracket.\n\nThere were signs of rising infection in the wider population before schools went back, however.\n\nThe government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has previously said reopening schools was likely to increase transmission of the virus.\n\nChief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty also acknowledged this, but said trade-offs would have to be made to allow schools to remain open while controlling the virus.\n\nThe 13 November advisory paper said there were \"significant educational, developmental and mental health harms from schools being closed\".\n\nSchoolchildren and young adults have experienced a much faster rise in infections than other age groups in the second wave.\n\nProf Mark Woolhouse at the University of Edinburgh said this was \"not surprising given that schools are operating much closer to normality than most other parts of society\".\n\nThe review made clear it was not possible to separate contacts in school from contacts around school including travelling to and from, and socialising afterwards.\n\nHowever, teachers were no more likely to test positive for coronavirus than other workers, according to ONS data.\n\nDr Sarah Lewis, an epidemiologist at the University of Bristol, said this was \"reassuring\" and suggested \"the measures in place to reduce transmission in schools are working\".\n\nPeople living with secondary-school-age children were 8% more likely to catch the virus.\n\nBut research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Oxford found that people living with under-18s had no increased risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid.\n\nThe NEU said it was concerned by the \"finding that children aged 12-16 played a 'significantly higher role' in introducing infection into households in the period after schools reopened their doors to all students\".\n\nThe union suggested this was down to \"the difficulty of social distancing, the absence of face masks inside classrooms, the problems of ventilation, the size of 'bubbles' and the cross mixing on school transport, as well as of secondary pupils mixing outside school\".", "Lucy Letby appeared in person in the dock at Chester Crown Court\n\nA nurse accused of murdering eight babies and attempting to murder another 10 has been denied bail.\n\nLucy Letby, 30, of Arran Avenue, Hereford, is charged with murdering five boys and three girls at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.\n\nShe is also accused of the attempted murder of another five boys and five girls.\n\nMs Letby was remanded into custody after a hearing at Chester Crown Court.\n\nShe attended in person, speaking only to confirm her name, after appearing before Warrington magistrates via video-link on Thursday.\n\nA further hearing is expected to take place at Liverpool Crown Court on 18 November.\n\nPolice said the charges relate to the period of June 2015 to June 2016\n\nA Cheshire Police investigation launched in May 2017 looked into the deaths of 17 babies and 16 non-fatal collapses at the Countess of Chester between March 2015 and July 2016.\n\nMs Letby had previously been arrested in 2018 and 2019.\n\nShe was rearrested on Tuesday and charged on Wednesday.\n\nMs Letby appeared via videolink at Warrington Magistrates' Court on Thursday\n\nPolice said parents of all the babies involved were being kept fully updated on developments and were supported by officers.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Dominic Cummings was never going to go quietly after being forced out of Downing Street at the end of last year.\n\nBut the number, and seriousness, of his claims about what went on at the heart of government, as ministers battled to get on top of the coronavirus crisis, are unprecedented in modern times.\n\nRarely has a former adviser made so many potentially damaging revelations about a sitting prime minister.\n\nHis critics say Mr Cummings is motivated by revenge against Boris Johnson, and will not rest until the PM has been removed from No 10.\n\nMr Cummings insists he is driven by a desire to make what he views as a broken and chaotic government machine work better in future.\n\nHe left his Downing Street role following an internal power struggle, amid claims the PM's then-fiancee had blocked the promotion of one of his allies, Lee Cain, after months of internal warfare.\n\nIn his final year at Downing Street, Mr Cummings had a £40,000 pay rise, taking his salary to between £140,000 and £144,999.\n\nThere was speculation that the 49-year-old would seek a post-politics career as the first head of Aria, the UK's new \"high risk\" science agency, which had been one of his pet projects.\n\nBut he appears to have a different career path in mind.\n\nIn February, he started a technology consultancy firm, Siwah Ltd. He is the sole director of the firm, according to Companies House, and it is registered at an address in his native Durham, in north-east England. This would appear to be a successor to Dynamic Maps, his previous tech consultancy.\n\nBut in recent months, most of his time appears to have been taken up with spilling the beans on his time in government.\n\nThe BBC did not pay Mr Cummings for his exclusive interview with political editor Laura Kuenssberg.\n\nAnd he has not yet taken the time-honoured route of selling his story to a newspaper, or signing a book deal.\n\nBut he has found a way of generating income through online platform Substack, where he has launched a newsletter.\n\nHe plans to give out information on the coronavirus pandemic and his time in Downing Street for free, but \"more recondite stuff on the media, Westminster, 'inside No 10', how did we get Brexit done in 2019, the 2019 election etc\" will only be available to subscribers who pay £10 a month.\n\nHe is also offering his marketing and election campaigning expertise, for fees that \"slide from zero to lots depending on who you are / your project\".\n\nThis new venture has incurred the wrath of Whitehall watchdog Lord Pickles, who chairs the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which vets jobs taken by former ministers and top officials.\n\nIn a letter to Cabinet Office Minister Micheal Gove, he says Mr Cummings has sought advice on working as a consultant.\n\nBut he adds: \"It appears that Mr Cummings is offering various services for payment via a blog hosted on Substack, the blog for which he is also receiving subscription payments.\n\n\"Mr Cummings has failed to seek the committee's advice on this commercial undertaking, nor has the committee received the courtesy of a reply to our letter requesting an explanation.\n\n\"Failure to seek and await advice before taking up work is a breach of the government's rules.\"\n\nThere are few repercussions for failing to consult Acoba, however.\n\nLittle was heard from Mr Cummings for several months after his departure from Downing Street - but that all changed in April.\n\nAfter being named in media reports as the source of government leaks, he launched a scathing attack on Mr Johnson via a 1,000-word blog post in April.\n\nAs well as denying he was behind the leaks, he went on to make a series of accusations against the PM and questioned his \"competence and integrity\".\n\nThe following month, Mr Cummings expanded on his criticisms at a seven-hour select committee appearance, declaring Boris Johnson \"unfit for the job\", and claiming he had ignored scientific advice and wrongly delayed lockdowns.\n\nHe also turned his fire on then-health secretary Matt Hancock, who he said should have been fired for lying.\n\nThis sparked a bitter war of words with Mr Hancock, who flatly denied all of Mr Cummings's allegations.\n\nIt thrust Mr Cummings back into the spotlight for the first time since his now infamous visit to County Durham, four days after the start of the first national lockdown, in March last year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nWhile staying with his family at his father's farm, he made a 30-mile road journey to Barnard Castle, which he later said had been to test his eyesight before the 260-mile drive back to London.\n\nThis revelation - at a specially-convened press conference in the Downing Street garden - made Mr Cummings a household name and led to furious allegations of double standards at a time when the government had banned all but essential long-distance travel.\n\nIn an interview with BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Cummings said that, during the Barnard Castle trip, he had been trying to work out \"Do I feel OK driving?\"\n\nHe also said he had decided to move his family to County Durham before his wife fell ill with suspected Covid because of security concerns over his home in London.\n\nAsked why he had given a story that was \"not the 100% truth\" when he held a special press conference in the Downing Street rose garden on 25 May, Mr Cummings admitted that \"the way we handled the whole thing was wrong\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Cummings says he drove to Barnard Castle to test vision\n\nBoris Johnson stood by his adviser throughout the Barnard Castle episode - to the consternation of some of his supporters, who feared it was undermining his attempts to hold the country together during a national crisis.\n\nSome said the episode burned through the political capital the prime minister had generated months earlier during the 2019 general election.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson defends his senior adviser Dominic Cummings in May 2020\n\nBut it is hard to overstate how important Mr Cummings was to the Johnson project.\n\nThe two are very different characters - Mr Johnson likes to be popular, Mr Cummings appears indifferent to such concerns - but they formed a strong bond in the white heat of the 2016 Vote Leave campaign to get Britain out of the EU, which Mr Cummings led as campaign director.\n\nThe combination of Mr Johnson, the flamboyant household-name frontman, with Mr Cummings, the ruthless, data-driven strategist, with a flair for an eye-catching slogan, proved to be unbeatable.\n\nMr Cummings was credited with formulating the \"take back control\" slogan that appears to have struck a chord with so many referendum voters, changing the course of British history.\n\nYet some were surprised when Mr Cummings was brought into the heart of government as Mr Johnson's chief adviser, given his past record of rubbing senior Tory politicians up the wrong way.\n\nIt proved to be a shrewd move. It was Mr Cummings who devised the high-risk strategy of pushing for the 2019 election to be fought on a \"Get Brexit Done\" ticket, focusing on winning seats in Labour heartlands, something no previous Tory leader had managed to do in decades.\n\nMany of the policy ideas that have shaped the Johnson government's agenda have his fingerprints all over them.\n\n\"Levelling up\" - moving power and money out of London and the South East of England - is a Cummings project, as are plans to shake-up the civil service, take on the judiciary and reform the planning system.\n\nThe team that surrounded Mr Cummings at Downing Street, some of whom are Vote Leave veterans, were fiercely loyal to him and shared a sense that they were outsiders in Whitehall, battling an entrenched \"elite\".\n\nLee Cain, the former Downing Street and Vote Leave communications chief, left No 10 just before Mr Cummings did.\n\nMr Cummings watches the PM in action at a coronavirus briefing\n\nThere had been rumours of a rift between the Vote Leave veterans and other No 10 aides, who didn't like Mr Cummings's and Mr Cain's abrasive style.\n\nThere were tales of crackdowns on special advisers suspected of leaking to the media and angry, dismissive behaviour towards Tory MPs, civil servants and even secretaries of state.\n\nNone of this will have come as much of a surprise to veteran Cummings watchers.\n\nMr Cummings has been in and around the upper reaches of government and the Conservative Party for nearly two decades, and has made a career out of defying conventional wisdom and challenging the established order.\n\nBut he has never been a member of the Conservative Party, or any party, and appears to have little time for most MPs.\n\nA longstanding Eurosceptic who cut his campaigning teeth as a director of the anti-euro Business for Sterling group, Mr Cummings's other passion is changing the way government operates.\n\nHe grabbed headlines when he posted an advert on his personal blog for \"weirdos and misfits with odd skills\" to work in government, arguing that the civil service lacked \"deep expertise\" in many policy areas.\n\nThe Vote Leave bus was one of its most notable campaign tactics\n\nMr Cummings is a native of Durham, in the North East of England. His father, Robert, was an oil rig engineer and his mother, Morag, a teacher and behavioural specialist.\n\nHe went to a state primary school and was then privately educated at Durham School. He graduated from Oxford University with a first-class degree in modern history and spent some time in Russia, where he was involved with an ill-fated attempt to launch an airline, among other projects.\n\nHe is married to Spectator journalist Mary Wakefield, the daughter of aristocrat Sir Humphry Wakefield, whose family seat is Chillingam Castle, in Northumberland.\n\nAfter a stint as campaign director for Business for Sterling, Mr Cummings spent eight months as chief strategy adviser to then Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, who fired him.\n\nHe played a key role in the 2004 campaign against an elected regional assembly in his native North East.\n\nIn what turned out to be a dry run for the Brexit campaign, the North East Says No team won the referendum with a mix of eye-catching stunts - including an inflatable white elephant - and snappy slogans that tapped into the growing anti-politics mood among the public.\n\nHe is then said to have retreated to his father's farm, in County Durham, where he spent his time reading science and history books in an effort to attain a better understanding of the world.\n\nMr Cummings facing questions from the media outside his home\n\nHe re-emerged in 2007 as a special adviser to Michael Gove, who became education secretary in 2010 and turned out to be something of a kindred spirit.\n\nThe pair would rail against what they called \"the blob\" - the informal alliance of senior civil servants and teachers' unions that sought, in their opinion, to frustrate their attempts at reform.\n\nHe left of his own accord to set up a free school, having alienated a number of senior people in the education ministry and the Conservative Party.\n\nHe once described former Brexit Secretary David Davis as \"thick as mince\" and as \"lazy as a toad\" and irritated David Cameron, the then prime minister, who called him a \"career psychopath\".\n\nBenedict Cumberbatch was widely praised for his portrayal of Dominic Cummings in Brexit: The Uncivil War\n\nHis appointment as head of the Vote Leave campaign - dramatised in Channel 4 drama Brexit: The Uncivil War - was seen as a risk worth taking by those putting the campaign together but he left a controversial legacy.\n\nVote Leave was found to have broken electoral law over spending limits by the Electoral Commission and Mr Cummings was held in contempt of Parliament for failing to respond to a summons to appear before and give evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.\n\nLike most advisers, he shunned media interviews when he was in government, and his rare appearances before MPs were characterised by animosity on both sides.\n\nAll that has changed in recent weeks, but it would be a brave person who said he had now joined the ranks of the former Westminster insiders who make their living as pundits - a class he appears to view with as much disdain as he does his former colleagues in government.", "The Lake District is one of England's 10 existing national parks\n\nA further £40m is to be ploughed into green spaces in England as part of a plan to restore species and combat climate change.\n\nThe government says the cash will fund thousands of jobs in conservation.\n\nThe prime minister also promised new national parks and greater protections for England’s iconic landscapes.\n\nEnvironmentalists welcomed the investment but said it was a fraction of what is needed to restore Britain’s depleted wildlife.\n\nBoris Johnson said the scheme was part of his 10-point plan for combating climate change, which Downing Street said would be unveiled this week.\n\nThe plan has been widely leaked and it is thought to include a commitment to:\n\nThe natural environment funding will go to environmental charities creating or restoring important habitats like peatland and wetland; preventing or cleaning up pollution; creating woodland; and helping people connect with nature.\n\nMr Johnson said this will in turn create and retain skilled and unskilled jobs, such as ecologists, project managers, tree planters and teams to carry out nature restoration.\n\nThe projects could give a home to species that flourished in similar initiatives across the country, including the curlew, nightingale, horseshoe bat, pine marten, red squirrel and wild orchids.\n\nMr Johnson said: “Britain’s iconic landscapes are part of the fabric of our national identity - sustaining our communities, driving local economies and inspiring people across the ages.\n\n“That’s why, with the natural world under threat, it’s more important than ever that we act now to enhance our natural environment and protect our precious wildlife and biodiversity.”\n\nThere are currently 10 national parks in England - including the South Downs, Lake District and Peak District - as well as 34 areas of outstanding national beauty (AONB).\n\nThe government says the process for designating new national parks and AONB will start next year.\n\nAnd 10 long-term \"landscape recovery\" projects will be initiated between 2022 and 2024 to restore wilder landscapes.\n\nCraig Bennett, from the Wildlife Trusts, said: \"Of course this is welcome, but it’s a tiny amount compared with what’s needed.\n\n“A previous promise of £40m was over-subscribed seven times over.\n\n“The government has pledged to protect 30% of the countryside by 2030, but at the moment only 5% is protected for wildlife. We need £1bn every year for this enormous task.\"\n\nTony Juniper, head of government agency Natural England, said: \"I warmly welcome this as part of the delivery of the National Nature Recovery Network - and I’m really pleased to have all this coming from the PM.”\n\nThe government has slashed funding for his organisation and earlier this week he told MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee that its current funding is below the level required to carry out statutory duties to a good standard.\n\nMr Juniper said taking action to protect species at risk of extinction, ceasing management duties for National Nature Reserves and engaging only a small number of planning authorities to support landscape and biodiversity activities are some of the areas where Natural England has had to scale back support.", "Emergency laws to \"stamp out dangerous\" anti-vaccine content online should be introduced, Labour has said.\n\nThe party is calling for financial and criminal penalties for social media firms that do not remove false scare stories about vaccines.\n\nIt follows news of progress on the first effective coronavirus vaccine.\n\nThe government said it took the issue \"extremely seriously\" with \"a major commitment\" from Facebook, Twitter and Google to tackle anti-vaccine content.\n\nMany social media platforms label false content as misleading or disputed - and all remove posts that contravene terms of service.\n\nBut Labour said a commitment by platforms to remove content flagged by the government was not enough.\n\nShadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said such content was \"exploiting people's fears, their mistrust of institutions and governments and spreading poison and harm\".\n\nHe told BBC Breakfast his party wanted to work with the government on a cross-party basis to build trust and help promote take-up of the vaccine.\n\nHe said people would have legitimate questions about what the vaccine means for them, levels of immunity and whether the vaccine was appropriate for those with chronic health conditions.\n\n\"There's nothing wrong with asking those questions and strong public health messaging from the government, reinforced by us, will allay those fears,\" he said.\n\nBaseless conspiracy theories about a coronavirus vaccine have been spreading on social media for months - and the latest vaccine news rekindled these pre-existing narratives online.\n\nThese includes false claims that the vaccine is a means of inserting microchips into the population, altering our DNA, or are even a weapon of genocide.\n\nWithin hours of news breaking about the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, comments and memes suggesting it will deliberately harm us were popping up in local Facebook groups, parent chats and on Instagram.\n\nThis kind of disinformation is worlds away from legitimate concerns that a vaccine is safe and properly tested.\n\nDespite commitments to tackle falsehoods from social media sites and the government, a constant bubbling of conspiracies online looks to have already eroded trust for some in an effective vaccine.\n\nThe anti-vax movement, which pre-dates the pandemic, is not the only thing responsible for the spread of this disinformation online.\n\nPseudoscience figures with large online followings - who have spread other false claims such as linking coronavirus to 5G or suggesting the pandemic is a hoax - have also turned their attention to vaccines.\n\nThere is no truth to the false and harmful claims they make - but that hasn't stopped them spilling into the average social media feed for weeks and impacting those who come across them.\n\nMeanwhile, a member of the government's scientific advisory group, Sage, has criticised ministers' strategy of \"flip-flopping\" between encouraging people to socialise and spend money - and tough lockdown restrictions in England.\n\nProfessor John Edmunds said: \"We need to take a long-term view and be sensible and realise that we're going to have to have restrictions in place for some time.\n\n\"Yes, we can lift them when it's safe to do so, which will be primarily when large numbers of people have been vaccinated.\n\n\"But flip-flopping between encouraging people to mix socially, which is what you're doing by encouraging people to go to restaurants and bars, versus then immediately closing them again, isn't a very sensible way to run the epidemic.\"\n\nThe national lockdown in England is currently due to end on 2 December, with a return to the tiered system of local restrictions.\n\nProf Edmunds also criticised that system of lower to higher restrictions, saying it was not \"very well thought through\".\n\nScotland has moved to a five-tier system of coronavirus restrictions. Wales has now ended a \"circuit breaker\" while Northern Ireland has extended its own temporary lockdown.\n\nA further 26,860 UK coronavirus cases were recorded on Saturday and 462 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported.\n\nSuspicion of vaccines has been around almost as long as modern vaccines themselves. But in recent years, the anti-vaccination - or \"anti-vax\"- movement has gained traction online.\n\nSocial media has been blamed for allowing unfounded claims about vaccines to spread more easily.\n\nIn 2019, the UK lost its measles-free status designated by the World Health Organization - and there has been a marked decline in vaccination rates for all 13 diseases covered in jabs for children.\n\nSince the pandemic, anti-vaccination campaigners have moved their focus to the coronavirus.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nIn the letter to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, Labour said there were dedicated anti-vaccination groups online with hundreds of thousands of followers who were \"churning out disinformation\" on the issue.\n\nLast week, the government announced that social media companies had agreed a package of measures - including that no company should be profiting from Covid vaccine fake news.\n\nBut Labour warned that the measures do not go far enough and has questioned why anti-vax groups are not being closed down.\n\n\"The announced collaboration with social media companies last week was welcome but feels grossly inadequate with a promise by them to remove only the content which is flagged by government and which generates profit,\" Labour said.\n\nLabour called for emergency legislation that would see financial and criminal penalties for a continued failure to act, and said they would vote for it.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Research shows a number of young people may choose not to have a Covid-19 vaccination\n\nOn Monday, news of a potential vaccine made headlines after preliminary results from Pfizer and BioNTech showed their vaccine could prevent more than 90% of people from catching Covid.\n\nThe vaccine is one of 11 vaccines that are currently in the final stages of testing. Pfizer and BioNTech companies now plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of November and a limited number of people may be given the vaccine this year.\n\nThe UK has bought enough doses for 20 million people.\n\nBut it will not be released for use in the UK until it passes final safety tests and gets the go-ahead from the MHRA - the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.\n\nThe head of the MHRA said this week it will not lower its safety standards despite the need to get a Covid vaccine quickly.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: “Anti-vax is total nonsense, you should definitely get a vaccine.\"\n\nAnd this week, he said he had \"no inhibitions\" about getting one, adding: \"Anti-vax is total nonsense, you should definitely get a vaccine.\"\n\n\"We take this issue extremely seriously and have secured a major commitment from Facebook, Twitter and Google to tackle it by not profiting from such material, and by responding to flagged content more swiftly.\n\n\"We continue to work closely with social media firms to promote authoritative sources of information so people have access to vaccine facts not fiction.\"", "Yorke Beach, near Stanley, has been closed since the 1982 Falklands conflict\n\nFalkland Islanders have been celebrating the day their beaches and coves have been declared free of landmines - after almost 40 years.\n\nThe British overseas territory was peppered with an estimated 13,000 mines by Argentine forces in the 1982 conflict.\n\nOn hand for the mine-free declaration day was Welsh-born doctor Barry Elsby.\n\nHe is one of the islanders who has never walked on the last beach to be cleared, Yorke Beach near Stanley.\n\nHe moved to the Falklands with his wife for a two-year medical contract in 1990, and never left.\n\nHe is now one of the islands' eight members of the legislative assembly governing the 2,500 population.\n\n\"I have friends who were born here after the 1982 conflict, and have never been able to stroll along this beach,\" he said.\n\n\"We are looking forward to reclaiming the beach by blowing up the last mines.\n\n\"This will be another good bit of closure for people who were here when the invasion happened and lived through the horrors of that time.\n\nIt was only supposed to be a two year posting to the Falkland Islands for Dr Elsby\n\n\"All the mine signposts were a constant reminder of what happened but now they are all away, it's another return to normality.\n\n\"It is a very welcome development and I don't think anyone ever thought this would come about.\"\n\nA programme to remove the mines has been under way since 2009 as part of the UK's obligations under the international anti-personnel mine ban convention.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Islanders will celebrate by playing cricket on beaches which were previously out of bounds\n\n\"We never thought the islands would be completely mine free, so this is a momentous change,\" added Dr Elsby.\n\n\"More importantly, no-one has been seriously harmed doing this. It speaks volumes for the teams that have been responsible for doing this over so many years.\"\n\nIt also speaks volumes for the islanders, according to the doctor, and gives an insight into why he was happy to swap his former childhood home of Garden City in Flintshire, north Wales, for somewhere like the Falklands.\n\n\"We had clear plans when we came here in 1990 - we had no intention of staying,\" he said.\n\n\"But we were captivated, not just by the beauty, but also by the way of life and friendliness of the community.\"\n\nThe son of a crane driver in the Shotton steelworks, his links with Wales remain strong despite being almost 8,000 miles (12,735km) away.\n\n\"For the last eight years, I have been laying wreaths at Fitzroy where so many Welsh Guards died and were injured, so I think those links will remain forever,\" he said.\n\nIt has been a long process across four decades to rid the islands of mines\n\nThe UK minister with responsibility for the Falklands, Wendy Morton said the final de-mining exercise on Saturday was a \"significant achievement\" for the Falklands and its population.\n\n\"We must pay tribute to the brilliant team of deminers who made a long-term commitment to this programme and put their lives at risk day-to-day, removing and destroying landmines to make the Falklands safe,\" she said.\n\n\"Our commitment to ridding the world of fatal landmines does not end with our territories being mine free.\n\n\"A further £36m of UK funding will allow demining projects across the world to continue, protecting innocent civilian lives.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Almost 23 million people watched Martin Bashir's Panorama interview with Princess Diana in 1995\n\nA previously missing note from Princess Diana, thought to indicate she was happy with the way her interview by BBC Panorama was obtained, has been found.\n\nThe BBC said it had recovered the \"original handwritten note\" that the princess wrote following the Panorama interview of November 1995.\n\nThe broadcaster said it would hand over the note to an independent inquiry.\n\nThe probe will look at claims made by Diana's brother about how BBC reporter Martin Bashir secured the interview.\n\nBashir, 57, currently BBC News religion editor, is recovering from heart surgery and complications from Covid-19 and has been unable to comment on Charles Spencer's allegations.\n\nEarl Spencer called for an independent inquiry earlier this month and said he would never have introduced Bashir to his sister if he had not seen the faked bank statements.\n\nThe faked statements wrongly purported to show that the earl's former head of security had been paid by a newspaper group and a mysterious offshore company.\n\nThe BBC has apologised for the faked bank statements, but it says the note from the princess says she did not see them and insisted they played \"no part in her decision to take part in the interview\".\n\nThe BBC's not saying how the letter came back into its possession - but it clearly hopes it will help its case when the independent investigation looks into the allegations made by Earl Spencer.\n\nThe letter is believed to say that Diana was not influenced by the forged bank statements Martin Bashir had made - and was happy with the way the interview was secured.\n\nIf the princess was unaware of or untroubled by the forgeries, or the alleged deceit, it will help the BBC's defence: it says the original investigation was into whether the princess had been misled into giving the interview.\n\nA note from her saying she hadn't would clearly weigh heavily. But the note does not address Earl Spencer's central allegation.\n\nHe alleges that the forged documents were part of a series of lies he was told by Bashir, lies that were meant to win his trust and thus gain access to Diana.\n\nWhat we know of the rediscovered note from Diana doesn't address the serious allegations of journalistic misconduct Earl Spencer has made.\n\nNor does it help resolve the question of how much the BBC knew back in 1996 when it said the forgeries played no part in securing the interview.\n\nNearly 23 million people tuned in to watch the Panorama interview, recorded almost 25 years ago, on 20 November 1995.\n\nThe interview made headlines when the princess said \"there were three of us in this marriage\", referring to Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles. At the time Princess Diana was separated from Prince Charles but not yet divorced.\n\nEarlier this month the Daily Mail published notes Earl Spencer says he made with Bashir two months before the interview.\n\nOur correspondent Jonny Dymond said the notes appeared to record Bashir \"spinning lie after lie about members of the Royal Family, and its staff, in an attempt, Earl Spencer says, to win his trust and that of his sister\".\n\nThese claims, described by the Mail as \"preposterous lies\", include that Diana's private correspondence was being opened, her car tracked and phones tapped.\n\nIt was also claimed that her bodyguard was plotting against her and close friends were betraying her by leaking stories to the press.\n\nThe Princess of Wales died on 31 August 1997, aged 36, in a car crash in a Paris underpass.", "The events of the past 48 hours feel like a political explosion, with Dominic Cummings now departing from Downing Street.\n\nBut while it's tempting to see this is as a dramatic and sudden eruption, it has been a longer-term burn.\n\nThe prime minister's chief adviser stepped back somewhat from some of the brutal day-to-day politics he had helped create after the election.\n\nHe had been spending more time focusing on trying to rewire Whitehall - trying to increase the importance of science and data in government - hoping to be less involved in the moment-by-moment political rush.\n\nBut given his profile, and his nature, was that ever a realistic plan?\n\nSince the summer, there have been conversations about shifting some of the senior roles around to make No 10 run more smoothly - including, perhaps, a total exit for Mr Cummings or a different, more specific role.\n\nBut in the Conservative Party, the adviser - who is not a Tory member, which rubs party people up the wrong way in itself - has been a lightning rod for irritation for years, and he became a focus for public rage too after he ignored lockdown rules and drove to Durham.\n\nAs the government's handling of the pandemic came under increasing attack, MPs became more convinced day-by-day that there needed to be change in No 10 - with Mr Cummings at the top of the list - and they grew more determined in making that case to Boris Johnson.\n\nEven those who reviled the PM's most senior adviser would acknowledge his strategy - forcing conflicts to win and drawing sharp divides between Leavers and Remainers - was effective.\n\nBut as soon as the prime minister had his general election majority, there were concerns that the campaigning style was just too toxic to run a Downing Street operation with different pressures.\n\nCampaigns have to win, governments have to lead and persuade.\n\nWhat's burst into the open this week, with all the bitter briefings, is an acceleration of a change that was already coming.\n\nBut what it won't change is the personality of the one person, the prime minister, who is meant to be in charge.\n\nDominic Cummings' many foes absolve the PM of responsibility if they pin all the mistakes and mess on him.\n\nIt's up to Boris Johnson now to build a new and more stable team, and shape what happens next.", "Waiting for the actual exam results is the fairest way of allocating places, say experts\n\nUniversities in England are to switch to offering degree places on the basis of actual grades rather than predicted ones, the government has announced.\n\nIn an interview with BBC Education Editor Branwen Jeffreys, Gavin Williamson said the present system held bright but disadvantaged pupils back.\n\nHe said he wanted all students to be able to choose the best university they can go to once they know their grades.\n\nUniversities have just backed such a change following a review.\n\nCurrently, pupils are offered places from universities ahead of their results, so decisions are based on predictions made by their teachers.\n\nOnce A-level, BTEC and other exam results are issued in August, candidates then accept or refuse offers they have received.\n\nA consultation will be carried out but it is expected the change to what is known as a post-qualification admissions system will take place before the next general election.\n\nThe current system relies heavily on predicted grades which puts academically high achieving pupils from poorer areas at a disadvantage.\n\nResearch this year from University College London found 23% of pupils from comprehensives were under-predicted by two or more grades, compared to just 11% of grammar and private school pupils.\n\nBut there are still big questions about how this would work, with universities favouring a system in which students would still apply before exams but receive offers afterwards.\n\nOthers may push for the more radical option of both applications and offers being made after results, pushing the start of term back to January for first year students.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson: \"I want to smash through these ceilings\"\n\nMr Williamson told the BBC: \"I want all students to look at the grades they've got and then see what is the best university that they can get to, what is the best course they can do.\n\n\"I want to smash through these ceilings that are preventing them from meeting their full potential.\"\n\nHe said pupils from less-affluent, non-traditional backgrounds often did not have to the confidence to aim for a highly selective university, and also often lacked advice about how to reach such goals.\n\nThe move comes after years of debate over post-qualification admissions.\n\nNumerous academic studies suggest pupils from working class backgrounds, and some ethnic groups, tend to be predicted lower grades by their teachers.\n\nThe university admissions system was brought into sharp focus in the summer, when exam results were cancelled, leading to thousands of students losing the places they thought they had not qualified for.\n\nUniversities promised to offer as many places as they could if candidates received the grades they needed after results were re-issued.\n\nMr Williamson said the use of predicted grades limited \"the aspirations of students before they know what they can achieve\".\n\n\"We need to radically change a system which breeds low aspiration and unfairness,\" he added.\n\n\"We're going to deliver this before next election, we're going to do an extensive consultation.\n\n\"But there's a real determination what we've seen in this pandemic, we've seen great challenges that society has had to deal with and as we move out of this pandemic we need to build back better.\"\n\nMr Williamson also criticised universities which offer inducements or conditional unconditional offers to some students to lure them on to their courses.\n\n\"What we've seen over the last few years is what I describe as a little bit of sharp practice where universities have been offering unconditional offers, more and more and creating incentives, in terms of offering laptops or cash back to those students, and that means those students aren't choosing the course and the university that is best to meet their future potential.\n\n\"We want to move away from that.\"\n\nThe plan has received a warm welcome from vice-chancellors' organisation, Universities UK, who had resolved to move to post qualification admissions following an 18-months review.\n\nJo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said: \"The current system is based on inaccurately predicted results and leads to those from less-affluent backgrounds losing out.\n\n\"Allowing students to apply after they receive their results will help level the playing field and put a stop to the chaotic clearing scramble.\"\n\nGeoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: \"Teachers work hard and diligently to provide accurate predicted grades, but it is not an exact science and never can be.\n\nHe agreed: \"Post-qualification admissions would be better and fairer.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Two attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania by al-Qaeda killed hundreds in 1998\n\nIran has denied a report that a leader of militant group al-Qaeda was killed in its capital Tehran in August.\n\nThe New York Times newspaper reported that Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, al-Qaeda's second-in-command, was shot dead in the street by Israeli agents following a request from the US.\n\nIran said it had no al-Qaeda \"terrorists\" living in its country.\n\nAbdullah is accused of planning the deadly attacks on American embassies in Africa in 1998.\n\nAbdullah, who is more commonly known by his alias Abu Muhammad al-Masri, was gunned down along with his daughter by two assassins on a motorbike on 7 August, the New York Times reports, citing anonymous US intelligence officials.\n\nThe report claimed that Iran had initially sought to cover up Abdullah's death, with Iranian and Lebanese media reports describing the victims of the 7 August shooting as a Lebanese history professor and his daughter.\n\nHowever, Iran's foreign ministry denied the report on Saturday, saying: \"From time to time, Washington and Tel Aviv try to tie Iran to such groups by lying and leaking false information to the media in order to avoid responsibility for the criminal activities of this group and other terrorist groups in the region.\"\n\nIsrael's Channel 12 broadcaster, citing Western intelligence officials, later reported that Abdullah's death was the result of an operation in which \"the interests of Israel and the United States came together\" because he had been \"planning attacks against Israelis and Jews worldwide\".\n\nAbdullah was one of the founding members of the jihadist group which has wreaked devastation across the Middle East and parts of Africa and carried out the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US.\n\nHe was accused of being behind the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people in 1998.\n\nHe had been in Iran since 2003, initially under house arrest but later living freely, American intelligence officials quoted in the New York Times said.\n\nAny link between Iran and al-Qaeda would be highly unusual - the two sides have fought each other in conflicts, and represent the two main and sometimes opposing groups of Islam - Iran is largely Shia Muslim, while al-Qaeda is a Sunni jihadist group.\n\nAbdullah still appears on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist list, where a $10 million reward is offered for information leading to his arrest.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The story of a US raid on al-Qaeda in Yemen\n• None 'The human cost of a US strike on al-Qaeda' Video, 00:02:14'The human cost of a US strike on al-Qaeda'", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Pop royalty Kylie Minogue says lockdown was a \"weird time\" and a \"rollercoaster\"\n\nPop star Kylie Minogue has become the first female artist to have a number one album in the UK in five separate decades.\n\nHer 15th studio album, Disco, topped the charts with 55,000 sales, meaning it has also scored the best opening week of any new release in 2020 so far.\n\nIt is her eighth number one, meaning she has overtaken Elton John, Cliff Richard and George Michael in the all-time chart leaderboard.\n\n\"I'm lost for words,\" said the star.\n\n\"Thank-you to everyone who has supported this album. I'm so touched that it's made its way to your hearts. I love it.\"\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Official Charts This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. End of youtube video by Official Charts\n\nOnly five other acts have topped the Official Chart across five consecutive decades: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Paul Weller, Bruce Springsteen and David Gilmour.\n\nThe Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan have also landed chart-toppers across five decades, though not consecutively.\n\nThe pop star has reinvented her image and her sound dozens of times over the last four decades\n\nKylie's chart-topper was made in the middle of the lockdown, with the star forced to buy recording equipment and learn computer software so she could record her vocals at home.\n\nShe told BBC News the project had been a lifeline when quarantine threatened to overwhelm her.\n\n\"It's hard to dig deep and stay positive,\" the 52-year-old said, \"and I had a moment like that, during the first lockdown where I had to confess to someone else that I was struggling.\n\n\"And actually, if I wasn't able to work on the album, I perhaps would have gone the other way.\"\n\nMinogue finished ahead of Little Mix, whose album Confetti debuted at number two in the Official Album Chart.\n\nAriana Grande's Positions, which was top of the pile last week, dropped to third. The album's title track spent a third week at number one in the singles chart.\n\nElsewhere, Dame Shirley Bassey set another chart record with her latest album, I Owe It All To You - which is billed as \"a celebration of 70 years in showbiz\".\n\nThe record debuted at number five, making Dame Shirley the first female artist to claim a Top 40 album in seven consecutive decades.\n\nThe singer scored her first chart entry in 1961 with Fabulous Shirley Bassey. Her latest collection is her first top five record in 42 years, since 1978's 25th Anniversary Album.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Trade talks between the UK and EU are reaching the \"make or break\" point, the two sides have said, with key differences proving hard to resolve.\n\nEU sources said there had been less progress in recent days on outstanding sticking points than they had hoped for and the \"moment of truth\" was nearing.\n\nUK sources said there were still \"quite big gaps\" between the sides.\n\nBoth sides doubted that a draft deal could now be reached in the coming days, as the EU had originally hoped.\n\nThe two sides are in a race against the clock to settle their future economic partnership in time for it to take effect on 1 January, when the UK will leave the EU's single market and customs union.\n\nUK sources indicated there had been no breakthrough this week between the UK's negotiator David Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier, with the two ending their discussions in a similar position to how they started them.\n\nAn EU source familiar with the process said one of their meetings had been \"short and brutal\".\n\nThe two men are due to meet again in Brussels on Monday ahead of what is shaping up to be a critical week.\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the EU would like to reach a draft agreement in the next few days, in time for the leaders of its 27 member countries to discuss it at a virtual conference on Thursday.\n\nBut she said it was possible that this working deadline would be missed, with a deal now perhaps not being concluded until early December.\n\nUnresolved issues include the EU's insistence on a \"level-playing field\" in rules and regulations between British firms and those on the continent, and guarantees to prevent the lowering of standards known as \"non-regression\".\n\nOther areas of disagreement surround fishing quotas and legal mechanisms for enforcing any agreement.\n\nThe UK left the EU on 31 January but is continuing to follow many of the bloc's rules until 31 December, when the 11-month post-Brexit transition period ends.\n\nUK ministers had expressed increasing optimism in recent weeks about the state of negotiations with cabinet minister Michael Gove suggesting the \"penny is dropping\" in Brussels over the UK's post-Brexit status as an independent nation.\n\nPhilip Rycroft, permanent secretary at the Department for Exiting the EU from 2017 to 2019, said the deal on the table was \"relatively thin\" but better than no deal.\n\n\"I've always thought a deal was more likely than no deal - but only just,\" he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\n\"It still requires compromise on both sides,\" he added. \"It is about the balance of obligations and benefits for both sides and there are some very big decisions still to be made.\"\n\nIf a trade deal is not agreed, the UK will trade with the bloc on World Trade Organisation rules - leading to tariffs being introduced on many imports and exports, which could push up costs for businesses and consumers.\n\nBoth sides say they want to avoid this outcome, but the the EU has said it will not do a deal \"at any price\", and Mr Johnson has said the UK will prosper either way.\n\nIf a deal is agreed, it would need to be signed off by MPs in the UK and parliaments across the EU before the end of the transition period to come into force by 1 January.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Saturday morning. We'll have another update for you on Sunday morning.\n\nAlmost 5,000 more people have died from heart problems in England than would be expected since the start of the pandemic, the British Heart Foundation has warned. Analysis by the charity found excess deaths are 7% above predicted levels. The charity is urging people not to delay checks or treatment during the second wave of the virus, while NHS England says hospitals are redesigning services so that care can go ahead safely.\n\nDespite this week's vaccine breakthrough, the UK is going to be wresting with Covid for some time yet, says our health correspondent Nick Triggle. The UK has become the first European country to pass the grim milestone of 50,000 deaths and we've see a record rise in new cases - both are a clear reminder that there are many more difficult days to come. More lockdowns, more isolating? Nick looks at what's in store.\n\nPeople visiting relatives and friends in care homes will be able to access regular coronavirus testing as part of a trial, says the government. A new pilot in England will see screening rolled out across 20 care homes in Hampshire, Devon and Cornwall, with other regions expected to see regular tests before Christmas. Tests for one family member or friend for each resident could end restrictions on visits, when used with other measures such as face coverings.\n\nEvery year, Leicester's Golden Mile - the city's length of road famous for its South Asian connections - becomes a noisy, joyous mass of colour and light as residents and visitors from around the world celebrate Diwali. \"Normally all the shops have decorations and signs up in their windows,\" Joshna Ramji, 62, said. \"It's full of people buying gifts, food, new clothes or getting their hair done. But this year nobody is doing that. The atmosphere is very different.\" Undeterred, our Radio 1 Newsbeat colleagues have been finding out how people are planning to still have a fun Diwali.\n\nThoughts of digging out the baubles may be a way off for some, but not for Paul Fenning, from Doncaster. Determined to put a smile on people's faces, he's turned his house into a Christmas spectacle and says the decorations are needed more than ever this year. And he's not the only one, as BBC Breakfast found out,\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Paul Fenning from Doncaster loves decorating his home for Christmas.\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, find out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Mr Harper has been described as \"one of the bravest men\" on the Titanic\n\nA letter written by a Titanic hero who sacrificed his life to save others has sold at auction for £42,000.\n\nBaptist preacher John Harper gave his lifejacket to another passenger and went down with the doomed ocean liner in April 1912.\n\nHis last letter was sold at an online auction of Titanic memorabilia in Wiltshire on Saturday.\n\nAuctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: \"John Harper was probably one of the bravest men on that boat.\"\n\nWritten on Titanic stationery on April 11, 1912 to a fellow clergyman, the letter was posted at Cobh in Ireland, which was known as Queenstown when the Titanic stopped at the port before setting out across the Atlantic.\n\nPastor Harper, 39, was the pastor of Walworth Road Baptist Church, in London. He was a widower and was travelling with his daughter Annie Jessie and his sister Jessie W. Leitch to Chicago to preach at the Moody Church.\n\nJohn Harper's daughter Annie Jessie went on to be the longest living Scottish Titanic survivor.\n\nHe refused a seat in a lifeboat alongside his daughter and sister, instead staying on board to offer words of comfort to passengers.\n\nHe then gave his lifejacket to another passenger who survived, with other survivors reporting he continued to preach the Gospel as the ship sank.\n\nThe letter talks about life on board the ship and thanks his friend and colleague for a recent kindness.\n\nOriginally from Glasgow, Pastor Harper first preached at the Paisley Road Baptist Church which would later be renamed the Harper Memorial Church in 1921.\n\nThe letter begins: \"I am penning you this line just before we get to Queenstown to assure you that I have not forgotten you and especially all your kindness while we were north.\"\n\nHis daughter Annie Jessie went to be the longest-living Scottish Titanic survivor and died in 1986.\n\nMr Aldridge, from Henry Aldridge and Sons auctioneers in Devizes, Wiltshire, said: \"His actions epitomised that British generation in times of adversity.\n\n\"The condition of the letter is superb, it has been owned by a private collector for the last 25 years who has decided to pass the baton on to the next generation.\"\n\nMy Dear Brother Young. I am penning you this line just before we get to Queenstown to assure you that I have not forgotten you and especially all your kindness while we were north.\n\nI intended sending on Mrs Pratt's train fares just before I left but in the rush, which was exceptional having had 11 or 12 services for the week-end, I was unable to get it done.\n\nI will send it on from Chicago. We had a great season of blessing during the last few days in Walworth.\n\nI don't know how I am to thank dear Aunty Mary and yourself for all your kindness. The Lord will repay you for it all. Trust things are going well at Paisley Road. The warriors are with me here and are doing well so far on the journey.", "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have wished Prince Charles a very happy birthday on their official social media accounts, as he turns 72.\n\nThe message, posted on Twitter and Instagram, appears alongside a picture of a smiling Charles.\n\nNormally, the heir to the throne's birthday is celebrated with gun salutes in Green Park, the Tower of London and in other parts of the country.\n\nHowever, ceremonial gunfire has been suspended amid the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nThe prince's birthday comes near the end of an eventful year.\n\nIn March, he contracted coronavirus and travelled to Scotland to self-isolate for seven days after displaying mild symptoms.\n\nAt the time, the Duchess of Cornwall tested negative for the virus and self-isolated for 14 days.\n\nThe Prince of Wales later said he \"got away with it quite lightly\". Earlier this month, palace sources told the BBC Prince William had also tested positive for Covid-19 at a similar time to his father.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge\n\nPrince Charles, who is patron of more than 400 organisations, is the eldest son of the Queen.\n\nHe became heir apparent on the death of his grandfather King George VI, when his mother succeeded to the throne in 1952 - when he was just three years old.\n\nHe took the title, the Prince of Wales, in July 1958 when he was nine.\n\nPrince Charles, eldest son of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November, 1948\n\nNow 72, Prince Charles is grandfather to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's three children - George, Charlotte and Louis, as well as Archie, the young son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who live in California.\n\nThe official Twitter account for Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall later thanked people for their birthday wishes alongside an autumnal picture of the prince in his kilt.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post 2 by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall", "Police asked residents to report the driver of the red Nissan Navara (stock image) if he annoys residents again\n\nA driver who repeatedly shouted \"wakey wakey\" from his car in the early hours has been given a police warning.\n\nHampshire Police said it received \"many complaints\" about a man and his passengers shouting \"at the top of their voices\" in the Brockhurst and Elson areas of Gosport.\n\nThe red Nissan Navara driver was also seen turning off his lights and shouting \"you can't call the police because you can't see us\".\n\nThe force said: \"How wrong he was.\"\n\nResident Karen O'Brien, who runs Brockhurst Cafe, told the BBC at about 01:40 GMT on Tuesday or Wednesday she heard \"somebody on a megaphone shouting wakey wakey\".\n\n\"They did it twice and went up and down the road,\" she said.\n\n\"It was pretty loud, and it happened a couple of days later and woke my husband up.\n\n\"I spoke to my son and he heard it once, but he couldn't actually see anything out the window. Neither could I.\"\n\nOfficers eventually caught up with the 21-year-old driver, from Fareham, and issued him with a warning.\n\nThe warning means the driver's car can be seized if he gives residents further unwelcome wake-up calls in the next 12 months.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The blaze on Saturday evening ripped through the intensive care unit at the hospital\n\nAt least 10 people have been killed and several others seriously injured in a fire at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in Romania, officials say.\n\nThe blaze broke out in the intensive care unit of the public hospital in the north-eastern city of Piatra Neamt.\n\nOne doctor who tried to rescue patients is said to be in a critical condition after suffering serious burns.\n\nRomania's Health Minister Nelu Tataru told local media the fire was \"most likely triggered by a short circuit\".\n\nMr Tataru said that other Covid patients being treated at the hospital were being transferred to another facility in the city of Iasi.\n\nThe injured doctor, who is said to have suffered severe burning to most of his body, was being transferred to the capital, Bucharest, by a military plane, local media report.\n\n\"There are other medical staff who suffered burns, not only the doctor on duty,\" Mr Tataru said, adding that he was heading to Piatra Neamt following the incident at the hospital on Saturday evening.\n\nEight of the victims were reportedly killed in the room where the fire broke out on the second floor, and two others in a room next to it. All were said have been receiving treatment for coronavirus. Many in the ward were on ventilators.\n\nThe fire was believed to have spread quickly after it was fed oxygen by the supplies used to intubate patients, the health ministry said.\n\nRomania has reported more than 350,000 cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, and 8,813 deaths.\n\nOn Friday, the country recorded 9,489 new daily Covid cases, 174 deaths and 1,149 patients in intensive care.", "Restaurants and cafes are closed except for takeaway in England until 2 December\n\nThe next two weeks will be \"absolutely crucial\" if England's lockdown is to end as planned on 2 December, a government scientific adviser has said.\n\nProf Susan Michie said the public must resist breaking the rules in order to \"be in a position\" to spend the festive period with loved ones.\n\nNews of a potential vaccine would make \"no difference\" to the current wave but could lead to complacency, she added.\n\nThe prime minister has said the current restrictions will \"expire\" next month.\n\nProf Michie, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was too early to know what should replace the measures when they end, with the coming fortnight being key.\n\nShe said: \"They're going to be a very challenging two weeks, partly because of the weather, partly because, I think, the promise of a vaccine may be making people feel complacent.\"\n\nBut she said data showed adherence to lockdown rules had been \"pretty steady since the summer\".\n\nIt comes as the UK recorded a further 26,860 Covid cases on Saturday, along with 462 deaths within 28 days of positive test.\n\nPubs, bars and restaurants as well as non-essential shops have been forced to close during the four-week lockdown in England.\n\nBoris Johnson has previously insisted the measures will end as scheduled but Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said measures could last beyond 2 December.\n\nProf Michie said people had to \"get their resolve together\" and resist any urge to break the rules, in order to maximise the chance of leaving lockdown.\n\nHowever, she said she was \"quite hopeful\" after tough measures in Wales and Northern Ireland brought transmission rates down.\n\nWales finished its 17-day firebreak lockdown restrictions on Monday. Much of Northern Ireland's economy was placed under tight measures on 16 October.\n\nScotland introduced a four-tier system on 2 November after ending national curbs on the hospitality industry. Areas in the west of Scotland have been warned they may be placed under the highest level of restrictions next week.\n\nIt comes after documents released by Sage on Friday, and dated 4 November, warned that a return to the tiered system of coronavirus restrictions in England after lockdown ends could see infections rise again.\n\nOn Friday, Sage said that the R number - the rate at which the virus spreads - for the UK had fallen to 1-1.2, with experts believing it is already below 1 in some places.\n\nIf the R number is lower than one then the disease will eventually stop spreading\n\nDame Anne Johnson, professor of epidemiology at University College London, said the evidence suggested tier three restrictions had brought the R value down but it was not clear if they would get it under 1.", "The son of Sutcliffe's first victim, Wilma McCann, had appealed for an apology\n\nA police force has apologised for the \"language, tone and terminology\" used in the 1970s to describe some of the Yorkshire Ripper's victims.\n\nSenior West Yorkshire officers said some of the 13 women killed by Peter Sutcliffe, who has died aged 74, were \"innocent\" but implied others were not.\n\nThe son of his first victim Wilma McCann had appealed for an apology.\n\nForce Chief Constable John Robins said the language used at the time was \"as wrong then as it is now\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Speaking before an apology from police, Richard McCann, the son of Peter Sutcliffe's first victim, Wilma McCann, reacts to his death\n\nSpeaking earlier, Richard McCann, who was five when his mother was killed, said: \"They described some of the women as 'innocent', inferring that some were not innocent - including my mum.\n\n\"She was a family woman who, through no fault of her own, was going through adversity and made some bad decisions, some risky decisions.\"\n\n\"She paid for those decisions with her life.\"\n\nTwelve of the 13 women Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering: (Top row) Wilma McCann, Emily Jackson, Irene Richardson, Patricia Atkinson, Jayne McDonald and Jean Jordan.(Bottom row) Yvonne Pearson, Helen Rytka, Vera Millward, Josephine Whitaker, Barbara Leach and Jacqueline Hill\n\nMr Robins said: \"On behalf of West Yorkshire Police, I apologise for the additional distress and anxiety caused to all relatives by the language, tone and terminology used by senior officers at the time in relation to Peter Sutcliffe's victims.\n\n\"Such language and attitudes may have reflected wider societal attitudes of the day, but it was as wrong then as it is now.\"\n\nHe added that the force's approach to investigations was now \"wholly victim-focused\".\n\nAfter the force published its apology, Mr McCann tweeted: \"Now that's worth celebrating. Thank You.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Richard McCann This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nDetectives, journalists and the attorney general who prosecuted Sutcliffe have been criticised for dismissing some women who died as sex workers.\n\nSenior officers' focus on the killer targeting only sex workers was seen as one of the many crucial wrong turns taken during the 1970s investigation.\n\nAt Sutcliffe's trial, prosecutor Sir Michael Havers, then attorney general, said: \"Some were prostitutes but perhaps the saddest part of the case is that some were not. The last six attacks were on totally respectable women.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe Sutcliffe case was a humiliation for West Yorkshire police, revealing deep operational and cultural problems within the force and wider policing.\n\nReviews focused on the inquiry's shortcomings in a bungled investigation that never got on top of processing the information it received.\n\nThe consequence was sweeping reform to the way major crime investigations were conducted.\n\nBut the investigation was also compromised by the misogyny and racism of 1970s police culture.\n\nIn 1979, one senior detective told reporters the killer \"has made it clear he hates prostitutes, many people do, but the Ripper is now killing innocent girls.\"\n\nPolice categorised Sutcliffe's victims as \"innocent\" and \"non-innocent\" based on class and lifestyle.\n\nMarcella Claxton, a black woman who survived an attack by Sutcliffe in 1976 was racially abused, wrongly labelled a prostitute and her accurate description of the killer was dismissed.\n\nThe police service is now more diverse but some question whether the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire is right to say attitudes associated with the Ripper investigation are, \"thankfully, consigned to history\".\n\nThe victims' commissioner Vera Baird points to today's low number of rape prosecutions, suggesting the blaming of victims, particularly when they are women, still continues.\n\nThe investigation was led at various times by (l to r) Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield, Chief Constable Ronald Gregory and acting Assistant Chief Constable Jim Hobson\n\nDame Louise Casey, the UK's first Victims' Commissioner said she was \"pleased\" to hear the force had apologised adding: \"God forbid we ever go back to those days\".\n\nRuth Bundey, a civil rights layer who later went on to represent some of the Ripper's victims, said: \"It's been a long time coming. I'm glad it's come at last but of course there were some dreadful things said, even at Sutcliffe's trial.\"\n\nHowever, former West Yorkshire Police officer Elaine Benson, who worked on the Sutcliffe murders, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme she had not witnessed victims being treated differently.\n\n\"I was in the police service for 30 years and things became more politically correct and they were not at that time,\" she said.\n\n\"But I did not see from my position that any investigation was any the less for what a person's occupation was or for what they did.\n\n\"I never saw anything of that at all. They were murder victims and each murder was investigated as thoroughly as they could investigate it.\"\n\nCurrent serving police officers said Sutcliffe was a \"monster\" who should \"rot in hell\" after hearing he had died.\n\nBrian Booth, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: \"'On hearing of the death of Peter Sutcliffe today, I feel good riddance.\n\n\"He is the very reason most people step to the plate and become police officers - to protect our communities from people like him.\"\n\nJohn Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, urged people to remember the victims and not Sutcliffe.\n\nHe tweeted: \"The 13 women he murdered and the 7 who survived his brutal attacks are in my thoughts.\"\n\nBoris Johnson's official spokesman said the PM's thoughts were with those who died, their families and friends and with those who survived.\n\nHe said: \"Peter Sutcliffe was a depraved and evil individual whose crimes caused unimaginable suffering and appalled this country, nothing will ever detract from the harm that he caused, but it is right that he died behind bars for his barbaric murders and for his attempted murders.\"\n• None The hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. Video, 00:01:18The hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union\n\nJamie George earned his 50th England cap against Italy in October Hooker Jamie George's hat-trick helped England to a comfortable six-try victory against Georgia in their first match at Twickenham since March. Flanker Jack Willis opened the scoring in a dream start to his debut, before George went over twice in mauls. Elliot Daly added a fourth before half-time after an impressive break in midfield from Jonathan Joseph. George completed his hat-trick with a replica of his first two scores before Dan Robson darted over. England are now top of their Autumn Nations Cup pool and have two more group games against Ireland and Wales before facing a yet-to-be-determined opponent from Pool B to decide final placings.\n• None We left 20 points out there - Jones England had not played at Twickenham since their Six Nations defeat of Wales eight months ago, before coronavirus brought rugby to a standstill. With the stands empty, all the pressure was on the players to give an entertaining performance to make up for the lack of atmosphere in South-West London. So it looked promising when captain Owen Farrell sent a cross-field kick to Jonny May, but the wing knocked it on to miss out on the chance of an early score. The Georgians held off England heroically, rewarded with cheers from their replacements' bench rather than 80,000 at Twickenham, but Willis finally found his way across after 15 minutes. The 23-year-old's first cap had been given plenty of column inches before the match and he completed the perfect debut narrative as he drove his legs, twisted and turned to make his way across the tryline. A lack of fans was not the only change at Twickenham. English rugby edged its way into the 21st century as recent number one Head & Heart played out to celebrate the try, with the usual Sweet Caroline soundtrack absent. England's backline stalled as Georgia continued to put up a good fight, but George eventually crossed at the back of a maul after an England line-out in the corner. Head coach Eddie Jones had spoken all week about England's tactical discipline being more important than fireworks against their tier-two opponents and his side continued to do the basics right. The third try mirrored the second as the maul rolled on and George crossed again. Things took a more exciting turn as Joseph, on the wing for the day but told he had free rein going into the game, broke through in the midfield. He sent the ball right and Daly was at the end of the line to sprint over for his score. That was Joseph's final play of the match as he limped off and was replaced by Joe Marchant. Jack Willis was due to tour South Africa with England in 2018 but withdrew with a knee injury The wind picked up during half-time and rain began to fall, dampening England's momentum. Willis' debut, which he had been waiting for since injury stole his chance before the South Africa tour in 2018, came to an early end when he was replaced by Ben Earl in the 47th minute. With little happening for the hosts on the pitch, Jones continued to work through his bench as props Mako Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler came on for Ellis Genge and Will Stuart. Some life was breathed into the match as Georgia were given their best chance of the match thanks to a kick out on the full from Daly. The Eastern Europeans kicked to the corner but their maul was stopped by Charlie Ewels and England were soon back down the other end. Again, they went to the tried and tested George method and the hooker went over again, capitalising on the power of his fellow forwards in a carbon-copy of his first two scores. England continued to build pressure and Robson picked the ball up from a ruck and sniped through two tackles to cross for England's sixth and final try. Shortly after, Robson opted to kick the ball out rather than play on as the clock went red and The Greatest Showman theme tune rang out as the Twickenham DJ signalled their approval of the home side's performance. Jamie George's three tries may have been a result of all the forwards' work but a hat-trick is an impressive feat for a hooker. 'You can't give it the big one after maul tries' - what they said England hooker Jamie George, speaking to Amazon Prime: \"It was a great team performance. Most pleasing for me was forwards-wise we stepped up to the plate. \"It's something we pride ourselves on. We are back here at Twickenham, missing the crowd massively, but we constantly try to push it with our set-piece so it was great to get over the line. \"You can't give it the big one after maul tries! I was happy keeping it low key.\" Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, England head coach Eddie Jones said: \"Georgia obviously came out and wanted to play a certain way, and we wanted to prove a point that they wouldn't be able to out-scrum us. \"When you play in these conditions it is enormously important and if you get an opportunity to keep the ball, it's a way of scoring tries. \"Ireland will come here with a plan. The last few games we have probably had the edge so they will be motivated to change that.\" England debutant Jack Willis told BBC Radio 5 Live: \"It is something I have dreamed of since I was a young lad. To get this opportunity is something I will always be grateful for. \"Eddie has been great since I have been in camp and this is a group that is building. I'm lucky to be a part of it. I loved every second of it and hopefully I can get another chance soon. \"There are some incredible players in the back row and it's a job for me to try and break into that group.\" Georgia stood up to England as best they could, but they did not have the creativity, strategy or gameplan to take England on. The contrast next week is that Ireland will match England up front for longer. There will be parity for longer than Georgia provided so the emphasis will be on the backline to back up the work of the forwards.\n• None Jamie George is the first England men's hooker to score a hat-trick\n• None The last time England won at Twickenham without conceding a point was when they beat Canada 70-0 in 2004\n• None England have won 26 of their last 29 games in England, drawn one and lost two\n• None Jack Willis is the first England forward to score on debut since Billy Vunipola against Argentina in 2013 Replacements: Marchant for Joseph (38), Earl for Willis (46), M Vunipola for Genge (47), Sinckler for Stuart (47), Robson for Youngs (61), Malins for Lawrence (61), Dunn for George (64), Curry for Ewels (64). Replacements: Gogichashvili for Nariashvili (46), Bregvadze for Mamukashvili (46), Kaulashvili for Gigashvili (59), Giorgadze for Gorgadze (59), Javakhia for Kerdikoshvili (64), Lobzhanidze for Aprasidze (65), Jalaghonia for Tkhilaishvili (72), Todua for Svanidze (79).\n• None The artists face their first challenge", "A deal to end six weeks of war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh came into effect this week - but families on both sides are still counting the cost of the fighting.\n\nMehdi Mammadov was an Azerbaijani soldier. Even as his family grieved his death they were about to lose another loved one, in the wake of a secret relationship.\n\nRead more: Why did Armenia and Azerbaijan go to war?", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nDominic Cummings has left Downing Street after internal battles over his role as Boris Johnson's chief adviser.\n\nThe BBC understands he will continue to work from home, on issues such as mass coronavirus testing, until the middle of December.\n\nThe prime minister is said to want to \"clear the air and move on\".\n\nMr Cummings has been at the heart of a No 10 power struggle, which has also seen communications director Lee Cain leave.\n\nSeveral Tory MPs have welcomed the pair's departure as a chance for Mr Johnson to make a fresh start.\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Mr Cummings' departure from No 10 had been brought forward given the \"upset in the team\" in Downing Street, for which she said it had been a \"difficult week\".\n\nShe said there had been long-running tensions between different factions in No 10 but this \"slow burning fuse exploded fast when it finally happened\".\n\nMr Cummings and Mr Cain are long-time colleagues, having worked together on the Leave campaign during the EU referendum.\n\nWhen Mr Cain's exit was announced on Wednesday, it prompted rumours that his ally would also step down.\n\nIn response, Mr Cummings told the BBC \"rumours of me threatening to resign are invented\" but said his \"position hasn't changed\" since he wrote in January that he wanted to make himself \"largely redundant\" by the end of 2020.\n\nPending what is expected to be a wide-ranging shake-up in No 10, Lord Lister - a close ally of Mr Johnson's who served as his deputy when he was London mayor - has been named interim chief of staff, a position which had been vacant.\n\nThe power struggle in Downing Street may have been resolved but the feuding continues.\n\nA dramatic day ended with conflicting accounts of the denouement involving Boris Johnson and his departing aides, Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain.\n\nNewsnight has been told that relations between the trio \"went off the cliff\" in the early afternoon. The prime minister's team reportedly learnt at around 2.00pm that Mr Cummings' team had described him as indecisive. They also heard of an alleged briefing against the prime minister's partner, Carrie Symonds, who had apparently been uneasy about a plan to promote Lee Cain to chief of staff.\n\nNewsnight was told that the prime minister expressed his displeasure during a meeting with Mr Cummings and Mr Cain. He reportedly told then he knew what they were up to and they would have to leave.\n\nThis account is strongly disputed by Mr Cain and Mr Cummings' side.\n\nA source said that Mr Cummings and Mr Cain held a very friendly and warm 45 minute meeting with the prime minister. Mr Johnson reportedly told them: \"I want to get the band back before the next election.\"\n\nThe prime minister then agreed to a request from Mr Cain to sign a pair of boxing gloves, used during the general election, emblazoned with the words: \"Get Brexit Done.\"\n\nMr Cummings left the building. But Mr Cain, the outgoing director of communications, remained for a farewell reception in the press office. That was addressed by the prime minister before Mr Cain was \"banged out\" in the style of a traditional newspaper farewell.\n\nThe prime minister reportedly said that relations remain good with the two aides but that relationships can break up, at which point you no longer live together. He was keen to emphasise there was no ill will, according to this account.\n\nMr Johnson worked with Mr Cummings on the 2016 Vote Leave campaign and hired Mr Cummings to be his senior adviser, when he became prime minister.\n\nSix months later the pair's \"Get Brexit Done\" campaign message helped Mr Johnson win a large majority in the general election.\n\nMr Cummings became more of a public figure in the past year and was forced into holding his own news conference at Downing Street in the summer, following controversy over him making a trip to the north of England when non-essential travel was banned at the height of the coronavirus lockdown.\n\nHe had a notoriously difficult relationship with Conservative MPs, several of whom have welcomed his exit and said it was time for things to be done differently in Downing Street.\n\nLee Cain worked with Dominic Cummings on the Leave campaign during the EU referendum\n\n\"Both Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain were pretty dismissive of backbenchers and sometimes ministers and secretaries of state, and I don't think that was helpful,\" said former Northern Ireland secretary Theresa Villiers.\n\n\"I do think it's important that whoever takes over has a different approach.\"\n\nSir Bernard Jenkin said it was time to restore \"respect, integrity and trust\" between No 10 and Tory MPs while veteran Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale said it was \"an opportunity to muck out the stables\".\n\nLabour said the PM could \"rearrange the deckchairs all he wants... but the responsibility for this government's incompetence still lies firmly at Boris Johnson's door\".\n\n\"The fact there is no plan and no focus in the government's response to Covid is entirely down to him,\" a party source said.\n\nThe prime minister's official spokesman, James Slack, who will replace Mr Cain in the new year, insisted Mr Johnson is not being distracted from the national crisis by the row.\n\n\"What the prime minister and the government are focused upon is taking every possible step to get this country through the coronavirus pandemic,\" Mr Slack said.", "The Prince of Wales has spoken of the \"enduring connections\" between the UK and Germany as negotiators prepare for post-Brexit trade talks to continue.\n\nPrince Charles said though politicians were discussing the \"shape\" of the countries' relationship, their \"fundamental bond\" would remain strong.\n\nHis wife, Camilla, has joined him on their first official overseas visit since the start of the Covid pandemic.\n\nEarlier, they attended a wreath-laying ceremony at a memorial in Berlin.\n\nPrince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are the first members of the Royal Family to attend the ceremony at the Bundestag, the German parliament, in Berlin, marking the country's National Day of Mourning for victims of war.\n\nThe prince told those gathered: \"The United Kingdom has chosen a future outside the European Union, and the relationship between our countries is evolving once again.\n\n\"Its shape is a matter negotiated between our governments and its essence is defined by the enduring connections between our people.\n\n\"It is, therefore, my heartfelt belief that the fundamental bond between us will remain strong: we will always be friends, partners and allies.\n\n\"As our countries begin this new chapter in our long history, let us reaffirm our bond for the years ahead.\"\n\nThe speech comes 75 years after the end of World War Two and as post-Brexit trade talks are reaching their crucial final stages.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are visiting Berlin to commemorate Germany’s National Day of Mourning\n\nReferring to the English poet John Donne, who wrote that \"no man is an island\", the heir to the throne said: \"One might equally submit that no country is really an island either, other than in the wholly literal sense.\n\n\"Our histories bind us tightly together and our destinies, although each our own to forge, are interdependent to a considerable degree.\"\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were welcomed to Germany by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender on the steps of the Bellevue Palace in Berlin.\n\nThe four then travelled to the Neue Wache Central Memorial, dedicated to victims of war and tyranny, where a wreath had been laid on behalf of the prince in front of a sculpture titled Mother With Her Dead Son.\n\nThe sculpture was designed by German artist Kathe Kollwitz in memory of her own son who died in World War One.\n\nPrince Charles briefly touched the wreath before joining the president and four other German dignitaries in a silence as a trumpet solo echoed through the building.\n\nThe message on the prince's poppy wreath read: \"In everlasting remembrance of all victims of conflict and tyranny. Charles.\"\n\nThe Prince of Wales and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier stand in silence along with other dignitaries\n\nCamilla then laid a posy featuring rosemary for remembrance and olive, white daisies and nerines for peace.\n\nThee royal couple flew to Berlin Brandenburg Airport on Saturday evening in the UK's ministerial RAF Voyager jet - the first time it has flown dignitaries since a makeover costing almost £1m.\n\nThe prince, who celebrated his 72nd birthday on Saturday, was presented with a birthday cake during the flight.\n\nThe royal couple flew to Germany in the refurbished ministerial RAF Voyager jet\n\nThe Royal Family have carried out a number of European visits since the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016.\n\nDuring a tour of Germany in May last year, Prince Charles said the bonds between the UK and Germany \"will, and must endure\" post-Brexit.\n\nAnd when his son, the Duke of Cambridge, visited the country in 2016, William said the depth of Britain's friendship with Germany would not change after the UK left the EU.\n\nAhead of his trip, the Prince Charles held a telephone meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.", "Celebrations on Leicester's Golden Mile are said to be the largest outside of India\n\nEvery year, Leicester's Golden Mile - the city's length of road famous for its South Asian connections - becomes a noisy, joyous mass of colour and light as residents and visitors from around the world celebrate Diwali. But this year's lockdown means festivities will look very different.\n\nFor years the city has played host to one of the biggest celebrations of the festival of light outside India, with Hindus, Sikhs and Jains catching up, dressing in their finest clothes, cooking feasts and exchanging gifts.\n\nFor two nights of the year the road attracts 40-50,000 people for the lights switch-on and an evening of music and dancing.\n\nJoshna (left) said she had missed the atmosphere on the Golden Mile\n\nJoshna Ramji, 62, who lives in nearby Oadby, said she loved the \"buzz of the Golden Mile\" during Diwaili but this year felt very strange.\n\n\"Normally all the shops have decorations and signs up in their windows,\" she said. \"[The Golden Mile] is full of people buying gifts, food, new clothes or getting their hair done.\n\n\"But this year nobody is doing that and it is very, very quiet as businesses are closed. The atmosphere is very different.\"\n\nLeicester is the only British city to have been living under coronavirus restrictions continuously since March, meaning even though its usual celebrations have been severely curtailed, the urge to enjoy the festivities has for many people in the city been stronger than ever.\n\nDiwali for Joshna usually includes a big meal with family and friends\n\n\"Diwali is all about light over darkness and good over evil, which is even more important this year,\" said Mrs Ramji.\n\n\"It will bring a lot of pleasure to everybody at a time some people are feeling isolated and alone.\"\n\nInstead of the usual week-long of celebrations with friends and family, Mrs Ramji will just be cooking for herself and her husband at home.\n\n\"Normally we wake up early for prayers, light up candles and then have a lavish, lavish Indian meal at my sister's house and have fireworks,\" she said.\n\n\"This year it will just be us, but I'm going to put candles at the front of the house, inside, the back of the house and in the garden, just to make it feel as special as possible.\n\n\"It is a bit sad but we have to try and keep the Diwali spirit however we can otherwise it would be miserable.\"\n\nOwners of businesses on the Golden Mile who had hoped to rely on Diwali to make up for their losses this year described the road as \"very eerie\".\n\nDharmesh Lakhani, who owns Bobby's restaurant, said: \"The lights are up, the decorations are up but there are only a few people shopping for food and groceries.\n\n\"This festival is like our Christmas. So this is our Christmas gone.\"\n\nMr Lakhani said takings around the festival would be 15% of the usual trade.\n\n\"Businesses all down the road would be gearing up for this period with their new clothing designs and making all the sweets and we would have bookings of families meeting up for dinner,\" he said.\n\n\"Usually our shop is really busy, the road is busy and it's something celebrated by not just Hindus and Sikhs, but the whole city.\"\n\nThe crowds will be absent from Leicester's Diwali celebrations this year\n\nKaran Modha, who owns clothes shop Anokhi Sarees, said people would usually be buying new clothes for their Diwali celebrations or to give as gifts.\n\n\"People who are furloughed or lost their jobs are not going to be thinking about buying new outfits this year,\" he said.\n\n\"If they are doing a Zoom, they will just put some make up on, do their hair and wear something old.\"\n\nThis year will be the first time the shop has not hosted an in-store party for the celebration since the 1970s.\n\n\"It's going to be sad sitting at home instead, not knowing what to do with myself,\" added Mr Modha.\n\n\"The whole street feels weird at the moment. It doesn't feel like Diwali. There's not that jolly, vibrant feel.\n\n\"We are known for our window display at Diwali and we did it anyway because we wanted to still keep that tradition.\n\n\"This year I included a statue of Ganesh to spread some luck and joy, not just for ourselves and the other businesses on the street, but for everybody.\n\n\"We all need some kind of luck this year.\"\n\nAnokhi Sarees hopes their Diwali window display will bring luck and joy to the city\n\nPraful Bhatt, who runs meals on wheels charity Jalaram Sadvrat Leicester, has been delivering Diwali goody bags to elderly people to lift their spirits.\n\n\"This time has been pretty bad for the elderly and the vulnerable,\" he said.\n\n\"We've put together some bags with special Diwali foods - ghughra, chakli, mathia and Indian sweets barfi and halwa.\"\n\nMr Bhatt, who has been delivering food to elderly people since March, said it would be a very different festival.\n\n\"This time it'll be staying home as opposed to going out to celebrate but people are still upbeat about it,\" he said.\n\nPraful Bhatt has been delivering Diwali goody bags across Leicestershire to cheer up the elderly\n\nDespite the lockdown restrictions, the city council said it wanted people to enjoy Diwali from their own homes with a virtual celebration.\n\nCouncillor Piara Singh Clair said a video including messages from community leaders, as well as religious, musical and cultural elements, would be available on the Visit Leicester website from 19:00 GMT on Saturday.\n\nHe said his \"heart went out\" to businesses on the Golden Mile.\n\n\"It was a big day they were looking forward to,\" he said.\n\nMr Singh Clair said he was disappointed so many key celebrations for the city had been disrupted this year but hoped one positive of the virtual Diwali event was that it would be shared with families worldwide.\n\nNima will be holding prayers at home with her husband and two children\n\nIndeed, there have been hopes the quieter tone of this year's celebrations could bring other aspects of Diwali to the fore.\n\nNima Suchak, a volunteer at the Hare Krishna Temple in Granby Street, has been taking part in virtual meditation and prayers every evening this month, which she said had been \"comforting\" during lockdown.\n\n\"In one sense it takes away all the external stuff of Diwali that people do get caught up in - the food, the gifts,\" said the 43-year-old from Knighton.\n\n\"Diwali is the pinnacle of the year for us, of bringing light into our lives, and there are opportunities that have come with lockdown that have meant personal reflection.\n\n\"Covid has impacted us all, so in one sense we might not be celebrating in a big way but we can take this time to look after ourselves and each other.\n\n\"We are going to be thinking about those less fortunate and see Diwali, just like Christmas, as a time that's not just about eating and drinking, but about thinking of others.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.", "The R number for the UK has fallen to between 1 and 1.2, the closest it's been to 1 since early September.\n\nIt comes as the Office for National Statistics says the number of people infected with coronavirus is slowing down.\n\nData up to 6 November, the day after England's second lockdown began, shows infections falling in the north west but rising in the south and Midlands.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, infection rates were levelling off, the ONS says.\n\nBut in Wales rising infection levels were still continuing.\n\nAnd it's too early to say if they were stabilising a week ago in Scotland.\n\nAlthough growth may be slowing in some parts of the country, the government's scientific advisers say \"significant levels of healthcare demand and mortality will persist until R is reduced to and remains well below 1 for an extended period of time\".\n\nAn estimate of the R number, or reproduction number, of the virus is published every week and based on a number of different sources of data, including the ONS infection survey.\n\nThe ONS figures are based on thousands of swab tests in random households across the UK, thought to be one of the most reliable ways of judging how many people are infected with the virus - not just those with symptoms.\n\nThe data for the week to 6 November shows:\n\nIn England, the number of new cases is stabilising at 50,000 per day, the ONS says.\n\nBut infection rates appeared to be increasing in the south east, south west and East Midlands during that week where they had previously been low.\n\nAmong teenagers and young adults, who have seen the highest levels of the virus, infection rates appear to be levelling off or even falling.\n\nData from the Covid symptom app, based on one million people reporting symptoms, suggests cases are coming down across most areas of the UK - although numbers are still high.\n\nTheir figures are based on 13,000 swab tests carried out by users during the two weeks up to 8 November.\n\nGovernment figures on lab-confirmed cases show a picture of rising cases in many regions of England, but falling in the north west.\n\nOn Friday, there were 27,301 new confirmed cases of the virus in the UK - down from a record-high of 33,470 on Thursday. These represent people with symptoms who've received positive tests.\n\nHealth officials said Thursday's rise could be a result of people being infected while socialising in the days before England's second lockdown started on 5 November.\n\nAccording to the latest data from Public Health England, infection rates are rising quickly in the over-80s, who are most at risk from Covid-19.\n\nPHE said limiting contact with others \"will help to stop the spread of the virus and protect the people we love\".\n\nDifferent levels of restrictions on people's lives are currently in place across the UK.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Vienna imposed a partial lockdown at the start of November, including an overnight curfew\n\nAustria is moving from a night curfew and partial shutdown to a second national lockdown that will be in place for at least two and a half weeks.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz has urged Austrians not to meet anyone from outside their household in an attempt to curb a rapid rise in Covid cases.\n\nHe said schools would close and students would learn from home when new measures come into force on Tuesday.\n\nAustria reported a record number of 9,586 new daily infections on Friday.\n\nThat figure was nine times higher than at the peak of the initial wave earlier this year. The country has recorded more than 191,000 cases since the start of the pandemic, and 1,661 Covid-related deaths.\n\nThe new lockdown measures, which will see all non-essential shops and services - including hairdressers - close, will remain in place until 6 December. People have been told to work at home wherever possible.\n\nAustria's Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said it was the last chance to stop the health service from collapsing under the pressure of new infections.\n\nHe said Austrians had already done it once and they could do it again.\n\nAustria had its first nationwide lockdown in March, during the first wave of the pandemic.\n\nAmid rising numbers, the capital Vienna had already imposed a partial lockdown, including a curfew from 20:00 to 06:00, at the start of November.\n\nCountries across Europe are experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, with some - such as Sweden - warning that it is too early to plan for Christmas travel.\n\nIn Italy, more regions have been added to the list of coronavirus high-risk \"red zones\". Campania and Tuscany will join other regions placed under the strictest lockdown measures from Sunday.\n\nAuthorities in Campania, which includes Naples, have warned that the health system there is close to collapse. Italy passed one million confirmed cases earlier this week and there have been more than 44,000 deaths in the country.\n\nRestaurant workers in Rome protested against the latest restrictions on Friday\n\nA quarter of the new cases are in Lombardy, which includes Milan. It was the worst-hit area in Italy's first outbreak and it was Europe's first coronavirus hotspot.\n\nCampania, however, has shot straight from the yellow zone to red as a spike in cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals.\n\nRegions are divided into three zones - red for the highest risk, then orange and yellow. In the red zone at the moment are Lombardy, Bolzano, Piedmont and Aosta Valley in the north, and Calabria in the south.\n\nIn these areas, which cover about 16.5 million people in a population of 60 million, residents can only leave home for work, health reasons, essential shopping or emergencies. All non-essential shops are closed.\n\nBars and restaurants are also shut but people can exercise near their homes if they wear masks. Hairdressers can remain open.\n\nGreece has announced that primary schools, kindergartens and day-care centres must close, as it tackles a death rate that has quadrupled since late October.\n\nSince Friday night, a curfew from 21:00 to 05:00 is in place nationwide.\n\nLockdowns and other measures are in force in several European countries experiencing a second wave of the virus. In other developments:", "The centre was founded in 1982 by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Image caption: The centre was founded in 1982 by former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn\n\nThe Carter Center has announced that it will monitor the manual recount of ballots in Georgia, the first time in its history that it will deploy its monitors for a US election.\n\nIt said it wanted to increase confidence in US democracy.\n\n\"As an independent, nonpartisan monitor, The Carter Center will assess the postelection audit and related processes to help bolster transparency and confidence in election results,\" it said in a statement.\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden is currently ahead in Georgia, but earlier this week its secretary of state announced a full hand recount of the almost five million votes cast because of the narrow margin between the two candidates.\n\nDonald Trump has made numerous allegations of election fraud since the vote without providing any evidence.\n\nThe Carter Center has observed more than 110 elections in Africa, Latin America, and Asia since 1989, but never before in the US.\n\nThe organisation stressed that its involvement would be limited to Georgia's post-election audit, adding that the decision was \"not part of a broader assessment of the election as a whole\".\n\nEarlier this year, the Carter Center announced that it would be turning its attention to the US by launching a campaign \"to strengthen transparency and trust in the election process\" amid increasing polarisation.", "Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union\n\nArgentina beat New Zealand for the first time in their history with a 25-15 win in the Rugby Championship.\n\nThe match was Argentina's first Test in 13 months, and their victory ensured the All Blacks suffered a second defeat in a row, after losing to Australia.\n\nThe Pumas led 16-3 at the break and kept New Zealand at bay to secure a famous and shock win in Sydney.\n\n\"This is a big day for Argentina rugby and also for our country and people,\" said Argentina captain Pablo Matera.\n\n\"It very tough there at the moment and it was tough for us to come here and prepare ourselves for this tournament.\n\n\"We just want to show our people that if you work hard with a lot of determination you can get things done.\n\n\"We are really proud of this team and of our country.\"\n\nVictory was Argentina's first in 30 Test matches against the All Blacks.\n\nFly-half Nicolas Sanchez scored all of their points with a try, six penalties and a conversion.\n\nNew Zealand, who lost 24-22 to Australia last week in Brisbane, have been beaten in two consecutive Test matches for the first time since August 2011.\n\n\"They probably brought more intensity,\" said All Blacks captain Sam Cane. \"Their defence was outstanding.\n\n\"We couldn't really get our game going and put them under any pressure with the ball. Too many little errors and ill-discipline issues and they kept the scoreboard ticking over.\n\n\"We weren't good enough, which is extremely disappointing but full credit to them.\"\n\nThis is one of the most sensational results in recent rugby union history, especially when you consider how Argentina had not played a Test match since the Rugby World Cup 13 months ago.\n\nThey were expected to be thrashed by a battle-hardened New Zealand; remember world champions South Africa pulled out of the Rugby Championship citing a lack of match preparation time.\n\nWhile it is a famous day for the Pumas and a huge result for world rugby, the All Blacks inquest will begin. They have now lost two in a row for the first time since 2011 and look a shadow of the all-conquering side they were under Steve Hansen.\n\nIan Foster was a controversial appointment to many. Given he only has a two-year contract, he finds himself under pressure already.\n• None The artists face their first challenge", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nAuthorities have urged communities to evacuate as a hurricane approaches Central America.\n\nForecasters say Iota is expected to strengthen to a \"major hurricane\" by the time it makes landfall in Nicaragua and Honduras.\n\nThe US National Hurricane Center warned of \"potentially catastrophic winds\" and \"a life-threatening storm surge\".\n\nCentral America is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Eta, which killed at least 200 people this month.\n\nThe worst-hit area was Guatemala's central Alta Verapaz region, where mudslides buried dozens of homes in the village of Quejá, with some 100 people feared dead. At least 50 deaths were reported elsewhere in the country.\n\nAccess to some hard-hit areas in Honduras remains difficult after Hurricane Eta\n\nIota - the 13th hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season - is expected to hit coastal areas of Honduras and Nicaragua on Monday.\n\n\"Hurricane conditions and a dangerous storm surge are expected,\" the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned.\n\nIota had maximum sustained winds of about 85 miles per hour (137 km/h) as it approached the region on Sunday, but forecasters said it was rapidly strengthening.\n\nThe NHC warned that \"flooding and mudslides in Nicaragua and Honduras could be exacerbated by Hurricane Eta's recent effects there\".\n\nParts of Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, El Salvador and Colombia have been warned to prepare for \"life-threatening flash-flooding and river flooding\" while coastal areas of Hispaniola and Jamaica may also see \"life-threatening surf and rip current conditions\".\n\nQuejá village in Guatemala was devastated by mudslides during Eta\n\nThe Honduran authorities ordered the evacuation of people in the area of San Pedro Sula, the country's second city and industrial capital, on Friday.\n\n\"Our red alert [in Honduras] orders mandatory evacuations,\" Julissa Mercado of Honduras' Emergency Response Agency told AFP.\n\nMeanwhile, Guatemala's disaster officials have urged residents in parts of the north to voluntarily evacuate to shelters.\n\n\"Our ground is already saturated, so it's to be expected that we have more farming and infrastructure damage,\" President Alejandro Giammattei said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"We have nothing... I am in pain\" - Central America is counting the cost of Storm Eta\n\nIota will be the 30th storm this year to wreak havoc across Central America, the Caribbean and south-eastern US - a record for the region's hurricane season.\n\nPresident Giammattei blamed the increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes on climate change and accused industrialised nations of being responsible.\n\n\"Central America is one of the regions where climate change is felt the most,\" he told reporters after meeting his Honduran counterpart, Juan Orlando Hernández, in Guatemala City.\n\nThe region is hit by \"catastrophic floods, extreme droughts and the greatest poverty\" but nonetheless receives \"the least help on behalf of these industrialised nations,\" he was quoted by AFP as saying.", "A report by the education standards body, Ofsted, says many children have slipped back since the first lockdown. A lack of resources, enabling children to learn at home, has been one factor. The government has supplied laptops to schools in England but has struggled to deliver the amount originally promised to many schools this term.\n\nOne of the UK’s most successful tech entrepreneurs is calling on businesses to step into the breach to recycle obsolete laptops and tablets to bridge the gap.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Alannah left her abusive relationship in London in 2013\n\n\"Stay at home\" was at the core of public health advice in tackling Covid-19, the world over.\n\nBut home is not a place of safety for all.\n\nDomestic violence and abuse is at a 15-year high in Northern Ireland, with more than 32,000 incidents reported to the PSNI from June 2019 to July 2020.\n\nRestrictions to reduce the spread of Covid-19 have forced people to spend much more time at home and created the \"perfect storm\" for abusers.\n\nBBC NI Spotlight went behind the scenes at Foyle Women's Aid to find out what it's like for some of those offering help to women and families in danger.\n\nAt the time we started filming, the tree-lined avenue to one of their refuges was paved with a blaze of autumnal yellow and red leaves.\n\nThe magnificent scene appeared in sharp contrast to the trauma that makes it necessary for women and children to take sanctuary in the refuge carefully protected by security gates.\n\n\"Nobody wants to be in a refuge and we would rather we weren't here but if somebody comes here, they are very well taken care of,\" says Marie Brown, chief executive of Foyle Women's Aid.\n\nCalls to the organisation increased by 25% during the lockdown in the Spring, reflecting a trend across the UK, and Marie Brown believes that the current further restrictions will bring another surge.\n\n\"I do believe that we'll have a spike even in women contacting us. We're heading into Christmas. Christmas is not a good time for domestic violence.\"\n\nThe National Domestic Abuse Helpline can be contacted online as well as by phone\n\nThe pandemic heralded huge changes in how everyone works in the centre. Roisin Hamill, the manager of the onsite creche, finds one of the new regulations particularly difficult when dealing with families as part of their outreach programme.\n\n\"When you're out delivering packs to families, you know they've been isolated at home for so long and that look on their face seeing somebody for the first time and you can't go and give them a hug - that's really difficult for us.\n\n\"We do explain to children and we explain to mummies that this will be a socially-distanced visit, it isn't our 'normal' and we can't wait to see you back again and we can't wait to give you that big hug.\"\n\nThe centre is more than a refuge.\n\nThose dealing with the aftermath of an abusive relationship can also avail of support courses run by the organisation.\n\nAlannah suffered abuse in a former relationship in London, which she broke free from in 2013. She undertook a group course on the recommendation of a counsellor.\n\n\"There's a stereotype around what it means to be a victim of abuse,\" she tells Spotlight.\n\n\"Growing up, I would always have said: 'Sure I wouldn't stay with somebody, sure if they lifted their hand to you, why would you stay? What kind of woman would stay? It's stupid.' And it was only after my own experience that I realised it's not about why women stay.\n\n\"Quite often they are staying because they believe they can fix that broken person because people who perpetrate abuse, they're very clever, they're very manipulative.\"\n\nAlannah says that it took her time to realise that she needed to break free from the man who was doing harm to her.\n\n\"The first few times that there was physical violence, I was very concerned - obviously - for my own well-being but these people are manipulative, I was more concerned for his well-being. And that's just crazy to think that, but you do. You end up feeling sorry for that person.\n\n\"Only when I genuinely thought that I could die, and I imagined my family, and the impact that would have on them, that for me was the last straw and that was the moment that I realised I had to leave and that I couldn't fix that person.\"\n\nBack in one of Foyle Women's Aid offices, Margaret Patterson, a referral co-ordinator, is rarely off the phone.\n\n\"Some people want to tell you their whole story, some people don't want to tell you their story. And some people need encouragement just to get the basic information. We've had people who phoned who wouldn't even tell us their names. They just want someone to talk to.\"\n\nMargaret takes the initial calls from women and then a support worker is assigned to them.\n\nBut Covid-19 restrictions have also made it more difficult for support workers, like Marie Crossan, to meet service-users and, in particular, to check in with those who may still be living in the same home as their abusers.\n\n\"You know your clients, you know if there's clients still in that relationship and you know that it's going to be particularly difficult to get speaking to them.\n\n\"You have to rely on them getting out for five minutes and giving you a call.\n\n\"Maybe their partner is off work so things are quite intense because the kids are at home. Women are trying to protect the kids and trying to keep things calm at home.\"\n\nAlannah says she, along with many others, is testament to the fact that there is life after an abusive relationship.\n\n\"I genuinely didn't believe that I would ever be in a long-term relationship again.\n\n\"So then actually meeting my partner and becoming involved in a loving, healthy relationship, it was at the beginning and it still is - it amazes me some days just how nice life can be.\n\n\"Someone asked me one time, they asked me what did it feel like to be free? And I thought, 'well I don't know'. At that point I didn't really feel like I was.\n\n\"I was getting there but freedom doesn't happen when you leave the relationship. It's not this miraculous thing that people sometimes expect, 'oh she's left him now she should be happy'.\n\n\"That battle will rage in your head for a long time after you've left. Overcoming those battles is not an easy thing - but you can.\"\n\nIn Northern Ireland, a domestic abuse call is made to the PSNI on average every 17 minutes.\n\nResources like housing, aid and legislation are among a raft of measures that deal with the aftermath of domestic abuse but preventing it, is for Alannah, something that needs to start in the home.\n\n\"I have a boy and a girl. Raising your daughter to be aware of it and to recognise red flags and leave and speak out - and that's one thing but if everybody just teaches their daughters to leave, we're not handling the problem, we need to teach our sons as well.\n\n\"We need to instil in them the values and the importance of respecting women and respecting themselves and opening up if they are struggling.\"\n\nInformation and support: If you or someone you know needs support for issues about domestic abuse, these organisations may be able to help.\n\nYou can see Spotlight on BBC One NI, Tuesday at 22:45 GMT and afterwards on BBC iPlayer.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nFootball Association chairman Greg Clarke has apologised for a reference to black players when talking to MPs about diversity.\n\nClarke said it was inappropriate for him to have used the term \"coloured footballers\".\n\nHe had been talking by video link to members of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee.\n\n\"If I said it, I deeply apologise,\" said Clarke, 63, after being prompted to say sorry by MP Kevin Brennan.\n\n\"I am a product of having worked overseas, in the USA for many years, where I was required to use the term 'people of colour' because that was a product of their diversity legislature. Sometimes I trip over my words.\"\n\nBrennan said it was the kind of language that did not encourage inclusion, while fellow committee member Alex Davies-Jones called it \"abhorrent\".\n\nThe equality charity Kick It Out said his remark should be \"consigned to the dustbin of history\" and criticised further comments by Clarke concerning people from South Asia, gay players and female footballers.\n\nAn FA spokesperson said afterwards that Clarke acknowledged his language was inappropriate.\n\n\"Greg Clarke is deeply apologetic for the language he used to reference members of the ethnic minority community during the select committee hearing today,\" said the spokesperson.\n• None BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat on why the term is so offensive\n\nClarke had been talking about racist abuse of players by trolls on social media.\n\n\"People can see if you're black and if they don't like black people because they are filthy racists, they can abuse you anonymously online,\" he said.\n\nHe had earlier spoken of the need to attract people into the sport from a range of communities.\n\n\"If you go to the IT department of the FA, there's a lot more South Asians than there are Afro-Caribbeans. They have different career interests,\" said Clarke.\n\nClarke had actually been called to give evidence to the DCMS committee about the Premier League's potential bailout of English Football League clubs and the structural reforms proposed as part of 'Project Big Picture'.\n\nBut he prompted further criticism when referring to gay players making a \"life choice\" and a coach telling him young female players did not like having the ball hit hard at them.\n\nSanjay Bhandari, executive chair at Kick It Out, said Clarke's comments were outdated.\n\n\"I was particularly concerned by the use of lazy racist stereotypes about South Asians and their supposed career preferences. It reflects similar lazy stereotypes I have heard have been spouted at club academy level,\" he said.\n\n\"Being gay is not a 'life choice' as he claimed too. The casual sexism of saying 'girls' do not like balls hit at them hard, is staggering from anyone, let alone the leader of our national game. It is completely unacceptable.\"\n\nDavid Bernstein, former FA chairman, told BBC Sport: \"I am just surprised that the chair of any organisation who's got a feel of what's going on in the year 2020 could use those types of words, that sort of language. It's just inappropriate.\"\n\nDarren Bent, former England striker: \"Slip of the tongue was it? Awful, just awful.\"\n\nAnton Ferdinand, former West Ham, Sunderland and QPR defender: \"Clearly education is needed at all levels.\"\n\nJulian Knight, DCMS select committee chairman: \"It's right that Greg Clarke apologised before the committee. However, this isn't the first time that the FA has come to grief over these issues. It makes us question their commitment to diversity.\"\n\nAlex Davies-Jones, committee member: \"The language used by Greg Clarke in our meeting this morning was absolutely abhorrent. It speaks volumes about the urgent progress that needs to made in terms of leadership on equalities issues in sport. I can't believe we're still here in 2020.\"\n\nThree years ago - in front of the same parliamentary committee, Greg Clarke was criticised for referring to institutional racism as \"fluff\". He apologised after being chastised by MPs and reminded that language matters.\n\nIt appears the message did not get through.\n\nTwo weeks after the Football Association launched a new diversity code with the aim of finally tackling racial inequality in the game, the governing body's commitment to diversity has once again been called into question.\n\nAmid BAME under-representation at board and management level within the FA, many critics will see Clarke's comments as evidence of the attitudes and language that has prevented the organisation from overseeing the progress hoped for in recent years, and he could now face calls to step down.\n\nDespite having barely been seen since the start of the year, Clarke was already under pressure over his role initiating secret talks over the Project Big Picture plans for a radical overhaul of the English game. Indeed earlier in the committee hearing, he was asked if his authority was \"shot\", something he strongly denied.\n\nBut then came his comments on diversity and use of language that Kick it Out said should \"remain consigned to the dustbin of history\".\n\nAmid an unprecedented financial crisis for the sport and damaging divisions with fans, leagues and government, the FA chairman is now embroiled in another controversy. This is another grim day for his leadership, and for the game, at the worst possible moment.\"", "Fast food giant McDonald's has announced it will introduce a line of plant-based meat alternatives called \"McPlant\" in 2021.\n\nMcDonald's said it would offer plant-based burgers, chicken substitutes and breakfast sandwiches.\n\nBarclays Bank forecasts that consumption of meat alternatives might be worth $140bn (£106bn) by 2029.\n\nMcDonald's has tested out a plant-based burger in Canada with Beyond Meat - a producer of plant-based meat.\n\nHowever, shares of Beyond Meat plummeted after the announcement by McDonald's as it was not clear who would supply the fast-food chain with the meat alternative.\n\nThe move towards meat substitutes has been driven primarily by concerns over meat's effects on health, the environment and animal welfare.\n\n\"We are excited about the opportunity because we believe we have a proven, delicious-tasting product,\" said Ian Borden, who heads McDonald's international operations.\n\nHowever, McDonald's is relatively late to enter the meat-free market.\n\nOther fast-food outlets including Burger King, White Castle and Dunkin' Brands Group have already introduced plant-based burgers.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMcDonald's still relies on its flagship products like the \"Big Mac\", \"McNuggets\" and French fries, which account for around 70% of its sales in its key markets.\n\nThe company, which reported market-beating profits for its third quarter on Monday, declined to say which supplier it would use for its McPlant line of products.\n\nBeyond Meat insists it is still involved.\n\n\"Beyond Meat and McDonald's co-created the plant-based patty which will be available as part of their McPlant platform,\" the company said.", "\"Lockdown\" has been declared the word of the year for 2020 by Collins Dictionary, after a sharp rise in its usage during the pandemic.\n\nIt \"encapsulates the shared experience of billions of people\", Collins said.\n\nLexicographers registered more than 250,000 usages of \"lockdown\" during 2020, up from just 4,000 last year.\n\nOther pandemic-linked terms on the 10-strong list include \"furlough\", \"key worker\", \"self-isolate\" and \"social distancing\" as well as \"coronavirus\".\n\nAccording to the dictionary, lockdown is defined as \"the imposition of stringent restrictions on travel, social interaction, and access to public spaces\".\n\nIt came into common parlance as governments around the world responded to the spread of Covid-19 in early 2020 by placing strict measure to stop transmission of the virus.\n\nNon-virus related words to make the list reflect the social and political upheavals of 2020.\n\nFollowing the death of the unarmed black man George Floyd in the US the abbreviation \"BLM\", for the Black Lives Matter movement, features having registered a 581% increase in usage, according to Collins.\n\nBlack Lives Matter protests saw BLM added to the word of the year list\n\n\"Megxit\", the term modelled on the word Brexit which was used for the withdrawal of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from royal duties also makes the list.\n\nSocial media also plays its part with \"TikToker\", describing someone who shares content on platform TikTok and \"mukbang\" - a term originating in South Korea which describes a host who broadcasts videos of themselves eating large quantities of food.\n\nHelen Newstead, language content consultant at Collins, said: \"Language is a reflection of the world around us and 2020 has been dominated by the global pandemic.\n\n\"Lockdown has affected the way we work, study, shop, and socialize.\n\n\"With many countries entering a second lockdown, it is not a word of the year to celebrate but it is, perhaps, one that sums up the year for most of the world.\"\n\nClimate strike was chosen as the 2019 word of the year after campaigns by activists such as Greta Thunberg\n\nLast year's Collins word of the year was \"climate strike\", marking a year in which 17-year-old Greta Thunberg led a global environmental movement.\n\nThe Oxford English Dictionary also choose their own word of the year, opting for \"climate emergency\" in 2019, \"toxic\" in 2018, \"youthquake\" in 2017 and \"post-truth\" in 2016.", "Boyega plays a police officer who wanted to change things from the inside\n\nBritish actor John Boyega has recalled the time his Pentecostal minister father was stopped by police on his way back from church.\n\nThe Star Wars actor, who was a prominent figure in the Black Lives Matter protests in London this summer, plays a police officer in Sir Steve McQueen's new film series, Small Axe.\n\nHis real-life character, Leroy Logan, was also an anti-racism reformer.\n\nBoyega stressed that black Britons had experienced the \"darkest scenarios\".\n\n\"I've been stopped and searched,\" the Londoner told the Radio Times. \"And my dad, who was a Pentecostal minister, got stopped on the way back from church. I was little.\n\n\"Everybody knows, especially if you grew up in Peckham, somebody who's gone through the darkest scenarios with the police,\" he added. \"I do. I know a few people.\"\n\nHis Small Axe film, entitled Red, White and Blue, follows Leroy as he attempts to reform the police force from within after seeing his own father assaulted by two officers.\n\nLeroy was appointed an MBE in 2001 for his contribution to policing, and retired in 2013 after 30 years of service.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. John Boyega gives emotional protest speech: \"Black men, it starts with you\"\n\nIn June, stars of the movie world, including JK Rowling and Jordan Peele, praised Boyega for his emotional megaphone speech in the capital - following the death of George Floyd while in US police custody.\n\nDespite their support, he said he still fears his activism could negatively impact his career, but that it was a risk worth taking.\n\n\"You know that moment is going to go global and if I don't get cast because people or casting directors feel like it's too much friction for what they're trying to do. It is what it is,\" said Boyega.\n\nWorking with Sir Steve on the new anthology series - inspired by the stories of black British culture - had been like undergoing \"therapy\", Boyega added.\n\nOne of the most powerful scenes takes place in a police changing room, where Leroy finds racist graffiti on his locker.\n\n\"I don't remember filming that scene,\" said Boyega, of the intense on-set experience. \"I just remember fuming and being angry.\n\n\"I didn't see the locker room or the locker door until those cameras were rolling. So that reaction was all natural to the character and the choices I thought he would make.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Steve McQueen: \"A lot of people will be asking themselves: why didn't I know this story?\"\n\nThe first Small Axe film, Mangrove - which premieres on BBC One on Sunday - stars Letitia Wright, who appeared in the 2018 superhero film Black Panther.\n\nIt focuses on the trial of the Mangrove Nine; a group of black activists accused of inciting a riot at a protest 50 years ago.\n\nWright told the Radio Times it was important that black British people were having their stories told on screen.\n\n\"So much gets lost within our black British history and it's important that a beautiful light is shone on these stories,\" she said.\n\n\"It's wonderful how everyone's going out of their way to make this happen - the BBC is moving the 10pm News for us.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Some protesters travelled from as far as Cumbria\n\nThe organiser of an anti-lockdown demonstration attended by 600 people in Manchester has been fined £10,000.\n\nThe protest in Piccadilly Gardens was condemned by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as \"irresponsible\" after new Covid rules came into force.\n\nPolice officers suffered minor injuries at Sunday's event, which included protesters who had travelled from Cumbria, said GMP.\n\nThe force said the organiser ignored its pleas to call off the event.\n\nThe 40-year-old man from Trafford was issued with a £10,000 fixed penalty notice.\n\nThree men, aged 40, 32 and 30, and a 23-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of public order offences have all been fined £200 and 25 protesters have been issued with £200 fines.\n\nGMP's Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain, said: \"Ahead of Sunday, officers attempted to engage with the person organising this gathering - warning him of the likely consequences and advising, for his and everyone else's sake, to abandon his plans.\n\n\"However, he decided to ignore this advice and pressed ahead with a reckless and completely irresponsible course of action.\"\n\nMr Hussain said during the protest officers also tried to engage with the organisers and attendees to \"explain the restrictions and encourage compliance\", but this was ignored, too.\n\n\"Whilst responding to this gathering, a number of officers were injured,\" he said.\n\n\"This is unacceptable behaviour towards officers who were simply doing their job and protecting people.\"\n\nHe said work was continuing to identify other people in attendance who blatantly breached government restrictions.\n\nGMP Federation chairman Stu Berry said: \"The scenes witnessed in Manchester this weekend were simply a stupidity contest with approximately 600 participants.\n\n\"Those individuals have increased the risk of this disease for themselves, the wider public and my colleagues despite the scientific advice and legislated lockdown.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Julia Rawson was last seen alive on 12 May 2019\n\nA man obsessed with horror films has been convicted along with his boyfriend of murdering and dismembering a woman in their flat.\n\nNathan Maynard-Ellis, 30, took Julia Rawson home after meeting her in a pub in Dudley, West Midlands, in May 2019.\n\nHe and David Leesley, 25, then killed her and hid her body parts in undergrowth, the trial at Coventry Crown Court was told.\n\nMaynard-Ellis was also found guilty of rape charges relating to another woman.\n\nThe four rapes, an attempted rape, and threats to kill were revealed when a woman came forward after his murder arrest.\n\nBoth men had admitted perverting the course of justice and concealing a body, but had denied murder.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nJurors heard Maynard-Ellis had a fascination with decapitation and horror films and had been addicted to fantasies about the \"sexualised killing of women\".\n\nHis victim would have seen swords and spiders mounted on the walls of the Tipton flat, reptiles kept in tanks, and \"gory face masks\" of horror film characters, Karim Khalil QC, prosecuting, told jurors at the start of the trial.\n\nMs Rawson \"could not have known that she was about to enter a flat of horrors\", he said.\n\n\"But she must have realised this very soon after she went in.\"\n\nNathan Maynard-Ellis and David Leesley had admitted perverting the course of justice and concealing a body, but had denied murder\n\nTracey Barrett, a neighbour of the two killers, told the BBC their flat \"was the making of horror stories\", with Freddy Krueger figures and Chucky dolls.\n\nPolice said Maynard-Ellis had gone out the night of the murder with the aim of finding a victim.\n\n\"Unfortunately that victim was Julia\", Det Insp Jim Colclough, from West Midlands Police, said.\n\nMaynard-Ellis and Leesley's home had Chucky dolls and other horror movie paraphernalia\n\nMs Rawson, 42, was struck about the head. Her remains, including her severed head, hands and feet, were found on 12 and 29 June last year in two different locations, near a canal and on wasteland.\n\nAfter identifying Maynard Ellis from CCTV video when he was with Ms Rawson at the pub, he was arrested on suspicion of kidnap and officers discovered a bloodstain underneath a new underlay in the living room of the couple's flat.\n\nDet Insp Colclough described the killing as \"a terrible, terrible thing to have taken place\".\n\nMs Rawson, who was reported missing by friends, came from a close-knit family and was a talented musician and a fun-loving character, he said.\n\n\"Of course her family are absolutely devastated,\" he said.\n\nJulia Rawson met Nathan Maynard-Ellis in the Bottle and Cork pub in Dudley\n\nIn a statement, Ms Rawson's family said her loss was \"felt as keenly today as when we heard she had first gone missing\".\n\n\"Her death has had a devastating impact on us, the mutilation of her body and the callous way in which her remains were scattered has revolted us,\" they said.\n\nThe judge, Mr Justice Soole, told the jury: \"It has been a very demanding case because of the subject matter.\"\n\nMaynard-Ellis and Leesley will be sentenced at a later date.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The current coronavirus restrictions are due to end at midnight on Thursday\n\nProposals from the health minister to extend coronavirus restrictions in NI for two more weeks have been blocked after an executive vote.\n\nAdvice from Robin Swann's officials recommended keeping the measures in place until 27 November.\n\nThe DUP opposed the move, and triggered a cross-community vote to effectively veto the proposals.\n\nThe current restrictions are due to end at midnight on Thursday.\n\nThe hospitality sector is waiting to find out whether it can resume trading on Friday after a four-week shutdown.\n\nIt comes after the Department of Health announced a further 11 coronavirus-related deaths in Northern Ireland on Tuesday and 514 more positive cases.\n\nMinisters are currently considering alternative proposals from DUP Economy Minister Diane Dodds.\n\nThe talks began shortly after 18:00 GMT and still had not concluded after 23:00, as ministers wrangled over a plan.\n\nMrs Dodds's paper suggests close-contact services such as hair and beauty salons can reopen on Friday, by appointment.\n\nIt also proposes allowing unlicensed premises such as cafes and coffee shops to reopen on Friday, but licensed restaurants would remain closed until 27 November.\n\nIt is also understood that a \"safely open group\" could be established if ministers agree the plans, that would cover hospitality.\n\nBBC News NI understands that Mrs Dodds's paper also stresses the need for increased visibility of police and environmental health officers to manage enforcement.\n\nThe minister has previously said she did not want the restrictions to be extended, as it could further damage the economy.\n\nIt is understood she still holds this view, but recognises that the executive must agree a \"general consensus\".\n\nAnd so the wait for business owners and employees alike goes on, almost a week since health officials first recommended that the restrictions should be extended.\n\nThere was a distinct sense of déjà vu emerging tonight, as attempts for the executive to meet were pushed back repeatedly while the parties tried to work out a plan they could feasibly sign up to.\n\nDUP leader and First Minister Arlene Foster was facing much internal pressure not to bow to calls to extend the measures, despite the health advice.\n\nIt's understood the DUP's use of the cross-community veto did not go down well with the Alliance minister Naomi Long, who is excluded from such votes as her party is neither unionist nor nationalist.\n\nNow that the DUP has managed to bring its own proposals to the executive, it may feel that provides its ministers with some political cover to stand over decisions which may end up being made tonight.\n\nHowever, nothing is over the line yet.\n\nSome businesses may feel the decisions are coming too late, with many unable to prepare for opening with two days' notice, even if they get the green light.\n\nOthers will also wonder about the executive's messaging - easing some restrictions at a time when doctors have been calling for \"breathing space\", to keep the rate of infection as low as possible in the run-up to Christmas.\n\nA number of DUP backbench MLAs have previously vocally opposed the coronavirus regulations agreed by the power-sharing executive, which the DUP jointly leads with Sinn Féin.\n\nEarlier, the executive was accused by DUP MLA Paul Frew of \"letting businesses down by the hour\" by delaying a decision on extending coronavirus restrictions.\n\nHair and beauty salons had to shut for four weeks on 16 October\n\nMr Frew, who has openly criticised his party's decision-making on the coronavirus regulations before, told the assembly on Tuesday that the delay in announcing a decision was \"unbelievable\".\n\n\"This is a tremendously harsh time for businesses and yet this executive is causing an act of vandalism to those businesses,\" he said during a debate on the Budget Bill.\n\n\"It is a shameful position to be in.\n\n\"It is an act of vandalism to not be able to tell a business on the Tuesday that they can open up for sure on the Friday, that they can fill up their fridge, bring in their stock and pay their supply line - it's no way to run a business and no way to run an executive.\n\n\"It's an absolute farce we are letting so many people down, who just want to earn a decent living and who provide so much.\"\n\nEarlier, Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard said he believed the DUP had been \"too strident,\" by suggesting the restrictions would not remain in place longer than four weeks.\n\n\"Arlene (Foster) put herself on a hook by saying at an early stage that these restrictions would come to an end before progress was made,\" he told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme.\n\n\"Good progress is being made, but from our point of view it would be reckless now to throw it all away.\"\n\nHe said there was a case to be made for reopening hair and beauty salons, but that restrictions on hospitality should remain in place for another fortnight, as health officials initially recommended.\n\nHair and beauty salons closed on Friday 16 October - it is thought they could reopen with some mitigations\n\nAlison Canney, owner of the Spaghetti Junction restaurant in Londonderry, said they are undecided whether they would reopen at all if a limit or a ban is placed on alcohol sales.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio Foyle, the Derry business owner said: \"It is doable but is it the same? I don't think so.\n\n\"People come out to relax and unwind. It's an experience. It's not like alcohol is essential, but people like a glass of wine with an Italian meal.\"\n\nHair and beauty salons have also been closed since 16 October.\n\nBeautician Carolyn McCauley said First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill needed to \"put on their big girl pants and make decisions\".\n\n\"At this stage, it's simply not good enough,\" she said.\n\n\"They've had four weeks to make these decisions and now here we are, at the 11th hour, and there's still no decision.\"\n\nMichael Cafolla, who runs a large cafe in Newtownards, County Down, called on the executive to \"consult with people on the coal face of this industry, look at the evidence and make sure that the evidence backs up the decisions that are made\".\n\nSpeaking on the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, he said there had been \"no direction, leadership or consistent messaging\" for businesses.\n\nSDLP leader Colum Eastwood said his party supports extending all of the restrictions for an extra fortnight, to reduce the possibility of further interventions before Christmas.\n\n\"We need to look beyond short-term decision making and ensure we achieve a safe Christmas by driving down Covid-19 now,\" he said.\n\nAlliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said the executive \"absolutely does need\" to take a decision on Tuesday.\n\n\"It would be wrong if the clock was allowed to run down on this and we saw the restrictions almost disappearing by default,\" he said.", "Corona Newton used to only have to put up with jokes about beer\n\nCorona Newton has endured jokes about her unusual name for as long as she can remember.\n\nBeer-related nicknames have followed the 49-year-old civil servant since before she was legally able to sup her first pint.\n\n\"People used to call me Guinness and Budweiser,\" she said. \"That I could always laugh off. But this is more frustrating, especially when it gets aggressive.\"\n\nCorona lives in Oldham, which currently has the highest number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in England.\n\nResidents of the Greater Manchester town have endured some of the toughest enhanced lockdown measures for weeks.\n\nCorona said no-one takes her seriously when they discover her Christian name, while she cannot book a table or open an account without staff giving her peculiar looks.\n\n\"People have said to me 'as if I'm going to listen to somebody named after a virus',\" she said.\n\nMum-of-five Corona has even been plagued by \"really nasty\" cold callers, with people just saying things like: \"Is that the virus?\"\n\nWhile driving her daughter to the dentist last week, she picked up a highly abusive phone call from a man who swore at her.\n\nShe said: \"He screamed down the phone at me 'what does it feel like to [do] the world over?'\"\n\nHer name also leads to awkward situations, like at a recent parents' evening when a teacher thought her daughter was being rude by saying Corona.\n\nAccording to the Office for National Statistics, fewer than three girls were named Corona in 2019 and it has not been recorded in the top 100 girls names at any time from 1904-2019.\n\nSo how did Corona come by her unusual moniker?\n\nThe name comes from the Latin word for crown and also means the aura around stars or the moon. It is quite a common Spanish surname but less so as a forename.\n\nGrowing up in Drogheda, a town on the east coast of Ireland, Corona said she stood out for not sounding Catholic despite being named after the missionary midwife who delivered her.\n\n\"My parents couldn't decide between Sarah and Catherine, so they ended up choosing Corona,\" she said.\n\nBefore news bulletins became dominated by the pandemic, Corona said it was much easier to have a sense of humour about her name.\n\n\"I had my hen do in Blackpool not long before lockdown started in March,\" she said.\n\n\"We played 'guess my name' with strangers and no-one managed it, so they all had to buy me shots.\"\n\nDespite Covid-19 scuppering her wedding plans for now, as well as any dreams of a massive 50th birthday party, Corona said 2020 would certainly be a year to remember.\n\n\"In these tough times, if I've brightened someone's day by having a funny name, so be it,\" she said. \"At least no-one will ever forget me.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "The hidden text can be easily seen after the colours of the image are manipulated\n\nThe government has blamed a \"technical error\" for a Boris Johnson tweet congratulating Joe Biden on his US election victory which faintly showed the name \"Trump\" in the background.\n\nSocial media users commented on the discrepancy while the Guido Fawkes website said the message also included the word \"second term\" buried in it.\n\nOfficials said two messages were prepared before the result was known.\n\nThe alternative one had been \"embedded\" in the other by mistake, they said.\n\nMr Johnson posted the message on Twitter on Saturday after broadcasters in the US and elsewhere declared the Democratic former vice-president the winner.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Boris Johnson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOn Monday, the prime minister - who has never met Mr Biden - congratulated him on his victory in a phone conversation which the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said lasted about 20 minutes.\n\nMr Johnson said he and the president-elect discussed their \"shared priorities\" and was looking forward to \"strengthening the partnership\" between the two countries.\n\nThe UK PM is believed to be the first European leader Mr Biden has spoken to since the election.\n\nMr Biden is preparing to assume office in January, although incumbent President Donald Trump is refusing to accept the outcome of the election and is mounting a series of legal challenges in certain states.\n\nThe message the PM sent on Sunday read: \"Congratulations to Joe Biden on his election as president of the United States and to Kamala Harris on her historic achievement.\n\n\"The US is our most important ally and I look forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security.\"\n\nBut the message appeared to include traces of a different one referring to Mr Trump, who has been in office since 2017.\n\nGuido Fawkes said the \"remnants\" of this could be seen by adjusting the contrast and brightness levels of the actual message that was posted.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking about Joe Biden's victory: \"There's far more that unites us than divides us\"\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"As you'd expect, two statements were prepared in advance for the outcome of this closely contested election.\n\n\"A technical error meant that parts of the alternative message were embedded in the background of the graphic.\"\n\nUK ministers have said they are excited about working with Mr Biden on issues such as climate change and trade.\n\nIn recent days, Mr Biden's team has sought to downplay lingering tensions over Mr Johnson's role in Brexit and past comments he has made about both President Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama.\n\nMr Biden, who has made his opposition to Brexit well known, has insisted maintaining peace in Northern Ireland is paramount in any post-Brexit UK-US trade deal.\n\nThe president-elect is continuing a ring-round of world leaders, having also spoken to Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Emmanuel Macron.\n\nBefore news of Mr Biden's conversation with Mr Johnson emerged, the Irish PM Michael Martin posted a Twitter message saying he had just finished a \"positive\" conversation with the president-elect.\n\nThe message was quickly deleted, after which the Irish government revealed it had been sent in error and although a call had been arranged the two had yet to speak.\n\nA few hours later, Mr Martin posted another message saying he had had a \"warm and engaging\" call with Mr Biden.", "One in every 17 people who have had Covid-19 could be diagnosed with anxiety, depression or insomnia for the first time, a study of millions of US patient health records suggests.\n\nThat is about double the risk from other illnesses, the researchers say.\n\nUnexpectedly, they also found existing psychiatric patients were 65% more likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19.\n\nThis could be linked to their physical health or drugs prescribed to treat disorders, the researchers speculated.\n\nThey should be given appropriate care, the Oxford team said.\n\nBut they stopped short of asking psychiatric patients to shield or think of themselves as extremely vulnerable.\n\nUniversity of Oxford psychiatry professor Paul Harrison, the lead study author, said people who had had Covid-19 \"will be at greater risk of mental health problems\".\n\nEven those not admitted to hospital with Covid had a higher risk.\n\nAnd the results, published in the Lancet Psychiatry, were likely to be \"underestimates of the actual number of cases\", although the experiences of patients in other countries could differ.\n\nThe researchers tracked 62,000 people with Covid for three months after diagnosis and compared them with thousands of people with other conditions, such as flu, kidney stones and broken bones.\n\nThe proportions diagnosed with a psychiatric illness were:\n\nExcluding those who had previously been diagnosed with a disorder and relapsed, they were:\n\nThe most common diagnosis was anxiety, which included:\n\n\"We urgently need research to investigate the causes and identify new treatments,\" Prof Harrison said.\n\nDr Michael Bloomfield, from University College London, said the link was probably due to \"a combination of the psychological stressors associated with this particular pandemic and the physical effects of the illness\".\n\nProf Dame Til Wykes, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, at King's College London said: \"The increase in mental health disorders in people who have developed Covid-19 mirrors the increases reported in the UK general population.\"\n\nIt was \"clearly the tip of an iceberg\", she added, saying many accessible forms of mental health support were needed to provide treatment for the mental health conditions.\n\nBut Jo Daniels, from the University of Bath, said further research was needed before coming to any conclusions.\n\n\"We should be aware that poorer psychological outcomes are common in those who experience physical health problems of any nature,\" she said.\n\n\"Being acutely or chronically unwell is simply a difficult experience.\"", "It has been months since football fans have been able to cheer on their team in person.\n\nAnd as England's lockdown continues, the return of fans to football grounds seems as far away as ever. The government has refused to say when it expects spectators to be allowed back inside sports venues in England.\n\nWe asked readers to get in touch with their stories of the last game they watched. Here's what they said:\n\nHassan Hussein, 40, from, Claypole, Lincolnshire, took his son Ulus, 12, to watch Manchester United beat Manchester City at Old Trafford on 8 March - and his son caught the match ball.\n\n\"As the ball hit the net, we all went crazy then out of nowhere my son was standing next to me with the match ball in his hands. We both wondered how it ended up with us, and you can see on the TV the players had to wait a good few minutes to restart as no-one had an idea where the ball was.\"\n\nNorwich fan Sarah Greaves, from south London, took her 12-year-old daughter Naomi to watch the Canaries beat Leicester 1-0 at Carrow Road on 28 February.\n\n\"Looking back, the atmosphere was just one of family - a big, extended football family. From people who sit near us talking about my dad to the guy from New York who'd changed his flight home to make the game.\n\n\"And now we watch the games but it's not the same; we send them messages but it's not the same; we wear our Norwich kit in south London on matchdays but it's not the same and we see our seats in videos from the club or during matches and we can't wait to be back.\"", "Aldi began the click and trial earlier this year\n\nDiscount supermarket Aldi is to extend its trial click-and-collect shopping service to 200 more UK stores as it faces growing competition from rivals.\n\nIt means about 25% of its 900 shops will offer the service by Christmas, compared with 18 now.\n\nAldi and discount rival Lidl, which have challenged the big supermarket rivals on price, have missed out in the pandemic as more sales go online.\n\nBy contrast traditional grocers such as Tesco have seen their sales accelerate.\n\nAldi first launched its click and collect service to customers at a single store in the Midlands in September, before extending the trial last month.\n\nShoppers can choose from a full range of grocery items online, then collect them in their cars \"contact-free\" at their local stores.\n\nThe German discounter has expanded rapidly over the past decade, largely by outcompeting traditional chains on price.\n\nHowever, it has seen growth slow since March as online grocery shopping has doubled its share of the UK market to around 14%.\n\nAnalysts say mounting competition from traditional retailers with established online shopping services will make it harder for Aldi and Lidl to expand as quickly as they once did.\n\nTesco has benefitted from the shift to online shopping\n\nFor example, in the 12 weeks to May, Tesco and Sainsbury's increased sales at a faster rate than Aldi for the first time in a decade as the pandemic spurred weekly shops and more online ordering.Aldi has been rolling out new online options in response.\n\nIn April, Aldi started selling online food parcels to help self-isolating and vulnerable customers and has also started a rapid delivery service in partnership with Deliveroo.\n\nGiles Hurley, boss of Aldi UK and Ireland, said its click and collect trial had been \"hugely popular\" so far.\n\n\"By extending it to hundreds of new stores, we're making Aldi accessible to thousands of shoppers who might never have visited one of our stores before.\"\n• None Ocado says switch to online shopping is permanent", "South Hams District Council turned down plans to screen the development with trees\n\nA millionaire fashion mogul has lost a bid to save a skate park, tennis court and garage unlawfully constructed on a Devon beauty spot.\n\nSean Thomas, founder of the White Stuff fashion brand, had his plans to plant 1,000 trees to screen the site turned down by South Hams District Council.\n\nThe authority said the construction near Salcombe was \"detrimental\" to the \"highly sensitive\" local environment.\n\nIt said formal enforcement action would begin. Mr Thomas is yet to comment.\n\nMr Thomas has six months to appeal against the decision. He may have to tear down the development, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.\n\nThe buildings are in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Salcolme, Devon\n\nHe built the additions to land adjoining his home in the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and alongside the Salcombe to Kingsbridge Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest.\n\nAfter complaints from residents about the \"eyesore\" development, a retrospective planning application was refused in 2019.\n\nIn April, Mr Thomas submitted the plans to plant more than 1,000 native trees.\n\nRefusing the proposals, the council report described the constructions as an \"incongruous development in a highly sensitive area of the open countryside\".\n\nThe district council report said: \"The development has a detrimental impact upon the surrounding landscape... resulting in adverse impacts to the natural beauty, special qualities, distinctive character, landscape and scenic beauty of the South Devon AONB.\"", "Some pupils have faced more disruption than others due to self-isolating\n\nA decision on whether GCSE and A-level exams will go ahead next summer will be announced later.\n\nThere have already been strong indications that GCSE exams will be replaced by grades based on coursework and assessments.\n\nTwo recent sets of recommendations to Education Minister Kirsty Williams said either all or some exams at A-level should also be cancelled.\n\nIt comes amid ongoing disruption to schools as a result of coronavirus.\n\nThere is also concern some pupils have faced more disruption than others.\n\nPlaid Cymru called for a decision to be made quickly to remove anxiety.\n\nCourses have already been modified because of the learning time lost over the summer term.\n\nBut since schools returned full-time in September, many pupils have had to self-isolate for a fortnight or more because of positive cases of Covid-19 in their \"bubble\".\n\nPublic Health Wales figures show 82% of secondary schools have registered at least one case since September.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"Three years of GCSEs has come down to nothing\"\n\nThis year's exams were cancelled after schools were closed in March, but the system of awarding \"standardised\" grades descended into chaos.\n\nUltimately the grades decided by schools and colleges were awarded.\n\nDecisions on exams have already been announced elsewhere in the UK.\n\nIn Scotland, National 5 exams - the equivalent to GCSEs - have been replaced by coursework and teacher assessments but Highers will go ahead.\n\nExams are still scheduled in England and Northern Ireland but they will be held later in the summer.\n\nIn its advice to Wales' education minister, regulator Qualifications Wales said there should be no GCSE exams this summer, with grades for both GCSE and AS-levels based on coursework and assessments set and marked by the exam board WJEC.\n\nAt A-level, it recommended one timetabled exam per subject, with a second opportunity for pupils to sit if they were self-isolating.\n\nCoursework and set tasks would also be taken into account.\n\nA separate report by an expert panel said all exams should be axed, with grades based on nationally agreed assessments done in schools and colleges.\n\nCerys Harris has had to study at home while self-isolating for a total of four weeks since September\n\nSeventeen-year-old A-level student Cerys Harris from Rhyl has had to self-isolate for four weeks in total since September.\n\nShe lives with three family members who have been furloughed, so it has been \"hard to find space around the house\".\n\nWhile under normal circumstances she would like to sit her exams, she thinks it would be best to cancel them because of the disruption.\n\n\"It's been really worrying. It will be good to know what the decision is,\" she said.\n\n\"We've been told to think about our Ucas [university application] forms. It's hard to make a decision for the rest of your life not knowing if you're even sitting the exam.\"\n\nYear 13 A-level student Jonathon Dawes, who studies at Coleg Cambria in Rhyl, said there was now \"a disparity between so many young people.\"\n\n\"Some of my friends have been in every day, others have had to self-isolate for four weeks, sit at home and do virtual learning, it's put them behind on their classmates.\n\n\"If all the four nations do take different routes, ultimately it will leave young people advantaged and disadvantaged when moving on and applying for jobs,\" he said.\n\nThe NASUWT teaching union agrees exams cannot go ahead as normal for safety, but it is worried about the potential for a \"massive increase\" in teacher workload.\n\nIts national official for Wales Neil Butler said there was a lot of work to be done in a short space of time and it would be \"highly inappropriate\" and \"unfair and unwise\" to place an extra burden on schools.\n\n\"Schools at the moment are having to work in extraordinary conditions, and they're struggling with that,\" he said.\n\n\"[It] must be done by the exam board and Qualifications Wales.\"\n\nEithne Hughes, director of the Association of School and College Leaders in Wales said exams could not go ahead as in 2019.\n\n\"We feel there is certainly merit in having a distinctive approach for Wales which recognises the expertise of our teachers.\n\n\"What we need is a B grade in a school in Llandudno needs to be the same as a B grade in Swansea - now that is not the job of individual teachers in those schools, that is the job of the regulator,\" she said.\n\nPlaid Cymru's education spokeswoman Sian Gwenllian said a decision should be made quickly.\n\n\"The longer this is dragged out, the more uncertainty it brings to our learners, most of whom have already had a disrupted educational year, and many of whom are still experiencing the anxiety that comes from living through a global pandemic,\" she said.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, many of which have been destroyed, during the three-year insurgency (file photo)\n\nMore than 50 people have been beheaded in northern Mozambique by militant Islamists, state media report.\n\nThe militants turned a football pitch in a village into an \"execution ground\", where they decapitated and chopped bodies, other reports said.\n\nSeveral people were also beheaded in another village, state media reported.\n\nThe beheadings are the latest in a series of gruesome attacks that the militants have carried out in gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since 2017.\n\nUp to 2,000 people have been killed and about 430,000 have been left homeless in the conflict in the mainly-Muslim province.\n\nThe militants are linked to the Islamic State (IS) group, giving it a foothold in southern Africa.\n\nThe group has exploited poverty and unemployment to recruit youth in their fight to establish Islamic rule in the area.\n\nMany locals complain that they have benefited little from the province's ruby and gas industries.\n\nThe BBC's Jose Tembe reports from the capital, Maputo, that the latest attack was probably the worst carried out by the militants.\n\nMany people are shocked, and they are calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, he adds.\n\nThe gunmen chanted \"Allahu Akbar\" (\"God is greatest\", in English), fired shots, and set homes alight when they raided Nanjaba village on Friday night, the state-owned Mozambique News Agency quoted survivors as saying.\n\nTwo people were beheaded in the village and several women abducted, the news agency added.\n\nA separate group of militants carried out another brutal attack on Muatide village, where they beheaded more than 50 people, the news agency reported.\n\nVillagers who tried to flee were caught, and taken to the local football pitch where they were beheaded and chopped to pieces in an atrocity carried out from Friday night to Sunday, privately-run Pinnacle News reported.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMozambique's government has appealed for international help to curb the insurgency, saying its troops need specialised training.\n\nIn April, more than 50 people were beheaded or shot dead in an attack on a village in Cabo Delgado and earlier this month, nine people were beheaded in the same province.\n\nRights groups say Mozambican security forces have also carried out human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture and killings, during operations to curb the insurgency.\n• None Is Mozambique the latest outpost of Islamic State?", "Twitter alternative Parler has become the most-downloaded app in the United States as conservatives flock to the self-styled \"free speech\" app after the US election.\n\nIt follows a clampdown on the spread of election misinformation by Twitter and Facebook in recent days.\n\nProminent investor Dan Bongino said the service was adding \"thousands to users per minute\" on Sunday.\n\nBut the sudden boom also caused technical issues for users.\n\nSome reported problems registering and a slowdown of the app as its servers attempted to deal with the influx.\n\nParler founder John Matze said the app had added two million new users in a day, and increased its daily active users four-fold over the weekend.\n\n\"Don't worry, the app isn't normally this slow,\" he promised new arrivals.\n\nSome of Parler's most popular users are Republicans and media personalities\n\nWhile Mr Trump himself is not a user, the platform already features several high-profile contributors following earlier bursts of growth this year.\n\nTexas Senator Ted Cruz boasts 2.6 million followers on the platform, while Fox News hosts Mark Levin and Sean Hannity each have more than two million.\n\nNewsmax, a conservative-leaning news outlet, also crept near the top of the charts at the same time.\n\nLaunched in 2018, Parler has proved particularly popular among Trump supporters and right-wing conservatives. Such groups have frequently accused Twitter and Facebook of unfairly censoring their views.\n\nIt is one of a handful of start-up social networks - such as MeWe or Gab - trying to appeal to disgruntled users of the biggest platforms.\n\nParler is ahead of bigger, better-funded apps in Apple's US download charts\n\nMr Trump has been among Twitter's most vocal critics and has seen many of his tweets hidden and labelled as misleading during the election period.\n\nNamed after the French verb \"to speak\", the app has very similar functions to Twitter. Posts can be replied to with comments, \"echoed\" in a way similar to retweeting, and upvoted instead of liked.\n\nParler says it keeps bans to an \"absolute minimum\", and does not fact-check posts.\n\nParler does, however, ban some things, including pornography, threats of violence, and support for terrorism.\n\nFollowing Joe Biden's projected win in the presidential election - and Mr Trump's unsubstantiated claims of fraud - many conservatives encouraged each other to leave Twitter and Facebook for Parler.\n\nOn Facebook, multiple events and groups with thousands of members are encouraging a \"mass exit\" from Facebook to Parler from Friday 13 November.\n\nThe planned exodus has been mocked by left-leaning Twitter users as an escape to a \"safe space\" devoid of challenge or criticism.\n\nThe light-touch approach to content moderation means that misinformation can spread more easily on the platform than on those with stricter rules.\n\nThe first \"mass migration\" of right-wing users from major social networks to Parler happened in June, after a number of accounts that posted misleading content about Covid-19 and George Floyd protests got banned from the bigger social media sites.\n\nThousands of supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory have joined in in the last few weeks, after Facebook, Instagram and YouTube took sweeping action against them in early October. Followers believe President Trump is waging a secret war against a \"deep state\" elite of Satan-worshipping paedophiles.\n\nFacebook's ban on organisations that promote violence has also forced groups such as the Proud Boys and Boogaloo Bois to rebuild on Parler.\n\nHowever, platforms like Parler have become an echo-chamber for a relatively limited group of like-minded users. That's why many users who have migrated to Parler make repeated attempts to create new accounts to return to major networks - as they know that's where their content can get widespread traction.\n\nWhile the content posted on Parler is usually not as extreme as other self-proclaimed \"free speech\" platforms like Gab and MeWe, it is the home of many posts that would either be flagged as misleading or removed by major platforms - on topics like the election, Covid-19, child trafficking and vaccines.\n\nSenator Cruz, who recently lambasted Twitter boss Jack Dorsey at a congressional committee hearing, said in June that he had joined Parler because social networks use their power \"to silence conservatives and promote their radical left-wing agenda\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"Who put you in charge of what the media are allowed to report?\" Twitter's Jack Dorsey is quizzed by Senator Ted Cruz\n\nTweeting on Sunday, Mr Levin encouraged his followers to \"hurry\" and join Parler because \"I may not stay at Facebook or Twitter if they continue censoring me\".\n\nBut technology analyst Benedict Evans questioned how long-standing such a shift would be.\n\n\"How many core Trump voters will now think that Fox is too left-wing and Twitter or Facebook too controlled?\" he said.\n\n\"And even if that's a lot of people, will these stick - or will the scale effect of the mainstream networks pull them back?\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Matt Hancock: “Our plan is working and I am more sure than ever that we will prevail together”\n\nThe NHS will be ready from December to roll out the new coronavirus vaccine if it gets approved, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.\n\nMr Hancock told MPs the news about the vaccine was an important step but \"there are no guarantees\".\n\nHe also said \"we don't know\" how many people will need to be vaccinated in order for life to return to normal.\n\nAnd he announced that, from Tuesday, NHS staff will begin being tested twice a week.\n\nIt comes as a further 20,412 coronavirus cases were reported in the UK on Tuesday, with another 532 deaths within 28 days of a positive test recorded.\n\nWhile the number of deaths recorded is higher than previous days, there is often an increase at the beginning of the week due to delays in weekend reporting.\n\nOn Monday, early results from the world's first effective coronavirus vaccine showed it could prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid.\n\nThe vaccine has been developed by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech and is one of 11 vaccines that are currently in the final stages of testing.\n\nThe companies now plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of November - and a limited number of people may get the vaccine this year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe UK has already ordered 40 million doses - enough to vaccinate up to 20 million people, as each person will need two doses for it to work effectively.\n\nBut Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned people not to \"rely on this news as a solution\" as it is still \"very, very early days\".\n\nSpeaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Mr Hancock said: \"If this or any other vaccine is approved, we will be ready to begin a large-scale vaccination programme.\n\n\"We do not yet know whether or when a vaccine is approved, but I have tasked the NHS with being ready from any date from 1 December.\"\n\nEarlier, Mr Hancock said the bulk of the rollout of a vaccine was always expected to be in the first part of 2021.\n\nAsked about how many people would need to be vaccinated, Mr Hancock said: \"The honest truth to that question is we don't know what proportion of the population vaccination needs to reach in order for this to stop the epidemic.\n\n\"The reason we don't know that is you can check in a clinical trial for the impact of the vaccine on protecting the individual... what you cannot check is the impact on the transmission of the disease by those people, because you have to have enough of the population, a significant proportion of the population, to have had the vaccine to understand that.\"\n\nEarlier, Mr Hancock told the BBC that vaccinations would take place in care homes, centres such as sports halls and also clinics that would open seven days a week.\n\nHe said he was giving GPs an extra £150m to help with the roll-out, and he believed NHS staff \"will rise to this challenge of being ready when the science comes good to inject hope into millions of arms this winter\".\n\n\"There are many hard days ahead, many hurdles to overcome, but our plan is working and I'm more sure than ever that we will prevail together,\" he added.\n\nMr Hancock also said new rapid swab tests - which give results in less than an hour - will be made available across 67 local areas, after they were used in a mass testing trial in Liverpool.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that we are still in a 'critical moment' of Covid-19 response\n\nOlder care home residents and care home staff are at the top of a list from government scientific advisers of who should be immunised first, followed by health workers.\n\nMr Hancock said children would not be vaccinated.\n\nLabour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called on Mr Hancock to give priority access to relatives of care home residents so they can see their loved ones.\n\nAnd he asked the government to publish a strategy on how the vaccine would be rolled out.\n\nThe Covid vaccine is the fastest ever vaccine to go from the drawing board to being proven highly effective.\n\nIt will not be released for use until it passes final safety tests and gets the go-ahead from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.\n\n\"Our strong and independent regulator the MHRA will not approve a vaccine until it's clinically safe,\" Mr Hancock said.\n\nThe British Medical Association, which represents doctors, said GPs have been told to prepare to give patients two vaccine doses - to be delivered between 21 and 28 days apart - during clinics that could run between 08:00 and 20:00 GMT seven days a week.\n\nIt added that, due to the logistics and delivery requirements, including the need to store it at very cold temperatures, it was likely that groups of GP practices would need to work together with one \"designated vaccination site\".\n\nIn Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the government there has purchased around 20 large freezers to store the new vaccine at strategic locations.\n\nCautious optimism is the tone of today.\n\nMatt Hancock insists the NHS will be ready to start deploying a coronavirus vaccine as soon as humanly possible.\n\nIf regulators are able to give the green light in the next few weeks, some people could get their jab before Christmas - a most welcome gift for those at highest risk of severe Covid-19 illness.\n\nBut he doesn't want people to get their hopes up too soon or assume life can now return to \"normal\". It can't.\n\nIt would be a colossal mistake to relax now and let the virus rip, say leading medical advisers.\n\nUntil and unless mass vaccination can happen, society needs to use the other weapons at its disposal to fight the virus and stop the spread.\n\nThat means sticking with the social distancing and face masks, and testing people who may have the virus and asking them to isolate.\n\nThe UK is still in the second wave and the actions taken by all of us now will influence how it plays out.\n\nData from the UK national statistics agencies also showed the number of deaths was more than 11% higher than normally expected.\n\nIt showed 1,597 deaths mentioning Covid on the death certificate in the last week of October - up from 1,126 the week before.\n\nAlthough deaths usually do rise at this time of year, the data shows the second wave of the virus has pushed the death rate above the average seen over the past five years.\n\nThe government is sending 600,000 of the rapid tests out to more than 60 local directors of public health including \"across Yorkshire, the West Midlands, other parts of the North West, and the whole of the North East\".\n\nAnd Nottinghamshire will follow the Liverpool in trialling mass coronavirus testing.\n\nWhat questions do you have about the vaccine?", "In small room in the Royal Derby Hospital, there's a table bearing a laminated sign. \"You are not alone,\" it says.\n\nIt continues: \"Kindness will get you through. Embrace the challenge. Look after each other. You are stronger than you think.\"\n\nThis is the \"wobble room\", set aside not for patients but for front-line staff to get them away - briefly - from the intense pressure and strain experienced in the first wave of Covid-19.\n\n\"We made a wobble room because that's what we needed,\" Kelly-Ann Gurney, an intensive-care nurse, told the BBC.\n\n\"It's a room where staff could just go and sit and cry if they needed to and get it all out and then come back and 'put their face on' and get back into it again.\"\n\nNow the second wave is hitting the hospital, and the need for the room is just as great.\n\nConcerns are growing about the physical and mental health of front-line NHS staff. There has been no lull since the April peak of the virus as normal treatments and operations, postponed during the crisis, have returned to hospitals.\n\nThe second wave is now breaking on them, but this time there has been no widespread clearing of beds and cancellations of non-urgent work to create capacity for Covid patients.\n\nTo add to the pressure, winter with all its additional health challenges is not far off, and some staff are wondering whether they can cope.\n\nCaroline Swan, a senior sister and manager of the intensive care unit at the Royal Derby, says she is ready to face what is ahead but feels very tired.\n\n\"I am also very concerned. My staff are very tired and stressed out. We have a lot of sickness either due to burnout or they are unwell.\n\n\"A lot of staff have to self-isolate at home - and that puts a lot of strain on staffing here.\"\n\nDr Magnus Harrison, medical director of the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust, says managing rotas is getting harder due to staff sickness and the need for some to self-isolate if family members are infected.\n\n\"It is worth acknowledging what staff did in the first wave. They behaved tremendously and worked incredibly hard, and we're expecting them to do it again in winter - and Covid numbers could be higher than in the first wave. People are tired out.\"\n\nIntensive care nurse Kelly-Ann Gurney says staff will support each other\n\nThe Royal College of Nursing has said it has \"grave concerns\" about how services will be safely staffed this winter with the NHS in England back at the highest alert level.\n\nIt argues that even with an increase in newly trained nurses and those returning from retirement, there may not be enough staff to cope with the second Covid wave.\n\nSir Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, said at a recent Downing Street media conference that about 30,000 NHS staff were either off with coronavirus or having to self-isolate.\n\nHe added that controlling the spread of the virus in local communities was essential if the NHS was to be fully staffed.\n\nA Department of Health spokesman said it was committed to ensuring the NHS in England had \"the funding and resources it needs, including front-line staff\".\n\nHe added: \"We are on our way to delivering 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament - with already over 14,000 more in the NHS over the last year.\"\n\nDr Greg Fletcher, an intensive-care consultant, has worked at Royal Derby for 12 years. He points to the unprecedented strain of caring for very sick patients in critical-care beds, some of whom will not survive because there is no cure for the coronavirus.\n\n\"I've seen more people die seemingly needlessly or unexpectedly in the last six months than I have seen in the whole of my career. It's been despite trying everything we could to save life. It does take its toll on an emotional and psychological level.\"\n\nStaff at the hospital are encouraged to think about what they are looking forward to\n\nThe mood at the Royal Derby is stoical. Staff know what to expect after their experience of the first wave. But this time the days are shorter and colder, and there is no opportunity to take a break in the sunshine.\n\nKelly-Ann Gurney says \"a lot of staff are struggling\". But she adds: \"We've done it before and we'll do it again. We just have to support each other through it.\"\n\nGreg Fletcher adds that there will be no let-up and no holidays to look forward to.\n\n\"We go into the next few months with a significant degree of trepidation.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Vaccination for those at most risk from Covid-19 could begin by the end of the year, according to NI's health minister\n\nNI is likely to receive about 570,000 doses of the new coronavirus vaccine if it passes the next stage of trials and becomes licensed.\n\nThis means that 285,000 people could potentially be vaccinated for Covid-19.\n\nThe Department of Health told BBC News NI that the local supply will be part of a UK order and distributed among the regions using the Barnett Formula.\n\nIt said that the first 20 million doses of the vaccine is scheduled to be in the UK by the end of next March.\n\nOn Tuesday, the Department of Health announced a further 11 coronavirus-related deaths in Northern Ireland and 514 more positive cases.\n\nSixteen deaths related to Covid-19 were announced in the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday, 14 of which occurred in November, one in October and one that \"remains under investigation\". There were a further 270 confirmed cases of the virus.\n\nNorthern Ireland's Health Minister Robinson Swann said that while the vaccine was \"good news\", it still needed to officially pass phase three of its trials and be authorised by the regulator.\n\nOn Monday, he said vaccination for those most at risk from Covid-19 could begin by the end of the year.\n\nDr Tom Black, chair of the BMA in Northern Ireland, said the most vulnerable should get the vaccine first.\n\n\"We've 146 nursing home outbreaks in Northern Ireland today, so nursing homes have got to be a priority,\" he told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.\n\n\"Those over 85, those most vulnerable with underlying conditions and obviously the health care staff, because we've been losing a lot of health care staff to illness and isolation and we'd like to get them it because the intensive care units and the wards are very busy.\"\n\nDr Black said the logistics to get 570,000 doses of the vaccine rolled out would take \"some amount of work\" but could be done \"so many at a time - so the first cohort will be the over-85s\".\n\nThe vaccine - developed by Pfizer and BioNTech - was tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised.\n\nRobin Swann said there was \"intense\" pressure on the health service\n\nThe data shows that two doses, three weeks apart, are needed for the vaccine to work.\n\nMeanwhile, the health minister has said the vast majority of track and trace cases are being successfully detected.\n\nIn the past week, a total of 4,450 cases have been sent to test, trace and protect and 4,023 cases were successfully detected, Robin Swann added.\n\nHe told the assembly there were a further 9,267 contacts from these cases and that 99% of those were contacted.", "Biden is asked what his plan is if the Trump administration does not co-operate with a transition of power for now.\n\n\"It would be nice to have it but it's not critical,\" he says, adding that no legal action is planned by his team at the moment. The Trump administration has not approved the process of handing over the reins of government, meaning the Biden team has not yet been able to move in or begin examining sensitive information.\n\n\"We're going to do exactly what we're doing if he had conceded,\" he continues.\n\nAsked about his message to Trump if he is listening right now, Biden says with a grin: \"Mr President, I look forward to speaking with you.\"\n\nHe says he has not yet had a chance to speak with Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, who he worked with for decades in Washington before joining the White House under Obama.\n\nBiden adds that he has already spoken to six world leaders to let \"them know America's back\".\n\n\"We're going to be back in the game,\" he says, calling the conversations \"very fulsome [and] energetic\".", "Lucy Letby was first arrested in July 2018\n\nA nurse has been rearrested on suspicion of murdering eight babies and the attempted murder of another nine at the Countess of Chester Hospital.\n\nLucy Letby was previously arrested in 2018 and 2019 as part of a probe into deaths at the neo-natal unit.\n\nCheshire Police is investigating baby deaths and non-fatal collapses at the hospital between March 2015 and September 2016.\n\nPolice said a healthcare worker had been rearrested based on further information gathered by detectives.\n\nThe investigation was \"extremely challenging\" but \"very much active and ongoing\", a force spokesman added.\n\nPolice are investigating 17 deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neo-natal unit\n\nDet Insp Paul Hughes said: \"Parents of all the babies have been kept fully updated on this latest development and they are continuing to be supported throughout the process by specially trained officers.\n\n\"This is an extremely difficult time for all the families and it is important to remember that, at the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children.\"\n\nDetectives launched an investigation into baby deaths at the hospital in May 2017, which first focused on the deaths of 15 infants between June 2015 and June 2016.\n\nHowever the probe later widened to the deaths of 17 babies and 16 non-fatal collapses between March 2015 and July 2016.\n\nA spokesman for the Countess of Chester Hospital previously said it was \"co-operating fully\" with the investigation.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The government has suffered a heavy defeat in the House of Lords over its controversial Brexit legislation.\n\nThe Internal Market Bill contains measures that overrule parts of the UK's Brexit agreement with the EU.\n\nPeers voted overwhelmingly to remove a section of the bill that would allow ministers to break international law - by 433 votes to 165.\n\nThe government said it would reinstate the clauses when the bill returns to the House of Commons next month.\n\nIt comes as trade talks continue between EU and UK officials in London as they try to reach an agreement over a future economic partnership.\n\nFormer Conservative Party leader Lord Howard was among 44 Conservative peers who voted against the government on Monday night.\n\nHe led the calls for the prime minister to \"think again\" and remove the contentious parts of the UK Internal Market Bill, warning that the government was using the language of \"law breakers\" everywhere.\n\nPeers also voted to remove another clause, allowing ministers to override parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement relating to Northern Ireland, by 407 votes to 148. Other clauses in the controversial section of the bill were removed without a vote.\n\nA government spokesman said in a statement: \"We will retable these clauses when the bill returns to the Commons.\n\n\"We've been consistently clear that the clauses represent a legal safety net to protect the integrity of the UK's internal market and the huge gains of the peace process.\n\n\"We expect the House of Lords to recognise that we have an obligation to the people of Northern Ireland to make sure they continue to have unfettered access to the UK under all circumstances.\"\n\nThe Internal Market Bill is designed to enable goods and services to flow freely across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland after 1 January - when the post-Brexit transition period runs out.\n\nIt gives the government the power to change aspects of the EU withdrawal agreement, a legally binding deal governing the terms of Brexit made earlier this year.\n\nMinisters say the bill would provide a \"safety net\" in case the EU interprets the agreement, in particular the section on Northern Ireland, in an \"extreme and unreasonable\" way. The section - known as the protocol - is designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.\n\nThe thumping rejection of the government's plan is a reminder that there is significant discomfort in Parliament that ministers are prepared to break international law.\n\nA number of Conservative grandees were among those voting to remove controversial clauses in the internal market bill - which has been heavily criticised by the EU.\n\nEven the US President-elect Joe Biden has raised concerns. The bill will now go back to the Commons - where the government has confirmed it will retable the controversial elements removed by peers.\n\nThe government insisted the clauses were a crucial safety net and said it had a duty to ensure that Northern Ireland's businesses and producers continued to have unfettered access to the UK.\n\nMPs are unlikely to discuss the legislation again until December. However, by that point it should be clearer whether a post-Brexit free trade deal can be struck.\n\nUK's five living former prime ministers - Sir John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May - have all spoken out against the bill.\n\nLabour, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and the EU argue that - in allowing the government to undo parts of a treaty signed by the EU and UK - it could damage the country's international reputation and standing.\n\nLabour's leader in the House of Lords, Baroness Angela Smith, said the government \"should see sense\" and accept the removal \"of these offending clauses\".\n\nShe added: \"I am sure some in government will initially react with bravado and try to dismiss tonight's historic votes in the Lords. To do so, however, would underestimate the genuine and serious concerns across the UK and beyond about ministers putting themselves above and beyond the rule of law.\"\n\nIrish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told BBC Newsnight it was \"not a surprise\" that the bill was \"essentially being rejected\" by the House of Lords, adding: \"It's as controversial a piece of legislation within the UK as it is outside of the UK.\"\n\nHe said the government's \"tactic\" of legislating to give British ministers \"the powers to do what they want to do anyway\" has undermined trust in the UK's trade negotiations with the EU.\n• None Brexit: What is the Internal Market Bill?", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 GMT.\n\nThe NHS is ready to start providing the new coronavirus vaccine \"as fast as safely possible\", Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said. He was responding to the news that a new vaccine could prevent 90% of people getting Covid-19. Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast that, if approved, the vaccine developed by Pfizer would be administered in GP surgeries and go-to vaccination centres. He said the the government would provide £150m to assist GPs in rolling out the vaccine and that NHS staff would go into care homes to provide the vaccine to people most vulnerable to Covid-19. Meanwhile, the British Medical Association says plans are being drawn up for clinics to run 12 hours a day, seven days a week to roll out a vaccine as soon as it's available. The prime minister and his senior scientific advisers are urging caution, imploring the public to continue adhering to social distancing and other rules. If and when it is rolled out, prioritising those most in need will be crucial - we look at that issue and others in our Q&A.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe number of people out of work in the UK continues to rise. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show the unemployment rate in the three months to September was 4.8%, up 0.3%. Redundancies rose by a record 181,000 in the quarter to reach a record high of 314,000. Estimates for July to September also show 247,000 fewer people in employment than a year earlier. Head of statistics at the ONS Jonathan Athow said vacancy numbers continued to recover - although those more positive figures \"predate the reintroduction of restrictions in many parts of the UK\".\n\nEducation watchdog Ofsted says the pandemic has seen most children in England slipping back with reading and writing, and some have also regressed significantly with life skills such as using a knife and fork. Inspectors visited 900 schools, colleges, nurseries and social care settings, and found some older children showing signs of greater mental distress. Children with special needs had lost out on speech and language therapy. There were also youngsters who found lockdown a positive experience, but the Department for Education said the report was proof of just how important it was to keep schools open.\n\nPerhaps not a surprise, but \"lockdown\" has been declared the word of the year for 2020 by Collins Dictionary. It \"encapsulates the shared experience of billions of people\", Collins said. Other pandemic-linked terms in the top 10 are \"furlough\", \"key worker\", \"self-isolate\" and \"social distancing\", as well as \"coronavirus\". The abbreviation \"BLM\", for the Black Lives Matter movement, also features.\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, in the latest instalment of our diary from the NHS front line, four nurses describe the strain they're under, dealing with the UK's second wave.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "The first review of Scotland's new five-level Covid alert system has taken place. Find out which of Scotland's 32 local authorities have been moved. All changes will come into force on Friday 13.\n\nNo council has been put into Level 4 restrictions - the toughest to be set. Rules are similar to the lockdown restrictions that were applied across Scotland at the end of March. In this category schools would remain open but all non-essential shops, as well as pubs and restaurants, gyms, libraries and hairdressers, would be closed.\n\nThree councils that had been in Level 2 have now been moved to Level 3 meaning some four million people are now living in this tier. Restrictions see cafes, pubs and restaurants allowed to open until 18:00 to serve food and non-alcoholic drinks to groups of up to six from two households. Alcohol sales are not permitted indoors or outdoors. All leisure and entertainment venues are closed at this level, including cinemas. No non-essential travel is allowed out of a Level 3 area. Indoor exercise, which includes gyms, are restricted to individual and not group exercise.\n\nIn this tier there is no in-home socialising allowed and up to six people from two households can meet outdoors and in hospitality settings. Licensed premises can only serve alcohol indoors with a main meal - and then only until 20:00. Outdoors, you can be served until 22:30. Most leisure and entertainment premises are closed except gyms, cinemas, bingo halls and amusement arcades. Three councils, Angus, Perth & Kinross and Fife have been moved from this tier to the next one up.\n\nSix people from two households can meet indoors if they are resident in Shetland, the Western Isles and Orkney. This does not apply to the other council areas. Level 1 sees a \"reasonable\" degree of normality. Hospitality has a 22:30 curfew. Events, like weddings, would be restricted to a maximum of 20 people. Indoor contact sports for adults are not permitted. Only those unable to work from home should go to their place of employment.\n\nNo local authority has been assigned this level. Scotland's councils have been told by the government that \"it would not be safe to move any area straight to the lowest level\". At Level 0, hospitality would operate \"almost normally\" - subject to rules on physical distancing, limits on numbers and other rules, such as table service.\n\nUse the form below to send us your questions and we could be in touch.\n\nIn some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.\n\nIf you are reading this page on the BBC News app, you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question on this topic.", "Stock markets have rocketed on hopes of a potential breakthrough in the search for a vaccine against Covid-19.\n\nDrugs firm Pfizer's own shares climbed 9% after it said that preliminary analysis indicated that its coronavirus vaccine was 90% effective.\n\nMarkets, already buoyed after a clear end to the US election, piled on gains. The FTSE 100 jumped nearly 5%.\n\nBut some of the initial optimism appeared to fade by the end of the trading session.\n\nIn the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had jumped 5.6% in opening trade, closed up about 3%. The S&P 500 also retreated from its morning leap, ending just 1.1% higher, short of a new record.\n\nMeanwhile the Nasdaq, where many of the tech firms that have benefited from the lockdowns are listed, fell 1.5%.\n\nThe vaccine hopes revived investor appetite for airlines, hotels, energy firms and others hit hardest by the pandemic, sending shares soaring - in some cases by more than 40%. Firms lifted by the pandemic dived, in contrast, dived.\n\nSuch sizable swings are rare. In the case of the UK, the FTSE 100 added roughly £82bn to the value of its shares in the market's best day since March - and one of the ten largest ever single-day gains for the index.\n\nMarkets are primarily about sentiment - does tomorrow look better than today - and in that regard there has been a radical and probably permanent sea change.\n\nWith more vaccines in development that optimism could grow.\n\nWhat this result demonstrates is that while the virus is not yet beaten it is beatable.\n\nThat ray of light has lit up stock markets around the world.\n\nAs always, some people in the markets are already looking for something else to worry about.\n\nIf we are returning to a semblance of normality in the months ahead, do the US authorities really need a stimulus package as big as the $3tn to $4tn being discussed by the Biden team?\n\nBut for now, the markets, like the rest of us, are enjoying the warm glow of the first significant sentiment boost since the virus started ravaging the world economy.\n\nRuss Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, called it \"very very unusual\", but said that a vaccine was \"one of the things that markets have been waiting for\".\n\nHowever, he told the BBC there were \"still lots and lots of questions around the vaccine\" and it was still too early to say when economies would bounce back or whether the market surge would be sustained.\n\nIn the UK, shares in travel firms - which have been hit hard by the pandemic - saw the biggest rises, with British Airways owner IAG soaring 25%.\n\nElsewhere in the sector, EasyJet shares rose 34%, while aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce surged almost 45%.\n\nAnother sector of the economy that has been hit hard by coronavirus is hospitality - catering firm Compass Group saw its shares rise more than 21%.\n\nUS-listed Royal Caribbean cruises meanwhile were up 29%, while travel booking firm Expedia jumped 24% and Disney climbed almost 12%.\n\nHowever, shares in those companies that have benefitted in the crisis fell sharply given the hopes of a successful vaccine.\n\nDrugmakers have been racing to be the first to develop a successful coronavirus vaccine.\n\nIf Pfizer's vaccine is authorised, the number of doses will be limited initially. Many questions also remain, including how long the vaccine will provide protection.\n\nStock markets had already been rallying in response Saturday's declaration that Joe Biden had won the race to become the next US president.\n\nThe Pfizer announcement then pushed market optimism \"exceedingly high\", but it \"could fade\" said Neil Wilson.\n\n\"We should not be jumping any guns here, but ultimately a vaccine that works effectively would be good for the economy and favours the cyclical parts of the market that we thought were going to struggle,\" he said.\n\n\"It's clear the market is forward looking and pricing in recovery in a number of beaten-down areas next year.\"\n\nRichard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said: \"The Pfizer announcement is not yet a panacea, but adds to investor sentiment which had already been buoyed by the Biden victory, and has sent markets to strongly positive levels.\"\n\nHe noted that airline and related stocks had been rising rapidly, while \"housebuilders, banks and retailers are all in the boat currently being lifted by a rising tide\".\n\n\"It is still early days, and the practicalities point to any meaningful distribution not being available until the first few months of next year,\" he added.\n\n\"Even so, the news is without question a positive development and has certainly captured the imagination of investors.\"", "Ant and Dec will be hosting the 20th series from Gwrych Castle in north Wales\n\nA man who helped save the Welsh castle that will host I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! has said he initially took ITV's proposal for the series for spam.\n\nMark Baker, who founded the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, said he originally ignored the broadcaster's email.\n\nBut ITV got back in touch and the show is moving from Australia to Gwrych Castle in Abergele, Conwy, this year.\n\nIt will host celebrities including Sir Mo Farah and Victoria Derbyshire.\n\nMr Baker told the Radio Times: \"It mentioned a major proposal for a television programme, asking me to call urgently.\n\n\"But in my job I get loads of strange emails from people claiming to be princes of Egypt with millions of pounds.\n\n\"I thought it was one of those, so I just left it.\"\n\nGwrych Castle will host I'm A Celebrity.. Get Me Out Of Here!\n\nMr Baker said he had never seen I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! so is not sure how the new site will compare to the old one.\n\nHe said: \"I know who Ant and Dec are, of course. I remember them from Byker Grove when I was a kid.\n\n\"That was the last time I saw them in anything. I don't watch much TV.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Former knight of Gwrych Graham Jones says the castle is haunted by a \"lady in white\"\n\nITV's reported £300,000 fee has provided a valuable cash boost for the castle.\n\nAged just 13, Mr Baker founded the preservation trust to raise awareness of the castle's history including direct links to the Royal family and housing Jewish refugee children during World War Two.\n\nThe trust bought the derelict building in 2018 for £1 million, according to the Radio Times.\n\nMr Baker hopes to fully restore it and open the castle up to the public.\n\nHe said phase one of the rebuild could cost £10 million and the fee from ITV would pay for just one part of the roof.", "The statue is on display at Newington Green, near the site of the school Mary Wollstonecraft founded\n\nA memorial to the \"mother of feminism\" has provoked an online backlash after being unveiled in north London.\n\nThe sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft, by artist Maggi Hambling, went on display on Newington Green, Islington, on Tuesday.\n\nBorn in London in 1759, Wollstonecraft was an 18th Century author and radical who promoted the rights of women.\n\nThe silvered-bronze sculpture has drawn criticism from some who have queried the inclusion of a naked female figure.\n\nBee Rowlatt, chairwoman of the Mary on the Green campaign for a statue, said: \"Her ideas changed the world. It took courage to fight for human rights and education for all.\n\n\"But following her early death in childbirth, her legacy was buried, in a sustained misogynistic attack. Today we are finally putting this injustice to rights.\n\n\"Mary Wollstonecraft was a rebel and a pioneer, and she deserves a pioneering work of art.\n\n\"This work is an attempt to celebrate her contribution to society with something that goes beyond the Victorian traditions of putting people on pedestals.\"\n\nThe statue is believed to be the world's first memorial sculpture in honour of Mary Wollstonecraft\n\nThe unveiling is the culmination of a decade of campaigning to raise the £143,000 required to create the statue.\n\nThe statue is already on display, and an unveiling ceremony was live-streamed.\n\nIt portrays a silver female figure emerging from a swirling mingle of female forms.\n\nMore than 90% of London's monuments celebrate men, despite the population being 51% women, according to the campaign.\n\nHowever, it has been met with criticism for its symbolic depiction of a female figure, rather than being a lifelike representation of Wollstonecraft.\n\nSome have also queried the decision to make the figure naked.\n\nWriter Caitlin Moran claimed a better representation of a naked \"everywoman\" would be of \"Wollstonecraft dying, at 38, in childbirth, as so many women did back then - ending her revolutionary work.\"\n\n\"That would make me think, and cry,\" she tweeted.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Ruth Wilson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nWriter Tracy King tweeted: \"There is no reason to depict Mary naked unless you are trying to be edgy to provoke debate.\n\n\"Statues of named men get to be clothed because the focus is on their work and achievements.\n\n\"Meanwhile, women walking or jogging through parks experience high rates of sexual harassment because our bodies are considered public property.\"\n\nCaroline Criado Perez, who campaigned for Jane Austen to appear on the £10 note, said the statue \"feels disrespectful to Wollstonecraft herself\".\n\nHistorian Simon Schama wrote that he \"always wanted a fine monument to Wollstonecraft - this isn't it\".\n\nWollstonecraft was born into prosperity in 1759, but her father, a drunk, squandered the family money.\n\nLike her mother, she often suffered abuse at his hands.\n\nAs a woman, Wollstonecraft received little formal education but she set out to educate herself and at 25 opened a girls' boarding school on Newington Green, near the site of the statue.\n\nWollstonecraft was 33 when she wrote her most famous work \"A Vindication of the Rights of Woman\" which imagined a social order where women were the equals of men.\n\nShe mixed with the intellectual radicals of the day - debating with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and Joseph Priestley.\n\nShe died aged 38 following the birth of her daughter, the author Mary Shelley.\n\nMs Hambling has hit back at those who criticise her art work.\n\nShe said: \"This sculpture encourages a visual conversation with the obstacles Ms Wollstonecraft overcame, the ideals she strived for, and what she made happen.\"\n\nThe Suffolk-based artist said her critics \"are not reading the word, the important word, which is on the plinth, quite clearly 'for' Mary Wollstonecraft, it's not 'of' Mary Wollstonecraft.\n\n\"Clothes define people and restrict people, they restrict people's reaction. She's naked and she's every woman.\n\n\"Most male historic statues are way over life-size. My point was that the female figure doesn't need to dominate to be powerful.\n\n\"It's been compared to a rocket of hope going up to the sky, tracking the fight for female empowerment Wollstonecraft started.\"\n\nThe statue shows a silver female figure emerging from a swirling mingle of female forms\n\nOthers have praised the statue. On Twitter historian Dr Fern Riddle said she \"loved\" the design.\n\n\"It reminds me of Metropolis crossed with the birth of Venus,\" she said.\n\n\"I don't see 'me' in that figure, but I wouldn't see 'me' in a figurine of a fully dressed Mary either. I just like that it's here, and that anyone can interpret it how they want.\"\n\nHistorian Dr Sophie Coulombeau said she hopes those \"with a very strong opinion\" on the statue would also read Wollstonecraft's work.\n\n\"She's a lot weirder and ickier and more surreal than most [people] realise,\" Dr Coulombeau said.\n\n\"I think Hambling gets that.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Ken Spears, the co-creator of the cartoon series Scooby-Doo, has died at the age of 82.\n\nSpears, who created the animated characters alongside his creative partner Joe Ruby, died of complications from Lewy body dementia.\n\nTheir original show, Scooby Doo, Where Are You!, only ran for two series from 1969-1970, but established a template that spawned 50 years of stories.\n\nSpears' death comes three months after that of his co-creator, Ruby.\n\nHis son Kevin confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Spears died in Los Angeles on Friday.\n\nWarner Bros president Sam Register said in a statement: \"Warner Bros Animation is saddened to learn of the passing of Ken Spears and we send our warmest thoughts to his loved ones.\n\n\"He was a true innovator in the industry whose gifts of humour and storytelling continue to delight audiences.\n\n\"You cannot find a screen in the world that has not played a version of Scooby-Doo. We continue to be inspired by his work at Warner Bros. Animation and are honoured to carry on the legacy of his beloved characters.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Variety This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nKen Spears was born in Los Angeles on 12 March 1938, and met Ruby when both were sound editors and staff writers at animation studio Hanna Barbera.\n\nWhile there, the pair created Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, which debuted on CBS in September 1969.\n\nIt followed the adventures of a cowardly but good-natured Great Dane, Scooby, who travelled the US solving spooky mysteries with a group of plucky teenagers - Daphne, Fred, Velma and his slacker sidekick, Shaggy.\n\nSpears and Ruby wrote and story-edited all but four of the first 25 episodes.\n\nThe pair went on to create characters including Dynomutt, Dog Wonder and Jabberjaw and were asked to supervise the Saturday morning cartoon line-up at CBS, and later did the same job at ABC.\n\nIn 1977, ABC set up Ruby-Spears Productions, which went on to spawn series such as Mister T and Alvin and the Chipmunks.\n\nAfter Spears' death was announced, the official Scooby Doo Instagram account paid tribute, with an image of the Scooby Doo gang captioned: \"Ken Spears 1938-2020.\"\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by scoobydoo This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"Ken will forever be remembered for his wit, his story-telling, his loyalty to family, and his strong work ethic,\" Kevin Spears said in a statement to Variety.\n\n\"Ken has not only made a lasting impression on his family, but he has touched the lives of many as co-creator of Scooby-Doo. Ken has been a role model for us throughout his life and he will continue to live on in our hearts.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nFootball Association chairman Greg Clarke has resigned over the \"unacceptable\" language he used when referring to black players.\n\nClarke said he was \"deeply saddened\" for the offence he had caused by using the term \"coloured footballers\".\n\nThe comments came as he was talking about the racist abuse of players by trolls on social media to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee via video link.\n\nClarke said his words were a \"disservice to our game\".\n\nHe prompted further criticism when referring to gay players making a \"life choice\" and a coach telling him young female players did not like having the ball hit hard at them.\n\nHe also said there were \"a lot more South Asians than there are Afro-Caribbeans\" in the FA's IT department because \"they have different career interests\".\n• None Black FA chairman would be 'huge step' in fight for equality, says England's Mings\n• None Newsbeat: why Greg Clarke's language was so offensive (warning - contains offensive language)\n\n\"We can confirm that Greg Clarke has stepped down from his role as our chairman,\" said an FA statement.\n\n\"Peter McCormick will step into the role as interim FA chairman with immediate effect and the FA Board will begin the process of identifying and appointing a new chair in due course.\"\n\nFollowing his resignation, Clarke said: \"My unacceptable words in front of Parliament were a disservice to our game and to those who watch, play, referee and administer it. This has crystallised my resolve to move on.\n\n\"I am deeply saddened that I have offended those diverse communities in football that I and others worked so hard to include.\"\n\nDuring the parliamentary hearing, Clarke apologised after being prompted to say sorry by MP Kevin Brennan.\n\nBrennan said Clarke's language in reference to black players was the kind that did not encourage inclusion, while fellow committee member Alex Davies-Jones called it \"abhorrent\".\n\nClarke had earlier spoken of the need to attract people into the sport from a diverse range of communities.\n\nThe equality charity Kick It Out said his remark about black players should be \"consigned to the dustbin of history\" and criticised his comments concerning people from South Asia, gay players and female footballers.\n\nClarke had been called to give evidence to the DCMS committee about the Premier League's potential bailout of English Football League clubs and the structural reforms proposed as part of Project Big Picture.\n\n\"As a person who loves football and has given decades of service to our game, it is right that I put the interests of football first,\" added Clarke in the statement confirming his departure.\n\n\"2020 has been a challenging year and I have been actively considering standing down for some time to make way for a new chair now our CEO transition is complete and excellent executive leadership under Mark Bullingham is established.\"\n\n'Right to stand down' - reaction\n\nA statement from anti-racism charity Show Racism the Red Card said Clarke's comments \"only serve to demonstrate the power of language and the damage of stereotyping groups of people\".\n\nSpeaking before the resignation was announced, Sanjay Bhandari, executive chair at Kick It Out, said Clarke's comments to the DCMS were outdated.\n\n\"I was particularly concerned by the use of lazy racist stereotypes about South Asians and their supposed career preferences. It reflects similar lazy stereotypes I have heard have been spouted at club academy level,\" he said.\n\n\"Being gay is not a 'life choice' as he claimed too. The casual sexism of saying girls do not like balls hit at them hard is staggering from anyone, let alone the leader of our national game. It is completely unacceptable.\"\n\nSports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: \"Greg Clarke's comments have caused deep offence and were completely unacceptable. I acknowledge his decades of service to football and his apology, but he was right to stand down as chairman of the FA.\"\n\nDavid Bernstein, former FA chairman, told BBC Sport: \"I am just surprised that the chair of any organisation who's got a feel of what's going on in the year 2020 could use those types of words, that sort of language. It's just inappropriate.\"\n\nDarren Bent, former England striker: \"Slip of the tongue was it? Awful, just awful.\"\n\nAnton Ferdinand, former West Ham, Sunderland and QPR defender: \"Clearly education is needed at all levels.\"\n\nJulian Knight, DCMS select committee chairman: \"It's right that Greg Clarke apologised before the committee. However, this isn't the first time that the FA has come to grief over these issues. It makes us question their commitment to diversity.\"\n\nAlex Davies-Jones, DCMS committee member: \"The language used by Greg Clarke in our meeting this morning was absolutely abhorrent. It speaks volumes about the urgent progress that needs to made in terms of leadership on equalities issues in sport. I can't believe we're still here in 2020.\"\n\nThree years ago - in front of the same parliamentary committee, Greg Clarke was criticised for referring to institutional racism as \"fluff\". He apologised after being chastised by MPs and reminded that language matters.\n\nIt appears the message did not get through.\n\nTwo weeks after the FA launched a new diversity code with the aim of finally tackling racial inequality in the game, such efforts have once again been called into question, despite Clarke always insisting it was one of his priorities.\n\nAmid under-representation of BAME managers and board members, many critics will see Clarke's comments as evidence of the attitudes and language that has prevented the organisation from overseeing the progress hoped for in recent years, and it is no surprise that he has decided to step down.\n\nThere have been other awkward moments. In 2018, LGBT supporters group Pride in Football said it was \"shocked\" after Clarke signed a memorandum of understanding with the FA of Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.\n\nIn July, he had to backtrack after claiming representatives of the Premier League and EFL had blocked plans to increase racial diversity on the FA Board.\n\nDespite having barely been seen since the start of the year, Clarke was already under pressure over his role initiating secret talks over the Project Big Picture plans for a radical overhaul of the English game. Indeed earlier in the committee hearing, he was asked if his authority was \"shot\", something he strongly denied.\n\nBut then came his comments on diversity. Amid an unprecedented financial crisis for the sport and damaging divisions with fans, leagues and government, the FA chairman has now had to go over yet another controversy.\n\nThis is another grim day for the game, at the worst possible moment.\n• None Can the boys track down the boxing promoter?\n• None The biggest tracks that were never topped", "Mr Penrose said his wife, Baroness Dido Harding, had not been told to self isolate\n\nThe husband of NHS Test and Trace chief Baroness Dido Harding has been told to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app\n\nTory MP John Penrose said he was alerted by the app, part of the operation overseen by his wife.\n\nThe Weston-super-Mare MP said on Twitter: \"It never rains but it pours... my NHS app has just gone off, telling me to self-isolate, which I'm doing.\"\n\nLady Harding has not been told to self-isolate, Mr Penrose said.\n\nPeople are told to self-isolate after potentially coming into contact with someone who has coronavirus.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by John Penrose This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Penrose said on Twitter that he had no symptoms as yet.\n\nAsked if he had spoken to his wife about it, he told the Press Association: \"We are trying to make sure we are doing it by the book, if I can put it that way.\n\n\"Her NHS app has not gone off, so it's someone I have been in contact with rather than her.\"\n\nIn response to a suggestion that it showed the system worked, Mr Penrose said: \"I suppose it does.\"\n\nThe contact-tracing scheme was launched to reduce the spread of coronavirus\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has congratulated Joe Biden on his US election win.\n\nMr Biden called the PM ahead of the leaders of other major European countries.\n\nMr Johnson said he looked forward to \"strengthening the partnership\" between the US and UK.\n\nHe is also understood to have assured Mr Biden that Brexit would not undermine the Good Friday Agreement on peace in Northern Ireland.\n\nIn a statement, Mr Biden's office said he had \"reaffirmed\" his support for the Good Friday Agreement, which his Democratic predecessor in the White House, President Bill Clinton, played an instrumental role in bringing about.\n\nIt said he had also expressed his desire to strengthen the historic \"special relationship\" between the two countries and \"redouble co-operation\" on issues of mutual concern, including health security and promoting democracy.\n\nThe media declared Mr Biden the election winner on Saturday after he passed the threshold of 270 electoral college votes.\n\nBut counting is ongoing in some states, with incumbent President Donald Trump disputing many of the results.\n\nA Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister had \"warmly congratulated\" Mr Biden and \"conveyed his congratulations\" to Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris.\n\n\"They discussed the close and longstanding relationship between our countries and committed to building on this partnership in the years ahead, in areas such as trade and security - including through Nato,\" the No 10 spokesperson added.\n\n\"The prime minister and president-elect also looked forward to working closely together on their shared priorities, from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy, and building back better from the coronavirus pandemic.\"\n\nThere is always a clamour to get an early call with a US President-elect.\n\nIt seems Boris Johnson has fared well - with his phone ringing before other European leaders.\n\nDowning Street will hope that's a sign that Joe Biden values the \"special relationship\" and wants to work closely with Mr Johnson.\n\nBut it's important to note President-elect Biden has been talking tonight about the importance of the Good Friday Agreement in the context of Brexit.\n\nIt was raised in the call with the UK prime minister, who insisted the peace treaty would be protected by his plans.\n\nThe controversial Internal Market Bill - which Mr Biden has previously raised questions about - wasn't discussed by name.\n\nBut the UK knows the sands in the White House are shifting. A Brexit enthusiast is being replaced by a sceptic.\n\nThe 25-minute conversation came amid concerns that Mr Biden's previously stated dislike of Brexit - which Mr Trump, by contrast, supported - could strain relations.\n\nIt's understood Mr Johnson and Mr Biden discussed the importance of implementing Brexit in a way that upholds the Good Friday Agreement.\n\nMr Johnson assured the President-elect that would be the case.\n\nMr Biden later spoke to Ireland's Taoiseach (PM) Micheál Martin, in what Mr Martin's aides described as a \"warm conversation\".\n\n\"President-elect Biden recalled his strong Irish roots and his visit to Ireland with his family in 2016,\" the Irish government said in a statement.\n\n\"The President-elect reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement and they discussed the importance of a Brexit outcome that respects the Good Friday Agreement and ensures no return of a border on the island of Ireland.\"\n\nThe president-elect later spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.\n\nMr Macron promised to work with the US to tackle climate change and terrorism, while Mrs Merkel said she wanted a close working relationship with the Biden administration, their spokespeople said.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, the UK government blamed a \"technical error\" for a tweet from Mr Johnson congratulating Mr Biden on his US election victory which faintly showed the name \"Trump\" in the background.", "The report said the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols had sometimes failed to demonstrate compassion\n\nThe head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has, at times, shown he cares more about the impact of abuse on the Church's reputation than on the victims, a report says.\n\nThe Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse criticised the leadership of Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and the Vatican.\n\nThe cardinal said the church was \"deeply sorry this happened\".\n\nA lawyer representing survivors said the cardinal \"must go right away\".\n\nCardinal Nichols told the BBC he had offered to resign on Sunday upon turning 75, as is church law when bishops reach this age, but this was rejected by the Vatican.\n\nHe said: \"I offered my resignation to Pope Francis. His answer has come back very clear, very unambiguous. He wants me to stay in post, so I will stay because that's where my orders come from, that's where my mandate comes from.\n\n\"He wants me to stay - I'm going to stay and continue to work wholeheartedly at these matters.\"\n\nThe inquiry found that between 1970 and 2015 the Church received more than 3,000 complaints of child sexual abuse against more than 900 individuals connected to the Church.\n\nThose complaints involved more than 1,750 victims and complainants, though the report said the true scale of abuse was much higher and would likely never be known.\n\nIt was \"far from a solely historical issue\", the inquiry found, adding that more than 100 allegations of abuse had been reported each year since 2016.\n\nThe Catholic Church's \"explicit moral purpose has been betrayed by those who sexually abused children, and by those who turned a blind eye and failed to take action against perpetrators\".\n\nIt said the cardinal, who apologised for the Church's actions when he gave evidence, \"did not always exercise the leadership expected of a senior member of the Church, at times preferring to protect the reputation of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales and in Rome\".\n\nIt added that Cardinal Nichols had shown \"no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility to lead or influence change\".\n\n\"Nor did he demonstrate compassion towards victims in the recent cases which we examined.\"\n\nThe report said that two previous inquiries into abuse in the Church, by Lord Nolan in 2001 and Lady Cumberlege in 2007, had brought change and improvements, but their recommendations had been implemented too slowly and not in full.\n\nIt highlighted that in 2016, internal correspondence between members of the Diocese of Westminster's safeguarding commission described a victim of sexual abuse as \"manipulative\" and \"needy\".\n\nThe report states: \"Real and lasting changes to attitudes have some way to go if the Roman Catholic Church is to shake off the failures of the past.\"\n\nOne of the \"repeated failures\" highlighted in the IICSA report was the case of Father James Robinson, a serial paedophile, who was moved to another parish within the Archdiocese of Birmingham after complaints were first made in the 1980s.\n\nHe later fled to the US but was extradited back to the UK where he was convicted in 2010 of 21 sexual offences against four boys and jailed for 21 years.\n\nThe report said \"appalling sexual abuse\" was inflicted on pupils at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire and its adjoining junior school.\n\nFive people connected to the school have been convicted or cautioned in relation to \"offences involving sexual activity with a large number of children, or offences concerning pornography\", the report said.\n\nOne of them was Father Piers Grant-Ferris who was moved to at least six other parishes after allegations of abuse came to light 1975.\n\nHe was convicted of indecent assault against 15 boys in 2006.\n\nThe inquiry also criticised the Vatican, describing its actions as in \"direct contrast with Pope Francis's public statement on child sexual abuse\".\n\nIn 2019, the Pope called for \"concrete and effective actions that involve everyone in the Church\".\n\nThe Holy See did not provide a statement to the inquiry and the ambassador at the time refused to give evidence.\n\nThe report said: \"In responding in this way, the Holy See's stance was contrary to the spirit of its public statements and it missed the opportunity to demonstrate its engagement and leadership on the issue of child sexual abuse.\"\n\nIt added its response \"manifestly did not demonstrate a commitment to taking action\".\n\nOne abuse survivor said it was bad enough to have been abused but \"to have it dismissed and covered up just takes even more of a toll on you\".\n\nAnother survivor, who gave evidence to the inquiry, said \"thousands of pounds have been spent by the Diocese of Westminster in employing lawyers to keep me at arm's length\" as they continued to make their case.\n\nThey added: \"The church needs a seismic shift in culture, especially at the top. If there is any hope at all of real change it will require a relinquishing of power, and a will to treat survivors as human beings.\"\n\nRichard Scorer, specialist abuse lawyer at Slater & Gordon who represents 32 survivors in IICSA, said: \"This is an absolutely damning report.\n\n\"It highlights the shocking scale of abuse, the disgraceful slowness of the church's response, the abject failures of leadership by Cardinal Nichols, and the Vatican's appalling refusal to cooperate properly with the inquiry.\n\n\"Cardinal Nichols needs to go right away - in any other walk of life he would be gone immediately.\"\n\nResponding to the report, Cardinal Nichols told the BBC: \"The things in this report are in the public sphere, and I'm sure they've been taken into account, but the response I've got is very unambiguous. It is to stay, and stay I will.\"\n\nHe continued: \"I'm not here to defend myself... I am here to say we accept this report, we are grateful to IICSA for bringing the light and giving public space to those who have been abused, we are deeply sorry this happened...\n\n\"Today is more about me saying again, on behalf of everybody in the Catholic Church, how deeply, deeply regretful and sorry I am that anybody suffered, and that so many suffered is a terrible shame with which I must live and from which I must learn.\"\n\nThe report follows the publication of a similar inquiry into abuse in the Church of England, which concluded the church had created a culture where abusers \"could hide\".\n\nIf you have been the victim of sexual abuse, or have been affected by the themes in this article, you can go to the BBC Action Line for support.", "The company behind foods such as gravy brand Bisto, custard-maker Ambrosia and Mr Kipling's cakes says people turned to comfort foods during the pandemic.\n\nPremier Foods credited \"exceptional\" demand throughout lockdown for strong sales and profit figures for the past six months.\n\nIt said it had gained over a million new customers during the period.\n\nPremier said it was benefitting from the latest lockdown in England, which meant more people were eating at home.\n\nProfits for the six months to September were up 50% at £47.7m.\n\nPremier said that consumers had \"turned to brands they recognise and trust\".\n\nIt also said people had been trying to expand their repertoire of meals cooked in their own kitchens, particularly as new restrictions on eating out had been introduced, which had helped sales of its cooking ingredients.\n\nThe food critic and broadcaster, Jay Rayner, said the news was no surprise: \"All of us are having to cook many more meals in lockdown - prior to that 30% of our calories were eaten outside the house.\n\n\"Many of those doing the cooking were kids 20 or so years before so they are turning to these familiar foods.\"\n\nPremier Foods' Cadbury's mini rolls were another stand out performer, as it put it, selling in \"very robust volumes\".\n\nChief executive Alex Whitehouse said: \"The longevity of this increased demand is likely to be linked to the duration of these new measures.\"\n\nThe company said it expected to continue to see its income grow and forecast that its full-year profits would beat analysts' predictions.\n\nPremier Foods update came as market research firm Kantar Worldpanel produced its latest update of supermarket sales.\n\nIt said these grew by 9.4% across the UK in the four weeks to 1 November.\n\nIt said that while sales were higher than the same period a year ago, unlike in March, there had been no noticeable spike in the stockpiling of goods this time round.", "Prone restraint, demonstrated here, can result in serious injury - and was used more than 4,000 times in 2019\n\nEvery 15 minutes, on average, a patient with learning disabilities was restrained in hospital last year, new BBC File on 4 analysis shows.\n\nIn 2019, restraint was used just over 38,000 times in England. In 2017, there were 22,000 reports of restraint.\n\nHarriet Harman, chairwoman of the House of Commons joint select committee on human rights, said this suggested \"inhuman and degrading\" treatment.\n\nThe Department of Health said restraint \"should only be used as a last resort\".\n\nThe data, provided by NHS Digital and analysed by the BBC, also shows the use of prone restraint - or holding people face down - remains high, despite being against government guidelines.\n\nLast year, it was used more than 4,000 times.\n\nSeclusion - where people are locked in a room on their own - also remains high.\n\nIn 2019, there were 3,225 reported cases of seclusion, and 850 of those involved children.\n\nIn the first seven months of this year alone, there were more than 2,000 incidents of seclusion.\n\nRestraint is used to manage someone's behaviour when they are deemed to be a risk to themselves or others.\n\nNHS England says it has \"driven an increase in the reporting of restraint\" and \"lowered the bar\".\n\nBut not all hospitals and treatment units regularly provide complete data.\n\nMs Harman said the treatment \"was basically a human rights abuse\".\n\n\"People are not supposed to be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment - and routine solitary confinement and physical restraint is exactly that,\" she said.\n\n\"We clearly don't even know the half of it, since many providers of these institutions don't give the information that they should about what's going on.\"\n\nDan Scorer, head of policy at learning disability charity Mencap, said prone restraint \"should not be happening in any kind of planned way\" and could result in \"serious injury, and potentially death\".\n\nThe figures come despite pledges to reduce restraint use, which includes seclusion, after a 2018 File on 4 programme first uncovered numbers of reported restraint had risen by 50% between 2016 and 2017.\n\nBethany has \"massively improved\" since moving to a new community placement\n\nThe case of autistic 19-year-old Bethany - who File on 4 revealed had been in seclusion for 21 months - drew a personal apology from Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and prompted the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to investigate the issue of restraint.\n\nThe CQC's findings, released last month, were described as \"deeply concerning\" by Health Minister Helen Whately.\n\nBethany was kept in a room with just a foam mattress and a chair, and fed through a hatch, at St Andrew's Hospital in Northampton.\n\nLast December, she was finally found a place in a specialist unit run by Merseycare NHS Trust.\n\nShe said: \"Since I've been here, the staff have been absolutely amazing. My behaviour's settled down and my anger's settled. And I've not done any self-harming for five or six months.\"\n\nShe now has her own bedroom, plays the piano, goes out for walks and shopping, and is learning circus skills.\n\nAndrea Attree and her autistic daughter Dannielle, who has spent more than two years being secluded and segregated in hospitals\n\nDannielle Attree from Kent, who is also autistic, was in the same hospital as Bethany for 19 months, where she spent time in seclusion after first being admitted following a period of poor mental health.\n\nNow she's in Littlebrook Hospital, run by Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, where she has been in segregation for nine months. She is sometimes locked in.\n\nDannielle's mum Andrea Attree told File on 4: \"Dannielle doesn't know how to be able to be anywhere but in seclusion now, because it's been going on for so long.\n\n\"Her mental health has declined to the lowest I've ever seen. Her self-harm has been off the scale.\"\n\nThe government strategy Transforming Care was launched in 2012 following the Winterbourne View scandal. It set a target to reduce the number of inpatients with learning disabilities in England by at least 35% by March 2019.\n\nThis target was then moved to March 2020. It wasn't met, and a new target has now been set to move 50% of patients by March 2024.\n\nIn 2018, there were 2,400 people with learning disabilities and autism in hospital in England. Latest figures show there are still 2,060.\n\nMs Harman said there was a need for a \"sense of urgency\", and that a special unit in the prime minister's office should be established to tackle the issue.\n\nThe Department for Health and Social Care said a new unit would \"duplicate services\".\n\n\"Our priority is always to ensure people with a learning disability and autistic people receive safe and high-quality care, and that they are treated with dignity and respect,\" it added.\n\n\"Government policy is that any kind of restraint should only be used as a last resort, and there is active work to reduce use of restrictive practice in mental health settings.\"\n\nFigures for restraint in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland aren't collated. But there are more than 600 people with learning disabilities and autism in hospital in those three countries.\n\nKent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust said it agreed with Dannielle and Andrea that \"highly specialist services for people with autism nationally are not where we all want them to be\".\n\nIt added: \"Our role has been to make sure that whilst we worked with Dannielle and her mum to find the right care setting for her, Dannielle is supported, cared for and cared about in what we all agree was never set up as a long-term placement.\"\n\nSt Andrew's Hospital said Dannielle had made good progress while she was there, that seclusion was only ever used as a last resort, and that guidelines were followed.\n\nIt added that Bethany had been there \"longer than anyone wanted\", and it had worked with the NHS to transfer her to a community placement as soon as was possible.\n\nTransforming Care? is on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 10 November at 20:00 BST and will be available to listen to on BBC Sounds.", "Australian researchers say the discovery of a two-million-year-old skull in South Africa throws more light on human evolution.\n\nThe skull was a male Paranthropus robustus, a \"cousin species\" to Homo erectus - a species thought to be direct ancestors of modern humans.\n\nThe two species lived around the same time, but Paranthropus robustus died out earlier.\n\nThe research team described the find as exciting.\n\n\"Most of the fossil record is just a single tooth here and there so to have something like this is very rare, very lucky,\" Dr Angeline Leece told the BBC.\n\nThe researchers, from Melbourne's La Trobe University, found the skull's fragments in 2018 at the Drimolen archaeological site north of Johannesburg.\n\nIt was uncovered just metres away from a spot where a similarly aged Homo erectus skull of a child was discovered in 2015.\n\nThe fossil was found in the Drimolen quarry near Johannesburg\n\nArchaeologists then spent the past few years piecing together and analysing the fossil. Their findings were published in the Nature, Ecology and Evolution journal on Tuesday.\n\nCo-researcher Jesse Martin told the BBC that handling the fossil pieces was like working with \"wet cardboard\", adding he had used plastic straws to suck the last traces of dirt off them.\n\nIt is thought that three hominins (human-like creatures) species lived in South Africa at the same time in competition with each other.\n\nAs such the skull discovery presented a rare example of \"microevolution\" within human lineage, Mr Martin said.\n\nParanthropus robustus had large teeth and small brains, differing from Homo erectus which had large brains and small teeth. It is believed the former's diet involved eating mainly tough plants, like tubers and bark.\n\nThe skull took over 300 hours to piece together\n\n\"Through time, Paranthropus robustus likely evolved to generate and withstand higher forces produced during biting and chewing food that was hard or mechanically challenging to process with their jaws and teeth,\" said Dr Leece.\n\nThe scientists said it was possible that a wetter environment caused by climate change may have reduced the food available to them.\n\nMeanwhile Homo erectus, with their smaller teeth, was more likely to have eaten both plants and meat.\n\n\"These two vastly different species... represent divergent evolutionary experiments,\" Dr Leece said.\n\n\"While we were the lineage that won out in the end, two million years ago the fossil record suggests that Paranthropus robustus was much more common than Homo erectus on the landscape.\"", "The government has suggested it will reject calls for another referendum but unionists worry how sustainable this is\n\nSupporters of the Union are nervous.\n\nA number of recent polls on Scottish independence suggest there is now a majority in support of leaving the UK. The SNP have started calling independence the \"settled will of the Scottish people\".\n\nThe issue is set to dominate the run-up to the Holyrood election in May. Polls also suggest the SNP are on for a comfortable win - which will make calls for another vote on independence even louder.\n\nIn this situation, the SNP will have gone into the election arguing it should have the power to hold another referendum - and will have won.\n\nSo what is Westminster going to do? The immediate answer is a simple one. It will say no.\n\nLast week the Scottish Secretary Alister Jack told the BBC there shouldn't be another referendum for a generation - adding that could be as long as 40 years.\n\nAlthough some Tories have discussed the prospect of a snap referendum - both publicly and privately - senior figures in government intend on rejecting calls for indyref2 next year, whatever the outcome of the Holyrood vote.\n\nAnd as things stand, they hold a trump card.\n\nAlthough some in the SNP are itching for a Plan B (which we'll revisit in the coming weeks) - Nicola Sturgeon wants an agreed, legal process with Westminster so that if Scotland votes for it, independence is seen as legitimate.\n\nBut the debate doesn't end there. As ever with politics - the full story is more complicated.\n\nIn the corridors of power in London, some believe unionists are losing the argument. They accept polls are likely to get worse for them - with support for independence increasing in the coming months.\n\nThey accept many \"soft unionists\" are unhappy with Brexit and the way the UK government has pursued it.\n\nOpinion polls suggest growing support for independence but an SNP majority in May's election is far from guaranteed\n\nSome acknowledge privately that Nicola Sturgeon's handling of the coronavirus crisis has made her more popular - and impressed Scots who may have not been convinced about independence before.\n\nSir John Major - who has long warned Brexit would make independence more likely - has argued that saying no to another referendum after an SNP victory may well help their case.\n\nHe suggested two referendums; one on independence and one on the terms. His intervention shows some in Conservative circles are thinking about what to do next.\n\nThe fear that saying no is unsustainable is shared by some in government.\n\nThey worry that if the SNP wins comfortably in May, refusing to engage on an independence vote will look anti-democratic - alienating Scots who voted against independence in 2014 but are now on the fence.\n\nSome hope that by stopping the SNP winning a majority - which is a big ask under the electoral system anyway - they can argue the mandate isn't there.\n\nBut that argument will be a lot harder to make if the SNP do dominate in May - and independence supporters already argue even if they don't get over the line and win 50% of seats, Holyrood could still vote in favour of another referendum with the support of the Scottish Greens.\n\nThe government's strategy is focussed on telling Scottish voters more about its role in Scottish life.\n\nIt wants to persuade people of the \"broad shoulders of the union\" - pointing to the huge financial support the Treasury has provided during the Covid crisis and arguing that wouldn't be possible as an independent country (an argument rubbished by the SNP, who believe the Treasury has made decisions based on England rather than the needs of parts of the union).\n\nThe government is keen to stress the practical economic benefits that Scotland derives from the union\n\nSenior figures in government believe that the economic picture in May is likely to be grim. Unemployment could be rising, the health picture may still be uncertain.\n\nThey think people will want certainty and will argue staying in the UK can provide it. Constitutional matters, they argue, will be far from top of people's minds.\n\nEven though people in government acknowledge support for independence is increasing, they believe it's \"soft\".\n\nInternal polling suggests people have other priorities and even among those who believe another referendum should happen there is a view that it's not the immediate priority.\n\nThe last time the Scottish government called for the power to hold another referendum, after the Brexit vote, Theresa May's argument was a nuanced no - \"now is not the time\".\n\nThat answer - or some form of it - is likely to be the same next year if the SNP do win power again.\n\nBut more than last time, there is nervousness about how that answer will go down - and how long it can be sustained.", "Pubs, restaurants and cafes across Northern Ireland closed their doors to sit-in customers in mid-October\n\nThe NI Executive has failed to reach a decision on whether to extend or change Covid-19 restrictions regarding the hospitality sector.\n\nMinisters held a series of meetings throughout Monday but were unable to agree what steps to take.\n\nOne option being considered would be to allow cafes to open but licensed premises would remain closed.\n\nIt is understood hairdressers and beauticians would be allowed to open with certain restrictions in place.\n\nTen further coronavirus-related deaths were reported by Stormont's Department of Health on Monday, along with 471 more cases.\n\nOf the 10 deaths, nine occurred within the most recent 24-hour reporting period, while one happened prior to it.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, one further coronavirus-related death was reported on Monday and there have been 270 new confirmed cases.\n\nThe Republic's death toll now stands at 1,948 since the pandemic began and a total of 65,659 cases of the disease have been diagnosed.\n\nPubs, restaurants and cafes across Northern Ireland closed their doors to sit-in customers on Friday 16 October under stricter Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nHair and beauty salons also had to shut for four weeks.\n\nThe first minister had said the current coronavirus restrictions would end at midnight on Thursday.\n\nIt had been expected that ministers were going to agree a partial reopening of the sector, allowing restaurants to open but unable to serve booze and keeping alcohol-only pubs shut for another fortnight.\n\nOn Sunday, Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the sale of alcohol was a factor in reaching a decision because \"defences come down when alcohol is taken\".\n\nMs O'Neill said cafes and coffee shops were a different matter.\n\nIn other coronavirus developments on Monday:\n\nMs O'Neill said the executive was looking at reopening some areas of the hospitality industry\n\nBelfast restaurant owner Michael Deane said he was appalled at the idea not to allow premises to serve alcohol,\n\nHe appealed to the executive to \"stop making us the bogeyman\".\n\nHe told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme that his business had lost close to £2m.\n\n\"I think they should just tell us to close until this is all over, fund the hospitality business and leave it at that,\" he added.\n\nHospitality Ulster chief executive Colin Neill urged the first and deputy first ministers to \"make the right call to save thousands of jobs and hundreds of businesses\" by allowing licensed premises to reopen on 13 November.\n\n\"We really need the executive to make sure that the focus is on getting the entire hospitality sector back up and running again this Friday to save a significant amount of jobs and businesses,\" he said.\n\n\"We now face a really important part of the year and although we are live to the fact that this will be an extremely challenging trading period, we need to have the doors open.\n\n\"Hundreds of businesses are struggling and now in debt as they try to keep staff in the face of mounting bills and a lack of financial aid from the government, which covers very little in reality.\"\n\nHair and beauty salons also had to shut for four weeks on 17 October\n\nSimon Hamilton, chief executive of Belfast Chamber, urged ministers to reconsider their decision to give businesses \"a fighting chance\" to remain open.\n\nSpeaking to Good Morning Ulster, he said: \"Suggesting that alcohol will not be allowed to be sold in premises is one which no logic or evidence has been offered for, and would suggest there is a lack of understanding around the viability of businesses like restaurants.\"\n\nHe said he has spoken to many businesses that do not believe it will be viable to open with the new restrictions.\n\nHe added that grant support launched by the executive several weeks ago has not been paid to businesses yet and many that were forced to close will not be able to avail of it.\n\nMeanwhile Justice Minister Naomi Long is self isolating after developing a persistent cough.\n\nThe Alliance leader took to social media to say she had booked a test for Covid-19.\n\nShe said on Twitter: \"Hopefully, with a clear test and 10 days isolation, we'll be able to get it back on track next week. Still, very frustrating but has to be done.\"\n\nMs Long said she was following the official advice she had received.\n\nDepartment of Health guidance says if a person has a negative test, they are not required to self-isolate, as long as everyone they live with who has symptoms has tested negative; they feel well enough; and are not a close contact of a confirmed case.\n\nMs Long is the latest executive minister to self isolate and follows assembly members including Conor Murphy, Pam Cameron, John Stewart and Michelle O'Neill who have all had stay at home in recent weeks.", "Brian Murdoch, pictured with his wife Joan and grandson Ben, was a dedicated football fan, his family said\n\nThe family of a man famed for his football stadium pies have been \"overwhelmed\" by tributes following his death at the age of 81.\n\nBrian Murdoch, whose family business has fed fans at Kidderminster Harriers for nearly 60 years, died on Saturday, the club said.\n\nThe lifelong Harriers fan was known for his \"incomparable character and warmth\", a club spokesman said.\n\nHis pies regularly topped charts as the most expensive pie in British football.\n\nBut some fans defended the cost, saying they were a tasty meal made from fresh ingredients.\n\nClub spokesman Matty Paddock said the Harriers Pies and Aggborough Soup had a \"cult following in football\".\n\nThe family-run business is set to continue selling pies and other food at the ground\n\nSpeaking in 2012, Mr Murdoch said he would \"not compromise\" on quality.\n\n\"Barcelona have Messi, Real Madrid have Ronaldo and Kidderminster have our pies,\" he said.\n\nNeil Male, Harriers chief executive, said: \"I know how much Brian and his family's food business meant to the fans here - for those coming to matches at Aggborough, he was a constant for many, many years and he'll be sadly missed.\"\n\nFans saluted Mr Murdoch on Twitter, with Brighton fan Simon Harris tweeting: \"One of the best things about being a fan of a lower league club is the away days. The local fans and staff at small grounds that have a passion for it that you just don't get at the 'big clubs'.\"\n\nMr Murdoch will be \"sadly missed\" at the stadium, the club said\n\nBBC Sport journalist Ged Scott said Mr Murdoch was a \"lovely bloke\" who always had time to chat.\n\n\"Even sometimes actually during match days at half-time at Aggborough, when it was clearly all hands to the pump behind the scenes in his kiosk,\" he said.\n\nMr Murdoch had been unwell for three years, and leaves his wife Joan, four children and 11 grandchildren.\n\nHis daughter Helen will continue to run the catering business at Aggborough, once the National League North side is allowed to let supporters back into the stadium.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n• None The man behind football's most expensive pie\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The bio-reactor was developed with Italian engineering firm Kayser Italia\n\nUK scientists have shown how astronauts on the Moon or Mars could one day mine for important metals using bacteria.\n\nIn a first-of-its-kind experiment on the International Space Station (ISS), microbes digested rock to release rare-Earth elements (REEs).\n\nREEs are incorporated into electronics and alloys, in particular.\n\nThe researchers tell the journal Nature Communications that bio-mining could help make future space exploration become more sustainable.\n\nAt the moment, everything required to survive on another world has to be carried from Earth - from the air an astronaut would breathe to any materials they might need for repairs.\n\nTransporting all that mass is energy-intensive and expensive, which is why there is now increasing focus on trying to find ways to use resources already in place.\n\n\"Wherever you are in space, whether you're building a settlement on asteroids, the Moon or Mars - you're going to need elements to build your civilisation,\" said Prof Charles Cockell from the UK Centre for Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh.\n\n\"What our BioRock experiment has shown is that bio-mining is just one way in which we might go about extracting useful elements from rocks to support a long-term human presence beyond the Earth.\"\n\nThe argument for using resources already in place is a compelling one\n\nProf Cockell's team has developed small bio-reactors. These are essentially small boxes containing basalt rock and a community of microbes known to leach metals from minerals.\n\nThe reactors were sent to the ISS and placed in a centrifuge where they were spun at different speeds to simulate gravity on the Earth and on Mars. A third box was allowed to experience the full, free-floating \"zero-G\" environment of the orbiting lab.\n\nThe team wanted to find out if micro-organisms that ordinarily pull REEs out of rock here on the ground will also do the same in space.\n\nThis wasn't obvious. Reduced gravity can stress microbes, making them behave in different ways. And for two species of bacteria in the BioRock experiment, their readiness to remove the metals was much reduced.\n\nBut for an organism called Sphingomonas desiccabilis - it was unaffected, and happily pulled multiple REEs from the basalt, including neodymium, cerium and lanthanum.\n\n\"This is the first time in space that anyone has deliberately removed an economically interesting element from an extraterrestrial analogue material like basalt,\" said Prof Cockell. \"It's really the first mining experiment in space, if you like. We didn't actually create economically useful amounts of rare-Earth elements, but we demonstrated the principle,\" he told BBC News.\n\nAbout 20% of the world's copper and gold is currently extracted with the aid of microbial processes.\n\nThe Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano runs the BioRock experiment on the ISS\n\nThere's been much talk in recent years about mining planets and asteroids for raw materials that could then be brought back to Earth.\n\nProf Cockell can't see the economic case for this just yet; it would still be cheaper to prospect for - and extract - ores here on Earth, he says. But the argument for utilisation of in-situ resources on other worlds is a compelling one, he believes.\n\nUS space agency (Nasa) astronauts will attempt to use buried ice for drinking water when they return to the Moon later this decade. And as soon as next year, the American rover Perseverance will run an experiment that seeks to make oxygen from Mars' carbon dioxide atmosphere - a potential game-changer for any human settlement on the Red Planet.\n\nAlso, just this week, the European Space Agency (Esa) gave a contract to the UK company Metalysis to develop its process for pulling oxygen from Moon dust while at the same time yielding aluminium, iron and other metal powders.\n\n\"The oxygen that we can liberate could be used as a propellant or to sustain life, or a presence on the Moon. And the metal can be used to build different kinds of structures,\" Ian Mellor, managing director at Metalysis, told the BBC.\n\nAs for the Edinburgh work - ways are being sought to improve efficiency.\n\nBioRock on the ISS will soon be followed by BioAsteroid - a repeat of the reactor experiment but with crushed-up asteroid material rather than the blocks of Icelandic volcanic rock used in the first study.\n\nProf Cockell said he also expected scientists at some point to look at how mining bacteria could be engineered to raise their productivity of useful products.\n\nBioRock received funding from Esa and the UK Space Agency.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that we are still in a 'critical moment' of Covid-19 response\n\nThe development of a coronavirus vaccine has \"cleared one significant hurdle but there are several more to go\", Boris Johnson has said.\n\nThe PM said early findings showing a jab could prevent 90% of people getting Covid-19 were positive, but added it was \"very, very early days\".\n\nHe warned people not to \"rely on this news as a solution\" to the pandemic.\n\n\"The biggest mistake we could make now would be to slacken our resolve at a critical moment,\" he said.\n\nIt came as a further 21,350 coronavirus cases were reported in the UK on Monday, along with 194 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nEngland's deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, said he was \"hopeful\" the first vaccine could be seen by Christmas and there would be a \"much better horizon\" by spring.\n\nSpeaking alongside Mr Johnson at a Downing Street news conference, Prof Van-Tam said there was more work to be done before it became available to the public.\n\n\"This is a very important scientific breakthrough. I am certain of that,\" he said.\n\nHe said age would be the \"biggest priority\" when drawing up a list of who would be able to access the new vaccine.\n\nOlder care home residents and care home staff are at the top of a preliminary priority list published by the government, followed by health workers.\n\nProf Van-Tam described the development as similar to \"getting to the end of the playoff final, it's gone to penalties, the first player goes up and scores a goal\".\n\n\"You haven't won the cup yet, but what it does is it tells you that the goalkeeper can be beaten,\" he said.\n\nThe prime minister said \"if and when\" the vaccine was approved for use, the UK \"will be ready to use it\".\n\nHe said 40 million doses - enough to vaccinate up to 20 million people - had been ordered, putting the UK near the front of the queue of countries in securing the jab.\n\nMr Johnson said he had talked for a long time about \"the distant bugle of the scientific cavalry coming over the brow of the hill\" with a solution.\n\n\"I can tell you that tonight that toot of the bugle is louder, but it's still some way off, we absolutely cannot rely on this news as a solution,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe vaccine - developed by Pfizer and German-based BioNTech - has been hailed as a \"milestone\" by many scientists.\n\nIt has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries with no safety concerns raised.\n\nProf Van-Tam warned it was not yet known whether any vaccine would prevent someone passing on coronavirus to someone else.\n\nDr Charlie Weller, a vaccines specialist at the Wellcome Trust, said the speed of the vaccine's progress was \"phenomenal\" but warned no single jab would be a silver bullet against the virus.\n\nShe added that the technology behind the vaccine, so-called messenger RNA, had not been proved effective in jabs before. It has been suggested it could lead to safer vaccines for many types of viruses in future.\n\nMeanwhile, Surrey Police chief constable Gavin Stephens confirmed discussions with the Army were under way to determine the location of mass Covid-19 vaccination centres.\n\nHe said there was a question over whether vaccinations should happen in the same place as testing and how many sites would be needed to meet capacity.\n\nGPs in England have been told to prepare to give patients two vaccine doses - to be delivered between 21 and 28 days apart - during clinics that could run between 08:00 and 20:00 GMT seven days a week as early as December, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).\n\nThe BMA, which represents doctors, said it expects \"vaccine availability to be limited to begin with, meaning only small numbers of vaccine may be given in December and most vaccinations taking place in early 2021\".\n\nManaging expectations seemed to be a key theme of Monday's televised briefing.\n\nBoth Prime Minister Boris Johnson and England's deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam were at pains to inject a bit of realism into some of the euphoria over the vaccine news.\n\nThe PM said we must not \"slacken our resolve\", while Prof Van-Tam said it would not make \"any difference\" for the second wave this winter.\n\nTheir message was simple - do not drop your guard against the virus.\n\nIt is easy to understand why. The world has been waiting so long for positive vaccine news.\n\nBut the announcement is just the first hurdle of many.\n\nSafety has still to be proved, the jab's ability to stop transmission rather than just prevent disease is not yet known, how long immunity lasts is uncertain, and whether it works with older people is still to be confirmed.\n\nOther regulatory hurdles will have to be overcome - and that is before we even think about manufacture and distribution.\n\nIt could be that one of the many other vaccines being trialled proves more effective in the long-term. But, as Prof Van-Tam said, Monday's news showed the opponent could be beaten.\n\nMr Johnson said levels of Covid-19 remained significant and were doubling in many areas, with recent data showing one in 90 people in England currently has the virus.\n\n\"There is a long way before we have got this thing beat,\" he said.\n\nHe reiterated the government's intention to end England's current lockdown on 2 December and replace it with tiered regional restrictions.", "Street artist Akse says Marcus Rashford has \"inspired the whole nation\"\n\nFootballer Marcus Rashford has thanked the artist who painted a mural of him near to where he grew up.\n\nStreet artist Akse has created the artwork on the side of Coffee House Cafe in Copson Street, Withington, Manchester.\n\nHe said the England and Manchester United star's recent successful campaign to extend free school meals inspired the project.\n\nRashford tweeted an image of the finished mural with a \"thank you\".\n\nThe artwork, based on a photograph by Daniel Cheetham, was done in collaboration with Withington Walls, a community street art project.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Marcus Rashford MBE This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nFollowing Rashford's campaign, the government announced it was to spend more than £400m on a winter grant scheme to support poor children and their families in England.\n\nIt follows the footballer's campaign in June which led to the government changing its policy to allow children to claim free meals during the holidays.\n\nRashford became an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list last month.\n\nManchester-based artist Akse said the mural was close to where the footballer grew up in Old Moat, Withington, before his family moved to Wythenshawe.\n\nRashford's mother provided the quote on the mural, which read: \"Take pride in knowing that your struggle will play the biggest role in your purpose.\"\n\n\"It's incredible,\" said Ed Wellard of Withington Walls. \"Akse is a world class artist but it's exceeded my expectations. It is amazing.\"\n\nAkse said he had a video call with 23-year-old Rashford while working on the painting.\n\n\"It was very kind of him to take time to chat with me,\" he said.\n\n\"I hope the mural will inspire the local community as he has inspired the whole nation with his campaign to fight child food poverty.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Conservative MPs have set up a group to fight any future lockdown in England, arguing it would be \"devastating\" for the economy and \"cost lives\".\n\nThe Covid Recovery Group, which has around 50 MP members, wants the country to \"live with\" coronavirus after nationwide restrictions end next month.\n\nThe \"cure\" prescribed by the government ran \"the risk of being worse than the disease\", MP Mark Harper said.\n\nBut the PM has stressed the NHS faces a \"medical disaster\" without action.\n\nA further 20,412 coronavirus cases were reported in the UK on Tuesday, with another 532 deaths within 28 days of a positive test recorded.\n\nThe four-week lockdown in England - which includes the closure of pubs, restaurants and non-essential retail, while curbing household mixing and unnecessary travel - is scheduled to end on 2 December.\n\nParliament overwhelmingly backed the restrictions earlier this month, but 34 Conservative MPs, concerned about civil liberties and the effect on wider health and the economy, rebelled against the government.\n\nAnother 19, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, abstained.\n\nThe government says it wants a return to regionalised, tiered restrictions when lockdown ends - and ministers have been warned of an even larger rebellion if they try to extend it into Christmas and the New Year.\n\nThe Covid Recovery Group - which includes ex-Chief Whip Mr Harper and the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs, Sir Graham Brady - says the \"devastating cycle\" of prohibitions cannot go on.\n\nIt wants ministers to investigate whether restrictions are costing more lives than they are saving, by stopping cancer and dementia treatments and increasing suicide rates among the under-40s.\n\nThe group is calling for the \"monopoly\" it says scientists have on advising the government to end, and an assurance that no policies will go before Parliament without three \"independent\" experts backing them first.\n\nFigures published on Tuesday showed redundancies rose to a record high of 314,000 in the three months to the end of September, as firms laid off people in anticipation of furlough ending in November.\n\nDespite the government extending the wage-subsidy scheme to March, economists say the jobs picture remains bleak.\n\nMr Harper said the country needed to find a \"sustainable way\" of living with Covid until a vaccine was available for mass use to stop \"immense\" economic damage.\n\n\"Lockdowns cost lives, whether in undiagnosed cancer treatments, deteriorating mental health, and missed A&E appointments - not to mention the impact it has on young people's education, job prospects and our soaring debts,\" he said.\n\n\"The cure we're prescribing runs the risk of being worse than the disease.\"\n\nThe new group, he added, would \"play its part in helping the government to deliver an enduring strategy for living with the virus... command public support, end this devastating cycle of repeated restrictions\".\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said it was critical people continued to follow the rules to get the infection rate down, adding that \"our plan is working\".\n\nHe added that the NHS would be ready to begin the roll-out of a new vaccine from next month, if it gets approval.\n\nBut Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned people not to \"rely\" on this \"as a solution\" to the medical emergency caused by coronavirus.", "The pandemic has seen most children in England slipping back with their learning - and some have gone significantly back with their social skills, says Ofsted.\n\nA report from the education watchdog warns some young children have forgotten how to use a knife and fork or have regressed back to nappies.\n\nOlder children have lost their \"stamina\" for reading, say inspectors.\n\nThe Department for Education says it shows the need to keep schools open.\n\nOfsted has examined the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children, based on visits to 900 schools and early years providers this autumn - and found that it has been a very divided experience.\n\nThe chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, says there are three \"broad groups\" to describe what has happened:\n\nBut Ms Spielman says this did not divide along the lines of advantage and deprivation, but instead factors such as whether parents were able to spend time with children and families having what she described as \"good support structures\".\n\nAmong older children, Ofsted warns of a loss of concentration among those returning to school and that \"online squabbles\" that started on social media during the lockdown are now \"being played out in the classroom\".\n\nThere are also reports of a loss of physical fitness, while other pupils are showing \"signs of mental distress\", with concerns over eating disorders and self-harm.\n\nThere are concerns about pupils who have so far not returned to school - and in a third of schools there has been an \"increase in children being removed from school to be educated at home\".\n\nBut inspectors say schools are still \"firefighting\" practical problems about keeping going during the pandemic, with the challenge of operating bubbles and responding to Covid outbreaks.\n\nGeoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, said the report \"starkly shows the educational and emotional impact of school closures, and why we need to do everything possible to keep schools open\".\n\nBut he warned that it was becoming financially unsustainable to keep schools running, with the cost of safety measures and the need to pay for supply staff when teachers had to self-isolate.\n\nA Department for Education spokeswoman said: \"The government has been clear that getting all pupils and students back into full-time education is a national priority.\"\n\nShe said the £1bn catch-up fund, including support for tutoring, would help to make up for lost learning.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Llandudno woman still waiting for surgery after 19 months\n\nAt least 49,000 patients in Wales had been waiting for more than a year for NHS treatment in September, according to new figures.\n\nFor six out of the seven health boards, the figures also show at least half of those were awaiting surgery.\n\nIt represents a 10-fold increase for all treatments compared to September 2019.\n\nThe Welsh Government said \"difficult decisions\" were made to cancel surgery due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThe figures, obtained by BBC Wales Investigates under the Freedom of Information Act, showed there were more than 18,000 people waiting for any kind of treatment at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.\n\nThat is double the number at the Swansea Bay and Cwm Taf Morgannwg health boards, which both had 9,000 patients waiting.\n\nSwansea Bay had the most waiting for surgery - 7,801 - with Betsi Cadwaladr just behind on 7,620.\n\nFigures for the Cardiff and Vale health board have not been included as its data is not comparable.\n\nGaye Moran has been left in a lot of pain\n\nFormer B&B owner Gaye Moran, 74, from Llandudno has been waiting for vascular and hip surgery for more than 19 months.\n\nShe said she was placed on the \"priority list\" for both a hip and a vascular operation in March 2019, after problems with a previous hip operation caused her a lot of pain.\n\nShe was ready for surgery just as the pandemic struck.\n\n\"It's despairing me,\" she said.\n\n\"I can't just put it to one side and leave it because it's there all the time, I can't get away from it, and you just think 'oh please give me a date for an operation'.\"\n\nMs Moran said she had great admiration for the job the NHS was doing, but not knowing when her operations may happen, and news that waiting list backlogs may take years to clear, were leaving her anxious.\n\n\"This lockdown doesn't help because you dwell on things,\" she added.\n\n\"As soon as Covid is done, we need to show the same type of impetus with backlogs as we have with the Nightingale hospitals and pandemic response.\"\n\nMs Moran is now one of 7,620 people who have been waiting more than a year in the Betsi Cadwaladr area.\n\nThe health board said elective surgery capacity was currently at about 60%, but pain management services were considered \"essential\" and had been maintained.\n\nIts acting deputy chief executive, Teresa Owen, said she \"fully recognised\" it was a worrying time for those waiting for treatment.\n\n\"In the short term, we are looking at performing more outpatient appointments and theatres activity over the evenings and weekends,\" she said.\n\n\"We are also working to introduce modular buildings away from acute hospital sites, from which diagnostic tests, endoscopies and day case surgery can be performed.\"\n\nVaughan Gething accepted \"poorer outcomes\" would result from the decisions made\n\nHealth Minister Vaughan Gething said there were \"no easy choices\" in dealing with both the pandemic and other NHS services.\n\n\"Because the choices we've made, it's undoubtedly the case we'll see poorer outcomes and that does mean more people having avoidable disability, more people potentially losing their lives with non-Covid care,\" he said.\n\n\"But if we did nothing, we know that in the middle of March, we could have been like northern Italy was... the health service was overrun, we wouldn't have been able to expand that critical care capacity.\"\n\nSenedd Conservative health spokesman Andrew RT Davies said: \"Regrettably, waiting list targets were being missed before the pandemic started with the Welsh Labour-led government consistently letting down patients.\n\n\"Coronavirus has led to NHS waiting lists growing longer but the pandemic has only put a spotlight on how bad things were before, and all we get from Labour's health minister is excuses.\"\n\nBBC Wales Investigates: The Hidden Cost of Covid is available on the BBC iPlayer", "Covid tests for students in England, so they can go home safely for Christmas, could begin on 30 November, according to a letter from the universities minister to vice chancellors.\n\nA week of mass testing for students is proposed - running between 30 November and 6 December.\n\nThe letter, seen by the BBC, promises a fast turnaround for tests and \"results within an hour\".\n\nThe aim is to stop students spreading the virus as they return home.\n\nThe first week of December, after the lockdown ends, could then become the \"travel window\" for many students to leave university for the Christmas holidays, with face-to-face teaching expected to finish earlier than usual this term.\n\nThis could mean that by about 9 December many students will have left for home.\n\nBut those who test positive will have to take another test and, if found to be infectious, have to stay in isolation.\n\nLarissa Kennedy, president of the National Union of Students, said: \"The government have finally listened to our calls to ensure that students can travel home safely for Christmas.\n\n\"We particularly welcome this mass-testing approach as it equips students with the knowledge to make informed decisions about travel ahead of the winter break,\" she said.\n\nBut the University and College Union, which represents university lecturers, said it was not yet clear whether all universities would take part in the testing programme or how many students would be included.\n\n\"There are huge hurdles to overcome to manage this process,\" said union leader Jo Grady.\n\nAround 1.2 million students are expected to move at Christmas from their university term-time address to a home in another part of the country, where there might be different levels of infection.\n\nThis has raised concerns among the Sage scientific advisers of a \"significant risk\" that this migration could spread the coronavirus.\n\nTo prevent this danger, plans are being made for mass testing using so-called \"lateral flow tests\".\n\nThese nose and throat swabs are self-administered, with no need for tests to be sent to laboratories for results.\n\nPilots for this type of rapid testing have already begun at De Montfort and Durham universities. Other universities have been operating their own testing processes, which could also continue.\n\nThe tests will be able to provide results within an hour\n\nThe letter from Universities Minister Michelle Donelan, and its accompanying documents, says: \"The tests we are deploying have a high specificity which means the risk of false positive test results is low.\n\n\"Although the test does not detect all positive cases, it works extremely well in finding cases with higher viral loads - which is those who are most infectious.\n\n\"As the test is easy to administer and does not require a laboratory, testing can take place on a very regular basis,\" the letter to university leaders said.\n\nAccompanying documents show a planning timetable in which sites are prepared for testing from 15 November, ready to operate the following week, with \"pre end-of-term testing\" between 30 November and 6 December.\n\nThe test kits will be given free to universities, which will have to provide a place for the tests to be carried out, in a way that can process thousands of students within a short time frame.\n\nMinisters have already indicated that universities will stop in-person teaching two weeks before the end of term and move online - so when students have been given the all-clear they could be expected to leave their term-time address and go home, in a \"test and release\" process.\n\nThere are also believed to have been discussions about how the departure of students can be made safe - such as co-ordinating staggered times for leaving between universities in the same city.\n\nThere could also be calls to avoid public transport - with suggestions of chartering coaches or using private transport, such as parents collecting students, and creating \"travel corridors\" to control traffic away from universities.\n\nUniversity leaders have previously raised concerns about why this guidance has been left so close to the end of term - and there will be questions about the capacity of universities to be ready in time for the mass testing.\n\nThere have also been questions about whether students will return as usual in January or whether there will be a staggered start and more testing, or whether more courses will switch online with some students initially studying from home.\n\nUniversities UK welcomed the plans for more testing capacity, but warned that universities would \"now need clear assurance of the effectiveness of the tests as well as further details from the government on specific responsibilities under the proposed scheme including the governance, indemnity, resourcing and costs recovery\".", "Bears, like this female brown bear, are fairly common in the Kamchatka peninsula (file photo)\n\nThe Russian Navy has defended the shooting of a mother bear and its cub on a nuclear submarine following outrage among many social media users.\n\nThe navy says there was no other option after the animals climbed onto the vessel moored off the Vilyuchinsk base in the far-eastern Kamchatka region.\n\nIt says a hunting instructor was called in to \"neutralise the wild animals\".\n\nHundreds of social media users accused the navy of unnecessary cruelty after seeing a video of the shooting online.\n\n\"Animals!\" and \"The whole essence of Russia in one video\" were some of the comments.\n\nThe footage was published on 8 November, although it is unclear when the shooting happened.\n\nIn the video, one of the animals is seen falling into the water after apparently being hit by a bullet.\n\nA male voice in the video is heard saying the animals would have gone to local villages had they been driven away.\n\nThe bears, whose species was not disclosed, are believed to have swum across the bay to get onto the submarine for reasons unknown.\n\nThe Kamchatka peninsula is home to about 24,000 bears that can frequently be seen on local beaches.\n\nLast year, more than 50 polar bears descended on a village in Russia's far north.\n\nAll public activities in Ryrkaypiy, Chukotka region, had to be cancelled, and schools were guarded to protect residents from the animals.\n\nConservationists say climate change could be to blame, with weak coastal ice forcing the bears to search for food inland rather than at sea.", "Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was just speaking on the Senate floor. He defended President Trump's right to challenge the election results and not concede.\n\n\"No states have yet certified election results,\" he noted. This is true - states have until 8 December to certify their electors.\n\nMcConnell continued to say all legal ballots should count and the process must be \"transparent\".\n\n\"If any major irregularities occurred this time of a magnitude that would affect the outcome, then every single American should want them to be brought to light and if Democrats feel confident they have not occurred, they should have no reason to fear any extra scrutiny,\" the majority leader added.\n\nExperts have long said there is no evidence of widespread fraud in postal voting.\n\n\"We have the system in place to consider concerns and President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options,\" McConnell said.\n\n\"The projections and commentary of the press do not get veto power over the legal rights of any citizen, including the president.\"\n\nOnly three Republican Senators have thus far acknowledged Biden's win. Republican President George W Bush has also congratulated Biden on his win.", "The Met said a man was arrested following a call from a member of the public\n\nA 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rape after a teenage girl was attacked in south-west London.\n\nPolice received a report of an allegation of rape after 07:00 GMT near North Place, Colliers Wood.\n\nKadian Nelson, 26, had been urged to hand himself in to police \"for his own safety\" amid reports he was being hunted by groups of people.\n\nThe Met said a man was arrested following a call from a member of the public. He is in police custody.\n\nThe victim and her family have been informed of the arrest, which took place in Robinson Road, Tooting, at about 20:00.\n\nA Section 60 order that was authorised for the entirety of the boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth, granting police additional stop and search powers as a result of fears of serious violence, remains in place.\n\nThe Met reminded people to be \"mindful of sharing information via social media that could identify the alleged victim, or affect any potential future proceedings\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A seven-bedroom house in the terrace sold for £16m last year\n\nTwo four-storey town houses worth millions of pounds have collapsed in west London.\n\nA 25m (82ft) cordon was put in place and about 40 people had to leave nearby properties in Durham Place, Chelsea, while drone teams and police dogs searched the rubble.\n\nEmergency crews were called at 23:35 GMT on Monday after the buildings, which were being redeveloped, fell in.\n\nNo injuries have been reported, London Fire Brigade said.\n\nThe collapsed buildings form part of a terrace that was built in the late 1700s, opposite land owned by the Royal Hospital Chelsea - the home of the Chelsea Pensioners.\n\nA seven-bedroom house in the block sold for £16m last year, according to property website Rightmove.\n\nThe block of seven town houses was originally built in 1790\n\nA man, aged in his 30s, who lives in the area and asked to remain anonymous, witnessed the collapse.\n\nHe said it had been \"extremely loud\" with dust being kicked up \"everywhere\".\n\n\"There were a lot of people coming out of their homes in the surrounding area to see what was going on... It was quite bad, really surreal,\" he said.\n\nAccording to neighbours, renovations were being carried out at the block, including in the basements.\n\nKensington and Chelsea Council had approved an extension to be built on the lower ground floor of the buildings in 2018.\n\nLFB Station Commander Jason Jones said there had been \"a total collapse of the buildings from the roof to ground level\".\n\nHe added: \"Nobody is thought to have been inside the building at the time of the collapse.\"\n\nIt is thought no-one was in the buildings when they collapsed\n\nThe Met Police said those living in nearby houses had been evacuated \"as a precaution\".\n\nAmong the people asked to leave was a caretaker, who lives at the end of the road.\n\nThe woman, who did not want to be named, said she \"jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs\" after she heard police saying \"come on, you've got to get out\".\n\n\"We stayed at a family friend's,\" she added.\n\nKapital Basements Ltd, which is carrying out works on a neighbouring property, has confirmed it has never worked or had any interest in the collapsed building.\n\nAn emergency road closure remains in place on Ormonde Gate.\n\nA council spokesperson said neighbouring residents had been allowed back in their homes at 03:00 after safety checks had been carried out.\n\n\"The reason for the collapse is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive,\" the spokesperson said.\n\nA cordon was set up around the buildings and nearby properties were evacuated\n\nThe buildings, pictured before the collapse, were in the process of being developed\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Sgt Matt Ratana's coffin was surrounded by tributes in the chapel\n\nThe funeral of a Metropolitan Police officer who was fatally shot in the line of duty has been held.\n\nSgt Matiu Ratana, who was known as Matt, was killed at Croydon Custody Centre on 25 September as he prepared to search a suspect.\n\nMoving tributes were paid to Sgt Ratana by his family, friends and former colleagues at the service in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.\n\nThe memorial for the 54-year-old was held at a chapel and attended in person by a limited number of his family, friends and close colleagues due to coronavirus restrictions.\n\nIt was live-streamed so well-wishers around the world, including Sgt Ratana's relatives in his native New Zealand, could follow the service.\n\nAlong with flowers, there was also a traditional Maori fighting weapon called a mere, which the chief of a tribe would hand down to his son, sent as a sign of respect from New Zealand police, where he worked from 2003 to 2008.\n\nThe coffin was placed in front of a photograph of the officer wearing his East Grinstead rugby shirt, with a fern tree, a symbol of New Zealand national identity, to one side.\n\nAt the other side was a table with a photo tribute from his son Luke, which read: \"Dad, Till we meet again, Aroha nui (much love) Luke,\" along with the officer's police medals.\n\nSgt Matiu Ratana spent five years with his partner Su\n\nA tribute from his partner Su Bushby was read at the service by friend Lorraine Dray.\n\nShe said: \"Matt made the most of every minute of his precious 54 years. In any situation or room he walked into, his presence would always be felt. Like a big ball of energy.\n\n\"You were taken far too soon, your gym, rugby and policing family will help your legacy, your kindness and your spirit live on.\n\n\"You have touched so many people's lives, you will be truly missed. My life has been richer and funnier for knowing you and I feel blessed you were in my life.\"\n\nSgt Matiu Ratana (second from right) with colleagues from the Met Police\n\nOne floral tribute was made in the image of an All Blacks shirt, in honour of his New Zealand roots\n\nA tribute was also read out on behalf of relatives in New Zealand - including his brother James, his sister Jessica and his stepmother Dianne - by Met Police colleague Det Con Neil Perkin.\n\nThey said: \"The nature of Matt's death has been a harrowing experience for his family and friends here in New Zealand and around the world.\n\n\"We are comforted by the knowledge that he is with people who love him as much as we do, and that his remains will return home, to his final resting place with his ancestors.\"\n\nSu Bushby (centre) watches as the hearse departs following the funeral service of her partner, police officer Sgt Matt Ratana\n\nThe shooting of Sgt Matt Ratana, on duty, inside the police custody centre he was running that night shocked the UK police family to the core.\n\nAt this intimate funeral there were constant reminders of the importance to policing of teamwork, of people who are leaders but choose not to move up to senior policing roles, of officers who have busy lives outside policing and bring some of that life back into their work.\n\nBy all accounts Sgt Ratana was a beacon of that kind of policing. He had done an abundance of different jobs in the Metropolitan police. He had worked in surveillance. He had carried a firearm He had worked in the Territorial Support Group which deals with some of the most violent situations. He had even been seconded back to New Zealand.\n\nHe was described by one fellow officer as a \"natural thief-taker and communicator.\" His Commissioner said he would sometimes stand at the open door of his police van as it drove along and claim he was \"engaging with the public.\" He had once distracted an angry crowd by launching into a Maori \"Haka.\"\n\nBut policing does not stop. It has to carry on. Dame Cressida Dick closed her speech with this simple quote from one of his colleagues \"We'll take it from here Sarg\"\n\nMembers of the East Grinstead Rugby Club paid tribute to Sgt Matiu Ratana days after he died\n\nHis son Luke, also a police officer, said he had been touched by the tributes paid to his father.\n\nIn a eulogy read on his behalf, he said: \"My dad Matthew was certainly larger than life and a man loved by so many people.\n\n\"It is deeply touching to see the tributes that have been paid to him and the outpouring of love and support from friends, family, work colleagues, the rugby community and the people of the United Kingdom and beyond.\n\n\"It makes me very proud to see the impact that he has had and how he touched the lives of so many.\"\n\nFloral tributes in the chapel included a wreath from Home Secretary Priti Patel and an All Blacks rugby shirt with \"Matt\" in white lettering, along with wreaths from the East Grinstead rugby club and South Coast Gym.\n\nThe funeral was followed by a private cremation service.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Twitter has hidden some of Donald Trump's first tweets the day after a US election which remains undecided.\n\nIn one, the President wrote his vote advantage in key Democrat-run states had \"started to magically disappear\", and in another that 500,000 votes in key states were at risk.\n\nThe messages are now hidden behind warnings that say the claims are disputed and might be misleading.\n\nThe moves also limit users' ability to like and reply to the posts.\n\nTwitter had earlier taken similar action over a post in which Trump said for the first time that his opponents \"are trying to steal the election\".\n\nFacebook has added fact-check boxes to some of the messages on Mr Trump's profile on its platform, clarifying that final results might take longer than normal - but did not restrict engagement.\n\nOne of the tweets said: \"Last night I was leading, often solidly, in many key states, in almost all instances Democrat run and controlled.\n\n\"Then, one by one, they started to magically disappear as surprise ballot dumps were counted. VERY STRANGE.\"\n\nTwitter has hidden some of Trump's posts and users can only see the contents if they click \"view\"\n\nHe followed that with: \"They are working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantage in Pennsylvania disappear - ASAP. Likewise, Michigan and others!\"\n\nTwitter took just over half an hour to react on each occasion.\n\nMr Biden's first tweet of the day said \"we won't rest until everyone's vote is counted\".\n\nTwitter has not acted on any of Mr Biden's tweets.\n\nBut it has hidden a post by the chair of Wisconsin's Democratic Party Ben Wikler who posted that \"Joe Biden just won Wisconsin\".\n\nOn Tuesday, the Trump campaign claimed that \"Silicon Valley continues its campaign to censor and silence the president\".\n\nFacebook has also been automatically adding labels to all recent posts on Trump and Joe Biden's accounts.\n\nThey inform readers that votes are still being counted and that the winner of the US presidential election has not been projected.\n\nFacebook has begun placing notifications at the top of the timelines for all US users, explaining that the election had not yet been decided.\n\n\"Once President Trump began making premature claims of victory, we started running notifications on Facebook and Instagram that votes are still being counted and a winner is not projected,\" it said.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Facebook Newsroom This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTwitter said it had labelled Mr Trump's tweet about the election being \"stolen\" because it violated the firm's civic integrity policy.\n\nBut the network appears to be allowing some claims of victory, despite warning that it would not.\n\nAn earlier tweet from Mr Trump that he had enjoyed \"a big win!\" has been left untouched, as has a carefully-worded tweet from Mr Biden that said \"we believe we are on track to win this election\".\n\nIt's been a busy 24 hours on social media. There's been numerous unsubstantiated or false claims about election fraud, voter intimidation and conspiracy theories about attempts to steal the election doing the rounds.\n\nAnd we are likely to see more misinformation like this in the days to come.\n\nThe delay in announcing the final result means a lot for time for misleading claims to flourish online.\n\nConspiratorial claims about rigged elections can spread like wildfire, in particular if they are amplified by politicians and online influencers.\n\nPremature claims of victory - like the one President Trump made while votes are being counted - can further fuel misinformation and potentially impact how people perceive the final result.\n\nThis is exactly what some experts have been concerned about: that viral misinformation about voter fraud and \"rigged\" elections might have the potential to undermine people's trust in democratic process for years to come.\n\nThe clampdown comes after months of preparation for a disputed election.\n\nThe social media firms have overhauled their policies to deal with false claims of victory and other misinformation about the vote.\n\nBoth Twitter and Facebook said they had suspended a range of recently created accounts.\n\nTwitter said the accounts it targeted had violated its spam and manipulation policies - particularly those that seek to artificially influence online conversations.\n\nYouTube also shut down live-streamed fake election results which were being broadcast via several accounts on its platform.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Election Integrity Partnership This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe Election Integrity Partnership said that one of them had come up as a top search result within YouTube when users searched election information in key swing states.\n\nThe research group estimated that more than 26,000 people had viewed the fake results.\n\nYouTube said it that \"after careful review\" it was removing livestreams that broke its rules.\n\nIn a separate incident of apparent election interference, the FBI has said it is investigating a series of robocalls.\n\nAccording to the Washington Post, an estimated 10 million automated calls were made over recent days telling people to \"stay safe and stay home\".\n\nThey did not specifically mention voting, and their origin remains unknown.", "Voters received automated calls telling them to \"stay safe and stay home\"\n\nThe FBI is investigating mysterious robocalls urging people across the US to stay home on election day.\n\nMillions of voters have reportedly received automated calls telling them to \"stay safe and stay home\".\n\nAmericans are voting in one of the most divisive presidential polls in decades, pitting incumbent Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Joe Biden.\n\nThe origins of the calls remain unclear, and some have not specifically mentioned voting.\n\n\"There's a little bit of confusion about this one across the industry,\" Giulia Porter, vice president at RoboKiller, a company that fights robocalls, told the Reuters news agency.\n\nOne of the calls reportedly says: \"Hello. This is just a test call. Time to stay home. Stay safe and stay home.\"\n\nThis call that been doing the rounds for almost a year, but became one of the biggest spam calls in the country on Tuesday, Ms Porter said.\n\nOfficials have raised concerns over robocalls in the key battleground state Michigan, including one urging residents in the city of Flint to \"vote tomorrow\" because of long queues.\n\n\"Obviously this is FALSE and an effort to suppress the vote,\" Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel tweeted. \"Don't fall for it.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. That was wild - a three-year campaign in three minutes\n\nJanaka Stucky, a Democratic voter in Massachusetts, said he had received a robocall early on election day.\n\n\"My first thought was that actually it was a municipal test call for a Covid lockdown thing,\" he told Reuters.\n\n\"The more I thought about it I was like, oh this actually feels really off and weird and then started to feel like it was some sort of, maybe, voter suppression effort,\" he added.\n\nNew York State officials are also investigating allegations of robocalls spreading disinformation and encouraging people to stay home.\n\n\"Attempts to hinder voters from exercising their right to cast their ballots are disheartening, disturbing, and wrong,\" New York Attorney General Letitia James said.\n\nThe FBI has said it is aware of reports of robocalls but has not commented further.\n\nYour Questions Answered: What questions do you have about the US election?\n\nHow does vote counting work? When will we get the final results? The US election can be confusing, especially this year. The BBC is here to help make sense of it. Please send us your questions about election day and beyond.\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.", "Tim Place is one of the few Joe Biden voters in his Wisconsin neighbourhood. When his Biden-Harris sign was stolen, he got some unexpected help - from a Trump-supporting neighbour.", "Marks & Spencer sank to the first loss in its 94 years as a publicly-listed company as the coronavirus crisis hit trading.\n\nIn the six months to 26 September, the retailer made a loss of £87.6m, compared with profits of £158.8m in the same period last year.\n\nBut chief executive Steve Rowe said the firm's performance had been \"much more robust than at first seemed possible\".\n\nIn August M&S announced it was set to cut 7,000 jobs over three months.\n\nSales for the six-month period across the group slid by 15.8% to £4.09bn - largely impacted by lower clothing and home sales.\n\nClothing sales in particular were dented by lockdowns and the desire for more casual clothes, the firm said. Between July and September, clothing sales in its city centre stores, for example, were down by 53%.\n\nHowever, M&S does anticipate that demand for more formal clothes and occasion-wear will return, it said in a statement.\n\nCatherine Shuttleworth, retail analyst and chief executive at retail marketing agency Savvy, told the BBC: \"Marks and Spencer is committed to the High Street, but that comes at an enormous cost.\n\n\"Its 600 stores were closed [during lockdown], they've picked up on online and online sales are stronger than they've ever been. But that in no way covers the amount of sales loss they've covered this year.\"\n\n\"You've got to change to survive. While Marks was saying it, they weren't necessarily doing it, but it has now changed the way they work even at a simple level.\"\n\nThe group also reported strong growth in its Ocado Retail joint venture, which started delivering M&S food at the start of September.\n\nIt said the partnership has reported a 47.9% jump in sales, while profitability has also improved.\n\nM&S created over 750 new lines including in grocery and homecare to broaden its appeal on the Ocado platform, which previously delivered for Waitrose.\n\nM&S was one of the few big food retailers without its own internet-based delivery service, and the tie-up with Ocado had been described as a key moment in the retailer's shift to online.\n\nJulie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor, said that M&S \"is already reaping the rewards of an excellent partnership with Ocado.\n\n\"Its food business could benefit from the forthcoming national lockdown [in England] as consumers look for high-quality meals as an alternative to going out.\n\n\"This could help it counter the effects of fewer people grabbing a sandwich while nipping out of the office for lunch,\" she said.\n\nM&S also said its grocery business had performed \"strongly\" over the half-year, with like-for-like sales rising by 2.7% on the back of substantial growth from its Simply Food stores.\n\nMs Palmer added: \"M&S has an opportunity to step up and sit at the table with the big players in the retail market once more, but to stake its claim, it can't just bring food to the party, it has to dress better and provide the furniture too.\"\n\nDetractors have often described M&S as the lame duck of UK retail, forever struggling to reinvent itself quickly enough to keep up with changing consumer tastes. Its current management, however, will hope that this set of results will persuade investors that a more apt comparison would be with another bird, the phoenix.\n\nToday's loss is the ashes from which the management hopes a new, slimmed-down and digital-savvy M&S will emerge.\n\nSteve Rowe talks of the pandemic having forced the company to compress three years' of changes into a single year - a hint, perhaps that the crisis may have come by chance at a good time in his plan to revive the company's fortunes.\n\nThere are signs that the big bet on a commercial alliance with Ocado is paying off, but the Achilles heel remains weak sales in clothing and general merchandise. M&S shares were up more than 4% in early trading, suggesting that investors may discern the first flaps of the phoenix's wings.\n\nThe update came as M&S continues to push forward with its transformation strategy. The plans, which saw M&S announce 7,000 job cuts across stores and management in August, will enable the business to emerge from the crisis in a \"stronger, leaner and more focused position\", the firm said in a statement.\n\nThe half-year results included a £92m exceptional cost reflecting these cuts. The group said it would also see further charges of up to £120m due to store closures over the next seven years.\n\nIn a call with journalists, Mr Rowe said: \"My goal remains unchanged - that is to deliver the long-term transformation for M&S, building a brand that is more digital in a world that will never be the same again.\"\n\n\"We know the challenges we're facing will continue,\" he added, citing the upcoming lockdown in England, but said the firm was in a \"much better position\" as the key Christmas trading period approaches.", "Boris Johnson was challenged in Prime Minister’s Questions about the UK’s Internal Market Bill, and how it could complicate relations with the United States - if Joe Biden were to win the Presidential election.\n\nMr Biden has never been a fan of Brexit and his view would be closer to the European - and more specifically the Irish view of what it means.\n\nDonald Trump has also listened to Irish concerns about Brexit. But he has always made it clear that he is comfortable with a more radical split between the UK and the rest of Europe.\n\nBiden has already warned that the Internal Market Bill, which allows the government to ignore specific obligations on Northern Ireland contained in the Brexit withdrawal agreement, could have a negative impact on efforts to agree a free trade deal between the UK and the US.\n\n“We can’t allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit,” Mr Biden said in a tweet in September, referring to the 1998 agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland.\n\nHe made his comments after details of the Internal Market Bill were first published.\n\n“Any trade deal between the US and UK must be contingent,” Mr Biden said, “upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period.”\n\nBoris Johnson of course argues that he is not trying to undermine the Good Friday agreement, simply to maintain the integrity of the United Kingdom.\n\nIf there were to be a Biden administration, they might not see things in quite the same way.", "The event took place on Halloween\n\nThe organiser of a rave which attracted 700 people has been fined £10,000 for breaching coronavirus restrictions.\n\nThe Halloween event on Saturday in Yate, near Bristol, turned violent when police tried to disperse the crowd.\n\nAvon and Somerset Police said a man in his 30s was arrested as he tried to take away some of the sound equipment the day after the event.\n\nThe man, who was later identified as the organiser, has been given the maximum fine possible.\n\nPolice who tried to shut down the event were pelted with missiles including bottles, with some officers suffering minor injuries.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nAvon and Somerset Chief Constable Andy Marsh said the people running the rave had acted \"criminally and disgracefully\".\n\n\"It is hard to adequately explain how reckless it was to organise an unlicensed music event during the midst of a pandemic that has claimed so many lives,\" he said.\n\n\"We are facing a moment in this pandemic when scientists and medics and warning of the grave risks and consequences of not controlling the virus.\n\n\"Yet those involved in this event acted with no thought for anyone other than themselves.\n\n\"It was deliberately organised in secret with complete disregard to the current situation the country is facing at the moment.\"\n\nThere was a heavy police presence in the area as people were dispersed\n\nIn total eight people, aged between 17 and 33, have been arrested in relation to the violence at the rave for offences such as violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker.\n\nMr Marsh said police were still trying to identify other people who may have been involved.\n\nPolice in riot gear were deployed to shut the rave down\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The government is facing criticism over its guidance on safe visits to care homes in England.\n\nLabour and a number of charities have described the suggestions, including floor-to-ceiling screens, designated visitor pods and window visits, as impractical.\n\nAlzheimer's Society has said it \"completely misses the point\".\n\nThe updated government advice, which came into effect on Thursday, says care homes - especially those which have not allowed visits since March - \"will be encouraged and supported to provide safe visiting opportunities\".\n\nVisits should be \"tailored to residents and facilities and should prioritise residents and staff's safety\" to limit the spread of coronavirus, the advice says, with measures such as social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE).\n\nCare minister Helen Whately said the new measures would give people more opportunities to see loved ones \"in a safe way\".\n\nHowever, Julia Jones, co-founder of dementia charity John's Campaign, told the Today programme that visits should be more \"meaningful\" than meeting through a window.\n\n\"When people are in the later stages of dementia, when people love each other, when people are approaching the end of their lives, they need to hold hands,\" she said.\n\nThe chief executive of leading care home group MHA, Sam Monaghan, told the programme the best way to carry out Covid-secure visits in care homes was \"through routine testing of at least one relative for each resident\".\n\nAsked about such a scheme, Mr Buckland stressed the government was \"interested in all ideas that are Covid-compliant\" and that the guidance was not an exhaustive list of options.\n\nAll face-to-face visits were banned during the first national lockdown in the spring.\n\nGuidance in England over recent months has allowed visits on a \"limited basis\" where alternative arrangements were not possible, but visits have been severely curtailed or prohibited entirely in those areas subject to enhanced restrictions, which have applied to large parts of England.\n\nMs Whately said she knew the restrictions on visiting had been \"incredibly painful\" and she had been \"in tears\" with some of the stories she had heard.\n\nShe said the government was \"absolutely trying to enable more visiting\" but, against the \"backdrop of this second wave\", it was \"only right that we make sure visiting care homes is safe\".\n\nShe said a trial would start later this week as part of plans to carry out testing on visitors to care homes.\n\nThe government also said a new national programme for weekly testing of professionals who regularly visit care homes would be \"rolled out in the coming weeks\" following a pilot in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Northamptonshire.\n\nLabour's shadow care minister Liz Kendall said many care homes would not be able to comply with the government's requirements which meant \"in reality thousands of families are likely to be banned from visiting their loved ones\".\n\nShe said instead of suggesting measures such as screens, the government should \"designate a single family member as a key worker - making them a priority for weekly testing and proper PPE\".\n\nKate Lee, chief executive at Alzheimer's Society, said: \"We're devastated by today's new care home visitor guidance - it completely misses the point: this attempt to protect people will kill them.\"\n\nShe said the pandemic had left people with dementia isolated and thousands had died. The guidelines \"completely ignore the vital role of family carers in providing the care for their loved ones with dementia that no one else can\", she added.\n\nShe said the \"prison-style screens\" proposed by the government with people speaking through phones were \"frankly ridiculous when you consider someone with advanced dementia can often be bed-bound and struggling to speak\".\n\nThat view was echoed by Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, who said she was \"acutely aware\" that the methods being sanctioned were \"unlikely to be useable by many older people with dementia, or indeed sensory loss\".\n\nShe added: \"Overall we think this new guidance is too restrictive. In practice we fear it will result in many care homes halting meaningful visiting altogether, because they will be unable to comply with the requirements laid down.\"", "Former Great British Bake Off finalist Luis Troyano, who starred in series five of the show in 2014, has died from oesophageal cancer at the age of 48.\n\n\"Sadly, my lovely client lost his brave fight against oesophageal cancer last week,\" tweeted his agent Anne Kibel.\n\n\"A fantastic man with a love of baking that saw him get to the finals of GBBO, write a wonderful book, Bake It Great, and do so much more,\" she added.\n\nAfter the show, Troyano said Bake Off had \"totally changed my life\".\n\n\"As well as being given the opportunity to write a book, I now also bake for a living, which is simply amazing. As far as baking goes, I can certainly bake a lot faster now than before the GBBO,\" he told Food and Drinks Guide.\n\nFollowing his stint on Bake Off, Troyano made appearances on BBC Good Food and BBC Breakfast shows. He released a book called Bake it Great in 2015.\n\nLuis Troyano (R) and his fellow GBBO finalists Richard Burr and Nancy Birtwhistle, who won the competition\n\nWriting on a Just Giving page she set up to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, his wife Louise wrote: \"Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure, you are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.\n\n\"This page has been set up for Macmillan Cancer Support but in truth, Luis gave a big thank you to everyone involved in his care.\"\n\nShe then posted Troyano's own words, in which he thanked Macmillan, the NHS and East Cheshire Hospice \"for trying to save my life and their tireless work to try and eliminate cancer. But more importantly a massive thank you to all the amazing professionals who really did try their absolute best for me, showed me absolute compassion and gave me more time than what was seemingly possible. I thank you sincerely.\"\n\nBefore competing on the show, Troyano was a marketing manager, hailing from Poynton, near Stockport. During the contest he memorably created a tribute to his hometown in one of his showstopper bakes.\n\nHe also made a caramel-gilded cake depicting The Cage, a tower in the National Trust's Lyme Park in Cheshire.\n\nIn an interview with Cheshire Life he said: \"I'm a proud Stockport guy. I have no shame in saying where I'm from.\n\n\"I did The Cage mainly because it's my wife's favourite place to visit. I never expected that cake to get the response it did. When it aired, it went crazy with people going, 'Where is this and what is it he's done?'\"\n\nNadiya Hussain, who won the baking contest in 2015, paid tribute, writing \"RIP\" on Twitter.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Nadiya Jamir Hussain MBE This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe official Great British Bake Off account tweeted it had been a \"huge honour and pleasure\" to have Troyano as a contestant.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by British Bake Off This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post 2 by British Bake Off\n\nFormer Bake Off host Sue Perkins said she was \"gutted\" to learn of Troyano's death.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Sue Perkins This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTroyano's fellow 2014 contestants Chetna Makan and Martha Collison, also honoured the baker.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Chetna Makan This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 5 by Martha Collison This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAnd Manchester City Football Club, the team Troyano supported, expressed their sadness.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 6 by Manchester City This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn 2014, Troyano opened his first bakery in his hometown, called The Hive Bakery and in 2015, he was announced as the patron of Beechwood Cancer Care Centre.\n\nHe told Manchester Evening News his father died of cancer when he was 16.\n\n\"I have lived in Stockport all my life and wanted to support a charity that was close to home,\" he said.\n\n\"It feels great to be a patron at Beechwood. There was nothing like Beechwood when I lost my dad and it was a tough time.\n\n\"My time on The Great British Bake Off has been life changing and I feel honoured to support Beechwood.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Miriam Stone was giving evidence at the inquiry\n\nRisk assessments carried out by the Manchester Arena operators were \"flawed\" and \"pretty much box ticking\", an inquiry has heard.\n\nMiriam Stone, SMG's head of events, told the inquiry into the attack there was no specific assessment done for the Ariana Grande concert or consideration given to the terrorism risk.\n\nShe said while there were flaws with the written documentation, \"we did assess the risk\".\n\nPaul Greaney QC, counsel to the public inquiry, asked Ms Stone, who was one of the duty managers on the night of the attack, if the assessments were done to ensure a \"box was ticked\".\n\nShe replied: \"I think we had got to the point where that is pretty much how it got used.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, Ms Stone's boss James Allen told the inquiry SMG put the arena's terrorism risk level at low despite the national threat level being \"severe\".\n\nTop row (left to right): Alison Howe, Martyn Hett, Lisa Lees, Courtney Boyle, Eilidh MacLeod, Elaine McIver, Georgina Callander, Jane Tweddle - Middle row (left to right): John Atkinson, Kelly Brewster, Liam Curry, Chloe Rutherford, Marcin Klis, Angelika Klis, Megan Hurley, Michelle Kiss - Bottom row (left to right): Nell Jones, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, Philip Tron, Saffie-Rose Roussos, Sorrell Leczkowski, Wendy Fawell\n\nShe also told the inquiry suspicions raised about bomber Salman Abedi should have been passed to the control room.\n\nShe said it would have taken \"a minute or two\" to shut the exit doors leading to where the bomb was detonated.\n\nAbedi hid in the mezzanine area, which was a CCTV blindspot, for nearly an hour before the bombing.\n\nArena security provider Showsec earlier told the inquiry staff did not believe they were expected to check the raised mezzanine level of the City Room, although check sheets listed the \"entire City Room area\".\n\nMs Stone said: \"It had never occurred to me until the evidence that anybody would read it any other way.\n\n\"It's all one room. I would expect all of it to be checked.\"\n\nMr Greaney QC asked Ms Stone if the venue did enough at the time to prevent someone doing harm getting into the City Room.\n\nShe replied: \"Well somebody did, so no.\"\n\nSpeaking about steward Mohammed Agha, who was told about a suspicious looking man with a rucksack but did not pass this on to his supervisor, she said: \"I don't want to cast any aspersions on him but I don't think it would have been difficult to contact someone from that position.\"\n\nWhen asked about steward Kyle Lawler, who was told by Mr Agha about the man but said the radio was too busy to contact control, she said it did not accord with her own experience.\n\nShe said \"the radios are really quite quiet\" at the end of concerts.\n\nThe inquiry heard Ms Stone was concerned about terrorism and helped devise a training exercise in December 2014 which rehearsed for an attack inside the arena's City Room, where the attack took place.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The mood in the White House overnight was tense.\n\nThe president's staffers and campaign officials stayed there through much of the night - their boss's job was on the line, and all they could do was wait and drink alcohol. Lots of it.\n\nOn Tuesday morning, women in the West Wing had showed up for work in festive attire: Republican-red sweaters, skirts and stilettos, looking as if they had texted each other to agree the dress code. Throughout the day and into the night, they watched election returns and wondered what would happen.\n\nThen the president pulled ahead of his Democratic rival Joe Biden in Florida. The mood brightened. A table in the office of Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was littered with wine bottles and bags of crisps.\n\nStill the mood was edgy. One staffer cradled a beer bottle in his arm, the label partly peeled off. These occupants of the West Wing - the heart of any White House administration - were nervous, though they tried to project strength and confidence.\n\n\"We're feeling very good,\" one told me. She talked about the returns from Florida that showed the president in the lead. \"We're very optimistic.\"\n\nBehind her, the volume on a TV screen was turned up, blaring updates. A newscaster warned of \"socialist anarchy\", making a dire prediction of what would happen if the Democrats won.\n\nA copy of the the New York Post newspaper lay on a bookshelf, and the room smelled of \"Cosy Cashmere\" - a pink scented candle. In a nearby office, a White House staffer patted his colleague's shoulder, trying to calm his nerves.\n\nElsewhere in the building, the president's re-election party was getting under way. Hundreds had been invited, and some of the guests, draped in red silk, walked under a sky so clear you could see the stars, as they made their way to the event.\n\nThe party was a break with tradition. There is no law that forbids the president from hosting a celebration at the White House on election night. But no other president has organised a gathering like this one.\n\nMr Trump's predecessors, whether Republican or Democrat, tried to maintain some distance between campaigning and governing. To be sure, the line between the two activities sometimes got blurry.\n\nPresidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama both used rooms at the White House as a backdrop for their political campaigns. Still they tried to make a distinction between campaign activities and their work as president. On election night in the Trump White House, that line seemed to have been obliterated.\n\nMany recoiled at his choice of venue for the party.\n\nOne of them, Gordon Adams, a professor emeritus at American University, was a senior White House official for national security budgets in 1996. He spent election night that year with President Bill Clinton in Arkansas. Afterwards Adams flew back to Washington with his colleagues, and a charter bus dropped them off at the White House.\n\n\"It was eerily quiet,\" he says. \"There was nobody there, celebrating.\"\n\nWhen he heard about the election night party Trump had planned for the White House, Adams was not pleased.\n\nThe party in the East Room was just one of the ways the president broke with tradition on election night.\n\nHis campaign officials worked in an office on the White House grounds, a \"war room\" that was established in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next door to the West Wing. Critics of the president say these kinds of political activities should not be conducted within the White House compound.\n\nIn response to the criticism, Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for Trump's campaign, said that the campaign room violated no rules. \"There is no expense whatsoever to American taxpayers,\" he said in a statement.\n\nThere were protests outside the White House overnight\n\nMurtaugh and the president's supporters love the way their man has shaken things up in Washington and broken with tradition. His unconventional approach may be exactly what helps him get re-elected.\n\nAt the party itself, Trump appeared at a podium and gave a speech. Standing before his supporters, he made the false claim that he had won the election.\n\n\"As far as I'm concerned, we already have won this,\" he said. People in the room cheered.\n\nIn fact, millions of votes have not yet been counted, and many people who heard his remarks on TV were stunned. For them, the speech was a disturbing end to an unprecedented election night, one that was like the president himself - full of shocking surprises.", "Your earwax could be a window into your mental health, researchers have suggested.\n\nA study of 37 participants has shown a build-up of the stress hormone cortisol can be measured from the oily secretions around your ear canal.\n\nThis could open the door to better ways of diagnosing psychiatric conditions including depression, according to lead author Dr Andres Herane-Vives.\n\nHe has also developed a new type of swab which won't damage the eardrum.\n\nCortisol is known as your \"fight or flight\" hormone. When it sends out alarm signals to the brain in response to stress, it can influence almost every system in the body, from the immune system to digestion and sleep.\n\nBut its role in disorders including anxiety and depression is not fully understood.\n\nDr Herane-Vives, a psychiatrist at University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, wants to understand what raised or lowered levels of cortisol might indicate.\n\nThe swabs have a \"brake\" to stop them damaging the eardrum\n\nIt's early days but he hopes this could eventually help him establish an \"objective biological measure\" for psychiatric conditions.\n\nIn theory, people with mental health symptoms could have their levels of cortisol tested, and this could help to inform their diagnosis.\n\nCurrently, mental health diagnosis is largely subjective, so this could provide professionals with an additional tool to help make their assessments more accurate.\n\nAnd a good diagnosis is \"the only way to provide the right treatment\", said Dr Herane-Vives.\n\nIt could potentially be used to inform who might or might not benefit from anti-depressants.\n\nCortisol can be measured in blood, but this only gives a snapshot of an individual's levels of the hormone in that moment.\n\nAnd since blood tests themselves can be stressful, this can potentially give false positives.\n\nDr Herane-Vives wanted to see if a patient's chronic cortisol levels - what they looked like over a longer period of time - could be measured by looking at tissues in the body where it accumulates.\n\nHe previously studied whether cortisol could be measured from hair follicles, but to do that you need 3cm of hair - which not everyone has, or wants to lose.\n\n\"But cortisol levels in earwax appear to be more stable,\" he said.\n\nDr Herane-Vives pointed to analogies with another wax-producing creature: bees. They store sugar in their waxy honeycomb, where it is preserved at room temperature.\n\nSimilarly, hormones and other substances are stored over time in the earwax, which \"yielded more cortisol than hair samples\", the researchers said.\n\nOver the longer term, the method could be developed to measure other things like glucose levels or even antibodies against viruses.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Chris Whitty says the three-tier system of restrictions has “slowed things down\".\n\n\"Economically and socially destructive\" lockdowns are the only practical option until a Covid vaccine and better drugs are available, Chris Whitty has said.\n\nEngland's chief medical officer rejected calls from some scientists to pursue \"herd immunity\" instead.\n\nEngland is due to replace tiered regional restrictions with a four-week nationwide lockdown from Thursday.\n\nIt comes as the UK recorded a further 397 coronavirus deaths and 20,018 confirmed cases on Tuesday.\n\nMeanwhile, more details of England's lockdown rules have also been revealed, with the publication of the legislation that will bring them into force.\n\nThe regulations specify fines starting at £100 for rule breakers, potentially rising to a maximum of £6,400 for repeat offences.\n\nSome Tory MPs have attacked the move towards another nationwide lockdown, with one saying the government was \"losing the plot\".\n\nProf Whitty was quizzed by a select committee about the Great Barrington Declaration, which calls for \"focused protection\" for the elderly and other groups particularly vulnerable to Covid-19, while others continue to live relatively normally.\n\nProf Whitty said the arguments made by those that have signed the declaration were \"scientifically weak\" and \"dangerously flawed\".\n\n\"It would make an assumption that a very large number of people would inevitably die as a result of that decision,\" he told the Commons Science Committee.\n\n\"To have this as an element of policy is ethically really difficult.\"\n\nHerd immunity had never been achieved in the treatment of Ebola and other new infectious diseases, argued Prof Whitty, and the kind of aggressive shielding of the vulnerable urged by the Barrington scientists would not be practically possible.\n\nBetter treatments and the prospect of a vaccine were the only hope, he told the committee, and he predicted that over the next year there will be \"multiple shots on goal from science\".\n\n\"We have to hold the line until that point,\" he added.\n\n\"Unfortunately, these economically and socially destructive tools are what we have got in the absence of anything else.\"\n\nUnder the lockdown beginning on Thursday, pubs, restaurants, gyms and non-essential shops would be closed across England.\n\nThe new rules replace a tiered system of different local restrictions across England, which ministers say they want to return to after the England-wide lockdown is due to end on 2 December.\n\nMeanwhile, at a separate parliamentary debate, a number of Conservative MPs criticised the nationwide lockdown, which faces a Commons vote on Wednesday.\n\nOne of them, Richard Drax, said the lockdowns were \"destructive, divisive, and don't work\".\n\n\"They simply delay the inevitable - the re-emergence of the virus when lockdown ends, as has been shown,\" he said.\n\n\"Have we overreacted? Yes, I think we have. A draconian, onerous and invasive set of rules and regulations now govern our very existence.\"\n\nHis fellow Conservative, Bob Seeley, said lockdowns were a \"dubious tool,\" claiming scientists were becoming \"increasingly sceptical\" of them as an option.\n\nHe suggested the government was \"losing the plot\" in the face of the spread of the virus, and there was a need for \"some semblance of balance\" in its response.\n\nHowever with Labour supporting the new measures, they are highly likely to be approved even if there is a rebellion from Conservative backbenchers.", "More than 7,200 people in England were told to stop self-isolating on the wrong date by the Test and Trace scheme as a result of a software error.\n\nThe Department of Health said most of those affected had subsequently been contacted with the correct information.\n\nPeople had been told to isolate for too long, rather than being told they could mix with others too soon, it added.\n\nThe mistake - which was first reported by Sky News - follows a series of other software-based Covid-19 foul-ups.\n\nLast month, the BBC revealed how an oversight in the use of Microsoft's Excel software led to nearly 16,000 coronavirus cases going unreported in England.\n\nAnd on the weekend, the Sunday Times reported that a risk-score threshold used by the NHS Covid-19 app to trigger self-isolate alerts had been lowered weeks later than intended. In that case, officials are still carrying out checks to identify the \"root cause\".\n\nA total of 7,230 individuals were involved in the latest error.\n\nOfficials believe it resulted from an internal update to the system used by human contact tracers, who identify people believed to have recently been close to those diagnosed with the coronavirus.\n\nThe system is used to calculate how long the original person who tested positive should keep away from others. It also does the isolation calculation for those they had been in close proximity to, who are contacted via follow-up phone calls, emails and/or text messages.\n\nIt is completely separate to the automated contact tracing system used by the app.\n\nThe update was made on 22 October and affected a total of 7,230 people before the problem was rectified on 27 October.\n\n\"We have reassessed the self-isolation periods for a number of people who were contact traced, following close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19,\" a Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said.", "If you want to watch, listen, or follow the drama as it unfolds online, the BBC has you covered on election night.\n\nThe BBC news website has election results as they come in, and a live page with the latest reaction and analysis from correspondents in the US and around the world.\n\nThe BBC's US Election 2020 results programme is hosted by Katty Kay from Washington and Andrew Neil from London.\n\nIn the UK, it is being broadcast on BBC One, the BBC News Channel and BBC iPlayer from 23:30 GMT until 09:00 GMT on Wednesday. Internationally, the programme is being shown on BBC World News and streamed live on the BBC News website.\n\nJon Sopel and Clive Myrie are with the Trump and Biden campaigns, and BBC reporters including Emily Maitlis and Nick Bryant are broadcasting from crucial battleground states.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Explaining the Electoral College and which voters will decide who wins\n\nThe overnight coverage also includes a big-screen graphic analysis of results with Christian Fraser and commentary from a panel of political experts.\n\nThe election special programme is hosted by Philippa Thomas and Ros Atkins, joined by Jamie Coomarasamy in Michigan and Nuala McGovern in Nevada.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC Reality Check breaks down the bill for the world's most expensive election\n\nIt will be on air in the UK on BBC Radio 4 until 06:00 GMT on Wednesday, on Radio 5 Live until 05:00 GMT, and outside the UK on the World Service until 09:00 GMT.", "Many shops are closing their doors for four weeks, as England enters a second national lockdown. In June, when stores reopened after the spring national lockdown, we spoke to shoppers about the first thing they bought. Now we're back at the same shopping centre - centre.mk in Milton Keynes - to see what people are stocking up on this time.\n\n\"As soon as I knew about lockdown, I went into work on Monday and said 'can I book off Wednesday because I need to go Christmas shopping',\" says Joanne Nixey, 28, from Windsor. She messaged her friend, Chloe Gould, straight away and the pair have been stocking up on Christmas presents and decorations.\n\n\"I love funky Christmas decorations so I got a rubber duck and a fish,\" says Chloe. \"It's random. A cushion, some candles. I'm trying to get it all done.\"\n\n\"It gets us out before lockdown,\" says Joanne, pointing to her Primark bags.\n\nSue Stone also booked some time off of work to get the bulk of her Christmas shopping done. \"Boris knew we had a day off, so luckily he moved the lockdown to Thursday,\" she jokes.\n\n\"It's just the last day before lockdown so it's Christmas shopping,\" says Sue, 52, a company director. She and Lorraine Stonell spent £130 at Hotel Chocolat, as well as bagging perfumes, toiletries and a hoodie.\n\n\"I have bought my coffee pods,\" she adds, pointing to a Nespresso bag. \"They are an essential, but the shop will still shut.\"\n\n\"I got my work bonus so have come shopping,\" says Phil Read, 47, from Bletchley. \"Considering the situation, I'm surprised I got a bonus. I work for the government so a very secure job thankfully.\"\n\nIn his shopping bags are clothes - \"winter clothes, basically\" - including sweaters, pants and some waterproof trousers to play football in.\n\nHe says the thought of lockdown \"feels rubbish\". \"I have actually got a week off work,\" he says. \"They are forcing us to use our holiday so I took this week off and have been doing all I can in these few days, cramming it in.\"\n\n\"Everything's half price,\" says Jenny Holloway, 40, referring to the Christmas pop-up shop, where she and her mother Helen McGill bought reindeer decorations for £10 each.\n\n\"We are just mother and daughter\", adds Helen, \"and we don't get to spend that much time together anyway because of work, and thinking about lockdown we won't be seeing each other. We are just trying to spend time together today before lockdown.\n\n\"It's a happy-sad feeling. Happy that we're out now, but sad for the people in shops. At 5pm the shutters are going to come down and when will they come up again? We were hearing whispers about furlough and I just thought it was really sad.\"\n\nElizabeth Morris, 38, and her mother, also called Elizabeth Morris, managed to do all of their Christmas shopping back in September and they are now \"just getting some little bits\".\n\n\"We have got some matching pyjamas, to wear for a whole month,\" jokes Elizabeth, holding up the bedwear for her and one-year-old son George. \"It's that last opportunity to go to the shops. It's our last hurrah. Last day before we're grounded again.\"\n\nOn the prospect of another lockdown, Elizabeth, 58, says: \"We are positive about it all now. We look forward to reinstating our walks.\" Her daughter adds: \"It's my mum and dad's ruby wedding anniversary in November and we were going to Tenerife but can't now. We are now finding other things to do to celebrate. We'll find something.\"\n\n\"There's a couple of celebrations in our house at the weekend,\" says childminder Rose Iroegbu, 47. \"My son is 18 on Friday.\n\n\"I plan to cook his best delicacy, rice and stew.\" She's bought balloons and some surprise gifts for him (she can't tell us what they are to risk spoiling the surprise) as well as a phone charging cable for herself.\n\n\"I feel a mixture of emotions\" about a second lockdown, she says. \"Worry and anxiety about the future.\"\n\n\"I have done most of my shopping for Christmas,\" says electrician Chris Locke, 41, from Luton.\n\n\"I have bought some stuff this morning and put that in my car. I can't carry everything. I'll be finished today, kids as well.\"\n\nChris has bought some socks and slippers for his mother-in-law, plus some toys for his children, including Mario Kart Live and some Lego. \"I'm fairly organised, like I always get stuff done before December. But more in advance this year.\"\n\n\"They don't send it out online,\" says Sarah Bennett, talking about the six rolls of wrapping paper she's just bought from Card Factory, which had a fast-moving queue outside. \"With two kids you need a lot of Christmas paper.\"\n\n\"We are just getting bits,\" adds Sarah, who runs a cleaning business and has come shopping with her teenage daughter. \"If I like it, I buy it. We got two standing Santas, reduced to £12.99 from the Christmas shop.\n\n\"We just came out for a mother and daughter day and we are going to TGI Fridays after.\"\n\nAll photographs by Richard Cave and reporting by Francesca Gillett.", "Students in cities across England could begin a mass exodus back to their families ahead of new lockdown measures coming into force on Thursday.\n\nHilary Gyebi-Ababio, National Union of Students vice president for higher education, said students were \"really wanting to go home\".\n\n\"There's a sense there could be a mass exodus,\" she told the BBC.\n\nIt comes after Universities Minister Michelle Donelan urged students, in a letter on Monday, not to \"rush home\".\n\nHer message aimed to prevent these young people from travelling across the country to their families and potentially taking coronavirus with them, thus fuelling the pandemic.\n\nThose in tier 3 restriction areas are not allowed by law to visit other households, which would include their family homes, but those in lower tier areas do not face the same restrictions until Thursday when the new lockdown rules come into force.\n\nThe NUS and the lecturers' union, UCU, have repeated a joint demand for all university teaching to move online, as much as possible, saying not to do so would cause a public health emergency\n\nNew government guidance published on Tuesday says some face-to-face teaching should continue.\n\nBut thousands of students have spent several weeks of this term effectively locked down already, self-isolating due to real or suspected Covid-19 cases in their halls of residence.\n\nMs Gyebi-Ababio, 22, said: \"We are really concerned about the the minister's statement, saying don't go home.\n\n\"It's not healthy or considerate to students.\"\n\nShe said students really wanted to do what was safe for others and right for them, and that it was important that they were allowed to have agency and make their own decisions.\n\nShe pointed out that the prime minister had said other members of the public could move to be in new households before the new lockdown measures come into force.\n\nMany students did not have the usual support networks of friends, she said, or the formal support usually provided by universities, huge parts of which are closed.\n\n\"It's been really difficult for students - they do not have one ounce of certainty about what might happen.\"\n\nShe said the NUS was hearing from students who were \"worried and confused right now\", and this was only to be expected as they had not had any clear information.\n\n\"My younger brother is at university now, and I've had so many phone calls from him asking what he should do.\"\n\nIn some universities, students are reporting empty rooms in halls of residence which some students have already vacated.\n\nArchaeology lecturer at University of Leicester, Dr Rachel Crellin, tweeted: \"I've just taught: some students have been told to come home by their parents, some worried about being trapped alone in accommodation, others who don't want to take Covid home to vulnerable family and some who don't want to go home.\n\nMs Gyebi-Ababio said the government had talked weeks ago about a \"mandatory two-week lockdown\" to enable students to return home for Christmas but there were still no details about this.\n\nShe added: \"After this four-week lockdown, students could be locked down for a further two weeks - that's a total of six. This could be really detrimental to their wellbeing and mental health.\"\n\nMany students work while they study, to support themselves, but as in the previous spring lockdown, many had lost their jobs and were facing financial hardship, she said, and the government should have reflected on what happened then.", "Claire Parry was described as a \"loving family member and a doting mother\" by her husband\n\nA police officer who strangled a mother-of-two after she exposed their affair will have his 10-and-a-half year sentence for manslaughter reviewed.\n\nTimothy Brehmer killed nurse Claire Parry, 41, in a pub car park in Dorset on 9 May. The two had been in a secret relationship for more than 10 years.\n\nBrehmer, who admitted manslaughter, was cleared of murder last week at the end of his trial at Salisbury Crown Court.\n\nA complaint was made that his sentence was \"unduly lenient\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA spokeswoman for the attorney general's office could not disclose who made the request but said a decision on whether to refer the matter to the Court of Appeal would be made within four weeks.\n\nThe unduly lenient sentence scheme allows people to ask law officers to review sentences for certain crimes.\n\nBrehmer was told by the judge he would serve two-thirds of his sentence in jail and the rest on licence.\n\nThe trial heard Mrs Parry, who was married to another Dorset Police officer, met the defendant outside the Horns Inn in West Parley to confront him about another of his extra-marital affairs.\n\nMrs Parry took hold of his phone before sending a text to his wife, saying: \"I am cheating on you.\"\n\nBrehmer was dismissed by the Dorset force in September and placed on the national police barred list\n\nBrehmer, of Hordle, Hampshire, said he had strangled Mrs Parry by accident during a \"kerfuffle\" in his car and that his arm \"must have slipped in all the melee\".\n\nMrs Parry's husband, Andrew, said he was \"incredibly disappointed\" with the verdict and branded Brehmer a \"well-practised liar\".\n\nMr Parry previously told the court Brehmer was the \"worst kind of thief\" and described the pain of telling their children that their mother was dead.\n\nDorset Police said Brehmer was sacked at a misconduct meeting held on 16 September. He was also placed on the national police barred list.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "McDonald's said the store will create more than 65 jobs in the community\n\nEngland's only McDonald's-free county is no more, as a branch of the fast food chain has opened.\n\nRutland, in the East Midlands, had escaped the lure of the golden arches but plans to build a diner and drive-thru were approved in January.\n\nThe restaurant, based on the outskirts of Oakham, will move to a drive-thru only service on Thursday as the country goes into a second lockdown.\n\nMcDonald's said the store will create more than 65 jobs in the community.\n\nBefore Rutland County Council approved the plan for the fast food chain, there was some resistance among residents.\n\nAmong the 55 objections made to the authority, one person wrote: \"I'm proud Rutland is the only county not to have a McDonald's.\"\n\nSeveral others expressed concerns about the impact a McDonald's would have on smaller, independent, businesses in Oakham.\n\nOakham is a market town with prestigious schools and traditional buildings\n\nBut landlady of the Crown Tavern, Lindsay Taylor, said once lockdown had lifted, it \"could bring people to Oakham and help shops on the high street\".\n\n\"At the end of the day people are worried about littering and that sort of stuff, but that's not McDonald's fault,\" she said.\n\n\"People think we live in a posh area, as it's Rutland, but there's a split.\"\n\nFranchise owner Glyn Pashley, who operates the new restaurant, said he was \"delighted to be opening in Oakham\" and holding the mantle of \"the first [McDonald's] restaurant in Rutland\".\n\nHe said: \"It was getting very busy when I left, which was nice to see. There were no planning grounds for this not to go ahead and I think, in terms of the employment and visitors it will provide, it will be a win-win situation for the town.\"\n\nPaul Stainton saw up to 30 cars in the drive-thru on the morning McDonald's opened in Rutland\n\nPaul Stainton, who lives in Stretton, Rutland, drove past the new McDonald's earlier said it was \"very busy\".\n\n\"I'd say there were probably 25 to 30 cars in the drive-thru, the restaurant was busy, there were people sat outside in the sunshine - it looks like it's got off to a pretty good start,\" he said.\n\nMr Stainton didn't have any issues with the restaurant being built in his local area and said it looks \"quite swanky\".\n\n\"I think it's a balancing act between the tradition of Rutland and also the fact that people need jobs.\n\n\"To be fair, it makes a scruffy little area of Rutland look quite nice,\" he said.\n\nSome of those opposing the new McDonald's had suggested using the space for something \"more healthy\"\n\nOne of those that is unlikely to join the drive-thru queue is Charlie Pallett, also known as the Rutland Blogger.\n\nShe said the absence of a McDonald's in the county was a \"quirk\" that had now gone.\n\n\"We've got one everywhere else around us within a 10 to 15-minute drive so I don't think we need it,\" she said.\n\nShe supported the idea of using the space for something \"more healthy\".\n\n\"There were quite a lot of people that would have liked to have seen something more active there for children could do - a trampoline park or something like that,\" she said.\n\n\"Obviously, now with Covid I don't know if that would have been able to happen or not.\"\n\nHowever, Ms Pallett said she could not dispute the benefit of the extra jobs in the area.\n\n\"That's fantastic, especially during the circumstances at the moment,\" she said.\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Twitter has banned the account of British conspiracy theorist David Icke.\n\n\"The account referenced has been permanently suspended for violating Twitter's rules regarding Covid misinformation,\" a spokesman told the BBC.\n\nThe action comes six months after Facebook and YouTube took similar action, saying Mr Icke had posted misleading claims about the pandemic.\n\nThe 68-year-old had about 382,000 followers on Twitter.\n\nHis recent posts had included attacks on Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci and the philanthropist Bill Gates.\n\nIn a blog, Mr Icke said was banned for a tweet he had made about plans to pilot city-wide coronavirus testing in Liverpool.\n\nBut over recent months he has made false claims such as suggesting that 5G mobile phone networks were linked to the spread of the virus, and that a Jewish group had also been involved.\n\nMr Icke has promoted fringe theories since the 1990s, but his recent return to prominence was propelled by the spread of Covid-19.\n\nIn April, an interview in which he discussed the pandemic was broadcast on local TV station London Live.\n\nIt led the regulator Ofcom to rule the channel's owner had broken broadcasting rules because the segment had failed to sufficiently challenge his \"unsubstantiated views\".\n\nTwitter's rules do not include a general ban on misinformation.\n\nBut in July, it would not allow any tweets about Covid-19 that were \"claims of fact, demonstrably false or misleading, and likely to cause harm\". It added that accounts that repeatedly broke this rule would be permanently removed.\n\nSome campaigners believe action against Mr Icke was long overdue.\n\n\"Twitter had allowed him to continue spreading... dangerous Covid misinformation for months,\" tweeted the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a UK-based campaign group, in response to the ban.\n\nThe US social network had earlier blocked another prominent British conspiracy theorist, Kate Shemirani.\n\nHer account was taken offline on Thursday, with Twitter providing the same brief explanation for its removal.\n\nCelebrities with large followings have been a key vector of misinformation throughout the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nAnd one of the most prominent has been David Icke.\n\nHe has found himself in hot water with social media platforms over dangerous conspiracy theories promoted on his accounts.\n\nHe's also been a headliner at anti-lockdown rallies at Trafalgar Square in London, where coronavirus conspiracies - including linking 5G to Covid-19 and suggesting the pandemic is a hoax - have been given full-throated airings.\n\nIcke is perhaps the best known member of Britain's conspiracy theory influencer community, all of whom have gained large followings during the pandemic by spreading disinformation.\n\nI recently interviewed her son. He said he was worried about the devastating impact coronavirus conspiracies can have on public health and family relationships.", "Clinically extremely vulnerable people in England are being strongly advised not to go to work outside their homes during lockdown from Thursday.\n\nUnder updated government guidance, they should only go out for exercise and to attend health appointments.\n\nPeople with stage-five chronic kidney disease, those undergoing dialysis and adults with Down's syndrome are now also advised to follow the advice.\n\nThis group is at higher risk from Covid-19 than the general population.\n\nThe government will give local councils in England more than £32m to fund support and access to local services for more than 2.24 million clinically extremely vulnerable people.\n\nThey include people undergoing treatment for serious medical conditions, such as certain cancers, or those with rare diseases.\n\nThis number could rise by 80,000 over the next few weeks, as NHS England sends letters to those affected.\n\nNew national restrictions will apply to everyone in England from 00:01 on Thursday, 5 November, until Wednesday 2 December.\n\nAn online support service has been set up to help people in this group access supermarket deliveries and other local support.\n\nAsthma UK and the British Lung Foundation said the guidance was \"a step forward\" but had given people less than 24 hours to prepare for the changes to their lives.\n\n\"While it's good news that furlough is still an option for some, it is very late in the day for people to be having this discussion with their employers and there is no guarantee that everyone who needs it will be able to access it,\" said Sarah MacFadyen, head of policy.\n\nShe said it was vital that no one was left without essentials and delivery systems were easy to access.\n\nThe over 70s, pregnant women and people who are very obese are not included in this group - they are classified as clinically vulnerable. They may still be more at risk of Covid-19 and are advised to stay at home as much as possible and minimise contact with others.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "As the polls closed, US voters have shared how they feel about their candidate.\n\nJoe Biden supporter Lesley Batson is disappointed Florida went to Donald Trump, but she is staying optimistic and eager to see the electoral college map later on Wednesday.\n\nDonald Trump supporter Eliana Girard is feeling everything is \"leaning toward\" the president, while Mike Harlow is happy but \"nervous\".", "A bill that will lead to changes in NI's alcohol licensing laws \"strikes the right balance\", Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín has said.\n\nUnder the plans, pubs and nightclubs will be able to serve alcohol for an extra hour, until 02:00, almost every weekend.\n\nThe legislation also proposes removing restrictions around Easter drinking.\n\nIt will have to pass several legislative hurdles before becoming law.\n\nThe other main change is the extension in \"drinking-up time\" from half an hour to an hour, meaning venues can operate until 03:00 at weekends.\n\nCurrently restrictions on selling alcohol are in place from the Thursday before Easter until Easter Sunday.\n\nAlcohol can only be served between 17:00 and 23:00 on Good Friday and bars have to stop serving at midnight on Thursday and Easter Saturday.\n\nThe Department for Communities carried out a consultation last year, and said \"changing social habits and the growing importance of the tourism industry\" had prompted the calls for changes to Easter licensing laws.\n\nSetting out her department's plans in the assembly on Tuesday, Mrs Ní Chuilín urged the Stormont assembly to vote for the bill.\n\n\"I know many people would like the licensing regime to be more flexible where licensees would have more freedom to open and close when they like,\" she said.\n\n\"But on the other hand, there are many people concerned about harm caused to our society by misuse of alcohol, who wish to see greater restrictions on the advertising and sale of drink.\n\n\"I believe this bill strikes the right balance between offering a level of support to the hospitality sector, which we all agree is very much needed, whilst protecting our communities by ensuring the sale of alcohol is controlled.\"\n\nMuch of the hospitality sector is struggling to maintain jobs due to the latest restrictions that forced many firms to shut\n\nThe law will also be tightened in some areas - supermarkets will face restrictions on where they can place in-store advertising for alcohol.\n\nThe current voluntary code of practice for drinks promotions will be replaced with legal requirements.\n\nThe proposals have been a very long time in the making, with Stormont first proposing changes eight years ago.\n\nA previous bill to change NI's licensing laws began its legislative passage in 2016, but the assembly collapsed in January 2017 amid a bitter row between the DUP and Sinn Féin, who share power together at Stormont.\n\nThe new bill is expected to become law in time for Easter 2022.\n\nNI's hospitality sector has been closed since 16 October, due to restrictions agreed by the executive to tackle the spread of Covid-19.\n\nSome in the industry have proposed a compliance certificate should be drawn up, to allow those firms adhering properly to the rules to reopen.", "Independent shops have been \"more agile\" and better at surviving Covid-19 than chain stores, data indicates.\n\nSmall independent firms on the High Street suffered a net decline of 1,833 stores in the first half of 2020, according to research by the Local Data Company (LDC) and accountancy firm PwC.\n\nThat was less than a third of the 6,001 chain stores lost, the LDC said.\n\nHowever, the two sectors together saw the biggest decline seen in the first half of a year since its records began.\n\nLucy Stainton, head of retail and strategic partnerships at the LDC, said it had been \"an immensely challenging few months for the retail and hospitality sector\".\n\nShe said the independent market had fared better as those businesses had been \"more agile, bringing in new product lines and offering food deliveries\".\n\nThey also had a smaller cost base to cover during periods of little or no trade and had been able to take advantage of government support schemes.\n\n\"However, as we continue through the year with various local lockdowns and restrictions, life will not get any easier for operators,\" she added.\n\n\"These figures mark only the first phase in the impact of the pandemic on the retail economy this year, with 20% of the market still temporarily shut and with more months of difficult trading conditions ahead.\"\n\nDuring the period surveyed, there were 20,019 closures of independent shops and 18,186 openings.\n\nThat compares with 11,120 chain-store closures and 5,119 openings.\n\nPut together, that gives 31,139 closures and a net decrease of 7,834 shops.\n\nIn percentage terms, the gap between big and small retailers is even greater, since 64% of the retail and leisure market is comprised of independent businesses, according to the LDC.\n\nThat means independent businesses declined by 0.54%, compared with 2.77% for the chain units.\n\nThe LDC and PwC have been analysing the changes in the top 500 shopping locations for the past decade.\n\nThe LDC said its latest surveys covered the January-to-August period, to compensate for a short time during lockdown when its researchers were unable to work.\n\nHowever, it said that it had surveyed the same number of units as in a normal first-half period and that its figures were comparable to those of previous years.", "The clip's caption promoted a \"today only\" offer for hair-styling products\n\nA social media influencer has become the first person to be reprimanded by the UK's advertising watchdog over a TikTok post.\n\nThe ruling centred on a video published by Emily Canham that promoted products made by the hair-styling brand GHD.\n\nThe regulator said it should have featured an #ad hashtag or similar label.\n\nUntil now, the body has focused on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, as well as traditional media.\n\n\"This may be our first ruling on a TikTok post but brands, advertisers and influencers should be fully aware that the ad rules apply to them across online and in social media,\" a spokesman for the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) told the BBC.\n\n\"Our rules place an emphasis on protecting children and, where an audience/followers of an influencer or celebrity are predominantly young people, particular care has to be taken to ensure they are not misled.\"\n\nMs Canham has nearly 700,000 followers on TikTok's video-sharing platform.\n\nShe has also been profiled by several newspapers and magazines, both because of her marketing skills and her relationship with Busted band member James Bourne.\n\nIt featured a caption saying users could get a discount on GHD's goods if they entered her name as a promo code on its website.\n\nThe 23-year-old Londoner was under contract to the company at the time to post videos about it across a range of social media, including TikTok.\n\nEmily Canham has nearly 700,000 followers on TikTok and more than a million on YouTube\n\nGHD said this specific post had been created without its oversight or approval.\n\nAnd Ms Canham's agent added that the influencer had not been paid or received a commission for promoting the code in this case.\n\nEven so, the ASA said that because the clip featured the same code Ms Canham was being paid to promote at the time elsewhere and was also \"linked to the agreement\" she had signed with the firm, it should have been labelled.\n\nMs Canham has since deleted the video, but has been instructed by the ASA to ensure her future posts feature an advertising identifier \"clearly and prominently displayed\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Home Secretary Priti Patel said people will see \"more visible policing across the country\"\n\nThe UK's terrorism threat level has been upgraded from \"substantial\" to \"severe\".\n\nThe move means security chiefs believe that an attack is highly likely but there is no specific intelligence of an imminent incident.\n\nThe move follows Monday night's shooting in Vienna in which four people died.\n\nLast week, three others died in a knife attack in Nice, France, and a teacher was murdered in Paris last month.\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel said the British people should be \"alert but not alarmed\".\n\n\"This is a precautionary measure following the horrific events of the last week in France and last night in Austria and is not based on a specific threat.\"\n\nShe added that significant steps had already been taken to amend powers and strengthen the tools for dealing with developing terrorist threats.\n\n\"As I've said before, we face a real and serious threat in the UK from terrorism.\n\n\"I would ask the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police,\" she said.\n\nAssessments of threat levels are taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), part of MI5, which makes its recommendations independently from the government.\n\nThe five levels of threat set by the JTAC are:\n\nThe decision to raise the threat level back to \"severe\" has a certain sense of inevitability about it.\n\nWhile the threat level may feel vague to the public, what lies behind it is an assessment of available intelligence on known suspects targeting the UK and a wider analysis of how international events will play into their intentions.\n\nWhenever there is an attack that leads to loss of life, there are plotters who will regard that as a success to emulate.\n\nThey will be encouraged to go further themselves. That is why a string of events elsewhere - such as France and Austria at the moment - carry weight in the UK's planning and preparedness.\n\nIn public, there are likely to be subtle changes to visible policing - particularly around public locations thought to be at risk of attack.\n\nAdditional advice may be given confidentially to some organisations that could be vulnerable.\n\nAnd behind the scenes it will mean that counter-terrorism investigators will be taking a very close look at some of their highest current priorities and asking whether these individuals have been emboldened to turn talk into violence.\n\nHead of UK counter-terrorism policing Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu echoed the home secretary's comments, saying there was no intelligence to link any of the attacks in France or Austria to the UK but said his officers were working with international partners, and providing assistance.\n\nHe urged communities to \"stand together and reject those who seek to sow division and hatred between us\".\n\n\"We need communities and families to bring to our attention anyone they perceive may be vulnerable, a danger or escalating towards terrorism,\" he said.\n\nHe said the public could expect to see additional police officers deployed to certain places and locations over the coming days.\n\nPolice would also work closely with local businesses, faith groups and community groups to provide reassurance and seek their support, he added.\n\nLabour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the decision to change the threat level should not cause \"undue alarm\" but showed the importance of people continuing to be vigilant.\n\nSecurity remains high in Vienna after a gunman opened fire on people outside cafes and restaurants\n\nThe UK's terrorism threat level was raised to the highest rating, \"critical\", in the days following the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017.\n\nIt last reached that level again briefly in September that year, after a bomb partially exploded on a Tube train at Parsons Green.\n\nThe threat level remained at the second highest rating, \"severe\", until last November when it was downgraded to \"substantial\", where it has stayed until now.\n\nBBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said given events in Austria and France, it would have been \"remiss\" of the government not to raise the threat level.\n\nHe said the JTAC, which brings together analysts from across transport, health, intelligence and the military, were constantly analysing the ongoing threat to UK citizens anywhere in the world, and will have looked at what has happened in Vienna and at all the postings from al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, encouraging people to carry out attacks.\n\n\"There's a lot of anger at the moment in many parts of Muslim communities over the cartoons [of the Prophet Muhammad] and that's being exploited by extremists who are encouraging people to carry out attacks, hence the raising to severe.\"", "A quarter of John Lewis's stores are staying open later\n\nJohn Lewis, Currys PC World and toy chain the Entertainer are among retailers that are extending their opening hours to meet a surge in demand ahead of the lockdown in England.\n\nHair salons are also opening later as all non-essential retailers prepare to shut for a month from Thursday.\n\nIt comes amid reports of queues outside stores such as Primark as people rush to do last-minute shopping.\n\nGary Grant, boss of the Entertainer, said it was \"just like Christmas\".\n\nHis 173 shops are extending their hours until 7pm or 8pm from 5.30pm and expect brisk trading right up until Wednesday night.\n\n\"When the closedown announcement was made on Saturday, the penny finally dropped for people that if you take away four of the eight weeks left before Christmas, it is going to make shopping quite hard,\" he told the BBC.\n\n\"Also there is concern toy retailers won't be able to meet the massive increase in online orders because of courier constraints.\"\n\nThe Entertainer says it is opening late to meet demand\n\nAmong the retailers changing their opening hours:\n\n\"While we expect footfall to increase between now and Thursday, our extended opening hours will help ease the busy periods in store,\" said Mark Allsop, chief operating officer at Currys PC World.\n\nSince news of the second lockdown broke on Saturday, there have been queues outside shops in Birmingham, Norwich and Nottingham as people rush to make pre-lockdown purchases.\n\nLong queues were seen minutes before closing time at Ikea Tottenham\n\nShopper numbers were up 9% in the week to Saturday, said data company Springboard, although they remain far below pre-pandemic levels.\n\n\"The first national lockdown saw a rise in spending in the days prior,\" said Kyle Monk, director of insights at the British Retail Consortium.\n\n\"We now expect many people to be picking up the items they desperately need before these shops are forced to close by government.\"\n\nLong queues were seen minutes before a planned 21:00 GMT closing time at Ikea Tottenham in London on Tuesday. A member of staff told the BBC that the store would probably not close until 23:00.\n\nIt is not just retailers who are busy. Hairdresser chains such as Regis, Saks and KH Hair Salons are opening earlier and closing later as customers bring forward appointments.\n\nRegis, which owns 56 salons, said it had seen a 30% rise in bookings since Saturday.\n\nRestaurants and pubs are also reported to be seeing a surge in last-minute bookings, as hospitality businesses prepare to shut.\n\nBookings platform OpenTable said bookings on Sunday were up 11% from a year earlier, following weeks of subdued demand.", "John Sessions, Clive Anderson and Stephen Fry together for Whose Line is it Anyway?, which originated as a BBC Radio 4 series\n\nStephen Fry has led the tributes to \"lovable and loving\" actor and comedian John Sessions, who has died aged 67.\n\nSessions was best known as a panellist on 1980s and 90s improvisation TV/radio show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and for Stella Street, Spitting Image and QI.\n\nHis acting credits included TV dramas Porterhouse Blue and Victoria, and Kenneth Branagh's 1989 film of Henry V.\n\nFry described him as \"warm, vulnerable, lovable and loving as anyone can be\", with \"so, so much talent\".\n\nThe actor, comedian and author wrote on Twitter: \"He could make me laugh until I was sick and dizzy with pleasure and exhaustion.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Stephen Fry This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOther comedians also paid tribute. Ronni Ancona described him as \"a genius\", while Helen Lederer remembered him as \"such an original force of clever wit and talent\".\n\nRory Bremner said Sessions was \"just the best, he'd blow everyone away on Whose Line with his speed of thought & breadth of reference\". He added: \"A flash of brilliance just went out.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Ronni Ancona This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Helen Lederer This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Rory Bremner This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSanjeev Bhaskar said Sessions was \"always warm and fun company and amazing improv ability\", while Meera Syal remembered him being \"always the funniest and kindest man in the room\".\n\nJack Dee described him as \"a delightful, funny, generous and hugely gifted man\" and Sally Phillips said he was \"unpredictable, dangerous, adorable\".\n\nSessions appeared on the first ever episode of QI, and the team behind the panel show said: \"His incredible wit and encyclopaedic knowledge played a huge part in the show's history and everyone at QI is deeply saddened to learn of his passing.\"\n\nBroadcaster Danny Baker remembered him as \"terrific company always and a true talent\", and Michael Spicer described him as \"a character actor with such extraordinary range and so very, very funny\".\n\nHis friend Ian Hislop, Private Eye editor, said Sessions was a \"very modest man\" and would have been flattered by all the attention.\n\n\"I was delighted to see him described as a star. He probably thought he wasn't but he was. And he was quite the funniest man, in real life, that you could ever meet,\" he told the BBC.\n\nThe Ayrshire-born star died from a heart condition, his agent said.\n\nPhil Cornwell as Mick Jagger and John Sessions as Keith Richards (right) in front of their corner shop in Stella Street\n\nDuring his career, he provided voices on Spitting Image in the 1980s - the only person to both provide impressions and be featured as a puppet on the satirical show.\n\nThe programme was among the trailblazers of alternative comedy, he told BBC Radio Scotland in September. \"You really felt you were at the cutting edge of comedy,\" he said.\n\nHis impressions were also at the heart of Stella Street, a spoof soap opera about megastars like Keith Richards, Joe Pesci and Roger Moore who lived on the same suburban road, which launched in 1997.\n\nSessions recalled meeting Richards and the other members of the Rolling Stones. \"They watched the show,\" he told Radio Scotland. \"Keith said he really enjoys it and he's thinking of getting a little corner shop.\"\n\nSessions played Mr Wellbecker in the BBC's 2010 adaptation of Just William\n\nSessions was born John Marshall in Largs, Scotland, in 1953, and moved to Bedfordshire with his family when he was three.\n\nHe was accepted by Rada at the age of 26 in 1979. Eight years later, his one-man theatre show The Life of Napoleon transferred to the West End. \"He is like nobody else,\" The Times' critic wrote. \"He uses language like a poet; he can jump from the raft at Tilsit to Huck Finn on the Mississippi and make the metaphor work.\"\n\nSoon after, Sessions made his acting breakthrough on screen in Channel 4's Porterhouse Blue, before showing his surreal and cerebral comic energy on Whose Line Is It Anyway?\n\n\"When I left Rada, my plan was to try and do two careers at once - to be a comedian and an actor,\" he told The Guardian in 2014. \"For some years, I managed to juggle the two, but I never felt I joined either club.\"\n\nSessions starred in the BBC's 2010 adaptation of Gormenghast\n\nHe went on to star in a string of his own BBC TV shows, such as a self-titled solo improvisation series in the late 1980s, followed by John Sessions's Tall Tales and John Sessions's Likely Stories.\n\nBut he never quite achieved the stardom of his friends Branagh and Stephen Fry. He said he \"ran out of steam\" when he turned 40. \"As I was getting older, I wasn't getting more confident, I was getting less confident,\" he told The Guardian. \"I lost my way.\"\n\nHis other TV credits included Victoria, The Loch, Just William, Tom Jones, and Gormenghast; and he had film roles in The Good Shepherd, The Merchant of Venice and The Bounty.\n\nHis knack for impersonating politicians was put to use in dramas too - playing former prime minister Edward Heath in the 2011 film The Iron Lady; another ex-premier, Harold Wilson, in 2010's Made in Dagenham; and former chancellor Geoffrey Howe in the 2009 Thatcher biopic Margaret.\n\nHis other roles included Henry Fielding in the 1997 adaptation of the author's 1749 novel Tom Jones\n\nBut he told The Telegraph in 2013: \"I don't think I was very good at managing my career. You need to carve your own path and not just bob along.\"\n\nRecently, he had narrated a 10-part radio adaptation of children's book series The Adventures of Captain Bobo.\n\nIn a statement, his agent Alex Irwin said: \"It is with great sadness we can confirm that on Monday 2nd November, the actor John Sessions died at his home in South London. He will be hugely missed.\"\n\nPeep Show star Robert Webb, actor Chris O'Dowd, author Linda Grant and broadcasters Mariella Frostrup and Samira Ahmed were among the others paying tribute.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 5 by Robert Webb This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 6 by chris o'dowd This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 7 by Linda Grant This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 8 by Mariella Frostrup This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 9 by Samira Ahmed This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The story of the election results so far...\n\nIt's two days after the US presidential election, and a winner still eludes us. As the ballots from more than 160 million Americans continue to be counted, however, a picture is starting to come into focus.\n\nNow that Michigan and Wisconsin have been projected for Biden, the national race is boiling down to Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania.\n\nIt's 253 electoral college votes to Biden and 214 to Trump, with the White House in their grasp if they reach 270.\n\nHere's what the candidates need to happen in order to win the White House.\n\nTo put it simply, Democrat Joe Biden simply has to maintain the lead he currently holds in Arizona and Nevada (light blue states on the map). If he does that, he hits 270 electoral votes - the bare minimum needed to take the White House.\n\nIn Michigan, Biden pulled ahead of Trump in the early morning hours as mail-in ballots were counted in heavily Democratic Detroit - and by late afternoon he was projected to win the state. In neighbouring Wisconsin, the trend there has been decidedly in his favour too. Republicans are talking about a recount.\n\nBiden has maintained a steady lead in Arizona with more mail-in ballots to be counted. The margin in Nevada is just a few thousand votes, but all election-day votes - which have tilted Republican - have been counted and only mail-in ballots, which have typically favoured Democrats, are left.\n\nFor the moment, Biden seems to have the path of least resistance to the presidency.\n\nLike Biden, to retain the White House Trump has to hold on in the remaining key states where he has a lead. In his case, that's Pennsylvania and Georgia (light red on the map above). Then, the Republican has to peel away at least one of those aforementioned states where Biden is on top.\n\nNevada is very, very close. It wouldn't take much of a shift to move the state into Trump's column. If the late-arriving mail ballots - postmarked on election day but can be delivered after - turn out to be from Trump-leaning independents or Republicans, not Democrats as expected, the picture for the president could brighten considerably.\n\nArizona is another possible flip for the president. Like Nevada, there are only mail-ballots left to be tabulated. The state has a more established tradition of postal voter, however, and Arizona Democrats haven't shown the same kind of advantage in those ballots as they have in Nevada. Biden's lead in Arizona is much larger than his margin in Nevada, but there is also the possibility of bigger shifts.\n\nAs for Wisconsin, it is heading in the wrong direction for the president. While Trump may be holding out hope in this Midwest battleground, the numbers are moving away from him.\n\nTrump's route back to the White House may rely on holding his leads in Pennsylvania and Georgia, but that doesn't mean he's safe in either of those states. The ballots remaining to be counted in Georgia are from heavily Democratic counties around Atlanta.\n\nIn Pennsylvania, there are more than a million mail-in ballots left to tabulate. Even though Trump has a bigger lead in the Keystone State, the vote-counting trends that moved Biden ahead in Wisconsin and Michigan may play themselves out there, as well.\n\nIf Biden can pick off Pennsylvania, he can afford to lose both Arizona and Nevada. If the Democrat flips Georgia, he can lose one or the other (otherwise, it's an electoral college tie that goes to the House).\n\nIn other words, unlike Trump, Biden has a number of different paths to get to presidential victory. They may be less likely, but they are still very real.\n\nRegardless of the ultimate outcome, what was once a nightmare scenario is taking shape, with Biden claiming he is on a path to victory and Trump lobbing accusations of voter fraud and electoral theft without providing any evidence.\n\nIt's a recipe for acrimony and a protracted court battle, which ends with supporters on the losing side feeling angry and cheated. The Trump campaign has already announced that they will request a recount in Wisconsin.\n\nAlthough the final results aren't known, what is clear on election night is that the US continues to be a sharply divided nation. The American voters did not repudiate Trump in any meaningful way. Nor did they give him the kind of ringing endorsement that the president had hoped for.\n\nInstead, the battle lines are drawn - and the political warfare will continue no matter who prevails in this particular election.", "On election night, we put 13 Trump and 12 Biden voters in a group chat to watch the results come in.\n\nBiden voters went to sleep feeling fearful and resigned.\n\nTrump supporters went to sleep feeling victorious. They flooded the group text with pictures from crowded watch parties and exchanged Instagram handles late into the night.\n\nBut then the US woke up to the news that Biden was leading in several key battleground states and the energy in the group changed.\n\nAnd then a Biden supporter jumped in.\n\nRepublicans' lack of trust in the electoral process - echoing the claims the president had made without providing evidence - led some Democrats to leave the group chat out of frustration.\n\nThe fear that votes had suspiciously appeared for Biden overnight was further fuelled by President Trump's tweet that \"they are finding Biden votes all over the place - in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. So bad for our country!\"\n\nAn argument broke out in the chat, and we decided to call individual voters instead.\n\nThere were strong views here too - so it's worth checking out our live page for updates on legal challenges and disinformation spreading online. And we also have this fact check about voter fraud.\n\nHow did you feel waking up today?\n\nI am filled with a sense of anticipation waiting for results that may take days. I'm also annoyed that in this day and age it takes so long for votes to be counted. Writing on pieces of paper is truly an antiquated system.\n\nAre you worried the votes won't be counted?\n\nI think that not having results yet means they are counting the votes. I decided last minute to vote for Biden, a vote that will matter in Michigan, clearly. I'm glad I voted. The margin is so thin, every vote counts. I hope it goes in Biden's direction. Fingers crossed!\n\nWill you accept the results?\n\nI have always accepted the results, and that won't change. I will be disappointed, but life goes on. I will keep being involved and voting.\n\nHow did you feel waking up today?\n\nI felt that the Democrats are trying to do what they told us they were going to do, which is not to concede to Trump under any circumstances.\n\nAre you worried the votes won't be counted?\n\nAbsolutely. I think there's massive interference going on in Pennsylvania and Michigan, and it's just a matter of whether we will even be able to prove that that was happening or whether people will even care.\n\nWill you accept the result?\n\nDo I think that Biden will win legitimately? No way. But I have to accept whatever happens and that's fine. Even if Biden is president, we are currently in the middle of a culture war. It's not a political war. It's about values and philosophy. So it doesn't matter very much if it's Biden or Trump.\n\nHow did you feel waking up today?\n\nI was nervous but political strategists have literally been telling us for weeks that it could be days before this race is called. The way I see it, this race is more of a marathon.\n\nAre you worried the votes won't be counted?\n\nI'm worried a number of votes from heavily minority counties could be purged. Between Trump's continuous assaults on the Postal Service, unfounded claims of voter fraud, and the fact that early mail-in ballots are more likely to be returned when mailed by a black person in North Carolina, I'm extremely concerned.\n\nWill you accept the result?\n\nI'll accept the result though I feel there is a wealth of voter suppression tactics being used by the Trump administration. I have to admit, Trump has a lot of supporters in this country despite his lies and spreading of misinformation, which isn't surprising given how he emboldens white supremacists.\n\nHow did you feel waking up today?\n\nI felt really tired and I was surprised. I went into it thinking this was going to be a massive Biden win and it turned out Trump did rather well.\n\nAre you worried the votes won't be counted?\n\nI have a bit of scepticism about the absentee ballot process, just because I don't have a lot of faith in the Postal Service. I'm trying to refrain from falling into that trap of believing everything without any substantial evidence to back up the idea of shenanigans.\n\nWill you accept the result?\n\nOf course. That's not even a question in my mind. It may be an unhappy result that I do not want to hear or see, but I will totally accept it and get behind it. Presidents come and go, but the nation remains.\n\nHow did you feel waking up today?\n\nI felt worried waking up today despite the fact that Biden is winning. It's so sad and scary to me that so many people want four more years of division and hate and cast a vote for Trump.\n\nAre you worried the votes won't be counted?\n\nI'm not worried that the votes won't be counted. I think that's just a matter of being patient. If my candidate loses I'll give myself some time to process my feelings and then get back to organising for Democrats as soon as possible.\n\nWill you accept the result?\n\nI will accept the results but am not confident that Trump supporters will accept the result if he loses.\n\nHow did you feel waking up today?\n\nI was honestly fine until I saw what was happening in a few states.\n\nAre you worried the votes won't be counted?\n\nYes. Mail-in ballots weren't necessarily to be trusted.\n\nWill you accept the result?\n\nIf both sides have concluded their investigations, I will. You win some, you lose some, but it doesn't give an excuse for anyone to act out, become violent and show poor character. I think people should take this in a civil manner.\n\nYour Questions Answered: What questions do you have about the US election?\n\nHow does vote counting work? When will we get the final results? The US election can be confusing, especially this year. The BBC is here to help make sense of it. Please send us your questions about election day and beyond.\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.", "Speaking to his supporters in his home state of Delaware, the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said he believes he is on track for victory.\n\nThe former vice president thanked his supporters and told them to \"keep the faith\".", "Pointing the way: Viewed from space, A68a has the look of a hand with an outstretched index finger\n\nThe world's biggest iceberg, known as A68a, is bearing down on the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia.\n\nThe Antarctic ice giant is a similar size to the South Atlantic island, and there's a strong possibility the berg could now ground and anchor itself offshore of the wildlife haven.\n\nIf that happens, it poses a grave threat to local penguins and seals.\n\nThe animals' normal foraging routes could be blocked, preventing them from feeding their young properly.\n\nAnd it goes without saying that all creatures living on the seafloor would be crushed where A68a touched down - a disturbance that would take a very long time to reverse.\n\n\"Ecosystems can and will bounce back of course, but there's a danger here that if this iceberg gets stuck, it could be there for 10 years,\" said Prof Geraint Tarling from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).\n\n\"And that would make a very big difference, not just to the ecosystem of South Georgia but its economy as well,\" he told BBC News.\n\nSouth Georgia is famous for its abundant wildlife\n\nThe British Overseas Territory is something of a graveyard for Antarctica's greatest icebergs.\n\nThese tabular behemoths get drawn up from the White Continent on strong currents, only for their keels to then catch in the shallows of the continental shelf that surrounds the remote island.\n\nTime and time again, it happens. Huge ice sculptures slowly withering in sight of the land.\n\nA68a - which has the look of a hand with a pointing finger - has been riding this \"iceberg alley\" since breaking free from Antarctica in mid-2017. It's now just a few hundred km to the southwest of the BOT.\n\nRoughly the size of the English county of Somerset (4,200 sq km), the berg weighs hundreds of billions of tonnes. But its relative thinness (a submerged depth of perhaps 200m or less) means it has the potential to drift right up to South Georgia's coast before anchoring.\n\n\"A close-in iceberg has massive implications for where land-based predators might be able to forage,\" explained Prof Tarling.\n\n\"When you're talking about penguins and seals during the period that's really crucial to them - during pup- and chick-rearing - the actual distance they have to travel to find food (fish and krill) really matters. If they have to do a big detour, it means they're not going to get back to their young in time to prevent them starving to death in the interim.\"\n\nWhen the colossus A38 grounded at South Georgia in 2004, countless dead penguin chicks and seal pups were found on local beaches.\n\nWith a draft of about 200m, A68a has the potential to catch on the shallow shelf around the island\n\nThe BAS researcher is in the process of trying to organise the resources to study A68a at South Georgia, should it do its worst and ground in one of the key productive areas for wildlife and the local fishing industry.\n\nThe potential impacts are multi-faceted - and not all negative, he stresses.\n\nFor example, icebergs bring with them enormous quantities of dust that will fertilise the ocean plankton around them, and this benefit will then cascade up the food chain.\n\nAlthough satellite imagery suggests A68a is on a direct path for South Georgia, it might yet escape capture. Anything is possible, says BAS remote-sensing and mapping specialist Dr Peter Fretwell.\n\n\"The currents should take it on what looks like a strange loop around the south end of South Georgia, before then spinning it along the edge of the continental shelf and back off to the northwest. But it's very difficult to say precisely what will happen,\" he told BBC News.\n\nColleague Dr Andrew Fleming said a request was going into the European Space Agency for more satellite imagery, particularly from its pair of Sentinel-1 radar spacecraft.\n\nThese imagers work at wavelengths that allow them to see through cloud, meaning they can track the iceberg no matter what the weather conditions are like.\n\n\"A68a is spectacular,\" Dr Fleming said. \"The idea that it is still in one large piece is actually remarkable, particularly given the huge fractures you see running through it in the radar imagery. I'd fully expected it to have broken apart by now.\n\n\"If it spins around South Georgia and heads on northwards, it should start breaking up. It will very quickly get into warmer waters, and wave action especially will start killing it off.\"\n\nWhen A38 turned up in 2004, it caused immense difficulties for foraging seals and penguins\n\nJonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos", "MPs backed a four-week lockdown in England to combat coronavirus on Wednesday, before it kicked in.\n\nBoris Johnson saw off a rebellion by 34 Tory MPs opposed to the move, with the support of Labour.\n\nThe government won the vote by 516 to 39, a majority of 477.\n\nThe prime minister told MPs a second lockdown was needed to \"contain the surge\" in Covid cases - but rebels warned it would wreck businesses and lives.\n\nThe Tory rebels included former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 committee of backbenchers.\n\nIt comes as the government said a further 492 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19. This brings the UK total to 47,742.\n\nThe number of deaths reported on Wednesday is the highest daily figure since 19 May, when 500 deaths were reported.\n\nThe lockdown in England includes the closure of pubs, gyms and non-essential shops.\n\nIt will replace the three tiers of regional restrictions across England for four weeks, until 2 December, when ministers hope to return to a regional approach.\n\nDuring a three-hour debate, Conservative rebels - and several Labour MPs from the north-west of England - said England's tiered system, brought in two weeks ago, had not been given a chance.\n\nMr Johnson's predecessor as prime minister, Theresa May, said: \"The evidence is, from Liverpool, that cases are falling.\"\n\nMrs May was among 19 Conservatives to abstain, including six MPs from Scottish seats, who did not want to take part in the vote as it applied to England only.\n\nShe criticised Labour's call for a short, \"circuit breaker\" lockdown as impractical - but accused Mr Johnson of choosing data to fit his coronavirus policies.\n\nThe lockdown decision was \"to some extent based on the prediction of 4,000 deaths a day,\" said the former PM, but that figure had already been proved \"wrong\".\n\n\"For many people it looks as if the figures are chosen to support the policy, rather than the policy being based on the figures.\n\n\"We need these proper analyses. We need to know the details behind these models.\"\n\nConservative MP Philip Davies, who voted against the government, said: \"Nobody voting for this motion tonight is offering to sacrifice their own job in order to pursue this lockdown policy - of course not. They are just expecting millions of others in our country to sacrifice their jobs to pursue this policy.\n\n\"I never thought I would see the day a so-called Conservative minister would stand up and urge Parliament to further sacrifice our most basic of freedoms, collapse the economy and destroy jobs - all to pursue a failed strategy.\"\n\nThe government was never going to lose this vote but, at times, it felt as if ministers were losing the argument.\n\nThe majority of MPs are reluctantly resigned to lockdown, but critics on both sides of the House have dominated the debate.\n\nThe seniority of the sceptics highlighted the disquiet - especially amongst Boris Johnson's backbenchers.\n\nTheresa May expressed concerns, but Sir Iain Duncan Smith went for full-throated opposition - describing a \"circuit breaker\" lockdown as a \"business breaker\".\n\nAnd some Labour MPs broke ranks with their own leader's instruction to back the measures.\n\nMPs will get a subsequent vote on whatever measures will replace lockdown before 2 December.\n\nConservative MP Nusrat Ghani said she would support the government for now, but was putting ministers \"on 28 days' notice\".\n\nMany more apparently loyal MPs have their own red lines - so today's rebellion will represent only the tip of an iceberg of unease.\n\nFour DUP MPs and former Tory independent Julian Lewis also voted against the government, as did two Tory MPs who acted as tellers. No Labour MPs voted against the government, but nine of them abstained.\n\nThe Scottish National Party did not take part in the vote. In Scotland, a new five-tier restrictions system came into force on Monday. Wales is in a \"firebreak\" lockdown until 9 November, and Northern Ireland is also under tighter restrictions.\n\nMr Johnson said a second lockdown was \"not something any of us wanted to do,\" but he added: \"I am not prepared to take the risk with the lives of British people.\"\n\n\"While it pains me to call for such restrictions on lives, liberty and business I have no doubt that these restrictions represent the best and safest path for our country,\" he told MPs.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said that in ordinary times the measures taking effect on Thursday would be \"unimaginable, but these are not ordinary times\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: 'These measures will expire on 2 December'\n\nExplaining his party's decision to back the government, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer said: \"Nobody votes for the regulations today with anything other than a heavy heart, on both sides.\"\n\nHe urged the prime minister to use the four-week lockdown to come up with \"something better\" than the three tier system, as it was \"not working\".\n\nEarlier at Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir accused Mr Johnson of \"ignoring\" the advice of government scientists who called for a brief \"circuit breaker\" lockdown in September.\n\n\"Does the prime minister understand the human cost of his delay in acting?\" he asked Mr Johnson.\n\nThe PM said it was \"always right to pursue a local and a regional approach,\" adding that it was \"showing signs of working\".\n\nMr Johnson insisted the lockdown will expire automatically on 2 December and he hopes \"very much\" to \"get this country going again\" in the run up to Christmas.\n\n\"But that depends on us all doing our bit now to make sure that we get the R [rate] down.\"", "As Americans went to the polls, we put 12 Biden voters and 13 Trump voters in a group chat for a virtual watch party.\n\nThe Democrats (D), Republicans (R) and Independents (I) all agreed that this election campaign has been \"the race that never ends\". But then the results started to come in, and tensions flared.\n\nWithin minutes of the first polls closing, Indiana was called for President Donald Trump.\n\nThe text group started buzzing when Mr Trump took the lead in Florida. But not everyone shared the happiness.\n\nEyes turn to states in the upper Midwest\n\nAs the polls closed in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin - states which Mr Trump took in 2016 - the races were all too close to call.\n\nAndrew, an independent voter from Michigan who was undecided until the last minute and ultimately cast a vote for Biden, said he thought the president would lose in there.\n\nThen a \"red wave\" of projections suggested wins for Republicans across the southern US.\n\nRepublicans in the chat shared photos of their watch parties, including one voter, Eliana, who said she was at a party indoors with 500 people.\n\nThe conversation that followed a few of the networks projecting Florida for Trump sent some weary and frustrated Democrats to bed.\n\nThe two candidates then told supporters that the fight would go on into Wednesday.\n\nJust after midnight on the east coast, Joe Biden took to the stage in his home state of Delaware.\n\nAnd when the president tweeted, most folks were already asleep. But of those who were still awake, Republicans supported him and, once again, Democrats called him a liar.\n\nJim ended the night by saying what everyone else was feeling.\n\nYour Questions Answered: What questions do you have about the US election?\n\nHow does vote counting work? When will we get the final results? The US election can be confusing, especially this year. The BBC is here to help make sense of it. Please send us your questions about election day and beyond.\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.", "The guidance was issued on Wednesday afternoon\n\nPupils and teachers in all of England's secondary schools and colleges will be required to wear face masks in communal areas and corridors from Thursday.\n\nNew government guidance also says that \"clinically extremely vulnerable\" staff members should not come in to school.\n\nHead teachers said schools would need help to pay for supply teachers.\n\nThey also expressed anger that the guidance had \"landed on school leaders' desks less than 24 hours before the start of the national lockdown\".\n\nThe new guidance, issued by the Department for Education on Wednesday afternoon, says \"face coverings should be worn by adults and children aged 11 and above when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms or activity rooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained\", and the same applies to further education colleges.\n\nSchools should work to implement the guidance as soon as possible, the department said, but can have until Monday 9 November if they require additional time.\n\nUntil now, this requirement was only for schools and colleges where the local Covid-19 alert level was \"high\" or \"very high\".\n\nThe DfE also says teachers with serious underlying health issues should keep away from the premises.\n\n\"Those individuals who are clinically extremely vulnerable are advised to work from home and not to go into work,\" the guidance says.\n\n\"Staff should talk to their employers about how they will be supported, including to work from home where possible, during the period of national restrictions.\n\n\"All other staff should continue to attend work, including those living in a household with someone who is clinically extremely vulnerable.\"\n\nPaul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders' union, said the lockdown was announced four days ago and that it \"beggars belief that schools have had to wait until now to find out how it affects them\".\n\n\"Frankly, it is ridiculous that this new guidance has landed on school leaders' desks less than 24 hours before the start of the national lockdown.\n\n\"There is very little in the guidance that could not have been communicated with schools 72 hours ago.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC Health Correspondent Laura Foster explains what schools are doing to keep pupils safe\n\nMr Whiteman also expressed concern about the impact vulnerable teachers staying at home would have an schools' ability to operate.\n\n\"Given the restrictions around clinically extremely vulnerable staff, the reality is that some schools may now find it increasingly difficult to remain open to all pupils.\"\n\nGeoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the move, but said: \"It will mean that there are more staff missing from the workplace, on top of those who are self-isolating.\n\n\"It is imperative that the government reimburses schools and colleges with the cost of hiring supply cover for staff absence.\n\n\"We have received reports of schools having to spend £6,000 per week on supply cover, and this situation is going to become worse - schools and colleges cannot sustain these costs.\"\n\nMr Barton said the extension to the rule on face coverings was a \"sensible response to rising Covid levels, and will act as an extra level of protection on top of the other safety measures in schools\".\n\nHe added: \"The government's education recovery planning does need to take into account the impact of these restrictions on health and wellbeing.\"", "Former prime minister Theresa May was one of a number of MPs criticising the use of a chart in Saturday’s lockdown news conference that gave a scenario of 4,000 coronavirus deaths a day over the winter (roughly four times the figure during the worst days of the first wave).\n\n\"It looks as if the figures are chosen to support the policy rather than the policy being based on the figures,\" she told Parliament's debate on the lockdown this afternoon.\n\nThis chart, which gave a scenario of 4,000 deaths a day over winter, was shown during Saturday's briefing Image caption: This chart, which gave a scenario of 4,000 deaths a day over winter, was shown during Saturday's briefing\n\nThe curves in the chart were all produced at the start of October, just after the rapid rise in cases that followed students returning to university. These were based on models for worst-case planning that assumed no changes in policy or behaviour.\n\nBut, since then, England has introduced a three-tier system of stricter measures and the epidemic has grown more slowly than the curves assumed it would.\n\nOn the day the chart was shown, we know of 171 people dying with coronavirus, which is far below the 1,000 a day envisioned by the most pessimistic model.\n\n\"The prediction was wrong before it was even used,\" Mrs May said.", "MPs will vote later on the plan for a four-week lockdown in England.\n\nThe restrictions, which include the closure of pubs, restaurants gyms and non-essential shops, will come into force after midnight if approved.\n\nIt comes as the head of NHS England warned there are 11,000 coronavirus patients in hospital in England - up from 2,000 at the start of October.\n\nSir Simon Stevens also said the NHS would be \"geared up\" to deliver a potential vaccine before Christmas.\n\nMeanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told business leaders the lockdown, which is due to end on 2 December, will not be extended beyond that date.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme earlier, Sir Simon said there had been a \"very substantial\" increase in \"desperately sick patients in hospitals\" in October.\n\nHe said: \"So, put another way, we've got 22 hospitals' worth of coronavirus patients across England.\n\n\"And indeed, even since Saturday, when the prime minister gave his press conference, we filled another two hospitals full of severely ill coronavirus patients.\"\n\nA number of Conservative MPs have criticised the nationwide lockdown.\n\nBut Labour's support for the new measures mean they are highly likely to be approved, even if there is a rebellion from Tory backbenchers.\n\nSir Simon said the actions taken by Parliament would mean the health service should be able to avoid postponing routine operations.\n\nHe also said the NHS would be writing to GP practices this week to get them prepared to deliver a vaccine by Christmas, if one becomes available.\n\nSir Simon said: \"There are over 200 vaccines in development and we believe that we should hopefully get one or more of those available from the first part of next year.\n\n\"In anticipation of that, we're also gearing the NHS up to be ready to make a start on administering Covid vaccines before Christmas, if they become available.\"\n\nSir Simon later told a briefing the NHS's \"central expectation\" was that a vaccine would be possible by the start of next year.\n\nHe said: \"The bulk of this is likely to be the other side of Christmas, but we want to be ready in the event that those optimistic signs you've been hearing about come to pass. \"\n\nAnd he suggested that all patient-facing NHS staff would soon be given routine testing, regardless of symptoms.\n\nMeg and Matt, pictured with their daughter, got married this week after twice moving the date\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Johnson apologised to businesses for the \"nightmare\" Covid situation.\n\nIn a pre-recorded speech to the Confederation of British Industry's annual conference, the prime minister said the restrictions went \"against every free market instinct I possess\".\n\n\"And, believe me, we will end these autumn measures on 2 December when they expire,\" he added.\n\nA number of shops have been extending their opening hours ahead of the lockdown\n\nAhead of the expected new restrictions, a number of retailers and other businesses are extending their opening hours to meet a surge in demand.\n\nFrom Thursday, non-essential retailers and other businesses including hairdressers will be required to close until the lockdown is lifted.\n\nCouples have rearranged weddings ahead of the lockdown, which prevents them taking place for all except those who are seriously ill and not expected to recover.\n\nAnd updated guidance has been published for those deemed to be extremely vulnerable, including advice that people should not attend work if they cannot do it from home.\n\nThe extremely vulnerable group has been expanded to also include adults with Down's Syndrome.\n\nThe advice also says that most children originally on the shielded patient list no longer need to be because of the very low risk of them becoming sick from coronavirus, and can therefore attend school.\n\nLabour first called for a short lockdown or \"circuit-breaker\" in England last month and have criticised the government for not acting quickly or decisively enough.\n\nBBC political correspondent Iain Watson said that Labour's support will be enough to deter some Tories who have criticised the measures from rebelling, because they would see it as a \"senseless sacrifice\".\n\n\"A relatively small number, however, will still vote against their own government,\" our correspondent said.\n\nThe BBC has been told that former chief whip Mark Harper, who has openly criticised NHS Test and Trace, is expected to be among them.\n\nA very senior Tory privately described the handling of the pandemic as a farce.\n\nOthers have been pushing for an economic assessment of the lockdown to be published, and several MPs questioned the data informing the government's decisions.\n\nOn Tuesday, Prof Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, defended lockdowns, telling MPs they were the only practical option to stem the spread of Covid-19 until a vaccine and better drugs become available.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Chris Whitty says the three-tier system of restrictions has “slowed things down\".\n\nAmong the Conservative MPs to criticise the nationwide lockdown during a parliamentary debate on Tuesday was Richard Drax, who said they were \"destructive, divisive, and don't work\".\n\n\"They simply delay the inevitable - the re-emergence of the virus when lockdown ends, as has been shown,\" he said.\n\n\"Have we over-reacted? Yes, I think we have. A draconian, onerous and invasive set of rules and regulations now govern our very existence.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Commons Health Committee chairman Jeremy Hunt said it would be \"quite unforgivable\" if the UK this winter saw similar levels of Covid transmission in hospitals as experienced during the first coronavirus wave.\n\nSpeaking to Today, he called for more routine testing of NHS staff to be carried out.\n\nMore details of England's lockdown have also been revealed this week, with the publication of the legislation that will bring them into force.\n\nThe regulations specify fines starting at £100 for rule breakers, potentially rising to a maximum of £6,400 for repeat offences.\n\nChief constables of five north-west England police constabularies have signed a letter committing to greater levels of enforcement of Covid-19 coronavirus restrictions during the lockdown.\n\nThe new rules replace a tiered system of different local restrictions across England, which ministers say they want to return to after the country-wide lockdown is due to end on 2 December.\n\nThe UK recorded a further 397 coronavirus deaths and 20,018 confirmed cases on Tuesday.", "Only four whales died, all others were saved\n\nMore than 100 whales stranded on a Sri Lankan beach have been guided to the sea in an overnight rescue operation.\n\nThree pilot whales and one dolphin died of their injuries following the mass beaching near the city of Panadura, south of the capital Colombo.\n\nThe rescue was conducted by the navy, with help from environmental protection officers, police and local residents.\n\nIt's thought to be the largest stranding in Sri Lanka. It is not known why whales beach themselves.\n\nLocal villagers defied a coronavirus curfew to join the navy and coast guard and help push the small whales back into deeper water so they could swim out into the ocean.\n\n\"The people around here got together and saved most of them,\" marine biologist Dr Asha De Vos told news agency AFP.\n\n\"But some of the whales were very tired fighting to stay afloat the whole night and didn't have enough strength to go to deep sea. That is why a few died.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch as rescuers in Sri Lanka try to save beached pilot whales\n\nWhale beachings are not uncommon. Scientists say the reason is often unknown but they have a range of theories, including whales following fish to shore and becoming disorientated.\n\nHighly social mammals, pilot whales are particularly known for stranding in groups because they travel in large, close-knit communities which rely on constant communication.\n\nIn September, several hundred whales died on the coast of Tasmania in Australia in one of the country's biggest stranding on record and one of the largest in the world.", "People who live with children tend to have healthier lifestyles than those who don't\n\nLiving with children is not linked to a greater risk of severe coronavirus in adults, a study has found.\n\nIt looked at data on nine million adults under 65 between February and August, comparing the risks to those living with and without children.\n\nSharing a house with under-18s did not increase the risk of getting seriously ill or dying from Covid.\n\nA scientists who worked on the study said it showed \"no net harm in kids coming back to the house from school\".\n\nThe researchers, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the University of Oxford, found adults living with very young or primary-school-age children had no increased risk of Covid-19 infection or a related hospital admission.\n\nIn fact, they were about 25% less likely to die of Covid-19 than people living without children, which the researchers think may be linked to healthier living habits previously identified in those who care for children.\n\nPeople living with secondary-school-age children had a very small (8%) increased risk of a Covid-19 infection, but no increased risk of hospitalisation..\n\nThey were 27% less likely to die from the disease, again perhaps because they tend to be healthier than adults of the same age without children.\n\nThe study, which has not yet been published in a journal, looked at what happened between February and August and so straddled the period when schools were fully open as well as the time after 20 March when they were closed to all but a few children.\n\nIt also spanned the summer holidays, though not the reopening of schools in September.\n\nResearchers also took into account other factors such as smoking, socioeconomic deprivation, ethnicity and chronic health problems.\n\nLiam Smeeth, professor of clinical epidemiology at LSHTM who worked on the study, said: \"We know that people who live with kids are generally more healthy and have a slightly lower risk of dying of anything.\n\n\"And we see a very similar pattern for bad Covid outcomes such as hospitalisation and death. So there's no net harm in kids coming back to the house from school.\"\n\nHe added: \"Many would agree if we can keep schools open, that's really important for this generation of young people, and this study contributes one part of that equation: that there's no net harmful effect to living with children.\"\n\nDr Ben Goldacre, director of the DataLab at the University of Oxford and who also worked on the study, said the team would continue to analyse data during the second lockdown, under which many areas of society were closed but schools remained open.\n\n\"It's important we get data insights on these policy interventions as soon as we possibly can, because the story of Covid is that we are learning 'live' as it harms people around us,\" he said.\n\nDr David McAllister, a public health lecturer at the University of Glasgow who has carried out similar research, said this showed that \"sharing a household with school-aged children does not place the adults with whom they live at greater risk\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Donald Trump and Joe Biden are battling to become the 46th US president.\n\nIn Donald Trump's world, perhaps there was no greater compliment for Boris Johnson than saying he was, well, just like him. And this was how he greeted the prime minister's ascent to power.\n\nWhile both leaders enjoy casting themselves as outsiders, that caricatured comparison is far from a complete picture.\n\nBut as the world waits to find out whether the president will defy the polls and stay in the White House, or Joe Biden will get to move in, it's worth wondering for a moment who the UK government would rather hold the key.\n\nFor one senior politician with experience of dealing with Trump's White House and Boris Johnson, it's a simple equation: \"It's short term, versus long term\".\n\nThey suggest in the immediate future, it's better to have a very pro-UK ally on Pennsylvania Avenue, easing the path to a trade deal, and holding the diplomatic ties between our two countries firm, rather than being tempted to move closer to Paris or Berlin.\n\nBut in the long term, Biden's a better pick, they suggest, because the UK's standing in the world is based on its participation in institutions and alliances - the very structures they say Trump wants to \"wreck\".\n\nAnd has the president's obvious liking for the prime minister really translated into much for the UK anyway?\n\nAnother source who has been involved with handling that fabled special relationship isn't so sure, suggesting the Britain that \"Trump loves is the country of the royal family and Winston Churchill, not modern Britain\".\n\nAnd his liking for the PM and his own ties to the UK \"haven't translated to listening\" to the government's opinion.\n\nPresident Trump has spoken warmly of Boris Johnson as a \"really good man\".\n\nBut the relationship with Biden could have problems.\n\nThe same insider suggests that he thinks that Brexit is \"nuts\" and sees the UK government as a little too like Trump's for his liking.\n\nDuring the campaign, he even went on the record to make plain his opposition to the UK's controversial Internal Market Bill.\n\nJoe Biden's public image might perhaps be less aggressive, more reasonable and predictable.\n\nBut when it comes to a trade deal, a Biden White House would be dealing with the same strong commercial interests in the US - the same farmers, the same car makers, the same healthcare industry that wants to make the most of potential opportunities in the UK and defend their same interests just as strongly.\n\nAnd if there is a change of administration, one senior official told me the work of the trade deal with the US would essentially have to start again.\n\nBiden in charge, however, could bring other opportunities for the UK, particularly on climate change, when the Trump administration seems barely interested in the conversation.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. That was wild - a three-year campaign in three minutes\n\nThe UK is hosting the huge COP26 climate conference in 2021 - a willing White House could make all the difference to making that count.\n\nAnd with the UK taking charge of the G7 group through next year comes another opportunity to prove that international cooperation can work.\n\nWhitehall doesn't expect immediately to be Joe Biden's best European friend if he wins - the expectation is that he would go first to Berlin.\n\nBut there are big chances to show that the special relationship, so fretted over on this side of the pond, counts in the near future, if Biden is in charge.\n\nThe personal and political contrasts between the two US rivals are vast, as are their attitudes to the UK, particularly over the issue of Brexit.\n\nBut in practice, the gap from across the Atlantic on many issues may not be so wide after all.\n\nFor all the angst and excitement of an election, for all the profound differences between the candidates this time round, the longer-term strategic interests shared by the UK and the US are bigger than any one, or even two politicians.\n\nThe security and defence cooperation between the two countries is close and longstanding, and many miles under the radar of the wild swings of Trump's Twitter diplomacy.\n\nAnd whisper it, VERY different domestic administrations in the White House have held similar positions sometimes when it comes to foreign affairs.\n\nPresident Trump has used a megaphone to criticise Nato, as well as how much other EU countries stump up towards the alliance.\n\nBut one insider points out that Barack Obama shared that view: \"Trump shouts it. Obama whispered it,\" but essentially they agreed.\n\nHow Joe Biden might say it, if he wins, we'll have to see.\n\nFor all that the \"Britain Trump\" characterisation is a misleading tag, the chemistry between leaders does matter.\n\nA change in the White House would mean a loss of political affinity between the prime minister and the most powerful leader in the West.\n\nBut it could mean a more predictable partner for the UK, at a time of huge change. Westminster will be watching the election results carefully, along with the rest of the world.", "People gather to watch the results in Times Square, New York\n\nAmericans went to the polls on 3 November to elect the next US president.\n\nRepublican President Donald Trump is up against Democratic challenger Joe Biden.\n\nAbout 100 millions voters had cast their ballots early.\n\nBy the early hours of the morning both Mr Biden and Mr Trump told their supporters they were on course to win. The final result may take some time to emerge.\n\nDonald Trump addresses his supporters in the White House's East Room where he says he is winning and - with millions of legitimate ballots left to count - declares victory.\n\nIn the early hours Biden, accompanied by his wife Jill, speaks to supporters in Wilmington, Delaware. He says: \"We knew this was going to go long, but who knew we would go into maybe tomorrow morning, maybe even longer!\"\n\nHere are pictures from the election day and a night of results.\n\nWith a tight race in key states, the candidates need 270 electoral college votes to secure the presidency.\n\nDonald Trump, 74, is seeking to avoid becoming the first incumbent president to lose a re-election fight since George HW Bush in 1992.\n\nOn Tuesday, President Donald Trump visits his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia\n\nJoe Biden visits The Warehouse, a support organisation for teenagers, on election day in Wilmington, Delaware\n\nWith a rise in gun sales in the run-up to election day following a bitter campaign, there were fears of violence and disruption on Tuesday.\n\nBut there have been only a few reported incidents of run-ins at polling stations or in the streets.\n\nVoters cast their ballots at the Cross Insurance Center polling location in Bangor, Maine\n\nIn Chicago, a man told police that a group of people attacked his car with baseball bats near a polling station, the New York Times reports.\n\nAnd in Charlotte, North Carolina, an armed man wearing a Trump hat was arrested after he reportedly intimidated people at a rally.\n\nVoters deliver their sealed mail-in ballots in green envelopes at David Crockett Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona\n\nArtist Dababy shows off his shoes at a polling location in Charlotte, North Carolina\n\nOverall, most Americans went out to vote peacefully - and of course millions stayed home after voting early. The highest turnout in more than a century is expected.\n\nA voter fills out his ballot in Vancouver, Washington\n\nThe FBI is investigating a series of automated calls spreading misinformation.\n\nDana Nessel, the Michigan attorney-general, said she had received reports of robocalls trying to trick people into staying home on election day.\n\nA voter shows off her \"I Voted\" sticker in a polling place at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota\n\nA voter drops off her ballot in Rollinsville, Colorado\n\nA woman wears a Black Voters Matter mask while welcoming voters outside of a polling place at the Hadley Park Community Center in Nashville, Tennessee\n\nA poll worker waves a flag to get the attention of a waiting voter in San Diego, California\n\nThe Fearless Girl statue is given an \"I'm a Future Voter\" sticker outside the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan, New York City\n\nA poll worker works behind protective plexiglass at downtown Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada\n\nElection workers open ballots at the Palm Beach County Elections Office in West Palm Beach, Florida\n\nPeople watch early results on television as they gather at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House in Washington\n\nPeople watch early results come in from Pennsylvania in downtown Brooklyn, New York", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 GMT.\n\nMPs are expected to approve a second nationwide lockdown in England later. Some Conservatives will vote against the move, but Labour's support ensures it's almost certain to pass. The new restrictions will come into force just after midnight - read what you can and can't do. Political correspondent Iain Watson says backbench unease shouldn't be underestimated, and it could grow into a more significant show of force in a month's time if it appears lockdown will simply be traded for widespread regional restrictions. Here's what we don't know ahead of lockdown 2.0.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prof Chris Whitty says the three-tier system of restrictions has “slowed things down\".\n\nAdults who live with children are not at greater risk from coronavirus than those who don't, a study has found. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Oxford University looked at data on nine million adults, and found sharing a house with under-18s did not increase the risk of getting seriously ill or dying. In fact, the risk of dying was much lower - perhaps because people with children on average have healthier lifestyles. One of the research team said it showed \"no net harm in kids coming back to the house from school\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC Health Correspondent Laura Foster explains what schools are doing to keep pupils safe\n\nIndependent shops have fared better during the pandemic than chain stores, according to research by the Local Data Company (LDC) and accountancy firm PwC. They said small firms had been \"more agile\" - bringing in new products and introducing deliveries. They also have fewer overheads and have been able to take advantage of government support schemes. Despite that positivity however, taken together the two sectors saw their biggest decline in the first half of a year since the LDC's records began a decade ago.\n\nTwitter said the British conspiracy theorist had violated its rules \"regarding Covid misinformation\". Mr Icke had close to 400,000 followers. Twitter said the final straw was a tweet he posted about city-wide coronavirus testing in Liverpool. But over recent months he has made various false claims, including suggesting 5G mobile phone networks are linked to the spread of the virus, and that a Jewish group had also been involved. Facebook and YouTube took similar action against him six months ago.\n\nAs people in England head into a month of home-dwelling - joining those in Wales and Northern Ireland - BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat has been talking to young readers and listeners about what they learned from the last lockdown - and what they'll do differently this time. Leonie, who's 22, wants to \"be easier on herself\" with less pressure to \"be productive and get things done\". But Amelia, 23, plans to spend less time in her pyjamas.\n\nAmelia, Leonie and Josh have different strategies this time round\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, see how new lockdowns are changing life across Europe.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Nanaia Mahuta is the first female MP in New Zealand to have a traditional Maori tattoo\n\nA New Zealand author's book has been pulled from an online store after she criticised the foreign affairs minister's traditional Maori tattoo.\n\nOlivia Pierson had tweeted that facial tattoos on a female diplomat was \"ugly and uncivilised\".\n\nNanaia Mahuta is the first female MP in New Zealand to have a Maori facial tattoo. She was appointed as minister in a recent cabinet reshuffle.\n\nMs Pierson's tweet sparked anger and calls for her book to be pulled.\n\nIn response, prominent New Zealand online retailer Mighty Ape said it had withdrawn her book and \"would not be making it available again\".\n\nSome New Zealanders with Maori heritage wear tattoos, known as moko, to mark their genealogy and heritage.\n\nMen's moko tend to cover their entire face, while women's moko cover their chin.\n\nMs Pierson had on Monday posted a tweet linking to a story about Ms Mahuta's appointment.\n\n\"Really? The face of NZ's new Foreign Minister? Facial tattoos are not exactly a polished civilised presentation for a foreign diplomat in the 21st century,\" she said.\n\nShe later said facial tattoos \"especially on a female diplomat, is the height of ugly, uncivilised wokedom\".\n\nMany Twitter users criticised her comments as racially and culturally insensitive, pointing out that moko is part of indigenous culture.\n\nMs Pierson told New Zealand news outlet Stuff that she stood by her comments, saying facial tattoos were ugly on \"anybody, white, brown or black\".\n\nPM Jacinda Ardern had earlier described her new cabinet - which also includes the country's first openly gay minister - as \"incredibly diverse\".\n\nReaction to the new cabinet has been largely positive, with many praising the move.\n\nMs Ardern had earlier last month led her Labour Party to a landslide victory in New Zealand's general elections.\n\nFemale facial tattoos, or moko kauae, have been a part of Maori culture for centuries.\n\nThey are carved into the skin using chisels and are seen as particularly sacred, denoting a person's links with their family and cultural identity.\n\n\"Maori regard the face or the head as particularly sacred, so the carvings that go on the face or head are also particularly sacred,\" Mera Lee-Penehira, associate professor at Maori educational institution Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi earlier told the BBC.\n\nBut colonisation and the arrival of Christian missionaries, who found the tattoos distasteful, meant the tradition began dying out in the mid-19th Century.\n\nIt was only in the late 20th century that there was a resurgence in interest in moko, among both Maori men and women. Since the 2000s, moko has become increasingly seen and accepted as part of mainstream New Zealand thanks to a new generation of tattoo practitioners, according to the Museum of New Zealand.\n\nProfessor Te Kahautu Maxell of the University of Waikato says those getting moko are people \"deciding to reclaim their heritage and identity\".\n\n\"We have to protect the last bastions that we have as Maori to make us different.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nArgentina legend Diego Maradona has undergone successful brain surgery, his doctor has said.\n\nThe 1986 World Cup winner, 60, was admitted to Ipensa clinic in Buenos Aires on Monday, suffering from anaemia and dehydration.\n\nLeopoldo Luque, Maradona's personal physician, said he had \"coped well with the surgery\".\n\nHe will now remain under observation, Dr Luque said, adding that everything was \"under control\".\n\nMaradona was transferred to the Olivos Clinic in La Plata, where was operated on at 20:00 local time (23:00 GMT) by Dr Luque, who is a neurosurgeon. The procedure took about 80 minutes.\n\nHe attended the side's game against Patronato on Friday, his 60th birthday.\n\nSupporters of Gimnasia y Esgrima have been congregating outside the hospital carrying messages of support for the former Argentina forward.\n\nOnce the outcome of the surgery was announced, a group of fans outside began chanting his name, the Reuters news agency reported.\n\nHis former club Napoli, who he helped to two Serie A titles, tweeted a message of support.\n• None Maradona at 60: In search of the real Diego - Guillem Balague column", "Kris Gumbrell,, who runs 22-pub chain Brewhouse & Kitchen, says the shift is 'a tremendous result'\n\nA government U-turn allowing pubs to sell takeaway beer during the latest lockdown has been broadly welcomed by the industry, but some chains say they will still struggle to survive.\n\nKris Gumbrell, chief executive officer of 22-pub chain Brewhouse & Kitchen, said it was \"a tremendous result\".\n\n\"I think it will make a significant difference, not only for my company, but for the entire sector\", he told Radio 4's Today Programme.\n\nDuring the first lockdown, a lot of pubs served takeaway meals and drinks as another revenue stream, which was \"essential\", he said.\n\n\"What we noticed is that businesses evolve through a crisis, and also the guest evolves through a crisis as well. People miss pubs, they miss the connection, they miss the community part of what a pub actually means, so they want to support their local pub,\" he said.\n\n\"Giving a pub the opportunity to open up a new revenue stream was really critical in helping to pay those bills,\" he said.\n\nMark Newcombe says: \"Our income will be reduced to nothing.\"\n\nHowever, Mark Newcombe, head of a community-run pub called the Craufurd Arms, in Maidenhead, says his pub will still have to close for the duration.\n\nUnder the new restrictions, customers must order their drink via a website, phone or text message. Deliveries are also allowed.\n\nPre-ordered alcohol can be collected by customers as long as they do not enter the premises, the legislation says.\n\nMr Newcombe's pub stayed open when the first lockdown rules were eased because it was able to serve takeaway real ale on the spot.\n\nBut this time it will close for the second one because his pub doesn't have an app, and is \"not in the position to run a [pre-ordered] takeaway service,\" he said.\n\nTo keep its head above water, the pub will furlough staff, apply for local government grants, launch a crowdfunding campaign, and perhaps sell more shares in the venture.\n\nAs for the pub's longer-term future, he said it was \"very difficult to plan\" as he didn't know when it would be able to reopen.\n\n\"At the end of the day our income will be reduced to nothing,\" he said.\n\nBut Mr Newcombe was also concerned about the wider implications of shutting the pub on the local community, particularly on the mental health of people adjusting to a second lockdown who may use the pub for social interactions.\n\nThe new restrictions \"take away that social engagement\", he said.\n\nPlans published at the weekend originally suggested that while restaurants could sell takeaway food, takeaway alcohol was to be banned.\n\nThe industry has hailed the turnaround as a small victory but said the rules should allow venues to sell drink in the same way as an off-licence.\n\n\"Takeaway alcohol from pubs if it is pre-ordered and customers don't enter the premises is movement, but still not anywhere near enough,\" said Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association.\n\n\"Supermarkets and off-licences can still sell alcohol, so this is grossly unfair on pubs with off-licences. It remains the case that to help pubs and brewers survive, and to stop up to 7.5 million pints from being wasted, the government needs to give pubs the same ability to sell off-licence alcohol as it did in the first lockdown.\"\n\nIn the last lockdown, pubs in England had been allowed to sell takeaway pints and food, and were concerned that closure for a month would mean pouring millions of pints of ale down the drain as open kegs would go off.\n\n\"It is a welcome and helpful clarification that pubs and restaurants will be permitted to continue with off-licence sales of alcohol through delivery, as well as click and collect for pre-ordered sales,\" said Kate Nichols of lobby group UK Hospitality.\n\n\"This was a lifeline to many businesses in the first lockdown and it is good to see common sense prevail this time too - avoiding waste and providing a valuable community service - although we can see no reason why a pub could not operate as a retail outlet for pre-packaged food and drink as many did last time.\"\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"We recognise that these are extremely challenging circumstances for pubs and the hospitality industry. Public health and safety remains our number one priority and that is why pubs and other hospitality venues cannot serve alcohol on site to takeaway to prevent people from gathering outside their premises.\n\n\"However, they can sell alcohol as part of delivery services, including through click and collect, over the telephone and by other remote methods of ordering for collection, provided customers do not congregate as groups once they have picked up their order.\"", "John Lewis Partnership and Lloyds Banking Group have announced plans to cut many hundreds of jobs.\n\nJohn Lewis, which also runs Waitrose supermarkets, says it will axe up to 1,500 jobs at its head office as it makes further cost cuts.\n\nIt says the move will help it to save another £50m as it looks to make £300m in annual savings by 2022.\n\nMeanwhile, Lloyds is cutting a further 730 jobs as part of a major restructuring programme.\n\nThe proposed John Lewis Partnership cuts will be made across the two head offices in London Victoria and Bracknell, where John Lewis employs about 5,000 people.\n\nThey will come in two phases, the first of which will begin immediately. The second phase will be completed by April 2021.\n\nJohn Lewis said it would seek to find new roles for staff and, if that is not possible, will offer redundancy support and retraining funds for those with more than two years service.\n\nPartnership chairman Sharon White has set out a five-year recovery plan for the group, which like other retailers has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nIn July, the department store division said it would shut eight shops, putting 1,300 jobs at risk, and close four Waitrose stores, with the loss of 124 jobs.\n\nIn September, the group told staff they would not receive a bonus for the first time since 1953 after it dived to a £635m pre-tax loss for the six months to July, following a £470m writedown on its stores.\n\nThe cuts at Lloyds Banking Group will mainly affect staff in its group transformation and retail banking teams, and will result in no further bank closures, it said.\n\nA Lloyds Banking Group spokeswoman said: \"This morning we shared changes to some of our teams.\n\n\"These changes reflect our ongoing plans to continue to meet our customers' changing needs and make parts of our business simpler.\n\n\"The majority of colleagues briefed today will not leave until January at the earliest.\"\n\nThe Unite union said the move was \"shameful\", and that the decision was taken despite recent strong results. It called for the bank to postpone restructuring amid the rising threat of Covid-19.\n\n\"Unite cannot comprehend why Lloyds Banking Group would choose to cut 1,000 staff who have given the bank such commitment and dedication during a global pandemic,\" said Rob MacGregor, Unite national officer.\n\nLloyds posted forecast-beating quarterly profits last month after cashing in on a coronavirus-driven boom in demand for mortgages.\n\nBut in July the bank warned that lockdown was having a greater economic shock than expected.\n\nIn September, Lloyds said it planned to cut 865 jobs, mainly in its insurance, wealth and retail teams.", "You probably haven't heard of Dan Bongino, but if you are on Facebook you might have seen one of his posts. You may have even shared one.\n\nDan Bongino is ex-NYPD and Secret Service and also worked as presidential protection for two presidents - George W Bush and Barack Obama.\n\nNow a prolific right-wing commentator, in the last two months his Facebook posts have attracted more shares than those of Fox News and CNN, combined.\n\nBut he's not the only one to have an outsized influence over America's social media conversation.\n\nAs the election campaign became more intense, a very small group of personalities and social media accounts on both sides of the political divide have resonated with audiences in a way even politicians and media organisations have not.\n\nTheir rapid surge in popularity has seen such people generate more social media interactions than almost every politician and major publisher.\n\nThey have become this election's \"influencers\" - with strong but pithy opinions, picking up what they see as political contradictions and hypocrisy. Some make memes, others just inspire the meme-makers with their ironic observations.\n\n\"My life is all about owning the libs now,\" said Mr Bongino two years ago. He attacks the left and defends President Trump in a direct and aggressive style - not being part of the traditional political establishment seems to be part of his appeal.\n\nDan Bongino hosting his show (left); One of Bongino's most shared Facebook videos (right)\n\nHe is also very critical of mainstream media (although he is himself a commentator on Fox News) and a section of his website is dedicated to \"debunking liberal myths\". Some of his most successful posts have titles like \"Exposing how much of a liar Joe Biden is\" and \"Fact-checking Kamala Harris' fake Lincoln quote at the debate\". He has been criticised and fact-checked himself many times - but that hasn't stopped people sharing his posts.\n\nOne video montage of Ronald Reagan's speeches on law and order had almost as many shares as all New York Times Facebook posts in the previous month.\n\nMr Bongino has recently told The New York Times that he doesn't know what's behind this rapid increase but attributes his success to his team and Facebook's user base - older and more conservative than other social networks.\n\nConservative voices have been particularly strong on Facebook during this campaign.\n\nFranklin Graham, son of late preacher Billy Graham, is one of the most influential evangelicals in America. His Facebook posts are consistently among the most shared, whether he is praising Trump's foreign policy, urging followers to pray for the president's victory or sharing discredited theories about the origin of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nHollywood actor James Woods returned to Twitter the start of 2020 after a 10-month hiatus. Woods's account has been suspended multiple times for spreading conspiracy theories and violating the platform's rules. His blistering attacks on Democrats are often screenshotted and widely shared by pro-Trump accounts on other social platforms.\n\nOne of James Woods' most successful tweets\n\nOne progressive (the more liberal-leaning end of the Democratic Party) page is winning the meme war.\n\nOccupy Democrats, founded in 2012 by immigrant twin brothers Rafael and Omar Rivero, amasses millions of shares every month with its text heavy, highly partisan pictures. The page had more shares than Donald Trump's official account this month.\n\nWhen Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign in April, Rafael Rivero started a new page, \"Ridin' With Biden\", which quickly surged to a rapid success. The brothers run other popular accounts, including \"Impeach Trump\" and \"Fight Trump\".\n\nTwo of the most shared Occupy Democrats memes on Facebook\n\nRobert Reich, economic adviser and former US Secretary of Labor, has served in the administrations of three Democratic presidents. His tweets and memes attacking Trump and criticising economic inequality are hugely popular with left-leaning Americans on social media. Reich is arguably the biggest left-wing personality on Facebook - in October, his page had more shares than Joe Biden and Barack Obama combined.\n\nIt is well known that Facebook and Twitter have been battlegrounds for years, but Instagram hasn't always seemed like a natural place for political activism.\n\nIn 2020 this has changed as the pandemic and the protests following George Floyd's death generated a huge increase in social justice content being widely shared on Instagram.\n\n\"We don't think you should need to have a degree, or to be able to afford to get behind paywalls, in order to understand the world around you, so we try to break it down into simple, digestible round-ups,\" said Lucy Blakiston, one of the co-founders of SYSCA, a hugely popular account she runs from New Zealand.\n\nMs Blakiston and two other young women started the project in 2018, while all three were at university. Two of them now have full-time jobs, and run SYSCA on the side. Their Instagram account has grown from fewer than 100,000 followers at the start of this year to over 2 million, more than most progressive media brands. To put this into context, it took The Guardian almost four years to get its Instagram following to that level.\n\nIt is not news that in a highly polarised landscape, activism can drown out impartial information and many have warned that social media \"echo chambers\" mean people only see and share content which matches their political point of view.\n\n\"I think our US election coverage has made an impact, but among people who already think similarly to how we do,\" said Ms Blakiston.\n\n\"We are from New Zealand, a place where we are lucky enough to have a leader who we can trust to look after us in times of need,\" she added. \"We look at how things are going in America and think that everyone deserves to have a leader that they trust to look after them.\"\n\nSlideshow explainers seem to have resonated really strongly with Instagram's younger and more progressive audiences. Progressive accounts dedicated to this format, like \"So You Want To Talk About...\" now generate a number of interactions comparable to major news outlets.\n\nThis small group of influencers have clearly benefited from the divisive nature of an election campaign - many posts take advantage of schadenfreude (glee at another's misfortune), one-upmanship and function as digital calls to action.\n\nBut there are also hints that things could change - these highly liked posts featuring moments of unity show positive messages can and do break through.\n\nMoments of unity between Biden and Trump supporters.", "Lucy McHugh was found stabbed to death in woodland at Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre\n\nChances were missed to help a teenage girl in the months before she was raped and murdered by a lodger at her home, a report found.\n\nPolice and social services have both been criticised over the case of Lucy McHugh, 13, who was stabbed 27 times by Stephen Nicholson in Southampton.\n\nConcerns Lucy was being abused were not investigated, the report by Southampton Safeguarding Children Partnership said.\n\nNicholson was jailed for life last year for Lucy's murder in July 2018.\n\nDuring his trial at Winchester Crown Court, the jury heard the night before she was murdered Lucy had told Nicholson she was pregnant.\n\nStephen Nicholson began abusing Lucy when he began to stay with her family\n\nThe review said that before that, Lucy's teachers had flagged concerns she had an older boyfriend who could be sexually exploiting her.\n\nBut social workers considered the concerns had \"no foundation\" because they were given \"assurances\" by Lucy's mother.\n\nAs a result, the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (Mash) did not follow up the concerns and no information was connected with details held by police, the school or social services.\n\nBoth children's social care staff and police were aware Nicholson had a criminal history.\n\nLead reviewer Moira Murray said: \"The referrals needed to be treated as one of child protection.\n\n\"If this had happened, a strategy discussion could have been convened concerning the risk this man posed to Lucy and her family.\n\n\"This did not happen and was a missed opportunity.\"\n\nThe prosecution said Lucy McHugh was abused over the course of a year\n\nThe report added Hampshire Constabulary showed a \"lack of professional curiosity\" by not further investigating Nicholson's background when he came to their attention prior to Lucy's death, including when it became known he was tattooing under-age young people.\n\nSouthampton City Council's executive director apologised to Lucy's family for the \"council's shortcomings\", and said it had made a number of changes and was determined to keep improving its procedures.\n\nSupt Kelly Whiting, district commander for Southampton, said the constabulary had taken action to improve referrals to other agencies and it had now set up a scrutiny panel to oversee such procedures.\n\nFollowing publication of the report, an NSPCC spokesperson said it was \"clear\" that a \"young victim was let down by a series of failings in the run-up to a brutal and shocking murder\".\n\nThey added: \"A number of safeguarding opportunities were very sadly missed and it's now vitally important that all recommendations are swiftly acted on and implemented.\n\n\"Cases where a young child is murdered in these horrific circumstances are mercifully rare but we all have a duty to look out for a child's welfare.\"\n\nAlan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test, called Lucy's murder a \"tragedy for our city\".\n\n\"It's important that the recommendations set out in the report are heeded and lessons are learned for all the organisations involved,\" he said.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday evening. We'll have another update for you on Thursday morning.\n\nCare homes must provide a Covid-secure environment - such as floor-to-ceiling screens or visiting pods - to allow families to visit loved-ones during England's lockdown, the government says. But Kate Lee, chief executive at Alzheimer's Society, says the proposed \"prison-style screens\" with people speaking through phones are \"frankly ridiculous when you consider someone with advanced dementia can often be bed-bound and struggling to speak\". Meanwhile, schools have also been given updated guidance that says pupils and teachers must now wear masks in all communal areas. Head teachers expressed anger that the directive was given to them less than 24 hours before the second lockdown begins.\n\nThe NHS will not collapse during the coronavirus second wave, but lockdown is needed to stop major disruption to care, health leaders in England say. According to evidence presented by NHS England at a press briefing, hospitals could take a maximum of about 20,000 Covid-19 cases before they fill up. It says this could happen within weeks unless infection levels reduce. \"However well-prepared hospitals, the NHS, GP surgeries are, it is going to be a difficult period,\" NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens says.\n\nJohn Lewis Partnership and Lloyds Banking Group have become the latest companies to announce job cuts. John Lewis, which also runs Waitrose supermarkets, says it will axe up to 1,500 jobs at its head office as it makes further cost cuts. Lloyds is cutting a further 730 jobs as part of a major restructuring programme. Meanwhile, Marks & Spencer sank to the first loss in its 94 years as a publicly-listed company as the coronavirus crisis hit trading.\n\nWith hours to go until England's lockdown, some people have embarked on a busy day of shopping. In June, when stores reopened for the first time after the spring, we spoke to shoppers about the first thing they bought after lockdown. Today we returned to the same shopping centre - centre.mk in Milton Keynes - to see what people are stocking up on this time.\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, we take a look at some of the things you are able to do in England's lockdown this time - like meeting a friend outside or having a support \"bubble\".\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "The findings form part of Ofcom's third annual report on the BBC\n\nSatisfaction with the BBC among its most loyal audiences is showing \"signs of waning\" for the first time, broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has said.\n\nOlder and more affluent people have traditionally used and valued the broadcaster the most.\n\nBut Ofcom said: \"For the first time, satisfaction levels among audiences who typically use the BBC the most... are beginning to show signs of waning.\"\n\nThat was especially true of the over-55s, according to Ofcom.\n\n\"Older audiences in particular are starting to show signs of decreasing satisfaction,\" the watchdog's third annual report into the BBC said. But over-55s are still \"better served than other groups\", it added.\n\nThe report also said the corporation was \"still struggling\" to reach younger audiences.\n\n\"Average time spent with the BBC each week [by young audiences] now stands at just less than an hour a day,\" it found.\n\nYoung people, the report continued, tend to use BBC iPlayer \"when they know what they want to watch, rather than as a destination to browse for new content\".\n\nThe report said the BBC's \"overall reach is still very high, with almost nine in 10 adults consuming its content on a weekly basis\".\n\nYet overall audiences are \"in gradual decline\", it said, and the corporation's reach among adults has fallen by 5%, from 92% to 87%, over the past three years.\n\n\"If audiences do not consider the BBC a core part of their viewing, they may not see value in the licence fee,\" it suggested.\n\nThe Gavin and Stacey 2019 Christmas special was seen by more than 17 million viewers\n\nThe report included the BBC's coverage of Kylie Minogue's 2019 Glastonbury set and the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special among its highlights from the year.\n\nIt covered the period April 2019 to March 2020, before means testing of the TV licence for over-75s began in August.\n\nThe BBC said it welcomed Ofcom's report and its assertion that \"audiences value the BBC particularly for distinctive, high-quality, creative programmes, educational content and trusted and accurate news\".\n\nThe corporation's statement added: \"We're committed to delivering great value and meeting the challenges of a fast-changing media landscape.\"\n\nOfcom has also published its annual study of diversity in the TV and radio industry, which calls on the sector to broaden the geographic and social make-up of its workforce.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Abdalraouf Abdallah was convicted of terror offences in 2016\n\nA convicted terrorist organiser, who has refused to tell an inquiry about his contact with the Manchester Arena bomber, is to be released from jail.\n\nAbdalraouf Abdallah, 27, was jailed in 2016 after being found guilty of helping people travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group.\n\nThe Manchester Arena Inquiry heard he was in touch with bomber Salman Abedi in the months leading up to the attack.\n\nThe BBC understands he will be released on licence later this week.\n\nA source said his licence conditions would be among the strictest imposed on a released prisoner.\n\nThe Manchester Arena Inquiry, which is investigating all aspects of the attack carried out by Salman Abedi in May 2017 that killed 22 people, has heard that Abdallah is a \"witness with important evidence to give\".\n\nBut, when interviewed in prison this summer by inquiry lawyers, Abdallah refused to answer any questions in case he incriminated himself.\n\nAbdallah, who moved to the UK as a child and grew up in south Manchester, was paralysed from the waist down while fighting in the Libyan revolution of 2011.\n\nIn July 2016 he was jailed for five years and six months, having been convicted following a trial, but time spent on remand and on curfew at home means that his custodial sentence expires this week.\n\nWhen released, he will spend a further four years on licence.\n\nHis trial heard that, from his wheelchair and mainly using a mobile phone, Abdallah arranged for the movement of money and fighters to Syria.\n\nWhen Abdallah was sentenced, the judge said \"there was no evidence of indoctrinating of others\".\n\nHowever, the Arena inquiry has heard that when Abdallah had been arrested in 2014, his phone contained correspondence with Abedi about suicide, martyrdom - including the death of a senior al-Qaeda figure - and \"maidens of paradise\".\n\nThose who knew Abedi considered Abdallah to be a radicalising influence on him.\n\nAbedi visited Abdallah in prison and spoke to him on an illegally held mobile phone during the period in early 2017 when the bomb was being prepared.\n\nThe prison authorities confiscated Abdallah's phone before the attack and - when analysed - it was found to have been used to make calls and attempted calls to Abedi's number.\n\nThat a man jailed for terrorist organising via a phone was able to obtain a mobile in prison, which he used to speak to a known extremist like Abedi, is a focus for the inquiry.\n\nThe bombing after an Ariana Grande concert killed 22 people and injured hundreds more\n\nPaul Greaney QC, counsel to the public inquiry, has said the relationship between Abdallah and Abedi seemed to have been of \"some significance in the period prior to the bombing and we are determined to get to the bottom of it\".\n\nLawyers for bereaved families have said the \"failure to recognise the association between Salman Abedi and Abdalraouf Abdallah was a real missed opportunity\".\n\nLike Abdallah, the Abedi family have refused to answer questions posed by the inquiry, with eldest brother Ismail Abedi also asserting a claimed privilege against self-incrimination.\n\nIt is understood that Abdallah's licence conditions will be similar to those imposed on the hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who was released on licence two years ago.\n\nThe measures are understood to include:\n\nThere has been significant public debate over the past the year following attacks in London - at Fishmongers' Hall and Streatham - by recently released prisoners convicted of terror-related offences.\n\nAn independent review has highlighted a catalogue of failings in how offenders are managed after release, making 45 recommendations for how the system needs to improve.\n\nA Ministry of Justice statement said: \"Terrorists released on licence are supervised by the probation service, with the support of police and the security services, and subject to strict conditions including restrictions on their internet use, movements and contact with others.\n\n\"If they break those conditions they can be brought back to prison.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. People in Cardiff share their views on the relaxation of Covid-19 rules over Christmas\n\nAn agreement to relax Covid rules over Christmas is not \"an instruction to meet with other people\", Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.\n\nThree households from around the UK will be able to meet from 23 December until at least 27 December.\n\nIt follows an agreement between the UK government and ministers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.\n\nMr Drakeford said he believed people would be unwilling to stick to \"strict rules\" over the Christmas period.\n\nIt comes as Welsh ministers consider whether more restrictions will be needed in the run up to Christmas, as cases rise among the under-25s.\n\nThe first minister called for a \"common approach\" to dealing with the aftermath of Christmas - earlier he warned that relaxing rules would lead to an \"inevitable\" rise in coronavirus.\n\nWelsh Conservatives welcomed the agreement, but Plaid Cymru warned that \"hard-gotten gains\" must not be lost \"for the sake of a few days\".\n\nMr Drakeford told BBC Wales: \"If we ask people just to stick to the strict rules we have now I'm afraid lots of people will not be prepared to do that.\n\n\"So it's not a choice between relaxation or no relaxation.\n\n\"It's having a form of relaxation where there are rules that people will recognise that will allow people to enjoy Christmas, but we'll do it in a controlled way.\"\n\nThe Welsh Labour leader added: \"People will be allowed to do what the law will allow them to do, but this is not an instruction to travel, it's not an instruction to meet with other people.\n\n\"People should still use a sense of responsibility, should still ask themselves whether what they are doing is keeping themselves and other people safe.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Mark Drakeford: \"We will have a modest period of relaxation\"\n\nUnder the agreement, made at a meeting of Cobra on Tuesday afternoon:\n\nThe agreement said that \"existing, more restrictive\" rules on pubs and restaurants, and meeting in other venues will be maintained.\n\nMinisters have been considering tighter restrictions in Wales in the run up to the festive period.\n\n\"The cabinet will meet before the end of this week again,\" the first minister said. \"If we're in a position to make an announcement this week, then that's what we will do.\"\n\nHe added: \"Where does coronavirus spread? It's spread in people's homes, it spreads in hospitals and it spreads in hospitality.\n\n\"We have to think about all three of those settings and do our very best to bear down on the virus, which spreads so fast if it's given an opportunity.\"\n\nVaccines and mass testing are \"not going to come to our rescue in January\", the first minister added.\n\n\"There is still a pull through to the spring before we will see the real benefit of those things, and we are going to have to ask people to go on living with the virus, living with it sensibly, living with it in a way that limits the damage while we are bringing those new possibilities, fully on stream.\"\n\nThree households will be able to \"bubble\" for the Christmas period\n\nPlaid Cymru leader Adam Price said a \"compassionate but responsible approach\" was \"sensible\", but said the Welsh Government \"has a responsibility to ensure clear communication over the festive period, encouraging people to follow the guidelines\".\n\nWelsh Conservative Senedd leader Paul Davies welcomed the decision and said it showed \"what can be achieved when governments work together\".\n\nSimon Hart, the UK government's Welsh Secretary, said he was delighted with the agreement, but urged people \"to continue to be careful and responsible over the Christmas period to keep themselves and their families safe\".\n\nThe broad questions about Christmas have been answered, but plenty of questions remain about what happens before and after.\n\nMark Drakeford has said repeatedly that the festive relaxation will lead to more Covid cases and \"payback\" will be needed.\n\nDoes that mean a tightening of the rules in the run up to Christmas? Probably.\n\nCould they be introduced to coincide with the new regime starting in England on 2 December? That would continue the theme of a communal UK approach.\n\nAnd while talk of vaccines and mass testing have given us hope for a better 2021, how quickly can they be rolled out to the general population?\n\nWhatever the calendar says, January could still feel very 2020.", "Six women in Northern Ireland have been murdered since 2015 despite previously reporting their violent partners to the police.\n\nOne woman contacted the police eight times before she was killed, figures obtained by BBC News NI showed.\n\nThe family of one of the women said tougher legislation is needed to protect women.\n\nA new bill to strengthen NI's domestic abuse legislation is currently being considered by the assembly.\n\nPolice said they would welcome more protection in law for victims.\n\nConnie Leonard was murdered at her home in in Maguiresbridge, County Fermanagh, in 2017.\n\nHer brother Fergal said police needed to be given stronger powers to tackle domestic violence.\n\nHe told the BBC: \"There are a number of matters I feel that could have been acted on and may have saved Connie's life.\"\n\n\"The last person in the world that I thought something would have happened to is Connie.\"\n\nMs Leonard and her son Conor, who has Down's syndrome, were attacked by 55-year-old Peadar Phair, a former partner of Ms Leonard.\n\nShe had reported Phair three times before she was murdered and she had taken out a non-molestation order against him.\n\nPhair later took his own life.\n\nConnie Leonard was stabbed to death in front of her son\n\nPolice, Mr Leonard said, must \"know what their powers are and that they use these powers effectively\".\n\nThere must be \"proper monitoring and following up\" and officers must know \"what actions they are supposed to take\".\n\nThe Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), which released the figures to the BBC following a freedom of information request, said it would welcome more protection in law for victims of domestic abuse.\n\nDet Ch Insp Lindsay Fisher said: \"In terms of legislation, police are very much bound by and uphold the law.\n\n\"Therefore we are always acting within the law in terms of our response to domestic abuse matters or any other crime.\n\n\"Police would welcome any further legislation that would support victims of domestic abuse and would seek to bring offenders to justice.\"\n\nDet Ch Insp Fisher urged anyone suffering from abuse to \"reach out to police or to a family member\".\n\nShe added: \"The PSNI is here to help victims of domestic abuse and we do have enhanced support services in place.\"\n\nJustice Minister Naomi Long said the process of strengthening NI's laws is under way.\n\nShe said she was considering the introduction of Domestic Violence Protection Orders, which allow police in other parts of the UK to intervene where they believe a person to be at risk, but do not have enough evidence to bring a criminal charge.\n\nShe said: \"I have signed off last night on a consultation process on domestic abuse protection notices and orders. That will happen over the next number of weeks.\"\n\nNaomi Long said the process of strengthening NI's laws is under way\n\nSeparately, a bill to strengthen domestic abuse legislation returns to Stormont in December.\n\nIt will mean domestic abuse offences in Northern Ireland will no longer be limited to physically violent behaviour.\n\nIt will make a form of bullying, known as coercive control, an offence in Northern Ireland for the first time.\n\nConvictions for the most serious domestic abuse offences will carry a penalty of up to 14 years in jail.\n\nSonya McMullan from Woman's Aid Northern Ireland said police need \"more robust powers\" in relation to domestic abuse.\n\nHe said: \"Legislation which is in other parts of the UK is not here in Northern Ireland.\n\n\"That is just not good enough in regard to protection orders and emergency orders that would give the police more powers to remove the perpetrator and to get an order themselves.\n\n\"We need emergency barring orders and powers that takes the onus off the victim and where the police get that order with or without the victim's consent\".\n\nIf you've been affected by this story, you can find more information and support on the BBC Action Line website: http://bbc.co.uk/actionline", "Mads Mikkelsen is to replace Johnny Depp as rogue wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts series, Warner Bros have announced.\n\nDepp left the franchise earlier this month after losing a libel case over a 2018 newspaper article which called him a \"wife beater\".\n\nMikkelsen, a Danish actor, has previously starred in films including Casino Royale and Doctor Strange.\n\nThe third instalment of the series is due to be released in summer 2022.\n\nThe announcement came not long after Depp was denied permission to appeal against the High Court's ruling, which concluded that he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard.\n\nThe actor has also been ordered to make an initial payment to the publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers, of almost £630,000 for its legal fees.\n\nDepp made a brief appearance as Grindelwald in 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and reprised his role in 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.\n\nThe films also star Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law and are prequels to the eight Harry Potter films, which were based on the novels by JK Rowling.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. On the red carpet at the Fantastic Beasts 2 premiere in 2018\n\nMikkelsen, 54, also appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and played Hannibal Lecter in the TV series Hannibal.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Rhodri and Jess Garland say they are worried that their home will be flooded again if more storms hit\n\nSevere flooding followed by the Covid-19 pandemic left people in parts of the south Wales valleys deeply traumatised, a report from politicians says.\n\nIt calls on health officials to carry out an assessment of the impact and support available in Rhondda Cynon Taf.\n\nFlood warning drills and setting up a \"community flood ambassadors\" network are also recommended.\n\nIn response to the report, Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board said support for those affected was being provided.\n\nThe Welsh Government also said 25 flood alleviation schemes had taken place across the Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) area at a cost of £1.9m.\n\nThis is in addition to £1.6m in funding to the area to carry out repair works to drainage, culverts and other measures.\n\nPlaid Cymru is calling for an independent public inquiry.\n\nThe report, written by Pontypridd MP Alex Davies-Jones and member of the Senedd Mick Antoniw, calls for flood emergency drills to be carried out to check areas are protected.\n\nMr Antoniw said February saw the \"worst flooding anyone could remember\".\n\n\"As winter approaches, there is now considerable fear as to what the future holds,\" he explained.\n\n\"We're very concerned that in conjunction with the Covid experience people have had a double whammy of trauma - there really is a need now to assess the mental wellbeing of communities.\"\n\nThe report was based on meetings with agencies who responded to the flooding, as well as ministers and residents.\n\nRhodri and Jess Garland lost treasured possessions when their home flooded\n\nRhodri and Jess Garland say they are now anxious every time it rains around their home, in Egypt Street, Treforest.\n\nWith a three-year-old son and another baby on the way in March, the couple \"just want to know we're safe - how do we know it's not going to happen again, like it did in February?\".\n\nWork to renovate their ruined home has pushed the family into debt as their insurance cover did not include storm or flood damage.\n\n\"We had to replace everything - the kitchen, living room furniture - even the front door,\" Mrs Garland explained.\n\n\"There are some things we're never going to get back - our wedding certificate has mud all over it and our photos have been damaged.\"\n\nThe Garlands' home was left under water\n\nThe Garlands' house insurance did not cover them for flood damage\n\nMr Garland said they felt \"forgotten\" by the Welsh Government, and a £1,000 grant given in the aftermath of the flooding \"hasn't scratched the surface\".\n\n\"It's put a great strain on us and if it wasn't for our local community, the rugby club I play for, our work - if it wasn't for their help in cushioning the blow we would have been in a much worse financial state,\" he added.\n\n\"We do have a lot of anxiety now - how am I supposed to work when I have flood alerts coming up on my phone every time it rains?\"\n\nStreets in RCT were left under water during February's storms\n\nMr Antoniw said children and the elderly had been particularly affected, and he urged the local health board to investigate the extent to which counselling is available.\n\nThe report also recommends the Welsh Government provides a fund to help homeowners who would otherwise struggle to afford to put in their own defences such as flood gates and doors.\n\nA network of flood ambassadors should be set up in all affected communities to play \"a central role in ensuring community-readiness is maintained\" - including access to local stocks of sandbags, it said.\n\nAnd there should be a periodic flood warning drill carried out by Natural Resources Wales and the emergency services. The idea is partly to provide reassurance to residents that all procedures are working as required.\n\nStorms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge in early 2020 led to record rainfall and river flows across Wales and the most widespread flooding seen since 1979.\n\nIn Rhondda Cynon Taf alone almost 1,500 homes and businesses were affected, with people forced to leave their homes.\n\nSara Moseley, director of mental health charity Mind Cymru, said the floods had been \"terrifying\" and it was natural for people to feel afraid or anxious.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nBut she said people had had their homes and livelihoods \"wiped out\" by firstly the floods, and then the coronavirus pandemic, and the impact of the double trauma was extremely worrying.\n\nShe said the report highlighted a close link between living in challenging circumstances and mental health, and equality needed to be \"driven up\".\n\n\"What we're looking for is really strong communities where people understand what's happening, they have hope and we're investing in every aspect of life,\" she said.\n\nDr Kelechi Nnoaham, director of Public Health at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, said support was available for those affected by flooding and coronavirus, and urged people to contact their GP.\n\n\"We are aware of the potential for significant detrimental effect on public health and wellbeing of the flooding which occurred across our communities earlier this year,\" he said.\n\n\"This is potentially compounded by the challenges of Covid, and the losses being experienced in those same communities.\"\n\nPlaid Cymru's Rhondda MS Leanne Wood said the failure to support an independent public inquiry into the floods was a \"glaring omission\" from the report.\n\nA Welsh Government spokesman added: \"Our recent national Flood and Coastal Risk Management Strategy also outlines we believe property flood resilience (PFR) measures are better employed at community scale, rather than providing schemes direct to homeowners, many of whom may not choose to apply - this also ensures the right properties receive measures.\n\n\"However, we encourage all Risk Management Authorities (RMAs) to consider PFR measures where they are an appropriate option.\"", "Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said 2020 cannot be a normal Christmas\n\nPeople should limit their contact with others before Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed at Christmas, Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said.\n\nAcross the UK, three households can mix for five days from 23-27 December.\n\nHowever, Ms O'Neill said it was important to reduce Covid-19 transmission \"as low as possible\".\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster said the next two weeks \"are crucial... so that we can all have the safest and the happiest Christmas possible\".\n\nFrom midnight, Northern Ireland enters a two-week circuit breaker, with the closure of many businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors.\n\nThe deputy first minister also said a \"number of things need clarified\" around Christmas arrangements which will be the focus of the executive's meeting on Tuesday.\n\nShe said these included care home arrangements, students coming home and the definition of a household.\n\n\"There is a different in approach across all the jurisdictions in terms of, for example, what a household looks like and it's important that we define that for ourselves,\" the deputy first minister added.\n\nIn Scotland, a three household bubble should contain no more than eight people over the age of 11.\n\nArlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill gave a briefing at Stomont after the executive meeting on Thursday\n\nThe executive also announced that a Covid-19 Taskforce was being established to oversee the roll-out of the vaccine and testing programmes.\n\nThe deputy first minister said it will be chaired by a new interim head of the Civil Service and will also be responsible for public messaging to improve compliance.\n\nMrs Foster said the rate of transmission was currently believed to be \"just below 1\".\n\nShe said she commended \"all those who are re-doubling their efforts to make our high street as Covid secure as possible for their reopening on 11 December\".\n\n\"I want to pay tribute to our scientists, our academics, medics and health workers who are providing us with the pathways out of this pandemic through mass vaccination and testing programmes,\" she continued.\n\nThe broadcast press conferences from Stormont that follow executive meetings have understandably often been sombre occasions.\n\nThe news of daily deaths and increased hospital admissions bring home the reality of Covid-19.\n\nThe news that many families are suffering shows that eight months on, we are still struggling with this pandemic.\n\nWhilst this is bleak and painful, today's press conference did offer some shades of light for the future.\n\nThe news of a vaccination programme offers hope that could save lives and end talk of lockdown and restrictions.\n\nThere was also news that Northern Ireland's R value is just below one - lower than England and Wales.\n\nThe first and deputy first ministers also offered some hope to the hospitality sector who desperately want to get back into business on 11 December.\n\nConversations with the Chief Medical Officer Dr McBride and the Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Ian Young about lifting the trading restrictions are ongoing.\n\nMuch depends on how the next fortnight pans out.\n\nToday offered some glimpses of the future and for some at least there is hope on the horizon.\n\nOn Thursday, eight further deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland were reported by the Department of Health, bringing its total to 962.\n\nThe department also recorded 442 new cases of coronavirus.\n\nFive hospitals are currently operating beyond their bed capacity. They are the Causeway, Mater, Royal Victoria, Ulster and South West Acute.\n\nThere are confirmed outbreaks of Covid-19 in 139 care homes.\n\nThe UK government has said anyone travelling to or from Northern Ireland can travel on 22 and 28 December, but \"only meet with their Christmas bubble\" between 23 and 27 December.", "Defendants were paraded when the mass trial opened in August 2017\n\nA court in Turkey has given life sentences to 337 military officers and others, in one of the biggest trials linked to the 2016 coup attempt.\n\nAir force pilots and army commanders were among the nearly 500 defendants accused of trying to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.\n\nThey allegedly directed the plot from the Akinci air base near Ankara.\n\nMr Erdogan says US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen masterminded the plot, which led to mass arrests.\n\nMr Gulen has denied any involvement in the attempted coup in July 2016 that killed 251 people and injured more than 2,000. Mr Erdogan was on vacation at the time at a resort.\n\nThousands of civilians rallied in support of Mr Erdogan in a night of turmoil, confronting rogue soldiers and preventing the plotters from seizing power.\n\nThe trial began in August 2017, and the charges included seeking to kill President Erdogan and seize key state institutions. Turkey's biggest court - in Sincan near Ankara - was packed for the verdicts.\n\nSecurity was tight for the high-profile trial at the Sincan prison complex\n\nOfficers who conspired against Mr Erdogan seized aircraft at the Akinci base, taking then chief of staff Gen Hulusi Akar and some other officers hostage.\n\nFormer air force commander Akin Ozturk was jailed for life last year for his role in the plot.\n\nThe indictment states that 25 pilots in F-16s bombed targets in Ankara, including parliament, which was hit three times, as well as key security buildings. The bombing killed 68 people in Ankara and injured more than 200.\n\nTwenty-five of those in the dock were generals and 10 were civilians.\n\nMore than 10 of the military officers - including F-16 fighter pilots - and four civilians got 79 \"aggravated\" life sentences each. The \"aggravated\" sentence requires harsher prison terms than for a normal life sentence.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Alleged coup plotters outside the court near Ankara in 2017\n\nSix were put on trial in absentia, including Mr Gulen and Adil Oksuz, a theology lecturer accused of being a key co-ordinator in the coup plot.\n\nAmong those receiving \"aggravated\" life terms was businessman Kemal Batmaz, accused of assisting Adil Oksuz.\n\nThe Hizmet movement led by Mr Gulen has been branded a \"terrorist\" organisation by Mr Erdogan. He was once an ally of the president, but since the coup attempt the 79-year-old cleric has remained a fugitive in Pennsylvania and Turkey wants his extradition.\n\nMr Erdogan carried out a sweeping purge of state institutions after the plot, sacking or suspending more than 100,000 public sector employees, including teachers and judges, who were accused of links to Mr Gulen.\n\nThere have been many trials of alleged plotters and courts have issued more than 2,500 life sentences.", "The choir included sixteen trebles as laid down in King Henry VI’s statutes\n\nThe world-famous King's College carol service will be performed in an empty chapel this year.\n\nUsually, the Christmas performance - A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols - is watched by a rapt congregation and broadcast to millions.\n\nBut this year the public will be barred from the hallowed cloisters of the gothic Cambridge chapel.\n\nDean Stephen Cherry said he was \"sorry to disappoint\" choral enthusiasts hoping to attend.\n\nBut he urged them to enjoy the regular broadcast of the performance on BBC Radio 4 at 15:00 GMT on 24 December.\n\nThe college said there would be no congregation this year \"as part of the necessary precautions... to ensure that the services are safe\".\n\nInstead, it was \"looking forward to sharing the joy of its annual Christmas services with the world on radio and television\".\n\nA Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was introduced in 1918 to \"bring a more imaginative approach to worship\".\n\nKing's College, Cambridge, is illuminated by candlelight on Christmas Eve\n\nIt was first broadcast in 1928, and always opens with the carol Once In Royal David's City.\n\nThe order of service will be available to download from 18 December.\n\nA Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service on 24 December and will be repeated at 14:00 on Radio 3 on Christmas Day.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A six-year-old boy who had an aggressive form of leukaemia has switched on the Christmas lights in Worcester, the city where people raised thousands of pounds to help save him.\n\nOscar Saxelby-Lee, who lives with his family in Worcester, flew with his parents to Singapore for CAR-T therapy, after more than £700,000 was raised through crowdfunding.\n\nOlivia Saxelby, Oscar's mother, previously said that the therapy was not available to Oscar on the NHS. Any money left over from his treatment will go to the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust.\n\nMrs Saxelby said turning on the lights was a lovely way to end the year.", "Designs for the co-living development have been revealed as part of a digital consultation\n\nPlans for a 30-storey tower block in Glasgow city centre are being unveiled as part of a public consultation.\n\nDevelopers Watkin Jones Group are proposing to demolish Portcullis House on India Street at Charing Cross to make way for the new structure.\n\nThe firm plans to construct a build-to-rent and co-living development comprising 825 units, including shops, a cafe and a co-working space.\n\nIf delivered, the development could be the tallest building in Glasgow.\n\nCo-living is a community-based housing model with shared communal areas, amenities and even meals.\n\nPortcullis House was built in the 1970s and later became home to HM Revenue and Customs.\n\nFull details on the proposal go live at 09:00 via the project website.\n\nWith public consultations suspended because of the pandemic, a digital consultation event will be held between 15:00 and 20:00.\n\nAny suggestions for changes during the public consultation will be included in a report accompanying future applications.\n\nWatkin Jones Group has submitted a proposal of application notice (PAN) to Glasgow City Council, informing of their intent to submit a planning application following a consultation period of at least 12 weeks.\n\nIt purchased Portcullis House in August 2020 after the office block was put up for sale in May.\n\nThe firm said that subject to planning, the development will be completed in 2024.\n\nThe proposed tower block would be considerable taller than nearby buildings\n\nIain Smith, Group Planning Director from Watkin Jones, said: \"We're thrilled to be giving the public the chance to view our proposals for Portcullis House and provide feedback.\n\n\"BTR and co-living offer high-quality rented accommodation at competitive prices to a wide-ranging demographic. There is huge demand in Glasgow for this model which offers long-term security of tenure, combined with the flexibility of renting.\"", "A doctor in Missouri has made a video simulating what a patient dying from Covid-19 might see - in a bid to urge people to wear face masks.\n\nDr Kenneth Remy told the BBC that \"wearing a mask is not as uncomfortable as having a piece of plastic put into your airway\".\n\nHe said he felt compelled to create the video after noticing the impact of a patient's death on his team.", "People have been urged to be cautious of the risk of spreading coronavirus when rules are relaxed over Christmas.\n\nUp to three households will be allowed to stay together and form a \"Christmas bubble\" from 23 to 27 December, as agreed by all four UK nations.\n\nA scientific adviser to the government said the relaxation of rules amounted to \"throwing fuel on the Covid fire\".\n\nMeanwhile, it is expected most areas of England will be placed in the middle tier of a toughened three-tier system.\n\nDetails on what will happen when the current lockdown ends on 2 December will be announced on Thursday. The decision will be based on a number of factors including case numbers, the reproduction rate - or R number - and pressure on local NHS services.\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says a \"handful\" of areas will be in the lightest regime of limits - tier one - but most of the country is likely to be in either tier two or three.\n\nShe said London is expected to be placed in tier two.\n\nThe measures for Christmas will see travel restrictions across the four nations, and between tiers and levels, lifted to allow people to visit families in other parts of the UK.\n\nAnyone travelling to or from Northern Ireland may travel on the 22 and 28 December, but otherwise travel to and from bubbles should be done between the 23 and 27.\n\nPeople will not be able to get together with others from more than two other households, and once a bubble is formed, it must not be changed or be extended further.\n\nThe guidance says a bubble of three households would be able to stay overnight at each other's home but would not be able to visit hospitality, theatres or retail settings.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has told people to use \"personal judgement\" on whether to visit elderly relatives.\n\nIn a video message from Downing Street, the prime minister described the agreement as a \"special, time-limited dispensation\", saying: \"This year means Christmas will be different.\"\n\nMr Johnson said people must consider the risks of who to form a bubble with and whether or not to visit elderly or vulnerable relatives, adding: \"Many of us are longing to spend time with family and friends... And yet we can't afford to throw caution to the wind.\"\n\nHe added: \"'Tis the season to be jolly but 'tis also the season to be jolly careful.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. In a video filmed from isolation, the PM said people must make a \"personal judgement\" on the risks of meeting up\n\nThe prime minister has also reassured children that Father Christmas \"will be packing his sleigh and delivering presents this Christmas\".\n\nIn response to a letter from eight-year-old Monti, Mr Johnson said Father Christmas would not be a risk to children's health but that \"leaving hand sanitiser by the cookies is an excellent idea\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Boris Johnson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIt comes as the government recorded another 18,213 Covid cases in the UK. Figures also showed a further 696 people had died within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nThe number of deaths is the highest since the start of May and compares to 608 recorded on Wednesday.\n\nBBC health editor Hugh Pym says many of those who have died are likely to have picked up an infection before the current lockdown measures were put in place. He said a rise in the death toll would not be expected to continue into December because the average number of daily cases is now falling and hospital admissions are levelling off.\n\nA mid-week rise can also be down to delays in deaths being reported over the weekend.\n\nFirst Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford said the ministers agreed they had to ease the rules because people would have flouted restrictions - creating further risk - if they were told Christmas had been \"cancelled\".\n\nMinisters were shown behavioural science evidence that \"too many people simply would not have been prepared to have gone along with such an instruction\", he told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday.\n\nMr Drakeford also said a UK-wide approach to coronavirus rules after Christmas was needed.\n\nNicola Sturgeon has said guidance for people in Scotland is still being finalised and will be issued on Thursday, but that her government will not be \"encouraging\" people to meet up.\n\n\"The expectation should be that the guidance will probably look to tighten around the edges rather than further expand and that will be true with the travel window of opportunity as well - we want to limit that window, not expand it,\" the first minister said.\n\nPublished guidance for England gives further details of the rules for 23 to 27 December:\n\nProf Andrew Hayward, director of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, and a member of the government's Sage committee, told BBC Newsnight allowing families to meet up over Christmas amounted to \"throwing fuel on the Covid fire\".\n\nHe said it would \"definitely lead to increase[d] transmission and likely lead to third wave of infections with hospitals being overrun, and more unnecessary deaths.\"\n\nProf Hayward said while you cannot ban Christmas, he called for clearer messaging to families about the \"dangers\" of socialising and inter-generational mixing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How you and your family can celebrate Christmas and minimise the spread of coronavirus\n\nGavin Terry, head of policy at the Alzheimer's Society, said thousands of relatives would be in \"complete despair\" at government guidance which says only care home residents of working age should be allowed to leave their care homes to visit family, due to the increased risk of exposure to the virus.\n\n\"After eight harrowing months filled with devastation and tragic loss of life, the announcement that many care home residents will be facing Christmas alone is just heartbreaking,\" he said, calling for further testing to allow for more visits.\n\nMeanwhile, Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, called on ministers to publish evidence for its Christmas bubble rules, which would \"inflict unnecessary pain and irreversible damage on our sector\".\n\nLocal rules mean many pubs and restaurants - such as those in England's tier three or Scotland's level four - will remain closed during the festive period, irrespective of the Christmas change.\n\nHow will your Christmas plans be affected? haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The show has defended its use of \"non-invasive\" species\n\nPolice have given \"suitable advice\" to the producers of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! following complaints about the use of non-native bugs.\n\nThe TV series is taking place in north Wales instead of the Australian jungle due to Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nWelsh naturalist and BBC Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams has questioned whether a licence was gained to release bugs into the wild.\n\nThe show has defended the use of animals in its trials.\n\nA range of insects have been used on celebrities such as athlete Sir Mo Farah, TV presenter Vernon Kay and journalist Victoria Derbyshire during this year's trials.\n\nMr Williams initially raised questions over the programme's use of the creatures last week when he tweeted: \"As well as the moral issue of using wild animals for entertainment, surely there are huge ecological issues here also.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Iolo Williams This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nA spokesman for the show said all the insects used were \"non-invasive species\" which are only ever released in a \"contained area and collected immediately after filming\".\n\nHe said: \"The bugs are UK bred and are commercially purchased in the UK for birds and exotic animal feed for pets and zoo keepers in normal circumstances.\"\n\nThe spokesman added the insects were donated to local wildlife sanctuaries, trusts and zoos for feed after filming.\n\nTo release a non-native species into the wild, a licence is needed from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do you pronounce I'm A Celeb's Gwrych Castle?\n\nNRW's chief executive Clare Pillman earlier said it had not received any licence applications from ITV \"in relation to releasing non-natives as part of their production of I'm a Celebrity\".\n\nA North Wales Police statement said: \"North Wales Police and Natural Resources Wales have received information regarding the potential release of non-native species into 'non studio' areas, and we have given suitable advice to the production team regarding their set management and biosecurity.\"\n\nEarlier this month ITV defended using animals in the trials after concerns raised by the RSPCA over welfare.\n\nWales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has said it would be \"right\" for police to investigate \"if there have been some infringement\" of the rules.\n\nHe told BBC Breakfast the Welsh Government had \"worked carefully\" with the production company to make sure that all the rules were being observed and they \"would be concerned about non-native species being released\".", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nOne of the game's most gifted players, the Argentine boasted a rare combination of flair, flamboyance, vision and speed which mesmerised fans.\n\nHe also outraged supporters with his controversial 'Hand of God' goal and plunged into a mire of drug abuse and personal crises off the pitch.\n\nBorn 60 years ago in a Buenos Aires shanty town, Diego Armando Maradona escaped the poverty of his youth to become a football superstar considered by some to be even greater than Brazil's Pele.\n\nThe Argentine, who scored 259 goals in 491 matches, pipped his South American rival in a poll to determine the greatest player of the 20th Century, before Fifa changed the voting rules so both players were honoured.\n\nMaradona showed prodigious ability from a young age, leading Los Cebollitas youth team to a 136-game unbeaten streak and going on to make his international debut aged just 16 years and 120 days.\n\nShort and stocky, at just 5ft 5in, he was not your typical athlete.\n\nBut his silky skills, agility, vision, ball control, dribbling and passing more than compensated for lack of pace and occasional weight problems.\n\nHe may have been a whizz at running rings round hostile defenders but he found it harder to dodge trouble.\n\nHand of God & Goal of the Century\n\nMaradona's 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina tell only part of the story of his rollercoaster international career.\n\nHe led his country to victory at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and a place in the final four years later.\n\nIn the quarter-final of the earlier tournament, there was a foretaste of the controversy that would later engulf his life.\n\nThe match against England already had an extra friction, with the Falklands War between the two countries having taken place only four years beforehand. That on-field edge was to become even more intense.\n\nWith 51 minutes gone and the game goalless, Maradona jumped with opposing goalkeeper Peter Shilton and scored by punching the ball into the net.\n\nHe later said the goal came thanks to \"a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God\".\n\nFour minutes later, he scored what has been described as the 'goal of the century' - collecting the ball in his own half before embarking on a bewitching, mazy run that left several players trailing before he rounded Shilton to score.\n\nThe first goal was dubious; the second was a bloody miracle\n\n\"You have to say that is magnificent. There is no doubt about that goal. That was just pure football genius,\" said BBC commentator Barry Davies.\n\nEngland pulled one back but Argentina went through, with Maradona saying it was \"much more than winning a match, it was about knocking out the English\".\n\nA hero for Napoli - but drugs take hold\n\nMaradona broke the world transfer record twice - leaving Boca Juniors in his home country for Spanish side Barcelona for £3m in 1982 and joining Italian club Napoli two years later for £5m.\n\nThere were more than 80,000 fans in the Stadio San Paolo when he arrived by helicopter. A new hero.\n\nHe played the best club football of his career in Italy, feted by supporters as he inspired the side to their first league titles in 1987 and 1990 and the Uefa Cup in 1989.\n\nA party to celebrate the first triumph lasted five days with hundreds of thousands on the streets, but Maradona was suffocated by the attention and expectation.\n\n\"This is a great city but I can hardly breathe. I want to be free to walk around. I'm a lad like any other,\" he said.\n\nHe became inextricably linked to the Camorra crime syndicate, dragged down by a cocaine addiction and embroiled in a paternity suit.\n\nAfter losing 1-0 to Germany in the final of Italia 90, a positive dope test the following year triggered a 15-month ban.\n\nHe returned and arrested his slide, appearing to get his act together to play in the 1994 World Cup in the USA.\n\nBut he alarmed viewers with a maniacal full-face goal celebration into a camera and was withdrawn midway through the tournament after he was found to have taken the banned substance ephedrine.\n\n1994: Plays in fourth World Cup but is ejected after positive test 1997: Retires from playing after third positive test 1990: World Cup runner-up with Argentina. Second league title at Napoli\n\nAfter his third positive test three years later, he retired from football on his 37th birthday, but continued to be plagued by problems.\n\nMaradona was given a suspended jail sentence of two years and 10 months for an earlier incident where he shot at journalists with an air rifle.\n\nHis cocaine habit and alcoholism led to several health issues. He put on weight, rising to 128kg (20 stone) at one point, and suffered a major heart attack in 2004, which left him in intensive care.\n\nHe had gastric-bypass surgery to help stem his obesity, and sought sanctuary in Cuba while battling to overcome his drug addiction.\n\nDespite all this, Maradona was named manager of the Argentina national team in 2008 and took the side to the World Cup quarter-finals two years later before his reign ended with a 4-0 defeat by Germany in the quarter-finals.\n\nVarious managerial roles followed for a figure who continued to divide opinion, and continued to make headlines.\n\nHe needed reconstructive surgery on his lip after one of his pet shar pei dogs bit him, and publicly recognised his son Diego Armando Junior who was born from an extra-marital affair.\n\nA snapshot of his chaotic lifestyle came when he attended Argentina's match against Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.\n\nHe unveiled a banner of himself, danced with a Nigeria fan, prayed to the heavens before the game, wildly celebrated Lionel Messi's opener, fell asleep and gave a double middle finger salute after Argentina's second goal.\n\nSome reports suggested he needed medical treatment afterwards.\n\nDisgraceful, inspired, entertaining, great, over the top. Diego Maradona. A life less ordinary.", "The double-decker bus, bound for Swansea University, crashed into a railway bridge\n\nA bus driver has been charged with death by dangerous driving after a crash which killed a woman last December.\n\nJessica Jing Ren, 36, died 11 days after the bus crashed into a railway bridge on Neath Road in Swansea.\n\nEric Vice, 64, from Dunvant, Swansea, has been charged with death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.\n\nMr Vice is due to appear at Swansea Magistrates' Court on 23 December.\n\nJessica Jing Ren was a visiting academic at Swansea University from Huanghuai University in China\n\nMs Ren, a mother of one, was a visiting academic at Swansea University's accounting and finance department from Huanghuai University in China.\n\nEight people were injured in the crash, including Olympic gold medallist and 400m hurdles world record holder Kevin Young.\n\nThe crash happened at 09:40 GMT on the morning of 12 December while the bus was travelling from Swansea University's Singleton Campus to its Swansea Bay campus.\n\nThe scene inside the bus after it crashed into a railway bridge in Neath Road, Swansea\n\nAfter the crash, Ms Ren was airlifted from Swansea to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, but she died on 23 December.\n\nPaying tribute to her at the time, her family said in a statement: \"A much loved and talented academic, Jessica will be deeply missed by her family and her friends both in China and in Swansea and will leave a great void in their lives.\"", "PM: This is not continuing the lockdown\n\nLaura Kuenssberg, political editor at BBC News, asks what the point of the national lockdown was if people are now moving to tougher restrictions. Boris Johnson replies it is \"very important\" for everyone to understand that \"this is not continuing the lockdown,\" with shops, hairdressers, gyms and places of worship among the venues reopening. \"This is a very different thing,\" he adds. \"What we have to do is keep eyes on the prize. In a few months we will have a vaccine, I'm absolutely convinced of it now. \"By April things will generally be much, much better.\" He warns of relaxing too much now - taking our \"foot off the throat of the beast\" - when we are in a \"much better place\" than before the national lockdown. There are long months ahead but we are not abandoning the fight, he says. He stresses there is now option of mass testing, especially for tier-three communities \"who feel they have endured so much for so long\". Whitty is asked why more areas were not moved to tier three - and he replies that the government was keen to do enough to keep the R below one - but not to do anything unnecessary.", "Seven-year-old Emily Jones was stabbed as she played in Queen's Park, Bolton\n\nA seven-year-old girl had her throat cut in a random attack at a park on Mother's Day, a jury at Manchester Crown Court heard.\n\nEmily Jones was at Queen's Park in Bolton with her parents when she was attacked by Eltiona Skana, 30, on 22 March, the court was told.\n\nMs Skana, 30, has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but denies murder.\n\nShe appeared at court via video link from high security Rampton Hospital.\n\nMichael Brady QC, prosecuting said Emily was on a scooter and had been brought to the park by her father Mark Jones.\n\nMoments before the attack Emily spotted her mother, Sarah Barnes, who was jogging around the park wearing headphones.\n\nOblivious of the defendant she called out to her mum and scooted towards her some yards ahead of her father.\n\nEmily was grabbed by Ms Skana who \"in one movement\" cut the girl's throat and threw her to the ground, said Mr Brady.\n\nHe added: \"There had been no interaction between Emily and the defendant.\"\n\nIn a statement read to the jury, Emily's father said: \"I do not know why this happened. Emily was simply riding her scooter to her mum. I simply can't explain it.\"\n\nMs Skana, who bought the knife earlier that day, fled but was chased by Tony Canty who was walking in the park with his wife Lynsey and their baby daughter.\n\nMr Canty barged Ms Skana to the ground and detained her until police arrived.\n\nAfter her arrest, Ms Skana, originally from Albania, was assessed, telling the on-call psychiatrist \"I know I'm a paranoid schizophrenic\". She was detained under the Mental Health Act.\n\nMs Skana was moved to the high-security hospital at Rampton where she told a psychiatrist, Dr Afghan, she had been \"psychotic, hearing and seeing things\".\n\nWhile there she may have had a possible psychotic episode and another time it was reported while watching a children's TV programme she began laughing hysterically when she saw a child who looked similar to Emily, the court heard.\n\nMs Skana said she was \"perfectly normal\" before coming to the UK and claiming asylum in 2014, she told medics.\n\nThe jury was also told she showed \"indifference\" to the killing and spoke with a \"smirk\" but also showed appropriate emotional response when talking about her own family.\n\nSpeaking to a nurse at Rampton, Ms Skana said: \"Like I said, it's been three months, what do you want me to do cry all the time?\"\n\nShe later told the same nurse: \"It was premeditated, I waited in a park and picked my victim, I did what I did, then tried to run away.\"\n\nMr Brady told jurors the main issue was whether Ms Skana's paranoid schizophrenia is the reason behind the killing or her illness is simply \"a convenient excuse behind which to hide\".\n\nThe trial is scheduled for five days.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The Duchess of Sussex has revealed she had a miscarriage in July, writing in an article of feeling \"an almost unbearable grief\".\n\n\"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second,\" Meghan said in a piece for the New York Times.\n\nShe went on to describe how she watched \"my husband's heart break as he tried to hold the shattered pieces of mine\".\n\nMeghan wrote that \"loss and pain have plagued every one of us in 2020\".\n\nThe 39-year-old shared her experience to urge people to \"commit to asking others, 'are you OK?'\" over the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.\n\nA source close to the duchess confirmed to the BBC that the duchess is currently in good health and the couple wanted to talk about what happened in July, having come to appreciate how common miscarriage is.\n\nA Buckingham Palace spokesman said: \"It's a deeply personal matter we would not comment on.\"\n\nThe duchess and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, moved to California to live away from the media spotlight, after stepping back as senior royals in January.\n\nTheir first child, Archie, was born on 6 May 2019.\n\nThe duke and duchess visited southern Africa in 2019 with their son Archie\n\nThe duchess began her article by describing a \"sharp cramp\" she felt while looking after Archie.\n\n\"I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right,\" she wrote.\n\n\"Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband's hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears.\n\n\"Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we'd heal.\"\n\nMeghan made it clear from the first event that she spoke at as Harry's bride-to-be that she wanted women's voices and women's experiences to be heard more clearly.\n\nNow she has written of her loss, and her heartbreak. She has set it in the context of a year of breathtaking turbulence. And she has made a plea for tolerance and compassion.\n\nShe weaves in the struggles of so many with Covid-19, the battles over truth and lies in our divided age, the killing of black Americans by the police.\n\nAnd on an experience that so many women have lived through, she has made her grief a way of bringing miscarriage closer to the everyday conversation.\n\nThe duchess continued: \"Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few.\n\n\"In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage.\n\n\"Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.\n\n\"Some have bravely shared their stories; they have opened the door, knowing that when one person speaks truth, it gives license for all of us to do the same.\"\n\nThe duchess also referenced a TV interview in which she was asked by a journalist if she was ok, during her tour of South Africa last year.\n\nShe said she was asked the question during a time in which she was \"trying to keep a brave face in the very public eye\".\n\n\"I answered him honestly, not knowing that what I said would resonate with so many - new moms and older ones, and anyone who had, in their own way, been silently suffering,\" she said.\n\nThe duchess is the second member of the Royal Family to open up about having a miscarriage.\n\nIn 2018 the Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall spoke about suffering two miscarriages before having her second child.\n\nThe duchess's miscarriage happened at a time when she was involved in legal action against the Mail on Sunday over the publication of a letter she wrote to her father. Last month she was granted a postponement of her privacy trial until autumn next year.\n\nAn estimated one in four pregnancies ends in a miscarriage, according to the charity Tommy's.\n\nTommy's midwife Sophie King said talking about baby loss in pregnancy is \"a real taboo in society\" so \"mothers like Meghan sharing their stories is a vital step in breaking down that stigma and shame\".\n\nShe said the duchess's \"honesty and openness\" sends a \"powerful message to anyone who loses a baby: this may feel incredibly lonely, but you are not alone\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. ‘I lost eight pregnancies in nine years’\n\nClea Harmer, chief executive of stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands, said it was a \"sad reality\" there was a stigma surrounding pregnancy loss and baby death, which \"leaves many parents feeling isolated\".\n\n\"The isolation we have all felt this year has made it even more difficult for parents whose baby has died during the Covid-19 pandemic and has brought back painful emotions for all those who have lost precious loved ones,\" she said.\n\nDr Christine Ekechi, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said it was \"important\" that any stigma or shame surrounding this issue was removed.\n\n\"Sadly, early miscarriages are very common and they can be a devastating loss for parents and their families,\" she said.\n\nAnd Alice Weeden, from charity the Miscarriage Association, told the BBC: \"When somebody, particularly in the public eye, talks about it openly, it's helpful for other people to know that they are not alone.\"\n\nThere are around 250,000 miscarriages every year in the UK alone, the majority occurring within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.\n\nIt is a shockingly common experience, often dealt with privately at home or swiftly in hospitals.\n\nMany parents carry their grief silently and can feel society expects them to \"get back to normal life\" too soon.\n\nBut charities and scientists say much more needs to be done to acknowledge the longer-term effects of pregnancy loss.\n\nResearch suggests that one in six women go on to have symptoms of post-traumatic stress.\n\nFor some, nightmares and flashbacks continue for many months while anxiety and depression are also common afterwards.\n\nPartners report suffering too, with one in 12 facing similar issues.\n\nPregnancy experts in the UK say it is vital that women and partners are offered psychological support, alongside physical help, yet this kind of care is often under-resourced.\n\nOften, it is not known why miscarriages occur - whether in the first or second trimester of pregnancy, and many pregnancy losses cannot be prevented.\n\nUsually, something goes wrong with the development of the foetus in the womb.\n\nWarning signs can include bleeding and/or cramping pain in the lower tummy.\n\nPregnant women are advised to seek medical advice if they have either of these symptoms.\n\nIf you or someone you know has been affected by issues with pregnancy, the following organisations may be able to help.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nicola Sturgeon said countries would have to consider what type of society they wanted be after the Covid pandemic.\n\nNicola Sturgeon has said a second independence referendum should be held \"in the earlier part\" of the next Scottish Parliament term.\n\nThe SNP leader, who is also Scotland's first minister, said her focus was currently on guiding the country through the pandemic.\n\nBut she insisted that the UK government's current opposition to indyref2 was unsustainable.\n\nShe would not be drawn on what she might do if it consent was refused.\n\nMs Sturgeon was being interviewed by the BBC ahead of the SNP's virtual conference which opens on Saturday and concludes on Monday with her leader's speech.\n\nThe party, which has formed the Scottish government since 2007, believes that winning the next Holyrood election in May would give it a mandate to hold another referendum on independence.\n\nHowever, the UK government has repeatedly said it would not grant the consent that Ms Sturgeon has argued would be needed if any referendum was to be legal.\n\nIt argues that the referendum result in 2014 - when voters rejected independence by 55% to 45% - still stands, and points to quotes at the time from both Ms Sturgeon and her predecessor, Alex Salmond, that it was a \"once in a generation\" event.\n\nAnd Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has said there should not be another referendum for \"25 or 40 years\".\n\nSome within the SNP and wider independence movement have urged Ms Sturgeon to develop a so-called Plan B strategy for securing a referendum if the UK government does not change its stance.\n\nRecent opinion polls now suggest a majority of people in Scotland are in favour of independence\n\nThe include the prominent MP Joanna Cherry, who said on Friday that the Scottish Parliament should legislate to hold an independence referendum - even if the UK government refused agreement.\n\nShe acknowledged that a Holyrood-only referendum would almost certainly face legal challenge because the UK constitution is not devolved.\n\nBut Ms Cherry argued that there was nothing to be lost from testing this in court, if independence supporting parties win a majority of the seats at Holyrood.\n\nShe is also urging Ms Sturgeon to restart independence planning, which has been suspended during the pandemic, if there is to be a referendum anytime soon.\n\nMs Cherry and some of her allies are seeking election to the SNP's ruling body this weekend.\n\nJoanna Cherry is among those in the SNP who want Ms Sturgeon to set out a Plan B for securing a referendum\n\nIan Blackford, the SNP's leader at Westminster, said earlier this month that the referendum \"must\" be held next year - which critics argue would be all but impossible to do.\n\nMs Sturgeon appeared to distance herself from that strict timescale, saying only that: \"I think the referendum should, for a whole variety of reasons, be in the earlier part of the next parliament.\"\n\nShe added: \"I intend to say more about this before the election in our manifesto, but we are still in a global pandemic that I feel a bit more hopeful about seeing the end of than I did even just a couple of months ago.\n\n\"There's still a lot of uncertainty ahead. I'm a life-long believer and campaigner and advocate for independence, but right now I'm also the first minister of Scotland.\n\n\"My responsibility is to the health and wellbeing of the country and trying to steer it through a pandemic and I'm very focused on that.\"\n\nHowever, she said countries across the world - including Scotland - would have to decide \"what kind of society we want to be\" as they emerge from the pandemic.\n\nThe added element for Scotland, Ms Sturgeon predicted, would be questioning whether its future should be decided by \"a Westminster government that seems determined to take us in the wrong direction\" or a \"Scottish government, of whatever party in the future, that is accountable to the Scottish people\".\n\nAnd she insisted: \"If people in Scotland vote for a referendum, there will be a referendum.\n\n\"Across the Atlantic, even Trump is having to concede the outcome of a fair and free democratic election\".\n\nThe Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has said another independence referendum is \"the last thing Scotland needs\".\n\n\"Nicola Sturgeon says we should have another independence referendum 'sooner rather than later' and won't even rule one out next year,\" he said.\n\n\"The only thing to stop this and keep us focused on beating Covid and supporting our recovery after this virus is a vote for the Scottish Conservatives.\"\n\nHe called for the country to stay focused on beating Covid and supporting the recovery from the pandemic.\n\nWillie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said Scotland needed a government that was focused \"needle sharp\" on recovery from the Covid crisis.\n\nHe commented: \"Scotland has been through huge turmoil over the last nine months. We haven't even embarked on the economic recovery from the pandemic and the first minister wants to spend months or even years dividing the country over Scotland going its own way with independence.\"\n\nIt was confirmed last week that the number of deaths in Scotland which have been linked to Covid-19 had passed the 5,000 mark.\n\nStatistics released earlier in the year found that the country had seen one of the biggest rises in its death rates in Europe at the height of the pandemic - behind only England and Spain.\n\nBut a poll for BBC Scotland which was published last week suggested that people are largely supportive of Ms Sturgeon's handling of the pandemic.\n\nWhen asked what mistakes she had made during her response to the crisis, Ms Sturgeon said some of the early decisions had been based on a \"under-developed knowledge\" of the virus.\n\nThis impacted on the length of time it took it introduce regular testing in care homes - something she said she \"deeply regrets\".\n\nMs Sturgeon admitted that her relationship with predecessor Alex Salmond has broken down\n\nMs Sturgeon has been involved in a bitter war of words with her predecessor, Mr Salmond, over her government's handling of harassment allegations that were made against him.\n\nThe Scottish government paid Mr Salmond's legal fees of £500,000 after it admitted acting unlawfully during its investigation, with a Holyrood inquiry currently investigating the affair.\n\nA separate inquiry is also examining whether Ms Sturgeon may have broken the ministerial code.\n\nWhen asked whether she would resign if she was found to have broken that code, Ms Sturgeon said she would not speculate on the outcome but added that she was \"satisfied in my conduct and the decisions I took\".\n\nHowever, she admitted that her relationship with Mr Salmond had \"broken down\".\n\nShe added: \"These are deeply personal matters. Alex Salmond is somebody who I have been close to for a very long time, so there is a degree of personal pain for all sorts of people in this.\n\n\"But I'm also mindful that in talking about this, this whole thing all started off because women came forward with complaints.\n\n\"At every stage all I've tried to do is make sure that complaints that came forward, whoever they were about, could be properly investigated without fear or favour\".", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nToday's football superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo \"could not even dream\" of being admired as much as Diego Maradona was, says his former Argentina team-mate Ossie Ardiles.\n\nThree days of national mourning have begun in Argentina after Maradona died on Wednesday at the age of 60.\n\nHis body will lie in state at the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, during that time.\n\n\"To be Diego Maradona was incredibly beautiful,\" Ardiles told the BBC.\n\n\"But on the other hand, it was not easy at all. Right from a really early age, he was subject to the press all the time. He didn't have a normal childhood, he never had normal teenage years.\n\n\"Everybody wanted to be with him, everybody wanted a piece of him, so it was incredibly difficult.\"\n• None How Maradona's tormenting of England made him an Argentine deity\n\nMaradona, who played for clubs including Barcelona and Napoli, was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, scoring the famous 'Hand of God' goal against England in the quarter-finals.\n\nFormer Tottenham midfielder Ardiles, who played alongside Maradona at the 1982 World Cup, said he was \"a god\" in Argentina, in Naples and all around the world.\n\n\"He will be remembered as a genius in football,\" he added. \"You can see the extraordinary amount of interest that he generates.\n\n\"People like [Juventus and Portugal striker] Ronaldo, or people like [Barcelona and Argentina forward] Messi, they couldn't even dream of having this kind of admiration.\n\n\"That was the Maradona phenomenon - all the time.\"\n\nA post-mortem examination was due to take place on Maradona's body later on Wednesday after he died at about midday local time at his home in Tigre, near Buenos Aires.\n\nThe former Argentina attacking midfielder and manager had successful surgery on a brain blood clot earlier in November and was to be treated for alcohol dependency.\n\nA minute's silence took place before Wednesday's Champions League matches and the same will happen before all other European fixtures this week.\n\nMessi and Ronaldo were among current players to pay tribute, while Brazilian football great Pele said he hoped one day they would \"play ball together in the sky\".\n\n\"There was a banner in Argentina, one year ago, that I read that said: 'No matter what you have done with your life, Diego, it matters what you do for our lives,'\" former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola added.\n\n\"It expresses perfectly what this guy gave us. The man of joy and pleasure and his commitment for world football.\"\n\nFormer Tottenham manager and Argentina defender Mauricio Pochettino said: \"Broken with pain. Diego, you were my hero and friend. I was so fortunate to have shared football and life with you.\"\n\nThe Vatican said Pope Francis, an Argentine and a football fan, would be remembering Maradona in his prayers.\n\nIn Argentina, Wednesday's match between Sport Club Internacional and Maradona's former club Boca Juniors was postponed.\n\nFans flocked to La Bombonera, Boca Juniors' stadium in Buenos Aires, where many were in tears - despite, in the case of some, being too young to remember Maradona's playing days.\n\nThey also congregated in the San Andres neighbourhood, where Maradona lived, and to La Plata, where he most recently was manager of local club Gimnasia y Esgrima.\n\nIn the country's capital, \"gracias Diego\" replaced train information on digital metro signs, while fans sang La Mano De Dios (The Hand Of God) in city suburbs.\n\nThousands of miles away, they also gathered outside Napoli's San Paolo stadium, which was lit up in tribute to the man who scored 81 goals in 188 appearances for the Italian club.\n\nFireworks erupted in the sky as those below, clad in Maradona shirts and even Maradona face masks, chanted and wept.\n\nMaradona wasn't just a sportsman for Argentinians, he was an icon, a political player and of course, a loveable rogue. There is deep sadness as people prepare to pay their respects to their superstar footballer.\n\nBut his influence goes beyond Argentina - South Americans are proud of their footballing heritage so this news has resonated across the region.\n\nIn neighbouring Brazil, where their man Pele vied for the title of world's best footballer, Maradona's death was headline news - much of the rivalry between the two countries can be put down to the two players, such is the passion for the beautiful game here.\n\nBut rivalry was put aside with Pele paying tribute to Maradona as a dear friend.\n\n\"One day, I hope, we will have a kick about together in heaven,\" he said.\n\nA statement from Napoli said: \"Everyone is waiting for our words but what words could we possibly use for a pain such as this that we are going through?\n\n\"Now is the moment for tears. Then there will be the moment for words.\n\n\"We are in mourning. We feel like a boxer who has been knocked out. We are in shock. A devastating blow for both city and club.\"\n\nA day of mourning will take place in Naples on Thursday.\n\nThe mayor of the city, Luigi de Magistris, has called for the Stadio San Paolo be renamed in honour of Maradona.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, Paul Elliott, who played against Maradona while at Pisa, said: \"I have to say it was remarkable. There was a sublime talent that this man had, an aura, a presence, and you know when you feel a sense of energy.\n\n\"Napoli is a very poor part of the south of Italy, but their whole world was built around Maradona and Napoli.\n\n\"If you look at where the club was when he arrived, the impact of one man unequivocally was the key and the catalyst to the success that they had, and the way he just gave everybody hope.\n\n\"That was just by his remarkable, sublime talent.\"", "Campaigner Sarian Kamara says many women are still too scared to come forward\n\nIt is feared victims of female genital mutilation in England are not reporting cases because of delays and lockdown closures, charities have told the BBC.\n\nIt comes as new figures revealed 635 new cases were recorded from July-September - a fall of more than a third compared with the same period in 2019.\n\nThe Home Office and NHS England said clinics remained open - but victims have reported treatment delays.\n\nCampaigners fear the lower figures could lead to future funding cuts.\n\nFGM is illegal in the UK and it is compulsory for family doctors, hospitals and mental health trusts to report any new cases in their patients.\n\nThe practice - intentionally altering or injuring the female external genitalia for non-medical reasons - carries a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.\n\nWomen in England over the age of 18 are directed to specialist FGM clinics to receive care. In 2019, the eight clinics were given funding for two years to provide specialised FGM services in London, Bristol, Leeds and Birmingham.\n\nThe Home Office and NHS England told the BBC that the clinics have remained open during the pandemic and provide virtual consultations to keep services operating.\n\nBut women say the Covid-19 pandemic has made it harder to access services. One, who needs a physical examination, told the BBC: \"There is so much frustration. My name is on the waiting list to go and see the doctors at the clinic. But I can't [go].\"\n\nShe says she is only comfortable visiting a specialist doctor, which is why she is reliant on the clinic seeing her.\n\nAnother woman, who has been supported by anti-FGM charity the Vavengers, was due to have a procedure in March, but it was delayed until October.\n\nShe was twice sent away from hospital because the defibulation operation was not deemed essential.\n\nDuring the pandemic, the number of new women being recorded in the system has fallen to the lowest since records began in 2015 - 630 new cases in April-June and 635 in July-September.\n\nBut experts say the number of women living with FGM is far higher than the official figures suggest.\n\n\"Many are asylum seekers or refugees and are scared they are going to be picked up if they go to hospital,\" says Sarian Kamara, an anti-FGM campaigner. \"We are trying to get them out of hiding.\"\n\nCharities say they are concerned that falls during the pandemic could also affect the future of the eight specialised FGM clinics. They were established on two-year contracts, funded by NHS England and the government. But beyond 2021, they will need to be commissioned by local authorities.\n\nJanet Fyle, midwifery advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said: \"They are reporting what is reported to them - that doesn't mean we've got less women with FGM. At Imperial, 10% of pregnant woman annually have FGM. That's 600 out of 6,000 women.\"\n\nHowever, Nimco Ali, FGM advisor to the government, said the recent NHS figures are a sign of the government's success.\n\n\"The reality is almost all women have now been asked the question [if they have been victims of FGM], now we have the data, so we should move towards providing provisions for the number of women rather than hyping it up as the same issue we had 10 years ago.\"\n\nIn a statement, the Home Office said it had recently awarded funding to \"a number of charities working to support victims of so-called honour-based abuse, such as FGM, in order to address the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic\".", "The BBC has upheld complaints from two viewers about a routine by comedian Jack Whitehall, featuring a joke about being at a pop concert with a dwarf.\n\nThe offending bit, from a show broadcast in 2014, featured in a recent repeat of his Live at the Apollo set, which was shown on BBC Two.\n\nThe BBC's Executive Complaints Unit has said it will not be re-broadcast.\n\nWhitehall, 32, has since said the two are still in touch, having become university friends after the concert.\n\nThe complaints unit said: \"The ECU considered that viewers familiar with Whitehall's self-deprecating style of comedy would have understood the routine as intended primarily to show up his own inadequacies and failings, and to that extent if fell within audience expectations for stand-up comedy in a late evening slot.\n\n\"The ECU accepted, however, that there were occasions when it seemed a stereotypical view of dwarfism itself, rather than Jack Whitehall's own ineptitude, was the source of the humour, which took the routine beyond the expectations of audiences in relation to material of this kind.\"\n\nAside from his stand-up shows, Whitehall has hosted the Brit Awards on several occasions.\n\nHe is perhaps best known for starring as JP in the series Fresh Meat; and as Alfie Wickers in the Bad Education TV and film series; as well appearing alongside his real life dad Michael, in Travels with My Father.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMost of England will be in the two toughest levels of measures when the national lockdown ends next week.\n\nThe new coronavirus tier restrictions will mean 55 million people remain banned from mixing with other households indoors from 2 December.\n\nLarge parts of the Midlands, North East and North West, including Manchester, as well as Kent, are in tier three.\n\nA majority of places are in the second highest level - tier two - including London, and Liverpool city region.\n\nThe Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - where there have been no recorded cases in the past week - will be the only areas of England in the lowest level of curbs - tier one.\n\nThe system will be regularly reviewed, with the first scheduled for 16 December, so an area's tier level may change before Christmas.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson told a Downing Street press conference that the tougher rules would \"strike a balance\", adding that \"every area has the means of escape\".\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock set out the reasoning behind the tier decisions for each area in a written ministerial statement.\n\nHe told the Commons: \"Hope is on the horizon but we still have further to go. So we must all dig deep.\"\n\nMr Hancock added that people \"should see these restrictions not as a boundary to push but as a limit on what the public health advice says we can safely do in any area.\"\n\nAround 23 million people across 21 local authority areas will be in the highest level - tier three - including Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Tees Valley Combined Authority and North East Combined Authority.\n\nLancashire, Leicester, Lincolnshire, Slough, Bristol, Kent and Medway will also be in tier three.\n\nEarlier, a rush for details of the tier allocations saw the government website repeatedly crash.\n\nOn Thursday, another 498 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported in the UK, and a further 17,555 positive cases, the latest figures showed.\n\nDifferences between the new tiers include restrictions on where households can meet up:\n\nGyms and close-contact beauty services like hairdressers will be able to open in all tiers. Guidance said people in all tiers who can work from home, should continue to do so.\n\nPubs in tier two can only open to serve \"substantial meals\", while those in tier three can only operate as a takeaway or delivery service.\n\nHospitality bosses said nearly nine in 10 venues believed they \"are not viable to operate\" within tiers two and three.\n\nMake no mistake, this is only a gradual step out of lockdown.\n\nAt the start of November nearly half the country was in tier one, meaning households could mix indoors in people's homes and in pubs and restaurants as long as they kept to the rule of six.\n\nNow that is only possible in Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and Isles of Scilly.\n\nInfection rates are showing early signs of coming down, but the government is erring on the side of caution.\n\nResearch suggests they were too slow to put areas in higher tiers before lockdown.\n\nThey do not want to make that mistake again - and so are starting off high in the hope they can move areas down the tiers.\n\nBut it is not only about which area is in which tier.\n\nThe top two tiers have been beefed up, particularly in regards to hospitality.\n\nOne ray of hope, the government says, is the experience of Liverpool.\n\nBefore lockdown it was in tier three and seeing among the highest infection rates in the country.\n\nToday it has now been put in tier two with infection levels pretty close to the national average.\n\nBBC analysis showed 713,573 people live in the new tier one areas, 32.2 million in tier two, and 23.3 million in tier three.\n\nThis is compared to 23.5 million in tier one pre-lockdown, 24 million in tier two, and 8.7 million in tier three.\n\nThe new tier restrictions will be voted on by MPs next week, with the government already facing opposition from its own backbenchers.\n\nLeading Conservative MP Sir Graham Brady told BBC Radio 4's World at One he would vote against the measures, saying: \"I do think that the policies have been far too authoritarian.\"\n\nAnd former Brexit minister Steve Baker, deputy chairman of the recently-formed Covid Recovery Group (CRG), called for the government to publish analysis - ahead of the vote - of the impact restrictions were likely to have on controlling Covid, as well as the non-Covid health impact and the effect on \"society, people's livelihoods and businesses\".\n\nHe said he was \"open\" to supporting measures \"where it can clearly be demonstrated that the government intervention will save more lives than it costs\".\n\nMeanwhile, there was a mixed reaction from regional leaders following the announcement of tier allocations.\n\nMPs and businesses in Cornwall expressed \"huge relief\" at being one of only three areas in England to be placed in tier one.\n\nMayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said the city region's move from tier three to tier two was the result of \"hard work, dedication and sacrifice\".\n\nHe said: \"We embraced tier three restrictions and worked fast to deliver the testing pilot, bringing in the Army to help us deliver an efficient service.\"\n\nAnd Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the decision to place the capital in the second highest level - tier two - was the result of people's \"monumental sacrifice\" and would be a \"welcome boost\" for businesses.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Bar chain owner Martin Greenhow: ''This is pure and simple business torture\"\n\nBut there was anger among politicians in Lancashire that the whole county had been placed into the highest tier of restrictions, after council leaders asked for it to be split into different tiers to reflect varying rates.\n\nElsewhere, Leicester MPs and businesses said the city's tier three restrictions were \"extremely difficult to hear\" following 150 days of lockdown.\n\nAnd Greater Manchester's mayor, Andy Burnham, said he hoped the region would be moved down from tier three in a couple of weeks.\n\nDecisions on tiers are based on public health recommendations informed by a series of public health data, including Covid-19 cases among the over-60s, positivity rates, pressure on the NHS and how quickly cases are rising or falling.\n\nAreas placed in tier three will be eligible for rapid or \"lateral flow\" tests - which give results in about 20 minutes without the need for a lab - to help bring down infections and reduce restrictions.\n\nAnd they will be offered support by NHS Test and Trace and the armed forces to deliver a six-week rapid community testing programme.\n\nDevolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have the power to set their own coronavirus regulations, though all four UK nations have agreed a joint plan for Christmas.\n\nEarlier, data from the Office for National Statistics showed coronavirus infection rates in England were continuing to show signs of levelling off.\n\nAre you a business owner? How will your business be affected by the latest rules? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Union leaders have reacted with fury after Chancellor Rishi Sunak imposed a pay freeze on at least 1.3 million public sector workers.\n\nThe GMB union said it had fought a public sector pay cap before \"and we busted it\", while the civil service and rail unions warned of strike action.\n\nFrontline NHS staff and lower paid workers will get pay rises, Mr Sunak said in Wednesday's Spending Review.\n\nBut Mr Sunak said rises for others in the public sector were being \"paused.\"\n\nThis includes civil servants, teachers, police, firefighters, the armed forces, and council staff\n\nRehana Azam, national officer of the GMB union, said the freeze \"will hit key workers who have risked everything during the pandemic\".\n\n\"This attempt to divide and rule will put him on a direct collision course with public service workers, and he should know that we fought the public sector pay cap before and we busted it,\" she said.\n\n\"GMB will not accept more pay cuts for our members at a time when the whole country is relying on them.\n\nMark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said: \"Civil servants and other public sector staff will feel a deep sense of betrayal at today's pay freeze.\n\n\"Despite keeping the country running during the Covid crisis, supplying Universal Credit and helping businesses access the furlough scheme, the chancellor has justified a pay freeze by pointing to lower wages in the private sector.\"\n\nHe said the news \"has intensified long-standing anger at a decade of pay restraint and increased the likelihood of industrial unrest in the public sector.\"\n\nMick Cash, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), also warned that members will \"have no hesitation in taking strike action\", while Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: \"This is austerity, plain and simple.\"\n\nRishi Sunak said he was targeting resources at those who needed it most\n\nOther union leaders also lined up to condemn the freeze, including Unite, Prospect, and the Fire Brigades Union.\n\nThe Treasury has estimated that the pay announcement will directly affect 1.3 million workers, less than 25% of the total number of 5.5 million in the public sector.\n\nHowever, that figure mainly covers people working for central government. The total rise could be much higher if local government and devolved pay agreements are frozen.\n\nIn his Spending Review, Mr Sunak highlighted a disparity between public sector and private sector wages, adding he \"cannot justify a significant, across-the-board\" pay increase for all public sector workers in the circumstances.\n\n\"Instead, we are targeting our resources at those who need it most,\" he said.\n\nHe said 2.1 million public sector workers earning below the median wage of £24,000 were \"guaranteed a pay rise of at least £250\".\n\nMore than a million NHS workers will also get a raise, he said.\n\nMeanwhile, the National Living Wage will increase by 2.2% - or 19p - to £8.91 an hour, with the rate extended to 23 and 24 year olds for the first time.", "Paul Farrell is alleged to have targeted victims between 1985 and 2018\n\nAn ex-porter at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children has been accused of nearly 80 sex offences.\n\nPaul Farrell, 55, is alleged to have targeted seven victims between 1985 and 2018, the Met Police said.\n\nThe 79 charges against Mr Farrell, of Camden, north London, include rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault of a child under 13.\n\nHe was remanded in custody and is due before Wood Green Magistrates' Court later, the Met said.\n\nNews of the charges against Mr Farrell emerged when the hospital issued a statement on Wednesday \"regarding media stories about a former member of staff\".\n\nPolice said he was originally arrested on 16 January and made an appearance at Highbury Magistrates' Court after being charged.\n\nAn ongoing investigation is being led by officers from the Met's Central North Command Unit safeguarding team.\n\nIn its statement, the hospital said: \"These are truly awful charges and we know that our hospital community, including our patient families, will have concerns or questions.\n\n\"Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, we cannot go into the details of the case, but we can confirm that the individual who has been charged was dismissed from the trust and we are continuing to work closely with the police.\n\n\"Safeguarding children is fundamental to the care we provide and our policies are in line with national best practice.\n\n\"If patients, their families or colleagues raise concerns about staff there is a clear and swift process to manage these concerns when they are raised. This includes involving the police where needed.\"\n\nCorrection 27 November 2020: An earlier version of this story stated Paul Farrell faced 84 charges. We have since been informed by the Crown Prosecution Service he faces 79 charges. We have changed the story to reflect this updated figure.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Johnny Depp has been refused permission to appeal against a High Court ruling which concluded that he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard.\n\nThe Pirates Of The Caribbean actor sued the publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers (NGN), for libel over a 2018 article labelling him a \"wife beater\".\n\nThe judge who dismissed Mr Depp's claim this month said an appeal did not have a \"reasonable prospect of success\".\n\nBut he gave him until 7 December to apply directly to the Court of Appeal.\n\nMr Justice Nicol's ruling on the application to overturn his judgement came last week - and was made public on Wednesday.\n\nHe also ordered the actor to make an initial payment to NGN of almost £630,000 for its legal fees.\n\nMr Depp and Ms Heard both gave evidence during the 16-day case at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in July.\n\nThe allegations spanned the period between 2013 and 2016, when the couple's relationship ended.\n\nMr Depp, 57, denied the claims and his lawyer called the judge's ruling \"perverse\" and announced the actor intended to appeal.\n\nAmber Heard and Johnny Depp split up in 2016\n\nMr Depp sued the Sun after a column by its executive editor Dan Wootton referred to \"overwhelming evidence\" that the actor attacked Ms Heard, 34, during their relationship.\n\nMr Justice Nicol ruled the newspaper had proved what was in the article to be \"substantially true\". He found that 12 of the 14 alleged incidents outlined had occurred.\n\nThe judge highlighted three incidents where he said Mr Depp had put Ms Heard in \"fear for her life\".\n\nIn one of those incidents, in Australia in 2015, Mr Depp was allegedly physically and verbally abusive towards her while drinking heavily and taking drugs. Mr Depp accused Ms Heard of severing his finger, but the judge said he did not accept Ms Heard was responsible.\n\nThe judge rejected a \"recurring theme\" in Mr Depp's evidence \"that Ms Heard had constructed a hoax and that she had done this as an 'insurance policy',\" and that she was a \"gold-digger\".\n\nIn the April 2018 column, the Sun asked how author JK Rowling could be \"genuinely happy\" that Mr Depp had been cast in the latest film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise she had written, amid allegations made by Ms Heard.\n\nAfter losing the case, Mr Depp said he had left the franchise, adding he had been \"asked to resign\" from his role as Gellert Grindelwald and had \"respected that and agreed to that request\".", "Britain's major pub groups and brewers have pleaded with Prime Minister Boris Johnson to save an industry facing the \"darkest of moments\".\n\nExecutives at Fuller's, Carlsberg UK, Greene King, and Heineken UK are among more than 50 signatories of a letter warning of huge job losses.\n\nThey call on him to publish the evidence justifying the coronavirus restrictions on the industry.\n\nA Downing Street spokesperson said they would respond in due course.\n\nThe letter says: \"The pub is clearly being singled out for exceptionally harsh and unjustified treatment and unless your government changes course, and soon, huge portions of this most British of institutions will simply not be there come the spring.\n\n\"We believe it is in the interests of openness and transparency that any evidence showing pubs to be the source of outbreaks of the virus, and thereby justifying these extra restrictions, must be published immediately.\"\n\nThe letter comes ahead of a planned announcement on Thursday that could see two-thirds of the country placed into tiers two or three when the current lockdown lifts next month.\n\nPubs in tier two areas will be able to serve drinks only to customers having a substantial meal, and those in tier three will not be able to open.\n\nPubs, and the hospitality industry generally, have been among the hardest-hit sectors during lockdown.\n\nMore than a third of hospitality firms say they have little or no confidence of surviving the next three months, according to data collected by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) earlier this month.\n\nOther signatories to the letter include executives at Adnams, Marston's, Budweiser UK, Punch Pubs, Shepherd Neame and Young's.\n\nThey tell the PM they employ \"hundreds of thousands of people and contribute billions of pounds of economic value to the UK economy - all of this is at risk today\".\n\n\"Your Winter Plan, compounded by the Christmas announcement, have been greeted with utter dismay and incredulity by publicans up and down the country, and made the situation facing us exponentially worse,\" they say.\n\n\"How can it be that people mixing in unregulated private homes is deemed safer than gathering in limited numbers in larger, regulated and ultimately Covid-secure venues like pubs? There is no logic to this decision.\n\n\"It is clear that pubs are being scapegoated despite a lack of available evidence that they are any more responsible for outbreaks than other types of venue. We cannot stand idly by and allow these measures to destroy our businesses.\"\n\nIf restrictions cannot be relaxed, the pubs are demanding, among other things, financial support in line with the first lockdown, immediate changes to business rates, and a cut in the \"punitively high\" beer duty rate.", "Robert Morley is still missing after the Joanna C sank on Saturday\n\nThe family of a fisherman missing after a trawler capsized off the Sussex coast described the captain who tried to save him as an \"absolute hero\".\n\nThree crew members were onboard the Joanna C when it sank three miles out to sea on Saturday.\n\nSkipper Dave Bickerstaff was found clinging to a buoy and rescued, while the body of 26-year-old Adam Harper, from Brixham, Devon, was found by divers in the wreckage on Monday.\n\nMr Morley was born in Newhaven and had moved to Pembrokeshire. His family said they had been told \"the boat had a freak accident, he went over into the water\".\n\nAt a vigil on Wednesday in Newhaven, Rev Martin Miller, from St Michael's Church, said Mr Morley's parents wanted to \"say a big thank you to [Mr Bickerstaff] for his heroic efforts to do what he could to save them\".\n\nBarry Woolford, Mr Morley's stepfather, told BBC South East's Colin Campbell: \"David Bickerstaff is an absolute hero in my eyes, he was trapped underneath the [capsized] boat, he managed to get out.\n\n\"David was floating with Robert for four or five hours. Robert had been in the water an hour longer than David so I think hypothermia must have got him and he slipped away and then David was fortunate enough to be rescued.\n\n\"There is one small blessing out of that tragedy, that one of the crew came home.\"\n\nTributes were paid to Adam Harper and Robert Morley at a vigil in Newhaven\n\nMr Morley's mother, Jackie Woolford, said: \"My Robert wasn't alone when he died. His skipper stayed with him all the time.\n\n\"He held him until he went and then he couldn't hold him anymore because he had to save himself. He is the most bravest person.\"\n\nPaying tribute to her son, Mrs Woolford said: \"Robert from when a little boy has always wanted to be on the sea.\n\nShe said fishing was his passion: \"He went to sea, he fished, he came on land, he got a rod and he went and fished.\"\n\nShe said she wanted him to be remembered \"with this big cheeky grin on his face\".\n\nFollow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Rishi Sunak: Government set 'to fund the priorities of British people'\n\nThe number of unemployed people in the UK is expected to surge to 2.6 million by mid-2021, Rishi Sunak has warned.\n\nIn his Spending Review, the chancellor said the \"economic emergency\" caused by Covid-19 had \"only just begun\".\n\nThe government expected to borrow £394bn this year - the \"highest\" level \"in our peacetime history\" - he added.\n\nThe latest figures show 1.62 million people are unemployed, a number which has risen by more than 300,000 since last year.\n\nIn the House of Commons, Mr Sunak said the government would spend £280bn this year \"to get our country through coronavirus\".\n\nHe also announced that most public sector workers would have their pay frozen, with only the lowest paid, as well as nurses, doctors and other NHS staff, getting a salary rise.\n\nAnd the chancellor said spending on overseas aid, as a proportion of national income, would be 0.5% in 2021-2 - down from the 0.7% currently set in law.\n\nThe document accompanying Mr Sunak's statement makes no mention of extending the temporary £20 uplift in Universal Credit beyond next April, but this is expected to be reviewed in the new year.\n\nThe last time the UK unemployment figure was as high as 2.6 million was in May to July 2012.\n\nThe number exceeded three million from 1983 to 1987 and for a few months in early 1993.\n\nMr Sunak told MPs the economy was predicted to contract by 11.3% this year - \"the largest fall in output for more than 300 years\" - and grow by 5.5% next year and 6.6% in 2022.\n\nHe added: \"Even with growth returning, our economic output is not expected to return to pre-crisis levels until the fourth quarter of 2022. And the economic damage is likely to be lasting.\"\n\nThe government's Covid response, including furlough, has led to huge spending rises, at a time when its income from taxation is down.\n\nMr Sunak said the UK was expected to borrow £394bn this year, which was predicted to fall to £164bn next year and £105bn in 2022-3.\n\nSome other Spending Review announcements were trailed before his statement, including:\n\nThe chancellor had intended - as usual - to set out plans for the next three years, but this was reduced to just one year due to the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic.\n\nFor Labour, shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said a longer-term spending review was needed soon \"to build a future for our country as the best place in the world to grow up in and the best place to grow old in\".\n\nShe criticised Mr Sunak for not mentioning Brexit in his speech, with the UK set to leave the EU single market and customs area at the end of the year.\n\nMs Dodds added: \"There's still no trade deal. So does the chancellor truly believe that his government is prepared and that he's done enough to help those businesses that will be heavily affected?\"\n\nThe Office for Budget Responsibility said that if no deal was reached, and the UK and EU had to trade under World Trade Organization rules - including tariffs - this could \"reduce real GDP\" by 2% in 2021, on top of the damage caused by coronavirus.\n\nThe economic shock of the \"various temporary disruptions to cross-border trade and the knock-on impacts\" would continue for years, it predicted.\n\nBut a Treasury spokesman insisted the government was confident about the future of the UK, whatever the outcome of negotiations with Brussels.\n\nHe said the chancellor was focussed on Covid, which he described as the \"core economic challenge\" and \"the one that matters today to people's jobs\".\n\nDave Prentis, general secretary of the union Unison, called the pay freeze for most public sector workers \"austerity, plain and simple\" and a \"bitter pill\" for those affected.\n\nHe added: \"A decade of spending cuts left public services exposed when Covid came calling. The government is making the same disastrous mistake again.\"", "Scotland's first minister has said she \"agonised\" over whether to allow people to meet up at Christmas and would rather they chose not to.\n\nA UK-wide deal was agreed on Tuesday to permit people to meet up in \"bubbles\" for five days over the festive period.\n\nBut Nicola Sturgeon said the \"default advice\" and \"safest position\" was still that people should avoid contact.\n\nShe said she would not be meeting her parents, saying she did not want to put them at risk \"for the sake of one day\".\n\nGroups of up to three households will be allowed to form expanded bubbles from 23 to 27 December, but Ms Sturgeon said this was the \"outer limit\", adding that \"the virus will not have gone away by Christmas\".\n\nThe UK-wide plans were announced on Tuesday to lift travel restrictions across the four nations and allow people to visit close friends and relatives.\n\nHowever, at her coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, Ms Sturgeon urged people to only use the extra flexibility if they really needed to - and suggested the rules were changed because ministers knew people would break them.\n\nShe said: \"We agonise over all these decisions, and are trying to come to the outcome that balances best all these competing factors and desires people have.\n\n\"On this occasion we are trying to reflect the reality that for some people, sticking rigidly to the current rules over Christmas - if that means leaving loved ones on their own - is something people might not be prepared to do.\n\n\"Rather than leave everyone to navigate that themselves and decide their own boundaries, we decided to try and set some outer limits and boundaries to ask people to work within.\n\n\"That decision does not mean we are positively encouraging people to get together - I want to stress that just because we are allowing people to create a bubble doesn't mean you have to do it.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon said she \"agonised\" over the decision\n\nMs Sturgeon added: \"I will continue to ask you to err on the side of caution. If you have been making painful sacrifices for eight months to keep your loved ones safe, then think about whether you want to take a risk with their safety at the eleventh hour in this journey.\"\n\nThe first minister said she was \"desperate\" to see her own mum and dad, but said \"I don't want to put my parents at risk for the sake of one day\".\n\nSome advisors have suggested allowing greater socialising over the festive period will cause a spike of new cases in January, with one government science advisor, Prof Andrew Hayward, telling the BBC that it would be like \"throwing fuel on the Covid fire\".\n\nAnd Scottish government advisor Devi Sridhar told Channel Four News that \"we are going to pay for Christmas holidays with probably a January national lockdown\".\n\nOpposition parties have pressed for the publication of any government risk assessments or modelling of the number of new infections or deaths which may result from increased mixing.\n\nThe Scottish Greens said \"the last thing we need is to be sending out mixed signals\", with MSP Alison Johnstone saying \"parliament and the people of Scotland deserve to know how many extra infections the Scottish government is comfortable with\".\n\nHowever Ms Sturgeon and her National Clinical Director Prof Jason Leitch suggested this modelling does not exist.\n\nProf Leitch said there was not \"very specific modelling\" charting the number of potential cases, simply noting that \"if we mix households we will get more infections\".\n\nAnd the first minister said there was no \"some magic model or piece of analysis\" which would answer hard questions for the government.\n\nShe said she would \"really rather\" people not travel and meet up if they can avoid it, saying that \"if there was a big scary model I could put in front of you I wouldn't be deliberately hiding it\".", "People coming to the UK from Estonia and Latvia will need to quarantine from 04:00 GMT on Saturday.\n\nThe two Baltic states have been taken off of the UK government's travel corridor list.\n\nAt the same time, Aruba, Bhutan, East Timor, Mongolia and some Pacific islands have been added, meaning travellers from those places will not need to self-isolate.\n\nHowever, current rules ban travel abroad unless for specific reasons.\n\nThe UK government has also changed its rules on Denmark, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.\n\nWhile travellers from Denmark to the UK will still need to self-isolate, the government is lifting the \"total travel ban\" on Saturday.\n\nThe Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to Denmark amid concerns over a new coronavirus strain that has spread from mink.\n\nAnyone arriving into the UK from most destinations must quarantine for 14 days.\n\nBut there are a list of countries exempt from the rules, meaning returning travellers do not need to self-isolate, called the travel corridor list.\n\nFrom 15 December, people who need to quarantine will only need to do so for five days - if they pay for a private Covid test and are virus free.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do I quarantine after returning from abroad?\n\nMaking the announcement on Thursday, Mr Shapps said latest data means Estonia and Latvia must be taken off the list.\n\nThere has been a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in Latvia in recent weeks, according to the Foreign Office. The Latvian government has announced a state of emergency lasting until 6 December.\n\nEstonia's government has also introduced extra restrictions from 24 November.\n\nMr Shapps said Bhutan, East Timor, Mongolia, Aruba and six Pacific islands (Samoa, Kiribati, Micronesia, Tonga, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands) had been added to the list, effective from 04:00 on Saturday.\n\nIn England until 2 December, foreign travel is currently only permitted for work, education or if someone has another valid reason.\n\nPeople can only travel in and out of Wales with a reasonable excuse, such as going to work or school.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, people are advised to only travel for necessary reasons and to \"carefully consider\" their holiday and travel options, in light of the pandemic.\n\nIn Scotland, people living in higher risk areas should avoid unnecessary travel to other places.", "Gwent Police said it issued six fixed penalty tickets for breach Covid regulations on Friday night\n\nWales' second national lockdown is more challenging to police than the first because people are \"fatigued\" with Covid, a police chief has warned.\n\nBut Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime commissioner said it was important people took \"personal responsibility\".\n\nPeople can leave home for limited reasons, including to provide care, buy food and medication, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.\n\nA further 16 deaths of people with coronavirus were reported in Wales on Saturday - the highest total since 28 May - while 1,324 more people tested positive.\n\nAll but essential shops have closed and on Friday supermarkets began covering up non-essential goods, which the Welsh Retail Consortium labelled an \"ill-conceived policy\".\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford has said supermarkets should also stop selling items such as clothes as a matter of \"fairness\" to non-essential shops that have closed.\n\nHowever a Senedd petition against the move has become the fourth-ever to be signed by more than 45,000 people, and will be considered for a debate in the Welsh Parliament.\n\nJodi Merry, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, said the ban has come at an awkward time as she was planning to buy new clothes, including winter pyjamas, for her eight-year-old son after she gets paid next week.\n\n\"Everything is essential when it's something you desperately need,\" she said.\n\nPlastic has been seen over goods in supermarkets including clothes, microwaves and cat baskets\n\nTravel into or out of Wales to go on holiday or to visit a second home is illegal under the rules, and people are being told only to travel for \"essential reasons\".\n\nDyfed-Powys Police and Crime commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn said: \"The public... I guess there's fatigue that has set in in relation to the rules and regulations.\n\n\"Which is why it's really important we get the message out for people to take personal responsibility.\"\n\nHe said officers would be engaging and educating the public in the first instance and enforcement would only happen at the \"latter stage of that process\".\n\nMeanwhile, the Law Society of England and Wales, which represents solicitors, said it was keen to make people aware of the powers that enforcement officers have during the firebreak.\n\nIt said police had the power to enter homes and other premises if they have reasonable grounds for suspecting that the lockdown restrictions are being contravened or are about to be contravened.\n\nIts president David Greene said: \"These are extraordinary powers and it is important that the public are fully informed about them so that they don't fall foul of them inadvertently.\n\n\"It is vital that laws of this nature are both visible and understandable.\n\n\"We will be concerned to ensure they are being used in a proportionate fashion.\"\n\nResponding to these concerns, Mr Llywelyn said: \"I think it's really important for the police to act in a proportionate way.\n\n\"We mustn't also forget that we're in an emergency situation with this being a global pandemic so these are short-term measures that are here to safeguard the communities across the whole of Wales.\"\n\nChief constables in England and Wales have received an extra £30m to pay for overtime costs\n\nDyfed-Powys Police tweeted it was not patrolling the border with England, but officers were out across the road network and in communities.\n\n\"Truth be told, we're really hoping that we can all work together to do what we've been asked to do,\" it added.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Heddlu Dyfed-Powys Police This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nGwent Police tweeted its motorcyclists had carried out proactive patrols on Friday night.\n\nIt said it stopped 10 \"vehicles of interest\", issued six fixed penalty tickets for breach Covid regulations and arrested a driver for driving while under the influence of cannabis.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Gwent Police | Operations & Support This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nPeople can be issued a fixed penalty notice \"for most types of breaches\" and fined £60 for the first offence.\n\nThat fine is increased to £120 for a second offence and continues to double for repeated offences, up to a maximum of £1,920. If prosecuted, however, a court can impose an unlimited fine.\n\nEnforcing the restrictions puts huge pressure on police resources. Crime has returned to levels last seen before the March lockdown - which means the frontline is stretched once more.\n\nChief constables in England and Wales have received an extra £30m to pay for overtime costs.\n\nBut to limit demands on officers, a policing model they call \"The Four Es\" remains in place.\n\nBefore fines are issued to rule-breakers, police will first take a number of steps:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average:\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection are required to view this interactive. How many cases and deaths in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out are where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. Source: ONS, NRS and NISRA – data updated weekly. are people who have tested positive for coronavirus. The \"average area\" means the middle ranking council or local government district when ranked by cases per 100,000 people. Public health bodies may occasionally revise their case numbers. Source: UK public health bodies - updated weekdays.", "The covid crisis is on track to cut average pay packets by £1,200 a year by 2025, according to new analysis.\n\nThe prediction comes from the Resolution Foundation, a think tank focused on improving living standards for people on low-to-middle incomes.\n\nIt comes a day after Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned unemployment could surge to 2.6 million by mid-2021.\n\nThe economic downturn will continue to squeeze living standards in Britain warned the foundation.\n\n\"The Covid crisis is causing immense damage to the public finances, and permanent damage to family finances too, with pay packets on track to be £1,200 a year lower than pre-pandemic expectations,\" warned Torsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation.\n\nIts new research published on Thursday, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, says that \"the combined effects of weaker pay growth and higher unemployment will serve to prolong Britain's living standards squeeze\".\n\nIts analysis shows household incomes have been growing at a slower pace even before the pandemic.\n\nThey are on course to grow just 10% during the 15 years from the start of the 2008 global financial crisis until 2023.\n\nBut household incomes grew by a much higher 40% in the 15 years leading up to the financial crisis.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What you need to know about Chancellor Rishi Sunak's speech – in two minutes\n\nThe Resolution Foundation says further pressure will come next April, when about six million households will lose more than £1,000 through reduced Universal Credit payments.\n\nIt also warned the bulk of the government's extra spending to deal with the \"economic emergency\" will need to come from tax rises.\n\n\"While the priority now is to support the economy, the permanent damage to the public finances mean taxes will rise in future,\" added Mr Bell.\n\n\"The pandemic is just the latest of three 'once in a lifetime' economic shocks the UK experienced in a little over a decade, following the financial crisis and Brexit,\" he added.\n\n\"The result is an unprecedented 15-year living standards squeeze.\"\n\nIn Mr Sunak's Spending Review he pledged £280bn this year to help get the country through the pandemic downturn.\n\n\"But which taxes those will be, like which Brexit we can expect, are questions the chancellor left for another day.\"\n\nThe chancellor told MPs the UK economy is predicted to shrink by 11.3% in 2020, which has been described as the \"largest fall in output for more than 300 years\".", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nFootball legend Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players of all time, has died at the age of 60.\n\nThe former Argentina attacking midfielder and manager suffered a heart attack at his Buenos Aires home.\n\nHe had successful surgery on a brain blood clot earlier in November and was to be treated for alcohol dependency.\n\nMaradona was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, scoring the famous 'Hand of God' goal against England in the quarter-finals.\n• None 'To be Maradona was incredibly beautiful, but also hard'\n\nArgentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi paid tribute to Maradona, saying he was \"eternal\".\n\n\"A very sad day for all Argentines and football,\" said Messi. \"He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal.\n\n\"I keep all the beautiful moments lived with him and I send my condolences to all his family and friends.\"\n\nIn a statement on social media, the Argentine Football Association expressed \"its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend\", adding: \"You will always be in our hearts.\"\n\nDeclaring three days of national mourning, Alberto Fernandez, the president of Argentina, said: \"You took us to the top of the world. You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of them all.\n\n\"Thank you for having existed, Diego. We're going to miss you all our lives.\"\n\nMaradona played for Barcelona and Napoli during his club career, winning two Serie A titles with the Italian side. He started his career with Argentinos Juniors, also playing for Sevilla, and Boca Juniors and Newell's Old Boys in his homeland.\n\nHe scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina, representing them in four World Cups.\n\nMaradona led his country to the 1990 final in Italy, where they were beaten by West Germany, before captaining them again in the United States in 1994, but was sent home after failing a drugs test for ephedrine.\n\nDuring the second half of his career, Maradona struggled with cocaine addiction and was banned for 15 months after testing positive for the drug in 1991.\n\nHe retired from professional football in 1997, on his 37th birthday, during his second stint at Argentine giants Boca Juniors.\n\nHaving briefly managed two sides in Argentina during his playing career, Maradona was appointed head coach of the national team in 2008 and left after the 2010 World Cup, where his side were beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals.\n\nHe subsequently managed teams in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico and was in charge of Gimnasia y Esgrima in Argentina's top flight at the time of his death.\n\nBrazil legend Pele led tributes to Maradona, writing on Twitter: \"What sad news. I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend. There is still much to be said, but for now, may God give strength to family members. One day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky.\"\n\nFormer England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who was part of the England team beaten by Argentina at the 1986 World Cup, said Maradona was \"by some distance, the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time\".\n\nEx-Tottenham and Argentina midfielder Ossie Ardiles said: \"Thank dear Dieguito for your friendship, for your football, sublime, without comparison. Simply, the best football player in the history of football. So many enjoyable moments together. Impossible to say which one was the best. RIP my dear friend.\"\n\nJuventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo said: \"Today I bid farewell to a friend and the world bids farewell to an eternal genius. One of the best of all time. An unparalleled magician. He leaves too soon, but leaves a legacy without limits and a void that will never be filled. Rest in peace, ace. You will never be forgotten.\"\n\nBoca Juniors, where Maradona enjoyed two spells and finished his career, gave \"eternal thanks\" to their former player.\n\nParis St-Germain and Brazil forward Neymar posted a photo of him as a youngster with Maradona, calling the Argentine a \"legend of football\".\n\nBarcelona was the first club outside of Argentina that Maradona played for. He scored 22 goals in 36 appearances between 1982 and 1984.\n\nAnother of Maradona's former clubs, Napoli, paid tribute. He played for the club between 1984 and 1991, making 188 appearances.\n\n'It was in football he found his peace' - analysis\n\nHe was an everyman Argentine, who lived out a national fantasy with the way he scored his two goals in that 1986 quarter-final win over England.\n\nScoring those goals, against that opponent, turned Maradona almost into a deity in the eyes of some of his compatriots - with disastrous consequences. Living the aftermath was not easy.\n\nWithout the discipline of football, the second half of his life was a chaotic affair.\n\nBut it was in football that he seemed to find his peace. As a fan he would turn up at the stadium of his beloved Boca Juniors, take off his shirt, swirl it around his head and lead the chanting.\n\nFor many his spontaneity and fallibility were part of the appeal.\n\nHis admirers thrived on the way he would fall down only to get back up again. It humanised a figure whose epic life was as mazy as one of his left-footed dribbles.\n• None 'He just shrugged you off like a rag doll' - what was it like to face Maradona?", "The Ischgl resort in Austria was linked to outbreaks earlier this year\n\nGermany is seeking an agreement with EU countries to keep ski resorts closed until early January, in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus.\n\nChancellor Angela Merkel told parliament that efforts were being made to reach a Europe-wide decision.\n\nItaly and France have expressed support for a co-ordinated approach. But Austria has voiced concern.\n\nSome of the early European coronavirus hotspots were at ski resorts, helping spread infections across the continent.\n\nLast week, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Europe faced a \"tough\" six months , amid mounting cases. Renewed restrictions have led to a reduction in new infections in some countries, but there are fears the pandemic could worsen over the winter.\n\nLike Germany, Italy has also stressed the need for a united approach on the issue of ski resorts, and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has already backed delaying the start of the ski season.\n\n\"If Italy decided to shut down all its ski lifts without any support from France, Austria and the other countries, then Italian tourists would risk going abroad and taking the contagion back home,\" he told La7 TV earlier this week.\n\nMany Italians head for the slopes over the Christmas and New Year break and the period is a vital part of the local economy for ski resorts across Europe.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron has made clear that the country's ski resorts will stay shut until the New Year. Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday he wanted to see the coronavirus rules for ski resorts \"harmonised at European level as much as possible\".\n\nFrance plans to ease its current national lockdown in three phases through to the end of January. Most restrictions will be eased for a few days over Christmas. Mr Castex said \"this family celebration cannot take place without grandparents being present\".\n\nBut Austria has voiced concern over any EU-wide plan for ski resorts, with Finance Minister Gernot Blümel saying that if the EU forced the resorts to remain closed, \"then they will have to pay for it\". Compensation would run into billions of euros.\n\nAustria's government is already facing legal action over the Ischgl ski village, which was linked to cases in 45 countries after skiers brought the virus home with them.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How close are we to Covid immunisation?\n\nSwitzerland is not in the European Union and, unlike other Alpine destinations, its ski resorts are already open, so skiers unable to spend their winter breaks in neighbouring countries could head there instead.\n\nSki lifts are running, with a requirement to wear masks, prompting criticism from WHO Covid-19 envoy David Nabarro. \"Once infection rates sink, and they will sink, then we can be as free as we want. But right now? Should ski resorts open? Under what conditions?\"\n\nMeanwhile, Mrs Merkel has also defended the decision to extend Germany's partial lockdown until 20 December, announced on Wednesday.\n\nThe stricter rules will limit private gatherings to five people from two households coming into effect from next week - although children under the age of 14 are exempt.\n\nGerman leaders have also unveiled plans for Christmas, with meetings of up to 10 people allowed from 23 December until 1 January.\n\nAddressing the Bundestag - Germany's lower house - on Thursday, Mrs Merkel said the tight restrictions must remain for now because the goal was still to get down to a maximum weekly rate of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants.\n\nBut in 62 areas, including Berlin, the figure was above 200, she said. \"Unfortunately we have to say that we cannot promise any relief for Christmas and the New Year,\" the chancellor said.", "Video showed Kylie Moore-Gilbert being driven away in a mini-van\n\nA British-Australian academic serving a 10-year sentence in Iran for espionage has been freed, with Tehran saying it was a swap for three jailed Iranians.\n\nIn a statement, Kylie Moore-Gilbert thanked those who had worked for her release and said that leaving Iran was \"bittersweet\".\n\nDr Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer at Melbourne University, had been detained in Iran since September 2018.\n\nShe was tried in secret and strongly denied all the charges against her.\n\nAccording to Iranian state media, she was exchanged for an Iranian businessman and two Iranian citizens \"who had been detained abroad\". They have not yet been named.\n\nNews of the exchange first came on Wednesday in a statement on the website of the Young Journalist Club, a news website affiliated to state television in Iran.\n\n\"An Iranian businessman and two Iranian citizens who were detained abroad on baseless charges were exchanged for a dual national spy named Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who worked for the Zionist regime,\" it said.\n\nVideo of the exchange was published by state broadcaster IRIB news and the Tasnim website.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by باشگاه خبرنگاران جوان | YJC This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe footage, which had no commentary, showed Dr Moore-Gilbert wearing a grey hijab and being driven away in a mini-van. Three men are seen being met by officials. One is in a wheelchair.\n\nIn a statement released hours later, Dr Moore-Gilbert thanked Australian officials who had worked \"tirelessly\" to secure her release.\n\n\"Thank you also to all of you who have supported me and campaigned for my freedom, it has meant the world to me to have you behind me throughout what has been a long and traumatic ordeal,\" she said.\n\n\"I have nothing but respect, love and admiration for the great nation of Iran and its warm-hearted, generous and brave people. It is with bittersweet feelings that I depart your country, despite the injustices which I have been subjected to. I came to Iran as a friend and with friendly intentions, and depart Iran with those sentiments not only still intact, but strengthened.\"\n\nAustralian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she was \"extremely pleased and relieved\" at the release of Dr Moore-Gilbert which she said \"was achieved through diplomatic engagement with the Iranian government\". She made no reference to any exchange of prisoners.\n\n\"The Australian government has consistently rejected the grounds on which the Iranian government arrested, detained and convicted Dr Moore-Gilbert. We continue to do so,\" she said in a statement.\n\nSenator Payne said Dr Moore-Gilbert would \"soon be reunited with her family\" but did not specify when she would be returning to Australia.\n\nDr Moore-Gilbert had been travelling on an Australian passport when she was detained at Tehran airport in 2018 as she tried to leave following a conference.\n\nIn letters smuggled out of Tehran's Evin prison earlier this year, the Cambridge-educated academic said she had \"never been a spy\" and feared for her mental health. She said she had rejected an offer from Iran to become a spy.\n\n\"I am not a spy. I have never been a spy, and I have no interest to work for a spying organisation in any country,\" she wrote.\n\nConcerns for her wellbeing escalated in August when news emerged that she had been transferred to Qarchak, a notorious prison in the desert.\n\nShe was visited shortly afterwards by Australia's ambassador to Iran, Lyndall Sachs, who reported that she was \"well\".\n\nKylie Moore-Gilbert was reported to have been in solitary confinement and on several hunger strikes while in Evin prison in Tehran\n\nIran has detained a number of foreign nationals and Iranian dual citizens in recent years, many of them on spying charges. Human rights groups have accused Tehran of using the cases as leverage to try to gain concessions from other countries.\n\nBritish-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was jailed on spying charges in 2016. She has always maintained her innocence.\n\n\"Nazanin and I are really happy for Kylie and her family,\" he told the BBC. \"They have been through so much, borne with such dignity. And it is an early Christmas present for us all, that one more of us is out and on their way home, one more family can begin to heal.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why one mother's personal plight is part of a complicated history between Iran and the UK (video published August 2019 and last updated in October 2019)\n\nKate Allen, director of Amnesty International UK, said news of Dr Moore-Gilbert's release was \"an enormous relief\".\n\n\"There may now be renewed grounds for hoping that UK-Iranian dual-nationals like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori will also be released from their unjust jail terms in Iran in the coming days or weeks,\" she said.\n\nAnoosheh Ashoori, a retired civil engineer from London, was jailed for 10 years in July 2019 after being convicted of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.", "M4 congestion at Newport is \"very much a commuter problem\", Lord Burns says\n\nMore investment in public transport is needed in south east Wales to ease congestion on the M4, the man asked to look at possible solutions has said.\n\nLord Burns is leading a commission on the issue after the first minister ditched plans for a £1.6bn M4 relief road around Newport last summer.\n\nHe said on Thursday that for many commuters the car was currently the only option for travelling to work.\n\nA congestion charge could be needed to address the issue, Lord Burns added.\n\nGiving evidence to the assembly's Economy Committee, Lord Burns said his commission had looked at traffic patterns on the M4 and found there was \"a very clear picture\" that the congestion is \"to a significant degree a symptom of a lack of alternative transport options\".\n\nThe congestion was \"very much a commuter problem\", he said, with around two thirds of the morning traffic heading east to west between junctions 24 and 29 consisting of people travelling to Cardiff and Newport.\n\n\"For many people there is no alternative or convenient way of getting to and from work other than by car,\" he said.\n\n\"The costs would be much higher and the journey times much longer if they tried to go by some other means.\"\n\nLord Burns said people need alternatives to cars before they are charged for using roads\n\nLord Burns said his \"overwhelming conclusion\" was that \"the public transport network is heavily under-invested in compared to what is needed\".\n\nHe also said the flow of traffic on the M4 had increased \"quite markedly\" since the tolls were scrapped on the Prince of Wales bridge in December 2018.\n\nAsked about congestion charging, Lord Burns said it was important to provide people with feasible alternatives first.\n\n\"If you provide people with alternatives then I think road pricing is not only possible but it could well be a necessary part of the package.\"\n\nCardiff Council has recently revealed proposals for introducing a congestion charge on drivers travelling into the city.\n\nLord Burns emphasised that his commission was not being asked to assess how potential solutions would compare with the scrapped relief road scheme.\n\nHe also said it would not be looking at a new \"motorway-style solution\".\n\nThe commission hopes to make its recommendations to the Welsh Government before the end of the year.\n\nLord Burns said it will consider a range of factors including carbon emissions, air quality and value for money.", "Tougher rules for England will \"strike a balance\" when the national lockdown ends next week, Boris Johnson has said.\n\nAt a Downing Street briefing, the PM acknowledged that the stricter three-tiered system of regional measures to tackle coronavirus would bring \"heartbreak and frustration\".\n\nBut he said \"your tier is not your destiny\" and stressed that \"every area has the means of escape\".\n\nMost of England will be in the toughest two levels of measures from 2 December.\n\nThe system will be reviewed every two weeks, with the first review scheduled for 16 December - so an area's tier level may change before Christmas.\n\nHowever, it means 55 million people will remain banned from mixing with other households indoors after the lockdown ends.\n\nMore than a third of England's population, including large parts of the Midlands, North East and North West, as well as Kent, will be in the highest level - tier three.\n\nAnd the majority of places are in the second highest level - tier two - including London, and Liverpool city region.\n\nThe Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - where there have been no recorded cases in the past week - will be the only areas of England in the lowest level of curbs - tier one.\n\nThe new tier restrictions will be voted on by MPs next week, with a revolt already brewing among the government's own backbenchers.\n\nMeanwhile, hospitality bosses have warned the sector will be \"decimated\" by the new tiers.\n\nOn Thursday, another 498 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported in the UK, and a further 17,555 positive cases, the latest figures showed.\n\nThe prime minister warned that easing off risked \"losing control, casting aside our hard-won gains and forcing us back into a new year national lockdown\".\n\nHe said there was \"no doubt the restrictions in all tiers are tough\" but admitted previous tiers \"were never quite enough\".\n\nThe new approach was \"designed to reduce\" the R number - the average number of people an infected person will pass the disease on to - \"below one\", he added.\n\nMr Johnson said mass community testing would be offered to tier three areas \"as quickly as possible\" and hailed Liverpool City region as a \"success story\", where mass testing had brought the area down to tier two.\n\nThe BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg asked the PM to clarify \"what was the point\" of the second national lockdown, if more people were facing tougher rules than before it began.\n\nMr Johnson insisted this was \"not continuing the lockdown\".\n\n\"Across all tiers, shops will be open, hairdressers, personal services will be open, gyms will be functioning, places of worship will be open for communal worship as well, so this is a very different thing,\" he said.\n\nThe PM added: \"And I'm convinced that by April things genuinely will be much, much better.\"\n\nSome cold hard truths are emerging about the government's approach to controlling coronavirus.\n\nMuch about today's announcement was familiar.\n\nA promise of hope on the horizon followed by a dose of reality about the spread of the virus and tough measures taken as a result.\n\nBut months on from the arrival of Covid-19, the once solid political consensus over the response to the pandemic has worn thin.\n\nNow new measures are met with Conservative MPs up in arms and cutting criticism from the opposition.\n\nBut wearily, reluctantly, the prime minister has clearly priced all that in and come to the view that tighter restrictions are needed for many more months before things can even begin to get back to something like normal.\n\nMeanwhile, the UK government's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty and its chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance have warned against hugging and kissing elderly relatives this Christmas.\n\nSpeaking at the news conference, Prof Whitty said people's behaviour at Christmas would \"matter a great deal\" this year.\n\n\"Would I encourage someone to hug and kiss elderly relatives? No, I would not,\" he said.\n\n\"It's not against the law. You can do it within the rules that are there, but it does not make sense because you could be carrying the virus.\"\n\nSir Patrick echoed his remarks, saying \"hugging elderly relatives is not something to go out and do\" over the festive season.\n\nProf Whitty also said tier two would \"hold the line\" but not bring cases down - prompting scepticism from Conservative MP Mark Harper about the PM's claim that \"your tier is not your destiny\".\n\nMr Harper, whose Forest of Dean constituency is in tier two, tweeted: \"Unfortunately, just after the PM said this, Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, said tier two would only hold infections level, and tier one would see them go up.\n\n\"That rather suggests if you're in tier two, it is your destiny - at least until the spring.\"\n\nDifferences between the new tiers include restrictions on where households can meet up:\n\nGyms and close-contact beauty services like hairdressers will be able to open in all tiers. People in all tiers who can work from home, should continue to do so.\n\nPubs in tier two can only open to serve \"substantial meals\", while those in tier three can only operate as a takeaway or delivery service.\n\nDecisions on tiers are based on public health recommendations informed by a series of public health data, including Covid-19 cases among the over-60s, positivity rates, pressure on the NHS and how quickly cases are rising or falling.\n\nBBC analysis shows a north-south divide in England when it comes to restrictions:\n\nDevolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have the power to set their own coronavirus regulations, though all four UK nations have agreed a joint plan for Christmas.\n\nEarlier, data from the Office for National Statistics showed coronavirus infection rates in England were continuing to show signs of levelling off.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Iran TV shows release of Kylie Moore-Gilbert in exchange for three Iranians imprisoned abroad (November 2020 report)\n\nA British-Australian academic who has been freed from jail in Iran has thanked supporters for getting her through \"a long and traumatic ordeal\".\n\nKylie Moore-Gilbert has consistently denied accusations of espionage since her arrest in Iran in September 2018.\n\nShe had been serving a 10-year sentence but was released in a swap for three jailed Iranians, Tehran said.\n\nDr Moore-Gilbert's family said they were \"relieved and ecstatic\" that she was free.\n\nThe Melbourne University lecturer had been travelling on an Australian passport in 2018 when she was detained at Tehran airport as she tried to leave following a conference.\n\nConcerns for her wellbeing escalated in August when news emerged that she had been transferred to Qarchak, a notorious prison in the desert.\n\nOn Thursday, Dr Moore-Gilbert said Australian officials had worked \"tirelessly\" to secure her freedom. She thanked them and other supporters who had \"meant the world to me\" while in detention.\n\nKylie Moore-Gilbert was reported to have been on several hunger strikes while in Evin prison in Tehran\n\n\"I have nothing but respect, love and admiration for the great nation of Iran and its warm-hearted, generous and brave people,\" she said in a statement.\n\n\"It is with bittersweet feelings that I depart your country, despite the injustices which I have been subjected to. I came to Iran as a friend and with friendly intentions, and depart Iran with those sentiments not only still intact, but strengthened.\"\n\nThe Cambridge-educated scholar - who was tried in secret - had endured \"over 800 days of incredible hardship\", her family added.\n\n\"We cannot convey the overwhelming happiness that each of us feel at this incredible news,\" they said in a statement released by the Australian government.\n\nAccording to Iranian state media, she was exchanged for an Iranian businessman and two Iranian citizens \"who had been detained abroad\". They have not yet been named.\n\nVideo of the apparent exchange was published by state broadcaster IRIB news and the Tasnim website.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by باشگاه خبرنگاران جوان | YJC This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe footage, which had no commentary, showed Dr Moore-Gilbert wearing a grey hijab and being driven away in a mini-van. Three men are seen being met by officials. One is in a wheelchair.\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison declined to comment on whether a swap had taken place, but said no-one had been released in Australia.\n\n\"The injustice of her detention and her conviction, Australia has always rejected, and I'm just so pleased that Kylie's coming home,\" he told local network Nine.\n\nIn letters smuggled out of Tehran's Evin prison earlier this year, Dr Moore-Gilbert said she had \"never been a spy\" and feared for her mental health. She said she had rejected an offer from Iran to become a spy.\n\n\"I am not a spy. I have never been a spy, and I have no interest to work for a spying organisation in any country,\" she wrote.\n\nShe was later visited by Australia's ambassador to Iran, Lyndall Sachs, who reported that she was \"well\".\n\nDr Moore-Gilbert was reported to have spent long periods in solitary confinement and undertaken hunger strikes while in detention.\n\nAustralian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the release \"was achieved through diplomatic engagement with the Iranian government\".\n\nShe added Dr Moore-Gilbert would \"soon be reunited with her family\" but did not specify when she would be returning to Australia.\n\nMelbourne University Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell said he was \"delighted\" at the news, adding: \"We have waited a long time for this day.\"\n\nIran has detained a number of foreign nationals and Iranian dual citizens in recent years, many of them on spying charges. Human rights groups have accused Tehran of using the cases as leverage to try to gain concessions from other countries.\n\nBritish-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was jailed on spying charges in 2016. She has always maintained her innocence.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why one mother's personal plight is part of a complicated history between Iran and the UK (video published August 2019 and last updated in October 2019)\n\n\"Nazanin and I are really happy for Kylie and her family,\" he told the BBC. \"They have been through so much, borne with such dignity. And it is an early Christmas present for us all, that one more of us is out and on their way home, one more family can begin to heal.\"\n\nKate Allen, director of Amnesty International UK, said news of Dr Moore-Gilbert's release was \"an enormous relief\".\n\n\"There may now be renewed grounds for hoping that UK-Iranian dual-nationals like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori will also be released from their unjust jail terms in Iran in the coming days or weeks,\" she said.\n\nAnoosheh Ashoori, a retired civil engineer from London, was jailed for 10 years in July 2019 after being convicted of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.", "Online fashion retailer Boohoo has appointed a former High Court judge to examine its business practices.\n\nSir Brian Leveson, who is best known for leading the inquiry into press ethics after the phone hacking scandal, will chair an independent review of the company's supply chain and ethics.\n\nIt follows allegations that one of Boohoo's suppliers was paying workers less than the minimum wage.\n\nIt was also alleged the supplier failed to protect workers against Covid-19.\n\nBoohoo admitted there were failings in its supply chain and said it was committed to raising standards and monitoring its suppliers more closely.\n\nIts group chairman, Mahmud Kamani, said the appointment of Sir Brian, along with auditors KPMG, would bring \"independent oversight, additional expertise and further transparency to a programme that will help us on our journey to lead the fashion e-commerce market globally in a transparent manner\".\n\nThe company says Sir Brian will work with a team of legal and compliance specialists.\n\nIn July, the Sunday Times reported that workers in a Leicester factory which supplied Boohoo were working for as little as £3.50 an hour and that few of its workers were wearing face masks to guard against the spread of the coronavirus.\n\nAt the time Boohoo said that if the the allegations were true, conditions were \"totally unacceptable\" and it promised a thorough investigation.\n\nThe company set up a review into its working practices led by Alison Levitt QC. She concluded that, while the problems in Leicester garment factories were long-standing, Boohoo had not taken enough responsibility for scrutinising its suppliers and had chased profit at the expense of other obligations.\n\nMahmud Kamani and Carol Kane set up Boohoo in 2006\n\nMr Kamani, who is now a billionaire, set up Boohoo in 2006 with designer Carol Kane to sell clothes directly, and cheaply, to shoppers.\n\nDuring lockdown the company saw a surge in sales and it reported a 51% jump in profits for the year to the end of August.\n\nBut after the allegations that workers in the factory that was supplying Boohoo's Nasty Gal brand were being exploited, several of Boohoo's best known clients dropped it, with Next, Asos and Berlin-based Zalando all removing Boohoo clothes from their websites.\n\nSir Brian will report to Boohoo's board and has promised to provide regular, publicly available progress reports.\n\n\"Boohoo has recognised that it must institute and embed change so that everyone involved in the group's supply chain is treated fully in accordance with the law and the principles of ethical trading,\" he said.", "Michel Barnier at St Pancras railway station in London on Friday\n\nThe UK and EU will resume face-to-face Brexit trade talks in London this weekend, as negotiators race to reach a deal before a looming deadline.\n\nIt comes after EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier left a period of self-isolation after a colleague tested positive for Covid last week.\n\nAhead of travelling to the UK, he said the \"same significant divergences persist\" in negotiations.\n\nAfter arriving, he said he would work with \"patience and determination\".\n\nEarlier, Boris Johnson insisted the likelihood of a deal depended on the EU.\n\nSpeaking on Friday, the prime minister told reporters that \"there's a deal there to be done if they want to do it\".\n\nBut he added \"substantial and important differences\" remained between the two sides, with just over a month left before a December deadline.\n\nNegotiators are striving to strike a deal to govern their trading relationship once the UK's post-Brexit transition period ends in January 2021.\n\nTalks have been continuing via video link for the past week or so, after the positive Covid-19 test in a member of Mr Barnier's team.\n\nMr Barnier travelled to London after briefing EU ambassadors and members of the European Parliament on talks.\n\n\"In line with Belgian rules, my team and I are no longer in quarantine. Physical negotiations can continue,\" he wrote on Twitter.\n\nAhead of in-person talks getting back under way, his UK counterpart Lord David Frost pledged to \"do my utmost\" see if a deal is possible.\n\n\"It is late, but a deal is still possible, and I will continue to talk until it's clear that it isn't,\" he tweeted on Friday.\n\nHe added that any deal would have to \"fully respect UK sovereignty,\" including over fishing waters and a regime for subsidising businesses.\n\n\"An agreement on any other basis is not possible,\" he added.\n\nIf the UK is holding off making compromises, in the hope of squeezing more last-minute concessions out of Brussels, it might be successful when it comes to fish.\n\nOn Friday, we heard talk of Michel Barnier being about to propose that between 15% and 18% of the fish quota caught in UK waters by EU fleets would be restored to the UK under a free trade agreement.\n\nThat was later dismissed by a number of European diplomats, as merely one of \"many proposals doing the rounds\".\n\nBut whatever happens on the fish front - and Brussels knows it has some big compromises to make - as much as the EU wants a deal with the UK, it's unlikely to let go of its insistence on two other issues: common competition regulations and a tough means of policing them.\n\nAsked about the chances of an agreement, Mr Johnson said the \"likelihood of a deal is very much determined by our friends and partners in the EU\".\n\nHe added that a trade agreement would \"benefit people on both sides of the Channel,\" but insisted the UK could \"prosper mightily\" without one.\n\n\"Everybody's working very hard - but clearly there are substantial and important differences to be bridged, but we're getting on with it.\"\n\nThe UK left the EU on 31 January, but it is continuing to follow the bloc's rules until the end of the year as part of an 11-month transition period.\n\nIf a trade deal is not agreed by then, trading between the two will default to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.\n\nThe EU and UK can keep negotiating if they want to after this, but the two sides would face import taxes on goods traded between them.\n\nThe UK would have no access to the EU's energy market, and no agreement on police and judicial co-operation.\n\nFishing has been a major flashpoint in the talks, along with post-Brexit competition rules and how any deal would be enforced.\n\nThe two sides are also at odds over how closely the UK should have to follow the EU's social, labour, and environmental standards after the transition.\n\nThey are also haggling over how any rules in this area - including on \"state aid\" support for businesses - would be enforced as part of the agreement.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Elizabeth was pronounced dead 10 days before her first birthday\n\nThe death of a premature baby in 2001 led to a \"20-year cover-up\" of mistakes by health workers, an independent inquiry has found.\n\nElizabeth Dixon, from Hampshire, died due to a blocked breathing tube shortly before her first birthday.\n\nThe government, which ordered the inquiry in 2017, said the mistakes in her care were \"shocking and harrowing\".\n\nThe inquiry report by Dr Bill Kirkup said some of those involved had been \"persistently dishonest\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Graeme and Anne Dixon have spent 20 years campaigning for answers\n\nElizabeth, known as Lizzie, died from asphyxiation after suffering a blockage in her tracheostomy tube while under the care of a private nursing agency at home.\n\nDr Bill Kirkup, who was appointed by the government to review the case, said her \"profound disability and death could have been avoided\".\n\nHe said: \"There were failures of care by every organisation that looked after her, none of which was admitted at the time, nor properly investigated then or later.\n\n\"Instead, a cover-up began on the day that she died, propped up by denial and deception.\"\n\nFrimley Park Hospital in Surrey, where Lizzie was born, initially failed to diagnose a tumour which probably led to brain damage, the report said.\n\nHer condition may have worsened due to mistakes at Great Ormond Street Hospital, which also arranged inadequate home care, it added.\n\nDr Kirkup said there was \"clear evidence that some individuals have been persistently dishonest... and that this extended to formal statements to police and regulatory bodies.\"\n\nHe said a \"failed\" police investigation and a refusal by some health workers to give evidence to the inquiry should be investigated by professional bodies.\n\nPublishing the report, health minister Nadine Dorries said it described a \"harrowing and shocking series of mistakes associated with the care received by Elizabeth and a response to her death that was completely inadequate and at times inhumane\".\n\nThe baby's parents, Anne and Graeme Dixon, from Church Crookham, said further evidence of wrong-doing was not used by the inquiry.\n\nThey said: \"While we are pleased to see... that some of the blatant lies, deception and cover-ups of mistakes and incompetence have been called out, we are disappointed that certain aspects of Lizzie's care and the cover-up have not been addressed.\"\n\nDr Timothy Ho, medical director at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: \"We welcome the publication of this report and would like once again to offer our sincere and heartfelt apologies to Elizabeth's family.\n\n\"Our care for neonatal infants, our support for bereaved parents and how we investigate concerns have changed beyond recognition over the past 19 years, but we will carefully consider the report and its recommendations with a commitment to taking any action that is needed.\"\n\nA spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital said it was working to \"identify the actions we need to take to learn from this case\".\n\n\"It is clear that Elizabeth and her family have been let down at so many points during her life and following her death and we are very sorry for our role in this,\" the spokesperson added.", "Nineteen-year-old Marian Vasilica Dragoi was caught reaching 180 mph on his motorbike in southern England.\n\nA police helicopter filmed the events leading up to Dragoi's arrest, which happened after he rode on the wrong side of a motorway to get fuel from a service station.\n\nAt Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court he pleaded guilty to offences including dangerous driving and is due to be sentenced in January.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "Coronavirus infection rates in England are continuing to show signs of levelling off - but the picture across the UK is mixed, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.\n\nIn Wales and Northern Ireland, infections have been decreasing in recent weeks - but in Scotland, they seem to be rising.\n\nAfter lockdown ends in England, most areas face tougher tier restrictions.\n\nMost will be in tier two - high alert, including London and Liverpool.\n\nIn Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the devolved administrations have the power to set their own coronavirus regulations, though all four UK nations have agreed a joint plan for Christmas.\n\nIn England, decisions on post-lockdown tiers are based on how fast case rates are falling or rising in different areas, as well as numbers affected in the over-60s.\n\nWith the second lockdown having started on 5 November, Prof Kevin McConway, statistics expert from the Open University, says it might seem disappointing that progress to reduce infections hadn't been faster.\n\n\"People continue to give positive test results, on average, for at least 10 days after they were first infected, so some of the people who tested positive in the most recent week would have been infected before the English lockdown began,\" he said.\n\nThe ONS figures are based on thousands of people tested for the virus in households across the UK, whether they have symptoms or not.\n\nOf those tested in the week to 21 November, one person tested positive out of every:\n\nAccording to the ONS estimates, rates in England increased in the East Midlands and North East that week, while continuing to fall in the North West.\n\nIn the east of England, London, the South East and South West, rates now appear to be decreasing too.\n\nThe areas with the highest number of people infected per head of population are Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West and North East.\n\nSecondary-school-age children and young adults are seeing the highest infection rates.\n\nThis information is based on a relatively small number of people testing positive in each age group and region, so there is a wide margin for error.\n\nIn Scotland, an estimated 45,700 people had the virus in the week to 21 November - one person in every 115, up from one in 155 the previous week.\n\nBut the ONS says the results are based on modelling and \"should be interpreted with caution\".\n\nThe ONS figures are one source of data which helps the government's scientific advisers estimate the reproduction (R) number of the virus every week.\n\nAnother source is the Covid symptom study app, which suggests there has been a fall in new UK daily symptomatic cases - from 34,279 to 29,311 - over the two weeks up to 22 November.\n\nThis estimate is based on one million people using the app every week.\n\nData from Public Health England shows rates of coronavirus cases are still rising in 45% of areas (shown as pink, red or dark red in the map), despite the second lockdown.\n\nHowever Dr Yvonne Doyle, PHE medical director, says \"there is now reason for hope\".\n\n\"Case rates have fallen across every age range and in all regions, and positivity in both pillars [NHS and community testing] has also decreased. Over time we can expect that to lead to fewer hospitalisations and deaths.\n\n\"The huge efforts people have made over the past few weeks are starting to pay off,\" Dr Doyle said.\n\nThe government's daily figures for confirmed UK cases of coronavirus are often much lower than the ONS numbers because they only count people with symptoms testing positive.\n\nOn Thursday, the government reported that 17,555 people tested positive and 498 people had died within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nOver the past week, that's a 25% reduction in cases. The number of patients admitted to hospital is also falling - but deaths continue to rise.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "PC Simon Read was found to have intentionally scanned the wrong barcode\n\nA police officer accused of trying to buy a £9.95 box of doughnuts for seven pence by sticking on a cheaper barcode has been sacked for gross misconduct.\n\nPC Simon Read, from Cambridgeshire Police, was found to have switched the price for the cakes at a Wisbech supermarket on 10 February.\n\nA misconduct hearing found he had breached professional standards of honesty and integrity.\n\nPC Read, who had denied the charges, was dismissed without notice.\n\nPC Read had previously worked at several royal weddings and a visit to Blenheim Palace by Donald Trump\n\nAt the two-day hearing in Peterborough PC Read said he had made an honest mistake at a Tesco Extra self-service till.\n\nWhile in uniform, he said he purchased four items from the store - the tray of 12 doughnuts, the carrots, a sandwich and a drink.\n\nThe hearing was told he scanned the carrots barcode twice and failed to scan the doughnuts barcode, paying around £4 for the items instead of about £14.\n\nHe said: \"I simply scanned where I believed the barcodes were and placed them down (in the bagging area).\"\n\nThe panel ruled his explanation was \"lacking in credibility\".\n\nA manager at Tesco Extra reported his \"suspicious\" actions to the police\n\nSharmistha Michaels, chairwoman of the disciplinary panel, said: \"On the balance of probabilities we are satisfied that PC Read did intentionally scan the wrong barcode.\"\n\nPC Read had previously said: \"I didn't check the screen. I wish I had have done.\"\n\nMs Michaels said CCTV footage showed him looking at it at the time as he selected his method of payment.\n\nShe added that if he intended to pay the correct price he could have checked that he scanned the right barcode and it if was a \"genuine mistake\" he had opportunities to put it right.\n\nHis actions were \"incompatible with his role as a police officer\".\n\nMark Ley-Morgan, a lawyer who set out the misconduct case, said it was \"an officer effectively stealing while in uniform\".\n\nCarolina Bracken, PC Read's lawyer, said he had an \"unblemished career\", had served in the armed forces, before he joined Cambridgeshire police in January and had served with Thames Valley Police from 2008.\n\nMs Bracken said the case weighed heavily on him and he had received prank calls in the night from people offering him doughnuts.\n\nPC Read has the right to appeal the decision.\n\nAfter the ruling the Jane Gyford, deputy Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Police, said: \"The public should be able to trust that police officers in their duty will act with honesty and integrity at all times.\n\n\"I hope this outcome offers reassurance to our communities that our officers and staff will be held to account for their actions.\"\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The now-scrapped relief road was proposed as a solution to tackling congestion on the M4 around Newport\n\n£800m should be invested in public transport to help ease traffic jams on the M4, a report has recommended.\n\nA commission was set up after Welsh ministers scrapped plans to build a £1.6bn relief road around Newport.\n\nTo encourage people out of their cars, its report suggested considering a \"workplace parking levy\" and ensuring public transport was \"affordable for all\".\n\nThe panel was told not to consider plans for another motorway.\n\nThe M4 around Newport is the fourth most congested stretch of road in the UK.\n\nThe South East Wales Transport Commission recommended tripling the number of train stations between Cardiff and the River Severn, from three to nine, as well as establishing bus and cycle route networks in Newport.\n\nIf all the recommendations were acted on, it suggested more than 90% of people in Cardiff and Newport would live \"within one mile of a rail station or rapid bus corridor\".\n\nThe report recommended better integration and coordination of rail and bus networks and integrated tickets across all services. Services should run every 15 minutes and stations should be more accessible on foot and for cyclists.\n\nCurrently, common M4 journeys are poorly served by public transport alternatives, it said, with Newport served particularly poorly by rail.\n\nIt said \"flexible office hubs\" should be established in major towns and cities, in order to support remote working.\n\nAlthough most M4 journeys cannot be substituted by walking or cycling because of their distance, the report said active travel had \"a key role\".\n\nThe commission suggested making walking or cycling the \"natural choice\" for the first and last mile of public transport journeys and recommend establishing \"a major cycleway\" linking Cardiff and Newport.\n\nAlthough travel habits have changed due to Covid-19, the report said those changes \"do not fundamentally alter\" the need for more transport options and claimed the pandemic provided \"an opportunity to prepare significant transport improvements while demand is reduced\".\n\nA 20% reduction in flow on the M4 would have a significant positive impact on journey times, it said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"Everything outside gets dirty and it affects our chests - it's dreadful.\"\n\nThe commission, chaired by Lord Burns, described its recommendations as \"ambitious yet achievable\".\n\nIt said its \"fast track\" recommendations - made in a progress update in December 2019 - were \"consistent\" with their final recommendations.\n\nThis included the introduction of a 50mph average speed control and more lane guidance on the westbound approach to the Brynglas tunnels in Newport.\n\nThe report said the cost of the recommendations would be between £600m and £800m:\n\nAt peak times, between 3,000 and 5,000 vehicles approach the Brynglas tunnels every hour.\n\nAlleviating congestion on the M4 by moving commuters and travellers on to public transport would benefit goods and services traffic which are less able to switch to other modes of transport, according to the report.\n\nEnvironmentalists had long-opposed the plans for the scrapped relief road\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford scrapped plans to build a £1.6bn relief road last year after declaring a climate emergency because of its environmental impact, as well as the effect on the public purse.\n\nWelsh Secretary Simon Hart said in October the UK government had not ruled out bypassing the Welsh Government to build to road.\n\nThe commission said in principle it was in favour of road charging, but was not recommending this due to the absence of a UK-wide scheme, but said it should be considered again in future.\n\nThe UK government said it continued to believe that a relief road remained the \"most viable solution to the ongoing congestion problems\" around Newport.\n\nA spokesman added: \"The report is welcome and highlights the undoubted necessity for improvements in south Wales' transport infrastructure.\n\n\"The need to make improvements for people using the road and rail network is why the UK government launched its Union Connectivity Review last month.\"", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Most of England is expected to be placed in the two toughest tiers of coronavirus restrictions when the national lockdown ends next Wednesday.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock will set out the plans in the Commons later.\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said she understood only a \"handful\" of areas would have the lowest level of restrictions, tier one.\n\nMost areas, including London, would be in tier two with \"significant numbers\" in tier three - the highest level.\n\nDifferences between the tiers include limits on where households can meet up - for instance, in the new tier one, the rule of six applies indoors and out. In tier two, the rule of six remains outdoors but there is no household mixing indoors.\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak told BBC Breakfast the new tiers represent a \"tangible change compared to the last four weeks\" of lockdown in England.\n\n\"There are significant differences to that - more of our life can resume, more of our economic activity can resume,\" he said.\n\nThe system will be regularly reviewed and an area's tier level may change before Christmas - the first review is scheduled for 16 December.\n\nDecisions on tiers are based on public health recommendations informed by the following factors:\n\nAn area could be moved up a tier if these indicators are not improving, and likewise down to a lower one if they improve.\n\nMr Sunak said a meeting of the Cabinet would consider the new tiers on Thursday morning, before Mr Hancock addresses the Commons.\n\nThe final decisions will be made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the government said. He will lead a Downing Street news conference later.\n\nThe new system will be stricter than the previous one and more local authorities will be in higher tiers.\n\nMr Hancock has urged people to follow the rules so \"together we can get out of these tough measures\".\n\n\"I know for those of you faced with tier three restrictions this will be a particularly difficult time but I want to reassure you that we'll be supporting your areas with mass community testing and extra funding,\" he said.\n\nAreas placed in tier three will be eligible for rapid or \"lateral flow\" tests - which give results in about 20 minutes without the need for a lab - to help bring down infections and reduce restrictions.\n\nAnd they will be offered support by NHS Test and Trace and the armed forces to deliver a six-week rapid community testing programme.\n\nTier allocations will be reviewed for the first time by 16 December, allowing for \"the possibility of areas which continue to make progress in slowing the spread of the disease\" to be moved down a tier before Christmas, the government said.\n\nOn Wednesday, the government recorded another 696 UK deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test, the highest daily figure reported since 5 May. Total deaths now stand at 56,533.\n\nA further 18,213 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus were also reported.\n\nIt is clear the government is taking a tougher approach to regional tiers post lockdown.\n\nNot only has it beefed up the system - the top two tiers in particular have stricter rules for hospitality - but very few local authority areas will end up in the bottom tier with the most relaxed restrictions.\n\nBy the time England went into lockdown 170 local authority areas - well over half - were still in tier one, meaning mixing indoors was allowed.\n\nVery few will start there this time.\n\nThat's because an analysis by the University of East Anglia found the bottom tier was not effective at suppressing the virus.\n\nBut it did find the top two tiers had an impact.\n\nOne of the problems, it said, was that the government was too slow to move areas up a tier when infection rates started to rise.\n\nThe government will be much more cautious this time, starting from the premise that it is better to have areas in higher tiers and move them down over time rather than the reverse.\n\nBut for the public it means post-lockdown life will still see some very strict restrictions for the immediate future.\n\nLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan said it would be the \"right and sensible decision\" for the capital to be placed in tier two, as he warned that tier three would be a \"hammer blow\" to businesses.\n\nLiverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said he hoped the area - which was the first area of England to enter the highest tier in October - would not return to tier three restrictions.\n\nHe said the city region had made \"remarkable\" progress since being put into tier three, with infection rates in two areas dropping from about 750 per 100,000 people \"to 180 across the city region\".\n\nMayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the city's mass testing programme had enabled it to reduce infections.\n\nHe said the armed forces have been in the city for three weeks carrying out mass testing and bringing the virus \"back under control again\".\n\nMeanwhile, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said it was \"more likely than not\" his area would be put into tier three.\n\nHe said although infection numbers in Greater Manchester were still high, the rates were falling.\n\nElsewhere, Lancashire's council leaders have submitted a proposal to the government to divide the county into two different tiers when the lockdown ends next week - as coronavirus rates are lower in places like Lancaster and Wyre than they are in East Lancashire.\n\nA request has been made for Hyndburn, Rossendale, Burnley, Pendle and Preston to go into tier three restrictions while Fylde, Wyre, Lancaster, Chorley, South Ribble, Ribble Valley and West Lancashire would go into tier two.\n\nThis would mean there would be different restrictions on socialising and the hospitality sector in different parts of Lancashire.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Laura Foster explains the new three tier system for England\n\nMeanwhile, the Nightingale Hospital in Exeter will receive its first coronavirus patients on Thursday, officials have confirmed.\n\nThe 116-bed hospital built on the site of a former retail unit will treat people with Covid-19, taking patients transferred from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust as it is \"very busy\".\n\nDevolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have the power to set their own coronavirus regulations, though all four UK nations have agreed a joint plan for Christmas.\n\nIn Scotland, there is a new five-tier system of restrictions and all non-essential travel between Scotland and the rest of the UK is not allowed.\n\nThe Scottish government has also said that Christmas bubbles of three households there should contain no more than eight people. Children under 12 are not counted towards the eight.\n\nIn Wales, lockdown restrictions were eased on 9 November and current rules allow two households to form a bubble with up to 15 people able to meet for organised indoor activities.\n\nAnd Northern Ireland will go into a two-week circuit-break lockdown from 00:00 GMT on Friday 27 November.", "Extra funding announced for care services falls \"alarmingly short\" of the amount needed to meet demand, council directors in England have said.\n\nThe Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) said the £1bn the chancellor announced for social care was \"fragmented\" and \"short-term\".\n\nIt said Covid-19 had led to a huge surge in demand for care services.\n\nCouncils will get £300m in new money for adult and children's services and be allowed to raise more in tax.\n\nLocal authorities will be able to levy an additional adult social care charge on council tax bills of up to 3%, specifically for the care of older and disabled people.\n\nIn his Spending Review on Wednesday, Rishi Sunak said these measures would mean councils had access to an extra £1bn to fund social care.\n\nHe said this was on top of the additional £1bn social care grant provided by the government this year, which would be maintained into 2021.\n\nADASS has previously warned of \"catastrophic consequences\" without immediate investment in the social care sector.\n\nIt said councils could run out of cash and care providers could go to the wall, with increased costs due to coronavirus pandemic exacerbating an existing crisis.\n\nIn a statement issued on Wednesday, ADASS president James Bullion said the organisation had hoped for a settlement that would have helped it \"stabilise\" care and support services, as well as greater equality with NHS staff.\n\n\"While we are still examining the detail, it seems as if the fragmented short-term funding announced by the chancellor falls alarmingly short,\" he said.\n\nMr Bullion said funding was needed to ensure \"care providers remain in business, staff are are paid a national care wage that properly rewards them for their amazing work, and carers get the vital breaks they need to keep going\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Rishi Sunak: \"I think it's a reasonable and proportionate response given the context\"\n\nHouseholds face a rise in council tax after Chancellor Rishi Sunak cut support for local authorities in his Spending Review, experts say.\n\nIn its analysis of Wednesday's review the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) said tax bills may have to increase by £70 per household on average.\n\nThe chancellor has given authorities the ability to raise council tax by 5%, IFS director Paul Johnson said.\n\n\"This was actually a tax-raising Spending Review,\" he said.\n\n\"The chancellor has chosen to reduce support to local authorities and has given them the ability to raise Council Tax by 5% instead.\n\n\"If they do, and they'll mostly probably need to, that will increase annual tax bills by an average of around £70 per household.\"\n\nThe Spending Review set out the cost to the UK economy so far of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nMr Johnson said the review will feel like a return to austerity for many people.\n\nThe chancellor has imposed a \"pause\" in pay rises for at least 1.3 million public sector workers, telling the BBC that UK faced \"tough choices\".\n\nBut Mr Johnson said it was a \"pretty austere\" Spending Review and means \"a tougher time for some public services than expected\".\n\nSpeaking to BBC Breakfast on Thursday, Mr Sunak said: \"I've had to make some tough choices and what I couldn't do is justify an across-the-board rise in public sector pay.\"\n\nPrivate sector wages have fallen as jobs have been lost, hours have been cut and workers have been furloughed, he said. And he warned that unemployment could rise to 2.6 million by the middle of next year.\n\nPublic sector staff on less than £24,000 and some frontline NHS workers will get a wage rise.\n\nBut Mr Johnson questioned why the government was imposing a pay freeze on much of the public service as the financial benefits would be relatively low.\n\n\"There has been no top-up to NHS spending plans after next year,\" he said. \"This may not quite be a return to austerity, but for some public services it may not feel much different.\"\n\nMr Johnson said the chancellor appeared to be picking a fight with public sector workers over not very much money\n\nOn Wednesday, union leaders expressed fury at the pay, warning they would take industrial action to ensure members did not lose out.\n\nMr Johnson said the chancellor had picked a big fight over \"not very much money\" by freezing pay for public sector employees who did not work in the NHS, or who earned less than £24,000 a year.\n\nHe said: \"The decision to freeze public sector pay for some will probably save only between £1 and £2bn next year. The chancellor has perhaps picked a big fight over not very much money.\n\n\"And, as ever, in the public sector the decisions look driven by politics not by economics or the need to spend money either equitably or efficiently.\"\n\nMeanwhile, the Resolution Foundation think-tank has warned that the Covid-crisis could dent average pay packets by £1,200.\n\n\"I am determined to protect jobs and this will help me protect jobs,\" said Mr Sunak.\n\nHe would not be drawn when asked about tax rises, only saying that the current level of spending was \"unsustainable\".\n\nSo far, the government has spent £280bn to support the economy through the pandemic, and is expected to spend a further £55bn next year.\n\nBut the UK economy is expected to shrink by 11.3% this year, the sharpest decline in 300 years, according to the government's independent forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).\n\nIt is not expected to return to its pre-crisis size until the end of 2022.\n\nDespite being able to borrow at record-low rates, Mr Sunak told the BBC's Today programme he would aim to rein in debt.\n\n\"Once we get through this and have more certainty over the outlook we should look to restore our public finances to a strong position,\" he said.\n\n\"I want to make sure that when the next difficult thing comes along the government can respond.\"\n\nMr Sunak defended the government's decision to increase defence spending while cutting international aid from 0.7% of GDP to 0.5%, a move that prompted a junior minister to resign.\n\n\"We believe defence and security is important to this country,\" he said, adding that the law allows the aid budget to be cut under economic decline, despite the target being a Tory manifesto promise.\n\n\"We do intend to return to it. It's not a permanent change,\" he said.\n\nShadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds says there will have to be higher taxes and spending cuts in the future if interest rates rise, making government borrowing more expensive.\n\nBut she said that the current focus must be on keeping people in work.\n\n\"I think government should be concentrated on protecting people's jobs right now, making sure that new jobs are created,\" she told the Today programme.\n\n\"We've got far, far lower ambitions around that than, for example, France and Germany. That's what government should be focused on right now because that economic damage will ultimately affect the size of our tax base as well as, of course, people's living standards.\"\n\nRichard Hughes, the chairman of the OBR, told the Today programme that this was \"a very serious moment\" for the UK and \"the biggest shock we've faced in three centuries and the biggest shock the global economy has faced in peacetime\".\n\nThe impact from the coronavirus is twice the size of the financial crisis in terms of its impact on the economy and the public purse, he said.\n\n\"It's something few people have faced in their lifetimes.\"\n\nOne of the longer-lasting effects on the economy is that people are out of work and aren't building their skills, a loss \"we don't get back when this crisis is over,\" Mr Hughes said.\n\nThe Resolution Foundation has warned that the bulk of the government's extra spending to deal with the \"economic emergency\" will need to come from tax rises.\n\nThat is \"a matter for the government\", Mr Hughes said.", "American model Halima Aden says she is quitting runway modelling as it compromises her religious beliefs.\n\nThe 23-year-old has appeared on the cover of British Vogue, Vogue Arabia and Allure.\n\nWriting on Instagram, she said the coronavirus pandemic had given her time to stop and think about what her values are as a Muslim woman.\n\n\"Being a 'hijabi' is truly a journey with lots of highs and lows,\" she said.\n\nTalking about accepting modelling jobs that went against her religious views, she said: \"I can only blame myself for caring more about opportunity than what was actually at stake.\"\n\nShe added that problems came from there being a \"lack of Muslim women stylists\" within the industry who could understand why wearing a hijab was so important.\n\nShe's received support online from model sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid and also from Rihanna.\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by halima This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nHalima was born in a Kenyan refugee camp to Somali parents before moving to America aged six.\n\nShe was spotted by international modelling agency IMG Models at 18 while appearing in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant as a semi-finalist.\n\nShe was the first woman to wear a hijab in the pageant and soon became known for bringing a modest dress code to the world's most famous fashion week shows.\n\nShe's gone on to star in campaigns for Rihanna's Fenty Beauty and Kanye West's Yeezy brand.\n\nHalima, seen here modelling for Tommy Hilfiger, made her runway debut at 19 at New York Fashion Week\n\nIn her Instagram Stories, she praised Rihanna for letting her wear the hijab she wore to set.\n\nShe says she's compromised her religion many times as part of her job - including missing prayer times set out in the Islamic faith or agreeing to model without a hijab on, using another item of clothing to cover her head.\n\nShe added that she had \"sobbed\" in her hotel room after shooting some campaigns over not speaking up about what she thought was right.\n\n\"The truth is I was very uncomfortable,\" she wrote on Instagram.\n\n\"This just ain't me,\" she added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nIn February this year, she told the BBC: \"Modesty is not for one culture, it is not for one group of women. Modesty is the oldest fashion staple.\n\n\"It has been around since the beginning of time. It is going to be around for another 100 years. It's an option, just another option for people to participate in.\"\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here", "Families on Universal Credit face \"agonising uncertainty\" after Rishi Sunak did not confirm what would happen to their benefits next year, campaigners say.\n\nUniversal Credit claimants were given a £20-a-week boost in response to the coronavirus pandemic in April.\n\nThe temporary rise is due to come to an end in April 2021.\n\nThe chancellor did not say whether the increase would be extended, or cut, in his spending review.\n\nSpeaking after delivering his statement to MPs, he said the increased payment would continue until next spring.\n\nHe added: \"Let's get through winter, see where we are with the virus and what the economy looks and decide then how best to support people.\n\n\"Everyone can rest assured we remain committed to making sure we look after the most vulnerable in our society.\"\n\nFootballer and anti-poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford tweeted: \"Is the Universal Credit uplift going to be taken away in April?\"\n\nPaul Noblet, from youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, said: \"The government's failure to commit to retaining the current uplift in Universal Credit is hugely disappointing and will weigh heavily on the minds of millions of people for whom the £20 a week increase has made a huge difference.\n\n\"There is still time for the government to reflect on this issue between now and the end of March and we urge them to think again.\"\n\nThe chancellor set out his spending priorities for the year ahead earlier, warning that unemployment is set to peak at 2.6 million next year, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.\n\nBut he faced criticism from opposition MPs for not mentioning what would happen to benefit rates in his speech.\n\nLabour MP Stephen Timms, chairman of the work and pensions committee, said: \"Millions of people on Universal Credit are now facing the Christmas period in agonising uncertainty, not knowing whether the government will cut their income by £20 a week next April.\n\n\"Meanwhile, those on older benefits, who have already missed out on the rise because the DWP's systems are too old-fashioned, will receive an increase of just 0.5% next year.\n\n\"The government must think again.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Bar chain owner Martin Greenhow: ''This is pure and simple business torture\"\n\nThe hospitality sector will be \"decimated\" by the new Covid tiers, according to bar chain owner Martin Greenhow, who says it \"isn't viable to operate\" under the conditions.\n\nMr Greenhow, who has bars in cities including Manchester, says the measures are \"a mortal blow\" to the sector.\n\nThe hospitality industry has warned that tens of thousands of businesses will close without extra support.\n\nIt comes as more pub groups have been forced to make additional job cuts.\n\nMitchells & Butlers, owner of the All Bar One and Harvester chains, revealed it had cut 1,300 jobs while Fuller Smith & Turner made 350 redundancies.\n\nThe government has set out what level of restrictions England's regions will face when lockdown ends with cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle put in the highest tiers.\n\nBut chains such as Mr Greenhow's Mojo bars were struggling even before the second lockdown in England, imposed on 5 November.\n\nOn the Friday before lockdown, Mr Greenhow's Manchester bar took £175. On the same Friday night a year before, it took £10,000.\n\nEven tier one means that bars have less than half the usual number of customers, he says.\n\n\"It's simply not a business model that can work,\" he adds. \"Right now, for hospitality, all the tiers are a version of waterboarding. We're allowed out for a brief gasp of fiscal oxygen, then we're slammed back down.\"\n\n\"This is pure and simple business torture.\"\n\nUK Hospitality boss Kate Nicholls said the sector is \"bearing the brunt of the pain of closure\" under the new Covid rules. She added that tens of thousands of businesses will close without additional support.\n\nUnder the new restrictions, pubs in tier 2 regions can only open if they serve substantial meals and households are not allowed to mix indoors.\n\nUnder tier 3, pubs and restaurants must close their doors but can offer takeaways.\n\nMs Nicholls said that 98% of its members were in areas with tier 2 or tier 3 coronavirus restrictions, and nearly nine in 10 \"say that they are not viable to operate at those level of restrictions\".\n\n\"Without additional support to sustain these businesses through this crisis, we are going to see tens of thousands of businesses closing and over a million job losses,\" she added.\n\nBirmingham City Council leader Ian Ward said hospitality and other businesses needed a \"meaningful package\" of support from the government so the economy can \"continue to function in an effective way\".\n\n\"The crisis faced by hospitality businesses across Birmingham is of particular concern from an economic perspective - a crisis that would have been exacerbated whether our city was placed in tier 2 or 3,\" said Mr Ward.\n\n\"Many businesses in this previously thriving sector are warning they may not survive the coming months if they are dealt the double blow of more restrictions and inadequate financial support.\"\n\nThe Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) described the imposition of the tier three level as \"devastating news\" for those areas.\n\n\"The government must compensate these businesses for the period of time they have been closed, and the loss of business suffered due to restrictions through the festive period,\" said NTIA chief executive Michael Kill.\n\nThe British pub industry sent a letter on Wednesday pleading with Prime Minister Boris Johnson to save the industry, which it said was facing \"the darkest of moments\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. In February, 60,000 tonnes slipped down the hillside at Tylorstown\n\nMore than half a billion pounds could be needed to ensure the safety of 2,000 old coal tips in Wales over the next 10 years, the chancellor has been warned.\n\nIt follows calls for urgent action, following a 60,000 tonne landslide earlier this year in Rhondda.\n\nGeologists said Wales was more prone to these incidents and climate change \"may make that worse\".\n\nUK officials said they were working with the Welsh Government on flood relief, including funding for tips.\n\nThe incident above the village of Tylorstown followed heavy rain caused by Storm Dennis in February, which led to widespread flooding across areas including Rhondda Cynon Taf.\n\nOne historian said the landslide had evoked \"visceral\" emotions linked to the Aberfan disaster of 1966, which claimed the lives of 116 children and 28 adults.\n\nA letter from Chris Bryant MP and Labour colleagues to Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed unpublished details from a review led by the Welsh Government, with the co-operation of the Coal Authority, councils and Natural Resources Wales.\n\nThe review is compiling a list of all sites in Wales and their risk status.\n\nMud and debris continued to fall on the hillside for days after the initial landslide\n\nIn October, the UK government provided £2.5m to help clean up and secure the Tylorstown site.\n\nThe Welsh Government said the cost of clear-ups and making Wales' coal tips safe was \"significantly more\".\n\nRepair work in Rhondda Cynon Taf is estimated at £82.5m in total.\n\nMr Bryant and fellow Welsh Labour MPs Beth Winter, Chris Elmore and Alex Davies-Jones said it would be \"unfair\" for the \"poorest communities in the UK to bear the full costs of this work\".\n\nThey fear another Tylorstown-like incident if the framework for funding the work is not done soon.\n\nThe letter also calls for the UK government to provide financial assistance to Rhondda Cynon Taf for urgent repair work to bridges, roads and culverts following Storm Dennis.\n\nThe UK government has previously said it is up to the Welsh Government to remediate the coal tips and \"get on\" with flood defence work.\n\nBut in a new statement, officials added: \"Ever since parts of Wales were hit by devastating flooding earlier this year, the UK government has been working with the Welsh Government and local authorities to provide extra support for flood relief and protection to the communities which were so badly affected.\n\n\"Responsibility for flood defences and flood management is devolved but, while all claims need to meet certain criteria, we expect to provide funding from the UK reserve for 2020-21.\"\n\nIt added: \"This would include funds for coal tip repairs which we know are of particular concern to communities.\"\n\nThe Labour Member of the Senedd for Pontypridd, Mick Antoniw, said clearing coal tips \"goes way beyond any responsibilities of the Welsh Government\".\n\n\"The film of the coal sliding down brought back many, many traumatic memories for the population of Wales.\n\n\"And I think the wake-up call for us all is that the risk may be a bit greater than we thought it was, particularly if we're going to have more adverse weather like this.\"\n\nThe Tylorstown landslide has left a scar on the hillside\n\nBen Curtis, a historian of the south Wales coalfields at Wolverhampton University, said incidents like the one at Tylorstown had a powerful impact.\n\n\"I visited the Tylorstown tip in the aftermath.\n\n\"Just struck by the scale of the landslip. It's really quite awe inspiring and not in a good way.\n\n\"These register so prominently with people because on a visceral level people in the valleys see a tip slide, and you think about the Aberfan disaster of course.\"\n\nAshley Patton, from the British Geological Survey, said the conditions in Wales made it more prone to these types of landslips.\n\n\"In south Wales we have the added pressure of a lot of coal waste sitting on top of those slopes which is unconsolidated material and can easily slip. Climate change may only make that worse.\n\n\"With increased storms like the ones we saw at the beginning of this year, landslides, which is what you'd expect with climate change, is going to be a real problem.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government said the safe management of coal tips \"remains a priority\".\n\n\"While we welcome recent announcements by UK government, along with their recognition that the longer-term costs will be significant, no further funds have been forthcoming, and we continue to press them for the full amount of funding needed, as promised by the prime minister,\" said a spokesman.", "Boris Johnson has appointed an ex-Treasury official as his new chief of staff, Downing Street has announced.\n\nDan Rosenfield's appointment follows a period of upheaval which saw the prime minister's senior aides Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain resign.\n\nMr Rosenfield is former civil servant, who has worked in the past for Labour chancellor Alistair Darling and his Tory successor George Osborne.\n\nHe will begin work at Downing Street on 7 December.\n\nThe current acting chief of staff Lord Udny-Lister will stay in the role until 1 January when Mr Rosenfield will take over.\n\nCleo Watson, one of the PM's deputy chiefs of staff, who was close to Mr Cummings, is also leaving No 10.\n\nHe has also previously worked at Bank of America as a managing director and is chairman of the humanitarian agency World Jewish Relief.\n\nThe chief of staff role had originally been offered to Mr Cain, however some MPs and ministers objected to the appointment.\n\nAnd following a power struggle inside No 10 both Mr Cain and his ally Mr Cummings stepped down from their roles.\n\nThis senior job hasn't gone to a high-profile name from Tory ranks as some expected, but a former civil servant.\n\nWhile he has worked at the heart of government in his role at the Treasury, he is a relative outsider in current political circles.\n\nThose who know Dan Rosenfield describe him as likeable, clever and effective.\n\nOne former Treasury colleague said he was ordered and efficient.\n\n\"If the wheels are coming off he'll want to try to put them back on\", they added.\n\nHaving been in the private sector in recent years, he's not thought to be attached to any particular faction in No 10; perhaps that was part of the thinking behind his appointment.\n\nAfter the recent turbulence that saw the departure of two of Boris Johnson's closest aides, Downing Street will want to avoid any further internal division.\n\nMany have called for a \"reset moment\".\n\nThe prime minister may well hope this pick for chief of staff is part of that.\n\nMr Rosenfield grew up in what he describes as a \"small Jewish community\" in Manchester.\n\nIn an interview last year with the Jewish Telegraph, Mr Rosenfield describes Judaism as being \"pretty central\" to his life and says his local synagogue was his \"second home\".\n\nHe also recalls working in the Treasury during the 2008 financial crisis. \"It became very clear that we were dealing with some quite fundamentally difficult challenges,\" he said.\n\nSpeaking at a World Jewish Relief dinner in 2017 he said he was driven by the principle of \"the rejection of tragedy in the name of hope\".\n\nDan Rosenfield (left) was an official at the Treasury when it was run by George Osborne\n\nWelcoming the appointment, ex-Treasury Minister David Gauke described Mr Rosenfield as \"smart, likeable and effective\".\n\nAnd a former Labour adviser Damian McBride said the PM's new recruit had \"a first-class brain and an easy smile\".\n\nHis previous employers Hakluyt are a low-profile consultancy firm with offices in Mayfair, central London, as well as New York, Mumbai, Singapore, and Tokyo.\n\nThe company says it is named after the English writer Richard Hakluyt \"because his role in advancing knowledge of the wider world in the 16th and 17th centuries... reflects the firm's global interests and independence of thought\".\n\nIt is chaired by the Conservative peer Lord Deighton - who was recently given a role co-ordinating the drive to scale up UK manufacturing of personal protective equipment (PPE).\n• None Dominic Cummings leaves No 10 'to clear the air'", "The music producer, named only as Michel, spoke to reporters outside the National Police General Inspectorate in Paris\n\nFrench authorities have suspended three police officers after they were seen on video beating up a black music producer in central Paris.\n\nThe incident on Saturday has prompted a fresh outcry over the conduct of French security forces.\n\nOn Monday police were accused of using unnecessary force as they dismantled a makeshift migrant camp in Paris.\n\nThe incidents come as the government tries to bring in laws banning the broadcast of police officers' faces.\n\nCritics of the legislation say that without such images, none of the incidents which took place over the past week would have come to light.\n\nOn Thursday, French football star Kylian Mbappe, who is black, joined national teammates and fellow athletes in condemning the latest incident.\n\n\"Unbearable video, unacceptable violence. Say no to racism,\" he wrote on Twitter next to a picture of the bloodied face of the injured producer, who has been named only as Michel.\n\nThe security camera video was published on Thursday by the online news site Loopsider. It shows three officers kicking, punching and using their truncheons on the man after he entered his studio. Loopsider said he had initially been stopped for not wearing a mask.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Loopsider This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMichel said that he was also subjected to racist abuse during the five minute beating.\n\nHe was detained and charged with violence and resisting arrest, but prosecutors threw the charges out and instead opened an investigation against the officers.\n\nAs he arrived at police headquarters on Thursday with his lawyer to file a complaint, Michel told reporters: \"People who should have been protecting me attacked me. I did nothing to deserve this. I just want these three people to be punished according to the law.\"\n\nParis Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she was \"profoundly shocked\" by the \"intolerable act\".\n\nInterior Minister Gérald Darmanin told French television that he would press for the officers' dismissal, saying they had \"soiled the uniform of the republic\".\n\nEarlier this week Mr Darmanin ordered police to provide a full report after they violently dismantled a makeshift migrant camp in the capital, clashing with migrants and activists.\n\nHe tweeted that some of the scenes were \"shocking\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police tipped some migrants out of their flimsy tents\n\nMeanwhile, the French government is pressing ahead with its controversial security bill, which opponents say could undermine the media's ability to scrutinise police behaviour.\n\nArticle 24 of the bill makes it a criminal offence to post images of police or soldiers on social media which are deemed to target them as individuals.\n\nThe government argues that the new bill does not jeopardise the rights of the media and ordinary citizens to report police abuses.\n\nBut in the face of criticism the government added an amendment, specifying that Article 24 \"will only target the dissemination of images clearly aimed at harming a police officer's or soldier's physical or psychological integrity\".\n\nPeople found guilty could be punished by a year in prison or a fine of up to €45,000 (£40,000).", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nDiego Maradona - displaying the World Cup in 1986, during a training session, and with his ex-wife Claudia and their daughters Dalma and Gianina Colourful doesn't really do him justice. Diego Maradona was a genius on the football pitch and a controversial figure off it. From his homeland of Argentina to success in Italy, World Cup glory and his drugs downfall, here's a look at his life in photos. Starting out: Maradona made his World Cup finals debut for Argentina at the 1982 tournament in Spain, but really made his mark four years later... Calm before the storm: Handshake with England goalkeeper Peter Shilton before the World Cup quarter-final in Mexico in 1986 Ridiculous to the sublime: The 'Hand of God' goal against England, followed by the 'Goal of the Century' World class: Maradona was named player of the tournament after inspiring Argentina to victory in 1986, and helped the side reach the final four years later Cup king: Maradona was an icon at Italian club Napoli where he won the Uefa Cup in 1989, plus two league titles. The number 10 shirt was retired in his honour Heavy duty: Maradona, pictured in 2001, struggled with a drug addition and weight isues Argentina's A-team: Maradona, then manager of the national side, passes on his wisdom to forward Lionel Messi at the 2010 World Cup but they are beaten 4-0 by Germany in the quarter-finals Poster boy: Maradona poses with a banner of himself at the Argentina v Nigeria game at the 2018 World Cup in Russia", "Families have been warned against hugging and kissing elderly relatives at Christmas \"if you want them to survive to be hugged again\".\n\nPeople \"just have to have sense\", said the UK government's chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty.\n\nCoronavirus rules announced this week mean three households can form a bubble and mix for five days over Christmas.\n\nFrom 23 to 27 December, three households can mix indoors in homes, at a place of worship or outdoors.\n\nThe rules apply to the whole of the UK, although in Scotland the number of people who can be in the Christmas bubble is limited to eight.\n\nAnd in Northern Ireland, the rules are relaxed from 22 to 28 December, to allow time to travel between the nations.\n\nSpeaking at a Downing Street press conference on Thursday, Prof Whitty - who revealed he would be \"on the wards\" over Christmas - said: \"Would I want someone to see their family? Of course, that's what Christmas is about.\n\n\"But would I encourage someone to hug and kiss their elderly relatives? No, I would not.\n\n\"It's not against the law - and that's the whole point. You can do it within the rules that are there, but it does not make sense because you could be carrying the virus and if you've got an elderly relative, that would not be the thing you'd want to do in the period where we are running up to a point where we actually might be able to protect older people.\n\n\"So I think people just have to have sense. The fact that you can do something - this is true across so many other areas of life - doesn't mean you should.\"\n\nMr Whitty urged people not to do \"stupid things\" at Christmas\n\nSir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, added: \"It's not going to be a normal Christmas but if you want to make those connections with family, it has to be done in a way where you try and make sure that you don't increase the risk.\n\n\"I think hugging elderly relatives is not something to go out and do. It will increase the spread to a vulnerable population.\"\n\nProf Whitty added: \"If you want them to survive to be hugged again.\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson also responded to the question about hugging elderly relatives, urging people to be \"common sensical\".\n\n\"Until the vaccine comes on stream, we are not out of the woods yet and we have to be very, very vigilant.\"\n\nProf Whitty also said it was \"not a secret\" that Christmas would increase the risk of transmission.\n\n\"Take it really seriously during Christmas. Don't do stupid things. Don't do unnecessary things just because the rules say you can. Think sensibly.\"\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has that said the \"default advice\" and \"safest position\" was still that people should avoid contact.\n\n\"Just because we are allowing people to meet up in a limited way does not of course mean people have to do so, and people should not feel under pressure to do so,\" she said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How you and your family can celebrate Christmas and minimise the spread of coronavirus\n\nThe government's official guidance on Christmas bubbles advises people with loved-ones who are vulnerable advises to take personal responsibility to limit the spread of the virus.\n\nThe NHS considers anyone 70 and over as \"clinically vulnerable\" and at moderate risk from coronavirus.\n\nThe government guidance also has specific advice for people considered extremely vulnerable, as well as care home residents.\n\nIt suggests forming a Christmas bubble is \"a personal choice\" for extremely vulnerable people, while those in care homes should only visit families if they are of working age.\n\nUnder the government's rules, the three households must be fixed, so you will not be able to mix with two households on Christmas Day and two different ones on Boxing Day. Households in your Christmas bubble can't bubble with anyone else.\n\nScotland has announced that the bubbles of three households should contain no more than eight people - but children under 12 are exempt.\n\nPeople who are self-isolating should not join a Christmas bubble. If someone tests positive, or develops coronavirus symptoms up to 48 hours after the Christmas bubble last met, everyone will have to self-isolate.", "Charlton School said it had \"taken full responsibility for working with all students involved\"\n\nAn attack by secondary school pupils in Telford is being treated as a hate crime, police have said.\n\nThe West Mercia force said it was aware of a video circulating on social media of a boy being attacked in an \"incredibly distressing incident\".\n\nIt appears to show a pupil from the Sikh community being pushed to the ground by two other boys and then struck a number of times in the head.\n\nCharlton School said it had taken \"swift and appropriate action\".\n\nA statement on the school website said it took place on 13 November outside school grounds and involved a number of its students.\n\n\"We have taken swift, immediate and appropriate action, including sanctions and targeted intervention for the perpetrators,\" it said.\n\n\"A police investigation is ongoing, and we are co-operating fully.\"\n\nThe school said the parents of all concerned have been contacted and it was working closely with the local Sikh community.\n\nWest Mercia Police said: \"We are treating this as a hate crime and with the utmost seriousness.\n\n\"Our inquiries into the motivation around the incident are continuing and we are working with our local communities to provide reassurance.\"\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Jessica Jing Ren was a visiting academic at Swansea University from Huanghuai University in China\n\nA woman who was injured after a bus hit a railway bridge has died.\n\nJessica Jing Ren, 36, was travelling on the bus - which was bound for Swansea University - when it crashed into the bridge on Neath Road on 12 December.\n\nMs Ren, a mother of one, was a visiting academic at the university's accounting and finance department from Huanghuai University in China.\n\nSouth Wales Police said a 63-year-old man, who was arrested at the scene, has been released under investigation.\n\nMs Ren's family said in a statement: \"Jessica was the loving wife of Wenquang Wang, a devoted mother to five-year-old Yushu Wang and the cherished Daughter of Mingqi Ren.\n\n\"A much loved and talented academic, Jessica will be deeply missed by her family and her friends both in China and in Swansea and will leave a great void in their lives.\"\n\nAn inquest into Ms Ren's death has been opened and adjourned until 17 June 2020.\n\nEight people were injured in the crash, including Olympic gold medallist and 400m hurdles world record holder Kevin Young, who is studying at the university.\n\nAfter the crash, Ms Ren was airlifted from Swansea to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, while two others suffered serious injuries.\n\nSwansea University said: \"We are deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Jessica Jing Ren. Our thoughts are with Jessica's family at this time and we extend our deepest condolences at their tragic loss.\"\n\nThe scene inside the bus after it crashed into a railway bridge in Neath Road, Swansea\n\nThe crash happened at about 09:40 GMT while the bus was travelling from Swansea University's Singleton campus to its Swansea Bay campus.\n\nA First Cymru spokesman said the bus was off its normal route due to a temporary road closure.\n\nNetwork Rail said the height restriction on the bridge is 3.3m (11ft) but the sign was dislodged in the crash.\n\nAlastair Hawkes, 22, who was on the top deck of the bus, said: \"There was a crunch and smashing glass and screaming.\n\n\"Everyone was thinking 'what just happened?' as there was a bridge halfway up the bus.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSpeaking two days after the crash Mr Young, 53, said he and the woman in front of him hit the windscreen of the bus and he suffered a cut to the top of his head.\n\n\"I hit it and I fell straight down onto the floor,\" he said.\n\nHe said he was \"extremely lucky to be alive\".", "Yahya Werfalli admitted two counts of fraud by false representation Manchester Magistrates' Court last month\n\nA friend of the Manchester Arena bomber whose bank details were used to buy chemicals for the bomb has been handed a 12-month community order.\n\nManchester Crown Court heard Yahya Werfalli's bank details were used to buy hydrogen peroxide on Amazon.\n\nThe chemical was acquired by brothers Salman and Hashem Abedi for the bomb that killed 22 people in May 2017.\n\nJudge Patrick Field QC told the court Werfalli \"had no idea what the Abedi brothers were up to\".\n\nHe said the defendant - who had engaged in other frauds in the past - would have been charged with a more serious offence had his own activity with the Abedis involved more than fraud.\n\nWerfalli, a university student from Buckingham, admitted two counts of fraud by false representation last month.\n\nFamilies of some of those killed in the attack were present in court to see Werfalli sentenced.\n\n\"I am not blind to the terrible events that unfolded at the arena,\" said the judge, who explained: \"I must not let the inevitable emotional response to that influence the sentence in this case.\"\n\nHe said Werfalli, who lived in Manchester at the time of the frauds, must complete 80 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of \"rehabilitation requirement\".\n\nProsecutor Harriet Lavin said the case concerned bank frauds in March and April 2017 in which the defendant planned with Salman and Hashem Abedi for them to order products online using his bank details.\n\nIn order to obtain refunds, he then planned to falsely claim to his bank, RBS, that he had not made the purchases.\n\nThe court was told the Abedi brothers put £300 into the defendant's bank account and the pair placed orders on Amazon using an account they had set up using Werfalli's card details.\n\nMs Lavin said: \"Once the order had been delivered, the defendant then contacted his bank and reported the purchase as fraudulent.\n\n\"It was anticipated that the bank would then refund the money with little scrutiny as it would have been a low value amount.\n\n\"Salman and Hashem Abedi would thereby get the products they wanted with no trace back to themselves.\"\n\nYahya Werfalli was a \"dupe\" who had been \"exploited by the terrorists,\" court hears\n\nThe court heard the hydrogen peroxide was \"used by the pair to construct the bomb that killed 22 people and seriously injured many more\".\n\nMs Lavin said: \"There is no evidence to suggest this defendant had any knowledge of the nature of the goods being purchased, or their intended purpose.\"\n\nShe said the goods were delivered to an address unconnected to the defendant and there was nothing on his phone to suggest he was in contact with Salman or Hashem Abedi around the time of the attack.\n\nThe court heard that, after being arrested following the attack, Werfalli described two meetings with the Abedi brothers in which plans for a fraud were discussed.\n\nAnthony Barraclough, defending, said his client was a \"dupe\" who had been \"exploited by the terrorists\".\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A statue of Sir Thomas Picton was boxed up in preparation for its removal from Cardiff City Hall\n\nWales has 209 streets, buildings, portraits or monuments commemorating people directly involved with the slave trade or who opposed its abolition.\n\nAn audit also found \"commemoration of people of colour\" to be \"negligible\".\n\nThe review was ordered by First Minister Mark Drakeford following protests prompted by the killing of George Floyd in the US.\n\nMr Drakeford said the audit \"helps us establish an honest picture of our history\".\n\nThe audit, led by Gaynor Legall, found commemorations of people connected with the slave trade were often shown without any accompanying interpretation to address matters of contention, so the figures were presented solely as role models rather than representatives of challenging aspects of the past.\n\nThe audit also unearthed commemorations to anti-slavery activists across Wales, such as Henry Richard in Tregaron, Ceredigion, street names for Samuel Romilly and the Pantycelyn halls of residence at Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion.\n\nThe Thomas Picton obelisk is on Picton Terrace in Carmarthen\n\nThe report said: \"It is striking that the only sculpture depicting people of black heritage is not a monument to named individuals, but an anonymous statue group in Cardiff Bay.\"\n\nA statue to celebrate the life and contributions of Wales' first black headteacher Betty Campbell is set to be placed in Cardiff, but not until next year.\n\nThere have been widespread calls for the statues of slave owners and those who supported the slave trade to be removed, but some have opposed the idea.\n\nIn July, a statue of a 19th Century slave owner Sir Thomas Picton in Cardiff City Hall was covered over.\n\nIn Denbigh, people will be consulted on removing a statue honouring Victorian adventurer Henry Morton Stanley who opponents claim had links to slavery.\n\nYsgol Goronwy Owen in Benllech on Anglesey is mentioned in the audit as its namesake poet owned slaves.\n\nA statue of Henry Morton Stanley was installed in Denbigh town centre in 2010\n\n\"While the tragic killing of George Floyd happened almost 4,000 miles away, it sparked global action that shone a light on racial inequality in society today,\" Mr Drakeford said.\n\n\"That inequality exists in Welsh society too and we must work towards a Wales which is more equal.\n\n\"This audit provides important evidence which helps us establish an honest picture of our history.\n\n\"This is not about rewriting our past or naming and shaming. It is about learning from the events of the past.\"\n\nHe said the audit was the \"first stage of a much bigger piece of work\" to \"consider how we move forward with this information as we seek to honour and celebrate our diverse communities\".\n\nThe audit was led by Gaynor Legall, who was the first black woman city councillor in Wales\n\nSpeaking to Claire Summers on BBC Radio Wales, Ms Legall said: \"We certainly were careful not to make recommendations - different people have different views, some feel more strongly than others.\n\n\"We would like to see some more commemorations of people of colour.\n\n\"We would like to see that this work is carried on, and perhaps incorporated into the new work around the curriculum, so that people in Wales - children, young people in particular - can have a true picture of where its economy grew from.\"", "Amazon is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on bonuses for Christmas staff after sales at the online giant soared during the pandemic.\n\nFull-time warehouse workers in the UK and the US will receive £300 or $300, with £150 or $150 for part-time staff.\n\nThe money, $500m in total, will go to staff working between 1-31 December.\n\nThe firm, run by Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man, praised staff for \"serving customers' essential needs\" during the pandemic.\n\nIn a blog post, Dave Clark, senior vice president of Amazon Worldwide Operations, wrote: \"I'm grateful to our teams who continue to play a vital role serving their communities.\n\n\"As we head into the peak of the holiday season, we want to share our appreciation through another special recognition bonus, totalling more than $500 million for our front-line employees.\"\n\nThe firm has come under intense scrutiny for working practices in its warehouses during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nLabour activists in the US, for example, recently called on big retailers like Amazon and Walmart to do more to protect workers as surging Covid-19 cases coincide with the holiday shopping rush.\n\nThey are calling for hazard pay, paid sick leave and better communication about outbreaks.\n\nAmazon workers have raised concerns about their health and working conditions in Europe as well as in the US, claiming it is almost impossible to practice social distancing.\n\nEarlier this year, Amazon was forced to shut down several warehouses in France in an ongoing row over conditions.\n\nThe company has previously said that its guidelines are adequate and that it provides employees with face masks.\n\nHowever, the company said in a statement that it \"provides some of the most advanced workplaces of their kind in the world, with industry-leading pay, processes and systems to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all employees\".\n\nAmazon said it had introduced additional cleaning and other safety measures to increase protection, and in the UK had started a pilot scheme offering voluntary Covid testing for employees.\n\nThe retail giant has been one of the retail winners during coronavirus lockdowns as online deliveries skyrocketed when High Street shops closed.\n\nSales will also be boosted during the Black Friday bonanza, although a coalition of trade unions, environmentalists and other activists have urged consumers to boycott the firm.\n\nProtests are being planned in several countries, and in Germany, the trade union Verdi has organised three-day strikes at Amazon warehouses,\n\nSales at the internet giant shot to $96.1bn in the three months to 30 September - up 37% from the same period in 2019. And profits hit a record $6.3bn, nearly three times last year's total.\n\nBut that level of growth has not come without additional costs. Amazon said it had $2.5bn in Covid-related expenses.\n\nIn the UK it has also had to create thousands of jobs, as well as 20,000 seasonal posts, in a bid to keep up with shoppers.", "Christmas \"bubbles\" of three households in Scotland should contain no more than eight people over the age of 11, the Scottish government has said.\n\nThe rule is part of the government's guidance for Christmas which temporarily relaxes some Covid-19 restrictions for five days.\n\nChildren under the age of 12 will not count towards the total number of people in the bubble.\n\nThe easing of Covid rules will apply across the UK from 23 to 27 December.\n\nOpposition parties have accused the Scottish government of sending out \"mixed messages\" by allowing people to meet at Christmas while simultaneously urging them not to do so.\n\nAnd many health experts have warned that the move is likely to lead to a spike in cases of the virus - and potentially deaths - in January\n\nUK government guidance for people in England does not set a limit on the number of people in a bubble, but says this should be kept \"as small as possible\".\n\nNo separate guidance has been published for Wales or Northern Ireland at this stage, although people can travel to or from Northern Ireland on 22 and 28 December. The NI executive is meeting on Thursday to discuss the rules.\n\nA UK-wide deal was agreed on Tuesday to permit people to meet up in \"bubbles\" over the festive period.\n\nTravel restrictions will be lifted across all four nations from 23 to 27 December so people can visit close friends and relatives.\n\nBut Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has that said the \"default advice\" and \"safest position\" was still that people should avoid contact.\n\nSingle households should not travel in or out of level three or level four areas to stay in tourist accommodation\n\nThe Scottish guidance states that the \"safest way to spend Christmas and the festive period is to stay within your own household, in your own home and your own local area\".\n\nIt adds: \"Wherever possible you should keep in touch with friends and family members from other households through technology - or, if you decide to meet in person, you should minimise the numbers and duration, and if possible meet out of doors.\n\n\"Consider a Christmas walk with family, rather than a meal indoors.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How you and your family can celebrate Christmas and minimise the spread of coronavirus\n\nAlthough three households will be allowed to meet indoors and stay overnight in the same home, the Scottish government says a two-metre distance should be kept between people from different households.\n\nHowever, children under 12 will be exempt from the physical distancing rules.\n\nOther guidance for different households staying in the same home includes:\n\nDoors and windows should also be opened to let in as much fresh air as possible during and after visits.\n\nChristmas bubbles in Scotland can only gather in a private home, outdoors or at a place of worship.\n\nThey will not be allowed to visit pubs, restaurants or go to shops together and staying in tourist accommodation as a group is banned as well.\n\nSingle households should also not travel in or out of level three or level four areas in Scotland to use tourist accommodation, the guidance says.\n\nScottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie highlighted warnings from public health experts that the easing of restrictions over Christmas was likely to lead to a third wave of infections, hospitals being overrun, more \"unnecessary\" deaths and potentially a nationwide lockdown in January.\n\nSpeaking in the Holyrood chamber, Mr Harvie also questioned why the Scottish government had apparently not carried out any risk assessments on the potential impact of easing the restrictions.\n\nHe added: \"I recognise that there were difficult judgements to make about relaxing the Covid rules over the holidays, especially after public expectations had been built up.\n\n\"But within a day of announcing the looser rules, the first minister is appealing to the public not to use them. It's a confusing message.\"\n\nUse the form below to send us your questions and we could be in touch.\n\nIn some cases your question will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.\n\nIf you are reading this page on the BBC News app, you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question on this topic.\n• None What are the latest rules on Christmas bubbles?", "Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is being urged not to let Jeremy Corbyn return to the parliamentary party.\n\nIt comes after the party readmitted the ex-leader as a member, following his suspension for suggesting political opponents had dramatically overstated the scale of anti-Semitism.\n\nMr Corbyn issued a statement saying he regretted any \"pain\" caused.\n\nSir Keir is coming under pressure from groups including the Board of Deputies of British Jews to take further action.\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said a decision had not yet been taken on whether to restore the Labour whip to Mr Corbyn, which would allow him to sit once more as one of its MPs.\n\nA panel of five members of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee decided to readmit Mr Corbyn after he had clarified the comments which had led to his suspension, stating that he had not belittled concerns about anti-Semitism.\n\nHis remarks had been made in response to a damning Equalities and Human Rights Commission report.\n\nThe former leader's critics have said his case should not have been heard until the party had set up an entirely independent complaints process - as recommended by the human rights watchdog.\n\nFollowing the decision to readmit Mr Corbyn, Sir Keir tweeted that it had been a \"painful day for the Jewish community and those Labour members who have fought so hard to tackle anti-Semitism\".\n\nHe said Mr Corbyn's remarks were \"wrong and completely distracted from a report that identified unlawful conduct in our tackling of racism within the Labour Party\".\n\nSir Keir said he stood by the commitments he made after the report, adding: \"That must mean establishing an independent complaints process as soon as possible in the new year.\"\n\nHe is coming under pressure privately from some of his own MPs - and publicly from the Board of Deputies of British Jews - to take further action.\n\nFormer Labour MP Dame Louise Ellman, who quit the party over anti-Semitism concerns last year, said the decision was a \"backward step\".\n\n\"What Keir Starmer and the chief whip should do now is to refuse to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn, in that way they can show that they are determined, as they have said they are, to rid the party of this dreadful stain,\" she told BBC Newsnight.\n\nBBC political correspondent Iain Watson says he has been told that at least one Jewish MP is considering resigning if Mr Corbyn is welcomed back at Westminster.\n\nJeremy Corbyn has been readmitted as a Labour party member, but it is not, according to Keir Starmer's team, automatic that he would also be allowed to sit once more as a Labour MP.\n\nThat is the decision Sir Keir has been trying to make overnight and he is expected to make it this morning.\n\nHe is going to have to make that decision before Prime Minister's Questions at noon because that is an absolute political gift for the prime minister - who himself has had an absolutely shocking political week.\n\nIf Sir Keir refuses to allow Mr Corbyn back on the backbenches that would provoke another pretty grim skirmish with those in Mr Corbyn's tribe on the left of the party.\n\nBut if you allow him to sit again as a Labour MP then you punch the bruise of the Jewish community and infuriate many Labour MPs.\n\nSir Keir was adamant he would not interfere in the process of whether or not Jeremy Corbyn would be allowed back in as a party member.\n\nBut it was suggested to me he has found himself, from a political point of view, trapped by the process.\n\nHe was so eager not to interfere, but has now been landed with this other political grenade.\n\nIn a statement earlier on Tuesday, Mr Corbyn - who is currently an independent MP - said it was \"not his intention\" to say anti-Jewish racism should be tolerated, and that he regretted the \"pain\" caused.\n\nHis statement added: \"To be clear, concerns about anti-Semitism are neither 'exaggerated' nor 'overstated'.\n\n\"The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to anti-Semitism.\"\n\nIt is not yet clear whether Mr Corbyn will face further sanctions from the party.\n\nIts general secretary, David Evans, took the decision to suspend him in October, although Sir Keir endorsed it.\n\nThe ECHR's report found Labour had breached the Equalities Act over its handling of complaints of anti-Semitism during Mr Corbyn's time in charge.\n\nLabour said Mr Corbyn had been suspended \"for a failure to retract\" his words.\n\nFollowing his readmission, the Islington North MP said: \"I hope this matter is resolved as quickly as possible, so that the party can work together to root out anti-Semitism and unite to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government.\"\n\nBut President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews Marie Van Der Zyl described the decision as \"an absolute sham\" and said Mr Corbyn's reinstatement had been \"rushed through and judged by a politicised panel stuffed with his own supporters\".\n\nThe Jewish Labour Movement called the decision to readmit Mr Corbyn \"extraordinary\", adding: \"After his failure of leadership to tackle anti-Semitism, so clearly set out in the EHRC's report, any reasonable and fair-minded observer would see Jeremy Corbyn's statement today as insincere and wholly inadequate.\"\n\nKaren Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: \"What message does this send? Zero tolerance either means zero tolerance or it's meaningless.\"\n\nThe co-chairman of the Conservative Party, MP Amanda Milling, has written to Sir Keir, saying: \"You have claimed that Labour is 'under new leadership', but now is the moment to prove it - Mr Corbyn should be expelled permanently.\"\n\nHowever, Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union and a close ally of Mr Corbyn, called the reinstatement a \"correct, fair and unifying decision\".\n\nHe said Labour had to \"move forward\" in implementing the EHRC's recommendations and \"redouble our efforts to inspire voters\" about Sir Keir's policies, acting as a \"unified and strong\" party.\n\nJames Schneider, former director of strategic communications for the ex-Labour leader, argued that Mr Corbyn hadn't said anything that was \"either factually or morally wrong and was not anti-Semitic and did not breach any party rules\".\n\nJenny Manson, co-chairman of pro-Corbyn group Jewish Voice for Labour, told BBC Newsnight that \"an awful lot of us are very happy he (Mr Corbyn) is back in the party\" and would be \"very sad indeed\" if the whip is taken away from him.\n• None Why was Jeremy Corbyn suspended from Labour?", "Dozens of black cabs have been stored in a yard in east London after a drop in passengers in the capital\n\nOne in five black cabs has been taken off London's roads since June due to a lack of passengers during the coronavirus pandemic, research reveals.\n\nThe number of vehicles fell from 18,900 on 7 June to 15,000 on 8 November, Transport for London (TfL) data shows.\n\nBlack cab rental firms have had to hire fields and car parks to store vehicles handed back by drivers.\n\nThe Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA) says only 20% of drivers still have their vehicles in the capital.\n\nGeneral secretary Steve McNamara said London cabbies were earning \"starvation wages\", at around a quarter of normal levels.\n\nDrivers \"are doing desperate things\" such as selling their taxis for well below market value to \"get through the next few months\", he added.\n\nMany have received \"no income at all\" since March, Mr McNamara said.\n\n\"We're in a position now where London could lose this icon,\" he said. \"We're a very viable business. We're an integral part of this city's DNA.\"\n\nCab driver Andy Biggs says London is as \"dead as it has ever been\"\n\nLondon cabbie Andy Biggs, 63, said demand had \"evaporated\" and he was lucky if he had three customers a day.\n\n\"When we first went back after the initial lockdown, things started to get a little bit better very slowly,\" he said. \"But now it's as dead as it's ever been.\"\n\nLTDA figures show drivers arriving at Heathrow Airport last month waited an average of nine hours before being dispatched to pick up a passenger.\n\nOver 200 unused black cabs parked in a large area of farmland in Epping Forest\n\nHoward Taylor, 60, who has been a cab driver in the capital for more than three decades, said he went to work with \"no expectation at all\" of being hailed for a ride.\n\n\"I've never seen London like it. In 33 years I've never seen it as quiet, as desolate and depressing.\"\n\nNorth London-based rental company GB Taxi Services has seen the occupation rate of its fleet of 100 black cabs drop from 95% before the crisis to just 10%.\n\nIt is one of two firms using an area of farmland in Epping Forest, Essex, to store about 220 unwanted taxis so they can stop paying to insure them.\n\nTaxi rental firm Sherbet London says 2,000 London taxis are currently being kept in fields\n\nAnother rental firm, Sherbet London, has hired a car park to store 400 cabs, representing two-thirds of its fleet.\n\nChief executive Asher Moses said: \"The whole trade has suffered. There must be 2,000 taxis on fields at the moment.\"\n\nTfL said it had provided drivers with \"practical advice on a number of issues\" during the crisis, and added that black cabs \"remain an integral part of the transport network\".\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The babies were delivered at 26 weeks and weighed just 27oz and 30oz\n\nA Covid-19 patient whose twins were delivered while she was in an induced coma said she struggled to believe they were hers.\n\nPerpetual Uke, a rheumatology consultant at Birmingham City Hospital, began to feel unwell in late March.\n\nShe was later admitted to a critical care unit, placed on a ventilator and put in an induced coma to help her recover.\n\nHer babies were delivered by caesarean section at 26 weeks on 10 April.\n\nSochika Palmer weighed just 770g (27oz) while her brother, Osinachi Pascal, weighed 850g (30oz).\n\nDr Uke remained in her coma for another 16 days.\n\nThe twins Sochika and Osinachi had progressed well, their mother said - here pictured at 10 weeks old\n\n\"It was really terrifying... every passing day I was hoping my wife was not among those who are dead,\" Dr Uke's husband Matthew said.\n\n\"We are a team, the idea she might not be there was really difficult to accept.\"\n\nWhen Dr Uke regained consciousness, it was the result the family had prayed for, but she said she was suffering \"ICU delirium\" and was \"so confused\".\n\nThe mother-of-four said waking up two weeks after the delivery \"was unbelievable\" and although hospital staff said the twins were hers, she \"didn't believe\" it.\n\n\"When they showed me the pictures, they were so tiny, they didn't look like human beings, I couldn't believe they were mine,\" she said.\n\nThe twins were discharged after spending 116 days in hospital and are \"getting better as the days go by,\" Dr Uke said.\n\n\"I had never wanted them to go through this difficult path at the start of their lives. They couldn't see their mum for two weeks, which obviously made me very sad but, importantly, things had progressed well.\"\n\nPerpetual Uke with her four children and husband Matthew\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The prime minister appeared on screen, rather than in person at the dispatch box\n\nBoris Johnson has become the first prime minister in history to conduct his weekly question-and-answer session with MPs via video link, as he continues to self-isolate.\n\nHe is working from 10 Downing Street after coming into contact with fellow Conservative MP Lee Anderson, who later tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nThe PM decided to take questions rather than see deputy Dominic Raab fill in.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer was in the Commons chamber as usual.\n\nUp to 50 MPs are currently allowed in at any one time, with remote contributors using Zoom to ask questions and respond to ministerial statements.\n\nThe PM faced a mixture of virtual questions and ones from MPs present in the chamber during the 40-minute session, including from the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford and Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader.\n\nAs PMQs ended, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he wanted to put a \"big thank you\" on record to the staff in parliament's broadcasting unit for \"making today happen\".\n\nOn his Downing Street video link, the PM called \"hear hear\".\n\nCommons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg was seen to be occupying the PM's normal position during the exchanges\n\nThe format is set to be repeated at next week's Prime Minister's Questions.\n\nMr Johnson could also make a number of Commons statements via video link before his self-isolation ends on 26 November, including one on Thursday on the government's review of foreign and defence policy.\n\nThere was some scepticism - and curiosity - about how a virtual PMQs would work.\n\nRemember this is the first time ever that a prime minister has dialled in remotely to the Commons chamber.\n\nThe Downing Street wifi did at least hold up but it was certainly not the liveliest of exchanges.\n\nHowever the traditional \"bear pit\" atmosphere (that some like and others loathe) has been lacking for a while since they put limits on the number of MPs allowed in the chamber.\n\nThe FDA senior civil servants' union has argued that Mr Johnson's use of a video link to answer questions shows a fully \"hybrid\" Parliament - using video conferencing across all parliamentary business - is possible.\n\nNational officer Jawad Raza told the BBC it was \"unconscionable that an exception be made to suit the prime minister, but not to protect the health and safety of everyone working across the parliamentary estate\".\n\nHe added: \"This doesn't just mean MPs, as hundreds of House staff work on the estate to support the work of parliamentarians and facilitate the UK's democratic processes.\"\n\nOn Monday, Mr Rees-Mogg gave way to an appeal from Conservative MP Tracey Crouch - who is receiving treatment for cancer - for more video participation for those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.\n\nA motion aimed at making this happen will be debated on Wednesday.\n\nSelf-isolation means staying at home and not leaving it - even to buy food, medicines or other essentials, or for exercise.\n\nIf you are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS Covid-19 app, you must self-isolate for 14 days from the day you were last in contact with the person who tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nAnd if you develop symptoms during the 14-day period, you should get a test as soon as possible.\n\nIf the result is negative, you should continue isolating for the rest of the 14 days.\n\nIf positive, you should self-isolate for at least another 10 days from when your symptoms started.\n\nBut Mr Rees-Mogg said he was resistant to widening the concession, insisting other MPs must \"behave as other key workers do\".\n\nThe prime minister - who was admitted to intensive care with Covid-19 in April - is working from an office in No 10 that he can reach from his flat in No 11 without coming into contact with Downing Street staff.\n\nA government spokesman said the public was \"best served when Parliament meets physically to the fullest extent possible\".\n\nHe added: \"The [House of Commons] Speaker has worked hard with the House authorities to create a safe Covid-secure workplace for all who need to attend so that, just as teaching and medical professions are working in person to keep the country moving, so are MPs and peers.\"", "South Australians rushed to get tested after new cases were discovered\n\nThe state of South Australia will enter an immediate six-day lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus outbreak discovered days ago.\n\nThe state has detected 36 cases since infections were found in Adelaide on Sunday, the first community cases detected in six months.\n\nAuthorities say the \"circuit breaker\" measures were necessary to stop the virus' spread \"at the beginning\".\n\nAustralia has previously also responded aggressively to small outbreaks.\n\nVarious state governments have at times closed parts of the economy, enforced border restrictions and other measures to stop the virus' spread.\n\nThe lockdown, to begin at midnight on Wednesday, comes just weeks after neighbouring state Victoria beat a second wave, which caused about 800 deaths.\n\nThere would be a further eight days of lesser restrictions following the \"six day pause\", officials said.\n\nAlmost immediately after the lockdown announcement, images on social media showed people queuing at supermarkets to buy toilet paper and other supplies.\n\nAuthorities had urged people to avoid panic-buying, confirming supermarkets and pharmacies would remain open.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Gary-Jon Lysaght This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSouth Australia's Premier Stephen Marshall called on residents to \"rise to the challenge again\" in the sudden, second lockdown.\n\n\"We need a circuit breaker to stay ahead of this,\" he said. \"We need breathing space for contact tracing to protect the elderly, to protect the vulnerable, to protect our entire community.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, the state reported two new cases out of 9,500 tests. Officials said it was a \"small but critical\" number.\n\nMost Australian states had already moved this week to shut their borders to South Australian residents.\n\nLike Victoria's outbreak, the re-emergence of the virus in South Australia has come from a hotel quarantine site. This has prompted re-examination of quarantine safety measures.\n\nOfficials said a cleaner had become infected and spread it to people in the local community.\n\nAustralia closed its borders to international travellers in March but has allowed citizens and permanent residents to return home if they undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a hotel.\n\nAbout one-fifth of the country's cases have been found in returning travellers.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said South Australia's speedy move \"draws on lessons from earlier outbreak experiences\".\n\nAustralia, which has reported 907 deaths and about 28,000 cases had in recent weeks seen its cases drop to near zero after Victoria's successful suppression of the virus.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coping with Melbourne lockdown: 'I cycled every street in my 5km radius'\n\nHowever that effort had required a stringent four-month lockdown of state capital Melbourne, where residents could not freely leave their homes and faced a curfew.\n\nThe state was able to reduce its case rate to zero from a peak of 700 new cases per day in that period. Its full lockdown began when nearly 100 new cases were being reported per day.", "Roberto Garcia told us: \"I'm definitely alive and I definitely voted for Biden!\"\n\nDonald Trump's supporters have claimed that thousands of votes were cast in the US election using the names of people who had died.\n\n\"I may be 72,\" Maria Arredondo from Michigan told us when we called her. \"But I'm alive and breathing. My mind is working fine and I'm healthy.\"\n\nMaria said she had voted for Joe Biden and was surprised to hear that her name had appeared on a list of supposedly dead voters in the state.\n\nWe spoke to other people in similar situations to that of Maria in Michigan and found similar stories.\n\nThere have been occasions in previous US elections of dead people having apparently voted.\n\nThis could happen through clerical errors or perhaps other family members with similar names voting with their ballots, but Trump supporters have alleged this has happened on a massive scale at this election.\n\nWe set out to find out whether there is evidence for this claim.\n\nThe story starts with a list of around 10,000 names posted on Twitter by a Trump-supporting activist.\n\nIt purports to be of people who have died, but who have also voted in the presidential election in Michigan.\n\nClaims such as this have been repeated many times on different social-media platforms, including by Republican legislators.\n\nThe list of 10,000 contains the name, zip code, and the date a ballot was received. It then lists a full date of birth and a full date of death. Some of the people supposedly died more than 50 years ago.\n\nMichigan has a database that lets you enter someone's name, zip code, month of birth and year of birth and allows you to see if they voted by absentee ballot this year. So you can easily check whether people on the list voted.\n\nThere are also several US websites that include databases of death records.\n\nBut there's a fundamental problem with this list of 10,000.\n\nWith an exercise like this you are going to find false matches - somebody born in January 1940 voted in Michigan in the election, and there was somebody born somewhere else in the US in January 1940 who has the same name and is now dead. This will happen a lot in a country as big as the US (328 million people), and particularly with common names.\n\nTo test the list, we picked 30 names at random. To this we added the oldest person on the list.\n\nOf this list of 31 names, we managed to speak directly to 11 people (or to a family member, neighbour or care home worker) to confirm they were still alive.\n\nFor 17 others, there was no public record of their death, and we found clear evidence that they were alive after the alleged date of death on the list of 10,000. A clear pattern emerged - the wrong records had been joined together to create a false match.\n\nFinally, we found that three people on the list were indeed dead. We examine these cases later.\n\nPeople took to the streets in Detroit, Michigan, claiming the election results were fraudulent\n\nThe first thing we did was to check the official Michigan electoral database to see whether our 31 individuals had sent in ballots - they all had.\n\nWe then looked at the death records and quickly became suspicious on seeing that the vast majority did not die in Michigan, but elsewhere in the US.\n\nSupporters of Donald Trump claimed they had a list of dead people who had voted in the election\n\nWe wondered whether we could find people of the same name currently living in Michigan.\n\nChecking Michigan state public records, cross-referencing voter postal codes, we were able to find precise dates of birth for those who had voted - and as we had anticipated, they failed to match the dates of birth on the death records.\n\nSo we could be confident that we were dealing with two sets of people - those who had voted and those with the same name and age who had died elsewhere.\n\nBut what we really wanted to do was to speak to the voters themselves.\n\nWe called Roberto Garcia, a retired teacher in Michigan. He told us: \"I'm definitely alive and I definitely voted for Biden - I would have to have been dead to vote for Trump.\"\n\nWe also found a 100-year-old woman who, according to the \"dead voter\" list, had died in 1982. She was alive and is currently living in a nursing home in Michigan.\n\nBut the results of our search weren't always so straightforward.\n\nWhen we looked for another centenarian, who according to the list had died in 1977, we found that she had still been alive when her postal ballot was returned in September. However, a neighbour told us the woman had died just a few weeks ago. We also found a matching obituary from October to confirm this.\n\nIf a voter dies before election day after submitting their ballot, the Michigan authorities say the ballot will be rejected.\n\nWe have not been able to establish whether her ballot was counted.\n\nVotes were still being tallied as unproven claims of fraud went viral\n\nFor those we couldn't reach by phone, we wanted to use other means to confirm they were alive.\n\nThese included public records of, for example, business activities, from state and local authorities.\n\nFor one woman who was supposed to have died in 2006 we found an annual company statement signed under her name from January 2020.\n\nTwo other men on our list of 31 died some time ago, yet votes had been cast in their names - with the correct postcodes and years of birth - according to the voting database.\n\nWe found that for both men, there were sons with the same name currently registered at the same address as their deceased fathers.\n\nIn both cases, a ballot was sent in for the dead fathers.\n\nLocal election officials told us that one of the votes had been counted but there was no record of the son having voted.\n\nIn the other, it was the son who actually voted, but it had been recorded as the father's due to a clerical error.\n\nMichigan residents came out to celebrate Joe Biden's election success\n\nOur selection of 31 cases is only a small sample of the 10,000 names on the list, but it has clearly revealed the flaws in the database shared by Trump supporters.\n\nFrom our investigation it's clear that in almost all of our 31 test cases, the data for genuine voters in Michigan has been combined with records of dead people with the same name and birth month and year from across the United States to yield false matches.\n\n\"If the lists are linked based on name and birth date alone, in a state the size of Michigan, you're guaranteed to get false positives,\" says Prof Justin Levitt, an expert on the law of democracy.\n\nIt's known as the birthday problem - the high probability that two students in the same class share the same birthday.\n\nSo if you compare millions of voters in Michigan with a database of deaths across the United States you're bound to find cross-over, particularly if the voter database doesn't include the day of the month on which a person is born.\n\n\"It's simply a matter of statistics that if you cross-reference millions of records with millions of other records, you'll get a sizable number of false positive matches. We've seen this before,\" says Prof Justin Levitt.\n\nWith her vote safely cast, and counted, Maria Arredondo tells us she's looking forward to the new administration.\n\n\"He was a great vice-president under Obama. I'm so pleased. A weight has lifted off my shoulders.\"", "Blackburn with Darwen has had one of the highest Covid-19 infections in England\n\nDozens of guests have been fined for travelling from as far as Inverness to an illegal wedding party in Lancashire.\n\nPeople at the event tried to flee when police arrived at the furniture factory in the Mill Hill district of Blackburn on Monday.\n\nOfficers who rounded up guests, issuing 29 fines, described the scenes as being like \"a game of hide-and-seek\".\n\nSgt Steve Dundon, of Lancashire Police, said the party was a \"slap in the face\" to those following lockdown rules.\n\nThe force is speaking with Blackburn with Darwen Council to look at taking action against the wedding organiser.\n\nEarlier this month, the area had the second highest infection rate in the country at 688 cases per 100,000 people.\n\nIt has since dropped to 597, based on data between 6 and 12 November. The average cases per 100,000 in the country is 221.\n\nIn a post on Blackburn Police's Facebook page, the force said officers had been \"shocked to discover what was essentially a wedding function taking place\".\n\nGuests had travelled to the party from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Inverness.\n\nSgt Dundon said: \"The blatant disregard for the rules is a slap in the face to those of us who are doing our very best in this current situation.\"\n\nSeven people caught working out at a gym in Blackburn have also been fined and the gym owner has been reported to the local authority.\n\nSgt Dundon added: \"We urge anyone who is tempted to engage in these kinds of activity to just think twice and consider the serious consequences if they were to catch or spread the virus to a vulnerable person. Would you really want that on your conscience?\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Adam Isfendiyar's online photo exhibition in the Being Human Festival records how people have coped in lockdown\n\nThe week after the clocks went back saw Britain's highest levels of acute loneliness in the pandemic, Office for National Statistics figures suggest.\n\nThe start of November, with darker evenings, saw 8% of adults who were \"always or often lonely\" - representing 4.2 million people.\n\nThis was the peak in this measure of loneliness since the lockdown in March.\n\nLoneliness Minister Baroness Barran says the next few months will be \"incredibly challenging\".\n\nAn online photo exhibition shows people in East London who faced isolation during the pandemic\n\nFigures also show that 5% of adults - representing 2.6 million people - had not left their home for any reason in the previous seven days.\n\nPsychologist Vivian Hill says the \"descent into winter\" can be a \"very significant factor\" in how people feel about loneliness, with less daylight and colder weather reducing the opportunity to get outside.\n\nMillions of people, young and old, are facing loneliness, isolation and separation during the lockdown. A BBC News project, on TV, radio and online, reveals some of their stories and how they are fighting back.\n\nMillions of people, young and old, are facing loneliness, isolation and separation during the lockdown. A BBC News project on TV, radio and online reveals some of their stories and how they are fighting back.\n\nThe Office for National Statistics (ONS) research has seen levels of loneliness fluctuating during the pandemic - with a broader measure, including those \"sometimes\" lonely, showing about one in four adults experiencing loneliness.\n\nBut in the week up to 1 November the measure of more acute loneliness - those \"always or often\" lonely - reached 8%, the highest it has been since the start of the pandemic, and representing 4.2 million people.\n\nPre-pandemic surveys showed about 5% of adults \"always or often\" lonely - or about 2.6 million people.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Marjorie Wells, 91, gives her advice on fighting loneliness\n\nThe research shows that young people are particularly likely to feel cut off - with 16 to 29-year-olds twice as likely as the over-70s to be experiencing loneliness in the pandemic.\n\nElorm Fiavor from Salford, a young carer looking after her mother who is shielding, said there needed to more recognition of the pressures of loneliness on young people.\n\n\"It needs to be OK to talk about it,\" says the 16-year-old, who misses being able to go out with friends and socialising and who is helping a charity, Lonely Not Alone, which tackles isolation among the young.\n\n\"There's a lot of stigma attached to it.\n\n\"There's a great misconception that when people think of loneliness they only think of older people who are living alone.\"\n\nElorm says that there is a misconception that loneliness is only a problem for older people\n\nStudent Jade Low says he has missed partying and socialising in the pandemic - but the challenge is to \"punch through\" and find ways to keep in touch and stay motivated.\n\n\"Everyone feels lonely sometimes,\" says the student at Imperial College London - and to keep himself busy he has taught himself to play the ukulele.\n\nThe figures from the ONS show about one in four people experiencing some form of loneliness at the start of November.\n\nDr Vivian Hill, who is the British Psychological Society's lead on isolation in the pandemic, says loneliness is a serious problem - and could be made more difficult in winter.\n\nStaying in touch with neighbours or making a phone call can help to tackle loneliness\n\nBut she says it is something that can be tackled and people should be optimistic about being able to make connections and reduce loneliness.\n\nBaroness Barran says there are new groups facing loneliness in the pandemic - such as those without internet access and those working from home who would usually rely on workplaces for their social lives.\n\nThe loneliness minister said there was funding for grassroots community projects to help people stay in touch.\n\nBut she said it was important not to underestimate the impact of things individuals could do - such as ringing someone up, writing a letter or helping a neighbour.\n\n\"It's those simple things that make people feel valued,\" she said.\n\nPhotos by Adam Isfendiyar are from an exhibition recording the pandemic in East London, being shown in the Being Human festival of the humanities. Due to the lockdown, the exhibition has been moved online.\n\nHave you been experiencing loneliness since the recent lockdown measures were enforced? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "McDonald's has apologised to food delivery drivers after they were denied access to its toilets in lockdown.\n\nIt comes after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had to remind restaurants of their legal obligations following complaints from couriers.\n\nFast food chains KFC, Subway, Nando's and Wagamama have also been accused of blocking access to their facilities.\n\nUnder health and safety law, restaurants must give drivers access to \"suitable sanitary conveniences\".\n\n\"We apologise to any courier that has been affected,\" McDonald's said.\n\n\"We are sorry to hear that on some occasions this guidance has not been implemented, and we will be reminding our restaurant teams about the policy.\"\n\nTakeaway delivery drivers have been crucial through the pandemic to enable restaurants to continue to trade.\n\nBut the HSE said it had received complaints suggesting some restaurants were breaching the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations of 1992.\n\nThese not only oblige restaurants to provide toilet access for delivery drivers, but also washing facilities at \"readily accessible places\".\n\nNandos said it was reminding its restaurants of the rules\n\nIn a joint letter to restaurant chains earlier this month, the HSE and the Department for Transport said: \"Ensuring that hygiene facilities are readily available to visiting drivers is especially important during the current Covid-19 crisis, to avoid unwanted public health implications and to help tackle the spread of the virus.\"\n\nThis was at a time \"when there are fewer locations operating with facilities that drivers can access\", it added.\n\nA spokesman for Nando's, which has also been accused to denying toilet access, said its policy was to let delivery drivers use the facilities at all of its restaurants.\n\n\"We've reiterated this to all restaurants again [this week],\" he added.\n\nA KFC spokesman said guest toilets were available for couriers at its outlets, adding: \"We're ensuring all our team members are aware this is the case.\"\n\nThe BBC has approached Subway and Wagamama for comment.\n\n\"However, the entire process for food pick up at McDonalds is a shambles which needs urgent management attention,\" general secretary James Farrar told the BBC.\n\nThe Unite union agreed, stressing that fast food chains and restaurants needed to heed their legal obligations to delivery drivers.\n\n\"The restaurant's staff will still be able to use the toilets and food couriers have the same legal rights to use the toilets,\" said Unite national officer Adrian Jones.\n\n\"McDonald's must end the ban which is endangering the health of the couriers and their customers or the Health and Safety Executive should take immediate action.\"", "Thanks for following along with us\n\nAs we step away from our live coverage today, we leave you with our favourite story today... This week's Beano comic includes a pull-out section called Bean-OLD, designed to cheer up adults in the midst of the pandemic - with a comic strip featuring Boris Johnson, his outgoing aide Dominic Cummings and some other famous faces from 2020. Our colleague Justin Parkinson was given a sneak preview here. Our reporters on the live page today were Gavin Stamp, Kate Whannel, and Richard Morris, with Johanna Howitt in the editor's chair. Hope you will join us again next week.", "The PSNI has issued 210 of the new, tougher Covid penalties of £200 since they came into effect six days ago.\n\nOn Thursday of last week, 'COV4' fines replaced the previous minimum penalty notice of £60 for breaches of Covid-19 regulations.\n\nThe executive agreed on 8 October to raise the minimum fine to £200 and fines on conviction up to £10,000.\n\nHowever, their introduction was delayed until 12 November because of a problem with printing the notices.\n\nSince then, the majority of the new notices (77) were issued in Belfast, followed by 48 in the Derry City and Strabane council area and 41 in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area.\n\nNone were issued in the Causeway Coast and Glens area, while just one £200 notice was issued in Fermanagh and Omagh.\n\nSince March, the PSNI has issued a total of 2,101 penalty notices and 48 £1,000 fines for failure to isolate.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Police Service NI This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThere have been 1,184 Community Resolution Notices (CRN) issued since March. CRNs are not Covid-specific notices but can be issued to anyone over the age of 10. They are designed to act as warnings and do not incur any fines.\n\nThe latest figures also show that 93 commercial premises and 487 private dwellings were issued prohibition notices by police (580 have been handed out in total).\n\nThe PSNI has also said that there are currently 509 officers or members of staff absent due to Covid-19, 429 of whom are self-isolating.", "A £165m deal to improve broadband connectivity in Northern Ireland will be \"transformational\" for people living in rural areas, according to the company chosen to carry out the work.\n\nThe contract for the upgrade work has been awarded by the Department for the Economy to broadband provider Fibrus.\n\nThe aim of the investment - known as Project Stratum - is improving rural internet connectivity.\n\nAbout 76,000 premises are to benefit from full-fibre broadband access.\n\nThe total funding for Project Stratum is £165m, with £150m coming from the confidence-and-supply agreement deal signed between the DUP and the Conservative Party in 2017.\n\nThe remaining £15m is being provided by Stormont's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.\n\nEconomy Minister Diane Dodds described the announcement as a \"significant milestone\".\n\n\"We are one step closer to bringing next generation broadband services to those businesses and people who need it most,\" she said.\n\n\"Fibrus proposes a full-fibre solution, capable of offering speeds of up to one gigabit per second to almost 97% of premises in the target intervention area.\"\n\nThe process is set to run until March 2024.\n\nThe latest Connected Nations report from Ofcom suggests Northern Ireland has the best full-fibre coverage.\n\nHowever, the September report said the number of premises unable to access decent internet is higher when compared with other UK nations.\n\nFibrus chair Conal Henry said superfast broadband was a vital part of infrastructure and \"key to unlocking the full economic and social potential of our rural communities\".\n\n\"This investment enables towns, villages and rural communities to change the narrative, keep people and communities connected and facilitate the increasing demand for working and studying at home,\" he said.\n\n\"The benefits of full-fibre broadband are more relevant now in a Covid context than ever before.\"\n\nPaddy McEldowney, who lives in the Sperrin Mountains outside Draperstown, County Londonderry, is one of those hoping to see a vast improvement in his broadband speed.\n\n\"We're getting speeds of probably just less than one megabit per second, which is atrocious when you're trying to live a normal family life,\" he told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.\n\n\"It was difficult before lockdown but lockdown just exacerbated everything - working from home and Zoom calls every day and home-schooling on Google classroom, with myself and my wife both working from home and three children.\n\n\"We had a situation for a couple of years where we just couldn't be on the internet together - we had to take it in turns, we had to around the house seeing who's on and who's off.\"\n\nHe added: \"My biggest concern about the Project Stratum would be is everyone going to be looked after or are there still going to be in four years' time houses like mine where the broadband is still atrocious?\"\n\nFibrus said it has already invested £65m to improve broadband in towns across Northern Ireland.\n\nUK Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said: \"This £150m investment from the UK Government will help deliver lightning fast gigabit speeds not just to Northern Ireland's towns and cities but also to rural areas stuck in the digital slow lane.\"", "The report says Northern Ireland's civil service recruitment system needs to be transformed\n\nNorthern Ireland's Civil Service is at a \"critical crossroads\" and struggling to cope because of the extra pressure on staffing levels, a report has found.\n\nAuditor General Kieran Donnelly said almost 1,500 vacancies have yet to be filled and sickness levels remain the highest in the UK.\n\nHe also raised concerns about how civil servants are being recruited and called for the system to be transformed.\n\nA total of 268,000 days of absences were recorded at a cost of £32.9m.\n\nMr Donnelly said to function effectively departments need to have \"the right people in the right place at the right time\" and there has not been the \"strategic focus\" to ensure this is the case.\n\nThe report notes the latest figures which show, on average, almost 13 working days are lost due to sickness per staff member in Northern Ireland, compared with between seven and eight days in other parts of the UK.\n\n\"This high sickness absence level across a head count of 22,000 can only have reduced the strength of Northern Ireland Civil Service's (NICS) capacity and capability, so addressing the area is clearly a matter of priority,\" the report said.\n\nThe Northern Ireland Civil Service is still without a leader, months after the retirement of David Sterling\n\nAnxiety, stress and depression among staff accounted for almost 40% of the days lost.\n\nThe report reveals that 4,000 civil service jobs were lost between 2015 and 2019, mainly through a voluntary exit scheme.\n\nBut the auditor warned the civil service is now facing unprecedented challenges because of welfare reform, preparations for Brexit and dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nThere is one glaring vacancy in the civil service, which is proving difficult to fill, and it is the one which will be key to fixing the problems laid bare by the auditor.\n\nNorthern Ireland's Civil Service is still without a leader almost three months after the previous holder of the post, David Sterling, retired.\n\nThree candidates interviewed for the job were not deemed suitable by the first and deputy first ministers.\n\nBut leaving such a void at a time when civil servants are battling a pandemic and preparing for Brexit is far from suitable and raises big questions about this recruitment process.\n\nWe may end up with an interim head of the civil service - yet another short-term solution to a long-term problem.\n\nThe report recognised that NICS staff \"have continued to deliver vital services to the people of Northern Ireland during unprecedented challenging circumstances, including preparing for the exit from the European Union and responding to the Covid-19 pandemic\".\n\nHowever, it added that the NICS \"is now at a critical crossroads, struggling to deal with providing 'business as usual services'\".\n\nThe auditor's report revealed that in one year only 19 unsatisfactory performance ratings were recorded across a workforce of more than 22,000 people.\n\nAlison Millar, the general secretary of the public service union Nipsa, rejected any suggestion that civil servants were under no pressure to perform.\n\nShe said a \"failure of leadership within the civil service\" had been a significant issue.\n\nAlison Millar of Nipsa says the civil service has been hindered by the lack of a successor to David Sterling\n\n\"Civil servants delivered through three years when there was no executive in place,\" she said.\n\n\"We now have a situation where there are 43 days left to the European exit, again we're left with no certainty in what that is and civil servants have been working incredibly hard in this Brexit world with no leadership.\"\n\nThere are high staff vacancy rates in the civil service, with 1,420 full time posts remaining unfilled.\n\nThe report also revealed that agency staff costs last year rose from almost £18m to £45.7m.\n\nMary Madden, a former civil servant who ended her career in the Department of Justice, said that although there is an \"awful lot of hardworking people in the civil service\" it needs to become \"more professional and upskill its workforce\".\n\n\"You need to bring in more specialists - most civil servants are generalists and they are dealing with very complex things,\" she told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme.\n\nMs Madden said that an aging workforce - due to a recent lack of recruitment - meant the service needed a refresh in terms of its staffing.\n\n\"It is a natural thing that older people are generally more susceptible to illnesses which take them out of work.\n\n\"That is a common theme across all departments - an ageing workforce as well as extra pressure because the numbers were reduced\".\n\nThe auditor general also found the current recruitment process was \"cumbersome, slow, and did not provide sufficient assurance that the right people are placed in the right posts\".\n\nIt noted that appointments were made to grades rather than to specific job roles and \"skills and experience most relevant to positions are not always tested\".\n\nStormont's Department of Finance, which has responsibility for the NICS, said it had recently carried out an external recruitment drive, helping to fill about 500 vacancies with more appointments planned.\n\nIt added that the service recognised the need for \"fundamental change\" and would build on \"progress\" made through the reform of the organisation.\n\n\"The Audit Office report acknowledges that the Civil Service has delivered vital services against a backdrop of unprecedented and challenging circumstances and has made progress in many of the areas highlighted in this report,\" added the department.", "The Challenger 2 tank has not been upgraded since 1998\n\nUK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has quashed speculation that the Army will mothball all its tanks.\n\nLast month, the Times reported military chiefs were considering the idea, under plans to modernise the armed forces.\n\nBut Mr Wallace told the BBC \"the idea that tanks won't be there for the Army, upgraded and modernised, is wrong\".\n\nHowever, he admitted a government review would mean \"letting go\" of some military equipment to invest in cyber, space and other new technologies.\n\nSpeaking on a visit to the Middle East, Mr Wallace said there would be a shift to forward-deploy British military forces around the world to protect UK interests and its allies.\n\nMr Wallace said a joint squadron of RAF and Qatar Typhoon jets would be based in Qatar for football's 2022 World Cup.\n\nHe announced a £23.8m investment in a UK logistics hub in the Port of Duqm to support more British army training in Oman, and which could be used to base the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers.\n\nHe also confirmed that RAF jets would continue to target the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, with 23 strikes against extremist targets since March 2020.\n\nLast month, the Times reported on plans to mothball the Army's ageing 227 Challenger tanks as part of the government's integrated defence and security review - described as the most important defence review since the end of the Cold War.\n\nMr Wallace confirmed the review would mean \"letting go of some equipment that isn't serving any purpose or overmatched by adversaries\".\n\nHe said that would mean investing in new equipment for the RAF, Royal Navy and the Army. But he signalled that any cuts would not be as dramatic as some have reported.\n\nThat still leaves open the possibility of a reduction in the number of tanks. But Mr Wallace said that getting rid of all of them was not going to happen.\n\n\"We're going to make sure we have an armed forces fit for the 21st Century and meets our obligations to Nato and elsewhere…\n\n\"We are not scrapping all the British army's tanks and we will make sure the ones we maintain are up to date, lethal and defendable.\"\n\nMr Wallace said Britain also needed to meet the threat of long-range artillery and drones, which have recently been used by Russia against Ukraine to destroy its heavy armour.\n\nBen Wallace said his first duty was to make sure he delivered up-to-date equipment\n\nThe new port facilities at Duqm will triple the size of the existing UK base in Oman. They will also be used for British army training in Oman.\n\nThere's been speculation that the Army could switch its training for tanks from Canada to the Gulf state.\n\nWhile in Qatar, Mr Wallace also visited the US-led coalition headquarters co-ordinating the air campaign against the group calling itself the Islamic State.\n\nDespite IS losing most of its territory in Iraq and Syria, Mr Wallace said the threat was \"not going to go away\".", "A decision on whether or not the Welsh Government will introduce a further \"firebreak\" lockdown shortly after Christmas will be “a matter for the first minister and the Cabinet”, the head of NHS Wales has said.\n\nDr Andrew Goodall said there had been “encouraging signs that the firebreak has had some influence on our system”, with regards to reducing the number of coronavirus cases in the community.\n\nHe went on to say that early data appeared to show the reproduction rate of Covid-19 had decreased as a result of the 17-day lockdown.\n\n“There are some emerging signs maybe of some stabilisation, in terms of some of the pressures in the hospital side of the system,” Dr Goodall said.\n\n“We currently assess that the reproduction rate is between 0.9 and 1.2, but it’s quite possible that we may see that reduce further as a reflection of the firebreak.”\n\nDr Goodall suggested that was an encouraging sign that similar measures would have an impact, but stopped short of saying that a single lockdown would be enough to keep transmission levels low across the winter.\n\n“They will reinforce that we know that things can make a difference,” he said.\n\n“There will be an evaluation of the data, we will see whether that will be sufficient to manage through, but ultimately that will revert to the ministerial reflections and considerations.”", "House prices in the South West of England have risen fastest in the UK in the last year amid a Covid-related rethink by many homeowners.\n\nHouse prices rose by 6.4% in the year to the end of September, compared with a UK average rise of 4.7%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.\n\nLand Registry data also shows that detached homes saw the biggest annual price rises in the UK.\n\nThe pandemic has led some people to move to more rural locations.\n\nThere was also some pent-up demand during the first national lockdown among those looking to relocate, which was released in the late summer and reflected in these newly-published ONS and Land Registry figures.\n\nHowever, this has tended to focus on the upper-end of the property market, as some people working from home have looked to buy properties with more space, both inside and outside.\n\nDetached homes rose in price by 6.7% in a year.\n\n\"No part of the UK economy has flown over the Covid storm like the property market and the picture in September strengthened across the board,\" said Nicky Stevenson, managing director at estate agent group Fine and Country.\n\n\"The race for space is still the market's main driver. Price growth for flats and maisonettes is muted compared to larger properties, which have been flourishing amid high demand.\"\n\nSome have been taking advantage of a temporary stamp duty holiday across the UK which began in the summer.\n\nThe city of Bath has some attractions for property hunters\n\nThe annual price rise recorded in the South West of England in September was double the level seen in the region the previous month.\n\nPrices rose by at least 3% compared with a year earlier in every nation and region of the UK, except Northern Ireland, which recorded a 2.4% increase.\n\nThe UK housing market is made up of lots of local markets, with different factors affecting property prices such as the performance of schools and the availability of jobs. The ONS figures are based on sale completions.\n\nOverall, the UK increase in house prices was 4.7% over the year to September, up from 3% in August, with the average home valued at £245,000.\n\nWhile property prices may not have risen as fast in London, the city still have the highest average house price, at £496,000.\n\nFor tenants of private landlords, rents in the UK rose by an average of 1.4% in the year to October, the ONS said,\n\nLondon saw its biggest slowdown in private rental prices growth since March 2017, slowing to 0.9% in the year to October, down from a 1.2% rise in September.\n\nWhere can you afford to live? Try our housing calculator to see where you could rent or buy This interactive content requires an internet connection and a modern browser. Do you want to buy or rent? Use the buttons to increase or decrease the number of bedrooms: minimum one, maximum four. Alternatively, enter a number into the text input How much is your deposit? Enter your deposit below or adjust the deposit amount using the slider Return to 'How much is your deposit?' This calculator assumes you need a deposit of at least 5% of the value of the property to get a mortgage. The average deposit for UK first-time buyers is . How much can you pay monthly? Enter your monthly payment below or adjust the payment amount using the slider Return to 'How much can you pay monthly?' Your monthly payments are what you can afford to pay each month. Think about your monthly income and take off bills, council tax and living expenses. The average rent figure is for England and Wales. Amount of the that has housing you can Explore the map in detail below Search the UK for more details about a local area What does affordable mean? You have a big enough deposit and your monthly payments are high enough. The prices are based on the local market. If there are 100 properties of the right size in an area and they are placed in price order with the cheapest first, the “low-end” of the market will be the 25th property, \"mid-priced\" is the 50th and \"high-end” will be the 75th.", "Discussions have taken place about the four nations of the UK taking a joint approach to Covid rules over Christmas.\n\nThe Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish first ministers held a virtual meeting with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and other senior UK officials.\n\nIt was the first of what UK ministers hope will be weekly meetings.\n\nUK government sources said topics including international travel, mass testing and the priority list for vaccinations were also discussed.\n\nNicola Sturgeon, Mark Drakeford and Arlene Foster took part in the meeting, as did Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, Welsh Secretary Simon Hart and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis.\n\nMr Gove said they all recognised families across the UK \"want to be able to see their loved ones this Christmas\".\n\nHe added: \"Today my ministerial colleagues and I met with the devolved administrations to work towards that shared aim and to help ensure that our collective response delivers for the public in every part of the UK\".\n\nIt is understood government officials will now be considering how to put the desire for a \"joint approach to Christmas\" into action.\n\nA Scottish government spokesperson said: \"The four nations call had an initial discussion about a co-ordinated approach to issues such as travel over the Christmas period and discussed recent developments in testing, including the use of lateral flow testing to enable students to return home, and initial lessons from the Liverpool pilot.\"\n\nSenior UK ministers have warned the situation remains highly volatile, with different levels of restrictions in different parts of the country and high rates of transmissions across the UK.\n\nEnvironment Secretary George Eustice said recently that people may not be able to gather like normal in large groups while Ms Sturgeon's most senior public health adviser, Jason Leitch, said last month that people should prepare themselves for a \"digital Christmas\".\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, a plan was announced to get students in England home safely for Christmas.\n\nStudents are to be allocated departure dates during a \"student travel window\" between 3 and 9 December, to minimise the risk of them spreading Covid-19.\n\nIn Wales, they are being asked to travel by 9 December at the latest.\n\nThe Scottish government wants as many as possible of the 80,000 or so students going home for Christmas to be offered voluntary tests before they travel.\n\nNorthern Ireland is expected to publish plans for students' return in the coming days.", "80% of the contracts were for personal protective equipment\n\nCompanies recommended by MPs, peers and ministers' offices were given priority as the government raced to obtain Personal Protective Equipment, the National Audit Office found.\n\nOver half of the £18bn spent on pandemic-related contracts was awarded without competitive tender, it said.\n\nThe spending watchdog said the government was not transparent about suppliers and services.\n\nIt also found there was inadequate explanation of key spending decisions.\n\nThe findings are part of an NAO investigation into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nThe watchdog found not enough was done to address potential conflicts of interest by ministers and other government officials.\n\nIt found more than 8,600 coronavirus contracts had been awarded by 31 July, ranging in value from less than £100 to £410m.\n\nOf these, £10.5bn-worth (58%) were awarded directly without a competitive tender process.\n\nPersonal protective equipment (PPE) accounted for 80% of the number of contracts awarded.\n\nThe report comes after the BBC revealed on Tuesday that a Spanish businessman who acted as a go-between to secure protective garments for NHS staff in the pandemic was paid $28m (£21m) in UK taxpayer cash.\n\nGabriel Gonzalez Andersson had been in line for a further $20m of UK public funds, documents filed in a US court reveal.\n\nHe worked with Florida-based jewellery designer Michael Saiger who set up a business at the start of the pandemic to supply PPE to governments.\n\nFlorida-based jewellery designer Michael Saiger set up a business to supply PPE to governments\n\nMeg Hillier, chairwoman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, called for ministers to \"come clean\" and publish all information about the contracts awarded.\n\nThe government acknowledged it had procured services with \"extreme urgency\" during the crisis but it said it had \"robust processes in place\".\n\nWhen asked about the $28m paid to the Spanish businessman, Business Secretary Alok Sharma told Radio 4's Today programme: \"The Department of Health did look at that contract at the time.\"\n\n\"At the time there was huge pressure to get PPE into the system and that's what we did,\" he added.\n\nThe government is keen to note that the National Audit Office found \"no evidence that ministers had been involved in either the award or management of the contracts\" for £18bn of pandemic-related contracts.\n\nIt was under huge pressure to get more PPE immediately and was bidding against governments all over the world. It's even understandable that most of the contracts were awarded without the normal (and time-consuming) competitive tendering process that is there to ensure value for money for taxpayers - and to eliminate the risk that someone gets a lucrative public sector contract not because of what they offer but because of who they know.\n\nBut as the NAO points out, if you ditch that competitive process, the remaining safeguards - such as properly documenting what you've done to avoid conflicts of interest - become all the more important.\n\nAnd if you have a process where companies referred by ministers' offices, MPs, peers and health chiefs get 'fast-tracked' - and are therefore ten times as likely to win a contract - there's an even stronger risk that contracts are seen to be awarded not on merit or value for money but because of personal connections.\n\nTo eliminate that risk, the public accounts committee chair Meg Hillier is calling for all contracts awarded so far to be published.\n\nNAO head Gareth Davies said it remained \"essential that decisions are properly documented and made transparent if government is to maintain public trust\".\n\nMs Hillier, a Labour MP, said the failings uncovered may be the \"tip of the iceberg\".\n\n\"The government overlooked a serious conflict of interest, paid consultants for months before giving them contracts and purchased masks it knew weren't up to scratch.\n\n\"It's bad enough that it set up a 'high-priority lane' to fast-track companies with the right connections.\n\n\"But the failure to track how half the companies had ended up on it made it impossible to ensure proper safeguards were in place.\"\n\nThe NAO looked in detail at 20 contracts including:\n\nThe NAO concluded that in cases of potential conflicts of interest involving ministers, all had properly declared their interests and it found \"no evidence of their involvement in procurement decisions or contract management\".\n\nThe spending watchdog acknowledged the pandemic required acting with \"extreme urgency\" and the Public Contracts Regulations allowed an emergency response, including awarding deals directly without a formal competition.\n\nCabinet Office Minister Julia Lopez said: \"We have been dealing with an unprecedented global pandemic that has posed the biggest challenge to the UK in a generation.\n\n\"As this report rightly recognises, we needed to procure contracts with extreme urgency to secure the vital supplies required to protect frontline NHS workers and the public and we make no apology for that.\n\n\"We have robust processes in place for spending public money to ensure we get critical equipment to where it needs to go as quickly as possible, whilst also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.\n\n\"It is important to maintain the public's confidence in how we manage their money, and we welcome the NAO's scrutiny of our processes and recommendations on how they can be improved.\"\n\nTom Sasse from the think tank the Institute for Government, told Radio 5 Live's Wake Up To Money that procurement processes exist to make sure taxpayers get the best value for money.\n\n\"The NAO point to some pretty serious problems with how public procurement has happened during the pandemic,\" he said.\n\n\"We've also seen a big story in August around £150m that went on PPE that couldn't be used. So there are questions about how this process is working.\"", "Aiden and his family had been trying to raise money to adapt his bathroom\n\nA lifelong Wrexham FC fan said he \"feels amazing\" after the club's new Hollywood star owner donated £6,000 to adapt his home.\n\nAiden Stott, who has cerebral palsy, had been trying to raise the cash to get a bathroom so his family could wash him.\n\nOn Wednesday, he woke up to find the entire sum had been donated by actor Rob McElhenney, who is set to take over the club, alongside Ryan Reynolds.\n\nMr Stott said he \"couldn't believe it\".\n\nThe football fan, who has been a season ticket holder for several years and is a member of the club's Disabled Supporters' Association, said he was blown away by the generosity of everyone who had donated.\n\nAiden's favourite player is Paul Rutherford and he never misses a home game\n\n\"It means the world to me, it really does,\" said Mr Stott.\n\nAfter cuts to his care, the 37-year-old's parents sold their family home to buy a flat for him to live closer to them in Manchester.\n\nBut after finding out adapting the bathroom to make it safe for Aiden, his family and carers, would cost £6,000, the family decided to set up a fundraising campaign.\n\n\"I had been deliberating whether to do it or not, because there are so many people in worse positions than us, it's not like Aiden is starving, he's got a roof over his head,\" his sister Cheryl said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"Wrexham has the potential for growth\"\n\nOn Monday, Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) members voted overwhelmingly to back the takeover by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star McElhenney and Reynolds.\n\nWhile a number of people had already donated to the fundraising campaign, Cheryl said she was woken up on Wednesday by a friend telling her to look at the page.\n\n\"It was there, his name, no message, obviously I wrote a message to him and told him he made my mum cry, but we haven't heard anything from him,\" she said.\n\n\"That a Hollywood movie star looked at a picture of my brother and read his little story and what he's going through, it's just incredible.\n\n\"It's amazing that he bought the club in the first place, which we are all really excited about, but to do that as well, it just shows his true character and meaning.\"\n\nMs Stott, a firefighter, said since the donation, more companies had come forward saying they would adapt the bathroom for a lower price.\n\n\"This means we can get him carers quicker as well... it's not just the bath it's being able to employ people to look after him and not to rely on his dad,\" she said.\n\nSteve Gilbert, chairman of the club's Disabled Supporters' Association, said everyone was overwhelmed by the star's generosity.\n\nMr Gilbert said he tweeted McElhenney the link to Aiden's campaign on Tuesday in the hope he could generate some interest.\n\n\"I am still choked up about it, I still can't really put into words what it means,\" he said.\n\n\"Rob contacted us on Twitter five or six weeks ago, he told us he had spoken to Ryan, and he had said accessibility and inclusion was very important to them.\n\n\"A day into their ownership and they have already done this, we are just chuffed.\"\n\nAiden said the atmosphere at the matches was \"brilliant\"\n\nMr Stott said he would love to meet the club's new owners and thank McElhenney for his lovely gift.\n\n\"That would make my day,\" he said.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Wrexham AFC DSA This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The government has lost two more votes in the Lords over its Brexit bill.\n\nPeers voted by 367 to 209 to amend the Internal Market Bill, after claims that it would allow the UK government to \"shackle\" devolved administrations as powers are returned from Brussels.\n\nAnd they voted by 327 to 223 to curb ministers' powers to rewrite parts of the bill at a later stage.\n\nThe proposed law aims to create a UK-wide internal market after the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December.\n\nIt was approved by the Commons in September but is encountering strong resistance in the Lords, where Boris Johnson's government does not have a majority.\n\nLast week, peers defeated the government over plans to allow the UK to override parts of the legally-binding withdrawal agreement that apply to Northern Ireland.\n\nOnce peers have finished debating the bill it will head back to the House of Commons where MPs will decide either to reject or accept the Lords' amendments.\n\nIn the event of a stalemate between the two Houses, the government has not ruled out forcing through the changes through a rarely-used law known as the Parliament Act, which dates back to 1911.\n\nThe act, which enshrined the primacy of the elected Commons over the unelected Lords, was used in 2004 by Tony Blair's government to push through a ban on fox and deer hunting and hare-coursing with dogs.\n\nIn the first of Wednesday's reverses for the government, peers supported an amendment that sought to strengthen the role of the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nSpeaking in favour of the amendment, Crossbench peer Baroness Finlay of Llandaff said the bill would allow Westminster to bypass the views of devolved governments in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast and consign current arrangements to a \"meaningless sideshow\".\n\nShe added that the proposed legislation \"shackles the ability of the elected parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to find their own solutions to the problems we face\".\n\nAnd Labour said it would, for example, prevent the Welsh government from banning different types of plastic ahead of the rest of the UK.\n\nSpeaking for the government, Cabinet Office Minister Lord True said the right place for final decisions on the internal market should be the Westminster Parliament.\n\nThe Internal Market Bill is designed to enable goods and services to flow freely across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland once the transition period is over.\n\nCurrently regulations and standards on issues like animal welfare are agreed and applied across the EU.\n\nAfter the transition period, many of these standards will be directly controlled by the devolved administrations - but the UK government has said they will still have to accept goods and services from all other parts of the UK, even if they have set different standards locally.", "Some parts of the south Wales valleys have seen among the highest rates in the UK\n\nMore restrictions are \"inevitable\" if the current regulations cannot keep coronavirus cases in check, a public health official has warned.\n\nGiri Shankar, Public Health Wales' outbreak response director, said the firebreak lockdown achieved its purpose of halting the rapid growth of cases.\n\nBut he said it was not yet known if the action has been enough.\n\nCase data over the next two weeks would indicate if the current downward trend of cases would continue, he added.\n\n\"What remains to be seen is whether the reduction is sufficient enough, whether we can sustain it for enough to be able to manage the essential services,\" Dr Shankar said.\n\nHe emphasised this depended on \"individual and collective responsibility\" in following the national guidelines which came into effect on 9 November and ran for 17 days.\n\n\"If there is an uncontrolled spread of the virus and if there is a further increase in cases and that leads to inevitably higher hospitalisations and a proportion of those translate to deaths then it is inevitable at some point that we will have to consider further additional restrictions,\" he added.\n\nHe said any further restrictions were ultimately the Welsh Government's decision.\n\nHis warning comes on the day Merthyr Tydfil became the first part of Wales where a mass testing scheme will be rolled out.\n\nNHS Wales chief executive Dr Andrew Goodall said Merthyr Tydfil was an \"obvious choice\" for mass testing, given the recent high level of Covid-19 infections in the area.\n\nDr Goodall said the Welsh Government was \"appealing to the population\" in the county \"to support us in this initiative to undertake that more repeated testing, whether they have symptoms or not\".\n\nFor more see Wales Live, Wednesday, 22:35 GMT on BBC One Wales.", "Karim Ennarah was reportedly detained while on holiday at a Red Sea resort (family handout)\n\nA leading human rights group in Egypt says security forces have detained two members of its staff in recent days.\n\nThe Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights reported that its director of criminal justice, Karim Ennarah, was arrested on Wednesday in Dahab and taken to an undisclosed location.\n\nIts office manager, Mohammed Basheer, was detained in Cairo on Sunday.\n\nAmnesty International condemned what it called the \"chilling escalation\" of a crackdown on civil society in Egypt.\n\nHuman rights groups say dozens of activists have been targeted with arrests, travel bans and asset freezes under President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.\n\nMr Sisi led the military's overthrow of his democratically elected predecessor Mohammed Morsi in 2013 following protests against his rule.\n\nThe EIPR is an independent human rights group whose work covers a variety of political, civil, economic and social issues in Egypt.\n\nOn Sunday, the EIPR issued a statement saying security personnel had raided Mr Basheer's home overnight and taken him to a State Security Sector facility, where he was questioned about a visit on 3 November by senior Western diplomats to the EIPR's Cairo office to discuss human rights.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by EIPR المبادرة المصرية للحقوق الشخصية This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nHe was later taken to the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) and asked about the EIPR's work, its latest publications and its legal aid work, the statement added.\n\nMr Basheer was accused of charges including \"joining a terrorist organisation\" and \"spreading false news\", and added to an SSSP case involving investigations over what Amnesty International said were unfounded terrorism-related charges against other human rights defenders..\n\nThe EIPR said prosecutors did not present Mr Basheer with any reliable evidence and demanded his immediate release.\n\nOn Wednesday afternoon, the EIPR tweeted that Mr Ennarah had been arrested by National Security officers in Dahab, a Red Sea resort in South Sinai province, and that his whereabouts were unknown.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from the Egyptian authorities.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Amnesty MENA This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"These arrests, following a meeting at EIPR with Western diplomats, serve a heavy blow against the legitimate work of human rights defenders,\" Amnesty International tweeted.\n\n\"Time for the international community to call on Egypt to end reprisals against human rights organizations and release EIPR staff now,\" it added.\n\nFrance expressed \"deep concern\" over the arrest of Mr Basheer on Tuesday, and stressed that it maintained \"a frank, exacting dialogue with Egypt on human rights issues\".\n\nThe Egyptian foreign ministry on Wednesday rejected France's \"interference in an Egyptian internal affair and the attempt to influence the investigations\". It also stressed that Egypt respected the rule of law and equality before it.", "Dr McBride has said the current restrictions are \"having an impact\" and \"slowing the spread of infection\", \"however not enough nor sufficient to take us through the challenges of the next few months\".\n\nHe thanks the public for the contribution they have been making, also stressing the importance of people looking after their mental health.\n\n\"It is important to know that others are there and will understand - none of us, absolutely none of us are alone,\" he adds.\n\nHe says it is also important to acknowledge in these \"challenging times\" that there \"is hope\".\n\n\"Hope for a better and different future,\" he adds.\n\nDr McBride notes the announcements with regard to a number of potential vaccines which \"are yet to be approved for use in the United Kingdom\".\n\n\"However, there is now a very real prospect that we will be in a different place by the spring or summer and almost certainly by next year.\"", "Rangers fear the unique white skin of the giraffe may make the animal vulnerable to poachers\n\nThe world's only known white giraffe has been fitted with a GPS tracking device to keep poachers at bay in north-east Kenya, conservationists say.\n\nA conservation group said rangers could monitor the lone male giraffe's movements in real time.\n\nThe giraffe has a rare genetic condition called leucism, which causes the loss of skin pigmentation.\n\nHe is thought to be the last of his kind, after poachers killed two of his family members in March.\n\nRangers fear the giraffe could suffer the same fate as his relatives, a female and her seven-month-old calf with similar white skin.\n\nTheir carcasses were found in a conservation area in Kenya's north-eastern Garissa County, where the male giraffe is currently living alone.\n\nThe Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy, which oversees wildlife in the area, said the tracking device was attached to one of the giraffe's horns on 8 November.\n\nIn a statement released on Tuesday, the non-profit group said the tracking device would give hourly updates on the giraffe's whereabouts, enabling rangers to \"keep the unique animal safe from poachers\".\n\nThe male giraffe's family - a female and a calf - were found dead in March this year\n\nThe manager of the group, Mohammed Ahmednoor, thanked conservationists for their help in protecting the giraffe and other wildlife.\n\n\"The giraffe's grazing range has been blessed with good rains in the recent past and the abundant vegetation bodes well for the future of the white male,\" he said.\n\nThe Kenya Wildlife Society, the main conservation body in the east-African country, said it was happy to assist in efforts to protect \"unique wildlife like the only known white giraffe\".\n\nWhite giraffes were first spotted in Kenya in March 2016, about two months after a sighting in neighbouring Tanzania.\n\nA year later, white giraffes made headlines again, after the mother and her calf from the conservancy in Kenya's Garissa County were caught on camera.\n\nNative to more than 15 African countries, giraffes are the world's tallest mammals. They are hunted by poachers for their hides, meat and body parts.\n\nSome 40% of the giraffe population has disappeared in the last 30 years, with poaching and wildlife trafficking contributing to this decline, according to the Africa Wildlife Foundation (AWF).\n\nGiraffes have been designated as a vulnerable species on The International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, with an estimated population of 68,293 globally.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why we should worry about giraffes", "Jewellery designer Michael Saiger, who brokered PPE contracts for the NHS, at a fashion show in 2009\n\nA Spanish businessman who acted as a go-between to secure protective garments for NHS staff in the coronavirus pandemic was paid $28m (£21m) in UK taxpayer cash.\n\nThe consultant had been in line for a further $20m of UK public funds, documents filed in a US court reveal.\n\nThe legal papers also reveal the American supplier of the PPE called the deals \"lucrative\".\n\nThe Department of Health said proper checks are done for all contracts.\n\nA legal dispute playing out in the courts in Miami has helped shine a light on the amount of money some companies have made supplying the NHS with equipment to protect staff from Covid infection.\n\nEarlier this year, as the coronavirus pandemic was spreading rapidly around the world, Florida-based jewellery designer Michael Saiger set up a business to supply PPE to governments.\n\nHe used his experience of working with factories in China to land what are described as \"a number of lucrative contracts\" supplying protective gloves and gowns to the NHS.\n\nMr Saiger signed up a Spanish businessman, Gabriel Gonzalez Andersson, to help with \"procurement, logistics, due diligence, product sourcing and quality control\" of the PPE equipment. In effect, Mr Andersson was expected to find a manufacturer for deals that had already been done.\n\nMr Andersson was paid more than $28m (£21m) for his work on two government contracts to supply the NHS. He was described in court documents as having done \"very well under this arrangement\".\n\nEarlier in the year there was a shortage of protective equipment for NHS medics\n\nIn June, Mr Saiger signed three more agreements to supply the NHS with millions of gloves and surgical gowns.\n\nWhen the UK government paid up, his go-between, Mr Andersson, would have been in line for a further $20m in consulting fees.\n\nBut the court documents allege that once the agreements had been signed, Mr Andersson stopped doing any work for Mr Saiger. It's not clear whether Mr Andersson received any of the money for this second batch of deals.\n\nThis led to PPE deliveries being delayed to NHS frontline workers, Mr Saiger claims, and the company \"scrambling\" to fulfil the contracts by other means.\n\nSo far the UK's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published contracts with Mr Saiger's company, Saiger LLC, totalling more than £200m. These were awarded without being opened to competition.\n\nAlongside the legal dispute in Florida, the deals are set to be challenged in UK courts, by campaign group the Good Law Project. It accuses government ministers of not paying \"sufficient regard\" to tax-payers' money over a contract with the firm.\n\n\"We do not understand why, as late as June, government was still making direct awards of contracts sufficiently lucrative as to enable these sorts of profits to be made,\" Jolyon Maugham, the project's director told the BBC.\n\n\"The real criticism that is to be made here is of the huge profits that government allows to be generated.\"\n\nThis is not the first time concerns have been raised about PPE contracts the DHSC signed during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nEarlier this year, the BBC revealed that 50 million face masks the government bought could not be used in the NHS because of safety concerns. And last week, it exposed concerns that the government had leaned on safety officials to certify PPE which had been wrongly classified.\n\nA DHSC spokesperson said the department had been \"working tirelessly\" to deliver PPE, with more than 4.9 billion items delivered to frontline health workers so far and nearly 32 billion items ordered \"to provide a continuous supply\".\n\nThey added: \"Proper due diligence is carried out for all government contracts, and we take these checks extremely seriously.\"\n\nThe BBC asked Gabriel Gonzalez Andersson for comment but he has not so far responded.\n\nSaiger LLC said: \"At the height of the pandemic, and at a time when the NHS was in need of high-quality PPE that met the required safety standards, we delivered for Britain, on time and at value.\n\n\"At no time have we ever used any 'middlemen'. We have few full-time staff so for large projects we bring in short-term contractors for additional expertise and capacity, allowing us to deliver what is needed.\n\n\"We are exceptionally proud to have played our part in providing frontline workers in the UK, including nurses, doctors and hospital staff, with the millions of pieces of PPE they need to stay safe and to save lives.\"\n\nMore from Phil on Twitter @phill_kemp", "Apple is halving the commission it takes from the sale of apps and virtual goods sold within them from many of the smaller developers using its stores.\n\nFrom January, any existing app-maker who earned $1m (£830,000) or less from Apple's marketplaces in 2020 will only have to give up a 15% cut in 2021.\n\nThat compares to the standard rate of 30%. New developers also qualify.\n\nIt follows widespread criticism by developers of the fees Apple charges, and coincides with anti-trust scrutiny.\n\nChief executive Tim Cook was questioned several times about the rates his firm charges when he appeared before US lawmakers at a competition hearing in July. It emerged there that Amazon had negotiated a special 15% rate for in-app charges within its Prime Video app.\n\nAnd the preceding month the European Commission opened its own probe into the marketplace's rules.\n\nApple, however, has characterised the move as being a natural evolution of its policies, which it had made after listening to feedback from its developer communities.\n\nAbout 28 million developers use Apple's store, and the firm says the vast majority of those who charge fees will benefit.\n\nBut it has not provided a figure for how many it forecasts will be affected.\n\nOne of those who will earn more told the BBC he welcomed the move, but said that might not be true of everyone.\n\n\"Earlier in the year, Apple faced a lot of bad PR because it was seen to be capitalising on the pandemic by charging its 30% cut on small businesses - like those offering fitness training or classes - that had gone virtual via an app,\" said Benjamin Mayo, creator of the Daily Dictionary and Bingo Machine apps.\n\n\"So they and others of us in the indie community will see this as a good thing.\n\n\"But the bigger apps like Spotify and Epic will likely see this as unfair as they're being excluded despite earning the App Store more money.\"\n\n\"This would be something to celebrate were it not a calculated move by Apple to divide app creators and preserve their monopoly on stores and payments, again breaking the promise of treating all developers equally,\" said the firm's chief executive Tim Sweeney.\n\nBy design, the scheme will exclude the highest-earning software creators for Apple products.\n\nAt present, the only way for developers to offer native apps - rather than those that run via a web browser - for iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and the Apple TV set-top box is via the firm's App Store.\n\nBy contrast, they can sell their products directly to consumers or via alternative marketplaces on its Mac computers.\n\nApple claims the App Store ecosystem made about $519bn in commerce possible in 2019\n\nUnder the new scheme, the 15% rate applies if their total earnings from apps sold via Apple fell below the $1m threshold the previous year.\n\nBut it rises to 30% again for any additional sales made beyond $1m during 2021.\n\nThe $1m figure is calculated on the basis of the developers' post-commission earnings rather than the total revenue of their products.\n\nAnd Apple intends to continue the initiative in later years.\n\nOne quirk of the scheme is that it gives developers an incentive to pull products or make them free towards the end of the year to avoid crossing the cut-off point.\n\nThis is because if a software-maker earns $1,000,001 they would face the full 30% rate the following year, but if they made $999,999 they would qualify for the discount.\n\nAn alternative would have been to simply let all developers benefit from the lower rate on the first $1m of their earnings.\n\nBut the tech giant has indicated it wanted to limit the scheme to its smaller, independent developer community and believed this was the best way to do that.\n\nMarket research firm Sensor Tower told the BBC its data suggests about 4.9% of the App Store's total revenue in 2019 came via those earning less than $1m.\n\n\"Other platform holders who have yet to budge on their own 30% cut will be taking note and may now feel the need to act,\" said Craig Chapple, a strategist at the firm.\n\nThis is a clever move by Apple to try to show both developers and regulators that it is responding to concerns that it abuses its dominant position in the iOS app market.\n\nBut there is less to this change than meets the eye.\n\nSure, the cut in commission will probably benefit the vast majority of its 28 million developers.\n\nBut as Apple won't be transparent about how many of them release paid apps but earn less than $1m a year from them, we can't put a number on how many will be affected.\n\nSimilarly, the company won't tell us what proportion of its App Store revenue comes from developers earning more than $1m who will continue to pay a 30% commission.\n\nWhat we do know is that services now make a very important contribution to Apple's bottom line and it's thought it earned $50bn from the App Store in 2019.\n\nYou can bet that this move is not going to affect that flow of cash in any material fashion.\n\nCynics will say this is a divide-and-rule strategy to quieten the complaints from smaller developers.\n\nBut don't expect the giants - or indeed the EU regulators - to turn down the volume.", "Ministers are looking at how to relax coronavirus restrictions so families can celebrate Christmas together.\n\nThe government's medical adviser on Covid, Susan Hopkins, said they were working on a plan and wanted Christmas to be \"as close to normal as possible\".\n\nShe said tough restrictions might be needed before and after the holiday to allow mixing to take place.\n\nBBC health correspondent Nick Triggle said any rule change would be for a limited time, maybe just a few days.\n\nThe prime minister's official spokesman confirmed ministers were \"looking at ways to ensure that people can spend time with close family over Christmas at the end of what has been an incredibly difficult year\".\n\nIt comes after the Sun reported that families may be able to mix indoors for five days from Christmas Eve.\n\nAll four UK nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - are trying to work out a common approach to Christmas so families spread across the UK can still meet up.\n\nOur correspondent said any final decisions would not be made for a few weeks while health chiefs wait to see whether cases have started to come down during the lockdown in England.\n\nBut, he said, the advice was likely to urge families not to hold big gatherings and to travel by car, rather than public transport.\n\nScientific advice indicates that for every day that measures are relaxed, five days of tighter restrictions would be needed.\n\nThe government has recorded another 19,609 Covid cases in the UK and 529 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nEngland is expected to come out of its second national lockdown on 2 December and return to the tier system of localised restrictions, with household mixing banned indoors in the top two tiers.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'We're keen to have Christmas as close to normal as possible'\n\nSpeaking at a Downing Street briefing, Dr Hopkins, from Public Health England, suggested restrictions could be needed either side of Christmas if curbs were to be eased over the festive period.\n\nShe said two days of tighter restrictions would be required for every one day relaxed - although officials later clarified the advice is actually for five days.\n\nPeople would need to be \"very careful\" about the contacts they have in the lead-up to Christmas and would have to be \"responsible\" and reduce contacts again after the festive period, she added.\n\nShe said she knew ministers were \"working hard to develop an outline\" of what the new tiers would look like after 2 December and what Christmas would look like.\n\nThe BBC has been told new tougher regional tiers could see pubs and restaurants closed entirely in areas in the top tier throughout the festive period.\n\nStrict rules on meeting up and social distancing have meant millions of people have been unable to hug, or sometimes even see, close family for many months.\n\nChris, from Norfolk, said he feared this might be the last Christmas his father, who has advanced cancer, has with his three grandchildren.\n\n\"I'm not interested in Christmas as a party or celebration. All I want is one day,\" he told BBC Radio 5 Live.\n\nDowning Street said Christmas would not be normal but the prime minister would look at the latest data to make decisions and an update would be given next week.\n\nEarlier, Cabinet minister Alok Sharma said it was too early for \"conclusions\" but he wanted to see his family for Christmas.\n\nMr Sharma told BBC Breakfast people needed to keep bearing down on the infection and \"do our bit\".\n\nOn Tuesday, Prof Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led to the first lockdown in March, suggested extending support bubbles to up to four households to allow families to celebrate Christmas together.\n\nThis year, Christmas Eve falls on Thursday and there is a bank holiday on the following Monday, giving most workers at least a four-day break.\n\nProf Ferguson also warned that reopening pubs and restaurants in the run-up to Christmas would be likely to lead to rising infection levels.\n\nWhat to do about Christmas is delicately poised.\n\nOn the one hand, allowing mixing over the festive period will undoubtedly lead to an increase in infections.\n\nWhat is more, there are concerns the impact of lockdown will be more limited than hoped. We are yet to see infections rates start falling - although it is still early days - so there will be no final decision on Christmas yet.\n\nBut stamping down on the virus is, of course, not the be all and end all.\n\nProviding an opportunity to meet will bring much needed respite from the hard slog of the pandemic.\n\nBut there is also a widespread recognition that even if the government bans mixing at Christmas, significant numbers of people may well ignore it.\n\nThe fear is that then starts to normalise breaking the restrictions and will make compliance worse over the rest of winter.\n\nThe expectation is that there will be some limited relaxation - in the hope that the psychological boost it will give the public and the longer-term goodwill it will engender will outweigh any cost in terms of virus spread.\n\nThat much was clear from the Downing Street briefing when government advisers admitted publicly for the first time that it may be on the cards.\n\nBut the pay-off for that could be tighter regional restrictions on hospitality in the areas with the highest rates all through the festive period.\n\nThere have been calls for a single approach from the devolved administrations in the UK about Christmas - so families who live in different nations can deal with a single set of rules.\n\nWelsh ministers have said it could be weeks before an announcement on Covid rules is made, and warned this year's festive period would \"not be like normal\".\n\nMinisters in Northern Ireland said they would do all they could to \"protect\" as much of Christmas as possible.\n\nAnd Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said new, stricter measures announced on Tuesday were needed, in part, to allow the possibility of people meeting up over Christmas. \"We are all desperate for some normality around Christmas and I absolutely include myself in that,\" Ms Sturgeon said.", "Rises in the cost of clothing and food helped to push UK inflation higher-than-expected last month.\n\nThe UK's inflation rate, which tracks the prices of goods and services, jumped to 0.7% in October from 0.5% in September, official figures show.\n\nSecond-hand cars and computer games also saw price rises, but these were partially offset by falls in the cost of energy and holidays.\n\nAnalysts had expected the rate to remain flat at 0.5%.\n\n\"The rate of inflation increased slightly as clothing prices grew, returning to their normal seasonal pattern after the disruption this year,\" said Office for National Statistics deputy statistician Jonathan Athow.\n\nNormally prices for clothes and shoes fall each year between June and July in summer sales before autumn ranges come in, and then rise before sales towards the end of the year, the ONS said.\n\nHowever, the coronavirus crisis has changed how prices move.\n\nThroughout 2020 this pattern has been different, with increased discounting in March and April, probably as a response to lockdown, it said. After a small increase in July and August, prices rose by more than a year ago.\n\nInflation is the rate at which the prices for goods and services increase.\n\nIt affects everything from mortgages to the cost of our shopping and the price of train tickets.\n\nIt's one of the key measures of financial well-being, because it affects what consumers can buy for their money. If there is inflation, money doesn't go as far.\n\nFood prices rose between September and October, with most of the increase coming in fruit and vegetables, the ONS said.\n\nAnalyst firm Capital Economics said food price inflation could continue to rise in November as supermarket demand continues to increase during the Covid-19 lockdown.\n\nDuring the first lockdown, there was a fall in the amount of supermarket promotions as shoppers bulk bought essentials.\n\nSome surveys of consumers had suggested renewed stockpiling as health restrictions spread through Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in October.\n\nA one-month lockdown was announced for England at the end of the month and started on 5 November.\n\nSecond-hand car prices also rose in October as people tried to reduce their reliance on public transport.\n\nHowever, car prices may stabilise and fall back in the middle of 2021 should a vaccine become widely available, according to Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist for Pantheon Macroeconomics.\n\nOne of the largest downward pressures on inflation came from a fall in household energy prices.\n\nGas prices dropped by 12.3% and electricity prices fell 3.2% between September and October.\n\nThis was mainly due to energy regulator Ofgem's latest six month energy price cap, which came into effect on 1 October, the ONS said.\n\nInflation may have ticked up in October but delve into the figures and you're reminded: it's not the risk of inflation that looms large right now but the opposite.\n\nServices are still rising in price but if you take the price of goods there's been no inflation at all in the past year.\n\nThe price of energy fell - not only this time because of the price cap, but because anti-virus measures have caused a sharp economic contraction worldwide, cutting global demand and pulling down the wholesale price of oil and gas.\n\nWhere some prices are slowly rising, the national lockdown measures currently in place can only exert further deflationary pressure.\n\nThere's not a lot the Bank of England can do here to stimulate activity when the battle against Covid is pulling in the other direction.\n\nBut if we're to avoid deflation, further fiscal measures may be needed to stimulate and repair a stricken economy once mass vaccination is underway.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sandra Lazarus says she was denied seeing husband before his death due to Covid-19 rules\n\nThe trauma of not being able to visit relatives in care homes will stay with people \"for years\", the older people's commissioner for Wales has said.\n\nHer calls come after the family of John Lazarus, 83, said they were not allowed to be with him before his death, which was not related to Covid-19.\n\nMr Lazarus died last month at Glanffrwd Care Home in Bridgend.\n\nThe owner, HC-One, said a visit was not allowed as he was not considered to be at the end of his life.\n\nMr Lazarus's wife of 59 years, Sandra, said she knew her husband did not have long to live but not being able to say goodbye made the situation much worse.\n\n\"I can't turn back the clock. I can't say, can we have a re-run and let me see him. He's gone now. I missed the boat. I just wanted to tell him we loved him.\"\n\nJohn Lazarus, pictured with daughter Claire, was a much-loved husband and father\n\nThe father-of-three, who served with South Wales Police for 30 years, had Alzheimer's disease.\n\nMrs Lazarus said it \"broke her heart\" when he had to move into the care home at the end of 2019.\n\nBefore the outbreak of Covid-19, she visited every afternoon and they would have a cup of tea and a \"tot of whisky and Coke\" and watch a film.\n\nVisits were cancelled in March, outdoor visits were then permitted in the summer, but in September Bridgend was put under local restrictions.\n\nUnder Welsh Government policy, end-of-life visits are still allowed regardless of any local restrictions or national lockdown.\n\nThe Lazarus family said they had been allowed to look through the window at him, but it was difficult as he was deaf and would get distressed and beckon his wife and other family members to come in.\n\n\"He'd say 'I don't care about the virus. I just want you in here now',\" said his daughter Claire Jones.\n\nJohn Lazarus with son Mark, daughter Claire, wife Sandra and son Nigel before the pandemic\n\nMrs Lazarus said her husband had stopped eating and drinking and they would drive up past the window to see how he was because they knew his condition was deteriorating.\n\n\"I think in his mind he had nothing to live for now,\" she said.\n\n\"I'd been with John since I was 17 and we'd always been together, we've done everything together.\"\n\nOn their wedding anniversary a carer held the phone for him.\n\n\"He said to me 'I love you'. He said it three times, I'll never forget it. Those were the last words I heard from my husband.\"\n\nOn 19 October, Mr Lazarus was rushed into hospital with a temperature and returned to the home in the middle of the night.\n\nTwo hours later his family received a call from the home to say he had died.\n\n\"I hope he didn't think that we didn't love him and we just left him there and forgot about him,\" Mrs Lazarus said, \"because we didn't and we never will.\"\n\nFormer police officer John Lazarus was a \"proud man\" say his family\n\nHis wife and daughter were allowed into the home, wearing full PPE, after he died.\n\n\"It was horrendous,\" Ms Jones said. \"Giving your dead parent a kiss in PPE with visors is beyond. It's overwhelming.\"\n\nShe said people were being \"kept safe to the detriment of their health\" by not having visitors.\n\nShe wants rapid testing to be available for relatives so they can care for their loved ones during the final moments of their lives.\n\nMrs Lazarus added: \"They say you can come in at the end of life, but when is 'end of life'? None of us know.\"\n\nShe wants care homes to \"look at this and say 'this person's really not going to last long... they need to be with their families now, not wait until their last breath\".\n\nThe older people's commissioner Helena Herklots is urging care homes to allow visits for residents, particularly those who are at the end of their lives.\n\n\"We know that this can be done safely because care homes are doing it,\" she said. \"So I would urge those that for whatever reason decided they can't to think again.\"\n\nJohn Lazarus died in October in his care home in Bridgend\n\nA spokesperson for HC-One said that Mr Lazarus was not considered to be at the end of his life, meaning they applied local visiting restrictions from mid-September.\n\n\"We would like to express our deepest condolences for the sad passing of Mr Lazarus, who will be dearly missed by those who knew him.\"\n\nThey said that in October they had planned safe weekly window visits for the family, but Mr Lazarus died shortly afterwards.\n\nHC-One said it recognised how difficult it was for families to be apart from loved ones and said it had \"done everything we can to keep them connected\".\n\n\"We have had to make difficult decisions to ensure a balanced approach is in place that enables residents to spend more time with their loved ones, whilst also ensuring we do everything possible to prevent coronavirus entering our homes.\"", "Winter activities on ice are becoming increasingly dangerous as the world warms, scientists say.\n\nWhen researchers looked at data on drowning accidents in largely frozen lakes or rivers, they saw a \"strong correlation\" to rising temperatures.\n\nThey found that deaths from drowning were five times higher when warmer weather made the ice thinner and weaker.\n\nChildren aged under nine years and younger adults were most at risk.\n\nFor indigenous peoples in many northern regions of the world, livelihoods often depend on access to frozen lakes in winter for hunting, fishing and travel.\n\nIn countries like the US, Canada and Russia, winter leisure activities such as skating or tobogganing on ice are also hugely popular.\n\nBut as the world warms, winter ice is becoming less stable and scientists believe it poses a greater threat of accidental drowning.\n\nCanadian researchers looked at data on 4,000 drowning events in 10 countries over three decades since the 1990s.\n\nThey found that higher temperatures were a good predictor of the number of deaths by drowning.\n\n\"We can confidently say that there is a quite a strong correlation between warmer winter air temperatures and more winter drownings,\" said study leader Sapna Sharma, from York University in Toronto, Canada.\n\n\"Almost half of the winter drownings were associated with warmer temperatures.\"\n\nThe researchers collated data from official sources including coroner's offices. They were able to compare these figures to longstanding records from lakes showing when ice formed and melted each winter.\n\nCanada and the US had the highest number of drownings related to ice, an issue that was particularly acute among indigenous communities further north.\n\nIce fishing is very popular in many northern countries\n\nThe use of snowmobiles on lakes was associated with many of the lake fatalities.\n\nOne of the saddest aspects of the study was the fact that many of the victims were very young.\n\n\"We found that almost half of those drowned in Minnesota where there was no vehicle involved were children under nine years old,\" said Sapna Sharma.\n\n\"They were playing on the ice, tobogganing or ice skating and they just weren't able to recognise when the ice was unsafe. They may not have recognised that slushy ice or a little open patch of water could be so fatal.\"\n\nEven where lake or river accidents weren't deadly, they often had life-changing results.\n\nIn cold water accidents where children suffered cardiac arrest, some 90% also experienced significant neurological damage - and only 27% were alive a year later.\n\nHowever, some countries have managed to limit the number of drownings during winter, including Germany and Italy.\n\nLocal laws prohibit the use of snowmobiles on lakes and activities like skating are often limited until local authorities deem the ice to be safe.\n\nEducation is also seen to be a key element. According to Barbara Byers from the Canadian Lifesaving Society, people just don't recognise the personal threat that a changing climate can pose.\n\nSnowmobiles are widely used on frozen lakes for transport\n\n\"People think that ice is ice but appearances can be deceiving,\" she told BBC News.\n\n\"People may think it's cold out, the ice must be fine but it really is the quality of the ice or the type of ice that's really important.\n\n\"Ice now gets frozen and thawed and when that happens there's water in-between the layers of the ice. So it may look hard and frozen, but it's not.\"\n\nResearchers say that despite efforts to educate, they expect that drowning events will likely increase in the future.\n\nThey are particularly worried about this winter, as people may be spending more time outdoors due to the pandemic, with potentially fatal results.\n\n\"Everything's closed right now, and more people are spending time in nature and where they might not have done so before,\" said Sapna Sharma.\n\n\"This year, it's forecast to be a warmer, wetter winter in Canada, so in combination with more people going outside that could be that could be quite dangerous.\"\n\nThe study has been published in the journal Plos One.", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nThe Professional Footballers' Association is setting up a new taskforce to further examine the issue of brain injury diseases in football.\n\nThe PFA has been criticised for a lack of support by families of ex-players who have died of, or have dementia.\n\nIt is understood it plans to speak to ex-Blackburn forward Chris Sutton, whose father, Mike, has dementia.\n\nThe union will also engage with Dawn Astle, the daughter of former West Brom and England striker Jeff Astle.\n\nNeuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart said Astle died of a brain condition normally linked to boxers, and that it was caused by heading footballs.\n\nStewart's research into the issue, which was commissioned by the PFA and the Football Association, found that former footballers were between two and five times more likely to die from degenerative brain diseases.\n\nThe PFA said on Tuesday that it would continue to fund Stewart's research at Glasgow University.\n\nOn Wednesday, it said members of its new Neurodegenerative Disease Working Group (NDWG) \"will be invited personally and are not yet confirmed\" and added that the taskforce would \"ensure a more holistic support system is available for former footballers and their families\".\n\n\"By establishing this advisory group, we hope to give the people most affected a strong voice in how the PFA supports former players and seeks to protect current players,\" the union said.\n\nThe introduction of a taskforce comes amid criticism from the family of 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles, who said football needs to \"address the scandal\" of dementia in football.\n\nThe ex-Manchester United and England midfielder died in October, aged 78, after suffering from dementia and prostate cancer.\n\nStiles is one of five members of England's World Cup-winning squad to have been diagnosed with dementia.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Sutton, whose father played for Norwich, Chester and Carlisle, said: \"Not enough is being done and the players of Nobby Stiles' generation aren't getting looked after well enough. It's as simple as that.\n\n\"It's not just the dementia sufferer, it's actually the effect that has on the families.\n\n\"I know only too well the effect it has had on my mother.\"\n\nCould former players take legal action?\n\nLawyers are asking to hear from former players who want to take legal action against football and other sports regulators \"with respect to brain injuries caused by contact sports including football\".\n\nThe move would be similar to the class action taken by NFL players in the United States, where they sued the sport for £700m because of the brain damage they suffered from concussions.\n\nThe legal team bringing the action features personal injury specialists John Foy QC and James Byrne, plus sports lawyer Nick de Marco QC, who said: \"The litigation is still in its early stages and we still want to hear from professional sports players.\n\n\"Nonetheless, the stories emerging tell us of a pattern of silent suffering caused by life changing and sadly often fatal brain injury conditions, that underlines that this is a serious endemic issue.\n\n\"The science proving the link between repeated blows to the head and brain injury has been around for many years, a key question the courts will be interested in is whether football, and other contact sport regulators, have taken timely and proper steps to prevent the injuries we are seeing.\n\n\"By bringing this case we hope, not only to provide our clients with adequate compensation to pay for the future medical treatment and care they will inevitably need, but also to bring about much needed reform to protect all players in sport, whether amateur or professional, adult or child.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst told BBC Breakfast he thought heading a football in training is \"probably more detrimental\" to players than in matches.\n\nHurst, who wants to donate his brain to dementia research, believes links between heading and dementia are \"more than a coincidence\".\n\nBut the medical chief of the world players' union said more \"robust\" evidence of a link between heading and dementia is required before football can introduce training restrictions at the professional level.\n\n\"You could look at some of the games I played in where I hardly headed the ball, but it's the practice,\" Hurst said.\n\n\"I look at my club West Ham, we had a ball hanging from the ceiling in the gym, you'd spend half an hour, 45 minutes practising heading a ball swinging from the ceiling.\n\n\"We'd play head tennis in the gym and then you get on to the field and you'd practise what we were well-known for at West Ham, which was the near-post crosses and the near-post headers. That could be 20 minutes, half an hour.\n\n\"So the enormous amount of practice of heading the ball is probably more detrimental to players than in a match.\"\n\nDr Vincent Gouttebarge, the chief medical officer at world players' union Fifpro, said: \"We need to have more robust evidence in order to make a decision.\n\n\"I know in the UK you have referred to the very good study from Professor Willie Stewart, but I looked at the study again this morning and I didn't see the words 'heading' or 'concussion' mentioned one time in this study.\n\n\"Based on that study a lot of media in the UK made the conclusion that heading the ball or concussion lead to dementia, and I don't think this is a very thorough conclusion.\n\n\"I don't think we have the scientific evidence with this study that there is a causal relationship between heading the ball, concussion and dementia.\"\n• None See the scale of the problem in the game", "A French stuntman famous for airborne feats using jetpacks and carbon-fibre wing packs has been killed in a training accident in Dubai.\n\nVincent Reffet was part of the company Jetman Dubai.\n\nThe 36-year-old went viral for flights over the Gulf city's waterfront and the Alps.\n\nA statement said Reffet died \"during training in Dubai\" but did not give any further details. An investigation into the death is now under way.\n\n\"Vince was a talented athlete, and a much-loved and respected member of our team,\" the statement said. \"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those who knew and worked with him.\"\n\nReffet was the child of skydivers and had performed numerous stunts throughout his career, including BASE-jumping off the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.\n\nHe became well known for his flights with Jetman Dubai, created by the Swiss pilot Yves Rossy - himself known as \"Jetman\". Rossy's equipment allows the group's pilots to fly at speeds of up to 250mph (402km/h).\n\n\"Everything we do is something new,\" Reffet told AFP news agency in an interview last month. \"We have so many dreams and life is so short.\"\n\nReffet's exploits often went viral on social media, including one occasion when he jumped from a mountain into a moving plane with colleague and fellow Frenchman Fred Fugen.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. We cannot go back to normal, says health minister\n\nIt could be \"weeks\" before there is an announcement on the Covid rules around Christmas, Wales' health minister has said.\n\nWelsh ministers and other UK administrations are in talks over a set of agreed rules for the festive period.\n\nVaughan Gething said whatever happened, the period would \"not be like normal\".\n\n\"You shouldn't expect there to be a definitive statement in the next few days or weeks,\" he told a press conference.\n\n\"We have quite a long way to go in the course of the pandemic we've been dealing with before we get to the Christmas period.\"\n\nThere had been calls for a single approach from the different UK administrations about Christmas so families who live in different areas can deal with a single set of rules.\n\nVaughan Gething said this Christmas would \"not be like normal\"\n\nMr Gething said discussions were ongoing about what will be in place for travel, \"and we're still looking at the evidence about what we might be able to do around contact\".\n\n\"But it does rely on the picture that we'll see in the developing evidence over the coming weeks\", he added.\n\nHe noted that other faiths had seen their festivals limited by Covid restrictions, most recently Diwali.\n\nMeanwhile Mr Gething said the rate of cases in Wales was continuing to fall, one week after Wales' firebreak lockdown.\n\nCases in Merthyr Tydfil, which has seen the highest case rate of any local authority in the UK, have more than halved, he said.\n\n\"On Friday, I said we were starting to see some very early positive signs that cases of coronavirus are beginning to fall. This downward trend is continuing.\"\n\nThe seven-day incidence rate for Wales is now at about 160 cases per 100,000 people - a reduction of 70 from this time last week, he said.\n\nHe also said people needed to be aware of the differences between coronavirus and seasonal flu, with the former having a higher mortality rate and a greater proportion of sufferers becoming seriously ill.\n\nAfter the news of another potentially effective vaccine, Mr Gething said he \"doesn't plan\" to make Covid vaccines mandatory.\n\nHe said he had never tried to mandate any vaccine, and would not want to do so with Covid.\n\n\"I'm interested in people understanding the evidence for the safety of the vaccine , then making the right choice to protect them, their family and their community\" he added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Shoppers are back in Cardiff after lockdown ends\n\nOn Sunday, Public Health Wales' Dr Giri Shankar said it was a \"worry\" to see queues of people outside shops at the weekend.\n\nMr Gething said there had been \"pent-up demand\" after the firebreak, with retailers operating limits on numbers in their stores.\n\nWhile he had seen pictures of people socially-distancing, \"I have seen some images that are more concerning where people have forgotten about social distancing and are returning to a more normal way of behaving.\n\n\"Now, if that continues we really will face difficult choices, and we're likely to see the trend that we've already seen with reducing cases - that can easily reverse.\"\n• None Is it too early for Christmas decorations?", "The head of NHS Test and Trace is self-isolating after receiving a notification from the NHS mobile app.\n\nBaroness Dido Harding tweeted that she was \"feeling well\", and added: \"Nothing like personal experience of your own products.\"\n\nIt comes a week after her husband, Conservative MP John Penrose, was told to isolate by the app, and days after PM Boris Johnson began self-isolating.\n\nNHS England medical director Stephen Powis also said he was self-isolating.\n\nMr Powis, who appeared at a Downing Street briefing over video call, said he was \"perfectly fine\" but had been told to self-isolate by Test and Trace after a member of his household tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nOn Sunday, the prime minister was told to stay at home after having a meeting last week with Tory MP Lee Anderson, who then tested positive.\n\nBaroness Harding's husband was told to self-isolate on 9 November after potentially coming into contact with someone who had the virus.\n\nIn Baroness Harding's tweet, it showed she had nine days of self-isolation left - having to stay at home until 23:59 GMT on 26 November.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by dido harding This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe reason her screenshot shows she has to isolate for nine days - rather than the standard 14 days - is because the 14-day isolation period starts from when the app made the contact.\n\nIf a person tests positive for coronavirus, they can choose to share their result with the NHS app anonymously.\n\nThe NHS then sends alerts to other app users who have spent time near them or been in \"close contact\" - meaning they have been within two metres for 15 minutes or more.\n\nThe app calculates when to send an alert by tallying up points depending on the time spent together and distance.\n\nAnyone who gets an alert is instructed to isolate for 14 days from when they had the contact.\n\nBaroness Harding's tweet indicating she has been told to self-isolate has caused some confusion, highlighting the fact that her team needs to do better in communicating how the app works.\n\nWhy, some ask, has she been asked to isolate for only nine rather than 14 days?\n\nHere's the answer. When an app user starts to feel unwell or gets a Covid test for some other reason, they enter a positive result into the app.\n\nThey can then choose to share that result with other users. Their phone will have used its Bluetooth connection to record close contacts with other app users - usually involving being within two metres for 15 minutes - over the previous days.\n\nThose people will then get an alert in their app to self-isolate but the duration will be 14 days from the last close contact.\n\nSo if I enter a positive test on a Sunday and I've been in close contact with you the previous Tuesday, you will get an alert on the Sunday to isolate for nine days.\n\nBaroness Harding was appointed the head of NHS Test and Trace in May, and has since been appointed chair of the National Institute for Health Protection - the new agency replacing Public Health England.\n\nThe 52-year-old is the former head of internet service provider TalkTalk, and for the past three years has been chair of NHS Improvement - focusing on driving up standards across the service.\n\nShe has come under criticism for her handling of NHS Test and Trace after a raft of issues, including delayed results and test centres struggling to keep up with demand.\n\nBut Baroness Harding has defended her own performance after calls for her to quit, and warned testing is not the \"silver bullet to hold back the tide of Covid\".", "Earlier on, we reported that the head of NHS Test and Trace is self-isolating after receiving a notification from the NHS mobile app.\n\nBaroness Dido Harding tweeted that she was \"feeling well\", and added: \"Nothing like personal experience of your own products.\"\n\nShe joins a host of people in the same situation. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is self-isolating after meeting a Tory MP on Thursday who later tested positive for Covid-19, while today NHS England's medical director, Prof Stephen Powis, also revealed he was self-isolating after someone in his household tested positive.\n\nBut how does NHS Test and Trace work?\n\nIf a person tests positive for coronavirus, they can choose to share their result with the NHS app anonymously.\n\nThe NHS then sends alerts to other app users who have spent time near them or been in \"close contact\" - meaning they have been within two metres for 15 minutes or more.\n\nAnyone who gets an alert is instructed to isolate for 14 days from when they had the contact.\n\nRead our explainer here about how the app works, how contact tracing has been carried out and other questions you might have.", "Donald Trump says he has fired a top election official who contradicted the US president's claims of voter fraud.\n\nPresident Trump said he \"terminated\" Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) chief Chris Krebs for his \"highly inaccurate\" remarks on vote integrity.\n\nMr Trump has refused to concede the US election, and has made unsubstantiated claims of \"massive\" voter fraud.\n\nElection officials said the vote was the \"most secure\" in US history.\n\nMr Krebs is the latest official to be dismissed by the US president following his defeat, with Defense Secretary Mark Esper also shown the door amid reports Mr Trump doubted the Pentagon chief's loyalty.\n\nThere is speculation in Washington DC that before Mr Trump leaves office in January, CIA director Gina Haspel and FBI director Christopher Wray could also be for the chopping block.\n\nLike many others fired by Mr Trump, Mr Krebs reportedly only learned he was out of a job when he saw the president's tweet on Tuesday.\n\nBut following his dismissal, the former Microsoft executive appeared to have no regrets.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Chris Krebs This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nHe had run the agency from its inception two years ago in the aftermath of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.\n\nTo guard against potential cyber-threats, Cisa works with state and local election officials and the private companies that supply voting systems, while monitoring ballot tabulation and the power grid.\n\nHe had reportedly incurred the White House's displeasure over a Cisa website called Rumor Control, which debunked election misinformation, much of it amplified by the president himself.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How to move on after the US election\n\nHours before he was fired, he posted a tweet that appeared to take aim at Mr Trump's allegation that voting machines in various states had switched ballots to Mr Biden.\n\nMr Krebs tweeted: \"On allegations that election systems were manipulated, 59 election security experts all agree, 'in every case of which we are aware, these claims either have been unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent.' #Protect2020\".\n\nThis post, and others by Mr Krebs dating back to the end of July this year, appear to have been deleted from his Twitter account.\n\nHe was among senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security who last week declared the 3 November US general election the \"most secure in American history\", while rejecting \"unfounded claims\".\n\nThough that statement did not name Mr Trump, on the same day it was published Mr Krebs retweeted a Twitter post by an election law expert saying: \"Please don't retweet wild and baseless claims about voting machines, even if they're made by the president.\"\n\nMr Krebs' dismissal brought outrage from Democrats. A spokesman for President-elect Joe Biden said \"Chris Krebs should be commended for his service in protecting our elections, not fired for telling the truth\".\n\nMr Krebs' firing was the latest - and not necessarily the last - chapter in the long battle between President Trump and his own national security community. At issue from the start has been the legitimacy of both election campaigns he has fought in.\n\nHis presidency began with him lashing out at his own spies for their assessment that Russia interfered in 2016 to support his candidacy. That began a long tussle in which the president almost appeared to see a zero-sum battle; one in which he sought to undermine the credibility of his own spies to avoid any question being raised about his victory.\n\nThe tension has ebbed and flowed, with some officials sacked and others walking a fine line to try to protect themselves and their own institutions.\n\nBut the 2020 election result has led it to explode again.\n\nIn 2016, Mr Trump was angry at claims there had been election interference. This time his anger is at the refusal of those like Chris Krebs to back up his claims that there was.\n\nMr Krebs is gone and with an uncertain, uneasy transition ahead, he may not be the last.\n\nMr Trump's campaign and its allies have filed a barrage of lawsuits in battleground states contesting the results, although election officials say no evidence of widespread irregularities has been found.\n\nTime is running out. All outstanding election disputes nationwide must be resolved by 8 December. The official results are set to be confirmed when the US Electoral College meets on 14 December.\n\nOn Tuesday, Republican members of a bipartisan election board in Michigan refused to certify Mr Biden's projected win in that state, only to back down after an outcry.\n\nThe two Republicans on the four-member board had objected to minor voting irregularities in Wayne County, home to Detroit.\n\nBut they relented after Democrats accused them of trying to disenfranchise voters in the majority-black city.\n\nAs a compromise, the board passed a resolution requesting that Michigan's Democratic secretary of state conduct an audit of the jurisdictions involved.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Barack Obama tells the BBC about the \"crazy conspiracies\" and \"truth decay\" in US politics\n\nMeanwhile, election officials conducting a by-hand recount in Georgia - where a fraction of a percent separates the two rivals - found more uncounted ballots for the second time this week.\n\nAlmost 2,800 previously untallied ballots were discovered on Tuesday in Fayette County, a day after 2,600 uncounted votes turned up in Floyd County. Gabriel Sterling, Georgia's voting system manager, blamed human error.\n\nThe discoveries are expected to shave Mr Biden's lead in the state to under 13,000, not enough to flip Georgia into Mr Trump's column.\n\nThere was another setback for Mr Trump on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, where the state supreme court rejected his campaign's argument that its observers had been denied sufficient rights to watch ballot counts in Philadelphia.\n\nAlso on Tuesday, the Trump campaign, along with Nevada's Republican party, filed another lawsuit challenging that state's election results.\n\nMr Biden is the projected victor in Nevada, but the latest legal action asked a judge to declare Mr Trump the winner, or annul the race altogether.\n\nJudges have rejected other Trump campaign lawsuits disputing the tally in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, after ruling there was no evidence to support claims of systemic fraud.", "£1.3bn will be invested in electric vehicle charging points as part of the plan\n\nNew cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.\n\nBut some hybrids would still be allowed, he confirmed.\n\nIt is part of what Mr Johnson calls a \"green industrial revolution\" to tackle climate change and create jobs in industries such as nuclear energy.\n\nCritics say the £4bn allocated to implement the 10-point plan is far too small for the scale of the challenge.\n\nThe total amount of new money announced in the package is a 25th of the projected £100bn cost of high-speed rail, HS2.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Will the UK be ready for a 2030 ban on sales of petrol and diesel cars?\n\nBusiness Secretary Alok Sharma told BBC Breakfast the £4bn was part of a broader £12bn package of public investment, which \"will help to bring in three times as much in terms of private sector money\".\n\nMr Sharma, who is president of the COP26 international climate summit that the UK will host next year, said the money would also support the creation of 250,000 jobs in parts of the UK \"where we want to see levelling up\".\n\nThe government hopes that many of those jobs will be in northern England and in Wales, and that 60,000 will be in offshore wind.\n\nThe government has also given funding to boost cycling and walking\n\nThe plan includes provision for a large nuclear plant - likely to be at Sizewell in Suffolk - and for advanced small nuclear reactors, which it is hoped, will create an estimated 10,000 jobs at Rolls-Royce and other firms.\n\nThe government is close to giving the green light to a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk\n\nThe plans will also affect some people's homes.\n\nThe government will bring forward, to 2023, the date by which new homes will need to be warmed without using gas heating.\n\nIt will aim to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028 - these are low-energy electrical devices for warming homes.\n\nAnd it has extended the Green Homes Grant for home insulation for a year after the first tranche was massively over-subscribed.\n\nClean hydrogen will be blended into the natural gas supply to reduce overall emissions from gas, and the government wants a town to volunteer for a trial of 100% hydrogen for heat, industry and cooking.\n\nThe hydrogen - attracting a subsidy of up to £500m - will be produced in places such as the North East of England, partly by energy from offshore wind.\n\nThe prime minister wants his green plan to be powered by wind farms like this one in Redcar, Teesside\n\nThe government wants to breathe new life into de-industrialised areas by teaming hydrogen production with the manufacture of wind turbines, and with four clusters of firms using carbon capture and storage.\n\nThis is when emissions from chimneys are captured and forced into rocks underground. The hope is to transform depressed areas into hi-tech hubs. This will get funding of an extra £200m.\n\nAnother key point of the plan is a £1.3bn investment in electric vehicle (EV) charging points. Grants for EV buyers will stretch to £582m to help people make the transition.\n\nThere is also nearly £500m for battery manufacture in the Midlands and the north-east of England.\n\nMany of the details of the plan will be written into an energy white paper proposing future legislation, which is expected by the end of the month.\n\nIn the race to clean up motoring, the UK is now in second place after Norway, which has a fossil fuel vehicle abolition date of 2025.\n\nUK car makers have warned about the scale of the challenge, but the government believes that forcing technological change can give firms a competitive edge.\n\nBut will the so-called \"green revolution\" achieve its aim of massive job creation?\n\nExperts said the £4bn would go a long way if it were spent on labour-intensive insulation, but not far if ploughed into expensive, mechanised carbon capture.\n\nThe prime minister said: \"My 10-point plan will create, support and protect hundreds of thousands of green jobs, whilst making strides towards net zero by 2050.\n\n\"Our green industrial revolution will be powered by the wind turbines of Scotland and the North East, propelled by the electric vehicles made in the Midlands and advanced by the latest technologies developed in Wales, so we can look ahead to a more prosperous, greener future.\"\n\nMr Johnson said his plans aimed to create jobs and address climate change at the same time.\n\nThe UK will host the COP26 UN summit - seen as the most important round of talks to tackle climate change since the Paris Agreement in 2015 - in Glasgow this time next year. It had been due to take place in 2020 but was postponed by 12 months because of the pandemic.\n\nThe plans are aimed to put the UK on track to meet its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.\n\nShadow business secretary Ed Miliband criticised the plan, saying that the funding \"in this long-awaited\" announcement does not \"remotely meet the scale of what is needed\" to tackle unemployment and the climate emergency.\n\n\"Only a fraction of the funding announced today is new.\"\n\nMr Miliband, who served as energy and climate change secretary from 2008-10, said Labour wanted the government to bring forward £30bn of capital investment over the next 18 months and invest it in low-carbon sectors to support 400,000 additional jobs.\n\nAnd Green Party MP Caroline Lucas welcomed some measures but said the plan \"completely fails to rise to the gravity of this moment\".\n\n\"When you put it in the context of the scale of the climate and nature emergencies that we face, and indeed the scale of the job emergencies that we face, then it's nowhere near ambitious enough, it's not urgent enough, it's not bold enough,\" she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nShe criticised the £4bn allocation, saying \"the resources aren't there in order to make this a really strategic package\".\n\nMs Lucas also said the government's message is \"inconsistent\" and it must make clear which technologies it wants to invest in.\n\nShe said nuclear power is \"massively costly\", will not be \"on stream\" until the middle of the 2030s, and risks undermining focus on offshore wind.\n\nThe Green Party called for a transformation of the entire economy to reduce emissions, including scrapping the £27bn road-building programme, which will actually increase emissions.\n\nHowever, Alistair Phillips-Davies, chief executive of energy supplier SSE, told the Today programme he was pleased \"to see this level of ambition from the government\".\n\nHe said the plan was \"a really important step in getting the green recovery going\" and would \"help create a lot more jobs\".\n\nMike Hulme, professor of human geography at the University of Cambridge, said critics should not \"nit-pick about precise details\" of the plan as it was \"far more important is to endorse the direction of travel that has been set for the next decade\".\n\nTanya Steele from WWF-UK said the government had \"fired the starting gun on the action we need to see\".\n\nShe added: \"We now need the chancellor to live up to the ambition expressed today through a spending review that tests every line of public spending to ensure it's compatible with meeting our climate goals.\"", "The bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in a refrigerated trailer on 23 October last year\n\nThe driver who dropped off a lorry container carrying 39 migrants who were later found dead told a court he was \"devastated\" for their families.\n\nEamonn Harrison towed the trailer to a Belgian port, where it was transported to Essex. When opened on 23 October 2019, it was found to have the dead Vietnamese migrants inside.\n\nMr Harrison told jurors at the Old Bailey he did not know they were there.\n\nThe 23-year-old, of Newry, County Down, denies manslaughter.\n\nThe court had previously been told the victims, aged 15 to 44, suffocated in the sealed trailer en route from Zeebrugge to Purfleet in Essex.\n\nMr Harrison told a jury he had suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which meant he struggled at school and found it hard to make friends.\n\nHowever, he added he had \"loved\" his work as a lorry driver, a job he started at the age of 18.\n\nHe said when he met Mr Hughes he was \"a gentleman\", and he started to work for him.\n\nPham Thi Tra My, 26, and Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20, were among the victims\n\nIn May 2019 Mr Harrison crashed his lorry when driving while drunk in Germany, writing off the tractor unit and damaging the load, the court was told.\n\nJurors heard after that he owed Mr Hughes £16,000 and he agreed to help with \"stolen goods jobs\", agreeing that he would \"walk away\" when the lorry was being loaded and come back 15 minutes later.\n\nAsking about the events of October 2019, Mr Harrison's barrister, Alasdair Williamson QC, said: \"You drove the tractor unit that pulled the trailer that contained 39 people on their way to their deaths. How do you feel about that?\"\n\nMr Harrison replied with an expletive for bad.\n\nAsked how he felt for the families, he said: \"Devastated.\"\n\nMr Williamson then said: \"Did you know that there was anyone on your trailer?\"\n\nMr Harrison and Gheorge Nica, 43, of Basildon, Essex, deny 39 counts of manslaughter.\n\nMr Harrison, lorry driver Christopher Kennedy, 24, of County Armagh, and Valentin Calota, 37, of Birmingham, have denied being part of a wider people-smuggling conspiracy, which Nica has admitted he was involved in.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Lord Feldman, whose PR firm went on to work with a company the government had struck a deal with\n\nA public relations firm whose managing partner previously advised ministers on Covid is providing consultancy for a testing company signed up by government.\n\nLord Feldman's PR firm began advising Oxford Nanopore after it struck a £28m deal with the Department of Health.\n\nHe insists he had no involvement in the award of the contract.\n\nThe Department of Health said it drew on the expertise of private sector partners to help in its Covid response.\n\nOn 29 October many Westminster journalists were preoccupied with the release of a significant report into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.\n\nSome would have missed the publication of dozens of documents on the Cabinet Office website, done under rules designed to make the government more transparent with the public about its spending and conduct.\n\nAmong the documents was a list of meetings health ministers had held at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThese reveal that on 1 April Health Secretary Matt Hancock met with Oxford Nanopore, a company which makes Covid-19 tests, and Lord Feldman, the former Conservative party chairman.\n\nAt the time, Lord Feldman was acting for the government, which had employed him as an unpaid adviser on Covid. He was also a managing partner with the lobbying firm Tulchan Communications.\n\nBy the date of his next meeting with Oxford Nanopore, six weeks later, the testing firm had agreed a £27.9m contract with Mr Hancock's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). This was to supply Covid testing kits, reagents (chemicals needed for testing), training material and support.\n\nThe firm went on to win a further contract worth more than £100m with the department, to supply rapid Covid tests.\n\nIt has now been confirmed to the BBC, by Tulchan, that it is employed by Oxford Nanopore to do \"PR and public affairs\" for the company.\n\nLobbying rules require companies, such as Tulchan, to disclose publicly any communication they have with ministers or permanent secretaries on behalf of paying clients.\n\nBBC News asked the firm whether Lord Feldman had been advising the government when Tulchan was working with Oxford Nanopore, and whether that conflict of interest had been disclosed.\n\nTulchan said that it began an \"advisory role\" with the biotech firm to provide \"communications advice\" on 25 June, a month after Lord Feldman had ceased working as a government adviser, on 15 May.\n• None MarchLord Feldman (pictured) begins work as unpaid Covid adviser to Department of Health (DHSC)\n• None 21 AprilOxford Nanopore starts £27.9m contract with DHSC for diagnostic supplies. It starts a further deal in August for £100m+\n\nIt said that since he had stood down, neither Lord Feldman nor any member of Tulchan had arranged or attended meetings between Oxford Nanopore and ministers or permanent secretaries.\n\nIt added that Oxford Nanopore had already been discussing providing Covid testing solutions to the government before Lord Feldman's meeting with them in April.\n\nBut the revelations have prompted questions from the opposition.\n\n\"This latest story follows a string of troubling incidents where a select group have been given privileged access to the government,\" said Rachel Reeves, the shadow cabinet office minister.\n\n\"The country deserves to have confidence their money is being spent effectively by the government - and to know without doubt that friends and donors to the Conservative Party aren't profiting from this pandemic.\"\n\nEarlier this month the Sunday Times alleged that one lobbyist, who had worked on NHS Test and Trace, went on to share information with clients.\n\nThe Labour Party has called for an inquiry into whether lobbyists employed by the government during the Covid response benefited from privileged information.\n\nThe DHSC said it had \"rightly... drawn on the expertise of a number of private sector partners who provided advice and expertise to assist in the Government's vital work\".\n\n\"As a result of the public and private sectors working together at pace, we were able to strengthen our response to the pandemic so we are better prepared for the challenges of the coming months.\"\n\nMore from Phil on Twitter @phill_kemp", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nPolice in Kenya have arrested four more people for allegedly running a child-trafficking syndicate following a BBC investigation into the theft and sale of babies.\n\nBBC Africa Eye revealed children were stolen to order from illegal clinics and at a Nairobi public hospital.\n\nSeven people are now in custody in connection with the case including medics and a hospital administrator.\n\nThe babies were sold for as little as $400 (£300).\n\nIn the wake of the BBC Africa Eye story, police chief Hillary Mutyambai ordered an investigation into hospitals, as well as children's homes in the Kenyan capital.\n\nTwo hospital administrators, a nurse and a social worker appeared in court on Thursday, adding to the three senior medical officials who were in court on Wednesday.\n\nThey have not been formally charged and did not enter pleas.\n\nBBC Africa Eye uncovered a trade in children stolen from vulnerable mothers living on the streets, as well as the existence of illegal clinics dotted around Nairobi, where babies were being sold.\n\nThe investigation also revealed alleged corruption at Mama Lucy Kibaki, a public hospital in Nairobi.\n\nThree senior medical officers were in court on Wednesday\n\nFred Leparan, a clinical social worker at the hospital, is alleged to have facilitated the sale of an abandoned two-week-old baby boy to undercover reporters, later accepting 300,000 shillings ($2,700; £2,000) in cash.\n\nBoth Mr Leparan and Mama Lucy Kibaki hospital declined requests to comment on the investigation's findings.\n\nSpeaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Kenya's Labour and Social Protection Minister Simon Chelugui said the culprits would face the \"full force of the law\".\n\nThe suspects have not commented on the allegations against them\n\nMr Chelugui also acknowledged that improvements to some of Kenya's child protection services were needed.\n\nHis colleague in the Interior Ministry Fred Matiang'i thanked the BBC for exposing the \"rot\" at Mama Lucy hospital. He added that human and drug trafficking were the biggest challenges Kenyan security was dealing with.\n\nThere are no reliable statistics on child trafficking in the East African state, but a non-governmental organisation, Missing Child Kenya, said it had been involved in nearly 600 cases in the past three years.\n\nIt wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the BBC exposé caught the government unawares.\n\nOn the day it was published, state officials including the inspector general of police, the labour and social protection minister and the government spokesman held an emergency meeting.\n\nThe next day, three arrests were made and police acknowledged there was a crime ring involving medical officers and child traffickers. Three suspects were immediately hauled to court - all medical officers. The interior minister was impressed by this efficiency and praised the decisive action.\n\nBut Kenyans were livid. Did the police have to wait for the BBC investigate for them? How high does the syndicate go? Will they get convictions?\n\nThese were some of the questions Kenyans asked, in a guarded response to the legal process which has just began, which many hope will ultimately paralyse one of Kenya's biggest crimes - human trafficking.", "Bitcoin, the world's best-known cryptocurrency, has jumped above $17,000 (£12,800) to hit a three-year high.\n\nThe digital currency has suffered plenty of wild price swings since it was launched in 2009.\n\nBut investors have been flocking to cryptocurrencies during the pandemic-driven volatility on global stock markets.\n\nHowever, experts have cautioned about viewing them as a \"safe haven\".\n\nOn Wednesday, Bitcoin had climbed more than 7% to $17,891, its highest level since December 2017.\n\nSome analysts said the Covid-19 pandemic has encouraged investors to reassess the long-term outlook for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.\n\nBut there are still concerns about the fraudulent trading in cryptocurrencies following a succession of high-profile hacks.\n\nDuring times of volatility, investors tend to move their money out of shares and into what are considered safer havens, like cash and gold.\n\nSome feel cryptocurrencies are now being viewed as a shelter from stock market volatility.\n\n\"Covid-19 has disrupted the traditional safe-haven trade and gold's inability to outperform. Periods of extreme risk aversion have forced many traders to diversify into Bitcoin,\" said Edward Moya, at trading firm Oanda.\n\nOne attraction of Bitcoin is its limited supply, which is capped at 21 million.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSome feel this scarcity provides an innate value and shields Bitcoin from inflation, which is becoming a worry.\n\nBut Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and chief economist at AMP Capital, warned about jumping into Bitcoin.\n\n\"Its huge volatility hardly makes it a safe haven as a store of value. I have far more confidence in the $50 note in my wallet retaining its value over time than Bitcoin, which seems to bounce around like a yo-yo.\"\n\nLast month, PayPal announced that its customers will be able to buy, sell and hold Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies using their PayPal accounts, allowing customers to buy things from the 26 million sellers which accept PayPal, it said.\n\nNext year, PayPal plans to allow cryptocurrency to be used as a funding source.\n\nBut Oanda's Mr Moya warned traders to prepare for more volatility.\n\n\"The amount of hedge funds and high-frequency trading systems driving Bitcoin higher will likely deliver exaggerated moves once its price nears the $20,000 level,\" he added. \"Traders need to expect $1,000 swings in a matter of minutes.\"\n\nSome believe the recent rise in Bitcoin is partly driven by the \"fear of missing out\" (FOMO).\n\n\"Its rebound is creating more interest from speculators and so they are jumping in which then pushes it even higher,\" added Mr Oliver.\n\n\"I think most people would put more faith in a digital currency run by their government rather than one like Bitcoin that they have trouble understanding or explaining.\"\n\nOne trader, Jon Son, told the BBC: \"I think more people are beginning to buy Bitcoin first not to miss the rise and then research into what exactly Bitcoin is.\"", "Owen and Bredge Ward's son said his parents \"were always together\"\n\nTributes have been paid to a couple who died 12 hours apart after contracting Covid-19.\n\nOwen and Bredge Ward, who were both 69, passed away in hospital on Monday.\n\nLast week, their family had hoped Mr and Mrs Ward, from Strabane, County Tyrone, were recovering from Covid-19. Instead, they are now preparing for their funeral on Wednesday.\n\nTheir son, Martin, said he was in \"complete shock\" and urged people to adhere to public health guidance.\n\nMartin, who is one of six children, held his father's hand as he died, while his siblings were with his mother at the funeral home.\n\nHe sais his parents \"doted\" on their nine grandchildren and, sadly, they will never get to meet their 10th grandchild.\n\nMr and Mr Ward enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren before the coronavirus pandemic\n\n\"We can't have a proper wake, hear all the stories that people would be talking about,\" Martin, a nurse at University College Hospital Galway, told BBC News NI.\n\n\"We can't do that because of Covid-19 and all the restrictions, which need to be in place.\"\n\nHe said his mother's condition started to improve last week, but then his father \"went downhill\" and was put into a coma.\n\n\"This is what the disease does - it can be mild or it can devastate lives,\" he said.\n\n\"Within hours, my mum, who was improving, just went downhill. Maybe it was the shock.\n\n\"Fast forward a week and my father was improving and my mother was getting worse.\n\n\"She passed away yesterday, then my father, from a position where he was getting better, just completely collapsed and within a couple of hours of my mother dying, he passed away too.\n\n\"Even though they were sedated and had pain relief and loving care from the staff at Altnagelvin Hospital, both of them just completely collapsed within a couple of hours and that's just how it is.\n\n\"It's the hurt and suffering that this virus can cause.\"\n\nMartin, who lives in Galway, in the Republic of Ireland, with his young family, said Covid-19 guidance should be the same on both sides of the border.\n\nMartin Ward has urged people to follow the public health guidelines following his parents' death\n\n\"It's a cross-border thing,\" he said.\n\n\"We live on an island and we can't separate each jurisdiction because it impacts upon all of us. It impacts on communities on both sides of the border.\n\n\"The only thing I want to say to people north and south of the border is to think about other people.\n\n\"We knew from February or March what could happen and people have to take on board that this can cause a hell of a lot of harm to people's families.\n\n\"The economic aspect is terribly damaging too, so we have to try to limit the spread and adhere to the guidelines, social distancing where you can and when you can't, put on a face mask.\n\n\"Treat everyone the same - with respect and as if they are one of your family - so you can minimise the harm to others.\"", "Labour has readmitted former leader Jeremy Corbyn as a member following his suspension last month.\n\nHe was punished after saying the scale of anti-Semitism in the party had been \"overstated\", in response to a damning report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.\n\nMr Corbyn issued a statement earlier saying he regretted any \"pain\" caused.\n\nBut current leader Sir Keir Starmer maintained Mr Corbyn's initial reaction to the report had been \"wrong\".\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said a decision had not yet been taken on whether to restore the Labour whip to Mr Corbyn, which would allow him to sit once more as one of its MPs.\n\nA panel made up of members of the party's National Executive Committee met on Tuesday to decide whether to take further disciplinary action against him or to lift the suspension.\n\nAfter it decided to readmit Mr Corbyn, Sir Keir tweeted that it had been a \"painful day for the Jewish community and those Labour members who have fought so hard to tackle anti-Semitism\".\n\nHe added: \"Jeremy Corbyn's statement in response to the EHRC report was wrong and completely distracted from a report that identified unlawful conduct in our tackling of racism within the Labour Party. This should shame us all.\"\n\nWhen Labour acted swiftly and decisively to suspend Jeremy Corbyn, it was seen as a signal the party wanted to distance itself from a toxic period in its recent past.\n\nSir Keir Starmer said he hadn't instigated the action but he supported it.\n\nBut whatever decision was reached on Tuesday, criticism would have followed.\n\nMr Corbyn didn't apologise for suggesting the scale of anti-Semitism had been overstated by political opponents, which was the reason for his suspension. He simply clarified what he had meant.\n\nSo reinstating him was bound to attract criticism from those cheered by his suspension.\n\nNot to have reinstated him, however, would most likely have fuelled a factional war between those supportive of the Starmer leadership and those - including some union leaders - who remain close to Mr Corbyn.\n\nSir Keir reiterated his commitment to an independent complaints process in the New Year - an Equality and Human Rights Commission recommendation.\n\nBut putting Labour under fresh leadership hasn't silenced or banished those still supportive of the old leadership.\n\nAnd the line Sir Keir wants to draw under the anti-Semitism rows hasn't been fully drawn.\n\nIn a statement earlier on Tuesday, Mr Corbyn - who is currently an independent MP - said it was \"not his intention\" to say anti-Jewish racism should be tolerated, and that he regretted the \"pain\" caused.\n\nHis statement added: \"To be clear, concerns about anti-Semitism are neither 'exaggerated' nor 'overstated'.\n\n\"The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to anti-Semitism.\"\n\nIt is not yet clear whether Mr Corbyn will face further sanctions from the party.\n\nIts general secretary, David Evans, took the decision to suspend him in October, although Sir Keir endorsed it.\n\nThe ECHR's report found Labour had breached the Equalities Act over its handling of complaints of anti-Semitism during Mr Corbyn's time in charge.\n\nLabour said Mr Corbyn had been suspended \"for a failure to retract\" his words.\n\nFollowing his readmission, the Islington North MP said: \"I hope this matter is resolved as quickly as possible, so that the party can work together to root out anti-Semitism and unite to oppose and defeat this deeply damaging Conservative government.\"\n\nBut the Jewish Labour Movement called the decision to readmit Mr Corbyn \"extraordinary\", adding: \"After his failure of leadership to tackle anti-Semitism, so clearly set out in the EHRC's report, any reasonable and fair-minded observer would see Jeremy Corbyn's statement today as insincere and wholly inadequate.\"\n\nKaren Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: \"What message does this send? Zero tolerance either means zero tolerance or it's meaningless.\"\n\nThe co-chairman of the Conservative Party, MP Amanda Milling, has written to Sir Keir, saying: \"You have claimed that Labour is 'under new leadership', but now is the moment to prove it - Mr Corbyn should be expelled permanently.\"\n\nFormer Labour MP Dame Louise Ellman, who quit the party over anti-Semitism concerns last year, said the decision was a \"backward step\".\n\n\"What Keir Starmer and the chief whip should do now is to refuse to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn, in that way they can show that they are determined… to rid the party of this dreadful stain,\" she told BBC Newsnight.\n\nHowever, Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union and a close ally of Mr Corbyn, called the reinstatement a \"correct, fair and unifying decision\".\n\nHe said Labour had to \"move forward\" in implementing the EHRC's recommendations and \"redouble our efforts to inspire voters\" about Sir Keir's policies, acting as a \"unified and strong\" party.\n\nAnd Jenny Manson, co-chairman of pro-Corbyn group Jewish Voice for Labour, told BBC Newsnight that \"an awful lot of us are very happy he (Mr Corbyn) is back in the party\" and would be \"very sad indeed\" if the whip is taken away from him.", "The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to protect 94% of adults over 65 years old.\n\nMore data released from their continuing phase three trial suggests it works equally well in people of all ages and ethnicities.\n\nThe companies say they will now apply for authorisation for emergency use of the jab in the US.\n\nThe trial involved 41,000 people worldwide. Half were given the vaccine, and half a placebo.\n\nLast week, Pfizer and BioNTech published preliminary data suggesting the vaccine offered 90% protection against Covid-19 and said there were no safety concerns.\n\nThis was followed by data on a vaccine made by US company Moderna suggesting nearly 95% protection and similarly promising results from trials of another developed in Russia, called Sputnik.\n\nWednesday's data from Pfizer and BioNTech, which builds on last week's data, suggests the vaccine is 95% effective based on 170 cases of Covid-19 developing in volunteers.\n\nJust eight were in the group given the vaccine, suggesting it offers good protection. The rest of the cases were in the placebo group given a dummy jab.\n\nIn older adults, who are most at risk from the virus and have weaker immune systems, the vaccine worked as well as it did in younger people.\n\nScientists said the data was further encouraging news, with Prof Trudie Lang from the University of Oxford describing it as \"a remarkable and very reassuring situation\".\n\n\"To go from identifying a new virus to having several vaccines at the point of applying for regulatory approval is an incredible milestone for science,\" she said.\n\nAlthough the full trial data has yet to be published, the companies say there have been no serious safety concerns.\n\nBut they did notice fatigue in 3.8% of volunteers given the vaccine and headaches in 2%, both after the second dose, although older people seemed to experience minimal side effects.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus vaccine: How close are you to getting one?\n\nThere is also evidence that the vaccine protects against severe Covid - but this is based on only 10 cases.\n\nIt's still unclear how long protection from the vaccine lasts and if it stops people transmitting the virus.\n\nIn the trial, 42% of all participants are from diverse ethnic backgrounds and 41% are aged between 56 and 85 years old.\n\nMore vaccine good news is what we've all been waiting for. This time it's really encouraging to know the Pfizer vaccine seems to work on older people as effectively as in younger ones.\n\nBut this vaccine is still a long way off widespread use. First, regulators need to be absolutely sure in their own minds that it's safe - not least because Moderna and Pfizer both use an experimental technology that's never been approved before.\n\nThat process could still take a few weeks. Then there's the massive issue of availability. Pfizer is promising 50 million doses by the end of the year. But remember: it's a two-shot vaccine.\n\nPerhaps one of the biggest problems is that wealthy countries have already swooped in to buy up the first batches that will be ready. That's good news for a country such as the UK, but not such good news for developing countries which haven't got the money to place bids.\n\nThat's why so much hinges on other vaccines such as the Oxford AstraZeneca one, as they may be more scalable, and there are more advanced plans to get it to low- and middle-income countries through a UN-backed project called Covax.\n\nThe trial, which is testing people at 150 sites in the US, Germany, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina, will collect data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine for another two years.\n\nThe companies behind it expect to produce up to 50 million doses of the vaccine this year and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.\n\nThe UK has pre-ordered 40 million doses and should get 10 million by the end of the year.\n\nIt has also ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is planning to release data from its phase three trial soon.\n\nThere are hundreds of vaccines in development around the world, and about a dozen in the final stages of testing, known as phase three.\n\nThe first two to show any results - made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna - both use an experimental approach, called mRNA, which involves injecting part of the virus's genetic code into the body to train the immune system.\n\nAntibodies and T-cells are then made by the body to fight the coronavirus.\n\nThe Sputnik vaccine, developed in Russia, has also released early data from phase three based on a smaller number of volunteers and Covid cases.\n\nThere are some logistical challenges with mRNA vaccines, namely the need to store them at cold temperatures.\n\nThe Pfizer vaccine must be stored at about minus 80C, although it can be kept in a fridge for five days.\n\nModerna's vaccine needs to be stored at minus 20C for up to six months and kept in a standard fridge for up to a month.\n\nProf Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the full data would have to be submitted to bodies like the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for approval.\n\n\"We can expect both agencies to conduct a very careful evaluation and we can rely on their conclusions,\" he said.\n\nThis process could take several weeks.\n\nCorrection 26 March 2021: This article was amended to make clear that fatigue was noted in a slightly higher percentage of volunteers than headaches after the second dose.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police and church goers took to their knees in prayer asking for protection from Iota\n\nAt least 30 people have lost their lives as the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year rips through areas of Central America.\n\nTens of thousands were forced to flee their homes as Hurricane Iota hit Nicaragua and neighbouring countries.\n\nThe rainfall is expected to cause mudslides and potentially deadly flash flooding and river flooding.\n\nWinds of 257km/h (160mph) have hit areas still recovering from Eta, a major hurricane that hit two weeks ago.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nDeaths were recorded in Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, Panama and El Salvador.\n\nHundreds of thousands of people have moved into shelters in the region.\n\nResidents recover a mattress from the debris of their house in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua\n\nA child pushes his bicycle through a flooded road in Honduras\n\nWinds of over 250 km/h have hit some areas\n\nThe hurricane remains significant but has now weakened in terms of wind strength and has sustained winds of 170km/h. It will continue to weaken as it moves further inland.\n\nIota is the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year and only the second November hurricane to reach category five - the last was in 1932.\n\nPeople walk along a beach after the passing of Hurricane Iota Nicaragua\n\nThis year's Atlantic hurricane season has broken the record for the number of named storms. For only the second time on record officials have had to start using the letters of the Greek alphabet to start storm names after running out of names on its traditional alphabetical list.\n\nEta left at least 200 people dead. The worst-hit area was Guatemala's central Alta Verapaz region, where mudslides buried dozens of homes in the village of Quejá, with some 100 people feared dead. At least 50 deaths were reported elsewhere in Guatemala.", "Much of the EU cash for Wales has gone to the West Wales and the Valleys region\n\nThe Welsh Government says it should be free to control Wales' share of a forthcoming fund to replace EU grants.\n\nLong-awaited details of the fund, designed to replace economic aid paid out by Brussels, are expected soon.\n\nBut there is disagreement over who should control the purse strings between UK and Welsh ministers.\n\nThe Conservatives say Labour has failed to make the most from the billions of pounds of EU funding received by Wales since the year 2000.\n\nFurther details of the UK-wide Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) are expected after the Chancellor's spending review next week.\n\nIn the meantime, Labour ministers in Cardiff have published their own proposals for how the money should be spent in Wales.\n\nThey say the UK government should set a \"policy agenda\", similar to the way the EU does.\n\nBut it should then allocate funding \"in full\" to Cardiff, giving the Welsh Government \"full autonomy over its SPF share on a multi-annual basis\".\n\nLegislation going through Parliament would give the UK government new powers to spend in devolved areas, such as economic development.\n\nRunning for the Tory leadership in 2019, Boris Johnson said he wanted to see a \"strong Conservative influence\" over spending after Brexit.\n\nBut First Minister Mark Drakeford has said any attempt to centralise control over funding to London would be an \"attack on devolution\".\n\nThe Welsh EU transition minister Jeremy Miles said the Welsh Government had \"learned lessons\" from the way it has spent billions of pounds in EU funding since 2000.\n\nMuch of the money has gone to the West Wales and the Valleys region which, as one of the EU's least prosperous areas, has qualified for the top level of funding three times since the turn of the millennium.\n\nResearch by the House of Commons says it would probably have qualified again were Britain staying in the EU.\n\nJeremy Miles said Welsh firms needed to know how to claim aid with just 50 days to the end of EU rules\n\nMr Miles denied money had been wasted, saying it had created jobs and helped train thousands of people.\n\nHe said the UK government had to deliver on promises to match EU funding and respect the devolution settlement.\n\n\"But what is obviously the case is that with less than 50 days to go to the end of the transition period, organisations, projects right across Wales deserve certainty of knowing whether the replacement programmes are capable of supporting what they're doing,\" he said.\n\nA spokesman for the UK government said the replacement fund would tackle \"inequality and deprivation across all four nations\" of the UK.\n\n\"We will continue to work closely with the devolved administration in Wales and other interested parties as we develop the fund. Further details will be set out following the upcoming spending review,\" the spokesman said.\n\nDarren Millar, of the Welsh Conservatives, said Brexit was a chance to \"reboot and revamp\" regional funding around Wales.\n\n\"The new UK shared prosperity fund will replace the overly bureaucratic EU system, and Wales is guaranteed to receive at least the same level of funding as we currently receive from the EU,\" he said.\n\n\"This funding will be used to tackle inequality and deprivation right across Wales but local decision-making on how it is spent, not a 'Welsh Government knows best' and Cardiff-centric approach, will be critical to its success.\"\n\nPlaid Cymru's Dai Lloyd criticised Boris Johnson's government for being \"still to detail its plans for the shared prosperity fund, more than three years after announcing it and four years after bold promises of replacing the approximately £2bn in funding that Wales received under European structural funds\".\n\n\"It must uphold these promises next week,\" he said.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson is to take an \"extended\" break from the pop group for \"private medical reasons\", their publicist has said.\n\nA statement didn't give any further details about the 29-year-old's condition.\n\nIt comes after Nelson recently missed the final of the girl group's BBC One talent show, and their hosting of the MTV European Music Awards.\n\nLittle Mix's latest album entered the UK chart at number two on Friday.\n\nAll six of the studio albums they have released since forming on The X Factor in 2011 have gone into the top five, and they have had four UK number one singles.\n\nNelson (right) missed the final of BBC One's Little Mix The Search earlier this month\n\nIn a statement, the group's publicist said: \"Jesy is having extended time off from Little Mix for private medical reasons.\n\n\"We will not be issuing any further comment currently and ask media to please respect her privacy at this time.\"\n\nNelson's bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall were seen without her on the final of Little Mix: The Search on 7 November, and on the MTV EMAs the following night.\n\nLast year, Nelson received widespread praise for discussing her mental health battle on the BBC Three documentary Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out. The documentary, which won a National Television Award, addressed body image and the impact of online bullying.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The actor introduced himself as \"Grint on the Gram\" last week\n\nHarry Potter star Rupert Grint has broken Sir David Attenborough's record for the fastest time to reach a million Instagram followers.\n\nThe actor, who played Ron Weasley in all eight Harry Potter films, made his first post on 10 November, joking that he was \"only 10 years late\".\n\nHe reached the million mark in four hours and one minute.\n\nThat's 43 minutes quicker than it took Sir David when he joined in September, according to Guinness World Records.\n\nDubbing himself \"Grint on the Gram\", the 32-year-old actor's first post was a photo of himself with his baby daughter.\n\nGrint said he was \"here to introduce you all to Wednesday\", the six-month-old girl his partner Georgia Groome gave birth to in May.\n\nSir David used Instagram to promote his A Life On Our Planet documentary\n\nHe joins a varied list of public figures who have at some point held the record for the fastest to gain a million followers.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Regulators around the world ordered 737 Max grounded after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia\n\nUS safety regulators have cleared Boeing's 737 Max plane to fly again, lifting grounding orders put in place in March 2019 after two deadly crashes.\n\nIt marks a milestone for Boeing which was thrust into crisis by the tragedies and investigations that blamed company failures for the accidents.\n\nIts financial woes deepened this year as air travel slowed due to the virus.\n\nExisting aircraft will need to be modified before going back into service, with changes to their design.\n\nSafety regulator, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said the clearance would not allow the plane to \"return immediately\" to the skies.\n\nAlongside the software and wiring changes, pilots will also need training.\n\nThe FAA said the design changes it had required \"have eliminated what caused these particular accidents\".\n\nThe boss of the FAA said he was \"100% confident\" in the safety of the plane.\n\n\"We've done everything humanly possible to make sure\" these types of crashes do not happen again,\" Steve Dickson said.\n\nAs well as improvements to the plane, Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun said the company had strengthened its safety practices and culture since the disasters.\n\n\"We will never forget the lives lost in the two tragic accidents that led to the decision to suspend operations,\" said Mr Calhoun, who took over when his predecessor, Dennis Muilenburg, was fired last year.\n\n\"These events and the lessons we have learned as a result have reshaped our company and further focused our attention on our core values of safety, quality and integrity.\"\n\nPaul Njoroge, who lost his wife, three children and mother-in-law in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, says he lacks confidence in Boeing\n\nWednesday's approval comes roughly a year after Boeing had first hoped, but too soon for many of the families of those killed on the flights.\n\nSome expressed \"sheer disappointment\" over the decision, while others said they did not have confidence in regulators or Boeing, which initially sought to pin the crashes on pilot error and is still fighting victims' families in court.\n\n\"Who's going to believe them? Not me,\" said Paul Njoroge, whose wife, three children and mother-in-law were killed in the Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crash.\n\nWill the 737 Max be safe?\n\nBoeing and the FAA insist it will be - and certainly the direct cause of the accidents has now been fixed. Pilots and safety experts seem confident that the changes made to the plane will be effective.\n\nBut both Boeing and the regulator still have much to prove.\n\nFor Boeing, that the scathing criticisms of its corporate culture have been addressed, and that safety really is, as it often claims, its number one priority.\n\nFor the FAA, that it can stand up to the aerospace giant and recover from the failures that allowed a deeply flawed plane into service, resulting in tragedy.\n\nThe aircraft is coming back, but the world has changed. It was designed for a booming market, in which airlines desperately needed new planes and in which high fuel prices put a premium on efficiency.\n\nNow, the aviation industry is on its knees thanks to the Covid crisis. It's no surprise then that some airlines have been cancelling orders.\n\nHowever, the industry looks to the long term. Air traffic will ultimately recover, and pressure to keep costs down will return. Environmental pressures are only going to grow.\n\nThe 737 Max still has a role to play.\n\nThe US is the first to reverse the grounding orders, which hit the firm around the world in March 2019. European aviation officials have said they are close to making a similar decision.\n\nA spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority said the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was in charge of re-certification for EU member states, as well as the UK. \"We continue to work closely with EASA on all issues relating to the B737 Max and any EASA decision on a return to service,\" he added.\n\nOn a briefing with reporters, Mr Dickson said the FAA had been working closely with officials in Europe, Canada and Brazil and he expected them to re-certify the plane in a \"matter of days\".\n\nBut analysts have said the process in other places, such as China, is likely to take longer.\n\nThe crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia came within five months of each other and together killed 346 people. They have been attributed to flaws in automated flight software called MCAS, which prompted the planes to nosedive shortly after take-off.\n\nA Boeing 737 Max, operated by Indonesia's Lion Air, crashed into the sea killing all 189 passengers and crew\n\nA US congressional report last month said Boeing's rush to production, a decision to ignore internal safety concerns and concealment of key changes to the plane, including pilot training needs, contributed to the accidents.\n\nIt also faulted the FAA for oversight lapses, including \"excessive delegation to Boeing\".\n\nCongress has since approved legislation intended to reform the agency.\n\nBoeing, which has estimated the cost of the grounding at roughly $20bn, still faces investigations, potential fines and other lawsuits as it tries to rebuild its reputation in the midst of what it has described as an unprecedented downturn in air travel.\n\nBefore the crashes, Boeing churned out more than 50 of the popular 737 Max per month. But airlines around the world have cancelled and delayed orders since the pandemic.\n\nLast month, Boeing said it did not expect its production rate to top 30 planes a month until 2022. It warned investors of a backlog of about 450 737 Max planes, of which only about half of which would be delivered by the end of next year.\n\nAmerican Airlines said it expected its first 737 Max flights in the US to resume on 29 December. United Airlines and Southwest Airlines said they planned to put their planes into service next year.\n\nBut consumer association Which? warned that many passengers may remain uncomfortable with the idea of flying the jet, which is used by airlines such as Tui and Ryanair in the UK.\n\n\"Airlines that plan on flying these aircraft should give passengers with existing bookings the option of transferring to another flight for free, while operators should also make clear which planes will be used for future bookings, so people can make an informed choice before travelling,\" travel editor Rory Boland said.\n\nJohn Grant of aviation data firm OAG said upgrades, maintenance and pilot training required by the FAA are a logistical \"nightmare\" for airlines at a time of week demand, making it likely that many jets will not return to the skies soon.\n\nThe stain on Boeing will linger as well, he warned.\n\n\"It's got a bad name and it's going to take some time to recover,\" he said. \"It will do. It's been certified, it's safe, but it's going to take time.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Should lockdown continue where cases are high?\n\nLockdown should continue in Merthyr Tydfil \"for weeks, even months\", according to a top doctor.\n\nEarlier this week, Merthyr had the UK's highest weekly infection rate - but it has dropped in the past few days.\n\nThe Welsh Government said: \"We are not returning to the network of local restrictions which was in place before the firebreak started.\"\n\nMerthyr Tydfil has a rate of 639.9 cases for every 100,000 people over the past seven days, up until 3 November.\n\nIt is a fall in infection rates by 100 in a matter of days, but it still remains one of the worst rates in the UK, and nearly a third of people in the area who were tested returned positive results.\n\nEarlier this week, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Blaenau Gwent were ninth and 10th respectively for infection rates in the UK.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio Cymru, consultant hepatologist Dr Samuel said: \"Everyone's tired of the restrictions but it's hard to say we're going back to normal on Monday when the numbers are still rising.\n\n\"Traditionally, places like Merthyr and the valleys pull together in tough times, so I think we all now need to call on our friends and relatives to follow the rules - wear a mask, keep 2m distance and don't go to places that aren't essential.\n\n\"A solution might be more fines and asking people 'where did you get Covid?' because at the moment, it's not working.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch how the proportion of positive cases has climbed - but may now have reached the summit\n\nAt the Welsh Government's Friday press briefing, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said extending the firebreak in places such as Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Blaenau Gwent would be a \"massive breach of trust\".\n\nHe added: \"It would have much greater consequences for people doing what we all should, in terms of changing the way we live our lives, and the trust people have in government.\n\n\"It is always the case, though, that if we see sustained localised increases we'll be prepared to take measures that are appropriate.\"\n\nHe said it would not be possible to see the impact of the firebreak lockdown until two tor three weeks after it ends.\n\nMr Gething also added that Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board was \"at the centre\" of \"big pressures and pinch points\" on the NHS.\n\nHowever, in a joint statement, Merthyr Tydfil's MP and MS said the situation in the constituency remained \"alarming enough so as to require further action\".\n\n\"We believe that we need an even clearer view on the extent of the virus in the local population and testing needs to increase further,\" said Gerald Jones and Dawn Bowden.\n\n\"We must all still try to ensure that our behaviour helps to reduce the spread of the virus and save lives. We are currently discussing the situation with Welsh Government ministers, public health and local authority representatives.\"\n\nJamie Jenkins, an independent statistician and former head of health analysis at the Office for National Statistics, said data over the coming days would prove crucial in identifying whether the end of the lockdown would \"light the fire again\".\n\nThe growth in the rate of positive tests is beginning to stall in areas including Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf.\n\n\"What we are starting to see for the first time is that the positivity rate is starting to come down in some areas,\" Mr Jenkins said.\n\n\"In recent days it has flattened. That's a positive sign, which suggests we are seeing a turning point in the rate of people coming back positive with Covid-19 in the community. We are seeing that in Wales overall, and in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf.\n\n\"Whilst we are stalled, there is a considerable way to come back down.\"\n\nMerthyr florist owner Suzanne Edwards says people are \"in and out\" of each other's homes\n\nSuzanne Edwards, who owns a florists on Brecon Road, Merthyr, said she thinks lockdown rules should continue.\n\n\"Two weeks hasn't been long enough and the numbers are still going up, so I don't know what the purpose of this two weeks has been.\n\n\"They're in and out of each other's homes, having little get-togethers and they just don't think it's going to happen to them.\"\n\nMerthyr council leader Kevin O'Neill said people living in the county were \"close emotionally and physically\" which helped the spread of the virus.\n\n\"There's a band across the valleys, I think that's also to do with the geography, contained roadways, narrow valleys, lack of facilities, lack of places to go,\" Mr O'Neill added.\n\nWhen asked if Merthyr should move out of lockdown with the rest of the country on Monday, he said: \"I think there's a need to graduate some of the release of those regulations, but also the vast majority of the public have complied.\"\n\nLee Davies, councillor for the Gurnos, said it was \"always going to be quite difficult in these communities\".\n\n\"You are all condensed into one community, there's one shop, and one place that everyone goes to. People are living on top of each other.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A \"number of people\" attended a bonfire on the Gurnos estate, police said\n\nMeanwhile, police confirmed that a number of people attended a bonfire on the Gurnos estate on Thursday evening.\n\nSouth Wales Police officers attended to give “suitable advice” and remind them of Covid regulations.\n\nPlaid Cymru has called for a Liverpool-style testing regime in areas hit hard by the virus.\n\nRhun ap Iorwerth, the party's health spokesman, said he was \"not satisfied\" with Mr Gething's explanation that the lockdown should be lifted in areas with high incidence and the numbers in places such as Merthyr Tydfil \"ring alarm bells\".\n\nAndrew RT Davies, the Welsh Conservative's spokesman on health, said: \"If Labour ministers were to apply their Covid logic and policy consistently, they would be reconsidering their decision to ease restrictions in high-incidence areas in counties such as Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent and Rhondda Cynon Taf on Monday.\n\n\"Welsh Conservatives have called for targeted intervention in the hot-spot areas in Wales and we once again repeat that call today.\"\n\nMerthyr remains one of the worst-hit areas in the UK when it comes to cases per 100,000 people\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford said on Monday he did not \"intend to step away from\" the bargain he made to return freedoms after the 17-day firebreak.\n\nOn Friday, a Welsh Government spokesman said: \"To keep the virus under control, we need to think about our own lives and how we can keep our families safe and stop thinking about the maximum limit of rules and regulations.\n\n\"There will be a national set of measures, which will come into force on Monday.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nKenya's government has ordered an investigation into the theft and sale of babies following a BBC investigation into the black market trade.\n\nThe announcement came after BBC Africa Eye revealed children were stolen to order from a Nairobi public hospital.\n\nA hospital official used legitimate paperwork to take custody of a two-week-old boy before selling him directly to an undercover reporter.\n\nA government minister said the culprits would face the \"full force of the law\".\n\nAddressing a packed press conference in Nairobi, Labour and Social Protection Minister Simon Chelugui said the sellers and buyers were equally culpable.\n\nThe investigation by BBC Africa Eye uncovered a trade in children stolen from vulnerable mothers living on the street, as well as the existence of illegal clinics dotted around Nairobi where babies are sold for as little as £300 ($400).\n\nThe investigation also revealed corruption at Mama Lucy Kibaki, a public hospital in Nairobi. Fred Leparan, a clinical social worker at the hospital, facilitated the sale of an abandoned two-week-old baby boy to undercover reporters, later accepting 300,000 shillings (£2,000) in cash.\n\nBoth Mr Leparan and Mama Lucy Kibaki hospital declined requests to comment on the investigation's findings.\n\nSpeaking at the press conference on Tuesday, the labour minister, Mr Chelugui, also acknowledged that improvements to some of Kenya's child protection services were needed.\n\nThere are no reliable statistics on child trafficking in the East African state, but a non-governmental organisation, Missing Child Kenya, said it had been involved in nearly 600 cases in the past three years.", "Lifting lockdown must be handled better this time round to avoid a surge in Covid that could overwhelm the NHS, doctors say.\n\nThe British Medical Association has published a blueprint for how it thinks England should proceed with any easing.\n\nIt includes replacing the \"rule of six\" with a two-households restriction to reduce social mixing and banning travel between different local lockdown tiers.\n\nGovernment has yet to say if or exactly how England will exit on 2 December.\n\nIt will decide next week, based on whether cases have fallen enough and how much strain hospitals are under.\n\nCommunities Secretary Robert Jenrick has said ministers want to see a \"significant easing\" of coronavirus controls.\n\nBut Public Health England medical director and NHS Test and Trace chief medical adviser Susan Hopkins said the government would have to look at \"strengthening\" the three-tier system introduced in October.\n\nAnd now, the BMA, a trade union for UK doctors, has said robust measures to keep the virus under control must be in place before lockdown ends, including:\n\nBMA chair of council Dr Chaand Nagpaul said the government must learn from mistakes from the ending of the first lockdown - rapid relaxation and inadequate monitoring, while people had been encouraged to go to the pub and dine out.\n\n\"It is unthinkable that we make the same mistakes again,\" he said, \"because this time, the impact will be far worse.\"\n\nProf Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led to the original lockdown in March, has said reopening pubs and restaurants in the run-up to Christmas would likely lead to rising infection levels.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: \"The big question in practical terms is can we reopen hospitality venues - pubs and restaurants - in the run-up to Christmas and still avoid infection levels increasing?\n\n\"I suspect we can't, but the decision may be made to do so anyhow on the basis that any increase will be slow and may be able to be counteracted later.\"\n\nThe NHS was preparing to roll out Covid vaccinations should a jab become available soon, the BMA said.\n\nBut such a mass immunisation programme must be properly resourced and funded by government.\n\nAnd all of that groundwork should be done now, rather than later.\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said it has invested over £230m into manufacturing any successful vaccine and there had been \"an enormous amount of planning and preparation\" for distributing it to the people who needed it.\n\nA spokesman said: \"As we've set out, we will seek to ease restrictions on Wednesday 2 December, going back into a tiered system on a local and regional basis according to the latest data and trends.\n\n\"Guidance on infection control measures such as returning to work, social distancing and household mixing are constantly under review to ensure we can visit loved ones and support the economy whilst controlling the spread of the virus.\"", "Boris Johnson says he is \"proud\" of the way the government got supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nA report by a spending watchdog found suppliers with links to Conservative MPs were given priority.\n\nSir Keir Starmer asked why the usual processes had been bypassed - and £21m had been handed to a \"middle man\".\n\nThe PM told the Labour leader \"fast\" action had been needed and \"any government\" would have done the same.\n\nSir Keir asked about a BBC report that £21m in UK taxpayers' cash had been given to Spanish businessman who acted as a go-between to secure protective garments for NHS staff.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"I remind the prime minister that a few weeks ago he couldn't find that amount of money for free school meals for kids over half term,\" he told Mr Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions.\n\nHe also highlighted a National Audit Office report, which showed £10.5bn worth of contracts were handed out without competitive tender and \"suppliers with political connections were 10 times more likely to be awarded contracts\".\n\nHe said: \"Can the prime minister give a cast-iron assurance that from now on all government contracts will be subject to proper process, with full transparency and accountability?\"\n\nThe prime minister said all government contracts will be published.\n\n\"I think it is extraordinary he attacks the government for securing PPE in full quantities,\" he added.\n\n\"At the time he bashed the government for not moving fast enough, now, absolutely absurdly, Captain Hindsight is trying to score political points by attacking the government for moving too fast.\n\n\"I am proud of securing PPE supplies and any government would have done the same.\"\n\nThe prime minister, who was taking part in PMQs via video link after being asked to self-isolate by NHS Track and Trace, thanked suppliers.\n\nAnd he highlighted calls from Labour's own MPs to get hold of supplies from unusual sources, including, he said, a football agent seeking to supply ventilators, and a \"historical clothing\" company.\n\n\"Nobody had enough PPE and we shifted heaven and earth to get 32 billion items of PPE to this country.\n\n\"I am very proud of what has been achieved - 70% of PPE is now made in this country, or capable of being made in this country, when it was only 1% at the beginning of the pandemic.\"\n\nIn its report, the National Audit Office said the government was not transparent about suppliers and services, and there were inadequate explanation of key spending decisions.\n\nThe watchdog also found not enough was done to address potential conflicts of interest by ministers and other government officials.\n\nThe findings are part of an NAO investigation into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic.", "Content moderators say they have Facebook's \"most brutal job\"\n\nMore than 200 Facebook workers from around the world have accused the firm of forcing its content moderators back to the office despite the risks of contracting coronavirus.\n\nThe claims came in an open letter that said the firm was \"needlessly risking\" lives to maintain profits.\n\nThey called on Facebook to make changes to allow more remote work and offer other benefits, such as hazard pay.\n\nFacebook said \"a majority\" of content reviewers are working from home.\n\n\"While we believe in having an open internal dialogue, these discussions need to be honest,\" a spokesperson for the company said.\n\n\"The majority of these 15,000 global content reviewers have been working from home and will continue to do so for the duration of the pandemic.\"\n\nIn August, Facebook said staff could work from home until the summer of 2021.\n\nBut the social media giant relies on thousands of contractors, who officially work for other companies such as Accenture and CPL, to spot materials on the site that violate its policies, such as spam, child abuse and disinformation.\n\nThe letter comes a day after Mr Zuckerberg was grilled by Washington lawmakers over its handling of problematic posts\n\nIn the open letter, the workers said the call to return to the office had come after Facebook's efforts to rely more on artificial intelligence to spot problematic posts had come up short.\n\n\"After months of allowing content moderators to work from home, faced with intense pressure to keep Facebook free of hate and disinformation, you have forced us back to the office,\" they said.\n\n\"Facebook needs us. It is time that you acknowledged this and valued our work. To sacrifice our health and safety for profit is immoral.\"\n\nThis letter gives a fascinating behind the scenes glimpse into what is happening at Facebook - and all is not well.\n\nMark Zuckerberg's dream is that AI moderation will one day solve some of the platform's problems.\n\nThe idea is that machine learning and sophisticated software will automatically pick up and block things like hate speech or child abuse.\n\nFacebook claims that nearly 95% of offending posts are picked up before they are flagged.\n\nYet it's still easy to find grim stuff on Facebook.\n\nOn Monday I published a piece showing the kinds of racist and misogynistic content aimed at Kamala Harris on the platform.\n\nFacebook removed some of the content, however even though I flagged it to Facebook, some of it is still there - a week after I reported it.\n\nWhat this letter suggests is that AI is simply not working as Facebook execs would hope.\n\nOf course, these are voices of moderators - Facebook will have a different take.\n\nYou could also argue that human voices may have a vested interest to say AI doesn't work.\n\nBut clearly, as the spotlight is well and truly on Facebook, there are internal problems that have now spilled out into the open.\n\nFacebook said the reviewers have access to health care and that it had \"exceeded health guidance on keeping facilities safe for any in-office work\".\n\nBut the workers said only those with a doctor's note are currently excused from working in an office and called on Facebook to offer hazard pay and make its contractors full-time staff.\n\n\"Before the pandemic, content moderation was easily Facebook's most brutal job. We waded through violence and child abuse for hours on end. Moderators working on child abuse content had targets increased during the pandemic, with no additional support,\" they said.\n\n\"Now, on top of work that is psychologically toxic, holding onto the job means walking into a hot zone.\"\n\nThe letter is addressed to Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, as well as the chiefs of Accenture and CPL. It was organised by UK law firm Foxglove, which works on tech policy issues. More than 170 of the signatories were anonymous.\n\nFacebook is not the only company to face staff worries about in-person work amid the pandemic.\n\nAmazon has also come under fire for conditions in its warehouses, while outbreaks at firms from manufacturers to finance companies have stirred fears.\n\nIt comes just a day after Washington lawmakers grilled Mr Zuckerberg on the firm's content review policies.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: Defence spending a boost for \"safety of the British people\"\n\nA \"once-in-a-generation modernisation\" of the armed forces is required to extend British influence and protect the public, Boris Johnson has said.\n\nThe prime minister told MPs a new four-year funding deal would protect \"hundreds of thousands\" of jobs and create 40,000 new roles.\n\n\"I have decided that the era of cutting our defence budget must end, and it ends now,\" he said.\n\nLabour welcomed more defence spending but asked how it would be funded.\n\nOutlining the new package in the Commons, the PM - speaking over video link as he is self-isolating - said the benefits \"will go far beyond our armed forces\".\n\nMr Johnson described the increase in defence spending as being worth £16.5bn in new money over four years.\n\nHowever economist Ben Zaranko, from the Institute of Fiscal Studies, said that while this represented a big rise in spending, the figure of £16.5bn was a \"misleading way to present this announcement\".\n\nHe continued: \"It would be more accurate to say that by 2024-25, defence spending will be £7bn higher than it would have been under previous plans.\"\n\nMr Johnson said: \"Our plans will safeguard hundreds of thousands of jobs in the defence industry, protecting livelihoods across the UK and keeping the British people safe.\"\n\nThe PM pledged to end defence budget cuts, protect shipping lanes that supply the country, press on with renewing the UK's nuclear deterrent and restore Britain as \"the foremost naval power in Europe\" with a \"renaissance of British shipbuilding across the UK\".\n\nHe also said the funding would allow investment in new technology such as:\n\n\"From aerospace to autonomous vehicles, these technologies have a vast array of civilian applications opening up new vistas of economic progress, creating 10,000 jobs every year - 40,000 in total - levelling-up across our country and reinforcing our union,\" Mr Johnson added.\n\nThis is a big win for Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who's been fighting hard for a significant increase in defence spending and a long-term financial settlement to end what he calls a cycle of overambitious, under-funded defence reviews of the past.\n\nThe Treasury had been arguing for a much smaller annual increase. But Mr Wallace found an ally in the PM, who says his first priority is defence of the realm.\n\nBoris Johnson also believes it'll boost Britain's place in the world and create jobs.\n\nThe extra money will be used to modernise the armed forces with more spent on robots, autonomous systems and meeting new threats in the domains of space and cyber.\n\nDespite the palpable relief inside the MoD it still has to fill a £13bn black hole in its equipment budget. Difficult decisions about cutting old equipment to fund the new are still to be made.\n\nThe MoD, which doesn't have a strong track record of balancing its books, now has to prove it can spend wisely.\n\nAnd good news for defence might also mean bad news for other government departments - there's already speculation the international aid budget could be cut.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of making a \"spending announcement without a strategy\" and asked whether the money would be raised through cuts or tax rises, or both.\n\nMr Johnson did not respond to the question but said Sir Keir's record of support for the armed forces was \"very thin indeed\".\n\nFormer foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt urged Mr Johnson \"not to listen to any voices in his ear\" saying that cutting international aid could help to fund the increase in defence spending.\n\nAnd Labour MP Sarah Champion, chairwoman of the international development committee, asked Mr Johnson to \"quash rumours and confirm his manifesto commitment\" of spending 0.7% of national income on overseas aid, \"now and going forwards\".\n\nThe PM responded by telling the Commons: \"I think we can all be proud of our record on overseas aid and that will continue.\"\n\nGen Sir Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff, said he was \"absolutely delighted\" by the announcement.\n\n\"But of course we're also conscious that living through this Covid crisis, the armed forces have stepped up to the plate to provide some of the resilience that the nation has needed,\" he added.\n\nGen Sir Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff, said the \"extraordinary announcement\" would be very good for morale\n\nEarlier, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said \"letting go\" of some older weapons would create \"headroom\" for new investment.\n\nHe added: \"When I looked across at the armed forces today I saw them with equipment that was out-of-date, I saw our adversaries across the world having better equipment, the ability to attack us and harm us getting wider and wider from our capabilities.\"\n\nThe funding announcement is part of the first conclusions of the government's Integrated Review which looks at security, defence, development and foreign policy.\n\nLabour's shadow defence secretary John Healey said the extra money would give \"a welcome and long-overdue upgrade to Britain's defences after a decade of decline\".\n\nConservative MP and defence select committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said: \"This is a lot of money but ultimately there are still huge financial pressures facing our armed forces.\"\n\nBut he said the \"key takeaway\" for him was the \"message this sends to the British people, to the MoD as well, that we want to be back as a strong power capability\".", "A dumper truck driver lay dead on a building site for two days before his body was discovered by colleagues.\n\nDavid White, 38, was crushed when his vehicle overturned as he worked alone on a weekend shift on a renovation project at an isolated farm property.\n\nMr White's death in October 2016 was outlined at Swansea Crown Court.\n\nTwo men involved with the firm Mr White worked for - Pro'Conn - pleaded guilty to health and safety charges and were given suspended prison sentences.\n\nProject manager and principal designer Graham Kulhamann, 48, of Parcau Road, Bridgend, was sentenced to 21 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £5,000 towards prosecution costs.\n\nDirector Kevin March, 59, of Fields Park Road, Cardiff, received 32 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months and has to pay £46,270 in costs.\n\nPro'Conn was responsible for the redevelopment at West Aberthaw Farm in the Vale of Glamorgan, but went into liquidation following the incident on 1 October.\n\nThe court heard the project was behind schedule and people were working weekend shifts to catch up.\n\nSimon Morgan, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said grass was found gripped in Mr White's fingers which suggested he had not been killed instantly.\n\nMr Morgan said Mr White had not been wearing a seatbelt - an essential element of the safety of dumper trucks.\n\nFollowing the death the HSE issued a closure notice for the site and launched an investigation.\n\nThe court heard a catalogue of safety failings and lack of proper plans were found at the site, and that when safety concerns had been raised in the past they had not been acted upon.\n\nThere had also been a number of \"near misses\" involving vehicles which had not led to action.\n\nMr Morgan said there had been \"insufficient monitoring and supervision\" on the site, which was a failing both defendants shared.\n\nJudge Paul Thomas QC told the defendants: \"In law the buck stops with each of you.\"", "Is this the start of a green revolution?\n\nRevolutions are often born out of crises and the government's long awaited plan to start a green industrial revolution is a central part of its ambition to \"build back better\" after the economic shock of the coronavirus crisis.\n\nBut does this plan deliver?\n\nThe eye-catching and headline-grabbing abolition of new petrol and diesel cars a decade earlier than originally planned has been welcomed by environmental groups.\n\nIt puts the UK toward the front of the pack in the electric vehicle race and was also widely expected in a year when the UK needed to demonstrate the kind of leadership required of the next hosts of the world's biggest environment summit COP 26.\n\nInvestment in capturing carbon at the point it is burnt and burying it deep underground has also been seen as an essential part of the roadmap to net zero.\n\nThere was also money for new nuclear - big and small - and a drive to make new homes more efficient by retro-fitting old ones with better insulation, or replacing old gas boilers with new electric pumps which convert and concentrate heat underground into central heating for our homes.\n\nA pilot to replace 600,000 home heating systems a year by 2028 sounds like a lot - but it's hard to exaggerate the scale and cost of the task involved in replacing 25 million gas boilers.\n\nIf that happens, this will be a revolution that won't be about international summits, climate protests, or huge and distant infrastructure projects. It's a revolution that is coming to our front doors and inside our cupboards.\n\nHeating is the single biggest contributor to carbon emissions, and the Committee on Climate Change says this will be the hardest nut to crack and on its own could cost up to £500bn.\n\nThat's the problem for many. Today's commitment of £4bn in new money seems like a very small sum to be considered evidence that a \"revolution\" is under way.\n\nIn its defence, the government will rightly point out that a little bit of government money and political will can generate a lot of private investment. It will also point to the fact that the Covid crisis has limited its ability to commit right now to future spending.\n\nCritics cry that if there is a bigger crisis than coronavirus, it is climate change and there are no vaccines for this one on the horizon.\n\nBut in one way there is a mini-revolution here.\n\nIn the past, and in the parsimonious eyes of treasury officials, green stuff = cost. There is now a new orthodoxy that green stuff = jobs.\n\nThe government is very keen for these measures to be seen as not only steps towards hitting a climate target but a way of creating jobs in a post-Covid world.\n\nThe bigger the project, the more jobs it creates, the more favourably the government will look at it.\n\nThat's a new shade of green for a Conservative government.", "Long queues built up on Friday after mass testing started in Liverpool\n\nThe number of coronavirus testing sites in Liverpool has doubled after \"really good interest\" in the scheme, its public health director has said.\n\nMatthew Ashton said a total of up to 12,000 people were tested at six centres on Friday as England's first trial of city-wide testing began.\n\nMr Ashton said a further eight sites were brought in on Saturday.\n\nThe city council said it could extend the two-week pilot scheme as more opened.\n\nAll residents and workers in Liverpool - the first area to be placed under England's tier three restrictions - have been offered regular tests, regardless of whether they display symptoms.\n\nOfficials say this is in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.\n\nHealthcare, education and other key workers, along with students, have been particularly encouraged to take a test.\n\nMr Ashton told BBC Radio 4 Today: \"We are still working on the numbers but we think (there were) about 1,500-2,000 people per testing centre.\n\n\"So really good numbers and lots of interest, so it was very encouraging.\n\n\"For the most part, it ran very smoothly. It was good, it wasn't perfect but we'll improve it\".\n\nCity mayor Joe Anderson said: \"The people of Liverpool did not let us down on the first day and I am delighted that so many people turned out for a test.\n\n\"This is a huge logistical exercise the likes of which has not been tried before, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank people for their patience and understanding as I know many had to queue for a while for a test.\"\n\nResidents are urged to book tests online or by phone, and not to turn up without an appointment.\n\nPeople with symptoms have been told to not attend the mass testing centres but instead arrange a test at one of the mobile testing units in the city.\n\nSome health experts have criticised the trial, with Allyson Pollock, professor of public health at Newcastle University, warning that plans to test asymptomatic people went against advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) to prioritise tests for those displaying symptoms.\n\nThe military has been drafted in to help the NHS\n\nMr Ashton said he thought the nationwide lockdown, which started in England on Thursday, was necessary because tier three rules had not been successful in limiting transmission.\n\nHe said the summer exit from the first national lockdown occurred when Liverpool \"still had levels of the virus in our community\".\n\n\"They weren't high but they were still very present and it was higher than other parts of the country, and I think that's what drove the big increases in the north west […] so we were first to have the second wave,\" he said.\n\nBy cutting social contact, he said, the new lockdown measures would \"absolutely help\" to bring transmission down.\n\n\"The big question is will they cut them enough, will it take the levels of the virus low enough?\"\n\nAs of Friday, 58 deaths were reported in the city during the past week, according to data.\n\nOverall, Liverpool recorded 1,501 coronavirus cases in the seven days to 3 November, compared with 2,074 cases in the previous week.\n\nThis means the rate had dropped from 416 per 100,000 people to 301 per 100,000. Across England overall, the rate was 240 per 100,000.\n\nLiverpool aims to test up to 50,000 people a day\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "Mr Johnson believes there is 'a deal to be done'\n\n\"Significant differences\" between the UK and the EU remain, as negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal continue, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said\n\nFollowing a call with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday, the PM said progress had been made but there were still issues around the \"level playing field\" and fishing.\n\nBoth parties agreed negotiating teams would resume talks in London on Monday.\n\nThey also agreed to remain \"in close contact\" over the coming days.\n\nA statement from Downing Street on Saturday said:\n\n\"Prime Minister Boris Johnson today spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a stock take on the progress in the negotiations between the UK and the EU.\n\n\"The prime minister set out that, while some progress had been made in recent discussions, significant differences remain in a number of areas, including the so-called level playing field and fish.\n\n\"The prime minister and president agreed that their negotiating teams would continue talks in London next week, beginning on Monday, in order to redouble efforts to reach a deal.\n\n\"They agreed to remain in personal contact about the negotiations,\" the statement said.\n\nEchoing Mr Johnson, Ms von der Leyen acknowledged \"some progress had been made, but large differences remain\". \"Our teams will continue working hard next week,\" she wrote on Twitter.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Ursula von der Leyen This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe prime minister has said he believes there is \"a deal to be done\" and \"very much hopes\" to come to an agreement, but he has insisted the country was \"very well prepared\" to move on should the two parties not be able to agree a deal.\n\nMeanwhile, the National Audit Office has warned of \"significant disruption\" when the Brexit transition period ends.\n\nThe UK left the EU on 31 January and entered the transition period - continuing to follow many EU rules - while a trade deal was negotiated.\n\nBut while both sides said a deal needed to be done in October, they have yet to come to an agreement, and talks between the negotiating teams have intensified.\n\nThe transition period is due to come to an end on 31 December, meaning the UK would trade with the EU on World Trade Organisation rules - meaning tariffs are imposed - if a deal is not in place.\n\nCritics say this could cause damage to the UK economy, but the government insists the country will prosper with or without a deal.\n\nEarlier this week, both the UK and EU's chief trade negotiators warned of \"wide\" and \"serious divergences\" between the two sides.\n\nSticking points include fishing rights, competition rules and how a deal would be enforced.\n\nAsked on Friday if the UK could get a deal in the next 10 days, Mr Johnson said: \"I very much hope that we will, but obviously that depends on our friends and partners across the Channel.\n\n\"I think there is a deal to be done, if they want to do it.\n\n\"If not, the country is, of course, very well prepared. As I have said before, we can do very well with on Australian terms [without a deal], if that is what we have to go for.\"\n\nThomas Byrne, Ireland's minister for European affairs, said the talks up to this point between the EU and UK's negotiators, Michel Barnier and David Frost, had been \"difficult\", with \"big issues\" still remaining.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"I personally don't expect that there would me major progress today, but at the same time I think it's very good that they are talking - I think that's really positive. But I'm not sure that we would expect a moment at this point.\"\n\nMr Byrne was also asked if there could be a \"new dynamic\" to discussions between the UK and EU if Joe Biden was elected the US president, saying it was \"certainly possible\".\n\nMr Biden, who has Irish roots, said in September that he would not allow peace in Northern Ireland to become a \"casualty of Brexit\" if he was elected president.\n\nMr Byrne said: \"He was very clear in his suggestion and statement on the 16th of September that any trade deal between the US and UK must be contingent on respect for the Good Friday Agreement and preventing the return of the hard border.\"", "Investigations continued at the scene in Summers Street throughout Sunday\n\nA man has been shot dead by a police officer in Swindon.\n\nThe 57-year-old man died just before 03:00 GMT in the shooting in Summers Street, said the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating.\n\nIt said the shooting happened after Wiltshire Police were called to two men \"arguing in the street\".\n\nThe force said it would be stepping up its presence in the area but added there was no danger to the public.\n\nIn a statement the IOPC said police were called to Summers Street, in the Rodbourne area of Swindon, just after 02:00 GMT.\n\n\"At this early stage it is believed a 57-year-old man has been fatally shot during the police response to reports of two men arguing in the street,\" the statement said.\n\nThe IOPC said the man was confirmed dead in an ambulance at 02:56 GMT.\n\nArmed police were called to the Rodbourne Area of Swindon at about 02:00 GMT\n\nIt said investigators were at the scene and were speaking to officers involved in the incident.\n\nThe IOPC added it was \"mandatory for us to conduct an independent investigation when the police fatally shoot a member of the public\".\n\n\"Our thoughts and sympathies are with all of those affected by this terrible incident,\" it added.\n\nWiltshire Police said it would not be commenting on the incident because of the IOPC investigation.\n\nA spokesman said: \"We would, however, like to reassure the public there is no risk to the wider community and that there is likely to be an increased police presence in the area for a considerable time.\"\n\nThe Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating\n\nFollow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Up to 10,000 war veterans marched during the remembrance service at the Cenotaph last year\n\nThe Royal British Legion is encouraging people to mark Remembrance Sunday this weekend by observing a two-minute silence on their doorstep.\n\nThe charity said this was a way \"you can still play your part from home\", with coronavirus restrictions affecting annual remembrance events.\n\nIt comes after thousands of households took to their doorsteps to applaud the NHS during lockdown.\n\nAt 11:00 GMT on Sunday, a two-minute silence will be held across the UK.\n\nIt is part of the annual commemorations for those who lost their lives in conflicts, although events this year have had to be scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nFor the first time in its history, the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in central London will not be open to the public.\n\nMembers of the Royal Family, the government and the armed forces are still expected to attend the ceremony, which will have strict social distancing measures in force, but the annual march past the Cenotaph will not take place.\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden said he wanted to \"properly\" mark 100 years since the monument was installed but said \"it is with a heavy heart that I must ask people not to attend the ceremony at the Cenotaph this year in order to keep veterans and the public safe\".\n\nHe added: \"We will ensure our plans for the day are a fitting tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and that our veterans are at the at the heart of the service - with the nation able to watch safely from home.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nAround 10,000 people usually gather at the Cenotaph each year for the service, which will be broadcast on BBC One from 10:15 GMT on Sunday.\n\nDowning Street said Remembrance Sunday events in England could go ahead despite the national lockdown, so long as they were outdoors, with social distancing.\n\nGovernment guidance advises that any events should be \"short and focused on wreath laying\" and event organisers should \"discourage the public from attending\".\n\nIn Wales, which is also under a national lockdown, outdoor events are also permitted up to a maximum of 30 people, although parades are not allowed.\n\nTraditional annual remembrance events at local war memorials across Scotland have been cancelled, with outdoor standing events not permitted in areas under Covid levels one, two and three.\n\nHowever, services held in places of worship can proceed - as long as they comply with the restrictions on size.\n\nThe pandemic has affected fundraising efforts by the Royal British Legion\n\nThe Royal British Legion said that although many remembrance services and events couldn't take place this year, it was \"asking the nation to still come together to honour all who have served in our armed forces\" by joining the national two-minute silence from their doorstep at 11:00 GMT.\n\nThe charity behind the annual Poppy Appeal, which raises money for veterans, has asked people to donate online because collectors are not allowed out on the streets during the lockdown in England and Wales.\n\nBob Gamble, from the Royal British Legion, said the pandemic had created \"difficulties of loneliness, homelessness, unemployment and stress\" for the Armed Forces veteran community, which needed the support of the Royal British Legion charities \"more this year than any other\".", "Ms O'Neill said the executive was looking at reopening some areas of the hospitality industry\n\nCafes and restaurants could be allowed to reopen from Friday but not bars, the deputy first minister has suggested.\n\nMichelle O'Neill said it was \"something we are considering\" ahead of the executive meeting to discuss easing some Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nCurrent measures are due to end on Friday, and ministers have been advised pubs and restaurants should remain closed for another two weeks.\n\nMs O'Neill said there could be some \"flexibility\" for easing restrictions.\n\nSpeaking to the BBC's Sunday Politics, she said any decisions would be taken in a \"graduated\" manner.\n\nMeanwhile, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has confirmed it has closed its training college at Garnerville in Belfast for two days for a deep clean.\n\nFour student officers have tested positive for coronavirus and 15 more have been advised to self-isolate.\n\nCh Supt Emma Bond wished those affected a speedy recovery and said it was the first confirmed positive cases of Covid 19 concerning student officers since the beginning of the pandemic.\n\nSpeaking on Thursday, First Minister Arlene Foster said the restrictions imposed on 16 October had helped bring the R-rate - or reproduction number - down to 0.7.\n\nHowever, Sinn Féin vice-president Ms O'Neill said that number did not take into account the reopening of schools last week, and the impact of that may not be known until next week.\n\nOn Sunday, there were seven further coronavirus-related deaths reported by the Department of Health in the previous 24-hour period.\n\nIt brings the total number of deaths reported by the department to 781.\n\nThere were also an additional 420 cases of coronavirus confirmed.\n\nThere are 55 people being treated in intensive care units and 41 of them are on ventilators.\n\nBelfast Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said footfall across city businesses was down by 50%\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, there have been two further coronavirus-related deaths and 542 new cases confirmed in the past 24 hours.\n\nIt brings the total confirmed cases to 65,394, while the death toll stands at 1,947. The number of people in ICU is 39, down one since Saturday.\n\nMs O'Neill said the executive would not keep any measure in place \"longer than necessary\" and they were looking at reopening some areas.\n\n\"For example, close- contact services, is there space for us to open those things up again from next Friday, in a very regulated way of course, on an appointment-by-appointment basis, a one-in one-out basis?\" she said.\n\n\"The restrictions very much focus on the hospitality sector right now so we're looking at that wide family.\n\n\"Across hospitality, you've everything from a cafe or a coffee shop, right through to a nightclub and they're two very different scenarios.\n\n\"We're looking at whether there is any space or scope there to lift some of those things in a graduated way over the course of the next number of weeks.\"\n\nThe executive is looking at whether the hospitality industry can reopen but without alcohol\n\nHospitality business have called for clarity as soon as possible, but the deputy first minister said the sale of alcohol was a factor to consider in coming to a decision.\n\n\"We have to be very mindful of the fact that perhaps people's defences come down when there is alcohol taken.\n\n\"So what we're looking at is - are there ways that we can open things up perhaps without alcohol?\n\n\"If we can find a way to get ourselves into the new year with the restrictions that we bring in now, then that's the prize that we're going for here.\n\n\"We don't want to have to intervene again before Christmas, we want to be able to allow some flexibility to allow people to move around as much as possible, to allow as much of our economy to open up as possible.\"\n\nBelfast Chamber chief executive Simon Hamilton said footfall across businesses in the city was down by 50% and many firms were facing the \"real prospect of closure and a serious number of job losses\".\n\n\"If at least some life isn't breathed back into the city centre later this week, then I worry not only for those forced to remain closed but also those who can still trade but have decreasing numbers of people to trade to,\" he said.\n\n\"What I seriously see is a city centre that is on the edge with many businesses and their staff facing a dire future.\n\n\"What the executive decides this week will either kill off city and town centres or give them a fighting chance.\"\n\nHe has called on executive ministers to find a way to allow businesses to reopen for the traditionally busy Christmas period.\n\nA Department of Health proposal, seen by BBC News NI, indicates that a two-week extension of the restrictions on hospitality until the end of November could mean the possibility of avoiding further interventions before Christmas.\n\nThe full interview with Michelle O'Neill was broadcast on Sunday Politics and is available on BBC iPlayer.", "The election of Joe Biden leaves Boris Johnson facing a substantial diplomatic repair job. The two men have never met. Last December the president-elect described the prime minister as a \"physical and emotional clone\" of Donald Trump.\n\nThere are people around Mr Biden who remember bitterly how Mr Johnson once suggested President Obama harboured anti-British sentiment because of his part-Kenyan ancestry.\n\nMr Biden and his team think Brexit is an historic mistake. They would not want Britain to leave the EU without a trade deal, particularly if it involved breaking commitments made in the Northern Ireland protocol.\n\nLast month Mr Biden warned publicly in a tweet that a future UK-US trade deal was contingent on the UK not unravelling the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland.\n\nThere is an expectation among many observers that when President Biden seeks to repair transatlantic relationships, he may focus more of his attention on Paris and Berlin than London.\n\nAnd when Mr Biden does turn his attention to the UK, he may put pressure on Mr Johnson to repair its relations with the EU just when the prime minister wants to focus his \"global Britain\" foreign policy elsewhere, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.\n\nSo the government has a lot of work to do to in improving its relations with the incoming administration. That has not been made easier by a reluctance of Conservatives in recent years to meet Democrats when visiting Washington.\n\n\"We just couldn't persuade ministers ever to go and see Democrats on the Hill,\" one diplomatic source told me.\n\nThe foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, did meet the influential Democratic senator Chris Coons in September. The prime minister's foreign affairs adviser, John Bew, has also been cultivating links with those close to Mr Biden. But they are both playing catch-up.\n\nJoe Biden's camp see Boris Johnson as very similar to Donald Trump\n\nThat said, sometimes too much can be made of past comments and personal animus. Mr Biden is considered a pragmatist and under him the United States may well prove a more stable and predictable ally to the UK than was the case in the last four years.\n\nMr Trump's America First policy will be replaced by one that recognises America's place in a multilateral, international system from which the UK benefits. A Biden presidency would renew US support for Nato the World Health Organisation and the World Trade Organisation, all of which are priorities for the UK.\n\nAnd there are issues where Mr Biden's views align significantly with the UK's: being tough on Russia; reviving the Iran nuclear deal; combatting human rights abuses in China and elsewhere; agreeing new carbon emission reduction targets.\n\nNext year's COP26 summit, delayed because of Covid, will attempt to agree coordinated action on climate change\n\nThis last issue is, perhaps, the most important. The UK will want to use its chairmanship next year of the United Nations COP26 climate change summit to forge a bond with the Biden administration, hoping to act as a broker between the US and other countries, especially China, in agreeing a deal.\n\nThe UK will still, of course, come under pressure to support America's confrontation with China, which is held as strongly by Democrats as Republicans.\n\nBut British policymakers hope that under Biden, the US will share a closer position with the UK, one that challenges malign behaviour by China - such as in Hong Kong and Xinjiang - but also engages on global issues such as climate change.\n\nThey also hope to forge a new alliance of liberal democratic countries to counter the influence of autocratic governments around the world.\n\nThe truth, though, is that Mr Biden's priorities will be overwhelmingly domestic - namely fixing America's economy and the Covid crisis. Relations with the UK - including a possible free trade deal - will not be a top priority.\n\nAnd for all Mr Biden's internationalist instincts, there will be no return to America's global interventionism of the past. That means that despite Mr Biden's arrival in the White House, the UK post-Brexit may still have to forge a new role in the world, one that does not automatically slipstream behind US foreign policy.", "Freight drivers who are not UK citizens and have been through Denmark in the last fortnight are warned they will be turned away from the British border.\n\nIt follows concern over a new coronavirus strain that has spread from mink to humans.\n\nReturning drivers who are UK citizens will have to self-isolate for 14 days along with their households.\n\nIt comes as further 156 people in the UK were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.\n\nIt brings the overall UK death toll to 49,044, according to government data. Both the number of UK deaths and the daily cases - 20,572 in the past 24 hours - mark a significant drop on previous days, but Sunday figures are often lower due to a lag in weekend reporting.\n\nThe new rules for hauliers returning from Denmark began at 04:00 GMT on Sunday - and follow a ban on all non-UK citizens coming to the UK from Denmark.\n\nAny UK citizens who have travelled to Denmark must isolate for 14 days, along with their household.\n\nPassenger planes and ships carrying freight (as well as passengers) from Denmark will also not be allowed to dock at English ports.\n\nCabin crew are also no longer exempt from the quarantine rules - which Ryanair described on Saturday as a \"bizarre and baseless\" move.\n\nThe airline said it had cancelled all flights to and from Denmark while the rules remain in place, and urged Mr Shapps to reverse the decision. Scottish airline Loganair said it has suspended flights between Scotland and Denmark from 9 to 22 November.\n\nThe Department for Transport (DfT) said the latest rules followed the release of \"further information\" from health officials in Denmark, where 12 people have been found to have mink-related mutations of virus, most of them connected to farms in the North Jutland region.\n\nThe travel ban and extra requirements will be reviewed after a week, the DfT has said.\n\nAsked about the restrictions by the BBC's Andrew Marr, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab denied the suggestion they were \"draconian\", insisting the government had taken \"safe and responsible steps\" in light of the \"new and evolving\" science on the mutated virus strain.\n\nHe told the Andrew Marr show: \"I wouldn't describe it as draconian taking a precautionary measure that if and when we come up with a vaccine it can't be sidestepped by a mutation in the virus that the Danes have found through their mink population.\n\n\"I think that's a common sense measure that the public would expect us to take.\"\n\nJohn Littleton, who returned from a business trip in Denmark on Friday, says he would have done things differently if he had known how rules would have affected his family.\n\n\"I was in Denmark on business. My flight back was Friday afternoon.\n\nOn Friday morning a colleague told me that Denmark had been put back on the restricted list. I assumed I would have to self isolate for two weeks. There was no official contact.\n\nOnce home I started self-isolating. On Saturday morning I missed a call from the tracing service who said they would ring me on Sunday.\n\nLast evening, two police officers arrived at my home. They read out a statement recommending the whole household self-isolate for two weeks. It was rather ambiguous - but the police said we would be fined if we didn't.\n\nBoth my son and his partner now can't go to work. She is a teacher, he manages an electrical retailer. Not being at work causes real problems.\n\nWhen the announcement about Denmark was made, there was no that the entire household would have to self-isolate. If it had said that, I would have done things differently - perhaps I would have stayed out there or isolated somewhere else upon my return.\n\nI just don't understand why such extreme measures are being taken. I was not in the north of Denmark and followed all social distancing guidelines while there. Denmark are only imposing local restrictions.\n\nWhy can I not simply be tested, so that the rest of the household can carry on with work? As usual, the whole situation is being handled in a haphazard way with little thought.\"\n\nDenmark is the UK's largest source of imported pork - including bacon - with machinery among the other major import items.\n\nRod McKenzie, managing director of policy at the Road Haulage Association, said the latest restrictions were \"significant and unique\" because lorry drivers working in supply chains have been \"exempt\" from travel quarantine rules.\n\nHe suggested that whilst different organisations, such as supermarkets, may have their own plans to address any supply issues, he warned that if the restrictions continue for a \"long time\" there could be \"a potential disruption to bacon supplies in the UK\".\n\nMeanwhile, Logistics UK, a freight trade body, said the industry was \"agile\" so \"importers can switch between transport modes to ensure that products still arrive\".\n\nIn a statement it added: \"Much of the ferry transport between the UK and Denmark is sent in unaccompanied trailers, so drivers simply collect their loads from ports, with no need to travel across the border.\n\n\"The industry will continue to maintain high levels of vigilance and follow all necessary health protocols to protect the UK.\"\n\nIn England, where a new national lockdown came into force on Thursday, people are still allowed to travel overseas for work or education trips.\n\nLeaving home to go on holiday is currently banned for most people in the UK.\n\nDenmark's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod called Mr Shapps' travel announcement a \"very drastic step\" and said he had discussed it with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Saturday.\n\nDenmark had been taken off the UK coronavirus travel corridors list on Friday after it first became apparent the mutated form of coronavirus was present in the country. It meant any passengers arriving in the UK from Denmark would need to self-isolate after their arrival.\n\nThe Department for Health and Social Care estimates that between 300 and 500 people have arrived in the UK from Denmark in the last 14 days.\n\nOfficials will contact anyone in the UK who has been in Denmark in the last fortnight to make sure they also self-isolate.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do I quarantine after returning from abroad?\n\nWere you planning to travel from Denmark to the UK? Have you just returned to the UK? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jill Biden: Joe will \"keep the promise of America\"\n\nStanding in an empty classroom where she taught English in the 1990s, Jill Biden delivered an address at the Democratic Party's convention after her husband was officially named presidential candidate.\n\nAfter making the case for Joe Biden to be elected, she was joined by her husband who lauded her qualities as a potential first lady.\n\n\"For all of you out there across the country, just think of your favourite educator who gave you the confidence to believe in yourself. That's the kind of first lady... Jill Biden will be,\" he said.\n\nBut what do we know about the woman who will soon be joining her husband in the White House?\n\nJill Jacobs was born in June 1951 in the US state of New Jersey. The oldest of five sisters, she grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Willow Grove.\n\nPrior to marrying Joe, she was married to former college football player Bill Stevenson.\n\nJoe Biden lost his first wife and his one-year-old daughter in a car accident in 1972. (His sons Beau and Hunter both survived the accident.) Jill says she was introduced to Joe through his brother three years later.\n\nAt the time, he was a senator, while she was still in college.\n\n\"I had been dating guys in jeans and clogs and T-shirts, he came to the door and he had a sport coat and loafers, and I thought: 'God, this is never going to work, not in a million years.'\n\n\"He was nine years older than I am! But we went out to see A Man and a Woman at the movie theatre in Philadelphia, and we really hit it off,\" she told Vogue of their first date.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Dr. Jill Biden This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nShe said Joe proposed to her five times before she accepted.\n\n\"I couldn't have them [Joe's children] lose another mother. So I had to be 100% sure,\" she explained.\n\nThe couple married in New York City in 1977. Their daughter, Ashley, was born in 1981.\n\nMrs Biden talked about her family and the struggles they have faced when she endorsed her husband for president at the convention.\n\nHis son Beau Biden died of brain cancer in May 2015, at the age of 46.\n\n\"I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours - bring us together and make us whole, carry us forward in our time of need, keep the promise of America for all of us,\" she said.\n\nAs well as a bachelor's degree, she has two master's degrees, and a doctorate of education from the University of Delaware in 2007.\n\nPrior to moving to Washington, DC, she taught at a community college, at a public high school and at a psychiatric hospital for adolescents - she gave her address at the Democratic Party's convention this year from her old classroom at Delaware's Brandywine High School, where she taught English from 1991 to 1993.\n\nWhile her husband served as vice-president, Mrs Biden was professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College.\n\n\"Teaching is not what I do. It's who I am,\" she tweeted in August.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Dr. Jill Biden This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMrs Biden previously held the title of Second Lady while her husband served as vice-president from 2009 to 2017.\n\nDuring this period, her work included promoting community colleges, advocating for military families and raising awareness about breast cancer prevention.\n\nShe also launched the Joining Forces initiative with First Lady Michelle Obama, which included helping military veterans and their families access education programmes and employment resources.\n\nIn 2012, she published a children's book called Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops based on her granddaughter's experience of being in a military family.\n\nShe has been a prominent supporter of her husband during the 2020 campaign, appearing alongside him and holding events and fundraisers.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Queen was seen wearing a face mask in public for the first time as she laid the wreath\n\nThe Queen has worn a face mask in public for the first time.\n\nOn Wednesday, the monarch, 94, made a private pilgrimage to the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of his burial.\n\nIt comes ahead of Remembrance Day commemorations on Sunday. She requested the service after some events were scaled back due to the pandemic.\n\nFace coverings are required by law in England in certain indoor settings, including places of worship.\n\nThe Queen was last seen in public when she visited Porton Down, near Salisbury, to meet scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), in October, alongside her grandson, Prince William. She did not wear a mask on that occasion, and neither did the prince.\n\nA bouquet, similar to the Queen's wedding bouquet, was placed on the Unknown Warrior's grave\n\nThe Queen unveils a plaque to officially open the new Energetics Analysis Centre at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory on 15 October 2020\n\nThat decision attracted criticism from the pressure group Republic, but a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said at the time that \"specific advice had been sought... and all necessary precautions taken\".\n\nThe Queen's attendance at the private ceremony in London at Westminster Abbey earlier this week was described as a \"simple but deeply personal act\".\n\n\"The grave of the Unknown Warrior is as relevant and poignant today as it was when Her Majesty's grandfather and father stood in the Abbey at its side 100 years ago,\" said a royal aide.\n\n\"It holds enormous significance for the country and the Royal Family. The Queen was keen that the centenary was marked appropriately.\"\n\nThe bouquet of flowers was placed by the Queen's Equerry on her behalf\n\nThe grave of the Unknown Warrior represents those who died in World War One whose place of death is not known, or whose remains are unidentified.\n\nThe brief service was attended only by the Dean of Westminster, Dr David Hoyle, and the Queen's Equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, after royal doctors advised limiting the numbers.\n\nIn keeping with a tradition established by her mother in 1923, the Queen - who was married at the Abbey in November 1947 - left a bouquet based on her own wedding flowers at the grave, close to Westminster Abbey's Great West Door.\n\nThat was followed by a prayer, recited by the Dean, and the lament Flowers of the Forest played by the Queen's piper, Pipe Major Richard Grisdale, who stood in the organ loft.\n\nSpeaking after the service, the Dean said: \"It was wonderful to see Her Majesty in such good spirits and good health.\n\n\"This is a moment where the Abbey does its job as the national place of worship. The story of the Unknown Warrior touches us all.\n\n\"It's very hard for all churches to shut their doors, it goes against everything we are ordained to do, which is to gather people together. Like so many communities, we're divided and that's difficult.\n\n\"It is very special for Her Majesty to do this, given the current restrictions. I know, because people tell me, that these moments when Her Majesty is in the Abbey gives us a sense of renewed purpose and encouragement. It makes us feel very privileged.\"\n\nThe Queen, who spent the first lockdown shielding at Windsor Castle, was advised against attending a service at the Abbey to mark the warrior's centenary on Armistice Day, next Wednesday, when the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will join the congregation.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMinutes after Joe Biden had been declared the next president of the United States, people in Washington, DC began to flood the streets.\n\nStreams of people - banging pans, honking horns, clutching signs - moved to the city's Black Lives Matter Plaza, swarming the barricaded border of the White House to celebrate.\n\nFor hours after the announcement, masked Biden supporters remained to cheer, dance and sing.\n\n\"Everyone is just joyous,\" said DC resident Andrew Jackson, dressed in a shirt covered with photos of Kamala Harris, now the vice-president-elect. \"Look at the atmosphere, it's crazy.\"\n\nThe collective jubilation makes sense here: 93% of voters in Washington this year cast their ballot for the Democratic ticket.\n\nJust beneath the excitement was palpable relief. Every person I spoke to mentioned the anxiety and stress of the past week, and now the exhale knowing that Mr Biden will be president.\n\n\"All the anxiety is gone,\" Mr Jackson said. \"The last four years it felt like we were just stuck under a dark cloud, but that cloud's been lifted.\"\n\nAs much as this relief is a response to the Democrats' win, it seemed to be just as much a reaction to the last four years of President Donald Trump - who still has two months left in office.\n\nFor every sign or t-shirt celebrating Mr Biden or Ms Harris, there was one directed at Mr Trump - mocking the current president and applauding his looming departure. And just as often as a voter would reference Mr Biden, they would mention Mr Trump, and what they described as his divisive, damaging agenda.\n\n\"Everybody's excited to see the back of Trump,\" said Margaret O'Gorman, 54. \"We are in a complete U-turn from where we were.\"\n\nRepairing that division has been an animating theme of Mr Biden's candidacy. He has vowed to be a president for all Americans, to restore the \"soul of America\" and fix the national discord he blames on Mr Trump.\n\nIt might be a tough sell for some 70 million Americans who cast their ballot for Mr Trump this year - roughly eight million more than sent him to the White House in 2016. But for those gathered outside the White House on Saturday, it is a welcome message.\n\nFor some in Washington DC the elation was unconfined\n\nBrandishing a \"Former Republicans for Biden\" sign, Ken Wright said he is confident that the next president will reach across the aisle, and embrace Republican voters. \"Biden is about compromise, Trump was not. I'm very optimistic that Biden's going to do what he's always done.\"\n\n\"I think this atmosphere proves that the country can ease now back into some regularity,\" said Vincent Moten, holding the hand of his partner, Derrick Petit. \"Now that we're here, the idea is what can we do to come together. Let's agree on some baseline stuff - I'm a human, so I should have the rights that you have and then start from there.\n\nFor Anisley Valdas, 32, the key to moving forward is to understand where Trump voters are coming from, \"why people feel angry, why people feel disenfranchised\".\n\nAnisley Valdas said she thinks Joe Biden will be a president for all Americans\n\n\"I think trying to understand people's pain and their suffering is a way to start to get us on the right track,\" she said.\n\nBorn in Cuba, America's political divides cut through her family. In this year's election, Ms Valdas voted for Mr Biden - splitting from her sister, cousins and the majority of Cuban immigrants in her hometown of Miami.\n\nMs Valdas said she was \"angry and disappointed\" that her own family had voted for a candidate who, she said, \"demonstrated such hatred and bigotry\", for people of colour. She hasn't spoken to her sister since learning the results, she said, after an argument this week about the election.\n\nWhen she does, she said, she will tell her that \"Biden is the president for everyone. You just don't know it yet.\"", "Pressure is mounting on the government to reverse its decision not to provide free school meals over the holidays in England.\n\nSeveral Conservative MPs are opposing No 10's stance, as Labour threatens to push for another Commons vote and some 2,000 doctors call for a U-turn.\n\nIt comes as the PM faces calls to meet footballer Marcus Rashford to discuss his free school meals campaign.\n\nThe government has said it has increased welfare support.\n\nDowning Street has also highlighted tens of millions of pounds in funding for councils to help vulnerable families during the pandemic.\n\nBut there is increasing criticism from within Tory ranks over the government's decision to rule out extending meal vouchers for around 1.3 million vulnerable children in England to cover holidays.\n\nFormer Tory children's minister Tim Loughton, who did not support Labour's motion, said he would lobby ministers to reverse the decision for the Christmas break.\n\nAnd Tobias Ellwood, a former defence minister, said the free school meals scheme was \"well received\" and a \"simple and practical\" way of supporting families.\n\nJohnny Mercer, a defence minister, admitted on Twitter that the government had dealt with the issue \"poorly\".\n\nAnd more than 2,000 paediatricians who work with young people have signed a letter saying England should follow Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in providing meals during the holidays.\n\nMarcus Rashford has led a viral social media campaign highlighting organisations providing food during half term\n\nMeanwhile, chairman of the education select committee Robert Halfon said a meeting would help ministers create a long-term strategy to combat child food hunger.\n\nLabour has said it will force a new Commons vote on the issue if the government does not change its position before the Christmas Commons recess.\n\nTulip Siddiq, shadow minister for children, said she was sorry the issue had \"become a political football\" but some Conservative MPs \"are realising this is principles before party\" and she appealed for more to stand against the government.\n\nShe told BBC Breakfast that, with some local councils agreeing to supply meal vouchers during the holidays, the issue had become \"a postcode lottery\" because not every council had \"stepped up\".\n\nOn Wednesday, Conservative MPs rejected Labour's Opposition Day motion to extend free school meals by 322 votes to 261, with five Tory MPs rebelling.\n\nOne of those rebels, Mr Halfon, called on Mr Johnson to meet Rashford, telling the BBC: \"It may be that they don't agree with everything that Marcus Rashford is proposing, but it would give us a chance to come up with a long-term plan to combat child food hunger once and for all.\"\n\nOn Saturday, Rashford, 22, tweeted to condemn the \"unacceptable\" abuse some MPs had received for voting against the motion.\n\nThe government extended free school meals to eligible children during the Easter holidays earlier this year.\n\nFollowing the Manchester United striker's campaign, it bowed to pressure to do the same throughout the summer holiday.\n\nBut this time it has refused to do so, saying it has given councils £63m for families facing financial difficulties due to pandemic restrictions, as well as increasing welfare support by £9.3bn.\n\nBusinesses have been offering to provide children with food during half-term\n\nThis puts it at odds with the other UK nations, which have all extended the policy beyond term time.\n\nHowever, hundreds of cafes, restaurants and some local councils have since pledged to help feed children facing hardship during the October half term - prompting Rashford to say he \"couldn't be more proud to call myself British\".\n\nRashford's petition on child food poverty was approaching 800,000 names on Sunday morning.\n\nMeanwhile, two Conservative MPs have said comments they made about the issue were \"taken out of context\" after their remarks were criticised.\n\nCommenting on a school in Mansfield, Ben Bradley said that \"one kid lives in a crack den, another in a brothel\". Another Twitter user responded, saying that \"£20 cash direct to a crack den and a brothel sounds like the way forward with this one\", to which Mr Bradley replied: \"That's what FSM [free school meal] vouchers in the summer effectively did...\"\n\nMr Bradley said the tweet, which has since been deleted, had been \"totally taken out of context\".\n\nSimilarly, Conservative MP, Selaine Saxby, used the same defence after writing in a since-deleted Facebook post that she hoped businesses who were giving away food for free \"will not be seeking any further government support\".\n\nHave you been affected by any of the issues raised here? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The former chief rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, has died aged 72 about a month after being diagnosed with cancer, a spokesman for his office has confirmed.\n\nHe died in the early hours of Saturday morning, the spokesman said.\n\nLord Sacks was a prolific writer and regularly contributed to radio and TV programmes such as BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day.\n\nHe is survived by his wife of 50 years, Elaine Taylor, their three children and several grandchildren.\n\nA statement from Lord Sacks' office on 15 October announced he had been \"recently diagnosed with cancer\" and was undergoing treatment.\n\nLord Sacks, an Orthodox Jew, was born in London on 8 March 1948.\n\nIn 1991 he became Britain's chief rabbi - the spiritual head of the largest grouping of Orthodox Jewish communities in the UK.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said he was \"deeply saddened\" by Lord Sacks' death, adding: \"His leadership had a profound impact on our whole country and across the world.\"\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer also paid tribute, saying: \"He was a towering intellect whose eloquence, insights and kindness reached well beyond the Jewish community.\"\n\nMarie van der Zyl, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, described Lord Sacks as a \"giant of both the Jewish community and wider society\".\n\n\"His outstanding tenure as chief rabbi led to a revolution in Jewish life and learning which has ensured his legacy will pass not just through his own beloved family, but through generations of our community's young people too,\" she said.\n\nChief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis hailed his predecessor as \"an extraordinary ambassador for Judaism\".\n\nA statement from the chief rabbi's office said on Saturday that Lord Sacks' \"remarkable legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of the countless people he inspired\".\n\nThe Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, praised Lord Sacks' religious devotion and leadership, as well as his \"deep commitment to interpersonal relationships\".\n\n\"You couldn't help but be swept up in his delight at living, his sense of humour, his kindness, and his desire to know, understand and value others,\" he said.\n\nController of BBC Radio 4 Mohit Bakaya said Lord Sacks was a \"man of great intellect, humanity and warmth\".\n\nHe added: \"He brought all of that to Radio 4 through some of the most erudite Thought for the Days as well as a landmark series on morality.\"\n\nChief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (left) said Lord Sacks (centre) inspired \"countless people\", while the Prince of Wales (right) previously described him as a \"steadfast friend\"\n\nLord Sacks, who was made a crossbench life peer in 2009, often tried to find compromise between conservative and liberal factions of the British Jewish population.\n\nAt a tribute dinner held in May 2013 for the departing chief rabbi, the Prince of Wales said Lord Sacks was \"a steadfast friend\" and \"a valued adviser\" and praised his \"spiritual awareness and [his] comprehensively informed philosophical and historical perceptiveness\".\n\nLord Sacks was an outspoken critic of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn amid the row over anti-Semitism in the party.\n\nIn an interview with the New Statesman, Lord Sacks said comments Mr Corbyn made about British Zionists were the \"most offensive statement\" by a politician since Enoch Powell's \"Rivers of Blood\" speech, a comparison Labour said was \"absurd\".\n\nLast week, the Labour Party suspended Mr Corbyn over his reaction to a highly critical report on anti-Semitism.", "Princess Diana's brother has made new allegations about how the BBC gained his trust and access to his sister prior to her 1995 Panorama interview.\n\nNotes Charles Spencer says he made at the time of a meeting he held with Martin Bashir suggest the Panorama reporter made a number of false and defamatory claims about senior royals.\n\nThe BBC has promised an inquiry if new evidence is presented.\n\nBashir, 57, is seriously unwell and is unable to respond to the allegations.\n\nThis week, Earl Spencer called for a BBC inquiry over faked bank statements he says helped secure his sister's interview with Panorama.\n\nAlmost 23 million people tuned in to watch the programme.\n\nIn it, the princess famously said \"there were three of us in this marriage\", referring to the Prince of Wales's relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles.\n\nAt the time, Princess Diana was separated from Prince Charles but not yet divorced.\n\nThe BBC's royal correspondent, Jonny Dymond, said the notes Earl Spencer says he made with Bashir two months before the interview, reported by the Daily Mail, are \"astonishing\".\n\nThey appear to record Bashir \"spinning lie after lie about members of the Royal Family, and its staff, in an attempt, Earl Spencer says, to win his trust and that of his sister, Diana\" our correspondent said.\n\nThese claims, described by the Mail as \"preposterous lies\", include that Diana's private correspondence was being opened, her car tracked and phones tapped.\n\nIt was also claimed that her bodyguard was plotting against her and close friends were betraying her by leaking stories to the press.\n\nThis week, Earl Spencer said he never would have introduced Bashir to his sister were it not for him seeing the faked bank statements.\n\nThe faked statements wrongly purported to show that two senior courtiers were being paid by the security services for information on his sister, the Daily Mail said.\n\nEarl Spencer has yet to supply the BBC with any of the material he has this week given to a newspaper.\n\nThe BBC has apologised for the faked statements, but has insisted they played \"no part in her decision to take part in the interview\".\n\nThe corporation has promised what it calls a \"robust inquiry\" with \"appropriate independence\".\n\nA source at the BBC said the \"appropriate independence\" referred to \"means an independent investigation\".\n\nThe BBC has said an investigation has been \"hampered at the moment\" by the fact that Bashir was \"seriously unwell\".\n\nBashir, currently BBC News religion editor, has been unwell with Covid-19 complications, the BBC said last month.\n\nThe Princess of Wales died on 31 August 1997, aged 36, in a car crash in a Paris underpass.", "More than a million people have signed Marcus Rashford's petition calling for children from poor families in England to get free meals in school holidays.\n\nThe Manchester United and England forward wants the government to provide free lunches amid fears for incomes as coronavirus restrictions increase.\n\nHis Parliamentary petition says that \"no child should be going hungry\".\n\nThe government says it has already introduced more effective measures to support families.\n\nIt has ruled out extending free meals across England beyond term time - as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have done - saying it has given councils £63m for families facing financial difficulties due to pandemic restrictions, as well as increasing welfare support by £9.3bn.\n\nLast week, MPs rejected Labour's motion to extend the provision of free school meals, with five Conservative MPs rebelling.\n\nSome businesses are giving out free food to underprivileged children during half-term\n\nSince then, some Conservative and Labour councils have agreed to supply meal vouchers for pupils during half-term.\n\nSome have said they will fund this using cash from the £63m government hardship fund, others from within existing budgets.\n\nPubs, restaurants and cafes have also been among those to support the initiative.\n\nIf Parliamentary petitions get more than 100,000 signatures, the subject is considered for a House of Commons debate.\n\nRashford's petition calls for the government to implement three recommendations made by a government-commissioned review on food published in July last year:\n\nMeanwhile, a separate petition on campaigning website 38 Degrees calling for MPs to lose their ability to claim for food on expenses has nearly reached a million signatures.\n\nMPs can claim up to £25 for food and non-alcoholic drink for each night spent outside London or their constituency as part of their work.\n\nThe petition also calls for MPs to be charged \"market rates\" for food they consume at parliamentary catering outlets, which are run at a loss.\n\nIt was announced on Wednesday that Mr Rashford will receive the City of Manchester Award in honour of his campaigning.\n\nThe 22-year-old has already been made an MBE for his work on child poverty.\n\nThe UK government extended free school meals to eligible children during the Easter holidays this year and, after a campaign by Mr Rashford, repeated this during the summer break.\n\nBut, with England's schools having reopened fully in September, cabinet minister Brandon Lewis told the BBC at the weekend that it was now up to councils to use the welfare system so that money is \"targeted where it's needed most\".", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Sunday morning. We'll have another update for you on Monday.\n\nAbout 10,000 people usually attend the annual National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London. This year it will look very different because of the pandemic. Members of the Royal Family, the government and the armed forces will still attend and social distancing will be in force. However, for the first time it will be closed to the public. Meanwhile, it was revealed on Saturday that the Queen made a private pilgrimage to the grave of The Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey on Wednesday to mark the centenary of his burial. She was pictured wearing a face mask in public for the first time.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Queen was seen wearing a face mask in public for the first time as she laid the wreath\n\nHospital chiefs in Greater Manchester say they are treating \"more Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave\". They say non-urgent hospital surgery and appointments will not go ahead as planned, after coronavirus admissions there increased by 64 patients in a week. However, urgent and emergency care, such as cancer treatment, will continue.\n\nLiverpool's director of public health says the number of coronavirus testing sites in the city has doubled after \"really good interest\" in its mass testing scheme. Matthew Ashton says a total of up to 12,000 people were tested at six centres on Friday, as England's first trial of city-wide testing began. A further eight sites were brought in on Saturday, he says. Our health and science correspondent James Gallagher has considered whether mass testing can save us from another lockdown.\n\nLlanymynech is a village of two halves, straddling the border between England and Wales. It has meant that for two weeks, half of its residents were told to stay home, looking on as their English neighbours have enjoyed relative freedom. But now, England is in a second lockdown and Wales set to emerge from a two-week \"firebreak\". BBC News' Riyah Collins has spoken to people in the village about the situation.\n\nJohn Turner's pub will be the only one in Llanymynech that can open\n\nSince her first love died four years ago, female swan Mrs Newbie had rejected all potential mates. But during a chance visit to a swan sanctuary in Shepperton, the day before the UK went into national lockdown, she found love with a male swan called Wallace. The pair were taken back to Mrs Newbie's pond in Hampstead Heath, London, where love blossomed. Their tale is set to feature in a book.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The heartbroken swan that found love in lockdown\n\nWith England in lockdown, we take a look at which shops are allowed to open.\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "The pace of Europe's Covid-19 vaccination campaign has picked up and in many countries infection rates have been falling.\n\nLockdowns are gradually being eased as the summer tourist season gets under way, and there are plans for an EU-wide digital vaccination certificate to be in place by 1 July.\n\nNationwide curfew ended on 20 June, 10 days earlier than planned. Face masks are no longer required outdoors.\n\nRestaurants, cafes and bars can serve customers indoors, with 50% capacity and up to six people per table.\n\nStanding concerts will resume on 30 June and nightclubs on 9 July (with 75% capacity). People attending will need a health pass which shows either full vaccination, a negative test within the previous 72 hours, or else a previous coronavirus infection.\n\nMedical grade masks are compulsory in shops and on public transport.\n\nFrom 30 June, working from home will no longer be compulsory.\n\nOn 21 June, Italy's curfew was scrapped and the whole country, except for the northwest region of Valle d'Aosta, became \"white zone\" - the country's lowest-risk category.\n\nAmong the measures still in place are social distancing (1m) and the wearing of masks indoors (and in crowded outdoor places), and a ban on house parties and large gathering.\n\nNightclubs and discos are also closed.\n\nAll indoor businesses, with the exception of nightclubs, are open.\n\nThe government introduced a \"corona pass\" in April, the first to do so in Europe.\n\nThis shows - either on a phone or on paper - that you have been vaccinated, previously infected or that you have had a negative test within 72 hours.\n\nPeople need to show it for entry to cinemas, museums, hairdressers or indoor dining.\n\nThe Greek government is welcoming tourists from many countries, if they are fully vaccinated or can provide a negative coronavirus test.\n\nFace coverings must be worn in all public places and there is a curfew from 01:30-05:00, but bars, restaurants, museums and archaeological sites are all open.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Greek island of Milos is aiming to become \"Covid-free\" so it can welcome back tourists\n\nCinemas, theatres, museums and restaurants are open at 50% capacity. From 26 June, this increases to 75%.\n\nNightclubs and discos will also be allowed to reopen, with a limit of 150 people.\n\nFace coverings must be worn in enclosed spaces and 1.5m social distancing observed.\n\nShops, bars, restaurants and museums are open, although face coverings remain compulsory in most public places.\n\nNightclubs can now reopen in parts of Spain with low infection rates.\n\nIn Barcelona, they are restricted to 50% of capacity and can stay open until 03:30 - dancers have to wear masks.\n\nSpain began welcoming vaccinated tourists from 7 June. Most European travellers still have to present a negative Covid test on arrival.\n\nBrussels: Outdoor dining resumed in Belgium on 8 May\n\nShops, cinemas, gyms, cafes and restaurants are open, with restrictions. Households can invite up to four people inside.\n\nFrom 1 July, working from home will no longer be mandatory, if the situation continues to improve.\n\nCultural performances, shows and sports competitions can also go ahead, with limited numbers, and more people will be allowed at weddings and other ceremonies and parties.\n\nPortugal has lifted many of its restrictions but face coverings must still be worn in indoor public spaces and some outdoor settings.\n\nBars and nightclubs remain closed, and it's illegal to drink alcohol outdoors in public places, except for pavement cafés and restaurants.\n\nAlcohol cannot be sold after 21:00 unless it is with a meal.\n\nRestaurants, cafes and cultural venues have to close at 01:00 and have capacity limits.\n\nA weekend travel ban is in force in the Lisbon area, starting at 15:00 on Friday, with residents only allowed to leave for essential journeys.\n\nIn Lisbon and in Albufeira (Algarve), cafes, restaurants and non-essential shops have to close by 15:30 at the weekend and 22:30 on weekdays.\n\nPortugal's summer season looks uncertain, yet its Covid figures have improved\n\nRestaurants, cafes, museums and historic buildings have reopened with capacity limits.\n\nFrom 26 June, a number of restrictions are being lifted.\n\nAlcohol can be sold after 22:00, and nightclubs can open, with an entry pass system.\n\nEvents held in public venues such as cinemas, conference centres and concert halls will be allowed, subject to social distancing.\n\nMasks will no longer be compulsory except on public transport, airports and in secondary schools.\n\nOutdoor services in restaurants and bars returned in June. Theme parks, funfairs, cinemas and theatres, gyms and swimming pools, have reopened as well.\n\nFrom 5 July, restaurants and bars will be able to serve customers indoors. Weddings and other indoor events for up to 50 people will be permitted and the numbers at outdoor organised events will increase.\n\nSince June, pubs have been able to stay open until 22:30 and more people are now allowed at sports events, outdoor concerts, cinemas and markets.\n\nOn 1 July, limits on private gatherings will be raised, and the recommendation to interact with a small circle of people removed.\n\nFurther easing is planned on 15 July and in September.", "US President-Elect Joe Biden has spoken of his wish to \"unify\" the United States, in his first speech since his election win.\n\nSome of those who voted for Joe Biden tell the BBC what their message would be to friends who supported Donald Trump.", "The knife-edge vote has been closely watched abroad\n\nAfter days of uncertainty, Joe Biden has won the US presidential election, BBC projections show.\n\nDuring Donald Trump's four years in office, America's relationship with the world changed profoundly.\n\nBBC reporters across the globe, from Beijing to Berlin, explain how news of Mr Biden's victory is being received and what it could mean for key US relationships.\n\nJoe Biden's victory offers another challenge for the Chinese system, writes John Sudworth in Beijing.\n\nYou might think Beijing would be glad to see the back of Donald Trump. As China-basher-in-chief he hit them with a trade war, levied a raft of punitive sanctions and badgered and blamed them for the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nBut some analysts have suggested that the Chinese leadership may now be feeling secretly disappointed. Not because they have any lasting fondness for Mr Trump, but because another four years of him in the White House held out the tantalising prospect of a bigger prize. Divisive at home, isolationist abroad - Mr Trump seemed to Beijing the very embodiment of the long-anticipated and hoped for decline in US power.\n\nIt was a message rammed home by the country's Communist Party-controlled TV news bulletins. They focused not on the election itself - but on the protests, rancour, and rising US virus infection rates alongside it.\n\nChina might, of course, try to find advantage in Joe Biden's willingness to seek co-operation on big issues like climate change. But he's also promised to work to repair America's alliances, which may prove to be far more effective in constraining China's superpower ambitions than Trump's go-it-alone approach.\n\nAnd a Biden victory offers another challenge for a Chinese system devoid of democratic control. Far from a decline in American values, the transition of power itself is proof that those values endure.\n\nKamala Harris's roots are a source of pride in India but Narendra Modi may get a more frigid reception from Mr Biden than his predecessor, Rajini Vaidyanathan writes from Delhi.\n\nIndia has long been an important partner to the US - and the overall direction of travel is unlikely to change under a Biden presidency.\n\nSouth Asia's most populous nation will remain a key ally in America's Indo-Pacific strategy to curtail the rise of China, and in fighting global terrorism.\n\nThat said, the personal chemistry between Mr Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be trickier to navigate. Mr Trump has held back from criticising Mr Modi's controversial domestic policies - which many say discriminate against the country's Muslims.\n\nMr Biden has been far more outspoken. His campaign website called for the restoration of rights for everyone in Kashmir, and criticised the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) - two laws which sparked mass protests.\n\nIncoming Vice-President Kamala Harris - half Indian herself - has also spoken out against some of the Hindu nationalist government's policies. But her Indian roots will spark mass celebration in much of the country. That the daughter of an Indian woman who was born and raised in the city of Chennai will soon be second-in-command at the White House is a moment of immense national pride.\n\nNorth Korea once described Mr Biden as a \"rabid dog\" - but now Kim Jong-un will be making careful calculations before trying to provoke the new US president, writes Laura Bicker in Seoul.\n\nIt's likely Chairman Kim would have preferred another four years of Donald Trump.\n\nThe leaders' unprecedented meeting and follow-ups made for incredible photo-ops for the history books but very little of substance was signed. Neither side got what they wanted out of these talks: North Korea has continued to build up its nuclear arsenal and the US has continued to enforce strict sanctions.\n\nIn contrast, Joe Biden has demanded North Korea show that it is willing to abandon its nuclear weapons programme before he holds any meetings with Kim Jong-un. Many analysts believe that unless Mr Biden's team initiates talks with Pyongyang very early on, the days of \"fire and fury\" may return.\n\nIt’s likely Chairman Kim would have preferred another four years of Donald Trump.\n\nMr Kim might want to get Washington's attention with a return to long-range missile tests, but he won't want to increase tensions to the point that the already impoverished state would be hit with even more sanctions.\n\nSouth Korea has already warned the North not to go down a provocative path. Seoul may have struggled to deal with Donald Trump at times - but President Moon is keen to put an end to the 70-year war on the Korean peninsula and he praised Mr Trump for having the \"courage\" to meet with Mr Kim. The South will closely watch for any sign that Mr Biden is willing to do the same.\n\nThe US and UK's \"special relationship\" may face a downgrade with Joe Biden at the helm, writes political correspondent Jessica Parker in London.\n\nThey won't be seen as natural allies: Joe Biden, the seasoned Democrat, and Boris Johnson, the bombastic Brexiteer.\n\nIn looking at how their future relationship might work, it's worth considering the past. Specifically that seminal year, 2016, when Donald Trump won the White House and the UK voted to leave the EU. Both Joe Biden and his boss at the time, Barack Obama, made no secret they preferred another outcome on Brexit.\n\nThe UK government's recent manoeuvres in relation to Brexit have not gone down well with key Democrats and the Irish lobby, including the US president-elect. Mr Biden said he would not allow peace in Northern Ireland to become a \"casualty of Brexit\" if elected - stating that any future US-UK trade deal would be contingent upon respecting the Good Friday Agreement.\n\nRemember how Donald Trump once called Boris Johnson \"Britain Trump\"? Well, Mr Biden seemingly agreed, once reportedly describing the UK prime minister as Mr Trump's \"physical and emotional clone\". So it's possible Joe Biden may initially be more eager to talk to Brussels, Berlin or Paris than love-bomb London. The \"special relationship\" could, feasibly, face a downgrade.\n\nHowever, the two men may yet find some common ground. The two countries they lead, after all, have long-standing and deep-running diplomatic ties - not least in the areas of security and intelligence.\n\nA more predictable administration may be the \"silver lining\" for Russia of Mr Biden's win, writes Steven Rosenberg in Moscow.\n\nThe Kremlin has an acute sense of hearing. So when Joe Biden recently named Russia as \"the biggest threat\" to America, they heard that loud and clear in Moscow.\n\nThe Kremlin also has a long memory. In 2011 Vice-President Biden reportedly said that if he were Mr Putin, he wouldn't run again for president: it would be bad for the country and for himself. President Putin won't have forgotten that.\n\nMr Biden and Mr Putin are not a match made in geo-political heaven. Moscow fears the Biden presidency will mean more pressure and more sanctions from Washington. With a Democrat in the White House, could it be payback time for Russia's alleged intervention in the 2016 US election?\n\nMoscow fears the Biden presidency will mean more pressure, more sanctions from Washington.\n\nOne Russian newspaper recently claimed that under Mr Trump, US-Russian relations had plunged \"to the seabed\". But it likened Mr Biden to a \"dredger\" who was going to \"dig even deeper\". Little wonder Moscow has that sinking feeling.\n\nBut for the Kremlin there could be a silver lining. Russian commentators predict a Biden administration will, at least, be more predictable than the Trump team. That might make it easier to reach agreement on pressing issues, like New Start - the crucial US-Russian nuclear arms reduction treaty due to expire next February.\n\nMoscow will want to move on from the Trump era and try to build a working relationship with the new White House. There's no guarantee of success.\n\nGermans hope for a return to smooth-sailing with their key ally once Donald Trump has departed, writes Damien McGuinness in Berlin.\n\nGermany will breathe a sigh of relief at this result.\n\nOnly 10% of Germans trust President Trump on foreign policy, according to the Pew Research Centre. He is more unpopular in Germany than in any other country surveyed. Even Russia's Putin and China's Xi Jinping poll better in Germany.\n\nPresident Trump is accused of undermining free trade and dismantling the multinational institutions which Germany relies on economically. His spats with China have rattled German exporters and he has a notoriously poor relationship with Chancellor Angela Merkel — it's hard to imagine two leaders more different in ethos and personality. German politicians and voters have been shocked by his abrasive style, his unconventional approach to facts and his frequent attacks on Germany's car industry.\n\nThe transatlantic relationship is critical for European security\n\nDespite this, the US is Germany's biggest trading partner and the transatlantic relationship is critical for European security. So the Trump presidency has been a rocky ride. German ministers have criticised President Trump's calls for vote-counting to stop and his unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud. Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer called the situation \"explosive\".\n\nThere is an awareness here that major policy differences between Washington and Berlin will not go away under a Biden presidency. But Berlin is looking forward to working with a president who values multilateral co-operation.\n\nA Biden victory could bring Tehran back to the negotiating table, writes BBC Persian Service correspondent Kasra Naji.\n\nIn the weeks before the US election, President Trump said rather optimistically that once re-elected the first telephone call he received would be from Iran's leaders asking to negotiate.\n\nThat phone call to Mr Trump - if he had won - was never going to happen. Negotiating with the Trump administration would have been impossible for Iran; it would be too humiliating.\n\nUnder President Trump, US sanctions and a policy of maximum pressure have left Iran reeling on the edge of economic collapse. Mr Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal. Worse still, he ordered the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, a close friend of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Taking revenge for his killing remains near the top of the agenda for hardliners.\n\nNegotiating with a Trump administration would have been impossible; it would be too humiliating.\n\nThe election of Joe Biden makes entering negotiations with a US administration far easier for Iran. President-Elect Biden does not have the same baggage. He has said he wants to use diplomacy and return to the nuclear deal with Iran.\n\nBut Iran's hardliners will not come to the table easily. As Americans went to the polls on 3 November, the Supreme Leader claimed the election would have \"no effect\" on Tehran's policies. \"Iran followed a sensible and calculated policy which cannot be affected by changes of personalities in Washington,\" he said.\n\nMillions of Iranians thought differently as they quietly watched the US election unfold on their illegal satellite TV screens, convinced their futures depended on the results and hoping a Biden victory would see sanctions eased.\n\nThere are expectations of a reset of much of Donald Trump's Middle East policy, writes Tom Bateman in Jerusalem.\n\nPresident Trump supercharged the two poles of the Middle East. He sought to reward and consolidate America's traditional regional allies, while isolating its adversaries in Tehran.\n\nPresident-elect Biden will try to rewire US Middle East policy back to the way he left it as Vice-President under Barack Obama: Easing Mr Trump's \"maximum pressure\" campaign on Iran and aiming to re-join the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by the White House two years ago.\n\nThat prospect horrifies Israel and Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. One Israeli minister said in response to Mr Biden's likely win that the policy would end with \"a violent Israeli-Iranian confrontation, because we will be forced to act\".\n\nThe result also dramatically shifts the US approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr Trump's plan was seen to heavily favour Israel and give it the chance to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. That was shelved in favour of historic deals to establish ties between Israel and several Arab states.\n\nThis drive to regional \"normalisation\" is likely to continue under Mr Biden, but he may try to slow controversial US weapons sales to the Gulf and would likely seek more Israeli concessions. Annexation now seems definitively off the table and Mr Biden will also object to further Israeli settlement building.\n\nBut there won't be the \"complete U-turn\" that one Palestinian official demanded this week. The rhetoric will return to the traditional understanding of a \"two-state solution\", but the chances of making much progress in the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process look slim.\n\nHopes are high among activists that the Biden administration will increase pressure on Egypt over human rights, writes Sally Nabil in Cairo.\n\nEgypt's military-backed President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi enjoyed a very good relationship with Donald Trump. It would have been better for him to keep a friend in the White House, but now he will have to start a fresh chapter with Joe Biden.\n\nCritics of President Sisi accused the Trump administration of turning a blind eye to his alleged human rights abuses. Egypt receives $1.3bn in US military aid per year. In 2017, a small tranche of this aid was suspended over human rights concerns but was released the following year.\n\nJoe Biden winning the White House is seen as good news by many human rights groups here. Activists hope the new US administration will put pressure on the Egyptian government to change its heavy-handed policies toward the opposition - with tens of thousands of political prisoners reportedly in prison. The Egyptian authorities have always denied jailing any prisoners of conscience, challenging the credibility of critical human rights reports.\n\n\"US-Egyptian relations have always been strategic, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office,\" says Ahmed Sayyed Ahmed, a political analyst. \"Partnership will continue, but the Democrats' rhetoric about human rights might not be well received by some Egyptians, who see this as meddling in their country's affairs.\"\n\nAfter harsh sanctions, Joe Biden's victory brings relief, writes the BBC's Cuba Correspondent Will Grant.\n\nA Biden presidency is exactly what most Cubans have been hoping for. Indeed, the majority of people on the island would happily see almost anyone in the White House other than Donald Trump. His sanctions have brought real hardship and Cubans are exhausted after four years of unrelenting hostility.\n\nJoe Biden, on the other hand, revives memories of the recent highpoint in Cuban-US relations under President Obama. In fact, the former vice-president is said to have been instrumental in making the two years of detente possible.\n\nThe majority of people on the island would happily see almost anyone in the White House other than Donald Trump\n\nThe communist-run government in Havana will no doubt continue to say all US presidents are essentially cut from the same cloth. But among the people queuing for basic goods and struggling to make ends meet, the overriding feeling will nonetheless be one of great relief.\n\nThe only drawback from Cubans point of view? Mr Biden is now well aware of just how positively President Trump's harsh treatment of Cuba played to voters in the key election battleground of Florida. They fear he may be far less inclined to ease some of Mr Trump's measures than he otherwise might have been.\n\nJustin Trudeau will see an ally in his new neighbour, writes Jessica Murphy in Toronto.\n\nThe Canadian prime minister pledged to deepen ties with the US no matter who won the presidential election - but it's likely relief was felt in Ottawa when it became clear Democrat Joe Biden had clinched victory.\n\nCanada's relationship with the US has been rocky under President Trump, though not without its accomplishments. They include the successful renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, along with Mexico.\n\nBut Justin Trudeau has made clear he felt a political kinship with former President Barack Obama - who endorsed him during the recent Canadian federal election. That feeling of warmth extends to the man who served as Mr Obama's vice-president - Joe Biden.\n\nIn Mr Biden, Mr Trudeau's Liberal Party will find an ally on issues like climate change and multilateralism. But that doesn't mean there aren't opportunities for friction with his administration. President Trump authorised the construction of the Alberta-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline, a project seen as key to Canada's struggling energy sector - but President-elect Biden opposes the project.\n\nAnd Joe Biden's \"Buy American\" economic plan to revive US industry after the coronavirus pandemic will be a concern given Canada's deep dependence on trade with the US.", "Alex Trebek, who had hosted Jeopardy! since 1984, had been undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer\n\nAlex Trebek, the long-time host of American television quiz show Jeopardy!, has died at the age of 80.\n\nMr Trebek announced he had been diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer in March 2019.\n\nThe Jeopardy! Twitter account said on Sunday he had \"passed away peacefully at home\" surrounded by family and friends.\n\nMr Trebek had hosted Jeopardy! since 1984, and had received numerous awards and honours for his work.\n\nProducer of Jeopardy!, Sony Pictures, led tributes to the \"legend\", writing in a statement: \"For 37 amazing years, Alex Trebek was that comforting voice, that moment of escape and entertainment at the end of a long, hard day for millions of people around the world.\"\n\nKnown for his sharp wit and charisma, the Canadian-American presenter became the face of Jeopardy! during his three decades on the show, turning it into a ratings smash hit.\n\nHe fronted more than 8,200 episodes of the popular quiz show, making him among the most well-known people on television in the US and Canada.\n\nIn 2014 he set a Guinness World Record for \"most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Jeopardy! This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Trebek had vowed to continue presenting Jeopardy! while receiving treatment including chemotherapy. He was contracted to host the show until 2022.\n\nIn a typically light-hearted tone, the presenter said in a video statement he had no choice but to beat the cancer because of his contractual obligations.\n\nHe was candid about his medical treatment, regularly updating fans on his condition.\n\n\"I am optimistic about my current plan, and thank them for their concerns,\" Mr Trebek said in a statement released by Jeopardy! In July.\n\nMr Trebek is survived by his second wife, Jean, and his children Matthew, Emily and Nicky.\n\nFormer Jeopardy! contestant Buzzy Cohen was among the first to pay tribute to the presenter.\n\n\"Absolutely heartbreaking to lose someone who meant so much to so many. Even if this show hadn't changed my life in so many ways, this loss would be immeasurable,\" Mr Cohen tweeted.\n\nIn another tweeted tribute, Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings said Mr Trebek was a \"deeply decent man\" as well as being \"the best ever at what he did\".\n\n\"I'm grateful for every minute I got to spend with him,\" Mr Jennings tweeted. \"Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family — which, in a way, included millions of us.\"\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also praised Mr Trebek, whom he described as \"a proud Canadian and beloved TV star who was a familiar face to millions of people across North America and around the world\".\n\nNancy Sinatra tweeted: \"Part of our lives for decades, he taught us about so many things and now Alex Trebek has gone from us. Sending love to his family and friends. We will miss you, sir. Godspeed.\"\n\nActor Ryan Reynolds, a fellow Canadian, said he had enjoyed working with Trebek on a film in 2019.\n\n\"Alex Trebek was kind enough to film a cameo for our film Free Guy last year despite his battle,\" Reynolds tweeted. \"He was gracious and funny. In addition to being curious, stalwart, generous, reassuring and of course, Canadian. We love you, Alex. And always will.\"\n\nUS TV presenter Steve Harvey said his \"heart was so sad\" about Trebek's death, while Dr Phil said: \"Television has lost a true treasure and icon.\"", "China has successfully launched what has been described as \"the world's first 6G satellite\" into space to test the technology.\n\nIt went into orbit along with 12 other satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province.\n\nThe telecoms industry is still several years away from agreeing on 6G's specifications, so it is not yet certain the tech being trialled will make it into the final standard.\n\nIt involves use of high-frequency terahertz waves to achieve data-transmission speeds many times faster than 5G is likely to be capable of.\n\nThe satellite also carries technology which will be used for crop disaster monitoring and forest fire prevention.", "Sir Mo Farah, Shane Richie and Victoria Derbyshire are among the stars heading to a Welsh castle to take part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!\n\nThe pandemic means they aren't going to the Australian jungle as usual - this year's series has been relocated to the ruined Gwrych Castle in Abergele.\n\nITV confirmed to the BBC that \"one member of the cast\" had tested positive for Covid-19 and was self-isolating.\n\nThe series will begin next Sunday, 15 November.\n\nSir Mo, Richie and Derbyshire will be joined by actress Beverley Callard, presenter Vernon Kay and former Strictly dancer AJ Pritchard.\n\nEastEnders actress Jessica Plummer, BBC Radio 1 DJ Jordan North, Paralympic champion Hollie Arnold, and author and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher will also be hoping to be crowned the first king or queen of the castle.\n\nA spokesman for ITV would not reveal the name of the contestant who had contracted the virus, but did stress on Monday that the show was in \"robust health\" and operating within the coronavirus guidelines.\n\nGwrych Castle in north Wales will host this year's I'm A Celebrity\n\nWhile they won't face the usual bush tucker trials, ITV has promised that the contestants can still look forward to \"a basic diet of rice and beans and plenty of thrills and surprises\".\n\nPreparations at the 19th Century castle have gone ahead despite the \"firebreak\" lockdown in Wales, which ended on Monday.\n\nThe 2019 launch show was ITV's most-watched programme of the year, seen by more than 13 million people.\n\nShe won her fourth consecutive javelin world title at the 2019 World Para-Athletics Championships a year ago, and won a gold medal at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016. She was appointed an MBE in 2017, and was nominated for BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2019.\n\nBest known as Coronation Street's Liz McDonald, she began playing the ITV soap's leopard skin-loving landlady in 1989. In 2019, she announced that she was leaving the cobbles.\n\nThe BBC journalist won a Bafta for best TV news coverage in 2017, and won the Royal Television Society's network presenter of the year and interview of the year awards in 2018. But her self-titled BBC Two show was axed as part of BBC cuts earlier this year.\n\nWith four Olympic gold medals, he is Britain's most successful Olympic track and field athlete. But his participation in I'm A Celebrity... has raised questions about how the show will affect his preparation for the 10,000m at the rescheduled Tokyo Games next year.\n\nGiovanna Fletcher is an author, presenter and parenting guru, and the wife of McFly star Tom Fletcher. Her books include Happy Mum, Happy Baby: My Adventures in Motherhood, and she also presents The Baby Club at Home on CBeebies.\n\nKay is a former BBC Radio 1 and T4 presenter, as well as the ex-host of ITV shows including All Star Family Fortunes, Beat the Star and Splash! He is married to Tess Daly, co-presenter of I'm A Celebrity's ratings rival Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One.\n\nNorth hosts Radio 1's lunchtime show from Fridays to Sundays, as well as the podcast Help I Sexted My Boss, and previously presented 4Music's Trending Live. He started his broadcasting career as a researcher for fellow campmate Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Radio 5 Live.\n\nPlummer has just left EastEnders after starring as Chantelle Atkins, who was murdered by her abusive husband. Before that, Plummer was a member of girl group Neon Jungle, who had two UK top 10 hits in 2014.\n\nThe dancer joined Strictly in 2016 and was in the show's professional ranks for four years. But in March he announced he was leaving to \"follow his dreams to explore opportunities in the presenting world alongside his brother Curtis\".\n\nHe's been a game show host, West End actor and singer, but Richie is best known for playing the lovable and long-suffering Alfie Moon in EastEnders on and off between 2002 and 2019.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was just speaking on the Senate floor. He defended President Trump's right to challenge the election results and not concede.\n\n\"No states have yet certified election results,\" he noted. This is true - states have until 8 December to certify their electors.\n\nMcConnell continued to say all legal ballots should count and the process must be \"transparent\".\n\n\"If any major irregularities occurred this time of a magnitude that would affect the outcome, then every single American should want them to be brought to light and if Democrats feel confident they have not occurred, they should have no reason to fear any extra scrutiny,\" the majority leader added.\n\nExperts have long said there is no evidence of widespread fraud in postal voting.\n\n\"We have the system in place to consider concerns and President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options,\" McConnell said.\n\n\"The projections and commentary of the press do not get veto power over the legal rights of any citizen, including the president.\"\n\nOnly three Republican Senators have thus far acknowledged Biden's win. Republican President George W Bush has also congratulated Biden on his win.", "There was an atmosphere of jubilation in many US cities on Saturday, as media outlets projected victory for Joe Biden\n\nScenes of joy and disappointment have been seen across the US after Joe Biden was projected to win the presidential election, ending a nail-biting wait for results that left the world in suspense.\n\nSpontaneous celebrations erupted in major cities after media outlets announced Mr Biden's victory over President Donald Trump on Saturday.\n\nFrom New York to Los Angeles, news of the result was met with cheers, honking and dancing as supporters of Mr Biden flooded the streets.\n\nElsewhere, the mood was more sombre among Mr Trump's supporters, with some refusing to accept Mr Biden's projected victory.\n\nFor all Americans, the result was a moment of release after a bitterly contested election that took place in the shadow of a pandemic.\n\nMasks were worn widely in Washington DC, where hundreds of people gathered near the White House to celebrate outside a security fence erected before election day.\n\nThousands of people thronged the streets of Washington DC hours after the result was projected\n\nA banner saying \"You're fired\" - Mr Trump's catchphrase on his TV show the Apprentice - was seen outside the White House\n\nSome Americans seemed visibly emotional as they celebrated the result\n\nMusic blared, fireworks boomed, people embraced but Mr Trump, who was playing golf in Virginia when the result was declared, was far from the party, in spirit or person.\n\n\"I was on the bus and I jumped off the bus to come right down here to the White House,\" Washington resident Donna Thomas told Reuters news agency. \"It is something to celebrate. We have been waiting so long.\"\n\nCar horns were honked nationwide by drivers joining in the celebrations\n\nThe result brought joy to Biden supporters after a closely fought race\n\nWithin hours of the result, Black Lives Matter Plaza, the scene of many recent racial injustice protests in the capital, was thronged with thousands of people.\n\n\"I'm here to celebrate,\" Jack Nugent, a 24-year-old software engineer, told AFP news agency. \"I'm really happy with the outcome. It's been so many years waiting for this day to happen.\"\n\nMr Trump was playing golf in Virginia when the result was projected by media outlets\n\nTimes Square in New York City was packed with Biden supporters\n\nEnthusiasm for Mr Biden's victory reverberated through the streets of New York\n\nTimes Square in New York was equally packed, as the result breathed new life into the pandemic-stricken city.\n\n\"I feel like I've been holding my breath,\" Justin Oakley, a 30-year-old web developer, told the New York Times. \"We've been through so much, the city has been through so much this year, I've been to so many protests. But now it's like, ah, finally, something to celebrate.\"\n\nSome Democratic voters toasted the victory, popping champagne bottles near Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park.\n\nThose outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, were no less jubilant. The streets were a sea of signs promoting the ticket of Mr Biden and his vice-presidential running mate, Kamala Harris.\n\nLocals expressed an outpouring of joy at Mr Biden, who lives in Wilmington, ascending to the highest office in the country.\n\nTension had been building for days as the results trickled in\n\nBiden-Harris signs were seen in abundance in Wilmington, Delaware\n\nPhiladelphia turned out to be a vital city for Mr Biden\n\n\"I'm happy, I wanted Trump out,\" Kristina Moncada, 31, told AFP. \"It's awesome because [Joe Biden] knows the area. He's just more relatable, he's a genuine guy. He means what he says and he'll keep his word.\"\n\nTriumphant, Mr Biden's supporters raised their fists to the sky in sunny Philadelphia, a Pennsylvanian city that proved crucial to the Democrat's victory.\n\nSupporters of Mr Trump have been holding protests over the counting of votes\n\nSome men were seen carrying guns at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania\n\nSome Trump supporters lambasted the media for projecting a win for Mr Biden\n\nNot all Americans were pleased with the numbers, however. Despite the projected result, some of Mr Trump's supporters were adamant that the Republican president was still in the race for the White House.\n\nMany repeated the president's unsubstantiated allegations of fraud.\n\nChants of \"This is not over\" and \"We will be here forever\" were heard on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How voters in the US responded to Joe Biden's defeat of Donald Trump in the US election\n\nSimilar sentiments were expressed in Phoenix, Arizona, where some Trump supporters shouted \"Trump won\" and \"We will win in court\", referring to the flurry of legal challenges the president has mounted against the results.\n\nSome protesters blamed the media for declaring Mr Biden the winner. \"The media is part of the coup,\" one protester shouted.\n\nTrump and his supporters have made allegations of vote fraud, without providing evidence\n\nLike President Trump, some Americans have made unsubstantiated claims of a stolen election\n\nThere were tense scenes in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Biden and Trump supporters argued on the streets\n\nOne Trump supporter, Jodi Lavoie-Carnes from Dover, New Hampshire said she was appalled by the tone of the celebrations thrown to mark Mr Biden's win. The 48-year-old said some Biden supporters had been waving inappropriate anti-Trump signs at a rally in her town.\n\n\"I'm like, are you serious?\" she told the New York Times. \"The language doesn't need to be there. My children need to drive by that.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe government is to spend more than £400m to support poor children and their families in England, following a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford.\n\nA winter grant scheme, to be run by councils, will provide support with food and bills, and a holiday food and activities programme is to be expanded.\n\nRashford said it would improve the lives of almost 1.7 million children.\n\nThe move represents a climbdown for the government, which had said Universal Credit was the best way to help.\n\nFrom the package of support, a £170m ring-fenced fund will be distributed through councils, with at least 80% earmarked for help with food and bills.\n\nThis will receive funding from the beginning of December until the end of March.\n\nThe holiday food and activities programme will be expanded with a £220m investment to cover Easter, summer and Christmas in 2021.\n\nOn top of that, there will be a £16m cash boost for the nation's food banks.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson telephoned the Manchester United and England player on Saturday to tell him of the new plans.\n\nSpeaking after he took part in United's 3-1 Premier League win against Everton, Rashford said: \"Following the game today, I had a good conversation with the prime minister to better understand the proposed plan, and I very much welcome the steps that have been taken to combat child food poverty in the UK.\"\n\nRashford said he remained concerned about the children who would miss out on help \"because their family income isn't quite low enough\".\n\nHowever, he added: \"The intent the government have shown today is nothing but positive and they should be recognised for that.\n\n\"The steps made today will improve the lives of near 1.7 million children in the UK over the next 12 months, and that can only be celebrated.\"\n\nRashford also told the BBC Mr Johnson had agreed to speak with the footballer's child food poverty taskforce.\n\n\"I am fully committed to this cause, and I will fight for the rest of my life for it, because in my mind, no child should ever go hungry in the United Kingdom,\" the player said.\n\nSeeing the role everyone had played in supporting the most vulnerable children had been \"the greatest moment of my life,\" he added.\n\nRashford's campaign began in June, after the government insisted it would not provide vouchers over the summer holidays for the 1.3 million children in England who were receiving free school meals in term time.\n\nThe government had previously given this support during the first coronavirus lockdown in April.\n\nRashford's campaign led to the government changing its policy to allow children to claim free meals during the summer holidays.\n\nThe footballer then called for free meals to be provided over the October half-term, with more than a million people signing a petition he set up.\n\nBut the government refused, saying enough support was being provided through the benefit system.\n\nLast month, it whipped Conservative MPs to vote against a Labour motion in the House of Commons that called for the extension of free school meal provision.\n\nThis prompted a number of local authorities to say they would continue offering free school meals throughout the week's holiday in spite of that.\n\nIn October, a Downing Street spokesman said it was \"not for schools to regularly provide food to pupils during the school holidays.\"\n\nThey added: \"We believe the best way to support families outside of term time is through Universal Credit rather than government subsidising meals.\"\n\nMarcus Rashford has prompted the government to act before.\n\nIt is the second time the prime minister has picked up the phone to the 23-year-old footballer, whose campaign has struck a chord with many, and left many Conservatives acknowledging privately for some time they would have to change tack.\n\nStrikingly, Rashford insists this isn't about politics, or criticising Boris Johnson, it's about helping poor families.\n\n\"We're not against him. That's the main reason I was happy to talk to him,\" he told BBC Breakfast.\n\nBut what also stands out is he's moving onto the next strand of his campaign - arguing that more families should get help.\n\nGiven his success so far, don't bet against him pursuing this pretty doggedly in the months ahead.\n\nAnnouncing the support package, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said the government knew it was a challenging time for many, and insisted it had consistently supported the lowest paid families by boosting welfare support.\n\n\"We want to make sure vulnerable people are cared for throughout this difficult time and, above all, no one should go hungry or be unable to pay their bills this winter,\" she added.\n\nShadow education secretary Kate Green said Labour had been campaigning for such a change, adding: \"This should have been announced weeks ago to help the children at risk of going hungry over half term.\"\n\nShe added that ministers needed to bring forward a long-term plan to child poverty.\n\nEngland's children's commissioner Anne Longfield welcomed the move but called on ministers to \"go further\" with Universal Credit support by retaining a £20 increase.\n\n\"Hunger does not take a holiday when schools close and a long-term solution to the growing number of children in poverty is urgently needed,\" she said.\n\nAnna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the National Children's Bureau, who also chairs the End Child Poverty Coalition, said Rashford deserved \"enormous credit for pushing the issue of poverty to the top of the public's agenda\", adding that the government should be acknowledged for \"listening\".\n\nJames Toop, chief executive, of food charity Bite Back 2030, said: \"It's great that Boris has listened to the voices of our young people who have been campaigning for meal provision through the holidays to be a priority through this crisis.\"\n\nLeora Cruddas, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, said the scheme was particularly welcome.\n\n\"Christmas will not be the same this year - and it is therefore even more important that we ensure that children have food and are kept warm.\"\n\nHead teachers also welcomed the scheme but questioned why it could not have been in place for October's half term.\n\nNick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders' union the NAHT, said while the expansion of the activities programme was a positive move, it \"falls short in addressing fully the issue of holiday hunger\".\n\nHe added: \"We would question whether provision of food to those going hungry should be dependent upon them attending an activity, which for a whole host of reasons might not be suitable, available or accessible for particular groups.\"\n\nThe Local Government Association, which represents councils, said the winter grant would help them find the best way to help families and individuals most in need, but called on the government to \"adequately fund councils so they can provide wider long-term preventative support to all households who need it\".\n\nWhat is your reaction to the proposed support package? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are projected to win Pennsylvania, sealing their bid for the White House\n\nThe world is reacting to the projected victory of Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the US presidential election.\n\nFor days, people around the world have been glued to the White House race.\n\nIt is not just the US that the election of a new president affects - a new leader in the White House can transform the country's foreign policy and its approach to its friends and foes alike. Here is how some of the world's leaders have reacted, and where they stand with the US.\n\n\"Congratulations Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Joe, we've had a long & warm personal relationship for nearly 40 years, and I know you as a great friend of Israel. I look forward to working with both of you to further strengthen the special alliance between the US and Israel.\n\n\"Thank you Donald Trump for the friendship you have shown the state of Israel and me personally, for recognizing Jerusalem and the Golan, for standing up to Iran, for the historic peace accords and for bringing the American-Israeli alliance to unprecedented heights.\"\n\nUS policy in the Middle East shifted massively during Donald Trump's presidency. He heightened tensions with Iran while recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital and helped establish ties between Israel and several Arab states.\n\nMr Biden's suggestion he may rejoin the Iran nuclear deal will deeply concern Israeli policymakers. His likely objections to further Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank will also mark a shift from his predecessor.\n\n\"Congratulations to Joe Biden on his election... and to Kamala Harris on her historic achievement. The US is our most important ally and I look forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security\"\n\nWith Brexit looming, the UK will soon have a very different transatlantic partner in Joe Biden. The UK currently trades with the US on terms set by the EU, but this will change on 1 January 2021 when the transition period ends - and the US and UK are trying to negotiate a new post-Brexit trade deal.\n\nMr Biden - who often speaks of his Irish background - has said said he would not allow peace in Northern Ireland to become a \"casualty of Brexit\" if elected.\n\nOne of the most complicated issues as the UK leaves the EU is the frontier between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which Mr Biden does not want to become a \"hard border\". Currently there are no passport or customs controls on the border, and politicians on all sides fear a return to checks which existed during the decades of deadly civil unrest in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles.\n\n\"Congratulations Joe Biden on your spectacular victory! As the VP, your contribution to strengthening Indo-US relations was critical and invaluable. I look forward to working closely together once again...\n\n\"Heartiest congratulations Kamala Harris! Your success is path-breaking, and a matter of immense pride not just for your chittis [aunts], but also for all Indian-Americans. I am confident that the vibrant India-US ties will get even stronger with your support and leadership.\"\n\nKamala Harris is the daughter of an Indian biologist, and there have been celebrations in India after her victory. But both she and Mr Biden have criticised the Hindu nationalist policies of Mr Modi's government, something Donald Trump did not do during his time in office.\n\n\"Congratulating Mr Joseph Biden on his victory in the presidential elections in the United States of America.\"\n\nSaudi Arabia's reaction to Mr Biden's win has been rather delayed compared with other Arab nations.\n\nPresident Trump's Middle East policies and opposition to Iran boosted relations between Washington and Riyadh. However the two countries clashed over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.\n\n\"America will have its first female Vice President in the person of Kamala Harris, and we are proud that she bears Jamaican heritage.\n\n\"Her ascension to this role is a monumental accomplishment for women all over the world and I salute her.\"\n\nWhile Ms Harris's mother was Indian, her father is Jamaican by birth - sparking similar joy in the Caribbean country.\n\n\"Congratulations, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Our two countries are close friends, partners, and allies. We share a relationship that's unique on the world stage. I'm really looking forward to working together and building on that with you both.\"\n\nMr Trudeau and Mr Trump did not have the smoothest relationship. The Canadian liberal leader had noticeably different politics to his US counterpart, and will likely have a warmer partnership with Mr Biden who shares his views on climate change and international affairs.\n\n\"Our transatlantic friendship is indispensable if we are to deal with the major challenges of our times\"\n\nDonald Trump is deeply unpopular in Germany. He and Chancellor Merkel clashed repeatedly on Nato funding, global diplomacy and even the coronavirus, in sharp contrast to Ms Merkel's close relationship with his predecessor Barack Obama. Issues like military spending will remain but the US will likely renew its ties with Germany under Mr Biden.\n\n\"The Americans have chosen their President... We have a lot to do to overcome today's challenges. Let's work together!\"\n\nMr Macron tried repeatedly to develop a good relationship with Mr Trump - including inviting him to the Bastille Day military parade in 2017 - but has more political similarities to Mr Biden, who like him favours international cooperation on climate change and diplomacy.\n\nJoe Biden met members of the Kearney clan at a Louth restaurant in 2016\n\n\"Joe Biden has been a true friend of this nation throughout his life and I look forward to working with him in the years ahead. I also look forward to welcoming him back home when the circumstances allow!\"\n\nThe president-elect can trace his roots back to County Mayo and County Louth. He has spoken many times about his pride in his heritage and frequently quotes the works of Irish poets.\n\nThe leader of Africa's most populous nation and biggest economy said Mr Biden's victory came at a \"time of uncertainty and fear in world affairs\".\n\n\"His election is a reminder that democracy is the best form of government because it offers the people the opportunity to change their government by peaceful means,\" Mr Buhari said.\n\nHe looked forward to greater co-operation with the US \"especially at economic, diplomatic and political levels, including the war against terrorism\", and he urged greater US engagement with Africa as a whole.\n\nDescribing Mr Biden as \"a friend to our country\", President Kenyatta said his election showed \"Americans' confidence in the leadership credentials of the former vice-president\".\n\nKamala Harris would be a role model who would \"help inspire and embolden millions of young girls across the world to chase and achieve their dreams of greatness and success\".\n\n\"I congratulate Joe Biden on his election as the next US President & Kamala Harris as Vice President. I know Joe Biden as a strong supporter of our Alliance & look forward to working closely with him. A strong NATO is good for both North America & Europe\"\n\n\"We don't want to be suckers anymore,\" Donald Trump once said of the Nato alliance. Throughout his presidency he demanded other members pay their fair share and even considered withdrawing the US. Joe Biden will support a return to defence co-operation, although US requests for greater contributions from allies will likely continue.\n\n\"Together, we have a planet to save from a Climate Emergency and a global economy to build back better from Covid-19.\n\n\"Now, more than ever, we need the USA at the helm of these multilateral efforts (and back in the Paris Agreement - ASAP!)\"\n\nThe Fijian leader congratulated Mr Biden before the White House race had even been called.\n\nThe reason why is best explained by the reference to \"a climate emergency\" - Fiji is particularly vulnerable to climate change, and while Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Paris climate accords aimed at limiting global temperature rises, Joe Biden has vowed to bring the country back into the agreement on day one of his presidency.\n\n\"The situation in the US & what they themselves say about their elections is a spectacle! This is an example of the ugly face of liberal democracy in the US. Regardless of the outcome, one thing is absolutely clear, the definite political, civil, & moral decline of the US regime.\"\n\nBarack Obama's administration negotiated a landmark nuclear deal with Iran in 2015 while Mr Biden served as his vice-president. Mr Trump unilaterally abandoned the agreement, but Mr Biden has said he is considering rejoining it.", "The BBC projects that Joe Biden has won the race to become US president, defeating Donald Trump following a cliff-hanger vote count after Tuesday's election.\n\nThis was the moment of the BBC News announcement on TV.", "There has been a sharp rise in the number of migrants arriving in the Canary Islands\n\nMore than 1,600 African migrants have been rescued at sea or reached Spain's Canary Islands over the weekend, Spanish emergency services said.\n\nAbout 1,000 arrived on Saturday alone, setting out on about 20 barely seaworthy boats.\n\nOne person was flown to hospital by helicopter.\n\nThere has been a sharp increase in the number of migrants from West Africa attempting to reach the Canary Islands in recent months.\n\nThe island chain is just 100km (60 miles) off the coast of North Africa.\n\nAccording to the Spanish government, more than 11,000 arrivals have been recorded in the Canary Islands this year compared with 2,557 during the same period last year.\n\nA spokeswoman for Canary services told AFP news agency the migrants had arrived on the islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife and El Hierro.\n\nThe body of one person who died during the perilous journey was recovered by rescuers on El Hierro, the spokeswoman said.\n\nImages taken from Arguineguin port in Gran Canarias this weekend show migrants queuing up to receive assistance.\n\nAccording to the Spanish government, more than 11,000 arrivals have been recorded in the Canary Islands this year\n\nLast month at least 140 migrants bound for Europe drowned after a boat carrying around 200 people sank off the coast of Senegal.\n\nThe boat caught fire and capsized shortly after leaving the town of Mbour, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.\n\nAbout 60 people were rescued, according to reports.\n\nIt is believed the migrants were attempting to reach mainland Europe via the Canary Islands.\n\nAt least 414 people are known to have died along this route so far this year according to the IOM. A total of 210 fatalities were recorded on the same stretch in the whole of 2019.", "The world's biggest jeweller, Pandora, has no plans for the permanent closure of any of its thousands of stores despite the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nChief executive Alexander Lacik told the BBC he also intended to continue paying all staff in full.\n\nThe firm could \"withstand a big drop in sales\" before he would even start considering store closures, he said.\n\nAt the height of the pandemic, 80% of the company's 2,700 stores around the world were closed.\n\nHowever, Pandora \"kept its staff on the payroll\". Even those among the 28,000 employees who were unable to work because stores were closed by government restrictions were paid in full.\n\nMr Lacik is proud of that and said that as well as this being \"a very good decision\" for the business, it was the \"ethical thing to do\" and the loyalty to staff was now being rewarded.\n\nHe said: \"Looking at how people have kind of returned that when stores reopen, I think it was a fantastic thing to do.\"\n\nThis month, he reckons 18% of the stores will be closed as a second wave of coronavirus sweeps across Europe. That is likely to hurt sales in the run-up to Christmas, which is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year.\n\nAlexander Lacik says his stores are \"incredibly profitable\"\n\nAs with many other companies, there has been a huge growth in online sales. They almost doubled, growing 89% in the three months to the end of September and accounting for 21% of the company's $648m (£493m) of sales.\n\nMr Lacik says that despite the huge growth in online, physical retail will \"continue being an important part of the industry at large\", because consumers want a \"seamless\" experience between the virtual world and the physical world.\n\nJust over a year ago, the company invested heavily in a big relaunch to allow customers a more hands-on experience in-store.\n\nThe stores are \"incredibly profitable\" and Mr Lacik said his company would not close any for good, because it was \"not an average retailer\".\n\nWhether they are buying rings, bracelets or earrings, Mr Lacik concedes that digital does not have all the answers. Customers \"want to see it, they want to touch it, they want to feel it\", he said.\n\nHowever, they increasingly have an initial look online, then go into a store for advice before making a purchase, either in-store or online.\n\n\"The most successful players now, they are good at integrating all of this,\" he said.\n\nOn average, Pandora says, it sells three pieces of jewellery a second. It is perhaps best known for its charm bracelets, which let customers choose different symbols to personalise their pieces. They are seen as critical to its profits, which started to fall a few years ago, but have improved after a turnaround plan was launched by Mr Lacik.\n\nFrans Hoyer, an analyst at Swedish bank Handelsbanken, said the company \"lost focus on its core products and its messaging to customers, which led sales to fall\". Pandora, however, was \"always profitable\".\n\nThis underlying strength, combined with fewer promotions and raising money from investors, meant the company could keep paying its staff during lockdowns, Mr Hoyer added.\n\n\"Keeping staff on the payroll so they were ready to go when stores reopened, and a continued spend on advertising when others weren't, has helped the jeweller through the pandemic.\"\n\nKnown for its charm bracelets, Pandora is the world's largest jeweller by production volume\n\nMr Lacik said recent collaborations with brands such as Harry Potter and Star Wars had definitely broadened the appeal of the jewellery, but were \"never going to be the core of Pandora\".\n\nHaving the option to dangle Darth Vader or R2-D2 from your wrist \"keeps the brand interesting and keeps it fresh\", he added.\n\nCelebrity tie-ups have also helped, but Mr Lacik said it was important these partnerships had authenticity, or customers would not be convinced to part with their cash.\n\nThe new face of Pandora is Stranger Things and Enola Holmes star Millie Bobbie Brown, who Mr Lacik says \"was a Pandora fan even before we started that collaboration\".\n\nIt doesn't hurt that she also has 31 million Instagram followers and is hugely influential amongst the young women who are Pandora's core market.\n\nAnalysts say these tie-ups have helped keep the company's finances healthy. In the first nine months of this year, sales are down only 2% on the same period a year ago, at almost $1.8bn.\n\nMr Lacik said: \"I could lose half the sales and I'd still be profitable in most of my stores.\"\n\nStore closures had a broader impact too, he said, adding: \"What we see, for instance, in places where we have closed down physical retail, my ecommerce retail also goes down. So it's a combination of the two. That seems to be the sweet spot, at least now.\"\n\nYou can watch Alexander Lacik's full interview on Talking Business with Aaron Heslehurst on BBC World News on Sunday at 16:30 GMT, Monday 07:30 GMT and 11:30 GMT and Tuesday at 11:30 GMT.\n• None LVMH and Tiffany make up over takeover dispute", "The UK has imposed a ban on non-UK citizens coming from Denmark amid concerns over a new coronavirus strain that has spread from mink to humans.\n\nUK citizens can return from Denmark - but will have to isolate along with all members of their household for 14 days.\n\nCabin crew are also no longer exempt from the rules, which Ryanair described as a \"bizarre and baseless\" move.\n\nThe transport secretary announced the changes less than two hours before they took effect on Saturday.\n\nWriting on Twitter, Grant Shapps said: \"This decision to act quickly follows on from health authorities in Denmark reporting widespread outbreaks of coronavirus in mink farms. Keeping the UK public safe remains our top priority.\"\n\nMeanwhile, a further 413 people in the UK have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, according to the latest daily figures from the government. It brings the overall UK death toll, by this measure, to 48,888.\n\nDenmark's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod called Mr Shapps' travel announcement a \"very drastic step\" and said he had discussed them with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Saturday.\n\nMr Kofod said Danish health authorities were \"working closely\" with international health organisations to share information and \"reaching out\" to ensure any \"relevant knowledge\" is passed to UK officials.\n\nOfficials will contact anyone in the UK who has been in Denmark in the last fortnight to make sure they also self-isolate.\n\nThe Department for Health and Social Care estimates that between 300 and 500 people have arrived in the UK from Denmark in the last 14 days.\n\nDenmark had been taken off the UK coronavirus travel corridors list on Friday after it first became apparent the mutated form of coronavirus was present in the country. It meant any passengers arriving in the UK from Denmark would need to self-isolate after their arrival.\n\nThe latest rules, which took effect at 04:00 GMT on Saturday, ban foreign visitors who have been in or transited through Denmark and also expand the self-isolation requirements for returning Britons and residents to include all members of their households.\n\nThe changes also mean any cabin crew and pilots in Denmark are no longer exempt from quarantine rules, and must self-isolate along with the rest of their household for 14 days.\n\nCrew who were in Denmark before the deadline in the last seven days are not legally required to self-isolate, but the DfT is strongly recommending they do so.\n\nRyanair said the quarantine for cabin crew was \"bizarre and baseless\", in part because crew members \"never leave the aircraft during their 25-minute turnaround on the ground in Copenhagen airport\".\n\nIn a statement the airline said it had no choice but to cancel all flights to and from Denmark while the rules remain in place, and urged Mr Shapps to reverse the decision.\n\nScottish airline Loganair said that due to government restrictions it has suspended flights between Scotland and Denmark from 9 to 22 November.\n\nOn Sunday morning, the government told lorry drivers and freight handlers returning to the UK from Denmark that they must also self-isolate for two weeks. All direct passenger flights and ships carrying freight (as well as passengers) from Denmark have also been stopped.\n\nDenmark was the UK's 23rd largest export market in 2019, worth £6.8bn for goods and services.\n\nA mutated strain of coronavirus that has spread to humans has triggered culls of millions of mink across Denmark and a lockdown in some parts of the country.\n\nMore than 200 people have been infected with strains related to mink, according to reports.\n\nMink kept in large numbers on farms have caught the virus from infected workers. And, in a small number of cases, the virus has crossed back from mink to humans, picking up genetic changes on the way.\n\nMutations in some of the strains, which have infected a small number of people, are reported to involve the spike protein of the virus, which is targeted by some, but not all, vaccines being developed.\n\nThe coronavirus, like all viruses, mutates over time, but there is no evidence that any of the mutations pose an increased danger to people.\n\nThe World Health Organization has said it is too early to jump to conclusions.\n\nYou can read more from Helen here.\n\nThe Denmark travel ban and new requirements will be reviewed after a week, the DfT said.\n\nA DfT spokeswoman said the government was working closely with international partners to understand the changes in the virus that have been reported in Denmark and conducting a programme of further research in the UK \"to inform our risk assessments\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do I quarantine after returning from abroad?\n\nMink-related mutations of the Covid have been detected in 200 people in Denmark, most of them are connected to farms in Denmark's North Jutland region.\n\nThe Danish authorities have described the situation as very serious - and have ordered the cull of all mink in the country - thought to number around 17 million.\n\nDanish authorities have said a lockdown will be introduced in some areas over the coronavirus mutation.\n\nLeaving home to go on holiday is currently banned for most people in the UK.\n\nIn England, where a new national lockdown came into force on Thursday, people are still allowed to travel overseas for work or education trips.\n\nWere you planning to travel from Denmark to the UK? Have you just returned to the UK? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is among politicians to have congratulated Joe Biden on his US election win.\n\nHe said he looked forward to \"working closely\" with the new president-elect.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised Mr Biden's campaign of \"decency, integrity, compassion and strength\".\n\nFormer Home Secretary Sajid Javid said Biden's win was \"good news\" for the UK in terms of closer co-operation on climate change, free trade and fighting the Covid pandemic.\n\nHe told Sky News' Ridge on Sunday that Mr Johnson's closeness to Donald Trump had been \"overstated\" and the Conservative government actually had more in common, in terms of policy, with his Democratic rival.\n\nVote counting continues after Tuesday's election, but the BBC projected on Saturday that Mr Biden has surpassed 270 electoral college votes - the threshold required to win.\n\nDonald Trump's campaign has indicated the incumbent president does not plan to concede.\n\nMr Johnson said in a statement on Twitter on Saturday: \"The US is our important ally and I look forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security.\"\n\nMr Johnson, who has yet to meet Mr Biden, also congratulated the president-elect's running mate, Kamala Harris, on \"her historic achievement\". She will be the country's first female vice-president.\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab said Mr Trump had \"fought hard\" but that he was looking forward to working with the new administration.\n\n\"The UK-US friendship has always been a force for good in the world,\" he added.\n\nThey won't be seen as natural allies: Joe Biden, the seasoned Democrat, and Boris Johnson, the enthusiastic Brexiteer.\n\nIn looking at how their future relationship might work, it's worth considering the past. Specifically that seminal year, 2016, when Donald Trump won the White House and the UK voted to leave the EU. Both Mr Biden and his boss at the time, Barack Obama, made no secret they preferred another outcome on Brexit.\n\nThe UK government's recent manoeuvres in relation to Brexit have not gone down well with key Democrats and the Irish lobby, including the US president-elect. Mr Biden said he would not allow peace in Northern Ireland to become a \"casualty of Brexit\" if elected - stating that any future US-UK trade deal would be contingent upon respecting the Good Friday Agreement.\n\nThe \"special relationship\" could, feasibly, face a downgrade. However, the two men may yet find some common ground.\n\nThe leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, said the result was \"a great victory for social justice, climate action and democracy\".\n\nFirst Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon also shared her congratulations, while SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said the win \"gives great hope to progressives here in Scotland and around the world\".\n\nFirst Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford tweeted that he was looking forward to working with Mr Biden \"to build on the strong links between Wales and USA\".\n\nThe UK is currently in trade talks with both the US and the EU.\n\nDuring the campaign, Mr Biden warned that he would not accept any agreement that imperilled the Good Friday Agreement and peace in Northern Ireland. While vice-president, he signalled his opposition to Brexit.\n\nShadow international development secretary Emily Thornberry told Sky News that it would \"very difficult but not impossible\" for a government led by staunch Brexiteer Mr Johnson to develop a close relationship with the president-elect.\n\nJoe Biden visited the UK as vice-president in 2013, when David Cameron was prime minister\n\nShe told Ridge on Sunday the UK's primary focus must be on completing an agreement with the EU.\n\n\"The reality is getting an all-singing, all-dancing trade deal is something that takes many years and is quite complex,\" she said.\n\n\"Let's make sure we have a proper deal with the EU...and that we are not undermining the Good Friday Agreement and then we could move to work with the US in other areas where we could increase trade.\"\n\nThe BBC's projection of Mr Biden's victory is based on the unofficial results from states that have already finished counting their votes, and the expected results from states like Wisconsin where the count is continuing.\n\nMr Biden has won more than 73 million votes so far, the most ever for a US presidential candidate. Mr Trump has drawn almost 70 million, the second-highest tally in history.", "A new set of stamps features the artwork of Alfred Bestall, who wrote and illustrated more than 270 Rupert stories\n\nA little bear is celebrating a very big birthday: Rupert has turned 100. To commemorate the milestone, the anthropomorphic adventurer has been honoured by the Royal Mail in a set of eight stamps.\n\nRupert first appeared in the Daily Express on 8 November 1920, as Little Lost Bear - the work of illustrator Mary Tourtel.\n\nThe character, whose famous red jumper was originally blue, was part of the newspaper's push to attract new readers.\n\nAlfred Bestall took over from Tourtel in 1935 as Rupert's illustrator, remaining with him until the early 1970s, and it's his distinctive style that appears in the new stamps.\n\nBut a century on from his first appearance, can Rupert stay relevant to young readers?\n\nIan Dodds remembers Rupert from his childhood but his son Charlie isn't familiar with the bear\n\nAt Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books in Newcastle, an imaginative world of colourful characters has been brought to life but there's little sign of the scarf-wearing bear.\n\n\"Charlie? Would you like a Rupert the Bear teddy for Christmas?\" Ian Dodds asks his three-year-old son, who beams \"Yes!\" when he's shown a picture.\n\nIan, from Tynemouth, remembers the character fondly from his childhood, but the bear is not a familiar figure to his son.\n\n\"I think there are old characters who have been modernised; Charlie loves Thomas the Tank Engine, even Bob the Builder, so I think if they modernised him he would be well into him,\" he says.\n\nRupert lives in the village of Nutwood and originally had a blue jumper\n\nNicholas Tucker, former senior lecturer in children's literature at Sussex University, believes Rupert's popularity was about being able to get into children's imaginations.\n\n\"With Rupert you can fly in a plane, you can look at the roots of tree and suddenly find a passage down to another world entirely, and you get back in the evening,\" he says.\n\n\"He's never in too much danger and although there are some malign figures, Rupert is a good person and nobody ever gets too angry with him.\"\n\nThe 2021 Rupert annual celebrates the character's centenary with a new adventure about his birthday\n\nThe Rupert Bear Annual has been published ahead of Christmas every year since 1936. Rare copies have fetched more than £20,000.\n\nStuart Trotter can still remember receiving his first copy as a four-year-old. He coloured in a picture for a competition but changed his mind about sending it off as he didn't want to tear the page out.\n\nSix decades later and he's just as meticulous over Rupert - this time as the annual's illustrator.\n\nStuart Trotter is an established illustrator who has also worked on Postman Pat and Kipper the Dog\n\nStuart, from County Durham, has illustrated the annual's cover and created a story for it since 2008. It's a process that can take up to six months.\n\n\"I lived in Ferryhill, it was a mining town, everything was very black and white - the TV was black and white, the newspaper was black and white, and then on Christmas Day I got my first annual and there was this amazing blaze of colour and imaginative stories, and I was just hooked from then on,\" says Stuart, who has also illustrated Postman Pat and Kipper the Dog.\n\nThe picture Stuart coloured in as a four-year-old when he received his first Rupert annual on Christmas Day\n\n\"I never drew him when I was a kid, I just used to like reading the stories. And the opportunity came later on in life and I took it,\" he says.\n\nStuart says he would like to continue to draw Rupert until he can \"draw no more\".\n\n\"I'm not in a job where you retire. I work very long hours and enjoy it; it's never a chore,\" he adds.\n\n\"The Rupert I remember was illustrated by Alfred Bestall. I just loved his style of artwork and Rupert is an iconic character; he's very much in his time, and so there's no mobile phones, there are no computers - I did introduce a television in one story, but it was a Bakelite television.\n\n\"I like to keep him in that era as it's an era I remember fondly and I just don't think he should be modernised - I think he should stay in that period.\"\n\nRupert's story is told through a series of panels, which along with a front cover, can take six months to create\n\nGill Rennie, curator at Seven Stories, believes there still is a place for Rupert, despite today's hi-tech world being a far cry from the quaintness of Nutwood.\n\n\"The world he lives in is like a nostalgic adventuring world but it's probably not the most accessible for children getting into reading today,\" she says.\n\n\"The annuals are a big thing in British Christmas culture, and it's lovely that Rupert has been kept alive in that way. That goes back to classic children's book characters or children's cartoon characters; they become part of culture, whether or not you have read every story.\"\n\nShe said although most people knew who Alice from Alice's Adventures In Wonderland was, few would have read the whole of the Lewis Carroll book.\n\n\"That doesn't really matter because she lives on and she can be adapted and that's good, that's creative, and I think that's the same for Rupert,\" Ms Rennie adds.\n\nRupert, with his familiar checked trousers, first appeared in the Daily Express on 8 November 1920\n\nRupert and his friends did receive a makeover more than a decade ago when they appeared in a new series on Channel 5, aimed at younger children.\n\nSo are his older fans worried about the latest version of their beloved bear?\n\nThe Followers of Rupert, who meet every year, are very protective of the character\n\n\"We have an open mind as long as it keeps the original ethos,\" says John Swan, chairman of the Followers of Rupert, which has about 600 members.\n\nThe society was formed in 1984 and takes its name from the slogan: \"Follow Rupert every day in the Daily Express\". Illustrator Bestall even attended the society's first meeting.\n\nThe group meets each year, although the long-awaited centenary event has had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\n\"Many of the fans appreciate the artwork, the illustrations, and we talk about that,\" says John, who lives in Whitley Bay.\n\n\"We don't all wear yellow trousers,\" he explains. \"Although someone might for a laugh.\"\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Thames Valley Police said they would remain in the area where the boy died for some time\n\nA 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murdering another teenager in Milton Keynes.\n\nA 17-year-old boy died after he was found with chest injuries in Kenwood Gate, in the Springfield area.\n\nThames Valley Police were called to reports of an altercation in nearby Tyburn Avenue at about 18:40 GMT on Saturday.\n\nThe arrested teenager, who is from Milton Keynes, remains in police custody.\n\nA large police presence would remain in the area for some time while officers conducted door-to-door inquiries, Thames Valley Police said.\n\nDet Ch Insp Stuart Blaik said: \"I would encourage anyone who has information about what may have happened to please come forward, as well as those who may have been in this area between 18:25 and 18:50.\"\n\nHe also asked people with dashcams and CCTV to check footage and contact police if anything had been captured which could be connected to the case.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as a running mate, helped keep centrist voters on-side\n\nAfter nearly 50 years in public office, and a lifetime of presidential ambitions, Joe Biden has captured the White House.\n\nIt was not the campaign anyone predicted. It took place amidst a once-in-a-century pandemic and unprecedented social unrest. He was running against an unconventional, precedent-defying incumbent. But in his third try for the presidency, Biden and his team found a way to navigate the political obstacles and claim a victory that, while narrow in the electoral college tally, is projected to surpass Trump's overall national total by millions of votes.\n\nThese are the five reasons the son of a car salesman from Delaware finally won the presidency.\n\nPerhaps the biggest reason Biden won the presidency was something entirely out of his control.\n\nThe coronavirus pandemic, as well as claiming more than 230,000 lives, also transformed American life and politics in 2020. And in the final days of the general election campaign, Donald Trump himself seemed to acknowledge this.\n\n\"With the fake news, everything is Covid, Covid, Covid, Covid,\" the president said at a rally last week in Wisconsin, where cases have spiked in recent days.\n\nThe media focus on Covid, however, was a reflection rather than a driver of the public's concern about the pandemic - which translated into unfavourable polling on the president's handling of the crisis. A poll last month by Pew Research, suggested Biden held a 17 percentage point lead over Trump when it came to confidence about their handling of the Covid outbreak.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How much is Covid-19 an election issue?\n\nThe pandemic and the subsequent economic decline knocked Trump off his preferred campaign message of growth and prosperity. It also highlighted concerns that many Americans had about his presidency, over its occasional lack of focus, penchant for questioning science, haphazard handling of policies large and small, and prioritisation of the partisan. The pandemic was a lead weight on Trump's approval ratings, which, according to Gallup, dipped to 38% at one point in the summer - one that the Biden campaign exploited.\n\nOver the course of his political career, Biden established a well-earned reputation for talking himself into trouble. His propensity for gaffes derailed his first presidential campaign in 1987, and helped ensure that he never had much of a shot when he ran again in 2007.\n\nIn his third try for the Oval Office, Biden still had his share of verbal stumbles, but they were sufficiently infrequent that they never became more than a short-term issue.\n\nPart of the explanation for this, of course, is that the president himself was an unrelenting source of news cycle churn. Another factor was that there were bigger stories - the coronavirus pandemic, protests after the death of George Floyd and economic disruption - dominating national attention.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A tale of two rallies: Trump and Biden stage duelling events in Florida\n\nBut at least some credit should be given to a concerted strategy by the Biden campaign to limit their candidate's exposure, keeping a measured pace in the campaign, and minimising the chances that fatigue or carelessness could create problems.\n\nPerhaps in a normal election, when most Americans weren't worried about limiting their own exposure to a virus, this strategy would have backfired. Maybe then Trump's derisive \"hidin' Biden\" jabs would have taken their toll.\n\nThe campaign sought to stay out of the way and let Trump be the one whose mouth betrayed him - and, in the end, it paid off.\n\nThe week before election day, the Biden campaign unveiled its final television adverts with a message that was remarkably similar to the one offered in his campaign kickoff last year, and his nomination acceptance speech in August.\n\nThe election was a \"battle for the soul of America\", he said, and a chance for the national to put what he characterised as the divisiveness and chaos of the past four years behind it.\n\nThe election became a referendum on Trump\n\nBeneath that slogan, however, was a simple calculation. Biden bet his political fortunes on the contention that Trump was too polarising and too inflammatory, and what the American people wanted was calmer, steadier leadership.\n\n\"I'm just exhausted by Trump's attitude as a person,\" says Thierry Adams, a native of France who after 18 years living in Florida cast his first vote in a presidential election in Miami last week.\n\nDemocrats succeeded in making this election a referendum on Trump, not a binary choice between the two candidates.\n\nBiden's winning message was simply that he was \"not Trump\". A common refrain from Democrats was that a Biden victory meant Americans could go for weeks without thinking about politics. It was meant as a joke, but it contained a kernel of truth.\n\nDuring the campaign to be the Democratic candidate, Biden's competition came from his left, with Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who ran well-financed and organised campaigns that generated rock-concert sized crowds.\n\nDespite this pressure from his liberal flank, Biden stuck with a centrist strategy, refusing to back universal government-run healthcare, free college education, or a wealth tax. This allowed him maximise his appeal to moderates and disaffected Republicans during the general election campaign.\n\nThis strategy was reflected in Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate when he could have opted for someone with stronger support from the party's left wing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Biden was not first choice for most young Democrats, but he listened to their priorities\n\nThe one place where Biden moved closer to Sanders and Warren was on the environment and climate-change - perhaps calculating that the benefits of appealing to younger voters for whom the issue is a priority was worth the risk of alienating voters in energy-dependent swing-state industries. It was the exception, however, that proved the rule.\n\n\"It's no secret that we've been critical of Vice-President's Biden's plans and commitments in the past,\" said Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the environmental activist group the Sunrise Movement in July. \"He's responded to many of those criticisms: dramatically increasing the scale and urgency of investments, filling in details on how he'd achieve environmental justice and create good union jobs, and promising immediate action.\"\n\nEarlier this year, Biden's campaign coffers were running on empty. He entered the general election campaign at a decided disadvantage to Trump, who had spent virtually his entire presidency amassing a campaign war chest that approached a billion dollars.\n\nFrom April onward, however, the Biden campaign transformed itself into a fundraising juggernaut, and - in part because of profligacy on the part of the Trump campaign - ended up in a much stronger financial position than his opponent. At the beginning of October, the Biden campaign had $144m more cash on hand than the Trump operation, allowing it to bury the Republicans in a torrent of television advertising in almost every key battleground state.\n\nA Biden supporter in Texas, where a cash advantage enabled him to spend campaign money\n\nMoney isn't everything, of course. Four years ago, the Clinton campaign had a sizeable monetary lead over Trump's shoestring operation.\n\nBut in 2020, when in-person campaigning was curtailed by coronavirus and Americans across the country spent considerably more time consuming media in their homes, Biden's cash advantage let him reach voters and push his message out until the very end. It allowed him to expand the electoral map, putting money into what once seemed to be longshot states like Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Iowa. Most of those bets didn't pay off, but he put Trump on the defence, flipping what was once reliably conservative Arizona and staying highly competitive in Georgia.\n\nMoney gives a campaign options and initiative - and Biden put his advantage to good use.", "Let the 2020 election bury the mistaken notion once and for all that the 2016 election was a historical accident, an American aberration.\n\nDonald Trump won more than 70 million votes, the second highest total in American history. Nationally, he has more than a 47% share of his vote, and looks to have won 24 states, including his beloved Florida and Texas.\n\nHe has an extraordinary hold over large swathes of this country, a visceral connection that among thousands of supporters has brought a near cult-like devotion. After four years in the White House, his supporters studied the fine print of his presidency and clicked enthusiastically on the terms and conditions.\n\nAny analysis of his political weakness in 2020 also has to acknowledge his political strength. However, he was defeated, becoming one of only four incumbents in the modern era not to get another four years. Also he has become the first president to lose the popular vote in consecutive elections.\n\nDonald Trump won the presidency in 2016 partly because he was a norm-busting political outsider who was prepared to say what had previously been unsayable.\n\nBut Donald Trump also lost the presidency in 2020 partly because he was a norm-busting political outsider who was prepared to say what had previously been unsayable.\n\nThough much of the Trump base might well have voted for him if he had shot someone on Fifth Avenue, his infamous boast from four years ago, others who supported him four years ago were put off by his aggressive behaviour.\n\nMany found the manner in which he defied so many norms off-putting and often offensive\n\nThis was especially true in the suburbs. Joe Biden improved on Hillary Clinton's performance in 373 suburban counties, helping him claw back the Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, and enabling him to gain Georgia and Arizona. Donald Trump has a particular problem with suburban women.\n\nWe witnessed again in the 2020 presidential election what we had seen in the 2018 mid-term election - more highly-educated Republicans, some of whom had voted for Trump four years ago prepared to give him a chance, thought his presidency was too unpresidential. Though they understood he would be unconventional, many found the manner in which he defied so many customs and behavioural norms off-putting and often offensive.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How US networks reported the Biden win\n\nThey were put off by his aggressiveness. His stoking of racial tensions. His use of racist language in tweets maligning people of colour. His failure, on occasions, to adequately condemn white supremacy. His trashing of America's traditional allies and his admiration for authoritarian strongmen, such as Vladimir Putin.\n\nHis strange boasts about being \"a very stable genius\" and the like. His promotion of conspiracy theories. His use of a lingua franca that sometimes made him sound more like a crime boss, such as when he described his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, as \"a rat\".\n\nThen there was what critics derided as his creeping authoritarianism, seen after the election in his refusal to accept the result.\n\nA telling moment for me during this campaign came in Pittsburgh, when I chatted with Chuck Howenstein on the stoop of his terraced home. A Trump supporter in 2016, he voted for Joe Biden.\n\n\"People are tired,\" he told me. \"They want to see normalcy back in this country. They want to see decency. They want to see this hatred stop. They want to see this country united. And that together is going to bring Joe Biden the presidency.\"\n\nA political problem for Trump was that he failed to expand his support beyond his core Trump base. Nor did he try hard to do so. In 2016, he won 30 states and often governed as if he was the president solely of conservative, red America. The most deliberately divisive president of the past 100 years, he made little attempt to woo blue America, the 20 states that voted for Hillary Clinton.\n\nAfter four exhausting years, many voters simply wanted a presidency they could have on in the background - an occupant of the White House who would behave in a more conventional manner. They had tired of the infantile name-calling, the ugly language and the ceaseless confrontation. They wanted a return to some kind of normalcy.\n\nBut the 2020 election was not a re-run of the 2016 election. This time he was the incumbent, not the insurgent. He had a record to defend, including his mishandling of a coronavirus outbreak which by Election Day had killed more than 230,000 Americans. In this age of negative partisanship, where politics is often driven by loathing of the opposition, he was not pitted against a hate figure like Hillary Clinton.\n\nJoe Biden was hard to demonise, which is partly why the Democratic establishment was so keen to have him as its presidential nominee. This 77-year-old centrist also did the job he was hired to do, which was to claw back white working class voters in the Rust Belt.\n\nThe question of why Trump lost the presidency turns also on a more interesting and arguable question - when did he lose the presidency?\n\nBy sundown of his first full day, it was clear Trump would seek to change the presidency, more than the presidency would change him\n\nWas it in the immediate aftermath of his victory in 2016, when people who had voted for Trump partly as a protest vote against the Washington political establishment instantly had misgivings? After all, many of those voters never expected him to win.\n\nWas it in the first 24 hours of his presidency, when he delivered his \"American Carnage\" inaugural address - which portrayed the country as a near dystopia of shuttered factories, left-behind workers and wealth \"ripped\" from middle class homes - before he ranted about the crowd size and vowed to continue using Twitter? By sundown of his first full day in charge, it had become clear that Donald Trump would seek to change the presidency more than the presidency changed him.\n\nWas it more cumulative, the snowball effect of so many scandals, so many slurs, so much staff turn-over, and so much chaos?\n\nOr was it as a result of the coronavirus, the biggest crisis that engulfed his presidency? Before the virus arrived on these shores, Trump's political vital signs were strong. He had survived his impeachment trial. His approval ratings matched the highest level it had been - 49%. He could boast a strong economy and the advantage of incumbency: the twin factors that usually secure a sitting president a second term. Often presidential elections turn on a simple question: is the country better off now than it was four years ago? After Covid hit, and the economic crisis that followed, it became almost impossible to make that case.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The lost six weeks when the US failed to control the virus\n\nBut it is wrong to say that the Trump presidency was inevitably doomed by the coronavirus. Presidents often emerge from national convulsions stronger. Crises can often bring out greatness. That was true for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose rescuing of America from the Great Depression made him politically unassailable. George W Bush's initial response to the attacks of September 11th also boosted his popularity, and helped him win a second term. So it was by no means preordained that Covid would finish Donald Trump. It was his botched handling of the crisis that contributed to his fall.\n\nStill, again it is worth remembering that Donald Trump remained politically viable up until the end, despite the country experiencing its worst public health crisis in more than a 100 years, its biggest economic crisis since the 1930s and also its most widespread racial turbulence since the late 1960s.\n\nMuch of red America, and much of a conservative movement he came to dominate, will yearn for his return. He will continue to be the dominant figure in the conservative movement for years to come. Trumpism could end up having the same transformative effect on American conservatism as Reaganism.\n\nThe outgoing president will remain a deeply polarizing figure, and could run again in 2024. These disunited states have not suddenly become united again, not least because so many Americans will harbour such different emotions about Trump, ranging from devotion to abject hate.\n\nThe country surely has not heard or seen the last of the most unorthodox president in its history.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Socially-distanced events have taken place across the UK, including at the Cenotaph in London\n\nThe Queen has led the nation in marking Remembrance Sunday, as people around the UK privately paid their respects at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nShe was joined by family members and the PM at the scaled-back service at the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall.\n\nSocial distancing measures were in place and the service was closed off to the public for the first time.\n\nFollowing a two-minute silence, wreaths were laid by Prince Charles, Prince William and the PM, among others.\n\nThe commemorations remember the armed forces community, British and Commonwealth veterans, the allies who fought alongside the UK and the civilian servicemen and women involved in the two world wars and later conflicts.\n\nNormally, Whitehall is packed with thousands of veterans and members of the military for the commemorations, but on Sunday less than 30 veterans were in attendance.\n\nThe Queen, dressed in a black hat and coat, looked on from a balcony at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building, as her son, the Prince of Wales, laid a wreath on her behalf.\n\nOthers who took part in the wreath laying included the Duke of Cambridge, the Princess Royal and Earl of Wessex, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer.\n\nAlso present at the service were former UK prime ministers Theresa May, David Cameron, Tony Blair and Sir John Major.\n\nThe Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Cambridge attended the service\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson was joined by former leaders Theresa May, David Cameron, Tony Blair and Sir John Major\n\nPrince Charles laid a wreath on behalf of the Queen\n\nPrince William was also among those who laid a wreath\n\nIt felt the same on Whitehall this year, but also really quite different.\n\nAt the heart of the ceremony, as ever, was the Cenotaph - the simple stone memorial to the dead of so many conflicts, unveiled a century ago by George V, overlooked on Sunday by the Queen on a Foreign Office balcony.\n\nThere was the familiar and always-moving grandeur of the two-minute silence, the wreath laying, the solemn contemplation of so much sacrifice and loss.\n\nBut missing were the members of the public who normally travel from all over the country to be here, who stand three or four-deep along the barriers that line either side of Whitehall.\n\nMissing too were the great number of military veterans who march past the Cenotaph after the wreath-laying.\n\nThe public and the veterans bring life to this commemoration of loss - they ground this remembrance and make it more personal, more sharply felt.\n\nRemembrance Sunday belongs to those who gave - their lives, their health, their loved ones.\n\nEveryone here in Whitehall will hope that next year will see the public and military veterans return.\n\nMembers of the Royal Navy marched down Whitehall ahead of the Remembrance Sunday service\n\nThe Duke of Sussex, who stepped down as a working member of the Royal Family and now lives in California, was not at the ceremony but spoke about what serving his country means to him.\n\nIn a podcast to mark Remembrance Sunday, Harry, who spent 10 years in the armed forces, said: \"Being able to wear my uniform, being able to stand up in service of one's country, these are amongst the greatest honours there are in life.\n\n\"To me, the uniform is a symbol of something much bigger, it's symbolic of our commitment to protecting our country, as well as protecting our values.\n\n\"These values are put in action through service, and service is what happens in the quiet and in the chaos.\"\n\nGeneral Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, said some veterans might find Remembrance Sunday a lonely experience this year due to the Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nSir Nick told the BBC One's Andrew Marr Show the guidelines would be \"particularly tough on our veterans\", adding: \"They traditionally have had the opportunity to get together and talk about their memories and their reflections, but equally to strut their stuff.\"\n\nUsually, about 10,000 people gather at the Cenotaph in Whitehall for the remembrance service.\n\nBut with the event being closed to the public, the Royal British Legion and Legion Scotland advised people to observe the silence in honour of those who lost their lives in conflicts from their doorsteps.\n\nThe public was also encouraged to share family histories and messages of remembrance online using the hashtag #WeWillRememberThem.\n\nIn Wales, which is also under a national lockdown, outdoor events were permitted up to a maximum of 30 people, although parades were not allowed.\n\nThe national service of remembrance in Cardiff was held with a small number of invited guests present,\n\nTraditional annual remembrance events at local war memorials across Scotland were also cancelled, with outdoor standing events not permitted in areas under Covid levels one, two and three. However, thousands of people observed the two-minute silence on their doorsteps.\n\nRestrictions were also in place in Belfast, with members of the public unable to attend the event at City Hall.\n\nEx-servicemen were among those who paid tribute to the fallen from their own doorstep in Scotland\n\nA national service of remembrance was held at the Welsh National War Memorial, Cathays Park, Cardiff\n\nThe Irish Republic's Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin and Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster laid wreaths in Enniskillen\n\nAbout 10,000 people usually gather for the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph\n\nLegion Scotland asked the public to observe the two-minute silence from their doorsteps\n\nIt comes after Prince Charles paid tribute to the nation's armed forces for standing \"side-by-side\" with frontline NHS staff and key workers during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nSpeaking at Saturday's annual Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall, which was pre-recorded and filmed without an audience, the Prince of Wales said the country had endured \"anxiety and grief not previously experienced in peacetime\".\n\n\"In this challenging year, we have perhaps come to realise that the freedoms for which they fought are more precious than we knew, and that the debt we owe them is even greater than we imagined,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Queen was seen wearing a face mask in public for the first time as she laid the wreath\n\nOn Wednesday at Westminster Abbey, the Queen commemorated the 100th anniversary of the interment of the Unknown Warrior, who represents World War One soldiers whose place of death is not known or whose remains are unidentified.\n\nShe was seen wearing a face mask in public for the first time during the visit.\n\nThe 94-year-old monarch had requested the private pilgrimage after she was advised not to attend the warrior's centenary service next week. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are expected to join this service on 11 November, Armistice Day.\n\nHow will you be marking Remembrance Sunday? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The party was at a residential property in The Works, near Manchester Arndale\n\nA man has been fined £10,000 after about 60 people turned up at a party in a two-bedroom flat in Manchester.\n\nPolice said they found people were not distancing and music was being played from large speakers at the gathering in Withy Grove last Sunday.\n\nThe organiser, aged 38, was fined on Friday for holding an illegal gathering of more than 30 people.\n\nSupt Chris Hill said \"organising this flat party was a clear act of non-compliance\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch the moment Prince Fumihito leaves for the ceremony where he was declared heir to the throne\n\nPrince Fumihito, the brother of Japan's Emperor Naruhito, has been officially declared heir to the throne during a ceremony in Tokyo.\n\nFumihito is six years younger than his brother Naruhito, who became monarch last year after their father abdicated.\n\nEmperor Naruhito has no sons and his daughter is barred from inheriting the throne, despite calls for reform.\n\nThe \"Rikkoshi no rei\" ceremony had been delayed by seven months because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nIt was attended by the imperial family and 46 guests, most of whom were wearing masks and maintained a distance from each other, according to Kyodo news agency.\n\nFumihito's son is now third in line to the throne\n\nDuring the ceremony, Naruhito declared Fumihito crown prince to the people of Japan and abroad.\n\nFumihito also received a sword passed down by crown princes.\n\nPrime Minister Yoshihide Suga said: \"The people have revered the crown prince and the crown princess after seeing how they have shown kindness in their interactions with people, so it is a pleasure to see the Rikkoshi no rei being held.\"\n\nEmperor Emeritus Akihito abdicated last year. He was given permission to abdicate after saying he felt unable to fulfil his role because of his age and declining health.\n\nHe was the first Japanese monarch to stand down in more than 200 years.\n\nUnder the Imperial Household law of 1947 only men can ascend to the throne. In 2004 the government began working on changing the law to allow for an empress but it was put on hold after Fumihito's wife gave birth to a son - Prince Hisahito.\n\nShould Hisahito not grow up to have a son that would spark another succession crisis and could see the government pick up plans from 2004 and change the law.", "Nelson has also pulled out of an appearance at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday evening\n\nJesy Nelson has pulled out of Saturday evening's live final of Little Mix: The Search.\n\nThe 29-year-old was due to appear alongside her bandmates in the last episode of the BBC One talent show.\n\nBut a spokesman for the group said in a statement: \"Jesy is unwell and will not be appearing on tonight's final of Little Mix The Search.\n\n\"She will also not be hosting or performing at tomorrow's MTV EMAs [Europe Music Awards].\"\n\nThe statement, which was made on Saturday morning, did not make clear what is wrong with Nelson or how unwell she is.\n\nThe announcement comes the day after Little Mix released their sixth album, Confetti.\n\nThe group were due to host the MTV EMAs on Sunday evening, which will be filmed in various locations around the world due to the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nIt is thought Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall will still host the ceremony, which will feature performances from Doja Cat, Sam Smith, DaBaby and Alicia Keys.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Little Mix say the pressures associated with an online presence can be harmful to young people's mental health\n\nLast month, filming on Little Mix: The Search was halted after a \"small number of people\" involved in the series tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nThe band were not among those who tested positive, but Thirlwall self-isolated as a precaution.\n\nShe still took part in the first live show virtually, dialling in via video link to judge and score the bands from home.\n\nAround two million viewers have been tuning in to each episode of Little Mix The Search, which has been airing since late September.\n\nThe task for the group is to assemble six bands from thousands of wannabes, and eventually choose one to support them on tour.\n\nNelson has previously discussed her mental health battle on the BBC Three documentary Jesy Nelson: Odd One Out.\n\nThe documentary, which won a National Television Award, addressed body image and the impact of online bullying.\n\nIn the programme, Nelson revealed that negative comments online had led to an attempt to take her own life.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Hospitals in Greater Manchester are treating \"more Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave\", resulting in non-urgent care being suspended.\n\nNon-urgent hospital surgery and appointments will not go ahead as planned as coronavirus admissions have increased by 64 patients in a week.\n\nUrgent and emergency care, such as cancer treatment, will continue.\n\nHospital chiefs said non-urgent work was \"pausing\" to ensure critical care facilities could be expanded.\n\nThose affected by the delay will be contacted by hospitals, a spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said.\n\nHospital admissions of coronavirus patients in the region have risen to 132 in the week ending 3 November, compared to 68 during the week ending 27 October.\n\nBefore a nationwide lockdown came into force in England on Thursday, Greater Manchester had been in the highest level of the three-tier system of restrictions.\n\nGreater Manchester has been under tighter restrictions since July\n\nA statement from the partnership, which co-ordinates health and social care across Greater Manchester, said: \"Staff have worked tirelessly to try to maintain services and deliver the highest quality of healthcare to local people.\n\n\"Despite these efforts it is now necessary to pause non-urgent work to ensure we are in a position to expand critical care facilities, whilst maintaining cancer and other urgent care, including cardiac services, vascular surgery and transplantation.\"\n\nIt said that The Christie cancer hospital will continue to provide care, while Rochdale will also provide cancer surgery as a Covid-secure site for Greater Manchester.\n\nDiagnostic services, including endoscopy, and the majority of out-patient services will not be affected.\n\nPatients were advised to \"assume your treatment is continuing as planned\" unless told otherwise.\n\nThis hard decision by health authorities in Manchester comes after similar moves by individual hospitals in Birmingham, Nottingham and Edinburgh, amongst others.\n\nNational NHS leaders had wanted to keep services open while a second wave of coronavirus unfolded.\n\nBut the BMA, which represents around 160,000 doctors in the UK, says hospitals have too few beds and staff to keep hip replacements, cataract surgery and other non-emergency operations going.\n\nAcross the UK there are 12,949 Covid patients currently in hospital, up from a low of just 736 in the summer, but still well below the 19,849 we saw in April.\n\nStricter lockdown measures are designed to bring the R number down. But hospitalisations now reflect infections some weeks ago and it's widely expected services will continue to be stretched in some areas for some time to come.\n\nThe partnership spokeswoman added: \"Our hospitals are now treating more Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave and as a result of this, a number of non-urgent operations will be temporarily delayed - we are contacting the affected patients.\n\n\"Urgent and emergency care, including cancer treatment and operations will continue as normal and it's important that anyone with concerns continues to come forward for help and treatment.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Just Park is an app that allows land owners to rent out their driveways as parking spaces\n\nA parking website has apologised after scammers exploited it by listing spaces on driveways which they do not own.\n\nJust Park is one of several websites which allow people to make money by advertising parking spaces for hire on their own land.\n\nBut some homeowners have been surprised to discover their driveways have been listed without their permission.\n\nJust Park says it has stringent checks in place to prevent fraud and cases are \"extremely rare\".\n\nSimon Gallagher started getting complaints from tenants at the flat he owns at Bexleyheath in Greater London.\n\nStrangers were leaving cars in their dedicated parking bays, leaving them with nowhere to park.\n\n\"This was going on for about a month or so\", says Simon, \"until one day somebody had left a note in the window of one of the cars that was parked there with a booking reference for Just Park\".\n\n\"I looked it up on the website and to my surprise, found a photograph of the flat advertised out for rent\".\n\nSomeone was charging £8 a day for the use of his tenants' parking spaces.\n\nTo prevent them from being used by anyone else, he has now had bollards installed.\n\nSimon Gallagher, a landlord, had to install bollards in the driveway of a flat he owns after scammers rented out his tenants' driveway to commuters to park in\n\nIn Edinburgh, Barbara Oliver was alerted by a neighbour to a similar problem outside her property.\n\nShe was away on holiday when mystery vehicles began parking right in front of her garage door.\n\n\"It appeared that these people had used Just Park and had information to say that they could park there, which, as the property's owner, I knew was not true\", Barbara says.\n\nJust Park removed the unauthorised adverts after Barbara Oliver and Simon Gallagher complained.\n\nSpeaking on Radio 4's You & Yours programme, the company's founder and chief executive officer, Anthony Eskinazi, said \"I'd like to apologise to Mrs Oliver and Mr Gallagher for their experiences.\n\n'We do have stringent checks in place to prevent spaces from being listed fraudulently. On rare occasions where they are added, we immediately remove them once notified and ensure that our community is not adversely affected\".\n\nJust Park says its policies and procedures have successfully reduced instances of fraud to \"less than two listings per month, which represents less than one out of every 1000 new listings\".\n\nIt says that new space owners cannot withdraw funds for at least 48 hours after the first booking.\n\nThe company was launched in 2006, matching drivers with spare parking spaces outside people's homes through its website and app.\n\nIt says over 45,000 people have earned a combined total of more than £50m by listing spare parking spaces on its platform.", "The council said the sinkhole had been caused by surface water running onto the road from farmland\n\nA main road has reopened after a sinkhole the \"width of three houses\" was repaired.\n\nSouth Gower Road in Swansea was closed on 1 October after the sinkhole was found and deemed to be at \"risk of imminent collapse\".\n\nSwansea council closed the A4118 between Penmaen and the turn-off to Oxwich for emergency repairs.\n\nThe authority said the sinkhole had been caused by surface water running onto the road from farmland.\n\nIn a statement the council said this was complicated by the \"presence of voids in the rock beneath the road\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sinkholes are often caused by an abnormal amount of water seeping into the ground, but they are difficult to predict\n\nRepairs included the creation of a new drainage system to help direct water away from the road surface to stop it happening again, the statement reads.\n\nCabinet Member for Environment Enhancement and Infrastructure Management Mark Thomas said: \"Early fears that the subsidence has been caused by the large voids deep in the ground were fortunately not the case.\n\n\"However, running water had created some smaller voids much nearer the road surface and it was this issue that had caused the problem.\"\n\nHe added: \"I'd like to thank motorists for the patience they have shown while we have completed these works and also thank our highways staff for the hard work and effort put in to get the road open again.\"", "The installation has been set up to raise funds for the Royal British Legion\n\nLife-size silhouettes of 200 soldiers have been set up at Blenheim Palace to mark Remembrance Sunday.\n\nThe installation, set up to raise funds for the Royal British Legion, is laid out by the Column of Victory and also features 75 poppy wreaths.\n\nThe \"Standing with Giants\" figures were made from recycled building materials by Witney-based artist Dan Barton.\n\nShe said: \"As a result of the coronavirus, many of the planned parades and services to mark Remembrance Day have had to be cancelled.\n\n\"We wanted to do something that would still mark the occasion and help raise awareness of the ongoing need to support our veterans and the amazing work being carried out by the Royal British Legion.\n\n\"Now, more than ever, the assistance they can provide is sorely needed and we hope Dan's extraordinary figures will serve as a fitting tribute to all the fallen and a reminder of the terrible cost of conflict.\"\n\nThe 200 silhouettes were made from recycled building materials\n\nThe figures are joined by 75 poppy wreaths\n\nThe palace in Oxfordshire is a World Heritage Site and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.\n\nIt was used as a rehabilitation hospital for World War One soldiers, and a secret testing ground for landing craft in the run up to D-Day in World War Two.\n\nThe Column of Victory was erected in 1730 and commemorates John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough.\n\nThe palace was built to celebrate Britain's victory over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession and completed in 1733.\n\nThe 6ft (1.8m) tall silhouettes will remain in place for two weeks.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Wales has seen almost 7,000 new Covid cases in the last seven days\n\nWales is starting to see a \"levelling off\" of Covid-19 case rates, the country's health minister has said on the final day of its 17-day lockdown.\n\nVaughan Gething also said mass testing, as being trialled in Liverpool, will be considered in Wales' high case rate areas like Merthyr and the valleys.\n\nHe said the full impact of the lockdown would not be seen for two weeks yet.\n\nOpposition parties have suggested high case rate areas should have stricter local rules.\n\nWales' lockdown - which the Welsh Government said would help stop the health service in Wales becoming \"overwhelmed\" - ends on Monday just a few days after England's four-week lockdown started.\n\nThe number of patients in Welsh hospitals with coronavirus is now the highest since the height of the pandemic in April.\n\nLatest NHS Wales figures show 1,344 people are being treated in hospital for Covid-19 while 54 of the 163 critical care patients have the virus - with the intensive care occupancy rate beyond Wales' usual 152-bed capacity.\n\nMr Gething warned cancer, heart and stroke \"treatments\" could be affected if Covid infection rates surge again.\n\nBut he said: \"We think we're starting to see a plateauing, a levelling off, in the rates of coronavirus across the country.\n\n\"It's still at a high rate which means that there's still a reservoir of coronavirus within our communities.\"\n\nThe Welsh Conservatives want \"local measures\" to help slow down Covid-19 cases in communities to avoid \"such draconian measures as a firebreak lockdown or just a straight lockdown\".\n\n\"We would also then have targeted testing in areas where we know there's high infection rates to suppress the virus,\" their health spokesperson Andrew RT Davies told BBC Radio Wales.\n\nAnd Plaid Cymru said the Welsh Government should show it \"has a plan in place\" to deal with areas of high infection rates.\n\n\"I doubt whether it is right to treat those areas in the same way as we treat some of the areas with very low incidence,\" said the party's health spokesperson Rhun ap Iorwerth.\n\nBut Mr Gething said: \"If we breach trust with the public and extend the end of the firebreak, having been clear it would come to an end, I don't think people would be prepared to trust the government again and go along with what we want people to do.\"\n\nHe thanked the people of Wales for their sacrifice during the lockdown, saying: \"We have seen significant reductions in movement, we're confident there's been a reduction in household contact and all of those things will make a difference.\n\n\"What I can't do is rule out what we will have to do in the future because that is down to the choices we make.\"\n\nWhile pubs, bars and restaurants, gyms, and other non-essential businesses will be allowed to reopen on Monday, Mr Gething urged people to reduce contact and time spent with people outside their household bubble.\n\n\"We don't want to throw away what we think we have gained in the firebreak,\" said Mr Gething.\n\n\"If we go back to the way the things were before the firebreak, we'd have thrown away all of the sacrifice put together to make the firebreak successful and that would be heart-breaking for so many people who have done the right thing.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch how cases of Covid-19 have changed across Wales during the firebreak\n\nMr Gething warned that if infections surge again \"hospitals will become full\" then elective surgeries and other \"non-Covid care\" which was relatively unaffected during this latest lockdown, may be hit.\n\n\"It will mean people will be treated in an undignified way, it's about saving as many lives as possible,\" he said.\n\n\"It's to make sure the NHS isn't overwhelmed because, if that happens, then non-Covid care like cancer care, heart, stroke and all of those other treatments will be affected.\"\n\nWales has seen almost 7,000 coronavirus cases in the last seven days and the death toll is now more than 2,000 people since the pandemic began.\n\nWhile Office for National Statistics data suggests Covid-19 cases are \"stabilising\" across Wales and the UK, Mr Gething has said the effectiveness of the lockdown may not be known for another few weeks.\n\n\"The infection rates we see reported today reflect behaviour from two to three weeks ago,\" he said.\n\n\"That's how long it takes to feed through. We think we will see a dip in the next two to three weeks but we're cautious as we need to see what the evidence is.\"\n\nMerthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Blaenau Gwent have some of the worst Covid-19 infection rates in the UK and, amid calls from Plaid Cymru for widespread testing in high case rate areas, Mr Gething says the Welsh Government was \"considering\" mass testing.\n\n\"Liverpool is a test pilot for the UK,\" he said.\n\n\"We are looking at what might be possible here in Wales to go alongside how we can use our testing resources here.\"\n\nMr Gething said the Welsh Government would \"formally review\" the coronavirus data from across Wales in two weeks' time.\n\nThe people of Wales have been warned to expect another lockdown in the new year as First Minister Mark Drakeford has said there was a \"path through to Christmas\" without needing another \"firebreak\".\n\n\"If we avoid contact with other people and we travel only when we need to, work from home wherever we can, we will build on what has been achieved here over the last 17 days,\" Mark Drakeford told Sky News.\n\n\"That will give us a path through to Christmas without needing to go back into this extraordinary period of restriction.\"\n\nMr Drakeford has called on the UK government to make good on its promise for the four nations to meet this week and discuss a single approach to \"pool ideas, plan together and have a common approach to the Christmas period\".\n\n\"The restrictions people have had to live with are incredibly difficult and demanding, and everybody is tired and fatigued of coronavirus,\" he said.\n\n\"If we can offer respite over Christmas that is what we would want to do.\"", "Why do different news sites have different tallies?\n\nIf you are seeing different tallies at the top of the live coverage from various news sites, you might well be confused.\n\nThe BBC is projecting that Joe Biden will take Wisconsin, in line with our US sister network CBS.\n\nWith 99% of the votes counted, Biden currently has a lead there of just over 20,000 on Donald Trump. The tally above now includes the state's 10 electoral college votes.\n\nOur projection that Joe Biden is the presumptive winner in Wisconsin reflects the situation now. If, as the Trump campaign has requested, a recount takes place, we will report that and the result - and if necessary, we'll change our projections accordingly.\n\nFor the 2020 election, the BBC is using data supplied via Reuters, from polling firm Edison Research, which does the field work for the exit polls and works with US television networks in the National Election Pool.\n\nEdison Research has not projected a result for Wisconsin because the margin between Biden and Trump is less than one percentage point, meaning a candidate can request a recount.\n\nYou may have noticed that some other news sites are also projecting a win in Arizona for Biden, giving him an extra 11 electoral college votes. The BBC, again in line with CBS, considers the state too early to project.\n\nWith 87% of the vote in Arizona counted, Biden currently has a lead of about 68,000 over Trump.", "Teams in protective kit for the cull - usually mink are gassed with carbon monoxide\n\nDanish authorities have said a lockdown will be introduced in some areas over a coronavirus mutation found in mink that can spread to humans.\n\nThe government has warned that the effectiveness of any future vaccine could be affected by the mutation.\n\nBars, restaurants, public transport and all public indoor sports will be closed in seven North Jutland municipalities.\n\nThe restrictions will come into effect from Friday and initially last until 3 December.\n\nIt comes soon after an announcement that Denmark would cull all its mink - as many as 17 million.\n\nThe Scandinavian country is the world's biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong. Culling began late last month, after many mink cases were detected.\n\nOn Thursday, the World Health Organization said mink appear to be \"good reservoirs\" of coronavirus. It also commended Denmark's \"determination and courage\" for going ahead with the culls, despite the economic impact it would bring.\n\nThere are more than 1,000 mink farms in Denmark\n\nCoronavirus cases have been detected in other farmed mink in the Netherlands and Spain since the pandemic began in Europe.\n\nBut cases are spreading fast in Denmark - 207 mink farms in Jutland are affected - and at least five cases of the new virus strain were found. Authorities said 12 people had been infected with the mutated strain.\n\nMeanwhile, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said about half of the 783 human cases reported in north Denmark related to a strain of the virus that originated in the mink farms.\n\nUnder the new rules, gatherings of 10 or more people will be banned, and locals have been urged to stay within the affected municipalities and get tested.\n\nAt a press conference, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: \"Right now the eyes of the world are resting on us. I hope and believe that together we can solve the problems we face.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, Ms Frederiksen said the mutated virus had been found to weaken the body's ability to form antibodies, potentially making the current vaccines under development for Covid-19 ineffective.\n\nSince the start of the pandemic Denmark has reported 52,265 human cases of Covid-19 and 733 deaths, data from Johns Hopkins University shows.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Critics and supporters of the fur trade speak out\n\nSpain culled 100,000 mink in July after cases were detected at a farm in Aragón province, and tens of thousands of the animals were slaughtered in the Netherlands following outbreaks on farms there.\n\nStudies are under way to find out how and why mink have been able to catch and spread the infection.\n\nMink become infected through catching the virus from humans, the BBC's environment correspondent Helen Briggs reports.\n\nBut genetic detective work has shown that in a small number of cases, in the Netherlands and now Denmark, the virus seems to have passed the other way, from mink to humans, our correspondent adds.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Elsa Raven appeared in films such as The Amityville Horror and In The Line of Fire\n\nElsa Raven, a character actress who appeared in Back To The Future and Titanic, has died at the age of 91.\n\nShe appeared in episodes of TV series such as Everybody Loves Raymond, The A-Team and Seinfeld in her long career.\n\nBut Raven will perhaps be best remembered as the \"clock tower lady\" in 1985's Back To The Future.\n\nShe is seen in the film shaking a donations box in front of Marty McFly and his girlfriend Jennifer, urging them to help \"save the clock tower\".\n\nRaven died on Tuesday at home in Los Angeles, her agent David Shaul confirmed.\n\nRuss Cundiff, producer and co-founder of Divide Pictures, was among those paying tribute on social media, tweeting: \"RIP Elsa - you have no idea how much my sister and I loved your role and how many times we quoted you.\"\n\nBorn Elsa Rabinowitz in September 1929, Raven began her acting career on stage in New York City and went on to appear in several Hollywood films.\n\nRaven filmed several scenes for 1997's Titanic, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.\n\nMost of her scenes were cut from the feature film, but they were used in the music video for Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On, the movie's theme song.\n\nRaven can be seen in the video as one half of the older couple who embrace on the bed as water is pouring into their cabin.\n\nHer other roles included the estate agent who sold the house in The Amityville Horror, John Malkovich's landlady in In The Line of Fire and Gertrude Stein in The Moderns.\n\nThe actress's biggest TV roles included Inga the Swedish maid on Amen, Lucille on Days of Our Lives, and Tugboat Tessie on General Hospital.\n\nShe also appeared in several sitcoms including 3rd Rock From The Sun, as Aunt Florence, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and played multiple roles in Quincy ME during its seven year run, including a nurse and a judge.\n\nRaven was a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body which awards the Oscars.\n\nHer final acting role was in 2011, when she played Mrs Harrison in Answers To Nothing.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Tough restrictions on household visits and hospitality are starting to have an effect on the spread of Covid-19 in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has said.\n\nA new five-level system of restrictions came into force on Monday.\n\nThe first minister said the \"R number\" metric - showing on average how many people each patient with the virus will infect - had dropped to about one.\n\nShe said she still could not rule out a full lockdown, but said Scotland was in a \"better position\" than England.\n\nA further 1,216 cases of coronavirus were registered on Thursday, along with the deaths of 39 who had tested positive.\n\nThe number of people in hospital dropped by five to 1,252, while the number of patients in intensive care rose by one, to 95.\n\nMs Sturgeon said admissions to hospital had been \"slightly lower\" over the past seven days compared with previous weeks, saying this provided \"very tentative and cautious grounds for optimism.\"\n\nShe said: \"Scotland is in a relatively strong position because of the decisions we are taking, and the compliance of the public.\"\n\nThe government will continue to monitor the figures ahead of the first review of the five-level system next Tuesday.\n\nMs Sturgeon said she particularly wanted to see a clearer reduction in the number of cases as Scotland moves deeper into winter.\n\nShe said: \"There is no room for complacency, and that's why we should all continue to abide by the rules and why we will consider very carefully whether we need to take any further steps - either next week or in the weeks after that.\"\n\nThere have previously been suggestions that the government could introduce travel restrictions in law or move some areas or even the whole country into the top level of restrictions.\n\nAt her weekly question session at Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon was pressed by opposition leaders about the readiness of the NHS for winter and a second wave of the virus.\n\nConservative group leader Ruth Davidson raised the concerns of health staff who say the NHS is \"facing a perfect storm\" due to shortages of staff and hospital beds.\n\nThe first minister insisted that \"we are not short right now of staff or beds\", but said \"we do face a very challenging winter\".\n\nShe said: \"Our NHS is under intense pressure. We look closely at bed capacity and intensive care capacity literally on a daily basis across all the health boards of Scotland as we take judgements to ensure we are giving the health service the best chance of coping through winter.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said NHS staff absences due to stress and poor mental health had been rising for years, and the pandemic was \"just the tip of the iceberg\".\n\nMs Sturgeon said she worried \"deeply\" about the strain health staff are under, saying plans were in place to support their mental health.\n• None Sunak to extend furlough scheme to end of March", "A man has admitted killing his two children at their family home during lockdown.\n\nNadarajah Nithiyakumar attacked 19-month-old Pavinya and three-year-old Nigish with a knife in Ilford, east London, on 26 April.\n\nThe children's mother had been in the shower at the time and was the person who alerted police.\n\nNithiyakumar, 41, admitted two counts of manslaughter by diminished responsibility at the Old Bailey.\n\nEmergency services were called to the home in Aldborough Road North where they found both children injured.\n\nPavinya was pronounced dead at the scene while Nigish was rushed to a hospital in Whitechapel where he later died.\n\nThe children were found fatally injured in the home in Aldborough Road North\n\nNithiyakumar was also treated for knife wounds and when he was discharged from hospital he was charged with killing his children.\n\nThe 41-year-old admitted to police he had killed his son and daughter, explaining that he had been depressed and customers had \"upset him\" while he was working in a shop.\n\nProsecutor Duncan Atkinson QC told the Old Bailey psychiatrists believed the defendant was \"suffering from a delusional disorder\" which had \"led him to kill his children\".\n\n\"It was one from which he had suffered for some time, for the best part of 10 years, with very little indication and very little treatment,\" he said.\n\nMr Atkinson added that one expert thought it was \"remarkable he was able to function for as long as he did\" considering his condition.\n\nThe court heard the defendant had no previous history of violence and prosecutors felt it was \"appropriate to accept the plea of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility\", Mr Atkinson said.\n\nMrs Justice Cutts adjourned sentencing until 10 December, saying she would need \"further information from the doctors\".\n\nNithiyakumar was sent back to the medium secure mental health centre in east London where he has been treated.\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Uber's food delivery business has more than doubled, as the pandemic increases appetite for online grocery orders and restaurant takeaway.\n\nThe firm said revenue from its Uber Eats service hit $1.4bn (£1bn) in the three months to 30 September, jumping 124% from the same period in 2019.\n\nThe growth helped offset steep declines in the firm's core rides business.\n\nBut Uber still recorded a loss of about $1.1bn in the quarter, roughly the same as last year.\n\nUber boss Dara Khosrowshahi said demand for food delivery has stayed strong even as countries lift restrictions, a promising sign for growth in the Uber Eats business.\n\n\"We've got more eaters, they're staying longer, they're eating more,\" he told investors on a conference call to discuss the firm's quarterly results.\n\n\"There's no question in my mind that ... there's a fundamental behavioural shift that has gone on,\" he added later. \"People aren't going to stop using Amazon. People aren't going to stop using Eats.\"\n\nThe growth in delivery marked a stark contrast to the firm's ride-hailing business.\n\nThere, Uber said bookings and revenue for its taxi service remained roughly half of last year's levels, despite improvement since the spring.\n\nDemand has recovered most in Europe, while lagging in the US and Canada, its most important market, executives said.\n\nThey warned that the resurgence in Covid cases in Europe and new restrictions in countries like the UK and France would likely hit demand in coming months.", "Owners of iPhones and iPads could soon be able to play Fortnite again, via a cloud service, the BBC has discovered.\n\nNvidia has developed a version of its GeForce cloud gaming service that runs in the mobile web browser Safari.\n\nApple will not get a cut of virtual items sold within the battle royale fighting title when played this way.\n\nApple is embroiled in a legal fight with Fortnite's developer Epic, which led the iPhone-maker to remove the game from its iOS App Store.\n\nEpic has claimed that the 30% commission Apple charges on in-app gaming purchases is anti-competitive.\n\nBut Apple has accused Epic of wanting a \"free ride\".\n\nThe case is due to go to trial in May and could take years to be resolved.\n\nPapers filed in the case indicate that Fortnite had 116 million users on iOS, 73 million of whom only played it via Apple's operating system.\n\nUnlike Android, Apple does not allow games or other apps to be loaded on to its phones or tablets via app stores other than its own.\n\nBut it does not restrict which third-party services can run within Safari or other web browsers available via its store.\n\nNvidia spotlights GeForce Now's support for Fortnite on its website\n\nNvidia currently offers GeForce Now for Mac, Windows, Android and Chromebook computers.\n\nIt has not formally announced that it is bringing the service to iOS but is expected to do so before the winter holidays.\n\nHowever, it is still possible that Fortnite gets excluded from the list of games offered to Apple's devices.\n\nAccording to several online forums, the game was briefly removed from GeForce Now's Android service in December.\n\n\"Nvidia is not commenting on any new clients coming to the service, or on the availability of any game on unannounced or unreleased platforms,\" a spokesman for the firm told the BBC.\n\n\"Fortnite is not confirmed for GeForce Now on platforms beyond PC, Mac and Android.\"\n\nEpic also indicated it had nothing to say at this time.\n\nIn theory, Apple mobile device owners will be able to play Fortnite via Nvidia's service without charge.\n\nBoth the game and GeForce Now's basic tier offer free access, although Nvidia limits these sessions to one hour.\n\nIt is unclear whether playing via the cloud will put players at a disadvantage.\n\nNvidia uses remote computer servers to process the players' commands and to generate graphics. Streaming the relevant data back and forth to the mobile devices introduces a very short delay.\n\nWinning or losing Fortnite's multiplayer battles can come down to split-second decisions, so lag could be a problem.\n\nApple removed Fortnite from its App Store in August\n\nOne recent review of GeForce Now praised the platform's performance, but warned that there was an \"occasional degradation in the video quality\" and reports of \"spotty connection\" errors, even when tested on fast internet connections.\n\nAmazon already offers its rival Luna cloud-gaming platform to select \"early access\" iOS users, but does not include Fortnite in its current library of games.\n\nGoogle's Stadia cloud gaming service was briefly available to iOS users via an unofficial app, but it has since been removed from Apple's store and likewise did not support Fortnite.\n\nMicrosoft is reportedly developing a version of its xCloud service for the mobile version of Safari, but it is not clear when it will launch.", "A second lockdown will last until 2 December in England\n\nThe government has been criticised by the official statistics watchdog for the way it presented data to justify England's second lockdown.\n\nThe UK Statistics Authority highlighted the use of modelling at Saturday's TV briefing showing the possible death toll from Covid this winter.\n\nIt said there needed to be more transparency about data and how predictions were being made.\n\nThe projections were out of date and over-estimated deaths, it has emerged.\n\nA forecast made by Public Health England and Cambridge University said the country could soon be seeing more than 4,000 deaths a day.\n\nThe projections were shown at the TV briefing on Saturday when lockdown was announced\n\nThe projection was made weeks ago and had forecast there would be 1,000 deaths a day by the end of October when the average was actually four times less than that - a fact that was known at the time of Saturday's TV briefing.\n\nWhat is more, the model had already been updated to predict a lower estimate, but this was not used in the briefing fronted by chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty, alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson.\n\nIt is understood the graph was used by the two senior advisers in meetings last week where the decision to impose a nationwide lockdown in England was made.\n\nThe pair were grilled about it by MPs on Tuesday and Sir Patrick apologised for any confusion caused.\n\nSir David Norgrove , chair of the UK Statistics Authority, said: \"I recognise the pressures faced by all those working on decisions related to coronavirus.\n\n\"But full transparency of data used to inform decisions is vital to public understanding and public confidence.\"\n\nThe use of the data has also drawn criticism from former prime minister Theresa May, who abstained from the lockdown vote in parliament on Wednesday. The vote saw MPs agree to the four-week restrictions in England.\n\nSir David Spiegelhalter, one of the most respected statisticians in the country, said the whole saga had been \"really unfortunate\".\n\nBut he said the situation with Covid was sufficient to warrant \"radical action\" - but it was not for him to say what precise measures were needed and the decisions to be taken must look at the bigger picture.", "Hundreds of musicians staged a protest outside Parliament in early October\n\nThe government has been urged to do more to help performers and other arts freelancers as venues are shut again during lockdowns in England and Wales.\n\nLabour MP Chris Elmore told the House of Commons there were \"growing numbers of freelancers, musicians, performance artists who are excluded\" from support.\n\nTheatre workers face \"adding to the queues at food banks\", another MP said.\n\nArts minister Caroline Dinenage said the government was \"working very hard\" to help freelancers access support.\n\nShe said Arts Council England had allocated £119m for individuals, on top of the £1.57bn available to venues in England through the government's Culture Recovery Fund.\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden acknowledged that a third of freelancers in all walks of life had not been able to access the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, which the government confirmed on Thursday would be extended to cover 80% of average trading profits.\n\n\"I understand the many challenges faced by freelancers and I hear about it every day,\" Mr Dowden said. \"It is the case that across the economy 66% of freelancers are able to benefit from the Treasury scheme, which has been increased again by the chancellor.\"\n\nResponding to Chancellor Rishi Sunak's announcement, Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, said she was \"delighted\" but that \"expanding the eligibility criteria remains essential for preventing an exodus of highly skilled talent from our world-leading arts sector\".\n\nThe Musicians' Union said the extension of SEISS was \"fantastic news for many of our members\", but added that it was \"time to close the gaps in support\" that it said 38% of musicians had fallen through.\n\nThe Equity performers' union has said 40% of members were ineligible for SEISS, and warned last week that \"the trickle of lost talent will become a flood\".\n\nSpeaking in the House of Commons earlier on Thursday, Labour MP Ruth Cadbury said she had been contacted by West End performers, make-up artists, instrumentalists and others who had been struggling to survive on benefits after being ineligible for other support.\n\n\"Here in west London, Universal Credit barely [covers] or fails to cover the cost of rent, meaning they now face going through lockdown with no additional support and adding to the queues at food banks,\" she said.\n\nMr Elmore said: \"There are growing numbers of freelancers, musicians, performance artists who are excluded from getting any support from government… and there are growing numbers of organisations calling for support specifically for musicians.\"\n\nIn response, Ms Dinenage said: \"Our world-beating cultural and creative industries are absolutely nothing without the people who work in them, and we're working very hard to help freelancers in those sectors to access support, particularly if they don't qualify for the SEISS.\n\n\"Arts Council England has made £119m available to individuals, £23m of that has already been distributed and about £96m is still available to apply for.\"\n\nShe added that the Culture Recovery Fund would \"benefit freelancers because it does enable organisations to be assisted to reopen, and to restart performances, maybe in a digital or live stream capacity\".\n\nThe National Audit Office reported last month that up to 2.9 million people had fallen through the cracks of the furlough and SEISS schemes.\n\nAlso in October, the charity Help Musicians published the results of a survey saying more than half of musicians were not earning anything at all from music, and that four in five were worried about being able to pay their household bills.\n\nBefore the latest lockdown, 22% of businesses in the arts, entertainment and recreation industry had temporarily closed or paused trading - more than in any other sector; and the industry had the highest proportion of its workforce on furlough, at 27%, according to the Office For National Statistics.\n\nMeanwhile on Thursday, singer Van Morrison launched The Lockdown Financial Hardship Fund for musicians, and started a petition calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to provide a timeline for live music to resume.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Police had been called to North Place in Colliers Wood on Tuesday morning\n\nA man has been charged with kidnapping and raping a teenage girl in south-west London.\n\nPolice were called to North Place in Colliers Wood shortly after 07:00 GMT on Tuesday over reports of an alleged attack.\n\nKadian Nelson, of the Mitcham area, has been charged with rape and kidnap, the Met Police said.\n\nThe 26-year-old is due to appear at Croydon Magistrates' Court later on Thursday.\n\nScotland Yard added that the girl and her family \"continue to be supported by specialist officers\".\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Police said they expect the number of arrests to rise\n\nPolice have arrested at least 104 protesters during anti-lockdown demonstrations in central London.\n\nA large police presence remains in place near Trafalgar Square where the protest was dispersed shortly after 19:00 GMT.\n\nSmaller groups of protesters remained on Oxford Street and along the Strand.\n\nThe Metropolitan Police said: \"This gathering is unlawful and is putting others at risk. We are directing those there to go home.\"\n\nOfficers urged demonstrators to disperse as they took to the streets near Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening, warning those who had gathered that they were breaching coronavirus restrictions.\n\nProtesters began to walk up the Strand soon after 18:00 GMT, chanting \"freedom\" and \"no more lockdown\".\n\nSome protesters wore Guy Fawkes masks as part of the anti-government Million Mask March held annually on 5 November\n\nCommander Jane Connors said: \"Our main priority this evening has been to keep Londoners safe.\n\n\"We are eight months into this national pandemic and frankly there can be no excuse for people to dangerously breach regulations which are there to prevent further spread of Coronavirus.\n\n\"Tonight, a crowd of people chose to ignore the new regulations, to behave irresponsibly and meet in a dangerous manner. More than 100 of these people have now been arrested and will have to face the consequences of their actions.\n\n\"We expect the number of arrests to increase as our policing operation continues into the night.\n\n\"I would continue to urge people across the city to keep yourselves safe and stick to the regulations.\"\n\nProtesters have been told to head home or face arrest\n\nThe Met said in a statement the majority of arrests were for breaches of coronavirus regulations.\n\nNew restrictions mean people should stay at home except for education, work, exercise, medical reasons, shopping for essentials, or to care for others.\n\nHouseholds are not allowed to mix with others indoors, or outdoors.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Dominic Chappell was not of \"positive good character\", prosecutors said\n\nDominic Chappell, the former owner of BHS, has been sentenced to six years in jail for tax evasion.\n\nA Southwark Crown Court jury found him guilty of failing to pay tax of around £584,000 on £2.2m of income he received after buying the failed chain for £1.\n\nThe court heard the 53-year-old spent the money on two yachts, a Bentley and a holiday to the Bahamas.\n\nChappell's lawyers claimed he became \"utterly broke\" after BHS's \"pension problem exploded\" in 2015.\n\nMr Chappell controversially bought the retailer from tycoon Sir Philip Green that year, but the chain collapsed soon after in 2016. It led to the loss of 11,000 jobs and a pension deficit of £571m.\n\nIn sentencing, the judge said Chappell had engaged in a \"long and consistent course of conduct designed to cheat the revenue\".\n\n\"You are not of positive good character. Your offending occurs against a backdrop of successive bankruptcies,\" he said.\n\nSimon York, director of the Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, said: \"This was deliberate theft from UK citizens. Chappell was a high-profile businessman who knew tax had to be paid on his income and profits but chose not to do so.\n\n\"That's money that should have been supporting our vital public services instead of funding his lavish lifestyle.\"\n\nBHS, once one of Britain's best known retailers, was losing £1m a week and had a huge pension deficit when Chappell's consortium, Retail Acquisitions, bought it in 2015.\n\nIn his year of ownership Mr Chappell received £2.5m in payments from BHS , largely for consultancy fees provided by another of his companies, the bankrupt finance firm Swiss Rock Limited.\n\nSir Philip Green was heavily criticised for agreeing to the deal, and later agreed a £363m cash settlement with the Pensions Regulator to plug the gap in the pension scheme.\n\nHowever, on Thursday prosecutors condemned Chappell for spending large sums of money at a time when he should have been trying to save BHS.\n\n\"Chappell purchased the struggling retail chain for just £1 and was paid thousands of pounds in his new role, where he was tasked with avoiding more redundancies,\" said crown prosecutor Andrew Fox.\n\n\"Instead, while the company fell further into financial difficulty, he spent his new income lavishly on luxury breaks abroad and expensive yachts.\"\n\nThe court heard Chappell, a former racing driver, also bought £11,000 worth of items from a gun and outdoor wear shop, including expensive Beretta firearms.\n\nProsecutors said HMRC repeatedly tried to chase down the missing funds, but Chappell ignored their requests, at one point going on a skiing break before asking for more time to pay the money when he returned home.\n\nIn his defence, Chappell argued he was too busy resolving issues with BHS to deal with the outstanding taxes that were due.\n\nHe had denied three charges of tax fraud.\n\nEarlier this year Chappell was ordered to pay £9.5m into BHS pension schemes after losing an appeal.\n\nAnd in 2019 the Government's Insolvency Service banned him from running a company for 10 years, saying he had carried out \"reckless financial transactions\" and \"failed to maintain adequate company records\".", "Why do different news sites have different tallies?\n\nIf you are seeing different tallies at the top of the live coverage from various news sites, you might well be confused.\n\nThe BBC is projecting that Joe Biden will take Wisconsin, in line with our US sister network CBS.\n\nWith 99% of the votes counted, Biden currently has a lead there of just over 20,000 on Donald Trump. The tally above now includes the state's 10 electoral college votes.\n\nOur projection that Joe Biden is the presumptive winner in Wisconsin reflects the situation now. If, as the Trump campaign has requested, a recount takes place, we will report that and the result - and if necessary, we'll change our projections accordingly.\n\nFor the 2020 election, the BBC is using data supplied via Reuters, from polling firm Edison Research, which does the field work for the exit polls and works with US television networks in the National Election Pool.\n\nEdison Research has not projected a result for Wisconsin because the margin between Biden and Trump is less than one percentage point, meaning a candidate can request a recount.\n\nYou may have noticed that some other news sites are also projecting a win in Arizona for Biden, giving him an extra 11 electoral college votes. The BBC, again in line with CBS, considers the state too early to project.\n\nWith 87% of the vote in Arizona counted, Biden currently has a lead of about 68,000 over Trump.", "The government is facing criticism over its guidance on safe visits to care homes in England.\n\nLabour and a number of charities have described the suggestions, including floor-to-ceiling screens, designated visitor pods and window visits, as impractical.\n\nAlzheimer's Society has said it \"completely misses the point\".\n\nThe updated government advice, which came into effect on Thursday, says care homes - especially those which have not allowed visits since March - \"will be encouraged and supported to provide safe visiting opportunities\".\n\nVisits should be \"tailored to residents and facilities and should prioritise residents and staff's safety\" to limit the spread of coronavirus, the advice says, with measures such as social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE).\n\nCare minister Helen Whately said the new measures would give people more opportunities to see loved ones \"in a safe way\".\n\nHowever, Julia Jones, co-founder of dementia charity John's Campaign, told the Today programme that visits should be more \"meaningful\" than meeting through a window.\n\n\"When people are in the later stages of dementia, when people love each other, when people are approaching the end of their lives, they need to hold hands,\" she said.\n\nThe chief executive of leading care home group MHA, Sam Monaghan, told the programme the best way to carry out Covid-secure visits in care homes was \"through routine testing of at least one relative for each resident\".\n\nAsked about such a scheme, Mr Buckland stressed the government was \"interested in all ideas that are Covid-compliant\" and that the guidance was not an exhaustive list of options.\n\nAll face-to-face visits were banned during the first national lockdown in the spring.\n\nGuidance in England over recent months has allowed visits on a \"limited basis\" where alternative arrangements were not possible, but visits have been severely curtailed or prohibited entirely in those areas subject to enhanced restrictions, which have applied to large parts of England.\n\nMs Whately said she knew the restrictions on visiting had been \"incredibly painful\" and she had been \"in tears\" with some of the stories she had heard.\n\nShe said the government was \"absolutely trying to enable more visiting\" but, against the \"backdrop of this second wave\", it was \"only right that we make sure visiting care homes is safe\".\n\nShe said a trial would start later this week as part of plans to carry out testing on visitors to care homes.\n\nThe government also said a new national programme for weekly testing of professionals who regularly visit care homes would be \"rolled out in the coming weeks\" following a pilot in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Northamptonshire.\n\nLabour's shadow care minister Liz Kendall said many care homes would not be able to comply with the government's requirements which meant \"in reality thousands of families are likely to be banned from visiting their loved ones\".\n\nShe said instead of suggesting measures such as screens, the government should \"designate a single family member as a key worker - making them a priority for weekly testing and proper PPE\".\n\nKate Lee, chief executive at Alzheimer's Society, said: \"We're devastated by today's new care home visitor guidance - it completely misses the point: this attempt to protect people will kill them.\"\n\nShe said the pandemic had left people with dementia isolated and thousands had died. The guidelines \"completely ignore the vital role of family carers in providing the care for their loved ones with dementia that no one else can\", she added.\n\nShe said the \"prison-style screens\" proposed by the government with people speaking through phones were \"frankly ridiculous when you consider someone with advanced dementia can often be bed-bound and struggling to speak\".\n\nThat view was echoed by Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, who said she was \"acutely aware\" that the methods being sanctioned were \"unlikely to be useable by many older people with dementia, or indeed sensory loss\".\n\nShe added: \"Overall we think this new guidance is too restrictive. In practice we fear it will result in many care homes halting meaningful visiting altogether, because they will be unable to comply with the requirements laid down.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson said there was 'light at the end of the tunnel' as a new lockdown began in England\n\nThe prime minister has stressed that people in England should stay at home, as a second lockdown begins.\n\nBoris Johnson said he knew people were weary but four weeks of measures would make a \"real impact\" on the virus.\n\nPubs, restaurants and non-essential shops were forced to close on Thursday as part of the new restrictions.\n\nEarlier, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the furlough scheme to support jobs would be extended across the UK until the end of March.\n\nSpeaking at a press conference in Downing Street, Mr Johnson said the measures were \"not a repeat of the spring\" and there was \"light at the end of the tunnel\".\n\nHe said the restrictions in England would \"automatically expire\" on 2 December. There is expected to be another vote on the next steps needed to tackle the virus before the lockdown ends.\n\nHe added that although the challenge was \"significant across the UK\", the devolved nations were working together on a \"joint approach\", with the objective of having \"as normal a Christmas as possible\".\n\nThe devolved nations each make their own restrictions with Wales currently in a 17-day firebreak lockdown, while Scotland is in a tier system and Northern Ireland in the midst of a four-week limited lockdown.\n\nIn addition to the extension of the furlough scheme, the prime minister said a further £1.1bn will be made available for local authorities to support businesses, with £2bn for the devolved nations.\n\nHe said the government will also put £15m towards a scheme to help to provide accommodation for rough sleepers during the pandemic. This money is part of funding previously announced by the government to tackle homelessness.\n\nMr Johnson said by September the government had supported more than 29,000 vulnerable people, with two thirds now moved into settled accommodation.\n\nThe UK recorded a further 378 coronavirus deaths and 24,141 confirmed cases on Thursday.\n\nNHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens, who appeared alongside the prime minister, said about 30,000 staff in the health service were either off with coronavirus or were having to self-isolate, and \"that has an impact\".\n\n\"This second wave of coronavirus is real and it's serious,\" he said.\n\n\"The health service has been working incredibly hard to prepare and to catch up on the care that was disrupted during the first wave.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Simon Stevens said hospitals were filling up across Europe, including in the UK\n\nSir Simon added it will be known \"conclusively\" by the end of the second national lockdown whether it had affected the increase in Covid-19 hospital admissions, but said the NHS was \"hoping and expecting\" they would not see the increases that infectious disease experts had warned about.\n\nEarlier, the UK Statistics Authority criticised the way data has been presented by the government to justify England's second lockdown, highlighting the use of modelling in a TV briefing on Saturday showing the possible death toll from Covid this winter.\n\nShunning projections that have proved so controversial, NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens tried to play it straight at the news briefing.\n\nHe presented a chart showing how the numbers in hospital have gone up since the summer with more than 11,000 in hospital in England.\n\nHe then provided some important context - comparing that to the numbers in hospital with flu - around 3,000 in the depths of winter - or getting treatment for cancer, normally 7,000.\n\nThis shows the burden Covid is placing on the health service.\n\nBut two things that were not shown were the numbers in hospital at the peak in the spring - 17,000 - or the number of free beds, thought to be 15,000 to 20,000.\n\nWe don't know the latter because NHS bosses are not publishing them.\n\nAn important point on the day that the UK Statistics Authority called for greater transparency over the way Covid data is presented.\n\nUnlike the first national lockdown in March, schools, universities, and nurseries will remain open, and people will be able to meet another person who they do not live with in an outdoor public place such as a park or beach.\n\nThe rules say people cannot mix with anyone they do not live with indoors or in private gardens and people should stay at home except for specific reasons including education and work, if it cannot be done from home.", "Figures showed 82% of secondary schools recorded at least one case of the virus among pupils or staff\n\nAlmost half of schools in Wales have had at least one case of coronavirus since the start of September, according to new data.\n\nFigures from Public Health Wales showed 44% of schools in Wales had been affected by the virus since then.\n\nThey showed 82% of secondary schools recorded at least one case of the virus among pupils or staff.\n\nIn primary schools the figure was lower, with 39% recording a positive case so far.\n\nPublic Health Wales said cases linked to schools did not \"necessarily imply that transmission occurred in that setting\".\n\nSecondary school pupils in Years 9 and above are currently at home because of the firebreak lockdown.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Billy: \"I got upset when I was told to isolate\"\n\nYounger children returned to classes as normal after half-term.\n\nSince 1 September there have been 1,150 coronavirus cases in pupils recorded across Wales.\n\nOver the same period there were 951 cases in staff.\n\nMore than half of schools with cases recorded in the past 21 days had fewer than five people testing positive.\n\nThree schools in Wales had more than 20 positive cases - with one recording 40 cases.\n\nThere were fewer cases recorded among primary school pupils\n\nStatistics suggested there were more coronavirus cases in older age groups.\n\nCases among 17 to 18-year-olds peaked at more than 600 per 100,000 of the population.\n\nMeanwhile, for pupils aged 16 and under, rates have never exceeded 200 per 100,000 of the population.\n\nThe data suggested that last week there were around twice as many Covid-19 cases linked to schools in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area than anywhere else in Wales.\n\nIt comes after Merthyr Tydfil, in the health board's area, posted the highest Covid-19 rates in the UK.\n\nThe area was one of nine local authorities where every secondary school recorded coronavirus cases.\n\nIn contrast only a third of secondary schools in Gwynedd had cases - while there were no cases recorded at secondary schools in Ceredigion.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Pupils are \"getting used to the new pattern of life\"\n\nThe data from Public Health Wales does not include independent primary and secondary schools.\n\nAll schools in Wales will reopen as normal from Monday following the end of the firebreak lockdown.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Economy Minister Ken Skates gives his reaction to the furlough extension\n\nThe chancellor's announcement that the furlough job support scheme will be extended until March has been welcomed in Wales amid complaints it should have come sooner.\n\nRishi Sunak said it will cover up to 80% of a wage up to £2,500 a month.\n\nHe told the Commons that UK ministers will review the policy in January.\n\nWales' Economy Minister Ken Skates said the Welsh Government had been calling \"for some time\" for furlough to be extended.\n\nThe availability of funding for businesses and staff who cannot work during Wales' current 17-day firebreak lockdown has caused a row between the Welsh and UK governments.\n\nA less generous Job Support Scheme had been due to come into effect on 1 November, until the original Job Retention Scheme, known as furlough, was extended until December to cover the four-week lockdown which began in England on Thursday.\n\nWales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said it was not fair that the Treasury waited until England's lockdown was announced to extend furlough throughout the UK.\n\nAs part of the revised scheme, now extended to the end of March, anyone made redundant after 23 September can be rehired and put back on furlough.\n\nThis includes anyone laid off by a Welsh firm during the Wales-wide firebreak which began on 23 October, a week before the scheme was originally due to end.\n\nSpeaking at a Welsh Government coronavirus briefing, Mr Skates said there was a \"necessity to support people for as long as it takes to get through the pandemic, so I would welcome the chancellor's announcement today\".\n\n\"Of course I'll be digesting the detail of the announcement and implications for Wales, but... the greatest risk to the economy, to our wellbeing, our economic wellbeing, is in doing too little and too late.\"\n\nRishi Sunak said the scheme was for \"all the people of the United Kingdom\"\n\nReacting to the announcement in the Commons, Pontypridd Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones claimed businesses in Wales had suffered because UK ministers had \"blocked\" Welsh ministers from using key job support schemes during the current lockdown in Wales.\n\nMr Sunak responded that \"10,000 of her constituents\" had had their jobs supported by the UK government furlough scheme.\n\nPlaid Cymru's Treasury spokesperson, Ben Lake MP, welcomed the extension of furlough, but said the chancellor should have apologised for the \"uncertainty that his initial refusal, and subsequent U-turn, had caused households and businesses\".\n\nArguments about the availability of furlough support during lockdowns not including England had been fuelled by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday when he told Parliament: \"If other parts of the UK decide to go into measures which require the furlough scheme then of course that is available to them - that applies not just now but in the future.\"\n\nOn Thursday, Mr Sunak said: \"The furlough scheme was designed and delivered by the government of the United Kingdom on behalf of all the people of the United Kingdom - wherever they live.\n\n\"That has been the case since March; it is the case now; and it will remain the case until next March.\"\n\nThe chancellor also confirmed the Welsh Government will be receiving £600m more funding as a result of additional spending in England - bringing the total during the pandemic to £5bn.\n\nPaul Davies, who leads the Conservative group in the Senedd said furlough extension would be \"very re-assuring for a lot of Welsh workers and that again just shows the UK government's commitment to Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom\".\n\nSimon James says his firm has had a huge number of enquiries from companies wanting to make staff redundant\n\nSimon James, managing director of Cardiff-based Atlantic Resource recruitment services, has seen a \"very big influx\" of people made redundant because the furlough scheme had been coming to end.\n\nThey were \"preparing to do jobs that really they're not really wanting to do just to ensure they've got an income,\" he said.\n\nMr James said his firm's legal side had also had a \"massive influx of clients requesting information on how to make people redundant\".\n\nAlex Cole: \"It's tough times, it's worrying and stressful, but you have to carry on\"\n\nAlex Cole has worked in hospitality for 16 years was put on furlough in March and made redundant about five weeks ago.\n\nHe is hoping to get a job at a new Cardiff city centre restaurant and bar on which building work is currently being finished.\n\nMr Cole said his line of work had been \"shot again\" by the current Wales-wide 17-day lockdown \"which means my prospects - mine meaning millions of others within this industry - have been cut in half\".\n\n\"Applying for jobs is hard, there are loads of people going for the same roles, with the same qualifications, the same expertise in what they do.\n\n\"It's tough times, it's worrying and stressful, but you have to carry on, stay positive, stay strong.\"", "In the second question from the public, the PM is asked what consideration has been given to limited vaccine success and how we live with Covid going forward if they don't work.\n\nJohnson says there is a \"tripod we are resting our programme on the way ahead\", starting with therapeutics and medicines, moving to the testing regime, and then the vaccines.\n\n\"That's the way forward, but if you talk to the scientists they believe things will start naturally to improve in the spring for other reasons\", such as the improvement in weather conditions.\n\nThe PM adds: \"I think the real progress we are going to see is with science.\n\n\"There isn't a virus that has threatened humanity that we haven't beaten.\"\n\nSir Simon says there are six \"front runner\" vaccines and the ones coming first are the \"cleverest\", so he remains positive.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nThe Premier League is likely to scrap the controversial pay-per-view method for matches after November's international window.\n\nClubs will instead look to devise a new solution that will cover the Christmas period.\n\nA definitive decision was not taken at a shareholders' meeting on Thursday but discussions are said to be ongoing.\n\nHowever, the £14.95 fee - which led to significant protests among fan groups - is expected to be dropped.\n\nIt is understood the model used in September, when all games were shown live by the Premier League's broadcast partners, is the likely direction of travel.\n\nPay-per-view remains on the table but a final decision is not expected this week.\n\nIn a statement, the Premier League said shareholders met on Thursday \"to discuss a number of important issues\", including the broadcast options for matches following the international break.\n\n\"Discussions with all stakeholders are ongoing and a broadcast solution will be announced in due course,\" it added.\n\nMore than £300,000 has been raised for charity by fans boycotting pay-per-view games, which were introduced in October after clubs voted 19-1 in favour of the \"interim solution\".\n\nLiverpool's fan group the Spirit of Shankly described the decision to charge £14.95 as \"disgraceful\", while the Football Supporters' Association said many fans were \"concerned\" over the price and wanted it reduced.\n\nFollowing Thursday's meeting, an FSA spokesperson said: \"Supporters made clear their revulsion at the £15 cost to see their teams on Sky and BT Sport's pay-per-view platforms last month, an emotion running so deep that fan protests across the country even reached the ears of untouchable Premier League club owners.\n\n\"We await to see the detail of what the Premier League and its broadcasters will now offer supporters who remain locked out of grounds for the foreseeable future - they simply must come up with a solution that is affordable for all.\"\n\nNewcastle owner Mike Ashley and manager Steve Bruce have said the fee for one-off matches is too high, while former Manchester United and England right-back Gary Neville, now a Sky pundit, said the system \"just needs scrapping\".\n\nPay-per-view will still be used for this weekend's fixtures, for games not selected for regular television broadcast, and whatever decision is made would come into force from 21 November and is due to last for the rest of the year.\n\nLast month, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the £14.95 fee was \"defensible\", and the announcement of the model came at a time when top-flight clubs were lobbying for spectators to be allowed back into grounds.\n\nHowever, England has since entered a second national lockdown, which will last until 2 December, and hopes of an imminent return of fans have faded.\n\nIn September, all 28 Premier League matches were shown live, with all broadcast partners - Sky Sports, BT Sport, the BBC and Amazon Prime - screening matches.\n\nMeanwhile, the Premier League said its shareholders also reiterated that a rescue package remains on the table for EFL clubs suffering financially during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\n\"The offer guarantees no EFL club need go out of business as a result of the pandemic in the 2020-21 season, and our intention is to play an active role in helping clubs return to financial stability,\" it said in a statement.\n\n\"The Premier League will engage directly with any EFL club that is suffering severe financial losses due to the pandemic, and will remain in dialogue with the EFL on this important issue.\n\n\"The rescue package is on top of solidarity payments totalling £110m already advanced to the EFL this season, alongside additional financial support for youth development and community programmes.\"\n• Watch 13 first-round ties on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app this weekend. Find out more here.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A woman was arrested after removing her mother, who has dementia, from her care home\n\nA retired nurse was arrested after she removed her 97-year-old mother from a care home before lockdown began.\n\nYlenia Angeli, 73, said she took \"drastic action\" due to a lack of face-to-face contact during the pandemic.\n\nShe said she wanted to care for her mother, who has dementia, herself. She was returned to the home and Ms Angeli was released without further action.\n\nHumberside Police said it was called to reports of an assault. The care home has declined to comment.\n\nThe Prime Minister's official spokesman said they \"understand how difficult the current situation is\" and would be publishing new guidance to enable more visits to take place in a safe and \"Covid-secure\" environment.\n\nMs Angeli, from Market Weighton, was later de-arrested and the force said it was their \"legal duty\" to return her mother to the care home.\n\nThe incident took place on Tuesday as Ms Angeli visited her mother with her daughter, former Coronation Street actress Leandra Ashton, who filmed the arrest.\n\nMs Ashton said her mother, who previously lived in Shetland, had been pushed to \"breaking point\" because they had been unable to see her grandmother for nine months.\n\nShe said: \"When we got there things just escalated. We didn't plan it, it was just a moment of high emotions.\"\n\nLeandra Ashton said care home restrictions on seeing family had meant her grandmother's condition had deteriorated\n\nMs Ashton said the family had been allowed \"window visits\" or Skype calls but these had caused too much distress to her grandmother.\n\n\"Because the home are now stopping window visits due to the lockdown, we we were desperate to see her,\" she explained.\n\n\"My mum has wanted to look after for her for a very long time and it just seemed like an opportunity to physically take her.\"\n\nMs Ashton, from York, appeared in Coronation Street in 2016 as Saskia Larson, whose fiance Will Chatterton had an affair with wedding planner Michelle Connor.\n\nShe said the family only had power of attorney over her grandmother's finances but not her health and wellbeing.\n\n\"Every attempt to see my Nan has been met with inflexibility,\" she said.\n\n\"Other homes have been creative in how they've allowed relatives to visit but we've just constantly hit a brick wall.\n\n\"These are such desperate times and there doesn't seem to be a rational explanation as to why we can't find a safe way.\"\n\nIn a statement, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Noble, of Humberside Police, said the force responded to \"a report of an assault at a care home\" in Market Weighton at 11:15 GMT on Tuesday.\n\nHe added: \"The care home had also reported that a woman who they were legally responsible for had been taken from the home by her daughter.\n\n\"Officers found both women along with a third woman nearby and informed them that they would need to return the lady to the home, as is their legal duty to do so.\n\n\"The situation was distressing and emotional for everyone and the woman did not want her mother to be returned to the care home staff.\"\n\nACC Noble said officers \"briefly\" restrained Mrs Agneli until the situation was under control.\n\nThe spokesman at Downing Street said there was not a \"one-size-fits all answer unfortunately\" to whether families could take their loved ones out of care homes.\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.\n• None 'I have cancer but I am not going to shield'", "Cases and hospital admissions have been steadily rising\n\nThere were more than 100,000 new cases of coronavirus in the US on Wednesday - a record one-day increase.\n\nThe figure, reported by the Covid Tracking Project, is accompanied by a steep rise in hospital admissions - suggesting that it is not solely due to increased testing.\n\nMore than 1,100 deaths linked to coronavirus were recorded on Wednesday.\n\nThe Covid crisis is being overshadowed by tensions over vote counting in the fraught aftermath of the US election.\n\nMore than 50,000 people across the US are currently in hospital with coronavirus - an increase of about 64% from early October.\n\nAverage daily death rates in the country have also been increasing again, although they are still lower than at the start of the pandemic.\n\nIn an interview with the Washington Post newspaper on Friday, commenting on the US nearing 100,00 cases, the country's top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci said: \"We're in for a whole lot of hurt.\"\n\nHe added that the US \"could not possibly be positioned more poorly\", with colder weather driving people indoors.\n\nIn response, White House spokesman Judd Deere said the comments were \"unacceptable and breaking with all norms\".\n\nWith almost 9.5 million total coronavirus infections and more than 233,000 deaths, the US has both the highest number of cases and the highest total death toll in the world.", "A worker shuts the doors in a bar in Bristol city centre, ahead of the lockdown beginning\n\nPeople who seriously flout new lockdown restrictions in England will face steep fines, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has warned.\n\nUnder the rules, people have been told to stay at home and non-essential shops, pubs and gyms ordered to close.\n\nHouseholds are also banned from mixing indoors or in private gardens, unless in a support bubble.\n\nCurrently there is a £200 fine for each breach which doubles on every offence up to a maximum of £6,400.\n\nMeanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will give a Downing Street press conference at 17:00 GMT, alongside NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens.\n\nIt comes as the chancellor extended the furlough scheme across the UK until the end of March - paying up to 80% of an employee's wages up to £2,500 a month.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Buckland said law enforcement would continue its approach of \"policing by consent\" to encourage the public to comply with the four-week lockdown.\n\nBut he added that police would respond to \"egregious breaches\" and then the law would \"take its course\".\n\nHe said: \"Where a more intense intervention is needed then the police will be involved and of course the fine structure is still in force.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. From getting your bike repaired to going to the vet, Laura Foster explains the things you're allowed to do this lockdown\n\nThe National Police Chiefs Council has also warned the most serious offenders will face fines.\n\nMr Buckland said he supported the police clamping down on the \"tiny minority\" of people who are not willing to obey the lockdown.\n\n\"I think the message has to go out very clearly that this will only work if we all play our part,\" he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nThere will also be an expansion of the number of Covid marshals, who help ensure social distancing rules are followed in local communities, according to Mr Buckland.\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak told MPs the extension of the furlough scheme, which the government will review in January, would \"give people and businesses up and down our country immense comfort over what will be a difficult winter\".\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told Holyrood she had not seen the detail of the announcement, but she would \"unreservedly welcome\" an extension of furlough on 80% terms.\n\nHer Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford tweeted that the announcement gave businesses and workers \"some certainty\".\n\nElsewhere, the governor of the Bank of England has vowed to do \"everything we can\" to support the economy, announcing a further £150bn of support. It has left interest rates on hold at a record low of 0.1%.\n\nOn Wednesday, MPs backed the lockdown, which aims to combat a surge in coronavirus cases and replaces the three tiers of regional restrictions that were previously in place across England.\n\nMr Johnson has said the lockdown will \"expire automatically\" on 2 December, and there is expected to be another vote on the next steps needed to tackle the virus before it ends.\n\nIt came as the UK recorded a further 492 coronavirus deaths - the highest daily figure since 19 May - and 25,177 confirmed cases.\n\nUnder the new restrictions, people should stay at home except for specific reasons including education and work, if it cannot be done from home.\n\nAll non-essential retailers, leisure and entertainment venues must shut, with pubs and restaurants told to close except for takeaways.\n\nDowning Street said there was \"no change\" to a ban on religious services, after Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, said there was no scientific evidence for the decision.\n\nThe prime minister's official spokesperson said the government was continuing to work with faith leaders and added places of worship were open for private prayer.\n\nUnlike the first lockdown in March, schools, universities, and nurseries will remain open, and people will be able to meet another person who they do not live with in an outdoor public place such as a park or beach.\n\nThe rules say people cannot mix with anyone they do not live with indoors or in private gardens.", "Constantine said it felt \"liberating\" to publicly acknowledge her alcohol battle for the first time\n\nFormer What Not To Wear presenter Susannah Constantine has revealed she is an alcoholic and has been in recovery for almost seven years.\n\nThe TV host said she previously felt \"a lot of shame\" about her drinking.\n\nBut she added it has been \"liberating\" to publicly acknowledge it for the first time.\n\n\"I'm an alcoholic and I've been in recovery for nearly seven years now,\" Constantine told the My Mate Bought A Toaster podcast.\n\nThe 58-year-old has previously referred to giving up alcohol, but not discussed the full extent of her drinking.\n\nIn 2017, she told The Mirror: \"I stopped drinking entirely three years ago. Alcohol is fun when you're younger, but it's also a crutch, and it wasn't having a great impact on my life. Nowadays, I'm happy writing and gathering dust at my desk.\"\n\nConstantine co-presented five series of the BBC's What Not To Wear in the early 2000s, alongside her long-time friend and collaborator Trinny Woodall, who has previously discussed her own alcohol addiction.\n\nMore recently, Constantine appeared on the 2018 series of Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with Anton Du Beke and the pair were voted out first.\n\nTrinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine presented five series of What Not To Wear\n\nSpeaking to podcast host Tom Price about her battle with alcohol, Constantine said: \"It's not something I've spoken about before really, but it's important.\"\n\nShe went on to explain how her addiction to alcohol caused her to behave towards those closest to her.\n\n\"As an addict, often what you would do, and certainly what I did, I would put all my own defects - I would find someone else to attach them to,\" she explained.\n\n\"And so I thought my husband was passive aggressive, but actually I was the one who was passive aggressive. And that I've realised over time and being in recovery.\n\n\"I was the awful, angry, passive-aggressive one and my poor husband was the one who had to live with it.\"\n\nConstantine has been married to her husband, Danish businessman and entrepreneur Sten Bertelsen, since 1995.\n\nShe gave up drinking in 2013, and said her addiction did not affect her work because she was a \"highly functioning\" alcoholic.\n\nConstantine took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2018\n\nConstantine also told the podcast about the moment she first acknowledged she had a problem.\n\n\"It was so liberating. I felt a lot of shame most of the time... the relief was so immense because I could change it,\" she said.\n\n\"I wasn't having to try and change someone else. It was down to me. I was responsible and accountable for becoming a better person and getting sober and well.\n\n\"And so it was the most extraordinary relief to have that light-bulb moment.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.\n• None What happened to Trinny after Susannah?", "Sainsbury's is to cut 3,500 jobs with the closure of 420 Argos outlets and all its meat, fish and deli counters.\n\nThe 420 standalone Argos stores will close by March 2024, although Sainsbury's said it would open 150 Argos outlets in its supermarkets.\n\nBoss Simon Roberts said Sainsbury's was responding to changing consumer habits and the growth of online shopping.\n\nHe said the counter closures was a response to lower customer demand and a desire to reduce food waste.\n\nThe supermarket also reported half-year results, revealing a £137m loss which it blamed on closures and \"market changes\".\n\nIt comes on the day England enters a second lockdown, which Sainsbury's said would continue to accelerate \"a number of shifts in our industry\" as it expands its online and digital operations.\n\nSainsbury's, which bought Argos in 2016, said in its statement that the 120 standalone Argos stores that had not reopened since they were closed in March would now shut permanently.\n\nBy the end of the restructuring programme, Sainsbury's said it expected the total number of standalone Argos outlets to be about 100. The restructuring will save about £600m by 2024, the grocer said.\n\nIn addition to the 150 Argos stores it plans to open in its supermarkets by 2024, it also plans a further 150-200 collection points.\n\n\"We are talking to colleagues today about where the changes we are announcing in Argos standalone stores and food counters impact their roles,\" said Simon Roberts, Sainsbury's chief executive.\n\n\"We will work really hard to find alternative roles for as many of these colleagues as possible and expect to be able to offer alternative roles for the majority of impacted colleagues.\"\n\nHe said the aim was to make Argos \"a simpler, more efficient and more profitable business\". Products from the Habitat brand will also be more widely available in the stores and via Argos.\n\n\"Our other brands - Argos, Habitat, Tu, Nectar and Sainsbury's Bank - must deliver for their customers and for our shareholders in their own right,\" he said.\n\nDespite the cutting of the 3,500 roles, the supermarket expects that it will have created about 6,000 net new jobs by the end of the year.\n\nSainsbury's said it was responding to changing consumer demands\n\nHowever, the redundancies increase the mounting jobs toll announced by companies facing a coronavirus hit to trading.\n\nOn Wednesday, John Lewis and Lloyds Banking Group said they were cutting a combined 2,500 jobs.\n\nMore than 200,000 potential job losses have been announced across sectors including banking, hospitality, travel and retail since the start of Covid-19 pandemic in March. Thousands more workers remain on furlough.\n\nDespite Sainsbury's cost-cutting, the company said on Thursday it would pay out a special dividend of 7.3p to shareholders after strong sales in the face of Covid-19.\n\nSainsbury's revealed that total like-for-like sales increased by 6.9% for the 28 weeks to 19 September, helped by an 8.2% growth in groceries. The supermarket also said there had been \"stronger-than-expected sales, particularly at Argos\".\n\nOnline sales more than doubled, jumping 117% to £5.8bn, as demand for online deliveries surged.\n\nAnalysts said the Argos restructuring seemed sensible in the current climate, and Julie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor, felt opening more in-store operations could be an \"ace in the hole\" this Christmas.\n\n\"The brand is synonymous with festive shopping for a generation of consumers, but it needs to ensure that the delivery service is able to meet demand in lockdown,\" she said.\n\nHowever, John Colley, associate dean of Warwick Business School, said the announcement was an admission that the £1.4bn purchase of Argos was a mistake.\n\n\"The closure of a further 420... Argos stores says it all. Sainsbury's management clearly did not know how to run Argos and the plan to transplant into spare store space has not worked.\n\n\"There was always a concern that Argos and Sainsbury's appealed to very different customer segments with little overlap. That seems now to be true,\" he said.\n\nThese Argos closures were on the cards long before the pandemic. When Sainsbury's bought the business in 2016, it was clear that hundreds of Argos stores would be closed and relocated inside Sainsbury's supermarkets.\n\nThis integration is already well under way and it's easy to see why the business is accelerating these plans. Sales at Argos grew by 11% over the last six months despite all its stores being shut during lockdown. It doesn't need as many standalone Argos shops.\n\nThe company says our shifting shopping habits is also behind the need to close its deli, fresh fish and meat counters. Counters aren't cheap to run and demand, it says, has been falling.\n\nSainsbury's needs to cut costs, partly so it can invest in lowering its prices to keep up with the intense competition. Customers will vote with their feet if they've got it wrong.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Matt Hancock: \"These coronavirus regulations do not change the existing legal position on assisted dying.\"\n\nPeople travelling abroad for the purpose of assisted dying will not be breaking coronavirus travel rules, the health secretary has said.\n\nNew lockdown rules in England place restrictions on leaving home without a reasonable excuse.\n\nBut Matt Hancock told MPs that seeking an assisted death abroad counted as a reasonable excuse.\n\nHe also stressed that it remains a criminal offence to encourage or assist the death of another person.\n\nHe was replying to Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, who said new coronavirus regulations could \"deter\" people from travelling to Switzerland for an assisted death.\n\nMr Mitchell referred to an article in the Times by a mental health professional who said the pandemic meant she would travel to Switzerland for an assisted death \"before I am truly ready\".\n\nJane Parker is 69 from Devon was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last October.\n\n\"It is killing me and has already taken my speech, my ability to swallow and is now robbing me of my breathing,\" she says.\n\n\"I have only months left and I want to be able to choose how and when I die, but the current law in the UK denies me this right.\n\n\"Before lockdown, I could have travelled to Switzerland with suitable advance preparations and cash, accompanied by brave family members who are prepared to risk a police interview and possible arrest.\n\n\"Although I would much prefer to be able to die in my own bed and not have to travel to a foreign country to die, knowing the option of Dignitas was there brought me comfort.\n\n\"But now the latest lockdown has made this is virtually impossible.\n\n\"While the health secretary has said today that travelling abroad for an assisted death is permitted under lockdown, there are now vanishingly few flights to Switzerland, it is impossible to plan ahead with the ever-changing restrictions, and it is extremely difficult to get hold of the documents you need to prove that you are terminally ill and of sound mind.\n\n\"And so I must contemplate letting nature take its course, with no guarantee that end of life care will be enough to relieve my suffering, or try to hasten my end by refusing food through my PEG [Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy] tube and effectively starving to death.\n\n\"I find it barbaric that these are the only options now open to me, and I know there will be terminally ill people across the country facing the same stark choices.\n\n\"The time has come to review these cruel laws and I hope the health secretary will give people in my position the opportunity to have our voices heard.\"\n\nSarah Wootton, chief executive of campaign group Dignity in Dying, said: \"The pandemic has proven what we have long known, that banning assisted dying does not protect people; it merely drives the practice overseas and underground and criminalises acts of genuine compassion.\n\n\"Parliamentarians must step up and grasp this nettle. Gathering evidence on what is really going on under the ban on assisted dying can only help them in that task, and a review of the functioning and impact of our current law would give terminally ill Brits and their loved ones a much-needed voice in this debate.\"\n\nIntentionally helping another person to kill themselves is known as assisted suicide - this can include buying someone a ticket to Switzerland (where assisted suicide is legal) to end their life.\n\nDignity in Dying are campaigning for a law that would allow assisted dying, for those who are terminally ill.\n\nThe Care Not Killing alliance, which is against assisted dying, argues that changing the law could result in elderly or vulnerable people feeling under greater pressure to end their lives.\n\nLast month, New Zealand voted in a referendum to allow terminally ill people with less than six months to live the opportunity to choose assisted dying if approved by two doctors.\n\nAddressing MPs, Mr Hancock said \"Under current law, based on the Suicide Act 1961, it is an offence to encourage or assist the death of another person.\n\n\"However, it is legal to travel abroad for the purpose of assisted dying where it is allowed in that jurisdiction.\n\n\"The new coronavirus regulations which come into force today place restrictions on leaving the home without a reasonable excuse.\n\n\"Travelling abroad for the purpose of assisted dying is a reasonable excuse and so anyone doing so would not be breaking the law.\"\n\nHe added that the \"question of how we best support people in their choices at the end of their life is a complex moral issue that, when considered, weighs heavily upon us all.\"\n\n\"I think it is right that we locate this question within a broader discussion of how we care for people at the end of their lives which has become sadly - due to the coronavirus pandemic - a central issue of public debate in this country,\" said the health secretary.\n\nOpponents to a bill legalising assisted dying protest outside Parliament in 2014\n\nLabour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth welcomed Mr Hancock's \"sensitive\" tone but said: \"Charities have warned that since the March lockdown terminally ill people are ending their lives in the most traumatic of circumstances because of a lack of clarity - although he has given clarity today - but until that point a lack of clarity about the law.\"\n\nConservative MP Daniel Kawcynski told MPs his opinion on the subject had been changed by his constituent Noel Conway from Garmston who lives near Shrewsbury.\n\n\"I said to him, 'why don't you go to Switzerland?'. And his answer will stay with me forever: 'No, I'm an Englishman, I want to die in England.' And I think it's extremely important that our citizens have this right.\"\n\nBut his Conservative colleague, Fiona Bruce, said the pandemic had left people feeling vulnerable and argued that it would be \"completely inappropriate indeed insensitive to go anywhere near considering making access to any form of suicide easier at this time\".", "World War Two veteran Captain Sir Tom Moore raised £33m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden\n\nCaptain Sir Tom Moore has launched a new campaign to get people walking to help support those who feel \"lonely and frightened\" during lockdown.\n\nThe veteran raised £33m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden before his 100th birthday.\n\nCapt Sir Tom said: \"We are in a difficult situation but we'll get through it if we all join together.\"\n\nThe challenge encourages people to log their walking on social media using the hashtag #WalkWithTom over the next week.\n\nCapt Sir Tom hopes to raise money for his foundation, which aims to combat loneliness and support those facing bereavement.\n\nThe army veteran, who lives in the Bedfordshire village of Marston Moretaine, released his autobiography this summer\n\nThe 100-year-old, who was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, said he has \"always been optimistic things will improve\".\n\nHe said the second England-wide lockdown would be difficult but \"we will get through it\".\n\nCapt Sir Tom said: \"We've got to consider that during this next coming period there are going to be a lot of unhappy people who are lonely and frightened and we need to go out and help those people.\n\n\"That's why we've got the Captain Tom Foundation.\"\n\nSet up in September, it works with four charities, the mental health charity Mind, The Royal British Legion, Helen and Douglas House children's hospice in Oxfordshire, and Willen Hospice in Milton Keynes.\n\nCapt Sir Tom was knighted by the Queen in a \"unique ceremony\" on 17 July\n\nCapt Sir Tom's daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore said the family had been \"given an incredible gift of a voice and platform to do powerfully positive things with\".\n\nShe said they wanted to \"remind people that we are British and we can get through this\".\n\n\"We would like everyone to walk together with Tom so we can help support those who are lonely,\" she added.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "A six-year-old boy who had an aggressive form of leukaemia has switched on the Christmas lights in Worcester, the city where people raised thousands of pounds to help save him.\n\nOscar Saxelby-Lee, who lives with his family in Worcester, flew with his parents to Singapore for CAR-T therapy, after more than £700,000 was raised through crowdfunding.\n\nOlivia Saxelby, Oscar's mother, previously said that the therapy was not available to Oscar on the NHS. Any money left over from his treatment will go to the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust.\n\nMrs Saxelby said turning on the lights was a lovely way to end the year.", "Paul Farrell is alleged to have targeted victims between 1985 and 2018\n\nA former Great Ormond Street Hospital porter has admitted sexual offences against six boys over 35 years.\n\nPaul Farrell, 55, pleaded guilty to 58 sex offences against children carried out between 1985 and 2020.\n\nThe charges relate to six victims, who cannot be named, who are now aged between eight and 43.\n\nFarrell, from Camden, appearing at Wood Green Crown Court, admitted charges including attempted rape and the sexual assault of a child aged under 13.\n\nHe pleaded guilty to 33 charges, having previously admitted 25 counts at an earlier hearing.\n\nHe has denied a further 21 charges, including rape.\n\nThe court heard Farrell held a number of positions, including working as a porter at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) between 1994 and 2020.\n\nAt least two victims allege they were sexually abused by Farrell at the hospital.\n\nJudge Noel Lucas said: \"The prosecution have made it clear that this is not a case where it is alleged that Mr Farrell was targeting children at the Great Ormond Street Hospital.\n\n\"Rather that children were abused in parts of the hospital in which he had access.\"\n\nAccording to the charges, Farrell continued to offend until June this year.\n\nOne boy, under the age of 13, says he was sexually assaulted \"during lockdown\".\n\nIn a statement the hospital said: \"These charges relating to a former member of GOSH staff are awful.\n\n\"It is upsetting to hear in court today that some of the charges relate to the hospital site.\n\n\"It is important to stress, as stated by the judge today, that GOSH patients were not targeted.\n\n\"Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, we are really limited in what we can say, but we can confirm again that Paul Farrell was dismissed from the Trust.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "PC Simon Read was found to have intentionally scanned the wrong barcode\n\nA police officer accused of trying to buy a £9.95 box of doughnuts for seven pence by sticking on a cheaper barcode has been sacked for gross misconduct.\n\nPC Simon Read, from Cambridgeshire Police, was found to have switched the price for the cakes at a Wisbech supermarket on 10 February.\n\nA misconduct hearing found he had breached professional standards of honesty and integrity.\n\nPC Read, who had denied the charges, was dismissed without notice.\n\nPC Read had previously worked at several royal weddings and a visit to Blenheim Palace by Donald Trump\n\nAt the two-day hearing in Peterborough PC Read said he had made an honest mistake at a Tesco Extra self-service till.\n\nWhile in uniform, he said he purchased four items from the store - the tray of 12 doughnuts, the carrots, a sandwich and a drink.\n\nThe hearing was told he scanned the carrots barcode twice and failed to scan the doughnuts barcode, paying around £4 for the items instead of about £14.\n\nHe said: \"I simply scanned where I believed the barcodes were and placed them down (in the bagging area).\"\n\nThe panel ruled his explanation was \"lacking in credibility\".\n\nA manager at Tesco Extra reported his \"suspicious\" actions to the police\n\nSharmistha Michaels, chairwoman of the disciplinary panel, said: \"On the balance of probabilities we are satisfied that PC Read did intentionally scan the wrong barcode.\"\n\nPC Read had previously said: \"I didn't check the screen. I wish I had have done.\"\n\nMs Michaels said CCTV footage showed him looking at it at the time as he selected his method of payment.\n\nShe added that if he intended to pay the correct price he could have checked that he scanned the right barcode and it if was a \"genuine mistake\" he had opportunities to put it right.\n\nHis actions were \"incompatible with his role as a police officer\".\n\nMark Ley-Morgan, a lawyer who set out the misconduct case, said it was \"an officer effectively stealing while in uniform\".\n\nCarolina Bracken, PC Read's lawyer, said he had an \"unblemished career\", had served in the armed forces, before he joined Cambridgeshire police in January and had served with Thames Valley Police from 2008.\n\nMs Bracken said the case weighed heavily on him and he had received prank calls in the night from people offering him doughnuts.\n\nPC Read has the right to appeal the decision.\n\nAfter the ruling the Jane Gyford, deputy Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Police, said: \"The public should be able to trust that police officers in their duty will act with honesty and integrity at all times.\n\n\"I hope this outcome offers reassurance to our communities that our officers and staff will be held to account for their actions.\"\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Pig guts were thrown and scuffles broke out in Taiwan's parliament over the easing of US pork imports.\n\nThe government have been criticised for a recent decision to allow pork containing ractopamine in to the country.\n\nThe additive ractopamine is currently banned for pig use in Taiwan, as well as in China and the European Union, due to concerns about safety for animals and humans.\n\nRead more: Pig guts fly as Taiwan lawmakers brawl over US pork imports", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Drinkers visiting pubs in tier two regions will have to leave when they finish eating, under new restrictions being introduced from 2 December, No 10 has confirmed.\n\nUnder the post-lockdown guidance, pubs in those high risk areas can only open if they function as a restaurant.\n\nAnd alcohol can only be served as part of a \"substantial meal\".\n\nPubs and restaurants are currently closed across England, apart from for takeaways.\n\nThe prime minister's official spokesman, asked how long drinkers can stay in a pub after buying a meal, said: \"We've been clear that, in tier two I believe, that you need to have a substantial meal if ordering any alcohol and it remains the case that the guidance says that once the meal is finished, it is at that point [you have to leave].\"\n\nPeople can currently meet in Wales for a drink\n\nWhen the current lockdown ends, the rules will change according to where you live.\n\nIn tier two regions, pubs and restaurants must shut at 23:00 GMT, with last orders an hour earlier.\n\nYou can only socialise inside with people you live with, or those in your support bubble if you live alone. Groups of up to six can meet outside, but social distancing must be adhered to.\n\nIn tier three, very high risk areas, you cannot mix with anyone outside your household either indoors or in pub gardens or private gardens. Hospitality venues - such as bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants - must stay closed, except for delivery and takeaway services.\n\nIn tier one, medium level, people can meet inside or outside in groups of up to six. Most of England is in tier two or three, however, with only Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and Isles of Scilly in tier one.\n\nStricter measures for pubs, restaurants and bars will come into force in Wales on 4 December, it was announced on Friday.\n\nNorthern Ireland is currently in a two-week circuit-breaker lockdown, with cafes, coffee shops, pubs, bars and restaurants closed, except for takeaways and deliveries. And in Scotland, the rules on pubs and restaurants depend where your region is placed in the four-tier system.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSchools must be closed early ahead of the festive break to help children and teachers avoid having to self-isolate on Christmas Day, a union has warned.\n\nThe UCAC teaching union said coronavirus cases in schools could force whole class \"bubbles\" into self-isolation over the holidays.\n\nThe union said schools should close on 11 December and move lessons online.\n\nFirst Minister Mark Drakeford said there were no plans to close schools early.\n\nIn a letter to Education Minister Kirsty Williams, the union said there were \"serious concerns\" among UCAC members \"that pupils and students will continue to attend an educational setting a week before Christmas Day\".\n\nMost schools are due to break up in the week starting 14 December, but if positive cases are found in pupils' class bubbles, children would have to self-isolate for two weeks, meaning some may have to isolate on Christmas Day.\n\n\"If a pupil or student tested positive with Covid-19 during the last week of term, it would mean that the whole bubble would have to self-isolate, preventing them from joining their extended family for Christmas,\" General Secretary Dilwyn Roberts-Young said in the letter.\n\n\"The same could be true for the education workforce.\n\n\"In addition, Test, Trace and Protect could continue to contact school and colleges leaders on Christmas Day, which is totally unacceptable.\"\n\nThe union said that closing schools early would give families \"greater reassurance\" that they could get together to celebrate during the five day Christmas travel rules.\n\n\"We are acutely aware of the need to ensure continuity of learning for all pupils and students in Wales, particularly in the wake of the disruption earlier in the year, which has continued to some extent since September,\" the letter said.\n\n\"We believe that making an early announcement on this would not only allow the workforce to prepare thoroughly for that week, but also enable families to make alternative childcare arrangements as needed.\"\n\nIt said a survey of members prompted a thousand responses with 75% in favour of online learning in the final week of term.\n\nThe union has also asked the minister to consider an alternative or parallel move to offer Covid tests to staff members once contact with pupils and students has come to an end, from 18 December onwards.\n\nSome local authorities are also believed to be in favour of closing school sites a week early, though provision for children of key workers and vulnerable children would be one potential concern.\n\nThe latest Public Health Wales figures show that 50.3% of primary schools and 87.9% of secondary schools have had at least one Covid-19 case since the start of term.\n\nThere were 414 positive tests amongst school pupils or staff in the week up to 25 November.\n\nFace masks are now compulsory in communal areas in schools across Wales\n\nHowever Mr Drakeford said he had \"no intention\" in allowing schools to close early.\n\n\"We will do everything we can to keep our schools working up until Christmas,\" he said during the Welsh Government's coronavirus briefing on Friday.\n\n\"We'll do that alongside the unions, the head teachers and the local education authorities.\n\n\"It is more important for our children not to miss out further on the education planned for them for the whole of the rest of this term. That's what we will be working to achieve.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC News NI Political Reporter Jayne McCormack explains what the new restrictions mean for people in Northern Ireland\n\nNew guidance has been issued to help retailers run a click and collect service in a controlled way during NI's two-week circuit breaker.\n\nTougher new Covid-19 restrictions came into force across NI on Friday.\n\nNon-essential retailers have been told to close except for click-and-collect services.\n\nOn Friday morning, a framework setting out how these services can be provided safely was published by the Department for the Economy.\n\nThe department said click and collect facilities will operate \"on an appointment-only basis with maximum mitigations in place\".\n\nEconomy Minister Diane Dodds said the guidance will \"help business owners and customers ensure they are operating safely and within Northern Ireland legislation\".\n\nThe framework includes guidance such as:\n\nIn other restrictions, cafes and restaurants can only provide a take-away service and close-contact services such as hairdressers and beauty salons have to close.\n\nThe restrictions came into force at 00:01 GMT on Friday and will be in place until 00:01 on 11 December.\n\nIt means Northern Ireland will revert to similar measures introduced in March, with the exception of schools remaining open.\n\nGarden centres, supermarkets and homeware stores are exempt from closing under the new regulations.\n\nMrs Dodds has also confirmed that the closing date for applications to Part A and Part B of the Covid Restrictions Business Support Scheme has been extended to 16 December.\n\nShe said payments to eligible businesses will be extended to cover the latest restrictions agreed by the executive.\n\nIt is hoped the measures, announced by the Stormont Executive, will help control the spread of coronavirus and bring the reproduction (R) number down ahead of the Christmas period.\n\nOn Thursday, First Minister Arlene Foster said R number in Northern Ireland was \"just below 1\", but the two-week circuit breaker was \"crucial... so that we can all have the safest and the happiest Christmas possible\".\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said it was important to reduce the transmission rate to \"as low as possible\" and \"do everything possible to limit the number of people you come into contact with\".\n\nThe run-up to the festive period is traditionally the busiest time of the year for the businesses affected by the latest lockdown and the decision has been criticised by retailers and the groups which represent them.\n\nLisa and Peter Mahaffey own a gift shop in Bangor, County Down.\n\nThey extended their opening hours this week to cope with the big rise in customers attempting to beat both the lockdown and the Christmas rush.\n\nBut they say the new rules over what constitutes essential retail are confusing as a large proportion of the items sold in the shop are homeware.\n\nGift shop owner Peter Mahaffey says there needs to be more clarity on what constitutes essential retail\n\n\"All the big retailers like Sainsbury's and Tesco don't close, but they sell the same stuff that we sell. We don't know where we really stand,\" said Mr Mahaffey.\n\nHe thinks the other main issue is the timing of the move by Stormont.\n\n\"They would have been much better closing us at the beginning of November and letting us re-open now with the run-in to Christmas,\" he said.\n\n\"This is our busiest time of the year. The main time is just being taken away from us.\"\n\nThe doors may be closed to customers, but Christmas stock deliveries are still arriving at shops.\n\nJenny Doherty, from a book shop shop in Londonderry, is not sure if online sales will be enough to clear that stock and pay the suppliers.\n\nShe is not sure yet what the financial hit will be and she said not having customers coming in at this time of year is \"frightening\".\n\nShe added: \"Books aren't perishable. There will be a plan B, but I do worry.\"\n\nFlorist Penny Hamilton is also trialling a click-and-collect service at her east Belfast shop, but is worried it will not suit some of her older customers.\n\n\"They are used to coming in and being able to smell all the flowers and see all the colours,\" she said.\n\n\"Unfortunately, there is a generation that maybe don't understand, or even have, mobile phones, so it's difficult for them.\"", "People coming to the UK from Estonia and Latvia will need to quarantine from 04:00 GMT on Saturday.\n\nThe two Baltic states have been taken off of the UK government's travel corridor list.\n\nAt the same time, Aruba, Bhutan, East Timor, Mongolia and some Pacific islands have been added, meaning travellers from those places will not need to self-isolate.\n\nHowever, current rules ban travel abroad unless for specific reasons.\n\nThe UK government has also changed its rules on Denmark, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.\n\nWhile travellers from Denmark to the UK will still need to self-isolate, the government is lifting the \"total travel ban\" on Saturday.\n\nThe Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to Denmark amid concerns over a new coronavirus strain that has spread from mink.\n\nAnyone arriving into the UK from most destinations must quarantine for 14 days.\n\nBut there are a list of countries exempt from the rules, meaning returning travellers do not need to self-isolate, called the travel corridor list.\n\nFrom 15 December, people who need to quarantine will only need to do so for five days - if they pay for a private Covid test and are virus free.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do I quarantine after returning from abroad?\n\nMaking the announcement on Thursday, Mr Shapps said latest data means Estonia and Latvia must be taken off the list.\n\nThere has been a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in Latvia in recent weeks, according to the Foreign Office. The Latvian government has announced a state of emergency lasting until 6 December.\n\nEstonia's government has also introduced extra restrictions from 24 November.\n\nMr Shapps said Bhutan, East Timor, Mongolia, Aruba and six Pacific islands (Samoa, Kiribati, Micronesia, Tonga, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands) had been added to the list, effective from 04:00 on Saturday.\n\nIn England until 2 December, foreign travel is currently only permitted for work, education or if someone has another valid reason.\n\nPeople can only travel in and out of Wales with a reasonable excuse, such as going to work or school.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, people are advised to only travel for necessary reasons and to \"carefully consider\" their holiday and travel options, in light of the pandemic.\n\nIn Scotland, people living in higher risk areas should avoid unnecessary travel to other places.", "Topshop owner Arcadia is in talks with lenders to secure around £30m in funding following the second coronavirus lockdown in England.\n\nThe discussions, revealed by Sky News, are understood to be progressing and a deal could be close to being reached.\n\nAnother report suggested that Arcadia is drawing up plans to place the business into administration.\n\nBut the company said: \"It is not true that administrators are about to be appointed.\"\n\n\"Clearly, the second UK lockdown presents a further challenge for all retailers and we are taking all appropriate steps to protect our employees and other stakeholders from its consequences.\"\n\nIt is understood that Arcadia - led by Sir Philip Green - has contingency plans in place regarding the future of the business but there is confidence it will secure financing to continue trading.\n\nAs well as Topshop, the group also owns the chains Topman, Miss Selfridge, Evans, Burton and Dorothy Perkins.\n\nNon-essential retailers in England have been forced to close for four weeks until 2 December to contain the spread of the coronavirus.\n\nDuring the first country-wide lockdown, Arcadia furloughed the vast majority of its 13,000-strong workforce across more than 500 outlets.\n\nSir Philip Green leads Arcadia while his wife, Lady Cristina Green, is its biggest shareholder\n\nStaff at its shops in England have been placed back on the government's wage subsidy scheme though its stores in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have now reopened.\n\nArcadia said: \"We are continuing to trade online through our own channels as well as through those of our partners.\"\n\nHowever, Debenhams, a major Arcadia partner which sells a number of its brands, is facing its own challenges. The department store chain is in administration and is in talks to find a buyer.\n\nArcadia underwent restructuring last year through a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). It agreed to shut 50 shops, secured a rent cut with landlords on property and struck a deal with the Pension Protection Fund to put money into the company's pension schemes.\n\nAt the time, the pension scheme deficit was estimated to be around £700m but the Sunday Times reported it is now £350m on a buyout basis.\n\nIn a deal with the Pensions Regulator, trustees of Arcadia's pension schemes were granted security over £210m worth of assets by the company.\n\nSir Philip's wife, Lady Cristina Green, who is Arcadia's biggest shareholder, agreed to pump £100m into the schemes over three years while Arcadia said it would inject a further £75m.\n\nSir Philip faced controversy over the pension scheme at one of his other businesses, BHS, which he sold to Dominic Chappell for £1 in 2015.\n\nBHS collapsed a year later, with the loss of 11,000 jobs and a pension deficit of £571m.\n\nSir Philip reached a deal with the Pensions Regulator to inject £363m into that scheme.\n\nMore recently, Chappell was sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of tax evasion.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Covid uncertainty is \"awful\", pub owner Sian Shepphard says\n\nPubs, restaurants and bars will be subject to stricter Covid-19 restrictions in the run up to Christmas, the first minister has said.\n\nThe new restrictions, which have not yet been finalised, will come into force from Friday, 4 December.\n\nThey may be based on the system in some parts of Scotland where no alcohol can be served.\n\nCinemas, bowling alleys and indoor entertainment venues will also have to shut before the festive break.\n\nA date for these to close has not yet been agreed.\n\nMark Drakeford said action was needed as case rates continued to rise in the run up to Christmas.\n\nBut the Welsh Conservatives said any new restrictions would be a \"real blow\" for businesses who had already \"suffered greatly\", while Plaid Cymru said the lack of detail was leaving employers unable to prepare.\n\nPubs, bars and restaurants had only reopened on 9 November after the Wales-wide 17-day lockdown, and are currently made to close at 22:00 GMT.\n\nAhead of the announcement people working in the hospitality industry had warned any further restrictions before Christmas would be a \"big blow\".\n\nPlans for the new rules have not yet been finalised, but BBC Wales understands one option being considered is the \"level three\" Scottish system, where venues are banned from selling alcohol and have to close at 18:00.\n\nThe R rate - the number of people each infected person passed the virus on to - has risen again to 1.4 in Wales, with the rate needing to be below one for the number of cases to fall.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"We need to reduce Covid spread before Christmas\"\n\nIn England about 55 million people are being placed under the tightest level of lockdown rules from 2 December, when an England-wide lockdown ends and a new tiered system is introduced.\n\nSpeaking at the Welsh Government's coronavirus briefing, Mr Drakeford said Wales had to use the \"coming weeks\" to reduce the spread of the virus, to \"create more headroom for the Christmas period\".\n\nMr Drakeford said while case rates had fallen following the 17-day firebreak, as people had resumed socialising it they had risen \"faster and further than we anticipated\", and action was needed.\n\nA further major package of financial support for businesses affected will be announced on Monday\n\n\"This does not mean a return to the firebreak arrangements, but the cabinet has agreed to take further specific and targeted action to reinforce the current national measures we have place,\" he said.\n\nMr Drakeford said he could \"not rule anything out for the future\" in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.\n\nNon-essential retail, hairdressers, gyms and leisure centres will stay open, it was confirmed.\n\nSpeaking of the new measures for pubs, bars and restaurants, Mr Drakeford added: \"I know this will be a worrying time for all working in the industry.\n\n\"We will be working over the weekend with partners to finalise the details of the new arrangements and to put in place a further major package of financial support to respond to those changes.\n\n\"I will give further details about the package on Monday.\"\n\nClaire Vaughan, programme manager at Chapter cinema in Cardiff, said: \"Globally no cases of coronavirus have been traced back to a visit to the cinema.\n\n\"Cinemas are a low-risk way of spending time outside the house at a time when the mental health of people in Wales is a huge concern.\n\nPeople will watch Mared Williams outside the venue\n\n\"Masks are worn, there are air circulation units and no one is facing another person... Not everyone is living in a warm, safe home - many people need these spaces to be open.\"\n\nLiam Evans-Ford, Theatr Clwyd's executive director, added the announcement had been a \"huge surprise\".\n\n\"This is devastating for our business, for our employees, for our freelancers and for our communities,\" he said.\n\nSian Shepphard, owner of the Horse and Jockey in Pontypool, opened the pub in August so has not been eligible for government support.\n\nSian Shepphard is worried about her staff\n\n\"The main problem is we are trying to get people to stay at home but it is ruining our businesses,\" she said.\n\n\"I employ over 25 staff here - we are a really family-run business. We are all family - how am I supposed to put food on the table for them?\"\n\nPhil James, a customer at the pub, said the potential changes would affect his Christmas plans.\n\n\"We just don't know what arrangement to make at the end of the day - people have to know. You come out to socialise - people want to be social for Christmas, alcohol is a part of it.\"\n\nPhil James says pubs play a big part in his festive celebrations\n\nSimon Buckley, chairman of The Brewers of Wales, said: \"Is this finally the straw that will break the industry's back?\n\n\"We as an industry are being thrown to the wind, and the looming prospect of significant job losses seems to count for nothing.\"\n\nPlaid's economy spokeswoman Helen Mary Jones said: \"They [pubs and restaurants] don't know if they're being asked to close altogether again, to only do takeaways, to have restricted opening without alcohol.\n\n\"So, they can't really prepare. They need to be given the maximum length of time to prepare.\"\n\nClwyd West member of the Senedd Darren Millar called for a targeted rather than a Wales-wide blanket approach.\n\n\"It is grossly unfair to impose the same level of restrictions in Conwy and Denbighshire as Covid-19 hotspots in south Wales,\" he said.\n\n\"The virus is circulating at different rates in different parts of the country.\"\n\nMr Drakeford insisted there were no plans to introduce regionalised \"tiered\" restrictions, similar to those coming into force in England.\n\nHe said there was no case for aligning the Welsh and English systems to ensure no-one was left out of UK-wide Treasury schemes that offer financial assistance to businesses affected by lockdown measures.\n\n\"We don't lose out on any UK system by having a single tier for Wales, so there is no disadvantage to us in that,\" he said.\n\nHe added: \"The advice we have is that a single set of arrangements for Wales works best, is easiest to communicate and delivers benefits in all parts of Wales.\"\n\nPembrokeshire councillor John Davies welcomed the restrictions after a spike in cases in his ward, Cilgerran, linked to the recent outbreak in nearby Cardigan.\n\nHe told Newyddion 9: \"If people aren't willing to exercise common sense and be citizens of responsibility towards each other, there is no other option.\n\n\"We've seen what happens in this part of the world when people act in a selfish manner.\"\n\nChildren are currently in \"class bubbles\" during school\n\nMr Drakeford said he had no plans to allow schools to close early for Christmas.\n\nTeaching union UCAC had called for classrooms to be shut on 11 December and for lessons to be moved online amid fears teachers and pupils may have to isolate on Christmas Day.\n\nBut Mr Drakeford said ministers would do \"everything we can\" to keep schools working up until the Christmas holiday.\n\nHe added: \"It is more important for our children not to miss out further on the education that is planned for them for the whole of the rest of this term and that's what we will be working to achieve.\"", "Christopher Robinson was linked to the murder by DNA and CCTV evidence\n\nA west Belfast man found guilty of murdering a prison officer, who died 11 days after a bomb exploded under his van, has been given a minimum jail term of 22 years.\n\nAdrian Ismay, 52, died in hospital in 2016 after he was injured in the explosion near his home at Hillsborough Drive in east Belfast.\n\nChristopher Robinson, 50, from Aspen Walk, had denied the murder.\n\nIn March, a judge said Robinson was \"intimately and inextricably involved\".\n\nRobinson was also found guilty of possessing an improvised explosive device.\n\nThe non-jury trial heard that Robinson knew his victim from their time volunteering together for St John Ambulance.\n\nMr Justice McAlinden told Belfast Crown Court that Mr Ismay's murder had been \"perpetrated in pursuance of a twisted republican terrorist ideology\".\n\nAdrian Ismay had volunteered with St John Ambulance along with Robinson\n\n\"The defendant played an important and integral role in planning and carrying out the terrorist operation which resulted in the death of Mr Ismay,\" he added.\n\nRobinson was given a life sentence for the murder, but will be eligible to apply for release under licence after 22 years, the judge said.\n\nIn 2016, a dissident republican group widely referred to as the New IRA had claimed it had carried out the attack on Mr Ismay.\n\nRobinson had denied he was an active member of the New IRA.\n\nBefore determining the appropriate minimum sentence, the judge highlighted the victim impact statements the court had received from Mr Ismay's widow and his daughters.\n\nHe said the \"heart-wrenching statements managed with dignified reserve to convey how deeply they all loved Mr Ismay and how intensely he adored them\".\n\n\"Only the hardest and coldest heart of stone would not be deeply affected reading them and anyone of normal sensitivity could not but readily perceive how each of the authors of those statement and those referred to therein have been utterly devastated by this murder and their lives have been altered irretrievably,\" he added.\n\n\"They will endure the cruel impact of the tragic loss of Mr Ismay for the rest of their lives.\"\n\nMr Justice McAlinden said \"the loss of Mr Ismay's life cannot be measured by the length of a minimum term prison sentence\".\n\nA bomb detonated under Adrian Ismay's van in the Cregagh area of Belfast\n\nThe judge also paid tribute to the \"unstinting community service\" which Mr Ismay had engaged in.\n\n\"He lived to train, help and guide others,\" he said.\n\n\"He was a decent, warm, generous and loving human being and our society is the poorer for his loss.\n\n\"If only there were more like him.\n\n\"His legacy is his example of unstinting and enthusiastic community engagement; reaching out to and engaging with all, irrespective of background.\"\n\nMr Ismay had just left his home and was driving along Hillsborough Drive at about 07:00 GMT on 4 March 2016 when the bomb planted under his van detonated.\n\nIn spite of appearing to make a good recovery from shrapnel injuries, he died 11 days later.\n\nIn March, a judge said Robinson was linked to the murder by evidence including his DNA on a Poppy Appeal sticker that was removed from a vehicle containing traces of Semtex.\n\nHe also said CCTV footage clearly showed the vehicle - which was registered to Robinson's sister-in-law - outside Mr Ismay's home when the bomb was planted.\n\nThe judge added that CCTV at the workplace of Robinson's brother had been disabled several times by his sibling so he could not be filmed visiting him.\n\nRobinson's high level of online interest into the treatment of dissident republican prisoners - as well as internet searches about militant republican activity - was further evidence cited by the judge.\n\nDet Supt Richard Campbell, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), said Robinson's sentence was \"deserving\" for the \"brutal and horrific killing\" of Mr Ismay.\n\n\"He knew Mr Ismay, as they volunteered together in the local community, but callously betrayed him by his involvement in planting an explosive device under the prison officer's van just because of how he earned his living,\" he said.\n\nDet Supt Richard Campbell, from the PSNI's Major Investigation Team, said it was a \"reckless attack\"\n\n\"Adrian Ismay, who was a husband and a father, was a hard-working man who had left his home that Friday morning to do his job and to keep people safe,\" he added.\n\nHe said his thoughts were with Mr Ismay's family who \"will be reliving the horror of what happened more than four and a half years ago\".\n\n\"They face their own life sentence as they will never see Mr Ismay again. Their lives have been shattered,\" he said.\n\nHe added that while sentencing would not \"take away the pain and heartache felt each day by his family\" he hoped it would \"bring them some comfort in knowing that his killer is behind bars\".", "NHS Test and Trace incorrectly told 1,311 people they had tested positive\n\nHundreds of people have been wrongly told they have coronavirus by NHS Test and Trace after a laboratory error.\n\nMore than 1,300 people who gave samples between 19 and 23 November received positive results, when the tests were actually void.\n\nAll of those affected will be told to take another test, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.\n\nDuncan Larcombe, whose daughter received the wrong result, said it was \"more than an inconvenient mistake\".\n\nThe PR company director, from Maidstone, Kent, said his two children, aged 14 and nine, were both sent home from school to self-isolate and he was unable to work.\n\nHe said his 14-year-old daughter had not left her bedroom for four days, with meals being left outside her door, until the family learned the result was void on Thursday.\n\n\"We were taking it very seriously,\" he said.\n\nMr Larcombe, a former royal editor at the Sun newspaper, said the mistake \"brings into question for me whether or not this testing system is competent\".\n\n\"The entire economy is relying on the competence of the testing laboratories and if they are not doing their job they need to be held to account,\" he said.\n\nDHSC said it was an \"isolated incident\" caused by an \"issue with a batch of testing chemicals\" which had affected tests taken across the UK.\n\nIt is \"being fully investigated to ensure this does not happen again,\" the department said.\n\nMr Larcombe's daughter has now received a negative result after taking a second test on Thursday.\n\n\"Given that [the government] have just decided to put the whole of Kent in tier 3, you just wonder, is their modelling flawed,\" he said.\n\nAsked if the 1,311 incorrect results would affect regional figures for infection rates, which are represented as the number of cases per 100,000 people, DHSC issued a statement saying: \"Any impact on regional figures would be minimal, but in any event this incident was taken into account when the tiering discussions took place.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The UK's asylum system has become mired in delay during the lockdown, with tens of thousands of people still waiting for their cases to be determined. Among them is \"Karim\", an Iraqi doctor who wants to use his skills to help the NHS fight the virus.\n\nKarim, not his real name, was a doctor working in a hospital in Iraq in 2019 when a group of militiamen entered with a dying patient on a trolley.\n\nThey demanded to see a doctor and Karim claims he was with the patient in moments, doing his best to save his life, but the man died and the militia blamed Karim.\n\nKarim says he was not the first doctor to be targeted - and it was what happened to the others that meant he had to flee.\n\n\"I think my fate will be death, because this is what had happened to one of our consultants in the hospital a few months before I fled the country.\n\n\"They followed him for about six months and then they shot him over the whole of his body. I had no choice but to flee,\" he told the BBC.\n\nKarim says another consultant was told by a militia member that he would be killed if he did not pay them $20,000 after he had treated a pregnant mother whose child was born with a congenital abnormality.\n\nKarim and his wife, who is also a doctor, flew to the UK last November, claiming asylum when they arrived.\n\nJust over a year later, their application has no end in sight.\n\n\"We don't have any exact date which tells us that at least we will be interviewed or we will have a decision by this time, nothing like this,\" says Karim.\n\n\"Me and my wife tried our best by contacting the Home Office to get an exemption to support the NHS as doctors during this pandemic, and all our efforts were refused.\n\n\"I also offered to volunteer as a doctor but the NHS will not allow you to do any work inside their hospitals if you don't have permission to work.\"\n\nKarim wants to remain anonymous, fearful of attack, even now he is in the UK\n\nAs a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Home Office cancelled asylum interviews on 19 March.\n\nGuidance published on 6 August stated there would be a phased resumption of interviews using video conferencing.\n\nSome face-to-face interviews have now resumed.\n\nHowever, figures published this week show a rise in the number of asylum seekers waiting for more than six months for their case to be determined.\n\nThat represents a rise of more than 16,000 people.\n\n\"More than 36,000 asylum seekers, many of whom are traumatised and vulnerable, have waited longer than six months for a Home Office decision that is pivotal for their future, their family and their security. This is unacceptable,\" Law Society President David Greene told the BBC.\n\n\"Asylum seekers are living in limbo, unable to earn a living, contribute to the economy or, as in Karim's case, support the NHS.\n\n\"We need an immigration and asylum system that treats people fairly, that is efficient and provides timely, lawful decisions.\n\nAnyone wishing to stay in the UK as a refugee must apply for asylum.\n\nTo be eligible you must have left your country and be unable to go back because you fear persecution.\n\nApplications should be made on arrival in the UK or as soon as it is thought it would be unsafe to return to your own country.\n\nAfter you apply, you will have a meeting with an immigration officer, a process known as screening.\n\nThere will then be an asylum interview with a caseworker which will determine your asylum status. If successful you may be given permission to stay in the UK for five years. This is known as \"leave to remain\".\n\nIn May 2019 the government scrapped its target of processing most asylum claims within six months but said it was committed to ensuring claims were considered without unnecessary delay \"to ensure individuals who need protection are granted asylum as soon as possible and can start to integrate and rebuild their lives, including those granted at appeal\".\n\nHome Secretary Priti Patel told the BBC the need for change in the UK's asylum system had never been clearer.\n\n\"With over 48,000 asylum cases stuck in this broken system, I will bring forward new legislation next year to ensure vulnerable people get the support they need instead of being stuck in the system waiting for a decision and unable to get on with rebuilding their lives.\n\n\"This also means ending abuse of the asylum system. Our new legislation will introduce a new firm system to expedite removals of foreign criminals, stop people coming here illegally and instead prioritise those most in need who play by the rules.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Monaco, models and money – who is retail mogul Sir Philip Green?\n\nSir Philip Green, once known as the 'King of the High Street' is facing his biggest challenge yet.\n\nHis Arcadia retail empire is teetering on the brink of collapse, the latest saga in a colourful career that once saw him branded as the \"unacceptable face of capitalism\".\n\nThe retail tycoon's life story to date is rich in character and anecdote, from his failed attempts to take over M&S, to a lavish lifestyle that has attracted accusations of tax avoidance.\n\nBut questions now swirl over the fate of his empire, and its 13,000 employees.\n\nDespite being born into a well-to-do family in south London, Sir Philip prided himself on having worked his way to the top.\n\nHis competitive streak was apparent from an early age, noticed by school mates at Carmel College, his exclusive boarding school, nicknamed the \"Jewish Eton\".\n\nSchool friend Tony Rauch recalls Sir Philip making a beeline for the table-tennis table at break time and losing a tussle with another boy who had been trying to get the best bat.\n\n\"He got very angry; cried a little bit,\" Mr Rauch told BBC Radio 4's Profile programme in 2012. \"He wasn't physically hurt, I think he was just very angry at having lost.\"\n\nSir Philip left school aged 15 and began working on the forecourt of the petrol station that his mother managed.\n\nHe then went on to learn business basics as an apprentice in a shoe warehouse. At 23 years old, he set up his own business importing and selling jeans.\n\nStaff leaving the BHS headquarters after being told the company would go into administration\n\nStuart Lansley, the author of an unauthorised biography of Sir Philip, described those early days for Radio 4.\n\n\"He had a very mixed track record of starting up companies, and closing them down, working with other people, falling out with people,\" said Mr Lansley.\n\n\"He travelled a lot, learning a lot about the supply chain, who the cheaper suppliers were and so on - but he certainly wasn't a household name.\"\n\nIt was BHS, known then as British Home Stores, that marked the moment Sir Philip Green finally \"arrived\" in 2000.\n\nHe paid £200m for what was already a slightly faded, dowdy chain.\n\n\"He borrowed very large sums of money, invested a little bit himself, and bought up companies that were relatively cheap, because they weren't doing very well. He turned them around, paying off his debt, and then tripling - quadrupling - the money he put in, in a matter of a couple of years,\" Mr Lansley said.\n\nTwo years later, he copied that model when he bought the giant retail empire Arcadia, which owns brands such as Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge, and of course, Topshop and Topman.\n\nSir Philip Green's most ambitious move came in 2004, when he put together £10bn, much of it from investment banks, to make an offer for Marks and Spencer.\n\nEven Sir Stuart Rose - then his rival and at the helm of Marks at the time - was impressed.\n\n\"Philip is not only a first-class retailer, he is absolutely pre-eminent in his generation in terms of his financial nous and ability,\" Sir Stuart told Profile.\n\n\"If I wanted to be slightly uncharitable, I could say that he came to the market to raise a very, very large sum of money at a time when money was cheap and freely available - but only Philip could have put that together.\"\n\nAs chairman of Marks and Spencer, Sir Stuart Rose (L) faced two takeover bids from Sir Philip Green (R)\n\nSir Stuart Rose also has first-hand experience of his reportedly very short fuse. Sir Philip reportedly grabbed the then M&S boss by the lapels during his second unsuccessful takeover bid in 2004.\n\n\"There was a fairly physical occasion one morning, yes. I think tension had got quite high during the bid and Philip got upset about something,\" said Sir Stuart.\n\n\"He wasn't above ringing me up during the height of the bid and singing 'if I were a rich man' down the telephone to me, trying to point out the error of my ways [for not selling]... that I would make more money.\n\n\"He used to say, 'The only jet you know is Easyjet.'\"\n\nSir Philip is not shy about enjoying the trappings of his success.\n\nHe commutes into London from Monaco in a private jet, has a super-yacht called Lionheart, and has been known for throwing extravagant parties for friends and family in exotic places, with entertainment from the likes of Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez.\n\nWhat has attracted the most controversy though is not the lavish lifestyle, but his tax affairs.\n\nIn 2005, his company paid a £1.2bn dividend to the owner of Arcadia - Sir Philip's wife, Cristina. Since she is a resident of Monaco, she paid no tax in the UK.\n\nIn 2010, activists demonstrated outside the flagship Topshop and BHS stores in central London after Sir Philip was chosen by then Prime Minister David Cameron to conduct a government efficiency review.\n\nThey thought his tax arrangements made him the wrong choice. Despite their anger, however, Arcadia has paid significant sums in corporation tax.\n\nBut some of Arcadia's glamour has waned in recent years. Critics say that Sir Philip, reportedly averse to electronic gadgets, has not embraced online shopping as aggressively as competitors such as Asos or Boohoo.\n\nWhile sales remained steady through the group, BHS was seen as the weakest link, and was sold for £1.\n\nQuestions were asked following the sale over just how much money Sir Philip had taken out of the company in the years before.\n\nAt the time, Angela Eagle, the former shadow business secretary, said: \"In this situation, it appears this owner extracted hundreds of millions of pounds from the business and walked away to his favourite tax haven, leaving the Pension Protection Scheme to pick up the bill.\"\n\nSir Philip agreed a £363m cash settlement with the Pensions Regulator in 2017 to plug the gap in the BHS pension scheme.\n\nAre you an Arcadia employee? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Helen Jeremy believes she would not have become blind if her monthly eye injections were not cancelled during lockdown\n\nA woman has become blind after her monthly eye injections were delayed for four months during lockdown.\n\nHelen Jeremy, 73, said everything she enjoyed doing has \"gone out of the window\" after losing her eyesight.\n\nThousands more people in Wales are at risk of \"irreversible sight loss\" because of treatment delays, RNIB Cymru warns.\n\nThe Welsh Government said health boards are working to increase services.\n\nMrs Jeremy, from Bridgend, has glaucoma and was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration four years ago.\n\nMonthly injections controlled the condition and meant she could still drive and play the piano.\n\nHowever, her appointments were cancelled when the pandemic struck and her eyesight deteriorated.\n\n\"I was panicking. It was terrifying. Because I'm a widow I'm on my own and it was awful,\" she said.\n\n\"Suddenly my eyesight was basically gone. By the time of my next appointment I was told there was no point in going on with these injections because the damage had been done to the back of my eye.\n\n\"Everything I loved doing has gone out of the window and my life's changed totally.\"\n\nCardiff and Vale University Health Board said priority at the time was based on patient risk.\n\n\"We are sorry that Mrs Jeremy sadly experienced deterioration in her eyesight a few weeks following her last treatment in July,\" a spokesperson said.\n\n\"Sadly, some eye conditions can become worse over time despite ongoing treatment.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHowever, a Freedom of Information request by BBC Wales to all health boards in Wales found more than 33,000 people at risk of sight loss were waiting too long for treatment.\n\nHealth boards are expected to meet the target to see 95% of the most serious cases on time.\n\nThe average was 66% for all health boards in March - and that figure fell to just 53% in October.\n\nThe number of people waiting more than nine months for cataract surgery has also quadrupled in the last year, from 1,096 in October last year to 5,693 this October.\n\nConsultant ophthalmologist Gwyn Williams, who specialises in cataract surgery at Singleton Hospital, said the number of people waiting had \"ballooned almost exponentially\".\n\n\"It is simply impossible to bring forward the appointment of everybody that asks because our capacity has been cut so severely,\" he said.\n\n\"There is a visual price being by the people of our country for the coronavirus restrictions in the name of a greater good of controlling the spread of this virus.\"\n\nRNIB Cymru described the delays are \"extremely worrying\" and said it has helped other people who believe they have lost vision because of cancelled appointment during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nDirector Ansley Workman said that while she recognises the impact of Covid on the NHS, \"that doesn't take away from the fact that there are thousands of people in Wales who are at risk of irreversible sight loss\".\n\nRNIB Cymru director Ansley Workman called on the Welsh Government to ensure \"sight is saved\"\n\nShe called on the Welsh Government to commit to putting in the \"investment and resources to make sure that people are seen in a timely manner and that sight is saved.\"\n\n\"Before Covid came along there were already people waiting far too long for the treatment they needed to make sure they didn't lose their sight unnecessarily,\" she added.\n\nThe Welsh Government said optometric practices and hospital eye care departments across Wales have been open for essential and urgent eye care during the pandemic.\n\n\"As with all planned care specialities, ophthalmology has been impacted by the pandemic and performance has been effected,\" a spokesperson said.\n\n\"Health Boards are working to increase ophthalmology activities and are prioritising patients based on clinical risk.\n\n\"They are doing all they can to keep Covid and non-Covid patients separate and have been changing the care environment with the creation of 'green zones'.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Bruno Tonioli is a judge on Strictly, as well as on US show Dancing with the Stars\n\nStrictly judge Bruno Tonioli will miss being at this year's final in person, as he is unable to fly back to the UK from his US home amid Covid concerns.\n\nThe Italian choreographer has appeared on the show on a Sunday via video link, and had hoped to return in person for next month's final.\n\nHowever, travelling across the Atlantic is now considered too risky for the 65-year-old, the BBC One show confirmed.\n\nHe is also a judge on Dancing with the Stars, the US equivalent of Strictly.\n\nStrictly judges (left to right) Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli\n\nPreviously, Tonioli has commuted between the shows every week, but for this series of Strictly Come Dancing, he has watched it on television rather than in the studio.\n\nHe has been a permanent fixture on the UK programme's judging panel since 2004.\n\nFellow judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse will now oversee the 2020 final without him.\n\nEarlier this month, the competition's longest-serving professional dancer, Anton Du Beke, filled in on the panel, after Mabuse had to self-isolate following a trip to Germany.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The zoo will move from its Clifton site in 2022\n\nBristol Zoo has announced it will relocate from its current site to the outskirts of the city to \"safeguard its future\".\n\nThe site in Clifton will be sold, and the zoo will move to its Wild Place Project site, near junction 17 of the M5 in South Gloucestershire.\n\nThe zoo has been at Clifton since it began in 1836.\n\nBosses said the site will stay open until late 2022, and the new zoo would open in early 2024.\n\nBristol Zoological Society, which owns and operates both Bristol Zoo Gardens in Clifton and Wild Place Project, said the zoo had \"suffered years of declining visitor numbers\", and had made an operating loss in four of the past six years.\n\nThe society's chief executive, Dr Justin Morris, said 2020 had been \"by far the most challenging year the society has faced\" in its 185-year history.\n\nThe zoo has a special place in people's hearts\n\nHe said the zoo had been \"struggling with fundamental and persistent challenges\" which had had an \"enormous impact\" on its finances.\n\n\"Namely an inability to meet the changing needs of the animals within the available space and infrastructure, and declining visitor numbers.\"\n\nHe added the impact of Covid-19 has caused the society to \"radically rethink\" its plans for the future.\n\n\"We know Bristol Zoo Gardens has a special place in the hearts of many, and lots of people have fond memories of visiting the zoo.\n\n\"But a lot has changed and many of the animals associated with these memories are no longer at Bristol Zoo Gardens, for very valid reasons.\n\nThe zoo will move to the Wild Place Project site in South Gloucestershire\n\n\"This new strategy presents an opportunity to create a world-class zoo that sets the standard for a modern, forward-looking zoo in the 21st century.\"\n\nHe said the new zoo would have \"conservation and sustainability at its heart, where animals will have the space and facilities to thrive\".\n\nBosses said they will seek planning permission to create housing on the Clifton site in existing buildings, and the existing gardens will be largely unchanged.\n\nThe zoo's iconic main entrance building would become an \"'urban conservation hub\", a spokesperson added.\n\nFollow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Some big High Street names have decided to shun the Black Friday shopping bonanza even though online spending in the UK is set to soar.\n\nNext, M&S, Wilko and B&M will not be taking part in the sales event on Friday, which is seen as a key trading day in the run-up to Christmas.\n\nSeveral retailers told the BBC they were focussed on offering good value all-year round instead.\n\nMany shoppers use the annual event to buy discounted Christmas gifts.\n\nMore than two-thirds of shoppers have delayed a purchase to try to find a bargain in the sale, according to research by Lloyds Bank.\n\nIt expects Black Friday spending in the UK to jump to £750m this year. Last year, it totalled £718m, although drawing annual comparisons is difficult as the event covers more days and more shops take part.\n\nBut retailer Next has confirmed it will not participate. The decision comes after it reported that in-store sales have been badly affected by the pandemic and are about half of what they were by this time in 2019.\n\nDespite the fact Next was a late adopter of Black Friday, previous sales saw bargain hunters queue up early in the morning for heavily discounted clothes, homeware and furniture.\n\nHigh Street stalwart Marks & Spencer has also decided not to take part.\n\nA spokesperson told the BBC that it had not offered any \"specific Black Friday deals\" for the last few years, and that there were no plans to change that. \"We focus on offering great value and deals throughout the whole festive season,\" M&S said.\n\nThe festive period will be crucial for the firm off the back of a difficult year, during which it reported the first loss in its history as a publicly traded company and was forced to announce 7,000 job cuts across stores and management.\n\nAlthough sales of clothes and homeware slid during the six months to 26 September, its boss Steve Rowe has said that M&S was in a \"much better position\" in the run-up to Christmas.\n\nThe Wilko homeware chain also said there would be \"no specific Black Friday activity\", and that it offered \"great value products at great prices every day\".\n\nDiscount chain B&M said that selling products at a lower price point throughout the festive trading period instead \"avoids excessive crowds on any one day\".\n\nThey added that Black Friday shoppers are often \"chasing largely deceptive offers that do not represent real savings, or are only available in very limited stocks\".\n\nConsumer group Which? urged consumers to \"do some research\" to find genuine bargains\n\nConsumer group Which? recently found that nearly nine in 10 products sold on Black Friday are available for the same price or cheaper earlier in the year.\n\nIt urged consumers to \"do some research\", which may include using websites to check previous prices, in order to spot genuine bargains during the sales.\n\nThe shopping bonanza, imported from the US, now sees shops advertising price cuts several days before the Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday.\n\nBrands such as Jigsaw had previously pledged not to take part, opting for end-of-season sales instead. But in 2018, it launched its first Black Friday sale, saying that the \"economic, political and retail landscapes have changed dramatically.\"\n\nBut retail expert Kate Hardcastle told the BBC it \"makes good sense\" for retailers to shift away from the extended event.\n\n\"[Black Friday] creates a challenging retail calendar for a lot of shops\", with many customers now expecting discounts throughout the year as a matter of course.\n\nAlthough some sales might be lost, she said: \"Brands need to remember it's not just a race to the bottom on price and use it as an opportunity to shift attention elsewhere.\"\n\nCompanies such as clothing brand Baukjen, for example, is giving the profits made during the \"Black Friday weekend\" to charity, while footwear firm Allbirds will raise prices by £1 across all of its products and donate those proceeds.\n\nAlthough many firms have been struggling with job losses, subdued sales and lockdowns in the face of the pandemic, Ms Hardcastle suggests this is a \"key moment\" for brands to make sure they are not just associated with discounts.", "Claire Elms, who was celebrating her 35th birthday, said she felt \"sad\" but not surprised by the decision\n\nNottinghamshire's return to the top tier of Covid-19 restrictions is \"a kick in the teeth\", residents have said.\n\nThe city and county moved into tier three in October, but a four-week England-wide lockdown has seen the rates of positive cases drop.\n\nSome residents said the decision will affect their livelihoods, with one describing it as heartbreaking.\n\nThe government said rates remained \"very high\" among those over 60.\n\nLia Primrose (left), pictured with her friend Poppi, said the decision felt like a \"kick in the teeth\"\n\nLia Primrose, 17, who is studying health and social care at college, said: \"It just feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth after cases went down so much.\"\n\nShe said that because she worked as a waitress, she would be unable to return to work and described the announcement as, \"the biggest heartbreak\".\n\nNottingham Trent University students Laura Puttock (left) and Emma de Duve said they were \"absolutely gutted\"\n\nHer classmate, Poppi West, also 17, added: \"It feels like we're going round in circles.\n\n\"I know it's not the biggest issue but we're both nearly 18 and we won't be able to go out and have a drink to celebrate. It's just a bit sad.\"\n\nPat West, 63, from Newark, said she did not understand why the region was in tier three.\n\n\"I'm really disappointed,\" she said. \"My grandchildren can't come round to see me at home. I'm not seeing them grow up.\"\n\nJulia West said she really felt for young people in the area\n\nJulia West, 69, from West Bridgford, said: \"I think it's disheartening we're going back into tier three after we all did our bit to bring it down.\n\n\"I feel especially for the young people who need some sort of outlet.\"\n\nNottingham Trent University students Laura Puttock and Emma de Duve said they were \"absolutely gutted\".\n\n\"It's our 21st [birthdays] in December,\" said Laura.\n\n\"It's our last year of uni and we thought we could have a last celebration, but now it's going to have to be a takeaway.\n\n\"It's hardly the 21st I'd dreamed of. It just feels [as if] we've done our bit, cases are going down, but we're still not seeing any change.\n\n\"With uni being online I wake up, sit at a screen until my eyes go square and then go back to bed, all in the same room.\"\n\nRates have dropped in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire during the national lockdown\n\nEmma added: \"Everyone was hanging on for this day to see if we were in tier two.\n\n\"I think for people's mental health just being able to go out of the house [and] meet people not from your household is really important.\"\n\nPat Brown, 75, a West Bridgford resident, said: \"To be perfectly honest I didn't think in a million years we'd be in tier two.\"\n\nMandy Middlecote said the tiers system would not make much difference to her\n\nHowever, other residents said they had expected the announcement.\n\nClaire Elms, who was celebrating her 35th birthday, said she felt \"sad\" but not surprised.\n\n\"I live on my own and I want to get out and meet my friends,\" she said.\n\nMandy Middlecote, 44, from Beeston, said she was not surprised by the announcement either.\n\n\"Cases are still pretty high,\" she said. \"Me and my family are keeping to ourselves so tier two or three doesn't make much difference.\n\n\"It would have been nice for the kids to be able to go and play with their friends, but we want to see our family at Christmas so we have to limit things.\"\n\nMuhammed Jonaid described the tiers system as baffling\n\nAnd some residents said they had been left confused by the reintroduction of the tiers system.\n\n\"I think a lot of people aren't even sure of the rules in the different tiers,\" said Muhammed Jonaid, 36, from Aspley. \"The difference between them baffles me.\"\n\nDavid Mellen, the leader of Nottingham City Council, described the decision as a \"bitter blow\".\n\n\"We will need the government to provide further support for businesses,\" he said.\n\n\"However, we must of course accept these are the new rules we must abide by and given the valiant efforts locally in the past few weeks, I have no doubt that we will continue to drive down infection rates and be able to leave tier three and enter tier two very soon.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk\n• None Nottinghamshire to return to tier 3 after lockdown", "Diggers tipped piles of dead mink into trenches in Jutland\n\nOpposition MPs in Denmark have urged the government to dig up millions of mink that were buried in mass graves amid Covid-19 fears.\n\nThe two burial sites in Jutland are highly controversial - one is near a bathing lake and the other not far from a source of drinking water.\n\nThe discovery of a mutated form of the virus prompted a cull of nearly 17 million mink, devastating the Danish fur industry - the largest in the EU.\n\nThe new Agriculture Minister, Rasmus Prehn, said on Friday he supported the idea of exhuming the mink and incinerating them. But that would require the environmental protection agency's approval, he added.\n\nHis predecessor Mogens Jensen resigned last week in the furore over the government's legal basis for the cull, as more than 10,000 tonnes of dead mink were hastily buried.\n\nDenmark's DR news reports that about 11 million mink have been culled so far.\n\nWarning: you may find a picture below showing a burial site disturbing\n\nThe government has admitted that the cull was mishandled. The grisly mass burial got even more macabre when there were reports of buried mink resurfacing because of the nitrogen and phosphorus gases produced by their decay.\n\nThe two mass graves are near Karup and Holstebro.\n\nDanish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen became tearful when discussing the plight of mink farmers\n\nPrime Minister Mette Frederiksen wept on Danish TV while visiting a mink farm on Thursday.\n\n\"We have two generations of really skilled mink farmers, father and son, who in a very, very short time have had their life's work shattered, and that… It's been emotional for them. Sorry. For me as well,\" she said, wiping away tears.\n\nLaw experts quoted by Danish TV2 say the government went ahead with mass burial without getting an environmental impact assessment.\n\nThe opposition Liberal Party (Venstre) says the mink should be dug up and loaded into containers of manure, which would allegedly be a safer disposal method.\n\nThe cull of 17 million mink is still going on\n\nEnvironment Minister Lea Wermelin spoke to parliament - the Folketing - on Friday, in a crisis session called to deal with the mink problem.\n\nShe admitted that mass burial had not been the best method - incineration would have been preferable - but the spread of Covid-19 on mink farms had made the disposal urgent and there had been no other quick way to handle such a quantity of dead animals.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Critics and supporters of the fur trade speak out\n\nOn Danish TV, the Liberals' environment spokesman Thomas Danielsen said \"this is a case full of errors and illegalities\".\n\nA Socialist People's Party (SF) MP for West Jutland, Signe Munk, called the buried mink \"a ticking environmental bomb\" and said \"the mink must be removed\".\n\nThe head of the mink breeders' association, Tage Pedersen, said the cull spelt doom for Danish fur producers - a sector employing about 6,000 people and worth $800m (£600m) annually in exported pelts, Reuters news agency reported.\n\nDenmark has about 1,100 mink farms - and so far no compensation deal has been decided.", "Last updated on .From the section Rugby League\n\nTeenager Jack Welsby scored a last-gasp try as St Helens retained their Super League crown against Wigan Warriors with the most dramatic climax in Grand Final history.\n\nWelsby's decisive try came after the full-time hooter, touching down after a drop-goal attempt hit the post.\n\nExtra time was imminent with the score 4-4, Lachlan Coote with two penalties and Wigan's Jake Bibby scoring a try.\n\nBut Welsby pounced as Bevan French hesitated to claim a thrilling win.\n\nHaving the youngest player on the field score the winning try in such sensational fashion gave Saints, England and Great Britain legend James Graham a triumphant farewell.\n\nBut it was a heart-breaking way to send Wigan talisman Sean O'Loughlin into retirement.\n\nNo moment summed up the commitment and ferocity of the first half better than Saints' effort to hold Zak Hardaker up over the line in the 28th minute, with five defenders rushing across to deny the Warriors the first points of the game.\n\nIt was a defensive effort celebrated like a try.\n\nUp until that moment, it was Wigan's stubborn defence repelling a St Helens side that dominated possession that defined the contest.\n\nIt was not until a shoulder charge from Morgan Smithies on Coote in the final minute of the half that Wigan conceded, with the forward gifting Saints two points and the half-time lead with a penalty.\n\nThe defending champions, playing in their alternative blue, continued to pound Wigan in waves but struggled to break their resistance.\n\nAn effort from Zeb Taia, another decorated Saint playing his final game, was as close as anyone got to a try in the first hour, with his touchdown from a James Roby kick ruled out as he was marginally offside in pursuit of the delicate grubber.\n\nA stumble from Bibby on the right wing saw a chance go begging for Wigan, but it was a slip he quickly atoned for as he dived over for the opening try after 65 gruelling minutes.\n\nHardaker's conversation attempt came off the bar, allowing Coote to level with seven minutes remaining with his second penalty of the night after Jackson Hastings was adjudged to have caught Theo Fages with a high tackle.\n\nSaints half-back Fages was the first to try to win it with a kick after that with a drop-goal attempt, and his miss was followed up by a Hardaker penalty that was agonisingly short and right of the posts with two minutes remaining.\n\nThen, with the last action of the game, Tommy Makinson went for a long-range drop-goal of his own, which came off the post and bounced behind the Wigan goal, where it was pounced upon by 19-year-old Welsby ahead of French to spark celebrations for Saints.\n\nThese two fierce rivals last met in a Grand Final in 2014 and it was in front of a raucous crowd of more than 70,000 at Old Trafford - home of not only Manchester United, but Super League's biggest occasion for 21 years.\n\nBut at the end of a 2020 campaign hit hard by the pandemic, there was no trip to the Theatre of Dreams.\n\nInstead, Hull FC's KCOM Stadium was the makeshift stage.\n\nIn a city where rugby league passions run high, it remained a fitting venue on a freezing November night.\n\nBut in the absence of fans during the ongoing global health crisis, it was a game of unparalleled intensity and physicality despite being robbed of an electric atmosphere and pulsating soundtrack befitting of the occasion.\n\nThe relentless action ensured the showdown on the Humber - which was low on points but high on drama - will be remembered as a classic.\n\nAnd with the sub-plot of each side having a modern-day great of the English game playing their final match before retirement, it was guaranteed to be a memorable occasion even before kick-off.\n\nOnly one man could sign off as champion, and it was Graham who brought his distinguished 17-year career to an end with a second Super League title and his first since 2006, having previously been part of five Grand Final-losing sides.\n\nHe was able to see out his career in fitting fashion despite serious concerns over his chances of playing in the final after suffering a head injury in the first half of the semi-final thrashing of Catalans Dragons a week earlier.\n\nThere was also an early moment of worry for the veteran prop as medics attended to him after he was hit by an unsighted Tommy Leuluai tackle.\n\nThe forward, who spent eight years in Australia's NRL competition with the Canterbury Bulldogs and St George Illawarra Dragons, returned to his boyhood club this year to help keep the Super League crown on Merseyside.\n\nIn doing so, Saints denied Graham's former England team-mate and one-club man O'Loughlin a fifth Super League title.\n\nIt was decade on from his first Grand final win that the 38-year-old was hoping to once again hold the trophy aloft, but Wigan could not replicate their result of 2010, when they overcame Saints for the first of four titles in 10 years.\n\nAs significant as the departures are for both clubs and the English game as a whole, Welsby offered a glorious view of the future with his final-winning heroics at the end of a breakthrough season.\n\nWhat a game! You've got to admire both teams.\n\nThis has been a game of the highest quality with the highest intensity, a fitting end to the season but you've got to feel sorry for Wigan because I thought they were magnificent.\n\nHowever you've got to admire Saints' attitude and the tenacity to come through this.\n\nThis has been the greatest Grand Final, no doubt.\n\nIt was pure theatre, it really was, and it was a privilege to be here, it's just so sad that it wasn't packed here to witness something like that.", "Nigel Owens will become the first referee to take charge of 100 Tests when he officiates the Autumn Nations Cup match between France and Italy on Saturday.\n\nThe historic milestone will be the latest in a long and illustrious career for the Welshman, who refereed the 2015 Rugby World Cup final as well as several European club finals.\n\nSaturday's match in Paris could also be his last in international rugby, with the 49-year-old planning to retire at the end of this season.\n\nBut Owens has not had much time to consider his looming achievement this week, not when he has been busy working on his Carmarthenshire farm.\n\n\"It's been a strange one this week because I had TB [bovine tuberculosis] testing on the farm on Monday and thankfully everything was fine,\" Owens tells BBC Sport Wales.\n\n\"It's been a stressful week so the game itself has been far from my mind this week with the TB testing, which can be heart-breaking if the result is positive - but thankfully everything was negative and all was good thankfully.\n\n\"Now I'm able to switch my focus to the weekend and the build-up to it, reaching a very special milestone.\n\n\"It is something that you think about, something that you'd like to achieve, and I think if any referee or any player tells you 'I'm on 97, 98 or whatever I don't really care or think about getting to 100' then I don't think they're being very honest with you because it is something special, particularly to be the first referee to achieve that.\n\n\"I certainly won't be the last but I'll be the first one.\n\n\"It is something I'm looking forward to but also a bit of realisation that this could be my last Test match.\"\n\nOwens is the longest serving member of World Rugby's elite international panel, having officiated his first full Test in 2003 when Portugal played Georgia.\n\nHe turns 50 next June and, as he prepares to step aside from international rugby at the end of this season, he hopes to play a part in the 2021 Six Nations before bowing out.\n\n\"Hopefully I'll be selected for the Six Nations and, if so, that will definitely be the end of my Test match referee career and things will come to an end at the end of this season,\" he adds.\n\n\"We'll have to see, but this could be my last Test match at the weekend. So there is a bit of a realisation around the fact that this could be the last time I walk out on to the field for a Test match.\n\n\"There's a little bit of excitement and happiness with it but also maybe a little sadness as well when the final whistle goes.\"\n\nOwens has become a household name thanks to his witty rapport with players on the field, as well as his media appearances away from it too.\n\nAnd beyond his quick one-liners, Owens is respected across the sport as one of the world's finest referees, as evidenced by glowing tributes from England head coach Eddie Jones and his Wales counterpart Wayne Pivac this week.\n\nHaving officiated the biggest games in international and club rugby, Owens is spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a career highlight - but refereeing the 2015 World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia stands out.\n\n\"I think it is the favourite because of everything around the game off the field,\" Owens says.\n\n\"My village of Mynyddcerrig [in Carmarthenshire, west Wales] had bunting and flags out, everyone in the working men's club that week enjoying themselves and people coming from everywhere.\n\n\"There were people driving down from Merthyr, from Pontypool, up from Cardigan, some down from Aberystwyth. People were driving down to see the village I was born in because it was on the news that week.\n\n\"What it meant to the village and what it meant to me, the fact that the village was so proud of me achieving that, it was special because of that.\n\n\"It's the biggest game in world rugby that only happens once every four years but, even more so, what it meant to my dad, my family and my community of Mynyddcerrig as well as Pontyberem and the Gwendraith Valley as well. That would be the special one.\"", "Mass testing plans in England threaten to be a \"distraction\" from other priorities such as the rollout of a vaccine, health leaders have warned.\n\nThe PM has said mass community testing, as seen in Liverpool, will be offered to all areas in tier three after lockdown ends.\n\nBut experts have questioned whether this is possible due to the \"enormous\" resources it requires.\n\nThe government said it will work with local authorities to support plans.\n\nIn a joint statement, the Faculty of Public Health and the Association of Directors of Public Health said improving NHS Test and Trace must remain the top focus for testing.\n\nMass testing of people without symptoms using new rapid \"lateral flow\" tests - which give a result in about 20 minutes, without the need for a lab - has been piloted in Liverpool.\n\nSo far more than 100,000 people without symptoms have been tested using the new rapid tests, with just over 700 positive results.\n\nNow thousands of rapid tests have been sent to more than 90 local authorities in England as part of an expansion of the Liverpool scheme, which was supported by 2,000 members of the military.\n\nOne of those is Liverpool's neighbour, the borough of Sefton, which has half as many residents.\n\nBut the area says it only has a team of 12 people to carry out mass testing and has been offered no other support.\n\nThe Faculty of Public Health and the Association of Directors of Public Health said: \"The additional capacity provided to Liverpool to set up and manage testing sites alone has been enormous and it is difficult to envisage how or even whether this could be replicated at the pace being proposed across the country.\n\n\"This threatens to be a distraction from other activities, like planning and rolling out vaccines.\"\n\nTheir statement added: \"The key priority needs to be targeted community testing... in settings or locations of higher risk of transmission or where the consequence of infection is higher.\"\n\nThe government is asking local leaders and directors of public health in tier three to put forward proposals and said it will work with them to make sure they're resourced.\n\nIt said it is not expecting to see Liverpool replicated up and down the country.\n\nLiverpool's mass testing pilot began earlier this month. Prof Louise Kenny, pro vice chancellor at Liverpool University, which is running the pilot scheme with the city council, said they were delighted with the results.\n\n\"It was a pilot, we had very few expectations about how it would turn out. But I'm really pleased by how the city has embraced it from all corners,\" she said.\n\n\"Yes, it's been lower in some areas but we're addressing that by making the testing more available, we assess what the barriers are, that's a work in progress.\n\n\"And I think the fact that we have identified over 700 of our residents who were positive, didn't know it, were at risk to their fellow citizens is a hugely encouraging thing.\"", "Seven-year-old Emily Jones was stabbed as she played in Queen's Park, Bolton\n\nA seven-year-old girl had her throat cut in a random attack at a park on Mother's Day, a jury at Manchester Crown Court heard.\n\nEmily Jones was at Queen's Park in Bolton with her parents when she was attacked by Eltiona Skana, 30, on 22 March, the court was told.\n\nMs Skana, 30, has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but denies murder.\n\nShe appeared at court via video link from high security Rampton Hospital.\n\nMichael Brady QC, prosecuting said Emily was on a scooter and had been brought to the park by her father Mark Jones.\n\nMoments before the attack Emily spotted her mother, Sarah Barnes, who was jogging around the park wearing headphones.\n\nOblivious of the defendant she called out to her mum and scooted towards her some yards ahead of her father.\n\nEmily was grabbed by Ms Skana who \"in one movement\" cut the girl's throat and threw her to the ground, said Mr Brady.\n\nHe added: \"There had been no interaction between Emily and the defendant.\"\n\nIn a statement read to the jury, Emily's father said: \"I do not know why this happened. Emily was simply riding her scooter to her mum. I simply can't explain it.\"\n\nMs Skana, who bought the knife earlier that day, fled but was chased by Tony Canty who was walking in the park with his wife Lynsey and their baby daughter.\n\nMr Canty barged Ms Skana to the ground and detained her until police arrived.\n\nAfter her arrest, Ms Skana, originally from Albania, was assessed, telling the on-call psychiatrist \"I know I'm a paranoid schizophrenic\". She was detained under the Mental Health Act.\n\nMs Skana was moved to the high-security hospital at Rampton where she told a psychiatrist, Dr Afghan, she had been \"psychotic, hearing and seeing things\".\n\nWhile there she may have had a possible psychotic episode and another time it was reported while watching a children's TV programme she began laughing hysterically when she saw a child who looked similar to Emily, the court heard.\n\nMs Skana said she was \"perfectly normal\" before coming to the UK and claiming asylum in 2014, she told medics.\n\nThe jury was also told she showed \"indifference\" to the killing and spoke with a \"smirk\" but also showed appropriate emotional response when talking about her own family.\n\nSpeaking to a nurse at Rampton, Ms Skana said: \"Like I said, it's been three months, what do you want me to do cry all the time?\"\n\nShe later told the same nurse: \"It was premeditated, I waited in a park and picked my victim, I did what I did, then tried to run away.\"\n\nMr Brady told jurors the main issue was whether Ms Skana's paranoid schizophrenia is the reason behind the killing or her illness is simply \"a convenient excuse behind which to hide\".\n\nThe trial is scheduled for five days.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Bar chain owner Martin Greenhow: ''This is pure and simple business torture\"\n\nThe hospitality sector will be \"decimated\" by the new Covid tiers, according to bar chain owner Martin Greenhow, who says it \"isn't viable to operate\" under the conditions.\n\nMr Greenhow, who has bars in cities including Manchester, says the measures are \"a mortal blow\" to the sector.\n\nThe hospitality industry has warned that tens of thousands of businesses will close without extra support.\n\nIt comes as more pub groups have been forced to make additional job cuts.\n\nMitchells & Butlers, owner of the All Bar One and Harvester chains, revealed it had cut 1,300 jobs while Fuller Smith & Turner made 350 redundancies.\n\nThe government has set out what level of restrictions England's regions will face when lockdown ends with cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle put in the highest tiers.\n\nBut chains such as Mr Greenhow's Mojo bars were struggling even before the second lockdown in England, imposed on 5 November.\n\nOn the Friday before lockdown, Mr Greenhow's Manchester bar took £175. On the same Friday night a year before, it took £10,000.\n\nEven tier one means that bars have less than half the usual number of customers, he says.\n\n\"It's simply not a business model that can work,\" he adds. \"Right now, for hospitality, all the tiers are a version of waterboarding. We're allowed out for a brief gasp of fiscal oxygen, then we're slammed back down.\"\n\n\"This is pure and simple business torture.\"\n\nUK Hospitality boss Kate Nicholls said the sector is \"bearing the brunt of the pain of closure\" under the new Covid rules. She added that tens of thousands of businesses will close without additional support.\n\nUnder the new restrictions, pubs in tier 2 regions can only open if they serve substantial meals and households are not allowed to mix indoors.\n\nUnder tier 3, pubs and restaurants must close their doors but can offer takeaways.\n\nMs Nicholls said that 98% of its members were in areas with tier 2 or tier 3 coronavirus restrictions, and nearly nine in 10 \"say that they are not viable to operate at those level of restrictions\".\n\n\"Without additional support to sustain these businesses through this crisis, we are going to see tens of thousands of businesses closing and over a million job losses,\" she added.\n\nBirmingham City Council leader Ian Ward said hospitality and other businesses needed a \"meaningful package\" of support from the government so the economy can \"continue to function in an effective way\".\n\n\"The crisis faced by hospitality businesses across Birmingham is of particular concern from an economic perspective - a crisis that would have been exacerbated whether our city was placed in tier 2 or 3,\" said Mr Ward.\n\n\"Many businesses in this previously thriving sector are warning they may not survive the coming months if they are dealt the double blow of more restrictions and inadequate financial support.\"\n\nThe Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) described the imposition of the tier three level as \"devastating news\" for those areas.\n\n\"The government must compensate these businesses for the period of time they have been closed, and the loss of business suffered due to restrictions through the festive period,\" said NTIA chief executive Michael Kill.\n\nThe British pub industry sent a letter on Wednesday pleading with Prime Minister Boris Johnson to save the industry, which it said was facing \"the darkest of moments\".", "Christmas fears for pubs and restaurants in Wales\n\nTighter Covid restrictions in Wales before Christmas would be \"incredibly difficult\" for the hospitality sector, the industry is warning. It comes after Health Minister Vaughan Gething said new rules could be introduced if infection rates \"move in the wrong direction\". The Welsh Government's cabinet is meeting on Friday to discuss its latest response to the pandemic. \"It's been a year of great struggle - a year of stop-start - mostly stop,\" said Simon Wright, who runs a restaurant in Carmarthen. \"We are approaching the time of year when people would anticipate being at their busiest. We weren't anticipating this post-firebreak, not being able to trade before Christmas. \"If something like that happens, it is going to be a huge blow.\"", "Tougher rules for England will \"strike a balance\" when the national lockdown ends next week, Boris Johnson has said.\n\nAt a Downing Street briefing, the PM acknowledged that the stricter three-tiered system of regional measures to tackle coronavirus would bring \"heartbreak and frustration\".\n\nBut he said \"your tier is not your destiny\" and stressed that \"every area has the means of escape\".\n\nMost of England will be in the toughest two levels of measures from 2 December.\n\nThe system will be reviewed every two weeks, with the first review scheduled for 16 December - so an area's tier level may change before Christmas.\n\nHowever, it means 55 million people will remain banned from mixing with other households indoors after the lockdown ends.\n\nMore than a third of England's population, including large parts of the Midlands, North East and North West, as well as Kent, will be in the highest level - tier three.\n\nAnd the majority of places are in the second highest level - tier two - including London, and Liverpool city region.\n\nThe Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - where there have been no recorded cases in the past week - will be the only areas of England in the lowest level of curbs - tier one.\n\nThe new tier restrictions will be voted on by MPs next week, with a revolt already brewing among the government's own backbenchers.\n\nMeanwhile, hospitality bosses have warned the sector will be \"decimated\" by the new tiers.\n\nOn Thursday, another 498 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported in the UK, and a further 17,555 positive cases, the latest figures showed.\n\nThe prime minister warned that easing off risked \"losing control, casting aside our hard-won gains and forcing us back into a new year national lockdown\".\n\nHe said there was \"no doubt the restrictions in all tiers are tough\" but admitted previous tiers \"were never quite enough\".\n\nThe new approach was \"designed to reduce\" the R number - the average number of people an infected person will pass the disease on to - \"below one\", he added.\n\nMr Johnson said mass community testing would be offered to tier three areas \"as quickly as possible\" and hailed Liverpool City region as a \"success story\", where mass testing had brought the area down to tier two.\n\nThe BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg asked the PM to clarify \"what was the point\" of the second national lockdown, if more people were facing tougher rules than before it began.\n\nMr Johnson insisted this was \"not continuing the lockdown\".\n\n\"Across all tiers, shops will be open, hairdressers, personal services will be open, gyms will be functioning, places of worship will be open for communal worship as well, so this is a very different thing,\" he said.\n\nThe PM added: \"And I'm convinced that by April things genuinely will be much, much better.\"\n\nSome cold hard truths are emerging about the government's approach to controlling coronavirus.\n\nMuch about today's announcement was familiar.\n\nA promise of hope on the horizon followed by a dose of reality about the spread of the virus and tough measures taken as a result.\n\nBut months on from the arrival of Covid-19, the once solid political consensus over the response to the pandemic has worn thin.\n\nNow new measures are met with Conservative MPs up in arms and cutting criticism from the opposition.\n\nBut wearily, reluctantly, the prime minister has clearly priced all that in and come to the view that tighter restrictions are needed for many more months before things can even begin to get back to something like normal.\n\nMeanwhile, the UK government's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty and its chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance have warned against hugging and kissing elderly relatives this Christmas.\n\nSpeaking at the news conference, Prof Whitty said people's behaviour at Christmas would \"matter a great deal\" this year.\n\n\"Would I encourage someone to hug and kiss elderly relatives? No, I would not,\" he said.\n\n\"It's not against the law. You can do it within the rules that are there, but it does not make sense because you could be carrying the virus.\"\n\nSir Patrick echoed his remarks, saying \"hugging elderly relatives is not something to go out and do\" over the festive season.\n\nProf Whitty also said tier two would \"hold the line\" but not bring cases down - prompting scepticism from Conservative MP Mark Harper about the PM's claim that \"your tier is not your destiny\".\n\nMr Harper, whose Forest of Dean constituency is in tier two, tweeted: \"Unfortunately, just after the PM said this, Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, said tier two would only hold infections level, and tier one would see them go up.\n\n\"That rather suggests if you're in tier two, it is your destiny - at least until the spring.\"\n\nDifferences between the new tiers include restrictions on where households can meet up:\n\nGyms and close-contact beauty services like hairdressers will be able to open in all tiers. People in all tiers who can work from home, should continue to do so.\n\nPubs in tier two can only open to serve \"substantial meals\", while those in tier three can only operate as a takeaway or delivery service.\n\nDecisions on tiers are based on public health recommendations informed by a series of public health data, including Covid-19 cases among the over-60s, positivity rates, pressure on the NHS and how quickly cases are rising or falling.\n\nBBC analysis shows a north-south divide in England when it comes to restrictions:\n\nDevolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have the power to set their own coronavirus regulations, though all four UK nations have agreed a joint plan for Christmas.\n\nEarlier, data from the Office for National Statistics showed coronavirus infection rates in England were continuing to show signs of levelling off.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Nicola Sturgeon said countries would have to consider what type of society they wanted be after the Covid pandemic.\n\nNicola Sturgeon has said a second independence referendum should be held \"in the earlier part\" of the next Scottish Parliament term.\n\nThe SNP leader, who is also Scotland's first minister, said her focus was currently on guiding the country through the pandemic.\n\nBut she insisted that the UK government's current opposition to indyref2 was unsustainable.\n\nShe would not be drawn on what she might do if it consent was refused.\n\nMs Sturgeon was being interviewed by the BBC ahead of the SNP's virtual conference which opens on Saturday and concludes on Monday with her leader's speech.\n\nThe party, which has formed the Scottish government since 2007, believes that winning the next Holyrood election in May would give it a mandate to hold another referendum on independence.\n\nHowever, the UK government has repeatedly said it would not grant the consent that Ms Sturgeon has argued would be needed if any referendum was to be legal.\n\nIt argues that the referendum result in 2014 - when voters rejected independence by 55% to 45% - still stands, and points to quotes at the time from both Ms Sturgeon and her predecessor, Alex Salmond, that it was a \"once in a generation\" event.\n\nAnd Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has said there should not be another referendum for \"25 or 40 years\".\n\nSome within the SNP and wider independence movement have urged Ms Sturgeon to develop a so-called Plan B strategy for securing a referendum if the UK government does not change its stance.\n\nRecent opinion polls now suggest a majority of people in Scotland are in favour of independence\n\nThe include the prominent MP Joanna Cherry, who said on Friday that the Scottish Parliament should legislate to hold an independence referendum - even if the UK government refused agreement.\n\nShe acknowledged that a Holyrood-only referendum would almost certainly face legal challenge because the UK constitution is not devolved.\n\nBut Ms Cherry argued that there was nothing to be lost from testing this in court, if independence supporting parties win a majority of the seats at Holyrood.\n\nShe is also urging Ms Sturgeon to restart independence planning, which has been suspended during the pandemic, if there is to be a referendum anytime soon.\n\nMs Cherry and some of her allies are seeking election to the SNP's ruling body this weekend.\n\nJoanna Cherry is among those in the SNP who want Ms Sturgeon to set out a Plan B for securing a referendum\n\nIan Blackford, the SNP's leader at Westminster, said earlier this month that the referendum \"must\" be held next year - which critics argue would be all but impossible to do.\n\nMs Sturgeon appeared to distance herself from that strict timescale, saying only that: \"I think the referendum should, for a whole variety of reasons, be in the earlier part of the next parliament.\"\n\nShe added: \"I intend to say more about this before the election in our manifesto, but we are still in a global pandemic that I feel a bit more hopeful about seeing the end of than I did even just a couple of months ago.\n\n\"There's still a lot of uncertainty ahead. I'm a life-long believer and campaigner and advocate for independence, but right now I'm also the first minister of Scotland.\n\n\"My responsibility is to the health and wellbeing of the country and trying to steer it through a pandemic and I'm very focused on that.\"\n\nHowever, she said countries across the world - including Scotland - would have to decide \"what kind of society we want to be\" as they emerge from the pandemic.\n\nThe added element for Scotland, Ms Sturgeon predicted, would be questioning whether its future should be decided by \"a Westminster government that seems determined to take us in the wrong direction\" or a \"Scottish government, of whatever party in the future, that is accountable to the Scottish people\".\n\nAnd she insisted: \"If people in Scotland vote for a referendum, there will be a referendum.\n\n\"Across the Atlantic, even Trump is having to concede the outcome of a fair and free democratic election\".\n\nThe Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has said another independence referendum is \"the last thing Scotland needs\".\n\n\"Nicola Sturgeon says we should have another independence referendum 'sooner rather than later' and won't even rule one out next year,\" he said.\n\n\"The only thing to stop this and keep us focused on beating Covid and supporting our recovery after this virus is a vote for the Scottish Conservatives.\"\n\nHe called for the country to stay focused on beating Covid and supporting the recovery from the pandemic.\n\nWillie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said Scotland needed a government that was focused \"needle sharp\" on recovery from the Covid crisis.\n\nHe commented: \"Scotland has been through huge turmoil over the last nine months. We haven't even embarked on the economic recovery from the pandemic and the first minister wants to spend months or even years dividing the country over Scotland going its own way with independence.\"\n\nIt was confirmed last week that the number of deaths in Scotland which have been linked to Covid-19 had passed the 5,000 mark.\n\nStatistics released earlier in the year found that the country had seen one of the biggest rises in its death rates in Europe at the height of the pandemic - behind only England and Spain.\n\nBut a poll for BBC Scotland which was published last week suggested that people are largely supportive of Ms Sturgeon's handling of the pandemic.\n\nWhen asked what mistakes she had made during her response to the crisis, Ms Sturgeon said some of the early decisions had been based on a \"under-developed knowledge\" of the virus.\n\nThis impacted on the length of time it took it introduce regular testing in care homes - something she said she \"deeply regrets\".\n\nMs Sturgeon admitted that her relationship with predecessor Alex Salmond has broken down\n\nMs Sturgeon has been involved in a bitter war of words with her predecessor, Mr Salmond, over her government's handling of harassment allegations that were made against him.\n\nThe Scottish government paid Mr Salmond's legal fees of £500,000 after it admitted acting unlawfully during its investigation, with a Holyrood inquiry currently investigating the affair.\n\nA separate inquiry is also examining whether Ms Sturgeon may have broken the ministerial code.\n\nWhen asked whether she would resign if she was found to have broken that code, Ms Sturgeon said she would not speculate on the outcome but added that she was \"satisfied in my conduct and the decisions I took\".\n\nHowever, she admitted that her relationship with Mr Salmond had \"broken down\".\n\nShe added: \"These are deeply personal matters. Alex Salmond is somebody who I have been close to for a very long time, so there is a degree of personal pain for all sorts of people in this.\n\n\"But I'm also mindful that in talking about this, this whole thing all started off because women came forward with complaints.\n\n\"At every stage all I've tried to do is make sure that complaints that came forward, whoever they were about, could be properly investigated without fear or favour\".", "The music producer, named only as Michel, spoke to reporters outside the National Police General Inspectorate in Paris\n\nFrench authorities have suspended three police officers after they were seen on video beating up a black music producer in central Paris.\n\nThe incident on Saturday has prompted a fresh outcry over the conduct of French security forces.\n\nOn Monday police were accused of using unnecessary force as they dismantled a makeshift migrant camp in Paris.\n\nThe incidents come as the government tries to bring in laws banning the broadcast of police officers' faces.\n\nCritics of the legislation say that without such images, none of the incidents which took place over the past week would have come to light.\n\nOn Thursday, French football star Kylian Mbappe, who is black, joined national teammates and fellow athletes in condemning the latest incident.\n\n\"Unbearable video, unacceptable violence. Say no to racism,\" he wrote on Twitter next to a picture of the bloodied face of the injured producer, who has been named only as Michel.\n\nThe security camera video was published on Thursday by the online news site Loopsider. It shows three officers kicking, punching and using their truncheons on the man after he entered his studio. Loopsider said he had initially been stopped for not wearing a mask.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Loopsider This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMichel said that he was also subjected to racist abuse during the five minute beating.\n\nHe was detained and charged with violence and resisting arrest, but prosecutors threw the charges out and instead opened an investigation against the officers.\n\nAs he arrived at police headquarters on Thursday with his lawyer to file a complaint, Michel told reporters: \"People who should have been protecting me attacked me. I did nothing to deserve this. I just want these three people to be punished according to the law.\"\n\nParis Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she was \"profoundly shocked\" by the \"intolerable act\".\n\nInterior Minister Gérald Darmanin told French television that he would press for the officers' dismissal, saying they had \"soiled the uniform of the republic\".\n\nEarlier this week Mr Darmanin ordered police to provide a full report after they violently dismantled a makeshift migrant camp in the capital, clashing with migrants and activists.\n\nHe tweeted that some of the scenes were \"shocking\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police tipped some migrants out of their flimsy tents\n\nMeanwhile, the French government is pressing ahead with its controversial security bill, which opponents say could undermine the media's ability to scrutinise police behaviour.\n\nArticle 24 of the bill makes it a criminal offence to post images of police or soldiers on social media which are deemed to target them as individuals.\n\nThe government argues that the new bill does not jeopardise the rights of the media and ordinary citizens to report police abuses.\n\nBut in the face of criticism the government added an amendment, specifying that Article 24 \"will only target the dissemination of images clearly aimed at harming a police officer's or soldier's physical or psychological integrity\".\n\nPeople found guilty could be punished by a year in prison or a fine of up to €45,000 (£40,000).", "The R number for coronavirus has fallen to between 0.9 and 1 for the first time since mid-August, which means the epidemic is thought to be no longer growing.\n\n'R' is calculated by the government's scientific advisers, and represents how many extra people each infected person passes the virus onto.\n\nThe aim is to keep R below 1 until a vaccine is rolled out.\n\nDuring the first peak in the spring, R was thought to be around 3.\n\nThe latest estimate of the growth rate of the virus has also fallen, to between -2% and 0%, which indicates that the number of new infections each day is coming down.\n\nOn Friday in the UK, 521 deaths were reported within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test. There were also 16,022 new cases reported - a 25% fall on the previous week.\n\nHowever cases in some regions of England are still high, particularly the North West, the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber. When lockdown ends on 2 December, most of England will move into the two toughest tiers of restrictions.\n\nAn R or reproduction number of 1 means that, on average, every person with the virus will infect one other person.\n\nSo an R number between 0.9 and 1.0 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 9 and 10 other people, indicating it is shrinking.\n\nWith the four nations of the UK following different policies on restrictions, the government says the estimate for R for the whole of the UK has become \"less meaningful in recent weeks\".\n\nIt says the impact of the second lockdown in England, which began on 5 November, cannot be fully evaluated yet, and adds that R \"may be below 1 for all regions already\" in England.\n\nR is estimated using a range of data, including testing numbers, hospital admissions, intensive care deaths and estimates of how many people are infected in households across the country.\n\nScientists from different universities then use this data to estimate the spread of infections.\n\nThere is always a slight time lag in the R number of a matter of weeks - the latest estimate is based on data up to 24 November.\n\nThe UK government has said in the past that the R number was one of the most important factors in making policy decisions.\n\nFrom Wednesday in England, more than 32 million people are due to be living under tier two restrictions, banning indoor meetings between households.\n\nA further 23 million people will be placed under the highest - tier three - restrictions, which further limit contact between people outdoors.\n\nBoris Johnson has defended the approach, arguing the country needs \"simplicity and clarity\" and the restrictions would \"drive\" Covid down until a vaccine is available.\n\nR was last below 1 on the 14 August\n\nProf Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology, from the University of Edinburgh, said the R numbers across the UK \"may decrease further as the full impact of lockdown becomes apparent\".\n\n\"It is worth noting that the falls in R began in the second half of September which may indicate that measures taken during that month did have some impact in some regions of the UK,\" he said.\n\nHowever he added that the data raised the question \"of whether the earlier implementation of measures short of full lockdown would have been sufficient to keep the epidemic in check and prevent local NHS Trusts from being overwhelmed.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Tiffany Pearson-Gills took over the Junction pub in September Image caption: Tiffany Pearson-Gills took over the Junction pub in September\n\nThe landlords of two pubs in an English village that sits on a county border say it makes no sense that only one of them can open under coronavirus measures coming into force next week.\n\nGroombridge has two pubs, but the Crown Inn is in Kent's tier three and the Junction is in East Sussex's tier two.\n\nIn tier three, pubs must close apart from offering takeaway or delivery services, but in tier two, they can open as long as they serve substantial meals.\n\nUnder next week's rules, residents on either side of Groombridge, home to about 1,600 people, should not cross over the county border at a bridge over the River Grom - meaning Kent villagers cannot enjoy the reopening of the East Sussex pub.\n\nSteve Harmes, at the Crown, says not being able to open is \"very frustrating\".\n\n\"We were not in such a bad position before, but now, being put in this position, it's really hard for us to move forward.\"\n\nHe said even if the tiers were reviewed in December, the pub would not be able to prepare and take advantage of the busy Christmas period.\n\nA seven-minute walk away - or 0.4 miles - at the Junction pub, landlady Tiffany Pearson-Gills calls the new rules \"perplexing\".\n\nThe Crown Inn is in Kent, so will go into tier three next week Image caption: The Crown Inn is in Kent, so will go into tier three next week\n\n\"For such a small village... it just doesn't make any sense at all,\" she said.\n\nShe took over the Junction in September and spent several weeks renovating it but had to put off an opening on 5 November.\n\nShe said the pub had been fortunate, adding: \"It's great for us, but it doesn't make sense that the Crown up the road cannot [open]. It's just so close, it's a really, really difficult one.\"", "An escort accused of helping burglars steal property worth £26m from celebrities was only in the UK for a client, a court has heard.\n\nMaria Mester, 47, a Romanian national, denies conspiring to carry out raids on homes including Tamara Ecclestone's.\n\nShe told Isleworth Crown Court she had agreed to spend a week with a \"generous\" man, as it also allowed her to see her son.\n\nThe court was previously told that she, her son Emil Bogdan Savastru, and two other men were part of a plot to target the homes of Tamara Ecclestone, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard and the former Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.\n\nThree alleged burglars - who cannot be named for legal reasons - are said to have carried out the raids between 1 and 13 December last year.\n\nThe homes of Frank and Christine Lampard, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and Tamara Ecclestone and her husband were all broken into last December\n\nGiving evidence through an interpreter, Ms Mester told the court she was paid up to £5,300 to accompany one of the alleged burglars, who was one of her regular clients, to London for a week.\n\n\"I knew he was a sweet client, I thought 'why not?',\" she said.\n\nShe knew her son would also be in the capital at time.\n\nMs Mester told the court her client said he was in London \"on business\".\n\nShe said he was \"very generous\" and would give her presents.\n\nA Cartier bangle worth £80,000 was reportedly stolen in the burglary of Tamara Ecclestone's home\n\nAsked whether she had conversations with any of the alleged burglars about carrying out the raids, she replied: \"No. About all these burglaries, I found out from the lawyers and here in court.\"\n\nDefence counsel Leonard Smith then asked: \"Did you ever have any knowledge at all prior to being arrested that you may have come into contact with property from those burglaries?\"\n\nMs Mester and Mr Savastru, 30, are accused alongside Alexandru Stan, 49, and Sorin Marcovici, 52, who also deny conspiracy to burgle.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nBoris Johnson has defended his decision to place 55 million people in England into the two highest tiers of Covid restrictions, arguing the country needs \"simplicity and clarity\".\n\nThe PM said measures due to come in when lockdown ends on Wednesday were more \"relaxed\" but would \"drive\" Covid down until a vaccine is available.\n\nBut a group of Tory MPs is threatening to rebel in a Commons vote on Tuesday.\n\nIf Labour backs them, this could threaten the government's majority.\n\nThere is concern that the government is adopting a \"one-size-fits all\" approach, which does not reflect local levels of infection.\n\nFrom Wednesday, more than 32 million people are due to be living under tier two restrictions, banning indoor meetings between households.\n\nA further 23 million people would be placed under the highest - tier three - restrictions, which further limit contact between people outdoors.\n\nJust over 1% of England's population would enter the lowest - tier one - restrictions, under which the \"rule of six\" applies both indoors and outdoors.\n\nConservative MP and former cabinet minister Damian Green, who represents Ashford, in Kent, which is set to go into tier three, told the BBC he would vote against the government unless it provided \"new and convincing evidence\".\n\n\"Instead of having these wide county-based areas, where people are put in tiers, then we should do it on a borough basis,\" he said.\n\n\"In an area like mine, the incidence is less than it is in Liverpool, which has just been released down into tier two. So, as it stands, the current policy, the current allocation of tiers on these wide bases, are just not evidence-based.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How you and your family can celebrate Christmas and minimise the spread of coronavirus\n\nSpeaking on a visit to Public Health England laboratories, at Porton Down, Wiltshire, Mr Johnson said he understood the \"frustration\" of those in higher-tier areas, whose own town or village did not have high levels of the disease.\n\nBut he added that the government \"cannot divide the country up into loads and loads of very complicated sub-divisions\" and had to ensure \"some simplicity and clarity\".\n\n\"Unless you beat the problem in the high-incidence area, the low-incidence area, I'm afraid, starts to catch up,\" Mr Johnson said.\n\nHe said \"tough tiering\" was still more \"relaxed by a long way than the current lockdown measures\" and it would \"drive the disease down... until a vaccine comes on stream, which we hope will be over the next weeks and months\".\n\nAsked about mass Covid testing, Mr Johnson said: \"The supply [of kits] I don't think is going to be the problem. The issue is going to be getting everybody mobilised to understand the potential advantage of [it].\"\n\nAware of the disquiet on its own backbenches, the government has promised to publish impact assessments of the new restrictions; a key demand from concerned MPs.\n\nThere's also a suggestion that areas could move into lower tiers when numbers are reviewed at regular intervals.\n\nBut that's unlikely to see off the brewing Tory rebellion.\n\nSome Conservatives have already publicly declared that they won't vote for the new tier system when it's put before the Commons next week.\n\nIf enough rebel the government might have to look to the opposition to get this through Parliament.\n\nSir Keir Starmer is still deciding whether his party will back the plan, although it is likely to have enough support overall.\n\nHowever, it's not a good look for the government to have to rely on Labour in the face of unrest on its own benches.\n\nThe Covid Recovery Group of Conservative MPs, set up to scrutinise the government's response to the pandemic, is threatening a revolt in next Tuesday's vote.\n\nThe group's chair, Mark Harper, said evidence provided by the government to justify the tier system was not \"compelling\". He called for more information on the measures' effects on different sectors of the economy.\n\nHe added that on \"too many occasions, ministers have made arguments and they've not stacked up\".\n\nDeputy chairman Steve Baker called the measures \"truly appalling\" and said the modelling used by government scientists had been \"wrong time and time again\".\n\nThe group claims to have 70 members, but it is not certain how many of them would be expected to rebel against the government.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BBC's Laura Foster explains the new three tier system for England.\n\nForty-three Conservatives would have to defy the prime minister to defeat the plan, if all opposition MPs also voted against.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer is expected to decide early next week whether to support Mr Johnson, after consulting government coronavirus experts.\n\nShadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Labour was \"not against\" tougher restrictions or tiers, but would seek \"reassurances\" on support for the poor and vulnerable.\n\nUnder the government's plan, Kent and large parts of the Midlands, north-east and north-west England would go into tier three.\n\nOnly Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight would be in tier one.\n\nMr Johnson said the government's planned \"review point\" - on 16 December - gave the \"prospect of areas being able to move down the tier scale\".\n\nBut Professor John Edmunds, a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said he could not imagine \"huge changes\" to restrictions by then.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that experts were unlikely to \"have accumulated much data\" in time.\n\nThe government has promised to publish an impact assessment before MPs vote on the new rules.\n\nHow has coronavirus affected you? What does the tier system mean for you? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nOr use this form to get in touch:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your comment or send it via email to HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any comment you send in.", "The image of 81-year-old Stefano Bozzini playing the accordion from an Italian street below his wife's hospital window stole hearts around the world.\n\nCarla Sacchi was allowed out of the hospital near Piacenza a few days ago but has now died at her home.\n\nAlthough she had not contracted coronavirus, hospital rules meant her husband was unable to visit her.\n\nPiacenza Mayor Patrizia Barbieri said the disease had \"broken their embrace\".\n\nHowever, in a Facebook message, she paid tribute to Mr Bozzini's gesture of \"tenderness\".\n\n\"In that serenade we all recognised love, in the simplicity and immediacy of its universal language.\"\n\nThis Facebook post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Facebook The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Facebook content may contain adverts. Skip facebook video by Valerio This article contains content provided by Facebook. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Facebook cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Facebook content may contain adverts.\n\nHospital staff and residents in the town of Castel San Giovanni watched as the former member of Italy's Alpine regiment donned his Alpine hat, sat on a stool and played a succession of melodies including Spanish Eyes from the courtyard beneath his wife's window.\n\nHis son Maurizio said Stefano had asked the hospital if he could \"perform a few songs for her to give her five minutes of happiness\".\n\n\"It was a sunny day, I would have liked to play longer, for the whole day,\" Mr Bossini told the Piacenza Libertà newspaper.\n\nThe couple had been married for 47 years and he blew his wife a kiss as she watched from behind the window.\n\nHe recently told his local paper how he still played the accordion regularly at village festivals and nursing homes. He said everyone had asked him to play at his wedding but he pretended he had hurt his hand \"because I wanted to dance - me with her\".\n\nNorthern Italy has borne the brunt of the second wave in Italy's Covid-19 pandemic but the Emilia-Romagna region where Castel San Giovanni is located has not been hit as hard as neighbouring Lombardy.\n\nOther stories you might like:\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The story of Captain Tom, the 99-year-old who raised £33m for the NHS\n• None Pay by the hour: Italians find new ways to eat out", "Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said 2020 cannot be a normal Christmas\n\nPeople should limit their contact with others before Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed at Christmas, Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said.\n\nAcross the UK, three households can mix for five days from 23-27 December.\n\nHowever, Ms O'Neill said it was important to reduce Covid-19 transmission \"as low as possible\".\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster said the next two weeks \"are crucial... so that we can all have the safest and the happiest Christmas possible\".\n\nFrom midnight, Northern Ireland enters a two-week circuit breaker, with the closure of many businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors.\n\nThe deputy first minister also said a \"number of things need clarified\" around Christmas arrangements which will be the focus of the executive's meeting on Tuesday.\n\nShe said these included care home arrangements, students coming home and the definition of a household.\n\n\"There is a different in approach across all the jurisdictions in terms of, for example, what a household looks like and it's important that we define that for ourselves,\" the deputy first minister added.\n\nIn Scotland, a three household bubble should contain no more than eight people over the age of 11.\n\nArlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill gave a briefing at Stomont after the executive meeting on Thursday\n\nThe executive also announced that a Covid-19 Taskforce was being established to oversee the roll-out of the vaccine and testing programmes.\n\nThe deputy first minister said it will be chaired by a new interim head of the Civil Service and will also be responsible for public messaging to improve compliance.\n\nMrs Foster said the rate of transmission was currently believed to be \"just below 1\".\n\nShe said she commended \"all those who are re-doubling their efforts to make our high street as Covid secure as possible for their reopening on 11 December\".\n\n\"I want to pay tribute to our scientists, our academics, medics and health workers who are providing us with the pathways out of this pandemic through mass vaccination and testing programmes,\" she continued.\n\nThe broadcast press conferences from Stormont that follow executive meetings have understandably often been sombre occasions.\n\nThe news of daily deaths and increased hospital admissions bring home the reality of Covid-19.\n\nThe news that many families are suffering shows that eight months on, we are still struggling with this pandemic.\n\nWhilst this is bleak and painful, today's press conference did offer some shades of light for the future.\n\nThe news of a vaccination programme offers hope that could save lives and end talk of lockdown and restrictions.\n\nThere was also news that Northern Ireland's R value is just below one - lower than England and Wales.\n\nThe first and deputy first ministers also offered some hope to the hospitality sector who desperately want to get back into business on 11 December.\n\nConversations with the Chief Medical Officer Dr McBride and the Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Ian Young about lifting the trading restrictions are ongoing.\n\nMuch depends on how the next fortnight pans out.\n\nToday offered some glimpses of the future and for some at least there is hope on the horizon.\n\nOn Thursday, eight further deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland were reported by the Department of Health, bringing its total to 962.\n\nThe department also recorded 442 new cases of coronavirus.\n\nFive hospitals are currently operating beyond their bed capacity. They are the Causeway, Mater, Royal Victoria, Ulster and South West Acute.\n\nThere are confirmed outbreaks of Covid-19 in 139 care homes.\n\nThe UK government has said anyone travelling to or from Northern Ireland can travel on 22 and 28 December, but \"only meet with their Christmas bubble\" between 23 and 27 December.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. School holiday Christmas decision will be reached \"as soon as we can\"\n\nDiscussions have been taking place about whether the Christmas school holidays could be extended in Scotland.\n\nIt has been suggested that the dates could be standardised across the country, with all schools closing on 18 December and reopening on 11 January.\n\nHoliday dates vary between different council areas, with most schools due to return between the 5 and 7 January.\n\nThe proposal is designed to limit the spread of Covid after families get together for Christmas.\n\nThe issue was discussed at the Scottish government's education recovery group, but no decisions have yet been made.\n\nThe group brings together a number of stakeholders in the education sector, including unions, councils and the government.\n\nA document from Thursday's meeting was leaked to the Daily Record newspaper.\n\nThe memo says the government is considering a national extension to the holidays, with schools either remaining closed or introducing remote learning for a temporary period.\n\nAt the daily briefing, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the Scottish government was very conscious that parents, teachers and pupils wanted to know what was going to happen.\n\nThe length of Christmas holidays is being discussed by the education recovery group\n\n\"We will make sure that we reach a view based on the advice from that expert recovery group, and make sure that we reach a view as soon as we can so that people do have advance notice,\" she said.\n\n\"We want to give people as much notice as possible if there is to be any change at all, but at this point that decision hasn't been reached.\"\n\nMs Freeman said it would be wrong to \"overly speculate or jump to conclusions\" just because they were looking at the issue.\n\n\"The deputy first minister (John Swinney) and his colleagues will be working through what they think is the best way for schools to enter the Christmas break and come out of the Christmas break - and that applies to colleges and universities as well,\" she added.\n\nThere are a number of important issues to be discussed about changing the holiday dates.\n\nFirst of all parents will want clarity - changes to the dates could mean people having to arrange childcare or take time off work.\n\nSecondly, if schools return a few days later than planned in January, some secondary schools may want to change prelim dates.\n\nThirdly, councils are protective of their role in the education system. They would want to ensure any standardisation of dates in an emergency does not set a precedent.\n\nAnd there is, of course, also the question of whether an extended school holiday would by itself make any meaningful difference to the efforts to control coronavirus.\n\nThe BBC understands councils will discuss the matter again on Friday.\n\nIt is expected that the education recovery group will meet on Wednesday to discuss the potential impact on exams, and that a decision could be made on the holiday extension next week.\n\nWhile many schools are already due to close on 18 December, others are set to remain open until 23 December. The dates for returning to school in January also vary.\n\nThe memo says that extending the holidays would act as a break following the relaxation of rules over the festive period.\n\nHowever, concerns are raised over the time needed to set up the remote learning, and the potential impact caused by the loss of emergency childcare which had previously been provided by school staff.\n\nSchool holidays have traditionally varied in different council areas across Scotland, but the start of the autumn term was standardised in August as schools reopened for the first time since March.\n\nScottish Greens co-leader Alison Johnstone told the BBC's daily briefing programme that parents and pupils needed clarity on extending the Christmas school holidays.\n\n\"We have learned about this today through a leak to a newspaper so I think transparency and clarity are key here,\" she said.\n\nThe Scottish Conservatives' education spokesman Jamie Greene said any further \"watering down\" of pupils' time in class would need to be \"properly catered for at home\".\n\nHe added: \"Every child should have access to proper IT equipment and learning materials to ensure they don't fall behind with their studies.\"\n\nUse the form below to send us your questions and we could be in touch.\n\nIn some cases your question will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions.\n\nIf you are reading this page on the BBC News app, you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question on this topic.", "Thousands of fans came to see Maradona's coffin on display at the presidential palace\n\nThree workers hired to help with the funeral and burial of Diego Maradona have been condemned for taking photos next to his open coffin.\n\nA funeral parlour took on the three to help prepare the coffin of the football icon, who died on Wednesday aged 60.\n\nIn two pictures, the men can be seen posing next to the open casket at the parlour, smiling with their thumbs up.\n\nThe photos surfaced online as Maradona's body lay in repose at the presidential palace, provoking outrage.\n\nMaradona's agent and lawyer, Matías Morla, vowed to take legal action against the \"scoundrel\" responsible for the photos.\n\n\"For the memory of my friend, I won't rest until he pays for such an atrocity,\" Mr Morla wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe manager of the Sepelios Pinier funeral parlour in the Paternal district of Buenos Aires, Matías Picón, told local media that the three men in the photos were \"outsourced employees\" who had helped carry the heavy coffin.\n\n\"We are devastated,\" Mr Picón, told the TN news channel. \"The family trusted us, we have been working with them for a long time.\"\n\nArgentina's President Alberto Fernández was among those to pay his respects to Maradona\n\nMr Picón said his company had organised funeral services for other members of the Maradona family. \"The family has total confidence in us, that's why we are so affected,\" he said.\n\n\"My father is 75 years old and he is crying, I am crying, my brother too, we are destroyed,\" Mr Picón added.\n\nWhen he called Maradona's ex-wife, Claudia Villafañe, to tell her about the photos, \"she was furious\".\n\nThe coffin was draped in Argentina's national flag\n\nThe Picóns said they did not know if the Maradona family planned to take any legal action.\n\nJudicial sources told the Télam news agency that no crime had been reported in relation to the photos, so no complaint had been filed by prosecutors.\n\nMaradona was buried in a private ceremony on Thursday, the first of three days of mourning declared over his death in Argentina.\n\nMaradona was buried in a cemetery where his parents were laid to rest\n\nMaradona's coffin - draped in Argentina's national flag and football shirt, bearing his trademark No 10 - was on public display at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires earlier in the day.\n\nThousands of adoring fans filed through the door of the Casa Rosada to say goodbye to their hero, but the wake ended prematurely after clashes between police and some mourners waiting in line.\n\nRegarded by many as the greatest football player of all time, the former Argentina attacking midfielder died at his home in Tigre, near Buenos Aires.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Diego Maradona \"will live in our heart forever\"\n\nA preliminary post-mortem, widely reported by Argentinian media, indicated that Maradona had suffered \"acute heart failure\".\n\nHe had successful surgery on a brain blood clot earlier in November and was to be treated for alcohol dependency. He had a tumultuous personal life, scarred by alcohol and cocaine addiction, which caused him health problems.\n\nMany of the footballing world's biggest stars have paid tribute to Maradona, including former England striker Gary Lineker, who said the Argentine was \"by some distance, the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch some of Maradona's best goals for Argentina", "Music producer Michel Zecler spoke to reporters outside the National Police General Inspectorate in Paris\n\nPresident Emmanuel Macron says footage of three police officers beating up a black music producer in Paris is \"unacceptable\" and \"shameful\".\n\nHe demanded quick proposals from the government aimed at rebuilding trust between police and citizens.\n\nFrance should never \"resign itself to violence\" or \"let hatred or racism prosper\", he said.\n\nThe three officers identified in the video beating Michel Zecler have been suspended and are under investigation.\n\nThey were questioned in police custody on Friday.\n\nInterior Minister Gérald Darmanin has told French television that he will press for the officers' dismissal, saying they had \"soiled the uniform of the republic\".\n\nThe incident has led to fresh scrutiny of the security forces.\n\nStars of the French World Cup football team are among a number of public figures who have spoken of their anger after the footage captured in the French capital was made public.\n\nEarlier on Friday, French media reported that a presidential official had described Mr Macron as being visibly upset by the incident.\n\nIn a series of tweets Mr Macron said proposals were also needed to fight more effectively against all types of discrimination.\n\n\"Those who apply the law must respect the law. I will never accept that the gratuitous violence of some stains the professionalism of the men and women who work courageously to protect us in our daily lives,\" he said.\n\nOn Thursday, French football star Kylian Mbappé, who is black, joined national teammates and fellow athletes in condemning the latest incident.\n\n\"Unbearable video, unacceptable violence. Say no to racism,\" he wrote on Twitter next to a picture of the bloodied face of the injured producer.\n\nThe security camera video was published on Thursday by the online news site Loopsider. It shows three officers kicking, punching and using their truncheons on the man after he entered his studio. Loopsider said he had initially been stopped for not wearing a mask.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Music producer Michel Zecler is seen being beaten up by officers in his studio\n\nMr Zecler said he was also subjected to racist abuse during the five minute beating.\n\nHe was detained and charged with violence and resisting arrest, but prosecutors threw the charges out and instead opened an investigation against the officers.\n\nAs he arrived at police headquarters on Thursday with his lawyer to file a complaint, Mr Zecler told reporters: \"People who should have been protecting me attacked me. I did nothing to deserve this. I just want these three people to be punished according to the law.\"\n\nParis Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she was \"profoundly shocked\" by the \"intolerable act\".\n\nEarlier this week, Mr Darmanin also ordered police to provide a full report after they violently dismantled a makeshift migrant camp in the capital, clashing with migrants and activists.\n\nHe tweeted that some of the scenes were \"shocking\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police tipped some migrants out of their flimsy tents\n\nMeanwhile, the French government is pressing ahead with its controversial security bill, which opponents say could undermine the media's ability to scrutinise police behaviour.\n\nArticle 24 of the bill makes it a criminal offence to post images of police or soldiers on social media which are deemed to target them as individuals.\n\nCritics of the legislation say that without such images, none of the incidents which took place over the past week would have come to light.\n\nThe government argues that the new bill does not jeopardise the rights of the media and ordinary citizens to report police abuses.\n\nBut in the face of criticism the government added an amendment, specifying that Article 24 \"will only target the dissemination of images clearly aimed at harming a police officer's or soldier's physical or psychological integrity\".\n\nPeople found guilty could be punished by a year in prison or a fine of up to €45,000 (£40,000).", "Families have been warned against hugging and kissing elderly relatives at Christmas \"if you want them to survive to be hugged again\".\n\nPeople \"just have to have sense\", said the UK government's chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty.\n\nCoronavirus rules announced this week mean three households can form a bubble and mix for five days over Christmas.\n\nFrom 23 to 27 December, three households can mix indoors in homes, at a place of worship or outdoors.\n\nThe rules apply to the whole of the UK, although in Scotland the number of people who can be in the Christmas bubble is limited to eight.\n\nAnd in Northern Ireland, the rules are relaxed from 22 to 28 December, to allow time to travel between the nations.\n\nSpeaking at a Downing Street press conference on Thursday, Prof Whitty - who revealed he would be \"on the wards\" over Christmas - said: \"Would I want someone to see their family? Of course, that's what Christmas is about.\n\n\"But would I encourage someone to hug and kiss their elderly relatives? No, I would not.\n\n\"It's not against the law - and that's the whole point. You can do it within the rules that are there, but it does not make sense because you could be carrying the virus and if you've got an elderly relative, that would not be the thing you'd want to do in the period where we are running up to a point where we actually might be able to protect older people.\n\n\"So I think people just have to have sense. The fact that you can do something - this is true across so many other areas of life - doesn't mean you should.\"\n\nMr Whitty urged people not to do \"stupid things\" at Christmas\n\nSir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, added: \"It's not going to be a normal Christmas but if you want to make those connections with family, it has to be done in a way where you try and make sure that you don't increase the risk.\n\n\"I think hugging elderly relatives is not something to go out and do. It will increase the spread to a vulnerable population.\"\n\nProf Whitty added: \"If you want them to survive to be hugged again.\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson also responded to the question about hugging elderly relatives, urging people to be \"common sensical\".\n\n\"Until the vaccine comes on stream, we are not out of the woods yet and we have to be very, very vigilant.\"\n\nProf Whitty also said it was \"not a secret\" that Christmas would increase the risk of transmission.\n\n\"Take it really seriously during Christmas. Don't do stupid things. Don't do unnecessary things just because the rules say you can. Think sensibly.\"\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has that said the \"default advice\" and \"safest position\" was still that people should avoid contact.\n\n\"Just because we are allowing people to meet up in a limited way does not of course mean people have to do so, and people should not feel under pressure to do so,\" she said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How you and your family can celebrate Christmas and minimise the spread of coronavirus\n\nThe government's official guidance on Christmas bubbles advises people with loved-ones who are vulnerable advises to take personal responsibility to limit the spread of the virus.\n\nThe NHS considers anyone 70 and over as \"clinically vulnerable\" and at moderate risk from coronavirus.\n\nThe government guidance also has specific advice for people considered extremely vulnerable, as well as care home residents.\n\nIt suggests forming a Christmas bubble is \"a personal choice\" for extremely vulnerable people, while those in care homes should only visit families if they are of working age.\n\nUnder the government's rules, the three households must be fixed, so you will not be able to mix with two households on Christmas Day and two different ones on Boxing Day. Households in your Christmas bubble can't bubble with anyone else.\n\nScotland has announced that the bubbles of three households should contain no more than eight people - but children under 12 are exempt.\n\nPeople who are self-isolating should not join a Christmas bubble. If someone tests positive, or develops coronavirus symptoms up to 48 hours after the Christmas bubble last met, everyone will have to self-isolate.", "Michel Barnier at St Pancras railway station in London on Friday\n\nThe UK and EU will resume face-to-face Brexit trade talks in London this weekend, as negotiators race to reach a deal before a looming deadline.\n\nIt comes after EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier left a period of self-isolation after a colleague tested positive for Covid last week.\n\nAhead of travelling to the UK, he said the \"same significant divergences persist\" in negotiations.\n\nAfter arriving, he said he would work with \"patience and determination\".\n\nEarlier, Boris Johnson insisted the likelihood of a deal depended on the EU.\n\nSpeaking on Friday, the prime minister told reporters that \"there's a deal there to be done if they want to do it\".\n\nBut he added \"substantial and important differences\" remained between the two sides, with just over a month left before a December deadline.\n\nNegotiators are striving to strike a deal to govern their trading relationship once the UK's post-Brexit transition period ends in January 2021.\n\nTalks have been continuing via video link for the past week or so, after the positive Covid-19 test in a member of Mr Barnier's team.\n\nMr Barnier travelled to London after briefing EU ambassadors and members of the European Parliament on talks.\n\n\"In line with Belgian rules, my team and I are no longer in quarantine. Physical negotiations can continue,\" he wrote on Twitter.\n\nAhead of in-person talks getting back under way, his UK counterpart Lord David Frost pledged to \"do my utmost\" see if a deal is possible.\n\n\"It is late, but a deal is still possible, and I will continue to talk until it's clear that it isn't,\" he tweeted on Friday.\n\nHe added that any deal would have to \"fully respect UK sovereignty,\" including over fishing waters and a regime for subsidising businesses.\n\n\"An agreement on any other basis is not possible,\" he added.\n\nIf the UK is holding off making compromises, in the hope of squeezing more last-minute concessions out of Brussels, it might be successful when it comes to fish.\n\nOn Friday, we heard talk of Michel Barnier being about to propose that between 15% and 18% of the fish quota caught in UK waters by EU fleets would be restored to the UK under a free trade agreement.\n\nThat was later dismissed by a number of European diplomats, as merely one of \"many proposals doing the rounds\".\n\nBut whatever happens on the fish front - and Brussels knows it has some big compromises to make - as much as the EU wants a deal with the UK, it's unlikely to let go of its insistence on two other issues: common competition regulations and a tough means of policing them.\n\nAsked about the chances of an agreement, Mr Johnson said the \"likelihood of a deal is very much determined by our friends and partners in the EU\".\n\nHe added that a trade agreement would \"benefit people on both sides of the Channel,\" but insisted the UK could \"prosper mightily\" without one.\n\n\"Everybody's working very hard - but clearly there are substantial and important differences to be bridged, but we're getting on with it.\"\n\nThe UK left the EU on 31 January, but it is continuing to follow the bloc's rules until the end of the year as part of an 11-month transition period.\n\nIf a trade deal is not agreed by then, trading between the two will default to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.\n\nThe EU and UK can keep negotiating if they want to after this, but the two sides would face import taxes on goods traded between them.\n\nThe UK would have no access to the EU's energy market, and no agreement on police and judicial co-operation.\n\nFishing has been a major flashpoint in the talks, along with post-Brexit competition rules and how any deal would be enforced.\n\nThe two sides are also at odds over how closely the UK should have to follow the EU's social, labour, and environmental standards after the transition.\n\nThey are also haggling over how any rules in this area - including on \"state aid\" support for businesses - would be enforced as part of the agreement.", "A blood test designed to detect more than 50 types of cancer at an early stage will be trialled by the NHS.\n\nMore than 165,000 people in England will be offered the tests from next year. If successful, the NHS hopes to expand it to 1m people from 2024.\n\nSir Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said early detection had the potential \"to save many lives\".\n\nWhile some welcomed the pilot, others cautioned the test was still untried and untested.\n\nDeveloping a blood test for cancer has been keeping scientists busy for many years without much success.\n\nMaking one that's accurate and reliable has proved incredibly complex - the danger is that a test doesn't detect a person's cancer when they do have it, or it indicates someone has cancer when they don't.\n\nThis test, developed by the Californian firm Grail, is designed to detect molecular changes in the blood caused by cancer in people with no obvious symptoms.\n\nAs part of a large-scale pilot, also funded by the company, 140,000 participants aged between 50 and 79 will be asked to take the tests for the next three years.\n\nAnother 25,000 people with possible cancer symptoms will also be offered testing after being referred to hospital in the normal way.\n\nLesley (left) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of 62\n\nLesley Maiden was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer seven months after she was first told there was something wrong with her pancreas.\n\nHer sister, Sue, says an earlier diagnosis at an earlier stage of the cancer might have given her a better chance.\n\n\"I can't say that it would have saved her life - I will never know, but it might have extended her life.\n\n\"Maybe she could have had a few years of good, quality life,\" Sue says.\n\nInstead, her cancer was too advanced to allow her to be part of a clinical trial and surgery was no longer an option.\n\nLesley died eight months after her diagnosis on Christmas Day 2018, aged 63.\n\nThe aim is to increase the number of cancers diagnosed at stage one or two, from half to three-quarters by 2028.\n\nTumours in organs such as the pancreas and ovaries are often diagnosed at a late stage, making treatment far more difficult and reducing survival rates.\n\nThe NHS hopes the blood tests will help increase five-year survival rates for cancer, which are below the levels seen in many other high-income countries.\n\n\"This promising blood test could therefore be a game-changer in cancer care, helping thousands more people to get successful treatment,\" Sir Simon said.\n\nCancer Research UK said large research studies of tests were \"essential for determining if they're effective, and a vital step in getting them to patients, if proven to work\".\n\n\"All too often, people are diagnosed with cancer at a late stage, when their disease is more difficult to treat,\" said Michelle Mitchell, the charity's chief executive.\n\n\"This is a human tragedy, not just in terms of lives lost, but it also means more expensive treatments, hospital stays and monitoring.\"\n\nBut Prof Paul Pharoah, professor of cancer epidemiology, University of Cambridge, said that the NHS \"should not be investing in such a test before it has been adequately evaluated in well-conducted, large-scale clinical trials.\"", "Christopher Wilson admitted having sex with a woman who was reporting a crime at Launceston Police Station\n\nA police constable is facing a prison sentence after having sex with a crime victim in a disabled toilet at his station.\n\nPC Christopher Wilson, 43, invited the woman to the toilet via text on 2 December, Exeter Crown Court was told.\n\nHe told her sex inside the police station in Launceston, Cornwall, was \"the naughty bit which makes it more exciting\".\n\nThe woman was reporting a crime when Wilson approached her, asking if she wanted to \"get with a man in uniform\".\n\nShe followed him into the unisex disabled toilet where they engaged in sexual activity, the court heard.\n\nJudge Timothy Rose told Wilson he was likely to be sent straight to jail when he returned for sentencing in January.\n\n\"Obviously, the court will consider other options but I don't want to mislead you. You must come back realising that prison is very high on the agenda,\" he said.\n\nMr James le Grys, prosecuting, said messages were found in which Wilson discussed sex with another woman.\n\nHe also sent sexual messages to the woman after she left the police station, the court heard.\n\nSusannah Stevens, defending, said Wilson had not expected the woman to follow him into the toilet but accepted acting improperly when she did.\n\nWilson remains suspended from duty with Devon and Cornwall Police.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The choir included sixteen trebles as laid down in King Henry VI’s statutes\n\nThe world-famous King's College carol service will be performed in an empty chapel this year.\n\nUsually, the Christmas performance - A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols - is watched by a rapt congregation and broadcast to millions.\n\nBut this year the public will be barred from the hallowed cloisters of the gothic Cambridge chapel.\n\nDean Stephen Cherry said he was \"sorry to disappoint\" choral enthusiasts hoping to attend.\n\nBut he urged them to enjoy the regular broadcast of the performance on BBC Radio 4 at 15:00 GMT on 24 December.\n\nThe college said there would be no congregation this year \"as part of the necessary precautions... to ensure that the services are safe\".\n\nInstead, it was \"looking forward to sharing the joy of its annual Christmas services with the world on radio and television\".\n\nA Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was introduced in 1918 to \"bring a more imaginative approach to worship\".\n\nKing's College, Cambridge, is illuminated by candlelight on Christmas Eve\n\nIt was first broadcast in 1928, and always opens with the carol Once In Royal David's City.\n\nThe order of service will be available to download from 18 December.\n\nA Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service on 24 December and will be repeated at 14:00 on Radio 3 on Christmas Day.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Amazon is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on bonuses for Christmas staff after sales at the online giant soared during the pandemic.\n\nFull-time warehouse workers in the UK and the US will receive £300 or $300, with £150 or $150 for part-time staff.\n\nThe money, $500m in total, will go to staff working between 1-31 December.\n\nThe firm, run by Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man, praised staff for \"serving customers' essential needs\" during the pandemic.\n\nIn a blog post, Dave Clark, senior vice president of Amazon Worldwide Operations, wrote: \"I'm grateful to our teams who continue to play a vital role serving their communities.\n\n\"As we head into the peak of the holiday season, we want to share our appreciation through another special recognition bonus, totalling more than $500 million for our front-line employees.\"\n\nThe firm has come under intense scrutiny for working practices in its warehouses during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nLabour activists in the US, for example, recently called on big retailers like Amazon and Walmart to do more to protect workers as surging Covid-19 cases coincide with the holiday shopping rush.\n\nThey are calling for hazard pay, paid sick leave and better communication about outbreaks.\n\nAmazon workers have raised concerns about their health and working conditions in Europe as well as in the US, claiming it is almost impossible to practice social distancing.\n\nEarlier this year, Amazon was forced to shut down several warehouses in France in an ongoing row over conditions.\n\nThe company has previously said that its guidelines are adequate and that it provides employees with face masks.\n\nHowever, the company said in a statement that it \"provides some of the most advanced workplaces of their kind in the world, with industry-leading pay, processes and systems to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all employees\".\n\nAmazon said it had introduced additional cleaning and other safety measures to increase protection, and in the UK had started a pilot scheme offering voluntary Covid testing for employees.\n\nThe retail giant has been one of the retail winners during coronavirus lockdowns as online deliveries skyrocketed when High Street shops closed.\n\nSales will also be boosted during the Black Friday bonanza, although a coalition of trade unions, environmentalists and other activists have urged consumers to boycott the firm.\n\nProtests are being planned in several countries, and in Germany, the trade union Verdi has organised three-day strikes at Amazon warehouses,\n\nSales at the internet giant shot to $96.1bn in the three months to 30 September - up 37% from the same period in 2019. And profits hit a record $6.3bn, nearly three times last year's total.\n\nBut that level of growth has not come without additional costs. Amazon said it had $2.5bn in Covid-related expenses.\n\nIn the UK it has also had to create thousands of jobs, as well as 20,000 seasonal posts, in a bid to keep up with shoppers.", "Quizzes rather than board games are one of the recommendations from scientists for a Covid-safe Christmas.\n\nEarlier this week, the government announced up to three households will be allowed to form a \"Christmas bubble\" from 23 to 27 December.\n\nBut the government's scientific advisory committee, Sage, warns coronavirus could easily spread during the festive relaxation of the rules.\n\nThey say people should still weigh up if an event could be postponed.\n\nIf not, meeting online or outdoors where the risks of transmission are lower, could be a better option.\n\nBut if you do go ahead, they say, it's important to include everyone taking part in drawing up a plan for how to manage the event.\n\nThey highlight the particular importance of involving women in the decision-making.\n\nThe document says: \"Women carry the burden of creating and maintaining family traditions and activities at Christmas.\n\n\"Messaging should be supportive of women adapting traditions and encouraging those around them to share the burden and to be supportive of any alterations to adapt for Covid-19 restrictions.\"\n\nThe advisers recognise that negotiating these arrangements may \"create tensions\".\n\nBut they suggest a series of measures, ranging from minimising the numbers getting together to keeping events brief to avoiding physical contact.\n\nMaintaining social distancing, keeping surfaces clean and opening windows to allow in fresh air are all highlighted.\n\nThere are also practical suggestions:\n\nBut there's a warning that no single measure will guarantee that Christmas is risk-free.\n\nScientists warn that, within households, one infected person can pass the virus to as many as 50% of the rest.\n\nAnd they say that the spread of the disease could multiply as the newly-infected people return to their usual lives after the break.\n\nIn one paper, the advisers spell out that \"this is not a theoretical risk\".\n\nThey point to earlier research into how other respiratory diseases such as pneumonia increase as older family members are exposed during the school holidays.\n\nThat's why they conclude that cases are set to rise.\n\n\"The prevalence could easily double during a few days of the festive season, with further multiplicative increases as new infections go back to their \"routine\" networks.\"\n\nAnother document published by Sage makes clear that most coronavirus infections happen during prolonged indoor gatherings of people who are familiar with each other.\n\nThat creates what's called an \"intimacy paradox\" in which we let our guard down because we don't see our loved ones as a potential dangers.\n• None Covid: What can and should you do this Christmas?", "Last updated on .From the section Sport Africa\n\nThe Tunisian referee from England's infamous defeat by Argentina at the 1986 World Cup says he is \"proud and honoured\" to have helped Diego Maradona score the \"goal of the century\". .\n\nMaradona, who died on Wednesday at the age of 60, beat several England players on a mazy dribble from just inside his own half before scoring to put Argentina 2-0 up, four minutes after scoring the controversial goal he famously credited to the \"Hand of God\".\n\nReferee Ali Bin Nasser, now 76, also said he had no option but to award the first goal and recalled how Maradona gave him a signed shirt when they met again in 2015.\n\nOn the second goal of the game, Bin Nasser told BBC Sport: \"He took off from midfield, and I was shadowing him closely. When you're refereeing someone like Maradona, you can't take your eyes off them.\n\n\"They tried to take him down on three occasions, but his desire for victory kept pushing him forward.\n\n\"Every time I would shout 'advantage' until he reached the box.\n\n\"I was watching from outside the box, wondering how this player shook off three defenders, and sprinted for nearly 50 metres. I thought 'the defenders will try to take him down now'. I was expecting that to happen and was ready to whistle for a penalty.\n\n\"To my surprise, he dribbled past another defender and the goalkeeper [Peter Shilton] to score what would become 'the goal of the century'.\n\n\"I'm proud and honoured as a person and as a referee for having played a role in that historical achievement.\n\n\"Had I whistled [for] a foul in any of the first three contacts, we wouldn't have witnessed something that magnificent. That advantage I gave is one my proudest achievements.\"\n\nBin Nasser added that the 1986 quarter-final, played in front of nearly 115,000 fans at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City was the \"highlight\" of his career, despite his decision to allow the controversial first goal.\n\n\"The English defender [Steve Hodge] had the ball, sent it back and Maradona was in the air with Peter Shilton, and they were both facing away from me.\n\n\"They were facing my assistant referee, the Bulgarian Bogdan Dochev.\n\n\"I was hesitant at first, I glanced over to Dochev, who was headed back to the centre of the pitch, confirming the goal. He didn't signal for handball.\n\n\"The instructions Fifa gave us before the game were clear - if a colleague was in a better position than mine, I should respect his view.\"\n\nDochev, who died in 2017 aged 80, would later say that \"Fifa did not allow assistants to discuss decisions with the referee\".\n\n\"If Fifa had put a referee from Europe in charge of such an important game, the first goal of Maradona would have been disallowed,\" he insisted.\n\nHowever, Bin Nasser says the sportsmanship shown by the England players was \"beautiful\".\n\nHe recalled: \"Gary Lineker came over to me and said 'please referee, handball!' I replied: Please play!'\n\n\"To me, that was 100% a goal according to Fifa guidelines.\"\n\nLineker pulled a goal back for England with nine minutes remaining and then came close to an equaliser.\n\n\"When England scored their goal, I secretly wanted them to score the equaliser,\" admitted Bin Nasser.\n\n\"I wanted to enjoy that game for 30 more minutes. It was an absolute joy from start to finish.\n\n\"Despite the heat that day, I wanted things to go on. It was a beautiful game between two great teams.\"\n\nWhen Maradona came to Tunisia in 2015, he visited Bin Nasser at his home.\n\n\"I told him 'it wasn't Argentina that won the World Cup that year, it was Maradona',\" said the Tunisian.\n\n\"He replied: 'Had it not been for you, I wouldn't have been able to score the goal of the century.'\n\n\"He gave me a signed jersey that said 'Para Ali Mi Amigo Eterna'.\"", "Dive teams will search the No1 pond in Highgate \"over the coming weeks\" police said\n\nPolice divers are searching a pond on Hampstead Heath for the body of a man who disappeared nearly eight years ago.\n\nRobert Duff, who would now be 45, has not been seen since 12 January 2013 when he failed to attend his daughter's 18th birthday party.\n\nPolice now believe his remains might be in the No1 pond in Highgate, Camden, after new information came to light.\n\nMr Duff's mother said the prospect his remains could be in \"a pond I walk past regularly is quite upsetting\".\n\n\"The appropriate steps weren't taken even though we told them that Robert's actions were completely out of character,\" she said.\n\n\"It feels like a lot of time has been wasted and evidence lost.\"\n\nIn May 2018, two men were arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Duff but were later released under investigation.\n\nThe Met has worked on the theory that Mr Duff was involved in a fight with two men on the day he vanished and was killed that evening.\n\nThat night several people saw him in a flat in Bredgar Road in Archway, north London.\n\nDet Insp Tom Williams said: \"My team remains committed to finding Robert and providing the answers that his family are so desperately longing for.\n\n\"Following previous appeals, information was provided to my team that has led us to conduct a search of the No1 pond in Highgate.\n\n\"This work will continue over the coming weeks.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The IFS says student numbers have held up better than expected\n\nUniversities and colleges in England face \"significant funding shortfalls and heightened uncertainty\" due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a report warns.\n\nThe Institute for Fiscal Studies says fewer overseas students, potentially higher dropouts and high pension costs are a financial risk for universities.\n\nFurther education colleges still face budget pressures, despite a £400m cash boost, says the report.\n\nThe government says it understands this is a \"challenging time\" for the sector.\n\nThe IFS report on education spending in England, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, warns that universities could be exposed to a range of financial losses, such as falling international student numbers and more students failing to complete their degrees.\n\n\"By far the largest source of financial risk for universities is pension costs,\" it says.\n\n\"New figures suggest the additional cost to universities of meeting existing pension promises may well be as high as £8bn, or double our previous estimate of around £4bn.\"\n\nUniversities could only reduce this by \"taking on more risk, making further reductions in the pensions provided by the scheme, big rises in employees' contributions\" or a combination of these.\n\nBut such measures are likely to be controversial - last academic year, lecturers went on strike over pensions, as well as pay and conditions.\n\nThe IFS also says student numbers in further education colleges and sixth forms are likely to increase this year, partly due to rising numbers of young people and partly due to \"unusually high GCSE results\" and significant reductions in training and employment opportunities.\n\nWhile England's colleges and sixth forms will receive an extra £400m this year, \"exceptional rises in student numbers could still generate a real-terms fall in funding per student\".\n\nThe early years sector could face further financial pressure from Covid lockdowns, says the IFS study\n\nThey will also face challenges around educational catch-up, but may also \"need to expand to accommodate extra students as apprenticeship and employment opportunities dry up\", the IFS says.\n\nThe report also raises concerns about early years provision, saying settings are likely to be \"much more financially exposed, both to the second lockdown and more broadly to a rather slow and incomplete return of demand for childcare\".\n\nWhile early years providers \"were financially well protected\" during the first lockdown by the government's commitment to continue to fund the free entitlement hours, a reassessment of this funding in January 2021 could prove problematic for providers.\n\nReport co-author Ben Waltmann said there had been speculation in the summer that universities would need a financial bailout.\n\n\"In the end, student numbers have held up better than expected, but universities still face financial risks from no-shows or higher-than-usual dropout, as well as reductions in other income streams,\" he said.\n\n\"By far the biggest source of risk now appears to be the large deficit on the main university pension scheme, which has increased from £3.6bn in March 2018 to a monumental £21.5bn in August 2020, according to the latest preliminary estimate.\n\nLecturers went on strike over pensions last academic year\n\n\"With contributions already at more than 30% of earnings, it is hard to see how a deficit on this scale, if confirmed, could be evened out without further cuts in the generosity of the scheme.\"\n\nCo-author Imran Tahir said the government had made transforming further education colleges a big priority, pledging £400m in extra funding at the 2019 Spending Review.\n\nHe said this could be \"the first real-terms increase in spending per student for about a decade\".\n\n\"However, student numbers could have risen dramatically more than expected due to a reduction in training, apprenticeship and employment opportunities, on top of population growth.\n\n\"If there is no additional funding forthcoming, planned real-terms increases in spending per student could be mostly - if not entirely - eroded.\"\n\nA spokeswoman for the Department for Education said the government had introduced a range of support.\n\n\"We have protected grant funding for further education, worth over £3bn for a full year and increased education and training investment this year for 16-19 year olds by an additional £400m.\n\n\"We also brought forward over £2bn worth of tuition fee payments for universities and announced a major package of £280m to stabilise research funding.\"\n\nBut Geoff Barton, head of the head teachers' union ASCL, said colleges were often \"treated by the government in terms of funding as a Cinderella service\".\n\nBill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said the reduction in funding had led to \"courses being cut, support services reduced and extra-curricular activities removed for 16 to 18 year olds across the country\".\n\nThe £400m investment \"was a welcome step\", he said, \"but was only a one year deal following a decade of neglect.\"", "The hidden text can be easily seen after the colours of the image are manipulated\n\nThe government has blamed a \"technical error\" for a Boris Johnson tweet congratulating Joe Biden on his US election victory which faintly showed the name \"Trump\" in the background.\n\nSocial media users commented on the discrepancy while the Guido Fawkes website said the message also included the word \"second term\" buried in it.\n\nOfficials said two messages were prepared before the result was known.\n\nThe alternative one had been \"embedded\" in the other by mistake, they said.\n\nMr Johnson posted the message on Twitter on Saturday after broadcasters in the US and elsewhere declared the Democratic former vice-president the winner.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Boris Johnson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOn Monday, the prime minister - who has never met Mr Biden - congratulated him on his victory in a phone conversation which the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said lasted about 20 minutes.\n\nMr Johnson said he and the president-elect discussed their \"shared priorities\" and was looking forward to \"strengthening the partnership\" between the two countries.\n\nThe UK PM is believed to be the first European leader Mr Biden has spoken to since the election.\n\nMr Biden is preparing to assume office in January, although incumbent President Donald Trump is refusing to accept the outcome of the election and is mounting a series of legal challenges in certain states.\n\nThe message the PM sent on Sunday read: \"Congratulations to Joe Biden on his election as president of the United States and to Kamala Harris on her historic achievement.\n\n\"The US is our most important ally and I look forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security.\"\n\nBut the message appeared to include traces of a different one referring to Mr Trump, who has been in office since 2017.\n\nGuido Fawkes said the \"remnants\" of this could be seen by adjusting the contrast and brightness levels of the actual message that was posted.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking about Joe Biden's victory: \"There's far more that unites us than divides us\"\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"As you'd expect, two statements were prepared in advance for the outcome of this closely contested election.\n\n\"A technical error meant that parts of the alternative message were embedded in the background of the graphic.\"\n\nUK ministers have said they are excited about working with Mr Biden on issues such as climate change and trade.\n\nIn recent days, Mr Biden's team has sought to downplay lingering tensions over Mr Johnson's role in Brexit and past comments he has made about both President Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama.\n\nMr Biden, who has made his opposition to Brexit well known, has insisted maintaining peace in Northern Ireland is paramount in any post-Brexit UK-US trade deal.\n\nThe president-elect is continuing a ring-round of world leaders, having also spoken to Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Emmanuel Macron.\n\nBefore news of Mr Biden's conversation with Mr Johnson emerged, the Irish PM Michael Martin posted a Twitter message saying he had just finished a \"positive\" conversation with the president-elect.\n\nThe message was quickly deleted, after which the Irish government revealed it had been sent in error and although a call had been arranged the two had yet to speak.\n\nA few hours later, Mr Martin posted another message saying he had had a \"warm and engaging\" call with Mr Biden.", "An extremely rare purple-pink Russian diamond has sold at auction in Switzerland for $26.6m (£20.1m).\n\nThe 14.8-carat diamond, dubbed \"The Spirit of the Rose,\" is the largest of its kind to be auctioned, as 99% of all pink diamonds are under 10 carats.\n\nIts size, along with its colour and flawless internal structure, helped to attract the high price at Sotheby's in Geneva.\n\nThe name of the winning bidder has not been publicly disclosed.\n\nIt was one of three stones in a collection by Russian mining company Alrosa - all named after famous Russian ballets.\n\nThe Spirit of the Rose was cut from a rough diamond discovered in Russia in 2017.\n\nThe rough diamond was called Nijinsky, in honour of the Russian-Polish ballet dancer and choreographer.\n\nThe current price record for a pink diamond is held by CTF Pink Star. The 59-carat stone sold at auction for $71m (£57m) at Sotheby's in Hong Kong in April 2017.\n\nMay 2016: A large diamond known as the Oppenheimer Blue set a new auction record, reaching a price of $50.6m (£34.7m at the exchange rate of the time). The 14.62-carat gem was sold after 20 minutes of phone bidding at Christie's auction house in Geneva. The buyer's identity is unknown.\n\nNovember 2015: The Blue Moon, a 12.03-carat ring-mounted blue diamond, caught the eye of Hong Kong tycoon Joseph Lau, who paid a record $48.4m (£31.7m) for the cushion-shaped stone. He bought it for his seven-year-old daughter, renaming it the \"Blue Moon of Josephine\" after her.\n\nMay 2015: An unnamed buyer made history after purchasing the Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59-carat \"pigeon blood\" coloured gemstone, for $30m (£19.1m). At that price, it became the world's most expensive precious stone other than a diamond.\n\nNovember 2013: The \"largest vivid orange diamond in the world\", according to Christie's, attracted the highest price paid per carat for any diamond at auction, selling for $35m (£22m), or $2.4m (£1.5m) per carat.\n\nNovember 2010: The Graff Pink, a 24.78-carat \"fancy intense pink\" stone described as \"one of the greatest diamonds ever discovered\", auctioned for $46.2m (£29m). At the time it was believed to be the most expensive gemstone bought at auction and was sold to the well-known British dealer Laurence Graff.", "Last updated on .From the section Cycling\n\nBritish Cycling has sacked a senior coach for gross misconduct and a \"long-term pattern of inappropriate relationships\" with riders.\n\nThe governing body said it followed repeated warnings to Kevin Stewart that his behaviour \"fell short of the values and standards expected\".\n\nAn investigation into the senior sprint coach found no evidence of any physical relationship with any rider.\n\nBut Stewart said he \"wholeheartedly apologised\" for actions that were \"not acceptable\".\n\nBritish Cycling said Stewart had also \"failed to follow specific direction...in regard to relationship with riders and professional boundaries\".\n• None Brian Facer: London Irish chief executive to join British Cycling in same role\n\nHe was also found guilty by British Cycling of inappropriate use of electronic communication and actions that brought the governing body into disrepute.\n\nStewart, who represented Scotland at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, said: \"I wholeheartedly apologise to the team for my actions, which I acknowledge were not acceptable.\n\n\"I realised my actions had made my position on the team untenable and had handed in my resignation before being dismissed while on my notice period.\"\n\nStephen Park, performance director for British Cycling, said: \"While this has been uncomfortable for everybody concerned, it demonstrates the robustness of the processes we have in place when concerns are raised.\n\n\"The GB Cycling Team has a clear set of expected behaviours and values and we must hold ourselves and each other to account when we do not meet the standards of behaviour we set as a team.\"\n\nThe latest scandal to hit the governing body after a series of controversies, news of Stewart's sacking comes just a day after British Cycling announced Brian Facer will be its new chief executive, and just eight months before the postponed Tokyo Games.\n\nStewart, who is married to Irish international track cyclist Robyn Stewart, had been preparing to help sprint legend Jason Kenny's bid to become Team GB's most successful ever Olympian in Japan.\n• None Alex Dowsett to attempt new hour record at Manchester Velodrome\n• None A hilarious look at trying to grow up", "The monkey is known for its white eye patches\n\nA monkey that is new to science has been discovered in the remote forests of Myanmar.\n\nThe Popa langur, named after its home on Mount Popa, is critically endangered with numbers down to about 200 individuals.\n\nLangurs are a group of leaf-eating monkeys that are found across south east Asia.\n\nThe newly described animal is known for its distinctive spectacle-like eye patches and greyish-coloured fur.\n\nIt is at risk from habitat loss and hunting.\n\nScientists have long suspected there might be a new species in Myanmar, based on DNA extracted from the droppings of wild monkeys, but evidence has been hard to find.\n\nAbout 100 of the monkeys live in a protected forest near Mount Popa\n\nWith very little information to go on, they turned to historical specimens stored in natural history museums in London, Leiden, New York and Singapore.\n\nEarly explorers to Burma collected the monkey specimens, which had never been examined in detail.\n\nThe researchers extracted DNA and measured physical features such as tail and ear length, which they compared with those of wild populations.\n\nThis revealed a new species, the Popa langur, which is found only in patches of forest in the centre of the country. Most live in a wildlife sanctuary park on the slopes of the sacred pilgrimage site of Mount Popa.\n\nDescribing the species scientifically will help in its conservation, said Frank Momberg of the conservation group Fauna & Flora International.\n\nHe told BBC News: \"The Popa langur, just newly described, is already critically endangered and facing extinction so it's absolutely critical to protect the remaining population and to engage with local communities as well as private sector stakeholders to safeguard its future.\"\n\nThere are only 200 to 250 animals of the new species, which live in four isolated populations.\n\nIn the last decade or so, Myanmar has opened up to international collaborations with scientists, which has led to the discovery of species new to science, including reptiles, amphibians. But the discovery of a new primate is rare.\n\nChristian Roos of the primate genetics laboratory at the German Primate Centre in Gottingnen said the animals faced threats from habitat loss and hunting.\n\n\"Hunting is a big problem but the bigger threat is the habitat is almost gone and it is reduced, fragmented and isolated due to human encroachment, \" he said.\n\nThe discovery is described in the journal Zoological Research.\n\nGenetic studies revealed that the Popa langur (Trachypithecus popa) separated from other known species around one million years ago.", "Harry Dunn was killed after a crash outside RAF Croughton last year\n\nHarry Dunn's alleged killer was never entitled to immunity from prosecution in the UK, the High Court has heard.\n\nMr Dunn, 19, died when his motorbike was in a crash with a car near RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire, on 27 August last year.\n\nThe suspect, Anne Sacoolas, later left for the USA citing diplomatic immunity.\n\nShe was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December but an extradition request was denied in January.\n\nMrs Sacoolas, 43, whose husband Jonathan worked as a technical assistant at the base, was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road when she hit Mr Dunn.\n\nHis parents, Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, claim the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) wrongly decided Mrs Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity and unlawfully obstructed Northamptonshire Police's investigation.\n\nMr Dunn's parents Tim Dunn and Charlotte Charles want Mrs Sacoolas to return to the UK\n\nIn 1995, the UK agreed to include staff at RAF Croughton on the diplomatic list, but asked the US to waive the immunity of administrative and technical staff in relation to \"acts performed outside the course of their duties\".\n\nThe FCDO says that waiver only applied to staff at RAF Croughton and not their family members, meaning Mrs Sacoolas did have immunity at the time of the crash.\n\nBut, at a remote hearing, Sam Wordsworth QC - representing the parents - said Mrs Sacoolas had \"no duties at all\" at the base and therefore \"never had any relevant immunity for the US to waive\".\n\nHe told the court that, under the agreement, \"the US agreed to waive the immunity of the administrative and technical staff from criminal jurisdiction in respect of acts performed outside the course of their duties\".\n\n\"It follows that administrative and technical staff at RAF Croughton were only ever entitled to a limited immunity.\"\n\nHe said as \"no immunity from criminal jurisdiction was conferred on Mr Sacoolas in respect of acts performed outside the course of his duties\" it followed that his wife was not beyond prosecution either.\n\n\"Hence she was not immune with respect to the criminal proceedings at issue in this case,\" he said.\n\nAnne Sacoolas, pictured on her wedding day in 2003, cited diplomatic immunity after the crash and returned to the US\n\nGeoffrey Robertson QC - also representing the parents - earlier said the FCDO \"tacitly accepted the Sacoolas family's departure from the UK\".\n\nHe referred to a text message sent to a US embassy official on 14 September 2019 - a day before Mrs Sacoolas and her family left for the USA.\n\nThe message read: \"I think that now the decision has been taken not to waive (immunity), there's not much mileage in us asking you to keep the family here.\n\n\"It's obviously not us approving of their departure but I think you should be able to put them on the next flight out.\"\n\nIn written submissions, the FCDO's barrister Sir James Eadie QC said \"Mrs Sacoolas automatically had diplomatic immunity as the spouse of the administrative and technical staff of the US mission\".\n\nHe denied claims the FCDO had obstructed the police investigation.\n\nHe said officials had \"objected in strong terms\" to Mrs Sacoolas leaving the UK, and \"repeatedly emphasised\" that the department \"wanted the Sacoolas family to co-operate with the UK authorities\".\n\nThe hearing before Lord Justice Flaux and Mr Justice Saini is expected to conclude on Thursday.", "Khairi Saadallah was charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder\n\nA man has admitted murdering three men during a knife rampage in a park in Reading.\n\nKhairi Saadallah killed friends James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39, during the two-minute attack in Forbury Gardens in June.\n\nAt the Old Bailey, Saadallah, 26, also admitted three charges of attempted murder ahead of a scheduled trial.\n\nThe prosecution case is that the murders were a terror attack.\n\nBut judge Mr Justice Sweeney said Saadallah had submitted a basis of plea, denying substantial preparation or planning and saying he was not motivated by an ideological cause.\n\nHe said a Newton hearing, which will start in the week of 7 December, was \"essential\" to decide whether Saadallah was motivated by a religious or ideological cause.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Friend Michael Main said: \"they were always happy\"\n\nMembers of the victims' families sat in court for the hearing as Saadallah, of Basingstoke Road in Reading, entered his guilty pleas while wearing a face mask.\n\nThe defendant, who is originally from Libya, launched his attack as people enjoyed a summer Saturday evening in Forbury Gardens on 20 June.\n\nEyewitnesses said he walked along a footpath when he suddenly ran towards a group of men sitting on the grass.\n\nThe attack was \"without warning or provocation and in rapid succession\", according to the case summary,\n\nHistory teacher Mr Furlong and Mr Ritchie-Bennett, a US citizen, were both stabbed once in the neck, while scientist Mr Wails was stabbed in the back.\n\nAll three were pronounced dead at the scene.\n\nThree others - their friend Stephen Young, as well as Patrick Edwards and Nishit Nisudan, who were sitting in a nearby group - were also injured by Saadallah.\n\nMr Young was stabbed in the head, Mr Edwards was stabbed in the back and Mr Nisudan suffered injuries to his face and hand.\n\nThe defendant then discarded the knife and ran out of the park before he was caught by police.\n\nWitnesses were said to have heard him shouting \"Allahu Akbar\" (God is greatest) and \"victory on infidels\".\n\nMr Furlong, who was head of history and government and politics at The Holt School in Wokingham, was described as by his parents as \"beautiful, intelligent, honest and fun\".\n\nMr Ritchie-Bennett's father Robert told US TV network CBS his son, who was originally from Philadelphia, was \"brilliant and loving\".\n\nMr Wails was described as \"always happy\" and a person who \"always made people smile\".\n\nIn the aftermath of the attack, security sources told the BBC that Saadallah was known to MI5 after coming to its attention in 2019.\n\nBut when the information was further investigated, no genuine threat or immediate risk was identified and no case file was opened.\n\nFloral tributes were left near the entrance to the park where the men were killed\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Mr Toobin has apologised to his wife, friends and colleagues\n\nA star reporter has been fired by the New Yorker magazine after he exposed himself on a staff Zoom call.\n\nJeffrey Toobin, 60, who is also senior legal analyst for CNN, confirmed in a tweet that he had been sacked.\n\nThe New Yorker's parent company Conde Nast wrote in an email to staff: \"I want to assure everyone that we take workplace matters seriously.\"\n\nAfter he was suspended last month Mr Toobin said he had believed himself to be off-camera during the incident.\n\nVice News, which broke the initial story, reported that senior colleagues had seen Mr Toobin masturbating while apparently on a separate video call.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Jeffrey Toobin This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nCondé Nast's chief people officer, Stan Duncan, wrote in a note to staff quoted by US media that as a result of their internal investigation Mr Toobin was \"no longer affiliated with our company\".\n\nHe added: \"We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone feels respected and upholds our standards of conduct.\"\n\nThe incident happened on 15 October during an election simulation involving the New Yorker and WNYC radio. Mr Toobin was immediately suspended.\n\nIn a statement to Vice last month, he said: \"I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera.\"\n\nHe apologised to his family, friends and colleagues.\n\n\"I believed I was not visible on Zoom,\" he told Vice. \"I thought no-one on the Zoom call could see me. I thought I had muted the Zoom video.\"\n\nVice quoted two anonymous sources who were at the meeting as saying they had witnessed the incident.\n\nThe election simulation involved prominent New Yorker figures playing politicians, such as President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden. Mr Toobin was representing the courts.\n\nDuring a break in proceedings, according to Vice's sources, Mr Toobin appeared to be on a different video call but was seen moments later on camera touching his penis.", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nFootball Association chairman Greg Clarke has resigned over the \"unacceptable\" language he used when referring to black players.\n\nClarke said he was \"deeply saddened\" for the offence he had caused by using the term \"coloured footballers\".\n\nThe comments came as he was talking about the racist abuse of players by trolls on social media to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee via video link.\n\nClarke said his words were a \"disservice to our game\".\n\nHe prompted further criticism when referring to gay players making a \"life choice\" and a coach telling him young female players did not like having the ball hit hard at them.\n\nHe also said there were \"a lot more South Asians than there are Afro-Caribbeans\" in the FA's IT department because \"they have different career interests\".\n• None Black FA chairman would be 'huge step' in fight for equality, says England's Mings\n• None Newsbeat: why Greg Clarke's language was so offensive (warning - contains offensive language)\n\n\"We can confirm that Greg Clarke has stepped down from his role as our chairman,\" said an FA statement.\n\n\"Peter McCormick will step into the role as interim FA chairman with immediate effect and the FA Board will begin the process of identifying and appointing a new chair in due course.\"\n\nFollowing his resignation, Clarke said: \"My unacceptable words in front of Parliament were a disservice to our game and to those who watch, play, referee and administer it. This has crystallised my resolve to move on.\n\n\"I am deeply saddened that I have offended those diverse communities in football that I and others worked so hard to include.\"\n\nDuring the parliamentary hearing, Clarke apologised after being prompted to say sorry by MP Kevin Brennan.\n\nBrennan said Clarke's language in reference to black players was the kind that did not encourage inclusion, while fellow committee member Alex Davies-Jones called it \"abhorrent\".\n\nClarke had earlier spoken of the need to attract people into the sport from a diverse range of communities.\n\nThe equality charity Kick It Out said his remark about black players should be \"consigned to the dustbin of history\" and criticised his comments concerning people from South Asia, gay players and female footballers.\n\nClarke had been called to give evidence to the DCMS committee about the Premier League's potential bailout of English Football League clubs and the structural reforms proposed as part of Project Big Picture.\n\n\"As a person who loves football and has given decades of service to our game, it is right that I put the interests of football first,\" added Clarke in the statement confirming his departure.\n\n\"2020 has been a challenging year and I have been actively considering standing down for some time to make way for a new chair now our CEO transition is complete and excellent executive leadership under Mark Bullingham is established.\"\n\n'Right to stand down' - reaction\n\nA statement from anti-racism charity Show Racism the Red Card said Clarke's comments \"only serve to demonstrate the power of language and the damage of stereotyping groups of people\".\n\nSpeaking before the resignation was announced, Sanjay Bhandari, executive chair at Kick It Out, said Clarke's comments to the DCMS were outdated.\n\n\"I was particularly concerned by the use of lazy racist stereotypes about South Asians and their supposed career preferences. It reflects similar lazy stereotypes I have heard have been spouted at club academy level,\" he said.\n\n\"Being gay is not a 'life choice' as he claimed too. The casual sexism of saying girls do not like balls hit at them hard is staggering from anyone, let alone the leader of our national game. It is completely unacceptable.\"\n\nSports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: \"Greg Clarke's comments have caused deep offence and were completely unacceptable. I acknowledge his decades of service to football and his apology, but he was right to stand down as chairman of the FA.\"\n\nDavid Bernstein, former FA chairman, told BBC Sport: \"I am just surprised that the chair of any organisation who's got a feel of what's going on in the year 2020 could use those types of words, that sort of language. It's just inappropriate.\"\n\nDarren Bent, former England striker: \"Slip of the tongue was it? Awful, just awful.\"\n\nAnton Ferdinand, former West Ham, Sunderland and QPR defender: \"Clearly education is needed at all levels.\"\n\nJulian Knight, DCMS select committee chairman: \"It's right that Greg Clarke apologised before the committee. However, this isn't the first time that the FA has come to grief over these issues. It makes us question their commitment to diversity.\"\n\nAlex Davies-Jones, DCMS committee member: \"The language used by Greg Clarke in our meeting this morning was absolutely abhorrent. It speaks volumes about the urgent progress that needs to made in terms of leadership on equalities issues in sport. I can't believe we're still here in 2020.\"\n\nThree years ago - in front of the same parliamentary committee, Greg Clarke was criticised for referring to institutional racism as \"fluff\". He apologised after being chastised by MPs and reminded that language matters.\n\nIt appears the message did not get through.\n\nTwo weeks after the FA launched a new diversity code with the aim of finally tackling racial inequality in the game, such efforts have once again been called into question, despite Clarke always insisting it was one of his priorities.\n\nAmid under-representation of BAME managers and board members, many critics will see Clarke's comments as evidence of the attitudes and language that has prevented the organisation from overseeing the progress hoped for in recent years, and it is no surprise that he has decided to step down.\n\nThere have been other awkward moments. In 2018, LGBT supporters group Pride in Football said it was \"shocked\" after Clarke signed a memorandum of understanding with the FA of Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.\n\nIn July, he had to backtrack after claiming representatives of the Premier League and EFL had blocked plans to increase racial diversity on the FA Board.\n\nDespite having barely been seen since the start of the year, Clarke was already under pressure over his role initiating secret talks over the Project Big Picture plans for a radical overhaul of the English game. Indeed earlier in the committee hearing, he was asked if his authority was \"shot\", something he strongly denied.\n\nBut then came his comments on diversity. Amid an unprecedented financial crisis for the sport and damaging divisions with fans, leagues and government, the FA chairman has now had to go over yet another controversy.\n\nThis is another grim day for the game, at the worst possible moment.\n• None Can the boys track down the boxing promoter?\n• None The biggest tracks that were never topped", "Negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and EU are expected to continue next week as the deadline draws nearer.\n\nThe two sides resumed talks in London this week, with a UK government source saying they were in the \"final stage\".\n\nBut big gaps still remain, such as on fishing access, with the UK source describing the EU's position as \"wholly unrealistic\".\n\nBoris Johnson has said he is prepared to move forward without a deal.\n\nIreland's foreign minister, Simon Coveney said it was \"quite possible [the talks] could fall apart and we don't get a deal\".\n\nBut he said, while reaching an agreement would be \"very difficult\", it was \"doable\" and the coming days were \"crucial\".\n\nThe UK officially left the EU on 31 January, but has been in a transition period since then - following many of the bloc's rules while a trade agreement is negotiated.\n\nThat period is due to end on 31 December and if a deal is not agreed, the UK will trade with the bloc on World Trade Organisation rules - leading to tariffs being introduced on many imports and exports, which could push up costs for businesses and consumers.\n\nBoth sides say they want to avoid this outcome, but the the EU has said it will not do a deal \"at any price\", and Mr Johnson has said the UK will prosper either way.\n\nIf a deal is agreed, it would need to be signed off by MPs in the UK and parliaments across the EU before the end of the transition period to come into force by 1 January.\n\nMr Johnson spoke on the phone to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday, agreeing some progress had been made in recent weeks after the EU agreed to discuss specific legal texts.\n\nBut Ms von der Leyen said \"large differences\" remained over the question of access to British fishing waters from 2021 and regulations on workers' rights, environmental protection, and state aid designed to maintain a \"level-playing field\".\n\nAny talk of an end game, final stage, or make or break moment has become foolish throughout the Brexit process.\n\nNegotiations between the two sides over a future trading relationship are, predictably, going to the wire.\n\nBut as it stands there is a deadline of 31 December, after which the UK and EU will have to operate in a very different way.\n\nIf a trade deal is agreed before then, the EU member states will each need to ratify it, along with the European Parliament and MPs at Westminster.\n\nGiven that time pressure and the big gaps still evidently separating both sides, progress is needed soon for agreement to be reached.\n\nNobody expects the talks to continue beyond the end of next week, so while a breakthrough doesn't seem imminent, it will have to come within days if a deal is to be done.\n\nThe extension to the talks comes after a heavy defeat for the government in the Lords over its controversial Brexit legislation.\n\nThe Internal Market Bill contains measures that overrule parts of the UK's Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU, and the government has said it could break international law.\n\nThe Lords voted to remove the sections, but the government has pledged to reintroduce them when the bill returns to the Commons.", "William Shakespeare's Fourth Folio has an estimate of up to £50,000\n\nA \"rare\" Shakespeare book being sold by Rugby School is estimated to fetch up to £50,000 at auction.\n\nWilliam Shakespeare's Fourth Folio, from 1685, is one of about 300 books from the school's library going under the hammer.\n\nCharles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and titles from Daniel Defoe and Aristotle are also among volumes expected to fetch the most money.\n\nThe school said it was committed to using resources to benefit students.\n\nIn 2018, Mail Online reported the private school had raised nearly £15m by selling a large selection of artwork, with one item fetching more than £11m.\n\nThe books due to be auctioned next week cover \"an impressively wide range of interests\", the school said, including mountaineering, botany, sermons, military history, psalms and maps.\n\nThe first edition of A Christmas Carol has an estimate of £3,000 to £4,000\n\nA Shakespeare Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies second edition, from 1632, has an estimate of between £20,000 and £30,000.\n\nAristotle's Politiques, or Discourses of Government, from 1598, and Daniel Defoe's The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, from 1719, both have estimates of up to £6,000.\n\nA first edition of A Christmas Carol, dating back to 1843, is expected to fetch up to £4,000.\n\nThe auction will take place next week\n\nRugby School Group executive head master Peter Green said the decision to sell the \"rare books\" was \"twofold\".\n\n\"They deserve to be preserved, stored - and enjoyed - in specialist conditions,\" he said.\n\n\"Secondly, the school is committed, as a registered charity, to use its resources to benefit current and future students.\n\n\"Rugby School already operates a generous bursary system. It is entirely fitting that the proceeds from the sale of this collection will go towards extending the benefit of a Rugby education.\"\n\nA spokeswoman said the school was \"not in any financial difficulty\".\n\nForum Auctions said the online auction would take place on 18 November at 13:00 GMT.\n\nRugby School says it is selling off the works to benefit students\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The report said the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols had sometimes failed to demonstrate compassion\n\nThe head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has, at times, shown he cares more about the impact of abuse on the Church's reputation than on the victims, a report says.\n\nThe Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse criticised the leadership of Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and the Vatican.\n\nThe cardinal said the church was \"deeply sorry this happened\".\n\nA lawyer representing survivors said the cardinal \"must go right away\".\n\nCardinal Nichols told the BBC he had offered to resign on Sunday upon turning 75, as is church law when bishops reach this age, but this was rejected by the Vatican.\n\nHe said: \"I offered my resignation to Pope Francis. His answer has come back very clear, very unambiguous. He wants me to stay in post, so I will stay because that's where my orders come from, that's where my mandate comes from.\n\n\"He wants me to stay - I'm going to stay and continue to work wholeheartedly at these matters.\"\n\nThe inquiry found that between 1970 and 2015 the Church received more than 3,000 complaints of child sexual abuse against more than 900 individuals connected to the Church.\n\nThose complaints involved more than 1,750 victims and complainants, though the report said the true scale of abuse was much higher and would likely never be known.\n\nIt was \"far from a solely historical issue\", the inquiry found, adding that more than 100 allegations of abuse had been reported each year since 2016.\n\nThe Catholic Church's \"explicit moral purpose has been betrayed by those who sexually abused children, and by those who turned a blind eye and failed to take action against perpetrators\".\n\nIt said the cardinal, who apologised for the Church's actions when he gave evidence, \"did not always exercise the leadership expected of a senior member of the Church, at times preferring to protect the reputation of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales and in Rome\".\n\nIt added that Cardinal Nichols had shown \"no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility to lead or influence change\".\n\n\"Nor did he demonstrate compassion towards victims in the recent cases which we examined.\"\n\nThe report said that two previous inquiries into abuse in the Church, by Lord Nolan in 2001 and Lady Cumberlege in 2007, had brought change and improvements, but their recommendations had been implemented too slowly and not in full.\n\nIt highlighted that in 2016, internal correspondence between members of the Diocese of Westminster's safeguarding commission described a victim of sexual abuse as \"manipulative\" and \"needy\".\n\nThe report states: \"Real and lasting changes to attitudes have some way to go if the Roman Catholic Church is to shake off the failures of the past.\"\n\nOne of the \"repeated failures\" highlighted in the IICSA report was the case of Father James Robinson, a serial paedophile, who was moved to another parish within the Archdiocese of Birmingham after complaints were first made in the 1980s.\n\nHe later fled to the US but was extradited back to the UK where he was convicted in 2010 of 21 sexual offences against four boys and jailed for 21 years.\n\nThe report said \"appalling sexual abuse\" was inflicted on pupils at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire and its adjoining junior school.\n\nFive people connected to the school have been convicted or cautioned in relation to \"offences involving sexual activity with a large number of children, or offences concerning pornography\", the report said.\n\nOne of them was Father Piers Grant-Ferris who was moved to at least six other parishes after allegations of abuse came to light 1975.\n\nHe was convicted of indecent assault against 15 boys in 2006.\n\nThe inquiry also criticised the Vatican, describing its actions as in \"direct contrast with Pope Francis's public statement on child sexual abuse\".\n\nIn 2019, the Pope called for \"concrete and effective actions that involve everyone in the Church\".\n\nThe Holy See did not provide a statement to the inquiry and the ambassador at the time refused to give evidence.\n\nThe report said: \"In responding in this way, the Holy See's stance was contrary to the spirit of its public statements and it missed the opportunity to demonstrate its engagement and leadership on the issue of child sexual abuse.\"\n\nIt added its response \"manifestly did not demonstrate a commitment to taking action\".\n\nOne abuse survivor said it was bad enough to have been abused but \"to have it dismissed and covered up just takes even more of a toll on you\".\n\nAnother survivor, who gave evidence to the inquiry, said \"thousands of pounds have been spent by the Diocese of Westminster in employing lawyers to keep me at arm's length\" as they continued to make their case.\n\nThey added: \"The church needs a seismic shift in culture, especially at the top. If there is any hope at all of real change it will require a relinquishing of power, and a will to treat survivors as human beings.\"\n\nRichard Scorer, specialist abuse lawyer at Slater & Gordon who represents 32 survivors in IICSA, said: \"This is an absolutely damning report.\n\n\"It highlights the shocking scale of abuse, the disgraceful slowness of the church's response, the abject failures of leadership by Cardinal Nichols, and the Vatican's appalling refusal to cooperate properly with the inquiry.\n\n\"Cardinal Nichols needs to go right away - in any other walk of life he would be gone immediately.\"\n\nResponding to the report, Cardinal Nichols told the BBC: \"The things in this report are in the public sphere, and I'm sure they've been taken into account, but the response I've got is very unambiguous. It is to stay, and stay I will.\"\n\nHe continued: \"I'm not here to defend myself... I am here to say we accept this report, we are grateful to IICSA for bringing the light and giving public space to those who have been abused, we are deeply sorry this happened...\n\n\"Today is more about me saying again, on behalf of everybody in the Catholic Church, how deeply, deeply regretful and sorry I am that anybody suffered, and that so many suffered is a terrible shame with which I must live and from which I must learn.\"\n\nThe report follows the publication of a similar inquiry into abuse in the Church of England, which concluded the church had created a culture where abusers \"could hide\".\n\nIf you have been the victim of sexual abuse, or have been affected by the themes in this article, you can go to the BBC Action Line for support.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nPrince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have joined figures from government and the armed forces for an Armistice Day service, as the UK fell silent to remember the war dead.\n\nA special service was held at Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior.\n\nThe congregation - and millions around the UK - commemorated those who died with a two-minute silence at 11:00 GMT.\n\nArmistice Day marks the day World War One ended in 1918.\n\nThe grave of the Unknown Warrior represents those who died in the war and whose place of death is not known or whose remains are unidentified.\n\nThe scaled-back Westminster Abbey service, led by the Dean of Westminster, Dr David Hoyle, was attended by the prime minister, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick.\n\nBoris Johnson was seated apart from the royal couple to follow social distancing rules\n\nIt included an address from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who paid tribute to the many millions who had died \"unnamed and unclaimed, except by God\".\n\nHe went on to refer to the thousands, even millions, who were making sacrifices today, whose names may never be known.\n\n\"They may be anonymous but their actions are glorious,\" he told the congregation, all seated two metres apart.\n\nPoet Laureate Simon Armitage read his poem The Bed about a fallen soldier transported from being \"broken and sleeping rough in a dirt grave\" to being buried \"among drowsing poets and dozing saints\" in Westminster Abbey.\n\nAfterwards, former Catatonia singer now BBC radio presenter, Cerys Matthews, read the words of a World War One widow convinced the Unknown Warrior was her own husband.\n\nRuby Turner, accompanied by Jools Holland, sang the hymn Abide with Me, which was sung at the burial 100 years ago.\n\nCommemorations have also been held at the Edinburgh Gardens Of Remembrance, Cardiff National War Memorial, Belfast City Hall and National Arboretum in Staffordshire.\n\nThe public and veterans observed the two-minute silence away from the Cenotaph\n\nBefore the scheduled events, an Extinction Rebellion activist staged a protest at the Cenotaph in central London.\n\nPrivate Donald Bell, who served four tours in Northern Ireland, placed a banner in front of the war memorial that read 'Honour Their Sacrifice, Climate Change Means War'.\n\nHe also laid a wreath of poppies with the slogan 'Act Now' at the site, saying \"unchecked climate change means a return to a world at war\". Both the banner and the wreath were later taken down by police.\n\nBoris Johnson's spokesman said their removal was \"an operational matter\" for officers and condemned the protest as \"profoundly disrespectful\".\n\nAhead of the commemorations, the Duchess of Cambridge spoke to military families who have lost loved ones, telling them they should be \"proud\" of their achievements and \"the sacrifice and the bravery that they've shown\".\n\nThe duchess marked Remembrance week by speaking via video call on Monday to three women about how they had been supported by the Royal British Legion.\n\nThe Duchess of Cambridge spoke to three women who mourned the loss of partners or close family\n\nThe Queen visited the Unknown Warrior's grave last week\n\nIt comes after the Queen led the nation in marking Remembrance Sunday at a scaled-back service at the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall.\n\nSocial distancing measures were in place and the service was closed to the public for the first time.\n\nDays before, the Queen was seen wearing a face mask in public for the first time when she made a private pilgrimage to the grave of the Unknown Warrior.\n\nThe concept of the grave of the Unknown Warrior was inspired by Rev David Railton, who had served as a chaplain on the Western Front during World War One.\n\nAfter the conflict he wrote to the then-Dean of Westminster, Herbert Ryle, about his proposal which was later supported by King George V and Prime Minister David Lloyd George.\n\nThe body was chosen from four unknown British servicemen - exhumed from four battle areas - by Brig Gen Louis Wyatt, commander of British forces in France and Flanders, and transported back to Britain.\n\nOn 11 November 1920, the coffin was draped with a union jack and taken on a gun carriage to the Cenotaph, where the Queen's grandfather George V placed a wreath upon it.\n\nThe King - and nearly 1,000 widows and mothers of men killed in World War One - were present as the warrior was buried at the Abbey. A handful of earth from France was then dropped by the king onto his coffin during the service.", "New laws should help prevent consumers from buying food grown on rainforest land that has been illegally logged.\n\nUK firms will be banned from selling commodities if their production breaches local laws protecting forests and other natural areas.\n\nThe change will be included in a new Environment Bill that MPswill discuss.\n\nThe aim is to stop British consumers playing an inadvertent role in an environmental crime through the goods in their supermarket basket.\n\nThe key commodities most grown on land that is illegally cleared are:\n\nIt is estimated that around half of tropical deforestation is illegal - and linked to the expansion of commercial forestry and agriculture, with land being cleared to make way for grazing animals and growing crops.\n\nThat matters to humanity because rainforests are vital for absorbing climate-heating emissions, their diverse species, their capacity to store water and their potential for new medicines.\n\nPalm oil plantations have led to a loss of rainforest\n\nThe government has agreed the UK must stop metaphorically \"importing\" the problem of deforestation. Its move has been welcomed by environmentalists, but they raise questions whether it will be possible to trace all products. They also ask what level the fines will be, and how the law will be enforced.\n\nRuth Chambers, from the umbrella group Greener UK, said “This is really a great step to protect rainforests – but we don’t know the full details yet.\n\n“The other issue is that this ban only refers to illegally deforested land… in some countries forest protection is so weak that rainforests are being felled legally. What will the government do about that?”\n\nOther green groups said much more was needed to halt rainforest loss.\n\nThe government’s decision follows recommendations from the independent Global Resource Initiative Taskforce, which consulted more than 200 businesses and organisations.\n\nIt said the UK should work in partnership with other countries and support farmers to transition to less damaging forms of farming.\n\nInternational Environment Minister, Lord Goldsmith, said: “In every conceivable way we depend on the natural world around us. Protecting rainforests must be a core priority.\n\n“Our new due diligence law is one piece of a much bigger package of measures that we are putting in place to tackle deforestation.”\n\nSir Ian Cheshire, chairman of the taskforce, said: “We are at an extraordinary inflection point – governments are having to invest in recovery and have choices about how to invest to build back better.\n\n\"One of the ways we can do this is through our supply chains and what we buy.\n\n“The government recognises the responsibility of the UK to ensure we are not importing deforestation and contributing to further environmental crisis.”\n\nSupermarkets have played a part in the global taskforce.\n\nTesco chief executive Jason Tarry said: “This aligns with Tesco’s goal of zero deforestation. We hope this encourages all businesses to do the right thing.”\n\nThe government will welcome the positive reaction of green groups towards this addition to the Environment Bill.\n\nMinisters have been at loggerheads with green campaigners and the Lords over their refusal to enshrine in law that imported food stuffs should match the standard of foods from British farms.", "Guinness is recalling cans of its non-alcoholic stout because of contamination fears, just two weeks after they were launched.\n\nThe brewer described the recall as \"precautionary\", but said \"microbiological contamination\" might mean some products were unsafe.\n\nThe company urged anyone with cans of Guinness 0.0 not to drink them.\n\nIt said it was working with supermarkets and other shops to remove all of the products from the shelves.\n\nThe recall only affects customers in Great Britain, as the product was not yet on sale in Ireland or Northern Ireland. No other Guinness drinks have been recalled.\n\nGuinness 0.0 was launched to much fanfare in supermarkets on 26 October, having taken the brewer four years to perfect.\n\nIn a statement, the brand, which is owned by Diageo, apologised to customers.\n\n\"We wanted to let you know that as a precautionary measure, we are recalling Guinness 0.0 in Great Britain because of a microbiological contamination which may make some cans of Guinness 0.0 unsafe to consume.\n\n\"If you have bought Guinness 0.0 do not consume it. Instead, please return the product to your point of purchase for a full refund.\n\n\"Alternatively, contact the Diageo Consumer Careline... with details of your purchase to receive a refund voucher before disposing of the product.\"\n\nOn its website, the brewery also says its team is \"working hard to investigate and determine the root cause\" of the contamination.\n\nSeveral concerned social media users called on the firm to issue further information on the type of contamination as soon as possible.\n\nThe new stout was created in response to what Guinness said was growing consumer demand for lower-calorie and non-alcoholic drinks.\n\nIt is produced with the same amounts of water, barley, hops and yeast as a traditional Guinness, before the alcohol is removed using a cold filtration method.\n\nAt the time of launch, Guinness bosses insisted that none of the traditional flavour had been lost, with the seal of approval being given by independent taste testers.\n\nThe new product was due to become available on draught in pubs next spring, before being launched in other parts of the world later in 2021.", "Early results from trials of a Covid vaccine developed in Russia suggest it could be 92% effective.\n\nThe data is based on 20 cases of Covid-19 from 16,000 volunteers given the Sputnik V vaccine or a dummy injection.\n\nWhile some scientists welcomed the news, others said the data had been rushed out too early.\n\nIt comes after Pfizer and BioNTech said their vaccine could prevent 90% of people getting Covid-19, based on a study of 43,500 people.\n\nAlthough the Sputnik data is based on fewer people being vaccinated and fewer cases of Covid developing during the trial, it does confirm promising results from earlier research.\n\nThe Sputnik V vaccine, developed at the National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, is currently going through phase III clinical trials in Belarus, UAE, Venezuela and India.\n\nSo far there are no safety issues, with Russian researchers saying there were \"no unexpected adverse events\" 21 days after volunteers received their first of two injections.\n\nBut there's still a long way to go - this is interim data and, like the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine trial, the data is still being collected and the full results have not yet been published or scrutinised.\n\nThere are questions that still need answering for both vaccines - for example, how well does it protect older people who are most at risk and how long does protection from the vaccine last?\n\nThe Russian researchers say their data will be published \"in one of the leading international peer-reviewed medical journals\".\n\nIf it's positive, it means there will almost certainly be more than one way of protecting people against the virus.\n\nHundreds of vaccines are in development and around a dozen are in the final stages of testing - the Sputnik, Pfizer and Oxford vaccines are three of those.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How close are we to Covid immunisation?\n\nThe Pfizer vaccine injects part of the genetic code of the virus into the body to train the immune system. The other two use a harmless virus that has been genetically modified to resemble the coronavirus.\n\nTwo doses are also required, but one advantage of Sputnik is that it doesn't need to be stored at very low temperatures, around -80C, unlike Pfizer's.\n\nAlexander Gintsburg, director of Moscow's Gamaleya Research Centre, said Sputnik V would soon be available for a wider population and \"lead to an eventual decrease in Covid-19 infection rates, first in Russia, then globally\".\n\nProf Charles Bangham, chair of immunology at Imperial College London, said the results \"provide further reassurance that it should be possible to produce an effective vaccine against Covid-19\".\n\nHowever, he added that proper evaluation of the safety and efficacy of both the Russian and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines was needed when the full data on the trials is published.\n\nProf Eleanor Riley, from University of Edinburgh, worried the data had been rushed out too soon.\n\n\"This is not a competition. We need all trials to be a carried out to the highest possible standards,\" she said.\n\nThe researchers say there have been requests for more than 1.2 billion doses of the Sputnik vaccine from more than 50 countries.\n\nThey claim it's possible to produce 500 million doses every year for the global market.\n• None The first interim data analysis of the Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 phase III clinical trials in the Russian Federation demonstrated 92% efficacy - Official website vaccine against COVID-19 Sputnik V- The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A significantly lower number of Covid patients need intensive care treatment now Image caption: A significantly lower number of Covid patients need intensive care treatment now\n\nThe chief executive of the Welsh NHS has revealed more information on the scale of the fall in the proportion of Covid-19 patients needing critical care in this second wave of coronavirus.\n\nDr Andrew Goodall told the Senedd's health committee that during the first wave earlier this year it had been assumed around 30% of patients admitted to hospital with the virus would require intensive care.\n\nHe said it was \"probably\" about 12% now, with some areas of Wales as low as seven or eight per cent.\n\nDr Goodall said there were \"treatments and interventions that can make a difference\" to prevent more patients' health deteriorating.\n\nThis was \"very helpful\", he said, \"because, ultimately, the fewer patients who will end up in a critical care environment, we would therefore expect mortality to be much improved and therefore we are saving lives\".\n\nBut he added critical care was now \"busier than it normally is\", with the combination of Covid and non-Covid patients.\n\n\"I think we need to respect that level of workload that is on the shoulders of our critical care staff and our intensivists across Wales,\" he said.", "An MP has written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock about concerns in anorexia treatment in the wake of five inquests for women who died with the illness.\n\nIssues including patient monitoring and poor clinical training were raised at inquests for the women, who died in Cambridgeshire between 2012 and 2018.\n\nCambridge MP Daniel Zeichner asked Mr Hancock what \"the government plan to learn from this terrible situation\".\n\nThe Department of Health told the BBC: \"It is vital we learn lessons\".\n\nCambridgeshire and Peterborough assistant coroner Sean Horstead said he would write a prevention of future deaths report following the inquests into the deaths of Averil Hart, Emma Brown, Maria Jakes, Amanda Bowles and Madeline Wallace.\n\nAmanda Bowles was found dead at her Cambridge home in September 2017\n\nMr Horstead said the \"absence of a formally commissioned monitoring service in primary or secondary care is the context wherein a number of these deaths have arisen\".\n\nThe coroner also raised concerns over education and training, finding a \"level of ignorance amongst medical practitioners that has yet to change\".\n\nMr Horstead said there was \"a hope that the tide can be turned\" and that the inquests \"can be the start of that in some small way\".\n\nMaria Jakes died at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge in September 2018\n\nMs Bowles, Ms Jakes and Miss Hart all died in Cambridge and in his letter to Mr Hancock, the city's Labour MP Mr Zeichner said: \"I am sure you agree with me that these are truly tragic cases and our hearts go out to the families of these women.\"\n\nHe added: \"I would be grateful if you could let me know what lessons the government plan to learn from this terrible situation so as to improve the quality of NHS provisions for those with eating disorders such as anorexia to prevent more deaths, both in Cambridge and Peterborough, and nationally.\"\n\nA spokesman for the department said: \"Every death from an eating disorder is a tragedy and it is vital we learn lessons where things have gone wrong to ensure the NHS provides safe, high quality care, including by responding effectively to matters of concern raised by coroners.\n\n\"We are committed to ensuring those who need it can access support and are expanding eating disorder services through the NHS's long-term plan, including scaling up early intervention services to support young people.\"\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Late-night gatherings have been identified as a key source of infection spread in New York\n\nNew York has introduced new restrictions aimed at curbing coronavirus, with Mayor Bill de Blasio warning it was the city's \"last chance\" to stop a second wave.\n\nBars, restaurants and gyms must close by 22:00 and people can only meet in groups of 10 or less.\n\nThe US is seeing a surge in coronavirus - a record 65,368 Americans were in hospital on Wednesday.\n\nThe Covid Tracking Project also reported a record 144,270 new cases.\n\nAn average of over 900 people a day are now dying with the disease.\n\nMore than a million new cases in November pushed the total confirmed cases to over 10 million nationally, with 233,080 deaths so far.\n\nThe US has been seeing more than 100,000 new cases per day over the last eight days in what experts say may be a worse outbreak than those seen in the spring and summer.\n\nExperts warn hospitals across the country could soon be overwhelmed.\n\nOn Wednesday a member of President-elect Joe Biden's Covid-19 advisory panel said a four to six week lockdown could bring the pandemic under control.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Fauci: \"We have got to double down\" to fight Covid\n\nDr Michael Osterholm said that the government could borrow enough money to cover lost income for businesses during a shutdown.\n\n\"We're seeing a national and global Covid surge, and New York is a ship on the Covid tide,\" state Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday.\n\nNew measures come into effect on Friday affecting hospitality after Mr Cuomo said contact tracing identified late-night gatherings as key virus spreaders in the state.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Mayor Bill de Blasio This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIf the rate of spread of infection continued to rise, Mayor Blasio said the New York City's public school system would close and children would begin online classes.\n\n\"This is our last chance to stop a second wave. We can do it, but we have to act now,\" Mr de Blasio tweeted.\n\nNew York City was badly hit by the virus earlier this year when nearly 18,000 people died with Covid-19 in March, April and May, according to the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.\n\nStates across the US have broken new case records this week with Texas becoming the first state to hit one million total cases on Tuesday. If Texas were a separate country, it would rank 11th in the world for most cases.\n\nOther states, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California and Florida, have also seen numbers rise. CBS News reports 15 states saw the numbers of patients in hospital due to the virus double in the last month.\n\nSome hospitals, such as in Idaho and Missouri, have had to turn patients away because they ran out of room.\n\nState leaders have been re-imposing pandemic restrictions as a result. Residents of Wisconsin and Nevada have been urged to stay at home for two weeks and in Minnesota, bars and restaurants must shut by 22:00.\n\nOn Tuesday, Mr Osterholm warned of a \"perfect storm\". Speaking to CBS This Morning, Mr Osterholm said there was \"no question that our hospitals are about to be overrun\". He noted \"the darkest days of this pandemic between now and next spring\", before the vaccine arrives.\n\nMr Osterholm, who heads the infectious disease research centre at the University of Minnesota, said during the summer spike after the Labour Day national holiday, new cases rose to 32,000 a day.\n\n\"Now we're running in the 120- to 130,000 cases a day,\" he said. \"Do not be at all surprised when we hit 200,000 cases a day.\"\n\nThe same day, US infectious disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci offered some hopeful news. He said the new Covid vaccine by Pfizer was expected to go through an emergency authorisation process in the next week or so. Human trials suggest it is 90% effective.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How close are we to Covid immunisation?\n\nDr Fauci told MSNBC: \"I'm going to look at the data, but I trust Pfizer, I trust the [Food and Drug Administration]. These are colleagues of mine for decades, the career scientists.\"\n\nAmid the ongoing outbreak, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its research around masks, saying that wearing one not only protects others but also the person wearing the mask.\n\nPrevious guidance had rested on the idea that the main benefit of mask-wearing came from potentially stopping an infected person transmitting Covid to others.\n\nThe CDC referenced several studies, including one case where two Covid-positive hair stylists interacted with 139 clients - but of the 67 clients researchers tested, none developed an infection. The stylists and all clients had worn masks in the salon.\n\nAnother study looking into the outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier found mask-wearing seemed to have reduced the risk of virus transmission by 70%, the CDC said.\n\nHow are the new measures affecting you? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The new Wylfa power station would have been built next to the old power plant on Anglesey\n\nA leading American engineering firm has said Wylfa is considered by many as \"the best site in the UK\" to build a large new nuclear power plant.\n\nBechtel has been reported to be leading a consortium of companies in a bid to restart the project on Anglesey.\n\nIt comes after Japanese firm Hitachi pulled the plug on the £20bn Wylfa Newydd scheme in September.\n\nBut while Bechtel has not confirmed the move it has confirmed being involved in Wylfa Newydd from the start.\n\nCritics have argued nuclear energy is expensive, dangerous and has a legacy of waste lasting generations.\n\nThey want to see greener solutions such as wind and marine energy.\n\nBut Bechtel told BBC News Wales: \"We remain committed to working with our partners in the UK and abroad to deliver the best clean energy solutions to power millions of homes.£\n\nA site on Anglesey would be \"helping the UK reach net zero, supporting the government's levelling up agenda and turbocharging the UK's domestic nuclear supply chain capability, setting it on a path to deliver and export future clean energy solutions\", the firm added.\n\nThe UK government remains committed to building large-scale nuclear power plants, which it sees as central to decarbonising the energy supply.\n\nIt is expected to publish a 10-point plan next week to meet a target of net zero emissions in the UK by 2050.\n\nSix previous nuclear sites had been identified as locations for new plants to be built.\n\nBut only Hinkley Point in Somerset has gone ahead, with three others, including Wylfa Newydd, losing their financial backers.\n\nDespite the UK government's commitment to large scale nuclear power plants, the cost of construction has raised concerns for investors.\n\nIt had held a public consultation on bills for energy payers being increased to help cover the costs of building new nuclear power stations, but nothing concrete followed.\n\nOther financial support has been made available by the UK government for the nuclear industry.\n\nYnys Mon MP Virginia Crosbie hopes projects such as Wylfa Newydd would help keep young people on the island.\n\n\"Anglesey desperately needs skilled employment which is why I have championed Wylfa Newydd and Anglesey as 'Energy Island' at every opportunity, and I am working with all levels of local and national partners to make it happen,\" she said.\n\n\"There are many other innovative projects on Anglesey that have the potential to offer skilled employment and I am keen to encourage young people to stay on the island and invest in their community.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Education Secretary John Swinney said a full 2021 exam diet was \"too big a risk\"\n\nNational 5 exams are to be cancelled in Scotland in 2021 and replaced with teacher assessments and coursework.\n\nEducation Secretary John Swinney said going ahead with all exams during the continuing Covid pandemic was \"too big a risk\".\n\nHigher and Advanced Higher exams will go ahead as usual - but will start on 13 May, two weeks later than planned.\n\nThe move came as new restrictions were imposed across Scotland in response to a sharp rise in new coronavirus cases.\n\nSchools are to remain open but Mr Swinney said it was likely students would still face disruption - meaning an \"alternative approach\" was needed.\n\nHe said National 5 qualifications - which account for about half of all exams sat in Scotland and are roughly equivalent to GCSEs in England - would be judged on \"teacher judgement supported by assessment\".\n\nOpposition parties have been split on whether exams should go ahead, with the Greens calling for them to be axed entirely - but the Scottish Conservatives saying Mr Swinney had \"thrown in the towel\".\n\nScotland's school exams were cancelled for the first time ever in 2020, with the country locked down due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThe Scottish Qualifications Authority initially drew up results using a system which took teacher estimates for each pupil, then moderated them based on results from previous years.\n\nHowever, this sparked an outcry after 125,000 results were downgraded, with claims the moderation system unfairly penalised children at schools which had historically not performed as well.\n\nThe government subsequently agreed to accept the original teacher estimates of grades, and commissioned an independent review of the row.\n\nProf Mark Priestly recommended the new approach to National 5 exams and the development of a new approach to assessments, and this was accepted by ministers.\n\nResults will again be moderated to \"maintain standards\", but Mr Swinney stressed that \"awards will not be given or taken away on the basis of a statistical model or on the basis of a school's past performance\".\n\nMr Swinney has suggested that exams could be held later in the year in Scotland in 2021\n\nWe are already eight weeks in to this academic year and teachers, pupils and parents had been calling for clarity about what would happen with the 2021 exams.\n\nIf they planned for \"normality\" next summer it risked last-minute changes close to exam time and a repeat of the problems of this summer.\n\nThe decision to scrap the final exams for National 5 students, which are usually taken by 15 and 16-year-olds, means their grades will be decided by continuous assessment throughout the year. Teachers and pupils can now prepare for this.\n\nThe decision to scrap the largest group of exams means there will be more space and time for Highers and Advanced Higher to take place under exam conditions in as close a way to normal as possible.\n\nThey will be pushed back slightly later to allow for extra teaching time, but will still be completed before the end of the school term.\n\nThis will allow papers to be graded and marks sent to pupils at the beginning of August, meaning applications for university and college places can continue as they normally would.\n\nThe education secretary said: \"The risk remains that there may be further disruptions for individual pupils, schools, college, or more widely across the country during the course of this academic year.\n\n\"Due to the level of disruption already caused by Covid, and due to the likely disruption faced by some or all pupils and students this academic year, a full exam diet is simply too big a risk - it would not be fair.\"\n\nHe added that a \"contingency plan\" was in place should Highers and Advanced Highers need to be called off, which could see grades again being awarded on teacher judgement.\n\nThe Scottish Conservatives said a full exam diet \"could and should\" have taken place, with MSP Jamie Greene saying \"it does feel like the towel has been thrown in\".\n\nLabour's Iain Gray said the decision had come late, with staff \"months in to teaching courses already\".\n\nThe Scottish Greens have backed calls for all exams to be cancelled, asking why the same approach could not be applied to Highers and Advanced Highers.\n\nMr Swinney replied that the \"significant weight\" attached to Highers in university admissions meant they should be maintained if at all possible.", "A report by the education standards body, Ofsted, says many children have slipped back since the first lockdown. A lack of resources, enabling children to learn at home, has been one factor. The government has supplied laptops to schools in England but has struggled to deliver the amount originally promised to many schools this term.\n\nOne of the UK’s most successful tech entrepreneurs is calling on businesses to step into the breach to recycle obsolete laptops and tablets to bridge the gap.", "Each day brings confirmation of hundreds more coronavirus deaths in the UK, each one marking a devastating loss for a family or community somewhere in the country.\n\nThe UK announced its first coronavirus fatality in early March. By 12 April, which was Easter Sunday, there had been more than 10,000 confirmed hospital deaths. Less than two weeks later, that figure doubled again.\n\nThe scale of the pandemic means it's easy for the stories of many of the virus' victims not to be heard.\n\nOn 12 April alone, at least 1,174 people died in England and Wales. These are the stories of seven of those.\n\nRobert Savory, or Bob to all who knew him, would normally be organising Easter egg hunts or games like \"pin the carrot on the rabbit\". A doting grandad, Bob was rarely happier than when he was spending quality time with his family.\n\nIt was a family tradition for everyone to gather at Bob and his wife Jo's house in Gloucestershire at weekends and on special occasions.\n\nBut the house that would have been full with four children and seven grandchildren was quiet this year, as isolation measures prevented everyone getting together. By then, 63-year-old Bob had been admitted to hospital. He passed away that day.\n\nBob was best known locally for his involvement in rugby club Chosen Hill Former Pupils RFC.\n\nThe club said he was \"Chosen Hill through and through\", having held positions there from player to chairman.\n\nIt was in the changing rooms of the club that Bob's shoulder-length mousy brown hair was shaved off some 40 years ago. His shaved head became his trademark look and following his death, friends and family shaved their own heads to raise money for local hospitals in honour of the man they jokingly called Dr Bob.\n\nMore than 150 miles to the north-west in Cumbria, another sportsman and doting parent also died on Easter Sunday.\n\nBrian Arrowsmith spent his career in the lower reaches of the football league, but was a hero to the fans of his hometown club Barrow AFC.\n\nHe started out playing at right-back in the 1960s, but was a versatile defender and served as captain when the club won promotion from the old Fourth Division.\n\nNo-one made more appearances in the league for Barrow than Brian, and his impact was celebrated three years ago when the club named a stand after him.\n\nHe was particularly proud of playing for his local team. He was born and bred on Walney Island, a sliver of land on the southern tip of Barrow-in-Furness that he described as \"God's little acre\".\n\n\"He was well known in the town and Brian couldn't walk past anybody without stopping and chatting,\" Jean, his wife of 56 years, said.\n\nBrian remained faithful to the football team for his entire life, transitioning from the pitch to the stands.\n\nThe last match he would ever attend was in early March. Brian's beloved Barrow were defeated 0-2 by Notts County - their first home league loss since September. As usual Brian was offering his support at the sidelines, still hoping his club would win promotion.\n\nWeeks later the father-of-two contracted coronavirus and passed away in hospital, almost three months before his 80th birthday. Jean said he was at peace in his final moments.\n\n\"He would tell you if he was here that he had a great life.\"\n\nNot everyone who passed away on Easter Sunday died in a hospital.\n\nMary Andrew was one of at least 339 people in England and Wales to die in a care home that day. Those deaths were not included in the more than 10,000 announced by the government up to that point.\n\nMary had moved into a Derbyshire nursing home about seven months earlier, after a life defined by her independence.\n\nShe started a career as a dispensing chemist, but her life's passion was the card game bridge.\n\nMary set up her own bridge club in the 1960s and played tournaments, working her way up to the top of the standings to become a grandmaster, meaning she was one of the few people able to make a living from the game.\n\nHer son David, who jokingly refers to himself as a \"bridge orphan\", says the game was an obsession for Mary, who organised tournaments, clubs and holidays.\n\nAn intellectual and gregarious woman, she was drawn to bridge because it was mentally stimulating and an opportunity for her to socialise.\n\nIt also led to an unlikely encounter with a Hollywood heartthrob, when Mary played in a tournament with Lawrence of Arabia actor Omar Sharif at a London hotel in the 1960s.\n\nMary shared her love for the game with hundreds of others, teaching people to play even in her 80s.\n\nShe was also a \"scatterbrain\", says her son - she once took him and their family pet to the local shop and accidentally returned with only the dog.\n\nThe last time David saw his 92-year-old mother, he was informed that there was a suspected case of coronavirus at the care home, meaning visits would be forbidden and residents kept in their rooms.\n\nWithin weeks he got a call to say Mary had contracted coronavirus and that she would be put on an \"end of life pathway\".\n\nMary had held on to the ashes of her husband, who died in 2012, so that they could be interred together. In their 63 years together, the couple had rarely spent a night apart.\n\nCoronavirus has not only taken the lives of people in care homes like Mary, but also the people looking after them, like Rahima Sidhanee.\n\nCaring was in her nature. Her home was full of orchids that she bought cheaply when they were past their best and then nursed back to life. If you invited her round for dinner, she would almost certainly bring some of her own food.\n\nThe 69-year-old nurse was renowned among friends, family, neighbours and colleagues for her delicious and eclectic cooking. Her samosas stirred excitement at school fairs and efforts by family members to emulate her legendary roti always fell short.\n\nThe last dinner her son Abu shared with her was just before the lockdown. He and his wife urged Rahima, who suffered from respiratory problems, to retire or at least take a break from work until the situation improved.\n\nBut Rahima was a compassionate woman. She had been working at the Grennell Lodge nursing and care home in the town of Sutton for the past 20 years and was not prepared to give up when they needed her most.\n\nShe continued working, and contracted coronavirus three weeks later.\n\nRahima had what her son described as a basic upbringing on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, with no electricity, gas, or running water at home.\n\nShe moved to the UK in the 1960s as part of a drive for recruitment into the NHS, and worked as a nurse and midwife before moving into the care sector.\n\nHer family were Hindu, but Rahima converted to Islam when she married. Despite divorcing some 30 years ago, the mother-of-three remained committed to her Muslim faith for the rest of her life.\n\nDescribed by Abu as quiet and understated, Rahima had suffered from depression in recent years. This meant that she wasn't as socially active as she might once have been, but she always maintained a close relationship with her family, particularly through the regular meals they would share at each other's houses.\n\nAt this time in the Islamic calendar, Rahima and her loved ones would normally meet for iftar, the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during Ramadan.\n\nShe died 11 days before the Muslim holy month began. One family friend, for whom she made chilli sauce every year, said Ramadan would never be the same again.\n\nAbdul Karim Sheikh also emigrated to the UK in the 1960s.\n\nBorn in Jalalpur Jattan in Pakistan's Punjab province as the eldest of 10 children, Abdul was always driven by dreams of a better life.\n\nThat led him to the UK, where he settled in Newham, in east London. Abdul quickly became a central member of the community, dedicating his life to civic causes.\n\n\"It would literally not matter to him whether he was sleeping - you could knock on the door and he would wake up and answer the call. It didn't matter what time of day you came to our door,\" his son Saleem said.\n\n\"He always put himself second.\"\n\nIn one of his first acts in the community, Abdul helped found one of Newham's first mosques, serving the religious, social and cultural needs of the area's growing Muslim population.\n\nHe was particularly dedicated to promoting racial equality and dialogue between different faiths, in what is one of London's most racially and culturally diverse boroughs.\n\nWith a passion for debate and ideas for change, politics was a natural career choice for Abdul. He became a local councillor in 1990 and ceremonial mayor of Newham in 1998.\n\nHis work took the boy from Punjab to Buckingham Palace, when his service to the Muslim community was recognised through the British Empire Medal.\n\nHis son Saleem said his achievements were a source of great personal pride to Abdul. \"Coming from humble backgrounds to [being a mayor] in the UK was amazing,\" he said.\n\nEven in his 80s, Abdul continued to work on the causes close to his heart. His sons say he remained healthy and independent, and had recently returned from a trip overseas.\n\nBut in April, Abdul developed a temperature and breathing difficulties. He was admitted to hospital and passed away within days.\n\nHis family have been inundated with calls and cards from those whose lives he touched.\n\n\"He was loved by everybody. He's being missed by everyone in the community,\" his son Naeem said.\n\nWhile coronavirus has disproportionately affected older people, young people are also among those dying.\n\nAt 37 years old, with a thriving business and children she adored, Salina Shaw had everything to look forward to.\n\nSalina strove to make the most of every moment, and employed her favourite phrase each day in urging loved ones to live their \"best life\".\n\nSalina was a \"vibrant character who stood out within a crowd\", her sister Simone said - someone who proved to others it was possible to be happy and successful as a single parent.\n\nShe ran a child-minding business in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, and had also set up an affordable holiday club, which she hoped would bring communities together and allow parents to continue work during the school holidays.\n\nTo Simone, she was a great listener who could always be relied upon to offer sound advice.\n\nHer biggest passion in life was her children. When the coronavirus outbreak hit the UK, she was heavily pregnant with her third daughter.\n\nShe was admitted to hospital on 1 April, with suspected Covid-19.\n\nOther than gestational diabetes - a condition that can occur during pregnancy but usually disappears after giving birth - Salina was a healthy young woman with no other health conditions.\n\nHer baby was delivered via Caesarean section on 4 April, but Salina passed away just over a week later.\n\nHer daughters are now being looked after by family. Simone said Salina would \"shine within her children forever\".\n\nIn the nearby Essex town of Romford, Keith Parker was also in hospital with coronavirus.\n\nWith several underlying health conditions, Keith, 53, was among those particularly vulnerable to the pandemic. But he had overcome so much that family members jokingly called him \"the cat with nine lives\".\n\nJoanna first met Keith at school, when she had a crush on his best friend. The pair lost touch before their paths crossed again as adults in 2001. They agreed to meet for a meal, and three years later they married on the hottest day of the year.\n\nIn recent years, Joanna had been his full-time carer.\n\nHe was known among family and friends for his sense of humour. At a cousin's wedding, he started a flour and squirty cream fight. An old home video shows him putting M&Ms in his nose and blowing them out.\n\nThe family loved going on holiday to Butlins, where Keith would be the first person to raise his hand to get up on stage.\n\nHe fell ill with coronavirus in the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Other members of the family had also been unwell, but with relatively mild symptoms.\n\nBy the Friday morning, Keith's condition had deteriorated - Joanna says his face had turned grey and his cheeks and nose purple from lack of oxygen.\n\nAfter he was taken to hospital, it quickly became clear that he would not survive.\n\nJoanna was allowed a short visit to say goodbye. Dressed in a gown, gloves and mask she struggled not to kiss or hug him. All she could do was hold his hand.\n\nWhen Joanna left the room, she stole a final look through a window into the room.\n\n\"I knew that was going to be the last time I was going to see him,\" she recalled. \"That would be it.\"\n\nThe family are now grappling with the reality of life without him.\n\nHis infant granddaughter knew him as Grandad Munchkin. Every night she waves at a picture of him and blows a kiss.\n\nDo you have a story to share about your loved one? You can contact us with your tribute.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Some pupils are happy with the news but others less so\n\nA union has expressed concerns that teachers' workload will increase as Wales' GCSE, AS and A-level exams in summer 2021 are cancelled.\n\nOn Tuesday it was announced assessments would be done under teacher supervision due to the impact of Covid-19.\n\nThey will be externally set and marked but delivered within the classroom.\n\nNASUWT Cymru welcomed the move but warned teachers could not be expected to \"come up with, prepare, assess, standardise and moderate\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Kirsty Williams This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSpeaking on behalf of the teaching union, Sion Amlyn said it was \"imperative that as much of that workload is taken off the teachers as possible\".\n\n\"There are still question marks in terms of what exactly the mechanism will be,\" he said.\n\n\"When you consider what's been happening with this pandemic in general, and when you apply that to a school based scenario, our members are already telling us that they are struggling to finish the syllabus let alone anything else.\n\n\"Any mechanism that they come up with for this continual assessment style approach to give qualifications - the mechanism needs to have the assessment, the moderation and the standardisation done elsewhere because fundamentally we must be able to let the teachers carry on with their fundamental workload, and that is teaching kids to prepare them for whatever lies ahead.\"\n\nBut Mr Amlyn added it was beneficial that a decision had been made so that teachers can now plan ahead.\n\nOn Tuesday Education Minister Kirsty Williams said it was impossible to guarantee a level playing field for exams due to the ongoing impact of the Covid pandemic.\n\nShe said cancelling exams would give time for teaching to continue through the summer term adding that teachers would have flexibility on when to take the assessments, within the \"context of results timelines\".\n\nCerys Harris has had to study at home while self-isolating for a total of four weeks since September\n\nA-level student Cerys Harris, 17, from Rhyl, has already had four weeks of self-isolation this term because of cases in her \"bubble\".\n\nShe wants to start a degree next September in England.\n\nAlthough the education minister said universities are familiar with different qualifications, Cerys said she did not feel reassured, and was looking forward to more detail as to how the system is going to work.\n\n\"I've taken from [the announcement] that exams are cancelled, but it's not very straightforward,\" she said.\n\nJess Foster says she has had \"stress\" taken away by the announcement\n\nJess Foster, 17, who is taking her A-levels at Bassaleg School in Newport, was \"immediately relieved\".\n\n\"I stress out about things personally a lot. To hear that taken off me instantly just felt really good,\" she said.", "An MP \"threatened\" and made \"numerous unwanted telephone calls\" to a woman, a court has heard.\n\nClaudia Webbe, who represents Leicester East, is accused of one count of harassment between September 2018 and April this year.\n\nWestminster Magistrates' Court heard the details of the charge include making threats \"on at least two occasions\".\n\nThe 55-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charge on Wednesday.\n\nShe was granted unconditional bail and her trial will take place at the same location on 16 March.\n\nMs Webbe was elected as an MP in December's general election, taking over the seat previously held by Keith Vaz.\n\nShe remains a councillor in Islington, north London, and was also a member of Labour's National Executive Committee.\n\nShe was suspended from the party in September pending the outcome of the case.\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The patrons may be absent but the players still attempt the tradition of skimming their ball across the pond on to the 16th green at Augusta National as they prepare for the Masters, which starts on Thursday.\n\nAnd Spain's Jon Rahm manages to hole his effort, with the help of a friendly pin position on a sloping green.\n\nAvailable to UK users only.\n\nFollow the Masters across the BBC from Thursday 12 November. Full details here", "Discussions have taken place about the four nations of the UK taking a joint approach to Covid rules over Christmas.\n\nThe Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish first ministers held a virtual meeting with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and other senior UK officials.\n\nIt was the first of what UK ministers hope will be weekly meetings.\n\nUK government sources said topics including international travel, mass testing and the priority list for vaccinations were also discussed.\n\nNicola Sturgeon, Mark Drakeford and Arlene Foster took part in the meeting, as did Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, Welsh Secretary Simon Hart and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis.\n\nMr Gove said they all recognised families across the UK \"want to be able to see their loved ones this Christmas\".\n\nHe added: \"Today my ministerial colleagues and I met with the devolved administrations to work towards that shared aim and to help ensure that our collective response delivers for the public in every part of the UK\".\n\nIt is understood government officials will now be considering how to put the desire for a \"joint approach to Christmas\" into action.\n\nA Scottish government spokesperson said: \"The four nations call had an initial discussion about a co-ordinated approach to issues such as travel over the Christmas period and discussed recent developments in testing, including the use of lateral flow testing to enable students to return home, and initial lessons from the Liverpool pilot.\"\n\nSenior UK ministers have warned the situation remains highly volatile, with different levels of restrictions in different parts of the country and high rates of transmissions across the UK.\n\nEnvironment Secretary George Eustice said recently that people may not be able to gather like normal in large groups while Ms Sturgeon's most senior public health adviser, Jason Leitch, said last month that people should prepare themselves for a \"digital Christmas\".\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, a plan was announced to get students in England home safely for Christmas.\n\nStudents are to be allocated departure dates during a \"student travel window\" between 3 and 9 December, to minimise the risk of them spreading Covid-19.\n\nIn Wales, they are being asked to travel by 9 December at the latest.\n\nThe Scottish government wants as many as possible of the 80,000 or so students going home for Christmas to be offered voluntary tests before they travel.\n\nNorthern Ireland is expected to publish plans for students' return in the coming days.", "Helen Roberts is worried about the impact no trade deal would have on lamb sales\n\nWelsh businesses and ports are not yet ready for the end of the Brexit transition phase in 50 days' time, a Welsh minister has said.\n\nLabour's Jeremy Miles has asked firms to urgently look at what they need to do by 31 December.\n\nHe urged UK ministers to \"support jobs\" by not ending the transition period without a trade deal with the EU.\n\nBut Conservative Welsh Secretary Simon Hart said that \"by and large people are getting ready\".\n\nOn Wednesday the Welsh Government published its plan for the end of the transition period.\n\nThe report says a \"Crisis Intervention Scheme' may be needed to support Welsh meat exporters if no deal on UK-EU trade is struck.\n\n\"Such a scheme could potentially be of a substantial scale and would require cross-UK collaboration and additional UK Government financial support to be provided to the Welsh Government to deliver,\" the document says.\n\nIt also warns of \"potential for major disruption to international trade (particularly, but not only, with the EU) impacting on exporting businesses, import supply chains and inward investment which all in turn could risk the sustainability of some businesses and negatively impact on jobs and wages\".In the meantime Mr Miles, Welsh minister for European transition, has urged people to look at how their business or family could be affected by the end of the transition period and take steps to prepare.\n\nHe called on the UK Government to \"take responsibility and act with us\" on areas it is responsible for.\n\nThe transition phase, until the 31 December, allows the UK to trade with the European Unions as if it were a member, with the United Kingdom following EU rules and regulations.\n\nJeremy Miles says not agreeing a trade deal with the EU would be \"grossly irresponsible\"\n\nThe UK is currently negotiating a trade deal with the EU, but there are sticking points on issues such as fishing rights and business competition rules.\n\nThe prime minister has insisted the United Kingdom is \"very well prepared\" to move on if the two parties cannot agree a deal.\n\nWithout a trade deal, the UK would trade with the EU on World Trade Organisation terms - meaning higher taxes would be imposed on products being imported and exported. A lamb producer, whose farm spans the Wales-England border south of Wrexham, is concerned about the impact of these tariffs if the UK has to sell its lamb to the EU without a trade deal.\n\nHelen Roberts, who is also development officer of the National Sheep Association Cymru, said a deal would offer farmers security.\n\n\"We've taken the decision to carry on putting the ram out, and producing next year's crop, and we'll have to take the consequences of what a no deal might bring for us next year, which could possibly be a cut in income of up to 30%,\" she said.\n\nMr Miles said it was difficult to mitigate all the impacts of the transition period ending but businesses needed the \"certainty\" of knowing whether a deal would be agreed or not.\n\nHe said: \"These are big challenges and the message from us isn't 'everything will be fine', but everyone needs to make sure they're aware of the impact on them and take the appropriate steps in the short period we have left.\"\n\nHowever Mr Hart said businesses should be aware that deals \"by and large go to the wire\".\n\nHe added: \"I don't buy the argument that somehow the fact this hasn't been settled by now comes as a surprise. That's not how substantial negotiations like this work.\"\n\nMr Miles said that while some of the responsibilities of preparing Welsh ports were Welsh Government responsibilities, checks on the border from 1 January would be a UK government responsibility.\n\n\"We need to make sure that businesses, exporters, hauliers, the port companies are all prepared for that and the infrastructure is in place to deal with it,\" he said.\n\nMr Miles added there had not been \"as much engagement as we should have\" over the Welsh Government having more involvement in the discussions.\n\nSimon Hart says Wales could \"weather that storm\" of no trade deal with the EU\n\nHowever Mr Hart said there \"has been proper engagement\".\n\n\"The infrastructure plans around Holyhead are well advanced,\" he said. \"There has been discussion around the precise location of a site, that involves local authorities and others.\n\n\"I'm confident we can meet the deadlines by June or July next year so any disruption is absolutely minimised.\n\n\"That does require UK and Welsh Government collaboration - that element has been quite positive.\"\n\nMr Miles said it would be \"grossly irresponsible\" of the UK government to fail to agree a trade deal with the EU.\n\n\"If the UK leaves the transition period with a weak deal or no deal at all - that will be a matter of political choice for the UK government.\n\n\"We are asking the UK government to make the right choices to support jobs and livelihoods in Wales, to give people the clarity and the certainty that they are crying out for what will happen at the end of December.\"\n\nBut Mr Hart said that if no deal was agreed then Wales could \"weather that storm and come out stronger the other side\" and ruled out an extension of the transition period.\n\n\"We made a commitment in our manifesto to deliver on the outcome of that referendum, that's precisely what we are doing - no ifs no buts.\"", "Linda Johnson, who is partially sighted, is now in fear of leaving her house after receiving abuse for accidentally breaching social distancing guidelines.\n\nHer guide dog is not trained in social distancing and does not recognise queues of people as anything more than an obstacle to bypass. She told the BBC's Simon McCoy about the difficulties she faces.", "Street artist Akse says Marcus Rashford has \"inspired the whole nation\"\n\nFootballer Marcus Rashford has thanked the artist who painted a mural of him near to where he grew up.\n\nStreet artist Akse has created the artwork on the side of Coffee House Cafe in Copson Street, Withington, Manchester.\n\nHe said the England and Manchester United star's recent successful campaign to extend free school meals inspired the project.\n\nRashford tweeted an image of the finished mural with a \"thank you\".\n\nThe artwork, based on a photograph by Daniel Cheetham, was done in collaboration with Withington Walls, a community street art project.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Marcus Rashford MBE This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nFollowing Rashford's campaign, the government announced it was to spend more than £400m on a winter grant scheme to support poor children and their families in England.\n\nIt follows the footballer's campaign in June which led to the government changing its policy to allow children to claim free meals during the holidays.\n\nRashford became an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list last month.\n\nManchester-based artist Akse said the mural was close to where the footballer grew up in Old Moat, Withington, before his family moved to Wythenshawe.\n\nRashford's mother provided the quote on the mural, which read: \"Take pride in knowing that your struggle will play the biggest role in your purpose.\"\n\n\"It's incredible,\" said Ed Wellard of Withington Walls. \"Akse is a world class artist but it's exceeded my expectations. It is amazing.\"\n\nAkse said he had a video call with 23-year-old Rashford while working on the painting.\n\n\"It was very kind of him to take time to chat with me,\" he said.\n\n\"I hope the mural will inspire the local community as he has inspired the whole nation with his campaign to fight child food poverty.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Covid tests for students in England, so they can go home safely for Christmas, could begin on 30 November, according to a letter from the universities minister to vice chancellors.\n\nA week of mass testing for students is proposed - running between 30 November and 6 December.\n\nThe letter, seen by the BBC, promises a fast turnaround for tests and \"results within an hour\".\n\nThe aim is to stop students spreading the virus as they return home.\n\nThe first week of December, after the lockdown ends, could then become the \"travel window\" for many students to leave university for the Christmas holidays, with face-to-face teaching expected to finish earlier than usual this term.\n\nThis could mean that by about 9 December many students will have left for home.\n\nBut those who test positive will have to take another test and, if found to be infectious, have to stay in isolation.\n\nLarissa Kennedy, president of the National Union of Students, said: \"The government have finally listened to our calls to ensure that students can travel home safely for Christmas.\n\n\"We particularly welcome this mass-testing approach as it equips students with the knowledge to make informed decisions about travel ahead of the winter break,\" she said.\n\nBut the University and College Union, which represents university lecturers, said it was not yet clear whether all universities would take part in the testing programme or how many students would be included.\n\n\"There are huge hurdles to overcome to manage this process,\" said union leader Jo Grady.\n\nAround 1.2 million students are expected to move at Christmas from their university term-time address to a home in another part of the country, where there might be different levels of infection.\n\nThis has raised concerns among the Sage scientific advisers of a \"significant risk\" that this migration could spread the coronavirus.\n\nTo prevent this danger, plans are being made for mass testing using so-called \"lateral flow tests\".\n\nThese nose and throat swabs are self-administered, with no need for tests to be sent to laboratories for results.\n\nPilots for this type of rapid testing have already begun at De Montfort and Durham universities. Other universities have been operating their own testing processes, which could also continue.\n\nThe tests will be able to provide results within an hour\n\nThe letter from Universities Minister Michelle Donelan, and its accompanying documents, says: \"The tests we are deploying have a high specificity which means the risk of false positive test results is low.\n\n\"Although the test does not detect all positive cases, it works extremely well in finding cases with higher viral loads - which is those who are most infectious.\n\n\"As the test is easy to administer and does not require a laboratory, testing can take place on a very regular basis,\" the letter to university leaders said.\n\nAccompanying documents show a planning timetable in which sites are prepared for testing from 15 November, ready to operate the following week, with \"pre end-of-term testing\" between 30 November and 6 December.\n\nThe test kits will be given free to universities, which will have to provide a place for the tests to be carried out, in a way that can process thousands of students within a short time frame.\n\nMinisters have already indicated that universities will stop in-person teaching two weeks before the end of term and move online - so when students have been given the all-clear they could be expected to leave their term-time address and go home, in a \"test and release\" process.\n\nThere are also believed to have been discussions about how the departure of students can be made safe - such as co-ordinating staggered times for leaving between universities in the same city.\n\nThere could also be calls to avoid public transport - with suggestions of chartering coaches or using private transport, such as parents collecting students, and creating \"travel corridors\" to control traffic away from universities.\n\nUniversity leaders have previously raised concerns about why this guidance has been left so close to the end of term - and there will be questions about the capacity of universities to be ready in time for the mass testing.\n\nThere have also been questions about whether students will return as usual in January or whether there will be a staggered start and more testing, or whether more courses will switch online with some students initially studying from home.\n\nUniversities UK welcomed the plans for more testing capacity, but warned that universities would \"now need clear assurance of the effectiveness of the tests as well as further details from the government on specific responsibilities under the proposed scheme including the governance, indemnity, resourcing and costs recovery\".", "Students could be allowed home for Christmas if they test negative twice\n\nUniversity students are to be allowed to return home for Christmas in Scotland if they return two negative Covid-19 tests before travelling.\n\nUniversities minister Richard Lochhead said up to 80,000 students are expected to travel home at the end of term.\n\nDates for courses ending are due to be staggered to make sure there is not a \"great surge of movement\" in December.\n\nAnd a testing system is being set up UK-wide to ensure students do not carry the virus across the country.\n\nPeople will be given two tests, five days apart, and those who test negative on both occasions will be allowed to travel.\n\nThose who return a positive result would have to self-isolate, although it is hoped this would end in time for them to go home before the festive period.\n\nOnce students are home, they will need to abide by the same restrictions on household gatherings and meetings as everyone else - but there will be no special rules for students at home.\n\nMr Lochhead told MSPs that students would be advised to \"voluntarily reduce their social mixing\" for two weeks before going home, only going out for essential reasons.\n\nHe said tests \"cannot tell us with certainty that someone is Covid-free\" because people may be incubating the disease, saying it was \"vital for students to continue to follow all of the other measures in place\".\n\nAnd he added that work was ongoing to work out how students should return to universities after Christmas, saying lessons must be learned from outbreaks at the start of term in August.\n\nHe said: \"It is clear that the return after the new year will not be normal and we will work with the sector to offer as much clarity for students and staff as we can in the coming weeks.\"\n\nUnder the plans students will be tested twice five days apart\n\nAlastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland, said the testing programme would involve up to 65,000 students living in halls and student accommodation.\n\nHe told BBC radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that lessons had been learned from the spike in cases at the start of the academic year.\n\nHe said: \"If you are a student who is going home for Christmas it gives that extra assurance to you, and to the people that you are going home to, that you are not bringing the virus home with you.\"\n\nMr Sim added that some in-person teaching on campuses would end early on 30 November to ensure there was no \"surge of movement\" of students.\n\nMany universities are, however, anticipating more students than usual will remain in university accommodation over the holidays.\n\nIn particular, they are aware many overseas students may be unable to return home or may be reluctant to risk travelling in case they need to quarantine once they return to the UK.\n\nIn recent weeks, some students have claimed they could have remained at home as their lectures and tutorials are mostly taking place online.\n\nHowever, universities have argued students still have access to certain facilities which they could not use from home.\n\nMatt Crilly, NUS Scotland president, said students deserved the right to return home for the winter break and he wanted to see a coherent strategy from the Scottish government that allowed students to return home safely, while avoiding mass outbreaks.\n\n\"Many students rely on the support networks offered by their friends and families and going home to see them over the Christmas period can be critical for their mental health and wellbeing,\" Mr Crilly said.\n\n\"NUS Scotland is calling for a clear plan that has ample lead time, with a strategy including the use of mass testing, staggered departure dates and compassion.\n\n\"However, there will also be many students whose halls are their only home and others who will choose not to return home this festive period. We want to see the Scottish government offering additional support to student associations to ensure all students have access to facilities including catering (even if they are in non-catered halls), access to post rooms and mental health support.\"", "Asian giant hornets are not native to the Pacific North-West and kill honeybees\n\nWashington is unlikely to have seen its last Asian giant hornets, the state's agricultural department has said, after scientists found 200 queens in one nest.\n\nThe nest - the first in the US - of the so-called murder hornets was captured with a vacuum from a tree in October.\n\nResearchers believe more queens - which are responsible for establishing colonies - could remain at large.\n\nBut they are confident the population can be brought under control.\n\nAsian giant hornets are an invasive species in the Pacific North-West. They target honeybees, which pollinate crops. The insect, which is native to Japan and South Korea, can slaughter a bee colony in a matter of hours.\n\nThey can also spit venom and inflict numerous powerful stings on humans.\n\nScientists in Washington extracted the US's first nest of Asian giant hornets in October\n\n\"We believe there are additional nests. There is no way to be certain we got them all,\" Sven-Erik Spichiger, who researches insects with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, said in a press conference on Tuesday.\n\nThe nest was extracted from a tree in the city of Blaine, close to the Canadian border, on 24 October. Scientists then quarantined the 22cm (9 in) diameter nest and after 24 hours were able to open it to examine the contents.\n\nInside they found evidence of almost 500 insects at various stages of life including 112 worker hornets and close to 200 queens.\n\n\"It's possible some [queens] emerged before we did the extraction. There is no way of knowing how many more,\" Mr Spichiger said, explaining that three queens were found in the local area after scientists had removed the nest.\n\nBut he said they had arrived \"in the nick of time\" to prevent the majority of queens from leaving the nest and mating.\n\n\"Frankly we are encouraged because of the number of queens we were able to count and kill,\" he said.\n\nQueen hornets go on to establish new colonies when they mate with a male and successfully hibernate over the winter season. When they wake up in spring, a small portion go on to establish nests.\n\nMr Spichiger said it was likely that the insects arrived in the Pacific North-West as part of international commerce. \"We will never know how they got here...but it could have been a vehicle, wood chips, hay bales,\" he explained.\n\nThe Washington State Department of Agriculture is committed to eradicating the invasive species from the region, he added.\n\nAsian giant hornets \"are not going to hunt you down and murder you\", Mr Spichiger explained, but that if a person were to walk into a nest, their life would be \"probably in danger\".\n\nAround 40 people are killed annually by the hornets in Asia, according to the Smithsonian museum in Washington DC.\n• None Millions of cicadas to emerge in US after 17 years", "The most vulnerable children are being \"failed by the state\" and a broken residential care system, the children's commissioner for England has said.\n\nGreater use of private provision has led to a fragmented, unco-ordinated and irrational system amid \"significant profits\", said Anne Longfield.\n\nThe system has been allowed to slip deeper into crisis, she said.\n\nThe government said an independent review of children's social care would begin \"as soon as possible\".\n\nMs Longfield has published three reports detailing the plight of children the system \"doesn't know what to do with\".\n\nShe said the government has failed to respond to previous warnings that thousands of these children are in danger of becoming victims of criminal and sexual exploitation.\n\nOlder children were found to be living in \"disgusting\" conditions akin to a prison cell, one of the reports said.\n\nIt described how one 17-year-old said her accommodation was filthy and smelly, with just one working shower - covered in mould - between 14 children and young adults.\n\n\"Elsewhere children have told us they have not even been provided with the means to eat or sleep - things like duvet covers, plates or cutlery,\" the same report said.\n\nAll three reports highlight a shortage of children's home places, resulting in:\n\n\"Only last month, a High Court judge wrote to me after an extremely vulnerable child in care could not get a suitable care home place anywhere in the country, even though the courts had found their life was in danger,\" said Ms Longfield.\n\n\"These shocking cases used to be rare but are now routine, and I am worried the whole system is becoming immune to the devastating effect this is having on children who may have previously been abused and neglected, or have serious mental or physical health needs.\"\n\nOne of the reports analyses how, over the past decade, as demand for care has grown and local authority provision has failed to keep pace, private provision has expanded.\n\nThe researchers found the majority of private provision was rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, although smaller providers were more likely to have lower ratings than either larger providers or local authorities.\n\nSome providers are owned by private equity companies and carry \"significant amounts of debt\" which could \"risk their stability\", says the report.\n\n\"Both the government and councils have failed in their responsibilities by leaving it to the market,\" said Ms Longfield.\n\n\"The growing reliance on private providers, some of whom are making millions, is another symptom of a system failing to prioritise the needs of children.\"\n\nIryna Pona, policy manager at the Children's Society, said the reports were enormously worrying but not surprising.\n\n\"The Children's Society is very concerned about how children in care are being failed by the very services who are supposed to be caring for and protecting them,\" she said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The findings of a 2019 BBC investigation on children in care were called \"a scandal\"\n\nThe Local Government Association, which represents councils across England, says it shares the commissioner's concerns about the risk of businesses running children's homes going bust as adult care provider Southern Cross did, almost a decade ago.\n\n\"Providers should also not be making excessive profit from providing placements for children,\" said Judith Blake, who chairs the LGA's Children and Young People Board.\n\nA Department for Education statement said: \"The education secretary has been clear that no child should be denied the opportunity for a loving, stable family life, or be bounced around the care system in accommodation that does not meet their needs.\n\n\"We have also set out that children under the age of 16 should not be living in unregulated homes.\n\n\"Our bold, broad and independently led care review will launch as soon as possible, and will support improvements in the children's social care system.\"", "Croydon Council announced in the summer it wanted to cut staff numbers by 15% - about 410 roles\n\nCash-strapped Labour-run Croydon Council has imposed emergency spending restrictions with \"immediate effect\", the BBC has learned.\n\nThe Section 114 notice bans all new expenditure at Croydon Council, with the exception of statutory services for protecting vulnerable people.\n\nA document seen by the BBC said \"Croydon's financial pressures are not all related to the pandemic\".\n\nIt is under a government review amid claims of \"irresponsible spending\".\n\nSection 114 notices are issued when a council cannot achieve a balanced budget.\n\nIn June, the BBC found many large councils in England feared going effectively bankrupt because of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nTo cope with coronavirus, councils revealed they were planning a mix of responses including using up cash reserves, reducing services and cancelling or postponing spending on big projects.\n\nThe Section 114 letter, which was sent by Croydon's director of finance Lisa Taylor, said she was not confident the council \"can make the level of savings required to deliver a balanced budget\".\n\n\"Despite the council having put in place spending controls over the summer 2020, non-essential cost have continued to be incurred,\" she said.\n\n\"I am still not seeing an organisation that is taking the necessary radical decisions to stop all but essential expenditure.\"\n\nThe document also says £17.7m of the £27.9m of the \"new savings\" presented to Croydon's cabinet on 21 September and the full council meeting on 28 September were \"incorrectly identified as new savings\".\n\nAs a result it forecasted that overspend \"had not reduced by as much as previously reported\".\n\nCroydon is the first council to declare a Section 114 order since Northamptonshire County Council in 2018.\n\nLast month, Croydon's cabinet member for finance Simon Hall resigned from his role, while former council leader Tony Newman announced his departure a few days later.\n\nBoth resignations came two weeks after the pair survived a vote of no confidence proposed by the Conservative opposition.\n\nCouncillor Hamida Ali, who took over as leader, accepted that the council \"had made mistakes\" in addition to the impact of coronavirus.\n\n\"While we continue to work hard to find savings, we must focus our spending on essential services and protecting our vulnerable residents,\" she said.\n\n\"We're not going to fix these problems overnight and there will be difficult decisions ahead but I want to reassure local people that the council will still be here to support you.\"\n\nCroydon's chief executive Jo Negrini also announced in August that she would be stepping down.\n\nThe council's Conservative opposition leader Cllr Jason Cummings said the report was \"scathing\" and he had fears local residents \"would suffer most\".\n\nHe added: \"Labour were warned repeatedly over the last few years but ploughed on anyway, they must take full responsibility for the damage they have caused.\"\n\nConstruction of the £1.4bn Croydon Westfield shopping project has been repeatedly delayed since it was approved in 2017\n\nThe Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said Croydon's decision was \"necessary\" for it to manage its own finances.\n\nA spokesman said: \"We're aware of serious concerns around the council's governance and risk management and the recent Public Interest Report was damning about the governance within Croydon Council, which has been entirely irresponsible with their spending and investments.\n\n\"The council has decided to issue a section 114 notice and we will consider the findings of the review which concludes later this month.\"\n\nIt's not often a council needs to issue a Section 114 - but the pressures of coping with coronavirus have combined with at least questionable previous investment strategies to push Croydon over the edge.\n\nIt was heading for an overspend of £60m at the end of the year from dealing with the pandemic and government support didn't look like covering it.\n\nCroydon went into the coronavirus health crisis in a vulnerable state - with depleted reserves and £1.5bn debts.\n\nIt's a financial position partially reached through buying up property including a hotel and a shopping centre.\n\nIn good times, it's easy to see how that might have paid dividends but with weeks of lockdown, it left the council seriously exposed.\n\nThe latest development means new spending must be stopped immediately except for on statutory services like social care.\n\nNow the council's administration has 21 days to come up with a strategy which looks likely to mean more job losses to add to at least 400 already being cut.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "United Parcel Service (UPS) is relaxing its rules on employee appearance, lifting a long-standing ban on facial hair.\n\nThe delivery giant said the changes also include eliminating gender-specific rules.\n\nUPS says the new guidelines are part of an effort to \"celebrate diversity rather than corporate restrictions\".\n\nThe company, which has more than 500,000 workers globally, has a long list of personal appearance guidelines.\n\nRules cover everything from hairstyles to the length of shorts. Hairstyles such as Afros and braids will now be allowed as UPS tackles bias, diversity and inclusion.\n\nUPS says piercings should be limited to earrings and small facial ones, and must be \"business-like\".\n\nHowever, tattoos should still be covered up.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. With over 48,000 followers online Curlture use their influence to represent and inspire other black women\n\nThe strict rules were aimed mostly at public-facing employees like delivery drivers.\n\n\"These changes reflect our values and desire to have all UPS employees feel comfortable, genuine and authentic while providing service to our customers and interacting with the general public,\" a spokesman told the BBC.\n\nIn May, UPS hired its first female chief executive, Carol Tomé. She \"listened to feedback from employees and heard that changes in this area would make them more likely to recommend UPS as an employer\".\n\nUPS workers were allowed to have a beard if they got a medical or religious exemption, often to referred to as \"shaver waivers\".\n\nHowever, in 2018 UPS paid $4.9m (£3.7m) to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over its rules on beards and hair length.\n\nWorkers have previously launched petitions to overturn the ban on beards.\n\nThe new policy allows facial hair like beards and moustaches \"as long as they are worn in a business-like manner and don't create a safety concern\", according to internal documents.", "A report into allegations Home Secretary Priti Patel bullied staff should be made public, the prime minister's adviser on standards in public life has said.\n\nFormer MI5 chief Lord Evans warned that unresolved inquiries into ministers' conduct undermined public trust.\n\nA Cabinet Office investigation into allegations about Ms Patel's behaviour was launched in March.\n\nShe has always strongly denied claims that she bullied staff.\n\nIn February Sir Philip Rutnam, the top civil servant in the Home Office, resigned saying he had been the target of a \"vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign\". He is pursuing an employment tribunal claim.\n\nThe Committee on Standards in Public Life advises the prime minister on ethical standards across public life in England and is chaired by ex-MI5 boss Lord Evans of Weardale.\n\nThe Times first reported that Lord Evans wanted the Patel report to be made public.\n\nHe told the BBC he was not in a position to judge the accuracy of the complaints about the home secretary but said the public needed to know that allegations are \"properly and independently investigated\".\n\n\"We want to make sure the system we have in place can resolve those issues so that people can have confidence the standards are being upheld in the right places and by everybody involved,\" he told Radio 4's The World at One.\n\nLord Evans was appointed Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public life in October 2018\n\nAsked specifically about Ms Patel's case he said there may be \"good reasons\" why some findings are not published but argued that any causes for delay should be explained.\n\n\"I think because they are left hanging in the air people are worried about it and that tends to reduce people's trust.\"\n\nHe also said that the process of investigating ministers should be more independent and transparent - and he suggested taking the responsibility for triggering such inquiries away from the prime minister.\n\nIn an interview with the Times, he said because the report on Ms Patel had not been published \"it is very difficult to know whether there was something here or whether there wasn't\".\n\nResponding to Lord Evans' comments, Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: \"It is a disgrace that the report into allegations of bullying against the home secretary is being suppressed.\n\n\"Continuing to refuse to release the report not only makes clear that the Tories have something to hide, it also undermines trust in politics at a crucial time - the report must be published without further delay.\"\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"The process is ongoing and the prime minister will make any decision on the matter public once the process has concluded.\"", "Blackburn or ballet? Jake Berry's remarks have come under fire\n\nPeople in the south of England enjoy opera and ballet but football clubs are what matter to those living further north, a Conservative MP has said.\n\nFormer minister Jake Berry made the comparison as he warned \"northern culture\" is being hit by Covid-19.\n\nHe pressed the government to intervene to \"save\" football clubs.\n\nBut his comments were criticised by the Northern Ballet as it perpetuates \"tropes that culture in the north is of less value than that in London\".\n\nThe former northern powerhouse minister compared Accrington Stanley to the Royal Ballet as he insisted action is required from Westminster to help protect clubs that are the \"cornerstone\" of communities.\n\nThe former minister said \"northern culture\" was being hit by Covid-19\n\nMr Berry, who made the comment as MPs debated support for the economy in the north of England, said: \"First of all is the hit that northern culture has taken from this Covid crisis.\n\n\"For many people who live in London and the south of England, things like the opera house and ballet will be at the heart of their culture.\n\n\"But for many of us in the north it is our local football club - our Glyndebourne or Royal Ballet or Royal Opera House or Royal Shakespeare Company will be Blackburn Rovers, Accrington Stanley, Barrow, Carlisle or Sunderland.\n\nHe added the \"time has come where the government must seek to intervene to unblock this to save local football clubs across the north of England, many of which are the cornerstone of our communities and at the heart of our culture\".\n\nTreasury minister Kemi Badenoch did not address Mr Berry's football plea in her reply to the debate, acknowledging the north of England has been a \"hotbed\" of energy, ideas and creativity for centuries.\n\nResponding on Twitter, Northern Ballet said it was \"disappointed\" by the MP's comments while other social media users criticised Mr Berry for his remarks.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Northern Ballet This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Jonathan Lo This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by nazir afzal This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Eleanor Watts This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "We've been asking our readers for their most pressing questions about the US election. Now it's our turn to respond.\n\nStéphane Longuet, 50, from London asks: Is it possible electors would designate another winner? Could some electors from Pennsylvania decide to vote for Donald Trump instead of Joe Biden or are they legally bound to follow the popular vote?\n\nThis is a great question - so let's dive into what the deal is with these \"faithless electors\".\n\nThe majority of states in the US, including this year's key battlegrounds of Arizona and Michigan, have laws that bind electors to vote for their state's majorities.\n\nThis year, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld those laws, saying electors have \"no ground for reversing\" the popular vote in their state, noting that in America, \"We, the People rule\".\n\nOf course, this doesn't mean that we haven't seen faithless electors before, though it is rare.\n\nIn 2016, 10 electors reneged on their popular vote winner to vote for other candidates. And way back in 1796, one elector switched to vote for the opposing party.\n\nBut it's important to remember these faithless electors have never actually changed the outcome of a presidential election.\n\nAccording to FairVote, an election reform nonprofit, across 58 presidential elections with more than 23,500 votes cast, only 90 electors have failed to honour the popular vote.\n\nNow a quick look at Pennsylvania: the state doesn't require electors to vote in line with the popular result or penalise faithless electors. However, any swaps here are unlikely, as the party campaigns choose their electors in the state.\n\nClick here to learn more about this project - or submit a question of your own.", "Three members of one family in Northern Ireland have died with Covid-19 in the past two weeks, the BBC has learned.\n\nThey include a man in his early 50s, who worked for the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.\n\nStaff at the trust have paid tribute to him, saying he was a dedicated member of the health service.\n\nBelfast Trust senior manager Dr Paul Glover said his colleague, who died on Wednesday, was \"a very valued member of staff\".\n\n\"I'd like to offer my condolences to the family one of our members of staff who sadly passed away with Covid-19 today.\n\n\"I am sure all of his colleagues and those who have worked with him will feel this right at this moment in time.\"\n\nSDLP MLA Dolores Kelly also offered condolences to the family of those who died.\n\n\"It is just unimaginable,\" she told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.\n\n\"I cannot begin to imagine how the surviving members of the family come to terms with it and I do hope and pray that they get the help and support that they need.\"\n\nMrs Kelly appealed to the executive to \"take account of the families who are suffering, who have suffered, those that are in hospital and the staff who are trying their best to actually keep people safe and to save their lives\".\n\nNews of the health care worker's death comes as hospitals across Northern Ireland continue to report pressures.\n\nThe Department of Health in Northern Ireland reported eight further coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday, with 791 more people testing positive for the virus.\n\nThe number of hospital inpatients with the virus has increased from 420 to 441.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, there have been two Covid-19 related deaths and 362 new cases of the disease reported in the past 24 hours.\n\nIt brings the total number of deaths there to 1,965.\n\nForty-seven men and women are in ICU in Northern Ireland and 35 of them are on a ventilator.\n\nDr Glover, who specialises in critical care, said there must be a \"sustained and ongoing\" decrease in community transmission rates before any relaxation of restrictions is considered.\n\n\"Our healthcare system is very much under pressure and is being stretched at this moment,\" he said.\n\n\"What we absolutely need is a sustained and ongoing decrease in transmission rates to stop the hospitals being overwhelmed, to take the pressure off staff and to allow us to be able to treat other conditions.\n\n\"We are not at the stage yet where community transmission is at such a low level as is safe to release restrictions.\"\n\nDr Glover added that \"everyone has a role to play\" to ensure that Covid-19 numbers are \"stamped down\" and \"kept down\".\n\n\"This is not just about government guidelines. It's also about public behaviours,\" he said.\n\nHealth unions are also asking why restrictions would be relaxed, given the number of deaths in recent weeks.\n\nChair of the BMA in Northern Ireland, Dr Tom Black, said: \"You need restrictions to reduce the transmission of the infection, to reduce the demands on hospitals.\"\n\nDr Black said demands on NI hospitals \"are nearly overwhelming hospital services\".\n\nMeanwhile, cases in care homes have also increased, with 143 facilities dealing with outbreaks - over 100 more than this time last month.\n\nRobin Swann told MLAs that staff, through no fault of their own, were carrying the virus - another reason, he said, for maintaining restrictions.", "The statue is on display at Newington Green, near the site of the school Mary Wollstonecraft founded\n\nA memorial to the \"mother of feminism\" has provoked an online backlash after being unveiled in north London.\n\nThe sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft, by artist Maggi Hambling, went on display on Newington Green, Islington, on Tuesday.\n\nBorn in London in 1759, Wollstonecraft was an 18th Century author and radical who promoted the rights of women.\n\nThe silvered-bronze sculpture has drawn criticism from some who have queried the inclusion of a naked female figure.\n\nBee Rowlatt, chairwoman of the Mary on the Green campaign for a statue, said: \"Her ideas changed the world. It took courage to fight for human rights and education for all.\n\n\"But following her early death in childbirth, her legacy was buried, in a sustained misogynistic attack. Today we are finally putting this injustice to rights.\n\n\"Mary Wollstonecraft was a rebel and a pioneer, and she deserves a pioneering work of art.\n\n\"This work is an attempt to celebrate her contribution to society with something that goes beyond the Victorian traditions of putting people on pedestals.\"\n\nThe statue is believed to be the world's first memorial sculpture in honour of Mary Wollstonecraft\n\nThe unveiling is the culmination of a decade of campaigning to raise the £143,000 required to create the statue.\n\nThe statue is already on display, and an unveiling ceremony was live-streamed.\n\nIt portrays a silver female figure emerging from a swirling mingle of female forms.\n\nMore than 90% of London's monuments celebrate men, despite the population being 51% women, according to the campaign.\n\nHowever, it has been met with criticism for its symbolic depiction of a female figure, rather than being a lifelike representation of Wollstonecraft.\n\nSome have also queried the decision to make the figure naked.\n\nWriter Caitlin Moran claimed a better representation of a naked \"everywoman\" would be of \"Wollstonecraft dying, at 38, in childbirth, as so many women did back then - ending her revolutionary work.\"\n\n\"That would make me think, and cry,\" she tweeted.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Ruth Wilson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nWriter Tracy King tweeted: \"There is no reason to depict Mary naked unless you are trying to be edgy to provoke debate.\n\n\"Statues of named men get to be clothed because the focus is on their work and achievements.\n\n\"Meanwhile, women walking or jogging through parks experience high rates of sexual harassment because our bodies are considered public property.\"\n\nCaroline Criado Perez, who campaigned for Jane Austen to appear on the £10 note, said the statue \"feels disrespectful to Wollstonecraft herself\".\n\nHistorian Simon Schama wrote that he \"always wanted a fine monument to Wollstonecraft - this isn't it\".\n\nWollstonecraft was born into prosperity in 1759, but her father, a drunk, squandered the family money.\n\nLike her mother, she often suffered abuse at his hands.\n\nAs a woman, Wollstonecraft received little formal education but she set out to educate herself and at 25 opened a girls' boarding school on Newington Green, near the site of the statue.\n\nWollstonecraft was 33 when she wrote her most famous work \"A Vindication of the Rights of Woman\" which imagined a social order where women were the equals of men.\n\nShe mixed with the intellectual radicals of the day - debating with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and Joseph Priestley.\n\nShe died aged 38 following the birth of her daughter, the author Mary Shelley.\n\nMs Hambling has hit back at those who criticise her art work.\n\nShe said: \"This sculpture encourages a visual conversation with the obstacles Ms Wollstonecraft overcame, the ideals she strived for, and what she made happen.\"\n\nThe Suffolk-based artist said her critics \"are not reading the word, the important word, which is on the plinth, quite clearly 'for' Mary Wollstonecraft, it's not 'of' Mary Wollstonecraft.\n\n\"Clothes define people and restrict people, they restrict people's reaction. She's naked and she's every woman.\n\n\"Most male historic statues are way over life-size. My point was that the female figure doesn't need to dominate to be powerful.\n\n\"It's been compared to a rocket of hope going up to the sky, tracking the fight for female empowerment Wollstonecraft started.\"\n\nThe statue shows a silver female figure emerging from a swirling mingle of female forms\n\nOthers have praised the statue. On Twitter historian Dr Fern Riddle said she \"loved\" the design.\n\n\"It reminds me of Metropolis crossed with the birth of Venus,\" she said.\n\n\"I don't see 'me' in that figure, but I wouldn't see 'me' in a figurine of a fully dressed Mary either. I just like that it's here, and that anyone can interpret it how they want.\"\n\nHistorian Dr Sophie Coulombeau said she hopes those \"with a very strong opinion\" on the statue would also read Wollstonecraft's work.\n\n\"She's a lot weirder and ickier and more surreal than most [people] realise,\" Dr Coulombeau said.\n\n\"I think Hambling gets that.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 GMT.\n\nUniversities are being told to stagger the return home of England's 1.2 million students in the week after the national lockdown ends. The aim is to avoid a sudden exodus that could spread infection. Universities will be expected to move almost all teaching online by 9 December. Before travelling, as many students as possible will be offered Covid tests and anyone who's positive will be required to self-isolate on campus for 10 days. They'll still be able to get home for Christmas once that period is up. The Scottish government is expected to outline similar plans later.\n\nCoronavirus has \"exacerbated\" regional inequalities in poverty, education, employment and mental health, according to a study from the Northern Health Science Alliance. Researchers also found the mortality rate, even after factoring in deprivation, ages and ethnicity, was worst in the north. The report recommends a series of steps to \"level up\" - to use Boris Johnson's own language - including prioritising deprived communities in the first phase of any vaccine rollout.\n\nLess than 48 hours before Northern Ireland's four-week lockdown is due to end ministers still haven't decided what happens next. The executive is divided over whether to reopen certain sectors of the economy, such as cafes and hairdressers. Meanwhile, about 50 Conservative MPs have formed a new group to fight the imposition of any further blanket restrictions in England beyond the end of the current lockdown on 2 December. They're calling for the publication of a cost-benefit analysis and more scrutiny of government scientists.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Hospitality Ulster #HelpOurHospitality This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSenior counter-terrorism officer Supt Matthew Davison is warning young people are being targeted \"in their bedrooms\" during lockdown by those using the pandemic to spread hate and disinformation. He said extremists know young people are spending more time online and are making \"proactive plans\" to take advantage of that. At the same time referrals to the anti-extremism Prevent programme are falling.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, developments this week have brought us closer to a Covid-19 vaccine, but how far off world immunisation are we? BBC correspondent Tulip Mazumdar explains.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "The amount of tax levied on capital gains could be raised by billions of pounds, according to a new report.\n\nAbout £14bn could be raised by cutting exemptions and doubling rates, according to the review, which was commissioned by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.\n\nThe main losers would wealthy people who own second homes or assets not shielded from tax.\n\nIt comes as Chancellor Rishi Sunak looks for ways to cover the enormous costs of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nIn September, he reassured recently-elected Tory MPs there would not be a \"horror show of tax rises with no end in sight\".\n\nThe Office for Tax Simplification (OTS), however, found that many current features of capital gains tax \"can distort behaviour\" as people try to lower their bills.\n\nThe government-run body says the tax, levied at 10% for basic-rate taxpayers and 20% for higher-rate taxpayers, could be doubled if it were brought in line with income tax.\n\nCapital gains tax is the levy you pay on the profits - or gain - that you make when you sell, give away or dispose of something you own. For residential property, for example, it is charged at 18% or 28% for basic-rate taxpayers and higher-rate taxpayers respectively.\n\nThe report also suggests the amount raised could also be boosted by cutting exemptions.\n\nAt the moment, the first £12,300 of capital gains is exempt. About 50,000 taxpayers reported profits narrowly under that threshold last year.\n\nOn Wednesday, the body said that the current rules were \"counter-intuitive\" and created \"odd incentives\".\"The disparity in rates between capital gains tax and income tax can distort business and family decision-making and creates an incentive for taxpayers to arrange their affairs in ways that effectively re-characterise income as capital gains,\" the report said.\n\nBefore dropping your jaw in horror that the Office of Tax Simplification is suggesting capital gains tax could be brought more in line with income tax - or doubled - pause for a second. In most years, most of us won't pay it. In fact, even if the number of people paying it trebled, it probably still wouldn't be you.\n\nMore than 31 million people pay tax on their income, raising £180bn in 2017/18. By contrast, only 265,000 pay tax on capital gains - the profits they make when they sell assets such as shares or bonds.\n\nThe first £12,300 is exempt; and because you can control when you sell an asset and realise a gain, many - some 50,000 - can arrange their affairs so any gain they made comes just in under the threshold. And when they do pay capital gains tax, it's at half the rate of income tax.\n\nThe OTS report says most gains are concentrated among relatively few taxpayers, who are paying \"proportionately less\" tax than everyone else. In other words, the light capital gains tax regime aggravates the already yawning inequality of wealth between the few who can actually make capital gains and the many - who will rarely or never do so.\n\nThe independent tax adviser also suggested scrapping the rule which allows capital gains tax to be wiped on inherited assets, as well as removing relief for investors selling shares in unlisted companies who have had them for a minimum of three years.\n\nIf the recommendations are taken on by the government, thousands of taxpayers may face higher rates on the profits made on selling second homes or investments.\n\nMr Sunak commissioned the report in July, but does not have to accept its findings.\n\nA spokesperson for the Treasury said: \"The government's priority right now is supporting jobs and the economy.\n\n\"We thank the OTS for their independent report which will be considered in due course.\"", "The UK has become the first country in Europe to pass 50,000 coronavirus deaths, according to the latest government figures.\n\nA total of 50,365 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test, up 595 in the past 24 hours.\n\nThe UK is the fifth country to pass 50,000 deaths, coming after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said the figures showed, despite hopes for a vaccine, \"we are not out of the woods\".\n\nHe said: \"Every death is a tragedy,\" but added: \"I do think we have got now to a different phase in the way that we treat it.\"\n\nA further 22,950 cases of coronavirus were recorded on Wednesday, government figures show.\n\nThere have been some 1.2 million confirmed cases in the UK since the epidemic began, and more than 185,000 people have been admitted to hospital with the virus.\n\nThe UK's Covid death toll has reached a grim and tragic milestone - and illustrates what a devastating impact the pandemic has had on the country.\n\nBut one figure alone cannot tell the full story. The burden has not been felt equally.\n\nThe single biggest factor has been age - with more than nine in 10 deaths in the over 65s.\n\nPoorer areas and ethnic minorities have also been disproportionately affected.\n\nDeaths from other causes have also risen as people have gone without treatment.\n\nThe UK has on most measures seen one of the highest death rates in the world.\n\nBlame, understandably, has been laid at the government's door. It has been criticised in particular for being too slow to lockdown and for its record on testing and tracing.\n\nBut the UK is not alone in struggling. Similar debates have been had in Italy, Spain and France.\n\nAnd the sad reality is this figure will keep climbing in the months to come.\n\nBut there is now at last some real hope that, with a vaccine looking likely, the toll will be much, much less next year.\n\nThe government's death figures only include people who died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus - but two other ways of measuring deaths give higher overall figures.\n\nThe first includes all deaths where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate, even if the person had not been tested for the virus. The most recent figures suggest there had been more than 60,000 deaths by 23 October, by this measure.\n\nThe second is a measure of \"excess deaths\" - the number of deaths over and above the usual number at this time of year.\n\nDeaths normally do rise at this time of the year, but the latest data from the Office for National Statistics and its counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland show the second wave of the virus has pushed the death rate above the average seen over the past five years.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the latest death figures were a \"grim milestone\" and criticised the government for being \"slow\" in its response to the pandemic during the first wave.\n\nHe said the government owed it to the families of those who have lost their lives to the virus \"to get on top\" of its response to the second wave.\n\nThe British Medical Association (BMA) said lessons had to be learned.\n\nDr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said: \"This is a point that should never have been reached.\"\n\nHe added: \"Today's figure is a terrible indictment of poor preparation, poor organisation by the government, insufficient infection control measures, coupled with late and often confusing messaging for the public.\"\n\nThe government had to \"ensure that nothing on this scale ever happens again\", he added, with a public inquiry to \"go over every step with a fine-tooth comb\".\n\nIt comes as officials said no decision has yet been made on how people under the age of 50 should be offered a Covid vaccine.\n\nThe current priority list of people who would get a vaccine in \"phase one\" starts with those living and working in care homes, then - in stages - everyone over 60 years old.\n\nBut the list is subject to change, with close attention being paid to how the vaccines work in older age groups, who often have a weak response to immunisation.\n\nAttention has turned to how a vaccine will be rolled out after Pfizer and BioNTech revealed their vaccine protects more than 90% of people from developing Covid symptoms.\n\nThe prime minister urged everybody to get a coronavirus vaccine once one becomes available, adding that the arguments of anti-vaccination activists were \"total nonsense\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: “Anti-vax is total nonsense is total nonsense, you should definitely get a vaccine.\"\n\nMr Johnson would be happy to receive a coronavirus vaccine, Number 10 has said.\n\nOn a visit to a Tesco distribution centre in south-east London on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said the prospect of a vaccine and the ramping up of testing were \"two big boxing gloves\" to \"pummel\" the virus with, but said: \"Neither of them is capable of delivering a knock-out blow on its own.\n\n\"That's why this country needs to continue to work hard to keep discipline and to observe the measures we've put in.\"\n\nPlease enable JavaScript or upgrade your browser to see this interactive\n\nRestrictions have been tightened across the UK in recent weeks. In England, a new four-week lockdown started last Thursday - replacing the three-tier system until 2 December.\n\nMr Johnson said England must \"get through this current period of tough autumn measures\" to \"hopefully\" curb the spread of the virus enough to allow Christmas to be \"as normal as possible for as many people as possible\".\n\nMeanwhile, pubs reopened and travel restrictions were lifted in Wales on Monday, as it ended a two-week \"firebreak\" lockdown.\n\nAdditional restrictions in Northern Ireland are due to end on Friday after a proposal from the Northern Ireland Assembly's health minister to extend restrictions was blocked.\n\nIn Scotland, there is now a five-tier system of virus alert levels with different measures in place in different parts of the country. The tiers are numbered from zero to four, with level four requiring the introduction of lockdown restrictions for that area.\n\nIf you would like to send us a tribute to a friend or family member who died after contracting coronavirus, please use the form below.\n\nPlease remember to include a photo of your loved one and their name. Upload your pictures here. Don't forget to include your contact details, so we can get in touch with you.\n\nWe would like to respond to everyone individually and include every tribute in our coverage, but unfortunately that may not be possible. Please be assured your message will be read and treated with the utmost respect.\n\nPlease note the contact details you provide will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your tribute.", "UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has congratulated Joe Biden on his US election win.\n\nMr Biden called the PM ahead of the leaders of other major European countries.\n\nMr Johnson said he looked forward to \"strengthening the partnership\" between the US and UK.\n\nHe is also understood to have assured Mr Biden that Brexit would not undermine the Good Friday Agreement on peace in Northern Ireland.\n\nIn a statement, Mr Biden's office said he had \"reaffirmed\" his support for the Good Friday Agreement, which his Democratic predecessor in the White House, President Bill Clinton, played an instrumental role in bringing about.\n\nIt said he had also expressed his desire to strengthen the historic \"special relationship\" between the two countries and \"redouble co-operation\" on issues of mutual concern, including health security and promoting democracy.\n\nThe media declared Mr Biden the election winner on Saturday after he passed the threshold of 270 electoral college votes.\n\nBut counting is ongoing in some states, with incumbent President Donald Trump disputing many of the results.\n\nA Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister had \"warmly congratulated\" Mr Biden and \"conveyed his congratulations\" to Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris.\n\n\"They discussed the close and longstanding relationship between our countries and committed to building on this partnership in the years ahead, in areas such as trade and security - including through Nato,\" the No 10 spokesperson added.\n\n\"The prime minister and president-elect also looked forward to working closely together on their shared priorities, from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy, and building back better from the coronavirus pandemic.\"\n\nThere is always a clamour to get an early call with a US President-elect.\n\nIt seems Boris Johnson has fared well - with his phone ringing before other European leaders.\n\nDowning Street will hope that's a sign that Joe Biden values the \"special relationship\" and wants to work closely with Mr Johnson.\n\nBut it's important to note President-elect Biden has been talking tonight about the importance of the Good Friday Agreement in the context of Brexit.\n\nIt was raised in the call with the UK prime minister, who insisted the peace treaty would be protected by his plans.\n\nThe controversial Internal Market Bill - which Mr Biden has previously raised questions about - wasn't discussed by name.\n\nBut the UK knows the sands in the White House are shifting. A Brexit enthusiast is being replaced by a sceptic.\n\nThe 25-minute conversation came amid concerns that Mr Biden's previously stated dislike of Brexit - which Mr Trump, by contrast, supported - could strain relations.\n\nIt's understood Mr Johnson and Mr Biden discussed the importance of implementing Brexit in a way that upholds the Good Friday Agreement.\n\nMr Johnson assured the President-elect that would be the case.\n\nMr Biden later spoke to Ireland's Taoiseach (PM) Micheál Martin, in what Mr Martin's aides described as a \"warm conversation\".\n\n\"President-elect Biden recalled his strong Irish roots and his visit to Ireland with his family in 2016,\" the Irish government said in a statement.\n\n\"The President-elect reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement and they discussed the importance of a Brexit outcome that respects the Good Friday Agreement and ensures no return of a border on the island of Ireland.\"\n\nThe president-elect later spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.\n\nMr Macron promised to work with the US to tackle climate change and terrorism, while Mrs Merkel said she wanted a close working relationship with the Biden administration, their spokespeople said.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, the UK government blamed a \"technical error\" for a tweet from Mr Johnson congratulating Mr Biden on his US election victory which faintly showed the name \"Trump\" in the background.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Eyewitness footage shows a man pouring petrol on the ground and setting light to it\n\nA police station in north London had to be evacuated after a car crashed into the building.\n\nThe crash happened in Edmonton shortly before 19:00 GMT on Wednesday. The man then left the car and tried to set fire to the road using petrol, police said.\n\nFootage, posted on social media, showed a vehicle partially embedded in the entrance of the building.\n\nA man, aged 45, has been arrested on suspicion of arson, affray and criminal damage. He remains in custody.\n\nThe Met Police said the incident was not being treated as terror-related.\n\nBoth the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade were called to the crash on Fore Street.\n\nPolice said officers had been able to return to the station and nearby residents, who had been initially evacuated, were allowed home. No injuries have been reported.\n\nEnfield Council leader Nesil Caliskan had earlier described the crash as a \"major incident\" and urged people to avoid the area.\n\nStore manager Ogur Mazlum, 34, witnessed the moment the car crashed into the building.\n\nHis wife Serife Mazlum said: \"He literally just walked out [of his shop] to just call me and see if everything's okay at home.\n\n\"Then he said I have to shut the phone quickly... that was when the car crashed into the front of the police station.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by London 999 Feed This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMrs Mazlum said her husband, who speaks limited English, saw the car had crashed through an exterior glass entrance to the police station and a man was trying to get through a second barrier.\n\n\"He was insisting on trying to get inside, but the glass door wouldn't break anymore so he couldn't get any closer,\" she added.\n\n\"Then he casually got out of the car with a tank of petrol. He poured it down from the car into the middle of the road and then he just set it on fire.\"\n\nVideo footage of the immediate aftermath shows police officers tackling the man and putting out the flames.\n\nMrs Mazlum said another man watching the scene from across the street ran to intervene after the driver had set the fuel alight.\n\n\"He pinned [the driver] to the ground just as the police was arriving,\" she added.\n\n\"So by the time the police came and got out of the cars the citizen had already slammed him to the ground.\"\n\nLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan said he had been in \"constant contact\" with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick about the incident.\n\nWriting on Twitter, he said: \"I'm grateful to the police officers and other emergency services who brought the situation under control and continue to investigate the incident.\"\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "In response to a question about government contracts awarded to private firms for personal protective equipment (PPE) against coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:“This government has secured and delivered 32 billion items of personal protective equipment.”\n\nHe added that the government has to work with the private sector and that some are more effective than others.\n\nThe 32 billion figure, which the PM quoted, refers to the number of PPE items which have been ordered, according to the government’s latest PPE strategy document from 28 September .\n\nThe National Audit Office (NAO) says it is looking into the government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic as “concerns have been raised” about some of them “including around a lack of transparency”. The NAO will report its findings in late 2020.\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says 4.6 billion PPE items have been distributed to GPs, social care providers, community pharmacists, dentists and hospices, from February to 1 November 2020.\n\nThe government worked with over 15,000 suppliers.\n\nThe PPE includes masks, gloves, eye protection, aprons and coveralls but also cleaning equipment, general purpose detergent and hand hygiene items.\n\nYou can read more here on PPE supply in the NHS.", "The UK's Covid death toll has reached a grim and tragic milestone - and illustrates what a devastating impact the pandemic has had on the country.\n\nBut one figure alone cannot tell the full story. The burden has not been felt equally.\n\nThe single biggest factor has been age - with more than nine in 10 deaths in the over-65s.\n\nPoorer areas and ethnic minorities have also been disproportionately affected.\n\nDeaths from other causes have also risen as people have gone without treatment.\n\nThe UK has on most measures seen one of the highest death rates in the world.\n\nBlame, understandably, has been laid at the government's door. It has been criticised in particular for being too slow to lockdown and for its record on testing and tracing.\n\nBut the UK is not alone in struggling. Similar debates have been had in Italy, Spain and France.\n\nAnd the sad reality is this figure will keep climbing in the months to come.\n\nBut there is now at last some real hope that, with a vaccine looking likely, the toll will be much, much less next year.\n\nRead more of Nick Triggle's analysis here.", "Jiya Saggu, 20, is torn between desperately wanting to go home and wanting to keep her medically vulnerable family safe.\n\nHer 15-year-old sister had a kidney transplant some years ago and still has a weakened immune system, as does her mother who has rheumatoid arthritis.\n\nAlso her uncle, one of the earliest of England's Covid cases, spent weeks on a ventilator before finally recovering.\n\nShe says: \"That really brought home the fact that if any of my family get this virus, it would be devastating.\"\n\nReading the plans in the news to test students, before helping them get home, brought the third year University of Durham student \"a great sense of relief because it is a possible way out\".\n\nShe says: \"I think having designated days for people to leave may be a little difficult, especially within a week.\n\n\"But if it means I can get home safely then that's all that matters.\"\n\nShe adds: \"I definitely have good days and bad days. My housemates are quite good friends to me. They know how stressed I am.\n\n\"I've had days where I've rang my parents and said: 'I just want to come home.'\n\n\"They have been coming up with solutions like to stay in a hotel and isolate for two weeks, but they are also quite keen that I have some semblance of a university experience.\"\n\nShe has also been concerned about her sister, who is sitting GCSEs this year and is worried because she has missed so much teaching time.\n\n\"She telephoned me on Saturday and started crying. They're being told that the mocks they're having in January may be her final exams.\n\n\"It's really hard not to be at home to help her through that.\"\n\nJiya has been taking stringent precautions to protect herself from catching Covid-19. She wears a mask every time she leaves the house.\n\nSo far Jiya has had one face-to-face learning session this term, with the rest of her combined studies course being taught online. She says if she had realised how little contact she was going to have, she may well have stayed at home.\n\n\"If everything is going to be online again, I don't see the point in coming back. But if there are in person sessions or I can do rowing, it's different.\n\n\"It's how to do it safely. I don't think we came up here safely this term. You can see from the spikes that we've had in the university - it wasn't safe.\"", "Conservative MPs have set up a group to fight any future lockdown in England, arguing it would be \"devastating\" for the economy and \"cost lives\".\n\nThe Covid Recovery Group, which has around 50 MP members, wants the country to \"live with\" coronavirus after nationwide restrictions end next month.\n\nThe \"cure\" prescribed by the government ran \"the risk of being worse than the disease\", MP Mark Harper said.\n\nBut the PM has stressed the NHS faces a \"medical disaster\" without action.\n\nA further 20,412 coronavirus cases were reported in the UK on Tuesday, with another 532 deaths within 28 days of a positive test recorded.\n\nThe four-week lockdown in England - which includes the closure of pubs, restaurants and non-essential retail, while curbing household mixing and unnecessary travel - is scheduled to end on 2 December.\n\nParliament overwhelmingly backed the restrictions earlier this month, but 34 Conservative MPs, concerned about civil liberties and the effect on wider health and the economy, rebelled against the government.\n\nAnother 19, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, abstained.\n\nThe government says it wants a return to regionalised, tiered restrictions when lockdown ends - and ministers have been warned of an even larger rebellion if they try to extend it into Christmas and the New Year.\n\nThe Covid Recovery Group - which includes ex-Chief Whip Mr Harper and the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs, Sir Graham Brady - says the \"devastating cycle\" of prohibitions cannot go on.\n\nIt wants ministers to investigate whether restrictions are costing more lives than they are saving, by stopping cancer and dementia treatments and increasing suicide rates among the under-40s.\n\nThe group is calling for the \"monopoly\" it says scientists have on advising the government to end, and an assurance that no policies will go before Parliament without three \"independent\" experts backing them first.\n\nFigures published on Tuesday showed redundancies rose to a record high of 314,000 in the three months to the end of September, as firms laid off people in anticipation of furlough ending in November.\n\nDespite the government extending the wage-subsidy scheme to March, economists say the jobs picture remains bleak.\n\nMr Harper said the country needed to find a \"sustainable way\" of living with Covid until a vaccine was available for mass use to stop \"immense\" economic damage.\n\n\"Lockdowns cost lives, whether in undiagnosed cancer treatments, deteriorating mental health, and missed A&E appointments - not to mention the impact it has on young people's education, job prospects and our soaring debts,\" he said.\n\n\"The cure we're prescribing runs the risk of being worse than the disease.\"\n\nThe new group, he added, would \"play its part in helping the government to deliver an enduring strategy for living with the virus... command public support, end this devastating cycle of repeated restrictions\".\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said it was critical people continued to follow the rules to get the infection rate down, adding that \"our plan is working\".\n\nHe added that the NHS would be ready to begin the roll-out of a new vaccine from next month, if it gets approval.\n\nBut Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned people not to \"rely\" on this \"as a solution\" to the medical emergency caused by coronavirus.", "Nóra Quoirin was reported missing on the morning of 4 August 2019\n\nThe mother of a British girl found dead in a Malaysian jungle heard a voice inside their family chalet the night her daughter went missing, an inquest heard.\n\nNóra Quoirin, from London, was reported missing on 4 August 2019. Her body was discovered nine days later.\n\nMeabh Quoirin, who believes her daughter was abducted, said she heard a \"voice\" inside the chalet.\n\nShe was not concerned as she \"was not fully conscious\", she told the court.\n\nNóra's family, from Balham, were staying in Sora House in Dusun eco-resort near Seremban, about 40 miles (65km) south of Kuala Lumpur, when they reported Nóra missing, the day after they had arrived.\n\nThe 15-year-old, who was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder which affects brain development, was eventually found by a group of civilian volunteers in a palm-oil plantation less than two miles from the holiday home.\n\nMrs Quoirin told the court in Seremban, Malaysia, she recounted hearing \"muffled sounds\" at the front of the resort on the night her daughter went missing.\n\nShe added that it sounded like young people having a party.\n\nShe said she fell into a deep sleep after that and did not leave the bed at any point in the night to avoid waking up and exacerbating her jet-lag, the inquest heard.\n\nMrs Quoirin added she distinctly remembered being aware of muffled sounds in the chalet at another point saying that they \"felt very close\".\n\nShe was not concerned by the voices as she was not fully conscious, she explained to the court.\n\nAt 07:30, Nóra's father Sebastien went to the mezzanine level of the chalet where Nora had been sharing a double bed with her 12-year-old sister Innes.\n\nIt was then that they discovered their daughter was missing, Mrs Quoirin said.\n\nNóra's mother said her daughter \"wasn't very autonomous\" and that she could not manage zips or buttons\n\nDescribing Nóra learning and physical difficulties, Mrs Quoirin said that her daughter had \"a lot of physical challenges\" with her motor skills and struggled with balance and coordination.\n\nShe described how if Nóra tried to run or move quickly she would have an \"awkward gait and she would stumble if it was not flat.\"\n\nMrs Quoirin added that her daughter struggled with zips and buttons and that she had \"core strength\" problems.\n\n\"She would tire easily just sitting\", Mrs Quoirin said.\n\n\"Her school day was very tiring, just sitting would demand quite a lot of effort.\"\n\nThe mother said that her eldest daughter did not do anything at home without her help.\n\n\"She would always sit beside her mum or dad ... she never went anywhere by herself,\" she told the court.\n\n\"Overall we explained it that she had a mental age of about five or six.\"\n\nSearch and rescue teams were deployed in an effort to locate Nóra\n\nMrs Quoirin rejected the possibility that her daughter might have wandered off alone.\n\n\"Scratchings and markings\" were found on Nóra's body, but the mother claimed they were not consistent with a child walking naked in the jungle \"constantly\".\n\nMrs Quoirin said a lot of damage would be done to the body because of the terrain and that it would have been \"extremely difficult\" for Nóra to navigate it.", "Lee Cain arrived for work on Thursday, having already handed in his notice to No 10\n\nOne of Boris Johnson's closest aides, director of communications Lee Cain, has resigned amid reports of internal tensions in Downing Street.\n\nHe will leave next month, despite being offered a promotion to chief of staff.\n\nHis departure prompted speculation about the future of the PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings, but the BBC was told he would stay for now.\n\nNo 10 denied Mr Johnson had been distracted by the saga, saying he was \"fully focussed\" on tackling Covid.\n\nMr Cain has been at the PM's side since he was a press officer for the Vote Leave campaign under Mr Cummings.\n\nMany will not have heard of him before the story broke, but his resignation comes at a time when the government is facing big decisions over its coronavirus strategy and the future of post-Brexit trade with the EU.\n\nAfter a number of rows and U-turns within government in recent months, No 10 will see communications as key in connecting with the country and trying to gain support for its decisions.\n\nThe news that Mr Cain - who worked with Mr Cummings and the PM in the Vote Leave campaign to get Britain out of the EU - could become Mr Johnson's chief of staff had led to consternation among some MPs and ministers, said BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.\n\nOne Tory source even suggested that Mr Johnson's fiancee, Carrie Symonds - a former head of communications for the Conservatives - had misgivings about that plan.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer told LBC Radio: \"This is pathetic. I think millions of people will be waking up this morning, scratching their heads, saying what on earth is going on?\n\n\"We're in the middle of a pandemic, we're all worried about our health and our families, we're all worried about our jobs, and this lot are squabbling behind the door of No 10. Pull yourselves together, focus on the job in hand.\"\n\nBut the PM's spokesman said Mr Johnson was concentrating on fighting coronavirus, adding: \"You can see the progress we are making, in terms of rolling out mass testing, in securing vaccines and also in terms of making improvements to test and trace.\"\n\nCabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said there was also a \"complete focus in government on making sure we can work with business and work with citizens in order to deliver on the promise of Brexit\".\n\nThis is much more than a random resignation.\n\nLee Cain was Boris Johnson's longest serving aide in No 10 and very close to his most senior adviser, Dominic Cummings.\n\nArguments and rivalry in any Downing Street operation are not unusual.\n\nThis feels different though, perhaps the final act of Vote Leave is playing out after months of building tensions.\n\nOne insider - who until now has kept their counsel - spoke out in frustration last night, saying: \"I just can't describe to you how much of a mess it is.\"\n\nThis is about who is running the country and the prime minister's ability to manage his own operation.\n\nThe question now is whether the chaos that has spilled into public spirals into something more serious, or whether it is the chance for a reset the prime minister requires.\n\nAllies of Mr Cain were unhappy about how he had been treated, which prompted initial speculation about Mr Cummings's own future.\n\nMr Cummings and Mr Cain are long-time colleagues, having worked together on the Leave campaign during the EU referendum.\n\nMr Cain, who is set to step down next month, will be replaced as the director of communications by James Slack - a former journalist and one of the PM's spokesmen.\n\nMr Johnson is thought to be looking to fill the post of chief of staff as part of a wider reorganisation, which will also see ex-BBC journalist Allegra Stratton take on a role fronting new daily televised press briefings.\n\nLee Cain spent time as a journalist before entering No 10 - including a stint following David Cameron around dressed as a chicken\n\nIn his resignation statement, Mr Cain said it had been a privilege to work for Mr Johnson, but he added: \"After careful consideration I have this evening resigned as No 10 director of communications and will leave the post at the end of the year.\n\nIn response, Mr Johnson thanked Mr Cain for his \"extraordinary service\" to him, calling him a \"true ally and friend\".\n\nBut several Conservative MPs have expressed dismay at the wrangling in Downing Street, which comes at a time of growing unease on the government's own benches over its handling of the pandemic - especially the use of lockdown measures.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nCharles Walker, the vice chairman of the influential 1922 committee of backbench MPs, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there has been \"unhappiness about the No 10 operation for some time\".\n\nHe added: \"Members of Parliament have felt excluded from the decision-making process, and that's no secret.\n\n\"The real opportunity here is for the chief of staff position to be filled by someone who has good links with the Conservative Party and its representation in the House of Commons.\"\n\nFellow Tory backbencher Sir Roger Gale said it was \"very worrying indeed\" that No 10 \"consider it proper to devote this amount of energy to internal squabbles\" in the midst of a pandemic and Brexit trade negotiations.\n\nHe told BBC News: \"We really do need people there with their minds on the job. It really is time that Downing Street got in place, what I think is now in common parlance is known as somebody with big boy pants on.\n\n\"A prime minister, particularly one facing the difficulties that Mr Johnson is facing, needs heavyweight help.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Reeves: Public 'looks on with astonishment' at No 10", "Supporters maintain that small nuclear reactors can be unobtrusive and safe\n\nA consortium led by Rolls-Royce has announced plans to build up to 16 mini-nuclear plants in the UK.\n\nIt says the project will create 6,000 new jobs in the Midlands and the North of England over the next five years.\n\nThe prime minister is understood to be poised to announce at least £200m for the project as part of a long-delayed green plan for economic recovery.\n\nRolls-Royce argues that as well as producing low-carbon electricity, the concept may become an export industry.\n\nThe company's UK \"small modular reactor\" (SMR) group includes the National Nuclear Laboratory and the building company Laing O'Rourke.\n\nLast year, it received £18m to begin the design effort for the SMR concept.\n\nThe government says new nuclear is essential if the UK is to meet its target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 - where any carbon released is balanced out by an equivalent amount absorbed from the atmosphere.\n\nBut there is a nuclear-sized hole opening up in the energy network.\n\nSix of the UK's seven nuclear reactor sites are due to go offline by 2030 and the remaining one, Sizewell B, is due to be decommissioned in 2035.\n\nTogether they account for around 20% of the country's electricity.\n\nRolls-Royce and its partners argue that instead of building huge nuclear mega-projects in muddy fields we should construct a series of smaller nuclear plants from \"modules\" made in factories.\n\nThe aim is to re-engineer nuclear power as a very high-tech Lego set.\n\nThe components would be broken down into a series of hundreds of these modules which would be made in a central factory and shipped by road to the site for assembly.\n\nThe objective is to tackle the biggest problem nuclear power faces: the exorbitant cost.\n\nThe reason it is so expensive is that the projects are huge and complex and have to meet very high safety standards.\n\nAnd, because so few new nuclear power stations are built, there are very few opportunities to learn from mistakes.\n\nEDF says Sizewell C will provide electricity for six million homes and create 25,000 jobs\n\nSo, Rolls-Royce and its partners are saying: let's make them smaller and make lots of them so that we get really good at it.\n\nThe concept would dramatically reduce the amount of construction that would be associated with a nuclear project, claimed Tom Samson, the chief executive of the UK Small Modular Reactor consortium (UK SMR).\n\n\"If we move all that activity into a controlled factory environment that drives down cost by simplification and standardisation,\" he explained.\n\nEach plant would produce 440 megawatts of electricity - roughly enough to power Sheffield - and the hope is that, once the first few have been made, they will cost around £2bn each.\n\nThe consortium says the first of these modular plants could be up and running in 10 years, after that it will be able to build and install two a year.\n\nBy comparison, the much larger nuclear plant being built at Hinkley Point in Somerset is expect to cost some £22bn but will produce more than 3 gigawatts of electricity - over six times as much.\n\nIn addition to the six nuclear plants going offline by 2030, there's another challenge. You have to factor in a massive increase in electricity demand over the coming decades.\n\nThat's because if we're going to reach our net zero target, we need to stop using fossil fuels for transport and home heating.\n\nThe government has said this could lead to a three-fold increase in electricity use.\n\nThe government says it remains committed to the construction of new nuclear power stations\n\nUK SMR isn't the only player which has spotted that there could be a gap in the market for smaller reactors. There are dozens of different companies around the world working on small reactor projects.\n\nThat has got the critics of nuclear power worried. Greenpeace and other environmental groups say small nuclear power stations pose similar risks of radioactive releases and weapons proliferation as big ones.\n\nGreenpeace UK's chief scientist, Doug Parr, said that if the government wanted to take a punt on some new technology to tackle climate change it would be better off investing in hydrogen or geothermal power.\n\nAnd there are other reasons to question the SMR concept, says Prof MV Ramana of the University of British Columbia in Canada. He is a physicist and an expert on nuclear energy policy who has studied small modular reactors.\n\nHe said UK SMR's 10-year time-scale for its first plant may prove optimistic. The one constant in the history of the nuclear industry to date is that big new concepts never come in on time and budget, he said.\n\nHe is sceptical that the factory concept can deliver significant cost savings given the complexity and scale of even a small nuclear plant. Smaller plants will have to meet the same rigorous safety standards as big ones, he points out.\n\nHe said that where the concept has been tried elsewhere - in the US and China, for example - there have been long delays and costs have ended up being comparable to those of large nuclear power stations.\n\nFinally, he questioned whether there will be a market for these plants by the 2030s, when UK SMR says the first will be ready.\n\n\"Ten years from now, the competition will be renewables which are going to be far cheaper with much better storage technology than we have today,\" said Prof Ramana.\n\nBut Boris Johnson's powerful adviser, Dominic Cummings, is known to be taken with the modular nuclear idea.\n\nOne of the reasons the government has been fighting so hard to free itself from the EU's state aid rules is so it can get its shoulder behind technologies it thinks will give the UK economy and its workers a real boost.\n\nModular nuclear has the potential to do just that.\n\nIf Rolls-Royce and its partners can show that the factory concept really does deliver high quality nuclear plants on time and on budget then there is potentially a huge world market for the technology.\n\nThe price per unit of electricity may be higher than with wind or solar, said the clean energy consultant Michael Liebreich, but nuclear delivers power pretty much 24/7 and therefore can command a premium.\n\nUK SMR is pitching the concept as a UK solution to the global challenge of tackling climate change and says there will be a vast export market as the world starts to switch to low carbon energy.\n\nBoris Johnson is rumoured to be planning to take a big punt on nuclear power.\n\nHis government has always said new nuclear is going to be a key part of Britain's future energy system.\n\nAs well as the potential investment in SMRs, the BBC has already reported that the government is expected to give the long-discussed new large nuclear plant at Sizewell in Suffolk the go-ahead.\n\nMr Johnson is expected to say these investments are essential if the UK is going to meet its promise to decarbonise the economy by 2050 as part of the worldwide effort to tackle climate change.\n\nAnd, while there may be good reasons to question whether the SMR concept will deliver on its promise of low-cost nuclear power, there is no question it holds out exactly the kind of optimistic vision for the UK's industrial future the government is desperate for.\n\nI've travelled all over the world for the BBC and seen evidence of environmental damage and climate change everywhere. It's the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced. Tackling it means changing how we do virtually everything. We are right to be anxious and afraid at the prospect, but I reckon we should also see this as a thrilling story of exploration, and I'm delighted to have been given the chance of a ringside seat as chief environment correspondent.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "The train came off the tracks as it passed through platform one at Sheffield station\n\nA freight train has derailed in Sheffield, resulting in disruption to services across the north of England.\n\nNetwork Rail said some services had been cancelled or were being diverted, with disruption lasting all day.\n\nThe cement-carrying train derailed at low speed at 02:45 GMT north of the city's station, meaning trains are unable to run through the city.\n\nServices run by CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Northern and Transpennine Express were affected.\n\nNetwork Rail said it was working around the clock to get the station fully reopened\n\nNetwork Rail said the freight train had come off the tracks while passing though platform one at Sheffield station.\n\nIt said multiple carriages had derailed and there was \"no indication as to the cause at this time\".\n\nNo one was injured but Network Rail said the derailment had led to significant damage to signalling and points equipment, which meant five of the station's eight platforms were closed.\n\nThe cause of the derailment is not yet known\n\nMatt Rice, Route Director for Network Rail's North and East Route, said: \"We will have our people working around the clock to get the station fully reopened as quickly as possible, but it's going to be a complex problem that won't be resolved immediately.\"\n\nHe added: \"Thankfully, train derailments are very rare, but when they do happen we have to act with utmost caution to protect the safety of everyone using the railway.\"\n\nThis derailment happened at very low speed, but still the train has caused significant damage to the tracks at the north end of Sheffield station.\n\nSeveral wagons of the train are off the rails, one has tipped on its side.\n\nThe Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) are at the site now.\n\n\"We understand that 16 wagons have derailed and no injuries have been reported,\" the statement added.\n\n\"If the evidence collected indicates there are likely to be important safety lessons for the railway industry then a full and thorough investigation will be carried out and the findings, along with any safety recommendations, published.\"\n\nNetwork Rail said three platforms had been made available to \"enable a very limited service to run\".\n\nNorthern warned passengers that due to a lack of alternative road transport and the number of routes affected, passengers should not travel.\n\nThree platforms have been made available to enable a very limited service to run, Network Rail said\n\nOperator Cross Country, TransPennine Express and East Midlands Railway said trains were able to run via Sheffield but may be delayed due to congestion at the station and the limited number of platforms available.\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.\n• None National Rail Enquiries - Official source for UK train times and timetables The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Norton's final programme will be on Saturday 19 December\n\nGraham Norton will leave his Saturday morning show on Radio 2 before the end of the year, the BBC has announced.\n\nThe presenter, who has fronted the show for 10 years, will host his final episode on 19 December.\n\nHe is not leaving the BBC and will continue commentating Eurovision, judging on Drag Race UK and hosting his weekly chat show on BBC One.\n\nNorton said he was \"sad to be stepping away\" from Radio 2, adding that he will \"miss the listeners and their lives\".\n\nIt has not yet been announced who will replace him on Saturday mornings.\n\nNorton took over the slot from Jonathan Ross, who left the BBC in 2010.\n\n\"Obviously I'm sad to be stepping away from my Radio 2 show,\" he said in a statement.\n\n\"I'll miss being a part of the Wogan House family, as well as the listeners and their lives. I'd like to thank my producer Malcolm Prince and all the teams I've worked with for a great decade of radio.\n\n\"Happily with the chat show, Eurovision and Drag Race the BBC continues to be my perfect TV home.\"\n\nNorton took over from Jonathan Ross, who left the BBC in 2010\n\nNorton's guests on his Radio 2 show over the last decade have included Olivia Colman, Kylie Minogue, JK Rowling and Tina Turner.\n\nRegular features include the agony aunt slot Grill Graham, with co-presenter Maria McErlane, and his pick of a cheesy song of the week, I Can't Believe It's Not Better.\n\nCharlotte Moore, the BBC's chief content officer, said he would be \"hugely missed on Saturday mornings on Radio 2\".\n\n\"He is a first class broadcaster but I'm thrilled he's committed to continuing to be a regular fixture on the BBC,\" she added.\n\nHelen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 said: \"For the past decade, Graham has made Saturday mornings his own on Radio 2.\n\n\"His sparkling interviews, as well as his brilliant shows from the Eurovision host city each May, have kept millions of listeners entertained each week.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Matt Hancock: “Our plan is working and I am more sure than ever that we will prevail together”\n\nThe NHS will be ready from December to roll out the new coronavirus vaccine if it gets approved, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.\n\nMr Hancock told MPs the news about the vaccine was an important step but \"there are no guarantees\".\n\nHe also said \"we don't know\" how many people will need to be vaccinated in order for life to return to normal.\n\nAnd he announced that, from Tuesday, NHS staff will begin being tested twice a week.\n\nIt comes as a further 20,412 coronavirus cases were reported in the UK on Tuesday, with another 532 deaths within 28 days of a positive test recorded.\n\nWhile the number of deaths recorded is higher than previous days, there is often an increase at the beginning of the week due to delays in weekend reporting.\n\nOn Monday, early results from the world's first effective coronavirus vaccine showed it could prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid.\n\nThe vaccine has been developed by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech and is one of 11 vaccines that are currently in the final stages of testing.\n\nThe companies now plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of November - and a limited number of people may get the vaccine this year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe UK has already ordered 40 million doses - enough to vaccinate up to 20 million people, as each person will need two doses for it to work effectively.\n\nBut Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned people not to \"rely on this news as a solution\" as it is still \"very, very early days\".\n\nSpeaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Mr Hancock said: \"If this or any other vaccine is approved, we will be ready to begin a large-scale vaccination programme.\n\n\"We do not yet know whether or when a vaccine is approved, but I have tasked the NHS with being ready from any date from 1 December.\"\n\nEarlier, Mr Hancock said the bulk of the rollout of a vaccine was always expected to be in the first part of 2021.\n\nAsked about how many people would need to be vaccinated, Mr Hancock said: \"The honest truth to that question is we don't know what proportion of the population vaccination needs to reach in order for this to stop the epidemic.\n\n\"The reason we don't know that is you can check in a clinical trial for the impact of the vaccine on protecting the individual... what you cannot check is the impact on the transmission of the disease by those people, because you have to have enough of the population, a significant proportion of the population, to have had the vaccine to understand that.\"\n\nEarlier, Mr Hancock told the BBC that vaccinations would take place in care homes, centres such as sports halls and also clinics that would open seven days a week.\n\nHe said he was giving GPs an extra £150m to help with the roll-out, and he believed NHS staff \"will rise to this challenge of being ready when the science comes good to inject hope into millions of arms this winter\".\n\n\"There are many hard days ahead, many hurdles to overcome, but our plan is working and I'm more sure than ever that we will prevail together,\" he added.\n\nMr Hancock also said new rapid swab tests - which give results in less than an hour - will be made available across 67 local areas, after they were used in a mass testing trial in Liverpool.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that we are still in a 'critical moment' of Covid-19 response\n\nOlder care home residents and care home staff are at the top of a list from government scientific advisers of who should be immunised first, followed by health workers.\n\nMr Hancock said children would not be vaccinated.\n\nLabour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called on Mr Hancock to give priority access to relatives of care home residents so they can see their loved ones.\n\nAnd he asked the government to publish a strategy on how the vaccine would be rolled out.\n\nThe Covid vaccine is the fastest ever vaccine to go from the drawing board to being proven highly effective.\n\nIt will not be released for use until it passes final safety tests and gets the go-ahead from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.\n\n\"Our strong and independent regulator the MHRA will not approve a vaccine until it's clinically safe,\" Mr Hancock said.\n\nThe British Medical Association, which represents doctors, said GPs have been told to prepare to give patients two vaccine doses - to be delivered between 21 and 28 days apart - during clinics that could run between 08:00 and 20:00 GMT seven days a week.\n\nIt added that, due to the logistics and delivery requirements, including the need to store it at very cold temperatures, it was likely that groups of GP practices would need to work together with one \"designated vaccination site\".\n\nIn Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the government there has purchased around 20 large freezers to store the new vaccine at strategic locations.\n\nCautious optimism is the tone of today.\n\nMatt Hancock insists the NHS will be ready to start deploying a coronavirus vaccine as soon as humanly possible.\n\nIf regulators are able to give the green light in the next few weeks, some people could get their jab before Christmas - a most welcome gift for those at highest risk of severe Covid-19 illness.\n\nBut he doesn't want people to get their hopes up too soon or assume life can now return to \"normal\". It can't.\n\nIt would be a colossal mistake to relax now and let the virus rip, say leading medical advisers.\n\nUntil and unless mass vaccination can happen, society needs to use the other weapons at its disposal to fight the virus and stop the spread.\n\nThat means sticking with the social distancing and face masks, and testing people who may have the virus and asking them to isolate.\n\nThe UK is still in the second wave and the actions taken by all of us now will influence how it plays out.\n\nData from the UK national statistics agencies also showed the number of deaths was more than 11% higher than normally expected.\n\nIt showed 1,597 deaths mentioning Covid on the death certificate in the last week of October - up from 1,126 the week before.\n\nAlthough deaths usually do rise at this time of year, the data shows the second wave of the virus has pushed the death rate above the average seen over the past five years.\n\nThe government is sending 600,000 of the rapid tests out to more than 60 local directors of public health including \"across Yorkshire, the West Midlands, other parts of the North West, and the whole of the North East\".\n\nAnd Nottinghamshire will follow the Liverpool in trialling mass coronavirus testing.\n\nWhat questions do you have about the vaccine?", "The Scottish government has not ruled out cancelling Higher exams in Scotland next year and will make a final decision in mid-February.\n\nLast month Education Secretary John Swinney confirmed there would be no National 5 exams in 2021.\n\nBut he told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland the \"latest point\" he could make such a call for Highers would be the first break after Christmas\n\nOn Tuesday GCSE and A-levels in Wales were cancelled for 2021.\n\nAsked whether Scotland might follow suit, Mr Swinney, said: \"The latest point at which we can take that decision will be the February break, around about the middle of February.\n\n\"Obviously we will be looking very carefully at what is the degree of disruption to young people and what is the state of the pandemic at that stage.\n\n\"It is quite a long way off but we have to make sure that we have the effective contingency plans in place.\"\n\nThe Scottish Conservative's accused Mr Swinney of leaving pupils and teachers \"in the dark\".\n\nMr Swinney, who appeared before a committee of MSPs at Holyrood earlier, said that ministers would be closely monitoring the situation going into the new year.\n\nOn whether there was an argument for giving clarity now, Mr Swinney acknowledged there are a broad range of opinions on the subject and said he has looked carefully at it.\n\nHe added: \"I concluded that there was a very clear desire among stakeholders for the Highers and Advance Highers to take their course because they are of course, the passport to the next stage of education, work and life for young people.\n\n\"That was also very strongly the view that I heard from young people into the bargain.\n\n\"It is a difficult question and it is one that we reflect on very carefully because we want to make sure young people are able to have certification for their achievements.\"\n\nConservative MSP Jamie Greene said the education secretary had already thrown in the towel on National 5 exams and \"he's now kicking a decision on Higher exams into the long grass\".\n\nHe urged the government to \"pull out all the stops to ensure Higher exams go ahead as planned\".\n\nMr Greene went on: \"Instead, they're leaving pupils and teachers in the dark again, with barely any time to plan and prepare for vital exams. The pandemic has been damaging to Scotland's schools but not nearly as damaging as the SNP's lack of leadership.\"\n\nAfter summer 2020 exams were cancelled because of the pandemic, Prof Mark Priestley was commissioned to conduct a review of what had happened.\n\nHis report, which was issued at the beginning of October, said Nat 5s should be cancelled and that Higher and Advanced Higher exams in 2021 \"will go ahead\".\n\nAs things stand, the expectation is that Scottish Higher and Advanced Higher exams will take place in the spring.\n\nNational 5 exams have already been cancelled.\n\nUnions had argued for the cancellation of all Scottish exams in 2021 but the government decided Highers and Advanced Higher exams should still go ahead if possible.\n\nThe exam diet will take place a few weeks later than normal.\n\nThis is to allow some slack for disruption.\n\nThere have already been examples of individual schools being closed temporarily and there are concerns about interruption to teaching if staff are self-isolating or students are off for a prolonged period.\n\nThere will also be changes to the formats of individual exams which could help if individuals have missed part of the course\n\nOf course, things may still change depending on the severity of the crisis through the winter and the spring.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Swinney has insisted that school attendance was holding up in the face of the coronavairus pandemic.\n\nHe was responding to a story in The Herald that in Lanarkshire about 1,000 pupils from both primary and secondary school had been off in the last month.\n\nThe education secretary told Good Morning Scotland: \"I think it is important that we look at the sources of the infection. What I think is very clear from the information about the circumstance,s in which people have identified education as part of their contact tracing work, that is a very small proportion of positive cases that relate back to education.\n\n\"Now when you look into the particular outbreaks that take place that affect school pupils or staff we tend to find that those are cases where it has been an external community transmission that has happened. There is very little evidence of in-school transmission.\"\n• None Scottish National 5 exams to be cancelled in 2021", "Blackpool is one of the towns awarded money by the towns fund\n\nThe government's process for choosing towns in England to benefit from a £3.6bn fund was \"not impartial\" a group of MPs have said.\n\nThe scheme was originally launched in 2019 to boost struggling towns.\n\nBut the Commons spending watchdog warned that a \"lack of transparency\" over how money has been awarded could \"fuel accusations of political bias\".\n\nThe Ministry of Housing and Communities said the selection process was \"comprehensive, robust and fair\".\n\nMoney from the Towns Fund is aimed at \"places with proud industrial and economic heritage\" but which have not \"always benefitted from economic growth in the same way as more prosperous areas\", the government has said.\n\nIn September 2019 it published a list of the 100 towns that would benefit from the fund. Beneficiaries included Blackpool, Grimsby, St. Ives and Hastings.\n\nCommunities Secretary Robert Jenrick came under fire last month when it was announced that his constituency would receive £25m from the fund.\n\nMr Jenrick told the BBC that the decision to give the money to Newark, Nottinghamshire, had been taken by then-Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry.\n\nHe said he had himself decided to grant funds to a town in Mr Berry's constituency under the same scheme.\n\nLabour called the process \"murky\" but Mr Jenrick said it was \"perfectly normal\" and insisted he had had no involvement in the decision to select Newark as one of the beneficiaries.\n\nShadow communities secretary Steve Reed said the committee's report \"raises yet more questions about the government's misuse of taxpayers' money\".\n\n\"Scandal-prone Robert Jenrick deprived more deserving towns of funding so he could funnel it into Conservative target seats ahead of the general election,\" he added.\n\n\"The secretary of state must now publish the Accounting Officer's findings because the public deserve to know if their money was used to benefit the Conservative Party instead of the struggling towns and high streets it was intended for.\"\n\nIn its report, the Public Accounts Committee said it was \"not convinced by the rationales for selecting some towns and not others\", adding that justifications offered by ministers were \"vague and based on sweeping assumptions\".\n\nIt also said some towns were picked by ministers \"despite being identified by officials as the very lowest priority\".\n\n\"This lack of transparency has fuelled accusations of political bias in the selection process, and has risked the civil service's reputation for integrity and impartiality,\" the report said.\n\nThe committee said the communities department should be transparent about how funding decisions were reached in order \"to avoid accusations that government is selecting towns for political reasons\".\n\nSt. Ives will use part of the Towns Fund money to build a new skate park\n\nAs part of the selection process, ministers picked towns from a pool of 541 places which had been ranked by officials based on local need and growth potential.\n\nMinisters chose all 40 \"high-priority\" towns, then selected a further 60 places from the low and medium priority categories.\n\nTwelve low-priority areas were selected over medium-priority towns including one town ranked 536th out of 541, the committee noted.\n\nThe government said it completely disagreed with the criticism of the criteria used to award the money, saying factors such as the number of people without formal qualifications or a job were taken into account.\n\n\"The Towns Fund will help level up the country, creating jobs and building stronger and more resilient local economies,\" a spokesman for the Ministry of Local Government. Communities and Housing said.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nClashes have broken out in the Peruvian capital, Lima, between security forces and protesters angry at the impeachment of President Martín Vizcarra.\n\nRiot police were out in force to keep the demonstrators back, using tear gas and jets of water.\n\nThe police tried to keep hundreds of people away from the Congress building.\n\nOn Monday, Congress voted to impeach Mr Vizcarra over allegations he handed out government contracts in return for bribes.\n\nThe unrest occurred as the Speaker of Congress Manuel Merino was being sworn in as the country's interim president.\n\nThere are concerns of a growing political crisis as Peru faces a severe economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nMr Vizcarra enjoys continued support among many voters for his reform attempts.\n\nPresident Martin Vizcarra has denied the allegations of wrongdoing\n\nAs an independent, he repeatedly clashed with Congress, and some of his supporters have labelled his ousting a coup.\n\nMr Vizcarra previously said he would accept the impeachment vote, not take any legal action, and leave the presidential palace. But on Tuesday, he questioned the \"legality and legitimacy\" of his removal.\n\n\"Legality is in question because the Constitutional Court has not yet ruled, and legitimacy is given by the people,\" he told reporters outside his home in Lima.\n\nSome of Mr Vizcarra's supporters have labelled his ousting a coup\n\nMr Merino is expected to assume the presidency until July 2021 - when Mr Vizcarra's term was due to end.\n\nMonday's move in Congress came after a previous attempt to oust the president. An earlier vote held on 18 September fell far short of gaining the necessary votes when only 32 lawmakers cast their ballot in favour of removing Mr Vizcarra.\n\nMr Vizcarra, 57, has previously denied allegations that he accepted bribes worth 2.3m soles ($640,000; £487,000) when he was governor of the southern Moquegua region.\n\nAs well as Lima, several other cities across the country saw hundreds of people join rallies\n\nHe became president in March 2018 and had been embroiled in a bitter battle with Congress, which is dominated by rival parties, since he took office.\n\nLast year, the president dissolved Congress, arguing that lawmakers were obstructing his anti-corruption agenda.\n\nA new Congress was elected in January, but tension remains high between the legislative and the executive, with Mr Vizcarra accusing lawmakers of fostering \"chaos and disorder\".\n\nPresidential elections are scheduled for April 2021, and Mr Vizcarra is banned by the constitution from running for a second term.", "Brian Murdoch, pictured with his wife Joan and grandson Ben, was a dedicated football fan, his family said\n\nThe family of a man famed for his football stadium pies have been \"overwhelmed\" by tributes following his death at the age of 81.\n\nBrian Murdoch, whose family business has fed fans at Kidderminster Harriers for nearly 60 years, died on Saturday, the club said.\n\nThe lifelong Harriers fan was known for his \"incomparable character and warmth\", a club spokesman said.\n\nHis pies regularly topped charts as the most expensive pie in British football.\n\nBut some fans defended the cost, saying they were a tasty meal made from fresh ingredients.\n\nClub spokesman Matty Paddock said the Harriers Pies and Aggborough Soup had a \"cult following in football\".\n\nThe family-run business is set to continue selling pies and other food at the ground\n\nSpeaking in 2012, Mr Murdoch said he would \"not compromise\" on quality.\n\n\"Barcelona have Messi, Real Madrid have Ronaldo and Kidderminster have our pies,\" he said.\n\nNeil Male, Harriers chief executive, said: \"I know how much Brian and his family's food business meant to the fans here - for those coming to matches at Aggborough, he was a constant for many, many years and he'll be sadly missed.\"\n\nFans saluted Mr Murdoch on Twitter, with Brighton fan Simon Harris tweeting: \"One of the best things about being a fan of a lower league club is the away days. The local fans and staff at small grounds that have a passion for it that you just don't get at the 'big clubs'.\"\n\nMr Murdoch will be \"sadly missed\" at the stadium, the club said\n\nBBC Sport journalist Ged Scott said Mr Murdoch was a \"lovely bloke\" who always had time to chat.\n\n\"Even sometimes actually during match days at half-time at Aggborough, when it was clearly all hands to the pump behind the scenes in his kiosk,\" he said.\n\nMr Murdoch had been unwell for three years, and leaves his wife Joan, four children and 11 grandchildren.\n\nHis daughter Helen will continue to run the catering business at Aggborough, once the National League North side is allowed to let supporters back into the stadium.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n• None The man behind football's most expensive pie\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Saudi police blocked off a street leading to a non-Muslim cemetery in the Saudi city of Jeddah where the bomb was detonated\n\nSeveral people have been wounded in a bomb attack at a Remembrance Day ceremony attended by foreign diplomats in the Saudi city of Jeddah.\n\nThe embassies of France, Greece, Italy, the UK and the US said an improvised explosive device blew up at a cemetery for non-Muslims on Wednesday morning.\n\nSaudi authorities confirmed that a Greek consulate employee and a Saudi security officer had been hurt.\n\nThe government of Mecca province described the attack on the ceremony as \"cowardly\" and said security forces had launched an investigation.\n\nThe French consulate in Jeddah was the scene of a knife attack on 29 October\n\n\"This morning, at the Jeddah Cemetery, a ceremony commemorating the end of World War I was the target of an improvised explosive device attack,\" said a joint statement issued by the French, Greek, Italian, British and American embassies in Riyadh.\n\n\"Such attacks on innocent people are shameful and entirely without justification,\" it added.\n\n\"We wish those who were injured a prompt recovery, and thank the brave Saudi first responders who assisted those at the scene. We pledge our support to the Saudi authorities as they investigate this attack and prosecute its perpetrators.\"\n\nA Saudi-based French journalist, Clarence Rodriguez, tweeted photographs showing the aftermath of the bombing, including one appearing to show an injured person receiving treatment.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Clarence Rodriguez This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"Attempted attack this morning at the non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah. During the #11November ceremony. In the presence of the consuls-general of France, [Ireland], [Britain]... and French expatriates,\" she wrote.\n\n\"There are wounded... [13] days after the knife attack at the consulate, France targeted once again!?\"\n\nShe added that a Greek security officer in plain clothes was seriously wounded. He had just taken up his post at the Greek consulate.\n\nA Greek diplomatic official told Reuters news agency that four people were slightly injured by the blast, one of them Greek.\n\nThe French consulate in Jeddah urged French nationals in Saudi Arabia to exercise \"maximum vigilance\" following the attack, according to Reuters.", "Lucy Letby was arrested for a third time on Tuesday\n\nA nurse has been charged with murdering eight babies and the attempted murder of another 10 at the Countess of Chester Hospital.\n\nLucy Letby, 30, was previously arrested in 2018 and 2019 as part of a probe into deaths at the neo-natal unit.\n\nThe charges relate to baby deaths and non-fatal collapses at the hospital from June 2015 to June 2016.\n\nMs Letby, of Arran Avenue, Hereford, is due to appear at Warrington Magistrates' Court on Thursday.\n\nPolice said the charges relate to the period of June 2015 to June 2016\n\nShe was rearrested by police on Tuesday as part of the investigation into the hospital which began in 2017.\n\nA statement from Cheshire Police said: \"The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Cheshire Police to charge a healthcare professional with murder in connection with an ongoing investigation into a number of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, the force said parents of all the babies involved were being kept fully updated on developments and were supported by officers.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Naomi Walker says fashion boutiques 'are being slowly strangled to death'\n\nRetailers forced to close because their businesses are deemed \"non-essential\" have hit out at the government's latest lockdown rules for England.\n\nJames Daunt, the boss of Waterstones, told the BBC that bookshops were \"a support for people\" and should be allowed to stay open.\n\nMeanwhile, 60 independent fashion shops have teamed up to campaign against the impact of the coronavirus curbs.\n\nBoutiques in Business say that the government should think again.\n\nThe organisation is led by fashion shop owner Amanda Leigh Slattery, who complains that \"essential\" retailers such as supermarkets and garden centres are being allowed to sell \"non-essential\" items including clothes.\n\n\"You can go to supermarkets and buy chinos, jeans or a white shirt - none of that is essential,\" she said.\n\nMs Leigh Slattery said her own shop, Maya Maya in Kendal, was managing to stay above water, but a lot of fashion boutiques \"have £100,000 of stock sat in our stockrooms because we didn't sell it this summer\".\n\nIn protest against the restrictions, the group of boutiques are turning their shop-window mannequins around, as they say that the government has turned its back on them.\n\n\"It just feels completely unfair. I'm absolutely livid,\" said another shop owner, Naomi Walker, who runs the Bombshell Betty Boutique in Garstang, Lancashire.\n\nMannequins are turned in Betty Bombshell Boutique as part of a protest against the restrictions\n\n\"Our landlords want our rent paid. Our suppliers want their invoices paid,\" said Ms Walker. \"We can't sell a thing. In the last lockdown, I didn't take a penny.\n\n\"November is our busiest trading month and we're hamstrung. I feel we are being slowly strangled to death.\"\n\nThe Booksellers Association has also written to government ministers calling for independent bookshops to be classed as essential retailers during the lockdown, which will last until 2 December.\n\nWaterstones' Mr Daunt told the BBC's Today programme: \"I think we are a support for people as they work through their lockdowns.\n\n\"The government knows and does recognise that retail as a whole is very safe environment, which is why so much of it is open,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do you sell books in a lockdown?\n\nHe argued that \"arbitrary lines\" had been drawn, with smaller bookshops forced to shut, while large newsagents such as WHSmith, which sell books alongside other items, were able to stay open.\n\n\"It can be catastrophically unfair on some people. The question is, has the line been remotely sensibly drawn? And in this case, I think not.\"\n\nWithout a good run-up to the key Christmas trading period, the outlook is bleak for smaller bookshops, he said.\n\n\"I have absolutely no doubt that if small bookshops do not get their Christmas, that many of them will go out of business.\"\n\nThe British Retail Consortium has said it does not agree with the decision to close \"non-essential\" retail outlets, arguing that their role in spreading the virus is minor.\n\nIt estimates that £2bn of sales will be lost in November.\n\nLast week, the British Independent Retail Association called for greater government intervention over retail restrictions.\n\nHowever, the Department For Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy maintained that the new restrictions had been brought in to limit social contact and slow the spread of coronavirus.\n\n\"We recognise this continues to be a very difficult period for businesses, which is why we've confirmed that there will be a full package of financial support in place,\" a government spokesperson said.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe departure of the prime minister's chief adviser Dominic Cummings is a chance to \"reset government\", a senior Tory MP has said.\n\nMr Cummings left Downing Street for the last time on Friday following internal battles about his role.\n\nFormer Brexit Secretary David Davis said Boris Johnson had taken \"decisive action\" in removing his aide.\n\nThe PM's spokesman said Mr Johnson was not distracted by the row and was \"focused\" on tackling coronavirus.\n\nMr Cummings and director of communications Lee Cain, who resigned on Thursday, will work out their notices at home following tensions within No 10.\n\nMr Davis said Mr Cummings had a \"very confrontational-style\" which had turned people in Downing Street against him.\n\nHe said: \"Lots of my colleagues are hoping for a new relationship - with more openness and interaction with Parliament - and I am told the cabinet is hoping to get more say, as it were, in events.\"\n\nAnother Conservative MP, Sir Charles Walker, said Tory MPs had felt like they were \"losing\" the prime minister, and there had been an \"iron curtain\" around Mr Johnson which stopped MPs seeing him to raise concerns.\n\nHe told the BBC the changes in No 10 were a sign of the PM's \"determination to rebuild relationships\" and was a chance to address the \"significant and growing gap\" between Downing Street and the Conservative Party.\n\nThe departure of Mr Cummings and Mr Cain comes as the government grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, and as trade talks between the UK and the EU on their future relationship reach a \"make or break\" point.\n\nLiberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said it was \"scandalous\" that in a week when the UK's coronavirus death toll passed 50,000, redundancies rose to a record high and the country was negotiating \"the most significant trade deal for 50 years\", that the \"people in No 10 round the prime minister are arguing and jockeying for position\".\n\nLabour said the PM could \"rearrange the deckchairs all he wants... but the responsibility for this government's incompetence still lies firmly at Boris Johnson's door\".\n\n\"The fact there is no plan and no focus in the government's response to Covid is entirely down to him,\" a party source said.\n\nMr Cummings had a notoriously difficult relationship with Conservative MPs, some of whom have said it is time for things to be done differently in Downing Street.\n\nFormer Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Mr Cummings' influence had led to \"a ramshackle operation in the hands of one man\".\n\nLord Gavin Barwell, who was former Prime Minister Theresa May's chief of staff, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there was an opportunity for Mr Johnson to rebuild relations with Conservative MPs and \"set a less confrontational and more unifying tone that is maybe more in tune with his natural instincts\".\n\nAnd former Northern Ireland secretary, Theresa Villiers, said: \"Both Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain were pretty dismissive of backbenchers and sometimes ministers and secretaries of state, and I don't think that was helpful.\"\n\nLee Cain worked with Dominic Cummings on the Leave campaign during the EU referendum\n\nBoth Mr Cummings, 48, and Mr Cain, 39, are veterans of the Vote Leave campaign and worked closely with Mr Johnson to deliver the Brexit vote during the 2016 EU referendum.\n\nLord Edward Lister, who was Mr Johnson's chief of staff when he was Mayor of London, will become interim chief of staff pending a wide-ranging shake-up of the prime minister's team.\n\nMr Cain will be replaced by James Slack, who is currently the prime minister's official spokesman.\n\nAllies of the two men who've departed Downing Street insist it was entirely amicable, despite the enduring war of words.\n\nThey may have been eyeing an exit before too long in any case, although it's hard to see that this is how anyone wanted it to happen.\n\nBut in the end, whether Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain were forced out in anger or reluctantly let go doesn't matter too much.\n\nThe fact is the tussle for control in No 10 had become such a distraction that something needed to give.\n\nAs many have said, their departure is an opportunity for the prime minister to make a fresh start.\n\nSo what now? With Downing Street in something of a state of limbo, decisions in the coming days may prove very revealing about the prime minister and his priorities.\n\nMr Cummings prompted controversy this summer after it emerged he made a 260-mile trip from London to County Durham with his family at the height of the UK's first coronavirus lockdown.\n\nThe adviser later said the journey was intended to secure childcare, but he was mocked for claiming a subsequent outing to the picturesque town of Barnard Castle was to help test his eyesight.\n\nBronwen Maddox, director of the Institute for Government, said she thought Mr Cummings' departure \"went beyond just this week's events\", pointing to his trip to Barnard Castle which she said had given public trust in the government \"a battering\".\n\n\"I think in a way this has been brewing since then and the kind of restlessness amongst Conservative MPs on the backbenches shows how strained some of the government's key relationships have been,\" she said.\n\nJill Rutter, senior research fellow at the UK in a Changing Europe think tank, said Mr Cummings had been \"disproportionately influential\" but it was ultimately up to the prime minister who to appoint as his advisers.\n\n\"You have to assume that what Dominic Cummings was doing was what the prime minister wanted him to do, up until he didn't which is what appears to have happened yesterday,\" she said.\n\nMr Cain is said to have left Downing Street through a discreet exit on Friday evening.\n\nBut Mr Cummings walked through the black front door of No 10 with a cardboard box and was later seen arriving home with a bottle of champagne.\n\nMr Davis said his exit from Downing Street holding a cardboard box was \"entirely deliberate\" as he wanted to leave an \"image\".", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nFormer England, Liverpool and Tottenham goalkeeper Ray Clemence has died aged 72.\n\nClemence, who won five league titles and three European Cups with Liverpool between 1967 and 1981, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2005.\n\nIn a statement on Sunday, the Clemence family said he \"passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family\".\n\n\"After fighting so hard, for such a long time, he's now at peace and in no more pain,\" they added.\n\nAs well as league and European Cup success, Clemence also won the FA Cup, League Cup and two Uefa Cups during his time at Anfield.\n• None 'He was one of the world's best keepers' - Phil McNulty looks back at Clemence's life\n\nHe made 470 league appearances for Liverpool before joining Tottenham.\n\nDuring his seven-year spell at Spurs, Clemence helped the club retain the FA Cup in 1982 and clocked up 330 appearances.\n\nThe legendary goalkeeper, capped by England on 61 occasions, also worked on the north London club's coaching staff and was inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame in November 2014.\n\nClemence made his England debut in 1972 and spent the majority of his 11-year international career in a battle with Peter Shilton for the number one shirt.\n\nHe captained the Three Lions for the first and only time in a narrow defeat to Brazil at Wembley in 1981 and later took up the role of goalkeeper coach with the Football Association.\n\nHis wife Veronica, son Stephen - a former Spurs midfielder and current assistant coach at Newcastle United - and daughters Sarah and Julie said: \"The family would like to say a huge thank you, for all the love and support that he's received over the years.\n\n\"He was loved so much by us all and he will never be forgotten.\"\n\nShilton wrote on Twitter : \"I'm absolutely devastated to be told of the sad news that Ray Clemence has just passed away. We were rivals but good friends.\n\n\"Ray was a brilliant goalkeeper with a terrific sense of humour. I will miss him a great deal as we've kept friends long after retiring. RIP my friend.\"\n\nLiverpool great Sir Kenny Dalglish said: \"Today we have lost a true legend. Clem was a fantastic team-mate and great to be around. I will never forget how he helped me to settle in at Anfield.\n\n\"Our thoughts are with the Clemence family. RIP Clem.\"\n\nEngland manager Gareth Southgate added: \"He was a very special man and my thoughts are with his family. I've got to know them reasonably well over the years and I know he's had some really difficult battles with illness. It's a very sad day.\"\n\n'An LFC giant who was also a giant of a man' - tributes from former players", "The battle for Nagorno-Karabakh was not only for land, but also for a sense of national identity, and pride.\n\nSomething that generations of Armenian and Azerbaijani residents of this region have been willing to fight, and die for.\n\nAfter six weeks of war, gains and losses are being counted. But it's the loss of life on both sides that leaves the most painful legacy of all.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Blast off: Watch the SpaceX rocket head into space\n\nFour astronauts - three from the US and one from Japan - have launched from Florida on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS).\n\nThe crew rode to orbit in a rocket and capsule provided by the SpaceX company.\n\nIt's only the second time the firm has supplied the service.\n\nThe US space agency Nasa has said it is now entering a new era in which routine astronaut journeys to low-Earth orbit are being conducted by commercial providers.\n\nThe four individuals making their way up to the ISS are the Americans Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and the highly experienced Japanese space agency (Jaxa) astronaut Soichi Noguchi.\n\nBy participating in this mission, Noguchi becomes only the third person in history to leave Earth in three different types of space vehicle, having previously flown on Soyuz and shuttle hardware.\n\nThe traditional \"walk-out\": The suited crew waved to family and friends\n\nThe crew's Falcon rocket and Dragon capsule left the pad at the Kennedy Space Center at 19:27 local time (00:27 GMT, Monday).\n\nIt took 12 minutes for the Falcon to get the Dragon into the right part of the sky and drop it off.\n\n\"Well done, that was one heck of a ride,\" crew commander Mike Hopkins radioed down to controllers. \"Congratulations to everyone. Resilience is in orbit.\"\n\n\"Resilience\" is the name the astronauts have given their capsule.\n\nThe ship will use its own thrusters to complete the rest of the journey up to the station. A docking with the orbiting platform is set for about 0400 GMT on Tuesday.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Joe Biden This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nWhen the team arrives, it will join Nasa's Kate Rubins and Russian space agency (Roscosmos) cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.\n\nHaving seven people on the 410km-high outpost will triple the amount of science that can be performed in its special microgravity environment.\n\nThe crew was driven down to the launch pad in a convoy of Tesla electric cars\n\nSpaceX has signed contracts with Nasa valued in excess of $3bn (£2.3bn) to develop, test and fly an astronaut taxi service.\n\nAs part of this relationship, the company ran a demonstration mission in May in which astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were taken to the station and then returned safely to Earth.\n\nThe contracted arrangements also call for six \"operational\", or routine, missions - this flight being the first.\n\n\"The big milestone here is that we are now moving away from development and test and into operational flights. And in fact this operational flight was licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration. So this is a truly a commercial launch,\" commented Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine.\n\nNasa has a similar deal with the Boeing aerospace company, although its service is more than a year behind SpaceX.\n\nThe agency says its new model of contracting out transportation to low-Earth orbit is saving billions of dollars in procurement costs.\n\nIt intends to use these economies to fund its Moon and Mars ambitions. To that end, Nasa is close to testing the giant new rocket it has commissioned to take astronauts back to the lunar surface, a goal it hopes to attain in 2024, or soon after.\n\nHopkins, Glover, Walker and Noguchi will stay on the ISS for six months.\n\nJust before they return to Earth, they'll be joined aloft by another SpaceX-launched crew for a brief handover.\n\nIndeed, the coming year is going to be very busy for the Californian service provider with plenty of trips up to the station being made by both its crewed and cargo-only versions of Dragon.\n\n\"In the next 15 months, we should be flying roughly seven Dragon missions. And this mission represents the initiation of a Dragon in orbit continuously - knocking on wood - and certainly is really the beginning of a new era in human spaceflight,\" said SpaceX's Gwynne Shotwell.\n\nThe company president was in attendance at Kennedy, carrying out media duties in place of founder and CEO Elon Musk who is said to be suffering a mild case of Covid.\n\nA dramatic shot of the Merlin engines firing at the base of the Falcon rocket\n\nNasa retired its winged space shuttles in 2011. In the intervening years, it's been buying seats for its astronauts on Russian Soyuz vehicles.\n\nThis purchase option will now close in favour of the new American-sourced taxis. But US astronauts will continue to go to the station on Soyuz from time to time - it's just that no money will change hands.\n\nInstead, Russian cosmonauts will get flights in the American capsules in exchange.\n\nSoichi Noguchi has now flown in a SpaceX Dragon, a Soyuz capsule and a space shuttle\n\nThe new crew will have at least four spacewalks to perform in their time at the station.\n\nIn one of those walks, they will install the first significant UK industrial contribution to the platform.\n\nThis is the ColKa communications terminal. Made by MDA UK, the radio equipment will enable astronauts to connect with scientists and family on Earth at home broadband speeds.\n\nColKa will be fixed to the exterior of Europe's ISS research module, Columbus.\n\nThe UK participates on the station through its membership of the European Space Agency, an intergovernmental organisation that is a separate legal entity to the European Union.\n\nWill the UK have a seat on a space taxi? Libby Jackson, UK Space Agency\n\nThe UK participates in the International Space Station, because the UK Space Agency exploration programme is part of the European Space Agency programme.\n\nWe already have British scientists who are able to use the facilities on the ISS. And there are some experiments in development now to be carried out aboard the space station in the coming years. One, called the BioAsteroid project, run by the University of Edinburgh, will investigate how gravity affects the interaction between microbes and rock in reduced gravity.\n\nAstronauts on these space taxis will be taking these UK-led experiments to and from the space station. And much of the science can actually be operated remotely from the ground.\n\nWe may well also see British astronauts flying on this vehicle in the future, too.\n\nThe British antenna terminal will be attached to the station during a spacewalk", "Police officers stood at the entrance to the church's Mount Zion Hall building, stopping people from entering\n\nPolice halted a baptism service after about 30 worshippers gathered in breach of national lockdown restrictions.\n\nRegan King, lead pastor at The Angel Church, Islington, defended his decision to hold the service, saying it served \"the greater good\".\n\nThe pastor agreed to hold a brief \"socially distanced outdoor gathering in the church courtyard\" after officers halted the service.\n\nFour officers stood at the entrance stopping people from entering.\n\nUnder current restrictions weddings and baptisms are not allowed in England. Funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people.\n\nLead pastor Regan King said he held the baptism because he \"served a greater good\"\n\nMr King, 28, said he wanted to hold the baptism as it was providing \"an essential service\".\n\nHe said: \"We were told not to have a baptism and police began to block people from entering the church, so we decided to make other arrangements.\"\n\nAsked why he had decided to breach the restrictions, Mr King said: \"Because I believe we serve a greater good.\n\n\"This is an essential service that we provide.\n\n\"It's about loving our neighbour, and you can talk with a number of people here who are extremely vulnerable, homeless or on the verge of being very isolated.\"\n\nTwo police vans and a police car parked outside the church's hall.\n\nA 22-year-old attendee said: \"While the restrictions allow people to go to the supermarket to get food, I think there needs to be consideration for spiritual food as well.\"\n\nOn Friday, more than 100 church leaders launched a judicial review of the decision to ban people from worshipping together.\n\nA Met spokesman said officers spoke with the pastor following reports he intended to hold a \"baptism and an in-person service\".\n\nThe spokesman said: \"Officers explained that due to Covid-19, restrictions are in place preventing gatherings and that financial penalties can be applied if they are breached.\"", "Laura Linkson helps run a Facebook group for women like her who believe they have been affected by the device\n\nLawyers have begun legal action on behalf of 200 UK women against the makers of a sterilisation device, after claims of illness and pain.\n\nThe device, a small coil called Essure, was implanted to prevent pregnancies.\n\nManufacturer Bayer has already set aside more than $1.6bn (£1.2bn) to settle claims from almost 40,000 women in the US.\n\nIt has withdrawn the device from the market for commercial reasons but says it stands by its safety and efficacy.\n\nThe metal coil was inserted into the fallopian tube to cause scarring, blocking the tube and preventing pregnancy.\n\nIntroduced in 2002, it was promoted as an easy, non-surgical procedure - a new era in sterilisation.\n\nBut many women who had the device fitted have now either had hysterectomies or are waiting for procedures to remove the device.\n\nTracey Pitcher, who lives in Hampshire, felt she had completed her family and did not want any more children.\n\nHer doctor strongly encouraged her to have an Essure device fitted, she says.\n\nBut after it had been, she began to feel very unwell.\n\n\"I just started to have heavy periods, migraines, which I had only ever had when I was pregnant so they were hormonal,\" she says.\n\n\"My back was so painful I'd wake up crying in the middle of the night with pains in my hips and my back.\"\n\nTracey says she battled to persuade doctors to take her symptoms seriously.\n\nBut the only information she received was from a Facebook group.\n\n\"It's easy to get it done,\" she says.\n\n\"It's easy to say, 'You have this - it's wonderful.'\n\n\"But then the fallout - there's nobody there, there's no support apart from people that we've found ourselves, no-one will listen, because it's just 'women's things'.\"\n\nMore than 1,000 women have now subscribed to that Facebook page.\n\nLaura Linkson, who has helped run it, believes she was harmed by her Essure device, and says the severe physical and psychological nature of her symptoms has had a devastating impact on her family life.\n\n\"I'd say it's destroyed my life and my children's lives,\" she says.\n\nKim Henderson, who lives near Southampton, feels her doctor pushed her into having an Essure coil fitted.\n\nAs soon as it had been, she started feeling severe pain.\n\nLike many of the women, she was regularly admitted to hospital only to be told there was nothing wrong with her.\n\nAnd she began to wonder if it was all in her head, until she found other women discussing their symptoms on the Facebook page.\n\n\"It's been really hard,\" she says, \"not just physically but mentally.\n\n\"I feel my children have missed out on a lot.\n\n\"And it makes me feel guilty because if I hadn't had Essure, then I wouldn't be where I am now.\"\n\n\"Life would be very different for me and my children.\"\n\nKim feels her doctor pushed her into having an Essure coil fitted\n\nSolicitor Lisa Lunt, head of medical product liability at the law firm PGMBM, who is leading the group action in England, says: \"The reports that have come out from the American proceedings are that [developer] Conceptus and Bayer were failing to report adverse events.\n\n\"That's when they become aware that there are problems with the device.\n\n\"And that's something that we're going to look at very, very, carefully indeed.\"\n\nBayer strongly denies the allegations, saying it has never violated regulations around complaints.\n\n\"Patient safety is Bayer's highest priority,\" it said.\n\n\"We take all adverse events seriously, continually collect and analyse the data we receive, and work with the [US Food and Drug Administration] to monitor Essure's safety profile.\n\n\"The company stands behind the safety and efficacy of Essure, which are demonstrated by an extensive body of research, undertaken by Bayer and independent medical researchers, involving more than 270,000 women over the past two decades.\"\n\nBut some doctors who have fitted Essure devices remain sceptical.\n\nGynaecology professor Bas Veersema, an expert in Essure removal, at UMC Utrecht hospital, in Holland, says the monitoring of new medical devices is inadequate.\n\n\"We learned from the mesh problems, we have learned from the breast implants, we have learned from the Essure device, that if you put materials in the body for a long time, we need more information, with long follow-ups, what it does to the body,\" he says.\n\n\"And, to be honest, we don't know.\"\n\nThe UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said: \"Patient safety is our highest priority.\n\n\"And there is currently no evidence to suggest any increased risk to patient safety.\n\n\"Any women with questions should speak to their GP or healthcare professional.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "We've looked into some of the most widely shared false vaccine claims - everything from alleged plots to put microchips into people to the supposed re-engineering of our genetic code.\n\nThe fear that a vaccine will somehow change your DNA is one we've seen aired regularly on social media.\n\nThe BBC asked three independent scientists about this. They said that the coronavirus vaccine would not alter human DNA.\n\nSome of the newly created vaccines, including the one now approved in the UK developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, use a fragment of the virus's genetic material - or messenger RNA.\n\n\"Injecting RNA into a person doesn't do anything to the DNA of a human cell,\" says Prof Jeffrey Almond of Oxford University.\n\nIt works by giving the body instructions to produce a protein which is present on the surface of the coronavirus.\n\nThe immune system then learns to recognise and produce antibodies against the protein.\n\nClaims that Bill Gates plans to use a vaccine to \"manipulate\" or \"alter\" human DNA have been widely shared\n\nThis isn't the first time we've looked into claims that a coronavirus vaccine will supposedly alter DNA. We investigated a popular video spreading the theory back in May.\n\nPosts have noted that messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology \"has never been tested or approved before\".\n\nIt is true that no mRNA vaccine has been approved before now, but multiple studies of mRNA vaccines in humans have taken place over the last few years. And, since the pandemic started, the vaccine has been tested on tens of thousands of people around the world and has gone through a rigorous safety approval process.\n\nLike all new vaccines, it has to undergo rigorous safety checks before it can be recommended for widespread use.\n\nIn Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials, vaccines are tested in small numbers of volunteers to check they are safe and to determine the right dose.\n\nIn Phase 3 trials they are tested in thousands of people to see how effective they are. The group who received the vaccine and a control group who have received a placebo are closely monitored for any adverse reactions - side-effects. Safety monitoring continues after a vaccine has been approved for use.\n\nNext, a conspiracy theory that has spanned the globe.\n\nIt claims that the coronavirus pandemic is a cover for a plan to implant trackable microchips and that the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is behind it.\n\nThere is no vaccine \"microchip\" and there is no evidence to support claims that Bill Gates is planning for this in the future.\n\nThe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation told the BBC the claim was \"false\".\n\nOne TikTok user created a video about being \"microchipped\" and called a vaccine the \"mark of the beast\"\n\nRumours took hold in March when Mr Gates said in an interview that eventually \"we will have some digital certificates\" which would be used to show who'd recovered, been tested and ultimately who received a vaccine. He made no mention of microchips.\n\nThis led to one widely shared article headlined: \"Bill Gates will use microchip implants to fight coronavirus.\"\n\nThe article makes reference to a study, funded by The Gates Foundation, into a technology that could store someone's vaccine records in a special ink administered at the same time as an injection.\n\nHowever, the technology is not a microchip and is more like an invisible tattoo. It has not been rolled out yet, would not allow people to be tracked and personal information would not be entered into a database, says Ana Jaklenec, a scientist involved in the study.\n\nThe billionaire founder of Microsoft has been the subject of many false rumours during the pandemic.\n\nHe's been targeted because of his philanthropic work in public health and vaccine development.\n\nDespite the lack of evidence, in May a YouGov poll of 1,640 people suggested 28% of Americans believed Mr Gates wanted to use vaccines to implant microchips in people - with the figure rising to 44% among Republicans.\n\nWe've seen claims that vaccines contain the lung tissue of an aborted fetus. This is false.\n\n\"There are no fetal cells used in any vaccine production process,\" says Dr Michael Head, of the University of Southampton.\n\nOne particular video that was posted on one of the biggest anti-vaccine Facebook pages refers to a study which the narrator claims is evidence of what goes into the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. But the narrator's interpretation is wrong - the study in question explored how the vaccine reacted when introduced to human cells in a lab.\n\nConfusion may have arisen because there is a step in the process of developing a vaccine that uses cells grown in a lab, which are the descendants of embryonic cells that would otherwise have been destroyed. The technique was developed in the 1960s, and no fetuses were aborted for the purposes of this research.\n\nMany vaccines are made in this way, explains Dr David Matthews, from Bristol University, adding that any traces of the cells are comprehensively removed from the vaccine \"to exceptionally high standards\".\n\nThe developers of the vaccine at Oxford University say they worked with cloned cells, but these cells \"are not themselves the cells of aborted babies\".\n\nThe cells work like a factory to manufacture a greatly weakened form of the virus that has been adapted to function as a vaccine.\n\nBut even though the weakened virus is created using these cloned cells, this cellular material is removed when the virus is purified and not used in the vaccine.\n\nWe've seen arguments against a Covid-19 vaccine shared across social media asking why we need one at all if the chances of dying from the virus are so slim.\n\nA meme shared by people who oppose vaccination put the recovery rate from the disease at 99.97% and suggested getting Covid-19 is a safer option than taking a vaccine.\n\nA meme using images of rapper Drake has been used to promote false vaccine claims\n\nTo begin with, the figure referred to in the meme as the \"recovery rate\" - implying these are people who caught the virus and survived - is not correct.\n\nAbout 99.0% of people who catch Covid survive it, says Jason Oke, senior statistician at the University of Oxford.\n\nSo around 100 in 10,000 will die - far higher than three in 10,000, as suggested in the meme.\n\nHowever, Mr Oke adds that \"in all cases the risks very much depend on age and do not take into account short and long-term morbidity from Covid-19\".\n\nIt's not just about survival. For every person who dies, there are others who live through it but undergo intensive medical care, and those who suffer long-lasting health effects.\n\nThis can contribute to a health service overburdened with Covid patients, competing with a hospital's limited resources to treat patients with other illnesses and injuries.\n\nConcentrating on the overall death rate, or breaking down the taking of a vaccine to an individual act, misses the point of vaccinations, says Prof Liam Smeeth of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It should be seen as an effort by society to protect others, he says.\n\n\"In the UK, the worst part of the pandemic, the reason for lockdown, is because the health service would be overwhelmed. Vulnerable groups like the old and sick in care homes have a much higher chance of getting severely ill if they catch the virus\".", "The government is set to revise its proposals for controversial planning reforms in England, after new housing targets prompted a backlash amongst some senior Conservative MPs.\n\nMinisters have proposed updating the formula for where to build houses to meet its aim of delivering more homes.\n\nBut some said the \"mutant algorithm\" would fail to \"level up\" the North and see the South \"concreted over\".\n\nCritics of the proposal include former Prime Minister Theresa May.\n\nShe said the new formula \"does not guarantee a single extra home being built\".\n\nIn the House of Commons, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said he would make a statement on revised plans \"in the weeks ahead\".\n\nHe told MPs the Covid crisis was causing the \"most substantial change to city centres and town centres since the Second World War and that does give us pause for reflection\".\n\nThe government would \"consider what those opportunities will be for the repurposing of offices into residential, for turning retail into mixed use and that will, I think, lead us to a different approach to distributing housing numbers across the country,\" he said.\n\nThe new formula was proposed as part of wider government planning reforms.\n\nThey include a target to build 300,000 new homes across England each year by the mid-2020s, with the formula providing a rough estimate to local councils on how many need to be built in their communities.\n\nMr Jenrick has said local authorities will then be expected to come forward with potential sites for new buildings - taking into account constraints, such as areas protected by the green belt.\n\nBut several Tory MPs have expressed concern that the government's plan could mean more homes in rural areas and in the South East, rather than the North and Midlands.\n\nWhile the 300,000 target remains \"undiminished\", the government says it has listened to the feedback of critical MPs and ministers are looking to \"rebalance\" the formula.\n\nIt is thought the focus will shift towards building more homes in the North and Midlands, and in urban areas or city centres - where the coronavirus pandemic has potentially accelerated a longer-term drop in demand for office and retail spaces.\n\nIt does not mean there will not still be new homes built in the South East.\n\nFormer Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who met Mr Jenrick this week to raise his concerns about the formula, thanked his colleague on Twitter for \"listening to the concerns of me and many other MPs\".\n\nHe added: \"We support your desire for more houses to help young people get on the housing ladder and will work with you to make sure a revised algorithm achieves that.\"\n\nConservative MP for the Isle of Wight Bob Seely, who led calls for a change to the plan - and secured a recent Commons debate on the issue - told the BBC he also welcomed the fact the government was willing to listen to the \"strength of feeling and depth of concern\" backbenchers had.\n\nBut he said it now had to work with MPs and \"rethink\" as the UK needed \"levelling up, not concreting out.\"\n\nFormer Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers also said the change in approach from government was \"encouraging\", but \"a few tweaks are not enough\".\n\nShe said: \"We need radical change to the proposal if we're to ensure that this algorithm doesn't lead to unacceptable overdevelopment.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson has defended his proposals for overhauling the planning system.\n\nMeanwhile, sources from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have also confirmed the department is looking to move a \"proportion\" of its operations to the West Midlands, with Wolverhampton understood to be the preferred location.\n\nThis would involve moving ministerial offices and senior officials, although ministers would still spend time in Westminster.\n\nNext year has been described as a \"ball park\" timeline for the move.", "The family of Oscar Jealous said they have been \"overwhelmed\" by the response to their appeal for cards\n\nHundreds of people have sent birthday cards to a nine-year-old boy after an appeal by his family.\n\nOscar Jealous, from Kingstanding in Birmingham, was diagnosed with life-limiting Batten disease in February.\n\nHis family put out a plea for cards about 10 days ago and said they had been \"overwhelmed\" by the response.\n\nHis father, Alex, said they wanted to do something to \"make Oscar feel special\" and give him a birthday to remember on Sunday.\n\nThousands of pounds have already been raised to help Oscar's family pay for his specialist care and also to help him fulfil a \"bucket list of dream days\".\n\nOscar's condition means he is losing his sight, will gradually lose speech and mobility and is developing dementia.\n\nOscar Jealous, who turned nine on Sunday, was diagnosed with Batten disease earlier this year\n\n\"The intention when he was diagnosed was to have a big family party in the garden,\" Mr Jealous said.\n\n\"The simple fact is, it is more likely that next year will be very different, this is probably going to be the last birthday where he understands what is going on.\"\n\nMr Jealous said they had received more than 500 cards, about 20 presents and were expecting a \"mountain\" of balloons to be delivered on Oscar's birthday.\n\n\"It is a very overwhelming thing, but at the same time it is nice,\" he said.\n\n\"It highlights how supported we are as a family, not just from close friends and family but from the wider community.\n\n\"It is about memory making so we have things, and his brother has things, that we can sit and look back on.\"\n\nOscar Jealous has made a list of dream days, which included spending the day with West Midlands Police\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Ephraim, a British-Nigerian activist at the heart of the End Sars protests in Lagos, talks about what he saw\n\nThe Nigerian army has rejected claims it killed unarmed protesters at a rally in Lagos in October, saying its soldiers were firing blank bullets.\n\nBrigadier General Ahmed Taiwo presented video evidence to back up his claims made to a panel of inquiry.\n\nAmnesty International says 12 people were killed when soldiers opened fire on a protest about police brutality in the wealthy Lagos suburb of Lekki.\n\nMultiple eyewitnesses have told the BBC they saw soldiers shoot people.\n\nSome 1,000 protesters had gathered at the Lekki toll gate on 20 October to prevent cars using a major motorway. Soldiers were reportedly seen barricading the protest site moments before the shooting started.\n\nIn video footage shared on social media at the time, shots could be heard as protesters sat down, locked arms and sang the national anthem together. Live footage was also streamed from the scene showing protesters tending to the wounded.\n\nThe attack had followed days of protests against the much-hated police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars), which had morphed into greater calls for better governance.\n\nBrig Gen Taiwo told the judicial panel investigating alleged historic abuses by Sars there had been \"a lot of misinformation\" about his troops. Their \"only crime was to report for duty to protect us all\".\n\nBrig Gen Ahmed Taiwo vigorously defended his troops against accusations they killed unarmed protesters\n\nHe pointed to video showing what appeared to be soldiers at the scene. \"You can see they are firing in the air, and firing blank ammunitions.\"\n\nResponding to a claim that a witness had seen a dead body at the scene, he said \"the casualty she saw had been overcome by shock\", AFP news agency reports.\n\nIt is not clear if he will respond to the many other accounts from eyewitnesses.\n\nSince the shooting those involved in the protests say they are being targeted by the government, the BBC's Mayeni Jones reports.\n\nA number of protesters and companies say their bank accounts have been frozen and others have been arrested. The passport of a lawyer who organised legal aid for the protesters was seized as she tried to leave the country, although it has now been returned to her.\n\nNationwide protests erupted on 8 October calling for an end to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, which had been accused of widespread human rights violations, including illegal detention, torture and extrajudicial killings.\n\nPresident Muhammadu Buhari disbanded the squad a few days later, but the protests continued with demands for more changes in the security forces and reforms to the way the country is run.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Two families whose lives have been forever changed by police violence seek justice for their loved ones.\n\nFollowing the 20 October attack, Amnesty International Nigeria said it had evidence from hospital records and witnesses to show that \"the Nigerian military opened fire on thousands of people who were peacefully calling for good governance and an end to police brutality\".\n\nThe Lagos state government said 30 people had been injured with one fatality.\n\nLagos and other parts of Nigeria have seen buildings torched, shopping centres looted and prisons attacked since the shooting.\n\nNigeria's vice-president has promised justice for victims shot during the protests amid widespread condemnation from international leaders.", "Topshop owner Arcadia is in talks with lenders to secure around £30m in funding following the second coronavirus lockdown in England.\n\nThe discussions, revealed by Sky News, are understood to be progressing and a deal could be close to being reached.\n\nAnother report suggested that Arcadia is drawing up plans to place the business into administration.\n\nBut the company said: \"It is not true that administrators are about to be appointed.\"\n\n\"Clearly, the second UK lockdown presents a further challenge for all retailers and we are taking all appropriate steps to protect our employees and other stakeholders from its consequences.\"\n\nIt is understood that Arcadia - led by Sir Philip Green - has contingency plans in place regarding the future of the business but there is confidence it will secure financing to continue trading.\n\nAs well as Topshop, the group also owns the chains Topman, Miss Selfridge, Evans, Burton and Dorothy Perkins.\n\nNon-essential retailers in England have been forced to close for four weeks until 2 December to contain the spread of the coronavirus.\n\nDuring the first country-wide lockdown, Arcadia furloughed the vast majority of its 13,000-strong workforce across more than 500 outlets.\n\nSir Philip Green leads Arcadia while his wife, Lady Cristina Green, is its biggest shareholder\n\nStaff at its shops in England have been placed back on the government's wage subsidy scheme though its stores in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have now reopened.\n\nArcadia said: \"We are continuing to trade online through our own channels as well as through those of our partners.\"\n\nHowever, Debenhams, a major Arcadia partner which sells a number of its brands, is facing its own challenges. The department store chain is in administration and is in talks to find a buyer.\n\nArcadia underwent restructuring last year through a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). It agreed to shut 50 shops, secured a rent cut with landlords on property and struck a deal with the Pension Protection Fund to put money into the company's pension schemes.\n\nAt the time, the pension scheme deficit was estimated to be around £700m but the Sunday Times reported it is now £350m on a buyout basis.\n\nIn a deal with the Pensions Regulator, trustees of Arcadia's pension schemes were granted security over £210m worth of assets by the company.\n\nSir Philip's wife, Lady Cristina Green, who is Arcadia's biggest shareholder, agreed to pump £100m into the schemes over three years while Arcadia said it would inject a further £75m.\n\nSir Philip faced controversy over the pension scheme at one of his other businesses, BHS, which he sold to Dominic Chappell for £1 in 2015.\n\nBHS collapsed a year later, with the loss of 11,000 jobs and a pension deficit of £571m.\n\nSir Philip reached a deal with the Pensions Regulator to inject £363m into that scheme.\n\nMore recently, Chappell was sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of tax evasion.", "Unemployment following the mine closures was largely confined to communities in the south Wales valleys, Baroness Debbie Wilcox says\n\nThe impact of the coronavirus pandemic on communities in Wales will be on a \"different scale\" to that seen after the coal and steel industries collapsed in the 1980s, a peer has said.\n\nBaroness Debbie Wilcox, who once led Newport council, said its effect would be more wide-ranging and last longer.\n\nHer warning comes as unemployment in Wales saw the highest rise in the UK.\n\nOne bar owner in Newport said it had been the most difficult period of his 45 years in the business.\n\nBaroness Wilcox, former leader of the Welsh Local Government Association and a Labour life peer in the House of Lords, has first-hand experience of the economic hardship felt in coal-mining communities in the 1980s.\n\nBaroness Debbie Wilcox says she \"remembers the anguish\" of the 1980s\n\n\"My stepfather was a miner at Ty Mawr colliery and I was part of Maerdy women's support group, and by goodness we thought we had it bad then,\" she explained.\n\n\"I remember the anguish of those times - but this is on a different scale.\"\n\nShe said communities in the south Wales valleys had never fully recovered from the \"destruction\" of the coal industry.\n\n\"But this [pandemic] affects everyone,\" she added. \"No job, no industry, none of us are exempt from it, therefore it is bound to have a longer lasting effect.\"\n\nBaroness Wilcox said it was important to invest in young people and called on communities to pull together.\n\nThe Waterloo Hotel in Newport has been closed since March\n\nThe Waterloo Hotel, near Newport's Transporter Bridge, used to be packed full of docks workers and steelworkers, and once boasted the longest bar in the UK.\n\nIt is not full of dockers any more, Bob Evans bought the bar 14 years ago and developed it into a vibrant bistro and boutique hotel.\n\nBut it has been closed since March and Mr Evans decided against reopening in the summer because it would not have been profitable, and is now selling up.\n\nBob Evans has worked in hospitality for 45 years but says he has never known a time like it\n\n\"We spent so much money here and built up the trade. So to have to close your doors through no fault of your own - I can't tell you, it was awful,\" Mr Evans said.\n\nMr Evans, who has worked in hospitality for 45 years, said he had never known a time like it.\n\n\"This has been the worst, without a doubt - I have never had to shut my doors,\" he said.\n\n\"It is a total disaster and there are lots of people who won't come out of this.\"\n\nThe latest official figures show unemployment in Wales has risen to 4.6% - slightly lower than the UK average.\n\nBut more than 20,000 people have left pay rolls since February, not including many who are self-employed.\n\nThe figures also show unemployment rose between July and September when businesses were allowed to open, the Eat Out to Help Out scheme was operating and tourists flooded to Wales for holidays because of restrictions on travelling abroad.\n\nOne reason for this could be redundancies which had been announced earlier in the year but were delayed. This was the case particularly in the aerospace sector, which is highly important to the Welsh economy.\n\nFormer head of employment statistics at the ONS Jamie Jenkins says furlough might have \"masked\" the scale of joblessness in Wales\n\nMany employers had already finalised redundancy agreements before the UK government extended the the furlough scheme, according to the former head of employment statistics at the ONS.\n\nJamie Jenkins explained: \"It could be that the furlough scheme has masked the true unemployment problem we have had in Wales during the summer months.\n\n\"As that came to an end [in October] it was announced that it was extended, but it was probably too late for many people.\"", "The number of school-age children with coronavirus has risen \"significantly\" in the second wave compared with the first, according to the government's scientific advisers.\n\nChildren are now more likely than adults to be the person bringing a Covid infection into a household.\n\nBut families with children are at no higher risk of severe illness.\n\nThe National Education Union (NEU) said it was \"troubled\" by the number of children testing positive.\n\nThe exact role children play in transmitting coronavirus has long been an open question.\n\nIt's clear young people as a group are at very low risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus themselves.\n\nThere is also some evidence younger children are less likely to even contract it in the first place.\n\nBut when it comes to older children, their role in passing on the virus has been much less clear.\n\nA review presented to government and published on 13 November outlines the growing evidence older children can catch and transmit Covid-19 at similar rates to adults.\n\nFrom around the time schools reopened in September, a rising number of children have been testing positive for coronavirus, according to the advisory group.\n\nBut the paper said the extent to which transmission was occurring in schools was \"unproven and difficult to establish\".\n\nTwo major surveillance studies by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Imperial College London show infections among people aged 16-24 were increasing in September.\n\nBy October increases could be seen throughout the 2-24-year-old age bracket.\n\nThere were signs of rising infection in the wider population before schools went back, however.\n\nThe government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has previously said reopening schools was likely to increase transmission of the virus.\n\nChief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty also acknowledged this, but said trade-offs would have to be made to allow schools to remain open while controlling the virus.\n\nThe 13 November advisory paper said there were \"significant educational, developmental and mental health harms from schools being closed\".\n\nSchoolchildren and young adults have experienced a much faster rise in infections than other age groups in the second wave.\n\nProf Mark Woolhouse at the University of Edinburgh said this was \"not surprising given that schools are operating much closer to normality than most other parts of society\".\n\nThe review made clear it was not possible to separate contacts in school from contacts around school including travelling to and from, and socialising afterwards.\n\nHowever, teachers were no more likely to test positive for coronavirus than other workers, according to ONS data.\n\nDr Sarah Lewis, an epidemiologist at the University of Bristol, said this was \"reassuring\" and suggested \"the measures in place to reduce transmission in schools are working\".\n\nPeople living with secondary-school-age children were 8% more likely to catch the virus.\n\nBut research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Oxford found that people living with under-18s had no increased risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid.\n\nThe NEU said it was concerned by the \"finding that children aged 12-16 played a 'significantly higher role' in introducing infection into households in the period after schools reopened their doors to all students\".\n\nThe union suggested this was down to \"the difficulty of social distancing, the absence of face masks inside classrooms, the problems of ventilation, the size of 'bubbles' and the cross mixing on school transport, as well as of secondary pupils mixing outside school\".", "The Lake District is one of England's 10 existing national parks\n\nA further £40m is to be ploughed into green spaces in England as part of a plan to restore species and combat climate change.\n\nThe government says the cash will fund thousands of jobs in conservation.\n\nThe prime minister also promised new national parks and greater protections for England’s iconic landscapes.\n\nEnvironmentalists welcomed the investment but said it was a fraction of what is needed to restore Britain’s depleted wildlife.\n\nBoris Johnson said the scheme was part of his 10-point plan for combating climate change, which Downing Street said would be unveiled this week.\n\nThe plan has been widely leaked and it is thought to include a commitment to:\n\nThe natural environment funding will go to environmental charities creating or restoring important habitats like peatland and wetland; preventing or cleaning up pollution; creating woodland; and helping people connect with nature.\n\nMr Johnson said this will in turn create and retain skilled and unskilled jobs, such as ecologists, project managers, tree planters and teams to carry out nature restoration.\n\nThe projects could give a home to species that flourished in similar initiatives across the country, including the curlew, nightingale, horseshoe bat, pine marten, red squirrel and wild orchids.\n\nMr Johnson said: “Britain’s iconic landscapes are part of the fabric of our national identity - sustaining our communities, driving local economies and inspiring people across the ages.\n\n“That’s why, with the natural world under threat, it’s more important than ever that we act now to enhance our natural environment and protect our precious wildlife and biodiversity.”\n\nThere are currently 10 national parks in England - including the South Downs, Lake District and Peak District - as well as 34 areas of outstanding national beauty (AONB).\n\nThe government says the process for designating new national parks and AONB will start next year.\n\nAnd 10 long-term \"landscape recovery\" projects will be initiated between 2022 and 2024 to restore wilder landscapes.\n\nCraig Bennett, from the Wildlife Trusts, said: \"Of course this is welcome, but it’s a tiny amount compared with what’s needed.\n\n“A previous promise of £40m was over-subscribed seven times over.\n\n“The government has pledged to protect 30% of the countryside by 2030, but at the moment only 5% is protected for wildlife. We need £1bn every year for this enormous task.\"\n\nTony Juniper, head of government agency Natural England, said: \"I warmly welcome this as part of the delivery of the National Nature Recovery Network - and I’m really pleased to have all this coming from the PM.”\n\nThe government has slashed funding for his organisation and earlier this week he told MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee that its current funding is below the level required to carry out statutory duties to a good standard.\n\nMr Juniper said taking action to protect species at risk of extinction, ceasing management duties for National Nature Reserves and engaging only a small number of planning authorities to support landscape and biodiversity activities are some of the areas where Natural England has had to scale back support.", "Emergency laws to \"stamp out dangerous\" anti-vaccine content online should be introduced, Labour has said.\n\nThe party is calling for financial and criminal penalties for social media firms that do not remove false scare stories about vaccines.\n\nIt follows news of progress on the first effective coronavirus vaccine.\n\nThe government said it took the issue \"extremely seriously\" with \"a major commitment\" from Facebook, Twitter and Google to tackle anti-vaccine content.\n\nMany social media platforms label false content as misleading or disputed - and all remove posts that contravene terms of service.\n\nBut Labour said a commitment by platforms to remove content flagged by the government was not enough.\n\nShadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said such content was \"exploiting people's fears, their mistrust of institutions and governments and spreading poison and harm\".\n\nHe told BBC Breakfast his party wanted to work with the government on a cross-party basis to build trust and help promote take-up of the vaccine.\n\nHe said people would have legitimate questions about what the vaccine means for them, levels of immunity and whether the vaccine was appropriate for those with chronic health conditions.\n\n\"There's nothing wrong with asking those questions and strong public health messaging from the government, reinforced by us, will allay those fears,\" he said.\n\nBaseless conspiracy theories about a coronavirus vaccine have been spreading on social media for months - and the latest vaccine news rekindled these pre-existing narratives online.\n\nThese includes false claims that the vaccine is a means of inserting microchips into the population, altering our DNA, or are even a weapon of genocide.\n\nWithin hours of news breaking about the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, comments and memes suggesting it will deliberately harm us were popping up in local Facebook groups, parent chats and on Instagram.\n\nThis kind of disinformation is worlds away from legitimate concerns that a vaccine is safe and properly tested.\n\nDespite commitments to tackle falsehoods from social media sites and the government, a constant bubbling of conspiracies online looks to have already eroded trust for some in an effective vaccine.\n\nThe anti-vax movement, which pre-dates the pandemic, is not the only thing responsible for the spread of this disinformation online.\n\nPseudoscience figures with large online followings - who have spread other false claims such as linking coronavirus to 5G or suggesting the pandemic is a hoax - have also turned their attention to vaccines.\n\nThere is no truth to the false and harmful claims they make - but that hasn't stopped them spilling into the average social media feed for weeks and impacting those who come across them.\n\nMeanwhile, a member of the government's scientific advisory group, Sage, has criticised ministers' strategy of \"flip-flopping\" between encouraging people to socialise and spend money - and tough lockdown restrictions in England.\n\nProfessor John Edmunds said: \"We need to take a long-term view and be sensible and realise that we're going to have to have restrictions in place for some time.\n\n\"Yes, we can lift them when it's safe to do so, which will be primarily when large numbers of people have been vaccinated.\n\n\"But flip-flopping between encouraging people to mix socially, which is what you're doing by encouraging people to go to restaurants and bars, versus then immediately closing them again, isn't a very sensible way to run the epidemic.\"\n\nThe national lockdown in England is currently due to end on 2 December, with a return to the tiered system of local restrictions.\n\nProf Edmunds also criticised that system of lower to higher restrictions, saying it was not \"very well thought through\".\n\nScotland has moved to a five-tier system of coronavirus restrictions. Wales has now ended a \"circuit breaker\" while Northern Ireland has extended its own temporary lockdown.\n\nA further 26,860 UK coronavirus cases were recorded on Saturday and 462 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported.\n\nSuspicion of vaccines has been around almost as long as modern vaccines themselves. But in recent years, the anti-vaccination - or \"anti-vax\"- movement has gained traction online.\n\nSocial media has been blamed for allowing unfounded claims about vaccines to spread more easily.\n\nIn 2019, the UK lost its measles-free status designated by the World Health Organization - and there has been a marked decline in vaccination rates for all 13 diseases covered in jabs for children.\n\nSince the pandemic, anti-vaccination campaigners have moved their focus to the coronavirus.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nIn the letter to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, Labour said there were dedicated anti-vaccination groups online with hundreds of thousands of followers who were \"churning out disinformation\" on the issue.\n\nLast week, the government announced that social media companies had agreed a package of measures - including that no company should be profiting from Covid vaccine fake news.\n\nBut Labour warned that the measures do not go far enough and has questioned why anti-vax groups are not being closed down.\n\n\"The announced collaboration with social media companies last week was welcome but feels grossly inadequate with a promise by them to remove only the content which is flagged by government and which generates profit,\" Labour said.\n\nLabour called for emergency legislation that would see financial and criminal penalties for a continued failure to act, and said they would vote for it.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Research shows a number of young people may choose not to have a Covid-19 vaccination\n\nOn Monday, news of a potential vaccine made headlines after preliminary results from Pfizer and BioNTech showed their vaccine could prevent more than 90% of people from catching Covid.\n\nThe vaccine is one of 11 vaccines that are currently in the final stages of testing. Pfizer and BioNTech companies now plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of November and a limited number of people may be given the vaccine this year.\n\nThe UK has bought enough doses for 20 million people.\n\nBut it will not be released for use in the UK until it passes final safety tests and gets the go-ahead from the MHRA - the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.\n\nThe head of the MHRA said this week it will not lower its safety standards despite the need to get a Covid vaccine quickly.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: “Anti-vax is total nonsense, you should definitely get a vaccine.\"\n\nAnd this week, he said he had \"no inhibitions\" about getting one, adding: \"Anti-vax is total nonsense, you should definitely get a vaccine.\"\n\n\"We take this issue extremely seriously and have secured a major commitment from Facebook, Twitter and Google to tackle it by not profiting from such material, and by responding to flagged content more swiftly.\n\n\"We continue to work closely with social media firms to promote authoritative sources of information so people have access to vaccine facts not fiction.\"", "Yorke Beach, near Stanley, has been closed since the 1982 Falklands conflict\n\nFalkland Islanders have been celebrating the day their beaches and coves have been declared free of landmines - after almost 40 years.\n\nThe British overseas territory was peppered with an estimated 13,000 mines by Argentine forces in the 1982 conflict.\n\nOn hand for the mine-free declaration day was Welsh-born doctor Barry Elsby.\n\nHe is one of the islanders who has never walked on the last beach to be cleared, Yorke Beach near Stanley.\n\nHe moved to the Falklands with his wife for a two-year medical contract in 1990, and never left.\n\nHe is now one of the islands' eight members of the legislative assembly governing the 2,500 population.\n\n\"I have friends who were born here after the 1982 conflict, and have never been able to stroll along this beach,\" he said.\n\n\"We are looking forward to reclaiming the beach by blowing up the last mines.\n\n\"This will be another good bit of closure for people who were here when the invasion happened and lived through the horrors of that time.\n\nIt was only supposed to be a two year posting to the Falkland Islands for Dr Elsby\n\n\"All the mine signposts were a constant reminder of what happened but now they are all away, it's another return to normality.\n\n\"It is a very welcome development and I don't think anyone ever thought this would come about.\"\n\nA programme to remove the mines has been under way since 2009 as part of the UK's obligations under the international anti-personnel mine ban convention.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Islanders will celebrate by playing cricket on beaches which were previously out of bounds\n\n\"We never thought the islands would be completely mine free, so this is a momentous change,\" added Dr Elsby.\n\n\"More importantly, no-one has been seriously harmed doing this. It speaks volumes for the teams that have been responsible for doing this over so many years.\"\n\nIt also speaks volumes for the islanders, according to the doctor, and gives an insight into why he was happy to swap his former childhood home of Garden City in Flintshire, north Wales, for somewhere like the Falklands.\n\n\"We had clear plans when we came here in 1990 - we had no intention of staying,\" he said.\n\n\"But we were captivated, not just by the beauty, but also by the way of life and friendliness of the community.\"\n\nThe son of a crane driver in the Shotton steelworks, his links with Wales remain strong despite being almost 8,000 miles (12,735km) away.\n\n\"For the last eight years, I have been laying wreaths at Fitzroy where so many Welsh Guards died and were injured, so I think those links will remain forever,\" he said.\n\nIt has been a long process across four decades to rid the islands of mines\n\nThe UK minister with responsibility for the Falklands, Wendy Morton said the final de-mining exercise on Saturday was a \"significant achievement\" for the Falklands and its population.\n\n\"We must pay tribute to the brilliant team of deminers who made a long-term commitment to this programme and put their lives at risk day-to-day, removing and destroying landmines to make the Falklands safe,\" she said.\n\n\"Our commitment to ridding the world of fatal landmines does not end with our territories being mine free.\n\n\"A further £36m of UK funding will allow demining projects across the world to continue, protecting innocent civilian lives.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Gordon Brown also said the \"middle of a recession\" was not the time to consider a second referendum\n\nA referendum on Scottish independence should not be held while the country \"heals\" from coronavirus, former prime minister Gordon Brown has said.\n\nMr Brown said the country was facing \"huge problems\" and should not hold a referendum.\n\n\"We're in the middle of a virus, we're in the middle of a recession,\" he told BBC's Andrew Marr programme.\n\nThe SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford has said his party \"must\" plan for a referendum in 2021.\n\nMr Blackford tweeted that a vote for the SNP in the Scottish Parliament elections next year would be a vote for a second referendum on Scottish independence.\n\n\"It is the people of Scotland who will determine our future. That is their right, sovereignty rests with us collectively. A vote for @theSNP in 2021 is for that right to be exercised, we know it, @BorisJohnson knows it,\" he said.\n\nSpeaking in the Sunday National newspaper, Mr Blackford apologised for having to \"put off\" holding a referendum in 2020 as the Scottish government had to focus on its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nBut Mr Blackford insisted that a referendum would happen and \"must take place in 2021\".\n\nHowever Gordon Brown said the country needed \"time to heal\" before \"any divisive, conflicting referendum that really will cause consternation in Scotland for months and months to come\".\n\n\"The question at the moment is not whether you could have a referendum, the question is whether you should have a referendum,\" the former Labour leader said.\n\n\"I see the SNP leader is saying there's got to be a referendum in 2021. I think most Scottish people will make up their mind that in the middle of a virus, when you've got to heal the virus, you've got to heal the recession and you've got to look at the whole future of Britain... I don't think this is the right time at all.\"\n\nMr Brown also told the BBC that a \"wholesale, root and branch constitutional review\" was needed to bring people together.\n\n\"It's not just a Scottish problem now. It's not even just a Welsh problem and a Scottish problem - you see the revolt of the regions round the United Kingdom,\" he said.\n\n'Indyref2 next year' may be what some increasingly impatient sections of the 'yes' movement want to hear two weeks before the SNP's virtual conference but it seems an unlikely timetable.\n\nFirstly, the pandemic will continue into 2021 and dealing with that will remain the overwhelming priority for all governments.\n\nSecondly, the Scottish government favours a referendum agreed with the UK government which has given every indication, so far, that it would refuse.\n\nThirdly, the months available after the Holyrood election in May offer a very tight timetable for organising a referendum to the standards recommended by the Electoral Commission.\n\nThat's a lot to navigate before you consider the work the SNP has to do to revise its independence plans to take account of whatever new trading relationship with the EU emerges from Brexit.\n\nI don't doubt the SNP's determination to push for another referendum. Nicola Sturgeon has promised a draft bill before the election and to put an explicit commitment to indyref2 in her party's manifesto.\n\nBut that's not the same as actually holding the vote in 2021.\n\nThe Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said \"It beggars belief\" that Mr Blackford should suggest that another referendum was needed.\n\nHe added: \"Ian Blackford's commitment to a referendum a few months from now is not just irresponsible but delusional and shows how out of touch the SNP are.\n\n\"The Scottish Conservatives are focusing on fighting the pandemic and rebuilding the economy. That is what people want and expect.\"\n\n\"They feel they're not listened to, the government doesn't consult. They've got the local knowledge but not the resources. The government's got the resources but not the local knowledge. This is now a UK problem.\"", "Face coverings in corridors are already compulsory in other parts of the UK\n\nFace coverings could become compulsory for pupils at secondary schools in Wales.\n\nEducation Minister Kirsty Williams says the Welsh Government is examining new scientific evidence about the spread of coronavirus among schoolchildren.\n\nShe has told BBC Wales they are investigating what other measures can be put in place to make schools more \"Covid secure\".\n\nIt included asking if there are \"more opportunities\" to use face masks.\n\nNew evidence suggests higher levels of infection and transmission in school based age groups \"than previously recognised\".\n\nSpeaking to Politics Wales, Ms Williams said: \"We're considering whether that, in light of this new evidence, it would be the appropriate thing to do.\"\n\nOver the summer, the Welsh Government made schools and councils responsible for deciding where and when face masks should be worn in educational setting.\n\nOpposition parties and some education unions accused ministers at the time of passing the responsibility to schools.\n\nThat was denied by Health Minister Vaughan Gething, who said a \"one-size-fits-all approach\" would not work in Wales.\n\nThe education minister said the latest reports from Welsh Government advisers and UK scientists still reinforces the view that children are \"very unlikely\" to suffer harm from Covid-19.\n\n\"But we have seen a growth in the amount of cases in the secondary school population and it does seem that those age group children do have a role in passing the virus around,\" said Ms Williams.\n\nThe minister said the Welsh Government is also looking at \"further measures where we can reduce contacts\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BBC's Laura Foster explains how to wear your mask correctly and help stop coronavirus spreading\n\nPotential measures under consideration, according to government officials, include preventing children from changing in close proximity after exercise and reducing indoor group singing.\n\nAll pupils and staff in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland must wear face masks in corridors and communal areas.\n\nSenior students and staff at schools in areas of Scotland with higher infections rates are also advised to wear masks in the classroom.\n\nHowever data from the latest Office for National Statistics surveillance study shows higher levels of infection and transmission in school-based age groups than previously recognised, according to the Welsh Government's Technical Advisory Group (TAC).\n\nIt also suggests there is a higher rate of transmission without symptoms and that children are more likely to be the first case in a household.\n\nPlaid Cymru's education spokeswoman in the Senedd Sian Gwenllian said face masks should already by mandatory.\n\n\"Time and again, we raised concerns that the virus was transmitting in secondary schools from pupil to pupil and from pupil to teacher - thereby triggering transmission in the wider community,\" said the Arfon MS.\n\n\"For the sake of our children's safety, the Welsh Government now needs to move quickly to adopt the latest scientific evidence from TAC and make masks mandatory in all secondary schools across Wales.\"\n\nWelsh Conservative Suzy Davies said it was critical schools remain open.\n\nBut the South Wales West MS said there needed to be \"clarity\" on the source of Covid infections.\n\n\"It would be pretty unfair to point the finger at older pupils and students if actually the source of the infection is outside in the community and they just happen to be bringing it in,\" she said.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Mr Harper has been described as \"one of the bravest men\" on the Titanic\n\nA letter written by a Titanic hero who sacrificed his life to save others has sold at auction for £42,000.\n\nBaptist preacher John Harper gave his lifejacket to another passenger and went down with the doomed ocean liner in April 1912.\n\nHis last letter was sold at an online auction of Titanic memorabilia in Wiltshire on Saturday.\n\nAuctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: \"John Harper was probably one of the bravest men on that boat.\"\n\nWritten on Titanic stationery on April 11, 1912 to a fellow clergyman, the letter was posted at Cobh in Ireland, which was known as Queenstown when the Titanic stopped at the port before setting out across the Atlantic.\n\nPastor Harper, 39, was the pastor of Walworth Road Baptist Church, in London. He was a widower and was travelling with his daughter Annie Jessie and his sister Jessie W. Leitch to Chicago to preach at the Moody Church.\n\nJohn Harper's daughter Annie Jessie went on to be the longest living Scottish Titanic survivor.\n\nHe refused a seat in a lifeboat alongside his daughter and sister, instead staying on board to offer words of comfort to passengers.\n\nHe then gave his lifejacket to another passenger who survived, with other survivors reporting he continued to preach the Gospel as the ship sank.\n\nThe letter talks about life on board the ship and thanks his friend and colleague for a recent kindness.\n\nOriginally from Glasgow, Pastor Harper first preached at the Paisley Road Baptist Church which would later be renamed the Harper Memorial Church in 1921.\n\nThe letter begins: \"I am penning you this line just before we get to Queenstown to assure you that I have not forgotten you and especially all your kindness while we were north.\"\n\nHis daughter Annie Jessie went to be the longest-living Scottish Titanic survivor and died in 1986.\n\nMr Aldridge, from Henry Aldridge and Sons auctioneers in Devizes, Wiltshire, said: \"His actions epitomised that British generation in times of adversity.\n\n\"The condition of the letter is superb, it has been owned by a private collector for the last 25 years who has decided to pass the baton on to the next generation.\"\n\nMy Dear Brother Young. I am penning you this line just before we get to Queenstown to assure you that I have not forgotten you and especially all your kindness while we were north.\n\nI intended sending on Mrs Pratt's train fares just before I left but in the rush, which was exceptional having had 11 or 12 services for the week-end, I was unable to get it done.\n\nI will send it on from Chicago. We had a great season of blessing during the last few days in Walworth.\n\nI don't know how I am to thank dear Aunty Mary and yourself for all your kindness. The Lord will repay you for it all. Trust things are going well at Paisley Road. The warriors are with me here and are doing well so far on the journey.", "Are the winds of change about to blow off the Welsh coast?\n\nWind turbines floating miles out to sea could one day provide electricity to our homes, experts believe.\n\nWales currently meets about 50% of its needs from renewable sources, including solar and wind.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson wants to see fixed offshore wind farms power UK homes by 2030, while Plaid Cymru believes Wales could be self-sustainable through renewables by then.\n\nBut how big a part could turbines floating off the Welsh coast play?\n\nA 96 megawatt (MW) wind farm capable of powering 90,000 homes is proposed for an area of sea 28 miles (45km) off Pembrokeshire by 2027.\n\nHowever, this could be just the tip of the iceberg, in light of other developments.\n\nSuccessful trials in Scotland suggest floating turbines could have advantages over other types of renewables, including cost and environmental impact.\n\nTurbines would tower over some of the world's most famous landmarks\n\nTidal lagoons, for example, have proved hard to get off the ground because of the large upfront investment needed to build, with no return for a number of years, according to Cardiff University professor of renewable energy Nick Jenkins.\n\nA proposed £1.3bn Swansea Bay project was shelved because of cost.\n\nPlacing solar panels and wind turbines on a large scale in rural Wales can also be difficult, with objections from campaigners and locals over the impact on the landscape.\n\nAs Wales has about 1,680 miles (2,704 km) of coast, generating electricity there could be the obvious solution.\n\nHowever, given the sea bed \"drops dramatically\" in many locations, Prof Jenkins believes fixed turbines are difficult in many places.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"The fact that these (floating) turbines are so far out to sea make them less visible,\" said Rhodri James, of global energy firm Equinor.\n\n\"It does help, as some people in certain areas don't want to see them. And in protected areas, such as Pembrokeshire National Park, putting them close to the shore might be difficult.\"\n\nThere are also other benefits, such as saving on the expense on steel to fix turbines 60m underwater into the seabed, and the higher wind speeds further out to sea and potentially more power generated.\n\nCables are used to attach the floating turbines to the seabed, meaning they can be placed in depths of hundreds of metres\n\nGlobal energy company Equinor first had the idea of floating turbines in 2001, to power offshore oil and gas platforms in Norwegian waters.\n\nThese were run off diesel, which proved expensive and bad for the environment.\n\nWhile the initial aim was to provide clean energy at low cost, Mr James said Equinor quickly realised this was scratching the surface, adding: \"It had the potential to feed into the National Grid if done on a utility scale.\"\n\nIn trials, floating turbines produced impressive results in terms of generation\n\nMr James said adding more turbines reduced costs because of more power generated and saw expenditure per megawatt reduced by 70% with hopes of a further 40% cut.\n\nFixed platforms are generally placed up to a depth of 60m, with floating turbines able to go in waters up to 1,000m.\n\n\"Pembrokeshire is the most favourable part of Wales as it has deep waters. There is a fair bit of offshore generation off north Wales, but they are fixed platforms in shallower waters,\" Mr James added.\n\n\"Wales is well-placed as an area to look into further as is Cornwall, Ireland, the Celtic Sea, but it's currently more extensive in Scotland, where there will be more tests and demonstrations and we are very confident of moving to full scale.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The world's first floating offshore wind farm in Scotland\n\nCurrently, UK offshore farms produce about 10 gigawatts (GW) of power, with a target of 40GW by 2030.\n\nA recent Welsh Government report said just two or three farms could provide 2GW of power, enough for more than a million homes.\n\nGraham Ayling, of the Energy Saving Trust, said the potential to create infrastructure \"looks promising\" and Wales could be self-sufficient from green energy within a decade.\n\n\"Given the pace that renewable technologies have been deployed and developed, and the cost reductions that have been seen in recent years, it is possible that Wales may well meet 100% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030,\" he said.\n\nThe Beatrice offshore wind farm in Scotland generates enough power for more than 450,000 properties\n\nBeing self-sustainable in renewables by the end of the 2020s was something proposed by Plaid Cymru in its 2019 General Election manifesto.\n\nEnvironment spokesman Llyr Gruffydd said wave and tidal sources off Pembrokeshire, in the Celtic Sea and off Anglesey were \"some of the best potential renewable energy resource in the world\".\n\nHe said utilising these should be \"a strategic priority\", but also the most promising forms of renewable energy are emerging technologies and will not be fully utilised until the end of the decade.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Gruffydd wants to see investment in research, development and building skills in the workforce, so the country is ready to take advantage in areas such as floating wind technology.\n\nThe Welsh Conservatives' energy spokeswoman Janet Finch-Saunders said Wales' natural resources provide the opportunity to help stimulate the economy with the creation of \"long-term green-collar jobs\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Most of the debilitating effects of statins are not caused by the drug, but by people believing it will make them sick, a UK study suggests.\n\nThe phenomenon is known as the \"nocebo effect\" and may account for 90% of the ill health associated with the cholesterol-lowering drugs.\n\nThe British Heart Foundation said the results were undeniable.\n\nThe Imperial College London researchers hope the findings will help more people stay on statins.\n\nThe drugs are one of the most prescribed in the UK. Nearly eight million people taken them to lower their cholesterol and in turn reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke.\n\nHowever, up to a fifth of people stop taking them due to side-effects such as muscle aches, fatigue, feeling sick and joint pain.\n\nThe nocebo effect - when expecting a drug to make you worse, genuinely does - has been seen before in medicine.\n\nIt is thought to explain the high number of people who think they have penicillin allergies when tests suggest otherwise.\n\nThe statin study, which took place at Hammersmith Hospital, focused on 60 patients who had all come off the drugs in the past due to severe side effects.\n\nThey were given 12 bottles - four contained a month's worth of statins, four a month's worth of dummy pills and four were empty.\n\nEvery day for a year they would score, from zero to 100, how bad their symptoms were.\n\nThe study showed an average score of:\n\nThe Imperial researchers said 90% of the severity of their symptoms was present when the volunteers were taking dummy pills they thought could be a statin.\n\n\"The side effects are mainly caused by act of taking tablets, not what is in them,\" Dr James Howard, one of the researchers told BBC News.\n\nHe added: \"It is crazy when you think about it, to most people it is complete incongruous.\"\n\nSymptoms were so bad that people had to stop taking the tablets on 71 occasions, including 31 times while they were just taking the dummy pill, during the course of the study.\n\n\"Our patients were really suffering, patients are not making it up,\" Dr Howard said.\n\nBut does it matter either way? Whether it is nocebo effect or the chemicals in the statin themselves, the net result is some people find the drugs intolerable.\n\n\"I think it matters a lot,\" Dr Howard said. He said talking the results through with patients meant half of them were able to restart their statins.\n\nThe nocebo effect is the opposite of the more familiar placebo effect, in which people feel better after being given a therapy, even if there is nothing in it.\n\nThe exact reason why statins produce a nocebo effect is unknown. The suspicion is they have achieved a self-fulfilling destiny with media reports, GPs and cardiologists warning of the side-effects of statins.\n\n\"If you stopped a man in the street and asked how do you feel about an aspirin or a statin a day, I think people would be much more positive about the aspirin,\" Dr Howard said.\n\nThe study is being published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Heart Association Conference.\n\nProf Sir Nilesh Samani, the medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: \"These results undeniably show that statins are not responsible for many of the side effects attributed to them.\n\n\"Decades of evidence have proven that statins save lives and they should be the first port of call for individuals at high risk of heart attack and stroke.\"", "The blaze on Saturday evening ripped through the intensive care unit at the hospital\n\nAt least 10 people have been killed and several others seriously injured in a fire at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in Romania, officials say.\n\nThe blaze broke out in the intensive care unit of the public hospital in the north-eastern city of Piatra Neamt.\n\nOne doctor who tried to rescue patients is said to be in a critical condition after suffering serious burns.\n\nRomania's Health Minister Nelu Tataru told local media the fire was \"most likely triggered by a short circuit\".\n\nMr Tataru said that other Covid patients being treated at the hospital were being transferred to another facility in the city of Iasi.\n\nThe injured doctor, who is said to have suffered severe burning to most of his body, was being transferred to the capital, Bucharest, by a military plane, local media report.\n\n\"There are other medical staff who suffered burns, not only the doctor on duty,\" Mr Tataru said, adding that he was heading to Piatra Neamt following the incident at the hospital on Saturday evening.\n\nEight of the victims were reportedly killed in the room where the fire broke out on the second floor, and two others in a room next to it. All were said have been receiving treatment for coronavirus. Many in the ward were on ventilators.\n\nThe fire was believed to have spread quickly after it was fed oxygen by the supplies used to intubate patients, the health ministry said.\n\nRomania has reported more than 350,000 cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, and 8,813 deaths.\n\nOn Friday, the country recorded 9,489 new daily Covid cases, 174 deaths and 1,149 patients in intensive care.", "Lewis Hamilton clinched a seventh World Championship and became the most successful racing driver ever with a masterful victory in the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday.\n\nThe Mercedes driver equalled Michael Schumacher's achievement in terms of titles, after already surpassing the German's number of race wins last month.\n\nVictory at a treacherously wet and slippery Istanbul Park track in a topsy-turvy race was the 94th of the 35-year-old Briton's career.\n\nAs he received the congratulations of his team, Hamilton was almost overcome with emotion in the car after the race, saying: \"To all the kids out there, dream the impossible.\"\n\nOnce out of the car, he added: \"Seven is just unimaginable but when you work with such a great group of people and you really trust each other, there is just no end to what you can do together.\n\n\"I feel like I'm only just getting started, it's really weird.\"\n\nHamilton, who does not yet have a contract for next year, added he would \"love to stay\" in F1 and wanted to continue to campaign for change when it comes to human rights, diversity and environmentalism.\n\nThe Englishman won his first world title with McLaren in 2008 with further successes in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019.\n• None The greatest ever? We examine the stats\n\nHow Hamilton won it in style\n\nIt was a drive befitting the monumental nature of Hamilton's achievement.\n\nHe trod carefully in the opening stages of the race and even made a couple of small mistakes as the drivers fought for grip in the wet conditions.\n\nBy five laps in he was in sixth place, well over 20 seconds off the lead held by Racing Point's Lance Stroll, ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez.\n\nAfter all the leaders made an early stop for fresh intermediate tyres, Hamilton was stuck behind Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, faster but unable to pass because of the lack of grip off line.\n\nBut the race opened up for Hamilton at around half-distance as he once again made decisive strategy calls on tyres from the cockpit and drove with the skill and class that has enabled him to put himself in this position.\n\nStroll and Perez began to be caught by those behind.\n\nRed Bull's Max Verstappen was the first to pressure them, but fell out of contention when he lost control and spun behind Perez on lap 18, destroying his tyres and needing to stop again.\n\nThen, Red Bull's Alex Albon was running third, ahead of Vettel's Ferrari and Hamilton.\n\nFerrari pitted Vettel for fresh tyres on lap 33, having seen how quickly team-mate Charles Leclerc was going on his fresh intermediates, and then Albon spun at Turn Four.\n\nThat gave Hamilton a clean run to attack the Racing Points and he told his team: \"Don't box [pit] me, man.\"\n\nDespite Stroll saying he did not want to change tyres, Racing Point did pit the Canadian on lap 36, removing him from the lead and, shortly afterwards, Hamilton took the lead from Perez and never looked back.\n\nHamilton and Perez stayed out on worn tyres, as the Mercedes driver pulled away in the lead, his only concern being whether his worn intermediate tyres would last.\n\nAnd Hamilton's excellence was put into stark perspective by his team-mate Valtteri Bottas.\n\nThe Finn went into the race knowing he had to out-score Hamilton by at least eight points to keep the championship alive. But he had a dreadful day, spinning at least five times and finishing 14th, lapped by Hamilton.\n\nWhen told there were four laps left late in the race, a downcast Bottas said: \"I wish it was less.\"\n\nIt was a heartbreaking day for Stroll, who confidently led for the first 36 laps after the first pole position of his career, only to see his race unravel after he made his stop for fresh tyres.\n\nBut while the Canadian could not make the new tyres work on his car, and slumped to ninth at the end, a second pit stop mid-race worked well for both Ferrari drivers.\n\nPerez hung on to second, after briefly losing the place to Leclerc on the final lap, only for the Monegasque to slide wide at the final chicane, allowing team-mate Vettel through into the final podium position, his first of the season.\n\nRed Bull's Max Verstappen pushed Perez hard early on, but a spin at the kink on the back straight ended his hopes.\n\nWhat happens next?\n\nHamilton has clinched the title with three races still to go, two in Bahrain starting in two weeks' time and then a finale in Abu Dhabi in mid-December.\n\nWhat they said\n\nHamilton: \"It felt so far fetched. I remember watching Michael win those world championships. To get one or two or even three is so hard. Seven is unimaginable. There is no end to what we can do together, me and this team. We dreamed of this when I was young. It is so important for kids to see this and don't listen to anyone who says you can't achieve something. Dream the impossible. You have got to chase it and never give up.\"\n\nPerez: \"I told my team on the radio: 'One more lap on those tyres, I think they will have exploded.' The vibrations were really bad towards the end. But I think it also made our race. Looking after them towards the beginning and towards the end, with drying conditions, I think the team did a fantastic job with the strategy in the race.\"\n\nVettel: \"It was quite intense but good fun. I had a really good opening lap, I found myself already in P4. It is a bit of a surprise to snatch the podium but I am certainly very happy.\"\n• None The artists face their first challenge", "Restaurants and cafes are closed except for takeaway in England until 2 December\n\nThe next two weeks will be \"absolutely crucial\" if England's lockdown is to end as planned on 2 December, a government scientific adviser has said.\n\nProf Susan Michie said the public must resist breaking the rules in order to \"be in a position\" to spend the festive period with loved ones.\n\nNews of a potential vaccine would make \"no difference\" to the current wave but could lead to complacency, she added.\n\nThe prime minister has said the current restrictions will \"expire\" next month.\n\nProf Michie, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was too early to know what should replace the measures when they end, with the coming fortnight being key.\n\nShe said: \"They're going to be a very challenging two weeks, partly because of the weather, partly because, I think, the promise of a vaccine may be making people feel complacent.\"\n\nBut she said data showed adherence to lockdown rules had been \"pretty steady since the summer\".\n\nIt comes as the UK recorded a further 26,860 Covid cases on Saturday, along with 462 deaths within 28 days of positive test.\n\nPubs, bars and restaurants as well as non-essential shops have been forced to close during the four-week lockdown in England.\n\nBoris Johnson has previously insisted the measures will end as scheduled but Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said measures could last beyond 2 December.\n\nProf Michie said people had to \"get their resolve together\" and resist any urge to break the rules, in order to maximise the chance of leaving lockdown.\n\nHowever, she said she was \"quite hopeful\" after tough measures in Wales and Northern Ireland brought transmission rates down.\n\nWales finished its 17-day firebreak lockdown restrictions on Monday. Much of Northern Ireland's economy was placed under tight measures on 16 October.\n\nScotland introduced a four-tier system on 2 November after ending national curbs on the hospitality industry. Areas in the west of Scotland have been warned they may be placed under the highest level of restrictions next week.\n\nIt comes after documents released by Sage on Friday, and dated 4 November, warned that a return to the tiered system of coronavirus restrictions in England after lockdown ends could see infections rise again.\n\nOn Friday, Sage said that the R number - the rate at which the virus spreads - for the UK had fallen to 1-1.2, with experts believing it is already below 1 in some places.\n\nIf the R number is lower than one then the disease will eventually stop spreading\n\nDame Anne Johnson, professor of epidemiology at University College London, said the evidence suggested tier three restrictions had brought the R value down but it was not clear if they would get it under 1.", "Thousands of pro-Trump protesters rallied in Washington DC for the Million MAGA March, turning out to support President Trump and back his unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the US election.\n\nWe asked some of the supporters what they feel about president-elect Joe Biden.\n\nWhile the daytime event was largely orderly, Trump supporters clashed with counter-demonstrators in the night.", "Two people have died in clashes in Peru's capital Lima between police and protesters angry at the impeachment of President Martín Vizcarra.\n\nSeveral people were injured in the violence that saw police fire tear gas into the crowd of many thousands.\n\nPeru has been rocked by mass protests since Congress voted on Monday to impeach Mr Vizcarra over alleged bribery - charges he denies.\n\nSpeaker of Congress Manuel Merino has taken over as interim president.\n\nThere are concerns of a growing political crisis as Peru faces a severe economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nTens of thousands of demonstrators - many of them young - gathered again in Lima and other cities on Saturday for protests that were for the large part peaceful.\n\nThe capital echoed with sirens, shouts and chants of protesters demanding the removal of Mr Merino, Reuters reports.\n\nClashes broke out towards the evening after a group of hooded protesters threw fireworks and stones at the police, who responded with tear gas.\n\nTwo men, one aged 24 and the other 25, were killed.\n\nMr Vizcarra, 57, has enjoyed continued support among many voters for his attempts at reform.\n\nHe has been embroiled in a bitter battle with Congress, which is dominated by rival parties, since he took office in March 2018.\n\nLast year, the president dissolved Congress, arguing that lawmakers were obstructing his anti-corruption agenda. A new Congress was elected in January, but tension remained high between the legislative and the executive, with Mr Vizcarra accusing lawmakers of fostering \"chaos and disorder\".\n\nMr Vizcarra has denied allegations that he accepted bribes worth 2.3m soles ($640,000; £487,000) when he was governor of the southern Moquegua region.\n\nMonday's move in Congress came after a previous attempt to remove him. An earlier vote held on 18 September fell far short of gaining the necessary votes when only 32 lawmakers cast their ballot in favour of removing Mr Vizcarra.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Peru has seen days of protests\n\nMr Vizcarra had previously said he would accept the impeachment vote, not take any legal action, and leave the presidential palace. But on Tuesday, he questioned the \"legality and legitimacy\" of his removal.\n\n\"Legality is in question because the Constitutional Court has not yet ruled, and legitimacy is given by the people,\" he told reporters outside his home in Lima.\n\nMr Merino is expected to retain the presidency until July 2021 - when Mr Vizcarra's term was due to end.", "Are the winds of change about to blow off the Welsh coast?\n\nWind turbines floating miles out to sea could one day provide electricity to our homes, experts believe.\n\nWales currently meets about 50% of its needs from renewable sources, including solar and wind.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson wants to see fixed offshore wind farms power UK homes by 2030, while Plaid Cymru believes Wales could be self-sustainable through renewables by then.\n\nBut how big a part could turbines floating off the Welsh coast play?\n\nA 96 megawatt (MW) wind farm capable of powering 90,000 homes is proposed for an area of sea 28 miles (45km) off Pembrokeshire by 2027.\n\nHowever, this could be just the tip of the iceberg, in light of other developments.\n\nSuccessful trials in Scotland suggest floating turbines could have advantages over other types of renewables, including cost and environmental impact.\n\nTurbines would tower over some of the world's most famous landmarks\n\nTidal lagoons, for example, have proved hard to get off the ground because of the large upfront investment needed to build, with no return for a number of years, according to Cardiff University professor of renewable energy Nick Jenkins.\n\nA proposed £1.3bn Swansea Bay project was shelved because of cost.\n\nPlacing solar panels and wind turbines on a large scale in rural Wales can also be difficult, with objections from campaigners and locals over the impact on the landscape.\n\nAs Wales has about 1,680 miles (2,704 km) of coast, generating electricity there could be the obvious solution.\n\nHowever, given the sea bed \"drops dramatically\" in many locations, Prof Jenkins believes fixed turbines are difficult in many places.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"The fact that these (floating) turbines are so far out to sea make them less visible,\" said Rhodri James, of global energy firm Equinor.\n\n\"It does help, as some people in certain areas don't want to see them. And in protected areas, such as Pembrokeshire National Park, putting them close to the shore might be difficult.\"\n\nThere are also other benefits, such as saving on the expense on steel to fix turbines 60m underwater into the seabed, and the higher wind speeds further out to sea and potentially more power generated.\n\nCables are used to attach the floating turbines to the seabed, meaning they can be placed in depths of hundreds of metres\n\nGlobal energy company Equinor first had the idea of floating turbines in 2001, to power offshore oil and gas platforms in Norwegian waters.\n\nThese were run off diesel, which proved expensive and bad for the environment.\n\nWhile the initial aim was to provide clean energy at low cost, Mr James said Equinor quickly realised this was scratching the surface, adding: \"It had the potential to feed into the National Grid if done on a utility scale.\"\n\nIn trials, floating turbines produced impressive results in terms of generation\n\nMr James said adding more turbines reduced costs because of more power generated and saw expenditure per megawatt reduced by 70% with hopes of a further 40% cut.\n\nFixed platforms are generally placed up to a depth of 60m, with floating turbines able to go in waters up to 1,000m.\n\n\"Pembrokeshire is the most favourable part of Wales as it has deep waters. There is a fair bit of offshore generation off north Wales, but they are fixed platforms in shallower waters,\" Mr James added.\n\n\"Wales is well-placed as an area to look into further as is Cornwall, Ireland, the Celtic Sea, but it's currently more extensive in Scotland, where there will be more tests and demonstrations and we are very confident of moving to full scale.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The world's first floating offshore wind farm in Scotland\n\nCurrently, UK offshore farms produce about 10 gigawatts (GW) of power, with a target of 40GW by 2030.\n\nA recent Welsh Government report said just two or three farms could provide 2GW of power, enough for more than a million homes.\n\nGraham Ayling, of the Energy Saving Trust, said the potential to create infrastructure \"looks promising\" and Wales could be self-sufficient from green energy within a decade.\n\n\"Given the pace that renewable technologies have been deployed and developed, and the cost reductions that have been seen in recent years, it is possible that Wales may well meet 100% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030,\" he said.\n\nThe Beatrice offshore wind farm in Scotland generates enough power for more than 450,000 properties\n\nBeing self-sustainable in renewables by the end of the 2020s was something proposed by Plaid Cymru in its 2019 General Election manifesto.\n\nEnvironment spokesman Llyr Gruffydd said wave and tidal sources off Pembrokeshire, in the Celtic Sea and off Anglesey were \"some of the best potential renewable energy resource in the world\".\n\nHe said utilising these should be \"a strategic priority\", but also the most promising forms of renewable energy are emerging technologies and will not be fully utilised until the end of the decade.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Gruffydd wants to see investment in research, development and building skills in the workforce, so the country is ready to take advantage in areas such as floating wind technology.\n\nThe Welsh Conservatives' energy spokeswoman Janet Finch-Saunders said Wales' natural resources provide the opportunity to help stimulate the economy with the creation of \"long-term green-collar jobs\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. George Eustice: \"We're not asking for anything miraculous... it should be possible.\"\n\nSticking points over a post-Brexit trade agreement between the UK and EU \"can be resolved\" and a deal \"can be done\", says a government minister.\n\nEnvironment Secretary George Eustice told the BBC's Andrew Marr \"agreement exists\" between the two sides.\n\nBut earlier, he told Sky News there was still \"some way between us\" and \"time is very, very short\" to agree a deal.\n\nIrish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said talks have \"got to make big progress\" in the coming week.\n\nHe told Sky's Sophy Ridge getting a trade agreement was \"difficult but also very doable\", and the consequences of failing to would be \"significant\".\n\nThe talks between the UK and EU are due to resume on Monday in Brussels.\n\nThe UK's chief negotiator, Lord David Frost, has arrived in the city, tweeting that there had been \"some progress in a positive direction in recent days\".\n\nBut he said \"significant elements\" of the deal are yet to be agreed, adding: \"We may not succeed.\"\n\nAny deal between the UK and EU would need to be ratified by parliaments on both sides, so time is running out for an agreement to be reached and to get the sign off before 31 December.\n\nThe UK left the EU on 31 January, but continues to follow the bloc's rules until the end of the year while negotiations take place.\n\nIf there is no agreement at that point, trade between the two will default to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules - with tariffs set to be introduced on many imports and exports, which could push up costs.\n\nMr Eustice said there would be \"some impact\" in this situation, because of tariffs, but added most would be \"quite modest\".\n\nHowever, he conceded products such as lamb being sold into the EU could face taxes of more than 40%.\n\nThe environment secretary told Andrew Marr: \"We do want to get a free trade agreement with the European Union and an agreement could be done.\n\n\"We are not asking for anything remarkable. We are asking for an agreement akin to the one they have with Canada.\n\n\"We are asking for something that has got a precedent.\"\n\nThe main sticking points between the two sides are over competition rules - where governments give state aid support to businesses - and on fishing rights.\n\nMr Coveney said the conversation over fishing had become \"very emotive\" and both sides needed to \"dial down the language\", or the deal could collapse over the issue.\n\nHe added: \"If a deal isn't done this week we have real problems. We are running out of time now.\"", "Legendary Indian actor Soumitra Chatterjee, famed for his work with Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray, has died from Covid complications.\n\nThe 85-year-old actor was admitted to hospital in Kolkata city on 6 October after he tested positive for the virus.\n\nHe will be mourned by fans and critics who avidly followed his six-decade-long career in Bengali language films.\n\nChatterjee, who starred in more than 300 movies, was also an accomplished playwright, theatre actor and poet.\n\nHe tested negative a few weeks after he was admitted to hospital but his condition soon deteriorated and he was put on a ventilator in the last week of October. He died on Sunday morning.\n\nChatterjee was perhaps best-known for his work with Ray, one of the world's most influential directors and maker of the much-feted Apu Trilogy. The series followed the life of a man who grew up in a Bengali village. The films garnered critical acclaim, winning many awards worldwide, and put Indian cinema on the global map.\n\nThe third movie of the trilogy, Apur Sansar, which released in 1959, was also Chatterjee's debut film. He would go on to star as the lead actor in 14 of Ray's films.\n\nPauline Kael, one of America's most influential and respected film critics, called Chatterjee Ray's \"one-man stock company\" who moved \"so differently in the different roles he plays that he is almost unrecognisable\".\n\nChatterjee was awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema, in 2012 and in 2018, he was given France's highest award, the Legion of Honour.\n\nHe began acting when he was in school, where he starred in several plays. He was in college when a friend introduced him to Ray - it was a chance meeting, but it eventually led to Chatterjee's film debut.\n\n\"I didn't know what to do when Mr Ray first asked me. I didn't know what was the real difference between stage and screen acting. I was afraid I'd overact,\" he told Marie Seton, film critic and biographer, in an interview.\n\nChatterjee's roles in more than a dozen films made by the auteur spanned a wide range.\n\nHe played a Sherlock Holmes-like detective in Sonar Kella, an effete bridegroom in Devi, a hot-tempered north Indian taxi driver in Abhijan, a city slicker in Aranyer Din Ratri, and a mild-mannered village priest in Ashani Sanket. He also played what Seton called a \"thinly veiled portrait\" of Nobel Prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore in Charulata, one of Ray's most admired films.\n\n\"His chief asset was the natural sensitivity of his appearance,\" Seton wrote of the actor.\n\nRay mentored his favourite actor, lending him books on cinema and often taking him to watch Sunday morning shows of Hollywood films in Kolkata. \"The entire exercise he did with a purpose, it was not as if he was taking me out on Sundays for entertainment,\" Chatterjee once said.\n\nChatterjee acted with Hugh Grant in a 1989 film set in Calcutta\n\nRay, who died in 1992, had said that Chatterjee was an intelligent actor and \"given bad material, he turns out a bad performance\".\n\n\"Not a day passed when I do not think of Ray or discuss him or miss him. He is a constant presence in my life, if not for anything else but for the inspiration I derive when I think about him,\" Chatterjee told an interviewer.\n\nChatterjee also played the romantic lead in popular Bengali films, but his appeal, say critics, was more limited than the reigning star, Uttam Kumar.\n\nOver the years, Chatterjee worked with leading directors like Tapan Sinha, Mrinal Sen, Asit Sen, Ajoy Kar, Rituparno Ghosh and Aparna Sen. In 1988, he worked with John Hurt and Hugh Grant in The Bengali Night, a film set in Kolkata.\n\nAdoor Gopalakrishnan, one of India's greatest filmmakers, said that on screen, Chatterjee \"became the quintessential Bengali - intellectually inclined, of middle-class orientation, sensitive and likeable\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nOutside films, Chatterjee was tirelessly creative: he edited a literary magazine, published more than 30 books of essays and poetry; acted, directed and wrote an equal number of plays; and painted.\n\nOne of his most successful plays, Ghatak Bidey, a comedy, ran for 500 nights. Chatterjee acted in a commercially successful Bengali adaption of King Lear, which many believe was one of his finest performances on stage.\n\nFor all his popularity, Chatterjee stayed away from Bollywood, preferring to act in Bengali language films.\n\n\"Soumitra is the finest actor in the land today, but totally unheard of outside Bengal. It's a loss for India, Bollywood and I guess, a bit for Soumitra,\" Pritish Nandy, poet, journalist and filmmaker, said of the actor in 2012.\n\nAmitava Nag, author of a biography of the actor, says Chatterjee was \"the thinking man's hero. He was an intellectual and a poet\".\n\nNag once asked Chatterjee whether he felt burdened by the obligation to entertain.\n\n\"Very seldom. This is my job,\" he said.", "Entertainer Des O'Connor has died at the age of 88, his agent has confirmed.\n\nThe comedian, singer and TV host died on Saturday following a fall at his home in Buckinghamshire just over a week ago.\n\nHe was known for hosting his own chat show, as well as Take Your Pick and Countdown - and for his friendship with Morecambe and Wise.\n\nIn a statement his agent said he was \"well loved by absolutely everybody\" and \"loved life\".\n\nHis long-time agent and family friend Pat Lake-Smith described him as the \"ultimate entertainer\" and said he had been recovering from the fall before his condition had suddenly deteriorated.\n\nShe said: \"He was a joy to work with - he was talented, fun, positive, enthusiastic, kind and a total professional. He loved life, and considered enthusiasm almost as important as oxygen.\"\n\nLondon-born O'Connor presented his own prime-time TV shows for more than 45 years but also had success as a singer.\n\nHis friendship with comedy duo Morecambe and Wise saw him mocked for his singing ability in sketches despite a successful career which included four Top 10 hits and more than 30 albums.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nO'Connor appeared on stages around the world including hundreds of shows at the London Palladium.\n\nHis fame soared when he was hired to host The Des O'Connor Show, which ran on ITV from 1963 to 1971.\n\nIn 1977 he began hosting Des O'Connor Tonight, which started on BBC Two before moving to ITV, where it stayed until it ended in 2002.\n\nHe later hosted the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown alongside Carol Vorderman, with the pair bowing out together in 2008, and was made a CBE for his services to entertainment and broadcasting in that year's birthday honours.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Gyles Brandreth: \"I don't think you'll find anybody...who's got a thing to say against Des O'Connor\"\n\nO'Connor was married four times, and has described the end of his first three relationships as casualties of his obsession with work.\n\nIn 2007, he married long-term girlfriend Jodie Brooke Wilson, who was 37 years his junior and gave birth to their son Adam when O'Connor was 72.\n\nO'Connor also had four daughters, Karin, TJ, Samantha and Kristina from his previous marriages.\n\nTributes have been paid following his death, with Countdown co-host Vorderman saying he was a born entertainer and it had been a \"complete joy to work with him\".\n\nShe told BBC News: \"I grew up throughout the Des O'Connor years, when he was on the television all the time, on Des O'Connor Tonight and the Morecambe and Wise shows.\n\nO'Connor was made a CBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours\n\n\"Up to 20 million people would sit around the television and watch and laugh, and I mean laugh until they cried.\n\n\"He was the king; he was one of the very great British television entertainers.\"\n\nFellow Countdown star Susie Dent described him as a \"true gent\" while Call the Midwife star Stephen McGann said O'Connor \"never took himself too seriously\".\n\nMelanie Sykes, who hosted TV show Today With Des And Mel alongside O'Connor, said it was an \"education and a privilege to work with him\".\n\nShe wrote on Instagram: \"He had talent in every fibre of his being and was stubborn as a mule. He was the full ticket as a friend and colleague.\"\n\nBroadcaster Tony Blackburn said \"he was a great entertainer and more importantly a very nice person\", and TV presenter Gyles Brandreth described him as \"the ultimate professional\".\n\nSpeaking about his sketches with Morecambe and Wise, comedian David Baddiel said: \"RIP Des O' Connor. It's worth remembering how brilliant he is at his own expense in these sketches.\"\n\nNorthampton Town Football Club also joined the tributes to their former reserve player.\n\nThe club said: \"We are very sorry to learn of the passing of Des O'Connor. Des famously played for our reserve team on a few occasions just after World War Two. Our thoughts are with all who knew Des.\"\n\nViolinist Sue Croot told the BBC she had always treasured a signed photograph O'Connor gave to her father Ronald Croot, who was helping out on a production of Cinderella at the Grand Theatre in Swansea in the late 1950s. \"Dad said that Des was just such fun to be around and that he was such a down-to-earth person,\" she said.", "The Prince of Wales has spoken of the \"enduring connections\" between the UK and Germany as negotiators prepare for post-Brexit trade talks to continue.\n\nPrince Charles said though politicians were discussing the \"shape\" of the countries' relationship, their \"fundamental bond\" would remain strong.\n\nHis wife, Camilla, has joined him on their first official overseas visit since the start of the Covid pandemic.\n\nEarlier, they attended a wreath-laying ceremony at a memorial in Berlin.\n\nPrince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are the first members of the Royal Family to attend the ceremony at the Bundestag, the German parliament, in Berlin, marking the country's National Day of Mourning for victims of war.\n\nThe prince told those gathered: \"The United Kingdom has chosen a future outside the European Union, and the relationship between our countries is evolving once again.\n\n\"Its shape is a matter negotiated between our governments and its essence is defined by the enduring connections between our people.\n\n\"It is, therefore, my heartfelt belief that the fundamental bond between us will remain strong: we will always be friends, partners and allies.\n\n\"As our countries begin this new chapter in our long history, let us reaffirm our bond for the years ahead.\"\n\nThe speech comes 75 years after the end of World War Two and as post-Brexit trade talks are reaching their crucial final stages.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are visiting Berlin to commemorate Germany’s National Day of Mourning\n\nReferring to the English poet John Donne, who wrote that \"no man is an island\", the heir to the throne said: \"One might equally submit that no country is really an island either, other than in the wholly literal sense.\n\n\"Our histories bind us tightly together and our destinies, although each our own to forge, are interdependent to a considerable degree.\"\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were welcomed to Germany by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender on the steps of the Bellevue Palace in Berlin.\n\nThe four then travelled to the Neue Wache Central Memorial, dedicated to victims of war and tyranny, where a wreath had been laid on behalf of the prince in front of a sculpture titled Mother With Her Dead Son.\n\nThe sculpture was designed by German artist Kathe Kollwitz in memory of her own son who died in World War One.\n\nPrince Charles briefly touched the wreath before joining the president and four other German dignitaries in a silence as a trumpet solo echoed through the building.\n\nThe message on the prince's poppy wreath read: \"In everlasting remembrance of all victims of conflict and tyranny. Charles.\"\n\nThe Prince of Wales and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier stand in silence along with other dignitaries\n\nCamilla then laid a posy featuring rosemary for remembrance and olive, white daisies and nerines for peace.\n\nThee royal couple flew to Berlin Brandenburg Airport on Saturday evening in the UK's ministerial RAF Voyager jet - the first time it has flown dignitaries since a makeover costing almost £1m.\n\nThe prince, who celebrated his 72nd birthday on Saturday, was presented with a birthday cake during the flight.\n\nThe royal couple flew to Germany in the refurbished ministerial RAF Voyager jet\n\nThe Royal Family have carried out a number of European visits since the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016.\n\nDuring a tour of Germany in May last year, Prince Charles said the bonds between the UK and Germany \"will, and must endure\" post-Brexit.\n\nAnd when his son, the Duke of Cambridge, visited the country in 2016, William said the depth of Britain's friendship with Germany would not change after the UK left the EU.\n\nAhead of his trip, the Prince Charles held a telephone meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.", "Elon Musk said at the start of the pandemic that the \"panic\" could \"cause more harm than the virus\"\n\nTech entrepreneur Elon Musk says he \"most likely\" has a \"moderate case\" of Covid-19 but has been \"getting wildly different results from different labs\".\n\nThe boss of Tesla and SpaceX, who is 49, tweeted his symptoms were those of a \"minor cold\". On Friday he said he had been tested four times, with two positive and two negative results.\n\nMr Musk appeared to play down concerns about the pandemic when it first hit.\n\nCovid-19 has now infected nearly 10.9 million people in the US.\n\nMore than 245,000 people have died there, and more than 67,000 people are currently in hospital.\n\nSome 35 US states now require face coverings to be worn in public and many are urging residents to stick to social distancing amid fears their health care systems will be swamped with infected patients.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Elon Musk This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Musk, who has 40 million followers on Twitter, said about his symptoms that he was \"a little up & down. Feels just like a regular cold, but more body achy & cloudy head than coughing/sneezing\".\n\nOn Friday, he had questioned the veracity of rapid antigen testing, tweeting: \"Something extremely bogus is going on. Was tested for covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse.\"\n\nHe said he was awaiting the results of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, which are regarded as the gold standard by epidemiologists and the one used most around the world.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A cold, flu or coronavirus - which one do I have?\n\nBack in March, Mr Musk had tweeted to his 32 million followers on Twitter: \"My guess is that the panic will cause more harm than the virus.\"\n\nTwo months later he threatened to move his electric car firm's headquarters out of California after his Tesla factory was ordered to stay shut because of lockdown measures.\n\nMr Musk's SpaceX firm is set to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station on Sunday. Nasa chief Jim Bridenstine on Friday ruled out the presence of anyone who tested positive for Covid-19 at the Kennedy Space Center.", "Boris Johnson is self-isolating after meeting an MP who later tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nThe prime minister said he was contacted by NHS Test and Trace on Sunday but is not showing symptoms.\n\nMr Johnson on Thursday spent about 35 minutes with Ashfield MP Lee Anderson who has since tested positive.\n\nThe news came as No 10 said Mr Johnson would make \"critical announcements\" about coronavirus and \"levelling up\" the UK over the coming weeks.\n\nIn an announcement planned before Mr Johnson was told to self-isolate, Downing Street said there would be a \"clear signal\" of his \"ongoing ambitions for the United Kingdom\".\n\nIt said Mr Johnson would chair \"key Covid meetings\" and work with Chancellor Rishi Sunak to devise the upcoming spending review with an aim to fulfil his promise to \"build back better\".\n\nBut No 10's effort to start the week afresh following the departure of two of Mr Johnson's top aides amid an internal power struggle was overshadowed by news the prime minister was self-isolating.\n\nMr Johnson wrote on Twitter on Sunday night: \"Today I was notified by NHS Test and Trace that I must self-isolate as I have been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.\n\n\"I have no symptoms, but am following the rules and will be working from No 10 as I continue to lead the government's pandemic response.\"\n\nA No 10 spokesman added: \"The PM is well and does not have any symptoms of Covid-19.\"\n\nIn a WhatsApp message to Tory MPs seen by the BBC the PM added: \"The good news is that NHS Test and Trace continues to improve. The bad news is that I have been pinged!\"\n\nHe said that he would observe self-isolation rules despite \"following the guidance and socially distancing\" during his meeting with Mr Anderson.\n\n\"It doesn't matter that I feel fine - better than ever - or that my body is bursting with antibodies because I have already had the damn thing,\" he added.\n\n\"The rules are the rules and they are there to stop the spread of the disease.\"\n\nIn April, Mr Johnson spent three nights in intensive care after falling ill with the virus.\n\nHe later said it \"could have gone either way\" and thanked healthcare workers for saving his life.\n\nBoris Johnson will now have to stay at home in No 10.\n\nIt means he will not be able to be in Parliament, though I'm told he will be working from Downing Street.\n\nHe does still intend to keep communicating with the country.\n\nIt was supposed to be a pretty big week for Boris Johnson - he is trying to reset his government after some factional fighting in his office over the last few days.\n\nThere are conversations taking place with the parliamentary authorities to see whether he can still contribute to the Commons.\n\nI think it is fair to say this has not come at the best time for Mr Johnson: he has big decisions to make on Brexit and what happens when England's lockdown ends on 2 December.\n\nAnd it is also worth bearing in mind he was extremely ill with coronavirus earlier in the year and we do not know what getting the virus does for a person's immunity.\n\nLeader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg said on Sunday evening he was urgently exploring how to \"support additional virtual participation\" in the chamber following a campaign by vulnerable MPs.\n\nSuch a move could allow more MPs, including Mr Johnson, to attend Commons' debates virtually and possibly even Prime Minister's Questions as he self-isolates.\n\nOn Thursday, Conservative MP Mr Anderson posted a photo of himself with Mr Johnson at No 10 alongside the words: \"Breakfast with the PM.\"\n\nMr Johnson said he observed all the guidelines and distancing advice during his meeting with Lee Anderson on Thursday\n\nMr Anderson posted on his Facebook page to say he was self-isolating with his wife, who is clinically vulnerable.\n\n\"On Friday I lost my sense of taste at the same time my wife had a bad headache,\" he said. \"I had no cough, no fever and felt well. We both had a test on Saturday and the result came in Sunday morning.\n\n\"My wife and I both tested positive. I feel absolutely fine and my biggest concern is my wife who is in the shielded group.\n\n\"But we are both feeling good.\"\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg tweeted the news had come the night before what was meant to be a \"big relaunch week\", following the row last week involving the PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings.\n\nMr Cummings left Downing Street for the last time on Friday following internal battles about his role.\n\nEarlier this weekend, senior Tory MP David Davis said Mr Cummings' departure was a chance to \"reset government\".\n\nAnother Conservative MP, Sir Charles Walker, said the changes were a sign of Mr Johnson's \"determination to rebuild relationships\".\n\nA meeting between the PM and the Northern Research Group of backbench Tory MPs had been scheduled for Monday.\n\nOfficials also confirmed the government's 10-point plan for a \"green industrial revolution\" would be published \"to boost green jobs whilst invigorating plans to achieve net zero by 2050\".\n\nIn addition, another week of negotiations over a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU are set to begin in Brussels.\n\nThe transition period, which followed Brexit in January, ends on 31 December by which time a deal needs to be agreed and approved by parliaments in the UK and EU.\n\nChief UK negotiator David Frost has said there had been some progress between the two sides but that considerable differences remained.\n\nThe UK government announced another 24,962 confirmed Covid cases on Sunday, as well as a further 168 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.", "Ant and Dec said the the show would feel \"reassuringly familiar\" despite the new location\n\nAnt and Dec told campmates \"things are going to be a bit different this year\" as the latest series of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here launched on Sunday.\n\nThis year's series is taking place in Gwrych Castle in North Wales instead of the Australian jungle due to Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nSir Mo Farah, Vernon Kay and Beverley Callard are among the new campmates.\n\n\"I can't tell you how excited we are to see you all here together finally,\" said Dec. \"Welcome to the castle.\"\n\n\"Things are going to be a bit different this year,\" continued Ant. \"There's no jungle obviously, there's no dunny, there's a privy [toilet] and I can guarantee you there's absolutely no chance of sunbathing.\"\n\nDec added: \"Some things will stay exactly the same. Some things will be reassuringly familiar. So you will live on a diet of rice and beans and you'll do trials to win food for the camp.\"\n\nSunday's launch episode drew an average audience of 10.9 million, almost two million more than the audience that tuned into the Strictly Come Dancing results show on BBC One earlier that evening.\n\nThat was more than the overnight audience of 10 million recorded for last year's launch episode - though that figure rose to 13.17 million once on-demand and catch-up views were taken into account.\n\nThe celebrities were split into two groups of five for the opening challenge\n\nThe other campmates this series include former EastEnders star Shane Richie, Paralympic champion Hollie Arnold, and journalist Victoria Derbyshire.\n\nActress Jessica Plummer, Radio 1 DJ Jordan North, podcaster Giovanna Fletcher and former Strictly pro dancer AJ Pritchard complete the line-up.\n\nThe episode opened with the 10 celebrities split into two groups of five, with one group meeting at the top of a cliff and the other at the bottom.\n\nThose at the top then had to start abseiling down the cliff to collect the team's rucksacks, which were padlocked half way down the cliff side.\n\nNorth was so nervous about the challenge he was sick before it began. \"I've only been here 5 minutes and I'm puking up already,\" he said.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by I'm A Celebrity... This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nLater in the episode, the 10 celebrities were told they would all take part in the first trial of the series, titled The Gates To Hell.\n\nThe challenge saw each of the campmates locked in 10 adjacent chambers. The team then had to pass gold stars, each worth a meal for the camp, from one end to the other - while having cockroaches, maggots and crickets dropped on them.\n\nThe group managed to move seven of the 10 gold stars to the end of the line.\n\nDerbyshire said she felt \"ecstatic that we got so many stars and that it's all over\", but North described the experience as \"absolutely horrific\".\n\nAfter the challenge was over, Callard discovered there were still critters in her pockets and said: \"Oh my god this is my worst nightmare!\"\n\nThis year's series is taking place in Gwrych Castle in North Wales\n\nThe campmates were also seen exploring their new home, with several of them less than impressed by the castle's washroom.\n\n\"Its minging, it needs a really good clean. Well I'm sorry but no. My hair. I will look like I've had Donald Trump's hairdresser,\" joked Callard.\n\nReflecting on the new location, Kay said: \"There are certain things that Australia would've provided that Wales doesn't - a tan, and the opportunity to wear budgie smugglers.\"\n\nOn social media, viewers enjoyed poking fun at the latest round of celebrities and their reactions to the first challenges.\n\nSeveral Twitter users made light of Arnold introducing herself as \"Hollie Arnold MBE\" when she met her fellow campmates.\n\nOthers enjoyed Plummer's struggle to remember where her group Neon Jungle's single had charted, confusing the Scottish singles chart with the overall UK chart.\n\nGiovanna Fletcher's husband Tom, from the band McFly, got particularly nervous watching the opening challenge, tweeting: \"Did Shane Richie just drop my wife off a cliff?!\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Joe This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe new setting broadly went down well with viewers, with TV critic Emma Bullimore writing: \"Wales looks gorgeous, it's a great group of celebs and Ant and Dec are on good form. I'd be happy for them never to go back to Australia.\"\n\nRadio 1 DJ Greg James agreed: \"I think it's gonna be better in Wales and won't ever go back to Australia.\"\n\n\"It wasn't what ITV bosses had planned but the early signs for this revamped, relocated series were promising,\" wrote Michael Hogan in the Telegraph. \"The new castle setting was telegenic and atmospheric.\"\n\n\"Who needs the Australian jungle when you've a draughty tower in Wales?\" wrote The Independent's Ed Power. \"Despite the new location and the fact it's being shot in winter, I'm A Celeb 2020 was exceedingly I'm A Celebrity.\"\n\nNorth's reaction to the first challenge led several viewers to suggest the public would inevitably vote for him to do the majority of the trials this series.\n\nAnd, sure enough, the episode concluded with North and Richie finding out they would face the next bushtucker trial.\n\nThis series will run for three weeks, with one winner ultimately being crowned the king or queen of the castle - instead of jungle.\n\nIt took a minute to acclimatise to I'm A Celebrity's new look as Ant and Dec welcomed viewers to North Wales, but it wasn't long before it began feeling like business as usual.\n\nJust like Love Island's move from Spain to South Africa for its winter series, the location might be different, but it fundamentally remains the same show with the same basic format underneath.\n\nAll the usual I'm A Celebrity building blocks are in place - it's already clear there will still be exhausted and terrified celebrities doing bushtucker trials while Ant and Dec hold the show together (and try not to laugh at them too much).\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by antanddec This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis year's line-up is strong and the group supported each other well during the first challenge, with Ant telling them they \"worked well as a team\".\n\nThis could end up being one of the most successful series of I'm A Celebrity yet for ITV. The current lockdown restrictions have resulted in a major ratings boost for programmes like Strictly Come Dancing as people stay at home.\n\nThe weather might be worse than in Australia, but there are a few big bonuses about being in the UK for this year's celebrities. Not only have they avoided jet lag, but staying in the UK's time zone will mean they won't have to get up at the crack of dawn for the live evictions.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The R number for the UK has fallen to between 1 and 1.2, the closest it's been to 1 since early September.\n\nIt comes as the Office for National Statistics says the number of people infected with coronavirus is slowing down.\n\nData up to 6 November, the day after England's second lockdown began, shows infections falling in the north west but rising in the south and Midlands.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, infection rates were levelling off, the ONS says.\n\nBut in Wales rising infection levels were still continuing.\n\nAnd it's too early to say if they were stabilising a week ago in Scotland.\n\nAlthough growth may be slowing in some parts of the country, the government's scientific advisers say \"significant levels of healthcare demand and mortality will persist until R is reduced to and remains well below 1 for an extended period of time\".\n\nAn estimate of the R number, or reproduction number, of the virus is published every week and based on a number of different sources of data, including the ONS infection survey.\n\nThe ONS figures are based on thousands of swab tests in random households across the UK, thought to be one of the most reliable ways of judging how many people are infected with the virus - not just those with symptoms.\n\nThe data for the week to 6 November shows:\n\nIn England, the number of new cases is stabilising at 50,000 per day, the ONS says.\n\nBut infection rates appeared to be increasing in the south east, south west and East Midlands during that week where they had previously been low.\n\nAmong teenagers and young adults, who have seen the highest levels of the virus, infection rates appear to be levelling off or even falling.\n\nData from the Covid symptom app, based on one million people reporting symptoms, suggests cases are coming down across most areas of the UK - although numbers are still high.\n\nTheir figures are based on 13,000 swab tests carried out by users during the two weeks up to 8 November.\n\nGovernment figures on lab-confirmed cases show a picture of rising cases in many regions of England, but falling in the north west.\n\nOn Friday, there were 27,301 new confirmed cases of the virus in the UK - down from a record-high of 33,470 on Thursday. These represent people with symptoms who've received positive tests.\n\nHealth officials said Thursday's rise could be a result of people being infected while socialising in the days before England's second lockdown started on 5 November.\n\nAccording to the latest data from Public Health England, infection rates are rising quickly in the over-80s, who are most at risk from Covid-19.\n\nPHE said limiting contact with others \"will help to stop the spread of the virus and protect the people we love\".\n\nDifferent levels of restrictions on people's lives are currently in place across the UK.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Vienna imposed a partial lockdown at the start of November, including an overnight curfew\n\nAustria is moving from a night curfew and partial shutdown to a second national lockdown that will be in place for at least two and a half weeks.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz has urged Austrians not to meet anyone from outside their household in an attempt to curb a rapid rise in Covid cases.\n\nHe said schools would close and students would learn from home when new measures come into force on Tuesday.\n\nAustria reported a record number of 9,586 new daily infections on Friday.\n\nThat figure was nine times higher than at the peak of the initial wave earlier this year. The country has recorded more than 191,000 cases since the start of the pandemic, and 1,661 Covid-related deaths.\n\nThe new lockdown measures, which will see all non-essential shops and services - including hairdressers - close, will remain in place until 6 December. People have been told to work at home wherever possible.\n\nAustria's Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said it was the last chance to stop the health service from collapsing under the pressure of new infections.\n\nHe said Austrians had already done it once and they could do it again.\n\nAustria had its first nationwide lockdown in March, during the first wave of the pandemic.\n\nAmid rising numbers, the capital Vienna had already imposed a partial lockdown, including a curfew from 20:00 to 06:00, at the start of November.\n\nCountries across Europe are experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, with some - such as Sweden - warning that it is too early to plan for Christmas travel.\n\nIn Italy, more regions have been added to the list of coronavirus high-risk \"red zones\". Campania and Tuscany will join other regions placed under the strictest lockdown measures from Sunday.\n\nAuthorities in Campania, which includes Naples, have warned that the health system there is close to collapse. Italy passed one million confirmed cases earlier this week and there have been more than 44,000 deaths in the country.\n\nRestaurant workers in Rome protested against the latest restrictions on Friday\n\nA quarter of the new cases are in Lombardy, which includes Milan. It was the worst-hit area in Italy's first outbreak and it was Europe's first coronavirus hotspot.\n\nCampania, however, has shot straight from the yellow zone to red as a spike in cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals.\n\nRegions are divided into three zones - red for the highest risk, then orange and yellow. In the red zone at the moment are Lombardy, Bolzano, Piedmont and Aosta Valley in the north, and Calabria in the south.\n\nIn these areas, which cover about 16.5 million people in a population of 60 million, residents can only leave home for work, health reasons, essential shopping or emergencies. All non-essential shops are closed.\n\nBars and restaurants are also shut but people can exercise near their homes if they wear masks. Hairdressers can remain open.\n\nGreece has announced that primary schools, kindergartens and day-care centres must close, as it tackles a death rate that has quadrupled since late October.\n\nSince Friday night, a curfew from 21:00 to 05:00 is in place nationwide.\n\nLockdowns and other measures are in force in several European countries experiencing a second wave of the virus. In other developments:", "Celebrations on Leicester's Golden Mile are said to be the largest outside of India\n\nEvery year, Leicester's Golden Mile - the city's length of road famous for its South Asian connections - becomes a noisy, joyous mass of colour and light as residents and visitors from around the world celebrate Diwali. But this year's lockdown means festivities will look very different.\n\nFor years the city has played host to one of the biggest celebrations of the festival of light outside India, with Hindus, Sikhs and Jains catching up, dressing in their finest clothes, cooking feasts and exchanging gifts.\n\nFor two nights of the year the road attracts 40-50,000 people for the lights switch-on and an evening of music and dancing.\n\nJoshna (left) said she had missed the atmosphere on the Golden Mile\n\nJoshna Ramji, 62, who lives in nearby Oadby, said she loved the \"buzz of the Golden Mile\" during Diwaili but this year felt very strange.\n\n\"Normally all the shops have decorations and signs up in their windows,\" she said. \"[The Golden Mile] is full of people buying gifts, food, new clothes or getting their hair done.\n\n\"But this year nobody is doing that and it is very, very quiet as businesses are closed. The atmosphere is very different.\"\n\nLeicester is the only British city to have been living under coronavirus restrictions continuously since March, meaning even though its usual celebrations have been severely curtailed, the urge to enjoy the festivities has for many people in the city been stronger than ever.\n\nDiwali for Joshna usually includes a big meal with family and friends\n\n\"Diwali is all about light over darkness and good over evil, which is even more important this year,\" said Mrs Ramji.\n\n\"It will bring a lot of pleasure to everybody at a time some people are feeling isolated and alone.\"\n\nInstead of the usual week-long of celebrations with friends and family, Mrs Ramji will just be cooking for herself and her husband at home.\n\n\"Normally we wake up early for prayers, light up candles and then have a lavish, lavish Indian meal at my sister's house and have fireworks,\" she said.\n\n\"This year it will just be us, but I'm going to put candles at the front of the house, inside, the back of the house and in the garden, just to make it feel as special as possible.\n\n\"It is a bit sad but we have to try and keep the Diwali spirit however we can otherwise it would be miserable.\"\n\nOwners of businesses on the Golden Mile who had hoped to rely on Diwali to make up for their losses this year described the road as \"very eerie\".\n\nDharmesh Lakhani, who owns Bobby's restaurant, said: \"The lights are up, the decorations are up but there are only a few people shopping for food and groceries.\n\n\"This festival is like our Christmas. So this is our Christmas gone.\"\n\nMr Lakhani said takings around the festival would be 15% of the usual trade.\n\n\"Businesses all down the road would be gearing up for this period with their new clothing designs and making all the sweets and we would have bookings of families meeting up for dinner,\" he said.\n\n\"Usually our shop is really busy, the road is busy and it's something celebrated by not just Hindus and Sikhs, but the whole city.\"\n\nThe crowds will be absent from Leicester's Diwali celebrations this year\n\nKaran Modha, who owns clothes shop Anokhi Sarees, said people would usually be buying new clothes for their Diwali celebrations or to give as gifts.\n\n\"People who are furloughed or lost their jobs are not going to be thinking about buying new outfits this year,\" he said.\n\n\"If they are doing a Zoom, they will just put some make up on, do their hair and wear something old.\"\n\nThis year will be the first time the shop has not hosted an in-store party for the celebration since the 1970s.\n\n\"It's going to be sad sitting at home instead, not knowing what to do with myself,\" added Mr Modha.\n\n\"The whole street feels weird at the moment. It doesn't feel like Diwali. There's not that jolly, vibrant feel.\n\n\"We are known for our window display at Diwali and we did it anyway because we wanted to still keep that tradition.\n\n\"This year I included a statue of Ganesh to spread some luck and joy, not just for ourselves and the other businesses on the street, but for everybody.\n\n\"We all need some kind of luck this year.\"\n\nAnokhi Sarees hopes their Diwali window display will bring luck and joy to the city\n\nPraful Bhatt, who runs meals on wheels charity Jalaram Sadvrat Leicester, has been delivering Diwali goody bags to elderly people to lift their spirits.\n\n\"This time has been pretty bad for the elderly and the vulnerable,\" he said.\n\n\"We've put together some bags with special Diwali foods - ghughra, chakli, mathia and Indian sweets barfi and halwa.\"\n\nMr Bhatt, who has been delivering food to elderly people since March, said it would be a very different festival.\n\n\"This time it'll be staying home as opposed to going out to celebrate but people are still upbeat about it,\" he said.\n\nPraful Bhatt has been delivering Diwali goody bags across Leicestershire to cheer up the elderly\n\nDespite the lockdown restrictions, the city council said it wanted people to enjoy Diwali from their own homes with a virtual celebration.\n\nCouncillor Piara Singh Clair said a video including messages from community leaders, as well as religious, musical and cultural elements, would be available on the Visit Leicester website from 19:00 GMT on Saturday.\n\nHe said his \"heart went out\" to businesses on the Golden Mile.\n\n\"It was a big day they were looking forward to,\" he said.\n\nMr Singh Clair said he was disappointed so many key celebrations for the city had been disrupted this year but hoped one positive of the virtual Diwali event was that it would be shared with families worldwide.\n\nNima will be holding prayers at home with her husband and two children\n\nIndeed, there have been hopes the quieter tone of this year's celebrations could bring other aspects of Diwali to the fore.\n\nNima Suchak, a volunteer at the Hare Krishna Temple in Granby Street, has been taking part in virtual meditation and prayers every evening this month, which she said had been \"comforting\" during lockdown.\n\n\"In one sense it takes away all the external stuff of Diwali that people do get caught up in - the food, the gifts,\" said the 43-year-old from Knighton.\n\n\"Diwali is the pinnacle of the year for us, of bringing light into our lives, and there are opportunities that have come with lockdown that have meant personal reflection.\n\n\"Covid has impacted us all, so in one sense we might not be celebrating in a big way but we can take this time to look after ourselves and each other.\n\n\"We are going to be thinking about those less fortunate and see Diwali, just like Christmas, as a time that's not just about eating and drinking, but about thinking of others.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BioNTech's Ugur Sahin: \"I'm confident that...we could have a normal winter next year\"\n\nThe impact of a new Covid vaccine will kick in significantly over summer and life should be back to normal by next winter, one of its creators has said.\n\nProf Ugur Sahin, BioNTech co-founder, also raised hopes the jab could halve transmission of the virus, resulting in a \"dramatic reduction in cases\".\n\nLast week, BioNTech and co-developers Pfizer said preliminary analysis showed their vaccine could prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19.\n\nAbout 43,000 people took part in tests.\n\nIn an interview on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, Prof Sahin said he expected further analysis to show the vaccine would reduce transmission between people as well as stop symptoms developing in someone who has had the vaccine.\n\n\"I'm very confident that transmission between people will be reduced by such a highly effective vaccine - maybe not 90% but maybe 50% - but we should not forget that even that could result in a dramatic reduction of the pandemic spread,\" he said.\n\nThe UK is expected to get 10 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine by the end of the year, with a further 30 million doses already ordered. The jab, which was trialled in six countries, is given in two doses, three weeks apart.\n\nOlder residents and staff in care homes are likely to be prioritised, followed by health workers and the over-80s. People would then be ranked by age.\n\nThe UK government announced another 24,962 confirmed Covid cases on Sunday, as well as a further 168 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nAfter the announcement of the world's first effective vaccine came on Monday, Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, suggested life could be back to normal by spring.\n\n\"I am probably the first guy to say that, but I will say that with some confidence,\" he said.\n\nHowever, Prof Sahin said it would take longer.\n\nIf everything continued to go well, he said, the vaccine would begin to be delivered at the \"end of this year, beginning of next year\".\n\nHe said the goal was to deliver more than 300 million doses worldwide by next April, which \"could allow us to only start to make an impact\".\n\nHe said the bigger impact would happen later, adding: \"Summer will help us because the infection rate will go down in the summer and what is absolutely essential is that we get a high vaccination rate until or before autumn/winter next year.\"\n\nProf Sahin said it was essential that all immunisation programmes were completed before next autumn.\n\nThe vaccine has given a boost of confidence that an end to the pandemic is close, with the leading scientist behind it hopeful life could return to normal by next winter.\n\nBut there are some big uncertainties.\n\nThe vaccine needs approval from regulators - and they will only grant that if they're happy the jab is safe and works well. Early results look very good, but we await the full ones in the coming weeks.\n\nThere is also no data yet to show how well the jab works in those who need it the most - the elderly.\n\nNor do we know if it stops people spreading the disease, as well as getting sick.\n\nAnd it's not clear how long immunity might last. People might need yearly boosters.\n\nIf the vaccine is rolled out, it will take time to immunise and protect enough people.\n\nOther Covid-19 vaccines may come along that work just as well or even better than this new vaccine.\n\nBut it is possible that by the summer, mass immunisation will be well under way and we could start to reap the benefits.\n\nAsked if the vaccine was as effective in older people as it is in younger people, he said he expected to have a better idea in the next three weeks.\n\nHe said it was not yet known how long immunity would last after the second dose of the vaccine is given.\n\nHowever, he said, a booster immunisation \"should not be too complicated\" if it was found immunity was reduced significantly after one year.\n\nProf Sahin also said the \"key side effects\" of the vaccine seen so far were a mild to moderate pain in the injection site for a few days, while some participants had a mild to moderate fever over a similar period.\n\n\"We did not see any other serious side effects which would result in pausing or halting of the study,\" he added.\n\nHis vaccine is one of 11 currently in the final stages of testing.\n\nIt will not be released for use in the UK until it passes final safety tests and gets the go-ahead from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The agency's head has said it would not lower its safety standards despite the need to get a vaccine quickly.\n\nIf it was approved, the NHS would be ready to roll out the vaccine from December, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people not to slacken their resolve in the meantime, saying the vaccine's development \"cleared one significant hurdle but there are several more to go\".\n\nMeanwhile, concerns have been raised that mutated forms of the virus might hamper the effectiveness of future vaccines.\n\nIt comes after 12 people were found with a mink-related strain of the virus following an outbreak in Denmark.\n\nVirology professor Wendy Barclay, a scientific adviser for the government, said there was a \"worry\" that the vaccines currently under development \"won't work quite so well as the virus continues to evolve\".\n\nThis did not mean vaccines would not work at all, she added, but adaptable and fast-responding jabs could be the best option.\n\nEarlier, Labour accused the government of not doing enough to \"stamp out dangerous\" anti-vaccine content online and called for emergency laws brought in.\n\nIt wants financial and criminal penalties for social media firms that do not remove false scare stories about vaccines.\n\nShadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said such content was \"exploiting people's fears, their mistrust of institutions and governments and spreading poison and harm\".\n\nHis party wanted to work with the government on a cross-party basis to build trust and help promote take-up of the vaccine, he said.\n\nThe government said it took the issue \"extremely seriously\" with \"a major commitment\" from Facebook, Twitter and Google to tackle anti-vaccine content.\n\nMany social media platforms label false content as misleading or disputed - and all remove posts that contravene terms of service.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "The Joanna C, registered in Brixham in Devon, sank three miles off the coast at Seaford\n\nA search for two missing fishermen whose boat sank off the Sussex coast has been called off.\n\nA major rescue effort began at Seaford, near Newhaven, on Saturday when the coastguard received an emergency alert at about 06:00 GMT.\n\nOne crew member was found clinging to a buoy and taken to hospital.\n\nDespite an extensive search for two other crew members, the coastguard confirmed it had terminated efforts to find them at 15:00 GMT.\n\nThe emergency signal put the 45ft scalloping vessel, which was registered in Brixham, about three nautical miles off the coast.\n\nThroughout Saturday a number of vessels, including local fishing boats, took part in the search.\n\nEastbourne and Newhaven's RNLI lifeboats, two coastguard rescue helicopters and a fixed wing aircraft, and Birling Gap and Beachy Head Coastguard Rescue Teams were all involved, as were 12 other vessels which responded to appeals for help.\n\nThroughout Saturday a number of vessels took part in the search\n\nChris Thomas, deputy director of HM Coastguard said its National Maritime Operations Centre co-ordinated Saturday's rescue effort \"with many units searching tirelessly since first light\".\n\nHe continued: \"Sadly two other crewmen have not yet been found and all our thoughts are with their families and friends.\n\n\"It is testament to the local maritime community that HM Coastguard was so admirably supported throughout the day by nearby vessels and the local fishing communities, who joined us in force and made strenuous efforts to locate their colleagues during the search.\"\n\nOn Saturday, HM Coastguard controller Piers Stanbury said debris had been located close to where the alert had originated.\n\nHelen Lovell, from the Fishermen's Mission in Brixham, said the community was \"really pulling together\" and \"lighting candles and putting them in their windows\" to show they were thinking of the missing men.\n• None One rescued and two missing as fishing boat sinks\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Daily coronavirus tests will be offered to close contacts of people who have tested positive in England, as a way to reduce the current 14-day quarantine.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said people will be offered tests every day for a week - and they will not need to isolate unless they test positive.\n\nHe also said rapid tests will allow every care home resident to have up to two visitors tested twice a week.\n\nThe chairman of the Independent Care Group which represents independent care homes, Mike Padgham, said the government was being \"rather ambitious\".\n\nAnnouncing the government's Covid-19 winter plan, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said repeat testing will be expanded for people in England whose close contact has tested positive for Covid-19, in a bid to cut the 14-day quarantine.\n\nCurrently those deemed to have been in contact with a Covid-positive person are required to isolate for 14 days.\n\nBut, under the new plan, people will be offered the opportunity to be tested every day for a week and, as long they test negative, will be able to go about their normal life.\n\nThe prime minister suggested the plan would begin in Liverpool this week - although the city council said plans were yet to be finalised.\n\n\"If successful this approach will be extended across the health system next month and to the whole of England from January,\" he added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMr Johnson also said that mass testing will be introduced in all England's tier three areas, the highest alert level.\n\nIt follows a pilot of mass testing in Liverpool, which used rapid \"lateral flow\" tests. These are swab tests which give results within 30 minutes.\n\nMr Johnson said: \"If it works we should be able to offer those who test negative the prospect of fewer restrictions, for example meeting up in certain places with others who have also tested negative.\"\n\nEarlier, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the number of cases in Liverpool had \"gone down far more than I would have hoped for, frankly\" since the mass testing was introduced.\n\n\"The number of cases in Liverpool is now down by more than two thirds from when we started that process,\" he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nBut Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: \"Now I know the PM will talk about increased testing, mass testing - that's welcome - but it's only part of the story because the other two parts: trace and isolate, are not fit for purpose.\n\n\"Sage advised, and continues to advise, that for trace and isolate to be effective the percentage of contacts traced needs to be about 80%. It's currently nowhere near that level.\"\n\nOn testing for care home visitors, Mr Johnson said: \"We are beginning to deploy these tests in our NHS and in care homes in England, so people will once again be able to hug and hold hands with loved ones instead of waving at them through a window.\"\n\nThe testing of care home visitors is already being piloted in 20 care homes in Hampshire, Devon and Cornwall.\n\nMr Johnson told MPs this will be rolled out to every care home resident by the end of the year.\n\nHe said care workers who look after people in their own homes will also be offered weekly tests - as well as, from December, workers in food manufacturing, staff in prisons, and those delivering and administering Covid vaccines.\n\nThe idea of scrapping the isolation period for close contacts is an interesting development.\n\nOther countries have moved to shorter periods of isoaltion in the acknowledgement that large numbers of people are not completing their 14-day isolation if they are a close contact.\n\nThe 14-day timeframe was introduced as that is the length of time in theory incubation and the development of symptoms can take.\n\nBut the problem when infection rates are high is that people can find themselves having to come in and out of isolation on a regular basis.\n\nWhat is more, there is little evidence of how many infections the isolation of close contacts is actually preventing.\n\nThe result is that compliance is low. NHS Test and Trace estimates half of people asked to isolate follow the rules, although other studies have suggested it is even lower.\n\nSome have called for more pragmatism, arguing a shorter isolation will be more effective in controlling the spread of the virus because of greater compliance.\n\nScrapping the need to isolate altogether while linking it to regular testing is a different way of approaching it.\n\nConcerns have been expressed about the accurateness of the rapid tests being used - research has suggested they may only pick up half of positive cases.\n\nRepeating the test over a number of days could help tackle this.\n\nEarlier, Mr Hancock told Today the plan to test all care home visitors would make a \"massive difference\" although it would be a \"huge challenge\".\n\nThere have been strict restrictions on visiting in many care homes over the last eight months, due to the pandemic.\n\nAsked what extra support care homes would get, Mr Hancock said: \"We're going to put in place the protocols to allow it to be done.\n\n\"I don't think it takes extra staff to allow visitors to test. What I'm telling you is how we can make this happen.\"\n\nCare home boss Mr Padgham - who runs four care homes - said: \"Generally in principle we welcome it, there's lots of ifs and buts to go through yet.\"\n\n\"Depending on what type of test it is, if it's a lateral flow test which the results come back in 30 minutes we'll probably going to have to employ someone particularly to do that in each home.\n\n\"Which is going to be, not easy, from our perspective.\"\n\nCare homes have been badly affected by Covid-19 and, as in England, there are still rules over visits in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.", "The UK's four nations have backed plans to allow some household mixing \"for a small number of days\" over Christmas.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson is due to unveil on Monday a tougher three-tiered system for England - to be introduced at the end of the current lockdown on 2 December.\n\nThe 10pm closing time for pubs and restaurants will also be relaxed.\n\nWork to finalise the arrangements for a UK-wide approach to restrictions this Christmas is ongoing.\n\nOne option that was discussed in meetings this weekend was that three households could be allowed to meet up for up to five days, according to the BBC's deputy political editor Vicki Young.\n\nMr Johnson will detail the strengthened tiered system in a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, and every region of England will be told on Thursday which tier they will be put into after the lockdown ends.\n\nGyms and non-essential retail are expected to be allowed to re-open in all areas under the new plans.\n\nLast orders in pubs and restaurants will remain at 10pm, but customers will have an extra hour to drink up.\n\nThe PM had also been hoping to announce arrangements for the Christmas period on Monday, but this has been delayed until at least Tuesday to allow the Scottish and Welsh cabinets to agree the plans.\n\nThe Cabinet Office said ministers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had endorsed a \"shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days\".\n\nBut they have emphasised that the public will be advised to \"remain cautious\", and that \"wherever possible people should avoid travelling and minimise social contact\".\n\nDiscussions are continuing - including about travel arrangements - but it is hoped agreement on the joint approach can be reached this week. The Scottish government said \"no agreement has been reached\".\n\nIn respect of Northern Ireland, ministers have also \"recognised that people will want to see family and friends across the island of Ireland, and this is the subject of discussions with the Irish government\", the Cabinet Office said.\n\nPre-lockdown, there were three tiers of restrictions - medium, high, and very high:\n\nMore areas are set to be placed into the higher tiers in England after lockdown.\n\nSome local measures will be the same as those in the previous three-tier system - which was in place in England until the current lockdown began - but some tiers will be strengthened, according to Downing Street.\n\nMr Johnson met with his Cabinet to sign off on the plans on Sunday.\n\nThere have been calls by a cross-party group of MPs and peers for the PM to guarantee that church services will go ahead this Christmas, as current lockdown restrictions forbid most religious services.\n\nMeanwhile, the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) is expected to publish research on Monday saying the previous tiered restrictions in England were not strong enough.\n\nBut 70 Tory MPs have said they will not back the proposals without evidence.\n\nIn a letter to the prime minister, the recently-formed Covid Recovery Group (CRG) said it cannot support a tiered approach unless it sees evidence measures \"will save more lives than they cost\".\n\nMPs are expected to vote on the new tier system in the days before it comes into force.\n\nGovernment ministers and advisers have been hinting about new tougher tiers over the past week.\n\nBefore lockdown there was some evidence that tiers two and three were having an impact, but not tier one.\n\nCrucially, both the top two tiers involved banning mixing inside homes, so one option being discussed behind the scenes is introducing a ban across all the tiers until winter is over.\n\nThe exception will, of course, be Christmas.\n\nThat is a move that divides opinion. But the government sees it as a necessity, believing significant numbers of people will ignore any attempt to ban gatherings over the festive period.\n\nIt is also a recognition the public needs a break from the long hard slog of the pandemic.\n\nInfection rates will of course rise, but that will be offset to some extent by a wider boost to wellbeing.\n\nLabour has so far supported the need for restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19, making a Commons defeat on the plan unlikely.\n\nBut shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds told the BBC her party wanted clarity from the government over how tiers would be decided and the support available for businesses.\n\nOn Sunday, the UK recorded another 18,662 new coronavirus cases and 398 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, bringing the UK total to 55,024.\n\nOf the figures, the government said: \"Due to a processing update, 141 previously published deaths within 28 days in England were excluded from the published data on November 21.\n\n\"This issue has now been corrected for data published on November 22, which includes deaths omitted yesterday in today's total and daily number of newly reported deaths.\"", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Shamima Begum ran away to Syria as a 15-year-old to join the self-proclaimed Islamic State. But when the terror group was defeated, she ended up in a camp in Syria.\n\nNow, she wants to return home to the UK, but her British citizenship has been revoked by the government who say she poses a threat to national security.\n\nThe Supreme Court is deciding exactly how her case should be handled, and its decision could have huge implications on how cases like Shamima's are dealt with in the future.", "Many businesses in Northern Ireland will be forced to close for two weeks from Friday\n\nStormont ministers have agreed a multi-million pound support package to help people hit by tightened Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.\n\nFrom Friday, non-essential shops and businesses will close for two weeks, as part of tougher measures across NI.\n\nThe executive had pledged to provide additional financial support to businesses forced to close.\n\nThe immediate package will be worth about £338m, while £150m is being set aside for longer-term rates relief.\n\nFinance Minister Conor Murphy set out full details of the plan in the assembly on Monday afternoon.\n\nIt comes as three more Covid-19 related deaths were recorded by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on Monday, bringing the total to 936.\n\nAmong the measures agreed by the executive are:\n\nThe pre-paid card issued through the voucher scheme will be worth about £200 per household, said Mr Murphy.\n\nHe said the Department for the Economy will roll out the plan in early 2021, as it takes about six weeks to develop.\n\n\"It's not meant to support households, it's meant to stimulate growth on the High Street,\" he told assembly members.\n\nOther allocations include £26.3m to the Department for Infrastructure to replace lost income for Translink, the Crumlin Road Gaol, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the Rathlin Ferry, and £1.2m to support the City of Derry Airport.\n\nThere is also £5m to support the scheme for charities, to run until the end of March 2021, and £2.3m to top up the social enterprise grant scheme.\n\nThe finance minister also confirmed previously announced plans to extend free school meals payments until 2022, with £26.4m allocated to this.\n\nMr Murphy said uncertainty with the virus and not knowing how much Stormont would receive from the Treasury had made planning difficult.\n\nHe said the financial support package he was announcing was as a result of an additional £400m provided from Westminster two weeks ago to support the executive's response.\n\n\"Had we as an Executive allocated this funding immediately, we wouldn't have been able to take into account the new restrictions agreed by the Executive last week,\" he said.\n\n\"In my view it was right to have a plan in place to take us to the New Year, before making these allocations.\"\n\nMr Murphy and Economy Minister Diane Dodds are understood to have spent the weekend working on plans, with their departmental officials.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, three more coronavirus-related deaths were announced by the department of health on Monday, bringing its total to 936.\n\nA further 280 positive tests were recorded, meaning there have been 50,064 cases of Covid-19.\n\nThere were no additional deaths documented in the Republic of Ireland, where the total stands at 2,022.\n\nThere have been 70,711 confirmed cases after 252 more were reported.\n\nThere was a cautious welcome in the assembly for Mr Murphy's announcement, but as one MLA remarked: \"The devil will be in the detail.\"\n\nOfficials worked at pace over the weekend to draw up a support plan, using a mix of schemes already in place and some new grants.\n\nThe proposal grabbing most headlines is the voucher scheme for households to support the High Street, and some have questioned why every family will receive it, when some will obviously need more support than others.\n\nBut Mr Murphy defended the plan and said its purpose is to boost the High Street in the early New Year.\n\nThere are also concerns about how quickly payments will be made: Some businesses have been waiting more than five weeks for their grants promised during the first round of restrictions, implemented in October.\n\nThe executive will have to work at rapid speed to ensure people across Northern Ireland aren't left waiting, given Christmas is just around the corner.\n\nThe executive had faced criticism for not having new financial support in place before it announced the lockdown measures last Thursday evening.\n\nBut Mr Murphy said his officials were working as quickly as possible to process payments to those who need them.\n\nThe Belfast Chamber of Commerce has outlined a number of proposals to the executive about increasing assistance to businesses.\n\nThe organisation's chief executive Simon Hamilton welcomed the measures announced in the assembly.\n\nHe said he was particularly pleased by the voucher scheme, which his organisation had lobbied for.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Simon Hamilton This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'We'd gladly have taken a full lockdown in October'\n\nThe lockdown measures will last until 11 December, with ministers saying the new restrictions represented the \"best chance\" of getting to Christmas and new year without further regulations being needed.\n\nMeanwhile, Health Minister Robin Swann has called on his executive colleagues to show \"unity\" and he has called for an end to \"party-political point scoring\".\n\nHe was speaking in the assembly on Monday as he gave details of the latest Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nThe minister said the executive needs to \"put the last few weeks behind it\", and that the leaking of executive discussions to the media were not helpful.\n\nMr Swann and the first and deputy first ministers are also expected to continue discussions with the Westminster government and other devolved administrations this week about a coordinated approach to Christmas.\n\nUlster Unionist MLA Alan Chambers told the assembly the DUP and Sinn Féin had \"undermined\" efforts to tackle Covid-19.\n\nHe said there was a \"sense of outrage\" at the behaviour of Sinn Féin figures who attended the funeral of republican Bobby Storey in June, while DUP politicians undermined the \"vital message\" of wearing masks by not doing so or by speaking out against the restrictions.\n\nSDLP MLA Dolores Kelly also attacked Sinn Féin for the party's actions around Mr Storey's funeral. She said the health message had been \"disregarded\".\n\nArlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill took part in talks over the weekend, where leaders backed plans to allow some household mixing \"for a small number of days\" over Christmas.\n\nBelfast's Castle Lane was busy with shoppers on Sunday\n\nIn respect of Northern Ireland, ministers have also \"recognised that people will want to see family and friends across the island of Ireland, and this is the subject of discussions with the Irish government\", the Cabinet Office said.\n\nThe government said work is continuing to finalise the arrangements, including on travel.", "Claudia Winkleman also co-hosts Strictly Come Dancing with Tess Daly\n\nClaudia Winkleman will replace Graham Norton when he leaves his Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2.\n\nThe Strictly Come Dancing host will front the new programme from February, she confirmed on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on Monday morning.\n\nWinkleman will take over the 10am-1pm slot in February. Norton will present his final show on 19 December after a decade with the station.\n\nHe is joining Virgin Radio to present a new show on Saturdays and Sundays.\n\nNorton tweeted: \"Congratulations Claudia Winkleman, you'll love it!! Welcome to BBC Radio 2 Saturday mornings!!\"\n\nBall responded to the news with a simple but effective \"Wahooo\".\n\nDrivetime host Sara Cox said it was \"the BEST news\", adding: \"As a massive fan of Graham I was a little wibbly of belly about who was taking over his Saturday morning show so absolutely over the moon & thrice round Uranus that it's Claudia Winkles.\n\nThe BBC confirmed Winkleman would present her new show throughout the year - including the months where she also presents Strictly on Saturday nights.\n\nWinkleman's new programme will contain a similar mix of chat with showbiz stars and music.\n\n\"I'm not often speechless but the chance to be with the wonderful Radio 2 listeners every Saturday has left me, quite frankly, gobsmacked,\" said Winkleman in a statement\n\n\"I hope my voice comes back in time for the first show as I can no longer simply rely on a fake tan and a fringe.\"\n\nGraham Norton's final Radio 2 programme will be on Saturday 19 December\n\n\"There's nobody I'd rather be with at the weekend, it's a privilege and an honour,\" she added.\n\nThe 48-year-old is no newcomer to the station, having previously presented its Friday night arts show, as well as Claudia on Sunday - which ended in March.\n\nIn 2019, Winkleman, along with Ball and Vanessa Feltz, featured in the top 10 of the BBC's star salaries list after the corporation made efforts to tackle its equal pay problem.\n\nOn this year's list, Norton was confirmed as earning £750,000.\n\nRadio 2 is the UK's most listened to radio station, with a weekly audience of more than 14 million.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Kevin Branton, left, and Richard Smith died at a property in Saltash in 2010\n\nThere were \"serious failings\" in the way home appliance firm Beko acted when it found its gas cookers had the potential to emit fatal levels of carbon monoxide, a coroner has found.\n\nAn inquest heard five people in Cornwall died after inadvertently turning on their grills.\n\nCoroner Geraint Williams concluded they died as the result of an accident.\n\nThe cookers have been linked to 13 other deaths in the UK and Ireland, the inquest heard.\n\nKevin Branton, 32, and Richard Smith, 30, died in 2010 in Saltash, while Maureen Cook, 47, Audrey Cook, 86, and Alfred \"John\" Cook, 90, died in 2013 in Camborne.\n\nThe Cook family were found dead in their home\n\nCornwall Coroner's Court heard that if the grill was used with the door shut, fatal levels of the poisonous gas built up due to a design fault with a rubber seal around the door.\n\nSumming up the six-day inquest, Mr Williams said it was \"glaringly obvious\" a grill might be deliberately or accidentally used with the door closed and this issue should have been recognised by Arcelik, Beko's parent company, which manufactured the cookers.\n\n\"This singular failure led ultimately to the deaths of Mr Smith, Mr Branton and the Cook family,\" he said.\n\nThe inquest heard Beko became aware of the first fatality - that of French student Alexis Landry in Ireland - on 13 November 2008.\n\nA list of the affected models, including the Flavel cooker Mr Smith and Mr Branton had in their Saltash home, is on Beko's website\n\nIt was contacted about two further deaths in Doncaster on 1 December.\n\nMr Williams said Beko's \"failure to pursue\" more information about the Doncaster deaths was a \"serious error\".\n\nHe found that a delay in Beko sharing information about testing results and further deaths was a \"serious failing\" and said there was a \"lost opportunity\" to stop Mr Smith's father from buying his cooker on 31 December - or to obtain his details from the retailer Co-op Homemaker in Plymouth, before it went out of business in 2009.\n\nIn a statement released after the hearing, Mr Branton's mother Denise said she believed \"Beko should and could have reacted quicker and more proactively\".\n\n\"If they had, I'm sure the cooker that killed our sons would not have been able to be purchased,\" she said.\n\n\"It would appear that there is a likelihood that some of these cookers may still be in use in some homes today.\n\n\"I strongly urge people who know of someone who owns an older cooker to check Beko's list of recalled cookers online as they are not all sold under the Beko name.\"\n\nMr Smith's father Brian said the cookers, which were not tested with their grill doors closed, should have undergone \"every conceivable test\" before being sold.\n\nHe said: \"I hope that the lessons learnt during this inquest are taken on board by all persons concerned who have a duty of care for public safety and regulations are changed to prevent further deaths.\"\n\nMr Williams said he would now consider whether to make any recommendations to prevent future deaths.\n\nIn a statement Beko said its main objective was to \"ensure that every Beko product is safe for our customers\".\n\nA spokeswoman said: \"Since these tragic incidents, we've continued to raise our safety standards... We also collaborated with the industry to get the UK and EU gas safety standards changed in 2009.\n\n\"The new standard helps prevent a similar tragic event from happening again.\"", "Gyms and non-essential shops in all areas are expected to be allowed to reopen when England's lockdown ends.\n\nOn Monday afternoon, Boris Johnson will explain the detail of England's return to the \"three-tier system\" when lockdown ends on 2 December.\n\nIt is reported pubs in tier three will stay shut except for takeaway. In tier two, only those serving meals can open.\n\nLast orders in all pubs will remain at 22:00 GMT, but customers will have an extra hour to drink up.\n\nThe ban on outdoor grassroots sport is also set to be lifted in all tiers, following calls for this restriction to be eased.\n\nAnd mass testing will be introduced in all tier three areas.\n\nMeanwhile, BBC Sport understands that outdoor sporting events in the lowest-risk areas will be allowed to admit up to 4,000 spectators in England from 2 December.\n\nThere will be no crowds allowed at sport in the highest-risk areas.\n\nDetails of which tier every region of England will be put into are expected on Thursday.\n\nThe prime minister is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons at about 15:30 GMT unveiling the plans for Covid-19 restrictions in England from 2 December. MPs will vote on these proposals later this week.\n\nMore areas are set to be placed in the higher tiers - high risk or very high risk - after lockdown, No 10 has said.\n\nGyms and non-essential shops have been closed in England since 5 November, but are expected to reopen in all areas. Gyms were previously allowed to open in tier three, despite initially being told to shut in some places.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What will we be allowed to do at Christmas?\n\nThe prime minister had hoped to announce arrangements for the Christmas period on Monday, but this has been delayed until at least Tuesday to allow the Scottish and Welsh governments to agree the plans.\n\nIt comes after the Westminster government said the UK's four nations had backed plans to allow some household mixing \"for a small number of days\" over Christmas.\n\nOne option that was discussed in meetings this weekend was that three households could be allowed to meet up for up to five days, according to the BBC's deputy political editor Vicki Young.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government hoped to agree a \"cautious, balanced approach\" for Christmas \"that can allow people to see their families, but also makes sure that we can keep the virus under control\".\n\nMr Johnson is expected to tell the House of Commons later: \"The selflessness of people in following the rules is making a difference.\"\n\nThe increase in new cases is \"flattening off\" in England following the introduction of the nationwide lockdown measures, he will say.\n\nThe prime minister will say \"we are not out of the woods yet\", with the virus \"both far more infectious and far more deadly than seasonal flu\".\n\n\"But with expansion in testing and vaccines edging closer to deployment, the regional tiered system will help get the virus back under control and keep it there,\" he will say.\n\nReacting to the news of the reported proposals, the Campaign for Pubs - which represents publicans across the UK - said it \"will cause hardship for thousands of families of publicans, pub staff and suppliers, as well as the loss of thousands of pubs.\"\n\nIts chairman Paul Crossman, who is the licensee of three pubs in York, told BBC Radio York a relaxation of the 22:00 closing time was \"very welcome indeed\" but the news on the tiers was \"worrying\".\n\nKate Nicholls, chief of UKHospitality, which represents businesses in the industry, said news of \"significant additional controls\" will \"cripple the UK's hospitality sector and impede economic recovery\".\n\nAnd Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the Today programme that many hospitality businesses \"will not survive\" tougher restrictions.\n\n\"It seems that a toughened tier three could be devastating for the hospitality industry and will hit cities and the city economy very, very hard indeed,\" he said.\n\nMeanwhile, dozens of Conservative MPs in the Covid recovery group (CRG) are threatening to oppose any new restrictions in a Commons vote.\n\nGroup member and Tory MP Steve Baker said while they were \"reassured\" by some of the messages coming out of government, they needed to know more.\n\n\"It is still the case that where there are restrictions we still want to be sure they are going to have an impact on the transmission of Covid and we want to know that whatever is proposed they will save more lives than it will cost,\" he told Today.\n\n\"I think we will have to hear what the prime minister says before we decide how we are voting. There is of course always a danger colleagues will vote against.\"\n\nThe plan for extensive community testing in tier three areas follows a pilot programme in Liverpool, where more than 200,000 people were tested and which the government said contributed to the fall in cases there.\n\nMr Johnson is expected to tell MPs that rapid testing will \"help get the virus back under control and keep it there\".\n\nDaily coronavirus tests will be offered to close contacts of people who have tested positive in England, as a way to reduce the current 14-day quarantine.\n\nDowning Street also said weekly testing would be expanded to all staff working in food manufacturing, prisons and the vaccine programme from next month.\n\nOn Sunday, the UK recorded another 18,662 confirmed coronavirus cases and 398 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. The total includes 141 deaths which were omitted from the 21 November figures in error.", "The UK hospitality industry says that new Covid rules in England \"are killing Christmas\" and has warned pubs, restaurants and hotels face going bust.\n\nThe government will roll out regional restrictions after Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the second lockdown in England will end on 2 December.\n\nBut new rules mean pubs operating under Tier 2 can only trade if customers have a \"substantial meal\".\n\nIn Tier 3, pubs must shut and can only sell goods for takeaway.\n\nIn contrast, gyms will be allowed to stay open under Tier 3 restrictions while outdoor and indoor spectator sports venues can reopen in Tier 1 and Tier 2 with limits.\n\nNon-essential shops and personal care, such as hairdressers, will also be allowed to reopen when lockdown ends.\n\nMr Johnson said: \"I'm very sorry, obviously, for the unavoidable hardship that this will cause for business owners who have already endured so much disruption this year.\"\n\nBut UK Hospitality's chief executive Kate Nicholls said: \"The government is making a point of saying that these measures are needed in order to save Christmas.\n\n\"In reality, they are killing Christmas and beyond for many businesses and their customers who look forward to, and rely on, venues being open at this time of year. Sadly, for many staff, it will be a Christmas out of work.\"\n\nThe government also said it would ditch the 10pm curfew. However, pubs and restaurants must stop serving alcohol and food at 10pm and customers will have until 11pm to leave the premises.\n\nMs Nicholls said that under the rules that were in place before the current lockdown came into force on 5 November, some 76% of its members warned their business \"would not be viable\" if Tier 2 restrictions remained in placed for three months.\n\nThat number rose to 94% under the previous Tier 3 rules which stated that pubs could only stay open if they offered a substantial meal.\n\nBut she said under the new rules \"large swathes will just not be able to open at all\".\n\nIt's beginning to look a BIT like Christmas for some parts of the economy.\n\nFor retailers considered non-essential, reopening on 3 December was absolutely crucial. That industry will be breathing a huge sigh of relief as they will now have an opportunity - albeit truncated - to sell the Christmas stock they have bought in.\n\nIndustry sources told the BBC that although there had been a huge switch in consumer behaviour to internet shopping, the online pipe was still not wide enough to deliver Christmas on its own and the decision to reopen stores would help preserve hundreds of thousands of jobs.\n\nHowever, the hospitality industry is still looking at a very bleak winter.\n\nThe prime minister said most of the UK would emerge from various forms of lockdown into a higher tier than they were in before it started. That is a disaster for pubs and restaurants. with 76% of them saying that even under the old Tier 2 conditions - in the middle - it was hardly worth opening as capacity was so constrained and alcohol sales so limited.\n\nUK Hospitality, which represents the sector, said the return to this would be \"devastating\" and risk one million jobs.\n\nThe hospitality hit may have a knock-on effect on retailers as fewer shoppers are expected to take the streets if access to pubs, bars and restaurants is heavily restricted.\n\nMPs will vote on the proposed rules this week. Mr Johnson is expected to detail which regions in England will be placed into either Tier 1, 2 or 3 on Thursday.\n\nMr Johnson said that \"without sensible precautions, we would risk the virus escalating into a winter or new year surge. The incidence of the disease is still, alas, widespread in many areas.\"\n\nHe said: \"While the previous local tiers did cut the 'R' number, they were not quite enough to reduce it below 1 so the scientific advice I'm afraid is that as we come out [of lockdown] our tiers need to be made tougher.\"\n\nBut Greater Manchester's Mayor Andy Burnham said a toughened Tier 3 \"could be devastating for the hospitality industry and will hit cities and the city economy very, very hard indeed\".\n\nWilliam Lees-Jones, managing-director of the brewery and pub chain JW Lees, hopes his pubs are not in Tier 3 areas\n\nHe warned that \"we will see widespread business failure\" in the hospitality sector if the tougher regional rules go ahead.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged Mr Johnson to outline which regions would be placed into which tier as soon as possible.\n\nWilliam Lees-Jones, managing-director of the brewery and pub chain JW Lees, said: \"I just hope that we are all in Tier 2 which means that we can be in business.\n\n\"We've brewed an awful lot of beer which we won't have anything to do with.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Health Minister Vaughan Gething says tiered lockdown restrictions may be introduced in the run up to Christmas\n\nTighter Covid restrictions could be implemented in Wales in the run-up to Christmas to bring the country more in line with other parts of the UK.\n\nHealth Minister Vaughan Gething said the Welsh Government was hoping for a \"common approach\" from the four UK nations over the festive period.\n\nIt comes as details emerge of how rules could be relaxed at Christmas.\n\nBut Mr Gething dismissed as \"kite flying\" reports suggesting three households could meet for five days.\n\nA Welsh Government spokesman said ministers are considering whether Wales should adopt some of the restrictions currently in place in Scotland and those planned for England after the lockdown there ends in December.\n\nSpeaking at a press conference, Mr Gething said: \"We need to get to the festive season.\n\n\"And that may mean that we'll look to potentially think about the measures that Scotland have introduced as well as England, where they have a tiered system that largely complements each other.\n\n\"So we'll be thinking over the next week about whether we do need to have common approaches, as far as possible, in terms of how we ask people to go about living their lives.\n\n\"And that may mean that there'll be some changes [to the rules in Wales].\"\n\nCould Wales be facing tougher restrictions in the run-up to Christmas?\n\nMr Gething said a common set of measures \"would really help with the message for the public and to get us to the point where we have more headroom for the festive season when we know there will be more mixing between different groups of people\".\n\nFollowing those comments, a Welsh Government spokesman said ministers were considering a single system, rather than the tiered approach used in England and Scotland.\n\nMinisters in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been in talks with their UK government counterparts about the rules for Christmas.\n\nReports say they have backed plans to allow some household mixing \"for a small number of days\".\n\nThe BBC reported that one option discussed in meetings over the weekend was allowing three households to meet up for up to five days.\n\nBut Mr Gething said they had discussed \"the potential\" for a limited period of time to have some relaxation in the current measures in place but had not agreed numbers.\n\nSuggestions that three households could be allowed to meet over Christmas was welcomed by Paul Davies, leader of the Conservatives in the Senedd, who said it would be a \"sensible approach\".\n\nIt was \"crucial\" that there were common rules for Christmas across the four nations, he added.\n\nA single set of rules is expected to be agreed by the four UK governments\n\nCases of coronavirus among under-25s in Wales have risen again.\n\nInfection rates for younger people fell during and immediately after the recent firebreak lockdown.\n\nHowever Mr Gething described the latest increase as \"worrying\".\n\n\"We know, from the pattern of the pandemic so far in Wales, that infections in younger people quickly work their way through the community and into older people,\" he said.\n\nThere have been incidents in recent weeks of parties having to be broken up by authorities, including one in Cardiff that saw 52 students fined.Concerns were also raised when shops and bars reopened after the 17-day lockdown on 9 November.\n\nMinisters are worried about rising cases amongst young people spreading once again to older generations.\n\nSo with talks continuing about a four-nation approach to Christmas, Welsh Government is considering whether there are aspects of the pre-Christmas restrictions in the rest of the UK that they might usefully cherry-pick.\n\nIt is not inevitable that ministers will borrow any rules from England or Scotland - it depends what happens to case numbers.\n\nBut if they do import rules, it's safe to assume they'll be tougher than those currently in place here and they will be part of a single system across the whole of Wales.", "An American boy who was made to threaten President Donald Trump in an Islamic State group video says it was \"sweet relief\" to return to the US.\n\nMatthew, taken to Syria by his mother and stepfather, was 10 when he was filmed telling Mr Trump to prepare for a battle on US soil.\n\nNow 13, he has been living with his father for a year, after being flown home by the US military in 2018.\n\n\"It's happened and it's done. It's all behind me now,\" he told the BBC.\n\n\"I was so young I did not really understand any of it.\"\n\nMatthew has had counselling to help him deal with everything that happened to him and is coping well.\n\nHis stepfather, Moussa Elhassani, died in a suspected drone attack in the summer of 2017, while his mother, Samantha Sally, was convicted earlier this month of financing terrorism and sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.\n\nMatthew with his mother and stepfather in the US\n\nIt was in April 2015 when the seemingly ordinary American family crossed into IS territory from the Turkish border province of Sanliurfa.\n\n\"We ran across an area that was very dark. It was at night, there was a lot of random spots of barbed wire… There wasn't much going through my head except, 'I need to run,'\" Matthew said, speaking about his ordeal for the first time to the BBC's Panorama programme and to Frontline, a programme made by US public broadcaster PBS.\n\nIn the city IS claimed as its capital, Raqqa, Matthew's stepfather, Elhassani, was sent for military training and became an IS sniper.\n\nThen eight years old, Matthew did his best to make sense of his new home. \"When we were first in Raqqa, we were in the city parts. It was pretty noisy, gunshots normally,\" he said. \"Once in a while a random explosion, like far away, though. So we didn't have too much to worry about.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Matthew is now enjoying life in the US with his father Juan\n\nBut in early 2017 his mother emailed her sister in the US with a desperate plea for money to help the family escape, attaching extremely disturbing videos of Matthew.\n\nIn one, Elhassani forced Matthew to assemble a suicide belt. At his stepfather's instruction, Matthew role-played how he would welcome potential American rescuers, but then kill them by detonating the explosives.\n\nIn another video, he was seen taking apart a loaded AK-47, challenged by his stepfather to do so in under a minute.\n\nAs the US-led coalition intensified its airstrikes on Raqqa, a bomb hit a neighbouring house, which collapsed on to the family home, leaving Matthew to feel his way out through the rubble and dust.\n\nMatthew seen in the IS propaganda video, in which he was forced to recite a message to Donald Trump\n\nBy August 2017, Raqqa was in ruins, but the Islamic State group was still predicting victory and it forced Matthew to deliver a message of defiance. It released a video of him, then aged 10, threatening the president of the United States.\n\n\"My message to Trump, the puppet of the Jews: Allah has promised us victory and he's promised you defeat,\" said Matthew, reciting lines he had been made to learn. \"This battle is not going to end in Raqqa or Mosul. It's going to end in your lands… So get ready, for the fighting has just begun.\"\n\nIn his interview, Matthew said he was given no choice but to take part in the video, because of his stepfather's outbursts of anger. \"He was starting to lose it, like he was mentally unstable, very mentally unstable,\" he said.\n\nShortly afterwards, Elhassani was killed in a suspected drone strike. \"I was happy 'cause I didn't like him, obviously,\" Matthew said. \"I don't think I should have been, because a person died, but I was. We were all crying out of joy.\"\n\nMatthew's mother, Samantha Sally, was then able to pay people smugglers to get herself and her four children out of IS territory, with Matthew hidden inside a barrel on the back of a truck as it passed through IS checkpoints.\n\nWhen they reached Kurdish-controlled territory, they were held in a detention camp, and it's there in the winter of 2017 that Panorama first started talking to Sally.\n\nSamantha Sally being interviewed while in detention in Kurdish-controlled Syria\n\nShe said she had been tricked by her husband into taking her family to Syria and that she had had no idea what he had been planning.\n\nOnce in Raqqa, he had become violent towards her, she said. She admitted that they had bought two Yazidi teenage girls as slaves, and that her husband had regularly raped them.\n\nShe continued to stick to the story that she had been tricked after the family's return to the US, while she was in jail awaiting trial. Although she had supported her husband \"in his stupid ventures\", she was not guilty of supporting him to join IS, she insisted.\n\nBut the Panorama/Frontline investigation uncovered evidence that undermined this story.\n\nA member of the Elhassani family said that Moussa had become obsessed with IS in the months before the family left the US, and that he had seen him watching IS propaganda, including videos of executions, in the family home.\n\nA friend of Samantha Sally's also recalled a conversation with her in which she had said her husband had told her he'd been called to join \"the holy war\".\n\nAnd the Panorama/Frontline investigation discovered that Sally had made a series of trips to Hong Kong in the weeks before the family left the US, depositing at least $30,000 in cash and gold in safety deposit boxes.\n\nMatthew on a fishing trip with his father, Juan\n\nAfter almost 12 months behind bars, Sally changed her story and pleaded guilty to financing terrorism as part of a plea deal. Struggling to accept her guilt, she said, \"It was the only deal they could have offered with the T-word that didn't put the guidelines at a lifetime sentence.\"\n\nProsecutors described as \"horrifying\" their discovery that Sally had helped film the videos of her son Matthew being forced to assemble a suicide belt and take apart an AK-47.\n\nThey said it may never be known why she had helped her husband to join IS. Her defence argued that she had been coerced by her controlling husband.\n\nSpeaking about how it felt to step back on to US soil, Matthew said: \"It's like being in tight clothes or tight socks and shoes all day and then just taking it off and just feeling nice and chilling in a hot bath. That's what it felt like. Like sweet relief. It felt good.\"\n\nViewers in the UK can watch Return from ISIS: A Family's Story on Panorama, at 21:00 on BBC One on 23 November, or catch up later online.\n\nThe first episode of I'm Not a Monster, a 10-part podcast telling the family's story, will be available for download on Monday.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"Reece\" rejects the idea that making people wait for the referral gives them \"time to think\" about their identity\n\nA 14-year-old transgender boy is starting legal proceedings against NHS England over delays to gender reassignment treatment.\n\nThe teenager has waited over a year for referral to the only NHS gender clinic for children and adolescents.\n\nThe Good Law Project, which is acting for the teenager, says the NHS has a legal obligation to provide specialist care to all patients within 18 weeks, or provide an alternative.\n\nNHS England says a review is under way.\n\nIt announced the independent review into gender identity services for young people in September. An NHS England spokesperson said this would include \"how and when children and young people were referred to specialist services\".\n\nThere have been previous reports of trans young people experiencing \"hugely distressing\" waits for treatment at the gender-identity development service (GIDS) run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust.\n\nBut others believe the clinic is too quick to offer gender transition treatment to teenagers.\n\nThe teenager at the centre of this latest case, who we are calling Reece at his request to protect his anonymity, told the BBC he \"ideally\" would not have to bring legal action.\n\nBut he says he had no choice because \"nobody else is sticking up for trans young people\".\n\nReece first came out as a trans boy in primary school. His family, friends and teachers were all supportive of him transitioning.\n\nSince moving to secondary school, everyone has always known him as a boy, only referring to his new name and he/him pronouns.\n\nHowever, Reece says he was able to access help with his transition only through expensive private healthcare.\n\nIn October 2019, Reece's GP referred him to the Tavistock. He has been on the waiting list for over a year, for the first stage of the process - a mental health assessment.\n\nHe says he is aware of others awaiting gender reassignment treatment.\n\n\"I know more than 30 trans people, from school and LGBT groups. Everybody's been waiting for months, or even years, but nobody's been able to get in yet.\n\n\"It's scary because it shows the service isn't available to the people who need it.\"\n\nThe Tavistock is currently booking appointments for people who have been waiting for an initial session since September 2017.\n\nHowever, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by the BBC has revealed that, since 2017, over 10,000 more young people have been referred to the already over-subscribed service.\n\nWaiting times, the number of referrals, and the treatment given, are all being investigated by an independent review.\n\nBev Jackson, from the LGB Alliance, a self-funded lobby group, said: \"We don't think children should be allowed to self-diagnose any medical condition.\n\n\"The numbers of referrals are so huge that I believe this is a social problem caused by miseducation. It is impossible for the NHS to deal with all of these young people who are coming forward.\n\n\"We need to take a step back and ask why are so many young people presenting at the clinic for a gender treatment?\"\n\nOne psychotherapist, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she believed the long waiting times could be \"a positive\".\n\n\"Having to wait a few years for initial treatment may benefit some young people who question their gender, as they will become more mature and more knowledgeable about their identity.\"\n\nHowever, Reece disagrees, saying this view \"really frustrates\" him.\n\n\"The solution to working out if a person is trans or not, is not to leave them on their own in a bad situation. If a person isn't actually trans, they won't realise that without professional support. That's why the different stages exist.\"\n\nJolyon Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, who is representing the teenager, said: \"NHS England has a statutory duty to ensure that patients referred by their GP to a gender identity development service are seen within 18 weeks.\"\n\n\"This is not happening, and as a result, we believe the law shows they should be providing alternative care to anyone on the waiting list. That could include private and overseas healthcare.\n\n\"Whilst the young people are waiting, puberty passes and transitioning becomes a lot harder - some people are effectively denied treatment.\n\n\"The NHS needs to make a cultural decision that trans people are real, and they have the same rights to treatment as everybody else.\"\n\nAn NHS England spokesperson said: \"There has been more than a 500% rise in the number of children and young people being referred to the Tavistock's gender identity service since 2013 as more people come forward for support and treatment.\n\n\"The NHS has already asked Dr Hilary Cass to carry out an independent review including how and when children and young people are referred to specialist services, so legal action against the NHS will only cost taxpayers' money and not help the actions already under way.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Scotland's new investment bank has opened for business with a mission to foster innovation and help meet climate change targets.\n\nThe Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) will be backed by £2bn of Scottish government funding over the next decade.\n\nOfficials have announced the bank's first investment - a Glasgow-based laser technology firm called M Squared.\n\nMSPs unanimously passed plans for the bank in January.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the bank as \"one of the most significant developments in the lifetime of this parliament\".\n\nIn its first decade, it will invest in businesses and projects that help Scotland meet its 2045 net zero target, tackle inequality and foster innovation in the country's businesses.\n\nSNIB chairman Willie Watt said he hoped the bank would eventually become a national, non-political institution.\n\nHe said: \"I want it to become a trusted institution that is seen as being owned by the whole of Scotland.\n\n\"A non-political, cornerstone institution in the investment landscape in Scotland.\n\n\"I want it to have a list of really good investments against each of those three missions so we can look back and say that we actually invested against these missions.\"\n\nFunding will be provided in multiple forms, according to Mr Watt, including through loans and equity purchases.\n\nThe idea is well established in other countries, and it's not new to Scotland. Enterprise agencies have been lending and investing in growth companies for many years.\n\nThe SNIB is different and important now because it steps up scale and ambition for what can be achieved.\n\nIt does so when there is less negativity about the role of the state in trying to \"pick winners\", and a growing appreciation that such investments can bring big dividends for the economy, society and technology.\n\nThe \"moonshot\" language used by Boris Johnson about Covid-19 testing reflects a belief that the state can set strategic goals and draw together the resources to achieve them, as the USA did with its 1969 moon landing. His former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, is a passionate advocate of America's way of supporting technology firms with government action.\n\nAnd the power of government procurement and support for private medical research through the pandemic is leading others to review the way they think about the other big global challenge, of tackling climate change.\n\nWhether the SNIB works depends on the quality of its foresight and decision-making, not only in getting returns but in drawing in private sector partners. It requires scale, and plans so far are not huge.\n\nThe trickiest bit can be getting the right level of autonomy - an arm's length from government interference, and denying ministers the easy option of bailouts when important employers are in financial distress.\n\nOnly two days before the SNIB was launched, a Scottish government policy paper was calling for it to bail out defaulting companies: \"We should consider scrapping interest charges on Covid-19 related loans, or converting these loans to equity, managed by public policy banks such as the Scottish National Investment Bank\".\n\nThere are positive examples, including Scottish Water. But the Scottish government portfolio of Ferguson shipyard, BiFab fabrication yards and Prestwick Airport so far does little to reassure taxpayers that their money is being put behind winning investments.\n\nProfit targets for the bank will be set in the coming months but the chairman said he does not expect money to be flowing back into the bank for the first few years.\n\nScottish National Investment Bank CEO Eilidh Mactaggart, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and bank chairman Willie Watt launched the national bank\n\nMs Sturgeon said: \"The Scottish National Investment Bank will help to tackle some of the biggest challenges we face now and in the years to come, delivering economic, social and environmental returns.\n\n\"It is hitting the ground running with its first major investment in M Squared - a great example of the ambitious and innovative companies we have here in Scotland that will be key to our economic recovery and future prosperity.\n\n\"The launch of the bank is one of the most significant developments in the lifetime of this parliament, with the potential for it to transform, grow and decarbonise Scotland's economy.\"\n\nM Squared is based in Glasgow and specialises in quantum technology\n\nDr Graeme Malcolm, the founder of M Squared, said: \"Science and advanced technologies have a major role to play in Scotland's future economic prosperity.\n\n\"By increasing investment in research and development with a mission-based approach, Scotland has a real opportunity to actively tackle climate change and benefit from the coming quantum revolution.\n\n\"We are delighted that the Scottish National Investment Bank has invested in M Squared as its very first business - our shared commitments to society and the environment makes this an ideal partnership that will enable accelerated growth and progress in frontier technologies.\"", "A company that made insulation used on Grenfell Tower was \"stretching the truth\" by claiming its product was appropriate for use on high-rise buildings, a former employee has said.\n\nKingspan fire-tested its cladding product in 2005, but changed the insulation's formulation the next year.\n\nThe new version of the product failed to repeat the same performance.\n\nEx-technical director Ivor Meredith told the inquiry into the fire this was \"common knowledge\" at Kingspan.\n\nThe first phase of the Grenfell inquiry concluded that cladding put on the west London tower block during its refurbishment fuelled the fire in June 2017 in which 72 people died.\n\nThe inquiry is now examining how the blaze could have happened in the first place.\n\nMr Meredith described a fire test using the new version of Kingspan's K15 in 2007 as a \"raging inferno\", with the insulation \"burning on its own steam\".\n\nHe told the inquiry he was shocked by what he saw.\n\nDespite this, Kingspan continued to use the results from the original 2005 test to sell its material as appropriate for use on high-rise buildings.\n\nKingspan K15 insulation was used in the flammable cladding system mounted on to Grenfell Tower, alongside Celotex RS5000.\n\nIn 2015, two years before the Grenfell Tower fire, Mr Meredith told his managers he had been put in a position where he had been asked to maintain the appearance of fire safety performance that - as he put it - \"that perhaps our products don't deserve\".\n\nHe added that many would question the company \"playing in [a] market [they were] not suitable for\".\n\nThe evidence comes a month after it was confirmed that test certificates for K15 from the 2005 tests had been withdrawn.\n\nA letter sent to the inquiry from Kingspan dated 23 October - shown in full to Monday's hearing - read: \"We have undertaken a comprehensive review of all past and current test data which relates to K15.\"\n\nIt added: \"It became apparent that the K15 manufactured in 2005 would not be representative of the product currently sold on the market from 2006 to today.\n\n\"While both products are still phenolic foam, Kingspan is now of the view that there are sufficient differences to consider withdrawing the test report.\"\n• None Grenfell Tower fire: Who were the victims?", "There has been a huge rise in the number of children removed from school to be home educated, with many parents saying they were driven by Covid fears.\n\nA survey of 151 local councils by the Association of Directors of Children's Services suggests the number of home-schooled children in England rose 38%.\n\nThe ADCS estimates as many as 75,668 children were home educated on 1 October, up from 54,656 a year earlier.\n\nLocal councils said fear about Covid-19 was the top reason parents gave.\n\nSeveral councils said many families had told them they were intending to send their children back to school once their concerns over the pandemic and its risks were alleviated.\n\nOthers reported that some parents said they had made the decision because they felt so positively about having their children home during the closure of regular schools between March and July.\n\nFurther analysis by the ADCS found 25% of those children and young people registered for home education on 1 October had become so since term started.\n\nThere is no official national data on the number of home educated children and estimates vary widely.\n\nThe ADCS has carried out a comparable survey of its members in 151 local authorities in England on home education, every year since 2014 when it was about 23,000.\n\nThis year members from 133 councils responded to the survey. A total of 66,648 children were registered for Elective Home Education (EHE) on 1 October (school census day).\n\nThe researchers extrapolated these figures across the remaining 18 local authorities to come to the estimate of 75,668 children being home educated.\n\nOverall, the latest official government figures suggest there were 8.89 million children registered in schools in England in 2020.\n\nParents have a legal right to home educate their children, instead of sending them to school. Many do this for philosophical, ethical or religious reasons.\n\nOthers home educate as a last resort due to lack of support for special educational or mental health needs.\n\nBut children's services bosses are also concerned that removing a child from school takes them out children out of sightline of children's services, creating a safeguarding risk in a small number of cases.\n\nLocal authorities have a duty to ensure children are receiving a suitable education, but there is no statutory register of children with Elective Home Education.\n\nChairwoman of the ADCS Educational Achievement Policy Committee Gail Tolley said many parents and carers had felt the need to remove their child from school due to health concerns over the pandemic.\n\nShe said: \"We want to be able to support these families to make sure they are making an informed decision and are equipped to offer a good and broad education to their child/ren.\n\n\"However, without a statutory register it is impossible to know of every child or young person who is being electively home educated.\n\n\"Schools play an important role in safeguarding as they provide a direct line of sight to the child. If a child is taken out of school, it is vital we know that they are in a safe environment and that their needs are being met.\"\n\nThe Department for Education last year consulted on setting up a register of all children and young people who are not educated in school.\n\nCouncil leaders and heads of children's services say this would provide greater oversight of this growing trend. They also want resources to cover their responsibilities in this area.\n\nThe government is yet to publish its response to the consultation, but existing guidance is due to be renewed by December.\n\nA DfE spokesman said it was a national priority to keep schools open and any parents who were still concerned should engage with their school.\n\nAnd he pointed out that local authorities already have powers to request that home educating parents demonstrate that the education they are providing is sufficient and appropriate. The DfE has also published a blog setting out the responsibilities of parents educating their own children.\n\nThe Commons Education Committee is holding a session on home education on Tuesday as part of its inquiry into the issue.\n\nIt will also be examining the impact of Covid-19 on elective home education.\n• None Concern over numbers out of full-time school", "On 29 November 2019, a man with knives went on the attack in the London Bridge area.\n\nPhone footage from the day shows Darryn Frost fighting off Usman Khan with a narwhal tusk, to help end the attack.\n\nKhan, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, was then shot dead by police.\n\nA year on, Darryn spoke to BBC Breakfast about his memories of the day.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nChina has launched a mission to try to retrieve rock samples from the Moon.\n\nIts robotic Chang'e-5 spacecraft departed the Wenchang launch complex on a Long March 5 rocket early on Tuesday morning local time, and if successful should return to Earth in mid-December.\n\nIt's more than 40 years since the Americans and the Soviets brought home lunar rock and \"soil\" for analysis.\n\nChina aims to be only the third country to achieve this feat, which will be an extremely complex endeavour.\n\nIt's a multi-step process that involves an orbiter, a lander-ascender and finally a return component that uses a capsule to survive a fast and hot entry into Earth's atmosphere at the end of the mission.\n\nBut confidence should be high after a series of well-executed lunar missions that started just over a decade ago with a couple satellites.\n\nThese were followed up by lander-rover combinations - with the most recent, Chang'e-4, making a soft touch down on the Moon's farside, something no spacefaring nation had previously accomplished.\n\nA moment of joy for the Chang'e-5 launch team as the mission gets under way\n\nChang'e-5 is going to target a nearside location called Mons Rümker, a high volcanic complex in a region known as Oceanus Procellarum.\n\nThe rocks in this location are thought to be very young compared with those sampled by the US Apollo astronauts and the Soviet Luna robots - something like perhaps 1.3 billion years old versus the 3-4-billion-year-old rocks picked up on those earlier missions.\n\nThis will give scientists another data point for the method they use to age events in the inner Solar System.\n\nEssentially, researchers count craters - the older the surface, the more craters it has; the younger the surface, the fewer it has.\n\n\"The Moon is the chronometer of the Solar System, as far as we're concerned,\" explained Dr Neil Bowles at Oxford University.\n\n\"The samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions came from known locations and were dated radiometrically very accurately, and we've been able to tie that information to the cratering rate and extrapolate ages to other surfaces in the Solar System.\"\n\nArtwork: This mission is the next step up in complexity\n\nThe new Chang'e-5 samples should also improve our understanding of the Moon's volcanic history, said Dr Katie Joy from the University of Manchester.\n\n\"The mission is being sent to an area where we know there were volcanoes erupting in the past. We want to know precisely when that was,\" she told BBC News.\n\n\"This will tells us about the Moon's magmatic and thermal history through time, and from that we can start to answer questions more widely about when volcanism and magmatism was occurring on all of the inner Solar System planets, and why the Moon could have run out of energy to produce volcanoes earlier than some of those other bodies.\"\n\nThe Chang'e-4 mission touched down on the Moon's farside\n\nWhen Chang'e-5 arrives at the Moon it will go into orbit. A lander will then detach and make a powered descent.\n\nOnce down, instruments will characterise the surroundings before scooping up some surface material.\n\nThe lander has the capacity also to drill into the soil, or regolith.\n\nAn ascent vehicle will carry the samples back up to rendezvous with the orbiter.\n\nIt's at this stage that a complicated transfer must be undertaken, packaging the rock and soil into a capsule for despatch back to Earth. A shepherding craft will direct the capsule to enter the atmosphere over Inner Mongolia.\n\nEvery phase is difficult, but the architecture will be very familiar - it's very similar to how human missions to the Moon were conducted in the 1960/70s.\n\nChina is building towards that goal.\n\n\"You can certainly see the analogy between what's being done on the Chang'e-5 mission - in terms of the different elements and their interaction with each other - and what would be required for a human mission,\" said Dr James Carpenter, exploration science coordinator for human and robotic exploration at the European Space Agency.\n\n\"We're seeing right now an extraordinary expansion in lunar activity. We've got the US-led Artemis programme (to return astronauts to the Moon) and the partnerships around that; the Chinese with their very ambitious exploration programme; but also many more new actors as well.\"\n\nArtwork: The return capsule will approach Earth's atmosphere very fast\n\nJonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos", "Train companies are extending a scheme offering free travel to those fleeing domestic abuse in Great Britain until the end of March next year.\n\nThe \"Rail to Refuge\" scheme is a joint initiative involving rail operators and the charity Women's Aid.\n\nThe companies provide free tickets for women, men and children travelling to refuge services.\n\nCharities dealing with domestic abuse have reported a surge in appeals for help since the start of the pandemic.\n\nAnd after the first lockdown was lifted there was an increase in those seeking refuge places. Charities are now preparing for a repeat.\n\nNicki Norman, acting chief executive at Women's Aid, welcomed the news that the \"important\" scheme was being extended, saying: \"Thanks to the rail industry removing the financial barriers of travel, hundreds of women have left abusive relationships and been able to get to safety.\"\n\nShe added: \"Women face huge barriers in leaving an abuser. They tell us that they simply cannot afford to leave because the perpetrator has controlled their money and they have none of their own. Many women and children escape to a refuge with nothing at all.\"\n\nAnd many have to travel considerable distances to escape their abusers, moving to different local authorities.\n\nSince the first lockdown in the spring, train operators have provided free tickets to more than 600 adults and 200 children, according to the Rail Delivery Group, which brings together train companies across Britain.\n\nIt says the majority of those who have been helped said they would not have travelled if the journey had not been paid for.\n\nSurvivors need to have a confirmed refuge space in a refuge that is a member of the Women's Aid Federation of England (including Respect, which runs the Men's Advice line); Welsh Women's Aid; Scottish Women's Aid; and Imkaan, which specifically helps black, Asian and minority ethnic women in order to obtain a ticket. The refuge will then book the ticket on their behalf.\n\nJacqueline Starr, chief operating officer at the Rail Delivery Group said: \"We're proud to have provided a lifeline for people escaping a desperate situation, but there are still too many women, men and children who need help.\n\n\"Our staff are working hard to support the survivors of domestic abuse.\"\n\nRail to Refuge was first introduced by Southeastern before the Covid crisis in September 2019, after one of its station managers, Darren O'Brien, saw a TV documentary about the work done by Women's Aid at a refuge in Surrey.\n\nThe scheme was brought in across Britain shortly after the start of the first lockdown.\n\nSince then, domestic abuse charities have been dealing with big increases in calls and contacts to their helplines.\n\nProfessionals have always warned that for victims the most threatening periods can be when they are preparing to leave their abuser or when they have just left.\n\n\"Not only is it an extremely dangerous time,\" says Ms Norman. \"But many survivors have experienced years of economic abuse which restricts their practical ability to escape.\"\n\nOnline webchats and text services are also available.", "A large police operation was launched to close down the rave\n\nAn investigation has been launched into injuries caused by a police dog at an illegal rave.\n\nA young woman at the event in Yate near Bristol claims to have sustained \"life-changing injuries\" to her leg.\n\nAvon and Somerset Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).\n\nAt the time, the force said officers were pelted with missiles when they moved in to disperse the crowd.\n\nIn an interview with the Independent newspaper, 28 year-old Jessica Mae Andrew said the dog attacked as police closed down the event on 31 October.\n\nShe says her injuries included a broken bone and she needed skin and muscle grafts along with reconstructive surgery.\n\nThe event took place on Halloween\n\nIn a statement, the IOPC said: \"We received a referral from Avon and Somerset Police after a member of the public sustained a dog bite injury in Yate.\n\n\"After careful consideration, we decided the matter was suitable for local investigation by the force.\n\n\"The IOPC will be provided with a copy of the force's final report so will retain some oversight of this matter.\"\n\nAn Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: \"The process is ongoing and will include reviewing body-worn camera footage.\n\n\"Our final report will be provided to the IOPC.\"\n\nSome police officers who went to break up the rave suffered minor injuries after having missiles thrown at them.\n\nAvon and Somerset Chief Constable Andy Marsh said those running the event had acted \"criminally and disgracefully\".\n\n\"It is hard to adequately explain how reckless it was to organise an unlicensed music event during the midst of a pandemic that has claimed so many lives.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A police cordon was put in place around Westgate Street in Hackney\n\nA woman is in a life-threatening condition in hospital after being shot in a London street.\n\nThe woman, 32, was found with wounded on Westgate Street, Hackney, at 20:52 GMT on Sunday.\n\nPolice said the victim was \"an innocent bystander\". She was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital. Her next of kin has been informed.\n\nThe Met Police's specialist gang crime unit is investigating. There have been no arrests.\n\nDet Insp Matt Webb, said: \"We have been told that the area was busy at the time of the shooting.\n\n\"I am confident that someone has information that will help our investigation.\n\n\"At this early stage, we believe that the victim was an innocent bystander.\"\n\nEarlier on Sunday, a man in his 20s was stabbed to death in south London.\n\nHe was pronounced dead at Ramillies Close, Brixton Hill, just before 18:00.\n\nOfficers are trying to trace his next of kin. No arrests have been made, the Metropolitan Police said.\n\nOn Sunday afternoon a man was knifed to death in Kensal Green, north-west London.\n\nA man in his 50s has been arrested in connection with the death and remains in police custody, but no details about the victim have been released.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Germany's chancellor has raised concerns about the world's poorest securing access to Covid-19 vaccines.\n\nAngela Merkel was speaking at a G20 summit which saw leaders promise a fair distribution of jabs.\n\nBut Mrs Merkel warned progress was slow, saying she would raise the matter with global vaccine alliance GAVI.\n\n\"We will now speak with GAVI about when these negotiations will begin because I am somewhat worried that nothing has been done on that yet,\" she said.\n\nHer comments come as the US announced that some Americans could be vaccinated as early as 11 December.\n\nThe G20 summit of the world's leading economic powers was hosted by Saudi Arabia. Due to the pandemic meetings were held virtually.\n\nDuring the conference, the world's richest nations promised to support poor countries whose economies have been badly damaged by the crisis, but gave few details about what spending would entail.\n\nThe virus has infected nearly 60 million people around the world since emerging in China last December, and killed almost 1.4 million.\n\nG20 nations also pledged to address the immediate financing required to support the production and fair distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, as well as treatments for the virus, and tests.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"We will spare no effort to ensure their affordable and equitable access for all people,\" the group said in their closing communique.\n\nAt a news conference, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan emphasised that there was consensus among G20 nations that \"if we leave any country behind, we will be behind\".\n\nRich countries including the UK have already bought up huge numbers of vaccine doses from pharmaceutical firms.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron called on G20 leaders to \"go further and faster\" in supporting poorer nations by donating doses, forging industrial partnerships and even sharing intellectual property.\n\nBut the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said \"more funding is needed,\" to plug a $4.5bn (£3.3bn) gap in the so-called ACT-Accelerator, a mechanism led by the World Health Organization that aims to ensure access to tests, treatments and vaccines for all.", "Some of the UK's biggest food companies have attacked a plan that could see all online junk food advertising banned to tackle childhood obesity.\n\nIn a letter to the prime minister, bosses of firms including Britvic, Kellogg's and Mars said they supported government efforts to tackle obesity.\n\nBut they said the plans were \"disproportionate\" and lacked evidence.\n\nThe government has said it is determined to help children and families make \"healthier choices\".\n\nIt originally planned to ban online adverts and TV commercials for unhealthy foods that appeared before 9pm, but strengthened this in November.\n\nThe prime minister is said to have changed course after being hospitalised with Covid-19, something he links to being overweight.\n\nThe proposal, which is still under consultation, could usher in some of the toughest digital marketing restrictions in the world by the end of 2022.\n\nFirms would not be able to promote foods high in fat, salt or sugar in Facebook ads, paid search results on Google, text promotions and posts on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.\n\nBut the letter, which has been signed by 800 food and drink manufacturers and 3,000 UK brands, says food companies have not been given enough time to submit detailed objections.\n\n\"The UK government is quite correctly committed to evidence-based policy making. However, the evidence base underpinning these proposals is lacking in both detail and efficacy,\" it says.\n\n\"Additionally, there is still no agreed definition of which foods the government is including in these proposals.\n\n\"They are so broad they even capture family favourites from chocolate to peanut butter to sausage rolls.\"\n\nUnilever, which also signed the letter, said it would stop marketing ice cream to children earlier this year\n\nThe government estimates children aged under 16 were exposed to 15 billion junk food adverts online in 2019, versus 700 million two years earlier.\n\nBut in the letter, firms said advertisers could use sophisticated online tools to aim their advertisements at adult audiences, not children.\n\nIt also voiced concern about plans to police how producers described their products on their own websites and social media channels, saying this would disproportionately impact smaller businesses - which make up 96% of the industry.\n\n\"Is it really the government's intention that a local wedding cake business, for example, would not be able to share product details on its Instagram account in order to grow its sales?\" the letter said.\n\nThe food and drink industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, worth more than £28bn to the economy and employing almost 500,000 people.\n\nUnveiling plans for the ban earlier this month, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: \"I am determined to help parents, children and families in the UK make healthier choices about what they eat.\"\n\nA spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: \"We have committed to restricting HFSS adverts [for products high in fat, sugar and salt] on television before 9pm, but we also need to go further to address how children can be influenced online by adverts promoting unhealthy foods.\n\n\"We have launched a consultation to gather views from the public and industry stakeholders to understand the impact and challenges of introducing a total ban on the advertising of these products online.\"", "Deepspot is a diving pool that goes 45.5m (150ft) down and provides a space for divers to train.\n\nIt includes a ship wreck and separate chambers for divers to explore.\n\nDeepspot's president said he hopes the pool will also be used for training by firefighters and the army, not just scuba divers.", "Patrick Quinn was diagnosed with ALS in 2013\n\nPatrick Quinn, one of the men who helped drive the wildly popular Ice Bucket Challenge fundraising campaign, has died aged 37.\n\nQuinn, a New Yorker, was diagnosed with the incurable neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2013.\n\nHe died on Sunday morning, his supporters wrote on his official Facebook page. \"He was a blessing to us all in so many ways,\" they said.\n\nThe viral campaign has raised $220m (£163m) for ALS research.\n\nThe Ice Bucket Challenge did not begin with Quinn, but he and his family and friends helped it become a global social media phenomenon in the summer of 2014.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Former US President George W Bush was among those to take the challenge\n\nTo complete the challenge, people would dump a bucket of ice water over their heads and post the video to social media, challenging others to do the same or make a donation to ALS research. Often, people did both.\n\nThe challenge drew high-profile participants like former President George W Bush, Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga and President Donald Trump.\n\nLast year, Pete Frates - the former college baseball star who was another key figure in the campaign - died aged 34.", "Restaurant owners have expressed anger at Stormont's approach to Covid-19 rules after large numbers of weekend shoppers lined Belfast's streets.\n\nIt comes ahead of non-essential shops in Northern Ireland being ordered to shut for two weeks from Friday.\n\nRestaurateur Bob McCoubrey said the scenes were \"hard to accept\", while pubs and restaurants remain closed.\n\nThe chief medical officer said there was a greater risk of spreading infection in hospitality settings.\n\nBBC News NI has contacted the Executive Office for a comment.\n\nChief Medical Officer Michael McBride said: \"In restaurants and in pubs, individuals are engaged in different interaction, they are closer together for a longer period of time and the risk is therefore greater.\"\n\nCafes, bars and restaurants closed on 17 October but shops, including those deemed non-essential, have been allowed to remain open during that time.\n\nLast Friday, hospitality businesses without an alcohol licence were allowed to reopen, but they must close again along with all non-essential retail at the end of the week.\n\nMr McCoubrey, who owns the Mourne Seafood Bar in Belfast's city centre, said he could not understand why his restaurant had to stay closed while shops were still open.\n\nHe retweeted the photo of a long queue outside Primark in Castle Street on Saturday, with a message that read: \"Hard to accept pictures like this when we can't even use our outside area.\"\n\n\"We're just angry\", he later told BBC News NI.\n\n\"I'm very frustrated. We've been closed for five weeks and we're no further forward in terms of the infection or the pressure on hospitals.\"\n\nWhile Mr McCoubrey did not see the queue outside Primark on Saturday, he said he had seen similar queues in recent days.\n\nShoppers lined both sides of the street outside Primark on Saturday afternoon\n\nThe photo outside Primark was taken by Caítlin Webb at about 14:00 GMT on Saturday. She sent it privately to a relative via WhatsApp and it later appeared on Twitter and Facebook, where it has since been widely shared.\n\nThe 21-year-old told BBC News NI the queue began on one side of Castle Street, snaked up as far as the Hercules Bar, and then continued along the other pavement into the shop.\n\nMs Webb said she briefly joined the queue herself, but left after about 10 minutes as she was concerned by a lack of social distancing.\n\nPrimark said: \"Nothing matters more to us than the safety and wellbeing of our employees and customers.\"\n\n\"As we re-open our stores in Northern Ireland in line with government advice, we continue to have extensive health and safety measures in place including a strict social distancing protocol and limits on the number of customers allowed in store,\" a Primark spokesperson added.\n\n\"Dedicated employees and security staff are on hand to help ensure these measures are adhered to.\n\n\"We continue to closely follow all safety advice from government across all our stores.\"\n\nAnother restaurateur described the scenes as an \"absolute scandal\" and claimed the situation had been created by the Stormont Executive \"with your inability to govern our country\".\n\nStevie Higginson, who owns two restaurants in Lisburn and Ballynahinch, said the current rules were a \"joke\".\n\n\"I can't serve 30 guests inside, socially-distanced with sanitiser on every table, staff wearing masks, screens up,\" he said.\n\nHe said restaurants had track-and-trace systems in place \"for every customer\", and service would be limited to a maximum of six people from the same household at each table if they were allowed to reopen.\n\nThe chief medical officer said: \"The retail sector are putting in place measures to restrict the number of people in their stores to maintain flows in a safe way to minimise contact between individuals indoors.\n\n\"The consequence of limiting the number of people indoors is that there may be, where there is demand for a particular retail outlet, there may be individuals outside waiting to come in.\"\n\n\"It is also important that those queues are managed appropriately, socially distanced, but they are outside and we need to bear that in mind,\" Dr McBride told BBC NI's Radio Ulster's Nolan Show on Monday,\n\nNI's Chief Scientific Adviser Prof Ian Young said that within the retail sector the interactions of people tended to:\n\nIt comes as the executive's plans to curtail church services due to Covid-19 have been criticised by a series of MLAs.\n\nPaul Givan the DUP MLA for Lagan Valley said the decision put people of faith in a conflicted place.\n\nMr Givan wondered whether some large churches could remain open with social distancing in place.\n\nThere was \"real anger\" that churches were closed, according to DUP MLA William Humphrey said.\n\nSDLP MLA Justin McNulty said he was worried about what effect closure would have on the mental health of church goers.\n\nThe Health Minister Robin Swann said such decisions were \"not taken easily\".\n\nMr Swann said he would be in favour of churches opening for private worship if \"social distancing is followed\".", "Students in England will be urged to take two Covid tests three days apart, to cut the risk of spreading infection when they travel home for Christmas.\n\nThese are lateral flow tests with rapid results - with those testing negative expected to leave university within the following 24 hours, according to the latest guidelines seen by the BBC.\n\nThe pre-Christmas testing will start in many universities early next week.\n\nBut testing will remain voluntary - and not all universities will offer tests.\n\nThe National Union of Students said there should be capacity for all students who wanted a test to get one before Christmas.\n\nMore than a million students in England will leave their university addresses to spend the Christmas holidays in another part of the country - and plans for testing are intended to stop this migration from spreading coronavirus.\n\nIt is understood that most universities, but not all, are taking part in the government's plans for the mass testing of students using lateral flow tests, starting on 30 November.\n\nStudents will be encouraged to take two tests\n\nDurham University, which has piloted testing, says about 2,000 students have already booked tests ahead of the Christmas departures.\n\nThe government guidelines recommend a double test to increase accuracy, three days apart, in the form of swab tests administered by the students themselves, at centres being set up by universities.\n\nThe results will be sent by text or email - with students who are not infected expected to leave their term-time accommodation \"immediately\", which is defined as within 24 hours of the second negative test.\n\nGetting students to leave soon after they get results is intended to cut the risk of infections post-testing.\n\n\"The closer to your travel time the better,\" says Professor Jacqui Ramagge, who is leading on testing for Durham University. And at her university, the two tests will be seven days apart rather than three.\n\nMinisters are urging students to take Covid tests before travelling, as a way of protecting their families, but it is not compulsory and not all universities will offer the testing.\n\nThose who do not take tests, or only have one test, will still be able to leave at the same time - with an encouragement to \"travel home as safely as possible\" during the \"travel window\" of 3 to 9 December, which the government has identified as when it expects most students to leave university for Christmas.\n\nThis will be after the current lockdown ends on 2 December, and ahead of universities switching to online teaching for the end of term.\n\nStudents who test positive will be directed towards taking another type of test - a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to confirm whether they are infected - and will have to stay and self-isolate while waiting for the result.\n\nBut those who test positive from this PCR test will be required to stay in their term-time accommodation for 10 days of self-isolation - which should still leave enough time to get back before Christmas.\n\nThe \"window\" for students to travel home begins from 3 December\n\nTeesside University is among those opening testing centres from 30 November - and is encouraging students to book for two lateral flow tests at its Middlesbrough campus.\n\nPro Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Simpson said it would provide a \"quick and easy testing option to our students and enable them to make an informed decision about returning home for the upcoming Christmas break\".\n\nHe said it would help to address the \"considerable anxiety and a need for reassurance\" about the safety of travel ahead of the end of term.\n\nUniversities Minister Michelle Donelan said: \"Testing will offer further assurances that students can keep their families safe this winter, and I urge all students who can to take the tests on offer.\"", "The original bike appeared at about the same time as the hula-hooping girl artwork\n\nA bicycle that provided the foreground to a Banksy artwork was removed by the owner of the building the piece was painted on, a council has confirmed.\n\nThe bike went missing from its position outside a beauty salon in Nottingham over the weekend, leading to fears it had been stolen.\n\nResident Kyle Myatt was so disappointed by its disappearance he replaced it with a bike he bought himself.\n\nBut the council said on Monday the bike had been taken away \"for safekeeping\".\n\nThe Nottingham Project, an organisation aiming to \"rejuvenate\" the city, said on Twitter they are working with the council and the building owner to protect the artwork, including the bike.\n\nThe artwork first appeared on the building, on the junction of Rothesay Avenue and Ilkeston Road, on 13 October.\n\nA few days later it was claimed by the elusive artist via his Instagram account.\n\nThis new bike is also a Raleigh, a brand that used to be manufactured in the area the artwork is located\n\nThe original bike - sporting the livery \"Arkansas\" with a twisted front wheel and missing a back one, which the girl is depicted using as a hula hoop - was locked to a street sign.\n\nCrowds had flocked to see the artwork, and the city council protected it with a transparent cover before it was twice targeted with spray paint.\n\nWhen Mr Myatt, a 23-year-old food delivery rider, saw the original bike had gone he thought it had been stolen and decided to replace it.\n\nHe told the BBC: \"Banksy put us on the radar by putting it on that wall. It makes the area look a lot better.\"\n\nHe said he found a £20 Raleigh bike on sale on Facebook and, using an old lock he already had, he took off the back wheel and put it where the old bike had been on Sunday evening.\n\nHe added: \"I just did it to see people happier.\n\n\"Even if it's not been stolen I'm still glad I replaced it as it looks like part of the Banksy.\n\n\"And at least now if someone does nick it, the original is safe.\"\n\nKyle Myatt said he regularly passes the Banksy while working and wanted to restore it for everyone to enjoy again\n\nArt fan and Nottingham resident Jasinya Powell, 39, said she too had thought it was a theft.\n\nShe said: \"This shows how Banksy has seen something we don't see in this city.\n\n\"We all assumed it had been stolen, but it was just for safekeeping.\n\n\"And now it's been replaced with another iconic piece by a member of the public. It's brilliant.\"\n\nResident Tracy Jayne found the artwork was missing its bike when she went to visit it on Sunday\n\nPeople queued to see the artwork\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nTributes have been paid to a D-Day veteran who spent decades teaching \"peace and reconciliation\" to children in France and Wales.\n\nDavid Edwards, 95, had a French school named after him for his work promoting peace and understanding.\n\nMr Edwards died at home in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, leaving Diane, his wife of more than 70 years.\n\nOne of his sons, Chris, described him as his \"hero\" and vowed to continue his work with schools.\n\n\"Dad always said 'freedom' was a very powerful word, but the first four letters - free - is a bit of a misnomer, because he said freedom will always cost,\" he said.\n\nCaroline de Pechy, a head teacher from Normandy, first met Mr Edwards in the summer of 2000, when her new school in Mondrainville, near Caen, was named after the Normandy veteran and fellow ex-soldier Tom Griffiths.\n\nThe photograph of the house sparked a four-decade friendship\n\nHis link to the village stretched back decades - to a photo in the rubble of a farmhouse, just after D-Day in 1944.\n\nMr Edwards had signed up at 19 and joined 2nd battalion Monmouthshire Regiment, 53rd Welsh Division, and was one of thousands who fought to liberate France.\n\nSheltering in a ruined building, he spotted a photograph among the devastation.\n\n\"I just picked it up and kept it, you know as a kind of souvenir of the war, something to remember the place by,\" he said in 2014.\n\nHe was wounded in 1944, but returned back to his unit to fight through into the Netherlands and Germany, and was later sent as part of a peace-keeping force to the former Yugoslavia, before returning to Abergavenny in 1946.\n\nAfter a 30-year career in the police force, Mr Edwards retired and went back to Normandy with Mr Griffiths for the 40th anniversary of D-Day.\n\nThe pair decided to try to find the house in the photo - and villager Jean-Louis le Goffe recognised it as his family's home.\n\nIt led to a four-decade friendship between the men, the village and the local school.\n\nCaroline de Pechy and David Edwards at one of his many visits to the school\n\nMr Edwards would regularly come back to speak to the pupils about his time fighting to liberate their country.\n\nMs de Pechy, head teacher of the Edwards-Griffiths school, said: \"I hope that in his heart, every single smile on our pupils' faces lightened the weight of the sacrifice they made.\n\n\"He was a beautiful soul and no doubt a great man - he leaves a legacy of tolerance and I think his legacy continues for many, many years.\"\n\nWayne Jones, head of Llanyrafon Primary school in Torfaen, where Mr Edwards also gave talks to pupils, said: \"David spoke about peace and reconciliation as much as the events of those dark days of the war.\n\n\"David was, quite simply, a hero and - at the same time as we send our deepest condolences to his family - we also celebrate the life of an exceptional man.\"", "Last updated on .From the section Sport\n\nA ban on outdoor grassroots sport is set to be lifted in England when the national lockdown ends.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson will make a statement to the House of Commons on Monday unveiling plans for Covid-19 restrictions from 2 December, which MPs will vote on later in the week.\n\nWhile parts of the tier system will be toughened, it is expected that outdoor grassroots sport will be allowed across all tiers.\n\nGyms are also set to reopen.\n\nWhile elite sports has continued behind closed doors during England's four-week lockdown, grassroots and amateur sport has been halted since 5 November.\n\nThat saw leisure centres and gyms close, as well as other indoor and outdoor leisure facilities including golf courses, while all adult and children's grassroots football was suspended, despite calls for exemptions from the restrictions.\n\nTalking about grassroots sport, culture secretary Oliver Dowden told BBC Sport on Thursday: \"I'm desperate for it to come back.\n\n\"I am pretty hopeful and confident as we go back into the tier system. It's top of the list for us to get it back from 2 December. I know how valuable it is.\"\n\nBut he added: \"We have to go through a proper process of evaluating the evidence; we have to wait until the final decisions are made.\"\n\nIn Scotland, only non-contact training is allowed in grassroots football under lockdown rules in areas under the most severe restrictions.\n\nLast week a £300m bail-out for spectator sports in England was announced, but no additional funding was directed specifically at recreational sport.\n\nLisa Wainwright, chief executive of the Sport and Recreation Alliance, said it was \"critical that a proportion of this money goes to the lifeblood of each sport at the community level\".\n\nShe added: \"It remains crucial that community sport and recreation is opened up as soon as possible to enhance the physical and mental health of the nation as we move out of the debilitating effects of lockdown.\n\n\"While this release of funding is a very welcome development, we should remember that many sports are not covered by this package and they remain in a perilous situation with clubs and community centres struggling to survive the latest restrictions.\n\n\"To this extent, community sport and leisure still stands on a precipice.\"\n• None Check out his specially selected tracks from influential artists\n• None A World Cup winner on getting to grips with British slang", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"People will be able to leave their home for any purpose,\" says Prime Minister Boris Johnson\n\nGyms and non-essential shops in all parts of England will be allowed to reopen when lockdown ends next month, the prime minister has announced.\n\nBoris Johnson told the Commons that the three-tiered regional measures will return from 2 December, but he added that each tier will be toughened.\n\nSpectators will be allowed to return to some sporting events, and weddings and collective worship will resume.\n\nRegions will not find out which tier they are in until Thursday.\n\nThe allocation of tiers will be dependent on a number of factors, including each area's case numbers, the reproduction rate - or R number - and the current and projected pressure on the NHS locally.\n\nTier allocations will be reviewed every 14 days, and the regional approach will last until March.\n\nThe PM, who is self-isolating after meeting an MP who later tested positive for coronavirus, told MPs via video link he expected \"more regions will fall - at least temporarily - into higher levels than before\".\n\nHe said he was \"very sorry\" for the \"hardship\" that such restrictions would cause business owners.\n\nSpeaking later at a Downing Street briefing, Mr Johnson added that \"things will look and feel very different\" after Easter, with a vaccine and mass testing.\n\nHe warned the months ahead \"will be hard, they will be cold\" - but added that with a \"favourable wind\" the majority of people most in need of a vaccination might be able to get one by Easter.\n\nUntil then, the PM said, there would be a three-pronged approach of \"tough tiering, mass community testing, and [the] roll-out of vaccines\".\n\nDescribing how the tiers had become tougher, the PM said:\n\nWhere pubs and restaurants are allowed to open, last orders will now be at 10pm, with drinkers allowed a further hour to finish their drinks.\n\nIndoor performances - such as those at the theatre - will also return in the lower two tiers, although with reduced capacity.\n\nIn terms of households mixing, in tier one a maximum of six people can meet indoors or outdoors; in tier two, there is no mixing of households indoors, and a maximum of six people can meet outdoors; and in tier three - the toughest tier - household mixing is not allowed indoors, or in most outdoor places.\n\nIn all tiers, exceptions apply for support bubbles. From 2 December, parents with babies under the age of one can form a support bubble with another household.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Laura Foster explains the new three tier system for England\n\nMr Johnson said the tiers would now be a uniform set of rules, with no negotiations on additional measures for any particular region.\n\nMeasures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland continue to be decided by the devolved administrations, but a joint approach to Christmas, involving all four nations, will be set out later in the week.\n\nThe prime minister said: \"I can't say that Christmas will be normal this year, but in a period of adversity time spent with loved ones is even more precious for people of all faiths and none.\n\n\"We all want some kind of Christmas; we need it; we certainly feel we deserve it.\n\n\"But this virus obviously is not going to grant a Christmas truce… and families will need to make a careful judgement about the risks of visiting elderly relatives.\"\n\nFor the third week running we have had some positive vaccine news, but the announcement about the toughened tiers is a reminder, if we needed any, that the next few months will be tough.\n\nMinisters and advisers have been hinting for the past week that the tiers will be toughened - and that is exactly what has happened.\n\nAttention will now naturally turn to which areas will be in which tiers.\n\nDeciding that is a complex equation that will take into account whether the cases are going up or down, the percentage of tests that are positive, hospital pressures and infection rates among older age groups.\n\nTo give a flavour of how complex this is places in the North West and Yorkshire have some of the highest rates but they are falling the fastest.\n\nLondon and the South East have lower rates and more hospital capacity but cases are going up.\n\nFine judgements will have to be made. We will find out on Thursday.\n\nMr Johnson also announced changes to sport for both spectators and participants.\n\nWhile elite sport has continued behind closed doors during the lockdown, grassroots and amateur sport has been halted since 5 November.\n\nFrom 2 December, outdoor sports can resume, while spectators will be allowed to return in limited numbers. Some organised indoor sports can also resume.\n\nIn the lowest risk areas, a maximum of 50% occupancy of a stadium, or 4,000 fans - whichever is smaller - will be allowed to return. In tier two, that drops to 2,000 fans or 50% capacity, whichever is smaller.\n\nIn tier three, fans will continue to be barred from grounds.\n\nIn tiers one and two, business events can also resume inside and outside with tight capacity limits and social distancing, as can indoor performances in theatres and concert halls, the government's plan says.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"This is the red-hot question\": Kier Starmer asks the PM which tiers each local area will be in\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the government's return to the regional system as \"risky... because the previous three-tier system didn't work\".\n\nHe added that decisions on which areas will belong to each tier must be taken without delay - \"I just can't emphasise how important it is that these decisions are taken very quickly and very clearly so everybody can plan.\n\n\"That is obviously particularly important for the millions who were in restrictions before the national lockdown, because the message to them today seems to be 'you will almost certainly be back where you were before the national lockdown - probably in even stricter restrictions'.\"\n\nHelen Dickinson, of the British Retail Consortium, said shops would be \"relieved\" at the decision to allow them to reopen.\n\n\"Sage data has always highlighted that retail is a safe environment, and firms have spent hundreds of millions on safety measures including Perspex screens, additional cleaning, and social distancing and will continue to follow all safety guidance,\" she said.\n\nBut the UK hospitality industry warned the new rules \"are killing Christmas and beyond\" and said pubs, restaurants and hotels faced going bust.\n\nMeanwhile, a further 15,450 positive coronavirus cases were recorded across the UK on Monday. There have also been a further 206 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. Figures can be lower on a Monday, due to a lag in reporting.\n\nEarlier, it was announced that daily coronavirus tests will be offered to close contacts of people who have tested positive in England, as a way to reduce the current 14-day quarantine period.\n\nMr Johnson said people will be offered tests every day for a week - and they will not need to isolate unless they test positive.\n\nHe also said rapid tests will allow every care home resident to have up to two visitors tested twice a week.", "Phrases including mask up, anti-mask, anti-masker and mask-shaming became much more commonly used\n\nThis year has seen so many seismic events that Oxford Dictionaries has expanded its word of the year to encompass several \"Words of an Unprecedented Year\".\n\nIts words are chosen to reflect 2020's \"ethos, mood, or preoccupations\".\n\nUse of the word pandemic has increased by more than 57,000% this year.\n\nCasper Grathwohl, the president of Oxford Dictionaries, said: \"I've never witnessed a year in language like the one we've just had. The Oxford team was identifying hundreds of significant new words and usages as the year unfolded, dozens of which would have been a slam dunk for Word of the Year at any other time.\n\n\"It's both unprecedented and a little ironic - in a year that left us speechless, 2020 has been filled with new words unlike any other.\"\n\nAll languages evolve, but the rate of evolution has sped up today.\n\nIn this, the Too Much Information Age, when media is all pervasive, new words and usages adapt at an ever faster rate.\n\nIt's inevitable that the pandemic should have rescued old words (coronavirus), super-charged some that were loitering in our culture (furlough), and - in the case of Covid - created a neologism.\n\nWhat's more striking to me is how the news cycle generates new phrases and usages.\n\nBlack Lives Matter - BLM - was in usage before George Floyd was killed; but today it has penetrated our public domain as never before. So too mail-in and conspiracy theory - not because the conspiracy theories about mail-in ballots are new or true, but rather because they are espoused by the most famous person in the world, in Donald J Trump.\n\nYet the news cycle is a fickle friend, and sometimes not even a friend. That usage of Brexit should be down by 80% even as we enter its most critical phase shows that, sadly, the limited bandwidth of news programmes and human attention can harm priorities.\n\nIsn't now exactly the moment when we should be using Brexit more than ever?\n\nOxford University Press said it used \"evidence-based data\" to explore this year's language developments.\n\n\"We saw new words emerge, and historical words resurface with new significance, as the English language developed rapidly to keep pace with the political upheaval and societal tensions that defined the year,\" they added.\n\nThey divided their findings into specific areas:\n\nThe words key workers were included on a mural painted by Redcar resident Drew Allan earlier this year\n\nThe report said the word coronavirus dates back to the 60s and was previously \"mainly used by scientific and medical specialists\".\n\nBut by April this year it had become \"one of the most frequently used nouns in the English language, exceeding even the usage of the word time. By May, it had been surpassed by Covid-19.\n\nIt stated that the arrival of the pandemic saw \"huge increases\" from March in the use of circuit breaker, lockdown, and shelter-in-place, along with support bubbles or pods, face masks, PPE, medics, delivery drivers, and supermarket staff key workers, frontliners, or essential workers.\n\nThe report also stated that phrases including mask up, anti-mask, anti-masker and mask-shaming were \"among the proliferation of words reflecting attitudes towards the issue of mask-wearing\". Superspreader is a word dating back to the 70s, the report said, but it spiked in October when coronavirus cases spread in the White House.\n\nThe word reopening also increased in frequency as summer approached, relating to the number of shopping outlets that were closed during lockdown, while moonshot came into use, as the name of the UK government's programme for mass Covid testing.\n\nZoom has become the app many are using to stay in touch with friends, family and work colleagues\n\nTwo words that have seen a growth of more than 300% since March are remote and remotely. As for Zoom meetings, it will come as no surprise that the words mute and unmute have had a \"significant rise in usage this year\".\n\nOther words getting a lot more use include workcation (up 500%) - a holiday in which you also work - and staycation (up 380%) - a holiday at home or in your home country. Both words have seen increase in usage, almost 500% and 380% respectively.\n\nThis year also saw an increase in activism and demonstrations, despite social distancing being in place. Usage of Black Lives Matter and BLM surged following the death of George Floyd in the US.\n\nThe report also said use of conspiracy theory has \"almost doubled between October 2019 and October 2020\" and use of the term QAnon increased 960% during that time.\n\nIt added that the words impeachment and acquittal, relating to US President Donald Trump, were more prevalent at the early part of the year, whereas more recently, words such as mail-in, relating to US voting, were up 3,000% compared with 2019.\n\nMeanwhile the word Brexit was used 80% less this year, but usage was up for the phrase cancel culture - the withdrawing of support from public figures whose words and actions were considered socially unacceptable.\n\nMany people commented on being able to hear more birdsong during lockdown\n\nThe report said that levels of media coverage for climate change have fallen this year due to the pandemic. But it said that the result was a new word being used - anthropause, referring to \"the global slowdown of travel and other human activity and the subsequent welcome consequences, such as a decrease in light and noise pollution\".\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The first known cases of the virus were detected in Wuhan, China last December Image caption: The first known cases of the virus were detected in Wuhan, China last December\n\nChina has given assurances that it will allow international experts into the country to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.\n\nThe WHO’s emergencies director, Dr Michael Ryan, said Chinese government officials had promised to facilitate a field trip to the country “as soon as possible”.\n\nThe first cases of the virus were detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019.\n\nChina has rejected calls for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, arguing that such demands were politically motivated.\n\nBut China has been co-operating with the WHO, allowing it to send an advance team to Beijing in July to lay the groundwork for the international probe.\n\nSince then it has remained unclear when a larger team of scientists would be sent to China to begin more detailed studies of the virus and its origins.\n\nDr Ryan said “we fully expect to have a team on the ground”, with phase one of the investigation expected “over the next couple of months”.\n\n“Clearly, we all need to understand the origin of the virus,” Dr Ryan told a virtual media briefing on Monday. “We all need to understand where it has come from, not least to understand where it may re-emerge in the future. I believe our Chinese colleagues are just as anxious to find those answers as we are.”", "Infection rates have risen across Swale, including in towns such as Sittingbourne\n\nCoronavirus rules are being \"wilfully disregarded\" in the district with one of the highest infection rates in England, the local council leader said.\n\nSwale in Kent has the second highest rate in England, according to figures for the week to 19 November.\n\nRoger Truelove, leader of Swale Borough Council, said it was \"frustrating\" to see people not wearing face coverings and breaking social distancing rules.\n\nAn emergency meeting took place earlier to discuss the issue.\n\nThe district, which includes the Isle of Sheppey and towns such as Sittingbourne and Faversham, has a population of about 150,000.\n\nAs the meeting took place, nearby Medway Maritime Hospital announced the death of nurse Hannah Jackson, who is understood to have died after developing Covid-19.\n\nIt has been uncommon for an area of the South East to report an infection rate in the top 20 of England's 315 local authorities.\n\nBut two areas in Kent are now showing significant increases - Swale, with the second highest infection rate of 565 per 100,000 people and Thanet with the third highest rate of 508.\n\nSwale had earlier overtaken Hull as the worst-hit area in England, with a rate of 631.7 per 100,000 people in the week to 18 November.\n\nFigures for the week to 19 November show Hull once again has the highest rate in England, at 568.6 cases per 100,000. The rate has fallen from 743.4 in the week to 9 November.\n\nAbout 2,500 inmates are housed at three prisons on the Isle of Sheppey in Swale\n\nPrison Service officials joined the emergency meeting in Kent following suggestions that outbreaks in the area's three jails could be making a \"limited contribution\" to the high infection rate.\n\nSpeaking after the meeting, Mr Truelove said it was found that only 12% of cases in the past fortnight were in care homes and prisons.\n\nThe virus was being spread in people's homes and at social gatherings, he said.\n\n\"It only takes a small number of people to create the clusters of cases that are driving up our figures,\" he added.\n\nSupport would be targeted at people who \"might not feel able to follow the rules,\" including people who \"may be unwilling to get a test as they can't afford to have time off work,\" he said.\n\nAndrew Scott-Clark, public health director at Kent County Council, said infections were rising among households with lower incomes.\n\n\"They are effectively some of our care workers and key workers who have to go out and are more likely to be exposed by the virus,\" he said.\n\nWhole families were being infected as the virus spread within a home, he added.\n\nMr Truelove had earlier: \"I know most people and businesses are doing what they should, but it is frustrating to still see people not wearing face coverings or keeping their distance when they should.\n\n\"This kind of wilful disregard of the rules means we are more likely to have further restrictions imposed on us in December, which is hugely unfair for people and businesses who have been doing the right thing since March.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Caroline Kayll died in hospital after being attacked at a home in Linton\n\nA man has been charged with murdering a teacher and the attempted murder of a 15-year-old boy.\n\nCaroline Kayll, 47, died in hospital after she and the boy were attacked at a home in Linton in Northumberland on 15 November.\n\nThe boy suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries, police said.\n\nPaul Robson, 49, of Stanley Street in Wallsend, was arrested in Glasgow on Friday. He is due at Bedlington Magistrates' Court on Monday.\n\nMs Kayll worked at Atkinson House school in Seghill, Northumberland, which caters for children with social, emotional and mental health issues.\n\nDet Insp Graeme Barr said: \"A murder investigation is always tragic for those involved and our thoughts go out to the families at this very difficult time.\n\n\"I'd like to thank those who have come forward with information to assist us with this case, and would appeal for anyone with further information - who has yet to do so - to get in touch.\"\n\nFollow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Rishi Sunak has said people \"will not see austerity\" when he makes spending announcements for public services this week, despite the billions spent on the pandemic response.\n\nThe government has indicated it will keep to past promises when allocating funds for policing, nurses and schools.\n\nOn Wednesday the chancellor will detail the Spending Review.\n\nIt will outline how taxpayers' money will be spent on departments such as health and education.\n\nBut while ruling out a return to austerity, Mr Sunak has also warned people will soon see an \"economic shock laid bare\".\n\nHe told the BBC's Andrew Marr show that record government borrowing to deal with the coronavirus must be \"grappled with\".\n\nThe Spending Review will give a clearer picture of the economic damage wrought by the pandemic so far.\n\nHowever tax rises and spending cuts were unlikely in the short term, Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), told the BBC's Today programme.\n\n\"We are still in the position of being able to borrow incredibly cheaply and really wanting to protect the economy,\" he said.\n\nAlthough tax rises might end up being \"quite significant\" they might not come until after the next election, Mr Johnson added.\n\n\"It's not something that is super-urgent as we come out of this crisis,\" he said.\n\nThere is speculation that the chancellor wants to freeze public sector pay\n\nLast week, reports that Mr Sunak would freeze wages for public sector staff were met with fierce criticism from unions and workers, though NHS frontline staff are likely to be excluded from such a move.\n\nSpeaking on Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday, the chancellor said: \"You will not see austerity next week, what you will see is an increase in government spending, on day-to-day public services, quite a significant one coming on the increase we had last year.\"\n\nBut, while he said that he \"cannot comment on future pay policy\", Mr Sunak added: \"When we think about public pay settlements, I think it would be entirely reasonable to think of those in the context of the wider economic climate.\"\n\nIt is thought the chancellor is keen to freeze public sector pay since average private sector earnings have fallen this year.\n\nThe IFS's Mr Johnson said that while a pay freeze would save about £2bn a year, the chancellor would need to balance that with the need to keep money in the economy and the recruitment and retention of teachers and nurses.\n\n\"Over this year public sector pay has done much better than private sector pay... but this has come off the back of 10 years when public sector pay has done really quite badly,\" he said.\n\nOn Monday, the shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, will give a speech which argues that: \"Freezing the pay of firefighters, hospital porters and teaching assistants will make them worried about making ends meet ahead of Christmas - that means they'll cut back on spending and our economy won't recover as quickly.\"\n\nLabour is calling on the government to bring forward £30bn in capital spending over the next 18 months to create new jobs.\n\nPrior spending commitments made by the government include the hiring of 50,000 more nurses, and 20,000 extra police officers by 2023.\n\nHowever, the BBC's Reality Check team points out that while 30,000 new nurses will be trained locally or recruited from overseas, 20,000 of the 50,000 roles announced will be existing nurses persuaded to stay in the profession.\n\nThe Reality Check team also points out that adding 20,000 police officers will return total staffing levels to the 143,000 police officers employed prior to the 2010 election when the Conservatives came to power.\n\nThe government has also promised to increase spending on schools by £2.2bn in the 2021-2022 financial year, and direct £1.5bn towards building works at Further Education colleges.\n\nThe Treasury announced on Sunday that another £1.25bn would be allocated to the prisons service.\n\nThe government says a total of £4bn will be allocated to build more than 18,000 additional prison places across England and Wales over the next four years. Some 10,000 of these places have been planned since 2015.\n\nMr Sunak said: \"This has been a tough year for us all. But we won't let it get in the way of delivering on our promises - the British people deserve outstanding public services, and we remain committed to delivering their priorities as we put our public services at the heart of our economic renewal.\"", "A tougher three-tiered system of local restrictions will come into force in England when the lockdown ends on 2 December, Downing Street has said.\n\nBoris Johnson is expected to set out his plan - including details of how families can see different households at Christmas - to MPs on Monday.\n\nMore areas are set to be placed into the higher tiers to keep the virus under control, No 10 said.\n\nAnd some tiers will be strengthened to safeguard lockdown progress.\n\nSome local measures will be the same as those in the previous three-tier system, which was in place in England until the current lockdown began.\n\nBut the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) is expected to publish research on Monday saying the previous restrictions were not strong enough.\n\nThe government will identify the tiers that each area will be placed into on Thursday.\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak told the BBC's Andrew Marr the 10pm closing time for pubs and restaurants was one of the things it was looking to \"refine\".\n\nIt is understood rules will be relaxed to give people an extra hour to finish their food and drinks after last orders at 10pm.\n\nKate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said this would help businesses - but would be \"meaningless\" unless people were allowed to socialise with friends and family, particularly over the crucial Christmas period.\n\nPre-lockdown, there were three tiers of restrictions - medium, high, and very high:\n\nNewspaper reports suggest rules could be temporarily relaxed UK-wide over Christmas. Several families could be allowed to join in one \"bubble\" and mix between 22 and 28 December, according to the Daily Telegraph.\n\nMinisters have made clear the festive season will be different to normal - with some restrictions expected to remain in place.\n\nBBC political correspondent Nick Eardley said conversations about Christmas between the different nations of the UK were ongoing.\n\nSources believe a deal is probable later next week - but it is unlikely to be signed off before the prime minister's announcement on Monday.\n\nThe four nations have different Covid rules but ministers are hoping to agree a joint approach for the festive period.\n\nGovernment ministers and advisers have been hinting about new tougher tiers over the past week.\n\nBefore lockdown there was some evidence that tiers two and three were having an impact, but not tier one.\n\nCrucially, both the top two tiers involved banning mixing inside homes, so one option being discussed behind the scenes is introducing a ban across all the tiers until winter is over.\n\nThe exception will, of course, be Christmas.\n\nThat is a move that divides opinion. But the government sees it as a necessity, believing significant numbers of people will ignore any attempt to ban gatherings over the festive period.\n\nIt is also a recognition the public needs a break from the long hard slog of the pandemic.\n\nInfection rates will of course rise, but that will be offset to some extent by a wider boost to wellbeing.\n\nProf Calum Semple, from the University of Liverpool, said he hoped it would be possible to relax rules over Christmas if the new tiered system worked but warned \"there will be a price\", including tighter restrictions in the future.\n\nHowever, Prof Semple, who is a member of Sage, told Sky News's Sophy Ridge there was \"a lot to be optimistic about\".\n\nHe said he expected mass vaccination of the general population to happen towards next summer, which would give \"broad immunity\" and allow a \"return back to normal\".\n\nMPs are expected to vote on the new tier system in the days before it comes into force.\n\nMany Conservative MPs are opposed to stricter measures, with 70 signing a letter coordinated by the recently-formed Covid Recovery Group (CRG), saying they cannot support a tiered approach unless they see evidence measures \"will save more lives than they cost\".\n\nEarlier this month, 32 Conservatives rebelled by voting against the current lockdown and 17 more, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, abstained.\n\nIn a letter to the prime minister on Saturday, the CRG, led by former chief whip Mark Harper and ex-Brexit minister Steve Baker, warned against inflicting \"huge health and economic costs\".\n\nThe letter said: \"We cannot live under such a series of damaging lockdowns and apparently arbitrary restrictions, and expect our constituents to be grateful for being let out to enjoy the festive season, only to have strict restrictions imposed on them afterwards that cause them health problems and destroy their livelihood.\"\n\nAsked whether he would publish a cost-benefit analysis of any future measures, as called for by the CRG, the chancellor told Sky News it was \"very hard to be precise\" on the economic impacts of individual restrictions.\n\nLabour has so far supported the need for restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19, making a Commons defeat on the plan unlikely.\n\nBut shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds told the BBC her party wanted clarity from the government over how tiers would be decided and the support available for businesses.\n\nOn Saturday, the UK recorded another 19,875 new coronavirus cases and 341 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nThe number of deaths was down from 511 on Friday, and 462 on Saturday 14 November.", "A 16-year-old girl has become the first TikTok user to cross the 100 million subscriber mark.\n\nCharli D'Amelio, from Norwalk, Connecticut, hit the milestone after a year and a half on the app.\n\nIt comes days after a controversy over her behaviour in a YouTube video.\n\nIn the first episode of her family's reality series, Dinner with the D'Amelios, fans claimed the star acted disrespectfully toward the personal chef who prepared them dinner.\n\nMore than 600,000 fans swiftly unfollowed her in protest.\n\nHowever, controversy died down after D'Amelio shared a video in which she apologised for her actions, and promised to do better.\n\nShe took to Twitter to thank fans for her record-breaking achievement on Sunday: \"100 million people supporting me... I truly cannot believe that this is real,\" she wrote.\n\nThe 16-year-old started out - as many did on TikTok - sharing videos of herself dancing in her bedroom.\n\nHer profile both on TikTok and outside the platform, has rocketed in the last year. She became the first person to hit 50 million subscribers in April.\n\nShe made her film debut in the 2019 animated feature Stardog and Turbocat, voice-acting alongside Luke Evans, Bill Nighy and Gemma Arterton.\n\nThe TikTok star has collaborated with global brands on fashion and make-up lines, and also had a drink named after her at Dunkin' Donuts.\n\nHer first book, Charli: The Ultimate Guide To Keeping It Real, will be released later this year.\n\nAccording to Forbes, such deals have earned her an estimated $4 million in the last year alone.\n\nD'Amelio found herself at the centre of another controversy earlier this year when she was falsely credited with creating the \"Renegade\" dance trend - something which actually came from Jalaiah Harmon, a black teenager from Atlanta, Georgia.\n\nWhile D'Amelio had never claimed to have created the dance, the confusion sparked claims that TikTok's algorithm showed unintentional racial bias.", "Messaging app Snapchat is offering a share of $1m (£750,000) to its users every day as it tries to compete with TikTok on viral videos.\n\nIts new Spotlight feature will use an algorithm to recommend \"the most engaging\" posts to watch based on what a user is interested in.\n\nSnapchat says the feature will include people with \"private, personal accounts\" as well as its biggest stars.\n\nThe $1m-a-day payment would run until at least the end of the year, it said.\n\nBut if successful it could potentially continue into 2021, the company said.\n\nVideos have to be submitted to the scheme to be eligible for the earnings. How much a video makes for its owner depends on a complicated formula - but includes how many views the video has.\n\nSnapchat has not, however, said how many people the $1m a day will be split between, or what the maximum individual earnings might be.\n\nUsers have to be 16 or over to be paid, and obey a host of rules around copyright, sponsorship, and drugs and alcohol, among other things.\n\nThe company says it will moderate the feed for violations - and for anyone attempting to game the algorithm.\n\n\"We actively monitor for fraud to ensure that we only account for authentic engagement with Snaps,\" it warned.\n\nThe payment system reflects the competitive market for the latest viral hits, according to Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight.\n\n\"Snapchat lives and dies by how engaged users are with its content,\" he explained.\n\n\"Surfacing viral content and rewarding the creators that conceived that content is a sensible way to sustain its business, particularly in the light of the growing threat from TikTok and others.\"\n\nSnapchat rose to prominence for its 24-hour disappearing messages almost a decade ago. In the years since, the idea has been co-opted by competitors such as Instagram Stories and, most recently, Twitter's Fleets.\n\nAt the same time, TikTok has emerged as a favourite platform for original viral content, fuelled in part by its focus on easily adding music to posts.\n\nDespite the competitive market for users' attention, Snapchat recently announced that its daily user numbers had surged to almost 250 million during the pandemic.\n\nAnd while TikTok has faced its own challenges this year - most notably the constant threat of being banned by US President Donald Trump's administration - one of its stars became the first to reach more than 100 million followers.", "Nicola Sturgeon says progress is being made in talks on easing Covid rules at Christmas - but does not expect a similar relaxation at Hogmanay.\n\nScotland's first minister said a deal on a UK-wide approach to Christmas would be announced later in the week.\n\nShe said the plans would need to be \"sensible and careful\" to prevent a fresh wave of new cases in January.\n\nAnd she added: \"I do not expect that we will be announcing any particular relaxation over the new year period.\"\n\nOn Monday night Ms Sturgeon confirmed plans to move Midlothian from level three to level two had been postponed due to an increase in case numbers.\n\nBut an improving picture in East Lothian will see the local authority move to level two from 06:00 on Tuesday.\n\nEarlier, responding to a question at her daily briefing, the first minister addressed the intense speculation surrounding the festive period.\n\nMs Sturgeon said: \"We can't do everything. The Christmas thing is hard enough.\n\n\"Why Christmas and not new year? Well, maybe Christmas is a more important time for the kids.\n\n\"I think for most of us, even if we value new year, Christmas is still the time when families are more likely to not have someone on their own. So we can't do everything right now.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. FM: No plans to relax restrictions for Hogmanay\n\nThe easing of rules at Christmas is expected to see \"a small number of households\" allowed to meet up over \"a small number of days\".\n\nTalks on the issue were held between ministers from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the UK government on Saturday.\n\nThe Cabinet Office said the ministers had endorsed a \"shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days\".\n\nThe BBC understands that one option under consideration is that three households could be allowed to meet up for five days over the festive period.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson had been hoping to announce arrangements for the Christmas period on Monday, but this has been delayed until at least Tuesday to allow the Scottish and Welsh cabinets to agree the plans.\n\nAny announcement is also expected to include rules on travelling between nations.\n\nMs Sturgeon said talks were \"making progress\", but stressed that \"details of this approach are still to be finalised\".\n\nEdinburgh's traditional Hogmanay street party has been cancelled this year\n\nShe said: \"This is a particularly difficult balance to strike. If my email inbox is anything to go by, public opinion on this is quite mixed, as you would perhaps expect.\n\n\"There is an obvious desire to see loved ones at Christmas, but there is also a lot of anxiety about the potential risks associated with that - particularly at a time when we are perhaps starting to see the end of this pandemic loom on the horizon.\"\n\nThe first minister said the deal would likely see \"some households able to form slightly larger bubbles over a short period\".\n\nHowever, she said this \"has to be on a very limited basis\" - focusing on gatherings in people's homes rather than in hospitality settings.\n\nExperts have raised concerns about relaxing restrictions over Christmas\n\nMs Sturgeon said isolation and loneliness could \"hit people particularly hard over the Christmas period\".\n\nBut she said people should \"think very carefully\" about whether they need to travel or meet up indoors.\n\nShe added: \"The virus won't take Christmas off. If you provide it with opportunities to spread from household to household, it will take them.\n\n\"Just because you might be able to mix a bit more doesn't mean you have to do that if you don't think it's necessary, or if you can get though Christmas without it.\"\n\nJillian Evans, head of health intelligence at NHS Grampian, told BBC Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that she was against restrictions being eased \"simply because it's Christmas\".\n\nShe added: \"It certainly sounds as if that it's a trade-off - that you behave now, keep transmission low, then we might be able to do something over Christmas that resembles something familiar to us.\n\n\"The best Christmas present we can give to people is to keep them safe - it really is the bottom line.\n\n\"The best way to keep safe is to try and avoid the risk as much as possible and if you must meet family, which most of us are longing to do, try to do it outdoors if you possibly can - and fingers crossed we get a dry and less windy and wet Christmas time.\"\n\nMinisters are considering allowing some household mixing over Christmas\n\nLast month John Keenan, the bishop of Paisley, called for a Christmas \"truce\" - a 24-hour lifting of restrictions - to give people a \"moment of joy in the midst of so much despair\".\n\nReacting to news of the four-nations discussions, he told BBC Scotland he was glad politicians were considering some way of accommodating Christmas during the pandemic.\n\nBut he admitted he was \"conflicted\".\n\n\"The thought of my mum - who's a widow - being on her own all through Christmas day is an awful thought for me,\" he said.\n\n\"On the other hand the thought that I might go there and pass on a virus to her is equally awful so I think we're all conflicted about it. \"", "China and glassware offered in First Class are up for grabs\n\nCan't think what to buy your loved one for Christmas?\n\nHow about a British Airways drinks trolley? A First Class cabin bread basket or slippers, perhaps? Or even a hot towel (available cold)?\n\nOn Monday, the cash-strapped airline began selling off thousands of items of surplus stock, from champagne flutes to bedding.\n\nOther items include an insulated box from a Boeing 747 kitchen, yours for £75, and serving trays - £10 for five.\n\nThe move comes months after BA decided to auction some of its precious artwork hanging in offices and airport lounges, including a £1m-plus work by Bridget Riley.\n\nBA's profits have evaporated and the airline is making thousands of job cuts because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on air travel.\n\nLast month, BA's parent company IAG reported a £5.1bn loss for the first nine months of 2020, a dramatic reverse from the £1.6bn profit made during the same period in 2019.\n\nBut the latest sale is not just because it needs to save every penny, the airline says.\n\nChanges in the mix of aircraft fleet and in-cabin service, plus the likelihood that BA will be a slimmer operation until air travel picks up, mean its warehouses are full of items that will never be used.\n\nMeal/equipment boxes from planes are up for sale\n\nBA retired its 747 aircraft this year, and has put some memorabilia in the sale.\n\nAnd while the event is not quite a sell-off of the family silver, the airline is getting rid of stacks of English bone china made by William Edwards, including plates, soup bowls, cups, saucers, and butter dishes. A set of four William Edwards pasta bowls is £40.\n\nCarolina Martinoli, British Airways' director of brand and customer experience, said it was the first time the airline had organised such a sale.\n\n\"We know that these special items will fly and we are delighted to be able to offer them in time for Christmas to give people the opportunity to make it memorable during a difficult year,\" she said.\n\nRob Burgess, of the frequent flyer website www.headforpoints.com, said that from the reaction among the community using his site \"it appears there's a huge appetite to buy\".\n\n\"I think it is partly nostalgia, and partly because it is actually excellent value for money given the suppliers that BA uses. Some items such as the day blankets have already sold out along with the brandy and champagne glasses.\"\n\nThe metal boxes used in the aircraft kitchens seem to be going fast, he added, probably simply because it's a chance for people to \"get their hands on some unusual items\".\n\nAircraft items and memorabilia can be hugely popular among enthusiasts. For example, Concorde products are among the most sought-after. At the top-end of collectibles, the famous dropped nose cones fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds on the rare occasions they come up for auction.", "The artwork showed a girl hula-hooping with a tyre next to a bike missing its back wheel\n\nA bicycle which formed part of Banksy's hula-hooping girl artwork has gone missing.\n\nThe graffiti artist's latest piece appeared on a residential street in Nottingham on 13 October.\n\nIt showed a girl hula-hooping with a tyre next to a bike missing its back wheel.\n\nBut the bicycle vanished from its post outside a beauty parlour in Rothesay Avenue over the weekend, which one visitor described as \"such a shame\".\n\nResident Tracy Jayne found the artwork had been targeted when she went to visit it on Sunday morning.\n\n\"The artwork records an important part of Nottingham's history, Raleigh bikes,\" she said.\n\n\"My late husband worked for Raleigh until it closed in 2002. He died at age 48 in 2017.\n\n\"It's such a shame if someone has stolen the bike. It's sheer disrespect and saddens me very much. \"\n\nResident Tracy Jayne found the artwork had been targeted when she went to visit it on Sunday\n\nBanksy's work drew queues of sightseers when it was claimed by the artist's Instagram feed and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.\n\nThe council protected it with a transparent cover, but the artwork has been targeted with spray paint at least twice.\n\nBoth Nottinghamshire Police and Nottingham City Council said the removal of the bike had not been reported to them.\n\nBanksy began spray-painting trains and walls in his home city of Bristol in the 1990s, and before long was leaving his artistic mark all over the world.\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.", "A maximum of 4,000 fans will be allowed at outdoor events in the lowest-risk areas when the four-week lockdown in England ends on 2 December.\n\nUp to 2,000 people will be allowed in tier two areas but none in tier three.\n\nIndoor venues in tiers one and two can have a maximum of 1,000 spectators, with capacity across indoor and outdoor venues limited to 50%.\n\nOrganised grassroots sport will be able to resume, and gyms and leisure centres can reopen across all tiers.\n\nElite sport has continued behind closed doors during the national lockdown, but grassroots and amateur sport has been halted since 5 November.\n\nUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the government's new measures and Covid-19 restrictions in England on Monday via video link to the House of Commons.\n\nThe news of which areas will be in which tiers is expected to be made public on Thursday.\n\n\"In tiers one and two, spectator sports and business events will be free to resume inside and outside with capacity limits and social distancing,\" said Johnson.\n\n\"Later this week, we will announce which areas will fall into which tier - I hope on Thursday - based on analysis of cases in all age groups, especially the over-60s.\n\n\"Also, [it will involve] looking at the rate at which cases are rising or falling, the percentage of those tested in a local population who have Covid and current and projected pressures on the NHS.\"\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: \"This is a big step forward for sport.\n\n\"Bringing grassroots sport back was my number one priority, so I'm pleased we are reopening sports and gyms in every tier, in recognition of the significant health benefits.\n\n\"I'm also delighted we are able to get the turnstiles turning sooner than expected, taking a cautious approach and starting with the lowest-risk areas first.\n\n\"I'm confident that sports will take every step to ensure their fans are safe and fans will play their part and look out for each other until we can safely get everyone back in.\"\n\n'We have missed our fans'\n\nFootball across England's top four divisions has been played behind closed doors since its return in June, following the first coronavirus lockdown.\n\nThe Premier League said it welcomed the prospect of fans returning in \"small numbers\" but it hopes to work with the government to increase this to more \"substantial levels\" to stop clubs operating \"at a financial loss\".\n\nIt added: \"Our priority continues to be the agreement of a roadmap, with DCMS and the Sports Technology and Innovation Group, for pilot events that can help our clubs quickly scale up to larger capacities.\"\n\n\"Even if it is limited numbers, it brings that feel and that connection back,\" said Dyche, before his side's home Premier League match against Crystal Palace.\n\n\"Hopefully it will build quickly after that. We have missed our fans.\"\n\nThe English Football League (EFL) is looking at the possibility of shifting some of next week's fixtures to take advantage of the plan.\n\nThe EFL has a full schedule of matches in the Championship, League One and League Two across 1-2 December.\n\nNo decisions have yet been taken but any club in a tier one or two area that requested a move from Tuesday to Wednesday is likely to receive a favourable response if there is no conflict with broadcasting requirements.\n\n\"Fans have always felt football should be treated the same as other sectors,\" said a Football Supporters' Association statement.\n\n\"We welcome today's announcement, which does suggest that will be the case, and we look forward to seeing further details.\n\n\"For many lower-league and non-league clubs in particular, getting paying fans into stadiums safely is absolutely critical to their survival during a very difficult season.\n\n\"Clubs, leagues and the Sports Ground Safety Authority have worked hard to put in procedures to make stadiums safe places and we hope this is the first step on the road back to normality.\"\n\nGrassroots sports can take place in all areas but the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said there will be \"some restrictions on highest-risk activity in tier three areas\".\n\nIts statement added: \"Spectators at non-elite sports will be able to attend events in line with Covid-secure guidance for each tier.\"\n\nIndoor sports can resume but, because of \"the higher transmission risk of coronavirus in an indoor setting\", the DCMS said there would be restrictions on \"some activities\" depending on the \"alert level\" of the local area.\n\nThis re-emergence of sport, both in terms of the long-awaited return of fans and the resumption of recreational activity, is an important and encouraging milestone.\n\nThe second shutdown of community sport has been devastating for the grassroots, with tens of thousands of clubs, gyms, pools and jobs jeopardised, activity levels affected and participants' physical and mental health harmed at the worst possible time, with exercise seen as crucial to the country's recovery.\n\nThe return of grassroots sport will be celebrated by many, especially after it was not included in the list of direct beneficiaries in last week's £300m bailout of spectator sports.\n\nBut there are still frustrations, with gyms disappointed that group activity is restricted in certain areas, disproportionately affecting female users, for whom exercise classes are especially important. There have also been further calls for the government to provide more financial support to the community sport sector.\n\nEqually, with large swathes of the country in the higher-risk areas, it is unclear how many football or rugby clubs will be in tier one and actually allowed to welcome the maximum 4,000 fans back.\n\nFor many bigger clubs, who firmly believe they should have been able to have their grounds a third full from the start of last month, this will be of little comfort amid an unprecedented financial crisis, and they will want that number to increase rapidly. In fact, some clubs have said they will actually lose money by opening up their grounds for just 2000-4000 fans.\n\nThere are also concerns over fairness if only certain teams can reopen their turnstiles.\n\nBut eight months after fans were last seen at regular sporting events in England, this has at least provided hope and a possible road to recovery.\n• In tier one areas, indoor sports can take place within the rule of six. For example, people from different households could play three v three volleyball, or four people from different households could play doubles tennis or badminton.\n• None Group activities such as training sessions and exercise classes can take place in larger numbers, provided that people are in separate groups (up to six people) that do not mix.\n• In tier two areas, indoor sport can take place within households and people can take part in group activity, like exercise classes, as long as there is no mixing between households.\n• None People can play certain sports which do not involve close proximity or physical contact against one person from another household, such as a singles tennis match.\n• In tier three areas, indoor sport will be restricted to within your household only and there should be no group activity such as exercise classes.\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n\nSport England chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said: \"Huge credit is due to the many organisations and individuals who have worked so hard to evidence how safe their activities and facilities are and to set out so clearly what they are doing to reduce risk.\n\n\"From the prime minister down, there is now a strong recognition of the vital benefits of playing sport and being active, not just for your physical wellbeing but also, crucially, as a support for your mental health.\n\n\"As we head into the winter months having a range of safe opportunities available like this is more important than ever.\"\n\nA joint statement from some of horse racing's leading bodies said that, while it had been operating behind closed doors since 1 June, test events had shown \"no evidence of transmission\" of Covid-19.\n\n\"We know the numbers are limited to begin with and not all venues will be allowed to admit spectators, but this is progress,\" said British Horseracing Authority chief executive Nick Rust.\n\n\"I am confident that all our racegoers will follow the government's public health guidelines when they return to racing and this will allow us to increase the numbers attending.\"\n\nPremiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs said: \"We won't know the exact impact on our clubs until the tiers are announced on Thursday, so my team stands ready to work with government to tackle the challenges of fan attendance in a way that minimises health risks.\n\n\"Keeping the league intact has been my number one priority during the pandemic and now we have the foundations from which to grow the game and build longer-term financial stability.\"\n\nBefore the announcement, Daniel Levy, chairman of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, said preparations had already been made for supporters coming back.\n\n\"Premier League clubs are entirely capable, similar to the experience in several other countries, of responsibly delivering outdoor events with social distancing, exemplary hygiene standards, qualified stewards, testing capabilities and diverse travel plans, operating in some of the most technologically advanced venues in the world,\" said Levy.\n• None A World Cup winner on getting to grips with British slang", "Labour's chief whip has asked ex-party leader Jeremy Corbyn to \"unequivocally\" apologise for saying the scale of anti-Semitism in the party had been \"overstated for political reasons\".\n\nMr Corbyn was suspended from the party following his comments but later readmitted as a member after saying he regretted any \"pain\" caused.\n\nBut, Sir Keir Starmer blocked Mr Corbyn from returning as a Labour MP.\n\nThe Labour leader said he would keep the decision under review.\n\nThe row between the former and current leader was triggered when the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published a report, saying Labour had broken the law over its handling of anti-Jewish racism complaints by party members .\n\nIn a letter to his former boss, Nick Brown, Labour's chief whip, said Mr Corbyn's response to the report caused \"distress and pain\" to the Jewish community.\n\nThe chief whip is responsible for organising a party's MPs in Parliament so they vote the way the party wants them to, and can discipline any who do not follow the party line.\n\nMr Brown asked the Islington North MP to \"unequivocally, unambiguously and without reservation apologise for your comments\".\n\nHe also sought confirmation that Mr Corbyn would remove or edit his response on Facebook - and that he would cooperate fully with the party's efforts to implement the EHRC's recommendations.\n\nThe tone of Nick Brown's letter suggests that without making an unequivocal apology, Mr Corbyn is unlikely to have the Labour whip restored.\n\nBut allies of Mr Corbyn have accused the current Labour leader of acting in bad faith.\n\nThey claim an agreement was reached with party officials and members of Sir Keir's staff that would have seen Mr Corbyn readmitted without an apology.\n\nThey now fear his suspension could be indefinite, and that the dispute between a former and current leader will end up in the courts.\n\nLabour sources deny that any such deal was reached.\n\nFollowing publication of the EHRC report in October Mr Corbyn said he was \"always determined to eliminate all forms of racism\" and insisted his team had \"acted to speed up\" the complaints process.\n\nHe also said the scale of anti-Semitism within Labour had been \"dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party\".\n\nHis comments prompted the party to suspend its former leader.\n\nThree weeks later Mr Corbyn sought to clarify his words saying: \"To be clear, concerns about anti-Semitism are neither 'exaggerated' nor 'overstated'.\n\n\"The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to anti-Semitism.\"\n\nHe was subsequently readmitted to the party as a member; however Sir Keir did not allow him back into the Parliamentary Labour Party - a decision Mr Corbyn's lawyers have challenged.", "Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has denied that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to the Gulf kingdom on Sunday to secretly meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.\n\nMr Netanyahu has declined to comment on the Israeli reports that he was on board a private jet that travelled from Tel Aviv to the Red Sea city of Neom.\n\nIt would be the first known meeting between leaders of the historical foes.\n\nUS President Donald Trump has been pressing them to normalise relations after brokering deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan in recent months.\n\nSaudi Arabia cautiously welcomed those moves, but indicated it would wait until there was a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.\n\nAlso on Monday, a delegation of senior Israeli officials travelled to Sudan on what would also be the first such visit to a formerly hostile country, an unnamed Israeli official confirmed. The countries are expected to map out areas of co-operation.\n\nCiting unnamed Israeli sources, Israeli public broadcaster Kan and other media earlier reported that Mr Netanyahu and the head of the Mossad intelligence service, Yossi Cohen, attended talks in Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening with Crown Prince Mohammed and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nA senior Saudi adviser told the Wall Street Journal that the leaders discussed several issues, including normalisation of ties and Iran, but that no substantial agreements were reached.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks on Sunday\n\nHowever, the Saudi foreign minister later denied that any Israeli officials had attended the meeting between Prince Mohammed and Mr Pompeo.\n\n\"The only officials present were American and Saudi,\" Prince Faisal said.\n\nThe BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet, who is in Riyadh, says senior Saudi officials are denying this highly sensitive story, on and off the record.\n\nThis has long been a matter of very delicate diplomacy for the kingdom, which has taken an awkward, if not embarrassing, turn, she adds.\n\nMr Pompeo meanwhile tweeted that he held constructive talks with Prince Mohammed in Neom and posted a photograph showing them together.\n\nThe reported trip was spotted by an Israeli journalist on a flight-tracking website; a private jet used by Mr Netanyahu was flying to the Saudi city of Neom.\n\nThe Red Sea resort is a hi-tech and tourism hub planned by Mohammed bin Salman.\n\nIt is close to the borders of Egypt and Jordan, and only some 70km (44 miles) from the southern tip of Israel - a symbolic destination for the leaders to discuss a changing Middle East, mediated by President Trump's outgoing team.\n\nWith the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan signed up, normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be the big deal.\n\nThe agreements mark big diplomatic and trade wins; also in the background are some controversial US arms sales, and the Trump team's desire to consolidate its regional allies against Iran.\n\nBut Saudi Arabia will be cautious over going public with an Israeli rapprochement for fear of a backlash in the conservative nation. And the big hurdle comes back to a core issue - the Saudis still say there will be no deal before the Israelis reach a permanent peace agreement with the Palestinians.\n\nIsraeli media reported that Mr Netanyahu flew on a private jet belonging to Israeli businessman Udi Angel that the prime minister had used for previous overseas trips.\n\nAccording to data from FlightRadar24.com, a Gulfstream IV jet took off from Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International airport on Sunday afternoon and flew south along the eastern coast of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula before heading towards Saudi Arabia's north-western Red Sea coast.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by avi scharf This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe aircraft landed in Neom just after 18:30 GMT and remained there until 21:50, according to the data. It then returned to Tel Aviv via the same route.\n\nMr Netanyahu said he would not comment, adding only that he was \"working on broadening the circle of peace\".\n\nBut in an interview with Army Radio, Israel's Education Minister Yoav Gallant appeared to confirm the meeting took place, saying talks between Mr Netanyahu and Crown Prince Mohammed were an amazing achievement.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Saudi FM: \"No Israel normalisation before peace deal with Palestinians\"\n\nMr Netanyahu's social media adviser, Topaz Luk, meanwhile tweeted: \"Gantz is playing politics while the prime minister is making peace\".\n\nMr Luk seemed to be referring to a decision by Defence Minister Benny Gantz, Mr Netanyahu's rival, to establish a commission of inquiry into a $2bn (£1.5bn) submarine deal with Germany that has been described by some as the biggest corruption scandal in Israeli history.\n\nPresident Trump has said he expects Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel, but such a move faces big hurdles.\n\nPrince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said in an interview on Saturday with Reuters news agency during the G20 summit - hosted by Saudi Arabia but with world leaders participating virtually - that the kingdom's position had not changed.\n\n\"We have supported normalisation with Israel for a long time, because we are the authors of the 2002 Arab Peace initiative, which envisioned complete normalisation with Israel.\"\n\n\"But there is one very important thing that has to happen first, which is a permanent and full peace deal between the Palestinians and Israelis that delivers a Palestinian state with dignity within the 1967 borders to the Palestinians.\"\n• None The biggest Arab-Israeli breakthrough could be coming", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A controlled explosion was used to flatten the former high-rise police station\n\nA former high-rise police station has been demolished in a controlled explosion, after crowds were told to stay away.\n\nThe 10-storey 1970s block in Wrexham closed in 2019 with officers moving to a new base.\n\nA supermarket and drive-through coffee shop is due to be built on the site.\n\nThe demolition was streamed online as Wrexham council asked people to observe Wales' national lockdown, and avoid travel to cut Covid-19 cases.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by HGC Uned Drôn / NWP Drone Unit This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nGone: North Wales Police Drone Unit filmed the demolition with an aerial vantage\n\n\"There was a good couple of bangs and the ground did shudder,\" said one online spectator.\n\nAn attempt to have the station listed as historic failed, and people also signed a petition seeking a better use of the building.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by 73 Degree Films This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nPeople were advised to avoid the area, with road closures in place until the demolition was completed.\n\nGavin Nicolas, from Total Demolition Services, said demolitions were usually popular with spectators but he had asked people to \"stay away from this particular one in order to control the spread of Covid and ensure everyone remains safe\".\n\nThe building had dominated Wrexham's skyline since the 1970s\n\nThe demolition was filmed for the Scrap Kings TV programme which will be shown next summer, the council said.\n\nNorth Wales Police opened a new £1.9m police station in Wrexham Library and a £21.5m divisional base at Llay after leaving the tower block.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nGareth Bale's first goal since re-signing for Tottenham helped his side beat Brighton to go second in the Premier League table.\n\nIn an action-packed game, Harry Kane put Spurs ahead from the penalty spot, his 149th Premier League goal, after a video assistant referee check deemed Adam Lallana had fouled the England captain.\n\nTariq Lamptey scored a controversial equaliser, the exciting 20-year-old sweeping home after Solly March appeared to foul Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the build-up.\n\nReferee Graham Scott consulted the pitchside monitor before allowing the goal to stand, much to Tottenham's disbelief, before substitute Bale had the final say.\n\nThe Wales forward powered home a cross by Sergio Reguilon past debutant Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez, his first Spurs goal since May 2013.\n\nBale celebrated his first Spurs goal in seven years and 166 days as though he had won the Champions League again, wheeling away to celebrate with his jubilant team-mates.\n\nJose Mourinho turned the clock back in an attempt to get his Tottenham tenure moving into the future when he brought Bale back to the club he left in 2013 for Real Madrid.\n\nBale was derided in Spain as more golfer than footballer after being marginalised by coach Zinedine Zidane but he played a key role as Spurs climbed two points behind leaders Liverpool.\n\nMourinho demanded a reaction following his side's surprise Europa League defeat at Royal Antwerp on Thursday, a game in which he made four changes at half-time.\n\nHe got one although his side were made to battle hard against Brighton, who cancelled out Kane's opener in highly contentious circumstances before Bale stole the headlines.\n\nErik Lamela hit the post and Kane missed a great chance from close range to score his landmark 150th top-flight goal, yet this was not vintage Spurs.\n\nBut for the second successive league game they dug deep to come away with three points.\n\nBrighton played without a recognised striker, with leading scorer Neal Maupay left out of the 18.\n\nIn addition, the visitors gave a debut to keeper Sanchez, whose last competitive match was against Rotherham United for Rochdale in League One last season.\n\nBut Graham Potter's side played some good football and in Lamptey, who was a bundle of energy, they have one of the most exceptional young talents in the Premier League.\n\nHis first career goal came from a pass by Pascal Gross, who has now assisted 16 Premier League goals for Brighton, double that of any other player at the club.\n\nThe worry for Potter is his side are not winning enough games.\n\nDespite enjoying more possession than Spurs, it is now one victory in seven league matches.\n\n'Tottenham fans love Gareth' - what they said\n\nTottenham boss Jose Mourinho, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: \"It wasn't a surprise because I knew Brighton were a very good team with a very good coach. They created lots of difficulties but we had a very good reaction after they equalised.\"\n\nOn Brighton's controversial equaliser: \"I have to try and stay away from this. I don't know what to say.\"\n\nOn Gareth Bale's winner: \"We were in need of a goal and I've been telling you for a couple of weeks that Bale is improving. I know he doesn't have 90 minutes of Premier League in his legs.\n\n\"The good thing with him is he is very intelligent, very experienced and very Tottenham. He understands.\n\n\"We are using the Europa League matches to improve his condition and today he scored a winning goal, which is a great feeling for the team. It's also a great feeling for the fans because Tottenham fans love Gareth.\"\n\nBrighton boss Graham Potter: \"There is a little bit of a talking point about our penalty decision. It is another conversation around refereeing and VAR, which I am not too interested in.\n\n\"I can't control what they do, when I saw them live I wasn't sure about Harry Kane's one. I'd rather focus on our performance, it was really, really good.\n\n\"I'm disappointed with the result, but really pleased with the positives. We pushed Tottenham hard and are disappointed to come away with nothing.\"\n• None Harry Kane has moved into the top-10 all-time Premier League goals list, notching his 149th strike to move level with Les Ferdinand.\n• None Only the bottom three sides have lost more games in the Premier League this season than Brighton (four).\n• None Tottenham (14 points) end the day as high as second in the Premier League table for the first time since February 2019 under Mauricio Pochettino.\n• None Of the 12 players to have taken at least 25 Premier League penalties, only Matt Le Tissier (96%) and Thierry Henry (92%) have a higher penalty conversion rate than Harry Kane (88%, 22/25).\n\nTottenham are off to Bulgaria to face Ludogorets in the Europa League on Thursday (17:55 GMT), while Brighton are back in action on Friday at home to Burnley in the Premier League (17:30 GMT).\n• None Joël Veltman (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n• None Offside, Brighton and Hove Albion. Robert Sánchez tries a through ball, but Dan Burn is caught offside.\n• None Yves Bissouma (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing.\n• None Attempt missed. Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Gareth Bale.\n• None Attempt saved. Adam Webster (Brighton and Hove Albion) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Pascal Groß.\n• None Adam Webster (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n• None Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Alexis Mac Allister replaces Tariq Lamptey because of an injury.\n• None Goal! Tottenham Hotspur 2, Brighton and Hove Albion 1. Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Sergio Reguilón with a cross.\n• None Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) hits the left post with a right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box. Assisted by Gareth Bale following a corner.\n• None Attempt missed. Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Giovani Lo Celso with a cross following a corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None How does the voting system work?\n• None What you need to look out for on the night", "Oleksandr Usyk delivered a stylish and measured display to pick apart Derek Chisora in a points win that underlined his credentials at heavyweight.\n\nThe former unified world cruiserweight champion moved with grace and picked punches beautifully to frustrate his British rival over 12 rounds.\n\nAn attack in the seventh sent Chisora staggering to the ropes as Usyk found ways to land while on the move.\n\nChisora worked hard but had no reply and lost 117-112 115-113 115-113.\n• None The fight as it happened\n\nIn the immediate aftermath, Chisora said he felt he had done enough to beat the Ukrainian but the BBC 5 Live Boxing team at ringside at Wembley Arena felt Usyk comfortably merited the judges' decision.\n\nFans were unable to attend a heavyweight bout that was highly anticipated for the clash of styles on offer but WBA, WBO and IBF world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was among those watching from ringside.\n\nWith this win, Usyk, 33, remains mandatory challenger for Briton Joshua's WBO belt and, while he may not have found the eye-catching knockout win fans so often long for at heavyweight, his skill set is obvious.\n\nThe craft, quick feet and general intelligence that saw him dominate at cruiserweight was on display and while Chisora, 36, always looked to walk forward and engage, the movement from his rival ultimately dictated large spells of the fight.\n\nChisora brought the pressure and rugged style he had promised early on when he enjoyed his best period and Usyk - in just his second fight since stepping up to heavyweight - staggered after taking a shot in the opening 30 seconds.\n\nChisora looked to tire his opponent by working the body, while Usyk's approach was to test his rival's stamina with constant movement. By the end of the seventh, a combination looked to have Chisora in trouble just as the bell ended the round.\n\nUsyk landed a clean left hook in the eighth and, with BBC 5 Live pundit Dillian Whyte questioning the guidance Chisora was receiving in his corner, the Briton was unable to dig out the kind of thrilling fightback that has endeared him to fans in recent years.\n\nWhile Usyk only gave himself \"three out of 10\" for the display, he will undoubtedly prove a tricky puzzle to solve in his new weight division.\n\nThe 2012 Olympic champion could now move on to face another gold medallist from the Games in Joshua if the British boxer still holds the WBO belt in 2021.\n\nAsked if his goal is to still become a world champion at heavyweight, Usyk replied: \"Absolutely. The undisputed world heavyweight champion. Not just world champion.\n\n\"It is a real test at heavyweight. Chisora is a big guy, a hard guy. I was expecting the fight like that and an even tougher fight.\"\n\nA dejected Chisora, who fell to his 10th defeat in 42 outings, felt he had won, adding: \"I gave a few rounds away but I was pushing the pace. But the judges saw it a different way.\n\n\"He did very well. I am gutted.\"\n\nUsyk has pedigree and is a good mover so of course he can be a force. I don't see anything where I think 'wow this is crazy'. He's a good mover that's it.\n\nI don't know what advice Chisora was being given. I don't know what was going on.\n\n\"I made Usyk an emphatic winner based on his much cleaner punching. Chisora started well and had success with his plan of sticking close to Usyk in the early rounds. By halfway though, Chisora's aggression had waned and became spirited rather than effective, as Usyk took a lot of the punches on the arms and gloves.\n\n\"Dillian Whyte joined us for the fight commentary and dismissed Usyk as a force in the heavyweight division. But being the type of character he is, Usyk will have learned from this experience, his first real test as a heavyweight.\"\n\nFormer world super-middleweight champion George Groves: I had it 9-3 Usyk. Felt he took his foot off the gas when he didn't get Chisora out of there after the big seventh round. Waited for the last onslaught from Chisora to come and pass but didn't fancy pushing for an early finish. Great win nonetheless.\n\nOlympic gold medallist Audley Harrison: Good, good fight - Derek fought his heart out and did everything he could to break Usyk down ... a classic boxer versus the slugger match-up but the right man won. But salute to Chisora for digging deep and having such a solid performance.\n\nFormer world-title challenger Paul Smith Jr: Had it 9-3 Usyk. Chisora unfortunately did what a lot of fighters do against elite fighters and started in fourth gear. Brave and very good effort from Chisora, tough as old boots and moves great for a heavyweight.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "The man sailing the yacht was uninjured after it capsized in rough seas off the Isles of Scilly\n\nA \"freak wave\" caused by the gale-force winds during Storm Aiden capsized a 34ft (10m) yacht, the coastguard said.\n\nA man was rescued after getting into difficulty six miles south west of the Isles of Scilly, with severe gale force nine winds in the area.\n\nThe lone yachtsman was uninjured and his stricken sailing vessel was towed to safety by the St Mary's RNLI lifeboat in \"challenging conditions\".\n\nIan Guy from the coastguard said: \"The yachtsman described being hit by a large freak wave which capsized, rolled and disabled the vessel and with a such a severe gale forecast for the area this morning, it was important to get assistance out to this small sailing vessel quickly.\"\n\nThis Facebook post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Facebook The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Facebook content may contain adverts. Skip facebook video by St Marys RNLI Lifeboat Station This article contains content provided by Facebook. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Facebook cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Facebook content may contain adverts.\n\nPaddy Cochrane from Falmouth coastguard confirmed in the last 24 hours of stormy conditions they had dispatched lifeboat crews from all over Cornwall, the coastguard helicopter and multiple lifeguard rescues on beaches.\n\nHe said: \"It's people going down to have a look at the large storm conditions, wave watching and what have you.\"\n\nMr Cochrane said he could \"guarantee\" they would have a further rescues through the weekend, caused by \"people making silly mistakes and getting far too close to very, very dangerous conditions\".\n• None Heavy rain and winds as Storm Aiden sweeps in\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The funding will enable Transport for London (TfL) to continue to support the capital for the remainder of the financial year\n\nTransport for London (TfL) has secured a £1.8bn government bailout, to keep Tube and bus services running until March 2021.\n\nThe funding will ensure TfL can address its financial shortfall due to the loss of passengers as a result of Covid-19.\n\nThe exact amount of money involved is subject to passenger revenue in the coming months.\n\nMayor of London Sadiq Khan said the deal was \"not ideal\" but the government said it was \"proof of our commitment\".\n\nMr Khan said he fought hard against the \"very worst\" proposals, adding: \"The only reason TfL needs government support is because its fares income has almost dried up since March.\"\n\nWithout a bailout the network would be forced to issue a Section 114 order, the equivalent of bankruptcy for a public company.\n\nTfL said it had not seen such rapidly reducing passenger numbers in 100 years\n\nAmendments to the Congestion Charge introduced in June as part of a previous bailout - a 30% increase in the fee and longer operating hours - will remain in place due to the new deal.\n\nMr Khan said last month the government wanted TfL to extend the charging zone to the North and South Circular roads, covering around four million more Londoners.\n\nIs that the sound of a can getting kicked down the road?\n\nBoth sides are declaring an element of victory in a negotiation that went down to the wire.\n\nThe mayor is pleased he has seen off an extension to the congestion charging zone but - and this is crucial - the government is pleased concessions for over 60s and under 18s will have to be paid for in the future by City Hall.\n\nThat could mean an increase in council tax. And don't forget fares will now be going up in January by inflation plus 1%.\n\nThe timing of this is also very interesting - it puts the renegotiations around a new deal right slap bang in the middle of a mayoral election campaign.\n\nTfL Commissioner Andy Byford said: \"The agreement will enable TfL to continue to support the capital for the remainder of the financial year as discussions on longer-term sustainable funding continue.\n\n\"Reaching this agreement with the government allows us to help London through this next phase of the pandemic.\"\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps said: \"This deal is proof of our commitment to supporting London and the transport network on which it depends.\n\n\"The mayor has pledged that national taxpayers will not pay for benefits for Londoners that they do not get themselves elsewhere in the country.\"\n\nMr Shapps said he was looking \"forward to working with London's representatives to achieve a long-term settlement, with London given more control over key taxes so it can pay more costs of the transport network itself\".\n\nTfL said it would receive a \"core amount of £1bn\", consisting of a £905m grant and £95m of borrowing.\n\nTfL has had to significantly reduce Tube services because of coronavirus\n\nLast month Boris Johnson claimed TfL was \"effectively bankrupted\" before coronavirus, and proposals to hike charges were \"entirely the responsibility\" of Mr Khan.\n\nMr Khan previously said TfL was spending £600m a month with hardly any income to cover those costs.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The Premier League and other elite sport can continue behind closed doors during a new four-week national lockdown in England.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has announced new restrictions for the country that will start on Thursday and run until 2 December to combat coronavirus and avoid the NHS being overwhelmed.\n\nCulture secretary Oliver Dowden tweeted that \"travel to a place of work will be permitted\" for \"elite sport played behind closed doors\".\n\nDuring a news conference to announce the measures, Johnson gave a thumbs up and said \"Yes to the Premier League\" when asked if top-flight football will continue.\n\nThe Premier League was halted in March before the first national lockdown and has been played without fans since it restarted in June. Players are tested weekly for the virus.\n\nThe English Football League says it has been told by the government that its competitions can continue in England and Wales.\n\n\"We acknowledge the government's national efforts in tackling this outbreak and would hope that during this next phase of the crisis, our national sport, negatively affected by Covid-19 like many other industries, can continue to provide some form of welcome distraction and give people in our communities up and down the country a sense of normality in very challenging times,\" the EFL said in a statement.\n\nIt is not clear how grassroots and amateur sport will be affected, but guidance is being drawn up.\n\nHowever sources have indicated to BBC Sport that is unlikely that grassroots team sport will be permitted to continue.\n\nNine of the 40 FA Cup first round ties due to be played over 6-9 November involve teams from \"non-elite\" leagues.\n\nThe Football Association says it is \"awaiting further information before we can confirm how this may affect non-elite football across England\".\n\nUnder the new restrictions:\n• None People are being told to stay at home unless they have a specific reason to leave, such as work which cannot be done from home and education.\n• None People are allowed to exercise outdoors alone, with their household or with one other person.\n\nThe government has confirmed leisure centres and gyms will close, as will other indoor and outdoor leisure facilities including:\n\nThe Lawn Tennis Association says that, while indoor tennis will be halted, it will \"make a case\" to the government for outdoor tennis between two individuals from different households to be allowed in line with restrictions on exercise, adding that tennis is a \"socially distanced sport with the net acting as a natural barrier\".\n\nThe Sport and Recreation Alliance, which represents UK national sports organisations including the Football Association and Rugby Football Union along with community sport, has called for \"urgent support\" from the government.\n\nChief executive Lisa Wainwright said: \"These restrictions will critically affect the 150,000 plus local sports clubs in every community across England and will place them in a perilous scenario not knowing if they will ever open their doors again\" adding it could be the \"final nail in the coffin for grassroots clubs which have struggled to survive the initial lockdown\".\n\nSwim England chief executive Jane Nickerson said her organisation thought it was \"extremely disappointing and frustrating to see indoor leisure being forced to close again,\" adding that pools were a \"safe and a lifeline for many people\" and should be \"considered an essential service\".\n\n\"A second period of closure will push many facilities over the edge and there is the dangerous prospect of losing so many facilities for good,\" she said.\n\nNickerson urged the government to \"dig deep and find the necessary funding to ensure we don't see swimming pools and other leisure facilities permanently close\".\n\nUK Active, a non-for-profit body representing gyms and leisure centres said it was \"deeply concerned\" by the new measures.\n\nIn a statement, it said: \"We urge the Prime Minister to ensure comprehensive financial support for the health and fitness sector is available to help it survive this period, minimising the now grave threat to further business failure and significant job losses.\"\n\nSpeaking after his side's 2-1 win over West Ham, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said: \"It is obviously what we wanted (football to continue) and I think we proved we can keep the bubble safe.\n\n\"Everyone had cases, that is the time we are in, but we could isolate these cases pretty quickly to prevent spread.\n\n\"I think it never happened at a training ground but it has happened when travelling, with international teams, normal life. I think we proved we can do it.\n\n\"And in a lockdown it is really important for the people that they can do things they like to do, and watching football is obviously something they like to do. I am happy we can continue.\"\n\nThis is a hammer-blow to the sports sector.\n\nThe major professional governing bodies will be relieved that, unlike in the spring during the first national lockdown, action can at least continue behind closed doors, but hopes of a quick return of spectators eight months after turnstiles closed have suffered a major setback.\n\nThe closure of gyms, pools and indoor sports facilities just a few months after they introduced strict hygiene and safety protocols enabling them to re-open, despite data showing comparatively low risk of transmission, will reinforce demands for a £1.5bn recovery fund for the sports sector, similar to the bail-out given to the culture and arts industry earlier this year.\n\nThe fear is that these latest restrictions could lead to thousands of job losses, cause many facilities to close, and adversely affect physical and mental health, just when it is needed most to help the country get through this crisis.\n• None Gary Lineker on his move from player to presenter\n• None All you need to know as the US election day nears", "Austria and Portugal have announced new restrictions in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus.\n\nIn Austria, the restrictions include a curfew from 20:00 to 06:00. Cafes and restaurants will be takeaway only.\n\nPortugal's measures cover 70% of the country. People will be required to stay at home except for work, school or essential errands.\n\nA number of European countries have enforced new measures as the continent grapples with a second wave.\n\nFrance introduced measures on Friday and on Saturday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a four-week lockdown for England.\n\nOn Friday, Austria recorded a record 5,627 infections, just short of the 6,000 level that the government claims will stretch hospitals beyond capacity. Figures were slightly lower on Saturday with 5,349 infections.\n\nAustria's measures will last until the end of November\n\nThe restrictions, announced on Saturday, will come into effect on Tuesday and last until the end of November.\n\nGyms will shut along with museums however shops will remain open.\n\nKindergartens and primary schools will remain open, but high schools and universities will switch to online learning.\n\n\"We did not take this decision lightly but it is necessary,\" Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said during a news conference.\n\nPortugal also announced new measures on Saturday, which will apply to 121 communes out of 308 in the country. The measures encompass both Lisbon and Porto.\n\nPeople in those areas are being told to stay at home and work remotely where possible. Shops must close by 22:00.\n\nPortuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said: \"If nothing is done, the rise in infections will inevitably lead us to a situation of failure of our health system.\"\n\nThe measures will be reviewed in two weeks' time.\n\nOn Saturday, Portugal recorded 4,007 cases and 39 deaths. Almost 2,000 people are receiving treatment, of whom 286 are in intensive care.\n\nMuch of Europe is battling with soaring infection rates, with several countries reinstating lockdowns or partial lockdowns to try to stem the wave.\n\nSlovakia has announced it is testing everyone over the age of 10 to try and stop the spread of the disease there. The project to test four million people in the country, where infections have soared, is expected to last over two weekends.\n\nPoland saw cases go up for a fifth day in a row, with Covid-19 patients occupying 16,144 hospital beds - 1,305 of them on ventilators - according to the Polish health ministry. There were 280 new deaths.\n\nThe rise comes as protesters against last week's near-total ban on abortion continue to defy government calls to stay at home due to rising infections.\n\nThe country already has the highest level of restrictions to date, with public gatherings banned, most schools closed and restaurants and cafes only offering take-away service.\n\nLast week, Polish President Andrzej Duda, 48, tested positive for the virus, but experienced no symptoms.\n\nAs of Saturday, Poland had 340,834 total cases, with 5,351 deaths according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.\n\nDeaths from Covid-19 in Hungary rose by 51, bringing the total to 1,750, the government said on Saturday.\n\nIt also said the number of Covid patients in hospital had exceeded 4,000 for the first time.\n\nHungary's prime minister has so far held back from imposing strict measures across the country\n\nHungary has yet to impose restrictions on mass events, with schools and shops remaining open and football matches operating throughout the pandemic.\n\nHowever, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a radio interview on Friday that authorities would hand out fines to anyone failing to wear a mask where required.\n\nAs of Saturday, Hungary had 71,413 total cases, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.\n\nGreece has announced a partial lockdown, with restaurants and other leisure activities closed in major Greek cities from Tuesday. Greece has not seen as many cases as other parts of Europe, but there has been a steady increase since early October.\n\nBelgium has announced a return to a national lockdown from Monday, as latest coronavirus figures show it has the highest infection rate in Europe. It means non-essential shops and businesses offering personal services like hair salons will be closed until mid-December. The country has more than half of its 2,000 intensive care unit beds already occupied by Covid-19 patients\n• None Covid map: Where are cases the highest?", "Last updated on .From the section Sport\n\nTennis and golf officials are among those urging the government to make their sports exempt from new lockdown rules for England.\n\nIt follows Saturday's announcement of a new four-week lockdown from Thursday until 2 December to combat rising Covid-19 numbers.\n\nNine FA Cup first-round ties involving teams from 'non-elite' leagues are set to to ahead from 6-9 November.\n\nBut the Football Association has said it is awaiting further information on how the wider grassroots game may be affected.\n\n\"Yet again sport and physical wellbeing is an afterthought,\" Wirral South MP McGovern tweeted. .\n\nMeanwhile, the Conservative chairman of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee called for exemptions.\n\n\"Today I was in touch with the minister for sport to request that the blanket ban on sports like tennis and golf be lifted,\" said Solihull MP Julian Knight.\n\n\"Government ought to allow the mixing of one other household in these socially distanced sports.\"\n\nMcGovern posted her message in response after the FA Women's National League (FAWNL) said it was waiting on guidance about what the new restrictions meant for its competition.\n\n\"The [DCMS] need to answer questions ASAP unless they want more sports to face collapse,\" she added.\n\n\"And we need to see a cross-government effort on physical and mental wellbeing.\"\n• None English lockdown may last beyond 2 Dec, says Michael Gove\n\nThe Premier League and other elite sports have been told they can continue behind closed doors.\n\nIt is not exactly clear how grassroots and amateur sport will be affected.\n\n\"We understand people will have a lot of questions and DCMS officials and ministers will be working through these and detailed implications with sectors over the coming days,\" said Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary.\n\nMany facilities, including gyms and pools, must close, along with other indoor and outdoor leisure centres.\n\nEngland Hockey says it is disappointed the new measures will mean no club or community hockey for at least a month.\n\nUnder the new restrictions:\n• None People are being told to stay at home unless they have a specific reason to leave, such as education and work that cannot be done from home.\n• None People are allowed to exercise outdoors alone, with their household or with one other person.\n\nThe Sports and Recreation Alliance, which represents UK national sports organisations including the FA and Rugby Football Union along with community sport, has warned the new measures may \"prove to be the final nail in the coffin for a number of these clubs\".\n\nChief executive Lisa Wainwright said: \"The closure of our facilities will once again place a financial burden on thousands of community clubs who are already reeling from the initial lockdown and we fear that many may never reopen their doors without a comprehensive sports recovery fund provided by government.\"\n\nThe Sport for Development Coalition backed calls for more funding from the government as many sporting clubs, charities and local organisations \"support mental wellbeing, contribute to tackling social isolation, facilitate community connections and engage young people excluded from education and employment\".\n\nSport England said there were \"difficult days ahead for many in our sector\" but that \"it is vital we do everything we can to continue to support people to keep active within what is permitted\".\n\nIt added: \"Sport England already has several live funding packages available to help support grassroots clubs and organisations who have lost vital income this year as well as help them enable people to be active within the rules and we're working hard with officials in government to help make wider financial support available.\"\n\nSwimming pools will also have to close but Swim England chief executive Jane Nickerson says she will be \"working in partnership with other indoor sports to lobby government\", with meetings scheduled for Monday.\n\nShe added: \"I am championing our clubs and the health benefits of swimming to the nation as this is a key message to government.\"\n\nThe Lawn Tennis Association says that, while indoor tennis will be halted, it will \"make a case\" to the government for outdoor tennis between two individuals from different households to be allowed in line with restrictions on exercise, adding that tennis is a \"socially distanced sport with the net acting as a natural barrier\".\n\nPeople are being asked by the LTA to lobby their local MPs for tennis courts to stay open, allowing for singles and one-to-one coaching, and use by same households.\n\nGolf courses and driving ranges have also been told to close but England Golf chief executive Jeremy Tomlinson says it will \"respectfully challenge the government's rationale\" over the decision.\n\n\"It is our sincere belief that it is now counter-productive to shut down a healthy pursuit which naturally lends itself to social distancing and is played in a Covid-secure manner in the open air,\" said Tomlinson in a letter of the England Golf website.\n\nMeanwhile, 11-time Paralympic gold medallist Baroness Grey-Thompson has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging him to keep gyms and leisure centres open during the new lockdown.\n\nGrey-Thompson wants the facilities to stay open because of the \"essential role they play in both our fight and recovery from this virus\".\n\nThe major professional governing bodies will be relieved that, unlike in the spring during the first national lockdown, action can at least continue behind closed doors, but hopes of a quick return of spectators eight months after turnstiles closed have suffered a major setback.\n\nThe closure of gyms, pools and indoor sports facilities just a few months after they introduced strict hygiene and safety protocols enabling them to re-open, despite data showing comparatively low risk of transmission, will reinforce demands for a £1.5bn recovery fund for the sports sector, similar to the bail-out given to the culture and arts industry earlier this year.\n\nThe fear is that these latest restrictions could lead to thousands of job losses, cause many facilities to close, and adversely affect physical and mental health, just when it is needed most to help the country get through this crisis.\n• None How does the voting system work?\n• None What you need to look out for on the night", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Attendees posted footage of the rave on Snapchat\n\nPolice say they were attacked as they tried to break up an illegal rave at a warehouse near Bristol.\n\nOfficers who were called to Yate at around 22:30 GMT on Saturday said up to 700 people were there.\n\nSome of the crowd began acting violently towards officers and threw objects when they were told to leave, Avon and Somerset Police said.\n\nThe site was cleared by Sunday afternoon after eight people had been arrested and music equipment seized.\n\nA force spokesman said when officers arrived they \"found a number of vehicles and several hundred people\" at the site.\n\n\"Roads approaching the area were closed to prevent more people reaching the site by car, but large numbers of people continued to arrive on foot from several different directions,\" he said.\n\nPolice said power was cut to the building but an alternative source was used\n\nThe warehouse was empty on Sunday afternoon\n\nThe spokesman said some people became hostile towards the police.\n\n\"Items, including lit spray cans and bottles, were thrown at police, some of whom were injured but remained on duty,\" he said.\n\nMains power was cut to the building, but an alternative source was being used the spokesman said.\n\nThe eight people arrested include a man in his 30s who was held on suspicion of being involved in organising the event.\n\nCh Insp Mark Runacres said it was a \"challenging operation\" with a \"large number of people in a confined space and several officers being assaulted\".\n\n\"Our investigations team will be involved in reviewing officers' body worn footage and other inquiries as we seek to take appropriate action against those responsible,\" he said.\n• None Why did raves become illegal?\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The Duke of Cambridge contracted Covid-19 earlier this year, palace sources have told the BBC.\n\nIt is believed he tested positive in April at a similar time to his father, the Prince of Wales.\n\nAccording to the Sun newspaper, which first reported the story, Prince William, 38, kept his diagnosis private to avoid alarming the nation.\n\nKensington Palace, the office and home of Prince William, refused to comment officially.\n\nPrince William, second in line to the throne, did not tell anyone about his positive test result because \"there were important things going on and I didn't want to worry anyone\", according to the Sun.\n\nHe was treated by palace doctors and followed government guidelines by isolating at the family home Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, the paper added.\n\nBBC royal correspondent, Jonny Dymond, said Prince William's condition may not have been revealed publicly at the time as they may have wanted to avoid further alarm, given the national mood.\n\n\"But the palace also tries to preserve some privacy for the Royal Family,\" our correspondent adds.\n\nPrince William reportedly carried out 14 telephone and video call engagements during April.\n\nEarlier in that month, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge video-called the children of key workers at a primary school in Burnley, Lancashire.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a video call to the children of key workers at a school in Lancashire\n\nPrince Charles contracted coronavirus in March and travelled to Scotland to self-isolate for seven days after displaying mild symptoms.\n\nAt the time, the Duchess of Cornwall tested negative for the virus and self-isolated for 14 days.\n\nThe Prince of Wales, 71, later said he \"got away with it quite lightly\".\n\nDuring his first public engagement after recovering from coronavirus, Prince Charles said he had not fully regained his sense of taste and smell.\n\nIn April, Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital after testing positive for the virus.\n\nThe prime minister was moved to intensive care and later thanked healthcare workers for saving his life, saying it \"could have gone either way\".\n\nNews of Prince William's diagnosis comes days before England is due to enter a second national lockdown, with four-week measures to start on Thursday.\n\nThe UK recorded another 23,254 confirmed cases of coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 1,034,914.\n\nAnother 162 people were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive test. It brings the total number of UK deaths to 46,717.", "Mayors of some of the areas hardest-hit by Covid-19 have called for England's schools and colleges to close during the lockdown.\n\nGreater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said that education institutions should close to reduce the spread of the virus more quickly.\n\nScientists have also warned Covid-19 is spreading fast in secondary schools.\n\nBut cabinet minister Michael Gove said: \"We want to keep schools open.\"\n\nMr Gove told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that the government was taking the necessary measures to keep schools open.\n\nHe rejected the suggestion that it would mean a longer period of lockdown because schools staying open would contribute to the continued transmission of coronavirus.\n\nInfection rates among secondary school children \"appear to be steeply increasing\", according to the latest survey by the Office for National Statistics.\n\nAn estimated 2% of children in Year 7 to Year 11 tested positive for the virus in the most recent week of testing, the highest positivity rate of any age group except sixth-formers and young adults.\n\nSir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told the Andrew Marr Show that keeping schools open was the \"big difference\" between the new restrictions and the lockdown in spring.\n\n\"Because we have delayed the onset of this lockdown it does make keeping schools open harder,\" he said.\n\n\"We know that transmission, particularly in secondary schools, is high.\"\n\nHe said that closing schools \"may have to be revisited\" over the next four weeks if the transmission of the virus continues to rise.\n\nThe Manchester and Liverpool mayors said at a joint press conference that they wanted to see a period of two weeks' closure towards the second half of November, giving schools some time to prepare online learning.\n\nMr Burnham said: \"That would create the conditions for the biggest drop in cases that we could achieve and it would then create the conditions for some kind of Christmas for more families, because they need it right now.\"\n\nWithout this, the mayors said they feared their regions would simply be back in the restrictive tier three measures.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he supports keeping schools open, but said \"we've got to manage the risk\".\n\nThe National Education Union has called for schools and colleges to close, saying that if they stay open the restrictions will be less effective.\n\nJoint general secretary Kevin Courtney said the lockdown was \"another half measure and, without school closures as part of it, it is unlikely to have the effect that the prime minister wants\".\n\nDifferent parts of the UK have taken a different approach to schools during the second wave of the pandemic.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, schools are due to reopen on Monday after an extended two-week half-term holiday, as part of a four-week period of additional restrictions.\n\nAnd in Wales, Years 9 and above in secondary schools will only return when the nation's \"firebreak\" lockdown ends on 9 November.\n\nBut Scotland aims to keep schools open under its five-level system of restrictions, coming into force on Monday.\n\nAre you the parent of schoolchildren? How do you feel about schools remaining open during the second lockdown? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Fourteen people are currently on trial in France over the 2015 attack\n\nThe main suspect in the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack in France has tested positive for Covid-19 and his trial has been suspended, lawyers say.\n\nAli Reza Polat is accused of helping the militant Islamist attackers who killed 12 people at the satirical magazine four years ago.\n\nThe presiding judge says 10 accused accomplices must be tested for the virus before the trial can resume.\n\nThe suspension is likely to delay the trial's conclusion later this month.\n\nAli Reza Polat, 35, was sick and seen by a doctor, prompting the judge to suspend court for several days.\n\nJudge Regis de Jorna said 10 other suspects must be tested, and \"the resumption of the trial will depend on the results of these tests and the development of the health of the people concerned\".\n\nThe defence lawyers were due to give their final submissions in the coming days, and verdicts were expected in two weeks' time.\n\nFourteen people in total are on trial over the attack on the magazine, as well as related attacks on a police woman and Jewish supermarket that left 17 people dead in total over three days. Three of the 14 are being tried in absentia.\n\nThe three gunmen in the two attacks were shot dead by police.\n\nTwo gunmen killed 12 people in an attack on the magazine's office in 2015\n\nAli Reza Polat is seen as the main link between the attacks and is believed to have had a key role in obtaining the weapons used. He subsequently attempted to flee to Dubai, Lebanon and Syria but without success.\n\nThe trial had already been delayed four months because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nFrance returned to strict lockdown on Friday after a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in recent days.", "The search for survivors in Izmir, Turkey continues after a powerful earthquake on Friday.\n\nWork continued through the night to search for survivors in buildings that were destroyed as a result of the earthquake.\n\nAround 100 survivors have been pulled out alive from the rubble so far, Turkey's Environment and Urbanisation Minister Murat Kurum told reporters.\n\nHowever many people are still trapped and aftershocks have hampered rescue workers.", "Religious groups in England have strongly criticised the new lockdown rule banning communal worship.\n\nEngland's four-week lockdown will see most religious services banned. Funerals will still be allowed, with a maximum of 30 attending.\n\nThe Catholic Church described the ban as a cause of \"anguish\" and demanded the government gives its reasons for stopping services.\n\nThe Muslim Council of Britain called for an urgent review of restrictions.\n\nThe Catholic Church Bishops' Conference said communal worship had helped many during the pandemic.\n\nCardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, president and vice president of the association, also stressed that churches had acted responsibly and been Covid-safe.\n\n\"It is... a source of deep anguish now that the government is requiring, once again, the cessation of public communal worship,\" the bishops said in a statement.\n\n\"Whilst we understand the many difficult decisions facing the government, we have not yet seen any evidence whatsoever that would make the banning of communal worship, with all its human costs, a productive part of combating the virus.\n\n\"We ask the government to produce this evidence that justifies the cessation of acts of public worship.\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that England would be under a new lockdown from 5 November until 2 December.\n\nOther than for funerals, the only other reasons places of worship can stay open is to broadcast acts of worship, individual prayer, formal childcare, or essential services such as blood donation or food banks.\n\nCardinal Nichols and Archbishop McMahon said everyone has to make \"sustained sacrifices for months to come\" to tackle Covid.\n\nBut they added: \"In requiring this sacrifice, the government has a profound responsibility to show why it has taken particular decisions.\n\n\"Not doing so risks eroding the unity we need as we enter a most difficult period for our country.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, chairwoman of the Church of England's recovery group, said she would study the new regulations and \"seek clarification\" on how public worship would be affected.\n\nAnd John Steven, director or the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, said the new restrictions came as a \"very significant emotional blow\" for couples who had weddings planned this month.\n\nHe added: \"For people in church and other religious communities it seems a very unfair restriction - churches have put a great deal of effort into coronavirus measures and they are much safer than other settings which are still allowed to be open like secondary schools.\"\n\nThe Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said in a statement: \"The government's inadequate consultation and poor engagement with faith communities remain a problem as the pandemic endures.\"\n\nWhile the rules allow places of worship to remain open for individual prayer, the MCB said the distinction is \"not straightforward or practical for many mosques, compared to other faith communities\".", "\"We've had tremendous success in Afghanistan… but it's time, after all these years, to go and to bring our people back home… There are many countries that surround Afghanistan that can help. We're 8,000 miles away.\" - President Trump, during a press conference at the White House, 29 Feb 2020 President Trump during a surprise Thanksgiving trip to see US troops in Afghanistan (Getty Images) Afghanistan has been near the top of every president's in-tray since US forces invaded the country in 2001. Before he became president, Mr Trump repeatedly described the war in Afghanistan as a \"disaster\" and talked about pulling US troops out of the country. Back in 2013, he tweeted: \"We have wasted an enormous amount of blood and treasure in Afghanistan. Their government has zero appreciation. Let's get out!\" But in September 2017, he agreed to send 3,000 extra troops to bolster the US contingent there as the Taliban gained ground and security deteriorated. That same year, the US used the largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat, killing dozens of militants from the so-called Islamic State group (IS) near the border with Pakistan. More recently though, President Trump talked of peace in the country and in February this year the US signed an agreement with the Taliban to lift sanctions on the group and oversee a prisoner swap with the Afghan government in return for a ceasefire. Talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government remain ongoing, but President Trump is keen to push ahead with the withdrawal of US troops despite recent violence. In early October, he tweeted that the remaining troops \"should\" be home by Christmas - but that wasn't endorsed by his top general.\n\n\"Great talk with my friend President Mauricio Macri of Argentina this week. He is doing such a good job for Argentina.\" Mr Trump is welcomed to a G20 summit in Buenos Aires by President Macri (Getty Images) President Trump has dealt with two leaders of Argentina in his first term. The first, Mauricio Macri, is a man whose relationship with Donald Trump dates back decades to when he and his father were doing business in 1980s New York. That relationship came under scrutiny when Mr Macri called the US president-elect in November 2016 to congratulate him on his victory. According to reports in Argentina, Mr Trump asked the Argentine president for help with a stalled building project by one of his companies in Buenos Aires - a claim both men denied. Mr Trump welcomed Mr Macri to the White House in April 2017 and his only trip to Latin America as president was to take part in the G20 summit hosted by the Argentine in 2018. But Mr Macri was defeated in 2019 by Alberto Fernández, a centre-left politician who in 2016 described Mr Trump's election win as a victory for the \"worst reactionary politics\". Unsurprisingly, Mr Trump's relationship with Mr Fernández has been less positive than it was with his predecessor. Just days before Mr Fernández entered office in December 2019, Mr Trump said he was restoring tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Argentina - a threat that turned out to be empty but signalled a shift in the relationship. There has been less tension between the two countries this year, mostly because both have had to focus their attention on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.\n\n\"Congratulations to new Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. There are no greater friends than the United States and Australia!\" Prime Minister Morrison gives a thumbs-up to Mr Trump during a press conference at the White House (Getty Images) Australia has been one of America's closest allies in recent years, with its troops fighting alongside the US in Iraq and Afghanistan. But that relationship came under strain almost as soon as President Trump entered the White House. Mr Trump was said to have had a \"contentious\" phone call with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the end of January 2017, reportedly over a deal agreed with President Obama that the US would take in about 1,200 refugees who had been denied entry into Australia. A Washington Post report said the president abruptly ended the call after calling it \"the worst deal ever\". Mr Trump, who later publicly criticised the deal as \"dumb\", insisted the phone call had been \"civil\" while Mr Turnbull said it was a \"very frank and forthright\" conversation. Later in 2017, footage leaked to the media showing Mr Turnbull poking fun at his US counterpart but officials in both countries dismissed it as harmless fun. Still, on the face of it neither episode appeared to affect the relationship much, with President Trump saying it was \"terrific\" and \"probably stronger now than ever before\". That continued when Scott Morrison replaced Mr Turnbull in 2018. He was given the full red-carpet treatment on a visit to the US in 2019 and was only the second person to have been given a state dinner by President Trump - the other being French President Emmanuel Macron. The pair have lavished praise on one another, with Mr Trump a particular fan of Prime Minister Morrison's immigration policies. He tweeted about a controversial ad campaign in Australia last year, saying that \"much can be learned\" from the approach. In return, Mr Morrison has praised the American president as \"a strong leader who says what he's going to do and then goes and does it\".\n\n\"Do you all remember how beautiful and safe a place Brussels was. Not anymore, it is from a different world!\" President Trump at a Nato photoshoot at a summit in Brussels in 2017 (Getty Images) On the campaign trail in 2016, Donald Trump referred to Belgium's capital Brussels as a \"hellhole\" and said it was no longer beautiful or safe after being attacked by terrorists earlier that year. Still, everything appeared to be amicable when he was welcomed to the country by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde in May 2017 before a Nato summit in the country. Mr Trump met Prime Minister Charles Michel at the summit, praising Belgian contributions in the fight against the so-called Islamic State group and noting the \"critical importance of Belgian F-16s flying missions in Iraq and Syria\". He also took the chance to remind him of \"the responsibility of all nations to share our common defense burden,\" and to meet Nato spending commitments - a topic Mr Trump has raised again and again during his time as president. But his most memorable moment in Belgium was when he appeared to shove Dusko Markovic, the prime minister of Montenegro, out of the way before a Nato family photo - putting his campaign slogan of \"America First\" firmly into action.\n\n\"Just had a great call with the President of Brazil, @JairBolsonaro. We discussed many subjects including Trade. The relationship between the United States and Brazil has never been Stronger!\" President Bolsonaro presents Mr Trump with a Brazil national football team jersey at the White House (Getty Images) President Trump has not had much to say about Brazil, South American's most influential country - a sign, perhaps, of his more isolationist approach to foreign policy. He had few public dealings with Michel Temer, while the latter was Brazil's president, but he's had a much more vocal relationship with Jair Bolsonaro, since he took over in January 2019. The Brazilian's first trip overseas after becoming president was to the US, where he swapped football shirts with Mr Trump and told him: \"I've always admired the USA and this sense of admiration has only increased since you took office.\" That high praise wouldn't have shocked many back home in Brazil, where he was dubbed the \"Trump of the Tropics\" by some parts of the media in the run-up to his election victory. President Trump has been equally lavish in his praise of Mr Bolsonaro and even said he would help Brazil join Nato - a suggestion ruled out by the head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. But the White House did designate Brazil as a \"major non-NATO ally\" in 2019, giving the country preferential access to US military equipment and training. Also notable is that Mr Trump and Mr Bolsonaro have shared a similar view of the coronavirus pandemic with both downplaying the seriousness of the threat it posed. They are also among a handful of world leaders to have caught the virus themselves, with both recovering fully.\n\n\"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?\" - President Trump's widely reported comments made in private during a meeting on immigration, 11 Jan 2018 Mr Trump's reported remark came as lawmakers from both parties visited him to propose a bipartisan immigration deal. Democratic Senator Richard Durbin had just been discussing US temporary residency permits granted to citizens of countries hit by natural disasters, war or epidemics, when Mr Trump asked, \"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?\" Mr Trump tweeted that he had used \"tough\" language but not that specific term. Senator Durbin responded by saying Mr Trump used \"racist\" language. As the African Union expressed \"shock, dismay and outrage\" and demanded an apology, Botswana summoned the US ambassador and asked the envoy \"to clarify if Botswana is regarded as a 'shithole' country given that there are Botswana nationals residing in the US.\" According to the Washington Post, Mr Trump told lawmakers the US should instead be taking in migrants from countries like Norway, whose prime minister visited him a day earlier, or Asian nations.\n\n\"I love Canada, but they've taken advantage of our Country for many years!\" President Trump offers to shake hands with Mr Trudeau during a meeting at the White House (Getty Images) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among the first dozen or so world leaders to visit the White House under Donald Trump and he will have been pleased with how it went. Not only did he deal with President Trump's fierce handshake, he also got a guarantee that the White House would only be making \"tweaks\" to its relationship with Canada. But the relationship between the two leaders became strained not long after that first meeting with those tensions surfacing in public in June 2018 at a G7 summit in Quebec. When Mr Trudeau said he would not be pushed around by the US at a post-summit press conference, Mr Trump responded by refusing to sign the joint G7 communique on trade before tweeting that the Canadian leader \"acts hurt when called out\". Most of the animosity was generated by President Trump's desire to replace Nafta, the North American Free Trade Agreement signed in 1994 by the US, Mexico and Canada. He used tariffs to encourage both nations to renegotiate a deal, which was eventually agreed in October 2018. After the announcement, Mr Trump tweeted: \"Mexico, Canada and the United States are a great partnership and will be a very formidable trading force. We will now, because of the USMCA, work very well together. Great Spirit!\" Mr Trudeau, who has been in office since November 2015, has certainly had a slightly different relationship with Mr Trump to the \"bromance\" he had with former President Barack Obama. Describing Mr Trump's style, the Canadian PM said in 2018: \"The president prides himself on a level of disruption and unpredictability that is challenging certain aspects of global systems that we've perhaps taken for granted. And, it does keep me on my toes.\"\n\nPresident Trump was quick to congratulate Sebastián Piñera, a conservative like himself, when he was voted into office in January 2018, saying he looked forward to working together on \"issues of mutual interest\". Since then, the two billionaire presidents - Mr Piñera's estimated personal fortune is about $2.7bn (£2bn) - have had few dealings in public. But when the country was rocked by protests over inequality in late 2019, President Trump backed his Chilean counterpart despite accusations from Amnesty International and others that the security forces were using excessive force on demonstrators. More recently, President Piñera has tried to use his good relationship with Mr Trump to put Chile in \"pole position\" to get early access to a vaccine for coronavirus should the US develop one.\n\n\"All over the World the CoronaVirus, a very bad \"gift\" from China, marches on. Not good!\" Mr Trump with President Xi at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida (Getty Images) Donald Trump mentioned China so frequently on the campaign trail in 2016 that it turned into a meme. He repeatedly called the Communist state a \"currency manipulator\" and even accused them of \"raping\" the US. After entering the White House, he antagonised Beijing again by breaking with diplomatic norms and accepting a call from the president of Taiwan, which is considered a breakaway province by China. When China raised objections, however, President Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on the phone and agreed to follow the so-called \"One China\" policy, which states that there is only one Chinese government. After that initial tension, Mr Trump changed tack and in April 2017 hosted his Chinese counterpart at Mar-a-Lago, his retreat on the Florida coast, saying their relationship was \"outstanding\" and that \"tremendous progress\" had been made in their talks. President Xi then welcomed Mr Trump to Beijing in November that year, with the American describing the ceremony as a \"truly memorable and impressive display\". At a joint press conference afterwards, Mr Trump told the Chinese president: \"You are a very special man.\" The two countries spent a lot of 2018 discussing a trade deal, with President Trump complaining that previous negotiations had been \"so one sided in favour of China\". But despite the talks, no agreement emerged and the two countries engaged in a trade war that carried over into 2019. A \"phase one\" deal was eventually signed at the beginning of 2020, with Mr Trump modestly declaring it \"one of the greatest trade deals ever made!\" Analysts were split over how good a deal it was, but both leaders were able to present themselves as winners. Not long after celebrating the deal, President Trump tweeted about a little known virus in China that was beginning to look concerning: \"China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!\" Two months later, more than 1,000 people infected with the virus had died in the US and the number of confirmed cases was fast approaching 100,000. Mr Trump described having had a \"good conversation\" with President Xi and said: \"We are working closely together. Much respect!\" But by the summer of 2020 though, his tone had changed. Mr Trump began referring to coronavirus as the \"China virus\" and tweeted: \"China has caused great damage to the United States and the rest of the World!\" And as the election has neared, he's upped his anti-China rhetoric, accusing them of working to replace him with his Democratic rival Joe Biden \"so they can continue to rip-off the United States\".\n\n- President Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, 30 Aug 2019 President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet Colombian President Iván Duque and his wife Maria Ruiz at the White House (Getty Images) Donald Trump's relationship with the two Colombian presidents he's dealt with - first Juan Manuel Santos and then Iván Duque - has concentrated on drug cartels and Venezuela. He has hosted both men at the White House and held talks with them on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. President Duque visited the White House in February 2019, mainly to discuss the situation in Colombia's neighbour Venezuela, which has been engulfed in a political crisis for several years now. In a joint press conference after the meeting, the US president was asked if he would be visiting Colombia, to which he replied: \"I'll be visiting. I really want to. I want to visit Colombia. I look forward to visiting.\" He's yet to make the trip. Later that year, President Trump said of US-Colombia ties: \"We have a great relationship. They're not doing badly. They have a problem because of Venezuela a lot of people are pouring in. But Colombia, we've had a great relationship with Colombia.\"\n\n\"The last administration made a pathetic one-sided deal with the Castro dictatorship that betrayed the Cuban people and enriched the communist regime.\" - Donald Trump, in a speech at the White House, 23 Sep 2020 Mr Trump signs into effect some policy changes towards Cuba at an event in Miami (Getty Images) One of Donald Trump's many campaign promises was that he would roll back on President Obama's historic move in 2014 to restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba. Once in office, Mr Trump did indeed say he was \"cancelling\" the deal with Cuba and he re-imposed certain travel and trade restrictions eased by his predecessor. But the president's approach has not scrapped all of the Obama-era policy regarding the island nation. Both countries will keep their embassies open in each other's capitals, commercial flights will continue and US tourists can still visit the country, albeit under stricter conditions. During a speech in 2017 in Miami's Little Havana neighbourhood, where Mr Trump signed a directive outlining his policy, he lambasted President Obama's deal with the \"brutal\" Castro government as \"terrible and misguided\". He said the US would not lift sanctions on Cuba until \"all political prisoners are freed\" and vowed to \"help the Cuban people themselves form businesses and pursue much better lives\". Later that year, the US withdrew most staff from its embassy in Havana after several people there came down with mysterious health issues, including hearing loss, nausea and dizziness. US officials said the incident was an acoustic attack, but it remains a bit of a mystery. As the election approaches, President Trump has sought to win over the large population of Cuban-Americans in the swing state of Florida by tightening the sanctions on the country. Talking at a ceremony in September honoring veterans of the failed Bay of Pigs operation in 1961, Mr Trump described his predecessors' policy as \"weak\" and \"pathetic\" and boasted: \"I canceled the Obama-Biden sellout to the Castro regime.\"\n\n\"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting.\" The front page of the New York Daily News leading on Mr Trump's attempt to buy Greenland (Getty Images) President Trump has had a bumpy relationship with Denmark's leaders. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen was one of the first world leaders to meet Donald Trump at the White House. Their talks at the end of March 2017 focused on the future of the Nato alliance and President Trump \"urged\" the Danish leader to commit to the target of spending 2% of his country's GDP on defence. But the meeting appeared to go well, with Mr Rasmussen saying afterwards that he was \"more positive\" about Denmark's relationship with the US than when he \"evaluated the situation right after the [US] election.\" However, things got a little bizarre in August 2019 when it emerged that President Trump had discussed buying Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory. Mr Rasmussen, who had been replaced as PM a couple of months earlier, tweeted his response to the story: \"It must be an April Fool's Day joke ... but totally out of season!\" But it wasn't a joke and Mr Trump promptly cancelled a planned trip to Denmark after Mette Frederiksen, the new Danish prime minister, described the suggested sale as \"absurd\" - a comment Mr Trump called \"nasty\".\n\n\"I just want to let everybody know in case there was any doubt that we are very much behind President Sisi.\" President Sisi and Mr Trump share a laugh during a meeting at the UN General Assembly (Getty Images) Donald Trump first met Abdul Fattah al-Sisi - a \"fantastic guy\" - in September 2016 and when he won the election two months later, Mr Sisi was reportedly the first foreign leader to call him. Their close relationship continued once Mr Trump was in office and President Sisi visited the White House in April 2017 for the first time since he led a military coup in Egypt in 2013. Human rights groups, however, criticised Mr Trump for meeting a man accused of a violent crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood group which left more than 1,000 people dead. But officials said the US was seeking to \"reboot\" relations between the two countries because President Trump saw a stable Egypt as an invaluable ally in the battle against terrorism. Mr Sisi, who wants to ensure Egypt continues to receive US military aid worth about $1.3bn a year, has praised President Trump as someone who has a \"deep and great understanding\" of the Middle East. The two met again during Mr Trump's first foreign visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2017. At a summit in Riyadh, Mr Trump said Mr Sisi had \"done a tremendous job under trying circumstances\". An image of Mr Trump, Mr Sisi and Saudi King Salman placing their hands on a glowing orb at the meeting set social media abuzz. The US did withhold $195 million in military aid to Egypt in 2017 amid concerns about the country's human rights record - but the funds were released the following year. Mr Trump has not visited Egypt as president but his wife has been there while first lady. The most memorable moment of Melania Trump's visit, which was part of a whistle-stop tour of Africa in October 2018, was a tour of the Giza pyramids she did sporting a Panama hat.\n\n\"They have worked well with us on immigration at the Southern Border!\" Mr Trump and President Bukele shake hands at a meeting in New York (Getty Images) President Trump's relationship with El Salvador got off to a bumpy start when he was reported to have made a controversial remark during a meeting with US lawmakers about a new immigration deal. Democratic Senator Richard Durbin had just been discussing US temporary residency permits granted to citizens of countries hit by natural disasters, war or epidemics, when Mr Trump asked, \"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?\" Mr Trump tweeted that he had used \"tough\" language but not that specific term. Senator Durbin responded by saying Mr Trump used \"racist\" language. Mr Trump's administration announced in January 2018 that it would cancel permits that allow nearly 200,000 people from El Salvador to live and work in the US. They were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) after earthquakes rocked the Central American country in 2001. Salvadoreans were originally given until January 2020 to leave, face deportation, or find a legal way to stay. But that deadline was extended to January 2021. President Trump met Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2019, where he told reporters that the relationship between the two men \"has been excellent\". In April this year, Mr Trump tweeted that the US would be helping El Salvador get ventilators amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying: \"They have worked well with us on immigration at the Southern Border!\"\n\n\"I made a deal, I saved a country, and I just heard that the head of that country is now getting the Nobel Peace Prize for saving the country.\" Ethiopia hasn't featured on Mr Trump's agenda for much of his presidency, but he has caused some controversy in the capital Addis Ababa this year. In January, President Trump said he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize because he had \"made a deal\" that \"saved a country\" - seemingly a reference to negotiations between Ethiopia and Eritrea that ended in a peace deal between the two countries. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the prestigious prize for his part in the process, which appeared to upset Mr Trump somewhat. Speaking at a campaign rally in Ohio, the president said: \"I made a deal, I saved a country, and I just heard that the head of that country is now getting the Nobel Peace Prize for saving the country... As long as we know, that's all that matters... I saved a big war.\" While not integral to the talks between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Mr Trump did play a role in discussions over water resources in the region between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan. Ethiopia is building a huge dam on part of the River Nile within its borders, but this has upset neighbouring Sudan and Egypt who are concerned about water shortages further up the river. In Addis Ababa, the US is seen as having sided with Egypt on the dispute. The US announced in September that it would cut some aid to Ethiopia after it began filling the reservoir behind the dam in July, while discussions with Egypt and Sudan were still under way. In October, while on a call with the leaders of Sudan and Israel, Mr Trump said the issue of the dam was a \"very dangerous situation because Egypt is not going to be able to live that way,\" adding: \"I say it loud and clear - they'll blow up that dam. And they have to do something.\" In response, PM Abiy Ahmed said: \"Ethiopia will not cave in to aggression of any kind.\" He added that threats of any kind over the issue were \"misguided, unproductive and clear violations of international law\".\n\nMr Trump at a press conference with President Niinisto in the Oval Office (Getty Images) Finland's President Sauli Niinistö was invited to the White House in October 2019 but his relationship with Donald Trump has been fairly low-key. In fact, his visit was overshadowed by questions surrounding Mr Trump's impending impeachment and much of the leaders' joint press conference was taken up by an angry exchange between the American president and a reporter. Another notable moment in the relationship came in 2018 amid bad wildfires in California, when Mr Trump said poor management was to blame and pointed towards Finland as a country that managed the risk better. \"I was with the president of Finland,\" Mr Trump told reporters, \"and he said: 'We're a forest nation' and they spent a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things, and they don't have any problem.\" President Niinisto, however, said he could not remember talking about raking when the two met.\n\n\"The friendship between our two nations and ourselves is unbreakable.\" President Macron and Mr Trump embrace at a press conference at the White House (Getty Images) President Trump accepted an invitation to attend 2017's Bastille Day celebrations in France after a somewhat rocky start with the French president. After the first meeting between the two men in Brussels in May 2017, Mr Macron described his white-knuckled handshake with Mr Trump as \"not innocent\". But since then their relationship has warmed, with Mr Trump describing the Bastille Day event as \"one of the greatest parades I've ever seen\" and saying the US relationship with France was \"stronger than ever\". Although there was an awkward moment during the trip, when Mr Trump told President Macron and his wife that she was \"in such good shape\". President Macron visited the White House in April 2018 and was also given the honour of making an address to the US Congress. His speech was described as a \"thinly veiled rebuke\" to President Trump by the BBC's North America editor, Jon Sopel. But despite their differences on policy, they appear to get on well. There have been several moments of tension though. In November 2019, President Macron described Nato as \"brain dead\" because of a waning commitment to the alliance by the US. Mr Trump hit back by saying the French leader had been \"nasty\" and \"very disrespectful\". He also called Mr Macron \"foolish\" when France moved to introduce a tax on US technology companies and threatened to add a tax on French wine as retaliation, tweeting: \"I've always said American wine is better than French wine!\" Mr Macron put the new tax on hold.\n\n\"I extend Georgians my warmest wishes for a productive, secure, and prosperous future.\" - President Trump, in a letter to Prime Minister Gakharia, 26 May 2020 President Trump's only mention of Georgia on Twitter was in 2017, when he posed for a photo with the country's leader at the time, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, at the White House. He has not yet met the new Georgian prime minister, Giorgi Gakharia, but he reportedly sent him a letter in May this year to celebrate the country's independence day. In the letter, President Trump thanked Georgia for its \"significant contributions\" to the Nato mission in Afghanistan and said the US would continue to support the country's bid to become a Nato member state.\n\n\"We have a really great relationship and we actually have had a great relationship right from the beginning, but some people didn't understand that. But we understand it and that's what's important.\" - President Trump, talking to reporters alongside Angela Merkel at the White House - 27 Apr 2018 Chancellor Merkel and Mr Trump exchange views at a G7 meeting in Canada (Reuters) When Donald Trump won the US election he did so with the isolationist slogan of \"America First\", leading many to declare German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the new leader of the free world. Her pivotal role in global politics could be seen clearly on the White House call sheet during Mr Trump's first few months in office - she was one of the world leaders he spoke to most frequently and she also paid the new president a visit in March 2017. President Trump's tone towards Mrs Merkel has changed significantly since he took office. In 2015, he took to Twitter to describe her as the \"person who is ruining Germany\" after Time magazine picked her as their person of the year. The German leader clearly noticed Mr Trump's disparaging comments, saying at their joint press conference that she's \"always said it's much, much better to talk to one another and not about one another\". The pair have met several times since that first meeting and while Mr Trump has paid tribute to Mrs Merkel in public, his tone on Twitter is often less approving. President Trump has repeatedly taken issue with Germany failing to spend the Nato target of 2% on defence, accusing the country of being \"delinquent\" in its payments to the alliance. He has also accused Germany of being \"totally controlled by Russia\" because it imports \"so much of its energy\" from the country and has a new pipeline planned. Mrs Merkel responded by saying Germany \"can make our own policies and make our own decisions\". But it has not been empty rhetoric from President Trump. In July this year, the US announced it was withdrawing about 12,000 of its troops from Germany in what officials described as a \"strategic\" repositioning of its forces in Europe. Mr Trump's explanation was a little more direct, telling reporters: \"We don't want to be the suckers anymore. We're reducing the force because they're not paying their bills; it's very simple.\"\n\n\"Ancient Greece achieved extraordinary feats of architecture, geometry, map-making, and so much else that has inspired all wonders of the world. And Greece is the birthplace of democracy. Have you heard that?\" - President Trump, at a Greek Independence Day celebration at the White House, 18 Mar 2018 President Trump and the first lady with Prime Minister Mitsotakis and his wife, Mareva Grabowski, outside the Oval Office (Getty Images) The visit of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to the White House in October 2017 could have been awkward, as he had previously criticised Mr Trump and even called him \"evil\". But the two held a cordial joint press conference and Mr Trump joked about the Greek leader's past remarks: \"I wish I knew before my speech.\" Mr Tsipras said the two had a productive exchange and he shared common values with the US. The Greek prime minister was replaced by Kyriakos Mitsotakis in January 2019 and Mr Trump hosted him and his wife at the White House a year later. Speaking in the Oval Office, Mr Trump said the relationship between the two countries was \"really extraordinary\" and said Greece had made a \"tremendous comeback\" after its financial crisis. Mr Mitsotakis will have charmed the president by comparing his economic policy to Mr Trump's, saying: \"The Greek economy has done extremely well over the past months. We have lowered taxes. We are deregulating. We're following a recipe that has also worked here.\" The pair spoke again on the phone in August this year, with Mr Trump expressing concerns about rising tension between Greece and Turkey. In September, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Mr Mitsotakis during a visit to a US naval base on the Greek island of Crete and said: \"The relationship between our two countries is at an all-time high and getting stronger.\"\n\n\"Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out.\" - President Trump's widely reported comments made in private during a meeting on immigration, 11 Jan 2018 Mr Trump's reported remark came as lawmakers from both parties visited him to propose a bipartisan immigration deal. He tweeted that he had \"never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said 'take them out.'\" Democratic Senator Richard Durbin had just been discussing US temporary residency permits granted to citizens of countries hit by natural disasters, war or epidemics, when Mr Trump reportedly asked, \"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?\" Mr Trump tweeted that he had used \"tough\" language but not that specific term. Senator Durbin responded by saying Mr Trump used \"racist\" language. Haiti's US Ambassador Paul Altidor told the BBC the idea that \"we're simply immigrants who come here to take advantage of the US\" is wrong. In 2017, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation, granted to Haitians following the 2010 earthquake, would end in July 2019. The move was initially deemed unlawful but in September 2020, an appeals court sided with the Trump administration, meaning those with TPS could be forced to leave the US early next year. Joe Biden, Mr Trump's Democratic rival in the election, has vowed to reverse the decision if he wins.\n\n\"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?\" - President Trump's widely reported comments made in private during a meeting on immigration, 11 Jan 2018 Mr Trump's reported remark came as lawmakers from both parties visited him to propose a bipartisan immigration deal. Democratic Senator Richard Durbin had just been discussing US temporary residency permits granted to citizens of countries hit by natural disasters, war or epidemics, when Mr Trump asked: \"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?\" Mr Trump tweeted that he had used \"tough\" language but not that specific term. Senator Durbin said Mr Trump used \"racist\" language and that the president did call some African nations \"shitholes\". President Trump has sought to decrease the number of migrants coming into the country from Latin America, threatening to cut aid to Honduras unless its government stopped large caravans of people heading towards the US. He has also tried to reduce the number of Hondurans already in the country, with his administration announcing in June 2018 that it was ending the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) that had granted nearly 60,000 Hondurans the right to live in the US. Hondurans were granted this status after Hurricane Mitch hit the Central American country in 1998, but the Department of Homeland Security said conditions in the country had \"notably improved\" since the disaster. At the moment, the TPS for Hondurans in the US is due to end in January 2021, but Joe Biden, Mr Trump's Democratic rival in the election, has vowed to reverse the decision if he wins.\n\n\"The First Lady and I have just traveled 8,000 miles around the globe to deliver a message to every citizen across this nation: America loves India, America respects India, and America will always be faithful and loyal friends to the Indian people.\" President Trump and the first lady pose during a visit to the Taj Mahal (Getty Images) President Trump has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi several times and the pair appear to have developed a strong relationship. At the White House in June 2017, the two leaders shared a warm embrace in front of reporters before vowing to fight terrorism together and praising US-India relations. \"The relationship between India and the United States has never been stronger, never been better,\" said Mr Trump, who described himself and Mr Modi as \"world leaders in social media\". President Trump dispatched his daughter Ivanka to India in November 2017 for what was described by local media as a \"royal visit\", with officials in Hyderabad removing beggars from the streets and rushing through road repairs before she arrived. But the president himself finally visited the country in February this year and was welcomed by huge crowds everywhere he went. Mr Modi organised a huge event to honour President Trump - thought to have cost more than $13m - with 100,000 people turning up to hear the two men speak. Although, most of them were on their way out by half-way through Mr Trump's speech. During the speech, Mr Trump spoke of increasing defence cooperation between the two countries and said India had agreed to buy helicopters and other US military equipment worth $3bn. He told the crowd: \"I believe that the United States should be India's premier defence partner, and that's the way it's working out.\" The pair were unable to agree a trade deal during President Trump's visit though, but they announced that negotiations would continue. Trade has been the major hiccup to their relationship so far, with Mr Trump complaining in 2019 that Indian tariffs on US products were \"unacceptable\". Another recent move that will have strained relations between the two was Mr Trump's late-night Twitter announcement in April that he was suspending immigration into the US in a bid to ease unemployment among Americans due to the coronavirus pandemic. The move included the H-1B visa, which allows US companies to employ highly-skilled foreign workers and is widely used by the technology sector. Indians reportedly make up nearly 70% of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued every year.\n\n\"We've become friends, and we're going to be doing a lot of deals together.\" - President Trump, speaking before a meeting with Joko Widodo at a G20 summit, 8 Jul 2017 Mr Trump and President Widodo at a meeting on the sidelines of a G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany (Getty Images) Mr Trump and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo have met a few times at international and regional summits. The only mention Mr Widodo has had in the president's tweets was in April this year when Mr Trump said his \"friend\" had asked for ventilators to help cope with the coronavirus pandemic, which the US would provide. \"Great cooperation between us!\" he added. Mr Widodo didn't get an invitation to Mr Trump's inauguration in 2017, but Indonesian businessman Hary Tanoesoedibjo reportedly did and the president's relationship with him has raised some eyebrows in the US. \"I don't know whether I am the only Indonesian who was invited, but I didn't see any other over there,\" he told Indonesian magazine Tempo in February 2017. Mr Tanoesoedibjo is overseeing the development of a Trump Hotel in West Java and another resort in Bali and he told the magazine he has \"close access\" to the US president. In June 2019, it was reported that President Trump had sold a mansion he owned in Los Angeles to Mr Tanoesoedibjo for some $13.5 million.\n\n\"Any attack by Iran, in any form, against the United States will be met with an attack on Iran that will be 1,000 times greater in magnitude!\" A photograph of President Trump burns during protests against the US in the Iranian capital Tehran (Getty Images) While Donald Trump hasn't spoken to Iran's leader since coming to power, he has spent a lot of his time talking about the country. One of his administration's first moves was to impose new sanctions against the country in response to a ballistic missile test, which Tehran said had not violated a UN resolution on its nuclear activities. The US confirmed that Tehran was continuing to comply with the UN agreement but Mr Trump labelled it a \"terrible deal\" and ordered a review into it nonetheless. During a trip to Israel in 2017, Mr Trump said Iran \"must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon - never, ever - and must cease its deadly funding, training and equipping of terrorists and militias.\" He later claimed in a tweet that Iran was working with North Korea to develop nuclear weapons. Then in May 2018, President Trump finally decided to pull out of the UN agreement with Iran, saying: \"It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of this deal.\" Going against advice from European allies, he said he would reimpose economic sanctions that were waived when the deal was signed in 2015. In June 2019, Iran announced it would ignore some elements on the deal and begin ramping up enrichment of low-grade uranium. President Trump responded on Twitter by saying: \"Be careful with the threats, Iran. They can come back to bite you like nobody has been bitten before!\" Then in December 2019, the rhetoric turned into violence when the US conducted air strikes in Iraq and Syria against an Iran-backed Iraqi militia blamed for an attack that killed a US civilian contractor. In response, protesters attacked the US embassy in Baghdad and Mr Trump said Iran was responsible, tweeting: \"They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat.\" Then just a couple of days later, a US air strike in Iraq killed Iran's most powerful military commander, General Qasem Soleimani. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised \"severe revenge\" on those behind the attack and missiles were fired at air bases housing US forces in Iraq. In September, Mr Trump tweeted about reports that Iran was preparing to retaliate for the killing of Gen Soleimani and said any attack on the US would be met with an attack on Iran \"that will be 1,000 times greater in magnitude!\"\n\n\"Frankly, I didn't think [the Iraq war] was a good idea... But we were there, and now we're getting out. We'll be leaving shortly.\" - President Trump, talking to Prime Minister Kadhimi at the White House, 20 Aug 2020 President Trump speaks to US troops during a visit to Iraq (Getty Images) Donald Trump made defeating the so-called Islamic State group (IS) the focus of much of his campaign, so Iraq was central to his initial foreign policy objectives in office. However, his relationship with Iraq's leaders got off to a bumpy start when he called for a ban on the travel of people from seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iraq. Eventually, however, Iraq was taken off the list after it agreed to conditions from the US government. That omission came after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi spoke to President Trump over the phone in February 2017 amid a large-scale offensive by his army to retake the city of Mosul from IS fighters. Mr Abadi travelled to the US a few weeks later for a meeting at the White House, when President Trump told reporters: \"Our main thrust is we have to get rid of [IS]. We're going to get rid of [IS]. It will happen. It's happening right now.\" In July 2018, Mr Abadi formally declared victory over IS in Mosul and Mr Trump congratulated his Iraqi counterpart, saying the city had been \"liberated from its long nightmare\" under the rule of IS. Battles against IS continued into 2019, but a happy President Trump presented a map in March of that year showing how their territory had been eradicated since he came into office, telling reporters: \"So that's the way it goes.\" Then in October 2019, Mr Trump announced IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had killed himself during a US military operation in Syria, saying he had been \"violently eliminated\" and \"died like a coward\". The president later praised a US military dog for the \"wonderful job\" it did in the operation, tweeting a photo that he said had been declassified. Despite the successful operation against IS forces, there was some tension between the US and Iraq later in 2019. When a US air strike in Baghdad killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Iraq's parliament called on US troops to leave the country. Mr Trump threatened Iraq with \"sanctions like they've never seen before\" and US troops remained in the country. President Trump is now talking about US troops in Iraq returning home though. During a meeting with the country's new prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, President Trump said: \"We're going to be leaving, and hopefully we're going to be leaving a country that can defend itself.\" In September, the US announced it was reducing its force in the country that month from about 5,200 to 3,000.\n\n\"Very popular man doing a wonderful job. The people love him, and that's very important.\" The Trump administration's plans to toughen America's immigration laws have been focused on Latin America and the Middle East, but thousands of unregistered Irish immigrants in the US have also been concerned. Former Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny raised this issue with President Trump when he visited the White House in March 2017, saying there were \"millions out there who want to... make America great.\" Mr Trump met the new taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, at the White House's St Patrick's Day celebrations in March 2018, saying the two had \"become friends - fast friends - over a short period of time\". After the meeting at the White House, Mr Varadkar said there was \"enthusiasm from the administration to work on a solution\" for the thousands of undocumented Irish immigrants that are in the US. President Trump did visit Ireland in June 2019, telling reporters during the trip: \"We love the Irish, so it's an honour to be here.\" Mr Trump spent two nights at the golf resort he owns in Doonbeg, County Clare, during the trip - where his sons paid a visit to a local pub. Despite the pair's good relationship, Mr Varadkar was critical of the US earlier this year when he said there had been an \"absence of moral leadership\" in the wake of protests over the killing of unarmed black men by white police officers.\n\n\"I will always stand with the State of Israel and the Jewish people. I strongly support their safety and security and their right to live within their historical homeland. It's time for peace!\" Donald Trump is the first sitting US president to have visited the Western Wall in East Jerusalem (Getty Images) President Trump looked set to follow a fairly traditional path in his relationship with America's closest ally, Israel. He was quick to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House and during a visit to Tel Aviv in May 2017, he said he had come to \"reaffirm the unbreakable bond\" between the two countries. In August that year, Mr Trump tweeted that \"Peace in the Middle East would be a truly great legacy for ALL people!\" But by December he had chosen a new path, recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, to the amazement of much of the international community. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the move \"deplorable\" and said the US could no longer be a peace broker. Mr Trump pushed ahead with the decision though and in May 2018, his daughter Ivanka was part of a delegation dispatched to open a new US embassy in Jerusalem. Marking the one year anniversary of the opening, President Trump tweeted in May 2019: \"Our beautiful embassy stands as a proud reminder of our strong relationship with Israel and of the importance of keeping a promise and standing for the truth.\" In a sign of his warm relationship with Mr Netanyahu, the president congratulated him on becoming the country's longest serving prime minister in July 2019, tweeting that he had \"led Israel with a commitment to the values of democracy, freedom, and equal opportunity that both our nations cherish and share!\" In January 2020, President Trump unveiled his long-awaited \"vision for peace, prosperity and a brighter future for the Israelis and Palestinians\". Mr Netanyahu called the plan the \"opportunity of the century\" but the Palestinian president dismissed it as the \"slap of the century\". In September, Mr Trump hailed the \"dawn of a new Middle East\" after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements fully normalising their relations with Israel - becoming just the third and fourth Arab countries to recognise Israel since its founding in 1948.\n\n\"Just met the new Prime Minister of Italy, @GiuseppeConteIT, a really great guy. He will be honored in Washington, at the @WhiteHouse, shortly. He will do a great job - the people of Italy got it right!\" President Trump and Prime Minister Conte after a joint press conference in the White House (Getty Images) President Trump has dealt with two Italian prime ministers during his time in the White House. The first, Paolo Gentiloni, was welcomed to Washington DC in April 2017 and his relationship with Mr Trump appeared amicable enough. But the president was clearly happier after meeting Giuseppe Conte, the leader of a populist coalition who became Italy's 58th prime minister in June 2018. After a brief meeting at the G7 summit in Canada, during which Mr Conte backed Mr Trump's call for Russia to be readmitted to the group, the US president called Mr Conte a \"great guy\". The two leaders have some similarities in their policies, with Mr Trump tweeting in 2018 that he'd spoken to Mr Conte about Italy's \"very hard line on illegal immigration\" and said: \"I agree with their stance 100%, and the US is likewise taking a very hard line on illegal immigration.\" In March this year, Mr Trump tweeted a video of Italian air force jets creating their national flag with coloured smoke and said: \"THE UNITED STATES LOVES ITALY!\" The display came amid a rising death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in Italy. President Trump visited the country twice in quick succession in May 2017 and he also travelled to Vatican City where he met with Pope Francis, which he described as the \"honour of a lifetime\".\n\n\"Even Usain Bolt from Jamaica, one of the greatest runners and athletes of all time, showed RESPECT for our National Anthem!\" Amid the NFL national anthem controversy in 2017, President Trump singled out Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt as an example for other sportspeople to follow. He tweeted: \"Even Usain Bolt from Jamaica, one of the greatest runners and athletes of all time, showed RESPECT for our National Anthem!\" Mr Trump had criticised NFL players who kneel during the national anthem as a protest, to highlight the treatment of black Americans.\n\n\"Just had a wonderful conversation with my friend, Prime Minister @AbeShinzo of Japan, who will be leaving office soon. Shinzo will soon be recognized as the greatest Prime Minister in the history of Japan, whose relationship with the USA is the best it has ever been. Special man!\" Prime Minister Abe shakes hands with President Trump in the Oval Office (Getty Images) Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has developed a strong relationship with President Trump, with the pair having met several times both in the US and in Japan. Mr Abe has visited Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida twice and paid several visits to the White House. Mr Trump spoke to the Japanese leader frequently throughout his first two years in office, mainly to discuss US negotiations with North Korea. Golf has been a key part of their relationship and they've managed to fit in several rounds, playing in Florida and also in Virginia. The pair also found time for a round of golf when President Trump visited Japan in November 2017 - although Mr Abe may want to forget about that after he took a tumble into a bunker. Mr Trump was keen to land a new trade deal with Japan, tweeting in 2019 that Mr Abe has been \"working with me to help balance out the one-sided Trade with Japan\". The two countries did agree an initial deal focusing on agriculture in September that year, with President Trump calling it a \"tremendous\" agreement. Prime Minister Abe resigned for health reasons in August 2020, with Mr Trump saying he would soon be \"recognised as the greatest Prime Minister in the history of Japan\".\n\n\"I am deeply committed to preserving our strong relationship & to strengthening America's long-standing support for Jordan\" King Abdullah has met with Donald Trump several times since he became president (Getty Images) Jordan's King Abdullah was the first Arab leader to meet President Trump and has had several meetings since. The first occasion came in February 2017 on the sidelines of the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event held in Washington DC, and appeared to be little more than a brief conversation. King Abdullah was invited back to the capital in April that year for an official meeting with President Trump at the White House and he was back in Washington DC in June 2018 as well. Jordan was a key member of the US-led coalition in the fight against the so-called Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria and Mr Trump has praised the king and his armed forces for their help. \"Jordanian service members have made tremendous sacrifices in this battle against the enemies of civilisation, and I want to thank all of them for their, really, just incredible courage,\" Mr Trump said. The relationship was strained in late 2017 though, when President Trump announced that the US would be recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving its embassy there. King Abdullah said the decision would \"undermine efforts to resume the peace process\".\n\n\"One of the most beautiful countries, from what I understand, Mr. President. We have lots of pictures and lots of people that tell me how beautiful your country is.\" - President Trump speaking at a joint press conference with President Kenyatta at the White House, 27 Aug 2018 President Kenyatta and his wife Margaret visiting the White House in 2018 (Getty Images) US relations with Kenya were always likely to be very different under Donald Trump to how they were under Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan. When Mr Trump entered office in 2017, his decision to speak to the leaders of three African nations - Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa - before speaking to Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta was taken as a snub by some in the country. When they did speak, the two leaders discussed security in the region and President Trump praised Kenya's \"significant contributions\" to the African Union force fighting against the al-Shabaab group in neighbouring Somalia. While President Trump has not visited the country - or any others in Africa - First Lady Melania Trump did stop in Kenya briefly during her whirlwind tour of the continent in October 2018. But her decision to wear a pith helmet while on safari caused some controversy.\n\n\"A leader in the Middle East for decades, the emir has been a truly unwavering friend and partner to the United States.\" - President Trump, in a statement awarding a top US honour to the Kuwati emir, 18 Sep 2020 Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah with President Trump at the White House (Getty Images) President Trump met the emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, for the first time during his May 2017 visit to Saudi Arabia. He called the leader a \"special person\" and said Kuwait's purchasing of \"tremendous amounts of our military equipment\" means \"jobs, jobs, jobs\" for Americans. The emir then visited the White House later that year and held a joint press conference, during which Mr Trump claimed the relationship between the US and Kuwait \"has never been stronger - never, ever\". President Trump also referenced the \"tremendous investments\" that Kuwait has made in the US, especially in plane sales. Mr Trump lamented to New York and New Jersey politicians after the press conference that his plane was not as big as the emir's, according to Politico. The Kuwaiti emir visited the White House again in 2018, when President Trump described him as \"a very special friend of mine\". Earlier this year, while the emir was being treated for an illness in the US, Mr Trump awarded him the Legion of Merit, a rarely awarded honour, saying he had \"been a truly unwavering friend and partner to the United States\" and an \"unparalleled diplomat\". The emir died at the age of 91 in September.\n\n\"A lot of countries are involved with respect to Libya. And it's, right now, a mess.\" - Donald Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, 7 Jan 2020 Mr Trump cited Libya as an example of the failure of Western military intervention regularly on his way to winning the US election, but the record shows he backed action at the time. He hosted Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj at the White House in December 2017, where the pair \"agreed to work together to advance Libyan stability and unity\". The country has been beset by chaos since Nato-backed forces helped rebel fighters overthrow long-serving ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. But the US leader has been keen to take a less engaged approach to the country's problems, telling reporters in 2017 that he did not \"see a role\" there for the US. Since then, however, the country has become a battleground for regional powers with Turkey and Russia backing opposing forces. Mr Trump has appeared keen not to get involved in the ground war. A statement from Robert O'Brien, his national security adviser, in August said the US was deeply troubled by the \"escalating conflict\" but remained an \"active, but neutral, actor\".\n\n\"With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.\" Mr Trump and President López Obrador at a press conference at the White House (Getty Images) No Donald Trump rally during his 2016 election campaign was complete without the crowd chanting: \"Build the wall, build the wall!\" It was the policy that defined Mr Trump's insurgent run for office, so it was little surprise that who would pay for the wall caused a diplomatic dispute just days into his presidency. Mr Trump, who has said repeatedly that Mexico will pay for it, officially announced his intention to build the wall in an executive order signed on 25 January 2017. Two days later, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto used a televised address to tell Mr Trump: \"I've said time and again: Mexico won't pay for any wall.\" Mr Peña Nieto and Mr Trump unsurprisingly had a bumpy relationship at best. The Mexican leader was due to visit the White House but twice cancelled planned trips because of disagreements with the US president. But Mr Trump appears to have changed tack with Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who became the new Mexican president in 2018. They spoke for the first time in July that year, with Mr Trump saying he had predicted Mr Obrador would become president of Mexico years earlier. In 2019, President Trump turned up the rhetoric once again, accusing Mexico of having \"taken advantage of the United States for decades\" and threatening to put tariffs on their goods. But after negotiations, the two countries signed a deal that required Mexico to deploy troops along its southern border with Guatemala to stem the flow of migrants heading for the US. Earlier this year, Mr López Obrador said President Trump had \"completely changed his rhetoric\" towards the country, telling a reporter: \"The relationship with President Trump is very good and, as I said yesterday, he has treated us like friends, not as distant neighbours.\"\n\nJacinda Ardern and Donald Trump at the APEC summit (Getty Images) A few months after Jacinda Ardern became prime minister of New Zealand, the headline of a feature about her in Vogue magazine called her \"young, forward-looking, and unabashedly liberal - call her the Anti-Trump\". So it should come as no surprise that Ms Ardern and Mr Trump have not become best friends - but their relationship has appeared amicable enough most of the time. The pair met for the first time at a summit in Vietnam in 2017, where Ms Ardern said President Trump joked to someone else present that she had \"caused a lot of upset in her country\" with her election win. She replied: \"You know, no-one marched when I was elected.\" When New Zealand suffered from a terrorist attack in March 2019, Mr Trump said he had spoken to Prime Minister Ardern and told her \"we stand in solidarity with New Zealand – and that any assistance the USA can give, we stand by ready to help. We love you New Zealand!\" The two leaders had a private meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2019, with Mr Trump describing it as \"wonderful\". But there has been some tension recently, specifically over the two countries' different approach to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. In August this year, Mr Trump alleged New Zealand was experiencing a \"big surge\" in cases but Ms Ardern said his comparison of her country and the US was \"patently wrong\". On the day of Mr Trump's remark, the US recorded 40,000 new cases while New Zealand had just nine. And in October, when Ms Ardern was asked whether President Trump had called to congratulate her on an historic election victory, she told reporters: \"I don't tend to have those direct communications with the president of the United States.\"\n\n\"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?\" - President Trump's widely reported comments made in private during a meeting on immigration, 11 Jan 2018 Mr Trump's reported remark came as lawmakers from both parties visited him to propose a bipartisan immigration deal, in part to deal with an influx of migrants from Central America. Democratic Senator Richard Durbin had just been discussing US temporary residency permits granted to citizens of countries hit by natural disasters, war or epidemics, when Mr Trump asked: \"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?\" Mr Trump tweeted that he had used \"tough\" language but not that specific term. Senator Durbin responded by saying Mr Trump used \"racist\" language. Mr Trump's administration announced in November 2017 that it would remove the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Nicaragua, introduced in 1999 after Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America. At the moment, the TPS for Nicaraguans in the US is due to end in January 2021, but Joe Biden, Mr Trump's Democratic rival in the election, has vowed to reverse the decision if he wins.\n\n\"I'd like very much to visit Nigeria. It's an amazing country. And in certain ways, I hear, from the standpoint of the beauty of a country, there's no country more beautiful.\" - President Trump, during a joint press conference with Mr Buhari at the White House, 30 Apr 2018 President Trump caused some controversy when he first spoke to Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari over the phone in February 2017. During the call, Mr Trump signalled his intention to renew a deal to sell military aircraft put on hold by the Obama administration after Nigerian forces mistakenly bombed a refugee camp in the country's north-east, killing more than 100 people. Meeting President Buhari for the first time at the White House in April 2018, Mr Trump said the aircraft would help \"improve Nigeria's ability to target terrorists and protect civilians\". The controversial deal went ahead, despite some concerns from members of Congress, and the aircraft are due to be delivered in 2021. There was an awkward moment for both leaders at that joint press conference in 2018 when a journalist asked about reports that Mr Trump had referred to some African countries as \"shitholes\". President Buhari sidestepped the question, saying he was unsure of the report's validity, but Mr Trump didn't deny he'd made the comment. \"The [Nigerian] president knows me and he knows where I'm coming from,\" Mr Trump said. \"And you do have some countries that are in very bad shape and very tough places to live in.\" Earlier this year, President Trump expanded his administration's curbs on immigration to include six more countries, including Nigeria, reportedly due to them not meeting US security and information-sharing standards. In response, President Buhari said the country would work to fix the issues in order to maintain \"productive relations\" with the US.\n\n\"Chairman Kim has a great and beautiful vision for his country, and only the United States, with me as President, can make that vision come true.\" Kim Jong-un shakes hands with President Trump during their historic summit in Singapore (Getty Images) President Trump made history in June 2018 when he became the first sitting US president to meet with a North Korean leader. It was an event few could have imagined just a few months after Mr Trump had threatened to unleash \"fire and fury like the world has never seen\" if North Korea endangered the US. The heated rhetoric from Mr Trump was in response to North Korea's repeated testing of long-range missiles in its pursuit to establish itself as a nuclear power. North Korea responded by vowing to launch a \"nuclear pre-emptive strike\" if it felt at risk. Mr Trump and Kim Jong-un then traded insults for a few months - including the president tweeting that he had a \"nuclear button\" and it was \"much bigger and more powerful one than his\" - as military conflict began to look inevitable. But then all of a sudden, the tone changed. In 2018, Mr Trump signalled that he would be willing to sit down with Mr Kim and eventually the long-awaited summit happened in Singapore in June, with the US president thanking the North Korean leader for taking \"the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people\". The pair signed an agreement that while historic, was a little short on details. It committed North Korea to work towards \"the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula\" and promised \"new relations\" between Washington and Pyongyang. They met again in Hanoi in February 2019 but talks ended without agreement after the US refused North Korean demands for sanctions relief. \"Sometimes you have to walk and this was one of those times,\" Mr Trump said afterwards. In May that year, North Korea tested several missiles, but President Trump tweeted: \"Deal will happen!\" The next month, Mr Trump became the first sitting US president to step foot in North Korea by meeting Mr Kim in the Demilitarized Zone. But talks broke down again later in the year and North Korea conducted a further series of missile tests in March 2020. Speaking at the White House in September, Mr Trump said he had saved \"millions of lives\" by averting a war with North Korea.\n\nPresident Trump and Prime Minister Solberg at the White House (Getty Images) When Prime Minister Erna Solberg met Mr Trump in Washington in 2018 she may have been surprised to be told Norway had bought a fighter jet only available in Call of Duty, a computer game. A day later Norway was reportedly mentioned by Mr Trump as an example of the sort of country the US should be taking migrants from in a meeting with lawmakers from both parties to propose a bipartisan immigration deal. Democratic Senator Richard Durbin had just been discussing US temporary residency permits granted to citizens of countries hit by natural disasters, war or epidemics. Senator Durbin said Mr Trump used \"racist\" language and called some African nations \"shitholes\". Mr Trump tweeted that he had used \"tough\" language but not that specific term. Responding to Mr Trump, Torbjoern Saetre, a politician in Norway's Conservative Party, tweeted: \"On behalf of Norway: Thanks, but no thanks.\"\n\n\"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools.\" President Trump with Prime Minister Khan at the White House (Getty Images) Tensions between the US and its previously close ally have been strained for years, but it was clear that the relationship would become even more strained when President Trump outlined his strategy towards the region in his first year in office. \"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order and peace,\" Mr Trump said in a speech in August 2017. In January 2018, he took to Twitter again to accuse Pakistan of giving \"safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan\" before adding: \"No more!\" Military aid worth $300m (£230m) was eventually cut in September that year, with a Pentagon spokesman saying the US would continue \"to press Pakistan to indiscriminately target all terrorist groups\". It was with this as the backdrop that new Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan flew to Washington DC to meet President Trump for the first time in July 2019. There were smiles for the cameras and Mr Trump opened a joint press conference by calling Mr Khan \"very popular\" and \"a great athlete\". He once again accused Pakistan of failing to respect the US in recent years but he said the country was \"helping us a lot now\". Shortly after their meeting, there was renewed violence in Kashmir between Pakistani and Indian forces. At a meeting with Mr Khan in September during the UN General Assembly, Mr Trump offered to mediate between the two sides, saying: \"I think I would be an extremely good arbitrator. I have done it before, believe it or not, and I have never failed as an arbitrator.\" The pair met again earlier this year, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. Mr Trump said the relationship between the two countries had \"never been closer\" but admitted he had no plans to visit the country - although he did travel to India the next month.\n\n\"We were paying a lot of money to the Palestinians every year and we were not being treated properly. They were not saying nice things for many years.\" President Trump with Mr Abbas in the West Bank city of Bethlehem (Getty Images) Mr Trump first met President Mahmoud Abbas during the Palestinian leader's White House visit at the beginning of May 2017. He said there was a \"very good chance\" of a Middle East peace deal, telling Mr Abbas during a joint news conference: \"We will get this done\". During a visit to Bethlehem to meet Mr Abbas again later that month, Mr Trump said he would \"do everything\" to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace. But Mr Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017 led to a sharp deterioration in relations as did his threats to withdraw financial support. Discussing Mr Trump's plans for Middle East peace in January 2018, Mr Abbas said: \"The deal of the century is the slap of the century and we will not accept it.\" Later that year, the US ended its funding for the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, describing it a \"irredeemably flawed\" - a move President Abbas said was an \"assault\" against his people. Despite the rift though, Mr Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, told reporters in June 2019 that the president was \"very fond\" of Mr Abbas, adding: \"He likes him very much personally. And at the right time, if they're willing to engage, I believe that they'll find that they'll have an opportunity.\" President Trump unveiled the details of his Middle East peace plan in January 2020, which involved recognising Israeli sovereignty over settlements in the West Bank. Mr Abbas rejected the plan and said: \"All our rights are not for sale and are not for bargain.\" As recently as September, however, President Trump said his plan was still on the table. Talking at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said: \"We're working on a deal. We're talking to the Palestinians. At the right time, they'll be joining too.\"\n\nPresident Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcoming President Varela and his wife to the White House (Getty Images) President Trump met President Juan Carlos Varela of Panama in June 2017, discussing illegal immigration, organised crime and drug gangs. But the most memorable moment from their joint press conference was when Mr Trump appeared to take credit for building the Panama Canal, which was opened by the US in 1914. \"The Panama Canal is doing quite well,\" the president said at the meeting. \"I think we did a good job building it, right?\" Mr Trump also praised US-Panama relations, saying \"things are going well\" and \"the relationship has been very strong\". Mr Varela was replaced by Laurentino Cortizo in 2019. Mr Trump sent a delegation to Mr Cortizo's inauguration, led by Commerce secretary Wilbur Ross. Mr Cortizo said he spoke to Mr Trump on the phone in May this year, during which the American president offered to help Panama during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\n\"We're interested in the free movement of people. I emphasised that to President Trump and we prefer bridges to walls\" - President Kuczynski after a meeting at the White House, 24 Feb 2017 Mr Trump met with President Kuczynski in the Oval Office in February 2017 (AFP) Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski had a substantial amount of contact with Mr Trump in his first few months in the White House. The two men spoke several times over the phone and Mr Kuczynski also visited Washington DC for a meeting with the president. As well as discussing regional security and trade between the two countries, the Peruvian president was particularly interested in persuading the US to deport its fugitive ex-leader Alejandro Toledo. Mr Toledo, who is believed to be in San Francisco, is accused of taking $20m (£16m) in bribes. He denies that and says he is the victim of a witch-hunt. But he was eventually arrested in the US in July 2019 before being released on bail in March this year because of the risk he faced of contracting coronavirus while waiting for trial. Mr Kuczynski was replaced by Martín Vizcarra in March 2018. Mr Trump was due to meet President Vizcarra at a summit in Peru's capital Lima in April 2018, but he cancelled the trip at short notice to deal with reports of a chemical weapons attack in Syria.\n\n\"We were having a lot of problems with the Philippines. The relationship with the past administration was horrible, to use a nice word… And now we have a very, very strong relationship with the Philippines.\" Mr Trump joins hands with Mr Duterte and other world leaders at a summit in Manila (Getty Images) Donald Trump has only had a couple of interactions with President Rodrigo Duterte, but they caused a lot of controversy in the US. Mr Trump first spoke to Mr Duterte over the phone in April 2017, in what was a \"very friendly conversation\" in which they discussed \"the fact that the Philippine government is fighting very hard to rid its country of drugs, a scourge that affects many countries throughout the world.\" Mr Duterte has been widely criticised for human rights violations in the Philippines, after he authorised police and vigilantes to maim and kill drug users on the streets of Manila. His relationship with the US had been rocky in the past, in part because former President Barack Obama criticised the extrajudicial executions. Mr Obama cancelled a trip to the Philippines in September 2016 after Mr Duterte called him a \"son of a whore\". Mr Trump, however, has had a warmer relationship with his Philippine counterpart. After meeting Mr Duterte during a visit to the Philippines in November 2017, Mr Trump hailed their \"great relationship\" and their joint statement pledged to \"further deepen the extensive United States-Philippine economic relationship\". Mr Trump did invite Mr Duterte to the White House but that meeting has yet to take place. Earlier this year, Mr Duterte said his American counterpart \"is a good president and deserves to be re-elected\".\n\nMr Trump gave a speech in front of the Warsaw Uprising monument (Getty Images) Donald Trump is a big fan of Poland and its people. During a visit there in July 2017, he described Poland as an example of a country ready to defend Western freedoms, warning against the threats of \"terrorism and extremism\". Mr Trump spoke of \"the triumph of the Polish spirit over centuries of hardship\" as an inspiration \"for a future in which good conquers evil, and peace achieves victory over war\" during his speech in Warsaw. He also thanked the country for buying Patriot missile defence systems from the US in a multi-billion dollar contract as well as its investments in the Nato alliance. \"America loves Poland, and America loves the Polish people,\" he declared. Polish President Andrzej Duda has visited the White House a couple of times since then, most recently in June 2019, when Mr Trump tweeted: \"US-Poland ties are at an all-time high. Thank you for being such an exemplary Ally!\" Mr Trump sent his congratulations to Mr Duda after he was re-elected in July this year. A month later, the US announced it was redeploying about 1,000 American troops from Germany to Poland.\n\n\"The nation of Qatar unfortunately has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.\" President Trump shakes hands with Sheikh Tamim at a meeting in Saudi Arabia (Getty Images) The first phone call with the Qatari emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, came in February 2017 amid an attempted travel ban by Mr Trump that affected several Middle Eastern countries, but not Qatar itself. The two men are said to have discussed the fight against the so-called Islamic State group, with Qatar being a prominent member of the US-led coalition. But soon after that, several Gulf countries cut travel and embassy links with Qatar over its alleged support for militants. Qatar strongly denied supporting radical Islamism. Mr Trump took initial credit for applying pressure on Qatar in the longstanding Arab-world rift, saying it could mark \"the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism\". In June 2017, he again accused Qatar of funding terrorism, tweeting: \"During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar – look!\" Barely a year later, however, Mr Trump welcomed Sheikh Tamim to the White House and praised him for becoming a \"big advocate\" of combating terrorist financing. He also said the emir was a \"great gentleman\" and a \"friend of mine\". They met again in the White House the following year. Mr Trump said Qatar was \"creating a lot of jobs\" in the US by \"buying tremendous amounts of military equipment including planes and they are buying commercial planes... we very much appreciate it\".\n\n\"Very good call yesterday with President Putin of Russia. Tremendous potential for a good/great relationship with Russia, despite what you read and see in the Fake News Media.\" President Trump chats with Mr Putin at the APEC summit in Vietnam (AFP) No US relationship has been more closely scrutinised than Donald Trump's ties to Russia. At a summit with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July 2018, Mr Trump defended Russia over claims of interference in the 2016 US election. He was asked if he believed his own intelligence agencies or the Russian president when it came to allegations of meddling in the election. \"President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be,\" he replied. But a day later, Mr Trump said he had misspoken. \"The sentence should have been: 'I don't see any reason why I wouldn't' or 'why it wouldn't be Russia'. Sort of a double negative,\" he explained to reporters when he arrived back in the US. A special counsel was set up in May 2017 to investigate whether there was any collusion between Russia and Mr Trump's team during the election campaign. It eventually concluded that Russia had interfered in the election with the intention of benefitting Mr Trump's campaign but that there was no evidence the campaign conspired with Russia. Mr Trump has tweeted more about Russia than any other country during his time as president, with the investigation being a big reason why. His administration has been pretty tough on Russia, punishing it with sanctions. But Mr Trump has also spoken of his desire to improve relations with Russia. In March 2018, he tweeted: \"I called President Putin of Russia to congratulate him on his election victory. The Fake News Media is crazed because they wanted me to excoriate him. They are wrong! Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing…\" Then the following month, he alarmed allies by saying Russia should be readmitted to the G7 group of industrialised nations. Russia was suspended from what was then the G8 after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. In December 2019, President Putin warned that the US now viewed space as \"a military theatre\" and said Russia needed to develop its own space forces further. But a few weeks later, he thanked Mr Trump for US intelligence that helped foil \"acts of terrorism\" on Russian soil.\n\n\"Saudi Arabia has now agreed to spend the necessary money needed to help rebuild Syria, instead of the United States. See? Isn't it nice when immensely wealthy countries help rebuild their neighbors rather than a Great Country, the US, that is 5000 miles away. Thanks to Saudi A!\" Saudi Arabia has had a close relationship with the US for decades and that has continued under President Trump - despite some issues along the way. Mr Trump made his first foreign trip as president to meet King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh, where the White House said it signed deals worth more than $350bn (£270bn). Mr Trump appeared a little out of his comfort zone when he took part in a ceremonial sword dance during the trip. Relations had soured somewhat under President Obama after his administration's nuclear deal with Iran, but Mr Trump appeared to want to restore the partnership after he sided with Saudi Arabia in a diplomatic standoff with Qatar. When Saudi Arabia's leaders launched a purge of allegedly corrupt officials last November, Mr Trump tweeted: \"I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing... Some of those they are harshly treating have been \"milking\" their country for years!\" There was some tension when Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist with US residency, was killed in Turkey in October 2018. President Erdogan of Turkey said it was a \"political murder\" carried out by Saudi intelligence officers, which Saudi Arabia denied. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr Trump said: \"They had a very bad original concept, it was carried out poorly and the cover-up was the worst in the history of cover-ups. He later said he had spoken to King Salman, whose denial was \"very, very strong,\" before adding: \"It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers. Who knows?\" More recently, Mr Trump called on the king to increase the kingdom's oil production, complaining that the price of a barrel of oil had risen too high. He tweeted his gratitude when the Saudis and Russia agreed on a deal in April.\n\n\"We are close friends with Singapore and with Prime Minister Lee and we've gotten to know each other very well and we are signing a memorandum of defence and it's a very strong understanding.\" President Trump and Prime Minister Lee shake hands at the White House (Getty Images) President Trump has met Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong several times during his four years in office. Their relationship had an awkward moment early on, when the president's social media team posted a photo of the two leaders on Instagram after their first meeting at a G20 summit and mistakenly identified the prime minister as Indonesian President Joko Widodo. But Mr Lee was welcomed to the White House a few months later during a visit in which Singapore Airlines signed a deal with Boeing for new aircraft worth more than $13.8 billion. Reacting to the deal, Mr Trump said: \"I want to thank the Singaporean people for their faith in the American engineering and American workers.\" The two men also signalled the two countries' alliance in 2019 when they renewed a military pact that allows US forces to use Singapore's air and naval bases, extending it to 2035. Announcing the move, PM Lee said it reflected the \"very good cooperation\" of the countries on defence but also the broader cooperation \"in security, in economics, in counterterrorism, and in culture and education, as well\".\n\nSomalia felt the effects of the Trump presidency almost immediately, with the country among those whose citizens were banned from entering the US. The move followed Mr Trump's call in 2015 for \"a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on\". His statement came after a mass shooting in California carried out by a radicalised couple. While the travel ban was initially blocked by court challenges, it was eventually upheld in 2018 by the Supreme Court. In May 2017, a member of the US military was killed in Somalia, the first confirmed combat death there since the disastrous Black Hawk Down incident in 1993, when more than a dozen US soldiers and hundreds of Somalis were killed. There was another US fatality in June 2018. The deaths came after the US announced in April 2017 that it was sending dozens of troops to Somalia to train forces fighting Islamist group al-Shabab. The number of drone strikes carried out by the US military in Somalia has increased a lot under President Trump. But the militant Islamist group has stubbornly resisted the offensive and killed three Americans across the border in Kenya in January this year. Mr Trump is reported to have recently told his military advisers to draw up plans for the withdrawal of the remaining few hundred US troops still in the country. Ilhan Omar, a Democratic congresswoman in Minnesota who was born in Somalia, has found herself a focal point for much of President Trump's recent anti-immigration rhetoric. Talking about her at a campaign rally in Oklahoma in June, he said: \"She would like to make the government of our country just like the country from where she came - Somalia. No government, no safety, no police, no nothing, just anarchy. And now, she's telling us how to run our country. No, thank you.\"\n\nDonald Trump the businessman didn't have much positive to say about South Africa, tweeting that the country was a \"mess\" back in 2015. He took a slightly different approach as president though, telling President Jacob Zuma that he hoped to \"expand cooperation and trade\" between the two countries. Mr Trump held a working lunch for African leaders, including Mr Zuma, in New York in September 2017. During the meeting, Mr Trump said: \"Africa has tremendous business potential. I have so many friends going to your countries, trying to get rich.\" Mr Zuma was replaced as president in February 2018 by Cyril Ramaphosa. President Trump caused some controversy in the country a few months later when he tweeted that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to \"closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers.\" His tweet followed a piece on Fox News about South Africa's planned land reforms but a spokesman for Mr Ramaphosa said the American president was \"misinformed\". President Trump and Mr Ramaphosa spoke by phone earlier this year amid a growing outbreak of coronavirus in the US, with the South African leader saying he had \"passed our condolences to the Government and people of the US on the devastation the virus has wrought\".\n\n\"We're doing a tremendous service. We have a wonderful feeling and a wonderful relationship with each other, but we have to be treated equitably and fairly.\" - President Trump, talking to reporters at the White House, 20 Apr 2020 President Moon and Mr Trump during a meeting at the UN General Assembly (Getty Images) President Trump's tough rhetoric towards North Korea had many in the South feeling worried for much of 2017. But there was hope that tensions on the peninsula had been diffused when the US president brought North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table. After South Korean President Moon Jae-in's historic meeting with Mr Kim in April 2018, Mr Trump tweeted: \"After a furious year of missile launches and Nuclear testing, a historic meeting between North and South Korea is now taking place. Good things are happening, but only time will tell!\" Mr Moon, for his part, said Mr Trump \"deserves big credit\" for getting North Korea to agree to talks. Trade has also been a key part of the two countries' relationship during Mr Trump's term. The American president had long wanted to renegotiate the \"horrible\" free trade agreement the US struck with South Korea in 2012, claiming it had \"destroyed\" the US. In September 2018, the two sides signed a revised trade pact that, among other things, allows US carmakers greater access to the South Korean market while protecting Seoul from some of the tariffs that the US had introduced on steel. Mr Trump hailed it as a \"a very big deal\". There have been several moments of tension in the relationship, however. A frequent complaint of Mr Trump's has been that South Korea should pay the US more for its military support. In March 2019, he tweeted that military drills between the countries had been cancelled \"to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed\". Later that year, he confirmed South Korea had started talks over increasing their payments to the US, saying: \"South Korea is a very wealthy nation that now feels an obligation to contribute to the military defence provided by the United States of America.\" But in April this year, he said he had rejected an offer from Seoul, telling reporters: \"We're asking them to pay for a big percentage of what we're doing. It's not fair... It's a question of will they contribute toward the defence of their own nation.\"\n\n\"Our relationship has been outstanding over the years and, I think, especially right now. Excellent trade relationship, military relationship. Just about everything you can have. So we love Spain.\" President Trump with King Felipe outside the Oval Office (Getty Images) Donald Trump has enjoyed relatively warm relations with Spain's leaders. At a meeting with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in June 2017, Mr Trump said he thought Spain was \"a great country\" and that he hoped it would remain \"united\" despite a push from people in the Catalonia region for independence. Mr Rajoy was ousted by a vote of no confidence in June 2018 and replaced by Pedro Sánchez, who President Trump has met at Nato and G7 summits but not at the White House. Mr Trump and his wife Melania have, however, welcomed Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to the White House, celebrating \"over 300 years of historic and cultural ties between our two great countries\" at a meeting in June 2018. The American president had been due to host the Spanish royals for a second time in April this year, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It would have been only the third state visit under Mr Trump - the other two were by the French and Australian leaders. In 2018, Mr Trump reportedly suggested to Spain's foreign minister that Europe should build a wall across the Sahara, similar to the one on the US-Mexico border, to solve the migrant crisis. In recent months, Mr Trump has mentioned Spain frequently when trying to suggest that Europe has had much bigger problems dealing with coronavirus compared to the US. Speaking at the White House in June, he said: \"Look what happened to Spain… It's just been shattered.\" But both countries have been hit hard by the virus, with the death rate in Spain only slightly higher than in the US.\n\n\"GREAT news! New government of Sudan, which is making great progress, agreed to pay $335 MILLION to U.S. terror victims and families. Once deposited, I will lift Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. At long last, JUSTICE for the American people and BIG step for Sudan!\" Sudan is another of the predominantly Muslim countries that Donald Trump included on his initial travel ban list. The Supreme Court partly reinstated the ban after it was twice rejected by judges in the US, but by that point Sudan had been removed from the list reportedly due to improved cooperation. However, the country was added once again in early 2020, meaning Sudanese nationals can no longer apply for \"diversity visas\", which are available by lottery for applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the US. In better news for the relationship of the two countries, Mr Trump has recently signalled his intention to remove Sudan from a US list of state sponsors of terror, meaning sanctions dating back to the 1990s could be removed. In another sign of the improving relations since Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019, Mr Trump also recently announced that the country was normalising its relations with Israel, saying it was a \"HUGE win today for the United States and for peace in the world\". Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said the move was part of the new government's efforts in working \"towards international relations that best serve our people\".\n\n\"Give the public a break - The FAKE NEWS media is trying to say that large scale immigration in Sweden is working out just beautifully. NOT!\" Prime Minister Lofven at a joint press conference with President Trump at the White House (Getty Images) President Trump caused a bit of a stir in Sweden early on in his presidency. \"Look at what's happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this. Sweden. They took in large numbers of migrants]. They're having problems like they never thought possible,\" the president [told a crowd in Florida. The only problem was that no-one seemed to know what incident he was referring to - not least lots of baffled Swedes. Mr Trump later said he had been referring to a Fox News report on gun violence and rape in Sweden since it opened its doors to large numbers of asylum-seekers in 2013 - but the police officers interviewed said their comments had been taken out of context and data didn't appear to back up claims that there had been a surge in gun crimes or rape. The president raised eyebrows again in 2019, when he took to Twitter to call for the release of American rapper A$AP Rocky, who had been charged with assault in Stockholm. \"Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM. We do so much for Sweden but it doesn't seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem!\" the president tweeted in July 2019. \"Very disappointed in Prime Minister Stefan Löfven for being unable to act,\" he added. The rapper was eventually found guilty and given a suspended sentence, but he had returned to the US by that point. In recent months, Mr Trump has mentioned Sweden frequently when talking about the coronavirus pandemic, tweeting in April that the country was \"paying heavily for its decision not to lockdown\". Sweden's foreign minister, however, has called Mr Trump's assessments \"factually wrong\". Despite the bumps, Mr Löfven insisted during a visit to the White House in 2018 that the two countries had a good relationship despite some differences because they shared the same values. Mr Trump told reporters: \"Sweden is a great country. It's small, but it's very sharp, I will tell you. They are very sharp.\"\n\n\"If anybody but Donald Trump did what I did in Syria... they would be a national hero.\" President Trump in the Situation Room of the White House, monitoring the operation in which the leader of the so-called Islamic State group was killed in Syria (Getty Images) Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of military intervention - particularly in Syria - for some time. When his predecessor was considering military action in the country back in 2013, Mr Trump tweeted: \"Again, to our very foolish leader, do not attack Syria - if you do many very bad things will happen & from that fight the US gets nothing.\" But just over two months into his term, President Trump said he was so moved by images of children in the aftermath of a chemical attack by Syrian forces that he was taking military action. \"Using a deadly nerve agent, Syrian President] Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children,\" Mr Trump [said. \"No child of God should ever suffer such horror.\" Two US Navy ships fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base from their positions in the Mediterranean in April 2017. It was the first direct US military action against Mr Assad. Mr Trump deployed his military again in April 2018, with 100 missiles targeting suspected government chemical weapons facilities in response to another chemical attack. After the strikes, Mr Trump tweeted: \"A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!\" At the end of 2018, Mr Trump made the surprise announcement that US troops would be leaving Syria, saying they had achieved his objective of defeating the so-called Islamic State group (IS). But even allies criticised the move and the withdrawal failed to materialise. US troops did begin withdrawing from northern Syria in 2019, however, leaving their Kurdish allies to face a Turkish offensive in the region. Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Mr Trump's, was one of many Republicans to voice their anger at the move, tweeting in October: \"Pray for our Kurdish allies who have been shamelessly abandoned by the Trump Administration.\" President Trump rejected the criticism and said Turkey and the Kurdish people had been \"fighting each other for 200 years\". He was involved with securing a ceasefire in the region though, saying that the \"Kurds are safe and have worked very nicely with us.\" Later that month, Mr Trump announced that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had killed himself during a US military operation in Syria, saying he had been \"violently eliminated\" and \"died like a coward\".\n\nPresident Trump shakes hands with Prime Minister Chan-ocha outside the White House (Getty Images) President Trump moved quickly to establish a good relationship with Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, who took control of the country in a 2014 coup. The pair \"expressed a strong shared interest in strengthening the trade and economic ties between the two countries\" during a call in April 2017. Thailand's relationship with the US had been somewhat strained in the past because of human rights complaints. Former President Barack Obama did not invite Mr Chan-ocha to visit Washington. During their phone call, President Trump invited Mr Chan-ocha to visit the White House for the first time, a trip that took place in October 2017. Talking to reporters with Mr Chan-ocha alongside him, Mr Trump said: \"We have a very strong relationship right now, as of this moment, and it's getting stronger in the last nine months.\" More recently, Mr Trump caused a stir in Thailand when he mispronounced Thailand as \"thigh-land\" at a campaign rally in Ohio.\n\nPerhaps the unlikeliest country to have made our list, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley spoke to Donald Trump on the phone in February 2017 to discuss \"shared priorities\". One of those priorities is terrorism, with some US officials worried that the small Caribbean island could become a \"breeding ground for extremists\", according to the New York Times. The island's former US ambassador John Estrada told the newspaper that more than 100 people had travelled from there to fight with the so-called Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.\n\nWhen Donald Trump announced a ban on people entering the US from several predominantly Muslim countries, some analysts were surprised not to see Tunisia on the list. The Arab Spring began there in 2010, but it became a breeding ground for the so-called Islamic State group (IS) - more Tunisians joined them to fight in Iraq and Syria than any other nationality. President Trump appeared to have decided that a close relationship with Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi was important in the fight against IS and he praised the country's \"stability and security\" in a phone call with its leader in February 2017. When Mr Essebsi died at the age of 92 in July 2019, a White House statement praised him for being a \"tireless advocate for the Tunisian people\".\n\n\"I had a very good conversation with President Erdogan. I respect him. We have a very good relationship. Yes, I agree, he's a tough guy. But we have a very good relationship. I seem to do better with tough people.\" Mr Trump met with President Erdogan in the Oval Office in May 2017 (Getty Images) Donald Trump's relationship with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had a lot of ups and downs over the past four years. Relations were strained initially by Mr Trump's decision to arm the Syrian Kurds in the battle against the so-called Islamic State group (IS). Turkey views the YPG (Popular Protection Units) as a terrorist group linked to the PKK, a Kurdish separatist group. But the pair were united at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2017, where they reaffirmed their rejection of a planned Kurdistan referendum. In 2018, however, there were tensions over the case of an American pastor who had been arrested and charged in Turkey over alleged links to political groups. Taking to Twitter to protest, Mr Trump accused Turkey of having \"taken advantage of the United States for many years\" and said the US would be \"cutting back on Turkey!\" In another tweet around the same time, Mr Trump announced increased tariffs on the country and said: \"Our relations with Turkey are not good at this time!\" Two months later, the pastor was released and President Trump said that while there was no deal made, there was \"great appreciation on behalf of the United States, which will lead to good, perhaps great, relations between the United States & Turkey!\" In 2019, Mr Trump's decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria and allow Turkish forces to launch an offensive on Kurdish forces was criticised heavily both at home and abroad. In response, he tweeted a threat to Turkey: \"As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I've done before!)\" Mr Trump sent Mr Erdogan a letter at the time, telling him: \"Don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool!\" But the Turkish leader was reported to have \"thoroughly rejected it and put it in the bin\". A fortnight later, President Trump lifted sanctions on Turkey after it agreed to a ceasefire in Syria. Earlier this year, Mr Erdogan suggested relations may be improving between the two countries, saying after a phone call with his American counterpart: \"To be honest, after our conversation tonight, a new era can begin between the United States and Turkey.\"\n\n\"Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?\" Mr Trump and President Zelensky at a meeting in New York (Getty Images) Ukraine was at the centre of the Democrats' bid to impeach President Trump so relations between the two countries have been under the spotlight in the last four years. Mr Trump has repeatedly accused Barack Obama of having been weak on Russia and allowing them to \"pick off\" the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine - the kind of rhetoric that will have pleased Kyiv. But early on in his presidency, the American also called for better ties to Russia, which will have worried Ukrainian authorities. In June 2017, Mr Trump said he had \"very, very good discussions\" with President Petro Poroshenko during a visit to the White House by the Ukrainian. The pair discussed \"support for the peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine\", where government forces have been fighting Russian-backed rebels since 2014. The following month, Mr Trump called on Russia to stop \"destabilising\" Ukraine and \"join the community of responsible nations\". The Kremlin brushed off the comments. Mr Poroshenko was replaced by Volodymyr Zelensky in May 2019 and his name became well known in the US later in the year when a phone call he had with Mr Trump became a key part of impeachment proceedings against the American president. Democrats accused Mr Trump of trying to pressure Mr Zelensky into investigating unsubstantiated corruption allegations against Joe Biden, who would later become his opponent in the 2020 president election. For his part, Mr Zelensky said there was \"no blackmail\" in the phone call with President Trump, adding: \"This is not corruption, it was just a call.\" In response, Mr Trump tweeted: \"This should immediately end the talk of impeachment!\" Mr Trump was eventually impeached at the end of 2019 but found not guilty after a vote in the Senate in February 2020.\n\nPresident Trump welcoming the Crown Prince to the White House (Getty Images) The Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke to Donald Trump on the phone just a few days after the former businessman became the new US president. The two leaders discussed the fight against international terrorism and \"committed to further strengthen cooperation on fighting radical Islamic terrorism\". The UAE was not one of the Middle Eastern countries from which Mr Trump tried to ban travel to the US in 2017 and the state's foreign minister was one of the few officials in the region to defend the move. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan described Mr Trump's proposed ban as a \"sovereign decision\" and said some of the countries on the list \"face structural problems\" that need to be dealt with. The strength of the relationship was on show recently, when President Trump announced that his administration had overseen a deal with the UAE and Israel that will see the Arab state normalise relations with its historic foe. \"After decades of division and conflict we mark the dawn of a new Middle East,\" Mr Trump told a crowd of hundreds gathered at the White House in September this year as he celebrated both the UAE deal with Israel and a similar one with Bahrain.\n\n\"Congratulations to Boris Johnson on his great WIN! Britain and the United States will now be free to strike a massive new Trade Deal after BREXIT.\" President Trump and Prime Minister Johnson at a G7 summit in France (Getty Images) President Trump had a slightly bumpy relationship with Theresa May, the first British prime minister he had to deal with in his presidency. He arrived for his first visit to the UK as president on 12 July 2018 but it was immediately overshadowed by the publication of an interview the US president gave to The Sun newspaper. In it, he said the UK would \"probably not\" get a trade deal with the US if the prime minister's Brexit plan went ahead. \"If they do a deal like that, we would be dealing with the European Union instead of dealing with the UK, so it will probably kill the deal,\" he told the paper, adding that Mrs May's plan \"will definitely affect trade with the United States, unfortunately in a negative way.\" But at a joint news conference on the second day of his visit, he changed his tone and said a trade deal \"will absolutely be possible\" after the UK leaves the EU. He also said Brexit was an \"incredible opportunity\". Mr Trump also met the Queen, although there was no open carriage ride with her through the streets of the capital as the trip was designated a \"working visit\" rather than an official state visit. Asked about the protests that greeted his arrival in the UK, he insisted many people were \"delighted\" he was visiting, adding: \"I get thousands of notifications from people in the UK that they love the president of the United States.\" But when he arrived in London for a state visit the following year, he was welcomed by further protests and a giant balloon depicting him as a baby. This time around, the president was given the honour of a state banquet at Buckingham Palace with the Queen, during which he praised the \"eternal friendship\" between the UK and US. But earlier in the day, he had called London Mayor Sadiq Khan - who had said the UK should \"not roll out the red carpet\" for Mr Trump - a \"stone cold loser\". A few weeks later, Mr Trump also laid into Mrs May and her proposed Brexit deal, tweeting: \"What a mess she and her representatives have created. I told her how it should be done, but she decided to go another way.\" So it was little surprise when Mr Trump appeared excited to congratulate Boris Johnson on becoming the new prime minister in July 2019, saying: \"He will be great!\" When asked what advice he would give to Mr Johnson on Brexit, the president replied: \"He needs no advice. He's the right man for the job. I've been saying that for a long time.\" While the pair have enjoyed warm personal relations, there have been some differences on policy, most notably on China, the Iran nuclear deal and the future of Nato. But after this year, they now have another thing in common - they both got and recovered from coronavirus. When Mr Johnson left intensive care back in April, Mr Trump said it was \"great news\" and after he returned to the White House to recover from the virus in October, he thanked the British PM for \"his friendship and support\".\n\nMr Trump spoke to Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in December 2017 to discuss \"discuss regional security and to explore opportunities for improved cooperation.\" That came after Mr Mirziyoyev told Mr Trump his country was ready to \"use all forces and resources\" to help investigate the New York truck attack, in which eight people were killed. The suspect arrested by police was an Uzbek immigrant. The two leaders met for the first time in May at the White House, with Mr Trump saying the two countries were \"working together from the standpoint of the military\".\n\n\"My Admin has always stood on the side of FREEDOM and LIBERTY and against the oppressive Maduro regime!\" President Trump with Juan Guaidó at the White House (Getty Images) Venezuela has suffered from economic and political crises for several years now and it is deeply divided between those who support the government of the socialist President Nicolás Maduro and those who blame him for the country's dire state. Mr Trump has discussed the situation in Venezuela with leaders of several neighbouring countries, including Brazil and Colombia, but he has not spoken directly to President Maduro. In a tweet in October 2017, Mr Trump called \"for the full restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela\". President Maduro, however, sent a word of warning to Mr Trump, saying in a televised speech: \"Don't repeat the errors of Obama and Bush when it comes to Venezuela and Latin America.\" Mr Maduro was reelected in 2018 but the election was widely dismissed as rigged. After months of a political crisis, opposition leader Juan Guaidó labelled Mr Maduro a \"usurper\" and declared himself interim president in January 2019. Shortly afterwards, Mr Trump tweeted: \"The citizens of Venezuela have suffered for too long at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime. Today, I have officially recognized the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, as the Interim President of Venezuela.\" The following month Mr Trump said: \"I ask every member of the Maduro regime: End this nightmare of poverty, hunger and death. LET YOUR PEOPLE GO. Set your country free!\" Dozens of countries around the world have recognised Mr Guaidó as president but the Venezuelan military has remained loyal to Mr Maduro. Earlier this year, President Trump suggested he would be open to meeting Mr Maduro, telling Axios: \"I would maybe think about that... Maduro would like to meet.\" But he later clarified his position, tweeting: \"I would only meet with Maduro to discuss one thing: a peaceful exit from power!\"\n\nMr Trump and President Trong pose at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi (Getty Images) Vietnam played host to President Trump with a lavish two-day state visit around the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting in November 2017. Mr Trump tweeted his thanks for \"a wonderful visit\" and was keen to highlight a $12bn (£9bn) purchase of Boeing aircraft in a joint statement after the visit. A little over a year later, Mr Trump was back in Hanoi to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. But talks ended without agreement after the US refused North Korean demands for sanctions relief. \"Sometimes you have to walk and this was one of those times,\" Mr Trump said afterwards. After the talks, Mr Trump tweeted: \"THANK YOU to our generous hosts in Hanoi this week: President Trong, Prime Minister Phuc, and the wonderful people of Vietnam!\"", "Mr Obama said Mr Biden would take care of Americans\n\nUS Democratic candidate Joe Biden is in Michigan and President Donald Trump is in Pennsylvania, states that could be key to winning the White House as the last weekend of campaigning hots up.\n\nMr Biden, joined by ex-President Barack Obama, said the US was \"done with the chaos\" of the Trump administration.\n\nMr Trump said there would be a \"great red wave\" of Republican victories.\n\nMr Biden has a solid lead in the polls, but his advantage is narrower in swing states that could decide the election.\n\nMore than 85 million people have voted early in the US elections, 55 million of them by post, setting the country on course for its biggest voter turnout in over a century.\n\nMr Biden and Mr Obama campaigned at a drive-in event in Flint, Michigan, before heading to Detroit where they were joined by singer Stevie Wonder. Mr Trump narrowly won Michigan in 2016.\n\nAt the event, Stevie Wonder changed the lyrics to his song Superstition to praise Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris\n\nIn his first appearance on the campaign trail with his former vice-president, Mr Obama compared Mr Biden's character favourably with Mr Trump's.\n\n\"It used to be that being a man meant taking care of other people... not looking for credit but trying to live right,\" he said.\n\n\"When you elect Joe, that's what you'll see reflected from the White House.\"\n\nTaking the stage, Mr Biden tore into his opponent, saying it was time for him to \"pack his bags and go home\".\n\n\"We're done with the chaos, the tweets, the anger, the failure, the refusal to take any responsibility,\" he added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How much is Covid-19 an election issue?\n\nMr Biden's campaign events have generally been small, as the candidate keeps rigorously to social distancing rules.\n\nNot so for Mr Trump, who is holding a series of four rallies in Pennsylvania on Saturday.\n\nAt the first, in Newtown, he appeared on stage serenaded by chants of \"Four more years!\" and told the state where the US independence movement began centuries ago that \"three days from now this is the state that will save the American dream\".\n\nHe also joked about his recent brush with coronavirus, which also infected First Lady Melania Trump.\n\n\"At least those rumours that we don't live together proved to be false,\" he said.\n\nMr Trump said Pennsylvania would \"save the American dream\"\n\nAfter a rally of several hundred people - relatively small for him - the president flew to Reading, where thousands greeted him on the tarmac.\n\nMr Trump is planning another 10 rallies over the final two days of the campaign.\n\nHis campaign has five events in Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida on Sunday, and then five more on election eve in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Can we believe the polls this time?", "Police arrested the suspect in the early hours of Sunday morning\n\nAt least two people have been stabbed to death in the Canadian city of Quebec by a man armed with a sword and dressed in medieval clothing, police say.\n\nFive others were wounded in the Halloween night attack. A man in his mid-20s was arrested shortly before 01:00 (06:00 GMT) on Sunday.\n\nPolice said an initial probe found the suspect was not affiliated with any extremist groups.\n\nThe attack took place in the historic Old Quebec neighbourhood.\n\nPrime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter: \"My heart breaks for the loved ones of the two killed in last night's horrific attack in Quebec City.\n\n\"I'm also wishing a full recovery to the injured. We're keeping you in our thoughts and will be there for all of you.\"\n\nHe also thanked first responders for their critical work.\n\nThe identity of the suspect has not been made public.\n\nAt a news conference on Sunday, Quebec City Police Chief Robert Pigeon said it was believed that the attack was premeditated, adding that the suspect, from the Montreal suburbs, came to Quebec City with \"the intention of doing the most damage possible\".\n\n\"Dressed in medieval costume and armed with a Japanese sword, everything leads us to believe he chose his victims at random,\" Mr Pigeon added.\n\nThe suspect had spoken of conducting an attack \"in a medical context\" five years ago but was not known to police and did not have a criminal record, police said.\n\n​First reports of the incident near the French-speaking city's national assembly came through shortly before 22:30 local time on Saturday.\n\nThe suspect was arrested near the Espace 400e business park.\n\nQuebec's Le Soleil newspaper reported that he was lying on the ground, barefoot and hypothermic, when he was arrested. He surrendered to police without any resistance, it said.\n\nFollowing his arrest, the suspect was taken to hospital for \"evaluation\".\n\nThe five wounded are also being treated in hospital, with varying levels of injury, according to police.\n\nPolice have not released details of the victims' identities or ages.\n\nReporters at the scene have tweeted photos of a police command post outside Quebec's Parliament Building.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by ICI Québec This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAt a news conference on Sunday, Quebec City police spokesman Étienne Doyon offered \"sincerest condolences to the loved ones and families of the people who died\".\n\nAre you in Quebec? How have you been affected by the incident? If you have any information to share, and only if it is safe for you to do so, please email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Nicola Sturgeon said only essential journeys should be made across the border with England\n\nNicola Sturgeon has told people not to travel to or from England except for \"essential purposes\".\n\nThe first minister issued the appeal as Boris Johnson prepared to announce a month-long lockdown south of the border.\n\nMs Sturgeon said her government would \"take account\" of the developments but would base decisions on Scottish measures on circumstances in Scotland.\n\nShe said there were early signs existing action was having an impact.\n\nBoris Johnson has announced the closure of non-essential shops and hospitality, although schools and universities will remain open.\n\nIt followed scientific modelling which suggested the number of deaths in the UK could rise much higher than anticipated, possibly as high as 4,000 a day by mid December, without further action.\n\nEarlier on Saturday, as speculation about new restrictions mounted, Ms Sturgeon indicated that Scotland would continue with its regional tiered strategy for the time being.\n\nA new five-level system of restrictions will come into force in Scotland on Monday, which will see travel restrictions imposed on many Scots.\n\nShe tweeted: \"Prevalance of the virus is currently lower than in other parts of the UK and there are early signs that the tough restrictions in place since we moved quickly in late September have started to slow the rate of the increase\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Nicola Sturgeon This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nShe urged people not to travel to or from areas in Scotland under level 3 restrictions and added: \"For now, we are asking people not to travel to or from England at all, except for essential purposes.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon said decisions on action beyond this would consider what financial support was available as a consequence of any new restrictions in England.\n\nEarlier public health expert Prof Linda Bauld warned the path of the pandemic in Scotland over the next fortnight would determine whether the country goes into lockdown.\n\nShe told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland: \"You can see from the figures in Scotland that the case numbers are levelling off.\n\n\"We are making progress. The question I would ask is the progress quick enough?\n\nOn Saturday the Scottish government confirmed a further 1,101 positive cases and 24 deaths.\n\nProf Bauld said these figures are a \"reflection of infection rates in September.\"\n\nShe told the programme significant action has already been taken in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nProf Bauld added: \"I think the big debate is 'Why is England dragging its feet?' That is essentially the issue.\"\n\nProf Linda Bauld said cases in Scotland are currently levelling off but the next fortnight will determine whether the country goes into lockdown\n\nProf Bauld, of Edinburgh University, said: \"Along with the other devolved nations you can see from the latest ONS data that Scotland is really in quite a different position from many parts of England so I would not assume that we are going to go the same way as England.\"\n\nBut looking ahead, Prof Bauld said: \"We need to continue to expect these infection rates to go up and I think that the government strategy in Scotland is to keep an eye on the situation over the next week or two.\n\n\"My feeling would be unless we see improvements, particularly in some parts of the central belt, we really, realistically, could be looking at level 4, which we want to avoid but would be necessary, essentially just to avoid these preventable deaths escalating even further.\"\n\nShe also cautioned that in order to get the R-number below one it is possible the existing measures will not be sufficient.\n\nThe latest estimate for Scotland is that the R-number is between 1 and 1.3, a slight fall on the previous estimate.\n\nProf Bauld said: \"If the trends go in the wrong direction again then I think everybody in the country recognises that more action will be taken.\"\n\nMotherwell is one of the towns in Scotland's central belt which will be under level 3 restrictions from Monday\n\nThe Scottish government has meanwhile launched a new campaign to warn the general public of the serious implications of \"twisting the rules\".\n\nIt highlights how even small lapses in compliance have an impact not only on health, but the economy and wider society.\n\nLaunching the campaign, Ms Sturgeon acknowledged the \"huge sacrifices\" that have been made since March.\n\nShe added: \"I know that people are tired and frustrated, but at this critical point in the pandemic, I want to remind people that the decisions they make over the coming days and weeks have a real impact on not only themselves but others.\n\n\"Right now, we rely more than ever on public willingness to adhere to the measures in place.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon said the new new protection levels should enable communities to \"control outbreaks quickly and effectively and minimise transmission of the virus\".\n\nBut she added: \"If we all put our own twist on the rules, they simply won't work.\"", "Police cordoned off streets as they searched for the assailant\n\nA Greek Orthodox priest has been seriously wounded in a shooting in the French city of Lyon, officials say.\n\nThe gunman fled the scene, sparking a manhunt. A suspect resembling witness descriptions was later taken into custody.\n\nThe motive for the attack remains unclear. Authorities have opened an investigation of attempted murder.\n\nThe incident came days after three people were killed in a knife attack at a church in the southern city of Nice.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron called the killings an \"Islamist terrorist attack\" and deployed thousands of extra soldiers to protect public sites, including places of worship.\n\nThe shooting in Lyon happened at about 16:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Saturday when the priest was closing his church, officials said.\n\nThe attacker, who police said was armed with a sawn-off shotgun, fled the scene.\n\nThe French interior ministry said security and emergency personnel were on the scene, and urged people to avoid the area.\n\nIn a statement on Saturday night, Lyon's public prosecutor, Nicolas Jacquet, said \"a person who could correspond to the description given by the initial witnesses has been placed in police custody\".\n\nHe added that the suspect had not been carrying a weapon at the time of his arrest. Investigators are trying to determine his identity.\n\nLyon Mayor Gregory Doucet earlier told reporters: \"We don't know at this stage the motive for this attack.\"\n\nThe priest has been identified as Nikolas Kakavelakis. He is in hospital and is reported to be in a serious condition.\n\nThe priest is said to have life-threatening injuries after being shot twice in the abdomen.\n\nFrance Prime Minister Jean Castex said the government was determined to allow \"each and everyone to practice their worship in complete safety and in complete freedom\".", "What does the surge in early voting tell us?\n\nThe massive surge of early in-person and mail voting in the 2020 general election is tangible evidence that interest and enthusiasm in the presidential race has translated into actual ballots cast. That should come as good news for Democrats, who may have wondered whether a supposed lack of excitement over Joe Biden’s candidacy would damp down turnout on their side. Whether the Delaware Democrat has surprising devotion from his party’s faithful or the prospect of four more years of a Trump presidency is too abhorrent for them to contemplate, the end result is the same – registered Democrats voted early in record-breaking numbers. Four years ago, Hillary Clinton’s campaign celebrated encouraging early voting numbers as well, particularly in Florida. On election day, however, an unexpected wave of support for Donald Trump erased that advantage. This time around, that phenomenon could be even more pronounced, given the president’s calls for his side to vote in-person instead of by mail. That would create its own set of problems if the race is close and overwhelmingly Democratic postal ballots take longer to count than in-person Republican ones. For the moment, however, higher civic involvement is something both sides can celebrate.", "Last updated on .From the section Women's Football\n\nLate extra-time goals from Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie settled a terrific Women's FA Cup final as Manchester City eventually overcame Everton at Wembley to lift the trophy for the third time.\n\nSubstitute Stanway latched on to Jess Park's clever through ball and slotted in off the post, when a penalty shootout had been looming, and Beckie calmly netted an ever later third.\n\nUnited States midfielder Sam Mewis had deservedly nodded City in front from Alex Greenwood's corner shortly before half-time, but France's Valerie Gauvin headed level from Izzy Christiansen's second-half corner as Everton fought back.\n\nPlayed without any fans at Wembley amid ongoing coronavirus restrictions, the contest was the closest-fought the women's final has seen since the fixture was first staged at the home of English football in 2015, as last season's delayed competition came to a dramatic conclusion.\n\nGareth Taylor's City side could have settled it earlier in the game, as Scotland midfielder Caroline Weir struck the woodwork twice in the second half before England skipper Steph Houghton saw a header tipped on to the post in extra time.\n\nThat was one of a number of superb saves from Everton's 22-year-old stopper Sandy MacIver, on a day when City's 21-year-old England keeper Ellie Roebuck also impressed, adding to an entertaining spectacle.\n\nThe 50th Women's Cup final had originally been scheduled for May but was delayed because of the pandemic and the cup resumed at the quarter-final stage in September, after the 2020-21 league season had already commenced.\n\nUnbeaten in their first five games of that new Women's Super League season, the Toffees arrived at Wembley in fine form, but it was still last season's WSL runners-up City who were considered the pre-match favourites and they lived up to that tag with a strong opening 45 minutes.\n\nBut Everton, appearing in their first final since 2014 and trying to win their first cup since 2010, battled back strongly and the game was almost end-to-end at times in the final 20 minutes of normal time, before holders City edged clear in the latter stage of extra time to win the cup for the third time in four seasons.\n\nSunday's result continued City, Arsenal and Chelsea's combined six-season-long dominance of the major domestic trophies in the English women's game.\n\nNot since Liverpool lifted the league title in 2014 has any club other than the modern-day 'big three' won the WSL, Women's FA Cup or Continental League Cup.\n\nCity only turned professional in the build-up to the 2014 summer season but have won seven major honours since then, adding their third FA Cup to three League Cups and the 2016 league crown.\n\nThey were made to dig deep against a hard-working Everton side who will feel they could have taken the lead in the second half when France's Gauvin glanced a header just wide.\n\nHowever few could deny that City were worthy winners - they created the greater number of chances and twice went close in second-half stoppage time, with the game stretched.\n\nOn a day when both young English goalkeepers shined, Everton's MacIver won the plaudits with a series of excellent saves, with arguably the best of the lot keeping out Houghton's header.\n• None Goal! Everton Women 1, Manchester City Women 3. Janine Beckie (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Georgia Stanway.\n• None Izzy Christiansen (Everton Women) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Samantha Mewis (Manchester City Women) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Attempt saved. Nicoline Sørensen (Everton Women) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Simone Magill.\n• None Attempt blocked. Chloe Kelly (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Caroline Weir.\n• None Goal! Everton Women 1, Manchester City Women 2. Georgia Stanway (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jessica Park with a through ball.\n• None Attempt blocked. Georgia Stanway (Manchester City Women) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Chloe Kelly. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page", "Traders have been reopening their businesses in Melbourne\n\nAustralia has recorded its first day of no local cases of Covid-19 in almost five months.\n\nZero cases were reported in the 24 hours between 20:00 on Friday and 20:00 on Saturday - the first time this has happened since 9 June.\n\nThe state of Victoria - epicentre of Australia's second wave - recorded zero cases for the second day in a row after a 112-day lockdown.\n\nHealth officials say more restrictions may be eased in the coming days.\n\n\"Thank you to all of our amazing health & public health workers & above all else the Australian people,\" Health Minister Greg Hunt said on his Twitter account.\n\nAustralia has recorded some 27,500 infections and 900 deaths to Covid-19 since the pandemic started - far fewer than many nations.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coping with Melbourne lockdown: 'I cycled every street in my 5km radius'\n\nThe nation of 25 million adopted an approach of using lockdowns and proactive testing and tracing to contain the virus, and Victoria - where 90% of Covid deaths occurred - imposed some of the severest stay-at-home and curfew rules in the world.\n\nVictoria and its largest city Melbourne began to reopen earlier this week after recording no new community-transmitted cases since June. People were able to freely leave their homes, retail stores, restaurants, cafes and bars could reopen and groups of up to 10 could start gathering.\n\nVictorian Premier Daniel Andrews praised the state's six million residents for following such strict rules and said they were well placed for a \"Covid-normal Christmas\".", "Liverpool has the third highest number of infections in England\n\nIncreased furlough payments for the national Covid lockdown shows the government \"believes the North is worth less than the South\", Liverpool's metro mayor has claimed.\n\nBoris Johnson announced workers would receive 80% of their wages if businesses close during a four-week lockdown in England from Thursday.\n\nOnly 67% of pay was offered during tier three closures in the north of England.\n\nThe government has yet to respond to the mayor's accusation.\n\nHowever, the Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show: \"The announcement about furlough that was made yesterday was about the extension of a scheme, that would have expired last night, throughout the rest of this month.\n\n\"The chancellor and his team are looking at every aspect of economic support and more will be said in the days ahead about how we provide it.\"\n\nLabour's Steve Rotheram said the government was \"unequivocal\" it would not consider changes to the local scheme offered in the north west.\n\nThe Liverpool City Region mayor added: \"This morning millions of people woke up knowing the prime minister of this country believes the North is worth less than the South.\"\n\nAndy Burnham was in a high profile battle with the government over furlough support\n\nIn October, a row broke out between leaders in north-west England and the government over the level of compensation offered to workers and businesses when much of the region was placed into tier three, the highest level of restrictions.\n\nAt a press conference earlier, Mr Rotheram said: \"Apparently all votes count equally, but all voters demonstrably don't to this government and the support you get from the chancellor of the exchequer depends on a horizontal line drawn across the country and on which side of it you sit.\"\n\n\"I can assure the government that the people of the North won't easily forget that they were judged to be worth less than their southern counterparts.\"\n\nMayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said people in the region had \"just completed three months of morale-sapping restrictions and now they are waking up to the prospect of a month of even tougher restrictions\".\n\nHe called for work to be done on a \"substantial localisation\" of the test and trace system, for self-employed people to be financially supported and for schools to close for two weeks for a \"true circuit break\".\n\nMayor Joe Anderson said there is a crisis of confidence in the government\n\nLiverpool city mayor Joe Anderson accused the government of showing \"contempt\" for northern workers by offering more aid for the national lockdown than to regions placed in tier three restrictions.\n\nHe said it was \"interesting... all of a sudden\" the money has been found.\n\nMr Anderson said he welcomed the national lockdown but added: \"So, relief that it's finally been done but real contempt has been shown by this government for the people who advised for it [another lockdown], Sage, and also leaders like me and others that were calling for it six, seven weeks ago.\n\n\"I think there's now a crisis of confidence in relation to this government and their ability to actually manage this.\"\n\nThe government has been approached for a response.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union\n\nEngland won the Six Nations after France beat Ireland on a thrilling final day of the delayed tournament.\n\nEddie Jones' side had claimed a bonus-point win against Italy earlier on Saturday but faced a tense wait as both teams in the day's final fixture attempted to take the title.\n\nEngland's first title since 2017 was confirmed by France's 35-27 victory.\n\nIreland, who would have taken the crown if they had beaten France by six points or more, led 10-7 at one point.\n\nThe hosts took control to win in Paris but needed a bonus point and a winning margin of 31 points or more to claim the Six Nations themselves.\n\nBut they were unable to win by a large enough margin as England took the title on points difference.\n\nEngland will fly home on Sunday and be presented with the trophy on their return. They will then have a week off before playing Georgia, Ireland and Wales in the Autumn Nations Cup.\n\nTheir victory comes at the end of the longest Six Nations in history after the tournament was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nEngland's women have already won the title with a game to spare and face Italy in search of a second successive Grand Slam on Sunday.\n\nEngland came into this tournament as World Cup runners-up, but the Six Nations title seemed far from their reach after the opening game:\n• None as resurgent France side stun England with first-half blitz in Paris. Jones' men did leave the Stade de France with a losing bonus point which would later prove crucial in their title win.\n• None 8 February: Ellis Genge scores the only try as England overcome terrible weather conditions\n• None 7 March: Survive late red card for Manu Tuilagi to secure the Triple Crown . The next day, France's Mohamed Haouas was shown a first-half red card, allowing\n• None 31 October: Ben Youngs scores twice on his 100th cap as and later secure the title thanks to France's victory against Ireland\n\n'We want to make people smile' - What they said\n\nEngland head coach Eddie Jones: \"I'm very proud of all the players and staff. They've reacted superbly to the changing situations in the past couple of weeks and remained focused on the goal of winning the Six Nations.\"We'd also like to thank all of our supporters. It's strange not having fans in the stadium and we know it's a tough time for the country, but we felt your support throughout the campaign and it does make a difference.\n\n\"Hopefully we can continue to deliver more good moments for our fans in the coming weeks.\"\n\nEngland captain Owen Farrell: \"It's a massive achievement for us as a group to win the Guinness Six Nations in the strangest year and circumstances.\n\n\"We've worked really hard in training the past few weeks to get ready for the Italy game, we knew what we had to do and we kept our focus and got the result.\n\n\"This is a great group of players, we really think we can continue to get better and achieve more for England.\n\n\"We know how difficult things are for everyone at home at the moment and we've been saying all through our training camps how we want to do our bit to make people smile.\n\n\"Hopefully we've done that today and we'll do more of the same throughout the autumn.\"\n\nBen Youngs put in a man-of-the-match performance for England as he became only the second male player to reach 100 caps for the country after Jason Leonard.\n\nThe scrum-half had been stuck on 99 caps since the Six Nations was halted but scored once in each half to make the wait more than worth it.\n\nAfter his achievement, he was presented with a gold cap and an engraved watch by his team-mates in the Stadio Olimpico dressing room.\n\n\"It was an incredible touch and something that I wasn't expecting,\" the 31-year-old said.\n\n\"It was a great presentation from Eddie [Jones] and Owen [Farrell] and I will now reflect and enjoy this moment.\"\n\nFormer England captain Martin Johnson on BBC One: \"France coming back and playing the rugby they did is brilliant for the tournament.\n\n\"I am already looking forward to England v France next year. England will pick up the trophy on Sunday but they will be thinking they have blown a Grand Slam because they played poorly in Paris in the first half and did not really compete.\"\n\nFormer England wing Ugo Monye on BBC Radio 5 Live: \"It is a magic day for England. Any day you win a Six Nations title is, of course, but it is made more special by the debutants they had, plus Jamie George reaching 50 caps and Ben Youngs reaching 100.\n\n\"Ben has been incredible. We often try to select our national team based on club form and his form for Leicester hasn't always been great for the past couple of years.\n\n\"But whenever he has put on an England jersey he's been incredible. To be only the second Englishman [after Jason Leonard] to reach that achievement is fantastic.\"\n\nEngland prop Ellis Genge posted photos of himself with debutant Jonny Hill then and now.\n• None Gary Lineker on his move from player to presenter\n• None All you need to know as the US election day nears", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nEngland World Cup winner and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with dementia.\n\nThe news follows the deaths of his older brother Jack in July and fellow World Cup-winner Nobby Stiles on Friday, both of whom had also been diagnosed with dementia.\n\nSir Bobby, 83, won three league titles, a European Cup and an FA Cup with United during 17 years at Old Trafford.\n\n\"Stay strong, we love you,\" said United striker Marcus Rashford.\n\nHis wife, Lady Norma Charlton, expressed the hope that the knowledge of his diagnosis - first reported by the Telegraph - could help others.\n\nManchester United said in a statement: \"Everyone at Manchester United is saddened that this terrible disease has afflicted Sir Bobby Charlton and we continue to offer our love and support to Sir Bobby and his family.\"\n\nRashford, 23, said on Instagram: \"Sir Bobby, you are my hero and I am devastated that you are having to go through this.\n\n\"I filmed alongside this man as a child and was in awe. I still am when I see you. This man, from day one, was everything I wanted to be. Kind, professional, caring, talented.\"\n\nJoining United in 1953, he scored 249 goals in 758 games for the club, long-standing records which were eventually broken by Wayne Rooney in 2017 and Ryan Giggs in 2008 respectively.\n\nBorn in Ashington, Northumberland, he remained England's record goal scorer until Rooney surpassed him against Switzerland in September 2015.\n\nAt the age of 20, Sir Bobby was a survivor of the Munich air crash of 1958 in which 23 people died, including eight of his Manchester United team-mates.\n\nHe inspired United to a first European Cup win in 1968, scoring twice in the final, and was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1966 after playing every minute of England's World Cup victory.\n\nSir Bobby came second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1958 and 1959. In 2008, he received the lifetime achievement award.\n\nUnited renamed Old Trafford's South Stand in honour of Sir Bobby in 2016.\n\nSir Bobby is the fifth member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning side to be diagnosed with dementia.\n\nIn addition to his brother, Jack, and Stiles, both Martin Peters and Ray Wilson - who died in 2019 and 2018 respectively - also had the condition.\n\nStiles, Peters and Wilson were diagnosed with it while still in their sixties. In a BBC documentary screened in 2017, Stiles' son John told former England captain Alan Shearer he was \"utterly convinced\" heading a football was responsible for his father's dementia.\n\nA study by Glasgow University in 2019 found former professional footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than people of the same age range in the general population.\n\nThe study began after claims that former West Brom striker Jeff Astle died at the age of 59 because of repeated head trauma and compared deaths of 7,676 ex-players to 23,000 from the general population.\n\nThe inquest into Astle's death found heading heavy leather footballs repeatedly had contributed to trauma to his brain, but research by the Football Association and the Professional Footballers' Association was later dropped because of what were said to be technical flaws.\n\nAstle's daughter, Dawn, said \"players who have suffered dementia must not be a statistic\" after she was left \"staggered\" by the study's findings.\n\nIn response, the FA launched new coaching guidelines to restrict the amount of heading by under-18 players in training.\n• None How does the voting system work?\n• None What you need to look out for on the night", "Not so long ago, the prime minister swore that it was not inevitable. The second wave of the deadly disease would not, and did not, he vowed, have to mean a second moment where our doors would close, high streets fall silent, and the frightened quiet of lockdown return.\n\nBut day after day as the numbers of infections have risen, quibbles with local areas on their status continued, the moment has come closer, and now it seems almost sure to return.\n\nOfficial government documents, seen by the BBC, make the case clear.\n\nThe papers suggest that the UK is on course for a significantly higher death toll from coronavirus than during the first wave of the pandemic, unless ministers implement further restrictions.\n\nOne of the documents, circulated among members of the government's Sage committee in recent days and discussed by Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Friday, says that \"all models suggest a significantly higher peak than those estimated at any point in the current Reasonable Worst Case Scenario\".\n\nThe document, says that \"median peak infections are projected to be 50% to 150% greater\" than those in the first wave.\n\nOne key document shows several UK daily death projections by different modellers, compared with the first wave and the government's \"reasonable worst-case scenario\" - which was seen in a report in August\n\nSo, with the worsening data, the prime minister is now understood to be considering bringing in a new \"stay at home\" instruction to the country, perhaps as soon as Monday, although the government would still plan for schools, colleges and universities to stay open this time, rather than a total lockdown like in the spring.\n\nDowning Street is understood to be considering a month-long form of lockdown, which would put the brakes on the spread of the disease, while plans for mass testing are accelerated, in the hope that restrictions could be eased before Christmas.\n\nThe papers seen by the BBC, understood to be part of a presentation by the government's SPI-M group of scientists, feature several different projections of the likely course of the disease. All models predict a significantly higher number of infections and deaths than during the spring, when deaths reached more than a thousand a day and much higher than the government's current worst case scenario.\n\nOne of the models featured in the document suggest that deaths could even reach more than 4,000 a day if no policies are brought in to slow the spread of the disease, although the central expectation is not that high.\n\nAll the models in the document predicts that hospitalisations are likely to peak in the middle of December, with deaths continuing to rise until at least late December before falling from early January.\n\nAnd a separate document circulating in government, based on NHS England modelling from 28 October, warns that the health service would not be able to accept any more patients by Christmas, even if the Nightingale hospitals are used and non-urgent procedures are cancelled. The document warns that south west England and the Midlands will be the first to run out of capacity, potentially within a fortnight.\n\nThe document warns \"the window to act is now for the majority of the country\" and warns that if no action is taken to control the number of Covid infections, other forms of emergency care may have to be rationed.\n\nA government source said that the country is at a \"crunch point\". No final decisions have yet been taken, and not all cabinet members have yet been consulted on the next steps. But it seems that Mr Johnson is likely to take the national action that he swore he would do everything to avoid.", "He starred in six official Bond films - or seven if you include 1983's Never Say Never Again, which wasn't produced by Eon. Honor Blackman was one of the Bond girls in 1964's Goldfinger.", "Nuclear weapon. Misery. Disaster. That's what he called it. And yet that is what he has done.\n\nBoris Johnson made absolutely no bones about his reluctance to act to instruct England to close its doors again in recent weeks.\n\nOn Saturday evening, he was at pains to claim that lockdown 2.0 in England will be not nearly as restrictive as first time round.\n\nBut again, the prime minister stood at the lectern and told us to \"stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives\".\n\nAgain, he warned the public that if the government didn't take draconian action then the health service would have to turn patients who need care away.\n\nAgain, he and his top scientists presented evidence that the country could face an intolerable number of deaths during a wave of the pandemic that has turned our lives upside down in the last eight months.\n\nThe prime minister's defence to the country, just squeezing a televised public briefing into the Halloween prime time TV schedules after a few hours of delay, was a well-worn political standby - when the facts change, it is the right thing to change course.\n\nIt is true that data shared by the government on Saturday points to a prognosis that has worsened.\n\nOne key document shows several UK daily death projections by different modellers, compared with the first wave and the government's \"reasonable worst-case scenario\" - which was seen in a report in August\n\nThe UK is not the only country that has seen the progress of the disease go the wrong way, with France and Germany acting in recent days.\n\nBut it is also true that Mr Johnson cannot say for a second that he was not warned.\n\nMore than six weeks ago, not just the opposition, but some of Mr Johnson's own ministers, and some of his own advisers were pushing for another limited lockdown to try to slow the spread of the disease.\n\nConversations were active in government by the third week in September about the possibility of taking national action as the second wave was developing, potentially in a more serious way than the scale of the pandemic in the spring.\n\nThe PM decided at that point to plump instead for a local lockdown system, in the hope of controlling the spread without taking a hammer to the whole of the fragile economy only starting to get back to life.\n\nHe chose to side with the Treasury and many newly assertive Tory backbenchers.\n\nAs that tier system stuttered into life, complete with clashes with the local leaders around the country, conversations continued on and off about the possibility of a short, sharp, limited lockdown, or \"circuit-breaker\".\n\nStill, publicly, while those discussions continued, day after day ministers insisted the tier plan could and would work.\n\nThe decisions were never simple. There was a logic to trying to resist taking more draconian action like this to try to limit the damage to the economy, the other terrible effects of lockdown.\n\nBut Mr Johnson's original judgement now seems like it was a political accident just waiting to happen.\n\nLockdown 2.0 is not an exact replica of first time round. There are notable differences - with schools, colleges and universities staying open, a fixed time limit of a month and, perhaps the most vital of all, the hope of a rapid acceleration of mass testing to make life with the virus more liveable.\n\nThe picture is also different in different corners of the UK.\n\nScotland is sticking to its new tiered approach for now, where there have been tighter regional restrictions for a while. Northern Ireland and Wales are also both already in forms of a second lockdown, with plans already for their exit.\n\nBut something is very familiar. Having waited until this moment, the PM has again, just like in the spring, left himself open to the accusation that he delayed the inevitable, and the timing of his decisions is costly, perhaps to lives, and likely the government's own reputation.", "Spain, like many European nations, is seeing a surge in the number of coronavirus cases\n\nStaff at funeral homes in Spain have gone on strike to demand more workers as coronavirus deaths continue to rise.\n\nUnions say more staff are needed to prevent the delay in burials that was seen during the first wave of the pandemic in March.\n\nEurope is grappling with a second wave as cases and deaths continue to rise.\n\nA number of countries have introduced new measures such as curfews and lockdowns to try and bring infection rates down.\n\nOn Saturday, Austria and Portugal became the latest countries to announce new restrictions.\n\nWorkers at funeral homes across Spain took part in a strike on Sunday. The strike came on All Saints Day, when families usually visit the graves of loved ones.\n\nOne funeral home in Madrid told AFP news agency that it needed between 15-20 more staff to handle the surge in deaths. On Friday, 239 deaths were confirmed in the country by the health ministry.\n\nIn March, burials had a delay of about a week and cremations took place in cities hundreds of miles away, as funeral homes struggled with the demand.\n\nSpain has recorded more than 1.1 million cases and 35,800 deaths since the outbreak began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.\n\nElsewhere, in France Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has reacted strongly to reports that a group of cadets at the national police school in Nimes held a clandestine party on the school's premises last week.\n\nHe described the reports as \"totally unacceptable\". \"If this is confirmed, the pupils responsible will not be worthy of wearing the uniform and will be excluded,\" he said.\n\nThe news came as France reported 46,290 cases in 24 hours, compared to 35,641 the previous day. Another 231 people died over the same period, bringing the total to 37,019.\n\nItaly is accelerating preparations for a further tightening of coronavirus restrictions in the country.\n\nOn Saturday, it reported 31,758 cases of the virus, a new daily record.\n\nHealth Minister Roberto Speranza warned that a nationwide lockdown appeared to be the only way to stop hospital wards becoming more crowded with coronavirus patients.\n\nIn an interview with newspaper, Corriere della Sera, Mr Speranza said the rising curve of transmission rates was \"terrifying\".\n\nRestrictions are already in place in the country with cinemas, swimming pools, theatres and gyms forced to close.\n\nBars, restaurants and cafes have to stop table service by 18:00. However shops and the majority of businesses are still operating.\n\nMourners kissed the hands of Montenegro's religious leader, despite the fact that he died with Covid-19\n\nIn Montenegro, thousands of people attended the funeral of the country's leading religious figure, Archbishop Amfilohije Radovic, who died with coronavirus on Friday, aged 82.\n\nDespite pleas from doctors to ban the funeral, the metropolitan's open coffin was paraded in front of crowds at the Serbian Orthodox cathedral in the capital Podgorica. Some mourners even touched or kissed his head or hands.\n\nThere are fears that the funeral will have made infection rates in the country - already among the highest in Europe - even worse.\n\nSlovakia has tested nearly half of its population after announcing a plan to test everyone in the country over 10 years old.\n\nInfections have soared in Slovakia and officials argue the only alternative would be a total lockdown.\n\nDefence Minister Jaroslav Nad confirmed that 2.58 million people took the test on Saturday. Of those, 25,850 have tested positive and must quarantine.\n\nMore than 2.58 million people in Slovakia have been tested\n\nOn Monday, new restrictions will come into effect in Germany. Daily infection rates have hit record highs over the past week.\n\nOn Saturday, the country recorded more than 20,000 cases.\n\nUnder the new measures, theatres, cinemas, swimming pools and bars must close. However schools and shops will remain open.\n\nSpeaking in parliament earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of a long, hard winter ahead.\n• None Covid map: Where are cases the highest?", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHeavy rain and strong winds are hitting the UK as Storm Aiden sweeps in from the west, bringing risks of flooding.\n\nThe Met Office says all of the UK will get wet and windy weather thanks to the storm on Saturday and the tail edge of a hurricane on Sunday.\n\nYellow weather warnings for rain are in place for Ireland and the west coast of England, Scotland and Wales, with wind warnings in some areas.\n\nThere could be power cuts and travel disruption in those areas.\n\nYellow weather warnings for rain are in place until 19:00 GMT on Saturday for Ireland and the west coast of England, Scotland and Wales, where travel disruption and potential power cuts are expected.\n\nThere is also a yellow warning for wind in place in Northern Ireland and western parts of Wales, Scotland and England.\n\nThe bad weather could last much of the weekend, and people have been urged to pay attention to the weather forecast as well as flood alerts and warnings in their area.\n\nMartin Young, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: \"As the heavy rain and strong winds from Storm Aiden sweeps eastwards on Saturday, another system quickly follows on Sunday that contains the remnants of ex-Hurricane Zeta, bringing further heavy rain and strong winds.\n\n\"Given that this is falling on already saturated ground from what has been a wet October, there is an increased risk of flooding in some warnings areas.\"\n\nPeople have been told to prepare for wind and rain\n\nAnother yellow warning for rain covering Wales and north-west England is in force from 18:00 GMT on Sunday to 06:00 on Monday, and some communities could be cut off by fast flowing and deep floodwater.\n\nHilly areas could see 40-60mm (1.6-2.4 inches) of rain on Saturday, with 20mm-40mm ( 0.8-1.6 inches) in lower-lying areas.\n\nGary White, the duty tactical manager for Natural Resources Wales, said flooding was likely up and down the country over the next few days.\n\nHeavy rain and strong winds are already causing flooding and travel disruption across Scotland, and Scotrail reporting delays on a number of routes.\n\nVery strong winds could also affect north-west Scotland between noon and 21:00 on Sunday, including the possibilities of power cuts and delays for high-sided vehicles and public transport.\n\nThe Met Office said there could be gusts of 60-65mph (97-105km/h), up to 70mph (113km/h) on exposed coasts and hills.\n\nDuring the day they will ease across England and Wales but they will stay strong across Scotland and Northern Ireland into the evening, and there could be gusts of 75mph (121km/h) across the Western Isles and up to 70mph on the west coast.\n\nLifeguards rescued a man at 05:00 GMT on Saturday morning after his yacht was capsized by a \"large freak wave\" off the Isles of Scilly, south-west England.\n\nFalmouth Coastguard's helicopter and an RNLI lifeboat rescued the French man and his 34-foot yacht six miles from the coast.\n\nIan Guy, duty controller at the National Maritime Operations Centre, said the yachtsman described being hit by a \"large freak wave\" which capsized, rolled and disabled the vessel.\n\nHe said the man was not injured.", "Wales is in the middle of a 17-day firebreak lockdown\n\nThere will not be local lockdowns after the end of Wales' 17-day firebreak, First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed.\n\nOnce the current Wales-wide restrictions end on 9 November, there will not be any local variations.\n\nBars, non-essential shops, restaurants, cafes and churches will reopen at the end of the current lockdown.\n\nBut the system of 17-separate local lockdowns will not return when new restrictions are announced on Monday.\n\nPlaid Cymru said any new restrictions should aim to bring the R number - the rate that the virus reproduces - below 1.\n\nMr Drakeford told a press conference the local lockdowns had helped, but were not sufficient to deal with the \"onslaught\" of the virus and \"didn't work well enough\".\n\nHe added: \"For the sake of clarity and simplicity, our decision is that the other side of the firebreak period from 9 November, we will have a set of national rules that will apply in all parts of Wales.\n\n\"I hope that that will help people in Wales, just to be clearer about what they are being asked to do.\n\n\"Because we have had evidence of people wanting to do the right thing, but not always being certain what the right thing is, because the rules have been more difficult to follow than we would have liked.\n\n\"We're going to simplify. We're going to clarify.\"\n\nMeanwhile, he said giving false information to NHS contact tracers would become a criminal offence in Wales, with fines to be decided.\n\nThere will be a legal requirement to self-isolate if asked to do so by contact tracers and employers will be banned from preventing people from doing so.\n\nSelf-isolating social care care workers will have sick-pay topped up to full pay, Mr Drakeford promised, and payments of £500 will be given for people on low incomes who are self-isolating.\n\nThe Welsh Conservatives have criticised ministers for first announcing the £500 payment a month ago, but failing to get the scheme up and running until now.\n\nSimilar schemes in England and Scotland are already in place.\n\nChief Medical Officer Frank Atherton is considering making the length of time people have to self-isolate shorter.\n\nMark Drakeford said recent scientific work says \"you are most infectious to somebody else in the two days before and the two days after you feel the first onset of symptoms\".\n\n\"By the time seven days have gone by, you know, that level of risk to other people has gone down quite a lot\", he told Capital South Wales radio.\n\nCurrently people need to self-isolate for between 10 and 14 days, depending on the circumstances.\n\nHe said community centres would be able to have \"groups of up to 15 people meeting in them\" over the winter when the firebreak ends on 9 November.\n\nMore will be done to encourage people to work from home after the lockdown ends, he added.\n\nThe 17-day lockdown was introduced on 23 October to stem a rise in coronavirus cases, which have continued to increase during the lockdown.\n\nThe press conference heard there were 1,700 more confirmed infections on Friday and 1,191 patients in hospital, up 20% in a week.\n\n\"They tell us, as I said earlier, just how important, and just how necessary, this firebreak period has been,\" Mr Drakeford said of the figures.\n\n\"Our hope has to be that the actions we are all taking will change the course of this disease,\" he added, saying the weeks that follow will show \"its full impact.\"\n\nAn estimated 26,100 people in Wales had coronavirus in the week up to 23 October, according to the Office for National Statistics.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The first minister said local lockdowns were not sufficient to deal with the \"onslaught\" of the virus\n\nPlaid Cymru leader Adam Price said any plan for coming out of the firebreak \"must aim to keep R below 1, avoiding a third wave and the need for a further national lockdown\".\n\nHe said the key issue \"is still testing\".\n\n\"The Welsh Government must focus on optimising Wales's own testing capacity through NHS and university laboratories in order to expedite the testing process and facilitate reaching the '24-hour turnaround' timescale target.\"\n\nCaerphilly was the first part of Wales to go into local lockdown\n\nThe first minister said a ban implemented prior to the firebreak banning people from areas of the UK with high levels of coronavirus from entering Wales could continue after 9 November.\n\nUnder lockdown no-one can travel into Wales except for a limited set of reasons - but in the days before people from tier 2 and tier 3 areas in England, the central belt in Scotland and Northern Ireland were subject to travel restrictions.\n\n\"I will want to study, over this weekend and into next week, the comparative incidence rates between Wales and parts of England which are under tier 2 and tier 3 restrictions,\" Mr Drakeford told the press conference.\n\n\"The point of asking people in those places not to travel into Wales was because the rate of virus circulation in those places was so much more than it is here.\n\n\"I'm afraid there is still a significant gap between those places and Wales.\n\n\"If that remains the same, then we will expect to have a similar regime after November 9 as we had prior to October 23\".\n\nHe said he would reveal on Monday whether people will be able to leave their respective counties - during local lockdowns most people in Wales were prevented from doing so.\n\nMr Drakeford said he would not anticipate that decision on Friday but was \"acutely aware\" of the impact the restrictions in the local lockdowns had had on peoples' lives.", "Nicola Sturgeon urged people to stick to the rules to avoid a tighter lockdown\n\nThe Treasury has been asked to provide clarity over the furlough scheme extension following the announcement of a four-week lockdown in England.\n\nThe scheme, which pays up to 80% of wages of people unable to work, will now run until December.\n\nBoth First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said support should be available if Scotland goes into a full lockdown later on.\n\nDeputy First Minister John Swinney said such a move could not be ruled out.\n\nLatest figures reveal there were 1,148 new Covid cases - 7% of those tested - and a further six deaths in the last 24 hours.\n\nOf the total, 443 cases were recorded by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 253 by NHS Lanarkshire and 140 by NHS Lothian.\n\nScotland is currently adopting a regional approach to restrictions, with a new five-level system coming into effect on Monday.\n\nMs Sturgeon said she believed tougher measures introduced in late September were starting to have an impact.\n\nHowever, she added: \"We are monitoring the spread of the virus in all parts of Scotland on a daily basis to assess if, to what extent and at what speed the slowdown is continuing. We will not hesitate to increase the level of protection either locally or nationally if required.\"\n\nThe four-week lockdown in England, which begins on Thursday, will see the closure of pubs, restaurants, gyms, non-essential shops and places of worship although schools, colleges and universities can stay open.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson announced the measures, despite his previous opposition to a new national lockdown, after modelling suggested the spread of the infection could overwhelm the NHS and see the number of deaths rise possibly as high as 4,000 a day across the UK.\n\nNicola Sturgeon is unlikely to be bounced into an immediate lockdown for Scotland because Boris Johnson's decided there will be one in England.\n\nAside from the political optics, the first minister has already imposed weeks of tough restrictions in Scotland and there are signs they are working.\n\nBanning visits to other people in their own homes and shutting pubs and restaurants across the central belt seems to be slowing the growth in coronavirus cases.\n\nThe new levels system, which only takes effect from 06:00 on Monday, will ease hospitality restrictions in much of the country, with the notable exception of Dundee.\n\nIt would be odd to confirm the details of that system one week and switch to lockdown the next.\n\nThe Scottish government wants to carefully monitor the spread of the virus and adjust the protection level for each local authority as required, rather than rushing to new national action.\n\nHowever, Ms Sturgeon has repeatedly made clear that if that doesn't work, she is prepared to consider another lockdown.\n\nWhat she wants is maximum flexibility to decide if and when that's needed.\n\nThat means securing a guarantee from the Treasury that the furlough extension made available UK-wide during the lockdown for England would also be there if Scotland locked down at a later date.\n\nShe's backed in that call by Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross.\n\nWithout that assurance, the Scottish government would face a serious dilemma - to stick with its current plan and hope it works or impose more restrictions than it was planning, in case it cannot access the financial support to do so in future.\n\nWhile the furlough scheme is UK-wide, Ms Sturgeon said there would be discussions on the details of how it would work in Scotland.\n\n\"A crucial point for us is whether support on the scale announced for English businesses is available for Scottish businesses now or if we needed to impose further restrictions later - or if it is only available if Scotland has a full lockdown at the same time as a lockdown in England,\" she said.\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross tweeted that the same level of UK government job support must be available if Scotland needs to impose a national lockdown in future.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Douglas Ross MP This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIn a speech tomorrow, he will argue the furlough scheme is a \"tangible reminder of the economic security of the Union\".\n\n\"Now that the scheme has been extended to cover the impact of a second lockdown in England, how could a Unionist government not restart the scheme if a second lockdown is required in Scotland?\" he is expected to say.\n\nDeputy First Minister John Swinney told BBC's Politics Scotland that household and hospitality restrictions have put the country in a \"stronger position\" than England.\n\nBut Mr Swinney told the programme: \"I cannot rule out the possibility of further measures or indeed a national lockdown being required should the circumstances arise.\"\n\nThe deputy first minister said he had \"high confidence\" in the new level system.\n\nHe continued: \"The time that we have taken to bear down on the virus over the course of the last two months has put us into, in general, a stronger position compared to the situation that prevails in England today.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Deputy First Minister John Swinney says another national lockdown cannot be ruled out\n\nMr Swinney added that there is also \"significant differential\" in the virus in different parts of the country and also early signs that it may be \"flattening out\".\n\nOn the issues of furlough, the deputy first minister said \"urgent clarity\" was needed on the circumstances in which it will be made available.\n\nHe said: \"Are they only going to be available when England has got a problem? Or are they only going to be available at all times, in all parts of the United Kingdom when we all, at different stages, face difficulties and have to apply restrictions?\"\n\nTalks will take place on Sunday between the Scottish government and the Treasury to determine how the scheme will work.\n\nScottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said Scotland was right to stick with the new five level system for now.\n\nHe told Politics Scotland: \"Of course, we should never rule out a lockdown on a national basis but I hope we can avoid that because I think it is so restricting in terms of peoples' freedoms, opportunities and jobs.\"\n\nMr Rennie also welcomed the furlough scheme but urged the Treasury to be flexible and allow businesses to \"pick and choose\" when they use it.\n\nMeanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer argued the lockdown should apply across the whole of the UK.\n\nAsked about the prospect on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show he said: \"Ideally, yes, and I have said for months that it ought to be a four nations approach.\n\n\"It is for the prime minister to lead on that and get people round the table.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon has repeated her advice to avoid non-essential travel to and from England, as well as other parts of the UK.\n\nShe also urged people follow the new rules that come into force in Scotland at 06:00 on Monday.\n\nShe said: \"I encourage everyone to find out what level their local authority is in and to stick to the rules in their area.\n\n\"I also urge everyone to follow two key national restrictions by not mixing with other households inside our homes, and not travelling to or from any part of the country in level 3 unless it is absolutely essential.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dozens of residents of this apartment block remain unaccounted for\n\nRescue teams in the Turkish port city of Izmir are continuing to search for survivors of Friday's powerful earthquake, as officials say the death toll has increased to at least 64.\n\nSixty-two deaths have been confirmed in Turkey, while two teenagers died on the Greek island of Samos.\n\nDozens of people remain unaccounted for following the quake.\n\nA 70-year-old man was pulled from the rubble of a building in Izmir after being trapped for some 33 hours.\n\nThe US Geological Survey (USGS) said Friday's quake was 7.0 magnitude, but Turkey put it lower at 6.6.\n\nThe shallow tremor triggered tidal waves that hit coastal areas and islands in both Turkey and Greece.\n\nRescue teams were searching through the rubble of collapsed buildings in western Turkey for a third day on Sunday, hoping to find survivors.\n\nThousands of personnel were deployed to help with the rescue efforts, using mechanical diggers to remove blocks of concrete.\n\nA 70-year-old man, identified as Ahmet Citim, was pulled out from beneath the rubble of a destroyed residential building in Izmir in the early hours of Sunday morning and taken to hospital.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nTurkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca visited Mr Citim in hospital, and said he was doing well.\n\nLater on Sunday, the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) announced the new national death toll of 62, all in Izmir.\n\nIt said more than 900 people had been injured, though the majority have now been discharged from hospitals.\n\nEight people are reported to be in intensive care.\n\nBuildings were damaged and destroyed in Friday's earthquake\n\nFood was distributed among survivors and thousands of tents set up for those unable to return to their homes.\n\nVice-President Fuat Oktay said 26 badly damaged buildings would be demolished.\n\n\"It's not the earthquake that kills but buildings,\" he told reporters.\n\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government was \"determined to heal the wounds of our brothers and sisters in Izmir before the cold and rains begin\".\n\nThe earthquake struck 14km (nine miles) off the Greek town of Karlovasi on Samos island at 13:51 local time (11:51 GMT), according to the USGS.\n\nIt said the quake - which was felt as far away as Athens and Istanbul - struck at a depth of 21km (13 miles), although Turkish officials said it was 16km below ground.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Powerful earthquake destroys buildings and causes flooding on Turkey's Aegean coast\n\nMost of the damage occurred in Izmir, off Turkey's Aegean coast - where the tremor sent many people running out into the streets in fear and panic.\n\n\"It was a really strong shaker almost enough to knock you off your feet. Running out of the house with my children was like a drunken wobble,\" Chris Bedford, a retired British teacher who lives in Urla, west of Izmir, told the BBC.\n\nThere were reports of flooding in Izmir after the sea level rose, with one person killed after their wheelchair was hit and overturned by rising water.\n\nIzmir is Turkey's third largest city with a population of nearly three million.\n\nTurkey and Greece both sit on fault lines and earthquakes are common.\n\nTwo teenagers were killed when a wall collapsed on Samos. Eight people were injured across the island, where about 45,000 people reside.\n\nA mini-tsunami flooded the port of Samos and a number of buildings were damaged. Greek officials put the magnitude of the tremor at 6.7.\n\n\"We felt it very strongly,\" local journalist Manos Stefanakis told the BBC.\n\nFareid Atta, another Samos-based journalist, told the BBC that the damage was \"quite extensive along the seafront\" of the island's main town.\n\n\"Many businesses will be going under after this,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Footage shows town on Greek island of Samos flooded by earthquake\n\n\"Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together,\" Mr Mitsotakis wrote in a tweet.\n\nMr Erdogan later responded in a tweet: \"Turkey, too, is always ready to help Greece heal its wounds. That two neighbours show solidarity in difficult times is more valuable than many things in life.\"\n\nRelations between Greece and Turkey have been particularly strained in recent months by a dispute relating to control of territorial waters in the Mediterranean and the resources beneath them.", "Teagan Appleby's mum says she faces a \"ridiculous pressure\" to raise funds for medicine\n\nThe NHS has repeatedly refused to fund medical cannabis for children with severe epilepsy, families have said.\n\nThree prescriptions are thought to have been written for \"whole plant cannabis\" oil since it was legalised two years ago, campaign group End Our Pain say.\n\nBut at least 20 families are paying for costly private prescriptions after being turned down by the NHS, it said.\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care says more research is needed before it can be routinely prescribed.\n\nEmma Appleby, from Aylesham in Kent, pays £2,000 a month for the medicine for her daughter Teagan, 11.\n\n\"That's ridiculous pressure I've got every month to try and find this kind of money to keep her alive,\" she said.\n\nTeagan was admitted to intensive care in May as her seizures increased\n\nSince 1 November 2018, it has been legal for doctors to prescribe medicinal cannabis products, but most such products are unlicensed and have not been through full clinical trials.\n\nOnly one drug - called Epidyolex - is licensed in the UK and recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence as a treatment for epilepsy.\n\nIt contains only CBD and not the other active chemicals in cannabis, including THC.\n\nSome families say it does not effectively stop seizures.\n\nIn May, as Covid-19 restrictions made fundraising more difficult, Ms Appleby ran out of money to buy Teagan's medicine.\n\nTeagan was prescribed Epidyolex, but within two weeks she was experiencing up to 300 seizures a day, Ms Appleby said.\n\nUnable to stop the seizures, doctors put Teagan in an induced coma and transported her to the intensive care unit at Evelina London Children's Hospital, Ms Appleby said.\n\nTwo days later, after receiving an anonymous donation of £2,500, she bought the oil.\n\n\"We woke Teagan up, gave it to her and within two days we were allowed home,\" she said.\n\nEach month is a battle to raise the money, Ms Appleby said. \"There's been times where I've just sat and cried and thought how the hell am I going to get through this.\"\n\nHannah Deacon led a campaign for her son Alfie to be allowed to use the drug legally\n\nAlfie Dingley, from Warwickshire, is one of the few to receive the drug on the NHS, following a campaign led by his mother Hannah Deacon.\n\n\"We feel very blessed. It's changed our lives and it should be available to everyone,\" she said.\n\nIt is \"not fair\" that NHS prescriptions have only been issued to people who have had \"media attention,\" she said.\n\nMedical cannabis is saving the NHS millions of pounds a year by reducing the time children with severe epilepsy spend in hospital, she added.\n\n\"Why on earth should [families] have to try and find the money to pay for it?\" she asked.\n\nPeter Carroll, of End Our Pain, said the campaign group works with about 20 families with private prescriptions, but there may be dozens more in a similar position or unable to pay for the drugs at all.\n\nThe Department for Health and Social Care said Epidoylex could be prescribed on the NHS because there was clear evidence of its \"safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness\".\n\nAnother drug, called Sativex, is recommended for adults with multiple sclerosis.\n\nIt said that \"more evidence is needed to routinely prescribe and fund other treatments on the NHS and we continue to back further research and look at how to minimise the costs of these medicines\".\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Three men were rescued by fire crews from the industrial-sized tumble dryer\n\nThree men had to be rescued by firefighters after getting stuck in a tumble dryer.\n\nEssex County Fire and Rescue Service were called to a derelict laundry in Bower Hill, Epping, on Friday after the men, thought to be in their late teens, crawled into an industrial-sized dryer.\n\nTwo were in the dryer when the third's \"ankles became trapped in the door\" as he crawled in, the service said.\n\nThe men were left in the care of the ambulance service.\n\nEssex Police, the Helicopter Medical Emergency Service (HEMS) and the East of England Ambulance Service's Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) also attended the incident, which happened at about 18:35 GMT.\n\nFire service watch manager Glenn Jackson said crews had to help the third man into the tumble dryer before being able to remove the door and release all three.\n\n\"We used a range of equipment to free the casualty's ankles and allow him to crawl into the tumble dryer,\" he said.\n\n\"The HEMS team gave him pain relief and we then managed to move the door, again using a range of equipment, so the men could crawl out.\"\n\nMr Jackson said crews \"worked really hard in arduous conditions\".\n\n\"It was a difficult site to access and we had to carry a lot of heavy equipment a large distance from the appliances to the tumble dryer and then use our expertise to free the men safely.\"\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nSubstitute Diogo Jota scored for the third straight game as Liverpool came from behind to beat in-form West Ham and go top of the Premier League table.\n\nIn an intriguing encounter, the Hammers took an early lead through Spanish midfielder Pablo Fornals' smart finish, which clipped the post on its way in after a poor headed clearance by Joe Gomez.\n\nThat was the 15th goal Liverpool have conceded in seven games this season - as many as Chelsea let in all season on their way to the title in 2004-05.\n\nJurgen Klopp's side were level shortly before half-time, Arthur Masuaku's foul on Mohamed Salah allowing the Egypt forward to equalise from the penalty spot with Liverpool's first attempt on target.\n\nBut the Reds, who gave a league debut to central defender Nathaniel Phillips in the absence of injured trio Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Fabinho, found it tough going.\n\nJota, a £41m signing from Wolves in September, netted in the 85th minute after a smart pass by fellow substitute Xherdan Shaqiri - moments after already seeing a goal disallowed for a foul.\n• None Who is Phillips, Liverpool's man thrown in at the deep end?\n\n\"He's much better than I thought he would be and that's really impressive,\" Klopp said after Jota's latest performance.\n\n\"He's an exceptional talent. He has the speed, physicality, technique, and he's both-footed.\"\n\nWith this win, Liverpool equalled a club record 63 league games unbeaten at Anfield set by Bob Paisley's all-conquering side between 1978 and 1981.\n\nLiverpool are back on top of the Premier League table for the first time since they ended last season as champions but they were far from their fluent best.\n\nThey are three points clear of neighbours Everton, who will return to the summit if they win at Newcastle on Sunday (14:00 GMT).\n\nQuestion marks remain over Liverpool's defence, which has now conceded 27 in 14 matches since Klopp's side were confirmed Premier League champions in June.\n\nPhillips, whose dad, Jimmy, played against Liverpool for Bolton in the 1995 League Cup final, at least provided an aerial presence, the 23-year-old making a series of headed clearances during a commanding performance.\n\nIt was his more experienced defensive partner Gomez who was at fault for West Ham's goal, the England centre-back heading Masuaku's cross straight into the path of Fornals to put David Moyes' side ahead.\n\nSalah levelled with his eighth goal of the season after hitting his penalty straight down the middle before Jota's introduction from the bench lifted the side.\n\nThe Portugal forward had the ball in the back of the net but it was ruled out for Sadio Mane's foul on Angelo Ogbonna after referee Kevin Friend watched a replay on the pitchside monitor.\n\nHowever, Jota was not to be denied as he lashed past keeper Lukasz Fabianski in front of an empty Kop following a delightful pass by Shaqiri that split the West Ham defence.\n\nHaving held Manchester City last week, this was another gutsy performance by West Ham, who attacked in numbers and gave Liverpool a real scare.\n\nThey arrived at Anfield unbeaten in their previous four games against sides who finished in the top seven last season.\n\nHowever, they were without key forward Michail Antonio, who scored a superb goal against City before suffering a hamstring injury.\n\nAfter being restricted to 50 minutes of Premier League football this season, Sebastien Haller was handed his first top-flight start of the season in place of Antonio.\n\nBut it was midfielder Fornals who produced a lovely finish to put his side ahead.\n\nAfter Salah equalised, the former Villarreal player was denied a second goal by Andrew Robertson's important block, yet West Ham were unable to secure a point their hard work deserved as they were undone at the end by Jota.\n\n\"It's a good sign that we're disappointed not to take anything from Anfield,\" said Moyes after West Ham's first league defeat since 19 September.\n\n\"We had really good opportunities to maybe get a second goal. I wanted it to be more than just the odd counter-attack. We were a threat, we were well organised and disciplined in the jobs we had to do.\"\n\n'Masuaku disappointed with the dive' - what they said\n\nLiverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: \"It's so difficult with the number of games we have. Seeing the determination and desire of the boys, the will to play football, to deal with setbacks is really exceptional.\n\n\"The tricky thing is that you have to be patient, but also lively to keep them moving. It's a constant concentration level you have to keep up, which we did - except maybe for their goal.\"\n\nWest Ham boss David Moyes on Liverpool's penalty: \"It's not the sort of football I want to be involved in.\n\n\"I think our player stops and throws his arms up because he's so disappointed about the dive.\n\n\"I'm just disappointed they didn't turn the decision around. Maybe in the second half the decision [Jota's disallowed goal] went for us, but the first-half one didn't.\"\n\nHammers drop more points from winning position - the stats\n• None Only Aston Villa in 1897-98 (17) have conceded more goals in their first seven league matches as reigning top-flight champions than Liverpool this season (15). The Reds took 23 games to concede 15 Premier League goals last season.\n• None Since David Moyes' first game back in charge of West Ham in January, the Hammers have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League (16).\n• None Liverpool have conceded the first goal in three of their four home league games this season - as many times as they did in all 19 league matches at Anfield last term.\n• None Since the start of last season, West Ham's Pablo Fornals is the only visiting player to score two Premier League goals away to Liverpool, also netting in this exact fixture for the Hammers in 2019-20.\n• None Liverpool are only the second side in Premier League history to concede the first goal in three consecutive home matches but still win all three, after Blackburn Rovers in November 2009.\n\nLiverpool head to Italy next to face Champions League Group D rivals Atalanta on Tuesday (20:00 GMT), while West Ham have a week to prepare for a London derby with Fulham at London Stadium on Saturday, 7 November (20:00 GMT).\n• None Attempt saved. Tomas Soucek (West Ham United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Manuel Lanzini.\n• None Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Goal! Liverpool 2, West Ham United 1. Diogo Jota (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Xherdan Shaqiri with a through ball.\n• None GOAL OVERTURNED BY VAR: Diogo Jota (Liverpool) scores but the goal is ruled out after a VAR review. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None Gary Lineker on his move from player to presenter\n• None All you need to know as the US election day nears", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nAlbania has emerged as the leading candidate to host England's Nations League game against Iceland next on 18 November if required - with Germany another option being explored.\n\nThe game is in doubt because of the UK government's new travel ban on non-UK visitors coming from Denmark.\n\nIceland are set to play Denmark in Copenhagen three days before facing England at Wembley on 18 November.\n\nAlbania's Football Association is willing to provide a neutral venue.\n\nThe Football Association is awaiting clarification from the government but is exploring all options.\n\nIt has made a tentative approach to its counterparts in Germany about the possibility of the game being staged there too.\n\nSince June, elite sportspeople have been exempt from coronavirus-related travel restrictions.\n\nThe restrictions relating to Denmark have been implemented because of concerns over a new coronavirus strain that has spread from mink to humans.\n\nThe latest rules, which took effect at 04:00 GMT on Saturday, will be reviewed after a week, the Department For Transport said.\n\nUefa's coronavirus protocols state that international matches can be rescheduled at a date fixed by the European football governing body, or be played at a neutral venue if necessary.\n\nBBC Sport has been told rescheduling is not an option. Uefa, which will have the final decision on deciding any neutral venue, is understood to be studying the matter.\n• None Can the boys track down the boxing promoter?\n• None The biggest tracks that were never topped", "About 160 million Americans - the most in US history - cast their votes for president this election, but the results held some surprises.\n\nDonald Trump pulled in more Latino support than expected in some key states - decisively, perhaps, in Florida - while Joe Biden was able to convince many young progressives (the more liberal-leaning wing of the Democratic Party) to vote for him.\n\nAlthough Biden has been declared the winner, Democrats will have to think hard about how they do better with some minority communities and people without university degrees.\n\nAnd Republicans will have to find a way to pull back members of their own party who feel turned off by Trumpism.\n\nWe talked to five voters who represent a demographic that helped sway the election results.\n\nChristopher Badillo is a young progressive who reluctantly voted for Joe Biden. Of voters 18-29, 62% of them voted for Joe Biden.\n\nWhat does this moment mean for you?\n\nThis is the start of the work, not the end. We need to get back to work. I need to go back into my community and start doing the work to organise for a Democratic infrastructure that will actually make progressive change. In my area of Florida, the Democrats have lost a lot of local seats. We need to reflect on how we build up Democratic candidates that serve the community but who can also win.\n\nWhy did so many first-time voters come out for Biden?\n\nI think my generation is more politicised than any generation before. That means we're more involved and more informed about politics. The large voter turnout didn't necessarily come from enthusiasm for Joe Biden, but more from an understanding that Donald Trump is the most dangerous president that we've had in modern history. I think a lot of young people saw Joe Biden as the only other alternative.\n\nHow does the country come together?\n\nIf we're going to define unity as everybody coming together and singing in the streets, that's just not going to happen. We're going to have to work to get ourselves to the point where we feel like our country is one. That's going to be a long process because our systems are truly broken and it's going to take all of us to put it back together.\n\nGabriel Montalvo is a Latino voter who switched from Democrat to Republican this year to cast his vote for Donald Trump. Over 32% of Latino voters went for Trump, more than was expected.\n\nWhat does this moment mean for you?\n\nThe mainstream media has jumped the gun projecting that Biden will win the electoral college. Nothing has changed since yesterday and President Trump's campaign has signalled that he will mount vigorous legal action in multiple swing states on Monday. The Americans political process continues and this is the media playing psychological warfare to make President Trump seem like a sore loser in the court of public opinion.\n\nWhy did so many Hispanic voters come out for Trump?\n\nPrior to the 2016 election, I was a far-left Democrat. Beyond being a Democrat, I was a communist until I learned what the ideology really meant. I had my own \"walk away\" moment from thinking that way and the Trump campaign did a great job with actual outreach to the minority community. It seems like the Republican Party has gone back to its roots, where it's not about that country club mentality. Lincoln was our first Republican president and he helped give people rights in the United States. The current president and administration has created a bigger tent for the Republican Party, and Trump was able to convey that message.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why did so many Latinos back Trump?\n\nHow does the country come together?\n\nI do think the country can heal. There's going to be people on either side that don't support this election but it should never get to the point of violence. You have a right to protest but you do not have a right to riot. But Biden's win is seen as disingenuous to a lot of us.\n\nA'Kayla Sellers is a young African-American woman who fully supports Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. African-Americans came out in strong support of Joe Biden, with over 87% casting their vote for the former vice-president. A'Kayla's state of South Carolina helped secure the nomination for Joe Biden in the primaries when he trounced Bernie Sanders among African-American voters in the state.\n\nWhat does this moment mean for you?\n\nThis moment means so much to me because Biden is a glimmer of hope not just for Democrats, for all Americans. To make America equitable we need a sense of stability and normalcy. It was empowering for me to vote for Biden in South Carolina but it's also discouraging because we are still a very Republican state.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'Now the world sees our vote matters' - how Biden depended on black voters\n\nWhy did so many black women come out for Biden?\n\nBeing a black woman is not a monolith. Some of us live in cities, some of them are rural areas, so our needs are very different. But I think black women recognised that Biden and Harris would implement policies that are going to directly benefit us - health care, maternal mortality, school to prison pipeline. We came out because we knew that we had a duty to vote for them.\n\nHow does the country come together?\n\nWhen Biden's president, he's not going be a president for the Democrats. He has stated firmly that he is a president for all, he is going to be a president for America. When he served as our vice-president, he was a vice-president to all. He's going to provide policies and opportunities that's going to affect everybody that's going to make living here in America more equitable. He's here to help everyone, not just one party.\n\nTaylor Golden is a white woman who became energised about politics for the first time in 2016 - because of Trump. Over half of white women are believed to have cast their vote for Donald Trump in 2020.\n\nWhat does this moment mean for you?\n\nIt's so exhausting because Trump has been fighting his entire presidency. People never left him alone to let him do his job. I'm exhausted, I'm so tired of it. I've had to turn off social media and unplug and calm myself not to stress about it. I don't believe in the results, Biden can't legally become president yet. I believe that everything will be settled in the Supreme Court. If Biden does win, it's going to be a crappy next four years. It will inspire me to get involved more for the next election with the Republicans in my town.\n\nWhy did so many white women come out for Trump?\n\nI believe suburban white women are starting to wake up and get more involved. I think they definitely had an influence in the election, there were a ton of \"women for Trump\" groups that popped up that I was a part of. He has a lot of, a lot of female fans despite what the media says and what people would have you think. Every woman I know voted for him. I definitely had a sense we were going to make a difference.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHow does the country come together?\n\nI think we have so much division right now in our country, it's heartbreaking. I think the truth will bring unity, whatever that truth is. I know that a lot of my Republicans friends, if Biden wins, we're not going to go to the streets rioting and burning stuff. We will use our voice in a legal and peaceful way. And I think that's probably one of the biggest differences - that the right is not controlled by radical emotion like the left, we control our emotion. So to bring unity I think the truth has to come out honestly.\n\nJames is a lifelong Republican who voted for Joe Biden. It was his first time voting for a Democrat. He represents the group of anti-Trump moderate Republicans and independents who were able to be swayed away from the president by Biden's centrist enough policies.\n\nWhat does this moment mean for you?\n\nFor me, it means the nation will return to a sense of civility in its politics. Biden is a seasoned politician who has all sorts of personal connections in the Senate. Even if the Senate remains in Republican hands, I believe that Biden as president will be able to reach across the aisle and get things done. This is the first time I've ever voted for a Democrat for president. The very first time. I'm looking forward to Trump being gone so I can become a Republican again.\n\nWhy did independents and moderate Republicans come out for Biden?\n\nPeople are tired of a president that isn't presidential. I'm interested in fiscal restraint. On social issues, I tend to be not conservative, but rather moderate. Look at what the president has done. The last four years have been a total mess. In a tweet by the president on election night, he refers to the polls and spells it p-o-l-e-s. This guy is not terribly smart and does not have an educated mind.\n\nHow does the country come together?\n\nI fear that Trump will set himself up with his own TV network. Certainly a running commentary for the next four years as he seeks to run for president again in 2024. He will continue for the next four years to spout this nonsense about massive fraud and there's no evidence of massive fraud. It's just amazing to me the kind of stuff he says.", "Freight drivers who are not UK citizens and have been through Denmark in the last fortnight are warned they will be turned away from the British border.\n\nIt follows concern over a new coronavirus strain that has spread from mink to humans.\n\nReturning drivers who are UK citizens will have to self-isolate for 14 days along with their households.\n\nIt comes as further 156 people in the UK were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.\n\nIt brings the overall UK death toll to 49,044, according to government data. Both the number of UK deaths and the daily cases - 20,572 in the past 24 hours - mark a significant drop on previous days, but Sunday figures are often lower due to a lag in weekend reporting.\n\nThe new rules for hauliers returning from Denmark began at 04:00 GMT on Sunday - and follow a ban on all non-UK citizens coming to the UK from Denmark.\n\nAny UK citizens who have travelled to Denmark must isolate for 14 days, along with their household.\n\nPassenger planes and ships carrying freight (as well as passengers) from Denmark will also not be allowed to dock at English ports.\n\nCabin crew are also no longer exempt from the quarantine rules - which Ryanair described on Saturday as a \"bizarre and baseless\" move.\n\nThe airline said it had cancelled all flights to and from Denmark while the rules remain in place, and urged Mr Shapps to reverse the decision. Scottish airline Loganair said it has suspended flights between Scotland and Denmark from 9 to 22 November.\n\nThe Department for Transport (DfT) said the latest rules followed the release of \"further information\" from health officials in Denmark, where 12 people have been found to have mink-related mutations of virus, most of them connected to farms in the North Jutland region.\n\nThe travel ban and extra requirements will be reviewed after a week, the DfT has said.\n\nAsked about the restrictions by the BBC's Andrew Marr, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab denied the suggestion they were \"draconian\", insisting the government had taken \"safe and responsible steps\" in light of the \"new and evolving\" science on the mutated virus strain.\n\nHe told the Andrew Marr show: \"I wouldn't describe it as draconian taking a precautionary measure that if and when we come up with a vaccine it can't be sidestepped by a mutation in the virus that the Danes have found through their mink population.\n\n\"I think that's a common sense measure that the public would expect us to take.\"\n\nJohn Littleton, who returned from a business trip in Denmark on Friday, says he would have done things differently if he had known how rules would have affected his family.\n\n\"I was in Denmark on business. My flight back was Friday afternoon.\n\nOn Friday morning a colleague told me that Denmark had been put back on the restricted list. I assumed I would have to self isolate for two weeks. There was no official contact.\n\nOnce home I started self-isolating. On Saturday morning I missed a call from the tracing service who said they would ring me on Sunday.\n\nLast evening, two police officers arrived at my home. They read out a statement recommending the whole household self-isolate for two weeks. It was rather ambiguous - but the police said we would be fined if we didn't.\n\nBoth my son and his partner now can't go to work. She is a teacher, he manages an electrical retailer. Not being at work causes real problems.\n\nWhen the announcement about Denmark was made, there was no that the entire household would have to self-isolate. If it had said that, I would have done things differently - perhaps I would have stayed out there or isolated somewhere else upon my return.\n\nI just don't understand why such extreme measures are being taken. I was not in the north of Denmark and followed all social distancing guidelines while there. Denmark are only imposing local restrictions.\n\nWhy can I not simply be tested, so that the rest of the household can carry on with work? As usual, the whole situation is being handled in a haphazard way with little thought.\"\n\nDenmark is the UK's largest source of imported pork - including bacon - with machinery among the other major import items.\n\nRod McKenzie, managing director of policy at the Road Haulage Association, said the latest restrictions were \"significant and unique\" because lorry drivers working in supply chains have been \"exempt\" from travel quarantine rules.\n\nHe suggested that whilst different organisations, such as supermarkets, may have their own plans to address any supply issues, he warned that if the restrictions continue for a \"long time\" there could be \"a potential disruption to bacon supplies in the UK\".\n\nMeanwhile, Logistics UK, a freight trade body, said the industry was \"agile\" so \"importers can switch between transport modes to ensure that products still arrive\".\n\nIn a statement it added: \"Much of the ferry transport between the UK and Denmark is sent in unaccompanied trailers, so drivers simply collect their loads from ports, with no need to travel across the border.\n\n\"The industry will continue to maintain high levels of vigilance and follow all necessary health protocols to protect the UK.\"\n\nIn England, where a new national lockdown came into force on Thursday, people are still allowed to travel overseas for work or education trips.\n\nLeaving home to go on holiday is currently banned for most people in the UK.\n\nDenmark's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod called Mr Shapps' travel announcement a \"very drastic step\" and said he had discussed it with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Saturday.\n\nDenmark had been taken off the UK coronavirus travel corridors list on Friday after it first became apparent the mutated form of coronavirus was present in the country. It meant any passengers arriving in the UK from Denmark would need to self-isolate after their arrival.\n\nThe Department for Health and Social Care estimates that between 300 and 500 people have arrived in the UK from Denmark in the last 14 days.\n\nOfficials will contact anyone in the UK who has been in Denmark in the last fortnight to make sure they also self-isolate.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do I quarantine after returning from abroad?\n\nWere you planning to travel from Denmark to the UK? Have you just returned to the UK? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Aldi began the click and trial earlier this year\n\nDiscount supermarket Aldi is to extend its trial click-and-collect shopping service to 200 more UK stores as it faces growing competition from rivals.\n\nIt means about 25% of its 900 shops will offer the service by Christmas, compared with 18 now.\n\nAldi and discount rival Lidl, which have challenged the big supermarket rivals on price, have missed out in the pandemic as more sales go online.\n\nBy contrast traditional grocers such as Tesco have seen their sales accelerate.\n\nAldi first launched its click and collect service to customers at a single store in the Midlands in September, before extending the trial last month.\n\nShoppers can choose from a full range of grocery items online, then collect them in their cars \"contact-free\" at their local stores.\n\nThe German discounter has expanded rapidly over the past decade, largely by outcompeting traditional chains on price.\n\nHowever, it has seen growth slow since March as online grocery shopping has doubled its share of the UK market to around 14%.\n\nAnalysts say mounting competition from traditional retailers with established online shopping services will make it harder for Aldi and Lidl to expand as quickly as they once did.\n\nTesco has benefitted from the shift to online shopping\n\nFor example, in the 12 weeks to May, Tesco and Sainsbury's increased sales at a faster rate than Aldi for the first time in a decade as the pandemic spurred weekly shops and more online ordering.Aldi has been rolling out new online options in response.\n\nIn April, Aldi started selling online food parcels to help self-isolating and vulnerable customers and has also started a rapid delivery service in partnership with Deliveroo.\n\nGiles Hurley, boss of Aldi UK and Ireland, said its click and collect trial had been \"hugely popular\" so far.\n\n\"By extending it to hundreds of new stores, we're making Aldi accessible to thousands of shoppers who might never have visited one of our stores before.\"\n• None Ocado says switch to online shopping is permanent", "Twitter alternative Parler has become the most-downloaded app in the United States as conservatives flock to the self-styled \"free speech\" app after the US election.\n\nIt follows a clampdown on the spread of election misinformation by Twitter and Facebook in recent days.\n\nProminent investor Dan Bongino said the service was adding \"thousands to users per minute\" on Sunday.\n\nBut the sudden boom also caused technical issues for users.\n\nSome reported problems registering and a slowdown of the app as its servers attempted to deal with the influx.\n\nParler founder John Matze said the app had added two million new users in a day, and increased its daily active users four-fold over the weekend.\n\n\"Don't worry, the app isn't normally this slow,\" he promised new arrivals.\n\nSome of Parler's most popular users are Republicans and media personalities\n\nWhile Mr Trump himself is not a user, the platform already features several high-profile contributors following earlier bursts of growth this year.\n\nTexas Senator Ted Cruz boasts 2.6 million followers on the platform, while Fox News hosts Mark Levin and Sean Hannity each have more than two million.\n\nNewsmax, a conservative-leaning news outlet, also crept near the top of the charts at the same time.\n\nLaunched in 2018, Parler has proved particularly popular among Trump supporters and right-wing conservatives. Such groups have frequently accused Twitter and Facebook of unfairly censoring their views.\n\nIt is one of a handful of start-up social networks - such as MeWe or Gab - trying to appeal to disgruntled users of the biggest platforms.\n\nParler is ahead of bigger, better-funded apps in Apple's US download charts\n\nMr Trump has been among Twitter's most vocal critics and has seen many of his tweets hidden and labelled as misleading during the election period.\n\nNamed after the French verb \"to speak\", the app has very similar functions to Twitter. Posts can be replied to with comments, \"echoed\" in a way similar to retweeting, and upvoted instead of liked.\n\nParler says it keeps bans to an \"absolute minimum\", and does not fact-check posts.\n\nParler does, however, ban some things, including pornography, threats of violence, and support for terrorism.\n\nFollowing Joe Biden's projected win in the presidential election - and Mr Trump's unsubstantiated claims of fraud - many conservatives encouraged each other to leave Twitter and Facebook for Parler.\n\nOn Facebook, multiple events and groups with thousands of members are encouraging a \"mass exit\" from Facebook to Parler from Friday 13 November.\n\nThe planned exodus has been mocked by left-leaning Twitter users as an escape to a \"safe space\" devoid of challenge or criticism.\n\nThe light-touch approach to content moderation means that misinformation can spread more easily on the platform than on those with stricter rules.\n\nThe first \"mass migration\" of right-wing users from major social networks to Parler happened in June, after a number of accounts that posted misleading content about Covid-19 and George Floyd protests got banned from the bigger social media sites.\n\nThousands of supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory have joined in in the last few weeks, after Facebook, Instagram and YouTube took sweeping action against them in early October. Followers believe President Trump is waging a secret war against a \"deep state\" elite of Satan-worshipping paedophiles.\n\nFacebook's ban on organisations that promote violence has also forced groups such as the Proud Boys and Boogaloo Bois to rebuild on Parler.\n\nHowever, platforms like Parler have become an echo-chamber for a relatively limited group of like-minded users. That's why many users who have migrated to Parler make repeated attempts to create new accounts to return to major networks - as they know that's where their content can get widespread traction.\n\nWhile the content posted on Parler is usually not as extreme as other self-proclaimed \"free speech\" platforms like Gab and MeWe, it is the home of many posts that would either be flagged as misleading or removed by major platforms - on topics like the election, Covid-19, child trafficking and vaccines.\n\nSenator Cruz, who recently lambasted Twitter boss Jack Dorsey at a congressional committee hearing, said in June that he had joined Parler because social networks use their power \"to silence conservatives and promote their radical left-wing agenda\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"Who put you in charge of what the media are allowed to report?\" Twitter's Jack Dorsey is quizzed by Senator Ted Cruz\n\nTweeting on Sunday, Mr Levin encouraged his followers to \"hurry\" and join Parler because \"I may not stay at Facebook or Twitter if they continue censoring me\".\n\nBut technology analyst Benedict Evans questioned how long-standing such a shift would be.\n\n\"How many core Trump voters will now think that Fox is too left-wing and Twitter or Facebook too controlled?\" he said.\n\n\"And even if that's a lot of people, will these stick - or will the scale effect of the mainstream networks pull them back?\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe government is to spend more than £400m to support poor children and their families in England, following a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford.\n\nA winter grant scheme, to be run by councils, will provide support with food and bills, and a holiday food and activities programme is to be expanded.\n\nRashford said it would improve the lives of almost 1.7 million children.\n\nThe move represents a climbdown for the government, which had said Universal Credit was the best way to help.\n\nFrom the package of support, a £170m ring-fenced fund will be distributed through councils, with at least 80% earmarked for help with food and bills.\n\nThis will receive funding from the beginning of December until the end of March.\n\nThe holiday food and activities programme will be expanded with a £220m investment to cover Easter, summer and Christmas in 2021.\n\nOn top of that, there will be a £16m cash boost for the nation's food banks.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson telephoned the Manchester United and England player on Saturday to tell him of the new plans.\n\nSpeaking after he took part in United's 3-1 Premier League win against Everton, Rashford said: \"Following the game today, I had a good conversation with the prime minister to better understand the proposed plan, and I very much welcome the steps that have been taken to combat child food poverty in the UK.\"\n\nRashford said he remained concerned about the children who would miss out on help \"because their family income isn't quite low enough\".\n\nHowever, he added: \"The intent the government have shown today is nothing but positive and they should be recognised for that.\n\n\"The steps made today will improve the lives of near 1.7 million children in the UK over the next 12 months, and that can only be celebrated.\"\n\nRashford also told the BBC Mr Johnson had agreed to speak with the footballer's child food poverty taskforce.\n\n\"I am fully committed to this cause, and I will fight for the rest of my life for it, because in my mind, no child should ever go hungry in the United Kingdom,\" the player said.\n\nSeeing the role everyone had played in supporting the most vulnerable children had been \"the greatest moment of my life,\" he added.\n\nRashford's campaign began in June, after the government insisted it would not provide vouchers over the summer holidays for the 1.3 million children in England who were receiving free school meals in term time.\n\nThe government had previously given this support during the first coronavirus lockdown in April.\n\nRashford's campaign led to the government changing its policy to allow children to claim free meals during the summer holidays.\n\nThe footballer then called for free meals to be provided over the October half-term, with more than a million people signing a petition he set up.\n\nBut the government refused, saying enough support was being provided through the benefit system.\n\nLast month, it whipped Conservative MPs to vote against a Labour motion in the House of Commons that called for the extension of free school meal provision.\n\nThis prompted a number of local authorities to say they would continue offering free school meals throughout the week's holiday in spite of that.\n\nIn October, a Downing Street spokesman said it was \"not for schools to regularly provide food to pupils during the school holidays.\"\n\nThey added: \"We believe the best way to support families outside of term time is through Universal Credit rather than government subsidising meals.\"\n\nMarcus Rashford has prompted the government to act before.\n\nIt is the second time the prime minister has picked up the phone to the 23-year-old footballer, whose campaign has struck a chord with many, and left many Conservatives acknowledging privately for some time they would have to change tack.\n\nStrikingly, Rashford insists this isn't about politics, or criticising Boris Johnson, it's about helping poor families.\n\n\"We're not against him. That's the main reason I was happy to talk to him,\" he told BBC Breakfast.\n\nBut what also stands out is he's moving onto the next strand of his campaign - arguing that more families should get help.\n\nGiven his success so far, don't bet against him pursuing this pretty doggedly in the months ahead.\n\nAnnouncing the support package, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said the government knew it was a challenging time for many, and insisted it had consistently supported the lowest paid families by boosting welfare support.\n\n\"We want to make sure vulnerable people are cared for throughout this difficult time and, above all, no one should go hungry or be unable to pay their bills this winter,\" she added.\n\nShadow education secretary Kate Green said Labour had been campaigning for such a change, adding: \"This should have been announced weeks ago to help the children at risk of going hungry over half term.\"\n\nShe added that ministers needed to bring forward a long-term plan to child poverty.\n\nEngland's children's commissioner Anne Longfield welcomed the move but called on ministers to \"go further\" with Universal Credit support by retaining a £20 increase.\n\n\"Hunger does not take a holiday when schools close and a long-term solution to the growing number of children in poverty is urgently needed,\" she said.\n\nAnna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the National Children's Bureau, who also chairs the End Child Poverty Coalition, said Rashford deserved \"enormous credit for pushing the issue of poverty to the top of the public's agenda\", adding that the government should be acknowledged for \"listening\".\n\nJames Toop, chief executive, of food charity Bite Back 2030, said: \"It's great that Boris has listened to the voices of our young people who have been campaigning for meal provision through the holidays to be a priority through this crisis.\"\n\nLeora Cruddas, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, said the scheme was particularly welcome.\n\n\"Christmas will not be the same this year - and it is therefore even more important that we ensure that children have food and are kept warm.\"\n\nHead teachers also welcomed the scheme but questioned why it could not have been in place for October's half term.\n\nNick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders' union the NAHT, said while the expansion of the activities programme was a positive move, it \"falls short in addressing fully the issue of holiday hunger\".\n\nHe added: \"We would question whether provision of food to those going hungry should be dependent upon them attending an activity, which for a whole host of reasons might not be suitable, available or accessible for particular groups.\"\n\nThe Local Government Association, which represents councils, said the winter grant would help them find the best way to help families and individuals most in need, but called on the government to \"adequately fund councils so they can provide wider long-term preventative support to all households who need it\".\n\nWhat is your reaction to the proposed support package? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as a running mate, helped keep centrist voters on-side\n\nAfter nearly 50 years in public office, and a lifetime of presidential ambitions, Joe Biden has captured the White House.\n\nIt was not the campaign anyone predicted. It took place amidst a once-in-a-century pandemic and unprecedented social unrest. He was running against an unconventional, precedent-defying incumbent. But in his third try for the presidency, Biden and his team found a way to navigate the political obstacles and claim a victory that, while narrow in the electoral college tally, is projected to surpass Trump's overall national total by millions of votes.\n\nThese are the five reasons the son of a car salesman from Delaware finally won the presidency.\n\nPerhaps the biggest reason Biden won the presidency was something entirely out of his control.\n\nThe coronavirus pandemic, as well as claiming more than 230,000 lives, also transformed American life and politics in 2020. And in the final days of the general election campaign, Donald Trump himself seemed to acknowledge this.\n\n\"With the fake news, everything is Covid, Covid, Covid, Covid,\" the president said at a rally last week in Wisconsin, where cases have spiked in recent days.\n\nThe media focus on Covid, however, was a reflection rather than a driver of the public's concern about the pandemic - which translated into unfavourable polling on the president's handling of the crisis. A poll last month by Pew Research, suggested Biden held a 17 percentage point lead over Trump when it came to confidence about their handling of the Covid outbreak.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How much is Covid-19 an election issue?\n\nThe pandemic and the subsequent economic decline knocked Trump off his preferred campaign message of growth and prosperity. It also highlighted concerns that many Americans had about his presidency, over its occasional lack of focus, penchant for questioning science, haphazard handling of policies large and small, and prioritisation of the partisan. The pandemic was a lead weight on Trump's approval ratings, which, according to Gallup, dipped to 38% at one point in the summer - one that the Biden campaign exploited.\n\nOver the course of his political career, Biden established a well-earned reputation for talking himself into trouble. His propensity for gaffes derailed his first presidential campaign in 1987, and helped ensure that he never had much of a shot when he ran again in 2007.\n\nIn his third try for the Oval Office, Biden still had his share of verbal stumbles, but they were sufficiently infrequent that they never became more than a short-term issue.\n\nPart of the explanation for this, of course, is that the president himself was an unrelenting source of news cycle churn. Another factor was that there were bigger stories - the coronavirus pandemic, protests after the death of George Floyd and economic disruption - dominating national attention.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A tale of two rallies: Trump and Biden stage duelling events in Florida\n\nBut at least some credit should be given to a concerted strategy by the Biden campaign to limit their candidate's exposure, keeping a measured pace in the campaign, and minimising the chances that fatigue or carelessness could create problems.\n\nPerhaps in a normal election, when most Americans weren't worried about limiting their own exposure to a virus, this strategy would have backfired. Maybe then Trump's derisive \"hidin' Biden\" jabs would have taken their toll.\n\nThe campaign sought to stay out of the way and let Trump be the one whose mouth betrayed him - and, in the end, it paid off.\n\nThe week before election day, the Biden campaign unveiled its final television adverts with a message that was remarkably similar to the one offered in his campaign kickoff last year, and his nomination acceptance speech in August.\n\nThe election was a \"battle for the soul of America\", he said, and a chance for the national to put what he characterised as the divisiveness and chaos of the past four years behind it.\n\nThe election became a referendum on Trump\n\nBeneath that slogan, however, was a simple calculation. Biden bet his political fortunes on the contention that Trump was too polarising and too inflammatory, and what the American people wanted was calmer, steadier leadership.\n\n\"I'm just exhausted by Trump's attitude as a person,\" says Thierry Adams, a native of France who after 18 years living in Florida cast his first vote in a presidential election in Miami last week.\n\nDemocrats succeeded in making this election a referendum on Trump, not a binary choice between the two candidates.\n\nBiden's winning message was simply that he was \"not Trump\". A common refrain from Democrats was that a Biden victory meant Americans could go for weeks without thinking about politics. It was meant as a joke, but it contained a kernel of truth.\n\nDuring the campaign to be the Democratic candidate, Biden's competition came from his left, with Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who ran well-financed and organised campaigns that generated rock-concert sized crowds.\n\nDespite this pressure from his liberal flank, Biden stuck with a centrist strategy, refusing to back universal government-run healthcare, free college education, or a wealth tax. This allowed him maximise his appeal to moderates and disaffected Republicans during the general election campaign.\n\nThis strategy was reflected in Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate when he could have opted for someone with stronger support from the party's left wing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Biden was not first choice for most young Democrats, but he listened to their priorities\n\nThe one place where Biden moved closer to Sanders and Warren was on the environment and climate-change - perhaps calculating that the benefits of appealing to younger voters for whom the issue is a priority was worth the risk of alienating voters in energy-dependent swing-state industries. It was the exception, however, that proved the rule.\n\n\"It's no secret that we've been critical of Vice-President's Biden's plans and commitments in the past,\" said Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the environmental activist group the Sunrise Movement in July. \"He's responded to many of those criticisms: dramatically increasing the scale and urgency of investments, filling in details on how he'd achieve environmental justice and create good union jobs, and promising immediate action.\"\n\nEarlier this year, Biden's campaign coffers were running on empty. He entered the general election campaign at a decided disadvantage to Trump, who had spent virtually his entire presidency amassing a campaign war chest that approached a billion dollars.\n\nFrom April onward, however, the Biden campaign transformed itself into a fundraising juggernaut, and - in part because of profligacy on the part of the Trump campaign - ended up in a much stronger financial position than his opponent. At the beginning of October, the Biden campaign had $144m more cash on hand than the Trump operation, allowing it to bury the Republicans in a torrent of television advertising in almost every key battleground state.\n\nA Biden supporter in Texas, where a cash advantage enabled him to spend campaign money\n\nMoney isn't everything, of course. Four years ago, the Clinton campaign had a sizeable monetary lead over Trump's shoestring operation.\n\nBut in 2020, when in-person campaigning was curtailed by coronavirus and Americans across the country spent considerably more time consuming media in their homes, Biden's cash advantage let him reach voters and push his message out until the very end. It allowed him to expand the electoral map, putting money into what once seemed to be longshot states like Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Iowa. Most of those bets didn't pay off, but he put Trump on the defence, flipping what was once reliably conservative Arizona and staying highly competitive in Georgia.\n\nMoney gives a campaign options and initiative - and Biden put his advantage to good use.", "Let the 2020 election bury the mistaken notion once and for all that the 2016 election was a historical accident, an American aberration.\n\nDonald Trump won more than 70 million votes, the second highest total in American history. Nationally, he has more than a 47% share of his vote, and looks to have won 24 states, including his beloved Florida and Texas.\n\nHe has an extraordinary hold over large swathes of this country, a visceral connection that among thousands of supporters has brought a near cult-like devotion. After four years in the White House, his supporters studied the fine print of his presidency and clicked enthusiastically on the terms and conditions.\n\nAny analysis of his political weakness in 2020 also has to acknowledge his political strength. However, he was defeated, becoming one of only four incumbents in the modern era not to get another four years. Also he has become the first president to lose the popular vote in consecutive elections.\n\nDonald Trump won the presidency in 2016 partly because he was a norm-busting political outsider who was prepared to say what had previously been unsayable.\n\nBut Donald Trump also lost the presidency in 2020 partly because he was a norm-busting political outsider who was prepared to say what had previously been unsayable.\n\nThough much of the Trump base might well have voted for him if he had shot someone on Fifth Avenue, his infamous boast from four years ago, others who supported him four years ago were put off by his aggressive behaviour.\n\nMany found the manner in which he defied so many norms off-putting and often offensive\n\nThis was especially true in the suburbs. Joe Biden improved on Hillary Clinton's performance in 373 suburban counties, helping him claw back the Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, and enabling him to gain Georgia and Arizona. Donald Trump has a particular problem with suburban women.\n\nWe witnessed again in the 2020 presidential election what we had seen in the 2018 mid-term election - more highly-educated Republicans, some of whom had voted for Trump four years ago prepared to give him a chance, thought his presidency was too unpresidential. Though they understood he would be unconventional, many found the manner in which he defied so many customs and behavioural norms off-putting and often offensive.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How US networks reported the Biden win\n\nThey were put off by his aggressiveness. His stoking of racial tensions. His use of racist language in tweets maligning people of colour. His failure, on occasions, to adequately condemn white supremacy. His trashing of America's traditional allies and his admiration for authoritarian strongmen, such as Vladimir Putin.\n\nHis strange boasts about being \"a very stable genius\" and the like. His promotion of conspiracy theories. His use of a lingua franca that sometimes made him sound more like a crime boss, such as when he described his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, as \"a rat\".\n\nThen there was what critics derided as his creeping authoritarianism, seen after the election in his refusal to accept the result.\n\nA telling moment for me during this campaign came in Pittsburgh, when I chatted with Chuck Howenstein on the stoop of his terraced home. A Trump supporter in 2016, he voted for Joe Biden.\n\n\"People are tired,\" he told me. \"They want to see normalcy back in this country. They want to see decency. They want to see this hatred stop. They want to see this country united. And that together is going to bring Joe Biden the presidency.\"\n\nA political problem for Trump was that he failed to expand his support beyond his core Trump base. Nor did he try hard to do so. In 2016, he won 30 states and often governed as if he was the president solely of conservative, red America. The most deliberately divisive president of the past 100 years, he made little attempt to woo blue America, the 20 states that voted for Hillary Clinton.\n\nAfter four exhausting years, many voters simply wanted a presidency they could have on in the background - an occupant of the White House who would behave in a more conventional manner. They had tired of the infantile name-calling, the ugly language and the ceaseless confrontation. They wanted a return to some kind of normalcy.\n\nBut the 2020 election was not a re-run of the 2016 election. This time he was the incumbent, not the insurgent. He had a record to defend, including his mishandling of a coronavirus outbreak which by Election Day had killed more than 230,000 Americans. In this age of negative partisanship, where politics is often driven by loathing of the opposition, he was not pitted against a hate figure like Hillary Clinton.\n\nJoe Biden was hard to demonise, which is partly why the Democratic establishment was so keen to have him as its presidential nominee. This 77-year-old centrist also did the job he was hired to do, which was to claw back white working class voters in the Rust Belt.\n\nThe question of why Trump lost the presidency turns also on a more interesting and arguable question - when did he lose the presidency?\n\nBy sundown of his first full day, it was clear Trump would seek to change the presidency, more than the presidency would change him\n\nWas it in the immediate aftermath of his victory in 2016, when people who had voted for Trump partly as a protest vote against the Washington political establishment instantly had misgivings? After all, many of those voters never expected him to win.\n\nWas it in the first 24 hours of his presidency, when he delivered his \"American Carnage\" inaugural address - which portrayed the country as a near dystopia of shuttered factories, left-behind workers and wealth \"ripped\" from middle class homes - before he ranted about the crowd size and vowed to continue using Twitter? By sundown of his first full day in charge, it had become clear that Donald Trump would seek to change the presidency more than the presidency changed him.\n\nWas it more cumulative, the snowball effect of so many scandals, so many slurs, so much staff turn-over, and so much chaos?\n\nOr was it as a result of the coronavirus, the biggest crisis that engulfed his presidency? Before the virus arrived on these shores, Trump's political vital signs were strong. He had survived his impeachment trial. His approval ratings matched the highest level it had been - 49%. He could boast a strong economy and the advantage of incumbency: the twin factors that usually secure a sitting president a second term. Often presidential elections turn on a simple question: is the country better off now than it was four years ago? After Covid hit, and the economic crisis that followed, it became almost impossible to make that case.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The lost six weeks when the US failed to control the virus\n\nBut it is wrong to say that the Trump presidency was inevitably doomed by the coronavirus. Presidents often emerge from national convulsions stronger. Crises can often bring out greatness. That was true for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose rescuing of America from the Great Depression made him politically unassailable. George W Bush's initial response to the attacks of September 11th also boosted his popularity, and helped him win a second term. So it was by no means preordained that Covid would finish Donald Trump. It was his botched handling of the crisis that contributed to his fall.\n\nStill, again it is worth remembering that Donald Trump remained politically viable up until the end, despite the country experiencing its worst public health crisis in more than a 100 years, its biggest economic crisis since the 1930s and also its most widespread racial turbulence since the late 1960s.\n\nMuch of red America, and much of a conservative movement he came to dominate, will yearn for his return. He will continue to be the dominant figure in the conservative movement for years to come. Trumpism could end up having the same transformative effect on American conservatism as Reaganism.\n\nThe outgoing president will remain a deeply polarizing figure, and could run again in 2024. These disunited states have not suddenly become united again, not least because so many Americans will harbour such different emotions about Trump, ranging from devotion to abject hate.\n\nThe country surely has not heard or seen the last of the most unorthodox president in its history.", "The UK government has signed deals for a further 90 million doses of coronavirus vaccine.\n\nThe vaccines are being developed by the Belgian pharmaceutical company Janssen and the US biotech company Novavax.\n\nIt means the UK has placed orders for six experimental vaccines, taking its potential stockpile to 340 million doses.\n\nIn theory, there should be enough for everyone in the UK to get five doses. Most of the vaccines require only two.\n\nWith most vaccine trials ending in failure, the government is effectively hedging its bets, hoping that at least one of the vaccines it has purchased proves safe and effective.\n\nThe price being paid has not been revealed.\n\nKate Bingham, chair of the UK government Vaccine Taskforce, told the BBC: \"We don't know if any of these vaccine formats that we've acquired will actually work. There are no licensed vaccines for any human coronavirus.\"\n\nShe added it was a \"priority\" to ensure the UK has \"sufficient vaccine\" for groups \"who are most at risk from coronavirus infection\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus vaccine: How close are you to getting one?\n\nBusiness Secretary Alok Sharma said: \"The government's strategy to build a portfolio of promising vaccine candidates will ensure we have the best chance possible of finding one that works.\n\n\"Today's agreements will not only benefit people in the UK but will ensure fair and equitable access of a vaccine around the world, potentially protecting hundreds of millions of lives.\"\n\nThe government has now purchased experimental coronavirus vaccines that have been developed using four different scientific approaches:\n\nIt takes Britain's potential stockpile to a total of 340 million doses - one of the biggest in the world.\n\nThe Oxford and BioNTech/Pfizer vaccines are in advanced, phase three clinical trials, with tens of thousands of volunteers recruited.\n\nIt is possible that some indication on how effective they are could come in late autumn, but that is not guaranteed.\n\nThe government says if the Janssen and Novavax vaccine trials go well, the first deliveries could take place in mid-2021.\n\nThe UK has also agreed to co-fund a clinical study of the Janssen vaccine.\n\nBy the end of the year, there could be at least half a dozen different coronavirus vaccines in clinical trials in the UK - and members of the public are being encouraged to register their interest online, because without medical volunteers we will not know if any of the vaccines actually works.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA driver has been jailed for 10 years for ramming into a scooter rider who accidentally cracked his wing mirror.\n\nChristian Verrall, 32, caused 20-year-old Craig Bond life-changing injuries in the attack in Pill, Newport, earlier this year.\n\nVerrall performed a U-turn to chase Mr Bond through busy streets, his trial heard. He was convicted last month of wounding with intent.\n\nCardiff Crown Court heard Verrall used his 1,000kg Ford Fiesta as a \"weapon\".\n\nMr Bond was sent flying over the bonnet, leaving him with fractures to his leg and foot.\n\nHe now has \"suicidal thoughts\" and has continuing problems with his leg, the court heard.\n\nVerrall's trial heard he had dumped the car and reported it stolen. When he was shown CCTV footage of what happened, he told police: \"That doesn't even look like me.\"\n\nHowever, the father of one, from Newport, later admitted dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice.\n\nChristian Verrall used his 1,000kg Ford Fiesta as a \"weapon\"\n\nSentencing him, Judge Caroline Rees QC said: \"You lost your temper and it is clear from the evidence that the red mist of rage descended.\"\n\nIn mitigation, Verrall's lawyer Harry Baker claimed his client suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder due to \"an early-life trauma\".\n\nDet Con Rebecca Hamilton, an officer involved in the case, said the level of violence used was \"appalling\".\n\n\"This has been a difficult and distressing time for the victim and his family,\" she said.\n\nVerrall was also disqualified from driving for nine years and eight months.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jill Biden: Joe will \"keep the promise of America\"\n\nStanding in an empty classroom where she taught English in the 1990s, Jill Biden delivered an address at the Democratic Party's convention after her husband was officially named presidential candidate.\n\nAfter making the case for Joe Biden to be elected, she was joined by her husband who lauded her qualities as a potential first lady.\n\n\"For all of you out there across the country, just think of your favourite educator who gave you the confidence to believe in yourself. That's the kind of first lady... Jill Biden will be,\" he said.\n\nBut what do we know about the woman who will soon be joining her husband in the White House?\n\nJill Jacobs was born in June 1951 in the US state of New Jersey. The oldest of five sisters, she grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Willow Grove.\n\nPrior to marrying Joe, she was married to former college football player Bill Stevenson.\n\nJoe Biden lost his first wife and his one-year-old daughter in a car accident in 1972. (His sons Beau and Hunter both survived the accident.) Jill says she was introduced to Joe through his brother three years later.\n\nAt the time, he was a senator, while she was still in college.\n\n\"I had been dating guys in jeans and clogs and T-shirts, he came to the door and he had a sport coat and loafers, and I thought: 'God, this is never going to work, not in a million years.'\n\n\"He was nine years older than I am! But we went out to see A Man and a Woman at the movie theatre in Philadelphia, and we really hit it off,\" she told Vogue of their first date.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Dr. Jill Biden This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nShe said Joe proposed to her five times before she accepted.\n\n\"I couldn't have them [Joe's children] lose another mother. So I had to be 100% sure,\" she explained.\n\nThe couple married in New York City in 1977. Their daughter, Ashley, was born in 1981.\n\nMrs Biden talked about her family and the struggles they have faced when she endorsed her husband for president at the convention.\n\nHis son Beau Biden died of brain cancer in May 2015, at the age of 46.\n\n\"I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours - bring us together and make us whole, carry us forward in our time of need, keep the promise of America for all of us,\" she said.\n\nAs well as a bachelor's degree, she has two master's degrees, and a doctorate of education from the University of Delaware in 2007.\n\nPrior to moving to Washington, DC, she taught at a community college, at a public high school and at a psychiatric hospital for adolescents - she gave her address at the Democratic Party's convention this year from her old classroom at Delaware's Brandywine High School, where she taught English from 1991 to 1993.\n\nWhile her husband served as vice-president, Mrs Biden was professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College.\n\n\"Teaching is not what I do. It's who I am,\" she tweeted in August.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Dr. Jill Biden This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMrs Biden previously held the title of Second Lady while her husband served as vice-president from 2009 to 2017.\n\nDuring this period, her work included promoting community colleges, advocating for military families and raising awareness about breast cancer prevention.\n\nShe also launched the Joining Forces initiative with First Lady Michelle Obama, which included helping military veterans and their families access education programmes and employment resources.\n\nIn 2012, she published a children's book called Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops based on her granddaughter's experience of being in a military family.\n\nShe has been a prominent supporter of her husband during the 2020 campaign, appearing alongside him and holding events and fundraisers.", "South Hams District Council turned down plans to screen the development with trees\n\nA millionaire fashion mogul has lost a bid to save a skate park, tennis court and garage unlawfully constructed on a Devon beauty spot.\n\nSean Thomas, founder of the White Stuff fashion brand, had his plans to plant 1,000 trees to screen the site turned down by South Hams District Council.\n\nThe authority said the construction near Salcombe was \"detrimental\" to the \"highly sensitive\" local environment.\n\nIt said formal enforcement action would begin. Mr Thomas is yet to comment.\n\nMr Thomas has six months to appeal against the decision. He may have to tear down the development, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.\n\nThe buildings are in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Salcolme, Devon\n\nHe built the additions to land adjoining his home in the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and alongside the Salcombe to Kingsbridge Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest.\n\nAfter complaints from residents about the \"eyesore\" development, a retrospective planning application was refused in 2019.\n\nIn April, Mr Thomas submitted the plans to plant more than 1,000 native trees.\n\nRefusing the proposals, the council report described the constructions as an \"incongruous development in a highly sensitive area of the open countryside\".\n\nThe district council report said: \"The development has a detrimental impact upon the surrounding landscape... resulting in adverse impacts to the natural beauty, special qualities, distinctive character, landscape and scenic beauty of the South Devon AONB.\"", "Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, many of which have been destroyed, during the three-year insurgency (file photo)\n\nMore than 50 people have been beheaded in northern Mozambique by militant Islamists, state media report.\n\nThe militants turned a football pitch in a village into an \"execution ground\", where they decapitated and chopped bodies, other reports said.\n\nSeveral people were also beheaded in another village, state media reported.\n\nThe beheadings are the latest in a series of gruesome attacks that the militants have carried out in gas-rich Cabo Delgado province since 2017.\n\nUp to 2,000 people have been killed and about 430,000 have been left homeless in the conflict in the mainly-Muslim province.\n\nThe militants are linked to the Islamic State (IS) group, giving it a foothold in southern Africa.\n\nThe group has exploited poverty and unemployment to recruit youth in their fight to establish Islamic rule in the area.\n\nMany locals complain that they have benefited little from the province's ruby and gas industries.\n\nThe BBC's Jose Tembe reports from the capital, Maputo, that the latest attack was probably the worst carried out by the militants.\n\nMany people are shocked, and they are calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, he adds.\n\nThe gunmen chanted \"Allahu Akbar\" (\"God is greatest\", in English), fired shots, and set homes alight when they raided Nanjaba village on Friday night, the state-owned Mozambique News Agency quoted survivors as saying.\n\nTwo people were beheaded in the village and several women abducted, the news agency added.\n\nA separate group of militants carried out another brutal attack on Muatide village, where they beheaded more than 50 people, the news agency reported.\n\nVillagers who tried to flee were caught, and taken to the local football pitch where they were beheaded and chopped to pieces in an atrocity carried out from Friday night to Sunday, privately-run Pinnacle News reported.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMozambique's government has appealed for international help to curb the insurgency, saying its troops need specialised training.\n\nIn April, more than 50 people were beheaded or shot dead in an attack on a village in Cabo Delgado and earlier this month, nine people were beheaded in the same province.\n\nRights groups say Mozambican security forces have also carried out human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture and killings, during operations to curb the insurgency.\n• None Is Mozambique the latest outpost of Islamic State?", "US President-Elect Joe Biden has spoken of his wish to \"unify\" the United States, in his first speech since his election win.\n\nSome of those who voted for Joe Biden tell the BBC what their message would be to friends who supported Donald Trump.", "A low bridge in Leicestershire has been dubbed the \"most bashed\" in Britain after being struck 25 times in a year.\n\nThe Watling Street railway bridge on the A5 in Hinckley saw crashes almost once a fortnight on average in the year to the end of March, Network Rail said.\n\nIts list of the most commonly struck bridges also included structures in Dudley, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.\n\nHowever, the organisation said there had been an 11% decrease in bridge crashes compared to the previous year.\n\nLorry drivers are being encouraged to check the height of their vehicles\n\nNetwork Rail said there was an average of five railway bridge crashes per day nationally, with repairs costing an average of £13,000 per strike.\n\nIt has started a new awareness campaign ahead of an expected increase in traffic encouraging lorry drivers to familiarise themselves with the height of their vehicle before setting off.\n\nChairman Sir Peter Hendy said: \"We've done a lot of work with partners across the industry in recent years to tackle bridge strikes, and whilst it's encouraging to see our work is paying off with numbers now on the decline, there's a lot more to be done to cut the unnecessary delays, costs and safety risks they pose.\"\n\nNetwork Rail, which looks after about 10,000 bridges over roads, has also written to operators of large vehicle fleets warning they could lose their licence if they fail to have measures in place to minimise the risk of drivers misjudging height restrictions.\n\nSenior structures adviser at Highways England, Hideo Takano, said: \"Around two-thirds of bridge strikes on our roads are caused by vehicles carrying a load.\n\n\"So to reduce the risk of this happening, we urge all drivers to follow these simple steps: Know your height, plan your route and secure your load.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The UK is making \"good progress\" in developing a testing regime to reduce the quarantine period for international arrivals, the transport secretary has said.\n\nThe \"test and release\" programme could allow a \"much reduced\" self-isolation period, Grant Shapps said.\n\nIt is currently 14 days for many international arrivals.\n\nMr Shapps also said rapid tests being used in Liverpool could \"open the way\" for quarantine-free air travel.\n\nHe told an airport industry conference that the government aimed to launch the \"test and release\" programme after England's lockdown ends - currently due to be 2 December.\n\n\"Beyond the lockdown, this should encourage many more people to book flights with confidence knowing there is an option that allows them to shorten self isolation,\" the transport secretary said.\n\nThe tests would be paid for by passengers arriving in the UK but the Department for Transport would not comment on how much they might cost.\n\nMr Shapps said the government was working with other countries to help establish an \"international standard\" for self-isolation and testing to be carried out before travelling to and from the UK, to stop passengers having to quarantine on arrival in their destination country.\n\nAnd he said quick-turnaround tests being trialled in Liverpool gave \"some hope for optimism\" as they could \"open the way for non-quarantine air travel\".\n\nThe air travel industry has been hit hard by the drop in passenger numbers since the start of the pandemic, with airlines such as British Airways and EasyJet cutting thousands of jobs.\n\nAirline and airport groups have called on governments around the world to provide financial support for the struggling industry.\n\nShadow transport secretary Jim McMahon told the conference it was \"inconceivable\" the government had not taken more action to limit job losses across the aviation industry, adding that Mr Shapps's \"warm words\" needed \"to be translated into action\".\n\nAnyone arriving into the UK must self-isolate for 14 days unless travelling from a country listed by the government, with some exceptions for certain occupations.\n\nThe mass coronavirus testing programme launched in Liverpool last week is the first trial of whole-city testing in England. All residents are being offered regular Covid-19 tests - whether or not they have symptoms.\n\nChildren aged 11 and over will be tested in schools as part of the scheme, the city's council has said.\n\nThe pilot includes a mix of existing swab tests and the new lateral flow tests - which can provide a result within an hour without the need to use a lab.\n\nEarlier, Environment Secretary George Eustice told BBC Breakfast the new \"lateral flow\" test was available to everyone in Liverpool and could be a \"major breakthrough\" if successful.\n\n\"A test is only as good as the speed with which you can turn a result around,\" he said.\n\n\"What we've really been focusing on more recently is a faster test, so that people can act more quickly to prevent the spread of the virus so this, if we can make it work, is a major breakthrough.\"\n\nBBC health and science correspondent James Gallagher said rapid or \"lateral flow\" tests needed high levels of the virus in the body to work. It is not yet clear how good they are at catching people in the early stages of the infection, when the virus is still taking hold.\n\nThey are similar to pregnancy tests and are easy, cheap and fast.\n\nFluid from a nasal swab or saliva goes on to one end of the test, then a marking appears if the person is positive.\n\nThe prime minister said last month that he shared \"people's frustrations\" at the turnaround times for results, following criticism of England's test-and-trace system.\n\nMr Johnson's comments came after figures for the week ending 14 October showed that just 15.1% of people who were tested received their result within 24 hours.\n\nLast week, the government said it had hit its target of having the capacity to carry out 500,000 coronavirus tests a day across the UK by the end of October.\n\nThe data for 31 October showed just over 525,000 tests could be done - a doubling of capacity in two months. However, just under 300,000 tests were actually carried out.\n\nMr Johnson previously said mass testing had \"the potential to be a powerful new weapon in our fight against Covid-19\".\n\nHowever, some health experts have criticised the Liverpool trial, with Allyson Pollock, professor of public health at Newcastle University, warning that plans to test asymptomatic people went against advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) to prioritise tests for those displaying symptoms.\n\nMeanwhile on Sunday, another 156 people in the UK were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, with a further 20,572 cases of the virus.", "Meanwhile, Joe Biden has made his first speech about coronavirus after forming a panel made up of 13 scientists to advise him as he prepares to take office.\n\nHe tells Americans that regardless of how they voted in the election, they should wear masks in order to protect themselves and other citizens. \"Wear a mask, it's the single most potent weapon against the virus,\" he says. Face coverings have become politically divisive in the US.\n\nBiden says the vaccine development process must be transparent so Americans can have confidence in the Covid-19 vaccine. He notes it won't be available for many months yet.\n\n\"The challenge before us right now is still immense and growing. Although I'm not in office yet I'm just laying out what we expect to do and hope some of it can be done between now and the time I'm sworn in.\"\n\nHe adds that \"there's a need for bold action\" as cases, hospitalisations and deaths are all going up.\n\nHis remarks contrast with many of Donald Trump's who at times underplayed the severity of the pandemic.", "Michel Barnier (right) is returning to London for the talks with Lord Frost\n\nEU and UK officials have resumed trade talks in London at the start of another key week for the negotiations.\n\nThey are trying to bridge what the two sides have said are still significant differences on fishing quotas and competition issues.\n\nBoris Johnson said on Sunday that the \"outlines\" of an agreement were clear and a deal was \"there to be done\".\n\nBut he has insisted the UK is prepared to leave the single market and customs union on 31 December without agreement.\n\nThe EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and his UK counterpart Lord Frost are in a race against the clock to conclude a future economic partnership in time for it to come into force when the post-Brexit transition period ends on 31 December.\n\nThe UK left the EU on 31 January but continues to follow the bloc's rules until the end of the year.\n\nIf there is no agreement at that point, trade between the two will default to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules - with tariffs set to be introduced on many imports and exports, which could push up costs for firms and consumers.\n\nBoth sides say they want to avoid this although the EU has said it will not do a deal \"at any price\".\n\nThe UK has said it is prepared to accept what it calls \"Australian terms\" - which it conceives as limited sector-by-sector agreements mirroring those the EU currently has with Australia. But it would mean the UK would largely be trading on WTO rules.\n\nMr Johnson told the Associated Press on Sunday that a more comprehensive deal on trade in all goods and services, based on the EU's agreement with Canada, was \"there to be done\".\n\n\"I've always been a great enthusiast for a trade deal with our European friends and partners,\" he said.\"The broad outlines are pretty clear, we just need to get on and do it if we can.\"\n\nFollowing a phone call with Mr Johnson on Saturday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said some progress had been made in recent weeks after the EU agreed to discuss specific legal texts.\n\nBut she said \"large differences\" remained over the question of access to British fishing waters from 2021 and regulations on workers' rights, environmental protection, and state aid designed to maintain a \"level-playing field\".\n\nAhead of his visit to London, Mr Barnier tweeted that any deal must \"respect the interests and values of the EU and its 27 member states\".\n\nThe meeting comes as the House of Lords look likely to vote down controversial clauses in the government's Internal Market Bill.\n\nThe clauses would give ministers powers to override parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement reached with the EU, including obligations on state aid rules.\n\nUS President-elect Joe Biden has previously been openly critical of the bill, fearing it could lead to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland - and has warned this could be a deal-breaker for any US-UK trade deal.\n\nSpeaking to the BBC, Environment Secretary George Eustice said the bill was \"all about protecting peace and stability\" arguing that it ensured Northern Ireland businesses have \"unfettered access to GB markets\".\n\nBut Conservative peer Michael Howard is opposed to the bill, alongside Labour's Charlie Falconer, who told BBC News the government should \"stop digging\".\n\nHe argued that the bill, would push the EU into having to close the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland to protect the bloc's single market.\n\nIreland's Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney described Mr Biden as \"a real friend of Ireland\" and added that his election would give Downing Street \"pause for thought... to ensure that the Irish issues are prioritised as we try to close out this phase of the Brexit negotiation\".\n\nWhile Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told LBC a Biden presidency would bring \"a degree of clarity\" to the Brexit talks. He said UK-EU negotiations would be helped by Mr Biden's clear stance on the Northern Ireland peace process.\n\nOn Monday the prime minister announced that he was establishing a new Office for Investment to encourage investors to do business in a post-Brexit UK.\n\n\"Our departure from the European Union is not and has never been about walling our islands off from the outside world, rather, it is about building bridges to friends, allies and trading partners old and new in every corner of every continent\" he wrote in a LinkedIn article.\n\nHe said the Office for Investment would be \"a targeted, agile organisation designed for the fast-moving society in which we now live, and a great big flashing neon sign that advertises both our openness to the world and our desire to do business with it.\"", "Mr Penrose said his wife, Baroness Dido Harding, had not been told to self isolate\n\nThe husband of NHS Test and Trace chief Baroness Dido Harding has been told to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app\n\nTory MP John Penrose said he was alerted by the app, part of the operation overseen by his wife.\n\nThe Weston-super-Mare MP said on Twitter: \"It never rains but it pours... my NHS app has just gone off, telling me to self-isolate, which I'm doing.\"\n\nLady Harding has not been told to self-isolate, Mr Penrose said.\n\nPeople are told to self-isolate after potentially coming into contact with someone who has coronavirus.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by John Penrose This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Penrose said on Twitter that he had no symptoms as yet.\n\nAsked if he had spoken to his wife about it, he told the Press Association: \"We are trying to make sure we are doing it by the book, if I can put it that way.\n\n\"Her NHS app has not gone off, so it's someone I have been in contact with rather than her.\"\n\nIn response to a suggestion that it showed the system worked, Mr Penrose said: \"I suppose it does.\"\n\nThe contact-tracing scheme was launched to reduce the spread of coronavirus\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Pubs, restaurants and cafes across Northern Ireland closed their doors to sit-in customers in mid-October\n\nThe NI Executive has failed to reach a decision on whether to extend or change Covid-19 restrictions regarding the hospitality sector.\n\nMinisters held a series of meetings throughout Monday but were unable to agree what steps to take.\n\nOne option being considered would be to allow cafes to open but licensed premises would remain closed.\n\nIt is understood hairdressers and beauticians would be allowed to open with certain restrictions in place.\n\nTen further coronavirus-related deaths were reported by Stormont's Department of Health on Monday, along with 471 more cases.\n\nOf the 10 deaths, nine occurred within the most recent 24-hour reporting period, while one happened prior to it.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland, one further coronavirus-related death was reported on Monday and there have been 270 new confirmed cases.\n\nThe Republic's death toll now stands at 1,948 since the pandemic began and a total of 65,659 cases of the disease have been diagnosed.\n\nPubs, restaurants and cafes across Northern Ireland closed their doors to sit-in customers on Friday 16 October under stricter Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nHair and beauty salons also had to shut for four weeks.\n\nThe first minister had said the current coronavirus restrictions would end at midnight on Thursday.\n\nIt had been expected that ministers were going to agree a partial reopening of the sector, allowing restaurants to open but unable to serve booze and keeping alcohol-only pubs shut for another fortnight.\n\nOn Sunday, Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the sale of alcohol was a factor in reaching a decision because \"defences come down when alcohol is taken\".\n\nMs O'Neill said cafes and coffee shops were a different matter.\n\nIn other coronavirus developments on Monday:\n\nMs O'Neill said the executive was looking at reopening some areas of the hospitality industry\n\nBelfast restaurant owner Michael Deane said he was appalled at the idea not to allow premises to serve alcohol,\n\nHe appealed to the executive to \"stop making us the bogeyman\".\n\nHe told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme that his business had lost close to £2m.\n\n\"I think they should just tell us to close until this is all over, fund the hospitality business and leave it at that,\" he added.\n\nHospitality Ulster chief executive Colin Neill urged the first and deputy first ministers to \"make the right call to save thousands of jobs and hundreds of businesses\" by allowing licensed premises to reopen on 13 November.\n\n\"We really need the executive to make sure that the focus is on getting the entire hospitality sector back up and running again this Friday to save a significant amount of jobs and businesses,\" he said.\n\n\"We now face a really important part of the year and although we are live to the fact that this will be an extremely challenging trading period, we need to have the doors open.\n\n\"Hundreds of businesses are struggling and now in debt as they try to keep staff in the face of mounting bills and a lack of financial aid from the government, which covers very little in reality.\"\n\nHair and beauty salons also had to shut for four weeks on 17 October\n\nSimon Hamilton, chief executive of Belfast Chamber, urged ministers to reconsider their decision to give businesses \"a fighting chance\" to remain open.\n\nSpeaking to Good Morning Ulster, he said: \"Suggesting that alcohol will not be allowed to be sold in premises is one which no logic or evidence has been offered for, and would suggest there is a lack of understanding around the viability of businesses like restaurants.\"\n\nHe said he has spoken to many businesses that do not believe it will be viable to open with the new restrictions.\n\nHe added that grant support launched by the executive several weeks ago has not been paid to businesses yet and many that were forced to close will not be able to avail of it.\n\nMeanwhile Justice Minister Naomi Long is self isolating after developing a persistent cough.\n\nThe Alliance leader took to social media to say she had booked a test for Covid-19.\n\nShe said on Twitter: \"Hopefully, with a clear test and 10 days isolation, we'll be able to get it back on track next week. Still, very frustrating but has to be done.\"\n\nMs Long said she was following the official advice she had received.\n\nDepartment of Health guidance says if a person has a negative test, they are not required to self-isolate, as long as everyone they live with who has symptoms has tested negative; they feel well enough; and are not a close contact of a confirmed case.\n\nMs Long is the latest executive minister to self isolate and follows assembly members including Conor Murphy, Pam Cameron, John Stewart and Michelle O'Neill who have all had stay at home in recent weeks.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that we are still in a 'critical moment' of Covid-19 response\n\nThe development of a coronavirus vaccine has \"cleared one significant hurdle but there are several more to go\", Boris Johnson has said.\n\nThe PM said early findings showing a jab could prevent 90% of people getting Covid-19 were positive, but added it was \"very, very early days\".\n\nHe warned people not to \"rely on this news as a solution\" to the pandemic.\n\n\"The biggest mistake we could make now would be to slacken our resolve at a critical moment,\" he said.\n\nIt came as a further 21,350 coronavirus cases were reported in the UK on Monday, along with 194 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nEngland's deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, said he was \"hopeful\" the first vaccine could be seen by Christmas and there would be a \"much better horizon\" by spring.\n\nSpeaking alongside Mr Johnson at a Downing Street news conference, Prof Van-Tam said there was more work to be done before it became available to the public.\n\n\"This is a very important scientific breakthrough. I am certain of that,\" he said.\n\nHe said age would be the \"biggest priority\" when drawing up a list of who would be able to access the new vaccine.\n\nOlder care home residents and care home staff are at the top of a preliminary priority list published by the government, followed by health workers.\n\nProf Van-Tam described the development as similar to \"getting to the end of the playoff final, it's gone to penalties, the first player goes up and scores a goal\".\n\n\"You haven't won the cup yet, but what it does is it tells you that the goalkeeper can be beaten,\" he said.\n\nThe prime minister said \"if and when\" the vaccine was approved for use, the UK \"will be ready to use it\".\n\nHe said 40 million doses - enough to vaccinate up to 20 million people - had been ordered, putting the UK near the front of the queue of countries in securing the jab.\n\nMr Johnson said he had talked for a long time about \"the distant bugle of the scientific cavalry coming over the brow of the hill\" with a solution.\n\n\"I can tell you that tonight that toot of the bugle is louder, but it's still some way off, we absolutely cannot rely on this news as a solution,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe vaccine - developed by Pfizer and German-based BioNTech - has been hailed as a \"milestone\" by many scientists.\n\nIt has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries with no safety concerns raised.\n\nProf Van-Tam warned it was not yet known whether any vaccine would prevent someone passing on coronavirus to someone else.\n\nDr Charlie Weller, a vaccines specialist at the Wellcome Trust, said the speed of the vaccine's progress was \"phenomenal\" but warned no single jab would be a silver bullet against the virus.\n\nShe added that the technology behind the vaccine, so-called messenger RNA, had not been proved effective in jabs before. It has been suggested it could lead to safer vaccines for many types of viruses in future.\n\nMeanwhile, Surrey Police chief constable Gavin Stephens confirmed discussions with the Army were under way to determine the location of mass Covid-19 vaccination centres.\n\nHe said there was a question over whether vaccinations should happen in the same place as testing and how many sites would be needed to meet capacity.\n\nGPs in England have been told to prepare to give patients two vaccine doses - to be delivered between 21 and 28 days apart - during clinics that could run between 08:00 and 20:00 GMT seven days a week as early as December, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).\n\nThe BMA, which represents doctors, said it expects \"vaccine availability to be limited to begin with, meaning only small numbers of vaccine may be given in December and most vaccinations taking place in early 2021\".\n\nManaging expectations seemed to be a key theme of Monday's televised briefing.\n\nBoth Prime Minister Boris Johnson and England's deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam were at pains to inject a bit of realism into some of the euphoria over the vaccine news.\n\nThe PM said we must not \"slacken our resolve\", while Prof Van-Tam said it would not make \"any difference\" for the second wave this winter.\n\nTheir message was simple - do not drop your guard against the virus.\n\nIt is easy to understand why. The world has been waiting so long for positive vaccine news.\n\nBut the announcement is just the first hurdle of many.\n\nSafety has still to be proved, the jab's ability to stop transmission rather than just prevent disease is not yet known, how long immunity lasts is uncertain, and whether it works with older people is still to be confirmed.\n\nOther regulatory hurdles will have to be overcome - and that is before we even think about manufacture and distribution.\n\nIt could be that one of the many other vaccines being trialled proves more effective in the long-term. But, as Prof Van-Tam said, Monday's news showed the opponent could be beaten.\n\nMr Johnson said levels of Covid-19 remained significant and were doubling in many areas, with recent data showing one in 90 people in England currently has the virus.\n\n\"There is a long way before we have got this thing beat,\" he said.\n\nHe reiterated the government's intention to end England's current lockdown on 2 December and replace it with tiered regional restrictions.", "Shares around the world have seen healthy gains with the race for the White House finally over\n\nGlobal markets have rallied in response to Saturday's declaration that Joe Biden has won the US election.\n\nThe end of uncertainty about the race's outcome saw London's FTSE 100 rise 1.5% to 5,994.58 points in early trade, with similar gains seen across Europe.\n\nAsian shares also jumped, with Japan's Nikkei 225 climbing 2.1% to 24,839.84 - it's highest level since 1991.\n\nThere were similar gains in Australia, China and Hong Kong while oil and currency markets also climbed.\n\nDonald Trump has yet to concede and Mr Biden's win remains a projection as key states are still counting votes.\n\nHowever, the Democrat is forging ahead with his plans for assuming power in January after major US networks called the election in his favour on Saturday.\n\nRandeep Somel, director of global equities at M&G, told the BBC: \"First and foremost it looks as if the uncertainty of who is going to be the president is going away, with world leaders coming out and openly congratulating Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.\n\n\"I think the markets can focus now on the policies that Joe Biden is likely to enact going forward as opposed to this constant, 'is it going to be litigious? Are we looking at another potential Bush-Gore event like we saw in 2000, where it took 6-7 weeks to realise what was going to happen.\"\n\nMr Biden has already said he will reverse many Trump era policies, including rejoining the Paris Climate agreement on his first day in office in January.\n\nThere are also hopes that the new administration will expand fiscal stimulus in the US and widen measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19.\n\nHowever, Mr Biden could struggle to enact key planks of his agenda as its looks unlikely the Democrats with have control of both houses in Congress. This means the Senate may be able to block any big regulatory or tax policies, a plus for some businesses.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Biden and Harris call for unity in victory speeches\n\nIn China, the main shares benchmark - the Shanghai Composite - rose almost 2% on Monday, as investors viewed the Biden win as positive for trade and technology policy.\n\nRelations between Donald Trump and China deteriorated during his four-year tenure, sparking a tariff war in 2018 that imposed taxes on imported goods from both countries.\n\n\"The market is taking the Biden win as a positive, as he is not very likely to fight a new trade war with China. The chance for a new tech war is also drifting lower,\" said Larry Hu, head of China economics at Macquarie bank.\n\nBruce Pang, an economist at Hong-Kong based China Renaissance, agreed: \"We think the Chinese authorities might be betting on a less confrontational but more predictable Biden administration that they can work with.\"\n\nThe best performer in Asia was Japan's Nikkei 225, which hit a near 30-year high - although the index remains well below the highs of the late 1980s.\n\nAlongside the election result, strong earnings from Japanese car makers such as Toyota were credited for the gains.\n\n\"The Nikkei 225 is breaking out and is a poster child of strength and momentum,\" said Chris Weston, head of research at brokers Pepperstone.\n\nHowever, it was a different story at Japan Airlines, which saw its shares sink after saying it would raise as much as 168bn yen (£1.2bn) by selling new shares to support its finances during the coronavirus crisis.", "Wales has seen almost 7,000 new Covid cases in the last seven days\n\nWales is starting to see a \"levelling off\" of Covid-19 case rates, the country's health minister has said on the final day of its 17-day lockdown.\n\nVaughan Gething also said mass testing, as being trialled in Liverpool, will be considered in Wales' high case rate areas like Merthyr and the valleys.\n\nHe said the full impact of the lockdown would not be seen for two weeks yet.\n\nOpposition parties have suggested high case rate areas should have stricter local rules.\n\nWales' lockdown - which the Welsh Government said would help stop the health service in Wales becoming \"overwhelmed\" - ends on Monday just a few days after England's four-week lockdown started.\n\nThe number of patients in Welsh hospitals with coronavirus is now the highest since the height of the pandemic in April.\n\nLatest NHS Wales figures show 1,344 people are being treated in hospital for Covid-19 while 54 of the 163 critical care patients have the virus - with the intensive care occupancy rate beyond Wales' usual 152-bed capacity.\n\nMr Gething warned cancer, heart and stroke \"treatments\" could be affected if Covid infection rates surge again.\n\nBut he said: \"We think we're starting to see a plateauing, a levelling off, in the rates of coronavirus across the country.\n\n\"It's still at a high rate which means that there's still a reservoir of coronavirus within our communities.\"\n\nThe Welsh Conservatives want \"local measures\" to help slow down Covid-19 cases in communities to avoid \"such draconian measures as a firebreak lockdown or just a straight lockdown\".\n\n\"We would also then have targeted testing in areas where we know there's high infection rates to suppress the virus,\" their health spokesperson Andrew RT Davies told BBC Radio Wales.\n\nAnd Plaid Cymru said the Welsh Government should show it \"has a plan in place\" to deal with areas of high infection rates.\n\n\"I doubt whether it is right to treat those areas in the same way as we treat some of the areas with very low incidence,\" said the party's health spokesperson Rhun ap Iorwerth.\n\nBut Mr Gething said: \"If we breach trust with the public and extend the end of the firebreak, having been clear it would come to an end, I don't think people would be prepared to trust the government again and go along with what we want people to do.\"\n\nHe thanked the people of Wales for their sacrifice during the lockdown, saying: \"We have seen significant reductions in movement, we're confident there's been a reduction in household contact and all of those things will make a difference.\n\n\"What I can't do is rule out what we will have to do in the future because that is down to the choices we make.\"\n\nWhile pubs, bars and restaurants, gyms, and other non-essential businesses will be allowed to reopen on Monday, Mr Gething urged people to reduce contact and time spent with people outside their household bubble.\n\n\"We don't want to throw away what we think we have gained in the firebreak,\" said Mr Gething.\n\n\"If we go back to the way the things were before the firebreak, we'd have thrown away all of the sacrifice put together to make the firebreak successful and that would be heart-breaking for so many people who have done the right thing.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch how cases of Covid-19 have changed across Wales during the firebreak\n\nMr Gething warned that if infections surge again \"hospitals will become full\" then elective surgeries and other \"non-Covid care\" which was relatively unaffected during this latest lockdown, may be hit.\n\n\"It will mean people will be treated in an undignified way, it's about saving as many lives as possible,\" he said.\n\n\"It's to make sure the NHS isn't overwhelmed because, if that happens, then non-Covid care like cancer care, heart, stroke and all of those other treatments will be affected.\"\n\nWales has seen almost 7,000 coronavirus cases in the last seven days and the death toll is now more than 2,000 people since the pandemic began.\n\nWhile Office for National Statistics data suggests Covid-19 cases are \"stabilising\" across Wales and the UK, Mr Gething has said the effectiveness of the lockdown may not be known for another few weeks.\n\n\"The infection rates we see reported today reflect behaviour from two to three weeks ago,\" he said.\n\n\"That's how long it takes to feed through. We think we will see a dip in the next two to three weeks but we're cautious as we need to see what the evidence is.\"\n\nMerthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Blaenau Gwent have some of the worst Covid-19 infection rates in the UK and, amid calls from Plaid Cymru for widespread testing in high case rate areas, Mr Gething says the Welsh Government was \"considering\" mass testing.\n\n\"Liverpool is a test pilot for the UK,\" he said.\n\n\"We are looking at what might be possible here in Wales to go alongside how we can use our testing resources here.\"\n\nMr Gething said the Welsh Government would \"formally review\" the coronavirus data from across Wales in two weeks' time.\n\nThe people of Wales have been warned to expect another lockdown in the new year as First Minister Mark Drakeford has said there was a \"path through to Christmas\" without needing another \"firebreak\".\n\n\"If we avoid contact with other people and we travel only when we need to, work from home wherever we can, we will build on what has been achieved here over the last 17 days,\" Mark Drakeford told Sky News.\n\n\"That will give us a path through to Christmas without needing to go back into this extraordinary period of restriction.\"\n\nMr Drakeford has called on the UK government to make good on its promise for the four nations to meet this week and discuss a single approach to \"pool ideas, plan together and have a common approach to the Christmas period\".\n\n\"The restrictions people have had to live with are incredibly difficult and demanding, and everybody is tired and fatigued of coronavirus,\" he said.\n\n\"If we can offer respite over Christmas that is what we would want to do.\"", "Julia Rawson was last seen alive on 12 May 2019\n\nA man obsessed with horror films has been convicted along with his boyfriend of murdering and dismembering a woman in their flat.\n\nNathan Maynard-Ellis, 30, took Julia Rawson home after meeting her in a pub in Dudley, West Midlands, in May 2019.\n\nHe and David Leesley, 25, then killed her and hid her body parts in undergrowth, the trial at Coventry Crown Court was told.\n\nMaynard-Ellis was also found guilty of rape charges relating to another woman.\n\nThe four rapes, an attempted rape, and threats to kill were revealed when a woman came forward after his murder arrest.\n\nBoth men had admitted perverting the course of justice and concealing a body, but had denied murder.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nJurors heard Maynard-Ellis had a fascination with decapitation and horror films and had been addicted to fantasies about the \"sexualised killing of women\".\n\nHis victim would have seen swords and spiders mounted on the walls of the Tipton flat, reptiles kept in tanks, and \"gory face masks\" of horror film characters, Karim Khalil QC, prosecuting, told jurors at the start of the trial.\n\nMs Rawson \"could not have known that she was about to enter a flat of horrors\", he said.\n\n\"But she must have realised this very soon after she went in.\"\n\nNathan Maynard-Ellis and David Leesley had admitted perverting the course of justice and concealing a body, but had denied murder\n\nTracey Barrett, a neighbour of the two killers, told the BBC their flat \"was the making of horror stories\", with Freddy Krueger figures and Chucky dolls.\n\nPolice said Maynard-Ellis had gone out the night of the murder with the aim of finding a victim.\n\n\"Unfortunately that victim was Julia\", Det Insp Jim Colclough, from West Midlands Police, said.\n\nMaynard-Ellis and Leesley's home had Chucky dolls and other horror movie paraphernalia\n\nMs Rawson, 42, was struck about the head. Her remains, including her severed head, hands and feet, were found on 12 and 29 June last year in two different locations, near a canal and on wasteland.\n\nAfter identifying Maynard Ellis from CCTV video when he was with Ms Rawson at the pub, he was arrested on suspicion of kidnap and officers discovered a bloodstain underneath a new underlay in the living room of the couple's flat.\n\nDet Insp Colclough described the killing as \"a terrible, terrible thing to have taken place\".\n\nMs Rawson, who was reported missing by friends, came from a close-knit family and was a talented musician and a fun-loving character, he said.\n\n\"Of course her family are absolutely devastated,\" he said.\n\nJulia Rawson met Nathan Maynard-Ellis in the Bottle and Cork pub in Dudley\n\nIn a statement, Ms Rawson's family said her loss was \"felt as keenly today as when we heard she had first gone missing\".\n\n\"Her death has had a devastating impact on us, the mutilation of her body and the callous way in which her remains were scattered has revolted us,\" they said.\n\nThe judge, Mr Justice Soole, told the jury: \"It has been a very demanding case because of the subject matter.\"\n\nMaynard-Ellis and Leesley will be sentenced at a later date.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Fi Anderson says she only has one remaining ventilator filter, even though it should be changed daily\n\nSome disabled people in the UK have been struggling to obtain essentials such as medication and breathing equipment during the Covid pandemic, research for the BBC suggests.\n\nSome 60% of those who rely on social care told a YouGov survey they were finding it hard to obtain at least one of their necessities.\n\nCharity WellChild said people felt more \"forgotten than they ever have been\".\n\nBut ministers say the needs of disabled people were being considered.\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care says it has sufficient stocks and patients should contact their local care provider.\n\nLike one in 20 of those survey respondents who receive social care, Fi Anderson, a mother of two with muscular dystrophy from Bolton in Greater Manchester, said she has faced problems obtaining breathing apparatus.\n\nHer local hospital told her to re-use the filter for her portable ventilator, recommending she boil it, because supplies were so short.\n\nShe ended up using a dirty filter for six months when it should be changed every day.\n\n\"I appreciate the government is in a difficult position and is trying to increase the supply, but it's not happening fast enough. It's putting us at increased risk of hospitalisation,\" she said.\n\n\"I'm scared I will end up with pneumonia from using dirty filters too long and the girls will end up without a mum.\"\n\nDisabled people who rely on social care - which funds equipment and other support to allow them to live independent lives - also said they had struggled to obtain personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks.\n\nMany of them receive funding directly to employ carers in their home, so they also need to provide them with PPE during the coronavirus crisis.\n\nThe survey, which the BBC commissioned to mark the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act, asked more than 1,000 people about life in the UK with a disability and how it has changed in the shadow of a pandemic.\n\nMore than 65% felt their rights had regressed, and 71% said disabled people's needs had been overlooked.\n\nWhat questions do you have about the DDA?\n\nThe Coronavirus Act, which granted the government emergency powers, gave local councils the ability to reduce care, education and mental health provision for disabled people if it became necessary during the pandemic.\n\nAccording to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, nearly six out of 10 deaths from Covid-19 were of disabled people.\n\nTara Parker, director of programmes at WellChild, criticised the government for failing to recognise the needs of disabled people.\n\nShe said: \"It's a complete lack of contingency planning and thought about disabled people and their families.\n\n\"They've struggled with the right PPE, access to their usual therapies, respite, across the board, there has been a lack of clarity for disabled people what their path should be through this pandemic.\"\n\nMany of the nurses at Wellchild working with disabled children and young people who use ventilators report that they are experiencing problems with the supply of vital equipment, Ms Parker said.\n\nShe said this has happened despite reassurances from the government that there would not be problems in the event of a second wave.\n\nJustin Tomlinson, minister for disabled people, defended the government's record and said it had sought to create \"good awareness\" of disability issues to ensure \"our support is inclusive\".\n\nHe said the government is developing a national strategy for disabled people, which is setting challenges for each department to \"remove barriers in society and help create a more inclusive society\".", "Alex Trebek, who had hosted Jeopardy! since 1984, had been undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer\n\nAlex Trebek, the long-time host of American television quiz show Jeopardy!, has died at the age of 80.\n\nMr Trebek announced he had been diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer in March 2019.\n\nThe Jeopardy! Twitter account said on Sunday he had \"passed away peacefully at home\" surrounded by family and friends.\n\nMr Trebek had hosted Jeopardy! since 1984, and had received numerous awards and honours for his work.\n\nProducer of Jeopardy!, Sony Pictures, led tributes to the \"legend\", writing in a statement: \"For 37 amazing years, Alex Trebek was that comforting voice, that moment of escape and entertainment at the end of a long, hard day for millions of people around the world.\"\n\nKnown for his sharp wit and charisma, the Canadian-American presenter became the face of Jeopardy! during his three decades on the show, turning it into a ratings smash hit.\n\nHe fronted more than 8,200 episodes of the popular quiz show, making him among the most well-known people on television in the US and Canada.\n\nIn 2014 he set a Guinness World Record for \"most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Jeopardy! This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMr Trebek had vowed to continue presenting Jeopardy! while receiving treatment including chemotherapy. He was contracted to host the show until 2022.\n\nIn a typically light-hearted tone, the presenter said in a video statement he had no choice but to beat the cancer because of his contractual obligations.\n\nHe was candid about his medical treatment, regularly updating fans on his condition.\n\n\"I am optimistic about my current plan, and thank them for their concerns,\" Mr Trebek said in a statement released by Jeopardy! In July.\n\nMr Trebek is survived by his second wife, Jean, and his children Matthew, Emily and Nicky.\n\nFormer Jeopardy! contestant Buzzy Cohen was among the first to pay tribute to the presenter.\n\n\"Absolutely heartbreaking to lose someone who meant so much to so many. Even if this show hadn't changed my life in so many ways, this loss would be immeasurable,\" Mr Cohen tweeted.\n\nIn another tweeted tribute, Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings said Mr Trebek was a \"deeply decent man\" as well as being \"the best ever at what he did\".\n\n\"I'm grateful for every minute I got to spend with him,\" Mr Jennings tweeted. \"Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family — which, in a way, included millions of us.\"\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also praised Mr Trebek, whom he described as \"a proud Canadian and beloved TV star who was a familiar face to millions of people across North America and around the world\".\n\nNancy Sinatra tweeted: \"Part of our lives for decades, he taught us about so many things and now Alex Trebek has gone from us. Sending love to his family and friends. We will miss you, sir. Godspeed.\"\n\nActor Ryan Reynolds, a fellow Canadian, said he had enjoyed working with Trebek on a film in 2019.\n\n\"Alex Trebek was kind enough to film a cameo for our film Free Guy last year despite his battle,\" Reynolds tweeted. \"He was gracious and funny. In addition to being curious, stalwart, generous, reassuring and of course, Canadian. We love you, Alex. And always will.\"\n\nUS TV presenter Steve Harvey said his \"heart was so sad\" about Trebek's death, while Dr Phil said: \"Television has lost a true treasure and icon.\"", "Ed Sheeran's abstract painting Dab 2 went for £40,000 at the charity auction\n\nEd Sheeran memorabilia has raised more than £400,000 to support children and young people with disabilities and life-limiting illnesses.\n\nMore than 220 collectibles went under the hammer as part of the Ed Sheeran: Made in Suffolk Legacy Auction.\n\nThe star lot was the singer's abstract painting Dab 2 that fetched £40,000.\n\nA donation of £100,000 was also made by Suffolk firm Tru7 Group, taking the total to £506,000. Organiser Gina Long MBE said the response was \"remarkable\".\n\nThe painting Dab 2, created using house paints, was Sheeran's only artwork he has ever made available for public sale.\n\nOther top sellers included the handwritten lyrics for Perfect, dedicated to his wife Cherry, which raised £23,500.\n\nDab 2 was Sheeran's only artwork he has ever made available for public sale\n\nMeanwhile, Colin Davidson's sketch of the pop star raised £12,400, a ticket for his first public gig sold for £6,400, and a handful of his childhood Lego fetched £4,150.\n\nThe handwritten lyrics to his hit song Perfect raised £23,500\n\nWhile a handful of Lego from his childhood collection sold for £4,150\n\nAll of the proceeds will go to GeeWizz children's charity, which was founded by Mrs Long, and Zest, which is part of St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich.\n\nProjects it will fund include a new playground at the Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy in Ipswich.\n\nMrs Long said: \"Seeing the huge amount we have raised fills all of us on the auction team with joy, knowing our wonderful legacy projects can now become a reality.\"\n\nIt is literally going to change many lives for the better, that has to be the greatest gift of all.\"\n\nA ticket to his first gig in his hometown of Framlingham, with a £3 entry price, sold for £6,400\n\nThe auction ended on Sunday to coincide with the final day of the Ed Sheeran: Made in Suffolk exhibition at Ipswich's Christchurch Mansion, which told the story of his rise to global stardom.\n\nAuction proceeds will support children and young adults in Sheeran's home county of Suffolk\n\nIt was organised with help from Sheeran's parents.\n\nHis father John said the total was \"way beyond our expectations\".\n\n\"We are so pleased that it will create important lasting legacies to improve the quality of care and wellbeing for children and young adults across Suffolk and beyond,\" he added.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "There has been a sharp rise in the number of migrants arriving in the Canary Islands\n\nMore than 1,600 African migrants have been rescued at sea or reached Spain's Canary Islands over the weekend, Spanish emergency services said.\n\nAbout 1,000 arrived on Saturday alone, setting out on about 20 barely seaworthy boats.\n\nOne person was flown to hospital by helicopter.\n\nThere has been a sharp increase in the number of migrants from West Africa attempting to reach the Canary Islands in recent months.\n\nThe island chain is just 100km (60 miles) off the coast of North Africa.\n\nAccording to the Spanish government, more than 11,000 arrivals have been recorded in the Canary Islands this year compared with 2,557 during the same period last year.\n\nA spokeswoman for Canary services told AFP news agency the migrants had arrived on the islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife and El Hierro.\n\nThe body of one person who died during the perilous journey was recovered by rescuers on El Hierro, the spokeswoman said.\n\nImages taken from Arguineguin port in Gran Canarias this weekend show migrants queuing up to receive assistance.\n\nAccording to the Spanish government, more than 11,000 arrivals have been recorded in the Canary Islands this year\n\nLast month at least 140 migrants bound for Europe drowned after a boat carrying around 200 people sank off the coast of Senegal.\n\nThe boat caught fire and capsized shortly after leaving the town of Mbour, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.\n\nAbout 60 people were rescued, according to reports.\n\nIt is believed the migrants were attempting to reach mainland Europe via the Canary Islands.\n\nAt least 414 people are known to have died along this route so far this year according to the IOM. A total of 210 fatalities were recorded on the same stretch in the whole of 2019.", "Nuclear power's role in the UK's future energy strategy will be discussed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the chancellor and business secretary at a meeting this month.\n\nIt comes ahead of a new 10-point plan for the UK to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050.\n\nThe report is expected to be published next week.\n\nThe government insists it remains committed to the construction of new nuclear power stations.\n\nThey are part of an overall strategy to decarbonise the UK's electricity supply.\n\nThe trilateral meeting between Number 10, Number 11 and the Business Department will discuss what form that should take.\n\nOf the six sites originally identified a decade ago, three have seen contractors pull out and only one is under construction - at Hinkley Point in Somerset.\n\nThe government is not expected to explicitly single out which project will get the go-ahead, but officials told the BBC that Sizewell in Suffolk is the only project ready to go if the government is to hit a target of starting construction of new nuclear within this parliament.\n\nThe Stop Sizewell C campaign The Stop Sizewell C campaign projected images onto the Beis building ahead of the meeting\n\nWhile there is strong union support for the transfer of jobs skills and new opportunities from Somerset to Suffolk, there is considerable local resistance to a massive construction project, which activists say will pose an ecological threat to important local wildlife areas.\n\nThe government is also considering bringing forward a ban on new petrol and diesel engines from its current official target of 2040, to 2035 or earlier.\n\nIt's thought the new time frame will be somewhere between 2030 and 2034.\n\nThe 10-point plan is also expected to include:\n\nIts also expected that the government will set a new target for heating homes with ground-source heat pumps.\n\nThe replacement of 25 million gas boilers in UK homes is recognised as one of the hardest parts of the move to net zero carbon by 2050.\n\nAlthough many energy industry experts remain sceptical that small nuclear reactors can play a significant role, the BBC understands that the government has big ambitions to progress this technology, and that it will form an important part of the government's long term plans.\n\nA detailed white paper on the future shape of UK energy policy is expected in late November.", "Countries have imposed a number of measures as they try to curb the spread of the virus\n\nThe total of confirmed coronavirus cases has surged past 50 million following record numbers of new cases in several countries.\n\nMore than 1.25 million people have now died after contracting the virus, according to Johns Hopkins university.\n\nBut the numbers are thought to be higher because of insufficient testing in many countries.\n\nA second wave of the virus has accounted for a quarter of all cases, Reuters reported.\n\nEurope, with more than 12.5 million cases and 305,700 deaths, is again a hotspot after being the first epicentre of the pandemic earlier this year.\n\nIn the US just under 10 million have tested positive. It has seen more than 125,000 cases per day three days in a row.\n\nThe states of North and South Dakota have the highest rates of death per capita.\n\nUS President-elect Joe Biden has vowed a much more aggressive approach to the pandemic, after Mr Trump repeatedly downplayed its gravity and resisted public health measures including wearing masks and social distancing.\n\nMr Biden has vowed to name a group of top scientists to his coronavirus task force as early as Monday, wants more testing and plans to call on every American to wear a mask when they are around people outside their own household.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Get a closer look at how scientists develop a Covid-19 vaccine\n\nHe is likely to take charge when the pandemic is at its peak in the country, former US Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb says.\n\nDr Gottlieb told US media that the rate of new infections would probably be starting to decrease by late January, and \"the only question is going to be how many people have died in the course of this and how many people have been infected\".\n\nIn Europe, France on Sunday recorded 38,619 new cases - many less than Saturday's record increase of 86,852 cases. However the health ministry said it had problems collecting data and there would be a correction on Monday.\n\nOlympic champion Kohei Uchimura in action at an event in Tokyo seen as a crucial trial run for next year's postponed Olympics\n\nFrance also registered 271 deaths, bringing the total to 40,439. The country is just over a week into a second lockdown with the aim of curbing the spread of the virus.\n\nUnder the lockdown restrictions, expected to be in place until 1 December, people can only leave their homes to go to work if they cannot work from home, to buy essential goods, seek medical help or to exercise for one hour a day.\n\nIn the UK - which has seen the highest number of deaths in Europe - there were 20,572 new cases and 156 new deaths, bringing the total to 49,044 deaths.\n\nHowever the latest figures from the UK's Office for National Statistics suggest the increase in infections may be stabilising around the UK, with the rate of increase slower than in recent weeks.\n\nIndia and Brazil have also been hard hit.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch the moment Prince Fumihito leaves for the ceremony where he was declared heir to the throne\n\nPrince Fumihito, the brother of Japan's Emperor Naruhito, has been officially declared heir to the throne during a ceremony in Tokyo.\n\nFumihito is six years younger than his brother Naruhito, who became monarch last year after their father abdicated.\n\nEmperor Naruhito has no sons and his daughter is barred from inheriting the throne, despite calls for reform.\n\nThe \"Rikkoshi no rei\" ceremony had been delayed by seven months because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nIt was attended by the imperial family and 46 guests, most of whom were wearing masks and maintained a distance from each other, according to Kyodo news agency.\n\nFumihito's son is now third in line to the throne\n\nDuring the ceremony, Naruhito declared Fumihito crown prince to the people of Japan and abroad.\n\nFumihito also received a sword passed down by crown princes.\n\nPrime Minister Yoshihide Suga said: \"The people have revered the crown prince and the crown princess after seeing how they have shown kindness in their interactions with people, so it is a pleasure to see the Rikkoshi no rei being held.\"\n\nEmperor Emeritus Akihito abdicated last year. He was given permission to abdicate after saying he felt unable to fulfil his role because of his age and declining health.\n\nHe was the first Japanese monarch to stand down in more than 200 years.\n\nUnder the Imperial Household law of 1947 only men can ascend to the throne. In 2004 the government began working on changing the law to allow for an empress but it was put on hold after Fumihito's wife gave birth to a son - Prince Hisahito.\n\nShould Hisahito not grow up to have a son that would spark another succession crisis and could see the government pick up plans from 2004 and change the law.", "Almost four in 10 people are keeping \"money secrets\" from their loved ones, including hiding debt problems, the Money & Pensions Service (MaPS) says.\n\nThe most common secrets are hidden credit cards (37%), undisclosed loans (23%) and secret savings accounts (21%), the government body said.\n\nMillennials aged 25-34 were the most secretive generation, with three in five hiding details of their finances.\n\nThere are \"numerous reasons\" for it, said Sarah Porretta of MaPS.\n\n\"A secret savings account could act as a buffer for those who want to escape a difficult relationship; an unpaid bill could be kept under wraps in order to protect anxious family members.\n\n\"For many who keep money secrets, it can be a feeling of shame or embarrassment that debts have spiralled out of control.\"\n\nThe survey, which covered 5,200 people nationwide, suggests there is still a stigma around talking about your personal finances in Britain.\n\nAlmost 40% of respondents said they stayed silent about concerns, often due to feeling embarrassed or a fear of being judged.\n\nThe survey also found people in relationships tended to underestimate the extent of money secrets their partner kept from them.\n\nWhile 23% of people in relationships suspected their spouse hid things, nearly half admitted to having hidden things themselves.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"In our generation the whole saving concept's gone out the window\"\n\nOne respondent, who preferred not to be named, told MaPS: \"I was once close to bankruptcy due to credit cards and loans which I did not reveal to my partner until it couldn't be hidden any longer. I admitted the issues eventually and we sorted it.\"\n\nAnother said: \"I didn't tell my husband when I lost control of our credit card debt and ended up juggling cards and minimum payments.\n\n\"Eventually I admitted it to him and actually acknowledged the amount of debt I now had - he supported me to get onto a debt payment plan which I have been paying for just over a year now, and we are far more financially stable.\"\n\nThe survey marks Talk Money Week, which is encouraging people who are struggling financially in the pandemic to talk it over with a friend, family member or expert.\n\nMaPS says it could help make money problems more manageable, benefiting people's health, relationships and overall wellbeing.\n\nHave you kept \"money secrets\" from loved ones? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was just speaking on the Senate floor. He defended President Trump's right to challenge the election results and not concede.\n\n\"No states have yet certified election results,\" he noted. This is true - states have until 8 December to certify their electors.\n\nMcConnell continued to say all legal ballots should count and the process must be \"transparent\".\n\n\"If any major irregularities occurred this time of a magnitude that would affect the outcome, then every single American should want them to be brought to light and if Democrats feel confident they have not occurred, they should have no reason to fear any extra scrutiny,\" the majority leader added.\n\nExperts have long said there is no evidence of widespread fraud in postal voting.\n\n\"We have the system in place to consider concerns and President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options,\" McConnell said.\n\n\"The projections and commentary of the press do not get veto power over the legal rights of any citizen, including the president.\"\n\nOnly three Republican Senators have thus far acknowledged Biden's win. Republican President George W Bush has also congratulated Biden on his win.", "Trial passengers Sara Luchian and Josh Giegel - who both work at Virgin Hyperloop - inside their pod\n\nVirgin Hyperloop has trialled its first ever journey with passengers, in the desert of Nevada.\n\nIn the trial, two passengers - both company staff - travelled the length of a 500m test track in 15 seconds, reaching 107mph (172km/h).\n\nHowever, this is a fraction of Virgin's ambitions for travel speeds of more than 1,000km/h.\n\nVirgin Hyperloop is not the only firm developing the concept but nobody has carried passengers before.\n\nSara Luchian, director of customer experience, was one of the two on board and described the experience as \"exhilarating both psychologically and physically\" to the BBC shortly after the event.\n\nShe and chief technology officer Josh Giegel wore simple fleeces and jeans rather than flights suits for the event, which took place on Sunday afternoon outside of Las Vegas. Ms Luchian said the journey was smooth and \"not at all like a rollercoaster\" although the acceleration was \"zippier\" than it would be with a longer track. Neither of them felt sick, she added.\n\nShe said that their speed was hampered by the length of the track and acceleration required.\n\nThe Virgin Hyperloop test track in the Nevada desert\n\nThe concept, which has spent years in development, builds on a proposal by Tesla founder Elon Musk. Some critics have described it as science fiction.\n\nIt is based on the world's fastest magnetic levitation (maglev) trains, then made faster by speeding along inside vacuum tubes.\n\nThe Maglev train speed world record was set in 2015 when a Japanese train reached 374mph in a test run near Mount Fuji.\n\nFounded in 2014, Virgin Hyperloop received investment from the Virgin Group in 2017. It was previously known as Hyperloop One and Virgin Hyperloop One.\n\nIn a BBC interview in 2018, then Virgin Hyperloop One boss Rob Lloyd, who has since left the firm, said the speed would in theory enable people to travel between Gatwick and Heathrow airports, 45 miles apart on opposite sides of London, in four minutes.\n\nVirgin says the pods could reach speeds of over 1,000km/h\n\nLos Angeles-based Virgin Hyperloop is also exploring concepts in other countries, including a hypothetical 12 minute connection between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which takes more than an hour by existing public transport.\n\nCritics have pointed out that Hyperloop travel systems would involve the considerable undertaking of both getting planning permission and then constructing vast networks of tubes for every travel path.\n\nMs Luchian acknowledges the potential difficulties, saying: \"Of course there's a lot of infrastructure to be built but I think we've mitigated a lot of risk that people didn't think was possible.\"\n\nShe added: \"Infrastructure is such an important focus for so many people in government. We know people are looking for solutions. They're looking for the transportation of the future. We can keep building today's or yesterday's transport systems and keep encountering the same problems they bring or we can really look to build something that solves those problems.\"\n• None Hyperloop track to be built in Saudi Arabia", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "Local lockdowns 'where necessary' in Wales\n\nLocal lockdowns within Wales have not been ruled out in future and they will be imposed \"where that is necessary\", the first minister has said. Mark Drakeford explained that current figures for Merthyr Tydfil, which has one of the highest rates of coronavirus in the UK, are \"showing some promise\". \"We've never said that we wouldn't consider further local action where that is necessary\", he said. The first minister added there has been a reduction in the incidence rate per 100,000 people in Merthyr Tydfil. \"It's always important to give a bit of a health check with Merthyr figures, because it's the smallest local authority in Wales and relatively small raw numbers drive large percentage and incidence changes,\" he said. \"But the path that we are following in that part of Wales is showing the advantages of the firebreak period that we have just completed.\" Mr Drakeford added he thought it was a \"bit rich\" to hear some opposition politicians calling for an extension to the firebreak after they voted against the policy in the Senedd.", "American Emily Harrington is being celebrated for becoming one of the few women to free-climb Yosemite National Park's famous El Capitan within a day.\n\nShe is also the first woman to have used a challenging route known as the Golden Gate to reach the 3,000ft (1,000m) summit within 24 hours.\n\nThe achievement comes a year after she was sent to hospital after a 150ft fall during an El Capitan climb.\n\nFree-climbers do not use ropes to ascend, but have them for safety.\n\n\"I never believed I could actually free-climb El Cap in a day when I first set the goal for myself,\" the 34-year-old wrote on Instagram.\n\n\"Impossible dreams challenge us to rise above who we are now to see if we can become better versions of ourselves.\"\n\nShe set off with her boyfriend, Mount Everest guide Adrian Ballinger, and renowned climber Alex Honnold, who made history when he scaled El Capitan in 2017 solo and unassisted.\n\nThe trio began their climb at 01:34 on 4 November - just after Election Day in the US. Ms Harrington noted she was caught between her own \"internal drama of achieving a life goal\" and that of the election as they began.\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by emilyaharrington This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nDuring her attempt this year, Ms Harrington fell again - she ended up with a bleeding wound above her eye, but kept pressing on.\n\nShe described it in her post as a \"nasty slip\" that \"almost took [her] resolve\".\n\n\"A deep gash on my forehead left my bloody and defeated. I pulled on again, part of me not really wanting to stay on the wall, the other part gathering courage and flow.\"\n\nPhotographer and climber Jon Glassberg, who was there to document the journey, said in his own post about Ms Harrington: \"I have not seen toughness like this in climbing before and likely won't again.\"\n\nIt used to take weeks for rock climbers to reach the top of El Capitan, even with the aid of a partner and climbing aids.\n\nFew women have accomplished the free climb.\n\nThe first, Lynn Hill, some three decades ago, used the The Nose route.\n\nIn recent years, three people - all men - have managed to climb the granite monolith via the Golden Gate route within a day.\n\nMs Harrington told the San Francisco Chronicle it was important to her to become the first woman to do the same.\n\n\"I spent a lot of years feeling like I didn't belong, like maybe I hadn't earned my place to be a Yosemite climber,\" she told the paper. \"But throughout this experience I learned that there is no belonging or not belonging, no formula to achievement up there.\"\n\nCorrection: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Emily Harrington was the first woman to free-climb El Capitan within a day, information supplied by a news agency. She was in fact the fourth but the first to do so using the Golden Gate route.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Investigations continued at the scene in Summers Street throughout Sunday\n\nA man has been shot dead by a police officer in Swindon.\n\nThe 57-year-old man died just before 03:00 GMT in the shooting in Summers Street, said the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which is investigating.\n\nIt said the shooting happened after Wiltshire Police were called to two men \"arguing in the street\".\n\nThe force said it would be stepping up its presence in the area but added there was no danger to the public.\n\nIn a statement the IOPC said police were called to Summers Street, in the Rodbourne area of Swindon, just after 02:00 GMT.\n\n\"At this early stage it is believed a 57-year-old man has been fatally shot during the police response to reports of two men arguing in the street,\" the statement said.\n\nThe IOPC said the man was confirmed dead in an ambulance at 02:56 GMT.\n\nArmed police were called to the Rodbourne Area of Swindon at about 02:00 GMT\n\nIt said investigators were at the scene and were speaking to officers involved in the incident.\n\nThe IOPC added it was \"mandatory for us to conduct an independent investigation when the police fatally shoot a member of the public\".\n\n\"Our thoughts and sympathies are with all of those affected by this terrible incident,\" it added.\n\nWiltshire Police said it would not be commenting on the incident because of the IOPC investigation.\n\nA spokesman said: \"We would, however, like to reassure the public there is no risk to the wider community and that there is likely to be an increased police presence in the area for a considerable time.\"\n\nThe Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating\n\nFollow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "John Doak admitted manslaughter of his 15-year-old son who died as a teenager\n\nA father who admitted causing the death of his teenage son by shaking him as a baby has been jailed for three years.\n\nJack Mitchell, 15, from Harwich, Essex, died in March 2016 from a pulmonary infection and pneumonia.\n\nHis biological father John Doak, 37, of Spalding, Lincolnshire, had denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Chelmsford Crown Court.\n\nJustice John Cavanagh said only Doak knew what happened as he was alone with the child when the incident happened.\n\nDavid Emanuel, defending Doak, said that according to an expert report \"what probably happened was the loss of control temporarily while trying to stop him crying\".\n\nJustice Cavanagh said Jack suffered severe brain damage, required 24-hour care, was blind and unable to talk, had limited ability to move and had a \"very poor... if non-existent\" quality of life as a result of the assault.\n\n\"The cause of his death was a shaking-type assault that you inflicted on Jack many years previously, on May 22 2001, when he was only four months old.\n\n\"In the intervening period, Jack suffered from brain damage and from other very serious health problems that were the direct result of your assault on him.\n\n\"However, I sentence you on the basis that you did not intend to kill him or to cause him really serious harm.\"\n\nMr Emanuel added that unemployed lorry driver Doak was married with three children and three step-children.\n\nHe said Doak \"grieves for (Jack) every day\" and was otherwise of good character.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Corona Newton used to only have to put up with jokes about beer\n\nCorona Newton has endured jokes about her unusual name for as long as she can remember.\n\nBeer-related nicknames have followed the 49-year-old civil servant since before she was legally able to sup her first pint.\n\n\"People used to call me Guinness and Budweiser,\" she said. \"That I could always laugh off. But this is more frustrating, especially when it gets aggressive.\"\n\nCorona lives in Oldham, which currently has the highest number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in England.\n\nResidents of the Greater Manchester town have endured some of the toughest enhanced lockdown measures for weeks.\n\nCorona said no-one takes her seriously when they discover her Christian name, while she cannot book a table or open an account without staff giving her peculiar looks.\n\n\"People have said to me 'as if I'm going to listen to somebody named after a virus',\" she said.\n\nMum-of-five Corona has even been plagued by \"really nasty\" cold callers, with people just saying things like: \"Is that the virus?\"\n\nWhile driving her daughter to the dentist last week, she picked up a highly abusive phone call from a man who swore at her.\n\nShe said: \"He screamed down the phone at me 'what does it feel like to [do] the world over?'\"\n\nHer name also leads to awkward situations, like at a recent parents' evening when a teacher thought her daughter was being rude by saying Corona.\n\nAccording to the Office for National Statistics, fewer than three girls were named Corona in 2019 and it has not been recorded in the top 100 girls names at any time from 1904-2019.\n\nSo how did Corona come by her unusual moniker?\n\nThe name comes from the Latin word for crown and also means the aura around stars or the moon. It is quite a common Spanish surname but less so as a forename.\n\nGrowing up in Drogheda, a town on the east coast of Ireland, Corona said she stood out for not sounding Catholic despite being named after the missionary midwife who delivered her.\n\n\"My parents couldn't decide between Sarah and Catherine, so they ended up choosing Corona,\" she said.\n\nBefore news bulletins became dominated by the pandemic, Corona said it was much easier to have a sense of humour about her name.\n\n\"I had my hen do in Blackpool not long before lockdown started in March,\" she said.\n\n\"We played 'guess my name' with strangers and no-one managed it, so they all had to buy me shots.\"\n\nDespite Covid-19 scuppering her wedding plans for now, as well as any dreams of a massive 50th birthday party, Corona said 2020 would certainly be a year to remember.\n\n\"In these tough times, if I've brightened someone's day by having a funny name, so be it,\" she said. \"At least no-one will ever forget me.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 GMT.\n\nNew rules for Wales from Monday 9 November\n\nSome disabled people in the UK have found it difficult to obtain essentials such as medication and breathing equipment during the pandemic, research for the BBC suggests. Some 60% of the 1,000 people interviewed reported problems. Charity WellChild said people felt more \"forgotten than they ever have been\", but the minister for disabled people defended the government's record. The YouGov survey was commissioned to mark the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act - see more on how the law came about.\n\nFi Anderson says she only has one remaining ventilator filter, even though it should be changed daily\n\nNorthern Ireland imposed a four-week nationwide lockdown on 17 October. That was due to end on Friday, but it appears that alcohol-only pubs could be kept closed for a further fortnight. The executive is expected to agree a partial reopening of the hospitality sector at meeting later today. Scotland's five-tier system of regional restrictions came into force almost a week ago and is due to be reviewed on Tuesday. England, meanwhile, is beginning the first full week of its second nationwide lockdown.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. From getting your bike repaired to going to the vet, Laura Foster explains the things you're allowed to do this lockdown\n\nThe line-up for this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! has been revealed, but the contestants won't be jetting off to the Australian jungle. The pandemic means the series has been relocated to the ruined Gwrych Castle in Conwy. The stars include Sir Mo Farah, actor Shane Richie and the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire. They won't endure the usual bush-tucker trials but ITV has promised plenty of suffering nonetheless. It'll all kick off next Sunday.\n\nFind more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nPlus, see how the UK marked Remembrance Sunday, despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "The election of Joe Biden leaves Boris Johnson facing a substantial diplomatic repair job. The two men have never met. Last December the president-elect described the prime minister as a \"physical and emotional clone\" of Donald Trump.\n\nThere are people around Mr Biden who remember bitterly how Mr Johnson once suggested President Obama harboured anti-British sentiment because of his part-Kenyan ancestry.\n\nMr Biden and his team think Brexit is an historic mistake. They would not want Britain to leave the EU without a trade deal, particularly if it involved breaking commitments made in the Northern Ireland protocol.\n\nLast month Mr Biden warned publicly in a tweet that a future UK-US trade deal was contingent on the UK not unravelling the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland.\n\nThere is an expectation among many observers that when President Biden seeks to repair transatlantic relationships, he may focus more of his attention on Paris and Berlin than London.\n\nAnd when Mr Biden does turn his attention to the UK, he may put pressure on Mr Johnson to repair its relations with the EU just when the prime minister wants to focus his \"global Britain\" foreign policy elsewhere, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.\n\nSo the government has a lot of work to do to in improving its relations with the incoming administration. That has not been made easier by a reluctance of Conservatives in recent years to meet Democrats when visiting Washington.\n\n\"We just couldn't persuade ministers ever to go and see Democrats on the Hill,\" one diplomatic source told me.\n\nThe foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, did meet the influential Democratic senator Chris Coons in September. The prime minister's foreign affairs adviser, John Bew, has also been cultivating links with those close to Mr Biden. But they are both playing catch-up.\n\nJoe Biden's camp see Boris Johnson as very similar to Donald Trump\n\nThat said, sometimes too much can be made of past comments and personal animus. Mr Biden is considered a pragmatist and under him the United States may well prove a more stable and predictable ally to the UK than was the case in the last four years.\n\nMr Trump's America First policy will be replaced by one that recognises America's place in a multilateral, international system from which the UK benefits. A Biden presidency would renew US support for Nato the World Health Organisation and the World Trade Organisation, all of which are priorities for the UK.\n\nAnd there are issues where Mr Biden's views align significantly with the UK's: being tough on Russia; reviving the Iran nuclear deal; combatting human rights abuses in China and elsewhere; agreeing new carbon emission reduction targets.\n\nNext year's COP26 summit, delayed because of Covid, will attempt to agree coordinated action on climate change\n\nThis last issue is, perhaps, the most important. The UK will want to use its chairmanship next year of the United Nations COP26 climate change summit to forge a bond with the Biden administration, hoping to act as a broker between the US and other countries, especially China, in agreeing a deal.\n\nThe UK will still, of course, come under pressure to support America's confrontation with China, which is held as strongly by Democrats as Republicans.\n\nBut British policymakers hope that under Biden, the US will share a closer position with the UK, one that challenges malign behaviour by China - such as in Hong Kong and Xinjiang - but also engages on global issues such as climate change.\n\nThey also hope to forge a new alliance of liberal democratic countries to counter the influence of autocratic governments around the world.\n\nThe truth, though, is that Mr Biden's priorities will be overwhelmingly domestic - namely fixing America's economy and the Covid crisis. Relations with the UK - including a possible free trade deal - will not be a top priority.\n\nAnd for all Mr Biden's internationalist instincts, there will be no return to America's global interventionism of the past. That means that despite Mr Biden's arrival in the White House, the UK post-Brexit may still have to forge a new role in the world, one that does not automatically slipstream behind US foreign policy.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMinutes after Joe Biden had been declared the next president of the United States, people in Washington, DC began to flood the streets.\n\nStreams of people - banging pans, honking horns, clutching signs - moved to the city's Black Lives Matter Plaza, swarming the barricaded border of the White House to celebrate.\n\nFor hours after the announcement, masked Biden supporters remained to cheer, dance and sing.\n\n\"Everyone is just joyous,\" said DC resident Andrew Jackson, dressed in a shirt covered with photos of Kamala Harris, now the vice-president-elect. \"Look at the atmosphere, it's crazy.\"\n\nThe collective jubilation makes sense here: 93% of voters in Washington this year cast their ballot for the Democratic ticket.\n\nJust beneath the excitement was palpable relief. Every person I spoke to mentioned the anxiety and stress of the past week, and now the exhale knowing that Mr Biden will be president.\n\n\"All the anxiety is gone,\" Mr Jackson said. \"The last four years it felt like we were just stuck under a dark cloud, but that cloud's been lifted.\"\n\nAs much as this relief is a response to the Democrats' win, it seemed to be just as much a reaction to the last four years of President Donald Trump - who still has two months left in office.\n\nFor every sign or t-shirt celebrating Mr Biden or Ms Harris, there was one directed at Mr Trump - mocking the current president and applauding his looming departure. And just as often as a voter would reference Mr Biden, they would mention Mr Trump, and what they described as his divisive, damaging agenda.\n\n\"Everybody's excited to see the back of Trump,\" said Margaret O'Gorman, 54. \"We are in a complete U-turn from where we were.\"\n\nRepairing that division has been an animating theme of Mr Biden's candidacy. He has vowed to be a president for all Americans, to restore the \"soul of America\" and fix the national discord he blames on Mr Trump.\n\nIt might be a tough sell for some 70 million Americans who cast their ballot for Mr Trump this year - roughly eight million more than sent him to the White House in 2016. But for those gathered outside the White House on Saturday, it is a welcome message.\n\nFor some in Washington DC the elation was unconfined\n\nBrandishing a \"Former Republicans for Biden\" sign, Ken Wright said he is confident that the next president will reach across the aisle, and embrace Republican voters. \"Biden is about compromise, Trump was not. I'm very optimistic that Biden's going to do what he's always done.\"\n\n\"I think this atmosphere proves that the country can ease now back into some regularity,\" said Vincent Moten, holding the hand of his partner, Derrick Petit. \"Now that we're here, the idea is what can we do to come together. Let's agree on some baseline stuff - I'm a human, so I should have the rights that you have and then start from there.\n\nFor Anisley Valdas, 32, the key to moving forward is to understand where Trump voters are coming from, \"why people feel angry, why people feel disenfranchised\".\n\nAnisley Valdas said she thinks Joe Biden will be a president for all Americans\n\n\"I think trying to understand people's pain and their suffering is a way to start to get us on the right track,\" she said.\n\nBorn in Cuba, America's political divides cut through her family. In this year's election, Ms Valdas voted for Mr Biden - splitting from her sister, cousins and the majority of Cuban immigrants in her hometown of Miami.\n\nMs Valdas said she was \"angry and disappointed\" that her own family had voted for a candidate who, she said, \"demonstrated such hatred and bigotry\", for people of colour. She hasn't spoken to her sister since learning the results, she said, after an argument this week about the election.\n\nWhen she does, she said, she will tell her that \"Biden is the president for everyone. You just don't know it yet.\"", "Mink are kept in crowded conditions, ideal for spreading a virus\n\nA mutant form of coronavirus found in Denmark has arisen previously in mink, scientists have revealed.\n\nThe mutated virus, which appears to have spread from animals to humans in Denmark, has been detected retrospectively at a mink farm in the Netherlands, according to a leading Dutch expert.\n\nThe mink were culled and the mutated strain did not infect humans, he said.\n\nSix countries have reported coronavirus outbreaks at mink farms.\n\nThey include the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the US.\n\nMink are known to be susceptible to Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, which can spread rapidly from animal to animal in conditions where thousands of animals are kept in close proximity.\n\nThe farmed weasel-like animals have become infected by farm workers during the pandemic, and have occasionally passed the virus on to humans, raising the risk of the virus acquiring mutations.\n\nDanish scientists are worried that genetic changes in a mink-related form of the virus, infecting a dozen people, has the potential to make future vaccines less effective.\n\nThe genetic change is in the spike protein of the virus, which is important in the body's immune response, and a key target for vaccines.\n\nThe Danish government has ordered widespread culling of mink\n\nThe Danish genome sequences were recently released on a public database, allowing scientists in other countries to search for evidence of the mutation.\n\nProf Wim van der Poel, a veterinary expert at Wageningen University, said analysis of genetic data from the Netherlands revealed one previous case of the mutation at a mink farm in early May.\n\nHe told BBC News: \"We have once seen a mutant virus with a comparable mutation in the spike protein encoding region, in mink in the Netherlands, but this mutant did not spread to humans and the mink of the involved farm were culled.\"\n\nThe Netherlands launched a widespread cull of mink after signs, in a small number of cases, that humans had picked up coronavirus from mink.\n\nMink, like their relatives, ferrets, are susceptible to respiratory viruses\n\nThe genetic data from Denmark was released on an international database a few days ago, with some scientists questioning why it had not been released sooner.\n\n\"I think that it is most disappointing that the data have only just reached the light of day,\" said Prof James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge in the UK.\n\nHe said the genetic changes needed careful evaluation, as reports from Denmark suggested an effect on immunity. \"This may be what triggered the enhanced quarantine measures for travellers from Denmark. But far more careful evaluation is urgently needed.\"\n\nMink farming required \"enhanced biosecurity (or suspension) at this time\", he added.\n\nIt is normal for viruses to change over time and accumulate mutations, but experts are particularly concerned when viruses pass between humans and animals.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Scientists believe another pandemic will happen during our lifetime\n\nA number of animals have caught the virus from humans, but mink appear particularly susceptible.\n\nProf Dirk Pfeiffer, of the Royal Veterinary College in London, said while mutations in viruses happen all the time as they spread, the question is whether these change the characteristics of the virus.\n\n\"At this stage, it seems to be that there may be issues with vaccine effectiveness, but this is still unclear,\" he said.\n\nEffective surveillance is needed to detect emergence of new pathogens early, and then have an effective way of responding, he added.\n\nThe European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, an agency of the European Union, has said it will publish risk assessments on the spread of Sars-CoV-2 in mink farms this week.\n\nIt remains to be seen if the Danish mutation in the Sars-CoV-2 virus will be detected in mink farms in other countries. The outbreak of this mutated variant has become known as \"cluster 5\".\n\nIn Sweden, there have been outbreaks at mink farms in the south-east part of the country. Scientists reported that the genetic mutation found in Danish mink had not been detected so far.\n• None What's the science behind mink and coronavirus?", "In small room in the Royal Derby Hospital, there's a table bearing a laminated sign. \"You are not alone,\" it says.\n\nIt continues: \"Kindness will get you through. Embrace the challenge. Look after each other. You are stronger than you think.\"\n\nThis is the \"wobble room\", set aside not for patients but for front-line staff to get them away - briefly - from the intense pressure and strain experienced in the first wave of Covid-19.\n\n\"We made a wobble room because that's what we needed,\" Kelly-Ann Gurney, an intensive-care nurse, told the BBC.\n\n\"It's a room where staff could just go and sit and cry if they needed to and get it all out and then come back and 'put their face on' and get back into it again.\"\n\nNow the second wave is hitting the hospital, and the need for the room is just as great.\n\nConcerns are growing about the physical and mental health of front-line NHS staff. There has been no lull since the April peak of the virus as normal treatments and operations, postponed during the crisis, have returned to hospitals.\n\nThe second wave is now breaking on them, but this time there has been no widespread clearing of beds and cancellations of non-urgent work to create capacity for Covid patients.\n\nTo add to the pressure, winter with all its additional health challenges is not far off, and some staff are wondering whether they can cope.\n\nCaroline Swan, a senior sister and manager of the intensive care unit at the Royal Derby, says she is ready to face what is ahead but feels very tired.\n\n\"I am also very concerned. My staff are very tired and stressed out. We have a lot of sickness either due to burnout or they are unwell.\n\n\"A lot of staff have to self-isolate at home - and that puts a lot of strain on staffing here.\"\n\nDr Magnus Harrison, medical director of the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust, says managing rotas is getting harder due to staff sickness and the need for some to self-isolate if family members are infected.\n\n\"It is worth acknowledging what staff did in the first wave. They behaved tremendously and worked incredibly hard, and we're expecting them to do it again in winter - and Covid numbers could be higher than in the first wave. People are tired out.\"\n\nIntensive care nurse Kelly-Ann Gurney says staff will support each other\n\nThe Royal College of Nursing has said it has \"grave concerns\" about how services will be safely staffed this winter with the NHS in England back at the highest alert level.\n\nIt argues that even with an increase in newly trained nurses and those returning from retirement, there may not be enough staff to cope with the second Covid wave.\n\nSir Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, said at a recent Downing Street media conference that about 30,000 NHS staff were either off with coronavirus or having to self-isolate.\n\nHe added that controlling the spread of the virus in local communities was essential if the NHS was to be fully staffed.\n\nA Department of Health spokesman said it was committed to ensuring the NHS in England had \"the funding and resources it needs, including front-line staff\".\n\nHe added: \"We are on our way to delivering 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament - with already over 14,000 more in the NHS over the last year.\"\n\nDr Greg Fletcher, an intensive-care consultant, has worked at Royal Derby for 12 years. He points to the unprecedented strain of caring for very sick patients in critical-care beds, some of whom will not survive because there is no cure for the coronavirus.\n\n\"I've seen more people die seemingly needlessly or unexpectedly in the last six months than I have seen in the whole of my career. It's been despite trying everything we could to save life. It does take its toll on an emotional and psychological level.\"\n\nStaff at the hospital are encouraged to think about what they are looking forward to\n\nThe mood at the Royal Derby is stoical. Staff know what to expect after their experience of the first wave. But this time the days are shorter and colder, and there is no opportunity to take a break in the sunshine.\n\nKelly-Ann Gurney says \"a lot of staff are struggling\". But she adds: \"We've done it before and we'll do it again. We just have to support each other through it.\"\n\nGreg Fletcher adds that there will be no let-up and no holidays to look forward to.\n\n\"We go into the next few months with a significant degree of trepidation.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Sir Mo Farah, Shane Richie and Victoria Derbyshire are among the stars heading to a Welsh castle to take part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!\n\nThe pandemic means they aren't going to the Australian jungle as usual - this year's series has been relocated to the ruined Gwrych Castle in Abergele.\n\nITV confirmed to the BBC that \"one member of the cast\" had tested positive for Covid-19 and was self-isolating.\n\nThe series will begin next Sunday, 15 November.\n\nSir Mo, Richie and Derbyshire will be joined by actress Beverley Callard, presenter Vernon Kay and former Strictly dancer AJ Pritchard.\n\nEastEnders actress Jessica Plummer, BBC Radio 1 DJ Jordan North, Paralympic champion Hollie Arnold, and author and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher will also be hoping to be crowned the first king or queen of the castle.\n\nA spokesman for ITV would not reveal the name of the contestant who had contracted the virus, but did stress on Monday that the show was in \"robust health\" and operating within the coronavirus guidelines.\n\nGwrych Castle in north Wales will host this year's I'm A Celebrity\n\nWhile they won't face the usual bush tucker trials, ITV has promised that the contestants can still look forward to \"a basic diet of rice and beans and plenty of thrills and surprises\".\n\nPreparations at the 19th Century castle have gone ahead despite the \"firebreak\" lockdown in Wales, which ended on Monday.\n\nThe 2019 launch show was ITV's most-watched programme of the year, seen by more than 13 million people.\n\nShe won her fourth consecutive javelin world title at the 2019 World Para-Athletics Championships a year ago, and won a gold medal at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016. She was appointed an MBE in 2017, and was nominated for BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2019.\n\nBest known as Coronation Street's Liz McDonald, she began playing the ITV soap's leopard skin-loving landlady in 1989. In 2019, she announced that she was leaving the cobbles.\n\nThe BBC journalist won a Bafta for best TV news coverage in 2017, and won the Royal Television Society's network presenter of the year and interview of the year awards in 2018. But her self-titled BBC Two show was axed as part of BBC cuts earlier this year.\n\nWith four Olympic gold medals, he is Britain's most successful Olympic track and field athlete. But his participation in I'm A Celebrity... has raised questions about how the show will affect his preparation for the 10,000m at the rescheduled Tokyo Games next year.\n\nGiovanna Fletcher is an author, presenter and parenting guru, and the wife of McFly star Tom Fletcher. Her books include Happy Mum, Happy Baby: My Adventures in Motherhood, and she also presents The Baby Club at Home on CBeebies.\n\nKay is a former BBC Radio 1 and T4 presenter, as well as the ex-host of ITV shows including All Star Family Fortunes, Beat the Star and Splash! He is married to Tess Daly, co-presenter of I'm A Celebrity's ratings rival Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One.\n\nNorth hosts Radio 1's lunchtime show from Fridays to Sundays, as well as the podcast Help I Sexted My Boss, and previously presented 4Music's Trending Live. He started his broadcasting career as a researcher for fellow campmate Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Radio 5 Live.\n\nPlummer has just left EastEnders after starring as Chantelle Atkins, who was murdered by her abusive husband. Before that, Plummer was a member of girl group Neon Jungle, who had two UK top 10 hits in 2014.\n\nThe dancer joined Strictly in 2016 and was in the show's professional ranks for four years. But in March he announced he was leaving to \"follow his dreams to explore opportunities in the presenting world alongside his brother Curtis\".\n\nHe's been a game show host, West End actor and singer, but Richie is best known for playing the lovable and long-suffering Alfie Moon in EastEnders on and off between 2002 and 2019.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Stock markets have rocketed on hopes of a potential breakthrough in the search for a vaccine against Covid-19.\n\nDrugs firm Pfizer's own shares climbed 9% after it said that preliminary analysis indicated that its coronavirus vaccine was 90% effective.\n\nMarkets, already buoyed after a clear end to the US election, piled on gains. The FTSE 100 jumped nearly 5%.\n\nBut some of the initial optimism appeared to fade by the end of the trading session.\n\nIn the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had jumped 5.6% in opening trade, closed up about 3%. The S&P 500 also retreated from its morning leap, ending just 1.1% higher, short of a new record.\n\nMeanwhile the Nasdaq, where many of the tech firms that have benefited from the lockdowns are listed, fell 1.5%.\n\nThe vaccine hopes revived investor appetite for airlines, hotels, energy firms and others hit hardest by the pandemic, sending shares soaring - in some cases by more than 40%. Firms lifted by the pandemic dived, in contrast, dived.\n\nSuch sizable swings are rare. In the case of the UK, the FTSE 100 added roughly £82bn to the value of its shares in the market's best day since March - and one of the ten largest ever single-day gains for the index.\n\nMarkets are primarily about sentiment - does tomorrow look better than today - and in that regard there has been a radical and probably permanent sea change.\n\nWith more vaccines in development that optimism could grow.\n\nWhat this result demonstrates is that while the virus is not yet beaten it is beatable.\n\nThat ray of light has lit up stock markets around the world.\n\nAs always, some people in the markets are already looking for something else to worry about.\n\nIf we are returning to a semblance of normality in the months ahead, do the US authorities really need a stimulus package as big as the $3tn to $4tn being discussed by the Biden team?\n\nBut for now, the markets, like the rest of us, are enjoying the warm glow of the first significant sentiment boost since the virus started ravaging the world economy.\n\nRuss Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, called it \"very very unusual\", but said that a vaccine was \"one of the things that markets have been waiting for\".\n\nHowever, he told the BBC there were \"still lots and lots of questions around the vaccine\" and it was still too early to say when economies would bounce back or whether the market surge would be sustained.\n\nIn the UK, shares in travel firms - which have been hit hard by the pandemic - saw the biggest rises, with British Airways owner IAG soaring 25%.\n\nElsewhere in the sector, EasyJet shares rose 34%, while aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce surged almost 45%.\n\nAnother sector of the economy that has been hit hard by coronavirus is hospitality - catering firm Compass Group saw its shares rise more than 21%.\n\nUS-listed Royal Caribbean cruises meanwhile were up 29%, while travel booking firm Expedia jumped 24% and Disney climbed almost 12%.\n\nHowever, shares in those companies that have benefitted in the crisis fell sharply given the hopes of a successful vaccine.\n\nDrugmakers have been racing to be the first to develop a successful coronavirus vaccine.\n\nIf Pfizer's vaccine is authorised, the number of doses will be limited initially. Many questions also remain, including how long the vaccine will provide protection.\n\nStock markets had already been rallying in response Saturday's declaration that Joe Biden had won the race to become the next US president.\n\nThe Pfizer announcement then pushed market optimism \"exceedingly high\", but it \"could fade\" said Neil Wilson.\n\n\"We should not be jumping any guns here, but ultimately a vaccine that works effectively would be good for the economy and favours the cyclical parts of the market that we thought were going to struggle,\" he said.\n\n\"It's clear the market is forward looking and pricing in recovery in a number of beaten-down areas next year.\"\n\nRichard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said: \"The Pfizer announcement is not yet a panacea, but adds to investor sentiment which had already been buoyed by the Biden victory, and has sent markets to strongly positive levels.\"\n\nHe noted that airline and related stocks had been rising rapidly, while \"housebuilders, banks and retailers are all in the boat currently being lifted by a rising tide\".\n\n\"It is still early days, and the practicalities point to any meaningful distribution not being available until the first few months of next year,\" he added.\n\n\"Even so, the news is without question a positive development and has certainly captured the imagination of investors.\"", "The BBC projects that Joe Biden has won the race to become US president, defeating Donald Trump following a cliff-hanger vote count after Tuesday's election.\n\nThis was the moment of the BBC News announcement on TV.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid in Scotland: FM says easing of restrictions \"highly unlikely\"\n\nScotland's Covid-19 restrictions are \"highly unlikely\" to be eased when they are reviewed on Tuesday, Nicola Sturgeon has said.\n\nTuesday will mark the first review of local measures under Scotland's new five-level alert system.\n\nThe first minister said the curbs currently in place had undoubtedly had an impact on the spread of the virus.\n\nHowever, she said it was important for this to translate into a \"significant and sustained reduction in cases\".\n\nMs Sturgeon said she \"would not expect areas to go down a level\", and that \"careful judgement\" would be given to whether any councils had to move up a level.\n\nScotland began its new five-level system of coronavirus restrictions on 2 November, with most of the central belt in level three and much of the rest of the country in level two.\n\nThis is due to be reviewed on Tuesday. Ms Sturgeon said decisions would be made by her cabinet in the morning, then announced at Holyrood in the afternoon.\n\nThe first minister said the measures currently in place were \"undoubtedly having a positive impact\" on the spread of the virus, with the increase in cases having \"pretty much levelled off\".\n\nThe number of people in hospital with the virus fell by 19 on Monday, to 1,226, while the number in intensive care dropped by six to 105.\n\nHowever, Ms Sturgeon said there was a \"very real concern\" that overall case numbers were not yet falling.\n\nShe said: \"Although there are positive signs, it's really important we start to see these translate into significant and sustained decline in Covid cases and we cannot be sure we are yet seeing that.\n\n\"So I think it is highly unlikely that we will see any significant easing of restrictions announced tomorrow.\n\n\"We can't afford for cases simply to plateau at their current quite high level - we need them to fall, otherwise we will be badly exposed by any rise in cases as we go further into winter.\"\n\nThere has been speculation that some areas, including Glasgow and Fife, could move up a level in the alert system, while some local leaders in areas like the Borders and Aberdeen have called for their levels to be reduced.\n\nWhen deciding on levels, ministers consider a range of data on case numbers and hospital admissions as well as issues like travel patterns and how closely local areas are interconnected.\n\nMs Sturgeon said: \"It's not just the data on any given day we look at, we have to look at the trend and satisfy ourselves before any area moves down a level that a downward trend has been established and we think it is sustainable.\n\n\"Moving down a level is not a neutral act. It leads to opening up, and that leads to an increase in transmission, so we have to make sure the levels there are low enough to cope with that.\n\n\"I would not anticipate much easing of restrictions when we announce the first review outcome.\n\n\"I would not expect areas to go down a level. We are looking at whether there is a case for any part of the country to go up a level.\n\n\"We want to avoid that, but we have to make careful judgements.\"\n\nAsked specifically about Glasgow - which accounted for 363 out of the 912 new cases registered on Monday - Ms Sturgeon said there had been a \"levelling off\" in cases locally.\n\nHowever, she said ministers had to consider whether the current restrictions \"allow us to continue to move that to a declining position\", or whether \"something more\" had to be done.\n\nMs Sturgeon said she would announce on Tuesday whether the current travel advice barring people from moving in or out of level three areas would be backed up by new laws.\n\nAnd she said she was \"not anticipating\" a return to nation-wide restrictions, although she said she could not rule this out in future.\n\nThe first minister also welcomed \"good news\" about vaccine development, as it emerged that one under development can prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19.\n\nShe said: \"There is a long way to go of course, but this is news that should give us all some tentative hope - and it should give us some motivation to keep our efforts up in the meantime to keep the virus in check.\"\n\nMeanwhile, the government is reviewing the status of anyone licensed to own a mink in Scotland after concerns about a new mutated strain of coronavirus linked to mink farms in Denmark.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Socially-distanced events have taken place across the UK, including at the Cenotaph in London\n\nThe Queen has led the nation in marking Remembrance Sunday, as people around the UK privately paid their respects at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nShe was joined by family members and the PM at the scaled-back service at the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall.\n\nSocial distancing measures were in place and the service was closed off to the public for the first time.\n\nFollowing a two-minute silence, wreaths were laid by Prince Charles, Prince William and the PM, among others.\n\nThe commemorations remember the armed forces community, British and Commonwealth veterans, the allies who fought alongside the UK and the civilian servicemen and women involved in the two world wars and later conflicts.\n\nNormally, Whitehall is packed with thousands of veterans and members of the military for the commemorations, but on Sunday less than 30 veterans were in attendance.\n\nThe Queen, dressed in a black hat and coat, looked on from a balcony at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building, as her son, the Prince of Wales, laid a wreath on her behalf.\n\nOthers who took part in the wreath laying included the Duke of Cambridge, the Princess Royal and Earl of Wessex, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer.\n\nAlso present at the service were former UK prime ministers Theresa May, David Cameron, Tony Blair and Sir John Major.\n\nThe Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Cambridge attended the service\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson was joined by former leaders Theresa May, David Cameron, Tony Blair and Sir John Major\n\nPrince Charles laid a wreath on behalf of the Queen\n\nPrince William was also among those who laid a wreath\n\nIt felt the same on Whitehall this year, but also really quite different.\n\nAt the heart of the ceremony, as ever, was the Cenotaph - the simple stone memorial to the dead of so many conflicts, unveiled a century ago by George V, overlooked on Sunday by the Queen on a Foreign Office balcony.\n\nThere was the familiar and always-moving grandeur of the two-minute silence, the wreath laying, the solemn contemplation of so much sacrifice and loss.\n\nBut missing were the members of the public who normally travel from all over the country to be here, who stand three or four-deep along the barriers that line either side of Whitehall.\n\nMissing too were the great number of military veterans who march past the Cenotaph after the wreath-laying.\n\nThe public and the veterans bring life to this commemoration of loss - they ground this remembrance and make it more personal, more sharply felt.\n\nRemembrance Sunday belongs to those who gave - their lives, their health, their loved ones.\n\nEveryone here in Whitehall will hope that next year will see the public and military veterans return.\n\nMembers of the Royal Navy marched down Whitehall ahead of the Remembrance Sunday service\n\nThe Duke of Sussex, who stepped down as a working member of the Royal Family and now lives in California, was not at the ceremony but spoke about what serving his country means to him.\n\nIn a podcast to mark Remembrance Sunday, Harry, who spent 10 years in the armed forces, said: \"Being able to wear my uniform, being able to stand up in service of one's country, these are amongst the greatest honours there are in life.\n\n\"To me, the uniform is a symbol of something much bigger, it's symbolic of our commitment to protecting our country, as well as protecting our values.\n\n\"These values are put in action through service, and service is what happens in the quiet and in the chaos.\"\n\nGeneral Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, said some veterans might find Remembrance Sunday a lonely experience this year due to the Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nSir Nick told the BBC One's Andrew Marr Show the guidelines would be \"particularly tough on our veterans\", adding: \"They traditionally have had the opportunity to get together and talk about their memories and their reflections, but equally to strut their stuff.\"\n\nUsually, about 10,000 people gather at the Cenotaph in Whitehall for the remembrance service.\n\nBut with the event being closed to the public, the Royal British Legion and Legion Scotland advised people to observe the silence in honour of those who lost their lives in conflicts from their doorsteps.\n\nThe public was also encouraged to share family histories and messages of remembrance online using the hashtag #WeWillRememberThem.\n\nIn Wales, which is also under a national lockdown, outdoor events were permitted up to a maximum of 30 people, although parades were not allowed.\n\nThe national service of remembrance in Cardiff was held with a small number of invited guests present,\n\nTraditional annual remembrance events at local war memorials across Scotland were also cancelled, with outdoor standing events not permitted in areas under Covid levels one, two and three. However, thousands of people observed the two-minute silence on their doorsteps.\n\nRestrictions were also in place in Belfast, with members of the public unable to attend the event at City Hall.\n\nEx-servicemen were among those who paid tribute to the fallen from their own doorstep in Scotland\n\nA national service of remembrance was held at the Welsh National War Memorial, Cathays Park, Cardiff\n\nThe Irish Republic's Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin and Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster laid wreaths in Enniskillen\n\nAbout 10,000 people usually gather for the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph\n\nLegion Scotland asked the public to observe the two-minute silence from their doorsteps\n\nIt comes after Prince Charles paid tribute to the nation's armed forces for standing \"side-by-side\" with frontline NHS staff and key workers during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nSpeaking at Saturday's annual Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall, which was pre-recorded and filmed without an audience, the Prince of Wales said the country had endured \"anxiety and grief not previously experienced in peacetime\".\n\n\"In this challenging year, we have perhaps come to realise that the freedoms for which they fought are more precious than we knew, and that the debt we owe them is even greater than we imagined,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Queen was seen wearing a face mask in public for the first time as she laid the wreath\n\nOn Wednesday at Westminster Abbey, the Queen commemorated the 100th anniversary of the interment of the Unknown Warrior, who represents World War One soldiers whose place of death is not known or whose remains are unidentified.\n\nShe was seen wearing a face mask in public for the first time during the visit.\n\nThe 94-year-old monarch had requested the private pilgrimage after she was advised not to attend the warrior's centenary service next week. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are expected to join this service on 11 November, Armistice Day.\n\nHow will you be marking Remembrance Sunday? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Sjt Deacon Cutterham was presented with his medal at Buckingham Palace in 2012\n\nThe heroic acts that earned a former British soldier a medal have been called into question by some of those who served alongside him, days before he plans to sell his medal collection.\n\nDeacon Cutterham was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for picking up and hurling away a Taliban grenade.\n\nBut some soldiers who served with Mr Cutterham in Helmand province have told BBC News they dispute what happened that day in Afghanistan in 2011.\n\nSome of his former colleagues in the 1st Battalion the Rifles chose to speak to the BBC after reading reports that Mr Cutterham expects his collection of seven medals to fetch up to £120,000 when sold at auction on Thursday.\n\n\"I don't believe he earned that medal and now he might make money from it,\" said one soldier, who added that it was \"abhorrent\" to hold the auction so close to Remembrance Day on 11 November.\n\nAnother said: \"We didn't care if he wanted to tell people how brave he was. What we care about now is him making financial gain from this.\"\n\nMr Cutterham, 37, from Bristol, joined the Army at 16 and served in Iraq and Afghanistan during a 19-year military career.\n\nThe grenade incident happened when, with the 1st Battalion the Rifles, he was leading a patrol in Nahr-e-Saraj District in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan.\n\nDeacon Cutterham has given several interviews about the incident.\n\nIn 2012 he described what happened to the BBC: \"Grenade came over the top. With that I shouted 'grenade' and then advanced on it, picked the grenade up and and then posted it, and it literally went off as soon as I pulled my hand away - and prevented me and my lead scout from getting serious injuries or death.\"\n\nIn other accounts he said the grenade was thrown over a wall and then landed in a ditch: \"I had seen exactly where it had landed but couldn't see it in the stream.\n\n\"I quickly placed my hand in the water to search for it and placed my hand directly on the grenade, shouted to take cover and posted it.\"\n\nThe Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, which is one level down from the Victoria Cross, is awarded in recognition of acts of conspicuous gallantry during active operations.\n\nMr Cutterham's name was put forward by his officers, and their recommendations would have been passed up the chain of command.\n\nThe citation on Mr Cutterham's award reads: \"The action itself was utterly courageous, carried out with composure and clarity of thought.\n\n\"Cutterham's gritty leadership and gallant act saved lives and inspired his men.\"\n\nNo-one disputes that a grenade did go off that day. Everyone on Mr Cutterham's patrol - and back at the patrol base - said they heard an explosion.\n\n\"We believe a grenade was thrown, but it was his,\" one of his former comrades told the BBC.\n\nAnother soldier, who says he carried out an equipment check when the patrol returned to base, claimed: \"There was one grenade missing.\"\n\nThe soldiers the BBC has spoken to also questioned why any member of the Taliban who was close enough to a British army patrol to throw a grenade did not follow up with any further attack.\n\nThey spoke to the BBC on condition that their names not be used because most are still serving soldiers.\n\nOne soldier said: \"He [Mr Cutterham] says he saw someone running away. Nobody else did. Nor was a single shot fired on that patrol.\"\n\nThe BBC has been told by several sources that a drone was flying above the patrol at the time and the video feed showed no sign of enemy activity in the area or any individuals nearby.\n\nThe BBC asked the Ministry of Defence to provide any statements from anyone on the patrol who could back up Mr Cutterham's account, but none were given.\n\nA BBC request to interview someone from the MoD in response to the allegations was turned down, but the ministry said in a statement: \"Acts of courage that warrant an honour or award are rigorously scrutinised before being approved.\n\n\"If serving personnel have a grievance, there is a formal process for them to register their complaint through the chain of command, which would be looked into accordingly.\"\n\nSeveral of the soldiers who spoke to the BBC said they did raise concerns at the time, but were told they were only doing so because they disliked Mr Cutterham.\n\nMost of those who spoke to the BBC have admitted they disliked him.\n\nMr Cutterham did not award himself an honour. It was the decision of his officers to put his name forward. But in this case some soldiers clearly question the process.\n\nOne said: \"If you have a medal it makes you look good; it makes the commanders look good.\"\n\nHe added: \"You have to look to history when it comes to medals, there are witnesses… there's been other people backing up what they've done.\"\n\nThe BBC approached Mr Cutterham for an interview on several occasions. He said in a statement by email: \"I'm extremely disappointed that people are questioning the events of that day. I strongly deny these claims.\"\n\nHe added that the incident had an enormous impact on his life and that he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health issues.", "Bears, like this female brown bear, are fairly common in the Kamchatka peninsula (file photo)\n\nThe Russian Navy has defended the shooting of a mother bear and its cub on a nuclear submarine following outrage among many social media users.\n\nThe navy says there was no other option after the animals climbed onto the vessel moored off the Vilyuchinsk base in the far-eastern Kamchatka region.\n\nIt says a hunting instructor was called in to \"neutralise the wild animals\".\n\nHundreds of social media users accused the navy of unnecessary cruelty after seeing a video of the shooting online.\n\n\"Animals!\" and \"The whole essence of Russia in one video\" were some of the comments.\n\nThe footage was published on 8 November, although it is unclear when the shooting happened.\n\nIn the video, one of the animals is seen falling into the water after apparently being hit by a bullet.\n\nA male voice in the video is heard saying the animals would have gone to local villages had they been driven away.\n\nThe bears, whose species was not disclosed, are believed to have swum across the bay to get onto the submarine for reasons unknown.\n\nThe Kamchatka peninsula is home to about 24,000 bears that can frequently be seen on local beaches.\n\nLast year, more than 50 polar bears descended on a village in Russia's far north.\n\nAll public activities in Ryrkaypiy, Chukotka region, had to be cancelled, and schools were guarded to protect residents from the animals.\n\nConservationists say climate change could be to blame, with weak coastal ice forcing the bears to search for food inland rather than at sea.", "The babies were delivered at 26 weeks and weighed just 27oz and 30oz\n\nA Covid-19 patient whose twins were delivered while she was in an induced coma said she struggled to believe they were hers.\n\nPerpetual Uke, a rheumatology consultant at Birmingham City Hospital, began to feel unwell in late March.\n\nShe was later admitted to a critical care unit, placed on a ventilator and put in an induced coma to help her recover.\n\nHer babies were delivered by caesarean section at 26 weeks on 10 April.\n\nSochika Palmer weighed just 770g (27oz) while her brother, Osinachi Pascal, weighed 850g (30oz).\n\nDr Uke remained in her coma for another 16 days.\n\nThe twins Sochika and Osinachi had progressed well, their mother said - here pictured at 10 weeks old\n\n\"It was really terrifying... every passing day I was hoping my wife was not among those who are dead,\" Dr Uke's husband Matthew said.\n\n\"We are a team, the idea she might not be there was really difficult to accept.\"\n\nWhen Dr Uke regained consciousness, it was the result the family had prayed for, but she said she was suffering \"ICU delirium\" and was \"so confused\".\n\nThe mother-of-four said waking up two weeks after the delivery \"was unbelievable\" and although hospital staff said the twins were hers, she \"didn't believe\" it.\n\n\"When they showed me the pictures, they were so tiny, they didn't look like human beings, I couldn't believe they were mine,\" she said.\n\nThe twins were discharged after spending 116 days in hospital and are \"getting better as the days go by,\" Dr Uke said.\n\n\"I had never wanted them to go through this difficult path at the start of their lives. They couldn't see their mum for two weeks, which obviously made me very sad but, importantly, things had progressed well.\"\n\nPerpetual Uke with her four children and husband Matthew\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Governments across the UK face a \"difficult balance\" in easing Covid-19 restrictions for Christmas, Scotland's first minister has warned.\n\nNicola Sturgeon took part in UK-wide talks on Wednesday as part of efforts to find a \"sensible and safe plan\" to lift restrictions.\n\nMs Sturgeon said she hoped to be able to announce further details next week.\n\nBut she said it was important to ensure it did not cause a spike in the number of cases - and deaths - in January.\n\nAbout 2.3m people in western and central Scotland are to be subject to the top level of Covid restrictions from 18:00 on Friday in a bid to drive down \"stubbornly high\" levels of the virus ahead of the festive period.\n\nA survey for BBC Scotland has suggested that many Scots are happy for the government to set \"strict rules\" to contain the pandemic, but that a majority would also like a break from them over the festive period.\n\nTalks have been held between leaders in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland to agree a \"common approach\" to relaxing restrictions to allow family get-togethers.\n\nMs Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament on Friday that reducing the number of people who have the virus by Christmas would obviously lower the risk of it being transmitted to others.\n\nAt her weekly question session, Ms Sturgeon said officials had been tasked with drawing up a \"sensible and safe plan to allow people a greater degree of normality over Christmas\", and said she would announce further details next week.\n\nHowever, she said a balance had to be struck between allowing people some leeway to celebrate together, while avoiding a major spike in the number of cases.\n\nShe said: \"We are determined to strike the right balance between the understandable desire - which I share - to see family over the Christmas period, but also to do that in a way that does not lead to increased loss of life and harm to health over January.\"\n\nThis echoed a warning from one scientist who advises the government, Prof Andrew Hayward, who said mixing households at Christmas could pose \"substantial risks\" to older and more vulnerable people.\n\nScottish Conservative group leader Ruth Davidson pressed Ms Sturgeon for details, asking if \"the current restrictions are the price for a relaxation this Christmas\", or \"if we have to start preparing ourselves now for a January shutdown too\".\n\nMs Sturgeon said it was important to drive down prevalence of the virus in advance of any easing of the rules, saying this would lower the risk of infections spreading when people are allowed to meet.\n\nShe added: \"I don't underestimate what a difficult balance this will be for all of us to strike. I want people to have a degree of normality over Christmas, but I don't want to be in a position of the country having to live with a death toll that could have been avoidable if we get that balance wrong.\"\n\nThe first minister also said the government was working to provide extra support to older people and \"anyone who is on their own\" through winter, and was considering a specific \"loneliness campaign\".\n\nNew laws restricting travel in many areas of Scotland are due to come into force on Friday\n\nMeanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard urged the first minister to drop plans to enforce travel restrictions in law.\n\nFrom 18:00 on Friday the police will be able to impose fines on people who travel in or out of areas which are in level three or four without a reasonable excuse.\n\nMr Leonard said the move was a \"red herring\" which would confuse and potentially criminalise people.\n\nHe said the government should instead focus on properly resourcing the testing and tracing system and providing comprehensive support for health workers and businesses.\n\nMs Sturgeon said the rules and exemptions had been published on the Scottish government website, adding that it was \"absolutely incumbent\" on her to \"do the right thing\" even if it was not popular.\n\nShe said \"a significant proportion\" of the population was moving into the highest level of restrictions, and said \"we must avoid taking the virus from high prevalence areas to low prevalence ones\".", "Apple will pay $113m (£85m) to settle allegations that it slowed down older iPhones.\n\nThirty-three US states claimed that Apple had done this to drive users into buying new devices.\n\nMillions of people were affected when the models of iPhone 6 and 7 and SE were slowed down in 2016 in a scandal that was dubbed batterygate.\n\nApple declined to comment, however, it has previously said the phones were slowed to preserve ageing battery life.\n\nThe deal is separate from a proposed settlement Apple reached in March to pay affected iPhone owners up to $500m in a class action lawsuit.\n\nIn 2016 Apple updated software on models of the iPhone 6, 7 and SE - which throttled chip speeds on aging phones.\n\nApple acknowledged its update reduced power demands after researchers found unusual slowdowns in 2017.\n\nThe states argued that Apple had acted deceptively and should have replaced batteries or disclosed the issue.\n\nAccording to an Arizona filing, millions of users were affected by power shutoffs.\n\nApple denies that the slowdown was for financial gain.\n\nBut Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich wrote in a court document made public on Wednesday: \"Many consumers decided that the only way to get improved performance was to purchase a newer-model iPhone from Apple.\n\n\"Apple, of course, fully understood such effects on sales.\"\n\nUnder the settlement, Apple did not admit to any wrongdoing or breaking any law.\n\nThe tech titan also agreed for the next three years to provide \"truthful information\" about iPhone power management across its website, software update notes and iPhone settings.\n\nThe settlement comes after a series of other allegations against Apple.\n\nIt is currently locked in a legal battle with Epic Games - amid accusations the iPhone-maker uses its stranglehold over its App Store to unfairly charge developers.", "The move to fund free school meals will cost more than £40m\n\nThe Department of Education (DE) will pay for free school meals for eligible children during all school holidays until April 2022.\n\nThe move has been approved by the Northern Ireland executive and will cost more than £40m.\n\nIt means the families of approximately 100,000 children will receive payments when children are off school.\n\nEducation Minister Peter Weir said the payments would begin during the Christmas break in 2020.\n\nFootballer Marcus Rashford has led calls for similar support to be provided during holiday periods in England.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, payments to those eligible for free school meals were previously made over the summer and half-term holidays in 2020.\n\nFamilies of about 97,000 children received payments of £27 every fortnight per child in lieu of free meals.\n\nThose families will now receive a similar two week payment from the week beginning Monday 14 December.\n\nThose payments will continue over the half-term, Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021 and until Easter 2022.\n\nMr Weir said he welcomed the decision the Executive had taken to support the department's proposal.\n\n\"This is very good news, especially for those families who are struggling financially during this pandemic,\" he said.\n\n\"The issue of 'holiday hunger' has become an increasing concern this year.\n\nPeter Weir says access to a health nutritious meal should be \"a basic right for all children\"\n\n\"I realise the vital importance for children who normally receive a free school meal to have access to a nutritious meal without placing their family under further hardship in these difficult times.\n\n\"Access to a healthy nutritious meal should be a basic right for all children and it is vital that we continue this support to ensure children and young people come back to school after holiday periods, healthy and ready to learn.\n\n\"Their future depends on it,\" he added.\n\nThe decision was welcomed by the Children in Northern Ireland charity.\n\nTheir chief executive Pauline Leeson said the executive had taken a \"courageous\" decision.\n\n\"This is a major step for every parent who struggles to find the money for meals outside term time, every child and young person who might otherwise go hungry and for every organisation who has stepped up and provided holiday hunger projects,\" she said.", "Military helicopters were deployed to support the NHS as part of the coronavirus response\n\nMPs have accused the Ministry of Defence of a \"lamentable\" failure to properly fund new military equipment required for the armed forces.\n\nThe Public Accounts Committee said it was \"extremely frustrated\" that the MoD had still not made the hard choices needed to plug a £13bn funding gap.\n\nThe warning comes ahead of a government review which is expected to overhaul defence procurement.\n\nThe MoD said it was committed to securing the best equipment.\n\nIn a highly critical report, the Public Accounts Committee - which examines public spending - expressed \"extreme\" frustration that \"we see the same problems year after year\".\n\nThe MPs accused the MoD of failing to make the \"hard choices\" necessary to plug a gap of up to £13bn pounds in the current equipment programme.\n\n\"The government has still not taken the strategic decisions required to establish an affordable equipment plan and deliver the crucial military capabilities needed by our armed forces.\n\n\"The department's lamentable failure to get a grip on the equipment plan continues, despite this committee and the NAO [National Audit Office] consistently highlighting serious affordability issues in the plan year after year.\"\n\nCommittee chair Meg Hillier said: \"The MoD knows what it's getting wrong. We know what it's getting wrong.\n\n\"For years, we have made concrete proposals to improve delivery of key strategic priorities and here we are again, with the same gaps in our national defence and the same risk to our armed forces personnel, year after year.\"\n\nConservative MP Mark Francois recently warned General Sir Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff, that he should \"nip back to the department and ask them to sort their bloody selves out, because if not, Cummings is going to come down there and sort you out his own way, and you won't like it.\"\n\nThe prime minister's chief advisor, Dominic Cummings has been a harsh critic of defence procurement in the past.\n\nThe government has said its new integrated defence and security review - due to be completed next year - would seek \"innovative ways\" to promote UK interests while committing to spending targets.\n\nA Ministry of Defence spokesman said: \"As the committee acknowledges, managing complex defence programmes can be challenging and we continue to reduce the gap between our budget and predicted costs, achieving £7.8 billion of efficiency savings last year and securing an extra £2.2 billion for defence.\"", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday evening. We'll have another update for you on Friday morning.\n\nThe government has announced £300m of emergency funding for sports impacted by the absence of spectators because of coronavirus. Both rugby codes and horse racing are among the beneficiaries - but not clubs in football's Premier League nor the English Football League.\n\nFashion chains Peacocks and Jaeger have fallen into administration after suffering \"the well-known challenges that many retailers face at present\". Joint administrator Tony Wright said there were \"advanced discussions with a number of parties\" about taking on the troubled brands, which together employ more than 4,700 people across 500 stores.\n\nPost-Brexit trade talks have been suspended after a member of the EU team tested positive for Covid-19. The EU's Michel Barnier said his UK counterpart Lord David Frost had agreed to stop negotiations between them for a \"short period\". Both sides are locked in talks as the clock counts down to a December deadline.\n\nJack, 28, ended a six-year relationship in the summer and is back dating again. But dating now is very different to what it was pre-Covid. So, who better to chat to than someone who's seen more good - and bad - dates than most of us? First Dates' Cici Coleman gives her advice.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nAnd we've had a look at seven things that might be different this Christmas.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "The government has announced a rescue package of £300m of emergency funding for sports in England impacted by the absence of spectators because of coronavirus.\n\nBoth rugby codes and horse racing are among the beneficiaries, but not clubs in football's Premier League or the English Football League.\n\nCricket was not on the initial list.\n\nDCMS minister Oliver Dowden told BBC Sport it is \"the most generous single package of any country in the world\".\n\nSpeaking to BBC sports editor Dan Roan, Dowden added that the package is \"essential\" to the sport sector and provides a \"lot of support\".\n\nWhen asked if it was enough to prevent clubs and competitions folding, he said the package is \"evidence-based\" and reflects the numbers provided by each sport to help them through a \"difficult winter\".\n• None Northern Ireland elite sport to go behind closed doors\n\nThe government said the Sports Winter Survival Package, which will be largely composed of low-interest loans, will support rugby union, horse racing, women's football and the lower tiers of the National League. It added that rugby league, motorsport, tennis, netball, basketball, ice hockey, badminton and greyhound racing were also in line to benefit.\n\nIn July, the government announced a £1.57bn support package for Britain's arts industry.\n\n\"It's worth remembering we have provided well over £1bn to sports already through things like the job retention scheme and various loan facilities,\" said Dowden.\n\n\"This is a very specific thing - sports, and mainly winter sports, were expecting to have fans in stadiums and didn't, we said we'd help them out.\"\n\nSports minister Nigel Huddleston added that grants would be available where organisations were unable to repay loans. He also said \"the door was open\" to any sport requiring funding, including cricket which was not on the initial list.\n\nThe money available is for sports in England, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland responsible for their own budgets.\n\nThe Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) statement added: \"Preliminary allocations have been made on a needs-based assessment process and reflect the submissions made from the individual sports, and the funding process will be overseen by an independent decision-making board and supported by Sport England.\"\n\nIt said the first tranche of funding will be distributed in the coming weeks.\n\nNote: The final amount received by each sport/organisation may differ from the amounts set out when final decisions are made by an independent decision-making board, and supported by Sport England.\n\nThe Football Association welcomed the announcement and said it would \"await further detail of the eligibility, application process and timelines from Sport England\" before it was able to advise leagues and clubs.\n\n\"A number of clubs from across the football pyramid have been greatly affected by the pandemic and this financial package will provide vital assistance for them during this challenging period,\" the FA statement said.\n\nChief executive officer Bill Sweeney said the Rugby Football Union was grateful for the \"much-needed support\" and that the organisation would work with the government to find the \"appropriate balance between loans and grants\" for the different areas of the sport.\n\nBoxing did not receive any funding and Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell said the sport has to \"come together to fight this\" and \"get the funding it needs to survive at all levels\".\n\n\"We would welcome the opportunity to have a grown-up conversation with someone involved in the decision making of this to see how we can get financial help for boxing and hopefully move the sport up the pecking order,\" he added.\n\nBBC Radio 5 Live boxing analyst Steve Bunce said the sport \"expected\" and \"deserved\" £2m-4m of funding and missing out means \"thousands of boxers denied, hundreds of gyms left struggling\".\n\nKat Ratnapala, director of netball at Saracens Mavericks, told BBC Radio 5 Live that the funding would help her club compete in next season's Superleague, starting in February.\n\n\"It's been a tough year for us, financially, to make ends meet,\" she said. \"We set up a funding page just so we could come through the first Covid lockdown. It's a loan and we need to pay that back eventually.\n\n\"We're definitely not out of the woods, but it's a bit of breathing room so that we can get back on to court at least and get a full season under our belts.\"\n\nAdrian Christy, Badminton England's chief executive, said the funding could help stave off the threat of job losses in the organisation.\n\n\"Since the start of the pandemic, Badminton England has lost more than £2.2m in income,\" he told BBC Radio 5 Live. \"The £2m award will help significantly towards closing the gap.\n\n\"It ensures the Yonex All-England Championships can take place - it's the biggest event on the world tour and a qualification event for the Olympics.\n\n\"The operation of the organisation also needs the support with 25% of our staff at risk of redundancy - we hope we can save some jobs as a direct consequence. And also, we repurposed Sport England's money from the outset for our survival. That money was taken away from the grassroots.\"\n\nBritish Horseracing Authority chief executive Nick Rust praised members of his team for presenting their case to government and officials.\n\n\"The support for racing recognises the sport's position as the second biggest spectator sport in the UK and the financial peril faced by the tens of thousands who depend upon racing for their livelihoods,\" he said.\n\n\"The BHA team work tirelessly to protect the interests of racing. While advancing the case for financial support, they have also helped to ensure the sport continues behind closed doors, with owners present, and supported the efforts to get spectators back. I am very proud of all they are achieving.\"\n\nSwimming missed out on the funding and Swim England chief executive Jane Nickerson stressed aquatic sports are also \"fighting for survival\" and need to be supported.\n\n\"It's encouraging to see support being provided for those organisations who have lost their major spectator income - now what I would like to see is any further government investment focused on sports that have missed out on this package but have also been severely impacted by coronavirus restrictions,\" she said.\n\n\"While we may not be classed as a major spectator sport, swimming is one of the biggest participation sports with 14 million adults swimming in 2019.\"\n• None See the scale of the problem in the game", "The rheumatoid arthritis drugs tocilizumab appears to treat people who are critically ill with Covid-19, early trial data shows.\n\nThe researchers in the UK and the Netherlands said it was \"an absolutely amazing result\".\n\nThe drug is no longer being trialled as the researchers are so confident in the data, but the precise effect on survival is still being calculated.\n\nOther experts have urged caution until the full data is released.\n\nTocilizumab targets the immune system, which goes into overdrive in some patients with coronavirus. It is this reaction, rather than the virus itself, which can be deadly.\n\nThe trial was run by Imperial College London, the UK's Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre, and Utrecht University. It focused on the most severely ill patients, who needed to be put on a ventilator.\n\nTrials of the drug were stopped two days ago as independent monitors said there was enough evidence, from the first 303 patients, to show it was working.\n\nHowever, interpreting the results is complex.\n\nThey show an improvement in \"outcomes\", but this is a statistical conflation of other measures such as survival rates and time in intensive care. Doctors know the drug is doing something, but it will take time to know whether it is saving lives or just speeding up recovery.\n\n\"We don't know that yet, we are hopeful it does both,\" said Prof Anthony Gordon from Imperial.\n\nHowever, he said it was \"very encouraging\", a \"big result\", and that tocilizumab could \"become the standard of care\".\n\nIt will still take weeks to properly assess the data, which has not yet been formally published.\n\nThe treatment costs between £500 and £1,000 and is given intravenously.\n\nSteroids, including dexamethasone, are the only drugs proven to be save lives from Covid-19 and they tend to calm the whole of the immune system. Tocilizumab targets specific parts within that complex system.\n\nThe researchers hope they have found another.\n\nDr Lennie Derde, an intensive care consultant at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, said: \"This is an absolutely amazing result.\n\n\"To have a second effective therapy for critically ill patients within months of the start of the pandemic is unprecedented.\"\n\nHowever, other experts have urged caution until the final results are analysed, as previous studies have given a mixed picture.\n\nProf Peter Horby, who was part of the team at the University of Oxford that showed dexamethasone was protective, said: \"This is an encouraging result which suggests that other, more targeted, anti-inflammatory drugs may also help.\n\n\"The results so far on tocilizumab have been mixed, with four randomised controlled trials having reported results, of which two were negative and two were positive... I eagerly look forward to seeing the full results.\"", "Kapoor and Himid won the Turner Prize in 1991 and 2017 respectively\n\nSigned prints by Sir Anish Kapoor and others are being offered as rewards to people who donate to a fund to help coronavirus-hit museums.\n\nLubaina Himid and Michael Landy prints can also be claimed by those who donate to the Art Fund's Together For Museums crowd funding appeal.\n\nRewards include a set of David Shrigley tea towels for a donation of £25.\n\nHigher up the scale, donors who contribute £4,000 can receive a limited edition Kapoor print.\n\nA £100 donation will earn a print of Landy's Look Around logo, while a signed Himid print will set you back £500.\n\nThe appeal hopes to raise £1m for UK museums and galleries facing financial problems due to the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nSir Anish is offering limited edition prints of his 2019 work Omo\n\nThe Art Fund charity has already distributed £2.25m in \"Respond and Reimagine\" grants to help institutions cope.\n\nLast month it decided to split its £200,000 Museum of the Year prize five ways, rather than give it to a single recipient.\n\nAccording to the Art Fund's own research, six out of every 10 museums are worried about their survival.\n\nMore than 60% of workers in the sector fear for their jobs, while only a third of closed museums expect to reopen in the coming months.\n\nNine out of 10 institutions say that they will need to adapt and innovate in order to survive the virus and its aftermath.\n\nMore than 200 museums, galleries and historic houses took part in the survey, conducted this month by market research agency Opinium.\n\nHill said he often visits museums when he is performing around the country\n\nHarry Hill may seem an unlikely advocate for visiting museums. Yet the comedian says such institutions provide a much-needed \"mental workout\".\n\n\"If I'm ever stuck for an idea, or just not in a particularly sunny mood, I'll go to an art gallery or a museum, because museums are full of ideas,\" he told the PA news agency.\n\n\"Museums, on the whole, don't close,\" he said. \"But we're in this bizarre situation where perhaps half of them are faced with closure if they don't get some sort of bailout.\n\n\"When this pandemic is over, the last thing we want is for none of these places to be open. We're not going to go abroad and we'll want something to do.\"\n\nOver the last six months the Art Fund received funding applications from more than 450 organisations amounting to more than £16.9m.\n\nThe Postal Museum in London, the Roald Dahl Museum in Buckinghamshire and Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art are among the institutions to benefit from its latest round of grants.\n\nArt lovers can claim a print of Michael Landy's Look Around for a £100 donation\n\nArt Fund director Jenny Waldman said the \"innovative\" ideas put forward by museums had been \"hugely inspiring\" and that it had been \"heartbreaking\" not to be able to support them all.\n\n\"We are urging everyone who loves and uses museums to come together now to help so many more museums thrive,\" she continued.\n\nMuseums and galleries also have the option of applying for money from the £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund that the government unveiled in July.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Many staff members reported working over their contracted hours\n\nMaternity services inspectors raised concerns about staffing levels, emergency equipment and training before the Covid pandemic, a report has found.\n\nHealthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) visited 25 maternity units between July 2019 and January 2020 as part of a national review.\n\nIt found the quality of care was generally good, with the majority of women having positive experiences.\n\nBut some \"areas for improvement\" were also identified.\n\nInspectors sought immediate improvements around the checking of neonatal and emergency equipment as well as medical emergency arrangements, the security of newborn babies and the management of medicines.\n\nThe report comes after serious failings were found at Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board which resulted in maternity services at hospitals in Merthyr Tydfil and Llantrisant being placed in special measures last year.\n\nBut the HIW inspections found services across Wales were \"safe and effective and that's a really nice thing to be able to say,\" said Alun Jones, interim chief executive.\n\n\"Of course there's no room for complacency there and we did find some areas for improvement as well.\"\n\nThe Welsh Government said: \"We are pleased that the report recognises the commitment and dedication of staff working within maternity services throughout Wales.\n\n\"We welcome the report by HIW and will give careful consideration to its recommendations.\"\n\nInspectors surveyed 122 patients during their visits to maternity wards across Wales\n\nIn the Aneurin Bevan, Cardiff and Vale, Cwm Taf Morgannwg and Hywel Dda health boards, inspections revealed inconsistencies in the way temperatures were monitored and recorded for medication fridges.\n\nStaff were not always clear on their roles and some were unable to clearly explain why the information was recorded, and what they should do if the temperatures fell outside of manufacturer's recommendations.\n\nThe inspections also found issues with the prescribing and administering of medication during labour, with particular concerns in Betsi Cadwaladr and Cwm Taf Morgannwg.\n\nThose concerns were dealt with and resolved, but HIW said it was an issue all health boards should consider.\n\nHIW received more than 3,300 responses from women and their families as part of the review and also surveyed 122 patients during their inspections.\n\nWorkers were also surveyed and raised concerns about staffing levels, with 40% saying there were \"always\" or \"usually\" enough staff for them to do their job properly.\n\nMany staff reported working in excess of their contracted hours and there were also worries about using temporary staff during shortages and the impact on continuity of care.\n\nHIW found some units did not monitor the number of hours individual staff members were working, and did not take steps to ensure staff had adequate rest time between shifts.\n\nLess than half of respondents agreed their job was good for their health.\n\nHIW said health boards across south Wales had the most negative comments about staffing ratios.\n\n\"Whilst we found that the staff working across Wales were very much committed and striving to provide a high quality service, there were lots of examples where we were told by staff that they were under pressure,\" said Mr Jones.\n\n\"There was a sense that the sustainability of some services was a challenge so we made a number of recommendations to health boards to think about workforce planning.\"\n\nThe second phase of HIW's national review is due to begin before the end of the year.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Father Christmas has some tips on how to have a safe Christmas\n\nThe four UK governments have announced their plans to enable families to celebrate Christmas together.\n\nSo how is the festive period likely to be different this year?\n\nThe governments of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have agreed a common approach allowing up to three households to form a Christmas bubble and meet up from 23 to 27 December (22 to 28 December in Northern Ireland).\n\nPeople can mix in homes, places of worship and outdoor spaces, and travel restrictions will also be eased.\n\nHowever, a Christmas bubble must be exclusive, so people cannot swap between them. Bubble members also will not be able to visit pubs or restaurants together.\n\nThere will be no limit to the number of people in a household joining a bubble in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nBut the Scottish government has said that Christmas bubbles should contain no more than eight people. Children under 12 will not count in the total.\n\nFears that a lack of skilled overseas workers on poultry farms could hit the supply of turkeys have been overcome after travel rules were relaxed so they could travel to the UK.\n\nBut many people are buying smaller turkeys than usual because they are likely to have fewer guests.\n\nAn Aberdeenshire farmer has warned many birds could go to waste, while a farm in Wales cut its turkey numbers by 20% in September.\n\nAny turkey shortage may make some people consider a vegetarian or vegan meal instead.\n\nThis year's work celebrations seem certain to take place on Zoom and other online platforms.\n\nRules on big groups meeting up in pubs or anywhere outdoors are very unlikely to be eased in December, so seeing friends for a pre-Christmas drink or meal will probably not be allowed.\n\nCurrent rules for socialising outside your household/support bubble/extended household are:\n\nAt the moment, it is not known what will happen about traditional Christmas religious services like midnight Mass.\n\nFrom 2 December in England, places of worship will reopen for communal prayer.\n\nUp to 50 people can attend indoor services in Scotland in levels zero to three areas, but only up to 20 in level four places.\n\nPlaces of worship have reopened in Wales, but with social distancing in place and communal singing banned.\n\nThey are also open in Northern Ireland with no limit on numbers if safety measures are in place. Weddings, civil ceremonies and funerals can happen, but only 25 people. can attend\n\nWhile in-person shopping in non-food shops can currently happen in all of the UK except England, online retailers are expecting a big surge in demand this year.\n\nIn September, shoppers were warned by an industry boss to buy as early as possible.\n\nAndy Mulcahy, from the online businesses' industry body, told the BBC: \"At this point, I think we can expect an increase of at least 30% for the peak festive trading season, but if stores have to close this might push to 50%.\"\n\nLast posting dates inside the UK range from 18 to 23 December, while we have already passed some international dates.\n\nTheatres in England can reopen on 2 December, and plans have been made for some Christmas pantomimes.\n\nWhile many venues and production companies have cancelled their shows, others are going ahead thanks to National Lottery backing.\n\nOne is at the London Palladium, where the Lottery will buy seats that cannot be used because of social distancing. It will also donate 20,000 free tickets to Lottery players.\n\nMeanwhile a drive-in show - the Car Park Panto - will tour Great Britain with audience members watching from inside their cars.\n\nTheatres in Scotland are closed in level two, three and four areas, throughout Wales, and to audiences in Northern Ireland, where they can open for rehearsals or a live recording.\n\nThe Christmas relaxation of meeting up rules does not extend to New Year's Eve, so that is likely to be a quiet affair this year, with house parties banned in most places.", "Boris Johnson used video link for this week's Prime Minister's Questions Image caption: Boris Johnson used video link for this week's Prime Minister's Questions\n\nPlans to allow MPs who are shielding to take part in House of Commons debates via video link have been criticised for not going far enough.\n\nThe influential cross party Procedure Committee is calling on the government to allow all MPs to take part in debates virtually during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nAt the moment, MPs can ask questions and respond to statements virtually but they are not allowed to speak during debates on legislation, or anything else, unless they are physically present in the Commons chamber.\n\nOn Monday the Leader of the Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg said the government planned to allow only MPs who are clinically vulnerable to take part in debates until the end of March.\n\nDuring a short debate, the Conservative chair of the Procedure Committee Karen Bradley said his \"refusal to listen\" to the \"views of the House\" was \"indefensible\".\n\nShe said the public would be \"baffled by a situation where the prime minister can answer Prime Minister's Questions virtually yesterday and and make a statement to the House virtually today, but cannot then take part in a debate until he has finished self isolating\".\n\n\"This is an utterly farcical situation,\" she said.", "The Challenger 2 tank has not been upgraded since 1998\n\nUK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has quashed speculation that the Army will mothball all its tanks.\n\nLast month, the Times reported military chiefs were considering the idea, under plans to modernise the armed forces.\n\nBut Mr Wallace told the BBC \"the idea that tanks won't be there for the Army, upgraded and modernised, is wrong\".\n\nHowever, he admitted a government review would mean \"letting go\" of some military equipment to invest in cyber, space and other new technologies.\n\nSpeaking on a visit to the Middle East, Mr Wallace said there would be a shift to forward-deploy British military forces around the world to protect UK interests and its allies.\n\nMr Wallace said a joint squadron of RAF and Qatar Typhoon jets would be based in Qatar for football's 2022 World Cup.\n\nHe announced a £23.8m investment in a UK logistics hub in the Port of Duqm to support more British army training in Oman, and which could be used to base the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers.\n\nHe also confirmed that RAF jets would continue to target the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, with 23 strikes against extremist targets since March 2020.\n\nLast month, the Times reported on plans to mothball the Army's ageing 227 Challenger tanks as part of the government's integrated defence and security review - described as the most important defence review since the end of the Cold War.\n\nMr Wallace confirmed the review would mean \"letting go of some equipment that isn't serving any purpose or overmatched by adversaries\".\n\nHe said that would mean investing in new equipment for the RAF, Royal Navy and the Army. But he signalled that any cuts would not be as dramatic as some have reported.\n\nThat still leaves open the possibility of a reduction in the number of tanks. But Mr Wallace said that getting rid of all of them was not going to happen.\n\n\"We're going to make sure we have an armed forces fit for the 21st Century and meets our obligations to Nato and elsewhere…\n\n\"We are not scrapping all the British army's tanks and we will make sure the ones we maintain are up to date, lethal and defendable.\"\n\nMr Wallace said Britain also needed to meet the threat of long-range artillery and drones, which have recently been used by Russia against Ukraine to destroy its heavy armour.\n\nBen Wallace said his first duty was to make sure he delivered up-to-date equipment\n\nThe new port facilities at Duqm will triple the size of the existing UK base in Oman. They will also be used for British army training in Oman.\n\nThere's been speculation that the Army could switch its training for tanks from Canada to the Gulf state.\n\nWhile in Qatar, Mr Wallace also visited the US-led coalition headquarters co-ordinating the air campaign against the group calling itself the Islamic State.\n\nDespite IS losing most of its territory in Iraq and Syria, Mr Wallace said the threat was \"not going to go away\".", "Twenty-one people were killed in two blasts on 21 November 1974\n\nA man arrested in connection with the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings which killed 21 people is reported to be Michael Patrick Reilly.\n\nThe blasts at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pubs on the night of 21 November also injured 220 people.\n\nPolice said a man, 65, was held at his Belfast home on Wednesday under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and would be questioned in Northern Ireland.\n\nMr Reilly has strongly denied any involvement in the bombings.\n\nInquests into the deaths of those killed in the bombings found they were unlawfully killed\n\nWest Midlands Police added the address was being searched and the man was to be interviewed under caution at a police station.\n\nFresh inquests last year ruled the victims were unlawfully killed, but did not establish who was responsible.\n\nSix men, who became known as the Birmingham Six, were wrongly jailed for the bombings in 1975 following a botched police investigation, but their convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal in 1991.\n\nSaturday marks the 46th anniversary of the bombings and the arrest comes within a month of an announcement from Home Secretary Priti Patel that she would consider the case for a public inquiry into the attacks.\n\nFollow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Price comparison site ComparetheMarket has been fined £17.9m by the competition watchdog for keeping home insurance costs artificially high.\n\nThe Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that over a two-year period the firm's contracts stopped insurers advertising more cheaply elsewhere.\n\nIt meant getting the cheapest possible deal was not as \"simples\" for consumers as the company's adverts suggest.\n\nBut the firm hit out at the ruling, saying it \"fundamentally\" disagreed.\n\nThe CMA said clauses in contracts between December 2015 and December 2017 prohibited home insurers from offering lower prices on other comparison websites, and prevented these other platforms from expanding.\n\nThe competition watchdog found that this was likely to have resulted in higher insurance premiums for consumers.\n\nBut, in a strongly-worded statement, ComparetheMarket - part of the BGL Group - said it was disappointed with the CMA's decision and did not recognise its analysis of the market.\n\n\"We fundamentally disagree with the conclusions the CMA has drawn and will be carefully examining the detailed rationale behind the decision and considering all of our options.\" a spokesman said.\n\nComparetheMarket is one of the UK's biggest price comparison websites and well-known for its adverts featuring meerkat puppets and their \"simples\" catchphrase.\n\n\"Price comparison websites are excellent for consumers. They promote competition between providers, offer choice for customers, and make it easier for consumers to find the best bargains,\" said Michael Grenfell, executive director of enforcement at the CMA.\n\n\"It is therefore unacceptable that ComparetheMarket, which has been the largest price comparison site for home insurance for several years, used clauses in its contracts that restricted home insurers from offering bigger discounts on competing websites - so limiting the bargains potentially available to consumers.\"\n\nMr Grenfell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the contract clauses meant many of the benefits of shopping around were lost for consumers, pointing out that the harm to competition was \"more than theoretical\".\n\n\"We show that it had real anti-competitive effects, that there were cases where insurance companies wanted to offer promotions or discounts on other websites, and they were prevented from doing so as a result of the clauses,\" he said.\n\nThe company has the right to legally challenge the ruling, which came at the end of a three-year investigation.\n\nAn investigation by consumers' association Which? in 2018 concluded that some price comparison websites offering car insurance policies were riddled with errors.\n\nIt said millions of consumers were \"not getting a clear picture from the websites they visit\".\n\nExperts suggest consumers search on more than one price comparison website when buying utilities, financial products, and services.\n• None Comparethemarket 'may be breaking the law'", "Mike Pompeo flew by helicopter to the Psagot winery, in a Jewish settlement close to Ramallah\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo has toured a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank - the first such visit by a top US official.\n\nThe trip to Psagot came a year after Mr Pompeo said the settlements did not contradict international law, reversing a long-held US position.\n\nThe declaration outraged Palestinians, who oppose settlements on land they claim for a future independent state.\n\nMr Pompeo later paid a similar visit to the occupied Golan Heights.\n\nPresident Donald Trump last year officially recognised Israeli sovereignty over the strategic plateau, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981.\n\nMr Trump is a close ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and analysts say Mr Pompeo's actions could be seen as a valedictory gesture before he and the president leave the world stage.\n\nMr Pompeo arrived in Israel on Wednesday for what is likely to be his last trip to Israel before leaving office in January.\n\nAfter meeting Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday morning, he announced that the state department would declare as anti-Semitic the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which campaigns for a complete boycott of Israel over its policies towards the Palestinians.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: 'US regards BDS movement as anti-Semitic'\n\nIsrael says that BDS opposes the country's very existence and is motivated by anti-Semitism. BDS rejects the charge, saying Israel is using it as a cover for its actions.\n\nMr Pompeo also told reporters that \"for a long time the state department took the wrong view of settlements\" in the West Bank.\n\n\"It took a view that didn't recognise the history of this special place and instead now today the United States department of state stands strongly to the recognition that settlements can be done in a way that's lawful and appropriate and proper,\" he added.\n\nPalestinians protested near Psagot on Wednesday after reports of Mike Pompeo's plans emerged\n\nHe then travelled by helicopter to the Psagot winery, in a Jewish settlement close to Ramallah.\n\nMore than 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.\n\nWhile Psagot winery staff would not comment officially on this visit in advance, the BBC was shown one of the last bottles of \"Pompeo\" red - a blend of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, described on the label as \"refreshing, fruity and beautifully balanced\".\n\nIt was named after the US secretary of state declared last year that settlements were \"not, per se, inconsistent with international law\". Most countries still believe that they are.\n\nThe Psagot winery has a vineyard on privately-owned Palestinian land and is owned by US donors to the Trump administration.\n\nIt is well-known for its international efforts to have its wines labelled as coming from Israel. However, European courts have rejected its attempts to mark bottles in this way, saying that products manufactured in West Bank settlements need to be labelled as such.\n\nFollowing his visit to Psagot, Mr Pompeo issued a statement saying the US would require goods imported from areas \"where Israel exercises the relevant authorities\" to be marked as \"Israel\", \"Made in Israel\", or \"Product of Israel\".\n\nThe guidelines, he said, applied \"most notably\" to the 60% of the West Bank, classified as \"Area C\" under the Oslo Accords, that is under full Israeli military and civilian control and where much of the settler population lives. It includes the Jordan Valley and many Palestinian communities.\n\nExports from West Bank areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority had to be labelled \"West Bank\", and those from Hamas-controlled Gaza marked as \"Gaza\", Mr Pompeo added, arguing that the territories were \"politically and administratively separate and should be treated accordingly\".\n\nMr Pompeo also became the first top US official to visit the occupied Golan Heights\n\nNabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said: \"Pompeo's visit to occupied land is an active participation in the occupation.\"\n\nSyria has also appealed to the United Nations to condemn the \"provocative\" visit, calling it \"a flagrant violation\" of Syrian sovereignty, a government source told state media.\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden is expected to reverse Mr Pompeo's declaration on settlements, but he has said he will not undo Mr Trump's decision in 2017 to recognise of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.\n\nMr Pompeo later became the first US secretary of state to visit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, visiting a hilltop overlooking the Syrian-held part of the plateau with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.\n\n\"You can't stand here and stare out at what's across the border and deny the central thing that President Trump recognised, that previous presidents had refused to do, that this is a part of Israel, and a central part of Israel,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Mike Pompeo in the Golan Heights: \"This is a part of Israel and a central part of Israel\"\n\nHe also condemned what he described as calls \"in the salons in Europe and in the elite institutions in America\" for Israel to return the Golan to Syria.\n\n\"Imagine with [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad in control of this place, the risk, the harm to the West and to Israel and to the people of Israel,\" he added.\n\nIsrael's annexation of the Golan has not been recognised by the rest of the international community, and Syria demands the return of the territory. It called Mr Trump's declaration \"a blatant attack on its sovereignty\".", "Mixing between households at Christmas could pose \"substantial risks\", particularly for older people more vulnerable to coronavirus, a scientist advising the government has warned.\n\nProf Andrew Hayward said there would be a \"cost\" to families getting together.\n\nIt comes as No 10 said proposals to ease restrictions over Christmas will be set out next week.\n\nScientists have suggested that for every day measures are eased, five days of tighter rules would be needed.\n\nProf Hayward, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at University College London, said mixing at Christmas does pose \"substantial risks\" particularly where generations \"with high incidence of infection\" socialise with older people \"who currently have much lower levels of infection and are at most risk of dying\" if they catch Covid-19.\n\nProf Hayward - a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) - told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"My personal view is we're putting far too much emphasis on having a near-normal Christmas.\n\n\"We know respiratory infections peak in January so throwing fuel on the fire over Christmas can only contribute to this.\"\n\nSage is a committee attended by scientists across a range of fields. While its members may not individually agree, their role is to look at the evidence, and present a view to the government.\n\nAnother 22,915 cases of Covid have been recorded in the UK, and there were 501 further deaths within 28 days of a positive test, the government's dashboard shows.\n\nThe UK's four nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - are trying to work out a common approach to Christmas so families spread across the UK can still meet up.\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a meeting between the four nations on Wednesday had \"discussed the Christmas period and how we could come to a sensible... and safe plan that would allow people, not 100% normality, but a greater degree of normality - in particular the ability to spend some time with loved ones\".\n\nMeanwhile, it is understood that Northern Ireland is set to face a two-week period of tougher restrictions from 27 November - with non-essential retail, pubs, restaurants and hotels all closed. There will be a partial reopening of some sectors for a week from Friday.\n\nDowning Street said plans for what will follow England's lockdown - which is expected to end on 2 December - and proposals to ease restrictions over Christmas would be set out next week.\n\nA No 10 spokesman said on Thursday that ministers would keep case numbers \"under review\" into next week, when it will \"set out more details of the next phase\" after lockdown ends.\n\nThe spokesman pointed to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's previous comment that \"whilst Christmas will be a little bit different from normal this year, we continue to hope to ensure that families can spend Christmas together\".\n\nAny rule change would be for a limited time, maybe just a few days, BBC health correspondent Nick Triggle has said.\n\nBut, he said, the advice was likely to urge families not to hold big gatherings and to travel by car, rather than public transport.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Father Christmas has some tips on how to have a safe Christmas\n\nEngland is expected to return to the tier system of localised restrictions, with household mixing banned indoors in the top two tiers, when its lockdown ends.\n\nPublic Health England's Dr Susan Hopkins said on Wednesday that tough restrictions might be needed before and after Christmas to allow mixing to take place during the holiday.\n\nDefence Secretary Ben Wallace said he did not want to be \"the Grinch that stole Christmas\" but No 10 wanted to safeguard the NHS and protect lives.\n\nHe told ITV's Good Morning Britain: \"I would love all of us to be able to have a Christmas, but more than anything I want us to get through this Covid and try and get this country back to normal and I want to protect lives.\"\n\nDr Gabriel Scally, president of epidemiology at the Royal Society of Medicine, told the same programme: \"There is no point having a very merry Christmas and then burying friends and family in January or February... It's too dangerous a time and opportunity for the virus to spread.\"\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio 4's World at One programme, Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said she was concerned some NHS hospitals in Covid hotspots were seeing \"crowded\" emergency departments, as well as the beginnings of \"corridor care\" and \"problems unloading ambulances\".\n\nShe said: \"That's the reality of what we've got in hospitals at the moment. Let's not have that happening and then we can talk about Christmas. But we're not in that situation at the moment.\"\n\nDr Henderson warned that we would \"regret\" a [festive] season that's given Granny Covid for Christmas\" rather than working through a \"rational, controlled, plan to come out the other side of this when we've got a vaccine into spring and we can actually start having a much more normal society\".\n\nHer comments follow news that the University of Oxford coronavirus vaccine has shown a strong immune response in adults in their 60s and 70s - raising hopes it could protect age groups most at risk from the virus.\n\nProf Hayward also told the Today programme government messaging had not been consistent.\n\nHe said: \"When policy is undulating between stay at home to save lives, eat out to help out, the tier system, the second lockdown and now proposals for an amnesty on social distancing - it is a highly inconsistent message.\"\n\nCarl Heneghan, professor of evidence based medicine at the University of Oxford told the BBC said some \"coherent thinking\" from health officials was now required and they would need to \"take the public with them\" in the run up to Christmas.\n\nHe said there had been some \"impressive falls\" in Covid cases in some areas and \"if we can see that carrying on we would be in a much better position to see what to do at Christmas\".\n\nIt comes as scientists who advised the government during the early stages of the pandemic told a BBC documentary focused on the first lockdown that they \"never checked\" how Covid-19 could be spread by staff working at more than one care home.", "The EU and UK chief negotiators have stepped back from post-Brexit trade talks after a member of the EU team tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nThe EU's Michel Barnier said his UK counterpart Lord David Frost had agreed to suspend negotiations between them for a \"short period\".\n\nMr Barnier added their teams would continue discussions in \"full respect\" of safety guidelines.\n\nThey are locked in talks as the clock counts down to a December deadline.\n\nBoth sides are seeking an agreement to govern their trading relationship once the UK's post-Brexit transition period ends in January 2021.\n\nFishing rights, competition rules and how any deal would be enforced remain key areas of disagreement.\n\nOn Thursday, Mr Barnier tweeted that a member of his negotiating team had tested positive for the virus, as talks over a deal continued in Brussels.\n\n\"With David Frost, we have decided to suspend the negotiations at our level for a short period,\" he added.\n\nIn reply, Lord Frost said he was in \"close contact with Michel Barnier about the situation,\" and \"the health of our teams comes first\".\n\nBBC Brussels correspondent Nick Beake said he had been told Mr Barnier would now self-quarantine following the team member's test result.\n\nOur correspondent added it was not clear how long the pause in top-level talks would last.\n\nBut he said it was understood no members of the UK team in Brussels would be required to self-isolate, and that most of them would return to London soon, with talks continuing remotely.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSuspension of talks between the chief negotiators will come as an unhelpful development, with just five weeks remaining before the 31 December deadline.\n\nEU leaders are holding a video conference later on Thursday and could discuss the latest developments - although it is not officially on the agenda.\n\nOn Sunday, before the latest round of talks began, Lord Frost said there had been \"some progress in a positive direction in recent days\".\n\nBut he warned the two sides \"may not succeed\" to strike a deal, with \"significant elements\" not yet agreed.\n\nHe added that any deal would have to be \"compatible with our sovereignty,\" and allow the UK to \"take back control of our laws, our trade, and our waters\".\n\nThe two sides are seeking to reach agreement on limits on government subsidies for industry, to prevent what the EU regards as unfair competition with the UK.\n\nThey are also negotiating how closely the UK should have to follow the EU's social, labour, and environmental standards after the transition.\n\nThey are yet to agree how any such commitments should be enforced - with the EU demanding robust powers in case there are disputes.\n\nThe UK and EU teams are also haggling over how much access European fishing boats should have to British waters and how much they would be allowed to catch from next year.", "Aiden and his family had been trying to raise money to adapt his bathroom\n\nA lifelong Wrexham FC fan said he \"feels amazing\" after the club's new Hollywood star owner donated £6,000 to adapt his home.\n\nAiden Stott, who has cerebral palsy, had been trying to raise the cash to get a bathroom so his family could wash him.\n\nOn Wednesday, he woke up to find the entire sum had been donated by actor Rob McElhenney, who is set to take over the club, alongside Ryan Reynolds.\n\nMr Stott said he \"couldn't believe it\".\n\nThe football fan, who has been a season ticket holder for several years and is a member of the club's Disabled Supporters' Association, said he was blown away by the generosity of everyone who had donated.\n\nAiden's favourite player is Paul Rutherford and he never misses a home game\n\n\"It means the world to me, it really does,\" said Mr Stott.\n\nAfter cuts to his care, the 37-year-old's parents sold their family home to buy a flat for him to live closer to them in Manchester.\n\nBut after finding out adapting the bathroom to make it safe for Aiden, his family and carers, would cost £6,000, the family decided to set up a fundraising campaign.\n\n\"I had been deliberating whether to do it or not, because there are so many people in worse positions than us, it's not like Aiden is starving, he's got a roof over his head,\" his sister Cheryl said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"Wrexham has the potential for growth\"\n\nOn Monday, Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) members voted overwhelmingly to back the takeover by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star McElhenney and Reynolds.\n\nWhile a number of people had already donated to the fundraising campaign, Cheryl said she was woken up on Wednesday by a friend telling her to look at the page.\n\n\"It was there, his name, no message, obviously I wrote a message to him and told him he made my mum cry, but we haven't heard anything from him,\" she said.\n\n\"That a Hollywood movie star looked at a picture of my brother and read his little story and what he's going through, it's just incredible.\n\n\"It's amazing that he bought the club in the first place, which we are all really excited about, but to do that as well, it just shows his true character and meaning.\"\n\nMs Stott, a firefighter, said since the donation, more companies had come forward saying they would adapt the bathroom for a lower price.\n\n\"This means we can get him carers quicker as well... it's not just the bath it's being able to employ people to look after him and not to rely on his dad,\" she said.\n\nSteve Gilbert, chairman of the club's Disabled Supporters' Association, said everyone was overwhelmed by the star's generosity.\n\nMr Gilbert said he tweeted McElhenney the link to Aiden's campaign on Tuesday in the hope he could generate some interest.\n\n\"I am still choked up about it, I still can't really put into words what it means,\" he said.\n\n\"Rob contacted us on Twitter five or six weeks ago, he told us he had spoken to Ryan, and he had said accessibility and inclusion was very important to them.\n\n\"A day into their ownership and they have already done this, we are just chuffed.\"\n\nAiden said the atmosphere at the matches was \"brilliant\"\n\nMr Stott said he would love to meet the club's new owners and thank McElhenney for his lovely gift.\n\n\"That would make my day,\" he said.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Wrexham AFC DSA This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The pupils were inspired by a David Attenborough show on the plight of the penguins\n\nA group of Stirling High School pupils have been praised after helping discover a new colony of emperor penguins in the Antarctic.\n\nThe pupils initially developed and coded an algorithm to identify penguin colonies from satellite imagery.\n\nResearchers at the British Antarctic Survey then used higher-resolution imaging to confirm the colony.\n\nTheir study reveals nearly 20% more emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica than previously thought.\n\nThe smudges on the ice show the existence of an emperor penguin colony\n\nThe students were inspired by a Sir David Attenborough programme on the plight of penguins.\n\nThey wanted to see if the colonies could be located using freely-available satellite imagery and processing software.\n\nDr Andrew McDonald from Stirling High School said: \"To be acknowledged in a peer-reviewed paper was a great boost to the group and showed that it is possible to perform meaningful real science in schools.\"\n\nThe pupils' work was part of an Institute for Research in Schools project called Earth Observation.\n\nEmperor penguins need sea ice in order to breed\n\nDr Peter Fretwell and Philip Trathan, the geographers and researchers for the British Antarctic Survey, praised the pupils in their research paper on the study.\n\nIt found 11 new colonies, three of which were previously identified but never confirmed.\n\nA number of colonies were located far offshore, situated on sea ice that has formed around icebergs that had grounded in shallow water.\n\nDr Phil Trathan, head of conservation biology at the British Antarctic Survey said: \"Whilst it's good news that we've found these new colonies, the breeding sites are all in locations where recent model projections suggest emperors will decline.\n\n\"We need to watch these sites carefully as climate change will affect this region.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The resurgence of blue whales around the island of South Georgia is real and has probably been under way for a little while now, say scientists.\n\nWhen a survey was conducted at the British Overseas Territory earlier this year, 58 of the animals were seen.\n\nThat was described as \"astonishing\" at the time because there had been so few sightings previously.\n\nBut a reassessment of 30 years of observational data suggests this bumper crowd of blues was no anomaly.\n\nSouth Georgia is home to millions of king penguins\n\nIt most likely signals they really are making a comeback in the waters around the sub-Antarctic island.\n\nSouth Georgia is infamous, of course, for being the epicentre of commercial whaling in the early 20th Century.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jennifer Jackson: \"I don't think this is a surprise phenomenon\"\n\nIts steam boats, with their grenade-tipped harpoons, decimated all the large whale populations - and at the peak of the carnage were removing 3,000 blues a year.\n\nAnd while fur and elephant seals, which were also heavily exploited, managed to bounce back to historic levels relatively quickly - the whales, and the blues in particular, did not.\n\nGrytviken: Remnants of the old whaling stations can still be seen today\n\nTheir absence long after commercial whaling ended even led some whale experts to wonder if these majestic creatures would ever be seen again in significant numbers at South Georgia.\n\n\"It was held up as an example of how you can exploit a population beyond the point where it can recover,\" Susannah Calderan, who led the reassessment, told BBC News.\n\nSusannah Calderan uses ex-military sonobuoys to pick up the sounds of whales\n\nIt's possible that as the population crashed, the blues simply lost the cultural memory that had drawn them to South Georgia in the first place, the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) fellow said.\n\nThe British Overseas Territory is in the path of a food train coming up from the Antarctic on strong currents. This train carries abundant krill, the small crustaceans that whales love.\n\nBut because there were so few blues left after commercial whaling, it may be that the knowledge of the island's productive feeding ground could not be passed on to future generations - so the theory goes.\n\n\"So, perhaps now they have re-discovered 'the larder',\" Susannah Calderan speculated. \"South Georgia remains an extremely productive feeding ground. Nothing ever happened to its productivity. It's not as if the whales stopped coming because there was nothing left to eat.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Male blues communicate over vast distances with their repetitive, low-frequency calls (B.Miller/AAD)\n\nThe SAMS scientist, with colleagues, has reviewed all the observational data on blue whales at South Georgia going back three decades.\n\nThis includes the systematic surveys that have been conducted by researchers and the opportunistic reporting that's come in from mariners and from cruise ships, whose visits to South Georgia have increased in frequency.\n\nThe study also includes data from acoustics - the use of listening devices, such as sonobuoys, which are put in the water to detect the booming, low-frequency calls that are made by blue whales.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. So-called D-calls made by blue whales are probably associated with social behaviour and feeding (B.Miller/AAD)\n\nAll this information points to a gradual increase in the presence of blue whale numbers around the island in recent years.\n\nEven before the remarkable observation of 58 blues in February, it's now recognised that a total of 41 animals from the species were photo-identified off South Georgia between 2011 and 2020.\n\nConservationists say South Georgia is an all-too-rare example of an ecosystem in recovery\n\n\"It should be said, the survey we carried out at the beginning of this year was not dedicated to blues. This was an accidental finding. We were actually looking for right whales, but the team saw blue whales when they were doing their transects,\" explained co-researcher Jennifer Jackson from the British Antarctic Survey, which led the February expedition.\n\n\"I don't think this is a surprise phenomenon. I think we're going to continue seeing blue whales in the years to come. What we need to understand now is why they are using South Georgia waters again.\"\n\nA humpback whale in the waters around South Georgia\n\nAnd it's not just blues. Those other species that were also driven to the brink, like the humpbacks, are also on the rise.\n\nSusannah Calderan would like to see a network of acoustic moorings placed around the island, in particular off its southwest coastline where little systematic survey work has been conducted.\n\nThis would help fill gaps in the data and smooth biases which mean the same locations tend to dominate sightings - such as the popular routes taken by cruise ships.\n\nAt the peak of harvesting, 3,000 blue whales were being taken each year\n\nThe whale scientists are also now watching closely what will happen with the world's biggest iceberg - the 4,200 sq km tabular block known as A68a.\n\nDrifting in the same currents that deliver krill to South Georgia, it risks being caught in the shallows surrounding the island. If that happens, the iceberg could disrupt the foraging behaviour of many animals that depend on the krill.\n\n\"South Georgia is a kind of home to dead icebergs. Generally, they tend to go there to die. But, yes, this one's massive,\" said Susannah Calderan.\n\n\"Will it affect productivity? Will it affect the krill? Will that affect the whales? It's a really interesting question.\"\n\nThe team's analysis, which is published in the journal Endangered Species Research, was funded by South Georgia Heritage Trust and Friends of South Georgia Island.\n\nThe giant iceberg A68a could become stuck in shallow water near the island", "Jeremy Corbyn is currently sitting as an independent MP in the Commons\n\nJeremy Corbyn's solicitors have written to Labour calling for his suspension as one of the party's MPs to be lifted, the BBC has been told.\n\nThe former leader was readmitted as a party member on Tuesday, after a short suspension for his reaction to a report into anti-Semitism in Labour.\n\nBut his successor Sir Keir Starmer has refused to let him sit as a Labour MP.\n\nHe said his predecessor's remarks had \"undermined trust\" in the party within the Jewish community.\n\nMr Corbyn has been told his suspension from the parliamentary party will last for three months, though this can be reviewed.\n\nThe BBC understands Mr Corbyn's lawyers criticised the lack of a specific timescale when the suspension took place.\n\nAnd he could face a further investigation under the parliamentary party's rules.\n\nBBC political correspondent Iain Watson has seen a letter from 15 members of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) who support Mr Corbyn to the most senior party official, alleging political interference in the former leader's case.\n\nBut many MPs and Jewish groups stand by the decision taken by the new leader.\n\nThe parliamentary chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, MP Margaret Hodge, said the move by Sir Keir had stopped her from resigning from the party.\n\nShe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"[Mr Corbyn] is not a victim. We have been the victim of the anti-Semitism.\"\n\nThe Labour Party confirmed that a solicitor's letter had been received but no legal proceedings had begun.\n\nThe uneasy truce between the current leadership and the supporters of the former leader ended when Sir Keir Starmer refused to readmit Jeremy Corbyn to the Parliamentary Labour Party.\n\nAnd so, a battle has begun.\n\nAnother former Labour leader and ex-prime minister, Gordon Brown, has called for Mr Corbyn to apologise for the comments leading to his suspension, in which he said the scale of anti-Semitism had been dramatically overstated.\n\nBut Mr Corbyn shows no signs of doing so.\n\nIn the coming week, Sir Keir will want to focus on the government's handling of the pandemic and on the spending review.\n\nBut, like Labour leaders before him, he is now facing a serious conflict in his own ranks.\n\nMr Corbyn was suspended at the end of October after a damning report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) into Labour's handling of anti-Semitism allegations during his tenure as leader.\n\nBut it was the former leader's response to the report - saying the scale of anti-Jewish abuse had been \"dramatically overstated\" by his political opponents - that led to the decision by Labour's general secretary David Evans to suspend him after 54 years of membership.\n\nA panel of the NEC decided on Tuesday to readmit Mr Corbyn as a member, but this did not mean he would automatically be reinstated as a Labour MP.\n\nOn Wednesday, Sir Keir decided not to allow his predecessor to represent Labour in the Commons - known as stripping him of the party whip - meaning while Mr Corbyn remains an MP, he will sit as an independent.\n\nAnother former Labour leader, ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, has called for Mr Corbyn to apologise for his comments.\n\nAnd former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, who served under Mr Corbyn, told the BBC's Newscast podcast: \"It would just be a lot easier if there could be more contrition [on Mr Corbyn's part], rather than lawyers' letters flying around.\"", "The government has lost two more votes in the Lords over its Brexit bill.\n\nPeers voted by 367 to 209 to amend the Internal Market Bill, after claims that it would allow the UK government to \"shackle\" devolved administrations as powers are returned from Brussels.\n\nAnd they voted by 327 to 223 to curb ministers' powers to rewrite parts of the bill at a later stage.\n\nThe proposed law aims to create a UK-wide internal market after the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December.\n\nIt was approved by the Commons in September but is encountering strong resistance in the Lords, where Boris Johnson's government does not have a majority.\n\nLast week, peers defeated the government over plans to allow the UK to override parts of the legally-binding withdrawal agreement that apply to Northern Ireland.\n\nOnce peers have finished debating the bill it will head back to the House of Commons where MPs will decide either to reject or accept the Lords' amendments.\n\nIn the event of a stalemate between the two Houses, the government has not ruled out forcing through the changes through a rarely-used law known as the Parliament Act, which dates back to 1911.\n\nThe act, which enshrined the primacy of the elected Commons over the unelected Lords, was used in 2004 by Tony Blair's government to push through a ban on fox and deer hunting and hare-coursing with dogs.\n\nIn the first of Wednesday's reverses for the government, peers supported an amendment that sought to strengthen the role of the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nSpeaking in favour of the amendment, Crossbench peer Baroness Finlay of Llandaff said the bill would allow Westminster to bypass the views of devolved governments in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast and consign current arrangements to a \"meaningless sideshow\".\n\nShe added that the proposed legislation \"shackles the ability of the elected parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to find their own solutions to the problems we face\".\n\nAnd Labour said it would, for example, prevent the Welsh government from banning different types of plastic ahead of the rest of the UK.\n\nSpeaking for the government, Cabinet Office Minister Lord True said the right place for final decisions on the internal market should be the Westminster Parliament.\n\nThe Internal Market Bill is designed to enable goods and services to flow freely across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland once the transition period is over.\n\nCurrently regulations and standards on issues like animal welfare are agreed and applied across the EU.\n\nAfter the transition period, many of these standards will be directly controlled by the devolved administrations - but the UK government has said they will still have to accept goods and services from all other parts of the UK, even if they have set different standards locally.", "Coleen Rooney accused Rebekah Vardy of leaking stories to the press about her private life in 2019\n\nColeen Rooney \"pointed the finger\" at Rebekah Vardy as \"the villain\" who leaked stories to the press about her private life, the High Court has heard.\n\nThe wife of ex-England footballer Wayne Rooney was dubbed \"Wagatha Christie\" for her \"sting operation\" involving posting false stories on Instagram which later appeared in The Sun.\n\nMrs Rooney then said the source of those leaks was the account of Mrs Vardy.\n\nShe is suing Mrs Rooney for libel.\n\nMrs Vardy, 38, was accused by Mrs Rooney of leaking stories over the course of five months. She denies the accusation.\n\nAt the High Court, Mrs Vardy's barrister Hugh Tomlinson QC said Mrs Rooney's posts were an \"untrue and unjustified defamatory attack... published and republished to millions of people\".\n\nHe said the spat had been trivialised in the media as \"wag wars\" but \"the impact on Mrs Vardy was not trivial\".\n\nRebekah Vardy was pictured arriving at training for ITV's Dancing On Ice in Nottingham on Thursday\n\nLast year Mrs Rooney said she planted three false stories on her Instagram stories and blocked all users except for Mrs Vardy's account.\n\nCourt documents say the three fake stories that appeared in The Sun consisted of Mrs Rooney travelling to Mexico to \"see what this gender selection is all about\", returning to TV, and the basement flooding in her house.\n\nOn a Twitter post, she wrote: \"I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them.\n\nMr Tomlinson said Mrs Rooney's social media post made it clear that the person accused of leaking the stories \"is Rebekah Vardy, the finger is being pointed at her, as the villain, the person, the someone, the one person\".\n\nThe Twitter backlash led some social media users to link Mrs Vardy with \"the disappearance of Madeline McCann\", and joke she was the new leader of the so-called Islamic State group, the barrister added.\n\nMr Tomlinson wrote that the accusations had made Mrs Vardy feel suicidal, she had taken three trips to the hospital due to anxiety, and had fears she would lose her baby due to the stress of the situation.\n\nLeicester City striker Jamie Vardy was the subject of ridicule from opposition fans\n\nThe written statement claims Mrs Vardy's footballer husband Jamie has also been the subject of ridicule, with opposition supporters shouting taunting chants such as \"Becky Vardy's a grass\".\n\nMrs Rooney's legal team claims Mrs Vardy \"was in fact responsible for consistently passing on information about the defendant's private Instagram posts and stories to The Sun\".\n\nDavid Sherbourne, representing Mrs Rooney, stated in written submissions the message readers would take away from Mrs Rooney's tweet was \"it was Rebekah Vardy's account that was the source of private stories about the defendant appearing in The Sun - not Rebekah Vardy herself\".\n\nHe added: \"The fact that these sting operation stories also then appeared in The Sun... is the reason why the defendant published the post which is the subject of this claim.\"\n\nMrs Vardy's counsel Hugh Tomlinson QC and Mrs Rooney's representative David Sherbourne made representations to Mr Justice Warby at the preliminary hearing\n\nMr Tomlinson said both Mrs Vardy and Mrs Rooney had agreed for a \"stay\" of proceedings until February, so there could be \"one final attempt to resolve the matter without the need for a full trial\".\n\nNeither Mrs Rooney nor Mrs Vardy attended the preliminary hearing in London.\n\nAt the hearing, Mr Justice Warby was asked to determine the \"natural and ordinary\" meaning of Mrs Rooney's posts.\n\nThe judge said he would give his ruling on Friday afternoon.\n\nThe hearing took place at the High Court in London\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Ministers are looking at how to relax coronavirus restrictions so families can celebrate Christmas together.\n\nThe government's medical adviser on Covid, Susan Hopkins, said they were working on a plan and wanted Christmas to be \"as close to normal as possible\".\n\nShe said tough restrictions might be needed before and after the holiday to allow mixing to take place.\n\nBBC health correspondent Nick Triggle said any rule change would be for a limited time, maybe just a few days.\n\nThe prime minister's official spokesman confirmed ministers were \"looking at ways to ensure that people can spend time with close family over Christmas at the end of what has been an incredibly difficult year\".\n\nIt comes after the Sun reported that families may be able to mix indoors for five days from Christmas Eve.\n\nAll four UK nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - are trying to work out a common approach to Christmas so families spread across the UK can still meet up.\n\nOur correspondent said any final decisions would not be made for a few weeks while health chiefs wait to see whether cases have started to come down during the lockdown in England.\n\nBut, he said, the advice was likely to urge families not to hold big gatherings and to travel by car, rather than public transport.\n\nScientific advice indicates that for every day that measures are relaxed, five days of tighter restrictions would be needed.\n\nThe government has recorded another 19,609 Covid cases in the UK and 529 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nEngland is expected to come out of its second national lockdown on 2 December and return to the tier system of localised restrictions, with household mixing banned indoors in the top two tiers.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'We're keen to have Christmas as close to normal as possible'\n\nSpeaking at a Downing Street briefing, Dr Hopkins, from Public Health England, suggested restrictions could be needed either side of Christmas if curbs were to be eased over the festive period.\n\nShe said two days of tighter restrictions would be required for every one day relaxed - although officials later clarified the advice is actually for five days.\n\nPeople would need to be \"very careful\" about the contacts they have in the lead-up to Christmas and would have to be \"responsible\" and reduce contacts again after the festive period, she added.\n\nShe said she knew ministers were \"working hard to develop an outline\" of what the new tiers would look like after 2 December and what Christmas would look like.\n\nThe BBC has been told new tougher regional tiers could see pubs and restaurants closed entirely in areas in the top tier throughout the festive period.\n\nStrict rules on meeting up and social distancing have meant millions of people have been unable to hug, or sometimes even see, close family for many months.\n\nChris, from Norfolk, said he feared this might be the last Christmas his father, who has advanced cancer, has with his three grandchildren.\n\n\"I'm not interested in Christmas as a party or celebration. All I want is one day,\" he told BBC Radio 5 Live.\n\nDowning Street said Christmas would not be normal but the prime minister would look at the latest data to make decisions and an update would be given next week.\n\nEarlier, Cabinet minister Alok Sharma said it was too early for \"conclusions\" but he wanted to see his family for Christmas.\n\nMr Sharma told BBC Breakfast people needed to keep bearing down on the infection and \"do our bit\".\n\nOn Tuesday, Prof Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led to the first lockdown in March, suggested extending support bubbles to up to four households to allow families to celebrate Christmas together.\n\nThis year, Christmas Eve falls on Thursday and there is a bank holiday on the following Monday, giving most workers at least a four-day break.\n\nProf Ferguson also warned that reopening pubs and restaurants in the run-up to Christmas would be likely to lead to rising infection levels.\n\nWhat to do about Christmas is delicately poised.\n\nOn the one hand, allowing mixing over the festive period will undoubtedly lead to an increase in infections.\n\nWhat is more, there are concerns the impact of lockdown will be more limited than hoped. We are yet to see infections rates start falling - although it is still early days - so there will be no final decision on Christmas yet.\n\nBut stamping down on the virus is, of course, not the be all and end all.\n\nProviding an opportunity to meet will bring much needed respite from the hard slog of the pandemic.\n\nBut there is also a widespread recognition that even if the government bans mixing at Christmas, significant numbers of people may well ignore it.\n\nThe fear is that then starts to normalise breaking the restrictions and will make compliance worse over the rest of winter.\n\nThe expectation is that there will be some limited relaxation - in the hope that the psychological boost it will give the public and the longer-term goodwill it will engender will outweigh any cost in terms of virus spread.\n\nThat much was clear from the Downing Street briefing when government advisers admitted publicly for the first time that it may be on the cards.\n\nBut the pay-off for that could be tighter regional restrictions on hospitality in the areas with the highest rates all through the festive period.\n\nThere have been calls for a single approach from the devolved administrations in the UK about Christmas - so families who live in different nations can deal with a single set of rules.\n\nWelsh ministers have said it could be weeks before an announcement on Covid rules is made, and warned this year's festive period would \"not be like normal\".\n\nMinisters in Northern Ireland said they would do all they could to \"protect\" as much of Christmas as possible.\n\nAnd Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said new, stricter measures announced on Tuesday were needed, in part, to allow the possibility of people meeting up over Christmas. \"We are all desperate for some normality around Christmas and I absolutely include myself in that,\" Ms Sturgeon said.", "Dr Cathy Gardner with her father Michael Gibson, who died aged 88 in a care home in Oxfordshire in April\n\nA woman whose father died with Covid has won the first stage of a legal challenge over measures taken to protect those living in care homes.\n\nDr Cathy Gardner, from Sidmouth in Devon, claims there was a failure to implement \"adequate\" measures to protect residents.\n\nIt follows the death of her father in an Oxfordshire care home in April.\n\nThe government and health bodies oppose Dr Gardner's challenge and asked the judge to dismiss the case.\n\nDr Gardner said: \"This is for the thousands of families affected by the loss of loved ones in care homes since March.\"\n\nAt a remote hearing on Thursday, Mr Justice Linden granted Dr Gardner permission for a full hearing of her challenge.\n\nHe said: \"I consider it in the interests of justice for the claim to be heard.\"\n\nDr Gardner, who is bringing her case alongside Fay Harris, argues certain key policies and decisions led to a \"shocking death toll\" of care home residents.\n\nThese include an alleged policy of discharging patients from hospital into care homes without testing and suitable isolation arrangements.\n\nThe legal action is being brought against the Department for Health and Social Care, NHS England and Public Health England.\n\nDr Gardner, who has a PhD in virology, said her legal team would ask \"to see the evidence behind the decisions that they took, how those decisions were taken, who was involved in discussions, why they decided to discharge people from hospital without testing and why they didn't commence any sort of real protection of people in care homes\".\n\nSir James Eadie QC, barrister for the government and PHE, said the challenge was \"unarguable\".\n\nIn court documents, he said: \"The government was faced with unprecedented challenges and fast-evolving scientific advice.\n\n\"Throughout the period in issue it considered how best to protect older people both within and outside care homes.\n\n\"That involved making a series of judgments based on expert scientific advice, in an area in which the science was uncertain and evolving.\n\n\"There is no arguable basis on which to conclude that those judgments fell outside the range of reasonable responses to the pandemic as it, and understanding of it, developed.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Royal Mail has said revenue from parcel deliveries has surpassed letters for the first time, fuelled by a surge in online shopping during the pandemic.\n\nThe postal group said turnover from parcels now makes up 60% of its total revenue, which rose by nearly 10% in the first half of its financial year.\n\nBut it was not enough to stop a sharp drop in profits, due to a number of costs including extra staff to sort the increased parcel volume by hand.\n\nDuring the six months to 27 September, Royal Mail's increased costs included £85m related to Covid-19 as well as £147m on voluntary redundancies due to a continuing restructuring of the business.\n\nWhile revenue from letters dropped by 20.5%, parcel rose by 33.2%.\n\nRoyal Mail said that on its busiest day it processed 2.5 million tracked parcels while its international parcels business, GLS, also saw increased volumes, \"in particular as China emerged from Covid-19 restrictions and economic activity increased early in the period\".\n\nHowever, it added that growth in international volumes \"weakened\" as the first half progressed, \"impacted by reduced global air capacity\" and other increased costs.\n\n\"Royal Mail's performance continues to reflect structural changes in the sector, which have only intensified through the Covid-19 pandemic,\" said John Moore, senior investment manager at Brewin Dolphin.\n\n\"The fact that for the first time parcels revenue is now larger than letters revenue is a milestone for the business and only goes to underline the importance of Royal Mail's restructuring programme, which was long overdue even when it was introduced.\"\n\nAt present only a third of parcels dealt with by Royal Mail are processed through a parcel sorting machine, with the majority sorted by hand.\n\nThe increased volume incurred higher costs for Royal Mail such as taking on extra staff, personal protective equipment to guard against the coronavirus as well as social distancing measures.\n\n\"Due to the uncertain risks over future infection rates, there are challenges in being able to accurately predict volumes and potential impact on absence rates,\" Royal Mail said.\n\nThe company is investing in four more parcel sorting machines, however the first one will only start after Christmas and the remainder will be installed in the next financial year.\n\nIt is currently building a parcels hub in the north west, which is scheduled to become operational in 2022 and it has begun construction of a similar facility in the midlands.\n\nSusannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said that \"adapting to the e-commerce boom is proving a painful shift for the company\".\n\n\"With demand for letters plummeting, there is a risk that the red post box could go the same way as the iconic telephone box, revered for its history and not its usefulness,\" she added.\n\nLooking ahead, Royal Mail said it was difficult to give an outlook for its second half, \"given the uncertainty surrounding the development of the pandemic in the remainder of the year and possible recessionary impacts across our business, which could have a significant influence on parcel volumes\".\n\nIn the meantime, it said it was preparing for the peak Christmas period and is recruiting around 33,000 additional flexible workers to handle the expected demand.", "Winter activities on ice are becoming increasingly dangerous as the world warms, scientists say.\n\nWhen researchers looked at data on drowning accidents in largely frozen lakes or rivers, they saw a \"strong correlation\" to rising temperatures.\n\nThey found that deaths from drowning were five times higher when warmer weather made the ice thinner and weaker.\n\nChildren aged under nine years and younger adults were most at risk.\n\nFor indigenous peoples in many northern regions of the world, livelihoods often depend on access to frozen lakes in winter for hunting, fishing and travel.\n\nIn countries like the US, Canada and Russia, winter leisure activities such as skating or tobogganing on ice are also hugely popular.\n\nBut as the world warms, winter ice is becoming less stable and scientists believe it poses a greater threat of accidental drowning.\n\nCanadian researchers looked at data on 4,000 drowning events in 10 countries over three decades since the 1990s.\n\nThey found that higher temperatures were a good predictor of the number of deaths by drowning.\n\n\"We can confidently say that there is a quite a strong correlation between warmer winter air temperatures and more winter drownings,\" said study leader Sapna Sharma, from York University in Toronto, Canada.\n\n\"Almost half of the winter drownings were associated with warmer temperatures.\"\n\nThe researchers collated data from official sources including coroner's offices. They were able to compare these figures to longstanding records from lakes showing when ice formed and melted each winter.\n\nCanada and the US had the highest number of drownings related to ice, an issue that was particularly acute among indigenous communities further north.\n\nIce fishing is very popular in many northern countries\n\nThe use of snowmobiles on lakes was associated with many of the lake fatalities.\n\nOne of the saddest aspects of the study was the fact that many of the victims were very young.\n\n\"We found that almost half of those drowned in Minnesota where there was no vehicle involved were children under nine years old,\" said Sapna Sharma.\n\n\"They were playing on the ice, tobogganing or ice skating and they just weren't able to recognise when the ice was unsafe. They may not have recognised that slushy ice or a little open patch of water could be so fatal.\"\n\nEven where lake or river accidents weren't deadly, they often had life-changing results.\n\nIn cold water accidents where children suffered cardiac arrest, some 90% also experienced significant neurological damage - and only 27% were alive a year later.\n\nHowever, some countries have managed to limit the number of drownings during winter, including Germany and Italy.\n\nLocal laws prohibit the use of snowmobiles on lakes and activities like skating are often limited until local authorities deem the ice to be safe.\n\nEducation is also seen to be a key element. According to Barbara Byers from the Canadian Lifesaving Society, people just don't recognise the personal threat that a changing climate can pose.\n\nSnowmobiles are widely used on frozen lakes for transport\n\n\"People think that ice is ice but appearances can be deceiving,\" she told BBC News.\n\n\"People may think it's cold out, the ice must be fine but it really is the quality of the ice or the type of ice that's really important.\n\n\"Ice now gets frozen and thawed and when that happens there's water in-between the layers of the ice. So it may look hard and frozen, but it's not.\"\n\nResearchers say that despite efforts to educate, they expect that drowning events will likely increase in the future.\n\nThey are particularly worried about this winter, as people may be spending more time outdoors due to the pandemic, with potentially fatal results.\n\n\"Everything's closed right now, and more people are spending time in nature and where they might not have done so before,\" said Sapna Sharma.\n\n\"This year, it's forecast to be a warmer, wetter winter in Canada, so in combination with more people going outside that could be that could be quite dangerous.\"\n\nThe study has been published in the journal Plos One.", "Protesters have condemned President Macron over his comments about Islam\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron has asked Muslim leaders to agree a \"charter of republican values\" as part of a broad clampdown on radical Islam.\n\nOn Wednesday he gave the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) 15 days to work with the interior ministry.\n\nThe CFCM has agreed to create a National Council of Imams, which will reportedly issue imams with official accreditation which could be withdrawn.\n\nIt follows three suspected Islamist attacks in little more than a month.\n\nThe charter will state that Islam is a religion and not a political movement, while also prohibiting \"foreign interference\" in Muslim groups.\n\nMr Macron has strongly defended French secularism in the wake of the attacks, which included the beheading of a teacher who showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during a class discussion last month.\n\nLate on Wednesday, the president and his interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, met eight CFCM leaders at the Élysée palace.\n\n\"Two principles will be inscribed in black and white [in the charter]: the rejection of political Islam and any foreign interference,\" one source told the Le Parisien newspaper after the meeting.\n\nThe formation of the National Council of Imams was also agreed upon.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. French President Emmanuel Macron says France 'will never give in'\n\nPresident Macron has also announced new measures to tackle what he called \"Islamist separatism\" in France.\n\nThe measures include a wide-ranging bill that seeks to prevent radicalisation. It was unveiled on Wednesday, and includes measures such as:\n\n\"We must save our children from the clutches of the Islamists,\" Mr Darmanin told the Le Figaro newspaper on Wednesday. The draft law will be discussed by the French cabinet on 9 December.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The French president led a vigil for Samuel Paty in Paris, attended by Mr Paty's family and about 400 guests\n\nSamuel Paty, the teacher who was killed outside his school last month, was targeted by an online hate campaign before his death on 16 October.\n\nLe Monde newspaper has published emails sent between Paty and colleagues in the days after he showed the cartoons in class.\n\n\"It's really distressing and particularly as it comes from a family whose child wasn't in my lesson and isn't someone I know,\" Paty wrote. \"It's becoming a malicious rumour.\"\n\nHe later wrote in a separate email: \"I won't do any more teaching on this topic - I'll choose another freedom as a subject for teaching.\"\n\nEarlier this year, President Macron described Islam as a religion \"in crisis\" and defended the right of magazines to publish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Such depictions are widely regarded as taboo in Islam and are considered highly offensive by many Muslims.\n\nFollowing these comments, the French leader became a figure of hate in several Muslim-majority countries. Protesters have also called for a boycott of French products.\n\nIn France, state secularism (laïcité) is central to the country's national identity. Freedom of expression in schools and other public spaces is part of that, and curbing it to protect the feelings of a particular religion is seen as undermining national unity.\n\nClarification 23 November: This article has been amended to make clear that identification numbers already exist for many school pupils, but under these plans would be extended to include all children.", "The UK has one of the largest defence budgets in the world\n\nThe UK is to \"overhaul its approach to foreign policy\" as part of a government review, Downing Street has announced.\n\nNo 10 says insights from internal and external experts will challenge \"traditional Whitehall assumptions\".\n\nThe diplomatic service, tackling organised crime, the use of technology and the procurement of military supplies will all be looked at.\n\nThe review will also seek \"innovative ways\" to promote UK interests while committing to spending targets.\n\nThe 2019 Conservative manifesto promised that the UK would continue to spend 0.7% of gross national income on international aid. The party also said it would exceed the Nato target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defence.\n\nBoris Johnson's new government faces a number of foreign policy challenges including securing a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.\n\nFrench Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian recently predicted the two sides would \"rip each other apart\" during negotiations which are due to begin on Monday.\n\nThe UK is also hoping to secure a trade deal with the US but relations have been strained by the prime minister's decision to use Huawei to build the 5G network in the face of US opposition.\n\nThe government is also keen to strengthen ties with China, but some of the prime minister's own MPs - including Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Tom Tugendhat - have cautioned against allowing Chinese companies' heavy involvement in projects such as the 5G network and HS2.\n\nSetting out details of the Integrated Review - first announced in December's Queen's Speech - Number 10 said Brexit presented \"new opportunities to define and strengthen Britain's place in the world\".\n\nIts remit, as set out by the government, is to:\n\nIn a written statement, the prime minister said a cross-Whitehall team in the Cabinet Secretariat and a \"small taskforce\" in Number 10 will report to him and the National Security Council during the review.\n\n\"The review will be closely aligned with this year's Comprehensive Spending Review but will also look beyond it,\" he said in the statement.\n\nExperts \"beyond Whitehall\" in the UK and \"among our allies\" will be consulted, Mr Johnson said, and Parliament will be kept \"fully informed\".\n\nThe review is expected to conclude later this year.\n\nThe UK is seeking to negotiate a new trade deal with both the US and the EU\n\nThe government says it will \"utilise expertise from both inside and outside government for the review, ensuring the UK's best foreign policy minds are feeding into its conclusions and offering constructive challenge to traditional Whitehall assumptions and thinking\".\n\nThe UK's last full-scale security and defence review was completed in late 2015, before the UK voted to leave the EU.\n\nBut Mr Tugendhat suggested it had been more than 20 years since a British government comprehensively reviewed its foreign policy objectives and the \"tools\" needed to achieve them.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Today it would premature to speculate on whether any \"rejigging\" of defence and aid priorities would result in cuts to manpower in any of the armed services.\n\n\"We all know that the fundamental decisive factor in battle, whether that is in sea, land or air, is people. It is basically draining the resources of your enemy and undermining their ability to fight,\" he said.\n\n\"That can be done in different ways - sometimes it is done by infantry soldiers... sometimes it is done by ships denying access to areas or protecting convoys and sometimes it is done by RAF pilots flying drones... All of these are different tools.\"\n• None The tough questions facing the UK and US", "A report into allegations Home Secretary Priti Patel bullied staff should be made public, the prime minister's adviser on standards in public life has said.\n\nFormer MI5 chief Lord Evans warned that unresolved inquiries into ministers' conduct undermined public trust.\n\nA Cabinet Office investigation into allegations about Ms Patel's behaviour was launched in March.\n\nShe has always strongly denied claims that she bullied staff.\n\nIn February Sir Philip Rutnam, the top civil servant in the Home Office, resigned saying he had been the target of a \"vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign\". He is pursuing an employment tribunal claim.\n\nThe Committee on Standards in Public Life advises the prime minister on ethical standards across public life in England and is chaired by ex-MI5 boss Lord Evans of Weardale.\n\nThe Times first reported that Lord Evans wanted the Patel report to be made public.\n\nHe told the BBC he was not in a position to judge the accuracy of the complaints about the home secretary but said the public needed to know that allegations are \"properly and independently investigated\".\n\n\"We want to make sure the system we have in place can resolve those issues so that people can have confidence the standards are being upheld in the right places and by everybody involved,\" he told Radio 4's The World at One.\n\nLord Evans was appointed Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public life in October 2018\n\nAsked specifically about Ms Patel's case he said there may be \"good reasons\" why some findings are not published but argued that any causes for delay should be explained.\n\n\"I think because they are left hanging in the air people are worried about it and that tends to reduce people's trust.\"\n\nHe also said that the process of investigating ministers should be more independent and transparent - and he suggested taking the responsibility for triggering such inquiries away from the prime minister.\n\nIn an interview with the Times, he said because the report on Ms Patel had not been published \"it is very difficult to know whether there was something here or whether there wasn't\".\n\nResponding to Lord Evans' comments, Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: \"It is a disgrace that the report into allegations of bullying against the home secretary is being suppressed.\n\n\"Continuing to refuse to release the report not only makes clear that the Tories have something to hide, it also undermines trust in politics at a crucial time - the report must be published without further delay.\"\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"The process is ongoing and the prime minister will make any decision on the matter public once the process has concluded.\"", "Travellers returning to England from Israel and Sri Lanka will no longer need to quarantine from Saturday.\n\nNamibia, Rwanda, the US Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba and the Northern Mariana Islands were also added to the travel corridor list.\n\nHowever, current rules ban travel abroad unless for specific reasons.\n\nThe exemption also applies to those returning to Wales and Northern Ireland, but people returning to Scotland will need to self-isolate.\n\nNo countries have been removed from the list, which is updated weekly by the Department for Transport.\n\nThe DfT said the additions are due to \"a decrease in risk from coronavirus in these countries\".\n\nIt said the new exemptions, which come into effect at 04:00 GMT on Saturday, apply to Israel and Jerusalem in their entirety. For the occupied West Bank, only people returning from East Jerusalem would not need to quarantine. The rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are not covered by the lifting of the rules.\n\nScotland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith said it had been decided not to change the country's travel corridor list this week.\n\nIt comes as more than two million people are to be placed under Scotland's toughest Covid lockdown restrictions from Friday.\n\nDr Smith said: \"This approach aligns with the other home nations when they went into stricter measures several weeks ago and we will continue to closely monitor the global situation.\"\n\nAustralia, New Zealand, Estonia, Hong Kong, Iceland, mainland Greece, Japan, Latvia, Norway, Singapore and South Korea are among the countries on the DfT list where returning travellers do not need to self-isolate.\n\nBut anyone arriving into the UK from most destinations must quarantine for 14 days.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do I quarantine after returning from abroad?\n\nIn England, foreign travel is currently only permitted for work, education or if someone has another valid reason.\n\nPeople can only travel in and out of Wales with a reasonable excuse, such as going to work or school.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, people are advised to only travel for necessary reasons and to \"carefully consider\" their holiday and travel options, in light of the pandemic.\n\nIn Scotland, people living in higher risk areas should avoid unnecessary travel to other places.", "Cineworld introduced extra safety measures in its cinemas including wearing masks and social distancing\n\nCineworld is looking to arrange a rescue deal that could mean UK cinema closures, the BBC understands.\n\nOne option being discussed with bank lenders is a company voluntary arrangement, an insolvency process that could help Cineworld cut its rent bill.\n\nAccording to the Financial Times, which first reported the news, Cineworld has appointed restructuring experts AlixPartners.\n\nLike other cinema chains, Cineworld has been hit hard by the lockdown.\n\nThe company reported a huge loss for the first six months of the year after it was forced to temporarily close some cinemas, and movie studios delayed the release of some blockbusters.\n\nThe cinema giant warned in September that it might need to raise more money in the event of further coronavirus restrictions or film delays due to Covid-19.\n\nThe coronavirus crisis has hit the film and entertainment industry hard. Cineworld swung to a $1.6bn (£1.3bn) loss for the six months to June as its cinemas were forced to close as a result of Covid lockdowns.\n\nAlthough cinemas reopened when restrictions were relaxed, delays in big budget releases - such as the new James Bond movie - led Cineworld to temporarily close its UK cinemas on 9 October until further notice.\n\nRival Odeon cut opening hours in October for the same reason, and all cinemas in England have been closed during the second lockdown which began on 5 November. Cinemas can open in Scotland if they meet certain criteria, but Cineworld is closed throughout the UK.\n\nThe chain has been in talks with lenders to try to negotiate waivers on banking agreements, which fall due in December and in June next year.\n\nCompany voluntary arrangements (CVA) have been used by retailers are part of restructurings to push through closures and rent cuts. But they have faced opposition from landlords.\n\nHowever, a source stressed to the BBC that a CVA was only one option being discussed.\n\nThe Financial Times said Cineworld had been individually negotiating with landlords for rent cuts at its 127 sites.", "Stormont ministers are continuing to meet in a bid to reach agreement on further Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nHealth Minister Robin Swann had warned more interventions were necessary before the end of this month.\n\nOtherwise, he said a full lockdown in mid-December would not be enough to stop hospital services being overwhelmed.\n\nThe executive has been considering advice from health officials throughout the afternoon.\n\nIt is thought discussions will continue into Thursday evening, with ministers taking a brief adjournment until 18:00 GMT.\n\nIt is believed that is to allow health officials to take some of the minister's advice and put it into formal recommendations.\n\nSeveral Stormont sources said it appeared all the parties were \"in the right space\" to support Mr Swann's proposals, reported BBC News NI's Jayne McCormack.\n\nThe DUP, which previously opposed the extension of some restrictions, has indicated it may support recommendations this time - given the advice being presented by health officials.\n\nClose-contact services, cafes and coffee shops are set to reopen this Friday but restrictions on pubs, restaurants and hotels will expire at midnight next Thursday.\n\nIt is understood the minister has also asked the executive to consider the possible introduction of local, legally enforceable travel restrictions.\n\nUntil now, the executive has only advised against \"unnecessary travel\".\n\nMeanwhile, the Department of Health has said Northern Ireland will initially be in line for up to 4.35 million doses of vaccines when they are eventually made available.\n\nTwo of the leading vaccines - Pfizer and AstraZeneca - have completed their final trials and are seeking authorisation.\n\nThe Department of Health confirmed to the Press Association that NI would receive 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and 2.85 million doses of AstraZeneca.\n\nIt said this will be in line with allocations made through the Barnett Formula.\n\nIt is possible they could be available for use in the UK by the end of December.\n\nOn Thursday, the Department of Health confirmed 12 coronavirus-related deaths in the previous 24 hours, bringing the department's death toll to 901.\n\nThere were 487 new cases of the virus recorded.\n\nThere are also 456 people being treated in hospitals in Northern Ireland for Covid-19, with 41 in ICU and 32 on ventilators.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland four further coronavirus-related deaths and 429 new cases were recorded on Wednesday.\n\nThe Irish Department for Health said there were 290 patients being treated in hospital, and there were 33 people in ICU.\n\nThere have been 15 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.\n\nThursday's full meeting at Stormont is the first since last week's row over extending some regulations.\n\nDUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his party was focused on finding consensus and said Arlene Foster had \"spent a lot of time this week talking to her fellow ministers, trying to get people back together\"..\n\n\"If the infection rate is rising and the current restrictions are not working, we need to learn the lessons of that,\" he told BBC NI's Good Morning Ulster.\n\nThe marked change in tone from the DUP is certainly significant.\n\nJust seven days ago, the party was the loudest advocate against more restrictions on hospitality, and Arlene Foster had insisted the regulations would fall away on 27 November.\n\nThe party's attitude to lockdown measures has changed, which senior figures put down to the rising rates of infection - something health officials had already warned of last week.\n\nHowever it's thought the DUP wants more measures introduced as lockdown on its own does not appear to be doing enough.\n\nThe atmosphere around the executive table appears very different today, so far - with the potential that consensus could be reached by the five parties.\n\nBut we have been here before, and it could still take time before any final decision is reached.\n\nIf the executive does now reach agreement, some may wonder what the difficult events of last week were all about.\n\nOn Wednesday, Mr Swann said he would bring a range of options to ministers including restrictions and initiatives.\n\nHe said the measures were aimed at restricting the spread of Covid-19 ahead of Christmas.\n\nNI's Chief Scientific Adviser Prof Ian Young has said the R-rate - the rate of transmission of the virus - in Northern Ireland is currently sitting at \"around one\", and has risen since schools reopened two weeks ago.\n\nSir Jeffrey said his party would \"work with the health minister and other ministers in the executive to arrive at a consensus\".\n\n\"I certainly hope we're not in a position where anyone has to use a veto in this situation and we're working closely with the health minister and with other ministers to arrive at a set of proposals that people can agree to on all sides,\" he added.\n\nHospitality Ulster chief executive Colin Neill said not being able to open on 27 November would be \"devastating\" for businesses.\n\n\"If we are not open, the current funding does not save the businesses, and furlough is not free,\" he said.\n\nBut Dr Tom Black, chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) in NI, said easing restrictions now would see \"us paying the price further down the road\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Swann has written to the UK government asking for four million fast-turnaround Covid-19 tests.\n\nThe Department of Health confirmed Mr Swann's request for the fast tests, which would allow Northern Ireland's entire population to be tested.\n\nHowever, it is thought they would, if approved, more likely be used in a targeted way, by focusing on health workers or specific communities.", "Dame Nancy Rothwell told BBC Newsnight she had written to Zac Adan and apologised\n\nA university leader has apologised to a student who was allegedly \"racially profiled\" on campus by security officers.\n\nBut Manchester University's vice chancellor said she could not \"commit\" to meeting 19-year-old Zac Adan, due to an ongoing inquiry.\n\nFootage posted online showed Mr Adan held up against a wall at Fallowfield halls of residence.\n\nHe said he was accused of \"looking like a drug dealer\" by staff.\n\nDame Nancy Rothwell told BBC Newsnight she had written to Mr Adan and apologised but could not meet him \"because that could influence the investigation\".\n\nThe security staff have been suspended and an inquiry is ongoing, she said.\n\nMr Adan, a first year French and Linguistics student at the university, previously said he had been left \"traumatised\" after being stopped.\n\nReturning to his halls of residence after visiting a local shop, he had been asked to present his identification and \"the next thing I know I was being pinned up against the wall\", he said.\n\nZac Adan said he was left traumatised after being \"pinned against the wall\"\n\nMr Adan said: \"There was no conversation. They just pinned me up against the wall and said I looked like a drug dealer. Why? Because I am black and wearing a hoodie?\"\n\nDame Nancy said: \"I was very, very concerned by it, I've apologised to the student for the distress that he felt.\n\n\"I immediately suspended the staff and there is now an investigation ongoing.\"\n\nMr Adan, who moved to the UK from Italy a few years ago, said earlier this week that he wanted to talk to university leaders about the incident.\n\nDame Nancy said she would \"consider\" meeting Mr Adan in person but did not want to \"influence the investigation\", adding: \"Just as I won't meet with the security staff either. He has met with several of our staff.\"\n\nMr Adan had also been offered counselling, she said.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "David Lewis, 81, lost his two sons and wife within a week of each other\n\nMourners lined the streets to celebrate the lives of an adoring mother and her two sons who died within days of each other after contracting coronavirus.\n\nGladys Lewis, 74, from Pentre, and sons Dean, 44, Darren, 42, from Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, died within a week.\n\nOn Thursday people gathered outside St Peter's Church in Pentre to listen to the funeral service through loudspeakers.\n\nTheir family urged people to \"do their part\" to curb the spread of the virus.\n\nRelatives had previously described how the family had been careful to avoid catching Covid-19 because Gladys had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and Darren, who had Down's syndrome, had been on life support with pneumonia earlier in the year.\n\nFather Philip Leyshon and Father Haydn England Simon wear PPE face visors as they stand beside the coffins of Gladys, Dean and Darren Lewis the evening before their funeral\n\nRelatives, who were inside the church, had wanted the three funerals to be held at the same time so that they could be together.\n\nMourners wore masks and clapped as the three coffins were taken through the town.\n\nFather Haydn England-Simon, who led the service, said no family \"should ever go through\" what the Lewises had.\n\nDavid Lewis and his wife Gladys \"adored each other\"\n\nGrandmother Gladys Lewis died at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital on 29 October.\n\nThe next day her eldest son Dean was found unresponsive at his home in Treorchy. He had only gone out once a week to shop for his parents.\n\nHis younger brother Darren died on 2 November after being treated in intensive care at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital.\n\nThe family were unable to be with Darren before his death, due to them testing positive for Covid-19 and having to self-isolate.\n\nThe family at the beach when the children were younger\n\nThe grandmother-of-13 and great-grandmother-of-four would \"fight the world and win to make sure her children and grandchildren had what they needed and deserved\".\n\nDuring the service the family said Mrs Lewis had been married to husband David, 81, for 44 years after meeting him in Blackpool.\n\nThey were keen dancers and \"absolutely adored\" each other.\n\nFather-of-three Dean was said to have a \"heart of gold\", while Darren was a keen football fan.\n\nWriting in the order of service, the family said: \"As a family we cannot express how much your love, messages and support mean to us all.\"\n\nMourners clapped and paid their respects as the three hearses passed", "A lorry driver accused over the deaths of 39 migrants has told a court he was watching Netflix as people were allegedly loaded into his trailer.\n\nEamonn Harrison dropped off a trailer containing Vietnamese migrants at a Belgian port and they were found dead the next day in Essex, jurors heard.\n\nMr Harrison told the court he did not know there were people in the trailer.\n\nThe 23-year-old, of Newry, County Down, denies manslaughter and being involved in a wider people-smuggling operation.\n\nThe court had previously been told the 39 victims, aged 15 to 44, suffocated in the sealed trailer en route from Zeebrugge to Purfleet in Essex.\n\nGiving evidence in an Old Bailey trial Mr Harrison told jurors he had agreed to deal with \"stolen goods\" as he owed Mr Hughes over a drink-drive accident.\n\nPham Thi Tra My, 26, and Nguyen Dinh Luong, 20, were among the victims\n\nThe court heard on 22 October 2019 Mr Harrison parked his lorry in northern France and said he expected to take a consignment of Coca-Cola before speaking with Mr Hughes, who instead told him it would be \"a load of stolen goods\".\n\nHe said he waited for 30 minutes for a Romanian he knew as Alex to arrive before setting off to get breakfast at McDonald's.\n\nMr Harrison said: \"Ronan was in contact with me to tell me to turn around and the man was there.\"\n\nHe said Alex was not present but another eastern European was and \"he clearly knew the lorry, what it was there for\".\n\n\"He goes to me, 'are you OK?' I said yes. He was telling me where he wanted me to go. His English was not really the best.\"\n\nThe bodies of 39 Vietnamese nationals were discovered in a refrigerated trailer on 23 October last year\n\nMr Harrison said the man told him to \"close the curtains\" and \"lie down\" once he had moved his lorry.\n\nHe did as he was told and watched \"a wee bit of Netflix\" in bed, Mr Harrison told the court.\n\nHe told jurors: \"I got a bang on the door. He gives me a thumbs up and I move off. That's what I did. It was fairly quick, five minutes.\"\n\nAlisdair Williamson QC, defending, asked Mr Harrison: \"Did you - in order to work off your debt to Mr Hughes - agree that human beings could be put in the back of your trailer?\"\n\n\"No I did not,\" Mr Harrison replied.\n\nDuring cross-examination, prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones said it was \"my case that you shut them into your trailer. Did you?\"\n\nMr Harrison replied: \"No I did not.\" When questioned further he added: \"I did not know they were [in the trailer].\"\n\nMr Harrison and Gheorge Nica, 43, of Basildon, Essex, deny 39 counts of manslaughter.\n\nMr Harrison, lorry driver Christopher Kennedy, 24, of County Armagh, and Valentin Calota, 37, of Birmingham, have denied being part of a wider people-smuggling conspiracy, which Nica has admitted he was involved in.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The UK will be less safe if it fails to strike a post-Brexit security deal with the EU, Britain's top counter-terrorism officer has said.\n\nNeil Basu told the BBC's Newscast podcast a deal was \"incredibly important for the safety and security of our country\".\n\nHe said he was hopeful of a better security and law enforcement agreement than the UK currently has.\n\nThe government said the safety and security of citizens was a priority.\n\nTalks between the UK and EU are ongoing ahead of the 31 December deadline for a deal.\n\nThe UK left the EU on 31 January, but continues to follow current EU rules until the end of the year while negotiations take place.\n\nAny deal would need to be ratified by parliaments on both sides.\n\nOn security, the UK had wanted to maintain the same access to shared databases that it has now, but the EU says that is not on offer to non-members.\n\nMetropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mr Basu told BBC Newscast: \"We need to negotiate a security treaty that either retains or improves on the current position that we've got today.\n\n\"It's incredibly important for the safety and security of our country. And I know the government gets that. And I know that that is what it's aiming for.\"\n\nWhen asked what a no-deal Brexit would mean for UK security, he said: \"The country would be less safe in a non-negotiated outcome where a security treaty wasn't forthcoming. That's the bottom line.\"\n\nMr Basu said he was keen to know the outcome of negotiations as soon as possible.\n\n\"We've made it very clear that we need as much time to negotiate those agreements with our European counterparts as possible, and we can't do that until the negotiations are finished,\" he said.\n\n\"We've been very clear to government right from the start of this process, and I'm confident they have listened to our concerns.\"\n\nA spokesman for the government said: \"The safety and security of our citizens is our top priority, and the UK will continue to be a global leader on security and one of the safest countries in the world.\n\n\"We are focused on reaching an agreement with the EU and there is a good degree of convergence in what the UK and EU are seeking to negotiate in terms of operational capabilities.\"\n\nIf it was impossible to reach an agreement, they said, \"we have well-developed and well-rehearsed plans in place\".\n\nOn Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was \"confident [the UK] will prosper\" outside the EU if a post-Brexit trade deal is not agreed with the bloc\".\n\nFollowing the most recent talks in Brussels, the UK's chief negotiator Lord David Frost said there had been \"progress\", while his EU counterpart Michel Barnier said he wanted \"future cooperation to be open but fair\" with the UK.", "Last updated on .From the section Sport\n\nThe government is set to confirm a rescue package of emergency funding for sports impacted by the absence of spectators because of coronavirus.\n\nA bailout of several hundred million pounds will be announced on Thursday, consisting of both grants and loans.\n\nBoth rugby codes and horse racing will be among the 11 beneficiaries, although a range of sports in England will receive assistance.\n\nThe Premier League and English Football League will not be among them.\n\nThe government says the sport is wealthy enough to support itself.\n\nCricket will also not be among those receiving money.\n\nNigel Huddleston, the UK sports minister, has said he will be making a statement on financial support for the sport sector in the House of Commons on Thursday after weeks of talks with the Treasury.\n\nIn September, more than 100 sports bodies wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ask for emergency funding, warning of \"a lost generation of activity\" because of coronavirus.\n\nThe coalition of organisations said they were \"united in our concern that at a time when our role should be central to the nation's recovery, the future of the sector is perilous\".\n\nThey also pointed to the £1.6bn of support that the arts sector received in July.\n\nSports were then asked to tell the government how much they estimated they would lose as a result of turnstiles being closed.\n\nIn a devastating blow to cash-strapped sports bodies, plans for a partial return of spectators from 1 October were scrapped amid a rise in coronavirus cases.\n\nTurnstiles have been closed since March, despite sports saying that pilot events with socially-distanced crowds have been achieved safely.\n\nThe Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is working on allowing fans into stadiums in areas where rates of infections are deemed sufficiently low - possibly before Christmas.\n\n\"I understand the frustration over fans and we hope to get crowds back in the ground as soon as possible,\" Johnson said on Wednesday in response to a question from Karl McCartney, the Conservative MP for Lincoln.\n\nMeanwhile, the petition to exempt golf courses from the list of venues required to close during lockdown will be debated by MPs on 23 November, as will a similar one relating to gyms.\n• None See the scale of the problem in the game", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have marked their 73rd wedding anniversary by releasing a photograph showing them opening a card from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children.\n\nThe homemade gift was created by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and is emblazoned with 73.\n\nThe photograph was taken earlier this week in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle.\n\nThe Queen, 94, was a 21-year-old princess when she married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on 20 November 1947.\n\nTheir enduring relationship has lasted the longest of any British sovereign.\n\nOn Friday afternoon, Buckingham Palace tweeted a message thanking \"everyone for their kind wishes\" for the Queen and Duke on their anniversary and sharing a picture of the couple on their honeymoon in Hampshire in 1947.\n\nThe Queen and Prince Philip on their honeymoon in 1947 at Broadlands in Hampshire\n\nThe monarch was 21 when she married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, then 26, at Westminster Abbey\n\nThe Queen and Prince Philip with their bridal party at Buckingham Palace on their wedding day\n\nThe Queen and the duke, 99, who has retired from public duties, are spending the lockdown at Windsor Castle in England and anniversary celebrations are expected to be low key.\n\nThere is no traditional gift, jewel or colour associated with 73rd wedding anniversaries in the UK.\n\nIn the new photograph, the Queen is wearing a pale blue double wool crepe dress by Stewart Parvin and a chrysanthemum brooch made from sapphires and diamonds set in platinum.\n\nThe couple are seated beside one another reading the colourful card from Prince William and Catherine's three children. They also have five other great-grandchildren. including one-year-old Archie, son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who now live in California.\n\nEarlier this month, the monarch was seen wearing a face mask for the first time in public when she made a private pilgrimage to the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.\n\nShe subsequently led the nation in marking Remembrance Sunday, with commemorations scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: BBC News uncovers evidence that women have not been told about serious abnormalities\n\nA BBC News investigation has uncovered failures in the diagnosis of serious medical issues during private baby scans.\n\nMore than 200 studios across the UK now sell ultrasound scans, with hundreds of thousands being carried out each year.\n\nBut the BBC has found evidence of women not being told about serious conditions and abnormalities.\n\nThe Care Quality Commission says there is good quality care in the industry but it has a \"growing concern\".\n\nSome diagnose medical issues while others market themselves as providers of souvenir images or video of the ultrasound. Most sell packages providing a \"reassurance scan\" to expectant mums.\n\nThe growing popularity of gender reveal parties means many women visit private baby scan studios to buy confetti cannons and balloons which unveil the sex of their baby after the scan.\n\nMany women BBC News spoke to said they had positive experiences at private studios, but we have also learned of instances where women said they were failed.\n\nCharlotte, from Manchester, attended a scan in Salford with one of the biggest franchises, Window to the Womb, to record her baby's sex for a party and check its wellbeing.\n\nBBC News has learned the sonographer identified a serious abnormality that meant the baby could not survive, where part or all of its head is missing, called anencephaly.\n\nBut rather than refer her immediately to hospital and provide a medical report, Charlotte was told the baby's head could not be fully seen and recommended to book an NHS anomaly scan.\n\nShe was also given a gender reveal cannon and a teddy bear containing a recording of its heartbeat as a present for her daughter.\n\nCharlotte only found out the baby could not survive the day after her gender reveal party, when she showed scan images to a family friend who was an experienced sonographer.\n\n\"I was distraught,\" Charlotte said. \"You've bonded with that baby.\"\n\n\"To get that news the next day, I then had to go and tell every single one of those people what happened.\n\n\"It's like a deep cut feeling,\" she added. \"All of it could have just been avoided, we could have processed the news all together as a family because I was with my mum and dad, I would have had the support there.\"\n\nCharlotte was given a teddy bear containing her baby's heartbeat even though the scan showed it could not survive\n\nWindow To The Womb has said all its staff are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council but BBC News has learned the sonographer who conducted the scan was not.\n\nThe company said: \"An anomaly was identified however the communication from the sonographer was not to the standard that we expect.\"\n\nIt apologised to Charlotte at the time. It says that the sonographer left shortly afterwards and the incident led to best practice being reinforced across its branches.\n\nThe profession of those scanning women, sonography, is not regulated like midwifery or radiography, leading some to question the quality of private baby scans and their interpretation.\n\n\"You're doing the most difficult scans at the trickiest time for the most anxious group of people with a workforce that you don't necessarily know their level of skills, expertise and what training they've actually had,\" said Jeanette Dickson, president of the Royal College of Radiologists.\n\nAlmost all sonographers are regulated separately as radiographers or midwives in the NHS, as are many in private studios.\n\nBut Dr Dickson says regulation of sonographers is necessary because of the growth of the industry.\n\n\"It matters now because of the massive increase in these companies,\" she said.\n\nDr Dickson says regulation of sonographers is needed\n\nSome baby scan studios say they do not diagnose medical problems but still sell scans offering \"reassurance\" which typically detect a heartbeat.\n\nOne of these companies, Meet Your Miracle, advertises scans which its website says \"visualise\" wellbeing.\n\nBBC News has seen messages from a WhatsApp group of the company's management and sonographers which shared and reviewed customer scans, sometimes during appointments.\n\nOne sonographer told the group she felt guilty after having to let a woman leave without informing her of a possible abnormality identified by a colleague as potentially being foetal hydrops, which has a very low chance of survival.\n\n\"I knew something was wrong straight away, didn't know what to do,\" reads one message from the sonographer.\n\nShortly after, she added: \"I feel terrible at saying nothing and I'm wracked with guilt for not saying anything.\"\n\nMessages from one company WhatsApp group reveal anxiety over not informing a woman about a potential abnormality\n\nDespite being a non-medical company, a former employee told the BBC women who were bleeding and in pain were accepted for scans, rather than being recommended to immediately contact the NHS.\n\nMeet Your Miracle says its scans are largely \"recreational\" and under its registration it cannot discuss any concerns unless they are relevant to the baby's heartbeat nor offer a potential diagnosis which requires further tests by the NHS.\n\nIt says it advises women bleeding and in pain to attend the NHS.\n\nThe NHS says bleeding during pregnancy is relatively common but advises women to contact their midwife or GP if bleeding from their vagina.\n\nBBC News looked at the practices of many private companies and also uncovered concerns about how the industry operates more widely including:\n\nThe findings reveal a \"catalogue of incredibly poor practice\", according to Jacqueline Torrington, a lecturer in medical ultrasound at City University London.\n\n\"[There is] an entire range of harms here, which are completely unnecessary,\" she said.\n\n\"It ranges from incredibly dangerous to anxiety inducing to false reassurance.\"\n\nWomen were allowed to bring partners to many private scans, but not NHS ones, early in the coronavirus pandemic\n\nIn England, all studios must register with the CQC, which regulates the care provided by services.\n\nBut BBC News has learned the CQC does not review samples of scans as part of its inspections and found a studio which had not been inspected since opening four years ago.\n\nThe CQC says it bases decisions over which studios to inspect on \"information of concern\" or according to risk.\n\nIt says there is good quality care in the industry as a whole but it has a \"growing concern\".\n\nStudios need only register with the regulator in Scotland if they are run by registered healthcare professionals. In Wales, businesses have to register only if a doctor is employed to interpret scans.\n\nIn a statement, the government said: \"We are committed to appropriate regulations for all health and care professions so patients can feel confident their care has been placed in safe and qualified hands.\"\n\nNorthern Ireland's Department of Health said it was not aware of any baby scan studios.\n\nNHS advice for pregnant women can be found here.\n\nMore from Noel on Twitter @noeltitheradge\n\nWhat are your experiences of private baby scan studios? You can get in touch in the following ways:\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist.\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to protect 94% of adults over 65 years old.\n\nMore data released from their continuing phase three trial suggests it works equally well in people of all ages and ethnicities.\n\nThe companies say they will now apply for authorisation for emergency use of the jab in the US.\n\nThe trial involved 41,000 people worldwide. Half were given the vaccine, and half a placebo.\n\nLast week, Pfizer and BioNTech published preliminary data suggesting the vaccine offered 90% protection against Covid-19 and said there were no safety concerns.\n\nThis was followed by data on a vaccine made by US company Moderna suggesting nearly 95% protection and similarly promising results from trials of another developed in Russia, called Sputnik.\n\nWednesday's data from Pfizer and BioNTech, which builds on last week's data, suggests the vaccine is 95% effective based on 170 cases of Covid-19 developing in volunteers.\n\nJust eight were in the group given the vaccine, suggesting it offers good protection. The rest of the cases were in the placebo group given a dummy jab.\n\nIn older adults, who are most at risk from the virus and have weaker immune systems, the vaccine worked as well as it did in younger people.\n\nScientists said the data was further encouraging news, with Prof Trudie Lang from the University of Oxford describing it as \"a remarkable and very reassuring situation\".\n\n\"To go from identifying a new virus to having several vaccines at the point of applying for regulatory approval is an incredible milestone for science,\" she said.\n\nAlthough the full trial data has yet to be published, the companies say there have been no serious safety concerns.\n\nBut they did notice fatigue in 3.8% of volunteers given the vaccine and headaches in 2%, both after the second dose, although older people seemed to experience minimal side effects.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus vaccine: How close are you to getting one?\n\nThere is also evidence that the vaccine protects against severe Covid - but this is based on only 10 cases.\n\nIt's still unclear how long protection from the vaccine lasts and if it stops people transmitting the virus.\n\nIn the trial, 42% of all participants are from diverse ethnic backgrounds and 41% are aged between 56 and 85 years old.\n\nMore vaccine good news is what we've all been waiting for. This time it's really encouraging to know the Pfizer vaccine seems to work on older people as effectively as in younger ones.\n\nBut this vaccine is still a long way off widespread use. First, regulators need to be absolutely sure in their own minds that it's safe - not least because Moderna and Pfizer both use an experimental technology that's never been approved before.\n\nThat process could still take a few weeks. Then there's the massive issue of availability. Pfizer is promising 50 million doses by the end of the year. But remember: it's a two-shot vaccine.\n\nPerhaps one of the biggest problems is that wealthy countries have already swooped in to buy up the first batches that will be ready. That's good news for a country such as the UK, but not such good news for developing countries which haven't got the money to place bids.\n\nThat's why so much hinges on other vaccines such as the Oxford AstraZeneca one, as they may be more scalable, and there are more advanced plans to get it to low- and middle-income countries through a UN-backed project called Covax.\n\nThe trial, which is testing people at 150 sites in the US, Germany, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina, will collect data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine for another two years.\n\nThe companies behind it expect to produce up to 50 million doses of the vaccine this year and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.\n\nThe UK has pre-ordered 40 million doses and should get 10 million by the end of the year.\n\nIt has also ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is planning to release data from its phase three trial soon.\n\nThere are hundreds of vaccines in development around the world, and about a dozen in the final stages of testing, known as phase three.\n\nThe first two to show any results - made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna - both use an experimental approach, called mRNA, which involves injecting part of the virus's genetic code into the body to train the immune system.\n\nAntibodies and T-cells are then made by the body to fight the coronavirus.\n\nThe Sputnik vaccine, developed in Russia, has also released early data from phase three based on a smaller number of volunteers and Covid cases.\n\nThere are some logistical challenges with mRNA vaccines, namely the need to store them at cold temperatures.\n\nThe Pfizer vaccine must be stored at about minus 80C, although it can be kept in a fridge for five days.\n\nModerna's vaccine needs to be stored at minus 20C for up to six months and kept in a standard fridge for up to a month.\n\nProf Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the full data would have to be submitted to bodies like the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for approval.\n\n\"We can expect both agencies to conduct a very careful evaluation and we can rely on their conclusions,\" he said.\n\nThis process could take several weeks.\n\nCorrection 26 March 2021: This article was amended to make clear that fatigue was noted in a slightly higher percentage of volunteers than headaches after the second dose.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police and church goers took to their knees in prayer asking for protection from Iota\n\nAt least 30 people have lost their lives as the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year rips through areas of Central America.\n\nTens of thousands were forced to flee their homes as Hurricane Iota hit Nicaragua and neighbouring countries.\n\nThe rainfall is expected to cause mudslides and potentially deadly flash flooding and river flooding.\n\nWinds of 257km/h (160mph) have hit areas still recovering from Eta, a major hurricane that hit two weeks ago.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nDeaths were recorded in Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, Panama and El Salvador.\n\nHundreds of thousands of people have moved into shelters in the region.\n\nResidents recover a mattress from the debris of their house in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua\n\nA child pushes his bicycle through a flooded road in Honduras\n\nWinds of over 250 km/h have hit some areas\n\nThe hurricane remains significant but has now weakened in terms of wind strength and has sustained winds of 170km/h. It will continue to weaken as it moves further inland.\n\nIota is the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year and only the second November hurricane to reach category five - the last was in 1932.\n\nPeople walk along a beach after the passing of Hurricane Iota Nicaragua\n\nThis year's Atlantic hurricane season has broken the record for the number of named storms. For only the second time on record officials have had to start using the letters of the Greek alphabet to start storm names after running out of names on its traditional alphabetical list.\n\nEta left at least 200 people dead. The worst-hit area was Guatemala's central Alta Verapaz region, where mudslides buried dozens of homes in the village of Quejá, with some 100 people feared dead. At least 50 deaths were reported elsewhere in Guatemala.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sedwill: Not all of Patel report will be public\n\nA report into allegations Home Secretary Priti Patel bullied staff is \"with\" the prime minister, a former head of the civil service has said.\n\nSir Mark Sedwill said Boris Johnson \"needs to reflect and make a decision\" following a fact-finding review led by a senior civil servant.\n\nA Cabinet Office inquiry was launched eight months ago into the allegations, which Ms Patel denies.\n\nA spokesman for the PM said he was not yet ready to publish the findings.\n\nThe spokesman added that the probe into Ms Patel's behaviour - which was launched when Sir Mark was cabinet secretary - was an \"ongoing process\".\n\nLabour has previously called for the report to be published \"without further delay,\" claiming trust in politics has been undermined as a result.\n\nAn official investigation into the facts of Ms Patel's behaviour was launched in March, when Sir Mark was in charge of the UK civil service.\n\nThe probe was launched to investigate whether she had breached the ministerial code - the official rulebook for government ministers.\n\nIn February, Sir Philip Rutnam, the top civil servant in the Home Office, resigned, saying he had been the target of a \"vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign\".\n\nHe is pursuing an employment tribunal claim for constructive dismissal.\n\nSir Mark said Mr Johnson had begun consulting his independent adviser on ministers' interests, Sir Alex Allan, about the fact-finding review by the time his left his post in September.\n\n\"I think Alex had been in discussion with the prime minister,\" he told MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.\n\n\"I don't know the exact date of when that part of the process was submitted to the PM, but it was under way, and it's with him as I understand it now.\n\n\"The process was: establish the facts, have Alex Allan consider it, because the prime minister wanted his advice, and the prime minister needs to reflect and make a decision.\n\n\"That, as I understand it, is still in train.\"\n\nA decision on whether to publish the report will be made by Mr Johnson - who also has the ultimate power to decide whether the ministerial code has been breached.\n\nSir Mark suggested the full report might never be published, to protect the confidentiality of those interviewed as part of the inquiry.\n\n\"It is a decision in the end for the PM whether he publishes anything,\" he said.\n\n\"But [they] would have to be very careful, if there were any publication, to respect the basis on which individuals interviewed in the process had submitted their evidence.\n\n\"That doesn't mean you can't publish or release anything, but it does mean you have to be careful about it.\"\n\nThe PM's official spokesman said: \"Once we are in a position to make public the prime minister's conclusions then we will do so, but we are not at that point yet.\"", "Fifteen pro-democracy lawmakers resigned this month in protest at China's new rules\n\nChina has strongly rebuked the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada after being accused of a concerted effort to silence critics in Hong Kong.\n\nThe countries, which form the Five Eyes alliance, criticised China's imposition of new rules to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong.\n\nThey urged Beijing to reverse course.\n\nA Chinese foreign ministry spokesman responded that if countries \"dared harm China's sovereignty, they should beware that their eyes could be blinded\".\n\n\"The Chinese never stir trouble , but they aren't afraid of trouble either,\" Zhao Lijian told journalists in Beijing on Thursday, saying it did not \"matter if they had five or 10 eyes\".\n\nLast week, Hong Kong expelled four pro-democracy lawmakers from its legislature after Beijing passed a resolution allowing the city's government to dismiss politicians deemed a threat to national security.\n\nIn response, all of Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers announced their resignation. For the first time since the UK handed the territory back to China in 1997, the body has almost no dissenting voices.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Claudia Mo: \"We have given up the legislative fight at least for the time being.\"\n\nThe dismissal of the four lawmakers was viewed by many as the latest attempt by China to restrict Hong Kong's freedoms, something Beijing denies.\n\nForeign ministers from the Five Eyes group urged China to reinstate them, saying the move was a clear breach of Beijing's legally binding commitments to protect the territory's freedoms and autonomy.\n\nThey also accused Beijing of undermining the rights of people in Hong Kong to elect their representatives.\n\nFive Eyes is an intelligence-sharing alliance of the five Anglophone countries set up during the Cold War and initially developed to monitor the USSR and its allies.\n\nEarlier, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong said any attempt by foreign states to threaten or pressure Beijing to make concessions was \"doomed to fail\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The history behind Hong Kong's identity crisis and protests - first broadcast November 2019\n\nHong Kong was returned to China under the \"one country, two systems\" principle, which allowed it to retain more rights and freedoms than the mainland until 2047.\n\nAs a Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong was to have its own legal system, multiple political parties, and rights including freedom of assembly and free speech.\n\nBut in late June China passed a controversial, far-reaching national security law in the territory after years of pro-democracy and anti-Beijing protests, which reduced Hong Kong's autonomy and made it easier to punish demonstrators. It criminalises \"secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces\".\n\nBeijing says the law will return stability to the territory, but western governments and human rights groups say it effectively curtails freedom of speech and protest. After the law was introduced, a number of pro-democracy groups disbanded out of fears for their safety.\n\nEarlier this month, a reporter who helped investigate suspected police involvement in a violent attack on protesters last year was arrested, in what journalists said was a tactic to discourage reporting.\n\nIn response to the security law, the UK offered Hong Kong residents still holding British National Overseas (BNO) status a route to British citizenship.\n\nAround 300,000 people currently hold BNO passports, while an estimated 2.9 million people born before the handover are eligible for one. China last month strongly criticised the UK in response, telling London to \"immediately correct its mistakes\".", "The song was a duet between The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl\n\nBBC Radio 1 will not play the original version of Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl this Christmas, because its audience may be offended by some of the lyrics.\n\nThe station said young listeners were particularly sensitive to derogatory terms for gender and sexuality.\n\nIt will instead play an edited version with different lyrics sung by MacColl.\n\nBut the 1987 original will still be played on Radio 2, while 6 Music DJs can choose between the two versions.\n\nA BBC spokesman said: \"We know the song is considered a Christmas classic and we will continue to play it this year, with our radio stations choosing the version of the song most relevant for their audience.\"\n\nThe duet is one of the most enduring Christmas pop songs, having returned to the UK top 20 every year since 2005. Along with a string of other festive favourites, it is now rising the chart again, at 59 in the current midweek chart.\n\nThe track is regularly voted one of the UK's favourite Christmas songs\n\nBut Radio 1 has decided younger listeners who are unfamiliar with the track would find some of the words stark and not in line with what they would expect to hear on air.\n\nThe new edited version changes two lines - one swapped for an alternative version in which MacColl sings \"You're cheap and you're haggard\" in place of a homophobic slur.\n\nMacColl sang the newly-added line on Top of the Pops in 1992. She died in a boat accident in Mexico eight years later, at the age of 41.\n\nThe same wording was used by Ronan Keating and Moya Brennan in their 2000 cover version. When Ed Sheeran and Anne-Marie performed the song in Radio 1's Live Lounge in 2017, she opted to call him a \"cheap lousy blagger\".\n\nIn Radio 1's newly-edited version, another line, sung by Shane MacGowan in the second verse, has a word removed entirely.\n\nRadio 1 has played the song in its original form in recent years, but the insults contained in the lyrics, sung in the form of a blazing row between an alcoholic and a heroin addict, have long been criticised by some.\n\nThe track was censored by Radio 1 back in 2007, but that decision was swiftly reversed after an outcry by its fans.\n\nAndy Parfitt, the station's controller at the time, explained the U-turn by saying its audiences were \"smart enough to distinguish between maliciousness and creative freedom\", and there was no \"negative intent behind the use of the words\".\n\nAled Haydn-Jones, who worked as producer of Chris Moyles' breakfast show at the time, was made head of Radio 1 this June.\n\nThe original song was a number two hit in 1987\n\nIn 2018, MacGowan defended the song, explaining: \"The word was used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak and with her character. She is not supposed to be a nice person, or even a wholesome person.\n\n\"She is a woman of a certain generation at a certain time in history, and she is down on her luck and desperate. Her dialogue is as accurate as I could make it, but she is not intended to offend.\n\n\"She is just supposed to be an authentic character and not all characters in songs and stories are angels or even decent and respectable. Sometimes characters in songs and stories have to be evil or nasty in order to tell the story effectively.\"\n\nLast year, there were hundreds of complaints after Gavin and Stacey characters Nessa and Bryn sang the unedited version in the sitcom's seasonal special.\n\nThis Christmas, Radio 2 said it had considered the issue carefully and would continue to monitor listeners' views, but had decided to continue to play the original.\n\n6 Music, meanwhile, has said both versions can be played, at the discretion of each individual presenter.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Fashion chains Peacocks and Jaeger have fallen into administration, putting more than 4,700 jobs and almost 500 shops at risk.\n\nIt comes after owner Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group failed to find a buyer for both businesses.\n\nNo redundancies have been announced yet and no stores closed.\n\nEWM Group blamed the pandemic for a collapse in trade, but said it was still in talks with potential buyers.\n\n\"In recent weeks we have had constructive discussions with a number of potential buyers for Peacocks and Jaeger,\" it said in a statement.\n\n\"But the continuing deterioration of the retail sector due to the impact of the pandemic and second lockdown have made this process longer and more complex than we would have hoped.\"\n\nIt said that a \"standstill agreement\" secured with the High Court that temporarily put off administration had now expired.\n\n\"Therefore as directors we taken the desperately difficult decision to place Peacocks and Jaeger into administration while those talks continue,\" it said.\n\nJaeger is a London-based fashion business with 76 stores and concessions and employs 347 staff. Cardiff-based Peacocks operates 423 stores with 4,369 staff.\n\nSome Peacocks stores had already begun to shut following an announcement on 15 October.\n\nPhilip Day has quietly built a retail empire over the last 18 years and his huge footprint on high streets across the UK served him well. He did so by snapping up a string of businesses out of administration.\n\nCritics say he didn't do much with them. He didn't do much business online, either. That left him and his chains more exposed when shoppers stampeded to the internet during lockdown.\n\nMr Day still has Bonmarche, a business which he bought through a separate investment vehicle and isn't affected by the current insolvency process. It went into administration last year amid challenging trading conditions. He went on to buy it back, with fewer stores.\n\nWill he now do the same with Peacocks or walk away? According to the most recent company accounts, the EWM Group made a pre-tax profit of £31m in the six months until March 2019. It also had plenty of cash in the bank and next to no debt. How quickly things have unravelled.\n\nThe news come two weeks after Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group called in administrators for its eponymous clothing chain and its homeware brand Ponden Home, putting almost 3,000 more jobs at risk.\n\nTony Wright, joint administrator of the business from FRP Advisory, said talks with potential buyers for Jaeger and Peacocks were at an advanced stage, suggesting the brands could still be saved.\n\n\"Jaeger and Peacocks are attractive brands that have suffered the well-known challenges that many retailers face at present,\" he said.\n\n\"We are in advanced discussions with a number of parties and working hard to secure a future for both businesses.\"\n\nEdinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) is owned by businessman Philip Day, who has a £1.14bn fortune, according to the Sunday Times Rich List published in May 2020.", "Elisa Granato was one of the volunteers given the Oxford vaccine\n\nThe Oxford coronavirus vaccine shows a strong immune response in adults in their 60s and 70s, raising hopes that it can protect age groups most at risk from the virus.\n\nResearchers say the Lancet phase two findings, based on 560 healthy adult volunteers, are \"encouraging\".\n\nThey are also testing whether the vaccine stops people developing Covid-19 in larger, phase three trials.\n\nEarly results from this crucial stage are expected in the coming weeks.\n\nThree vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik and Moderna - have already reported good preliminary data from phase three trials, with one suggesting 94% of over-65s could be protected from Covid-19.\n\nThe Oxford data is from an earlier stage, which tests the safety of the vaccine and the body's response to it, but in the long run it's likely this vaccine could be easier to roll out because it doesn't need to be stored at very cold temperatures.\n\nThe UK government has ordered more of the Oxford vaccine, manufactured by AstraZeneca, than any other - 100 million doses - compared to 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and five million of the Moderna vaccine.\n\nProf Andrew Pollard, study lead from the University of Oxford, told the BBC he was \"absolutely delighted with the results\" showing a strong immune response \"even in those over 70 years of age\".\n\nOn whether the vaccine protects people against Covid-19, he said they were \"not there yet\" but the data would probably be released \"before Christmas\".\n\nProf Pollard said there was \"no competition\" with other vaccines, adding that multiple vaccines needed to be successful.\n\n\"We will need all of them to protect people around the globe,\" he said.\n\nThe challenge with developing a Covid vaccine is to trigger the body to fight back against the virus no matter how old someone is.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus vaccine: How close are you to getting one?\n\nOlder people's weaker immune systems mean vaccines do not tend to function as well as they do in younger people.\n\nThese trial results from the University of Oxford, peer-reviewed in the Lancet, suggest that may not be a problem.\n\nThey show that older adults aged 56-69 and over 70 had a similar immune response to younger adults aged 18-55.\n\nDr Maheshi Ramasamy, an investigator at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: \"The next step will be to see if this translates into protection from the disease itself.\"\n\nTwo weeks after the second dose, more than 99% of participants had neutralising antibody responses. These included people of all ages.\n\nThe T-cell response - another measure of how well the immune system responds - peaked two weeks after the first dose of the vaccine, regardless of age.\n\n\"The robust antibody and T-cell responses seen in older people in our study are encouraging,\" Dr Ramasamy said.\n\n\"The populations at greatest risk of serious Covid-19 disease include people with existing health conditions and older adults.\n\n\"We hope that this means our vaccine will help to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society, but further research will be needed before we can be sure.\"\n\nOlder adults were also less likely to experience side-effects, which were usually mild.\n\nAnd there were no serious safety issues relating to the vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCov-2019.\n\nVolunteers in the trial were put into groups and given one or two doses of the vaccine or a dummy jab. The reaction of their immune systems was assessed on the day they got the jab, then one, two and four weeks after both doses.\n\nThe Oxford vaccine is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from chimpanzees that has been modified so it cannot grow in humans.\n\nWork began on the vaccine in January and it was developed in under three months, starting human trials - the first in Europe - in April in Oxford.\n\nPhase three trials of the vaccine, which look at how effective it is at protecting people against the Covid-19, started at the end of August and are still continuing.\n\nWhen data from this stage is sent to the regulators, scrutinised and approved, the vaccine can be given the green light to be used on people worldwide.\n\nThe Oxford vaccine is expected to be easier to manufacture on a global scale than Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine, and the university is committed to making hundreds of millions of doses available to the developing world.\n\nThe UK's large order of the vaccine means that if it is approved before Christmas and becomes available early next year, it would make a major difference to how quickly Covid vaccines could be given to people in priority groups.\n\nNews of the vaccine comes amid a debate in the UK about whether people will be able to see their families over the Christmas period.\n\nProf Andrew Hayward - director of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care and a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies - told the BBC that family gatherings at Christmas would pose \"substantial risks\".\n\n\"We're on the cusp of being able to protect those elderly people, who we love, through vaccination,\" he told Radio 4's Today programme.\n\n\"It would be tragic to throw that opportunity away... by trying to return to normality over the holidays.\"\n\nHe added: \"My personal view is we're putting far too much emphasis on having a near-normal Christmas.\"\n\nHave you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The first vaccination against coronavirus is expected to be delivered in Scotland next month, the health secretary has announced.\n\nJeane Freeman said the NHS would be ready to vaccinate people from the first week of December if safety approval is given.\n\nIt is hoped up to one million people could be vaccinated by the end of January if there are no delays.\n\nFrontline NHS and care workers will be among the first recipients.\n\nMs Freeman said distributing the vaccine would be one of \"the biggest civilian logistical challenges in our lifetime\".\n\nA total of three vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford and Moderna - have already reported good preliminary data from trials.\n\nThe health secretary said it was not yet known which vaccines would be approved for use or precisely when the first doses would be delivered.\n\nShe added: \"The safety of the Covid-19 vaccine is paramount to us.\n\n\"Scotland has a strong track record of delivering immunisation programmes, but this programme will be the largest of its kind ever undertaken.\n\n\"NHS Boards will identify acceptable and accessible locations, both for mass vaccination and for local access.\n\n\"We will be getting in touch with the first priority groups in the coming weeks and I urge people to take up the vaccine when they are offered it.\"\n\nMs Freeman said that if the vaccines at the most advanced stage get regulatory approval then the Scottish government hopes to have 320,000 doses to deploy in the first two weeks of December.\n\nThe UK government health secretary, Matt Hancock, has said the NHS in the rest of the UK is ready to begin delivering the Pfizer vaccine from the start of next month but warned what was \"more likely is that we may be able to start rolling it out before Christmas\".\n\nEveryone over the age of 18 in Scotland, a total of 4.4m people, will be offered the vaccination by the end of the programme.\n\nMs Freeman suggested this could be achieved by the spring of next year. A senior Scottish government health source later said the aim was to vaccinate all over-18s \"as fast as possible\" but stressed there was \"no firm delivery timetable\".\n\nThe priorities for the first wave of vaccine distribution, from December to February, are:\n\nThe next tranche of immunisations is expected to take place from February if there are no delays. It will target those over the age of 65 and younger people with extra clinical risks.\n\nThey will be followed by the wider general population.\n\nA workforce of about 2,000 vaccinators will be needed, and support from the military will be provided to ensure the vaccination programme runs smoothly.\n\nMs Freeman said the NHS was looking at mirroring some aspects of the flu jab programme for the rollout of the vaccine\n\nThe logistics of how the vaccines are transported and stored are still being addressed, she added.\n\nThe vaccines will be delivered in a range of public locations, as well as through mobile sites and in some cases in people's homes.\n\nWalk-through and drive-through clinics being used for the flu vaccination programme are being considered for use in the rollout of the Covid vaccine.\n\nScottish Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon said lessons needed to be learned from the \"chaotic\" flu vaccination programme.\n\nShe added: \"The ambition to deliver one million vaccinations by the end of January needs to be matched by resources and investment in staff, and a clear plan on logistics.\"\n\nScottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said distributing the vaccine would be \"one of the biggest public health exercises in history\".\n\nHe said: \"The national booking service will be critical to an orderly rollout of a Covid-19 vaccination, so we need more details of how this will be established urgently.\"", "Content moderators say they have Facebook's \"most brutal job\"\n\nMore than 200 Facebook workers from around the world have accused the firm of forcing its content moderators back to the office despite the risks of contracting coronavirus.\n\nThe claims came in an open letter that said the firm was \"needlessly risking\" lives to maintain profits.\n\nThey called on Facebook to make changes to allow more remote work and offer other benefits, such as hazard pay.\n\nFacebook said \"a majority\" of content reviewers are working from home.\n\n\"While we believe in having an open internal dialogue, these discussions need to be honest,\" a spokesperson for the company said.\n\n\"The majority of these 15,000 global content reviewers have been working from home and will continue to do so for the duration of the pandemic.\"\n\nIn August, Facebook said staff could work from home until the summer of 2021.\n\nBut the social media giant relies on thousands of contractors, who officially work for other companies such as Accenture and CPL, to spot materials on the site that violate its policies, such as spam, child abuse and disinformation.\n\nThe letter comes a day after Mr Zuckerberg was grilled by Washington lawmakers over its handling of problematic posts\n\nIn the open letter, the workers said the call to return to the office had come after Facebook's efforts to rely more on artificial intelligence to spot problematic posts had come up short.\n\n\"After months of allowing content moderators to work from home, faced with intense pressure to keep Facebook free of hate and disinformation, you have forced us back to the office,\" they said.\n\n\"Facebook needs us. It is time that you acknowledged this and valued our work. To sacrifice our health and safety for profit is immoral.\"\n\nThis letter gives a fascinating behind the scenes glimpse into what is happening at Facebook - and all is not well.\n\nMark Zuckerberg's dream is that AI moderation will one day solve some of the platform's problems.\n\nThe idea is that machine learning and sophisticated software will automatically pick up and block things like hate speech or child abuse.\n\nFacebook claims that nearly 95% of offending posts are picked up before they are flagged.\n\nYet it's still easy to find grim stuff on Facebook.\n\nOn Monday I published a piece showing the kinds of racist and misogynistic content aimed at Kamala Harris on the platform.\n\nFacebook removed some of the content, however even though I flagged it to Facebook, some of it is still there - a week after I reported it.\n\nWhat this letter suggests is that AI is simply not working as Facebook execs would hope.\n\nOf course, these are voices of moderators - Facebook will have a different take.\n\nYou could also argue that human voices may have a vested interest to say AI doesn't work.\n\nBut clearly, as the spotlight is well and truly on Facebook, there are internal problems that have now spilled out into the open.\n\nFacebook said the reviewers have access to health care and that it had \"exceeded health guidance on keeping facilities safe for any in-office work\".\n\nBut the workers said only those with a doctor's note are currently excused from working in an office and called on Facebook to offer hazard pay and make its contractors full-time staff.\n\n\"Before the pandemic, content moderation was easily Facebook's most brutal job. We waded through violence and child abuse for hours on end. Moderators working on child abuse content had targets increased during the pandemic, with no additional support,\" they said.\n\n\"Now, on top of work that is psychologically toxic, holding onto the job means walking into a hot zone.\"\n\nThe letter is addressed to Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, as well as the chiefs of Accenture and CPL. It was organised by UK law firm Foxglove, which works on tech policy issues. More than 170 of the signatories were anonymous.\n\nFacebook is not the only company to face staff worries about in-person work amid the pandemic.\n\nAmazon has also come under fire for conditions in its warehouses, while outbreaks at firms from manufacturers to finance companies have stirred fears.\n\nIt comes just a day after Washington lawmakers grilled Mr Zuckerberg on the firm's content review policies.", "Customers queue outside Game in Westfield in Stratford, east London\n\nMany customers hoping to get hold of a PlayStation 5 on its launch day have been left disappointed after online retailers sold out of the console.\n\nIn an email to customers, Game blamed courier firm Yodel, which has strenuously denied it is at fault, for some pre-ordered consoles not being delivered on launch day.\n\nCurrys PC World and John Lewis had sold out of the PS5 by lunchtime.\n\nThat led some gamers to pay nearly double the retail price on eBay.\n\nThe PS5 was released in the UK on 19 November but lockdown has meant that people cannot purchase one in physical stores. The US launch took place last week.\n\nCurrys PC World was forced to institute a virtual queuing system which grew to 150,000 long.\n\nJohn Lewis was among retailers that have struggled with demand\n\nThere were also issues with the PlayStation 5 order pages on Game, Amazon, Tesco and John Lewis's websites, which failed to load or appeared broken for many visitors.\n\nMatt, 29 from Essex, who tried to order a PS5 online but could not get one, said he was \"very disappointed\" with how the launch had been handled.\n\nHe said: \"There's clearly not been sufficient stock made available by Sony, and the suppliers haven't managed sales well either, none of my stock alerts worked, and I visited websites when I could only to find the consoles hadn't been listed yet or were already sold out.\n\n\"To make matters worse some consoles are now cropping up on second hand sales sites at double the price due to the severe lack of supply, and it's worrying that some people may buy them when they should have been able to get one at launch day.\"\n\nCurrys PC World said it had sold 12,000 PS5s but was sorry for those unable to get their hands on one, although it assured customers there would be \"other chances in the lead up to Christmas\".\n\nJohn Lewis tweeted that consoles had sold out at 10:00 GMT.\n\nThose hoping to receive their consoles today are from pre-orders that took place in September. Many people who were not allocated a pre-order tried to buy a console when launch day stock went on sale at 09:00.\n\nSome people pre-ordering from one of the largest retailers, Game, faced disappointment if they were expecting to unbox their goods on launch day.\n\nIn an email to customers, Game said: \"Due to the volume of PlayStation 5s in the UK market and the size of the product, the launch has led to UK-wide delivery challenges for all retailers and couriers.\"\n\nIt goes on to say that it has had to use \"multiple couriers\" to get the consoles delivered on time but then singled out Yodel, saying the firm has \"informed us that not all orders due to be delivered by them will be delivered on release day\".\n\nGame customers received this message, which blamed Yodel for late deliveries\n\nYodel issued a furious clarification about its role. \"Yodel does not work directly with Game. Our client is GFS, a fulfilment business who work in partnership with Game,\" it said in a statement.\n\n\"We have been consistently clear on the order volumes we are able to carry for them and it is deeply disappointing that Yodel's name has been incorrectly used in an email to customers on the status of orders.\"\n\nIt said there were \"currently no delays within our network\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nGame has since clarified that the \"vast majority\" of deliveries would be made on time, with the remainder coming a day later.\n\nConsumers should take note that if they try and call GFS directly and use the telephone number listed at the top of its website, they face up to about a £4 charge for a five minute call, despite the fact the firm's home page does not mention a fee.\n\nNevertheless, the delays have led to customers venting frustration on Twitter - much of it targeted at Yodel.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Martyn Licchelli This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nSome of those who had pre-ordered from Game asked why they had paid an extra fee to have a Royal Mail delivery that has now been given to another courier firm.\n\nOthers reported delays with orders from Amazon and other retailers.\n\nSome gamers went to online auction site eBay, with many paying double the recommended retail price.\n\nThe vast majority of listings were sold between £700 and £800, despite the disc edition costing £449.99 and the digital edition at £349.99 - however, some bids pushed beyond the £1,000 mark.\n\nHe added he had resigned himself to having to wait until after Christmas.\n\nPiers Harding-Rolls, a gaming analyst with research firm Ampere said demand for both the PS5 and the new Xbox consoles had been very strong and would probably \"come in waves as the product is restocked\".\n\n\"Clearly it is disappointing for consumers that have pre-ordered not to receive their console on launch day. The situation is exacerbated as there is no opportunity to buy on launch day at physical retail as in the past.\n\n\"Whether you are impacted or not appears to come down to the retailer you pre-ordered with which indicates that this is a company-specific issue rather than a broader industry problem. The UK is not alone in this respect - some US retailers also had their challenges last week during the launches.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: Defence spending a boost for \"safety of the British people\"\n\nA \"once-in-a-generation modernisation\" of the armed forces is required to extend British influence and protect the public, Boris Johnson has said.\n\nThe prime minister told MPs a new four-year funding deal would protect \"hundreds of thousands\" of jobs and create 40,000 new roles.\n\n\"I have decided that the era of cutting our defence budget must end, and it ends now,\" he said.\n\nLabour welcomed more defence spending but asked how it would be funded.\n\nOutlining the new package in the Commons, the PM - speaking over video link as he is self-isolating - said the benefits \"will go far beyond our armed forces\".\n\nMr Johnson described the increase in defence spending as being worth £16.5bn in new money over four years.\n\nHowever economist Ben Zaranko, from the Institute of Fiscal Studies, said that while this represented a big rise in spending, the figure of £16.5bn was a \"misleading way to present this announcement\".\n\nHe continued: \"It would be more accurate to say that by 2024-25, defence spending will be £7bn higher than it would have been under previous plans.\"\n\nMr Johnson said: \"Our plans will safeguard hundreds of thousands of jobs in the defence industry, protecting livelihoods across the UK and keeping the British people safe.\"\n\nThe PM pledged to end defence budget cuts, protect shipping lanes that supply the country, press on with renewing the UK's nuclear deterrent and restore Britain as \"the foremost naval power in Europe\" with a \"renaissance of British shipbuilding across the UK\".\n\nHe also said the funding would allow investment in new technology such as:\n\n\"From aerospace to autonomous vehicles, these technologies have a vast array of civilian applications opening up new vistas of economic progress, creating 10,000 jobs every year - 40,000 in total - levelling-up across our country and reinforcing our union,\" Mr Johnson added.\n\nThis is a big win for Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who's been fighting hard for a significant increase in defence spending and a long-term financial settlement to end what he calls a cycle of overambitious, under-funded defence reviews of the past.\n\nThe Treasury had been arguing for a much smaller annual increase. But Mr Wallace found an ally in the PM, who says his first priority is defence of the realm.\n\nBoris Johnson also believes it'll boost Britain's place in the world and create jobs.\n\nThe extra money will be used to modernise the armed forces with more spent on robots, autonomous systems and meeting new threats in the domains of space and cyber.\n\nDespite the palpable relief inside the MoD it still has to fill a £13bn black hole in its equipment budget. Difficult decisions about cutting old equipment to fund the new are still to be made.\n\nThe MoD, which doesn't have a strong track record of balancing its books, now has to prove it can spend wisely.\n\nAnd good news for defence might also mean bad news for other government departments - there's already speculation the international aid budget could be cut.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of making a \"spending announcement without a strategy\" and asked whether the money would be raised through cuts or tax rises, or both.\n\nMr Johnson did not respond to the question but said Sir Keir's record of support for the armed forces was \"very thin indeed\".\n\nFormer foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt urged Mr Johnson \"not to listen to any voices in his ear\" saying that cutting international aid could help to fund the increase in defence spending.\n\nAnd Labour MP Sarah Champion, chairwoman of the international development committee, asked Mr Johnson to \"quash rumours and confirm his manifesto commitment\" of spending 0.7% of national income on overseas aid, \"now and going forwards\".\n\nThe PM responded by telling the Commons: \"I think we can all be proud of our record on overseas aid and that will continue.\"\n\nGen Sir Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff, said he was \"absolutely delighted\" by the announcement.\n\n\"But of course we're also conscious that living through this Covid crisis, the armed forces have stepped up to the plate to provide some of the resilience that the nation has needed,\" he added.\n\nGen Sir Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff, said the \"extraordinary announcement\" would be very good for morale\n\nEarlier, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said \"letting go\" of some older weapons would create \"headroom\" for new investment.\n\nHe added: \"When I looked across at the armed forces today I saw them with equipment that was out-of-date, I saw our adversaries across the world having better equipment, the ability to attack us and harm us getting wider and wider from our capabilities.\"\n\nThe funding announcement is part of the first conclusions of the government's Integrated Review which looks at security, defence, development and foreign policy.\n\nLabour's shadow defence secretary John Healey said the extra money would give \"a welcome and long-overdue upgrade to Britain's defences after a decade of decline\".\n\nConservative MP and defence select committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said: \"This is a lot of money but ultimately there are still huge financial pressures facing our armed forces.\"\n\nBut he said the \"key takeaway\" for him was the \"message this sends to the British people, to the MoD as well, that we want to be back as a strong power capability\".", "Former US President Barack Obama likens Russia's Vladimir Putin to a tough Chicago \"ward boss\" and describes former French President Nicolas Sarkozy as being full of \"overblown rhetoric\" in the first volume of his two-part memoir.\n\nA Promised Land sold nearly 890,000 copies in the US and Canada in its first 24 hours - a record for publisher Penguin Random House. It is expected to become by far the biggest-selling presidential memoir in history.\n\nIn the book, Mr Obama recalls his travels around the world as the 44th US president and his meetings with world leaders. So who made a good impression and who didn't?\n\nThe Eton-educated conservative who served as UK prime minister from 2010-2016 was \"urbane and confident\" and had \"the easy confidence of someone who'd never been pressed too hard by life\".\n\nMr Obama said he warmed to him as a person (\"I liked him personally, even when we butted heads\") but made no secret of the fact that he disagreed with his economic policies. \"Cameron hewed closely to free-market orthodoxy, having promised voters that his platform of deficit reduction and cuts to government services - along with regulatory reform and expanded trade - would usher in a new era of British competitiveness,\" he wrote. \"Instead, predictably, the British economy would fall deeper into a recession.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Barack Obama and David Cameron team-up for table tennis at the Globe Academy in south London\n\nMr Obama said the Russian leader reminded him of the political barons he encountered during his early career in Chicago. He writes he was \"like a ward [district] boss, except with nukes and a UN Security Council veto\".\n\nHe continues: \"Putin did, in fact, remind me of the sorts of men who had once run the Chicago machine or Tammany Hall [a New York City political organisation] - tough, street-smart, unsentimental characters who knew what they knew, who never moved outside their narrow experiences, and who viewed patronage, bribery, shakedowns, fraud, and occasional violence as legitimate tools of the trade.\"\n\nThe former French president was \"all emotional outbursts and overblown rhetoric\" and like \"a figure out of a Toulouse-Lautrec painting\", according to Mr Obama.\n\n\"Conversations with Sarkozy were by turns amusing and exasperating, his hands in perpetual motion, his chest thrust out like a bantam cock's, his personal translator... always beside him to frantically mirror his every gesture and intonation as the conversation swooped from flattery to bluster to genuine insight, never straying from his primary, barely disguised interest, which was to be at the centre of the action and take credit for whatever it was that might be worth taking credit for.\"\n\nBarack Obama said he liked Nicolas Sarkozy's \"boldness, charm and manic energy\"\n\nThe German leader is referred to as \"steady, honest, intellectually rigorous, and instinctually kind\". Mr Obama notes that she had, at first, been sceptical of him, because of his lofty rhetoric and speech-making skills. \"I took no offence, figuring that as a German leader, an aversion to possible demagoguery was probably a healthy thing.\"\n\nBarack Obama described Angela Merkel as \"honest\" and \"kind\"\n\nMr Obama found the Turkish leader to be \"cordial and generally responsive to my requests\".\n\n\"But whenever I listened to him speak, his tall frame slightly stooped, his voice a forceful staccato that rose an octave in response to various grievances or perceived slights. I got the strong impression that his commitment to democracy and the rule of law might last only as long as it preserved his own power.\"\n\nThe former Indian prime minister is described as having been \"wise, thoughtful, and scrupulously honest\" and the \"chief architect of India's economic transformation\". Mr Singh was a \"self-effacing technocrat who'd won the people's trust not by appealing to their passions but bringing about higher living standards and maintaining a well-earned reputation for not being corrupt\", Mr Obama observes.\n\nBarack Obama met Václav Klaus (c) and the then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Prague in 2010\n\nMr Obama was an admirer of Václav Havel - the Czech Republic's first president after the Velvet Revolution - but found his successor Václav Klaus more troubling. Mr Obama writes that he feared the Eurosceptic president signalled a rise of right-wing populism across Europe and embodied \"how the economic crisis [of 2008-9] was causing an uptick in nationalism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and scepticism about [European] integration\". He added: \"The hopeful tide of democratisation, liberalisation, and integration that had swept the globe after the end of the Cold War was beginning to recede.\"\n\nA Promised Land is the first volume of Barack Obama's planned two-part memoir", "Online news and lifestyle site Buzzfeed is taking over HuffPost in a deal that brings together two of the most high-profile digital media firms.\n\nSeller Verizon Media will become a minority shareholder in Buzzfeed as part of the deal and invest in the combined company.\n\nThe two firms will also join up for advertising and sharing content, a partnership they said would \"create new revenue opportunities\".\n\nThe price was not disclosed.\n\nBuzzfeed chief executive Jonah Peretti will lead the combined business. He co-founded HuffPost, formerly known as the Huffington Post, in 2005 with publisher Arianna Huffington and started Buzzfeed a year later.\n\nHuffPost rose to prominence during the George W Bush presidency as a site for liberal bloggers, many of whom contributed for free.\n\nBuzzfeed made its name creating content like listicles and quizzes, which drew young audiences. It also brought on reporters for its news site.\n\nBut digital media firms have struggled to draw online advertising dollars away from tech giants such as Facebook and Google. In recent years, Buzzfeed and HuffPost have both shed staff. In May, Buzzfeed closed its newsrooms in the UK and Australia and slashed staff pay.\n\nMr Peretti said the new deal would increase Buzzfeed's heft, by adding HuffPost readers to its audience and allowing it to tap into Verizon's ad network.\n\nHuffPost is expected to remain a standalone brand, alongside other Buzzfeed sites, including Tasty and Buzzfeed News.\n\nA spokeswoman for Buzzfeed declined to comment on the possibility of job losses triggered by the tie-up.\n\nVerizon Media is part of a US telecom giant, which is known primarily for its pay-TV and mobile phone service. It acquired HuffPost in 2015 when it bought AOL for $4.4bn (£3.32bn), later combining it with Yahoo.\n\nJust a few years later, it wrote down the value of the properties by nearly $5bn.\n\n\"While considering opportunities to work together, naturally, Jonah and I also discussed the property he co-founded, HuffPost,\" said Verizon Media boss Guru Gowrappan.\n\n\"We quickly realised BuzzFeed's strategy would complement HuffPost's roadmap, injecting it with new energy and growing the brand into the future.\n\n\"We are deeply invested in the continued success of HuffPost and I couldn't think of a better partner to take HuffPost to the next level.\"\n\nA few years ago companies like BuzzFeed and HuffPost were growing fast.\n\nThe business model was simple. Produce viral content aimed at younger, online savvy audiences and cash in on online advertising revenue.\n\nThat hasn't been as lucrative as they would have hoped.\n\nAds on digital news stories can actually be quite a clunky way to advertise - less focussed than many advertisers would like.\n\nSo Facebook and Google, which offer incredibly bespoke targeting, mop up a massive percentage of online advertising. More than half of all the money spent on online advertising is with these two companies.\n\nMany smaller digital media companies were laying off staff even before the pandemic. Covid-19 has inflamed these problems. People, stuck at home, are clicking more, but advertisers have been cautious.\n\nThat's left companies that were seen as revolutionary only a few years ago trying to work out how to survive.\n\nThis takeover should be seen in this context - the latest attempt to find a better way of making digital media work financially.", "Andrew Bates works with the Terence Higgins Trust to raise awareness around HIV issues\n\nThe number of gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV has dropped to its lowest number in 20 years, says Public Health England (PHE).\n\nA new report shows a drop in diagnosed cases across people of all sexualities and genders.\n\nAnd it's not just because we've been in lockdown and not having sex with new people, because these numbers are all about 2019.\n\nThe report shows there were 1,700 new HIV diagnoses in gay and bisexual men last year, compared to the previous low of 1,500 in 2000.\n\nNumbers overall dropped 10% from 4,580 diagnosed cases in 2018 to 4,139 in 2019.\n\nIt's a 34% decline from a 2014 peak, when there were 6,312 diagnoses in the UK.\n\nThere were 1,600 diagnosed cases in heterosexual adults in 2019 - and this is the first time the numbers between straight and gay and bi people have been so close.\n\nMen who have sex with other men are one of the groups most at risk of contracting HIV.\n\nPHE says further progress can only be made if \"inequalities that exist around sexuality, ethnicity and geography\" are addressed\n\nThe report is good news to 26-year-old Andrew Bates. He's gay and was diagnosed as HIV+ when he was 21.\n\n\"At that time, it wasn't on my radar, and it sounds kind of ridiculous now, but I didn't think I was at risk,\" he tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.\n\n\"It was never spoken about so it was a scary time for me.\"\n\nHe says awareness around HIV, prevention and treatment today hopefully makes a new HIV diagnosis for someone now much less difficult than it was for him.\n\n\"I would hope that because of speaking about it more than we were then - even though it's just five years ago - that people who do go through that process now, who have received a diagnosis, it's not as worrying.\"\n\nAndrew has been on medication since shortly after his diagnosis and is now \"undetectable\", which means the amount of the HIV virus in his body is so low, he can't pass it on to someone else.\n\nPHE says the decline in cases among gay and bisexual men can be linked to the use of condoms, PrEP, frequent HIV testing and starting on HIV therapy soon after diagnosis.\n\nPrEP is a drug you can take that prevents you from catching HIV. The government provided funds to local authorities to provide the drug on the NHS to people most at risk of infection.\n\nThis was delayed from April, and HIV charity Terence Higgins Trust says the six-month wait is \"frustrating\" after seeing the PHE report and the progress that was made last year.\n\n\"Terrence Higgins Trust is still hearing story after story of people being turned away from clinics with no PrEP and no way of accessing this effective HIV prevention drug,\" says Ian Green, chief executive of the charity, in a statement.\n\nAndrew believes another factor is changes in how sex education is taught in schools.\n\n\"Schools weren't talking about LGBT matters within sex education,\" he says.\n\n\"When I was in school, it was never spoken about, I think HIV was only ever brought up in a science lesson once in biology.\n\n\"I don't want to speak for teenagers now but we're told that they have a bit more of a healthier perspective on sex and relationships and growing up with these different forms of sexuality.\"\n\n\"Frequent HIV testing, the offer of PrEP among those most at risk of HIV, together with prompt treatment among those diagnosed, remain key to ending HIV transmission by 2030,\" says Dr Valerie Delpech, head of HIV surveillance at PHE.\n\n\"Further progress can only be achieved if we also address the inequalities in reducing HIV transmission that exist around sexuality, ethnicity and geography.\"\n\nAndrew's hopeful HIV transmissions in the UK can end even sooner than that.\n\n\"You think of what we've achieved and if we keep going up the rate that we've been going at, the we'll get there even sooner.\"\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "UK insurance group RSA, which is best known for its More Than brand, is in talks with a consortium of Canadian insurer Intact Financial and Danish insurer Tryg about a possible takeover.\n\nThe deal, which could see the British insurer broken up, values the company at about £7.2bn ($9.5bn).\n\nRSA has large operations in Canada, Ireland and Scandinavia.\n\nThe news saw the shares surge 46% to 670p on Thursday. In early trade on Friday they dipped 1% to 662p.\n\nIf the deal goes ahead it will be the biggest takeover of a UK-listed company so far this year.\n\nThe offer from Intact Financial and Tryg would pay 685p in cash per RSA share. It also includes a previously-announced 8p per share interim dividend.\n\nThis represented about a 50% premium to RSA's closing price on 1 October. Analysts at Jefferies said the offer price represented \"more than fair value\".\n\nIn a statement, the UK insurer said: \"The board of RSA has indicated to the consortium that it would be minded to recommend the proposal, subject to satisfactory resolution of the other terms of the possible offer, including a period of due diligence.\"\n\nRSA was formed by the merger of Sun Alliance and Royal Insurance in 1996 and provides home, motor and commercial insurance.\n\nUnder the terms of the deal, Intact and Tryg would split up RSA's businesses with the Canadian firm keeping its Canada and UK operations.\n\nDenmark-based Tryg would take control of RSA's Sweden and Norway operations, while the pair would also co-own RSA's Danish unit.\n\nTryg would take on the highest bill paying RSA about £4.2bn, while Intact would contribute £3bn.\n\nThe two insurers have until 3 December to make a formal offer.\n\nRSA has a history going back more than 300 years.\n\nSun Alliance had its origins in Sun Fire Office, the oldest documented insurance company in the world founded in London in 1710.\n\nRoyal Insurance was established in Liverpool in 1845.\n\nRSA has long been seen as a takeover target and came close to a sale to Switzerland's Zurich Insurance in 2015.\n\nThe company employs 13,500 people across more than 100 countries.", "UK trade with the EU faces \"significant disruption\" when the Brexit transition period ends in January, a government spending watchdog has said.\n\nThe National Audit Office (NAO) said it was \"very unlikely\" traders would be ready for checks the EU is due to impose at its borders.\n\nIt also warned \"limited\" time remained for UK ports to test new IT systems.\n\nThe government said \"significant\" efforts had been made to avoid disruption to businesses.\n\nThe UK formally left the EU earlier this year but is following EU trading rules until the end of December.\n\nPreparations are under way to prepare the border for the change, amid warnings the new systems might not be ready in time to avoid disruption.\n\nIn a report, the NAO said the end of the transition period would bring \"significant change,\" even if the UK agrees a trade deal with the EU.\n\nEven with a deal, traders will face new hurdles to clear - including the need to fill in customs declarations on goods being traded.\n\nHM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates it may need to process 270 million customs declarations from 2021, compared with 55 million currently.\n\nIn June, the government announced that - regardless of whether it reaches a post-Brexit trade deal - new checks on EU goods entering Great Britain would be phased in over six months from January 2021 to give firms \"time to adjust\".\n\nHowever, the NAO said there was still \"uncertainty\" over where new border infrastructure would be located and whether it would be ready.\n\nIt also expressed concern traders would not be ready for the full checks on UK exports the EU is planning to implement from the start of 2021.\n\nIt cited the government's latest \"worse case scenario\" planning figures, which estimate 40% to 70% of lorries crossing the English Channel will not be ready.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nUnder the UK's withdrawal deal, Northern Ireland is due to enforce EU customs rules at its ports, requiring declarations for goods coming from GB.\n\nThe NAO said Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), which is responsible for planning checks on food and live animal imports, had been \"severely hampered\" by the continuing UK-EU trade talks.\n\nThe watchdog added that DAERA lacked \"clarity\" about the checks required, and now considers it will not be possible to finish work on its border infrastructure in time for January 2021 and is \"exploring contingency options\".\n\nIt added that the UK government's controversial Internal Market Bill, giving ministers powers to override sections of the Brexit divorce deal, had \"further increased this uncertainty\".\n\nThe government has warned of 7,000-long truck queues to cross the Channel in its worst-case scenario planning.\n\nIn addition, it added there were still \"various operational issues to be resolved\" for goods crossing the English Channel.\n\nThis included making sure hauliers are able to use a planned online service allowing them to declare they have the correct documents for the EU border and thus obtain a permit to drive on certain roads in Kent.\n\nThe NAO also said border preparations had been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic, with senior officials being diverted to the emergency response and communication efforts being temporarily paused.\n\nLabour MP Meg Hillier, who chairs Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, said ministers had not given businesses \"enough time to prepare\".\n\n\"It's incredibly worrying that, with two months to go, critical computer systems haven't been properly tested,\" she added.\n\n\"The government can only hope that everything comes together on the day, but this is not certain.\"\n\nOn Thursday, Rod McKenzie, policy director for the Road Haulage Association, told a Scottish Parliament committee his industry had been \"been badly let down by the UK government from beginning to end.\"\n\nHe added that the information given to hauliers to help them implement the international permits they will require in the event of no trade deal being reached had been \"quite often totally incomprehensible\".\n\nIn response to the NAO's report, a UK government spokesperson said it had invested £705m to ensure the \"right border infrastructure, staffing and technology is in place\".\n\n\"With fewer than two months to go, it's vital that businesses and citizens prepare too,\" they added.\n\n\"That's why we're intensifying our engagement with businesses and running a major public information campaign so they know exactly what they need to do to grasp the new opportunities available as the transition period ends.\"", "Mr Johnson believes there is 'a deal to be done'\n\n\"Significant differences\" between the UK and the EU remain, as negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal continue, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said\n\nFollowing a call with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday, the PM said progress had been made but there were still issues around the \"level playing field\" and fishing.\n\nBoth parties agreed negotiating teams would resume talks in London on Monday.\n\nThey also agreed to remain \"in close contact\" over the coming days.\n\nA statement from Downing Street on Saturday said:\n\n\"Prime Minister Boris Johnson today spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a stock take on the progress in the negotiations between the UK and the EU.\n\n\"The prime minister set out that, while some progress had been made in recent discussions, significant differences remain in a number of areas, including the so-called level playing field and fish.\n\n\"The prime minister and president agreed that their negotiating teams would continue talks in London next week, beginning on Monday, in order to redouble efforts to reach a deal.\n\n\"They agreed to remain in personal contact about the negotiations,\" the statement said.\n\nEchoing Mr Johnson, Ms von der Leyen acknowledged \"some progress had been made, but large differences remain\". \"Our teams will continue working hard next week,\" she wrote on Twitter.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Ursula von der Leyen This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe prime minister has said he believes there is \"a deal to be done\" and \"very much hopes\" to come to an agreement, but he has insisted the country was \"very well prepared\" to move on should the two parties not be able to agree a deal.\n\nMeanwhile, the National Audit Office has warned of \"significant disruption\" when the Brexit transition period ends.\n\nThe UK left the EU on 31 January and entered the transition period - continuing to follow many EU rules - while a trade deal was negotiated.\n\nBut while both sides said a deal needed to be done in October, they have yet to come to an agreement, and talks between the negotiating teams have intensified.\n\nThe transition period is due to come to an end on 31 December, meaning the UK would trade with the EU on World Trade Organisation rules - meaning tariffs are imposed - if a deal is not in place.\n\nCritics say this could cause damage to the UK economy, but the government insists the country will prosper with or without a deal.\n\nEarlier this week, both the UK and EU's chief trade negotiators warned of \"wide\" and \"serious divergences\" between the two sides.\n\nSticking points include fishing rights, competition rules and how a deal would be enforced.\n\nAsked on Friday if the UK could get a deal in the next 10 days, Mr Johnson said: \"I very much hope that we will, but obviously that depends on our friends and partners across the Channel.\n\n\"I think there is a deal to be done, if they want to do it.\n\n\"If not, the country is, of course, very well prepared. As I have said before, we can do very well with on Australian terms [without a deal], if that is what we have to go for.\"\n\nThomas Byrne, Ireland's minister for European affairs, said the talks up to this point between the EU and UK's negotiators, Michel Barnier and David Frost, had been \"difficult\", with \"big issues\" still remaining.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"I personally don't expect that there would me major progress today, but at the same time I think it's very good that they are talking - I think that's really positive. But I'm not sure that we would expect a moment at this point.\"\n\nMr Byrne was also asked if there could be a \"new dynamic\" to discussions between the UK and EU if Joe Biden was elected the US president, saying it was \"certainly possible\".\n\nMr Biden, who has Irish roots, said in September that he would not allow peace in Northern Ireland to become a \"casualty of Brexit\" if he was elected president.\n\nMr Byrne said: \"He was very clear in his suggestion and statement on the 16th of September that any trade deal between the US and UK must be contingent on respect for the Good Friday Agreement and preventing the return of the hard border.\"", "Half a million borrowers mis-sold payday loans by collapsed lender Sunny are likely to receive no more than 1% of their compensation entitlement.\n\nAdministrators KPMG are emailing all those who have a right to a payout, inviting them to make a claim.\n\nBut they are warning that the funds available mean they may not receive a penny, or 1% at most.\n\nHowever, victims of mis-selling will automatically have negative entries on their credit records cleared.\n\nThis will be done automatically by the end of November, with any notes of defaults on their first five Sunny loans cleared, and notices of any subsequent loans deleted entirely.\n\nThat should help those struggling to access credit, as a result of their history with Sunny, having more success in the future.\n\nSunny was one of a series of high-profile payday lenders to have collapsed, mostly in response to a wave of complaints over the mis-selling of short-term, high-cost loans.\n\nMany of these loans were found to have been unaffordable to repay, and should never have been granted.\n\nWonga was the most high-profile collapse in August 2018, followed by other big names in the sector such as WageDay Advance and QuickQuid.\n\nMany of Sunny's payday loans were found to have been unaffordable to repay\n\nSunny, the brand name of Elevate Credit International Limited, fell into administration in June. In October, some of the existing loan book was sold to Perch Capital, and others were written off.\n\nAdministrators then assessed how many of Sunny's 700,000 customers had been mis-sold loans, and concluded that 500,000 had been affected and could make a claim. It is emailing all of them in the coming weeks.\n\nOthers whose cases have already been dealt with by the Financial Ombudsman, but have not received any payout, can also put in a claim for compensation.\n\nAll claims must be submitted by the end of January.\n\n\"Whilst the dividend will depend on the volume of claims and queries received, we estimate that any dividend payable could be less that 1p in the pound and that any payment would likely be made in spring 2021,\" the administrators said.\n\nDebt adviser Sara Williams, who runs the Debt Camel blog, said: \"Since Wonga went under, the figures have been emerging about the massive scale of payday loan mis-selling.\n\n\"These show how ineffective regulation was at preventing so many people being trapped in unaffordable debt for so long.\"", "Work is beginning on what is thought to be the world's first major plant to store energy in the form of liquid air.\n\nIt will use surplus electricity from wind farms at night to compress air so hard that it becomes a liquid at -196 Celsius.\n\nThen when there is a peak in demand in a day or a month, the liquid air will be warmed so it expands.\n\nThe resulting rush of air will drive a turbine to make electricity, which can be sold back to the grid.\n\nThe 50MW facility near Manchester will store enough power for roughly 50,000 homes for five hours.\n\nThe system was devised by Peter Dearman, a self-taught backyard inventor from Hertfordshire, and it has been taken to commercial scale with a £10m grant from the UK government.\n\n\"It's very exciting,\" he told BBC News. \"We need many different forms of energy storage - and I'm confident liquid air will be one of them.\"\n\nThe energy plant will use surplus electricity from wind farms at night\n\nMr Dearman said his invention was 60-70% efficient, depending how it is used.\n\nThat is less efficient than batteries, but he said the advantage of liquid air is the low cost of the storage tanks - so it can easily be scaled up.\n\nAlso, unlike batteries, liquid air storage does not create a demand for minerals which may become increasingly scarce as the world moves towards power systems based on variable renewable electricity.\n\n\"Batteries are really great for short-term storage,\" Mr Dearman said. \"But they are too expensive to do long-term energy storage. That's where liquid air comes in.\"\n\nMr Dearman had been developing a car run on similar principles with liquid hydrogen when he saw the potential for applying the technology to electricity storage.\n\nHe is now a passive shareholder in Highview, one of the firms building the 50MW plant.\n\nProf John Loughhead, from the government's business and energy department, has previously praised the technology.", "Up to 10,000 war veterans marched during the remembrance service at the Cenotaph last year\n\nThe Royal British Legion is encouraging people to mark Remembrance Sunday this weekend by observing a two-minute silence on their doorstep.\n\nThe charity said this was a way \"you can still play your part from home\", with coronavirus restrictions affecting annual remembrance events.\n\nIt comes after thousands of households took to their doorsteps to applaud the NHS during lockdown.\n\nAt 11:00 GMT on Sunday, a two-minute silence will be held across the UK.\n\nIt is part of the annual commemorations for those who lost their lives in conflicts, although events this year have had to be scaled back because of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nFor the first time in its history, the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in central London will not be open to the public.\n\nMembers of the Royal Family, the government and the armed forces are still expected to attend the ceremony, which will have strict social distancing measures in force, but the annual march past the Cenotaph will not take place.\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden said he wanted to \"properly\" mark 100 years since the monument was installed but said \"it is with a heavy heart that I must ask people not to attend the ceremony at the Cenotaph this year in order to keep veterans and the public safe\".\n\nHe added: \"We will ensure our plans for the day are a fitting tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and that our veterans are at the at the heart of the service - with the nation able to watch safely from home.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nAround 10,000 people usually gather at the Cenotaph each year for the service, which will be broadcast on BBC One from 10:15 GMT on Sunday.\n\nDowning Street said Remembrance Sunday events in England could go ahead despite the national lockdown, so long as they were outdoors, with social distancing.\n\nGovernment guidance advises that any events should be \"short and focused on wreath laying\" and event organisers should \"discourage the public from attending\".\n\nIn Wales, which is also under a national lockdown, outdoor events are also permitted up to a maximum of 30 people, although parades are not allowed.\n\nTraditional annual remembrance events at local war memorials across Scotland have been cancelled, with outdoor standing events not permitted in areas under Covid levels one, two and three.\n\nHowever, services held in places of worship can proceed - as long as they comply with the restrictions on size.\n\nThe pandemic has affected fundraising efforts by the Royal British Legion\n\nThe Royal British Legion said that although many remembrance services and events couldn't take place this year, it was \"asking the nation to still come together to honour all who have served in our armed forces\" by joining the national two-minute silence from their doorstep at 11:00 GMT.\n\nThe charity behind the annual Poppy Appeal, which raises money for veterans, has asked people to donate online because collectors are not allowed out on the streets during the lockdown in England and Wales.\n\nBob Gamble, from the Royal British Legion, said the pandemic had created \"difficulties of loneliness, homelessness, unemployment and stress\" for the Armed Forces veteran community, which needed the support of the Royal British Legion charities \"more this year than any other\".", "Nick Rewcastle says the government should be helping people who are starting their own businesses in the pandemic\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak has dramatically changed course by extending the furlough scheme until the end of March and pledging more generous help for self-employed people.\n\nSupport through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will be increased, with the third grant covering November to January calculated at 80% of average trading profits, up to a maximum of £7,500.\n\nBut not everyone has welcomed the new measures. While some see them as a lifeline, others are dismayed that they fail to qualify for much-needed assistance.\n\nNick Rewcastle, of Peacehaven in Sussex, is one of the latter. Before the pandemic struck, he was head of the communications team at Harlequins Rugby Club.\n\nHe spent three months on furlough before being made redundant, then decided to strike out on his own by founding his own sports PR consultancy, NRPR.\n\n\"The fact that I'm newly self-employed means I don't qualify for any support,\" he told the BBC.\n\n\"I've managed to find a few clients and that's keeping me busy until mid-December, but then in January it's looking pretty scary.\n\n\"I'm doing my own thing and it's brilliant, but as far as the government is concerned, they don't care.\n\n\"It's disappointing. It doesn't make sense that people like me are being left in the dark.\"\n\nMr Rewcastle is unimpressed by Mr Sunak's assurance that anyone made redundant after 23 September can be rehired and put back on furlough.\n\n\"Harlequins aren't in a position to take anyone back,\" he says.\n\n\"He's saying all these people can go back into work, but businesses are so unstable at the moment, people who've been made redundant are going to stay redundant.\"\n\nGreg Wilson runs a one-man company and has furloughed himself\n\nGreg Wilson, 35, of Wells in Somerset, has managed to qualify for some support, although his income has taken a hit from the pandemic.\n\nHe is the owner and director of a \"one-man band\" company, Chew Valley Generators, which supplies electricity to weddings and other events.\n\nHe would normally service about 120 events a year, but that fell to just six this year. As a result, he took the decision to furlough himself.\n\n\"Furlough has been a lifesaver for myself and my small company, as we missed every other grant,\" he told the BBC.\n\nHowever, like many other company directors, he normally pays himself a salary of £1,000 a month and takes the rest of his income in dividends, which are not included in his furlough.\n\nThat means the government is paying him 80% of his salary - that is, £800 a month.\n\nMr Wilson objects to what he sees as the government's \"one-size-fits-all\" approach to company directors.\n\n\"They class me as the same sort of director as Richard Branson,\" he says. \"But as well as being director, I'm also the tea-boy, the delivery driver and the service engineer.\"\n\nHe describes the furlough extension as \"amazing news\". With the scheme now ending in March and the events season running from April to October, he hopes it will tide him over.\n\n\"We get to wait until April to see what happens,\" he says. \"Fingers crossed, we will be back.\"\n\nJewellery designer Sarah Herriot, 58, also runs her one-woman set-up as a limited company, but decided that furloughing herself would be bad for her business in the long term.\n\nSarah Herriot is striving to save her business\n\n\"I've been working six days a week trying to keep my business afloat,\" she told the BBC. \"I've worked very hard at it and to be fair, I've managed to keep my head above water.\"\n\nBefore the onset of coronavirus, she mainly sold her jewellery at shows and fairs, but these have all been cancelled, so she is now left with her website.\n\n\"That's not really working, so I've been surviving on commissions and bits and pieces of work,\" she says.\n\nThe only support she has received is a local discretionary business grant from Camden council in London, because she was able to demonstrate that she had lost 70% of her income during the pandemic.\n\nIronically, she says, she would have been able to make a claim under the Job Support Scheme, which had originally been set to replace the furlough scheme this month, but that has now been postponed.\n\n\"I would have had to go down to one day a week to get that. That's the first thing that I could have applied for,\" she says.\n\n\"But now we're back to furlough, so I'm out in the cold again.\n\n\"It makes me angry. It's so depressing, it beggars belief. All these businesses going to the wall and you wonder whether you're going to be next.\"", "Teams in protective kit for the cull - usually mink are gassed with carbon monoxide\n\nDanish authorities have said a lockdown will be introduced in some areas over a coronavirus mutation found in mink that can spread to humans.\n\nThe government has warned that the effectiveness of any future vaccine could be affected by the mutation.\n\nBars, restaurants, public transport and all public indoor sports will be closed in seven North Jutland municipalities.\n\nThe restrictions will come into effect from Friday and initially last until 3 December.\n\nIt comes soon after an announcement that Denmark would cull all its mink - as many as 17 million.\n\nThe Scandinavian country is the world's biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong. Culling began late last month, after many mink cases were detected.\n\nOn Thursday, the World Health Organization said mink appear to be \"good reservoirs\" of coronavirus. It also commended Denmark's \"determination and courage\" for going ahead with the culls, despite the economic impact it would bring.\n\nThere are more than 1,000 mink farms in Denmark\n\nCoronavirus cases have been detected in other farmed mink in the Netherlands and Spain since the pandemic began in Europe.\n\nBut cases are spreading fast in Denmark - 207 mink farms in Jutland are affected - and at least five cases of the new virus strain were found. Authorities said 12 people had been infected with the mutated strain.\n\nMeanwhile, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said about half of the 783 human cases reported in north Denmark related to a strain of the virus that originated in the mink farms.\n\nUnder the new rules, gatherings of 10 or more people will be banned, and locals have been urged to stay within the affected municipalities and get tested.\n\nAt a press conference, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: \"Right now the eyes of the world are resting on us. I hope and believe that together we can solve the problems we face.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, Ms Frederiksen said the mutated virus had been found to weaken the body's ability to form antibodies, potentially making the current vaccines under development for Covid-19 ineffective.\n\nSince the start of the pandemic Denmark has reported 52,265 human cases of Covid-19 and 733 deaths, data from Johns Hopkins University shows.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Critics and supporters of the fur trade speak out\n\nSpain culled 100,000 mink in July after cases were detected at a farm in Aragón province, and tens of thousands of the animals were slaughtered in the Netherlands following outbreaks on farms there.\n\nStudies are under way to find out how and why mink have been able to catch and spread the infection.\n\nMink become infected through catching the virus from humans, the BBC's environment correspondent Helen Briggs reports.\n\nBut genetic detective work has shown that in a small number of cases, in the Netherlands and now Denmark, the virus seems to have passed the other way, from mink to humans, our correspondent adds.", "A man has admitted killing his two children at their family home during lockdown.\n\nNadarajah Nithiyakumar attacked 19-month-old Pavinya and three-year-old Nigish with a knife in Ilford, east London, on 26 April.\n\nThe children's mother had been in the shower at the time and was the person who alerted police.\n\nNithiyakumar, 41, admitted two counts of manslaughter by diminished responsibility at the Old Bailey.\n\nEmergency services were called to the home in Aldborough Road North where they found both children injured.\n\nPavinya was pronounced dead at the scene while Nigish was rushed to a hospital in Whitechapel where he later died.\n\nThe children were found fatally injured in the home in Aldborough Road North\n\nNithiyakumar was also treated for knife wounds and when he was discharged from hospital he was charged with killing his children.\n\nThe 41-year-old admitted to police he had killed his son and daughter, explaining that he had been depressed and customers had \"upset him\" while he was working in a shop.\n\nProsecutor Duncan Atkinson QC told the Old Bailey psychiatrists believed the defendant was \"suffering from a delusional disorder\" which had \"led him to kill his children\".\n\n\"It was one from which he had suffered for some time, for the best part of 10 years, with very little indication and very little treatment,\" he said.\n\nMr Atkinson added that one expert thought it was \"remarkable he was able to function for as long as he did\" considering his condition.\n\nThe court heard the defendant had no previous history of violence and prosecutors felt it was \"appropriate to accept the plea of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility\", Mr Atkinson said.\n\nMrs Justice Cutts adjourned sentencing until 10 December, saying she would need \"further information from the doctors\".\n\nNithiyakumar was sent back to the medium secure mental health centre in east London where he has been treated.\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "There was an alarming 20% rise in babies being killed or harmed during the first lockdown, Ofsted's chief inspector Amanda Spielman has revealed.\n\nSixty four babies were deliberately harmed in England - eight of whom died. Some 40% of the 300 incidents reported involved infants, up a fifth on 2019.\n\nMs Spielman believes a \"toxic mix\" of isolation, poverty and mental illness caused the March to October spike.\n\nHealth staff and social workers were hampered by Covid restrictions.\n\nAnd many regular visits could not take place, while others were carried out remotely, using the telephone or video links.\n\nWhen schools were closed in March, children's charities and teachers expressed fears that children at risk would be left even more vulnerable under lockdown. This was part of the reason schools stayed open to vulnerable children.\n\nMs Spielman told a conference of local authority leaders on Friday: \"Of course, babies can't tell an adult if there's a problem.\n\n\"Often, abuse is only uncovered when there's a critical injury, or it's too late.\n\n\"Another young life damaged, and in the worst cases, lost, before it's really had the chance to begin… It doesn't bear thinking about.\n\n\"But we must all be alive to this hidden danger.\"\n\nEvery week, Ofsted is seeing more serious incident notifications about harm to under-ones - the youngest and most vulnerable of all children, she said.\n\nShe added: \"The pandemic has brought difficult and stressful times. Financial hardship, loss of employment, isolation, and close family proximity have put extra pressure on families that were already struggling.\n\n\"Poverty, inadequate housing, substance misuse and poor mental health all add to this toxic mix.\n\n\"You'll be well aware of the increase in domestic violence incidents over the summer - just one symptom of the Covid pressure cooker.\"\n\nViolence towards babies was already a worry before the Covid-19 pandemic, Ofsted says.\n\nOver a quarter of all incidents reported to the child safeguarding practice review panel last year involved non-accidental injuries to babies.\n\nThis often involves children being abused by young parents, or other family or household members, who have very little social support, Ofsted says.\n\nPresident of the Association of Directors of Children's Services Jenny Coles said Covid-19 was exacerbating many of the difficulties that families face and putting more vulnerable babies at even more risk.\n\n\"The pandemic has seriously disrupted a key line of sight into the lives and homes of many families.\"\n\nShe welcomed the government's move to ensure health visitors were not drawn away from their work with young children, but called for more investment to in services supporting parents.\n\nAs well as babies being intentionally harmed, Ofsted has seen a high number of unexpected infant deaths.\n\nThis includes preventable tragedies: babies not being put down to sleep safely, for example, sharing a bed or sofa with a parent who has been drinking.\n\nMs Spielman will acknowledge that there has been good work to identify high risk babies during lockdown, such as the children of parents misusing substances, or with serious mental health problems.\n\nIn these cases, professionals who understand the risk factors acted decisively to give families the help they need, she said.\n\nBut she is urging all those working with children to be on the alert as England heads into the next lockdown.\n\n\"Everyone needs to play their role. That includes professionals across whole communities.\n\n\"Midwives, health visitors, GPs and other health workers who have good relationships with families and can build on that trust. Staff working in schools and nurseries who may have information about a vulnerable infant because an older sibling attends the setting.\n\n\"And help for younger parents is important, but without labelling or patronising them. Building their trust so that they accept advice and learn how to look after their children safely.\n\n\"Continuing restrictions may be hampering face-to-face visits but while these children are out of sight, they should never be out of mind,\" she adds.\n\nChildren's minister Vicky Ford said: \"Every death or harm is tragic but harms to young babies are deeply heart wrenching.\n\n\"New parents have faced unprecedented challenges so we have asked children's services to prioritise support for families with new babies and especially those families who had already faced difficulties before Covid.\"\n\nA spokesman added the government had invested £4.3bn in councils to meet the additional demands being made of them.\n\nCouncillor Judith Blake, chairwoman of the Local Government Association's Children and Young People Board, said the pandemic had led to an increasing number of families facing exceptionally difficult circumstances.\n\n\"Councils have worked tirelessly to try and keep children and their families safe and well, through online and virtual contact and resources, as well as high priority home visits.\n\n\"It is absolutely critical that professionals are able to keep engaging with families throughout any restrictions, whether local or national.\n\n\"As we experience a second wave of the virus and learn lessons from the first, it is vital that health visitors and other community health practitioners are not diverted to acute care.\"", "Uber's food delivery business has more than doubled, as the pandemic increases appetite for online grocery orders and restaurant takeaway.\n\nThe firm said revenue from its Uber Eats service hit $1.4bn (£1bn) in the three months to 30 September, jumping 124% from the same period in 2019.\n\nThe growth helped offset steep declines in the firm's core rides business.\n\nBut Uber still recorded a loss of about $1.1bn in the quarter, roughly the same as last year.\n\nUber boss Dara Khosrowshahi said demand for food delivery has stayed strong even as countries lift restrictions, a promising sign for growth in the Uber Eats business.\n\n\"We've got more eaters, they're staying longer, they're eating more,\" he told investors on a conference call to discuss the firm's quarterly results.\n\n\"There's no question in my mind that ... there's a fundamental behavioural shift that has gone on,\" he added later. \"People aren't going to stop using Amazon. People aren't going to stop using Eats.\"\n\nThe growth in delivery marked a stark contrast to the firm's ride-hailing business.\n\nThere, Uber said bookings and revenue for its taxi service remained roughly half of last year's levels, despite improvement since the spring.\n\nDemand has recovered most in Europe, while lagging in the US and Canada, its most important market, executives said.\n\nThey warned that the resurgence in Covid cases in Europe and new restrictions in countries like the UK and France would likely hit demand in coming months.", "A commemoration was held on Thursday in Vienna for the four people who died\n\nAustrian officials have revealed new intelligence failings ahead of the murder of four people in Vienna on Monday night, prompting the city's anti-terror chief to step aside.\n\nErich Zwettler was being suspended at his own request, police said.\n\nIt has already emerged the Austrians were told in July that the suspect had tried to buy ammunition in Slovakia.\n\nNow, the Austrians have admitted the gunman met two people from Germany who were already under observation.\n\nInterior Minister Karl Nehammer has spoken of \"obvious, and in our view intolerable mistakes\".\n\nIn a further development, a mosque and a mosque association frequented by the 20-year-old have been closed, which Integration Minister Susanne Raab said had contributed to his radicalisation.\n\nHe had repeatedly visited the mosques in the suburbs of Ottakring and Meidling. The Ottakring mosque association was notorious for its links to militant Islamists: a preacher there is said to have led a German-speaking brigade to Syria before being killed in a drone strike.\n\nPrayers were held on Friday for the victims of the Vienna shootings\n\nMs Raab said the aim of terror was to drive a wedge in society between Muslims and non-Muslims.\n\nSoon after the fatal shooting of two men and two women in the centre of Vienna, it became clear that the heavily armed gunman had been released early from a 22-month jail term for trying to join Islamic State jihadists in Syria.\n\nThe interior minister claimed he had fooled the organisers of a deradicalisation programme, although they have denied that.\n\nThen Slovak police revealed that they had told their Austrian counterparts that the gunman had tried to buy ammunition in July. Austria's BVT domestic intelligence agency appears to have mishandled the case, although officials had trouble identifying the suspect.\n\nOn Friday, German police searched the homes of four men in Kassel, Osnabrück and the Pinneberg area near Hamburg, over suspected links with the gunman, identified by Austrian authorities as an \"Islamist terrorist\" called Kujtim Fejzulai.\n\nAlthough they were not seen as suspects in the shooting itself, two of the four are thought to have met the attacker in Vienna in July and were described in Germany as \"part of the Islamist scene\".\n\nBoth men met him several times and one of them stayed at his home, German news agency DPA reported. Another of the men had stayed with the gunman's family in Vienna and tried unsuccessfully to travel to Syria, it is alleged.\n\nGerman Interior Minister Horst Seehofer had already highlighted a German connection involving people who were being \"monitored around the clock\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nVienna police chief Gerhard Pürstl said the visitors from Germany were watched by Vienna's LVT domestic intelligence and counter-terror agency on behalf of their German counterparts, but no action had been taken.\n\nThose meetings and the failed attempt to buy ammunition \"could have led to a different outcome in assessing the danger posed by the perpetrator\", the police chief said.\n\nAustria's interior minister had earlier refused to comment on reports suggesting that security forces had been hours away from conducting a major anti-terror operation when the shooting began.\n\nOperation \"Ramses\" was due to start at 03:00 on Tuesday, with raids on the homes of people known to the gunman, the reports say. But information about the searches was reportedly passed on by an interpreter.\n\nAt 20:00 on Monday, the gunman went on the rampage for nine minutes in the centre of Vienna, opening fire on people at bars and restaurants in the hours before they were about to close under new coronavirus restrictions.\n\nThe attack, in six separate places, left four people dead and 23 others wounded, and it was finally brought to an end when the gunman was shot dead.\n\nA series of arrests were made in Vienna and elsewhere after the shooting. Eight people aged 16 to 24 were remanded in custody by a court in the Austrian capital on Friday. Another two people have been detained in neighbouring Switzerland.", "A second lockdown will last until 2 December in England\n\nThe government has been criticised by the official statistics watchdog for the way it presented data to justify England's second lockdown.\n\nThe UK Statistics Authority highlighted the use of modelling at Saturday's TV briefing showing the possible death toll from Covid this winter.\n\nIt said there needed to be more transparency about data and how predictions were being made.\n\nThe projections were out of date and over-estimated deaths, it has emerged.\n\nA forecast made by Public Health England and Cambridge University said the country could soon be seeing more than 4,000 deaths a day.\n\nThe projections were shown at the TV briefing on Saturday when lockdown was announced\n\nThe projection was made weeks ago and had forecast there would be 1,000 deaths a day by the end of October when the average was actually four times less than that - a fact that was known at the time of Saturday's TV briefing.\n\nWhat is more, the model had already been updated to predict a lower estimate, but this was not used in the briefing fronted by chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty, alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson.\n\nIt is understood the graph was used by the two senior advisers in meetings last week where the decision to impose a nationwide lockdown in England was made.\n\nThe pair were grilled about it by MPs on Tuesday and Sir Patrick apologised for any confusion caused.\n\nSir David Norgrove , chair of the UK Statistics Authority, said: \"I recognise the pressures faced by all those working on decisions related to coronavirus.\n\n\"But full transparency of data used to inform decisions is vital to public understanding and public confidence.\"\n\nThe use of the data has also drawn criticism from former prime minister Theresa May, who abstained from the lockdown vote in parliament on Wednesday. The vote saw MPs agree to the four-week restrictions in England.\n\nSir David Spiegelhalter, one of the most respected statisticians in the country, said the whole saga had been \"really unfortunate\".\n\nBut he said the situation with Covid was sufficient to warrant \"radical action\" - but it was not for him to say what precise measures were needed and the decisions to be taken must look at the bigger picture.", "Boris Johnson has defended how Covid statistics are being used after data shown in a presentation to justify the lockdown in England had to be revised.\n\nA chart presented at Saturday's No 10 briefing suggested a worse-case figure of up to 1,500 deaths a day by December 8, well above April's 1,000 peak.\n\nThis has now been adjusted down to 1,010 a day, after an error was found.\n\nNo 10 has accepted a mistake was made but the PM said data on the spread and impact of the virus was \"irrefutable\".\n\nSpeaking during a visit to the East Midlands, Mr Johnson said the number of people being admitted to hospital was \"climbing fast\", having gone up by 25% in the last week.\n\n\"The data is really irrefutable about what is happening in the country,\" he said.\n\n\"The number of deaths alas is on an upward curve that is just unmistakable, more than any time since May, and the government has to act. That's why we're taking the steps we are.\"\n\nConservative MPs opposed to the second lockdown in England, which came into force on Thursday, have questioned the reliability of the modelling used by the government to bolster its case.\n\nThe UK's statistics regulator says there needs to be more transparency about the data used to make predictions after it emerged figures cited at last weekend's Downing Street briefing were out of date and over-estimated deaths.\n\nAt the briefing, the UK government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance presented a graph outlining a range of projections for the Covid death toll over the next month, including one from Public Health England and Cambridge University suggesting it could rise as high as 4,000 a day.\n\nHe also cited two other graphs illustrating \"medium-term\" projections from the government's advisory committee SPI-M for hospitalisations and deaths up to 8 December.\n\nHow the graph looked when it was presented by Sir Patrick Vallance at Downing Street briefing\n\nThe amended version published by the government\n\nOn Friday, the Daily Telegraph reported that some of the details in the graphs had since been changed.\n\nThe Government Science Service found an error in the charts, affecting the upper limit for the possible outcomes shown by the shaded areas. For hospitalisations, the incorrect upper limit shown was 9,000 instead of 6,200.\n\nBut the central line was not changed and the government argues that the error \"did not affect the insights\".\n\nThe PM's official spokesman acknowledged an error had been made but insisted there was no error in the \"underlying analysis\", adding that Mr Johnson continued to have confidence in his chief scientific adviser.\n\nThe errors in the Chief Scientific Adviser's slides all gave the impression that the worst case scenario is more serious than current data support.\n\nBut the government's case for action does not rest solely on future projections of a worst case scenario. They argue that the numbers of people going into hospital or dying right now make the case.\n\nCoronavirus hospital admissions are currently doubling roughly every three weeks.\n\nDeaths are doubling every fortnight, with just over 2,000 reported in the last week. That growth is slower than it was in September and October, but it is still growth.\n\nSo in the near future, the expectation, not the worst case, is that the daily number deaths will rise and pressure on hospitals will increase.\n\nBusiness Minister Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News the government would \"strive to improve our graphs and presentations\" but the threat facing the NHS from the rise in cases was \"very clear\".\n\nThe health service in England has been placed on its highest alert level ahead of what its bosses said was a \"very difficult winter\" ahead.\n\nSpeaking on Thursday, the chief executive of the NHS in England Simon Stevens said there were more than 11,000 Covid patients being treated in hospital, up from 2,000 at the start of October.\n\nBut Sir David Spiegelhalter, one of the most respected statisticians in the country, said he had been \"very unimpressed\" by some of the data presented in recent times, particularly Saturday's scenario of possible deaths.\n\n\"It was a frightening graph and presented these headline figures of 4,000 deaths a day which is terrifying,\" he told Politics Live on Tuesday.\n\n\"But there are a number of problems. We did not have the sources of these projections and if you look at the small print, you see they were done at the beginning of October...And at least one of the groups have revised their projections since.\"", "Poor diets for school-age children may contribute to an average height gap of 20cm (7.9in) between the tallest and shortest nations, an analysis suggests.\n\nIt reports that in 2019 the tallest 19-year-old boys lived in the Netherlands (183.8cm or 6ft) and the shortest lived in Timor Leste (160.1cm or 5ft 3in).\n\nMeanwhile the UK's global height ranking fell, with 19-year-old boys being 39th tallest in 2019 (1.78m or 5ft 10in) from 28th tallest in 1985.\n\nThe study appears in The Lancet.\n\nResearchers say tracking changes in the height and weight of children across the world and over time is important because they can reflect the quality of nutrition available, and how healthy environments are for young people.\n\nThe team analysed data from more than 65 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years from more than 2000 studies between 1985 and 2019.\n\nThey found that in 2019, on average, children and teenagers in north-western and central Europe (eg those in the Netherlands and Montenegro) were the tallest in the world.\n\nMeanwhile, the 19-year-olds who were on average the shortest lived in South and South-East Asia, Latin America and East Africa.\n\nEast Timor is also known as Timor Leste\n\nThe analysis suggests that in 2019:\n\nThe study also looked at children's BMI, a measure that helps indicate whether a person is a healthy weight for their height.\n\nResearchers found older teenagers with the largest BMI lived in the Pacific Islands, Middle East, USA and New Zealand.\n\nMeanwhile 19-year-olds with the lowest BMI lived in South Asian countries such as India and Bangladesh.\n\nThe researchers estimate broadly that the difference between countries with the lowest and highest BMIs in the study was equivalent to about 25kg (55lb).\n\nIn some countries children reached a healthy BMI at the age of five, but were likely to become overweight by the time they were 19.\n\nWhile researchers acknowledge that genetics play an important part in individual children's height and weight, they say when it comes to the health of entire populations, nutrition and the environment are key.\n\nThey also argue that global nutrition policies overwhelmingly focus on under-fives, but suggest their study shows more attention needs to be paid to the growth patterns of older children.\n\nDr Andrea Rodriguez Martinez from Imperial College London, one of the lead researchers, said healthy weights and heights in childhood and adolescence have lifelong benefits for people's wellbeing.\n\nShe said: \"Our findings should motivate policies that increase the availability and reduce the cost of nutritious foods, as this will help children grow taller without gaining excess weight for their height.\n\n\"These initiatives include food vouchers towards nutritious foods for low-income families, and free healthy school meals.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Prof Alan Dangour, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said it was a unique and powerful analysis.\n\nHe added: \"For the first time, this global analysis has focused on the growth of school-aged children and adolescents, and identifies that governments around the world are not doing enough to ensure that children enter adulthood in good health.\"", "The coroner said systemic failures had been identified in Averil Hart's care\n\nSystemic failures and neglect caused the death of a teenager who had severe anorexia, a coroner has said.\n\nAveril Hart, 19, from Newton in Suffolk, died from anorexia on 15 December 2012, a week after collapsing at her university flat in Norwich.\n\nThe coroner identified seven areas that he said contributed to her death.\n\nThey included a \"gross failure\" not to give nutritional support at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), which he said amounted to neglect.\n\nA Prevention of Future Deaths report has been written by coroner Sean Horstead after he identified a theme between Miss Hart's case and four other anorexia deaths.\n\nAmanda Bowles, Madeline Wallace, Emma Brown and Maria Jakes died between 2017 and 2018.\n\nMr Horstead said a gap in formally commissioned medical monitoring as seen in Miss Hart's case continued, and \"gives rise to risk of future deaths\".\n\nNic Hart, Miss Hart's father, said: \"It's a huge relief to hear the coroner come to the conclusions we all knew to be the case.\n\n\"My heart bleeds for those families who have lost loved ones after Averil died.\"\n\nMiss Hart had been under the care of Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust but was transferred to the Norfolk Eating Disorder Service when she started a creative writing degree at the University of East Anglia in September 2012.\n\nShe died at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, after an emergency transfer from NNUH.\n\nOn the final day of the four-week inquest in Peterborough, Mr Horstead read out a narrative conclusion.\n\n\"The failure to adequately plan for or provide any nutritional support to Averil over the course of her four days at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, in the context of her severely malnourished condition recognised on admission, was a gross failure that had a direct causal connection with, and more than minimally contributed to, the death,\" he said.\n\n\"Averil Hart's death was therefore contributed to by neglect.\"\n\nAveril Hart was admitted to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital after collapsing at her university flat\n\nThe coroner identified a total of seven areas which he said directly or possibly contributed to her death:\n\nDelays at Addenbrooke's were ruled possibly causative as her condition had deteriorated significantly by the time she arrived.\n\nNNUH medical director Prof Erika Denton said: \"We acknowledge the devastating impact that Averil's death has had on her family and we offer our sincere condolences for their loss.\n\n\"We recognise that the care and treatment we gave to Averil was not of the quality that we or our patients expect, for which we are very sorry and offer an unreserved apology.\n\n\"We have endeavoured to learn and make improvements to our services, including expanding our clinical nutrition team with expert consultants, nurses and dieticians, additional specialist under-nutrition training for staff, and enhanced, 24/7 access to services that can support staff in caring for patients with particular mental health needs.\n\n\"We remain committed to improving services for our most vulnerable patients.\"\n\nIf you are affected by any of the issues in this story, you can talk in confidence to eating disorders charity Beat by calling its adult helpline on 0808 801 0677 or youth helpline on 0808 801 0711.\n\nFind BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk", "Police said they expect the number of arrests to rise\n\nPolice have arrested at least 104 protesters during anti-lockdown demonstrations in central London.\n\nA large police presence remains in place near Trafalgar Square where the protest was dispersed shortly after 19:00 GMT.\n\nSmaller groups of protesters remained on Oxford Street and along the Strand.\n\nThe Metropolitan Police said: \"This gathering is unlawful and is putting others at risk. We are directing those there to go home.\"\n\nOfficers urged demonstrators to disperse as they took to the streets near Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening, warning those who had gathered that they were breaching coronavirus restrictions.\n\nProtesters began to walk up the Strand soon after 18:00 GMT, chanting \"freedom\" and \"no more lockdown\".\n\nSome protesters wore Guy Fawkes masks as part of the anti-government Million Mask March held annually on 5 November\n\nCommander Jane Connors said: \"Our main priority this evening has been to keep Londoners safe.\n\n\"We are eight months into this national pandemic and frankly there can be no excuse for people to dangerously breach regulations which are there to prevent further spread of Coronavirus.\n\n\"Tonight, a crowd of people chose to ignore the new regulations, to behave irresponsibly and meet in a dangerous manner. More than 100 of these people have now been arrested and will have to face the consequences of their actions.\n\n\"We expect the number of arrests to increase as our policing operation continues into the night.\n\n\"I would continue to urge people across the city to keep yourselves safe and stick to the regulations.\"\n\nProtesters have been told to head home or face arrest\n\nThe Met said in a statement the majority of arrests were for breaches of coronavirus regulations.\n\nNew restrictions mean people should stay at home except for education, work, exercise, medical reasons, shopping for essentials, or to care for others.\n\nHouseholds are not allowed to mix with others indoors, or outdoors.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Dominic Chappell was not of \"positive good character\", prosecutors said\n\nDominic Chappell, the former owner of BHS, has been sentenced to six years in jail for tax evasion.\n\nA Southwark Crown Court jury found him guilty of failing to pay tax of around £584,000 on £2.2m of income he received after buying the failed chain for £1.\n\nThe court heard the 53-year-old spent the money on two yachts, a Bentley and a holiday to the Bahamas.\n\nChappell's lawyers claimed he became \"utterly broke\" after BHS's \"pension problem exploded\" in 2015.\n\nMr Chappell controversially bought the retailer from tycoon Sir Philip Green that year, but the chain collapsed soon after in 2016. It led to the loss of 11,000 jobs and a pension deficit of £571m.\n\nIn sentencing, the judge said Chappell had engaged in a \"long and consistent course of conduct designed to cheat the revenue\".\n\n\"You are not of positive good character. Your offending occurs against a backdrop of successive bankruptcies,\" he said.\n\nSimon York, director of the Fraud Investigation Service at HMRC, said: \"This was deliberate theft from UK citizens. Chappell was a high-profile businessman who knew tax had to be paid on his income and profits but chose not to do so.\n\n\"That's money that should have been supporting our vital public services instead of funding his lavish lifestyle.\"\n\nBHS, once one of Britain's best known retailers, was losing £1m a week and had a huge pension deficit when Chappell's consortium, Retail Acquisitions, bought it in 2015.\n\nIn his year of ownership Mr Chappell received £2.5m in payments from BHS , largely for consultancy fees provided by another of his companies, the bankrupt finance firm Swiss Rock Limited.\n\nSir Philip Green was heavily criticised for agreeing to the deal, and later agreed a £363m cash settlement with the Pensions Regulator to plug the gap in the pension scheme.\n\nHowever, on Thursday prosecutors condemned Chappell for spending large sums of money at a time when he should have been trying to save BHS.\n\n\"Chappell purchased the struggling retail chain for just £1 and was paid thousands of pounds in his new role, where he was tasked with avoiding more redundancies,\" said crown prosecutor Andrew Fox.\n\n\"Instead, while the company fell further into financial difficulty, he spent his new income lavishly on luxury breaks abroad and expensive yachts.\"\n\nThe court heard Chappell, a former racing driver, also bought £11,000 worth of items from a gun and outdoor wear shop, including expensive Beretta firearms.\n\nProsecutors said HMRC repeatedly tried to chase down the missing funds, but Chappell ignored their requests, at one point going on a skiing break before asking for more time to pay the money when he returned home.\n\nIn his defence, Chappell argued he was too busy resolving issues with BHS to deal with the outstanding taxes that were due.\n\nHe had denied three charges of tax fraud.\n\nEarlier this year Chappell was ordered to pay £9.5m into BHS pension schemes after losing an appeal.\n\nAnd in 2019 the Government's Insolvency Service banned him from running a company for 10 years, saying he had carried out \"reckless financial transactions\" and \"failed to maintain adequate company records\".", "Zara and Mike Tindall feature in a promotional video for the platform\n\nAn advert for a coronavirus \"passport\" app, which has been promoted by Zara Tindall, has been referred to the advertising regulator over concerns it may be at odds with health guidance.\n\nThe VHealth Passport allows Covid test results to be uploaded to a phone - meaning people can demonstrate they are safe to attend sports and other events.\n\nBut in an ad to promote it, Mrs Tindall is shown having an antibody test.\n\nGovernment guidance says these tests do not show if you currently have Covid.\n\nThe platform was initially referred to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), who concluded that it was not a matter for them and passed the issue to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for further investigation.\n\nThe ASA confirmed that the matter had been referred to them.\n\nVST Enterprises, which owns the app, said it had \"fully engaged\" with the MHRA over the concerns.\n\nVST Enterprises said VHealth Passport was not being used as a so-called \"immunity passport\", adding that the platform \"encourages the user to have a regular test cycle to manage their personal contact with the virus\".\n\nVHealth Passport \"does not promote or recommend any specific Covid test or manufacturer\", it said, and \"will always be guided by medical science and the regulatory governing bodies\" over tests.\n\nThe test kit used was for professional use only, CE marked and registered with the MHRA, VST Enterprises said.\n\nEarlier, VST Enterprises said the particular antibody test featured in its video was used for \"illustrative purposes\".\n\nAfter creating an account with VHealth Passport, members of the public can book a coronavirus test - with a medical centre that follows government guidelines - via the app.\n\nThe person's test results are then uploaded to VHealth Passport, which will display their current health status - as a unique digital code that can be scanned from more than 2m (6ft) away.\n\nA negative test result will also show up as a green tick on the \"passport\".\n\nMrs Tindall, an Olympic medal-winning equestrian and the Queen's granddaughter, features in an advert for the app with her husband Mike, a member of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winning squad.\n\nIn the video, she explains that the app can be used by sports men and women, as well as support staff, volunteers and fans, to give them confidence to attend large events again.\n\nMr Tindall has described the device as a potential \"game-changer\" for getting fans back to watching sports.\n\nMost sports fixtures in England have been held behind closed doors since the coronavirus outbreak\n\nIn the ad, viewers are told that Mrs Tindall is taking a test to see if she \"currently\" has the virus or whether she had previously had it. When her results are revealed, she is told she is \"clearly negative\" for Covid-19 \"current\" infection.\n\nHowever, the video shows Mrs Tindall having an antibody test. Government guidance says such a test is limited to answering whether someone has previously been infected by Covid and understanding the spread of the virus.\n\nIt says antibody tests cannot tell you if you can or cannot spread the virus to other people.\n\nThe test taken by Mrs Tindall looks for three types of antibody - IgG, IgM and IgA. These start to appear a few days after coronavirus infection and stick around for weeks in the blood.\n\nA negative result means there are no signs that someone has had coronavirus - but it doesn't give someone the all clear and mean they are \"safe\" in terms of infection risk.\n\nThey could still currently have Covid, and their body has not yet had time to make antibodies against it.\n\nYou would need to use a different test to tell if someone is currently infected and risks spreading it to others.\n\nA positive antibody test result means that someone has, most likely, recently been infected and now has some immunity against the virus.\n\nBut, like any test, antibody checks can give false results.\n\nJon Deeks, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Birmingham, says he reported the advert to the MHRA.\n\n\"If people use these tests, they get a negative result and they go and think they haven't got Covid when they could actually still be infectious, that might mean that people don't social distance and so on,\" he said.\n\n\"And that might increase the risk of actually spreading Covid.\"\n\nHe has argued the tests would still miss cases in the very early stages of infection - when people are most likely to pass on the disease.\n\nSimon Clarke, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading, said the government was right to say that antibody tests cannot test for current infection.\n\n\"They are a poor diagnostic and that is why they are not used,\" he said. \"They are used to look to see who has had the infection in the past.\"\n\nThe BBC has approached Mr and Mrs Tindall for a comment.\n\nVST Enterprises said it was correct that antibody tests are usually only used to identify previous infection.\n\nBut it added that the one it had featured was different - because it tested for antibodies that presented as early as three to four days after infection. That meant it was possible to use the test to screen for \"possible current infection\".\n\nThe platform has been submitted to the government as a way of getting fans safely back into sports stadiums, according to the firm.\n\nIn a statement, VST Enterprises said: \"In this particular instance the VHealth Passport was demonstrating how a rapid Covid test kit could be used. It will work with any test that is recommended by government.\"\n\nAn MHRA spokesperson said: \"Antibody tests are not used for diagnosis but rather to give a better understanding of the prevalence of the virus in different places and therefore cannot be relied upon for protection to COVID-19 or to or detect previous infection.\"\n\nIt comes as most sports in England have been played behind closed doors since lockdown was introduced in March. The chief executives of the Premier League and the Rugby Football League have urged the government to allow the return of crowds to games as soon as possible.\n\nBut in September, the government halted a plan for a phased return of spectators because of rising coronavirus case numbers.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson said there was 'light at the end of the tunnel' as a new lockdown began in England\n\nThe prime minister has stressed that people in England should stay at home, as a second lockdown begins.\n\nBoris Johnson said he knew people were weary but four weeks of measures would make a \"real impact\" on the virus.\n\nPubs, restaurants and non-essential shops were forced to close on Thursday as part of the new restrictions.\n\nEarlier, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the furlough scheme to support jobs would be extended across the UK until the end of March.\n\nSpeaking at a press conference in Downing Street, Mr Johnson said the measures were \"not a repeat of the spring\" and there was \"light at the end of the tunnel\".\n\nHe said the restrictions in England would \"automatically expire\" on 2 December. There is expected to be another vote on the next steps needed to tackle the virus before the lockdown ends.\n\nHe added that although the challenge was \"significant across the UK\", the devolved nations were working together on a \"joint approach\", with the objective of having \"as normal a Christmas as possible\".\n\nThe devolved nations each make their own restrictions with Wales currently in a 17-day firebreak lockdown, while Scotland is in a tier system and Northern Ireland in the midst of a four-week limited lockdown.\n\nIn addition to the extension of the furlough scheme, the prime minister said a further £1.1bn will be made available for local authorities to support businesses, with £2bn for the devolved nations.\n\nHe said the government will also put £15m towards a scheme to help to provide accommodation for rough sleepers during the pandemic. This money is part of funding previously announced by the government to tackle homelessness.\n\nMr Johnson said by September the government had supported more than 29,000 vulnerable people, with two thirds now moved into settled accommodation.\n\nThe UK recorded a further 378 coronavirus deaths and 24,141 confirmed cases on Thursday.\n\nNHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens, who appeared alongside the prime minister, said about 30,000 staff in the health service were either off with coronavirus or were having to self-isolate, and \"that has an impact\".\n\n\"This second wave of coronavirus is real and it's serious,\" he said.\n\n\"The health service has been working incredibly hard to prepare and to catch up on the care that was disrupted during the first wave.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Simon Stevens said hospitals were filling up across Europe, including in the UK\n\nSir Simon added it will be known \"conclusively\" by the end of the second national lockdown whether it had affected the increase in Covid-19 hospital admissions, but said the NHS was \"hoping and expecting\" they would not see the increases that infectious disease experts had warned about.\n\nEarlier, the UK Statistics Authority criticised the way data has been presented by the government to justify England's second lockdown, highlighting the use of modelling in a TV briefing on Saturday showing the possible death toll from Covid this winter.\n\nShunning projections that have proved so controversial, NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens tried to play it straight at the news briefing.\n\nHe presented a chart showing how the numbers in hospital have gone up since the summer with more than 11,000 in hospital in England.\n\nHe then provided some important context - comparing that to the numbers in hospital with flu - around 3,000 in the depths of winter - or getting treatment for cancer, normally 7,000.\n\nThis shows the burden Covid is placing on the health service.\n\nBut two things that were not shown were the numbers in hospital at the peak in the spring - 17,000 - or the number of free beds, thought to be 15,000 to 20,000.\n\nWe don't know the latter because NHS bosses are not publishing them.\n\nAn important point on the day that the UK Statistics Authority called for greater transparency over the way Covid data is presented.\n\nUnlike the first national lockdown in March, schools, universities, and nurseries will remain open, and people will be able to meet another person who they do not live with in an outdoor public place such as a park or beach.\n\nThe rules say people cannot mix with anyone they do not live with indoors or in private gardens and people should stay at home except for specific reasons including education and work, if it cannot be done from home.", "Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home have been placed into administration, putting thousands of jobs at risk.\n\nThe clothing retailer had 328 sites and 2,571 staff across the UK, while homeware store Ponden had 329 staff.\n\nToday 866 jobs were lost across the two chains adding to the hundreds that went after 64 stores across the two brands were permanently closed.\n\nEWM Group owns both chains but is still trying to strike a rescue deal to save remaining brands, Peacocks and Jaeger.\n\nA spokesperson for EWM Group said: \"Over the past month we explored all possible options to save Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden Home from going into administration, but unfortunately the ongoing trading conditions caused by the pandemic and lockdowns proved too much.\n\n\"It is with a heavy heart we acknowledge there is no alternative but to place the businesses into administration.\"\n\nTony Wright, the joint administrator from business advisory firm FRP, said both Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Ponden were trading well before the coronavirus pandemic and FRP would continue to search for buyers for the businesses so they do not disappear completely.\n\nHe added: \"Regrettably, the impact of Covid-19 on the brands' core customer base and tighter restrictions on trading mean that the current structure of the businesses is unsustainable and has resulted in redundancies.\n\n\"We are working with all affected members of staff to provide the appropriate support.\"", "Guatemala's army has reached a remote village where dozens of houses were buried by mudslides triggered by Storm Eta's torrential rains.\n\nPresident Alejandro Giammattei said around 100 people were feared dead in Quejá in the central region of Alta Verapaz.\n\nBad weather has hampered rescue efforts while roads are still blocked and large areas remain flooded.\n\nEarlier, the authorities had confirmed at least 50 deaths across the country.\n\nEta made landfall in neighbouring Nicaragua on Tuesday as a Category Four hurricane with winds of 140mph (225km/h) and torrential rains. It then weakened into a tropical depression as it moved into neighbouring Honduras and later Guatemala.\n\nPresident Giammattei said rescue efforts were limited by the country having only one helicopter adequate for these operations.\n\n\"We have a lot of people trapped [whom] we have not been able to reach,\" he said. A state of emergency has been declared in many areas.\n\nA state of emergency has been declared in many regions of Guatemala\n\nThe president described the situation in Queja as \"critical\". No bodies have yet been recovered from the area.\n\nIn neighbouring Honduras, at least 10 deaths have been confirmed, with hundreds of people reportedly waiting to be rescued from flooded areas.\n\nMen remain on a rooftop in the Honduran city of El Progreso\n\nWendi Munguía Figueroa, 48, who lives in La Lima, a San Pedro Sula suburb, told the Associated Press: \"We can't get off our houses' roofs because the water is up to our necks in the street.\"\n\nOn Twitter, Foreign Affairs Minister Lisandro Rosales said: \"The destruction that Eta leaves us is enormous and public finances are at a critical moment because of Covid-19.\"\n\nHe added: \"We make a call to the international community to accelerate the process of recovery and reconstruction.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"We have nothing... I am in pain\" – Central America is counting the cost of Storm Eta\n\nOn Friday, the storm was off Belize's coast and heading out to the Caribbean Sea, charting a course to Cuba and Florida this weekend, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).", "Elyas Elmehdi was an associate of the Abedi brothers\n\nSix people are wanted for questioning by detectives investigating the Manchester Arena bombing, a legal document has revealed.\n\nThe parents of the brothers responsible for the atrocity are both suspects, as are two associates.\n\nOne of the associates, who was arrested following the attack, was able to flee the UK despite remaining a suspect and being charged with other offences.\n\nTwo further men are of interest to police but have not been spoken to.\n\nSalman Abedi detonated the bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017, killing 22 people and injuring many more.\n\nHis younger brother Hashem Abedi, who was central to the conspiracy, was jailed this year after being convicted of murdering all those who died.\n\nThe six names, which appear in a ruling published by the public inquiry into the attack, have not been disclosed publicly before.\n\nThe ruling followed an application by police to restrict publication of the information - it was successfully opposed by the BBC and five other media organisations.\n\nThe media's position was supported by many bereaved families and opposed by none.\n\nFour of the people are wanted as suspects. Two others are what are described as \"trace/interview/eliminate subjects\", meaning that police wish to trace them, interview them and, if appropriate, eliminate them from their investigations.\n\nRamadan Abedi is the father of brothers Salman and Hashem\n\nRamadan Abedi, father of Salman and Hashem Abedi, is wanted for questioning after his fingerprints were found inside a car used by the brothers to store explosives and bomb-making material.\n\nThe vehicle - a Nissan Micra - was owned by the brothers for around 40 hours before they flew to Libya with their father in April 2017. Ramadan has not returned to the UK since.\n\nThe car was purchased specifically to store the lethal material, which the two brothers had previously kept in a flat rented in order to prepare their bomb.\n\nWhile the suicide bomber Salman Abedi was in Libya, the car was parked outside the property of an associate called Elyas Elmehdi, who is also one of the four outstanding suspects.\n\nOn arrival back in the UK in May 2017, days before the attack, Salman Abedi went straight to the car and later returned to collect material from it.\n\nThe BBC previously revealed that Elmehdi had fled to Libya despite being charged with drugs offences following his arrest early in the arena bombing investigation.\n\nTop (left to right): Lisa Lees, Alison Howe, Georgina Callender, Kelly Brewster, John Atkinson, Jane Tweddle, Marcin Klis, Eilidh MacLeod - Middle (left to right): Angelika Klis, Courtney Boyle, Saffie Roussos, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, Martyn Hett, Michelle Kiss, Philip Tron, Elaine McIver - Bottom (left to right): Wendy Fawell, Chloe Rutherford, Liam Allen-Curry, Sorrell Leczkowski, Megan Hurley, Nell Jones\n\nThe ruling reveals that, despite being released following questioning, he remained a suspect and that further evidence was found to connect him to the Micra that contradicts what he said in interview.\n\nLast year he was convicted in his absence of involvement in a drugs conspiracy and given a four year prison sentence.\n\nGreater Manchester Police has not answered questions from the BBC about how Elmehdi was able to flee abroad - more than a year after the bombing - despite being on bail for drugs offences.\n\nOn what was supposed to be day one of Hashem Abedi's trial in January, Elmehdi posted an image of himself online stating \"they can tell you how I was restricted to doing bits\" alongside an emoji of two champagne glasses.\n\nHe later posted a photo of himself holding a firearm sitting on a vehicle bearing the logo of a military operation - involving various militias - organised by the so-called \"Government of National Accord\" in Tripoli, which is battling other belligerents in the Libyan civil war.\n\nPolice also want to speak to Samia Tabbal, the mother of Salman and Hashem Abedi. She too is in Libya.\n\nMohammed Soliman is the other suspect. He purchased a bomb-making chemical for the brothers, but left Manchester for Libya in April 2017.\n\nThe two people that police want to trace are Majdi Alamari, who lives in Libya, and Anas Abuhdaima, whose location is unknown but is believed to be somewhere in the UK.\n\nBBC research suggests that Mr Abuhdaima, who is originally from Manchester, was in the city for a time after the bombing and that he was convicted of a driving offence there in December 2017.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nThe Premier League is likely to scrap the controversial pay-per-view method for matches after November's international window.\n\nClubs will instead look to devise a new solution that will cover the Christmas period.\n\nA definitive decision was not taken at a shareholders' meeting on Thursday but discussions are said to be ongoing.\n\nHowever, the £14.95 fee - which led to significant protests among fan groups - is expected to be dropped.\n\nIt is understood the model used in September, when all games were shown live by the Premier League's broadcast partners, is the likely direction of travel.\n\nPay-per-view remains on the table but a final decision is not expected this week.\n\nIn a statement, the Premier League said shareholders met on Thursday \"to discuss a number of important issues\", including the broadcast options for matches following the international break.\n\n\"Discussions with all stakeholders are ongoing and a broadcast solution will be announced in due course,\" it added.\n\nMore than £300,000 has been raised for charity by fans boycotting pay-per-view games, which were introduced in October after clubs voted 19-1 in favour of the \"interim solution\".\n\nLiverpool's fan group the Spirit of Shankly described the decision to charge £14.95 as \"disgraceful\", while the Football Supporters' Association said many fans were \"concerned\" over the price and wanted it reduced.\n\nFollowing Thursday's meeting, an FSA spokesperson said: \"Supporters made clear their revulsion at the £15 cost to see their teams on Sky and BT Sport's pay-per-view platforms last month, an emotion running so deep that fan protests across the country even reached the ears of untouchable Premier League club owners.\n\n\"We await to see the detail of what the Premier League and its broadcasters will now offer supporters who remain locked out of grounds for the foreseeable future - they simply must come up with a solution that is affordable for all.\"\n\nNewcastle owner Mike Ashley and manager Steve Bruce have said the fee for one-off matches is too high, while former Manchester United and England right-back Gary Neville, now a Sky pundit, said the system \"just needs scrapping\".\n\nPay-per-view will still be used for this weekend's fixtures, for games not selected for regular television broadcast, and whatever decision is made would come into force from 21 November and is due to last for the rest of the year.\n\nLast month, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the £14.95 fee was \"defensible\", and the announcement of the model came at a time when top-flight clubs were lobbying for spectators to be allowed back into grounds.\n\nHowever, England has since entered a second national lockdown, which will last until 2 December, and hopes of an imminent return of fans have faded.\n\nIn September, all 28 Premier League matches were shown live, with all broadcast partners - Sky Sports, BT Sport, the BBC and Amazon Prime - screening matches.\n\nMeanwhile, the Premier League said its shareholders also reiterated that a rescue package remains on the table for EFL clubs suffering financially during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\n\"The offer guarantees no EFL club need go out of business as a result of the pandemic in the 2020-21 season, and our intention is to play an active role in helping clubs return to financial stability,\" it said in a statement.\n\n\"The Premier League will engage directly with any EFL club that is suffering severe financial losses due to the pandemic, and will remain in dialogue with the EFL on this important issue.\n\n\"The rescue package is on top of solidarity payments totalling £110m already advanced to the EFL this season, alongside additional financial support for youth development and community programmes.\"\n• Watch 13 first-round ties on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app this weekend. Find out more here.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"My father-in-law is broken, he has lost his wife and his two children\"\n\nA woman and her two sons have died in the space of five days after testing positive for Covid-19.\n\nDavid Lewis, 81, from Pentre, Rhondda Cynon Taf, lost his wife Gladys, 74, on Thursday last week, and sons Dean, 44, the next day and Darren, 42, on Monday.\n\nAll of them lived in the same block of flats in Treorchy. Other family members are now isolating.\n\nDean's widow, Claire Lewis, said the family were struggling to come to terms with what had happened.\n\nThe family, she said, had been careful to avoid catching Covid-19 because Gladys had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Darren, who had Down's syndrome, had been on life support with pneumonia earlier in the year and her husband David \"was not well himself\".\n\nBrothers Darren and Dean Lewis died within days of each other\n\nMrs Lewis said she did not understand how they had caught the virus.\n\nThe 44-year-old, from Treorchy, said: \"We are totally devastated, all of us. My father-in-law is broken, he has lost his wife and his two children.\n\n\"He keeps on saying to us, 'It should have been me, it should have been me'.\n\n\"It's so difficult to try and help him, and hold me and my children together, because my children are absolutely devastated, and my sister-in-law is.\n\n\"She just she does not know what to do with herself, she is the baby of the family and she has lost her big brothers.\"\n\nShe said her mother-in-law Gladys would do \"anything for anyone\".\n\n\"To think she is not going to be there anymore is almost heartbreaking,\" she said.\n\nMrs Lewis, who has three children, warned people thought Covid-19 was \"a big joke\".\n\n\"People need to wise up,\" she said.\n\nShe added being in isolation made coping \"so difficult\".\n\nDarren Lewis died the week after his mother and brother\n\nMrs Lewis and her youngest son, 12, have tested positive for the virus and she is waiting on results for her eldest children, 14 and 19.\n\n\"People don't think this is going to happen to them, but look at our family,\" Mrs Lewis said.\n\nA GoFundMe page has raised more than £5,000 for the family since being started four days ago.", "The actress said she \"did not connect limb difference\" with her Grand High Witch character\n\nThe Witches star Anne Hathaway has promised to \"do better\" following the criticism the film has received for its portrayal of limb difference.\n\nThe actress acknowledged that many people \"are in pain\" over the way her Grand High Witch character is depicted.\n\n\"I owe you all an apology,\" she wrote on Instagram.\n\nIn the new adaptation of Roald Dahl's 1983 book, the witches are revealed to have three elongated fingers on each hand and toe-less feet.\n\nComedian Alex Brooker and others with hand and arm impairments have accused the film of being insensitive towards disabled people.\n\n\"To me It sends out a message that we should be scared of people with missing fingers,\" Brooker told the BBC earlier this week.\n\nBut he added he does not blame Hathaway for this situation, and feels that more awareness and education is needed.\n\nHathaway said she \"did not connect limb difference with the GHW [Grand High Witch] when the look of the character was brought\" to her.\n\n\"If I had, I assure you this never would have happened,\" continued the star, who won an Oscar for her role in Les Miserables.\n\n\"I particularly want to say I'm sorry to kids with limb differences,\" she went on. \"Now that I know better I promise I'll do better.\n\n\"And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I'm sorry I let your family down.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Alex Brooker says the way the film depicts limb difference is \"heartbreaking\"\n\nThe actress described herself as \"someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty\".\n\nShe also shared a video from the Lucky Fin Project, an organisation supporting those with limb differences.\n\nHathaway's message followed the apology Warner Bros issued earlier this week over the portrayal of the witches in the film, which varies from the one in Dahl's original.\n\nThe studio said it was \"deeply saddened\" to learn Robert Zemeckis's film \"could upset people with disabilities\".\n\n\"In adapting the original story, we worked with designers and artists to come up with a new interpretation of the cat-like claws that are described in the book,\" its statement continued.\n\n\"It was never the intention for viewers to feel that the fantastical, non-human creatures were meant to represent them.\"\n\nThe Witches had originally been set for a cinema release but was instead distributed on digital platforms last month following the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nShortly afterwards, the hashtag #NotAWitch began trending on social media.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Paul Dunleavy was jailed for five years and six months, after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court\n\nA teenager who was part of a banned neo-Nazi group has been jailed for preparing acts of terrorism.\n\nA judge ruled 17-year-old Paul Dunleavy can be named but described his efforts to commit the act as \"inept\".\n\nDunleavy had admitted nine counts of possessing terror manuals and also had videos of the New Zealand terror attack in 2019, in which 51 people died.\n\nAt Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Paul Farrer QC jailed the defendant for five years and six months.\n\nDunleavy, who had denied preparing an attack, had joined a neo-Nazi group called Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) in July last year, the court was told.\n\nThe group was created by a 13-year-old Estonian and was outlawed in the UK this summer after being linked to terrorism cases around the world.\n\nNotepads made by the teenager and a gun were recovered from his room\n\nJudge Farrer said Dunleavy had offered practical advice on firearms to other FKD members, some of whom have gone on themselves to be convicted of terrorism offences in other countries.\n\nThe judge told the defendant he harboured an intention to commit an act of terrorism, but added it was unlikely the he would have followed through, describing his preparations as \"inept\".\n\nHe added: \"Your autism impacts on your maturity and understanding.\"\n\nProsecutors said FKD's aim was to overthrow the liberal democratic system by bringing about a race war through individuals carrying out acts of mass murder.\n\nAfter joining FKD's online chat group, Dunleavy unwittingly began communicating with an undercover police officer, telling him: \"I'm getting armed and getting in shape.\"\n\nThe court was told Dunleavy had researched how to convert a blank-firing gun and asked an adult friend for advice on where to buy one.\n\nDunleavy had an \"unhealthy interest in other attacks across the world\", police said\n\nFollowing his arrest at his home in September 2019, West Midlands Police said detectives seized his phone, finding over 90 documents on firearms, explosives and military tactics, right wing material and online chat conversations.\n\nThey also found several knives, air rifles, face coverings, camouflage face paint, shotgun cartridges and bullet casings.\n\n\"This boy had an unhealthy interest in other attacks across the world and he knew exactly what online platforms to join to share his extreme views,\" said Det Ch Supt Kenny Bell, head of West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.\n\n\"He believed he had the skills to convert a blank firing weapon into a viable firearm and was willing to help others with his abilities.\"\n\nDunleavy had named Adolf Hitler as one of his heroes, West Midlands Police said\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Johnny Depp at the Royal Courts of Justice in July\n\nJohnny Depp has left the Fantastic Beasts film franchise, days after losing a libel case over a newspaper article which called him a wife beater.\n\nIn a letter to fans, Depp said he had been \"asked to resign\" from his role as Gellert Grindelwald and had \"respected that and agreed to that request\".\n\nHe called the libel judgement \"surreal\" and confirmed his plans to appeal.\n\nFilm studio Warner Bros confirmed Depp's departure and said his role would be recast.\n\n\"We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date,\" it said in a statement.\n\nDepp, 57, had sued the publisher of The Sun newspaper over a 2018 article, which claimed he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard.\n\nEarlier this week, Judge Mr Justice Nicol ruled The Sun had proved the article to be \"substantially true\".\n\nIn his letter, posted on Instagram, Depp said the judgement would not \"change my fight to tell the truth\".\n\nIn light of recent events, I would like to make the following short statement.\n\nFirstly I'd like to thank everybody who has gifted me with their support and loyalty. I have been humbled and moved by your many messages of love and concern, particularly over the last few days.\n\nSecondly, I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected that and agreed to that request.\n\nFinally I wish to say this, The surreal judgement of the court in the UK will not change my fight to tell the truth and I confirm that I plan to appeal.\n\nMy resolve remains strong and I intend to prove that the allegations against me are false. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time.\n\nThank you for reading. Sincerely, Johnny Depp\n\nDepp made a brief appearance as Grindelwald in 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and reprised his role in 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.\n\nThe films are prequels to the eight Harry Potter films, which were based on the novels by JK Rowling.\n\nAccording to Warner Bros, the third film in the series is currently in production and will be released in summer 2022.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BBC's David Sillito looks back on the libel case\n\nMonday's judgement followed a trial that was heard over 16 days in July at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.\n\nThe trial contained allegations of violence that spanned the period between 2013 and 2016, when Depp and Heard split up.\n\nIn his ruling, Judge Nicol found that 12 of the 14 alleged incidents of domestic violence had occurred.\n\nMr Depp is suing Ms Heard, 34, in the US in a separate case, over an opinion piece she wrote in the Washington Post.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The prime minister has defended data used by the government to justify the lockdown in England, saying the \"data is really irrefutable about what is happening now in the country.\"\n\nA chart presented at Saturday's No 10 briefing suggested a worse-case figure of up to 1,500 deaths a day by 8 December, but that has been adjusted down to 1,010 a day, after an error was found.\n\nDowning Street said it accepted a mistake had been made but the \"underlying analysis\" of the threat to the NHS was correct.\n\nAsked about it on a visit to Leicestershire, Boris Johnson said: \"The thing is the data is really irrefutable about what is happening in the country - that's why we've had to take the action we have and I very much regret it.\n\n\"But if you look at the admissions to hospitals, they are 25% up on last week, the overall number of Covid patients in hospitals is now more than 10,000... and climbing quite fast, and the number of deaths alas is on an upward curve.\"", "Constantine said it felt \"liberating\" to publicly acknowledge her alcohol battle for the first time\n\nFormer What Not To Wear presenter Susannah Constantine has revealed she is an alcoholic and has been in recovery for almost seven years.\n\nThe TV host said she previously felt \"a lot of shame\" about her drinking.\n\nBut she added it has been \"liberating\" to publicly acknowledge it for the first time.\n\n\"I'm an alcoholic and I've been in recovery for nearly seven years now,\" Constantine told the My Mate Bought A Toaster podcast.\n\nThe 58-year-old has previously referred to giving up alcohol, but not discussed the full extent of her drinking.\n\nIn 2017, she told The Mirror: \"I stopped drinking entirely three years ago. Alcohol is fun when you're younger, but it's also a crutch, and it wasn't having a great impact on my life. Nowadays, I'm happy writing and gathering dust at my desk.\"\n\nConstantine co-presented five series of the BBC's What Not To Wear in the early 2000s, alongside her long-time friend and collaborator Trinny Woodall, who has previously discussed her own alcohol addiction.\n\nMore recently, Constantine appeared on the 2018 series of Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with Anton Du Beke and the pair were voted out first.\n\nTrinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine presented five series of What Not To Wear\n\nSpeaking to podcast host Tom Price about her battle with alcohol, Constantine said: \"It's not something I've spoken about before really, but it's important.\"\n\nShe went on to explain how her addiction to alcohol caused her to behave towards those closest to her.\n\n\"As an addict, often what you would do, and certainly what I did, I would put all my own defects - I would find someone else to attach them to,\" she explained.\n\n\"And so I thought my husband was passive aggressive, but actually I was the one who was passive aggressive. And that I've realised over time and being in recovery.\n\n\"I was the awful, angry, passive-aggressive one and my poor husband was the one who had to live with it.\"\n\nConstantine has been married to her husband, Danish businessman and entrepreneur Sten Bertelsen, since 1995.\n\nShe gave up drinking in 2013, and said her addiction did not affect her work because she was a \"highly functioning\" alcoholic.\n\nConstantine took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2018\n\nConstantine also told the podcast about the moment she first acknowledged she had a problem.\n\n\"It was so liberating. I felt a lot of shame most of the time... the relief was so immense because I could change it,\" she said.\n\n\"I wasn't having to try and change someone else. It was down to me. I was responsible and accountable for becoming a better person and getting sober and well.\n\n\"And so it was the most extraordinary relief to have that light-bulb moment.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.\n• None What happened to Trinny after Susannah?", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The story of the election results so far...\n\nIt's two days after the US presidential election, and a winner still eludes us. As the ballots from more than 160 million Americans continue to be counted, however, a picture is starting to come into focus.\n\nNow that Michigan and Wisconsin have been projected for Biden, the national race is boiling down to Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania.\n\nIt's 253 electoral college votes to Biden and 214 to Trump, with the White House in their grasp if they reach 270.\n\nHere's what the candidates need to happen in order to win the White House.\n\nTo put it simply, Democrat Joe Biden simply has to maintain the lead he currently holds in Arizona and Nevada (light blue states on the map). If he does that, he hits 270 electoral votes - the bare minimum needed to take the White House.\n\nIn Michigan, Biden pulled ahead of Trump in the early morning hours as mail-in ballots were counted in heavily Democratic Detroit - and by late afternoon he was projected to win the state. In neighbouring Wisconsin, the trend there has been decidedly in his favour too. Republicans are talking about a recount.\n\nBiden has maintained a steady lead in Arizona with more mail-in ballots to be counted. The margin in Nevada is just a few thousand votes, but all election-day votes - which have tilted Republican - have been counted and only mail-in ballots, which have typically favoured Democrats, are left.\n\nFor the moment, Biden seems to have the path of least resistance to the presidency.\n\nLike Biden, to retain the White House Trump has to hold on in the remaining key states where he has a lead. In his case, that's Pennsylvania and Georgia (light red on the map above). Then, the Republican has to peel away at least one of those aforementioned states where Biden is on top.\n\nNevada is very, very close. It wouldn't take much of a shift to move the state into Trump's column. If the late-arriving mail ballots - postmarked on election day but can be delivered after - turn out to be from Trump-leaning independents or Republicans, not Democrats as expected, the picture for the president could brighten considerably.\n\nArizona is another possible flip for the president. Like Nevada, there are only mail-ballots left to be tabulated. The state has a more established tradition of postal voter, however, and Arizona Democrats haven't shown the same kind of advantage in those ballots as they have in Nevada. Biden's lead in Arizona is much larger than his margin in Nevada, but there is also the possibility of bigger shifts.\n\nAs for Wisconsin, it is heading in the wrong direction for the president. While Trump may be holding out hope in this Midwest battleground, the numbers are moving away from him.\n\nTrump's route back to the White House may rely on holding his leads in Pennsylvania and Georgia, but that doesn't mean he's safe in either of those states. The ballots remaining to be counted in Georgia are from heavily Democratic counties around Atlanta.\n\nIn Pennsylvania, there are more than a million mail-in ballots left to tabulate. Even though Trump has a bigger lead in the Keystone State, the vote-counting trends that moved Biden ahead in Wisconsin and Michigan may play themselves out there, as well.\n\nIf Biden can pick off Pennsylvania, he can afford to lose both Arizona and Nevada. If the Democrat flips Georgia, he can lose one or the other (otherwise, it's an electoral college tie that goes to the House).\n\nIn other words, unlike Trump, Biden has a number of different paths to get to presidential victory. They may be less likely, but they are still very real.\n\nRegardless of the ultimate outcome, what was once a nightmare scenario is taking shape, with Biden claiming he is on a path to victory and Trump lobbing accusations of voter fraud and electoral theft without providing any evidence.\n\nIt's a recipe for acrimony and a protracted court battle, which ends with supporters on the losing side feeling angry and cheated. The Trump campaign has already announced that they will request a recount in Wisconsin.\n\nAlthough the final results aren't known, what is clear on election night is that the US continues to be a sharply divided nation. The American voters did not repudiate Trump in any meaningful way. Nor did they give him the kind of ringing endorsement that the president had hoped for.\n\nInstead, the battle lines are drawn - and the political warfare will continue no matter who prevails in this particular election.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. David Sillito looks back on the career of Geoffrey Palmer\n\nActor Geoffrey Palmer, known for his roles in such sitcoms as Butterflies, As Time Goes By and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, has died aged 93.\n\nHe died peacefully at home, his agent said.\n\nVersatile and prolific, he was known and loved for his hangdog expression, lugubrious delivery and the often testy demeanour he gave to his characters.\n\nAs Time Goes By saw him star with Dame Judi Dench, a partnership they revived in Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.\n\nHe also acted in Mrs Brown, again with Dench, and The Madness of King George.\n\nDame Judi, who starred in nine series of As Time Goes By with Palmer, told BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme: \"Geoffrey was master of comedy, an absolute master.\"\n\nPaying tribute to his \"wonderful deadpan expression\", she added: \"I've admired him all my life. How lucky to have been in something with him for so long.\"\n\nHis co-star in Butterflies from 1978 to 1983, Wendy Craig, told the programme: \"He was just a delight to work with, his timing was perfect.\"\n\nDespite his \"rather serious face\", she said he was \"full of fun\" in person. \"When he laughed and when he smiled his whole face lit up, his eyes twinkled. He was always up for a laugh and not a heavy-going serious person at all,\" she said.\n\nHis early television roles included appearances in The Army Game, The Saint and The Avengers and he went on to appear in Doctor Who and the Kipper and the Corpse episode of Fawlty Towers.\n\nThe Doctor Who programme listed the shows he had appeared in with a tribute on Twitter.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Doctor Who This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by Doctor Who\n\nBroadcaster and author Gyles Brandreth said: \"RIP Geoffrey Palmer - such a wonderful actor, such a lovely guy. Brilliant at his craft and just the best company: wickedly funny. He did everything he did so well. Thanks for all the happy memories Geoffrey: we'll cherish them as time goes by.\"\n\nComedian Marcus Brigstocke, who starred alongside Palmer in BBC One sitcom The Savages, remembered him as \"the kindest, most brilliant man\", while Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright said he was \"brilliantly funny\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by edgarwright This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nComedian Eddie Izzard added: \"Very sad to hear that Geoffrey Palmer has left us. I was very excited to meet him once and then had the honour to act with him in the film Lost Christmas. His work will stay with us and through that he can live on forever. Good work Sir. Rest in peace.\"\n\nActress Annette Badland said: \"He was such a gifted actor and enormously good company. We worked together several times, laughed a lot and he was kind and generous. I am much saddened. Love to his family. Sleep well Mr Palmer.\"\n\nReece Shearsmith from The League of Gentlemen described him an \"immaculate singular actor\", singling out his performance in Butterflies.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Reece Shearsmith This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nPalmer appeared in four series of the Carla Lane sitcom, in which he played the stuffy husband of Wendy Craig's Ria.\n\nYet it was his partnership with Dench in As Time Goes By for which he will perhaps be best remembered.\n\nPalmer worked with Judi Dench in As Time Goes By\n\nThe BBC sitcom, about two former lovers who meet unexpectedly and later marry, ran from 1992 to 2005.\n\nIn 2018 Dame Judi described her co-star as \"the naughtiest man I ever had the pleasure to work with\" as she gave him a prize at that year's Oldie Awards.\n\nIn Tomorrow Never Dies, released in 1997, Palmer's combative Admiral Roebuck sparred with Dame Judi's M, the head of the secret service.\n\nProducers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli remembered the actor as \"a much beloved star of TV and film and a treasured member of the Bond family\".\n\nPalmer's distinctive voice made him a popular choice for narration, audiobooks and adverts.\n\nHe narrated the Grumpy Old Men series and introduced British viewers to \"Vorsprung durch Technik\" in adverts for Audi cars.\n\nActress Frances Barber remembered an occasion when he had queried a residuals payment he had received for the ubiquitous commercial.\n\n\"I just called my agent and said they've put too many 0's on the cheque,\" she recalled him saying. \"After lunch he said 'Apparently they haven't'. His face didn't change.\"\n\nIn his later years Palmer was seen in Paddington, Parade's End and W.E, in which he was directed by pop star Madonna.\n\nHe was made an OBE in 2004 for services to drama.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nPalmer, a keen fly fisherman, campaigned against the HS2 railway line, the proposed route of which ran close to his home in the Chilterns.\n\n\"Stop this vanity project and leave our countryside alone,\" he told then-PM David Cameron in a 2013 video filmed for the Daily Politics show.\n\n\"I am not grumpy,\" he once said of his distinctively jowly features. \"I just look this way.\"\n\nHe is survived by his wife Sally Green, with whom he had a daughter and a son.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Bryce Hall accused Ariana Grande of chasing clout with her comments\n\nA minor war of words has broken out after Ariana Grande criticised social media influencers for partying during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThe pop star condemned people who were gathering at the cowboy-themed Saddle Ranch restaurant in LA, which has become a hangout for Tik Tok stars.\n\n\"Couldn't we have stayed at home just a few more weeks?\" she asked on The Zach Sang Show last week.\n\n\"Because she knew that Tik Tokers have a high audience, she knew a lot of people would agree,\" he said on the Hollywood Raw podcast, \"because there's a lot of people that hate TikTokers especially\".\n\n\"I mean, it was obviously like a marketing move and good for her,\" he added. \"But like, she's not wrong.\"\n\nGrande's comments came during an hour-long interview to promote her new album, Positions, which is on course to top the UK charts this week.\n\n\"Did we all need to go to [expletive] Saddle Ranch that badly that we couldn't wait for the deathly pandemic to pass?\" she said.\n\n\"Did we all need to put on our cowgirl boots and ride a mechanical bull that bad? We all needed that Instagram post that badly?\"\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Zach Sang Show This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nTik Tok personality Addison Rae, who celebrated Hallowe'en at Saddle Ranch with Hall, admitted Grande had a point.\n\n\"I think it's fair, I think it's understandable,\" she said.\n\n\"I'm staying in and working out a lot and preparing for my movie,\" added the star, who is working on a remake of the 90s romcom She's All That.\n\nDixie D'Amelio - who is one of Tik Tok's most-followed stars - agreed that Grande's advice made sense.\n\n\"I don't really know what to think,\" she said, when approached by the gossip site Pap Galore.\n\n\"I mean, she's right. She's right, yeah,\" D'Amelio added. \"She's a queen. I love her.\"\n\nGrande has taken a hard line on Covid-19 safety, most recently encouraging her fans to stay at home for Hallowe'en.\n\n\"Please dress up, take pics, but then get in your PJs and watch some scary movies,\" she tweeted. \"Going to parties right now is unsafe and absolutely not worth it.\"\n\nEarlier this year, Hall and fellow Tik Tok star Blake Gray were charged with violating Los Angeles' health orders after throwing parties at the home they shared in the Hollywood Hills.\n\n\"If you have a combined 19 million followers on TikTok in the middle of a public health crisis, you should be modelling great behaviour... rather than brazenly violating the law,\" said Los Angeles city lawyer Mike Feuer.\n\nLos Angeles' mayor Eric Garcetti also authorised the city to shut off water and power to the home. \"Despite several warnings, this house has turned into a nightclub in the hills,\" he said.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The fencing was pulled down after hundreds of students - who said they were not warned about the measure - protested\n\nA university that spent £11,000 on fencing has been forced to remove the barriers hours later amid protests.\n\nStudents living at the University of Manchester's Fallowfield halls of residence awoke to find workers putting up \"huge metal barriers\" on Thursday.\n\nIt sparked a protest among hundreds of students over the \"prison-like\" campus fencing, which was later torn down.\n\nThe university has announced it will hold an inquiry into the decision to erect the fencing.\n\nWork to remove the fencing began last night and will be completed later.\n\nThe university confirmed it had spent £11,000 net to install, inspect and remove the fencing, which had been hired for four weeks in response to security concerns about non-residents accessing the Owens Park site.\n\nProf Dame Nancy Rothwell, the university's president and vice-chancellor, said: \"Firstly, I want to apologise again for the distress caused by putting up the fence yesterday and the very poor communication surrounding this.\n\n\"I am determined to find out what went wrong and to learn from it.\"\n\nThe inquiry will be conducted by a former vice-president for teaching, learning and students with the report submitted by the end of the month.\n\nProf Rothwell said she would meet with student representatives from the halls \"as soon as possible\".\n\nStudents said the fences made them feel as if they had been imprisoned\n\nProf Rothwell added: \"I know the events of yesterday were distressing for many students on a personal level at what is already a very difficult time. I'm sorry for that.\n\n\"I also regret that our actions led to protests and unrest at the residences last night.\n\n\"The fence has been removed today and, in consultation with students, additional security measures will be put in place to help to keep all of our residents safe.\"\n\nStudents said the fences, placed between buildings, blocked off some entry and exit points and left them feeling trapped.\n\nThird-year drama student Billie Harvey-Munro has criticised the lack of communication over the fencing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Students said they felt \"trapped\" and \"imprisoned\" by the fencing\n\n\"There's been no transparency whatsoever. Students weren't warned,\" said Ms Harvey-Munro, who is part of a campaign group Student Action for a Fair and Educated Response.\n\n\"You have a bunch of first-year students who are scared about the current crisis anyway.\n\n\"I think it really demonstrates to us how little the university had prioritised students at this time.\"\n\nThe university initially insisted it had written to students informing them about the construction, but has since acknowledged work began \"ahead of the message being seen\".\n\nUnder the new lockdown rules in England, university students have been told not to move back and forward between their permanent and student homes during term time. The government says they should only return home at the end of term.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday evening. We'll have another update for you on Saturday morning.\n\nOfficial figures suggest the increase in new coronavirus infections appears to be slowing around the UK. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that although new cases continue to rise, in England daily infections have stabilised at around 50,000 a day. That means around one person in every 90 has the virus in England, while it is one in 110 in Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland it is one in 75 - but experts warn it is too soon to say if rates are levelling off there. How many cases are in your area?\n\nPeople have been queuing for Covid tests in Liverpool on the opening day of the UK's first city-wide testing programme. Everyone living or working in the city are being offered regular tests, whether or not they have symptoms. New test sites have been set up across the city, with about 2,000 military personnel helping to deliver them. What can mass testing realistically achieve? We have been taking a look.\n\nA graph used during Saturday's Downing Street briefing to justify the current lockdown in England has had to be revised, but the government - which has accepted a mistake was made - has defended its use. It says the \"underlying analysis\" of the threat to the NHS was correct. The chart in question suggested a worse-case figure of up to 1,500 deaths a day by 8 December. This has now been adjusted down to 1,010 a day, after an error was found.\n\nHow the graph looked when it was presented by Sir Patrick Vallance at Downing Street briefing\n\nWales' health minister has said it would be a \"massive breach of trust\" if the 17-day national lockdown in Wales was not lifted as promised on Monday. Vaughan Gething said departing from the plan to end it on 9 November would have consequences in terms of people's trust in the Welsh government. However, there have been calls for restrictions to remain in place in areas such as Merthyr Tydfil, which has one of the worst case rates in the UK.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The health minister says the Welsh government has been \"clear\" on when the firebreak will end\n\nRosanna Wilson and Andrew Monck first met in 2011, but got in contact again during the pandemic. Andrew lives in Australia but, after being granted an exemption to leave the country permanently, he is now going to move to the UK to live with Rosanna in Devon. They explain how, despite being more than 9,300 miles (15,000km) apart, they fell in love.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nWith different coronavirus restrictions in place across the UK, you can check the rules for where you live here.\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Denmark has been taken off the UK's coronavirus travel corridor list, the transport secretary has said.\n\nPassengers arriving in the UK from 04:00 GMT on Friday will need to self-isolate for 14 days.\n\nGrant Shapps said it was an \"urgent decision\" taken overnight following recent \"developments\".\n\nIt comes after health authorities in Denmark found a mutated form of coronavirus that can pass to humans was present in the country's mink farms.\n\nThe announcement was made at around 01:30 GMT - two and a half hours before the change came into force.\n\nMr Shapps called it a \"swift decision\" in a statement published on the government's website.\n\n\"I understand that this will be concerning for both people currently in Denmark and the wider UK public, which is why we have moved quickly to protect our country and prevent the spread of the virus to the UK,\" he said.\n\nHe said the \"precautionary measure\" was introduced at the recommendation of the government's chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty.\n\nThere are more than 1,000 mink farms in Denmark\n\nThe decision about Denmark came less than 12 hours after Germany and Sweden were taken off the travel corridor list, which applies to the whole of the UK.\n\nPassengers arriving in the UK from Germany or Sweden after 04:00 GMT on Saturday will need to self-isolate for 14 days.\n\nTravellers currently in Denmark are allowed to finish their trips and are advised to follow the local rules and Foreign Office travel advice.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How do I quarantine after returning from abroad?\n\nLeaving home to go on holiday is currently banned for most people in the UK.\n\nIn England, where a new national lockdown came into force on Thursday, people are still allowed to travel overseas for work or education trips.\n\nIn Wales, which is in a \"firebreak\" lockdown until 9 November, the devolved government says people can only go abroad if they have \"a reasonable excuse\".\n\nPeople in Northern Ireland are being urged by the government there to \"carefully consider\" their holiday and travel options\n\nDanish authorities have said a lockdown will be introduced in some areas over the coronavirus mutation found in mink farms.\n\nBars, restaurants, public transport and all public indoor sports will be closed in seven North Jutland municipalities.\n\nThe restrictions will come into effect from Friday and initially last until 3 December.\n\nThis week, Denmark's prime minister said the country would cull all of its mink - as many as 17 million.\n\nMette Frederiksen said the mutated virus posed a \"risk to the effectiveness\" of a future Covid-19 vaccine.\n\nThe Scandinavian country is the world's biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong.\n\nCulling began late last month, after many mink cases were detected.\n\nAre you planning to travel from Denmark to the UK? Do you often travel between the two countries? Share your experiences: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Many businesses in Northern Ireland will be forced to close for two weeks from Friday\n\nStormont ministers have agreed a multi-million pound support package to help people hit by tightened Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.\n\nFrom Friday, non-essential shops and businesses will close for two weeks, as part of tougher measures across NI.\n\nThe executive had pledged to provide additional financial support to businesses forced to close.\n\nThe immediate package will be worth about £338m, while £150m is being set aside for longer-term rates relief.\n\nFinance Minister Conor Murphy set out full details of the plan in the assembly on Monday afternoon.\n\nIt comes as three more Covid-19 related deaths were recorded by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on Monday, bringing the total to 936.\n\nAmong the measures agreed by the executive are:\n\nThe pre-paid card issued through the voucher scheme will be worth about £200 per household, said Mr Murphy.\n\nHe said the Department for the Economy will roll out the plan in early 2021, as it takes about six weeks to develop.\n\n\"It's not meant to support households, it's meant to stimulate growth on the High Street,\" he told assembly members.\n\nOther allocations include £26.3m to the Department for Infrastructure to replace lost income for Translink, the Crumlin Road Gaol, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the Rathlin Ferry, and £1.2m to support the City of Derry Airport.\n\nThere is also £5m to support the scheme for charities, to run until the end of March 2021, and £2.3m to top up the social enterprise grant scheme.\n\nThe finance minister also confirmed previously announced plans to extend free school meals payments until 2022, with £26.4m allocated to this.\n\nMr Murphy said uncertainty with the virus and not knowing how much Stormont would receive from the Treasury had made planning difficult.\n\nHe said the financial support package he was announcing was as a result of an additional £400m provided from Westminster two weeks ago to support the executive's response.\n\n\"Had we as an Executive allocated this funding immediately, we wouldn't have been able to take into account the new restrictions agreed by the Executive last week,\" he said.\n\n\"In my view it was right to have a plan in place to take us to the New Year, before making these allocations.\"\n\nMr Murphy and Economy Minister Diane Dodds are understood to have spent the weekend working on plans, with their departmental officials.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, three more coronavirus-related deaths were announced by the department of health on Monday, bringing its total to 936.\n\nA further 280 positive tests were recorded, meaning there have been 50,064 cases of Covid-19.\n\nThere were no additional deaths documented in the Republic of Ireland, where the total stands at 2,022.\n\nThere have been 70,711 confirmed cases after 252 more were reported.\n\nThere was a cautious welcome in the assembly for Mr Murphy's announcement, but as one MLA remarked: \"The devil will be in the detail.\"\n\nOfficials worked at pace over the weekend to draw up a support plan, using a mix of schemes already in place and some new grants.\n\nThe proposal grabbing most headlines is the voucher scheme for households to support the High Street, and some have questioned why every family will receive it, when some will obviously need more support than others.\n\nBut Mr Murphy defended the plan and said its purpose is to boost the High Street in the early New Year.\n\nThere are also concerns about how quickly payments will be made: Some businesses have been waiting more than five weeks for their grants promised during the first round of restrictions, implemented in October.\n\nThe executive will have to work at rapid speed to ensure people across Northern Ireland aren't left waiting, given Christmas is just around the corner.\n\nThe executive had faced criticism for not having new financial support in place before it announced the lockdown measures last Thursday evening.\n\nBut Mr Murphy said his officials were working as quickly as possible to process payments to those who need them.\n\nThe Belfast Chamber of Commerce has outlined a number of proposals to the executive about increasing assistance to businesses.\n\nThe organisation's chief executive Simon Hamilton welcomed the measures announced in the assembly.\n\nHe said he was particularly pleased by the voucher scheme, which his organisation had lobbied for.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Simon Hamilton This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'We'd gladly have taken a full lockdown in October'\n\nThe lockdown measures will last until 11 December, with ministers saying the new restrictions represented the \"best chance\" of getting to Christmas and new year without further regulations being needed.\n\nMeanwhile, Health Minister Robin Swann has called on his executive colleagues to show \"unity\" and he has called for an end to \"party-political point scoring\".\n\nHe was speaking in the assembly on Monday as he gave details of the latest Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nThe minister said the executive needs to \"put the last few weeks behind it\", and that the leaking of executive discussions to the media were not helpful.\n\nMr Swann and the first and deputy first ministers are also expected to continue discussions with the Westminster government and other devolved administrations this week about a coordinated approach to Christmas.\n\nUlster Unionist MLA Alan Chambers told the assembly the DUP and Sinn Féin had \"undermined\" efforts to tackle Covid-19.\n\nHe said there was a \"sense of outrage\" at the behaviour of Sinn Féin figures who attended the funeral of republican Bobby Storey in June, while DUP politicians undermined the \"vital message\" of wearing masks by not doing so or by speaking out against the restrictions.\n\nSDLP MLA Dolores Kelly also attacked Sinn Féin for the party's actions around Mr Storey's funeral. She said the health message had been \"disregarded\".\n\nArlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill took part in talks over the weekend, where leaders backed plans to allow some household mixing \"for a small number of days\" over Christmas.\n\nBelfast's Castle Lane was busy with shoppers on Sunday\n\nIn respect of Northern Ireland, ministers have also \"recognised that people will want to see family and friends across the island of Ireland, and this is the subject of discussions with the Irish government\", the Cabinet Office said.\n\nThe government said work is continuing to finalise the arrangements, including on travel.", "A military dog who served alongside British soldiers in Afghanistan has been awarded the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.\n\nDuring a raid, Kuno charged through enemy gunfire and tackled a gunman to save the lives of British soldiers fighting al-Qaeda. He was hit by bullets in both back legs, and lost one of his paws, becoming the first UK military dog to get custom-made prosthetics.\n\nThe four-year-old has been given the Dickin Medal from vet charity the PDSA.", "Rhondda Cynon Taf now has the second highest death rate in England and Wales after Tameside, Greater Manchester\n\nDeaths involving Covid-19 have risen again in Wales to the highest weekly total since early May.\n\nA total of 190 deaths were registered in the week ending 13 November, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).\n\nThis is 24 more than the previous week and account for a quarter of all deaths in Wales.\n\nMeanwhile, 19 more deaths have been reported linked to hospital infections at Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board.\n\nThere have been 10 more deaths at the Princess of Wales hospital, Bridgend, five at the Royal Glamorgan hospital and four deaths at Prince Charles Hospital in the last week.\n\nIt takes the total deaths to 177. That includes six deaths at Maesteg hospital reported a few weeks ago.\n\nThe number of cases linked to the outbreaks has slowed down, rising from 597 to 628.\n\nThe ONS figures show deaths in care homes involving the virus have also risen to their highest total - 36 - for five months.\n\nThe proportion of Covid deaths compared to all deaths is higher in Wales than in England in this latest week.\n\nThere were 56 deaths registered across the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area, which covers Rhondda Cynon Taf, Bridgend and Merthyr. Of those, 44 were in hospital.\n\nThere were also 51 deaths in the Aneurin Bevan health board area, across all settings, 29 deaths in Swansea Bay, 27 in Betsi Cadwaladr and 14 in Cardiff and Vale.\n\nThere were 10 deaths in Hywel Dda and three hospital deaths involving Powys residents.\n\nSo-called 'excess deaths', which compare all registered deaths with previous years, are above the five-year average.\n\nComparing current figures with the number of deaths normally seen at this point in the year is regarded as a useful measure of how the pandemic is progressing.\n\nIn Wales, the number of deaths fell to 742 in the latest week, but this was still 84 deaths (12.8%) higher than the five-year average.\n\nIn the latest week, England had 2,274 deaths involving Covid, followed by Scotland (278), Wales (190) and Northern Ireland (96).\n• None Covid in Wales: What do the stats tell us?", "Ministers have said they cannot rule out leaseholders in England having to meet some of the costs of removing flammable cladding from their homes.\n\nWhile £1.6bn had been made available, Chris Pincher told MPs the government would not write an \"open cheque\".\n\nIt was up to developers and building owners to \"step up\" and take primary responsibility for repairs, he added.\n\nMPs say delays to the process and uncertainty over who will pay are causing \"unimaginable anxiety\".\n\nRaising the issue in the Commons, Labour's Clive Betts said government support was \"totally inadequate\" given the cost of removal aluminium composite and other dangerous materials could be as much as £15bn.\n\nAfter the 2017 Grenfell fire, the government pledged safe alternatives to dangerous cladding would be provided on all buildings in England taller than 18 metres by last June.\n\nBut a report in September found that only 155 out of 455 high-rise buildings with similar cladding to Grenfell have had it replaced.\n\nTo speed up the process, the Commons Housing Committee said the government should foot the bill for the work in the short term, looking to recover costs from those responsible for historic construction failures at a later date.\n\nMr Betts, the committee's chair, said the issue had dragged on for too long and urgent action was needed.\n\n\"Leaseholders should not have to pay any of the costs. They bought their properties in good faith, they have not done anything wrong and they should not be financially distressed,\" he said.\n\n\"Without assurances on these points, many people are going to have a very miserable Christmas, trapped in properties they can't sell, often they can't insure...and wondering how on earth they are going to pay for the bills that could arrive on their doormats at any time.\"\n\nHe was backed by Conservative Sir Peter Bottomley, the longest-serving MP in the Commons, who said delays to fixing high-rise and other affected buildings had effectively \"frozen\" parts of the leasehold property market.\n\nThose affected had been lumbered with \"unimaginable anxiety and costs beyond the possible chance of paying\".\n\nIt has been estimated that replacing unsafe cladding on buildings will cost £4bn in London alone.\n\nMr Pincher said the government was looking at a range of innovative solutions to help minimise the costs borne by individuals but he said he could not guarantee that all leaseholders would not have to contribute.\n\n\"We cannot write an open cheque on behalf of the taxpayer. That would send the wrong signal to developers and those who are responsible for these buildings that they don't have to pay because the taxpayer will.\n\n\"I am clear that public funding does not absolve the industry from taking responsibility. We expect investors, developers and building owners who have the means to pay to cover remediation costs themselves.\"\n\nMinisters have said two new pieces of legislation, the Fire Safety Bill and Building Safety Bill, combined with a separate proposed law on building and fire safety - will deliver the biggest changes to building safety for nearly 40 years, ensuring greater accountability in law for the upkeep of buildings and enforcement of safety obligations.\n\nMr Betts said the proposals were \"welcome\" but more safeguards were needed, including a central register of building safety managers and more rigorous regulation of construction products.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nChina has launched a mission to try to retrieve rock samples from the Moon.\n\nIts robotic Chang'e-5 spacecraft departed the Wenchang launch complex on a Long March 5 rocket early on Tuesday morning local time, and if successful should return to Earth in mid-December.\n\nIt's more than 40 years since the Americans and the Soviets brought home lunar rock and \"soil\" for analysis.\n\nChina aims to be only the third country to achieve this feat, which will be an extremely complex endeavour.\n\nIt's a multi-step process that involves an orbiter, a lander-ascender and finally a return component that uses a capsule to survive a fast and hot entry into Earth's atmosphere at the end of the mission.\n\nBut confidence should be high after a series of well-executed lunar missions that started just over a decade ago with a couple satellites.\n\nThese were followed up by lander-rover combinations - with the most recent, Chang'e-4, making a soft touch down on the Moon's farside, something no spacefaring nation had previously accomplished.\n\nA moment of joy for the Chang'e-5 launch team as the mission gets under way\n\nChang'e-5 is going to target a nearside location called Mons Rümker, a high volcanic complex in a region known as Oceanus Procellarum.\n\nThe rocks in this location are thought to be very young compared with those sampled by the US Apollo astronauts and the Soviet Luna robots - something like perhaps 1.3 billion years old versus the 3-4-billion-year-old rocks picked up on those earlier missions.\n\nThis will give scientists another data point for the method they use to age events in the inner Solar System.\n\nEssentially, researchers count craters - the older the surface, the more craters it has; the younger the surface, the fewer it has.\n\n\"The Moon is the chronometer of the Solar System, as far as we're concerned,\" explained Dr Neil Bowles at Oxford University.\n\n\"The samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions came from known locations and were dated radiometrically very accurately, and we've been able to tie that information to the cratering rate and extrapolate ages to other surfaces in the Solar System.\"\n\nArtwork: This mission is the next step up in complexity\n\nThe new Chang'e-5 samples should also improve our understanding of the Moon's volcanic history, said Dr Katie Joy from the University of Manchester.\n\n\"The mission is being sent to an area where we know there were volcanoes erupting in the past. We want to know precisely when that was,\" she told BBC News.\n\n\"This will tells us about the Moon's magmatic and thermal history through time, and from that we can start to answer questions more widely about when volcanism and magmatism was occurring on all of the inner Solar System planets, and why the Moon could have run out of energy to produce volcanoes earlier than some of those other bodies.\"\n\nThe Chang'e-4 mission touched down on the Moon's farside\n\nWhen Chang'e-5 arrives at the Moon it will go into orbit. A lander will then detach and make a powered descent.\n\nOnce down, instruments will characterise the surroundings before scooping up some surface material.\n\nThe lander has the capacity also to drill into the soil, or regolith.\n\nAn ascent vehicle will carry the samples back up to rendezvous with the orbiter.\n\nIt's at this stage that a complicated transfer must be undertaken, packaging the rock and soil into a capsule for despatch back to Earth. A shepherding craft will direct the capsule to enter the atmosphere over Inner Mongolia.\n\nEvery phase is difficult, but the architecture will be very familiar - it's very similar to how human missions to the Moon were conducted in the 1960/70s.\n\nChina is building towards that goal.\n\n\"You can certainly see the analogy between what's being done on the Chang'e-5 mission - in terms of the different elements and their interaction with each other - and what would be required for a human mission,\" said Dr James Carpenter, exploration science coordinator for human and robotic exploration at the European Space Agency.\n\n\"We're seeing right now an extraordinary expansion in lunar activity. We've got the US-led Artemis programme (to return astronauts to the Moon) and the partnerships around that; the Chinese with their very ambitious exploration programme; but also many more new actors as well.\"\n\nArtwork: The return capsule will approach Earth's atmosphere very fast\n\nJonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nFrance will begin to ease its strict coronavirus restrictions this weekend, allowing non-essential shops to reopen, President Emmanuel Macron has said.\n\nPeople will also be able to share \"moments with the family\" over the Christmas period, Mr Macron announced.\n\nBut he said bars and restaurants would have to remain closed until 20 January.\n\nFrance has reported more than 2.2 million cases and more than 50,000 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.\n\nIn a televised address on Tuesday evening, Mr Macron said the country had passed the peak of the second wave of virus infections.\n\nHe said that the bulk of lockdown restrictions would be eased from 15 December for the festive period, with cinemas reopening and general travel restrictions lifted, as long as new infections were at 5,000 a day or less.\n\nOn Monday, France reported 4,452 daily Covid-19 infections - its lowest tally since 28 September.\n\nThe latest seven-day rolling average for new infections in France is reported to be 21,918. That figure peaked at 54,440 on 7 November.\n\nMr Macron said the recent news of successful vaccine trials offered \"a glimmer of hope\" and that France would aim to begin vaccinations against Covid-19 \"at the end of December or at the beginning of January\", starting with the elderly and most vulnerable.\n\nThe French president said the situation would be reviewed on 20 January, and if infections remained low, bars and restaurants would then be permitted to reopen. Universities would also be able to accept students again.\n\nHowever, if the situation had worsened, he said he would look at options to avoid triggering a third wave.\n\n\"We must do everything to avoid a third wave, do everything to avoid a third lockdown,\" Mr Macron said.\n\nHe later tweeted to say that all businesses forced to remain closed during the restrictions, such as restaurants, bars and sports halls, would have the choice of receiving up to €10,000 (£8,900) from a \"solidarity fund\" or the payment of 20% of their turnover.\n\nHe said that France's ski resorts may have to remain closed until next year because the current risks associated with the virus made it difficult for such sports to resume.\n\nHowever, he said he would discuss the issue with other European leaders and provide an update in the coming days.\n\nSki resorts were responsible for numerous outbreaks of Covid-19 cases across Europe in the early days of the pandemic.\n\nMr Macron said the lockdown would be replaced by a nationwide curfew between 21:00 and 07:00, except on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.\n\nFrance has been under a second national lockdown since the beginning of November. People have only been permitted to leave home to go to work, buy essential goods, seek medical help or exercise for one hour a day. Anyone going outside must carry a written statement justifying their journey.\n\nWhile all non-essential shops, restaurants and bars have been shut, schools and crèches have remained open. Social gatherings have been banned.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nMeasures to deal with coronavirus outbreaks remain in place across Europe, but a reduction in daily reported cases in some areas - coupled with the reported success of a number of vaccines - has led countries to revisit their restrictions. Some of the latest developments include:", "Dominici played 67 times for France and in recent years had become a familiar figure on TV and radio\n\nTributes have been paid to \"immense\" former France rugby union international Christophe Dominici, who has died aged 48.\n\nDominici was best known for helping France knock New Zealand out of the 1999 Rugby World Cup.\n\nA witness saw him climb the roof of a disused building at Saint-Cloud park, near Paris, on Tuesday before falling, officials say.\n\nProsecutors have opened an inquiry into the cause of his death.\n\n\"So much sadness. Christophe Dominici was an immense player, an artist. His sudden death is a shock,\" said sports minister Roxana Maracineanu.\n\nDominici played 67 times for his country and won the French championship five times with Stade Français before retiring in 2008. In recent years he had worked as a pundit for French radio and TV.\n\nHis 1999 World Cup semi-final performance spurred France to a sensational comeback, as he darted down the left of the pitch and seized the ball ahead of two New Zealand defenders to score a try. The All Blacks were leading the game at the time and had the brilliant Jonah Lomu in their line-up.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by France Rugby This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nKnown as Domi, he was 1.72m (5ft 6in) tall and earned a reputation for weaving runs that could change the course of a match. He played in four Six Nations-winning teams, including two Grand Slams.\n\nHis death has stunned the world of rugby. France's rugby federation said the national sport was \"in mourning after the tragic death of our wing Christophe Dominici\".\n\nIt added: \"We're particularly thinking of his family and loved ones.\"\n\nA similar message came from the other big rugby union nations. The Welsh Rugby Union said: \"Adieu, Christophe Dominici... what a player.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by England Rugby This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nFormer Stade Français president Max Guazzini, who was close to Dominici, told French radio he was deeply upset by the news. \"I always told the others he was my favourite player,\" he said.\n\nEx-team-mate Vincent Clerc said: \"I came up against him in the past and it was tough. You felt he had this passion to win.\"\n\nFormer Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll described \"a French player full of flair with huge success throughout his career\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Irish Rugby This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nEarlier this year, Dominici was heavily involved in a bid by a consortium from the United Arab Emirates to take over the financially troubled Beziers rugby club in the south of France.\n\nThe bid was halted by the sport's financial regulator and Dominici was said by friends to have taken the failure very badly.\n\nIn a 2009 Le Monde interview, he said: \"[Rugby] let me understand many things - respect for life, people and oneself, along with the values of humility and combat. I was aggressive and put that to collective use. Now I have far more wisdom and maturity.\"", "'Janet' was pinned to the ground and punched when she was arrested in May.\n\nEight officers are under investigation after a black woman was pinned to the ground and punched during an arrest, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.\n\nThe woman has told the BBC she feared for her life, and says police subjected her to further violence in custody.\n\nTwo of the officers under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have been placed on restricted duties.\n\nDetails into the probe have been made public after a Newsnight investigation.\n\nMobile phone footage of the woman's arrest, which happened on 9 May after officers pulled over a car in south-east London, shows how several police officers physically restrained the young woman - who is a student in her 20s and had been a passenger in the car.\n\nOne female officer can be seen repeatedly striking the woman.\n\nIn a statement the IOPC said: \"Eight officers have been served with notices advising them they are subject to investigation, with six officers at misconduct level and two officers at gross misconduct level.\"\n\nDetails of the IOPC probe into the treatment of the woman have been made public after an investigation by BBC Newsnight into the way she was handled during her arrest.\n\nJanet - not her real name - told the programme she had been working on an essay and went to get a takeaway, where she met an old friend with whom she ended up driving to a cash machine.\n\nWhile she was a passenger in the man's car, it was pulled over after officers allegedly noticed he had been driving erratically. The driver has since been convicted of drink-driving.\n\nJanet, who wished not to be identified, described the incident as \"dehumanising\"\n\nJanet told BBC Newsnight she was pulled out of the car by an officer before it had come to a complete stop: \"I just remember things turning like they looked a bit radioactive to me because I couldn't... I knew that I was losing consciousness.\"\n\nShe says she told the female police officer who punched her that the officer holding her down was killing her. She says the female officer \"smirked\" and responded: 'If you can talk, you can breathe.\"\n\nJanet was arrested on suspicion of obstructing a drug search. She says she was lifted up from the street by her handcuffs and her hair braids, causing hair to be ripped out of her scalp, and was carried to the police van.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Mobile phone footage showing the arrest of the woman.\n\nInside Lewisham police station, she was subjected to further violence during a strip search which happened in the presence of male as well as female officers - something against police regulations.\n\n\"They didn't even tell me they were going to strip-search me. It literally just happened when in the presence of the male and female officers with my cell door wide open, so people were passing.\"\n\nShe claims this was done to \"humiliate me more - dehumanise me more\".\n\nOnce stripped naked, Janet says she was subjected to more violence, during which one police officer punched her repeatedly \"very, very, very, very hard - there was a lot of intensity in her\".\n\nJanet said she resisted as she had recently had surgery on her stomach, and was worried about the pressure they were applying to her while she was on the floor.\n\nThe tactics used in this arrest such as handcuffing, restraint and hitting, are known as Use of Force, and are all measures officers are permitted to take under certain circumstances.\n\nHowever, senior police figures who have seen the video of the detention of the woman told BBC Newsnight the level of force and the number of officers applying it in this case, seem unusual.\n\nBBC Newsnight has obtained Use of Force data from 37 out of the 44 police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nDuring the lockdown months of April and May, 27 out of the 37 police forces saw a rise in Use of Force, compared with the same months in 2019.\n\nThe Metropolitan Police - the UK's biggest force - saw a rise of 26% from 25,993 Use of Force incidents recorded in April and May 2019, to 32,705 in the same months in 2020.\n\nHome Office figures for England and Wales show black people are approximately six times more likely to be subjected to Use of Force than white people - a disparity that does not apply to other ethnic minorities.\n\nThe woman whose story features in BBC Newsnight's report has not received an apology from the police. All charges against her have been dropped.\n\nPolice are required to record each time they use force\n\nThe Metropolitan Police said: \"All police officers are fully aware that they will be asked to account for their actions. Officers are not exempt from the law, and nor would we wish to be.\n\n\"The Met continues to co-operate with the IOPC's investigation team to ensure that all the facts are established.\n\n\"Eight officers are under investigation in relation to this incident; two of whom have been placed on restricted duties.\"\n\nThe IOPC said: \"Use of Force is an essential policing tool and like all police powers must be used properly, proportionately and responsibly.\n\n\"We are examining the circumstances of the woman's arrest and the Use of Force on her.\n\n\"Our investigation is also looking at the woman's subsequent treatment in custody. As part of the investigation, we have already taken a statement from the woman.\"\n\nIt added: \"To uphold public confidence in the police complaints system, we are investigating the use of stop-and-search tactics in this incident and whether the actions of those officers were appropriate and proportionate and followed approved police policies.\n\n\"We are also investigating if racial profiling or discrimination played a part in the incident.\n\n\"This incident took place in public view late at night and was probably witnessed by passers-by and members of the public. We would ask anybody who was in the area that evening and saw police activity to get in touch with us.\"\n\nRegarding the Use of Force figures, the Home Office told BBC Newsnight: \"We are clear that all Use of Force must be reasonable, proportionate and necessary - and no-one should be subject to it based on their race or ethnicity.\"\n\nAnd responding to the rise in Use of Force incidents, the National Police Chiefs Council said the fall in crime during lockdown gave police \"breathing space to carry out pro-active operations against known criminals\".\n\nIn a statement, it added: \"We have also seen a notable increase in assaults against emergency services workers since the beginning of the pandemic, and officers have accordingly had to use non-verbal tactics against offenders.\n\n\"Any action of this kind would necessitate that a Use of Force form is completed, which would therefore show an increase of overall force used.\"\n\nYou can watch Newsnight on BBC Two at 22:30 on weekdays. Catch up on iPlayer, subscribe to the programme on YouTube and follow it on Twitter.", "Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as a running mate, helped keep centrist voters on-side\n\nAfter nearly 50 years in public office, and a lifetime of presidential ambitions, Joe Biden has captured the White House.\n\nIt was not the campaign anyone predicted. It took place amidst a once-in-a-century pandemic and unprecedented social unrest. He was running against an unconventional, precedent-defying incumbent. But in his third try for the presidency, Biden and his team found a way to navigate the political obstacles and claim a victory that, while narrow in the electoral college tally, is projected to surpass Trump's overall national total by millions of votes.\n\nThese are the five reasons the son of a car salesman from Delaware finally won the presidency.\n\nPerhaps the biggest reason Biden won the presidency was something entirely out of his control.\n\nThe coronavirus pandemic, as well as claiming more than 230,000 lives, also transformed American life and politics in 2020. And in the final days of the general election campaign, Donald Trump himself seemed to acknowledge this.\n\n\"With the fake news, everything is Covid, Covid, Covid, Covid,\" the president said at a rally last week in Wisconsin, where cases have spiked in recent days.\n\nThe media focus on Covid, however, was a reflection rather than a driver of the public's concern about the pandemic - which translated into unfavourable polling on the president's handling of the crisis. A poll last month by Pew Research, suggested Biden held a 17 percentage point lead over Trump when it came to confidence about their handling of the Covid outbreak.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How much is Covid-19 an election issue?\n\nThe pandemic and the subsequent economic decline knocked Trump off his preferred campaign message of growth and prosperity. It also highlighted concerns that many Americans had about his presidency, over its occasional lack of focus, penchant for questioning science, haphazard handling of policies large and small, and prioritisation of the partisan. The pandemic was a lead weight on Trump's approval ratings, which, according to Gallup, dipped to 38% at one point in the summer - one that the Biden campaign exploited.\n\nOver the course of his political career, Biden established a well-earned reputation for talking himself into trouble. His propensity for gaffes derailed his first presidential campaign in 1987, and helped ensure that he never had much of a shot when he ran again in 2007.\n\nIn his third try for the Oval Office, Biden still had his share of verbal stumbles, but they were sufficiently infrequent that they never became more than a short-term issue.\n\nPart of the explanation for this, of course, is that the president himself was an unrelenting source of news cycle churn. Another factor was that there were bigger stories - the coronavirus pandemic, protests after the death of George Floyd and economic disruption - dominating national attention.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A tale of two rallies: Trump and Biden stage duelling events in Florida\n\nBut at least some credit should be given to a concerted strategy by the Biden campaign to limit their candidate's exposure, keeping a measured pace in the campaign, and minimising the chances that fatigue or carelessness could create problems.\n\nPerhaps in a normal election, when most Americans weren't worried about limiting their own exposure to a virus, this strategy would have backfired. Maybe then Trump's derisive \"hidin' Biden\" jabs would have taken their toll.\n\nThe campaign sought to stay out of the way and let Trump be the one whose mouth betrayed him - and, in the end, it paid off.\n\nThe week before election day, the Biden campaign unveiled its final television adverts with a message that was remarkably similar to the one offered in his campaign kickoff last year, and his nomination acceptance speech in August.\n\nThe election was a \"battle for the soul of America\", he said, and a chance for the national to put what he characterised as the divisiveness and chaos of the past four years behind it.\n\nThe election became a referendum on Trump\n\nBeneath that slogan, however, was a simple calculation. Biden bet his political fortunes on the contention that Trump was too polarising and too inflammatory, and what the American people wanted was calmer, steadier leadership.\n\n\"I'm just exhausted by Trump's attitude as a person,\" says Thierry Adams, a native of France who after 18 years living in Florida cast his first vote in a presidential election in Miami last week.\n\nDemocrats succeeded in making this election a referendum on Trump, not a binary choice between the two candidates.\n\nBiden's winning message was simply that he was \"not Trump\". A common refrain from Democrats was that a Biden victory meant Americans could go for weeks without thinking about politics. It was meant as a joke, but it contained a kernel of truth.\n\nDuring the campaign to be the Democratic candidate, Biden's competition came from his left, with Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who ran well-financed and organised campaigns that generated rock-concert sized crowds.\n\nDespite this pressure from his liberal flank, Biden stuck with a centrist strategy, refusing to back universal government-run healthcare, free college education, or a wealth tax. This allowed him maximise his appeal to moderates and disaffected Republicans during the general election campaign.\n\nThis strategy was reflected in Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate when he could have opted for someone with stronger support from the party's left wing.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Biden was not first choice for most young Democrats, but he listened to their priorities\n\nThe one place where Biden moved closer to Sanders and Warren was on the environment and climate-change - perhaps calculating that the benefits of appealing to younger voters for whom the issue is a priority was worth the risk of alienating voters in energy-dependent swing-state industries. It was the exception, however, that proved the rule.\n\n\"It's no secret that we've been critical of Vice-President's Biden's plans and commitments in the past,\" said Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the environmental activist group the Sunrise Movement in July. \"He's responded to many of those criticisms: dramatically increasing the scale and urgency of investments, filling in details on how he'd achieve environmental justice and create good union jobs, and promising immediate action.\"\n\nEarlier this year, Biden's campaign coffers were running on empty. He entered the general election campaign at a decided disadvantage to Trump, who had spent virtually his entire presidency amassing a campaign war chest that approached a billion dollars.\n\nFrom April onward, however, the Biden campaign transformed itself into a fundraising juggernaut, and - in part because of profligacy on the part of the Trump campaign - ended up in a much stronger financial position than his opponent. At the beginning of October, the Biden campaign had $144m more cash on hand than the Trump operation, allowing it to bury the Republicans in a torrent of television advertising in almost every key battleground state.\n\nA Biden supporter in Texas, where a cash advantage enabled him to spend campaign money\n\nMoney isn't everything, of course. Four years ago, the Clinton campaign had a sizeable monetary lead over Trump's shoestring operation.\n\nBut in 2020, when in-person campaigning was curtailed by coronavirus and Americans across the country spent considerably more time consuming media in their homes, Biden's cash advantage let him reach voters and push his message out until the very end. It allowed him to expand the electoral map, putting money into what once seemed to be longshot states like Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Iowa. Most of those bets didn't pay off, but he put Trump on the defence, flipping what was once reliably conservative Arizona and staying highly competitive in Georgia.\n\nMoney gives a campaign options and initiative - and Biden put his advantage to good use.", "The total number of deaths occurring in the UK is nearly a fifth above normal levels, latest figures show.\n\nData from national statisticians show there were almost 14,000 deaths in the week ending 13 November.\n\nSome 2,838 of the deaths involved Covid - 600 more than the preceding week, according to the analysis of death certificates.\n\nThe North West and Yorkshire have seen the most excess deaths.\n\nThe number of deaths in both regions were more than a third above expected levels.\n\nBy comparison, the number of deaths in the South East was just 2% above the five-year average.\n\nBut there is hope the rise in the number deaths may soon start slowing.\n\nThe daily figures published by government - which rely on positive tests - show deaths are not rising as quickly as they were, and may be levelling off.\n\nAnd unlike in the first wave, when the lack of testing meant the government figures underestimated the number of Covid deaths, the two sets of data are mirroring each other.\n\nSarah Scobie, of the Nuffield Trust health think tank, said: \"Despite the end of the second national lockdown in England coming into focus, today's figures are a sobering reminder of the dreadful impact of this virus.\n\nShe said the high number of deaths was \"piling on the pressure\" on the NHS.\n\n\"For some hospitals, particularly in Covid hotspot areas, it will feel as if they are in the depths of winter already.\"", "Harry Dunn died in a crash outside RAF Croughton last year\n\nHarry Dunn's parents have lost their High Court battle against the Foreign Office over whether their son's alleged killer had diplomatic immunity.\n\nMr Dunn, 19, died when his motorbike was in a crash with a car near RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire, in 2019.\n\nThe suspect, 43-year-old Anne Sacoolas, later left for the United States citing diplomatic immunity.\n\nMr Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles said the High Court ruling was \"just a blip along the way\".\n\nMrs Sacoolas, whose husband Jonathan worked as a technical assistant at the RAF base, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December, but an extradition request was denied in January.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'It's just another hurdle', Harry Dunn's parents say\n\nThe legal challenge by Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn's father Tim Dunn claimed Mrs Sacoolas should not have been granted immunity.\n\nBut Lord Justice Flaux and Mr Justice Saini concluded \"that Mrs Sacoolas enjoyed immunity from UK criminal jurisdiction at the time of Harry's death\".\n\nMrs Charles said: \"The government and Mrs Sacoolas need to understand that this court ruling is just a blip along the way.\n\n\"I promised my boy I would get him justice and that is just what we are going to do. No-one is going to stand in our way.\"\n\nShe added: \"It's obviously disappointing that this court did not find in our favour but we are more focused now than ever on fulfilling our promise.\"\n\nFamily spokesman Radd Seiger said Mr Dunn and Mrs Charles would be appealing against the ruling.\n\nAnne Sacoolas, pictured on her wedding day in 2003, cited diplomatic immunity after the crash and returned to the US\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab said: \"While this judgment makes clear the Foreign Office acted properly and lawfully throughout, I appreciate that won't provide any solace to the family in their search for justice.\n\n\"We stand with them, we're clear that Anne Sacoolas needs to face justice in the UK, and we will support the family with their legal claim in the US.\"\n\nThe High Court judges also rejected a claim by Mr Dunn's parents that the Foreign Office had \"usurped\" Northamptonshire Police's investigation into their son's death.\n\nLord Justice Flaux and Mr Justice Saini found officials had \"sought to assist rather than obstruct Northamptonshire Police in their investigation\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dominic Raab: 'We continue to offer the Dunn family support'\n\nThe family's case centred on a 1995 agreement between the UK and the US, granting immunity to administrative and technical staff at the RAF base, which the US waived in relation to \"acts performed outside the course of their duties\".\n\nLawyers for Mr Dunn and Mrs Charles argued that the Foreign Office \"took upon itself the authority to resolve the question of immunity and ultimately and unlawfully decided to accept the US embassy's decision that Anne Sacoolas had immunity\".\n\nIn written submissions, the Foreign Office argued its officials had \"objected in strong terms\" to Mrs Sacoolas leaving the UK, and \"repeatedly emphasised\" that the department \"wanted the Sacoolas family to co-operate with the UK authorities\".\n\nLord Justice Flaux and Mr Justice Saini ruled that Mrs Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity \"on arrival in the UK\" under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.\n\nAs this had not been \"expressly waived\", it meant Mrs Sacoolas \"had immunity at the time of Harry's death\" on 27 August, they said.\n\nMr Dunn said: \"It's bad enough feeling the horrible pain of not having Harry around and missing him, but I can't believe the governments are putting us through this.\n\n\"It all seems so cruel and needless and I am just as angry today as I ever have been but so determined to see it all through until we have justice.\"", "A deal to allow families to meet over Christmas has been reached by the leaders of all four UK nations.\n\nA source told the BBC that details on how Covid restrictions will be relaxed will be announced shortly.\n\nScotland's first minister said she would \"continue to ask people to err on the side of caution\".\n\nBBC Scotland's chief political correspondent said three households will be allowed to meet indoors over five days between 23-27 December.\n\nGlenn Campbell said they will be able to meet in each other's homes, at a place of worship and in an outdoor public space. But the groupings must be \"exclusive\", meaning you cannot get together with people from more than two other households.\n\nHe added the leaders of the nations are expected to urge Britons to use any new flexibility sparingly because public health officials are worried Christmas get-togethers could cause a January spike in Covid cases.\n\nSpeaking ahead of a meeting of the UK government's emergency committee Cobra, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford cautioned any extra freedoms would not be an instruction to do \"risky things\".\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also stressed any changes would be \"temporary\" and \"limited\".\n\nShe said that the \"details\" may differ \"to reflect different circumstances in each nation\", such as what the definition of a \"household\" might be.\n\nShe added: \"I know everyone has a desire to see loved ones over the festive period.\n\n\"However, there is also a very real and a very legitimate anxiety that doing so could put those we love at risk, set back our progress as a country and result in unnecessary deaths and suffering.\"\n\nMeanwhile, the government has recorded another 608 deaths of people in the UK who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test. There were also a further 11,299 cases of people testing positive for coronavirus.\n\nWhat to do about Christmas divides opinion.\n\nIncreased mixing indoors will certainly mean there is greater transmission of the virus.\n\nBut, as chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty said on Monday, there is a balance to be struck between the harm the virus can cause and the societal and economic impacts of trying to control it.\n\nBy that he means adhering to the restrictions in the lead up to Christmas, being responsible with the opportunity the relaxation gives people and then immediately switching back to compliance.\n\nIf that happens any impact could be minimised - and, of course, it will be up to individuals to decide just how much they mix within the rules.\n\nThese are very fine judgement calls by ministers.\n\nThey hope Christmas will provide respite and help steel the public for what is clearly going to be a long, hard winter.\n\nThey also feel they have little choice, believing large numbers of people would ignore pleas not to mix and this way they can provide advice on how to enjoy Christmas as safely as possible.\n\nBut there is also the risk by sanctioning it there will be more mixing than there would have otherwise been.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged there would be risks of letting people meet over Christmas but said families should have the chance to reunite.\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps earlier said Christmas travellers should plan journeys carefully and prepare for restrictions on passenger numbers.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Grant Shapps: People will have to \"think about the routes they are taking\"\n\nReferring to domestic travel during the festive period, Mr Shapps urged those travelling on public transport to pre-book tickets as the capacity of services remains reduced to allow for social distancing and as a result of staff self-isolating.\n\nMr Shapps also highlighted Network Rail's plans for a series of upgrades and routine maintenance across Britain between 23 December to 4 January.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: \"I would appeal to people to think very carefully about their travel plans and consider where they are going to travel and look at the various alternatives available.\"\n\nCoronavirus restrictions and work from home guidance have led to a sharp reduction in train passenger numbers\n\nMr Shapps added that people who live in areas placed in the highest tier of restrictions in England should avoid leaving their region entirely.\n\nMr Shapps said confirmation of the exact rules would come by Thursday - when people find out which tier their local area will be in - or potentially before then.\n\nIt comes after the prime minister confirmed tougher tier curbs once England's lockdown ends.\n\nGyms and non-essential shops in all parts of England will be allowed to reopen from 2 December under a strengthened three-tiered system.\n\nAreas will not find out which tier they are in until Thursday - and the decision will be based on a number of factors including case numbers, the reproduction rate - or R number - and pressure on local NHS services.\n\nAt a Downing Street news conference on Monday to outline a \"Covid-19 winter plan\", Mr Johnson admitted Christmas this year would be very different to normal.\n\n\"I can't say that Christmas will be normal this year, but in a period of adversity time spent with loved ones is even more precious for people of all faiths and none,\" he said.\n\n\"We all want some kind of Christmas; we need it; we certainly feel we deserve it.\n\n\"But this virus obviously is not going to grant a Christmas truce… and families will need to make a careful judgement about the risks of visiting elderly relatives.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Shapps announced people arriving in England from many countries will be soon able to reduce their quarantine period by more than half if they pay for a coronavirus test after five days.\n\nThe rules will come into force from 15 December and the tests from private firms will cost between £65 and £120.\n\nElsewhere, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs the UK's new mass testing capacity could be used after the pandemic to diagnose a wider range of illnesses.\n\nHe said a British culture of \"soldiering on\" and going to work despite having symptoms of illnesses, including flu, \"should change\".\n\n\"In fact, I want to have a change in the British way of doing things where 'if in doubt, get a test' doesn't just refer to coronavirus, but refers to any illness you might have,\" he said.\n\nLatest figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the total number of deaths occurring in the UK is nearly a fifth above normal levels.", "China and glassware offered in First Class are up for grabs\n\nCan't think what to buy your loved one for Christmas?\n\nHow about a British Airways drinks trolley? A First Class cabin bread basket or slippers, perhaps? Or even a hot towel (available cold)?\n\nOn Monday, the cash-strapped airline began selling off thousands of items of surplus stock, from champagne flutes to bedding.\n\nOther items include an insulated box from a Boeing 747 kitchen, yours for £75, and serving trays - £10 for five.\n\nThe move comes months after BA decided to auction some of its precious artwork hanging in offices and airport lounges, including a £1m-plus work by Bridget Riley.\n\nBA's profits have evaporated and the airline is making thousands of job cuts because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on air travel.\n\nLast month, BA's parent company IAG reported a £5.1bn loss for the first nine months of 2020, a dramatic reverse from the £1.6bn profit made during the same period in 2019.\n\nBut the latest sale is not just because it needs to save every penny, the airline says.\n\nChanges in the mix of aircraft fleet and in-cabin service, plus the likelihood that BA will be a slimmer operation until air travel picks up, mean its warehouses are full of items that will never be used.\n\nMeal/equipment boxes from planes are up for sale\n\nBA retired its 747 aircraft this year, and has put some memorabilia in the sale.\n\nAnd while the event is not quite a sell-off of the family silver, the airline is getting rid of stacks of English bone china made by William Edwards, including plates, soup bowls, cups, saucers, and butter dishes. A set of four William Edwards pasta bowls is £40.\n\nCarolina Martinoli, British Airways' director of brand and customer experience, said it was the first time the airline had organised such a sale.\n\n\"We know that these special items will fly and we are delighted to be able to offer them in time for Christmas to give people the opportunity to make it memorable during a difficult year,\" she said.\n\nRob Burgess, of the frequent flyer website www.headforpoints.com, said that from the reaction among the community using his site \"it appears there's a huge appetite to buy\".\n\n\"I think it is partly nostalgia, and partly because it is actually excellent value for money given the suppliers that BA uses. Some items such as the day blankets have already sold out along with the brandy and champagne glasses.\"\n\nThe metal boxes used in the aircraft kitchens seem to be going fast, he added, probably simply because it's a chance for people to \"get their hands on some unusual items\".\n\nAircraft items and memorabilia can be hugely popular among enthusiasts. For example, Concorde products are among the most sought-after. At the top-end of collectibles, the famous dropped nose cones fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds on the rare occasions they come up for auction.", "As much as £1bn in benefit fraud has been prevented from being paid to organised-crime groups in recent months, BBC News has learned.\n\nBut before the scam was spotted, officials unwittingly confirmed thousands of stolen identities.\n\nFraudsters took advantage of looser rules introduced to cope with a surge of universal credit claims during the pandemic.\n\nBBC News has asked the Department for Work and Pensions for a response.\n\nIn May, a junior civil servant working with High Street banks noticed dozens of claims for universal credit had been made asking for money to be paid into the same bank account.\n\nFurther investigation identified more than 100,000 fraudulent claims.\n\nAnd officials admit they had confirmed thousands of people's identities to the gangs that had stolen them - and passed on their National Insurance numbers.\n\nThe Department for Work and Pensions wants to write to those whose data has been compromised.\n\nBut BBC News has learned it is struggling to identify many of them and is wary of sending out letters to last known addresses in case they end up in the wrong hands, exacerbating the data breach.\n\nClaimants whose identities have been stolen can face real hardship, as it can be months before their accurate benefits are paid.\n\nCurrently, 5.7 million people receive universal credit, almost double the figure for March.\n\nTo cope with the surge, identity checks were processed online, rather than face-to-face, and information such as the cost of rent and whether someone had been self-employed taken on trust.\n\nDWP officials have asked the Treasury for £200m over three years, in this spending round, calculating it would enable it to prevent such mass scams and save taxpayers about £500m each year.\n\nIt is estimated more than a million claims for universal credit have still to be properly checked, with additional rising concerns tens of thousands of people may have claimed the benefit without declaring they had received government grants to help the self-employed.\n\nHowever, the Treasury has turned down the request.", "Covid-19 case numbers in parts of Kent (Swale and Thanet) in the South East are among the worst in England.\n\nThe BBC's Dan Johnson has been trying to find out if people are sticking to the rules in Canterbury, where case numbers are still rising, bucking the national trend in England where case numbers are dropping.", "The UK hospitality industry says that new Covid rules in England \"are killing Christmas\" and has warned pubs, restaurants and hotels face going bust.\n\nThe government will roll out regional restrictions after Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the second lockdown in England will end on 2 December.\n\nBut new rules mean pubs operating under Tier 2 can only trade if customers have a \"substantial meal\".\n\nIn Tier 3, pubs must shut and can only sell goods for takeaway.\n\nIn contrast, gyms will be allowed to stay open under Tier 3 restrictions while outdoor and indoor spectator sports venues can reopen in Tier 1 and Tier 2 with limits.\n\nNon-essential shops and personal care, such as hairdressers, will also be allowed to reopen when lockdown ends.\n\nMr Johnson said: \"I'm very sorry, obviously, for the unavoidable hardship that this will cause for business owners who have already endured so much disruption this year.\"\n\nBut UK Hospitality's chief executive Kate Nicholls said: \"The government is making a point of saying that these measures are needed in order to save Christmas.\n\n\"In reality, they are killing Christmas and beyond for many businesses and their customers who look forward to, and rely on, venues being open at this time of year. Sadly, for many staff, it will be a Christmas out of work.\"\n\nThe government also said it would ditch the 10pm curfew. However, pubs and restaurants must stop serving alcohol and food at 10pm and customers will have until 11pm to leave the premises.\n\nMs Nicholls said that under the rules that were in place before the current lockdown came into force on 5 November, some 76% of its members warned their business \"would not be viable\" if Tier 2 restrictions remained in placed for three months.\n\nThat number rose to 94% under the previous Tier 3 rules which stated that pubs could only stay open if they offered a substantial meal.\n\nBut she said under the new rules \"large swathes will just not be able to open at all\".\n\nIt's beginning to look a BIT like Christmas for some parts of the economy.\n\nFor retailers considered non-essential, reopening on 3 December was absolutely crucial. That industry will be breathing a huge sigh of relief as they will now have an opportunity - albeit truncated - to sell the Christmas stock they have bought in.\n\nIndustry sources told the BBC that although there had been a huge switch in consumer behaviour to internet shopping, the online pipe was still not wide enough to deliver Christmas on its own and the decision to reopen stores would help preserve hundreds of thousands of jobs.\n\nHowever, the hospitality industry is still looking at a very bleak winter.\n\nThe prime minister said most of the UK would emerge from various forms of lockdown into a higher tier than they were in before it started. That is a disaster for pubs and restaurants. with 76% of them saying that even under the old Tier 2 conditions - in the middle - it was hardly worth opening as capacity was so constrained and alcohol sales so limited.\n\nUK Hospitality, which represents the sector, said the return to this would be \"devastating\" and risk one million jobs.\n\nThe hospitality hit may have a knock-on effect on retailers as fewer shoppers are expected to take the streets if access to pubs, bars and restaurants is heavily restricted.\n\nMPs will vote on the proposed rules this week. Mr Johnson is expected to detail which regions in England will be placed into either Tier 1, 2 or 3 on Thursday.\n\nMr Johnson said that \"without sensible precautions, we would risk the virus escalating into a winter or new year surge. The incidence of the disease is still, alas, widespread in many areas.\"\n\nHe said: \"While the previous local tiers did cut the 'R' number, they were not quite enough to reduce it below 1 so the scientific advice I'm afraid is that as we come out [of lockdown] our tiers need to be made tougher.\"\n\nBut Greater Manchester's Mayor Andy Burnham said a toughened Tier 3 \"could be devastating for the hospitality industry and will hit cities and the city economy very, very hard indeed\".\n\nWilliam Lees-Jones, managing-director of the brewery and pub chain JW Lees, hopes his pubs are not in Tier 3 areas\n\nHe warned that \"we will see widespread business failure\" in the hospitality sector if the tougher regional rules go ahead.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged Mr Johnson to outline which regions would be placed into which tier as soon as possible.\n\nWilliam Lees-Jones, managing-director of the brewery and pub chain JW Lees, said: \"I just hope that we are all in Tier 2 which means that we can be in business.\n\n\"We've brewed an awful lot of beer which we won't have anything to do with.\"", "A company that made insulation used on Grenfell Tower was \"stretching the truth\" by claiming its product was appropriate for use on high-rise buildings, a former employee has said.\n\nKingspan fire-tested its cladding product in 2005, but changed the insulation's formulation the next year.\n\nThe new version of the product failed to repeat the same performance.\n\nEx-technical director Ivor Meredith told the inquiry into the fire this was \"common knowledge\" at Kingspan.\n\nThe first phase of the Grenfell inquiry concluded that cladding put on the west London tower block during its refurbishment fuelled the fire in June 2017 in which 72 people died.\n\nThe inquiry is now examining how the blaze could have happened in the first place.\n\nMr Meredith described a fire test using the new version of Kingspan's K15 in 2007 as a \"raging inferno\", with the insulation \"burning on its own steam\".\n\nHe told the inquiry he was shocked by what he saw.\n\nDespite this, Kingspan continued to use the results from the original 2005 test to sell its material as appropriate for use on high-rise buildings.\n\nKingspan K15 insulation was used in the flammable cladding system mounted on to Grenfell Tower, alongside Celotex RS5000.\n\nIn 2015, two years before the Grenfell Tower fire, Mr Meredith told his managers he had been put in a position where he had been asked to maintain the appearance of fire safety performance that - as he put it - \"that perhaps our products don't deserve\".\n\nHe added that many would question the company \"playing in [a] market [they were] not suitable for\".\n\nThe evidence comes a month after it was confirmed that test certificates for K15 from the 2005 tests had been withdrawn.\n\nA letter sent to the inquiry from Kingspan dated 23 October - shown in full to Monday's hearing - read: \"We have undertaken a comprehensive review of all past and current test data which relates to K15.\"\n\nIt added: \"It became apparent that the K15 manufactured in 2005 would not be representative of the product currently sold on the market from 2006 to today.\n\n\"While both products are still phenolic foam, Kingspan is now of the view that there are sufficient differences to consider withdrawing the test report.\"\n• None Grenfell Tower fire: Who were the victims?", "England's education secretary acted unlawfully in scrapping a string of legal protections for children in care, Appeal Court judges have ruled.\n\nThey said Gavin Williamson should have consulted England's children's commissioner and other groups, before scrapping 65 safeguards for children.\n\nThe court said consulting such bodies would have been \"manifestly in the interest of vulnerable children\".\n\nThe government says it is disappointed by the ruling.\n\nChildren's rights group Article 39 mounted the challenge against what it called a \"bonfire of children's rights\" after the government changed the rules safeguarding children through the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) regulations in April.\n\nParliament did not debate the changes until after they were introduced in April.\n\nThe legal challenge came after a lengthy battle between the government, peers, opposition MPs and children's rights groups over attempts to push through the changes which cover the rights to support for children in care. The High Court previously ruled in the government's favour.\n\nThe regulations affected included legal timescales for social-worker visits to children in care, six-monthly reviews of children's welfare, independent scrutiny of children's homes and senior officer oversight of adoption decision-making for babies and children.\n\nThe protections affected also cover disabled children having short breaks and children in care sent many miles away from home.\n\nThe government had argued in an earlier court hearing that these changes were \"minor bureaucratic burdens\", but the Appeal Court said the alterations to children's rights were \"substantial and wide-ranging\".\n\nAfter the government review of the legislation was begun in February, Department for Education officials had private telephone, email and face-to-face conversations with adoption agencies, private providers and local government bodies.\n\nBut bodies representing children and young people affected by the changes were not consulted, and the children's commissioner - the statutory protector of children's issues - was not informed until after the changes went through.\n\nAnnouncing the ruling, Lord Justice Baker said: \"I can find nothing about the circumstances that existed in March 2020 to justify the secretary of state's decision (if indeed any conscious decision was made) to exclude the children's commissioner and other bodies representing the rights of children in care from the consultation on which he embarked.\n\n\"He decided to undertake a rapid informal consultation, substantially by email.\"\n\nHe said he found it appropriate for the consultation to be carried out that way because of the circumstances of the start of the coronavirus pandemic.\n\n\"But having decided to undertake the consultation, there was no good reason why that process should not have included the children's commissioner and the other bodies,\" he said.\n\n\"On the contrary, there were very good reasons why they should have been included.\"\n\nLord Baker said it was \"potentially misleading\" for the government to claim their actions were \"broadly endorsed by the sector\".\n\nThe children's commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, said she would be seeking urgent assurances from the DfE that this would not be repeated in future.\n\nCarolyne Willow, director of Article 39, called the government's actions \"shameful, both in the scale of the protections they took away from very vulnerable children in England and the way they went about it\".\n\n\"This should draw to a close back-room, secret government consultations which exclude the rights , views and experiences of children and young people.\"\n\nA DfE spokesman said: \"Protecting vulnerable children has been at the heart of our response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and our intention has always been to act in their best interests.\n\n\"We took swift action to bring in temporary changes during a national crisis, all of which have now expired.\n\n\"We will continue working with the Children's Commissioner and children's charities to provide the best possible support to vulnerable children.\"", "Nearly nine in 10 products sold on Black Friday are available for the same price or cheaper earlier in the year, according to consumer group Which?.\n\nIt urged consumers to \"do some research\" in order to spot genuine bargains during the 27 November sale.\n\nRetailers including Amazon, Argos and John Lewis said they offered good deals all year round, not just during seasonal shopping events.\n\nMany shoppers see Black Friday as a way to buy gifts cheaply before Christmas.\n\nMore than two-thirds have delayed a purchase to try to find a bargain in the sale, according to Lloyds Bank.\n\nIt expects Black Friday spending in the UK to soar to £750m this year.\n\nWhich? tracked the prices of 219 popular home and tech products for six months before the 2019 sale and for six months afterwards.\n\nIt looked at goods from Amazon, AO.com, Argos, Currys PC World and John Lewis and found only three items were at their cheapest on Black Friday.\n\nNatalie Hitchins, head of home products and services at Which?, said: \"Deals that look too good to be true often are, so don't fall for time-limited offers and if you are looking for something in particular, do some research first.\n\n\"That way you'll know a genuine bargain when you see one.\"\n\nCurrys PC World was the retailer most likely to have cheaper or similar pricing earlier in the year.\n\nFor example, a pair of Bose Quietcomfort headphones at the retailer was £249 on Black Friday but had been cheaper or the same price on at least 15 occasions in the previous six months.\n\nAt John Lewis, 70 of 78 products were found to have cost the same or less before the sale.\n\nFor example, a De'Longhi coffee machine cost £1,285 on Black Friday, but had cost the same or less on at least 35 occasions beforehand - falling to less than £1,200 on several days in May and June 2019.\n\nAmazon came out top of the retailers Which? looked at, although over half (57%) of its products were available cheaper or for the same price in the six months before Black Friday.\n\nResponding to the research, most retailers stressed that they price-matched throughout the year.\n\nShoppers are also being warned to watch out for Black Friday scams.\n\nBarclays said consumers who fall victim to an online scam this week could lose an average of £735 each.\n\nElectronics, trainers, phones and clothing are all popular products used to trick people.\n\nCriminals set up fake websites and may offer goods that are bogus, shoddy, or never arrive.\n\nA bargain is only a bargain if you get a cheaper price for something you were going to buy anyway.\n\nWhich? says shoppers should do their research, which may include using websites to check previous prices, and should not buy on impulse.\n\nDebt charities would say that, even before you get to that point, make sure you are not busting a budget. Only buy what you can afford and, if it is on credit, have a strict plan to make repayments.\n\nGetting caught up in a Black Friday frenzy risks your financial health and, research has shown, your mental health, if a spending spree gets out of control.", "Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has topped Microsoft founder Bill Gates to become the world's second richest man after a meteoric rise in his personal fortune.\n\nMr Musk's net worth jumped by $7.2bn (£5.4bn) to $128bn after shares in his car firm Tesla surged.\n\nOnly Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is richer, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.\n\nIt comes after news Tesla shares will be added to the S&P 500, one of the main share indexes in the US.\n\nThat triggered a fresh wave of buying of the electric carmaker's shares, sending the company's market value above $500bn and boosting the value of Mr Musk's holding in the business.\n\nTesla is already the most valuable car firm in the world, despite producing a fraction of the vehicles of rivals such as Toyota, VW and General Motors.\n\nOn Tuesday, in a speech in Germany, Mr Musk said it could \"make sense\" for Tesla to expand in Europe by entering the mass-market segment with a small car.\n\n\"In the US, the cars tend to be bigger for personal taste reasons,\" he said. \"In Europe, (they) tend to be smaller.\"\n\nAnd after years of losses, Tesla has seen five consecutive quarters of profit as sales of its cars perform well despite the pandemic.\n\nThe California-based firm will be the biggest new entrant on the S&P 500, with a market value of more than $500bn.\n\nIt means investment funds tracking the index will automatically hold its stock and benefit from gains in its share price - news that has excited investors.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Blast off: Watch the SpaceX rocket head into space\n\nBill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft, was the world's richest person for years before Mr Bezos knocked him off the top spot in 2017.\n\nMr Gates's fortune is worth $127.7bn but would be higher had he not donated large sums to charity over the decades.\n\nJeff Bezos's net worth is estimated at £182bn by Bloomberg. He too has seen his personal fortune rise this year as demand for Amazon's services climbed in the pandemic.\n\nMr Musk, who regularly courts controversy, has had an eventful past few weeks.\n\nLast weekend he tweeted that he \"most likely\" had a moderate case of Covid-19 and has had symptoms of \"a minor cold.\"\n\nIt came the day before four astronauts were launched to the International Space Station in a rocket built by Mr Musk's SpaceX.", "US President-Elect Joe Biden has spoken of his wish to \"unify\" the United States, in his first speech since his election win.\n\nSome of those who voted for Joe Biden tell the BBC what their message would be to friends who supported Donald Trump.", "As president of the United States, Donald Trump enjoyed unique protection from legal action, be it criminal or civil.\n\nNow, after losing the 2020 presidential election, Mr Trump will soon become a private citizen again.\n\nThat means he will lose his presidential privileges, putting him in the crosshairs of litigators and prosecutors.\n\n\"Once he is out of office, the atmosphere will change,\" Daniel R Alonso, a former US federal and New York state prosecutor, told the BBC. \"He will no longer have the reality or the threat of presidential power to thwart investigations.\"\n\nA wide-ranging criminal investigation in New York is the most serious legal concern for Mr Trump and his real-estate company, the Trump Organization.\n\nOn top of that, there is an array of lawsuits ranging from allegations of fraud by a family member to sexual harassment by an advice columnist.\n\nA legal storm is brewing. Here, we consider how the six biggest legal battles may develop.\n\nWhat we know: Playboy model Karen McDougal, adult film actress Stormy Daniels and claims of a conspiracy of silence.\n\nThis was the gist of the so-called hush-money scandal. Both women said they had had sexual relationships with Mr Trump and had received payments to keep them quiet, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.\n\nWhen they spoke out in 2018, they threw political dynamite under Mr Trump's presidency, lighting the fuse of two criminal investigations.\n\nStormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, says she had sex with Mr Trump in 2006\n\nThe first focused on violations of federal, or national, laws and the role of Michael Cohen, Mr Trump's former personal lawyer and \"fixer\".\n\nUnder investigation, Cohen admitted to arranging payments to the two women. The payments were prosecuted as campaign-finance violations and Cohen was sentenced to three years in jail in 2018.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Five things Cohen said about Trump\n\nCohen alleged that Mr Trump had \"directed\" him to make the payments, yet no charges were brought against the president. Why?\n\nFirstly, to charge Mr Trump, prosecutors would have needed to prove that he had indeed directed Cohen to make those payments. Secondly, even if prosecutors did have sufficient evidence, it is against US government policy to indict a sitting president on federal criminal charges, legal experts say.\n\nCase closed, right? Well, not exactly. This is where it gets technical.\n\nKaren McDougal apologised to Melania Trump for the affair she says she had with her husband\n\nPut simply, a second criminal investigation into the payments is still under way in New York.\n\nWe know that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance is examining whether the Trump Organization falsified business records related to the payoffs.\n\nWhat we don't know is whether Mr Vance has any evidence to file criminal charges. That matters.\n\nWhat might happen next: Falsifying business records is a misdemeanour under New York law. A misdemeanour is a minor crime that can be punishable by a jail term of up to a year.\n\nNow, here's the tricky part for Mr Vance.\n\nThere is a two-year time limit for filing criminal charges for a misdemeanour in New York.\n\n\"So, because those payments happened over two years ago, it looks like [prosecutors] are out of luck,\" Mr Alonso said.\n\nThat said, there are other possibilities.\n\nCyrus Vance has been leading a criminal investigation into the Trump Organization since 2018\n\nIn New York, falsifying business records can be charged as a felony if it is done to conceal other crimes, such as tax fraud.\n\nFelonies are more serious crimes that can be prosecuted over a longer period and are punishable by tougher jail sentences.\n\nStill, the route to prosecution is uncertain. It is not clear if Mr Trump can be prosecuted under New York law for campaign-finance violations - the federal crime Cohen was jailed for.\n\nThis is where the other strands of Mr Vance's investigation come in.\n\nWhat we know: It's a \"political hit job\", a Trump Organization lawyer said of Mr Vance's inquiry in August 2019.\n\nMr Vance had just issued a request for documents, known as a subpoena. He demanded to see years of financial records, including the Holy Grail - Mr Trump's tax returns, eight years of them.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSince then, Mr Trump has tried to block the subpoena, arguing in courts that it amounts to political harassment. In October, a federal appeals court disagreed, putting his tax returns within touching distance of prosecutors.\n\nIndeed, Mr Vance has stressed the significance of Mr Trump's tax returns in court papers.\n\nWhen requesting the returns in August, Mr Vance referred to \"public reports of possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization\", including allegations of possible insurance and bank fraud. Another court filing in September mentioned tax fraud as a hypothetical crime that could be established, should evidence be found to support it.\n\nIn New York, some types of tax fraud can be charged as felonies, which can carry lengthy prison sentences. At the moment, though, the \"public reports\" of possible crimes cited by Mr Vance's office are merely grounds for investigation, nothing else.\n\nWhat might happen next: Mr Trump is expected to appeal against the demand to hand over his tax returns in the Supreme Court. There, the matter may be settled.\n\nFor Mr Trump, the stakes are high.\n\n\"The most significant criminal investigations are those exploring his tax and bank filings,\" Jonathan Turley, a professor of law at George Washington University, told the BBC. \"But whether there's a criminal case has yet to become evident.\"\n\nIf Mr Vance does obtain Mr Trump's tax returns, a criminal case may or may not become evident. Either way, Mr Vance needs those tax returns to move his investigation forward.\n\nWhat we know: New York Attorney General Letitia James has been another thorn in Mr Trump's side.\n\nSince March 2019, Ms James has been leading a civil investigation into whether the Trump Organization committed real-estate fraud.\n\nAgain, the roots of this investigation lead back to Cohen who, in February 2019, told Congress that Mr Trump had inflated the value of his property assets to secure loans and understated them to reduce his taxes.\n\nMichael Cohen, fixer for Mr Trump, was called to testified before the House Oversight Committee in February 2019\n\nCohen's testimony gave Ms James grounds to seek information about Mr Trump's property empire. Like Mr Vance, Ms James has had to fight for that information in the courts.\n\nEric Trump, the executive vice-president of the Trump Organization and the president's son, has accused her of waging a \"political vendetta\". Despite this, he complied with a request to sit for testimony with her office in October.\n\nWhat might happen next: Ms James needs more testimony and information to take the investigation forward.\n\nIn office, Mr Trump argued that he was too busy to deal with lawsuits. Now, he cannot use that excuse.\n\nMs James can treat Mr Trump with less deference, pressing him to sit for questioning under oath, just like his son.\n\nLetitia James has taken testimony from Mr Trump's son, Eric\n\n\"Most courts would be very indulgent with a president-defendant on things like scheduling, for instance. Not so with a private citizen,\" Mr Alonso said.\n\nCivil investigations like this can result in financial penalties, if evidence of wrongdoing is found. If it is, another criminal inquiry cannot be ruled out.\n\nWhat we know: Emolument is an archaic word that is seldom used today, except in legal contexts. The definition is contested, but it is generally understood to mean gain, profit or advantage from employment or holding public office.\n\nSo what does this have to do with Mr Trump?\n\nHe has been accused of breaking rules against \"emoluments\" during his presidency. These rules, known as the emoluments clauses, were written into the country's bedrock legal text, the US Constitution.\n\nMr Trump's hotel in Washington was often the site of protests during his presidency\n\nOne clause requires all federal officials, including the president, to seek the consent of Congress before accepting any benefits from foreign states.\n\nThree separate civil lawsuits alleged that Mr Trump had not sought that consent. One cited the hosting of foreign officials at the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC as a possible violation.\n\nMr Trump has derided \"this phony emoluments clause\", suggesting other sitting presidents have made money.\n\nWhat might happen next: Regardless, the emoluments lawsuits will probably be dismissed or dropped, legal experts say. One brought by congressional Democrats has already been rejected by the Supreme Court.\n\n\"Emoluments are not likely to be the basis of any criminal action,\" said Mr Turley, an expert on constitutional law.\n\n\"The emoluments cases relate to Trump holding office, so once he leaves office, the controversy becomes largely academic.\"\n\nWhat we know: Mr Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women whose allegations span decades. Mr Trump has denied all the allegations, dismissing them as \"fake news\", political smears and conspiracies.\n\nMany of the accusers came forward ahead of Mr Trump's election win in 2016. Mr Trump vowed to sue them all but, as yet, has not done so.\n\nInstead, some of the accusers have sued Mr Trump. Two of those women have filed defamation lawsuits against Mr Trump for calling them liars.\n\nE Jean Carroll has accused Mr Trump of raping her in the 1990s\n\nE Jean Carroll, a long-time columnist for Elle magazine, is one of them. She has accused Mr Trump of raping her in a dressing room at a luxury Manhattan department store in the 1990s. Mr Trump denies it and is contesting the defamation claim.\n\nIn her lawsuit, Ms Carroll argues Mr Trump defamed her by saying he could not have raped her because \"she's not my type\". Her lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a retraction of Mr Trump's statements.\n\nMs Carroll v Mr Trump seemed straightforward enough until September, when the US Department of Justice weighed in.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Jessica Leeds, one of Mr Trump's accusers, has demanded action\n\nThe department took the unusual step of trying to replace Mr Trump with the United States as a defendant in the case.\n\nIn the end, a federal judge ruled against the department's intervention, arguing \"the allegations have no relationship to the official business of the United States\".\n\nWhat might happen next: The case can now proceed, allowing Ms Carroll's lawyers to gather evidence.\n\nFor example, they could press on by attempting to verify if Mr Trump's DNA is on a dress Ms Carroll says she was wearing at the time of the alleged assault. For that, they would need a DNA sample from Mr Trump.\n\nA similar but separate defamation lawsuit filed by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on Mr Trump's television show The Apprentice, may go the same way.\n\nSummer Zervos (left) was one of several women to accuse Mr Trump of sexual misconduct ahead of the 2016 election\n\nMs Zervos alleged that Mr Trump had sexually assaulted her during a meeting to discuss job opportunities at a Beverly Hills hotel in 2007.\n\nMr Trump dismissed the allegation as \"phony\", accusing Ms Zervos of fabricating it for fame. Ms Zervos then sued him for defamation in 2017, seeking damages of at least $3,000.\n\nMr Trump tried to get the case dismissed during his presidency. His lawyers suggested that, as president, he should be immune to lawsuits in state courts.\n\n\"That argument completely evaporates on 20 January,\" Barbara L McQuade, professor of law at the University of Michigan, told the BBC. \"Once that happens, we move to the discovery phase of the case and there could be some movement there.\"\n\nWhat we know: \"Fraud was not just the family business - it was a way of life,\" reads the first line of Mary Trump's lawsuit against her uncle Donald.\n\nAs an opening salvo, it could hardly be more contemptuous.\n\nIt mirrors the animosity of Ms Trump's newly released memoir, in which she chastises her uncle as a \"narcissist\" who threatens the life of every American.\n\nIn her book, Mary Trump calls her uncle the \"the world's most dangerous man\"\n\nThe family beef is as personal as it gets and Ms Trump's lawsuit, filed in September, reflects that acrimony.\n\nIn it, she accuses Mr Trump and two of his siblings of cheating her out of an inheritance while pressuring her to give up interests in the family business.\n\nMs Trump inherited valuable interests in the family business when Fred Trump Jr - her father and the president's older brother - died in 1981 at the age of 42. Ms Trump was 16 at the time.\n\nMr Trump and his siblings \"committed to watch over\" Ms Trump's interests, the lawsuit says.\n\n\"They lied,\" the lawsuit says. \"Rather than protect Mary's interests, they designed and carried out a complex scheme to siphon funds away from her interests, conceal their grift [fraud], and deceive her about the true value of what she had inherited.\"\n\nThe lawsuit seeks at least $500,000 in damages.\n\nWhat might happen next: The White House said Ms Trump's book was full of \"falsehoods\", but Mr Trump is yet to reply to the lawsuit.\n\nIf requests for documents and testimony come, Mr Trump cannot cite his presidential duties as a reason to deny them.\n\nNo American citizen, not even the president, is categorically above the law.", "Members of Labour's ruling body loyal to Jeremy Corbyn have walked out of a meeting in protest over his continued exclusion from the parliamentary party.\n\nThe 13 representatives of the National Executive Committee said Sir Keir Starmer's decision not to re-instate the whip to Mr Corbyn in a bitter anti-Semitism row was a \"factional\" move.\n\nMr Corbyn has been urged to apologise for remarks downplaying the extent of anti-Semitism when he was leader.\n\nHis lawyers are challenging the ban.\n\nTuesday's row reflects continuing upheaval at the top of the party over Mr Corbyn's recent suspension from Labour.\n\nThe NEC agreed to lift the suspension last week after he issued a statement distancing himself from his previous claims that anti-Semitism within the party when he was leader was overstated for political reasons.\n\nThe NEC is the guiding body for the Labour Party, making key decisions about the party's objectives.\n\nBut Sir Keir has declined to re-admit him to the parliamentary party, meaning he continues to sit as an independent in the House of Commons.\n\nLabour's chief whip Nick Brown has written to Mr Corbyn urging him to make a full and unreserved apology for his earlier comments, which he made after the Equalities and Human Rights Commission found the party had broken the law over its handling of anti-Semitism claims.\n\nAfter their mass walkout from Tuesday's virtual meeting, the 13 representatives, including former MP Laura Pidcock, issued a statement saying they had \"decided not to remain in the NEC meeting today in order to show very clearly how factional the decisions of the current Labour leader have become\".\n\nThey added: \"We will be returning to future NEC meetings to be the legitimate voice of the membership.\"\n\nIn a letter to the NEC's general secretary David Evans, the group said Tuesday's election of veteran MP Dame Margaret Beckett as chair of the ruling body was a breach of protocol, suggesting the role should have typically passed to the current vice-chair Ian Murray.\n\nThe former foreign secretary is the longest-serving member of the NEC\n\nThey suggested the party leadership had \"lobbied for\" Dame Margaret because Mr Murray, who is a senior member of the Fire Brigades Union, had been one of those who had criticised Sir Keir's for his decision to withhold the whip from his predecessor.\n\nHowever Jon Lansman, founder of the pro-Corbyn Momentum group, advised his fellow left-wingers to \"get over themselves\".\n\nLabour sources insisted that Margaret Beckett's election was the result of democracy not factionalism.\n\nAnd it demonstrated that, following recent elections, the party leadership now enjoys majority support on the national executive.\n\nBut it also provides further evidence of an increasing rift between supporters of the current leader and those of the previous incumbent.\n\nDame Margaret, a former foreign secretary who been a Labour MP since 1974, succeeds TSSA union official Andi Fox in the role.\n\nAlice Perry, a London councillor seen as loyal to Sir Keir, was elected vice-chair.\n\nSir Keir won the leadership of his party by a wide margin in April but his grip on the NEC remains more tenuous.\n\nHe has won the body's backing for his reforms so far - but sometimes by very tight margins.\n\nIn last week's elections of nine constituency representatives, the \"Grassroots Voice\" candidates - who represent the left and are closer to the former leader Jeremy Corbyn - won five places.", "Amazon has apologised after UK customers received an email announcing the launch of a service available in the US only.\n\nAmazon Sidewalk uses customer broadband accounts to create a neighbourhood-wide network for local devices.\n\nIt can be accessed by certain Amazon-branded devices up to 500m (0.3 miles) away if the home wi-fi is out of reach or not working.\n\nBut customers with a US-registered device only should have been contacted.\n\nAnd UK customers who received Amazon's email have told BBC News this was not the case.\n\n\"We recently began emailing customers with Echo devices registered in the US to give them more information about Amazon Sidewalk,\" an Amazon spokeswoman said.\n\n\"This service will only be available in the US when it launches.\n\n\"We apologise for any confusion.\"\n\nIt means Amazon-branded security cameras and smart speakers can still function without a connection.\n\nFor US customers, the update will arrive in the form of a software update and owners of devices which can use it - including the Ring security camera and Amazon Echo - have to opt out of being part of it.\n\nOnly certain Amazon devices will be able to access it - not, for example, individual smartphones.\n\nAmazon says in the email that Sidewalk \"uses a small portion of your internet bandwidth\" for the service.\n\n\"Sidewalk can also extend the coverage for Sidewalk-enabled devices, such as Ring smart lights and pet and object trackers, so they can stay connected and continue to work over longer distances,\" it adds.\n\nSecurity researcher Kevin Beaumont tweeted Amazon appeared to be offering only very limited access to other people's broadband connections.\n\n\"It isn't blindly allowing anybody to browse the internet from your connection,\" he said.\n\nHowever, Prof Alan Woodward, a cyber-security expert from Surrey University, said he thought people should not be added to the network by default.\n\n\"I think you should opt in rather than opt out of these things,\" he said.\n\n\"It feels wrong not knowing what your device is connected to.\"", "Spain's King Felipe VI has begun ten days of quarantine after coming into contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nPalace sources say the king, 52, was in \"close contact\" with the individual on Sunday, but gave no further details.\n\nThe monarch's wife and the couple's two daughters will continue their activities as normal.\n\nSpain has recorded nearly 1.6 million cases and 43,131 deaths since the pandemic began.\n\nLast week, the World Health Organization warned that Europe, which is once again at the centre of the pandemic, faced a \"tough\" six months ahead.\n\nHowever, recent results from a number of vaccine trials have given hope and on Tuesday the Spanish government is due to meet to discuss plans to vaccinate the population.\n\nLast week, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the country hoped to offer the vaccine to \"a very substantial part\" of its population within the first half of 2021.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Tegnell: \"Not yet possible to say which country has right strategy\" (November 2020 interview)", "Animals have been \"a lifesaver\" for people struggling during Covid lockdown, according to retailer Pets at Home which has seen sales rise sharply.\n\nChief executive Peter Pritchard said pets had played \"an incredibly important role\" through a period of \"social loneliness\".\n\nHe added that during the early days of lockdown one of the few reasons people could go out \"was to walk your dog\".\n\nIn the six months to 8 October, Pets at Home saw revenues rise by 5.1%.\n\nMr Pritchard told the BBC's Today programme: \"The pet care market has been incredibly strong throughout and I think that tells you an awful lot about people's relationships with their pets and the roles that pets play in people's lives.\n\n\"It has been a lifesaver for many through this incredibly challenging period for everybody in the country.\"\n\nHe added that the change in more people working from home had allowed them to get a dog or a cat. \"More people have considered having a pet because their lives have changed and they are at home more often,\" he said.\n\nThe company sells some small animals and fish but does not sell cats or dogs. It said, however, that membership of its Puppy & Kitten Club for new owners had risen by 25% during the six-month period.\n\nPets at Home said the first half of its financial year, which runs between April and 8 October, reflected the entire period since the week after national lockdown was implemented. Restrictions on households weighed on trade in the first quarter before a 12.7% jump in like-for-like sales in the second three months.\n\nPets at Home is classed as an essential retailer and has been allowed to stay open during lockdown. Total sales over the six months rose to £574.4m while pre-tax profit grew by more than 14% to £38.9m.\n\nThe company did not place any employees on furlough and said that it has actually been recruiting more staff.\n\nHowever, Pets at Home's share price dropped by 7.3% to 388p in early trading.\n\nThe company warned of uncertainty because of the pandemic and said: \"At this stage, absent any escalation of restrictions, or other significant disruption to our operations, we now anticipate full-year underlying pre-tax profit to be in line with the prior year.\"\n\nJulie Palmer, partner at professional services firm Begbies Traynor, said: \"Looking ahead, with the value of the resilient UK pet market set to hit £7bn next year and the nation's love affair with pet ownership showing little sign of abating, chief executive Peter Prichard's optimism for the future appears well justified.\"\n\nHowever, she added that the retailer would be \"mindful of the dampening effect of social distancing measures in store, which may impact margins over the all-important Christmas period and into the first quarter of 2021\".\n• None 'Look after your mental health this winter'", "Kevin Branton, left, and Richard Smith died at a property in Saltash in 2010\n\nThere were \"serious failings\" in the way home appliance firm Beko acted when it found its gas cookers had the potential to emit fatal levels of carbon monoxide, a coroner has found.\n\nAn inquest heard five people in Cornwall died after inadvertently turning on their grills.\n\nCoroner Geraint Williams concluded they died as the result of an accident.\n\nThe cookers have been linked to 13 other deaths in the UK and Ireland, the inquest heard.\n\nKevin Branton, 32, and Richard Smith, 30, died in 2010 in Saltash, while Maureen Cook, 47, Audrey Cook, 86, and Alfred \"John\" Cook, 90, died in 2013 in Camborne.\n\nThe Cook family were found dead in their home\n\nCornwall Coroner's Court heard that if the grill was used with the door shut, fatal levels of the poisonous gas built up due to a design fault with a rubber seal around the door.\n\nSumming up the six-day inquest, Mr Williams said it was \"glaringly obvious\" a grill might be deliberately or accidentally used with the door closed and this issue should have been recognised by Arcelik, Beko's parent company, which manufactured the cookers.\n\n\"This singular failure led ultimately to the deaths of Mr Smith, Mr Branton and the Cook family,\" he said.\n\nThe inquest heard Beko became aware of the first fatality - that of French student Alexis Landry in Ireland - on 13 November 2008.\n\nA list of the affected models, including the Flavel cooker Mr Smith and Mr Branton had in their Saltash home, is on Beko's website\n\nIt was contacted about two further deaths in Doncaster on 1 December.\n\nMr Williams said Beko's \"failure to pursue\" more information about the Doncaster deaths was a \"serious error\".\n\nHe found that a delay in Beko sharing information about testing results and further deaths was a \"serious failing\" and said there was a \"lost opportunity\" to stop Mr Smith's father from buying his cooker on 31 December - or to obtain his details from the retailer Co-op Homemaker in Plymouth, before it went out of business in 2009.\n\nIn a statement released after the hearing, Mr Branton's mother Denise said she believed \"Beko should and could have reacted quicker and more proactively\".\n\n\"If they had, I'm sure the cooker that killed our sons would not have been able to be purchased,\" she said.\n\n\"It would appear that there is a likelihood that some of these cookers may still be in use in some homes today.\n\n\"I strongly urge people who know of someone who owns an older cooker to check Beko's list of recalled cookers online as they are not all sold under the Beko name.\"\n\nMr Smith's father Brian said the cookers, which were not tested with their grill doors closed, should have undergone \"every conceivable test\" before being sold.\n\nHe said: \"I hope that the lessons learnt during this inquest are taken on board by all persons concerned who have a duty of care for public safety and regulations are changed to prevent further deaths.\"\n\nMr Williams said he would now consider whether to make any recommendations to prevent future deaths.\n\nIn a statement Beko said its main objective was to \"ensure that every Beko product is safe for our customers\".\n\nA spokeswoman said: \"Since these tragic incidents, we've continued to raise our safety standards... We also collaborated with the industry to get the UK and EU gas safety standards changed in 2009.\n\n\"The new standard helps prevent a similar tragic event from happening again.\"", "Restaurant owners have expressed anger at Stormont's approach to Covid-19 rules after large numbers of weekend shoppers lined Belfast's streets.\n\nIt comes ahead of non-essential shops in Northern Ireland being ordered to shut for two weeks from Friday.\n\nRestaurateur Bob McCoubrey said the scenes were \"hard to accept\", while pubs and restaurants remain closed.\n\nThe chief medical officer said there was a greater risk of spreading infection in hospitality settings.\n\nBBC News NI has contacted the Executive Office for a comment.\n\nChief Medical Officer Michael McBride said: \"In restaurants and in pubs, individuals are engaged in different interaction, they are closer together for a longer period of time and the risk is therefore greater.\"\n\nCafes, bars and restaurants closed on 17 October but shops, including those deemed non-essential, have been allowed to remain open during that time.\n\nLast Friday, hospitality businesses without an alcohol licence were allowed to reopen, but they must close again along with all non-essential retail at the end of the week.\n\nMr McCoubrey, who owns the Mourne Seafood Bar in Belfast's city centre, said he could not understand why his restaurant had to stay closed while shops were still open.\n\nHe retweeted the photo of a long queue outside Primark in Castle Street on Saturday, with a message that read: \"Hard to accept pictures like this when we can't even use our outside area.\"\n\n\"We're just angry\", he later told BBC News NI.\n\n\"I'm very frustrated. We've been closed for five weeks and we're no further forward in terms of the infection or the pressure on hospitals.\"\n\nWhile Mr McCoubrey did not see the queue outside Primark on Saturday, he said he had seen similar queues in recent days.\n\nShoppers lined both sides of the street outside Primark on Saturday afternoon\n\nThe photo outside Primark was taken by Caítlin Webb at about 14:00 GMT on Saturday. She sent it privately to a relative via WhatsApp and it later appeared on Twitter and Facebook, where it has since been widely shared.\n\nThe 21-year-old told BBC News NI the queue began on one side of Castle Street, snaked up as far as the Hercules Bar, and then continued along the other pavement into the shop.\n\nMs Webb said she briefly joined the queue herself, but left after about 10 minutes as she was concerned by a lack of social distancing.\n\nPrimark said: \"Nothing matters more to us than the safety and wellbeing of our employees and customers.\"\n\n\"As we re-open our stores in Northern Ireland in line with government advice, we continue to have extensive health and safety measures in place including a strict social distancing protocol and limits on the number of customers allowed in store,\" a Primark spokesperson added.\n\n\"Dedicated employees and security staff are on hand to help ensure these measures are adhered to.\n\n\"We continue to closely follow all safety advice from government across all our stores.\"\n\nAnother restaurateur described the scenes as an \"absolute scandal\" and claimed the situation had been created by the Stormont Executive \"with your inability to govern our country\".\n\nStevie Higginson, who owns two restaurants in Lisburn and Ballynahinch, said the current rules were a \"joke\".\n\n\"I can't serve 30 guests inside, socially-distanced with sanitiser on every table, staff wearing masks, screens up,\" he said.\n\nHe said restaurants had track-and-trace systems in place \"for every customer\", and service would be limited to a maximum of six people from the same household at each table if they were allowed to reopen.\n\nThe chief medical officer said: \"The retail sector are putting in place measures to restrict the number of people in their stores to maintain flows in a safe way to minimise contact between individuals indoors.\n\n\"The consequence of limiting the number of people indoors is that there may be, where there is demand for a particular retail outlet, there may be individuals outside waiting to come in.\"\n\n\"It is also important that those queues are managed appropriately, socially distanced, but they are outside and we need to bear that in mind,\" Dr McBride told BBC NI's Radio Ulster's Nolan Show on Monday,\n\nNI's Chief Scientific Adviser Prof Ian Young said that within the retail sector the interactions of people tended to:\n\nIt comes as the executive's plans to curtail church services due to Covid-19 have been criticised by a series of MLAs.\n\nPaul Givan the DUP MLA for Lagan Valley said the decision put people of faith in a conflicted place.\n\nMr Givan wondered whether some large churches could remain open with social distancing in place.\n\nThere was \"real anger\" that churches were closed, according to DUP MLA William Humphrey said.\n\nSDLP MLA Justin McNulty said he was worried about what effect closure would have on the mental health of church goers.\n\nThe Health Minister Robin Swann said such decisions were \"not taken easily\".\n\nMr Swann said he would be in favour of churches opening for private worship if \"social distancing is followed\".", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Testing is due to start in two weeks according to the port's owners\n\nHauliers have claimed there will be \"mayhem\" at Holyhead port when the Brexit transition period ends.\n\nHolyhead is the second biggest \"roll-on roll-off\" port in the UK after Dover, carrying 1,200 lorries and trailers a day across the Irish Sea.\n\nThe Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) said the first six months of 2021 would be \"terrible\" as the port is not ready to cope with the change.\n\nBut the port's owner, Stena Line, has said the process would be smooth.\n\nThe IRHA remain unconvinced as the deadline to agree a new UK-EU deal approaches and the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December.\n\nIt is concerned border-ready pre-boarding IT systems have not been tested for outbound travel.\n\nThe European Union is planning to enforce border controls on the Irish side from 1 January but inbound lorries into Wales will not face any checks by UK authorities until July 2021.\n\n\"We're very concerned,\" said IRHA president Eugene Drennan.\n\nEugene Drennan claims there has been no transition\n\n\"After the deadline and UK 'Brexiting', the decisions still won't be made. They'll unfold as the problems appear.\n\n\"That leads to a certain degree of mayhem. You will have time delay, you'll have a lot of anxious moments.\n\n\"You'll have a lot of truck people getting a little hot under the collar. You'll have ferry times delayed and you'll have a general upset.\n\n\"Even though it's called a transition period, there has been no transition.\n\n\"It's a rush now these last few weeks to try and get systems together, to try and get things up and running and though the Irish side has a reasonable degree of preparedness done, some of it is very cumbersome.\n\n\"And none of it links up with Her Majesty systems. England and on that side, on the Holyhead side, they're not ready at all.\"\n\nIan Davies is confident everything will be ready in time despite the tight schedule\n\nIan Davies, Stena Line's head of UK Port Authorities, said he was confident despite \"very, very tight\" timescales.\n\nHe said: \"We are live testing in the next two weeks. We're starting to educate our staff on the new checking processes.\n\n\"We have always planned on the worst case scenario of 'no deal' because that's the only thing you can base your preparations on and so we are now confident that we are in the right place for that.\n\n\"Trader preparation is a big question. That's been hanging over everyone, but I believe that most of the guys now are fully engaged in the process.\"\n\n\"There should be a clear flow through Holyhead port for inward goods from Ireland.\"\n\nStena Line confirmed the decision had been made to develop an inland custom checks facility away from Holyhead port.\n\nIt is believed those will be sites in Warrington and Birmingham.\n\nAnglesey council leader Llinos Medi Huws, who is also a member of the North Wales Economic Ambition Board, has called for any checkpoint to be as close to Holyhead port as possible.\n\n\"The main concern we have is the impact that's going to have on the use of this port and the loss of jobs,\" she said.\n\n\"So the sooner we have any clarification on that we can make sure that the jobs here are safeguarded and that the people of Holyhead don't have to worry.\"\n\nLlinos Medi Huws wants to see jobs protected on Anglesey\n\nDr Edward Jones, from Bangor Business School, added: \"We seem to be getting the headache of Brexit here in that we could see parts of the island becoming a car park for the trucks, but we don't seem to be getting any of the benefits of those customs jobs. They seem to be going elsewhere.\"\n\nThere are fears that supply chains could be disrupted if documentation and congestion lead to delays and businesses decide to use alternative routes.\n\nA new ferry route has been set up between France and Ireland.\n\nChris Yarsley from Logistics UK, which represents freight businesses, said the automotive manufacturing industry relies on vehicles delivering spare parts with hours to spare.\n\n\"Any break in that supply chain will cause manufacturing issues, therefore people will look to other places to source their goods and that could impact on the economic viability of the UK,\" he added.\n\nA UK government spokesman said: \"The government is working closely with the devolved administrations and ports, right across the United Kingdom, to plan for the end of the transition period and beyond.\n\n\"The delivery of IT systems necessary for the end of the transition period is on track.\"", "Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa lead the nominations for the 2021 Grammy Awards.\n\nBeyoncé leads the field, with nine nominations overall, including four for Black Parade, a protest anthem released at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests this summer.\n\nSwift, with six nods, could win album of the year for a record-breaking third time with her lockdown album Folklore.\n\nDua Lipa also picked up six nominations for the disco-tinged Future Nostalgia.\n\nThe British star, who was named best new artist by the Grammys two years ago, was also on hand to read out some of the nominees - including best children's album and best historical album - in an online livestream.\n\nRapper Roddy Ricch tied with Swift and Lipa on six nominations, the majority of which recognised his hit single The Box, which spent 11 weeks at number one earlier this year.\n\nHowever, there was disappointment for R&B star The Weeknd, who was completely shut out, despite having the biggest-selling album of 2020 in the US with After Hours.\n\nThe star, who is due to perform at the Super Bowl half-time show in February, had been expected to dominate the main categories, after picking up multiple awards at both the MTV VMAs and American Music Awards this year.\n\nThe Weeknd's Blinding Lights is the longest-running top 10 hit in US chart history\n\nThere was better news for Billie Eilish, who picked up multiple nominations for her single Everything I Wanted, as well as her Bond theme No Time To Die.\n\nThe 18-year-old made history earlier this year by becoming the first female artist to win all four of the Grammys main categories - best new artist, song of the year, record of the year and best album.\n\nThe nominees in those categories for 2021 are:\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video by Beyoncé Brasil This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nHarry Styles received his first Grammy nominations as a solo artist\n\nBritish nominees included Harry Styles - who picked up his first ever Grammy nominations in the pop genre categories. His previous band, One Direction, were consistently overlooked by the awards despite their international success.\n\nColdplay were listed in the best album category for their eighth album Everyday Life, while Mercury Prize-winner Michael Kiwanuka was nominated for best rock album and Laura Marling was listed alongside the late Leonard Cohen in the best folk album category.\n\nBeyoncé's nine nominations increased her historic lead as the Grammys' most-nominated female artist ever. She now has 79 nominations, tying her with Sir Paul McCartney for the second-most nominations of all time.\n\nAhead of her are Thriller producer Quincy Jones, and her husband Jay-Z, who both have 80.\n\nThree of Beyoncé's nominations came for a guest verse on Savage (Remix) - the breakout hit by fellow Texan musician Megan Thee Stallion. Megan, whose real name is Megan Pete, also picked up a coveted slot in the best new artist category.\n\n\"What? Who me? Oh my God!\" said the star as the nominations were revealed.\n\nThis YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on YouTube The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts. Skip youtube video 2 by Dua Lipa This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.\n\nKorean band BTS scored their first musical nomination - with the single Dynamite gaining attention in the best group performance category (the band had previously been cited for the obscure 'best album packaging' award).\n\nAnd rapper Pop Smoke picked up a posthumous nomination for his hit single Dior.\n\nMany of the nominees were far from being household names, with retro rock band Black Pumas and British multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier listed in the main categories.\n\nCollier's album, Djesse vol 3 also earned the dubious distinction of being the first album of the year nominee not to have earned a place on Billboard's Top 200 chart.\n\nThere was also a notable presence for songs inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement - most notably H.E.R.'s moving ballad I Can't Breathe, which is up for song of the year.\n\nBTS only had one previous Grammy nomination - for best recording package in 2019\n\nThe 84 categories also threw up a few quirks. Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill - which won best album in 1996 - is now nominated in the best musical theatre album category, thanks to a Broadway show based on the star's angst-rock classic.\n\nTaylor Swift picks up a nomination for Beautiful Ghosts - her song from the critically-panned Cats movie; while Billie Eilish's No Time To Die is up for an award, despite the James Bond film it accompanies still not having come out.\n\nAnd Kanye West finds himself in the best contemporary Christian music category, thanks to his devotional rap album Jesus Is King,\n\nThese are the first nominations to be announced since the Recording Academy updated its award categories and rules earlier this year.\n\nAmongst the changes, it dropped the term \"urban\" as a way of describing music of black origin, to ensure the awards were \"inclusive and reflect[ed] the current state of the music industry\".\n\nThe rules on voting were also tightened up following allegations of irregularities by the Academy's former president, Deborah Dugan.\n\nThe latest winners will be announced at the 63rd Grammy Awards ceremony on 31 January, 2021. Comedian Trevor Noah will host the show, the Recording Academy announced.\n\n\"Despite the fact that I am extremely disappointed that the Grammys have refused to have me sing or be nominated for best pop album, I am thrilled to be hosting this auspicious event,\" said The Daily Show presenter, who was previously up for best comedy album at the 2020 ceremony.\n\n\"I think as a one-time Grammy nominee, I am the best person to provide a shoulder to all the amazing artists who do not win on the night because I too know the pain of not winning the award.\n\n\"This is a metaphorical shoulder,\" he added. \"I'm not trying to catch Corona.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Sharn Hughes was described as \"selfless, and had such a joyous, charitable attitude to life\"\n\nA woman died after being hit by a car while going to take pictures of the castle where TV show I'm a Celebrity is being filmed, her family has said.\n\nSharn Hughes, 58, died on Abergele Road, Llanddulas, near Gwrych Castle, in Conwy county.\n\n\"Her curiosity led to her wanting to see the lights at Gwrych Castle which, unfortunately, led to her untimely tragic death,\" said a family statement.\n\n\"She was hoping to take a photo and send it to a friend.\"\n\nThe family said other people might also plan to take photos there.\n\n\"We urge people to take so much care and remember it is a busy main A-class road,\" they said.\n\nMrs Hughes, from Prestatyn, was described as the devoted wife of Elfyn Hughes, and loving mother to Arron and Annah Hughes.\n\n\"Sharn was so selfless, and had such a joyous, charitable attitude to life,\" said the statement.\n\n\"She was in the process of organising deliveries of hampers to the local food bank through the Women's Institute. We'll miss her kindness forever.\"\n\nThe crash happened on the A547 Abergele Road which runs alongside Gwrych Castle\n\nIn a separate statement, a member of the institute said Mrs Hughes was \"very generous with her time\".\n\nThe statement said she \"put other people first and was a born organiser\" who was also a church treasurer.\n\nNorth Wales Police is appealing for witnesses to the crash, which involved a blue Volvo estate car on the A547 at a location known as Middle Gate, on Saturday at about 17:00 GMT.\n\nSgt Raymond Williams said: \"Our thoughts remain with Sharn's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.\n\n\"She was clearly a much-loved woman and her family are now being supported by a family liaison officer.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Charles Darwin's work on evolution theory by natural selection changed the way we think about the natural world\n\nCambridge University Library has announced that two notebooks written by Charles Darwin, worth many millions of pounds, have been missing for 20 years.\n\nOne of them contains the 19th Century scientist's famous Tree of Life sketch, exploring the evolutionary relationship between species.\n\nFollowing an \"extensive search\", curators have now concluded they have probably been stolen.\n\nThey are launching a public appeal for help in trying to find them.\n\n\"This is heartbreaking,\" Dr Jessica Gardner, the university's librarian, tells the BBC. \"We will leave no stone unturned,\" in trying to discover what has happened, she adds.\n\nThe notebooks were last seen in November 2000 after \"an internal request\" to remove them from a special manuscripts storeroom to be photographed.\n\nThey were taken to a temporary studio, which at the time was in a temporary building in the grounds of the university library because building work was taking place.\n\nIt was only during \"a routine check\" two months later that it was discovered they were missing.\n\n\"We know they were photographed in November,\" says Dr Gardner. \"But we do not know what happened between then and the time in January 2001, when it was determined they were not in their proper place on the shelves.\n\n\"And I'm afraid there isn't anything on the remaining record which tells us anything more.\"\n\nHis Tree of Life sketch is among the missing notes\n\nInitially librarians thought they might have been put back in the wrong place. \"My predecessors genuinely believed they had been misfiled and they would find them,\" adds Dr Gardner, who became director of library services in 2017.\n\nThere were a number of \"intense\" searches over the years. They all drew a blank.\n\nPerhaps it is not that surprising given the size of the library. It is vast, containing more than 200km of shelving, roughly the distance from Cambridge to Southampton by road. It is home to more than 10 million maps and manuscripts and other objects.\n\nAt the beginning of this year, Dr Gardner arranged a new search. Specialist staff combed through specific zones of the library's storage facilities. They conducted a \"fingertip\" check through 189 boxes which contain Darwin's books, drawings and letters. But still no notebooks.\n\nA new approach was needed, according to Dr Gardner. She says she was \"not willing to accept\" the notebooks would just \"turn up\".\n\nSo she and her team \"completely reviewed what happened at the time and critically we took a big step back from what had become a common understanding that they had been mis-shelved.\n\n\"Reluctantly I have decided that was not the right conclusion.\"\n\nInstead, she believes: \"These notebooks have probably been stolen.\"\n\nTheft, she says, \"should be ruled in as a possibility from the start and that wasn't\".\n\nSecurity procedures, she explains, have been \"revised and reviewed\" and \"tightened\" over the last two decades.\n\n\"Now if anything of this scale and significance was not found we would be going to the police.\"\n\nCambridgeshire Police have now been informed and the disappearance of the notebooks has been recorded on the national Art Loss Register for missing cultural artefacts. The police have also added the missing notebooks to Interpol's database of stolen artworks.\n\nCambridge University Library have appealed for the notebooks to be returned\n\nIn July 1837, Charles Darwin was a young man of 28. At his home in London, he wrote at the top of the page of one of his red leather notebooks, \"I think\". Then he drew a spindly sketch of a tree.\n\nHe had recently returned from the Galapagos Islands aboard HMS Beagle and was working through scientific ideas inspired by his trip.\n\n\"These notebooks really are Darwin's attempt to pose to himself the question about where do species come from, what is the origin of species?\" explains Jim Secord, emeritus professor of history and philosophy of science at Cambridge University.\n\nMore than 20 years later, on 24 November 1859, Darwin published a more fully developed tree of life in On the Origin of Species.\n\n\"It's almost like being inside Darwin's head when you're looking at these notebooks,\" says Professor Secord. \"They're jottings of all sorts of information that he's writing down.\n\n\"You have the sense of him working through these ideas at great speed and that kind of intellectual energy which I think the notebooks really convey.\n\n\"I'm a fan of James Joyce and it's always struck me that it's a bit like Leopold Bloom on steroids. You just get the sense of scientific imagination running really deep.\"\n\nAlthough the notebooks have been digitised, Professor Secord says the scans can never replace the real thing.\n\n\"To have such an iconic object go missing is really a tragedy.\"\n\nDarwin produced two groundbreaking works - On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man\n\nThe notebooks themselves are small, no bigger than a postcard. They were kept in a bespoke blue box, about the size of a paperback.\n\nIt is still possible the notebooks might be found. \"We won't stop looking,\" says Dr Gardner. But it will take another five years to complete a full search of the remaining shelves and storage rooms.\n\nIn the meantime, the library is asking the public for help.\n\n\"There are good examples where things have been found, thanks to the help of the public,\" says Dr Gardner.\n\n\"So I would really appeal to members of the public, former staff, researchers, anyone who might have information which would shed light.\n\nBut Dr Gardner is reluctant to speculate where the notebooks might be.\n\n\"It's possible they are under a bed, that's the best case scenario, someone has found they can't sell them or they're just holding on to them,\" she says.\n\n\"This is the time to just safely, even anonymously, get in touch.\n\n\"It's those new leads we're looking for, with the help of the police, in order to help recover these for the nation.\"\n\nAnyone who may have information about the missing notebooks is asked to contact Cambridge University Library, via email at ManuscriptAppeal@lib.cam.ac.uk or Cambridgeshire Police.\n\nCharles Darwin was an English scientist - naturalist, geologist and biologist - best known for his work on the theory of evolution by natural selection.\n\nHis groundbreaking work, On the Origin of Species, was published in 1859 and changed the way we think about the natural world.\n\nAt the time it was highly controversial, as it provided evidence that certain animals had evolved from others over time, apparently best fit for their surroundings. This was at odds with the long-established religious belief that God had created all creatures, great and small.\n\nDarwin studied the divergence of 18 species of passerine birds [\"Darwin's finches\"] in the Galápagos Islands, in the Pacific. He noted the remarkable diversity in beak form and function.\n\n\"Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history,\" he wrote, as a result.\n\nIn his second seminal publication, 1871's The Descent of Man, Darwin applied his theory to the evolution of humans, suggesting we share a common ancestor with the great apes.\n\nSimple yet profound, his theory is one of the most influential scientific ideas ever conceived.\n\nEven today, its conclusions and implications have an impact on religion, politics, economics and art, as well as our understanding of the world around us.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The Playhouse in Londonderry had been given an indicative reopening date of 1 September\n\nMore than one-third of jobs in arts, culture and heritage are vulnerable as a result of coronavirus restrictions.\n\nThat is according to a new study from Ulster University's Economic Policy Centre (UUEPC).\n\nThe report suggests a high proportion of jobs in museums, galleries, theatres and music are particularly at risk.\n\nIn general, the creative sector is \"more exposed to the challenges arising from Covid-19 than other sectors and occupations.\"\n\nThe main factors for that are social distancing measures limiting capacity and a reluctance among audiences to return even when venues can re-open.\n\nThe UUEPC report estimated that there are 39,100 people employed in the arts, creative, culture and heritage sector in Northern Ireland.\n\nHowever, the type of occupation that figure includes is very wide.\n\nIt ranges from people working in Information Technology (IT) and architecture to those employed in music, crafts, the performing arts, museums, galleries and libraries.\n\nThe study said that while a high proportion of jobs in areas such as IT were not vulnerable, jobs in the other sectors were \"much more at risk.\"\n\nIt estimated that more than 60% of jobs in museums, galleries and libraries were vulnerable, along with almost half of jobs in music, theatre and visual art.\n\nA significant number of jobs in film and TV production were also at risk.\n\n\"The pandemic has caused the immediate closure of non-essential business including the Arts, Culture and Heritage industries resulting in cancelled work and events such as large music events like Belfast Vital and Belsonic which attracted thousands of people to Belfast annually,\" the report said.\n\n\"The healthcare situation in NI will be more important in this sector than in the average NI occupation, given the interactive nature of work and a dependence on discretionary consumer spending.\"\n\nThe authors of the report also make a number of suggestions on how venues and visitor attractions could be helped to recover from the impact of the pandemic.\n\nThey include \"visitor vouchers,\" which would subsidise 30-50% of the cost of tickets to venues to encourage audiences to return.\n\nVenues would also be compensated if they had to cancel events at short notice due to new or changing restrictions.\n\nThe authors of the study also suggest a bursary of £1,000 a month for arts workers who have not been able to benefit from other job support schemes.\n\nNorthern Irish artists could also be commissioned to create new public art, the UUEPC report said.\n\nA number of emergency funding schemes for arts and heritage have been opened by the Department for Communities.\n\nThe Northern Ireland executive received £33m from Westminster in July as part of a UK-wide support package for arts and culture.", "Sickness absence levels in Northern Ireland councils are the highest in the UK, auditors have found.\n\nFigures show an average of almost 14 days per employee in 2018-19 - a 13% increase in five years.\n\nThe findings come from a joint report by Northern Ireland's two public sector auditors.\n\nTeachers in Northern Ireland also take more sick days than other parts of the UK, according to the report.\n\nAuditor General Kieran Donnelly and Local Government Auditor Pamela McCreedy warned that sickness absence is placing a strain on services.\n\nOverall sickness absence in the Northern Ireland civil service has also increased by 10% in five years, with staff off for an average of almost 13 days annually.\n\nNorthern Ireland's two public sector auditors said the levels are almost double that within the civil service in England.\n\nIt comes after a report last week by the auditor general revealed how Northern Ireland's civil service is struggling to cope because of a crisis in staffing levels with almost 1,500 unfilled vacancies.\n\nAccording to the figures published in the latest, report council workers in 2018/19 took on average 14 days off because of sickness.\n\nThat compares to 11 days for councils in Scotland and eight in England and Wales.\n\nthe auditors point to long term absences in many cases caused by mental health illness as being a key reason for the high levels of sickness. Northern Ireland has the highest rates of mental illness in the UK with one in five adults experiencing a mental health problem at any given time.\n\nThe age profile of those who work in councils and the wider civil service is another contributing factor. Over 40 per cent are over the age of 50 and as a result are more prone to develop health complication.\n\nThis table shows the average number of days lost due to sickness across NI councils\n\nThe highest level of sickness absence among council workers was recorded in Causeway Coast and Glens, with 17 days lost to sickness per employee, while the lowest was in Fermanagh and Omagh council were on average 10 days were lost.\n\n\"High levels of sickness absence within the public sector are not a new phenomenon. However, this report finds few signs of sustained improvement,\" said Mr Donnelly.\n\n\"It is time for public sector organisations to make a concerted effort to reduce the level of sickness absence and to develop a consistent approach to managing attendance.\"\n\nMr Donnelly said a \"strong attendance culture needs to be embedded\" across the public sector and he called for a heavy focus to be placed on long term absence with preventative and early intervention measures put in place.\n\n\"Sickness absence in NI councils consistently ranks as the highest in the UK, with no indication of significant improvement,\" said Mr Donnelly.\n\n\"When significant numbers of staff are unable to work because of sickness, the impact on service delivery including delays, increased workloads, lost productivity and additional financial costs to cover absences is likely to be considerable.\"\n\nThe auditors also report that teachers in 2018/19 took almost 10 days off because of sickness which is an increase of 10% in the past five years.\n\nThe figure is also the highest in the UK with teachers in Scotland taking six days off while four days per employee were lost in England.\n\nhe auditors point to long term absences in many cases caused by mental health illness as being a key reason for the high levels of sickness. Northern Ireland has the highest rates of mental illness in the UK with one in five adults experiencing a mental health problem at any given time.\n\nThe age profile of those who work in councils and the wider civil service is another contributing factor. Over 40 per cent are over the age of 50 and as a result are more prone to develop health complication.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Just one month into his new role as consul general, Stephen Ellison saves a university student from drowning\n\nA British diplomat who dived into a river to save a woman's life has been presented with a red velvet banner - a sign of gratitude in China.\n\nThe banner was given to Stephen Ellison, consul-general in Chongqing, by the 24-year-old university student he pulled from the river last week.\n\nIt reads \"righteous and courageous, saving people from water\".\n\nThe 61-year-old was met with widespread praise and was hailed as a hero in China for his actions.\n\n\"This is the first banner I have ever received in my life, it is of great significance to me,\" Mr Ellison said, according to a post by the British Consulate General Chongqing on China's micro-blogging site Weibo last Friday.\n\nBig red banners, known in China as jinqi, are typically given as a means of expressing gratitude - and it is not uncommon for the recipient to display it, like one would an award.\n\nMr Ellison, originally from Newcastle, is head of the British mission in Chongqing, where his role is primarily to support bilateral trade links between Britain and China.\n\nHowever, it was his bravery rather than his profession which thrust him into the spotlight, after he was filmed jumping into a river to rescue the unnamed woman who had slipped into the water from some rocks.\n\nThe footage shows her struggle and disappear under a footbridge before emerging face down - apparently unconscious.\n\nMr Ellison is seen throwing off his shoes before launching into the water himself, turning her over and bringing her to safety.\n\nHe then swam round to shallower rocks and climbed out.", "One of the bones comes from the tibia (lower leg bone) of a two-legged meat-eater similar to Sarcosaurus\n\nThe only dinosaur bones ever found in Ireland have been confirmed to belong to two different species.\n\nThe bones were previously discovered on the east coast of County Antrim.\n\nBut a new scientific study from the universities of Portsmouth and Queen's in Belfast has confirmed the origins of the bones for the first time.\n\nOne is part of the lower leg bone of a carnivore similar to Sarcosaurus; the other is from the upper leg bone of a Scelidosaurus, a four-legged herbivore.\n\nThe two fossil bones, confirmed to be from early Jurassic rocks, were discovered in Islandmagee during two separate finds in the late 19th Century and the 1980s.\n\nOriginally it was assumed the fossils were from the same animal, but new analysis published in the Proceedings of the Geologists' Association has confirmed they belong to the two different species.\n\nIreland was underwater for most of the period during which dinosaurs roamed the earth, so there is less chance the remains of land animals would be preserved in rocks dating to that period.\n\nUlster Museum has announced plans to put the bones on display when it reopens after the current coronavirus restrictions are lifted.\n\nDr Mike Simms, a curator and palaeontologist at National Museums NI, said the development was \"a hugely significant discovery\".\n\nExperts suggest Scelidosaurus may have been a coastal animal, perhaps even eating seaweed like modern-day marine iguanas\n\n\"The great rarity of such fossils here is because most of Ireland's rocks are the wrong age for dinosaurs, either too old or too young, making it nearly impossible to confirm dinosaurs existed on these shores,\" he said.\n\n\"The two dinosaur fossils... found were perhaps swept out to sea, alive or dead, sinking to the Jurassic seabed where they were buried and fossilised.\"\n\nRobert Smyth, researcher at the University of Portsmouth and Professor David Martill, used high-resolution 3D digital models of the fossils in their analysis of the bone fragments, produced by Dr Patrick Collins of Queen's University Belfast.\n\n\"Analysing the shape and internal structure of the bones, we realised that they belonged to two very different animals,\" said Mr Smyth, who is originally from Ballymoney.\n\n\"Despite being fragmentary, these fossils provide valuable insight on a very important period in dinosaur evolution, about 200 million years ago.\n\n\"It's at this time that dinosaurs really start to dominate the world's terrestrial ecosystems.\"\n\nProfessor Martill said: \"Scelidosaurus keeps on turning up in marine strata, and I am beginning to think that it may have been a coastal animal, perhaps even eating seaweed like marine iguanas do today.\"\n\nThe study is part of a larger project to document Jurassic rocks in Northern Ireland and draws on many fossils in Ulster Museum's collections.", "Messaging app Snapchat is offering a share of $1m (£750,000) to its users every day as it tries to compete with TikTok on viral videos.\n\nIts new Spotlight feature will use an algorithm to recommend \"the most engaging\" posts to watch based on what a user is interested in.\n\nSnapchat says the feature will include people with \"private, personal accounts\" as well as its biggest stars.\n\nThe $1m-a-day payment would run until at least the end of the year, it said.\n\nBut if successful it could potentially continue into 2021, the company said.\n\nVideos have to be submitted to the scheme to be eligible for the earnings. How much a video makes for its owner depends on a complicated formula - but includes how many views the video has.\n\nSnapchat has not, however, said how many people the $1m a day will be split between, or what the maximum individual earnings might be.\n\nUsers have to be 16 or over to be paid, and obey a host of rules around copyright, sponsorship, and drugs and alcohol, among other things.\n\nThe company says it will moderate the feed for violations - and for anyone attempting to game the algorithm.\n\n\"We actively monitor for fraud to ensure that we only account for authentic engagement with Snaps,\" it warned.\n\nThe payment system reflects the competitive market for the latest viral hits, according to Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight.\n\n\"Snapchat lives and dies by how engaged users are with its content,\" he explained.\n\n\"Surfacing viral content and rewarding the creators that conceived that content is a sensible way to sustain its business, particularly in the light of the growing threat from TikTok and others.\"\n\nSnapchat rose to prominence for its 24-hour disappearing messages almost a decade ago. In the years since, the idea has been co-opted by competitors such as Instagram Stories and, most recently, Twitter's Fleets.\n\nAt the same time, TikTok has emerged as a favourite platform for original viral content, fuelled in part by its focus on easily adding music to posts.\n\nDespite the competitive market for users' attention, Snapchat recently announced that its daily user numbers had surged to almost 250 million during the pandemic.\n\nAnd while TikTok has faced its own challenges this year - most notably the constant threat of being banned by US President Donald Trump's administration - one of its stars became the first to reach more than 100 million followers.", "Nicola Sturgeon says progress is being made in talks on easing Covid rules at Christmas - but does not expect a similar relaxation at Hogmanay.\n\nScotland's first minister said a deal on a UK-wide approach to Christmas would be announced later in the week.\n\nShe said the plans would need to be \"sensible and careful\" to prevent a fresh wave of new cases in January.\n\nAnd she added: \"I do not expect that we will be announcing any particular relaxation over the new year period.\"\n\nOn Monday night Ms Sturgeon confirmed plans to move Midlothian from level three to level two had been postponed due to an increase in case numbers.\n\nBut an improving picture in East Lothian will see the local authority move to level two from 06:00 on Tuesday.\n\nEarlier, responding to a question at her daily briefing, the first minister addressed the intense speculation surrounding the festive period.\n\nMs Sturgeon said: \"We can't do everything. The Christmas thing is hard enough.\n\n\"Why Christmas and not new year? Well, maybe Christmas is a more important time for the kids.\n\n\"I think for most of us, even if we value new year, Christmas is still the time when families are more likely to not have someone on their own. So we can't do everything right now.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. FM: No plans to relax restrictions for Hogmanay\n\nThe easing of rules at Christmas is expected to see \"a small number of households\" allowed to meet up over \"a small number of days\".\n\nTalks on the issue were held between ministers from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the UK government on Saturday.\n\nThe Cabinet Office said the ministers had endorsed a \"shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days\".\n\nThe BBC understands that one option under consideration is that three households could be allowed to meet up for five days over the festive period.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson had been hoping to announce arrangements for the Christmas period on Monday, but this has been delayed until at least Tuesday to allow the Scottish and Welsh cabinets to agree the plans.\n\nAny announcement is also expected to include rules on travelling between nations.\n\nMs Sturgeon said talks were \"making progress\", but stressed that \"details of this approach are still to be finalised\".\n\nEdinburgh's traditional Hogmanay street party has been cancelled this year\n\nShe said: \"This is a particularly difficult balance to strike. If my email inbox is anything to go by, public opinion on this is quite mixed, as you would perhaps expect.\n\n\"There is an obvious desire to see loved ones at Christmas, but there is also a lot of anxiety about the potential risks associated with that - particularly at a time when we are perhaps starting to see the end of this pandemic loom on the horizon.\"\n\nThe first minister said the deal would likely see \"some households able to form slightly larger bubbles over a short period\".\n\nHowever, she said this \"has to be on a very limited basis\" - focusing on gatherings in people's homes rather than in hospitality settings.\n\nExperts have raised concerns about relaxing restrictions over Christmas\n\nMs Sturgeon said isolation and loneliness could \"hit people particularly hard over the Christmas period\".\n\nBut she said people should \"think very carefully\" about whether they need to travel or meet up indoors.\n\nShe added: \"The virus won't take Christmas off. If you provide it with opportunities to spread from household to household, it will take them.\n\n\"Just because you might be able to mix a bit more doesn't mean you have to do that if you don't think it's necessary, or if you can get though Christmas without it.\"\n\nJillian Evans, head of health intelligence at NHS Grampian, told BBC Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that she was against restrictions being eased \"simply because it's Christmas\".\n\nShe added: \"It certainly sounds as if that it's a trade-off - that you behave now, keep transmission low, then we might be able to do something over Christmas that resembles something familiar to us.\n\n\"The best Christmas present we can give to people is to keep them safe - it really is the bottom line.\n\n\"The best way to keep safe is to try and avoid the risk as much as possible and if you must meet family, which most of us are longing to do, try to do it outdoors if you possibly can - and fingers crossed we get a dry and less windy and wet Christmas time.\"\n\nMinisters are considering allowing some household mixing over Christmas\n\nLast month John Keenan, the bishop of Paisley, called for a Christmas \"truce\" - a 24-hour lifting of restrictions - to give people a \"moment of joy in the midst of so much despair\".\n\nReacting to news of the four-nations discussions, he told BBC Scotland he was glad politicians were considering some way of accommodating Christmas during the pandemic.\n\nBut he admitted he was \"conflicted\".\n\n\"The thought of my mum - who's a widow - being on her own all through Christmas day is an awful thought for me,\" he said.\n\n\"On the other hand the thought that I might go there and pass on a virus to her is equally awful so I think we're all conflicted about it. \"", "As coronavirus began spreading around the world at the start of 2020, in the UK there were weaknesses in the expert analysis of its likely impact, according to a BBC documentary.\n\n\"There is going to be a lot of criticism of the scientists - because it's easy to have hindsight.\n\n\"It's easy to say if only we'd done this a week earlier we'd have saved 5,000, 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 lives. But if you look at where we were in February, would you really have made these decisions any differently? I don't think you would have.\"\n\nThose are the words of Prof Calum Semple of the University of Liverpool, one of the key scientists advising the government on Covid-19.\n\nEver since the novel coronavirus arrived in the UK, ministers have repeatedly said they were \"following the science\".\n\nBut the UK has ended up with one of the worst death rates in the world - coronavirus has killed more than 50,000 people so far.\n\nSo how good was the scientific evidence provided in the run-up to lockdown?\n\nOn 23 January 2020, a woman unknowingly infected with coronavirus flew to the UK from Wuhan and passed through the airport undetected. Eight days later she, and a family member, became the first confirmed UK cases.\n\nBut what wasn't understood was how many others then followed in their footsteps through February and March - not just from China, but from across Europe.\n\n\"What we hadn't realised was that the virus had already moved into Italy, France and Spain, and was in the ski resorts,\" says Prof Semple, who is on Sage, the government's scientific advisory group.\n\n\"It turns out that we had probably 1,500 cases that came in during that period, and that's why Britain was hit so hard. We were given a really bad dose at a very early stage in a large number.\"\n\nItaly was the first European country to be badly hit by Covid-19\n\nProf Graham Medley, who chairs the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M), which feeds in to Sage, agrees.\n\n\"If I could have known one thing, it would have been the number of imports coming in from mainland Europe.\n\n\"I should have thought that if northern Italy has got an epidemic then it's quite likely that other places in Europe have probably got an epidemic as well, and I didn't think that.\"\n\nProf Gabriel Scally, a public health expert and former health adviser to Labour, said: \"There was a steady flow of people coming in from various countries as the virus spread.\n\n\"We left our borders open, we left our door open to the virus, and that contributed substantially to the very rapid growth in the virus that we subsequently saw.\"\n\nInformation about those early cases was fed into a database called the First Few Hundred (FF100), which was closely studied by modellers for clues about how the virus might spread .\n\nData on Ebola may have been better than that from the current pandemic\n\nBut there was a problem. \"Unfortunately the First Few Hundred data was not as good as we expected,\" says another SPI-M member, Dr Thibaut Jombart, from Imperial College London.\n\n\"There were clearly quite a few mistakes: basic information, basic epidemiological information, was missing.\n\n\"At the time I was coming back from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where I spent six months as part of the response to an Ebola outbreak - a very, very messy situation in a warzone, you expect messy data there. It felt like the data situation was less good in the UK than it was in the DRC.\"\n\nBut Prof Medley, who is based at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, defends the FF100 data. \"Modellers always want more and better data. Yes, you could always want it more complete, you could always want it more accurate, but nonetheless the data that we had fulfilled our purpose.\n\n\"We were in quite a good position to understand what might happen in the United Kingdom.\"\n\nData was not just key to understanding where coronavirus was coming from, but who was worst affected.\n\nBy mid-February, evidence from China showed older people were particularly at risk.\n\nIn the UK, modellers warned government that the virus could kill tens of thousands, and advised \"cocooning\" would reduce deaths.\n\nThere was a lack of understanding about care homes\n\nBut Dr Ian Hall, of SPI-M, admits models did not reflect how care homes actually work, or identify the serious risk posed by agency staff working in different homes.\n\n\"The failure of those models, I guess, was that we didn't know how connected the social care settings were with the community,\" he says.\n\n\"As modellers we didn't know - I'm sure there are lots of academics and policy-makers out there, that could have told us this, if we'd asked them.\"\n\nCoronavirus would go on to kill more than 20,000 people in care homes.\n\nThe modellers were also trying to predict when the UK would see the peak of cases.\n\nIn early March, SPI-M was still estimating it was 12 to 14 weeks away. \"We were planning for a pandemic that was fairly slowly growing, on the basis that we had kind of a ramping up of social distancing, over a period of time,\" says Dr Hall.\n\nBut one member of the committee, Prof Steven Riley, from Imperial College, believed the government's strategy was seriously flawed and would leave intensive care units overwhelmed for a long period of time.\n\nOn 10 March, when official figures suggested there had been a total of 913 cases - but experts now estimate there were 75,000 - he submitted a paper calling for an immediate lockdown.\n\nHe says: \"Based only on my knowledge of the epidemiological situation, I did think, at that point, there was an argument for stringent social distancing, for lockdown, as soon as possible.\n\n\"The point that I thought needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency, was that initially we should lock down in order to have time to formulate a more precise strategy.\"\n\nSPI-M's Prof Mark Jit was asked to investigate what the true numbers might be.\n\n\"I think everyone knew that they were not picking up all the cases. The big question was by how much were they underestimating the number.\n\n\"We decided to look at the number of cases in intensive care units. We knew for each of these cases there will probably be many hundreds of thousands of people who have Covid but didn't have it that seriously.\"\n\nHis calculations predicted that by mid-March there would soon be close to 100,000 new cases each day. \"That was extremely worrying because 100,000 new cases would mean that about a week later we would get 20,000 new hospital patients a day.\n\n\"There was the sense that, OK. we really need to get this information to Sage to make decisions about what we're going to do in the UK.\"\n\nAt the same time, other modellers realised that the NHS data they were relying on for their modelling was out of date.\n\n\"The data coming in from the UK which we thought was up to the minute was in fact in some cases up to a week old, and so really we weren't looking at a snapshot of how the epidemic was developing now, but how it was in the past,\" says Dr Nick Davies, who is also on SPI-M.\n\n\"That was the first time when I started to feel like things really were not under control.\"\n\nOn 17 March, people across the UK were spending their first day living with unprecedented restrictions on daily life.\n\nIn a TV address the previous evening, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had told the nation: \"Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel. We need people to start working from home where they possibly can. And you should avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues. Without drastic action, cases could double every five or six days.\"\n\nBut at the University of Manchester, SPI-M's Dr Lorenzo Pellis was looking at data from Italy, and realising that the virus was spreading in Britain at almost twice the speed that had previously been thought.\n\n\"I got really concerned,\" said Dr Pellis. \"I was coming out with really short times between that day and potentially breaching hospital capacity.\"\n\nIt meant the NHS was just days away from being swamped by coronavirus patients.\n\nThe analysis was fed back to Sage. \"And that led to the cascade to full lockdown,\" said his SPI-M collegue Dr Hall.\n\nSo do the scientists believe they should have acted earlier?\n\n\"I obviously feel that it's incredibly tragic what has happened in the UK and of course I wish that interventions had been brought in earlier\", says Dr Davies.\n\n\"Our own modelling suggests that had lockdown been imposed a week earlier, we may have avoided about half or slightly more than half the number of deaths.\"\n\n\"I think we got ourselves into a mess by relying on modelling and allowing modelling to drive the whole response,\" says Prof Scally. \"I think the failure of the science, so to speak, will be seen as one of the most important features in what has been a very, very poor response to this global health tragedy.\"\n\nA Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: \"This is a new virus and an unprecedented global pandemic and our priority from the outset has been to save lives. We have been guided by the advice of experts from Sage and its sub-committees and our response helped to ensure the NHS was not overwhelmed.\"\n\n'Lockdown 1.0 - Following The Science?' is on BBC2 at 21:00 GMT on Thursday 19 November and on the BBC iPlayer afterwards.", "A maximum of 4,000 fans will be allowed at outdoor events in the lowest-risk areas when the four-week lockdown in England ends on 2 December.\n\nUp to 2,000 people will be allowed in tier two areas but none in tier three.\n\nIndoor venues in tiers one and two can have a maximum of 1,000 spectators, with capacity across indoor and outdoor venues limited to 50%.\n\nOrganised grassroots sport will be able to resume, and gyms and leisure centres can reopen across all tiers.\n\nElite sport has continued behind closed doors during the national lockdown, but grassroots and amateur sport has been halted since 5 November.\n\nUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the government's new measures and Covid-19 restrictions in England on Monday via video link to the House of Commons.\n\nThe news of which areas will be in which tiers is expected to be made public on Thursday.\n\n\"In tiers one and two, spectator sports and business events will be free to resume inside and outside with capacity limits and social distancing,\" said Johnson.\n\n\"Later this week, we will announce which areas will fall into which tier - I hope on Thursday - based on analysis of cases in all age groups, especially the over-60s.\n\n\"Also, [it will involve] looking at the rate at which cases are rising or falling, the percentage of those tested in a local population who have Covid and current and projected pressures on the NHS.\"\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: \"This is a big step forward for sport.\n\n\"Bringing grassroots sport back was my number one priority, so I'm pleased we are reopening sports and gyms in every tier, in recognition of the significant health benefits.\n\n\"I'm also delighted we are able to get the turnstiles turning sooner than expected, taking a cautious approach and starting with the lowest-risk areas first.\n\n\"I'm confident that sports will take every step to ensure their fans are safe and fans will play their part and look out for each other until we can safely get everyone back in.\"\n\n'We have missed our fans'\n\nFootball across England's top four divisions has been played behind closed doors since its return in June, following the first coronavirus lockdown.\n\nThe Premier League said it welcomed the prospect of fans returning in \"small numbers\" but it hopes to work with the government to increase this to more \"substantial levels\" to stop clubs operating \"at a financial loss\".\n\nIt added: \"Our priority continues to be the agreement of a roadmap, with DCMS and the Sports Technology and Innovation Group, for pilot events that can help our clubs quickly scale up to larger capacities.\"\n\n\"Even if it is limited numbers, it brings that feel and that connection back,\" said Dyche, before his side's home Premier League match against Crystal Palace.\n\n\"Hopefully it will build quickly after that. We have missed our fans.\"\n\nThe English Football League (EFL) is looking at the possibility of shifting some of next week's fixtures to take advantage of the plan.\n\nThe EFL has a full schedule of matches in the Championship, League One and League Two across 1-2 December.\n\nNo decisions have yet been taken but any club in a tier one or two area that requested a move from Tuesday to Wednesday is likely to receive a favourable response if there is no conflict with broadcasting requirements.\n\n\"Fans have always felt football should be treated the same as other sectors,\" said a Football Supporters' Association statement.\n\n\"We welcome today's announcement, which does suggest that will be the case, and we look forward to seeing further details.\n\n\"For many lower-league and non-league clubs in particular, getting paying fans into stadiums safely is absolutely critical to their survival during a very difficult season.\n\n\"Clubs, leagues and the Sports Ground Safety Authority have worked hard to put in procedures to make stadiums safe places and we hope this is the first step on the road back to normality.\"\n\nGrassroots sports can take place in all areas but the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said there will be \"some restrictions on highest-risk activity in tier three areas\".\n\nIts statement added: \"Spectators at non-elite sports will be able to attend events in line with Covid-secure guidance for each tier.\"\n\nIndoor sports can resume but, because of \"the higher transmission risk of coronavirus in an indoor setting\", the DCMS said there would be restrictions on \"some activities\" depending on the \"alert level\" of the local area.\n\nThis re-emergence of sport, both in terms of the long-awaited return of fans and the resumption of recreational activity, is an important and encouraging milestone.\n\nThe second shutdown of community sport has been devastating for the grassroots, with tens of thousands of clubs, gyms, pools and jobs jeopardised, activity levels affected and participants' physical and mental health harmed at the worst possible time, with exercise seen as crucial to the country's recovery.\n\nThe return of grassroots sport will be celebrated by many, especially after it was not included in the list of direct beneficiaries in last week's £300m bailout of spectator sports.\n\nBut there are still frustrations, with gyms disappointed that group activity is restricted in certain areas, disproportionately affecting female users, for whom exercise classes are especially important. There have also been further calls for the government to provide more financial support to the community sport sector.\n\nEqually, with large swathes of the country in the higher-risk areas, it is unclear how many football or rugby clubs will be in tier one and actually allowed to welcome the maximum 4,000 fans back.\n\nFor many bigger clubs, who firmly believe they should have been able to have their grounds a third full from the start of last month, this will be of little comfort amid an unprecedented financial crisis, and they will want that number to increase rapidly. In fact, some clubs have said they will actually lose money by opening up their grounds for just 2000-4000 fans.\n\nThere are also concerns over fairness if only certain teams can reopen their turnstiles.\n\nBut eight months after fans were last seen at regular sporting events in England, this has at least provided hope and a possible road to recovery.\n• In tier one areas, indoor sports can take place within the rule of six. For example, people from different households could play three v three volleyball, or four people from different households could play doubles tennis or badminton.\n• None Group activities such as training sessions and exercise classes can take place in larger numbers, provided that people are in separate groups (up to six people) that do not mix.\n• In tier two areas, indoor sport can take place within households and people can take part in group activity, like exercise classes, as long as there is no mixing between households.\n• None People can play certain sports which do not involve close proximity or physical contact against one person from another household, such as a singles tennis match.\n• In tier three areas, indoor sport will be restricted to within your household only and there should be no group activity such as exercise classes.\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n\nSport England chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said: \"Huge credit is due to the many organisations and individuals who have worked so hard to evidence how safe their activities and facilities are and to set out so clearly what they are doing to reduce risk.\n\n\"From the prime minister down, there is now a strong recognition of the vital benefits of playing sport and being active, not just for your physical wellbeing but also, crucially, as a support for your mental health.\n\n\"As we head into the winter months having a range of safe opportunities available like this is more important than ever.\"\n\nA joint statement from some of horse racing's leading bodies said that, while it had been operating behind closed doors since 1 June, test events had shown \"no evidence of transmission\" of Covid-19.\n\n\"We know the numbers are limited to begin with and not all venues will be allowed to admit spectators, but this is progress,\" said British Horseracing Authority chief executive Nick Rust.\n\n\"I am confident that all our racegoers will follow the government's public health guidelines when they return to racing and this will allow us to increase the numbers attending.\"\n\nPremiership Rugby chief executive Darren Childs said: \"We won't know the exact impact on our clubs until the tiers are announced on Thursday, so my team stands ready to work with government to tackle the challenges of fan attendance in a way that minimises health risks.\n\n\"Keeping the league intact has been my number one priority during the pandemic and now we have the foundations from which to grow the game and build longer-term financial stability.\"\n\nBefore the announcement, Daniel Levy, chairman of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, said preparations had already been made for supporters coming back.\n\n\"Premier League clubs are entirely capable, similar to the experience in several other countries, of responsibly delivering outdoor events with social distancing, exemplary hygiene standards, qualified stewards, testing capabilities and diverse travel plans, operating in some of the most technologically advanced venues in the world,\" said Levy.\n• None A World Cup winner on getting to grips with British slang", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Students from Knowsley on Merseyside say they feel extra stressed in the lead up to exams this year\n\nMore than one in five secondary pupils in England missed school last week, with worsening Covid disruption.\n\nThe latest attendance figures show 22% of secondary pupils were missing, based on who was in school last Thursday - up from 17% the previous week.\n\nThe biggest teachers' union warned of a \"collapse\" in attendance, with almost three quarters of secondary schools sending home pupils.\n\nThe Department for Education says keeping schools open is a \"priority\".\n\n\"The situation has reached a crisis point and the government cannot let coronavirus run riot in schools any longer,\" said Mary Bousted, co-leader of the National Education Union, with almost 900,000 pupils out of school because of Covid incidents.\n\nGeoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union, backed the principle of keeping schools open, but said it was time for schools to be allowed to operate rota systems.\n\n\"The reality behind these figures is that many schools are experiencing disruption on a monumental scale and are desperately trying to cling on to the end of term,\" said the heads' leader.\n\n\"The other parents and I have a WhatsApp group and our phones ping and we're all filled with dread over which year group is told to isolate next,\" says Josephine Abbott Millar, a parent from Rugby.\n\nHer two sons have faced school being disrupted - and she says they have missed the social life as well as lessons at school.\n\nNot every family has the technology to allow children to switch to learning online\n\n\"As my eldest has started a new school I think he's really suffered as he's not been allowed to settled in properly,\" she told the BBC.\n\n\"Every time he starts to feel a bit settled he has to isolate again for two weeks and he's home again. It's the back and forth that is really disruptive.\"\n\nThere have been concerns about how exams will go ahead next summer when so many pupils have been missing lessons.\n\nRussell Hobby, chief executive of Teach First, said being out of school would be most disruptive for the most disadvantaged.\n\n\"Studying from home is difficult for all pupils. But our research has found it's pupils from the poorest backgrounds who are the least likely to have laptops and internet while self-isolating, making it nearly impossible for them,\" he said.\n\n\"These children will not recover from this if we don't acknowledge the barriers they face,\" says Matthew Martin, head of department in a south London secondary school.\n\nHe says some pupils have missed a month already this term and only a limited number will really be able continue learning online at home.\n\nThis is not because of an unwillingness to keep studying, he says, but because families do not have the computer equipment at home to make it possible.\n\nEngland's Department for Education has been committed to keeping schools open, but the weekly figures show rising numbers of pupils missing from the classroom.\n\nOverall attendance is down to 83% of pupils, below 86% in the previous week - and although the way figures were gathered changed in October, they show attendance dipping since half term.\n\nThis fall is particularly concentrated in secondary schools, with 78% in class last Thursday, down from 87% on 5 November.\n\nAcross both primary and secondary schools, the figures show about one in 10 pupils were out of school because of Covid-related concerns.\n\nThe great majority of pupils being sent home are because of potential contacts - rather than pupils having caught coronavirus, with only 0.2% of pupils recorded as confirmed cases.\n\nPrimary schools have so far been less disrupted, with 87% of pupils attending - but the number of schools sending home one more pupils has risen to 29%, compared with 22% the week before.\n\nThere have been worries about how exams will go ahead next summer\n\nAmong secondary schools, 73% were sending home pupils, compared with 64% the week before.\n\nA Department for Education spokeswoman said almost all schools had remained open this term - and there was online learning for those pupils who were self-isolating.\n\n\"It is a national priority to keep education settings open full-time, and that remains equally as important in the weeks up to the end of term as it was when young people returned for the new school year,\" said the DFE spokeswoman.\n\nHas your child's education been disrupted? Or are you a teacher whose work has been affected? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Sam says she wants to get together \"even if it's just for one day\" Image caption: Sam says she wants to get together \"even if it's just for one day\"\n\nFamilies are now facing a big choice about whether to take advantage of the freedom to meet up at Christmas - or whether to play it safe.\n\nSam in Devon is building a grotto in her garden ready for a small family gathering.\n\nShe told the BBC: \"It’s the only time of the year I get everybody together, it's very important, it's special.\n\n\"It’s not the presents or anything else, it’s having my family. Even if it’s just for one day.\"\n\nBut she said people \"have to be sensible otherwise we’re going to have a really rotten January\".\n\nBut others said they would not be travelling. Father and daughter Naomi and Roy said they would not be making the trip between Devon and South Wales this year.\n\n\"I would love to do it, but no,\" Naomi said. \"Especially with the vaccine development, it just seems like too high risk regardless of what we're allowed to do.\"\n\n\"The only thing that’s missing is the physical contact,\" said Roy, adding that he missed the grandchildren, \"If that has to be, I would rather miss out in 2020 if it means we can do what we normally do in 2021.\"\n\nThis year, Naomi and dad Roy will spend Christmas apart Image caption: This year, Naomi and dad Roy will spend Christmas apart", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Call the Midwife filmed its Christmas special under coronavirus restrictions\n\nDoctor Who, Call the Midwife and Mrs Brown's Boys are among the shows that will be in this year's Christmas TV schedule, the BBC has revealed.\n\nIt has been \"a real struggle\" to make the usual range of festive shows during Covid, the BBC's Charlotte Moore said.\n\nBut, she added, the stars and crews \"pulled out all the stops\".\n\n\"Some of the big talent and the production teams have rallied together, and we feel it's really important to have a good Christmas.\"\n\nThe Vicar of Dibley will return in three 10-minute lockdown-inspired episodes\n\nThe BBC's Christmas TV line-up includes special episodes The Goes Wrong Show, Ghosts, Not Going Out, King Gary, Motherland and the return of The Vicar of Dibley.\n\nMiranda Hart will host a one-off celebrity game show, and there will be Christmas editions of shows ranging from The Repair Shop and The Great British Sewing Bee to The Hit List, The Wall and Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.\n\nThe Goes Wrong Show will tackle the nativity story\n\nThe vast majority have been filmed under Covid restrictions.\n\n\"Trying to work out what we could actually manage to pull off for Christmas... I can't pretend it's been relaxing or without its challenges,\" said Moore, who is the BBC's chief content officer.\n\nThe Doctor Who Christmas episode was filmed before coronavirus struck.\n\nDoctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks, in which John Barrowman returns as Captain Jack Harkness to help the Doctor battle her age-old enemies, was one of the few to have been filmed before coronavirus struck.\n\nCall the Midwife, another perennial favourite, was among the shows that had to be shot after the first UK lockdown. \"We were so relieved when they sent me a picture of them finishing production,\" Moore said.\n\n\"With some shows it's been easier than others to get talent and everyone together, and with some shows it's taken a lot of effort. But I sensed a real camaraderie to make this happen.\"\n\nThe pandemic interrupted filming for two major drama series, requiring \"herculean efforts\" in the editing room, Moore said.\n\nOne was Black Narcissus, which stars Gemma Arterton as a nun in the Himalayas in the 1930s and Dame Diana Rigg in her final role.\n\nThe other, The Serpent, stars Jenna Coleman in the real-life story of the unsolved murders of young Western travellers in India, Thailand and Nepal in the 1970s. It completed its filming after the first lockdown.\n\nJenna Coleman and Tahar Rahim star in The Serpent\n\nBut some shows proved impossible in the current conditions. The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special will be a compilation of the 25 most memorable dances of all time, rather than the usual dancefloor contest, for example.\n\nLast year's biggest ratings hit was the return of Gavin and Stacey. Moore said a follow-up had never been planned for this Christmas. \"That wasn't something that was going to happen this year,\" she said. \"One day.\"\n\nDanny Dyer will host a celebrity edition of The Wall\n\nOther highlights this year will include:\n\nMoore added: \"It's been a real struggle but I think people have really wanted to make sure these shows could get on air.\"\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "Chancellor Rishi Sunak is unveiling the government's spending plans for the coming year.\n\nThe Spending Review will include details on public sector pay, NHS funding and money for the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.\n\nMr Sunak will also set out the extent of the damage done to the UK economy by the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nA No 10 spokesman said the economic forecasts will be \"a sobering read\".\n\nThe government's Covid response has led to huge spending and borrowing rises.\n\nThe chancellor is expected to begin his statement at around 12:30 GMT following Prime Minister's Questions.\n\nSome Spending Review announcements have already been trailed.\n\nThe government is expected to announce a cut in the UK's overseas aid budget to 0.5% of national income, down from the legally binding target of 0.7%.\n\nLockdown restrictions have forced many businesses to temporarily close\n\nThere have also been reports that the chancellor is considering a pay freeze for all public sector workers except frontline NHS staff.\n\nPlans to change the way big spending projects are analysed - which the Treasury says is currently biased in favour of the south east of England - will be published alongside the Spending Review.\n\nThe chancellor may also choose to set aside money to tackle climate change and regional inequalities.\n\nDevolved governments will receive money proportionate to any funding England gets in the Spending Review.\n\nThis is decided using the Barnett formula - devised by Lord Barnett, a Labour politician, in the 1970s.\n\nMr Sunak and Treasury Chief Secretary Stephen Barclay updated the Cabinet on Wednesday morning.\n\nA Downing Street spokesman said: \"Cabinet was told the OBR forecasts will show the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on our economy and they will make for a sobering read, showing the extent to which the economy has contracted and the scale of borrowing and debt levels.\n\n\"But - as the IMF (International Monetary Fund), OBR and others have pointed out - the costs would have been much higher had we not acted in the way we have done.\"\n\n\"It's going to look horrible.\"\n\nThe simple truth about the Spending Review according to a senior MP.\n\nThe chancellor will bang the drum for his plans to keep people in jobs, or help find new ones.\n\nRishi Sunak will take out the metaphorical megaphone to explain how he'll allocate billions of taxpayers' cash to spend on infrastructure in the coming months.\n\nBut the headlines of the Spending Review, when governments put their money where their mouths are, won't be in any rhetorical flourishes at the despatch box, nor likely in any surprise announcements kept back as goodies for the public.\n\nThe government had intended to use the Spending Review to set out its plans for the next three years, however this was reduced to just one year due to the economic turmoil caused by Covid.\n\nThe difficult financial backdrop will dominate this year's review with the economy projected to be 10% smaller than it was pre-virus.\n\nTax revenues have fallen as many businesses have been forced to close and government schemes to support furloughed workers have led to soaring levels of spending.\n\nPublic borrowing is expected to rise to £372bn - compared to the £55bn the government had originally expected to borrow.\n\nThe Spending Review will be accompanied by economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility - including predictions on how tax will be raised.\n\nLabour's shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said the government's \"irresponsible choices\" during the pandemic had \"led to our country experiencing the worst downturn in the G7, and created a jobs crisis\".\n\n\"This prime minister and his government talk a good game but they haven't delivered on their promises - and regional inequality has got worse under their watch,\" she said.\n\n\"They clapped for key workers - but now they're freezing their pay, and looking to scrap planned minimum wage increases for the private sector.\"\n\nUnions called for Mr Sunak to maintain investment in the public sector, the TUC's deputy general secretary Paul Nowak telling BBC Breakfast \"now is not the time to make cuts to public services\".\n\nAnd the SNP is calling for a huge stimulus package to support growth and jobs across the whole of the UK.\n\n\"The spending has to match the challenges we see in the economy,\" said its economic spokeswoman Alison Thewliss. \"At the moment interest rates are at a record low so the government should be borrowing.\"", "US President Trump has officially pardoned a Thanksgiving turkey, in the annual White House tradition.\n\nTwo birds, Corn and Cob, were chosen to face a public vote to get the pardon. Corn won, but both of them will be spared the dinner table and retire to Iowa State University.\n\nBut the idea can be tracked back to Abraham Lincoln - it's believed his son Tad begged him to spare the bird destined for the family table.", "The government is planning to pass new laws to cut Britain's overseas aid budget, the BBC has learned.\n\nIt has raised fears among MPs that the reduction could be permanent.\n\nThere had been speculation the chancellor was proposing a temporary, one-off cut to help pay down the government's record deficit.\n\nForeign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK is \"a leading, if not one of the leading, countries on aid\" and \"that will continue\".\n\nThe idea behind a temporary cut was to reduce aid spending next year to just 0.5% of national income, down from the legally binding target of 0.7%.\n\nBut the BBC understands that Rishi Sunak's reforms will require new legislation to be passed by Parliament, which MPs believe implies a permanent cut to the aid target or even its abolition.\n\nThe issue is that the 0.7% baseline for Britain's aid budget is enshrined in law by the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act.\n\nThis does allow the government to miss the target in certain circumstances, such as if there is a substantial change in the country's national income.\n\nForeign and Development Secretary Dominic Raab is simply required to lay a report before Parliament explaining why he has missed the target.\n\nBut there is a growing belief at Westminster that this exemption can apply only retrospectively.\n\nThe act places a duty on Mr Raab to ensure the 0.7% target is met. If he misses it, the act requires him to describe what steps he has taken to ensure the target is met the following year.\n\nSome MPs and charities believe these two provisions mean the government cannot declare in advance its intention to miss the target without breaking the law.\n\nTo cut the aid budget without fresh legislation might lay the decision open to judicial review.\n\nMPs also believe that a one-off cut to the aid target - a saving of about £4bn - would hardly touch the sides of the £350bn deficit projected for this year. They say it only makes sense for the Treasury if the cut is permanent.\n\nThey also believe that if the government is going to reduce aid spending and face significant political and international criticism, ministers will be tempted to go the whole hog and scrap the target entirely.\n\nAlmost 200 charities, two former prime ministers, opposition parties, church leaders, ex-heads of the armed forces, global philanthropists have all come out against the cuts.\n\nThe Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to go ahead with cuts, saying that \"helping the world's poorest is one of the great moral and ethical achievements of our country\".\n\nThe risk for the government is that passing new legislation would give critics of the aid cut the chance to oppose and potentially block the changes in Parliament.\n\nAlthough the government has a working majority of more than 80, it has seen a number of rebellions of late. One senior Tory MP said defeating the government on this \"would be entirely doable\".\n\nSuch is the scale of the reforms to the aid target that Mr Raab is expected to make a statement to MPs about it on Thursday.", "US shares hit fresh records on Tuesday with the Dow Jones index closing above 30,000 points for the first time amid hopes of a strong economic recovery and end of political uncertainty.\n\nThe S&P 500 also hit an all-time high as investors bought economically sensitive financial and energy stocks.\n\nTrading was fuelled by positive Covid vaccine news and moves to start the Joe Biden presidential transition.\n\nEurope's main markets also jumped, with London's FTSE 100 closing up 1.5%.\n\nPresident Donald Trump has given the green light for the formal transfer of power to begin following Mr Biden's election victory.\n\nAnd positive news about coronavirus vaccines has boosted hopes that the US and global economies could be on the path to normality next year.\n\nAsian markets followed Wall Street's lead, with Japan's Nikkei up nearly 2% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index 1.4% higher.\n\nIndexes in South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore have all edged higher.\n\n\"The possibility of having a vaccine next year increases the odds that we're going to see demand return in the new year,\" said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.\n\nRoss Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at US-based Baird, said: \"If 2020 has shown us anything it is that stock markets have a tremendous ability to look past bad news if there is sun on the horizon.\"\n\nAnalysts say market sentiment was also helped by news suggesting Mr Biden wants former Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen as his treasury secretary.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Biden: \"It’s a team that reflects the fact that America is back\"\n\nAmong the big Wall Street share movers were plane-maker Boeing, up 3.3%, and oil company Chevron, 5% ahead. Investment banks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase closed up 3.8% and 4.6% respectively.\n\nOther big gainers included Disney, American Express and IBM. A rise in Tesla shares took the electric carmaker's market value above $500bn (£374bn).\n\nAt the close, the Dow Jones was up 1.54% at 30,046.2, while the S&P 500 gained 1.62% to 3,635.4. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index rose 1.3%, to 12,036.7.\n\nOil prices also rose, with US crude up 4.25% to $44.89 a barrel and Brent up 4% at $47.89. The gold price, a favoured asset when investors are fearful, fell 1.6% to $1,806 an ounce.\n\nBut the bullish sentiment comes despite US coronavirus cases surging and millions of Americans still unemployed, and some analysts fear shares are due a reality check.\n\nRising Covid-19 cases and delayed economic stimulus measures are red flags, said James McDonald, chief executive of Hercules Investments.\n\nBut it is not just in the US where shares are surging. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.91%, while the MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe gained 1.44%, putting it on track to close at a record high.", "Students in England will be urged to take two Covid tests three days apart, to cut the risk of spreading infection when they travel home for Christmas.\n\nThese are lateral flow tests with rapid results - with those testing negative expected to leave university within the following 24 hours, according to the latest guidelines seen by the BBC.\n\nThe pre-Christmas testing will start in many universities early next week.\n\nBut testing will remain voluntary - and not all universities will offer tests.\n\nThe National Union of Students said there should be capacity for all students who wanted a test to get one before Christmas.\n\nMore than a million students in England will leave their university addresses to spend the Christmas holidays in another part of the country - and plans for testing are intended to stop this migration from spreading coronavirus.\n\nIt is understood that most universities, but not all, are taking part in the government's plans for the mass testing of students using lateral flow tests, starting on 30 November.\n\nStudents will be encouraged to take two tests\n\nDurham University, which has piloted testing, says about 2,000 students have already booked tests ahead of the Christmas departures.\n\nThe government guidelines recommend a double test to increase accuracy, three days apart, in the form of swab tests administered by the students themselves, at centres being set up by universities.\n\nThe results will be sent by text or email - with students who are not infected expected to leave their term-time accommodation \"immediately\", which is defined as within 24 hours of the second negative test.\n\nGetting students to leave soon after they get results is intended to cut the risk of infections post-testing.\n\n\"The closer to your travel time the better,\" says Professor Jacqui Ramagge, who is leading on testing for Durham University. And at her university, the two tests will be seven days apart rather than three.\n\nMinisters are urging students to take Covid tests before travelling, as a way of protecting their families, but it is not compulsory and not all universities will offer the testing.\n\nThose who do not take tests, or only have one test, will still be able to leave at the same time - with an encouragement to \"travel home as safely as possible\" during the \"travel window\" of 3 to 9 December, which the government has identified as when it expects most students to leave university for Christmas.\n\nThis will be after the current lockdown ends on 2 December, and ahead of universities switching to online teaching for the end of term.\n\nStudents who test positive will be directed towards taking another type of test - a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to confirm whether they are infected - and will have to stay and self-isolate while waiting for the result.\n\nBut those who test positive from this PCR test will be required to stay in their term-time accommodation for 10 days of self-isolation - which should still leave enough time to get back before Christmas.\n\nThe \"window\" for students to travel home begins from 3 December\n\nTeesside University is among those opening testing centres from 30 November - and is encouraging students to book for two lateral flow tests at its Middlesbrough campus.\n\nPro Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Simpson said it would provide a \"quick and easy testing option to our students and enable them to make an informed decision about returning home for the upcoming Christmas break\".\n\nHe said it would help to address the \"considerable anxiety and a need for reassurance\" about the safety of travel ahead of the end of term.\n\nUniversities Minister Michelle Donelan said: \"Testing will offer further assurances that students can keep their families safe this winter, and I urge all students who can to take the tests on offer.\"", "Up to three households will be able to meet up during a five-day Christmas period of 23 to 27 December, leaders of the four UK nations have agreed.\n\nPeople can mix in homes, places of worship and outdoor spaces, and travel restrictions will also be eased.\n\nBut a formed \"Christmas bubble\" must be \"exclusive\" and would not be able to visit pubs or restaurants together.\n\nThe leaders urged people to \"think carefully about what they do\" to keep the risk of increased transmission low.\n\nThey added 2020 \"cannot be a normal Christmas\" but family and friends will be able to see each other in a \"limited and cautious\" way.\n\nHowever, some scientists have warned that the relaxation of Covid restrictions over the festive period could spark another wave of infections and further deaths.\n\nThe measures will see travel restrictions across the four nations, and between tiers and levels, lifted to allow people to visit families in other parts of the UK.\n\nAnyone travelling to or from Northern Ireland may travel on the 22 and 28 December, but otherwise travel to and from bubbles should be done between the 23 and 27.\n\nPeople will not be able to get together with others from more than two other households, and once a bubble is formed, it must not be changed or be extended further.\n\nThe guidance says a bubble of three households would be able to stay overnight at each other's home but would not be able to visit hospitality, theatres or retail settings.\n\nHowever, existing local restrictions will still be in place mean many pubs and restaurants - such as those in England's tier three or Scotland's level four - will remain closed during the festive period.\n\nThe leaders of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland reached the agreement at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon.\n\nIn a joint statement, they said: \"Even where it is within the rules, meeting with friends and family over Christmas will be a personal judgement for individuals to take, mindful of the risks to themselves and others, particularly those who are vulnerable.\n\n\"Before deciding to come together over the festive period we urge the consideration of alternative approaches such as the use of technology or meeting outside.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. People in Cardiff share their views on the relaxation of Covid-19 rules over Christmas\n\nPublished guidance for England gives further details of the rules for 23 to 27 December:\n\nScientists say a typical Christmas gathering at home is the type of environment where infections can spread.\n\nThe guidance also advises people to take precautions when meeting their Christmas bubble such as washing hands frequently and opening windows to clear potential virus particles.\n\nIn a video message from Downing Street, the prime minister described the agreement as a \"special, time-limited dispensation\", saying: \"This year means Christmas will be different.\"\n\nBoris Johnson said people must make a \"personal judgment\" about the risk of who they form a bubble with or if they visit elderly relatives., adding: \"Many of us are longing to spend time with family and friends... And yet we can't afford to throw caution to the wind.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"All the governments agreed\" on the five-day plan for Christmas in the UK, says Michael Gove\n\nWales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said it was \"not an instruction to travel, it's not an instruction to meet with other people. People should still use a sense of responsibility\".\n\nScotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon added: \"The virus is not going to be taking Christmas off, so although we want to give a little bit of flexibility for Christmas we are still urging people to be very cautious and to use this flexibility responsibly and only if you think it is necessary.\"\n\nNorthern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster said she hoped people would have space to plan, adding: \"We of course recognise how important Christmas time is for so many people.\"\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill urged people to \"be responsible\", saying while they wanted to mark Christmas after such a \"desperate\" year the relaxations would increase opportunities for the virus to spread.\n\nShe added it was hoped that an alignment with rules in the Irish Republic could be achieved.\n\nWhat to do about Christmas divides opinion.\n\nIncreased mixing indoors will certainly mean there is greater transmission of the virus.\n\nBut, as chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty said on Monday, there is a balance to be struck between the harm the virus can cause and the societal and economic impacts of trying to control it.\n\nBy that he means adhering to the restrictions in the lead-up to Christmas, being responsible with the opportunity the relaxation gives people, and then immediately switching back to compliance.\n\nIf that happens, any impact could be minimised - and, of course, it will be up to individuals to decide just how much they mix within the rules.\n\nThese are very fine judgement calls by ministers.\n\nThey hope Christmas will provide respite and help steel the public for what is clearly going to be a long, hard winter.\n\nThey also feel they have little choice, believing large numbers of people would ignore pleas not to mix - and this way they can provide advice on how to enjoy Christmas as safely as possible.\n\nBut there is also the risk by sanctioning it there will be more mixing than there would have otherwise been.\n\nTransport Secretary Grant Shapps earlier said Christmas travellers should plan journeys carefully and prepare for restrictions on passenger numbers to allow for social distancing.\n\nMeanwhile, the government has recorded another 608 UK deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test. There have also been a further 11,299 cases of people testing positive for coronavirus.\n\nGyms and non-essential shops in all parts of England will be allowed to reopen from 2 December under a strengthened three-tiered system.\n\nAreas will not find out which tier they are in until Thursday - and the decision will be based on a number of factors including case numbers, the reproduction rate - or R number - and pressure on local NHS services.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How you and your family can celebrate Christmas and minimise the spread of coronavirus\n\nProf Andrew Hayward, director of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, and a member of the government's Sage committee, told BBC Newsnight that allowing families to meet up over Christmas amounted to \"throwing fuel on the Covid fire\".\n\nHe said it would \"definitely lead to increase[d] transmission and likely lead to third wave of infections with hospitals being overrun, and more unnecessary deaths.\"\n\nProf Hayward said while you cannot ban Christmas, he called for clearer messaging to families about the \"dangers\" of socialising and inter-generational mixing.\n\nAnd Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, suggested the relaxation of restrictions at Christmas will \"almost inevitably\" lead to an increase in transmission.\n\nBut he said: \"Providing that the new tier system is better managed than in October, any increase in cases could be relatively short-lived.\n\n\"After Christmas we will still have to live through a few more months of restrictions at least.\"\n\nJillian Evans, the director of health intelligence at NHS Grampian, said the easing of restrictions over Christmas would cost lives.\n\n\"We've got winter weather, we know that people are more susceptible to infection over the colder period, and we've got a festive period where people will be socialising,\" she said.\n\n\"Those are facts, and I would rather be honest and tell you that those are the facts, and be truthful about it so people can understand the risks that they're taking.\"\n\nKate Nicholls, chief executive of the UKHospitality lobby group, said there was \"muddled thinking\" over the Christmas rules and they would cause the sector more economic harm.\n\nShe said: \"Hospitality venues should be considered part of the solution for providing people a well-deserved safe and enjoyable Christmas, especially given that allowing multiple households to mix in the confines of private homes presents an exponentially greater risk.\"", "Britons should stop \"soldiering on\" by going to work when sick and making others ill, the health secretary says.\n\nMatt Hancock said people in the UK were \"peculiarly unusual and outliers\" for still going to work when unwell.\n\nHe made the comments in a joint session of the Health and Social Care and the Science and Technology committees.\n\nHe also told MPs he would like to see the diagnostic capacity built for Covid used to test for other illnesses like flu once the pandemic had passed.\n\nThe UK now has the capacity to carry out over 500,000 tests a day, with new labs to be opened next year to double that number.\n\nHe said he wanted to see the \"global-scale diagnostics capability\" continued to be used.\n\n\"Afterwards we must use it, not just for coronavirus, but everything,\" he told MPs.\n\n\"I want to have a change in the British way of doing things where 'if in doubt, get a test' doesn't just refer to coronavirus but refers to any illness that you might have.\n\n\"Why in Britain do we think it's acceptable to soldier on and go into work if you have flu symptoms or a runny nose, thus making your colleagues ill?\n\n\"I think that's something that is going to have to change.\n\n\"If you have, in future, flu-like symptoms, you should get a test for it and find out what's wrong with you, and if you need to stay at home to protect others, then you should stay at home.\n\n\"We are peculiarly unusual and outliers in soldiering on and still going to work, and it kind of being the culture that 'as long as you can get out of bed you still should get into work'. That should change.\n\n\"This year there's been far fewer respiratory and other communicable diseases turning up in the NHS.\n\n\"I want this massive diagnostics capacity to be core to how we treat people in the NHS so that we help people to stay healthy in the first place, rather than just looking after them when they're ill.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"People will be able to leave their home for any purpose,\" says Prime Minister Boris Johnson\n\nGyms and non-essential shops in all parts of England will be allowed to reopen when lockdown ends next month, the prime minister has announced.\n\nBoris Johnson told the Commons that the three-tiered regional measures will return from 2 December, but he added that each tier will be toughened.\n\nSpectators will be allowed to return to some sporting events, and weddings and collective worship will resume.\n\nRegions will not find out which tier they are in until Thursday.\n\nThe allocation of tiers will be dependent on a number of factors, including each area's case numbers, the reproduction rate - or R number - and the current and projected pressure on the NHS locally.\n\nTier allocations will be reviewed every 14 days, and the regional approach will last until March.\n\nThe PM, who is self-isolating after meeting an MP who later tested positive for coronavirus, told MPs via video link he expected \"more regions will fall - at least temporarily - into higher levels than before\".\n\nHe said he was \"very sorry\" for the \"hardship\" that such restrictions would cause business owners.\n\nSpeaking later at a Downing Street briefing, Mr Johnson added that \"things will look and feel very different\" after Easter, with a vaccine and mass testing.\n\nHe warned the months ahead \"will be hard, they will be cold\" - but added that with a \"favourable wind\" the majority of people most in need of a vaccination might be able to get one by Easter.\n\nUntil then, the PM said, there would be a three-pronged approach of \"tough tiering, mass community testing, and [the] roll-out of vaccines\".\n\nDescribing how the tiers had become tougher, the PM said:\n\nWhere pubs and restaurants are allowed to open, last orders will now be at 10pm, with drinkers allowed a further hour to finish their drinks.\n\nIndoor performances - such as those at the theatre - will also return in the lower two tiers, although with reduced capacity.\n\nIn terms of households mixing, in tier one a maximum of six people can meet indoors or outdoors; in tier two, there is no mixing of households indoors, and a maximum of six people can meet outdoors; and in tier three - the toughest tier - household mixing is not allowed indoors, or in most outdoor places.\n\nIn all tiers, exceptions apply for support bubbles. From 2 December, parents with babies under the age of one can form a support bubble with another household.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Laura Foster explains the new three tier system for England\n\nMr Johnson said the tiers would now be a uniform set of rules, with no negotiations on additional measures for any particular region.\n\nMeasures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland continue to be decided by the devolved administrations, but a joint approach to Christmas, involving all four nations, will be set out later in the week.\n\nThe prime minister said: \"I can't say that Christmas will be normal this year, but in a period of adversity time spent with loved ones is even more precious for people of all faiths and none.\n\n\"We all want some kind of Christmas; we need it; we certainly feel we deserve it.\n\n\"But this virus obviously is not going to grant a Christmas truce… and families will need to make a careful judgement about the risks of visiting elderly relatives.\"\n\nFor the third week running we have had some positive vaccine news, but the announcement about the toughened tiers is a reminder, if we needed any, that the next few months will be tough.\n\nMinisters and advisers have been hinting for the past week that the tiers will be toughened - and that is exactly what has happened.\n\nAttention will now naturally turn to which areas will be in which tiers.\n\nDeciding that is a complex equation that will take into account whether the cases are going up or down, the percentage of tests that are positive, hospital pressures and infection rates among older age groups.\n\nTo give a flavour of how complex this is places in the North West and Yorkshire have some of the highest rates but they are falling the fastest.\n\nLondon and the South East have lower rates and more hospital capacity but cases are going up.\n\nFine judgements will have to be made. We will find out on Thursday.\n\nMr Johnson also announced changes to sport for both spectators and participants.\n\nWhile elite sport has continued behind closed doors during the lockdown, grassroots and amateur sport has been halted since 5 November.\n\nFrom 2 December, outdoor sports can resume, while spectators will be allowed to return in limited numbers. Some organised indoor sports can also resume.\n\nIn the lowest risk areas, a maximum of 50% occupancy of a stadium, or 4,000 fans - whichever is smaller - will be allowed to return. In tier two, that drops to 2,000 fans or 50% capacity, whichever is smaller.\n\nIn tier three, fans will continue to be barred from grounds.\n\nIn tiers one and two, business events can also resume inside and outside with tight capacity limits and social distancing, as can indoor performances in theatres and concert halls, the government's plan says.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"This is the red-hot question\": Kier Starmer asks the PM which tiers each local area will be in\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the government's return to the regional system as \"risky... because the previous three-tier system didn't work\".\n\nHe added that decisions on which areas will belong to each tier must be taken without delay - \"I just can't emphasise how important it is that these decisions are taken very quickly and very clearly so everybody can plan.\n\n\"That is obviously particularly important for the millions who were in restrictions before the national lockdown, because the message to them today seems to be 'you will almost certainly be back where you were before the national lockdown - probably in even stricter restrictions'.\"\n\nHelen Dickinson, of the British Retail Consortium, said shops would be \"relieved\" at the decision to allow them to reopen.\n\n\"Sage data has always highlighted that retail is a safe environment, and firms have spent hundreds of millions on safety measures including Perspex screens, additional cleaning, and social distancing and will continue to follow all safety guidance,\" she said.\n\nBut the UK hospitality industry warned the new rules \"are killing Christmas and beyond\" and said pubs, restaurants and hotels faced going bust.\n\nMeanwhile, a further 15,450 positive coronavirus cases were recorded across the UK on Monday. There have also been a further 206 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. Figures can be lower on a Monday, due to a lag in reporting.\n\nEarlier, it was announced that daily coronavirus tests will be offered to close contacts of people who have tested positive in England, as a way to reduce the current 14-day quarantine period.\n\nMr Johnson said people will be offered tests every day for a week - and they will not need to isolate unless they test positive.\n\nHe also said rapid tests will allow every care home resident to have up to two visitors tested twice a week.", "Labour's chief whip has asked ex-party leader Jeremy Corbyn to \"unequivocally\" apologise for saying the scale of anti-Semitism in the party had been \"overstated for political reasons\".\n\nMr Corbyn was suspended from the party following his comments but later readmitted as a member after saying he regretted any \"pain\" caused.\n\nBut, Sir Keir Starmer blocked Mr Corbyn from returning as a Labour MP.\n\nThe Labour leader said he would keep the decision under review.\n\nThe row between the former and current leader was triggered when the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published a report, saying Labour had broken the law over its handling of anti-Jewish racism complaints by party members .\n\nIn a letter to his former boss, Nick Brown, Labour's chief whip, said Mr Corbyn's response to the report caused \"distress and pain\" to the Jewish community.\n\nThe chief whip is responsible for organising a party's MPs in Parliament so they vote the way the party wants them to, and can discipline any who do not follow the party line.\n\nMr Brown asked the Islington North MP to \"unequivocally, unambiguously and without reservation apologise for your comments\".\n\nHe also sought confirmation that Mr Corbyn would remove or edit his response on Facebook - and that he would cooperate fully with the party's efforts to implement the EHRC's recommendations.\n\nThe tone of Nick Brown's letter suggests that without making an unequivocal apology, Mr Corbyn is unlikely to have the Labour whip restored.\n\nBut allies of Mr Corbyn have accused the current Labour leader of acting in bad faith.\n\nThey claim an agreement was reached with party officials and members of Sir Keir's staff that would have seen Mr Corbyn readmitted without an apology.\n\nThey now fear his suspension could be indefinite, and that the dispute between a former and current leader will end up in the courts.\n\nLabour sources deny that any such deal was reached.\n\nFollowing publication of the EHRC report in October Mr Corbyn said he was \"always determined to eliminate all forms of racism\" and insisted his team had \"acted to speed up\" the complaints process.\n\nHe also said the scale of anti-Semitism within Labour had been \"dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party\".\n\nHis comments prompted the party to suspend its former leader.\n\nThree weeks later Mr Corbyn sought to clarify his words saying: \"To be clear, concerns about anti-Semitism are neither 'exaggerated' nor 'overstated'.\n\n\"The point I wished to make was that the vast majority of Labour Party members were and remain committed anti-racists deeply opposed to anti-Semitism.\"\n\nHe was subsequently readmitted to the party as a member; however Sir Keir did not allow him back into the Parliamentary Labour Party - a decision Mr Corbyn's lawyers have challenged.", "The salon has opened at least twice over the November lockdown\n\nA hair salon owner is facing £17,000 in fines for repeatedly opening in breach of Covid-19 lockdown rules.\n\nSinead Quinn was working at Quinn Blakey Hairdressers in Oakenshaw, Bradford, on Saturday when Kirklees Council officers issued a £4,000 fine.\n\nThe council found the salon open again on Monday and issued a further £10,000 fine. It already had £1,000 and £2,000 fines for previous breaches.\n\nMs Quinn said on Instagram she did not consent to or accept the fines.\n\nThe salon owner posted videos on the social networking site which show her talking to council officials and police, saying she had not broken any laws.\n\nOn the video, she is heard saying: \"I don't consent to any fines, so it will just be returned to sender.\"\n\nA similar sign to the one on the salon door, which references Magna Carta\n\nShe had also displayed a poster on the salon door which refers to Magna Carta, and says the shop is \"under the jurisdiction of common law\".\n\nEngland is currently in a national lockdown with strict rules which say non-essential shops, including hairdressers, must close.\n\nA council spokesman confirmed the fines, saying it had found the business to be \"open and trading\".\n\nThe first was on 9 November, when a prohibition notice to close was served and £1,000 fine issued, and the second on 12 November, when a £2,000 fine was imposed.\n\nThe council said in a statement: \"We completely understand how tough it has been, and continues to be, for local businesses throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\n\"We will do all we can to support them through what has been a devastating period, but it is absolutely crucial for people's safety that we all follow the latest Covid-19 rules and guidance.\"\n\nIt added Kirklees had the fifth highest rate in the country, with 135 hospital admissions last week and 25 people dying with coronavirus.\n\nThe council said it was now \"in the process of exploring alternative action\".\n\nWest Yorkshire Police said it was a matter for the council.\n\nCorrection 27 November 2020: In an earlier version of this report we said the salon had been fined £27,000 based on information from Kirklees Council which was later corrected.\n\nThe council said Quinn Blakey had been found to be open on Tuesday 24 November, but it later transpired there were no clients in the salon, so a £10,000 fine was not issued on that occasion.\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The Xbox Series X and Series S consoles were released to the public on Tuesday\n\nThe UK's leading internet providers have experienced record broadband use as a result of new Xbox consoles and fresh releases to the Call of Duty games franchise.\n\nBT, Virgin Media, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, City Fibre and Zen Internet said they had all coped with the spike in demand on Tuesday.\n\nMuch of the activity was generated by video gamers downloading large files.\n\nSome people will have experienced slower speeds as a consequence.\n\nThe internet service providers will be tested again on 19 November when the PlayStation 5 comes to the UK.\n\nFactors that may have fed in to Tuesday's figures include:\n\nCall of Duty downloads have been linked to previous record days for the UK's internet providers\n\nBT said broadband traffic peaked at 18 terabits per second (Tbps) - equivalent to delivering about 1,510 hours of high-definition video every second.\n\nThat compared with the previous record of 17.5Tbps it reported on an evening when it had experienced high demand for both streaming football and video games.\n\n\"This is comfortably within the network's capacity,\" said a spokeswoman.\n\nVirgin Media said 108 petabytes of data were consumed via its network - 1PB is equivalent to one billion megabytes (MB) or one million gigabytes (GB).\n\nIt said this was 30% higher than its average figure last month. Its previous busiest day was in June, when Call of Duty: Warzone's Season 4 launched.\n\n\"Keeping the country connected throughout the Covid-19 pandemic remains a top priority, and we anticipate another busy weekend with the streaming of the Autumn Nations Cup,\" said Jeanie York the firm's chief technology and information officer.\n\nTalkTalk said its network traffic spiked at 6.8Tbps.\n\n\"It appears that our appetite for data is showing no signs of slowing down during this second lockdown,\" commented Gary Steen, managing director of technology at the firm.\n\nAssassin's Creed Valhalla - like many other games - comes with a day one patch to allow developers to provide additional fixes to the version burned to disc\n\nZen Internet said its equivalent figure was 11.6% higher than its previous peak, which occurred in October.\n\n\"We're looking forward to the PlayStation launch next week - although we cannot accurately predict it, we anticipate the traffic on our network to be higher again,\" said chief executive Paul Stobart.\n\nCity Fibre said Tuesday had been a record day for it too, but added that Wednesday had been even busier as gamers and others continued their downloads.\n\n\"We are now having almost daily reminders about the nation's increased reliance on connectivity,\" said a spokesman.\n\n\"Whether that's people playing online with next generation consoles, streaming content, or working from home, demand for capacity is sky-rocketing.\"\n\nVodafone said Tuesday's peak had been 8% higher than its previous record, which was the Champions League final on 23 August.\n\nThe PlayStation 5 has already launched in some parts of the world, but does not come to the UK until next week\n\nSky said it observed a traffic surge of 16.6Tbps at its highest peak, setting a new record for its network. Its usual usage peak for a Tuesday is about 14Tbps.\n\nThe BBC also asked KCom and the Post Office to share their figures.\n\nOpenreach - which provides the network infrastructure to many of the UK's internet service providers - said its traffic had been high but not quite record-breaking.\n\nIt told the BBC that 174PB of data was consumed on Tuesday versus a figure of 193PB on 5 August, which was when season five of Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare went live.\n\n\"This far exceeds what we'd consider a normal Tuesday,\" added Colin Lees, chief technology innovation officer at Openreach.\n\n\"We're also expecting to see another jump in traffic with the upcoming release of the PS5.\"", "An extremely rare purple-pink Russian diamond has sold at auction in Switzerland for $26.6m (£20.1m).\n\nThe 14.8-carat diamond, dubbed \"The Spirit of the Rose,\" is the largest of its kind to be auctioned, as 99% of all pink diamonds are under 10 carats.\n\nIts size, along with its colour and flawless internal structure, helped to attract the high price at Sotheby's in Geneva.\n\nThe name of the winning bidder has not been publicly disclosed.\n\nIt was one of three stones in a collection by Russian mining company Alrosa - all named after famous Russian ballets.\n\nThe Spirit of the Rose was cut from a rough diamond discovered in Russia in 2017.\n\nThe rough diamond was called Nijinsky, in honour of the Russian-Polish ballet dancer and choreographer.\n\nThe current price record for a pink diamond is held by CTF Pink Star. The 59-carat stone sold at auction for $71m (£57m) at Sotheby's in Hong Kong in April 2017.\n\nMay 2016: A large diamond known as the Oppenheimer Blue set a new auction record, reaching a price of $50.6m (£34.7m at the exchange rate of the time). The 14.62-carat gem was sold after 20 minutes of phone bidding at Christie's auction house in Geneva. The buyer's identity is unknown.\n\nNovember 2015: The Blue Moon, a 12.03-carat ring-mounted blue diamond, caught the eye of Hong Kong tycoon Joseph Lau, who paid a record $48.4m (£31.7m) for the cushion-shaped stone. He bought it for his seven-year-old daughter, renaming it the \"Blue Moon of Josephine\" after her.\n\nMay 2015: An unnamed buyer made history after purchasing the Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59-carat \"pigeon blood\" coloured gemstone, for $30m (£19.1m). At that price, it became the world's most expensive precious stone other than a diamond.\n\nNovember 2013: The \"largest vivid orange diamond in the world\", according to Christie's, attracted the highest price paid per carat for any diamond at auction, selling for $35m (£22m), or $2.4m (£1.5m) per carat.\n\nNovember 2010: The Graff Pink, a 24.78-carat \"fancy intense pink\" stone described as \"one of the greatest diamonds ever discovered\", auctioned for $46.2m (£29m). At the time it was believed to be the most expensive gemstone bought at auction and was sold to the well-known British dealer Laurence Graff.", "Dominic Cummings was never going to go quietly after being forced out of Downing Street at the end of last year.\n\nBut the number, and seriousness, of his claims about what went on at the heart of government, as ministers battled to get on top of the coronavirus crisis, are unprecedented in modern times.\n\nRarely has a former adviser made so many potentially damaging revelations about a sitting prime minister.\n\nHis critics say Mr Cummings is motivated by revenge against Boris Johnson, and will not rest until the PM has been removed from No 10.\n\nMr Cummings insists he is driven by a desire to make what he views as a broken and chaotic government machine work better in future.\n\nHe left his Downing Street role following an internal power struggle, amid claims the PM's then-fiancee had blocked the promotion of one of his allies, Lee Cain, after months of internal warfare.\n\nIn his final year at Downing Street, Mr Cummings had a £40,000 pay rise, taking his salary to between £140,000 and £144,999.\n\nThere was speculation that the 49-year-old would seek a post-politics career as the first head of Aria, the UK's new \"high risk\" science agency, which had been one of his pet projects.\n\nBut he appears to have a different career path in mind.\n\nIn February, he started a technology consultancy firm, Siwah Ltd. He is the sole director of the firm, according to Companies House, and it is registered at an address in his native Durham, in north-east England. This would appear to be a successor to Dynamic Maps, his previous tech consultancy.\n\nBut in recent months, most of his time appears to have been taken up with spilling the beans on his time in government.\n\nThe BBC did not pay Mr Cummings for his exclusive interview with political editor Laura Kuenssberg.\n\nAnd he has not yet taken the time-honoured route of selling his story to a newspaper, or signing a book deal.\n\nBut he has found a way of generating income through online platform Substack, where he has launched a newsletter.\n\nHe plans to give out information on the coronavirus pandemic and his time in Downing Street for free, but \"more recondite stuff on the media, Westminster, 'inside No 10', how did we get Brexit done in 2019, the 2019 election etc\" will only be available to subscribers who pay £10 a month.\n\nHe is also offering his marketing and election campaigning expertise, for fees that \"slide from zero to lots depending on who you are / your project\".\n\nThis new venture has incurred the wrath of Whitehall watchdog Lord Pickles, who chairs the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which vets jobs taken by former ministers and top officials.\n\nIn a letter to Cabinet Office Minister Micheal Gove, he says Mr Cummings has sought advice on working as a consultant.\n\nBut he adds: \"It appears that Mr Cummings is offering various services for payment via a blog hosted on Substack, the blog for which he is also receiving subscription payments.\n\n\"Mr Cummings has failed to seek the committee's advice on this commercial undertaking, nor has the committee received the courtesy of a reply to our letter requesting an explanation.\n\n\"Failure to seek and await advice before taking up work is a breach of the government's rules.\"\n\nThere are few repercussions for failing to consult Acoba, however.\n\nLittle was heard from Mr Cummings for several months after his departure from Downing Street - but that all changed in April.\n\nAfter being named in media reports as the source of government leaks, he launched a scathing attack on Mr Johnson via a 1,000-word blog post in April.\n\nAs well as denying he was behind the leaks, he went on to make a series of accusations against the PM and questioned his \"competence and integrity\".\n\nThe following month, Mr Cummings expanded on his criticisms at a seven-hour select committee appearance, declaring Boris Johnson \"unfit for the job\", and claiming he had ignored scientific advice and wrongly delayed lockdowns.\n\nHe also turned his fire on then-health secretary Matt Hancock, who he said should have been fired for lying.\n\nThis sparked a bitter war of words with Mr Hancock, who flatly denied all of Mr Cummings's allegations.\n\nIt thrust Mr Cummings back into the spotlight for the first time since his now infamous visit to County Durham, four days after the start of the first national lockdown, in March last year.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nWhile staying with his family at his father's farm, he made a 30-mile road journey to Barnard Castle, which he later said had been to test his eyesight before the 260-mile drive back to London.\n\nThis revelation - at a specially-convened press conference in the Downing Street garden - made Mr Cummings a household name and led to furious allegations of double standards at a time when the government had banned all but essential long-distance travel.\n\nIn an interview with BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Cummings said that, during the Barnard Castle trip, he had been trying to work out \"Do I feel OK driving?\"\n\nHe also said he had decided to move his family to County Durham before his wife fell ill with suspected Covid because of security concerns over his home in London.\n\nAsked why he had given a story that was \"not the 100% truth\" when he held a special press conference in the Downing Street rose garden on 25 May, Mr Cummings admitted that \"the way we handled the whole thing was wrong\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Cummings says he drove to Barnard Castle to test vision\n\nBoris Johnson stood by his adviser throughout the Barnard Castle episode - to the consternation of some of his supporters, who feared it was undermining his attempts to hold the country together during a national crisis.\n\nSome said the episode burned through the political capital the prime minister had generated months earlier during the 2019 general election.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson defends his senior adviser Dominic Cummings in May 2020\n\nBut it is hard to overstate how important Mr Cummings was to the Johnson project.\n\nThe two are very different characters - Mr Johnson likes to be popular, Mr Cummings appears indifferent to such concerns - but they formed a strong bond in the white heat of the 2016 Vote Leave campaign to get Britain out of the EU, which Mr Cummings led as campaign director.\n\nThe combination of Mr Johnson, the flamboyant household-name frontman, with Mr Cummings, the ruthless, data-driven strategist, with a flair for an eye-catching slogan, proved to be unbeatable.\n\nMr Cummings was credited with formulating the \"take back control\" slogan that appears to have struck a chord with so many referendum voters, changing the course of British history.\n\nYet some were surprised when Mr Cummings was brought into the heart of government as Mr Johnson's chief adviser, given his past record of rubbing senior Tory politicians up the wrong way.\n\nIt proved to be a shrewd move. It was Mr Cummings who devised the high-risk strategy of pushing for the 2019 election to be fought on a \"Get Brexit Done\" ticket, focusing on winning seats in Labour heartlands, something no previous Tory leader had managed to do in decades.\n\nMany of the policy ideas that have shaped the Johnson government's agenda have his fingerprints all over them.\n\n\"Levelling up\" - moving power and money out of London and the South East of England - is a Cummings project, as are plans to shake-up the civil service, take on the judiciary and reform the planning system.\n\nThe team that surrounded Mr Cummings at Downing Street, some of whom are Vote Leave veterans, were fiercely loyal to him and shared a sense that they were outsiders in Whitehall, battling an entrenched \"elite\".\n\nLee Cain, the former Downing Street and Vote Leave communications chief, left No 10 just before Mr Cummings did.\n\nMr Cummings watches the PM in action at a coronavirus briefing\n\nThere had been rumours of a rift between the Vote Leave veterans and other No 10 aides, who didn't like Mr Cummings's and Mr Cain's abrasive style.\n\nThere were tales of crackdowns on special advisers suspected of leaking to the media and angry, dismissive behaviour towards Tory MPs, civil servants and even secretaries of state.\n\nNone of this will have come as much of a surprise to veteran Cummings watchers.\n\nMr Cummings has been in and around the upper reaches of government and the Conservative Party for nearly two decades, and has made a career out of defying conventional wisdom and challenging the established order.\n\nBut he has never been a member of the Conservative Party, or any party, and appears to have little time for most MPs.\n\nA longstanding Eurosceptic who cut his campaigning teeth as a director of the anti-euro Business for Sterling group, Mr Cummings's other passion is changing the way government operates.\n\nHe grabbed headlines when he posted an advert on his personal blog for \"weirdos and misfits with odd skills\" to work in government, arguing that the civil service lacked \"deep expertise\" in many policy areas.\n\nThe Vote Leave bus was one of its most notable campaign tactics\n\nMr Cummings is a native of Durham, in the North East of England. His father, Robert, was an oil rig engineer and his mother, Morag, a teacher and behavioural specialist.\n\nHe went to a state primary school and was then privately educated at Durham School. He graduated from Oxford University with a first-class degree in modern history and spent some time in Russia, where he was involved with an ill-fated attempt to launch an airline, among other projects.\n\nHe is married to Spectator journalist Mary Wakefield, the daughter of aristocrat Sir Humphry Wakefield, whose family seat is Chillingam Castle, in Northumberland.\n\nAfter a stint as campaign director for Business for Sterling, Mr Cummings spent eight months as chief strategy adviser to then Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, who fired him.\n\nHe played a key role in the 2004 campaign against an elected regional assembly in his native North East.\n\nIn what turned out to be a dry run for the Brexit campaign, the North East Says No team won the referendum with a mix of eye-catching stunts - including an inflatable white elephant - and snappy slogans that tapped into the growing anti-politics mood among the public.\n\nHe is then said to have retreated to his father's farm, in County Durham, where he spent his time reading science and history books in an effort to attain a better understanding of the world.\n\nMr Cummings facing questions from the media outside his home\n\nHe re-emerged in 2007 as a special adviser to Michael Gove, who became education secretary in 2010 and turned out to be something of a kindred spirit.\n\nThe pair would rail against what they called \"the blob\" - the informal alliance of senior civil servants and teachers' unions that sought, in their opinion, to frustrate their attempts at reform.\n\nHe left of his own accord to set up a free school, having alienated a number of senior people in the education ministry and the Conservative Party.\n\nHe once described former Brexit Secretary David Davis as \"thick as mince\" and as \"lazy as a toad\" and irritated David Cameron, the then prime minister, who called him a \"career psychopath\".\n\nBenedict Cumberbatch was widely praised for his portrayal of Dominic Cummings in Brexit: The Uncivil War\n\nHis appointment as head of the Vote Leave campaign - dramatised in Channel 4 drama Brexit: The Uncivil War - was seen as a risk worth taking by those putting the campaign together but he left a controversial legacy.\n\nVote Leave was found to have broken electoral law over spending limits by the Electoral Commission and Mr Cummings was held in contempt of Parliament for failing to respond to a summons to appear before and give evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.\n\nLike most advisers, he shunned media interviews when he was in government, and his rare appearances before MPs were characterised by animosity on both sides.\n\nAll that has changed in recent weeks, but it would be a brave person who said he had now joined the ranks of the former Westminster insiders who make their living as pundits - a class he appears to view with as much disdain as he does his former colleagues in government.", "The train came off the tracks as it passed through platform one at Sheffield station\n\nThe derailment of a freight train as it passed through a station is likely to cause disruption for several days, officials say.\n\nThe 34-wagon cement-carrying train derailed at low speed at Sheffield station, at 02:45 GMT on Wednesday. No-one was injured.\n\nBut \"significant damage\" was caused and the train will need to be removed by crane, Network Rail said.\n\nIt said repair work would cause disruption \"over the coming days\".\n\nA number of the wagons came off the tracks while passing though platform one on route from Hope, Derbyshire, to Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.\n\nThe arrival of the cranes will require a partial road closure of the A61 Sheaf Street, which runs in front of the station.\n\nThe train was travelling from Hope to Dewsbury when it derailed\n\nAn investigation into the derailment has been launched by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).\n\nNetwork Rail route director Matt Rice, said: \"This is a significant incident, so it's only right that we take time to find out all of the facts and understand what has caused this.\n\n\"Once it is safe to do so, we will start work to remove the train, better assess the extent of the damage and make a plan for repairs.\n\n\"This process is taking some time and we are sorry for the disruption which this is causing. There will still be service changes tomorrow and over the coming days.\n\n\"We urge anyone planning to travel to, from or via Sheffield, to check before travelling.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by EMR This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nNorthern and East Midlands Railway services continue to be disrupted, but CrossCountry and TransPennine Express expect to operate full timetables.\n\nSpeaking on Wednesday, a RAIB spokesperson said: \"If the evidence collected indicates there are likely to be important safety lessons for the railway industry then a full and thorough investigation will be carried out and the findings, along with any safety recommendations, published.\"\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Aboriginal activists had been campaigning to include traditional place names in addresses\n\nAustralia Post says it will support the optional use of Aboriginal place names on mail addresses, following a large grassroots campaign.\n\nThe national mail service changed its guidelines this week to include advice on how to include traditional names.\n\nWhile some areas are known by their original names, many Australians often have little knowledge of place names that pre-date European settlement.\n\nActivists welcomed the endorsement of their push for greater awareness.\n\nAboriginal woman Rachael McPhail started the campaign on social media in August, noting Aboriginal people had lived in Australia for at least 60,000 years.\n\n\"Every area in this country had an original place name prior to being given its colonial town/city name, and I believe that it's important to acknowledge this,\" she said.\n\nAustralia Post advised people to identify traditional place names from a map on the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) website, or through local land councils and cultural centres.\n\nThese traditional names represent language, social or nation groups. Their general locations have been mapped by AIATSIS, which notes boundaries are not exact.\n\nClose to 15,000 people have signed her petition.\n\n\"These are excellent first steps towards social change, so thank you again to all of you for signing the petition and emailing Australia Post,\" Ms McPhail said.\n\nIn its new guidelines, Australia Post says mail senders can include original names to \"acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land your item is being delivered on\".\n\nIt advises people to use the second line of the address - after the sender's name and before the street address.\n\nAn example of how to include a traditional place name in the address lines\n\nIt also plans to introduce envelopes and packaging printed with an \"Acknowledgement of Country\" message - a standard statement in Australia which acknowledges the local people's connection to the land.\n\nMs McPhail said she would continue to lobby Australia Post to create a national database of traditional place names, through consulting with Aboriginal elders.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Miriwoong: The push to keep an Australian language alive\n\n\"In order to achieve true social change and decolonisation of the address system within Australia, we need Australia Post to undertake this project,\" she said.", "Emily Ashton, from Bloomberg, asks the final set of questions.\n\nShe first asks Powis: Lockdown will end 2 December, is that the right thing to do given the rise in cases?\n\nShe also asks Sharma: Can you categorically say that the supply of the vaccine won’t be affected by Brexit disruption?\n\nPowis replies that that is \"a matter for our elected representatives\" but “we will not be going back completely to normal” after lockdown.\n\n“Exactly what those measures are [after lockdown] it’s too early to say yet,” he says. “We need to see what transpires over the next few weeks.”\n\nSharma says the government has been preparing for Brexit, including investing hundreds of millions of pounds in border infrastructure.\n\nHe says the key message is that businesses \"do need to be prepared\", adding that information for them is available on the .gov website.\n\nAll bars and restaurants in England have had to close for four weeks Image caption: All bars and restaurants in England have had to close for four weeks", "Staff have been trained to analyse Covid tests in care homes as part of a trial\n\nRapid Covid tests in care homes could be a game-changer for vulnerable people and their families, say researchers.\n\nAccess to fast tests will make it easier for relatives to visit care home residents isolated by the pandemic.\n\nA trial suggests tests by staff are as accurate as those done in hospitals, says lead researcher Prof Adam Gordon of Nottingham University.\n\nIn time, tests could be offered not just to residents and staff but also to relatives and friends, he says.\n\nStaff at four care homes in England have been trained to carry out and analyse the tests as part of a trial.\n\nMany care homes first shut their doors to visitors eight months ago to try to protect residents from the spread of coronavirus.\n\nBut with visits still very limited, families argue the restrictions are causing huge distress and confusion, particularly for residents with dementia.\n\nFor care home residents like 96-year-old Janet Dunham, rapid testing for relatives would mean she could see more of her family. She found the weeks when all visiting was stopped very difficult.\n\n\"It felt as if you had done something wrong and you'd got to be kept in prison and you knew you hadn't. Not to be able to see your family is dreadful really,\" she says.\n\nShe lives in Landersmeads care home on the outskirts of Nottingham, which is taking part in the trial.\n\nJanet Dunham, 96, teaches her great granddaughter the violin through a screen\n\nAt the moment, only staff and residents are being tested, but it is hoped that eventually, relatives could be checked before visits.\n\nIn one of its outbuildings, the home has set up what amounts to a small Covid-19 testing centre and staff have had special training.\n\nThey take throat and nasal swabs, place them in a solution and then put the sample in a machine that runs the test. It can do eight tests at once and takes 85 minutes to provide results. Next, they will trial a machine that takes just 15 minutes to run a single test.\n\nProf Adam Gordon, who is president-elect of the British Geriatric Society, says care home staff have found the technology relatively easy to use, with a very low error rate.\n\nHe says the system \"gets it right in 99 cases out of every 100 tests that are done - that's about as good as a diagnostic test could be. And it means that care home staff are delivering this test with the same level of specificity that we see when it's used in hospitals.\"\n\nThey still have to finalise results, but expect to send a report to the government within weeks. Prof Gordon believes rapid testing will make a real difference.\n\n\"This test works at least as well in care homes as it does in other settings. And it could be a game-changer for the vulnerable people who live here.\"\n\nUntil then the home has built pods so relatives can visit safely. It means Janet Dunham can once again teach her great granddaughter the violin, but there is still a screen between them and they cannot touch or hug.\n\nSo far, in England and Wales, nearly 17,000 care home residents have died in the pandemic, the majority during the first wave. At Landersmeads they lost six residents to the virus.\n\nRos Heath runs the home, which is one of relatively few in the country rated outstanding. She says their priority has to be protecting people from Covid, but she also believes it is vital for residents to see the people they love.\n\n\"If we could have testing [for relatives] where someone can actually come in and be with somebody, obviously taking necessary precautions, I think it would be a massive step forward,\" she says.\n\n\"We support a lot of people with dementia,\" says Ros. \"They can't rationalise why their relatives aren't here… So when it became a long-term thing - and we are now into the eighth month of not having open visiting - it had a devastating effect on people's health.\"\n\nAt the moment, all care staff in England have access to weekly testing and residents are tested monthly, but it can take several days for the laboratory results to come back.\n\nRapid tests run by individual homes should make it easier to check people on the day they want to visit, but it is not clear how that would work in practice.\n\nHelen Brown's daughter says her mother deteriorated during the lockdown\n\nThe government says a pilot scheme to test the safety and practicalities of testing visitors will begin on 16 November, involving 30 homes, across four local authority areas where there is a low prevalence of Covid-19.\n\nFor Clare Brown, whose mother Helen lives in Landersmeads, this needs to happen quickly. Her mother has dementia and Clare believes her ability to understand what is going on deteriorated significantly in the weeks when her family couldn't visit.\n\n\"For the people who have been desperate for it for months and months and months, it can't happen quickly enough now. And for my mum, in particular, and people like her, to have access to people who know her and love her best is such an important part of her care. It can't be ignored.\"\n\nThe research is part of the Covid-19 National Diagnostic Research and evaluation programme, or Condor, to look into the use of new technologies in the fight against coronavirus. It is funded by the National Institute for Health Research and backed by the government.", "Mr Toobin has apologised to his wife, friends and colleagues\n\nA star reporter has been fired by the New Yorker magazine after he exposed himself on a staff Zoom call.\n\nJeffrey Toobin, 60, who is also senior legal analyst for CNN, confirmed in a tweet that he had been sacked.\n\nThe New Yorker's parent company Conde Nast wrote in an email to staff: \"I want to assure everyone that we take workplace matters seriously.\"\n\nAfter he was suspended last month Mr Toobin said he had believed himself to be off-camera during the incident.\n\nVice News, which broke the initial story, reported that senior colleagues had seen Mr Toobin masturbating while apparently on a separate video call.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Jeffrey Toobin This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nCondé Nast's chief people officer, Stan Duncan, wrote in a note to staff quoted by US media that as a result of their internal investigation Mr Toobin was \"no longer affiliated with our company\".\n\nHe added: \"We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone feels respected and upholds our standards of conduct.\"\n\nThe incident happened on 15 October during an election simulation involving the New Yorker and WNYC radio. Mr Toobin was immediately suspended.\n\nIn a statement to Vice last month, he said: \"I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera.\"\n\nHe apologised to his family, friends and colleagues.\n\n\"I believed I was not visible on Zoom,\" he told Vice. \"I thought no-one on the Zoom call could see me. I thought I had muted the Zoom video.\"\n\nVice quoted two anonymous sources who were at the meeting as saying they had witnessed the incident.\n\nThe election simulation involved prominent New Yorker figures playing politicians, such as President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden. Mr Toobin was representing the courts.\n\nDuring a break in proceedings, according to Vice's sources, Mr Toobin appeared to be on a different video call but was seen moments later on camera touching his penis.", "Two key members of Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet have called for the party to issue a '\"full throated apology\" for its stance on Brexit.\n\nEx-party chairman Ian Lavery and former elections chief Jon Trickett say backing a second referendum at last year's election destroyed trust.\n\nIn a new report, the pair call for the current leadership to apologise to both Remain and Leave voters.\n\nSir Keir Starmer was a leading advocate of another referendum.\n\nThe party's then Brexit spokesman was elected to replace Mr Corbyn as leader in April.\n\nIn their report, to be published later, Mr Lavery and Mr Trickett - who were both fired from the front bench by Sir Keir - say Leave and Remain voters were equally let down by the party's Brexit policy at the 2019 election.\n\n\"Leave voters were too often sneered at and Remain voters were led up the garden path with a position - of overturning the referendum result - that was never seriously achievable.\n\n\"To put this aside, Leavers and Remainers need an apology.\"\n\nThe pair's report, entitled No Holding Back, was co-written with former MP Laura Smith, who lost Crewe and Nantwich to the Conservatives at the 2019 election. It is result of zoom conversations with Labour activists, trade unionists, voters and former voters.\n\nAnd the report indeed does not hold back on what the authors think went wrong at the general election.\n\nMr Lavery and Mr Trickett maintain they warned their shadow cabinet colleagues of the electoral consequences of backing a second referendum.\n\nThey say: \"Our argument, back in the summer of 2019, that seeking to overturn the referendum would lead to electoral disaster in the North and the Midlands was drowned out by other elements in the top ranks of the Party… we opposed the moves which were made to turn the party into a Remain-facing political unit.\"\n\nBut their criticisms go beyond Brexit.\n\nIan Lavery on the campaign trail last year\n\nThe party machine was in 2019 under the control of Jeremy Corbyn's allies - and Ian Lavery in particular played a prominent role in touring seats Labour needed to win or couldn't afford to lose.\n\nBut the report acknowledges serious mistakes.\n\nIt argues that \"we did not develop a narrative that threaded our policies together and told a story about what Labour would do in power.\n\n\"… the 2019 general election was a hard lesson in how not to do policy - it was confused, contradictory in some places and was not believable to most voters.\"\n\nThe report analyses why Labour has recovered in the polls since Sir Keir Starmer became leader,\n\nIt suggests he is picking up more support amongst former Liberal Democrats and middle-class voters in the South.\n\nIn Leave-voting areas, the report argues that there has been \"a glacial pace of change among voters who are still overwhelmingly in the Tory camp. At present Sir Keir Starmer's leadership is yet to cut through.\"\n\nSupporters of the current Labour leader maintain that Jeremy Corbyn was mentioned on the doorsteps during last year's election as a reason for not voting Labour more often than Brexit.\n\nAnd Sir Keir Starmer's personal ratings have not only been much higher than his predecessor's but have also run ahead of the prime minister's in some polls.\n\nThe report acknowledges that the Corbyn leadership and his perceived lack of patriotism was an issue at the last election.\n\nIt says that it had been a failing of the then leadership not to \"re-interpret what patriotism really means in a progressive sense\".\n\nBut it also claims that \"media smears\" meant that he was viewed less favourably by the public in 2019 than at the 2017 election.\n\nThe report suggests Labour's problems go much deeper than the issues of Brexit and leadership - that for too long in predominantly working class areas, voters felt they were being taken for granted - and that Labour was seen as the establishment party.\n\nFrom conversations with activists and trade unionists, the report's authors say: \"People repeatedly claimed that Labour had become too southern and too middle class.\"\n\nThey have some recommendations, too - including, when candidates are selected, introducing quotas for those from working-class backgrounds.\n\nClose to general elections, supporters of the party leadership - under Tony Blair and Jeremy Corbyn - have been selected with little say from local members.\n\n\"The old days of parachuting political professionals into working-class communities that they have no connection to must now end in totality,\" says the report.\n\nAnd while Mr Lavery and Mr Trickett left the shadow cabinet at Sir Keir Starmer's request, they have what they call some \"comradely advice\" for him: \"be bold and transformational\".\n\nCriticism of the Starmer leadership had been fairly muted until the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn.\n\nBut the report from Jon Trickett, Ian Lavery and Laura Smith could signal a renewed willingness to speak out.\n\nClosely-fought elections to Labour's ruling national executive conclude on Thursday, and will determine whether the Left's influence will continue to wane, or whether grassroots members want to limit Sir Keir's growing control of the party machine.", "Nóra Quoirin was reported missing a day after the family had arrived at the resort\n\nThe feet of a British girl who was found dead in the Malaysian jungle were not in a state to suggest she had been on the move for days, an inquest heard.\n\nNóra Quoirin, from London, was discovered dead nine days after she was reported missing on 4 August 2019.\n\nHer father Sebastien told a court he noticed her feet were \"dirty\" but \"didn't seem to be particularly damaged\" when he identified her body.\n\nHe said he also saw that some of the fences around the resort were broken.\n\nNóra's family, from Balham, were staying in Sora House in Dusun eco-resort near Seremban, about 40 miles (65km) south of Kuala Lumpur.\n\nThe 15-year-old was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder which affects brain development.\n\nShe was reported missing the day after they arrived and was eventually found less than two miles from the holiday home.\n\nThe 15-year-old was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder which affects brain development\n\nSpeaking via video-link, Mr Quoirin said he had spotted her feet as he went to identify her body for the second time to authorise an autopsy.\n\nHe told Seremban Coroner's Court they \"didn't seem to be particularly damaged, in fact they seemed just dirty\" and questioned how that could be possible since the police had suggested that she had been \"on the move for seven days\".\n\n\"How was that compatible with the state of Nora's feet?\" he said.\n\nThe 48-year-old said the family had been \"super excited\" to be going on a \"big adventure\", although the trip was not a novelty for Nóra as they had spent time in Singapore and Bali two years earlier.\n\nMr Quoirin told the court he saw some of the perimeter fences of the resort were broken and had fallen to the ground as he went for a walk after they had arrived.\n\nThe inquest heard that after the family had gone to bed that night, Mr Quoirin was woken by noises from a nearby chalet where they \"seemed to be having a party\".\n\nHe said he later heard a \"muffled noise\" coming from the chalet but he had been \"half asleep\" and \"couldn't describe what exactly that noise was\".\n\nMr Quoirin said he woke at 07:00 the next day and left the room at 08:00 to check on his daughter.\n\nHe climbed up a staircase to the mezzanine level where Nóra was sharing a bed with her sister Innes, but when he looked at the bed Nóra's side was empty.\n\nInnes explained to her father she had noticed Nóra was not in the bed earlier when she went downstairs to the toilet but she had assumed the 15-year-old was with her parents \"having a cuddle\", the court heard.\n\nMr Quoirin said he \"very quickly... realised something very dramatic was in front of us\" and immediately began searching the area, including out of a back gate which he described as \"porous\" and something that \"anyone could walk through it\".\n\nSearch and rescue teams were deployed in an effort to locate Nóra\n\nMr Quoirin said he and his wife realised their daughter's shoes were still there so believed she must not have gone far due to the difficulty of the surrounding terrain.\n\nThey also noticed the kitchen window was open, the inquest heard.\n\nHe said the resort's owner went to the local police station to report that Nóra was missing and he followed two hours later but when he arrived he found officers \"did not realise the seriousness of the problem\".\n\nHe described how at about 15:00 a police officer with a dog came to the resort but \"the dog wasn't fit for purpose\" and \"after two minutes it was exhausted and couldn't do the job properly\".\n\nHe added that he felt the police had not done enough to search for Nora during those \"precious hours\".\n\nMr Quoirin told the court his daughter \"had no survival instinct\" and she would have been unable to cope with the \"dense and slippery\" terrain to get to the spot where she was eventually found.\n\nHe also said it was \"impossible\" that she had opened or climbed out of the kitchen window, adding that it \"would be totally out of character for her to do that\".", "The UK's three biggest unions are changing leadership, while Labour's governing body has been holding elections. What does all this mean for Sir Keir Starmer?\n\nIt can help or hinder Sir Keir Starmer in his efforts to prove the party really is under new leadership.\n\nAnd his control over it is on a knife edge.\n\nThe NEC brings together representatives from across the Labour movement - from the shadow cabinet, the parliamentary party, councillors, the unions and the grassroots membership.\n\nPolling closes on Thursday for the election of nine grassroots members - along with the election of Wales, youth and disability representatives, and a party treasurer.\n\nA BAME representative was elected separately and the Scottish Labour leader also sits on the body.\n\nThe election results - due out at 12:00 GMT on Friday - should be a clue to the party's future direction.\n\nWhen left candidates - including Momentum's founder, Jon Lansman - swept the board early in 2018 in elections for the grassroots seats, it signalled that Jeremy Corbyn and his allies had finally gained control of the party machine.\n\nThe NEC has a lot of contentious issues in its in-tray.\n\nIt will draw up rule changes designed to implement recommendations of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in tackling anti-Semitism.\n\nIt will also have to respond to a forthcoming report from the Forde Inquiry in to the party's internal culture.\n\nThis was set up following the leak of a report which claimed that the previous leadership had been undermined by party officials and argued that factional interests had undermined the election campaign.\n\nAnd ultimately the NEC - or at least a panel drawn from its membership - could decide the political fate of Mr Corbyn, currently suspended from the party for suggested Labour's opponents had dramatically overstated the scale of anti-Semitism.\n\nWhile Sir Keir has not lost any major votes on the NEC since his election in April, his hold is tenuous.\n\nTwo reps elected in the summer suggested a move away from Momentum - the group set up to support Jeremy Corbyn's leadership - was taking place at the grassroots.\n\nThe successful candidates came from the Labour To Win ticket - representing the \"moderate\" groups Labour First and Progress.\n\nOne of its declared aims is to \"work together to make Keir Starmer's leadership a success\".\n\nAllies of Sir Keir say only 18 of the current 37 members are solidly reliable.\n\nSome others - including the representatives of the GMB union - are usually helpful, but as one insider put it: \"They usually want something in return.\"\n\nSo Labour to Win is looking for reinforcements.\n\nBut the method of electing representatives has changed from a first-past the-post system to a form of proportional representation, where candidates are ranked in order of preference.\n\nThe effect of this will be to make any result less clear-cut.\n\nThis change was backed by the party leadership.\n\nJeremy Corbyn is currently suspended from the Labour Party\n\nOne staunch Starmer supporter said it was about \"managing risk\".\n\nWhile the voting system would prevent Labour To Win from sweeping the board, it eliminated the risk of Momentum doing so too.\n\nIn other words, if there is a backlash against decisions taken by the new leadership, any damage would be limited.\n\nSo under the new voting system, we are likely to see Momentum's standard bearer and former MP Laura Pidcock elected, alongside the leading candidate from Labour To Win - Luke Akehurst.\n\nHe runs the Labour First group to help rally and organise critics and opponents of the Corbyn leadership.\n\nOne of its avowed aims is to ensure \"the party is kept safe from the organised hard left\". But it is less clear how well the rival camps will fare overall.\n\nMomentum candidates are bullish about their prospects and believe the message of stopping a rightward drift will play well with the activist electorate.\n\nLabour To Win does not lack confidence either. The membership has changed to an extent since the general election, as some Corbyn supporters have left the party while some of his opponents joined, or rejoined, to support Sir Keir's leadership campaign.\n\nBut if there are no clear-cut winners in the grassroots seats, the role of the NEC members appointed by the affiliated unions becomes more crucial.\n\nThree big unions affiliated to the party - and which generously donate funds to Labour - will also see a change of leadership over the next year or so.\n\nEach has representatives on the NEC.\n\nThere's an imminent contest in the public service union Unison.\n\nOutgoing Unison boss Dave Prentis has been a firm supporter of Sir Keir\n\nIts 1.3 million members have been sent ballot papers and the contest closes on 27 November, with the winning candidate taking over from veteran leader Dave Prentis in the New Year.\n\nUnder his leadership, Unison nominated Sir Keir to become Labour leader, but it is by no means certain that another ally will replace Mr Prentis.\n\nHis favoured replacement is Christina McAnea - an assistant general secretary who has said she supports Sir Keir's leadership.\n\nShe has been nominated for the job (though not unanimously) by the union's executive committee and more than 200 local branches.\n\nMs McAnea grew up on a Glasgow council estate and her campaign has focused on what she can do to improve working conditions.\n\nShe is seen as a tough negotiator who has delivered for NHS staff.\n\nAnd although a long-standing (though not lifelong) Labour member, union insiders say she does not see things through the prism of internal party politics.\n\nBut her elevation to the top job is not guaranteed.\n\nShe faces tough competition from Roger Mackenzie - another assistant general secretary and Unison's first senior official from a BAME background.\n\nHis candidacy has been endorsed by none other than Mr Corbyn - who said: \"Roger and I have stood together on picket lines, on demonstrations together, and he did a huge amount of work supporting my leadership campaigns.\"\n\nIn a twist in the contest, the campaign group Labour Against Anti-Semitism has made a complaint against Mr Mackenzie to Labour headquarters, based largely on his social media activity.\n\nHe denies any anti-Semitic behaviour. The party is investigating.\n\nAnd this week, complaints have also been made to Unison which sources say are \"being looked into\".\n\nHowever, even were Mr Mackenzie to be suspended subject to investigation - and I'm told that's by no means certain - the union's rules would not stop him running for office.\n\nHis opponents believe that his profile has been boosted by his support for a campaign to reinstate Mr Corbyn.\n\nIf he too was suspended by either the party or the union, they fear that this may not derail his campaign.\n\nIndeed, in an election where turnout among the wider membership is expected to be low, but higher among left-wing activists, he may actually receive a boost.\n\nAnother left-wing candidate is already suspended from the union, but is also taking part in the contest.\n\nPaul Holmes - who is employed by Kirklees Council, in West Yorkshire - came third in the 2010 contest and has vowed to take his current £32,000 salary if elected, and not the six-figure sum that comes with the job.\n\nHe has campaigned to sell off the union's expensive London HQ.\n\nThe fourth candidate is Hugo Pierre, who isn't a Labour member.\n\nHe is backed by the Socialist Party, a successor organisation to the Trotskyite Militant Tendency, and is not expected to come close to winning.\n\nIt's a first-past-the-post election so with the left-wing vote split three ways, Ms McAnea remains favourite.\n\nBut if much of the activist vote were to coalesce behind Roger Mackenzie, things could all become politically more choppy for Sir Keir in the New Year.\n\nAn imminent change of leadership was also expected at the GMB union - the UK's third largest - following the departure of the previous general secretary Tim Roache amid allegations of misconduct. He said was resigning on grounds of ill health.\n\nThe timetable, though, has slipped following a devastating report by Karen Monaghan QC on the culture at the union. She found \"bullying, misogyny, cronyism and sexual harassment\" were endemic.\n\nI am told that the union's ruling body has made dealing with this, and an internal probe in to the circumstances around the previous general secretary's departure, a priority - hence the delay.\n\nA contest in March next year has been mooted but not confirmed.\n\nGMS is the UK's third largest trade union\n\nPutting the union's own house in order is seen as more important than internal Labour politics.\n\nA GMB insider suggested that any likely candidate would have to be informally \"vetted\" to ensure they were not tainted by any criticism.\n\nHowever, the internal rumours are that the likely candidates will be the relatively youthful Scotland regional secretary Gary Smith, and union's public services lead Rehana Azam.\n\nGiven the strength of the Monaghan report, and the previous lack of women in the most senior positions, Ms Azam would most clearly represent a break from the past.\n\nBut neither candidate is thought to be problematic for Sir Keir, and newly installed interim general secretary Warren Kenny, son of the former GMB leader Sir Paul Kenny, is seen as convivial to the party leadership.\n\nPotentially the biggest problem for Sir Keir is if the leadership of the union most generous in its funding of Labour moves from being critical of him to downright hostile. Unite gave the party £3m in the run-up to the last election.\n\nCurrent general secretary and Corbyn ally Len McCluskey has said he will stand down in 2022, though some in the union still believe he may go a little sooner.\n\nIn any case, the contest to replace him will begin next year.\n\nOne candidate - Howard Beckett, who already represents the union on Labour's NEC - has been enraged by Mr Corbyn's suspension.\n\nHe has said that \"an attack on Corbynism is an attack on all of us\".\n\nMr Beckett has advocated reducing the union's contributions to Labour and devoting cash to setting up a broadcasting rival to the mainstream media.\n\nUnite already punches above its not inconsiderable weight on Labour's NEC and under his leadership he would, at the very least, also be throwing political punches at the current Labour leadership.\n\nA left-wing rival - and the candidate of the union's United Left faction, Steve Turner - is seen as more willing to do deals with Sir Keir than act as a rival power base.\n\nIt is also likely that a member of the union's executive, Sharon Graham, also on the left, will campaign to become the first female general secretary, with a focus on improving her members' lot rather than seeking to get involved in internal Labour struggles.\n\nBut considering another attempt at the top job is Gerard Coyne, who challenged Mr McCluskey last time and lost narrowly.\n\nA split in the left vote in a first-past-the-post contest could help him.\n\nHe was seen as close to Labour's former deputy leader Tom Watson after the latter's relations with Mr McCluskey soured.\n\nThis contest is likely to be dramatic and bitter - the NEC elections certainly won't be the last word in internal party disputes.\n\nSo if the NEC elections tilt Sir Keir's way and the contests in three biggest unions are ultimately won by candidates who are willing to be constructive, he could end up with an even more supportive party machine than his predecessor.\n\nBut his critics haven't gone away.\n\nThe contests could turn on very narrow margins and potentially make it more difficult for him to effect a change in his party's direction.", "Late-night gatherings have been identified as a key source of infection spread in New York\n\nNew York has introduced new restrictions aimed at curbing coronavirus, with Mayor Bill de Blasio warning it was the city's \"last chance\" to stop a second wave.\n\nBars, restaurants and gyms must close by 22:00 and people can only meet in groups of 10 or less.\n\nThe US is seeing a surge in coronavirus - a record 65,368 Americans were in hospital on Wednesday.\n\nThe Covid Tracking Project also reported a record 144,270 new cases.\n\nAn average of over 900 people a day are now dying with the disease.\n\nMore than a million new cases in November pushed the total confirmed cases to over 10 million nationally, with 233,080 deaths so far.\n\nThe US has been seeing more than 100,000 new cases per day over the last eight days in what experts say may be a worse outbreak than those seen in the spring and summer.\n\nExperts warn hospitals across the country could soon be overwhelmed.\n\nOn Wednesday a member of President-elect Joe Biden's Covid-19 advisory panel said a four to six week lockdown could bring the pandemic under control.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Fauci: \"We have got to double down\" to fight Covid\n\nDr Michael Osterholm said that the government could borrow enough money to cover lost income for businesses during a shutdown.\n\n\"We're seeing a national and global Covid surge, and New York is a ship on the Covid tide,\" state Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday.\n\nNew measures come into effect on Friday affecting hospitality after Mr Cuomo said contact tracing identified late-night gatherings as key virus spreaders in the state.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Mayor Bill de Blasio This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIf the rate of spread of infection continued to rise, Mayor Blasio said the New York City's public school system would close and children would begin online classes.\n\n\"This is our last chance to stop a second wave. We can do it, but we have to act now,\" Mr de Blasio tweeted.\n\nNew York City was badly hit by the virus earlier this year when nearly 18,000 people died with Covid-19 in March, April and May, according to the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.\n\nStates across the US have broken new case records this week with Texas becoming the first state to hit one million total cases on Tuesday. If Texas were a separate country, it would rank 11th in the world for most cases.\n\nOther states, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California and Florida, have also seen numbers rise. CBS News reports 15 states saw the numbers of patients in hospital due to the virus double in the last month.\n\nSome hospitals, such as in Idaho and Missouri, have had to turn patients away because they ran out of room.\n\nState leaders have been re-imposing pandemic restrictions as a result. Residents of Wisconsin and Nevada have been urged to stay at home for two weeks and in Minnesota, bars and restaurants must shut by 22:00.\n\nOn Tuesday, Mr Osterholm warned of a \"perfect storm\". Speaking to CBS This Morning, Mr Osterholm said there was \"no question that our hospitals are about to be overrun\". He noted \"the darkest days of this pandemic between now and next spring\", before the vaccine arrives.\n\nMr Osterholm, who heads the infectious disease research centre at the University of Minnesota, said during the summer spike after the Labour Day national holiday, new cases rose to 32,000 a day.\n\n\"Now we're running in the 120- to 130,000 cases a day,\" he said. \"Do not be at all surprised when we hit 200,000 cases a day.\"\n\nThe same day, US infectious disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci offered some hopeful news. He said the new Covid vaccine by Pfizer was expected to go through an emergency authorisation process in the next week or so. Human trials suggest it is 90% effective.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How close are we to Covid immunisation?\n\nDr Fauci told MSNBC: \"I'm going to look at the data, but I trust Pfizer, I trust the [Food and Drug Administration]. These are colleagues of mine for decades, the career scientists.\"\n\nAmid the ongoing outbreak, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its research around masks, saying that wearing one not only protects others but also the person wearing the mask.\n\nPrevious guidance had rested on the idea that the main benefit of mask-wearing came from potentially stopping an infected person transmitting Covid to others.\n\nThe CDC referenced several studies, including one case where two Covid-positive hair stylists interacted with 139 clients - but of the 67 clients researchers tested, none developed an infection. The stylists and all clients had worn masks in the salon.\n\nAnother study looking into the outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier found mask-wearing seemed to have reduced the risk of virus transmission by 70%, the CDC said.\n\nHow are the new measures affecting you? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Octavian, who has worked with artists including Skepta and Mura Masa, won BBC Music's Sound of 2019\n\nRapper Octavian has been dropped by his record label after allegations of physical and emotional abuse by his ex-girlfriend.\n\nPosting on Twitter and Instagram, the musician's ex-partner claimed he \"frequently kicked and punched\" her during their three-year relationship.\n\nOctavian, 24, has strongly denied the allegations and said he was dealing with the matter \"legally and properly\".\n\nBlack Butter Records said it was no longer working with the rapper.\n\nA spokesperson said: \"We at Black Butter have taken the decision not to continue working with Octavian and we will not be releasing his album.\n\n\"We do not condone domestic abuse of any kind and we have suggested Octavian seeks professional help at this time.\"\n\nHis ex-partner has posted a thread on Twitter, including a video and photos, saying she was subject to physical, verbal and psychological abuse during their relationship. She alleges violence including being kicked in the stomach.\n\nIn a video on Instagram today, Octavian acknowledged she was his ex-girlfriend and said he broke up with her. In a separate, longer video reposted by another account he said he had never been abusive.\n\nOctavian won BBC Music's Sound of 2019 and his long-anticipated debut album, Alpha, was due to be released tomorrow.\n\nPattern Publicity said it had stopped all work with Octavian since the allegations came to light.\n\nRadio 1 and 1Xtra said there were currently no tracks by Octavian on the stations' playlists.\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. MP Tracey Crouch says she is “disappointingly unable to participate” in a Commons debate on breast cancer.\n\nMPs have called for wider virtual participation to be allowed in Parliament, arguing that those with cancer were \"excluded\" from taking part in a debate on the illness.\n\nEx-minister Tracey Crouch, who has cancer, expressed disappointment she could not speak in the debate.\n\nLabour's Chris Bryant said this was due to Jacob Rees-Mogg's reluctance to allow greater use of video links.\n\nBut the Commons leader said it was down to a lack of broadcasting equipment.\n\nMr Rees-Mogg has previously argued that virtual working was not an effective way to hold the government to account and was no substitute for the \"cut and thrust\" of live debate.\n\nCurrently, MPs who cannot be in Westminster due to coronavirus are only able to take part in some events.\n\nThey can put questions to ministers by video link, but are not able to contribute to general debates on legislation or events in Westminster Hall - a separate chamber from the House of Commons.\n\nWestminster Hall debates were suspended from 20 March during the first wave of coronavirus. They only resumed from 5 October, around a month after business returned in the main chamber following the summer recess.\n\nThose trying to avoid travel during the pandemic are also able to register for proxy votes.\n\nOn Thursday, a debate on breast cancer services took place in Westminster Hall, and Conservative MP Ms Crouch said because of Mr Rees-Mogg's ruling, those \"with real and current life experience of the disease are disappointingly unable to participate\".\n\nShe added: \"While I respect his commitment to traditional parliamentary procedures, I'm sure if he was on the backbenches and not the fine specimen of health and fitness he clearly is, he would be arguing forcefully for members to be able to contribute more often in proceedings by modern technology.\"\n\nThe MP asked him to \"please stop thinking those of us at home are shirking our duties\" and urged him to allow virtual participation in Westminster Hall.\n\nLeader of the House Mr Rees-Mogg said when events in Westminster Hall restarted, \"the broadcasting facilities were already being fully utilised\".\n\n\"So it wasn't an issue then of whether we wanted to do it or not, it simply wasn't an option,\" he said.\n\nHowever, he also added there needed to be a balance between the needs of MPs with the needs of the House of Commons \"to proceed with its business\".\n\nMr Bryant said it was \"appalling that Tracey Crouch is excluded from a debate on breast cancer because she's recuperating from cancer by Jacob Rees-Mogg rules\".\n\nHis party colleague Barbara Keeley agreed and said she was also \"excluded\" having just been through breast cancer treatment.\n\nIn an interview with BBC Radio 4's The Westminster Hour - recorded before Thursday's debate - Ms Crouch said she would not have been able to participate in debates at all before the pandemic as the video technology was not set up.\n\n\"So actually, in a way, and I don't mean this to sound insensitive, this is a good time to have gone through this,\" she added.\n\nHowever, she told the programme that wider use of video technology, beyond the debates where it is currently used, would make for a \"better\" system and called for MPs to be allowed to carry on contributing virtually \"while coronavirus exists\".\n\nMs Crouch added that she would also like to see the proxy voting scheme extended to cover MPs suffering from other health conditions or on bereavement leave.", "The number of people waiting over a year for hospital treatment in England has hit its highest levels since 2008.\n\nPatients are meant to be seen within 18 weeks - but nearly 140,000 of the 4.35 million on the waiting list at the end of September had waited over a year.\n\nThe number waiting 12 months or more has increased sharply this year - the figure in February was just 1,600.\n\nSurgeons said it was \"tragic\" patients were being left in pain while they waited for treatment.\n\nAnd others warned the situation could become even worse during winter with the NHS seeing rising numbers of Covid patients.\n\nIn recent weeks, major hospitals in Bradford, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham and Liverpool, which have seen high rates of infection, have announced the mass cancellation of non-urgent work.\n\nDonna Doyle, 52, was referred for surgery at the end of 2019.\n\nShe has rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis and needed reconstructive surgery on the front half of her right foot.\n\nBut her pre-op appointment was cancelled in the spring because of pandemic. And now she has been told she will have to wait until February at the earliest.\n\n\"The pain isn't something that affects me every now and then, it's a problem every single day,\" she says.\n\n\"Imagine two pebbles grinding against the bone in your feet. It's constant.\n\n\"It causes a lot of problems in my life, physically and mentally. I psyched myself up for having the surgery, so the day I was told nothing would be happening, I was so upset.\n\n\"I work from home at moment. And some days, my husband comes home and I'm crying, feeling really down.\n\n\"I'm fed up with seeing Matt Hancock say \"the NHS is open for business\" because it's not true. I'm being overlooked.\"\n\nProf John Appleby, director of research at health think tank the Nuffield Trust, said the situation was a \"real concern\".\n\nHospitals were facing a real battle to keep non-Covid services going, he said, pointing out the number of Covid patients in hospital had risen from just over 2,000 to more than 10,000 since the end of September.\n\n\"It is clear that over the summer months, NHS staff have put in tremendous amounts of work to boost activity across the board,\" he said.\n\n\"However, the service has fallen short of the tall order of recovering all non-Covid activity between the two waves of this pandemic.\"\n\nRoyal College of Surgeons of England president Prof Neil Mortensen said these patients had paid a \"heavy price\".\n\n\"It is tragic to see so many lives put on hold,2 he said.\n\n\"Each statistic represents someone waiting patiently, potentially in pain, for the treatment they need to get on with living an independent life.\n\n\"Older people and poorer people are particularly hard hit by these delays.\"\n\nTracey Loftis, of the charity Versus Arthritis, said the situation was \"appalling\".\n\n\"We're currently seeing some hospitals entirely pausing elective surgery because of the pressures of the second phase of the pandemic,\" she said.\n\n\"The consequences of these further delays will reverberate for years to come.\"\n\nChris Hopson, of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, said the NHS was doing its best but was facing a really challenging winter.\n\n\"We are keenly aware of the inconvenience, anxiety and distress for patients caused by any delays for diagnostic tests, treatment or consultations,\" he added.\n\nAlongside routine care, significant numbers have missed out on treatment for cancer.\n\nThe numbers receiving urgent check-ups have dropped by a quarter during the pandemic, with 300,000 fewer people seeing a cancer specialist from April to September than during the same period last year.\n\nThe numbers starting cancer treatment are also down by a fifth.\n\nMother-of-three Anoushka Kurkjian, 41, found a cyst on her breast in June.\n\nShe sought medical advice and was told it was benign but remained concerned because she was in pain.\n\nAs a last resort - three months later - she went to her local accident-and-emergency unit and was diagnosed with breast cancer.\n\nShe had been afraid to go because of worries over catching the coronavirus.\n\nThe cancer has now spread to her lymph nodes.\n\n\"If it had been a year ago, I would have gone in earlier,\" Anoushka says.\n\n\"I am now undergoing chemotherapy and have lost my hair.\n\n\"I feel very angry that I was not diagnosed earlier.\n\n\"I wish I could say to women, 'Seek treatment.\n\n\"But there's a lot more going on out there.\"\n\nBut NHS bosses said cancer services had returned to pre-pandemic levels of activity by the end of September.\n\nAn NHS England spokeswoman said: \"The NHS message to the public has always been clear - do not delay, help us to help you by coming forward for care.\"\n\nHave you had an operation cancelled or delayed recently? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form, you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Former Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel joined dozens of ex-officials in signing the letter Image caption: Former Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel joined dozens of ex-officials in signing the letter\n\nMore than 150 former national security officials in the US have joined the prominent voices urging the Trump administration to recognise Joe Biden as the next president.\n\nIn a letter to the General Services Administration, which was sent on Thursday and obtained by news website Politico, they said that \"delaying the transition further poses a serious risk to our national security\".\n\nUnder the Presidential Transition Act, the General Services Administration is tasked with co-ordinating funding and access to federal agencies for incoming administrations.\n\nBut the body has so far declined to formally recognise Biden as president-elect, meaning that he is unable to access information such as the president's daily brief or obtain security clearances for key members of his transition team, as is usually the case after an election.\n\nThe former officials noted that the 9/11 Commission had found that delays in transition after the 2000 election had led to key national security bodies not being fully staffed for six months, leaving \"our country more vulnerable to foreign adversaries\".\n\n\"In this moment of uncertainty, we must put politics aside,\" the letter concluded, warning that further delays would compromise \"the continuity and readiness of our national leadership, with potentially immense consequences for our national security\".\n\nThe letter was signed by dozens of former officials, including former Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, former CIA and NSA Director Gen Michael Hayden and former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power.\n\nOther key former officials in the US and abroad have warned over the delay in transition, including former heads of the Department for Homeland Security and the Elders, a group of former heads of state founded by Nelson Mandela.", "Discussions have taken place about the four nations of the UK taking a joint approach to Covid rules over Christmas.\n\nThe Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish first ministers held a virtual meeting with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and other senior UK officials.\n\nIt was the first of what UK ministers hope will be weekly meetings.\n\nUK government sources said topics including international travel, mass testing and the priority list for vaccinations were also discussed.\n\nNicola Sturgeon, Mark Drakeford and Arlene Foster took part in the meeting, as did Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, Welsh Secretary Simon Hart and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis.\n\nMr Gove said they all recognised families across the UK \"want to be able to see their loved ones this Christmas\".\n\nHe added: \"Today my ministerial colleagues and I met with the devolved administrations to work towards that shared aim and to help ensure that our collective response delivers for the public in every part of the UK\".\n\nIt is understood government officials will now be considering how to put the desire for a \"joint approach to Christmas\" into action.\n\nA Scottish government spokesperson said: \"The four nations call had an initial discussion about a co-ordinated approach to issues such as travel over the Christmas period and discussed recent developments in testing, including the use of lateral flow testing to enable students to return home, and initial lessons from the Liverpool pilot.\"\n\nSenior UK ministers have warned the situation remains highly volatile, with different levels of restrictions in different parts of the country and high rates of transmissions across the UK.\n\nEnvironment Secretary George Eustice said recently that people may not be able to gather like normal in large groups while Ms Sturgeon's most senior public health adviser, Jason Leitch, said last month that people should prepare themselves for a \"digital Christmas\".\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, a plan was announced to get students in England home safely for Christmas.\n\nStudents are to be allocated departure dates during a \"student travel window\" between 3 and 9 December, to minimise the risk of them spreading Covid-19.\n\nIn Wales, they are being asked to travel by 9 December at the latest.\n\nThe Scottish government wants as many as possible of the 80,000 or so students going home for Christmas to be offered voluntary tests before they travel.\n\nNorthern Ireland is expected to publish plans for students' return in the coming days.", "Soldiers have helped with a city-wide trial in Liverpool, as one of several ways the government has ramped up coronavirus testing\n\nA record 33,470 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK government's latest daily figure.\n\nIt is the highest daily number reported in the UK, although testing capacity has increased greatly since the first wave of the epidemic.\n\nIt brings the total number of cases in the UK to more than 1.29 million.\n\nGovernment minister Alok Sharma said rising case numbers were \"a reminder to us about why we are taking action to stop the spread of the virus\".\n\nOn Wednesday the UK became the first country in Europe to pass 50,000 Covid deaths, based on government figures.\n\nOn Thursday, a further 563 people were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test, down from Wednesday's figure of 595.\n\nOther ways to measure deaths, such as the number of people whose death certificates mention Covid-19, have put the overall toll at more than 60,000.\n\nThursday's daily number of cases showed a 45.8% increase on Wednesday's figure of 22,950.\n\nBBC health and science correspondent James Gallagher said the spike in cases could have been driven by changes in people's behaviour in the run-up to England's four-week national lockdown, which began on 5 November but was announced on 31 October.\n\nDr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), said: \"The majority of cases reported today were from tests carried out on 9 and 10 November, which includes infections acquired in the days leading up to new measures on 5 November.\n\n\"Limiting contact with others will help to stop the spread of the virus and protect the people we love,\" she said.\n\nDr Doyle added that the highest rate of infections continues to be seen in the younger generations, but is \"worryingly\" rising quickly in those aged over 80, who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill.\n\nIn parts of England in the lower tiers of Covid restrictions, pubs remained open until the national lockdown began on 5 November\n\nNHS England medical director Prof Stephen Powis played down the jump in cases, telling a Downing Street press conference it was important to \"not just take one day in isolation\".\n\nBut he added: \"It is clear that infection rates have been going up. What is really important is to get those infection rates down.\"\n\nThe Department of Health and Social Care said \"daily fluctuations\" can happen in the daily figures \"so it is important to avoid drawing conclusions from one day's figures\".\n\n\"We must instead focus on the wider trend which is increasing, particularly in those at highest risk of disease,\" it said, adding it was \"vital\" the public continued to follow the guidance to stop the spread of the virus.\n\nExperts have previously warned against describing the daily figure as a record because there was no widespread testing programme during the first wave of the epidemic.\n\nReading too much into one day's data is dangerous.\n\nBut there is no getting away from the fact the jump in positive cases is worrying.\n\nWe've not seen this kind of jump before - it is both 10,000 above Wednesday's figure and the current rolling average.\n\nIt's unclear why this is. The government says there was no backlog of tests that were processed, which could have explained it.\n\nThe mass testing in Liverpool is not thought to be feeding into the figure yet.\n\nThe number of tests processed has gone up, but that has happened previously without returning such a high number of positive cases.\n\nAn increase in socialising last week ahead of lockdown could be a factor.\n\nWhatever the cause, the hope is it's a one-off blip. Cases had been pretty stable for a fortnight before this.\n\nAnd there was growing hope next week would see figures falling as the impact of lockdown takes effect.\n\nThe next few days will be crucial.\n\nDespite the UK-wide rise in cases, the average number of new cases every day is no longer rising in Scotland.\n\nFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said recent measures, including the introduction of a new five-tier system of rules for different areas, have slowed the spread of the virus \"very significantly\".\n\nHowever, latest figures show there are more patients in hospitals in Wales with Covid-19 than at any other time - including during the peak of the first wave of the epidemic earlier this year.\n\nMeanwhile, tighter Covid restrictions in Northern Ireland - which have been in place since 16 October - will be extended for one more week, the executive has agreed.\n\nMass testing - where a huge proportion of the population is tested for Covid, whether or not people have symptoms - has been touted as a way to allow people to live a more normal life, and even to help avoid future lockdowns.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has promised a \"massive expansion\" in such testing in the UK.\n\nLiverpool has been the first city to trial this, with all residents and workers in the city being offered a test.\n\nMr Johnson has urged all of the city's 500,000 residents to take part, in an attempt to drive the spread of the disease down.\n\nEarlier this week some 23,000 people had been tested as part of the trial - which saw Anfield football stadium become one of 18 test centres - with 154 people testing positive.\n\nAs the number of daily cases jumped on Thursday, Prof Powis also warned of an increasing number of people needing hospital treatment for Covid-19.\n\nHe told the Downing Street briefing there were now more than 12,700 people in hospital with coronavirus in England - up from 3,827 a month ago.", "The Queen is Britain's longest reigning monarch and the longest reigning living monarch in the world\n\nA \"once-in-a-generation show\" over a four-day bank holiday weekend will mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.\n\nThe Queen, 94, hopes as many people as possible across the UK will have the opportunity to join the celebrations, Buckingham Palace said.\n\nShe will have reigned for 70 years on 6 February 2022 but plans are in place to stage a series of events from 2-5 June.\n\nCulture Secretary Oliver Dowden said it would be a \"truly historic moment\" and deserved a \"celebration to remember\".\n\nHe added it would \"bring the entire nation and the Commonwealth together.\"\n\nThe events will reflect the Queen's reign, the longest of any British sovereign, and her impact on the UK and the world since her accession to the throne in 1952.\n\nTo create the four-day weekend in June 2022, the late May Spring Bank Holiday that year will be moved to Thursday 2 June and an additional Bank Holiday on Friday 3 June will be created.\n\nMr Dowden told MPs that ministers were working with the Royal Household, the devolved administrations and \"leading creative minds\" to make this a \"jubilee weekend to remember - one that mixes the best of British ceremonial splendour and pageantry with cutting edge artistic and technological display\".\n\nHe added there were also plans to plant trees across the UK to commemorate the occasion.\n\n14 November 1973 - The wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips\n\n29 July 1981 - The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer\n\n29 April 2011 - The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton\n\nMembers of the Royal Family are expected to take part in the celebrations over the extended weekend and in the run-up to it.\n\nIn keeping with tradition established with previous royal milestones, a Platinum Jubilee medal will be awarded to people who work in public service, including representatives of the Armed Forces, the emergency services and the prison services.\n\nCommons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle announced plans to commemorate the anniversary in Parliament.\n\nA stained-glass window was placed in the Palace of Westminster as a gift to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, and a sundial was built in parliamentary grounds for the Golden Jubilee.\n\nMPs and peers will be invited to fund the gift at their own discretion, Sir Lindsay said.\n\nThe Queen toured the country for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012\n\nA Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: \"The Platinum Jubilee offers an opportunity for the Queen to express her thanks for the support and loyalty Her Majesty has received throughout her reign.\n\n\"The Queen hopes that as many people as possible will have the opportunity to join the celebrations.\"\n\nLike for the Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilees, the first week in June has been chosen for the celebratory weekend, with the summer offering a better chance of good weather than February.\n\nThe Queen also became monarch on the day of the death of her father King George VI and and is known not to want to celebrate on the specific day of his anniversary.\n\nThe Queen marked her Golden Jubilee in 2002\n\nThe Royal Household and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are organising the commemorations.\n\nThe DCMS has said \"spectacular\" moments in London and other major cities will be complemented by events in communities across the UK and the Commonwealth.\n\nFor the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 a river pageant took place on the Thames", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This 2019 film shows the hospital when the plan was to open in 2021\n\nA senior doctor has said she has \"huge concerns\" about patient safety if a new hospital opens next week, four months ahead of schedule.\n\nDeborah Wales said there were not enough doctors and nurses to staff the new Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran and existing hospitals.\n\nIn an email seen by BBC Wales, she told colleagues it \"cannot function as intended\" amid a second Covid surge.\n\nSarah Aitkin from the health board said a \"minority of doctors\" were worried.\n\nDr Aitkin, medical director at Aneurin Bevan health board, said detailed work was under way to ensure patients' safety across all sites.\n\n\"We are very confident about opening this hospital safely, there is an enormous amount of planning that has gone into that.\n\n\"It is making Nevill Hall hospital and the Royal Gwent safe that is now in detailed planning, and that is what Dr Wales is concerned about. We are working through that patient-by-patient.\n\nThe £350m new hospital in Llanfrechfa is a 471-bed facility which has taken three years to build, and will provide a range of services including accident and emergency for the most seriously ill or injured, and obstetrics.\n\nDeborah Wales is concerned the hospital \"cannot function as intended\" amid a second Covid surge\n\nThe opening on 17 November is happening during the second wave of coronavirus cases.\n\nDr Wales is a divisional director of unscheduled care at the health board, and in an email marked \"official - sensitive\" she outlined concerns about the opening of the new hospital.\n\nShe wrote: \"I thought it important to write to everyone regarding the huge concerns that I have about patient safety if the GUH [Grange University Hospital] opens as planned in a week's time.\n\n\"I have been communicating these concerns via email and directly to executive colleagues however the plan remains to go ahead.\n\n\"We are in the midst of the Covid second surge; as such we will be going into the GUH in surge and it cannot function as intended.\"\n\nDr Wales detailed how the new hospital will open with considerable changes to its planned services due to the pandemic, and set out her concerns that staffing levels would not match the demands faced at the new hospital and the area's existing hospitals.\n\nThe workforce was \"depleted, stretched, tired\" and unprepared for the opening of the new hospital, she said, and highlighted a staff sickness rate \"in excess of 15%\".\n\nThere was a shortage of doctors, she said, but that was \"dwarfed by the nursing deficit\".\n\nEfforts had been made to block-book temporary nursing staff, she added, but that there \"remain many wards with inadequate/no staffing\" at all at the health board's major hospitals including the new hospital.\n\n\"Trying to cope with the inpatients across four sites will inevitably reduce the ability to continue with elective work such as endoscopy. This presents further risk to our patients particularly in cancer work, where delays in diagnosis and treatment will cause increased mortality,\" she said.\n\nThe workforce is \"depleted, stretched, tired\", and there is a shortage of doctors and nurses, the email said\n\nFrom 17 November the new hospital will become the accident and emergency department for everyone in the health board area, treating the most seriously ill patients, those with significant injuries, and babies under 12 months even if they have a minor injury or illness.\n\nThere will be 24-hour minor injury units at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny and Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr in Ystrad Mynach.\n\nYsbyty Aneurin Bevan in Ebbw Vale will continue to have a minor injury unit open from 09:00 to 19:00, Monday to Friday.\n\nServices at the Grange University Hospital will also include obstetric inpatients and high-risk births, a neonatal intensive care and special care baby unit, paediatrics, and cardiology among others.\n\nTim Rogerson, clinical director for emergency medicine for the health board, said: \"We're going to be able to deliver the standard of care in an environment that we've always wanted to.\n\n\"The hospitals we've had have been great for their time but it has been time for quite a while for us to move onto a modern facility and this delivers that.\"\n\nHe added opening during a pandemic had not been ideal but \"everyone's really stepped up and delivered early\".\n\n\"The first wave was really hard and we saw things and did things that we never wanted to do in our career and I think all NHS staff are carrying a burden of that.\n\n\"How it feels in the department now is very similar to April and May with a steady and increasing flow of really sick people and not just the elderly - you know, young people, people at the same age as me have come in with numbers that are really worrying, so it's starting to feel like it did.\n\n\"Hopefully we'll see something from the firebreak that it will start to plateau the numbers but it's a stage that we didn't want to be at.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Lee Cain is one of the prime minister's closest allies\n\nWhat is going on? I know from time to time that's a question we ask on here.\n\nThis time, it's about what is happening behind the shiny black door in Downing Street, and whether the government machine is ticking along as it should.\n\nThe short answer, well, no.\n\nAfter a bumpy few weeks, late last night The Times and The Daily Mail reported that the prime minister had been in discussions about offering his director of communications, Lee Cain, a promotion to become his chief of staff.\n\nAfter the turmoil of recent weeks it's not exactly surprising that Boris Johnson wants to try to bring order to 'the house' as it's known on the inside.\n\nLeaks, u-turns, on top of the obvious political nightmare of trying to manage a pandemic mean it's not that surprising that the prime minister wants to try at least to create a calmer atmosphere where things happen in a slightly more conventional way.\n\nBut just as soon as news of this potential appointment emerged, which several sources have told me has been discussed, with an actual offer made by the prime minister at the weekend, so did consternation among some MPs, some ministers, and other insiders in government.\n\nOne Tory source even suggested that the prime minster's fiancée, Carrie Symonds, is understood to be unhappy about it and has made that clear.\n\nThe new press spokesperson, Allegra Stratton, whose appointment created some tension with Mr Cain, is also thought to believe it would be a mistake to give him the position. And his influential policy adviser, Munira Mirza, is also though to be against.\n\nOne insider told me that the prime minister was still mulling it as a possibility, and hadn't yet taken a final decision. Another suggested: \"Boris is a brave chap to do something that his leading ladies are not thrilled about.\"\n\nFrom the outside, his influence has often been understated - he is a long serving and important part of the PM's operation, with influence well beyond his official brief of running communications.\n\nBut the concern about increasing his power would be about extending the influence of the Vote Leave faction inside Number 10, rather than try to expand the range of advice, opinion, and experience in the machine.\n\nOne Cabinet minister sniped: \"He is hardly Leo McGarry\" - a reference to the fictional chief of staff figure in The West Wing, the US political drama that nearly everyone in SW1 is obsessed with.\n\nGuess what? None of the people involved will comment officially about what is going on. So I'm afraid that it is extremely difficult to know what is really happening.\n\nOne source even suggested to me that this had all blown up because Mr Cain was the source of the leak of the government's decision to lock down again, although that is flatly denied by Number 10 who are running a leak inquiry. Others have told me that he has been threatening to leave government in frustration at how things are being handled, and this was an effort to make him stay.\n\nWhatever the truth, what actually matters about this is that it gives a flavour of an administration that's made up of different factions, vying for influence over the prime minister.\n\nThe government has certainly faced challenges of epic proportions, but it seems often there is a dysfunction in how it operates that consumes political energy which is needed to solve the public's problems.\n\nThe irony: a process designed in theory to bring order to Number 10, has created a disorder of its own.", "The Planning Inspectorate said the decision was made following \"careful consideration\"\n\nA plan to dig a £1.7bn road tunnel near Stonehenge has been approved by the Transport Secretary.\n\nThe A303, a popular route for motorists travelling to and from the south west, runs within a few hundred metres of the world heritage site.\n\nThe decision to build a two-mile (3.2km) tunnel out of sight of the monument goes against the recommendations of planning officials.\n\nCampaigners said it was a \"complete violation\" and \"international scandal\".\n\nThe Planning Inspectorate had recommended Transport Secretary Grant Shapps withhold consent, warning it would cause \"permanent, irreversible harm\" to the World Heritage site.\n\nBut the Department for Transport wrote to Highways England stating: \"The Secretary of State is satisfied that, on balance, the need case for the development together with the other benefits identified outweigh any harm.\"\n\nSarah Richards, the Planning Inspectorate's chief executive, said there had been a \"great deal of public interest in this project\".\n\nShe said: \"A major priority for us over the course of the examination was to ensure that communities who might be affected by this proposal had the opportunity to put forward their views.\n\n\"As always, the examining authority gave careful consideration to these before reaching its conclusion.\"\n\nSome environmentalists and archaeologists have voiced their opposition to the plan due to its potential impact on the area\n\nSome environmentalists and archaeologists had voiced their opposition to the plan due to its potential impact on the area.\n\nTom Holland, from the Stonehenge Alliance, said the scheme was \"a £2 billion white elephant\" and called the decision \"shocking and shameful\".\n\n\"The decision to inject a great gash of tarmac and concrete into Britain's most precious prehistoric landscape is one that ranks simultaneously as spendthrift and sacrilegious,\" he said.\n\n\"This has huge implications not just for Britain, but for the entire world. What's to stop people at Giza (site of the pyramids), or in Rwanda getting rid of gorillas because they're in the way of mining developments?.\"\n\nCas Smith, a druid and anti-tunnel campaigner, said it was a \"complete violation\".\n\n\"You wouldn't dream of pushing a bore tunnel next door to Salisbury Cathedral, so why Stonehenge,\" she said.\n\nProf David Jacques, from the University of Buckingham, described the news as \"gut-wrenching\".\n\n\"The tunnel is going to clearly compromise the archaeology,\" he said.\n\n\"Stonehenge is precious for the whole of humanity, for our understanding of how we have adapted and evolved as a species since the Ice Age.\n\nHighways England said the cost range for the whole scheme is between £1.5bn to £2.4bn but it is \"currently working to £1.7bn\"\n\nIn June, it emerged that a team of archaeologists had discovered a ring of at least 20 large shafts within the ancient religious monument, a short distance from the stones.\n\nBut Highways England said the finds were \"well outside the scheme boundary\" and no closer than 500 metres from the planned road upgrade.\n\nChief executive Jim O'Sullivan welcomed the decision and said: \"The A303 Stonehenge tunnel project is part of the biggest investment in our road network for a generation.\n\n\"This transformational scheme will return the Stonehenge landscape towards its original setting and will improve journey times for everyone who travels to and from the South West.\"\n\nAnna Eavis, from English Heritage which looks after Stonehenge, said the scheme would \"restore the ancient landscape\" around the monument.\n\n\"At the moment the A303 is a great blight which cuts through the world heritage site,\" she said.\n\n\"The project will transform this great blight so people will be able to walk freely and experience those monuments without the assault on the senses.\"\n\nThere is now a six-week period in which the decision can be challenged in the High Court.\n\nPreparatory work is due to begin in spring next year, with the five-year construction phase expected to start by 2023.\n\nHighways England said the cost range for the whole scheme was between £1.5bn to £2.4bn but it was \"currently working to £1.7bn\"\n\nChancellor Rishi Sunak announced in March that funding was in place for the project.\n\nPublic-private funding was due to be used to finance the work, but in October 2018 then-Chancellor Philip Hammond cancelled future deals using that model.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Uncertainty has reigned over exactly who is in charge in Downing Street.\n\nThe director of communications, Lee Cain, is out. But it is much more than a random resignation. He was Boris Johnson's longest serving aide in No 10, and very close to his most senior adviser Dominic Cummings.\n\nDespite those longstanding relationships, the possibility that Mr Cain would be promoted to chief of staff met resistance from some MPs and ministers and he quit.\n\nHis promotion was also being resisted, it's understood, by the prime minister's fiancee, Carrie Symonds and his incoming press spokesperson, Allegra Stratton.\n\nArguments and rivalry in any Downing Street operation are not unusual. This feels different though, like a final act has started to play out after months of building tension.\n\nOne insider, who until now has kept their counsel, spoke out in frustration saying: \"I just can't describe to you how much of a mess it is.\"\n\nThis is about who is running the country. It's not just about whether a man, who you probably haven't heard of, has fallen out with a politician.\n\nThe wider issue now though is not just Mr Cain's departure. It is the unhappiness it leaves behind - anger about what has unfolded shared by other key advisers like the prime minister's most senior aide, Dominic Cummings, and the Brexit negotiator, Lord Frost.\n\nNeither is leaving their jobs - for now. But after months of strain, and fractures inside a government under pressure, tensions are spilling fully into the open.\n\nRather than a government united in trying to confront a pandemic, a picture emerges instead of rival groups vying for influence over the prime minister himself.", "The isolation suits supplied by PestFix were similar to those pictured here\n\nBritain's safety watchdog felt leaned on by the government to make factually incorrect statements about PPE suits bought for NHS staff earlier in the Covid-19 pandemic, the BBC has found.\n\nEmails reveal how the Health and Safety Executive said protective suits, bought by the government in April, had not been tested to the correct standard.\n\nBut the emails describe \"political\" pressure to approve them for use.\n\nThe government said all PPE is \"quality assured\" and only sent out if safe.\n\nEarly on in the pandemic, the NHS experienced severe shortages of personal protective equipment, known as PPE. As the country woke up to the lethal threat of Covid-19, there was a scramble to secure gloves, overalls and masks for NHS staff.\n\nThe shortage was so drastic that some hospital staff were even pictured at the time wearing bin bags.\n\nMedics at a hospital in the Midlands don bin bags in place of PPE, in April 2020\n\nThe government had to find new suppliers quickly to meet demand and to compete with rising global competition. But that rush has prompted questions about its choice of provider.\n\nOne of those providers was small pest control firm Crisp Websites Ltd, trading as PestFix, which secured a contract in April with the Department of Health and Social Care for a £32m batch of isolation suits.\n\nThree months after it was signed, the suits from PestFix had still not been released for use in the NHS, despite the rush to get PPE into hospitals. Instead, they were being stored at an NHS supply chain warehouse, in Daventry, waiting for safety assessments.\n\nThe Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had concluded they had not been specified to the correct standard for use in hospitals when they were bought.\n\nSeparately, the contract was being challenged in the courts by campaign group the Good Law Project. It asked why DHSC had agreed to pay 75% upfront when the provider, it claimed, was \"wholly unsuited\" to deliver such a large and important order.\n\nThe contract had been awarded without being opened to competition because of the urgency of the crisis.\n\nNow, emails from the HSE - given to the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act (FoI) - reveal how its officials came under pressure from government over the summer to release the suits to the NHS.\n\nIn June, one email from a firm working alongside the HSE describes \"political pressure\" being applied to get the suits through the quality assurance process.\n\nBy September, the legal wrangling was still going on, the emails show, even though the suits had, by then, been released to the NHS.\n\n\"We are being drawn into the legalities\", one official wrote, saying they'd been asked to provide a statement that PestFix's products had had the right safety documents.\n\n\"I have been contacted by [name redacted] today requesting a statement to the effect that HSE were provided with the required documentation by Pestfix… This is not factually correct,\" the safety regulator wrote.\n\nThe following day, another email reveals: \"…various colleagues in DHSC are contacting those involved in the assessment of the Pestfix products requesting statements to the effect that HSE assessed the products and they were compliant - not factually correct\".\n\nAn email, dated 25 June, said Pestfix was worried news its equipment had not completed necessary testing might leak to the public.\n\n\"We are very concerned about whom we speak to with regard to getting these suits tested as we do not want it to be made public knowledge that PPE from Pestfix has not passed HSE inspection,\" it read.\n\nThe firm added that, with the legal challenge looming, it hoped that new tests could be done quickly. This was so that \"we and the DHSC can confirm that the product… has been certified and accepted\".\n\nThe isolation suits were ultimately tested to the required standard, and on 6 August the regulator allowed them to be used for staff treating Covid-19 in hospitals.\n\nBut it insisted the products were relabelled because the description was incorrect. The decision says: \"The product refers to itself as an isolation gown, but it is clearly a disposable coverall\".\n\nLast month, the government published five more contracts it had signed with PestFix for gowns, gloves, masks and aprons totalling more than £300m.\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"We have been working tirelessly to deliver PPE to protect our health and social care staff throughout the pandemic, with more than 4.7 billion items delivered so far and 32 billion items ordered to provide a continuous supply to the frontline over the coming months.\n\n\"All PPE products are quality assured and only distributed if they are safe to use.\"\n\nIn a statement, PestFix said it had \"delivered these products to DHSC on time and in compliance with the DHSC's specification and applicable regulations.\n\n\"After delivery, there was some delay while the product was re-categorised as a PPE product and further testing was carried out to confirm that the product was PPE compliant.\"\n\nMore from Phil on Twitter @phill_kemp", "Boris Johnson's director of communications - and longest serving aide - Lee Cain (right) has resigned following a power struggle in Downing Street\n\nAfter the hurricane of the last 24 hours, what's left behind the storm?\n\nLet's face it, there are plenty of people in the Tory Party who have been deeply unhappy about the government's performance in the last few months and who hope, if perhaps don't quite believe, that the shenanigans in Downing Street could be the beginning of a new, calm, world order.\n\nAnd the departure of Lee Cain may even hasten the exit of the prime minister's most senior adviser, Dominic Cummings.\n\nIt's been clear for a while in SW1 that he wanted to do less of the day-to-day political fire fighting, trying to focus more on particular projects.\n\nBut given his closeness to the departing Lee Cain, and it is understood, frustration with what has been going on, it is not impossible that he might end up leaving Boris Johnson's side sooner rather than later.\n\nIt was suggested to me tonight that he was always due to go in the New Year.\n\nOne insider said he had let it be known fairly widely that he was interested in stepping back in the next few months. He did not, however, it's understood, threaten to quit last night.\n\nThere is no official confirmation of that from any of the factions involved in the No 10 implosion.\n\nBut from the outside it seems, with the UK about to leave the departure lounge of the EU in a matter of weeks, that the group that drove through Brexit, and drove the prime minister's victory is losing its muscle.\n\nMr Cummings' departure would be a huge change to the dynamics in Downing Street, if it happens.\n\nHe has had unparalleled power, aside from the prime minister. He's provoked rage, but inspired loyalty too, and he broke the cardinal rule of any government adviser by becoming the story so dramatically in May.\n\nBut while many MPs and ministers would cheer that, hoping for a shift to a more conventional Downing Street, it is far from certain that Mr Johnson would prosper as an individual politician if he lost two of his closest aides in quick succession.\n\nThe prime minister's senior adviser Dominic Cummings was instrumental in the successful pro-Brexit campaign\n\nAnd as ever, the picture is more complicated than it might appear.\n\nThe divides inside government are simply not as straightforward as Vote Leavers on one side, everyone else on the other.\n\nMr Johnson has been prime minister for well over a year, it's nearly 12 months since the election victory, and the referendum was more than four years ago.\n\nCertainly the operation in there sought publicly to emphasise the divide and there has been a natural division between Leavers and Remainers, but in terms of the individuals and personalities working together behind closed doors, the world is less binary than the political universe that Boris Johnson was part of creating.\n\nAnd now, while the Vote Leave tribe made plenty of enemies, and often seemed to enjoy doing so, even deliberately, the prime minister cannot be sure that a new operation will bring him more political success or stability.\n\nHe is still the same person, the same leader, with the same flaws and and the same strengths.\n\nA rejigged team may, or may not make life easier for him. Just as the talks over a trade deal after Brexit grind towards a finale, the dominance of Vote Leave is coming to a close too.\n\nBut just as the negotiations haven't finished, the final act of the Brexit project is yet to end.", "Scientists have sequenced and recorded the genomes - the genetic make-up or \"code of life\" - of species from almost every branch of the bird family tree.\n\nThe 363 species' genomes, including 267 sequenced for the first time, are catalogued in the journal Nature.\n\nIt is a list that now features more than 92% of the world's avian families.\n\nThis has revealed the code for things \"Darwin was intrigued by and wrote about\", Dr Michael Braun from the Smithsonian Institution told BBC News.\n\nFrom wildly different coloured feathers, body sizes ranging from the giant ostrich to the diminutive wren and raptor flight speeds of up to 300km/h [186.4mph], \"it's all coded for in the genome\", he said.\n\nThe information will help scientists understand the evolution of strange and elaborate courtship displays such as the Victoria's riflebird's\n\nAnd this milestone, he added, was \"just the beginning\".\n\nThe project aims eventually to include a genome from every living species of bird. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, which is a a key contributor through its vast collection of specimens, said this would \"advance research on the evolution of birds and aid in the conservation of threatened bird species\".\n\nThe list of sequences so far now includes rare species such as the Henderson crake, which lives on only one small Pacific island.\n\nBut Dr Braun said it was the humble chicken that was the \"model species\" for studying some extreme examples of avian evolution - including how giant, flightless birds like the ostrich evolved.\n\nBiologists have learned about the evolution of bird limbs by studying chickens\n\n\"We've intensively studied limb development in the chicken,\" he said.\n\n\"And we can apply that to this group of birds called the ratites - birds like the ostrich and emu.\n\n\"With the evolution of flightlessness, there were a lot to changes in the limb anatomy - wings get short, flight feathers become useless, their legs get longer and they lose toes, because they're running instead of perching.\n\n\"With these resources, you have the detail - the code - of how that happened.\"\n\nThe acute vision and speed of flight is encoded into the genome of raptors such as the osprey\n\n\"It permits a refined look at the avian tree of life - stretching back into deep time - that may close the door on longstanding arguments between evolutionary biologists about 'who is whose' common ancestor,\" he said.\n\nAnd new data on more than 60 globally threatened species would be a \"crucial toolkit for conservation geneticists\".\n\n\"This is information that may prove crucial in reducing extinction risk in the long term for species with tiny population sizes today,\" Dr Lees added.", "People arriving in the UK from mainland Greece will need to self-isolate for two weeks from 04:00 on Saturday, the transport secretary has said.\n\nThe rules will not apply to the Greek islands of Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Kos and Zakynthos, Grant Shapps said.\n\nTravellers from Qatar, the UAE, Laos and the Turks and Caicos Islands will no longer need to quarantine.\n\nBahrain, Chile, Iceland and Cambodia will also be exempt from isolation rules.\n\nThe Department for Transport (DfT) said data had shown \"a consistent increase\" in newly reported cases in Greece over the past fortnight, with a 136% increase in new cases to 16,429 between 5 and 12 November from 6,965 between 22 and 29 October.\n\nIt added the islands of Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Zakynthos and Kos had not seen as significant a growth in cases over recent weeks as the rest of Greece and therefore quarantining was not required.\n\nThe UAE, Qatar, Turks & Caicos islands, Laos, Iceland, Cambodia, Chile and Bahrain were also seen as \"posing a lower infection risk\", a statement said.\n\nDenmark was cut from the UK's safe list last week after a mutated strain of Covid-19 was found to have spread to humans from mink.\n\nMr Shapps said the UK's travel ban on non-UK citizens arriving from Denmark would be extended for a further 14 days.\n\nUK citizens can return from the country - but will have to isolate along with all members of their household for 14 days.\n\nCurrent restrictions in England mean that only people with valid reasons are supposed to travel abroad at the moment.\n\nPeople who break the rules face fines starting at £200 and rising to a maximum of £6,400.\n\nIn Wales, travel abroad is only permitted for people with a reasonable excuse.\n\nEngland's Nations League match against Iceland will be played at Wembley on Wednesday after a government exemption was granted for Iceland's football team.\n\nIceland play Denmark in Copenhagen three days before that fixture - and there is currently a ban on entry to the UK for foreign visitors who have travelled directly or indirectly from Denmark.\n\nBut the \"temporary and extremely limited exemption\" was agreed, providing the Icelanders follow the strict medical protocols, introduced in June, that allow elite sporting teams to travel around the continent.\n\nMeanwhile, the transport secretary said earlier this week that the UK is making \"good progress\" in developing a testing regime to reduce the amount of time people need to spend self-isolating.\n\nHe has previously said he is \"very hopeful\" a new testing regime for travellers to the UK could be in place by 1 December.\n\nIt comes as a record 33,470 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK in the past day, official data shows.\n\nIt is the highest daily figure since mass testing began in the UK, and brings the total number of cases to more than 1.29 million.", "There are two versions of the PS5 - one with a Bluray drive and another digital-only device\n\nPlayStation 4 is the most popular console of its generation, with over 112 million sold worldwide.\n\nNow, Sony is trying to replicate that success as it steps into a new era of gaming with the PlayStation 5.\n\nThe big difference this time is \"sensory engagement\" according to Jim Ryan, the PlayStation boss.\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat about launching it in a pandemic, he says: \"It's easily the most extraordinary of all the launches we've ever done.\"\n\nCompared to previous generational changes in PlayStation consoles, the PS5 sees a more subtle shift but Jim says it's still going to be \"transformational\".\n\nBoss of PlayStation Jim Ryan explains why UK gamers will have to wait until 19 November for the PS5\n\nThe PS5 will cost about £450 and gamers will be getting a completely different experience in the console's look and feel compared to the current generation.\n\n\"It has more horsepower and runs faster with better graphics. But the difference goes way beyond that,\" Jim says.\n\nNew controllers will change the game too, PlayStation hopes.\n\n\"You've got to get one of these controllers in your hands to really feel the action of pulling a bow or letting an arrow go or shooting a gun.\"\n\n\"It's something people have been doing for years. But this is taking something that had become rather mundane, and adding a whole new layer of meaning and experience to it,\" he adds.\n\nThe PS5 controller is seen as a gamechanger for gameplay experience\n\nSony is following a similar strategy to the one that worked in 2013, selling discs and downloads for premium prices.\n\nBut there's questions over the lack of big exclusive blockbuster games on release day - with big-hitting titles being seen as one of the reasons for the success of the PS4 over its competition.\n\nIt's not a worry for Jim who says there'll be \"something for everyone\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSony has said that dozens of popular PS4 games, including the 100 most played, will work on the PS5.\n\nFans don't need to look beyond the \"not too distant future\" for when new games will come out, he says.\n\nSpider-Man: Miles Morales will be available at launch on PS5.\n\nThose in the UK wanting to get the console will have a slightly longer and frustrating wait until 19 November.\n\nBut Jim says with each generation of console, the wait between the UK and rest of the world is reducing.\n\n\"In a completely ideal world, we would like to launch everywhere in the world on the same day.\"\n\n\"We just needed an extra few days to get everything in order to be able to have a proper, professional, seamless PlayStation-style launch,\" he adds.\n\nThe launch of a console in the midst of a global pandemic has been \"a rollercoaster\" he says.\n\n\"The most extraordinary thing is all of this has taken place in 2020. The one thing I've learned is I'll never do this again in a pandemic\".\n\nThe company's been \"astonished\" by the level of pre-orders.\n\n\"We're making more PS5's in this difficult environment then we made PS4s in that launch. If people are unable to find one at launch, we're very sorry and apologetic about that.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\n\"They can rest assured we're working really hard to get significant supplies into the market before and after Christmas.\"\n\n\"This is going to be a bigger launch [than the PS4]. And I think given the circumstances we're in, that's something that we can be quietly proud of.\"", "HN-329 his boss, Conrad Dixon, and another officer\n\nA former undercover police officer has admitted for the first time that the Metropolitan Police set out half a century ago to infiltrate left-wing political groups, even if they posed no threat to the public.\n\nThe officer - the first to give evidence at a mammoth public inquiry - said his task had been to gather intelligence on anti-establishment campaign groups threatening the political status quo in the late 1960s.\n\nThe officer's evidence is the first insider testimony to be put before the Undercover Policing Inquiry that shows that Scotland Yard's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) targeted groups merely because of their aims, rather than because they threatened violence.\n\nDuring this first day of evidence from a former police officer, Sir John Mitting, the inquiry chairman, threatened to silence a barrister acting for some of those who say they were unjustly spied on.\n\nCodenamed HN329, the elderly retired officer was a founding member of the SDS that's accused of serial abuses over decades, including miscarriages of justice, unjustified political operations and tricking women into sexual relationships.\n\nThe SDS was disbanded in 2008. Six years ago Theresa May, when she was home secretary, ordered an inquiry into its activities.\n\nHN329 told the inquiry he joined the SDS in August 1968. It had been set up following an anti-Vietnam War protest in March that year that led to disorder in London.\n\nThe officer invented a cover name, \"John Graham\", and grew a beard and his hair long.\n\nDonning a jacket with a leopard skin lining and a pair of Hush Puppy shoes, he set out to blend into the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign (VSC), a left-wing alliance planning an October protest in London.\n\nOperating under the command of Chief Inspector Conrad Dixon, HN329 said his job had been to gather intelligence on people trying to undermine the status quo and the political establishment.\n\n\"Ultimately, any group that came to notice as a result of causing trouble, for example throwing bricks through shop windows and actions of that sort, would have been reported on if they were anti-establishment in a political sense,\" said the officer in his opening statement.\n\nHe then added: \"It may well be that a particular group is completely harmless but we would be asked to find out what their objectives were. A file would then be opened.\"\n\nDavid Barr QC, the barrister leading questioning for the inquiry, asked what the officer meant by \"anti-establishment\".\n\n\"Well, it was people who were opposed to the current political situation, or the current government,\" he replied.\n\nOne crucial meeting of the VSC was infiltrated by a total of nine officers including HN-329 - but the officer said that during all his time with the SDS he uncovered no crimes and saw no violence.\n\nRecollecting his career with the squad, HN329 said: \"The original group, from Conrad Dixon down, were the finest representatives of Special Branch. They were excellent officers who did exactly the proper job.\"\n\nRajiv Menon QC, representing some of the victims of alleged undercover abuses, asked to put further matters to the officer, saying the inquiry needed to hear more specific information about his activities and the directions he had been given by superiors. Under the inquiry's rules, lawyers for the participants are required to send suggested topics for questions to the lead barrister, so that he can then examine a witness on behalf of all.\n\nSir John Mitting, the chairman, ruled out all the additional topics proposed by Mr Menon, other than one specific set of questions.\n\nWhen the senior barrister sought to further explain his position, the chairman cut across him and said: \"No, you may not. I'm sorry.\n\n\"You may ask your questions, or you will be silenced.\"", "Asian giant hornets are not native to the Pacific North-West and kill honeybees\n\nWashington is unlikely to have seen its last Asian giant hornets, the state's agricultural department has said, after scientists found 200 queens in one nest.\n\nThe nest - the first in the US - of the so-called murder hornets was captured with a vacuum from a tree in October.\n\nResearchers believe more queens - which are responsible for establishing colonies - could remain at large.\n\nBut they are confident the population can be brought under control.\n\nAsian giant hornets are an invasive species in the Pacific North-West. They target honeybees, which pollinate crops. The insect, which is native to Japan and South Korea, can slaughter a bee colony in a matter of hours.\n\nThey can also spit venom and inflict numerous powerful stings on humans.\n\nScientists in Washington extracted the US's first nest of Asian giant hornets in October\n\n\"We believe there are additional nests. There is no way to be certain we got them all,\" Sven-Erik Spichiger, who researches insects with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, said in a press conference on Tuesday.\n\nThe nest was extracted from a tree in the city of Blaine, close to the Canadian border, on 24 October. Scientists then quarantined the 22cm (9 in) diameter nest and after 24 hours were able to open it to examine the contents.\n\nInside they found evidence of almost 500 insects at various stages of life including 112 worker hornets and close to 200 queens.\n\n\"It's possible some [queens] emerged before we did the extraction. There is no way of knowing how many more,\" Mr Spichiger said, explaining that three queens were found in the local area after scientists had removed the nest.\n\nBut he said they had arrived \"in the nick of time\" to prevent the majority of queens from leaving the nest and mating.\n\n\"Frankly we are encouraged because of the number of queens we were able to count and kill,\" he said.\n\nQueen hornets go on to establish new colonies when they mate with a male and successfully hibernate over the winter season. When they wake up in spring, a small portion go on to establish nests.\n\nMr Spichiger said it was likely that the insects arrived in the Pacific North-West as part of international commerce. \"We will never know how they got here...but it could have been a vehicle, wood chips, hay bales,\" he explained.\n\nThe Washington State Department of Agriculture is committed to eradicating the invasive species from the region, he added.\n\nAsian giant hornets \"are not going to hunt you down and murder you\", Mr Spichiger explained, but that if a person were to walk into a nest, their life would be \"probably in danger\".\n\nAround 40 people are killed annually by the hornets in Asia, according to the Smithsonian museum in Washington DC.\n• None Millions of cicadas to emerge in US after 17 years", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Martin: A breakdown in talks between Europe and the UK would be \"very negative\".\n\nThe UK has to \"knuckle down\" to get a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU by the end of the year, the Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.\n\nHe also said failing to reach an agreement would be \"very, very damaging all round\".\n\nThe UK and EU are in talks but big differences remain on fishing access and rules on state help for businesses.\n\nBoris Johnson has insisted there is a deal \"to be done\" and that the \"outlines\" of an agreement are clear.\n\nThe UK officially left the EU on 31 January, but has been in a transition period since then - following many of the bloc's rules while a trade agreement is negotiated.\n\nThat period is due to end on 31 December and if a deal is not reached, the UK will trade with the EU on World Trade Organization rules - leading to tariffs being introduced on many imports and exports, which could push up costs for businesses and consumers.\n\nSpeaking to the BBC, Irish prime minister Mr Martin warned that failure to get a deal would be \"ruinous\" for the UK and that Ireland would suffer.\n\n\"We've all had a very significant shock to our economic system because of Covid-19 - the last thing we need now across all of our respective economies is a second major shock,\" he said.\n\nHe said US President-elect Joe Biden would introduce a \"greater thrust towards multilateralism\" and that the UK should follow his \"orientation\" by working with the EU.\n\nMr Martin dismissed suggestions the EU had not compromised in the talks and said he believed a deal could still be reached.\n\nHe also warned the UK government to be \"very careful that they do not do anything that could destabilise the politics of Northern Ireland\" as it leaves the transition period.\n\nThroughout the Brexit process the UK and EU have insisted they want to avoid a hard border - with cameras and border posts - between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.\n\nMr Martin said failure to reach a deal could create \"tensions that are unnecessary\" and that there was a danger these concerns were not being taken seriously enough.\n\nHe cited the UK government's Internal Market Bill as an example. The bill is designed to enable goods and services to flow freely across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland after 1 January - when the post-Brexit transition period runs out.\n\nIt gives the government the power to change aspects of the EU Withdrawal Agreement, a legally binding deal governing the terms of Brexit made earlier this year.\n\nUK ministers say the bill would provide a \"safety net\" in case the EU interprets the agreement, in particular the section on Northern Ireland, in an \"extreme and unreasonable\" way.\n\nThe UK government has said the bill protects peace but Mr Martin said it did not \"take on board the implications for politics within Northern Ireland itself\".\n\nHe added that the bill had created \"niggling doubts\" over whether the UK could be trusted.\n\nJoe Biden has said any UK-US trade deal had to be \"contingent\" on respect for the Good Friday Agreement\n\nMr Martin also called Mr Biden \"probably the most Irish of presidents\" since John F Kennedy.\n\nHe said Mr Biden was \"very committed\" to the Good Friday Agreement - the peace deal that among other things established power-sharing in Northern Ireland - and that he did not want Brexit to undermine it.\n\nAsked if he thought the new American president would be closer to the UK or Ireland, he said \"I don't buy that simplistic narrative. He loves Ireland and he has great time for the UK.\"\n\nSpeaking for the UK Labour Party, Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Rachel Reeves said failing to agree a deal with the EU would be \"a disaster for already stretched businesses and workers\".\n\nMs Reeves said the UK government had to \"listen to industry, get prepared and ensure their incompetence doesn't disrupt businesses and cost jobs\".", "Croydon Council announced in the summer it wanted to cut staff numbers by 15% - about 410 roles\n\nCash-strapped Labour-run Croydon Council has imposed emergency spending restrictions with \"immediate effect\", the BBC has learned.\n\nThe Section 114 notice bans all new expenditure at Croydon Council, with the exception of statutory services for protecting vulnerable people.\n\nA document seen by the BBC said \"Croydon's financial pressures are not all related to the pandemic\".\n\nIt is under a government review amid claims of \"irresponsible spending\".\n\nSection 114 notices are issued when a council cannot achieve a balanced budget.\n\nIn June, the BBC found many large councils in England feared going effectively bankrupt because of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\nTo cope with coronavirus, councils revealed they were planning a mix of responses including using up cash reserves, reducing services and cancelling or postponing spending on big projects.\n\nThe Section 114 letter, which was sent by Croydon's director of finance Lisa Taylor, said she was not confident the council \"can make the level of savings required to deliver a balanced budget\".\n\n\"Despite the council having put in place spending controls over the summer 2020, non-essential cost have continued to be incurred,\" she said.\n\n\"I am still not seeing an organisation that is taking the necessary radical decisions to stop all but essential expenditure.\"\n\nThe document also says £17.7m of the £27.9m of the \"new savings\" presented to Croydon's cabinet on 21 September and the full council meeting on 28 September were \"incorrectly identified as new savings\".\n\nAs a result it forecasted that overspend \"had not reduced by as much as previously reported\".\n\nCroydon is the first council to declare a Section 114 order since Northamptonshire County Council in 2018.\n\nLast month, Croydon's cabinet member for finance Simon Hall resigned from his role, while former council leader Tony Newman announced his departure a few days later.\n\nBoth resignations came two weeks after the pair survived a vote of no confidence proposed by the Conservative opposition.\n\nCouncillor Hamida Ali, who took over as leader, accepted that the council \"had made mistakes\" in addition to the impact of coronavirus.\n\n\"While we continue to work hard to find savings, we must focus our spending on essential services and protecting our vulnerable residents,\" she said.\n\n\"We're not going to fix these problems overnight and there will be difficult decisions ahead but I want to reassure local people that the council will still be here to support you.\"\n\nCroydon's chief executive Jo Negrini also announced in August that she would be stepping down.\n\nThe council's Conservative opposition leader Cllr Jason Cummings said the report was \"scathing\" and he had fears local residents \"would suffer most\".\n\nHe added: \"Labour were warned repeatedly over the last few years but ploughed on anyway, they must take full responsibility for the damage they have caused.\"\n\nConstruction of the £1.4bn Croydon Westfield shopping project has been repeatedly delayed since it was approved in 2017\n\nThe Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said Croydon's decision was \"necessary\" for it to manage its own finances.\n\nA spokesman said: \"We're aware of serious concerns around the council's governance and risk management and the recent Public Interest Report was damning about the governance within Croydon Council, which has been entirely irresponsible with their spending and investments.\n\n\"The council has decided to issue a section 114 notice and we will consider the findings of the review which concludes later this month.\"\n\nIt's not often a council needs to issue a Section 114 - but the pressures of coping with coronavirus have combined with at least questionable previous investment strategies to push Croydon over the edge.\n\nIt was heading for an overspend of £60m at the end of the year from dealing with the pandemic and government support didn't look like covering it.\n\nCroydon went into the coronavirus health crisis in a vulnerable state - with depleted reserves and £1.5bn debts.\n\nIt's a financial position partially reached through buying up property including a hotel and a shopping centre.\n\nIn good times, it's easy to see how that might have paid dividends but with weeks of lockdown, it left the council seriously exposed.\n\nThe latest development means new spending must be stopped immediately except for on statutory services like social care.\n\nNow the council's administration has 21 days to come up with a strategy which looks likely to mean more job losses to add to at least 400 already being cut.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nNorthern Ireland and Scotland are set for massive games on Thursday, with both nations one win away from a place at next summer's delayed Euro 2020.\n\nScotland face Serbia in Belgrade in their play-off final (19:45 GMT), hoping to qualify for a major men's tournament for the first time since 1998.\n\nAnd Northern Ireland host Slovakia at Windsor Park in their final (19:45), aiming to reach a second European Championship, four years after their debut appearance in the competition.\n\nEuro 2020, which has retained its name despite being moved to next year because of the coronavirus pandemic, will start on 11 June.\n\n'If they come off the pitch with regrets they'll never forget'\n\nScotland are on their longest unbeaten run since 1988, having not lost in their previous eight matches, and will be hopeful their good form can take them that final step.\n\nTheir most recent major tournament appearance came at the 1998 World Cup in France, while they last featured at a Euros in 1996.\n\nIf Scotland can overcome Serbia, they will join England, Croatia and the Czech Republic in Group D at next year's tournament.\n\n\"It is really difficult to say but this is just another game,\" said Scotland boss Steve Clarke.\n\n\"When you go into every game, [no regrets] is a message you give. A game of this magnitude, I probably don't need to say that because the players understand if they come off the pitch with regrets they'll never forget that night.\n\n\"You go out there, do your best, give everything you can and hopefully the footballing gods smile on you and you get the right result.\"\n• None 'We're desperate for it' - Robertson ready for Euro play-off\n• None The last time Scotland were 90 minutes away\n\n'We're delighted we'll have a number of fans back in the stadium'\n\nNorthern Ireland came through a dramatic penalty shootout against Bosnia-Herzegovina to secure their place in the play-off final.\n\nSlovakia also won their semi-final on penalties, overcoming the Republic of Ireland after a goalless draw.\n\nThere will 1,060 spectators at Windsor Park to cheer on Ian Baraclough's side on Thursday, with fans given socially distanced seats in the 18,500-capacity stadium.\n\nA spot in Group E alongside Spain, Sweden and Poland is up for grabs.\n\n\"They want to get down to business. That's how it was last month and how I feel it was this week. We'll build that up as we go on,\" said Baraclough.\n\n\"It's a game we're capable of winning if we set our minds right; if we do the right things.\"\n\nCaptain Steven Davis added: \"Qualifying for Euro 2016 was unbelievable. There are different circumstances now.\n\n\"It will definitely be on an equal level, if not better, to do it again.\n\n\"It's a game we believe we can win. It's a game we've been looking forward to for a long time and we're delighted we'll have a number of fans back in the stadium to back us.\"\n• None Why Evans is Northern Ireland's 'best ever defender'\n\nFirst wins and table-topping the Nations League target\n\nFor Northern Ireland and Scotland, hot on the heels of their Euro 2020 play-offs are Nations Leagues fixtures, with England and Wales also in action in that competition.\n\nGareth Southgate's England are at Belgium on Sunday (19:45) and then at home to Iceland on 18 November (19:45), although there is doubt over the second fixture because of travel restrictions.\n\nBelgium are top of Group A2 and if they beat England, and Denmark fail to win against Iceland, Roberto Martinez's side cannot be caught.\n\nEngland are third - level on points with Denmark - but have won their past four away games without conceding a goal.\n\nHowever, continuing that run will be severely tested by a Belgium side who have won their past 10 competitive home games, scoring 46 goals.\n\nNorthern Ireland, meanwhile, will take on Austria and Romania looking for their first Nations League win after picking up a single point from their four Group B1 games so far.\n\nScotland are top of Group B2, four points clear of the Czech Republic in second, and face games against Slovakia (Sunday, 15 November 14:00 GMT) and Israel (Wednesday, 18 November 19:45 GMT).\n\nFinally, Wales look to continue their good run with back-to-back home games against the Republic of Ireland (Sunday, 15 November 17:00 GMT) and Finland (Wednesday, 18 November (19:45 GMT).\n\nWales, who will not have manager Ryan Giggs in the dugout for any of their games in November after an allegation of assault made against him - which he denies - are top of Group B4 with three wins and a draw from their four games so far.\n• None Is Grealish England's future or odd man out?\n\nWhat do you do when you have a packed couple of weeks with big Euro 2020 qualifying games and Nations League fixtures taking place? Schedule in a few friendlies too, of course...\n\nEngland warm up for their Nations League games with a friendly at home to the Republic of Ireland on Thursday (20:00).\n\nOn the same night, Wales are in action too as they host the USA. (19:45)\n• None Pick your England XI to play Republic of Ireland\n• None Page in charge for Wales v USA but Giggs 'only a call away'\n• None Can you names Wales' starting XI against US in 2003?\n• None A hilarious look at trying to grow up", "Blackburn or ballet? Jake Berry's remarks have come under fire\n\nPeople in the south of England enjoy opera and ballet but football clubs are what matter to those living further north, a Conservative MP has said.\n\nFormer minister Jake Berry made the comparison as he warned \"northern culture\" is being hit by Covid-19.\n\nHe pressed the government to intervene to \"save\" football clubs.\n\nBut his comments were criticised by the Northern Ballet as it perpetuates \"tropes that culture in the north is of less value than that in London\".\n\nThe former northern powerhouse minister compared Accrington Stanley to the Royal Ballet as he insisted action is required from Westminster to help protect clubs that are the \"cornerstone\" of communities.\n\nThe former minister said \"northern culture\" was being hit by Covid-19\n\nMr Berry, who made the comment as MPs debated support for the economy in the north of England, said: \"First of all is the hit that northern culture has taken from this Covid crisis.\n\n\"For many people who live in London and the south of England, things like the opera house and ballet will be at the heart of their culture.\n\n\"But for many of us in the north it is our local football club - our Glyndebourne or Royal Ballet or Royal Opera House or Royal Shakespeare Company will be Blackburn Rovers, Accrington Stanley, Barrow, Carlisle or Sunderland.\n\nHe added the \"time has come where the government must seek to intervene to unblock this to save local football clubs across the north of England, many of which are the cornerstone of our communities and at the heart of our culture\".\n\nTreasury minister Kemi Badenoch did not address Mr Berry's football plea in her reply to the debate, acknowledging the north of England has been a \"hotbed\" of energy, ideas and creativity for centuries.\n\nResponding on Twitter, Northern Ballet said it was \"disappointed\" by the MP's comments while other social media users criticised Mr Berry for his remarks.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Northern Ballet This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Jonathan Lo This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by nazir afzal This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Eleanor Watts This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Ms Letby spoke only to confirm her name, address and date of birth during the short hearing\n\nA nurse accused of murdering eight babies and the attempted murder of another 10 has appeared in court.\n\nLucy Letby, 30, had previously been arrested in 2018 and 2019 as part of a probe into deaths at the neo-natal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.\n\nThe charges relate to baby deaths and non-fatal collapses at the hospital from June 2015 to June 2016.\n\nThe judge at Warrington Magistrates' Court remanded her in custody to appear at Chester Crown Court on Friday.\n\nMs Letby, of Arran Avenue, Hereford, is accused of murdering five baby boys and three girls.\n\nShe is also accused of the attempted murder of another nine babies - five boys and four girls.\n\nLucy Letby was arrested for a third time on Tuesday\n\nMs Letby spoke only to confirm her name, address and date of birth during the 10-minute hearing.\n\nPascale Jones, prosecuting, told the court Ms Letby should be remanded into custody for her own safety.\n\nShe said: \"The crown will also stress there is substantial grounds to believe for her own protection this defendant should be remanded into custody.\"\n\nMs Letby was rearrested by police on Tuesday as part of the investigation into the hospital and charged on Wednesday evening.\n\nA Cheshire Police investigation launched in May 2017 looked into the deaths of 17 babies and 16 non-fatal collapses at the Countess of Chester between March 2015 and July 2016.\n\nOn Tuesday, the force said parents of all the babies involved were being kept fully updated on developments and were supported by officers.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The UK has become the first country in Europe to pass 50,000 coronavirus deaths, according to the latest government figures.\n\nA total of 50,365 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test, up 595 in the past 24 hours.\n\nThe UK is the fifth country to pass 50,000 deaths, coming after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson said the figures showed, despite hopes for a vaccine, \"we are not out of the woods\".\n\nHe said: \"Every death is a tragedy,\" but added: \"I do think we have got now to a different phase in the way that we treat it.\"\n\nA further 22,950 cases of coronavirus were recorded on Wednesday, government figures show.\n\nThere have been some 1.2 million confirmed cases in the UK since the epidemic began, and more than 185,000 people have been admitted to hospital with the virus.\n\nThe UK's Covid death toll has reached a grim and tragic milestone - and illustrates what a devastating impact the pandemic has had on the country.\n\nBut one figure alone cannot tell the full story. The burden has not been felt equally.\n\nThe single biggest factor has been age - with more than nine in 10 deaths in the over 65s.\n\nPoorer areas and ethnic minorities have also been disproportionately affected.\n\nDeaths from other causes have also risen as people have gone without treatment.\n\nThe UK has on most measures seen one of the highest death rates in the world.\n\nBlame, understandably, has been laid at the government's door. It has been criticised in particular for being too slow to lockdown and for its record on testing and tracing.\n\nBut the UK is not alone in struggling. Similar debates have been had in Italy, Spain and France.\n\nAnd the sad reality is this figure will keep climbing in the months to come.\n\nBut there is now at last some real hope that, with a vaccine looking likely, the toll will be much, much less next year.\n\nThe government's death figures only include people who died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus - but two other ways of measuring deaths give higher overall figures.\n\nThe first includes all deaths where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate, even if the person had not been tested for the virus. The most recent figures suggest there had been more than 60,000 deaths by 23 October, by this measure.\n\nThe second is a measure of \"excess deaths\" - the number of deaths over and above the usual number at this time of year.\n\nDeaths normally do rise at this time of the year, but the latest data from the Office for National Statistics and its counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland show the second wave of the virus has pushed the death rate above the average seen over the past five years.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the latest death figures were a \"grim milestone\" and criticised the government for being \"slow\" in its response to the pandemic during the first wave.\n\nHe said the government owed it to the families of those who have lost their lives to the virus \"to get on top\" of its response to the second wave.\n\nThe British Medical Association (BMA) said lessons had to be learned.\n\nDr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said: \"This is a point that should never have been reached.\"\n\nHe added: \"Today's figure is a terrible indictment of poor preparation, poor organisation by the government, insufficient infection control measures, coupled with late and often confusing messaging for the public.\"\n\nThe government had to \"ensure that nothing on this scale ever happens again\", he added, with a public inquiry to \"go over every step with a fine-tooth comb\".\n\nIt comes as officials said no decision has yet been made on how people under the age of 50 should be offered a Covid vaccine.\n\nThe current priority list of people who would get a vaccine in \"phase one\" starts with those living and working in care homes, then - in stages - everyone over 60 years old.\n\nBut the list is subject to change, with close attention being paid to how the vaccines work in older age groups, who often have a weak response to immunisation.\n\nAttention has turned to how a vaccine will be rolled out after Pfizer and BioNTech revealed their vaccine protects more than 90% of people from developing Covid symptoms.\n\nThe prime minister urged everybody to get a coronavirus vaccine once one becomes available, adding that the arguments of anti-vaccination activists were \"total nonsense\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson: “Anti-vax is total nonsense is total nonsense, you should definitely get a vaccine.\"\n\nMr Johnson would be happy to receive a coronavirus vaccine, Number 10 has said.\n\nOn a visit to a Tesco distribution centre in south-east London on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said the prospect of a vaccine and the ramping up of testing were \"two big boxing gloves\" to \"pummel\" the virus with, but said: \"Neither of them is capable of delivering a knock-out blow on its own.\n\n\"That's why this country needs to continue to work hard to keep discipline and to observe the measures we've put in.\"\n\nPlease enable JavaScript or upgrade your browser to see this interactive\n\nRestrictions have been tightened across the UK in recent weeks. In England, a new four-week lockdown started last Thursday - replacing the three-tier system until 2 December.\n\nMr Johnson said England must \"get through this current period of tough autumn measures\" to \"hopefully\" curb the spread of the virus enough to allow Christmas to be \"as normal as possible for as many people as possible\".\n\nMeanwhile, pubs reopened and travel restrictions were lifted in Wales on Monday, as it ended a two-week \"firebreak\" lockdown.\n\nAdditional restrictions in Northern Ireland are due to end on Friday after a proposal from the Northern Ireland Assembly's health minister to extend restrictions was blocked.\n\nIn Scotland, there is now a five-tier system of virus alert levels with different measures in place in different parts of the country. The tiers are numbered from zero to four, with level four requiring the introduction of lockdown restrictions for that area.\n\nIf you would like to send us a tribute to a friend or family member who died after contracting coronavirus, please use the form below.\n\nPlease remember to include a photo of your loved one and their name. Upload your pictures here. Don't forget to include your contact details, so we can get in touch with you.\n\nWe would like to respond to everyone individually and include every tribute in our coverage, but unfortunately that may not be possible. Please be assured your message will be read and treated with the utmost respect.\n\nPlease note the contact details you provide will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your tribute.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Eyewitness footage shows a man pouring petrol on the ground and setting light to it\n\nA police station in north London had to be evacuated after a car crashed into the building.\n\nThe crash happened in Edmonton shortly before 19:00 GMT on Wednesday. The man then left the car and tried to set fire to the road using petrol, police said.\n\nFootage, posted on social media, showed a vehicle partially embedded in the entrance of the building.\n\nA man, aged 45, has been arrested on suspicion of arson, affray and criminal damage. He remains in custody.\n\nThe Met Police said the incident was not being treated as terror-related.\n\nBoth the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade were called to the crash on Fore Street.\n\nPolice said officers had been able to return to the station and nearby residents, who had been initially evacuated, were allowed home. No injuries have been reported.\n\nEnfield Council leader Nesil Caliskan had earlier described the crash as a \"major incident\" and urged people to avoid the area.\n\nStore manager Ogur Mazlum, 34, witnessed the moment the car crashed into the building.\n\nHis wife Serife Mazlum said: \"He literally just walked out [of his shop] to just call me and see if everything's okay at home.\n\n\"Then he said I have to shut the phone quickly... that was when the car crashed into the front of the police station.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by London 999 Feed This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nMrs Mazlum said her husband, who speaks limited English, saw the car had crashed through an exterior glass entrance to the police station and a man was trying to get through a second barrier.\n\n\"He was insisting on trying to get inside, but the glass door wouldn't break anymore so he couldn't get any closer,\" she added.\n\n\"Then he casually got out of the car with a tank of petrol. He poured it down from the car into the middle of the road and then he just set it on fire.\"\n\nVideo footage of the immediate aftermath shows police officers tackling the man and putting out the flames.\n\nMrs Mazlum said another man watching the scene from across the street ran to intervene after the driver had set the fuel alight.\n\n\"He pinned [the driver] to the ground just as the police was arriving,\" she added.\n\n\"So by the time the police came and got out of the cars the citizen had already slammed him to the ground.\"\n\nLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan said he had been in \"constant contact\" with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick about the incident.\n\nWriting on Twitter, he said: \"I'm grateful to the police officers and other emergency services who brought the situation under control and continue to investigate the incident.\"\n\nFor more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 GMT.\n\nThe UK's economy bounced back from the slump brought on by the coronavirus pandemic to grow by a record 15.5% between July and September, according to the Office for National Statistics. However, the country's economy is still 8.2% smaller than before the virus struck, with September's growth of 1.1% weaker than in previous months. Analysts say it is likely to shrink again in the final three months of the year because of the impact of recent restrictions.\n\nMany of England's largest local authorities are warning they could be forced into \"damaging\" cuts to services next year to remain solvent, with social care among the areas likely to suffer without more government support. Only one in five of England's county councils and county unitary authorities is confident of delivering a balanced budget without drastic action, says the County Councils Network. Ministers say councils have been given an \"unprecedented\" £7bn.\n\nMajor retailers have been accused of taking advantage of lockdown loopholes for Christmas trading while other stores are forced to remain closed. Sheffield toy store owner Hellen Stirling Baker says her local supermarket is packed with children's playthings. \"Big supermarkets are capitalising on the fact they are able to sell non-essential goods alongside their essentials,\" she argues. We hear similar complaints from the bosses of department stores and bookshops.\n\nSix NHS Trusts across England are using pop-up isolation rooms that can be wheeled into hospital wards and erected in five minutes. Royal Derby Hospital has installed 25 of the bays in its medical assessment unit to separate patients until they receive the results of a Covid-19 test.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Staff explain how the \"Redirooms\" work - and how they can reassure patients and staff\n\nIs there still hope for festive family reunions? Michael Gove certainly thinks so. The UK Cabinet Office minister says he and the first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all recognise families \"want to be able to see their loved ones this Christmas\". The ministers held discussions to \"work towards that shared aim\" during the first of what the UK government hopes will be weekly virtual meetings. International travel, mass testing and vaccination priorities were also discussed.\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nWe've been looking at how schools are keeping pupils safe.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Goods for sale in The Range during lockdown\n\nRetailers and supermarkets have been accused of taking advantage of lockdown loopholes for Christmas trading while other stores remain closed.\n\nHomeware chain The Range has been encouraging consumers in England to \"Shop Christmas in-store and online\".\n\nThe Plymouth-based firm - which sells groceries alongside soft furnishings and art supplies - says it's acting within the rules.\n\nBut traders whose businesses are closed say some companies aren't playing fair.\n\nA competitor to The Range who didn't want to be named, told the BBC: \"It's the wild west out there. The legislation was rushed and now government has lost control, with some retailers taking liberties in a very unfair playing field.\"\n\nBut The Range said it was following government guidance.\n\n\"The Range is classed as an essential retailer and is complying with all aspects of government legislation and guidelines,\" a spokesman for the firm said.\n\n\"Our stores trade in a fully Covid-compliant manner, creating a safe environment for our customers and staff.\"\n\nAdvertising from The Range encourages consumers to 'shop Christmas' in-store and online\n\nMartin Coles-Evans runs a gifts and homeware store called Hargreaves & Sons in Buxton, Derbyshire. The business has been going for more than 150 years, but now he says times are \"tough\".\n\n\"Shops like ourselves, we're following the rules and we're making people stay safe so we're closed, and yet these bigger companies are trying on loopholes left, right and centre to stay open, when really they shouldn't be,\" he said.\n\n\"It does seem to be they're mopping up all the Christmas trade while we're just limping along, struggling trying to get by with some government support.\"\n\nThe gifts and homeware store owned by Martin Coles-Evans is closed during lockdown.\n\nThe business owner says he visited a garden centre at the weekend that was also selling clothing, shoes, books, home décor, candles and photo frames. He's written to his local MP to voice his concerns but so far he's heard nothing back.\n\nAll non-essential retail stores - as well as hospitality and leisure venues - must remain closed in England from 5 November to 2 December.\n\nToy store owner Hellen Stirling Baker was dismayed to find Lidl supermarket in Sheffield with shelves full of children's playthings, while her doors remain firmly closed.\n\n\"Lidl is stacked high with wooden toys and books. It feels like the big supermarkets are capitalising on the fact they are able to sell non-essential goods alongside their essentials, in the run up to Christmas,\" she said.\n\nUnder government guidelines, Lidl is allowed to sell toys alongside essential items.\n\nLidl says it is closely following government guidance, which states: \"A business selling a significant amount of essential retail may also continue to sell goods typically sold at non-essential retail. For example, a supermarket that sells food is not required to close off or cordon off aisles selling homeware.\"\n\n\"Why is that allowed to happen?\" asks Ms Stirling Baker. \"It's definitely given the bigger supermarkets and retailers a massively unfair advantage.\"\n\nOnly stores that sell non-essential goods on another floor or in a different building are required to close those parts of their premises, according to the guidance.\n\nThe Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (Beis) said the restrictions were necessary to slow the spread of coronavirus.\n\n\"These restrictions have been brought in because we have to limit social contact in order to control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives,\" a spokeswoman said.\n\n\"We recognise this continues to be a very difficult period for businesses, which is why we've confirmed that there will be a full package of financial support in place, with the furlough scheme extended and grants worth up to £3,000 per month for businesses legally required to close.\"\n\nToy store owner Hellen Stirling Baker says it seems 'incredibly unfair' that the supermarket chains can sell toys during lockdown\n\nBut just six weeks out from Christmas, many store owners say that help doesn't go far enough to compensate business owners who've been forced to close.\n\n\"I don't think the government truly understand how retail works in the UK,\" says William Coe, who runs Coe's department store in Ipswich.\n\n\"They think if we pay their wages and give them a little towards overheads, they'll be alright. But these are key trading weeks that have massive implications for cash flow and stock and ongoing implications.\"\n\nWilliam Coe says government support doesn't go far enough for businesses closed at such a crucial time of year.\n\nMr Coe says he understands the government is in a difficult position, \"but if you tell people they have to shut, you have to give them adequate support.\"\n\nOther \"non-essential\" retailers including bookstore owners and clothing firms have criticised the government's handling of the second coronavirus lockdown.\n\nJames Daunt, the boss of Waterstones, told the BBC that \"arbitrary lines\" had been drawn, with smaller bookshops forced to shut, while large newsagents such as WHSmith, which sell books alongside other items, were able to stay open.\n\nBut a spokesman for WHSmith said the chain isn't really benefitting from the rules, since lockdown means there are far fewer shoppers on High Streets anyway.\n\nHe said the company is operating in line with government guidance, which allows newsagents and post offices to keep trading.", "Lee Cain arrived for work on Thursday, having already handed in his notice to No 10\n\nOne of Boris Johnson's closest aides, director of communications Lee Cain, has resigned amid reports of internal tensions in Downing Street.\n\nHe will leave next month, despite being offered a promotion to chief of staff.\n\nHis departure prompted speculation about the future of the PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings, but the BBC was told he would stay for now.\n\nNo 10 denied Mr Johnson had been distracted by the saga, saying he was \"fully focussed\" on tackling Covid.\n\nMr Cain has been at the PM's side since he was a press officer for the Vote Leave campaign under Mr Cummings.\n\nMany will not have heard of him before the story broke, but his resignation comes at a time when the government is facing big decisions over its coronavirus strategy and the future of post-Brexit trade with the EU.\n\nAfter a number of rows and U-turns within government in recent months, No 10 will see communications as key in connecting with the country and trying to gain support for its decisions.\n\nThe news that Mr Cain - who worked with Mr Cummings and the PM in the Vote Leave campaign to get Britain out of the EU - could become Mr Johnson's chief of staff had led to consternation among some MPs and ministers, said BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.\n\nOne Tory source even suggested that Mr Johnson's fiancee, Carrie Symonds - a former head of communications for the Conservatives - had misgivings about that plan.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer told LBC Radio: \"This is pathetic. I think millions of people will be waking up this morning, scratching their heads, saying what on earth is going on?\n\n\"We're in the middle of a pandemic, we're all worried about our health and our families, we're all worried about our jobs, and this lot are squabbling behind the door of No 10. Pull yourselves together, focus on the job in hand.\"\n\nBut the PM's spokesman said Mr Johnson was concentrating on fighting coronavirus, adding: \"You can see the progress we are making, in terms of rolling out mass testing, in securing vaccines and also in terms of making improvements to test and trace.\"\n\nCabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said there was also a \"complete focus in government on making sure we can work with business and work with citizens in order to deliver on the promise of Brexit\".\n\nThis is much more than a random resignation.\n\nLee Cain was Boris Johnson's longest serving aide in No 10 and very close to his most senior adviser, Dominic Cummings.\n\nArguments and rivalry in any Downing Street operation are not unusual.\n\nThis feels different though, perhaps the final act of Vote Leave is playing out after months of building tensions.\n\nOne insider - who until now has kept their counsel - spoke out in frustration last night, saying: \"I just can't describe to you how much of a mess it is.\"\n\nThis is about who is running the country and the prime minister's ability to manage his own operation.\n\nThe question now is whether the chaos that has spilled into public spirals into something more serious, or whether it is the chance for a reset the prime minister requires.\n\nAllies of Mr Cain were unhappy about how he had been treated, which prompted initial speculation about Mr Cummings's own future.\n\nMr Cummings and Mr Cain are long-time colleagues, having worked together on the Leave campaign during the EU referendum.\n\nMr Cain, who is set to step down next month, will be replaced as the director of communications by James Slack - a former journalist and one of the PM's spokesmen.\n\nMr Johnson is thought to be looking to fill the post of chief of staff as part of a wider reorganisation, which will also see ex-BBC journalist Allegra Stratton take on a role fronting new daily televised press briefings.\n\nLee Cain spent time as a journalist before entering No 10 - including a stint following David Cameron around dressed as a chicken\n\nIn his resignation statement, Mr Cain said it had been a privilege to work for Mr Johnson, but he added: \"After careful consideration I have this evening resigned as No 10 director of communications and will leave the post at the end of the year.\n\nIn response, Mr Johnson thanked Mr Cain for his \"extraordinary service\" to him, calling him a \"true ally and friend\".\n\nBut several Conservative MPs have expressed dismay at the wrangling in Downing Street, which comes at a time of growing unease on the government's own benches over its handling of the pandemic - especially the use of lockdown measures.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nCharles Walker, the vice chairman of the influential 1922 committee of backbench MPs, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there has been \"unhappiness about the No 10 operation for some time\".\n\nHe added: \"Members of Parliament have felt excluded from the decision-making process, and that's no secret.\n\n\"The real opportunity here is for the chief of staff position to be filled by someone who has good links with the Conservative Party and its representation in the House of Commons.\"\n\nFellow Tory backbencher Sir Roger Gale said it was \"very worrying indeed\" that No 10 \"consider it proper to devote this amount of energy to internal squabbles\" in the midst of a pandemic and Brexit trade negotiations.\n\nHe told BBC News: \"We really do need people there with their minds on the job. It really is time that Downing Street got in place, what I think is now in common parlance is known as somebody with big boy pants on.\n\n\"A prime minister, particularly one facing the difficulties that Mr Johnson is facing, needs heavyweight help.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Reeves: Public 'looks on with astonishment' at No 10", "Nicola Adams and Katya Jones during the launch show of Strictly 2020\n\nFormer boxer Nicola Adams and her Strictly Come Dancing partner Katya Jones have left the BBC contest after Jones tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nA statement said the programme's \"protocols\" meant the pair would now self-isolate and would not be able to take part in the rest of the series.\n\nThey made history as the first same-sex couple to take part in the UK show.\n\nMeanwhile, judge Motsi Mabuse has said she will be self-isolating this weekend after an \"urgent\" trip abroad.\n\nOlympic gold medallist Adams said: \"I'm absolutely devastated my Strictly journey has come to an end so soon.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Nicola Adams This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\n\"I had so much more to give and so many people to win this for! But I just want to say a huge thank you to Katya for being the best dance partner anyone could ask for.\n\n\"I'm gutted to be out of the competition but in these unprecedented times and as frustrating as it is, the Covid measures in place are to keep everyone safe, and I'm doing what I can to help.\"\n\nThis Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post by katyajones This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nJones is asymptomatic and said she was \"devastated to leave this way\".\n\n\"But I've made a friend for life and loved every moment of this special journey,\" she added.\n\nHost Claudia Winkleman said she was \"so sad\", while It Takes Two presenter Zoe Ball said she was \"gutted for Nicola and Katya\", adding: \"You made history girls.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Claudia Winkleman This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAdams, who won Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016, said she had asked the BBC for a female partner because it was \"definitely time for change\".\n\nThe pair came in the top half of the leader board with their quickstep in week one, and impressed the judges again in week two with their street/commercial routine.\n\nBut they found themselves in the dance-off last week after performing their jive, eventually being saved by the judges at the expense of former NFL player Jason Bell.\n\nA number of crew members are also self-isolating after coming into contact with Jones, according to the PA news agency.\n\nThe show's executive producer Sarah James said: \"We are incredibly sad that these unfortunate circumstances mean that Nicola and Katya are unable to continue on Strictly. They are a brilliant partnership and had already achieved so much during their time on the show.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse will appear on the show via video link this weekend, as she is self-isolating following an \"urgent\" trip to Germany.\n\nThe judge, who lives in Germany, wrote on Twitter: \"I'll be watching from home and by the power of technology, should be in your living rooms. Watch out though, I'll be doing my own hair and make-up.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Motsi Mabuse This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIt Takes Two co-host Rylan Clark-Neal is also self-isolating after revealing he has been in recent contact with someone \"outside of work\" who has tested positive.\n\nHe said he had since tested negative, but will miss two weeks of the BBC Two spin-off and his BBC Radio 2 weekend programme.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Rylan Clark-Neal This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nAdams' departure leaves nine celebrities in the line-up. One, HRVY, tested positive before the launch show but was able to finish isolating in time to take part.\n\nThe series will continue as planned on Saturday, the BBC said. Each partnership is in a bubble and having regular coronavirus tests.\n\nFollow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Last updated on .From the section Scotland\n\nScotland's agonising 23-year absence from major men's tournaments is finally over after an historic shootout victory over Serbia.\n\nDavid Marshall saved magnificently from Aleksandar Mitrovic for a 5-4 sudden-death win after Scotland had dominated, led until the 90th minute, then hung on for penalties in Belgrade.\n\nRyan Christie's second-half opener had Steve Clarke's side tantalisingly close to a Euro 2020 place but Luka Jovic netted amid a late Serbian rally to force extra time.\n\nHowever, a tiring Scotland were impeccable from the spot as they ended a barren streak of 10 missed tournaments.\n\nClarke's men are now nine games unbeaten - their best run in 44 years - and will face England, Croatia and the Czech Republic in Group D at next summer's delayed finals.\n• None Scotland qualify - what happens now?\n\nIf there was a Scotland way to finally get back to the big time, then this was it. Not content with putting the nation through the trauma of a shootout in the semi-final against Israel, they repeated the dose.\n\nGut-wrenching does not come close to describing it.\n\nYet while a nation's nerves were fraying back home, Scotland's players exuded a calm authority. They were comfortable in possession for an hour, zipping passes around, and harrying the visitors.\n\nLyndon Dykes was putting in a gruelling shift, winning countless aerial duels and making the ball stick. He was just one of the heroes in blue all over the pitch.\n\nOn an occasion demanding a big performance, every Scotland player delivered.\n\nThere were flashes of first-half threat from Scotland, the best when a Dykes knockdown led to John McGinn breaking free down the left-hand channel. The midfielder's shot needed power and precision but lacked both as Predrag Rajkovic smothered at the second attempt.\n\nSerbia - for all their talent - looked uneasy and had barely a sniff. When they did muster a chance midway through the opening half, it almost yielded the opener, with Sasa Lukic's drive from a Mitrovic lay-off whistling inches wide.\n\nIt was an isolated scare, though, and the interval did nothing to halt Scotland's momentum. They should have led early in the second half when Dykes danced past three defenders and squared for the in-rushing Andy Robertson to blaze over.\n\nA big chance gone. But within moments the disappointment made way for euphoria. Callum McGregor pounced on a stray pass out of Serbia's defence and shuttled the ball to his Celtic team-mate. Christie's nifty footwork opened up the space for a shot and he arrowed in off the base of the post.\n\nScotland were in dreamland. Serbia had been pretty abject so far - surely there was an onslaught to come? The nagging doubt that it could all go horribly wrong kept gnawing away at fans ingrained in glorious failure.\n\nClarke's men could have put the tie to bed - a McGregor strike drifted wide and Christie was agonisingly close with a curling effort.\n\nBut Serbia began to hammer at the door in the frantic closing stages. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Mitrovic and Jovic all thundered headers narrowly past Marshall's right-hand upright.\n\nBy now it was an excruciating watch. And - in true Scotland fashion - the sucker-punch arrived. Serbia slung over a corner and Jovic had lost his marker to send a header down into the turf and up over Marshall into the top corner.\n• None Podcast: All the reaction to an epic game\n• None Can you name the men Clarke has emulated?\n\nClarke's men were crestfallen, but not out for the count. Extra time was arduous with Serbia on top as Nemanja Gudelj's dipping drive brought out a brilliant diving save from Marshall and Aleksandar Katai had pot-shots either side of the interval.\n\nThe Tartan Army's fingernails were nibbled nearer the quick but their heroes were not to be denied. Scotland staggered towards the shootout, clearly exhausted. One final push was required and Leigh Griffiths, McGregor, Scott McTominay, Oli McBurnie and Kenny McLean all delivered from the spot.\n\nThen Marshall flung himself to his left to palm away Mitrovic's effort. Cue bedlam in the Scotland ranks as two decades of frustration poured out. Scotland are back.\n\nWhat did we learn?\n\nThis can be the start of something special for a Scotland squad who have the mentality to match their talent. The devastating blow of conceding a last-minute equaliser would have broken lesser men.\n\nYet Clarke's players dug in with a sheer bloody-minded refusal to be beaten, then showed nerves of steel - and no little skill - in the shootout.\n\nGoal hero Christie's tearful and poignant post-match interview captured the mood of a nation. He and his team-mates have delivered where so many before them failed.\n• None Scotland's men have reached a major tournament for the first time since the 1998 World Cup and their first European Championship since 1996.\n• None Christie's goal was Scotland's first against Serbia, in their third meeting.\n• None Christie has scored four in his past five games for Scotland, having failed to net in his previous nine.\n• None Scotland are unbeaten in nine consecutive games (W6 D3). They last enjoyed a longer run without defeat in February 1930 (11 games).\n• None Serbia have now failed to qualify for the Euros in each of their four attempts since first competing as an independent country in 2006.\n\nWhat did they say?\n\nScotland head coach Steve Clarke: \"It's been a very difficult time for everyone. We spoke about trying to make the nation smile, hopefully we've done our bit.\n\n\"Every player turned up and not just the ones that started, I'm also talking about the players from the bench and the whole squad.\"\n\nScotland will have to peel themselves off the ceiling for a double-header to end their Nations League campaign away to Slovakia (14:00 GMT) on Sunday and Israel (19:45) on Wednesday.\n• None Penalty saved! Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom right corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(4), Scotland 1(5). Kenny McLean (Scotland) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(4), Scotland 1(4). Aleksandar Katai (Serbia) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top left corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(3), Scotland 1(4). Oliver McBurnie (Scotland) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(3), Scotland 1(3). Nemanja Gudelj (Serbia) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(2), Scotland 1(3). Scott McTominay (Scotland) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(2), Scotland 1(2). Luka Jovic (Serbia) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the high centre of the goal.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(1), Scotland 1(2). Callum McGregor (Scotland) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the top right corner.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1(1), Scotland 1(1). Dusan Tadic (Serbia) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the high centre of the goal.\n• None Goal! Serbia 1, Scotland 1(1). Leigh Griffiths (Scotland) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the top right corner.\n• None Attempt missed. Nemanja Gudelj (Serbia) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left following a corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None A hilarious look at trying to grow up", "Black people are twice as likely as white people to catch the coronavirus, a study of 18 million people suggests.\n\nThe research also indicates Asian people are 1.5 times more likely than white people to be infected - and may be more likely to need intensive care.\n\nResearchers say their findings are of \"urgent public-health importance\" and raise questions about how vaccines will be prioritised within at-risk groups.\n\nThe work, in EClinical Medicine, adds support to other studies' findings.\n\nThere has been mounting evidence people belonging to ethnic minorities are at greater risk from Covid-19.\n\nBut whether the risks centre around a higher likelihood of catching the disease or of developing more severe illness from the virus is not fully understood.\n\nThe researchers at the universities of Leicester and Nottingham looked at data from eight UK and 42 US studies.\n\nSome tentative evidence suggests Asian people may be at higher risk of death than other groups, they found.\n\nBut lead researcher Dr Manish Pareek said there was little evidence the risks were driven by genetic factors.\n\nPeople belonging to ethnic minorities were more likely to work in front-line roles and live in large households with several generations, he added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nFellow lead researcher Dr Shirley Sze said: \"The clear evidence of increased risk of infection among ethnic minority groups is of urgent public health importance.\n\n\"We must work to minimise exposure to the virus in these at-risk groups by facilitating their timely access to healthcare resources and target the social and structural disparities that contribute to health inequalities.\"\n\nThe researchers suggest \"racism and structural discrimination may also contribute to an increased risk of worse clinical outcomes within ethnic minority communities\".\n\nIt comes after a scientific adviser to the government previously suggested racism did not explain the increased risk to people belonging to ethnic minorities.\n\nDr Raghib Ali, speaking last month at a briefing on a government report about Covid disparities, said ethnicity should no longer be used to judge whether people were at greater risk from the virus.\n\nHe added focusing on all those at higher risk due to the underlying factors, such as jobs and housing, would help more people overall - from all ethnic groups.\n• None Ethnic minority Covid risk 'not down to racism'", "Helga Wauters said she would \"regret this death [her] entire life\"\n\nA Belgian anaesthetist has been jailed for three years after a British woman died following a botched emergency Caesarean.\n\nHelga Wauters, 51, was also banned from practising following a court hearing in France on Thursday.\n\nShe was found guilty of manslaughter over the death of 28-year-old Xynthia Hawke in 2014.\n\nWauters pushed a breathing tube into Ms Hawke's oesophagus instead of her windpipe, investigators said.\n\nShe was under the influence of alcohol during the procedure.\n\nWauters did not appear in court on Thursday. Ms Hawke's partner, meanwhile, travelled to attend the proceedings in the French city of Pau.\n\nMs Hawke was admitted to Orthez hospital near Pau in September 2014. She was given an epidural by Wauters, but problems occurred during the birth which meant an emergency Caesarean was needed.\n\nWauters, a chronic alcoholic, admitted being an alcoholic who started \"every day\" drinking vodka and water. She also said she had a glass of wine before she was called back to the hospital for the Caesarean.\n\nWitnesses reported smelling alcohol on her when she returned. When she was taken into custody, the alcohol content in her blood was 2.38 grams per litre, or the equivalent of around 10 glasses of wine.\n\nThe 51-year-old was less than two weeks into the job when she inserted the breathing tube incorrectly. She also allegedly used an oxygen mask instead of a ventilator.\n\nMs Hawke, who is from Somerset in the UK, woke up during the operation and began vomiting and shouting \"it hurts\", witnesses said. One nurse told the court the scene was like a war zone.\n\nShe suffered a cardiac arrest and died four days after the procedure, but her baby boy survived.\n\nBut Wauters denied being solely responsible for the death and insisted other staff were to blame. She claimed the ventilator was not working at the time - but investigators found this to be untrue.\n\nOn Thursday, the court ordered her to pay almost 1.4 million euros (£1.25m; $1.65m) in damages to Ms Hawke's family.\n\n\"Justice has set an example for this type of doctor who, in my eyes, is not a doctor,\" her partner Yannick Balthazar said.\n\nWauters moved to France after she was fired from her job at a Belgian hospital for being under the influence of alcohol.\n\nThe recruitment company that hired her did not check her credentials or disciplinary record, investigators said.\n\n\"I recognise now that my addiction was incompatible with my job,\" Ms Wauters said during an earlier hearing, according to the AFP news agency. \"I will regret this death my entire life.\"", "The fire caused an estimated £47,500-worth of damage to the hospital ward\n\nA man has been jailed for five years after admitting causing a fire at a hospital by lighting a cigarette.\n\nLee Williams, of Treherbert, Rhondda Cynon Taf, was wearing an oxygen mask when he lit the cigarette on a ward at University Hospital of Wales.\n\nThe fire caused almost £50,000-worth of damage, a court heard.\n\nHe pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker and arson with intent to endanger life at a hearing at Cardiff Crown Court.\n\nNurses had to evacuate 38 patients after the fire took hold on the ward, which was subsequently closed for two weeks in May 2019.\n\nLee Williams had been treated with oxygen and a nebuliser prior to the blaze\n\nWilliams, 44, had been receiving treatment for two weeks on the C5 ward at the hospital when the fire happened.\n\nThe court heard Williams had been told on three previous occasions he was not allowed to smoke on the ward, but Williams told them he would smoke if he wanted to.\n\nHe had been found in his bed with a lit cigarette the day before the blaze, but appeared to be sleeping.\n\nA nurse took away the lit cigarette and he was again warned against smoking in the hospital.\n\nProsecutor Andrew Kendall told the court: \"The ward was forced to close for two weeks and medical staff had treatment for smoke inhalation.\"\n\nMedical staff needed treatment for smoke inhalation in the aftermath of the blaze\n\nHe added an investigation found that \"smoking while using an oxygen mask\" was the \"probable cause\" of the fire.\n\nThe fire caused £47,500 worth of damage and the closure \"added pressure to the rest of the hospital\".\n\nWilliams suffered a blackened nose and injuries to his mouth after the fire.\n\nLaurence Jones, defending, said Williams \"may have been in a state of confusion through self-medication\".\n\nJudge David Wynn Morgan said: \"You were told in the clearest terms you could not smoke in the hospital.\n\n\"The dangers of fire were made clear to you. Your response was: 'I don't care, it is my decision to have a cigarette'.\n\n\"You put at risk the life of the doctor who rushed to treat you, the two nurses who helped, the security staff who put out the fire, and the 38 patients who had to be evacuated in the thick smoke.\"", "A&E visits in England have halved since the coronavirus outbreak started, dropping to their lowest level since records began.\n\nBefore the pandemic, about two million patients a month were visiting A&E but in April that dropped to 916,581.\n\nNHS bosses are concerned seriously ill patients are being put off seeking treatment.\n\nDrops in cancer referrals and routine operations were also seen as services were scaled back and staff redeployed.\n\nHealth experts said it could take months to get the NHS back to normal and tackle the backlog.\n\nThe drop in A&E visits - to just above 900,000 in April - was the lowest since records began in 2010.\n\nBefore the coronavirus outbreak, more than 2.1 million patients a month were visiting A&E. In March that dropped to 1.53 million.\n\nThere is particular concern that patients who have suffered strokes and heart problems have stayed away because of fears over coronavirus.\n\nNHS England clinical director for stroke Dr Deb Lowe said she and her fellow doctors were \"really worried\" that the numbers seeking help for stroke care had gone down.\n\nBreast screening is just one of many ways of detecting cancer\n\nData for other areas lags a month behind - so for routine treatments and cancer care NHS England has only been able to publish the data for March. Lockdown was announced in late March.\n\nGPs made 181,873 urgent cancer referrals during March - down from 196,425 on the same month in 2019.\n\nThe number of patients admitted for routine surgery and treatment, such as knee and hip operations, dropped by a third to 207,754, down from 305,356 in March 2019.\n\nHospitals were told to start stopping routine care to free up beds for the coronavirus peak.\n\nAt the end of last month Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged hospitals to re-start routine treatments - guidance has now been updated advising patients to isolate for two weeks before going in for surgery\n\nMeanwhile, community services have had to be scaled back as staff have been redeployed and face-to-face contact has had to be restricted.\n\nHealth visitors, for example, have been having to carry out most of their consultations with new mothers via phone or using video technology.\n\nMacmillan Cancer Support chief executive Lynda Thomas said despite urgent cancer care being prioritised during the lockdown, services were still affected, while she fears some patients were put off seeking help.\n\n\"Cancer must not become the forgotten 'C' in this pandemic.\"\n\nThree leading think tanks - the Nuffield Trust, King's Fund and Health Foundation - said restoring services was going to take time.\n\nThey warned staff were exhausted because they had been working flat out and needed time to recover.\n\nThe availability of protective kit, such as aprons and goggles, would need to be improved and expanded, while changes would need to be made to allow for social distancing and extra cleaning.\n\nWhat is more, capacity would still need to be set aside for a second peak.\n\nThe NHS is expected to use the space at the 10 field hospitals - known as Nightingales in England - to provide some of this. Only two of them are currently being used.\n\nNuffield Trust chief executive Nigel Edwards said: \"With the virus still at large there is no easy route back to the way things were before.\n\n\"Unfortunately that will mean people waiting much longer and some services being put on hold.\"", "Coronavirus vaccinations could be given to people in north Wales from December, a health board executive has said.\n\nDr Chris Stockport, from Betsi Cadwaladr health board, told a meeting that plans to conduct mass vaccinations were \"well advanced\".\n\nDr Stockport said work had been going on for months to organise how vaccines would be distributed in the UK.\n\nIt follows news of a vaccine trial by Pfizer appeared to show its injections gave 90% protection from Covid-19.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nDetailed information about how long people are protected and what age groups it will be most effective for are yet to be made public.\n\nAn Oxford University/AstraZeneca trial of a different vaccine is also said to be close to producing preliminary results.\n\nAccording to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Dr Stockport said: \"We are formalising those plans now that a date is starting to become a little clearer and a little closer.\n\n\"We will be in a position in north Wales to do what we need to do in delivering that vaccination when it becomes available.\"\n\nIt is envisaged key staff, such as health and social care workers, would be first in line to get the new vaccine when it arrives.\n\nThe most vulnerable in society are likely to be immunised next, before specific age groups are called in to be protected.", "Fashion giant Hugo Boss has dropped its legal fight with an artist over his use of the word \"boss\" in a clothing range.\n\nJohn Charles, from Huyton, Merseyside, planned to launch the merchandise as a spin-off from online art lessons he started during the first lockdown.\n\nMr Charles, who ends lessons by saying \"Be boss, be kind\", said an agreement had been reached over the slogan.\n\nHugo Boss confirmed it had \"reached an amicable solution with Mr Charles that does justice to both sides\".\n\nThe artist's sign-off was so popular it led to a demand for merchandise with the motto, which caught the attention of the German fashion brand.\n\nThe word \"boss\" is Liverpool slang for great.\n\nMr Charles said: \"I'm buzzing - it is just boss. The key thing is that we're able to continue our free online art classes and release our merchandise.\"\n\nThe artist says he has no desire to rival the global brand\n\nMr Charles conducted his first meeting alongside his wife Jen with Hugo Boss officials over Skype, before a company offering pro bono legal advice took over the negotiations.\n\nHe said he wanted to say a \"massive thank you\" to people who had given him \"overwhelming\" public support.\n\n\"Hugo Boss were really sound. Very friendly,\" he said.\n\nHe added: \"By the end of the call we had them all laughing and one of their reps said she will get her kid to join in on one of our live online art classes.\"\n\nMore than 27,000 people logged into Mr Charles' free online classes which he devised with the help of his 10-year-old daughter.\n\n\"We always wanted to finish positively which is why we said 'Be boss, be kind',\" he said.\n\nJohn Charles and his wife spoke to the company over Skype\n\nPeople from Australia, Italy and Mexico were among those who took part.\n\nThe artist began marketing the slogan after people started asking for baseball caps, T-shirts and hoodies.\n\nMoney from the merchandise is being put into a trust fund for his daughter.\n\nHe received a letter from lawyers acting on behalf of Hugo Boss after he applied to trademark \"Be Boss, Be Kind\" in July.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "Lucy Letby was arrested for a third time on Tuesday\n\nA nurse has been charged with murdering eight babies and the attempted murder of another 10 at the Countess of Chester Hospital.\n\nLucy Letby, 30, was previously arrested in 2018 and 2019 as part of a probe into deaths at the neo-natal unit.\n\nThe charges relate to baby deaths and non-fatal collapses at the hospital from June 2015 to June 2016.\n\nMs Letby, of Arran Avenue, Hereford, is due to appear at Warrington Magistrates' Court on Thursday.\n\nPolice said the charges relate to the period of June 2015 to June 2016\n\nShe was rearrested by police on Tuesday as part of the investigation into the hospital which began in 2017.\n\nA statement from Cheshire Police said: \"The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Cheshire Police to charge a healthcare professional with murder in connection with an ongoing investigation into a number of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, the force said parents of all the babies involved were being kept fully updated on developments and were supported by officers.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The students hung up a banner reading: \"Put students and staff before profits.\"\n\nStudents are \"occupying\" a University of Manchester building in a protest against \"extremely high\" rents and a claimed lack of support during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThey accuse the university of \"putting profits before students\" and have asked for rents to be reduced by 40%.\n\nIzzy Smitheman, 18, said they had enough food to stay there for a week but could get more.\n\nThe university said it was \"already engaging\" with student unions.\n\nMs Smitheman, who is studying English Literature and French, said she was protesting at the Owens Park Tower in Fallowfield because the university had \"put us on unsafe campuses, paying extremely high rent\" and she felt there had been a lack of support.\n\n\"They brought us here for profit rather than our safety,\" she said, adding: \"We've tried protesting and withholding our rent but the university won't respond to our demands with support.\"\n\nThe students say they are following social distancing guidelines\n\nLast week, students living at the University of Manchester's Fallowfield halls of residence tore down \"prison-like\" fencing erected around their campus on day one of England's national lockdown.\n\nMs Smitheman said the university had tried \"fearmongering and threatening\" students who have not paid their rent as part of the UoM Rent Strike action group.\n\n\"This is the same university that fenced us in and told us when we were isolating to put on a mask and get to the shops,\" she said.\n\nThe 18-year-old added: \"I thought the university would be on our side and try help us but it feels like it is us against them. They're here to take our money and that's all they care about.\"\n\nAnother protester Ben McGowan said: \"There have been so many mistakes made by the university.\n\n\"The state of the accommodation has been ridiculous with regular flooding in the rooms.\"\n\nHe said he wanted a refund on rent paid for December as new government guidelines meant he had to leave the accommodation, but the university had \"refused to engage\" and he had been \"threatened with fines\".\n\nBarnaby Peter, a first year student who is also a rent striker, said he had been told his contract would be terminated if he continued to withhold rent.\n\n\"We are being charged for things like use of common room facilities which are actually shut, among other things.\n\n\"We are also not being provided adequate mental health support.\"\n\nSecurity has already removed the protesters' banner\n\nA University of Manchester spokesperson said a \"handful of students\" were protesting in an empty residential building and they had been told \"they shouldn't be there\" and they could be breaking Covid-19 public health regulations.\n\nThe university statement added: \"We are already engaging with elected Students' Union representatives about many of the issues being highlighted by the protestors.\"\n\nMs Smitheman said: \"We are forming a household. We are aware of Covid and are wearing masks and socially distancing.\n\n\"We're not doing it for ourselves but for every other student on campus.\"\n\nGreater Manchester Police said officers would support the university \"wherever necessary\" to deal with those involved.\n\n\"We condemn any breaches of Covid legislation and the risk it poses to those present, the emergency services and the wider public,\" a spokesperson said.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Adrian Grant, Gareth Delbridge's nephew, said the report was \"too little, too late\"\n\nTwo workers were struck and killed by a train partly because of a long-term failure by Network Rail to improve track safety, an investigation found.\n\nGareth Delbridge, 64, and Michael Lewis, 58, were hit by a Swansea to Paddington train in July 2019.\n\nThe Rail Accidents Investigation Branch (RAIB) said they were part of a group of six carrying out maintenance work at Margam.\n\nNetwork Rail said: \"It should never have happened on our railway.\"\n\nIn its report, the RAIB said Network Rail's \"long-term failure to improve the safety of people working on the railway\" was an underlying factor in the deaths.\n\nGareth Delbridge (L) and Michael Lewis (R) were hit by a train in July 2019\n\nA third worker also came \"very close\" to being hit while the group of six carried out maintenance work, it said.\n\n\"Over a period of many years, Network Rail had not adequately addressed the protection of track workers from moving trains,\" the report said.\n\n\"The major changes required to fully implement significant changes to the standard governing track worker safety were not effectively implemented across Network Rail's maintenance organisation.\"\n\nIt made 11 recommendations, nine aimed specifically at Network Rail - which cover safe work planning processes, developing safety behaviours among staff, and research into train horns automatically sounding when safety brakes are applied.\n\nNetwork Rail's route director for Wales, Billy Kelly, said thoughts remained with the family of the men, adding the way it worked was \"fundamentally changing\".\n\n\"We've already halved the amount of work taking place while lines are open to traffic and are on course to dramatically reduce it further by 2022,\" he said.\n\n\"A safety task force, comprising of more than 100 people, has also been set up to further improve safety on the railway.\"\n\nThe men were hit and killed by the 09:29 service from Swansea to London Paddington\n\nMr Delbridge's son-in-law, Adrian Grant, said the family were \"devastated\" but could take comfort that they can be part of \"putting something right\".\n\nHe said: \"It is a real catalogue of errors. It's very antiquated and needs updating. It needs to be brought into the 21st Century.\n\n\"Even though the report goes into improvements and what network rail are trying to improve, for these two families it's too little too late.\n\nMr Grant said the report was a \"catalogue of errors\"\n\n\"Today both families are in shock because it brings everything flooding back but we can take a little bit of comfort from these findings.\n\n\"And we just hope our voices are heard and Network Rail follow through on the recommendations.\n\n\"We'll never have full closure. Families can be prepared for a family member who is ill or poor health but these guys just went to work, something they've done all their lives but they never came home.\"\n\nRAIB chief inspector of rail accidents Simon French said: \"I remain hopeful that the rail industry will find a way to address these thorny and persistent issues.\n\n\"There is now a real sense that things must change. We've come a long way since the days when fatal accidents involving track workers were commonplace.\n\n\"However, it's now time for some clear thinking on how best to further reduce the risk to our colleagues.\"\n\nThere were no formally appointed lookouts at the site where them men were hit and killed, the report found.\n\n\"All three workers were almost certainly wearing ear defenders, because one of them was using a noisy power tool, and all had become focused on the task they were undertaking,\" it added.\n\n\"None of them was aware that the train was approaching until it was too late for them to move to a position of safety.\"\n\nThe men were hit and killed by the 09:29 service from Swansea to London Paddington\n\nIt also detailed how the driver made an \"emergency application of the train's brakes\" about nine seconds before the accident.\n\nThe train was travelling at about 50mph (80km/h) when it hit the track workers.\n\nPlanning paperwork indicated work was due to start at 12:30 to coincide with the planned blockage of the a line, but workers began at about 08:50.\n\nThe Office of Road and Rail, which regulates the rail industry's health and safety performance, said it would continue its own investigation while welcoming the report's findings.\n\nChief inspector of railways Ian Prosser said: \"Track worker safety is paramount and in the 18 months prior to the incident at Margam we undertook additional inspections following our growing concerns that Network Rail was not doing enough to control risks to track workers.\n\n\"These inspections had resulted in formal enforcement action being taken. Network Rail responded by forming a significant task force to bring about much needed improvements.\"\n\nRail, Maritime and Transport union general secretary Mick Cash said: \"All parties in the industry need to reflect on the implications of the report and strive to put track safety as a top priority and make the necessary changes with the aim of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries.\"", "The number of fatal stabbings in England and Wales in 2017-18 was the highest since records began. By 2019 youth violence was being called a \"national emergency\" with MPs calling on the government to \"get a grip\" on the crisis in the wake of a string of teenagers being killed.\n\nTo find out more about what was going on behind the headlines the BBC started to track the killings across the UK in 2019, looking at the lives of the people affected.\n\nWhile the suggestion was that gang violence and cuts to police numbers was the problem, the BBC project highlighted a far more complicated picture.\n\nWe reported on the first 100 victims of fatal stabbings in 2019 which showed those killed were mostly young and male.\n\nBut we also saw a rise in \"invisible victims of knife crime\" - those killed in incidents of domestic violence and highlighted how the excessive use of drugs and alcohol was a major factor in attacks across the UK.\n\nThe project has now examined the first 100 killings. This includes fatal stabbings, as well as deaths caused by shooting, assault and smothering.\n\nWe've identified 100 people held legally responsible for most of the deaths. In some cases, more than one killer was involved.\n\nThe age range of killers is wide but more than a quarter were teenagers - 14 of them were children (under 18).\n\nEvidence in their trials revealed a pattern of abuse or neglect, mental health problems and limited educational attainment in the background of the young killers.\n\nThe circumstances of each killing is varied but there are also some strikingly common themes. Many were influenced by drugs and alcohol and some impacted with serious mental health problems.\n\nBut although such cases naturally grab the headlines, the violence generated by the market in illicit drugs doesn't tell the whole story.\n\nFrom the dozens of murder trials we followed across the country, the killings were actually more likely to be the result of rows settled under the influence of drink and drugs rather than turf wars.\n\nMost of the killers had been in trouble with the law before. Some were prolific offenders.\n\nOver a fifth of the killers had links to street gangs, illustrating why police and government prioritise tackling this to drive down serious violence. But domestic killings also feature prominently.\n\nMost of the 100 killings (66) led to criminal convictions, others went to inquests where a suspect had taken their own life after carrying out a homicide.\n\nSome trials are waiting to be heard, having been delayed by Covid-19. The 13 cases with no charges include those that went to inquests and seven which are currently unsolved.\n\nBy January this year our research found the number of people killed across the UK actually fell in 2019 for the first time in five years.\n\nIt remains unclear what impact the pandemic will have on levels of violent crime in the UK but since lockdown restrictions began charities say there has been a rise in the number of people seeking help for domestic abuse and fears that higher rates of unemployment, homelessness and trauma could lead to an increase in violence, particularly among vulnerable young people.\n\nIf you can't see this interactive, click this link.\n\nInformation supplied by police forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.\n\nThe list is comprised of manslaughters, murders and infanticides. These causes of death are categorised as homicides by the Office of National Statistics.", "Some Covid restrictions are being reintroduced in response to the Omicron variant.\n\nCheck what the rules are in your area by entering your postcode or council name below.\n\nA modern browser with JavaScript and a stable internet connection is required to view this interactive. What are the rules in your area? Enter a full UK postcode or council name to find out\n\nIf you cannot see the look-up, click here.\n\nThe rules highlighted in the search tool are a selection of the key government restrictions in place in your area.\n\nAlways check your relevant national and local authority website for more information on the situation where you live. Also check local guidance before travelling to others parts of the UK.\n\nAll the guidance in our search look-up comes from national government websites.\n\nFor more information on national measures see:\n\nFind out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average by following this link to an in depth guide to the numbers involved.", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nFormer England, Liverpool and Tottenham goalkeeper Ray Clemence has died aged 72.\n\nClemence, who won five league titles and three European Cups with Liverpool between 1967 and 1981, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2005.\n\nIn a statement on Sunday, the Clemence family said he \"passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family\".\n\n\"After fighting so hard, for such a long time, he's now at peace and in no more pain,\" they added.\n\nAs well as league and European Cup success, Clemence also won the FA Cup, League Cup and two Uefa Cups during his time at Anfield.\n• None 'He was one of the world's best keepers' - Phil McNulty looks back at Clemence's life\n\nHe made 470 league appearances for Liverpool before joining Tottenham.\n\nDuring his seven-year spell at Spurs, Clemence helped the club retain the FA Cup in 1982 and clocked up 330 appearances.\n\nThe legendary goalkeeper, capped by England on 61 occasions, also worked on the north London club's coaching staff and was inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame in November 2014.\n\nClemence made his England debut in 1972 and spent the majority of his 11-year international career in a battle with Peter Shilton for the number one shirt.\n\nHe captained the Three Lions for the first and only time in a narrow defeat to Brazil at Wembley in 1981 and later took up the role of goalkeeper coach with the Football Association.\n\nHis wife Veronica, son Stephen - a former Spurs midfielder and current assistant coach at Newcastle United - and daughters Sarah and Julie said: \"The family would like to say a huge thank you, for all the love and support that he's received over the years.\n\n\"He was loved so much by us all and he will never be forgotten.\"\n\nShilton wrote on Twitter : \"I'm absolutely devastated to be told of the sad news that Ray Clemence has just passed away. We were rivals but good friends.\n\n\"Ray was a brilliant goalkeeper with a terrific sense of humour. I will miss him a great deal as we've kept friends long after retiring. RIP my friend.\"\n\nLiverpool great Sir Kenny Dalglish said: \"Today we have lost a true legend. Clem was a fantastic team-mate and great to be around. I will never forget how he helped me to settle in at Anfield.\n\n\"Our thoughts are with the Clemence family. RIP Clem.\"\n\nEngland manager Gareth Southgate added: \"He was a very special man and my thoughts are with his family. I've got to know them reasonably well over the years and I know he's had some really difficult battles with illness. It's a very sad day.\"\n\n'An LFC giant who was also a giant of a man' - tributes from former players", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Blast off: Watch the SpaceX rocket head into space\n\nFour astronauts - three from the US and one from Japan - have launched from Florida on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS).\n\nThe crew rode to orbit in a rocket and capsule provided by the SpaceX company.\n\nIt's only the second time the firm has supplied the service.\n\nThe US space agency Nasa has said it is now entering a new era in which routine astronaut journeys to low-Earth orbit are being conducted by commercial providers.\n\nThe four individuals making their way up to the ISS are the Americans Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and the highly experienced Japanese space agency (Jaxa) astronaut Soichi Noguchi.\n\nBy participating in this mission, Noguchi becomes only the third person in history to leave Earth in three different types of space vehicle, having previously flown on Soyuz and shuttle hardware.\n\nThe traditional \"walk-out\": The suited crew waved to family and friends\n\nThe crew's Falcon rocket and Dragon capsule left the pad at the Kennedy Space Center at 19:27 local time (00:27 GMT, Monday).\n\nIt took 12 minutes for the Falcon to get the Dragon into the right part of the sky and drop it off.\n\n\"Well done, that was one heck of a ride,\" crew commander Mike Hopkins radioed down to controllers. \"Congratulations to everyone. Resilience is in orbit.\"\n\n\"Resilience\" is the name the astronauts have given their capsule.\n\nThe ship will use its own thrusters to complete the rest of the journey up to the station. A docking with the orbiting platform is set for about 0400 GMT on Tuesday.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Joe Biden This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nWhen the team arrives, it will join Nasa's Kate Rubins and Russian space agency (Roscosmos) cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.\n\nHaving seven people on the 410km-high outpost will triple the amount of science that can be performed in its special microgravity environment.\n\nThe crew was driven down to the launch pad in a convoy of Tesla electric cars\n\nSpaceX has signed contracts with Nasa valued in excess of $3bn (£2.3bn) to develop, test and fly an astronaut taxi service.\n\nAs part of this relationship, the company ran a demonstration mission in May in which astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were taken to the station and then returned safely to Earth.\n\nThe contracted arrangements also call for six \"operational\", or routine, missions - this flight being the first.\n\n\"The big milestone here is that we are now moving away from development and test and into operational flights. And in fact this operational flight was licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration. So this is a truly a commercial launch,\" commented Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine.\n\nNasa has a similar deal with the Boeing aerospace company, although its service is more than a year behind SpaceX.\n\nThe agency says its new model of contracting out transportation to low-Earth orbit is saving billions of dollars in procurement costs.\n\nIt intends to use these economies to fund its Moon and Mars ambitions. To that end, Nasa is close to testing the giant new rocket it has commissioned to take astronauts back to the lunar surface, a goal it hopes to attain in 2024, or soon after.\n\nHopkins, Glover, Walker and Noguchi will stay on the ISS for six months.\n\nJust before they return to Earth, they'll be joined aloft by another SpaceX-launched crew for a brief handover.\n\nIndeed, the coming year is going to be very busy for the Californian service provider with plenty of trips up to the station being made by both its crewed and cargo-only versions of Dragon.\n\n\"In the next 15 months, we should be flying roughly seven Dragon missions. And this mission represents the initiation of a Dragon in orbit continuously - knocking on wood - and certainly is really the beginning of a new era in human spaceflight,\" said SpaceX's Gwynne Shotwell.\n\nThe company president was in attendance at Kennedy, carrying out media duties in place of founder and CEO Elon Musk who is said to be suffering a mild case of Covid.\n\nA dramatic shot of the Merlin engines firing at the base of the Falcon rocket\n\nNasa retired its winged space shuttles in 2011. In the intervening years, it's been buying seats for its astronauts on Russian Soyuz vehicles.\n\nThis purchase option will now close in favour of the new American-sourced taxis. But US astronauts will continue to go to the station on Soyuz from time to time - it's just that no money will change hands.\n\nInstead, Russian cosmonauts will get flights in the American capsules in exchange.\n\nSoichi Noguchi has now flown in a SpaceX Dragon, a Soyuz capsule and a space shuttle\n\nThe new crew will have at least four spacewalks to perform in their time at the station.\n\nIn one of those walks, they will install the first significant UK industrial contribution to the platform.\n\nThis is the ColKa communications terminal. Made by MDA UK, the radio equipment will enable astronauts to connect with scientists and family on Earth at home broadband speeds.\n\nColKa will be fixed to the exterior of Europe's ISS research module, Columbus.\n\nThe UK participates on the station through its membership of the European Space Agency, an intergovernmental organisation that is a separate legal entity to the European Union.\n\nWill the UK have a seat on a space taxi? Libby Jackson, UK Space Agency\n\nThe UK participates in the International Space Station, because the UK Space Agency exploration programme is part of the European Space Agency programme.\n\nWe already have British scientists who are able to use the facilities on the ISS. And there are some experiments in development now to be carried out aboard the space station in the coming years. One, called the BioAsteroid project, run by the University of Edinburgh, will investigate how gravity affects the interaction between microbes and rock in reduced gravity.\n\nAstronauts on these space taxis will be taking these UK-led experiments to and from the space station. And much of the science can actually be operated remotely from the ground.\n\nWe may well also see British astronauts flying on this vehicle in the future, too.\n\nThe British antenna terminal will be attached to the station during a spacewalk", "Global share prices have surged following news of a second breakthrough coronavirus vaccine, following last week's positive results from Pfizer.\n\nInterim data from the US firm Moderna suggests its vaccine is highly effective in preventing people getting ill and works across all age groups.\n\nThe news pushed Moderna shares more than 9% higher and the Dow to a record.\n\nIt also lifted firms hit by the virus, with British Airways owner IAG rising 10% and Cineworld up 13.5%.\n\nIn the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new high, after jumping about 1.6%. The wider S&P 500 increased almost 1.2% from Friday's record and the Nasdaq gained 0.8%.\n\nEarlier, the UK's FTSE 100 share index closed about 1.6% higher, while the main market in Paris rose 1.7% and in Germany shares gained 0.5%.\n\nLast week, stock markets enjoyed one of their best ever days when a vaccine by Pfizer/BioNTech raised hopes that the business world might return to normal next year. A number of other vaccines are also being developed.\n\nThe gains spurred by Moderna's news on Monday were more muted but still helped the MSCI World Index of global shares to rise further, climbing to a new record high.\n\nFirms that have been hit most badly in the pandemic have seen the biggest rises. In the travel sector, cruise line Carnival jumped more than 10%, while Intercontinental Hotels closed almost 5% higher.\n\nThe prospect of an end to lockdowns also helped oil prices strengthen. Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude prices were up about 3%, and shares in energy companies also gained.\n\nThe price of gold - which is often seen as a safer asset in times of uncertainty - slipped 0.7% before recovering.\n\nTerry Sandven, chief equity strategist at US Bank Wealth Management, said markets are being driven by a \"tug-of-war between optimism over COVID-19 vaccine progress versus fear of economic slowing as COVID-19 cases continue to rise\".\n\nBut he said low interest rates, stimulus and medical progress give him a \"glass half-full\" outlook.\n\n\"We expect equity prices to inch higher into year-end and 2021, with increased volatility being more the norm than exception,\" he said,\n\nUntil vaccines can be rolled out, rising cases of the coronavirus were a risk, said Morgan Stanley strategists in a research note to investors.\n\nBut the investment bank urged shareholders to \"keep the faith... We think this global recovery is sustainable, synchronous and supported by policy\".", "Boris Johnson has come under fire for reportedly telling a virtual meeting of Conservative MPs that devolution had been a \"disaster\" in Scotland.\n\nMr Johnson also reportedly described it as predecessor Tony Blair's \"biggest mistake\".\n\nThe SNP and Labour have both criticised the prime minister.\n\nBut Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said Mr Johnson has \"always supported devolution\".\n\n\"What he does feel strongly, and I would agree, is that devolution in Scotland has facilitated the rise of separatism and nationalism in the form of the SNP, and that that's trying to break apart the United Kingdom,\" he told BBC Breakfast.\n\n\"Anybody, like the prime minister, who loves the UK wants to keep it together thinks that that's a very, very dangerous and disappointing outcome that we need to battle against.\"\n\nMr Johnson was in a Zoom meeting with Tory MPs representing dozens of seats in northern England on Monday when he is said to have made the remarks.\n\nThe Sun newspaper reported the PM had told the MPs \"devolution has been a disaster north of the border\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nSNP MP Drew Henry said the prime minister's comments \"underline the contempt that Boris Johnson and the Scottish Tories have for the people of Scotland\".\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast he said: \"Effectively what they are saying is it's alright for Scotland to have devolution as long as they vote for the Westminster party we want them to.\"\n\nDevolution is the name for the way powers once held by the government in Westminster have been passed to elected groups in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.\n\nDevolved powers include health, housing, fire services, some areas of transport and education. However, Scotland has always had its own education system and a separate legal system.\n\nThe UK government, based in London, has kept many powers, such as defence, foreign policy and most forms of tax.\n\nPublic votes about devolution were held in 1997 in Scotland and Wales, and in both parts of Ireland in 1998, as part of the Good Friday Agreement. It led to the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly.\n\nSome parts of England have directly-elected mayors, who also have devolved powers. The mayor of London, for example, is responsible for transport and policing in the capital.\n\nFormer Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour government brought in devolution for Scotland in 1999, including the setting up of a parliament in Edinburgh.\n\nA Downing Street source said: \"The PM has always supported devolution, but Tony Blair failed to foresee the rise of separatists in Scotland.\n\n\"Devolution is great - but not when it's used by separatists and nationalists to break up the UK.\"\n\nThis comes six months before vital elections right across the UK, important particularly in Scotland, just when the SNP has been starting to warm up its campaign, and just when discussions about how the UK government ought to respond are taking place too.\n\nIt is one thing - and, of course, legitimate - for political rivals to criticise each other. But to suggest the way that Scotland has been run for more than a decade is a \"disaster\" is quite another.\n\nAnd the worry among Scottish Tories is the implication that Boris Johnson's understanding of the political situation is far from complete.\n\nScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross insisted the prime minister \"believes in devolution\", adding: \"I'm saying very clearly devolution is not the problem.\"\n\nIn an interview with BBC Scotland, Mr Ross said: \"The problem has been the SNP government's obsession with separating Scotland from rest of the UK.\n\n\"My efforts are focused on holding the SNP government to account, because they have failed.\n\n\"Any other discussion is a distraction from the key aim that we have to do to improve services right across the country.\n\n\"These are all services that the SNP have been in charge of and in control of for thirteen and half years.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nElections for the Scottish Parliament take place next May. The SNP is currently the largest party with 61 MSPs and the Conservative Party is the second-largest with 31 - eight seats ahead of Labour.\n\nMs Sturgeon's SNP says a second referendum on independence - following Scotland's vote against it in 2014 - should happen if her party wins. But Mr Johnson has ruled this out.\n\nIn response to Mr Johnson's reported remarks to Tory MPs, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: \"Worth bookmarking these PM comments for the next time Tories say they're not a threat to the powers of the Scottish Parliament - or, even more incredibly, that they support devolving more powers.\"\n\nThe SNP is seeking a mandate for another independence referendum in May's election\n\nShe added that the \"only way to protect and strengthen\" the Scottish Parliament was through independence for Scotland.\n\nBut the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross, tweeted: \"Devolution has not been a disaster. The SNP's non-stop obsession with another referendum - above jobs, schools and everything else - has been a disaster.\"\n\nScottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the \"Neanderthal\" reported remarks made by the PM \"expose the underlying thinking and philosophy in Downing Street\".\n\nHe told BBC News the comments were \"reminiscent of the voices of Thatcherism and Majorism of the 1980s and 1990s, which were steadfastly opposed to devolution\".\n\n\"In my view, what Boris Johnson is doing is defying the popular will of the people of Scotland, and I don't think that's a very good place for any prime minister to be in.\"\n\nLiberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, who served as Scottish secretary during the coalition government, said Boris Johnson \"is not making it easier to resist the demands for another independence referendum\".\n\nHe added that the prime minister was a \"bigger threat to the continuation of the United Kingdom than Nicola Sturgeon or Alex Salmond could ever hope to be\".\n\nIt has been suggested by some taking part in the MPs' Zoom meeting that Mr Johnson was answering a question that had been put to him about devolution in England.", "Police officers stood at the entrance to the church's Mount Zion Hall building, stopping people from entering\n\nPolice halted a baptism service after about 30 worshippers gathered in breach of national lockdown restrictions.\n\nRegan King, lead pastor at The Angel Church, Islington, defended his decision to hold the service, saying it served \"the greater good\".\n\nThe pastor agreed to hold a brief \"socially distanced outdoor gathering in the church courtyard\" after officers halted the service.\n\nFour officers stood at the entrance stopping people from entering.\n\nUnder current restrictions weddings and baptisms are not allowed in England. Funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people.\n\nLead pastor Regan King said he held the baptism because he \"served a greater good\"\n\nMr King, 28, said he wanted to hold the baptism as it was providing \"an essential service\".\n\nHe said: \"We were told not to have a baptism and police began to block people from entering the church, so we decided to make other arrangements.\"\n\nAsked why he had decided to breach the restrictions, Mr King said: \"Because I believe we serve a greater good.\n\n\"This is an essential service that we provide.\n\n\"It's about loving our neighbour, and you can talk with a number of people here who are extremely vulnerable, homeless or on the verge of being very isolated.\"\n\nTwo police vans and a police car parked outside the church's hall.\n\nA 22-year-old attendee said: \"While the restrictions allow people to go to the supermarket to get food, I think there needs to be consideration for spiritual food as well.\"\n\nOn Friday, more than 100 church leaders launched a judicial review of the decision to ban people from worshipping together.\n\nA Met spokesman said officers spoke with the pastor following reports he intended to hold a \"baptism and an in-person service\".\n\nThe spokesman said: \"Officers explained that due to Covid-19, restrictions are in place preventing gatherings and that financial penalties can be applied if they are breached.\"", "Boris Johnson says the UK will \"prosper\" without a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU\n\nBoris Johnson has reiterated he is \"confident [the UK] will prosper\" outside the EU if a post-Brexit trade deal is not agreed with the bloc.\n\nTalks began again in Brussels on Monday, with the UK's chief negotiator saying there had been \"progress\".\n\nLord David Frost told reporters: \"We're working very hard to get a deal but there's quite a lot to do.\"\n\nHis EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, said he wanted \"future cooperation to be open but fair\" with the UK.\n\nTweeting as talks started, he added: \"We remain determined, patient, respectful.\"\n\nSticking points between the two sides focus on competition rules and state aid for businesses, as well as fishing rights.\n\nIrish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said there was still a \"very, very wide gap\" on fishing, with no progress on the issue since the summer.\n\nHe told RTE: \"Until we can find a way of doing that, there isn't going to be an agreement.\"\n\nThe UK left the EU on 31 January, but continues to follow the bloc's rules until the end of the year while negotiations take place.\n\nAny deal between the UK and EU would need to be ratified by parliaments on both sides, so time is running out for an agreement to be reached and to get the sign off before 31 December.\n\nIf there is no agreement at that point, trade between the two will default to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules - with tariffs set to be introduced on many imports and exports, which could push up costs.\n\nThe government was planning a policy re-launch this week after rows within Downing Street and departures of key members of staff - including Mr Johnson's chief adviser Dominic Cummings.\n\nAs part of its reset statement, No 10 said the talks this week would be \"crucial\".\n\nThe statement added: \"The prime minister has been clear that we will not accept any proposals in the negotiations that undermine our status as a sovereign, independent country.\n\n\"If the EU don't respect the sovereignty of the UK, we will leave on Australian terms and the prime minister is confident that we will prosper.\"\n\nMr Johnson is now having to self-isolate for 14-days after meeting an MP who later tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nBut in a video made by Downing Street, he said he was \"in good health\", \"had no symptoms\", and would \"continue to lead\" from his flat.\n\nGovernment and EU officials describe this negotiating week as \"crucial\".\n\nTime really is running out now. The standstill transition period, which followed Brexit in January, stops at the end of next month.\n\nBy then, not only does a deal need to have been agreed, but also ratified by parliament in the UK and the EU.\n\nChief UK negotiator David Frost said on Sunday that some progress had been made of late, but that considerable differences remained.\n\nHe said he'd only agree to a deal that respected UK sovereignty and a no deal outcome was still possible.\n\nTo avoid that, the government and the EU know they will have to compromise.\n\nBut who's going to move first? And are both sides prepared to concede enough to clinch a deal?\n\nMeanwhile, the chief executive of the British Ports Association said his industry has found it \"agonising\" to get some of the information from the government about the infrastructure they will need to function after the transition period ends.\n\nGiving evidence to the Lords' EU Goods Sub-Committee, Richard Ballantyne said leaving without a trade deal could make it \"completely impossible\" to accommodate animal and plant products coming into the country.\n\nHe added: \"It would basically put traders at a real disadvantage bringing their goods in to certain routes and gateways if they know that a high percentage of those volumes need to be opened and inspected.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. FM: More restrictions now may allow easing at Christmas\n\nIntroducing tougher Covid restrictions in the west of Scotland now could help pave the way to easing the rules over Christmas, Nicola Sturgeon has said.\n\nThe first minister believed it was \"likely\" but \"not inevitable\" that some areas would be moved into level four.\n\nShe said infection rates were still \"stubbornly high\" in some areas.\n\nAnd that could lead to \"less flexibility\" for some limited easing of restrictions over the Christmas period - something she was \"very keen to do\".\n\nShe said the rates of infection also meant that the Scottish government \"do not have as much assurance as we would want\" that hospitals and intensive care facilities would be able to cope over the winter.\n\nMs Sturgeon said that moving to level four restrictions \"for a limited period in some areas\" would address both of those concerns.\n\nShe explained: \"Where we have stubbornly high prevalence, if we want to protect our NHS and if we want to get to a point at Christmas where we might be able to have a bit of easing of restrictions, albeit that will be very careful, then we need to get that prevalence down more right now.\"\n\nQuestioned at her daily briefing, she said: \"I don't want to get ahead of ourselves here - because there is lots of consideration and discussions, not least across the four nations of the UK right now - before we get to a settled point before Christmas.\n\n\"But if you are asking me my priority for Christmas it is to allow families some ability to get together.\n\n\"That should be the priority, and if we do go to level four for any areas tomorrow then part of it, not the whole reason, is to try to get prevalence down to the point where we think we can have some limited easing around that.\"\n\nMs Sturgeon said the council areas in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, with the possible exception of Inverclyde, were causing the most concern, along with North and South Lanarkshire.\n\nLevel four may well be coming for the west of Scotland. All the government indicators suggest it should be, but the reluctance until now can perhaps be explained by more than just economic consequences.\n\nThe effects of loneliness and isolation on people's mental health are already at alarming levels, doctors tell me.\n\nClosing cafes where people who live on their own at least have a chance to meet someone will exacerbate that.\n\nIt will likely put even more pressure onto GPs, with community support services unable to operate in the same way.\n\nAnd then for shielders. The governments strategic framework says that level four would see the chief medical officer write an automatic two week fit note for those in the shielding category.\n\nThat could affect staffing in the NHS or in schools and other vital services.\n\nLater, she added: \"I think it is likely that we will see some areas go to level four this week.\n\n\"But is it inevitable? Until we have taken that final decision, no of course it's not.\"\n\nThe next decision about restriction levels will be made on Tuesday, with any changes taking effect from Friday.\n\nIn level four bars and restaurants, non-essential shops, gyms and indoor sports facilities would close - but schools would remain open.\n\nProf Linda Bauld, an expert in public health at the University of Edinburgh, said she thought it was \"highly likely\" that large parts of central Scotland would be placed in level four.\n\nShe said the rolling average of cases per 100,00 people was about 143 in Scotland.\n\n\"For Greater Glasgow and Clyde it is up to 247. That is very high - and Lanarkshire is just below that at 241.\n\n\"So action clearly does need to be taken,\" she said.\n\nThe latest figures show that a further 717 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Scotland, and six more deaths have been recorded.\n\nMs Sturgeon added that an era was \"firmly on the horizon\" where better therapies, vaccines, testing and treatments would be available.\n\n\"The end is not quite with us, but we can see hope on the horizon now that we couldn't see just a few weeks ago,\" she added.", "Vaughan Gething has rejected claims that people are dying in Welsh care homes because Covid test results are taking too long to come back.\n\nHe said it was “an assertion, not borne out by all of the facts\".\n\n“We know there are challenges in the turnaround times for testing in care homes. We’ve been clear and upfront about that. We’re now starting to see an improving picture when it comes to Lighthouse lab turnaround,” the health minister told journalists.\n\nLatest figures from Public Health Wales show around 20% of Lighthouse lab tests for organisations - mostly care homes - were processed within 24 hours and 82% within 48 hours.\n\nMr Gething said Lighthouse labs were the responsibility of the UK government.\n\nThe health minister said it was not just the test that kept someone safe which was why “there’s so much importance placed on infection prevention”.\n\n“We’ve been helping with that throughout this pandemic by making available free PPE.”\n\nMr Gethting said a review on transmission within health care settings would report within the next few days and he would have more to say then.\n\n“We’ll be clear if there is any further action to be taken to help provide people with the assurance I know they’re looking for.”\n\nAsked when the WG would publish weekly data for outbreaks in care homes, Mr Gething replied that some information was already in the public domain via PHW and the Care Inspectorate. He said he was examining what was already published to “make sure there’s a regular provision of information.”\n\n“I accept this is an entirely reasonable thing for people to want to see…whether there are new infections in care homes,” he added.\n\nMr Gething said officials were developing a way to provide the information in a transparent way, saying: “I’m expecting the issue to be resolved and then to have provided clearly and transparently as soon as possible.”", "The Queen, who is very much alive, was on the list published by mistake\n\nA French radio station has apologised after publishing the obituaries of several prominent - and alive - people, including the Queen.\n\nOthers on the list that went live prematurely on the website of Radio France Internationale included Clint Eastwood, Pele and Brigitte Bardot.\n\nA \"technical problem\" led to the publication, RFI said.\n\n\"We offer our apologies to the people concerned and to you who follow and trust us,\" the broadcaster added.\n\nBroadcasters and media outlets often prepare obituary material in order to be able to publish it promptly when a death is announced.\n\nThe problem occurred when RFI was moving its website to a different content management system, according to its statement.\n\nIt said \"around a hundred\" draft stories were published in error - not just to its own site but to partner sites including Google and Yahoo.\n\nFrench businessman Bernie Tapie, 77, who was on the list of people who had their death notice published by RFI, has had his obituary published on at least two other occasions by other news outlets.\n\nOthers who made the cut on this occasion included Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, former US President Jimmy Carter and Cuba's Raul Castro.\n\nNone of them are currently dead. RFI has said it is \"mobilising to rectify this major bug\".", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "The government is set to revise its proposals for controversial planning reforms in England, after new housing targets prompted a backlash amongst some senior Conservative MPs.\n\nMinisters have proposed updating the formula for where to build houses to meet its aim of delivering more homes.\n\nBut some said the \"mutant algorithm\" would fail to \"level up\" the North and see the South \"concreted over\".\n\nCritics of the proposal include former Prime Minister Theresa May.\n\nShe said the new formula \"does not guarantee a single extra home being built\".\n\nIn the House of Commons, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said he would make a statement on revised plans \"in the weeks ahead\".\n\nHe told MPs the Covid crisis was causing the \"most substantial change to city centres and town centres since the Second World War and that does give us pause for reflection\".\n\nThe government would \"consider what those opportunities will be for the repurposing of offices into residential, for turning retail into mixed use and that will, I think, lead us to a different approach to distributing housing numbers across the country,\" he said.\n\nThe new formula was proposed as part of wider government planning reforms.\n\nThey include a target to build 300,000 new homes across England each year by the mid-2020s, with the formula providing a rough estimate to local councils on how many need to be built in their communities.\n\nMr Jenrick has said local authorities will then be expected to come forward with potential sites for new buildings - taking into account constraints, such as areas protected by the green belt.\n\nBut several Tory MPs have expressed concern that the government's plan could mean more homes in rural areas and in the South East, rather than the North and Midlands.\n\nWhile the 300,000 target remains \"undiminished\", the government says it has listened to the feedback of critical MPs and ministers are looking to \"rebalance\" the formula.\n\nIt is thought the focus will shift towards building more homes in the North and Midlands, and in urban areas or city centres - where the coronavirus pandemic has potentially accelerated a longer-term drop in demand for office and retail spaces.\n\nIt does not mean there will not still be new homes built in the South East.\n\nFormer Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who met Mr Jenrick this week to raise his concerns about the formula, thanked his colleague on Twitter for \"listening to the concerns of me and many other MPs\".\n\nHe added: \"We support your desire for more houses to help young people get on the housing ladder and will work with you to make sure a revised algorithm achieves that.\"\n\nConservative MP for the Isle of Wight Bob Seely, who led calls for a change to the plan - and secured a recent Commons debate on the issue - told the BBC he also welcomed the fact the government was willing to listen to the \"strength of feeling and depth of concern\" backbenchers had.\n\nBut he said it now had to work with MPs and \"rethink\" as the UK needed \"levelling up, not concreting out.\"\n\nFormer Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers also said the change in approach from government was \"encouraging\", but \"a few tweaks are not enough\".\n\nShe said: \"We need radical change to the proposal if we're to ensure that this algorithm doesn't lead to unacceptable overdevelopment.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson has defended his proposals for overhauling the planning system.\n\nMeanwhile, sources from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have also confirmed the department is looking to move a \"proportion\" of its operations to the West Midlands, with Wolverhampton understood to be the preferred location.\n\nThis would involve moving ministerial offices and senior officials, although ministers would still spend time in Westminster.\n\nNext year has been described as a \"ball park\" timeline for the move.", "Parents who home educate say it allows them to set a time-table that best suits their child\n\nThe coronavirus pandemic could be fuelling an increase in the number of children moving out of full-time schooling, town hall bosses warn.\n\nThe Local Government Association says some areas have seen significant rises in registrations for home schooling.\n\nIt comes after separate LGA analysis for 2018-19 suggested between 250,000 and a million children in England were out of full-time school.\n\nThe government says school is the best place for the majority of children.\n\nA lack of oversight on how and why pupils leave, and where they end up, makes tracking them difficult.\n\nThere are no official figures for children who are missing out on school, and the issue has been a challenge for successive education departments which do not track it centrally.\n\nDepending on how \"missing school\" is defined, the LGA, which represents councils in England. estimates the number could be around 280,000.\n\nBut if the point at which councils are formally required to provide tuition for sick pupils - 15 days absence - was adopted as a measure, children out of school would number one million.\n\nThe LGA began looking into how many children were out of full-time school before coronavirus hit the UK.\n\nBut there are concerns that the pandemic continues to push numbers up, and that the closure of schools and extreme pressure on support systems for special needs and mental health issues, make its findings even more worrying.\n\nThe LGA says that between September 2019 and September 2020, some local authorities, saw huge rises in registrations for elective home education.\n\nFor example, in Kent the figure rose by almost 200%, and in Leeds by almost 150%.\n\nIt is calling for more funds to enable schools to support children and more powers to keep an eye on them if their parents do take them out of school.\n\nJudith Blake, chair of the LGA's children and young people board, says the rising numbers of children not in education are hugely concerning.\n\n\"It is hard to tackle due a lack of council powers and resources, and flaws in an education framework ill-suited to an inclusive agenda.\n\n\"Children are arriving in schools with a combination of needs, often linked to disruption in their family lives, at a time when schools' capacity to respond is stretched to capacity.\"\n\nMs Blake says while parents, councils and schools all have responsibilities to ensure children receive suitable education, significant gaps in the law mean it is possible for children to slip through the net and face serious risks.\n\nThese include safeguarding issues, gangs and criminality, serious under-achievement and damaged future prospects.\n\n\"The pandemic is only likely to increase these risks and add to the significant lifetime costs to the public purse of a young person not in education, employment or training,\" she says.\n\nThere have always been a small proportion of parents who, for a variety of philosophical, cultural, lifestyle or religious reasons, decide to educate their children themselves, at home.\n\nThis is a right, set out in law, which parents are free to exercise.\n\nPhilosophical or life-choices remain the most commonly cited reasons but research for the LGA suggests health or emotional reasons are the fastest growing factors.\n\nSome parents make the decision because they are frustrated with \"zero tolerance\" behaviour policies, their children's refusal to attend or a lack of understanding of their child's particular needs, the report says.\n\nThe LGA is keen to stress that not all the children who are taken out of school at the instigation of their parents end up missing out on their entitlement to education, and acknowledges that many parents provide an excellent home education.\n\nIt argues, however, that children are more likely to miss out on education if their parents remove them out of desperation because they feel the school is not meeting their child's needs, or out of fear and hostility towards safeguarding or development interventions.\n\nThe report concludes: \"Many have said that the world after lock-down might never be the same again.\n\n\"If that is the case, we should use this period of reflection to determine how we reconnect our education system going forward in a way that we can be confident that all children can access their entitlement to a formal, full-time education.\"\n\nIn a statement, the Department for Education said: \"For the vast majority of children, particularly the most vulnerable, school is the best place for their education.\n\n\"Home education is never a decision that should be entered into lightly, and now more than ever, it is absolutely vital that any decision to home educate is made with the child's best interests at the forefront of everyone's minds.\n\n\"Any parents who are considering home education on the grounds of safety concerns should make every effort to engage with their school and think very carefully about what is best for their children's education.\n\n\"The protective measures in place make schools as safe as possible for children and staff, and schools are not the main drivers of infection in the community.\"", "A major trial of a vaccine to protect against Covid-19 has launched in the UK - the third such trial in the country.\n\nThe jab - designed by the Belgian company Janssen - uses a genetically modified common cold virus to train the immune system.\n\nIt comes a week after preliminary results showed another vaccine offered 90% protection.\n\nHowever, many types of vaccine are likely to be needed to end the pandemic.\n\nThe success of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has caused global excitement. However, it has not yet been approved for use and we still do not know how well it works in the elderly or how long immunity lasts.\n\nThe hunt for Covid vaccines continues as a different approach may yet be better, or better in some age groups, and one company will struggle to immunise the planet.\n\n\"It is really important we pursue many different vaccines from many different manufactures,\" said Prof Saul Faust, the director of the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, who will run the trial.\n\nHe added: \"We just don't know how each of these vaccines is going to behave and we can't be certain vaccine supply will be efficient and secure from one manufacturer.\"\n\nThe trial has started the job of recruiting 6,000 people in the UK. Other countries will join the effort to bring the total up to 30,000.\n\nHalf of the volunteers will be given two doses of the vaccine around two months apart.\n\nJanssen already has one large scale trial of its vaccine in which volunteers get one dose. This trial will see if two gives a stronger and longer lasting immunity.\n\nIt could take six to nine months before the results are available.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHopes for the Janssen vaccine have been buoyed by Pfizer's preliminary data as they both target a part of the virus called the spike protein.\n\nThe seemingly successful jab injected part of the virus' genetic code into volunteers.\n\nThe Janssen vaccine instead uses a common cold virus that has been genetically modified to make it harmless and to look more like coronavirus at a molecular level. This should train the immune system to recognise and fight coronavirus.\n\nThis approach is similar to the vaccine designed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, which is also being trialled in the UK. The subtle difference is the Janssen vaccine uses a virus that normally infects people and the Oxford group are using one that infects chimpanzees.\n\nBut all these approaches are relatively new and experimental. The Novavax jab, which uses the more traditional method of injecting viral proteins to train the body, started in September in the UK.\n\nIn total 25,000 people are already taking part in Covid trials in the UK.\n\nThe UK government has already put in advanced orders for six Covid vaccines, including 30 million doses of the Janssen jab.\n\nKate Bingham, the chairwoman of the UK's Vaccine Taskforce, said: \"Many vaccines are needed both here in the UK, and globally, to ensure we can provide a safe and effective vaccine for the whole population.\n\n\"That is why the launch of this trial to establish the safety, effectiveness, and very importantly the durability, of the Janssen vaccine is so significant, and I would continue to encourage people to sign up and take part in vaccine trials.\"\n\nAre you involved in the new Janssen vaccine trial? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Users reported the app getting \"stuck\" at the logo screen when launched\n\nThe NHS Covid-19 app has stopped working for many iPhone owners, who are unable to get it to launch.\n\nUsers report being stuck at a blue loading screen with the contact-tracing app's logo - but nothing else happens.\n\nThe NHS has published a workaround for the problem in its help files, but has not said what caused the problem or when it will be fixed.\n\nApple does not believe the problem is at its end, since it has not seen the issue arise in other countries' apps.\n\nMany different nations use the same underlying technology, which is designed by Apple and Google, to notify users if they were recently near to someone who subsequently tested positive for the virus.\n\nSome users have deleted and reinstalled the app to fix the fault, but that deletes useful information - this includes a log of venues the user has checked into via QR barcode scans.\n\nThe NHS's workaround instead asks users to reset their iPhone's location and privacy settings. It also recommends users have the most up-to-date version of Apple's iOS operating system downloaded and installed.\n\nBut carrying out the reset prevents all apps on the handset from using the device's location until they are granted permission again.\n\nSome users have said they fixed the problem by force-quitting the app - which can be done by flicking the frozen screen up and off the display - and then re-launching it.\n\nThe problem first emerged last week, but complaints became more frequent over the weekend and into Monday.\n\nThe cause, however, remains unclear.\n\nIn a statement, the Department of Health and Social Care said it was aware of the issue.\n\n\"The app is still scanning, even if the screen appears blue,\" it said.\n\n\"There are simple steps iPhone users can take to resolve this issue, which are set out on the app's website, and work is underway to identify the cause.\n\n\"Users experiencing this issue should make sure their Apple iOS is updated to the latest version of the software.\"", "Christmas lights were switched on at Belfast City Hall on Saturday, but without the crowds usually in attendance, due to the virus\n\nThe executive will do all it can to \"protect\" as much of the Christmas period as possible, Michelle O'Neill has said.\n\nIt comes after NI's chief scientific adviser warned further Covid-19 restrictions will likely be recommended before Christmas.\n\nProf Ian Young said mid-December could be the \"big risk period\".\n\nThe deputy first minister said it was difficult to provide certainty but she wanted to give people \"some comfort\".\n\nThe executive's \"clear commitment\" was to secure that, she added.\n\nSome of the current Covid-19 restrictions are due to end on Friday with the reopening of close-contact services and unlicensed hospitality businesses.\n\nThat decision was taken by ministers on Thursday, following four days of heated disagreements and delay.\n\nProf Young has warned that Christmas \"cannot be completely normal\" as allowing people to interact will increase the risks.\n\n\"There would be an option of measures which the executive would need to consider and I think everybody is familiar with what those restrictions look like,\" he told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.\n\n\"They have to minimise the interactions between people, particularly in indoor settings, in order to reduce transmission of the virus as much as possible.\"\n\nHis warning came the Department of Health recorded a further 14 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the death toll to 869.\n\nA further 331 positive cases have been reported in the last 24 hours.\n\nIn the Republic of Ireland five further coronavirus-related deaths and 456 new cases were recorded on Monday.\n\nThe Irish Department of Health said there were 33 people in ICU, two more than Sunday.\n\nSpeaking in the assembly on Monday, Ms O'Neill said the executive wanted to be able to \"give people something, in terms of being able to spend some time with family members\".\n\n\"It will be dependent of the virus spread at the time... we should be able to give people a bit of flexibility to allow people to get over the Christmas period,\" she said.\n\nThe deputy first minister said the R-number - or reproduction value of the virus - in Northern Ireland was now at 0.9, and \"perhaps going towards one\".\n\nAny decisions about the Christmas period would have to be taken on the basis of health advice, she said.\n\nAddressing the criticism directed at ministers over the delay in agreeing restrictions, Ms O'Neill said the executive needed to \"collectively get a grip\".\n\nThe deputy first minister said it was a \"matter of profound concern and regret\" that the DUP had blocked health proposals by triggering a cross-community vote.\n\nIt can be deployed on any issue in the executive, if three or more ministers ask for a vote to be taken on that basis.\n\nIt effectively gives parties with enough ministers a veto.\n\nSinn Féin, the SDLP, Ulster Unionists and Alliance had voted to extend the restrictions - but the DUP's decision to deploy the cross-community mechanism meant the plan was blocked.\n\n\"It should have been the will of the executive which carried it through, but I accept this is now the outworking of the executive, and we're all duty-bound to communicate the decision to the public,\" she added\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster defended her party's decision to use the veto.\n\n\"We all know those who want to apportion blame and the use of vetoes, but the truth is we should never have gotten to that point,\" she told the assembly on Monday.\n\n\"I hope in our discussions in the coming days, which again will be difficult, which again will be controversial, I hope we can get to a point without invoking all of that.\"\n\nIn other coronavirus-related developments on Monday:\n\nProf Young was also asked about schools closing early for Christmas\n\nWhen asked about schools closing early for Christmas, Prof Young said keeping schools open was a top priority for the executive.\n\nHowever, he said \"opening schools will tend to increase the transmission of the virus in the community\".\n\n\"Less because of what happens in schools and more because of what happens outside schools as people interact in different ways,\" he said.\n\nSimon Hamilton, chief executive of Belfast Chamber, said comments by the health minister and chief scientific adviser on the possibility of further restrictions has a \"damaging and demoralising\" effect on business owners and staff.\n\n\"It makes them worry about whether or not the new dates they've been told when they can reopen will actually happen,\" he said.\n\nMeanwhile, Health Minister Robin Swann has rejected accusations that not enough planning was done to manage a winter surge of Covid-19 in NI.\n\nHe said the health service had been ready, but he could \"never have planned for scientific and medical advice given to the executive being blocked\".\n\nMr Swann was answering an urgent question in the assembly from the DUP about his assessment of whether the surge planning framework had worked, in light of \"hospitals across Northern Ireland operating at over capacity\".\n\nWith news potential vaccines that protect against Covid-19 are on the horizon, BBC News NI wants to answer your questions.\n\nIs there something you don't understand or something you want to know more about? Let us know.\n\nWe'll answer your questions with virologist Dr Lindsay Broadbent live on Tuesday at 19:00 here on the BBC News NI, or tune in on BBC iPlayer or the BBC News NI Facebook page.\n\nIf you are reading this page on the BBC News app, you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question on this topic.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nA large fire involving thousands of scrap tyres in Bradford has caused school closures and travel disruption.\n\nThe blaze, in the East Bowling area of the city, began at about 04:30 GMT. There are no reports of any casualties.\n\nRail services into Bradford Interchange have been cancelled or diverted and roads in the area have been closed.\n\nBradford Council said Bronte Girls Academy, Rainbow Primary and Dixons City Academy would be closed on Monday following advice from the fire service.\n\nWest Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said about 100 firefighters were at the scene and people living nearby should keep their windows closed \"due to the large amount of smoke\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Bradford Council This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nTrain operator Northern Rail tweeted: \"A large fire at a go-kart track next to the railway at Bradford Interchange is on fire. Around 8,000 tyres and railway equipment are at risk from the fire which is around 50m from the railway.\"\n\nThe emergency services were called to the scene at 04:27 GMT. Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it had sent its Hazardous Area Response Team.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Smoke from a tyre fire blows across railway lines in Bradford\n\nThe roads closed because of the fire are: Albany Street, Spring Mill Street, Parma Street, Wood Road, Upper Castle Street, Bowling Old Lane, Mill Lane, Ripley Street, Nelson Street and Round Street/Gaythorne Lane.\n\nThere are no reports of any casualties\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Military personnel have been drafted to help at test sites including at Liverpool FC's stadium\n\nA mass Covid-19 testing trial in Liverpool has found 700 people unknowingly had the virus.\n\nPublic Health England director Dr Susan Hopkins said nearly 100,000 people had been tested over the last 10 days.\n\nShe stressed that these positive cases would have not been detected otherwise.\n\nAbout 2,000 soldiers have been deployed in the city for the project, which was intended to run for an initial period of 10 to 14 days.\n\nDevices which give results within an hour have been used to test people in the city since the scheme began on 6 November.\n\nMass testing will be rolled out to 67 more areas in England\n\nLiverpool had among the highest rates of deaths from coronavirus in October, when it became the first area in England to face the tightest restrictions before the second national lockdown.\n\nSpeaking at a Downing Street press briefing, Dr Hopkins said \"we are looking to replicate this across the country\".\n\nShe said: \"We are also running evaluations in schools and universities and are planning to test university students prior to going home at Christmas.\"\n\nDefence Secretary Ben Wallace visited a test centre at Exhibition Centre Liverpool on Monday and said the Army would assist with the programme for \"as long as there is a need\".\n\nSoldiers at Liverpool's Anfield stadium which has been turned into a test centre\n\nMr Wallace said: \"The rollout's been good, the soldiers have been welcomed, the public have come from all over the city.\"\n\nTrooper Dan House, 22, said up to 500 tests a day were being carried out at the site where he was based and people had given soldiers tubs of chocolates as a thank you.\n\nHe said: \"It's nice to know the work we're doing is coming across to the British public and they're happy we're here.\"\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Widespread working from home could lead to an increase in racism and prejudice, a new report warns.\n\nWorkplace friendships are key to breaking down misconceptions, the England and Wales study for the Woolf Institute suggests.\n\nInstitute founder Ed Kessler said as more people work from home they risk going \"back into isolated silos\".\n\nHe called on ministers to focus on offices and workplaces as a \"vital\" area for improving community relations.\n\nThe study, conducted by polling company Survation for the Woolf Institute, which researches interfaith relations, surveyed 11,701 people.\n\nHadiya Masieh, who is Muslim, became close friends with Samuel Rosengard, an Orthodox Jew, after working together.\n\nSamuel said that while he had never had racist or Islamophobic views in the past, he may have had \"misconceptions\" about Muslim communities.\n\n\"Meeting Hadiya has really helped clarify where my thinking can be askew,\" he said.\n\nHadiya agreed saying that for her \"it was more of a political thing about Israel and Palestine\".\n\nBut through their work they have become close friends.\n\n\"It was just a very natural relationship that we formed because we had the exact same agenda and passions,\" Hadiya said.\n\n\"We were both from very different backgrounds and the idea of Israel and Palestine was a hot topic. But we were able to discuss that in a way that was understanding of each other.\"\n\nSamuel added: \"Before Covid we would have regular discussions about these kinds of issues. And also identifying common cultural traits between Jewish and Muslim communities, and areas of agreement and disagreement.\n\n\"Hadiya and I would often start off conversations just bumping into each other in the open plan office and then head off for a coffee. But that just doesn't happen. So that is a loss.\"\n\nThe study suggests that of those who work in shared offices, three-quarters (76%) - regardless of ethnicity - were in a setting that is ethnically diverse.\n\nHowever, it suggests that unemployed people are 37% more likely to only have friends from their own ethnic group.\n\nAnd it warns that without alternative settings to offices being set up, opportunities for social mixing between different religious and ethnic groups will be greatly reduced.\n\nThe study also examined people's opinions on diversity.\n\nIts findings suggest that while nearly three-quarters of non-black or non-Asian respondents were comfortable with a close relative marrying a black or Asian person (74% and 70%), less than half (44%) said they were comfortable with the idea of a close relative marrying a Muslim person.\n\n\"The word 'Muslim' appears to trigger more negative sentiment than the word 'Pakistani',\" the report says. This is \"despite the fact that 90% of people of British Pakistani heritage are Muslim\".\n\nThe report also indicates that a majority of Muslims were themselves uncomfortable with a close relative marrying a Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish or Sikh person, or someone of no religion. Around a third of Muslim respondents (38%) said they were uncomfortable with a close relative marrying a Christian person.\n\n\"Muslims were both the primary target for 'uncomfortable' responses, but also the primary source,\" the report said.\n\nThe study estimated the level of prejudice in each local authority across England and Wales. Researchers used a technique known as Multilevel Regression Poststratification (MRP), which looks at the survey responses and the demographics of each area.\n\nAs well as being the most common target of negative attitudes by other faith groups, the report indicates Muslims are the group most likely to hold negative attitudes towards people of other religions.\n\nThe study also suggests that diversity of friendships and colleagues varies significantly around the country.\n\nEven after accounting for factors such as the age, educational attainment and ethnic makeup of an area, people in north-east England are 150% more likely to have only British friends and 68% more likely to have only British colleagues, compared with people in London.\n\nThe report says any apparent prejudice toward religion could be due to people feeling it is more acceptable to express negative sentiment towards religion than ethnicity.\n\nReligion remains \"a place where individuals are willing to express negative attitudes,\" the report says.\n\n\"Being Muslim, in particular, appears to remain a 'trigger' for prejudice, making religion a 'final frontier' for prejudice in England and Wales,\" the report's author Dr Julian Hargreaves added.\n\nThe survey was undertaken by Survation on behalf of the Woolf Institute. Survation spoke to a nationally representative sample of 11,701 adults across England and Wales between 29 March and 5 April 2019.\n\nThe results indicating the proportion of people in each local authority who would be happy with a friend or close relative marrying someone from various backgrounds use a technique called Multilevel Regression Poststratification (MRP).\n\nMRP projects the results of the survey onto local authorities based on the demography of the area. However, some estimates contain wide margins of error and statistically non-significant differences between local authorities.", "Dr Catalin Denciu is being treated for second to third degree burns\n\nA Romanian doctor who suffered severe burns after trying to save Covid-19 patients from a hospital fire has been taken to Belgium for treatment.\n\nDr Catalin Denciu was called \"heroic\" by PM Ludovic Orban, who praised his \"particular courage and spirit of sacrifice\" trying to save the patients.\n\nTen patients died in the blaze at the hospital in Piatra Neamt on Saturday.\n\nAn inquiry has been launched into how the deadly fire broke out in the public hospital's intensive care unit.\n\nThe fire also spread to an adjoining room.\n\nSome reports suggest a medical appliance caught fire, igniting a nearby oxygen cylinder. Regional officials say the unit was moved from the third floor of the hospital to the second without official notification.\n\nThe blaze on Saturday evening ripped through the intensive care unit at the hospital\n\nSeven men and three women, aged between 67 and 86, died in the fire. Six other Covid-19 patients injured in the fire were transferred to another hospital in the city of Iasi.\n\nDr Denciu was transferred to Belgium's Queen Astrid military hospital, having been taken to the capital Bucharest after suffering second to third degree burns to 40% of his body, officials said.\n\nRomanian President Klaus Iohannis called it a \"huge tragedy\" and said it was important to find out what had happened \"in order to avoid similar situations in future\".\n\nRomania has reported more than 360,000 cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, and nearly 9,000 deaths.\n\nNearly 13,000 Covid-19 patients were in hospital across Romania as of Sunday, including 1,169 in intensive care units, Reuters news agency reports.", "Capcom is best known for franchises such as Street Fighter\n\nVideo-game-maker Capcom has warned a ransomware attack might have compromised gamers' personal information.\n\nUp to 350,000 people could be affected, it said, and some of its own financial information had been stolen.\n\nThe Japanese developer is best known for franchises such as Resident Evil, Street Fighter, and Monster Hunter.\n\nA week-and-a-half earlier, it had said there was no indication customer information had been accessed.\n\nBut in an update on Monday, Capcom confirmed its servers had been hit by an attack on 2 November.\n\nRansomware is malicious software that typically threatens to block a victim's access to their own records unless a blackmail payment is made.\n\nIn this case, the attackers digitally scrambled some of the data on Capcom's servers, making it impossible to view or amend, and destroyed some files outright.\n\nThe Ragnar Locker hacker group had then demanded to be paid to undo the encryption involved, Capcom said.\n\nOn Ragnor Locker's dark-net webpage, the hackers didn't just post Capcom's data but also an ominous message.\n\nIn broken English they wrote the Japanese company didn't \"make a right decision and save data from leakage\".\n\nThis - and the fact Capcom is openly talking about the hack - suggests the company chose not to pay the cyber-criminals' extortion demand.\n\nMany, including law enforcement, would actually see this as absolutely the right decision.\n\nFor 18 months, police the world over have been desperately imploring ransomware victims not to pay hackers.\n\nThe groups have made millions from companies, which often feel they have no other option but to fork out.\n\nBut it seems Capcom has found a way through without yielding.\n\nNo doubt the incident has affected the firm's reputation and some sensitive data is already surfacing online.\n\nBut reading the disappointment in Ragnor Locker's statement is refreshing and rare.\n\nSo far, Capcom has confirmed only nine people's personal information was definitely compromised, all current or former employees.\n\nBut up to 350,000 customers, business partners, and other employees might also be affected, it said.\n\nAlthough, it could not be sure because its own logs had been \"lost as a result of the attack\".\n\nThe information includes different combinations of names, addresses, birthdays, phone numbers and email addresses, depending on why the data was gathered.\n\nFor example, some was from Japanese customer support and some from the American Capcom store or e-sports operation.\n\n\"None of the at-risk data contains credit-card information,\" Capcom's statement said.\n\n\"All online transactions... are handled by a third-party service provider.\n\n\"And as such, Capcom does not maintain any such information internally.\"\n\nThe company also said it was safe for gamers to continue to play its games online and to use its websites.\n\nPolice have been notified, as have the Japanese and UK data-protection watchdogs.\n\n\"Capcom would once again like to reiterate its deepest apologies for any complications or concerns caused by this incident,\" it said.\n\n\"As a company that handles digital content, it is regarding this incident with the utmost seriousness.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. We cannot go back to normal, says health minister\n\nIt could be \"weeks\" before there is an announcement on the Covid rules around Christmas, Wales' health minister has said.\n\nWelsh ministers and other UK administrations are in talks over a set of agreed rules for the festive period.\n\nVaughan Gething said whatever happened, the period would \"not be like normal\".\n\n\"You shouldn't expect there to be a definitive statement in the next few days or weeks,\" he told a press conference.\n\n\"We have quite a long way to go in the course of the pandemic we've been dealing with before we get to the Christmas period.\"\n\nThere had been calls for a single approach from the different UK administrations about Christmas so families who live in different areas can deal with a single set of rules.\n\nVaughan Gething said this Christmas would \"not be like normal\"\n\nMr Gething said discussions were ongoing about what will be in place for travel, \"and we're still looking at the evidence about what we might be able to do around contact\".\n\n\"But it does rely on the picture that we'll see in the developing evidence over the coming weeks\", he added.\n\nHe noted that other faiths had seen their festivals limited by Covid restrictions, most recently Diwali.\n\nMeanwhile Mr Gething said the rate of cases in Wales was continuing to fall, one week after Wales' firebreak lockdown.\n\nCases in Merthyr Tydfil, which has seen the highest case rate of any local authority in the UK, have more than halved, he said.\n\n\"On Friday, I said we were starting to see some very early positive signs that cases of coronavirus are beginning to fall. This downward trend is continuing.\"\n\nThe seven-day incidence rate for Wales is now at about 160 cases per 100,000 people - a reduction of 70 from this time last week, he said.\n\nHe also said people needed to be aware of the differences between coronavirus and seasonal flu, with the former having a higher mortality rate and a greater proportion of sufferers becoming seriously ill.\n\nAfter the news of another potentially effective vaccine, Mr Gething said he \"doesn't plan\" to make Covid vaccines mandatory.\n\nHe said he had never tried to mandate any vaccine, and would not want to do so with Covid.\n\n\"I'm interested in people understanding the evidence for the safety of the vaccine , then making the right choice to protect them, their family and their community\" he added.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Shoppers are back in Cardiff after lockdown ends\n\nOn Sunday, Public Health Wales' Dr Giri Shankar said it was a \"worry\" to see queues of people outside shops at the weekend.\n\nMr Gething said there had been \"pent-up demand\" after the firebreak, with retailers operating limits on numbers in their stores.\n\nWhile he had seen pictures of people socially-distancing, \"I have seen some images that are more concerning where people have forgotten about social distancing and are returning to a more normal way of behaving.\n\n\"Now, if that continues we really will face difficult choices, and we're likely to see the trend that we've already seen with reducing cases - that can easily reverse.\"\n• None Is it too early for Christmas decorations?", "A senior officer at British Transport Police has accepted the force let the public down on the night of the Manchester Arena attack.\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Sean O'Callaghan has been giving evidence to the public inquiry into the atrocity.\n\nHe agreed mistakes were made, including having no officers in the foyer where bomber Salman Abedi hid before the blast which killed 22 people.\n\nMr O'Callaghan said the attack had \"happened on [BTP's] watch\".\n\nTwenty-two people were killed and hundreds more were injured as they left an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017.\n\nThe inquiry previously heard there were no police officers on patrol when 22-year-old Abedi made his journey from Victoria Station to the City Room.\n\nBTP had primary responsibility for policing in the arena foyer due to the proximity of Victoria railway station.\n\n\"The attack that happened that night happened on our watch,\" Mr O'Callaghan, who was not working for the force at the time, said.\n\n\"There is not a day that goes by when BTP doesn't consider that.\"\n\nHe added: \"Did we let the people down?\n\n\"It was our responsibility to police that arena and that attack happened when we were policing it, there were police officers planned to be deployed to the site of the attack and they were not there - so in that term, yes.\"\n\nTop row (left to right): Alison Howe, Martyn Hett, Lisa Lees, Courtney Boyle, Eilidh MacLeod, Elaine McIver, Georgina Callander, Jane Tweddle - Middle row (left to right): John Atkinson, Kelly Brewster, Liam Curry, Chloe Rutherford, Marcin Klis, Angelika Klis, Megan Hurley, Michelle Kiss - Bottom row (left to right): Nell Jones, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, Philip Tron, Saffie-Rose Roussos, Sorrell Leczkowski, Wendy Fawell\n\nMr O'Callaghan agreed if BTP officers had been in the City Room at the end of the show, Abedi could have been challenged before he detonated his bomb.\n\nHe acknowledged it was \"unacceptable\" two of the officers on duty had taken a two-hour break including a 10-mile round trip to buy a kebab, but it would be \"right and proper\" to wait for the inquiry's findings before taking any further action.\n\nJohn Cooper QC, representing some of the bereaved families, said: \"You'll understand the families' concerns when at least one of them has photographs receiving commendations?\"\n\nMr O'Callaghan said that after the bomb went off, the officers went on to perform \"extremely brave actions\".\n\nHe also denied the threat of terrorism at the arena had been disregarded by BTP at the time, saying: \"The information officers had at the time was up to 100 concerts a year had been going on at the arena…there was nothing to focus the mind on people planning a policing response that a person-borne IED was plausible at that time.\"\n\nSince the attack there have been a number of improvements made to police planning for events at the arena, Mr O'Callaghan told the court.\n\nThis includes specific counter-terrorism briefings for officers, documented risk assessments specific to each event and more multi-agency meetings.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "It is \"grossly unfair\" that supermarkets can sell greeting cards in lockdown while specialist retailers have to shut their shops, the boss of Clintons cards has told the BBC.\n\nEddie Shepherd said some retailers were \"exploiting\" ambiguities in the rules.\n\nUntil 2 December, shops in England selling \"non-essential\" goods such as gifts, books and homeware must close.\n\nBut those deemed essential can continue to sell non-essential items if they are stocked on their aisles.\n\nIt has sparked a wave of complaints against supermarkets, garden centres and newsagents, with the boss of book chain Waterstones saying the government guidance \"doesn't make sense\".\n\nMr Shepherd told BBC Radio 5 Live's Wake up To Money programme: \"If our category and product is deemed to be non-essential, which it is, then that should apply in all retail scenarios.\n\n\"But garden centres and supermarkets often operate card and gift sections as large as some High Street stores and they are able to continue to trade in these sections whilst we're not.\"\n\nHe added: \"I think elements of the legislation are unclear and it's affording an ambiguity that people are able to exploit.\"\n\nThe Range, which also sells groceries, has been criticised for marketing non-essential goods ahead of Christmas\n\nClintons' sales dropped sharply in the first national lockdown and the chain - which has 270 UK shops - hoped to make up for it this Christmas.\n\nBut Mr Shepherd said its revenue in December was likely to be 20% lower than usual, in part due to trade lost to essential retailers.\n\n\"Undoubtedly an element of what was the available market will be gone at the point we reopen,\" he said.\n\nClothes and book sellers have also criticised the lockdown rules in England, with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) accusing the government of creating \"arbitrary\" lines between retailers.\n\nDuring Wales's recent two-week lockdown, essential retailers had to cordon off aisles selling clothes and toys, although this sparked anger among some customers.\n\nJames Daunt, the boss of book chain Waterstones, has repeatedly criticised the fact that WH Smith continues to sell books in its shops in lockdown because it is a newsagent, while his business can only sell online.\n\nOn Monday, he told the BBC: \"I don't think anyone would object to the supermarkets being open to sell food and pharmacies to sell medicines.\n\n\"What I am objecting to is really very comparable retailers are open, and others closed, and I think that really hurts the independents.\"\n\nThe BRC estimates non-essential retailers in England will lose £2bn of sales in the lockdown, which began on 5 November.\n\nHowever, the Department For Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy maintains the new restrictions will limit social contact and slow the spread of coronavirus.\n\n\"We recognise this continues to be a very difficult period for businesses, which is why we've confirmed that there will be a full package of financial support in place,\" a government spokesperson said last week.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nHurricane Iota has strengthened as it roars towards Central America, less than two weeks after another devastating storm struck the region.\n\nWith winds of up to 160mph (260km/h), it is now a category five storm - the strongest on the Saffir-Simpson scale.\n\n\"What's drawing closer is a bomb,\" said the president of neighbouring Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández.\n\nIota is the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the year and only the second November hurricane to reach category five - the last was in 1932.\n\nIn a joint press conference, Mr Hernández and Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei said Central America was the worst affected region in the world by climate change, and highlighted the damage caused by Hurricane Eta earlier in the month.\n\nThousands lost their crops when that storm hit, and parts of Central America remain water logged.\n\nBefore reaching Central America the storm moved past the Colombian island of Providencia in the Caribbean, cutting off electricity.\n\nThe country's President Iván Duque said the island could have been hit badly by the storm and stressed there had been \"very poor\" communication after it struck.\n\nThe NHC has warned that heavy rainfall from Iota could lead to \"life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding across portions of Central America\".\n\nIota already caused flooding in Cartagena, a popular tourist destination on Colombia's Caribbean coast.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe effect of the rains could be particularly devastating in areas already drenched by Hurricane Eta two weeks ago.\n\nEta left at least 200 people dead. The worst-hit area was Guatemala's central Alta Verapaz region, where mudslides buried dozens of homes in the village of Quejá, with some 100 people feared dead.\n\nAt least 50 deaths were reported elsewhere in Guatemala.\n\nHonduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua have evacuated residents living in low-lying areas and near rivers in the Atlantic coastal region which Iota is expected to hit.\n\nA resident of Bilwi, a coastal town in Nicaragua, said some locals were refusing to leave their homes for fear of catching coronavirus in shared shelters.\n\n\"Some of us prefer to stay and die in our homes. There has never been a repeat hurricane in such a short time, but what can we do against the force of God and nature,\" Silvania Zamora told AFP news agency.\n\n\"We are worried, nervous. Psychologically we are not doing well, because losing our things and starting over is not easy. Some of us have old little houses and we risk losing everything,\" she added.\n\nIn Honduras, the country's second city and its industrial hub, San Pedro Sula, is bracing for major flooding.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "The rail operator said the measure would help to maintain the physical distancing required when travelling\n\nA ban on the consumption of alcohol on trains and at stations in Scotland has come into effect.\n\nScotRail said the temporary policy had been put in place to support public health measures and keep people safe during the Covid pandemic.\n\nThe rail operator said the new measures would help to maintain the physical distancing required while travelling.\n\nBritish Transport Police has been asked to assist railway staff to ensure the new guidelines are being followed.\n\nScotRail said the restriction would be reviewed continuously as government guidelines changed and it was not intended to be permanent.\n\nIt comes amid warnings that parts of the central belt face being placed under the highest level of Covid restrictions to stem the rate of infection.\n\nCouncils in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire and Stirling health board areas have been told it is possible they may need to move from level three to level four.\n\nThe move would see the closure of gyms, hospitality and non-essential shops.\n\nThe consumption of alcohol had previously been banned on ScotRail services between 21:00 and 10:00.\n\nHowever, that has now been extended to all journeys.\n\nDavid Lister, ScotRail sustainability and safety assurance director, said the operator had been encouraged by compliance with safety measures so far, including the use of face coverings on trains, which he said stood at about 90%.\n\nHe said that people would be \"politely\" encouraged to comply with the new alcohol measures and that on-train and station staff would have body cameras to record breaches.\n\nHe added: \"If they don't comply we will be contacting the British Transport Police to deal with the matter.\"", "England's regional Covid tier system may need to be \"strengthened\" to get the country \"through the winter\", a senior government adviser has said.\n\nPublic Health England's Dr Susan Hopkins said they needed to look at what \"tiers there may be in the future\" when the lockdown ends on 2 December.\n\nA three-tier system was used in England to tackle the spread of coronavirus before the national lockdown began.\n\nMatt Hancock said the government hoped to bring back the regional tiers.\n\nIt comes as the UK announced another 21,363 daily Covid cases, as well as a further 213 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nSpeaking at the government's evening coronavirus briefing, Dr Hopkins, who is also a member of the government's scientific advisory group (Sage), said the \"key\" to knowing if the four-week lockdown in England was working was \"if cases fall\" and they expect to know that \"in the next week\".\n\n\"As long as we see cases decline we can make judgments... about opening up,\" she said.\n\nShe added that, prior to the lockdown, the \"tiering of the country\" had had a \"different effect in each area\".\n\n\"Tier three plus\" had led to a reduction in cases in the North West, she said, while tier two \"holds in some areas and not in others\", depending on \"how well individuals are taking that advice in\".\n\nHowever, she added: \"We see very little effect from tier one and when we look at what tiers may be there in the future, we will have to think about strengthening them to get us through the winter months until the vaccine is available for everyone.\"\n\nThe government is adamant that it wants England's lockdown to end on 2 December.\n\nBut what replaces it is still very much a live discussion in the corridors of power.\n\nThere was always a question mark about how much infections would fall during the lockdown.\n\nAnd clearly the impact has been undermined by the spike in cases last week when the daily number jumped by 10,000 to over 33,000 on Thursday.\n\nThat rise has been linked to a last bout of socialising before the lockdown came in.\n\nThe hope is cases will start falling this week.\n\nBut it will take much longer for that to filter through into fewer hospital cases - hence the suggestion that the regional tiers may need to be strengthened when lockdown ends.\n\nOne idea is to create a new tier four, which would see much tighter restrictions on hospitality opening.\n\nBut do not expect an announcement soon. Ministers will want to see exactly what happens to cases over the rest of the month.\n\nAlso speaking at the government's coronavirus briefing, Mr Hancock, the health secretary, said it was too early to know the impact of the second lockdown in England, which began on 5 November.\n\n\"At the moment, most of the tests we're getting back, and most of the positive cases, are from around the time the lockdown came in, so we are yet to see in the data - and it's too early to expect to see in the data - the impact of the second lockdown,\" he said.\n\n\"But we absolutely hope to be able to replace the national lockdown with a tiered system similar to what we had before.\"\n\nAt a briefing on Monday, the prime minister's official spokesman said: \"We are committed to setting out next week what the replacement regime will be and that will be a return to the localised approach and we're actively working on those plans at the moment.\"\n\nBefore England went into its second lockdown, nearly a fifth of the population was living in tier three areas - those under the toughest coronavirus restrictions. They included those in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, the Liverpool City Region, Warrington and Nottinghamshire.\n• None Postcode check: What are the rules where you live?", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"For the doubters out there who don’t believe in it...it’s here.\"\n\nCouncil bosses in Hull are asking the prime minister to take urgent action over an \"astonishing and terrifying\" rise in the number of Covid cases.\n\nCouncil leader Stephen Brady has written a personal letter to Boris Johnson asking him to intervene.\n\nHe said the city had one of the highest infection rates and the virus was \"now ravaging our communities more than anywhere else in our country\".\n\nThe government has been approached for comment.\n\nHull currently has 770 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people, and in his letter Mr Brady said: \"I am writing to express my grave concerns about the consequences of the current Covid-19 health emergency in Hull and the absence of central government support to assist us in overcoming it.\n\n\"As I am sure you are aware, our infection rate is now one of the highest in the country and... the infection rates in our city have increased at a, frankly, astonishing and terrifying rate over the last few weeks.\n\n\"We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for the absolute minimum we need to get through this pandemic.\"\n\nMr Brady is calling for a range of measures to be introduced including more freedom to put local restrictions in place, particularly with regard to schools, and additional support and resources for health.\n\nHe also wants discussions on the financial support needed for local businesses and about what will happen when the current restrictions end.\n\n\"We will not stand by and let Hull be forgotten,\" he said in a statement.\n\n\"I am hopeful that the prime minister will take this letter seriously and will urgently speak to us about what the government will do.\"\n\nFollow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Zac Adan says he was left traumatised by the incident\n\nThe University of Manchester has suspended security officers who were accused of \"racially profiling\" a student.\n\nIt comes after footage posted online showed first-year student Zac Adan held up against a wall by security guards who demanded to see his ID.\n\nMr Adan, 19, said he was accused of \"looking like a drug dealer\" by staff at Fallowfield halls of residence.\n\nThe university said it was investigating the \"serious incident\".\n\n\"We are deeply concerned by these images,\" it added in a statement.\n\n\"We have spoken to the student concerned, launched a full investigation and have suspended the security officers (without prejudice), pending the results of this investigation.\"\n\nMr Adan, a French and Linguistics student at the university, said he had been \"traumatised\" by the incident and has not been able to sleep since it took place.\n\nReturning to his halls of residence after visiting a local shop, he had been asked to present his identification, he said.\n\n\"I had my ID card in my hand and they tried to snatch it from me. The next thing I know I was being pinned up against the wall,\" he said.\n\nMr Adan said everyone on campus had been told to show their identification to security guards on the gate before entering.\n\nHe added: \"There was no conversation. They just pinned me up against the wall and said I looked like a drug dealer. Why? Because I am black and wearing a hoodie?\"\n\nZac considered studying law at another university before opting for languages at Manchester\n\nIn the footage, security guards can be seen walking off after looking at his university identification. One officer explains to a student nearby: \"When you showed your card, you covered your face up - that's all.\"\n\nIt comes after students tore down \"prison-like\" fencing which was erected around Fallowfield campus on day one of England's new lockdown.\n\nThe university apologised \"for the concern and distress caused\" at the time, saying \"alternative security measures, including additional security patrols are being put in place\".\n\nIn an exclusive interview, Mr Adan, who is the first in his family to go to university, told the BBC he believed this was an example of racial profiling and said it could be damaging to prospective students.\n\n\"It's disgusting, I haven't been able to sleep. I am traumatised by the situation,\" he said.\n\n\"My parents came from Somalia as refugees and have given up everything for me to be at this institution.\n\n\"I am the first person in my family to go to university, so for me it's an achievement - but when they hear about things like this happening, my parents are begging me to go back home.\"\n\nMr Adan said he moved to the UK from Italy a few years ago and has \"suffered racism\" all his life, but added: \"Britain has been so accepting and welcoming, I genuinely think this is one of the most accepting countries in the world and, when things like this happen, it lets the country down.\"\n\nHe is calling for the university to apologise and says he wants to speak to its chancellor.\n\n\"I want to be able to live in peace and enter my flat in peace and not be stopped and abused by the people we are paying to protect us,\" he said.\n\nIn a statement, a spokesperson for the university said: \"On Saturday, 14 November we were made aware of an alleged serious incident on our campus and began investigating it immediately.\n\n\"We have been in regular contact with the affected party and keeping them fully informed of our progress.\n\n\"The safety and wellbeing of our students is always of the utmost importance to us and we take these kind of allegations extremely seriously.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Downing Street says the prime minister and MP Lee Anderson were standing \"side by side\" and observed guidelines and distancing advice during their meeting with on Thursday\n\nBoris Johnson, six Tory MPs and two political aides are self-isolating after a breakfast meeting inside Downing Street last Thursday.\n\nOne of the MPs, Lee Anderson, later tested positive for Covid-19, and on Sunday the prime minister was told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace.\n\nIn a video from No 10, Mr Johnson urged others to \"follow the rules\" if contacted by the system.\n\nThe PM's official spokesman insisted that Downing Street is \"Covid-secure\".\n\nHe said \"social distancing did happen\" but factors such as the length of the meeting were considered by Test and Trace.\n\nMr Johnson, who was admitted to intensive care with coronavirus seven months ago, spent about 35 minutes with Mr Anderson - who lost his sense of taste the day after the meeting.\n\nThe five other MPs self-isolating following the meeting with \"Red Wall\" Tories include:\n\nMr Johnson's spokesman declined to name the aides but suggested they were not Lee Cain or Dominic Cummings, who left Downing Street last week.\n\nJacob Young, MP for Redcar, is also self-isolating - but said he was not at the meeting - while Basingstoke MP Maria Miller has said she is self-isolating after having been contacted by Test and Trace.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister was right to self-isolate as \"it is important for all of us to say that we have got to comply with the advice and guidance\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Boris Johnson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe PM's period of isolation began as the government prepares a policy relaunch.\n\nDowning Street said a series of \"critical announcements\" would this week detail Mr Johnson's \"ambitions for the United Kingdom\".\n\nMr Johnson will chair \"key Covid meetings\" and work with Chancellor Rishi Sunak to devise the upcoming spending review with an aim to fulfil his promise to \"build back better\".\n\nThe prime minister had been expected to lead a No 10 news conference on Monday but Health Secretary Matt Hancock took his place.\n\nHowever, Mr Johnson is hoping to take part in Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons virtually, Downing Street said.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Hancock said the prime minister's self-isolation would make no difference to the amount of work he would be able to do \"driving forward the agenda\".\n\nAsked if the PM and Mr Anderson followed social distancing rules during their meeting, he said there were rules \"around Downing Street being a Covid-secure workplace\".\n\nHe added: \"The central point is that it doesn't matter who you are, if you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told to self-isolate that is what you must do.\"\n\nPhotos of Mr Johnson and several Tory MPs show them standing close together. The prime minister had to self-isolate after one of them, Mr Anderson, developed Covid symptoms.\n\nGuidelines for offices require social distancing of 2m (6ft), or 1m plus precautions such as frequent cleaning and one-way systems where that is not possible.\n\nNo 10 is yet to respond to a request from BBC Reality Check for details of the Covid-secure guidelines in Downing Street.\n\nBut the PM's spokesman said \"social distancing did happen\" and that the picture shows Mr Johnson and Mr Anderson \"stood side-by-side, rather than face-to-face\".\n\nHowever, Test and Trace guidance defines a close contact as someone you spent more than 15 minutes with at a distance of under 2m. Mr Johnson's meeting with Mr Anderson lasted about 35 minutes and he would therefore be required to self-isolate if they were not more than 2m apart.\n\nIn his video posted on Twitter, the PM said: \"The good news is that NHS Test and Trace is working ever-more efficiently, but the bad news is that they've pinged me and I've got to self-isolate because someone I was in contact with a few days ago has developed Covid.\n\n\"It doesn't matter that we were all doing social distancing, it doesn't matter that I'm fit as a butcher's dog, feel great.\n\n\"And actually, it doesn't matter that I've had the disease and I'm bursting with antibodies. We've got to interrupt the spread of the disease and one of the ways we can do that now is by self-isolating for 14 days when contacted by Test and Trace.\"\n\nAccording to No 10, the prime minister has had at least one antibody test for coronavirus.\n\nIt remains unclear what effect, if any, previously having the coronavirus has on a person's immunity but experts think reinfection is likely to be rare, BBC health correspondent James Gallagher has reported.\n\nSpeaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, said there have been more than 25 confirmed cases of Covid-19 reinfection globally.\n\nHe added: \"I think most of us think the rate of reinfection is quite a lot higher than that, but not enormous.\"\n\nSelf-isolation means staying at home and not leaving it - even to buy food, medicines or other essentials, or for exercise.\n\nIf you are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS Covid-19 app, you must self-isolate for 14 days from the day you were last in contact with the person who tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nAnd if you develop symptoms during the 14 day period, you should get a test as soon as possible.\n\nIf the result is negative, you should continue isolating for the rest of the 14 days.\n\nIf positive, you should self-isolate for at least another 10 days from when your symptoms started.\n\nOn Thursday, Mr Anderson, the Conservative MP for Ashfield, posted a photo of himself with Mr Johnson at No 10 alongside the words: \"Breakfast with the PM.\"\n\nOn Sunday, he posted on his Facebook page to say he was self-isolating with his wife, who is clinically vulnerable, after they both tested positive.\n\nThe PM wrote on Twitter on Sunday night that he had been notified by NHS Test and Trace that he must self-isolate as he had been in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus, and he would be working from No 10.\n\nThe new policy plans follow the dramatic departure of the PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings last week.\n\nOver the weekend, senior Tory MPs said his exit was a chance to \"reset government\" and a series of announcements are planned for this week, including the government's 10-point plan for a \"green industrial revolution\"\n\nA meeting between the PM and the Northern Research Group of backbench Tory MPs is scheduled to take place via online video conference later on Monday.\n\nAnd talks over a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU have resumed in Brussels.\n\nMeanwhile, in other coronavirus developments:\n\nThe UK government announced another 24,962 confirmed Covid cases on Sunday, as well as a further 168 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.", "Most of the debilitating effects of statins are not caused by the drug, but by people believing it will make them sick, a UK study suggests.\n\nThe phenomenon is known as the \"nocebo effect\" and may account for 90% of the ill health associated with the cholesterol-lowering drugs.\n\nThe British Heart Foundation said the results were undeniable.\n\nThe Imperial College London researchers hope the findings will help more people stay on statins.\n\nThe drugs are one of the most prescribed in the UK. Nearly eight million people taken them to lower their cholesterol and in turn reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke.\n\nHowever, up to a fifth of people stop taking them due to side-effects such as muscle aches, fatigue, feeling sick and joint pain.\n\nThe nocebo effect - when expecting a drug to make you worse, genuinely does - has been seen before in medicine.\n\nIt is thought to explain the high number of people who think they have penicillin allergies when tests suggest otherwise.\n\nThe statin study, which took place at Hammersmith Hospital, focused on 60 patients who had all come off the drugs in the past due to severe side effects.\n\nThey were given 12 bottles - four contained a month's worth of statins, four a month's worth of dummy pills and four were empty.\n\nEvery day for a year they would score, from zero to 100, how bad their symptoms were.\n\nThe study showed an average score of:\n\nThe Imperial researchers said 90% of the severity of their symptoms was present when the volunteers were taking dummy pills they thought could be a statin.\n\n\"The side effects are mainly caused by act of taking tablets, not what is in them,\" Dr James Howard, one of the researchers told BBC News.\n\nHe added: \"It is crazy when you think about it, to most people it is complete incongruous.\"\n\nSymptoms were so bad that people had to stop taking the tablets on 71 occasions, including 31 times while they were just taking the dummy pill, during the course of the study.\n\n\"Our patients were really suffering, patients are not making it up,\" Dr Howard said.\n\nBut does it matter either way? Whether it is nocebo effect or the chemicals in the statin themselves, the net result is some people find the drugs intolerable.\n\n\"I think it matters a lot,\" Dr Howard said. He said talking the results through with patients meant half of them were able to restart their statins.\n\nThe nocebo effect is the opposite of the more familiar placebo effect, in which people feel better after being given a therapy, even if there is nothing in it.\n\nThe exact reason why statins produce a nocebo effect is unknown. The suspicion is they have achieved a self-fulfilling destiny with media reports, GPs and cardiologists warning of the side-effects of statins.\n\n\"If you stopped a man in the street and asked how do you feel about an aspirin or a statin a day, I think people would be much more positive about the aspirin,\" Dr Howard said.\n\nThe study is being published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Heart Association Conference.\n\nProf Sir Nilesh Samani, the medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: \"These results undeniably show that statins are not responsible for many of the side effects attributed to them.\n\n\"Decades of evidence have proven that statins save lives and they should be the first port of call for individuals at high risk of heart attack and stroke.\"", "Lewis Hamilton clinched a seventh World Championship and became the most successful racing driver ever with a masterful victory in the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday.\n\nThe Mercedes driver equalled Michael Schumacher's achievement in terms of titles, after already surpassing the German's number of race wins last month.\n\nVictory at a treacherously wet and slippery Istanbul Park track in a topsy-turvy race was the 94th of the 35-year-old Briton's career.\n\nAs he received the congratulations of his team, Hamilton was almost overcome with emotion in the car after the race, saying: \"To all the kids out there, dream the impossible.\"\n\nOnce out of the car, he added: \"Seven is just unimaginable but when you work with such a great group of people and you really trust each other, there is just no end to what you can do together.\n\n\"I feel like I'm only just getting started, it's really weird.\"\n\nHamilton, who does not yet have a contract for next year, added he would \"love to stay\" in F1 and wanted to continue to campaign for change when it comes to human rights, diversity and environmentalism.\n\nThe Englishman won his first world title with McLaren in 2008 with further successes in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019.\n• None The greatest ever? We examine the stats\n\nHow Hamilton won it in style\n\nIt was a drive befitting the monumental nature of Hamilton's achievement.\n\nHe trod carefully in the opening stages of the race and even made a couple of small mistakes as the drivers fought for grip in the wet conditions.\n\nBy five laps in he was in sixth place, well over 20 seconds off the lead held by Racing Point's Lance Stroll, ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez.\n\nAfter all the leaders made an early stop for fresh intermediate tyres, Hamilton was stuck behind Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, faster but unable to pass because of the lack of grip off line.\n\nBut the race opened up for Hamilton at around half-distance as he once again made decisive strategy calls on tyres from the cockpit and drove with the skill and class that has enabled him to put himself in this position.\n\nStroll and Perez began to be caught by those behind.\n\nRed Bull's Max Verstappen was the first to pressure them, but fell out of contention when he lost control and spun behind Perez on lap 18, destroying his tyres and needing to stop again.\n\nThen, Red Bull's Alex Albon was running third, ahead of Vettel's Ferrari and Hamilton.\n\nFerrari pitted Vettel for fresh tyres on lap 33, having seen how quickly team-mate Charles Leclerc was going on his fresh intermediates, and then Albon spun at Turn Four.\n\nThat gave Hamilton a clean run to attack the Racing Points and he told his team: \"Don't box [pit] me, man.\"\n\nDespite Stroll saying he did not want to change tyres, Racing Point did pit the Canadian on lap 36, removing him from the lead and, shortly afterwards, Hamilton took the lead from Perez and never looked back.\n\nHamilton and Perez stayed out on worn tyres, as the Mercedes driver pulled away in the lead, his only concern being whether his worn intermediate tyres would last.\n\nAnd Hamilton's excellence was put into stark perspective by his team-mate Valtteri Bottas.\n\nThe Finn went into the race knowing he had to out-score Hamilton by at least eight points to keep the championship alive. But he had a dreadful day, spinning at least five times and finishing 14th, lapped by Hamilton.\n\nWhen told there were four laps left late in the race, a downcast Bottas said: \"I wish it was less.\"\n\nIt was a heartbreaking day for Stroll, who confidently led for the first 36 laps after the first pole position of his career, only to see his race unravel after he made his stop for fresh tyres.\n\nBut while the Canadian could not make the new tyres work on his car, and slumped to ninth at the end, a second pit stop mid-race worked well for both Ferrari drivers.\n\nPerez hung on to second, after briefly losing the place to Leclerc on the final lap, only for the Monegasque to slide wide at the final chicane, allowing team-mate Vettel through into the final podium position, his first of the season.\n\nRed Bull's Max Verstappen pushed Perez hard early on, but a spin at the kink on the back straight ended his hopes.\n\nWhat happens next?\n\nHamilton has clinched the title with three races still to go, two in Bahrain starting in two weeks' time and then a finale in Abu Dhabi in mid-December.\n\nWhat they said\n\nHamilton: \"It felt so far fetched. I remember watching Michael win those world championships. To get one or two or even three is so hard. Seven is unimaginable. There is no end to what we can do together, me and this team. We dreamed of this when I was young. It is so important for kids to see this and don't listen to anyone who says you can't achieve something. Dream the impossible. You have got to chase it and never give up.\"\n\nPerez: \"I told my team on the radio: 'One more lap on those tyres, I think they will have exploded.' The vibrations were really bad towards the end. But I think it also made our race. Looking after them towards the beginning and towards the end, with drying conditions, I think the team did a fantastic job with the strategy in the race.\"\n\nVettel: \"It was quite intense but good fun. I had a really good opening lap, I found myself already in P4. It is a bit of a surprise to snatch the podium but I am certainly very happy.\"\n• None The artists face their first challenge", "Why was UK not at front of Moderna vaccine queue?\n\nSky's Thomas Moore asks why the UK government has not bought up some of the Moderna vaccine before now. Matt Hancock says there is not a stockpile, the vaccine has not yet been manufactured and in Europe first availability will be in the spring. \"It is critical we have been buying the first vaccines that will be available,\" he says. He adds that, if you take the Astrazeneca agreements and Pfizer vaccines into account, the UK has more than 100 million doses on order. Jonathan Van-Tam says the spiked coronavirus protein is being targeted by most of the vaccine trials around the world and these early results are beginning to show us this is a \"plausible target for vaccines to be working against\". \"When we started this journey in February/March we didn't even know that, so we are in a happier place than we were,\" he says.", "Facebook has taken down a string of racist and misogynistic posts, memes and comments about US Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris.\n\nThe social network removed the content after BBC News alerted it to three groups that regularly hosted hateful material on their pages.\n\nFacebook says it takes down 90% of hate speech before it is flagged.\n\nOne media monitoring body described the pages as \"dedicated to propagating racist and misogynistic smears\".\n\nHowever, despite the pages being places where hate-speech is regularly directed towards the vice-president-elect, Facebook said it would not take action on the groups themselves.\n\nMedia Matters president Angelo Carusone said: \"Facebook's removal of this content only after it's been flagged to them by the media confirms that the rules and guidelines they establish are hollow because they put little to no effort into detection and enforcement.\n\n\"We are talking about the lowest of low-hanging fruit from a detection perspective.\n\n\"And yet, these escaped Facebook's notice until flagged by a third party.\"\n\nThe pages included accusations Ms Harris was not a US citizen - because her mother was from India and her father from Jamaica.\n\nOther comments suggested she was not \"black enough\" for the Democrats.\n\nAnother post said she should be \"deported to India\".\n\nAnd, in several memes, her name is mocked.\n\nOne of the pages has 4,000 members, another 1,200.\n\nA series of other sexually graphic and misogynistic submissions were also removed.\n\nFacebook has been repeatedly criticised by advertisers and civil-rights groups for not doing enough to tackle hate speech.\n\nIn August, hundreds of companies stopped advertising on the platform in protest.\n\nPreviously, other campaigners have told BBC News racism and hate speech is not picked up by Facebook's internal moderation tools - and in some situations even promoted.\n\nRishad Robinson, from the Stop Hate for Profit campaign, told BBC News Facebook had \"created a set of algorithms that incentivise people to spread hate\".\n\nFacebook's own civil-rights audit, in August, said the company had made \"vexing and heartbreaking\" decisions about hate speech that represented \"significant setbacks for civil rights\".\n\nAnd last week, one of Joe Biden's senior aides attacked Facebook over its handling of conspiracy theories, calls to violence and disinformation in the days following the US election.\n\n\"Our democracy is on the line,\" tweeted the US president-elect's deputy press secretary, Bill Russo.", "Last updated on .From the section Wrexham\n\nHollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are to be the new owners of National League club Wrexham.\n\nWrexham Supporters Trust (WST) members voted overwhelmingly to back the takeover with 98.6% of those who responded backing the bid.\n\nOut of more than 2,000 trust members eligible to vote, 1,809 approved, 26 were against and nine abstained.\n\nThe trust wished the pair \"the very best of luck in charge\" and \"look forward to what the future brings\".\n\nIn a statement, the trust added: \"Subject to final agreement, league and FA confirmation - the RR McReynolds Company, LLC will take 100% control of Wrexham Football Club Limited from the WST.\n\n\"Both parties will now proceed with finalising the details of the takeover, and we will update Wrexham supporters as soon as we can.\"\n\nReynolds and fellow actor McElhenney had told trust members they want to turn Wrexham into a \"global force\".\n\nThe takeover could lead to £2m being invested in the club, which has been in fan ownership since 2011.\n\nBoard director Spencer Harris previously said he expected the club to be in Reynolds' and McElhenney's hands within a few weeks of the vote going their way.\n\nReynolds and McElhenney presented their vision to trust members on 8 November at a virtual meeting with voting starting the following day and ending on Sunday.\n\nThe duo also issued a mission statement and have said they intend to attend games when work commitments allow.\n\nThe pair set out their plans for the club at the virtual meeting after trust members voted 95% in favour of holding talks with the pair.\n\nThey also answered fans' questions during the online gathering.\n\nMore than 2,000 trust members were eligible to take part in the vote with 75% of members who responded to the ballot needing to vote in favour for the takeover to go ahead.\n\nTrust members had received voting packs before the presentation detailing the next steps of the proposed takeover bid by The RR McReynolds Company.\n\nThe north Wales club, formed in 1864, play in English football's fifth tier following their relegation from the Football League in 2008.\n• None Is the new Xbox console worth the money?", "Two new \"mega labs\" will open in early 2021 with the aim of doubling the UK's daily coronavirus testing capacity, the government has said.\n\nThe sites - at Leamington Spa in the Midlands and another at an unconfirmed site in Scotland - will increase testing capacity by 600,000.\n\nThe latest data shows current capacity is around 519,000 - although the number of tests actually processed is lower.\n\nMeanwhile, Labour is calling for a national plan to roll out the vaccine.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the vaccination programme will probably be the largest logistical operation since World War Two - and called for a plan setting out who will be eligible for a jab and when.\n\nTesting is considered a key way to control the epidemic, but the government's system has experienced setbacks during the pandemic.\n\nIn recent weeks, the government has started to pilot mass testing - including people with no symptoms - using a new type of rapid swab tests which do not need to be sent to a lab.\n\nHowever, the bulk of the UK's testing still uses the standard swab test that need to be analysed in a lab.\n\nAnnouncing the two new \"mega labs\", the government said they will use technology to speed up the process - for example through automation and robotics.\n\n\"This means more tests will be processed more quickly and at a lower cost, and therefore faster turnaround times for test results,\" the Department of Health said.\n\nThe sites will create up to 4,000 jobs, with the labs also being used to process tests for other illnesses including cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.\n\nThey would each add 300,000 to the UK's daily testing capacity - defined as how many tests can be processed in the lab each day - when operating at maximum.\n\nThe testing capacity is different to how many tests are actually processed. For example, the latest figures for Friday showed that although the UK's capacity was 519,951, the number of tests carried out was 379,955.\n\nOfficials have previously said it is natural that not all the capacity is used up, and there needs to be flexibility in the system to cope with surges in demand or problems with equipment or staff.\n\nOn the face of it the planned new \"mega labs\" will mark a significant boost to UK testing capacity. The current capability of 500,000 tests a day will be more than doubled when the two labs are up and running.\n\nBut the big unanswered question is when?\n\nThe timing is vague with only an aim for an opening early next year. The site for the Scottish lab has not yet been announced.\n\nPrevious pledges on testing capacity have not always been met.\n\nA new \"lighthouse lab\" at Charnwood in the East Midlands was due to open in early October.\n\nThat didn't happen although government sources say it will come online \"in the coming months\" along with three others.\n\nPlans are one thing. Delivery is another. More details of the \"mega labs\" will be closely scrutinised when they are published.\n\n\"We didn't go into this crisis with a significant diagnostics industry, but we have built one, and these two mega labs are another step forward,\" said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.\n\n\"These mega labs are future-proofing our national infrastructure to respond to future epidemics and improving care for other diseases.\"\n\nThe Scotland lab - which will be rolled out after Leamington Spa - will create about 1,800 jobs, the Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said. Its location is yet to be confirmed.\n\nShe described the establishment of the mega lab as \"an important step in our fight against the virus\" that will \"significantly\" increase testing and diagnostic capacity.\n\nMs Freeman added: \"The facility, which will follow on from the lab in Leamington Spa, will also have the flexibility to provide diagnostic capability in the future for other diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and will support Scotland's growing precision medicine industry.\"\n\nSeparately, the NHS announced it is launching 40 clinics specialising in \"long Covid\" which will start opening at the end of November. The condition is thought to affect more than 60,000 people in the UK.\n\nMeanwhile, hope continues that a Covid vaccine will be rolled out in coming months.\n\nAt the weekend, the co-founder of pharmaceutical company BioNTech, whose vaccine with Pfizer has shown positive early results, said life should be back to normal by next winter.\n\nProf Ugur Sahin said if everything continued to go well, the vaccine would begin to be delivered at the \"end of this year, beginning of next year\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BioNTech's Ugur Sahin: \"I'm confident that...we could have a normal winter next year\"\n\nLabour's Sir Keir has called on Boris Johnson to publish a national action plan for rolling out a vaccine \"that harnesses all of the talents of the British people: our businesses, nurses, doctors, scientists and public servants\".\n\nHe said the government should consider supporting councils to refurbish town halls or sport centres into local vaccine clinics, and also launch a nationwide public health campaign to crack down on vaccine fake news.\n\n\"We are world leaders in vaccines, and I believe we should be aiming for a world class programme for rolling it out,\" he said.\n\nLast week, BioNTech and Pfizer became the first vaccine developers to share preliminary analysis that showed their vaccine could prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19.\n\nTheir vaccine is one of 11 in the final stages of testing.\n\nHowever, there is no data yet to show how well the jab works in the elderly, and it is also not known if it stops people spreading the disease, as well as getting sick.\n\nThe UK has ordered enough doses for 20 million people. But it will not be released for use in the UK until it passes final safety tests and gets the go-ahead from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).\n\nThe agency's head has said it would not lower its safety standards despite the need to get a vaccine quickly.\n\nThe UK government announced another 24,962 confirmed Covid cases on Sunday, as well as a further 168 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. It takes the UK's number of people who have died to 51,934.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Rainbow says Carl always had a smile for everyone, even when he was at his \"lowest ebb\"\n\nPeople struggling with their mental health during the pandemic \"do not feel entitled to seek help\" while others suffer with Covid-19, a charity said.\n\nA Mind Cymru survey of 900 people found a third of adults and a quarter of young people fail to get help because they did not think they deserved it.\n\nThe charity said conditions had become \"more acute but also more complex\".\n\nA woman from Newport has urged people to ask for help after the father of her children took his own life in July.\n\nRainbow, pictured with daughter Holli, says Carl \"struggled to talk\"\n\nCarl Morgan took his own life, aged 43, and Rainbow Chicharro said he \"struggled to talk\".\n\nShe added: \"You would never have known Carl was suffering on the inside because even when he was at his lowest ebb, he would always have a smile for everybody.\n\n\"He would always put everybody else first before himself. His energy was infectious and whenever we had a gathering he was always the loudest and brightest of the bunch. It's really sad.\"\n\nTheir eight-year-old daughter Holli has raised thousands of pounds for charity by having her hair cut off on the date of her father's birthday.\n\nShe said her favourite things to do with her father were \"game nights, pizza nights and all the bike rides we did because I got to spend time with my dad\".\n\n\"It would always make him smile and we would always have so much fun,\" said Holli.\n\nShe explained she wants to raise awareness so people \"don't have to suffer anymore\".\n\nHolli said she enjoyed \"game nights, pizza nights and all the bike rides we did\" with her dad\n\nMental health charity Mind Cymru has warned of the effects of the pandemic on people's mental health and on people's willingness to seek help.\n\n\"People haven't been seeking help for a number of reasons, fear of contracting the virus, but also maybe not feeling they deserve help at that time,\" said Simon Jones, head of policy at Mind Cymru.\n\n\"You may feel that how you're feeling emotionally isn't as important as the physical challenges that people are facing, but we know in the long run it's really important that people talk, and that people still seek help, because your mental health is as important as your physical health.\"\n\nFigures published earlier in the year suggested twice as many adults had reported symptoms of depression compared with the same time last year.\n\nA survey of more than 3,500 adults found almost one in five appeared to have depressive symptoms compared with just under one in ten before the pandemic.\n\nIf you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, visit BBC Action Line for information on support available to you.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. \"It can be shocking sometimes,\" says probation officer Salli Dixon\n\nWorking from home during a pandemic has brought extra challenges for probation officers who work with serious offenders after their release from prison. Many have had to handle unpleasant subject matter in their own homes, as they deal remotely with violent or sexual offenders.\n\nI spent the day with a member of the probation team that works with the 50 most dangerous male offenders in Cardiff, to see how they are managing.\n\nSalli Dixon is part of the special team of probation officers usually based at a police station.\n\nWhile some face-to-face appointments have continued, whether in the office or the offender's doorstep, others have to be done over the phone or by video call.\n\nThe pandemic also means more of the work is done remotely from home, including work with sex offenders.\n\n\"It makes it a little more hard to switch off mentally, and you're having really difficult conversations in your home environment, which feels intrusive,\" she says.\n\n\"But it hasn't made the service any less effective. We can't have a less effective service - we protect the public, so we've just had to adapt.\"\n\nHer first call of the day is with a registered child sex offender, who is living in a halfway house after recently being released from prison.\n\nSalli speaking to a registered sex offender who \"gets anxious\" and thinks the \"way out\" might be going back to prison\n\nHe's tested positive for Covid-19 and has been moved into isolation quarters, meaning their appointment must now be over the phone.\n\nHe tells her he's anxious about plans to find him his own flat where he would be living alone full-time.\n\nThe length of time prison leavers spend in approved premises like a halfway house has been reduced during the pandemic.\n\n\"It's a little early if I'm honest - far, far too early,\" he says.\n\n\"When my mind is in a corner and up against a wall - it just goes 'right where is the way out? The way out is to go back to prison'.\"\n\nHis anxieties are kicking in, meaning his risks increase, Salli explains.\n\n\"He has got 16 or 17 instances of breaching his restrictions, usually by going too close to an area where there are children - like a nursery or school. He says he does that because he wants to self-sabotage and go back into prison,\" she says.\n\n\"So when he feels that he is being moved into his own accommodation, where he'll be by himself, he gets anxious and he thinks it's easier to just do something that would warrant him going back inside.\n\n\"The risk to the public would be that he would commit a child contact sex offence. He hasn't done that yet, but we can't rule out that he wouldn't.\"\n\n\"We're not completely desensitised, we still hear things that shock us\"\n\nHow does she feel discussing the nature of his offending?\n\n\"We're not completely desensitised as probation officers, because we still hear things that shock us,\" she says.\n\n\"No matter how long you've done a job it is quite difficult sometimes and quite unusual to hear somebody talk candidly about their sexual views towards children.\"\n\nThe small team deals with complex cases - like repeat domestic violence or sex offenders who also have additional issues, such as a personality disorder, mental health problems or drug and alcohol misuse.\n\nKnown as Wisdom (Wales Integrated Serious and Dangerous Offender Management), they have a reduced case load to reflect the risks posed, as well as more resources than typical probation officers.\n\nHer second case of the day is able to come to the office. He committed a sex offence against a vulnerable adult and was released earlier this year after decades in prison.\n\nOne of the sex offenders Salli is working with has struggled with the pace of life outside prison, but has done \"phenomenally well\"\n\nMuch has changed since he was a young man on the outside, and he says the pace of life compared with prison has felt overwhelming at times.\n\nWeeks after his release, lockdown was announced and he too wonders whether it would be better to be back in prison.\n\n\"We've done a lot of work around what's going well and the reasons he wants to stay out,\" says Salli.\n\n\"If you reinforce that enough, they will make changes and they will stay out. He's done phenomenally well.\"\n\nShe still carries out some home visits, but they're now on the doorstep, which naturally makes the job more challenging.\n\n\"We're risk assessors, it's what we're trained to do. So even though we might not be able to physically go inside, we'll do everything we can to make sure that everyone is safe.\"\n\nThe use of video calls also means more checks can be done in a day, but if Salli is working from home she has to make sure none of her personal items are on view.\n\n\"I would try and have video calls in the office because not only is it safer but I'm in the right frame of mind to be talking to somebody [in that] environment.\"\n\nCovid-19 has also brought greater practical challenges for the men she works with.\n\n\"It's made it more difficult for people to access basic things like housing, money and universal credit, signing up at the doctors, getting a prescription. We've had to be more hands on in terms of helping people get set up.\"\n\nThe rewards keep her going, she said, and she is proud of the good the team is doing for the wider community.\n\n\"We change people's lives,\" she says.\n\n\"I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it. It's got its ups and downs and you know you can't help change everyone. You have to manage your expectations about what you can help people achieve.\"", "The Public Health Agency said uptake of the vaccine has been higher than ever before.\n\nThere is \"no shortage\" of ordered flu vaccines for Northern Ireland, Health Minister Robin Swann has said.\n\nNI's GP committee had said that Northern Ireland was almost 200,000 doses short of the flu vaccine.\n\nThe chair of NI's GP committee had raised concerns that it would not be possible to complete the vaccination programme for those aged over 65.\n\nBut the Public Health Agency (PHA) now says that this is not the case.\n\nConcerns about a shortage of flu vaccine initially emerged after a meeting of GPs and Public Health Agency representatives last week.\n\nDr Alan Stout, chair of NI's GP committee (NIGPC), then wrote to GPs across Northern Ireland and said he was \"deeply concerned and frustrated\" about a shortfall in flu vaccines.\n\nThe BBC has also learned that after last week's meeting, Dr Stout wrote to the chief medical officer highlighting their concerns over the shortfall of about 200,000 vaccine doses.\n\nIn an email to Dr Michael McBride and seen by BBC News NI Dr Alan Stout said: \"You will see that it is far from satisfactory and puts practices in a very difficult situation and really does put at risk the completion of the flu campaign this year.\n\n\"Is this all consistent with your own understanding?\n\n\"We have a large number of practices with significant numbers of patients still to be vaccinated. We need to get advice to them ASAP about when they can do this and what vaccine they should give. \"\n\nBut on Monday Dr Gerry Waldron from the PHA said there was not a shortage and he hoped the confusion would not deter those coming forward.\n\nLater on Monday Robin Swann also denied there was a shortage and said Northern Ireland had ordered in total 1,050,300 doses for this year.\n\nAs of last Friday, 826,890 doses had been delivered into Northern Ireland, with 601,243 doses delivered to GPs and health trusts.\n\nMr Swann said two further deliveries had arrived in NI on Monday morning, with the total amount of vaccine delivered now standing at 1,019,590 doses.\n\nThirty thousand doses of childhood vaccine still to be delivered are the \"only remaining order outstanding\", he told the assembly.\n\nFrom the outside looking in, things appear a bit of a mess.\n\nHere are two reputable bodies - the Public Health Agency and the NI GP committee - each with their own versions of an important meeting last week.\n\nOn the one hand GPs have said they were left in no doubt of the shortfall; on Sunday the Public Health Agency confirmed in a statement that postponing clinics would \"inconvenience\" GPs. At no point did the PHA challenge or contradict what GPs had told the BBC.\n\nTwenty-four hours on, however, and it is an entirely different story with the PHA adamant that Northern Ireland now has enough vaccine to go around.\n\nThe British Medical Association has reacted saying it is \"delighted\" with the news.\n\nAll of this highlights the importance of clear messaging, especially during a pandemic.\n\nCommunication between health officials and those on the ground needs to be accurate and up to date.\n\nAll of that will go some way in reassuring the public that when it comes to vaccines, those charged with obtaining and delivering them are in complete control of everything that is going on.\n\nThe PHA's Dr Gerry Waldron said for those aged over 65, about 296,000 vaccines are in Northern Ireland and this is \"the full amount that was planned\".\n\n\"It was always anticipated that stock would arrive in planned batches, and with the initial batch of vaccine for under-65s used up extremely quickly, the decision to pause was purely practical, as it was simply not possible to continue to vaccinate until the next planned tranche of vaccine became available,\" Dr Waldron said.\n\nThere are two different flu vaccines available for different age groups\n\nFollowing the clarification from Mr Swann and the PHA, Dr Stout said: \"As of 8am when practices opened this morning they did not know that there was additional flu vaccine available in Northern Ireland.\n\n\"We've only found that out during the course of the day and the only communication that I have got on that is through the press and through the media.\n\n\"It is a good thing that we now know that it is here, but this is part of the confusion, this is part of the problem.\"", "Dentists have provided around 19m fewer treatments in England since March this year compared to the same period last year, figures show.\n\nBritish Dental Association (BDA) analysis, seen by the BBC, shows practices operating at a fraction of their capacity during the pandemic.\n\nIt warns hundreds of practices could be forced to close within the next year without extra financial support.\n\nThe government said the NHS was working hard to restore dental care.\n\nNew coronavirus regulations mean dentists have had to significantly reduce the numbers they treat - in order to clean the surgery between patients to minimise the risk of transmitting the virus.\n\nNHS data shows 19 million fewer treatments - which includes both appointments for emergency treatment and check-ups - were offered in England between March and October in 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.\n\nAnd during September and October, dental practices were operating at just one-third of last year's level.\n\nThe BDA has warned that the reduction in the number of patients seen, paired with the closing of dentists, could have a dramatic impact on patients' oral health.\n\nThe group sent a questionnaire to all 12,000 owners of NHS and private dental practices. Of the 1,337 who responded, 740 said they would not be financially viable a year from now unless they were given extra support.\n\nIt has now written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock warning that, without government intervention, the country risks \"an oral health crisis\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Tim Miller: \"It felt like acid was being poured in my eye\"\n\nTim Miller, 50, had a fractured tooth which became an abscess that went behind his eye, damaging his eyesight.\n\n\"It felt like acid was being poured in my eye. That was the start of about eight and a half months of discomfort and pain as I tried to find an NHS dentist.\"\n\n\"I must have tried about 10. When eventually I located one - the best advice they could come up with was can you go private?\"\n\n\"I did have some incredibly dark thoughts. I got to the point where I wanted it to stop and there wasn't much I wouldn't have done to make it stop.\"\n\nTim, who is on benefits, is not signed up with an NHS dentist. He only managed to afford private treatment after several of his friends chipped in to pay the bill.\n\nHis tooth was taken out and his infection is now receding - but he is waiting to find out if he may have permanent damage to his eyesight.\n\nChristina Chatfield, who owns the Dental Health Spa in Brighton, where Tim was treated, says she has taken on £100,000 worth of debt to keep her practice open.\n\nBut she says: \"The real problem is for those who don't get care. Problems will exacerbate. Kids will have more root canals which aren't available on the NHS. That means more extractions and more orthodontics.\n\n\"And without check ups we will be missing mouth cancers - normally nationally we spot 22 cases per day.\"\n\nThe BDA poll found 70% of the practices who responded were operating at less than half their pre-pandemic capacity.\n\nSam Shah, group clinical director for East Village Dental, a group of six practices in the south of England, said: \"At least two of my surgeries, both in deprived communities with high levels of need, are at risk of closing within the next 12 months if the government doesn't intervene.\n\n\"The communities have a lack of access to any other NHS dental services.\"\n\nMr Shah added: \"We've seen an increase in the number of people using painkillers to manage dental pain - and that has led to an increase in the number of people presenting at A&E after inadvertently overdosing on paracetamol or ibuprofen.\"\n\nA spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: \"The NHS is working hard to resume the routine elective services that were paused as part of the response to the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic.\n\n\"All dentists are able to remain open to patients and those holding NHS contracts have continued to be paid in full throughout the pandemic.\n\n\"Priority access is expected to be given to urgent care and vulnerable groups, with over 600 urgent dental centres continuing to provide extra support to the dental sector.\"", "A British diplomat has saved a student who was floating face down in a river near Chongqing in south-west China.\n\n61-year-old Stephen Ellison, who is only a month into his new post as consul general, jumped in after the 24-year-old woman slipped on rocks and fell.", "Norton's new Saturday and Sunday shows will begin in 2021\n\nGraham Norton is to present weekend shows on Virgin Radio from next year following his exit from BBC Radio 2.\n\nThe 57-year-old said he was \"excited and a little surprised\" to be joining the station after hosting a Saturday morning show on Radio 2 for 10 years.\n\n\"I was very content where I was but the opportunity to host shows across the weekend seemed too good to miss.\"\n\nNorton will host shows on both Saturday and Sunday at times yet to be announced as part of his new deal.\n\nHe will continue commentating Eurovision, judging on Drag Race UK and hosting his weekly chat show on BBC One after leaving Radio 2 on 19 December.\n\nNorton is the latest high-profile sign-up for Virgin Radio, which previously wooed Chris Evans away from Radio 2 in 2018.\n\nLast month Norton appeared on Evans' breakfast show, during which Evans lightheartedly attempted to lure him to the station.\n\n\"You can see your house from here, so it's even more convenient for when you leave the BBC,\" Evans joked.\n\n\"The energy and enthusiasm at Virgin Radio are infectious and I can't wait to get started,\" said Norton in a statement.\n\nVirgin Radio UK, which launched in 2016, said it would \"share more details about his new show as soon as we can\".\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "In the 1960s, Farrukh Dhondy and Leila Hassan Howe became activists in Britain's Black Power movement.\n\nWith racial tensions running high, many black Britons looked to American movements for inspiration.\n\nThey spoke to the BBC’s Amanda Kirton about how it felt to be on the brink of a revolution of change.\n\nPlease note that this report contains offensive language.", "Entertainer Des O'Connor has died at the age of 88, his agent has confirmed.\n\nThe comedian, singer and TV host died on Saturday following a fall at his home in Buckinghamshire just over a week ago.\n\nHe was known for hosting his own chat show, as well as Take Your Pick and Countdown - and for his friendship with Morecambe and Wise.\n\nIn a statement his agent said he was \"well loved by absolutely everybody\" and \"loved life\".\n\nHis long-time agent and family friend Pat Lake-Smith described him as the \"ultimate entertainer\" and said he had been recovering from the fall before his condition had suddenly deteriorated.\n\nShe said: \"He was a joy to work with - he was talented, fun, positive, enthusiastic, kind and a total professional. He loved life, and considered enthusiasm almost as important as oxygen.\"\n\nLondon-born O'Connor presented his own prime-time TV shows for more than 45 years but also had success as a singer.\n\nHis friendship with comedy duo Morecambe and Wise saw him mocked for his singing ability in sketches despite a successful career which included four Top 10 hits and more than 30 albums.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nO'Connor appeared on stages around the world including hundreds of shows at the London Palladium.\n\nHis fame soared when he was hired to host The Des O'Connor Show, which ran on ITV from 1963 to 1971.\n\nIn 1977 he began hosting Des O'Connor Tonight, which started on BBC Two before moving to ITV, where it stayed until it ended in 2002.\n\nHe later hosted the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown alongside Carol Vorderman, with the pair bowing out together in 2008, and was made a CBE for his services to entertainment and broadcasting in that year's birthday honours.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Gyles Brandreth: \"I don't think you'll find anybody...who's got a thing to say against Des O'Connor\"\n\nO'Connor was married four times, and has described the end of his first three relationships as casualties of his obsession with work.\n\nIn 2007, he married long-term girlfriend Jodie Brooke Wilson, who was 37 years his junior and gave birth to their son Adam when O'Connor was 72.\n\nO'Connor also had four daughters, Karin, TJ, Samantha and Kristina from his previous marriages.\n\nTributes have been paid following his death, with Countdown co-host Vorderman saying he was a born entertainer and it had been a \"complete joy to work with him\".\n\nShe told BBC News: \"I grew up throughout the Des O'Connor years, when he was on the television all the time, on Des O'Connor Tonight and the Morecambe and Wise shows.\n\nO'Connor was made a CBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours\n\n\"Up to 20 million people would sit around the television and watch and laugh, and I mean laugh until they cried.\n\n\"He was the king; he was one of the very great British television entertainers.\"\n\nFellow Countdown star Susie Dent described him as a \"true gent\" while Call the Midwife star Stephen McGann said O'Connor \"never took himself too seriously\".\n\nMelanie Sykes, who hosted TV show Today With Des And Mel alongside O'Connor, said it was an \"education and a privilege to work with him\".\n\nShe wrote on Instagram: \"He had talent in every fibre of his being and was stubborn as a mule. He was the full ticket as a friend and colleague.\"\n\nBroadcaster Tony Blackburn said \"he was a great entertainer and more importantly a very nice person\", and TV presenter Gyles Brandreth described him as \"the ultimate professional\".\n\nSpeaking about his sketches with Morecambe and Wise, comedian David Baddiel said: \"RIP Des O' Connor. It's worth remembering how brilliant he is at his own expense in these sketches.\"\n\nNorthampton Town Football Club also joined the tributes to their former reserve player.\n\nThe club said: \"We are very sorry to learn of the passing of Des O'Connor. Des famously played for our reserve team on a few occasions just after World War Two. Our thoughts are with all who knew Des.\"\n\nViolinist Sue Croot told the BBC she had always treasured a signed photograph O'Connor gave to her father Ronald Croot, who was helping out on a production of Cinderella at the Grand Theatre in Swansea in the late 1950s. \"Dad said that Des was just such fun to be around and that he was such a down-to-earth person,\" she said.", "Boris Johnson is self-isolating after meeting an MP who later tested positive for Covid-19.\n\nThe prime minister said he was contacted by NHS Test and Trace on Sunday but is not showing symptoms.\n\nMr Johnson on Thursday spent about 35 minutes with Ashfield MP Lee Anderson who has since tested positive.\n\nThe news came as No 10 said Mr Johnson would make \"critical announcements\" about coronavirus and \"levelling up\" the UK over the coming weeks.\n\nIn an announcement planned before Mr Johnson was told to self-isolate, Downing Street said there would be a \"clear signal\" of his \"ongoing ambitions for the United Kingdom\".\n\nIt said Mr Johnson would chair \"key Covid meetings\" and work with Chancellor Rishi Sunak to devise the upcoming spending review with an aim to fulfil his promise to \"build back better\".\n\nBut No 10's effort to start the week afresh following the departure of two of Mr Johnson's top aides amid an internal power struggle was overshadowed by news the prime minister was self-isolating.\n\nMr Johnson wrote on Twitter on Sunday night: \"Today I was notified by NHS Test and Trace that I must self-isolate as I have been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.\n\n\"I have no symptoms, but am following the rules and will be working from No 10 as I continue to lead the government's pandemic response.\"\n\nA No 10 spokesman added: \"The PM is well and does not have any symptoms of Covid-19.\"\n\nIn a WhatsApp message to Tory MPs seen by the BBC the PM added: \"The good news is that NHS Test and Trace continues to improve. The bad news is that I have been pinged!\"\n\nHe said that he would observe self-isolation rules despite \"following the guidance and socially distancing\" during his meeting with Mr Anderson.\n\n\"It doesn't matter that I feel fine - better than ever - or that my body is bursting with antibodies because I have already had the damn thing,\" he added.\n\n\"The rules are the rules and they are there to stop the spread of the disease.\"\n\nIn April, Mr Johnson spent three nights in intensive care after falling ill with the virus.\n\nHe later said it \"could have gone either way\" and thanked healthcare workers for saving his life.\n\nBoris Johnson will now have to stay at home in No 10.\n\nIt means he will not be able to be in Parliament, though I'm told he will be working from Downing Street.\n\nHe does still intend to keep communicating with the country.\n\nIt was supposed to be a pretty big week for Boris Johnson - he is trying to reset his government after some factional fighting in his office over the last few days.\n\nThere are conversations taking place with the parliamentary authorities to see whether he can still contribute to the Commons.\n\nI think it is fair to say this has not come at the best time for Mr Johnson: he has big decisions to make on Brexit and what happens when England's lockdown ends on 2 December.\n\nAnd it is also worth bearing in mind he was extremely ill with coronavirus earlier in the year and we do not know what getting the virus does for a person's immunity.\n\nLeader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg said on Sunday evening he was urgently exploring how to \"support additional virtual participation\" in the chamber following a campaign by vulnerable MPs.\n\nSuch a move could allow more MPs, including Mr Johnson, to attend Commons' debates virtually and possibly even Prime Minister's Questions as he self-isolates.\n\nOn Thursday, Conservative MP Mr Anderson posted a photo of himself with Mr Johnson at No 10 alongside the words: \"Breakfast with the PM.\"\n\nMr Johnson said he observed all the guidelines and distancing advice during his meeting with Lee Anderson on Thursday\n\nMr Anderson posted on his Facebook page to say he was self-isolating with his wife, who is clinically vulnerable.\n\n\"On Friday I lost my sense of taste at the same time my wife had a bad headache,\" he said. \"I had no cough, no fever and felt well. We both had a test on Saturday and the result came in Sunday morning.\n\n\"My wife and I both tested positive. I feel absolutely fine and my biggest concern is my wife who is in the shielded group.\n\n\"But we are both feeling good.\"\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg tweeted the news had come the night before what was meant to be a \"big relaunch week\", following the row last week involving the PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings.\n\nMr Cummings left Downing Street for the last time on Friday following internal battles about his role.\n\nEarlier this weekend, senior Tory MP David Davis said Mr Cummings' departure was a chance to \"reset government\".\n\nAnother Conservative MP, Sir Charles Walker, said the changes were a sign of Mr Johnson's \"determination to rebuild relationships\".\n\nA meeting between the PM and the Northern Research Group of backbench Tory MPs had been scheduled for Monday.\n\nOfficials also confirmed the government's 10-point plan for a \"green industrial revolution\" would be published \"to boost green jobs whilst invigorating plans to achieve net zero by 2050\".\n\nIn addition, another week of negotiations over a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU are set to begin in Brussels.\n\nThe transition period, which followed Brexit in January, ends on 31 December by which time a deal needs to be agreed and approved by parliaments in the UK and EU.\n\nChief UK negotiator David Frost has said there had been some progress between the two sides but that considerable differences remained.\n\nThe UK government announced another 24,962 confirmed Covid cases on Sunday, as well as a further 168 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.", "Ant and Dec said the the show would feel \"reassuringly familiar\" despite the new location\n\nAnt and Dec told campmates \"things are going to be a bit different this year\" as the latest series of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here launched on Sunday.\n\nThis year's series is taking place in Gwrych Castle in North Wales instead of the Australian jungle due to Covid-19 restrictions.\n\nSir Mo Farah, Vernon Kay and Beverley Callard are among the new campmates.\n\n\"I can't tell you how excited we are to see you all here together finally,\" said Dec. \"Welcome to the castle.\"\n\n\"Things are going to be a bit different this year,\" continued Ant. \"There's no jungle obviously, there's no dunny, there's a privy [toilet] and I can guarantee you there's absolutely no chance of sunbathing.\"\n\nDec added: \"Some things will stay exactly the same. Some things will be reassuringly familiar. So you will live on a diet of rice and beans and you'll do trials to win food for the camp.\"\n\nSunday's launch episode drew an average audience of 10.9 million, almost two million more than the audience that tuned into the Strictly Come Dancing results show on BBC One earlier that evening.\n\nThat was more than the overnight audience of 10 million recorded for last year's launch episode - though that figure rose to 13.17 million once on-demand and catch-up views were taken into account.\n\nThe celebrities were split into two groups of five for the opening challenge\n\nThe other campmates this series include former EastEnders star Shane Richie, Paralympic champion Hollie Arnold, and journalist Victoria Derbyshire.\n\nActress Jessica Plummer, Radio 1 DJ Jordan North, podcaster Giovanna Fletcher and former Strictly pro dancer AJ Pritchard complete the line-up.\n\nThe episode opened with the 10 celebrities split into two groups of five, with one group meeting at the top of a cliff and the other at the bottom.\n\nThose at the top then had to start abseiling down the cliff to collect the team's rucksacks, which were padlocked half way down the cliff side.\n\nNorth was so nervous about the challenge he was sick before it began. \"I've only been here 5 minutes and I'm puking up already,\" he said.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by I'm A Celebrity... This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nLater in the episode, the 10 celebrities were told they would all take part in the first trial of the series, titled The Gates To Hell.\n\nThe challenge saw each of the campmates locked in 10 adjacent chambers. The team then had to pass gold stars, each worth a meal for the camp, from one end to the other - while having cockroaches, maggots and crickets dropped on them.\n\nThe group managed to move seven of the 10 gold stars to the end of the line.\n\nDerbyshire said she felt \"ecstatic that we got so many stars and that it's all over\", but North described the experience as \"absolutely horrific\".\n\nAfter the challenge was over, Callard discovered there were still critters in her pockets and said: \"Oh my god this is my worst nightmare!\"\n\nThis year's series is taking place in Gwrych Castle in North Wales\n\nThe campmates were also seen exploring their new home, with several of them less than impressed by the castle's washroom.\n\n\"Its minging, it needs a really good clean. Well I'm sorry but no. My hair. I will look like I've had Donald Trump's hairdresser,\" joked Callard.\n\nReflecting on the new location, Kay said: \"There are certain things that Australia would've provided that Wales doesn't - a tan, and the opportunity to wear budgie smugglers.\"\n\nOn social media, viewers enjoyed poking fun at the latest round of celebrities and their reactions to the first challenges.\n\nSeveral Twitter users made light of Arnold introducing herself as \"Hollie Arnold MBE\" when she met her fellow campmates.\n\nOthers enjoyed Plummer's struggle to remember where her group Neon Jungle's single had charted, confusing the Scottish singles chart with the overall UK chart.\n\nGiovanna Fletcher's husband Tom, from the band McFly, got particularly nervous watching the opening challenge, tweeting: \"Did Shane Richie just drop my wife off a cliff?!\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Joe This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe new setting broadly went down well with viewers, with TV critic Emma Bullimore writing: \"Wales looks gorgeous, it's a great group of celebs and Ant and Dec are on good form. I'd be happy for them never to go back to Australia.\"\n\nRadio 1 DJ Greg James agreed: \"I think it's gonna be better in Wales and won't ever go back to Australia.\"\n\n\"It wasn't what ITV bosses had planned but the early signs for this revamped, relocated series were promising,\" wrote Michael Hogan in the Telegraph. \"The new castle setting was telegenic and atmospheric.\"\n\n\"Who needs the Australian jungle when you've a draughty tower in Wales?\" wrote The Independent's Ed Power. \"Despite the new location and the fact it's being shot in winter, I'm A Celeb 2020 was exceedingly I'm A Celebrity.\"\n\nNorth's reaction to the first challenge led several viewers to suggest the public would inevitably vote for him to do the majority of the trials this series.\n\nAnd, sure enough, the episode concluded with North and Richie finding out they would face the next bushtucker trial.\n\nThis series will run for three weeks, with one winner ultimately being crowned the king or queen of the castle - instead of jungle.\n\nIt took a minute to acclimatise to I'm A Celebrity's new look as Ant and Dec welcomed viewers to North Wales, but it wasn't long before it began feeling like business as usual.\n\nJust like Love Island's move from Spain to South Africa for its winter series, the location might be different, but it fundamentally remains the same show with the same basic format underneath.\n\nAll the usual I'm A Celebrity building blocks are in place - it's already clear there will still be exhausted and terrified celebrities doing bushtucker trials while Ant and Dec hold the show together (and try not to laugh at them too much).\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by antanddec This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThis year's line-up is strong and the group supported each other well during the first challenge, with Ant telling them they \"worked well as a team\".\n\nThis could end up being one of the most successful series of I'm A Celebrity yet for ITV. The current lockdown restrictions have resulted in a major ratings boost for programmes like Strictly Come Dancing as people stay at home.\n\nThe weather might be worse than in Australia, but there are a few big bonuses about being in the UK for this year's celebrities. Not only have they avoided jet lag, but staying in the UK's time zone will mean they won't have to get up at the crack of dawn for the live evictions.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "A former employee from the company which made the combustible insulation used on Grenfell Tower in west London has admitted behaving unethically.\n\nJonathan Roper of Celotex told a public inquiry that the work he did to get the insulation approved for use on high rise buildings was \"dishonest\".\n\nHe added that he felt \"incredibly uncomfortable\" with what he was being asked to do at the time.\n\nCelotex says following disciplinary processes, staff have left the company.\n\nThe first phase of the Grenfell inquiry concluded that cladding put on during the refurbishment fuelled the fire in June 2017 in which 72 people died.\n\nIt is now examining how the tower block blaze could have happened in the first place.\n\nMr Roper, a former product manager at Celotex, told the inquiry on Monday that the way in which the company presented the results of its fire test was misleading.\n\nHe said that Celotex should have considered not selling its products for use on high-rise buildings.\n\nIn 2013, while being asked to research how Celotex insulation could be approved for use on buildings over 18m, Mr Roper had written to colleagues asking if they should take the view that the materials \"realistically should not be used behind most cladding panels, because in the event of a fire it would burn\".\n\nHe told the inquiry that the responses he received from colleagues made it clear that Celotex was determined to launch the insulation - known as Rs5000 - onto the market regardless of how it could pass fire tests.\n\nMr Roper accepted that the discussion within the company was whether Celotex complied with the building regulations or bent the rules to make more money.\n\nAfter a first test failure in January 2014, a second system passed in May 2014, but Celotex failed to disclose additional non-combustible elements which it added to prevent this system from failing, the inquiry heard.\n\nOn Monday, the inquiry heard Celotex added a 6mm fire-resisting magnesium oxide board to a cladding test rig made up of 12mm fibre cement panels for the second test.\n\nThe inquiry heard 8mm fibre cement panels were added over the magnesium oxide to \"conceal\" its presence, making the whole system almost flush - but for the 2mm difference.\n\nMr Roper agreed with the inquiry's chief lawyer Richard Millett QC that the decision to use \"a thinner layer was to make it less noticeable there was something else behind it\", which would aid to \"see off any prospect of anyone asking questions\" about its make-up.\n\nThe inquiry's chief lawyer Richard Millett QC asked: \"Did that not strike you at the time as dishonest?\"\n\nMr Roper said: \"Yes it did. I went along with a lot of actions at Celotex that, looking back on reflection, were completely unethical and that I probably didn't potentially consider the impact of at the time.\n\n\"I was 22 or 23, first job, I thought this was standard practice, albeit it did sit very uncomfortably with me.\"\n\nMr Roper said his superiors ordered the removal of any mention in marketing literature of the magnesium oxide. He agreed that was \"misleading and intended to mislead\".\n\nMr Millett asked: \"Did you realise at the time that if this was how the test was to be described to the market it would be a fraud on the market?\"\n\nMr Roper said: \"Yes I did.\n\n\"I felt incredibly uncomfortable with it. I felt incredibly uncomfortable with what I was asked to do.\"\n\nMr Roper said there was no-one in the firm he could tell about his concerns.\n\nIn its opening statement for the second phase of the inquiry, Celotex said: \"In the course of investigations carried out by Celotex after the Grenfell Tower fire, certain issues emerged concerning the testing, certification and marketing of Celotex's products... These matters involved unacceptable conduct on the part of a number of employees.\"\n\nThe inquiry has previously heard Celotex saw Grenfell as a \"flagship\" for its product and cynically exploited the \"smoke of confusion\" which surrounded building regulations at the time.\n\nCelotex, part of the French multinational Saint-Gobain group, has maintained it promoted Rs5000's use on buildings taller than 18m only on a \"rainscreen cladding system with the specific components\", used when it passed the fire safety test.\n• None Four possible reasons for the Grenfell Tower fire", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. BioNTech's Ugur Sahin: \"I'm confident that...we could have a normal winter next year\"\n\nThe impact of a new Covid vaccine will kick in significantly over summer and life should be back to normal by next winter, one of its creators has said.\n\nProf Ugur Sahin, BioNTech co-founder, also raised hopes the jab could halve transmission of the virus, resulting in a \"dramatic reduction in cases\".\n\nLast week, BioNTech and co-developers Pfizer said preliminary analysis showed their vaccine could prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19.\n\nAbout 43,000 people took part in tests.\n\nIn an interview on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, Prof Sahin said he expected further analysis to show the vaccine would reduce transmission between people as well as stop symptoms developing in someone who has had the vaccine.\n\n\"I'm very confident that transmission between people will be reduced by such a highly effective vaccine - maybe not 90% but maybe 50% - but we should not forget that even that could result in a dramatic reduction of the pandemic spread,\" he said.\n\nThe UK is expected to get 10 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine by the end of the year, with a further 30 million doses already ordered. The jab, which was trialled in six countries, is given in two doses, three weeks apart.\n\nOlder residents and staff in care homes are likely to be prioritised, followed by health workers and the over-80s. People would then be ranked by age.\n\nThe UK government announced another 24,962 confirmed Covid cases on Sunday, as well as a further 168 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nAfter the announcement of the world's first effective vaccine came on Monday, Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, suggested life could be back to normal by spring.\n\n\"I am probably the first guy to say that, but I will say that with some confidence,\" he said.\n\nHowever, Prof Sahin said it would take longer.\n\nIf everything continued to go well, he said, the vaccine would begin to be delivered at the \"end of this year, beginning of next year\".\n\nHe said the goal was to deliver more than 300 million doses worldwide by next April, which \"could allow us to only start to make an impact\".\n\nHe said the bigger impact would happen later, adding: \"Summer will help us because the infection rate will go down in the summer and what is absolutely essential is that we get a high vaccination rate until or before autumn/winter next year.\"\n\nProf Sahin said it was essential that all immunisation programmes were completed before next autumn.\n\nThe vaccine has given a boost of confidence that an end to the pandemic is close, with the leading scientist behind it hopeful life could return to normal by next winter.\n\nBut there are some big uncertainties.\n\nThe vaccine needs approval from regulators - and they will only grant that if they're happy the jab is safe and works well. Early results look very good, but we await the full ones in the coming weeks.\n\nThere is also no data yet to show how well the jab works in those who need it the most - the elderly.\n\nNor do we know if it stops people spreading the disease, as well as getting sick.\n\nAnd it's not clear how long immunity might last. People might need yearly boosters.\n\nIf the vaccine is rolled out, it will take time to immunise and protect enough people.\n\nOther Covid-19 vaccines may come along that work just as well or even better than this new vaccine.\n\nBut it is possible that by the summer, mass immunisation will be well under way and we could start to reap the benefits.\n\nAsked if the vaccine was as effective in older people as it is in younger people, he said he expected to have a better idea in the next three weeks.\n\nHe said it was not yet known how long immunity would last after the second dose of the vaccine is given.\n\nHowever, he said, a booster immunisation \"should not be too complicated\" if it was found immunity was reduced significantly after one year.\n\nProf Sahin also said the \"key side effects\" of the vaccine seen so far were a mild to moderate pain in the injection site for a few days, while some participants had a mild to moderate fever over a similar period.\n\n\"We did not see any other serious side effects which would result in pausing or halting of the study,\" he added.\n\nHis vaccine is one of 11 currently in the final stages of testing.\n\nIt will not be released for use in the UK until it passes final safety tests and gets the go-ahead from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The agency's head has said it would not lower its safety standards despite the need to get a vaccine quickly.\n\nIf it was approved, the NHS would be ready to roll out the vaccine from December, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people not to slacken their resolve in the meantime, saying the vaccine's development \"cleared one significant hurdle but there are several more to go\".\n\nMeanwhile, concerns have been raised that mutated forms of the virus might hamper the effectiveness of future vaccines.\n\nIt comes after 12 people were found with a mink-related strain of the virus following an outbreak in Denmark.\n\nVirology professor Wendy Barclay, a scientific adviser for the government, said there was a \"worry\" that the vaccines currently under development \"won't work quite so well as the virus continues to evolve\".\n\nThis did not mean vaccines would not work at all, she added, but adaptable and fast-responding jabs could be the best option.\n\nEarlier, Labour accused the government of not doing enough to \"stamp out dangerous\" anti-vaccine content online and called for emergency laws brought in.\n\nIt wants financial and criminal penalties for social media firms that do not remove false scare stories about vaccines.\n\nShadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said such content was \"exploiting people's fears, their mistrust of institutions and governments and spreading poison and harm\".\n\nHis party wanted to work with the government on a cross-party basis to build trust and help promote take-up of the vaccine, he said.\n\nThe government said it took the issue \"extremely seriously\" with \"a major commitment\" from Facebook, Twitter and Google to tackle anti-vaccine content.\n\nMany social media platforms label false content as misleading or disputed - and all remove posts that contravene terms of service.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.", "The government aims to have coronavirus testing available to allow visits in all care homes in England by Christmas, according to the health secretary.\n\nMatt Hancock said it was \"working closely with the social care sector\" to try to make it happen.\n\nIt comes as a screening pilot across 20 care homes in Hampshire, Devon and Cornwall was launched on Monday.\n\nIt is hoped the trial could end restrictions on visits, when used with other measures such as face coverings.\n\nMany people have seen strict restrictions placed on visits to care homes over the last eight months, due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nMr Hancock said he understood how important it was for people to be able to visit loved ones in care homes.\n\n\"Our goal is to ensure that we have the testing available in every care home by Christmas, to make sure that people can take a test and therefore see their loved ones safely,\" he told BBC Breakfast.\n\nThe government issued updated guidance on visits to care homes on 5 November when England went into its second national lockdown.\n\nThis includes care homes ensuring PPE is used during visits, there are screens between the resident and any visitor and social distancing must be maintained \"at all times\".\n\nMichael Blakstad said his wife Tricia is confined to a single room at her care home due to an outbreak of the virus\n\nMichael Blakstad said the guidelines at his wife Tricia's care home was making her situation a \"nightmare\".\n\nHe told Radio 4's Today programme she had been isolated in her room for the last three weeks due to an outbreak of the virus.\n\n\"She's basically got this form of dementia which means she doesn't like sitting down,\" Mr Blakstad said. \"That makes it a nightmare being in a single room - it is like being stuck in a hotel room for three weeks without being able to go out. It's just awful.\"\n\nHe said the only visitors she is allowed are care home staff dressed in personal protective equipment, which makes it difficult to \"form a relationship\".\n\nThe health secretary said he had personal experience of how tough the coronavirus restrictions were for families with loved ones in care homes.\n\nBut he told the Today programme that people in care homes are \"particularly vulnerable\" to the virus and when it gets into the facilities it \"runs rife\".\n\n\"So we both need to protect people from the virus but also do that in as a humane a way as possible, and we know the impact on people's health, let alone everything else, on not being able to see visitors.\"\n\nMr Hancock said \"protocols\" were being written alongside the current trial in care homes to allow the scheme be widened to all care homes in England.\n\n\"Describing how this can be done well with the availability of the testing, which of course is now much more widely available than it was at the start of the crisis, means that we'll be able to roll that out right across the country.\"\n\nSeparately to the new screening pilot, care home staff in Liverpool are being trained by soldiers in how to carry out coronavirus tests.\n\nDefence Secretary Ben Wallace said: this would allow staff to take the test to the care homes and delivering them to residents and their relatives \"so that people can try and at least have some visits or indeed get back to normal\".\n\nA mass testing trial is currently taking place in Liverpool.\n\nDo you work or live in a care home? Or do have a loved one in a care home? How will you be affected by the issues in this story? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "The leaflet describes how lockdown measures are \"ruining lives\"\n\nLeaflets containing \"false information and conspiracy theories\" about Covid have been posted through letterboxes.\n\nThe flyer accuses the government of \"misrepresenting the facts\" and says: \"The situation is on course to get very much worse unless we act together.\"\n\nDyfed-Powys Police said an officer \"provided reassurance\" to a person in Crundale, Pembrokeshire, who reported receiving one of the leaflets.\n\n\"We are not being told the full facts by the government or the NHS about Covid-19,\" the leaflet starts.\n\n\"There are many examples through history of the government and media misleading the people in order to push through an agenda.\"\n\nIt then accuses the government \"and its representatives in the NHS and media\" of attempting to \"create the illusion of an unprecedented deadly pandemic\" to justify \"extreme lockdown measures\".\n\nCrundale resident Simon Moffett made the complaint to police after the leaflet was posted through his door.\n\nHe said: \"We're all making a tremendous effort to avoid catching and spreading it, because there are vulnerable people here. It takes away the foundations of what everybody is trying to do.\"\n\nDyfed-Powys Police said: \"The leaflet contained false information and conspiracy theories in respect of the Covid-19 pandemic.\n\n\"A member of the local neighbourhood policing team got in touch with the resident to discuss and provide reassurance.\"\n\nIt is not yet known exactly how many leaflets have been sent out.\n\nResidents in areas of Pembrokeshire have received a leaflet through their letterboxes\n\nThe leaflet then describes how issues such as suicide, substance abuse and domestic abuse have \"soared\" this year.\n\n\"Lockdown measures are ruining lives not saving them, and the situation is on course to get very much worse - unless we act together,\" it says.\n\nThe flyer does not elaborate on why the author believes the public is being misled, calling it \"a very good question\" and says it would take a more detailed response than the leaflet could provide.\n\nInstead, they ask the residents to study \"comprehensive and evidence-based information\" on three websites it provides links for, one falsely claiming coronavirus \"is not dangerous at all\".\n\nAnother claims people get ill due to concern and worry about the virus rather than because of it.\n\nFacebook, Twitter and Google have vowed to try and stamp out misinformation being spread about coronavirus\n\nMr Moffett, who lives close to Haverfordwest's Withybush Hospital, added: \"There are people who work in the hospital locally and who have suffered as well with the virus.\n\n\"What's more worrying is there are lots of older people here who are vulnerable. Whoever is doing this needs to be stopped.\"\n\nEarlier this week, Labour called for financial and criminal penalties for those that spread \"dangerous\" anti-vaccine content online.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sebastian’s mum became one of the leaders of Britain’s conspiracy community\n\nMr Gething said: \"It's really worrying to see these leaflets, which are spreading fake news and conspiracy theories about coronavirus, being posted through people's doors.\n\n\"Coronavirus is a real and highly infectious virus, which we should all take seriously.\n\n\"More than 1.3 million people have died this year after contracting coronavirus and sadly, this number is growing every day.\"\n\nPlaid Cymru's Helen Mary Jones, MS for Mid and West Wales, said: \"Freedom of speech is a very important principle, but sharing outright lies with people and frightening people? Freedom of speech is something that you should use responsibly.\"", "The move to fund free school meals will cost more than £40m\n\nThe Department of Education (DE) will pay for free school meals for eligible children during all school holidays until April 2022.\n\nThe move has been approved by the Northern Ireland executive and will cost more than £40m.\n\nIt means the families of approximately 100,000 children will receive payments when children are off school.\n\nEducation Minister Peter Weir said the payments would begin during the Christmas break in 2020.\n\nFootballer Marcus Rashford has led calls for similar support to be provided during holiday periods in England.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, payments to those eligible for free school meals were previously made over the summer and half-term holidays in 2020.\n\nFamilies of about 97,000 children received payments of £27 every fortnight per child in lieu of free meals.\n\nThose families will now receive a similar two week payment from the week beginning Monday 14 December.\n\nThose payments will continue over the half-term, Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021 and until Easter 2022.\n\nMr Weir said he welcomed the decision the Executive had taken to support the department's proposal.\n\n\"This is very good news, especially for those families who are struggling financially during this pandemic,\" he said.\n\n\"The issue of 'holiday hunger' has become an increasing concern this year.\n\nPeter Weir says access to a health nutritious meal should be \"a basic right for all children\"\n\n\"I realise the vital importance for children who normally receive a free school meal to have access to a nutritious meal without placing their family under further hardship in these difficult times.\n\n\"Access to a healthy nutritious meal should be a basic right for all children and it is vital that we continue this support to ensure children and young people come back to school after holiday periods, healthy and ready to learn.\n\n\"Their future depends on it,\" he added.\n\nThe decision was welcomed by the Children in Northern Ireland charity.\n\nTheir chief executive Pauline Leeson said the executive had taken a \"courageous\" decision.\n\n\"This is a major step for every parent who struggles to find the money for meals outside term time, every child and young person who might otherwise go hungry and for every organisation who has stepped up and provided holiday hunger projects,\" she said.", "Some self-harm images remain on Instagram despite being marked with users' own trigger warnings\n\nChildren's charity the NSPCC has said a drop in Facebook's removal of harmful content was a \"significant failure in corporate responsibility\".\n\nFacebook's own records show its Instagram app removed almost 80% less graphic content about suicide and self-harm between April and June this year than in the previous quarter.\n\nCovid restrictions meant most of its content moderators were sent home.\n\nFacebook said it prioritised the removal of the most harmful content.\n\nFigures published on Thursday showed that as restrictions were lifted and moderators started to go back to work, the number of removals went back up to pre-Covid levels.\n\n\"We want to do everything we can to keep people safe on Instagram and we can report that from July to September we took action on 1.3m pieces of suicide and self-harm content, over 95% of which we found proactively,\" said Instagram's head of public policy Tara Hopkins in a statement.\n\n\"We've been clear about the impact of Covid-19 on our content-review capacity, so we're encouraged that these latest numbers show we're now taking action on even more content, thanks to improvements in our technology.\n\n\"We're continuing to work with experts to improve our policies and we are in discussions with regulators and governments about how we can bring full use of our technology to the UK and EU so we can proactively find and remove more harmful suicide and self-harm posts.\"\n\nAfter the death of the teenager Molly Russell, Facebook committed itself to taking down more graphic posts, pictures and even cartoons about self-harm and suicide.\n\nBut the NSPCC said the reduction in takedowns had \"exposed young users to even greater risk of avoidable harm during the pandemic\".\n\nThe social network has responded by saying \"despite this decrease we prioritised and took action on the most harmful content within this category\".\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. WATCH: Can artificial intelligence help with online safety?\n\nChris Gray is an ex-Facebook moderator who is now involved in a legal dispute with the company.\n\n\"I'm not surprised at all,\" he told the BBC.\n\n\"You take everybody out of the office and send them home, well who's going to do the work?\"\n\nThat leaves the automatic systems in charge.\n\nBut they still miss posts, in some cases even when the creators themselves have added trigger warnings flagging that the images featured contain blood, scars and other forms of self-harm.\n\nThis warning preceded distressing images that Facebook's AI tools did not catch\n\nMr Gray says it is clear that the technology cannot cope.\n\n\"It's chaos, as soon as the humans are out, we can see... there's just way, way more self-harm, child exploitation, this kind of stuff on the platforms because there's nobody there to deal with it.\"\n\nFacebook is also at odds with moderators about their working conditions.\n\nMore than 200 workers have signed an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg complaining about being forced back into offices which they consider unsafe.\n\nThe staff claimed the firm was \"needlessly risking\" their lives. Facebook has said many are still working from home, and it has \"exceeded health guidance on keeping facilities safe\" for those who do need to come in.\n\nThe figures published on Thursday in Facebook's latest community standards enforcement report again raise questions about the need for greater external regulation.\n\nThe UK government's promised Online Harms Bill would impose a statutory duty of care on social media providers and create a new regulator.\n\nBut it has been much delayed and it is thought legislation won't be introduced until next year.\n\nIan Russell, Molly's father, said there was a need for urgent action.\n\n\"I think everyone has a responsibility to young and vulnerable people, it's really hard,\" he explained.\n\n\"I don't think the social media companies set up their platforms to be purveyors of dangerous, harmful content but we know that they are and so there's a responsibility at that level for the tech companies to do what they can to make sure their platforms are as safe as is possible.\"\n\nMolly Russell took her own life after looking at suicide and self-harm content on Instagram\n\nThe NSPCC is more forthright.\n\n\"Sadly, young people who needed protection from damaging content were let down by Instagram's steep reduction in takedowns of harmful suicide and self-harm posts,\" said Andy Burrows, the charity's head of child safety online policy.\n\n\"Although Instagram's performance is returning to pre-pandemic levels, young people continue to be exposed to unacceptable levels of harm.\n\n\"The government has a chance to fix this by ensuring the Online Harms Bill gives a regulator the tools and sanctions necessary to hold big tech to account.\"\n\nLast week, Instagram announced it was deploying new software tools across the EU that would lead to more automatic removals of the worst kind of content.\n\nFacebook said \"our proactive detection rates for violating content are up from the second quarter across most policies\".\n\nIt put this down to the development of AI tools that have helped it detect offending posts in a wider range of languages.", "Boris Johnson has said he continues to have \"full confidence\" in Priti Patel following a report concluding the home secretary had \"unintentionally\" breached the ministerial code in her behaviour towards civil servants.\n\nThe report's author, Sir Alex Allen, has quit after the PM rejected his findings. Here is the summary of those findings that has been released by the government:\n\nThe Ministerial Code says \"ministers should be professional in their working relationships with the civil service and treat all those with whom they come into contact with consideration and respect.\n\nI believe civil servants - particularly senior civil servants - should be expected to handle robust criticism but should not have to face behaviour that goes beyond that.\n\nThe home secretary says that she puts great store by professional, open relationships. She is action orientated and can be direct.\n\nThe home secretary has also become - justifiably in many instances - frustrated by the Home Office leadership's lack of responsiveness and the lack of support she felt in the Department for International Development (Dfid) three years ago.\n\nThe evidence is that this has manifested itself in forceful expression, including some occasions of shouting and swearing.\n\nThis may not be done intentionally to cause upset, but that has been the effect on some individuals.\n\nThe Ministerial Code says that \"harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the Ministerial Code\".\n\nDefinitions of harassment concern comments or actions relating to personal characteristics and there is no evidence from the Cabinet Office's work of any such behaviour by the Home Secretary.\n\nThe definition of bullying adopted by the Civil Service accepts that legitimate, reasonable and constructive criticism of a worker's performance will not amount to bullying.\n\nIt defines bullying as intimidating or insulting behaviour that makes an individual feel uncomfortable, frightened, less respected or put down.\n\nInstances of the behaviour reported to the Cabinet Office would meet such a definition.\n\nThe Civil Service itself needs to reflect on its role during this period.\n\nThe Home Office was not as flexible as it could have been in responding to the home secretary's requests and direction. She has - legitimately - not always felt supported by the department.\n\nIn addition, no feedback was given to the home secretary of the impact of her behaviour, which meant she was unaware of issues that she could otherwise have addressed.\n\nMy advice is that the home secretary has not consistently met the high standards required by the Ministerial Code of treating her civil servants with consideration and respect.\n\nHer approach on occasions has amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying in terms of the impact felt by individuals.\n\nTo that extent her behaviour has been in breach of the Ministerial Code, even if unintentionally.\n\nThis conclusion needs to be seen in context. There is no evidence that she was aware of the impact of her behaviour, and no feedback was given to her at the time.\n\nThe high pressure and demands of the role, in the Home Office, coupled with the need for more supportive leadership from top of the department has clearly been a contributory factor.\n\nIn particular, I note the finding of different and more positive behaviour since these issues were raised with her.", "Coleen Rooney \"clearly identified\" Rebekah Vardy when she made allegations about social media stories being leaked to the tabloids, a judge has ruled.\n\nThe row dubbed 'Wagatha Christie' broke out in October 2019 when Rooney said fake stories had been leaked after only being seen by Vardy's Instagram account.\n\nIn July, Vardy filed for defamation, saying she had been falsely accused.\n\nHer lawyer told the High Court he would be seeking costs of £22,913.50.\n\nThe initial argument in this case, which Vardy has won, has been over the wording of Rooney's social media post, which she put up for her 1.2m Twitter followers and 885,000 Instagram followers to see last year.\n\nRooney named the culprit of the leaks as \"Rebekah Vardy's account\" meaning her lawyers could argue it wasn't implying Rebekah herself was guilty - and could have been anyone with access to her Instagram account.\n\nBut Judge Mark Warby ruled against this, saying the post looked like it was putting the blame solely on Vardy.\n\nThere are still further factors to be considered in the legal battle though, and this ruling marks the beginning of Vardy's libel case.\n\nVardy decided to sue for defamation in July, with court documents written by her lawyers saying the incident had affected her mental and physical health.\n\nWhen Rooney's social media posts were released, Vardy was seven months pregnant and her lawyers claim they led to her being taken to hospital three times with anxiety attacks.\n\nThe pair originally became friends through their husbands, former Manchester United and England player Wayne Rooney and Leicester striker Jamie Vardy.\n\nSocial media was set ablaze on 9 October 2019 when Coleen Rooney pressed send on her Instagram and Twitter posts, accusing Rebekah Vardy of leaking details about her life to the tabloids.\n\nIn an effort to work out which of her friends had been sharing stories, she'd published different fake stories on Instagram to different people. The ones that made headlines, were ones being leaked.\n\nRebekah Vardy took to social media to deny any involvement in the leaking.\n\nBut things did take a more sinister turn - Vardy's lawyers said her husband faced abuse on the pitch which meant they couldn't let their young children attend games anymore.\n\nBoth Vardy and Rooney have agreed to a stay in proceedings - until February.\n\nThis means they're going to try and resolve things privately without the need for a full trial, but if they can't it could become a full court case in the new year.\n\nListen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.", "Dutch police have questioned a security researcher who said he successfully logged into the US president's Twitter account by guessing his password.\n\nLast month, well-known cyber investigator Victor Gevers said he had gained access to Donald Trump's Twitter account with the password 'MAGA2020!'.\n\nThe White House denied it had happened and Twitter said it had no evidence of a hack.\n\nBut Mr Gevers has now revealed more information to back up his claims.\n\nAs part of the police interrogation, Mr Gevers revealed for the first time that he had substantially more evidence of the \"hack\" than he had previously released.\n\nHe did not reveal exactly what information he had, but by logging in to somebody's Twitter account someone would in theory be able to:\n\nThey would even be able to download an archive of all the user's data, including photos and messages.\n\nMr Gevers had previously shared this screenshot that appeared to show him editing Donald Trump's Twitter profile information\n\nA spokesman for the Dutch Public Prosecution Service confirmed to De Volkskrant newspaper: \"We are currently investigating whether something criminal has happened.\"\n\nThe spokesman said their inquiry was an \"independent Dutch investigation\" and not based on a US request for legal assistance.\n\nThe police told the BBC that Mr Gevers had been questioned as a witness by the High Tech Crime Team and was not a suspect yet.\n\nVictor Gevers has been discovering security flaws in software and websites for 22 years\n\nPolice must first prove that the hack happened. If prosecutors consider Mr Gevers' actions to be illegal and outside the realm of cyber-security research, he could face up to four years in prison.\n\nMr Gevers told reporters of his hack on 22 October. Dutch news outlet Vrij Nederland first reported the story.\n\nMr Gevers says he was doing a semi-regular sweep of the Twitter accounts of high-profile US election candidates on 16 October when he guessed President Trump's password.\n\nHe did not post any tweets or change any settings, but said he took screenshots of some parts of the president's account.\n\nHe said he had spent days trying to contact the Trump campaign to warn them about their security, which was lacking extra safeguards like two-factor authentication, before going to the press.\n\nTwo-factor authentication is a widely-used security system that links a phone app or number to an account, to add an extra step to the process of logging in.\n\nThe US president's account is now secure.\n\nAt the time, Twitter said: \"We've seen no evidence to corroborate this claim. We proactively implemented account security measures for a designated group of high-profile, election-related Twitter accounts in the United States, including federal branches of government.\"\n\nTwitter refused to answer any further questions about the hack, including whether or not the extra security measures were permanently enforced or if the company even has access to the president's account activity.\n\nMr Gevers' story has been met with scepticism by some in the information security world as his screenshots could have been faked.\n\nHowever, he claims to have a lot more data. He hopes he will not have to disclose it to prosecutors but says he is prepared to if necessary.\n\nHe said: \"I have evidence that was not included in the responsible disclosure to the Trump team because it did not add anything in alerting the victim of the risk.\n\n\"I have shown some of it to a select group of journalists. Police asked me if I was willing to show it and I said no. Only if there is an indication of wrongdoing will the archived material be unlocked.\"\n\nThe BBC has seen some evidence but has not been able to verify whether all the additional material is genuine.\n\nBut Mr Gevers says he is standing by his account of events and hopes that his actions are ruled to have been a normal part of his job as an ethical hacker.\n\n\"There should not be a reason for the Dutch National Police, especially the team at the High Tech Crime Unit, to doubt my statement. They know me, they know my work for more than 22 years with the Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure.\n\n\"I did not 'hack' Trump's account, I did not bypass any security system as there was no adequate security in place. I just guessed the password and then tried to warn his team about the risks and how to solve them.\"\n\nEarlier this year, Mr Gevers also claimed to have successfully logged into Mr Trump's Twitter account in 2016.\n\nIn that login he and other security researchers used a password linked to another of Donald Trump's social network accounts that was discovered in a previous data breach.\n\nIn that instance Mr Gevers claims the password was another famous catchphrase from the reality TV star and politician: \"yourefired\".", "The rheumatoid arthritis drugs tocilizumab appears to treat people who are critically ill with Covid-19, early trial data shows.\n\nThe researchers in the UK and the Netherlands said it was \"an absolutely amazing result\".\n\nThe drug is no longer being trialled as the researchers are so confident in the data, but the precise effect on survival is still being calculated.\n\nOther experts have urged caution until the full data is released.\n\nTocilizumab targets the immune system, which goes into overdrive in some patients with coronavirus. It is this reaction, rather than the virus itself, which can be deadly.\n\nThe trial was run by Imperial College London, the UK's Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre, and Utrecht University. It focused on the most severely ill patients, who needed to be put on a ventilator.\n\nTrials of the drug were stopped two days ago as independent monitors said there was enough evidence, from the first 303 patients, to show it was working.\n\nHowever, interpreting the results is complex.\n\nThey show an improvement in \"outcomes\", but this is a statistical conflation of other measures such as survival rates and time in intensive care. Doctors know the drug is doing something, but it will take time to know whether it is saving lives or just speeding up recovery.\n\n\"We don't know that yet, we are hopeful it does both,\" said Prof Anthony Gordon from Imperial.\n\nHowever, he said it was \"very encouraging\", a \"big result\", and that tocilizumab could \"become the standard of care\".\n\nIt will still take weeks to properly assess the data, which has not yet been formally published.\n\nThe treatment costs between £500 and £1,000 and is given intravenously.\n\nSteroids, including dexamethasone, are the only drugs proven to be save lives from Covid-19 and they tend to calm the whole of the immune system. Tocilizumab targets specific parts within that complex system.\n\nThe researchers hope they have found another.\n\nDr Lennie Derde, an intensive care consultant at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, said: \"This is an absolutely amazing result.\n\n\"To have a second effective therapy for critically ill patients within months of the start of the pandemic is unprecedented.\"\n\nHowever, other experts have urged caution until the final results are analysed, as previous studies have given a mixed picture.\n\nProf Peter Horby, who was part of the team at the University of Oxford that showed dexamethasone was protective, said: \"This is an encouraging result which suggests that other, more targeted, anti-inflammatory drugs may also help.\n\n\"The results so far on tocilizumab have been mixed, with four randomised controlled trials having reported results, of which two were negative and two were positive... I eagerly look forward to seeing the full results.\"", "Morris wrote more than 40 books including a notable trilogy about Britain's empire, Pax Britannica, during the 1960s and 70s.\n\nIn 1972, she transitioned from male to female, undergoing gender reassignment surgery and changing her name to Jan.\n\nHer son Twm announced her death, saying she was on her \"greatest journey\".\n\n\"This morning at 11.40 at Ysbyty Bryn Beryl, on the Llyn, the author and traveller Jan Morris began her greatest journey. She leaves behind on the shore her life-long partner, Elizabeth,\" he said.\n\nMorris attended a 2013 reception with Prince Philip to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the ascent of Everest\n\nElizabeth was Morris's wife before Morris transitioned - they had five children together and stayed together, later entering a civil partnership. One of their children died in infancy.\n\nMorris told Michael Palin in 2016: \"I've enjoyed my life very much, and I admire it. I think it has been a very good and interesting life and I've made a whole of it, quite deliberately.\n\n\"I've done all of my books to make one big, long autobiography. My life has been one whole self-centred exercise in self-satisfaction!\"\n\nShe is arguably most famous for her widely admired travel writing, and Palin said: \"She's kind of a non-fiction novelist. She creates an image and a feeling of a place that stays in your mind.\"\n\nAuthor Kate Mosse, whose books include Labyrinth, paid tribute to an \"extraordinary woman\". Fellow writer Sathnam Sanghera tweeted: \"What a life, and what a writer.\"\n\nJournalist Katherine O'Donnell added her \"public visibility and account of her transition... let others like me know they were not alone\".\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Katherine O'Donnell This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nLabour MP for Cardiff North Anna McMorrin added that Morris was \"an incredible writer, pioneer and historian\".\n\nMorris's book Venice, about the Italian city, is considered to be a classic by The Guardian.\n\nPalin said it was \"one of the most influential books of my life\".\n\n\"Her description of the city transcended any conventional travel writing I've come across. Morris's heart and soul was in the book. It was like a love affair,\" he said.\n\n\"Her book started my own love affair with the city, which has lasted all my life. And as a writer she taught me the importance of curiosity and observation.\"\n\nThe author also wrote fiction, however, and her book Last Letters from Hav made the Booker Prize shortlist in 1985. It was a novel written in the form of travel literature.\n\nMorris was particularly renowned as a journalist for announcing the ascent of Everest, in an exclusive scoop for The Times in 1953.\n\nShe accompanied Edmund Hillary as far as the base camp on the mountain, to witness the historic attempt on the summit.\n\nThe news was announced on the same day as the Queen Elizabeth's coronation. Later, in 1999, she accepted a CBE from the Queen, but said it was out of politeness.\n\nMorris wrote about her transition in her 1974 book Conundrum, which was hugely successful.\n\nShe wrote in the book about having surgery in a clinic in Casablanca. The Guardian described it as a \"powerful and beautifully written document\".\n\nThe writer told the Financial Times in 2018 she did not think her gender reassignment had changed her her writing, saying: \"Not in the slightest. It changed me far less than I thought it had.\"\n\nShe added that she did not think she would have achieved more as a man.\n\nWhen not abroad, her home was in Gwynedd in Wales, where she held staunchly nationalist views and was honoured by the Eisteddfod for her contribution to Welsh life.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.\n• None Obituary: Jan Morris, a poet of time, place and self", "UK households may have to pay more for gas and electricity bills from April, energy regulator Ofgem says.\n\nIt is considering raising the price cap on household bills by £21 per year to help energy companies which have been hit by a rise in unpaid bills.\n\nThe news was met with dismay from campaigners, who questioned the logic of raising prices when many householders were struggling to pay.\n\nThe current price cap is set at £1,042 per household for gas and electricity.\n\nIt runs to the end of March and consumers will learn in February what it plans to do.\n\nOctopus Energy boss Greg Jackson said the plans let dominant suppliers off the hook.\n\n\"Legacy suppliers charge long-standing customers hundreds of pounds more than new customers,\" said Mr Jackson, whose firm is now the UK's sixth biggest supplier.\n\n\"If they cared about customers, they could handle Covid debt by reducing this disparity, rather than exacerbating it by lobbying for a hike in the price cap.\"\n\n\"Ofgem's single biggest success of the last decade has been the price cap - saving billions for customers and finally forcing dinosaur companies to become more efficient. They should resist all attempts to undermine it.\"\n\nThe price cap was introduced in January 2019 and limits energy unit prices for about 11 million customers on more expensive variable tariffs.\n\nThese are often default tariffs that customers are moved to after a period on a lower fixed rate.\n\n\"Just like every other business, there have been challenges from the pandemic,\" Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of trade body Energy UK, said.\n\n\"It is the independent regulator's job to hear views, look at the evidence, and weigh up how to support energy retailers through their own commercial difficulties in the pandemic, so that they can continue to supply and support all customers.\"\n\nThe £21 rise to £1,063 is based on a household with typical usage and which pays for both electricity and gas by direct debit.\n\nPrice comparison website Uswitch says 12-month deals can be had for as little as £821.40 by comparison.\n\nCat Hobbs, the director of We Own It, which campaigns to nationalise energy supply, said: \"These proposals from Ofgem are absolutely shocking. The idea that at a time when millions of people are struggling to pay their bills, the solution would be to charge people even more is farcical.\"", "There are \"no plans\" to extend the Christmas break for schools in NI, Education Minister Peter Weir has said.\n\nHe dismissed the possibility that schools could close early for the holiday as a \"rumour\".\n\nNI's current R number has now climbed closer to 1.0 and is expected to rise as the hospitality industry opens up over the next couple of weeks.\n\nAs a result, additional interventions are expected before Christmas, the chief scientific adviser said.\n\nProf Ian Young said the R value had risen in recent weeks due to continued widespread community transmission of the virus.\n\nHe added that additional mitigations will be suggested to the hospitality industry including reducing numbers and increasing ventilation.\n\nMeanwhile the Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride appealed to everyone to continue playing their part despite the fact that the \"virus continues to mess with our heads and our lives\".\n\nDr McBride said he's optimistic that Northern Ireland will begin to vaccinate some people by the end of the year.\n\nEarlier, DUP leader Arlene Foster said she did not rule out blocking more Covid-19 restrictions if required.\n\nHowever, the first minister added she wanted to \"find consensus\" with executive colleagues.\n\nLast week, the DUP blocked two separate proposals from the health minister to extend restrictions by triggering a cross-community vote.\n\nThe DUP has been criticised by other Stormont parties for using the measure.\n\nIt can be used on any issue in the executive, of three or more ministers ask for a vote to be taken on that basis, effectively giving parties with enough ministers a veto.\n\nOn Monday, Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said it was a \"matter of profound concern and regret\" that the DUP had used it twice.\n\nMrs Foster said the veto was used on a \"key decision\" because of the impact of restrictions on the economy.\n\n\"I hope we can come to decisions in a collaborative, collegiate way... I want to make sure we go forward together,\" she added.\n\nThe first minister also dismissed reports that an executive meeting scheduled for Tuesday had been cancelled.\n\n\"We normally only meet on a Thursday - nothing should be read into that at all. Government is continuing, we don't need an executive to make that happen,\" she said.\n\nJustice Minister Naomi Long said she had considered her position in the executive because of last week's handling of restrictions, and said continued use of the veto was an \"abuse of power\" by the DUP.\n\nEducation Minister Peter Weir said an extended Christmas break could lead to a greater spread of the virus\n\nSome of the current Covid-19 restrictions are due to end on Friday with the reopening of close-contact services and unlicensed hospitality businesses.\n\nRestaurants, pubs and hotels can reopen on 27 November, as the rest of the Covid-19 restrictions introduced on 16 October will expire at midnight on 26 November.\n\nMs O'Neill has said the executive will do all it can to \"protect\" as much of the Christmas period as possible.\n\nIt comes after NI's chief scientific adviser warned further Covid-19 restrictions will likely be recommended before Christmas.\n\nProf Ian Young said mid-December could be the \"big risk period\".\n\nA further nine people with Covid-19 have died in NI, the Department of Health has said.\n\nThe death toll recorded by the department now stands at 878.\n\nThere were also another 549 confirmed cases of the virus recorded in the last 24-hour reporting period.\n\nA total of 47,711 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland since the pandemic began.\n\nOn Tuesday, 11 more people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland died, according to Department of Health figures.\n\nThe total number of Covid-19 related deaths in the country is now 1,995.\n\nIn addition, a further 366 cases of coronavirus were confirmed, bringing the total number to 68,686.\n\nOn Tuesday, Education Minister Peter Weir said schools would not be closing early for the Christmas holidays for two reasons.\n\n\"We want to ensure the maximum amount of education for our young people and I don't want to see any further disruption to that,\" he said.\n\n\"It's also the case that we've seen the biggest problems not within the controlled environment of schools but actually some of the things that have happened outside of schools.\n\n\"If we simply inject an extra week of holiday into the Christmas period, from a public health point of view, it's likely to lead to much higher levels of socialisation and greater spread of the virus.\"\n\nMr Weir was speaking during a visit to a school in Bangor where he announced an additional £5m for schools to pay for mental health help for pupils.\n\nThe minister said the money would allow schools to pick which wellbeing initiatives they want to invest in.\n\nIn other coronavirus developments on Tuesday:", "US President Donald Trump's oldest son has tested positive for coronavirus, according to his spokesman.\n\nDonald Trump Jr, 42, was diagnosed at the start of this week and has been quarantining at his hunting cabin since the result, the spokesman said.\n\n\"He's been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended Covid-19 guidelines,\" according to the statement.\n\nDon Jr is the second of the president's children to test positive.\n\nBarron Trump, 14, was also diagnosed last month, but made a swift recovery.\n\nA firebrand speaker, Don Jr played a major role in his father's presidential campaign.\n\nThere has also been speculation that Don Jr is interested in running for the White House, conjecture he hasn't tried to tamp down.\n\nDon Jr's partner, Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host, tested positive for the disease in July, and also recovered. He apparently did not contract the infection at the time.\n\nEarlier on Friday, Andrew Giuliani, a special assistant to President Trump, announced he had tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nMr Giuliani, the son of the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, tweeted that he was experiencing mild symptoms after receiving his positive test on Friday morning.\n\nCBS News, the BBC's US partner, confirmed that at least four other White House aides have tested positive for Covid-19 in a new outbreak there.\n\nEarlier this month, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was among several aides who tested positive for the infection.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How effective is getting a Covid test before you travel for Thanksgiving?\n\nThe president himself spent three nights in hospital at the beginning of October after being hit by Covid-19. First Lady Melania Trump also had a bout of the infection.\n\nLast month, Don Jr was criticised for downplaying the US coronavirus death toll.\n\nIn an interview with Fox News, he argued that the media was focusing on the caseload, while ignoring the mortality rate.\n\nHe said: \"I was like, 'Well, why aren't they talking about deaths?' Oh, oh, because the number is almost nothing. Because we've gotten control of this, and we understand how it works.\"\n\nThe virus has infected 11.8 million Americans and killed more than 253,000.\n\nOn Friday alone, 192,000 people in the US tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Covid Tracking Project.", "Adelaide went into lockdown with the rest of South Australia on Wednesday\n\nSouth Australia decided to enter a state-wide lockdown based on a lie told by a man with Covid-19 about his link to a pizza shop, police say.\n\nThe strict lockdown began on Wednesday after the state detected 36 infections, including its first locally acquired cases since April.\n\nBut this would have been avoided if the man had told the truth, that he worked shifts at the shop, officials said.\n\nHe said he only went there to buy a pizza.\n\nThis misinformation prompted health officials to assume the man had caught the virus during a very brief exposure and that the strain must be a highly contagious one.\n\n\"To say I am fuming is an understatement,\" state Premier Steven Marshall told reporters on Friday.\n\nAustralia has relied on lockdowns, widespread testing and aggressive contact tracing to push daily infections close to zero.\n\n\"We are absolutely livid with the actions of this individual and we will be looking very carefully at what consequences there [are] going to be,\" Mr Marshall added.\n\nSouth Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens initially said the man was unlikely to face charges because there was \"no penalty associated with telling lies\".\n\nBut he later announced a special task force would be set up to look at the circumstances surrounding the incident and investigate whether any laws were broken.\n\nSouth Australian Premier Steven Marshall said he was \"livid\"\n\nState officials said they would lift the lockdown on Saturday - three days earlier than planned - after recording only three new cases on Friday.\n\nPolice did not identify the man, but said he worked at the Woodville Pizza Bar in Adelaide.\n\nSydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that he worked with a security guard who contracted the virus at a quarantine hotel at the centre of the outbreak, which prompted South Australia to go on high alert on Monday.\n\nWhen asked by reporters if the shop may need extra security because of public anger, Mr Stevens said: \"There are all sorts of things we are considering at this point.\"\n\nThe state's outbreak follows neighbouring Victoria's success in crushing a second wave of coronavirus which caused about 800 deaths.\n\nVictoria has recorded 21 consecutive days of no cases or deaths after its capital, Melbourne, emerged from a strict four-month lockdown.\n\nAustralia has recorded about 900 deaths and 28,000 infections in total.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coping with Melbourne lockdown: 'I cycled every street in my 5km radius'", "Colin Hoad is hoping the books arrive by Christmas\n\nA UK book publisher says congestion at Felixstowe Port has left it with no books to sell in the lead up to Christmas.\n\nColin Hoad and Matt Green run a publishing company, Idesine, which has 4,000 books stuck on a ship that has been trying to dock since 31 October.\n\nThey are one of many businesses encountering problems importing goods.\n\nImporters say congestion issues at UK ports have led to shipping firms quadrupling their freight costs.\n\n\"People are contacting us saying they've paid for books on pre-order as gifts, and we ultimately can't guarantee delivery,\" Mr Hoad said.\n\nThe company has just one sample copy of the book, and 2,500 orders\n\nDelays at Felixstowe have been caused by a surge in import traffic as companies increased orders after the initial lockdown and some looked to stockpile goods before the end of the Brexit transition period.\n\nThe pandemic has made matters worse as large orders of PPE added to the backlog of containers on the quayside.\n\nThe port's owner, Hutchison UK, has said it is in the process of recruiting an additional 104 equipment drivers plus a number of engineers to help solve the problem.\n\nBut congestion at England's ports is now so bad, some shipping firms have limited the amount of cargo they will bring to the UK.\n\nOne of the world's biggest shipping lines, CMA CGM, told the BBC it was allocating less space on its fleet for UK imports for the time being.\n\n\"UK ports are currently experiencing yard and port congestion mostly in Felixstowe, and in London Gateway and Southampton to a lesser extent,\" said a spokeswoman for CMA CGM Group.\n\n\"We are controlling import volumes while maximising empty container evacuation wherever possible.\"\n\nEmpty containers waiting to be shipped back to Asia are causing traffic jams at ports across Europe and North America. That could have knock-on effects for companies' Christmas orders, said Peter Wilson, managing director of the UK freight forwarder Cory Brothers.\n\n\"We are already seeing that goods due by Christmas… are very unlikely to arrive because they're in their origin ports, waiting for containers,\" he said.\n\nCausing even further headaches for importers, shipping companies have sharply increased freight prices in response to the congestion at UK ports - some by as much as 300%.\n\n\"What the lines are trying to do is to dissuade people sending stuff to the UK,\" said Alan Joseph, operations director of The Cotswold Company, which imports some of its wooden furniture from Asia.\n\nThis week, a freight company quoted a price of $8,000 to transport a 40ft container from Asia to the UK.\n\n\"At the end of September, market rates were less than a quarter of that, at $1,700 per unit,\" Mr Joseph said.\n\nFurniture seller Alan Joseph has seen shipping costs quadruple in recent weeks\n\nHe added that while individual businesses will negotiate unique import costs based on the volume of goods they want to move, at the moment, prices are increasing across the board. And there are few alternatives for businesses whose goods are manufactured overseas.\n\n\"Airlines are not moving as much cargo because there are fewer passenger flights. The railway from China to Germany is now quoting rates in excess of $10,000 per container - which is not much of an option.\"\n\nHe said two other shipping firms are now refusing bookings for importing refrigerated containers to the UK.\n\n\"It's a worrying sign that big shipping lines are drastically reducing UK volumes because so much of the imports in the UK arrive through our ports, and if there's less coming there are less supplies of everything that gets imported.\"\n\nImporting stock is also becoming increasingly difficult for Joe Burgwin, who is head of supply chain at the garden furniture firm Supremo Leisure, based in Telford. The business has been booming recently as the virus led to people spending more on their outdoor spaces.\n\nJoe Burgwin says his freight costs have more than doubled.\n\n\"Previously for us, shipping cost $1,400-$1,500 tops per 40ft unit, which was manageable,\" he said.\n\n\"Now in negotiations with freight companies, prices have more than doubled and there are fears it could move even higher. We're predicting this to last until at least January, which makes business planning pretty challenging.\"\n\nThe ship carrying books belonging to publisher Idesine was originally supposed to dock at Felixstowe at the end of October, but the port was too busy so it was diverted to Europe.\n\nSince Saturday, the ship has been moored outside Felixstowe waiting for a berthing slot.\n\nAfter launching the company in June, Matt Green now has 2,500 pre-paid orders waiting to be delivered.\n\n\"It's incredibly frustrating that we can't get the book into our customers' hands,\" he said. \"We just hope that we can do it before Christmas.\"\n\nCongestion at Felixstowe Port could last into the new year\n\nShipping analysts say ports across the world are battling to manage the surging demand for imports, and Felixstowe has struggled to cope.\n\n\"At the moment, the port has become a bottleneck because other elements of the supply chain have got out of balance,\" said Eleanor Hadland, a ports analyst at the maritime consultancy Drewry.\n\nShe said getting a berthing slot at Felixstowe \"is like trying to get a Tesco delivery in the beginning of lockdown\".\n\n\"Partly that's because of Covid, partly Brexit preparation and a lot of external factors which have resulted in ports reporting congestion. But Felixstowe could have dealt better with these external challenges,\" she said.\n\nHutchison UK has warned congestion at Felixstowe Port could continue into the new year.\n• None Port in 'chaos' as Christmas and Brexit loom", "A high-profile figure in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's cabinet, Priti Patel was appointed home secretary in July last year.\n\nA Eurosceptic, she was a leading figure in the Vote Leave campaign during the EU referendum.\n\nShortly after taking up the post of home secretary, she said she wanted criminals to \"literally feel terror\" at the thought of breaking the law.\n\nA Cabinet Office inquiry into her conduct found that Ms Patel had \"unintentionally\" breached the ministerial code in her behaviour towards civil servants.\n\nHer \"approach on occasions has amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying,\" the government's independent advisor on standards said.\n\nMr Johnson decided Ms Patel had not broken the ministerial code and could remain in her post as home secretary. Ms Patel said \"I am direct and have at times got frustrated\", but added: \"It has never been my intention to cause upset to anyone.\"\n\nThe inquiry was launched in March 2020 after the resignation of the top civil servant at the Home Office, Sir Philip Rutnam. Sir Philip - who is suing for constructive dismissal - alleged staff felt that Ms Patel had \"created fear\".\n\nAs home secretary she has had to deal with several crises, including the London Bridge and Streatham stabbing attacks - later deemed by police to be terrorist incidents - and the deaths of 39 migrants in the back of a lorry in Essex.\n\nShe has also played a key role in drawing up a new points-based immigration system for after the UK's Brexit transition period, saying she wants firms to invest more in British workers \"rather than simply relying on labour from abroad\".\n\nDuring the summer and autumn of 2020, she also took a leading role in negotiations with France over preventing a rising number of migrants crossing the English Channel.\n\nPriti Patel has asked French authorities to intercept and return migrant boats trying to cross the Channel.\n\nMs Patel, who is 48, also served in Theresa May's cabinet as secretary of state for international development.\n\nHer appointment was greeted with concern by some in the aid community, who recalled that she had previously suggested that the department should be abolished and subsumed into a new trade department.\n\nIn post, she said she wanted the UK's aid budget to provide greater value for money. The aid department has since been merged with the Foreign Office.\n\nShe resigned from the role in 2017 after it emerged she had held undisclosed meetings with Israeli officials while on holiday. She acknowledged that her actions \"fell below the high standards\" expected.\n\nBorn in London to Gujarati parents who left Uganda in the 1960s, she was educated at Watford Grammar School for Girls.\n\nShe went on to study at Keele and Essex universities before getting a job at Conservative Central Office, which she left to head up the press office for the Referendum Party, founded by Eurosceptic billionaire Sir James Goldsmith, from 1995 to 1997.\n\nAfter William Hague became Conservative leader, she returned to the party to be his deputy press secretary, from 1997 to 2000.\n\nShe went on to spend a number of years working with the Weber Shandwick public affairs consultancy - reportedly advising Ikea, the Meat & Livestock Commission and British American Tobacco, among others.\n\nShe also had a spell as international public policy adviser for drinks giant Diageo.\n\nMs Patel sought to get elected to Parliament in 2005 but lost out in Nottingham North. A year later, she was one of those selected for new leader David Cameron's A-list of candidates and went on to become MP for Witham, Essex, in 2010.\n\nMs Patel achieved ministerial rank four years later as exchequer secretary to the Treasury, before promotion to employment minister following David Cameron's 2015 general election victory.\n\nShe is positioned on the right of the party - she voted against gay marriage, campaigned against the smoking ban, and previously advocated bringing back the death penalty, before later saying she did not support it.\n\nMs Patel, whose father stood as a UKIP councillor in 2013, names Margaret Thatcher as her political hero.", "A drug that was weaponised by the UK's most prolific rapist and the serial killer Stephen Port should be reclassified, says an official report.\n\nThe Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs says GHB should become a Class B drug - the same as speed or cannabis.\n\nIt also advises better data collection and reporting of the drug's use.\n\nPolicing Minister Kit Malthouse said the government would be looking at the report's recommendations \"as a priority\".\n\nTesting for GHB and related compounds should be routine in cases of unexplained sudden death, the report also advises.\n\nThe three categories of drugs are Class A, Class B and Class C, with heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and LSD in class A, and speed, cannabis, ketamine, mephedrone and some amphetamines in Class B.\n\nCurrently GHB is in class C, with anabolic steroids and some tranquilisers.\n\nThe official review was commissioned following calls for a change in the law by the children of a man who was murdered with the drug.\n\nEric Michels, a father of three from south London, was killed in 2018 by a GHB dealer who gave him a catastrophic overdose in order to steal from him.\n\nHis sons Sam and Josh campaigned for the drug to be reclassified.\n\n\"Today is a positive day,\" Sam Michels told the BBC but said he thought GHB should be a Class A drug.\n\n\"There is still work for us to do,\" he said, adding that the recommendation to test for GHB following unexpected deaths is a \"real positive from this report\".\n\nHe said: \"We hope the government is going to take this seriously and take action.\"\n\nEric Michels was found dead at his home by his daughter in Chessington in August 2018\n\nThe home secretary commissioned the review in January on the day that Reynhard Sinaga - the UK's most prolific sex offender - was jailed for drugging and raping multiple victims, with his trials hearing that he used GHB to render the men unconscious.\n\nThe ACMD report into GHB and related substances called GHBRS - says there is evidence of a concerning increase in the health and social harms among those who use these drugs, adding that the number of deaths where the drug was implicated has also increased since its last report in 2003.\n\nProfessor Owen Bowden-Jones, chair of the ACMD, said: \"Given the evidence of significant harms across different contexts, the ACMD have today made a broad set of recommendations on monitoring, legislation, prevention and treatment, which should be taken forward as a whole to reduce harms associated with GHBRS.\"\n\nHe added: \"There is significant evidence of stigma experienced by LGBT GHBRS users, currently the predominant users of these drugs, and these recommendations seek to avoid further stigmatisation and reduce the barriers to treatment for those who need it.\"\n\nReynhard Sinaga was jailed for life in January\n\nThe report also recommends that drug and sexual health services should routinely record usage of these drugs, and the Crime Survey for England and Wales should collect and publish data on GHBRS.\n\nThe ACMD also says the government should provide sufficient funding to enable analysis of The Gay Men's Sex Survey for at least five years, so trends of the use of this drug can be analysed over time.\n\nResponding to the report, Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said: \"We wholeheartedly support tightening controls on these highly dangerous drugs and we will be looking at the recommendations in this report as a priority.\"\n\nGHB, which was designated a Class C drug in 2003, usually comes as a powder that is dissolved in water.\n\nIt is closely related to GBL, a colourless liquid that is sold as an industrial cleaner and converts to GHB in the body. GBL is only classed as a controlled narcotic when knowingly intended for human consumption.\n\nPort was given a whole life prison term for four murders\n\nGHB can lead to feelings of euphoria in very small doses, but in only slightly larger amounts can cause unconsciousness and death.\n\nMany users attempt to attain an affect similar to that sought from \"Ecstasy\", with the result that liquid GHB has been sometimes referred to as \"Liquid E\".\n\nGHB was the weapon of choice for both the most prolific rapist in UK history, but also the deadliest serial killer of the last decade, Stephen Port, who gave his victims catastrophic overdoses.\n\nThe drug is particularly associated with so-called Chemsex, being used in order to facilitate sexual activity.\n\nIt is frequently implicated in sexual offences - as a so-called 'date rape' drug - and also in cases of theft.\n\nIn the 10 years to 2018, figures from the Office of National Statistics say GHB was mentioned on the death certificate of 219 people - with or without other drugs or alcohol - who had an underlying cause of death by drug poisoning, and in 92 cases it was the sole drug mention on the death certificate.\n\nExperts say the deaths data is almost certainly an underestimate, since GHB is not routinely tested for after death and, in any case, it exits the body within 24 hours.\n\nIt is thought to be linked to thousands of hospital admissions each year - although the figures are kept by few health authorities.\n\nGHB, short for Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid - was first synthesised in 1960 and was later used as an anaesthetic.", "A woman who faked a cancer diagnosis to claim more than £45,000 in donations has been convicted of fraud.\n\nNicole Elkabbas, 42, set up an online fundraising campaign, claiming she needed money to pay for private treatment for ovarian cancer.\n\nBut police began an investigation after a doctor, who had recently given her the all-clear, raised suspicions.\n\nElkabbas, of Broadstairs, Kent, pleaded not guilty and told Canterbury Crown Court she had believed she had cancer.\n\nJudge Mark Weekes said Elkabbas had been convicted on \"clear and compelling evidence\" and should expect a custodial sentence.\n\nThe fundraising campaign included a picture taken while she had been receiving routine gallbladder treatment, the court heard\n\nBen Irwin, prosecuting, earlier told the court Elkabbas's actions had been \"utterly dishonest\".\n\nIn February 2017, she set up a GoFundMe campaign, which said she had just weeks to raise money for a major surgery in Spain.\n\nShe claimed a costly \"breakthrough drug\" could improve her chances, and included an image of her lying in a hospital bed.\n\nHowever, the court heard the image had actually been taken during routine gallbladder treatment several months earlier.\n\nMr Irwin said the \"obvious lie\" was built around the photo, which had been \"staged to convince people that she was seriously unwell\".\n\nAfter she \"tricked\" people into donating, she \"frittered\" the money on foreign travel, football tickets and online gambling, Mr Irwin said.\n\nShe will be sentenced on 5 February for one count of fraud by false representation and another of possessing criminal property.\n\nGoFundMe said all donations made to Elkabbas through the site were refunded last year after misuse allegations were raised.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Antibodies bind to viral proteins, marking them for destruction by other immune cells\n\nCoronavirus antibodies last at least six months and offer protection against a second infection, a study of healthcare workers suggests.\n\nStaff at Oxford University Hospitals were regularly tested both for Covid-19 infections and for antibodies revealing a past infection.\n\nThe more antibodies people had, the lower their chances of re-infection.\n\nA separate study found pre-existing immunity from other coronaviruses also protected against Covid.\n\nInfection consultant Dr Katie Jeffery described the Oxford findings as \"encouraging news\" ahead of forthcoming Covid vaccines.\n\nThey indicated that having the virus once \"provides at least short-term protection\" from getting it again, she said.\n\nThe Oxford study enrolled more than 12,000 healthcare workers of which 11,000 tested negative for Covid-19 antibodies.\n\nAntibodies build up during a viral infection and stop the virus from getting inside the body's cells and attacking the rest of the immune system.\n\nOf those without any antibodies at the start of study, 89 developed symptomatic infections that were confirmed with a swab test.\n\nOf those that did have coronavirus-specific antibodies, none developed a symptomatic infection during the study period.\n\nThere were three individuals who developed asymptomatic Covid-19 infections despite having positive antibody tests, compared with 76 in the group without any antibodies.\n\nBut none of the three became unwell.\n\nThe results were \"consistent with Sars-CoV-2 re-exposure that did not lead to repeat symptoms\", the study said.\n\nThe antibodies being studied are those designed to bind to the \"spike\" of the Sars-CoV-2 virus which causes Covid-19 infections.\n\nThis \"spike\" is what many of the vaccines in development target.\n\nThe staff tested were followed for up to 30 weeks.\n\nEarlier in the week, a study conducted by Public Health England looked at T-cells - another element of our immune systems' response to infection.\n\nIt found in June about a quarter of the key workers studied had high levels of T-cells which recognised the Covid virus in their blood - but only just over half of them appeared to have had Covid-19.\n\nThe paper concluded this immunity was likely to be there \"because of previous infection with coronaviruses other than SARS-CoV-2\", for example the common cold virus.\n\nAnd those people with high levels of the relevant T-cells \"appeared to be protected from Covid-19 in the four months after recruitment\", whether they had previously been infected Covid-19 or not.\n\nBut Dr Rupert Beale at the Francis Crick Institute pointed out that this equated to \"only a very small proportion of adults (less than 10%, maybe much less than 10%)\" who would be protected by pre-existing T cell immunity.\n\nAn earlier paper suggested just looking at antibodies might underestimate how many people were protected from re-infection by T cells - another part of the immune response.", "People aged over 50 in England are being urged to get a flu jab, as ministers hope for a mass roll-out of a Covid-19 vaccine next year.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock stressed it was \"more important than ever\" for people to get a flu jab to fight the \"twin threats\" of coronavirus and flu.\n\nHe said the NHS was preparing to roll out a Covid vaccine if one is approved.\n\nIt comes as 30 million people are being offered a flu jab in England's largest flu-immunisation scheme to date.\n\nPeople aged 50 to 64 will be eligible for the vaccine from 1 December.\n\nMr Hancock and Prof Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England, will speak at a Downing Street briefing later.\n\nThe health secretary told BBC Breakfast earlier that all over 50s would be able to get the vaccine by January.\n\nHe also said that Christmas wouldn't be \"fully normal\" this year, adding there would \"have to be rules to keep the virus under control\" which ministers were still working on.\n\nLondon's Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has said the force has \"no interest in interrupting family Christmas dinners\" to catch Covid-19 rule breakers and will work with whatever government restrictions are in place at the time.\n\nMr Hancock added that while 2020 had been \"a difficult year\" there were signs England's current lockdown - which is expected to end on 2 December - was working.\n\n\"There are promising signs that we have seen a flattening of the number of cases since lockdown was brought in and that is good news, though clearly there is further to go,\" he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.\n\nHowever Tory MP Steve Baker, deputy chair of the Covid Recovery Group - which was set up to oppose future national lockdowns - urged Mr Hancock to correct his statement to \"avoid any damaging misunderstandings about the interpretation of data\".\n\nHe said: \"Government scientists briefing MPs were clear this week that the effects of lockdown would not be visible in the data until this weekend. Cases may have flattened since lockdown but any change is not yet because of lockdown.\"\n\nProf Calum Semple, who sits on the government's Sage committee and the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said there was reason for optimism that England's lockdown would have pushed case numbers to a low level before Christmas.\n\nHe said there was \"encouraging evidence\" in the north-west of England with \"a plateauing of cases in the community and a slight downturn\" in Covid hospital admissions.\n\nHe added this gave \"great optimism that, with lockdown on top, we will be seeing overall numbers in the country driven down\", though he acknowledged that some areas were still in a \"very difficult situation\" with rising cases.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Hancock said there would be a programme of Covid-19 vaccinations after recent \"promising news\" from the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine trials.\n\nAsked if he knew from what date people might be able to get a Covid-19 jab, he said: \"We don't know if we'll be getting coronavirus jabs yet, but we have had two weeks of promising news...so we are preparing the roll-out.\"\n\nHe added: \"The likely big numbers - if it comes off - will be next year for a Covid vaccine, but we still hold out the hope that we might get some going in December this year.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A cold, flu or coronavirus - which one do I have?\n\nMr Hancock said volunteers were currently being trained to take part in the vaccination programme, which will be led by the NHS.\n\n\"We've changed the law to change the number of clinically qualified people who can vaccinate because this is going to be one of the biggest civilian projects in history.\"\n\nHe said the \"deep freezers\" were already \"stabilising over the last few weeks\" in order to be ready for the Pfizer vaccine, which needs to be stored at -70C, and confirmed the NHS would have \"access to any resources of the state they might need\" to assist with the mass administering of vaccines.\n\nIt comes as talks are underway between the government and Derby city council over the possibility of using Derby arena as a mass coronavirus vaccination centre - one of a number expected to be needed across the country.\n\nPeter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, said he was \"pretty sure\" the logistical hurdles in delivering any Covid-19 vaccine on a mass scale could be overcome.\n\nHe told Today the UK would have enough cold storage to keep vaccines secure if required, adding that bulk stocks could be kept in \"ultra-cold freezers\" in hospital departments, and then sent out to GP surgeries where they would then be refrigerated.\n\nA big flu season combined with coronavirus could overwhelm hospitals - especially if many NHS or care-home staff are off sick with flu.\n\nAnd there is some evidence that a double infection, of Covid-19 and flu together, could be more deadly than getting either single virus.\n\nFlu - or influenza - is a very common, highly infectious disease caused by a virus.\n\nIt can be deadly - particularly for older adults, very young children and people with underlying health conditions.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Should I get a flu jab this winter?\n\nThe Department of Health said GPs, NHS trusts and pharmacists could order more doses of the flu vaccine to accommodate the extra age group, from a centrally-secured government supply.\n\nThe other groups of people already eligible for a free flu jab in England are:\n\nAs health is a devolved issue, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are running separate flu vaccination campaigns.\n\nEngland's deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, urged everyone who is eligible for the flu vaccine \"to book their appointments as soon as they can\" as the jab remained a \"critical tool\" to prevent severe illness and potential hospitalisation for thousands of people.\n\nIn the autumn, some pharmacists and GP surgeries had to limit flu jabs to the most at-risk groups due to increased demand.", "Fergal Keane looks at the legacy of the trials and speaks to a Holocaust survivor, a prosecutor and the son of a defendant.", "Dr Cathy Gardner with her father Michael Gibson, who died aged 88 in a care home in Oxfordshire in April\n\nA woman whose father died with Covid has won the first stage of a legal challenge over measures taken to protect those living in care homes.\n\nDr Cathy Gardner, from Sidmouth in Devon, claims there was a failure to implement \"adequate\" measures to protect residents.\n\nIt follows the death of her father in an Oxfordshire care home in April.\n\nThe government and health bodies oppose Dr Gardner's challenge and asked the judge to dismiss the case.\n\nDr Gardner said: \"This is for the thousands of families affected by the loss of loved ones in care homes since March.\"\n\nAt a remote hearing on Thursday, Mr Justice Linden granted Dr Gardner permission for a full hearing of her challenge.\n\nHe said: \"I consider it in the interests of justice for the claim to be heard.\"\n\nDr Gardner, who is bringing her case alongside Fay Harris, argues certain key policies and decisions led to a \"shocking death toll\" of care home residents.\n\nThese include an alleged policy of discharging patients from hospital into care homes without testing and suitable isolation arrangements.\n\nThe legal action is being brought against the Department for Health and Social Care, NHS England and Public Health England.\n\nDr Gardner, who has a PhD in virology, said her legal team would ask \"to see the evidence behind the decisions that they took, how those decisions were taken, who was involved in discussions, why they decided to discharge people from hospital without testing and why they didn't commence any sort of real protection of people in care homes\".\n\nSir James Eadie QC, barrister for the government and PHE, said the challenge was \"unarguable\".\n\nIn court documents, he said: \"The government was faced with unprecedented challenges and fast-evolving scientific advice.\n\n\"Throughout the period in issue it considered how best to protect older people both within and outside care homes.\n\n\"That involved making a series of judgments based on expert scientific advice, in an area in which the science was uncertain and evolving.\n\n\"There is no arguable basis on which to conclude that those judgments fell outside the range of reasonable responses to the pandemic as it, and understanding of it, developed.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Wales manager Ryan Giggs has been rebailed after denying an allegation of assault made against him.\n\nEarlier this month, several newspapers reported he had been arrested on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend.\n\nGreater Manchester Police said it was called to reports of a disturbance at an address in Worsley, Salford, just after 22:00 GMT on 1 November.\n\nIt said a woman in her 30s \"sustained minor injuries but did not require any treatment\".\n\nThe force said officers had arrested a 46-year-old man on suspicion of section 47 assault and section 39 common assault and he had been bailed pending further inquiries.\n\nAt the time, Giggs' representatives said he denied all allegations of assault and was co-operating with the police.\n\nThe Football Association of Wales (FAW) said it was \"aware of an alleged incident involving the men's national team manager Ryan Giggs\" and it had mutually agreed he would not be involved in the upcoming international camp.\n\nIn a statement on Friday, Greater Manchester Police said: \"A 46-year-old man has been rebailed pending further inquiries.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "A report into allegations Home Secretary Priti Patel bullied staff should be made public, the prime minister's adviser on standards in public life has said.\n\nFormer MI5 chief Lord Evans warned that unresolved inquiries into ministers' conduct undermined public trust.\n\nA Cabinet Office investigation into allegations about Ms Patel's behaviour was launched in March.\n\nShe has always strongly denied claims that she bullied staff.\n\nIn February Sir Philip Rutnam, the top civil servant in the Home Office, resigned saying he had been the target of a \"vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign\". He is pursuing an employment tribunal claim.\n\nThe Committee on Standards in Public Life advises the prime minister on ethical standards across public life in England and is chaired by ex-MI5 boss Lord Evans of Weardale.\n\nThe Times first reported that Lord Evans wanted the Patel report to be made public.\n\nHe told the BBC he was not in a position to judge the accuracy of the complaints about the home secretary but said the public needed to know that allegations are \"properly and independently investigated\".\n\n\"We want to make sure the system we have in place can resolve those issues so that people can have confidence the standards are being upheld in the right places and by everybody involved,\" he told Radio 4's The World at One.\n\nLord Evans was appointed Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public life in October 2018\n\nAsked specifically about Ms Patel's case he said there may be \"good reasons\" why some findings are not published but argued that any causes for delay should be explained.\n\n\"I think because they are left hanging in the air people are worried about it and that tends to reduce people's trust.\"\n\nHe also said that the process of investigating ministers should be more independent and transparent - and he suggested taking the responsibility for triggering such inquiries away from the prime minister.\n\nIn an interview with the Times, he said because the report on Ms Patel had not been published \"it is very difficult to know whether there was something here or whether there wasn't\".\n\nResponding to Lord Evans' comments, Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: \"It is a disgrace that the report into allegations of bullying against the home secretary is being suppressed.\n\n\"Continuing to refuse to release the report not only makes clear that the Tories have something to hide, it also undermines trust in politics at a crucial time - the report must be published without further delay.\"\n\nA government spokesperson said: \"The process is ongoing and the prime minister will make any decision on the matter public once the process has concluded.\"", "Steve Dymond was found dead at his home days after he took a lie-detector test on the Jeremy Kyle Show\n\nTV presenter Jeremy Kyle \"may have caused or contributed\" to the death of a man who was found dead after filming an episode of his ITV show, a coroner has said.\n\nThe body of Steve Dymond, 63, was discovered at his home on 9 May last year, days after he took a lie-detector test on the programme.\n\nThe show was axed shortly afterwards.\n\nHampshire coroner Jason Pegg has made Jeremy Kyle an \"interested person\" for the inquest.\n\nDuring a pre-inquest review in Winchester, he said the presenter \"may have caused or contributed\" to Mr Dymond's death.\n\n\"It might seem ludicrous not to have Mr Kyle to give evidence to give his take on the situation,\" Mr Pegg said.\n\nLawyers for Mr Kyle and ITV argued that Mr Dymond's \"upsetting experience\" on the show was \"established fact\" and the scope of the inquest should not be a \"detailed top to bottom inquiry into the Jeremy Kyle Show, its selection, treatment and aftercare of participants\".\n\n\"It would not be required to call for evidence from ITV employees involved in his appearance to get to that starting point,\" Neil Sheldon QC said.\n\nThe Jeremy Kyle Show was axed following Mr Dymond's death\n\nMr Dymond died of a morphine overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy, which is when the left chamber of the heart is not pumping properly, at his home in Portsmouth.\n\nSeven days earlier he took a lie detector test on the programme to show whether he had cheated on his ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan, who is from Gosport.\n\nCounsel for Mr Dymond's family, Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, told the hearing Mr Dymond became \"distressed\" after he failed the lie detector test.\n\nShe said Mr Dymond had gone on the show to \"prove his fidelity\", and had said: \"I pushed and pushed but it all went wrong.\"\n\nAfter the result was announced during filming, the audience \"booed and jeered\" at him and he was \"called a failure by the presenter\", Ms Gallagher said.\n\nShe said Mr Kyle was \"in his face\" and even when he was \"at the point of collapsing, he was still being heckled\".\n\nMs Gallagher said his state of mind was known by the crew on the show, with a message sent on a WhatsApp group stating: \"Just so you know, he's still crying, he has just said he wishes he was dead. Just giving you the heads up.\"\n\nThe hearing was told Mr Dymond was originally turned down to appear on the show but was accepted as a guest after gaining a letter from his doctor.\n\nHe had been receiving mental health care from Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, the inquest heard.\n\nCoroner Mr Pegg said the inquest would \"not be an inquiry into the show generally\" and would not be held in front of a jury.\n\n\"What was in his [Mr Dymond's] mind, it seems to me, what happened on the show and how he was treated was relevant to how he came by his death,\" he said.\n\nMs Gallagher said it was \"still unclear\" as to whether all the recorded footage of the programme had been released by ITV.\n\nShe said the family was concerned about something happening on the studio stage that attracted the attention of the audience but was not seen in the footage.\n\nThe coroner gave ITV six weeks to confirm that all recorded material had been handed over.\n\nThe full inquest, which is expected to last about a week, is not expected to be held before May next year.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The head of NHS Test and Trace is self-isolating after receiving a notification from the NHS mobile app.\n\nBaroness Dido Harding tweeted that she was \"feeling well\", and added: \"Nothing like personal experience of your own products.\"\n\nIt comes a week after her husband, Conservative MP John Penrose, was told to isolate by the app, and days after PM Boris Johnson began self-isolating.\n\nNHS England medical director Stephen Powis also said he was self-isolating.\n\nMr Powis, who appeared at a Downing Street briefing over video call, said he was \"perfectly fine\" but had been told to self-isolate by Test and Trace after a member of his household tested positive for coronavirus.\n\nOn Sunday, the prime minister was told to stay at home after having a meeting last week with Tory MP Lee Anderson, who then tested positive.\n\nBaroness Harding's husband was told to self-isolate on 9 November after potentially coming into contact with someone who had the virus.\n\nIn Baroness Harding's tweet, it showed she had nine days of self-isolation left - having to stay at home until 23:59 GMT on 26 November.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by dido harding This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nThe reason her screenshot shows she has to isolate for nine days - rather than the standard 14 days - is because the 14-day isolation period starts from when the app made the contact.\n\nIf a person tests positive for coronavirus, they can choose to share their result with the NHS app anonymously.\n\nThe NHS then sends alerts to other app users who have spent time near them or been in \"close contact\" - meaning they have been within two metres for 15 minutes or more.\n\nThe app calculates when to send an alert by tallying up points depending on the time spent together and distance.\n\nAnyone who gets an alert is instructed to isolate for 14 days from when they had the contact.\n\nBaroness Harding's tweet indicating she has been told to self-isolate has caused some confusion, highlighting the fact that her team needs to do better in communicating how the app works.\n\nWhy, some ask, has she been asked to isolate for only nine rather than 14 days?\n\nHere's the answer. When an app user starts to feel unwell or gets a Covid test for some other reason, they enter a positive result into the app.\n\nThey can then choose to share that result with other users. Their phone will have used its Bluetooth connection to record close contacts with other app users - usually involving being within two metres for 15 minutes - over the previous days.\n\nThose people will then get an alert in their app to self-isolate but the duration will be 14 days from the last close contact.\n\nSo if I enter a positive test on a Sunday and I've been in close contact with you the previous Tuesday, you will get an alert on the Sunday to isolate for nine days.\n\nBaroness Harding was appointed the head of NHS Test and Trace in May, and has since been appointed chair of the National Institute for Health Protection - the new agency replacing Public Health England.\n\nThe 52-year-old is the former head of internet service provider TalkTalk, and for the past three years has been chair of NHS Improvement - focusing on driving up standards across the service.\n\nShe has come under criticism for her handling of NHS Test and Trace after a raft of issues, including delayed results and test centres struggling to keep up with demand.\n\nBut Baroness Harding has defended her own performance after calls for her to quit, and warned testing is not the \"silver bullet to hold back the tide of Covid\".", "Dame Nancy Rothwell told BBC Newsnight she had written to Zac Adan and apologised\n\nA university leader has apologised to a student who was allegedly \"racially profiled\" on campus by security officers.\n\nBut Manchester University's vice chancellor said she could not \"commit\" to meeting 19-year-old Zac Adan, due to an ongoing inquiry.\n\nFootage posted online showed Mr Adan held up against a wall at Fallowfield halls of residence.\n\nHe said he was accused of \"looking like a drug dealer\" by staff.\n\nDame Nancy Rothwell told BBC Newsnight she had written to Mr Adan and apologised but could not meet him \"because that could influence the investigation\".\n\nThe security staff have been suspended and an inquiry is ongoing, she said.\n\nMr Adan, a first year French and Linguistics student at the university, previously said he had been left \"traumatised\" after being stopped.\n\nReturning to his halls of residence after visiting a local shop, he had been asked to present his identification and \"the next thing I know I was being pinned up against the wall\", he said.\n\nZac Adan said he was left traumatised after being \"pinned against the wall\"\n\nMr Adan said: \"There was no conversation. They just pinned me up against the wall and said I looked like a drug dealer. Why? Because I am black and wearing a hoodie?\"\n\nDame Nancy said: \"I was very, very concerned by it, I've apologised to the student for the distress that he felt.\n\n\"I immediately suspended the staff and there is now an investigation ongoing.\"\n\nMr Adan, who moved to the UK from Italy a few years ago, said earlier this week that he wanted to talk to university leaders about the incident.\n\nDame Nancy said she would \"consider\" meeting Mr Adan in person but did not want to \"influence the investigation\", adding: \"Just as I won't meet with the security staff either. He has met with several of our staff.\"\n\nMr Adan had also been offered counselling, she said.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "People are most likely to pass on coronavirus within the first five days of having symptoms, an extensive study suggests.\n\nThe research indicates patients had the highest levels of virus early on in their illness and \"live\" virus, capable of replicating, was found up to nine days after symptoms began.\n\nUK scientists say their study emphasises early isolation is critical to stopping spread.\n\nThe work appears in the Lancet Microbe.\n\nHow infectious individuals are depends on many factors, including how much viable virus (essentially, virus that is able to replicate) they are carrying and the amount of virus they have in their bodies.\n\nSome reports have shown people are most infectious just before they have symptoms and in the first week of having the virus.\n\nScientists examined 79 global studies on Covid-19, involving symptomatic people in hospitals who had already tested positive for the virus.\n\nResearchers were able to identify and replicate viable virus from throat samples taken up to nine days after infections started.\n\nAnd they found the amount of viral RNA particles (fragments of genetic material from the virus) in people's throat samples peaked at the time symptoms began or within five days.\n\nMeanwhile, inactive viral RNA fragments were still found in nose and throat samples on average up to 17 days after symptoms started.\n\nThe researchers conclude that despite these fragments persisting, as no viable replicating virus was found beyond nine days it was unlikely that the majority of people were still very infectious beyond this point.\n\nDr Muge Cevik, of the University of St Andrews, told the BBC that the findings showed people were most infectious very early on, in line with other studies involving contact tracing.\n\n\"People really need to be supported to make sure they isolate as soon as they get symptoms, however mild. By the time some people get the results of swabs, they may be past their most infectious phase.\n\n\"So we need to look more at why some people are unable to isolate immediately and help them to do so,\" she said.\n\nThe study did not look at asymptomatic people, but the authors warn other research has shown people can be infectious before they get symptoms and may pass on the virus with no symptoms at all.\n\nIn the UK, officials say people must isolate immediately and for at least 10 days if they have any symptoms of coronavirus.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. A cold, flu or coronavirus - which one do I have?\n• None New coronavirus vaccine begins trials in the UK", "Bobby Storey's funeral caused a row at Stormont about potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations\n\nDeputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill has agreed to participate in a police investigation into the funeral of senior IRA figure Bobby Storey, five months after the controversy began.\n\nThe PSNI said that letters received from the legal representatives of those they wish to speak to \"confirmed their intention to participate\".\n\nMs O'Neill said she was \"available to talk to them whenever they're ready\".\n\nPolice had written to Ms O'Neill and 23 other people on 18 September.\n\nBut two months passed before the police received confirmation from them.\n\nOn Friday, Ms O'Neill said she had \"done everything\" she needed to do in line with the PSNI investigation.\n\nShe said the PSNI contacted her in mid-September and she \"immediately responded\".\n\nThe PSNI told the BBC's Nolan Show it received the letters on Wednesday and that it was \"anticipated these interviews will take place in due course\".\n\nMary Lou McDonald, Gerry Adams and Michelle O'Neill were among the senior Sinn Féin members at the funeral\n\nMark Webster, the deputy chief constable of Cumbria Police, is overseeing the PSNI's investigation.\n\nHe said he was committed to completing it \"as soon as possible\".\n\nHundreds of people lined streets for the funeral, which was held in west Belfast on 30 June.\n\nAt that time the Covid-19 regulations stated that a maximum of 30 people were allowed to gather together outdoors.\n\nMs O'Neill was one of several Sinn Féin politicians who took part in the funeral cortege and attended the service and a subsequent event at Milltown Cemetery where speeches were made by senior republicans.\n\nIn September, Ms O'Neill acknowledged that Stormont's public health messaging about the pandemic had been \"undermined\" by the controversy about the funeral.\n\nShe said she wanted to \"rebuild trust\" with the public.\n\nTraditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister said the investigation must be speeded up.\n\nThe North Antrim MLA said: \"It is important to remember that breaches of the Covid regulations are summary offences, meaning that prosecutions must be brought within six months.\n\n\"I suspect that a republican tactic has been to run down the clock.\"", "The health secretary says that if a vaccine is approved, it will be available across the UK and will be free according to need, not ability to pay - with the earliest doses being available next month.\n\nHe says he's working with the devolved administrations to ensure it's deployed fairly to everyone across the UK - but that high-risk groups will be prioritised.\n\n\"The rollout will be a massive logistical challenge, but I know that the NHS can do it,\" he said.\n\nHe adds that the NHS is in the process of setting up vaccine centres across the country, which will be able to store the Pfizer vaccine at the required -70C.\n\nThe NHS is also preparing to give doses of the vaccine to hospital staff, he says.\n\nHe says these two routes for receiving the vaccine are likely to be the \"bulk\" of how the vaccine will be offered before the end of 2020.\n\nAfter that, there will be a community rollout involving GPs and pharmacists.\n\nHancock says these \"three delivery models\" will help the vaccine to reach all parts of the country.", "David Lewis, 81, lost his two sons and wife within a week of each other\n\nMourners lined the streets to celebrate the lives of an adoring mother and her two sons who died within days of each other after contracting coronavirus.\n\nGladys Lewis, 74, from Pentre, and sons Dean, 44, Darren, 42, from Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, died within a week.\n\nOn Thursday people gathered outside St Peter's Church in Pentre to listen to the funeral service through loudspeakers.\n\nTheir family urged people to \"do their part\" to curb the spread of the virus.\n\nRelatives had previously described how the family had been careful to avoid catching Covid-19 because Gladys had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and Darren, who had Down's syndrome, had been on life support with pneumonia earlier in the year.\n\nFather Philip Leyshon and Father Haydn England Simon wear PPE face visors as they stand beside the coffins of Gladys, Dean and Darren Lewis the evening before their funeral\n\nRelatives, who were inside the church, had wanted the three funerals to be held at the same time so that they could be together.\n\nMourners wore masks and clapped as the three coffins were taken through the town.\n\nFather Haydn England-Simon, who led the service, said no family \"should ever go through\" what the Lewises had.\n\nDavid Lewis and his wife Gladys \"adored each other\"\n\nGrandmother Gladys Lewis died at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital on 29 October.\n\nThe next day her eldest son Dean was found unresponsive at his home in Treorchy. He had only gone out once a week to shop for his parents.\n\nHis younger brother Darren died on 2 November after being treated in intensive care at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital.\n\nThe family were unable to be with Darren before his death, due to them testing positive for Covid-19 and having to self-isolate.\n\nThe family at the beach when the children were younger\n\nThe grandmother-of-13 and great-grandmother-of-four would \"fight the world and win to make sure her children and grandchildren had what they needed and deserved\".\n\nDuring the service the family said Mrs Lewis had been married to husband David, 81, for 44 years after meeting him in Blackpool.\n\nThey were keen dancers and \"absolutely adored\" each other.\n\nFather-of-three Dean was said to have a \"heart of gold\", while Darren was a keen football fan.\n\nWriting in the order of service, the family said: \"As a family we cannot express how much your love, messages and support mean to us all.\"\n\nMourners clapped and paid their respects as the three hearses passed", "The lives of people in Scotland are currently governed by an unprecedented range of rules and restrictions. But which of the coronavirus suppression measures can be enforced by law, and which ones are guidance?\n\nPeople have been banned from visiting other households indoors since 25 September, with some exemptions for couples who don't live together, extended households and childcare arrangements.\n\nRestrictions on household visits in Scotland are legally enforceable - as has been demonstrated by police breaking up hundreds of house parties and other large gatherings.\n\nShould any part of Scotland be moved into Level 0, then up to eight people from three households will be allowed to meet indoors there.\n\nAnd in future Level 1 may be tweaked to allow six people from two households to meet indoors - but at present, the law prohibits this.\n\nIn recent months, the only travel rules which have been enforceable by law have been quarantine rules for people travelling from some other parts of the world.\n\nWhen the new five-level Covid alert system was introduced it did not include mandatory travel restrictions, with Ms Sturgeon acknowledging that these would be difficult to enforce.\n\nHowever, from 18:00 on Friday 20 November, that changes.\n\nNew regulations will make it an offence to travel in or out of a council area which is in level three or four without \"reasonable excuse\".\n\nThere is an extensive list of possible exemptions listed in the regulations - including travelling for work, essential shopping, accessing childcare, or visiting a care home.\n\nAnd the rules don't just apply within Scotland - there are also to be \"restrictions on leaving or entering Scotland\".\n\nThis section of the law carries a similarly long list of exemptions, but the thrust is clear - people who live in Scotland should not leave without good reason, and those living elsewhere in the UK or even in the Republic of Ireland should not enter.\n\nBeyond the new laws, there continues to be advice on avoiding public transport unless absolutely necessary and not to car-share - but this is guidance rather than a legal requirement.\n\nThe wearing of face coverings in various settings is included in the law, and can be enforced on anyone over the age of five.\n\nThere are exemptions for people with specific health conditions, couples taking part in marriage or civil partnership ceremonies, shop staff who are physically separated by plastic screens and emergency responders.\n\nThese laws cover public transport (other than school transport) and most indoor places, including:\n\nWhile immediate sanctions could include people being refused service in shops and restaurants for failing to comply with the rules, the police can also intervene and levy fines for non-compliance.\n\nThe rules covering whether or not shops, pubs and restaurants can open are underpinned by regulations, running from very few closures in Level 0 areas to wide-ranging ones in Level 4.\n\nThey have been simplified somewhat under the latest set of regulations, with there no longer being a need for a legal definition of what constitutes a \"cafe\".\n\nMany of the rules affecting staff and customers are also subject to legal requirements.\n\nIt is the law that food and drink can only be served to a customer who is seated, and who remains seated while consuming it.\n\nBusinesses have a duty to collect customer contact details for the Test and Protect system - and to store them securely in line with data protection laws.\n\nHowever, customers technically do not have a legal requirement to provide them. Premises are advised to refuse service to people who refuse to provide their details.\n\nThose responsible for businesses and places of worship also have a responsibility in law to make sure people maintain physical distancing \"so far as reasonably practical\" and to take steps to minimise the risk of the virus spreading, for instance by installing screens or changing the layout of the premises.\n\nThis extends outside, if there is a queue to enter - businesses must make sure they only admit sufficiently small numbers of customers to maintain physical distancing inside, and ensure people remain two metres (6ft 6in) apart in the queue.\n\nThroughout the pandemic, people in Scotland have been advised to work from home wherever possible. Employers have been urged to \"make every reasonable effort to make working from home the default position\".\n\nThere is not a specific set of Covid-19 regulations underpinning this - other than where the law forces businesses to close altogether, and the responsibility it places on firms to maintain workplace health and safety.\n\nHowever, there is a raft of guidance in place for those operating offices and other workplaces to maintain physical distancing and increase hygiene and cleaning routines.\n\nThey have also been encouraged to take measures to reduce the wider risks for staff who do have to come to work, such as by staggering start and finish times to ease the traditional \"rush hour\".\n\nOne thing that has been put down in law, as noted above, is the wearing of face coverings in communal areas of offices.", "Christian B has been named as the suspect in Madeleine McCann's disappearance\n\nThe prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann disappearance has had his appeal against a rape conviction rejected.\n\nChristian B, who is currently serving a prison sentence for drug offences in Germany, was given a seven-year term for raping a 72-year-old woman.\n\nHe attacked the American woman in Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2005, the same area where three-year-old Madeleine disappeared in 2007.\n\nHis appeal hinged on a legal point in relation to his extradition to Germany\n\nIt was rejected by Germany's Federal Court of Justice which means he will now remain in prison beyond January, when his prison sentence for the drug offences ended.\n\nSuspects' surnames are not usually revealed in Germany for privacy reasons.\n\nChristian B's legal team had challenged the European arrest warrant issued over the 2005 rape charge.\n\nHe was extradited from Italy to Germany two years ago on drug trafficking charges. But he was later convicted of a separate crime, the rape, and sentenced to seven years in prison.\n\nThe basis for his appeal is that his extradition was not related to the rape case, and authorities in Portugal did not give permission for him to be charged.\n\nHe has not been convicted of any crime related to Madeleine McCann.\n\nChristian B, 43, was revealed as the main suspect in the case in June, as German and UK police made a fresh appeal for information about Madeleine's disappearance.\n\nHe is believed to have been in the area where Madeleine was last seen while on holiday in the Algarve in Portugal.\n\nPolice said he was regularly living in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007 and had jobs in the area, including in catering, but also committed burglaries in hotels and dealt drugs.\n\nMadeleine McCann was three years old when she went missing in 2007\n\nGerman prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, who is leading the Madeleine investigation, has previously said prosecutors have evidence that leads them to believe Christian B killed her, but it is not strong enough to take him to court.\n\nIn July, the Metropolitan Police said the case remained a \"missing persons\" investigation in the UK because there was no \"definitive evidence\" as to whether Madeleine was alive or not.\n\nThe same month, a police search was carried out at an allotment in Hanover which it is understood was rented to Christian B in the year of her disappearance.", "Retailers in Wales should not encourage people \"to all rush to the shops together' for post-Christmas sales, the first minister says.\n\n“It isn't just the risk when you're in a shop, it's everything that goes with people travelling, people mingling outside - all of those things add to risks,\" Mark Drakeford said.\n\n“We have worked very hard with the retail sector and others to try to find a pathway through to Christmas where those shops can stay open because I understand that if you're selling goods for Christmas, you need to sell them before the 25th of December.\n\n“But beyond Christmas there seems to be much less of a case for the need to try and encourage people to come together in large numbers and run the risks that will inevitably be there.\"\n\nMr Drakeford urged shops to “go on doing all the things that they have done very carefully already\".\n\nBut he also asked them to \"think carefully about whether or not patterns of sale beyond Christmas can be smoothed out, done over a longer period, rather than encouraging people to all rush to the shops together\".\n\nMark Drakeford does not want to see scenes like this in Wales after Christmas Image caption: Mark Drakeford does not want to see scenes like this in Wales after Christmas", "Home Secretary Priti Patel gives an \"unreserved\" apology if she upset people during her work at the Home Office.\n\nIt follows a report on bullying claims. She says she is working to reform the department.", "The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have marked their 73rd wedding anniversary by releasing a photograph showing them opening a card from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children.\n\nThe homemade gift was created by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and is emblazoned with 73.\n\nThe photograph was taken earlier this week in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle.\n\nThe Queen, 94, was a 21-year-old princess when she married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on 20 November 1947.\n\nTheir enduring relationship has lasted the longest of any British sovereign.\n\nOn Friday afternoon, Buckingham Palace tweeted a message thanking \"everyone for their kind wishes\" for the Queen and Duke on their anniversary and sharing a picture of the couple on their honeymoon in Hampshire in 1947.\n\nThe Queen and Prince Philip on their honeymoon in 1947 at Broadlands in Hampshire\n\nThe monarch was 21 when she married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, then 26, at Westminster Abbey\n\nThe Queen and Prince Philip with their bridal party at Buckingham Palace on their wedding day\n\nThe Queen and the duke, 99, who has retired from public duties, are spending the lockdown at Windsor Castle in England and anniversary celebrations are expected to be low key.\n\nThere is no traditional gift, jewel or colour associated with 73rd wedding anniversaries in the UK.\n\nIn the new photograph, the Queen is wearing a pale blue double wool crepe dress by Stewart Parvin and a chrysanthemum brooch made from sapphires and diamonds set in platinum.\n\nThe couple are seated beside one another reading the colourful card from Prince William and Catherine's three children. They also have five other great-grandchildren. including one-year-old Archie, son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who now live in California.\n\nEarlier this month, the monarch was seen wearing a face mask for the first time in public when she made a private pilgrimage to the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.\n\nShe subsequently led the nation in marking Remembrance Sunday, with commemorations scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Edwin Poots 'replied all' to an email from a member of the public criticising the executive's decision on restrictions\n\nDUP minister Edwin Poots has said he is opposed to new Covid-19 restrictions agreed by the executive, in an email sent to more than 80 people.\n\nHe answered a member of the public who emailed MLAs about the restrictions.\n\nThe original email criticised the government for the \"devastating effect\" the tougher restrictions will have.\n\nIn a reply to all, Mr Poots said: \"I entirely agree, unfortunately the majority of the Executive see things differently.\"\n\n\"The failure of the health department will inevitably lead to the failure of the economy.\"\n\nTwo weeks of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions will take force across NI from next Friday.\n\nMr Poots, who is a former Stormont health minister, declined a request to comment further on the contents of his email, which he said was \"self explanatory\".\n\nWhen asked asked by BBC News NI if he had intended to \"include all\" of the Stormont MLAs in his reply, he declined to comment.\n\nThe email from the member of the public had also stated that current pressure on the NHS was \"nothing new\" and that the NHS was \"overwhelmed every year at this time\".\n\nIt continued: \"This shows the utter incompetence of NHS and health department planning expecting the rest of the country to pay for their failings.\"\n\nUlster Unionist health spokesman Alan Chambers MLA said Mr Poots's comments showed \"how detached from reality he is\".\n\n\"A few days ago he was pointing the finger of blame at the nationalist community for Covid-19,\" he said.\n\n\"Now he's blaming the health service, and in the process, insulting everyone within it who is working so hard at this particular time to save lives.\n\n\"Edwin Poots needs to get real and stop playing pathetic political games in the middle of a global health pandemic, which has already delayed crucial life-saving decisions.\n\n\"His words and actions are grossly irresponsible.\"\n\nUlster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie also responded saying: \"His reply went into my spam folder.\"\n\n\"Spam - irrelevant or unsolicited messages sent over the internet - typically to a large number of users,\" he said.\n\nMr Poots' party colleague, the South Antrim MLA Pam Cameron, who is DUP deputy chair of the health committee, described Mr Poots' reasoning as \"a little simplistic\".\n\n\"Cruel reality is that everyone is responsible for the spread of virus. If we all follow the most basic guidelines, the economy could carry on.\n\n\"It's brutal that business pays the price for our actions,\" she tweeted.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Doug Beattie This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nIt is understood Mr Poots voiced opposition to the restrictions during Thursday's executive meeting.\n\nStormont sources said the minister, who has previously spoken out against imposing tighter lockdown measures, said it was illogical to close non-essential retail as it could severely damage the high street.\n\nIt is believed Mr Poots did not ask for the measures to be put to a vote by the executive and said he would accept whatever measures were agreed by the executive.", "John McDermott used a drone to spy on his ex-girlfriend\n\nA stalker who used a drone to spy on his ex-partner and her friend has been jailed for 16 weeks.\n\nJohn McDermott, 42, of Birch Court, Connah's Quay, Flintshire, was also banned under an indefinite restraining order from possessing or using a drone in Holywell and Trelawnyd.\n\nMagistrates at Llandudno also ordered the destruction of the drone.\n\nMcDermott pleaded guilty to stalking Kerry Williams and her friend Daniel Redford.\n\nHe used the drone to monitor them after Ms Williams moved into Mr Redford's home at Holywell.\n\nMcDermott also admitted assaulting Ms Williams' stepbrother by pushing him.\n\nProsecutor Diane Williams said Ms Williams contacted police on 29 September because she was being followed in a car by the defendant.\n\nMcDermott had also tried to call her and she said she felt unsafe in her home.\n\nMcDermott went to Mr Redford's home, making threats towards him and rude gestures.\n\nIn October he again followed his ex-partner and repeatedly used a drone to watch where she lived.\n\nThe prosecution said he was bailed for police inquiries with conditions which he breached.\n\nOn October 20 a drone was seen flying above the property once again.\n\nMs Williams, who had ended the 16-week relationship in September, said in a victim impact statement: \"I couldn't cope with his controlling nature. I felt trapped.\"\n\nShe said she had been unable to sleep and felt terrified of what he might do.\n\n\"I feel absolutely mortified, sick and intimidated,\" she said.\n\nDefence solicitor Victoria Handley said McDermott \"completely accepts what he did was wrong\", adding he had been in the armed forces and had suffered post traumatic stress.\n\nCourt chairman John Rooney told McDermott it was behaviour intended to cause maximum fear and distress and he had offended while on bail.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sedwill: Not all of Patel report will be public\n\nA report into allegations Home Secretary Priti Patel bullied staff is \"with\" the prime minister, a former head of the civil service has said.\n\nSir Mark Sedwill said Boris Johnson \"needs to reflect and make a decision\" following a fact-finding review led by a senior civil servant.\n\nA Cabinet Office inquiry was launched eight months ago into the allegations, which Ms Patel denies.\n\nA spokesman for the PM said he was not yet ready to publish the findings.\n\nThe spokesman added that the probe into Ms Patel's behaviour - which was launched when Sir Mark was cabinet secretary - was an \"ongoing process\".\n\nLabour has previously called for the report to be published \"without further delay,\" claiming trust in politics has been undermined as a result.\n\nAn official investigation into the facts of Ms Patel's behaviour was launched in March, when Sir Mark was in charge of the UK civil service.\n\nThe probe was launched to investigate whether she had breached the ministerial code - the official rulebook for government ministers.\n\nIn February, Sir Philip Rutnam, the top civil servant in the Home Office, resigned, saying he had been the target of a \"vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign\".\n\nHe is pursuing an employment tribunal claim for constructive dismissal.\n\nSir Mark said Mr Johnson had begun consulting his independent adviser on ministers' interests, Sir Alex Allan, about the fact-finding review by the time his left his post in September.\n\n\"I think Alex had been in discussion with the prime minister,\" he told MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.\n\n\"I don't know the exact date of when that part of the process was submitted to the PM, but it was under way, and it's with him as I understand it now.\n\n\"The process was: establish the facts, have Alex Allan consider it, because the prime minister wanted his advice, and the prime minister needs to reflect and make a decision.\n\n\"That, as I understand it, is still in train.\"\n\nA decision on whether to publish the report will be made by Mr Johnson - who also has the ultimate power to decide whether the ministerial code has been breached.\n\nSir Mark suggested the full report might never be published, to protect the confidentiality of those interviewed as part of the inquiry.\n\n\"It is a decision in the end for the PM whether he publishes anything,\" he said.\n\n\"But [they] would have to be very careful, if there were any publication, to respect the basis on which individuals interviewed in the process had submitted their evidence.\n\n\"That doesn't mean you can't publish or release anything, but it does mean you have to be careful about it.\"\n\nThe PM's official spokesman said: \"Once we are in a position to make public the prime minister's conclusions then we will do so, but we are not at that point yet.\"", "Theresa May said she felt anxious after Shah sent a message threatening to kill her\n\nA man who threatened to kill Theresa May while she was prime minister has been jailed.\n\nWajid Shah emailed Mrs May with the threat and sent similar messages to ex-home secretary Lord Blunkett, Baroness Lister, MPs Tan Dhesi and Caroline Nokes, and former MP Mark Lancaster.\n\nThe 27-year-old, of Slough, had denied sending the \"abusive\" and \"disturbing\" messages, in March and April.\n\nHe was sentenced to two years in jail, after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.\n\nThe judge said Shah had a \"very low IQ and severe learning difficulties\" but did not suffer from mental health problems\n\nIn a victim impact statement read to the court by prosecutor Barry McElduff, Mrs May said the \"extremely offensive, threatening and disturbing\" message to her left her \"feeling anxious and concerned\".\n\nShe explained she had received abusive messages before, but \"what made this one different was the explicit and repeated threat to kill me\".\n\n\"The fact it came close to my constituency raised me concern,\" she said.\n\nShah, of Connaught Road, Slough, had denied six counts of sending a letter/communication or article conveying a threatening message.\n\nLord Blunkett, Caroline Nokes and Tan Dhesi were among the MPs sent similar messages\n\nThe court heard he sent emails to the politicians that contained racial slurs and threats to kill them \"with a gun or a knife\".\n\nIn messages to his local MP Mr Dhesi and former armed forces minister Lord Lancaster, Shah said he would chop their heads off, which led to Mr Dhesi being advised by police to leave his constituency office.\n\nMr McElduff said the email to Ms Nokes, a former immigration minister, \"weighed heavy on her mind\" and she \"drew comparisons... with the events that led to the tragic death of Jo Cox MP\".\n\nShah sent Lord Blunkett two emails and abused him for being blind, the prosecutor added.\n\nHe also made attempts to send more emails, including to Boris Johnson, which were intercepted, the court heard.\n\nJudge Philip Bartle QC told the court the defendant's \"motivation\" for sending the emails to the politicians was to assist his mother with \"immigration matters\" and the \"UK citizens' test\".\n\nHe said the defendant had \"chose the recipients carefully\" through their links through previous or current immigration work.\n\nThe judge said Shah sent the emails under different names, including that of his father, to \"get back\" at him following a family dispute.\n\nHe added Shah maintained he was innocent, had a \"very low IQ and severe learning difficulties\", but did not suffer from mental health problems.\n\nDet Insp Will Crowther, based at Slough police station, said the messages were \"horrendous\" and \"absolutely shocking\".\n\nThe Thames Valley Police officer added: \"Even after his first arrest, Shah continued to offend, sending further messages which were threatening serious violence and death to the recipients.\n\n\"Shah felt that he could hide behind a keyboard of a computer to send these messages, and his intention was very clear that he wanted to cause great distress.\n\n\"The messages are too violent and graphic to describe, but would no doubt have caused tremendous upset. One of the messages even forced the evacuation of a building, such were the nature of the threats.\"\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday evening. We'll have another update for you tomorrow morning.\n\nThe UK government has formally asked the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to assess the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, one of the frontrunners in the race for a coronavirus cure. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was \"another important step forward\" and that, if approved, it would be available across the NHS for free across all of the UK. He said the UK has contributed more than any other country towards researching a vaccine, something he said the country should be proud of. It follows Pfizer and BioNTech seeking emergency authorisation for the vaccine in the US.\n\nThe UK has pre-ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine should it prove viable\n\nThe \"second peak is flattening\", Health Secretary Matt Hancock told this afternoon's Downing Street press briefing. He pointed to the latest data which suggests coronavirus infection rates appear to be levelling off in England and Scotland - and decreasing in Wales and Northern Ireland. The Office for National Statistics estimates that one in 80 people in England currently have coronavirus. In Northern Ireland it is one in 135 people; in Scotland one in 155, and in Wales one in 165. Meanwhile, the R number - the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to, on average - for the whole of the UK is estimated to have dropped to between 1 and 1.1. Last week it was between 1 and 1.2. You can read more about the R number and why it matters here.\n\nMore than two million Scots are, as of 18:00 GMT, now living under the country's toughest coronavirus restrictions. The level four rules apply to 11 council areas, including Glasgow - and mean restrictions on who people can meet, and the closure of pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops. New travel laws are coming in at the same time, to try to stop the virus spreading to areas where it is less common. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she hoped it would bring levels of infection down ahead of Christmas. Meanwhile, we ask - how come Scotland's biggest city is under these restrictions, but its capital has escaped the near-full lockdown?\n\nThe level four restrictions will remain in place until 11 December\n\nNorthern Ireland's first minister has denied her DUP party performed a U-turn by agreeing to tighter restrictions a week after voting against measures proposed to the Stormont Executive. Arlene Foster said the evidence \"had changed\". Earlier today some businesses reopened as rules lifted across Northern Ireland - but any celebration will be short-lived as a two-week \"circuit-break\" has been announced, beginning next Friday. The decision has been met with anger from many business leaders, but Mrs Foster said the executive \"had to act\".\n\nHair salons in Northern Ireland are reopening after a five-week forced shutdown but will have to close again from next Friday\n\nTwo women, 88-year-old Joan Martin and 36-year-old freelance filmmaker Karolina Malinowska, have found one way to beat the loneliness of lockdown - by signing up to a homesharing scheme. Now, the pair watch TV, play Scrabble, and bake together. Karolina says she enjoys having someone to talk to, while Joan says it is \"refreshing\" and \"opens up new areas of conversation every day\".\n\nYou can find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.\n\nAnd we've had a look at seven things that might be different this Christmas.\n\nWhat questions do you have about coronavirus?\n\nIn some cases, your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.\n\nUse this form to ask your question:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.", "Fashion chains Peacocks and Jaeger have fallen into administration, putting more than 4,700 jobs and almost 500 shops at risk.\n\nIt comes after owner Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group failed to find a buyer for both businesses.\n\nNo redundancies have been announced yet and no stores closed.\n\nEWM Group blamed the pandemic for a collapse in trade, but said it was still in talks with potential buyers.\n\n\"In recent weeks we have had constructive discussions with a number of potential buyers for Peacocks and Jaeger,\" it said in a statement.\n\n\"But the continuing deterioration of the retail sector due to the impact of the pandemic and second lockdown have made this process longer and more complex than we would have hoped.\"\n\nIt said that a \"standstill agreement\" secured with the High Court that temporarily put off administration had now expired.\n\n\"Therefore as directors we taken the desperately difficult decision to place Peacocks and Jaeger into administration while those talks continue,\" it said.\n\nJaeger is a London-based fashion business with 76 stores and concessions and employs 347 staff. Cardiff-based Peacocks operates 423 stores with 4,369 staff.\n\nSome Peacocks stores had already begun to shut following an announcement on 15 October.\n\nPhilip Day has quietly built a retail empire over the last 18 years and his huge footprint on high streets across the UK served him well. He did so by snapping up a string of businesses out of administration.\n\nCritics say he didn't do much with them. He didn't do much business online, either. That left him and his chains more exposed when shoppers stampeded to the internet during lockdown.\n\nMr Day still has Bonmarche, a business which he bought through a separate investment vehicle and isn't affected by the current insolvency process. It went into administration last year amid challenging trading conditions. He went on to buy it back, with fewer stores.\n\nWill he now do the same with Peacocks or walk away? According to the most recent company accounts, the EWM Group made a pre-tax profit of £31m in the six months until March 2019. It also had plenty of cash in the bank and next to no debt. How quickly things have unravelled.\n\nThe news come two weeks after Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group called in administrators for its eponymous clothing chain and its homeware brand Ponden Home, putting almost 3,000 more jobs at risk.\n\nTony Wright, joint administrator of the business from FRP Advisory, said talks with potential buyers for Jaeger and Peacocks were at an advanced stage, suggesting the brands could still be saved.\n\n\"Jaeger and Peacocks are attractive brands that have suffered the well-known challenges that many retailers face at present,\" he said.\n\n\"We are in advanced discussions with a number of parties and working hard to secure a future for both businesses.\"\n\nEdinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) is owned by businessman Philip Day, who has a £1.14bn fortune, according to the Sunday Times Rich List published in May 2020.", "Julie-Ann Haines said companies were \"surviving, not thriving\"\n\nThe UK government does not \"fully comprehend how difficult it is for businesses to plan\" for Brexit, the boss of Wales' largest building society has said.\n\nPrincipality CEO Julie-Ann Haines said firms were \"being thrown a huge number of curveballs day in, day out\".\n\nThe deadline to agree a new UK-EU deal is approaching as the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December.\n\nThe UK government said \"significant preparations\" were being made.\n\nMs Haines said \"the twist and turns of Brexit and clearly the global pandemic mean that businesses are really trying to focus on surviving not thriving\", adding that Westminster needs to support firms with investment.\n\nShe expects to see some knock-on effects for \"consumers, business and indeed the wider economy\" given the ongoing lack of clarity and the impending deadline.\n\nThis meant businesses were \"thinking about the impact\" of Brexit on supply chains, but with the pandemic on top of that, \"for many, at the moment, this is about survival\".\n\nShe also anticipates unemployment continuing to rise into 2021 and the UK's economic performance falling back significantly.\n\nSam Taylor said Tayna Batteries' sales doubled during the first coronavirus lockdown\n\nWhile the pandemic has been devastating for many parts of the economy, online car battery retailer Tayna Batteries, based in Abergele, Conwy county, enjoyed rocketing sales as more people chose internet shopping.\n\nDirector Sam Taylor said sales increased by 100% in March at the beginning of the UK-wide lockdown, compared with the same period in 2019, and were \"still riding at about 50% above the previous year\".\n\nThe business, which employs 80 staff and has a turnover of £15m, took on eight new starters in the summer and has just bought an additional warehouse at Bodelwyddan in Denbighshire.\n\n\"We're looking to take on at least another 50 staff in the next two to three years,\" he said.\n\nWith the end of the Brexit transition period approaching they are \"planning for the worst, but hoping for the best\".\n\n\"Until we get any clear guidance from the government on whether there is going to be a deal or not, we're limited in what we can do.\"\n\nThe company has been able to take on more staff this summer\n\nThe company currently imports from countries which have trade deals with the European Union - Turkey and Vietnam. He said if there was no trade deal in place with these two countries from 1 January, it would cost the firm more to bring goods into the UK.\n\n\"We've got some large stock orders coming in December to try to alleviate any problems that may occur with delays at the port or any extra tariffs we may incur.\n\n\"The best for us would be to have a deal in place where there would be no extra documentation or any handling incurred just to keep the flow across the border nice and smooth and as charge-free as possible.\"\n\nCompany owner Alan Brayley still backs Brexit - but thinks the transition period should be extended\n\nAlan Brayley, president of the Swansea Bay Business Club and owner of AB Glass Doors and Windows, said he was \"positive\" about the future for businesses in the area, having continued manufacturing throughout 2020.\n\nHe is in favour of Brexit, but thinks because of time lost to the pandemic, the UK should ask the EU for an extension of the transition period for another 12-24 months to get businesses prepared.\n\nHis firm imports materials from the EU and he said he would \"rather leave with a deal [rather] than just no deal at all because that's going to be an uncertain future\".\n\nHe said businesses have been focusing on keeping going through the pandemic, \"but now Brexit is creeping up quite fast we need to start shifting that focus\".\n\n\"It's been extremely difficult for businesses to prepare.\"\n\nA UK government spokesman said \"significant preparations\" for \"guaranteed changes\" at the end of the transition period included a £705m investment in infrastructure, staffing and technology at the border.\n\n\"With fewer than 50 days to go, it's vital that businesses also take steps to prepare now for the changes ahead,\" he added.\n\n\"That's why we're intensifying our engagement with businesses and running a major public information campaign so they know exactly what they need to do to hit the ground running in the new year.\"", "Former US President Barack Obama likens Russia's Vladimir Putin to a tough Chicago \"ward boss\" and describes former French President Nicolas Sarkozy as being full of \"overblown rhetoric\" in the first volume of his two-part memoir.\n\nA Promised Land sold nearly 890,000 copies in the US and Canada in its first 24 hours - a record for publisher Penguin Random House. It is expected to become by far the biggest-selling presidential memoir in history.\n\nIn the book, Mr Obama recalls his travels around the world as the 44th US president and his meetings with world leaders. So who made a good impression and who didn't?\n\nThe Eton-educated conservative who served as UK prime minister from 2010-2016 was \"urbane and confident\" and had \"the easy confidence of someone who'd never been pressed too hard by life\".\n\nMr Obama said he warmed to him as a person (\"I liked him personally, even when we butted heads\") but made no secret of the fact that he disagreed with his economic policies. \"Cameron hewed closely to free-market orthodoxy, having promised voters that his platform of deficit reduction and cuts to government services - along with regulatory reform and expanded trade - would usher in a new era of British competitiveness,\" he wrote. \"Instead, predictably, the British economy would fall deeper into a recession.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Barack Obama and David Cameron team-up for table tennis at the Globe Academy in south London\n\nMr Obama said the Russian leader reminded him of the political barons he encountered during his early career in Chicago. He writes he was \"like a ward [district] boss, except with nukes and a UN Security Council veto\".\n\nHe continues: \"Putin did, in fact, remind me of the sorts of men who had once run the Chicago machine or Tammany Hall [a New York City political organisation] - tough, street-smart, unsentimental characters who knew what they knew, who never moved outside their narrow experiences, and who viewed patronage, bribery, shakedowns, fraud, and occasional violence as legitimate tools of the trade.\"\n\nThe former French president was \"all emotional outbursts and overblown rhetoric\" and like \"a figure out of a Toulouse-Lautrec painting\", according to Mr Obama.\n\n\"Conversations with Sarkozy were by turns amusing and exasperating, his hands in perpetual motion, his chest thrust out like a bantam cock's, his personal translator... always beside him to frantically mirror his every gesture and intonation as the conversation swooped from flattery to bluster to genuine insight, never straying from his primary, barely disguised interest, which was to be at the centre of the action and take credit for whatever it was that might be worth taking credit for.\"\n\nBarack Obama said he liked Nicolas Sarkozy's \"boldness, charm and manic energy\"\n\nThe German leader is referred to as \"steady, honest, intellectually rigorous, and instinctually kind\". Mr Obama notes that she had, at first, been sceptical of him, because of his lofty rhetoric and speech-making skills. \"I took no offence, figuring that as a German leader, an aversion to possible demagoguery was probably a healthy thing.\"\n\nBarack Obama described Angela Merkel as \"honest\" and \"kind\"\n\nMr Obama found the Turkish leader to be \"cordial and generally responsive to my requests\".\n\n\"But whenever I listened to him speak, his tall frame slightly stooped, his voice a forceful staccato that rose an octave in response to various grievances or perceived slights. I got the strong impression that his commitment to democracy and the rule of law might last only as long as it preserved his own power.\"\n\nThe former Indian prime minister is described as having been \"wise, thoughtful, and scrupulously honest\" and the \"chief architect of India's economic transformation\". Mr Singh was a \"self-effacing technocrat who'd won the people's trust not by appealing to their passions but bringing about higher living standards and maintaining a well-earned reputation for not being corrupt\", Mr Obama observes.\n\nBarack Obama met Václav Klaus (c) and the then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Prague in 2010\n\nMr Obama was an admirer of Václav Havel - the Czech Republic's first president after the Velvet Revolution - but found his successor Václav Klaus more troubling. Mr Obama writes that he feared the Eurosceptic president signalled a rise of right-wing populism across Europe and embodied \"how the economic crisis [of 2008-9] was causing an uptick in nationalism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and scepticism about [European] integration\". He added: \"The hopeful tide of democratisation, liberalisation, and integration that had swept the globe after the end of the Cold War was beginning to recede.\"\n\nA Promised Land is the first volume of Barack Obama's planned two-part memoir", "Coronavirus infection rates are levelling off in England and Scotland and decreasing in Wales and Northern Ireland, latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests.\n\nIt shows rates in school-age children are still rising while falling in young adults.\n\nThe R number for the UK continues to fall and is now between 1 and 1.1.\n\nBut that doesn't yet reflect the impact of the second lockdown in England, introduced on 5 November.\n\nThe government's scientific advisers, Sage, say the epidemic in the north-west of England is now shrinking, although infection levels in the region still remain high.\n\nThe ONS survey, which covers the week to 14 November, tests people in thousands of households across the UK, whether they have symptoms or not. It does not include people in hospitals or care homes.\n\nThis equates to nearly 39,000 infections a day in England, down from 50,000 the previous week.\n\nBut the picture across England's regions is mixed - rates of infections are rising in London and the south-east while coming down in the north and Midlands, the ONS says.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus vaccine: How close are you to getting one?\n\nThe highest levels of infection, meanwhile, are still in Yorkshire and the north-west.\n\nIn Wales, infection rates appear to have decreased over the past two weeks after peaking around the end of October.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, they have been going down for four weeks. In Scotland, infection rates are now stabilising after rising through most of October.\n\nAmong school-age children in England, the percentage testing positive for Covid-19 may be rising slowly while levelling off in older teenagers, young adults and the over-25s - but the ONS says the sample size is small and there is uncertainty over the estimates.\n\nThe ONS estimate of infections is usually higher than the daily lab-confirmed cases announced by the government and is thought to provide a more accurate picture of the epidemic.\n\nWhile the government figures are based on people with symptoms requesting a test, the ONS estimates are based on swab tests on everyone in a household.\n\nOn Friday, 20,252 new positive tests were reported in the UK through the government system - down nearly 7,000 on a week ago. There have been more than 500 deaths reported every day - within 28 days of a positive test for Covid-19 - for the last four days.\n\nThe Covid symptom app offers another estimate. It reports around 34,000 new cases of Covid in the UK in the two weeks up to 15 November, down slightly on the previous week.\n\nThis is based on one million people reporting positive swab tests via the app.\n\nThe official R number, which estimates how many people on average one infected person passes the virus onto, is edging closer to 1. The current restrictions in place around the UK are aiming to push the R below 1, which would mean the epidemic is shrinking.\n\nAfter promising results from scientists developing vaccines against Covid-19 recently, the UK nations are preparing to roll-out a vaccine to a small number of people in some priority groups in December with many more receiving a jab next year.\n\nPfizer, along with its partner BioNTech, has filed for emergency authorisation of its Covid vaccine in the US.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Online news and lifestyle site Buzzfeed is taking over HuffPost in a deal that brings together two of the most high-profile digital media firms.\n\nSeller Verizon Media will become a minority shareholder in Buzzfeed as part of the deal and invest in the combined company.\n\nThe two firms will also join up for advertising and sharing content, a partnership they said would \"create new revenue opportunities\".\n\nThe price was not disclosed.\n\nBuzzfeed chief executive Jonah Peretti will lead the combined business. He co-founded HuffPost, formerly known as the Huffington Post, in 2005 with publisher Arianna Huffington and started Buzzfeed a year later.\n\nHuffPost rose to prominence during the George W Bush presidency as a site for liberal bloggers, many of whom contributed for free.\n\nBuzzfeed made its name creating content like listicles and quizzes, which drew young audiences. It also brought on reporters for its news site.\n\nBut digital media firms have struggled to draw online advertising dollars away from tech giants such as Facebook and Google. In recent years, Buzzfeed and HuffPost have both shed staff. In May, Buzzfeed closed its newsrooms in the UK and Australia and slashed staff pay.\n\nMr Peretti said the new deal would increase Buzzfeed's heft, by adding HuffPost readers to its audience and allowing it to tap into Verizon's ad network.\n\nHuffPost is expected to remain a standalone brand, alongside other Buzzfeed sites, including Tasty and Buzzfeed News.\n\nA spokeswoman for Buzzfeed declined to comment on the possibility of job losses triggered by the tie-up.\n\nVerizon Media is part of a US telecom giant, which is known primarily for its pay-TV and mobile phone service. It acquired HuffPost in 2015 when it bought AOL for $4.4bn (£3.32bn), later combining it with Yahoo.\n\nJust a few years later, it wrote down the value of the properties by nearly $5bn.\n\n\"While considering opportunities to work together, naturally, Jonah and I also discussed the property he co-founded, HuffPost,\" said Verizon Media boss Guru Gowrappan.\n\n\"We quickly realised BuzzFeed's strategy would complement HuffPost's roadmap, injecting it with new energy and growing the brand into the future.\n\n\"We are deeply invested in the continued success of HuffPost and I couldn't think of a better partner to take HuffPost to the next level.\"\n\nA few years ago companies like BuzzFeed and HuffPost were growing fast.\n\nThe business model was simple. Produce viral content aimed at younger, online savvy audiences and cash in on online advertising revenue.\n\nThat hasn't been as lucrative as they would have hoped.\n\nAds on digital news stories can actually be quite a clunky way to advertise - less focussed than many advertisers would like.\n\nSo Facebook and Google, which offer incredibly bespoke targeting, mop up a massive percentage of online advertising. More than half of all the money spent on online advertising is with these two companies.\n\nMany smaller digital media companies were laying off staff even before the pandemic. Covid-19 has inflamed these problems. People, stuck at home, are clicking more, but advertisers have been cautious.\n\nThat's left companies that were seen as revolutionary only a few years ago trying to work out how to survive.\n\nThis takeover should be seen in this context - the latest attempt to find a better way of making digital media work financially.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Health Secretary Matt Hancock: \"We will be ready to start vaccination next month\"\n\nThe NHS is setting up coronavirus vaccination centres across the UK in preparation for any jab being approved, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.\n\nPeople will be vaccinated at sites around the country, as well as in hospitals and by GPs in the community.\n\nThe government has also officially asked the medical regulator to assess the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nMr Hancock said if the regulator approved it, vaccination could start next month.\n\nBut the bulk of the vaccination rollout would be in the new year, he added.\n\nIt comes as another 20,252 confirmed Covid cases were announced by the government on Friday, as well as a further 511 deaths.\n\nSpeaking at the Downing Street briefing, Mr Hancock said: \"The NHS is in the process of establishing vaccination centres across the country that can manage the logistical challenge of needing to store the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at -70C.\n\n\"In addition it is establishing vaccination hubs in hospitals for NHS staff.\n\n\"These two routes are likely to comprise the bulk of the campaign this side of the new year. Then there will be a community rollout involving GPs and pharmacists.\"\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Coronavirus vaccine: How close are you to getting one?\n\nVaccination centres could be set up in places like sports halls, and earlier this week it was confirmed that a sports arena in Derby had been earmarked to be used.\n\nOn the question of when people could get vaccinated, Mr Hancock said: \"I know everyone wants to know about the timing and the speed of the rollout. That will depend on the speed at which the vaccines can be manufactured.\n\n\"We know that the manufacturing process for all vaccines is difficult and uncertain so I've asked the NHS to be ready to deploy at the speed at which the vaccine can be produced.\n\n\"If, and it still is an if, if the regulator approves a vaccine, we will be ready to start the vaccination next month with the bulk of the rollout in the new year. We're heading in the right direction but there is still a long way to go.\"\n\nMr Hancock also confirmed the government had formally asked the independent medical regulator - the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency - to assess the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.\n\nHe said the UK government had been given the \"confidence\" to begin the process, after the vaccine-makers applied for approval in the US.\n\nThree vaccines - Pfizer/BioNTech, Sputnik and Moderna - have already reported good early results from the final stages of testing, called phase-three trials.\n\nThe first breakthrough came from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which published data first and showed it protected 94% of adults over 65.\n\nAnother vaccine, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, has shown positive results at an earlier stage, phase two.\n\nThe UK government has ordered more doses of the Oxford vaccine than any other (100 million doses) - but has also ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and five million of the Moderna vaccine.\n\nThe NHS Confederation, which represents NHS bosses, said the vaccine offered \"a glimmer of hope but it won't save the NHS this Christmas\".\n\n\"When the national restrictions are lifted in two weeks' time, life cannot go back to normal and they will have to be replaced with measures that protect the NHS from becoming overwhelmed,\" it said.\n\nAsked about Christmas and whether Covid restrictions could be relaxed, Mr Hancock said the government was still working to decide what should happen after England's lockdown ends on 2 December.\n\n\"It's still too early to tell, although we can see from the data out in the last couple of days, and also from the ONS survey out today, that this is clearly flattening,\" he said. \"We're clearly near the peak of this second increase and the second wave.\"\n\nNHS England's medical director Prof Stephen Powis also said it appeared the number of hospital patients with coronavirus had been \"levelling off\" in the last few days.\n\nBut he added: \"That is just a few days' data and it's important not to read too much into it yet.\"\n\nIt comes as the government's group of scientific advisers said the R rate - the number of people on average that one infected person passes the virus onto - had dropped to between 1 and 1.1 for the UK as a whole.\n\nMr Hancock also urged people aged 50 and over to get a flu jab.\n\nThirty million people are being offered a flu jab in England's largest flu-immunisation scheme to date. People aged 50 to 64 will be eligible for the vaccine from 1 December.", "Tougher penalties agreed by the NI Executive for breaches of Covid restrictions are not yet law due to a delay in printing enforcement notices.\n\nThe executive agreed on 8 October to raise the minimum fine to £200, and fines on conviction up to £10,000.\n\nOn Monday, Justice Minister Naomi Long said the regulations \"should be laid shortly\" in the assembly to become law.\n\nA total of 268 fines and warnings have been issued in NI during the past seven days for breaches of Covid regulations.\n\nMore than 3,000 fines and warnings have been given out by police since March, according to the PSNI.\n\nAt present, fixed penalty notices start at £60, but can rise to £960 for repeat offenders.\n\nOn Monday, police said 1,775 fixed penalty notices have been handed out, an increase of 177 since 26 October.\n\nTwo further £1,000 fines for failure to self-isolate were given out, taking the total issued by police to 47.\n\nThe justice minister was asked for a timeframe for the tougher penalties by DUP assembly member Gary Middleton on Monday.\n\nMrs Long said the regulations will not be laid in the assembly until the police are ready to enforce them\n\nMr Middleton said they were \"of utmost importance\" to suppress the spread of the virus.\n\n\"We also want to ensure that we can get our economy back open again, so enforcement and penalties are very important,\" he said.\n\nMrs Long said the regulations will not be laid in the assembly until the police are ready to enforce them, describing delays in printing enforcement notices.\n\n\"It is important that we do so as quickly as possible, however the timing of this will unfortunately be led largely by the time it will take for the PSNI to be able to police the new enforcement notices,\" she told MLAs during justice minister questions.\n\nThe PSNI said 652 officers or members of staff absent due to Covid-19\n\n\"There have been some issues around delays in that because of the pressure on the bespoke printing that is required for those enforcement notices.\n\n\"However, as soon as those enforcement notices are ready to be able to be rolled out across the police service, we have the regulations ready to be laid in the chamber.\"\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said that after the penalties were announced on 8 October there followed a drafting process at the assembly.\n\n\"When the above process was completed, the police service was able to confirm the design for the new penalty notices and place the order with suppliers,\" he said.\n\n\"The tickets are produced by a specialist printer within a defined production and delivery schedule and we anticipate delivery in the near future.\n\n\"All partners including the Department of Justice and the Executive Office have been kept fully informed of the timeframes involved.\"\n\nIn October, ministers agreed to replace the £60 fixed penalty notice which could increase on each detection with a single tariff of £200.\n\nThree other offences will be punishable on conviction by a fine of up to £10,000, or attract a fixed penalty notice starting at £1,000 and going up to a maximum of £10,000.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Police Service NI This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nOn Monday, police revealed there have been 1,115 Community Resolution Notices (CRN) issued since March, 40 of those given out in the past week.\n\nCRNs are not Covid-specific notices but can be issued to anyone over the age of 10. They are designed to act as warnings and do not incur any fines.\n\nThe latest figures also show that 82 commercial premises and 362 private dwellings were issued prohibition notices by police. 449 have been handed out in total.\n\nThe PSNI has also said that there are currently 652 officers or members of staff absent due to Covid-19, 570 of whom are self-isolating.", "Last updated on .From the section Premier League\n\nGareth Bale's first goal since re-signing for Tottenham helped his side beat Brighton to go second in the Premier League table.\n\nIn an action-packed game, Harry Kane put Spurs ahead from the penalty spot, his 149th Premier League goal, after a video assistant referee check deemed Adam Lallana had fouled the England captain.\n\nTariq Lamptey scored a controversial equaliser, the exciting 20-year-old sweeping home after Solly March appeared to foul Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the build-up.\n\nReferee Graham Scott consulted the pitchside monitor before allowing the goal to stand, much to Tottenham's disbelief, before substitute Bale had the final say.\n\nThe Wales forward powered home a cross by Sergio Reguilon past debutant Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez, his first Spurs goal since May 2013.\n\nBale celebrated his first Spurs goal in seven years and 166 days as though he had won the Champions League again, wheeling away to celebrate with his jubilant team-mates.\n\nJose Mourinho turned the clock back in an attempt to get his Tottenham tenure moving into the future when he brought Bale back to the club he left in 2013 for Real Madrid.\n\nBale was derided in Spain as more golfer than footballer after being marginalised by coach Zinedine Zidane but he played a key role as Spurs climbed two points behind leaders Liverpool.\n\nMourinho demanded a reaction following his side's surprise Europa League defeat at Royal Antwerp on Thursday, a game in which he made four changes at half-time.\n\nHe got one although his side were made to battle hard against Brighton, who cancelled out Kane's opener in highly contentious circumstances before Bale stole the headlines.\n\nErik Lamela hit the post and Kane missed a great chance from close range to score his landmark 150th top-flight goal, yet this was not vintage Spurs.\n\nBut for the second successive league game they dug deep to come away with three points.\n\nBrighton played without a recognised striker, with leading scorer Neal Maupay left out of the 18.\n\nIn addition, the visitors gave a debut to keeper Sanchez, whose last competitive match was against Rotherham United for Rochdale in League One last season.\n\nBut Graham Potter's side played some good football and in Lamptey, who was a bundle of energy, they have one of the most exceptional young talents in the Premier League.\n\nHis first career goal came from a pass by Pascal Gross, who has now assisted 16 Premier League goals for Brighton, double that of any other player at the club.\n\nThe worry for Potter is his side are not winning enough games.\n\nDespite enjoying more possession than Spurs, it is now one victory in seven league matches.\n\n'Tottenham fans love Gareth' - what they said\n\nTottenham boss Jose Mourinho, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: \"It wasn't a surprise because I knew Brighton were a very good team with a very good coach. They created lots of difficulties but we had a very good reaction after they equalised.\"\n\nOn Brighton's controversial equaliser: \"I have to try and stay away from this. I don't know what to say.\"\n\nOn Gareth Bale's winner: \"We were in need of a goal and I've been telling you for a couple of weeks that Bale is improving. I know he doesn't have 90 minutes of Premier League in his legs.\n\n\"The good thing with him is he is very intelligent, very experienced and very Tottenham. He understands.\n\n\"We are using the Europa League matches to improve his condition and today he scored a winning goal, which is a great feeling for the team. It's also a great feeling for the fans because Tottenham fans love Gareth.\"\n\nBrighton boss Graham Potter: \"There is a little bit of a talking point about our penalty decision. It is another conversation around refereeing and VAR, which I am not too interested in.\n\n\"I can't control what they do, when I saw them live I wasn't sure about Harry Kane's one. I'd rather focus on our performance, it was really, really good.\n\n\"I'm disappointed with the result, but really pleased with the positives. We pushed Tottenham hard and are disappointed to come away with nothing.\"\n• None Harry Kane has moved into the top-10 all-time Premier League goals list, notching his 149th strike to move level with Les Ferdinand.\n• None Only the bottom three sides have lost more games in the Premier League this season than Brighton (four).\n• None Tottenham (14 points) end the day as high as second in the Premier League table for the first time since February 2019 under Mauricio Pochettino.\n• None Of the 12 players to have taken at least 25 Premier League penalties, only Matt Le Tissier (96%) and Thierry Henry (92%) have a higher penalty conversion rate than Harry Kane (88%, 22/25).\n\nTottenham are off to Bulgaria to face Ludogorets in the Europa League on Thursday (17:55 GMT), while Brighton are back in action on Friday at home to Burnley in the Premier League (17:30 GMT).\n• None Joël Veltman (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n• None Offside, Brighton and Hove Albion. Robert Sánchez tries a through ball, but Dan Burn is caught offside.\n• None Yves Bissouma (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing.\n• None Attempt missed. Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Gareth Bale.\n• None Attempt saved. Adam Webster (Brighton and Hove Albion) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Pascal Groß.\n• None Adam Webster (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n• None Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Alexis Mac Allister replaces Tariq Lamptey because of an injury.\n• None Goal! Tottenham Hotspur 2, Brighton and Hove Albion 1. Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Sergio Reguilón with a cross.\n• None Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) hits the left post with a right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box. Assisted by Gareth Bale following a corner.\n• None Attempt missed. Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Giovani Lo Celso with a cross following a corner. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page\n• None How does the voting system work?\n• None What you need to look out for on the night", "The many ways the body's immune system responds to Sars-CoV2 are still being discovered\n\nScientists have found evidence of immune cells responding to Covid-19 six months after people were infected.\n\nIn a study of 100 people with the virus, those with symptoms had a much higher T-cell reaction.\n\nBut it is still not clear whether this leads to better protection against re-infection.\n\nThe UK research team says the findings are \"just one piece of the puzzle\" on immunity and there is still a lot to learn.\n\nThe key question is whether being infected once with coronavirus can protect the body against being infected again and, if so, how long this immunity could last.\n\nScientists know that antibodies are made by the body from around 10 days after infection, but appear to dwindle over time. They stick to the virus in order to stop it.\n\nThey have also discovered that a kind of immune cell, called a T-cell, attacks the cells infected with the virus. This is known as the cellular immune response and could also be key.\n\nThis study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal, suggests T-cells could play the more important role.\n\nThe research was carried out by the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium, involving the University of Birmingham, the NIHR Manchester clinical research facility and Public Health England.\n\nThere is an antibody response and a cellular response to the coronavirus\n\n\"Early results show that T-cell responses may outlast the initial antibody response, which could have a significant impact on Covid vaccine development and immunity research,\" said Dr Shamez Ladhani, study author and consultant epidemiologist at Public Health England.\n\nProf Paul Moss, from the University of Birmingham, said the study was the first in the world \"to show robust cellular immunity remains at six months after infection\".\n\nThis was based on samples taken from 23 male and 77 female healthcare workers who had been infected with coronavirus in March or April, and had either mild to moderate symptoms or were asymptomatic. None of them were ill enough to be admitted to hospital with Covid-19.\n\nThe researchers say it is possible that a good T-cell response might provide people who had symptoms with more protection against being infected again.\n\nBut it could also be that asymptomatic people are simply able to fight off the virus without needing to build up a large immune response.\n\nThey said it was important to check for a T-cell response in trials of vaccines.\n\n\"We now need more research to find out if symptomatic individuals are better protected against re-infection in the future,\" Prof Moss said.\n\nProf Arne Akbar, president of the British Society for Immunology, called the study \"a step forward in our understanding of immunity against SARS-CoV-2\".\n\n\"By analysing the contribution of T-cells to immunity after infection, we are moving closer to discerning a clearer picture of the complex question of individual protection after infection,\" he said.\n• None Can you become immune to coronavirus?", "One of Barry McGuigan's sons has defended his family's management of boxer Carl Frampton during the nine years they worked together.\n\nBlain McGuigan said the fighter was paid a lot of money and was looked after very well.\n\nMr McGuigan, 37, a boxing promoter and part-time musician, testified in the court case involving his father and Mr Frampton.\n\n\"We always wanted Carl to get the best money possible,\" he said.\n\nMr McGuigan told the High Court that before the relationship turned sour, he regarded Mr Frampton as a friend.\n\n\"We worked very well together… close-knit… worked hard,\" he said.\n\nMonday was the 16th day of hearings in the case at the High Court in Belfast.\n\nMr Frampton is suing Barry McGuigan and Cyclone Promotions over alleged unpaid earnings.\n\nMr Frampton, on the other hand, has been accused of a breach of contract. Both men deny any wrongdoing.\n\nTheir successful partnership broke down in August 2017.\n\nBarry McGuigan has three sons who all work in the boxing business - Jake, Shane and Blain, the eldest.\n\nOne of the issues in the case is how much Mr Frampton was paid during the time he worked with the McGuigans from 2009 to 2017.\n\nBlain McGuigan told the court that the boxer was paid well and was always consulted about financial matters.\n\n\"Carl was always kept informed,\" he said.\n\n\"My dad insisted on him having the ability to check up on anything.\"\n\nBlain McGuigan told the court Carl Frampton was paid well and was always consulted about financial matters\n\nMr McGuigan was asked about a Frampton fight in New York in 2016 which was attended by a number of celebrities including the golfer Rory McIlroy.\n\nAn issue was raised earlier in the case about whether or not celebrities were given free tickets for major fights or asked to pay for them.\n\nWhen this was put to Mr McGuigan, he said: \"I remember Rory didn't pay for his individual ticket.\"\n\nHowever, he said the golfer may have paid for his friends and security team to attend the fight.\n\n\"That's really standard. Big-time celebrities would pay for additional tickets,\" he said.\n\nWhen asked for his view on Mr Frampton's new management company MTK Global, Mr McGuigan said: \"I don't think they're a good influence around sport.\"\n\nThe case will continue on Tuesday when Blain McGuigan is scheduled to face cross-examination.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "Small-group tuition has been shown to boost pupil attainment\n\nDisadvantaged pupils in England could begin focused tuition as early as next week, as booking opens for the new National Tutoring Programme.\n\nThe government says there is clear evidence that poor pupils lost out most when schools were closed. This scheme aims to close the learning gap.\n\n\"This is about levelling up those opportunities,\" said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.\n\nBut education unions say tuition should be delivered by qualified teachers.\n\nThe 32 organisations selected to deliver the programme are braced for a flood of tuition bookings for pupils from poorer families aged five to 16.\n\nThe tutoring will be subsidised by 75% and some sessions could cost schools as little as £50 for a block of 15, say the organisers.\n\nHow much tuition will the funding deliver?\n\nThe scheme was designed by a group of five independent charities and is funded from part of the government's £350m allocation to tutoring through the £1bn coronavirus catch-up package.\n\n\"We need to do everything in our power to help pupils make up for any lost time, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds,\" said Mr Williamson.\n\n\"Tutoring provides tailored teaching support to individual pupils and can be transformational in boosting academic progress.\n\n\"This is about levelling up those opportunities across the country.\"\n\nSir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation which selected the organisations providing the tuition, said he was delighted schools would have access to high-quality tutoring.\n\n\"For too long, low income pupils have not been able to afford tutoring.\n\n\"This is an important step in enabling them to access it.\"\n\nHowever, Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, while welcoming the programme said it was \"an incredibly complicated way of delivering catch-up support when it would have been far simpler and quicker for the government to have given this funding directly to schools alongside other catch-up money\".\n\n\"There is good evidence that small group tuition can be extremely beneficial, but this funding could have been used to support schools in delivering this through their teaching staff who already know their pupils, rather than this system in which schools buy in subsidised tuition from external agencies,\" he said.\n\nAndrew Morris, assistant general secretary of the National Education Union, called the NTP \"a cut-price scheme which doesn't require qualified teacher status and pays any qualified teachers who do sign up far less than they should be earning\".\n\nWhile Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders union NAHT said the scheme was not enough to help all pupils in need.\n\n\"The scope of the NTP this year appears to be capped at 250,000 pupils - a significant number but still a fraction of the 1.4 million children in receipt of free school meals.\"\n\nNick Bent and Abigail Shapiro who co-founded the Tutor Trust which is one of the organisations selected and already delivers affordable tuition to schools in Manchester, Leeds, Bradford and Liverpool said the programme \"puts rocket boosters under our mission of 'transforming lives through tutoring' across the North\".\n\nHowever, they too suggested it could go further: \"We are doing all we can to support teachers and to help every child achieve their potential, despite family disadvantage or the impact of Covid.\"\n\n\"As an active member of the Fair Education Alliance, we campaigned for the National Tutoring Programme and we welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement in June.\n\n\"Now, we urge Mr Johnson to follow the logic of the evidence and of his own commitment to 'levelling up', and to fund the NTP for a further two years.\"", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Covid in Scotland: First minister faces 'dilemma' over lockdown decision\n\nThe furlough scheme will be available if there is a Covid-19 lockdown in Scotland in the future, the prime minister has suggested.\n\nBoris Johnson announced an extension of the job support scheme to 2 December as tough measures were imposed in England.\n\nNicola Sturgeon said decisions on any Scottish lockdown may depend on when this funding would be available.\n\nMr Johnson has now told MPs that the furlough scheme would \"continue to be available wherever it is needed\".\n\nMs Sturgeon said this would be \"very welcome\" - but added she was \"seeking urgent confirmation from the Treasury that it will be exactly as we asked for\".\n\nA new five-level system of coronavirus restrictions came into force in Scotland on Monday.\n\nAt her daily briefing, Ms Sturgeon said she would \"ideally\" want to assess the impact of the latest measures before deciding whether it would be necessary to impose harsher measures.\n\nShe said there were \"some encouraging signs\" that restrictions were having an impact in Scotland, with the rate of increase in cases \"slowing down\".\n\nBoris Johnson was questioned on the issue in the Commons\n\nHowever, she said the position remained \"very fragile\" - and that she faced a \"dilemma\" about imposing stricter measures in the short-term if there was a time limit on the furlough scheme.\n\nShe said: \"I made clear last week that we might yet have to go further and we can't rule out a move to level four for all parts of the country.\n\n\"While that decision would never be easy, there is no doubt that the availability of a more extensive furlough scheme would make it slightly less difficult, because workers would have more of their wages paid.\n\n\"The decision we have to weigh up is should we take the opportunity of more generous financial support to step harder on the brakes now, to drive down infections.\"\n\nShe added: \"It cannot be right that the only time that additional financial support is made available is when the south of England needs to go into a lockdown. That just isn't fair given the situation we are dealing with.\"\n\nThe UK-wide job support scheme - which covers up to 80% of workers wages' and has supported hundreds of thousands of jobs north of the border - was extended to 2 December when Mr Johnson announced the four-week lockdown in England.\n\nHowever, the UK's devolved administrations complained that this \"time limited\" extension only covered the period when England is under enhanced restrictions.\n\nWales has been in a \"firebreak\" lockdown since 23 October, and First Minister Mark Drakeford said requests to boost wage subsidies there had been repeatedly turned down.\n\nCalls for more flexibility over furlough were backed by Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who said in a speech on Monday morning that \"this has to be cleared up, now\".\n\nHe said: \"It cannot be that furlough is not affordable when Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or parts of Northern England need to go into lockdown - but when all of England goes into lockdown, the taps are turned on.\n\n\"We all hope that by following the guidance and doing the right thing, a second Scottish lockdown will not be necessary.\n\n\"But if it is, the UK government must treat Scotland the same way as England.\"\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Nicola Sturgeon This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.\n\nRepeatedly questioned about the matter in the Commons, Mr Johnson said that the job support scheme applied across the UK.\n\nHe initially refused to be drawn about whether this could continue to be the case beyond December, should local lockdowns be needed in other parts of the UK.\n\nHowever, he then appeared to confirm that this would be the case when asked by Mr Ross to \"explain why it seems an English job is more important than a Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish one\".\n\nThe prime minister said: \"If other parts of the UK decide to go into measures which require the furlough scheme then of course that is available to them - that applies not just now but in the future.\"\n\nPressed on the question by SNP MP Pete Wishart, he added: \"The furlough scheme will continue to be available wherever it is needed.\"", "A three-year-old girl has been pulled out alive after being trapped under rubble for 65 hours following a powerful earthquake in Turkey.\n\nThe earthquake on Friday has killed at least 85 people, with more still missing.\n\nDehydrated but without serious injuries, the girl clung to a rescue worker's thumb as she was carried to safety.", "The former president posts that he has been told to report to a grand jury, \"which almost always means an Arrest\".", "All adult and children's grassroots football is to be suspended in England during the national Covid-19 lockdown.\n\nRestrictions will run from Thursday, 5 November until Wednesday, 2 December.\n\nNo men's teams in leagues below National Leagues North or South will be able to train or play and women's competitions below the second-tier Championship are also suspended.\n\nThe restrictions also apply to all youth and indoor teams, but lower-league sides can play in the FA Cup.\n\n'Non-elite' teams in this weekend's FA Cup first round will play and train under 'elite' conditions for as long as they remain in the competition.\n\nHowever, BBC Sport understands the Women's FA Cup will be paused during lockdown, while the Football Association has yet to make an announcement on their plans for the FA Trophy, FA Vase and FA Youth Cup.\n\n\"Our aim is to ensure that the 2020-21 season is completed at these levels and will liaise with the relevant leagues in the NLS [National League System] and WFP [Women's Football Pyramid] and the County Football Associations to provide support and establish appropriate options to do so if required,\" an FA statement read.\n• None FA Cup ties to go ahead, amateur golf and tennis halted\n\n\"Re-starting football at these levels has taken substantial determination and commitment from stakeholders across the game and we would like to thank everyone for their vital contributions.\n\n\"However, health and wellbeing remain the priority, so it is extremely important that clubs, players, coaches, match officials, league officials, volunteers, parents, carers and facility providers adhere to the UK Government's new national Covid-19 restrictions during this period.\"\n\nThere were calls for youth sport to be exempt when the new restrictions come into effect on Thursday.\n\nBut Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden confirmed it would only be permitted in school.\n\n\"Unfortunately we need to pause grassroots sport outside school to reduce the transmission risk from households mixing,\" he tweeted.\n\n\"As soon as we can resume this, we will.\"\n\nElite sport can continue behind closed doors during the lockdown.\n\nFormer Wales midfielder Robbie Savage, who coaches a junior team, criticised the decision to suspend children's sport in a series of tweets.\n\nQuoting Dowden's tweet, he said: \"Have you or any of your senior government officials been to a grassroots game since lockdown? Do you have any idea what it's like for thousands of grassroots volunteers? Do you know the impact of this decision on youngsters' mental and physical wellbeing?\"\n\nChelsea boss Frank Lampard added: \"I'm a massive advocate for children to play all sorts of sports, but at unprecedented times, we are reliant on the government and scientists. If it can be done if a safe way, I think for physical and mental health, we must strive to do it as much as we can.\n\n\"It's a tough time and I'm a father, so I do worry. I don't know all the data, but as a parent, if you can remain active and encourage your children to be active in this tough time, it's a great thing to do.\n\n\"I would really encourage us to find a way to keep children active, but it has to be in a safe way so we don't see long term issues coming back from it later in these youngsters' lives.\"\n\nYouth Sports Trust chief executive Ali Oliver earlier told BBC Sport that under a quarter of secondary schools do not offer physical education.\n\n\"To lose some grassroots clubs will leave us with a legacy of a generation who are inactive and unable to find a way into sport,\" she said.\n\nFormer Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee chair Damian Collins had written to Dowden asking the government to allow youth sport to continue in England after 5 November.\n\nHe called on the government to extend the definition of elite sport to include academy players at Premier League clubs and those in development centres such as the England Rugby developing player programme and Sport England's talented athlete scholarship scheme.\n\n\"Young people will currently be allowed to continue with sport at school, and we believe that the risks to the spread of the coronavirus from outdoor grassroots youth sport would be minimal,\" he said, in a letter also signed by former sports ministers Tracey Crouch and Helen Grant.\n\n\"There would, however, be clear and lasting benefits for these young people if the government could support this.\"\n\nLeisure centres and gyms will close, as will other indoor and outdoor leisure facilities.\n\nOn Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the House of Commons that there would be no exemptions.\n\nBritish Cycling, England Athletics and British Triathlon have joined together to write to Dowden to ask that small group rides and runs, and coaching sessions for young people and those with disabilities, are allowed to continue.\n\nThe three said that while they understood the government's challenges, the new rules would have the worst impact on those who need additional support to enable them to be active.\n\n\"We know that sport must play its part in this national effort, and we fully accept that as governing bodies we must play our part while the rest of the country is being asked to make such enormous sacrifices in their own lives,\" said a statement.\n\n\"However, we also believe that we have a duty to enable people to lead healthy, active lives during this period of extreme mental toil - particularly when, as we have demonstrated over the course of this year, it can be done safely.\"\n\nThe government's refusal to grant exemptions to tennis, golf, gyms and swimming pools is proving among the most contentious elements of the second national lockdown.\n\nBut the decision to suspend youth sport is especially controversial.\n\nThe government insists it is necessary to reduce the risk of transmission through the mixing of households. But for many involved in junior grassroots teams, it is a disproportionate and unnecessary measure that risks doing more harm than good, damaging youngsters' physical and mental health at a time when the amount of PE and organised sport provided in many schools has already decreased as a result of the pandemic.\n\nLast month the Youth Sport Trust found that a fifth of secondary schools and a sixth of primary schools had cut PE since the first lockdown, and half would be delivering less extracurricular sport in the autumn term.\n\nGiven this trend - and the fact it is harder for young people to exercise outside school hours in the winter months - there will be mounting pressure on ministers to reconsider - and if not, to make the return of youth sport next month a priority, even if the lockdown extends beyond that.\n• None How does the voting system work?\n• None What you need to look out for on the night", "Last updated on .From the section Sport\n\nTennis and golf officials are among those urging the government to make their sports exempt from new lockdown rules for England.\n\nIt follows Saturday's announcement of a new four-week lockdown from Thursday until 2 December to combat rising Covid-19 numbers.\n\nNine FA Cup first-round ties involving teams from 'non-elite' leagues are set to to ahead from 6-9 November.\n\nBut the Football Association has said it is awaiting further information on how the wider grassroots game may be affected.\n\n\"Yet again sport and physical wellbeing is an afterthought,\" Wirral South MP McGovern tweeted. .\n\nMeanwhile, the Conservative chairman of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee called for exemptions.\n\n\"Today I was in touch with the minister for sport to request that the blanket ban on sports like tennis and golf be lifted,\" said Solihull MP Julian Knight.\n\n\"Government ought to allow the mixing of one other household in these socially distanced sports.\"\n\nMcGovern posted her message in response after the FA Women's National League (FAWNL) said it was waiting on guidance about what the new restrictions meant for its competition.\n\n\"The [DCMS] need to answer questions ASAP unless they want more sports to face collapse,\" she added.\n\n\"And we need to see a cross-government effort on physical and mental wellbeing.\"\n• None English lockdown may last beyond 2 Dec, says Michael Gove\n\nThe Premier League and other elite sports have been told they can continue behind closed doors.\n\nIt is not exactly clear how grassroots and amateur sport will be affected.\n\n\"We understand people will have a lot of questions and DCMS officials and ministers will be working through these and detailed implications with sectors over the coming days,\" said Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary.\n\nMany facilities, including gyms and pools, must close, along with other indoor and outdoor leisure centres.\n\nEngland Hockey says it is disappointed the new measures will mean no club or community hockey for at least a month.\n\nUnder the new restrictions:\n• None People are being told to stay at home unless they have a specific reason to leave, such as education and work that cannot be done from home.\n• None People are allowed to exercise outdoors alone, with their household or with one other person.\n\nThe Sports and Recreation Alliance, which represents UK national sports organisations including the FA and Rugby Football Union along with community sport, has warned the new measures may \"prove to be the final nail in the coffin for a number of these clubs\".\n\nChief executive Lisa Wainwright said: \"The closure of our facilities will once again place a financial burden on thousands of community clubs who are already reeling from the initial lockdown and we fear that many may never reopen their doors without a comprehensive sports recovery fund provided by government.\"\n\nThe Sport for Development Coalition backed calls for more funding from the government as many sporting clubs, charities and local organisations \"support mental wellbeing, contribute to tackling social isolation, facilitate community connections and engage young people excluded from education and employment\".\n\nSport England said there were \"difficult days ahead for many in our sector\" but that \"it is vital we do everything we can to continue to support people to keep active within what is permitted\".\n\nIt added: \"Sport England already has several live funding packages available to help support grassroots clubs and organisations who have lost vital income this year as well as help them enable people to be active within the rules and we're working hard with officials in government to help make wider financial support available.\"\n\nSwimming pools will also have to close but Swim England chief executive Jane Nickerson says she will be \"working in partnership with other indoor sports to lobby government\", with meetings scheduled for Monday.\n\nShe added: \"I am championing our clubs and the health benefits of swimming to the nation as this is a key message to government.\"\n\nThe Lawn Tennis Association says that, while indoor tennis will be halted, it will \"make a case\" to the government for outdoor tennis between two individuals from different households to be allowed in line with restrictions on exercise, adding that tennis is a \"socially distanced sport with the net acting as a natural barrier\".\n\nPeople are being asked by the LTA to lobby their local MPs for tennis courts to stay open, allowing for singles and one-to-one coaching, and use by same households.\n\nGolf courses and driving ranges have also been told to close but England Golf chief executive Jeremy Tomlinson says it will \"respectfully challenge the government's rationale\" over the decision.\n\n\"It is our sincere belief that it is now counter-productive to shut down a healthy pursuit which naturally lends itself to social distancing and is played in a Covid-secure manner in the open air,\" said Tomlinson in a letter of the England Golf website.\n\nMeanwhile, 11-time Paralympic gold medallist Baroness Grey-Thompson has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging him to keep gyms and leisure centres open during the new lockdown.\n\nGrey-Thompson wants the facilities to stay open because of the \"essential role they play in both our fight and recovery from this virus\".\n\nThe major professional governing bodies will be relieved that, unlike in the spring during the first national lockdown, action can at least continue behind closed doors, but hopes of a quick return of spectators eight months after turnstiles closed have suffered a major setback.\n\nThe closure of gyms, pools and indoor sports facilities just a few months after they introduced strict hygiene and safety protocols enabling them to re-open, despite data showing comparatively low risk of transmission, will reinforce demands for a £1.5bn recovery fund for the sports sector, similar to the bail-out given to the culture and arts industry earlier this year.\n\nThe fear is that these latest restrictions could lead to thousands of job losses, cause many facilities to close, and adversely affect physical and mental health, just when it is needed most to help the country get through this crisis.\n• None How does the voting system work?\n• None What you need to look out for on the night", "The risk to UK consumers was \"very low\" according to the Food Standards Agency\n\nThirteen thousand birds are to be culled at farm in Cheshire after avian flu was confirmed there.\n\nThe H5N8 strain of bird flu was detected at a broiler breeders premises in Frodsham, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.\n\nIt said it was not related to the H5N2 strain found at a small farm near Deal in Kent earlier.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) said the risk to public health was \"very low\".\n\nAll 13,000 birds at the farm, which produces hatching eggs, will be culled, said Defra.\n\nFurther testing is under way to determine if it is a highly pathogenic strain and whether it is related to the virus currently circulating in Europe.\n\nThe UK's chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss, said: \"Immediate steps have been taken to limit the risk of the disease spreading.\n\n\"This includes 3km and 10km temporary control zones around the infected site.\n\n\"We are urgently looking for any evidence of disease spread associated with this farm to control and eliminate it.\"\n\nDr Gavin Dabrera from PHE said: \"There have never been any confirmed cases of H5N8 in humans and the risk to public health is considered very low.\"\n\nA Food Standards Agency spokesperson said: \"On the basis of the current scientific evidence, avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\n• None Hundreds of birds culled at farm hit by avian flu\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "The Duke of Cambridge contracted Covid-19 earlier this year, palace sources have told the BBC.\n\nIt is believed he tested positive in April at a similar time to his father, the Prince of Wales.\n\nAccording to the Sun newspaper, which first reported the story, Prince William, 38, kept his diagnosis private to avoid alarming the nation.\n\nKensington Palace, the office and home of Prince William, refused to comment officially.\n\nPrince William, second in line to the throne, did not tell anyone about his positive test result because \"there were important things going on and I didn't want to worry anyone\", according to the Sun.\n\nHe was treated by palace doctors and followed government guidelines by isolating at the family home Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, the paper added.\n\nBBC royal correspondent, Jonny Dymond, said Prince William's condition may not have been revealed publicly at the time as they may have wanted to avoid further alarm, given the national mood.\n\n\"But the palace also tries to preserve some privacy for the Royal Family,\" our correspondent adds.\n\nPrince William reportedly carried out 14 telephone and video call engagements during April.\n\nEarlier in that month, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge video-called the children of key workers at a primary school in Burnley, Lancashire.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a video call to the children of key workers at a school in Lancashire\n\nPrince Charles contracted coronavirus in March and travelled to Scotland to self-isolate for seven days after displaying mild symptoms.\n\nAt the time, the Duchess of Cornwall tested negative for the virus and self-isolated for 14 days.\n\nThe Prince of Wales, 71, later said he \"got away with it quite lightly\".\n\nDuring his first public engagement after recovering from coronavirus, Prince Charles said he had not fully regained his sense of taste and smell.\n\nIn April, Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital after testing positive for the virus.\n\nThe prime minister was moved to intensive care and later thanked healthcare workers for saving his life, saying it \"could have gone either way\".\n\nNews of Prince William's diagnosis comes days before England is due to enter a second national lockdown, with four-week measures to start on Thursday.\n\nThe UK recorded another 23,254 confirmed cases of coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 1,034,914.\n\nAnother 162 people were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive test. It brings the total number of UK deaths to 46,717.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Attendees posted footage of the rave on Snapchat\n\nPolice say they were attacked as they tried to break up an illegal rave at a warehouse near Bristol.\n\nOfficers who were called to Yate at around 22:30 GMT on Saturday said up to 700 people were there.\n\nSome of the crowd began acting violently towards officers and threw objects when they were told to leave, Avon and Somerset Police said.\n\nThe site was cleared by Sunday afternoon after eight people had been arrested and music equipment seized.\n\nA force spokesman said when officers arrived they \"found a number of vehicles and several hundred people\" at the site.\n\n\"Roads approaching the area were closed to prevent more people reaching the site by car, but large numbers of people continued to arrive on foot from several different directions,\" he said.\n\nPolice said power was cut to the building but an alternative source was used\n\nThe warehouse was empty on Sunday afternoon\n\nThe spokesman said some people became hostile towards the police.\n\n\"Items, including lit spray cans and bottles, were thrown at police, some of whom were injured but remained on duty,\" he said.\n\nMains power was cut to the building, but an alternative source was being used the spokesman said.\n\nThe eight people arrested include a man in his 30s who was held on suspicion of being involved in organising the event.\n\nCh Insp Mark Runacres said it was a \"challenging operation\" with a \"large number of people in a confined space and several officers being assaulted\".\n\n\"Our investigations team will be involved in reviewing officers' body worn footage and other inquiries as we seek to take appropriate action against those responsible,\" he said.\n• None Why did raves become illegal?\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Mayors of some of the areas hardest-hit by Covid-19 have called for England's schools and colleges to close during the lockdown.\n\nGreater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said that education institutions should close to reduce the spread of the virus more quickly.\n\nScientists have also warned Covid-19 is spreading fast in secondary schools.\n\nBut cabinet minister Michael Gove said: \"We want to keep schools open.\"\n\nMr Gove told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that the government was taking the necessary measures to keep schools open.\n\nHe rejected the suggestion that it would mean a longer period of lockdown because schools staying open would contribute to the continued transmission of coronavirus.\n\nInfection rates among secondary school children \"appear to be steeply increasing\", according to the latest survey by the Office for National Statistics.\n\nAn estimated 2% of children in Year 7 to Year 11 tested positive for the virus in the most recent week of testing, the highest positivity rate of any age group except sixth-formers and young adults.\n\nSir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told the Andrew Marr Show that keeping schools open was the \"big difference\" between the new restrictions and the lockdown in spring.\n\n\"Because we have delayed the onset of this lockdown it does make keeping schools open harder,\" he said.\n\n\"We know that transmission, particularly in secondary schools, is high.\"\n\nHe said that closing schools \"may have to be revisited\" over the next four weeks if the transmission of the virus continues to rise.\n\nThe Manchester and Liverpool mayors said at a joint press conference that they wanted to see a period of two weeks' closure towards the second half of November, giving schools some time to prepare online learning.\n\nMr Burnham said: \"That would create the conditions for the biggest drop in cases that we could achieve and it would then create the conditions for some kind of Christmas for more families, because they need it right now.\"\n\nWithout this, the mayors said they feared their regions would simply be back in the restrictive tier three measures.\n\nLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he supports keeping schools open, but said \"we've got to manage the risk\".\n\nThe National Education Union has called for schools and colleges to close, saying that if they stay open the restrictions will be less effective.\n\nJoint general secretary Kevin Courtney said the lockdown was \"another half measure and, without school closures as part of it, it is unlikely to have the effect that the prime minister wants\".\n\nDifferent parts of the UK have taken a different approach to schools during the second wave of the pandemic.\n\nIn Northern Ireland, schools are due to reopen on Monday after an extended two-week half-term holiday, as part of a four-week period of additional restrictions.\n\nAnd in Wales, Years 9 and above in secondary schools will only return when the nation's \"firebreak\" lockdown ends on 9 November.\n\nBut Scotland aims to keep schools open under its five-level system of restrictions, coming into force on Monday.\n\nAre you the parent of schoolchildren? How do you feel about schools remaining open during the second lockdown? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:\n\nIf you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.", "Religious groups in England have strongly criticised the new lockdown rule banning communal worship.\n\nEngland's four-week lockdown will see most religious services banned. Funerals will still be allowed, with a maximum of 30 attending.\n\nThe Catholic Church described the ban as a cause of \"anguish\" and demanded the government gives its reasons for stopping services.\n\nThe Muslim Council of Britain called for an urgent review of restrictions.\n\nThe Catholic Church Bishops' Conference said communal worship had helped many during the pandemic.\n\nCardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, president and vice president of the association, also stressed that churches had acted responsibly and been Covid-safe.\n\n\"It is... a source of deep anguish now that the government is requiring, once again, the cessation of public communal worship,\" the bishops said in a statement.\n\n\"Whilst we understand the many difficult decisions facing the government, we have not yet seen any evidence whatsoever that would make the banning of communal worship, with all its human costs, a productive part of combating the virus.\n\n\"We ask the government to produce this evidence that justifies the cessation of acts of public worship.\"\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that England would be under a new lockdown from 5 November until 2 December.\n\nOther than for funerals, the only other reasons places of worship can stay open is to broadcast acts of worship, individual prayer, formal childcare, or essential services such as blood donation or food banks.\n\nCardinal Nichols and Archbishop McMahon said everyone has to make \"sustained sacrifices for months to come\" to tackle Covid.\n\nBut they added: \"In requiring this sacrifice, the government has a profound responsibility to show why it has taken particular decisions.\n\n\"Not doing so risks eroding the unity we need as we enter a most difficult period for our country.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, chairwoman of the Church of England's recovery group, said she would study the new regulations and \"seek clarification\" on how public worship would be affected.\n\nAnd John Steven, director or the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, said the new restrictions came as a \"very significant emotional blow\" for couples who had weddings planned this month.\n\nHe added: \"For people in church and other religious communities it seems a very unfair restriction - churches have put a great deal of effort into coronavirus measures and they are much safer than other settings which are still allowed to be open like secondary schools.\"\n\nThe Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said in a statement: \"The government's inadequate consultation and poor engagement with faith communities remain a problem as the pandemic endures.\"\n\nWhile the rules allow places of worship to remain open for individual prayer, the MCB said the distinction is \"not straightforward or practical for many mosques, compared to other faith communities\".", "Robert Fisk was best known for his coverage of the Middle East, where he began reporting from in the 1970s\n\nVeteran foreign correspondent Robert Fisk has died of a suspected stroke at the age of 74.\n\nHe had been admitted to St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin after falling ill at his home on Friday, and died shortly afterwards, the Irish Times reported.\n\nFisk won numerous awards for his reporting on the Middle East, starting from the 1970s.\n\nBut he also drew controversy for his sharp criticism of the US and Israel, and of Western foreign policy.\n\nCovering wars in the Balkans, Middle East and North Africa for UK newspapers over five decades, Fisk was described by the New York Times, in 2005, as \"probably the most famous foreign correspondent in Britain\".\n\nBorn in Maidstone, Kent in 1946, he later took Irish citizenship and had a home in Dalkey outside the capital Dublin.\n\nIrish President Michael D Higgins has expressed his \"great sadness\" about Fisk's death on Sunday.\n\n\"With his passing the world of journalism and informed commentary on the Middle East has lost one of its finest commentators,\" he said in a statement.\n\nThis Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by President of Ireland This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of twitter post by President of Ireland\n\nAfter starting his career at the Sunday Express, Fisk moved to Belfast in 1972 to cover the Troubles as Northern Ireland correspondent for the Times. He became the paper's Middle East correspondent in 1976.\n\nBased in Beirut, he reported on the civil war in Lebanon, as well as the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Soviet war in Afghanistan and the Iran-Iraq War.\n\nHe resigned from the Times in 1989 after a dispute with the owner Rupert Murdoch and moved to the Independent, where he worked for the remainder of his career.\n\nIn the 1990s he interviewed Osama Bin Laden three times for the paper. He described him as a \"shy man\" and looking \"every inch the mountain warrior of mujahedin legend\" in their first interview in 1993.\n\nRobert Fisk was brave and controversial. He was a brilliant writer, who did his best work in wars, transporting readers to his side in some burning village. He relished making enemies, especially if they defended US or Israeli activities in the Middle East.\n\nFisk could be obsessive. He collected bits of shrapnel, often American made and fired by Israel, so he could use serial numbers to trace their origins.\n\nWhen I visited Beirut from Jerusalem in the 1990s he served me gin and tonics on his balcony overlooking the Mediterranean in a Yasser Arafat souvenir glass. Robert was old school. He poked fun at the flak jacket I brought to Lebanon from the former Yugoslavia, sniffing it to check for slivovitza plum brandy.\n\nJournalism can be a dog-eat-dog trade. Fisk's colleagues were not always kind about his work. I was an admirer, eating up his vivid reportage from Beirut when I was at school, and was awestruck when first I met him. I'll miss Robert, his guts and his appetite for the fight, even though usually he followed a warm hello with some crack about the evils of television news or the BBC.\n\nAfter the 11 September attacks plotted by Bin Laden, Fisk, an Arabic speaker, spent the next two decades covering conflicts throughout the Middle East, including in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.\n\nHe was highly regarded for his knowledge of, and deep experience in, the region, and often dismissed journalists who sat behind desks instead of venturing out into the field.\n\nBut he also drew criticism for his attacks on Western policy in the Middle East and was accused of being lenient towards the Syrian government in his reporting of the country's long and brutal civil war.\n\nArticles by Fisk about the US and Israel were often considered highly controversial. He said the Trump administration's acceptance in 2019 of Israel's annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights showed Israel had effectively annexed the US, and repeatedly accused Israel of committing war crimes against the Palestinians.\n\nIn 2011 Fisk was forced to apologise after the Independent was successfully sued by the then-Saudi interior minister over a report that alleged the minister had ordered police to shoot and kill unarmed protesters, based on a document which turned out to be fake.\n\nFisk married US journalist Lara Marlowe in 1994 but the pair divorced in 2006. He had no children.", "All payments made in error through Stormont's emergency Covid grant scheme will be recovered, Economy Minister Diane Dodds has said.\n\nA £10,000 payment was sent automatically to any business in receipt of small business rates relief, but some were found to be ineligible.\n\nMrs Dodds said of the 452 payments made incorrectly, 74 have been recouped by her department.\n\nThey were repaid but the delay in returning the payments has led to the resignations of four party members.\n\nFormer Foyle MP and Irish senator Elisha McCallion and West Tyrone MLA Catherine Kelly were among those who stepped down.\n\nNo Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politicians received the payment but a landlord who rents an office to DUP MP Paul Girvan received a grant, however this has now been repaid.\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster has said she supports a call for police to investigate delays in repaying Covid support payments made in error.\n\nMrs Foster told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme her party could not \"deal with a situation where tenants are taking responsibility for their landlords' actions\".\n\n\"It's not the fact that people received the money in error, it's the fact that the money hadn't been returned after seven months.\"\n\nArlene Foster said there were questions over how long it took Sinn Féin to repay the money\n\nIn a statement issued on Monday, Cinq Properties Ltd, which rents office space to Mr Girvan, confirmed it did \"receive an unsolicited £10,000 small business grant earlier this year\".\n\n\"However, it has now transpired that the company was not entitled to this grant,\" the firm said.\n\n\"Several attempts were made to repay the funds and the £10,000 was repaid to an account of the Department of Finance on Friday.\"\n\nLast week, Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald said the \"incorrect\" payments came to the attention of the party's leadership on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October and were repaid on those dates.\n\nOn Friday, it emerged Gary Middleton from the DUP had asked police to carry out a criminal investigation into the delayed repayments.\n\nThe PSNI said it was considering whether a criminal investigation is required.\n\n\"I think Gary is right to report this to the police,\" Mrs Foster said on Monday.\n\n\"The money is not theirs, the money was received in error and therefore it should have been returned.\"\n\nShe added that public representatives have \"particular duty\" over public funds.\n\n\"It's up to the police, of course, whether they decide to instigate a criminal investigation but I absolutely support my party colleague in the complaint he has made.\"\n\nPayments were also sent to 52 wind turbine owners who were ineligible.\n\nAppearing in the assembly on Monday to face MLAs about the matter, Mrs Dodds defended her department's handling of the scheme.\n\nShe said ineligible payments issued amounted to less than 2% of all grants approved by the Department of the Economy back in March.\n\n\"I am content my department took the necessary and swift action to support tens of thousands of businesses and jobs under threat caused by Covid-19,\" she added.\n\n\"My department is committed to undertaking a post-scheme evaluation and will put in a place a process.\"\n\nCatherine Kelly was a signatory for an account into which a payment was made\n\n\"Payments made in error will be recovered and we will be writing to everyone that we identify as being ineligible for payment and asking them to return the money,\" insisted the minister.\n\n\"It is important that we have proper accountability for taxpayers' money and indeed particularly important at a time like this when so many businesses and individuals are suffering.\"\n\nThe controversy was first revealed by the BBC's Stephen Nolan Show last week.\n\nFollowing Ms Kelly's resignation, Sinn Féin's leader said the party's examination of the matter was now complete.\n\nMeanwhile Sinn Féin have seven days to replace Ms Kelly as MLA for West Tyrone once her resignation letter has been handed in.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. There's a critical role for parents to play - education minister\n\nSchools have reopened after an extended half-term break.\n\nThey closed on 19 October as part of tighter Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the Northern Ireland Executive.\n\nAs coronavirus cases continue to rise, extra safety measures will be in place, including the mandatory wearing of face coverings for post-primary pupils on school transport.\n\nThe education minister said on Monday he is \"not envisaging exams being cancelled\".\n\n\"It is particularly important that we have compatibility and portability with the rest of the United Kingdom,\" he said during a visit to Glenlola Collegiate in Bangor, County Down.\n\n\"This is not something we can go on a solo run because particularly when it comes to universities and jobs, our students are going to be competing with those from different parts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland and elsewhere.\"\n\nHe said his department had asked CCEA to look at \"contingency arrangements\" and said it was likely there would be \"a range of mitigations, some of which have been announced already.\"\n\nExams have been scheduled for one week later than normal in 2021.\n\nMr Weir again stressed that keeping schools open remained his key priority and urged people not to congregate at school gates when dropping off pupils.\n\nBut he said parents and carers \"are at the heart of fighting the virus and minimising any disruption to education\".\n\nPeter Weir said that transmission of the virus in schools remains low\n\nHe asked parents and carers to practise social distancing, wear a mask and try to avoid going beyond the school gate unless an appointment has been made.\n\nAs for pupils, he asked them to have face coverings with them at all times, practise good hand hygiene and not to eat or share food on transport.\n\n\"I know from speaking to parents, carers and teachers that they want their children to be in school,\" the education minister said.\n\n\"Face to face teaching is the best form of educational provision.\"\n\nMr Weir said he understood there may be concerns over children's wellbeing during the pandemic.\n\n\"Children and young people have missed so much this year already, not just in terms of learning but in socialising with their friends, taking part in sports and other activities,\" he said.\n\n\"I know that the overwhelming desire of parents and carers is to maintain a full return to school and I thank them for all the sacrifices they are making in very difficult circumstances.\"\n\nCaroline McCarthy, from the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, said teachers are feeling anxious and concerned about the return to school.\n\n\"Protecting children's education actually goes hand in hand with protecting the staff in schools,\" she told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster.\n\n\"When we closed for the extended Halloween break for the children, some some schools were suffering serious staff shortages and I think the anxiety of staff within schools has to be acknowledged as well.\"\n\nMs McCarthy also called for the wearing of masks to be extended to the school environment in post-primary schools.\n\nFirst Minister Arlene Foster said she agreed with her party colleague Peter Weir that school was \"the best place for our young people to be\".\n\n\"We said they would be back at school by the 2nd of November and they are,\" she told Good Morning Ulster.\n\n\"I, of course, understand the concerns that I hear from some of the teachers unions, however, it is very important for our young people that they are back at school.\"\n• None 519Schools with at least one positive Covid case out of 1,035 total schools\n• None 237Schools with a cluster of two to five cases\n• None 69Schools with a cluster of more than five cases\n\nThere have been confirmed Covid-19 cases in half of Northern Ireland's schools since the start of term, according to the Public Health Agency.\n\nAccording to Department of Education (DE) attendance guidance issued to schools, pupils are to be marked absent using code eight if they are \"advised not to attend school following advice from PHA Contact Tracing Service\".\n\nCode eight can also be used if \"a pupil chooses not to attend school or parent chooses not to send their child to school on the advice of a medical professional as the child is self-isolating due to a significant underlying medical condition\".\n\nUsing code eight is \"important to identify the number of pupils choosing to self-isolate due to Covid-19\", the DE guidance to schools said.\n\nPupils self-isolating at home are still expected to complete work provided by their school or be taught remotely.", "Last updated on .From the section Women's Football\n\nLate extra-time goals from Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie settled a terrific Women's FA Cup final as Manchester City eventually overcame Everton at Wembley to lift the trophy for the third time.\n\nSubstitute Stanway latched on to Jess Park's clever through ball and slotted in off the post, when a penalty shootout had been looming, and Beckie calmly netted an ever later third.\n\nUnited States midfielder Sam Mewis had deservedly nodded City in front from Alex Greenwood's corner shortly before half-time, but France's Valerie Gauvin headed level from Izzy Christiansen's second-half corner as Everton fought back.\n\nPlayed without any fans at Wembley amid ongoing coronavirus restrictions, the contest was the closest-fought the women's final has seen since the fixture was first staged at the home of English football in 2015, as last season's delayed competition came to a dramatic conclusion.\n\nGareth Taylor's City side could have settled it earlier in the game, as Scotland midfielder Caroline Weir struck the woodwork twice in the second half before England skipper Steph Houghton saw a header tipped on to the post in extra time.\n\nThat was one of a number of superb saves from Everton's 22-year-old stopper Sandy MacIver, on a day when City's 21-year-old England keeper Ellie Roebuck also impressed, adding to an entertaining spectacle.\n\nThe 50th Women's Cup final had originally been scheduled for May but was delayed because of the pandemic and the cup resumed at the quarter-final stage in September, after the 2020-21 league season had already commenced.\n\nUnbeaten in their first five games of that new Women's Super League season, the Toffees arrived at Wembley in fine form, but it was still last season's WSL runners-up City who were considered the pre-match favourites and they lived up to that tag with a strong opening 45 minutes.\n\nBut Everton, appearing in their first final since 2014 and trying to win their first cup since 2010, battled back strongly and the game was almost end-to-end at times in the final 20 minutes of normal time, before holders City edged clear in the latter stage of extra time to win the cup for the third time in four seasons.\n\nSunday's result continued City, Arsenal and Chelsea's combined six-season-long dominance of the major domestic trophies in the English women's game.\n\nNot since Liverpool lifted the league title in 2014 has any club other than the modern-day 'big three' won the WSL, Women's FA Cup or Continental League Cup.\n\nCity only turned professional in the build-up to the 2014 summer season but have won seven major honours since then, adding their third FA Cup to three League Cups and the 2016 league crown.\n\nThey were made to dig deep against a hard-working Everton side who will feel they could have taken the lead in the second half when France's Gauvin glanced a header just wide.\n\nHowever few could deny that City were worthy winners - they created the greater number of chances and twice went close in second-half stoppage time, with the game stretched.\n\nOn a day when both young English goalkeepers shined, Everton's MacIver won the plaudits with a series of excellent saves, with arguably the best of the lot keeping out Houghton's header.\n• None Goal! Everton Women 1, Manchester City Women 3. Janine Beckie (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Georgia Stanway.\n• None Izzy Christiansen (Everton Women) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Samantha Mewis (Manchester City Women) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n• None Attempt saved. Nicoline Sørensen (Everton Women) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Simone Magill.\n• None Attempt blocked. Chloe Kelly (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Caroline Weir.\n• None Goal! Everton Women 1, Manchester City Women 2. Georgia Stanway (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jessica Park with a through ball.\n• None Attempt blocked. Georgia Stanway (Manchester City Women) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Chloe Kelly. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Immy struggles to safely cross the busy road in her wheelchair\n\nThe mother of a teenager with cerebral palsy has been fighting for 10 years to make a junction safe for pedestrians.\n\nSue Hurrell first asked for a dropped kerb and lights at the Colchester Avenue and Penylan Road junction in Cardiff a decade ago when she struggled with her son's pushchair.\n\nNow she is asking again for lights, as her daughter Immy, 15, has difficulties with her wheelchair.\n\nCardiff council said it planned to ask the Welsh Government to fund the work.\n\nSue said Immy was unable to meet friends and go shopping because there were no safe places to cross on the busy road.\n\n\"Walking about together as a family, it's difficult to get across the junction, it is safe to do so at certain times but it's complicated as you have to wait for the lights and the cars,\" Ms Hurrell said.\n\n\"There is no proper island in the middle with safety barriers, so the wheelchair doesn't fit, if Immy doesn't time her crossing right, she is putting herself at risk.\"\n\nImmy,15, says she finds it difficult to cross roads without a pedestrian light to help\n\nImmy said: \"I always look for the green man, but there isn't a green man and I find it difficult to cross the road because it's not very safe.\"\n\nMs Hurrell first wrote to the council more than 10 years ago when her son was born and she struggled to get a double pushchair up Penylan Road safely.\n\nAfter three years of correspondence she received a letter which agreed \"pedestrian facilities were justified at the junction\".\n\nDropped kerbs were installed on several side street corners in 2012, but no progress was made on the junction lights, so she wrote to the council again in 2013 and was told the project was \"unlikely to be implemented in the foreseeable future\".\n\nLast year, Ms Hurrell was told the council had secured funding, but this spring she found \"no indication about further action or timescales for our local junction\".\n\n\"There are no safe routes in any direction from our house. This means that Immy can't have her independence,\" she said.\n\n\"It is exhausting for the individuals to have to do all the fighting.\"\n\nSue Hurrell and Immy want to see an island and lights for pedestrians fitted at this busy junction\n\nShe said she is asking the council to find the £260,000 funding for these junction improvements or look at an alternative solution.\n\n\"I fear the window of opportunity has gone and she won't get this time back. Come 2021 this scheme will have been on the list 10 years and we are back to square one,\" she said.\n\nThe council said: \"The proposals developed by the council and which the public have been consulted on, would see formal pedestrian crossing points around the whole junction at the Penylan Road end of Colchester Avenue, and a new 'all red' phase introduced to enable people to cross safely.\n\n\"The council currently intend to resubmit a bid to Welsh Government for funding at the end of the year.\"", "Liverpool has the third highest number of infections in England\n\nIncreased furlough payments for the national Covid lockdown shows the government \"believes the North is worth less than the South\", Liverpool's metro mayor has claimed.\n\nBoris Johnson announced workers would receive 80% of their wages if businesses close during a four-week lockdown in England from Thursday.\n\nOnly 67% of pay was offered during tier three closures in the north of England.\n\nThe government has yet to respond to the mayor's accusation.\n\nHowever, the Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show: \"The announcement about furlough that was made yesterday was about the extension of a scheme, that would have expired last night, throughout the rest of this month.\n\n\"The chancellor and his team are looking at every aspect of economic support and more will be said in the days ahead about how we provide it.\"\n\nLabour's Steve Rotheram said the government was \"unequivocal\" it would not consider changes to the local scheme offered in the north west.\n\nThe Liverpool City Region mayor added: \"This morning millions of people woke up knowing the prime minister of this country believes the North is worth less than the South.\"\n\nAndy Burnham was in a high profile battle with the government over furlough support\n\nIn October, a row broke out between leaders in north-west England and the government over the level of compensation offered to workers and businesses when much of the region was placed into tier three, the highest level of restrictions.\n\nAt a press conference earlier, Mr Rotheram said: \"Apparently all votes count equally, but all voters demonstrably don't to this government and the support you get from the chancellor of the exchequer depends on a horizontal line drawn across the country and on which side of it you sit.\"\n\n\"I can assure the government that the people of the North won't easily forget that they were judged to be worth less than their southern counterparts.\"\n\nMayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said people in the region had \"just completed three months of morale-sapping restrictions and now they are waking up to the prospect of a month of even tougher restrictions\".\n\nHe called for work to be done on a \"substantial localisation\" of the test and trace system, for self-employed people to be financially supported and for schools to close for two weeks for a \"true circuit break\".\n\nMayor Joe Anderson said there is a crisis of confidence in the government\n\nLiverpool city mayor Joe Anderson accused the government of showing \"contempt\" for northern workers by offering more aid for the national lockdown than to regions placed in tier three restrictions.\n\nHe said it was \"interesting... all of a sudden\" the money has been found.\n\nMr Anderson said he welcomed the national lockdown but added: \"So, relief that it's finally been done but real contempt has been shown by this government for the people who advised for it [another lockdown], Sage, and also leaders like me and others that were calling for it six, seven weeks ago.\n\n\"I think there's now a crisis of confidence in relation to this government and their ability to actually manage this.\"\n\nThe government has been approached for a response.\n\nWhy not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk", "Payment holidays on credit cards, car finance, personal loans and pawned goods have been extended ahead of tougher coronavirus restrictions.\n\nThe Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said customers who had not yet deferred a payment could now request one for up to six months.\n\nThose with short-term credit such as payday loans can defer for one month.\n\n\"It is important that consumer credit customers who can afford to do so continue to make repayments,\" it said.\n\n\"Borrowers should only take up this support if they need it.\"\n\nIt comes after the government announced a nationwide lockdown for England beginning on Thursday, which will force all non-essential retailers to close.\n\nThe FCA had already brought in payment holidays for credit customers in April, extending them for three months in July.\n\nBut it has now reviewed the rules - which apply across the UK - amid fears tougher restrictions will hit many more people's finances. The payment holidays will also apply to those with rent to own and buy-now pay-later deals, it said.\n\nIn addition, anyone already benefitting from a payment deferral will be able to apply for a second deferral.\n\nHowever, the FCA would not comment on whether people could still have interest on the first £500 of their overdrafts waived. It said it would make a fuller statement in due course.\n\n\"We will work with trade bodies and lenders on how to implement these proposals as quickly as possible, and will make another announcement shortly,\" the FCA said of the payment deferrals.\n\nIn the meantime, it said customers should not contact lenders who will provide information \"soon\" on how to apply for the support.\n\nIt advised anyone still experiencing payment difficulties to speak to their lender to agree \"tailored support\".\n\nOn Saturday, the FCA also announced plans to extend payment holidays for mortgage borrowers.\n\nThe extension of payment holidays will be a relief to many people already in lockdown and facing a drop in income, and those just about to return to restrictions.\n\nBut the theme running through this FCA statement is that a debt problem delayed is not a debt problem solved.\n\nThe financial watchdog is stressing that deferrals should not be used unless they are really needed, and that \"tailored support\" may be a better option for many people.\n\nPeople who think they will only have a short-term squeeze on their finances will watch developments keenly and hope for an extension to interest-free overdrafts.\n\nImportantly, banks and other lenders have a duty to identify anyone who is vulnerable and make sure they are supported. As this crisis intensifies, the number of people falling into that category is likely to rise.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nThe story of a former music teacher with dementia who composed a piece based on just four notes has inspired a £1m charity donation from Scotland's first ever billionaire.\n\nSir Tom Hunter told BBC Breakfast when he saw a video of Paul Harvey, 80, performing the piece, he immediately wanted to stump up the money.\n\nMr Harvey's son Nick had posted the clip online to show how musical ability can survive memory loss.\n\nHe \"lit up the screen\", said Sir Tom.\n\nThe donation will be split between the Alzheimer's Society and Music for Dementia.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video of Paul Harvey went viral after his son posted it on social media\n\nMr Harvey, a composer from Buxted, in Sussex, was diagnosed with dementia late last year but has continued to be able to play piano pieces from memory - as well as create new ones.\n\nHis son said it had been an \"old party trick\" of his father's to request four random notes and then improvise a song.\n\nIn the video Nick picked F natural, A, D and B natural for his father to play.\n\nThe clip went viral and the performance was then aired on Radio 4's Broadcasting House for World Alzheimer's Day on 21 September.\n\nAfter listeners asked the BBC to have the performance orchestrated, Mr Harvey recorded it with the BBC Philharmonic orchestra and it was released as a single on Sunday.\n\nAll proceeds will be split between the Alzheimer's Society and Music for Dementia.\n\nNick said when he told his dad he had reached the number one spot in just days he \"laughed and thought I was joking\".\n\nHe said: \"Dad is so happy his music is resonating with people.\n\n\"He is being defined by his music, not his dementia and that is wonderful to see.\"\n\nSir Tom told BBC Breakfast he and his wife Marion had been so moved by watching Mr Harvey's \"wonderful piece\" at a time when people are \"searching for good news\" they decided to donate £1m from The Hunter Foundation to the two charities.\n\nThe entrepreneur and philanthropist told Mr Harvey: \"You lit up the screen with, first of all the relationship between the father and the son, and then the relationship with music.\"\n\n\"We really believe music is a key,\" he said, adding that he had lost both his parents to Alzheimer's.\n\n\"We really believe you're on to something and we really want to help,\" he said.\n\nMr Harvey said: \"That is fantastic, it really is. I didn't think I could be moved much more now - but I can.\n\n\"For all this to happen and I'm in my 80s - I think that's pretty good.\"\n\n\"Just think what you'll achieve in your 90s,\" added Nick.", "Nigel Farage has applied to change the Brexit Party's name to Reform UK, promising to focus on dealing with the government's \"woeful\" Covid response.\n\nHe said renewed lockdown would \"result in more life-years lost than it hopes to save\" and argued that \"building immunity\" would be more effective.\n\nThe party leader also said there should be \"focused protection\" from coronavirus for the vulnerable.\n\nBut Boris Johnson will tell MPs later there is \"no alternative\" to lockdown.\n\nFrom Thursday, pubs, restaurants, gyms, non-essential shops and places of worship in England will close for four weeks, in an effort to stem the increase in infections.\n\nThe House of Commons vote on the measures on Wednesday, with the prime minister outlining his plans to MPs on Monday.\n\nSeveral Conservatives are expected to oppose the lockdown, including Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, and former cabinet minister Esther McVey.\n\nLabour will back the government, although leader Sir Keir Starmer says it is bringing in the restrictions later than should have been the case.\n\nOn Sunday, the UK recorded 23,254 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and 162 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.\n\nThis isn't the first time Nigel Farage has raised the idea of rebranding the Brexit Party. Even before the results of last year's general election rolled in, he said his plan was to change its name into - guess what? - the Reform Party. He even claimed to have registered the new title.\n\nThe idea was to change politics \"for good\", campaigning to overhaul the voting system and abolish the House of Lords.\n\nNow it seems Mr Farage is returning to the idea of a re-launch - this time with an anti-lockdown focus.\n\nPerhaps he sensed an opportunity to return to the political debate.\n\nIt might cause some nerves in No 10. Mr Farage has posed a threat to mainstream parties - not least the Tories - in the past, espousing populist views which have at times shifted the national debate.\n\nBoris Johnson is attempting to find some middle ground between lockdown advocates and sceptics, with increasing push-back from the latter within his own party.\n\nThere is a risk he ends up pleasing neither, and Mr Farage stands poised - as he has before - with an alternative view he'll have no qualms in expressing.\n\nMr Farage set up the Brexit Party ahead of last year's European Parliament elections, winning 29 seats - the most of any UK party.\n\nIn an email to supporters, he and party chairman Richard Tice said this had \"rescued Brexit and in so doing, restored some confidence in democracy in the UK\".\n\nWhile they were \"keeping a close eye\" on Mr Johnson \"to make sure he does not sell us down the river\" in any trade deal with the EU, they said it was time to \"apply our energy and resources to the other pressing issues facing the nation\".\n\nThey applied last Friday to the Electoral Commission to rename the Brexit Party as Reform UK.\n\nTheir email to supporters said: \"The government has dug itself into a hole [with coronavirus] and rather than admit its mistakes, it keeps on digging.\n\n\"The new national lockdown will result in more life-years lost than it hopes to save, as non-Covid patients with cancer, cardiac, lung and other illnesses have treatments delayed or cancelled again. Suicides are soaring. Businesses and jobs are being destroyed.\"\n\nMr Farage and Mr Tice said the UK should follow the Great Barrington Declaration, which calls for \"focused protection\" for the elderly and other groups particularly vulnerable to Covid-19, while others continue to live relatively normally.\n\nTheir email said: \"The rest of the population should, with simple hygiene measures and a dose of common sense, get on with life - this way we build immunity in the population. We must learn to live with the virus not hide in fear of it.\"\n\nTreatments were \"getting better\" and survival rates were improving, they added.\n\nOn Sunday, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said the lockdown in England could be extended if it took longer than four weeks to bring the transmission rate of the virus down.\n\nThe government has said schools will remain open, with Mr Johnson expected to tell the Commons later that he was \"right to try every possible option\" - including region-by-region restrictions - before moving on to a national measures.\n\nAfter an extension to the furlough scheme was announced for England, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross called for similar support to be available if the country needed to go into a full lockdown.\n\nIn Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said the 17-day \"firebreak\" lockdown will end on 9 November, as planned.\n\nSchools in Northern Ireland reopen on Monday after an extended half-term break, while other restrictions including the closure of pubs, bars and restaurants continue until 13 November.", "Last updated on .From the section Football\n\nEngland World Cup winner and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with dementia.\n\nThe news follows the deaths of his older brother Jack in July and fellow World Cup-winner Nobby Stiles on Friday, both of whom had also been diagnosed with dementia.\n\nSir Bobby, 83, won three league titles, a European Cup and an FA Cup with United during 17 years at Old Trafford.\n\n\"Stay strong, we love you,\" said United striker Marcus Rashford.\n\nHis wife, Lady Norma Charlton, expressed the hope that the knowledge of his diagnosis - first reported by the Telegraph - could help others.\n\nManchester United said in a statement: \"Everyone at Manchester United is saddened that this terrible disease has afflicted Sir Bobby Charlton and we continue to offer our love and support to Sir Bobby and his family.\"\n\nRashford, 23, said on Instagram: \"Sir Bobby, you are my hero and I am devastated that you are having to go through this.\n\n\"I filmed alongside this man as a child and was in awe. I still am when I see you. This man, from day one, was everything I wanted to be. Kind, professional, caring, talented.\"\n\nJoining United in 1953, he scored 249 goals in 758 games for the club, long-standing records which were eventually broken by Wayne Rooney in 2017 and Ryan Giggs in 2008 respectively.\n\nBorn in Ashington, Northumberland, he remained England's record goal scorer until Rooney surpassed him against Switzerland in September 2015.\n\nAt the age of 20, Sir Bobby was a survivor of the Munich air crash of 1958 in which 23 people died, including eight of his Manchester United team-mates.\n\nHe inspired United to a first European Cup win in 1968, scoring twice in the final, and was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1966 after playing every minute of England's World Cup victory.\n\nSir Bobby came second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1958 and 1959. In 2008, he received the lifetime achievement award.\n\nUnited renamed Old Trafford's South Stand in honour of Sir Bobby in 2016.\n\nSir Bobby is the fifth member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning side to be diagnosed with dementia.\n\nIn addition to his brother, Jack, and Stiles, both Martin Peters and Ray Wilson - who died in 2019 and 2018 respectively - also had the condition.\n\nStiles, Peters and Wilson were diagnosed with it while still in their sixties. In a BBC documentary screened in 2017, Stiles' son John told former England captain Alan Shearer he was \"utterly convinced\" heading a football was responsible for his father's dementia.\n\nA study by Glasgow University in 2019 found former professional footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than people of the same age range in the general population.\n\nThe study began after claims that former West Brom striker Jeff Astle died at the age of 59 because of repeated head trauma and compared deaths of 7,676 ex-players to 23,000 from the general population.\n\nThe inquest into Astle's death found heading heavy leather footballs repeatedly had contributed to trauma to his brain, but research by the Football Association and the Professional Footballers' Association was later dropped because of what were said to be technical flaws.\n\nAstle's daughter, Dawn, said \"players who have suffered dementia must not be a statistic\" after she was left \"staggered\" by the study's findings.\n\nIn response, the FA launched new coaching guidelines to restrict the amount of heading by under-18 players in training.\n• None How does the voting system work?\n• None What you need to look out for on the night", "Machu Picchu, the ancient city high in the Andes mountains, has reopened after nearly eight months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nPeruvian authorities organised an Incan ritual to thank the gods on Sunday as the major tourist attraction once again allowed visitors.\n\nBut numbers will be restricted to just 675 tourists a day for safety reasons, around 30% of previous capacity.\n\nThe citadel was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 1983.\n\nRediscovered in 1911 by a US explorer, the site is the most recognisable ruin from the Inca Empire, which dominated the Andes from the 1430s until the 1530s.\n\nArchaeologists believe Machu Picchu, meaning old mountain in Quechua, was built as an estate in the 15th century for the Incan emperor Pachacuti. It was abandoned a century later when Spanish invaders conquered and colonised the region.\n\nPeople dressed in costumes for the ceremony\n\nAuthorities also put on a special light show at the event\n\nNow it is a major draw for Peru's tourism industry. Tens of thousands of people in the mountainous Cusco region rely on visitors for their livelihoods and have suffered due to the coronavirus lockdown closure this year.\n\nReporters and tourists arrived for the ceremony on Sunday morning after a 90-minute trip from the Incan village of Ollantaytambo.\n\n\"Today, Machu Picchu reopens,\" Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Rocio Barrios said in a speech. New health and safety protocols show they are opening \"with responsibility and great prudence\", he added.\n\nTourists travelled to the site on Sunday for its reopening\n\nOnly a limited number of tourists will be allowed in at once however, for safety reasons\n\nOne traveller was however able to visit the site during its closure. Japanese tourist Jesse Katayama had travelled to Peru to see Machu Picchu in March but was stranded nearby when lockdown measures were imposed.\n\nLast month officials granted Mr Katayama permission to see the attraction after he submitted a special request.\n\nJesse Katayama was originally due to visit Machu Picchu in March", "Dashcam footage showed the two drivers racing at speeds of more than 100mph\n\nA man who caused the death of his son after racing with another driver at more than 100mph has been jailed for four-and-a-half-years.\n\nIsrar Muhammed, 41, from Batley, West Yorkshire, hit a tree after crashing off the M62 in East Yorkshire when a tyre blew out.\n\nHis three-year-old son, Say Han Ali, died and his daughter and wife suffered \"life-changing\" injuries.\n\nAdam Molloy, the other driver, was also jailed for four-and-a-half-years.\n\nThe pair were found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial last month.\n\nMuhammed was also convicted of two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and causing death while uninsured.\n\nHumberside Police said Molloy, 29, from Normanton, West Yorkshire, failed to stop after the crash and was later traced and arrested.\n\nHe was also found guilty of two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.\n\nPassing sentence at Hull Crown Court, Judge David Tremberg said Muhammed was driving \"in an erratic and unsafe manner\" for many miles before the accident, failing to give way at a roundabout and weaving in and out of traffic.\n\n\"Expert assessment of the footage reveals that each of you was travelling in excess of 100mph and there were roughly 10 metres between your cars as you sped along,\" he said.\n\n\"Other drivers formed the impression that you were racing and driving like idiots.\"\n\nSgt Rob Mazingham said officers carried out an \"extensive and exhaustive investigation\" into the crash near Goole on 1 July 2018.\n\n\"The car that Israr Muhammed was driving was not roadworthy, its rear tyre was 16 years old and defective and the resulting blow-out caused the series of events that led to the death of his three-year-old son and the serious, life changing injuries of his wife and second child,\" the officer said.\n\nFollow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "Trump International Hotel has been surrounded by fences Image caption: Trump International Hotel has been surrounded by fences\n\nThe nation’s capital is gearing up for the presidential election not by organising rallies or canvassing, but by putting up boards and fences.\n\nI took a walk around Washington DC downtown today, and the city was eerily quiet.\n\nAt the Trump International Hotel, fences have been installed around the hotel entrances. Only a driveway with enhanced security was open to allow guests to come in and out.\n\nThere are few on the streets on this chilly, windy day, but a man on a scooter passes by and shouts: “Trump 2020!”\n\nAlong the Black Lives Matter Plaza, one block away from the White House, it’s hard to tell whether anything is open for business, as storefronts are all covered up with plywood, in case of civil unrest on the election night and after.\n\nThe fences wall that off the White House and nearby Lafayette Square are covered with anti-Trump signs. Through the fences, I saw a crane lifting construction materials, said to be preparing to put up more fences around the White House.\n\nDemonstrators and journalists gather in front of the White House, and tomorrow night they will return in greater number.\n\nThe world will be watching closely - not only for whether Biden or Trump will be residing here in the next four years, but also for whether the US democratic institutions can withstand the challenges it is facing.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Glenda Ceasar explains her compensation bid over the Windrush scandal.\n\nAt least nine people have died before receiving money applied for through the Windrush compensation scheme, according to Home Office figures.\n\nThe Windrush scandal saw deportation threats made to the children of Commonwealth citizens.\n\nDespite living and working in the UK for decades, many were told they were there illegally because of a lack of official paperwork.\n\nThe government apologised in 2018 and the compensation scheme was launched.\n\nIt was intended to help those who did not have the right documentation to prove their status in the UK.\n\nIt's also meant to compensate victims for things such as loss of earnings and periods of detainment.\n\nBut the Home Office figures, released to the BBC under Freedom of Information laws, show that in addition to people dying before they receive any money, fewer than five people have been offered the top level of \"Impact on Life\" payment.\n\nThese payments reflect how badly a claimant's life was affected and range from Level 1 - essentially a minor inconvenience worth £250, to Level 6 - a profound and likely irreversible impact worth £10,000 or more. More than 1,500 claims have been made using the scheme, with 250 being offered an \"Impact on Life\" payment.\n\nThe figures are correct as of 31 August.\n\nGlenda came to the UK from Dominica in 1961 before her first birthday.\n\nIn 2009 she lost her job as a GP's practitioner as she didn't have the paperwork to prove she could legally work in the UK.\n\nGlenda, who lives in Hackney, east London, was unable to work for almost 10 years and in this time could not claim welfare. After being detained for several hours at Gatwick airport following a family holiday, she was told if she left the UK again she would likely not be allowed to return.\n\nLast year she rejected a compensation offer of £22,000 and has since rejected a further offer.\n\nCampaigners take their case to Downing Street\n\n\"I was shocked,\" she says, \"to get a letter saying we're offering you £13,000 for loss of employment, we're offering you £7,000 for Impact on Life and we're offering you £1,500 for detainment.\n\n\"I was like, there's something wrong somewhere, I have to go public with this, this isn't fair.\"\n\nGlenda, who contemplated taking her own life during the period in which she could not work, says her anxiety levels have been affected by the compensation process.\n\n\"It's stressful, it's long, it's tiring and the whole process of doing the compensation form is something you cannot do by yourself, you definitely need legal help.\n\n\"You call them up and you're not getting directly through to the person who's supposed to be allocated to your case and that alone just raises your stress level, because you're getting more angry because you're not getting a result.\n\n\"'It's in process.' 'Okay what's the process?' 'I can't say anything.' 'But it's about me, why can't you tell me? Can you get the caseworker to call me?' 'I don't know if we'll be able to do that.' No one wants to answer directly.\"\n\nPaulette Wilson, from Wolverhampton, died aged 64 without receiving her compensation\n\nHolly Stow, a senior caseworker at the North Kensington Law Centre, which represents almost 50 Windrush claimants, including Glenda, says no one she represents has ever received an \"Impact on Life\" offer in the top level.\n\n\"We've seen various claimants where they have been detained, threats of deportation, they've lost their jobs, they've lost their house, they've been homeless.\n\n\"We've submitted evidence where people have gone to their GP and mention they're feeling suicidal, considering self-harm and even that type of evidence is not enough for a Level 6.\n\n\"So it makes you wonder, what do these people have to go through to be able to show that their life has seriously been affected by this?\"\n\nShe says the Home Office has asked some of the people she represents for evidence that no longer exists.\n\n\"The delays come from caseworkers asking for further documentation and evidence that we've already supplied to them, asking for documents that simply are not there and we cannot gather.\"\n\nEarlier this year, one of the most prominent Windrush victims, Paulette Wilson, died aged 64 without receiving any compensation.\n\nThe Home Office says Paulette had not completed an official application through the Windrush Compensation Scheme\n\nGlenda, who campaigned alongside Paulette, says her death, along with the revelation that at least nine claimants have now died, has people worried about the likelihood of claims being resolved.\n\n\"It's made people realise, my God she was a high profile case and to know that they still haven't sorted out her compensation, well what are they doing?\"\n\n\"It's such a straightforward thing, but they make it so complicated and turn it into something which is causing a lot of anxiety to people and some people give up.\n\nGlenda Caesar (second right), who came to the UK in 1961, was 'shocked' by the offer\n\n\"I don't want to hear another person's died through stress, I don't want to hear that at all and that's exactly what is happening to our age group.\"\n\nHolly says some claimants have been making plans for what should happen to their compensation claim if they pass away before it's resolved.\n\n\"For people to have to think ahead about the fact that they might die before having any compensation is a terrible state of affairs.\n\n\"After all that people have been through because of the Windrush scandal, and now they have to plan their death around their justice?\"\n\nA Home Office statement said, \"We are determined to right the wrongs of the Windrush generation, and the Windrush compensation scheme has paid out or offered more than £2.8m, with more offers being made every single week.\n\n\"We continue to work with families to ensure compensation is still paid out where claimants have sadly passed away.\n\n\"While we aim to process claims as quickly as possible, it is important we get this right, and that we carefully consider each person's circumstances and experiences, treating everyone with the care and sensitivity they deserve.\n\n\"This will mean that the maximum payment can be made to every single person.\"", "Covid patient Harry King, who has double pneumonia, with wife Diane\n\nIf you want to know why England is going into lockdown, Liverpool's intensive care units may help give you the answer.\n\nThey are struggling to cope.\n\n\"We are hanging by a thread,\" says Dr Oliver Zuzan, divisional medical director at the Royal Liverpool Hospital.\n\nHe is speaking to me in a six-bed intensive care unit, reserved for non-Covid patients. At least here there's no requirement for the staff to spend their shifts in full PPE, with tight-fitting masks that dig into their faces. Here it's just an apron, gloves and surgical mask.\n\nThe intensive care unit has had to be split into Covid and non-Covid areas. In the side rooms, patients wait for a diagnosis that will determine whether they are cared for in a red zone (Covid) or green zone (non-Covid).\n\n\"People are right to say that these are pressures that occur every winter, but this time it's just a lot worse. This is winter plus, plus, plus,\" says Dr Zuzan.\n\nAs such, it is a glimpse of what hospitals across England could look like if cases of coronavirus continue to rise unchecked - a scenario the new lockdown is designed to prevent. Liverpool University Hospitals Trust, which includes Royal Liverpool and three other hospitals, has 463 Covid in-patients, 73 more than the peak of 390 in early April.\n\nWe're very close to the limits of what Liverpool hospitals can cope with\n\nA key difference between the spring and now is the additional medical demands.\n\nBack then, there was little demand for intensive care from non-Covid patients. Many people with urgent conditions stayed away. Half the trust's beds were empty. Now they are about 95% full.\n\nLike other hospitals, there are plans to expand capacity to look after critically ill patients. But that depends on having enough staff. Sickness levels are about three times normal levels. Having dealt with the first wave, and then spent the summer trying to catch up with surgery that was postponed, the medical teams are looking at months of sustained pressure.\n\nThe critical care units are depending on nurses who usually work in operating theatres. Their skills are similar, but not the same. The units are relying on nurses like Marie Brady, who has come out of retirement to rejoin the ICU team she worked with for 30 years.\n\n\"A lot of the NHS is working on goodwill. And unfortunately, people are starting to get tired and exhausted now. I'm 58 now and I'm looking after patients that are my age or a year or two older or even younger than me. And it does make you very aware of your susceptibility,\" she says.\n\nI have never ever been so ill in all my born days - this is an absolute crippler\n\nI spend most of the morning in the ICU red zone. My first impression is how different this is to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary which I visited the week before. There, the unit was flooded with natural light. It was not that busy, and several patients were able to chat to me.\n\nIn Liverpool, the only ICU patient who appears well enough to talk is Douglas Thom, a former bus driver and crane operator. The 73-year-old is sitting up in bed, his head covered with a domed plastic hood that enables oxygen to flow into his lungs under pressure. It looks like something out of science fiction, but he is stoical.\n\n\"It's a bit claustrophobic but it's doing the job, so that's all that matters to me.\"\n\nDouglas's wife tested positive at the same time as him but recovered.\n\nHe takes a dim view of those who dismiss coronavirus.\n\n\"All these people who go around saying it's a hoax or a bad cold, they need to get their heads straight because I have never ever been so ill in all my born days.\n\n\"This is an absolute crippler.\"\n\nThe trust is not helped by its ageing infrastructure. The Royal was built in the '60s and is crumbling. Its replacement is three years overdue and not scheduled to open for two years. The Royal and Aintree University hospitals have about 40 operating theatres. Half are standing idle since almost all non-urgent surgery has been cancelled.\n\nStaff absence and the need to redeploy nurses from surgery to critical care meant the trust had no alternative.\n\nEven more worryingly, nine urgent cancer operations have been cancelled in the past month.\n\n\"It's devastating for the patient,\" says Dr Tristan Cope, the trust's medical director, \"if they've come into a hospital, expecting to have a potentially life-saving cancer operation and that morning are told it can't go ahead.\"\n\nDr Cope is speaking in one of the moth-balled operating theatres. We are either side of the operating table. He is worried about the coming weeks.\n\n\"We're very close to the limits of what Liverpool hospitals can cope with in terms of the number of patients, particularly - without having to postpone more of those urgent surgical procedures.\"\n\nAbout a third of in-patients now have Covid-19\n\nHe assures me the cancelled cancer operations are being quickly rescheduled, but adds that whether they take place soon depends on beds being available. It is worth stressing, though, that most cancer treatment is unaffected by coronavirus. I was shown around a brand new cancer centre, near the Royal.\n\nAlison Taylor, an acute oncology nurse consultant, says people with potential symptoms should seek help. \"We are open for business. We will investigate and get patients to treatment as quickly as possible. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are continuing as normal.\"\n\nThe public may not be clapping for carers anymore, but every patient I meet speaks with reverence about the medical staff treating them, especially the nurses. Staff here understand why so many are tired of limits placed on their lives and livelihoods.\n\nLiverpool was the first part of England to go into \"tier three\", the highest level of restrictions, on 14 October. Since then, infection rates in the city have declined. But the government's medical advisers have said the measures are not enough to bring the outbreak under control.\n\n\"If you don't listen to us, if you don't adhere to those restrictions, you will harm your friends,\" says Dr Zuzan. \"You will harm your family, your neighbours, and you might even harm yourself.\"\n\nOn a Covid ward at Aintree Hospital, I meet Jay Madden who was working on a novel before he was admitted to hospital. The 44-year-old ended up with blood clots on his lungs. Keen to get home to his wife and two children, his breathing is still laboured. A Covid-19 infection is, he says, like a random hand of cards: it could be nothing or you could end up in hospital.\n\n\"Keep your mask on, keep your distance and keep yourself clean. You do not want to go through this.\"\n\nDiane King has been sleeping in a chair at her husband's bedside. Harry, 75, has late-stage Alzheimer's and Covid-19. One cruel condition compounded by another. He has double pneumonia and may have just a few days to live.\n\n\"He keeps asking, 'Can we go home?' but we can't because of the oxygen. I'd love to take him home and be at home with him when it happens,\" says Diane, who couldn't visit for the first 10 days because she also tested positive.\n\nShe has brought in old photos - memories of almost 50 years of marriage.\n\n\"It's very hard. There aren't any words. I just wish… he could communicate a bit more. But on the other hand, I think maybe he doesn't understand, so hopefully he's not worrying.\"\n\nHarry King, who may have just a few days to live, is tended to by his wife Diane\n\nTheir two grown-up children have been to hospital to say farewell to their dad.\n\nLater that day, when we are back in the hospital foyer, I meet Diane again briefly. She's just popping out for some air. She gives me a big smile. It was humbling to meet them both. A wife dedicated to her husband, determined to care for him and be with him, right to the very end.\n\nThe NHS is a cradle to grave service; for the beginning through to the end of life. Boris Johnson says a lockdown in England is needed to prevent a medical and moral disaster. Liverpool is an example of where having to deal with coronavirus, on top of all the usual health demands, has created huge pressures, especially in intensive care.\n\nFor the moment it appears to be a unique example of where demand is threatening to overwhelm supply.\n\nI'm the BBC's medical editor. Since 2004 I have reported on a huge range of topics from cancer, genetics, malaria, and HIV, to the many significant advances in medical science which have improved people's health. I've also followed pandemic threats such as bird flu as well as Sars and Mers. Now I'm focusing on Covid-19 and its immense global impact.", "TikTok's pledge to take \"immediate action\" against child predators has been challenged by a BBC Panorama investigation.\n\nThe app says it has a \"zero tolerance\" policy against grooming behaviours.\n\nBut when an account created for the programme - which identified itself as belonging to a 14-year-old girl - reported a male adult for sending sexual messages, TikTok did not ban it.\n\nAnd it only took such action after Panorama sought an explanation.\n\nThe video-sharing platform claimed its moderators did not intervene in the first instance because the child's account had not made it clear the offending posts had been received via TikTok's direct messaging (DM) facility.\n\n\"We... have a duty to respect the privacy of our users,\" it told the BBC, adding that complaints do \"not generally trigger a review\" of DMs.\n\nHowever, Panorama's account had in fact selected and submitted each of the seven chat messages involved via the app's own reporting tool.\n\nChild safety experts say parents need to be aware of the risks involved with letting their children use TikTok.\n\n\"The thing with TikTok is it's fun, and I think whenever someone is having fun they're not recognising the dangers,\" said Lorin LaFave, founder of the Breck Foundation.\n\n\"[Predators] might be looking to groom a child, to exploit them, to get them to do something that could be harmful to them.\"\n\nTikTok does not allow an account to receive or send direct messages if the user registers themselves as being under 16.\n\nBut many of its youngest members get round this by lying about their date of birth when they join.\n\nTo simulate this, Panorama registered the account with a 16-year-old's birth date.\n\nBut in her profile, it stated the owner was a 14-year-old girl in its biography description.\n\nThe team recruited a journalism graduate who creates TikToks for an internet search company.\n\nShe is 23, but posed as the 14-year-old, putting her pictures through photo-editing software to make her look younger.\n\nEvery day she posted videos, copying popular dances to trending tracks.\n\nOver the period, the account picked up followers including what appeared to be older men.\n\nOne sent a series of DMs in the early hours of the morning asking if the user wanted to see his penis, describing it in explicit terms.\n\nWhen she responded, the \"girl\" asked how old he was and he replied, saying he was 34 years old.\n\nShe told him she was 14, to which he replied: \"Ohhh you are under age sorry.\"\n\nHe did not send an image or follow-up DMs, but continued to like the account's videos.\n\nAll of his messages were sent to TikTok.\n\nAfter three days, the man's account was still active, at which point Panorama contacted the company.\n\nThe following day, TikTok banned the man's account and blocked his smartphone from being able to set up a new one.\n\nPanorama sent the messages involved to TikTok via its report tool\n\nA spokesman noted the app offered privacy features to help parents avoid such problems.\n\n\"We offer all our users a high level of control over who can see and interact with the content they post,\" he said.\n\n\"These privacy settings can be set either at account level or on a video-by-video basis.\"\n\nTikTok's moderators also terminated two other men's accounts without need for follow-up prompts.\n\nIn both these cases, the men continued to send the \"child\" private messages even after she had told them \"she\" was 14.\n\nIf users register they are under-18 when they sign up, TikTok automatically suggests they restrict who sees their videos.\n\nBut many youngsters decide not to do this because they want to have a wider audience than just pre-approved friends.\n\nEven so, their parents or guardians can still protect them.\n\nOne way to do this is to:\n\nThe adults can subsequently limit the types of content the child sees, and restrict who sends DMs or block private chats altogether.\n\nThe teens can subsequently unpair the accounts, but doing so will send the adult an alert and give them 48 hours to restore the link before the child can turn off the restrictions.\n\nIf parents do not want to install the app themselves, they can alter the settings of the child's app instead.\n\nAfter doing this, the youngsters should only be able to see suitable videos, although TikTok acknowledges that its filters are not guaranteed to screen out all \"inappropriate\" content.\n\nThe first option only lets approved users see the child's activity, the second stops their profile being shown to people interested in similar accounts.\n\nPanorama also spoke to one of the company's former moderators, who had worked in its London office.\n\nThe ex-employee explained that predators take advantage of the fact that TikTok's recommendation algorithm is designed to identify what users are interested in and then find them similar content.\n\n\"If you're looking at a lot of kids dancing sexually and you interact with that, it's going to give you more kids dancing sexually.\n\n\"Maybe it's a predator... they see these kids doing that and that's their way of engaging with these kids.\"\n\nThe interviewee - who asked to remain anonymous - left before TikTok's announcement earlier this year that it would stop using moderation staff based in Beijing.\n\nBut prior to this, employees at the firm's Beijing headquarters are claimed to have made key decisions.\n\n\"It felt like not very much was being done to protect people,\" the ex-worker said.\n\n\"Beijing were hesitant to suspend accounts or take stronger action on users who were being abusive.\n\n\"They would pretty much only ever get a temporary ban of some form, like a week or something.\n\n\"Moderators at least on the team I was on did not have the ability to ban accounts. They have to ask Beijing to do that. There were a lot of... clashes with Beijing.\"\n\nTikTok says none of its content is moderated in China anymore - although it does use a team there to censor a sister-version of the app, Douyin, targeted at Chinese users.\n\n\"We have a dedicated and ever-growing expert team of over 10,000 people in 20 countries, covering 57 languages, who review and take action against content and accounts that violate our policies,\" said a TikTok spokesman.\n\nTikTok added that it also used automated tools to screen content.\n\nAnd it said agents based in Dublin, San Francisco and Singapore were available to deal with any pressing threats within five minutes \"to ensure swift actions is taken\".\n\nViewers in the UK can watch Panorama: Is TikTok Safe? on BBC One on Monday 2 November at 19:35 GMT", "Spain, like many European nations, is seeing a surge in the number of coronavirus cases\n\nStaff at funeral homes in Spain have gone on strike to demand more workers as coronavirus deaths continue to rise.\n\nUnions say more staff are needed to prevent the delay in burials that was seen during the first wave of the pandemic in March.\n\nEurope is grappling with a second wave as cases and deaths continue to rise.\n\nA number of countries have introduced new measures such as curfews and lockdowns to try and bring infection rates down.\n\nOn Saturday, Austria and Portugal became the latest countries to announce new restrictions.\n\nWorkers at funeral homes across Spain took part in a strike on Sunday. The strike came on All Saints Day, when families usually visit the graves of loved ones.\n\nOne funeral home in Madrid told AFP news agency that it needed between 15-20 more staff to handle the surge in deaths. On Friday, 239 deaths were confirmed in the country by the health ministry.\n\nIn March, burials had a delay of about a week and cremations took place in cities hundreds of miles away, as funeral homes struggled with the demand.\n\nSpain has recorded more than 1.1 million cases and 35,800 deaths since the outbreak began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.\n\nElsewhere, in France Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has reacted strongly to reports that a group of cadets at the national police school in Nimes held a clandestine party on the school's premises last week.\n\nHe described the reports as \"totally unacceptable\". \"If this is confirmed, the pupils responsible will not be worthy of wearing the uniform and will be excluded,\" he said.\n\nThe news came as France reported 46,290 cases in 24 hours, compared to 35,641 the previous day. Another 231 people died over the same period, bringing the total to 37,019.\n\nItaly is accelerating preparations for a further tightening of coronavirus restrictions in the country.\n\nOn Saturday, it reported 31,758 cases of the virus, a new daily record.\n\nHealth Minister Roberto Speranza warned that a nationwide lockdown appeared to be the only way to stop hospital wards becoming more crowded with coronavirus patients.\n\nIn an interview with newspaper, Corriere della Sera, Mr Speranza said the rising curve of transmission rates was \"terrifying\".\n\nRestrictions are already in place in the country with cinemas, swimming pools, theatres and gyms forced to close.\n\nBars, restaurants and cafes have to stop table service by 18:00. However shops and the majority of businesses are still operating.\n\nMourners kissed the hands of Montenegro's religious leader, despite the fact that he died with Covid-19\n\nIn Montenegro, thousands of people attended the funeral of the country's leading religious figure, Archbishop Amfilohije Radovic, who died with coronavirus on Friday, aged 82.\n\nDespite pleas from doctors to ban the funeral, the metropolitan's open coffin was paraded in front of crowds at the Serbian Orthodox cathedral in the capital Podgorica. Some mourners even touched or kissed his head or hands.\n\nThere are fears that the funeral will have made infection rates in the country - already among the highest in Europe - even worse.\n\nSlovakia has tested nearly half of its population after announcing a plan to test everyone in the country over 10 years old.\n\nInfections have soared in Slovakia and officials argue the only alternative would be a total lockdown.\n\nDefence Minister Jaroslav Nad confirmed that 2.58 million people took the test on Saturday. Of those, 25,850 have tested positive and must quarantine.\n\nMore than 2.58 million people in Slovakia have been tested\n\nOn Monday, new restrictions will come into effect in Germany. Daily infection rates have hit record highs over the past week.\n\nOn Saturday, the country recorded more than 20,000 cases.\n\nUnder the new measures, theatres, cinemas, swimming pools and bars must close. However schools and shops will remain open.\n\nSpeaking in parliament earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of a long, hard winter ahead.\n• None Covid map: Where are cases the highest?", "Many self-employed claim they have been excluded from other support schemes\n\nThe self-employed will be able to claim state aid of up to 80% of profits during the month-long lockdown, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced.\n\nThe rise is up from the current 40%, and will mean £4.5bn of government support for the self-employed between November and January, he said.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson has faced a backlash from within his own party over the new lockdown.\n\nThat criticism included not doing enough to help the self-employed.\n\nIt was also announced that businesses will continue to be able to apply to banks for government-backed support loans until 31 January, compared with a previous 30 November deadline for some of the programmes.\n\nEngland will enter a second lockdown on Thursday, which will close restaurants, pubs and non-essential shops until at least 2 December, although unlike the first lockdown in late March and April, schools will stay open for all pupils.\n\nUnder the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS), eligible workers can currently claim support covering 40% of their average earnings from last year to cover a period of three months, capped at £3,750.\n\nThe new enhanced scheme will open for applications from the end of November, and cover 80% of trading profits for that month. Including the new higher November grant, it means the November-January payment will be at 55% of profits, up to a maximum of £5,160.\n\nHowever, as eligibility criteria will be the same as for previous grants, critics said it still meant as many as 2.9 million freelancers, contractors and newly self employed people would remain excluded.\n\nThe Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE) said the new measures will give \"vital support\" to some, but accused the government of still \"wilfully ignoring a third of self-employed\".\n\nDerek Cribb, the group's chief executive, said it was important to note the enhanced 80% rate only covered November, mirroring the extended furlough scheme. \"It is vital that if the furlough scheme is extended, SEISS should be adjusted accordingly,\" he said.\n\n\"It is deeply troubling that the government has still not fixed the devastating gaps in SEISS, despite urgent recommendations from the Treasury Select Committee. After so many calls to resolve the problems, it now looks as if the government is wilfully ignoring a third of the self-employed.\n\n\"The first lockdown drastically undermined self-employed incomes, and the gaps in government support led to the biggest drop in self-employed numbers on record.\n\n\"Unless government wakes up to the problem and supports all the self-employed, the second lockdown will accelerate the decline and hollow out swathes of this vital sector.\"\n\nSmall businesses have urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to go even further than Mondays announcement\n\nThe Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) also warned that too many self-employed people remain excluded. FSB chairman Mike Cherry said: \"This is a five-million strong community that drives our economy forward, but the government has insisted that large swathes of it do not warrant any help where income is concerned.\n\n\"We have sadly already seen 250,000 self-employed people stop working and become economically inactive, a figure which is set to continue rising.\n\n\"Fundamentally, the business support landscape still remains too much of a mixed picture - a fact made all the more concerning given that this fresh lockdown in England is taking effect during the critical festive season.\"\n\nMonday's announcement increases help for many people - but, then again, many people still say it is not nearly enough.\n\nThe National Audit Office said last week up to 2.9 million people have been excluded from both the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme since March - some newly self-employed, others set up as limited companies and still others denied furlough.\n\nNAO head Gareth Davies said it was \"clear that many people have lost earnings and have not been able to access support\". Some have had little or no income for months, ineligible even for benefits. Yet they've paid their taxes and say they deserve the same level of support as everyone else.\n\nAccording to the ExcludedUK Facebook group, of 2,400 members in a recent poll, 79% described themselves as having trouble sleeping, 81% as being anxious or stressed, 58% had low self-esteem, 48% were depressed; and 14% had had suicidal thoughts - over three times the norm in the wider population.\n\nThe cross-party Treasury Committee said in June these exclusions \"cannot be right\" and Sir Keir Starmer told the CBI conference today the chancellor must close the gaps in support. But so far those gaps remain wide open.\n• None What extra help will the self-employed get?\n• None What happens when furlough ends?", "Conservative MP Bob Seely voiced concerns about coronavirus data the government has been using and asked Boris Johnson to “publish in full, the four studies that have gone into the work this weekend”.\n\nAt Saturday’s government briefing, as the case for the new England lockdown was being made, a chart was used showing potential paths of the daily death count over the coming months.\n\nThe most eye-catching showed a peak of just above 4,000 deaths a day (roughly four times the figure during the worst days of the first wave). The rest were lower but still peaked at roughly double the level seen earlier this year.\n\nThese curves were all produced at the start of October, just after the rapid rise in cases that followed students returning to university. These were based on models for worst-case planning that assumed no changes in policy or behaviour.\n\nBut, since then, England has introduced a three-tier system of stricter measures and the epidemic has grown more slowly than the curves assumed it would.\n\nOn the day the chart was used, an average of 215 deaths had been reported each day in the previous week. That is far below the 1,000 a day envisioned by the most pessimistic model.\n\nBut it is only a little better than the most optimistic of the models, which still described a very high level of deaths through the winter.\n\nModels like these describe possible futures, if certain assumptions turn out to be true – but they do not predict the future.", "Businesses borrowing from banks will leap more than fivefold in 2020 compared to last year, according to analysis from the EY Item Club.\n\nThe economic forecaster found that net borrowing from banks rose to £43.2bn between January and August from £8.8bn for 2019.\n\nFirms have been adding to their borrowing in order to survive the pandemic as many have seen sales slump.\n\nIt expects the total stock of loans from banks to businesses to increase 11% to £493bn by the end of the year.\n\nThe figures excluded lending to other lenders and financial companies and included repayments.\n\n\"Financial Services Firms entered the pandemic in a position of capital strength and have supported the economy and business to unprecedented levels since March,\" Omar Ali, UK Financial Services Managing Partner at EY said.\n\n\"However, rising unemployment and the ongoing challenges faced by small businesses mean the outlook for the sector is testing.\"\n\nThe lending splurge peaked in March and net lending fell in the summer months as stronger businesses paid back money borrowed as a precaution, said the forecasters, who use a similar economic model to the Treasury.\n\n\"However, for the vast majority of firms the loans appear to have been critical, and it is forecast they won't start to repay debt, and reduce their borrowing, until 2022 or even later,\" the analysis said.\n\nThe rise in lending to business contrasts with a dip in consumer borrowing, the analysis found. Consumer loans will probably fall about 6%, the biggest drop since 2011.\n\nIt expects write-off rates on consumer credit to rise from 1.3% this year to 2.5% in 2021.", "Wales is in the middle of a 17-day firebreak lockdown\n\nThere will not be local lockdowns after the end of Wales' 17-day firebreak, First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed.\n\nOnce the current Wales-wide restrictions end on 9 November, there will not be any local variations.\n\nBars, non-essential shops, restaurants, cafes and churches will reopen at the end of the current lockdown.\n\nBut the system of 17-separate local lockdowns will not return when new restrictions are announced on Monday.\n\nPlaid Cymru said any new restrictions should aim to bring the R number - the rate that the virus reproduces - below 1.\n\nMr Drakeford told a press conference the local lockdowns had helped, but were not sufficient to deal with the \"onslaught\" of the virus and \"didn't work well enough\".\n\nHe added: \"For the sake of clarity and simplicity, our decision is that the other side of the firebreak period from 9 November, we will have a set of national rules that will apply in all parts of Wales.\n\n\"I hope that that will help people in Wales, just to be clearer about what they are being asked to do.\n\n\"Because we have had evidence of people wanting to do the right thing, but not always being certain what the right thing is, because the rules have been more difficult to follow than we would have liked.\n\n\"We're going to simplify. We're going to clarify.\"\n\nMeanwhile, he said giving false information to NHS contact tracers would become a criminal offence in Wales, with fines to be decided.\n\nThere will be a legal requirement to self-isolate if asked to do so by contact tracers and employers will be banned from preventing people from doing so.\n\nSelf-isolating social care care workers will have sick-pay topped up to full pay, Mr Drakeford promised, and payments of £500 will be given for people on low incomes who are self-isolating.\n\nThe Welsh Conservatives have criticised ministers for first announcing the £500 payment a month ago, but failing to get the scheme up and running until now.\n\nSimilar schemes in England and Scotland are already in place.\n\nChief Medical Officer Frank Atherton is considering making the length of time people have to self-isolate shorter.\n\nMark Drakeford said recent scientific work says \"you are most infectious to somebody else in the two days before and the two days after you feel the first onset of symptoms\".\n\n\"By the time seven days have gone by, you know, that level of risk to other people has gone down quite a lot\", he told Capital South Wales radio.\n\nCurrently people need to self-isolate for between 10 and 14 days, depending on the circumstances.\n\nHe said community centres would be able to have \"groups of up to 15 people meeting in them\" over the winter when the firebreak ends on 9 November.\n\nMore will be done to encourage people to work from home after the lockdown ends, he added.\n\nThe 17-day lockdown was introduced on 23 October to stem a rise in coronavirus cases, which have continued to increase during the lockdown.\n\nThe press conference heard there were 1,700 more confirmed infections on Friday and 1,191 patients in hospital, up 20% in a week.\n\n\"They tell us, as I said earlier, just how important, and just how necessary, this firebreak period has been,\" Mr Drakeford said of the figures.\n\n\"Our hope has to be that the actions we are all taking will change the course of this disease,\" he added, saying the weeks that follow will show \"its full impact.\"\n\nAn estimated 26,100 people in Wales had coronavirus in the week up to 23 October, according to the Office for National Statistics.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The first minister said local lockdowns were not sufficient to deal with the \"onslaught\" of the virus\n\nPlaid Cymru leader Adam Price said any plan for coming out of the firebreak \"must aim to keep R below 1, avoiding a third wave and the need for a further national lockdown\".\n\nHe said the key issue \"is still testing\".\n\n\"The Welsh Government must focus on optimising Wales's own testing capacity through NHS and university laboratories in order to expedite the testing process and facilitate reaching the '24-hour turnaround' timescale target.\"\n\nCaerphilly was the first part of Wales to go into local lockdown\n\nThe first minister said a ban implemented prior to the firebreak banning people from areas of the UK with high levels of coronavirus from entering Wales could continue after 9 November.\n\nUnder lockdown no-one can travel into Wales except for a limited set of reasons - but in the days before people from tier 2 and tier 3 areas in England, the central belt in Scotland and Northern Ireland were subject to travel restrictions.\n\n\"I will want to study, over this weekend and into next week, the comparative incidence rates between Wales and parts of England which are under tier 2 and tier 3 restrictions,\" Mr Drakeford told the press conference.\n\n\"The point of asking people in those places not to travel into Wales was because the rate of virus circulation in those places was so much more than it is here.\n\n\"I'm afraid there is still a significant gap between those places and Wales.\n\n\"If that remains the same, then we will expect to have a similar regime after November 9 as we had prior to October 23\".\n\nHe said he would reveal on Monday whether people will be able to leave their respective counties - during local lockdowns most people in Wales were prevented from doing so.\n\nMr Drakeford said he would not anticipate that decision on Friday but was \"acutely aware\" of the impact the restrictions in the local lockdowns had had on peoples' lives.", "An officer run over when trying to stop a motorist from driving into runners has won a Pride of Britain award.\n\nPC Claire Bond was pursuing a drug dealer who had crashed into parked cars and was heading towards the ongoing Stafford 10k run.\n\nThe driver reversed, crushing her against a fence before flipping her in the air and dragging her along the ground, breaking her leg and kneecap.\n\nPC Bond dedicated her award to her husband and all police officers.\n\nShe and colleague PC Dave Mullins were called to reports of a car that had crashed into a garage in Coton Fields, Staffordshire, on 3 September 2018.\n\nPC Bond, of Walsall, had previously said she knew she had to stop Gurajdeep Mali from driving \"because if he got through, he was gonna be just driving straight into the 10k run\".\n\n\"I punched him in the face as hard as I could, saying 'get out of the car, stop the car'...\n\n\"He's driven me into a fence... [Later] I've looked down and my legs aren't looking good. They're pointing the wrong way and I just remember crying.\"\n\nMalhi drove at her again but her colleague managed to pull her to safety.\n\n\"To win a Pride of Britain Award, I am totally honoured,\" she said.\n\n\"I still can't get used to it. I was up until 3 o'clock the morning I found out, saying, 'Is this actually happening? This has actually happened hasn't it?'\"\n\nShe underwent a five-hour operation to save her legs\n\nShe underwent a five-hour operation to save her legs and has gone on to raise money for a police charity by completing the 10k race - nine in a wheelchair, but managing to walk the final kilometre with a stick.\n\nPC Bond said she still hoped to return to policing.\n\nPhil Jones, chairman of Staffordshire Police Federation, said the force was \"exceptionally proud\" of PC Bond and described her as an \"inspiration\".\n\nGurajdeep Malhi was jailed for 12 years and nine months\n\nMalhi was tracked down after the incident and cocaine with a street value of more than £2,000 was found in his BMW.\n\nHe was jailed in September 2019 for 12 years after admitting causing grievous bodily harm with intent, as well as various driving and drug offences.\n\nThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.", "This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dozens of residents of this apartment block remain unaccounted for\n\nRescue teams in the Turkish port city of Izmir are continuing to search for survivors of Friday's powerful earthquake, as officials say the death toll has increased to at least 64.\n\nSixty-two deaths have been confirmed in Turkey, while two teenagers died on the Greek island of Samos.\n\nDozens of people remain unaccounted for following the quake.\n\nA 70-year-old man was pulled from the rubble of a building in Izmir after being trapped for some 33 hours.\n\nThe US Geological Survey (USGS) said Friday's quake was 7.0 magnitude, but Turkey put it lower at 6.6.\n\nThe shallow tremor triggered tidal waves that hit coastal areas and islands in both Turkey and Greece.\n\nRescue teams were searching through the rubble of collapsed buildings in western Turkey for a third day on Sunday, hoping to find survivors.\n\nThousands of personnel were deployed to help with the rescue efforts, using mechanical diggers to remove blocks of concrete.\n\nA 70-year-old man, identified as Ahmet Citim, was pulled out from beneath the rubble of a destroyed residential building in Izmir in the early hours of Sunday morning and taken to hospital.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.\n\nTurkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca visited Mr Citim in hospital, and said he was doing well.\n\nLater on Sunday, the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) announced the new national death toll of 62, all in Izmir.\n\nIt said more than 900 people had been injured, though the majority have now been discharged from hospitals.\n\nEight people are reported to be in intensive care.\n\nBuildings were damaged and destroyed in Friday's earthquake\n\nFood was distributed among survivors and thousands of tents set up for those unable to return to their homes.\n\nVice-President Fuat Oktay said 26 badly damaged buildings would be demolished.\n\n\"It's not the earthquake that kills but buildings,\" he told reporters.\n\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government was \"determined to heal the wounds of our brothers and sisters in Izmir before the cold and rains begin\".\n\nThe earthquake struck 14km (nine miles) off the Greek town of Karlovasi on Samos island at 13:51 local time (11:51 GMT), according to the USGS.\n\nIt said the quake - which was felt as far away as Athens and Istanbul - struck at a depth of 21km (13 miles), although Turkish officials said it was 16km below ground.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Powerful earthquake destroys buildings and causes flooding on Turkey's Aegean coast\n\nMost of the damage occurred in Izmir, off Turkey's Aegean coast - where the tremor sent many people running out into the streets in fear and panic.\n\n\"It was a really strong shaker almost enough to knock you off your feet. Running out of the house with my children was like a drunken wobble,\" Chris Bedford, a retired British teacher who lives in Urla, west of Izmir, told the BBC.\n\nThere were reports of flooding in Izmir after the sea level rose, with one person killed after their wheelchair was hit and overturned by rising water.\n\nIzmir is Turkey's third largest city with a population of nearly three million.\n\nTurkey and Greece both sit on fault lines and earthquakes are common.\n\nTwo teenagers were killed when a wall collapsed on Samos. Eight people were injured across the island, where about 45,000 people reside.\n\nA mini-tsunami flooded the port of Samos and a number of buildings were damaged. Greek officials put the magnitude of the tremor at 6.7.\n\n\"We felt it very strongly,\" local journalist Manos Stefanakis told the BBC.\n\nFareid Atta, another Samos-based journalist, told the BBC that the damage was \"quite extensive along the seafront\" of the island's main town.\n\n\"Many businesses will be going under after this,\" he said.\n\nThis video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Footage shows town on Greek island of Samos flooded by earthquake\n\n\"Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together,\" Mr Mitsotakis wrote in a tweet.\n\nMr Erdogan later responded in a tweet: \"Turkey, too, is always ready to help Greece heal its wounds. That two neighbours show solidarity in difficult times is more valuable than many things in life.\"\n\nRelations between Greece and Turkey have been particularly strained in recent months by a dispute relating to control of territorial waters in the Mediterranean and the resources beneath them."], "link": ["http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2020-55024888", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55021334", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55023272", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/us2020", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55029358", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54419352", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55022971", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55002279", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-55026035", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55028332", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-54966876", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55028328", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-55027808", 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"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54778682", "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/us2020", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/54787598", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/54767836", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-54787797", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54774942", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-54769055", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54772375", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54768430", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-54774539", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-54776547", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-54772028", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54711538", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-54749404", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-54769232", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54777006", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54772218", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54777346", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54770216", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-54775061", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-54783390", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/election-us-2020-54768273", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54748038", "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54777741", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54773257", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54772727", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54781028", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-54777067", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54740006", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-54748184", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-54750756", "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54770210"]}
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